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MotoGP 2019 Sepang Winter Test: Maverick Vinalez and Yamaha Fastest on Day 2

Monster Yamaha rider Maverick Vinalez was the fastest rider on Day 2 of the MotoGP 2019 Sepang Winter Test.
His blistering time of 1m 58.897s was just 0.067s behind the fastest Winter Test record.
Marc Marquez was relegated to 8^thafter being fastest on Day 1.

The MotoGP 2019 Pre-Season test kicked off at the Sepang International Circuit yesterday. The action continues today with Maverick Vinalez of Monster Energy Yamaha factory teaming claiming the fastest time.

Repsol Honda rider and defending world champion Marc Marquez secured the fastest time on the first day, allaying fears of his recovering shoulder. He put in only 29 before stopping to allow his shoulder to rest, leaving his time of 1m 59.621s on the board for the night.

Marc Marquez at SIC test – Photo credit MotoGP.com

But how things can change in less than 24 hours in MotoGP.

Valentino Rossi (Monster Yamaha) started out the day fastest before being toppled by Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnows Ducati) and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda).

Valentino Rossi at SIC test – Photo credit MotoGP.com

Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) then took over from Dovizioso. Rins had placed his Suzuki as second fastest yesterday. Pramac Ducati rider Jack Miller improved on his times and also went ahead of Dovizioso.

Andrea Dovizioso at SIC test – Photo credit MotoGP.com

However, a late charge by Vinalez put him right on top for the day. He was the only rider to lap under the 1m59s mark, with 1m 58.897s. That’s still just 0.067 second to Repsol Honda rider Jorge Lorenzo’s unofficial Sepang record of 1m 58.830s he set during the 2018 Winter Test on a Ducati.

Alex Rins at SIC test – Photo credit MotoGP.com

Judging by today’s times, a few riders may well dip under 1m 58s tomorrow if the weather holds. That’s because the top 19 riders were covered by just 1 second!

Cal Crutchlow at SIC test – Photo credit MotoGP.com

As for Marquez, he could go no faster than 1m 59.790 with the new engine. The time relegated him to 8^th. His new teammate Jorge Lorenzo is also missing from the test as he nurses his broken scaphoid.

Jack Miller at SIC test – Photo credit MotoGP.com

Apart from Johann Zarco who finished 11^thbest, the other KTM riders languished in the lower positions as they try to tame and sort out the RC16 wild beast.

Watch a Lightning LS-218 Accelerate to 160 km/h in 5.5 Seconds

We know the Lightning LS-218 is currently the fastest road legal bike.
But how quickly does it get “there”?
Watch this video as Lightning Motorcycles strap an LS-218 to a dyno.

We’ve said it before and say it again: Modern electric motorcycles are fast! They put down so much instantaneous torque that would MotoGP riders grin from ear to ear. Such is true especially with the Lightning LS-218.

We’ve written about the amazing bike before (please click here for the full article). To jog your memory, it is currently the fastest road-legal production motorcycle. The “218” in its name attests to the speed it hit on the Bonneville Salt Flats i.e. 218 mph (350.8 km/h).

It also held the Pike Peak International Hill Climb record since 2012 and was only broken last year by a KTM 1290 Super Duke R. However, the Lightning’s record still holds as the fastest electric motorcycle up that treacherous hill.

The speed is attributable to the bike’s electric motor’s torque. And it’s exactly what Lightning Motorcycles wants to show in this video.

Lightning LS-218 pre-delivery dyno tuning at 160+ mph #LightningMotorcycles #Lightning #LS218 #ElectricMotorcycle #Superbike #Dyno pic.twitter.com/STREf7T9Na

— Lightning Motorcycle (@LightningMotorc) February 2, 2019

The LS-218 is strapped down on a dyno. The roller is spun up before the bike’s motor took over, punching it to 257 km/h (160 mph) in a matter of seconds. But that’s not all, the real kicker here is how the bike pulled from 160 to 241 km/h (100 to 150 mph) in 2 seconds!

Yet, the manufacturer didn’t give the bike full throttle all the way. Lighting Motorcycles’ Matt Schulwitz told Electrek that the LS-218’s tyre would just keep spinning on top of the dyno’s roller if they gunned the throttle from standstill. That’s what 228 Nm of does. So, that’s the reason they spun up the dyno first rather than let the bike’s power spin it up.

This means the motor pulls and pulls without hiccups through the rev range. Shall we change the cliché pulls like a freight train to mean electric motors?

Lightning Motorcycles are slated to release a low-price model in March 2019.

Amazing Collection of MV Agusta Classics for Sale

A collection of MV Agusta classics will be sold in Paris.
The collection consists of 90 bikes including prototypes, one-off race bikes, production bikes, scooters.
They are expected to fetch between €3,000 to €250,000 each.

We’ve seen vintage, classics and modern motorcycles individually listed in Mudah.my, but this is something amazing. Up for sale is a collection of approximately 90 classic and iconic MV Agusta motorcycles.

The collection was put together by a family through their love for the Italian marque. The current owner’s uncle worked in the family’s MV workshop long ago. He even raced some of the bikes at the Giro d’Italia and Milan-Tarento races.

It was him who bought these bikes, which didn’t cost so much at the time. As the collection grew over time, he rented an unused factory near Monaco to store this massive collection. The man had some of these bikes were restored by ex-factory mechanics, evidently without thought to cost. There are among these bikes that were built by Arturo Magni himself.

Consequently, all the bikes are in running condition and are certified by the MV Agusta museum.

The collection consists of volume production models and one-off specials, scooters, road bikes, and prototypes from as far back as 1945. There’s even a mini bike that was made for Phil Read’s son before it went into production. It was modelled after Read’s own race bike. The owner wasn’t boasting when he claimed it to be the world’s largest collection of the Italian brand.

Artcurial Motorcars will sell them at the retro Salon in Paris on 9^thFebruary (there’s still time to get your flight tickets). They are estimated to fetch between €3,000 to €250,000 each.

All pictures: Rideapart.com

PICTURE GALLERY

Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Launches WorldSBK 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R

The Aru Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike launched their WorldSBK 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Returning rider Chaz Davies is joined by newcomer and ex-MotoGP rider Alvaro Bautista.
WorldSBK 2019 marks the first time Ducati races with a V-Four bike.

It’s not only the season for wishing prosperity, it’s also when international race teams launch their teams for the 2019 season. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike team launched their 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R for WorldSBK 2019.

The team’s riders Chaz Davies and newcomer Alvaro Bautista will ride the new bikes in an effort to recapture the WorldSBK crown for Ducati. The Italian manufacturer had a stranglehold of the WorldSBK throughout the Nineties and it was through that championship that Ducati became a household name, before they ventured into MotoGP. However, they have not won a superbike title for the last seven years.

“We’ll be working with only one aim in mind: to win,” said Gigi Dall’Igna about Ducati Corse’s WorldSBK program.

The Ducati Panigale V4 R is also an important milestone for Ducati as it is their first V-Four-powered road bike. Indeed, the manufacturer created the Panigale V4 as their basis to win the WorldSBK title, and thereby breaking their long tradition of producing V-Twin superbikes. WorldSBK and World Supersport championships are production-based.

Make no mistake, the Ducati Panigale V4 R is a potent missile right out of the crate. On the other hand, the team and manufacturer are pragmatic in their approach. “The project is still at an early stage and development has started auspiciously well, but we still have to perfect several details and we have a clearly defined development program,” added Dall’Igna.

Team rider Chaz Davies will spend his fifth year with the red bikes and is a regular hard charger. He’s not afraid to swap paint, rubber and leather with four-time and current WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea of Kawasaki.

Alvaro Bautista could prove to be the dark horse of the factory with his extensive experience and knowledge garnered in MotoGP. He may well score a few wins this season.

All pictures: Ducati and Asphalt & Rubber

Police Caught Singaporean Bikers with Taped Up Plates

The Malaysian police have caught the Singaporean bikers with taped up number plates.
Malaysian Inspector-General of the Police confirmed the news
They paid up their summons.

PDRM caught the Singaporeans bikers who taped up their bikes’ number plates yesterday.

PDRM showed a radar gun picture of a Suzuki Hayabusa travelling at 253 km/h, although they did not specify where the group was stopped.

Another picture of a PDRM highway patrol car stopped in front of the motorcycles outside a petrol station shop. The bikers were seen taking selfies and smiling nonchalantly.

The next set of photos saw them paying up their summons at a PDRM payment counter. We assume they were escorted to the nearest police station.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun confirmed that the group were Singaporeans and the dashcam video was caught in Johor Bahru. “We have taken action against those bikers involved, regardless if they are locals, what more foreigners,” he added during a media press conference yesterday.

The Royal Malaysian Police had set up roadblocks and speed traps on Malaysia’s main highways and roads in conjunction with the Chinese New Year. Major celebrations in the country always sees the exodus of thousands of Malaysians to their hometowns and holiday destinations. So, it was foolhardy to pull such a “trick.”

This unruly bunch were lucky they didn’t get involved in accidents and causing even more difficulties to highway users during this busy time.

In any case, well done, PDRM.

All pictures: Info Roadblock PDRM/JPJ

4 out of 10 Malaysians on the Phone While Driving

An Associate Professor told Bernama that 4 out of 10 Malaysians use the phone while driving.
A 5 to 10 second distraction equals 160 metres on the road.
As motorcyclists we must always mitigate our risks and look out for signs of impending danger.

1 out of 4 Malaysians are using their smartphones while driving – as if many other things distracting them inside a car isn’t enough.

University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Highway Engineering expert, Associate Professor Mohd. Ezree Abdullah told this when contacted by Bernama.

A driver distracted for 5 to 10 seconds at normal highway speeds is equivalent to turning the car into a runaway vehicle for 160 metres. How far is 160 metres? It’s the distance from the pedestrian crossing outside Suria KLCC and Avenue K to the Jalan Ampang-Jalan P. Ramlee intersection.

Voice calls isn’t the only distraction. There are so many apps to distract drivers such as Waze/GPS, Whatsapp/WeChat, SMS, Facebook and games. Yes, we’ve spotted drivers playing games on their smartphones while driving!

Drivers are think that they are paying attention as long as their eyes are on the road. But how many times have drivers “zoned out” even when they are just driving along?

Remember that a car driver may be distracted by other occupants, his favourite song on the radio, blindspots, an itch in the crotch… etc. etc. etc.

This article is not about blaming car drivers (there are motorcyclists talking on the phone while riding, too!). Instead, we wish to highlight that we should always trust our judgment when we ride and not leave our fates to other road users. We should always mitigate the risks around us by paying attention to “signs” of impending danger, such as the driver ahead is about to stop or switch lanes suddenly.

As such, adhere to traffic laws at all times, including not charging away from the red light!

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Latest News

Monster Yamaha rider Maverick Vinalez was the fastest rider on Day 2 of the MotoGP 2019 Sepang Winter Test.

His blistering time of 1m 58.897s was just 0.067s behind the fastest Winter Test record.

Marc Marquez was relegated to 8thafter being fastest on Day 1.

We know the Lightning LS-218 is currently the fastest road legal bike.

But how quickly does it get “there”?

Watch this video as Lightning Motorcycles strap an LS-218 to a dyno.

A collection of MV Agusta classics will be sold in Paris.

The collection consists of 90 bikes including prototypes, one-off race bikes, production bikes, scooters.

They are expected to fetch between €3,000 to €250,000 each.

PICTURE GALLERY

The Aru Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike launched their WorldSBK 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R.

Returning rider Chaz Davies is joined by newcomer and ex-MotoGP rider Alvaro Bautista.

WorldSBK 2019 marks the first time Ducati races with a V-Four bike.

The Malaysian police have caught the Singaporean bikers with taped up number plates.

Malaysian Inspector-General of the Police confirmed the news

They paid up their summons.

An Associate Professor told Bernama that 4 out of 10 Malaysians use the phone while driving.

A 5 to 10 second distraction equals 160 metres on the road.

As motorcyclists we must always mitigate our risks and look out for signs of impending danger.

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Marc Marquez was relegated to 8^thafter being fastest on Day 1.