Saturday, May 12, 2012
Valentino Rossi unveils new Ducati GP12
One of the most eagerly anticipated new bikes in recent MotoGP history finally broke cover today when Valentino Rossi tweeted a picture of the new Ducati GP12 1000cc MotoGP bike being prepared for this week’s crucial Sepang test in Malaysia.
This is the bike that Rossi and Ducati hope will help them bounce back from a disastrous 2011 campaign, which saw the Bologna factory fail to win a race in the final season of the 800cc era.
Rossi and team-mate Nicky Hayden scored just one podium each last season as Casey Stoner and Honda dominated 2011 with 10 wins.
The GP12 features a conventional aluminium frame and numerous weight distribution changes as Ducati desperate tries to alleviate a lack of front-end feel and understeer issue that plagued Rossi and Hayden throughout last season.
It has been widely speculated throughout the winter that Ducati has opted to narrow its 90-degree V-angle in a bid to change weight distribution and mass centralisation to help solve the persistent front-end issue.
But technical director Filippo Preziosi told MCN during the recent 2012 team launch in Madonna di Campiglio that the V-angle was not a significant issue.
He said: “For me the angle is not a main issue. I think we could design a great bike with 90 degrees and a great bike with a smaller angle. There are some advantages with a smaller angle and some disadvantages, especially for this displacement.
"This displacement is obtained just increasing the stroke because the bore is more or less similar to the 800, so the engine becomes higher if you close the angle. There are some disadvantages in doing that if the stroke is very high. But if the engine is higher it isn’t as long, so it is a compromise.”
Lorenzo Grabs Victory From Pole In Enthralling Qatar MotoGP
Jorge Lorenzo from Yamaha Factory Racing took his first ever premier class racing victory after a long and arduous battle against current world champion Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa, both from Repsol Honda. This victory also marked a great start to the 1000cc era of MotoGP. Starting from pole for the first time since the US Grand Prix last July, Lorenzo held the lead until the third lap before Stoner assumed first position with a pass on the start/finish straight. Lorenzo then followed Stoner for the majority of the race before passing his rival with three laps to go, and he eventually crossed the line 0.852s ahead of Pedrosa who placed second as Stoner ended the race third.
With the leading trio involved in an eye-catching contest for the podium positions at the front, an excellent duel between Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mates Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso played out in their wake. The Italian, in his first race on the M1, was in front with his British team-mate all over his exhaust until lap 17, when Crutchlow got past Dovizioso and held out for fourth to equal his best-ever MotoGP result. Karel Abraham (Cardion ab Motoracing), Danilo Petrucci (Came Iodaracing Project) and Michele Pirro (San Carlo Honda Gresini) all suffered the disappointment of not finishing the race.
MOTOGP CLASS OF 2012 - Stoner Leads First MotoGP Practice At Qatar
New motorcycles, new engines, new tire compounds--and the same result for the first practice of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship.
Casey Stoner rode his Repsol Honda to the fastest lap--a 1:56.474--in the closing minutes of the 45-minute flood-lit session at Losail circuit in Qatar.
"The track tonight wasn't so bad--I expected the conditions to be much worse but in general it was okay," Stoner said. "This is a positive point for the weekend but with such a short session and then nothing until tomorrow it's slightly strange. We'll have to wait for some real track time and with the conditions a little better to see where we are."
Stoner didn't have a smooth sail to the lead, being challenged by Jorge Lorenzo of Yamaha Factory Racing. The 2010 champion challenged the Australian for fastest lap and ended up second, just 0.17 seconds behind at 1:56.648.
“A quite good start," Lorenzo said, "but we are very far from the lap times of last year--that’s the same for everybody. I feel good, we are in the top close to Casey and we have improvements to come tomorrow. At the end we made a small change to gain some rear grip on all the corners which helped drop the lap time.”
Yet another champion, 2006's Nicky Hayden brought the factory Ducati to third with a best of 1:56.924 and focused on race setup as he familiarized himself with the bike in its final trim. "It was quite dirty," he said of the track. "In general we were pretty fast and consistent--it's just one session and there's a long way to go." Teammate Valentino Rossi was 10th, working on his understanding of Bridgestone's new hard tire.
Fellow American Ben Spies timed fourth in the second factory Yamaha, the final rider under 1:50. “I was happy with tonight, we were generally pretty close to the top. The bike seemed to work pretty well; we made just two small changes to it and kept the same set of tires on the whole time," he said.
Dani Pedrosa in the second Repsol Honda was fifth, followed by Cal Crutchlow's Monster Yamaha Tech 3, Alvaro Bautista on the San Carlo Honda Gresini, Andrea Dovizioso on the second Yamaha Tech 3, the Pramac Ducati with Hector Barbera at the controls and Rossi.
The first CRT on the time sheets was Randy De Puniet on the Power Electronics Aspar ART, more than three seconds behind Stoner and the final motorcycle under 2:00. The field of 21 is separated by less than seven seconds.
Practice and qualifying are set for later today at Qatar with the race taking place on Saturday.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Derbi Rambla 125 Scooter
Designed for the young and the young at heart, the Derbi Rambla 125 Scooter is the solution to you urban transportation needs. A perfect combination of fun and practicality, the Rambla 125 is powered by a four-cylinder, four-stroke, four-valve Euro3 engine that produces 11 kW. Built on a tough tubular steel chassis, this Derbi scooter rides on 15-inch diameter aluminium wheels and wide tires, which not only gives it a sporty look, but offers a study and stable ride as well. Other features include LCD digital/analogue instrument panel, generous storage compartments, front-disc braking system, a low-slung seat and side-mounted handles. Derbi.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
DERBI GPR 50
Derbi is back, their web site tells us, with a large selection of bikes, including 15 different 50cc bikes! The most striking one is the GPR 50, which is intended for the European moped market. It looks fast, but the guys at Team Calamari say it's a "slug." No surprise there, as it's intentionally speed limited for its intended market. But they also say it's pretty easy to turn it into the rocket it wants to be. Just removing the exhaust restrictor restores a lot of power. The next stage involves replacing the 14mm Mikuni carb with a 24mm flat slide unit. Adjust jets, put in a temperature gauge, and you've got, in the words of Team Calamari, "the best watercooled 50cc race bike on the market today."
GPR 125 4T 4V
NEW DERBI GPR 125 4S 4V. BORN TO WIN. EVERY DAY.
The new Derbi GPR 125 has been designed from scratch, a motorcycle born out of Derbi’s experience in World Championship Racing, but for everyday riding.
At the front, a spectacular upside down 40mm diameter fork, a real first for this segment. On the back, an asymmetric, variable-section swing arm , a genuine work of engineering with the unmistakable stamp of uniqueness. The rear central shock absorber is directly connected, with no linkage, making for firmer and sportier handling.
The chassis is a hollow, perimetral double beam made of die-cast aluminum. The engine is suspended from it, forming a block which gives added rigidity to the assembly. The chassis is screwed together onto the steering axle. The motorbike is controlled by means of semi-handlebars attached below the front fork upper bracket.
The soul of the new GPR 125 is the single cylinder liquid-cooled four-stroke engine with four intake and exhaust valves and developing 15 actual hp. This engine is one of the highest performing in its class.
The braking equipment is also top class, with a 300mm disc gripped by a two-piston radial brake caliper in the front and a single-piston caliper type in the back.
Finally, a LCD digital screen incorporates the revolutions counter, the digital speedometer, fuel gauge, total and partial mileage counter and a clock.
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