MOTORRADonline.de - bis 10.02.2013

[WORLDSBK.COM]

Sylvain Guintoli's season was not an easy one but in the end it did have some high notes, in particular at the end of the year. The Frenchman, who has lived in Leicester, England for several years, had a nasty crash in the opening Phillip Island round and that set him back until mid-season. Once he was back into shape at Silverstone, Guintoli began to string together some good results - in the last five rounds he was fourth in the overall points haul - and he finished the season sixth overall. The 29-year-old French rider is now looking forward to his second season for the Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati team. WorldSBK.com caught up with him at EICMA for a chat.

Tell us about your 2011 season. The first part of the year wasn't very lucky for you, but you ended up strong...

"Straight away I felt comfortable with the bike and the team. It worked out very well in Phillip Island because we were very quick in all practice sessions and in Superpole we never left the top three. Then I had a big crash in race one, I hurt myself a lot, broke my arm, broke my ankle and damaged my knee ligaments. After that, even though I didn't miss any races, I was far from being fit and it was a big of a struggle. Near the end of the season I got my confidence and my physical strength back, and I think in the last ten races I was always in the top seven. We got on the podium three times and in Portimão we almost won. So all in all it was a good season, despite the big crash at the start of it and the long recovery."

Are you happy to stay with the Effenbert-Liberty Racing Team?

"I think it was the right thing to do. We really had a great season. We've had ups and downs but we did it together. It'd be a shame not to carry on, I think we still have a lot of things to prove and the package we've got will allow us to fight for the podium every race. I'm excited, because now I have one year of experience on the bike and I am very confident we can achieve some good results next year."

Are you enjoying the winter break?

"It is a good thing. When you race around, especially when you have a family like me, you need to have a moment when you can take a break and relax a little bit more. It is a demanding sport, you can get hurt and you have to push to the limit every time you're on the bike. I can finally also enjoy the sponsor's drink - last season I never had the chance to drink Effenbert beer! I'm enjoying this time off with my three kids and my wife. I hope this break won't affect my riding, sometimes you need a little bit of a reminder."

What do you think about Crescent Suzuki joining World Superbike?

"I know them very well! I rode with them in 2009, in the British Superbike Championship, it was a great time so for sure they're going to be strong next year, they will fight at the front. I'm happy, we'll meet at the track and I will beat them! I always kept in touch with them because I'm based in England too, it's nice to have a good friendship and then fight on the track."

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[MOTORRADonline.de]

		Wunderlich BMW S 1000 RR Katalog 2012
		Zubehörflut für den bayerischen Supersportler
		Zubehör-Spezialist Wunderlich hat sich seit dem Erscheinen der BMW S 1000 RR auf die Entwicklung von Zubehör für selbige gestürzt. Diese Entwicklungsarbeit gipfelt nun in einem über 130 Seiten starken Katalog. ... > weiter

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[MOTORRADonline.de]

		Videos zu MOTORRAD Ausgabe 26/2011
		Honda Moto3 und Fireblade, Kawasaki Versys und Triumph Explorer
		Nach ihren Prämieren auf der Eicma 2011, fuhr MOTORRAD die Neuheiten des Modelljahres 2012 bereits. In Ausgabe 26/2011 lesen Sie Fahrberichte zu Kawasakis Versys 1000, Hondas Straßensportler CBR 1000 RR Fireblade sowie Hondas Moto3-Rennmaschine NSF 250 R. Zudem sehen Sie welche Härtetests eine Triumph Tiger Explorer vor der Serienfertigung durchlaufen muss. ... > weiter

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

One year after the presentation of its Superbike Team, Effenbert-Liberty Racing has now snapped up Canadian rider Brett McCormick, who will be part of the Czech outfit's new team competing in the 2012 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup.

The talented 20-year old, coming from a season he dominated and in which he was crowned 2011 Canadian Superbike Champion, has already raced in the last two rounds of the 2011 FIM Cup in France and Portugal on a Garnier Racing BMW S1000RR, after which he was given a positive try out by the Czech team on its Ducati 1098 Superbike machine (photo courtesy of Bikeracing.it).

Brett McCormick is the second rider signed for the team's young rider support programme that it has committed itself to and will promote, starting from this coming season. McCormick will ride the new Ducati 1199 Panigale model which makes its Superstock debut next year. His first official appearance will be on February 13th, when the whole team will move to Australia for a three-day private test session at Phillip Island.

"It has been my goal and my dream to race in the world championships, and I have to thank the Effenbert-Liberty team for giving me a test in Portimao," declared McCormick. "Their team and bike are with the best, and they are serious about winning, so I plan to return their faith in me by putting the team colors at the front! At the test I found the bike to be the best I've ever ridden. And working with the team from both a technical and human standpoint was awesome, so I can't wait for the season to start!"

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[motogp.com]

Andrea Dovizioso eroberte den zweiten Platz der Memorial Bettega Rallye 2011 in Italien am Sonntag, er schlug die Dauerstarter der WRC in der letzten Runde des beliebten italienischem Motor Show Events.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

The exciting combination of Crescent Racing and Yoshimura are hard at work preparing for the start of their new adventure in WSBK racing, as are their rivals. The difference for Crescent is that almost everything is new for 2012, a fact that has presented the former BSB team with some unique challenges, according to Team Manager Jack Valentine.

"With the first round being a fly away at PI and with all the new partners like Yoshimura and new things which have been introduced, we are in the process of making that all gel together," said Valentine from the team's base in Dorset, England. "We are also in the process of changing workshop so we have quite a lot of things on our plate. We have to be realistic and we are aiming to be ready for Phillip Island. We will be testing the week before the official tests so we are flat out getting organised for that. It is not so much the normal type of logistics - as if we were going to Europe - the first round is a fly away, so we have to get out flight cases organised and start shipping the stuff. That is a new thing we have to adjust to and we have a lot of parts coming in now. It is just organisation now, to he honest. The start is such a short while away and everything just shuts down over Christmas. We have new suspension and braking systems and all the usual things before the start of the season and upgrading everything because we are trying to find that little bit extra. We are upping our game, so we have a lot on."

Yoshimura, partners in the new team, are responsible for the engine side of the technical programme, and they will be sending engines in two different directions soon.

"We will have two engines with us in January, to fit into the motorcycles before we leave for Australia," said Valentine. "That is to check out that all the systems are working all right before we to go to Australia, and our other engines from Yoshimura will be delivered to Phillip Island. We will be testing in PI on 13, 14 and 15 February. We are looking forward to it and we are working as hard as we can to be contenders, not just a new team coming into the championship to participate and see how we get on. We are entering the championship in as serious a way as we can, it is the only way we do things."

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[MOTORRADonline.de]

		Yamahas Supersportler als Gebrauchte
		Gebrauchte Yamaha YZF-R1 von 2004 bis 2010
		Yamahas YZF-R1 Supersortler begeisterte Sportfahrer schon immer mit ihrem aggressiven Look und dem scharfen Sound. Wie gut ist sie noch als Gebrauchte? ... > weiter

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[MOTORRADonline.de]

		Modelle 2011: zehn Prozent Nachlass
		Kawasaki mit Rabatt-Aktion
		Hersteller Kawasaki wirbt in der Winterzeit mit einem Zehn-Prozent-Nachlass für seine 2011er-Modelle. ... > weiter

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Young South African talent Mathew Scholtz will step up to a full-time seat in the World Supersport Championship in 2012 in the front running PTR Honda team.

Mathew, 19, from Durban, made his mark on international racing from 2008 to 2010 when he took part in the Red Bull Rookies MotoGP Series, taking a total of three podiums. He then moved on to racing in the Spanish and German 125cc Championships as well as Moto2 with impressive results.

He joins British operated PTR Honda, a front running team in the World Supersport Championship that has finished runner-up twice in 2009 and 2010 and enjoyed eight podiums out of 12 races in 2011. PTR Honda is testing on 19th and 20th January at Almeria in Spain before travelling to Australia in February for a test at Phillip Island before the opening round of the Championship at the same circuit on 26th February.

"PTR has a reputation for bringing out the best in young riders and this is a dream come true for me," declared Scholtz. "Just look at what Eugene Laverty achieved and how after one season Sam Lowes is one of the favourites for the 2012 Championship. I know with PTR that I will have the bike, team and structure to show exactly what I am capable of and I am ready to make this step up. It will not be easy but I will have every opportunity and am determined to be a challenger in the World Supersport Championship."

Simon Buckmaster, PTR Honda Team Manager: "Mathew has good experience in Europe and already knows some of the tracks. Although only 19 he has experience at a high level so shouldn't be influenced by the pressure of competing in a World Championship. He has the backing of a team that will do whatever it takes to help him succeed. He has the potential and together we are going to maximise it."

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Tom Sykes joined the list of WSBK race winners in 2011 and in doing so he brought Kawasaki and the new Ninja ZX-10R racebike back to the top step and the forefront of peoples' thoughts.

Sykes' overall season did not quite go to plan but the potential of both man and machine were evident on frequent occasions, even if raceday results sometimes slipped from their combined grasp. But Sykes' reward for flying the Kawasaki banner high again was a full factory contract, and a third year inside the official WSBK effort. After recent tests in Spain, particularly the one at Valencia where he was consistently on lap record pace, Sykes has many reasons to look forward to 2012.

WorldSBK.com caught up with him at home in England, as he spoke about 2011 and his hopes and expectations for next season.

What did you make of your 2011 season?

"In a nutshell I did not achieve what I set out to achieve, for a number of reasons. The performance was less than I had hoped for but that said I was probably not expecting to win a race in the first year of the latest Ninja ZX-10R. But, if you had asked me the previous year in winter testing my outlook would have been to win at least one in 2011. But when the season started things were a little bit difficult to arrive at the front. So to win one after all was fantastic. It was the consistency side that was more frustrating, to not be able to finish every weekend inside the top six. I have no problem doing consistent laps over race distance given the right package. I do not want to be labelled as somebody who is just good for one lap because I am 100% sure that is not the case. Already this winter during testing my corner speed is a lot higher than it was through the season, and consistency over race distance has come back, so we are already correcting some things."

When will get the chance to ride your racebike next?

"We go to Almeria in Spain shortly after the testing ban is lifted and then I think we will go straight to Australia. We had good constructive tests in Spain just before the ban and we worked through all the things we needed to, so hopefully we do not have to do too much work before Australia. Almeria may be good for us, we may finalise one or two things, but it is mainly to turn the wheels and start focusing, so it's pretty much a warm-up. We will head to Australia with a clean slate."

Are you approaching this year differently from before, now you have won a race, had a pole position on the new bike, seem to have better material, a better bike set-up, and more direct control from the factory?

"I am very confident, I think 95% of racers are; we all believe we can win. But that aside, I am on the same bike, I know the bike, and given the people around me and my experience, plus my recent form in testing, we are more than just confident at the moment. I went into the winter break very happy, more so because the two tests we had were relaxed and very constructive."

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[MOTORRADonline.de]

		So geht's: Kettendurchhang justieren
		Kette am Motorrad richtig spannen
		Wer von Kettenspannung redet, hat es nicht kapiert: Nur wessen Kette die korrekte Lockerheit zeigt, kann sorglos Motorrad fahren. ... > weiter

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[motogp.com]

Die Aufnahme des Argentinien GP in den WM-Kalender ab 2013 wurde am Dienstag offiziell bekanntgegeben. Bei der formalen Zeremonie waren MotoGP-Pilot Andrea Dovizioso und einige argentinische Athleten dabei.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Thomas Caiani has signed for Kuja Racing and the Swiss rider will now take part in the 2012 FIM Supersport World Championship for the Milan-based team on a Honda CBR600RR.

23-year-old Caiani was born on September 27, 1988 and despite his young age he has already raced in the Spanish, Italian and German domestic championships as well as in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, where he made his debut last year. Caiani already knows Maurizio Cucchiarini's Kuja Racing team for whom he raced a Supersport machine for the first time at Magny-Cours in October. The young Swiss rider, who won the under-21 trophy in Italian CIV Superstock 600 in 2008 and placed third in 2009, will get down to testing the Honda CBR600 soon.

Team Owner/Manager Maurizio Cucchiarini declared: "We are delighted to include Tom in our plans, which in 2012 will see us involved with a team in World Supersport, and in all probability in Superstock 600. I am confident in his abilities, and we'll give him all of our support for him to demonstrate his potential."

"I am happy to have reached an agreement with Kuja Racing", said Caiani. "In the last two rounds, the feeling with the team was a good one and this is very important to help me to go well. Maurizio and his team believe in me and I'll do everything possible to score some good results. A big thanks to everyone who will support me and follow me in this adventure".

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

In the early days of WSBK racing Bimota was a famous name with many victories to their credit thanks to Davide Tardozzi, Giancarlo Falappa and Stephane Mertens, and the most recent being with Anthony Gobert in a wet race at Phillip Island in 2000. Launched in the 1970s, the brand has always been a protagonist introducing new technologies that were later incorporated into the design of its own models.

Bimota today has officially set up the Bimota Research Development Department, thanks to a joint venture with EDO Racing that will manage the marketing and development area. This is a first step for what concerns the SBK project as well, since the brand is willing to work on a World Superbike machine in the near future and is absolutely open to the possibility that in the not too distant future, the bike could arrive at one round. Obviously the Rimini-based company must first reach the production numbers stipulated in the FIM regulations and request homologation. 

WSBK legend and recent competitor Ruben Xaus is the new team manager, and he said of the whole initiative, "I've been part of Bimota for a few months and I'm trying to bring my whole experience as a world-known rider. I decided to create a development project, a joint venture with Edo Racing that could allow more flexibility and a faster service so the company can fully concentrate on the planning and prototyping. SBK is at its beginnings. In our recent test at Almeria, we just had to check different solutions about the chassis and from the next step forward we'll get to know better which is our project-competitiveness level."

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[motogp.com]

Die FIM hat eine Änderung am MotoGP Plan 2012 bekannt gegeben, inklusive der Bestätigung des Sachsenrings als Gastgeber des Deutschland Grand Prix.

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[MOTORRADonline.de]

		Bridgestone Battlax S20
		Neue Supersport-Pelle
		Der Vorgänger BT 016 Pro ist gerade mal ein Jahr alt, da bringt Bridgestone mit dem Battlax S20 schon den Nachfolger für Supersportler in den Handel. ... > weiter

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[MOTORRADonline.de]

		Umbau: Steffano-Ducati Café9
		Italienischer Café Racer aus Amerika
		Die US-Bikeschmiede Steffano Motors hat die Café9 entwickelt, die auf einer Ducati 999 basiert und trotzdem gut aussieht. Für einen Preis ab 30000 US-Dollar ist das allerdings auch nicht zu viel verlangt. ... > weiter

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[motogp.com]

MotoGP Star Alvaro Bautista startete das Abenteuer seines Lebens und sah mit eigenen Augen, wie er und andere MotoGP Piloten den Menschen in Afrika helfen können, an wichtige Arzneimittel zu kommen.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Kenan Sofuoglu recently held a press conference in his native Turkey to outline his plans - and his aims - for the 2012 season. In Istanbul, in front of the President of TMF (Turkiye Motosiklet Federasyonu) Bekir Yunus Ucar, Team Manager Vanni Lorenzini, Kawasaki Europe Project Leader Fabien Raulo and Jean Marc Dossios, a collaborator with the Italian team, the two-times Supersport World Champion spoke of his past and present as well as the future strategies for his country in the sport.

"I had an unfortunate Moto2 season" said Sofuoglu, "and things were made even more difficult by my father's illness. It wasn't an easy year and the proposal from Kawasaki gave me an idea of a better future. Being able to count on a team of the calibre of Vanni Lorenzini cleared up any doubt about the direction to follow, which for me is Supersport with the Akashi manufacturer, and I'd just like to add that I'm going for the number 1 plate at the end of the season. In Turkey motorsport is still not very well-known, but thanks to what I have been able to do we've had a positive response from the press, the TV and several entrepreneurs. Together with the federation we're promoting a project involving youngsters, and I'll try and give them the benefit of my experience. I wish to state that my plans are long-term and nothing is excluded, Superbike and MotoGP as well, because I love this sport and I still have the possibility to grow professionally."

"We needed a hero and we have found him in Kenan" declared the President of the Turkish Motorcycling Federation Bekir Yunus Ucar. "He's a special guy, someone who honours our country throughout the world and he's loved by lots of fans. With him and thanks to him Turkey will in the future be able to carve out a name for itself in motorcycle sport."

Sofuoglu also received words of support from Turkish Prime Minister ErdoÄŸan, who praised his humanitarian commitment. The Turkish rider is currently the spokesperson for a Children in Need association, which guarantees them education and shelter.

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[motogp.com]

Erleben Sie die wichtigsten Ereignisse und spanndendsten Rennen des MotoGP Jahrzehnts mit der offiziellen MotoGP™ History App.

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[motogp.com]

Der spanische Fahrer unterzog sich am Mittwoch einer Operation, um die Stifte aus seinem linken Bein zu entfernen, die ihm nach dem Sturz beim Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar zu Jahresbeginn eingesetzt wurden.

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[MOTORRADonline.de]

		Triumph Street Triple-Cup und Triumph-Challenge 2012
		Der T-Cup geht in seine nächste Saison
		Ist denn schon Weihnachten? Ja. Für sportliche Triumph-Fans schon. Denn erstens geht der Triumph Street Triple-Cup, den das MOTORRAD action team veranstaltet, schicker denn je in seine fünfte Saison. Zweitens erhält der T-Cup, wie er inzwischen in Rennfahrerkreisen respektvoll genannt wird, eine verdammt attraktive Schwester namens Triumph-Challenge, speziell konzipiert für alle sportlichen Triumph-Motorräder. ... > weiter

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

The ever-expanding PTR Honda effort in the Supersport World Championship will be attacking the series next year with currently five and potentially six riders under the same organisational and/or technical umbrella, and PTR leading light Simon Buckmaster puts this down to last season's change to a single bike rule. In the days of the freedom to have two bikes, PTR ran only two riders, but last year it grew to four full-time riders, and this year it will be even more, - with potential still left over for customer teams to be supplied with race bikes and tuning packages.

Since 2011 each WSS rider has been limited to one complete machine and one spare engine per race weekend, meaning that there is less outlay required to get onto the grid in the first place, and also reduced transport, logistics and maintenance costs.

Said former racer Buckmaster, "Obviously we could not do this (expand the team again) if you had two bikes per rider, so that rule allowed us not only to compete but to expand last year and again this year. It looks like there will be a lot of bikes on the grid in 2012 but only two years ago it was a lot less, about 18 to 20 bikes on the grid. We can get five or even six bikes and spares into our race truck each weekend, because our team is organised and we make good use of the available space, meaning we do not have to take a second truck."

Buckmaster continued, "We ran quite a few riders last year, and this coming year we will be even more properly geared up to do it. We have some very talented riders, some younger ones of course, and Sam Lowes is set to be a good championship challenger in his second year."

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[motogp.com]

Die Grand-Prix-Kommission verabschiedete zahlreiche Regeländerungen, die ab der Saison 2012 in Kraft treten.

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[WORLDSBK.COM]

Kenan Sofuoglu and Sheridan Morais will line up as team-mates in the official 2012 Vanni Lorenzini-run Kawasaki World Supersport team, now called DeltaFin, and each rider has already started preparations in earnest. Sheridan first got the chance to ride the Supersport Kawasaki at the end of season tests at Portimao, setting the fastest lap time and proving that he will be a force to be reckoned with as he moves over to WSS from the Superstock 1000 class. He claimed a podium on the 2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R for the Lorenzini by Leoni team at the final round of the year.

Kenan is already a double championship winning legend in the WSS paddock and will return after a season spent in the Moto2 Championship. He has already had the chance to test his new machine and like Morais(photo) has set laps at Aragon and Valencia in Spain in readiness for the onrushing campaign, which starts in Australia in late February.

Vanni Lorenzini (Team Manager): "In testing Kenan has confirmed he is a great champion, turning in strong performances right away. Sheridan, still short of experience, has taken advantage of his track time on the bike and was very close to his team-mate in lap times. We now have a testing ban for a month and that means that we will make the maximum of our workshop time and material to prepare for more testing in the New Year, and then the start of the new season. We will most probably return to testing in January, at Almeria on the 19th and 20th."

Steve Guttridge (Kawasaki Europe Race Planning Manager): "We have enjoyed a lot of success over the past few seasons working closely in WSS with our Provec team and I would like to thank the whole team and their riders for the efforts they have made in that time to put Kawasaki on the top. Team Kawasaki DeltaFin will now be Kawasaki's official team in this class. Already they have put together a solid new team and have started testing their new race machine and rider combination for next year. By signing Kenan they have brought a multiple World Champion back into the World Supersport mix and his ambition to win the title is very much the same as ours! Sheridan's strengths, I believe, are firmly recognised on the Ninja ZX-6R and he has a depth of experience riding one for us, having won himself many national titles on that machine back in South Africa."

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