Roadracing World Editor John Ulrich interviews Energica Motor Company President and CRP Group CEO Franco Cevolini during a special event at Energica Motor Company’s headquarters in Modena, Italy.
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World Superbike: Ducati Riders Face Unknowns At San Juan Villicum Circuit
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team arrives in Argentina for the penultimate round of the 2019 Superbike World Championship
Following the final European round at Magny-Cours, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team has now flown to Argentina for the twelfth and penultimate round of the season, set to play out at the San Juan Villicum circuit. The track, which is situated in the centre-west part of the country not far from the border with Chile, was only completed last year and as a result is still a bit of an unfamiliar factor for Chaz Davies but above all for Álvaro Bautista, who has never even seen the place.
Both riders will want to conclude this penultimate round in the best possible way, looking to capitalize on the last remaining opportunities to go in search of podiums and victories. Currently, Bautista (415 points) and Davies (223 points) are respectively second and seventh in the overall standings. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will take to the track on Friday 12th October at 10.30 local time (CET -5) for the first free practice session.
Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) – 2nd (415 points)
“There are only two rounds left in the championship now, in Argentina and Qatar, so it’s very important to win some races before the end of the season. Now the next track at San Juan Villicum will be completely new for me, and surely the other riders have a lot more experience than me because they raced here last year. I’ll try and learn the track as quickly as possible and be competitive throughout the weekend. Our target is to work well and try and get the maximum in the last two rounds.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 7th (223 points)
“We’ve only been once to Argentina, so as a result we don’t have many references on this track, and above all none with the Panigale V4 R. From what I hear the track isn’t used a lot, so I think it will be another case of the circuit conditions changing throughout the weekend and you just have to get to grips with it. It’s an enjoyable layout, really fun to ride, I liked it a lot last year and I enjoy Argentina as well so there’s a lot to look forward to.”
The San Juan Villicum circuit
WorldSBK arrived in Argentina in 2018, with the San Juan Villicum circuit in the western province of San Juan becoming the host venue for the Argentinean Round for a second successive year. This circuit, after hosting a number of other events, has become one of the main motorsport venues of Argentina. Its mainly mountainous relief interspersed by valleys under a mild dry climate makes it an ideal place for all kind of sportive activities.
Circuit Record: Melandri (Ducati) 1’39.012 (155.47 km/h) – 2018
Fastest Lap: Rea (Kawasaki) 1’39.175 (155.22 km/h) – 2018
Track Length: 4.276 km
Race Distance: 2 x 21 laps (89.796 km), 1 x 10 laps (42.760 km)
Corners: 17 (10 left, 7 right)
2018 Results
Race 1: 1. Rea (Kawasaki); 2. Melandri (Ducati); 3. Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki)
Race 2: 1. Rea (Kawasaki); 2. Fores (Ducati); 3. Melandri (Ducati);
Álvaro Bautista
Bike: Ducati Panigale V4 R
Race Number: 19
Age: 34 (born on 21st November 1984 in Talavera de la Reina, Spain)
SBK Races: 30
First SBK Race: 2019 Phillip Island
Wins: 15
First Win: 2019 Phillip Island
Pole Positions: 3
First Pole Position: 2019 Buriram
Fastest Laps: 14
World Titles: 1 (2006 125cc)
Chaz Davies
Bike: Ducati Panigale V4 R
Race Number: 7
Age: 32 (born on 10th February 1987 in Knighton, UK)
SBK Races: 207
First SBK Race: 2012 Imola
Wins: 30
First Win: 2012 Nürburgring
Pole Positions: 7
First Pole Position: 2015 Laguna Seca
Fastest Laps: 31
World Titles: 1 (2011 Supersport)
British Superbike: More On Brandon Paasch’s Motostar (Moto3) Win At Donington Park
BRANDON PAASCH WINS, EXTENDS LEAD IN 2019 HEL PERFORMANCE BRITISH MOTOSTAR MOTO3 AT DONINGTON PARK
Brandon Paasch faced challenging weather and a technical difficulty with his KTM Moto3 race bike during his first visit to the Donington Park Circuit for the penultimate race weekend in the 2019 HEL Performance British Motostar Championship. Wet weather for the first practice session meant that he had to find his lines on the track while keeping the bike upright, under instructions from Team Owner Adrian Mason. The second session was even trickier, with a wet track on some sections and dry in others. After a few laps assessing the grip, Brandon came in and put on a set of slicks and set the second fastest time as the track dried.
Qualifying on Saturday morning was chilly, and Brandon found a few spots for improvement as he secured fourth position for the start of Race 1, just 0.21 seconds off the pole time. A poor start in the race meant he had to work hard to catch up and get back to the front of the pack. A race-long battle ensued with the front four riders swapping positions every lap, with Brandon making a move into second place with just a few laps remaining. A small mistake saw him slip back to third, where he completed the race for another podium finish. But the biggest surprise came when the team picked up the bike from parc ferme and discovered that the ECU and wiring harness had been fried during the race. After searching the paddock for a spare, the team had to make a six-hour roundtrip drive to get a secondary ECU from home base. The team all chipped in and had everything ready to go on the KTM Moto3 race bike by midnight for the race the next day.
Warmup on Sunday showed that the bike was ready to go, as Brandon lead the group with the fastest time. However, Race 2 was marred by rain and a number of riders falling off. It was a clean start for Brandon this time, and he quickly moved into the front group and followed the leaders to plot his strategy for the end of the race. On Lap 7, after a number of riders had crashed due to the sudden downpour of rain, the red flag came out to let the weather clear. The restart was a six lap dash to the flag, and Brandon was determined to be in the lead. With his best start of the year, he stayed right on the tail of the leader and made his move on the last lap. Now having a clear run to the checkers, Brandon put his head down to take the win with his fastest lap all weekend. With his two podiums over the weekend, Brandon increased his HEL Performance Moto3 championship lead, with only one other rider remaining within striking distance.
“That was a pretty good weekend all around, despite some of the big challenges that we faced with the track, the weather and the burnt ECU. Donington is a good track, one that I’ve wanted to race on for a while. With the wet weather it was a little tricky to sort out some of my lines, but things got better in each practice. I was just a little off in qualifying, and my start in Race 1 was terrible. But I was determined not to let the championship slip away, so I got my head down and pushed hard. I thought I had second wrapped up at the end, but I misjudged one of my brake markers and slipped back. I still kept it on the podium, but I was really worried when we found out the ECU got fried during the race. No one else had a spare in the paddock, so big thanks to Andy’s dad for making the long trip to pick up our team spare and get it back to the track. The rest of the team really pushed hard to have the bike ready for Race 2, and I was going to make sure that all that effort paid off.
Race 2 was a real mess when the rain came down. I was in a good spot for a run at the front at the end of the race, then a couple guys slid off and suddenly the red flag came out when the rain really came down. I was playing it safe to make it to the end of the race, but when the announced a six lap sprint, I knew I couldn’t just sit back. I finally got the launch I’d been working on all year, and I was right up there to go for it. I stuck it under the leader on the last lap and ripped off my fastest lap of the whole weekend, so I was really stoked when I took the win! I owe this one to Adrian, Andy, Dave and the whole crew for making sure the bike was ready to rip – thanks guys!” (Brandon Paasch)
“Well that was another crazy weekend – nothing ever seems to be easy in Moto3. I had strict instructions for Brandon to be fast but safe this weekend, as it was his first time at Donington, and I didn’t want to let the championship slip away. Brandon certainly was fast, and a big congrats to him for pulling out the race win on Sunday. But we wouldn’t have been able to race if Andy’s dad didn’t get that ECU for us, and then Andy and Dave getting the bike ready to race was another big effort. It really takes a team to win in this game, and I’m very proud of the whole FPW Racing crew. We’re all excited to get to the finale at Brands Hatch GP in a couple weeks, and we’ll be working hard to make sure we bring the championship home.” (Adrian Mason, Team Owner)
The final race weekend for British Superbike is October 18-20, where the 2019 HEL Performance British Motostar Championship will be decided. Fans and supporters can catch all the Moto3 practices, qualifying and race action through live timing and commentary at www.britishsuperbike.com or on the Bennetts British Superbike app, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Subscribe and follow Brandon and FPW Racing on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter:
– YouTube: search for Brandon Paasch and subscribe to his channel
– Facebook: @BrandonPaasch facebook.com/BrandonPaasch/ www.facebook.com/FPWRacing/
– Instagram: instagram.com/brandon_paasch instagram.com/fpwracing/
– Twitter: @PaaschBrandon @fpwracing
– Hashtags: #SendItBP2019 #PaaschFPWRacing #HELPerformanceMoto3
Brandon Paasch is sponsored by Electronic Concepts, luxeStar VIP, Classic Car Club of Manhattan, NJMiniGP, Evolve GT, BJT Mechanical, Arai, and Spidi. Coaching and training provided by Birdhouse Training.
FPW Racing is an amalgamation of the Fireplace Warehouse and several like-minded bike enthusiasts to support one common goal – to establish young riders and to give them a leg up in their racing careers. FPW Racing is sponsored by The Fireplace Warehouse, Motul, Pro Bolt, Hel, Regina, Jennings Race Products. For more information, visit us at www.fpwracing.co.uk
Ohvale World Series: More On American Rossi Moor’s Roller Coaster Weekend In Italy
Great start and pole position then a mass of technical problems for Rossi Moor at the Ohvale World Series!
The Ohvale World Series [held October 4-6 at Adria Karting Raceway in Italy] started in a fantastic way for the riders of Mugen Race Junior Team. One of the three competitors, the American Rossi Moor participated in both 160cc and 190cc categories. He dominated the 190cc on Saturday by gaining the pole position in this category.
On Sunday, however, Rossi had some bad luck!
His bike was working fine on Friday, on Saturday, and also in the warm-up on Sunday. He was at the top of the list in both categories. However, when the race came and lined up at the starting grid all hell broke loose, sort of speak.
“My 190cc Ohvale would not start on the starting grid, so I was not even able to run on the first race,” said Rossi. “With the 160cc Ohvale, in the first race once, again, my bike would not start. We were able to start it up finally and I was able to ran the race, but the bike throttle reaction was off. So I finished the race in fifth position.
“On the second race in the 160cc category I was starting from the pit lane and I had make up a lots of position, and I ended the race in sixth position.
“In 190cc category I had a great start I had a holeshot and I was able to gap the whole field by 4.5 seconds. By the eighth lap in Turn Eight turn my bike all of a sudden stopped and I flew over the handlebars. I got up quickly, picked the bike up, restarted the race from far back, and I finished in 12th position.
“It was some bad luck, but now I’m just focusing on the next race in Albacete!”
Stefano Favaro, founder of Sport & Events Academy, was not happy about the unlucky happenings and said, “Unfortunately, what could have gone wrong went wrong for Rossi today. It was a pity because he showed in the practices and qualification that he could win in both categories based on his pace! He fell in Race Two, of course I’m not happy about it, but he is learning from it, too!
“Overall, the result is not positive for everyone, but it is also an experience and such is motorsport – the devil never sleeps. What I’m very pleased with is many people from different countries have come to congratulate to Rossi on his technical skills and performance, which means we’re doing a good job with the Academy! “
World Superbike: BMW Bringing New Parts To Try In Argentina
The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team head to Argentina for the penultimate round of the 2019 WorldSBK Championship.
Circuito San Juan Villicum
The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team are heading across the Atlantic to San Juan (Argentina) this week in preparation for the penultimate round of the 2019 World Superbike Championship. The new Circuito San Juan Villicum was added to the calendar in 2018 and is situated in the province of San Juan, close to the city of Albardón. The 4.2 kilometre track contains 19 corners with 11 left, 8 right and includes long back straight over 1km long – providing some exciting racing.
Tom Sykes heads into Round 12 sitting eight in the championship with 209 points. Along the way Tom has tallied up 1 pole, 4 podiums and set the fastest lap of Race 1 at Donington Park back in July. Markus Reiterberger despite missing a round sits in P14 with 68 points on the board. Markus has taken 1 front row following his impressive qualifying session in Assen, Holland.
Shaun Muir, Team Principal:
“First of all, we are looking forward to this event. I think we certainly made a good step forward with Tom in race one at Magny-Cours. We are now continuing this progress and have some good ideas. We also have some new parts coming to San Juan which should give us a good continuation of the progress. We are happy to be going to San Juan. Tom is confident and he knows he can challenge for the top four or top five. It is certainly a circuit that is very technical with a long straight, but we feel now with the progress we have made over the last few races that we can be contenders for these podium positions. Markus is new to San Juan, so it will take him some time to familiarise himself. Off the back of a difficult Magny-Cours we hope that he can get to know the circuit quickly and hopefully make a step forward.”
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director:
“We are already very excited for the race weekend in Argentina. The fans there gave the WorldSBK a great reception last year, and no doubt the atmosphere will be amazing again this time. There will also be many BMW guests from Chile and Brazil who will come to support us on site. We have used the short break since Magny-Cours to continue working on improving our BMW S 1000 RR and will be bringing new parts and ideas with us. We are expecting hot, sunny weather, and we need to try to prepare the bike for high track temperatures right from the first practice session. We will be relying on our experiences from the most recent races. The objective is to consistently be up there in the top five and to seize the opportunity of a spot on the podium if it arises.”
Tom Sykes:
“We are looking forward to going back to Argentina. The debut there last year was great. There were a lot of spectators who really showed a lot of passion for racing. It’s obviously a long journey going there but after that we have a great circuit layout. I feel that we can carry on in development with the information we have gained in the last couple of events. We have a very large uphill back straight at the circuit which obviously will not be our strong point, but the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team is working hard and we will go there, give our best efforts and see where we can end up. After the weekend in Argentina I will be travelling to Brazil for an event for the new BMW S 1000 RR and that’s going to make it an eventful and exciting trip for me.”
Markus Reiterberger:
“Argentina is a very long way away, but I am already looking forward to the weekend. I’ve never been to San Juan myself, but I followed last year’s races on TV, and the track looks really exciting. I love overseas races because the schedule isn’t as packed as in Europe. I really hope that things will be better this time than they were at the last weekend at Magny-Cours. I would like to get a better result with my team in Argentina. I am motivated and am looking forward to finally getting to know this track that’s new to me.”
World Supersport 300: American Dallas Daniels To Ride As Wild Card In Season Finale In Qatar
Yamaha bLU cRU Wild Card Riders to make World Championship Debut in Qatar
The inclusion of wild card riders from Indonesia and the United States of America means that the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge line up for the final round of the 2019 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship in Qatar will be truly international. 17-year-old Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah from Indonesia and 16-year-old Dallas Daniels from America will make their World Championship debut in Qatar, as Yamaha’s bLU cRU project expands its global reach.
Faerozi Toreqottullah, a graduate of the sixth Yamaha VR46 Mastercamp in 2018, will make his World Championship debut in Qatar alongside his fellow countryman, and experienced WorldSSP300 competitor, Galang Hendra Pratama, in the Semakin Di Depan Biblion MotoXRacing Yamaha team. It will be a baptism of fire for the Indonesian, who steps up to the world stage having contested the ARRC AP250 class aboard a Yamaha Racing Indonesia Team YZF-R25 for the past two seasons.
Daniels, the first American to join Yamaha’s bLU cRU project, has a background in both road racing and flat track. The Illinois resident finished third in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup this season, despite missing six of the 17 races due to clashes with his 2019 Flat Track campaign, in which he competed for the Estenson Yamaha team in the AFT Singles category aboard a Yamaha YZF450F. Daniels will race in Qatar with the BCD Yamaha MS Racing Team, alongside Yamaha bLU cRU regulars, Andy Verdoïa and Beatriz Neila.
The WorldSSP300 race in Qatar, the final round of the 2019 season, marks a new era for the championship, as it’s the first time the series has ventured outside of Europe since its inception back in 2017. Racing at the Losail International Circuit will be a new experience for all the Yamaha bLU cRU riders, not just the two wild cards, as it will be their first experience of racing at night under floodlights.
Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah
“I would like to say thank you to Yamaha for giving me a chance to race in WorldSSP300 at Qatar as a wild card, it is a really great surprise for me. I am really happy to race with Galang Hendra and the MotoXRacing Team who have a lot of experience in WorldSSP300, and I will give maximum efforts to this opportunity, Semakin Di Depan, Gasspoll.”
Dallas Daniels
“I’m thrilled that Tommy [Hayden, Estenson Racing Team Manager] and Keith [McCarty, Racing Division Manager, Yamaha Motorsports for Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.] put this deal together for me. I still want to do as much road racing as I can, and to race in the World Supersport 300 Championship is going to be great. Everything on the bike will be prepped and ready to go. They’ll have a crew in place, so I just need to show up and ride. I can’t wait.”
Andrea Dosoli
Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager
“We are excited that Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah and Dallas Daniels will join Yamaha’s bLU cRU project for the final round of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship in Qatar. Our bLU cRU project has gone from strength to strength in recent years, providing a path for young, talented riders stepping up to the world stage from their respective national championships. Initially designed primarily to support European riders, the bLU cRU project now has an increasingly global reach, thanks to the strategic support of the Yamaha Motor Corporation Motorsport Division. Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama, a two-time race winner in WorldSSP300, has raced for two seasons on the world stage as a bLU cRU rider and his progress has prompted interest in the project from around the world. Galang will race in Qatar alongside his compatriot, Faerozi Toreqottullah, thus strengthening the links between our bLU cRU project and South East Asia. Equally exciting is the fact that Dallas Daniels will be the first American to race on the world stage as a bLU cRU rider, which illustrates how the project has matured into a truly global platform. I look forward to welcoming our two wild card riders into the bLU cRU family and I wish them every success as they make their World Championship debut under the floodlights in Qatar.”
Four Americans Invited To Attend The 2019 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Selection Event In Spain
Selection Event 2019 – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
A girl from India and a guy from Venezuela. In common they have a love of motorcycle racing and a desire to race in MotoGP. Along with over a hundred other superfast teenagers from around the globe they will meet in Guadix, Spain on October 15th, 16th and 17th to show their remarkable skills at the Red Bull MotoGP Selection Event.
Three days on a circuit in Spain is their first step to racing stardom, the same step taken by World Champions such as Brad Binder, Angel Martín and Joan Mir who have since spread their talents through Moto3, Moto2 and into MotoGP and, with other ex-rookies, are heading for 100 Grand Prix victories.
How it works
So this is a pivotal three days for these young riders. The total entry is split into 2 and the first half ride on Day 1, divided into seven groups, each on identical PreMoto3 250cc machines. Each group has a morning session of fifteen minutes and they are watched by four judges who have been involved in Grand Prix racing for many decades.
A second session in the afternoon gives the youngsters another opportunity and at the end of the day the Selection Committee reviews their observations and draws up a list of riders to be invited back for Day 3. Day 2 sees the second half on the entry on track and the schedule is repeated.
Day 3 finds selected riders on track again for third and fourth sessions, similarly observed. Then the final Selection Committee meeting draws up the list of around 10 to 12 riders who will be invited to join the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup for 2020. They will join riders who continue from this season.
Even if it doesn’t work
It is an important time for these young talents and tensions are high. It is also a fantastic experience in itself, a celebration of fun and speed. Those who don’t succeed may well apply again next year. Whatever happens, they know more about themselves and they have had the opportunity to meet 100 others from around the world who share the same dreams.
Selection Event Entry List:
Tomás Acevedo (Argentina)
Senna Agius (Australia)
Fermín Aldeguer Mengual (Spain)
Boudin Alexis (France)
Oscar Almonacil (Spain)
David Alonso (Colombia)
Raquel Ananda Nogueira Vaz (Brazil)
Facundo Andrés Llambias Rosas (Uruguay)
Felipe Arredondo (Colombia)
Julen Ávila Cortes (Spain)
Levi Badie (Belgium)
Cristian Basso (Italy)
Pedro Enrique Benito Fraga (Spain)
Dean Berta Viñales (Spain)
Dinis Borges (Portugal)
Franco Reub Bourne (Great Britain)
Cormac Buchanan (New Zealand)
Michal Búlik (Slovakia)
Unai Calatayud Pascual (Spain)
Maxime Cappelle (France)
Ido Chen (Israel)
Torin Collins (Canada)
Davide Conte (Italy)
Rafael Damásio (Portugal)
Adon Davie (Great Britain)
Bryan-Kim Dupasquier (Switzerland)
Fazlı Ercelik (Turkey)
Jorke Erwig (Germany)
Vincent Falcone (France)
Mattia Falzone (Italy)
Filippo Farioli (Italy)
Adrian Fernandez Gonzalez (Spain)
Cros Francis (Australia)
Tetsuya Fujita (Japan)
Leungo Gaorekwe (South Africa)
Drew Gates (South Africa)
George Gerakianakis (Greece)
Clément Giabbani (France)
Sergio Gómez-Caro López-Hermoso (Spain)
Soma Görbe (Hungary)
Luca Göttlicher (Germany)
Angus Grenfell (Australia)
Izan Guevara Bonnin (Spain)
Aryan Gurav (India)
Jack Hart (Great Britain)
Daniel Holgado Miralles (Spain)
Jacopo Adriano Hosciuc (Romania)
Muhammad Izam Ikmal (Malaysia)
Gábor Bence Kecskés (Hungary)
Toby Khamsouk (United States)
Lenni Klemetti (Finland)
Andreas Kofler (Austria)
Maksym Kovalov (Ukraine)
Aditi Krishnan (India)
Raphael Kuberesky Ramos (Brazil)
Rocco Landers (United States)
Caique Lanna de Menezes (Brazil)
Lennox Lehmann (Germany)
Alfonso Gustavo Linares Ochoa (Venezuela)
Linus Lundin (Denmark)
Luca Lunetta (Italy)
Jamie Lyons (Ireland)
Ross Maguire (Great Britain)
Humberto Cezar Maier Neto (Brazil)
Kiko Maria (Portugal)
Juan Andres Marin Arango (Colombia)
Valentina Martinez Trujillo (Colombia)
Gabriele Mastroluca (Italy)
Mario Mayor Francés (Spain)
Mateo Jesús Mayorga Salazar (Argentina)
Ido Menaged (Israel)
Alex Millan Gomez (Spain)
Facundo Martin Mora Allis (Argentina)
Guillermo Marcel Moreno Crail (Mexico)
Alessandro Morosi (Italy)
Max Muckle (Germany)
Daniel Muñoz Fernandez (Spain)
David Muñoz Rodríguez (Spain)
Scott Ogden (Great Britain)
Barnabas Olah (Hungary)
Unai Orradre Abad (Spain)
Ivan Ortolá Díez (Spain)
Milan Pawelec (Poland)
Victor Pérez de León Fermann (Mexico)
Ioannis-Konstantinos Peristeras (Greece)
Bartholomé Perrin (France)
João Pedro Pires Campos Arratia (Brazil)
Mattia Rato (Italy)
David Real Perez (Spain)
Maxim Repák (Slovakia)
Oriol Rodriguez Vives (Spain)
Nick Roelfsema (Netherlands)
Marcos Rol Alvarez (Spain)
Elie Rousselot (France)
Marcos Ruda (Spain)
Galip Satici (Turkey)
Errol Sullivan (United States)
Angelo Tagliarini (Switzerland)
Jesús Torres Cabrera (Spain)
Maxwell Toth (United States)
Blai Trias Molas (Spain)
Enzo Valentim Garcia (Brazil)
Ilya Vasilevsky (Russia)
Collin Veijer (Netherlands)
Bastiaan Visser (Netherlands)
Ondrej Vostatek (Czech Republic)
Noel Willemsen (Germany)
Chris Wright (South Africa)
Štěpán Zuda (Czech Republic)
Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1979 Honda NR500
Featured In the September 2019 issue of Roadracing World:
At the launch of the stunning six-cylinder CBX streetbike in the fall of 1977, Honda announced it would return to Grand Prix racing in 1979! Most assumed it would be with a two-stroke, but rumors of radical new four-strokes started to make the rounds.
FIM regulations restricted the number of cylinders in the premier 500cc Grand Prix class to four. Honda engineers knew the only way to beat the two-strokes with a four-stroke was combining very high rpm combined with a very short stroke to reduce piston speed. Initial designs included a V4 with large bores with eight valves. This would have needed a tall engine to accommodate huge bores in the V between the cylinder banks.
Designer Shoichiro Irimajiri finally settled on a V4 with oval-shaped pistons, each with two connecting rods and eight valves. This circumvented the 4-cylinder regulations, offering a compact, short-stroke engine mimicking a conventional V8 . . .
–Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1979 Honda NR500, By Mick Ofield
Honda returned to 500cc Grand Prix racing on its own terms, convinced that it could create a four-stroke engine that would match the highly-strung, well-developed two-strokes that dominated top-level road racing. What it came up with was a design so audacious that it remains unique in racing. All the technical details are in the September issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.
PREVIEW the September 2019 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology!
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Quick Look: 2019 Suzuki DR-Z400S
Featured in the September 2019 issue of Roadracing World:
Sometimes, a streetbike is not the best choice for a specific riding mission. And sometimes, if the goal is to get away from civilization and have some fun, a dual-sport can be a better choice.
While there are many popular “adventure touring” models available that are theoretically capable of accomplishing a mission like this, my limited off-road riding experience led me to avoid the 500-plus-pound, 100-plus-horsepower machines and think small, light, and manageable.
Which brings us to the subject of this Quick Look, the 2019 Suzuki DR-Z400S dual-sport machine …
–“Getting Away From It All” by David Swarts
In a world of technical advancement and increasing sophistication, it’s easy to overlook the fun and satisfaction of a simple, elemental machine that actually can do it all. Associate Editor David Swarts thrashed the Suzuki DR-Z400S on the pavement, on the freeway and in the dirt, and came away impressed. Take a look at the DR-Z from every angle – all the details are in the September 2019 issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.
PREVIEW the September 2019 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats. SUBSCRIBE NOW FOR INSTANT ACCESS!
Log in or subscribe HERE. Or call (909) 654-4779, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
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World Superbike: Yamaha Previews The Races At Circuito San Juan Villicum, In Argentina
Next Stop Argentina as Yamaha WorldSBK Teams Head for the Southern
The Yamaha WorldSBK teams will cross the equator for only the second time this season as they head for Circuito San Juan Villicum in Argentina, venue for the penultimate round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship. It could prove a pivotal race weekend for Pata Yamaha’s Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark, both of whom are targeting the podium as they continue their battle for third place in the championship standings.
Lowes and van der Mark departed the previous round in Magny-Cours as they’d started it, with the Briton lying third in the series standings but with only a five-point advantage over his Dutch teammate. The Pata Yamaha riders will also need to keep a close eye on Toprak Razgatlioglu, whose two race wins last time out in Magny-Cours saw him close to within 19 points of Lowes, making it a three-way battle for the final step of the championship podium in Qatar.
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Marco Melandri, is excited to return to Argentina and Circuito San Juan Villicum, a track he rates as one of the most fun to ride on the WorldSBK calendar. Melandri is looking to build on his results last time out in Magny-Cours, where the veteran Italian finished both feature races inside the top ten, with sixth in WorldSBK Race 2 his best placing of the weekend.
Sandro Cortese finished on the podium in the WorldSSP race in Argentina 12 months ago, but the track is another at which the German rider will be making his debut aboard the GRT Yamaha YZF-R1 this season. Cortese is hoping for good weather in which to adapt to the demands of the Superbike during free practice on Friday, as he looks to rediscover his form after the changeable weather saw the reigning Supersport World Champion endure a difficult weekend last time out in Magny-Cours.
Loris Baz is another rider looking forward to returning to South America this weekend. Baz and the Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK team have gone from strength to strength since returning to WorldSBK in Jerez and both rider and team have shown real podium potential. A top-three finish has so far eluded them, but Baz remains determined to stand on the podium at least once this season and the Frenchman heads into the Argentina weekend knowing he has only six races remaining in which to achieve his goal.
The Circuito San Juan Villicum runs anticlockwise and features 11 left and 8 right-hand corners along its 4.276km length. The track is adjacent to the iconic Route 40 road, which runs for 5,000km from the north to the south of Argentina along the length of the Andes. Construction of the track was started in 2016 with work completed last year, just in time to host the 2018 WorldSBK round, which was the first international event to be held at the circuit.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“Last year was our first visit to Argentina and I really enjoyed it. The track itself is quite technical with some flowing changes of direction this, together with the fast parts and the long back straight make it a fun circuit to ride. It’s also got one of the best backdrops of any racetrack, with the surrounding mountains making it really cool. I’m fully focused on getting back to work on Friday, working on our setting to put us in the best position to fight for the podium on Saturday and Sunday, which is our target as always.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“I really enjoy going to Argentina. Last year was a difficult race for us but I’m pretty sure that it will be a lot better this year given the progress we’ve made. Our whole package has improved so I’m confident we will have another strong weekend Circuito San Juan Villicum in San Juan this weekend. We are in a really nice flow at the moment, so my goal is to once again be fighting for the top positions in the penultimate round of the season.”
Marco Melandri
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“I’m really happy to be heading to Argentina, as it’s one of my favourite places. I really like the country and the track is really fun to ride, I really enjoyed racing there last year. I’m excited to be returning to the track again, although I hope they haven’t had too many car races there in the interim and that the tarmac is still as flat as it was last year. I am confident that we can keep improving, and that’s what we’ll be working towards this weekend.”
Sandro Cortese
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“Magny-Cours was a very difficult and unlucky weekend for me, so I’m looking forward to hitting the reset button ahead of the races in Argentina. The Circuito San Juan Villicum is very special and I enjoyed racing there last year on the Supersport bike. This will be my first time there on the Superbike and I think it will be even more enjoyable on the YZF-R1, especially the fast sections and the long back straight.”
Loris Baz
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“I’m looking forward to heading back to Argentina and it will be cool to race at the Circuito San Juan Villicum once again. We are improving every time we take to the track and we are getting closer to the podium with every race, so let’s see what Argentina brings. The track was new last year and quite dirty, which made for tricky conditions, so hopefully, it’s cleaned up a bit with 12 months of use. I’m not really sure how our bike will work there, but the grip can be a bit unpredictable and I think the YZF-R1 suits these conditions. The goal is simple; to continue improving, to close on the guys at the very front of the race and, if possible, step onto the podium for the first time.”
Video Interview: Energica Motor Company President And CRP Group CEO Franco Cevolini
Roadracing World Editor John Ulrich interviews Energica Motor Company President and CRP Group CEO Franco Cevolini during a special event at Energica Motor Company’s headquarters in Modena, Italy.
World Superbike: Ducati Riders Face Unknowns At San Juan Villicum Circuit
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team arrives in Argentina for the penultimate round of the 2019 Superbike World Championship
Following the final European round at Magny-Cours, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team has now flown to Argentina for the twelfth and penultimate round of the season, set to play out at the San Juan Villicum circuit. The track, which is situated in the centre-west part of the country not far from the border with Chile, was only completed last year and as a result is still a bit of an unfamiliar factor for Chaz Davies but above all for Álvaro Bautista, who has never even seen the place.
Both riders will want to conclude this penultimate round in the best possible way, looking to capitalize on the last remaining opportunities to go in search of podiums and victories. Currently, Bautista (415 points) and Davies (223 points) are respectively second and seventh in the overall standings. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will take to the track on Friday 12th October at 10.30 local time (CET -5) for the first free practice session.
Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19) – 2nd (415 points)
“There are only two rounds left in the championship now, in Argentina and Qatar, so it’s very important to win some races before the end of the season. Now the next track at San Juan Villicum will be completely new for me, and surely the other riders have a lot more experience than me because they raced here last year. I’ll try and learn the track as quickly as possible and be competitive throughout the weekend. Our target is to work well and try and get the maximum in the last two rounds.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 7th (223 points)
“We’ve only been once to Argentina, so as a result we don’t have many references on this track, and above all none with the Panigale V4 R. From what I hear the track isn’t used a lot, so I think it will be another case of the circuit conditions changing throughout the weekend and you just have to get to grips with it. It’s an enjoyable layout, really fun to ride, I liked it a lot last year and I enjoy Argentina as well so there’s a lot to look forward to.”
The San Juan Villicum circuit
WorldSBK arrived in Argentina in 2018, with the San Juan Villicum circuit in the western province of San Juan becoming the host venue for the Argentinean Round for a second successive year. This circuit, after hosting a number of other events, has become one of the main motorsport venues of Argentina. Its mainly mountainous relief interspersed by valleys under a mild dry climate makes it an ideal place for all kind of sportive activities.
Circuit Record: Melandri (Ducati) 1’39.012 (155.47 km/h) – 2018
Fastest Lap: Rea (Kawasaki) 1’39.175 (155.22 km/h) – 2018
Track Length: 4.276 km
Race Distance: 2 x 21 laps (89.796 km), 1 x 10 laps (42.760 km)
Corners: 17 (10 left, 7 right)
2018 Results
Race 1: 1. Rea (Kawasaki); 2. Melandri (Ducati); 3. Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki)
Race 2: 1. Rea (Kawasaki); 2. Fores (Ducati); 3. Melandri (Ducati);
Álvaro Bautista
Bike: Ducati Panigale V4 R
Race Number: 19
Age: 34 (born on 21st November 1984 in Talavera de la Reina, Spain)
SBK Races: 30
First SBK Race: 2019 Phillip Island
Wins: 15
First Win: 2019 Phillip Island
Pole Positions: 3
First Pole Position: 2019 Buriram
Fastest Laps: 14
World Titles: 1 (2006 125cc)
Chaz Davies
Bike: Ducati Panigale V4 R
Race Number: 7
Age: 32 (born on 10th February 1987 in Knighton, UK)
SBK Races: 207
First SBK Race: 2012 Imola
Wins: 30
First Win: 2012 Nürburgring
Pole Positions: 7
First Pole Position: 2015 Laguna Seca
Fastest Laps: 31
World Titles: 1 (2011 Supersport)
British Superbike: More On Brandon Paasch’s Motostar (Moto3) Win At Donington Park
BRANDON PAASCH WINS, EXTENDS LEAD IN 2019 HEL PERFORMANCE BRITISH MOTOSTAR MOTO3 AT DONINGTON PARK
Brandon Paasch faced challenging weather and a technical difficulty with his KTM Moto3 race bike during his first visit to the Donington Park Circuit for the penultimate race weekend in the 2019 HEL Performance British Motostar Championship. Wet weather for the first practice session meant that he had to find his lines on the track while keeping the bike upright, under instructions from Team Owner Adrian Mason. The second session was even trickier, with a wet track on some sections and dry in others. After a few laps assessing the grip, Brandon came in and put on a set of slicks and set the second fastest time as the track dried.
Qualifying on Saturday morning was chilly, and Brandon found a few spots for improvement as he secured fourth position for the start of Race 1, just 0.21 seconds off the pole time. A poor start in the race meant he had to work hard to catch up and get back to the front of the pack. A race-long battle ensued with the front four riders swapping positions every lap, with Brandon making a move into second place with just a few laps remaining. A small mistake saw him slip back to third, where he completed the race for another podium finish. But the biggest surprise came when the team picked up the bike from parc ferme and discovered that the ECU and wiring harness had been fried during the race. After searching the paddock for a spare, the team had to make a six-hour roundtrip drive to get a secondary ECU from home base. The team all chipped in and had everything ready to go on the KTM Moto3 race bike by midnight for the race the next day.
Warmup on Sunday showed that the bike was ready to go, as Brandon lead the group with the fastest time. However, Race 2 was marred by rain and a number of riders falling off. It was a clean start for Brandon this time, and he quickly moved into the front group and followed the leaders to plot his strategy for the end of the race. On Lap 7, after a number of riders had crashed due to the sudden downpour of rain, the red flag came out to let the weather clear. The restart was a six lap dash to the flag, and Brandon was determined to be in the lead. With his best start of the year, he stayed right on the tail of the leader and made his move on the last lap. Now having a clear run to the checkers, Brandon put his head down to take the win with his fastest lap all weekend. With his two podiums over the weekend, Brandon increased his HEL Performance Moto3 championship lead, with only one other rider remaining within striking distance.
“That was a pretty good weekend all around, despite some of the big challenges that we faced with the track, the weather and the burnt ECU. Donington is a good track, one that I’ve wanted to race on for a while. With the wet weather it was a little tricky to sort out some of my lines, but things got better in each practice. I was just a little off in qualifying, and my start in Race 1 was terrible. But I was determined not to let the championship slip away, so I got my head down and pushed hard. I thought I had second wrapped up at the end, but I misjudged one of my brake markers and slipped back. I still kept it on the podium, but I was really worried when we found out the ECU got fried during the race. No one else had a spare in the paddock, so big thanks to Andy’s dad for making the long trip to pick up our team spare and get it back to the track. The rest of the team really pushed hard to have the bike ready for Race 2, and I was going to make sure that all that effort paid off.
Race 2 was a real mess when the rain came down. I was in a good spot for a run at the front at the end of the race, then a couple guys slid off and suddenly the red flag came out when the rain really came down. I was playing it safe to make it to the end of the race, but when the announced a six lap sprint, I knew I couldn’t just sit back. I finally got the launch I’d been working on all year, and I was right up there to go for it. I stuck it under the leader on the last lap and ripped off my fastest lap of the whole weekend, so I was really stoked when I took the win! I owe this one to Adrian, Andy, Dave and the whole crew for making sure the bike was ready to rip – thanks guys!” (Brandon Paasch)
“Well that was another crazy weekend – nothing ever seems to be easy in Moto3. I had strict instructions for Brandon to be fast but safe this weekend, as it was his first time at Donington, and I didn’t want to let the championship slip away. Brandon certainly was fast, and a big congrats to him for pulling out the race win on Sunday. But we wouldn’t have been able to race if Andy’s dad didn’t get that ECU for us, and then Andy and Dave getting the bike ready to race was another big effort. It really takes a team to win in this game, and I’m very proud of the whole FPW Racing crew. We’re all excited to get to the finale at Brands Hatch GP in a couple weeks, and we’ll be working hard to make sure we bring the championship home.” (Adrian Mason, Team Owner)
The final race weekend for British Superbike is October 18-20, where the 2019 HEL Performance British Motostar Championship will be decided. Fans and supporters can catch all the Moto3 practices, qualifying and race action through live timing and commentary at www.britishsuperbike.com or on the Bennetts British Superbike app, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Subscribe and follow Brandon and FPW Racing on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter:
– YouTube: search for Brandon Paasch and subscribe to his channel
– Facebook: @BrandonPaasch facebook.com/BrandonPaasch/ www.facebook.com/FPWRacing/
– Instagram: instagram.com/brandon_paasch instagram.com/fpwracing/
– Twitter: @PaaschBrandon @fpwracing
– Hashtags: #SendItBP2019 #PaaschFPWRacing #HELPerformanceMoto3
Brandon Paasch is sponsored by Electronic Concepts, luxeStar VIP, Classic Car Club of Manhattan, NJMiniGP, Evolve GT, BJT Mechanical, Arai, and Spidi. Coaching and training provided by Birdhouse Training.
FPW Racing is an amalgamation of the Fireplace Warehouse and several like-minded bike enthusiasts to support one common goal – to establish young riders and to give them a leg up in their racing careers. FPW Racing is sponsored by The Fireplace Warehouse, Motul, Pro Bolt, Hel, Regina, Jennings Race Products. For more information, visit us at www.fpwracing.co.uk
Ohvale World Series: More On American Rossi Moor’s Roller Coaster Weekend In Italy
Great start and pole position then a mass of technical problems for Rossi Moor at the Ohvale World Series!
The Ohvale World Series [held October 4-6 at Adria Karting Raceway in Italy] started in a fantastic way for the riders of Mugen Race Junior Team. One of the three competitors, the American Rossi Moor participated in both 160cc and 190cc categories. He dominated the 190cc on Saturday by gaining the pole position in this category.
On Sunday, however, Rossi had some bad luck!
His bike was working fine on Friday, on Saturday, and also in the warm-up on Sunday. He was at the top of the list in both categories. However, when the race came and lined up at the starting grid all hell broke loose, sort of speak.
“My 190cc Ohvale would not start on the starting grid, so I was not even able to run on the first race,” said Rossi. “With the 160cc Ohvale, in the first race once, again, my bike would not start. We were able to start it up finally and I was able to ran the race, but the bike throttle reaction was off. So I finished the race in fifth position.
“On the second race in the 160cc category I was starting from the pit lane and I had make up a lots of position, and I ended the race in sixth position.
“In 190cc category I had a great start I had a holeshot and I was able to gap the whole field by 4.5 seconds. By the eighth lap in Turn Eight turn my bike all of a sudden stopped and I flew over the handlebars. I got up quickly, picked the bike up, restarted the race from far back, and I finished in 12th position.
“It was some bad luck, but now I’m just focusing on the next race in Albacete!”
Stefano Favaro, founder of Sport & Events Academy, was not happy about the unlucky happenings and said, “Unfortunately, what could have gone wrong went wrong for Rossi today. It was a pity because he showed in the practices and qualification that he could win in both categories based on his pace! He fell in Race Two, of course I’m not happy about it, but he is learning from it, too!
“Overall, the result is not positive for everyone, but it is also an experience and such is motorsport – the devil never sleeps. What I’m very pleased with is many people from different countries have come to congratulate to Rossi on his technical skills and performance, which means we’re doing a good job with the Academy! “
World Superbike: BMW Bringing New Parts To Try In Argentina
The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team head to Argentina for the penultimate round of the 2019 WorldSBK Championship.
Circuito San Juan Villicum
The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team are heading across the Atlantic to San Juan (Argentina) this week in preparation for the penultimate round of the 2019 World Superbike Championship. The new Circuito San Juan Villicum was added to the calendar in 2018 and is situated in the province of San Juan, close to the city of Albardón. The 4.2 kilometre track contains 19 corners with 11 left, 8 right and includes long back straight over 1km long – providing some exciting racing.
Tom Sykes heads into Round 12 sitting eight in the championship with 209 points. Along the way Tom has tallied up 1 pole, 4 podiums and set the fastest lap of Race 1 at Donington Park back in July. Markus Reiterberger despite missing a round sits in P14 with 68 points on the board. Markus has taken 1 front row following his impressive qualifying session in Assen, Holland.
Shaun Muir, Team Principal:
“First of all, we are looking forward to this event. I think we certainly made a good step forward with Tom in race one at Magny-Cours. We are now continuing this progress and have some good ideas. We also have some new parts coming to San Juan which should give us a good continuation of the progress. We are happy to be going to San Juan. Tom is confident and he knows he can challenge for the top four or top five. It is certainly a circuit that is very technical with a long straight, but we feel now with the progress we have made over the last few races that we can be contenders for these podium positions. Markus is new to San Juan, so it will take him some time to familiarise himself. Off the back of a difficult Magny-Cours we hope that he can get to know the circuit quickly and hopefully make a step forward.”
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director:
“We are already very excited for the race weekend in Argentina. The fans there gave the WorldSBK a great reception last year, and no doubt the atmosphere will be amazing again this time. There will also be many BMW guests from Chile and Brazil who will come to support us on site. We have used the short break since Magny-Cours to continue working on improving our BMW S 1000 RR and will be bringing new parts and ideas with us. We are expecting hot, sunny weather, and we need to try to prepare the bike for high track temperatures right from the first practice session. We will be relying on our experiences from the most recent races. The objective is to consistently be up there in the top five and to seize the opportunity of a spot on the podium if it arises.”
Tom Sykes:
“We are looking forward to going back to Argentina. The debut there last year was great. There were a lot of spectators who really showed a lot of passion for racing. It’s obviously a long journey going there but after that we have a great circuit layout. I feel that we can carry on in development with the information we have gained in the last couple of events. We have a very large uphill back straight at the circuit which obviously will not be our strong point, but the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team is working hard and we will go there, give our best efforts and see where we can end up. After the weekend in Argentina I will be travelling to Brazil for an event for the new BMW S 1000 RR and that’s going to make it an eventful and exciting trip for me.”
Markus Reiterberger:
“Argentina is a very long way away, but I am already looking forward to the weekend. I’ve never been to San Juan myself, but I followed last year’s races on TV, and the track looks really exciting. I love overseas races because the schedule isn’t as packed as in Europe. I really hope that things will be better this time than they were at the last weekend at Magny-Cours. I would like to get a better result with my team in Argentina. I am motivated and am looking forward to finally getting to know this track that’s new to me.”
World Supersport 300: American Dallas Daniels To Ride As Wild Card In Season Finale In Qatar
Yamaha bLU cRU Wild Card Riders to make World Championship Debut in Qatar
The inclusion of wild card riders from Indonesia and the United States of America means that the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Challenge line up for the final round of the 2019 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship in Qatar will be truly international. 17-year-old Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah from Indonesia and 16-year-old Dallas Daniels from America will make their World Championship debut in Qatar, as Yamaha’s bLU cRU project expands its global reach.
Faerozi Toreqottullah, a graduate of the sixth Yamaha VR46 Mastercamp in 2018, will make his World Championship debut in Qatar alongside his fellow countryman, and experienced WorldSSP300 competitor, Galang Hendra Pratama, in the Semakin Di Depan Biblion MotoXRacing Yamaha team. It will be a baptism of fire for the Indonesian, who steps up to the world stage having contested the ARRC AP250 class aboard a Yamaha Racing Indonesia Team YZF-R25 for the past two seasons.
Daniels, the first American to join Yamaha’s bLU cRU project, has a background in both road racing and flat track. The Illinois resident finished third in the MotoAmerica Junior Cup this season, despite missing six of the 17 races due to clashes with his 2019 Flat Track campaign, in which he competed for the Estenson Yamaha team in the AFT Singles category aboard a Yamaha YZF450F. Daniels will race in Qatar with the BCD Yamaha MS Racing Team, alongside Yamaha bLU cRU regulars, Andy Verdoïa and Beatriz Neila.
The WorldSSP300 race in Qatar, the final round of the 2019 season, marks a new era for the championship, as it’s the first time the series has ventured outside of Europe since its inception back in 2017. Racing at the Losail International Circuit will be a new experience for all the Yamaha bLU cRU riders, not just the two wild cards, as it will be their first experience of racing at night under floodlights.
Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah
“I would like to say thank you to Yamaha for giving me a chance to race in WorldSSP300 at Qatar as a wild card, it is a really great surprise for me. I am really happy to race with Galang Hendra and the MotoXRacing Team who have a lot of experience in WorldSSP300, and I will give maximum efforts to this opportunity, Semakin Di Depan, Gasspoll.”
Dallas Daniels
“I’m thrilled that Tommy [Hayden, Estenson Racing Team Manager] and Keith [McCarty, Racing Division Manager, Yamaha Motorsports for Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.] put this deal together for me. I still want to do as much road racing as I can, and to race in the World Supersport 300 Championship is going to be great. Everything on the bike will be prepped and ready to go. They’ll have a crew in place, so I just need to show up and ride. I can’t wait.”
Andrea Dosoli
Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager
“We are excited that Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah and Dallas Daniels will join Yamaha’s bLU cRU project for the final round of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship in Qatar. Our bLU cRU project has gone from strength to strength in recent years, providing a path for young, talented riders stepping up to the world stage from their respective national championships. Initially designed primarily to support European riders, the bLU cRU project now has an increasingly global reach, thanks to the strategic support of the Yamaha Motor Corporation Motorsport Division. Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama, a two-time race winner in WorldSSP300, has raced for two seasons on the world stage as a bLU cRU rider and his progress has prompted interest in the project from around the world. Galang will race in Qatar alongside his compatriot, Faerozi Toreqottullah, thus strengthening the links between our bLU cRU project and South East Asia. Equally exciting is the fact that Dallas Daniels will be the first American to race on the world stage as a bLU cRU rider, which illustrates how the project has matured into a truly global platform. I look forward to welcoming our two wild card riders into the bLU cRU family and I wish them every success as they make their World Championship debut under the floodlights in Qatar.”
Four Americans Invited To Attend The 2019 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Selection Event In Spain
Selection Event 2019 – Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
A girl from India and a guy from Venezuela. In common they have a love of motorcycle racing and a desire to race in MotoGP. Along with over a hundred other superfast teenagers from around the globe they will meet in Guadix, Spain on October 15th, 16th and 17th to show their remarkable skills at the Red Bull MotoGP Selection Event.
Three days on a circuit in Spain is their first step to racing stardom, the same step taken by World Champions such as Brad Binder, Angel Martín and Joan Mir who have since spread their talents through Moto3, Moto2 and into MotoGP and, with other ex-rookies, are heading for 100 Grand Prix victories.
How it works
So this is a pivotal three days for these young riders. The total entry is split into 2 and the first half ride on Day 1, divided into seven groups, each on identical PreMoto3 250cc machines. Each group has a morning session of fifteen minutes and they are watched by four judges who have been involved in Grand Prix racing for many decades.
A second session in the afternoon gives the youngsters another opportunity and at the end of the day the Selection Committee reviews their observations and draws up a list of riders to be invited back for Day 3. Day 2 sees the second half on the entry on track and the schedule is repeated.
Day 3 finds selected riders on track again for third and fourth sessions, similarly observed. Then the final Selection Committee meeting draws up the list of around 10 to 12 riders who will be invited to join the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup for 2020. They will join riders who continue from this season.
Even if it doesn’t work
It is an important time for these young talents and tensions are high. It is also a fantastic experience in itself, a celebration of fun and speed. Those who don’t succeed may well apply again next year. Whatever happens, they know more about themselves and they have had the opportunity to meet 100 others from around the world who share the same dreams.
Selection Event Entry List:
Tomás Acevedo (Argentina)
Senna Agius (Australia)
Fermín Aldeguer Mengual (Spain)
Boudin Alexis (France)
Oscar Almonacil (Spain)
David Alonso (Colombia)
Raquel Ananda Nogueira Vaz (Brazil)
Facundo Andrés Llambias Rosas (Uruguay)
Felipe Arredondo (Colombia)
Julen Ávila Cortes (Spain)
Levi Badie (Belgium)
Cristian Basso (Italy)
Pedro Enrique Benito Fraga (Spain)
Dean Berta Viñales (Spain)
Dinis Borges (Portugal)
Franco Reub Bourne (Great Britain)
Cormac Buchanan (New Zealand)
Michal Búlik (Slovakia)
Unai Calatayud Pascual (Spain)
Maxime Cappelle (France)
Ido Chen (Israel)
Torin Collins (Canada)
Davide Conte (Italy)
Rafael Damásio (Portugal)
Adon Davie (Great Britain)
Bryan-Kim Dupasquier (Switzerland)
Fazlı Ercelik (Turkey)
Jorke Erwig (Germany)
Vincent Falcone (France)
Mattia Falzone (Italy)
Filippo Farioli (Italy)
Adrian Fernandez Gonzalez (Spain)
Cros Francis (Australia)
Tetsuya Fujita (Japan)
Leungo Gaorekwe (South Africa)
Drew Gates (South Africa)
George Gerakianakis (Greece)
Clément Giabbani (France)
Sergio Gómez-Caro López-Hermoso (Spain)
Soma Görbe (Hungary)
Luca Göttlicher (Germany)
Angus Grenfell (Australia)
Izan Guevara Bonnin (Spain)
Aryan Gurav (India)
Jack Hart (Great Britain)
Daniel Holgado Miralles (Spain)
Jacopo Adriano Hosciuc (Romania)
Muhammad Izam Ikmal (Malaysia)
Gábor Bence Kecskés (Hungary)
Toby Khamsouk (United States)
Lenni Klemetti (Finland)
Andreas Kofler (Austria)
Maksym Kovalov (Ukraine)
Aditi Krishnan (India)
Raphael Kuberesky Ramos (Brazil)
Rocco Landers (United States)
Caique Lanna de Menezes (Brazil)
Lennox Lehmann (Germany)
Alfonso Gustavo Linares Ochoa (Venezuela)
Linus Lundin (Denmark)
Luca Lunetta (Italy)
Jamie Lyons (Ireland)
Ross Maguire (Great Britain)
Humberto Cezar Maier Neto (Brazil)
Kiko Maria (Portugal)
Juan Andres Marin Arango (Colombia)
Valentina Martinez Trujillo (Colombia)
Gabriele Mastroluca (Italy)
Mario Mayor Francés (Spain)
Mateo Jesús Mayorga Salazar (Argentina)
Ido Menaged (Israel)
Alex Millan Gomez (Spain)
Facundo Martin Mora Allis (Argentina)
Guillermo Marcel Moreno Crail (Mexico)
Alessandro Morosi (Italy)
Max Muckle (Germany)
Daniel Muñoz Fernandez (Spain)
David Muñoz Rodríguez (Spain)
Scott Ogden (Great Britain)
Barnabas Olah (Hungary)
Unai Orradre Abad (Spain)
Ivan Ortolá Díez (Spain)
Milan Pawelec (Poland)
Victor Pérez de León Fermann (Mexico)
Ioannis-Konstantinos Peristeras (Greece)
Bartholomé Perrin (France)
João Pedro Pires Campos Arratia (Brazil)
Mattia Rato (Italy)
David Real Perez (Spain)
Maxim Repák (Slovakia)
Oriol Rodriguez Vives (Spain)
Nick Roelfsema (Netherlands)
Marcos Rol Alvarez (Spain)
Elie Rousselot (France)
Marcos Ruda (Spain)
Galip Satici (Turkey)
Errol Sullivan (United States)
Angelo Tagliarini (Switzerland)
Jesús Torres Cabrera (Spain)
Maxwell Toth (United States)
Blai Trias Molas (Spain)
Enzo Valentim Garcia (Brazil)
Ilya Vasilevsky (Russia)
Collin Veijer (Netherlands)
Bastiaan Visser (Netherlands)
Ondrej Vostatek (Czech Republic)
Noel Willemsen (Germany)
Chris Wright (South Africa)
Štěpán Zuda (Czech Republic)
Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1979 Honda NR500
Featured In the September 2019 issue of Roadracing World:
At the launch of the stunning six-cylinder CBX streetbike in the fall of 1977, Honda announced it would return to Grand Prix racing in 1979! Most assumed it would be with a two-stroke, but rumors of radical new four-strokes started to make the rounds.
FIM regulations restricted the number of cylinders in the premier 500cc Grand Prix class to four. Honda engineers knew the only way to beat the two-strokes with a four-stroke was combining very high rpm combined with a very short stroke to reduce piston speed. Initial designs included a V4 with large bores with eight valves. This would have needed a tall engine to accommodate huge bores in the V between the cylinder banks.
Designer Shoichiro Irimajiri finally settled on a V4 with oval-shaped pistons, each with two connecting rods and eight valves. This circumvented the 4-cylinder regulations, offering a compact, short-stroke engine mimicking a conventional V8 . . .
–Historic Racebike Illustrations: 1979 Honda NR500, By Mick Ofield
Honda returned to 500cc Grand Prix racing on its own terms, convinced that it could create a four-stroke engine that would match the highly-strung, well-developed two-strokes that dominated top-level road racing. What it came up with was a design so audacious that it remains unique in racing. All the technical details are in the September issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.
PREVIEW the September 2019 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology!
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Quick Look: 2019 Suzuki DR-Z400S
Featured in the September 2019 issue of Roadracing World:
Sometimes, a streetbike is not the best choice for a specific riding mission. And sometimes, if the goal is to get away from civilization and have some fun, a dual-sport can be a better choice.
While there are many popular “adventure touring” models available that are theoretically capable of accomplishing a mission like this, my limited off-road riding experience led me to avoid the 500-plus-pound, 100-plus-horsepower machines and think small, light, and manageable.
Which brings us to the subject of this Quick Look, the 2019 Suzuki DR-Z400S dual-sport machine …
–“Getting Away From It All” by David Swarts
In a world of technical advancement and increasing sophistication, it’s easy to overlook the fun and satisfaction of a simple, elemental machine that actually can do it all. Associate Editor David Swarts thrashed the Suzuki DR-Z400S on the pavement, on the freeway and in the dirt, and came away impressed. Take a look at the DR-Z from every angle – all the details are in the September 2019 issue of Roadracing World!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology is THE definitive source for motorcycle racing, riding, and tech information.
PREVIEW the September 2019 issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology!
Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine is available in print and digital formats. SUBSCRIBE NOW FOR INSTANT ACCESS!
Log in or subscribe HERE. Or call (909) 654-4779, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
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World Superbike: Yamaha Previews The Races At Circuito San Juan Villicum, In Argentina
Next Stop Argentina as Yamaha WorldSBK Teams Head for the Southern
The Yamaha WorldSBK teams will cross the equator for only the second time this season as they head for Circuito San Juan Villicum in Argentina, venue for the penultimate round of the 2019 FIM Superbike World Championship. It could prove a pivotal race weekend for Pata Yamaha’s Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark, both of whom are targeting the podium as they continue their battle for third place in the championship standings.
Lowes and van der Mark departed the previous round in Magny-Cours as they’d started it, with the Briton lying third in the series standings but with only a five-point advantage over his Dutch teammate. The Pata Yamaha riders will also need to keep a close eye on Toprak Razgatlioglu, whose two race wins last time out in Magny-Cours saw him close to within 19 points of Lowes, making it a three-way battle for the final step of the championship podium in Qatar.
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Marco Melandri, is excited to return to Argentina and Circuito San Juan Villicum, a track he rates as one of the most fun to ride on the WorldSBK calendar. Melandri is looking to build on his results last time out in Magny-Cours, where the veteran Italian finished both feature races inside the top ten, with sixth in WorldSBK Race 2 his best placing of the weekend.
Sandro Cortese finished on the podium in the WorldSSP race in Argentina 12 months ago, but the track is another at which the German rider will be making his debut aboard the GRT Yamaha YZF-R1 this season. Cortese is hoping for good weather in which to adapt to the demands of the Superbike during free practice on Friday, as he looks to rediscover his form after the changeable weather saw the reigning Supersport World Champion endure a difficult weekend last time out in Magny-Cours.
Loris Baz is another rider looking forward to returning to South America this weekend. Baz and the Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK team have gone from strength to strength since returning to WorldSBK in Jerez and both rider and team have shown real podium potential. A top-three finish has so far eluded them, but Baz remains determined to stand on the podium at least once this season and the Frenchman heads into the Argentina weekend knowing he has only six races remaining in which to achieve his goal.
The Circuito San Juan Villicum runs anticlockwise and features 11 left and 8 right-hand corners along its 4.276km length. The track is adjacent to the iconic Route 40 road, which runs for 5,000km from the north to the south of Argentina along the length of the Andes. Construction of the track was started in 2016 with work completed last year, just in time to host the 2018 WorldSBK round, which was the first international event to be held at the circuit.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“Last year was our first visit to Argentina and I really enjoyed it. The track itself is quite technical with some flowing changes of direction this, together with the fast parts and the long back straight make it a fun circuit to ride. It’s also got one of the best backdrops of any racetrack, with the surrounding mountains making it really cool. I’m fully focused on getting back to work on Friday, working on our setting to put us in the best position to fight for the podium on Saturday and Sunday, which is our target as always.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“I really enjoy going to Argentina. Last year was a difficult race for us but I’m pretty sure that it will be a lot better this year given the progress we’ve made. Our whole package has improved so I’m confident we will have another strong weekend Circuito San Juan Villicum in San Juan this weekend. We are in a really nice flow at the moment, so my goal is to once again be fighting for the top positions in the penultimate round of the season.”
Marco Melandri
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“I’m really happy to be heading to Argentina, as it’s one of my favourite places. I really like the country and the track is really fun to ride, I really enjoyed racing there last year. I’m excited to be returning to the track again, although I hope they haven’t had too many car races there in the interim and that the tarmac is still as flat as it was last year. I am confident that we can keep improving, and that’s what we’ll be working towards this weekend.”
Sandro Cortese
GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“Magny-Cours was a very difficult and unlucky weekend for me, so I’m looking forward to hitting the reset button ahead of the races in Argentina. The Circuito San Juan Villicum is very special and I enjoyed racing there last year on the Supersport bike. This will be my first time there on the Superbike and I think it will be even more enjoyable on the YZF-R1, especially the fast sections and the long back straight.”
Loris Baz
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK
“I’m looking forward to heading back to Argentina and it will be cool to race at the Circuito San Juan Villicum once again. We are improving every time we take to the track and we are getting closer to the podium with every race, so let’s see what Argentina brings. The track was new last year and quite dirty, which made for tricky conditions, so hopefully, it’s cleaned up a bit with 12 months of use. I’m not really sure how our bike will work there, but the grip can be a bit unpredictable and I think the YZF-R1 suits these conditions. The goal is simple; to continue improving, to close on the guys at the very front of the race and, if possible, step onto the podium for the first time.”