Ducati MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso controlled the San Marino MotoGP race and won.
Pole sitter Jorge Lorenzo crashed out with 2 laps to go.
Marc Marquez finished 2nd to extend his championship lead.
Jorge Lorenzo had been fully expected to win the MotoGP class at the San Marino GP after yesterday’s magnificent qualifying, in which he broke the track record twice over.
But it was a different scene during the morning’s warm-up session when Marc Marquez was the fastest, followed closely by the Ducati factory pairing of Andrea Dovizioso and pole-sitter Lorenzo.
That was not the full news, however, as the times of the top 11 riders were covered by less than 1 second.
There was also hope of a revival for the Movistar Yamaha factory team after Maverick Vinalez put his bike third on the grid.
Lorenzo shot into the lead during at the start, trailed by his teammate Dovizioso and the rest of the field. Dovi then started to shadow Lorenzo and finally overtook him on Lap 4. Behind them, Marquez fought his way through the group of riders to break free into third. He rode as hard as he could and caught the Lorenzo midway through the race.
Dovi meanwhile, rode a steady race and started to open up a gap until he was 1.8 seconds ahead of the chasing two.
Marquez made his move on Lorenzo with some fifteen laps to go, but Lorenzo fought back tenaciously. They kept passing and repassing each other but it was Lorenzo who finally made his overtake stick and started to close down on his Ducati teammate with 8 laps to go.
But Dovi managed to react to Lorenzo’s push. Behind him, Lorenzo was in turn pushed on by Marquez. Lorenzo decided to push harder and attempt to catch Dovi but made a mistake and low-sided his bike with two laps to go, handing 2nd place to Marquez.
Cal Crutchlow had broken free and finished on the final step of the podium.
Alex Rins battled with with his ex-Suzuki teammate Vinalez and prevailed to finish 4th. Pedrosa rode a quiet race to finish 6th while Rossi crossed the line in a lowly 7th.
Marquez extends his championship lead with 201 points, from Valentino Rossi who has 142 and Jorge Lorenzo with 130 points.
The San Marino GP Moto3 race was another dramatic affair.
Lorenzo Della Porta wins after a thrilling five-way battle.
Marco Bezzecchi crashed out to hand the championship lead back to Jorge Martin.
Moto3 racing never fails to provide the best racing and it did not disappoint at San Marino, ultimately seeing Lorenzo Della Porta winning his maiden category victory.
The drama started when five riders came together in a horrific crash at the end of the very first lap which claimed Nicolo Bulega, Aaron Canet, Auyumu Sasaki, Jaume Masia and Enea Bastianini. Canet and Sasaki were sent to the mobile medical centre for check-ups, but thankfully all riders were okay.
The pile up also allowed the front five consisting of championship contenders Marco Bezzecchi, Jorge Martin besides Lorenzo Della Porta, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Gabriel Rodrigo to break away.
The five battled incessantly throughout the race with multiple lead changes which became fiercer and fiercer as the laps wound down. All riders were involved in one aggressive pass after another; all the while Bezzecchi and Martin were trying to contend with each other for the championship.
But everything changed when Bezzecchi’s rear tyre broke loose and the bike almost highsided him into the gravel trap with just two corners to go to start the last lap. It was the Italian rider’s third crash while leading the last lap this season, the other two being at Le Mans, France and Assen, The Netherlands. His crash had effectively handed the championship lead over to Jorge Martin.
However, it was not the end of drama. Fabio Di Giannantonio had overshot a corner with two laps to go and was relegated to the back of the group. He ended up riding like a man possessed to catch the group. As Della Porta led the last lap into the last turn, Di Giannantionio lunged up the inside. But it appeared that the former kept his throttle pinned through the corner. While this was happening, Martin snuck through on the left side of both riders. It was a three-way charge to the line!
The results took a while to appear. When it did, it was Della Porta who crossed the line in 1st, by just 0.058s from Martin. Di Giannantionio lost out after his audacious move as he had to hold back on his throttle lest he ran wide and finished 3rd.
Malaysian rider Adam Norrodin finished in 12th.
Jorge Martin now leads the championship with 166 points from Marco Bezzecchi with 158 and Fabio Di Giannantonio with 138 points each.
Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo broke his own circuit record to lock out pole position for the San Marino MotoGP.
Championship leader Marc Marquez crashed in the early part of the session to qualify 5th.
Jack Miller rode a fantastic session to grab the 2nd while Maverick Vinalez will start from 3rd.
The 2018 MotoGP Championship is back at San Marino after the upsetting cancellation of the British GP a couple of weeks ago.
With one round fewer, all riders want to do their best at this round to make up for lost points; much more at the top of the leaderboard among Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso, set al. Marquez leads the championship by 49 points from Rossi coming into this 13th round.
The Ducatis of Dovizioso and Lorenzo had led the way through FP3 yesterday, but Maverick Vinales went fastest in FP4 ahead of Lorenzo, Dovizioso, Marquez and Rossi. FP4 is the untimed practice session, hence this is when teams and riders look for the optimal race settings.
Marquez was the first who posted a low 1:32 time, but it was Lorenzo who turned the tables on him and set the fastest time of 1:31.763s on his very time lap out the pits. It was the fastest lap record on the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
Marquez then rode as hard as he could in a bid to regain the pole position but slid out. He then hopped on a marshal’s scooter and ran through his pits to ride his spare bike out of the pits with just 4 minutes to go in the Q2 session.
The next two spots on the front row became a contention between Dovizioso, Jack Miller, Rossi and Vinalez.
But in the meantime, Lorenzo managed to go even faster and locked out the pole with a record breaking 1:31.629s.
Jack Miller then secured the second spot on the grid with a great ride, while Vinalez charged up from 8th to displace Dovizioso from the 3rd spot.
Marquez was relegated to 5th, Cal Crutchlow suffered another fall in the closing stages to qualify 6th, while Rossi will start from 7th in tomorrow’s race. Malaysian racer Hafizh Syahrin finished 25th after a difficult weekend.
It has been widely speculated that BMW may debut a new 1254cc Boxer engine.
The new engine had been expected to power the new R 1250 GS and R 1250 RT only.
But CARB has revealed it will power the entire “R” series.
First and foremost, BMW will reportedly introduce nine new models for 2019, but the biggest news is of course that there is a big possibility of a bigger capacity Boxer engine, hence a new R 1250 GS, which had been speculated since May this year when a new R 1200 RT was spied while undergoing road tests. Now there is also news of the new engine powering the entire Boxer line-up.
The news leaked through filings with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), California’s emissions watchdog department, revealed that BMW will drop the new 1254cc Boxer into five new models. The news has surprised us as we had initially thought that it would only be installed in the new R 1250 GS and R 1250 GS Adventure, and perhaps the R 1250 RT.
In addition to the three mentioned models, BMW has filed for the R 1250 RS and R 1250 R.
The 1254cc horizontally-opposed-Twin engine, better known as the Boxer engine, is rumored to feature variable valve timing for the first time for BMW. Power output is also speculated to hover around the 134 bhp figure. Besides that, the engine will pick up some weight.
The updates will mark another big step in the evolution of BMW’s venerable Boxer engine since becoming liquid-cooled in 2013.
The “Wasser Boxer”
There is no news regarding the R nineT range which is powered by the previous generation oil-cooled Boxer, though. In 2020, maybe, since the Euro 5 standard will begin from that year?
We foresee small updates to the designs and perhaps chassis of the new bikes, since the main update is the new engine. We are expecting to see the new models at the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany next month.
More secrets of Triumph’s 765cc triple Moto2 engine has come to light.
The race engine is mostly stock.
The new engine will power Moto2 bikes from 2019.
In case you missed the news or have just arrived from another galaxy, you would pretty be much aware of Triumph supplying engines to the Moto2 class next year. The engine is the 765 triple based on the one powering the new Street Triple 765.
Before we proceed further, please allow us to share that the Street Triple 765 (especially the RS variant) is the most fun motorcycle we’ve ever tested, credit in part to that new engine.
Okay, we’ll leave it at that.
Triumph had revealed the third and completed engine at the British GP a couple of weeks ago. Fitted to modified Daytona chassis, the bike made a parade lap while members of the British media were given the opportunity to ride the bike. (Yes, we are green with envy; even The Hulk is less green.)
Every single journalist reported huge power in terms of acceleration and flexibility (availability of power anywhere in the rev range).
But what makes the engine tick? Surely you wonder.
Speaking to MCN, Steve Sargent, Triumph’s Chief Product Officer revealed, “We needed to get more power and torque and this was done by increasing the revs and reducing inertia. A standard 765 makes 123 bhp (in the Street Triple RS) and we’re pushing this to 135 bhp and about 80 Nm.”
Wait, only 135 bhp? You ask. Remember that Moto2 took over from 250cc two-strokers that produced on 80 to 90 bhp.
He continued, “A lot of this comes from the cylinder head. We’ve worked with the ports to increase gas flow and put in titanium valves and race valve spring to reduce flutter (valve float) at high RPM.”
What is “flutter” or “valve float”? It basically describes what happens when the valves do not follow the cam lobes effectively at high engine speeds. This is one reason why an engine’s maximum power is limited. MotoGP engineers, except for Ducati, combat this by using pneumatic valve springs.
“To reduce inertia, we did simple things like removing the starter motor and starter gears. It (the race engine) also has a race-kit alternator as the race bike has much less demand for electrical power and a lighter, fully-adjustable slipper clutch.”
“We’ve also changed the gearbox ratios. The first and second are both taller now and bring the rest of the ratios closer together.”
“Another new casting is the right-hand crankcase and clutch cover. The separate cover for the clutch allows teams easier access to the tuneable slipper clutch.”
Apart from those minor upgrades, the 765 Moto2 engine is surprisingly stock! The pistons, crankshaft, conrods, cams, main engine cases and air box are all the same as the standard bike’s!
The modifications bring the rev limit from 12,650 RPM to 14,000 RPM for more power and overrev in the corners. The 2019 Moto2 bikes will also receive a new Magneti Marelli ECU which features traction control for the first time in the championship. Besides TC, the ECU also allows for launch control and quickshifter with autoblipper.
“We’re running standard rods, standard cams, standard pistons and a standard crank. All of these parts are good enough for the higher sustained rpm and mean that the engine is affordable.
“The engines will be built and maintained by ExternPro, who built all the Honda Moto2 engines previously. We will shop them a kit of parts for each engine, they build it up, dyno test it and hand it to each team. Each (engine) will do three weekends of racing before it’s rebuilt.”Secrets of the Triumph 765cc Moto2 Engine Revealed
Suzuki had revealed the new GSX-R1000 powered Katana concept at the EICMA show in Milan last year but nothing else had come from them since, although we did report earlier about Suzuki filing the patents. Until now. Check out the video below.
It shows parts of the processes of forging a katana before ending with the “Coming soon. Intermot 2nd October” message. That’s just 25 days to go at the time this article went online!
However, we are of the opinion that the concept looks like it’s made by Tupperware (as in too plasticky) and we hope Suzuki would’ve done away with it when the production bike’s revealed.
Katana concept at EICMA
The 1980 Suzuki GSX1100S Katana was a motorcycle which featured a groundbreaking design concept, which blended the rear line of the fuel tank with the front portion of the seat. The seat itself had two different colours which lent the solo racing seat look. The fairing was given a sharp leading edge – “Katana” means samurai sword, by the way (watch “Kill Bill Vol. 1.” Or “The Last Samurai” if you’re a hopeless romantic).
The design concept, especially that seat/tank interface has since been widely adopted by other motorcycle manufacturers. This is why the first-generation model still looks great after 38 years and is highly sought-after.
Then in 1984, Suzuki released the GSX750E Katana with the pop-up headlight. It was the first and only motorcycle which has that feature.
It is also interesting to note that the bike was designed by Hans Muth, who was the chief designer at BMW. Among his greatest work during his tenure with the German manufacturer was the R90S and R100S. The R90S was the first production motorcycle to feature a headlamp-mounted fairing, while the later R100S was the first production motorcycle with a full-fairing.
Kawasaki Motors (Malaysia) has added another Kawasaki GT World Ninja Shop.
The new facility is operated by SC Premium Bikes Sdn. Bhd. located at Bandar Sunway.
The shop also includes a Kawasaki Exclusive Service Centre.
Fans, customers and owners of Kawasaki motorcycles now have a new home in Bandar Sunway, with the official opening of SC Premium Bikes Sdn. Bhd’s Kawasaki GT World Ninja Shop and Kawasaki Exclusive Service Centre (KESC).
As the Kawasaki GT World Ninja Shop is a flagship concept store, customers can expect a one-stop centre to view and purchase the latest Kawasaki motorcycles and buy the latest merchandize and riding gear.
Additionally, aftersales service is also fully supported in the Kawasaki Exclusive Service Centre. KESC provides the necessary expertise and tools to maintain and repair customers’ bikes, besides ensuring only genuine parts and accessories are used.
During the grand opening, Kawasaki Motors (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (KMMSB) gave the assurance that they will continue to build a “ONE KAWASAKI” spirit among Kawasaki motorcycle owners, dealers and distributor, in line with the manufacturer’s “Let the good times roll” philosophy.
SC Premium Bikes Sdn. Bhd. is well-known among large-capacity motorcycle owners in the Klang Valley as a tuner. In fact, they were among the first motorcycle shops to provide electronic engine tuning in the country.
Finally, in the spirit of being “green,” the SC Premium facility employs green technology in its daily operations. It is the first Kawasaki GT World Ninja Shop which uses solar energy to power the electrical supply for the office equipment and lighting.
Suzuki Motorcycle Italia posted a picture of a “special” GSX-R1000.
The hashtags seemed to suggest it will appear at the San Marino GP this weekend.
We hope it is a homologation model for WSBK in 2019.
Suzuki Italy had done a naughty thing by posting a picture of a special carbon-clad GSX-R1000 on their Facebook page along with #spotted #staytuned #motogp #2019 hastags. It’ll probably give Suzuki fans sleepless nights.
It seems to be a special edition Gixxer, by the looks of it since it is fitted with carbon-fibre fairing, lever guards and racing style windscreen. Plus, judging from the hashtags, it will probably break cover during this weekend’s San Marino MotoGP and is a 2019 model in accordance with the #2019 hashtag.
But of course, it may not be a high-volume production bike, instead it would very well be a limited production, high-end homologation model for the World Superbike Championship. Remember that WSBK is productions-based, hence manufacturers need to produce a certain number of homologation models in order to be eligible in the series. Being production based also means that the race bikes has to be as close to the bikes you and I can buy, so manufacturers build these special models with as close as they are to racing specs. Case in point: The 2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR with titanium connecting rods and finger follower valve actuation.
Other manufacturers have followed such path for example the Ducati 888 SPS, Ducati 916 SP/SPS, Ducati 1199 Panigale R, Yamaha YZF-R1M, Aprilia RSV4 APRC Factory, the aforementioned Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR, Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2, and many more.
Let us hope that Suzuki does build this special model, instead of being a one-off for the San Marino GP and reclaim the World Superbike Championship title they won in 2005 with Troy Corser.
The provisional 2019 MotoGP has finally been revealed.
Mexico and Finland are not included.
The 2019 season will kick off earlier.
Dorna has revealed the 2019 MotoGP calendar.
As speculated earlier, the 2019 season will not include Mexico and Finland as expected earlier, as the track in Mexico City is deemed too dangerous for 350 km/h motorcycles while the Kymiring circuit in Finland is still under construction. They are expected to join in the 2020 season.
Next year’s calendar may look the same as this year’s, but there are a few changes.
The 2019 season begins at Qatar on 10th March, which is earlier than usual and one week ahead of *cough* F1, instead of the other way around. Argentina follows three weeks later and the United States after that in two weeks.
The championship will only head to Europe for the first of the five – yes, five! Greedy buggers – Spanish rounds at Jerez on 5th May. The customary 3-week summer break follows after Sachsenring, Germany.
The British GP will still be held at Silverstone. The circuit needs to solve the drainage problems if it wants to remain on the MotoGP calendar, after this year’s embarrassing cancellation. Dorna has demanded the changes.
A big change is the San Marino GP at Misano which will be moved a week later to 15th September to avoid clashing again with the high-speed procession that’s F1 at Monza. This means San Marino and the other Spanish round at Aragon back-to-back. It is going to be a challenge for logistics as the two tracks are separated by 1500 kilometres.
The final five rounds follow the same order, including the Malaysian MotoGP at Sepang International Airport on 3rd November 2019 as the penultimate round.
Yamaha’s patent for a road-going “seamless” transmission for the YZF-R1 has been leaked online.
The seamless transmission was a revolution when Honda introduced it to their MotoGP bike.
The transmission is designed to provide a “seamless” drive.
When Honda innovated and used the “seamless” transmission it their MotoGP bikes a few years back, other manufacturers scrambled to produce their own. Now every MotoGP bike uses the transmission. We remembered when Yamaha was struggling to develop their own “seamless” gearbox during the 2014 Winter Test at the Sepang International Circuit. Jorge Lorenzo had pushed for his then team to debut it quickly as he was opinion that the system helped with stability during braking.
Well, now it’s Yamaha who had filed a patent for a similar system to be fitted to the YZF-R1.
The design for such a gearbox is complex but the idea is to deliver a seamless flow of power, even while shifting gears, hence the name. A quickshifters, on the other hand, actually interrupts power transmission momentarily when another gear is selected.
As an in-depth explanation will take something shorter than a thesis, we’ll be brief.
The seamless transmissions in MotoGP use a large number of pawls inside gear wheels that lock and unlock gears like ratchets, allowing two gears to be engaged at the same time. With the slower gear is freewheeling on the pawls, power from the engine is uninterrupted.
Truth is, there are a couple transmission systems on road bikes that transmit power without interruption – the CVT in scooters and Honda’s proprietary dual-clutch transmission (DCT) which is used in the Africa Twin, X-Adv, NC750, VFR1200 and Gold Wing among others. But these are different to the seamless gearboxes used by MotoGP bikes.
Yamaha’s design avoids the extra weight of Honda’s DCT and uses the normal hand-controlled clutch and foot-operated gearchanges. But just like its MotoGP counterpart, two gears are briefly connected during upshifts and downshifts. You may think it’s something like DCT but using gears instead.
While the benefits of seamless transmission may be negligible on the road except for bragging rights, it will may certainly benefit the Yamaha YZF-R1 in World Superbike racing.
The road technology is still in patent stage, so let’s hope to see it in production sooner or later.
BMW Motorrad Malaysia has published the prices with SST.
The SST (Sales & Service Tax) came into effect on 1st September 2018.
The rate is 10%.
BMW Motorrad Malaysia has released the new prices of BMW motorcycles following the re-implementation of the Sales & Services Tax (SST) which took effect from 1st September 2018.
As outlined by the Ministry of Finance, motorcycles under 250cc are exempted from SST, without other details. This meant that 10% SST is charged on motorcycles above 250cc regardless if they are CKD (completely knocked-down i.e. locally assembled) or CBU (completely built-up i.e. fully-imported).
Please refer to the table below.
Generally, prices have definitely hiked compared to when GST was set at 0% but they are perhaps more accurate if compared to the prices when 6% GST was implemented. Almost all models see price increases between RM 1,000 to RM 3,000 compared to when 6% GST applied but there are exceptions where the prices remained the same.
A check with BMW Motorrad Malaysia clarified that, “We wanted to make it affordable for everyone.”
Let’s take a look at a few key models.
In the Sports category, the prices of the ever-popular S 1000 RR superbike went up by RM 7,000 compared to 0% GST, but only increased by RM 1,000 over their 6% GST prices. The R 1200 RS went up by RM 2K.
Price in the Touring range which includes the R 1200 RT and K 1600 variants however, increase between RM 2,000 to RM 3,000 compared to compared to 6% GST.
The Roadsters, or “nakeds” for want of another definition, see their prices hiked by RM 2,000, except for the G 310 R, whose price remains at RM 26,900.
Over to the Heritage line-up, prices for the R nineT range see an increase of RM 1,000 except for the R nineT Pure and R nineT Racer variants.
As for the Adventure category where the R 1200 GS resides, the price of the G 310 GS remains the same at RM 29,900, while the rest see their prices increased.
We spoke to Idon Pang, the Aftersales Manager for GB Workshop, the official aftersales service centre for Aprilia and Moto Guzzi Malaysia about certified technicians.
Idon iterates that there is a shortage of certified technicians in market.
Especially that motorcycles are now more and more complex due to electronics.
Since we have been posting about certified motorcycle technicians, we decided to speak to a well-known aftersales manager on his thoughts on the matter.
The person we spoke to was Idon Pang, who is known for his dedication to motorcycle aftersales, his resourcefulness, customer-centric ethics and experience in Moto Guzzi, Vespa and Aprilia motorcycles, among others.
Bikes Republic (BR): Hi Idon, we’d like to talk about your thoughts on certified motorcycle technicians. Idon Pang (IP): Yes, sure. I have met some people and read about TOC Automotive College’s Superbike Technician Course recently and I think it’s a fantastic idea.
I’ve been in the industry for more than ten years right now and my challenge in aftersales is having enough certified technicians to carry out the work. Many people don’t see it, but I think TOC have noticed this issue. There is a big gap between current motorcycle technology and the people who are certified to handle and maintain these technologies or making it even better. The gap is very big.
The European countries and also America have many certified technicians, called “engineers,” who are able to handle these new technologies.
Asia, on the other hand, is the fastest growing motorcycle market but the level of our workforce is very, very far behind.
That’s why I’m very happy to see TOC pick this up.
BR: What’s the difference in working with certified and non-certified technicians? IP: I’ve been very fortunate to work with both throughout the years. In fact, I am a bit of both, as well.
I am certified for a number of motorcycle brands; as you know I’m more skilled towards Italian bikes. I learned through non-certified methods in the beginning. My sifus like the late Mr. Eddie Chia and later his sons, and a number of small motorcycle workshops taught me the tricks and tips of the trade. It’s from here that I saw both extremes.
To be honest with you, certification alone isn’t enough as the student may study really hard just to pass exams, but they didn’t brush up on their practical skills they will lose them.
And I meant simple skills just as catching engine timing, using sensors to detect problems or troubleshoot, mechanical failures and so forth.
BR: Speaking about new motorcycle technology, how do you see the progress? IP: It’s moving at a very rapid pace. Manufacturers are increasingly adding more new technologies every year to add value to their products.
The biggest thing now is of course electronics such as traction control, anti-wheelie, ABS. Things like APRC (Aprilia Performance Ride Control rider assist suite) have been around for about 10 years but it’s now being more and more prevalent throughout the industry.
But there are very feel few people who could understand, maintain and repair it. There are not more than two-handful of people who could work on these technologies currently in Malaysia.
So, certification in that area is very important. But that certification must also include practical training.
(Editor’s note: 70% of the TOC Superbike Technician Course consists of practical training, preparing the students for the real world.)
BR: How do you see the career paths of certified technicians? IP: Firstly, it’s true that there are very good non-certified technicians who learned through the hard way and from the experience passed down through many generations. This is why there are motorcycle owners who send their bikes to them. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course.
But again, technology is outgrowing our skills. We are at this paradigm change in motorcycle technology and industry. And yet we aren’t churning out certified or skilled technicians fast enough.
Secondly, many of these experienced old-hands have retired or retired without passing on their knowledge to the new generation.
BR: What could the graduates of certified technicians expect in the market? IP: The market is very lucrative. The aftersales market will keep growing regardless of the economy as owners will still need to maintain and repair their bikes.
We’ve seen this for many years. When the economy picks up, so do bike sales, consequently aftersales picks up too. When the economy slows down, bike sales will follow suit. However, instead of dropping, aftersales still picks up. That’s because instead of changing bikes, owners will maintain their bikes to make it last longer. Additionally, they will accessorize their bikes.
So what are you waiting for? If it has always been your dream to work in the motorcycle service line, or to start your very own motorcycle workshop, then this is the perfect platform to get you started on the path to achieving your dreams. Don’t wait, find out more about the TOC Superbike Technician Course at www.toc.edu.my or call (+603) 7960 8833 for more details.
CLICK HERE to know more about TOC’s Superbike Technician Course.
