“Many times an obstacle is only a message that life gives you. You have to find another way, but it does not mean that you can not get there.” Samantha Cristoforetti
YouTUBE www.inspire-lcr.com/samantha
INSPIRE
INSPIRING HEROES
W E
BY
B E L I E V E
I N
C H A L L E N G E S
A N D
W I S H
T O
www.lcrhonda.com
PIPE
DREAM
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226 SUMMARY
Grand Prix Of Germany MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS - Round 09
226
Grand Prix Of Indianapolis MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS - Round 10
244
Chile - Dakar BIKE & TRAVELS
262
Grand Prix Of Czech Republic MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS - Round 11
274
Grand Prix Of Great Britain MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS - Round 12
292
Dirty Hands BIKES & PASSION
310
Grand Prix Of San Marino MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS - Round 13
320
Grand Prix Of Aragon MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS - Round 14
344
Robbie Maddison - Pipe Dream OFF ROAD
362
Grand Prix Of Japan MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS - Round 15
374
Grand Prix Of Australia MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS - Round 16
392
Bikes Of Burden TRAVELS
410
Grand Prix Of Malaysia MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS - Round 17 Grand Prix Of Valencia MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS - Round 18
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422 444
262
274
362 392
310 344
410 422
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E D ITO R I A L
Lucio Cecchinello LCR Honda Team Principal
It is now one month from LCR’s 20th year in the World Championship. 20 years is a long time but with the passion that I have for racing they have passed at full speed! Every year has its own history, with some difficulties but also with several moments of real joy, sometimes for having achieved important sport goals and sometimes for having met new friends or more simply for having made someone happy; someone who desired to see our world from the inside. I feel fortunate because my job represents my biggest passion and it’s hard to say what was the best year of the last 20 but for sure 2015 was another year full of unique emotions. Emotions that I felt on track with Cal and Jack, emotions that I felt off-track with many friends sharing the same passion for the 2wheels! Here below you will find some of these emotions... Enjoy the reading! Da qualche giorno è finito il nostro ventesimo campionato mondiale. Venti anni non sono pochi, eppure ho la sensazione che siano passati a tutta velocità! Ogni anno ha la sua storia: vi sono momenti di difficoltà ma anche momenti di grande felicità, talvolta per i traguardi sportivi, talvolta per aver conosciuto nuovi amici, talvolta, più semplicemente, per essere riuscito a fare davvero felice qualcuno che sognava di conoscere il nostro mondo “da dentro”. Mi sento fortunato perché il mio lavoro rappresenta una grande passione. Difficile dire quale sia stato l’anno più bello tra i venti trascorsi ma, di sicuro, la stagione 2015 è stata colma di emozioni: emozioni provate sia in pista con Cal e Jack che fuori pista, condividendo con tanti amici tutto il bello delle due ruote! Qui ne troverete una buona parte… Buona lettura a tutti!
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SPECIAL THANKS Team LCR is extremely grateful to all the friends and brands involved in our projects. With your hard work, support and passion, you keep on making us bigger as a MotoGP team. Your efforts also helped us in giving birth to an amazing book, we’ll be forever thankful. Life is a race, let’s get inspired. We keep on running!
EVENT TITLE SPONSOR GRAND PRIX OF QATAR - GRAND PRIX OF AMERICAS - GRAND PRIX OF ARGENTINA GRAND PRIX OF SPAIN - GRAND PRIX OF FRANCE - GRAND PRIX OF ITALY GRAND PRIX OF CATALUNYA - GRAND PRIX OF NETHERLANDS - GRAND PRIX OF INDIANAPOLIS GRAND PRIX OF CZECH REPUBLIC - GRAND PRIX OF GREAT BRITAIN - GRAND PRIX OF SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX OF ARAGON - GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN - GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRALIA GRAND PRIX OF MALAYSIA
OFFICIAL SPONSOR FULL SEASON
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EVENT TITLE SPONSOR GRAND PRIX OF MALAYSIA
MAJOR SPONSOR FULL SEASON
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EVENT TITLE SPONSOR GRAND PRIX OF GERMANY - GRAND PRIX OF VALENCIA
OFFICIAL SPONSOR FULL SEASON
www.rizoma.com
MAJOR SPONSOR FULL SEASON
www.unibat.it
OFFICIAL SPONSOR FULL SEASON
www.viar.it
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OFFICIAL SPONSOR FULL SEASON
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OFFICIAL SPONSOR FULL SEASON
www.draco-edilizia.it
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Racing
MOTOART Service
www.lucapagni.it
www.motoartverniciature.com
OFFICIAL SPONSOR & TECNICAL PARTNER FULL SEASON
www.pbr.it
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it.progrip.com
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www.carpimoto.it
www.ohlins.com
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Rama, Ostiano IT
HOSPITALITY PARTNER FULL SEASON
www.myyour.eu
www.miiastyle.com
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METODO FABBRI L’essiccazione naturale
www.savitar.it
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
GRAND PRIX OF QATAR text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
AFTER MONTHS OF TESTING, TRAININGS AND WAITING, THE MOTORCYCLE WINTER IS FINALLY OVER. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET’S START RACING!
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IF THE FIRST RACE OF THE NEW MOTOGP SEASON IS A PREDICTION FOR THE WHOLE YEAR, WE COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE
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ndrea Dovizioso started the opening round of the season 2015 from pole position and on Sunday was fighting for a victory with a fellow Italian rider, the oldest in the pack, Valentino Rossi. For the whole race in the battle were also Andrea Iannone and Jorge Lorenzo, but in the end they had to race for the 3rd place. Reigning world champion Marc Marquez made a mistake in the first turn, fell right at the end of the field and was trying to recover and eventually finish in 5th. It was clear that the top step of the podium would go rather to Dovizioso or Rossi. After some passes, in the end Valentino crossed the finish line in the first place, scoring his first victory in the opening round since 2010. “Dovi� and Iannone completed the podium. In the first race after coming back to MotoGP, Suzuki scored 11th place with Aleix Espargaro.
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CAL
CRUTCHLOW
RACE WEEK
T
he opening round of the MotoGP World Championship was a thrill a minute ride, which had contrasting fortunes for the CWM LCR Honda riders at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. Cal Crutchlow was forced to start from 12th on the grid after a qualifying crash yesterday, but after a solid start the Briton gradually began to pick up the pace, and pick off the riders in front of him.
CRUTCHLOW SEALS SEVENTH UNDER QATAR FLOODLIGHTS He was suffering with rear grip issues, which hindered his attempts to stick with the likes of factory Honda duo Marquez and Pedrosa, but despite that, he came home as the top satellite rider across the line in seventh place, with six factory bikes ahead. The next round of the championship is in Austin, Texas, USA in two weeks time. 24
MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
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“I think to come away with a seventh place we can be very happy. It was a good start to the season considering I don’t have any experience racing the Honda. The guys I was battling with have been riding a factory Honda for a lot longer than me, and we all saw that they struggled too. Being just over a second behind Dani Pedrosa and five behind Marc Marquez shows that we were all struggling for rear grip tonight in Qatar.” “I think this was about our pace for the weekend anyway, and I made it hard for myself with some mistakes early on in the race, but my pace was consistently good. If I had have got away with the guys in front I could possibly have been around fourth or fifth.” “For Austin we have to improve, take our comments from this race and see what we can achieve there. It’s going to be difficult to challenge the guys at the front there, but it’s a learning curve for us. I don’t think we’ve done a bad job at all, and we come away happy.”
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
T
The opening round of the MotoGP World Championship was a thrill a minute ride, which had contrasting fortunes for the CWM LCR Honda riders at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. Australian Jack Miller had been steadily improving his pace throughout the race, but having started from a difficult 22nd position on the grid, he was always fighting an uphill bat-
FIRST MotoGP RACE FOR MILLER IN QATAR tle. He closed in impressively on fellow open spec Honda riders Eugene Laverty and Karel Abraham, but as they diced for 18th position, he and the Czech rider crashed out.
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“It was a difficult race for us. We got off to a good start and I was going quite good. I made a few mistakes and got a little too tight on the bike but finally got myself back together when we were close to last. After that I really started to work, and closed the gap to the other Open bikes.” “It was working really well, we pulled up and I passed two guys and then caught up Abraham. When I got there I was in too much of a rush to pass and went too deep and lost the front. Unfortunately it took myself and him out. Being on the last lap it was a shame not to finish the race, but we learnt so much and I look forward to carrying on the learning process in Texas.”
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BEHIND THE
SCENE
T
he opening GP of the 2015 season sees all the MotoGP riders and Teams reunited at Losail race track in Qatar for the unique night round of the calendar in the desert. Excitement and expectations for both LCR Honda riders: Jack Miller making his debut in the premier class (from Moto3) and Cal Crutchlow riding the Honda machine for the first time in his career. Even the LCR Principal Lucio Cecchinello is eager to line up on the grid with two talented riders for the first time since LCR joined the premier class in 2006. But there’s also space for touching moments like the Minute of Silence in the memory of the victims of Germanwings flight 9525.
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
GRAND PRIX OF THE AMERICAS text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
THE LONE STAR STATE IS KNOWN BOTH FOR ONE OF THE BEST MOTOGP CIRCUITS IN THE CALENDAR AND ALSO FOR NASA SPACE CENTER 36
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ven if he had not won the first free practice, the weekend in Austin seemed to be from the beginning the one of Marc Marquez. The Spaniard was clearly the fastest, setting the best time in qualifying even if he had a mechanical problem, had to sprint to the box, change the bike and start his flying lap just seconds before the end of the session. In the beginning of the race he had a short battle with Dovizioso and Rossi, but as soon as he overtook them, he started to ride in the league of his own. The Spaniard won the Americas GP for the third year in succession. Both Italians finished in second and third respectively, while Lorenzo and Iannone completed the Top 5. Lone American rider in the MotoGP pack, Nicky Hayden finished his home race in 13th place, right ahead of rookie Jack Miller who made a move to the premier class directly from Moto3.
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FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN SUCCESSION THERE IS NO BETTER RIDER AT COTA THAN MARC MARQUEZ
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CAL
CRUTCHLOW
RACE WEEK
J
ust as he did in the season’s opening race in Qatar, CWM LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow finished seventh at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas on Sunday. The Briton was hampered by a first-lap collision which cost him valuable seconds at the start of the race and was not able to recover to challenge the leaders having departed from fifth on the grid. Crutchlow eventually finished just under 17 se-
CRUTCHLOW HAS TO SETTLE FOR SEVENTH IN TEXAS conds behind race winner Marc Marquez, but acknowledged he was frustrated with his final position having performed so well over the course of the weekend. However, he insisted he was looking forward to the opportunity to challenge again in Argentina next weekend.
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
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“Today I was really disappointed with the result, we had a good pace over the race weekend. In the race itself we had some problems, I got caught up in the crash on the first lap and lost nearly five seconds in one lap and from that point it was very difficult to catch up. “The whole CWM LCR Honda team need to regroup now and come back to the next race stronger as we were too far behind the winner today. We need to discuss a plan for Argentina which is a track I have never raced at before, but I am looking forward to it.”
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
C
WM LCR Honda Team rider Jack Miller secured his firstever points in the MotoGP class as he finished 14th in the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Starting from 19th on the grid, the Australian made a superb start and climbed as high as 11th at one point during the race. However, he was later involved in a collision that
MILLER CLAIMS MAIDEN MOTOGP POINTS IN TEXAS would ultimately cost him a couple of places in the final standings. Miller – who came home under a quarter of a second behind former MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden – declared himself pleased with the result and insisted he had gathered crucial experience for the season ahead.
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“I was really happy with the race, I learnt a lot fighting with the guys like Nicky (Hayden) and the rest of the group. I must improve the management of my tyres over the first few laps. I need to learn not to be so aggressive on the front tyre, and especially the rear, so that I have more possibilities at the end of the race. “Overall, I am very happy to finish the race and finally get some points. But now we have to make the next step and look to try and finish inside the top ten.�
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BEHIND THE
SCENE
W
hat a special weekend for the local hero Nicky Hayden who celebrates 200 GPs in front of his home crowd at Austin race track in Texas. The American, currently riding the Honda Open Machine, won the World Title in 2006 and he is happy to be back home enjoying the typical country music, the hamburgers and the cowboys. Like Marc Marquez, who takes off his racing helmet for one day turning into a rodeo star. But the Spanish on the RC213V is also the star of the “made in Texas� GP winning the race for the third consecutive time.
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
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AR G E TI NA GRAND PRIX - THE PRE-EVENT
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THE INTERVIEW
text - photo: Courtesy of Dorna
JACK MILLER HAS GONE WHERE NO MOTOGP RIDER HAS GONE BEFORE, TAKING HIS CWM LCR HONDA RACING MACHINE FOR A HIGH-SPEED RUN ON THE SALINAS GRANDES SALT DESERT 55
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he Australian took a small plane deep into the Argentinean backcountry as part of the race’s promotional pre-event, where he rode his Open spec Honda RC213V-RS on the 6,000km2 Salinas Grandes salt desert in Jujuy. Located at 3,500m above sea-level the salt flats made a stunning backdrop for Miller to become the first person to ever ride a race-ready MotoGP bike at such a location.
Jack Miller: “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go up that high into the mountains and discover a big salt-flat like that. It was pretty cool. We had some fun on board the CWM LCR Honda but it’s back to business time now this weekend in Rio Hondo. I’m looking forward to getting out on track and I expect it will be a little bit slippery in the first couple of laps like last year. There have been a few car races and other events since last time so there should be some more rubber down and that makes me keen to get out on track. In Texas I got a lot more comfortable on the bike and during the race got to sit with the big group and learn so much before picking up my first points. I look forward to taking what I learned from there and put it into practice here. The track suited the Honda of Marc Marquez who won here last year, so I hope it works here for me too.”
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Miller becomes first man to ride MotoGP on a salt lake and is dwarfed by the majesty of Salinas Grandes: “It was awesome!�
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A number of top riders are gathered in the spectacular setting of Salinas Grandes salt desert
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YouTUBE www.inspire-lcr.com/salinas
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The LCR Honda rookie set out on the Salinas Grandes salt desert, where the usual serenity was shattered by the ground-shaking sound of his Honda RC213V-RS. Tune into this sensational video shoot and see Jack Miller vs. the Salt desert!
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Jack Miller: “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
GRAND PRIX OF THE ARGENTINA text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
EVERYONE CAN FIND SOMETHING GOOD IN TERMAS, NO MATTER IF IT IS A SPA RESORT OR A MOTOGP CIRCUIT
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or the first time in quite a long the race strategy in MotoGP was as crucial as in Formula 1. During the whole weekend riders were working on tyre life. On Saturday Marc Marquez won qualifying session by over half a second on Aleix Espargaro in 2nd and on Sunday, right after the start, he began to disappear. In the middle of the race Marquez was more than 4 seconds ahead of Rossi, who started from 8th spot on the grid. Then the Italian rider started to close the gap to the Spaniard, with three laps to go being right behind him. After an attack, in one of the corners Marc touched the rear wheel of Rossi’s Yamaha and then crashed. Valentino won for the second time in 2015. Dovizioso came in 2nd while in the very last corner Cal Crutchlow overtook Andrea Iannone in the battle for the last podium’s place.
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GREAT RACING, HARD PASSES AND TACTIC LIKE IN FORMULA 1 – ARGENTINA GP HAD IT ALL
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CAL
CRUTCHLOW
RACE WEEK
C
al Crutchlow took an outstanding third place in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Argentina, to seal the CWM LCR Honda Team’s first podium finish since 2013. With the sun breaking through the clouds as the riders sat on the grid, the British rider was left with a conundrum as to which rear tyre to use, eventually deciding to use the softer option available to him. This meant that despite running in second place behind Marc Marquez for much of the early laps, Crutchlow was forced to relinquish that spot as he conserved his tyres. He dropped as low as fifth at one point, but fought bravely to cling on to the Ducati of Andrea Iannone in front.
CRUTCHLOW SEALS STUNNING PODIUM IN ARGENTINA As Marc Marquez crashed out of the race under pressure from Valentino Rossi, the CWM LCR Honda rider knew he still had a shout of a podium, and a stunning move through the final corner sealed third place to spark huge celebrations in the team pit. 72
MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
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“We are so pleased to get the podium, when I get to come up here it’s usually because you’re going fast! The CWM LCR Honda Team did a great job, we worked so hard for the third spot.” “The plan was always to try and let Marc go at the start, hold the other guys up and then try to push at the end. I had a bad middle of the race though and the bike locked up a couple of times and I made a few mistakes, but I tried my best to hold onto some grip for the end – and it seemed to pay off!” “We would have been happy with fourth place, because that’s where we started. We got lucky though because Marc crashed, but ultimately we battled for it, so we deserve it.”
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
J
ack Miller finally showed his potential in his debut season as a MotoGP rider, as the CWM LCR Honda man took 12th place in the Grand Prix of Argentina and came home as the top Open class rider across the line. The Australian had started the race from a lowly 21st position on the grid, but as has now become customary in his fledging MotoGP career, he quickly made up positions, and was battling well within the points scoring spots.
MILLER IS TOP OPEN RIDER IN ARGENTINA Having dispensed of former world champion Nicky Hayden, Miller also made it past Stefan Bradl, with just the Ducati of Hector Barbera standing in his way of becoming top Open man. Miller conjured up some of his usual magic in the final corner of the race, slotting his Honda RC213V-RS underneath the Spaniard to take four points and the honour of top Open bike for the first time in his rookie year. With his teammate Cal Crutchlow having sealed an amazing third place, Miller’s Open win saw him join his colleague in parc fermÊ, sparking wild celebrations across the board. 79
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“It was a great day today, we are always making steps forward and I am so happy to see things progress like this. Step by step we are getting closer to the front.” “Today it was so hot out on track and the tyre was really destroyed by the end of the race – we were sliding about so much. I can’t thank the CWM LCR Honda Team enough for giving me the bike I needed. We needed to do a lot of work in the warm up to get it where we needed it for the race, so I’m absolutely delighted.”
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BEHIND THE
SCENE
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nforgettable race weekend for the LCR Honda riders Cal Crutchlow and Jack Miller at Termas de Rio Honda circuit in Argentina. The experienced rider from the Isle of Man takes his RC213V on the third place after a breath-taking last lap and his Australian Team mate is the first Open rider under the chequered flag. Double success and double celebrations for the LCR crew and their supporters after two races, only since the beginning of the season. The race winner Valentino Rossi pays his tribute to the 50.000 local fans on track wearing the famous Diego Armando Maradona (national soccer player) no. 10 shirt on the top of the podium.
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
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BEHIND THE
SCENE WITH
Special Guest
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
GRAND PRIX OF SPAIN text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
JEREZ IS LIKE A MECCA FOR ALL MOTOGP FANS BUT ALSO A GREAT DESTINATION FOR SOME HOLIDAYS
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IT WAS JORGE LORENZO WHO CAME BACK ON TOP AND IT WAS “HIS DAY”, NOBODY COULD BEAT HIM
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fter a difficult beginning of the season, Jorge Lorenzo finally came on the top. He dominated the whole weekend on his home soil in Jerez and after starting from pole, he was leading from the beginning till the end. “Por Fuera’s” victory – his 55th in his career – never seemed to be at risk, as he even had some time to cheer to fans on the last lap. Marc Marquez this time was good just for 2nd, but could have a deja-vu feeling in the middle of the race when Valentino Rossi started to close the gap to him. In the end the Spaniard found something special and came safely to the finish line few seconds ahead of “The Doctor”. Cal Crutchlow had another strong race finishing in 4th after a podium in Argentina, keeping to the end almost a 4-seconds gap on Pol Espargaro in 5th.
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CAL
CRUTCHLOW
RACE WEEK
C
WM LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow produced another highly encouraging performance as he finished in fourth place at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez de la Frontera. Off the back of his podium finish in Argentina last time out, the Briton came home as the leading satellite rider in Spain, trailing only the factory bikes of Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez and the victorious Jorge Lorenzo.
CRUTCHLOW CONTINUES GOOD FORM WITH FOURTH PLACE AT JEREZ The result was made even more encouraging by the fact Crutchlow was still suffering from the flu symptoms that had bothered him all weekend. Although he finished nearly 23 seconds behind the race winner, the 29-year-old felt the gap was accentuated by his physical condition and was happy to maintain fourth spot rather than push unnecessarily. 96
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“Fourth position was the best we could do today with my physical condition. I was happy enough to be honest, we had a good race and I pushed when I needed to push. “In all honesty I could have been five seconds overall quicker on the race distance, I just didn’t need to be. I kept the gap to Pol Espargaro behind and I think it was just too difficult to chase Valentino, even at the start when I was caught up in the battle with Aleix and Pol. “But the team did a great job to finish in fourth behind the three factory riders. The distance from the winner is a little strange, but we know why because of my physical condition, which also affected my feeling with the bike. But we did a good job and the whole team is pleased.”
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
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ack Miller had to settle for 20th position in the Spanish Grand Prix at a sunny Jerez de la Frontera on Sunday. For the third race in succession, the Australian managed to finish, but was less than satisfied with his performance over the weekend. The CWM LCR Honda rider struggled to get to grips with the tight Spanish circuit on board his MotoGP machine and was ultimately not able to build on his encouraging 12th place in Argentina last time out. A mistake midway through meant Miller was de-
MILLER TAKES 20TH SPOT AT JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA sperately trying to catch up ground to the group ahead of him in the second half of the race, but he was unable to make real inroads. He finished nearly a minute and a quarter behind race winner Jorge Lorenzo and acknowledged afterwards there was plenty of work to do at Monday’s test session.
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“It wasn’t a great race at all. We tried really hard, but towards the middle of the race I ran wide and lost the group. I pushed really hard to try and catch them up, but it was not enough. “I had too many bad moments and decided if I kept on pushing like that I would end up crashing. So we finished the race, but not in the position I wanted. I hope in the tests on Monday we can find something positive for the races ahead.”
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BEHIND THE
SCENE
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he nine times World Champion Valentino Rossi gets his star on the Walk of Fame in Jerez de la Frontera (South of Spain) alongside illustrious names from the world of motorcycle racing like Giacomo Agonistini, Angel Nieto, Carlos Checa, Jorge Aspar Martinez, Jorge Lorenzo and so on… without mentioning the Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta who admits that Jerez de la Frontera is the only GP where you can mix motorbikes and wine (the famous local wine named Sherry). But there’s no time for the MotoGP riders to taste the sherry as they must jump on their bikes… Guys!!!… I said bikes not bicycles (Rossi, Lorenzo and Co.)
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FASHION & STYLE
PADDO GIRLS THE LCR TEAM
text: Elisa Pavan - photo: Alex Chailan and David Piolé, Milagro, James Pipino
f rom
Lauren Vickers
AUST RAL I A
@
L E
M A N S
G RA ND
PR I X
O
K
Y
ou can not take your eyes off them when they walk through the paddock but apart from the high-heels, the shining lipstick and the vertigo miniskirt these ladies have different and busy backgrounds off-track. They come from different countries, they have different ages and different characters but they are united by a common passion for motorcycle races and speed. Some of them pose only for fashion addiction, some of them pose for living and for paying the University, some of them already have a brilliant career in the fashion world and some of them just want to see the world. Lauren, Wiktoria, Iskra, Lada, Francesca, Sarah, Marie Luise, Laura, Tamara‌ They are different in every single aspect of their looks and their souls.
Lada Poznyakova
f rom
R USSI A
@
SAC H S ENRI NG
GRA ND
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Francesca Lukasik & Sarah Nile f ro m
I TA LY
@
M UGELLO
GRAND
PR I X
f rom
Iskra Galic
AUSTRAL I A
@
P H I L L I P
I S L A ND
GRA ND
P R I X
Wiktoria Ziaja
f rom
P OL AND
@
J EREZ
GR A ND
P RI X
Marie Luise Wintermantel f rom
GERM ANY
@
S I LV ER S TON E
GRA ND
P R I X
Tamara Moreno
from
SPAIN
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CATA LUNYA
GRA ND
P RI X
Laura Bajbarova
f ro m
CZECH
R E P.
@
B RNO
G R A ND
P RI X
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
GRAND PRIX OF FRANCE
text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
WHILE IN FRANCE THERE IS NO WAY TO NOT VISIT PARIS, THERE IS ALSO THE MOST HISTORICAL 24 HOURS RACE CIRCUIT
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ven if Marquez was the best in qualifying, he simply did not have the right pace to fight for the victory in the race at Le Mans. A mistake, made on the first lap, threw Marc back to 10th place, while Lorenzo came to the lead after starting from the end of the front row. Till the very end Jorge kept his team-mate Valentino Rossi on a not big, but safe distance. The Italian just did not get an opportunity to make a single attack on Jorge. The third spot once again came to Andrea Dovizioso who proved a good momentum for Ducati in the beginning of the season. Marquez recovered to 4th even if few times he was close to crash out after losing the front. Pedrosa did not have such luck. The Spaniard came back to racing after suffering an arm-pump issue after Qatar GP and sitting out the next three rounds.
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NO BIG BATTLE FOR THE VICTORY BUT SOME INTERESTING RESULTS DURING THE LE MANS RACE
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CAL
CRUTCHLOW
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dramatic change in conditions on race day at Le Mans proved to be to the detriment of Cal Crutchlow today, as the CWM LCR Honda Team struggled to match the strong form he had shown throughout free practice and qualifying for the French Grand Prix. After qualifying just 0.051 seconds shy of the front row yesterday the British rider struggled for front grip this afternoon as the sun finally broke through the grey clouds in northern France and raised track temperatures by 15ยบC.
UNEXPECTED END FOR CRUTCHLOW AT LE MANS GP Despite that Crutchlow was holding a strong position in seventh and biding his time for a late charge, which unfortunately never materialised after a mistake under braking on the 8th lap of 28.
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“Obviously I’m very disappointed with today. It seems all the Hondas struggled for front grip today but this wasn’t actually the reason for the crash. My foot slipped off the rear brake pedal and as that happened I grabbed the front brake, which caused a big spike in the front braking and caused me to crash. “I’m really sorry to the team for that because I felt that in the latter part of the race we were due to come stronger and fight in the group that was immediately in front of me. “That was the limit of what we were capable of today. I was close to Marc [Marquez] when it happened but we were both a long way from the front guys because it seems they had a lot more front grip than us. We need to regroup now and go to Mugello, where hopefully we can have a better race.”
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
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ack Miller was unfortunate to leave the French Grand Prix emptyhanded today as another strong and consistent weekend came to nothing after a crash on the 15th lap of 28 at Le Mans. Starting from 18th on the grid the CWM LCR Honda rookie made a strong start to the race, making up three positions on the opening lap and moving up to 12th by the end of lap two.
MILLER SLIDES OUT OF CONTENTION IN FRANCE However, with track temperatures up to 32ยบC today compared to just 14ยบC at the same time on Friday and 17ยบC for qualifying yesterday, Miller found that his set-up was not ideal for the change in conditions and he started to lose front grip as the race approached mid-distance. Despite battling valiantly to maintain his position, the Australian slid out of contention in turn four, bringing to a premature end another otherwise impressive and informative weekend.
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“We had a great start and I was going really good, I was happy with the way the race was going. After about six laps I was right behind Hayden and Petrucci but I was having a few too many moments, I kept losing the front and so I decided to drop the pace a little bit. “It was still a decent pace but it wasn’t what I needed, Maverick caught up and passed me so I tried to stay with him and see what we could do. About two laps later in the direction change at turn four I lost the front and couldn’t save it. It’s one of those things, the track temperature was almost twenty degrees hotter than we’ve had all weekend and we weren’t quite prepared for it. “Apart from that we have had a strong and consistent weekend so I am looking forward to taking the things we have learnt here to Mugello.”
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ive la France! This is what the V sign means or… it’s V for Victory?! We should check directly with Jack Miller and Pol Espargaro… and the blonde brolly girl dressed like a Parisian. Anyway the Tour Eiffel is the most spectacular symbol of the French GP held in Le Mans at the famous 24Heures circuit where more than 130.000 local fans welcomed their idols throughout the weekend and also the Japanese giant puppet Kumamon (Kumamoto Prefecture mascot).
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GRAND PRIX OF ITALY text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
BEAUTIFUL TUSCANY IS THE HOME FOR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CIRCUIT IN THE WORLD
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EVERYONE LOVES RACING IN MUGELLO BUT LORENZO RUINS A CELEBRATION FOR THE TIFOSI
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talian fans got crazy when the MotoGP field came to Mugello in the beginning of June. With their hero Valentino Rossi leading in the championship, they hoped for “The Doctor’s” first victory in Tuscany since 2009. But the Italian weekend was once again one for Rossi’s team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who – for the third time in succession – led the race from start to finish. In the beginning Marc Marquez tried to follow the Yamaha’s rider, but he crashed out while riding in 2nd. Rossi tried to recover some positions after a poor start and at the end finished on the last step of the podium. Andrea Iannone had an amazing race abroad the Ducati machine in front of his home fans and was 2nd. “Crazy Joe” kept his head cool till the end, never letting Rossi to come too close to make an attack. Pedrosa got a strong 4-th place finish in just his second race after his coming back.
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CAL
CRUTCHLOW
RACE WEEK
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al Crutchlow endured a hugely disappointing end to the sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship as he crashed out three laps from the end of the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello when placed fifth. The CWM LCR Honda rider defied a hand injury picked up from a nasty fall in this morning’s warm-up to produce a brave ride and looked poised for a good points finish. But having battled front end problems all race, the
CRUTCHLOW FAILS TO FINISH THE ITALIAN GP Briton finally succumbed three laps from the chequered flag and went over at the fast turn eight, sustaining a dislocated ankle for his troubles.
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“It’s very disappointing for the whole CWM LCR Honda team. We had what I thought was a good weekend up until the race. This morning I had a very heavy crash in the warm-up and had a big impact on my hand, so I thought it was a good showing to be racing in the position that I was. “We had the 38 front tyre which meant steering the bike was not easy, but overall we were not so far off the factory guys and with the right setting I think we could have been higher. “Unfortunately the front tyre failed me in the end and just tucked under at a very fast corner. My foot got caught in the back of the bike and dislocated my ankle so I’m in a lot of pain and we’ll have to monitor the situation but I’ve had good treatment. “Obviously I’m really disappointed because it was a good race and a good showing and Honda are working very hard for us to improve so we need to come back stronger in Barcelona hopefully.”
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
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he sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship proved one to forget for Jack Miller as he crashed out after just two laps of the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello on Sunday. Having started from the ninth row, the CWM LCR Honda rider made a good start at the team’s home track. However, Miller was hampered by front end problems from the off which ultimately proved his downfall as he slid out at the final corner of the circuit. That meant the Australian failed to finish for the
MILLER MISSES THE CHEQUERED FLAG IN MUGELLO second race in succession, but he remains upbeat about the rest of the season and believes there is plenty of potential to improve.
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“It was a rubbish race to be honest. I had an awesome start and was going good, but already by the second lap I was having moments with the front. Where Cal unfortunately fell off, I was also close to losing it and Nicky (Hayden) slipped by. I got back past him, but then I had another moment and then it was moment after moment until I couldn’t hold it up anymore. “When I got to the final corner the front just went on me and it was beyond recovery. It was really hard here, especially with the front of the bike. “I’m still positive, we’re still in good shape. We’ve shown we’ve got the speed, it’s just getting more comfortable on this thing. We seem to be really struggling with the front end, but it’s not only us, there are other guys out there too struggling with it. We’re working on it, it’s only the last couple of races that haven’t been good to us and we need to just focus on getting better and better.”
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BEHIND THE
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very country reached by the MotoGP circus has its own culture and history. And when we talk about the Italian round at Mugello circuit we have to mention the marvellous Duomo di Firenze. Plus the incredible landscape that surrounds the race track and the typical excellent cuisine of Tuscany. This is the Italian round which is a special occasion for all the Italian riders (first of all Valentino Rossi) and the fans. Even the famous American actor Keanu Reeves (aka Neo in Matrix) is a fan of MotoGP.
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BEHIND THE
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Vip Guest
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BIKE & MOVIE
MAD MAX F U R Y
R O A D
text: Tanja Haydn
ENTER THE POST-APOCALYPTIC, MOST EXPLOSIVE, ADRENALINE-FUELED CHASE MOVIE EVER WITH THE MOST INSANE VEHICLES YOU CAN IMAGINE
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Fury Road is an American film directed by George Miller. It is the fourth installment of the Mad Max film series that began in 1979 and ended in 1985. The main roles are played by Tom Hardy for the first time, after the main character Max Rockatansky previously always was played by Mel Gibson, and Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa. The movie was shot in the spectacular Namibian desert and was released in May 2015. This post-apocalyptic action film is set in an obscure and harsh desert landscape where humanity is degenerated, where almost everyone is fighting for the necessities of life and is going to the limits to survive. In this chaos there are two rebels trying to restore order. A man of action, Max, who is searching for peace after loosing his wife and child, and a woman of action, Furiosa, who believes that they can ensure their survival if they make it out of the desert to her homeland. As Max has just decided that he is better off alone, he meets a group in an armored and armed truck, where behind the steering wheel Furiosa is leading a group. The refugees and other ex-slaves are escaping Warlord Immortan Joe, who is after them as he sees them as his property, valuable just as water and gasoline. The confrontation between Immortan Joe’s gang and the refugees leads to a fast-paced and dusty road war… Bikes and cars have always played a major part in the Mad Max series. Also in Fury Road bikes are no exception. The bikes are either dirt bikes or old touring bikes with leather seats and no small amount of snatched add-ons and weapons. Rebel Max Rockatansky rides a Yamaha R1 with extended swingarms that has been stripped bare and modified on old carpet in leopard skin. There are other motorbikes such as BMW’s, Honda’s and Triumph’s Gold Wing. Some of them are easy to identify, others are constantly in motion, surrounded by dust clouds and yards of flame. The maneuvers and stunts require a team of skilled riders, which are performed by Australian Motocross- and Freestyle- Champions.
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The black monster car of Mad Max is a ‘72/’73 XB GT Ford Coupé with an V8-engine and a large assembled compressor, strongly modified, just as the other cars such as Chevrolets, Mercedes’ and Cadillacs. There are unbelievable 140 vehicles driving 140 miles per hour in the movie. All the cars and motorcycles are real. All the crashes are real crashes and the sound of the engines is tremendous!
The strongly modified Ford Deuce from 1934 with the V8-Engine exposed and Mad Max tied in front of Nux’s car with a skull above him
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The desert cars are pimped with spines and rocket launchers
YouTUBE www.inspire-lcr.com/madmax
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Watch this post-apocalyptic road battle with trucks converted into tank cars, desert cars with rocket launchers and cars with giant spikes. This video cracks like thunder and shakes your senses. It is fought to the bitter end!
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GRAND PRIX OF CATALUNYA
text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
CONNECTING A TOURIST VISIT IN BARCELONA WITH A RACING VISIT AT CATALUNYA CIRCUIT IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA
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uzuki riders were clearly the happiest of the whole field in MotoGP, as Aleix Espargaro set the best time in qualifying and won this session right ahead of Maverick Vinales. It was the first front row start for Suzuki after its comeback to the Grand Prix in 2015. The lack of power prevented them of fighting for victory, as Jorge Lorenzo once again took the lead on the first lap. Lorenzo then built an advantage of more than 2 seconds over Valentino Rossi in second, but the Italian rider was closing this gap in the last laps. Right on the third lap, while trying to ride as close as possible to #99, Marc Marquez crashed in front of his home fans. In the end Lorenzo won for the fourth time in succession and scored further points in the world standings to “The Doctor�. After falling down to 10th in the first lap, Dani Pedrosa finished on the podium for the first time in 2015.
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ANOTHER STUNNING PERFORMANCE BY LORENZO SEES HIM RECOVERING ALL THE LOSSES FROM THE START OF THE SEASON
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CAL
CRUTCHLOW
RACE WEEK
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t was a disappointing end to the Grand Prix of Catalunya for Cal Crutchlow, as the British rider was clipped by a fellow MotoGP rider on the first lap of the race, which sent him skittling into the gravel. The CWM LCR Honda rider bravely remounted, only to find that his rear brake line had been severed, and he was forced to retire to the pits. Hopes had been high that Crutchlow would be
CRUTCHLOW TAKEN OUT IN EARLY STAGES OF CATALUNYA GRAND PRIX able to make up positions during the race, and a possible podium was on the cards with several other retirees, but the Briton will now have to do it all over again at the Dutch TT in Assen in just over a week’s time.
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“I got hit by Aleix (Espargaro), and when he hit me I had already fallen off the side of the bike because he touched me when we were going into the corner. It was definitely a racing incident, I don’t think he meant to do it, he just gave me a bump and I ended up crashing. He pushed me wide onto the dirty part of the track and it was impossible to save.” “When I got back on board I didn’t have any rear brake, the bump had split the line and that’s why I was forced to retire. With the Honda it’s impossible to carry on without the rear brake.” “I’m angry, because it was the first lap of the race and disappointed about the result because I am sure that we had a chance of the podium.”
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
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ack Miller secured the best result of his MotoGP career so far, as he took 11th place in the Grand Prix of Catalunya to bring home five points for his CWM LCR Honda Team. The Australian rookie had got a decent start from 21st position on the grid, riding with some experienced runners. At one point he made it as high as tenth place, but as former world champion Bautista sneaked through just a couple of laps from the end, he was forced to settle for one place behind.
MILLER TAKES SEASON’S BEST OF 11TH With testing to come tomorrow, Miller can use this positive result to full effect before heading to the Dutch TT in Assen, in just over a week’s time.
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“We struggled over the weekend and really had to work hard during today’s race. We got a good start, and we were in amongst a good group. I really got stuck in and settled into a rhythm, although I did have a few moments because it was slippery out there. “ “I am really happy to bring the bike home after two races of not finishing. It’s good to put some more points on the board, but we are still learning all the time on the bike. I still need more laps on it and crashing out of the race is not the way forward.” “More than anything now I’m looking forward to our test tomorrow and putting some time in on the bike and working on our base set-up so we can be better prepared for the races coming up.”
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nother country full of passion for motorcycle sport is Catalunya where the majority of the Spanish riders come from. Above all Marc Marquez. But this time the enfant prodigy of the premier class fails to end his home race whilst his rival Jorge Lorenzo plants his 99 flag around the track declaring that the Catalan circuit becomes Lorenzo’s land. Aleix Espargaro shows his affection for his beagles with a sweet sticker on his pit board: Pippa and Zuki. LCR Team love his young fans: seriously. We do not sell them!
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GRAND PRIX OF NETHERLANDS text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
FOR THE LAST TIME IN MORE THAN 60 YEARS HISTORY OF GRAND PRIX RACING ASSENS’ RACES TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY
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ince many years the circuit in Assen has been providing very exciting races and there was no difference in 2015. The first surprise came on Friday, when Valentino Rossi won the battle for pole position. After loosing some points to Jorge Lorenzo in the last couple of rounds, the Italian seemed to be even more determinate than before. On Saturday together with Marc Marquez he made an amazing show for fans all around the world. Fighting on the edge for the whole race, Rossi was leading in the last lap. In the very last chicane Marquez made an attack and slightly touched Valentino’s Yamaha, which made “The Doctor� run straight through the gravel. Finally Rossi crossed the finish line just 1.2s ahead of Marquez, who had to run wide in the chicane as well. Lorenzo completed the podium with almost a 15s gap to the winner.
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RACES AS THE ONE IN ASSEN ARE THE KIND OF RIVALRY THAT ALL RIDERS AND FANS LOVE THE MOST
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CAL
CRUTCHLOW
RACE WEEK
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WM LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow took sixth place in Saturday’s Dutch TT having started from seventh on the grid, having become embroiled in a race-long battle with several of his MotoGP rivals. The British rider made a solid start in the sunny conditions, but as the leaders pulled away from the pack, Crutchlow was stuck in a dogfight with at least five others, which saw the group chopping and changing positions in virtually every corner, on every single lap.
CRUTCHLOW SCORES SIXTH PLACE IN HOLLAND Ultimately Crutchlow came home sixth to collect points for the first time in four races, adding 10 to his account for the season, and filling him with confidence before the championship heads to one of his most successful circuits, the Sachsenring in Germany, in two weeks time. 202
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“I had three non-finishes after three crashes, a couple which were no fault of my own, so I had to finish the race, but 24 seconds off the lead is not where I want to be. I think we had the pace to be fourth today, but I couldn’t get away from the group because the bikes in a straight line were faster than mine.” “Andrea Dovizioso passed me down the straight six or seven times, and that messed up my rhythm preventing me from escaping. It was a nice battle though, because we have great respect for each other.” “Battling with all the other riders was good fun, but I honestly wanted to be further up than I was. That said, I needed to finish the race so sixth is not so bad.”
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
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t was a quick end to Jack Miller’s maiden Dutch TT in the MotoGP World Championship, as the Australian was involved in a melee at the final chicane on the first lap, which saw him crash out of contention. After a positive weekend of practice, Miller had been disappointed with his qualifying position of 20th place, however he had been confident of making up spots in the race. Sadly, as he tried to make up positions into the last corner, he lost traction and ended up in the gravel.
MILLER OUT ON FIRST LAP IN HOLLAND Miller and the CWM LCR Honda Team will be back in action in two weeks time, at the Sachsenring in Germany.
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“I got a really good start and had a small touch with Eugene Laverty off the line, but after that I recovered. Coming into the last corner I tried to pass Bautista but my rear tyre overtook my front tyre and I got a little nudge from someone. It was unfortunate because I felt quite good here all weekend and my pace wasn’t so bad, so to end it like this was a shame.” “We are working hard every week, and I look forward to getting back to racing at Sachsenring. I’m more disappointed about losing the experience of racing here, we’ve missed out on a lot of laps and we are here to make laps. If we kep working hard I’m sure we can do a great job in Germany next time.”
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espite the uncertain weather of the Netherlands, the eighth round of the season in Assen (known as the Cathedral) attracts more than 142.000 fans but not all of them reach the race track by bicycle. Valentino Rossi’s Fan Club marks the circuit with a long and yellow grandstand and the Doctor decides to repay his fans support with a fantastic victory. In the smallest class, the rider with long and blonde hair, Karel Hanika celebrates his first podium whilst Niklas Ajo shows stunning commitment, crossing the finish line on his knees after a spectacular save.
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ARTS
Performance
ALDO DRUDI
art
text: Lucio Cecchinello - photo: Archive of Aldo Drudi
DRUDI PERFORMANCE IS THE DESIGN STUDIO MANAGED BY THE FAMOUS ITALIAN DESIGNER ALDO DRUDI. HE IS THE UNDISPUTED REFERENCE PERSON OF THE MOTORCYCLE RACING FIELD… AND EVEN MORE. LET’S MEET ALDO DRUDI
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omagna is a land rich of men, engines and a lot of passion. Someone wrote the history of motorcycle racing of the past and someone else is writing the history right now, on his own way, simply drawing. Aldo Drudi, trueborn of Romagna, had his first approach with the motorbikes when he was a child and together with his dad he saw the motorbikes riding at Riccione seafront. The shivers that Aldo felt that day accompanied his life when he got on his bicycle at full speed and went down Gabicce Monte and when he accelerated with his first Ciao moped and leaned aboard his first serious motorbike… but the best moment was always the period when his venerated Riccione became the “Circuito Internazionale Perla Ver-
de dell’Adriatico”. For the young Aldo the races at “Perla Verde dell’Adriatico” circuit were a unique moment where the speed, the sounds and the colours were mixed together with an incredible feeling. Differently from his local friends, Aldo was looking for something more: not only emulating the riders aboard his moped. He loved the colours and started to “feed” his passion to build his future in the motorcycle racing field. So, after the junior high school, he attended the l’Istituto d’Arte di Rimini. Soon Aldo could spread his passion to different circuits till the day he was asked to design his first racing motorbike layout. Aldo please tell us, what is the first graphic project you realized for the motorcycle racing field? After 5 years of Art School and the Academy in
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Aldo Drudi’s best “client” is the nine times World Champion Valentino Rossi. The combination of Aldo’s colours and fantasy and Vale’s charisma generated a unique collection of racing helmets
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“I always ask to my
collaborators to start a new design project from a white paper sheet�
Florence, I had no money to enter the racing competitions so we made our local competitions with Romagna against Marche. So I had the occasion to meet Graziano Rossi (Valentino’s father) who usually attended the Disco Club of my brother in Urbino. The same club, where he met Valentino’s future mum for the first time. Graziano saw my racing helmet and asked me to design his (in that period he was racing for Morbidelli). In second instance also Morbidelli contacted me as he saw one sticker that I designed for a clothing shop. This is how it began. I started designing for a real job and my best friend Guido Cecchini (Gresini Racing Chief Mechanic) started his career as a mechanic. We grew together with our passion for this world.
From cutting racing numbers with the scissors and sticking them onto your moped… Tell us your incredible story from how it all started until your success of your design studio. Basically I passed all my imagination and my art works from my racing stuff to the professional riders. First with the Italian riders, then Loris Reggiani introduced me to Kevin Schwantz who was very popular and this gave me the chance to make my job more international. For Kevin I drew the famous helmet with the yellow flash on the back introducing the fluorescent colours in the championship. Honestly I did not realize immediately that my passion was becoming a serious business. It was a slow process. I had the precious support of my family because my life was changing. I was becoming a real businessman. The official brand of Drudi Performance is your fingerprint. Is it just a coincidence or a specific message? Before my fingerprint I used only my signature. When I decided to create my logo I thought that the fingerprint was more unique. Because it’s unique, as we all have different fingerprints, nobody
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can copy it. Another reason is that we are living in the technology age and we all use the computers (here in my studio we have very sophisticated computers for 2D and 3D projects) but I always ask to my collaborators to start from a white paper sheet. I think it’s fundamental to use the hands, the brain and the memory. We cannot always ask the web to do our job. We must be original. Like my fingerprint. For over 30 years you have been working on helmets, motorbikes and clothing designs, but recently you have started some new architecture projects… what’s the future of Drudi Performance? I have started with Graziano Rossi’s helmet and I am working with the most competitive and popular riders in the championship and this is a very important advertising operation for us. However the helmet design is just 20% of our overall activity. I created some interior design projects and our 3D department is growing. We extend our art to various fields. Now we are working for an important project with Honda. It’s a VFR 1200 road bike (sport touring) that we are totally redrawing. From the wheels to the forks. I have Stefano Marchi and Paolo Picchi working with me. We are all very enthusiastic. One day I will design also the MX boots. Recently we have realized a rubber boat of 18 metres called ANVERA (with 2 carbon engines 1100cc) which is like a Porsche for people who love the sea. A very funny boat but too expensive: nearly 1 Million Euro. You are the undisputed reference designer of this sector and always ready to launch new trends. What are the future goals for Drudi Performance? I cannot say if I am the undisputed reference designer of this world or not, but for sure we put a lot of passion into our job. When you have the fortune to work with partners like the MotoGP Teams it’s necessary to maintain a very high level. In these years we are developing the 3D project and this is the main target for the immediate future. We will continue to give our ideas and our passion to the MotoGP paddock (Teams and riders). The mix of speed and colours make our job very funny and easy to do.
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Helmet design is just 20% of Drudi Performance overall activity. Aldo and his collaborators develop motorbikes liveries, racing clothing, interior designs and more...�
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From the wheelies on the moped in Gabicce Monte to the unique 2wheels journey in Tanzania
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MotoGP RACE HIGHLIGHTS
GRAND PRIX OF GERMANY text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
ALMOST A CENTURY OF RACING TRADITIONS IN RACING ON PUBLIC ROADS LED SAXONY TO THE SMALLEST CIRCUIT IN MOTOGP-CALENDAR
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AFTER THE YAMAHA RIDERS DOMINATED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF ROUNDS, HONDA FINALLY BREAKS ITS STREAK OF BAD LUCK
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ery narrow and tricky Sachsenring circuit seemed to be one of the best for the Hondas this season, which had some problems with the RC213V. But in Germany nobody could notice that, as duo Marquez-Pedrosa won the qualifying practice and were going to fight for the race victory. Even if Lorenzo took the lead on the first lap, it did not last long. The Four-riders group, with all three Spaniards and Rossi, lap after lap, started to create a bigger gap between them. Marquez came to lead on lap 5 and since then he crossed the line in the first place. Marc won for the second time in 2015, nothing but a perfect weekend with being the fastest in all sessions. Pedrosa was second and came back to the podium, while Rossi completed the TOP 3. The Italian rider was going to summer break with 13 points lead over Lorenzo and 61 over Iannone in the Championship. 229
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al Crutchlow put in a solid display at the German Grand Prix on Sunday with the Briton coming home in seventh place in the MotoGP category at the Sachsenring. The CWM LCR rider endured a heavy fall as he qualified in tenth on Saturday, but he defied pain sustained in that crash to improve in Sunday’s race. Crutchlow made up ground on the riders ahead of him before eventually ending in seventh spot, behind fellow Briton Bradley Smith.
CRUTCHLOW TAKES SEVENTH PLACE AT THE SACHSENRING Crutchlow acknowledged afterwards that a different selection of front tyre could have seen him finish even higher, but was satisfied with his result after a difficult weekend in Germany.
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“Today’s race result is not the best, but I am happy to finish and get some points before the summer break. We had some problems in the race, I choose the wrong front tyre as we should have gone with the same one as Danny (Pedrosa) and Marc (Marquez). I think it would have gained us quite a few seconds over the race in certain places . “I also had problems with the rear tyre which gave off vibrations throughout the race so obviously to finish was not a bad job, especially as I still has some pain in my elbow and arm from yesterday’s crash. “We need to go into the summer break and improve for Indianapolis and from then on. I think the first half of the season has been only average and I believe we can do much better.”
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JACK MILLER
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ack Miller finished in the points at the German Grand Prix on Sunday as he came home 15th in the MotoGP class after a fine ride at the Sachsenring. After qualifying in 18th, the CWM LCR rookie made an excellent start and looked well set for a solid points finish as he lapped in 13th. However, he endured some issues with his bike towards the end of the race which meant he had to ease up to ensure he saw the chequered flag.
MILLER SECURES A WELLEARNED POINT AT THE SACHSENRING The Australian still emerged as the top open Honda rider, though, finishing nearly five seconds ahead of former world champion Nicky Hayden and admitted afterwards he was pretty satisfied with his weekend’s work.
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“It was a really good start to the race for about the first 20 laps, but then I started to have problems with spin, especially down the hill, and I had a really big moment when the bike went sideways. That allowed Hector (Barbera) and Alvaro (Bautista) back through and it was hard to sit behind them as I was quicker than them through the corners, but they were able to get on the gas on the straights and make a big break. “I really pushed hard behind them, but then I had a couple of moments and just thought I should take no risks and accept the one point we had. Nicky (Hayden) was about six seconds behind me so we could relax and take the last three laps a little bit easier. “It’s not quite ideal, but it’s an improvement from last week and we are definitely improving each week. We’ve had some good results and some bad results, today could have been a really good result but it wasn’t to be. Anyway, I’m quite happy with my first half-season in MotoGP, it’s been difficult but it’s also been a lot of fun.”
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nother funny pre-event involve some MotoGP riders ahead the German GP at Sachsenring. Sandro Cortese (local hero) and few colleagues experience the paddle surf and meet the fans for a huge Autograph Session. We will never know what Valentino Rossi whispers at his bike before the start of every race but so far it works. The flag-to-flag race is the most anxious and unwanted moment of the weekend but all the MotoGP crews know how to deal with this inconvenience: first of all it’s better to clearly mark the rider name on the pit lane. Marc Marquez rightly celebrates his victory of the German race together with a Marshall dressed like a Polar bear.
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GRAND PRIX OF INDIANAPOLIS text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
A PLACE FULL OF MOTORSPORT TRADITIONS IS THE HOME OF ITS LAST MOTOGP RACE
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MARQUEZ IS BACK TO BUSINESS IN CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER VICTORY IN THE UNITED STATES
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n Indianapolis for the whole weekend we were watching a Marquez-Lorenzo duo fighting in every practice. And while Marc was starting from pole, Jorge took the lead in the first lap. Championship leader Rossi once again had to fight through the field after a poor qualifying session. In the meantime the TOP 2 created a safe gap and Marquez was following Lorenzo lap by lap. Repsol Honda’s rider made his move with three laps to go and rode to his 7th win in succession in the United States and it was also the victory number 700 for Honda in Grand Prix. Lorenzo had to finish in second while Rossi did not have an easy race as Pedrosa was trying to beat him for the last podium’s spot. The Italian rider passed Dani in the second corner of the last lap and crossed the finish line in 3rd. Nicky Hayden, the only American in MotoGP, was 16th and just a second from points.
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CAL
CRUTCHLOW
RACE WEEK
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al Crutchlow’s race in Sunday’s Indianapolis Grand Prix was almost over by as early as the second corner, as the British rider was forced wide in turn two and dropped from his grid position of fourth down into eleventh place. The CWM LCR Honda rider then made an excellent recovery through the field as he picked up positions lap by lap, making it up to seventh at one
CRUTCHLOW BATTLES TO EIGHTH AT INDY point as he powered his factory spec Honda up the order. Embroiled in a battle with Spain’s Pol Espargaro, Crutchlow swapped positions a number of times with his rival, eventually just losing out a lap from the end as he brought his bike home in eighth place.
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“I’m disappointed with today’s race result. The race itself wasn’t too bad, I just had a very bad start. I lost so many places at the second corner, because when I grabbed the brake lever there wasn’t enough heat in the brakes to stop. It didn’t bite, so I ran wide and it lost me seven places or so.” “This track is really difficult to regain time and regain positions, but of course I did my best to recover. More than anything we needed to finish the race, and we achieved that but the setting wasn’t perfect for me today. We go to Brno now and we have to regroup and hope for a better race there.”
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
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fter a weekend which had many bright spots for the CWM LCR Honda Team, sadly Jack Miller’s race ended early after he crashed out of the race on the eighth lap. Starting from 16th on the grid, Miller had incredibly made his way up to 12th by the end of lap one. Involved in a scrap with se-
EARLY END TO INDIANAPOLIS RACE FOR MILLER veral other riders, Miller lost a couple of positions as he struggled with the feel of his Open Honda, and this would cost him dear, as he eventually lost control and slid out. Miller and the CWM LCR Honda Team quickly get another chance to redeem themselves, as they fly straight to the Czech Republic for the next round of the MotoGP World Championship in Brno in just seven days. 255
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“It was a disappointing way to end a reasonable weekend, because we were pretty happy with how the bike was working but I ended up having a few problems during the race. It wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be.” “We can’t do anything about it now though, we just need to look forward to getting to Brno and working through the problems that we had in the race here.”
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econd round in the US for the MotoGP circus at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Dani Pedrosa pits his MotoGP bike against an IndyCar. What’s faster: 2 wheels or 4? Valentino Rossi prefers to play with the Lego, Carlo Pernat celebrates his 62th birthday together with Andrea Iannone (Ducati) but apparently they won’t eat the cake. Nakamoto and his two favourites celebrate Honda 700 wins in the world championship. But among all these funny and happy moments it’s mandatory to pay our tribute to Bernat Martines and Dani Rivas who lost their lives in a SBK accident in Laguna Seca.
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CHILE
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D AK A R GIVI MOTORBIKE TOUR
text - photo: Courtesy of GIVI
AN EXCITING LONG-DISTANCE RIDE IN CHILE, FOLLOWING SOME OF THE STAGES OF THE FAMOUS DAKAR RALLY IN THE AMAZING REGION OF SOUTH AMERICA
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great, mostly off-road adventure, intensely lived by 11 expert bikers, riding super equipped bikes to support extreme performances, dizzying temperatures ranging from 8 to 44 °C in the shade, and heights that rise from sea level up to 4,820 meters. Amongst the motivators of this trip is Jeremias Israel, hired by Honda HRC just to race the Dakar. Amongst the participants, is Lucio Cecchinello, Team Manager of LCR Honda. Amongst the spectators who are living this amazing experience with them on two wheels is the journalist Mario Ciaccia from Motociclismo magazine. Amongst all the trials there is to endure, the hardest is nature: thin air, dryness and hot wind. Curiosity, adventure and adrenaline fires up on asphalt, dirt tracks, canyons and desert to ride 2,500 km in the wake of the Chilean stages of Dakar to the borders of Bolivia and Argentina. Jeremias Israel, a strong Chilean cross rider, extended an invitation: “Cross the Atacama desert during the Dakar race, so you can come over during the rest day in Iquique�. The decision to live 7 days of extreme experiences, in stunning scenery, with beautiful passes many of which are unnamed, perhaps because they leave you quite literally speechless. From Calama, a city in the Atacama Desert, they travel towards the Pacific Ocean until they reach Tocopilla, a town on the coast which is a welcome escape from the furnace of the desert. The group follows the wild coast of the Pacific to the North up to Iquique, which has the lowest annual rainfall average, 8 times lower than that of the Sahara desert, famous for its high dunes that plunge nearly 1,000 metres into the ocean. Afterwards the ride goes through the Reserva Nacional Pampa del Tamarugal, populated by the Tamarugo trees, whose roots reach deep into the soil searching for water.
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The bikes are fully equipped with GIVI products
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Going through breathtaking landscapes and exceptional trails 267
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They return, riding along the coast and again moving inland towards San Pedro de Atacama, about 170 km West from the border with Argentina and 60 km South from the border with Bolivia. The group is divided into two groups and they surround the panhandle of the Volcán Láscar, one of the most active volcanoes in the Andes, until they arrive at the Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos to see the pink flamingos. What an impressive landscape! The nature reserve is divided into 7 areas at different altitudes, from warm waters to salt lakes, to the Valle de la Luna… Finally they get to the area Laguna Miñiques, at the foot of the peak 6,000 metres high. Unforgettable places and electrifying atmosphere on board of the motorcycles – a great end to a very special journey!
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The altimeter is almost going crazy, climbing up to more than 4.800 meter!
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The team of the GIVI DAKAR Tour 2015 riding through the Atacama desert 271
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Ready! Set! Go!
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GRAND PRIX OF CZECH REP. text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND THE MOST ATTENDED GRAND PRIX IN THE CALENDAR
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FIFTH VICTORY FOR LORENZO IN BRNO MAKES THE SITUATION IN CHAMPIONSHIP EVEN MORE INTERESTING
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fter an eventful weekend in Indianapolis, there was no rest for the MotoGP field. Straight from the United States they’ve returned to Europe to race in Brno. During the weekend it has been confirmed that the most attended round by fans would remain in the calendar for another 5 years. But all those who hoped for another stunning battle between LorenzoMarquez-Rossi weren’t happy at all. Right after the start both Spaniards pulled away and then Lorenzo started to ride in his own class. Jorge once again showed a master class pace, winning by more than 4 seconds over Marquez. Rossi had to settle for a lone third, while Iannone, Dovizioso and Pedrosa had a great battle for the 4th place. 6th Dani was riding with a bruised foot after a crash in FP2.
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CAL
CRUTCHLOW
RACE WEEK
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difficult weekend at the Czech Republic Grand Prix ended in disappointment for Cal Crutchlow today, as the CWM LCR Honda Team rider crashed out of the race on lap fifteen. Crutchlow did not make the ideal start from tenth on the grid, dropping three positions by the end of the first lap, but the Brit battled his way back up to his original starting po-
CRUTCHLOW MISSES THE FINISH LINE IN CZECH GP sition by lap four. However, at two-thirds distance his front tyre lost grip in turn eleven and he slid out of the race. The team will be back at the Brno circuit tomorrow for an important post-race test as Crutchlow begins to prepare for a much better weekend in his home Grand Prix at Silverstone in two weeks’ time. 280
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“I’m very disappointed with today’s race. First and foremost I want to say sorry to the team because I made a mistake in the race and crashed. We have not been feeling comfortable with our package all weekend and we’ve tried hard to improve it but even in the race I had a lot of difficulty trying to maintain the pace I needed to set. “Tomorrow we have a test here, which will be important because the next round is my home Grand Prix at Silverstone and we need to make some improvements before we go there. All in all we feel disappointed right now but hopeful that things will be better next time.”
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
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ack Miller recovered from an offtrack excursion and grip issues late in the race to take a hard-fought nineteenth-placed finish in today’s Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno. The CWM LCR Honda youngster did well not to go down himself when another rider crashed in front of him on the fifth lap but after running wide and returning to the track he quickly recovered the lost ground.
MILLER BATTLES TO BRNO FINISH After making one pass the Australian youngster was hot on the heels of the riders in front of him but lost feeling in the latter stages of the race and needed to ride a mature final few laps to bring it home.
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“I didn’t have the best start but I was getting into a rhythm when Eugene (Laverty) crashed in front of me and I had to avoid him. I really pushed to try and close the gap to Baz and once I got past Di Meglio I was really doing it. I started putting together a good race rhythm but after I pushed for five or six laps the bike started to feel a bit shaky. “It was spinning up a lot so I had to back off and bring it home. I couldn’t do anything to stop Di Meglio coming back past me, the bike was wheelying on the straight and I couldn’t brake how I wanted. It’s a bit of a shame but I am happy-ish with today because we got some good time on the bike, learnt a lot and now we can look forward to the test tomorrow.”
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nce again the Grand Prix of Czech Republic in Brno is the most crowded round of the calendar with more than 248.000 spectators on track throughout the weekend. Surely the MotoGP fans enjoyed the victory of Jorge Lorenzo followed by Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi (celebrating with the F1 legend Niki Lauda) but we believe they truly enjoyed the Czech brolly girls too. Local heroes Karel Abraham and Karel Hanika invited some colleagues to experience vintage bikes for a promenade in the city centre. Thumbs up for the Aussie Jack Miller and his tireless Hospitality staff which hosted more than 100 guests per day.
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GRAND PRIX OF
GREAT BRITAIN text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
WELCOME TO THE UNITED KINGDOM – THE HOME OF SHAKESPEARE, THE BEATLES, SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT, WIMBLEDON AND… THE RED TELEPHONE BOX
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WEATHER PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN THE RACE AS ROSSI WINS AND INCREASES HIS LEADING IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP
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n Saturday evening in Silverstone everything seemed quite clear in MotoGP class: Marquez would be fighting with Lorenzo for the victory and leader Rossi would be probably without a chance for podium. But then on Sunday it started to rain and the situation capsized in just a second. In the heavy rain Rossi took the lead on the second lap and started to pull away together with Marquez. Then in the middle of the race the Spaniard slid out from the 2nd place, completely unexpectedly. In the meantime Danilo Petrucci was having the race of his life, going in 2nd with few laps to go. The Italian rider started from 18th spot on the grid! In the end it was a day for Italy, as Rossi won in front of “Petrux� and Andrea Dovizioso. Lorenzo finished in fourth after visor problems, fighting till the end with Dani Pedrosa.
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CAL
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al Crutchlow saw his hopes of challenging for victory at the British Grand Prix snatched away after a hugely encouraging opening to Sunday’s race at Silverstone. Having qualified eighth on the grid, the LCR Honda rider got away well in damp conditions and had effortlessly moved up into the podium positions by lap three. However, finally poised to make a bid for success
CRUTCHLOW TAKEN OUT AT HIS HOME GRAND PRIX on a track that has never previously proved a happy hunting ground, the 29-year-old was taken out by charging team-mate Jack Miller who was late on the brakes going into a corner. Having crashed out, Crutchlow subsequently attempted to rejoin but was forced to admit defeat shortly afterwards, meaning a frustrating end to his weekend.
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“Obviously I’m really disappointed, we could have done a great race today, I thought I had the pace to be with the winner. I felt really comfortable this morning in the rain and I felt really comfortable in the race, but these things happen. Jack is young, he was near to the front in a MotoGP race and made an ambitious move. He made a mistake, he apologised and I have accepted his apology. I’ve done it before and I’m sure I will do it again - this is racing, but obviously I was very disappointed. “I came in and we changed the bike, but as soon as I went out of the pitlane I crashed immediately because it was a dry setting on that bike and there is a big, big difference. I was not really going to carry on too much as I was too far behind the leader at that point, but it was a good job by the LCR Honda team this weekend and I really appreciate all the fan support as they really helped us.” 300
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
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he British Grand Prix ended in disappointing style for Jack Miller as he crashed out after making a superb start to the race at Silverstone. Having departed the grid in 16th position, the LCR Honda rider stormed through the field to be sitting in fourth spot on lap three. However, after attempting a late braking manoeuvre heading into a corner, the
MILLER OUT AFTER EARLY PROMISE AT SILVERSTONE flying Australian succeeded only in taking out his own team-mate Cal Crutchlow leading both riders to slide out. Miller was unable to rejoin meaning a frustrating end to what had been a promising weekend’s work, although he remained keen to take the positives.
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“I’m happy with the weekend, but of course not happy with the result of the race. I want to say a big sorry to Cal for taking him out, but we were both pushing hard. I didn’t actually mean to overtake him, I was just trying to hold Espargaro off on the brakes and accidently went too deep and touched him. It was an accident, but all in all it was a good weekend as we found some settings with the bike we became more comfortable with and I’m looking forward to Misano. “Misano is a good track for me, I like it a lot. It will be a new surface this year so I look forward to seeing what the grip level is like as last year was quite low, but it should be interesting.”
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efore heading to his home race track for the British Grand Prix, Cal Crutchlow and some fellow countrymen hit London city centre for a unique pre event. The Londoners queued for an autograph of the Isle of Man rider despite the typical rainy weather. The British GP at Silverstone circuit will mark an unforgettable moment for Danilo Petrucci who achieves his first MotoGP career podium. And all the ladies in the paddock will remember the British round for the banana men‌ just joking. For sure the presence of Mr Brad Bitt was very appreciated. Unfortunately, once again this year, the MotoGP riders and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta reunited for a minute of silence on the pit lane to honour Juan Garriga (former 250cc rider) and Jonas Hahle (ADAC Junior Cup rider).
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BIKE & PASSION
text: Massimo Visconti - photo: Alex Chailan
TWO YOUNG PARISIANS, TIRED OF THE CHAOS OF THE CITY MOVE SOUTH, LOOKING FOR SUNNY ROADS TO RIDE. THEY MEET IN NICE AND WHAT COMES OUT FROM A RANDOM ENCOUNTER IS PURE ART 311
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he wind blows along the Mediterranean coastline while a sudden burst echoes among the hills. The warm breeze of the Côte d’Azur blows gently, the sun is high as they pull the throttle. The French Riviera is on fire while the summer reminds us of the Roaring Sixties and the Fabulous 70’s in fair Nice, where we lay our scene. Nice la Belle (the Beautiful) a city so well known for its elegance, grace and grandeur is rapidly becoming the epicentre and the symbol of the French motorcycle craftsmanship. Two young Parisians, Jérémy 34 years old and Mark 29, who didn’t know each other when they used to live in the French capital, took the very same decision few years back. They moved to the South of France and settled in two different cities only 30 km away from each other. But fate was right behind the corner so they eventually met and opened a shop together. Right in the heart of the town, between the Matisse museum and the Promenade des Anglais, at number 42 of the Boulevard de Riquier the briny bouquet of the sea met lubricant and gasoline. That’s how the magic began. JeriKan Motorcycles started in January 2012 and since then, 12 beautiful motorbikes found a new life and became masterpieces on two wheels. “Simplicity and sobriety are the fuel of JeriKan” the two friends say. These old machines have a story to tell, Jérémy and Mark preserve their unique memories and translate them into the current language. “We try to breathe new youth into the mechanics as well as into the aesthetics of these timeless pieces”. And they’re absolutely good at it. Inspiration is like a long and windy road where talented people meet. You never really know how to get there but when you find the way, what comes out is epic. They spend hours looking for what can be done and what has already been done. A JeriKan has to be unique and that’s why it has impressive and original detailing. “Number Ten” the 1980 Honda CB 400 N portrayed in these pictures “in all its glory shows perfectly our standing point. To give more nobility to this machine, we integrated teak veneer with a classic black paint job to bring out the wooden essence. The teak was chosen for its robust virtues and it’s sublime caramel colour.” Absolutely gorgeous. “We want to create motorcycles of quality that have elegance, class and character whilst keeping a certain temperance and dignity, which is the essence of JeriKan Motorcycles.” That’s what they can do best. Yes they can, JeriKan.
The 1980 Honda CB 400 N integrated with teak veneer
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JĂŠrĂŠmy and Mark both lived in Paris before moving to the French Riviera but only met later in Nice
The briny bouquet of the sea meets the lubricants. Waves power plus horsepower
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GRAND PRIX OF SAN MARINO text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
BEAUTIFUL MISANO ADRIATICO WELCOMES TIFOSI FOR THE SECOND ITALIAN ROUND
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ABOUT 130 CHARACTERS (SPACES INCLU THE CRAZIEST FLAG-TO-FLAG RACE IN YEARS SAW DOUBLE CHANGES OF BIKES IN MOTOGP
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he race in Misano was without any doubt the craziest one in the last few years in MotoGP and proved that anything is possible. We’ve seen flag-to-flag races before but never seen riders changing their bikes twice in just one race! Again the weather played a huge role, as everything started on the dry track and then it started to rain‌ and stopped again. Marc Marquez was the best in this chaos, doing changes in the right moment and winning for the fourth time in 2015. Both Rossi and Lorenzo made mistakes, as Jorge crashed out, while Rossi stayed too long in the wet and finished 5th. Two Brits finished on the podium: Bradley Smith who did not change bike at all (!) and Scott Redding who crashed on the first lap, but was able to come back and score his first podium finish in MotoGP. Don’t forget about the best Open rider Loris Baz in 4th!
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CAL
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CR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow finished in 11th place after a topsyturvy San Marino Grand Prix at Misano on Sunday. Sporadic rain at the Rimini circuit ensured there was plenty of action and no end of bike changes by the riders, but Crutchlow could not quite take advantage as he would have hoped. After a difficult weekend on his RC213V, the Briton appeared set for a positive result after moving up
CRUTCHLOW JUST OUTSIDE TOP 10 AFTER CHAOTIC RACE AT MISANO into third spot by the eighth lap. But with the rain and subsequent visits to the pits meaning almost constant changes at the head of the field, Crutchlow lost places with a lack of grip towards the end also hampering his push for the leading places.
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“Obviously it was a really strange race today, I should have come in (to change bikes) at a different time, it was a complete lottery who was going to finish where in the race. I had a great pace in the rain as always and not too bad pace in the dry, but at the end I was on a used tyre so I didn’t have the best grip for the last ten laps. At that time we were already a little bit too far back to challenge. “I’m disappointed for sure with the result because I feel we could have made a really good race, also because if it had been a completely dry race I thought we had made an important step forward with the bike.” -
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
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espite a highly-creditable 12th-placed finish at the San Marino Grand Prix, LCR Honda rider Jack Miller was left pondering what might have been after a chaotic race at Misano. Intermittent rain ensured there was incident galore throughout Sunday’s showpiece at the Rimini circuit.
HIGHLY-CREDITABLE 12th PLACE FOR MILLER IN MISANO But having switched back to slicks after the rain, Miller looked poised to secure his first top-10 finish of the season. However, an electrical problem late on saw the Australian lose places as he eventually had to settle for 12th place and a fifth point-scoring finish of the campaign.
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“With about six or seven laps to go we had an electrical problem with the bike, the thing starting losing power and wouldn’t go into anything lower than fourth gear, so I had to start short-shifting through second and third and as a result my lap times dropped considerably. It was a good race, but being a rookie to this bike change thing I stayed out longer than I should and it cost me dearly, I lost a good thirty, thirty-five seconds. “It was a good race, I thought it was all over but then I was really happy when I came in and put the wets on. When we went to slicks it just took me a little longer to get into the groove of things than Scott (Redding, who finished third) and you can see what he did. We started picking things up, but then it all sort of came to an end with about seven laps to go and I just had to limp the thing home really.”
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ome race for the Doctor in Misano that, respecting the tradition, created a special helmet together with his trusty designer Aldo Drudi. This time Vale is the small yellow fish escaping from the shark’s (Lorenzo) attack. The Grand Prix of San Marino and Riviera di Rimini counts many pre-event activities like the Ducati riders (Iannone and Dovizioso) riding their red bikes in the historical city centre whilst Jack Miller and some fellows participate to the Red Bull Aqua Battle. Misano GP is also the best occasion to remember two talented riders that passed away too early: Shoya Tomizawa (Moto2 Japanese rider) and Marco Simoncelli.
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BEHIND THE
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Special Guest
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BEHIND THE
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Vip Guest
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GRAND PRIX OF ARAGON
text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
ARAGON BECAME POPULAR BECAUSE OF THE MOTOGP CIRCUIT BUT IT IS ALSO A PLACE KNOWN AS A SKI RESORT DURING WINTER
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LORENZO IS BACK TO FIGHT AGAIN WHILE MARQUEZ HAS PUSHED HIS TITLE HOPES TO THE GRAVEL
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M
arc Marquez once again had won the qualifying session, but after the start of the race he lost a leading place to Jorge Lorenzo. The fellow of the Spaniard started to ride in his stunning pace right from the beginning, so Honda’s rider had to do everything he could, to try to stay behind the rear wheel of #99 Yamaha. It did not last long as Marquez crashed out on lap 2. He was out of the race for the 5th time in the season. Then Lorenzo rode his own great race, but behind him fans could see a great battle for the second step on the podium between Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi. The Italian rider tried to pass the Spaniard several times, until he had to give up before the finish line. Ducati’s Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso completed the TOP 5. “The Doctor” was once again behind his Yamaha’s team-mate and lost 9 points in the championship. The battle has started again! 347
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CR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow maintained his fine record at the Grand Prix of Aragon as he finished in seventh position in Sunday’s race. The Briton has never finished outside the top 10 during his five visits to the Motorland Aragon circuit in the MotoGP class, although he admits he was not totally satisfied with his latest result. Starting from eighth on the grid, Crutchlow made
CRUTCHLOW CLAIMS SEVENTH PLACE IN ARAGON GP a poor start due to a clutch problem but battled impressively throughout despite being hampered by grip issues with his RC213V bike. However, the 29-year-old believes there are plenty of positives to be taken from this weekend in Spain as he looks to finish the world championship season strongly.
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“I was not too happy with my final position of seventh, but again this was the best we could do with our package. I was riding quite well, but I had no grip with the rear of the bike. We had some other small problems, I had a slipping clutch on the start-line and lost four places immediately and we struggled with the acceleration of the bike. “Overall I am pleased to finish because I had some big moments out there where I could have gone even though I was not riding too hard. I think it was a positive weekend, we finished seventh and I have some more knowledge of riding the Honda. We need to improve, but I think today’s race can help to highlight a lot of things.”
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JACK MILLER
RACE WEEK
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CR Honda rider Jack Miller finished in 19th position after a competitive performance at the Grand Prix of Aragon on Sunday. For the majority of the race the Australian was part of a large group in the middle of the field and looked well placed for another points finish at the Motorland Aragon circuit. However, tyre disintegration ultimately cost Miller
MILLER UNDONE BY TYRES IN FINAL STAGES OF ARAGON GP over the closing few laps and he was dropped as he looked to ensure he kept the bike upright. He admitted his disappointment at the eventual result, but insisted he had taken a lot of positives from round 14 of the MotoGP world championship in Spain.
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“I was happy with about 90% of our race. It was really, really good all the way through until about five laps to go, then the front tyre gave way and it was too much as we were already struggling with the rear. After that I couldn’t hold the pace of the group any more and I had to slow down otherwise I would have crashed. “For most of the race I was pushing to close the gap on the brakes from what I was losing on the gas and it was working, unfortunately the tyre let us down at the end. We are happy as we stayed in that big group for a long period and gained a lot of experience, but we will just have to keep working hard on the set-up of the bike.”
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hird Spanish round of the 2015 season at Aragon Motorland (before the three over sea races) and the local hero Maverick Vinales visits the Zaragoza Military Air Base to experience the GForce of a fighter compared to the powerful engine of his Suzuki GSX-RR. Whilst Vinales is grabbing his seat on air, Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia rider) and some other colleagues are dealing with a knife and the typical Jamon (Spanish ham). But apparently Bautista thinks to be on a stage for a rock and roll concert! This year Jorge Lorenzo designed the Aragon Grand Prix Trophy in cooperation with Movistar. And the whole Yamaha Team can celebrate with another great result having qualified as Best Manufacturer in the championship.
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Pipe Dream text: Elisabetta Bonetti - photo: Courtesy of DC Shoes, Milan, Mc Kenna, BLABAC, Taylor, Stephens.
“I’ve just been trying to follow my heart and do what I really want to do. I have all these ideas -- I’m a bit of a dreamer” ROBBIE MADDISON
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sIn the summer of 2015, Robbie Maddison and DC set out to blur the lines of what’s been done before and what’s only been dreamt of, in an attempt to fulfill a 3-year long ‘pipe dream’. Celebrated X-Games medalist and multiple world record holding motocross athlete, Robbie “Maddo” Maddison, embarked on a journey to bring the juxtaposed beauty of nature and machine together to make his dream a reality. Often times up against seemingly insurmountable odds, Maddo achieved the career-defining feat of riding his dirtbike on the powerful, breathtaking, and iconic waves of tahiti. It’s something you truly have to see to believe. “It’s not about being the first or being right, it’s about believing in yourself because you know something is possible.” Despite the presence of a full camera crew, and a rescue team in position along the menacing saltwater terrain of Teahupo’o, the man known as “Maddo” was understandably nervous, as he likes to say. “I’d become quite terrified, trembling in my boots,” he confessed. “But I made my bed and it was time to lie in it.” Riding his motorbike directly into the maw of the world’s heaviest waves: can a person even think about such a plan? “I’ve grown up surfing my whole life” Maddo says. “If I didn’t end up in professional moto, I would be a professional surfer. I was winning competitions in both sports when I was a grommet. This dream is about combining two of my life’s passions in order to do something that has never been attempted”. “We tried one, two, three, four times: each time the bike went under, we had extensive mechanical work to rebirth it for another run. During the three-years preparation process, we switched from a 450cc four-stroke motor to a two-stroke motor for the advantage of having a less-complicated engine and less electronics and wiring to deal with”. “At the end, at the fifth attempt, after days and days of preparation, we made it. After the stunt, I was almost taken under by a giant wave, but we made it! Back on the boat, I was in tears. My friends and crew were completely rattled, having thought that I had drowned in the wave. It’s the gnarliest thing I have ever been through. I was so relieved to be alive and to have accomplished what we did in Tahiti. It was so incredible to see the culmination of my dream that didn’t come with a glorious medal or cheering crowds, but the reward of being the very first person to ever ride a motorcycle on these waters and do something entirely different”.
Maddison blasting through the rivers of the Tahitian jungle straight into the saltwater of the Pacific Ocean
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The Australian stunt rider with his KTM 250 SX highly modified dirt bike riding on top of the ocean
YouTUBE www.inspire-lcr.com/pipedream
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Dive into this adrenaline filled video and be witness of the insane moment stunt rider Robbie Maddison catches a powerful and monstrous wave on his dirt bike. And remember: Always follow your dreams!
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GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN
text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari - Cormac Ryan-Meenan
THE GRAND PRIX IN THE COUNTRY OF RISING SUN IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR ALL JAPANESE FACTORIES
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s the title battle between Rossi and Lorenzo was getting more and more intense, the weather decided to play its role once again. After what happened in Silverstone and Misano, the Motegi circuit had its spots of rain on Sunday as well. Everything started on wet track and as we’ve seen many times this year, Lorenzo took the lead on the first lap and started to disappear. Rossi was riding on 2nd while Dovizioso was on 3rd. And as soon as the surface began to dry, the race has started again. Pedrosa, who was in 4th and almost 9 seconds back, put a rabbit out of his hat. Being much faster than the leaders, Dani quickly reduced a gap and was leading the race by lap 18! Rossi took his chance of having tyres in slightly better shape than Lorenzo’s ones and came in 2nd. Jorge had to finish in third. Marquez had a lonely race to 4th.
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THE WEATHER ONCE MORE BECOMES ONE OF THE MAIN FACTORS IN THE MOTOGP TITLE BATTLE
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CAL
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CR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow claimed sixth place at the Grand Prix of Japan at the Twin Ring Motegi on Sunday. As predicted, the MotoGP showpiece was affected by wet conditions with heavy rain having hit the circuit ahead of the race. Leaving from eighth on the grid, Crutchlow endured a difficult start, but soon found his rhythm and began to move through the field. In the end he
CRUTCHLOW FINISHES IN THE TOP SIX AT MOTEGI was involved in an entertaining tussle with Bradley Smith, and he got the better of his fellow Briton to seal sixth place at the chequered flag.
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“We are pleased with he result to finish in the top six today. I am a little disappointed as I thought again I was one of the strongest guys in the rain today, but I had a bad first couple of laps because the rear tyre failed to heat. After that I came on strong and felt really good and made up some places. “By the time I had pushed, the front tyre was completely destroyed and I finished the race with a tyre that looked like a slick! I tried my best and we did a good job as a team today, we made sure we finished and got some good points heading into the next race in Australia.�
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JACK MILLER
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he Grand Prix of Japan ended in disappointing style for LCR Honda rider Jack Miller as he crashed out at the Twin Ring circuit in Motegi. As had been forecast, the MotoGP showpiece was affected by wet weather with heavy rain having fallen at the track prior to Sunday’s race. Starting from 22nd on the grid, Miller – who had
MILLER FAILS TO FINISH THE GRAND PRIX OF JAPAN been 11th quickest in Sunday’s warm-up session - made encouraging early progress through the field. The Australian was looking to challenge for a top-10 spot when he suffered a problem with the front end that dropped him back. He battled on but his race was then over after a braking error to ensure a promising weekend ended in frustration.
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“It was a disappointing end to the weekend. I tried hard to be a little bit calmer this time with the wet conditions, I didn’t look to overtake so many people and got in a nice groove and got settled. But then I had small loss of the front and I’m not really sure why. “After that I tried to work my way back into a points position but it was not quite possible. I caught up to Laverty, but when I was right behind him I locked the brake up on the white line and that was the end of my race. It was a real shame, I’m not very happy but we also gained a lot of experience out of this.”
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fter 13 seasons in MotoGP the “Kentucky Kid� Nicky Hayden (2006 World Champion) announces that he is ready for a new challenge in the World SBK aboard the Honda machine of Ten Kate Team. The Grand Prix of Motegi is renowned for the warmth and the variety of his MotoGP fans. These guys really love MotoGP! And the best way to thank them is a funny pocket bike competition where Jack Miller and Cal Crutchlow play the roles of the clowns making everyone laugh. In the mean time their Team Manager Lucio Cecchinello is teaching to some Bridgestone guests how to lean with their bikes.
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GRAND PRIX OF AUSTRALIA text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
AUSTRALIA IS STILL A LITTLE BIT WILD AND YEAR BY YEAR HAS SOMETHING MAGICAL AND UNEXPECTED TO OFFER TO EVERYONE
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U-N-B-E-L-I-E-V-A-B-L-E RACE FROM START TO FINISH IS WHAT WE LOVE THE MOST… AND IT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE’VE GOT AT PHILLIP ISLAND
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otoGP round in Australia was the kind of those old and cool races. Right from the beginning there was a TOP 4 in the top group with Lorenzo, Marquez, Rossi and Iannone trying to take the first place. Andrea could say he is a lucky man, after a seagull crashed into his fairing and made a huge hole in it. Did it stop “Crazy Joe”? No! He was racing like a crazy with “the Aliens”. During the 27 laps the TOP 4 made more than 50 overtakes, with one of Iannone being the most beautiful one, as the Italian overtook Rossi and Marquez in a single corner. And while in the beginning of the last lap everything looked like another win for Lorenzo, Marquez gave his absolute maximum. He set the best lap of the race and overtook Jorge just 3 corners from the finish line! Rossi tried everything he could to pass Iannone, but it was impossible and Iannone finished in 3rd behind Lorenzo. These results meant that with two races to go, Rossi was leading in the championship by just 11 points. 395
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CR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow finished in seventh place at the Australian Grand Prix after a fantastic MotoGP race at Phillip Island on Sunday. It prove a hugely-competitive affair at the head of the field and Crutchlow was involved throughout. Having started from fifth spot on the grid, the Briton was hoping to emulate the podium finish he secured at the Australian circuit back in 2012.
CRUTCHLOW CLAIMS SEVENTH SPOT AT PHILLIP ISLAND Although he was unable to achieve that feat, Crutchlow put in an excellent ride and crossed the line under ten seconds behind eventual race winner Marc Marquez. The result means he maintains eighth spot in the world championship standings ahead of the final two races of the 2015 season.
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“Obviously seventh place today was not the result I wanted, but we did not finish far behind the lead group – I have finished on the podium here before and was nine seconds behind. Unfortunately we had a real torrid time with the rear tyre for the last ten laps of the race, we really struggled although I was riding as smoothly as I could. “However, my pace was really consistent over the race which we’re happy with, it just wasn’t quite fast enough on a few of the laps and we ultimately paid for this. But my team did a good job, I’m glad to come out of here with a decent result and we have to look forward to Malaysia now.”
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JACK MILLER
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CR Honda rider Jack Miller capped a fine weekend by finishing in 15th place at the Australian Grand Prix and came home as the top Open class rider across the line in the MotoGP race. Competing at his home circuit of Phillip Island, the Australian started from the fifth row of the grid and again demonstrated his undoubted potential in the pre-
HOME COMFORTS FOR MILLER AT PHILLIP ISLAND mier category as he lapped with the satellite bikes for much of Sunday’s race. Ultimately he had to settle for 15th spot, but he still took the chequered flag over eight seconds clear of Hector Barbera to ensure he emerged as the leading Open rider in emphatic style.
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“I’m really happy with today’s result, to be back as the top Open rider is great. We worked so hard this weekend, I believe it’s one of our best weekend performances so far. We pushed so hard and did a lot of work on the bike and I think we found something important, although we’ll have to wait until Malaysia to find out for sure. “I’m really looking forward to going there now, it’s a track we’ve done a lot of testing at so it’ll be great to see our lap times there compared to what they were at the start of the season.”
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he environment of Phillip Island GP is the most spectacular of the season: the ocean, the koalas, the kangaroos, the penguins and the seagulls! Watch out Andrea (Iannone). Poor seagull. And Australia has another record: the most dangerous and poisonous snakes live in the New Continent. But Hayden knows it already. The whole MotoGP paddock wants to send his warmth and support to the injured rider Alex De Angelis: #getwellsoonAlex. The Island race is the most important and emotional for the Queenslander Jack Miller who decided to celebrate his return at home with a great result. For the second time in his rookie season Miller qualifies as Top Open rider and the best way to celebrate this success is the burn out in front of his Aussie fans.
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BIKES OF
BURDEN HANS KEMP PHOTOGRAPHY
text: Tanja Haydn - photo: Hans Kemp
HANS KEMP KNOWS THE STREETS OF VIETNAM FROM A BIKER’S PERSPECTIVE. FOR HIS BOOK HE DROVE AROUND THE ENTIRE CITY FOR HUNDREDS OF HOURS ON HIS MOTORBIKE AND CAPTURED SOME OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE PICTURES YOU HAVE EVER SEEN 410
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did not dare to cross the roads at that time,” recalls Hans Kemp on his first visit to Vietnam. “Thousands of motorbikes formed an impenetrable, roaring wall”, Kemp writes in his book about his first encounter with the motorbikes of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). With now over 30 Million motorbikes in Vietnam and alone 6 Million in Ho Chi Minh City which has about 10 Million inhabitants, the importance of motorbikes is increasing rapidly year by year as Vietnam is one of the world’s fastest expanding economies. “This small job was like the seed and it really rooted in my head that this was a great and unique part of everyday life. I had to document it.” Huge baskets of fruits, mountains of plastic bottles, ducks and chickens, bags of goldfish, tree trunks, freshly caught sharks, slaughtered and live pigs trussed on a sling or raw eggs - everything is packed on the motorbike, stacked and lashed tight. Entire families find place on the motorcycle. The only valid rule is: The bike has to be able to drive. Kemp went out on the streets whenever he had time, riding a Honda Super Cub and looking for photos to include in his book. Finding new scenes and extraordinary items being transported, he travelled to many different parts of the country. “We would hit the streets, just cruising and spotting and when we saw a bike covered in what looked like a hundred alive and quacking ducks we would do a U-turn, catch up with the bike and I would try to photograph it while driving parallel at high speed.” In order to catch some good shots of his subjects, he would drive his own motorbike taxi at a high speed and photograph the subject when his bike was parallel to it or take the picture from the back of one of the self-same bikes. In the 1980s the main means of transport was the bicycle but as time has gone by, fewer bicycles were seen in the streets until finally motorbikes replaced them. It is predicted that maybe in 10 or 15 years, motorcycles will meet the same fate as bicycles and big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City will be full of cars and trucks as locals may switch to different modes of transportation. The transportation system is in expansion, roads are widening and incomes are increasing in Vietnam. In that respect Kemp wanted to capture a special part of the Vietnamese culture before it disappears.
Wearing a facemask while driving the motorbike not only protects your skin, but filters also the harsh pollutants 414
A man rides his small motorbike home with his large catch - a big shark ray! 418
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http://smarturl.it/bikesofburden The corresponding book “Bikes of Burden”, which is illuminated with more than 148 colour Photographs of Vietnam’s colorful motorbike culture is available on Amazon.
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GRAND PRIX OF MALAYSIA
text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
THEY SAID MALAYSIA OFFERS TWO COUNTRIES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE – IT IS A COUNTRY FULL OF TRADITION AND KNOWN AS A HUGE MELTING POT
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BOTH, THE MALAYSIAN SCORCHING HEAT AND THE RIDERS MAKE THE PENULTIMATE ROUND OF 2015 CRAZIER THAN ANYONE COULD IMAGINE
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ani Pedrosa rode another master class race and won for the second time in 2015, but the duo Rossi-Marquez stole the show from him. A war between them has started during the Thursday’s press conference, when the Italian said Marquez had slowed the pace in Australia to help Lorenzo score points in the championship. During the race Pedrosa quickly took the lead and tried to build a gap over Lorenzo (finally second). Further back Rossi and Marquez were fighting for the 3rd place, doing overtakes in almost every corner. Few laps later Rossi made an attack on the inside, looked at Marquez who was on the outside, and ran wide making Marc do the same. Then the controversy began. Marquez said Rossi hit him with the leg, while Vale told it’s a lie. In the end Rossi finished in 3rd while Marc crashed out. Rossi was given 3 penalty points on his license for the accident. 425
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CR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow continued his excellent recent form as he took fifth place in the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International circuit. The result was a fine way to sign off the three flyaway races which also produced sixth and seventh place finishes in Japan and Australia. Starting from fifth spot on the grid, Crutchlow revealed he had been hampered by a braking is-
CRUTCHLOW CLAIMS FIFTH POSITION AT SEPANG sue with his RC213V during Sunday’s race. But he managed his machine impressively and produced a smooth ride to seal another highly-creditable points finish. The Briton is now aiming to improve once again in Valencia and finish the MotoGP season in style.
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“It was a bit of a strange race today. I had a problem with the brake lever after about eight laps and I managed the tyres as best as possible, but obviously I did not have great feeling with the brakes because of this problem. “But to finish these three flyaway races with fifth is a good result, although perhaps we should have been in fourth place today, riding our own race not too far behind Valentino (Rossi). But it wasn’t to be and now we have to go to Valencia and try to keep improving once again. “Also I would like to say sorry to Dovi (Andrea Dovizioso) as I knocked him off – he is the last rider on the track I would want to knock off as he is the cleanest rider. I apologized to him and he took it very well.” - See more at: http://www.lcr.mc/eng/news/2015/crutchlow-claimsfifth-position-at-sepang_ID_4_IDa_16269.htm#sthash. N4mBp6WO.dpuf
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JACK MILLER
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CR Honda rider Jack Miller came home in 17th position in Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International circuit. Although unable to secure a points finish, the Australian produced a solid ride to ensure he saw the chequered flag at the end of a gruelling race that took place in hot and humid conditions.
MILLER CHALKS UP ANOTHER FINISH IN MALAYSIAN GP Having started from the sixth row of the grid, Miller battled hard throughout with his rivals in the open category and eventually finished just behind former world champion Nicky Hayden. Whilst not totally satisfied with the result, Miller was happy to see it through to the end and is now looking to sign of his rookie MotoGP season in style at Valencia.
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“I’m happy to finish the race today. It was very hot which made things harder and it’s always a very difficult race here in Malaysia. Of course we expected and wanted more, but it was not to be today. “The team worked really hard all weekend to bring me the best bike possible and we tried hard, but today was not our best and we will learn from this. Now we look forward to Valencia and finishing the season as strongly as possible, both for myself and the team.”
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50.000 fans overcame the incredible humidity of Sepang International Circuit to follow their idols including Jack Miller that, after another pocket bike competition, is trying to find somewhere cool. Even Pol Espargaro looks hot but he is in good company. With all these beautiful brolly girls around Oscar Haro (LCR Team Member) prefers to play with the dolls. Less troubles! And you can also meet new friends in Malaysia: Fabio Alberti (LCR Team member) is an example. A bit scary anyway. A huge applause for Dani Pedrosa who achieved a great victory after such a physically demanding race whilst Rossi, Lorenzo and Marquez were causing “the trouble�.
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Special Guest
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GRAND PRIX OF VALENCIA
text: Gavin Emmett, Elisa Pavan, Nelly Pluto-Prondzyńska - photo: Milagro - Mirco Lazzari
FOR YEARS THE VALENCIA ROUND IS THE LAST ROUND OF THE SEASON, BUT THERE ARE MUCH MORE THINGS TO DO IN THE CITY
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THE LAST ROUND OF THE SEASON GIVES US THE MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION 2015!
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he controversy from Sepang made Valencia’s round sold out. The final race of 2015 would give the answer on who would be MotoGP World Champion. Lorenzo knew that if he would reduce the 7 points gap to Rossi in the championship, he would make the best weekend of his life. Valentino, after a penalty from Valencia, had to start the race from the last spot on the grid. While the Italian rider made up some positions in the beginning of the race, Lorenzo took the lead from pole. Marquez was riding right behind him and Pedrosa lost some time to them in the middle of the race. But with few laps to go there was the leading trio again. Pedrosa overtook Marquez in battle for 2nd, but Marc re-passed him immediately. But it was Lorenzo who won both the race and also the World Championship title! Rossi tried everything he could, he made it from 26th to 4th place, but it wasn’t enough. 447
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CR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow finished the 2015 MotoGP season with a ninth place at the Grand Prix of Valencia on Sunday after an eventful day at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Having qualified in fifth for the final race of the year hopes were high for the Briton, but a safety concern with his number one bike meant he had to switch to his spare and start from the back of the grid.
CRUTCHLOW CLAIMS IMPRESSIVE TOP 10 FINISH IN VALENCIA Despite that major setback, Crutchlow produced a hugely creditable ride as he made his way through the field to eventually finish inside the top 10. The result ensured the 30-year-old finished the season in eighth place in the world championship standings with 125 points. While satisfied with his performance, Crutchlow admits he is now looking forward to pushing on again next year and challenging for podium finishes. 450
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“We had to start from the back of the grid because of a safety concern with my other bike. I changed bikes and then had to be patient on the first lap as I had no heat in the tyres because I had to do the warm-up lap behind the safety car. So I wasn’t able to push and I only made up three places in three laps and that made it really difficult to come back through the field. “But honestly I was really pleased with my pace once I got going after ten laps and it probably would have been good enough for fourth place today. It was disappointing not to be able to do that and be there, but my bike has not let me down all year and it was just unfortunate we had to start from the back of the grid today. “I think it was an average year for me, but when I took the decision to stay where I am for the next two years continuity was key. I think with some new parts next year we can be back where we belong challenging for podiums and I’m looking forward to that and am grateful for the faith they have shown in me.”
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ack Miller signed off his time with the LCR Honda team by finishing 21st at the Grand Prix of Valencia in what was the final round of the 2015 MotoGP world championship. The Australian produced a determined ride to ensure he saw the chequered flag in the last race of his rookie season at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Afterwards Miller insisted he had learnt a great
MILLER BIDS A FOND FAREWELL TO LCR HONDA IN VALENCIA deal about the premier class during his time with Lucio Cecchinello’s team. The 20-year-old identified his 15th place finish at Phillip Island as his best performance of the campaign and said he was pleased with the progress both he and his team had made over the course of the last 12 months.
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“First of all I’d like to thank the LCR Honda team for taking this risk and putting me in this year. It’s been an awesome year, I’ve enjoyed it a lot. We’ve had some ups and downs and didn’t quite achieve the goal of a top-10 finish that we wanted, but we showed some really strong performances during the season and I’m looking forward to coming back to the MotoGP class next year. “I think we improved a lot during the course of the year – especially compared to when we tested here at the start of the year, we’ve improved by nearly two seconds and that’s not easy to do. I think Phillip Island would have to be our best race of the season and now I’m looking forward to improving again next year.”
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Lucio Cecchinello – LCR Honda team principal “It was an honour to work with Jack and giving him the opportunity to learn the MotoGP class category. When he arrived from Moto3 everybody thought that he wouldn’t be able to make such a big step, but he definitely confirmed with his attitude and talent that he could make it. “I’m very happy that twice this year he finished as best Open class rider, he also regularly beat many other Open class riders so he definitely did a good job. Of course, everybody always wants more good results, but MotoGP is a really tough category – especially this season – and I think he did really well and wish him all the best for the future.” 457
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he most awaited round of 2015 Championship which ends with the victory of Jorge Lorenzo (5 times World Champion). Vale Rossi started from the back of the grid following the penalty applied in Malaysia by the Race Direction. The 3 World Champions pose for the official picture: congratulations to Jorge Lorenzo, Joan Zarco (Moto2) and Danny Kent (Moto3). Nice to see Alex De Angelis back in the paddock after his bad accident in Motegi some weeks earlier. Last race with LCR Team for Jack Miller and Lucio and his crew want to wish him best luck with a special cake‌ on the face! The Aussie joins the Movember foundation (www.movember.com) growing his mustache even on the helmet and on his bike. Please donate! Last MotoGP round for Nicky Hayden who gets his name on the MotoGP Legend Wall directly from Carmelo Ezpeleta. Good Luck Kentucky Kid!
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INSPIRE
CREDITS
Editor-in-chief ENRICO BARBIERI enrico.barbieri@lcr.mc
Coordinator LUCIO CECCHINELLO cecchinello@lcr.mc
Art Director Emanuele Vallorani graphic@lcr.mc
Production Director Errico Gasperoni graphic@lcr.mc
Contributors Elisa Pavan, Tanja Haydn, Nelly Pluto-Prondzynska, Gavin Emmett, Massimo Visconti. Photography Milagro, Gigi Soldano, Tino Martino, Mirco Lazzari, Marco Guidetti, GIVI Archive, Hans Kemp, Alex Chailan, Cormac Ryan-Meenan Red Bull Content Pool, Gettyimages, Shutterstock, DC Shoes: Milan, Mc Kenna, BLABAC, Taylor, Stephens Publisher Steve Burgess
steve.burgess@clearsightpartners.com
Published by Clearsightpartners Ltd 121 Longmead Drive Sidcup - Kent DA14 4NY Š 2015 Clearsightpartners Ltd and LCR - x racing s.a.m. All rights reserved