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This Month in the Iron & Lace Calendar ... Our World Superbike Calendar Kitten Taylor Gunnin plays in the rain with a Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XR1200 AMA Series race bike at the Miller Motorsports Pro Nationals. Calendars are high quality full color 15 x 15" wire spiral bound printed on heavy art stock revealing 16 months beginning with September. $16.95 each - Click on the Calendar Picture Above or Here to Order Now
2013 FIM MotoGP World Motorcycle Championship, Jerez, Spain Round 3 of 18
Pedrosa wins at Jerez, teammate Marquez dusts of Lorenzo in the final corner
Jerez, Spain, may 5th 2013 - Dani Pedrosa clinched his maiden victory of this year’s MotoGP™ World Championship, winning the Gran Premio bwin de España on Sunday, as teammate Marc Marquez spiced up proceedings by barging past Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo for second place in the final corner. Lorenzo had been the rider to beat for much of the weekend, comfortably sealing his second pole position of the season on Saturday, yet Pedrosa overtook him at the start of the 27-lap race. The lead was immediately snatched back, but Pedrosa made the move stick as he passed at Dry Sack on Lap 6. As the Yamaha rider dropped into the clutches of Marquez, Pedrosa maintained a steady pace en route to his first win since Valencia last year.
Marquez’s race was a dramatic one, having entered as the joint championship leader with Lorenzo. Having quickly demoted Valentino Rossi to fourth place after the Yamaha rider overtook at the end of Lap 1, the 20-year-old charged up to the back of Lorenzo and attempted several different lines in a bid to distract the current title holder. The eventual move came at the newly-named Jorge Lorenzo Corner at the end of the very last lap, where Marquez forcefully made his way past his compatriot, leaving the latter in a less than happy mood in Parc Fermé.
Rossi had a lonely ride to fourth place on the second Yamaha Factory bike, with Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow overcoming GO&FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista for a top five spot at the end of a difficult weekend, which featured two sizeable accidents on Saturday. Ducati Team duo Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso made the top eight while test rider Michele Pirro enjoyed a strong first ride of the campaign to 11th on the squad’s GP13 Lab chassis.
Hector Barbera and Avintia Blusens impressed by qualifying tenth on the lead CRT machine, but on race day the Spaniard fell to 12th as Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro took top CRT honours for the third time in as many races, finishing ninth from Tech 3’s Bradley Smith. As Avintia’s Hiroshi Aoyama tumbled to 18th in the closing stages, Michael Laverty scored the first points for PBM’s own-built bike by coming home 13th and ahead of Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci and NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards, who also scored for the first time in 2013.
Five riders failed to make the end of the race, notably Stefan Bradl who compounded a tough three days for himself and LCR Honda MotoGP. The German, like Energy T.I. Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone, retired on the fourth lap. Iannone’s teammate Ben Spies did not compete, advised by doctors to rest and solve a problem with a pectoral muscle, while Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham pulled out after Friday due to suffering too much pain with his broken right collarbone.
Marc Marquez (93) reeled-in and stalked reigning World Champ Jorge Lorenzo (99) who was riding defensively the last half of the race, until the final corner on the last lap, then Marquez charged up the inside and knock Lorenzo upright and off line , nearly crashing him, in order to pass for 2nd place.
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: race winner - “It was a beautiful race. I was able to ride the bike well, even though it was difficult because the tyres were really on the limit. I couldn’t push too hard because of that, so I had to ride carefully. I was able to maintain a good advantage throughout the race and collect this win at home as a result. It was fantastic, especially seeing all the fans in the stands; this year we’ve had a lot of people come to watch this Grand Prix. I also want to say ‘Happy Mothers Day’ to my mum and thanks to all my team; it’s been a great day!”
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda, 2nd- “It was a very good race. I gave 100 percent from the first lap through to the last. At some points in the race I felt better than at others, but I never gave up. I tried to stick as close as possible to Lorenzo, although it was very difficult. I couldn’t quite close the gap, but I didn’t let him get away either. It was a very hard race, because if you get one or two seconds difference between you, you relax a bit. I didn’t relax though, and I am very happy. I think that, above all, the end of the race was really good for the fans. I want to apologise to Jorge, because it was a racing incident – a last lap move that happens when you are on the limit. The most important thing is that we both finished the race, and I hope that that’s the end of it.”
Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha 3rd, +5.089“I have always been positive so today also I am going to be positive, to finish the race with sixteen points is always a great result. I was second for the whole race and then lost the place on the last corner so it wasn't the perfect race. The perfect race is a victory and if not possible second, the next is third. Today we got another podium and we are quite close to the leader. On the other hand we have to improve the bike. I think I made two mistakes in the race, in the start I started really badly and in the last corner, I thought Marquez was further behind than he was so I didn’t take a defensive line, this was my second mistake.”
Valentino Rossi, Yamaha 4th. +8.914 "It was a difficult race. Unfortunately we were not able to be better, we suffered a bit with the conditions and we tried to do the maximum. We improved the set up for the race and we did a good start. I was with the top group but unfortunately I was not fast enough to stay with the top three. Lap by lap the gap was bigger so I think we have some work to do. Here in Jerez I expected we could go faster than Honda but they arrived in front of us. We still have some work to do to improve the bike. Tomorrow we have the test and we'll try to find the right balance. In the Championship we are not very far from the top and we took some important points. I wanted to be on the podium but unfortunately it was not possible, we will try again next week.”
RESULTS MOTOGP RACE: (27 laps = 119.421 Km)
POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / KM/H / GAP
1 / Dani PEDROSA / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 45'17.632 / 158.1 /
2 / Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / Repsol Honda Team / HONDA / 45'20.119 / 158 / 2.487
3 / Jorge LORENZO / SPA / Yamaha Factory Racing / YAMAHA / 45'22.721 / 157.8 / 5.089
4 / Valentino ROSSI / ITA / Yamaha Factory Racing / YAMAHA / 45'26.546 / 157.6 / 8.914
5 / Cal CRUTCHLOW / GBR / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 45'30.295 / 157.4 / 12.663
6 / Alvaro BAUTISTA / SPA / GO&FUN Honda Gresini / HONDA / 45'32.726 / 157.3 / 15.094
7 / Nicky HAYDEN / USA / Ducati Team / DUCATI / 45'43.264 / 156.7 / 25.632
8 / Andrea DOVIZIOSO / ITA / Ducati Team / DUCATI / 45'59.513 / 155.7 / 41.881
9 / Aleix ESPARGARO / SPA / Power Electronics Aspar / ART / 46'01.444 / 155.6 / 43.812
10 / Bradley SMITH / GBR / Monster Yamaha Tech 3 / YAMAHA / 46'02.093 / 155.6 / 44.461
11 / Michele PIRRO / ITA / Ducati Test Team / DUCATI / 46'03.606 / 155.5 / 45.974
12 / Hector BARBERA / SPA / Avintia Blusens / FTR / 46'17.491 / 154.7 / 59.859
13 / Michael LAVERTY / GBR / Paul Bird Motorsport / PBM / 46'27.375 / 154.2 / 1'09.743
14 / Danilo PETRUCCI / ITA / Came IodaRacing Project / IODA-SUTER / 46'35.445 / 153.7 / 1'17.813
15 / Colin EDWARDS / USA / NGM Mobile Forward Racing / FTR KAWASAKI / 46'35.809 / 153.7 / 1'18.177
Pole Position: Jorge LORENZO 1'38.673 161.3 Km/h
Fastest Lap (New record): Jorge LORENZO 1'39.565 159.9 Km/h Lap 2
Old Circuit Record Lap: Dani PEDROSA 1'39.731 159.6 Km/h 2010
Circuit Best Lap: Jorge LORENZO 1'38.189 162.1 Km/h 2008
CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION TILL DATE:
1 MARQUEZ 61, 2 PEDROSA 58, 3 LORENZO 57, 4 ROSSI 43, 5 CRUTCHLOW 35,
6 BAUTISTA 28, 7 DOVIZIOSO 26, 8 HAYDEN 24, 9 ESPARGARO 17, 10 IANNONE 13,
11 BRADL 11, 12 SMITH 10, 13 SPIES 9, 14 BARBERA 7, 15 DE PUNIET 6.
Tom Sykes, Eurene Laverty and Loris Baz share the 2nd Race Podium at Assen.
2012 FIM Eni World Superbike Championship, Qatar Round 3 of 14
Sykes and Laverty Take One Win Each at Assen
Assen, The Netherlands, Sunday 28 April 2013 – The eni FIM Superbike World Championship has put in today another great show as riders from four of the five classes battled out for the best positioning in the respective races in front of an enthusiastic crowd (that reached a total of 52.000 spectators over the whole weekend). Blue skies characterised the last day on track for the joy of all riders, starting from Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), who was able to set a new lap record for the Superbike class in race 1 and to win by domination ahead of Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) – previous lap record holder from 2010 – and Eugene Laverty.
The Irishman, together with his Aprilia Racing Team crew, found the right set-up adjustments to match Sykes’ pace in Race 2 and thanks to a last-lap manoeuvre was able to snatch victory from today’s pole-sitter.
Complete Assen WSBK Coverage HERE
Championship points leder Sylvain Guintoli.
We are excited to announce, after reporting last month that DORNA had decided to stop bringing to WSBK the beautiful Czech models from the Petra's Angels modeling agency in Prague because of the expense, the girls were now back beginning with the Assen race weekend, thanks in part we think, to a letter we wrote to the new DORNA SBK Marketing Director. Included in the return are beautiful 2014 FastDates.om Calendar Kittens & official SBK Alfa Romeo Umbrella Girls Jitunka (bottom left) and Petra (top right). Photos by Max Oliana.
 Endorsed and aircraft carrier tested by World Superbike Champion Max Biaggi
NEW PIRELLI ANGEL GT SPORT TOURING TYRE
Milan, 24 April 2013 – After the official unveiling for the international press last week on the flight deck of the Italian Navy's aircraft carrier Cavour and at the Nardò Technical Center, the new Pirelli sport touring tyre, Angel GT, is ready to hit the road and devour miles of asphalt with bikers everywhere, already boasting a first place achievement: in fact, the new Angel GT has been certified as number one for mileage in the Sport Touring segment and it is capable of guaranteeing Pirelli DNA in terms of performance, which is maintained at top levels for the tyre's entire life cycle. These characteristics are joined by typical Pirelli sport spirit and top notch performance on both dry and wet road surfaces thanks to an in depth study of the compounds as well as the geometry and positioning of the tread grooves.
The Motorrad TestCenter test
Angel GT is the best tyre for mileage in the Sport Touring segment. This was established and certified by the authoritative independent German body Motorrad TestCenter which conducted a test, comparing Pirelli with Michelin Pilot Road 3, Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart II, Bridgestone Battlax BT 023, Continental RoadAttack2 and Metzeler Roadtec Z8 Interact M/O.
For the test, held in Spain from 27 November to 14 December 2012, a set of 120/70 ZR17 and 180/55 ZR17 tyres were used as the standard and six Suzuki Bandit 1250 ABS bikes were used. The test was conducted on fast roads between Málaga, Algeciras, Jerez, Seville, Cordoba and Antequerra at an average speed of 120kph and on country and mountain roads with speed limits between 90 and 110kph between Marbella, Ronda, Algodonales, Ardales, Alora and Málaga. The test sessions were held in dry weather conditions with rather low temperatures, but consistent throughout the period. Due to the route that travelled through different altitudes (from 10 to 1100 metres above sea level) the air temperature varied from 18 to 5 degrees Celsius, while the asphalt temperature ranged from 18 to 23 degrees Celsius.
At the end of the test the Angel GT was found to be the tyre with the highest mileage compared to the competitors in the Sport Touring segment.
The design of the new Pirelli Angel GT tyre, the crowning jewel of the Milanese manufacturer's Sport Touring segment, was completely finalised through innovative developments of new tread, profile structure and compound combination concepts aimed at achieving the ambitious status of absolute segment reference in terms of mileage performance without altering the typical Pirelli sport DNA for the entire life cycle of the product and providing standard setting performance on both dry and wet surfaces.
100% Italian Gran Turismo
Angel GT is the crowning jewel of the Pirelli Sport Touring range and the natural descendant of Angel ST, a tyre with multiple victories under its belt in comparison tests conducted by the most prestigious international motorcycling magazines, as well as holder of 7 duration world records. Compared to its predecessor, Angel GT increases mileage by 30%, reduces the braking distance by about 1 metre (at a speed of 75 kph), also improving grip and handling in the wet, and, even more importantly, manages to maintain these characteristics at a high level over time.
And so, with the name it chose for this product Pirelli decided to maintain a clear connection to the winning tyre, highlighting the evolution toward a product dedicated to long distances which maintains the typical sport spirit of Pirelli with the abbreviation GT. This is why Angel GT is 100% Italian Gran Turismo, an ideal tyre for those riders who travel long distances with a passenger and the bike fully loaded, or who simply take a ride in the country, but also for those who use their bikes all year round, both for recreation and commuting. All of this is true no matter what bike is used, whether a touring bike, a street enduro, naked or sport bike.
So Pirelli engineers managed to obtain standard-setting mileage in the segment combined with performance typical of a sport product but, what's more, the unique feature of the Angel GT that sets it apart from the other products in the segment lies in the fact that the characteristics it boasts have limited degradation as kilometres roll by all the way to the end of the product's life cycle. This is a property that Pirelli sums up as “Performance Mileage”.
The Tread Design
The Angel GT tread is a clear evolution of the Angel ST tread in technological terms because it was designed for the primary purpose of providing reduced and more regular wear and improved water drainage guaranteed by both the front tyre and by the new arrangement of the grooves on the rear tyre. To provide optimum wear, the grooves were directed following the theory of Schallamach wear waves which describes the mechanics of a wear crest forming on the tyre depending on the amount and direction of the forces exchanged between the tyre and asphalt at each point of the profile.
The arrangement and direction of the grooves were also studied in order to optimise water drainage and they allow a 10% reduction on the front and 16% reduction on the rear of the void/fill which translates into a larger surface of compound in contact with the ground and therefore better grip and better wear. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the design is also neater and clearer. Unlike the Angel ST, the new Angel GT tread does not change its design with use, a testament to the fact that its performance remains essentially unaltered for the entire life cycle of the tyre.
Profile
The target of increasing mileage, which cannot be achieved working only on the tread, took into maximum consideration the absolute need not to compromise grip levels needed to maintain performance and safety supremacy in any conditions of use. This is why the Pirelli Research and Development centre focused its efforts on achieving this improvement by also, and above all, designing a completely innovative profile.
Whilst maintaining the Pirelli philosophy based on a design with variable radius curvature, we worked on increasing the central radius by about 35% in order to create a less rounded central section. This way both the size and the proportion of the ground contact area were significantly modified, now 6% shorter and 15% wider compared to its Angel ST predecessor.
Generally speaking, a compound's wear is caused by the sliding which occurs when it exits the surface area while the tyre rolls on the asphalt. This is why the size and shape of the contact area with the asphalt have a direct impact on compound wear. A shorter contact area means less overheating, less sliding and therefore less wear of the compound itself. At the same time, a 15% increase in width means being able to distribute wear over a larger portion of tread with an advantage for both final performance and more regular wear. By combining this technical solution with a specifically designed compound, Pirelli engineers were able to increase the mileage of the Angel GT by about 30% compared to the Angel ST.
A further benefit which stems from the profile lies in the fact that the contact area has a linear variation in its proportions between upright and fully leaned over bike, with the result of having a variable progression in tyre performance which provides the rider with a sensation of riding confidence and more agile and direct bike performance.
Structure
To adequately support the innovations made in terms of profile and larger road contact surface as well as guaranteeing a comfortable and pleasant ride, with the Angel GT tyre a new rayon carcass was introduced which stems directly from the know how acquired by Pirelli in racing, particularly in the FIM World Superbike Championship.
The new carcass has 32% more linear density with 60% higher rigidity compared to the Angel ST tyre and at the same time it allows for an agile and direct ride, high push and grip in turns and excellent damping capacity on bumpy asphalt. It also guarantees that the initial performance of the new tyre will stay consistent for the entire life cycle of the product.
Dual Compounds
Thanks to a tread contact area designed to improve mileage and to the benefits provided by the innovative profile and new structure which decrease the stress the compounds are subjected to, Pirelli engineers were able to decisively rethink the compound choices and the overall general philosophy for their application with respect to the Angel ST predecessor, achieving technical solutions which had been difficult to realise until now.
In fact, the Angel GT set is comprised of a rear made of a dual blend compound with cap&base technology, that is, a technology which allows the compactness and stability of the product to be improved using a compound intended to provide grip in the part in contact with the asphalt and a compound which guarantees stability on the lower layer, matched with a single blend on the front which uses a 100% silica formula derived from the one used on the shoulders of the rear tyre in order to provide similar performance, especially in leans and on wet roads.
The sophisticated construction of the rear, in addition to the cap&base application, provided a central part of the tread of about 45 millimetres in width (sizes vary slightly depending on the tyre size) created expressly to ensure extremely high stability at any level of load and use as well as greater resistance to abrasion and a high level of grip on wet roads both in acceleration and braking thanks to a silica concentration higher than 50% with a balanced proportion of carbon black and resins.
The shoulder compound, similar to the one on the entire front strip, is 100% silica capable of providing excellent grip on dry and wet surfaces thanks in part to the use of controlled microstructure polymers that improve filler dispersion and interaction between the polymers themselves and filler.
Particular care was taken in selecting these components in order to best harmonise the combination of the two compounds used and the revolutionary mixing process. In fact, the new compounds use innovative materials which unleash maximum potential if they are processed with a continuous mixing process, that is, a procedure which takes into consideration not only the volume of the ingredients used, but also the order in which they enter the flow.
Last but not least, the front tyre is also 100% silica, with a formula derived from the one used on the shoulders of the rear tyre in order to provide extremely high performance on both dry and wet surfaces and in braking.
Personalisation
In addition to the technological specifications described above, the new Angel GT motorcycle tyre range, following the personalisation characteristics typical of the latest top range Pirelli products, has a dedicated area on the side of the front and rear tyre where a special personalised label can be applied, created and purchased directly from the Pirelli website www.pirellimoto.com. The on-line tool allows the user to personalise a label choosing from various fonts, colours, flags, the layouts of the most famous international circuits and many other logos. The label is then sent directly to the user's address with a special adhesive resin designed specifically for application on the tyres.
Video of the press launch on Cavour aircraft carrier: http://youtu.be/O1FDc7_BuOc
Technical video: http://youtu.be/YnTlqZIwnsI
Available sizes
The new Angel GT is already available for purchase on the Pirelli international sales network in the following sizes:
Front
120/60 ZR 17 M/C (55W) TL
120/70 ZR 17 M/C (58W) TL
110/80 ZR 18 M/C (58W) TL
120/70 ZR 18 M/C (59W) TL |
Rear
150/70 ZR 17 M/C (69W) TL
160/60 ZR 17 M/C (69W) TL
170/60 ZR 17 M/C (72W) TL
180/55 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL
180/55 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL (A)
190/50 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL
190/50 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL (A)
190/55 ZR 17 M/C (75W) TL
190/55 ZR 17 M/C (75W) TL (A)
190/55 ZR 17 M/C (75W) TL (D)
160/60 ZR 18 M/C (70W) TL
(A) Two layer structure for better stability
(D) OEM equipment on the new Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Granturismo |
 Alex Lowes
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Round 3 of 12
Lowes takes British Superbike 1-Pont Lead over Byrne at Olton Park
Olton Park, Great Britain, May 6th 2013 - Alex Lowes, with his first winning ride of the season in Race One aboard the Samsung Honda and then a determined third place in Race Two behind Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki's reigning MCE British Superbike Champion Shane Byrne, moved him into a single point lead in the chase for the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship ahead of the reigning title holder Byrne who crashed out of the opening race before bouncing back to win the next.
Lowes had shattered the Cheshire circuit lap record to take his second successive pole start and maintained that pace into the opening race, taking the lead early on the opening lap from Kawasaki riding Byrne and then dictating terms at the front although Byrne was always running in close contention. But at two thirds distance at Brittens chicane Byrne tipped off with Lowes easing to a comfortable victory by over three seconds from Yamaha’s James Ellison with Suzuki rider Josh Brookes in third place.
In front of a record-breaking crowd at the Cheshire venue, Byrne was looking good in race one as he shadowed the Honda of Alex Lowes but on lap 12, the triple British Champion from Sittingbourne, Kent slid off the Minxflix-backed Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R at Britten's chicane to end his hopes of adding to his three victories to date. Bathams Honda rider Tommy Bridewell, despite the continuing pain from a leg injury sustained in the previous round at Thruxton took fifth place, ahead of Lloyds British GBMoto Honda’s Peter Hickman whose team-mate Tristan Palmer was tenth.
Jakub Smrz ran twelfth on the Padgetts Honda two places up on former three times champion Ryuichi Kiyonari who was again struggling on the second Samsung Honda – the Japanese rider improved to twelfth in the second race but is still having problems which the team will be working hard to solve ahead of the next round at Knockhill.
BRITISH SUPERBIKE RACE ONE
POS / RIDER / NAT / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / GAP
1 / Alex LOWES / GBR / Honda - Samsung Honda / 29:03.128 /
2 / James ELLISON / GBR / Yamaha - Milwaukee Yamaha / 29:06.476 / 3.348
3 / Josh BROOKES / AUS / Suzuki - Tyco Suzuki / 29:08.588 / 5.460
4 / Jon KIRKHAM / GBR / BMW - Buildbase BMW Motorrad / 29:09.783 / 6.655
5 / Tommy BRIDEWELL / GBR / Honda - Bathams Honda / 29:09.936 / 6.808
6 / Peter HICKMAN / GBR / Honda - Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Honda / 29:23.696 / 20.568
7 / James WESTMORELAND / GBR / BMW - Buildbase BMW Motorrad / 29:28.679 / 25.551
8 / PJ JACOBSEN / USA / Suzuki - Tyco Suzuki / 29:31.430 / 28.302
9 / Chris WALKER / GBR / Kawasaki - Quattro Plant Kawasaki / 29:31.990 / 28.862
10 / Tristan PALMER / GBR / Honda - Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Honda / 29:33.434 / 30.306
11 / Howie MAINWARING / GBR / Kawasaki - MH Kawasaki / 29:42.299 / 39.171
12 / Jakub SMRZ / CZE / Honda - Padgetts Honda / 29:42.600 / 39.472
13 / Josh WATERS / AUS / Yamaha - Milwaukee Yamaha / 29:48.806 / 45.678
14 / Ryuichi KIYONARI / JPN / Honda - Samsung Honda / 29:52.335 / 49.207
15 / Martin JESSOPP / GBR / BMW - Riders Motorcycles / 29:52.809 / 49.681
Fastest lap: Alex LOWES GBR Honda - Samsung Honda 4 1:35.847 162.72 Km/h
Disappointed but undeterred, the 36-year-old Shyne Byrne responded in ideal fashion in Race Two and although it was another epic battle with Lowes and Josh Brookes, Byrne always had enough of a gap to prevent the others from attempting an overtaking manoeuvre and he duly took his fourth win of the year to take his MCE BSB winning tally to 45.
Lowes, in total contrast, was full of fire and speed, taking the fight in the second race to the determined Byrne who was keen to set the record straight after his earlier demise. Byrne led at the outset but Lowes grabbed the lead, holding it for three laps before being re-taken.
Byrne took the victory, the 45th of his BSB career ahead of Brookes with Lowes third, maintaining his consistent record of finishing all six races so far on the podium, enough to put him 117-116 ahead of Byrne in the standings.Bridewell was again fifth with Palmer ninth, three places up on Kiyonari and Smrz while Hickman crashed out on the opening lap. And there was bitter disappointment for Bathams Honda rider Michael Rutter whose celebrations of a milestone 400th race in the series were muted by machine problems which saw him retire from both races.
 Alex Lowes
Alex Lowes (Samsung Honda) Race results 1st/3rd - “I’m overjoyed to win at this circuit where I have struggled in the past and to move ahead in the standings is fine but this is a long season and I have to stay consistent. I had to win here as my twin brother Sam won last week in World Supersports and I cannot have him putting one over me. In the first race I settled into a good rhythm and enjoyed the race. The second race was a bit frustrating and the rising track temperature didn’t help, but I am not making excuses. Once Shane Byrne gets away he is hard to beat but we had a bit of a dust up at the end. I am just enjoying battling with him and the rest of them.”
Shane Byrne: "Getting that win in the second race has definitely put a smile on my face and it was the best way of saying sorry to the team for crashing in race one. The crash was a strange one as I didn't do anything differently on that lap but the front just folded on me without warning and that was that. I was determined to come back stronger and whilst I'd like to say I was controlling it from the front, it was extremely difficult as Josh and Alex kept the pressure on throughout. I was happy with the set-up of the bike and to finish the weekend with a win was just what we needed."
BRITISH SUPERBIKE RACE TWO:
POS / RIDER / NAT / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / GAP
1 / Shane BYRNE / GBR / Kawasaki - Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki / 29:00.552 /
2 / Josh BROOKES / AUS / Suzuki - Tyco Suzuki / 29:01.340 / 0.788
3 / Alex LOWES / GBR / Honda - Samsung Honda / 29:01.508 / 0.956
4 / Jon KIRKHAM / GBR / BMW - Buildbase BMW Motorrad / 29:12.479 / 11.927
5 / Tommy BRIDEWELL / GBR / Honda - Bathams Honda / 29:12.618 / 12.066
6 / Chris WALKER / GBR / Kawasaki - Quattro Plant Kawasaki / 29:28.766 / 28.214
7 / Howie MAINWARING / GBR / Kawasaki - MH Kawasaki / 29:37.925 / 37.373
8 / Keith FARMER / GBR / Kawasaki - Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki / 29:37.995 / 37.443
9 / Tristan PALMER / GBR / Honda - Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Honda / 29:38.240 / 37.688
10 / Josh WATERS / AUS / Yamaha - Milwaukee Yamaha / 29:38.489 / 37.937
11 / Martin JESSOPP / GBR / BMW - Riders Motorcycles / 29:38.538 / 37.986
12 / Ryuichi KIYONARI / JPN / Honda - Samsung Honda / 29:38.783 / 38.231
13 / Jakub SMRZ / CZE / Honda - Padgetts Honda / 29:39.091 / 38.539
14 / Matteo BAIOCCO / ITA / Ducati - Rapido Sport Racing / 29:42.905 / 42.353
15 / Aaron ZANOTTI / GBR / Suzuki - Aaron Zanotti Racing / 30:40.363 / 1:39.811
Fastest lap: Alex LOWES GBR Honda - Samsung Honda 3 1:35.887 162.65 Km/h
CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS:
1 LOWES 117, 2 BYRNE 116, 3 BROOKES 96, 4 ELLISON 71, 5 KIRKHAM 68,
6 WALKER 43, 7 WESTMORELAND 36, 8 FARMER 34, 9 BRIDEWELL 33,
10 JACOBSEN 31, 11 HICKMAN 28, 12 KIYONARI 27, 13 MAINWARING 22,
14 SMRZ 20, 15 RUTTER 19.
NEXT EVENT: ROUND04 JUNE 16, KNOCKHILL
Radical Ducati Manx
Spanish custom shop Radical Ducati offers this cool looking "Manx" bolt-on fuel tank and solo seat kit that turns a palin jane Ducati Monster into a think of cafe racer beauty. The tank is available in Carbon Fibre or Aluminum. More at RadicalDucati.com
 Paolo on the left, and brother Marurizo Flamini. Photo curtesy Fabrizio Porrozzi / Giorgio Nada Editore
World Superbike -The First 25 Years
with a Tribute to its Producers Maurizio and Paolo Flammini
and how new management DORNA unceremoniously kicked the Flammini Brothers out the Back Door
of the best motorcycle roadracing championship ever
We all received the shocking Press Release back on September 2nd 2012 stating that the private equity firm of Bridgepoint, who already owned the MotoGP World Championship under DORNA, had just purchased the sports marketing firm InFront Sports & Media AG, who had themselves become the owners of the World Superbike Championship a few years earlier. The WSBK was then celebrating its 25th year of under the direction of brothers Maurizio and Paolo Flammini, who stepped in to save the fledgling production bike Championship started by ex-racer American Steve McLaughlin in 1987.
In 1990 Maurizio came in in to take over full control of World Superbike from McLaughlin's partners and struggling owners, the FG Group, and steered it forward towards world success. Brother Paolo came aboard as the Sales Manager of the Group in 1994, and then in 1999 became President of World Superbike as brother Maurizio stepped back to pursue other business ventures in sports marketing. Under their control the SBK World Championship in the next 20 years would become the most exciting motorcycle roadracing series in the world with the closest racing, most factory and private team involvement. At many European tracks it even rivaled and exceeded the attendance of the more well established FIM prototype roadracing series, MotoGP. - Read the Full Story Here
Los Angeles Calendar Motorcycle Show Concours d' Elegance
Returns to the Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA on Sunday July 14th 2013
The 2013 LA Calendar Motorcycle Show continues its now 22-year tradition as the premier outdoor streetbike event in America
with top Celebrity Builders, the Calendar Bike Building Championship & Concours d' Elegance, selected Vendors and Exhibitors, the Calendar Girl Music Show and a return to the exciting Queen Mary venue in Long Beach, CA. The Show marks the world premier of next year's new 2014 FastDates.com Motorcycle PinUp Calendars featuring the world's top roadrace and custom motorcycles with the beautiful Calendar Kittens featured in the Calendars in attendance at the Show. Purchase Advance Tickets, Vendor and Bike Contest Registration online at: www.FastDates.com/BIKESHOW.HTM.
 Yukio Kagayama and Kevin Schwantz at Suzuka last year.
Kevin Schwantz to Race Suzuka 8-Hur World Endurance
Team Suzuki Press Office, May 6th 2013- Former 500cc GP World Champion Kevin Schwantz is to make his international racing comeback this year at the Suzuka 8-Hour World Endurance Championship second round in Japan.
The 48-year-old, who clinched the 1993 World Championship aboard his #34 Lucky Strike RGV500 Suzuki, will race a GSX-R1000 in a three-rider Suzuki team set-up by Yukio Kagayama that also includes former MotoGP, WSB and BSB rider Noriyuki Haga.
Kagayama - who has also ridden all three championship classes with Suzuki - has formed the privateer team for the 2013 Coca-Cola Zero Suzuka 8 Hours on July 28th - the biggest and most-prestigious motorcycle race on Japan's motorcycle racing calendar.
Said Schwantz: "I'm looking forward to racing the Suzuka 8-Hour in July with Noriyuki Haga and Yukio Kagayama on a Suzuki GSX-R1000. Suzuka holds a special place in my heart because that is where I won my first 500cc Grand Prix in 1988.
"The last time I raced the 8-Hour was in 1992 with Doug Chandler and we did not finish due to mechanical issues. With only two riders, it used to be a really, really physical race and now with three riders it is still going to be tough but not quite as much. Although eight hours on a 1000cc bike is going to be very physically-demanding, I will need to increase my training program to possibly do two-three hours on the bike.
"I've never have won the 8-Hour and with my team-mates that are as strong as Yukio and Nori, along with our Dunlop tyres, I think we stand a good chance."
Kagayama's World Endurance GSXR1000
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World Superbikes
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The Official SBK
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25 Year History Book
The Official SBK
2012-2013 Yearbook
These SBK Yearbooks are the Best Books Ever about World Superbike. They feature awesome color photography of the riders, bike and racing action. The feature a detailed revue of the past season in pictures and statistics, with a detailed look at the bikes and riders.
Plus a technical look data all the bikes, a preview of the upcoming season's Championship!
We buy this every year ourselves and highly recommend it!
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High Speed - the Movie
The best motorcycle racing movie ever made! Filmed on location at the World Superbike races , this an exciting romantic drama staring beautiful British actress Sienna Miller.
EDELWEISS OFFERS NEW and AFFORDABLE MOTORCYCLE TOUR ALONG THE DOLOMITES WITH CHALLENGING ROADS, OVERWHELMING MOUNTAIN SCENERY AND ITALIAN CUISINE AT ITS FINEST.
The Dolomites are a must for a passionate biker – come with us on an unforgettable motorcycle tour. The countryside is dominated by mountains, rivers, and gorge-like valleys, which have just space enough for a road and railroad tracks; but there are also bigger towns like Bolzano, where our base hotel is located.
Thinking about Italian culture you will notice quite a big difference from what you may expect; building style, cultures, languages, bilingual road signs and special foods show that varied peoples and ideas peacefully co-exist here. The Sella Ronda is a very good warm-up for the following days and our rides to Penserjoch, Jaufenpass and Timmelsjoch.
Eight more passes are on our schedule for the next day and we will have the opportunity to stop in the nice little town of Cortina d’Ampezzo, well known from the Olympics in 1956. Now it’s time to make a decision: go to Venice for sightseeing or collect 10 more passes? Tough call! The last riding day leads us south to the wonderful Lake Garda, with swimming and riding at its best.
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THROUGH THE ALPINE WONDERLAND OF AUSTRIA AND SOUTHERN GERMANY – THE ALPS AND LAKES MOTORCYCLE TOUR!
The Alps and Lakes motorcycle tour takes you through a beautiful part of European motorcycle paradise; the Alps. The contrast between the beautiful lakes in southern Germany and Austria and the towering mountains that reach up to more than 10,000 ft is nothing less than breathtaking.
This area is the famous background for the movie „Sound of Music“. This vacation offers a little bit of everything: beautiful and relaxing rides through the valleys; some mountain roads and passes; and great vistas and sights, including King Ludwig‘s castle, Herrenchiemsee, and the historic city of Salzburg. The tour consists of five riding days, one of them is a rest day – which means that you stay two nights at the same hotel.
This is a great opportunity to explore a little bit more, ride around the countryside, walk through town, meet the locals and sample some of the local food. The tour will take you through Germany and Austria, and on the rest day you can even add Italy to your list if you are so inclined.
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