On-Track Off-Road issue 132

June 2016 No 132

Grounding out...

133.9mph on public roads and a 37 mile course lapped in less than seventeen minutes: Michael Dunlop book ended the 2016 Isle of Man TT with phenomenal record-breaking speed (bottoming-out on the way) and further displays of reactions that can mean the cavernous difference between winning and losing on the mountain course Photo by Taku Nagami

IoM TT

MX Ladillo que puede ser largo

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Game on...

The best MXGP race of the year saw Monster Energy Yamaha’s Romain Febvre emerge triumphant from a duel with principal title rival Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser at his home Grand Prix. Now into the second half of the eighteen-round contest 461 is aiming once more for the red plate as just 24 points split the rookie of 2015 with that of ‘16 Photo by Ray Archer

MX

MotoGP Back to it...

The Monster Energy Gran Premi de Catalunya was a heavy and emotional weekend but the racing went on and Valentino Rossi again showed there is no end to his desire or capabilities to reach the highest step. This was the perfect repost to his disappointment from Mugello Photo by CormacGP

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FeaTure

Jm tt & the

why

“thIs Island has Just got a hold of me…” John mcguInness mIght not have added to hIs wIn tally of 23 at the 2016 Isle of man tt but the englIshman Is stIll one of the annual meetIng’s best and bIggest stars. steve englIsh sIts down for a chat and hIs vIew on the race wIth the honda man now Into hIs 44th year and wIth two decades of laps around the mountaIn Words and pics by Steve English

john mcguinness & the TT

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or two weeks in June the world’s focus is on a small island in the Irish Sea. The Isle of Man TT is the most incredible race that reduces riders and on-lookers to their most basic instincts. It is a race that is regularly touched by tragedy where riders perish in pursuit of going faster than most believe is possible.

“All of my bikes tell me a story straight away as soon as I look back at them. I think to myself about races and remember this or that. Obviously the first win is probably important but it was a long time ago now. But it was a special day. I was on the TSR 250, I was leading the British Championship on that bike, and I won my first TT with a lap record.”

John McGuinness has seen both sides of the coin at the TT with 23 victories offering the highpoint in contrast to the number of friends and rivals that have met their end on the roads. Having achieved all that he has on a bike what is it that drives McGuinness to still compete at the TT at 43 years of age?

“It was actually a bit of an anticlimax when I won it. I didn’t know how to celebrate. I could have done a nude streak or whatever because I didn’t know what to do! It was just all happening and that was it.”

“It’s a good question and I wish someone could answer it for me because I honestly don’t know,” said McGuinness. “This island has just got a hold of me. This is my 20th year racing year and I’ve had 90 starts and ridden every type of bike here whether it’s a two-stroke, a four-stroke, a single cylinder, a V twin; I’ve ridden everything.”

“It’s just such a beautiful island and a special circuit. It’s the oldest track in the world and the longest track. If anyone ever wins one they’ll probably understand why you do come back. But it’s just a beautiful island that produces some spectacular stuff. I’ve had a bit of success here. I’ll keep plugging away until I stop enjoying it, I stop being competitive, and I’ll hang my boots.”

McGuinness doesn’t look like being uncompetitive any time soon with two podiums racked up again this year to bring his tally to 46 rostrum finishes. This year was his twentieth on the island and surrounded by some of the most significant bikes of his career the lustre of road racing was clear.

“When I won my first big bike race in 2004 on the Yamaha R1 that was a special day for me. I beat Dave Jefferies’ lap record in that race. The TT was in a bit of a tough time after Dave got killed and in ’04 and ’05 it was sort of in the doldrums a little bit. It’s picked up again and now it’s pretty big but the first 130mph lap in 2007 was really special.”

“I like the electric bikes but I could talk forever about all my bikes because they’re all pretty special to me. They all play a big part in my TT career and the success that I’ve had over here for 20 years.”

20 years is a very fitting milestone for reminiscing and to evaluate the changes that have taken place over the course of the passage of time. “It wasn’t like this in my day…” is one of the most common phrases bandied about throughout life. The TT however is just like it was “back in the day” as far as the on track riding is concerned but what about the changes that McGuinness has witnessed inside the paddock over his career?

john mcguinness & the TT

“I love the TT and fans do too because I just think they can get closer to the riders. There’s always a die-hard fan as well who’s been coming for years and years but looking around the paddock there’s young kids and younger people here too. The word has spread round all over the world about how good this thing is.”

“People just want to get here and experience it and once they get here they’re booking the boat for next year straight away! It’s amazing.

I’ve raced all over the world and it’s not long before we’re talking about a TT and people tell me “I’d love to go,” or “I can’t get a boat,” or “I’ve been. I went five years ago and I loved it.

It was great. I want to get back in there.”

“The organisers are definitely doing something right because there is that interest. I don’t know what it is, but they’re doing something right. The paddock like you say, the buzz around here, the atmosphere, the professionalism of the paddock. It looks proper these days.

On track the actual true harshness of the roads is exactly the same. As far as getting onto the bike and riding the bikes it’s exactly the same.”

The sheer bravery needed to compete at the TT hasn’t changed but perceptions of the riders have changed in recent years. While the TT was a Grand Prix round for decades it was stricken from the calendar in 1977 after leading riders considered it too dangerous. The risk of the island races are clear for all to see and it is something that has left the best riders in the world completely in awe of the likes of McGuinness.

“We get plenty of respect from the top riders. I speak to Valentino now and again and he’s invited me to his Ranch to go riding. I think they all think we’ve a screw loose but so do they!

They’re riding at 220 mile an hour at Mugello or whatever, so they’re as mad!”

Feature

“I think they [motogp riders] all think we’ve a screw loose...but so do they!

They’re riding at 220 mile an hour at Mugello or whatever, so they’re as mad!...Road racing is what we do and it’s the racing that we’ve brought up with.”

john mcguinness & the TT

Feature

“Road racing is what we do and it’s the racing that we’ve brought up with. Lots of riders have been here and done a lap: Capirossi, Hayden, Lorenzo…and they’ve all been blown away by it. There’s no way they can say any different. You see Formula 1 drivers, MotoGP and WorldSBK riders and they’ve been peeking about this year’s TT as well. It’s good and the TT is on fire right now!”

The fires of the TT burned in McGuinness long before he first raced on the island. Despite being a British 250cc champion and a points scorer on a 500cc MotoGP machine he always wanted to be an island racer. It was just a question of circumstances as to when he would make his debut and being able to dovetail a career on the roads with short circuit racing offered him the perfect balance.

“I always wanted to do race on the roads but I didn’t know how to go about it. I was a big TT fan and my hero was Joey Dunlop. I used to come across to the TT from when I was ten years old and came back year after year after year. I always wanted to do it but I also wanted to do both and that is exactly what I did for a long time. I was a good short circuit rider but the TT was always nibbling away at me! Once I got better support from teams and a new bike, the PBM 250cc bike, it was the right time to got involved.”

“I didn’t want to come here and be half committed to it with rubbish bikes. I knew that you needed some good people around when you come in. Also, you need to grow up a little bit and I was 25 years old when I first come here as well so I’d served my time.”

“I did some British racing, some other bits and pieces and stuff. It was the right time to come and do it because I’d matured a bit. These days Hickman is doing both BSB and the roads now. We had Josh Brooks doing both and he’s desperate to get back here but it’s just not really fitting into his diary at the moment because of WorldSBK but he’ll be back. Steve Plater did both and won TT races. I did both and all the top riders could do both but you’re just racing the calendar really and I think that you can see a change now.”

“Hutchy is on fire at the moment and he was second in the British Superstock championship. You can see that in his riding now because he just hit the ground running here.

Michael Dunlop’s done some BSB this year and he’s hit the ground running. I’ve been going all right. I think you need to do some riding because it’s difficult to come here. The bikes are all very powerful and you need to have the understanding of the bikes really before you just get here and start firing around here.”

While out on the bike the enjoyment of racing the TT is clearly immense for all of the leading riders the counter point of that enjoyment is the stress and strain on family and members when their rider is out on the road. For any of the top riders time away from the hustle and bustle of TT life is incredibly difficult to find throughout the fortnight. For McGuinness the PR and media commitments clearly take a toll over the course of the TT and it’s something that he admits takes the enjoyment away for him but it also places a lot of strain on him when he has solitude.

john mcguinness & the TT

Feature

john mcguinness & the TT

“It’s a constant strain and the TT is not fun anymore at times. It’s just agro from start to finish. The only time that you get patience is when you’ve got your visor shutting and I’m going to the start. It’s just tough and now my commitments are hideous because I’m dragged from pillar to post all day long. The schedule is flat out each day and it gets on the top more as the days go along.”

“You get more shorter with people, you get fed up with people. But I suppose when you’re not successful nobody will talk to you anymore! I remember 2010 Hutchy did the five and nobody wants to speak to me. It is difficult to try and balance the family thing and there’s times when you’ve got the missus in your ear.”

“She wants to go for an ice cream or something and I’m getting dragged to an interview.

There are two sides of the coin always but I’ve just got to try and balance, keep all on an uneven keel. And the most important besides racing; I suppose you can go for an ice cream any time but you can’t race bikes all the time.

You’ve just got to treat it like a job now and get stuck into the program but it is very difficult.

I enjoy the time with my kids because this is their time off and they don’t have to be here but they always want to be here.”

The fan in McGuinness still very much wants to be here too and as such he will look to get out trackside and watch some of the action.

Obviously given his time commitments over the course of TT fortnight it’s difficult to get out and take in some of the racing but sidecars offer a brief respite and a chance to enjoy the TT for what it is.

“I just like to get a radio and just watch and see the commitment from some of the guys. I normally try to get out and watch the second sidecar races and the top guys in that class they really don’t get the credit they deserve.

You’ve got guys leading the world championship here. You can see how hard they’re pushing and how much they want to win it and how much it means to them and stuff. It’s pretty awesome. I’m just a fan, really. I ride a bike now and again.”

In a nutshell that sums up McGuinness. A man completely at ease with himself on a bike on the world’s most incredible circuit but also a man more than happy to sit out a hedge and take in the sights and sounds of the Isle of Man TT races.

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Feature

fabio quartararo & mx

By Adam Wheeler Photos by CormacGP

dIrt

fabIo Quartararo laId waste to almost every steppIng-stone Into motogp but now Into hIs second season and wIth hIs second team the frenchman Is gettIng ImpatIent for a maIden vIctory and to boost hIs podIum haul of two trophIes. In between the workIn-progress on the asphalt the youngster was keen to chat about hIs love for the dIrt

dIstractIons?

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abio Quartararo; it’s a name that is hard to miss and one that many of the Frenchman’s rivals in Moto3 were keen to curse such was his prolificacy in the CEV Spanish Championship (the main route – along with Red Bull Rookies Cup – to Grand Prix) in 2013 and 2014; the first year he won the title at just fourteen years of age.

‘20’ had the hype and then had to wait until 2015 for a Grand Prix debut that promised much and delivered in spurts with two podium finishes. A jump to championship-winning team Leopard Racing and from Honda to KTM is taking some time to gel and for the nowseventeen year old to recover from injury and find full form.

Multi-lingual, clean-cut and confident (and still a student last year) Quartararo evidently has much potential to be MotoGP’s poster boy of the next generation; the post-Marquez wave.

“He is the most gifted rider we have had in a long time,” opines Moto Journal MotoGP journalist Thomas Baujard. “Johann [Zarco] is also gifted but he has been putting in a lot of effort and working his ass off to ‘arrive’, a bit like Tito Rabat; same profile of rider. Fabio looks like a young Mickael Pichon when he was a 125 Honda rider! He has good looks, is fresh and is genuinely a nice guy. It is a shame to see him struggle a little at the moment but it part of the top level of the sport. You need to be able to look at yourself and criticise yourself. He needs someone to polish the talent.”

While Quartararo continues to learn about Moto3 and orientate his Grand Prix expectations there is one area in which the athlete is more than eager to offer-up his thoughts and beliefs: motocross. The teenager brightens considerably when we sit down to talk off-road and although he sometimes struggles for the

right expression in English there is an earnest enthusiasm for what his is saying. As the son of a key maker (insert the appropriate metaphor here about Fabio ‘opening’ his potential in Grand Prix) Quartararo has already come a long way and very quickly…but it seems like he’d like to do some of his riding in the air…

Tell me a bit about motocross…

I started when I was twelveThat’s quite late then…

Yes, I was riding on the road and saw people doing motocross and supercross and thought ‘I want to try that’. I then had a Yamaha 85 and preferred it to the road bike! I then picked up an injury to my hand and also my vertebra; the throttle stuck open and I think I went five or six metres further on a jump! Anyway I love motocross and when I cannot ride I am thinking about the next time I can get out. My physical condition is very good and I never have a problem during a [Moto3] race. Spending more and more time on a [motocross] bike gives you more confidence for the road.

Being based a lot in Spain you must be used to hard-pack…

Yeah, I ride in Spain and also in France. I ride at my local club because it is always clean and prepared. I actually like hard-pack and I’ve tried sand. I like the loose soil that you find at a track like Red Sands [Castellon, Spain] and in pre-season I was there for one week and it was a lot of fun. I was there the same time as [Alex] Tonkov and Max Nagl.

250 or 450?

A 250 because of the power. The 450 is too much and I like to get on the throttle. I like jumping too much…this is my problem! In corners I am more or less OK. I am not like Marc [Marquez] but I’m good.

fabio quartararo & mx

Feature Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

I have a good level and I ride for fun with friends but when I’m training then I do motos alone. I need to do more motos because at the moment I have a lot of bicycle and running as part of the training programme. My friends do think I am a bit crazy. I remember after having the big crash I thought ‘shit, I have Grands Prix in two months’. I needed an operation and afterwards a reminder that I need to jump lower and better.

What about Supermoto?

Motocross! But training for Moto3 means a bit of both is good.

Any MXGP or Supercross riders catch you eye?

I love [Red Bull KTM’s] Marvin Musquin; he is one of my favourite riders. He is not a friend and I know him just a little but I think he is a good person. I also love [RCH Suzuki’s] Ken Roczen. I prefer to watch supercross than motocross. I have been trying to visit an AMA supercross for three years. The first year I could not go because of the injury and this year I should have been in the USA for one month but I broke my ankle needing an operation on January 5th. I hope I can make it in 2017! To see a supercross is really a dream of mine. I think staying in the U.S for training for a week is too short, you need to be there a month and I had it all planned with my trainer and manager but it was too dangerous to ride on the bike with the ankle the way it was. I went to the Motocross of Nations in Latvia [2014] but usually the Nations weekend falls with the GP of Aragon and I could not go to Ernee [France last October]. That was a good weekend for France.

If nobody gets injured then I don’t think you can beat that dream team [Romain Febvre, Gautier Paulin, Musquin].

Talking MotoGP you’ve had to get your head around new circumstances here..

Yeah, the change of the team and in the beginning it was a little bit harder to learn the KTM. Step-by-step I am getting there and feeling more comfortable. The bike turns very well on the fast corners but I had a few problems with the chassis on the front end…but it is a good bike. I am sure that Leopard Racing has everything I need.

You have good people behind you naturally…?

I get good advice from my Dad and my manager. I want to be in MotoGP if it is possible… otherwise I will work with my Dad, who makes keys. I’m young and there is still a long way to go. I studied a lot last year to graduate from school and it’s important. Only two years ago the school did not want to teach me because I was away too much. Everyone wants to win the championship here but we have to be realistic.

The first goal is to get podiums and get a good feeling to get more confidence. I want podium consistency and then some victories before thinking about the championship.

What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses?

I am really strong on the brakes but I need to improve my corner exit. This bike is totally different from the Honda…

Ultimately…what do you want?

I want to be a legend! But we have to work so much to be like Marc, Jorge, Vale. There is a long way to go.

Instagram: fabioquartararo20

fabio quartararo & mx

Leopard Racing

FeaTure

the eXpert’s vIew: thomas bauJard “You can compare his career up to the world championship to Ricky Carmichael or Adam Cianciarulo; he was winning everything. But then in Moto3 in Grand Prix he struggled. At first it was hard to understand why. He said the team were putting too much pressure on him and he never had the same bike twice and they wanted him to change his riding style. His team technical director this year says this is true in a sense but the feedback from [Ex GP rider] Dominique Sarron – who I trust as a track observer – the problem also comes from his side I think. He is too stiff on the bike, effecting his corner speed and then when he gets on the power he has less acceleration, less grip and there is more movement on the bike; then he feels the machine it is lacking top speed.”

“He is quite well built for a Moto3 rider and that doesn’t help. According to Sarron he needs a rider coach and he needs it now or he might get ‘lost’. He has talent, that’s for sure but the pool in Moto3 this year is quite deep. It is difficult to make a break and shine in this category right now. It is a pendulum and it is hard to make a difference. It is still possible to correct things but it has to happen quickly before the morale drops.”

fabio quartararo & mx

Products

valentino rossi the game He might have graced the cover of a number of MotoGP software but the launch of ‘Valentino Rossi The Game’ is unbelievably the first dedicated title for the iconic Italian. Available this week for the two major consoles and also PC, the curious factor of ‘46’s platform is the diversity of racing it offers. No doubt based on the same physics and game engine as their MotoGP, MXGP and Seb Loeb Rally engine output, Milestone take Rossi fans into his world by providing the chase to ride in Grand Prix, dirt track at The Ranch (worth a peek just to see the layout and setting of the exclusive and private facility) and then take a seat in a Ford for the Monza Rally course; an indulgence that Valentino enjoys every winter. There are also some novel aspects to coincide with Rossi’s twenty year career including some of his past 125, 250 and 500cc bikes, rivals like Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi and older tracks like Welkom in South Africa and pre-adjustment Assen.

In essence ‘VRTG’ is an expanded and ‘46’ dedicated version of MotoGP 2016 with some tweaks in various departments to catch attention of general motorsports fans – as well as MotoGP followers inclined to wear yellow.

We’ll provide more of a verdict when we can take the game for a spin but the features on offer make it a little more desirable than your straight-up licensed MotoGP fare.

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MontMelo/circuit de catalunya · june 5

Motogp winner: Valentino rossi, yamaha Moto2 winner: johann Zarco, Kalex Moto3 winner: jorge navarro, Honda

going on...

Photos by CormacGP www.cormacgp.com Words by Adam Wheeler

for all the grIppIng actIon In moto3 (take a bow Jorge navarro even If the youngster Is now dealIng wIth a double leg break from a traInIng mIshap), Johann zarco’s eXcellence In moto2 and valentIno rossI’s promInence In motogp (as well as healIng some old wounds wIth marc marQuez) catalunya was a clouded and muted affaIr In the wake of luIs salom’s tragIc accIdent on frIday. the IncIdent led to a revIsed cIrcuIt layout, reflectIon and a good deal of soul-searchIng before the show fInally rolled on. here are some of cormacgp’s eXcellent motogp pIcs and one or two of the other talkIng poInts from round seven of eIghteen

remi de catalunya

5th ¡ Rnd 7 of 18

motogp cat

T

here seemed to be a lot going for the Grand Prix of Catalunya. The weather was stunning on Thursday and the build-up to the race at Montmelo where riders were talking of a physical and difficult prospect on the greasy Catalan asphalt. News around Monster Tech3 dwarfed some of the talk in the paddock with Herve Poncharal lamenting the second departure from his team and KTM completing their second major acquisition without yet turning a wheel in MotoGP. Then Friday came and the shadow fell. Information conveyed by Luis Salom’s SAG Team seems to indicate a loss of grip through a braking bump on the entry to Turn 13 as the reason for his accident and impact with the Moto2 machine once into the air fence. The causes of the accident were examined, short-term solutions suggested and the track altered accordingly.

Understandably there was shock, tension and emotion running high and into a minute’s silence for the Majorcan on Sunday before the races began. We know that Jorge Navarro (who’s season now looks in tatters due to a double leg break while training in Valencia), Johann Zarco and Valentino Rossi walked away from Barcelona as the Grand Prix winners but people’s minds were understandably elsewhere. Much was made of the tentative signs of reconciliation between Rossi and Marc Marquez in second place (but a cynic would have to question whether a handshake and acknowledgment would have come if the positions had been reversed) and at least the gesture could calm the unwelcome reaction from fans experienced at circuits so far this season.

While MotoGP moved positively in one way, the collision between Andrea Iannone (the Italian is building quite a reputation) and an ailing Jorge Lorenzo was a stark reminder of the dangers and animosity still inherent. In terms of the sporting picture then Lorenzo’s second DNF turned momentum in the standings around again, with Marquez 10 points ahead of the Yamaha man and Rossi 22 further back but gaining ground after his Mugello mishap that was pegged as a rev limiter problem rather than a chronic engine problem for the M1.

MotoGP still has time for reflection this week with the first of several small breaks in the calendar popping up (F1 has back-to-back fixtures) and Assen running on a Sunday for the first time meaning yet another weekend hiatus.

motogp cat

Marc Marquez: “I had a couple of scares and started doing the math for the standings in my head, knowing that Jorge Lorenzo was out of the race, and I think that in the end, a podium finish is a very positive result for the Championship. Another thing that’s important for motorcycle racing is that Valentino and I shook hands; it was probably the weekend and the right situation to do so.�

motogp cat

poncharal worrIes For Independent teams’ Future “I have arrived to a moment where I am not a happy man or a team manager…”was the opening offering by Monster Tech3 Yamaha principal Herve Poncharal on Thursday in Catalunya and reacting to the news that Pol Espargaro had turned down the chance for a third year on the black satellite M1. Less than an hour after the Frenchman had held court in the paddock his Catalan rider (reared practically in the shadow of the main stand at Montmelo) would become KTM’s second works rider for their inaugural MotoGP adventure in 2017.

“I’m a bit concerned right now,” Poncharal continued. “I feel that Dorna, IRTA, FIM have been doing a great job and everything is in the right direction to work and push for the one ECU and we clearly have the closest bike for many years to the factory team and the same for Ducati. We have been pushing also to have more factories and now we have four and two are working hard and will be fast very soon… but…for some reason it looks like there is a trend that if you a young, fast rider then there is ‘nothing’ but a factory ride. This is quite difficult for us to swallow and understand. We were ‘B teams’ some years ago but clearly we are now ‘C teams’. I always said we were the ‘junior’ team inside the Yamaha organisation but I don’t think so now. When was the last time a Tech3 rider moved up to the factory team? I think it was 2010 and Ben Spies but he was a factory rider who won the Superbike World Championship and was supposed to move on when there was availability.”

“The ‘B teams’ – or maybe B+ or A- - are the ‘new’ factories. In our sport we find out more and more that the riders are making the difference. You have six or seven guys who can go for podiums and they are only interested in a factory team. This is a tough time and I remember not too long ago we were making eight podiums a year. I think the last time an independent bike won was in 2006 and Toni

Elias in Portugal. If you don’t have the right rider then you cannot get the right package, the right sponsor and less chances to get an exciting rider. You can get a positive circles but also a vicious one. I am a bit worried about the future of independent teams.”

“Our bike is very competitive but for some reason nobody wants it!” the Frenchman semijoked.

“Everybody wants the best bike, the best salary, the best team; it’s normal,” said Aleix Espargaro, a rider who pushed himself into a works Suzuki ride through some impressive outings on a CRT machine. “I was in Aspar which was one of the best private teams and then now in Suzuki and I can tell you that it is completely different. It was fantastic in Aspar but Suzuki is another world so I can understand perfectly that everybody wants to join a factory team. But you know MotoGP is close.

For me it is the closest for the last twenty years. We can see sometimes in FP3 that there is just one second splitting fifteen guys. I think if one young talented rider has a satellite bike then they can join the top six easy. First you need to show that you deserve a factory bike.”

motogp cat

“Alex Rins is a good example,” Poncharal continued. ‘He has been saying clearly that he wants a factory ride, [while] he would be an exciting prospect for us. When he sees someone on the factory Yamaha next year and it is someone who came from Suzuki he might think: ‘is Tech3 the best route to Yamaha?’ It doesn’t look like it at the moment. I even read a comment from his Dad that I thought was quite shocking where he said if they couldn’t find a factory ride then they would do a third year in Moto2. Clearly for young riders – who are the ones we need and we want to make results and for the sponsors - at the moment we (the independent teams) are not too popular.”

When asked for a possible solution Poncharal made reference to the recent rookie rule that was abolished then Marc Marquez shot straight from Moto2 into Repsol Honda at the end of 2012. “A few years ago we had the rookie rule and I think that was quite good because all the exciting young prospects had to at least go through year one in an independent team.

It worked and it allowed us to have Ben. It was stopped because…well…we know why. Marc Marquez was asked to go to the factory team and LCR was the only one at that moment and it was full and Repsol was pushing for Marc in the MotoGP class.”

“What can we do to be more attractive? Until now we have been focusing mostly on the technical level: the latest suspension or electronics,” he added. “The main difference is the guy on the bike and we see that with the way Ducati have spent money; the rider is a key point. And because we cannot attract these guys the future does not look too bright right now. What to do? I don’t know. I tried the maximum to keep Pol and have Jonas alongside him and now it looks as though I will have two rookies.”

The Frenchman was asked if finances made a difference.

“Sure money must be playing a little bit and I am not blaming anybody,” he opined. “When you are in a factory you have the factory team totally behind you, listening to all your requests and tailoring a bike. Also you cannot underestimate the power of a factory to promote the image of a rider. We cannot compete with a factory, maybe we can compete with some of them on the track but I understand how riders want to be ‘factory’. I have a lot of respect for what Michael Bartolemy is doing with Marc VDS but when you see the season they are having then they are lucky to have a passionate man like VDS who is a sponsor but does it because he loves it. If you have a sponsor who is asking for return on the investment then they maybe are not so happy.”

On losing both of his riders in 2016 Poncharal ruminated: “This shows all of us the power of the factory. Nobody has seen the KTM ontrack. Maybe it will be very fast, maybe it will need some time to reach the top level but both of them [Espargaro and Bradley Smith] prefer to go to unknown territory as long as it is a ‘factory’ bike…more than having almost a full factory Yamaha.”

Tech3 have only run Colin Edwards, Ben Spies and Espargaro contracted by Yamaha in recent years. The other riders were signed by the French crew and the lack of elevation from Tech3 to the Movistar Yamaha set-up was further proof of Poncharal’s general assumption.

“We were asked to take Pol because he was considered as a replacement for the factory team so for sure it is not nice for him to hear that [Lin Jarvis commenting that Espargaro had not been consistent enough] because he has been working and waiting for it. To see a younger rider [Maverick Viñales] taking that spot you must be feeling very uncomfortable.”

Poncharal ended his press conference by admitting: “[Our] best candidates are Alex Rins and Johann Zarco and we are talking to both.”

motogp cat

the cost oF motogp Another interesting subject to arise from the parlance in Tech3 was Poncharal’s candid information about the price of racing in MotoGP in the current age. “We know from next year that the package leased from the factories will be 2.2 [million] per rider. It means you need 4.4 and then it depends on how much you pay your rider. We are paying between 4-8 and then forty people on salaries, the hospitality, the travelling. For me a season is costing between 8-9 altogether. This is not the salary of the top guys so we don’t have the same ‘weapons’.”

On the landscape of MotoGP Poncharal insisted there was general cause for encouragement: “I think the [current] rules were the right decision. KTM are joining because of the single ECU and I think Aprilia also. When we were only two factories we were fighting the best-ofthe-rest to be fifth and if something happened then we could get a podium. Now we have a minimum of four factories ahead of us. So we are fighting for ninth. It is nobody’s fault. The decisions were correct and our bike is closer than ever. We have been pushing for the right thing. The championship is more exciting because Ducati can win races and Suzuki are closer and KTM and Aprilia will be fast too… but how many lines are you writing each weekend about LCR, Tech3 and the others?”

“Carmelo [Ezpeleta, Dorna CEO] is always very open to talk and we have a meeting planned with all the other independent team managers in Assen,” he added. “I don’t think there is an easy solution and we don’t want to go back to the situation where someone has different tyres or a engine. We have a unified rule at the moment and this is the best we can have and is the easiest to understand for the fans, the sponsors and all of us. We will exchange our point of views.”

motogp cat

A little focus on the Octo Pramac team who look as though they might keep Scott Redding in their colours for 2017 but the Brit still needs to finesse the best of his Ducati power and tyre performance equation. “I’ve been working on trying to be smoother with the power and use it more,” he said on Thursday prior to the Grand Prix. On the prospects of 2017 the 23 year old said: “Honestly I will probably stay where I am. There are no deals done yet but I haven’t done a bad job from my side. I think we will be looking at another year or two years. It would be nice to get one step more [with the GP16]. They see I have good potential. I don’t want to take a step back and I don’t want to stay where I am. I believe if I stay here then I will get the factory bikes passed down – that’s how it worked this year – and I think it will be a good bike. The guys here [in the team] want good results and want to give you the package to do it.” A season on the current works machine would be desirable, “it nearly took my helmet off when it came past,” Redding smiled when describing Andrea Iannone’s slipstreaming effect at Mugello last time out.

motogp cat

motogp cat

motogp cat

Ninth place for Danilo Petrucci arrived at what the Italian claimed was his “first ‘exam’ of the year.” The twenty-five year old is still regaining ground and form after his badly smashed right hand and had some fascinating (and amusing) comments about his progress. “I am getting better and better although I always finish the race when the others are on the podium! This time I hope it will be when they are taking off the helmet! I just want to be more competitive,” he said on Thursday and before eventually finishing 45 seconds down on Valentino Rossi.

Petrucci had trained in a special and specific way for Catalunya. “We decided to watch one onboard lap and my technician gave me the data of how long I brake. We made circuit training in my gym with all the characteristics of the track and I made many ‘race simulations’ during the week. It was very, very hard. The first corner is similar to Mugello with a lot of braking so we start with a twenty-second run then I push up with my trainer on my back for five seconds.

Then we have three changes of direction so I am holding a cord hard to work on the forearms and so on…I do this for twenty-four ‘laps’. In the end I was really happy with the training. It was a good solution because I still cannot ride my motocross bike.”

Products

answer (almost...)

This weekend at the British Grand Prix, Answer will be showing off 2017 designs for their three signature gear lines: Alpha (premium level), Elite and Syncron. Alpha and Syncron also have ‘Air’ (vented) variations. We’ve been given a sneak preview and having been to the Answer offices in Irvine we know the ’17 range looks damn trick. Already catching our interest is the Alpha Grey/White/Navy and we’ll be showing off the full compliment on the website from the launch on Saturday and then in the next issue of OTOR. Also kept a watch on www.answerracing.com for more…

FeaTure

from mxgp to motogp

wIthIn the two prIstIne Ă–hlIns trucks In the motogp are some famIlIar faces. ben popperwell and mark hardIsty have overseen race and team operatIons In both mXgp and now lendIng theIr eXpertIse on the tarmac. we grabbed some tIme wIth both to ask about the varIatIons between the two worlds and how theIr work dIffers

From terraIn to tarmac

By Adam Wheeler Photos by CormacGP

Feature

T

here might not be too much difference between MotoGP and MXGP these days in terms of travel…but it depends if we’re talking airmiles or suspension. MXGP also packs its bags for eighteen rounds and several continents but the game of balancing and moving a motorcycle is like chalk-andcheese in the disciplines.

While the growing presence of WP Performance Systems (already proven in MXGP and AMA motocross) in MotoGP means a throbbing rivalry with Öhlins in the paddock, the Swedes dominate the grid in the premier class and also have a trick new set-up with two race trucks and a comprehensive team on site at every round and test. “We have seven work bays in each truck for seven technicians each and then a truck-and-parts-man for each one,” describes one of those Truck-and-Parts Managers – essentially MotoGP Logistics Manager - Mark Hardisty, affectionately known as ‘Hot Tub’ and a former truck driver in MXGP for the factory Molson Kawasaki team. “We have a couple of engineers that come from Sweden and relay information from the teams back to base so we can make changes really quickly.

So there are seventeen of us at every race and sometime the bosses. Each technician is responsible for collapsing his bay and storing his tools. Then in terms of logistics it is only about putting the scooters away and folding up the satellite. In motocross it could change a lot.

One weekend you might have four race bikes to pack and practice bikes.”

One of the technicians is Ben Popperwell, a former Chief Mechanic at Steve Dixon’s Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki team, a Grand Prix winner with the likes of Billy Mackenzie and Zach Osborne and now in a new role responsible for the Avintia Ducati Öhlins service. “For me it was a big change,” says Ben, who was in charge of Engine development for Dixon’s British team that involve an advanced and successful project with tuning giants Cosworth.

“I’d never been involved in road racing at all and my background was fifteen years of motocross. It was a big step and a lot to learn and I still do so every day at the track. There is such a huge difference in terms of technology to motocross but I also think that motocross is not too far behind now with the dataloggers and the electronics; it is getting closer than you think to MotoGP.” MotoGP might be entering a suspension tug of war (whose spring is toughest?) but on this occasion we are keen to find out more about the work of Öhlins and the difference and parallels with its ‘dirty’ cousin…

from mxgp to motogp

Explain how you ended up here exactly…

Ben: I was with Steve Dixon for the last fifteen years and for most of that time we were using Öhlins suspension – apart from 2009 when we were using KYB with Enzo and then we went back to Öhlins. From 2010 we built an even closer relationship and they were coming to the races regularly until 2012 when they pulled the race truck but we still supplying product and a technician would come to a few events.

Once Zach [Osborne] left the team then my role changed to Chief Technician and I was building the engines as well as taking care of the suspension. I made a good relationship with Öhlins and was going to Sweden and constructing all the material at the beginning of the year. I was gaining a lot of knowledge and feedback on the stuff. Towards the end of the motocross season I had a call asking if I was interested for MotoGP and then contacted Mats Larsson to find out more about the role.

It just went on from there. Being with Steve was a great education and a great working atmosphere. The team – on the whole – was great and pulled together to get the work done and provide the best bikes for the riders come the weekend.

Hot Tub: This is my seventh year and I was quite happy working with the Molson Kawasaki team but we had a bit of a shock at the end of 2008 when the team stopped. I’ve always wanted to work in this paddock but it can be hard to find an opening. Paul Trevathan, who was an ex-team manager at Molson, was working for Öhlins and kept his ear to the ground for me. I spent a year working for Monster Energy and sent some CVs but of course nobody knew me. Paul then let me know that Öhlins was looking for someone to do truck and parts, I flew up to Sweden and it was a case of ‘when can you start?’ The job has changed and there is a lot more [to do] now compared to when I started. At that time in 2010 there were six of us and one truck and not the entire MotoGP grid. Within two years there were ten technicians then Moto2 then two trucks and now a crew of seventeen. I take care of all the parts and the invoicing and with the new truck we have a new parts system that is all computerised so it is not a case of going through the draws and looking for what you need.

FeaTure

ben...

How was it working with telemetry in MX towards the end of your last season?

We had a lot of data but it was mainly for the engine and we didn’t have anything on the suspension. I got a feel for reading data just from the motor side. Now my only concern is suspension and every time I look at telemetry I spot something different. You can learn a lot. The main difference is that you can adjust the MotoGP bike a lot more whether it is the suspension or chassis or swingarm or pivot positions. There is a lot more you can change to make the bike work better and for the rider to get a better feeling.

Can it be harder to find direction?

Yeah in MotoGP you can change a lot with the chassis and might not necessarily need to change much with the suspension. Depending on the track then changing the length of the swingarm can help the bike a lot as well as

different chassis set-ups. The tyres are also a massive part of it compared to motocross.

What about technical differences in the suspension material?

On a motocross bike you are obviously using a lot more travel and the bumps are getting bigger lap after lap. In MotoGP the track doesn’t change as much but the tyres are a lot more important. Temperatures can change and in places like Qatar it can be quite dirty.

The more laps they put in then the cleaner and better it gets. You always have your base setting from track to track and certain conditions come into play but you don’t get the bumps like you do in motocross. So the base is always going to be in a ball-park and you have the previous year’s data to work from as well.

Is it really that much more advanced here?

It is advanced and compared to motocross, well, it is different in terms of progression and what the system has to deal with. It certainly

doesn’t have all the dirt and mud. We are using the GP14 Ducatis at Avintia but suspension always seems to be progressing and we get updates from time to time. It is a great product to work on…even if changing springs during a practice sessions doesn’t take too much time! Öhlins is prevalent in MotoGP. Why haven’t they succeeded more in motocross?

I’m not really sure but Öhlins has been around in motocross for many years and that’s where it all started. Obviously we [DRT] were on it for a long time and had a lot of success and if you speak to the riders then they were generally quite happy. Max [Anstie] had his best year with it last season and finished third in the world.

From Billy Mackenzie to Zach and almost fifteen years of working with motocross riders and forming relationships that develops to real friendship; I imagine here you have much less contact with the rider. Certainly less than you are used to…

Yeah, that is one of the big things I noticed.

You don’t get that [same] interaction with the rider because you are there just for the suspension. You do interact a little bit but it is not when you are a one-on-one mechanic with them and taking care of the whole bike like in MX. Is there a protocol for getting information?

A chain if you like? Or do you just roll up to Loris Baz say?

In the Avintia Ducati team there are three engineers from Ducati, two taking care of the electronics and a guy who takes care of the whole package. You then have two crew chiefs and when Loris comes in he’ll discuss the setup of the bike with them and we’ll go through the suspension settings as well and talk about where we can improve.

What about the actual dialogue with the riders? I know you are probably still getting used to it but is there almost a different language?

It is a bit tricky at the moment because one side is Spanish and one is Italian and I only

speak English! But I try and pick up a lot from gestures and then I’ll get a description from the riders and also the crew chiefs and we’ll come up with a plan. In terms of language then there are a few different words you won’t hear in motocross like ‘chattering in’ or the rear is ‘pumping’.

If the bike is binned?

After every crash we do a ‘crash check’ with the material. We take the forks, shocks and steering damper apart and make sure nothing is bent or damaged internally. We have two trucks here that are pretty much fully stocked as well as shock dynos to compare settings etc.

What about the paddock and the environment? Do you miss aspects of MX? A little…it was a bit more social in the evenings because many mechanics would stay in the trucks and you’d hang out more. Here it is about getting in-and-out of the track and to the hotels and people tend to keep to themselves or their own groups.

Motocross was intense with Grands Prix and British Championship but I guess this place also has intensity…

Yeah the year started with a lot of overseas travelling but when you are in Europe the schedule is not too bad and when you are not racing then you’re at home and you have a bit of extra time to recover and refresh for the next race.

What about kids or people what want to work in MotoGP? A lot is about contacts but what advice would you give?

Really get your head down and be willing to learn as much as possible. I was lucky to get into Steve’s team and find an environment where I was able to get deep into the engines and do a lot of development and working with Öhlins and learning about suspension. You need to make the most of any opportunities you are given. If you want to learn then you will meet people and it can benefit you in the future.

FeaTure

hot tub...

Who do Öhlins have?

The whole MotoGP grid. There were a few Showa teams a few years ago and I think Karel Abraham used them last year. In Moto2 I think it is 60-70% of the grid and just over 50% in Moto3.

What about WP pushing more?

I think that helped in Moto2 because it used to be all Öhlins but then WP pushed hard. It helps with development and now we are strong again in Moto2 and people are starting to talk about us again. Sometimes you need a bit of a wake-up call.

How do you find working politics in MotoGP? Here there are a lot more channels to go through before changes can be made. There are still proper channels in motocross but things can move quickly. The crew chiefs here have a lot more say about what everybody does. There are chief mechanics in motocross but it is generally harder here in GP. What about logistics here for you and paddock life?

We don’t go direct to Dorna and instead deal with IRTA. It is a good thing it saves everybody running to Dorna every five minutes. IRTA have a concrete paddock plan in place and you can go onto their website and see where we are located at each race and it gives you a rough idea of whether you are going to be in at 3, 4 or 5 o’clock. It is done to the exact time and location. The parking in motocross was determined by the weather but it was pretty organised and your place was your place. There is a lot less stress here in terms of getting in and getting set.

Motocross circuits are very diverse in terms of structure and location. Do you find some of that in MotoGP? Some are a little bit better than others. In Sachsenring you can only park one truck at a time whereas most places are quite wide and you have someone racking up the trucks and come in with a steady flow. There are some places that take a long time because they are tight. As we cover three classes and MotoGP is our main business we tend to be parked near them. A technician working with a Moto3 team can sometimes be a long way away. In Sachsenring there is a split paddock so the guys have to get from one side of the paddock to the other.

Are there some races that are better than others for atmosphere and feeling at the weekend?

Obviously the Spanish and Italian ones are very busy and it can be a mission to get up and down but generally the crowds at each MotoGP are amazing…at Brno for example.

Motocross has a pretty friendly environment and it wasn’t frowned upon if you were talking to someone from another team or brand. For us it is a bit different because Öhlins works for everyone. We have to keep a little bit to ourselves because we have a lot of prototype material around.

What is one of the best things compared to MX? Knowing when you are going to be going home and then coming back out. With Motocross you have the GPs and the British Championship and you can go thirteen or fourteen weeks without a day off. It was alright at the beginning but towards the end it was a bit much.

Right now I know exactly when I have to leave and we have every testing date in the diary. I still miss motocross because you can get more involved. You can get closer to the track and see a lot more. I’m here because I am a fan of MotoGP as well…but it is nice knowing the schedule…and not having to put an awning down!

from mxgp to motogp

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mxgp 2 Three new video games from Milestone mean any summer showers or a desire to escape the football can easily be done. First up the company (who also make the official MotoGP product) have released the second version of MXGP’s licensed game for Playstation, X Box and PC. We’ve yet to play it to really review the upgrades from the first version but ‘MXGP 2’ certainly looks sumptuous and the detailing of the Grand Prix tracks is one of the first impressive features. The game is always going to be hamstrung by the 2015 liveries and roster, especially with 2016 now at the halfway stage but this is a minor turn-off when you actually start getting into the dynamics of the software (at least this was the case with the first MXGP title).

Milestone were present at the MXGP of Europe to explain some of the principal differences: “We have the 2015 roster, customisation and the Motocross of Nations. So you have all the riders in MXGP and MX2 from last season. For customisation the player can change his bike with different parts from exhaust to suspension and any part that has an input on the game.

The player can also customise the apparel. For the Nations we have included 2015 but also past versions like Teutschenthal, Lommel, Kegums, and then [2016 site] Maggiora and [2017] Glen Helen. We have also created four indoor arenas – totally by us – for a new experience and it is more challenging; it is a new race for MXGP.” “There have been some technical improvements that affect the physics of the bike and get closer in a video game to the sensation of riding in the mud. We have created new tracks with more public and a new lining system.”

While the chance to recreate some of Tim Gajser’s hegemony won’t be an option in the premier class (he’s still in MX2) you could always give Ryan Villopoto that illustrious victory in the Lommel sand. The game can be found in shops but also downloaded through the Steam network.

MX

grand priX oF France

st jean d’angely · june 5th · rnd 10 of 18 MXgp winner: romain Febvre, yamaha MX2 winner: Mr j. Herlings, KtM

st Jean d’angely agaIn heaved and swayed as 40,000 spectators created a noIsy and sweaty grand prIX of france and cranked up some sportIng passIon only a week before the start of the uefa european champIonshIp. romaIn febvre satIsfIed the masses by wInnIng hIs duel wIth tIm gaJser whIle Jeffrey herlIngs eXtended hIs mX2 run to ten In a row and eQualled the great Joel smets wIth 57 grand prIX vIctorIes

romain

fever

By Adam Wheeler Photos by Ray Archer

mxgp fra

W

ith just 24 points splitting defending world champion Monster Energy Yamaha’s Romain Febvre and current series leader (and 2015 MX2 number one) Honda Gariboldi’s Tim Gajser then there is substance behind many people’s claims that the 2016 MXGP series is running at an extremely high level. The 24 and 19 year old were better to the tune of thirty seconds in each moto at St Jean D’Angely for a raucous Grand Prix of France that lapped up the first real duel between the protagonists.

While riders like Red Bull KTM’s Tony Cairoli, Rockstar Energy IceOne Husqvarna’s Max Nagl (although the German had horrible starts in France), HRC’s Evgeny Bobryshev and the flowering Gautier Paulin and the improving Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Clement Desalle could well make a play for overall Grand Prix wins, the group are struggling to match the outright pace of the Frenchman and Slovenian.

St Jean was close. A real cat-and-mouse battle, and when Gajser blocked Febvre’s line on the step-up to try and seize the lead entering the final corner of the last lap of the first moto it fired up the world champion. He grabbed the lead and was forceful through backmarkers in the second moto to eventually break Gajser’s tow; his 2-1 earning a second home Grand Prix victory in a row and just one year after his posted his very first MXGP triumph – on home soul at Villars sous Ecot. Two tight chases and small pockets of tension creeping into the dynamic between the Yamaha and Honda athletes (they swapped words on the other’s tactics after qualification at the recent Grand Prix of Germany) and from Febvre’s perspective the only frustration at St Jean was that nobody could join the tussle and try to lessen his rival’s points gain. Another round and two motos in the bag for 2016 and the gap in the championship standings remains the same.

In MX2 Red Bull KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings mixed a high level of maturity to recover from mediocre starts (in the second moto he was blameless after Dylan Ferrandis’ gamesmanship out of the gate that forced the ‘84’ wide…Ferrandis would fall by himself in the first turn) and some powerfully aggressive riding to run to his tenth

win in a row. The Dutchman’s closure of Kemea Yamaha’s Benoit Paturel’s six second lead in just two laps in the first moto was a neat visual summary of the state of MX2 this year where Herlings knows no peer. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Max Anstie kept him slightly more honest in the second moto but Herlings could almost start to look further down the schedule to bag that much-desire third world crown; confirmation of which is bound to prompt his promotion to MXGP for 2017. Allegedly the FIM could be talking to Ferrandis and Herlings before round eleven this weekend as a gentle reminder that any antics out of the start gate can be seen and penalised. Paturel was the unexpected French star at St Jean and Ferrandis won’t be happy to have missed the box in what could be his last home Grand Prix for a while.

Suzuki’s Jeremy Seewer consolidated second place in the MX2 table with resumption of his podium results in third place; the Swiss now has seven trophies from a possible ten.

This weekend the British Grand Prix at Matterley Basin close to Winchester will witness Chad Reed line-up in the FIM World Championship for the first time in fifteen years. If MXGP sees the Australian that travelled to Motocross of Nations outings in Italy 2009 or France 2011 then he could be a welcome force in the leading group. If it is the ‘22’ of the last two editions of the meeting then – according to the present feeling around the demands of MXGP – it is hard to imagine the veteran troubling some of the hard chargers in the top ten. Reed is in Europe for promotional outings and riding a stock YZ450F so there has to be a degree of realism around expectations for his performance but with a bright start he could create a few ripples around the Matterley slopes and maybe even some of that Yamaha assistance that Febvre currently craves.

MXGP fra

Herlings showed even with poor starts and a track tight for overtaking among the pace-setters that he is in a vein of speed and form without rival. The Dutchman’s former team manager Stefan Everts was left without a rider after left wrist injuries to Ben Townley and Kevin Strijbos; apparently only the New Zealander is in contention for a return at Matterley Basin this weekend

MXGP fra

MXGP fra

Form and effort like this from Gajser is part of the reason why the nineteen year old is heading the MXGP standings in his first season

Herlings and Smets compare Grand Prix wins (right) while Benoit Paturel grabs his second consecutive podium result and is already putting his name in the frame for ‘17. Max Anstie (below right) will be hoping more of his second moto classifications (runner-up) appear in the rest of 2016. Jeremy Seewer was reacquainted with the taste of rostrum champagne

MXGP fra

MXGP fra

A frustrating weekend for Ferrandis who simply couldn’t make the starts and had to ride hard to grasp a top five slot. With his 2017 AMA Star Yamaha ride it could be the last outing on French soil for some time for ‘4’

A first moto slip for Livia Lancelot meant she conceded home victory to Nancy Van Der Ven but still fronts the WMX standings. Meanwhile Darian Sanayei (top) becomes the first American winner around MXGP (in EMX250) this year

MXGP fra

clasSification & World championship MXGP Overall result

MX2 Overall result

Riders

Riders

1

Romain Febvre, FRA

Yamaha

1

Jeffrey Herlings, NED

KTM

2 Tim Gajser, SLO

Honda

2 Benoit Paturel, FRA

Yamaha

3

Honda

3

Suzuki

Evgeny Bobryshev, RUS

4 Tony Cairoli, ITA 5

Clement Desalle, BEL

KTM Kawasaki

MXGP standings after 10 of 18 rounds Riders 1

Jeremy Seewer, SUI

4 Pauls Jonass, LAT 5

Dylan Ferrandis, FRA

KTM Kawasaki

MX2 standings after 10 of 18 rounds Points

Riders

Points

Tim Gajser

432

1

Jeffrey Herlings

497

2 Romain Febvre

408

2 Jeremy Seewer

363

3

372

3

332

4 Max Nagl

342

4 Benoit Paturel

293

5

333

5

269

Tony Cairoli Evgeny Bobryshev

Pauls Jonass Aleksandr Tonkov

MX

BLOG

The wrong moves...??

By Adam Wheeler

F

rom my position at the bottom of the hill at St Jean I had a reasonable view of the long drag along the start straight. I could see most of the opening corner and the first couple of decisive turns around a narrow, hard-packed course that has never been too frugal with line choice (although St Jean was probably the best I’d seen it in a long while in terms of the terrain offering variation…even if it was still littered with sharp stones). I remember thinking it was quite odd to see the large ‘4’ on the front of Dylan Ferrandis’ KX250F glide so far wide exiting the gate of the second MX2 moto and almost come across to the pitlane wall. It seemed strange to me at the time; like Ferrandis had somehow lost control. It was only after the moto when there were rumours of the FIM wanting to talk to the Frenchman to preface this week’s British Grand Prix and include Jeffrey Herlings in a little ‘calm down’ discussion did the bizarre trajectory from the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider become clear.

Herlings – who publicly brushed aside the incident of Ferrandis coming across his line and almost putting the Dutchman into the pitlane (according to several reliable accounts) – was privately fuming and it would seem for good reason. His name had been dragged into the mire when Ferrandis crashed entering the turn and there were suggestions of possible payback.

Photos and footage would reveal that Ferrandis fell alone.

Herlings had already called-out Ferrandis at the German Grand Prix last month for an eagerness to impede his path away from the startline that made for an awkward and uncomfortable post race press conference. He chose not to level another criticism at his outgoing rival in France

and perhaps one of the only athletes in MX2 who can give ‘84’ a run for his money. Indeed Ferrandis is the sole rider to defeat Herlings from twenty motos this season…even if the latter was nursing a painful ankle and recovering from illness that weekend in Italy.

Are Dylan’s actions inappropriate or uncalledfor? Cutting a line without contact is a hard way to race but should it be punishable? Ferrandis – who is out of the title hunt, some 268 points adrift of Herlings’ superior total – is rightly probing a sensitive part of Herlings otherwise oak-like veneer. He’s winding-up and testing his peer. He is also flirting with danger in one of the busiest and most decisive and aggressive parts of the moto and it is this aspect that is provoking Herlings ire who has no problem in reminding any observers of his wince-inducing injuries of the past two years. He even cites the pain and bad memories of these episodes as reasons why he won’t be drawn into bouts of bar-banging.

Herlings has sampled the bitterest taste of the repercussions of contact. I don’t think Ferrandis can be blamed for wanting to somehow stop the Herlings trawl in MX2 but he must also know that all the cameras and eyes on the start gate will not hide a lack of subtlety. The AMA-bound racer can be a wonderful rider and motocrosser and one that is stubbornly his own character and resolute with his individual views. Dylan may not care too much about a popularity show but I’m also sure he won’t like to leave Europe pegged as ‘dirty’.

Herlings has been in this boat before of course.

It was with another Kawasaki rider in 2012 -Tommy Searle - where games of this ilk were played out as they duked for the MX2 crown.

It was the last time that Herlings was properly

confronted on a weekly basis. He’s pretty much had MX2 in his palm since. Searle – five years Herlings senior – eventually called a halt to the horsing around that summer and Herlings was a far more wild and immature prospect back then.

2013, 2014, 2015 and now 2016 and I think the ripe target on Jeffrey’s back is as inviting and bright as it’s ever been. Much was made of Ferrandis’ termination of Herlings’ almost-impossible bid for the perfect season, and to knock the KTM man off the top step of the overall podium has to be the next goal for anybody else in the class who originally had ambitions of championship success but realistically had to alter their perspectives somewhat. Even now it is easy to recall Josh Coppins’ name as the only rider that stopped Stefan Everts from sweeping all-andsundry in his farewell campaign in 2006. The New Zealander won the second moto in Desertmartin, Northern Ireland to earn a small footnote among the many chronicles of this sport.

Hazardous Ferrandis’ tactics may be but I think they are also understandable. The strategy emerges from the depths of a very competitive collective of riders who are being soundly beaten each week. Only Max Anstie boasts GP winning experience in the rest of the MX2 pack but the majority of these athletes have won plenty at various levels on the way up and they know a hiding when they see one.

TesT

the multIstrada 1200 was a game changer when It arrIved sIX years ago to begIn a new, more versatIle ducatI famIly. sInce then It has sold In substantIal numbers, Introduced technology IncludIng the semI-actIve skyhook suspensIon that debuted In 2013, and added to the fIrm’s competItIon success wIth a strIng of wIns In the pIkes peak hIll-clImb In colorado. the new ‘enduro’ versIon means even more versatIlIty. or does It? roland brown gIves hIs verdIct

traIlIng

By Roland Brown, Photos by Milagro

ducati multistrada 1200 enduro

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T

he Multi has sparked a sport adventure sub-division that now includes BMW’s S1000XR and will grow further before long.

But one thing the Multi has never done – understandably, given that Multistrada means “Many roads” – is encourage serious off-road use. Although one of the initial Multi’s four riding modes was named Enduro, its cast, 17inch front wheel and minimal crash protection meant that venturing onto anything more demanding than a smooth dirt track was asking for trouble.

All that changes with the launch of the Multistrada 1200 Enduro. This is not just another accessorised or subtly modified variant like the previous Pikes Peak or Granturismo models.

The Enduro is a comprehensively redesigned bike, retaining the 1198cc V-twin engine and tubular steel frame of last year’s updated Multistrada 1200 but differing in almost every other respect, from its cycle parts and swingarm to its riding position, fuel tank and crash protection.

To take just those last three examples, the handlebars are 50mm higher for easier use when standing, which is done on heavy-duty footrests that come with crash-resistant and easily adjustable brake and gear levers, plus quickly removable rubber inserts. The plastic fuel tank holds a massive 30 litres and has protective aluminium plates at each side. And the aluminium bash-plate is larger, thicker and bolted to the frame rather than the engine.

All that strengthening adds to the weight, bringing the Enduro to a substantial 254kg with fuel. Despite that it works remarkably well off-road, as a morning’s ride in Sardinia confirmed. As with the other Multi models there are four riding modes, all giving different engine maps and also dedicated settings for suspension, traction control, wheelie control and ABS.

The dohc, eight-valve engine is unchanged from the Testastretta unit introduced a year ago, apart from a shorter first gear. (Overall gearing is also three teeth lower.) That means the Enduro benefits from the Desmo Variable Timing technology that gives very smooth low-rev delivery, allowing the bike to chug forward sweetly from below 2000rpm. Throttle response was superbly crisp, and the resultant acceleration immense when the often steep, bumpy dirt track gave room to use it, with the electronics allowing a modest amount of reartyre sliding in complete control.

Ducati’s focus on electronics was also evident in the Bosch-developed ABS system, which worked reliably even on downhill dirt sections, in conjunction with Pirelli’s knobbly Scorpion Rally tyres. The semi-active Skyhook suspension was equally impressive. With 200mm of well-controlled travel (30mm more than the other Multis) the Enduro coped with everything from ruts to occasional boulders.

ducati multistrada 1200 enduro

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ducati multistrada 1200 enduro

“all-terrain ability and toughness add a new dimension, finally justifying Ducati’s old advertising line about the Multistrada being four bikes in one...�

The Enduro’s new-found toughness was invaluable too. The wire wheels and bash-plate prevented damage on the often bumpy, boulderstrewn route. One rider crashed at low speed and continued with minimal damage except to the hand-guards, which give useful protection but hold the easily broken indicators.

On longer trips an Enduro rider would benefit from that big fuel tank, which increases range to 250 miles or more. The screen is easily adjusted on the move in familiar Multistrada style, and on its highest setting gave a turbulence-free ride although I’m very tall.

Less impressively the hand-grips don’t give full wind protection, heated grips aren’t provided as standard, and the two-part seat is not adjustable for height. But it seemed comfortable, and at 870mm is only moderately tall for a big adventure bike.

Brembo’s Monobloc front brake calipers incorporate Bosch’s ingenious cornering ABS system, and were superbly powerful in normal use. The list of standard features also includes cornering headlights, keyless ignition, Bluetooth integration, an under-seat USB socket and a centre-stand.

The afternoon’s road ride was on Multistradas fitted with accessory Touratech aluminium panniers, and also the smoother Scorpion Trail II tyres that the Enduro wears as standard.

What hadn’t changed was the flexible power delivery of a bike that felt even more responsive than previous Multis due to its lower gearing, yet was still relaxed at higher cruising speeds.

With an unchanged 160bhp on tap its straightline performance was immense, especially in Sport mode which gave a notably sharper response than Touring. Roadgoing chassis performance was equally good. With that generous travel the ride was plush, whether the Ducati was floating over village speed-humps in Urban mode or flattening smaller bumps on its firmest setting in Sport.

The Enduro is expensive (at close to £17,000 in the UK) even before you add accessories.

But its all-terrain ability and toughness add a new dimension, finally justifying Ducati’s old advertising line about the Multistrada being four bikes in one. In fact, such is the Enduro’s off-road ability that the familiar “Many roads” name is selling it short. When the Tarmac ends, this Multi just gets better and better.

ducati multistrada 1200 enduro

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ducati - 90th anniversarY Ducati – 90th Anniversary will not win any prizes for most inspiring game moniker but this jaunt with almost forty of the brand’s past motorcycles is a curious ‘must’ for fans of the ‘red’. Released to celebrate said birthday celebration the key selling point here is almost a Gran Turismoesque chance to sample some historic and important machines from Ducati’s story (with the front-end and menu system syncing nicely with Ducati Museum presentation in the Borgo Panigale factory) that Milestone claim ‘includes 39 motorcycles for different levels of performance and grouped in different eras, from the 50s to today, including the bikes of riders who have written the history of the Italian brand, 8 faithfully reproduced official circuits and 5 road tracks where the gamers will be able to test their driving skills.’

Once again PlayStation, X Box and PC are catered for.

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