We recently tested BMW Motorrad’s latest flagship adventure model, the BMW R 1250 GS. After concluding the fact that you can basically go anywhere and everywhere (including riding it as a daily bike), BMW Motorrad Malaysia gave us the opportunity to test its bigger and more badass version, the 2019 BMW R 1250 GS Adventure. (more…)
Attention to all BMW fans and enthusiasts? If you’re in love with the 2019 BMW S 1000 RR as much as we do and you want to take it to the next level right out of the showroom, you can basically ‘make’ your very own 2019 BMW S 1000 RR Carbon Edition thanks to some very tantalising carbon fibre parts from Ilmberger. (more…)
MV Agusta is known for their super premium line-up of powerful bikes and some very well-known special edition models. Their latest endeavour involves a one-of-a-kind MV Agusta F3 800 painted in the colours of UNICEF to show their support for children worldwide. (more…)
GIVI Rimba Raid at Janda Baik 2019 may be over for close to two weeks now, but many are still reminiscing over the biggest and best edition to date.
The scars may have healed, broken bikes fixed, the glow of winning slow fades but memories will remain forever with the competitors.
Surely the spectators who showed up in droves were amazed to no end seeing heavyweight (read: expensive) adventure bikes being used for such purpose instead of blasting down Karak and parked outside Nanyang Kopitiam and Starbucks Gohtong Jaya (10% discount here for “BMW bikers” says the receipt, but they give it to all big bikers). Perhaps it was even more heartwarming to see the excitement of the children. Who knows, they may dream of owning such a bike when they grow up.
The GIVI Explorers who rode in with the GIVI Malaysian Adventure 2019 were equally, if not more awed at the event. Bear in mind that among these men and women from 16 different countries have large motorcycle rallies in their backyards. For example, Jeremias Israel who was an ex-HRC Dakar Rally rider who also took park in other world-class rallies. The Chilean even took part in the Janda Baik race and came away mighty impressed with the event and may well return. And then there were GIVI Explorers from Australia, Mexico, Thailand, Italy, and so forth. These are nations where motorcycle rallies are the norm. Yet, they were impressed with the organization and scale of GIVI Rimba Raid.
But if the event was amazing, it’s due to the extraordinary effort and hard work put in by the organizers led by Dato’ Captain Nik. He had only a number of people to rely on. It wasn’t merely a case handing the competitors their jerseys and telling them to ride through the jungle. If planning a trackday was hard enough, no amount of imagination can tell you how hard it was to plan and execute GIVI Rimba Raid. And yet there were critics.
Let’s not forget GIVI, of course. Together with the Rimba Raid crew, the GIVI crew had spent four days and nights to set up Kampung GIVI, ILMU and the surroundings along the track andoff the track.
Which brings us to the motorcycle manufacturers and sponsors. We have one question: Who says off-road riding on dual-purpose motorcycles isn’t a big thing?
BMW Motorrad sees the event as an opportunity, hence sending in their dealers (Auto Bavaria this time) at each edition, since many competitors ride the GS anyway. Ducati had the presence of mind to brand their Scrambler albeit last year, as they had to consolidate at Art of Speed this year. Bombardier were there to promote their latest side-by-sides, buggies and ATVs. But where was Honda? Yamaha? KTM? The field was filled with bikes from these brands. A little support to the competitors riding their brands would’ve gone a long, long way.
Anyhow, we hope that you enjoy the video. We can’t wait for the next GIVI Rimba Raid.
The Tech 3 team will also leave Moto2 in 2020 following KTM’s withdrawal.
KTM had made the announcement after the Austrian Grand Prix over the weekend. The decision was made to focus on MotoGP, while bringing the Husqvarna brand back to roadracing.
As such, Tech 3 will team up with KTM and Red Bull to form a new team in Moto3.
Tech 3 team principal Herve Poncharal says that he understands KTM position to strengthen their involvement in MotoGP and Moto3. To him, the Moto3 class is where new talents are generated for the MotoGP class.
This will the first time for Tech 3 to compete in the Moto3 class. Tech 3 was first involved with KTM in Moto2 in 2010, using the Mistral 610 engine. Their MotoGP effort switched to KTM this year after partnering with Yamaha for more than 20 years.
He also added that they have to spend the next few months to search for suitable riders.
The decision is somewhat ominous for Hafizh Syahrin, who was offered a spot in Tech 3’s Moto2 effort. His options are limited now, but there are rumours that he will take over from Khairul Idham Pawi in the PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team. Following this, Khairul Idham will be moved back to Moto3 and takes the place of Ayumu Sasaki who is leaving the team at the end of the year.
It’s also a tumultuous time for KTM with letting Hafizh Syahrin go and losing Johann Zarco a year early.
Khairul Idham Pawi a.k.a. SuperKIP will always be remembered as the first ever Malaysian racer to win a race (and added another later) for the country in a world championship.
His first win was in the Moto3 race at Argentina in 2016 and would go on to win another three months later in Germany. He has since moved up the Moto2 championship in 2017.
But he’s been missing from the Moto2 grid lately, and his PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team substituted him with Mattias Pasini and Jonas Folger.
The injuries to his right hand turned out to be more serious after his crash in Jerez in May this year. Surgeons had to partially amputate the little finger.
Pawi made a comeback at the Czech Republic round in Brno but acute pain forced him to withdraw halfway through the race.
Further surgeries caused him to miss the Austrian round. MotoGP surgeon Dr. Xavier Mir inserted a screw into the reconstructed bone in Pawi’s finger. The surgery was performed in the Hospital Universitari Dexeus in Barcelona, Spain.
Pawi aims to return to the Moto2 grid when fully fit. However, he may not recover in time for the Malaysian MotoGP round.
There are currently talks of him moving back to Moto3 next year to replace Ayumu Sasaki in the PETRONAS SRT outfit, while Hafizh Syahrin takes his place in the Moto2 PETRONAS SRT team. We shall wait for the official announcement.
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