On-Track Off-Road issue 178

MX

inches in it...

Still less than 30 points separate the title protagonists in MX2 and with 200 left to race for, but after his ninth GP win Jorge Prado must be able to taste the potential immortality of being Spain’s first MX world champion Photo by Ray Archer

MotoGP

path clearing The Austrian Grand Prix might already be the highlight of a stellar MotoGP season so far with a finale that demands repeat viewing. Ducati and Lorenzo seem to be far from done as the races click down to the end of their two year adventure Photo by CormacGP/Polarity Photo

AMA-MX

all done

AMA & MXGP and the first title of the four principal categories in motocross has fallen with Aaron Plessinger capping a dominant 250MX term with the YZ250F. The new #1 has a Team USA maiden slot to boot Photo by Monster Energy/R.Swanberg

mxgp

grand prix of switzerland

frauenfeld-gachnang · august 19th · Rnd 16 of 20 MXGP winner: Jeffrey Herlings, KTM MX2 winner: Jorge Prado, KTM

mxgp switzerland

sight of the end?

Blog by Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer

mxgp switzerland

mxgp switzerland

mxgp switzerland

MXGP BLOG

Finding the right party...

One of the most talented and stylish Grand Prix riders of the modern era is coming dangerously close of missing his chance to earn the label ‘World Champion’.

No new story, you could say. After all, only one racer a year can earn the number one spot and an MXGP athlete’s peak window for fitness, age and opportunity could be said to hover between 5-7 seasons. A Championship win is also down to more than just talent, effort, desire and a capable motorcycle. Don’t underestimate how much fortune, resilience and teamwork have a role to play. Good luck particularly, and the desperate hope that when an injury inevitably comes in a twenty Grand Prix term that it’s not too severe or detrimental to the points tally.

Some riders – especially kids – have this misconception that dedication and some talent is all you need but the likelihood of reaching the pinnacle of sport is not solely down to the individual.

But what about all the multiple winners then? The Carmichaels and Cairolis of the world?

They could be said to exist in the slither of a minority destined for greatness (not every footballer can be a Messi) or have somehow perfected a strand of technique that has changed the parameters of elite performance (like Marc Marquez has done in MotoGP). A more simple explanation is to look around them.

It’s not spoken or written about much but the value of a steadying and effective team is almost as essential as the skills to shave a second away from a lap-time.

Back to our star who could miss his boat. Talking with Gautier Paulin at the recent Grand Prix of Belgium it was clear that the enigmatic Frenchman had been thinking about his place in MXGP and where he could possibly go next at the age of 28 and with six-and-a-half seasons in the premier class. Rumours swirl that he is going to leave the Rockstar Energy IceOne Husqvarna set-up - his fourth factory team since 2011 – and if not

bound for the well-supported Wilvo Yamaha satellite crew could depart for AMA competition or even to the reaches of the Australian national series.

One comment he made was especially telling. “Riders like Tony and Jeffrey [Herlings] are ‘free’ and they can ride on, be strong and go forever. To live with them you need to be 100% in all areas. Right now I’m at 99.”

Make no mistake: Paulin is brilliant. That BMX background means he can handle a dirtbike like few others and has been viewed (and employed) as the ‘next champion’ for the better part of half a decade. He is also a fine ambassador for the sport and clearly has a passion for it.

His record at the Motocross of Nations is unmatchable. There might have been some recent controversy with the omission of Marvin Musquin from the defending champions’ 2018 selected trio but Paulin has delivered over and over on the

By Adam Wheeler

biggest stage for MX. Despite his recent slump of results in MXGP - which he has put down to indecision over his future - he has earned that RedBud saddle for his commitment to the cause and pedigree.

(My view on the Musquin debacle? There are always two sides to a story, and while it might seem like madness to leave the Red Bull KTM rider in the ‘replacement’ position nobody really knows the extent of his conduct towards the French Federation. It was a ballsy move by the FFM, certainly in PR terms, but Ferrandis was the clear MX2 pick, Paulin is the de facto leader and Romain Febvre is undefeated in his country’s colours).

So what’s the issue with Gautier? Injury has played a part in the timing of his career, but this element of motocross has to be accounted for. Jeffrey Herlings should be a five-times world champion by the age of 23 rather than having just three titles.

Perhaps we have to question his decision-making and his career choices. On paper the moves look very sound: opts to leave Monster Energy Yamaha after a victorious MXGP wildcard debut at the end of 2011 to be the No.1 at Monster Energy Kawasaki, three seasons later he then signs a contract with HRC at the height of its resources and powers for 2015-2016, finally he finds solace in the best-backed privately-owned team in the paddock at IceOne. In terms of material, support and finances every contract seems to be a good one. He also won grands prix with every brand and came closer to the title in 2012 (3rd) and 2015 (2nd). But was his path the right one? Obviously not.

In contrary to Cairoli (with his De Carli crew since 2004 and to the point where Claudio’s son Davide has grown from a kid on a pitbike in the paddock to an astute Assistant Team Manager and leading influence on Jorge Prado), Herlings (with the same Red Bull KTM crew since his debut in 2010 and in GP as a

fifteen year old) and the next most successful racer in MXGP, Clement Desalle (with Suzuki from 2010-2015 and now Kawasaki for three years), Paulin simply hasn’t found his ‘family’.

This is what he hints towards by his ‘100%’ remark and there is a degree of envy that his rivals have that crucial factor - that enhances sporting performance - in their corner.

Paulin has apparently taken every personal measure to remain at the top, even investing in a training stint with famed specialist Aldon Baker to make sure he had swiped each option. He is also smart. He would have tried to cultivate that team ambience in each awning, and maybe one of his biggest regrets will be leaving Kawasaki and a mainly-French squad that was constructed around him for the supposed brighter prospects of HRC. Although it is hard not to fault him for being lured by the red power (and the money that undoubtedly went with it) as Honda chased a champion.

Gautier has a lot of friends and contacts in the sport (sponsors

MXGP BLOG

100% have back him since the company’s inception) but can frequently be found with wife Clementine, and misses the ambience and togetherness that is evident around Cairoli, Herlings, Desalle.

There is no cookie-cutter way to make it in racing but the examples of athletes finding and sticking with the right team to excel are plentiful: Marquez, Rossi, Everts, Dungey, Villopoto and the current athletes mentioned in this text. Seventeen year old Prado is just discovering the fruits of this benefit. He has more podium finishes in the 2018 MX2 series than anyone and could be Spain’s first ever world champion in the principal FIM Motocross World Championships.

Gautier still has a window. Doors are closed (not bolted though) with several manufacturers (Suzuki would have been his last great possibility) and he is in danger of being looked at as ‘the nearly man’ but people could be wiser to what GP21 requires to get on the Herlings-Cairoli level.

I would proffer that Max Anstie is in a similar position: a remarkable motorcyclist that a number of teams and people still haven’t been able to fully unlock.

After Paulin’s experiences in shifting around the paddock what he needs now is not the best suspension, tyres, electronics or contract but the small group that will look him in the eye and go the entire distance in terms of energy, emotion and investment in the goal. KTM’s MotoGP rider Bradley Smith told me recently that “belief’ is everything in racing”. It sounds obvious but this is maybe underrated as a factor among a collective of people who are looking to rule. Youngsters take note.

mxgp switzerland

GRIP IT AND RIP IT NO SHORTCUTS

You know that it’s more than an adrenaline fix – it’s freedom. It’s about being unhindered and uninhibited.

It’s about feeding your need for speed. So go ahead – gear up and get out there.

SCOTT-SPORTS.COM © SCOTT SPORTS SA 2018.19 | photo: Juan Pablo Acevedo

450 PODIUM

mxgp switzerland

mxgp switzerland

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Feature

a new (honda) hope

By Adam Wheeler Photos by Ray Archer

Feature

calvin vlaanderen

There are three principle reasons why HRC’s Calvin Vlaanderen is worth reading about. One: the new MX2 star’s victory at the Grand Prix of Indonesia marked the first victory by South African in the FIM Motocross World Championship for exactly ten years. two: the 22 year old is currently the only rider from both classes to rank as a ‘firsttime’ winner in 2018. Three: now free of injury hassles the #10 is really showing off his abilities and is pushing out and over the radar.

“I don’t think anyone expected the results he’s made this season actually,” opines HRC Team Manager Marcus Pereira de Freitas. “When we took him last year I think there might have been a few who wondered ‘who is Calvin?’ and ‘Why are you taking him?’ but he’s really shown us what he can do.”

A few more facts: Vlaanderen stands on the edge of the battle for an MX2 top three finish (Thomas Kjer Olsen and Ben Watson stand in his way as well as an in-form Thomas Covington), he steers the sole CRF250R troubling the 250 front-runners and it looks like Honda have stumbled upon another MX2 ‘find’ after Tim Gajser delivered a slightly surprising title in 2015, and he is also at the centre of a ‘passport’ storm having been picked to represent Team Holland at the Motocross of Nations by virtue of his residency in the country and his actual passport status.

Aside from the milestone, the extra attention for HRC when CV was originally slated to be in MXGP from the off in 2018 and the online discussions over his nationality and allegiances; Vlaanderen has blossomed into one of Grand Prix’s most improved athletes. This is also quite an achievement considering Jorge Prado purple patch, Ben Watson’s graduation and Jago Geerts’ emergence. MX2 has been quite a melting pot in 2018 and while the Red Bull KTM duel in MXGP has been (thankfully) close and riveting the 250 category has provided more of a mix of names and characters.

Vlaanderen – tall, softly spoken it seems, engaging and of poster-boy looks in the flesh – is no Grand Prix newbie. He’s been toiling for the better part of four years and it was the union of the now defunct HSF Logistics team with Honda in a deal that saw the Cape Town-born athlete and Brian Bogers

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transfer to red alongside Gajser that he really had a platform to spring from.

“At the beginning we were just learning from him and wondered what he would be like coming from a private team into a factory one, but he’s really professional and good to work with because he really knows what he wants from the bike,” De Freitas claims. “It is not difficult to find the setting for him actually.”

Calvin has added some welcome scarlet to the orange and white at the peak of MX2 and where Yamaha blue have been mostly the lone chargers for the Japanese sect.

While five podiums and two moto triumphs have been bagged pre-Switzerland, the

rider is quick but still has a tendency to magically appear in the top ten after the first laps of a race and then have to work extra hard to gain ground. Vlaanderen is growing figuratively and has enjoyed a spurt this campaign but there is still some way to go. “He has a very consistent approach to his riding and can be the same speed all race long,” assess his team boss “but he could do with a bit more ‘sprint’ capability and he could work on his starts because it makes a race so much tougher when you always have to come through the pack…but these aspects have been coming.”

calvin vlaanderen

You’ve shone occasionally in the last couple of years in MX2 but never had that front-running regularity. Was it a matter of just getting on a decent bike?

I think it is more than that. They call it ‘the package’ and part of that is the confidence I’ve been building each race since the start of the season. I think my confidence now is where it should be.

In 2014 I felt like I had one of my best seasons so far but then since 2015 I’ve been injured each year. This year I felt I was quite consistent and I said to myself “don’t do anything stupid, just build it up, get confidence”. I think this approach has been the biggest factor instead of just having a different bike or team. Everything around me has been clicking.

But you struggled as well with illness this year…

Yes, I had a fever after Valkenswaard [Grand Prix of Europe, round two]. It was so cold there and I had this virus in my system for about a month. I was ‘man down!’ for about a week after that GP. It was terrible and it puts you back in terms of training and all the work you had done in pre-season.

Your first Grand Prix win ten rounds later was obviously a very significant moment. It even seemed like some relief was mixed with elation. What did that really feel like?

Unbelievable. I cannot describe the emotions I had, even now. When I think about it I still get Goosebumps. It is amazing really. You work your whole life and I remember saying to my parents when I was a kid “I want to win

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calvin vlaanderen

a GP…” and you say it to people and to yourself but perhaps you don’t think you’ll ever get that far. So when you do it for the first time then it is crazy.

Ben Watson said he had dreams of just making a Grand Prix podiumYeah, sure!

I guess people assume when you reach this level then you only ever harbour ambitions of being world champion but then maybe there are different levels of personal, lifelong goals…

Does that increase the anxiety of a grand prix though?

I put a lot of pressure on myself at Loket [Czech Republic, round thirteen] because I knew I could do well there. Somewhere like Lommel – I’m not the best sand rider this season for a few reasons – so I just said to the team that the result we have will just be the best I can do in the motos.

You know your way around Grand Prix tracks but dealing with expectation and new pressures must be a fresh experience…

“I wish I had come to europe earlier because the experience you get here is invaluable. In South Africa I was winning pretty much everything and not getting any better. Here you have such good competition...it feels like an even bigger achievement to do well.”

Exactly. Ben and I are actually quite good friends and I’m surprised he has only been on the podium once this season because he deserves more. It’s the same for me.

We work hard and every podium that I get is such a good feeling. The first one is obviously the best – like the first win is special – and it is true that your mindset changes when you next go to a race. You know you can do it. I think now ‘I want to win; I don’t just want the podium’ and I know it can be done. It’s a totally different mindset compared to coming into the season where you are thinking ‘OK, top tens, top fives…’ I was second overall in the Czech Republic and I wasn’t that happy.

True. I feel the expectation from the team now because they have seen me win and take podiums and that’s the benchmark.

It’s something different. There was no pressure at the beginning of the season – and there still isn’t really any strong pressure now – but I know they expect me to be up there. It is also pressure I put on myself.

You said it is still hard to talk about the emotions of winning but what goes through your head when you are on the last lap and so close to the goal?

I don’t think when I am racing. I just go into ‘automatic’. It is like walking from this chair to the wall. I don’t even overthink my lines or anything like that. Someone will say to me afterwards “that pass was

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great” and I’ll struggle to remember it.

You just get into a zone. But in Indonesia, when they showed the 2 lap board, then it was the start of the longest two laps ever. You try to stay calm and not let your imagination wander but you do. You cannot help but think ‘what shall I do across the finish line? Or when I’m going past the pit lane?’ Those things pop up and make it harder to focus.

What if you hit a kicker or something unexpected?

It’s not too bad. You are more fatigued in the last five minutes whereas in the first five your body it still quite fit to control it. So it can be harder to control the bike.

That’s the only thing so you need to keep sharp to respond to that.

You’ve been on the fringes of the MX2 spotlight for a couple of seasons now.

People might be wondering ‘where did this guy come from?’ especially the ‘South African living in Europe angle’…

Sure. People have started to know more about me this season thanks to the results. Indonesia helped a lot in terms of exposure. I came over to Europe in 2012 for the first time and I’d planned to race two rounds of the Dutch Championship and go home. I’d only packed my bag for

two weeks. I won both of those rounds and the German team I was with asked me to ride the rest of the European season so I thought ‘I’m doing it!” My Dad flew home and I stayed with the teamHow old were you?

Fifteen.

It must have been an eye-opener…

Everything was new! I was young and just going with the flow and just trying to do my best. I lived in Germany for about 2-3 years with the same team – they were really good to me – and then I got picked up by HSF at the end of 2014. My family still live in Cape Town and I don’t really see them. Flights are expensive!

When the season is done I normally head back for a holiday. My home now is Holland. I bought a house a few months ago and recently moved into it.

Being detached from home must intensify the focus to achieve and get things done but it must also be harder when things are not going so well…

Absolutely. I said to the Mc Lellan family – the kid who just won the European Championship – that the best thing they could do was to get him to Europe as quick as possible. I wish I had come earlier because the experience you get here is invaluable. In South Africa I was winning pretty much everything and not getting any better. Here you have such good competition. For South Africans or Australians or other nationalities that are far from Europe then it feels like an even bigger achievement when we do well.

When Tyla [Rattray, 2008 MX2 Champ] won his world title then that was a really big thing in South Africa and it gave belief to kids like me that we could do it as well.

calvin vlaanderen xxxxxxxx: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Your win was the first for South Africa since Rattray in ‘08. That must help the victory resonate a bit more…

Sure. Many South Africans come over and try here but they don’t make it and I’m sure many back home don’t realise how tough it is to live and race here. The lifestyle is completely different. When

I go back home I never ride at local tracks or ones near Cape Town because the stopwatches will be out and I’ll hear things like ‘Oh, we’re only a few seconds slower than Calvin, we can also race GPs and be on the podium’. There is a lot of talk like that and I just say to them “come over and try a few races and see for yourself how tough it is”.

Feature Grant Langston, Tyla, Gareth Swanepoel even Greg Albertyn all moved onto the US and enjoyed success there. Do you have the same goals or is it all about the World Championship?

It’s a dream to race in the U.S. like the others but it is hard to say because I’m still focussed on what I am doing here and I’m going year-by-year. I’d like to go one year.

It would be a new challenge. The same as coming to Europe to do well and then jumping up to the 450. Now I’m kinda seen as an ‘MX2 guy’ but it’s been a few years and I’m a bit ‘over’ the 250. It is not boring…but you are doing the same thing all the time. It would be cool to do something new.

Is it a co-incidence that South Africans seem to have some authority when it comes to physical prep and conditioning?

Baker, Swanepoel, Rattray, Johnny Louch… does it tie into that determination of succeeding away from home?

I’m not sure but I tend to find that South African trainers are much further ahead of European guys when it comes to information and things like that. I’ve worked with a few in Europe and also with a guy called John Wakefield in South Africa for about fourfive years. I switched to a European trainer at one point but felt that I didn’t have any trust in the programme. It wasn’t what I needed. Now I’m back working with John and we talk over Facetime and he checks my files and stuff. I think the information and technology they have counts for more.

I don’t know why! I still talk to Swanie quite a bit and he helps me now and again with training and it’s cool to have that communication with someone in the U.S. We are doing a completely different series but it is still the same thing and we are racing every weekend. It is good to know what those guys are doing compared to what I’m doing.

There has not only been hype around your results but also the Dutch-South African issue and the Motocross of Nations selection. Are you tried of the debate yet?

Sick and tired of it. Honestly, I’m so ‘over’ it. I have fans in South Africa who say ‘you must ride with the South African flag’ and then Dutch fans saying ‘you should choose’. I am South African and I cannot change that. I was born and raised there but I live in Holland, I have a Dutch passport and my life is there: I am ‘half-Dutch’. It is a complicated thing and I’m tired of all the talking.

calvin vlaanderen

If you look at Puerto Rico and American participation then perhaps it is not such a black and white subject. Or maybe for some people it is…

Maybe it is…but I am racing the Nations for Holland and I’m really excited by that. To be honest with you it would be a different feeling doing it for South Africa because I would be racing for my home country but I’m proud to be representing Holland and I will give my best for the team to get them on the podium.

Lastly your work with Honda. It was a big change coming from KTM. How did you find that new 250? And what about these bikes generally because it seems there are more and more tall guys in the class – you, Watson, Olsen – are these bikes hauling ass more than ever?

I still think they are improving them all the time and I feel the level of MX2 is really high. I believe the bikes are all quite similar and don’t stop in development. Look five years in the past and the 250s are not the same as they are now. To be honest when I signed my contract with Honda they were pushing for me to go on the 450 and it was a 450 deal. I really wasn’t happy with that because I had two more years in MX2. I pleaded with them to race MX2 but the Japanese wanted three MXGP riders. I finally got them to give me a 250 and in the beginning I was a bit scared because I thought the power of the bike might not be enough

to compete against the other brands but they have surprised me. I pushed them quite hard to get the bike at a similar level and it’s running well. I’m happy with the power and I cannot complain. I still have one more year in MX2. The goal is to do well next year because I’m ‘doing it’ now but I’m not really in the championship hunt.

That’s the next thing to work towards.

Vlaanderen has helped Honda’s MX2 profile at a time when its questionable how much of a priority the competition actually holds for the Japanese giant. While the CRF450R can be the focus of prototype ideas for the marque’s flagship dirtbike model, the 250 still requires some sharp engineering to squeeze every available horse out of the engine. “You can never stop [development] with a 250 because MX2 is a class where you need good power and handling,” confirms De Freitas. “We’ve worked a lot on that bike. We had our first test with Calvin in November last year and have done a lot since and I honestly think we have been improving each time. I think the combination of the team’s work, the potential of the bike and what Calvin can do as a rider have produced the results.”

What next? There is already talk that Vlaanderen’s time in MX2 is on a much shorter clock.

He should have a final attempt at the class in 2019 before he ages-out but he might already be next to Gajser by then, particularly if Brian Bogers recovery from a complicated broken foot doesn’t quite go to plan (and Honda look unlikely to sign anybody else). “My personal preference is that he does one more year on a 250,” says De Freitas, eying the wholly realistic possibility that Vlaanderen could excel even further (and with riders like Pauls Jonass and Thomas Covington exiting the 2019 picture). “We have to see what HRC ultimately think but he’s fighting for podiums in MX2 and with a couple of good riders going out of the class next year it will be good for him to stay. In my opinion he could go for the title.”

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answer racing 2019 time for Answer and we’ve chosen to highlight two colourways of the Trinity collection here; the top of the range offering from the Americans. Answer provide Trinity, then mid-level with Elite and entry level with Syncron. Trinity’s benefits include ‘articulated panels in flex zones, ergonomic shaped front panel minimizes bulk while in the riding position, spandex stretch dart on sleeve opening provides a comfortable, tailored fit, fade-resistant, panels and graphics and laser cut ventilation holes. The pants are all about quality and performance so that means hefty 320 denier and four-way stretch material (900 in the seat area), smaller leather patches to make the most of the Aramid material, an internal and adjustable waist fitting system and double/triple stitching as well as other features. The evolution of Trinity has arrived to the point where Answer claim they have ‘…truly met the initial directive to build the lightest, most comfortable and highest performance kit on the market.’ A set will cost around 250 euros.

The Elite range has been re-sculpted to improve fit and boosted with new materials while the Syncron (shown with the cool wavy ‘Flow’ pattern here) has been redeveloped and comes in junior sizes. Watch out for the new glove range as well, which has also received a significant upgrade. Answer are one of the major players in the riding gear market without getting over-confident with their development (that also leads to largely unaffordable garments).

Where they have traditionally been very sharp is with their look and styling and this remains true for 2019. The brand is also wise to offer a large portfolio of products, even down to casualwear pieces and items such as rucksacks and knee brace sock tubes.

For Europeans the firm recently inked a distribution deal with Bihr and this means the catalogue should be easier to obtain. Click on any image to go direct to the site and have a browse.

Products

troy lee designs Troy Lee Designs have, unsurprisingly, fixed a cool collection around their KTM and Honda race team collaborations. The KTM look (revolving around the official 250SX & 250MX squad) looks a little busy in terms of design but certainly fills that ‘replica’ look and leaves no observer in doubt at to the race nature of the garments.

TLD have a full range of items from t-shirts, tops, caps, umbrellas, shorts, gloves and hats which can easily be found on the website. The quality of the products is strong and comes in a more subtle black and grey shade. The full catalogue can be found by clicking on any of the images and prices are also viewable.

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On the best watch Training, safety, facilities and doping in motorcycle racing with FIM International Medical Commission Director Dave McManus

By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer

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I

t is an odd – and thankfully infrequent – occurrence when you discover class and efficiency from the most extreme or tragic circumstances. Late July 2017 and at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic, MXGP suffered its first fatality with an accident that claim the life of Moldovan 85cc European Championship racer Igor Cuharciuc. Among the response and confusion of that Saturday at Loket, 60 year old Dave McManus from Bangor in Northern Ireland fully engaged his training and administered a process of treatment and organisation and information flow that demonstrated the advances Grand Prix-level athletes can now rely on.

For the sport it was a heavy day. For McManus it was part of the job, and the kind of instantaneous reaction developed over decades of emergency medicine training and experience in Northern Ireland and the ‘razor edge’ environment of Irish road races.

talks about “awareness” and “education” then you feel the FIM’s work is just as much about prevention of discrepancies as it is a deterrent against potential cheats. There is still a lot to learn.

A specialist in McManus’ position does not arrive to the level of FIM International Medical Commission Director without enormous pedigree in his role: this was another subject to explore. Over the course of a revealing and curious conversation at the MotoGP opener in Qatar we discovered more about the man and the work…

I got involved in Irish road racing in 1982… when a colleague of mine was invited to a meeting by the Motorcycle Union in Ireland, I believe, following the death of Tom Herron at the Northwest 200 to talk about establishing a formal medical service for the sport.

“I don’t think you can reduce all risk in life to zero. You know that when you cross the street, get in a car or aeroplane: you make an informed choice, as riders do. I have to say I admire them for it.”

Accessible and friendly and clearly a compassionate man, McManus is at the highest echelons of the FIM and with the chance to impact a range of sports in terms of the parameters of safety. A more concentrated issue for 2018 has been the FIM’s campaign towards doping; a subject that many inside the sport assume is swept away or is still lacking in process. Broc Tickle’s suspension remains a hot subject and when McManus

I had an interest in emergency medicine at that stage so the Ulster service was born with the two of us and has grown slowly over the years. I became a rural GP so I was involved in supporting the ambulance service and fire service in agricultural accidents and road traffic collisions but I continued to work in one of the emergency departments in Belfast for over sixteen years as well. Through my work in motorcycle racing and pre-

fim medical, safety, doping: Dave mcmanus

hospital emergency care I was able to get the best [training] of all worlds. My medical career developed from there. I was involved in the introduction of paramedic training in Northern Ireland and became part of the Medical Advisory Panel on the ambulance service and my full-time job was Medical Director for twenty years.

In the meantime, following the FIM Congress in Dublin – which I believe was around 1993 – I was nominated by the MCI to be a member of the FIM’s medical panel as it was then. I was elected VP then in 2010 as President of the FIM Medical Commission. I retired from my role in the ambulance service in Northern Ireland last year to work full-time as the FIM’s Medical Director.

I’ve discovered more bike sport as a result… even though my background is in road racing and within the FIM in MotoGP and Superbike, for the past few years I’ve been involved in MXGP and to try and see if we can still improve the standard of medical provisions and services at those events, and I do think we have succeeded. We have a mobile clinic – not unlike the one in MotoGP – that provides us with a range of diagnostic facilities and we’ve been improving the standards of the medical centres, most of which are temporary and the level of medical service provision. Our work will not cease and there are always improvements to be made. I feel very lucky ultimately to be able to turn an interest and a hobby into a professional career. I feel very privileged to be in that position. I sometimes pinch myself and wonder how I ended up here.

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fim medical, safety, doping: Dave mcmanus

As a student my interest in emergency medicine evolved… as I was spending a lot of time in the emergency departments and that type of speciality medicine was not really developed way-back then, almost forty years ago. I became a GP as 50% of medical students did in those days but maintained my interest and activity in emergency medicine which evolved into a speciality and sub-specialty in its own right.

Some of my colleagues from the MCI medical team would have been at the forefront of that, not just in terms of provision of medical care at Irish road races and short circuit sand others like motocross but as our day job. We’ve contributed to that nationally and even internationally. Just before I retired we launched the helicopter emergency service in Northern Ireland after years of work. It was supported very much by my late colleague Dr John Hinds who was killed providing cover at a motorcycle meeting. He was a great advocate for the service.

On one hand emergency medicine can be incredibly satisfying both professionally and personally. There are not many people who can come home and say ‘I saved somebody’s life today…’ or made a huge difference… but on the other side it can

be very difficult and you are involved in some terrible things. You do your best and you develop your coping strategies and mechanisms but there are times – even after all these years – when it be so difficult and incredibly upsetting. I think we cope because we are there for each other working in close teams and with colleagues. I think when you arrive first on the scene of an accident then you are immediately occupied. You are in professional, clinical decisionmaking mode and you have a responsibility to make instant decisions and run with that.

It’s afterwards when it gets difficult. For years and years, particularly after an event with serious incidents, we would met up at each others houses, have a BBQ and some beers: it was a ‘process’. There are no reasons for one incident to be more upsetting or tragic than any other. I remember one very upsetting instance that involved the death of a child at a motorcycle event years ago. I found that very hard and actually left the event early.

That night at 10pm the doorbell rung and there was 10-12 people with a few drinks and the team was there.

Initially I didn’t have any interest in motorcycle sport… but my Dad was a mechanic and actually worked for a couple of road racers in Ireland

before I was old enough to understand or know about it.

I got involved with it through my work. They say motorcycling gets into your blood and I think that’s true. Now I feel so passionate about the sport.

I’ve focussed on motocross for the last year or two and have really grown to enjoy that. This now my sport and I get up in the middle of the night to follow it.

There is a big family in motorcycling and in particular in Irish road racing and you get to know people… and it can be very difficult dealing with someone close to a rider or someone you have been working with for a long time that has been seriously injured. It’s balanced by the knowledge that you are providing the highest possible medical care in that context, and the best chance of surviving their injuries and making the best recovery they can. The work that has been done in road racing has helped develop and inform the delivery of pre-hospital medical care in the rest of Northern Ireland.

All of the team are very dedicated. That particular element of the sport gets a lot of criticism because of the inherent risks but we are there to support the riders who will, lets face it, continue to race so we want to provide the best possible care.

Feature Do I think road racers are crazy?

It can be difficult but if you look at a lot of sports then there are degrees of risk; falling off a horse, racing a car, a bicycle, mountaineering, diving. Maybe that is the attraction, I don’t know. Sometimes I think riders are completely crazy and completely stupid but most of the time I think they are a fantastic group of people and it’s a privilege to get to know them.

When we’re checking riders for a fitness test we can advise them that they might be OK to control a motorcycle in the context of their sport discipline and don’t pose a risk to other riders but it is also our professional responsibility – as well as their own personal doctors and surgeons – to inform them of the risks of sustaining another injury, for example. You put the risks to them and then they make the judgement. I don’t think you can reduce all risk in life to zero. You know that when you cross the street, get in a car or aeroplane: you make an informed choice, as riders do. I have to say I admire them for it.

at world championship level. When you stop caring then it is time to stop.

I feel that medical race facilities have never been better…

My colleagues at international and national level really feel that the FIM have made huge strides with this in terms of the standards. If we are talking diagnostics in medical centres then we mean digital x-rays, ultrasound scanning and in MXGP also a small CT scanner. It is a huge thing: providing riders with assessments and initial treatment at the highest standard has been a big thing.

Setting down a set of minimum standards for medical services, particularly at international level with the medical components, the way it is organised, the resources, getting the riders immediate up-to-date medical intervention and transfer to general medical care: all im-

There have been so, so many instances where I’ve learned at the sharp end of the job…

I remember the first seriously injured rider I attended in the context of a motorcycle race and unfortunately he didn’t survive. However, through our intervention we were able to get him to hospital and into surgery to have a fighting chance. There are always incidents and you realise there is an interesting or better way to manage them to develop processes, equipment, systems and training. I sometimes get very emotional or angry because the guys and girls that are there at a club event are no more or less important than those that are competing Photo by Monster Energy

fim medical, safety, doping: Dave mcmanus

portant. Prevention as well and measures of protection like helmets, suits, airbags, body protection and even nutrition and preparation for racing. Then safety initiatives like the circuit run-offs and barriers. It is all of these things: the technical, sporting and medical elements all working together to make improvements.

Having said that we can never ever be complacent.

As an international sports federation we are required to have an anti doping programme… which the FIM has had for many years with WADA. We are obliged, as a Federation, to comply with the World Anti Doping Code of WADA that is signed by all the countries involved in the Olympic movement. We take our responsibilities very seriously in that. I think those policies are well developed and they

are always under review. Testing urine has always been the way to do this but we also have a blood test now and the standards and requirements continue to change. It really is our wish to avoid any positive doping tests. We don’t want to sanction riders in these circumstances and it is our wish to prevent it from happening. A lot of people think it is just ‘Big Brother’ watching you and waiting to spoil your career by sanction. It is not that at all. But in order to prevent positive tests we need awareness and education and that’s what we launched at the beginning of the season in the briefings in various classes in MotoGP and by informing the riders of our ‘Say No to Doping campaign’. It is not about spoiling fun it is about respect: for yourself as a rider and for your fellow riders. It’s about honesty, fairness and ethics and so on. What we were

Feature trying to emphasise was also the health implications of doping and the significant ‘other effects’ from these substances to your health. We also introduced the new ALPHA programme with is an online education scheme for riders and athletes.

We asked the riders for their support with this. It was particularly interesting in the MotoGP class where we had a robust interaction with lots of questions. What really impressed me is that they want this and they want to show that they are doing this themselves. That they are participating fairly and in a clean sport. It is also about demonstrating to younger riders coming through and a lot of riders have allowed us to use their name and image, footage and recordings to support the programme. It’s started this year and we’ll do it in MXGP, Speedway, Superbike and across all the major disciplines.

This may improve your performance. Steroids can also decrease recovery time and so on but they come with a long list of adverse effects. Stimulants are similar. They will improve alertness and concentration.

If I take the example of some recreational drugs, like Cannabinoids, then the relaxing effect reduces fear and anxiety and improves your performance through that but the adverse effects are that they cause sedation, impair your judgement and become a significant safety issue. We have a responsibility towards all of our riders so it is not just an issue for the one who is taking something. The same would be true for narcotics, like painkillers. It is an unfortunate part of our sport that riders get injured and suffer, and in our work we would give them potent pain relief trackside as well in the medical centre and that’s fine for treatment but if

“Our sport is becoming increasingly competitive with technology & machines meaning separation of a tenth a second over many miles can be the difference between winning or coming second so I can fully understand if there is a temptation to try and squeeze that additional [performance].”

Can people really ‘dope’ in motorcycle racing?

Well, different disciplines have different requirements. There is [mostly] concentration, awareness, stamina, strength and agility. In some disciplines it is about short bursts of energy concentration whereas in others it is much more prolonged periods. Depending on the discipline if you were to take, for example, anabolic agents or steroids then you can increase muscles mass and strength.

a rider was to continue to use narcotics then it lessens discomfort and pain and therefore they are able to function better.

It comes at a price due to the addictive properties, the sedation, the effects it has on blood pressure and respiration and all this stuff. It is also a huge safety issue and hence we have to manage and control this. These are just a few examples. We’ve had some positive tests but it is a very small number across the disciplines.

fim medical, safety, doping: Dave mcmanus

We have entered into a partnership with a university to look at a longitudinal filing and we talked about the concept of an athlete’s biological ‘passport’… where we have a number of riders each year that form part of our registered testing programme. I would emphasise – as I did to the riders already – that any of them can and will be tested but if are in the registered testing pool then you will be tested in and out of competition. We are having discussions are the moment with researchers about the benefits of certain substances in certain disciplines.

It becomes very complex. We are starting to move into areas like sport medicine in terms of preparation for competition, fitness and recovery from injury.

I don’t think the FIM needed to ‘catch up’ on this subject… it’s about prioritisation, and for a time our work was about standardisation and improvement of provision of medical services and safety initiatives for riders. We are starting to engage more and more. The Clinica Mobile has been working with riders for many years and some of them are using or starting to use sports psychologists and physicians through their teams and sponsors. I think the FIM are beginning to recruit specialists from these fields moving forward. I don’t see it as ‘playing catch-up’ but about us recognising that we have achieved things in other areas to be now able to look at this particular aspect and towards young riders.

It would be incredibly naïve of us to think there is no possibility that doping could never happen… but I don’t see any evidence of it; I have to say. Yes, occasionally we turn up an issue with the use of a prohibitive substance but usually it is the use of so-called

Feature ‘recreational substances’ or a case where someone has been taking something for a valid medical reason but has failed to declare it and its only discovered in testing or post-test. Our sport is becoming increasingly competitive with the technology and machines meaning separation of a tenth or a hundredth of a second over many miles can be the difference between winning or coming second so I can fully understand if there is a temptation to try and squeeze that additional [performance]. There is also the factor of the people involved with the riders like coaches, managers and trainers and the fact that a championship might be on the line for an athlete to get back in competition, so treatments to accelerate healing might be well-intentioned but against the fundamental spirit of sport and competition.

It is not just about educating the riders but everyone around them also.

When I first became involved in the sport at the beginning of the 80s if we deemed a rider was unfit to race then there would have been hell to pay. I was assaulted once by a rider’s mechanic because the rider had a fracture and you didn’t need a medical qualification to see it but when I appeared wearing a jacket with ‘DOCTOR’ on it then they knew what was going to happen and there was a championship in play. I was made to feel most unwelcome! What impresses me now is that a lot of teams and people around riders actively seek us out to come and assess the rider.

They are a valuable commodity and as the profile of the sport becomes higher and higher and the celebrity status grows then a lot more ‘rides’ on what they do. We find that they are much more cooperative with us, and see that we are trying to do it for their benefit as well as the sport in general.

fim medical, safety, doping: Dave mcmanus

We could test everybody all the time in-and-out of competition but I’m sure there would be a lot of irritation with disruption of race preparation…

I think we have tried to be reasonable in our approach compared to some sports where it could be said there is a more significant issue with this. But it is a two-way street and we have our policies, codes, rules and regulations and current campaigns and getting feedback is actually very valuable and actually informs us. I’m actually very impressed and encouraged by the riders’ attitude and commitment to this. They want it and to develop it further. In the early days people had no knowledge or understanding of it and were anxious and resistant to it. I’m happy to say we have very little of this now and people really do want to be involved. I’ve done a lot of doping controls over the years and I have stopped apologising to the riders for disturbing them because so many say ‘this is good, I want to show I am doing this all by myself’. And good on them. One of the difficulties that WADA face are the ways of manipulation to cover up doping.

The dopers can often be ahead of the controls and there is a lot of science put into this. It never stands still. The list of banned substances changes every year and the standards and criteria for us to issue a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) changes all the time. We have to keep abreast of that. I’ve heard comments like ‘everyone’s doing it’ and I challenge people on that because we have done thousands and thousands of doping controls over the years and a few have been positive but I see no evidence of widespread doping in our sport.

There is always the temptation and that risk and it is not just the riders, we have to make a lot of people around them

aware so they don’t inadvertently administer something that they shouldn’t.

I’m reluctant to use the word but it is a constant ‘battle’.

Do I ride?

No I don’t! I had an agreement with my wife that there would be no question of buying a motorcycle and as part of my midlife crisis I have a convertible Audi and that’ll do! I have a bucket-list wish to glide across some of the United States on an authentic cruiser, like a Harley, but it’s staying on the list for now.

Products

husqvarna The iconic brand (Supercross Champions no less) recently unveiled some of their casualwear for 2019 and the Sixtorp Tee, Light Jacket and Hybrid jacket have been revised and released.

The t-shirt is geared more towards athleticism judging by the polyester construction (and bright colour!). The light jacket has a ‘high-grade and functional material’ while the Hybrid is water and wind-resistant.

Like KTM’s Powerwear/parts Husqvarna also have excellent technical partnerships with premium brands like Ogio and various luggage pieces and things such as hydration packs. For sunglasses they have collaborated with San Diego firm 100%, so design and style is the least of any worries when it comes to eyewear. Husqvarna excelled in creating a collection that allied with the sharp visuals of the motorcycles (Vitpilen?!) but was also subtle enough not to label the wearer as a ‘Husky person’.

That priority still seems to be in place with the solid colours and dependency on blue, white and yellow. Good stuff.

www.husqvarna.com

motogp

eyetime motorrad grand prix vo

red bull ring spielberg ¡ august 12th ¡ Rnd 11 of 19 MotoGP winner: Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Moto2 winner: Pecco Bagnaia, Kalex Moto3 winner: Marco Bezzecchi, KTM

margins Blogs by David Emmett, Neil Morrison & Sienna Wedes.

Photos by CormacGP/Polarity Photo

on osterreich

motogp Austria

motogp Austria

motogp Austria

motogp Austria

motogp BLOG

the new field of splurge...

How much does it cost to go racing?

The answer to that question is the same in MotoGP as it is for a lowly club racer: precisely as much as you can afford. The numbers may differ by four orders of magnitude, but the same laws of finance dictate their size.

A club racer may have six grand to throw at an ancient R6, fresh tyres, and petrol, whereas a MotoGP manufacturer will have perhaps €50 million to spend on riders, staff, R&D, travel, and transforming exotic materials into the world’s fastest racing motorcycles. In the end, though, both will spend whatever budget they managed to pry loose.

That is why budgets have hovered at the same level, despite the introduction of so many rules aimed at cutting costs.

Each passing year has seen more restrictions introduced in MotoGP: the number of cylinders was limited to four, cylinder bore was restricted to 81mm, first a spec ECU was introduced and then spec software for that ECU, engine use was limited, then engine designs were frozen

for a season. But throughout, budgets have remained largely the same. Nobody is suddenly spending 20% less than they were 10 years ago, despite the drastic changes. Race departments ask for the same budget from the executive boards of their manufacturers and find a way to spend it all.

First, the money saved from engine restrictions went into electronics, with huge steps made in how the ECU managed engine performance. When electronics were limited, the money went into aerodynamics, with Ducati finding new innovations to reduce wheelie, and improve acceleration. When winglets were banned, the factories produced what are officially referred to as “aerodynamic packages”: winglet packages that bend but don’t quite break the MotoGP rules on aerodynamics. As one avenue is shut off, the engineers and teams find another, and squeeze the budget they have available into that.

Test riders, and test teams, are the latest arena in which the eternal battle of rulemakers versus manufacturers is being played out. It started, as so many of these trends did, with Ducati. Once upon a time, Ducati took the same approach as all the other factories. They retained Franco Battaini and Vittoriano Guareschi, both fast enough on a bike, but never capable of getting within three seconds of the factory riders.

Valentino Rossi’s two fruitless years in Ducati caused the Italian factory to take a far more radical approach. With the takeover by Audi, the entire racing department was revamped, which included taking on Michele Pirro, former Moto2 rider who had just spent a year on a CRT bike, as a test rider.

“After Valentino, the bike was not fast, there were many problems,” Pirro described it. “And after one year, Gigi came, and started a new era, a new system for working.

By David Emmett

So Gigi spoke with me to continue this route as a test rider and some wildcard races and as a replacement rider if a rider crashed.”

Having a rider who could get within a second of the times of the factory riders proved revolutionary. Within two years of Pirro’s arrival, the Ducati GP15 was a genuinely competitive machine, and a year later was winning races. The other factories took note of this, though at first, they largely ignored it. The arrival of KTM upped the stakes again, the Austrian factory taking on Mika Kallio to help develop the RC16, the Finnish rider having experience on a MotoGP bike, and having been a title contender in Moto2.

Suzuki saw an opportunity to grab Sylvain Guintoli at a time when he was still competitive in World Superbikes, and Guintoli has pushed the GSX-RR project forward.

This has forced Honda and Yamaha, the last of the holdouts, to switch tack. When Honda hired Casey Stoner as a test rider in 2013, they barely let him ride the bike, and ignored his input when he did.

Now, they have turned to Stefan Bradl, and are trying to retain Dani Pedrosa’s services after he retires. Yamaha, having survived for so long on the input of the venerable Katsuyuki Nakasuga, are looking at establishing a European test team, and trying to lure Jonas Folger back onto an M1.

Meanwhile, Ducati and KTM are stepping up the testing war even further. KTM wants two test riders in 2019, after getting caught short when Kallio injured himself, and are trying to persuade Pedrosa to join the fold.

Ducati are hoping to put Alvaro Bautista on a World Superbike Panigale V4, and have him testing the MotoGP bike alongside Michele Pirro.

It is inevitable really. Factories spend the budget they have, and pour that money into the areas where they believe they can make the most difference.

With so many technical limitations, having a fast test rider to help refine the bike is where the biggest gains are to be had.

That’s good news for out-ofwork riders.

motogp Austria

motogp BLOG

the fear with the fun...

I want to take you on a journey to a region in Central Europe that is laden with furrowing alpine terrain and home to a circuit that dwells within the panoramic Styrian mountains.

It’s one of the smallest of its kind and tests the bravery of almost every athlete that steps foot on it. The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria is our destination and marks the halfway point for MotoGP in 2018. This circuit encompasses the integral balance between beauty and challenge. Beneath the picturesque mountain peaks is the fear that a small miscalculation that can cause a hefty repercussion.

The 4.318km of ribbon of tarmac is “Austria’s Alpine drag strip” according to ex motorcycle racer Simon Crafar. The first international spectacles to take place in this area were in 1957 at the Zeltweg military base, a mere 5km from today’s circuit.

This stretch of land became the hub of Austrian motorsports and since has embraced hundreds of thousands of spectators.

The area is peppered with sloping terrain and strong elevation changes which are juxtaposed against the rich natural environment. Iconic characteristics such as the 18 metre high ‘Bull of Spielberg’ situated in the heart of the track or the architecturally impressive Voestalpine Wing forge a unique experience for any fan or rider and have become a definitive part of its identity. From the exterior, the scenery can be overwhelming but it is the unexpected risk that looms beneath the pretty surface that is of great importance.

Red Bull Ring is unlike most circuits. It has the least amount of corners on the calendar and the highest average speed across race distance (it is very, very fast). Between 1969 and 1987 motorsport events were being held at the original Österreichring circuit (the pre-modernised layout).

It

was long and quick (qualities much like today) and quickly blossomed into a named favourite; but in 1975 American F1 driver Mark Donohue tragically uncovered a considerable issue with the circuits safety. His tyre failed and caused him to be hurled into the unduly close catch fence with fatal consequences. The incident claimed not only one life but two when the debris that followed Donohue struck a track marshal.

This influenced the first major changes to the layout.

Numerous adjustments were made between 1987 and 2016 but the basic elements remained the same. The track was still immensely rapid and the walls a little too close for comfort. In 2016 after his first test with Ducati at the Red Bull Ring, Casey Stoner made strong gestures against the safety of the circuit, claiming the walls were still an issue.

By Sienna Wedes

This was supported by several other riders during their own testing runs especially in wet weather conditions but no alterations were imposed. In 2017 after a downpour, several Moto2 riders suffered crashes at Turn1 due to insufficient grip during Free Practice (this turn has since been sand blasted as a preventative measure). One tip-off and they were being sent towards a large unyielding structure where the consequences could have been severe (as seen back in the tracks infancy).

This incited fear into some of the most audacious sportsman in the industry and ultimately should have rung alarm bells. It has become an all too familiar string of words during safety commission meetings and debriefs. Nakagami revealed “some points you can feel the danger” on his debut MotoGP outing and on Friday afternoon Danilo Petrucci (who has raced here before) voiced similar opinions “I am a little bit scared to ride in the wet here because the walls are very,very close and especially on the straight there is a lot of water.

The bike starts aquaplaning and it’s a difficult situation”. However, on race day we saw little-to-no accidents in all three classes (which is positive!) and the peril was camouflaged by the fierce battle between Marquez and Lorenzo.

Red Bull Ring has its character and continues to test the fortitude of the athletes the circle the layout. It demands exploration of the strenuous side of the job and allows us, as fans, to understand just how many layers and ingredients there are within a race weekend. There are parts that feel like they shouldn’t work but it’s the final outcome when all is done perfectly that cements Austria on the MotoGP calendar and nevertheless makes it one of the most visited all year round.

motogp Austria

motogp BLOG

Chaos in Noale?

Nine times out of ten, you watch a race and have a vague idea of how the day’s biggest stories will play out. Thus walking toward the Aprilia trucks the Sunday before-last just after 3pm didn’t seem to indicate we would hear something revelatory. As Aleix Espargaro warned on Saturday, a difficult race lay ahead. He and team-mate Scott Redding were out of the points, doing little to arrest the recent slide. But, filled with adrenaline and still clad in leathers, their early debrief times can occasionally verge on the over-emotional.

So it was quite something to hear Redding point both barrels at the factory in the aftermath of a disheartening run to 20th at the Red Bull Ring, and spend the next seven minutes unloading. Repeatedly. The expletive laden rant was something to behold, railing at everything from an uncompetitive machine to a near tear-inducing propensity for mechanical failure.

The matter could have been put down to wounded pride, or an inability to articulate without resorting to profanity. But Espargaro’s sentiments were of a similar tack – albeit expressed more diplomatically.

“Overall, the problems I have had are always the same,” said the Catalan. “Sincerely, I don’t know how to go faster. I tried everything. I think I’m in a good moment of my career, I’m focused, I’m fit, I’m relaxed. But I can’t go faster with this bike.”

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this was it came as no surprise. Aprilia’s technical issues were something that littered 2017, and deprived Espargaro of possible top eight results at Le Mans, Mugello and Montmeló. In all truth they never really went away and it was telling that Redding indicated the issues built up more frequently than his blue-aired rant indicated.

“Every time I go on the bike … every f**king day it’s different,” said a wound up Englishman.

“The guys [in the team] are trying but it’s just a bit of a joke.

There are so many things that I’m just not even allowed to say … in a team of this level [things are happening that] should not be happening.”

As Redding mentioned, Austria’s “reality check” was a low-point in what has been an underwhelming campaign - and not just from a technical sheet that tells us Espargaro’s RS-GP has ground to a halt at three of the season’s eleven grand prix. The inability to run with the class’ front six has also been notable, particularly when

By Neil Morrison

Espargaro’s first race on the bike in Qatar, last March yielded the factory’s joint-best result in the four-stroke era. But now Espargaro sits 18th overall, with Redding two places behind. Of the twelve teams on the grid, only Marc VDS Honda, fielding two class rookies on one-year old bikes, have combined to score fewer points than Noale’s chargers.

There are mitigating factors of course. Last year, Suzuki was lost at sea for three quarters of the year. Both Alex Rins and Andrea Iannone have four podiums among them. Add to three satellite runners consistently claiming those same spots – Danilo Petrucci, Johann Zarco, Cal Crutchlow – and it’s fair to say last season’s results are more difficult to achieve on the consistent depth of competition.

Yet Espargaro has cut a puzzled character in recent weeks.

Front-end confidence was lacking in Barcelona, a complaint he repeated at Brno.

Several riders have noted how the compounds in this season’s tyres are subtly different to what was used before February. This hasn’t helped the #41, who last year said the RS-GP was the most stable in front braking that he has experienced. Lacking confidence in this area deprives the rider of utilising one of the bike’s greatest strengths, and therefore heightens its known issues with acceleration.

Added to that, there appears to be a chaotic edge to some of the inner workings of the garage. Espargaro didn’t appear devastated by the news crew chief Marcus Eschenbacher was leaving for KTM at the close of the year, stating the need for “more calm and organisation.”

It was also slightly puzzling to hear technical chief Romano Albesiano speak of the need to remain less emotional. “We have to be more systematic and more calm in the days before the race, making less mistakes,” he said back in June.

“Sometimes we look too much to the performance of the single lap. We have to be more focussed on the race pace, which is a good point of our bike.” For a factory team with experienced riders (Espargaro is 28, Redding 25), this would seem like a given.

In each of the past three years, there has been a worrying trend regarding the team’s second rider. Stefan Bradl doesn’t remember his time in their colours with particular fondness.

Albesiano took next-to-no time to conclude Sam Lowes wasn’t up to the task. Similarly, Redding was reassured the factory thought highly of him while it courted Petrucci and eventual signing Andrea Iannone. By some accounts, communication with factory management allbut-freezes over when belief in a rider drains away. One of next year’s more intriguing sub-plots will be fiery Italian Iannone’s adaption to the inter-workings of the Gresini garage.

motogp BLOG

Plans are already afoot to straighten out the project’s rough edges. In Iannone, the factory now has a rider to consistently challenge Espargaro’s hegemony in the box.

Albesiano has spoken in recent weeks about the need for a full-time testing team and rider to ease the strain on factory personnel. But it seems the workings of the squad needs a re-think, too. Otherwise it’ll face the fury of a pumped up Iannone. And that you would wish on no man.

motogp Austria

Products

ktm In the last issue we highlighted KTM’s new products in cooperation with Shoei. The 2019 ‘Powerwear’ catalogue stretches to a mighty 92 pages, showing that KTM are equally busy and prolific with their clothing and functional garments as they are with their range of motorcycles. Remaining in ‘Street’, Alpinestars have created the Managua GTX Tech-Air jacket and pants as well as Andes boots. The HQ Adventure gloves are also worth a look. The Managua double is orientated towards adventure riders but also more for the tarmac rather than hitting the dirt. Gore-Tex means it is wind and waterproof but also breathable and resistant.

www.ktm.com The two-piece suit and the way it is constructed aims for optimal fit and comfort and it is fully rigged to support Alpinestars’ TechAir system. The Andes boots have a 100% waterproof membrane but emphasise a cosy fitting. KTM state: ‘The innovative side entry system with wide Velcro fastener allows for ease putting on and off, while accordion flex zones front and back provide maximum freedom of movement and ride comfort.’ The HQ gloves boast Sympatex; meaning a reliable rate of protection from the weather elements.

There is finger and knuckle armour and a form with ‘lightweight microfiber padding and slightly pre-bent fingers’.

Feature

a special kind of training

the short cut

Johann Zarco, just like every world champion, is a perfectionist. In order to sharpen his skills between Grands Prix, he swapped his Supermoto for a 450cc road racer.

We were there for the shakedown test.

Feature “We tested two tuned Yamaha R1’s at the start of last year but it turned out to be negative,” explains Laurent Fellon, Johann Zarco’s coach. “These bikes were too heavy and not close enough to MotoGP prototypes. But Johann thought that a supermoto shod with Michelin slick tyres on a gokart track gave a much closer MotoGP feeling; with each and every turn coming at you too fast, exactly like they do on an M1 on world championship racetracks. So we prepped a top-notch supermoto bike.

Then a small Catalan company called BeOn showed me a picture of their racebike saying ‘[Marc] Marquez came to test it, he liked it very much’. I replied ‘I’m interested…’ It’s a nice project. On the Supermoto, Johann isn’t tired enough, because the bars give him to much leverage force as compared to clip-ons. Our riding school - being sponsored by Eric de Seynes and Yamaha Europe - meant we could give BeOn a Yamaha YZ450F single to put into their roadracing chassis. And here it at last: the BeOn 450 GP.” All alone 9am at the Motorland Aragon go-kart track. All around us is the Monegros desert landscape with its small canyons and dark stones that recall the Atlas mountains, 500km

south in Morroco. This wild scenery is graced with a golden light and not a cloud in sight! We really are lucky.

An exclusive invite to the very first test of the 450GP, with which Johann Zarco will pursue his apprenticeship towards any road racer‘s ultimate goal: a factory ride in MotoGP. And beyond that, the fight for the world title against the likes of Marquez, Rossi and Lorenzo. For this BeOn 450 shakedown test Johann and Laurent are supported by

the Catalan factory staff. Eduardo Prieto, the production manager, plus two mechanics, Sergio and Raul and their entire pitbox set-up. A truly professional outfit. When you look closer, the 450 GP is a superb machine: narrow aluminium beam frame carefully welded, great quality rearsets and commands, shining titanium silencer. A nice piece of machinery. We feel Eduardo slightly anxious towards Johann’s initial comments but the double Moto2

JOHAnn zARCO: A diffEREnt WAY tO tRAin

champ knows how to make everyone confortable : “As a true rider, I’m gonna go to the toilets before the ride,” everyone laughs...

On StAGE 10am: Johann, fully suited and ready to go, engages in his stretching rituals before taking to the track. Laurent, as always, whispers in his ear “play with it, enjoy it, get a feel for it.” Johann then throws his leg over the bike, still on its racing stands, and carefully touches the gear shifter height. Mechanics suggest a bigger seat padding but he refuses. “What is the tyre pressure? 1,8 bar front and 1,6 at the rear. OK. Does the exhaust touch on left turns?”

“No,” says Eduardo.

The bike, already in gear, fires at the first attempt. The exhaust note, for a racing 450 single, is relatively quiet. Last word of wisdom from Laurent “easy on the start, the rear tyre is only at 65°c”. Johann nods, pulls the clutch back.

A gentle push from Raul and he’s off for an initial six lap run.

Johann is immediately on the pace, and seeing him manoeuvre such a small motorcycle reminds me of his 125 Derbi Ajo ride with which he was runner up in the 2011 world championship. Johann is fast everywhere but the bike tends to squat a bit too much when exiting the third corner; a tight left hander. Johann comes in, sits down and removes his helmet for the first debrief. A glance at the cardio: 160 beats per minute.

“THE BIKE SLIDES SMOOTHLY WITHOUT USING BACK BRAKE. IT’S GOOD BECAUSE IN MOTOGP, ELECTRONICS TAKES CARE OF THIS WHILE YOU DOWNSHIFT.” From this moment on, the procedure is identical to the one observed in the Tech3 pitbox.

Sergio and Raul simultaneously remove the tyre heaters, remove the stands, then bring a starter-roller and fit it to the rear wheel. One mechanic behind, another in front to hold the bike upwards. Johann takes his seat. Thumb up, the roller starter is on. Johann releases the clutch.

We listen in: “It seems that the bike doesn’t want to go forward, as if it was blocked. Maybe that’s because of the MotoGP tests at Catalunya two days ago. When you ride above 300 km/h all day, everything feels slow.”

“OK Johann, but on your supermoto, you’ve got a highly tuned Robby engine,” replies Laurent.

Feature

“The aim is that the average rider cannot find the limit with this bike because we literally have to do extraordinary things in MotoGP. Our training bike needs to be so easy that we can do the same on it.”

“On the 450 GP, the engine is standard.”

“Yeah, but I also have too much vibration through my hands, ass and the legs! It feels like being on a twostroke.”

“That’s because the crankshaft has not been properly balanced, but don’t worry, we’ll do it on your bike.”

“Other than that, the gearing is OK because I can pull fifth gear on the straight.”

Eduardo adds: “don’t forget to shift at 9500 rpm. Because at 10,000, there is no power anymore.”

Laurent: “Chassis-wise, how do you feel?”

“On corner entry, the bike squats on the rear, and the only flex you get is from the tyre. I cannot reach the apex.

Or I have to get in slowly. I cannot get the bike to turn either, nor feed the throttle, or the thing tries to spit me out.

Do something to the shock because I’m stuck,” A pause.

“There is a positive though.

Even with the wrong settings, we don’t destroy the rear tyre.”

Laurent adds some preload to

the Öhlins shock, closes compression and hydraulic damping. Johann is off to his second run.

Methodical 10.40am: A six lap second stint for Zarco. On pitwall, Eduardo laughs: “A champion is never satisfied. That is the reason why they win titles. But as long as he doesn’t say that the bike in unrideable, it’s OK.” Beside him, Laurent grabs his stopwatch: 1.03.5. “On this second run, we’re already a second and a half away from the supermoto lap record set

by Johann. On his Supermoto 450, with a prepped engine and a high performance exhaust made by SC (the Italian company with which Johann clinched both of his Moto2 world titles), it took us a whole day to get a 1.02.00. And we kept throwing new tyres at it.

So it’s alright.”

Johann comes in. “It’s better.

Please have a look at the fork.”

Laurent pumps a few time son it.

“It’s coming back too fast.

Raul, please add 3 mill preload and close the hydraulics three clicks, it should be alright.”

Johann adds : “I can now ride the bike. But when you want to turn in fast, I’m still risking to lose the rear. To turn it into a MotoGP bike, we still miss 8500 rpm,” he laughs.

“Engine tempeture at the end of the run was 92°c” Eduardo says. “With this heat, we lose two or three horsepower.”

Laurent: “Not to worry, on the supermoto we added a radiator. We’ll do the same.”

Johann grimaces. “I touched the curb once with the gearshifter…”

Laurent: “OK, we’ll shorten it if necessary.”

Eduardo: “We can also bring the handlebars forward 10 mill if you want more room.”

Johann thinks about it: “I’d like to try with the footrest a little bit more rearward and low to be more comfy on the straights. What’s the outright record lap on this track?”

Eduardo: “1.01. It’s a 600 rider that owns it. I don’t remember if he rode a CBR or an R6 though.” Johann: “In MotoGP we use crazy lean angles and accelerate really strong. The supermoto allowed me to replicate that.”

johann zarco: a different way to train

Laurent analyses: “With this 450 GP, we do not suffer grip problems but we want to try and make it turn quicker. We can lengthen the wheelbase, it will allow you to turn in harder without unsettling it.”

“Engine break-wise, we’re OK,” says Zarco. “The bike slides smoothly without using back brake. It’s good because in MotoGP, electronics takes care of this while you downshift.

11.10am, third run.

Laurent: “A rider is like a woman, you’ve got to pamper him. Johann always enjoyed perfect material. He doesn’t know how many hours I spent to fine-tune his supermoto bike.”

A glance at the stopwatch: 1.03.4. “Hmmm, he must have missed his braking marker on that lap.”

Visually, the 450 GP keeps pumping from the rear on the exit of turn 3, but Johann lowers his lap-time to 1.03.1 and comes in. “We already have lots of weight on the front end on the bike. I have less on my M1. It kind of locks my riding position on the 450 GP. We also have more grip on the 450 GP than on the Supermoto, so we will be able to fit a stiffer spring on the shock because I still have too much movement while leant over.

Feature I am seeking comfort because MotoGP is outstanding in that respect when you’re fully banked. That allows you to relax and push your limits. I’m not there yet with the 450 GP. I would also like 16 inches rims to enlarge the contact patch.

Because I start to get chatter even before my elbow touches the ground.” It seems the amount of information he is able to communicate within three runs is impressive. “compared to MotoGP I can tell you that what we do today is quite simple,” he smiles.

Inch perfect While the mechanics replace the 85 Newton/meter spring with a 90, we go drink a coffee on the first floor restaurant which overlooks the racetrack. We ask Johann if he keeps training with a free diving world champion. “Yes. Look, now, my heartbeat is 51 per minute. The other day, I got down to 41 holding my breath, while he was at 17bpm!”

11.55am. Same warming up ritual as in MotoGP and Johann starts his fourth run while Mark Hardisty, Öhlins MotoGP Spare parts manager, comes to visit us.

“This 450 is a great concept because it’s cheaper and more efficient than a tuned road bike,” he watches for five minutes then returns next door to the Aragon MotoGP racetrack, where Moto3 and Moto2 teams are testing today including Jonas Folger who comes back to refine the 2019 Kalex/Triumph triple prototype.

Johann, despite the hot tarmac, is down to a 1.02.8, with a heartbeat of 170bpm after eight laps. During a MotoGP race, his average heart rate is 178!

“Not bad,” comments Johann when he returns to the pits.

johann zarco: a different way to train

“With the suspensions settings only, I could relax my body. But I’m still too uptight on the front of the bike because of the riding position.”

A fifth run with 3 more mill preload at the front, and compression closed one more click at the rear means 1.02.9 and 164 bpm.

Laurent thinks for a while.

“OK, let’s make the bike longer as I was saying earlier.

But as there is no smaller rear sprocket, we will just lengthen the chain. That will calm the bike down when you’re leaned over.”

“On the front it’s worse, at the back, better. The bike is moving on corner entry, I’m forced to use the back brake to calm it down.”

Laurent gets back to the previous setting at the front.

Johann adds: “I’d also like He doesn’t give Johann his a 5cm longer saddle ‘cause laptime so that he focuses my head is too close to the only on his feeling: “we’re only screen on the straight. The 0.8 from our track record dur- aim is that the average rider ing this first shakedown test; cannot find the limit with this it’s fantastic. The stiffer shock bike because we literally have gives indeed more support to do extraordinary things to the rear of the bike, so we in MotoGP. Our training bike don’t need to move the pegs needs to be so easy that we rearward. We keep the riding can do the same on it.” position standard.”

Feature Never happy Sixth and penultimate run.

The tyres are 61 laps old, and despite that, Johann repeats his 1.02.8 lap-time. “On corner entry, I’m losing the rear again, we have to re-set the shock because it compresses too fast.” “That’s normal,” explains Laurent. “With the longer wheelbase, the efforts on the shock vary.” He adds a little more preload and Johann does his last five laps run.

Back in the pits, it’s still not perfect: “I can accelerate more, but there is still chatter.

So what’s the lap-time?”

“1.02.8!” Laurent proudly announces.

Johann barks: “What! No faster than this?! Wait a minute: I’m not riding a 25, 000 euro bike to go slower than on my supermoto!”

“Easy!” says Fellon. “1.02.8 with tyres that have been round the world, for the first time that you sit on that bike?

For me, I’m happy. Very happy.

With the proper engine, you will lap in 1.01 here. You will see.”

Technical focus: The BeOn 450GP Zarco Edition Eduardo Prieto is production manager of the BeOn company, a Spanish chassis maker based north of the Barcelona racetrack, at Sant Fost de Campsentelles, only 8,5 km away from the Montmelo racetrack. Almost opposite facing the Ajo Motorsport team. “We have coffee together!” explains the Catalan.

“The first thing our company did was a transformation kit of the Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki motocross bike to turn them into road racing vehicles. It was in 2008. Our first roadracing chassis. After that, we conceived our Pre-GP Moto3 chassis with which we won all Spanish championships.

After having sulked for a while, A pre-Moto3 equipped with a Johann finally realizes that his 250 four stroke single limited coach is right, while Laurent to 39hp was used by Lorenzo thanks the BeOn staff with Fellon, son of Laurent Fellon, a enthusiasm. Johann does the starlet in the pre-Moto3 Spansame then strikes a pose with ish championship aged 12. the whole team for a souvenir “For BeOn’s tenth anniversary, photo behind the 450 GP. our chief engineer Raul Civico

created this Yamaha-powered new road racing 450. The first one is for Zarco! All the experience we gathered with great teams such as Monlau, Ajo and Aspar has been put into this bike. The aim is for the GP riders to be able to train with something closer to their actual racebike than a supermoto. We also thought about creating a 450 single road racing class in the Italian championship for instance. In France, there is a class called Supermono, and many people already contacted us to race our bike in their series.”

“The concept is a bike with pre-Moto3 dimensions but with 5 inch rims that allow you to use a 165 mm wide rear tyre. Which are the dimensions of the Michelin Supermoto tyres. Our bike is equipped with 17 inches rims, but we can adapt 16 inches rims for those who wants more contact patch. The engine is a 2018 YZF 450 Yamaha that gives 56 horsepower at the rear wheel. That’s three more than the supermoto configuration thanks to the longer steel pipe fitted with a titanium silencer. We are working directly with Yamaha to fit the 2019 engine in it. The series bike will feature this fuel injection engine as standard, together with a double silencer pipe to limit noise emissions, especially for the French

johann zarco: a different way to train

one of the more complex elements to make was the swingarm. First of all, finding the right rigidity is not easy.

Then, it was not simple to fit a large tyre on such a compact motorcycle.”

market; it is less strict here in Spain. That will allow us not to go beyond 105 dB. Apart from the longer gearing, the engine is completely stock.

We have an Öhlins shock and in-house forks fitted with Andreani springs adapted to the machine’s weight. These days, we are working on a twin disc version as an option. Weight is 97 kilos dry, and 102 kilos with the 6,6 litre fuel tank full. Our base price is 20,000 euros. But the version tested today features a shifter, a Suter clutch, a carbon fibre swingarm guard and a special paintjob. With those options, the bike costs 25 000 euros.”

“Our series bike should boast the Öhlins shock. We are making our calculations now. There is also a Spanish J-Juan rear brake that works really well. On the front, the single disc and calliper are Brembo items, connected to a Galespeed master-cylinder.

We’ve been using it in the Spanish championship for four years now, with all the teams: this series is our test bench.

All teams receive the same equipment from us. Nobody has any advantage. When we think about an upgrade, we make a proposal to everyone by mail. On the 450 GP you can also note the Öhlins steering damper, the simple and efficient German Koso dash.

You’ve got what you need: engine rpm, temp, and two programmable leds that you can use as shift-light. We also did our own airbox.”

“We propose to our clients a part list which contains every element of our bike bearing a code, just like big brands do.

You send us a mail with the reference, and in two days, you get the part. Technically,

Laurent Fellon explains: “As we became friends with BeOn, in France, this bike will be sold by the ZF Grand Prix company. It means than at our Mas ZF [the riding school based at Eyguières near Salon de Provence], we will also organize riding session for adults, with the possibility to rent the bike for a day. That costs less money than an R1 in case of a crash. And we are closer to MotoGP sensations on a go-kart track. We do not only use 450GPs at ZF Grand Prix.

The next generation of 150 ZF fitted with Yamaha four stroke engines will be assembled

by BeOn. It will be for 9 to 13 year old riders.”

“We really believe in the 450 to develop a sharp riding feeling,” he concludes Laurent.

And he knows what he’s talking about. His son Lorenzo holds the supermoto record lap on the Aragon 1.671km gokart track on an 85 two-stroke Yamaha with 1min 08.7. The same distinction as Johann with his 450 YZF Supermoto in 1.02.00. Besides that, #5 is also ranked sixth in the MotoGP world championship after the Red Bull Ring.

Feature What is like to ride the 450 GP? After a full morning spent watching the 6th best rider in the world playing with his new toy, my turn has come.

It’s kind of a privilege: the atmosphere is Grand Prixesque, with a personal pitbox, two duly obliged mechanics that put the Michelin supermoto cut-slicks under their warming blankets at 80°c. I forgot about my friendly coach, a certain Mr Zarco, who made sure my used slider velcro would stick on my leathers. I must be dreaming…

In normal circumstances, all this should have frightened the hell out of me. Given that I’ve always been a slow testrider or club-racer. On top of that, it’s been two years since I sat on a race bike.

But strangely enough, I’m not that freaked out when I sit on the mini 450 GP saddle. This tool inspires confidence. Thumbs up from the mechanic facing me. I release the clutch and the engine starts. Inverted gearshift pattern: I will have to keep that in mind. Right now, the thumper pulls gently into pitlane at 20 km/h.

The riding position is really tight. I almost bang my helmet on the screen while attempting to stand up and

stretch my leathers (I’ve seen a guy do that on TV, so I do the same).

Johann was right to ask for a 5cm longer saddle. He’s 1m71 tall, me 1m75. And he’s flexible, not me. The dimensions of the bike are like Moto3, that’s to say narrower than a Triumph 768 Daytona, and barely higher than a TW 125 Yamaha. But a Moto3 bike with heaps of torque, which helps to cruise midrange on the outlap.

The racetrack boasts 15 turns in 1671m! In other words, no time to breathe. Cramped on this pocket rocket, I try to memorize the gears through the turns. Forget it. I’ve always been useless in that respect, but the 450 GP doesn’t mind. She pulls like a tractor from low revs, and

climbs to 10,000 rpm when I accidentally downshift to first instead of second. Many thanks to the Suter sliperclutch.

In the space of three laps, I make almost all blunders imaginable: grabbing the brakes while leaned over as the turns tighten up, hitting the inside curb way before the apex, hazardous line in the fast right hander at the end of the straight: the 450 GP doesn’t care and stays glued to the asphalt. While the six MotoGP bikes that I’ve been lucky enough to ride from 2004 to 2006 would have thrown me in the gravel trap.

Red as a tomato and gasping for air, I surrender and come back to the pits. Johann Zarco has mercy: “don’t forget that you can keep it

johann zarco: a different way to train

pinned while you upshift. Plus you don’t need to shift down to first, except in turn two.”

I nod and after a five minute break, get back to the track.

Using the shifter, the bike revs quicker while accelerating, and the more I lean the bike, the better it turns. Steering is light and sharp, suspension efficient. Only the front brake requires some strength, but it prevents you from locking the front when you grab a handful at the wrong moment! As the ambient temperature is 34°c and my arms and legs are done, I give in after four laps.

run: my lines are getting a more sorted out, my gearing starts to be a bit less messy, but I still don’t open wide in the upper parabolica. And I still lack corner entry speed pretty much everywhere.

I have the feeling of being completely safe but only exploiting roughly 50% of the bike’s potential. Which is exactly what I ask of a track bike: allow me to improve without risks. With two full track days and some video coaching, it should be possible for me to go a lot faster without crashing. But after three laps, I’m too wide in Second mental debrief: I’m turn three once again. This late everywhere, do not exploit time, better call it a day. Exthe full width of the track yet. hausted after ten laps, I know But even being short of physi- one thing for sure: Johann cal strength, I already start to Zarco chose the right training have fun. The third and last tool!

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With a cost set at 110 euros and black and black/ white colours this is a respectably priced piece of hand protection with Coolmax textile inner lining, double leather layers and Kangaroo leather palm construction, air in-take system over the fingers and break-proof PU moulding. Aramid fabrics and a complex mix of stretch sections and leather panels means a lot of work and attention has gone into the formulation of the glove.

The final touch is getting to a bike dealer to see which of the sizes from XS to 5XL fits best.

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Feature

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Words & Photos by Steve English

Feature

T

he Suzuka 8 Hours is an event that stirs the soul. Having been to most of the major races on the annual motorsport calendar, I can easily say this is one that leaves a mark. It’s far flung for a European, held in hot and stifling conditions but there’s something special about it. Japan is still a country unlike any other and even though the gap between the East and West has shrunk an Irishman is still very much a fish out of water in the Land of the Rising Sun. Suzuka is a complicated race for teams, riders and (dare I say it) journalists. In saying that the complication of my first trip in 2017 was self-inflicted. At the time I was recovering from pneumonia so decided it would be a smart decision to use all my airline points and upgrade my ticket to business class for the trip.

Feeling quite pleased with myself about getting a cheap upgrade my smile was quickly be wiped off my face 24 hours after the race.

There are two airports in Tokyo, one to the north and one in the centre of the city. As part of my upgrade offer there was, unbeknownst to me, a change of airport.

“Suzuka has been growing in popularity in recent years. superstars like Kevin Schwantz in ‘13 and Casey Stoner in ‘15, have helped make the race important viewing again...”

Of course I didn’t notice this fact until it was almost too late! Arriving to the airport in plenty of time I got a coffee and some lunch before strolling to the checkin desks.

Seeing that they were closed was a surprise but nothing that would leave me too concerned seeing as I had hours until my flight. Then I then checked the departure board and saw my flight was leaving hours after I had expected...Checking my booking I then realised the err of my

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ways and that I had only a couple of hours to get across the city before my flight!

Needless to say my suitcase took an absolute hammering at that moment as frustration got the better of me.

Having made my flight by the skin of my teeth I made the next foolish decision and decided to tell Michael van der Mark about my experience. Needless to say the Dutchman found it hilarious and it was tough to determine if my mistake or his victory 24 hours previously gave him more enjoyment.

This year even the weather it was a typhoon that took me by surprise and showed, like in the race, how quickly things can change.

Upon landing in Tokyo (the right airport) in 36C temperatures the thoughts of wind and rainfall was as far from my mind as possible. The 8 Hours was at the forefront, and it was time to start the 200 miles journey to Suzuka.

Suzuka has been growing in popularity once again in recent years. The return of superstar riders for one-off races: Kevin

Feature Schwantz in 2013 and Casey Stoner in 2015, have helped make the race important viewing again. For decades this was the jewel in the crown of the competitive calendar for Japanese manufacturers but it lost its sheen over the years. It was weathered and rough but the return of the stars gave it a rebirth.

That rebirth has also coincided with Yamaha’s renaissance. Since the introduction of the latest YZF-R1 model, Suzuka has become a Yamaha ‘benefit’. With MotoGP and WorldSBK stars onboard they have dominated proceedings since 2015.

For 2018 however that promised to change. Kawasaki brought with them Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam, not to mention an all-new ZX-10RR. Yoshimura Suzuki had former WorldSBK champion Sylvain Guintoli teaming up with British Superbike surprise package Bradley Ray. Honda had drafted in WorldSBK star Leon Camier alongside MotoGP’s Takaaki Nakagami-the Englishman was eventually ruled out by injury and replaced by fellow WorldSBK racer PJ Jacobsen. With each Japanese manufacturer having their star attractions teamed-up with Japanese test riders, this had the makings of a great 8 Hours.

It’s fair to say that when practice started there was a buzz around Suzuka. For the likes of Rea, there was a buzz to be back in Japan. As Kawasaki’s most successful rider in the world, there was pressure on his shoulders. Pressure to perform, pressure to win. This wasn’t just an effort to punch the clock and do the duties of a champion.

going to suzuka xxxxxxxx: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Feature “This was the perfect time to come back to Suzuka,” said Rea. “I’ve had opportunities [before] with Kawasaki but it didn’t seem right. It didn’t seem like a full effort. I know what it takes to win and I wasn’t interested in coming back if I couldn’t win again. There’s a change in mentality and more investment in the Suzuka project now. I wanted to have some familiarity with Pere and Uri in the garage. It can be daunting to come here from the world championship and go to a team you’ve never worked with before.”

If world champions are daunted by Suzuka, what chance do the rest have? As it happened there are good reasons to be daunted by the trip. This is one of the most spectacular circuits in the world, with a backdrop of theme parks and mountains but it was the weather that dominated the build up.

With warnings about the typhoon, track schedules were changed and the paddock was taken down on Saturday evening. The hospitality units were packed up and the hatches were battened down.

They were ready for a storm and it

duly came at 10pm. In the space of five minutes, the calm before the storm was replaced by near 100mph winds and the flimsy windows in my hotel started to cry out for some extra screws.

Settling in for the night, a clap of thunder brought with it a power cut. Ordinarily this would have been quite welcome, the huge neon lights of my hotel were just outside my window and illuminating the room, but with the power cut came the emergency lights and fire alarms.

Needless to say the six hours without power passed very quickly and I slept soundly...

On the back of 30 minutes sleep it was time to make for the circuit on race day morning. Suzuka as a layout is amazing in almost every way…but getting around it is beyond difficult and for the race I was apprehensive. I had pictures in mind but without the shuttle bus, which runs on the circuit between sessions, I’d have to find a way on foot to the far reaches of the track.

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The facility - built as a test track for Honda in the 60’s - offers a bit of everything except service roads! Finding your way around the maze of Suzuka actually takes some doing, and even after two years there are still sections I’ve tried to get to but failed miserably!

Yamaha and Kawasaki fared a lot better than I did in getting around the 6km layout, even though it was clear that there’s nothing easy about the Suzuka 8 Hours.

This is a pressure-filled environment and as I hiked around the Japanese wilderness, I thought about the challenges of this race. For a journalist and photographer it’s a tough prospect because it’s structured very differently to a normal race. For the riders it’s different because they have a teammate and have to find a way to compliment each other. They also are racing in front of their Japanese paymasters and the spotlight that brings.

This is the biggest race of the year and even though Yamaha claimed a fourth consecutive victory, it wasn’t a breeze.

With Katsuyuki Nakasuga ruled out by a shoulder injury following a practice crash it would have been easy for Yamaha to slip up. The Japanese rider on each team normally dominates the 8 Hours programme: the bike is developed and setup around his requirements and his teammates do the best they can to get comfortable. On Saturday night Yamaha were morbid. Qualifying third and without their leader, the onus fell on Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark to lift the team’s spirits.

“This was the toughest 8 Hours yet for us,” said three-time winner Lowes. “To be mistake-free for four years in a row is really impressive by Yamaha.

I thought that Michael did a great job because he had the worst conditions at all times. He was out in the rain and he was on the bike when you changed to slicks or wets. It was a really impressive ride.

As a team we stuck to our plan.”

That plan was that the WorldSBK pair would split the race hour by hour. It was the first time since 2010 that a team won with such an approach, and while it was taxing for both riders it had some advantages. “You got off the bike, got into the cool pool, got a quick bite to eat and then went out again. It really focuses you on the race,” said Lowes.

For van der Mark, the focus was on avoiding mistakes. Off the line he settled into fourth position in the early laps as he found his feet in the wet. The Yamaha underwent a significant geometry change to help the Dutchman feel more comfortable on the fix for four hours, and as the track dried he came into his own. Slicing through traffic the opening hour was a flat out battle with Jonathan Rea. Any time the Kawasaki rider opened a gap, van der Mark answered straight back. It was a straight-up fight and the Yamaha rider wasn’t in a mood to back down from it. “It was flat out all the way!

I struggled with rear grip in that stint but did well to get through traffic,” said the two-time WorldSBK race winner. “In the middle of the race - when it rained - it was really tough because I had a dark visor and couldn’t see much. It meant I could go fast though because I couldn’t see the parts of the track that were really wet!”

While van der Mark avoided the worst of the conditions, Rea hit them.

Feature The Northern Irishman elected to stay on track with slicks behind the safety car and was caught out. “I wanted to pit for wets because I was on slick tyres in the full wet,” said Rea afterwards. “I was asking the pits with my hand if I could come in and the pit board kept saying stay out. It was a strange crash, almost like a Speedway crash, because the rear came around when there wasn’t too much lean angle and I wasn’t on the throttle. I couldn’t save it but I was able to get the bike back so we only lost one lap. It was really frustrating as it came in a bad moment for us.”

“It was very, very difficult as we had so many different conditions thrown at us, and things that we weren’t prepared for in endurance racing with a lack of experience. Maybe I should have stuck to my guns when I wanted to come into the pits instead of listening to my pit board.”

Yamaha has the experience at Suzuka to be flexible and understand the nuances of the race. It takes time to learn another discipline and while the Kawasaki was the fastest bike in Japan - as shown by setting the pace in qualifying and practice - it wasn’t the fastest over eight hours.

That’s the difference between sprint racing and endurance racing. During a WorldSBK weekend, team’s will spend time working towards making the bike Firmaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx perfect for a 35 minute blast; fine tuning the settings so the tyre lasts a shade longer or that riders can be consistent.

At Suzuka there’s no such luxury. It leaves nowhere to hide. Any deficiencies are brutally exposed. For Kawasaki it was their inexperience that was unravelled.

Honda and Suzuki were also vulnerable in Japan, but it wasn’t as surprising to see that happen. Honda came back with a full factory effort for the first time since 2010, but was never truly ‘at the races’.

They were always behind on pace and did well to finish second. The team exceeded expectations and rode their luck but did a solid job overall.

Preparation is the key to success at Suzuka. Whether that’s for teams, riders or just planning a trip to the race. This year it came together last minute for me and it was a seat of the pants trip but, like the riders, when they get off their bikes exhausted, you get back at the end of the trip excited for 2019.

going to suzuka

SBK BLOG

What’s wanted?

I have been quite diligent these past few weeks. I haven’t picked up a camera and I haven’t looked at a motorbike race either. After all that has gone on in the first half of the year it really was time for a break.

The last bit of action I saw was the Suzuka 8Hr race in Japan.

I was last there when Valentino Rossi partnered Colin Edwards on the Castrol Honda so there was a bit a re-acquainting to be done. A few things had changed around the track but in essence it was all still the same, hot, humid and difficult to get around. In photography terms I don’t think I did it justice for a number of reasons but it was an interesting trip nonetheless.

Looking at it from a ‘Superbike’ point of view it was clear that even in this arena, Jonathan Rea and the Kawasaki are the class of the field when it comes to outright speed, but the No21 Yamaha ridden by Lowes, Van Der Mark and Nakasuga was snapping at their heels all the way. What was apparent was the level of importance that Yamaha had attached to this one event.This year is the 20th anniversary of the YZF-R1 and they certainly had something to celebrate but a customary

glance at the size and set up of their pit box, compared to those of main rivals Kawasaki and Honda, showed who really meant business. Yamaha had thrown everything but the kitchen sink at this race and in the end it paid off with the No.21 trio claim the fourth win in a row for them.

Since I came back I have pretty much been immersed in my voluntary work with my son and some cycling competitions for athletes with an intellectual disability. It has meant that I have seen or heard little of the world of motorcycle racing and to sit down and write something, and in particular about WorldSBK was quite difficult.

On a personal sense I have needed this long break but in actual fact the length of time that WorldSBK has been sidelined is pretty ridiculous. At a time when the series is in need of any pub-

licity, to be sitting in the wings when all other championships are in full swing can only be detrimental in the long term.

The big news has been the publication of a fans’ survey. I will point out at this stage that I haven’t looked at it, partly because I feel I know the two most important answers. I follow many interested parties on social media and in any discussion that comes up where fans are engaged, two points always seem to be at the forefront: two races on a Sunday and standard electronics.

I have commented before on my views on stock electronics in Superbike, but I agree that in the past it’s unique selling point was having two races on a Sunday.

The introduction of the two day format was, to my understanding, to satisfy TV broadcasters Mediaset and hopefully engage more viewers, but this seems to have

By Graeme Brown

been at the expense of the paying punters who turn up at the race track. There have been a few comments in the media recently that what is needed is revolution instead of evolution. It will be interesting to see if the results of the survey are published but I feel that there can be no harm in going back to what worked in the past.

has been happening over the last few weeks but at first glance it seems to be more speculation than substantive fact. Thursday and Friday will not only be a good chance to get the trigger finger working again but it will be an opportunity to speak to people face to face and find out what is actually happening on the ground on planet WorldSBK.

This week I am gearing up to get back to work with a two day test at Portimao. Having had a quick scroll around the interweb for news and gossip on WorldSBK it appears that only Speedweek in Germany/ Austria seem to be carrying any interest. There would appear to be no news on the destination of Tom Sykes, but Alvaro Bautista seems to be in the frame for a seat at Ducati alongside Chaz Davies. SMR Racing are still debating on whether or not to continue with Aprilia or jump ship to Ducati. Honda still look to be piecing things together but there would appear to be a strategy in place for the development of the race prepped Fireblade, which will start at the Portimao test.

The one signing that has been done, and attracted a fair amount of comment, has been Leon Haslam slotting in at KRT to replace Tom Sykes. There has been a bit of criticism bandied about on social media over the signing, the main thrust of which is that the last thing WorldSBK needs is another British rider. There is also a feeling that Haslam’s time at the top has passed and that what is needed for the championship is a young rider of another nationality. My own personal feelings are mixed. I have known and worked with Leon for many years. He and the wider Haslam family live and breath motorcycle racing and you couldn’t meet a nicer bunch of people. However, I do agree with the general view that WorldSBK needs new blood and a wider spread of nationalities at the

I guess the early part of this week will be spent catching up on what

sharp end of the grid. On the other hand Haslam is a fierce competitor and with the factory Ninja ZX-10RR underneath him I expect him to be a regular visitor to the podium next year. There is also the question of Kawasaki’s relationship with Dorna.

In recent years Kawasaki have felt persecuted by the changes in the technical and sporting regulations of the championship, almost as if they are being penalised for their success. I am sure that with all rider negotiations Dorna plays a hand and I can imagine that in this case Kawasaki have chosen a rider that will be the strongest possible team-mate to Jonathan Rea over the ‘best interests’ of the championship.

People forget that Haslam is a Kawasaki employee and is held in very high esteem by the Japanese. He has also been team-mates with Rea before and the pair have a genuinely strong relationship. Surely that is a better option if you want to win both rider and manufacturers titles than a young inexperienced firebrand.

That’s where Toprak Razgatlioglu comes in, and why he has remained at Puccetti Racing. Rest assured if he starts scoring podiums on a regular basis there will be a seat at KRT for him in good time.

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two’s company Words by Roland Brown, Photos by Alessio Barbanti & Jonathan Godin

Radical change is rare in motorcycling.

Liquid-cooled engines, aluminium and carbon-fibre chassis, fuel-injection and complex electronics have been adopted in recent decades, without altering the basic format of two wheels and an engine.

Dramatic innovations have been tried, with models including Yamaha’s “forkless” GTS1000 of 1993, but with little success.

The three-wheeled Niken takes radical design to a whole new level. One glance, from any angle, confirms that the 847cc, threecylinder Niken is like no other motorcycle on earth. Assuming, that is, that it’s even technically a motorcycle.

But if the Niken seems distinctly strange to most motorcyclists, scooter riders might find it more familiar. Versions of Piaggio’s MP3 have sold in large numbers since the

original three-wheeled scooter’s debut in 2006. Yamaha joined in four years ago with the 125cc Tricity, which has established itself without making a similar impact.

Now the Japanese firm has adapted the Tricity’s technology to bring the leaning threewheeled layout to motorcyclists. Yamaha says the Niken – the name means “two swords”, after those twin front wheels – is designed for experienced riders, not scooterists or car drivers.

The rest of the Niken is conventional; it’s essentially another member of the three-cylinder MT-09 family. The dohc, 12-valve engine is minimally modified, with no change to its maximum output of 113bhp. But the frame is new, combining steel main tubes with an aluminium swing-arm pivot section.

yamaha niken

The seat is reasonably low at 820mm, but it’s quite wide and the Niken feels like a substantial bike. The rider’s view is of a stubby screen, a broad expanse of grey fairing, and a simple LCD instrument panel. Electrics are roughly to MT-09 spec, with three riding modes and two-way traction control, plus cruise control.

The wide, one-piece handlebar gives plenty of leverage to help lift the Niken off its sidestand. At 263kg wet, it’s almost 50kg heavier than the Tracer 900 sports-tourer. The riding position is slightly more relaxed than the Tracer’s, with bars and seat lower and more rearwards, and slightly less legroom.

You feel the weight on the move but the Niken seems well balanced, helped by generous steering lock that makes slow-speed manoeuvring easy. Steering immediately feels so intuitive that the extra wheel is barely noticeable. The biggest difference from a normal bike is the effortless way the Niken seems to float over road imperfections.

As one tyre hits a bump or pothole, the suspension can react without the other leg being affected. The impression is of a bike with more front suspension travel than the Yamaha’s modest 110mm.

Straight-line performance is strong but not outstanding – as you might expect of an MT09 carrying enough extra weight for a typical pillion. The engine is internally unchanged apart from a heavier crankshaft with 18 per cent more inertia, intended to add driveability at the expense of responsiveness.

Although the Niken’s injection system is finetuned, it can’t approach the exuberance of an MT-09, even in its most aggressive riding mode. But it rips forward sufficiently hard to be entertaining, aided by a quick-shifter which, as with Yamaha’s other triples, works efficiently but only on up-changes.

yamaha niken

yamaha niken

“Steering immediately feels so intuitive that the extra wheel is barely noticeable. the Niken seems to float over road imperfections. As one tyre hits a bump or pothole, the suspension can react without the other leg being affected...�

On main roads Yam sits at 90mph feeling effortless and respectably long-legged. It’s good for about 130mph, and is stable at speed, its screen and fairing doing a reasonable job of keeping off the wind. It also feels composed through fast turns, changing direction fairly effortlessly in response to a nudge of the wide handlebar.

It’s at its best in smooth, medium-speed bends where it can be flicked in hard, confident in the front tyres’ ability to grip, and powered round, sometimes with a footrest tip touching down. It’s less impressive in hairpins, where it tends to fall into the turn slightly at the apex, then understeer on the way out.

Stability on the brakes is confidence-inspiring, as is the Niken’s ability to find grip with one front tyre if a slippery patch can’t be avoided. Initial brake bite is not particularly sharp but there’s plenty of power available from each wheel’s single disc and fourpiston caliper. Having two front wheels with independent ABS allows hard stopping on poor surfaces.

Despite Yamaha’s claims of sporty character, the Niken works best as a sports-tourer.

It has reasonable wind protection, a fairly comfortable seat, pillion grab-handles, useful mirrors, a 12V socket and fuel range of 150 miles or more. At £13,499 in the UK it’s realistically priced, costing more than Yamaha’s MT-09 but less than the four-cylinder MT-10 SP.

For a machine that looks so crazy and different, the Niken is remarkably sensible and normal to ride. Whether it will end up a successful pioneer, like the MP3, or a dive up a blind alley like the GTS1000 or BMW’s roofed C1 scooter, remains to be seen. The Niken won’t start a revolution but, provided enough riders can be persuaded to try it, this innovative machine looks like taking motorcycling in an exciting new direction.

yamaha niken

back page Monster Energy Girls

By Ray Archer

on track off road

‘On-track Off-road’ is a free, bi-weekly publication for the screen focussed on bringing the latest perspectives on events, blogs and some of the very finest photography from the three worlds of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the AMA Motocross and Supercross series’ and MotoGP. ‘On-track Off-road’ will be published online at www.ontrackoffroad.com every other Tuesday. To receive an email notification that a new issue available with a brief description of each edition’s contents simply enter an address in the box provided on the homepage. All email addresses will be kept strictly confidential and only used for purposes connected with OTOR. Adam Wheeler Editor and MXGP/MotoGP correspondent Ray Archer Photographer Steve Matthes AMA MX and SX correspondent Cormac Ryan-Meenan MotoGP Photographer www.cormacgp.com David Emmett MotoGP Blogger Neil Morrison MotoGP Blogger & Feature writer Sienna Wedes MotoGP Blogger Graeme Brown WSB Blogger and Photographer Roland Brown Tester Núria Garcia Cover Design Gabi Álvarez Web developer Hosting FireThumb7 - www.firethumb7.co.uk Thanks to www.mototribu.com PHOTO CREDITS Ray Archer, CormacGP, Polarity Photo, Steve English, Monster Energy Cover shot: Thomas Covington by Ray Archer

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