Passion For Ducati Has Never Been Greater With 59,447 Motorcycles Sold worldwide, 2021 is the Best Year Ever
Ducati ends 2021 with record sales, growing globally by +24% over 2020 and +12% over 2019
Double-digit growth in all major countries including the United States, which regains the place of top market, and Australia, which records + 50% compared to 2020
The Multistrada V4 is the best-selling and most popular motorcycle for Ducatisti in 2021 with 9,957 motorcycles delivered to customers
The 2022 range has received great praise from enthusiasts already as demonstrated by the highest order portfolio ever at the beginning of the year
Borgo Panigale, Bologna – Ducati concluded 2021 with a record figure of 59,447 motorcycles delivered to customers all over the world, and achieving an increase in sales of +24% over 2020 (48,042) and +12% over 2019 (53,183).
Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO: “2021 was a magical year for Ducati. We delivered over 59,000 motorcycles, a number never achieved before in 95 years of the company’s history. We also won the title of MotoGP Constructors’ World Champion for the second consecutive year, and we started the electric era of our company with the V21L prototype, which foresees the bike that will race in the MotoE championship from 2023. The pandemic, which is still underway, in addition to generating so much suffering, has also made activities more complex, forcing us to conduct a continuous internal reorganization. Supply chains created delivery delays for which I want to apologize to all Ducatisti, thanking them for their patience. Despite all these difficulties, the desire to excel of our employees here in Borgo Panigale and in our subsidiaries around the world helped us to achieve these record results. We are investing in an extremely ambitious growth path that will lead the company to improve even further, by entering new market segments. With the DesertX we will have from this year on an extremely attractive proposal for adventure fans, and other ambitious projects are currently in development. The core values of the brand – Style, Sophistication, Performance and Trust – are more current than ever. Future growth will take place in compliance with these values, offering our enthusiastic customers products that are increasingly representative with a unique mix of beauty, technology and distinctiveness, such as the best of Made in Italy.”
In 2021 Ducati’s growth came in all the main countries, starting with the United States, which regained the place of leading market for Ducati with 9,007 units which corresponds to an increase of 32% on 2020, followed by Italy with 8,707 bikes (+23% on 2020) and by Germany with 6,107 units (+11% on 2020). The Chinese market also grew, with 4,901 motorcycles (+21%), as well as the French one with 4,352 (+12%) and the UK one with 2,941 units (+30%).
Francesco Milicia, Ducati VP Global Sales and After Sales: “With 59,447 motorcycles delivered to customers, Ducati notches up a historic result and once again underlines its solidity, despite the difficulties encountered across all sectors due to the supplies crisis. Sales grew double-digit in all major countries, from the United States to Australia, where the new subsidiary achieved an increase of 50%. These results are also the outcome of extraordinary work aimed at the continuous improvement of the global sales network both in quantitative terms, with 84 new dealerships, and in qualitative terms, focusing on the digitization of processes and omnichannel to guarantee our Ducatisti an “unforgettable” experience, which fully reflects the company’s values. Now we are starting 2022 with an even more complete range, which is already receiving high praise as demonstrated by the best order portfolio ever at the beginning of the year.”
The enormous success obtained during the year is confirmed by the Multistrada V4, which was by far the biggest-selling and most-loved bike for Ducatisti in 2021 with 9,957 motorcycles delivered to customers. The Ducati Scrambler 800 family followed with 9,059 units, and the Monster, with 8,734 motorcycles sold.
These results were achieved despite the unpredictable situation generated by the supply crisis that has been on-going for some time. It is still a very volatile situation and is destined to continue further.
For 2022, Ducati presented nine new models to the public during the Ducati World Première web series, helping to create an even more complete range ready to satisfy the desires of every type of motorcyclist. Expectations are particularly high for the DesertX , the Ducati bike designed to tackle the most demanding off-roads with 21″ front and 18″ rear wheels, long suspension travel and ample ground clearance. A motorcycle that takes Ducati into a whole new world, a symbol of how the brand can widen its horizons without losing its roots and its sporting identity, as proven by the Panigale V4 which, in its latest evolutionary step, becomes the closest motorcycle to a MotoGP bike that a motorcyclist can ride.
To discover the Ducati 2022 range, a dedicated section is available on the Ducati.com website.
Front-running CSBK Pro racer David Klassen, 58, has died after a six-month battle with Cancer in Alberta. Klassen passed away on December 29, 2021.
As described on the North Shore News website obituary section, Klassen is survived by his children, Zoe (13) and Logan (9), as well as his parents Robert and Lynn Klassen, his sister, Janis and brother, Mark.
Klassen climbed the RACE-sanctioned ladder in the late 1980s era of fierce competition, and big manufacturer support, on the Canadian National and Regional Road racing scene. Klassen was a front runner in Amateur big bike competition in 1988, with Suzuki support on the new, second generation “sling shot” twin-exhaust GSX-R750.
Among the racers who graduated with Klassen from the class of 1988 were eventual Muzzy-Kawasaki factory racer Jacques “Jet” Guenette, Suzuki Canada Superbike pilot Jeff Gaynor, and Superbike ace as well as multi tile National Sport Bike Champ for Yamaha, Linnley Clarke.
Klassen wanted to race in the Feature class when he turned Pro for 1989 and purchased the ex-Norm Murphy Weld Rite Racing Kawasaki GPZ750R. Discouraged by friends from taking such a big career step all at once, Klassen proved competitive in the Feature class.
However, he didn’t have the support and finances to run on a much modified bike, and was frequently struggling with mechanical issues. His best result was a RACE Eastern Canada Challenger Series victory at Sanair International, Quebec.
The next season, Klassen move to the more affordable Pro Twins class with a mostly stock, ex-Dave Hatch Honda GT650 Hawk. Throughout the season, Klassen staged a number of memorable battles for the Twins win with the legendary “Crazy Frank” Mrazek, the older veteran aboard the Ducati 851 Desmo owned by author George Jonas. Mrazek was twice Klassen’s age and near twice the fit Klassen’s size!
While Mrazek had way more bike, Klassen was incredible on the little Honda, and rode beyond the potential of his equipment to the point that the Twins races became a fan favorite. Klassen won the Championship and set regular lap records.
An electrician by trade, Klassen lived in eastern Toronto, and gradually gravitated into the circle of Pro racers based on Queen Street West at Ontario Honda and Yamaha. Owned by Murray Brown and tuner Rick Andrews, Ontario Honda decided to build a road racer powered by Yamaha’s dual sport Super Tenere big twin powerplant.
With a frame built at the shop by Andrews, Klassen showed well immediately with the unique racer, winning easily, and running near the pace of the best Superbikes. Klassen set lap records with the Yamaha, breaking the seemingly unbeatable standards he had established on the Honda V-Twin!
This helped Klassen back into the Superbike mainstream, and he earned success in WERA Sprint and Endurance National events in the U.S., on both American and Canadian (Tim Ruhl’s R.A. Racing) based squads.
Klassen also had success in 1994 with a mutt Yamaha built at Ontario Honda, a Yamaha Superbike finished in purple and named “Barney.” The remaining elements of Barney exist to this day with former Ontario Honda mechanic and Pro Superbike Feature race winning tuner Zaid Saleen of Z-1 Cycle Tech.
HE DID IT! WE DID IT! SAM SUNDERLAND AND GASGAS ARE DAKAR RALLY WINNERS!
HISTORY MADE WITH FIRST EVER DAKAR RALLY VICTORY FOR GASGAS FACTORY RACING
Sam Sunderland and GASGAS Factory Racing have won the 2022 Dakar Rally! Delivering exactly the kind of mature, considered performance we’ve come to expect of him over the last two weeks, in finishing eighth in today’s final stage, Sam has claimed overall victory at the 44th Dakar Rally. And, at the end of 12 grueling days of racing across the Saudi Arabian desert, he’s handed GASGAS our first ever victory at the world’s most iconic rally raid event!
Sam Sunderland wins Dakar Rally 2022!
GASGAS Factory Racing claims first Dakar title!
Two stage wins for Daniel Sanders before injury
Dakar Rally winner Sam Sunderland. Photo by Rally Zone, courtesy GASGAS Factory Racing.
Sam Sunderland: “Wow. What a feeling! That 10-minute period waiting at the end of the final stage to see if I’d won felt like a lifetime. But this feeling, knowing I’ve won a second Dakar, will stay in my memory forever. This win feels better than the first as this victory was anything but easy. The times were so close this year and there was no time to let off the gas, it was a really close race, right to the end. All of the hard work, the sacrifices, and everything that the GASGAS team has done for me makes it all worthwhile. It’s been five years since my first Dakar win, and it’s been a long time to wait! I’m super happy to get another win and claim the first one for GASGAS. Everyone on the team has worked so hard to achieve this and it’s a true team effort – together we got the job done. Amazing.”
Leading the race from stage two through to the end of stage six, the Dakar began perfectly for Sam. Riding flawlessly throughout the two-week event, he delivered the goods on multiple occasions when the pressure was well and truly on. Competitive from the very beginning, GASGAS Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland is 2022 Dakar Rally champion!
Sam’s second Dakar victory is not just an incredible personal achievement, it also marks the return of the title to the KTM AG Company. With 19 wins in the last 22 years, Sam’s victory re-affirms the group’s commitment and ongoing success at the world’s toughest rally raid.
While it’s all about Sam right now and his amazing achievement, it wouldn’t be right to sign off from Dakar 2022 without giving Daniel Sanders the credit he deserves. Our second GASGAS Factory Racing star taking on this year’s event, Chucky claimed two amazing stage wins, and on the final day of racing in week one, led Sam home for a GASGAS one-two. A crash on stage seven resulted in a fractured elbow and wrist, but the good news is that’s he’s had surgery and is now well on the way to making a full recovery. He’ll be back at the Dakar in 2023 for another run at the title.
Congrats guys, enjoy the party!
Norbert Stadlbauer – Rally Team Manager: “Amazing, simply amazing! This Dakar was a really challenging race, right until the very end, so to win, it’s an incredible achievement. Throughout the whole event Sam was smart, strong, and his speed was exceptional. I’m really happy for him and the whole of GASGAS Factory Racing. The entire team has worked so hard to be successful and it’s a really special moment. There’s no feeling like it. I’d like to thank all of the team’s sponsors and partners, everyone in Austria, and now, after a two tough weeks, it’s time to celebrate!”
More, from a press release issued by KTM Factory Racing:
MATTHIAS WALKNER AND KTM FINISH THIRD AT 2022 DAKAR RALLY
Dakar Rally 2022 – Stage 12
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Matthias Walkner has claimed an impressive third-place finish at the incredibly tough 2022 Dakar Rally. Delivering strong, consistent results throughout the entire two-week event, the Austrian star fought hard right to the very end to ultimately finish less than seven minutes behind the race winner after close to 40 hours of racing. Toby Price secured a top-10 overall result with a solid second place finish on the event’s 12th and final stage.
Lying third going in the final day of racing, Matthias Walkner put in a superb performance on today’s stage to finish seventh fastest and secure his overall podium result. After covering more than 8,000 kilometers, the top three motorcycle class finishers were separated by just under seven minutes, such was the closeness of competition at this year’s event. Walkner’s third-place finish is the Austrian’s fourth Dakar podium, as he adds the hard-fought result to his 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship title, in what has been an incredible 12 months of racing for the experienced 35-year-old.
Matthias Walkner: “I feel super happy and also lucky to be here healthy at the finish line. It feels great to be back on the podium too after a couple of difficult Dakars the past two years. It’s been a super long and hard Dakar as always, but this year has been special because of the level of navigation needed every day. We saw right from the first day that you can win or lose so much time on each stage. Because of that I really tried to focus on my roadbook, and concentrate on my navigation for the whole race. The first week went really well for me, and then into the second week, everyone was pushing really hard, so you had to give your best every day as the times were so close. The new bike has been brilliant, and the team have put so much effort into making sure we had the performance needed to finish on the podium, so thank you to them. Now it’s time to celebrate!”
Following a tough start to this year’s event when a navigation issue on stage one cost him a considerable amount of time, Toby Price delivered day after day of solid results to fight his way back into the top-10 overall. Placing as second quickest on the final day of racing, together with his stage win on day 10, shows that the two-time Dakar Champion has lost none of his speed or motivation. Happy to safely complete the 2022 event without injury, Price now looks ahead to the remainder of this year’s FIM World Rally-Raid Championship.
Toby Price: “I’m always happy to reach the finish here at the Dakar, it’s been a really tough race this year. Losing time on that first day put me on the back foot a little for the rest of the stages, and the way things are now, any mistakes can lose you a lot of time on the others because things are so close. The terrain here in Saudi makes for a really fast race too, a lot of the stages are sprints to the finish, but the atmosphere is good and it’s a good place to be. I’m excited for 2023 already!”
Kevin Benavides showed impressive speed throughout the whole 2022 Dakar Rally – his first riding for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team. Also losing time on the first day in Saudi, the 2021 Dakar Champion put in day after day of fast, consistent performances to fight his way back up the order to lie fifth overall at the close of stage nine. Unfortunately, after suffering a technical issue on stage 10, the Argentinian was forced to withdraw. Returning to complete the final two stages of the race, Benavides was immediately back up to speed, claiming a stage win on day 11. Happy to reach the finish line safely and taking the many positives from his performance, Kevin is already fully motivated for next year’s event.
Kevin Benavides: “I have enjoyed this final day at the Dakar – I opened the stage, which was great, and it feels good to finally get to the finish. Obviously, it’s frustrating to have had the problem on stage 10, up until that point my race had gone really well, and I believe I had the pace to challenge for the podium. These last two days have shown that, too. There are many positives I can take from this year’s race and I’m really happy with how I rode and navigated through the stages. Part of the Dakar is all about learning and improving and so I’ll take that away from this year and try to come back even stronger in 2023.”
Making not only his Dakar debut, but also his first ever competitive rally-raid appearance at the 2022 Dakar, Danilo Petrucci raised a few eyebrows around the paddock with his consistent display of speed and skill on his Tech3 KTM 450 RALLY. Claiming a stage win at the Dakar is a huge accomplishment, to do it at your first attempt is a spectacular achievement! Attaining his goal of completing the race, Danilo was overjoyed with how his race had gone and what he had accomplished.
Danilo Petrucci: “I am so happy to finally reach the finish line and to complete the goal I set out to do. It’s been a tough time both leading up to the event and the race itself, but to complete my first ever Dakar feels amazing. I’m really happy with my performance but over the last couple of days I have had some crashes and feel quite sore at the moment. Thanks to all the team for their hard work, it has been an amazing experience and one of the hardest things I have ever done.”
Completing his 2022 Dakar campaign with an excellent fifth-place result on stage 12, KTM-supported privateer Mason Klein not only finished as top rookie, but also claimed an outstanding ninth overall. The 20-year-old American has shown incredible navigation and roadbook skills over the course of this year’s event, as well as the speed to back it up.
Norbert Stadlbauer – Rally Team Manager: “I’m really proud of the whole team. The Dakar is simply the toughest, hardest race in the world. For all of our riders to get to the finish is a huge achievement. Big congratulations to Matthias who did an amazing job to put his KTM on the podium in third position. It’s another really good result for him and even more impressive considering the level of this year’s event. Thank you also to Toby, Kevin, and of course Danilo, who all performed very well over the whole race. It’s been an amazing Dakar, so thank you to all who helped to make it happen.”
HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING RIDER DELIVERS IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE THROUGHOUT TOUGH TWO-WEEK EVENT TO PLACE 13TH OVERALL
Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides has successfully completed the 2022 Dakar Rally with a strong performance on the 12th and final stage of the event, claiming sixth fastest on the short timed special. The result places the young Argentinian 13th in the overall rally standings.
Although the final stage of this year’s Dakar Rally was a long one, totalling 680 kilometres from Bisha to the finish in Jeddah, the special used to decide the final event placings was a relative sprint to the finish, totalling just 164 kilometres. As the 26th rider to enter the timed section, Benavides immediately got his head down and pushed hard right from the start.
With the special primarily made up of fast, sandy tracks, and navigation proving less of a challenge, times were extremely close at the sharp end of the timesheets. Coming in just less than three minutes behind the eventual stage winner, Luciano secured a strong result for the final stage and with it ended his 2022 Dakar on a high.
The impressive performance continued a strong run of form for Benavides who has gone from strength to strength in the second week of racing. Following a tricky start where he, like many of his rivals, lost time on the event’s opening stage, Luciano has delivered six top-10 stage results to fight his way back up the leaderboard. Completing the rally in 13th overall, the former FIM Cross-Country Rallies Junior World Champion is happy to finish a third Dakar Rally and now looks ahead to attacking the rest of the world championship.
Skyler Howes had also been showing incredible form at this year’s race when a crash on stage five forced him to withdraw from the event. After undergoing medical checks at the local hospital, the American was discharged and has since returned home where he will get some much-needed rest and recovery time before returning to competition later in the year.
Luciano Benavides: “I’m really happy to complete this year’s Dakar, it’s been a really tough event both mentally and physically. It was hard to lose time on the first stage, but since then I have been giving my all to work my way back up the standings. The bike has been great and with a few changes as the race has gone on, I’ve found a setting I feel comfortable with and because of that the results have been improving throughout the rally. Getting to the finish of such a long and intense event feels amazing. It would have been good to get inside the top 10 by the finish, but I’m still happy with my performance. The result and the finish have really improved my confidence and now I’m looking forward to the rest of the year and seeing what we can do in the world championship, before preparing for Dakar 2023.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Honda Team:
Pablo Quintanilla takes runner-up spot in the Dakar Rally 2022
Monster Energy Honda Team rider Pablo Quintanilla won the final 2022 Dakar Rally stage to grab second overall place in the race just three-and-a-half minutes shy of the winner. All four team riders managed to finish one of the toughest ever editions of the rally, with the Honda CRF450 RALLY once again making it through the entire Dakar without a single mechanical issue.
Monster Energy Honda Team’s Chilean rider Pablo Quintanilla wrapped up the 45th edition of the Dakar Rally today in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in a well-deserved second place. Quintanilla, who started this morning in second place in the general standings, 6’52” behind Sam Sunderland, attempted to close the gap over the 150 kilometres of timed special involving some tricky, fast-paced navigation. Pablo earned the final stage victory, finishing 3’27” short of clinching the outright Dakar 2022 title.
Pablo Quintanilla joined Monster Energy Honda Team last May, finishing on the Andalucía Rally podium in his first outing. Later, in October, he would clinch top honours in the Rallye du Maroc. Today’s runner-up position marks a third finish on the Dakar podium for Quintanilla.
Monster Energy Honda Team team-mates Joan Barreda, Ricky Brabec and José Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo, riding their respective Honda CRF450 RALLY bikes, also finished the race among the leaders. Spain’s Barreda, fourth on the final stage, finished fifth overall, equalling the result achieved in 2017. Brabec took seventh spot overall in this edition of the Dakar, while ‘Nacho’ Cornejo, third on the stage today, consolidated his sixth place in the final rally classification.
All four of the team riders placed among the top seven finishers. Furthermore, a total of five stage victories (Barreda 2, Cornejo 2, Quintanilla 1) in this edition takes Honda’s overall tally of partial wins at the Dakar to 97.
The next race for the Monster Energy Honda Team is scheduled from 5-10 March for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
Ricky Brabec 2
STAGE: 21TH OVERALL: 7TH
The last day we tried to push. There was navigation and a lot of rocks. He hoped to make up time and see if someone else stumbled. We didn’t give up until the end. I’m happy and healthy and ready to go home. There was not much else we could do. We tried to come back from an hour down. The first stage killed us. After the first week it was definitely hard to pick up the pieces. We’ll be back next year to try and win this thing. Anything else other than winning is unacceptable. We’re going to come back next year and hopefully try to win.
Pablo Quintanilla 7
STAGE: 1ST OVERALL: 2ND
I am very happy with the result and my performance throughout the whole race, especially during the second week, which I managed well, making up time with a steady performance. I am very pleased and I wish to thank the whole Monster Energy Honda Team for their incredible work over these weeks. It was a really tough race, with a lot of tension, but I’m happy. Today there was second place at stake and there was even a chance of winning the race. It didn’t turn out that way, but I’m still happy with the second place finish. Now it’s time to enjoy this moment.
José Ignacio Cornejo 11
STAGE: 3RD OVERALL: 6TH
We finished the Dakar with a good stage; I am very happy with this final stage, without any mistakes and marking some good pace. I am satisfied to have finished the Dakar like this, but not in the overall balance, because, although I recovered several positions this last week, the mistake early in the race conditioned the end. I think I should have been further ahead. This year it was our turn to suffer, but we will be back again. The team in general was very solid and I want to congratulate all my team-mates for the great work done these days.
Joan Barreda 88
STAGE: 4TH OVERALL: 5TH
The result of this Dakar is a fifth place with a broken collarbone from a week ago and after losing 40 minutes at a waypoint on the first day. I’ve kept the mentality and the ambition that I’ve had all year, in spite of the adversities. Not giving up and going all the way to the finish. In racing sometimes things go well and other times not so well. But the important thing for me has been to be able to show all the hard work that’s been done. We’ve been working for seven months for the Dakar, now it’s time to rest a bit and then we’ll think about the new goals, knowing that the ambition and motivation has to be 100%. In this Dakar, every day that I’ve been on the bike I’ve had unique sensations.
Ruben Faria
General Manager
First of all I wish to congratulate the entire team for the work done in this Dakar which was such a tough race. We managed to win the last two editions and in this 2022 we finished runner-up, but we fought until the very end for the win. In the end it was very satisfying as we placed all four riders in the top seven. The first week we started with a disadvantage, starting with the prologue. The best rider in that first special was Pablo Quintanilla, who was also the top rider in our team, finishing in second overall place. For me, the prologue conditioned the first day which had a very difficult waypoint and where the riders lost a lot of time. The result of that prologue meant that we didn’t get off to the right start on those early Dakar stages. The first week was difficult for us, but we were always fighting and working to improve step by step. We would have liked to have retained the title, but this second place was really hard and has a great value for the team. There is some tough competition between the marques and the riders from different teams. We have to work harder and improve in all aspects. We finish with our heads held high, everyone has given the maximum in their respective duties. This Dakar was really tough, with long, hard special stages and with everything that a Dakar should have. Lastly, but no less importantly, I also wish to congratulate the team that was finally able to come from Japan despite Covid. They were with us and worked very hard too. I especially want to thank Taichi Honda for always being at our side.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team Enjoys Positive Results At 2022 Dakar Rally
The 2022 Dakar Rally has reached its conclusion with Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team’s Adrien Van Beveren and Andrew Short successfully completing the world’s toughest rally raid well inside the overall top 10. For Adrien Van Beveren, his encouraging form throughout the race saw him impressively lead the event on two separate occasions. Taking the race for overall victory down to the very last stage, the Frenchman eventually missed out on a top-three finish by the narrowest of margins. Andrew Short also enjoyed a largely positive time at the Dakar with the American claiming eight top-10 stage results on his way to finishing a highly commendable eighth overall.
Besides Ross Branch being ruled out of the event due to injury following a fall on stage seven, the 2022 Dakar Rally has been an incredibly successful one for the entire Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team. In addition to the riders’ Yamaha WR450F Rally machines running flawlessly throughout the entire event, Adrien Van Beveren narrowly missed out on the overall podium with Andrew Short demonstrating just what he’s capable of during the race.
Equalling his best overall finish at the Dakar, Adrien Van Beveren has placed an impressive fourth overall at the 2022 edition of the iconic event. Leading the race on two separate occasions this year and placing no lower than fourth overall throughout the entire rally, the Frenchman was undoubtedly in fine form throughout the competition. Delivering pin-point accuracy with his navigation day-after-day, Adrien delivered one of the stand-out performances in the motorcycle category.
If not for a frustrating navigational error on stage one, which affected him as well as many of his rivals, Andrew Short may well have joined Adrien in the top five overall. After losing considerable time early on, the 39-year-old was faultless through the remaining stages at the Dakar as he worked his way up the leaderboard. At the end of 12 stages and almost 40 hours of racing, Andrew secured eighth overall, narrowly missing out on placing seventh by just five seconds.
Securing further positive results at the Dakar Rally for Yamaha, Camelia Liparoti, driving her YXZ1000R Prototype, posted strong stage results throughout the event to claim sixth overall in the Light Prototype class.
Adrien Van Beveren – Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team
15th Stage 12
The race is over and I have mixed feelings about it, but on the whole it has been a really positive race for myself and the team. I’m really happy to have finished the race, the first time since 2017, so I’m really pleased about that. But on the other hand, it looked certain that I would podium or maybe even take the win. But with the issue yesterday, that’s just part of rally racing and it wasn’t meant to be. I’m really happy for the team. Everyone has worked super hard and my bike was amazing. I have no regrets about anything and I gave it everything that I had. To be fighting for the win at the Dakar, it was an amazing experience and now I’m looking forward to the future.
Andrew Short – Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team
13th Stage 12
I’m so happy to have reached the finish line. The Dakar is such a crazy race that finishing is a great achievement in itself. The final stage was pretty cool, a bit tight a twisty with some nice terrain. Before the rally I hoped to finish higher and it wasn’t through lack of effort – it was solely down to the issue I had on stage one. I did the best I could after that but that’s just how rally is sometimes. The team have been amazing. They built a great bike for me, which didn’t miss a beat all race and I’m happy that we had two guys in the top 10.
STEFANO MANZI JOINS SOOMER AT DYNAVOLT TRIUMPH FOR 2022
Dynavolt Triumph are pleased to confirm that Moto2™ regular Stefano Manzi will join Hannes Soomer to complete the team line-up in the 2022 World Supersport Championship.
Stefano is an experienced rider. His career started back in 2007 and he went through many victories and categories until he made his leap into the World Championship in 2015 in Moto3™. Two years later he made his debut in Moto2™ with the Sky Racing Team VR46 and since then the intermediate class has been his field.
The 22-year-old from Rimini now moves across to the World Supersport category for a new challenge in 2022 with the UK based official factory Dynavolt Triumph team. This represents a great opportunity for both sides to grow together, sharing their experience in racing.
Stefano Manzi: “I am really happy to be part of this Team and part of the project to bring Triumph back to the World Championship. Now I am focused on my winter training to be 100% ready for the beginning of the season. I cannot wait to be back on track and on my new bike.”
VR46 Riders Academy Sporting Director, Alessio Salucci “The whole VR46 Riders Academy is beyond pleased with the agreement reached with the Dynavolt Triumph team. It’s a great chance for Stefano to be part of this project supported by such a highly experienced manufacturer as Triumph. World Supersport is a very competitive category and I am sure that he’ll be able to make a great job together with his new team.”
Dynavolt Triumph Team Manager, Simon Buckmaster: “We’re really pleased to sign Stefano Manzi from the VR46 Academy to ride with the Dynavolt Triumph team in our return to World Supersport this year. He is an exciting prospect with good performance level in his seasons in Moto2™. He had a top six finish towards the end of last year so he’s on good form. He did a couple of wild cards in World SSP so understands the Pirelli tires and of course, understands the Triumph engine well. I won’t say he is going to surprise a few because a lot of people think he is going to be a good front runner and that is what we want, challenging for race wins and the title. We can’t wait to get started testing in March with Stefano and of course with Hannes.”
Dynavolt Triumph will now begin their preparations for the 2022 season which is set to get underway at Aragon, Spain on April 8th, 9th, and 10th.
Marc Marquez back on a motorcycle as his recovery advances
Marc Marquez underwent a medical examination with Dr. Sánchez Dalmau last Monday to analyse the situation of his diplopia. The ophthalmologist confirmed a clear improvement in the vision of the eight-time World Champion.
With this progress, the Repsol Honda Team rider received authorization to ride a motorcycle and motocross, the most demanding discipline possible in the world of two wheels, was chosen by Marquez and his team. After a three-month absence, the Spanish rider returned to riding at the Ponts Circuit (Lleida). After several runs his sensations and feelings on the bike were more than optimistic.
The next step for Marquez will be to ride on a paved racetrack.
VALENTINO ROSSI TO DRIVE AN AUDI R8 LMS OF TEAM WRT IN THE 2022 GTWCE
Team WRT is pleased to announce that Valentino Rossi will join its driver line-up in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS for the 2022 season.
A 9-time motorbike World Champion and one of the world’s sports icons, the 42-year-old Italian will start his professional career on four wheels with the Belgian squad, which is the reigning champion team in the Fanatec GTWCE Powered by AWS (overall, Endurance and Sprint).
Valentino Rossi will be competing in both the Endurance and the Sprint Cups, driving an Audi R8 LMS sporting the emblematic #46. He will be paired in both series with Audi Sport drivers to be named in due course.
The announcement follows the test conducted by Valentino Rossi with Team WRT at Valencia last December.
Vincent Vosse: “I am sure that a lot of fans will be as pleased as we are that Vale is starting a new career on four wheels and that he is doing it in GT, with Team WRT and Audi. We all know what a great motorbike champion and sports figure Vale is, but most of all, he is a true racer and a very professional and competitive sportsman, eager to be as successful as possible in the new challenge he has decided to embrace. This is exactly why we really wanted to work with him. The test we made at Valencia was extremely positive for both parties, in terms of technical feedback and working approach, and we took things from there. We warmly welcome Vale in the WRT family and I am sure that we are off to a very exciting experience for both.”
Valentino Rossi: “I am delighted to join Team WRT for a full Fanatec GTWCE powered by AWS programme. Everybody knows that I have always been a great car racing fan and that I have always been interested in a racing on four wheels once my MotoGP career would come to an end. Now I am completely available to devote myself to a car racing programme at high level and with the right professional approach. Team WRT is the perfect fit I was looking for and I am anxious to start this new adventure in the GTWCE with them.”
Stéphane Ratel, SRO Motorsports Group founder & CEO: “I am delighted to welcome Valentino Rossi to the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS grid for 2022. Having followed his illustrious career in motorcycle racing for more than two decades, it is truly exciting to witness the start of this new chapter in GT machinery. To attract a competitor of Valentino’s stature is a tremendous vote of confidence for our championship and for GT racing in general. He will bring new energy to our paddock and I look forward to watching him on-track this season.”
KEVIN BENAVIDES TOPS PENULTIMATE STAGE AT DAKAR 2022
Dakar Rally 2022 – Stage 11
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kevin Benavides has bounced back from a tough day 10 to win stage 11, the penultimate day of the 2022 Dakar Rally. On one of the toughest specials of the event, Matthias Walkner brought his KTM 450 RALLY home in an excellent fourth place, and now lies third in the provisional event standings with one day left to race. Opening today’s stage, Toby Price placed 28th, while Danilo Petrucci completed the 346-kilometer special in 17th.
The event organizers ensured there was a sting in the tail to this year’s Dakar Rally by delivering one the most challenging stages of the race on the penultimate day. Technically demanding navigation combined with extremely soft sand and dunes tested the riders and their machines to the limit.
After a disappointing stage 10 yesterday in which his 2022 Dakar hopes came to an end, Kevin Benavides bounced back in style, showing impressive speed to top today’s results. Putting in an incredible performance, the number one plate holder fought his way from a late, 33rd place start to ultimately win the stage by a narrow four seconds. Benavides will now lead out the event’s short, final 164-kilometer timed special on Friday’s stage 12.
Kevin Benavides: “It was a really demanding day today. It’s great to get the win but I’m full of emotion because of the issue I had yesterday. Up to that point I was fighting for the overall, and now, after going fastest today I know I would have been in with a chance to win the rally. I gave it my all today, mostly to prove to myself that I could do it. I think it’s important to be able to come back from disappointment and immediately fight for a stage win. I have to thank the whole team, but especially my mechanic who worked so hard last night to give me an amazing bike for today – it felt perfect on the stage. I will now have the pleasure of opening the last stage of the race with no pressure, so I’m really looking forward to it and reaching the finish.”
Well in the fight for the overall rally honors, Matthias Walkner had to ensure he delivered a strong stage result today with the minimum of mistakes to stay in contention for the 2022 title. Fastest to the first checkpoint, Walkner navigated superbly through the remainder of the special to complete the stage in fourth place, just under five minutes down on teammate Benavides. Moving up to third overall in the event standings, Matthias will be aiming to reduce the gap to the current leader during tomorrow’s stage and secure a podium position while also fighting for the rally win.
Matthias Walkner: “It was a really long and really fast stage today. It was very dusty this morning too, which made the navigation even more difficult. I made a few small mistakes, but I really did try my best all day pushing as hard as I could. Finally I was able to make the finish with a good time and it puts me in a good position for tomorrow, so we’ll see what happens.”
After his win on day 10, Toby Price had the unenviable task of opening today’s ultra-tough stage 11. An issue early on where a waypoint didn’t validate correctly for the Australian put him on the back foot for the rest of the special. However, using his skill and speed, the twice Dakar Champion was able to regroup and keep pushing through the arduous terrain. Ultimately completing the stage in 28th, Toby now lies 10th in the overall standings with one day left to race.
Toby Price: “It was super dusty today and navigation was tough, but I had a frustrating problem early on at kilometer four where one waypoint didn’t validate, even though I’m pretty sure I was in the right place. I had to zig-zag back and forward and thankfully in the end, even though I was on the same track, it activated. Hopefully we can have that checked, but other than that the day went ok, I felt good on the bike and arrived safely at the finish line. One more day to go tomorrow, and that will be the 2022 Dakar complete.”
Continuing to impress, and despite the severity of today’s stage, Danilo Petrucci brought his Tech3 KTM 450 RALLY home in a commendable 17th place, just over 23 minutes down on the eventual stage winner. With one more day remaining, the former MotoGP racer is now just 680 kilometers away from completing his first Dakar Rally.
Danilo Petrucci: “It was one of the toughest days of my life today. I got a little lost early on with some other riders and then after that there were some really soft dunes. I have never seen anything like that before, it was really tiring to ride through. Then we raced through a huge sandstorm where it was really difficult to find your way and stay focused on your navigation. Luckily, after the refueling it was ok – the sand was still really soft, but it wasn’t so tricky. Unfortunately at one point I hit a piece of wood that was hidden underneath the sand and I had a big crash and hurt my shoulder. I was able to make it to the finish, but it did give me a lot of pain. We have one more day to go, so I’m looking forward to reaching the finish.”
Provisional Standings – 2022 Dakar Rally after 11 of 12 stages
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), GASGAS, 37:04:05
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 37:10:57 +6:52
3. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 37:11:20 +7:15
4. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 37:19:35 +15:30
5. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 37:31:59 +27:54
Other KTM
9. Mason Klein (USA), KTM, 37:55:14 +51:09
10. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 37:56:32 +52:27
More, from a press release issued by GASGAS Factory Racing:
GASGAS FACTORY RACING’S SAM SUNDERLAND RETAKES DAKAR RALLY LEAD
OUTSTANDING RIDE ON PENULTIMATE STAGE MOVES SAM ONE STEP CLOSER TO DAKAR GLORY!
We said stage 11 would be a pivotal day of racing at the Dakar and, oh boy, it sure was! After losing a little time yesterday, the pressure was well and truly on Sam today, who in no uncertain terms needed to deliver a flawless ride to keep his chances of a second Dakar win alive. And that’s exactly what he did. Putting together a standout performance, Sam navigated perfectly, attacked from the start, and finished second on the stage, just four seconds behind the eventual winner. Now, with just one day of racing to go, the GASGAS Factory Racing ace sits at the top of the leaderboard with a near seven-minute advantage over his nearest rival.
Sam returns to the top of the provisional Dakar leaderboard
Outstanding performance on penultimate stage from Sunderland
One day and just 163 kilometers of racing to go!
Sam Sunderland: “Today was a really tough one. We were expecting it to be difficult and even four kilometers in there were lines everywhere in the sand. From there on I had to focus on myself and stay on top of my roadbook, it wasn’t really an option to follow the lines ahead. Through the dunes I was able to make up some time, which was good and I just missed out on another stage win. Up until now the race has gone really well, the whole team behind me has been fantastic but the race isn’t over until it’s over. All I can do is hope for a clean run through tomorrow’s stage and then we’ll see where we end up.”
In rally racing, starting any stage a handful of riders behind the first rider generally proves to be an advantage, but with the navigation incredibly tricky on today’s penultimate stage of the rally, it was every man for himself out there in the desert. Opting to focus solely on his roadbook throughout the challenging 345-kilometer special, Sam was in superb form, narrowly missing out on the stage win but more importantly, now leads the rally heading into the final, decisive day of racing. It’s go time!
More, from a press release issued by Husqvarna Factory Racing:
LUCIANO BENAVIDES BATTLES THROUGH DAKAR STAGE 11
ONE DAY OF RACING REMAINS FOR HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING STAR AT GRUELLING 2022 EVENT
Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides has completed the hugely demanding stage 11 of the Dakar Rally in 26th place. Following his excellent runner-up performance on Wednesday’s stage 10, the FR 450 Rally rider was the second competitor to take to today’s challenging special where he soon found himself up front and opening much of the route.
Totalling 501 kilometres, stage 11 of the Dakar included an extremely tough 346-kilometre timed special that tested riders with a combination of soft sand dunes, faster tracks and canyons, with technically demanding navigation throughout. Although setting off near the front proved to be a disadvantage, Benavides rode extremely well, focusing on his roadbook and safely making his way through the special without any major issues.
Completing the day as 26th fastest, less than 30 minutes down on the eventual stage winner, Luciano lies 13th overall in the event standings and will enjoy a strong start position for the final day of the race – the 680-kilometre stage 12. The young Argentinian’s primary goal is to successfully complete the stage and earn his first Dakar finish riding for the Husqvarna Factory Racing team.
Luciano Benavides: “Another stage done, and it was super tough today. Probably not the best day to start in front, but I did my best as always and I think I did a good job. The navigation was very tricky and with the dunes being so soft it would have been easy for the guys starting behind to make up time. I was able to catch up with Toby (Price) ahead of me and we took it in turns to open the stage. I lost some time, but not enough to affect my position in the overall. There is one day left so I will go out tomorrow and do my best to finish the race strong.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Honda Team:
Pablo Quintanilla to fight nail and tooth for the overall Dakar 2022 win
Monster Energy Honda Team’s Dakar Rally battle will go down to the wire. After the penultimate stage, Pablo Quintanilla holds second overall place with a chance of victory. There are still over 150 kilometres left to go, with the Dakar often producing final stage surprises.
Today’s special stage, as expected, was an intriguing one. The strategy of the previous day, which saw some riders managing to lose time, yet drop many positions, in order to benefit in today’s starting order, dictated for the most part, what happened on the route today. Some 346 kilometres of sand and dunes, on a total stage of just over 500 kilometres, helped define how the podium is likely to look at the end. The Bisha loop caused a few losses, but many riders were able to make up for time they had lost yesterday.
Ricky Brabec was the best-placed Monster Energy Honda Team rider on the day. The American finished in fifth place, moving up into six place overall, a position which he hopes to consolidate tomorrow. Brabec finished just one place ahead of team-mate Pablo Quintanilla. Pablo, sixth, performed well today – well enough to be in contention tomorrow and could improve on his current second place in this 2022 Dakar. The Chilean biker is less than seven minutes behind the overall race leader. If the full length of the final special stage goes ahead as planned tomorrow, the rider could well spring a surprise and stand a chance of scooping the world’s toughest rally.
Chilean José Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo also had a good day in spite of a minor mistake in the opening kilometres of the special. Today’s seventh place also puts him into the same position in the general rankings. Lastly, Joan Barreda was lumbered with opening the track today as the riders ahead forced him to carry the stage’s main burden. The conditions were not ideal for Joan who struggled to make progress in the soft dunes of Bisha. With a fall included, the Spaniard finished sixteenth in RallyGP and is fifth in the general standings, nearly half an hour behind the race leader.
Tomorrow’s stage
Bisha-Jeddah. The final stage of the Dakar Rally 2022 will be decided over a total of 676 kilometres, including just 163 against the clock. Leaving the dunes behind, the race will be fought over hard tracks with some sand. A lot of technical complexity is expected before the riders reach the shores of the Red Sea, with the final podium set to take place on the Bisha street circuit.
Ricky Brabec 2
STAGE: 5TH OVERALL: 6TH
This year’s Dakar has been difficult for me personally, to get back into the fight after a bad start. The team didn’t let us down, so we can’t let them down…. We have tried very hard to do our best and give it our all. On this stage 11 we tried very hard to do a good job; I would have liked to make up a lot more time than I did. I’m happy with the way I’m riding and I’m happy with the team, I’ve learned a lot. Our team-mate Pablo can do it tomorrow. Unfortunately, I heard that the stage will be shortened, which in my opinion is unfair.
Pablo Quintanilla 7
STAGE: 6TH OVERALL: 2ND
It was a difficult stage. One of the hardest we’ve done on this Dakar, with a lot of wind, with sectors of very soft dunes. It was very difficult to make progress. I tried to push as hard as I could from the first kilometre; it wasn’t easy. I really let rip but without losing my concentration. In the end, it was a good day, I gave 100% and I think that’s what’s important, that I gave my best every day. There is still one day left and the race is not over until you cross the finish-line. Tomorrow we will attack again from the first kilometre.
José Ignacio Cornejo 11
STAGE: 7TH OVERALL: 7TH
It was a good stage; not the best, but not the worst either. I made a small mistake at the start, where I lost a few minutes. Mathias passed me and we ended up riding together until the end. I think it was a solid stage. We also moved up in the overall standings, which makes me happy because we have managed to overcome a bad first stage. We are not where we wanted to be. Tomorrow the rally will be over, so we will draw our conclusions afterwards.
Joan Barreda 88
STAGE: 16TH OVERALL: 5TH
Today was a very difficult stage, I could say it was one of the most difficult I’ve ever done. I had to open the track from kilometre 4. I tried to keep a good pace, but I encountered some tough situations, with very soft sand that made it almost impossible to move forward; the bike got stuck about ten times, including one where I was thrown off completely and Toby and Luciano helped me to get the bike back upright. I want to say thanks to both. We opened the track all day long. I’m happy because I gave 100%. Some days go well and others not so well. But the best thing is to be satisfied with yourself.
“If The Rear Is Not Up, I’m Not Trying Hard Enough…”
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s manic late-braking style is perhaps the most visible part of what helped him break Jonathan Rea’s six-season stranglehold on the Superbike World Championship. Skilled in the wet and fearless, Ratgatlioglu battled Rea relentlessly for the 2021 Championship.
By Michael Gougis
Copyright 2021, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
“I watch the races afterward, and it is strange,” Razgatlioglu says. “When we are racing, I feel some touching and fighting, but I look after the race and it’s the young boy and the Champion, fighting.”
The 25-year-old Turkish rider’s race craft goes far beyond just being able to nail the brakes hard. His training regimen is unique—he has spent years bashing handlebars with five-time Supersport World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu on Supermoto machines, preparing himself to fight at the front with some of the world’s best riders.
And it has paid off. Razgatlioglu and his PATA Yamaha YZF-R1 were convincingly fast at nearly every round, every time he left pit lane.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) in his natural habitat – rear wheel in the air, forks compressed, ready to dive for the apex. “If the rear is not up, I’m not trying hard enough,” the 2021 Superbike World Champion says. Photo by Michael Gougis, copyright 2021.
Razgatlioglu is the son of a famous Turkish stunt rider, Arif Razgatlioglu, known as Tek Teker Arif, which translates as “Wheelie Arif.” A four-time Turkish motocross champion as a youth, Toprak Razgatlioglu won the European Superstock 600 Championship in his first attempt.
This is where Sofuoglu’s mentoring came into play. Sofuoglu never succeeded on liter bikes, and he encouraged his protégé to get on a big machine as soon as possible. In 2016 and 2017, Razgatlioglu competed in the lower-profile European Superstock Championship, learning how to race the larger, more powerful, and heavier machinery.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) challenged six-time Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea (1) harder than anyone else has in recent years–and is the first to beat Rea and win the (2021) World Championship. Photo by Michael Gougis, copyright 2021.
Training with Sofuoglu and emulating the elder racer’s style taught Razgatlioglu to feel at home with the forks deep in their stroke, the brakes on hard, and the rear wheel doing whatever it wanted to do.
“I see Kenan use the hard braking, and I ride the 600, where I try the hard braking,” Razgatlioglu says. “When I ride the bike and I try normal braking, I feel very slow. I speak with sometimes my team, they say to try normal braking, but I feel like if the rear is not sliding, if the rear is not up, I’m not trying hard enough.”
Razgatlioglu says a careful combination of lean angle and braking is key to making this style of riding work. Braking in a straight line results in too much rear-wheel lift; braking too hard with too much lean angle results in a crash. Instead, he says, he applies maximum braking effort just after tipping the bike toward the apex. “You start to enter the corner with a little angle, you try hard braking, the rear does not come up really easy,” he says.
Passing on the brakes means frequently being in very close proximity with another rider. And this, Razgatlioglu says, is where the training with Sofuoglu pays off. The pair have spent untold hours racing against each other—hard—and even sometimes on karts. “Now we started fighting with Johnny (Rea), sometimes touching, I feel really good. I like this because I train with Kenan always like this, always together touching, together crash, I learn like this, so I feel very good,” Razgatlioglu says.
Toprak Razgatlioglu learned and continues to hone his race craft, in part, by banging Supermoto bars with five-time Supersport World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu on Sofuoglu’s home 0.625-mile circuit. Here, Sofuoglu holds Razgatlioglu’s umbrella on the grid at Jerez. Photo by Michael Gougis, copyright 2021.
Razgatlioglu appeared set to follow in Sofuoglu’s footsteps and race with Kawasaki. He literally brought the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing satellite team to new heights in World Superbike, winning two races in 2019 and racking up podiums in a way unprecedented in the squad’s history.
But the relationship soured at Suzuka 8-Hours race that year, reportedly when Kawasaki’s engineers looked at his tire wear on the ZX-10RR from practice and qualifying and decided it was excessive—and benched him for the race. Furious, Sofuoglu advised him to join Yamaha’s factory Superbike squad. Razgatlioglu did, winning three races in 2020 to teammate Michael van der Mark’s zero and edging the Dutch rider in the final points. At the final round in Estoril, Razgatlioglu won two races and finished third in the other, setting him up for the title challenge in 2021.
If 2020 was a learning year, 2021 was the year to deliver, and Razgatlioglu did. “The team was improving my bike every race, the team was learning my style, and also were learning my bike, (and) I was adapting to my bike. Together, this year we are strong,” he says. “Every race, we were coming step-by-step stronger.”
Razgatlioglu says he felt no pressure, and the nervousness about the title chase disappeared when he closed his visor. “I hope we are World Champion, but I never look at that side. Every race, I look at the win,” he says. “I try (to have fun), I try to a little more enjoy in the race. After I close the visor, I don’t feel stress.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) says during the 2021 season, he became more familiar with his factory Yamaha YZF-R1, and the team became more familiar with his riding style. “Every race, we are coming step by step stronger,” he says. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Razgatlioglu is fully focused on World Superbike. The team plans significant upgrades for 2022, and Razgatlioglu is looking forward to an even better-performing machine. MotoGP is a possibility—his name was openly discussed as a replacement for the retiring Valentino Rossi—but it comes with challenges. At his age, with Yamaha’s official factory garage filled with proven MotoGP race winners Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo, he likely could get a ride somewhere, but the chances of joining the factory team are slim.
“I am 25. I am feeling old for MotoGP. Everybody come in at 19, 20, 21 now. I am not old—I know!—but…
“After I am Superbike World Champion, why not? My dream was Superbike Champion. I never dream of the MotoGP. It’s like a different galaxy. Now, yeah, I have a MotoGP door, but I’ve never dreamed MotoGP before. I focus on Superbikes,” he says. “If I am Champion here and I go to MotoGP, and I don’t like it, I am not fast, I can come back here and find a good team, because everyone knows I am fast here.”
The following article appeared in the November 2021 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine. To get more great content like this, subscribe HERE.
OWNERS’ TRACK INTRO:
A Special Day In Spain
By Chris Ulrich
The large group of riders gathered on pit lane at Jerez Circuit, anxiously waiting for the blue garage doors to roll up and unveil their new 2022 KTM RC 8C track bikes. When the garage doors finally opened, they revealed a fleet of 25 KTM RC 8C motorcycles, each with a custom number and all on stands and tire warmers, awaiting their new owners. The atmosphere in the pit box was electric and the excitement infectious. I snuck into the group unnoticed and claimed the only unmarked KTM RC 8C in the lot. I was happy to join the group for a day at Jerez, and tried to stay under the radar.
Chris Ulrich with MotoGP racer and test rider Dani Pedrosa and American RC 8C buyers Mauricio Gomez (left) and Viet Tran (right). Photo courtesy KTM.
A full day of riding on the track was ahead, including eight 20-minute sessions, with Dani Pedrosa and Mika Kallio mixing with the group on and off the racetrack. The on-track activities started with a parade lap that included a group photo on the starting grid with Pedrosa and Kallio at the front, while I occupied the final grid position. There was a slight delay in resuming the riding when one of the 23 owners in attendance proposed to his girlfriend on the grid!
New KTM RC 8C owners line up on the grid at Jerez behind Dani Pedrosa (26) and Mika Kallio (82). Last on the grid is Chris Ulrich. Photo courtesy KTM.
It was the passion pitch. Build a motorcycle that evokes passion for riding and it will sell. Adding in a once-in-a-lifetime track day experience at Jerez with KTM MotoGP test riders Pedrosa and Kallio saw the 100 units available worldwide sell out in 4 minutes and 32 seconds! The first 25 units—including the extra-cost track day—sold out 1 minute, 41 seconds after sales opened on KTM’s digital platform! And there are now over 300 people on the waiting list for the next batch. The lucky few who were able to reserve a bike paid $38,999 for the privilege. Attendees at the track day paid an extra 4,000 Euros (about $4,650 U.S.) for a race track package that included a set of wheels, stands, tire warmers, brake pads, and a KTM pit rug. Participants also paid an 890-Euro (about $1,050 U.S.) event package fee that included accommodations and meals, transport to and from the track, attending a Red Bull KTM Factory Racing test and meet and greet dinner with test riders Dani Pedrosa and Mika Kallio, and eight 20-minute on-track sessions and dinner with Pedrosa and Kallio the next day. KTM provided one race mechanic for each group of four riders, and WP Suspension had two technicians to assist with set-up. Fuel and tires were also included.
Chris Ulrich found that the RC 8C fit him well and was really fun to ride. Photo courtesy KTM.
It was clear that this was a special experience for the riders in the group. There was the Dutch collector who bought the bike for his personal museum and showed up with a group of buddies who came to hang out and watch. And there was a Finn who owns 12 motorcycles—including a BMW-powered Suter CRT MotoGP bike and a Krämer GP-2 690. He races his GP-2 in Finland because he can ride the bike well and most of the guys in his class aren’t axe murderers. A guy from the U.K. was trading in his Panigale V4 for the RC 8C because he was sick of not being able to hang onto the bike for long.
Among the group were two Americans, who I met while getting the COVID PCR test that was required to fly back to the United States. Viet Tran and Mauricio Gomez are both from Texas and made the passion buy. Both have production middleweight motorcycles and were dissatisfied with the lack of real information and support, so they bought the RC 8C and signed up for the event. Many of the customers at the event owned 1000cc Supersport bikes, but couldn’t ride them hard for more than three laps at a time. So, they looked to the KTM RC 8C as a bike that would be more manageable on the track for their fitness and skill level.
I’ve said it before: The Middleweight Twin category is the best for most riders. The bikes have enough power to be exciting without being easy to get in trouble with, and can usually be ridden all day long without having to train like a MotoAmerica Superbike rider. That said, after riding the RC 8C for a day at Jerez, I would have liked to add 5-10 horsepower to the RC 8C and try it, even though that might mess up the rideability vibe.
The RC 8C cockpit, with transverse-mounted steering damper. Photo courtesy KTM.
Built by former KTM engineer-turned-chassis-builder Markus Krämer, the RC 8C is a proper purpose-built track weapon. From start to finish, once all the parts are collected, it takes four mechanics two work days to complete one RC 8C.
The main frame is made of chrome-moly (25CrMo4) steel tubing with an aluminum underslung swingarm. The bike is powered by an unmodified 889cc KTM LC8c Parallel Twin engine, the same engine used in the 890 Duke R. The result is a motorcycle that weighs in at a claimed 140 kilograms (309 pounds) dry and puts out 128 bhp and 73 lbs.-ft. of torque at the crankshaft. That equates to roughly 110 bhp at the rear wheel.
The RC 8C has 23.7 degrees of rake and is delivered with 28mm-offset triple clamps which give the bike 98.6mm of trail. There is enough adjustment in the front end for a rider to get lost if not careful; adjustment in the head stock allows for 1-degree of rake adjustment in 0.5-degree increments in either direction; there are two triple clamp options, with 26mm or 28mm of offset, and the rake and trail can also be affected by front or rear ride height. The wheelbase measures 1400mm (55.2 inches).
Front view of the KTM RC 8C and its MotoGP-derived centered ram-air intake scoop and winglets. Photo courtesy KTM.
High end WP Racing suspension components add both a bling factor and performance to the RC 8C. At the front, Krämer fitted 43mm APEX PRO 7543 pressurized forks which representatives claim are one tier down from the units used in the KTM MotoGP program; the forks have compression, rebound, and pre-load adjustment. At the rear, the RC 8C uses a 46mm body, WP APEX PRO 7746 shock which reminds me of a pre-TTX Öhlins shock. Available adjustments include spring pre-load, high-speed and low-speed compression damping, and rebound damping.
Forged aluminum Dymag UP7X 17-inch racing wheels are fitted; the front is 3.5 inches wide, while the rear is 6.0. The RC 8C is delivered with Pirelli Diablo Superbike racing slicks.
The KTM RC 8C comes with a carbon-fiber aerodynamic front fender and carbon-fiber winglets. The fuel tank is integrated into the tail section, underneath the seat; note filler cap behind the seat pad. Photo courtesy KTM.
Stopping the Krämer KTM is a set of Brembo Stylema calipers mated with a Brembo 19mm RCS CORSA CORTA radial master cylinder and a set of fully floating 290mm discs. KTM claims the use of the adjustable master cylinder allows a rider to tailor the bite point. I thought using a 19mm master cylinder with a set of Stylema calipers wasn’t ideal since Brembo recommends a 17mm master cylinder. I could have changed the ratio all day but chose to not mess with it, and it worked OK as is.
The bodywork is styled after the KTM RC16 MotoGP bike; the RC 8C fairing has a large ram-air intake at the center of the leading edge and carbon fiber winglets along with a downforce-producing scoop on the lower just in front of the rear wheel. That combination helps to mitigate wheelies and improve stability.
As crashing is part of the game, the RC 8C comes equipped with crash protection sliders on the front forks, frame, swingarm, and fuel tank. Mr. Krämer was especially proud of the frame sliders, which are large plastic extrusions mounted to a floating metal plate on the frame to limit damage.
A close up of one of the KTM RC 8C’s bolt-on frame sliders. Photo courtesy KTM.
Careful attention was paid to the ergonomics. CNC-machined rear-set controls are sturdy, offering 66mm total range in three steps. Pads have also been added to the swingarm behind the rear sets to limit crash damage, and many Krämer owners I have spoken to say the bike is durable when it comes to crashing.
The RC 8C comes with no rider aids, but there is an optional rain map that reduces the power in the first 15% of throttle opening. On the track it feels like the rain map cuts the power by limiting the rate of throttle opening, and the power delivery is really soft. It’s possible to easily switch on the fly between the rain and normal mapping using the left side handlebar switch, but the change will not be enabled until the throttle is closed. There are also two available engine braking settings, to match rider preference. This can also be adjusted on the fly, but like the throttle map, the change will not be enabled until the throttle is closed. A pit lane speed-limiter function was also enabled and worked as described on pit lane. The RC 8C also comes with a quick-shifter and auto-blip for clutch-less downshifts.
KTM RC 8C racing two-into-one titanium exhaust system. Note aero scoop in front of the rear wheel. Photo courtesy KTM.
Krämer uses an AIM MXS 1.2 RACE dash with data logging capabilities and integrated GPS. The dash can be customized through AIM’s Race Studio. As delivered, the 5-inch dash displayed rpm, gear position, lap time, and lap time split. The logged data is streamed over the CAN line.
…
Rolling off the starting grid, I started to pick up the pace and move through the group. The RC 8C fit me really well; the angle and position of the handlebars were aggressive but comfortable and didn’t put undue stress on my wonky shoulders. The location of the footpegs worked well for me, putting my feet in an ideal position, and the distance from the pegs to seat was just right. There was plenty of room in the seat to move and the fuel tank cover was a nice width, allowing me to move around without being too skinny.
It took me a few laps to figure out how torquey the engine really is. Once up to speed, I could roll though most of the slower corners in third gear and the RC 8C would chug right out. The LC8c engine builds power from 5,000 rpm until the 10,500-rpm limit. And thanks to some tuning, a pipe, and a relatively light crankshaft, it rips through the rev range quickly—so quickly that I often found myself getting into the rev limiter, which slowed the lap time if I wasn’t on top of things.
The GP-style chassis really makes the RC 8C a pleasure to ride. I’ve been to Jerez about six times for press events over the years and knew using the inside curbs is an important element to turning a good lap time, but only if I could get the motorcycle to turn down that far in time. I had no trouble positioning the RC 8C where I wanted to through all phases of the corners.
The RC 8C without its bodywork, showing the self-supporting plastic tailsection and fuel tank; note the aero scoop in front of the rear wheel, the minimal chrome-moly steel tube frame, and braced swingarm. Photo courtesy KTM.
I rode the first half of the day on the baseline track setting the bike is delivered with, which worked great, but I struggled to get the bike to continue to rotate around the corner as my speed increased. This was due to the rear being slightly too soft for my size and weight as the base setting on the rear suspension is set up for a rider that weighs between 165 and 187 lbs. The quick fix was to add a round of rear-spring pre-load, going from 12mm to 13mm, which gave me the support I wanted, but also put too much stress on the rear tire. So, we went back to the base setting and looked at the front of the bike.
I had noticed that the rebound was a little fast and the RC 8C had great support, so we slowed down the rebound by adding three clicks (from 16 to 13 clicks) and took out one turn of preload (from 18mm to 17mm). Those two changes helped me get the bike to finish the corner while still carrying decent corner speed. It also showed that the Krämer-built chassis responds as expected to suspension changes.
As I piled on laps, I found the RC 8C has a broad range of usability—the chassis works well at both a medium and a fast pace. But it worked really well the faster I went. The overall balance of the bike is great; it was stable on the brakes, turned in well, had good front feel at the apex, and finished the corner. It’s rare that a bike ticks all those boxes! Honestly, it reminded me of the Grand Prix racebikes I grew up riding, including the Honda RS125 and Yamaha TZ250. My only complaints came from the braking performance and gearing. I think 300mm-305mm front brake rotors would not have hurt the handling and the increased performance would have been worth the change. It could have also used slightly taller final drive gearing to maximize the bike’s potential at Jerez.
And, to answer the bike question a few people have asked, would it be competitive in Supersport? Maybe. It has the chassis performance, but I think it would need an extra 10 horsepower or so to keep up with a 600cc four-cylinder Supersport racebike.
By the end of the day, I’d done seven 20-minute sessions on a pretty warm day in the South of Spain before throwing in the towel. That’s two hours and 20 minutes on track! The RC 8C allowed me the time and bandwidth to work on my riding during the sessions so I could reach my potential on the day. It offers a balanced chassis that’s sharp, but forgiving, packaged with high-end components and a user-friendly engine. It could be the ultimate track day weapon. And it’s priced right when considering what it costs to build a front-line MotoAmerica Supersport or Stock 1000 racebike.
Back in the pits at Jerez after the end of the day, the group was tired, but everyone was buzzing and raving. The vibe carried into dinner, where one of the participants called for a toast to KTM for giving the group a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I sat with the American riders and the Finn, and they were carrying on about the day, about bikes they owned, and about plans for GP adventures. It was interesting to experience an event from the other side. And it reminded me why we all got into the sport in the first place: Because it’s fun!
As for KTM, the RC 8C and the track experience had turned skeptics into orange-bleeders within a couple laps at Jerez.
KTM hasn’t announced plans for another run of RC 8C track bikes, but if they build them, the buyers will line up.
Climb onboard for a lap around Spain’s Circuito de Jerez Circuit with Roadracing World Racing Editor Chris Ulrich at the controls of an ultra-exclusive, racetrack-only 2022 KTM RC 8C.
Max Angles Takes Four Wins at PanAmerican Superbike Round Two
During round 2 of the 2022 PanAmerican SuperBike season, we saw some familiar and some new faces on the podium. Continuing his dominance is the SuperStock and Sunoco SuperBike 600 class, Max Angles with the PDR Motorsports team found himself on the top podium spot in both the Grande Corsa and Sprint races for SuperStock 600 and Sunoco SuperBike 600 class with four wins overall. We saw a bit more excitement within our 1000 class. 2021 Expert overall champion Alex Arango with Top Pro Motorsports started the day with a 0.024 second win over Maximilano Gerardo in the SuperStock 1000 Grande Corsa race. Later that morning, Alex returned to the track to win the Sunoco SuperBike 1000 Grande Corsa race. Later in the day, Maximilano Gerardo with PDR Motorsports was able to bring home the win in the SuperStock 1000 Sprint race. At the end of the day, we witnessed another close battle between Alex Arango and Maximilano Gerardo in the Sunoco SuperBike 1000 Sprint race with Maximiliano pulling off a 0.166 second win over Alex.
First year Expert racer, Zane Lefko completed a sweep with wins both Expert Formula Twin Grande Corsa and Sprint races. Another first timer in the Formula Twins class, Michael Blum with Top Pro Motorsports team repeated his round 1 success with wins in the Amateur Formula Twins Grande Corsa and Sprint races. Continuing the streak of sweeps, Edward Smith managed his first sweep with wins in the Amateur Euro Light Grande Corsa and Sprint races.
In round 1, we witness Avery Dreher beat his own lap record in the SuperStock 400. Not one to rest on his laurels, round 2 saw Avery pushed the SuperStock 400 Expert lap record under the 1:26 mark with a 1:25.998. The youth movement continues to raise the bar. Julian Correa with SFlMinGp team broke his own lap record with 1:24.269. Riding his back wheel was Belladonna Britanni with 1:24.550. It’s going to be exciting when we return to PBIR in April to see which one of these racers will ride away with the lap record.
From one end of the age spectrum, we switch gears to our Formula 50 1000 racers. The Amateur Formula 50 racers put on a quite the show. On lap five, Tim Chin broke the lap record with a 1:21.241, but he held that record for only 0.198 seconds. Michael Blum crossed the line with a 1:21.067 to snatch that lap record away from Tim. In our Expert racer Victor Silva with the +Power Moto Racing Team broke his own record with a 1:20.428.
We will have to wait until April to see if any more lap records are broken at PBIR. In February, PanAmerican SuperBike will be headed south to Homestead-Miami Speedway for Round 3 of the 2022 season!
PanAmerican Superbike would like to thank our 2022 sponsors for their continued support!
Sunoco Racing Fuels
Southern Racing Fuels
Palm Beach County Sports Commission
Bridgestone Tires
Dunlop Motorcycle Tires
Envy Racing Apparel
MYLAPS Sports Timing
Florida Track Days
For more racing information visit: www.PanAmSbk.com
Full Season Championship Results and Individual Race Results are conveniently available online at: https://www.panamsbk.com/championships/
or follow us on social media:
www.instagram.com/panamsbk
www.facebook.com/panamsbk
Editorial Note: Use the scroll and zoom tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer to better see all of the results.
Francesco Bagnaia riding a 2022 Ducati Panigale V4 S. Photo courtesy Ducati.
Passion For Ducati Has Never Been Greater With 59,447 Motorcycles Sold worldwide, 2021 is the Best Year Ever
Ducati ends 2021 with record sales, growing globally by +24% over 2020 and +12% over 2019
Double-digit growth in all major countries including the United States, which regains the place of top market, and Australia, which records + 50% compared to 2020
The Multistrada V4 is the best-selling and most popular motorcycle for Ducatisti in 2021 with 9,957 motorcycles delivered to customers
The 2022 range has received great praise from enthusiasts already as demonstrated by the highest order portfolio ever at the beginning of the year
Borgo Panigale, Bologna – Ducati concluded 2021 with a record figure of 59,447 motorcycles delivered to customers all over the world, and achieving an increase in sales of +24% over 2020 (48,042) and +12% over 2019 (53,183).
Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO: “2021 was a magical year for Ducati. We delivered over 59,000 motorcycles, a number never achieved before in 95 years of the company’s history. We also won the title of MotoGP Constructors’ World Champion for the second consecutive year, and we started the electric era of our company with the V21L prototype, which foresees the bike that will race in the MotoE championship from 2023. The pandemic, which is still underway, in addition to generating so much suffering, has also made activities more complex, forcing us to conduct a continuous internal reorganization. Supply chains created delivery delays for which I want to apologize to all Ducatisti, thanking them for their patience. Despite all these difficulties, the desire to excel of our employees here in Borgo Panigale and in our subsidiaries around the world helped us to achieve these record results. We are investing in an extremely ambitious growth path that will lead the company to improve even further, by entering new market segments. With the DesertX we will have from this year on an extremely attractive proposal for adventure fans, and other ambitious projects are currently in development. The core values of the brand – Style, Sophistication, Performance and Trust – are more current than ever. Future growth will take place in compliance with these values, offering our enthusiastic customers products that are increasingly representative with a unique mix of beauty, technology and distinctiveness, such as the best of Made in Italy.”
In 2021 Ducati’s growth came in all the main countries, starting with the United States, which regained the place of leading market for Ducati with 9,007 units which corresponds to an increase of 32% on 2020, followed by Italy with 8,707 bikes (+23% on 2020) and by Germany with 6,107 units (+11% on 2020). The Chinese market also grew, with 4,901 motorcycles (+21%), as well as the French one with 4,352 (+12%) and the UK one with 2,941 units (+30%).
Francesco Milicia, Ducati VP Global Sales and After Sales: “With 59,447 motorcycles delivered to customers, Ducati notches up a historic result and once again underlines its solidity, despite the difficulties encountered across all sectors due to the supplies crisis. Sales grew double-digit in all major countries, from the United States to Australia, where the new subsidiary achieved an increase of 50%. These results are also the outcome of extraordinary work aimed at the continuous improvement of the global sales network both in quantitative terms, with 84 new dealerships, and in qualitative terms, focusing on the digitization of processes and omnichannel to guarantee our Ducatisti an “unforgettable” experience, which fully reflects the company’s values. Now we are starting 2022 with an even more complete range, which is already receiving high praise as demonstrated by the best order portfolio ever at the beginning of the year.”
The enormous success obtained during the year is confirmed by the Multistrada V4, which was by far the biggest-selling and most-loved bike for Ducatisti in 2021 with 9,957 motorcycles delivered to customers. The Ducati Scrambler 800 family followed with 9,059 units, and the Monster, with 8,734 motorcycles sold.
These results were achieved despite the unpredictable situation generated by the supply crisis that has been on-going for some time. It is still a very volatile situation and is destined to continue further.
For 2022, Ducati presented nine new models to the public during the Ducati World Première web series, helping to create an even more complete range ready to satisfy the desires of every type of motorcyclist. Expectations are particularly high for the DesertX , the Ducati bike designed to tackle the most demanding off-roads with 21″ front and 18″ rear wheels, long suspension travel and ample ground clearance. A motorcycle that takes Ducati into a whole new world, a symbol of how the brand can widen its horizons without losing its roots and its sporting identity, as proven by the Panigale V4 which, in its latest evolutionary step, becomes the closest motorcycle to a MotoGP bike that a motorcyclist can ride.
To discover the Ducati 2022 range, a dedicated section is available on the Ducati.com website.
David Klassen (19) as seen on his Yamaha-powered Pro Twins racer at Shannonville Motorsport Park in 1992. Photo by Colin Fraser.
R.I.P. David Klassen, 1963-2021
By Colin Fraser
Front-running CSBK Pro racer David Klassen, 58, has died after a six-month battle with Cancer in Alberta. Klassen passed away on December 29, 2021.
As described on the North Shore News website obituary section, Klassen is survived by his children, Zoe (13) and Logan (9), as well as his parents Robert and Lynn Klassen, his sister, Janis and brother, Mark.
Klassen climbed the RACE-sanctioned ladder in the late 1980s era of fierce competition, and big manufacturer support, on the Canadian National and Regional Road racing scene. Klassen was a front runner in Amateur big bike competition in 1988, with Suzuki support on the new, second generation “sling shot” twin-exhaust GSX-R750.
Among the racers who graduated with Klassen from the class of 1988 were eventual Muzzy-Kawasaki factory racer Jacques “Jet” Guenette, Suzuki Canada Superbike pilot Jeff Gaynor, and Superbike ace as well as multi tile National Sport Bike Champ for Yamaha, Linnley Clarke.
Klassen wanted to race in the Feature class when he turned Pro for 1989 and purchased the ex-Norm Murphy Weld Rite Racing Kawasaki GPZ750R. Discouraged by friends from taking such a big career step all at once, Klassen proved competitive in the Feature class.
However, he didn’t have the support and finances to run on a much modified bike, and was frequently struggling with mechanical issues. His best result was a RACE Eastern Canada Challenger Series victory at Sanair International, Quebec.
The next season, Klassen move to the more affordable Pro Twins class with a mostly stock, ex-Dave Hatch Honda GT650 Hawk. Throughout the season, Klassen staged a number of memorable battles for the Twins win with the legendary “Crazy Frank” Mrazek, the older veteran aboard the Ducati 851 Desmo owned by author George Jonas. Mrazek was twice Klassen’s age and near twice the fit Klassen’s size!
While Mrazek had way more bike, Klassen was incredible on the little Honda, and rode beyond the potential of his equipment to the point that the Twins races became a fan favorite. Klassen won the Championship and set regular lap records.
An electrician by trade, Klassen lived in eastern Toronto, and gradually gravitated into the circle of Pro racers based on Queen Street West at Ontario Honda and Yamaha. Owned by Murray Brown and tuner Rick Andrews, Ontario Honda decided to build a road racer powered by Yamaha’s dual sport Super Tenere big twin powerplant.
With a frame built at the shop by Andrews, Klassen showed well immediately with the unique racer, winning easily, and running near the pace of the best Superbikes. Klassen set lap records with the Yamaha, breaking the seemingly unbeatable standards he had established on the Honda V-Twin!
This helped Klassen back into the Superbike mainstream, and he earned success in WERA Sprint and Endurance National events in the U.S., on both American and Canadian (Tim Ruhl’s R.A. Racing) based squads.
Klassen also had success in 1994 with a mutt Yamaha built at Ontario Honda, a Yamaha Superbike finished in purple and named “Barney.” The remaining elements of Barney exist to this day with former Ontario Honda mechanic and Pro Superbike Feature race winning tuner Zaid Saleen of Z-1 Cycle Tech.
Sam Sunderland (3) in action during Stage 12 of the Dakar Rally. Photo by Rally Zone, courtesy GASGAS Factory Racing.
HE DID IT! WE DID IT! SAM SUNDERLAND AND GASGAS ARE DAKAR RALLY WINNERS!
HISTORY MADE WITH FIRST EVER DAKAR RALLY VICTORY FOR GASGAS FACTORY RACING
Sam Sunderland and GASGAS Factory Racing have won the 2022 Dakar Rally! Delivering exactly the kind of mature, considered performance we’ve come to expect of him over the last two weeks, in finishing eighth in today’s final stage, Sam has claimed overall victory at the 44th Dakar Rally. And, at the end of 12 grueling days of racing across the Saudi Arabian desert, he’s handed GASGAS our first ever victory at the world’s most iconic rally raid event!
Sam Sunderland wins Dakar Rally 2022!
GASGAS Factory Racing claims first Dakar title!
Two stage wins for Daniel Sanders before injury
Dakar Rally winner Sam Sunderland. Photo by Rally Zone, courtesy GASGAS Factory Racing.
Sam Sunderland: “Wow. What a feeling! That 10-minute period waiting at the end of the final stage to see if I’d won felt like a lifetime. But this feeling, knowing I’ve won a second Dakar, will stay in my memory forever. This win feels better than the first as this victory was anything but easy. The times were so close this year and there was no time to let off the gas, it was a really close race, right to the end. All of the hard work, the sacrifices, and everything that the GASGAS team has done for me makes it all worthwhile. It’s been five years since my first Dakar win, and it’s been a long time to wait! I’m super happy to get another win and claim the first one for GASGAS. Everyone on the team has worked so hard to achieve this and it’s a true team effort – together we got the job done. Amazing.”
Leading the race from stage two through to the end of stage six, the Dakar began perfectly for Sam. Riding flawlessly throughout the two-week event, he delivered the goods on multiple occasions when the pressure was well and truly on. Competitive from the very beginning, GASGAS Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland is 2022 Dakar Rally champion!
Sam’s second Dakar victory is not just an incredible personal achievement, it also marks the return of the title to the KTM AG Company. With 19 wins in the last 22 years, Sam’s victory re-affirms the group’s commitment and ongoing success at the world’s toughest rally raid.
While it’s all about Sam right now and his amazing achievement, it wouldn’t be right to sign off from Dakar 2022 without giving Daniel Sanders the credit he deserves. Our second GASGAS Factory Racing star taking on this year’s event, Chucky claimed two amazing stage wins, and on the final day of racing in week one, led Sam home for a GASGAS one-two. A crash on stage seven resulted in a fractured elbow and wrist, but the good news is that’s he’s had surgery and is now well on the way to making a full recovery. He’ll be back at the Dakar in 2023 for another run at the title.
Congrats guys, enjoy the party!
Norbert Stadlbauer – Rally Team Manager: “Amazing, simply amazing! This Dakar was a really challenging race, right until the very end, so to win, it’s an incredible achievement. Throughout the whole event Sam was smart, strong, and his speed was exceptional. I’m really happy for him and the whole of GASGAS Factory Racing. The entire team has worked so hard to be successful and it’s a really special moment. There’s no feeling like it. I’d like to thank all of the team’s sponsors and partners, everyone in Austria, and now, after a two tough weeks, it’s time to celebrate!”
More, from a press release issued by KTM Factory Racing:
MATTHIAS WALKNER AND KTM FINISH THIRD AT 2022 DAKAR RALLY
Dakar Rally 2022 – Stage 12
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Matthias Walkner has claimed an impressive third-place finish at the incredibly tough 2022 Dakar Rally. Delivering strong, consistent results throughout the entire two-week event, the Austrian star fought hard right to the very end to ultimately finish less than seven minutes behind the race winner after close to 40 hours of racing. Toby Price secured a top-10 overall result with a solid second place finish on the event’s 12th and final stage.
Lying third going in the final day of racing, Matthias Walkner put in a superb performance on today’s stage to finish seventh fastest and secure his overall podium result. After covering more than 8,000 kilometers, the top three motorcycle class finishers were separated by just under seven minutes, such was the closeness of competition at this year’s event. Walkner’s third-place finish is the Austrian’s fourth Dakar podium, as he adds the hard-fought result to his 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship title, in what has been an incredible 12 months of racing for the experienced 35-year-old.
Matthias Walkner: “I feel super happy and also lucky to be here healthy at the finish line. It feels great to be back on the podium too after a couple of difficult Dakars the past two years. It’s been a super long and hard Dakar as always, but this year has been special because of the level of navigation needed every day. We saw right from the first day that you can win or lose so much time on each stage. Because of that I really tried to focus on my roadbook, and concentrate on my navigation for the whole race. The first week went really well for me, and then into the second week, everyone was pushing really hard, so you had to give your best every day as the times were so close. The new bike has been brilliant, and the team have put so much effort into making sure we had the performance needed to finish on the podium, so thank you to them. Now it’s time to celebrate!”
Following a tough start to this year’s event when a navigation issue on stage one cost him a considerable amount of time, Toby Price delivered day after day of solid results to fight his way back into the top-10 overall. Placing as second quickest on the final day of racing, together with his stage win on day 10, shows that the two-time Dakar Champion has lost none of his speed or motivation. Happy to safely complete the 2022 event without injury, Price now looks ahead to the remainder of this year’s FIM World Rally-Raid Championship.
Toby Price: “I’m always happy to reach the finish here at the Dakar, it’s been a really tough race this year. Losing time on that first day put me on the back foot a little for the rest of the stages, and the way things are now, any mistakes can lose you a lot of time on the others because things are so close. The terrain here in Saudi makes for a really fast race too, a lot of the stages are sprints to the finish, but the atmosphere is good and it’s a good place to be. I’m excited for 2023 already!”
Kevin Benavides showed impressive speed throughout the whole 2022 Dakar Rally – his first riding for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team. Also losing time on the first day in Saudi, the 2021 Dakar Champion put in day after day of fast, consistent performances to fight his way back up the order to lie fifth overall at the close of stage nine. Unfortunately, after suffering a technical issue on stage 10, the Argentinian was forced to withdraw. Returning to complete the final two stages of the race, Benavides was immediately back up to speed, claiming a stage win on day 11. Happy to reach the finish line safely and taking the many positives from his performance, Kevin is already fully motivated for next year’s event.
Kevin Benavides: “I have enjoyed this final day at the Dakar – I opened the stage, which was great, and it feels good to finally get to the finish. Obviously, it’s frustrating to have had the problem on stage 10, up until that point my race had gone really well, and I believe I had the pace to challenge for the podium. These last two days have shown that, too. There are many positives I can take from this year’s race and I’m really happy with how I rode and navigated through the stages. Part of the Dakar is all about learning and improving and so I’ll take that away from this year and try to come back even stronger in 2023.”
Making not only his Dakar debut, but also his first ever competitive rally-raid appearance at the 2022 Dakar, Danilo Petrucci raised a few eyebrows around the paddock with his consistent display of speed and skill on his Tech3 KTM 450 RALLY. Claiming a stage win at the Dakar is a huge accomplishment, to do it at your first attempt is a spectacular achievement! Attaining his goal of completing the race, Danilo was overjoyed with how his race had gone and what he had accomplished.
Danilo Petrucci: “I am so happy to finally reach the finish line and to complete the goal I set out to do. It’s been a tough time both leading up to the event and the race itself, but to complete my first ever Dakar feels amazing. I’m really happy with my performance but over the last couple of days I have had some crashes and feel quite sore at the moment. Thanks to all the team for their hard work, it has been an amazing experience and one of the hardest things I have ever done.”
Completing his 2022 Dakar campaign with an excellent fifth-place result on stage 12, KTM-supported privateer Mason Klein not only finished as top rookie, but also claimed an outstanding ninth overall. The 20-year-old American has shown incredible navigation and roadbook skills over the course of this year’s event, as well as the speed to back it up.
Norbert Stadlbauer – Rally Team Manager: “I’m really proud of the whole team. The Dakar is simply the toughest, hardest race in the world. For all of our riders to get to the finish is a huge achievement. Big congratulations to Matthias who did an amazing job to put his KTM on the podium in third position. It’s another really good result for him and even more impressive considering the level of this year’s event. Thank you also to Toby, Kevin, and of course Danilo, who all performed very well over the whole race. It’s been an amazing Dakar, so thank you to all who helped to make it happen.”
HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING RIDER DELIVERS IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE THROUGHOUT TOUGH TWO-WEEK EVENT TO PLACE 13TH OVERALL
Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides has successfully completed the 2022 Dakar Rally with a strong performance on the 12th and final stage of the event, claiming sixth fastest on the short timed special. The result places the young Argentinian 13th in the overall rally standings.
Although the final stage of this year’s Dakar Rally was a long one, totalling 680 kilometres from Bisha to the finish in Jeddah, the special used to decide the final event placings was a relative sprint to the finish, totalling just 164 kilometres. As the 26th rider to enter the timed section, Benavides immediately got his head down and pushed hard right from the start.
With the special primarily made up of fast, sandy tracks, and navigation proving less of a challenge, times were extremely close at the sharp end of the timesheets. Coming in just less than three minutes behind the eventual stage winner, Luciano secured a strong result for the final stage and with it ended his 2022 Dakar on a high.
The impressive performance continued a strong run of form for Benavides who has gone from strength to strength in the second week of racing. Following a tricky start where he, like many of his rivals, lost time on the event’s opening stage, Luciano has delivered six top-10 stage results to fight his way back up the leaderboard. Completing the rally in 13th overall, the former FIM Cross-Country Rallies Junior World Champion is happy to finish a third Dakar Rally and now looks ahead to attacking the rest of the world championship.
Skyler Howes had also been showing incredible form at this year’s race when a crash on stage five forced him to withdraw from the event. After undergoing medical checks at the local hospital, the American was discharged and has since returned home where he will get some much-needed rest and recovery time before returning to competition later in the year.
Luciano Benavides: “I’m really happy to complete this year’s Dakar, it’s been a really tough event both mentally and physically. It was hard to lose time on the first stage, but since then I have been giving my all to work my way back up the standings. The bike has been great and with a few changes as the race has gone on, I’ve found a setting I feel comfortable with and because of that the results have been improving throughout the rally. Getting to the finish of such a long and intense event feels amazing. It would have been good to get inside the top 10 by the finish, but I’m still happy with my performance. The result and the finish have really improved my confidence and now I’m looking forward to the rest of the year and seeing what we can do in the world championship, before preparing for Dakar 2023.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Honda Team:
Pablo Quintanilla takes runner-up spot in the Dakar Rally 2022
Monster Energy Honda Team rider Pablo Quintanilla won the final 2022 Dakar Rally stage to grab second overall place in the race just three-and-a-half minutes shy of the winner. All four team riders managed to finish one of the toughest ever editions of the rally, with the Honda CRF450 RALLY once again making it through the entire Dakar without a single mechanical issue.
Monster Energy Honda Team’s Chilean rider Pablo Quintanilla wrapped up the 45th edition of the Dakar Rally today in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in a well-deserved second place. Quintanilla, who started this morning in second place in the general standings, 6’52” behind Sam Sunderland, attempted to close the gap over the 150 kilometres of timed special involving some tricky, fast-paced navigation. Pablo earned the final stage victory, finishing 3’27” short of clinching the outright Dakar 2022 title.
Pablo Quintanilla joined Monster Energy Honda Team last May, finishing on the Andalucía Rally podium in his first outing. Later, in October, he would clinch top honours in the Rallye du Maroc. Today’s runner-up position marks a third finish on the Dakar podium for Quintanilla.
Monster Energy Honda Team team-mates Joan Barreda, Ricky Brabec and José Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo, riding their respective Honda CRF450 RALLY bikes, also finished the race among the leaders. Spain’s Barreda, fourth on the final stage, finished fifth overall, equalling the result achieved in 2017. Brabec took seventh spot overall in this edition of the Dakar, while ‘Nacho’ Cornejo, third on the stage today, consolidated his sixth place in the final rally classification.
All four of the team riders placed among the top seven finishers. Furthermore, a total of five stage victories (Barreda 2, Cornejo 2, Quintanilla 1) in this edition takes Honda’s overall tally of partial wins at the Dakar to 97.
The next race for the Monster Energy Honda Team is scheduled from 5-10 March for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
Ricky Brabec 2
STAGE: 21TH OVERALL: 7TH
The last day we tried to push. There was navigation and a lot of rocks. He hoped to make up time and see if someone else stumbled. We didn’t give up until the end. I’m happy and healthy and ready to go home. There was not much else we could do. We tried to come back from an hour down. The first stage killed us. After the first week it was definitely hard to pick up the pieces. We’ll be back next year to try and win this thing. Anything else other than winning is unacceptable. We’re going to come back next year and hopefully try to win.
Pablo Quintanilla 7
STAGE: 1ST OVERALL: 2ND
I am very happy with the result and my performance throughout the whole race, especially during the second week, which I managed well, making up time with a steady performance. I am very pleased and I wish to thank the whole Monster Energy Honda Team for their incredible work over these weeks. It was a really tough race, with a lot of tension, but I’m happy. Today there was second place at stake and there was even a chance of winning the race. It didn’t turn out that way, but I’m still happy with the second place finish. Now it’s time to enjoy this moment.
José Ignacio Cornejo 11
STAGE: 3RD OVERALL: 6TH
We finished the Dakar with a good stage; I am very happy with this final stage, without any mistakes and marking some good pace. I am satisfied to have finished the Dakar like this, but not in the overall balance, because, although I recovered several positions this last week, the mistake early in the race conditioned the end. I think I should have been further ahead. This year it was our turn to suffer, but we will be back again. The team in general was very solid and I want to congratulate all my team-mates for the great work done these days.
Joan Barreda 88
STAGE: 4TH OVERALL: 5TH
The result of this Dakar is a fifth place with a broken collarbone from a week ago and after losing 40 minutes at a waypoint on the first day. I’ve kept the mentality and the ambition that I’ve had all year, in spite of the adversities. Not giving up and going all the way to the finish. In racing sometimes things go well and other times not so well. But the important thing for me has been to be able to show all the hard work that’s been done. We’ve been working for seven months for the Dakar, now it’s time to rest a bit and then we’ll think about the new goals, knowing that the ambition and motivation has to be 100%. In this Dakar, every day that I’ve been on the bike I’ve had unique sensations.
Ruben Faria
General Manager
First of all I wish to congratulate the entire team for the work done in this Dakar which was such a tough race. We managed to win the last two editions and in this 2022 we finished runner-up, but we fought until the very end for the win. In the end it was very satisfying as we placed all four riders in the top seven. The first week we started with a disadvantage, starting with the prologue. The best rider in that first special was Pablo Quintanilla, who was also the top rider in our team, finishing in second overall place. For me, the prologue conditioned the first day which had a very difficult waypoint and where the riders lost a lot of time. The result of that prologue meant that we didn’t get off to the right start on those early Dakar stages. The first week was difficult for us, but we were always fighting and working to improve step by step. We would have liked to have retained the title, but this second place was really hard and has a great value for the team. There is some tough competition between the marques and the riders from different teams. We have to work harder and improve in all aspects. We finish with our heads held high, everyone has given the maximum in their respective duties. This Dakar was really tough, with long, hard special stages and with everything that a Dakar should have. Lastly, but no less importantly, I also wish to congratulate the team that was finally able to come from Japan despite Covid. They were with us and worked very hard too. I especially want to thank Taichi Honda for always being at our side.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team Enjoys Positive Results At 2022 Dakar Rally
The 2022 Dakar Rally has reached its conclusion with Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team’s Adrien Van Beveren and Andrew Short successfully completing the world’s toughest rally raid well inside the overall top 10. For Adrien Van Beveren, his encouraging form throughout the race saw him impressively lead the event on two separate occasions. Taking the race for overall victory down to the very last stage, the Frenchman eventually missed out on a top-three finish by the narrowest of margins. Andrew Short also enjoyed a largely positive time at the Dakar with the American claiming eight top-10 stage results on his way to finishing a highly commendable eighth overall.
Besides Ross Branch being ruled out of the event due to injury following a fall on stage seven, the 2022 Dakar Rally has been an incredibly successful one for the entire Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team. In addition to the riders’ Yamaha WR450F Rally machines running flawlessly throughout the entire event, Adrien Van Beveren narrowly missed out on the overall podium with Andrew Short demonstrating just what he’s capable of during the race.
Equalling his best overall finish at the Dakar, Adrien Van Beveren has placed an impressive fourth overall at the 2022 edition of the iconic event. Leading the race on two separate occasions this year and placing no lower than fourth overall throughout the entire rally, the Frenchman was undoubtedly in fine form throughout the competition. Delivering pin-point accuracy with his navigation day-after-day, Adrien delivered one of the stand-out performances in the motorcycle category.
If not for a frustrating navigational error on stage one, which affected him as well as many of his rivals, Andrew Short may well have joined Adrien in the top five overall. After losing considerable time early on, the 39-year-old was faultless through the remaining stages at the Dakar as he worked his way up the leaderboard. At the end of 12 stages and almost 40 hours of racing, Andrew secured eighth overall, narrowly missing out on placing seventh by just five seconds.
Securing further positive results at the Dakar Rally for Yamaha, Camelia Liparoti, driving her YXZ1000R Prototype, posted strong stage results throughout the event to claim sixth overall in the Light Prototype class.
Adrien Van Beveren – Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team
15th Stage 12
The race is over and I have mixed feelings about it, but on the whole it has been a really positive race for myself and the team. I’m really happy to have finished the race, the first time since 2017, so I’m really pleased about that. But on the other hand, it looked certain that I would podium or maybe even take the win. But with the issue yesterday, that’s just part of rally racing and it wasn’t meant to be. I’m really happy for the team. Everyone has worked super hard and my bike was amazing. I have no regrets about anything and I gave it everything that I had. To be fighting for the win at the Dakar, it was an amazing experience and now I’m looking forward to the future.
Andrew Short – Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team
13th Stage 12
I’m so happy to have reached the finish line. The Dakar is such a crazy race that finishing is a great achievement in itself. The final stage was pretty cool, a bit tight a twisty with some nice terrain. Before the rally I hoped to finish higher and it wasn’t through lack of effort – it was solely down to the issue I had on stage one. I did the best I could after that but that’s just how rally is sometimes. The team have been amazing. They built a great bike for me, which didn’t miss a beat all race and I’m happy that we had two guys in the top 10.
Dynavolt Triumph Team Manager Simon Buckmaster (left) with Stefano Manzi (right). Photo courtesy Dynavolt Triumph.
STEFANO MANZI JOINS SOOMER AT DYNAVOLT TRIUMPH FOR 2022
Dynavolt Triumph are pleased to confirm that Moto2™ regular Stefano Manzi will join Hannes Soomer to complete the team line-up in the 2022 World Supersport Championship.
Stefano is an experienced rider. His career started back in 2007 and he went through many victories and categories until he made his leap into the World Championship in 2015 in Moto3™. Two years later he made his debut in Moto2™ with the Sky Racing Team VR46 and since then the intermediate class has been his field.
The 22-year-old from Rimini now moves across to the World Supersport category for a new challenge in 2022 with the UK based official factory Dynavolt Triumph team. This represents a great opportunity for both sides to grow together, sharing their experience in racing.
Stefano Manzi: “I am really happy to be part of this Team and part of the project to bring Triumph back to the World Championship. Now I am focused on my winter training to be 100% ready for the beginning of the season. I cannot wait to be back on track and on my new bike.”
VR46 Riders Academy Sporting Director, Alessio Salucci “The whole VR46 Riders Academy is beyond pleased with the agreement reached with the Dynavolt Triumph team. It’s a great chance for Stefano to be part of this project supported by such a highly experienced manufacturer as Triumph. World Supersport is a very competitive category and I am sure that he’ll be able to make a great job together with his new team.”
Dynavolt Triumph Team Manager, Simon Buckmaster: “We’re really pleased to sign Stefano Manzi from the VR46 Academy to ride with the Dynavolt Triumph team in our return to World Supersport this year. He is an exciting prospect with good performance level in his seasons in Moto2™. He had a top six finish towards the end of last year so he’s on good form. He did a couple of wild cards in World SSP so understands the Pirelli tires and of course, understands the Triumph engine well. I won’t say he is going to surprise a few because a lot of people think he is going to be a good front runner and that is what we want, challenging for race wins and the title. We can’t wait to get started testing in March with Stefano and of course with Hannes.”
Dynavolt Triumph will now begin their preparations for the 2022 season which is set to get underway at Aragon, Spain on April 8th, 9th, and 10th.
Marc Marquez (93) riding his motocross bike. Photo courtesy Repsol Honda.
Marc Marquez back on a motorcycle as his recovery advances
Marc Marquez underwent a medical examination with Dr. Sánchez Dalmau last Monday to analyse the situation of his diplopia. The ophthalmologist confirmed a clear improvement in the vision of the eight-time World Champion.
With this progress, the Repsol Honda Team rider received authorization to ride a motorcycle and motocross, the most demanding discipline possible in the world of two wheels, was chosen by Marquez and his team. After a three-month absence, the Spanish rider returned to riding at the Ponts Circuit (Lleida). After several runs his sensations and feelings on the bike were more than optimistic.
The next step for Marquez will be to ride on a paved racetrack.
Valentino Rossi (46) testing an Audi at Valencia in December 2021. Photo courtesy W Racing Team.
VALENTINO ROSSI TO DRIVE AN AUDI R8 LMS OF TEAM WRT IN THE 2022 GTWCE
Team WRT is pleased to announce that Valentino Rossi will join its driver line-up in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS for the 2022 season.
A 9-time motorbike World Champion and one of the world’s sports icons, the 42-year-old Italian will start his professional career on four wheels with the Belgian squad, which is the reigning champion team in the Fanatec GTWCE Powered by AWS (overall, Endurance and Sprint).
Valentino Rossi will be competing in both the Endurance and the Sprint Cups, driving an Audi R8 LMS sporting the emblematic #46. He will be paired in both series with Audi Sport drivers to be named in due course.
The announcement follows the test conducted by Valentino Rossi with Team WRT at Valencia last December.
Vincent Vosse: “I am sure that a lot of fans will be as pleased as we are that Vale is starting a new career on four wheels and that he is doing it in GT, with Team WRT and Audi. We all know what a great motorbike champion and sports figure Vale is, but most of all, he is a true racer and a very professional and competitive sportsman, eager to be as successful as possible in the new challenge he has decided to embrace. This is exactly why we really wanted to work with him. The test we made at Valencia was extremely positive for both parties, in terms of technical feedback and working approach, and we took things from there. We warmly welcome Vale in the WRT family and I am sure that we are off to a very exciting experience for both.”
Valentino Rossi: “I am delighted to join Team WRT for a full Fanatec GTWCE powered by AWS programme. Everybody knows that I have always been a great car racing fan and that I have always been interested in a racing on four wheels once my MotoGP career would come to an end. Now I am completely available to devote myself to a car racing programme at high level and with the right professional approach. Team WRT is the perfect fit I was looking for and I am anxious to start this new adventure in the GTWCE with them.”
Stéphane Ratel, SRO Motorsports Group founder & CEO: “I am delighted to welcome Valentino Rossi to the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS grid for 2022. Having followed his illustrious career in motorcycle racing for more than two decades, it is truly exciting to witness the start of this new chapter in GT machinery. To attract a competitor of Valentino’s stature is a tremendous vote of confidence for our championship and for GT racing in general. He will bring new energy to our paddock and I look forward to watching him on-track this season.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kevin Benavides (1). Photo by Rally Zone, courtesy KTM Factory Racing.
KEVIN BENAVIDES TOPS PENULTIMATE STAGE AT DAKAR 2022
Dakar Rally 2022 – Stage 11
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kevin Benavides has bounced back from a tough day 10 to win stage 11, the penultimate day of the 2022 Dakar Rally. On one of the toughest specials of the event, Matthias Walkner brought his KTM 450 RALLY home in an excellent fourth place, and now lies third in the provisional event standings with one day left to race. Opening today’s stage, Toby Price placed 28th, while Danilo Petrucci completed the 346-kilometer special in 17th.
The event organizers ensured there was a sting in the tail to this year’s Dakar Rally by delivering one the most challenging stages of the race on the penultimate day. Technically demanding navigation combined with extremely soft sand and dunes tested the riders and their machines to the limit.
After a disappointing stage 10 yesterday in which his 2022 Dakar hopes came to an end, Kevin Benavides bounced back in style, showing impressive speed to top today’s results. Putting in an incredible performance, the number one plate holder fought his way from a late, 33rd place start to ultimately win the stage by a narrow four seconds. Benavides will now lead out the event’s short, final 164-kilometer timed special on Friday’s stage 12.
Kevin Benavides: “It was a really demanding day today. It’s great to get the win but I’m full of emotion because of the issue I had yesterday. Up to that point I was fighting for the overall, and now, after going fastest today I know I would have been in with a chance to win the rally. I gave it my all today, mostly to prove to myself that I could do it. I think it’s important to be able to come back from disappointment and immediately fight for a stage win. I have to thank the whole team, but especially my mechanic who worked so hard last night to give me an amazing bike for today – it felt perfect on the stage. I will now have the pleasure of opening the last stage of the race with no pressure, so I’m really looking forward to it and reaching the finish.”
Well in the fight for the overall rally honors, Matthias Walkner had to ensure he delivered a strong stage result today with the minimum of mistakes to stay in contention for the 2022 title. Fastest to the first checkpoint, Walkner navigated superbly through the remainder of the special to complete the stage in fourth place, just under five minutes down on teammate Benavides. Moving up to third overall in the event standings, Matthias will be aiming to reduce the gap to the current leader during tomorrow’s stage and secure a podium position while also fighting for the rally win.
Matthias Walkner: “It was a really long and really fast stage today. It was very dusty this morning too, which made the navigation even more difficult. I made a few small mistakes, but I really did try my best all day pushing as hard as I could. Finally I was able to make the finish with a good time and it puts me in a good position for tomorrow, so we’ll see what happens.”
After his win on day 10, Toby Price had the unenviable task of opening today’s ultra-tough stage 11. An issue early on where a waypoint didn’t validate correctly for the Australian put him on the back foot for the rest of the special. However, using his skill and speed, the twice Dakar Champion was able to regroup and keep pushing through the arduous terrain. Ultimately completing the stage in 28th, Toby now lies 10th in the overall standings with one day left to race.
Toby Price: “It was super dusty today and navigation was tough, but I had a frustrating problem early on at kilometer four where one waypoint didn’t validate, even though I’m pretty sure I was in the right place. I had to zig-zag back and forward and thankfully in the end, even though I was on the same track, it activated. Hopefully we can have that checked, but other than that the day went ok, I felt good on the bike and arrived safely at the finish line. One more day to go tomorrow, and that will be the 2022 Dakar complete.”
Continuing to impress, and despite the severity of today’s stage, Danilo Petrucci brought his Tech3 KTM 450 RALLY home in a commendable 17th place, just over 23 minutes down on the eventual stage winner. With one more day remaining, the former MotoGP racer is now just 680 kilometers away from completing his first Dakar Rally.
Danilo Petrucci: “It was one of the toughest days of my life today. I got a little lost early on with some other riders and then after that there were some really soft dunes. I have never seen anything like that before, it was really tiring to ride through. Then we raced through a huge sandstorm where it was really difficult to find your way and stay focused on your navigation. Luckily, after the refueling it was ok – the sand was still really soft, but it wasn’t so tricky. Unfortunately at one point I hit a piece of wood that was hidden underneath the sand and I had a big crash and hurt my shoulder. I was able to make it to the finish, but it did give me a lot of pain. We have one more day to go, so I’m looking forward to reaching the finish.”
Provisional Standings – 2022 Dakar Rally after 11 of 12 stages
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), GASGAS, 37:04:05
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 37:10:57 +6:52
3. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 37:11:20 +7:15
4. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 37:19:35 +15:30
5. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 37:31:59 +27:54
Other KTM
9. Mason Klein (USA), KTM, 37:55:14 +51:09
10. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 37:56:32 +52:27
More, from a press release issued by GASGAS Factory Racing:
GASGAS FACTORY RACING’S SAM SUNDERLAND RETAKES DAKAR RALLY LEAD
OUTSTANDING RIDE ON PENULTIMATE STAGE MOVES SAM ONE STEP CLOSER TO DAKAR GLORY!
We said stage 11 would be a pivotal day of racing at the Dakar and, oh boy, it sure was! After losing a little time yesterday, the pressure was well and truly on Sam today, who in no uncertain terms needed to deliver a flawless ride to keep his chances of a second Dakar win alive. And that’s exactly what he did. Putting together a standout performance, Sam navigated perfectly, attacked from the start, and finished second on the stage, just four seconds behind the eventual winner. Now, with just one day of racing to go, the GASGAS Factory Racing ace sits at the top of the leaderboard with a near seven-minute advantage over his nearest rival.
Sam returns to the top of the provisional Dakar leaderboard
Outstanding performance on penultimate stage from Sunderland
One day and just 163 kilometers of racing to go!
Sam Sunderland: “Today was a really tough one. We were expecting it to be difficult and even four kilometers in there were lines everywhere in the sand. From there on I had to focus on myself and stay on top of my roadbook, it wasn’t really an option to follow the lines ahead. Through the dunes I was able to make up some time, which was good and I just missed out on another stage win. Up until now the race has gone really well, the whole team behind me has been fantastic but the race isn’t over until it’s over. All I can do is hope for a clean run through tomorrow’s stage and then we’ll see where we end up.”
In rally racing, starting any stage a handful of riders behind the first rider generally proves to be an advantage, but with the navigation incredibly tricky on today’s penultimate stage of the rally, it was every man for himself out there in the desert. Opting to focus solely on his roadbook throughout the challenging 345-kilometer special, Sam was in superb form, narrowly missing out on the stage win but more importantly, now leads the rally heading into the final, decisive day of racing. It’s go time!
More, from a press release issued by Husqvarna Factory Racing:
LUCIANO BENAVIDES BATTLES THROUGH DAKAR STAGE 11
ONE DAY OF RACING REMAINS FOR HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING STAR AT GRUELLING 2022 EVENT
Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides has completed the hugely demanding stage 11 of the Dakar Rally in 26th place. Following his excellent runner-up performance on Wednesday’s stage 10, the FR 450 Rally rider was the second competitor to take to today’s challenging special where he soon found himself up front and opening much of the route.
Totalling 501 kilometres, stage 11 of the Dakar included an extremely tough 346-kilometre timed special that tested riders with a combination of soft sand dunes, faster tracks and canyons, with technically demanding navigation throughout. Although setting off near the front proved to be a disadvantage, Benavides rode extremely well, focusing on his roadbook and safely making his way through the special without any major issues.
Completing the day as 26th fastest, less than 30 minutes down on the eventual stage winner, Luciano lies 13th overall in the event standings and will enjoy a strong start position for the final day of the race – the 680-kilometre stage 12. The young Argentinian’s primary goal is to successfully complete the stage and earn his first Dakar finish riding for the Husqvarna Factory Racing team.
Luciano Benavides: “Another stage done, and it was super tough today. Probably not the best day to start in front, but I did my best as always and I think I did a good job. The navigation was very tricky and with the dunes being so soft it would have been easy for the guys starting behind to make up time. I was able to catch up with Toby (Price) ahead of me and we took it in turns to open the stage. I lost some time, but not enough to affect my position in the overall. There is one day left so I will go out tomorrow and do my best to finish the race strong.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Honda Team:
Pablo Quintanilla to fight nail and tooth for the overall Dakar 2022 win
Monster Energy Honda Team’s Dakar Rally battle will go down to the wire. After the penultimate stage, Pablo Quintanilla holds second overall place with a chance of victory. There are still over 150 kilometres left to go, with the Dakar often producing final stage surprises.
Today’s special stage, as expected, was an intriguing one. The strategy of the previous day, which saw some riders managing to lose time, yet drop many positions, in order to benefit in today’s starting order, dictated for the most part, what happened on the route today. Some 346 kilometres of sand and dunes, on a total stage of just over 500 kilometres, helped define how the podium is likely to look at the end. The Bisha loop caused a few losses, but many riders were able to make up for time they had lost yesterday.
Ricky Brabec was the best-placed Monster Energy Honda Team rider on the day. The American finished in fifth place, moving up into six place overall, a position which he hopes to consolidate tomorrow. Brabec finished just one place ahead of team-mate Pablo Quintanilla. Pablo, sixth, performed well today – well enough to be in contention tomorrow and could improve on his current second place in this 2022 Dakar. The Chilean biker is less than seven minutes behind the overall race leader. If the full length of the final special stage goes ahead as planned tomorrow, the rider could well spring a surprise and stand a chance of scooping the world’s toughest rally.
Chilean José Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo also had a good day in spite of a minor mistake in the opening kilometres of the special. Today’s seventh place also puts him into the same position in the general rankings. Lastly, Joan Barreda was lumbered with opening the track today as the riders ahead forced him to carry the stage’s main burden. The conditions were not ideal for Joan who struggled to make progress in the soft dunes of Bisha. With a fall included, the Spaniard finished sixteenth in RallyGP and is fifth in the general standings, nearly half an hour behind the race leader.
Tomorrow’s stage
Bisha-Jeddah. The final stage of the Dakar Rally 2022 will be decided over a total of 676 kilometres, including just 163 against the clock. Leaving the dunes behind, the race will be fought over hard tracks with some sand. A lot of technical complexity is expected before the riders reach the shores of the Red Sea, with the final podium set to take place on the Bisha street circuit.
Ricky Brabec 2
STAGE: 5TH OVERALL: 6TH
This year’s Dakar has been difficult for me personally, to get back into the fight after a bad start. The team didn’t let us down, so we can’t let them down…. We have tried very hard to do our best and give it our all. On this stage 11 we tried very hard to do a good job; I would have liked to make up a lot more time than I did. I’m happy with the way I’m riding and I’m happy with the team, I’ve learned a lot. Our team-mate Pablo can do it tomorrow. Unfortunately, I heard that the stage will be shortened, which in my opinion is unfair.
Pablo Quintanilla 7
STAGE: 6TH OVERALL: 2ND
It was a difficult stage. One of the hardest we’ve done on this Dakar, with a lot of wind, with sectors of very soft dunes. It was very difficult to make progress. I tried to push as hard as I could from the first kilometre; it wasn’t easy. I really let rip but without losing my concentration. In the end, it was a good day, I gave 100% and I think that’s what’s important, that I gave my best every day. There is still one day left and the race is not over until you cross the finish-line. Tomorrow we will attack again from the first kilometre.
José Ignacio Cornejo 11
STAGE: 7TH OVERALL: 7TH
It was a good stage; not the best, but not the worst either. I made a small mistake at the start, where I lost a few minutes. Mathias passed me and we ended up riding together until the end. I think it was a solid stage. We also moved up in the overall standings, which makes me happy because we have managed to overcome a bad first stage. We are not where we wanted to be. Tomorrow the rally will be over, so we will draw our conclusions afterwards.
Joan Barreda 88
STAGE: 16TH OVERALL: 5TH
Today was a very difficult stage, I could say it was one of the most difficult I’ve ever done. I had to open the track from kilometre 4. I tried to keep a good pace, but I encountered some tough situations, with very soft sand that made it almost impossible to move forward; the bike got stuck about ten times, including one where I was thrown off completely and Toby and Luciano helped me to get the bike back upright. I want to say thanks to both. We opened the track all day long. I’m happy because I gave 100%. Some days go well and others not so well. But the best thing is to be satisfied with yourself.
While fighting for the 2021 Superbike World Championship, Toprak Razgatlioglu says he just focused on each individual race. “Every race, I look at the win,” he says. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
“If The Rear Is Not Up, I’m Not Trying Hard Enough…”
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s manic late-braking style is perhaps the most visible part of what helped him break Jonathan Rea’s six-season stranglehold on the Superbike World Championship. Skilled in the wet and fearless, Ratgatlioglu battled Rea relentlessly for the 2021 Championship.
By Michael Gougis
Copyright 2021, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
“I watch the races afterward, and it is strange,” Razgatlioglu says. “When we are racing, I feel some touching and fighting, but I look after the race and it’s the young boy and the Champion, fighting.”
The 25-year-old Turkish rider’s race craft goes far beyond just being able to nail the brakes hard. His training regimen is unique—he has spent years bashing handlebars with five-time Supersport World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu on Supermoto machines, preparing himself to fight at the front with some of the world’s best riders.
And it has paid off. Razgatlioglu and his PATA Yamaha YZF-R1 were convincingly fast at nearly every round, every time he left pit lane.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) in his natural habitat – rear wheel in the air, forks compressed, ready to dive for the apex. “If the rear is not up, I’m not trying hard enough,” the 2021 Superbike World Champion says. Photo by Michael Gougis, copyright 2021.
Razgatlioglu is the son of a famous Turkish stunt rider, Arif Razgatlioglu, known as Tek Teker Arif, which translates as “Wheelie Arif.” A four-time Turkish motocross champion as a youth, Toprak Razgatlioglu won the European Superstock 600 Championship in his first attempt.
This is where Sofuoglu’s mentoring came into play. Sofuoglu never succeeded on liter bikes, and he encouraged his protégé to get on a big machine as soon as possible. In 2016 and 2017, Razgatlioglu competed in the lower-profile European Superstock Championship, learning how to race the larger, more powerful, and heavier machinery.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) challenged six-time Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea (1) harder than anyone else has in recent years–and is the first to beat Rea and win the (2021) World Championship. Photo by Michael Gougis, copyright 2021.
Training with Sofuoglu and emulating the elder racer’s style taught Razgatlioglu to feel at home with the forks deep in their stroke, the brakes on hard, and the rear wheel doing whatever it wanted to do.
“I see Kenan use the hard braking, and I ride the 600, where I try the hard braking,” Razgatlioglu says. “When I ride the bike and I try normal braking, I feel very slow. I speak with sometimes my team, they say to try normal braking, but I feel like if the rear is not sliding, if the rear is not up, I’m not trying hard enough.”
Razgatlioglu says a careful combination of lean angle and braking is key to making this style of riding work. Braking in a straight line results in too much rear-wheel lift; braking too hard with too much lean angle results in a crash. Instead, he says, he applies maximum braking effort just after tipping the bike toward the apex. “You start to enter the corner with a little angle, you try hard braking, the rear does not come up really easy,” he says.
Passing on the brakes means frequently being in very close proximity with another rider. And this, Razgatlioglu says, is where the training with Sofuoglu pays off. The pair have spent untold hours racing against each other—hard—and even sometimes on karts. “Now we started fighting with Johnny (Rea), sometimes touching, I feel really good. I like this because I train with Kenan always like this, always together touching, together crash, I learn like this, so I feel very good,” Razgatlioglu says.
Toprak Razgatlioglu learned and continues to hone his race craft, in part, by banging Supermoto bars with five-time Supersport World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu on Sofuoglu’s home 0.625-mile circuit. Here, Sofuoglu holds Razgatlioglu’s umbrella on the grid at Jerez. Photo by Michael Gougis, copyright 2021.
Razgatlioglu appeared set to follow in Sofuoglu’s footsteps and race with Kawasaki. He literally brought the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing satellite team to new heights in World Superbike, winning two races in 2019 and racking up podiums in a way unprecedented in the squad’s history.
But the relationship soured at Suzuka 8-Hours race that year, reportedly when Kawasaki’s engineers looked at his tire wear on the ZX-10RR from practice and qualifying and decided it was excessive—and benched him for the race. Furious, Sofuoglu advised him to join Yamaha’s factory Superbike squad. Razgatlioglu did, winning three races in 2020 to teammate Michael van der Mark’s zero and edging the Dutch rider in the final points. At the final round in Estoril, Razgatlioglu won two races and finished third in the other, setting him up for the title challenge in 2021.
If 2020 was a learning year, 2021 was the year to deliver, and Razgatlioglu did. “The team was improving my bike every race, the team was learning my style, and also were learning my bike, (and) I was adapting to my bike. Together, this year we are strong,” he says. “Every race, we were coming step-by-step stronger.”
Razgatlioglu says he felt no pressure, and the nervousness about the title chase disappeared when he closed his visor. “I hope we are World Champion, but I never look at that side. Every race, I look at the win,” he says. “I try (to have fun), I try to a little more enjoy in the race. After I close the visor, I don’t feel stress.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (54) says during the 2021 season, he became more familiar with his factory Yamaha YZF-R1, and the team became more familiar with his riding style. “Every race, we are coming step by step stronger,” he says. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
Razgatlioglu is fully focused on World Superbike. The team plans significant upgrades for 2022, and Razgatlioglu is looking forward to an even better-performing machine. MotoGP is a possibility—his name was openly discussed as a replacement for the retiring Valentino Rossi—but it comes with challenges. At his age, with Yamaha’s official factory garage filled with proven MotoGP race winners Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo, he likely could get a ride somewhere, but the chances of joining the factory team are slim.
“I am 25. I am feeling old for MotoGP. Everybody come in at 19, 20, 21 now. I am not old—I know!—but…
“After I am Superbike World Champion, why not? My dream was Superbike Champion. I never dream of the MotoGP. It’s like a different galaxy. Now, yeah, I have a MotoGP door, but I’ve never dreamed MotoGP before. I focus on Superbikes,” he says. “If I am Champion here and I go to MotoGP, and I don’t like it, I am not fast, I can come back here and find a good team, because everyone knows I am fast here.”
Racing Editor Chris Ulrich aboard the KTM RC 8C at Jerez. Photo courtesy KTM.
The following article appeared in the November 2021 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine. To get more great content like this, subscribe HERE.
OWNERS’ TRACK INTRO:
A Special Day In Spain
By Chris Ulrich
The large group of riders gathered on pit lane at Jerez Circuit, anxiously waiting for the blue garage doors to roll up and unveil their new 2022 KTM RC 8C track bikes. When the garage doors finally opened, they revealed a fleet of 25 KTM RC 8C motorcycles, each with a custom number and all on stands and tire warmers, awaiting their new owners. The atmosphere in the pit box was electric and the excitement infectious. I snuck into the group unnoticed and claimed the only unmarked KTM RC 8C in the lot. I was happy to join the group for a day at Jerez, and tried to stay under the radar.
Chris Ulrich with MotoGP racer and test rider Dani Pedrosa and American RC 8C buyers Mauricio Gomez (left) and Viet Tran (right). Photo courtesy KTM.
A full day of riding on the track was ahead, including eight 20-minute sessions, with Dani Pedrosa and Mika Kallio mixing with the group on and off the racetrack. The on-track activities started with a parade lap that included a group photo on the starting grid with Pedrosa and Kallio at the front, while I occupied the final grid position. There was a slight delay in resuming the riding when one of the 23 owners in attendance proposed to his girlfriend on the grid!
New KTM RC 8C owners line up on the grid at Jerez behind Dani Pedrosa (26) and Mika Kallio (82). Last on the grid is Chris Ulrich. Photo courtesy KTM.
It was the passion pitch. Build a motorcycle that evokes passion for riding and it will sell. Adding in a once-in-a-lifetime track day experience at Jerez with KTM MotoGP test riders Pedrosa and Kallio saw the 100 units available worldwide sell out in 4 minutes and 32 seconds! The first 25 units—including the extra-cost track day—sold out 1 minute, 41 seconds after sales opened on KTM’s digital platform! And there are now over 300 people on the waiting list for the next batch. The lucky few who were able to reserve a bike paid $38,999 for the privilege. Attendees at the track day paid an extra 4,000 Euros (about $4,650 U.S.) for a race track package that included a set of wheels, stands, tire warmers, brake pads, and a KTM pit rug. Participants also paid an 890-Euro (about $1,050 U.S.) event package fee that included accommodations and meals, transport to and from the track, attending a Red Bull KTM Factory Racing test and meet and greet dinner with test riders Dani Pedrosa and Mika Kallio, and eight 20-minute on-track sessions and dinner with Pedrosa and Kallio the next day. KTM provided one race mechanic for each group of four riders, and WP Suspension had two technicians to assist with set-up. Fuel and tires were also included.
Chris Ulrich found that the RC 8C fit him well and was really fun to ride. Photo courtesy KTM.
It was clear that this was a special experience for the riders in the group. There was the Dutch collector who bought the bike for his personal museum and showed up with a group of buddies who came to hang out and watch. And there was a Finn who owns 12 motorcycles—including a BMW-powered Suter CRT MotoGP bike and a Krämer GP-2 690. He races his GP-2 in Finland because he can ride the bike well and most of the guys in his class aren’t axe murderers. A guy from the U.K. was trading in his Panigale V4 for the RC 8C because he was sick of not being able to hang onto the bike for long.
Among the group were two Americans, who I met while getting the COVID PCR test that was required to fly back to the United States. Viet Tran and Mauricio Gomez are both from Texas and made the passion buy. Both have production middleweight motorcycles and were dissatisfied with the lack of real information and support, so they bought the RC 8C and signed up for the event. Many of the customers at the event owned 1000cc Supersport bikes, but couldn’t ride them hard for more than three laps at a time. So, they looked to the KTM RC 8C as a bike that would be more manageable on the track for their fitness and skill level.
I’ve said it before: The Middleweight Twin category is the best for most riders. The bikes have enough power to be exciting without being easy to get in trouble with, and can usually be ridden all day long without having to train like a MotoAmerica Superbike rider. That said, after riding the RC 8C for a day at Jerez, I would have liked to add 5-10 horsepower to the RC 8C and try it, even though that might mess up the rideability vibe.
The RC 8C cockpit, with transverse-mounted steering damper. Photo courtesy KTM.
Built by former KTM engineer-turned-chassis-builder Markus Krämer, the RC 8C is a proper purpose-built track weapon. From start to finish, once all the parts are collected, it takes four mechanics two work days to complete one RC 8C.
The main frame is made of chrome-moly (25CrMo4) steel tubing with an aluminum underslung swingarm. The bike is powered by an unmodified 889cc KTM LC8c Parallel Twin engine, the same engine used in the 890 Duke R. The result is a motorcycle that weighs in at a claimed 140 kilograms (309 pounds) dry and puts out 128 bhp and 73 lbs.-ft. of torque at the crankshaft. That equates to roughly 110 bhp at the rear wheel.
The RC 8C has 23.7 degrees of rake and is delivered with 28mm-offset triple clamps which give the bike 98.6mm of trail. There is enough adjustment in the front end for a rider to get lost if not careful; adjustment in the head stock allows for 1-degree of rake adjustment in 0.5-degree increments in either direction; there are two triple clamp options, with 26mm or 28mm of offset, and the rake and trail can also be affected by front or rear ride height. The wheelbase measures 1400mm (55.2 inches).
Front view of the KTM RC 8C and its MotoGP-derived centered ram-air intake scoop and winglets. Photo courtesy KTM.
High end WP Racing suspension components add both a bling factor and performance to the RC 8C. At the front, Krämer fitted 43mm APEX PRO 7543 pressurized forks which representatives claim are one tier down from the units used in the KTM MotoGP program; the forks have compression, rebound, and pre-load adjustment. At the rear, the RC 8C uses a 46mm body, WP APEX PRO 7746 shock which reminds me of a pre-TTX Öhlins shock. Available adjustments include spring pre-load, high-speed and low-speed compression damping, and rebound damping.
Forged aluminum Dymag UP7X 17-inch racing wheels are fitted; the front is 3.5 inches wide, while the rear is 6.0. The RC 8C is delivered with Pirelli Diablo Superbike racing slicks.
The KTM RC 8C comes with a carbon-fiber aerodynamic front fender and carbon-fiber winglets. The fuel tank is integrated into the tail section, underneath the seat; note filler cap behind the seat pad. Photo courtesy KTM.
Stopping the Krämer KTM is a set of Brembo Stylema calipers mated with a Brembo 19mm RCS CORSA CORTA radial master cylinder and a set of fully floating 290mm discs. KTM claims the use of the adjustable master cylinder allows a rider to tailor the bite point. I thought using a 19mm master cylinder with a set of Stylema calipers wasn’t ideal since Brembo recommends a 17mm master cylinder. I could have changed the ratio all day but chose to not mess with it, and it worked OK as is.
The bodywork is styled after the KTM RC16 MotoGP bike; the RC 8C fairing has a large ram-air intake at the center of the leading edge and carbon fiber winglets along with a downforce-producing scoop on the lower just in front of the rear wheel. That combination helps to mitigate wheelies and improve stability.
As crashing is part of the game, the RC 8C comes equipped with crash protection sliders on the front forks, frame, swingarm, and fuel tank. Mr. Krämer was especially proud of the frame sliders, which are large plastic extrusions mounted to a floating metal plate on the frame to limit damage.
A close up of one of the KTM RC 8C’s bolt-on frame sliders. Photo courtesy KTM.
Careful attention was paid to the ergonomics. CNC-machined rear-set controls are sturdy, offering 66mm total range in three steps. Pads have also been added to the swingarm behind the rear sets to limit crash damage, and many Krämer owners I have spoken to say the bike is durable when it comes to crashing.
The RC 8C comes with no rider aids, but there is an optional rain map that reduces the power in the first 15% of throttle opening. On the track it feels like the rain map cuts the power by limiting the rate of throttle opening, and the power delivery is really soft. It’s possible to easily switch on the fly between the rain and normal mapping using the left side handlebar switch, but the change will not be enabled until the throttle is closed. There are also two available engine braking settings, to match rider preference. This can also be adjusted on the fly, but like the throttle map, the change will not be enabled until the throttle is closed. A pit lane speed-limiter function was also enabled and worked as described on pit lane. The RC 8C also comes with a quick-shifter and auto-blip for clutch-less downshifts.
KTM RC 8C racing two-into-one titanium exhaust system. Note aero scoop in front of the rear wheel. Photo courtesy KTM.
Krämer uses an AIM MXS 1.2 RACE dash with data logging capabilities and integrated GPS. The dash can be customized through AIM’s Race Studio. As delivered, the 5-inch dash displayed rpm, gear position, lap time, and lap time split. The logged data is streamed over the CAN line.
…
Rolling off the starting grid, I started to pick up the pace and move through the group. The RC 8C fit me really well; the angle and position of the handlebars were aggressive but comfortable and didn’t put undue stress on my wonky shoulders. The location of the footpegs worked well for me, putting my feet in an ideal position, and the distance from the pegs to seat was just right. There was plenty of room in the seat to move and the fuel tank cover was a nice width, allowing me to move around without being too skinny.
It took me a few laps to figure out how torquey the engine really is. Once up to speed, I could roll though most of the slower corners in third gear and the RC 8C would chug right out. The LC8c engine builds power from 5,000 rpm until the 10,500-rpm limit. And thanks to some tuning, a pipe, and a relatively light crankshaft, it rips through the rev range quickly—so quickly that I often found myself getting into the rev limiter, which slowed the lap time if I wasn’t on top of things.
The GP-style chassis really makes the RC 8C a pleasure to ride. I’ve been to Jerez about six times for press events over the years and knew using the inside curbs is an important element to turning a good lap time, but only if I could get the motorcycle to turn down that far in time. I had no trouble positioning the RC 8C where I wanted to through all phases of the corners.
The RC 8C without its bodywork, showing the self-supporting plastic tailsection and fuel tank; note the aero scoop in front of the rear wheel, the minimal chrome-moly steel tube frame, and braced swingarm. Photo courtesy KTM.
I rode the first half of the day on the baseline track setting the bike is delivered with, which worked great, but I struggled to get the bike to continue to rotate around the corner as my speed increased. This was due to the rear being slightly too soft for my size and weight as the base setting on the rear suspension is set up for a rider that weighs between 165 and 187 lbs. The quick fix was to add a round of rear-spring pre-load, going from 12mm to 13mm, which gave me the support I wanted, but also put too much stress on the rear tire. So, we went back to the base setting and looked at the front of the bike.
I had noticed that the rebound was a little fast and the RC 8C had great support, so we slowed down the rebound by adding three clicks (from 16 to 13 clicks) and took out one turn of preload (from 18mm to 17mm). Those two changes helped me get the bike to finish the corner while still carrying decent corner speed. It also showed that the Krämer-built chassis responds as expected to suspension changes.
As I piled on laps, I found the RC 8C has a broad range of usability—the chassis works well at both a medium and a fast pace. But it worked really well the faster I went. The overall balance of the bike is great; it was stable on the brakes, turned in well, had good front feel at the apex, and finished the corner. It’s rare that a bike ticks all those boxes! Honestly, it reminded me of the Grand Prix racebikes I grew up riding, including the Honda RS125 and Yamaha TZ250. My only complaints came from the braking performance and gearing. I think 300mm-305mm front brake rotors would not have hurt the handling and the increased performance would have been worth the change. It could have also used slightly taller final drive gearing to maximize the bike’s potential at Jerez.
And, to answer the bike question a few people have asked, would it be competitive in Supersport? Maybe. It has the chassis performance, but I think it would need an extra 10 horsepower or so to keep up with a 600cc four-cylinder Supersport racebike.
By the end of the day, I’d done seven 20-minute sessions on a pretty warm day in the South of Spain before throwing in the towel. That’s two hours and 20 minutes on track! The RC 8C allowed me the time and bandwidth to work on my riding during the sessions so I could reach my potential on the day. It offers a balanced chassis that’s sharp, but forgiving, packaged with high-end components and a user-friendly engine. It could be the ultimate track day weapon. And it’s priced right when considering what it costs to build a front-line MotoAmerica Supersport or Stock 1000 racebike.
Back in the pits at Jerez after the end of the day, the group was tired, but everyone was buzzing and raving. The vibe carried into dinner, where one of the participants called for a toast to KTM for giving the group a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I sat with the American riders and the Finn, and they were carrying on about the day, about bikes they owned, and about plans for GP adventures. It was interesting to experience an event from the other side. And it reminded me why we all got into the sport in the first place: Because it’s fun!
As for KTM, the RC 8C and the track experience had turned skeptics into orange-bleeders within a couple laps at Jerez.
KTM hasn’t announced plans for another run of RC 8C track bikes, but if they build them, the buyers will line up.
Climb onboard for a lap around Spain’s Circuito de Jerez Circuit with Roadracing World Racing Editor Chris Ulrich at the controls of an ultra-exclusive, racetrack-only 2022 KTM RC 8C.
Sunoco Superbike 600 race winner Max Angles (center), runner-up Hernan Medina (left), and third-place finisher Christian Miranda (right). Photo by Maxwell Ross-Johnson, courtesy PanAmerican Superbike.
PanAmerican Superbike
Palm Beach International Raceway
January 8-9, 2022
Max Angles Takes Four Wins at PanAmerican Superbike Round Two
During round 2 of the 2022 PanAmerican SuperBike season, we saw some familiar and some new faces on the podium. Continuing his dominance is the SuperStock and Sunoco SuperBike 600 class, Max Angles with the PDR Motorsports team found himself on the top podium spot in both the Grande Corsa and Sprint races for SuperStock 600 and Sunoco SuperBike 600 class with four wins overall. We saw a bit more excitement within our 1000 class. 2021 Expert overall champion Alex Arango with Top Pro Motorsports started the day with a 0.024 second win over Maximilano Gerardo in the SuperStock 1000 Grande Corsa race. Later that morning, Alex returned to the track to win the Sunoco SuperBike 1000 Grande Corsa race. Later in the day, Maximilano Gerardo with PDR Motorsports was able to bring home the win in the SuperStock 1000 Sprint race. At the end of the day, we witnessed another close battle between Alex Arango and Maximilano Gerardo in the Sunoco SuperBike 1000 Sprint race with Maximiliano pulling off a 0.166 second win over Alex.
First year Expert racer, Zane Lefko completed a sweep with wins both Expert Formula Twin Grande Corsa and Sprint races. Another first timer in the Formula Twins class, Michael Blum with Top Pro Motorsports team repeated his round 1 success with wins in the Amateur Formula Twins Grande Corsa and Sprint races. Continuing the streak of sweeps, Edward Smith managed his first sweep with wins in the Amateur Euro Light Grande Corsa and Sprint races.
In round 1, we witness Avery Dreher beat his own lap record in the SuperStock 400. Not one to rest on his laurels, round 2 saw Avery pushed the SuperStock 400 Expert lap record under the 1:26 mark with a 1:25.998. The youth movement continues to raise the bar. Julian Correa with SFlMinGp team broke his own lap record with 1:24.269. Riding his back wheel was Belladonna Britanni with 1:24.550. It’s going to be exciting when we return to PBIR in April to see which one of these racers will ride away with the lap record.
From one end of the age spectrum, we switch gears to our Formula 50 1000 racers. The Amateur Formula 50 racers put on a quite the show. On lap five, Tim Chin broke the lap record with a 1:21.241, but he held that record for only 0.198 seconds. Michael Blum crossed the line with a 1:21.067 to snatch that lap record away from Tim. In our Expert racer Victor Silva with the +Power Moto Racing Team broke his own record with a 1:20.428.
We will have to wait until April to see if any more lap records are broken at PBIR. In February, PanAmerican SuperBike will be headed south to Homestead-Miami Speedway for Round 3 of the 2022 season!
PanAmerican Superbike would like to thank our 2022 sponsors for their continued support!
Sunoco Racing Fuels
Southern Racing Fuels
Palm Beach County Sports Commission
Bridgestone Tires
Dunlop Motorcycle Tires
Envy Racing Apparel
MYLAPS Sports Timing
Florida Track Days
For more racing information visit: www.PanAmSbk.com
Full Season Championship Results and Individual Race Results are conveniently available online at: https://www.panamsbk.com/championships/
or follow us on social media:
www.instagram.com/panamsbk
www.facebook.com/panamsbk
Editorial Note: Use the scroll and zoom tools in the bottom left corner of the PDF viewer to better see all of the results.
A “press release” is promotional text issued by a rider, team, company or organization to inform
the public about an event, product, or service from the issuer’s own point of view, and if deemed
to have news value, may be placed on roadracingworld.com as a service to our readers.
A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers. When a post is labeled with the words “press release”, it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate. Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors.
Accessibility
Accessibility modes
Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Online Dictionary
Readable Experience
Content Scaling
Default
Text Magnifier
Readable Font
Dyslexia Friendly
Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Font Sizing
Default
Line Height
Default
Letter Spacing
Default
Left Aligned
Center Aligned
Right Aligned
Visually Pleasing Experience
Dark Contrast
Light Contrast
Monochrome
High Contrast
High Saturation
Low Saturation
Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
Hide Emoji
Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Virtual Keyboard
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
www.roadracingworld.com
November 11, 2026
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
