If you’ve never seen a sidecar race, you’d be amazed at how different it is from motorcycle racing. Not only do you have some entirely different physics at work with the third wheel, you also have a passenger sprawled over the chassis behind the rider, sticking his body out to either side at lean angles that would make Marc Marquez break a sweat. Check out the video after the jump to see for yourself.

Take a look under the fairing of a sidecar racer and you’ll see how radically different it is from most other forms of motorcycle racing. KTM’s official blog posted a feature on German IDM racers Josef Sattler and Stefan Trautner who are racing the 2013 season in a sidecar powered by a V-Twin engine from a KTM RC8 R. The post offers a rare look at the chassis and engine of their sidecar racer. Continue Reading »

As expected, Aprilia has filed an appeal with the International Motorcycling Federation‘s International Disciplinary Court for the finish to the second race of the past weekend’s World Superbike Championship round at Italy’s Monza circuit.

The race ended in controversy stemming from Kawasaki‘s Tom Sykes running wide on a corner and missing a chicane on the final lap. Sykes was in third place at the time ahead of Aprilia‘s Sylvian Guintoli, and was able to return to the track ahead of Guintoli, crossing the finish less than a second ahead of the Aprilia rider to take third place.

After the race, Aprilia filed an appeal and race direction ruled Sykes should have ceded position because he gained an unfair advantage by cutting the chicane. Kawasaki later filed a their own appeal with the FIM’s Stewards Panel, arguing Sykes was already well ahead of Guintoli and only ran off track to avoid running into BMW Goldbet rider Marco Melandri. The Panel agreed, reversing Race Direction’s decision and restoring Sykes to third place. Continue Reading »

Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri split a pair of victories at Monza but the most biggest news from the World Superbike weekend was a strange series of appeals after Race Two that saw Tom Sykes finish third, relegated to fourth and then reinstated on the final step of the podium.

The unusual mix-up occurred after Sykes, sitting in third place, ran off track and into the run off area on Turn 5 on his final lap. The Kawasaki rider returned to the track again in third place where he finished ahead of Aprilia‘s Sylvain Guintoli. After the race, Aprilia filed an appeal and race stewards initially assessed Sykes with a penalty, dropping him one-position and awarding third to Guintioli.

This morning however, Kawasaki appealed to the FIM Stewards’ Panel which analyzed the race footage and sector times for Sykes, Guintoli and second-place finisher Melandri and decided to reinstate Sykes in third. But that may still not be the end of it as Aprilia has five days to lodge another appeal, this time to the International Disciplinary Court which would then make a final decision. Continue Reading »

With the 2013 season now complete, Feld Motorsports and the International Motorcycling Federation have released its schedule for the 2014 AMA Supercross Championship.

The 2014 season will again feature 17 rounds held at baseball and football stadiums but there are some changes from this past season. The season will again start the first weekend in January with the first of three rounds at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., and end the beginning of May at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.

Dropped from the schedule are Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome which is scheduled for demolition in February. Taking their places will be Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., and MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Continue Reading »

One of our favorite stories from 2012 was our coverage of the Kenny Roberts American Heroes Benefit Dinner. Hosted by King Kenny at his storied California ranch, it was an incredible opportunity to get close to the three-time world champ and other racing glitterati like Kenny Roberts Jr., Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson and renowned dirt-tracker Mert Lawwill. If those names resonate with you, it’s worth reading our story that includes a video and coverage of the Cpl. Michael D. Anderson Jr. Memorial Ride in which we got to share the road with some of the most legendary names in motorcycle racing.

And now it’s time for the second-annual charity event, again hosted at Kenny Sr.’s ranch in Modesto, CA. Proceeds from the May 10 event will benefit the “Welcome Home Heroes” foundation, while the group ride the following day supports the Cpl. Michael D. Anderson Jr. Memorial Foundation. For the second year in a row, Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., lends a hand as the title sponsor for the dinner. Continue Reading »

American Honda announced it will be a partnering sponsor for the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb while also entering the competition, racing in nine different classes (well, seventh, plus “Exhibition” entries in both car and motorcycle categories).

Honda R&D staff, engineers, test riders and drivers will compete in car, motorcycle and ATV categories. Honda will field a record ten entries in all, with nine different vehicles including the CBR1000RR, CBR600RR, CRF450R and CRF250R. Honda IndyCar team Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports driver Simon Pagenaud will also compete, though his vehicle and class will be announced at a later date. Continue Reading »

In the wake of the deadly bombing attacks at the Boston Marathon earlier this week, the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, announced security measures being taken for this weekend’s MotoGP round. Circuit organizers point out these measures are standard protocol for the track and are the same as those used in last November’s Formula 1 round, but in light of recent events, decided it was a good idea to assure visitors of the security measures in place.

“Circuit of The Americas hosts large-scale sports and entertainment events throughout the year, and as a matter of practice, we restrict the types of items that can be brought into the venue by patrons and others working at the track,” says Julie Loignon, vice president of public & media relations. “We work closely with public safety and emergency services personnel at the City, County, State and Federal level to monitor activities in and around the facility. We have been in touch with local law enforcement following [Monday]‘s unfortunate events in Boston, Mass., and will work with them throughout the upcoming weekend to ensure we conduct a safe and secure event.” Continue Reading »

Hometown hero Ryan Dungey put a stop to Ryan Villopoto‘s winning streak, taking the victory before 48,846 supportive fans at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Red Bull KTM rider from nearby Belle Plaine, Minn., stalked Monster Energy Kawasaki‘s Villopoto for most of the race before taking the lead and winning the 20-lap race by just 0.903 seconds. The win put Dungey into second place in the standings ahead of Rockstar Suzuki‘s Davi Millsaps and perhaps more importantly, cut away at Villopoto’s points lead.

The main event started with holeshot specialist Mike Alessi of MotoConcepts Suzuki first around the first turn. It didn’t take long however before Villopoto with an inside pass to take over the lead. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider won five straight races heading into Minneapolis and took aim at his sixth in a row but Dungey remained close behind ready to strike. Continue Reading »

BMW Motorrad Goldbet racer Chaz Davies scored his first career World Superbike double victory, taking both races at Spain’s Aragon circuit. The wins were the second and third of Davies’ WSBK career (the first came last year at Nurburgring for the ParkinGo Aprilia team) and the second ever double in the series for BMW.

The Welsh rider and former AMA Pro Racing competitor has had some success at Aragon, getting his first career WSBK podium at the Spanish track in 2012. Davies continued his good form, taking third in the Superpole to start on the front row. Continue Reading »

The new unified electric racing series run by the International Motorcycling Federation and TTXGP has a new name: the eRoadRacing World Cup. The new World Cup, announced last month, unifies the FIM’s ePower championship with the TTXGP’s eGrandPrix series

As previously announced, this year will follow the TTXGP’s traditional format, featuring two separate series in Europe and North America, and a best-versus-best final championship event to be held in Asia.

The FIM released a provisional calendar for the World Cup featuring three rounds each in Europe and North America. The schedule isn’t complete however, as the FIM and TTXGP previously announced plans to have four rounds in each series. The series will only use this World Cup format for the 2013 season before switching to a more traditional racing series format. Continue Reading »