The second round of the SIC MiniGP Championship 2020 took its course yesterday at the Sepang International Kart Circuit where a number of young riding talents showcased their riding prowess. Guided under the helm of national motorsports icon, Zulfahmi Khairuddin, SIC Junior ZK Racing, and Sepang International Circuit (SIC) as a whole, we got a glimmer of the future of riding talents of Malaysia. And it is bright. (more…)
When hear the word motorsports, it’s all too easy to visualize a bunch of bikes ridden at breakneck speeds, and their riders planting their knees firmly onto the track in the corners. But truth is, motorsports involves much more than just fast bikes and riders.
It’s safe to say that track action is only 10% of what goes on in motorsports. 90% is about preparation which includes bike setup, maintenance, and repair; data acquisition and analysis; rider conditioning; testing… the list goes on and on.
This is why motorsports is an “industry,” rather than just races in the actual sense. And the industry never sleeps.
Motorcycles are evolving by leaps and bounds by every annual Intermot and EICMA motorshows. This is because manufacturers seek to outdo their rivals by introducing new and even more advanced models.
We used to marvel at electronic fuel injection 20 years ago, but now fuel injection works in tandem with traction control (TC) and rider-selectable power modes. Speaking of TC, it was a mere pipe dream but now virtually all systems are smarter and faster than even professional riders.
Early TC systems were rudimentary, at best, relying on wheel-speed sensors but now they’re hooked up to a clever device called the Inertial Measurement Unit. Instead of just checking to see if a wheel or both wheels are slipping to regulate torque and power transmission, new TC systems actually proportions assistance according to the bike’s lean angles.
IMU-based TC has another benefit for the anti-lock braking system (ABS). Hence, IMU-equipped ABS not only helps to keep the wheels from locking up but it’s again lean-angle sensitive.
There’s also engine braking control, wheelie control, rear tyre lift mitigation, suspension control, launch control, quickshifter, etc.
But of course, racing is about power. A number of manufacturers have equipped their bikes with variable valve timing (VVT). An engine with VVT is in effect two engines in one. Rather than being tuned for lots of power at the expense of torque or vice-versa, why not have both?
And we haven’t even touched on brakes, suspension and frames yet!
The myriad of systems on modern bikes are electronically-controlled. Therefore, the motorsports industry needs to adapt by introducing parts and expertise to deal with electronics.
It’s no longer merely about twisting the suspension’s adjusters here besides wondering about what tyres to use or figuring the correct carburettor jetting. Each team must obtain the correct data to optimise their motorcycle setups.
In terms of machinery, they are getting more and more complex due to electronics. It’s electronics that unlock the full potential of modern bikes. Of course, all bikes are different in terms of mechanical setup, but they adhere to the same basic principles.
In terms of the motorsport industry, we will see increasing number of electronic engineers or mechanics that are savvy in electronics occupying places in race teams. Electronics used to be the domain of MotoGP prototype racing, but the technologies have been trickled down to other classes of bikes including roadgoing superbikes.
The Superbike Technician Course in the TOC Automotive College prepares the students by training them on real-world and motorsports applications.
It means that the students not only know how to work on the mechanical aspects, but also in terms of electronics.
In fact, TOC has worked with race teams in the Malaysian Superbike Championship (MSBK) and Malaysia Speed Festival (MSF) by sending their students to work with the race teams. The students come away better prepared by the time they hit the job market.
Looking to spanner for pros? Look no further and check out the Superbike Technician Course at the TOC Automotive College. TOC also offers the Bina Bakat student loans programme.
Find out more about the TOC Superbike Technician Course at www.toc.edu.myor call (+603) 7960 8833 for more details.
CLICK HERE to know more about TOC’s Superbike Technician Course.
The recent rivalry altercations between Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez aren’t new, that’s for sure.
As PR-savvy as they are, professional motorcycle racers are humans too. And being humans, they are just as prone to emotions, or maybe even more so since they have their livelihoods and pride at stake. However, it’s this kind of rivalries that provide the colours for us spectators.
You may have heard of both of these names, since they are both now motorcycle racing commentators, especially Aaron Slight in MotoGP nowadays.
Just before the start of the World Superbike race at Brands Hatch in 1998, the New Zealander Aaron Slight told Neil Hodgson to get out of his way since he wanted to challenge Carl Fogarty for the WSB title.
First of all, Hodgson and Slight are not teammates, and secondly, how could Hodgson give way when he’s riding on his own home ground. Neil ignored Slight’s “team orders” and raced the latter hard in the race. Slight got so furious and lashed out at Hodgson during the cool down lap. Both men then dropped their super-exotic race bikes for a boxing match. The track marshals pulled them apart before WSB organizers could organize a new category for boxing.
Wait! Was this the reason Aaron Slight talks so slow now?
Aprilia had fielded a 3-man factory team consisting of Loris Capirossi, Tetsuya Harada and newcomer Valentino Rossi. Capirossi had led the standings with a mere four points as they went into the final round at Argentina, but Harada was as determined to win the championship and was leading the race. Capirossi knew he had no real chance of passing the Japanese. If it finished this way, Harada would be crowned champion by just 1 point.
Capirossi knew what he had to do. He lunged inside Harada and took both of them out, and stole the title.
Aprilia was livid and so was Harada, understandably. The factory refused to extend Capirossi a contract for the next year although he was the 250cc champion.
The late-Nicky Hayden had been battling with Valentino Rossi throughout the entire 2006 season. The latter had won five races but was sidelined a number of times due to mechanical failures on other times, but was still able to claw his way back from a 51-point deficit to challenge Hayden at the last two rounds.
But even at this stage, Hayden’s teammate Dani Pedrosa was determined to not play the bridesmaid and was willing to go toe-to-toe with the American for a win.
At the penultimate round in Estoril, Portugal, instead of supporting Hayden, both teammates were locked in a fierce battle. Soon, the inevitable happened when Pedrosa stuffed his bike inside Hayden’s, taking them both out. (That brash move even sparked a meme.)
The Honda camp thought Hayden’s chance for a world title was a cooked goose.
However, Rossi crashed at the next and final round in Valencia. He remounted to in 13th, handing the title to Hayden with a five-point gap, ironically reflecting the five points he lost to Toni Elias, the winner in Portugal.
Australian Matt Mladin had dominated the American Superbike Championship but winning the title six years in a row, before a young upstart by the name of Ben Spies came along to show the way. Mladin felt humiliated and resorted to trash talking with statements such as, “He (Spies) still has his mom hanging around wiping his bum,” in the hopes of unravelling Spies.
But Spies took it all in his stride and won three titles in a row, before moving to WSBK to win the title in his rookie season, and then jumping over to MotoGP.
Barry Sheene had been the 500cc World GP champion until the arrival of a mad Californian who rides his bike sideways. Kenny Roberts.
Both riders took an immediate dislike of each other. Sheene was asked what he thought about Roberts being a development rider to which he replied, “He couldn’t develop a cold.” Kenny Roberts retorted by saying that the only reason he got out bed every morning was to beat Barry Sheene.
Their rivalry reached its zenith at the 1979 British GP when Sheene flashed Roberts the middle finger after passing the latter. Roberts fought back immediately and started an epic battle before getting the better of Englishman to win the race.
Stay tuned for Part 2 as we count down to the fiercest rivalries in motorcycle racing!
Honda telah menganjurkan konvoi serantau buat pertama kali meningkatkan kehadiran mereka dalam pasaran motorsikal berkuasa tinggi di Asia. Konvoi ini telah dinamakan Honda Asian Journey 2016.
Program ini dijalankan sempena perlumbaan 2016 Shell Malaysia MotoGP yang berlangsung hujung Oktober lepas. Sepang International Circuit (SIC) adalah satu-satunya perlumbaan MotoGP yang dianjurkan di Asia Tenggara. (more…)
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