HOG PJ (Harley Owners Group Petaling Jaya) conducted their first Safe Rider Skills Program of the year
Around 20 HOG PJ members and marshals joined the program to improve their overall riding skills.
The training was lead by PDRM Muar head technical riding instructor, ASP Mohd Hairuddin bin Mohd Raya.
Members of the HOG PJ (Harley Owners Group Petaling Jaya) conducted their first Safe Rider Skills Program of the year at the Metro Driving Academy Headquarters, Puchong earlier today. Always striving for improved riding skills for their fellow Harley-Davidson owners here in Malaysia, HOG PJ is always focused on delivering the best riding experience in safe and controlled manner. (more…)
FP2 at the Argentina MotoGP saw 21 riders covered by just 1 second.
Andrea Dovizioso was fastest.
Jorge Lorenzo was in 21st with just 0.978s behind.
Free Practice 2 (FP1) for the Argentina MotoGP class started with dodgy weather but ended with 21 riders covered by just 1 second.
The session started slow, until the pit lane and track burst into life in the last 10 minutes. As rain once again threatens later proceedings, the teams had to exploit the best situation to post the fastest times. Due to the present qualifying format, the best time from any of the three Free Practice sessions counts towards a place in either Qualifying 1 (Q1) or Qualifying 2 (Q2).
Fresh from his win at Qatar, Team Winnows Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso posted his fastest time of 1m 39.181s. Repsol Honda rider Jorge Lorenzo recorded his best time of 1m 40.159s, 0.978s slower. Dovizioso finished as the fastest rider, Lorenzo was in 21st.
Jack Miller of Pramac Racing impressed again, stopping the stopwatch at 1m 39.190s, just 0.009 second behind Dovi.
Maverick Vinalez put the factory Monster Energy Yamaha perhaps surprisingly in third with a time of 1m 39.345s. Cal Crutchlow of LCR Honda was fourth with 1m 39.346s, and Fabio Quartararo of Petronas Sepang Racing Team rounded out the top five with 1m 39.357s.
It meant that the Top 5 were covered by just 0.176s.
Valentino Rossi, Alex Rins, Marc Marquez, Franco Morbidelli and Takaaki Nakagami filled positions sixth through tenth. Nakagami was just 0.448s behind Dovizioso.
MotoGP FP3 session starts at 9.50 pm tonight, while Q1 behings at 2.05am and Q2 at 2.30am.
The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will set up a Pro-Tem Motorsports Committee (PMC) in place of AAM.
The temporary committee will oversee motorsports activities.
The PMC will do so until the FIM and FIA nominates the official sanctioning body.
The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS – Kementerian Belia dan Sukan) will set up a Pro-Tem Motorsports Committee (PMC), after the ousting of the Automotive Association of Malaysia (AAM) as the motorsports sanctioning body.
The KBS press release stated that the Malaysian Sports Commission has discussed the matter with KBS. The outcome of the meeting is to set up a temporary committee consisting of all motorsport bodies in Malaysia until a new sanctioning body is named by the FIM and FIA.
The PMC will oversee motorsport matters handled by AAM prior to their dissolution. As such, it will temporarily function as the National Sports Authority for the FIA (ASN-FIA) and National Motorsports Federation for the FIM (FMN-FIA).
The press release also stated that current AAM racing license holders may continue with their sporting activities as usual.
The statement regarding licensing will be a news much welcomed by the country’s professional racers. They had earlier voiced their concerns about the legitimacy of their racing licenses and insurance that were issued by AAM.
GIVI Asia celebrates their 25thAnniversary today and launches the 2019 line-up of products.
The launch was presented to the media and dealers from around Asia.
The company launch 15 new products today and there will be more to come.
GIVI Asia celebrates their 25th Anniversary today and launches the 2019 line-up of products. The launch was held at the Grand Ion D’elemen Hotel in Genting Highlands.
The company also organized a convoy for the Malaysian motorcycle media to kick off the proceedings. The ride began at GIVI Asia’s headquarters and factory in Bukit Beruntung. Foreign dignitaries and dealers were given a tour of the factory, before heading up to Genting Highlands.
2019 Range of Products
GIVI has always strived hard to provide the best solutions for all riders in every conceivable situation. As such, they boast some 75,000 products of all types. The launch of the 2019 range adds to this massive collection.
Showcased at the launch were hard cases, soft bags, waist bag, waterproof garments and helmets.
Hard cases
Monolock B32N-Advance Bold Top Case. An “upgrade” of the popular B32 Bold, it features a pair of stainless steel rods on top of the lid, an elastic net strung between the rods and a backrest. The 32-litre case and its features caters to riders who tour, but do not want a larger case.
Monolock B32N-Advance Bold
Monolock B270N Top Case. A compact but aerodynamic 27-litre case for riders who want something compact yet stylish. GIVI fitted it to a number of motojournalists’ motorcycles to gain more insight to their use. The lid also has a carbon fibre-like panel to impart a sporty look.
E23 Monokey Side Case. These new side cases offer 23-litres of storage capacity each, but small enough to be mounted beside scooters, kapchaisand lightweight adventure bikes. The lid has handles on both ends, enabling more items to be tied down on top of the lid. They also feature prismatic reflective strips for extra visibility, hence safety.
G12 Fixed System Centre Case. The G12 centre case replaces the ubiquitous “basket” of kapchais/scooters. It has a 12-litre load capacity hence the rider can store items such as his wallet, phone, etc. It’s secured with a lock and waterproof.
Rider Tech Range
The Rider Tech range consists of soft backpacks, waist bags and saddle bags.
RBP03 Rider Tech Camo Backpack, 15-liters.
RWB05 Rider Tech Camo Waist Bag, 3-litres.
RSB01 Rider Tech Saddle Bag, 15-litres.
Waterproof garments
GIVI is also synonymous with high quality waterproof garments. New products are:
PRS04.AX Prime rainsuit.
CAM01.AH Camouflage rain suit.
CRT01.AX Comfort rain trouser.
HPS M30.1 Cielo Helmet
GIVI adds more colour options to the HPS (Head Protection System) M30.1 Cielo helmet range.
Mod Ice White.
Mod Black
Slide Titanium.
On hand to brief the assembled media were Mr. On Hai Swee – Managing Direcor of GIVI Asia and Mr. Joseph A. Perucca – Overseas Operational Manager of GIVI Groups.
L-R: Mr. On Hai Swee, Mr. Joseph A. Perucca, Mr. Sam Sharman
A question was brought up if GIVI Asia will open new GIVI Point concept stores in Malaysia. Mr. On answered that the company is currently looking to expand to other states in both West and East Malaysia. He also stated that there are GIVI Specialized dealers currently in place and they serve specific motorcycle types.
On another question regarding GIVI’s sponsorship and involvement in Rimba Raid, Mr. Perucca said that he was surprised at the turnout in the 2018 event. As such, the company will continue their involvement for 2019 and hopefully beyond.
Ms. Anita Yusof, GIVI Asia’s Brand Ambassador was also present at the event to promote her new book, Global Dream Ride (Siri 2).
While the media event ended in the afternoon, Asian dealers descended on the hotel for the official launch in the late evening and through the night.
PHOTO GALLERY
Monolock B32N-Advance Bold
L-R: Mr. On Hai Swee, Mr. Joseph A. Perucca, Mr. Sam Sharman
Gigi Dall’Igna and Ducati held a press conference to talk about the swingarm scoop on the eve of the Argentine MotoGP.
Data revealed that the part cooled the rear tyre by 7o average and provided a negligible 300 grams of downforce.
Dall’Igna also revealed that Ducati was inspired by Yamaha’s water deflector.
Gigi Dall’Igna and Ducati held a press conference to talk about the swingarm scoop after the court case.
In the case, Aprilia, Honda, KTM and Suzuki submitted their protest over Ducati’s use of a scoop under the Desmosedici GP19’s swingarm in the Qatar MotoGP. Ducati had stated that the primary function of the part was to cool the rear tyre instead of providing downforce, but their rivals weren’t convinced. However, the motion was thrown out by Dorna and the FIM, hence the case landing in the MotoGP Court of Appeals.
The court subsequently found that indeed the part contributed to cooling the rear tyre and not provide downforce as claimed. The court also heard testimonies from MegaRide, an Italian firm which specializes in thermodynamics.
Consequently, Ducati was absolved of wrongdoing and Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller, as well as Ducati were allowed to keep their points earned at Qatar.
The one manufacturer who didn’t protest was Yamaha, as they too had fitted a similar device to the YZR-M1’s swingarm, albeit to deflect water from the rear wheel.
Anyway, the Ducati MotoGP team spoke up about the issue on the eve of the Argentine MotoGP round.
(Warning: Nerdy stuff ahead.)
What exactly does the scoop do?
Dall’Igna: “It works to put some air on the rear tyre and the results of our tests, at the Qatar test before the race, is that we can reduce the temperature of the tyre by about 7 degrees on average.”
Gigi Dall’Igna. (Image source: Insella.it)
He conceded that the device had a ‘secondary’ aerodynamic effect, “The water spoiler that Yamaha used at the end of last year had this secondary effect for sure. In our case, I think that we can tell you that we have more or less 3-4 Newtons at 180 km/h, 300 grams more-or-less.”
“Honestly speaking, we didn’t do any wind tunnel testing with the system, because our target was not the [down]force of the device. It was only the thermal effect on the rear tyre.”
Who copied who?
Truth is, Ducati was inspired by Yamaha’s water deflector and decided to produce a similar part, although for cooling the rear tyre.
“Ducati had this idea copying Yamaha. Because Yamaha used a system like this in Valencia and maybe also before in some practices, but for sure during the Valencia race. So, Ducati had this idea to watch what another of our competitors are doing. So I think that the others will copy us (now),” said Dall’Igna.
The 2019 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR America celebrates the 25thanniversary of the Brutale America.
As the name suggests, it will carry the red, white and blue colour scheme.
Only 100 units will be built.
The 2019 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR America celebrates the 25thanniversary of the Brutale America.
Just over 25 years ago the first Brutale, designed by Massimo Tamburini revived the name “America” with an immediately recognizable color scheme: red, white and blue.
Fast forward to 2012 and the very first 800 three-cylinder platform America was introduced. Today renowned designers CRC Workshop have conceived an all new interpretation, Dragster 800 RR America.
The new Dragster “America” finished in the attractive color scheme of mica blue base with iridescent reflections and horizontal graphic cuts, enhancing the original characteristics of the Dragster 800 RR making it even more of a stand out from the crowd.
Class leading technical features and as always an extreme attention to detail including a fuel tank adorned with stars paying respect to the 750S from forty-five years ago. The saddle boasts stitching with gold highlights and unique materials for both the passenger and rider. Beautiful spoke wheels pay homage to the colors of the American flag: red hub, blue spoke retainers and white rims. Of course, the “America Special Edition” decal graces the instrument cluster cover alongside its progressive production number.
The MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR America will be produced in a limited edition of just 200 units globally and comes accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
