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It’s Legal! MotoGP Court of Appeals Rules in Favour of Ducati

The MotoGP Court of Appeals ruled that Ducati’s swingarm scoop was legal.
It follows the protest logged by four manufacturers after the Qatar MotoGP race.
The ruling means Andrea Dovizioso keeps his win, points and lead in the championship table.

The MotoGP Court of Appeals has ruled that Ducati’s “scoop” attached the bottom of the swingarm as legal. The appendage was fitted to three Desmosedici GP19s at the Qatar MotoGP race.

Although the court only released their decision, they did not assign a reason to why or what data convinced them.

But it’s safe to assume that they found the device cools the rear tyre instead of providing extra aerodynamic downforce. Moving forward, Ducati is allowed to use the scop ONLY IF it’s fitted together with the front wheel spoilers.

The decision also means that Andrea Dovizioso keeps his Qatar win and points, while Ducati also retains their manufacturer points earned at that first round.

However, this may open up another problem: How will Dorna and FIM enforce that scoops used in the future, whether by Ducati or other manufacturers, DO NOT provide aerodynamic downforce?

In the meantime, we can expect a new round of regulations.

The issue came to light and became hotly debated after four manufacturers protested post-Qatar race. The four – Aprilia, Honda, KTM, Suzuki – were of the opinion that the scoop provided downforce to the Ducati’s swingarm to keep the rear tyre on the ground more often, aiding stability and prolonging tyre life. Therefore, it’s illegal as the scoop falls outside the set guideline for “aerobodies.”

Ducati, on the other hand, insisted that it only functions to direct air to the rear tyre and cooling it. The manufacturer had submitted the design to MotoGP Technical Director Danny Aldridge prior to the race. It was subsequently approved and memos were sent to all the teams.

Other manufacturers weren’t convinced, of course. Aprilia were vehement: They had earlier submitted the plans of such a device earlier to the Technical Director but was rejected along the aerobody rules.

They logged their protest after the race, but their complaints were thrown out, thereby it was referred to MotoGP’s Court of Appeals.

Riders Turn Race into Boxing Match in Full Leathers

Watch as these two Costa Rican riders get into each other.
The action caused both to engage in a melee.
The Latin American Motorcycle Association DQ’ed and banned both riders.

Boxing match and fisticuffs are a rarity in motorcycle racing these day as riders have to “behave professionally” on the track and off. But sometimes, adrenaline and emotions take over resulting in a slugging match.

Case in point was the famous incident at the Misano Moto2 race, in which hothead Romano Fenati grabbed Stefano Manzi’s front brake lever. The incident aroused a furious backlash that circled the globe about 3 billion times. Fenati was kicked out of his present team at the time and was supposed to be banned for life. But Dorna and the FIM were generous enough to allow him to race in Moto3 this year.

Well, that ought to serve a warning to riders, doesn’t it? Maybe. Because when the red mist descends, it’s all handbags.

The following boxing match between Marion Calvo and Jorge Martinez in the Costa Rica national race.

Both riders touched while braking for the turn, knocking Martinez off his bike. Martinez ended up clinging to Calvo’s seat hump, in turn causing him to lose control.

When the bike came to a stop, Martinez could’ve run to his bike to continue the race. Instead, his anger got the better of him and he swung at Calvo. Calvo was knocked off his bike.

Calvo then went after Martinez and shoved him on his back, before both riders got back to riding again.

As expected, the Latin Motorcycle Association kicked them out of the race and subsequently banned them. They can now join boxing or MMA.

KTM to Stick with Steel Frame and WP Suspension

The KTM RC16 uses a steel trellis frame and WP suspension.
Which is a departure from the MotoGP norm of aluminium spars and Öhlins.
When asked if they will make a switch, KTM motorsport boss said no.

Much has been said about KTM and their performance (or lack of) in MotoGP. Most pointed to their use of the steel trellis frame and WP suspension on the RC16, instead of the perennial aluminium spars and Öhlins suspension.

It may seem that the Austrian giant is going nowhere to the casual observer, but truth is, the RC16 is undergoing development at a breakneck pace.

It started out with a “screamer” engine (all cylinders firing in equally spaced sequence) in 2017. But by 2018, it was revised to the “big bang” configuration (all cylinders fired quickly in a short space), together with a counter-rotating crankshaft.

KTM motorsport manager, Pit Beirer told Simon Crafar of MotoGP.com that they’ve come far within the last two years. In fact, the RC16 put in Marc Marquez’s 2017 lap times at a number of tracks last year.

The whole MotoGP class is developing like crazy, every makes steps forward. But if you told me five years ago KTM would make a machine on year after Marquez almost at the same speed, I wouldn’t believe. But we did it.”

When asked if they will stop using the steel trellis frame and WP suspension, “That’s not an option,” said Beirer.

“It’s brought us success in every single discipline, so we will stick to this because we have the widest knowledge around this material we are using.”

Indeed, the frame/WP combination has allowed KTM to be competitive, succeed, even dominate racing series from enduro to Moto2.

Aprilia RSV4 X, “X” Shows the Spot

The Aprilia RSV4 X showcases the factory’s expertise in making sportbikes and racebikes.
Highlights include the Aprilia No Neutral gearbox.
The engine produces 225 hp, and the bike weighs only 165 kg.

With all the current bruhaha about Ducati and their limited-edition models such as the Panigale 1299 Superleggera and Panigale V4 R, don’t forget that Aprilia just as capable of such ventures. Presenting the X. To be more accurate, here’s the Aprilia RSV4 X.

Aprilia claims that they used the lessons learned in MotoGP and WorldSBK to build the X. We’re not here to disagree. The bike is armed with features as the APRC electronic suite, which was the first to include wheelie control and lean-sensitive traction control. Ride-by-wire is compulsory since it was Aprilia who debut it on a street bike.

But that’s just a small part compared to the engine. Wanna talk horsepower-to-weight ratio? How does 225 hp and 165 kg sound to you? That’s a lurid 1.36 hp to 1 kg. The company fettled the standard RSV4 1100’s lump and gave the X a dedicated ECU for the performance gain.

An Akrapovic titanium full-system exhaust spits out the used gasses. Intake air is filtered through a Sprintfilter similar to the one used in MotoGP.

But perhaps the biggest feature/novelty is the Aprilia No Neutral (ANN) transmission. Instead of the usual 1-N-2-3-4-5-6, the new system goes N-1-2-3-4-5-6. Doing so reduces the chances of grabbing neutral while shifting from 1^stto 2^nd(we’re sure many have experienced this).

This shift pattern is used in MotoGP and now the Noale-based manufacturer is the first to bring it to road bikes.

In another world first, the RSV4 X is equipped with Brembo’s GP4-MS brake calipers that’re machined from a solid block of aluminium alloy. They grip on Brembo T-Drive discs.

Last, but not least, the bodywork features aerobodies.

The Aprilia RSV4 X is priced at an affordable (yeah right) €39,900. Only 10 are lovingly made.

Azroy Hakeem Anuar Brings Honda Back on the Cub Prix Podium

Azroy Hakeem Anuar put Honda back on the CP150 category podium in Round 1 of the 2019 PETRONAS Malaysia Cub Prix Championship
The race was held in Jasin, Melaka over the weekend.
It was an emphatic one for the manufacturer as their rival Yamaha had dominated the series for the past two years.

Azroy Hakeem Anuar put Honda back on the CP150 category podium in Round 1 of the 2019 PETRONAS Malaysia Cub Prix Championship. The race was held in Jasin, Melaka over the weekend.

It was an emphatic one for Honda as their rival Yamaha had dominated the series for the past two years.

From Cub Prix Press Release:

Azroy Hakeem Anuar delivered an emotional win at Round 1 of the 2019 PETRONAS Malaysian Cub Prix Championship in Jasin, Melaka last weekend. It was a multi-faceted victory that had been a long time in the coming – a personal first CP150 win for the 20-year-old rider, as well as the first premiere class victory for team Idemitsu Honda Yuzy Racing and the Honda marque.

Azroy started the 20-lap race from third on the grid but quickly got past polesitter Md Iqbal Amri Abd Malek on the second lap. However, Azroy was unable to shake fellow Honda competitor Mohd Helmi Azman off his tail. While the two younger riders duked it out at the front of the group, Cub Prix returning rider Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi kept defending champion Ahmad Afif Amran bottled up in fourth place.

The three Honda riders kept the lead right up to the chequered flag with Azroy bringing down the chequered flag at 16’02.227s, 0.712s ahead of second placed Helmi. Zaqhwan Zaidi booked the final spot on the podium in third place with 16’09.377s.

“It feels great to be in contention for the podium again and I’m happy to deliver this win to our team principal, Shahrol Yuzy and our hardworking crew who had never stopped working towards regaining our competitive edge,” said Azroy.

The CP115 final was easily won by Md Fareez Afeez Abd Rahman from team Motul Yamaha YY Pang.

Md Zaki A. Zamri put in an inch-perfect performance in the Wira Final.

RACE RESULTS

CP150

Azroy Hakeem Anuar (SGR) Idemitsu Honda Yuzy Racing 16:02.227
Md Helmi Azman (SGR) Hi Rev SCK Honda Racing 16:02.939
Md Zaqhwan Zaidi (SGR) Idemitsu Honda Yuzy Racing 16:09.377
Ahmad Afif Amran (TRG) PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha – CKJ Racing 16:09.444
Ahmad Fazrul Sham (PRK) AHM Motorsports Yamaha Racing Team 16:14.834

CP115

Md Fareez Afeez Abd Rahman (JHR) Motul Yamaha YY Pang Racing 12:31.825s
Ahmad Syukran Aizat Md Yusoff (TRG) PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha – CKJ Racing 12:34.962s
Md Syarifuddin Azman (SGR) Idemitsu Kozi DFZ Yam Honda Racing 12:35.454s
Md Faiz Zekri Sabri (PNG) ONEXOX SAG Team 12:38.111s
Md Khairi Asyraf Mahmood (JHR) Motul Yamaha YY Pang Racing 12:40.976s

WIRA

Md Zaki A. Zamri (SGR) Persendirian 10’24.219s
Md Afizat Supaat (SGR) Super KIP Motorsports 10’24.355s
Md Sharul Ezwan M Sharil (SGR) AFB TECH Racing 10’24.493s
Md Adib M. Asri (JHR) ELF Koyoko Honda KC Racing Team 10’24.941s
Md Norhakim M Norhafizullah (KTN) ONEXOX SAG Team 10’25.759s

Royal Enfield to Open CKD Plant in Thailand

Royal Enfield are opening a CKD plant in Thailand in June 2019.
They plan to supply the Thai market directly.
RE received more than 700 orders for the new Interceptor 650 and Continental 650 GT in the country alone.

Royal Enfield announced that they will open a CKD plant in Thailand in June this year.

The plan means the brand has somewhat come full circle since Thailand was one of the first Southeast Asian market that they penetrated. The Kingdom was also amongst the first global market to receive the Interceptor 650 and Continental 650 GT.

Royal Enfield (RE) claimed that they haves received over 700 bookings in the country itself for the two models since their launch last year. 100 have been delivered to date.

The manufacturer hopes to further expand their reach and support in the country. Besides the factory, they are also aiming to set up 15 dealerships and 25 service centres by March 2020. There will be more dealerships in Bangkok, Greater Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai. Not bad considering that they started with just one dealership in Bangkok just not long ago.

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 won the “Best Modern Classic Middleweight” award at the Thailand Bike of the Year 2019 awards ceremony.

However, RE did not mention if they plan to export the bikes produced in Thailand to other Southeast Asian countries.

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Latest News

The MotoGP Court of Appeals ruled that Ducati’s swingarm scoop was legal.

It follows the protest logged by four manufacturers after the Qatar MotoGP race.

The ruling means Andrea Dovizioso keeps his win, points and lead in the championship table.

Watch as these two Costa Rican riders get into each other.

The action caused both to engage in a melee.

The Latin American Motorcycle Association DQ’ed and banned both riders.

The KTM RC16 uses a steel trellis frame and WP suspension.

Which is a departure from the MotoGP norm of aluminium spars and Öhlins.

When asked if they will make a switch, KTM motorsport boss said no.

The Aprilia RSV4 X showcases the factory’s expertise in making sportbikes and racebikes.

Highlights include the Aprilia No Neutral gearbox.

The engine produces 225 hp, and the bike weighs only 165 kg.

Azroy Hakeem Anuar put Honda back on the CP150 category podium in Round 1 of the 2019 PETRONAS Malaysia Cub Prix Championship

The race was held in Jasin, Melaka over the weekend.

It was an emphatic one for the manufacturer as their rival Yamaha had dominated the series for the past two years.

From Cub Prix Press Release:

RACE RESULTS

CP150

CP115

WIRA

Royal Enfield are opening a CKD plant in Thailand in June 2019.

They plan to supply the Thai market directly.

RE received more than 700 orders for the new Interceptor 650 and Continental 650 GT in the country alone.

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