Former-racer-turned-videographer Gray Pham, age 19, has produced a new, eight-part video documentary series focused on riders in the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing series called “American Racing.”
This is Part Five of the video series and it focuses on Celtic HSBK Racing’s PJ Jacobsen and Sam Lochoff at the Utah Motorsports Campus round of the 2019 MotoAmerica season.
Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist for the legendary rock band Rush, died of brain cancer on January 7. He was 67.
In the September 2009 issue of American Motorcyclist, the official magazine of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), Richard J. Atkins profiled the rocker and his love for two wheels. Following Peart’s death, AMA published the article on its website here.
The new Panigale V4 MY 2020 available at Ducati dealers
Further improved, easier, more intuitive, less tiring and even faster, the new Panigale V4 is ready to take to the track
After being confirmed for the second consecutive year, the best-selling super sports bike in the world is now available from Ducati dealers
Over 450 motorcycles delivered in Europe and the United States
Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 20 January 2020 – Since 2018, the date of its arrival on the market, the Panigale V4 has established new benchmarks in the super sports bike segment where, for the second consecutive year, it is the best-selling motorcycle in the world.
The production of the Panigale V4 MY2020 is in full swing. Around 450 motorcycles have been delivered to European and US dealers, and in the coming weeks the new super sports bike will also reach the other markets in the world in which Ducati is present.
To confirm the success already achieved by this jewel of style and technology, feedback and data from customers and the specialized press were collected and analysed in Borgo Panigale. This allowed Ducati to make a Panigale V4 that is easier, less fatiguing and more intuitive to ride, resulting in an even faster bike on the stopwatch, with an improvement that is all the more evident the lesser the rider’s experience. In short, it is an even more powerful and enjoyable bike for an amateur who, on the track, can bring his performance closer to that of a professional rider.
The Panigale V4 is now equipped with content taken from the V4 R. For example, the aerodynamic package through-air (aerofoils, plexiglas screen, nose fairing and larger lateral fairings, more efficient lateral vents for the radiator), which provides enhanced airflow protection and improves overall vehicle stability, enhancing confidence.
The update is completed by the Front Frame chassis with modified stiffness, to give better front-end ‘feel’ at extreme lean angles. What’s more, the bike includes DTC and DQS up/down EVO 2 strategies. Thanks to a new ‘predictive’ control strategy, Ducati Traction Control (DTC) EVO 2 significantly improves out-of-the-corner power control; Ducati Quick Shift up/down (DQS) EVO 2, instead, shortens up-shift times, allowing sportier high-rev gear shifts (over 10,000 rpm) and boosting shift stability during aggressive acceleration and cornering. The bike also features specially-developed Ride by Wire system mappings with several torque delivery control logics.
The Panigale V4 is powered by the 1,103 cc Desmosedici Stradale (banked 42° back from the horizontal), a MotoGP-derived 90° V4 with Desmodromic timing, a one-of-a-kind engine featuring a counter-rotating crankshaft and Twin Pulse firing order. The engine can deliver 214 hp at 13,000 rpm and a torque of 12.6 kgm at 10,000 rpm, making for awesome road riding.
INSPIRING MANY, EQUALLED BY NONE
MV AGUSTA CELEBRATES ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY
On January 19, 2020, MV Agusta Motor turns 75 and celebrates its legendary history of racing successes and excellence in engineering and design.
Varese, January 20, 2020 – In its 75 years history, the one habit that MV Agusta has never lost is the habit of winning, on every front: from the racetracks, with its unrivalled record of 37 world-championships victories, to showrooms and fairs around the world, where its bikes are considered true icons of style and motorcycle art.
It all started on January 19, 1945, with the establishment of Meccanica Verghera Srl in Cascina Costa, near today’s Malpensa international airport. The Agusta family, pioneers of the aviation industry, unable to continue manufacturing aeroplanes in the aftermath of WWII, turned to motorcycles to express their passion for speed, adrenaline and precision engineering. Legend has it that the first model, a 98 cc, was due to be called “Vespa”, but the name was already taken, so it went down in history simply as the MV98.
The Agustas also knew how to convert their racing motorcycles into successful production road models for a public of passionate enthusiasts, and started right from the beginning with a luxury version of the 98 that made a sensation at the 1947 Milan Trade Fair. Since then, every new MV Agusta model made its mark in the history of motorcycling, and still today the launch of a new model or range is a much awaited event.
Count Domenico Agusta had a knack for hiring the best riders, most of which became legends of the sport: Franco Bertoni, MV’s first rider, followed by Arcisio Artesiani, Carlo Ubbiali the “flying chinaman”, Leslie Graham, Cecil Sandford, Fortunato Libanori, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Gianfranco Bonera, Giacomo Agostini and Phil Read. Throughout the 30 years of the Agusta era, the history of their victories intersects with the launches of equally legendary and successful MV Agusta production models.
The partnership with Giacomo Agostini was the most celebrated in the history of motorcycling: in his career, “Ago” won 13 Wold Championships, 18 Italian titles and 10 Isle of Man’s TTs.
Count Domenico passed in 1971, and after Agostini’s last victory at the Nürburgring in 1976, the destiny of MV Agusta seemed to have come to an end, until the Castiglioni family decided to give it a new lease of life. In 1992, Claudio Castiglioni’s Cagiva acquired the MV Agusta brand and moved production to its facility on the shores of lake Varese, in Schiranna, where MV Agusta motorcycles are still produced today.
Under the visionary guidance of Claudio Castiglioni the brand never ceased to represent Italy’s best motorcycling tradition and even acquired further prestige and recognition. Castiglioni single-handedly revolutionised the motorcycle industry, heavily investing in R&D and in production. The four cylinder, 750 cc F4 was the first bike of the new era, and also the first superbike. It is still considered “the best looking bike ever”. Claudio also invented the concept of the “naked” bike, a new paradigm in the motorcycling world.
After his premature death in 2011, his son Giovanni succeeded him at the helm and continued in the family’s pioneering tradition. He actively sought and developed partnerships with world-class names such as Pirelli and Formula1 champion Lewis Hamilton to further broaden the reach and the appeal of the brand. Giovanni was behind the creation of the “Brutale”, the ultimate naked, and the F3, the best middle-weight sports bike with an inline-three cylinders engine and a counter-rotating crankshaft. Under his guidance, other remarkable models such as the Dragster and the Turismo Veloce, an opening into the tourers’ world, as well as successive evolutions of the F3 and F4, were acclaimed both by critics and motorcycling enthusiasts.
In 2017, the company was ready for a new important step in its history of continuing growth, and new capital was brought in by ComSar Invest, a Luxembourg company belonging to a family of entrepreneurs who share the same pioneering spirit and passion for speed as the Agustas and the Castiglionis. After an initial and successful partnership phase, in 2019 the Sardarov family acquired 100% of the company’s capital and Timur Sardarov, MV Agusta’s present CEO, was ready to take on a leading role.
Under his leadership, MV Agusta’s new roadmap strongly focussed on stability, quality, customer relations, service and on the expansion of the product range and of the sales network. Concepts such as connectivity and digitalisation of the product were also introduced. In terms of Customers relations, there was a clear effort in listening and paying attention, building a supportive community and working closer to customers in order to increase loyalty. New MV Agusta models such as the Serie Oro limited editions of the Superveloce 800 and Brutale 1000 RR, a tribute to the brand’s legacy of design, speed and leading-edge technology, were immediately recognised as true champions of the MV Agusta spirit, for the joy of all the fans around the world. In 2019 the Superveloce 800 Serie Oro made MV Agusta an “Excellence of Lombardy’s Design”, a sure sign of its pure MV Agusta DNA. Sardarov also immediately concentrated on the reorganisation of the company to stabilise it financially and continue in its successful growth path. He brought in a number of highly respected managers with a proven track record in the industry and constituted a new, highly skilled and experienced best-in-the-industry management team.
This strategy for MV Agusta’s new course is contained in the five year business plan that was recently announced. It clearly sets out the idea of expanding the reach of the brand through both organic and structural growth, with the objective of increasing the annual sales volumes to 25,000 units, with over 20 new models in the next 5 years. New segments will be tackled, with the launch of an entry-level range appealing to a younger audience and also with the return of smaller displacements such as the 350 cc to expand into new markets, in particular Asia. An important partnership was established in 2019 with China’s Loncin for the production and distribution of this new mid-size range. Research and Development remains a fundamental pillar of MV Agusta’s strategy as leading-edge technology and design are the unmistakable hallmarks of the brand.
Timur Sardarov, CEO of MV Agusta Motor S.p.A., commented “Being at the head of MV Agusta at this historic moment in time is exciting and challenging. I consider it a great privilege, and also a great responsibility, but looking back at MV Agusta’s legacy, I know we are standing on the shoulders of a giant, and this gives me great pride and confidence in breaking new ground every day, launching innovative technology, new incredible models, and expanding into markets we have never entered before.”
Official celebrations for the 75th anniversary of MV Agusta will be held in Varese on June 20 & 21.
AUSTRALIA VS AMERICA VS UK IN A HISTORIC BATTLE
Everything old is new again!
Everything old is new again and in 2020, nothing’s cooler than a vintage motorcycle!
For an Australia Day long weekend getaway with a historic high-horsepower twist and a spot of seaside camping thrown in, head to Victoria’s spectacular Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for January’s International Island Classic.
The highlight will be the bar-banging International Challenge battle when Australia takes on America and a new-look UK.
Australia is the defending champion, and the ace up the locals’ sleeve is that they are going in with close to an unchanged line-up in 2020, so the likes of 2019 individual winner Steve Martin, David Johnson, Aaron Morris, Jed Metcher, Shawn Giles, Alex Phillis, Cameron Donald and Beau Beaton will all hit the ground running when practice begins on Friday ahead of qualifying and the four six-lap races on Saturday and Sunday.
However, that home ground advantage will only serve as motivation for America and the UK, especially the former which on paper has the means to seriously test the Aussies.
An American victory will depend a lot on the form of Josh Hayes, who won last year’s final race and is an out and out superstar with multiple AMA superbike titles to his credit.
Canadian superbike legend Jordan Szoke and Taylor Knapp are the new – and extremely fast – members of the America team, and other guns include Larry Pegram, Michael Gilbert and Hayes’ wife, Melissa Paris – the first female to compete in the International Challenge.
The UK returns in 2020 after sitting out last year’s event, and is packed with classic racing devotees from the British racing ranks – as well as a machine that was previously ridden at the event by the indomitable Jeremy McWilliams.
Team captain Tony Hart will ride that bike, and some of the UK big names include 30-year-old Alex Sinclair, who claims several Classic TT and Manx titles to his name, and chief tester for British motorcycle weekly MCN, Michael Neeves.
Classic history in a packed three-day schedule
Now in its 27th year, and the largest historic motorcycle racing event in the Southern Hemisphere, the weekend honours a century of motorcycling in three action-packed days, celebrating the splendour of historic racing across so many levels, from the exotic machines to the people who race and prep them.
As well the International Challenge, the Island Classic includes 50 other races for machines across the six historic racing categories: Veteran (up to 1919), Vintage (1920-1945), Classic (1946-1962), Post Classic (1963-1972), Forgotten Era (1973-1982) and New Era (1983-1990).
Up to 400 solo bikes will take to the 4.445km Phillip Island circuit over the three days, where each class will be decided after one qualifying session and five races and riders also vying for the Phil Irving Perpetual Trophy for the highest scorer in non-International Challenge events.
Qualifying will begin on Friday for all classes, followed by a full program of racing from late Friday through Saturday and Sunday. For more event info and tickets go to www.islandclassic.com.au
An affordable Australia Day Long-Weekend Away
Traditionally, Australia Day long weekend sojourns in beach-side locations cost a bomb! But think again, with Phillip Island’s Island Classic.
The circuit opens its grounds for camping for ticket holders, and suddenly four nights camping in a spectacular seaside location, is yours for a fraction of the cost you would normally pay.
But the trick is to buy in advance and secure your camping spot early.
Wrap your three-day event ticket in with four nights of on-circuit camping, and the cost for your Island Classic getaway – entry to three days of on-track action and camping with views over Bass Strait – will be just $167 booked in advance.
Even better, bring the family, because children 15 and under are free for camping and event entry, if they are accompanied by a full-paying adult.
Bookings for pre-purchased general admission and camping tickets close at 12:00pm on Thursday, January 23. You can buy at the gate from 8am Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings but it will cost you a little more.
To purchase tickets, visit https://islandclassic.com.au/ticket-information
SHAYNA TEXTER SIGNS A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING TEAM
TEXTER SET TO COMPETE IN THE 2020 AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE SINGLES CLASS
January 20, 2020
MURRIETA, Calif. – KTM Motorsports is pleased to announce that 18-time AFT Singles winner Shayna Texter has signed a two-year contract extension with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team to compete in the American Flat Track Championship Singles class through the 2021 season.
Texter, a Pennsylvania native, will return aboard the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, a bike that led her to three AFT Singles Main Event wins last season. As a part of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s debut season in 2019, Texter has been an integral part of the brand’s testing and development in American Flat Track racing. Finishing seventh overall in the series last season, Texter will look to improve her standing and go after even more race-wins in 2020.
Shayna Texter: “It’s an honor to be continuing my relationship with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team. They have created a culture of winning that I am happy to be a part of. We learned so much together last season with the new team and we won three races together, but now we turn our attention toward 2020 with new goals that I look forward to accomplishing on a Red Bull KTM.”
Team Manager, Chris Fillmore: “We are very happy to have Shayna continue with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team for another two years. She has proven that she can dominate on some of the most demanding circuits and also does a wonderful job representing herself, the team and the sport off the track. Starting a brand-new team can be an adjustment for everyone but we learned a lot through last season and going forward we’ll be better prepared, so this is a very motivating and exciting thing to be able to continue to work and grow with a rider like Shayna!”
The 2020 American Flat Track Championship kicks off on March 14 in Daytona Beach, Florida. For more information on the American Flat Track Championship, please visit their website https://www.americanflattrack.com.
Featured In the January/February 2020 issue of Roadracing World:
“No clutch, no gearbox, smooth and quiet. That sounds like the description of a learner’s machine, but we have to accept that it’s also the description of a cutting-edge electric motorcycle. And while easy-to-ride sums up my first impression of the Harley-Davidson LiveWire, it’s not the only thing this bike is about.
“It’s a performance motorcycle, a beast straight out of the power cruiser mold. It’s long, beefy, and when you twist the throttle things happen fast and you had better be ready…”
-2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire: The Electric Game Changes, By Michael Gougis
Harley-Davidson is the first big manufacturer into the electric bike game, and has spent years developing not only the LiveWire but the entire network around ownership of the machine. Editor-at-Large Michael Gougis whistled through the canyons of Southern California on one. Read his impressions in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
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ICEL ONCE AGAIN ON BOARD WITH GRESINI MOTOE PROJECT
Icel, leading company in the production and commercialisation of PVC and rubber cables, non-toxic cables, solar panel cables, data/command and building automation cables and EV charging cables, will once again be technical sponsor of Team Trentino Gresini MotoE, with whom they became World Champions at the end of the 2019 season.
Alongside Matteo Ferrari, this year there will be the young talent from Italy Alessandro Zaccone, for another all-Italian line up ready to try and repeat the same amount of success in this year’s edition of the electric world cup, which will get underway in the first weekend of May at Jerez de la Frontera.
ANDREA BABINI, PRESIDENT OF ICEL SCPA
“In a society that is finally rediscovering the importance of sustainability and care for the environment, we thought it was right to extend Icel Scpa’s partnership with Team Gresini within the MotoE championship, a series that has all-electric mobility as the protagonist. This partnership confirms the values which Icel has always believed in, because each of us can do something to guarantee a better future for next generations.”
FAUSTO GRESINI – TEAM MANAGER
“2019 was the perfect year for us and we’re happy that we enjoyed it with such an important partner like ICEL. Gresini’s DNA pushes us to always be among the protagonists and I’m sure that by confirming Matteo and signing Alessandro we will have another great line-up in order to challenge for the ultimate prize also in 2020.”
We’re now accepting photos and 2020 schedules from trackday and riding school operators for the 2020 Roadracing World Trackday Directory annual special issue, as well as for Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine.
All schedule submissions should include: The name of the school or trackday organization; the schedule (including exact dates, correct track names and locations, and the track layout being used that day, if applicable); and full contact information for riders to use.
Schedules submitted will be published in the Calendar section of Roadracing World magazine and the Events calendar section of Roadracingworld.com as soon as possible after they are received.
For trackday and school organizations to be listed in Roadracing World’s 2020 Trackday Directory annual special issue, we need your schedule and the following information by February 7, 2020:
School or Trackday Organization Name:
Physical or Mailing Address, (Street address, city, state abbreviation, zip code):
Phone Number:
FAX Number (optional):
Website Address:
Email Address:
(Select one answer for each question)
Please e-mail schedule/calendar and Trackday Directory listing information to [email protected].
Even if your 2020 schedule is not finalized, please respond to us and send whatever information you can so that you will not be left out of the Trackday Directory special issue. Provisional schedules or dates listed as provisional are allowed.
There is no cost to be listed in Roadracing World’s Trackday Directory annual edition, but we can’t post your information if we don’t receive it in time. As a result, late submissions or incomplete submissions may not be published.
Again, the deadline to submit is February 7, 2020.
If you’ve already submitted your schedule for inclusion in the Calendar section of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology, great! But this is not enough information for an entry in the Trackday Directory. Please submit the information requested above to be included in the once-per-year Roadracing World Trackday Directory or call us to do minor updates to the information we published in the 2019 Trackday Directory.
If you have any doubt about what you have or have not sent in or if it was received, please contact us.
As always, we are also requesting trackday organizers and school operators to submit digital photos of their events and groups in action – on and off the track — for possible publication in the 2020 Trackday Directory. This is a great way to publicize your events and spotlight some of your members at no cost to you, but we need you to help us help you.
Digital photos must be in-focus, free from any watermarks or graphics, and high-resolution, which means a minimum of 300 dpi/ppi or 3000 pixels wide at 3 inches. The best way to submit these photos is with a file transfer program like Hightail or Dropbox, which are free to download and use on a limited basis.
Photos must be accompanied by information we can use to write a decent caption. This includes the name of the track, information to credit the photographer, etc. By submitting a photo or photos, you certify that you own the submitted material and that you give us (Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.) permission to publish it in Roadracing World magazine and/or post it on Roadracingworld.com, without paying you (or anybody else).
For additional information, e-mail [email protected] or call (909) 654-4779.
Former-racer-turned-videographer Gray Pham, age 19, has produced a new, eight-part video documentary series focused on riders in the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing series called “American Racing.”
This is Part Five of the video series and it focuses on Celtic HSBK Racing’s PJ Jacobsen and Sam Lochoff at the Utah Motorsports Campus round of the 2019 MotoAmerica season.
Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist for the legendary rock band Rush, died of brain cancer on January 7. He was 67.
In the September 2009 issue of American Motorcyclist, the official magazine of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), Richard J. Atkins profiled the rocker and his love for two wheels. Following Peart’s death, AMA published the article on its website here.
The new Panigale V4 MY 2020 available at Ducati dealers
Further improved, easier, more intuitive, less tiring and even faster, the new Panigale V4 is ready to take to the track
After being confirmed for the second consecutive year, the best-selling super sports bike in the world is now available from Ducati dealers
Over 450 motorcycles delivered in Europe and the United States
Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 20 January 2020 – Since 2018, the date of its arrival on the market, the Panigale V4 has established new benchmarks in the super sports bike segment where, for the second consecutive year, it is the best-selling motorcycle in the world.
The production of the Panigale V4 MY2020 is in full swing. Around 450 motorcycles have been delivered to European and US dealers, and in the coming weeks the new super sports bike will also reach the other markets in the world in which Ducati is present.
To confirm the success already achieved by this jewel of style and technology, feedback and data from customers and the specialized press were collected and analysed in Borgo Panigale. This allowed Ducati to make a Panigale V4 that is easier, less fatiguing and more intuitive to ride, resulting in an even faster bike on the stopwatch, with an improvement that is all the more evident the lesser the rider’s experience. In short, it is an even more powerful and enjoyable bike for an amateur who, on the track, can bring his performance closer to that of a professional rider.
The Panigale V4 is now equipped with content taken from the V4 R. For example, the aerodynamic package through-air (aerofoils, plexiglas screen, nose fairing and larger lateral fairings, more efficient lateral vents for the radiator), which provides enhanced airflow protection and improves overall vehicle stability, enhancing confidence.
The update is completed by the Front Frame chassis with modified stiffness, to give better front-end ‘feel’ at extreme lean angles. What’s more, the bike includes DTC and DQS up/down EVO 2 strategies. Thanks to a new ‘predictive’ control strategy, Ducati Traction Control (DTC) EVO 2 significantly improves out-of-the-corner power control; Ducati Quick Shift up/down (DQS) EVO 2, instead, shortens up-shift times, allowing sportier high-rev gear shifts (over 10,000 rpm) and boosting shift stability during aggressive acceleration and cornering. The bike also features specially-developed Ride by Wire system mappings with several torque delivery control logics.
The Panigale V4 is powered by the 1,103 cc Desmosedici Stradale (banked 42° back from the horizontal), a MotoGP-derived 90° V4 with Desmodromic timing, a one-of-a-kind engine featuring a counter-rotating crankshaft and Twin Pulse firing order. The engine can deliver 214 hp at 13,000 rpm and a torque of 12.6 kgm at 10,000 rpm, making for awesome road riding.
INSPIRING MANY, EQUALLED BY NONE
MV AGUSTA CELEBRATES ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY
On January 19, 2020, MV Agusta Motor turns 75 and celebrates its legendary history of racing successes and excellence in engineering and design.
Varese, January 20, 2020 – In its 75 years history, the one habit that MV Agusta has never lost is the habit of winning, on every front: from the racetracks, with its unrivalled record of 37 world-championships victories, to showrooms and fairs around the world, where its bikes are considered true icons of style and motorcycle art.
It all started on January 19, 1945, with the establishment of Meccanica Verghera Srl in Cascina Costa, near today’s Malpensa international airport. The Agusta family, pioneers of the aviation industry, unable to continue manufacturing aeroplanes in the aftermath of WWII, turned to motorcycles to express their passion for speed, adrenaline and precision engineering. Legend has it that the first model, a 98 cc, was due to be called “Vespa”, but the name was already taken, so it went down in history simply as the MV98.
The Agustas also knew how to convert their racing motorcycles into successful production road models for a public of passionate enthusiasts, and started right from the beginning with a luxury version of the 98 that made a sensation at the 1947 Milan Trade Fair. Since then, every new MV Agusta model made its mark in the history of motorcycling, and still today the launch of a new model or range is a much awaited event.
Count Domenico Agusta had a knack for hiring the best riders, most of which became legends of the sport: Franco Bertoni, MV’s first rider, followed by Arcisio Artesiani, Carlo Ubbiali the “flying chinaman”, Leslie Graham, Cecil Sandford, Fortunato Libanori, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Gianfranco Bonera, Giacomo Agostini and Phil Read. Throughout the 30 years of the Agusta era, the history of their victories intersects with the launches of equally legendary and successful MV Agusta production models.
The partnership with Giacomo Agostini was the most celebrated in the history of motorcycling: in his career, “Ago” won 13 Wold Championships, 18 Italian titles and 10 Isle of Man’s TTs.
Count Domenico passed in 1971, and after Agostini’s last victory at the Nürburgring in 1976, the destiny of MV Agusta seemed to have come to an end, until the Castiglioni family decided to give it a new lease of life. In 1992, Claudio Castiglioni’s Cagiva acquired the MV Agusta brand and moved production to its facility on the shores of lake Varese, in Schiranna, where MV Agusta motorcycles are still produced today.
Under the visionary guidance of Claudio Castiglioni the brand never ceased to represent Italy’s best motorcycling tradition and even acquired further prestige and recognition. Castiglioni single-handedly revolutionised the motorcycle industry, heavily investing in R&D and in production. The four cylinder, 750 cc F4 was the first bike of the new era, and also the first superbike. It is still considered “the best looking bike ever”. Claudio also invented the concept of the “naked” bike, a new paradigm in the motorcycling world.
After his premature death in 2011, his son Giovanni succeeded him at the helm and continued in the family’s pioneering tradition. He actively sought and developed partnerships with world-class names such as Pirelli and Formula1 champion Lewis Hamilton to further broaden the reach and the appeal of the brand. Giovanni was behind the creation of the “Brutale”, the ultimate naked, and the F3, the best middle-weight sports bike with an inline-three cylinders engine and a counter-rotating crankshaft. Under his guidance, other remarkable models such as the Dragster and the Turismo Veloce, an opening into the tourers’ world, as well as successive evolutions of the F3 and F4, were acclaimed both by critics and motorcycling enthusiasts.
In 2017, the company was ready for a new important step in its history of continuing growth, and new capital was brought in by ComSar Invest, a Luxembourg company belonging to a family of entrepreneurs who share the same pioneering spirit and passion for speed as the Agustas and the Castiglionis. After an initial and successful partnership phase, in 2019 the Sardarov family acquired 100% of the company’s capital and Timur Sardarov, MV Agusta’s present CEO, was ready to take on a leading role.
Under his leadership, MV Agusta’s new roadmap strongly focussed on stability, quality, customer relations, service and on the expansion of the product range and of the sales network. Concepts such as connectivity and digitalisation of the product were also introduced. In terms of Customers relations, there was a clear effort in listening and paying attention, building a supportive community and working closer to customers in order to increase loyalty. New MV Agusta models such as the Serie Oro limited editions of the Superveloce 800 and Brutale 1000 RR, a tribute to the brand’s legacy of design, speed and leading-edge technology, were immediately recognised as true champions of the MV Agusta spirit, for the joy of all the fans around the world. In 2019 the Superveloce 800 Serie Oro made MV Agusta an “Excellence of Lombardy’s Design”, a sure sign of its pure MV Agusta DNA. Sardarov also immediately concentrated on the reorganisation of the company to stabilise it financially and continue in its successful growth path. He brought in a number of highly respected managers with a proven track record in the industry and constituted a new, highly skilled and experienced best-in-the-industry management team.
This strategy for MV Agusta’s new course is contained in the five year business plan that was recently announced. It clearly sets out the idea of expanding the reach of the brand through both organic and structural growth, with the objective of increasing the annual sales volumes to 25,000 units, with over 20 new models in the next 5 years. New segments will be tackled, with the launch of an entry-level range appealing to a younger audience and also with the return of smaller displacements such as the 350 cc to expand into new markets, in particular Asia. An important partnership was established in 2019 with China’s Loncin for the production and distribution of this new mid-size range. Research and Development remains a fundamental pillar of MV Agusta’s strategy as leading-edge technology and design are the unmistakable hallmarks of the brand.
Timur Sardarov, CEO of MV Agusta Motor S.p.A., commented “Being at the head of MV Agusta at this historic moment in time is exciting and challenging. I consider it a great privilege, and also a great responsibility, but looking back at MV Agusta’s legacy, I know we are standing on the shoulders of a giant, and this gives me great pride and confidence in breaking new ground every day, launching innovative technology, new incredible models, and expanding into markets we have never entered before.”
Official celebrations for the 75th anniversary of MV Agusta will be held in Varese on June 20 & 21.
AUSTRALIA VS AMERICA VS UK IN A HISTORIC BATTLE
Everything old is new again!
Everything old is new again and in 2020, nothing’s cooler than a vintage motorcycle!
For an Australia Day long weekend getaway with a historic high-horsepower twist and a spot of seaside camping thrown in, head to Victoria’s spectacular Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for January’s International Island Classic.
The highlight will be the bar-banging International Challenge battle when Australia takes on America and a new-look UK.
Australia is the defending champion, and the ace up the locals’ sleeve is that they are going in with close to an unchanged line-up in 2020, so the likes of 2019 individual winner Steve Martin, David Johnson, Aaron Morris, Jed Metcher, Shawn Giles, Alex Phillis, Cameron Donald and Beau Beaton will all hit the ground running when practice begins on Friday ahead of qualifying and the four six-lap races on Saturday and Sunday.
However, that home ground advantage will only serve as motivation for America and the UK, especially the former which on paper has the means to seriously test the Aussies.
An American victory will depend a lot on the form of Josh Hayes, who won last year’s final race and is an out and out superstar with multiple AMA superbike titles to his credit.
Canadian superbike legend Jordan Szoke and Taylor Knapp are the new – and extremely fast – members of the America team, and other guns include Larry Pegram, Michael Gilbert and Hayes’ wife, Melissa Paris – the first female to compete in the International Challenge.
The UK returns in 2020 after sitting out last year’s event, and is packed with classic racing devotees from the British racing ranks – as well as a machine that was previously ridden at the event by the indomitable Jeremy McWilliams.
Team captain Tony Hart will ride that bike, and some of the UK big names include 30-year-old Alex Sinclair, who claims several Classic TT and Manx titles to his name, and chief tester for British motorcycle weekly MCN, Michael Neeves.
Classic history in a packed three-day schedule
Now in its 27th year, and the largest historic motorcycle racing event in the Southern Hemisphere, the weekend honours a century of motorcycling in three action-packed days, celebrating the splendour of historic racing across so many levels, from the exotic machines to the people who race and prep them.
As well the International Challenge, the Island Classic includes 50 other races for machines across the six historic racing categories: Veteran (up to 1919), Vintage (1920-1945), Classic (1946-1962), Post Classic (1963-1972), Forgotten Era (1973-1982) and New Era (1983-1990).
Up to 400 solo bikes will take to the 4.445km Phillip Island circuit over the three days, where each class will be decided after one qualifying session and five races and riders also vying for the Phil Irving Perpetual Trophy for the highest scorer in non-International Challenge events.
Qualifying will begin on Friday for all classes, followed by a full program of racing from late Friday through Saturday and Sunday. For more event info and tickets go to www.islandclassic.com.au
An affordable Australia Day Long-Weekend Away
Traditionally, Australia Day long weekend sojourns in beach-side locations cost a bomb! But think again, with Phillip Island’s Island Classic.
The circuit opens its grounds for camping for ticket holders, and suddenly four nights camping in a spectacular seaside location, is yours for a fraction of the cost you would normally pay.
But the trick is to buy in advance and secure your camping spot early.
Wrap your three-day event ticket in with four nights of on-circuit camping, and the cost for your Island Classic getaway – entry to three days of on-track action and camping with views over Bass Strait – will be just $167 booked in advance.
Even better, bring the family, because children 15 and under are free for camping and event entry, if they are accompanied by a full-paying adult.
Bookings for pre-purchased general admission and camping tickets close at 12:00pm on Thursday, January 23. You can buy at the gate from 8am Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings but it will cost you a little more.
To purchase tickets, visit https://islandclassic.com.au/ticket-information
SHAYNA TEXTER SIGNS A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING TEAM
TEXTER SET TO COMPETE IN THE 2020 AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE SINGLES CLASS
January 20, 2020
MURRIETA, Calif. – KTM Motorsports is pleased to announce that 18-time AFT Singles winner Shayna Texter has signed a two-year contract extension with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team to compete in the American Flat Track Championship Singles class through the 2021 season.
Texter, a Pennsylvania native, will return aboard the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, a bike that led her to three AFT Singles Main Event wins last season. As a part of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s debut season in 2019, Texter has been an integral part of the brand’s testing and development in American Flat Track racing. Finishing seventh overall in the series last season, Texter will look to improve her standing and go after even more race-wins in 2020.
Shayna Texter: “It’s an honor to be continuing my relationship with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team. They have created a culture of winning that I am happy to be a part of. We learned so much together last season with the new team and we won three races together, but now we turn our attention toward 2020 with new goals that I look forward to accomplishing on a Red Bull KTM.”
Team Manager, Chris Fillmore: “We are very happy to have Shayna continue with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team for another two years. She has proven that she can dominate on some of the most demanding circuits and also does a wonderful job representing herself, the team and the sport off the track. Starting a brand-new team can be an adjustment for everyone but we learned a lot through last season and going forward we’ll be better prepared, so this is a very motivating and exciting thing to be able to continue to work and grow with a rider like Shayna!”
The 2020 American Flat Track Championship kicks off on March 14 in Daytona Beach, Florida. For more information on the American Flat Track Championship, please visit their website https://www.americanflattrack.com.
Featured In the January/February 2020 issue of Roadracing World:
“No clutch, no gearbox, smooth and quiet. That sounds like the description of a learner’s machine, but we have to accept that it’s also the description of a cutting-edge electric motorcycle. And while easy-to-ride sums up my first impression of the Harley-Davidson LiveWire, it’s not the only thing this bike is about.
“It’s a performance motorcycle, a beast straight out of the power cruiser mold. It’s long, beefy, and when you twist the throttle things happen fast and you had better be ready…”
-2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire: The Electric Game Changes, By Michael Gougis
Harley-Davidson is the first big manufacturer into the electric bike game, and has spent years developing not only the LiveWire but the entire network around ownership of the machine. Editor-at-Large Michael Gougis whistled through the canyons of Southern California on one. Read his impressions in the latest issue of Roadracing World!
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ICEL ONCE AGAIN ON BOARD WITH GRESINI MOTOE PROJECT
Icel, leading company in the production and commercialisation of PVC and rubber cables, non-toxic cables, solar panel cables, data/command and building automation cables and EV charging cables, will once again be technical sponsor of Team Trentino Gresini MotoE, with whom they became World Champions at the end of the 2019 season.
Alongside Matteo Ferrari, this year there will be the young talent from Italy Alessandro Zaccone, for another all-Italian line up ready to try and repeat the same amount of success in this year’s edition of the electric world cup, which will get underway in the first weekend of May at Jerez de la Frontera.
ANDREA BABINI, PRESIDENT OF ICEL SCPA
“In a society that is finally rediscovering the importance of sustainability and care for the environment, we thought it was right to extend Icel Scpa’s partnership with Team Gresini within the MotoE championship, a series that has all-electric mobility as the protagonist. This partnership confirms the values which Icel has always believed in, because each of us can do something to guarantee a better future for next generations.”
FAUSTO GRESINI – TEAM MANAGER
“2019 was the perfect year for us and we’re happy that we enjoyed it with such an important partner like ICEL. Gresini’s DNA pushes us to always be among the protagonists and I’m sure that by confirming Matteo and signing Alessandro we will have another great line-up in order to challenge for the ultimate prize also in 2020.”
We’re now accepting photos and 2020 schedules from trackday and riding school operators for the 2020 Roadracing World Trackday Directory annual special issue, as well as for Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine.
All schedule submissions should include: The name of the school or trackday organization; the schedule (including exact dates, correct track names and locations, and the track layout being used that day, if applicable); and full contact information for riders to use.
Schedules submitted will be published in the Calendar section of Roadracing World magazine and the Events calendar section of Roadracingworld.com as soon as possible after they are received.
For trackday and school organizations to be listed in Roadracing World’s 2020 Trackday Directory annual special issue, we need your schedule and the following information by February 7, 2020:
School or Trackday Organization Name:
Physical or Mailing Address, (Street address, city, state abbreviation, zip code):
Phone Number:
FAX Number (optional):
Website Address:
Email Address:
(Select one answer for each question)
Please e-mail schedule/calendar and Trackday Directory listing information to [email protected].
Even if your 2020 schedule is not finalized, please respond to us and send whatever information you can so that you will not be left out of the Trackday Directory special issue. Provisional schedules or dates listed as provisional are allowed.
There is no cost to be listed in Roadracing World’s Trackday Directory annual edition, but we can’t post your information if we don’t receive it in time. As a result, late submissions or incomplete submissions may not be published.
Again, the deadline to submit is February 7, 2020.
If you’ve already submitted your schedule for inclusion in the Calendar section of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology, great! But this is not enough information for an entry in the Trackday Directory. Please submit the information requested above to be included in the once-per-year Roadracing World Trackday Directory or call us to do minor updates to the information we published in the 2019 Trackday Directory.
If you have any doubt about what you have or have not sent in or if it was received, please contact us.
As always, we are also requesting trackday organizers and school operators to submit digital photos of their events and groups in action – on and off the track — for possible publication in the 2020 Trackday Directory. This is a great way to publicize your events and spotlight some of your members at no cost to you, but we need you to help us help you.
Digital photos must be in-focus, free from any watermarks or graphics, and high-resolution, which means a minimum of 300 dpi/ppi or 3000 pixels wide at 3 inches. The best way to submit these photos is with a file transfer program like Hightail or Dropbox, which are free to download and use on a limited basis.
Photos must be accompanied by information we can use to write a decent caption. This includes the name of the track, information to credit the photographer, etc. By submitting a photo or photos, you certify that you own the submitted material and that you give us (Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.) permission to publish it in Roadracing World magazine and/or post it on Roadracingworld.com, without paying you (or anybody else).
For additional information, e-mail [email protected] or call (909) 654-4779.
