Moto2 FP1
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Video: Stuman Rides: Timing Body Movements On The Bike
Stuart Smith has been road racing motorcycles at the club level in southern California for about 20 years. He has won several class championships racing with WSMC at Willow Springs and CVMA at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. Stuart is a former lap record holder at Willow Springs on both the “Big Track” and “The Streets”. He has also raced motocross, supermoto, minimoto, and downhill mountain bikes.
Stuart has been an active riding coach for about 18 years. He started his career working for The California Superbike School as a full time coach and reached their highest level of certification (Class III). Stuart is currently a USMCA Certified Sportbike Coach and is currently coaching for SoCal Supermoto, Racer’s Edge and working with private clients. Stuart is also the new racer school instructor for CVMA at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway.
StumanRides YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPcAOF0bYM8tEGSnRq7IFRA
Website: http://www.stumanrides.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StumanRides
Instagram: @StumanRides
MotoGP: Gresini Racing Will Continue Under Family Ownership
FAUSTO’S DREAM CONTINUES:
NADIA PADOVANI IS THE NEW GRESINI RACING TEAM OWNER
Gresini Racing continues within the #GresiniFamily and, with immediate effect, will see the official involvement of Nadia Padovani – Fausto’s wife – as the new CEO of the Faenza-based company. Nadia takes over Fausto’s role completely, therefore getting both Team Owner and Team Principal titles.
This is not the only news, as their sons Lorenzo and Luca will also be protagonists, with the former who will be involved in the administrative part of the company, while the latter will have more of a sporting role and will already be present at Jerez with the team.
With the whole family on board to give continuity to the company, Fausto’s secret wish to return to MotoGP as an independent team will become a reality from 2022, as expected by the contract signed with Dorna at the end of last season.
NADIA PADOVANI – GRESINI RACING TEAM OWNER & TEAM PRINCIPAL
“I would like to think that Fausto’s two families – ours and the racing one – have joined their efforts to bring forward everything he was planning, and especially the MotoGP. To have an independent team in the premier class is surely something very demanding, with a team to be built from scratch, but I know everyone in the company is giving their 110% to make his dream come true. Personally, I see it as a real mission, a challenge we will face – also and above all – thanks to the strength of Fausto, who is following us from above. We’re currently speaking with several manufacturers and in a matter of few weeks we will reveal the details of our MotoGP project.”
1938 Vincent-HRD Series A Rapide Going Up For Auction
World’s most coveted motorcycle goes to Auction Friday April 30 at Mecum Las Vegas
This legendary 1938 Vincent-HRD Series A Rapide is among the most coveted motorcycles in the world as both the original Vincent V-twin and the fastest motorcycle in the world in its day, knocking the Brough Superior SS100 off its perch.
This extremely rare pre-war superbike is built from an original 1938 Rapide engine mated with an original 1939 frame, which has been correctly and beautifully restored by a renowned Vincent expert using OEM parts wherever possible. It’s a well-known machine in the Vincent Owner’s Club, one of 78 originally produced and the only one available at the moment, as few owners sell their pre-war Rapides. They are the ultimate Vincent twin and among the most desirable motorcycles in the world.
The story of HRD-Vincent goes back to motorcycle racer-turned-manufacturer Howard R. Davies, who leveraged his racing success into a small motorcycle building business. Davies remains the only man to have won a Senior (500cc) Isle of Man TT on a 350cc (Junior) machine, riding for AJS in 1921. He built his own excellent sports machines from 1924, but quickly found himself in financial trouble and the H.R.D. brand was sold to a young Philip Vincent in 1928.
Vincent’s father had made a fortune ranching beef in Argentina, and young Philip Vincent had ideas to incorporate rear springing for the chassis of motorcycles, which he patented, and had the opportunity to test with his own business. Calling his machines Vincent-HRD, he used JAP and Rudge engines in Vincent’s ugly duckling chassis design. It took Australian engineer Phil Irving to bring life and enduring fame to the Vincent-HRD company, designing a high-camshaft 500cc single-cylinder engine for the new Meteor and Comet models for 1934.
Within two years, the single was doubled up to become the 998cc V-twin Rapide model of 1936. It was the fastest production motorcycle in the world at the time with a 110 MPH top speed. The engine was the heart of the beast, and it was slightly let down by its choice of a Burman clutch and gearbox, but in truth only one British gearbox was designed to handle the 50 HP of the Rapide and it was owned by Norton at the time. Regardless, road testers and the few lucky owners were full of praise for the new Rapide, as it handled well and braked very well for the day, with two drum brakes on both the front and rear wheels—and, it went like a rocket.
This rare and most coveted motorcycle goes to auction Friday, April 30 at Mecum in Las Vegas. A once-a-decade opportunity to buy a majorly collectible, running, & museum quality Vincent Series A Rapide Twin. The link to the Mecum auction lot F183 for bidding is
https://www.mecum.com/lots/LV0121-474902/1938-vincent-hrd-series-a-twin/
• Original 1938 998cc engine with an original 1939 frame
• Correct restoration completed by a renowned Vincent expert
• Extensive use of original factory non-reproduction parts
• Vincent Owners Club ‘VOC’ certificate
• One of approximately 78 produced
• Engine No. V1016 (Manufacture Date January, 14 1938)
• Frame No DV1755 (Manufacture Date June, 14 1939)
MotoAmerica Previews The Support Classes Racing At Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta Here We Come: MotoAmerica Support Classes Set For Season Of Change
There Will Be New Champions In Junior Cup, Twins Cup, Stock 1000 And King Of The Baggers And It All Starts This Weekend At Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
IRVINE, CA (April 29, 2021) – Even though he is just 16 years old, no one in the history of MotoAmerica’s Junior Cup and Twins Cup classes has won more races than Rocco Landers. And to the delight of the riders in those two classes in 2021, Landers is moving on and will be taking his talents to the Supersport class, beginning this weekend in the 2021 MotoAmerica Series opener at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
In his two years of racing in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup class, Landers won two titles and 29 races. In just one season of Twins Cup racing, Landers moved to the top of the win list with nine victories and one championship. All that adds up to 38 MotoAmerica victories in two seasons of racing for the young phenom… but now comes the challenge. Supersport. Where the big boys live.
When he takes to the grid on Saturday and Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for his Supersport debut, Landers will do so against stout competition. And it begins with 2020 Supersport Champion Richie Escalante, the HONOS Racing Team rider coming in hot off his 13-win season en route to becoming the first rider from Mexico to win an AMA road racing championship. Escalante wants a Superbike ride badly and another dominating season would likely earn him one.
Escalante was beaten last year in race one at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta by his rival Sean Dylan Kelly on the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki by just .052 of a second, but the Mexico City resident bounced back in race two – beating Kelly by 6.4 seconds. Those two were the only riders to win Supersport races in 2020 and it was a war in virtually every race. And oftentimes, they were joined by Brandon Paasch.
While Paasch has crossed the Atlantic to race in the British Superbike Series in 2021, the two dominators remain and if Landers can keep those two in sight, there’s a lot to be learned from the pair.
Another rider to make the move to Supersport this year is Landers’ Junior Cup rival from last year, Dominic Doyle. Doyle will ride a BARTCON Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R and he lines up knowing that he was the only rider to beat Landers in SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup last year.
Thirty Supersport bikes will line up this coming weekend at Road Atlanta and the talent pool is deep. In addition to the aforementioned Escalante, Kelly, Landers and Doyle, there are others capable of winning. Riders such as MESA37Racing’s Stefano Mesa and his last-minute teammate Xavier Zayat; Sam Lochoff, the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider also jumping up from Junior Cup; North East Cycle Outlet Racing’s Benjamin Smith; and many more as the closest class of racing last year promises more of the same in 2021.
With Landers and Company up and gone, the favorite rider heading into the 2021 SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup class is Landers Racing’s Ben Gloddy, the highest-ranked rider from last year who is still in the class. Gloddy had eight podium finishes a season ago. He will face challenges from the likes of JR12/Westby Racing’s Jack Roach, KERmoto’s Cody Wyman, SportbikeTrackGear.com’s Max VanDenBrouck, N2 Racing’s Blake Davis and several other hungry youngsters.
The Stock 1000 entry list for this weekend’s races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is stacked with 34 riders. Again, the defending champion has moved to the HONOS Superbike class with Cameron Petersen trading his Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000 for the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike. In his place will be former factory Superbike racer Jake Lewis, the Kentuckian returning to action after taking the majority of last season off.
Although Petersen has moved on, the rest of the class remains pretty much intact, beginning with 2020 Stock 1000 Series runner-up Corey Alexander. Alexander had 10 podium finishes a year ago, including two wins, en route to second in the title chase, and he’s back on the HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki for the coming season. Let’s not forget, that both of Alexander’s wins last year came at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Two-time Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee returns to the class for 2021 and obviously does so as a favorite. Ditto for Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman, and his BMW S 1000 RR. The middle Wyman brother is the only rider other than Petersen and Alexander to win a Stock 1000 race last year.
The list of expected challengers is long: Michael Gilbert Racing’s Michael Gilbert, Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates, MESA37 Racing’s Stefano Mesa, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Wyatt Farris, Tecfil Racing Team’s Danilo Lewis, Geoff May Racing/VisionWheel.com’s Geoff May, Hunter Dunham Racing’s Hunter Dunham… and the list goes on.
Like Junior Cup, Twins Cup will carry on without its champion Landers. Also, like Junior Cup, there are plenty of racers ready to fill Lander’s boots. Twenty-eight of them, to be precise, in this weekend’s series opener at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Based on last year, to the top of the list must go Kaleb De Keyrel, the Minnesotan ending up second to Landers in last year’s title chase and the only other rider to win a race (he won three of the first four to open the season, including the one at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta). The big change for De Keyrel is that he will be one of eight riders on the new Aprilia RS 660 with his clad in Robem Engineering/1-833-CJ-KNOWS livery.
Hayden Schultz, who was third in last year’s Twins Cup, is returning and he also has a Robem Engineering Aprilia; Jackson Blackmon, fourth last season, will ride a Yamaha FZ-07/MT-07 in his self-owned Jackson Blackmon Racing team; and last year’s fifth-ranked rider Toby Khamsouk is another set to throw his leg over a new Aprilia with the Robem Engineering team.
With the success of last year’s King Of The Baggers Invitational, the one-off race has turned into a three-round series with title sponsor Mission Foods, and it all begins this weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The grid will include the majority of those who took part in the debut last year, led by the 2020 race winner Tyler O’Hara, who will spearhead Indian’s assault on the title on his Mission Foods S&S Cycle Indian Challenger.
The biggest challenge O’Hara will face will likely come from the factory Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Road Glide of MotoAmerica Superbike racer Kyle Wyman and the Vance & Hines Electra Glide ridden by Hayden Gillim, who was second to O’Hara at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca last year.
On-track action gets started on Friday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with practice and qualifying starting at 8:30 a.m. and running through to the last practice session at 4:40 p.m. The first race of the weekend will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m. with Stock 1000 Race 1, followed in rapid succession by Supersport Race 1 (2 p.m.), HONOS Superbike Race 1 (3 p.m.), Twins Cup Race 1 (4 p.m.) and SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Race 1 (4:45 p.m.)
On Sunday, racing begins at noon with Stock 1000 Race 2, Mission King Of The Baggers (12:30 p.m.), Supersport Race 2 (1 p.m.), SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Race 2 (2 p.m.), HONOS Superbike Race 2 (3 p.m.) and Twins Cup Race 2 (4 p.m.).
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
MotoGP: Quartararo: “Being Much Calmer On The Bike Is Working”
“There’s no target… just ride the bike!”: riders ready for a new challenge in Jerez
Quartararo, Bagnaia, Mir, Morbidelli, Marquez and Acosta take stock and look forward to the Gran Premio Red Bull de España
Thursday, 29 April 2021
After another rollercoaster round in Portugal, the grid are ready to get back in business for the Gran Premio Red Bull de España. Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) headlined the Pre-Event Press Conference, joined by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), reigning World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), top Independent Team rider in Portugal Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Moto3™ rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo).
Here are some key quotes:
Fabio Quartararo: “I’m feeling pretty excited, first of all because I love this track but also because I’m feeling great on the bike and great with the team. I’m just thinking about, you know, working the same way as we did in Qatar and not thinking that last year I won both races here because I we saw Miguel win in Portimão last year and then have some struggles this year, so I just want to focus in working in the same way and be ready for Sunday. It means nothing that we won both races last year.
“I feel like the 2020 season helped me a lot because a lot of things happened. In 2019, everything was perfect and I enjoyed it a lot with seven podiums and six pole positions. 2020 was more up and down though. We started well but then we had some engine problems, some electronic problems and I lost my mind a little bit. Then we got it back but the end of the season was a total disaster and I feel like I’ve learned a lot. Staying calm is the most important for me because when I get little bit angry on the bike, my comments to the team are not clear. Being much calmer on the bike is working much better for me and the results at the first races show that, so I want to keep working like this. I know it’s not easy but I’m feeling great and I feel like we are going into the right direction so I’m happy.”
Francesco Bagnaia: “I’m really confident because at the moment I feel good with everything; my bike, my team. Last year I was competitive here, most of all in the second race, and I had just back luck for having the engine failure but we were strong. I think it can be a positive weekend for us and I think we can try to stay in the top three again.”
Has Pecco seen he has a big fan in former MotoGP™ rider Ben Spies, who says his riding style is something that gets the best out of the Ducati?
“I’ve seen the tweet from Ben, it’s always nice to see past riders say something about us and I really appreciate it. Already last year I started to try to ride the Ducati in a different way, and I understand better now how to do it. Last year in the second part of the season I was struggling a lot and it was difficult to accept it and understand what was happening. But then in preseason testing, I started to have the same feeling again and maybe all the work we’ve done this winter with training and in the gym with the others from the Academy has given me extra motivation and confidence. In the first race in Qatar I was trying to manage the tyres but I learned from that race I had to use the tyre in a different way. In the second race I was faster than the first but made mistakes and lost the opportunity to win. In Portimão I was very confident with the bike and felt great on everything, we know our potential is great in acceleration and braking and I tried to concentrate more on that area, and the bike, if you push, is turning well. It’s strange but something that with our bike is working well.”
Joan Mir: “Last year was a difficult start to the season here. It’s true that the heat of last year made it pretty difficult for everyone and it looks like this year it will be colder. This is something that can be good for us. Everyone knows this track really well and it’s always really difficult to make a difference but well we will try to do our best with the package that we have. Our goal is to finish on the podium, to fight for the podium and then we will see. It’s true that last year here was not really good but also Portimão was not too good and I was able to make a good result, so I will try to do my best.”
Franco Morbidelli: “Portimão felt great, I felt amazing getting back to some top spots and positions, and it felt just great to do the race I did. I had a good fight in the beginning and then tried to maintain the most consistent pace I could throughout the whole race so it was nice. Here, we have good trust in this track. Last year I was close to the podium in both races, and unfortunately for two different reasons I didn’t manage to get it in either but we’ll see. I’ll try to do my best this weekend, try to keep the momentum that I hope started in Portimão, and we’ll see.”
Is his mental, more philosophical approach key to overcoming tougher times?
“It’s the story of my life trying to overcome difficult times. It’s happened in the past and it will happen in the future, and I hope to be hard enough and ready enough to overcome the difficult moments I will face.”
Marc Marquez: “Portimão was a special weekend but here I feel like everything is a bit quieter and this is important, it feels like a normal weekend. It’s not like my physical condition are completely different, they are very similar, but I hope to ride in a better way from FP1 and my target is to hopefully be more stable with my physical condition during all the weekend.
“I have good and bad memories here, of course, but better memories than worse memories, so this will be important. There’s no target, no clear target, just ride the bike, have more kilometres, try to feel better the position of the bike. We know where our limit is now and it’s not with the bike or the tyres, it’s more about me. We know where the limit is and we know where we need to improve but we need time, days and kilometres on the bike.”
Pedro Acosta: “I feel incredible, after a good preseason, we knew we could do good results but nothing like this finally when you come to the world championship, you don’t think about winning races in the first part of the year or something like this. We have to keep working.
“A few minutes ago I was nervous, but if I am here it’s because we’re working well.”
Mir and Marquez were also asked about the rookie’s incredible performances so far:
Mir on Acosta: “I imagine how he feels, I remember the first time I was in a Press Conference I was really nervous I think he’s the same! Pedro is doing a really good job, during the last year in the Rookies Cup I went there to see him and wish him good luck in a couple of races because one of my mechanics Fernando is a neighbour of Pedro and Fernando spoke a couple of times about him and that he’s fast. He was right! I think he’s doing a great job, I think he has a bright future in front of him. He rides in a really good way and he’s showing that even if he’s a rookie, he’s the main contender this year.”
Marquez on Acosta: “I already spoke with him before and his riding style is good, his talent is good, he’s fast and this is obvious from the results! Being here in the Press Conference between MotoGP riders at 16 years old… I think it’s difficult to deal with because it’s maybe too much pressure but as I said to him: forget about everything, enjoy it now, you’re a young talented kid. If he wins on Sunday it will be ok, if he finishes top five or top ten, it will be ok. It’s his first year! Now is the time to enjoy it is my advice to him, he’ll have time to put pressure on himself and apart from that, also congrats because he’s riding amazingly and he will arrive soon! I’ll try to be there but he’ll arrive soon competing with us!”
British Superbike: Glenn Irwin Under Record During Test At Silverstone
Fastest ever Bennetts BSB lap of Silverstone puts Glenn Irwin on top at opening test
Glenn Irwin and Honda Racing kicked off their 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship campaign in style by smashing the lap record on the final day of the opening official test at Silverstone, setting the fastest ever Bennetts BSB lap of the National circuit by 0.090s.
The top 17 riders were covered by just 0.988s on combined times after the two days on circuit, with four different manufacturers represented in the top four positions ahead of next week’s second test at Snetterton.
Glenn Irwin’s lap record-breaking time came in the penultimate session of the test, with the Honda Racing rider putting himself firmly at the head of the times, although McAMS Yamaha rider Tarran Mackenzie was also under the existing record and just 0.016s adrift of his rival.
Silverstone again proved to be a strong circuit for the Buildbase Suzuki team and after setting the pace at lunchtime, Danny Kent’s time in that session put him third overall on the combined times as he proved to put his track knowledge to use as he prepares for his new campaign.
Kyle Ryde showed impressive pace with the new BMW M 1000 RR to post the fourth fastest time for the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW team, he had topped the timesheets in the final session of the test, despite conditions meaning the pace couldn’t match what was set earlier in the day.
Jason O’Halloran had set the pace on the opening day of testing action and the McAMS Yamaha rider ended the test fifth fastest overall, holding off the second Buildbase Suzuki of Gino Rea and the SYNETIQ BMW pairing of Danny Buchan and Andrew Irwin.
Christian Iddon held ninth place on combined times for VisionTrack Ducati, his teammate and reigning champion Josh Brookes suffered a high-speed crash in the final session, which ended his day prematurely. The Australian was able to walk away from the crash but sustained a finger injury.
Ryan Vickers completed the top ten for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team, edging out FHO Racing BMW’s Xavi Forés by just 0.038s.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Official Test, Silverstone combined times:
- Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) 53.139 seconds
- Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +0.061s
- Danny Kent (Buildbase Suzuki) +0.174s
- Kyle Ryde (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) +0.184s
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.211s
- Gino Rea (Buildbase Suzuki) +0.296s
- Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) +0.339s
- Andrew Irwin (SYNETIQ BMW) +0.343s
- Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) +0.346s
- Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular and Reserve Kawasaki) +0.414s
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Glenn Irwin, Honda Racing
“It has been a really productive test and one of two halves; yesterday the pace was slower than last year and you put it down to conditions, but it was also similar conditions today. I think we all know how to ride, but I think you forget all the niche things that make you compete at this level and I feel we did that better today.
“I improved today and we had a lot that we needed to get through here. We tried some new things that we thought might not even work, but the lap time in the third session was really good and I was happy.
“In the final session I was on another faster lap so I was buzzing, but I came across another rider in the last sector so didn’t get to complete it, but it has been a good day and the team have worked amazing. We can’t be complacent as we don’t know what everyone else is working on, but I feel strong and we can now look forward to the next test at Snetterton.”
More, from a press release issued by VisionTrack Ducati:
Brookes And Iddon On The Pace At Silverstone Test
The VisionTrack Ducati pairing of Josh Brookes and Christian Iddon got their 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship up and running in style when the first official test of the season took place at the Silverstone National circuit over these past two days.
Defending champion Brookes and third-placed championship contender from 2020 Iddon have remained with Paul Bird’s Lake District-based squad for a second successive season aboard the factory-supported VisionTrack Ducati Panigale V4Rs and after a private test at Knockhill last week, the pair were in action against the full field of competitors who will contest this year’s 11-round series.
Cool and occasionally damp conditions were the order of the day for Wednesday’s four sessions whereby 37-year-old Bedfordshire-based Australian Brookes ended up second fastest behind his compatriot Jason O’Halloran whilst 36-year-old Mancunian Iddon, now based on Tyneside, finished third fastest, less than a tenth of a second behind his teammate.
Today (Thursday) was once again very cold although the rain held off as the times from the opening day plummeted. Iddon consistently lowered his times in the opening three sessions whilst Brookes improved in the day’s second session to record his fastest lap of the test.
Brookes, running the number one plate in Bennetts BSB for the first time since Tommy Hill tried to defend his crown in 2012, unfortunately crashed out of the final session and sustained a finger injury which meant a trip to hospital for further investigation.
Josh Brookes: “I’ve taken a lot of skin off the little finger and there is a risk of infection as it’s down to the bone but apart from that I’m OK and my finger is fine. There are no other injuries so it’s just a case of getting it cleaned up. I’m still working out what happened in the crash, but the track was cooling down and I perhaps carried a bit too much brake so maybe that’s what happened. The test was good to a point, but we did a lot of experimenting and didn’t really find a lot that improved our existing package. It’s now a case of working on what we know best and finding the consistency we need.”
Christian Iddon: “I’m really happy with the way the test has gone, everything is good. Silverstone is unique as everyone ends up with very similar lap times, it’s just one of those tracks. My aim over the two days was to experiment with a few ideas and to try some stuff we didn’t get round to trying last year, mainly to do with tyre life and some other settings. We achieved what we needed and in the last session, I just did a race run rather than chasing a lap time. It was unfortunate for Josh to crash and hope his finger injury is not too serious.”
John Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “We were happy enough with our progress yesterday and after a good start, today didn’t go so well. It meant that Josh ended the combined times in 12th place with Christian in ninth but despite the track not suiting our bike, valuable data was gained for when the series visits later in the year. Christian made good progress throughout the test but sadly Josh crashed and sustained an injury to his little finger in the final session which necessitated a trip to the hospital to get it checked out but hopefully it’s nothing too serious.”
The opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place over the weekend of 25/27 June at Oulton Park.
More, from a press release issued by Buildbase Suzuki:
Kent and Rea inside top six as Neave tops superstock times at first preseason test
Kent finishes debut test P3 with focus on getting comfortable aboard his new machine.
Rea focusses on development with new engine spec and throttle maps from Suzuki Motor Corporation.
Neave tops times for perfect start to 2021 season.
Buildbase Suzuki’s Danny Kent and Gino Rea both finished the first preseason test for the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship inside the top six – with Kent an impressive P3 – while their teammate in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship, Tim Neave, topped the time sheets aboard his GSX-R1000R.
For former Moto3 world champion Kent the two-day test was about getting comfortable with his new GSX-R1000R superbike, as he makes the switch from superstock machinery. Despite ad hoc appearances on a superbike in recent years, 2021 marks the start of a full-time campaign, and while there is still learning to be done, by his own admission, ending the test P3 on the time sheets has served as a welcome confidence boost.
As the comparable superbike veteran, Rea had a dedicated testing schedule to follow over the course of the two days, evaluating a new engine spec from Suzuki Motor Corporation in Japan as well as electronics settings, with a focus on power delivery and engine braking. Despite a clear focus on development, he still set the sixth fastest time of the two days.
Danny Kent, “I’ve got to be happy with that at the end of the day. This, really, was my first proper go on a superbike with a good team around me that know the bike and have the experience, so to come away in the top three; it feels good. I was a bit worried, you have thoughts about if you’ll be fast enough when it comes to it and people have asked that question of me, and understandably maybe, but I think today’s answered those questions, and confidence is pretty high at the moment.
“The objective at this test was to just get comfortable, and I wanted to come away feeling like the bike was mine, and we definitely achieved that. The bike felt great and the team have done a really good job. They’ve got so much experience at this level I just rode the bike, and let them make any changes they wanted to make. The result was it made doing the lap times so easy and I think with a more experienced rider than me onboard it could easily have topped the times. I just kept making the odd mistake when pushing hard and I’d over ride and do the wrong things to go fast on a superbike. So I’ve got a bit of learning to do still but I think I could have gone faster. Plus we lost nearly two sessions with a crash on Wednesday morning.
“Being at Silverstone made it easier as I know that track, and I know it’ll be harder at Snetterton. But I also know the bike can go fast there. It’s just going to be a case of putting the laps in, learning the circuit, the bike, and keep building that connection. For the first day back it feels pretty good.”
Gino Rea, “This test has been really good, and it was just nice to be back with the team and back on the superbike after a long winter off. We had a lot to test and a lot to get through, and day one was pretty much dedicated to working on the electronics and we didn’t do much to the chassis. Today [Thursday] we focussed on that a bit more, and the biggest change there for me is the new Suter swingarm, so we spent time getting that dialled in.
“With a lot to get through it’s really hard not to look at the times and see what people are doing, but we kept our focus on the job, and it’s actually been really nice for me to have a test – I missed this test last year – to put the laps in and work on the bike and not worry about the times so much. But today we did push on a bit, nothing crazy, but to see what the package was capable of. We didn’t chuck the super soft tyre in that some people used, but considering we were doing a lot of testing I think we were competitive and consistent, and the two days couldn’t really have gone much better.
“The test at Snetterton, I think will be similar; we still have some areas to work on with the electronics, so that’s still my focus, but then we’ll go from there.”
In the hotly-contested Pirelli National Superstock Championship Neave ended the test P1, just half a second off his own lap record despite the colder and windier conditions. Minor changes to the electronics setup were the only changes, as he spent the test putting in the laps to get himself back up to speed.
Tim Neave, “I’m really chuffed, and I wasn’t expecting it to be honest, I was just taking my time, letting it come to me, and after a few laps I saw P1 and got a big buzz. So it’s a good start to the year and can’t really ask for more. The bike setup is the same last year, which is good for me. We didn’t make one change all day apart from a new tyre at the end. We knew we had a good setting from last year so we just left it. And I think we could have got nearer the lap record were it not for the wind; it was so strong it was hard to pull fifth down the start finish straight.
“Hopefully we’ll pick up where we left off at Snetterton, and if we can be in the top five consistently all year, then I think we can fight for wins week in, week out. This test has lifted a bit of a weight off my shoulders to be honest and I feel more relaxed; I’m in a perfect environment with the team, the bike’s working well, and I know we can be at the front.”
A number of other Hawk Racing supported riders were also present on a fleet of GSX-R superstock machines, including Tom Ward, Tom Oliver, and Leon Jeacock, while former Buildbase Suzuki superbike rider and British Supersport champion Luke Stapleford was also in action.
Remembering Dick Mann: Moto-Journalist Art Friedman
FIRST PERSON/OPINION:
Dick Mann’s late ex-wife Susie once related a story about one of Bugsy’s experiences at the Daytona 200.
This was back when qualifying was done via a flying lap on the oval on Wednesday or Thursday. It was the same day that the Alligator enduro was contested nearby. The day started with heavy rain, which was forecast to continue throughout the day.
Seeing that qualifying would certainly be delayed, Mann took his BSA thumper and entered the enduro. Sure enough, by midday, the rain stopped and the track began to dry. BSA sent people to try to find Mann and get him back to the Speedway, because if you didn’t qualify on that day, you couldn’t start in the first wave. Time was running out to qualify, and there was no sign of Dick Mann. BSA was desperate. They finally managed to squeeze Mann’s teammate Ralph White into Mann’s leathers. This was no mean feat. White was significantly taller than Mann. They sent him out to qualify for Mann.
What really annoyed White was that he qualified better as Mann than as himself (perhaps the compressed version offered less wind resistance).
As far as I know, Dick Mann was the only rider ever to qualify for the Daytona 200 without having actually been there.
Art Friedman
Santa Paula, California
MotoGP: Binder Under Race Lap Record In FP1 At Jerez
Moto3: Antonelli Leads Opening Practice At Jerez
Video: Stuman Rides: Timing Body Movements On The Bike
Stuart Smith has been road racing motorcycles at the club level in southern California for about 20 years. He has won several class championships racing with WSMC at Willow Springs and CVMA at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. Stuart is a former lap record holder at Willow Springs on both the “Big Track” and “The Streets”. He has also raced motocross, supermoto, minimoto, and downhill mountain bikes.
Stuart has been an active riding coach for about 18 years. He started his career working for The California Superbike School as a full time coach and reached their highest level of certification (Class III). Stuart is currently a USMCA Certified Sportbike Coach and is currently coaching for SoCal Supermoto, Racer’s Edge and working with private clients. Stuart is also the new racer school instructor for CVMA at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway.
StumanRides YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPcAOF0bYM8tEGSnRq7IFRA
Website: http://www.stumanrides.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StumanRides
Instagram: @StumanRides
MotoGP: Gresini Racing Will Continue Under Family Ownership
FAUSTO’S DREAM CONTINUES:
NADIA PADOVANI IS THE NEW GRESINI RACING TEAM OWNER
Gresini Racing continues within the #GresiniFamily and, with immediate effect, will see the official involvement of Nadia Padovani – Fausto’s wife – as the new CEO of the Faenza-based company. Nadia takes over Fausto’s role completely, therefore getting both Team Owner and Team Principal titles.
This is not the only news, as their sons Lorenzo and Luca will also be protagonists, with the former who will be involved in the administrative part of the company, while the latter will have more of a sporting role and will already be present at Jerez with the team.
With the whole family on board to give continuity to the company, Fausto’s secret wish to return to MotoGP as an independent team will become a reality from 2022, as expected by the contract signed with Dorna at the end of last season.
NADIA PADOVANI – GRESINI RACING TEAM OWNER & TEAM PRINCIPAL
“I would like to think that Fausto’s two families – ours and the racing one – have joined their efforts to bring forward everything he was planning, and especially the MotoGP. To have an independent team in the premier class is surely something very demanding, with a team to be built from scratch, but I know everyone in the company is giving their 110% to make his dream come true. Personally, I see it as a real mission, a challenge we will face – also and above all – thanks to the strength of Fausto, who is following us from above. We’re currently speaking with several manufacturers and in a matter of few weeks we will reveal the details of our MotoGP project.”
1938 Vincent-HRD Series A Rapide Going Up For Auction
World’s most coveted motorcycle goes to Auction Friday April 30 at Mecum Las Vegas
This legendary 1938 Vincent-HRD Series A Rapide is among the most coveted motorcycles in the world as both the original Vincent V-twin and the fastest motorcycle in the world in its day, knocking the Brough Superior SS100 off its perch.
This extremely rare pre-war superbike is built from an original 1938 Rapide engine mated with an original 1939 frame, which has been correctly and beautifully restored by a renowned Vincent expert using OEM parts wherever possible. It’s a well-known machine in the Vincent Owner’s Club, one of 78 originally produced and the only one available at the moment, as few owners sell their pre-war Rapides. They are the ultimate Vincent twin and among the most desirable motorcycles in the world.
The story of HRD-Vincent goes back to motorcycle racer-turned-manufacturer Howard R. Davies, who leveraged his racing success into a small motorcycle building business. Davies remains the only man to have won a Senior (500cc) Isle of Man TT on a 350cc (Junior) machine, riding for AJS in 1921. He built his own excellent sports machines from 1924, but quickly found himself in financial trouble and the H.R.D. brand was sold to a young Philip Vincent in 1928.
Vincent’s father had made a fortune ranching beef in Argentina, and young Philip Vincent had ideas to incorporate rear springing for the chassis of motorcycles, which he patented, and had the opportunity to test with his own business. Calling his machines Vincent-HRD, he used JAP and Rudge engines in Vincent’s ugly duckling chassis design. It took Australian engineer Phil Irving to bring life and enduring fame to the Vincent-HRD company, designing a high-camshaft 500cc single-cylinder engine for the new Meteor and Comet models for 1934.
Within two years, the single was doubled up to become the 998cc V-twin Rapide model of 1936. It was the fastest production motorcycle in the world at the time with a 110 MPH top speed. The engine was the heart of the beast, and it was slightly let down by its choice of a Burman clutch and gearbox, but in truth only one British gearbox was designed to handle the 50 HP of the Rapide and it was owned by Norton at the time. Regardless, road testers and the few lucky owners were full of praise for the new Rapide, as it handled well and braked very well for the day, with two drum brakes on both the front and rear wheels—and, it went like a rocket.
This rare and most coveted motorcycle goes to auction Friday, April 30 at Mecum in Las Vegas. A once-a-decade opportunity to buy a majorly collectible, running, & museum quality Vincent Series A Rapide Twin. The link to the Mecum auction lot F183 for bidding is
https://www.mecum.com/lots/LV0121-474902/1938-vincent-hrd-series-a-twin/
• Original 1938 998cc engine with an original 1939 frame
• Correct restoration completed by a renowned Vincent expert
• Extensive use of original factory non-reproduction parts
• Vincent Owners Club ‘VOC’ certificate
• One of approximately 78 produced
• Engine No. V1016 (Manufacture Date January, 14 1938)
• Frame No DV1755 (Manufacture Date June, 14 1939)
MotoAmerica Previews The Support Classes Racing At Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta Here We Come: MotoAmerica Support Classes Set For Season Of Change
There Will Be New Champions In Junior Cup, Twins Cup, Stock 1000 And King Of The Baggers And It All Starts This Weekend At Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
IRVINE, CA (April 29, 2021) – Even though he is just 16 years old, no one in the history of MotoAmerica’s Junior Cup and Twins Cup classes has won more races than Rocco Landers. And to the delight of the riders in those two classes in 2021, Landers is moving on and will be taking his talents to the Supersport class, beginning this weekend in the 2021 MotoAmerica Series opener at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
In his two years of racing in the SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup class, Landers won two titles and 29 races. In just one season of Twins Cup racing, Landers moved to the top of the win list with nine victories and one championship. All that adds up to 38 MotoAmerica victories in two seasons of racing for the young phenom… but now comes the challenge. Supersport. Where the big boys live.
When he takes to the grid on Saturday and Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for his Supersport debut, Landers will do so against stout competition. And it begins with 2020 Supersport Champion Richie Escalante, the HONOS Racing Team rider coming in hot off his 13-win season en route to becoming the first rider from Mexico to win an AMA road racing championship. Escalante wants a Superbike ride badly and another dominating season would likely earn him one.
Escalante was beaten last year in race one at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta by his rival Sean Dylan Kelly on the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki by just .052 of a second, but the Mexico City resident bounced back in race two – beating Kelly by 6.4 seconds. Those two were the only riders to win Supersport races in 2020 and it was a war in virtually every race. And oftentimes, they were joined by Brandon Paasch.
While Paasch has crossed the Atlantic to race in the British Superbike Series in 2021, the two dominators remain and if Landers can keep those two in sight, there’s a lot to be learned from the pair.
Another rider to make the move to Supersport this year is Landers’ Junior Cup rival from last year, Dominic Doyle. Doyle will ride a BARTCON Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R and he lines up knowing that he was the only rider to beat Landers in SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup last year.
Thirty Supersport bikes will line up this coming weekend at Road Atlanta and the talent pool is deep. In addition to the aforementioned Escalante, Kelly, Landers and Doyle, there are others capable of winning. Riders such as MESA37Racing’s Stefano Mesa and his last-minute teammate Xavier Zayat; Sam Lochoff, the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider also jumping up from Junior Cup; North East Cycle Outlet Racing’s Benjamin Smith; and many more as the closest class of racing last year promises more of the same in 2021.
With Landers and Company up and gone, the favorite rider heading into the 2021 SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup class is Landers Racing’s Ben Gloddy, the highest-ranked rider from last year who is still in the class. Gloddy had eight podium finishes a season ago. He will face challenges from the likes of JR12/Westby Racing’s Jack Roach, KERmoto’s Cody Wyman, SportbikeTrackGear.com’s Max VanDenBrouck, N2 Racing’s Blake Davis and several other hungry youngsters.
The Stock 1000 entry list for this weekend’s races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is stacked with 34 riders. Again, the defending champion has moved to the HONOS Superbike class with Cameron Petersen trading his Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R1000 for the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike. In his place will be former factory Superbike racer Jake Lewis, the Kentuckian returning to action after taking the majority of last season off.
Although Petersen has moved on, the rest of the class remains pretty much intact, beginning with 2020 Stock 1000 Series runner-up Corey Alexander. Alexander had 10 podium finishes a year ago, including two wins, en route to second in the title chase, and he’s back on the HONOS HVMC Racing Kawasaki for the coming season. Let’s not forget, that both of Alexander’s wins last year came at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Two-time Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee returns to the class for 2021 and obviously does so as a favorite. Ditto for Travis Wyman Racing’s Travis Wyman, and his BMW S 1000 RR. The middle Wyman brother is the only rider other than Petersen and Alexander to win a Stock 1000 race last year.
The list of expected challengers is long: Michael Gilbert Racing’s Michael Gilbert, Jones Honda’s Ashton Yates, MESA37 Racing’s Stefano Mesa, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Wyatt Farris, Tecfil Racing Team’s Danilo Lewis, Geoff May Racing/VisionWheel.com’s Geoff May, Hunter Dunham Racing’s Hunter Dunham… and the list goes on.
Like Junior Cup, Twins Cup will carry on without its champion Landers. Also, like Junior Cup, there are plenty of racers ready to fill Lander’s boots. Twenty-eight of them, to be precise, in this weekend’s series opener at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Based on last year, to the top of the list must go Kaleb De Keyrel, the Minnesotan ending up second to Landers in last year’s title chase and the only other rider to win a race (he won three of the first four to open the season, including the one at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta). The big change for De Keyrel is that he will be one of eight riders on the new Aprilia RS 660 with his clad in Robem Engineering/1-833-CJ-KNOWS livery.
Hayden Schultz, who was third in last year’s Twins Cup, is returning and he also has a Robem Engineering Aprilia; Jackson Blackmon, fourth last season, will ride a Yamaha FZ-07/MT-07 in his self-owned Jackson Blackmon Racing team; and last year’s fifth-ranked rider Toby Khamsouk is another set to throw his leg over a new Aprilia with the Robem Engineering team.
With the success of last year’s King Of The Baggers Invitational, the one-off race has turned into a three-round series with title sponsor Mission Foods, and it all begins this weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The grid will include the majority of those who took part in the debut last year, led by the 2020 race winner Tyler O’Hara, who will spearhead Indian’s assault on the title on his Mission Foods S&S Cycle Indian Challenger.
The biggest challenge O’Hara will face will likely come from the factory Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Road Glide of MotoAmerica Superbike racer Kyle Wyman and the Vance & Hines Electra Glide ridden by Hayden Gillim, who was second to O’Hara at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca last year.
On-track action gets started on Friday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with practice and qualifying starting at 8:30 a.m. and running through to the last practice session at 4:40 p.m. The first race of the weekend will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m. with Stock 1000 Race 1, followed in rapid succession by Supersport Race 1 (2 p.m.), HONOS Superbike Race 1 (3 p.m.), Twins Cup Race 1 (4 p.m.) and SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Race 1 (4:45 p.m.)
On Sunday, racing begins at noon with Stock 1000 Race 2, Mission King Of The Baggers (12:30 p.m.), Supersport Race 2 (1 p.m.), SportbikeTrackGear.com Junior Cup Race 2 (2 p.m.), HONOS Superbike Race 2 (3 p.m.) and Twins Cup Race 2 (4 p.m.).
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the North American road racing series created in 2014 that is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com. Also make sure to follow MotoAmerica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
MotoGP: Quartararo: “Being Much Calmer On The Bike Is Working”
“There’s no target… just ride the bike!”: riders ready for a new challenge in Jerez
Quartararo, Bagnaia, Mir, Morbidelli, Marquez and Acosta take stock and look forward to the Gran Premio Red Bull de España
Thursday, 29 April 2021
After another rollercoaster round in Portugal, the grid are ready to get back in business for the Gran Premio Red Bull de España. Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) headlined the Pre-Event Press Conference, joined by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), reigning World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), top Independent Team rider in Portugal Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Moto3™ rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo).
Here are some key quotes:
Fabio Quartararo: “I’m feeling pretty excited, first of all because I love this track but also because I’m feeling great on the bike and great with the team. I’m just thinking about, you know, working the same way as we did in Qatar and not thinking that last year I won both races here because I we saw Miguel win in Portimão last year and then have some struggles this year, so I just want to focus in working in the same way and be ready for Sunday. It means nothing that we won both races last year.
“I feel like the 2020 season helped me a lot because a lot of things happened. In 2019, everything was perfect and I enjoyed it a lot with seven podiums and six pole positions. 2020 was more up and down though. We started well but then we had some engine problems, some electronic problems and I lost my mind a little bit. Then we got it back but the end of the season was a total disaster and I feel like I’ve learned a lot. Staying calm is the most important for me because when I get little bit angry on the bike, my comments to the team are not clear. Being much calmer on the bike is working much better for me and the results at the first races show that, so I want to keep working like this. I know it’s not easy but I’m feeling great and I feel like we are going into the right direction so I’m happy.”
Francesco Bagnaia: “I’m really confident because at the moment I feel good with everything; my bike, my team. Last year I was competitive here, most of all in the second race, and I had just back luck for having the engine failure but we were strong. I think it can be a positive weekend for us and I think we can try to stay in the top three again.”
Has Pecco seen he has a big fan in former MotoGP™ rider Ben Spies, who says his riding style is something that gets the best out of the Ducati?
“I’ve seen the tweet from Ben, it’s always nice to see past riders say something about us and I really appreciate it. Already last year I started to try to ride the Ducati in a different way, and I understand better now how to do it. Last year in the second part of the season I was struggling a lot and it was difficult to accept it and understand what was happening. But then in preseason testing, I started to have the same feeling again and maybe all the work we’ve done this winter with training and in the gym with the others from the Academy has given me extra motivation and confidence. In the first race in Qatar I was trying to manage the tyres but I learned from that race I had to use the tyre in a different way. In the second race I was faster than the first but made mistakes and lost the opportunity to win. In Portimão I was very confident with the bike and felt great on everything, we know our potential is great in acceleration and braking and I tried to concentrate more on that area, and the bike, if you push, is turning well. It’s strange but something that with our bike is working well.”
Joan Mir: “Last year was a difficult start to the season here. It’s true that the heat of last year made it pretty difficult for everyone and it looks like this year it will be colder. This is something that can be good for us. Everyone knows this track really well and it’s always really difficult to make a difference but well we will try to do our best with the package that we have. Our goal is to finish on the podium, to fight for the podium and then we will see. It’s true that last year here was not really good but also Portimão was not too good and I was able to make a good result, so I will try to do my best.”
Franco Morbidelli: “Portimão felt great, I felt amazing getting back to some top spots and positions, and it felt just great to do the race I did. I had a good fight in the beginning and then tried to maintain the most consistent pace I could throughout the whole race so it was nice. Here, we have good trust in this track. Last year I was close to the podium in both races, and unfortunately for two different reasons I didn’t manage to get it in either but we’ll see. I’ll try to do my best this weekend, try to keep the momentum that I hope started in Portimão, and we’ll see.”
Is his mental, more philosophical approach key to overcoming tougher times?
“It’s the story of my life trying to overcome difficult times. It’s happened in the past and it will happen in the future, and I hope to be hard enough and ready enough to overcome the difficult moments I will face.”
Marc Marquez: “Portimão was a special weekend but here I feel like everything is a bit quieter and this is important, it feels like a normal weekend. It’s not like my physical condition are completely different, they are very similar, but I hope to ride in a better way from FP1 and my target is to hopefully be more stable with my physical condition during all the weekend.
“I have good and bad memories here, of course, but better memories than worse memories, so this will be important. There’s no target, no clear target, just ride the bike, have more kilometres, try to feel better the position of the bike. We know where our limit is now and it’s not with the bike or the tyres, it’s more about me. We know where the limit is and we know where we need to improve but we need time, days and kilometres on the bike.”
Pedro Acosta: “I feel incredible, after a good preseason, we knew we could do good results but nothing like this finally when you come to the world championship, you don’t think about winning races in the first part of the year or something like this. We have to keep working.
“A few minutes ago I was nervous, but if I am here it’s because we’re working well.”
Mir and Marquez were also asked about the rookie’s incredible performances so far:
Mir on Acosta: “I imagine how he feels, I remember the first time I was in a Press Conference I was really nervous I think he’s the same! Pedro is doing a really good job, during the last year in the Rookies Cup I went there to see him and wish him good luck in a couple of races because one of my mechanics Fernando is a neighbour of Pedro and Fernando spoke a couple of times about him and that he’s fast. He was right! I think he’s doing a great job, I think he has a bright future in front of him. He rides in a really good way and he’s showing that even if he’s a rookie, he’s the main contender this year.”
Marquez on Acosta: “I already spoke with him before and his riding style is good, his talent is good, he’s fast and this is obvious from the results! Being here in the Press Conference between MotoGP riders at 16 years old… I think it’s difficult to deal with because it’s maybe too much pressure but as I said to him: forget about everything, enjoy it now, you’re a young talented kid. If he wins on Sunday it will be ok, if he finishes top five or top ten, it will be ok. It’s his first year! Now is the time to enjoy it is my advice to him, he’ll have time to put pressure on himself and apart from that, also congrats because he’s riding amazingly and he will arrive soon! I’ll try to be there but he’ll arrive soon competing with us!”
British Superbike: Glenn Irwin Under Record During Test At Silverstone
Fastest ever Bennetts BSB lap of Silverstone puts Glenn Irwin on top at opening test
Glenn Irwin and Honda Racing kicked off their 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship campaign in style by smashing the lap record on the final day of the opening official test at Silverstone, setting the fastest ever Bennetts BSB lap of the National circuit by 0.090s.
The top 17 riders were covered by just 0.988s on combined times after the two days on circuit, with four different manufacturers represented in the top four positions ahead of next week’s second test at Snetterton.
Glenn Irwin’s lap record-breaking time came in the penultimate session of the test, with the Honda Racing rider putting himself firmly at the head of the times, although McAMS Yamaha rider Tarran Mackenzie was also under the existing record and just 0.016s adrift of his rival.
Silverstone again proved to be a strong circuit for the Buildbase Suzuki team and after setting the pace at lunchtime, Danny Kent’s time in that session put him third overall on the combined times as he proved to put his track knowledge to use as he prepares for his new campaign.
Kyle Ryde showed impressive pace with the new BMW M 1000 RR to post the fourth fastest time for the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW team, he had topped the timesheets in the final session of the test, despite conditions meaning the pace couldn’t match what was set earlier in the day.
Jason O’Halloran had set the pace on the opening day of testing action and the McAMS Yamaha rider ended the test fifth fastest overall, holding off the second Buildbase Suzuki of Gino Rea and the SYNETIQ BMW pairing of Danny Buchan and Andrew Irwin.
Christian Iddon held ninth place on combined times for VisionTrack Ducati, his teammate and reigning champion Josh Brookes suffered a high-speed crash in the final session, which ended his day prematurely. The Australian was able to walk away from the crash but sustained a finger injury.
Ryan Vickers completed the top ten for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team, edging out FHO Racing BMW’s Xavi Forés by just 0.038s.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Official Test, Silverstone combined times:
- Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) 53.139 seconds
- Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +0.061s
- Danny Kent (Buildbase Suzuki) +0.174s
- Kyle Ryde (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) +0.184s
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.211s
- Gino Rea (Buildbase Suzuki) +0.296s
- Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) +0.339s
- Andrew Irwin (SYNETIQ BMW) +0.343s
- Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) +0.346s
- Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular and Reserve Kawasaki) +0.414s
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Glenn Irwin, Honda Racing
“It has been a really productive test and one of two halves; yesterday the pace was slower than last year and you put it down to conditions, but it was also similar conditions today. I think we all know how to ride, but I think you forget all the niche things that make you compete at this level and I feel we did that better today.
“I improved today and we had a lot that we needed to get through here. We tried some new things that we thought might not even work, but the lap time in the third session was really good and I was happy.
“In the final session I was on another faster lap so I was buzzing, but I came across another rider in the last sector so didn’t get to complete it, but it has been a good day and the team have worked amazing. We can’t be complacent as we don’t know what everyone else is working on, but I feel strong and we can now look forward to the next test at Snetterton.”
More, from a press release issued by VisionTrack Ducati:
Brookes And Iddon On The Pace At Silverstone Test
The VisionTrack Ducati pairing of Josh Brookes and Christian Iddon got their 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship up and running in style when the first official test of the season took place at the Silverstone National circuit over these past two days.
Defending champion Brookes and third-placed championship contender from 2020 Iddon have remained with Paul Bird’s Lake District-based squad for a second successive season aboard the factory-supported VisionTrack Ducati Panigale V4Rs and after a private test at Knockhill last week, the pair were in action against the full field of competitors who will contest this year’s 11-round series.
Cool and occasionally damp conditions were the order of the day for Wednesday’s four sessions whereby 37-year-old Bedfordshire-based Australian Brookes ended up second fastest behind his compatriot Jason O’Halloran whilst 36-year-old Mancunian Iddon, now based on Tyneside, finished third fastest, less than a tenth of a second behind his teammate.
Today (Thursday) was once again very cold although the rain held off as the times from the opening day plummeted. Iddon consistently lowered his times in the opening three sessions whilst Brookes improved in the day’s second session to record his fastest lap of the test.
Brookes, running the number one plate in Bennetts BSB for the first time since Tommy Hill tried to defend his crown in 2012, unfortunately crashed out of the final session and sustained a finger injury which meant a trip to hospital for further investigation.
Josh Brookes: “I’ve taken a lot of skin off the little finger and there is a risk of infection as it’s down to the bone but apart from that I’m OK and my finger is fine. There are no other injuries so it’s just a case of getting it cleaned up. I’m still working out what happened in the crash, but the track was cooling down and I perhaps carried a bit too much brake so maybe that’s what happened. The test was good to a point, but we did a lot of experimenting and didn’t really find a lot that improved our existing package. It’s now a case of working on what we know best and finding the consistency we need.”
Christian Iddon: “I’m really happy with the way the test has gone, everything is good. Silverstone is unique as everyone ends up with very similar lap times, it’s just one of those tracks. My aim over the two days was to experiment with a few ideas and to try some stuff we didn’t get round to trying last year, mainly to do with tyre life and some other settings. We achieved what we needed and in the last session, I just did a race run rather than chasing a lap time. It was unfortunate for Josh to crash and hope his finger injury is not too serious.”
John Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “We were happy enough with our progress yesterday and after a good start, today didn’t go so well. It meant that Josh ended the combined times in 12th place with Christian in ninth but despite the track not suiting our bike, valuable data was gained for when the series visits later in the year. Christian made good progress throughout the test but sadly Josh crashed and sustained an injury to his little finger in the final session which necessitated a trip to the hospital to get it checked out but hopefully it’s nothing too serious.”
The opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place over the weekend of 25/27 June at Oulton Park.
More, from a press release issued by Buildbase Suzuki:
Kent and Rea inside top six as Neave tops superstock times at first preseason test
Kent finishes debut test P3 with focus on getting comfortable aboard his new machine.
Rea focusses on development with new engine spec and throttle maps from Suzuki Motor Corporation.
Neave tops times for perfect start to 2021 season.
Buildbase Suzuki’s Danny Kent and Gino Rea both finished the first preseason test for the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship inside the top six – with Kent an impressive P3 – while their teammate in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship, Tim Neave, topped the time sheets aboard his GSX-R1000R.
For former Moto3 world champion Kent the two-day test was about getting comfortable with his new GSX-R1000R superbike, as he makes the switch from superstock machinery. Despite ad hoc appearances on a superbike in recent years, 2021 marks the start of a full-time campaign, and while there is still learning to be done, by his own admission, ending the test P3 on the time sheets has served as a welcome confidence boost.
As the comparable superbike veteran, Rea had a dedicated testing schedule to follow over the course of the two days, evaluating a new engine spec from Suzuki Motor Corporation in Japan as well as electronics settings, with a focus on power delivery and engine braking. Despite a clear focus on development, he still set the sixth fastest time of the two days.
Danny Kent, “I’ve got to be happy with that at the end of the day. This, really, was my first proper go on a superbike with a good team around me that know the bike and have the experience, so to come away in the top three; it feels good. I was a bit worried, you have thoughts about if you’ll be fast enough when it comes to it and people have asked that question of me, and understandably maybe, but I think today’s answered those questions, and confidence is pretty high at the moment.
“The objective at this test was to just get comfortable, and I wanted to come away feeling like the bike was mine, and we definitely achieved that. The bike felt great and the team have done a really good job. They’ve got so much experience at this level I just rode the bike, and let them make any changes they wanted to make. The result was it made doing the lap times so easy and I think with a more experienced rider than me onboard it could easily have topped the times. I just kept making the odd mistake when pushing hard and I’d over ride and do the wrong things to go fast on a superbike. So I’ve got a bit of learning to do still but I think I could have gone faster. Plus we lost nearly two sessions with a crash on Wednesday morning.
“Being at Silverstone made it easier as I know that track, and I know it’ll be harder at Snetterton. But I also know the bike can go fast there. It’s just going to be a case of putting the laps in, learning the circuit, the bike, and keep building that connection. For the first day back it feels pretty good.”
Gino Rea, “This test has been really good, and it was just nice to be back with the team and back on the superbike after a long winter off. We had a lot to test and a lot to get through, and day one was pretty much dedicated to working on the electronics and we didn’t do much to the chassis. Today [Thursday] we focussed on that a bit more, and the biggest change there for me is the new Suter swingarm, so we spent time getting that dialled in.
“With a lot to get through it’s really hard not to look at the times and see what people are doing, but we kept our focus on the job, and it’s actually been really nice for me to have a test – I missed this test last year – to put the laps in and work on the bike and not worry about the times so much. But today we did push on a bit, nothing crazy, but to see what the package was capable of. We didn’t chuck the super soft tyre in that some people used, but considering we were doing a lot of testing I think we were competitive and consistent, and the two days couldn’t really have gone much better.
“The test at Snetterton, I think will be similar; we still have some areas to work on with the electronics, so that’s still my focus, but then we’ll go from there.”
In the hotly-contested Pirelli National Superstock Championship Neave ended the test P1, just half a second off his own lap record despite the colder and windier conditions. Minor changes to the electronics setup were the only changes, as he spent the test putting in the laps to get himself back up to speed.
Tim Neave, “I’m really chuffed, and I wasn’t expecting it to be honest, I was just taking my time, letting it come to me, and after a few laps I saw P1 and got a big buzz. So it’s a good start to the year and can’t really ask for more. The bike setup is the same last year, which is good for me. We didn’t make one change all day apart from a new tyre at the end. We knew we had a good setting from last year so we just left it. And I think we could have got nearer the lap record were it not for the wind; it was so strong it was hard to pull fifth down the start finish straight.
“Hopefully we’ll pick up where we left off at Snetterton, and if we can be in the top five consistently all year, then I think we can fight for wins week in, week out. This test has lifted a bit of a weight off my shoulders to be honest and I feel more relaxed; I’m in a perfect environment with the team, the bike’s working well, and I know we can be at the front.”
A number of other Hawk Racing supported riders were also present on a fleet of GSX-R superstock machines, including Tom Ward, Tom Oliver, and Leon Jeacock, while former Buildbase Suzuki superbike rider and British Supersport champion Luke Stapleford was also in action.
Remembering Dick Mann: Moto-Journalist Art Friedman
FIRST PERSON/OPINION:
Dick Mann’s late ex-wife Susie once related a story about one of Bugsy’s experiences at the Daytona 200.
This was back when qualifying was done via a flying lap on the oval on Wednesday or Thursday. It was the same day that the Alligator enduro was contested nearby. The day started with heavy rain, which was forecast to continue throughout the day.
Seeing that qualifying would certainly be delayed, Mann took his BSA thumper and entered the enduro. Sure enough, by midday, the rain stopped and the track began to dry. BSA sent people to try to find Mann and get him back to the Speedway, because if you didn’t qualify on that day, you couldn’t start in the first wave. Time was running out to qualify, and there was no sign of Dick Mann. BSA was desperate. They finally managed to squeeze Mann’s teammate Ralph White into Mann’s leathers. This was no mean feat. White was significantly taller than Mann. They sent him out to qualify for Mann.
What really annoyed White was that he qualified better as Mann than as himself (perhaps the compressed version offered less wind resistance).
As far as I know, Dick Mann was the only rider ever to qualify for the Daytona 200 without having actually been there.
Art Friedman
Santa Paula, California