A video posted on the Fotocisa Facebook account shows both bikes wearing camouflage and refueling. It’s probably difficult for the test riders to get a drink without being swamped by the curious.
The Streetfighter V4 will be the first model powered by the Desmosedici Stradale V-Four engine after the Panigale V4. Since Ducati has always been a “V-Twin company,” the move to V-Fours marks a huge paradigm shift. The manufacturer is expected to follow suit with a new Multistrada V4.
The Streetfighter V4’s prototype had made its debut at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Unfortunately, the fanfare turned tragic.
The Panigale 959 on the other hand will retain the 90o V-Twin Testastretta engine. As the current engine produces 157 hp while weighing only 168 kg, dry, the new bike is expected to feature at least 170 hp. That means its power-to-weight ratio is more than 1 hp to 1 kg. The biggest update is the single-sided swingarm, of course!
Other features will definitely include lean angle sensitive traction control and ABS, based around an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU).
Johann Zarco announces that he will leave KTM at the end of the 2019 MotoGP season.
The announcement was made on his Facebook after the Austrian GP weekend.
There’s no news where he will go since all seats in MotoGP are taken.
The Austrian GP weekend has been full of bombshells, and now Johann Zarco announced that he will leave KTM in 2020.
Zarco made the announcement through his Facebook account. The decision was made after discussions with KTM at the Red Bull Ring, considered to be the factory’s home race.
Although it’s well-known that the two-time Moto2 champion has been struggling the whole season on the KTM RC16, it was still a great surprise to see him leave with such haste, as there is no opening in MotoGP next year. But he must’ve been contemplating on leaving for some time.
Zarco had high-profile falling out with the team since Jerez earlier this year. He was caught calling the bike’s chassis and suspension “sh*t” on “live” TV after returning from a crash. He also had scathing words for the bike during an interview, which prompted a public reprimand from KTM’s CEO Stefan Pierer.
Perhaps all these started when Jorge Lorenzo bandied himself for a return to Ducati, at Jack Miller’s expense in the Pramac Ducati squad. KTM stood by to offer Miller a contract should he lose his Pramac seat. That would mean KTM will remove Zarco.
Then Lorenzo turned around and spoke to Repsol Honda boss Alberto Puig that he will continue with his contract through 2020. Consequently, Miller’s place in Pramac was also confirmed.
Now KTM has a vacant slot for next year. Pol Espargaro will continue with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team, while Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder will ride for the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 Racing Team.
Only time will tell who KTM will pick and Zarco’s future.
Triumph is already past midway in their first season of supplying engines to Moto2 teams.
The engines have held up well despite the abuse.
Since then we’ve seen records smashed and closer racing.
The story of Triumph in Moto2 has been a success so far after more than halfway into their inaugural season.
Triumph began supplying engines to Moto2 teams this year, taking over from Honda who powered the bikes for the last nine seasons. In a way, it’s Triumph’s first Grand Prix season since the brand’s start 121 years ago in 1898.
This year, we’ve seen multiple Moto2 records fall and racing is a lot closer (behind Alex Marquez, that is). Then news came of Nicolo Bulega going past 300 km/h during practice at the Italian Grand Prix.
Hitting that speed in the engine’s first season is an amazing feat all by itself.
The engines began as the 765cc three-cylinder from the new Street Triple, then prepared and maintained by ExternPro. ExternPro also prepared the Honda CBR600 inline-Four engines previously. The engine received some upgrades for racing, but the overall architecture and most parts are the same as the road bike’s.
Triumph Street Triple RS
A three-cylinder engine produces more low-end and midrange torque than an inline-Four of equal displacement. But the 765’s larger displacement already provides more grunt, anyway. That’s why we kept seeing riders catching back up after making a mistake.
The factory has since learned much from their Moto2 venture. For example, how the riders trash the powerplant. The engine has a 14,000 RPM limiter on upshifts, but there’s no limiter on the downshift side. That’s why they regularly saw revs exceeding 15,200 RPM during aggressive downshifts.
Moto2 start at Brno 2019 – Photo credit MotoGP.com
Steve Sargent, Triumph’s Chief Product Officer revealed that the riders who abuse the engines aren’t the top guys. Data from those leading the championship such as Alex Marquez and Thomas Luthi showed that they don’t overrev the engine and are much smoother in their operation.
On the other hand, the abusive riders assume they’re riding hard by downshifting even when the throttle was pinned fully open.
ExternPro receives all the data from the bikes and flags the offenders. The company then talks to the riders caught doing so. But habits die hard, so ExternPro imposed downshift RPM limiters beginning Brno, Czech Republic. Riders who continue to exceed the limiter will be fined.
The engines have held up amazing well, despite all the abuse.
Trevor Morris of ExternPro continued, “We’ve done 100 engine rebuilds and the gearboxes don’t even look like they’ve be run in. The Nikasil-coated cylinders look brand new when we strip each engine after 1500 km (every three rounds).”
1500 km are peanuts for roadbikes, but roadbike engines don’t reside in the redline all the time.
There was no mechanical breakdown so far, lending a solid testament to the engine’s steadfast reliability.
Triumph’s Moto2 project hopes to bring the experience into developing their future line-up of motorcycles. While it’s natural that racing begets sportbikes, the data obtained could serve to develop designs, components, parts, etc. that will provide more performance and reliability to owners.
Of course, many hoped that it will result in a new range of sportbikes, but the Hinckley-based manufacturer had stopped producing the Daytona for a number of years now, as the sportbike market had shrunk tremendously. On the other hand, the factory announced the 2020 Triumph Daytona Moto2 765 Limited Edition recently. The engine is still based on the Street Triple’s but will be upgraded for more performance.
It’ll be revealed at the British MotoGP round on 25th August. We can’t wait to see it!
However, while KTM says that they will continue working with the Aki Ajo team in the Moto2 category, there’s no mention of Tech 3 anywhere. That would mean that Hafizh may face fewer options.
The manufacturer made the announcement at their “home” Austrian MotoGP round, where they signed a contract with Dorna to remain in the series for another five years. That means the factory will continue for a total of another seven years.
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer says that the decision will allow them to pool their resources and concentrate on MotoGP. The sentiment was echoed by Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsport Director.
Putting more focus on Moto3 would do the brand some good, as well and paves the way for the return of Husqvarna to roadracing. The brand is currently owned by KTM and it’s expected that a new model albeit using KTM’s technical expertise will be unveiled.
Honda has dominated the series for the past number of seasons.
A backfiring motorcycle caused mass panic in New York City.
The popping sounds were mistaken for gunshots.
The crowd stampeded, causing 22 injuries.
With a nation on edge after three mass shootings in the space of one week, a backfiring motorcycle causes mass panic in New York City, United States of America.
The panic also interrupted and ended the Broadway play “To Kill a Mockingbird” in the Schubert Theatre. The crowd had attempted to flee the play, resulting in a stampede which injured 22 people.
BREAKING **PANIC AT TIMES SQUARE** Broadway and West 44 Street. A motorcycle backfiring caused people to think there was shots fired. Thousands of people panicked. #NYPD on scene confirming it was motorcycle.
New York Police Department said a group of motorcycles were passing by when one of them backfired. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio also issued a statement via his Twitter account that, “Times Square is safe and secure. The noises heard earlier were motorcycles backfiring, not gunshots.”
One person said, “We just hear ‘pop’, ‘pop’, ‘pop’, and thought that somebody just came in and started shooting people.”
Another said, “It’s a shame the climate of America is like this.”
The mass shootings have occurred at public events. The last three shootings at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, Arianna Grande’s Manchester concert and Route 91 Harvest Festival left 58 dead and another 489 wounded. Punk band Blink-182 was forced to cancel their concert in El Paso after a gunman opened fire in a Walmart Supercentre, killing 20 over the weekend.
Miller says that it may be due to Lorenzo’s negotiation with the team.
In a shock bit of gossip, Jorge Lorenzo may eye a seat at Pramac Ducati in 2020. Even more intriguingly, current rider Jack Miller says his contract deal is delayed because of Lorenzo.
It’s the mid-season break for the MotoGP paddock and this is when deals are signed and time for the people involved to talk.
Rumours of Lorenzo may quit Honda for a Ducati ride next year started surfacing a few days prior but most (including us) dismissed it as just that – rumours. Why would he leave a factory team for a satellite team?
Miller had earlier joked that his 2020 contract was being “sent to him,” only to discover that Lorenzo had entered negotiations with his team. The Australian wasn’t happy and didn’t mince his words, “I think there is some truth to the rumours about Lorenzo. For sure he’s looking at something because at the moment he can’t ride the Honda. It’s easy to tuck your tail between your legs and run back,” said Miller to Crash.net.
Jack Miller – Photo credit MotoGP.com
“I thought we were waiting on paperwork but clearly that’s not the case. There might be something else behind it, I don’t know yet. We’ll see. Once Jorge comes back from the Maldives or wherever he is, we’ll find out what I’m doing.”
Lorenzo is currently under rehabilitation after crushing his vertebrae in a crash. He had said that the Honda fits him better when he moved to the Repsol Honda factory team but is now reeling from poor results and injury.
