Bikesrepublic

Amirul Azreen

Six-time MotoGP world champions Marc Marquez returns to winning ways at the German GP 581 days after securing his last win.

The Spaniard was out for nine months since breaking his right humerus at Jerez last year before making his return to MotoGP in Portimao.

During the post-race conference at the Sachsenring, Marquez revealed a 30-minute phone call with five-time MotoGP champion Mick Doohan had helped him.

“When I was injured, always I feel like I will come back and I will come back strong. But since the first time I ride the MotoGP bike in Portimao, I say ‘okay, I am far, very far from my level.

“From that point it was very hard. The next races was even harder. It’s difficult but I just forget everything and focus on my personal and professional side. When I say forget everything; I mean extra comments, comments from outside.

“I just listen to the people that want to help me, and I try to find something or some comments that helped me – which was a phone call from Mick Doohan. I met (with) him in Mugello and I know that he had a similar situation in 92 and 93.

“I was 30 minutes in a phone call with him and I was just listening, he was speaking everything. He was explaining his situation, but was also like he was explaining my situation.

“It was the exact same problems like understanding the bike, not riding like you want to, stupid mistakes, stupid crashes, some races you will be fast, practice you will be slower and you don’t know why, and all the problems that I have this year – he explain and had in the past,” said Marquez.

(source: Crash.net)

Marc Marquez marks his return to Sachsenring with a sensational first win of the season 581 days after securing his last win in the premier class.

The victory in Sachsenring means the Repsol Honda rider extends his unbeaten record to 11 (nine wins in the premier class).

Despite starting at P5, the Spaniards managed to propel himself up to second place behind Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro at Turn 1 before taking the lead later on.

The six-time MotoGP champion looks like his old self on board the RC213V as he crosses the finish line ahead of KTM’s Miguel Oliveira and championship leader Fabio Quartararo.

Marquez now sits at 10th place in the championship standings with 41 points.

While every team is busy preparing for this weekend race at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, there’s plenty of activity happening behind the curtain.

Ducati Corse Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti revealed that they are “very close” to announcing a partnership with the VR46 Racing Team.

“Honestly, yes, I think we are very close to reaching an agreement, to be honest; I think probably before Assen, you can expect some kind of announcement.

“I hope everything goes right in the last few days and we can make it public,” said Ciabatti.

If the deal went through, Ducati would field eight Desmosedici on the grid consist of the factory team, Pramac Racing, Gresini Racing and VR46.

Meanwhile, Gresini Racing has signed a two-year agreement with Ducati to compete in the 2022 MotoGP season, with Enea Bastianini leading the team alongside rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio.

In another news, Razlan Razali denies earlier reports suggesting Petronas Sepang Racing Team (SRT) decided not to renew Valentino Rossi’s contract beyond the 2021 season.

According to the local publication, SRT made a unanimous decision not to extend the 42-year old contract as the team can’t afford to wait on the rider decision regarding his future.

However, Razlan’s insist that his side is yet to determined the riders line-up for next season.

(source: Crash.net, MotoGP)

Razlan Razali, team principal of Petronas Sepang Racing Team (SRT), has decided not to extend Valentino Rossi’s contract beyond the 2021 season.

Razlan made the decision considering the uncertainty behind Rossi’s commitment as the rider is yet to confirm his future at the team.

According to Razlan, the decision was made unanimously.

“We (SRT) can’t afford to wait for Rossi’s decision whether he wants to continue racing beyond 2021.

“After a thorough discussion with the team, we unanimously agreed not to extend Rossi’s contract for the 2022 season,” said Razlan.

The latest decision by Razlan’s allow the team to go back to their initial plan of recruiting new and exciting talents.

Despite racing with full factory support, the 42-year old rider struggled with his form this season as he currently sits 19th place in the championship, 100 points behind the championship leader, Fabio Quartararo.

Benelli is the latest motorcycle manufacturer to introduce its mobile application, namely the “MyBenelli” in Europe.

Downloadable on Android and iOS devices, the application allows riders to receive a host of information pertaining to their motorcycle on a real-time basis.

Developed in collaboration with MOTO.APP, riders can also share content on social media and get in touch with other “MyBenelli” app users, including accessing the brand catalogue or e-shop.

It can also inform riders of the motorcycle battery condition, plan maintenance and helps to find the nearest service centre.

The new application will work with Benelli (2021) range above 500cc as all of the motorcycle will come equipped with a b-box, a proprietary black box that can communicate with the “MyBenelli” app.

Gresini Racing will return to 2022 MotoGP as an Independent MotoGP Team with Ducati as the manufacturer of choice.

Team Gresini also confirmed the full Italian line-up for next season with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) as the main rider.

The agreement will see Team Gresini will compete in the 2022 and 2023 MotoGP season with a Desmosedici machine.

According to Gigi Dall’Igna, Ducati Corse General Manager, the possible agreement was met at the end of last year with (now deceased) Fausto Gresini.

“We’re incredibly happy to have reached this agreement with Gresini Racing for the next two MotoGP seasons. We had laid down the foundations of a possible agreement with Fausto already at the end of last year and we would like to thank – from the bottom of our hearts – his family for carrying this project forward with us.

“Gresini Racing has been an especially important institution in MotoGP for many years and we are confident this partnership, which can count on two very talented riders such as Enea and Fabio, will be of great satisfaction for all parties involved,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nadia Padovani, Team Principal and of owner of Gresini Racing, expressed her gratitude towards Ducati.

“It’s a very emotional moment for each of us. In previous months, our efforts merged with a strong emotional push to shape the future of Gresini Racing, and now are immensely proud and happy to make the official announcement. It is a project born out of continuity and based on values upon which Fausto built this amazing institution.

“My thank you goes first and foremost to Carmelo Ezpeleta for making sure we never felt alone during these months, to Ducati for trusting our projects, to Flex-Box who joined us in this new challenge as title sponsor and obviously to Fabio and Enea: I’m sure they will give their best to wave the Gresini Racing banner high.”

(source: MotoGP)

Suzuki presents the all-new 2022 GSX-S950, a brand new motorcycle build to tackle the mid-segment naked bike category.

Based on the recently launched GSX-S1000, the 950 version maintain the original, modern street-fighter looks, including the electronic package making it one of a complete machine in the category.

While swingarm and riding mechanics derive from the iconic GSX-R, the GSX-S950 was developed mainly for road use.

In terms of performance, the 950 is powered by a detuned 999cc in-line four-cylinder found on the GSX-S1000 that now makes 95hp @ 7,800rpm and 92Nm @ 6,500rpm.

Nonetheless, the GSX-S950 comes with cheaper 43mm KYB front forks, Tokico front callipers (Brembos on the GSX-S1000) with ABS, straight handlebars and Dunlop Roadsport 2 radial tires.

However, you still get to enjoy the electronic packages that include:

  • Suzuki Traction Control System (STCS)
  • Ride-by-Wire
  • Suzuki Easy Start System
  • Suzuki Low RPM Assist

The all-new GSX-S950 are available in two colours, Suzuki and Glossy Matt Black.

MV Agusta is attempting to get into the record books by crossing through Europe in just 24-hours.

According to MV Agusta, the attempt will see them hitting more than 1,931 kilometres, crossing Europe from Sweden to Italy.

Interestingly, the model that will take up the challenge will be the newly updated MV Agusta Turismo Veloce, with an Italian journalist, Valerio Boni, chosen as the rider.

“This long, epic ride across Europe will certainly be challenging for both rider and bike, but the 2021 edition of the Turismo Veloce, in its production version, has everything it takes to achieve the objective in the best conditions.

“Thanks to the Turismo Veloce’s onboard technology we will be able to share the adventure in real-time on the official website www.mvagusta.com,” said Boni.

The trip will kick off at Malmo in Sweden and to reach MV Agusta headquarters in Varese, Italy.

If successful, MV Agusta will set the record of the most countries in 24-hours, including Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Italy.

After the global launch back in November 2020, Thailand was the first South-East Asia country to witness the arrival of the all-new 2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.

Fast forward six months into 2021, the litre bike now lands in Indonesia with a price tag of IDR520 million (RM150,200).

The new generation ZX-10R received significant updates for 2021, including new bodywork and engine revisions that are now Euro 5 compliant.

The 998cc inline-four powerplant produces 200hp (210hp with RAM Air) @ 13,200rpm and 114Nm @ 11,400rpm.

Despite the headlight design gained a lot of criticism when an image of the bike was leaked ahead of its global reveal, the overall design was applauded after the official launch.

 

The new Ninja ZX-10R offers a lot of electronic aids, which includes:

  • cruise control
  • traction control system
  • launch control
  • cornering management function
  • riding modes
  • engine brake control
  • intelligent ABS
  • Ohlins electronic steering damper
  • quickshifter

Will it arrive here in Malaysia? Only time will tell.

The folks from Kawasaki Motors Malaysia have been pretty quiet ever since they took over Suzuki here in Malaysia, and even that brand has been under the radar despite all the hype presented on its official Facebook page.

India-based aftermarket manufacturer Autologue Design has launched a set of aero kit for the Yamaha YZF-R15.

The aero kit includes a pair of MotoGP-styled winglets, fuel tank cover, bubble visor, tank grips and a seat cowl.

While the company claimed the kit increased the aerodynamic aspect of the bike, we think that the package makes the R15 looks good.

Based on the images shared, the winglets are positioned on the fairing and below the twin LED headlamps. At the same time, the fuel tank cover offers a beefier central ridge without affecting the actual 11L tank capacity.

Interestingly, all parts are plug & play; thus, no modification is needed to the stock body panels.

Nevertheless, the aero-kit is not endorsed by Yamaha, so please approach with caution.

The BMW R nineT Racer is not the most comfortable retro motorcycle for daily commute.

While some may argue that it’s not meant as a daily machine, some owners might want to take their beloved R nineT Racer out and about almost every day.

Well, your prayers might have been answered thanks to Wilbers R nineT Racer conversion kit created specifically to increased the comfort level of your bike.

The Wilbers R nineT Racer conversion kit includes the following:

  • Wilbers Adjustline 640 suspension
  • Wilbers fork springs
  • Wilbers Hyper Race steering damper
  • ABM Multiclip handlebar
  • Gilles adjustable footpegs
  • Wunderlich windshield (which adds an extra 5cm)
  • Side stand extension

You can obtain the conversion kit via Wilbers Italia for a price of EUR2,250 (RM11,250).

According to reports, the suspension alone will add 10mm of travel at the front and 20mm at the rear, while the ABM Multiclip handlebar adds 40mm of width, thus providing better ergonomics.

(source: Motociclismo.it)

MotoGP decided to retire Jason Dupasquier #50 from Moto3 class ahead of Dutch GP happening this weekend.

A special ceremony will be held on Friday afternoon, which sees Dupasquier racing number officially retired from further use in Moto3.

The 19-year old rider died due to injuries sustained in a qualifying accident at Mugello last month.

Dupasquier was hit by another bike after falling from his own and slid down the track during the session before an official announcement regarding his death was made at race day.

The ceremony will occur in the Sachsenring press conference room in front of Dupasquier CarXpert Prustel GP Team.

Nicky Hayden’s #69 also retired following his death due to a cycling accident, while Loris Capirossi #65 and Kevin Schwantz #34 were retired after announcing their retirement from competitive racing.

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