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Moto3 2019: John McPhee Gives Petronas Sprinta Racing Team Maiden Victory

John McPhee rode a gritty Moto3 race at the French GP to give the Petronas Sprinta Racing Team their maiden victory.
He had also given the team their first Moto3 pole position.
Tatsuki Suzuki had again led the most laps before crashing out.

John McPhee rode a gritty Moto3 race at the French GP to give the Petronas Sprinta Racing Team their maiden victory.

The Scottish rider had see-saw beginning to the weekend but managed to capture pole position in Q2. He was also fastest during the morning’s warm-up session.

McPhee was third at the end of Lap 1 but he hung in there, keeping himself in the top three for most parts of the race.

Again, it was Tatsuki Suzuki who led from the start. Although pursued closely by the group, Suzuki controlled the pace from the front. Unfortunately, his bike’s rear tyre slid under him in Turn 3 on Lap 17.

By then McPhee and Lorenzo Dalla Porta have gone through. Suzuki’s crash opened up a gap behind the duo, leaving them to duke it out to the finish. But it was McPhee who held the advantage from the penultimate lap and past the finish line. Della Porta finished second, while Aaron Canet battled his way up to come home in third.

The victory was also the first podium for McPhee in three years.

French Moto3 Top 5 Finish:

John McPhee
Lorenzo Della Porta
Aaron Canet
Gabriel Rodrigo
Andrea Migno

“U-turn” for Go-Jek Motorcycle e-Hailing Service?

The Minister of Transportation, YB Anthony Loke confirmed that Go-Jek wants to enter Malaysia.
This was despite his earlier stance against motorcycle e-hailing service last year.
The decision for the earlier ban was “safety reasons.”

The Minister of Transportation, YB Anthony Loke confirmed that Go-Jek motorcycle e-hailing service wants to enter Malaysia.

“We will never legalise Dego Ride in Malaysia because we disagree with any type of ride-sharing services that involve motorcycles,” said the minister in a press conference in September 2018. He cited “safety reasons” for the decision.

The decision to ban Dego Ride was a follow up of the ministry’s first directive on 31^stJuly 2018.

Is this another “u-turn?”

YB Loke told The Edge that he received a visit by Go-Jek a month ago. The Indonesian company is looking forward to entering the Malaysian market. According to the Malay Mail, the minister was quoted as saying that while he reminded Go-Jek that Malaysia has regulations regarding e-hailing service, “he did not foresee any problems of them coming here to start operations, as well as injecting more competition into the e-hailing market.”

Go-Jek had started out in 2010 in Indonesia before flourishing and expanding to neighbouring countries last year. They are currently operating in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore in addition to their home country.

Go-Jek’s biggest competitor, Grab, originated in Malaysia, on the other hand. Grab is also operating their GrabBike motorcycle e-hailing service in many Southeast Asian countries.

Source: The Malay Mail

Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE and Ernie Vigil’s Awesome Result at the Mexican 1000 Rally

The Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE and Ernie Vigil finished fifth overall at the Mexican 1000 rally.
The bike was stock apart from the necessary rally items such as headlamps, engine protection bars and seat.
Triumph and Vigil went up against dedicated 450cc rally raiders.

Remember Triumph Motorcycles entering the Mexican 1000 rally with the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE with Ernie Vigil Riding? They have just notched up an amazing result on a stock bike!

Triumph and Vigil had wanted to enter the “Real Deal” (nickname for the Scrambler 1200) in the Baja 1000 rally. The manufacturer was eager to show that they have a realscrambler over the other scramblers. However, they were forced to rescind the plan when the former was injured before the race.

The next best thing to do as entering in the Mexican 1000. The rally is a 1,307-mile (1659.2 kilometres), 5-day event where the competitors use the same route as the Baja 1000.

Triumph and Vigil finished fifth overal against dedicated 450cc dirt-bikes that were further “enhanced” for the event. Remember, the Scrambler 1200 XE was stock except for the necessary rally equipment such as engine crash bars, lights and seat. Also bear in mind that the Scrambler 1200 weighed in at 205 kg dry, while the Honda CRF450R race bike weighed only 112kg wet!

The bike suffered no mechanical failures, but an unfortunate failure with the Michelin BIB Mousse tyre filler. The filler is used to seal punctures during off-road riding. Luckily for team, their support vehicle wasn’t far behind to render assistance. Bike and rider were on their way after a tyre swap. They would’ve finished even higher up the order if not for the unfortunate occurrence.

While fifth wasn’t an outright victory, it is a victory in terms of technical excellence for a bike which is stock. It just goes to show that Triumph’s done the right thing in building the Scrambler 1200.

Source and photos: Ride Apart

KPNHEP Confiscated Fake Engine Oil in Raid

The Johor Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) raided a distribution company for attempting to sell fake engine oil.
A total of 4,524 bottles were confiscated.
The company touted the fake product at RM 10 cheaper than market prices.

A distribution company in Kawasan Perindustrian Selatan, in Senai Johor was raided by the Johor state’s Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna – KPDNHEP) for attempting to sell 4,524 bottles of fake engine oil worth RM 45,692.20, yesterday.

The department’s chief of enforcement, Zubir Hamsa said that the success of the raid was due to the department’s intelligence efforts following the tip off by the brand owner.

Six workers and the company’s proprietor were present during the raid.

The operation netted the aforementioned number of 1-litre bottles in 377 crates. The department also discovered that the company was attempting to distribute the fake lubricants at RM 10 cheaper than the market price. The stock has not been distributed to retailers.

According to the KPHNHEP, the packaging of the bogus products looked very similar to the genuine items. They added that only the brand owner and KPNHEP can spot the difference(s).

All items were confiscated under Section 8(2)(c) of the Trade Description Act 2011.

In our opinion, low lives who sell fake motorcycle items should be incarcerated for life, since it involves the safety of motorcyclists.

Source: Kosmo! Online

11 More AWAS Cameras Coming Up

PLUS will add 11 more Automated Awareness Safety System (AWAS) cameras will be added along the North-South Highway.
The number adds to the 19 currently in place.
Priority will be given to the stretch near the Menora Tunnel.

11 more Automated Awareness Safety System (AWAS) cameras will be added along the North-South Highway (PLUS).

The installation will take place in phases. According to the Deputy Minister of Transportation, Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar, the locations will be determined after studies by PLUS Malaysia Berhad and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research. Results from the research will be ready later this year.

The 11 new AWAS cameras will supplement the 19 currently in place. The sites chosen for the will consist of stretches that are accident prone and have caused many casualties.

Priority will be given to the Menora Tunnel near Ipoh, Perak. The hilly and winding stretch has seen many serious accidents and deaths over the decades.

There was an earlier talk about installing the system along the first Penang Bridge but there was no mention about it this time. The bridge has seen its share of fatal accidents including the recent one in which an SUV rolled over the barrier and crashed into the sea.

PLUS will undertake the costs of installation and maintenance, estimated at RM 3 million each.

Do note that AWAS cameras can detect motorcycles, too.

Please click on the link below to find out how an AWAS (previously known as AES) camera works.

How Do the AES Speed Cameras Work?

New Colour for 2019 Honda CRF250 Rally

A new black colour option is added to the 2019 Honda CRF250 Rally.
The CRF250 Rally is a dual-sport motorcycle, compared to the CRF250L.
Both colour options are priced from RM 26,999.00 (basic selling price without insurance, registration and road tax).

There is an additional colour for the 2019 Honda CRF250 Rally. The new black colour is for riders who want something low-key yet neat in appearance, over the usual Extreme Red offering.

We’ve tested and came to like the Honda CRF250 Rally. Its great looks were borrowed heavily from Honda’s CRF450 Rally bike which is the basis for the manufacturer’s Dakar Rally effort. While the engine and chassis are shared with the CRF250L trail bike, the CRF250 Rally trumps in having a windscreen and larger bodywork. Thus, the Rally is a dual-sport motorcycle which allows the rider to seek adventures off the tarmac path.

Being a lightweight machine also means that the CRF250 Rally is easy to handle when situations turn tough. But the rider can rest assured of surviving those situations due to its Honda’s high build quality and reliability.

Three CRF250 Rally and the five CRF250L were entered in the punishing Rimba Raid Rally at Mat Daling in 2018. Two CRF250L occupied the first two spots on the podium, another in fourth and a CRF250 Rally rounded out the Top 5. The rest finished the race, too.

The CRF250 Rally is equipped with ABS on both ends, asymmetrical LED headlamps, fully-digital LCD clock, floating windscreen, Showa upside-down forks and 10.1 litre fuel tank.

Both Extreme Red and Black options are priced from RM 26,999.00 (basic selling price without insurance, registration and road tax).

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Latest News

John McPhee rode a gritty Moto3 race at the French GP to give the Petronas Sprinta Racing Team their maiden victory.

He had also given the team their first Moto3 pole position.

Tatsuki Suzuki had again led the most laps before crashing out.

French Moto3 Top 5 Finish:

The Minister of Transportation, YB Anthony Loke confirmed that Go-Jek wants to enter Malaysia.

This was despite his earlier stance against motorcycle e-hailing service last year.

The decision for the earlier ban was “safety reasons.”

The Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE and Ernie Vigil finished fifth overall at the Mexican 1000 rally.

The bike was stock apart from the necessary rally items such as headlamps, engine protection bars and seat.

Triumph and Vigil went up against dedicated 450cc rally raiders.

The Johor Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) raided a distribution company for attempting to sell fake engine oil.

A total of 4,524 bottles were confiscated.

The company touted the fake product at RM 10 cheaper than market prices.

PLUS will add 11 more Automated Awareness Safety System (AWAS) cameras will be added along the North-South Highway.

The number adds to the 19 currently in place.

Priority will be given to the stretch near the Menora Tunnel.

A new black colour option is added to the 2019 Honda CRF250 Rally.

The CRF250 Rally is a dual-sport motorcycle, compared to the CRF250L.

Both colour options are priced from RM 26,999.00 (basic selling price without insurance, registration and road tax).

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