Pedrosa and Dovizioso both pleased with Test outcome

Friday, 12 November 2010

The Repsol Honda duo rode alongside new factory HRC team-mate Casey Stoner at Valencia and whilst both battling physical problems were satisfied with what was achieved in the two days.

The Repsol Honda Team wrapped up its 2010 season with a positive second day of testing at Valencia on Wednesday. Casey Stoner, who joins the team for 2011, finished the day with the fastest time to complete an impressive debut test whilst Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso also made good progress, with Pedrosa just 0.4s behind Stoner and Dovizioso - who was suffering from a fever - 0.8s back.
Pedrosa tested the 2011 prototype further reporting an improvement in stability under braking on the machine which incorporates modifications to improve the RC212V he and Dovizioso rode this season. Pedrosa was still suffering some lack of strength in the left should he damaged in October and will undergo more hospital tests on Thursday.
Dovizioso continued his chassis and electronics testing programme and increased his pace, although the Italian was hindered slightly with a fever he picked up overnight. In spite of this, he completed valuable laps testing a modified chassis as well as evaluating the latest evolution Ohlins suspension.
Dani Pedrosa
"The test was positive because, even if I couldn't do long runs due to my physical condition, my lap times were quite good and I could get a clear idea. We tested the new prototype machine again and it has some good points that can help us to move forward and also some other areas I didn't like so much, but it's not a completely different bike and this is what I asked for, so I'm happy about that.
“This test was planned to focus on the chassis and engine; we improved the braking - the bike is more stable - but the engine is still too aggressive from my point of view. We are looking forward to the Sepang test where we can put all the things we liked together, and also do some testing with the new suspension that I haven’t tried yet, with the target of achieving better grip and braking power. I also tested two different spec Bridgestone tyres and they worked well.
“In general I'm satisfied with the work we have done because I've been suffering a lot during the whole weekend with my shoulder, but in spite of this I could give good information to the team for the next test in February. On Thursday I will go to the doctor again to have a CAT scan, an MRI scan and vascular tests to find out what's wrong with my shoulder. I don't know yet if I will need more surgery, but if it's necessary I will do it.”
Andrea Dovizioso
“I’m happy with the material that Honda brought here and today we worked on the electronics, such as traction control and engine braking, and we made some decent progress. Honda brought a lot of new material here, so we shared the work among the factory riders and I focused on testing electronics controls, although I also tested a slightly different chassis. We also tested the new suspension from Ohlins - the next evolution of the items we tested in Brno in August. They worked well and I had a positive feeling with them.
“We still need to improve the stability under braking and this is an area we will continue to focus on for next year. I had a fever and this complicated the day. Fortunately I was feeling okay so I tested everything that was scheduled. In the afternoon it became much harder because of the fever though. I’m not so happy with the final lap time, and this is not the best way to finish things before the winter break, but with the fever I couldn’t do better. Overall though this was a positive test in terms of the work we got through.”

The Look. The Sound. The Feel. The Fury.

Witness the Fury — hands down, the most distinctive custom Honda has ever created. Long, lean and mean, stretching nearly six feet from axle to axle, this machine literally screams with chopper style. And once you’ve saddled up and fired that big 1312cc V-twin, and felt its throbbing pulse beneath you, you’ll know you’ve experienced a motorcycle like none other. Ever.

2011 Fury Specifications*
Engine
CHASSIS / SUSPENSION / BRAKES
DIMENSIONS
OTHER
FACTORY WARRANTY IN FORMATION
DRIVE TRAIN
Engine Type 1312cc liquid-cooled 52° V-twin
Front Suspension 45mm fork; 4.0 inches travel
Rake 38.0° (Caster Angle)
Emissions Meets current EPA standards. California version meets current California Air Resources
Board (CARB) standards and may differ slightly due to emissions equipment
One Year Unlimited-mileage limited warranty; extended coverage available with a Honda Protection Plan.
©2011 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. - Motorcycle Division
*All figures are preliminary and subject to change.
Transmission Five-speed
Induction PGM-FI with automatic enricher circuit, one 38mm throttle body
Front Brake Single 336 mm disc with twin-piston caliper
Wheelbase 71.24 inches
Compression Ratio 9.2:1
Front Tire 90/90-21
Curb Weight 663 pounds (Includes all standard equipment, required fluids and a full tank of fuel—ready to ride)
Bore and Stroke 89.5mm x 104.3mm
Rear Suspension Single shock with adjustable rebound-damping and five-position spring-preload adjustability
3.7 inches travel
Trail 3.5 inches
Available Colors Dark Red Metallic, Pearl White, Matte Orange Metallic
Final Drive Shaft
Ignition Digital with three-dimensional mapping, two spark plugs per cylinder
Rear Brake Single 296 mm disc with single-piston caliper
Seat Height 26.7 inches
Valve Train SOHC; three valves per cylinder
Rear Tire 200/50-18
Fuel Capacity 3.4 gallons
Miles Per Gallon† 46 MPG
†Honda’s fuel economy estimates are based on EPA exhaust emission measurement test procedures and are intended for comparison purposes
only. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you ride, how you maintain your vehicle, weather, road conditions, tire pressure, installation of
accessories, cargo, rider and passenger weight, and other factors.

Rossi targets grip issue after difficult day one

Saturday, 5 November 2010

The Fiat Yamaha rider was ninth fastest on the opening day of practice in Valencia, and outlined the improvements needed to be competitive for his final race with the team.

Rossi looking for grip after ninth best time

Valentino Rossi’s mission to win his final race with Fiat Yamaha got off to a complicated start on day one in Valencia, as the Italian struggled to find a comfortable setting on his M1 prototype during the two Friday practice sessions.
Fifth fastest in the morning, Rossi ended the day ninth overall with a lap time of 1’33.661 which was 0.971s off team-mate and leader Jorge Lorenzo.
"This morning was not so bad but the afternoon was not great. We weren't able to improve the setting from the morning and we had a few problems; we have some work to do because at the moment we don't have enough grip and the bike is difficult to ride,” said the 31 year-old, who last won at the circuit in his first season with the team in 2004.
“The times are quite close but we are in still ninth so we need to find a way to improve tomorrow,” he continued. “We will have a look at the data and see what we can come up with tomorrow because for sure we need to improve the grip if we are going to be competitive this weekend. It's a very important weekend, the last for me with Yamaha, so of course we want to try to be at the maximum."
Team Manager Davide Brivio added: "This morning we tried some different geometries and settings and then in the afternoon we continued in just one way, but it's clear that we still have some work to do and we have some problems with grip. In the end we stopped a little bit early to consider the situation, and now we will look closely at the data to find the right way forward for tomorrow so that we can give Valentino a bike to allow him to ride how he wants here."
Rossi placed second in last year’s season-ending race at Valencia, and is hoping for a third win of the season to cap off 2010.

Range Rover Goes on a Diet

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Land Rover is less than two years from launching its new flagship model, which will replace the current Range Rover. The sport/utility makes a switch from a steel hull (with some aluminum panels) to a full aluminum monocoque. The aim is to cut at least 1100 pounds from the current 6000-pound mass, which would place it in the Jeep Grand Cherokee weight class. The company also intends to cut consumption with radical plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle powertrains.

Even so, the vehicle will instantly be recognizable as a Range Rover. The design, done under the auspices of design director Gerry McGovern, has been frozen. McGovern's first full Range Rover design is the Evoque, which sticks very closely to his LRX concept car. McGovern is keen to introduce more jewelry into Range Rovers, making them less minimalist and overtly functional, and the Evoque shows this.

"But the Range Rover itself must maintain elegance and formality," he says. Its basic forms will be "even more pared down [than the current model's]." McGovern told Motor Trend he will enhance its premium look with more and better-crafted external detailing. This is likely to include the jewelry around the lights, grille, and air vents.

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The Range Rover's visual design will not be simply an upscaled Evoque. Rather than using the wedge stance or full surfaces, it will retain the formal and upright stance of the current model, with a deep greenhouse, sheer sides, square corners, and a level hood and roof. The interior will focus on higher-quality materials. Real metal will be used for large visible elements in the cabin, as well as switchgear and handles. Land Rover has employed ex-Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, who has a successful fashion business, as a consultant to give the team new insights into high-value materials. Backseat comfort is a priority. Reclining climate-controlled rear seats will be an option, since many customers in emerging markets like as China and Russia use chauffeurs.

The aluminum monocoque is a major shift from the current model's steel chassis. Jaguar Land Rover has immense expertise in the area, with two generations of aluminum XJ under its belt. The structure will be pressed and riveted, with large, intricate aluminum castings for items such as the front suspension towers and cross beams. Certain areas of the XJ's understructure can be used, but the majority will be new to give the strength and wheel articulation required for an off-roader.

Sustainability is becoming one of Range Rover's core values, so the company is testing several hybrid configurations. It already has a fleet of Range Rover Sport prototypes running diesel V-6s (the company's mainstay engine in Europe). These have an electric engine/generator incorporated in the transmission for full parallel hybrid drive. The system has a battery large enough to give plug-in capability, allowing about 20 miles of gentle urban running and cruising up to about 70 mph with the combustion engine switched off. The North American market is likely to get a gas V-6/electric hybrid, with the ZF eight-speed automatic, by 2013. This version is rumored to have a plug-in, electric-only range of 20 miles and a top speed of 120 mph.

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The company is researching more radical range-extended EVs. It has built electrically driven Jaguar XJ prototypes with an elegantly simple lightweight 1.2-liter range extender engine designed by Lotus. Also, the company has recently started a U.K. government-funded program with Bladon Jets to incorporate an ultra-lightweight gas turbine as a range extender -- an engine that's very efficient when running at constant revs, as range extenders usually do.

The next Range Rover Sport will follow the 2013 Range Rover by a couple years. It will be based on the same aluminum body matrix, which is again a radical change because the current model is a relative of the LR4. The design of the next RRS will be curvier and have more obvious visual affinity with the Evoque.

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Paddock Girls Photos

Storming start from Stoner in Valenc

Friday, 5 November 2010

The Ducati rider was over half a second faster than Jorge Lorenzo in the first practice at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana on Friday morning.

Valencia 2010 - MotoGP - FP1 - Highlights

Casey Stoner got his Valencia weekend off to a blistering start on Friday with the fastest time in the opening practice session, posting a best effort of 1’32.897 which left the Ducati Team rider comfortably over half a second quicker than the rest of the MotoGP class.
Stoner, the only rider under 1’33” during the 45-minute session, was 0.558s faster than World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, who timed in at 1’33.455 on his Fiat Yamaha M1 machine. Completing the top three was Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso, who was a fraction under five-hundredths down on Lorenzo.
Rookie Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) carried his form over from last weekend in Portugal with the fourth-fastest time, finishing the practice ahead of fellow Italian Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) who along with pace man Stoner bids farewell to his current team after this final round.
On factory and satellite Ducati machines Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) and Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar) were sixth and seventh respectively, with Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) eighth.
Ben Spies, riding despite dislocating his left ankle just five days ago at Estoril, was ninth but had a crash at turn six at the very end of the session. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider encouragingly did walk away from his fall however. Aleix Espargaró (Pramac Racing) completed the top ten behind the American, with Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) 11th and 12th respectively.
The session took place in cool (track 17ºC) conditions and the premier class will return to action at 2.05pm local time for the second practice.

Tickets on sale now for 2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP

Friday, 5 November 2010

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the 13th round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship from August 26th-28th, and you can purchase tickets for the event now.

As the 2010 campaign draws to a close this weekend in Valencia, MotoGP fans can already start to turn their attentions to the 2011 season with the Official Test immediately after providing a taster of what is to come next year.
Likewise, tickets are now on sale for the 13th round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship, the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, which will take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the weekend of August 26th-28th. It will be the fourth annual event at the famous track, and there are special race-themed incentives for selected early tickets purchasers.
Race day general admission tickets are available for purchase in three easy ways, with all children aged 12 and under gaining free admission with an adult general admission tickets holder.
Tickets can be bought online at www.imstix.com, over the telephone from the IMS ticket office by calling (317) 492-6700 (or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area), or by visiting the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street. Online orders can be placed 24 hours, while the ticket office is open for telephone and in-person purchases from 8am-5pm Monday-Friday.
If you are planning a group trip tickets for 20 people or more are also on sale, and you can get more information by contacting the IMS Group Sales Department on (866) 221-8775.
With home representation in the MotoGP class from 2010 Rookie of the Year Ben Spies, 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards the 2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP promises to be another fantastic weekend for American MotoGP fans.
More information can also be found on the IMS website.