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Honda TT Legends team released a new video breaking down its pit stop procedure. The team’s race manager Russell Benney talks us through the many steps involved in a standard pit stop. Continue Reading »
The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) has released an updated list of motorcycles homologated for the 2013 Superbike, Supersport, and Superstock racing season. Notable additions include the new BMW S1000RR HP4, the MV Agusta F3 and the Superbike-spec Ducati 1199 Panigale R.
To qualify a production-based racebike for FIM homologations, manufacturers have to meet certain production thresholds. Manufacturers must first produce 125 units ahead of a homologation inspection. After that, manufacturers have to produce a minimum of 500 units by June 30 and 1000 units by December 31 of the current year, and a minimum of 2000 units by the December 31 of the following year.
Production counts include both ABS and non-ABS versions of the same model, and at least 250 units of each version have to be produced. Production models must also be available for sale in either the U.S., Europe or Japan by the end of April of the current year to qualify. Continue Reading »
Last week, we wrote about retired Formula One racer Michael Schumacher taking part in a track day at France’s Paul Ricard circuit on a Ducati 1199 Panigale. The event’s sponsor, Monster Energy, has released a video offering a behind-the-scenes look at the event.
The seven-time F1 champion was joined by TT racer John McGuinness, retired MotoGP racer Randy Momola, Moto2 racer Pol Espargaro and Keith Flint, a musician from the group Prodigy and a racer in the U.K.’s Hottrax Endurance Championship.
Schumacher rode on a Panigale dressed in the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team’s gray color (perhaps a bit awkward considering Ducati‘s new owner Audi). As expected, McGuinness rode on his Honda TT Legends team’s CBR1000RR, and Espargaro on his FTR Kalex Moto2 bike. Mamola rode a Yamaha YZF-R1,while Flint rode his Suzuki GSX-R1000 endurance racer to complete the varied collection of sportbikes.
Check out the video after the jump, and especially the shot of the four riders pulling wheelies just after the 3-minute mark. Continue Reading »
The last time we assembled the superbike offerings from the Big Four Japanese manufacturers to determine the alpha male model was 2009. The CBR won that confrontation, but a lot’s changed since then. For 2012 Honda revamped the CBR1000RR, Yamaha added traction control to the R1, the GSX-R1000 lost a muffler and last year Kawasaki introduced an all-new ZX-10R.
We have, of course, reviewed these models and pitted them against various other rivals, (2012 Honda CBR1000RR Review [Video], 2012 Yamaha YZF-R1 vs. 2011 Aprilia RSV4 R APRC [Video], 2010 Literbike Shootout: RSV4 R vs S1000RR vs CBR1000RR vs ZX-10R,) to name a few, but the time is nigh to once again determine the dominant Japanese superbike.
Veteran AMA racer Jake Zemke was on hand for the recent press intro for the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR. We asked Jake to go a couple of laps for us at Infineon Raceway with our GoPro camera to show us what it’s like to ride the CBR for someone used to pushing the bike to its limits. Check out the onboard video after the jump.
And don’t forget to read our review of the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR here.
First some bad news: the new 2012 Honda CBR1000RR doesn’t come with traction control.
The good news: It doesn’t matter. It’s still an absolute blast to ride. Continue Reading »
Gresini announced the re-signing of racer Michele Pirro, with a promotion from the Moto2 class to the premiere MotoGP class.
Pirro raced for Gresini in the Moto2 class in 2011, finishing ninth overall with a third place finish and a victory in the season-ending Valencia round. For 2012, Pirro will compete in the MotoGP class riding a CRT bike with an FTR chassis and a Honda CBR1000RR engine.
The San Carlo Gresini race team announced it will compete in the 2012 MotoGP World Championship as a Claiming Rules Team with a Honda CBR1000RR engine in an FTR prototype chassis.
The move is a late, but unfortunately necessary change from the team’s original plan to run the factory-level Honda RC213V racebike. The late Marco Simoncelli was tabbed to ride the newest version of Honda’s MotoGP machine next season, but after his tragic death, Gresini had to find another option if it wanted to continue racing.
Newly-signed former Suzuki factory rider Alvaro Bautista took part in last week’s post-season MotoGP test riding the team’s 800cc Honda RC212V. After the test, the team said it would switch to the 1000cc RC213V for the next test session, but with Hiroshi Aoyama and his lucrative Red Bull endorsement gone, Gresini will have to scale back its program if it wants to continue with two entries.
