2010 RED BULL ROMANIACS – BIRCH WINS!


Perhaps one of the most triumphant stories of 2010, Kiwi Off-Road hero and KTM Red Bull athlete Chris Birch has claimed the first Red Bull Romaniacs title of his career. In 2009 he finished second to the hard charging German born BMW rider Andreas Lettenbichler, but what a year 2010 has turned out to be for Birch outclassing all the elements with a never-say-die attitude.

Going into Off-Road Day 4 with just over a 27min lead from the competition Brit rider Graham Jarvis and 34mins ahead of German Lettenbichler, Birch couldn’t afford the slightest mistake. It became a battle of wits and pure endurance as Birch not only rode a near faultless final 126km stage he also did so an incredible 6mins faster than 2nd place finished Graham Jarvis who became the first finisher of Off-Road Day 4 doing it from the back of pack.

With a nation of clammy palmed fans following his every live GPS plot online it was clear from an external perspective that Birch had Red Bull Romaniacs 2010 in the bag. However for Birch it was a very different story. "I'm extremely happy today, because regarding all my technical problems from yesterday, I didn't even think that I would finish the race" says an all smiling Chris Birch who among other competitors battled through the slipperiest conditions of the event both mentally and physically exhausted.

The hard charging 2nd placed Brit Graham Jarvis, like Birch, battled through Red Bull Romaniacs 2010 showing at times some of the most magical riding finesse witnessed in the 2010 event that was plagued with mechanical problems. Jarvis’ 2nd place overall is a true testament to his gritty attitude and the former 2008 winner will be back for more next year.

German Lettenbichler took home the final spot on the podium when he crossed the finish line in unison with Paul Bolton and Jade Gutzeit in front of a huge crowd. Despite not repeating his victory from last year, the exhausted, battered and bruised BMW rider is more than satisfied with his performance. “This year’s race was probably harder than all previous Romaniacs due to the rain. The very first Off-Road day made me exceed my limits, so I'm actually very happy to have reached another podium here.”

Unofficial results for the 2010 Red Bull Romaniacs are:
1 BIRCH Chris (NZL, KTM) 28:17:31 hours
2 JARVIS Graham (UK, Sherco) 28:46:12
3 LETTENBICHLER Andreas (BMW) 29:18:29
4 BOLTON Paul (UK, KTM) 29:52:12
5 GUTZEIT Jade (RSA, KTM) 30:21:32
6 SEYDOUX Lionel (CH, KTM) 33:21:58
7 FORSTER Gerhard (GER,BMW) 35:47:18
8 CURTIS Darryl (RSA, KTM) 40:06:41
9 GYENES Emanuel (ROM, KTM) 42:10:59
10 BRANDAUER Erich (Husaberg) 42:36:54

Chris Birch now has his eyes set on the 2010 ISDE in Mexico Noemeber 1st – 6th and then onto defending his Roof of Africa crown November 25th – 27th.

And if you’re wondering about national news coverage, both One News and TV3 News will be covering Birch’s latest victory from 6pm tonight – do not miss it!


For now check out this cool video from Off-Road Day 4 and One News’ midday national news update (Coverage from Red Bull Romaniacs starts in chapter 2)

Video Recap Off-Road Day 4



One News Midday Update

http://tvnz.co.nz/one-news/midday-update-video-1031716

Photos Courtesy of Red Bull Photofiles

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RED BULL ROMANIACS 2010 DAY 3 + VIDEO


An early start amidst fog and rain the weather conditions were looking very omniscient of Off-Road Day 1 two days ago. Thankfully the weather was starting to clear and with sun blazing through the clouds around mid morning the drama began to unfold.

With most competitors successfully reaching the days only service point just before midday they all learn that the infamously hard and heavy ‘no-help-zone’ labelled the “Long Walk” had been scratched from the days racing because of the mornings atrocious conditions. Once Andreas Lettenbichler had come and gone from Service Point it wasn’t for another 15mins that Chris Birch, Jade Gutzeit and Joakim Lunggren made it to Service Point. Lunggren was the only competitor out of the top contention to not leave Service Point suffering from a violent stomach bug and subsequently made the decision to withdraw from the days racing.


Having pushed hard for 10km out of Service Point Birch encountered some serious engine electrical problems and was left hanging like a fly in the Carpathian Mountains. Armed with his mobile phone, mandatory for racing competitors, he calmly called up service (only as Birch could in a situation like that) and instructed them to load up Darryl Curtis with much needed parts.


Curtis shot off in search of Birch but it took several back tracks and agonizing minutes to locate Birch to off-load the goods. Knowing full well Lettenbichler was flying up ahead and Birch’s 50min lead buffer was fast diminishing, Birch worked quickly to get his KTM300EXC up and running armed with little more than a few spanners and screwdrivers. Over an hour and half later Andreas Lettenbichler and Bolton miraculously turn up back at Service Point after spending over an hour looking for the next check point. Bolton also had some front brake problems.


Hard charging Brit Graham Jarvis, after yesterdays shocking engine problems, was making up excellent time on the front runners until he too got caught out by the tricky to navigate check point after the Service Point and subsequently also surprised the Lettenbichler and Bolton when he fronted up to Service Point as they were leaving.


A touch on 2.30pm and Lettenbichler crosses the finish for Off-Road Day 3. Bolton trundles in a mere 4sec behind Lettenbichler, with a much destroyed looking South African Gutzeit finishing shortly after Bolton. However, it was Jarvis on top punching his Sherco home first, 25mins ahead of the competition.
At roughly 2.53pm Birch crosses the finish line. As Birch rolls under the Red Bull finishing platform he is quoted as saying “Man, I have nearly changed every part of my bike today! I have been riding for KTM for 6 years now, and I NEVER EVER had one single problem with electrics!”

Birch is estimated to have lost 27mins of his lead to Lettenbichler in the overall standings, which reduces Birch’s buffer as he heads into Off-Road Day 4 by under 30mins.

After having ridden for nearly 10 hours through the Carpathian wilderness, Darryl Curtis arrives at the finish line at 4:08pm. "I slipped sideways from the track and buried myself in a deep and really steep ditch. It took me nearly 25mins and all my energy to get myself back on track, only to discover that there were some more cruelties waiting for me."

Disturbingly late in the afternoon at 4pm only 55 riders have reached the finish and it is noted that heavy rain has set in making it increasingly harder for the remaining competitors still stuck out in the wilderness to make it the final kilometres home. Around 4.30pm only 8 riders from the Pro-Class have made it to the finish line they are Jarvis, Lettenbichler, Bolton, Gutzeit, Birch, Forster, Van Niekerk and Darryl Curtis.

Off-Road Day 4, the final day of the Red Bull Romaniacs 2010 is set to get underway around 3pm out time this afternoon. Birch has a rough 30min lead in the overall standings but there are some notoriously hard sections still left to come. Lets keep our fingers crossed that Birch can stay upright and claim the Red Bull Romaniacs crown!

Check out this cool video from Off-Road Day 3



Images courtesy of Red Bull Romaniacs

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RED BULL ROMANIACS 2010 DAY 2 + VIDEO



The weather certainly cleared up for Off-Road Day 2 of the 2010 Red Bull Romaniacs but that didn’t mean the course was any less challenging.


After leaving Sibiu in 2nd place early this morning on Romanian time, KTM Factory Red Bull Rider Chris Birch seems to have possibly encountered some problems out in the Carpathian Mountains as he looks to have slipped back into fourth overall.


After a crash fest filled Off-Road Day 1, battered and bruised factory BMW rider Andreas Lettenbichler has relished in the ‘easier’ conditions finishing Off-Road Day 2 in the early afternoon some 35mins ahead of 2nd place rider Swedish Joakim Ljunggren and taking the overall win for the day. Barely two minutes later South African KTM rider Jade Gutzeit comes in 3rd whilst Kiwi hero Birch holds 4th position, both a staggering 50 minutes behind Lettenbichler.


Graham Jarvis’ Sherco doesn’t seem to be holding up against the harsh Romanian conditions with yet another mechanical set-back, this time a failing fuel pump, causing him to lose precious time against the leaders. Jarvis was the first to start Off-Road Day 2 but now it is unknown where the British Enduro star stands.

It must also be mentioned that most of the Pro class riders have serious time penalties against their names due to the extremely technical nature of yesterdays racing and toerrential weather playing havoc with race lines forcing many to take a completely different route to have any chance of making it through some of the challenge sections. It remains a total lottery to who is actually leading the standings for the 2010 Red Bull Romaniacs overall title.

With two more days of intense Off-Road racing ahead of them in the intensely challenging Carpathian Mountains the 2010 Red Bull Romaniacs is far from over! Check out this cool video recap from Off-Road Day 1.



Images courtesy of Red Bull Romaniacs 2010

EDIT: Taddy Blazusiack is out of the 2010 Red Bull Romaniacs! After injuring his shoulder during the prologue, Taddy unfortunately clipped another tree during Off-Road Day 1 of racing and can no longer compete.

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SHERWOOD WINS MOSCOW X-FIGHTERS ROUND


The Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour stopped off at the Kremlin on Moscow’s Red Square over the weekend with the win going to Kiwi young gun Levi Sherwood.

Sherwood, aka The Rubberkid, now riding for KTM, won the round from American Nate Adams .

The win is a second on the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour for the 18-year-old who won the opening round of the 2009 series in Mexico City.

Andre Villa continues to lead the overall standings in the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2010 after finishing third in Moscow. Robbie Maddison (AUS), famous for his incredible jumps over London’s Tower Bridge and the Corinth Canal in Greece, failed to qualify for the semi-finals after missing a landing, eventually finishing fifth. Japan’s Eigo Sato progressed into the semi-finals but has to settle for fourth place after losing his duel against Adams.

Following stops in Mexico City (MEX), Cairo (EGY) and Moscow (RUS), the biggest freestyle motocross tour on the planet now moves on to the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas bullfighting ring in Madrid for the next event of the season on 22/23 July 2010 before the final two showdowns of the season in London (GBR) and Rome (ITA).

Final Results, Red Bull X-Fighters Moscow / Russia: 1. Levi Sherwood (NZL), 2. Nate Adams (USA), 3. Andre Villa (NOR), 4. Eigo Sato (JAP), 5. Robbie Maddison (AUS), 6. Dany Torres (ESP), 7. Adam Jones (USA), 8. Cameron Sinclair (AUS), 9. Jim McNeil (USA), 10. Mat Rebeaud (SUI), 11. Alexey Kolesnikov, 12. Blake Williams (AUS)

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MAXIMUM MAX!

By MICHAEL ESDAILE
WITH 10 races remaining in the 2010 HANNspree Superbike World Championship, Aprilia’s Max Biaggi appeared to have one hand already on the trophy after round eight in the summer heat of Misano on Sunday.

Biaggi went into the Misano round leading Alstare Suzuki’s Leon Haslam by 15 points after taking a double win at the US round at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah on May 31. By the end of the weekend he had stretched that to 37 points with another maximum 50 point haul from winning both races on Italy’s Adriatic Coast.

In the first race (see earlier report), Haslam had clutch and electronic problems with his GSX-R1000, struggling home in eighth place but in race two, the Englishman turned on a mighty performance to emerge from the chasing ruck to take his eleventh podium of the season and keep his and Suzuki’s Superbike World Championship hopes alive. With some urgently required engine development from Suzuki, Haslam could still be in the hunt for the world crown. The young Brit has proven very consistent all season, and the only blemish on his 2010 record came when he crashed out of the second race in the USA. That considered, it is amazing Biaggi is ‘only’ 37 points ahead in the title chase, as he has won half the races – eight of 16 – run so far this year.

The heat was on, quite literally, in the second race at Misano, with the track temperature another 7°C hotter at 47°C than it was for the first 24 lap, 101.424 km race.
Biaggi jetted away to another holeshot and again BMW’s Troy Corser dived inside to take the lead, this time at turn three. The pair touched, Biaggi bobbled wide and in a flash Carlos Checa was through on the Althea Ducati 1198R with Xerox Ducati’s Michel Fabrizio a close fourth, with Haslam fighting his way forward in fifth as they ended the first lap.

CORSER TRIES HARD
Corser kept the in-line four cylinder BMW S1000RR out front for the first six laps, working hard to score the German brand’s first Superbike World Championship win. Behind him, Checa was keen to grab his second podium of the weekend, preferably with the win, while Fabrizio desperately wanted to score a much needed win on the factory Ducati. But it turned out Biaggi was biding his time, lowering Checa’s lap record set in the first race on just the third lap as he closed on Fabrizio who in turned seemed glued to the back wheel of Checa’s privateer Ducati.
On the fourth lap, Fabrizio got by Checa, and before they had done another two kilometres, Biaggi had also nipped past Checa. A little further back, fourth placed Haslam was being monstered by Cal Crutchlow, who had lowered Biaggi’s lap record as he made his way forward on the Sterilgarda Yamaha.

In another lap, Checa had been bundled back to sixth while up front, Fabrizio was looking for a way past Corser’s BMW. He found it on the seventh lap, with Biaggi getting ahead of the BMW as well, then setting his sights on the factory Ducati man in the lead. The two Italians then engaged in a corner-to-corner duel which Biaggi won, took the lead and proceeded to edge away as Fabrizio came into range for Haslam to mount an attack as the race reached the halfway point.
By then Biaggi had stretched to a 2.5 second lead while Haslam resorted to a late braking move to get by the Xerox Ducati, which was just as fast on the Misano straights as the Alstare Suzuki.
By now Corser’s hopes of giving BMW a win had been dashed, and it was all he could do to even keep a podium position on his radar. He had elected to use the same rear Pirelli as he had in race one, the so-called C-compound, no doubt believing it would work better in the hotter conditions of race two. In fact, it proved not as good as in race one.

SOFTER IS BETTER
Biaggi, on the other hand, went with the new softer A-compound he had used in the first race, and this proved to be a winner. Haslam too went with the A-compound for race two.
By the time Haslam made it into second, Biaggi was gone – 3.8 seconds out in front and still clicking off 1m 36 lap times. Haslam tried all he knew, but made no impression on the fleeing Biaggi, who stretched his lead lap by lap until at one point he was more than eight seconds ahead, a huge lead in Superbike racing.

By holding onto second place, Haslam limited the damage in his championship chase but he had the Sterilgarda Yamaha of Cal Crutchlow on his tail, until Fabrizio removed the pressure by getting the factory Ducati ahead of the Yamaha once more.

With the chequered flag in sight, Biaggi eased off to wave to the crowd but Corser made a mistake and ran off the track, rejoining to finish tenth. He was running fifth at the time.
While Biaggi celebrated his 39th birthday by throwing his gloves, then his Suomy helmet to his fans in the grand stand, the Sterilgarda Yamaha team was left winless once again. Incredibly, the team that dominated the second half of the 2009 season and ended up winning the championship has yet to score a race win this year. Texan Ben Spies is certainly missed, and the two Brits – Crutchlow and Toseland – are clearly not up to the job, although Crutchlow came away with the lap record, 1m 36.546s.
Signaling that as far as he is concerned the championship is far from over, Haslam vowed to come back fighting at Brno in the Czech Republic on July 11.
“After the issues we’ve had this weekend (to do with the clutch and electronics) I thought that eigth in race one was probably the best we’d get this weekend,” Haslam admitted. “But, all credit to the team because they went back to a setting that we used in USA and South Africa. The bike was much better in the second race.
"Race two felt like normal and the bike felt a million times better than race one, but I’ve got so many blisters on my hands because I was trying so hard.
“I took a lap or two too long to pass Troy (Corser) and Michel (Fabrizio) in the second race and by then Max was too far ahead to catch. Max is riding well and the Aprilia is currently the package to beat but I’m confident that, as long as we all work hard, we can beat him. We do all our own development work and it’s because of all the hard work, that we are competitive.
“If Suzuki Japan wanted to give us some more help, it would be much appreciated and it would be a great benefit to us all. In the meantime, I’m going to keeping fighting for more and podiums. That was my aim before the season began, and it’s still the same now.”

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RED BULL ROMANIACS 2010 + VIDEO

The infamously difficult Red Bull Romaniacs 2010 is underway and New Zealand's Red Bull KTM rider Chris Birch is standing atop the unofficial leader board.


Winning the Red Bull Romaniacs Prologue by a country mile and taking pole position for the start of Day 2, the first day in the Carpathian Mountains, Birch simply outclassed international riders like Taddy Blazusiak (KTM), Graham Jarvis (Sherco) and Andreas Lettenbichler (BMW).

Taking clues from the Red Bull Romaniacs website, it seems that after and early lead in the morning, Chris Birch was passed around lunch time by Graham Jarvis. Jarvis' Sherco then suffered an electrical problem during lunch which allowed Birch an opportunity to claim back the lead. Birch's lead was short lived however when Jarvis passed Birch back during a tricky uphill section.

With Birch winning Prologue racing, it seems Jarvis may be in the lead after the first day in the mountains having finished 40 minutess ahead of Birch at the end of Off-Road Day 1. It is not known at this time how Lettenbichler and Blazusiak have finished Off-Road Day 1 in the Carpathian Mountains. There is a rumour that Blazusiak injured his troublesome shoulder during the Prologue and was unsure whether it would hold up for him to continue racing.



Off-Road Day 2 starts in Sibiu just before 7am, around 3pm our time. To follow the riders via live tracking during racing navigate to RedBullRomaniacs and follow the links found on the homepage.

GO HARD CHRIS BIRCH!

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BIAGGI: WIN NO. 7

By MICHAEL ESDAILE
MASSIMILIANO Biaggi took full advantage of a very small mistake from two-time Superbike World Champion Troy Corser to snatch the lead, and eventually the race win, in the first race at round eight of the HANNspree Superbike World Championship at Misano on Sunday.

Corser had been at or near the top of the lap time sheets in almost every practice and qualifying session and gave BMW its first pole position when he topped the Saturday afternoon Superpole session with a lap of 1m 35.001s at an average of 160.141 km/h. That broke Czech Ducati rider Jakub Smrz’s 1:35.435 pole record set only a year before. Not only that, but Corser was a clear half second quicker than Biaggi’s best lap on the Alitalia Aprilia RSV4.

Interestingly, it was Corser’s first pole position under the new three-step Superpole scenario introduced for the 2009 season, and his 43rd in Superbike racing, the most set by any rider in the series’ 22 year history.

From the start, Biaggi grabbed the holeshot but Corser nipped underneath the Aprilia in the second corner, took the lead and kept the BMW out front for 17 of the 24 laps. Corser later admitted he made a couple of mistakes that lap, which allowed Biaggi to snatch the lead, with Spaniard Carlos Checa also getting past the BMW man on his Althea Ducati 1198R.

The three veteran riders were never more than a few bike lengths apart the entire race, which was run in bright sunshine and 27 degrees of Italian summer heat.

While Checa probed for a way past Biaggi, Corser closed up on the BMW looking for a way back to the front, but the V4 Aprilia accelerated too fast out of the corners onto the short Misano straights for them to be able to get past there, and Biaggi was matching them on the brakes as he snatched his seventh win from the 15 SWC races run so far this year. Behind the three veterans, who handed out a riding lesson to the younger men in the field, Michel Fabrizio was a distant fourth on the first of the factory Xerox Ducatis, almost five seconds back from Biaggi, while Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli had his best race since the opening round at Phillip Island, and bagged fifth on the Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000.

That left former championship leader Leon Haslam to rue his poor getaway, which saw him stuck back in the pack until he got past Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea, then latched onto the tail of factory Ducati man Noriyuki Haga.
Eventually Haslam found a way past Haga, and pulled away slightly. At that point he was a distant sixth, but was pushed back to seventh again when Leon Camier came by on the second factory Aprilia V4. Before the race was over, Haga had also got back in front of the Englishman, who finished eighth, and saw Biaggi put a hefty 17 more points on him, extending his lead in the championship to 282.
Haslam with 250 points was still well clear of third placed points man Carlos Checa, whose second place finish saw him move back in front of Jonathan Rea, with 161 points in the title chase.

Checa also set fastest lap in the race, 1m 36.670s, which broke Haga’s year-old lap record of 1m 37.135s.

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JORGE CHECKS OUT, BEN CHECKS IN

Lorenzo Style
By MICHAEL ESDAILE

FIAT Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo pulled a disappearing act in the British MotoGP race at a re-vamped Silverstone circuit on Sunday to score his third win of the season. Behind him Italian Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso won an intense battle for the runner-up spot and Texan Ben Spies took his first podium in MotoGP, finishing third on the Monster Energy Tech3 Yamaha.

Lorenzo started from pole, and after a tussle with Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa on the opening lap, he cleared off to score an emphatic win, easing off in the final three laps to cross the line 6.7 seconds ahead of Dovizioso, then celebrating his win with three compatriots all dressed up to resemble The Beatles Sergeant Pepper album cover.

While the Spaniard reeled off a series of millimetre perfect laps out in front, behind him the action was the battle for second place.

After qualifying second fastest, Playboy-backed Frenchman Randy de Puniet on the LCR Honda jumped off the grid well before Pedrosa sliced past to challenge Lorenzo. Pedrosa and Lorenzo went at it corner-to-corner until Pedrosa ran wide, and Lorenzo was away. But De Puniet also nipped past Pedrosa before the opening lap was over, as did Dovizioso.

DUCATI BATTLE
Nicky Hayden had out-qualified Marlboro Ducati team-mate Casey Stoner for the first time since joining the Italian team last year and was fifth on the opening lap before getting his head down to eventually push Pedrosa back to fifth after four laps. Stoner, who had been fastest in morning warm-up, made a terrible start and as the field rounded the first corner, the Aussie was at the rear of the field.

“As I let the clutch out the bike started jumping and hopping around and I had to pull the clutch in and go again, by which time everybody was past,” Stoner said. “The tyres were fresh on before the warm-up lap so in the early laps I had to be really careful before being able to start overtaking and I lost a lot of time. The race then was fun, we were able to find a good rhythm and to make our way forward but the time lost at the beginning prevented us by fighting for the podium.”

Still, Stoner’s ride should finally have silenced his critics, who have contended he is only able to win by getting away at the front and that he is not able to deal with other riders in close proximity. By the end of the first lap he had passed Aleix Espargaro and Alvaro Bautista, got by Mika Kalio a lap later, then passed Hector Barbera, Loris Capirossi and Colin Edwards on successive laps to arrive in eighth place with 15 laps to go. From there Stoner carried on the charge, steadily closing the big gap to Marco Simoncelli and Ben Spies, who were by now queued up behind the hapless Pedrosa, who clearly was not happy with his Honda’s set-up.

By the time Stoner got within striking range of seventh place, that seat was occupied by his old 250GP sparring partner Pedrosa – Simoncelli and Spies having both dived past the Spaniard. Stoner had been matching race leader Lorenzo’s lap times as be burned through the field, but it took him three laps to find a way past Pedrosa, and that ultimately cost him any chance of a podium finish as the group fighting for second was joined by Spies.

De Puniet had done a sterling job keeping Dovizioso honest in the fight for second, the satellite Honda appearing to be on par with Dovi’s factory machine as they swapped the runner-up spot with Hayden maintaining a watching brief right behind them.

SPIES' CHARGE
With seven laps to go, Dovizioso had gained the upper hand, leaving de Puniet to deal with Hayden and a charging Spies, who began a breathtaking late attack. After Haydney nipped by Frenchman de Puniet, Spies quickly followed to push de Puniet down to fifth place on lap 17. That clinical pass left Spies hounding Hayden's Ducati and the 25-year-old timed his crucial attack to perfection, the Texan ignoring the discomfort of a small fracture in his left ankle that he aggravated in a big crash during Saturday.

Stoner was next to latch onto de Puniet, and, matching his qualifying lap time despite worn tyres, he closed in on Spies, who in turn was all over Hayden. The last lap was a thriller and Spies produced a daring overtake on Hayden at the fast Abbey Corner and then defended supremely under immense pressure to claim third and his first premier class rostrum.

Behind him, Hayden and Stoner were line-astern in fourth and fifth on the Marlboro Ducatis.

“I didn't expect to get my first podium so quickly, especially after yesterday which wasn't the best for me,” Spies said later. “I got a decent start but once I got by Dani and Simoncelli I just tried to stay on the back of the group battling for the podium. Once I realised I could stay in contention, I just tried to save the rear tyre as much as I could and it all worked out. The last few laps I pushed as hard as I could and made some good passes and it is great for Yamaha and the Monster Tech 3 Team. I'm also pretty happy about it too and this is good for my confidence. That last lap was difficult to pass Nicky but I got a really good drive onto the back straight and tried to pass him at Stowe Corner but he came back by. On the next straight I managed to get by him and then had to ride quite defensively on the last part of the lap. I was on the edge but I had to go for the podium and it worked out. It will be hard to duplicate this but right now I'll let it sink in and make the most of it. But on this day I can say I was the third best rider in the world and it is a good feeling."

UNHAPPY NICKY
While Spies let the moment wash over him, Hayden was far from sanguine.
“It’s a pretty frustrating result because the team did a great job with the bike after the warm-up and it was a lot of fun to ride,” explained Hayden. “Unfortunately I didn’t get a good start – we’ve been having some little clutch problems and didn’t get away well.”

That said, his start was much better than that of team-mate Stoner.

“The race was really fun”, Hayden added. “Everybody was going back and forth, I was able to make some moves in the corners but just didn’t really have the top speed in the straights. It’s hard for me to dress this result up because I’m not happy to finish fourth again but the good thing is we were in the hunt again. We did something good with the bike today so hopefully it will work at Assen, a circuit I love,” he concluded.

Stoner was not happy either, but at least he’d been able to lap at close to Lorenzo’s front-running pace as he rode through the field.
“I’m not happy with fifth place because we were capable of more today,” said Stoner, who was left to speculate on what could have been had he made a better start. “I don’t know if we could have challenged Jorge for the win but we definitely found something in warm-up and made more improvements in the race, but we paid the price for a terrible start.”

DOVI SECOND
With his second place on the podium, Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso was a happy man, especially as he had overtaken team-mate Pedrosa on the points table.

“I’m really happy with second in the race, and we also have second in the Championship now so this reflects our strong start to the season,” said Dovizioso
“In the middle of the race I saw many riders were closing in behind me and so I tried to push at 100% to get a gap and try to avoid a fight on last lap. Corners 13 and 14 towards the end of the lap are really slow and you can see clearly the riders that are behind, and it would be easy to be overtaken here on the last lap if they were too close, so it was important to get a gap, which I managed to do.”

Eighth place from his Repsol Honda team-mate was not something either factory Honda men would have expected after practice and qualifying, although Pedrosa did suffer a nasty fall at the end of the qualifying session at Silverstone on Saturday afternoon in which his RC212V ran over his left leg as he went down at Turn 12, but after being stretchered off trackside and visiting the medical centre, nothing more serious than bruising to both his knees was diagnosed and the Spaniard took third place on the starting grid for the race.
“I crashed when I was on my last qualifying lap as I was braking when going into a left-hander,” explained the 24 year-old. “I hit some bumps and then the front started to move a lot and then had a little slide. Maybe the bike went over me and at that moment it hurt, but afterwards the pain went away so I’m okay.”

After his first lap battle with Lorenzo, Pedrosa soon discovered that he was lacking grip - his RC212V pushing the front and spinning the rear - so he wasn't able to maintain his first lap aggression and he was gradually pushed back down the order.

“Well, eighth is obviously a disappointing result because we were looking quite strong here yesterday and I was confident,” Pedrosa said. “However, we were lacking some grip from the beginning of the race and we couldn't replicate the pace we were able to achieve in practice. The rear was spinning and sliding quite a lot and the front was pushing which meant that, even though I was pushing really hard, I wasn't able to maintain my pace. It was frustrating because I could see the riders in front and I could stay with them but it was impossible to fight for position. The one positive thing from the weekend is that even though I had two crashes I wasn't injured and I didn't feel pain during the race today. This means we can quickly put this weekend behind us and move on to the next races - the first one being Assen next weekend."


LORENZO’S OIL…
"This was an important day for me and an important win,” Lorenzo reflected later. “I enjoyed riding my Fiat Yamaha so much. I had a different feeling today; I felt that it was going to be a good race. It was quite hard to be fast at the start and the first lap with Dani was difficult, but once I got past him I felt very relaxed and comfortable. I thought he would follow me for a bit longer but he didn't and then I was on my own, so I just had to focus on myself; I didn't even know who was behind me! I never dreamt of taking three wins from five races but here we are and I am feeling very strong mentally at this moment. I want to thank my team, Yamaha and Bridgestone for this victory. The Beatles celebration was something fun for the fans, I love their music and I thought it was nice to make a homage to them, since we're in England!"

For detailed results, click on:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/results/xx/2010/GBR/MotoGP/RAC/Classification.pdf?v1_8b3a8867

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JORGE CHECKS OUT, BEN CHECKS IN

By MICHAEL ESDAILE

FIAT Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo pulled a disappearing act in the British MotoGP race at a re-vamped Silverstone circuit on Sunday to score his third win of the season. Behind him Italian Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso won an intense battle for the runner-up spot and Texan Ben Spies took his first podium in MotoGP, finishing third on the Monster Energy Tech3 Yamaha.

Lorenzo started from pole, and after a tussle with Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa on the opening lap, he cleared off to score an emphatic win, easing off in the final three laps to cross the line 6.7 seconds ahead of Dovizioso, then celebrating his win with three compatriots all dressed up to resemble The Beatles Sergeant Pepper album cover.

While the Spaniard reeled off a series of millimetre perfect laps out in front, behind him the action was the battle for second place.

After qualifying second fastest, Playboy-backed Frenchman Randy de Puniet on the LCR Honda jumped off the grid well before Pedrosa sliced past to challenge Lorenzo. Pedrosa and Lorenzo went at it corner-to-corner until Pedrosa ran wide, and Lorenzo was away. But De Puniet also nipped past Pedrosa before the opening lap was over, as did Dovizioso.

DUCATI BATTLE
Nicky Hayden had out-qualified Marlboro Ducati team-mate Casey Stoner for the first time since joining the Italian team last year and was fifth on the opening lap before getting his head down to eventually push Pedrosa back to fifth after four laps. Stoner, who had been fastest in morning warm-up, made a terrible start and as the field rounded the first corner, the Aussie was at the rear of the field.

“As I let the clutch out the bike started jumping and hopping around and I had to pull the clutch in and go again, by which time everybody was past,” Stoner said. “The tyres were fresh on before the warm-up lap so in the early laps I had to be really careful before being able to start overtaking and I lost a lot of time. The race then was fun, we were able to find a good rhythm and to make our way forward but the time lost at the beginning prevented us by fighting for the podium.”

Still, Stoner’s ride should finally have silenced his critics, who have contended he is only able to win by getting away at the front and that he is not able to deal with other riders in close proximity. By the end of the first lap he had passed Aleix Espargaro and Alvaro Bautista, got by Mika Kalio a lap later, then passed Hector Barbera, Loris Capirossi and Colin Edwards on successive laps to arrive in eighth place with 15 laps to go. From there Stoner carried on the charge, steadily closing the big gap to Marco Simoncelli and Ben Spies, who were by now queued up behind the hapless Pedrosa, who clearly was not happy with his Honda’s set-up.

By the time Stoner got within striking range of seventh place, that seat was occupied by his old 250GP sparring partner Pedrosa – Simoncelli and Spies having both dived past the Spaniard. Stoner had been matching race leader Lorenzo’s lap times as be burned through the field, but it took him three laps to find a way past Pedrosa, and that ultimately cost him any chance of a podium finish as the group fighting for second was joined by Spies.

De Puniet had done a sterling job keeping Dovizioso honest in the fight for second, the satellite Honda appearing to be on par with Dovi’s factory machine as they swapped the runner-up spot with Hayden maintaining a watching brief right behind them.

SPIES' CHARGE
With seven laps to go, Dovizioso had gained the upper hand, leaving de Puniet to deal with Hayden and a charging Spies, who began a breathtaking late attack. After Haydney nipped by Frenchman de Puniet, Spies quickly followed to push de Puniet down to fifth place on lap 17. That clinical pass left Spies hounding Hayden's Ducati and the 25-year-old timed his crucial attack to perfection, the Texan ignoring the discomfort of a small fracture in his left ankle that he aggravated in a big crash during Saturday.

Stoner was next to latch onto de Puniet, and, matching his qualifying lap time despite worn tyres, he closed in on Spies, who in turn was all over Hayden. The last lap was a thriller and Spies produced a daring overtake on Hayden at the fast Abbey Corner and then defended supremely under immense pressure to claim third and his first premier class rostrum.

Behind him, Hayden and Stoner were line-astern in fourth and fifth on the Marlboro Ducatis.

“I didn't expect to get my first podium so quickly, especially after yesterday which wasn't the best for me,” Spies said later. “I got a decent start but once I got by Dani and Simoncelli I just tried to stay on the back of the group battling for the podium. Once I realised I could stay in contention, I just tried to save the rear tyre as much as I could and it all worked out. The last few laps I pushed as hard as I could and made some good passes and it is great for Yamaha and the Monster Tech 3 Team. I'm also pretty happy about it too and this is good for my confidence. That last lap was difficult to pass Nicky but I got a really good drive onto the back straight and tried to pass him at Stowe Corner but he came back by. On the next straight I managed to get by him and then had to ride quite defensively on the last part of the lap. I was on the edge but I had to go for the podium and it worked out. It will be hard to duplicate this but right now I'll let it sink in and make the most of it. But on this day I can say I was the third best rider in the world and it is a good feeling."

UNHAPPY NICKY
While Spies let the moment wash over him, Hayden was far from sanguine.
“It’s a pretty frustrating result because the team did a great job with the bike after the warm-up and it was a lot of fun to ride,” explained Hayden. “Unfortunately I didn’t get a good start – we’ve been having some little clutch problems and didn’t get away well.”

That said, his start was much better than that of team-mate Stoner.

“The race was really fun”, Hayden added. “Everybody was going back and forth, I was able to make some moves in the corners but just didn’t really have the top speed in the straights. It’s hard for me to dress this result up because I’m not happy to finish fourth again but the good thing is we were in the hunt again. We did something good with the bike today so hopefully it will work at Assen, a circuit I love,” he concluded.

Stoner was not happy either, but at least he’d been able to lap at close to Lorenzo’s front-running pace as he rode through the field.
“I’m not happy with fifth place because we were capable of more today,” said Stoner, who was left to speculate on what could have been had he made a better start. “I don’t know if we could have challenged Jorge for the win but we definitely found something in warm-up and made more improvements in the race, but we paid the price for a terrible start.”

DOVI SECOND
With his second place on the podium, Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso was a happy man, especially as he had overtaken team-mate Pedrosa on the points table.

“I’m really happy with second in the race, and we also have second in the Championship now so this reflects our strong start to the season,” said Dovizioso
“In the middle of the race I saw many riders were closing in behind me and so I tried to push at 100% to get a gap and try to avoid a fight on last lap. Corners 13 and 14 towards the end of the lap are really slow and you can see clearly the riders that are behind, and it would be easy to be overtaken here on the last lap if they were too close, so it was important to get a gap, which I managed to do.”

Eighth place from his Repsol Honda team-mate was not something either factory Honda men would have expected after practice and qualifying, although Pedrosa did suffer a nasty fall at the end of the qualifying session at Silverstone on Saturday afternoon in which his RC212V ran over his left leg as he went down at Turn 12, but after being stretchered off trackside and visiting the medical centre, nothing more serious than bruising to both his knees was diagnosed and the Spaniard took third place on the starting grid for the race.
“I crashed when I was on my last qualifying lap as I was braking when going into a left-hander,” explained the 24 year-old. “I hit some bumps and then the front started to move a lot and then had a little slide. Maybe the bike went over me and at that moment it hurt, but afterwards the pain went away so I’m okay.”

After his first lap battle with Lorenzo, Pedrosa soon discovered that he was lacking grip - his RC212V pushing the front and spinning the rear - so he wasn't able to maintain his first lap aggression and he was gradually pushed back down the order.

“Well, eighth is obviously a disappointing result because we were looking quite strong here yesterday and I was confident,” Pedrosa said. “However, we were lacking some grip from the beginning of the race and we couldn't replicate the pace we were able to achieve in practice. The rear was spinning and sliding quite a lot and the front was pushing which meant that, even though I was pushing really hard, I wasn't able to maintain my pace. It was frustrating because I could see the riders in front and I could stay with them but it was impossible to fight for position. The one positive thing from the weekend is that even though I had two crashes I wasn't injured and I didn't feel pain during the race today. This means we can quickly put this weekend behind us and move on to the next races - the first one being Assen next weekend."


LORENZO’S OIL…
"This was an important day for me and an important win,” Lorenzo reflected later. “I enjoyed riding my Fiat Yamaha so much. I had a different feeling today; I felt that it was going to be a good race. It was quite hard to be fast at the start and the first lap with Dani was difficult, but once I got past him I felt very relaxed and comfortable. I thought he would follow me for a bit longer but he didn't and then I was on my own, so I just had to focus on myself; I didn't even know who was behind me! I never dreamt of taking three wins from five races but here we are and I am feeling very strong mentally at this moment. I want to thank my team, Yamaha and Bridgestone for this victory. The Beatles celebration was something fun for the fans, I love their music and I thought it was nice to make a homage to them, since we're in England!"

For detailed results, click on:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/results/xx/2010/GBR/MotoGP/RAC/Classification.pdf?v1_8b3a8867

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HYOSUNG ST7 LAUNCHED

By Big Dave
The Ed sent me along to take some pics of the new Hyo launch at the Takapuna showrooms and I recorded some of the speeches on the Nikon. We'll have the report and a run down on the bike in the next KR.



Photo set. Todd the ham!

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HYOSUNG ST7 LAUNCHED

By Big Dave
The Ed sent me along to take some pics of the new Hyo launch at the Takapuna showrooms and I recorded some of the speeches on the Nikon. We'll have the report and a run down on the bike in the next KR.



Photo set. Todd the ham!

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USE YOUR HEAD WITH YAMAHA AT FIELDAYS


A good head is vital to your business. But heads are easily injured and tricky to fix. That’s why every Yamaha Utility ATV sold at Mystery Creek Fieldays June 16 to19 - from the mighty Grizzly 4x4 and Rhino 700s, through to the YFM350 - will come with a free helmet.

Designed to be as easy to use as possible – they’re more like hard-hats than traditional bike helmets – they’ve been developed by ACC, the agriculture industry and standards NZ to reduce injury, and keep you at work. For 35 farmers come off their quad bikes every day, one in 20 is hurt badly enough to take time off work, and eight per cent suffer head injuries. The good news is that many of those injuries would be prevented if the 80 per cent of farmers who currently don’t wear helmets used their heads, and wore one. After all, if that helmet protects you from harm you can stay on the job, and earning.


It’s a no brainer really, says Yamaha NZ’s Peter Payne. “We’d like to see farmers view helmets just like any other personal protective equipment. You can minimize needless injury to yourself or your employees by wearing one,” he says. ACC and the Motor Industry Association are supporting the helmet campaign at Fieldays, which they hope will reduce the injury stats next year. Meanwhile Payne’s promised another reason to buy. “The last year has been tough on farmers – and on dealers. So we’re looking at giving both a boost by combining our ‘Trade in your ex’ promotion with a 5.99% YMF retail finance deal to anyone buying at Fieldays.”

Forget trading in your wife or that ageing cattle dog, “But bring in your quad, Ag or Rhino, buy on YMF finance and you’ll pay nothing for 12 months – with just two payments over 24 months at 5.99%** until July 25,” Payne says. “Don’t want to trade? The 5.99% rate is good for any finance sale made at the Yamaha Fieldays site.” “And if you’re buying a Utility ATV or AG100/200, Yamaha will throw in one of its water blasters* to seal the deal.”


You can tell he’s a marketer. But Payne wants to keep his customers safe, and coming back.
“The main thing is our buyers take their helmet home and use it,” he says. “We want to see them working smart, wearing that helmet, and coming back safe and sound next year.”


*while stocks last
** Conditions apply to approved purchasers)

Read more...

USE YOUR HEAD WITH YAMAHA AT FIELDAYS


A good head is vital to your business. But heads are easily injured and tricky to fix. That’s why every Yamaha Utility ATV sold at Mystery Creek Fieldays June 16 to19 - from the mighty Grizzly 4x4 and Rhino 700s, through to the YFM350 - will come with a free helmet.

Designed to be as easy to use as possible – they’re more like hard-hats than traditional bike helmets – they’ve been developed by ACC, the agriculture industry and standards NZ to reduce injury, and keep you at work. For 35 farmers come off their quad bikes every day, one in 20 is hurt badly enough to take time off work, and eight per cent suffer head injuries. The good news is that many of those injuries would be prevented if the 80 per cent of farmers who currently don’t wear helmets used their heads, and wore one. After all, if that helmet protects you from harm you can stay on the job, and earning.


It’s a no brainer really, says Yamaha NZ’s Peter Payne. “We’d like to see farmers view helmets just like any other personal protective equipment. You can minimize needless injury to yourself or your employees by wearing one,” he says. ACC and the Motor Industry Association are supporting the helmet campaign at Fieldays, which they hope will reduce the injury stats next year. Meanwhile Payne’s promised another reason to buy. “The last year has been tough on farmers – and on dealers. So we’re looking at giving both a boost by combining our ‘Trade in your ex’ promotion with a 5.99% YMF retail finance deal to anyone buying at Fieldays.”

Forget trading in your wife or that ageing cattle dog, “But bring in your quad, Ag or Rhino, buy on YMF finance and you’ll pay nothing for 12 months – with just two payments over 24 months at 5.99%** until July 25,” Payne says. “Don’t want to trade? The 5.99% rate is good for any finance sale made at the Yamaha Fieldays site.” “And if you’re buying a Utility ATV or AG100/200, Yamaha will throw in one of its water blasters* to seal the deal.”


You can tell he’s a marketer. But Payne wants to keep his customers safe, and coming back.
“The main thing is our buyers take their helmet home and use it,” he says. “We want to see them working smart, wearing that helmet, and coming back safe and sound next year.”


*while stocks last
** Conditions apply to approved purchasers)

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PAUL DOBBS FUND

Paul Dobbs (39) was a great friend, father, husband, and motorcyclist. His tragic accident on the Isle of Man has seen the motorcycling industry lose one of the greats. He leaves behind a wife ( Bridget) and two daughters, Eadlin (8) and Hillberry (5).

The Paul Dobbs Fund has been set up to help this wonderful family through what will be a tough few months ahead. All donations go directly to the family.

Online donations can be made into:
Paul Dobbs Fund
National Bank Pukekohe Account # 06-0405-0201898-00

Or donations can be made at
Full Throttle Motorcycles
212 Manukau Road
Pukekohe

Or Cheques can be sent to
Paul Dobbs Fund
C/- Full Throttle Motorcycles
212 Manukau Road
Pukekohe 2120
(Please make cheques out to Paul Dobbs Fund)

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PAUL DOBBS FUND

Paul Dobbs (39) was a great friend, father, husband, and motorcyclist. His tragic accident on the Isle of Man has seen the motorcycling industry lose one of the greats. He leaves behind a wife ( Bridget) and two daughters, Eadlin (8) and Hillberry (5).

The Paul Dobbs Fund has been set up to help this wonderful family through what will be a tough few months ahead. All donations go directly to the family.

Online donations can be made into:
Paul Dobbs Fund
National Bank Pukekohe Account # 06-0405-0201898-00

Or donations can be made at
Full Throttle Motorcycles
212 Manukau Road
Pukekohe

Or Cheques can be sent to
Paul Dobbs Fund
C/- Full Throttle Motorcycles
212 Manukau Road
Pukekohe 2120
(Please make cheques out to Paul Dobbs Fund)

Read more...

HONDA RACING – WEC ROUND 4 POLAND PREVIEW

First of two back-to-back Eastern European GPs next for Honda- HM-Zanardo Team
Three weeks after their excellent and close fought victory at the Grand Prix of Italy, the Honda- HM-Zanardo Team have travelled east across Europe and to the city of Kwidzyn for the fourth round of eight in the FIM Enduro World Championship.
The Grand Prix of Poland will involve loose, loamy and sandy terrain and will provide a slightly different test for E2 riders Mika Ahola and Oscar Balletti on Honda CRF450R machinery.

Following his impressive win in Lovere, 35 year old Finn Ahola moved to the top of the E2 standings in what is becoming an intense and extremely tight title dispute with fellow former champion Ivan Cervantes. Ahola spent the weekend after success in Italy taking more spoils, this time in Arsie for the third round of the Italian Championship, which he also now controls. “I came to Arsiè to win and I have reached my objective,” he said at the time. “Now I’m the leader of the classification but we have to focus on next two GP of the World Championship: the GP of Poland and the GP of Slovakia.”

Kwidzyn – that first hosted a Grand Prix in 2008 - will begin with the routine Extreme test on Friday afternoon; an enduro-trial hybrid spectacle more for cameras and public consumption than for the satisfaction or challenge of the riders. The two day event will then involve 4 laps of the 55km course.

Ahola has kept busy since Arsie. His entertaining and enlightening internet blog reveals that he took part in a rally car face-off with another Enduro legend Juha Salminen and has been preparing for the conditions he is likely to find in northern Poland where he was surprisingly usurped in two occasions by Cervantes when both were competing in E1 in 2008.

“The next Enduro GP will be in Poland where the soil is sandy so I was training on couple of very bumpy tracks,” the three times world champion (all with Honda) writes. “Riding on the sand is something I don't usually practice because I've had enough of it in Finland back in the day... I actually scored my first ever podium in an Enduro GP back in 1994 in Finland and the race was sandy. Ivan Cervantes on the other hand is also very fast on the sand and he has similar training tracks at home like I have in Finland so I am looking forward to a tough race in Poland!”

Balletti, who was also successful in Arsie in the E1 category with the Honda CRF250R, will climb back on the 450 for the Grand Prix and will be hoping to rise from his 8th place in the standings with only 5 points separating him from climbing two more positions. Fabio Mossini will not be competing in the E1 class due to his back injury.

The team will remain in Eastern Europe during the week for the Grand Prix of Slovakia and round five on 19-20 June.

Read more...

HONDA RACING – WEC ROUND 4 POLAND PREVIEW


First of two back-to-back Eastern European GPs next for Honda- HM-Zanardo Team
Three weeks after their excellent and close fought victory at the Grand Prix of Italy, the Honda- HM-Zanardo Team have travelled east across Europe and to the city of Kwidzyn for the fourth round of eight in the FIM Enduro World Championship.
The Grand Prix of Poland will involve loose, loamy and sandy terrain and will provide a slightly different test for E2 riders Mika Ahola and Oscar Balletti on Honda CRF450R machinery.

Following his impressive win in Lovere, 35 year old Finn Ahola moved to the top of the E2 standings in what is becoming an intense and extremely tight title dispute with fellow former champion Ivan Cervantes. Ahola spent the weekend after success in Italy taking more spoils, this time in Arsie for the third round of the Italian Championship, which he also now controls. “I came to Arsiè to win and I have reached my objective,” he said at the time. “Now I’m the leader of the classification but we have to focus on next two GP of the World Championship: the GP of Poland and the GP of Slovakia.”

Kwidzyn – that first hosted a Grand Prix in 2008 - will begin with the routine Extreme test on Friday afternoon; an enduro-trial hybrid spectacle more for cameras and public consumption than for the satisfaction or challenge of the riders. The two day event will then involve 4 laps of the 55km course.

Ahola has kept busy since Arsie. His entertaining and enlightening internet blog reveals that he took part in a rally car face-off with another Enduro legend Juha Salminen and has been preparing for the conditions he is likely to find in northern Poland where he was surprisingly usurped in two occasions by Cervantes when both were competing in E1 in 2008.

“The next Enduro GP will be in Poland where the soil is sandy so I was training on couple of very bumpy tracks,” the three times world champion (all with Honda) writes. “Riding on the sand is something I don't usually practice because I've had enough of it in Finland back in the day... I actually scored my first ever podium in an Enduro GP back in 1994 in Finland and the race was sandy. Ivan Cervantes on the other hand is also very fast on the sand and he has similar training tracks at home like I have in Finland so I am looking forward to a tough race in Poland!”

Balletti, who was also successful in Arsie in the E1 category with the Honda CRF250R, will climb back on the 450 for the Grand Prix and will be hoping to rise from his 8th place in the standings with only 5 points separating him from climbing two more positions. Fabio Mossini will not be competing in the E1 class due to his back injury.

The team will remain in Eastern Europe during the week for the Grand Prix of Slovakia and round five on 19-20 June.

Read more...

YAMAHA ATV POWER ASSISTED STEERING

Power to the People

Piloting Working ATVs over NZ’s rugged terrain can be hard work – which is why power assisted steering is so useful, says Yamaha NZ’s Peter Payne.

“Whether you use your ATV all day for work or the occasional leisure activity, riding it shouldn’t become a wrestling match. Not only is accurate steering vital to safety – easy manoeuvring keeps you fresh to concentrate on everything else you’re doing.”

Yamaha was the first to introduce power steering technology, completely new to ATVs when it arrived on the Yamaha Grizzly YFM700FAP back in 2006. It works by using sensors to calculate speed; the ECU then calculates how much assistance is needed and activates the Electric Power Steer pump if required. That effectively adds a bit of elbow grease, with more assistance at slow speeds than high. It’s especially useful over rocky terrain, or when encountering an unexpected bump – such as rocks hidden in grass or underwater – which could throw you off line, and into trouble.


Utility farm ATVs can be heavy, especially with the attachments and extras that are sometimes fitted. That first power-steer Grizzly fielded a mighty 686cc four stroke motor and tipped the scales at 276kg – more with fuel, oil and rider aboard. But that heft was offset by the ease which it’s controlled thanks to power steer.

The first ATVs to get power steer assistance were Yamaha’s biggest, in four-wheel-drive Ultramatic form. But the tech proved so popular it’s now available on a wider range of Yamaha ATVs, including the YFM550FAP Grizzly, and the just revealed 2011 model YFM450FAP. Other brands have also followed Yamaha’s power steer lead, and it’s easy to see why. “Today’s farms are often run by mum and dad family teams, and not everyone using the equipment is built like Jonah Lomu,” Payne says.

“Statistics show that lighter riders are more at risk, as they have to work harder to control these heavy machines, and get into trouble more easily over the hilly terrain so typical of New Zealand farms and trails.”

“Power steer assistance means even a smaller rider can easily control the ATV, dramatically improving safety during the ride, and reducing concentration-draining fatigue throughout the day,” he says.

ENDS

For more information, refer to www.yamaha-motor.co.nz

Yamaha ATV facts
- Yamaha introduced its first ATV in 1979, with the debut of the YT125 Tri-Moto
- Yamaha introduced the first shaft drive and first electric start ATV in 1983, with the YTM225DX Tri-Moto
- Yamaha introduced the first twin-cylinder ATV in 1987, the four-wheel-drive Banshee 350 sportsmodel. It won the Baja 1000 on its first outing.
- Yamaha introduced the first ATV with a cargo bed in 1989.
- Yamaha introduces “Ultramatic” with Hi Lo ratio and full engine breaking on the 600 Grizzly in 1998, based on the drive system used successfully in Yamaha snow mobiles and Golf Cars
- Yamaha introduces selectable 2wd 4wd Hi Lo ratio with “Ultramatic” on the 400 Kodiak in 1999
- Yamaha introduces the first ATV with power steering in 2006, the Grizzly 700.

Read more...

YAMAHA ATV POWER ASSISTED STEERING

Power to the People

Piloting Working ATVs over NZ’s rugged terrain can be hard work – which is why power assisted steering is so useful, says Yamaha NZ’s Peter Payne.

“Whether you use your ATV all day for work or the occasional leisure activity, riding it shouldn’t become a wrestling match. Not only is accurate steering vital to safety – easy manoeuvring keeps you fresh to concentrate on everything else you’re doing.”

Yamaha was the first to introduce power steering technology, completely new to ATVs when it arrived on the Yamaha Grizzly YFM700FAP back in 2006. It works by using sensors to calculate speed; the ECU then calculates how much assistance is needed and activates the Electric Power Steer pump if required. That effectively adds a bit of elbow grease, with more assistance at slow speeds than high. It’s especially useful over rocky terrain, or when encountering an unexpected bump – such as rocks hidden in grass or underwater – which could throw you off line, and into trouble.


Utility farm ATVs can be heavy, especially with the attachments and extras that are sometimes fitted. That first power-steer Grizzly fielded a mighty 686cc four stroke motor and tipped the scales at 276kg – more with fuel, oil and rider aboard. But that heft was offset by the ease which it’s controlled thanks to power steer.

The first ATVs to get power steer assistance were Yamaha’s biggest, in four-wheel-drive Ultramatic form. But the tech proved so popular it’s now available on a wider range of Yamaha ATVs, including the YFM550FAP Grizzly, and the just revealed 2011 model YFM450FAP. Other brands have also followed Yamaha’s power steer lead, and it’s easy to see why. “Today’s farms are often run by mum and dad family teams, and not everyone using the equipment is built like Jonah Lomu,” Payne says.

“Statistics show that lighter riders are more at risk, as they have to work harder to control these heavy machines, and get into trouble more easily over the hilly terrain so typical of New Zealand farms and trails.”

“Power steer assistance means even a smaller rider can easily control the ATV, dramatically improving safety during the ride, and reducing concentration-draining fatigue throughout the day,” he says.

ENDS

For more information, refer to www.yamaha-motor.co.nz

Yamaha ATV facts
- Yamaha introduced its first ATV in 1979, with the debut of the YT125 Tri-Moto
- Yamaha introduced the first shaft drive and first electric start ATV in 1983, with the YTM225DX Tri-Moto
- Yamaha introduced the first twin-cylinder ATV in 1987, the four-wheel-drive Banshee 350 sportsmodel. It won the Baja 1000 on its first outing.
- Yamaha introduced the first ATV with a cargo bed in 1989.
- Yamaha introduces “Ultramatic” with Hi Lo ratio and full engine breaking on the 600 Grizzly in 1998, based on the drive system used successfully in Yamaha snow mobiles and Golf Cars
- Yamaha introduces selectable 2wd 4wd Hi Lo ratio with “Ultramatic” on the 400 Kodiak in 1999
- Yamaha introduces the first ATV with power steering in 2006, the Grizzly 700.

Read more...

VALE PAUL DOBBS

It is with the deepest regret and sadness that we report that popular New Zealand road-racer Paul Dobbs has died as a result of injuries sustained in an accident at the Isle of Man TT.
In a statement published on the TT website event officials said that Dobbs, 39, was involved in a racing incident in the Supersport TT on the Ballagarey section of the 61km track on Thursday local time.
A regular at the TT, Dobbs, from Onewhero in the Waikato, finished 22nd in Monday's first Supersport race.

Read more...

VALE PAUL DOBBS

It is with the deepest regret and sadness that we report that popular New Zealand road-racer Paul Dobbs has died as a result of injuries sustained in an accident at the Isle of Man TT.
In a statement published on the TT website event officials said that Dobbs, 39, was involved in a racing incident in the Supersport TT on the Ballagarey section of the 61km track on Thursday local time.
A regular at the TT, Dobbs, from Onewhero in the Waikato, finished 22nd in Monday's first Supersport race.

Read more...

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