Today MV Agusta confirmed that due to its tight financial situation–created by inadequate sales numbers and consequent losses, and lack of fresh money–MV Agusta’s top management had decided to apply for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to save what positive assets are left in the company.

So far, there have been no releases from Mercedes-AMG, a 25 percent owner of MV Agusta. The move is announced as the sole possible option for saving the company, the workers’ jobs, and any possible future credible position in the market.

MV Agusta has always lived an unusual life, even when it was owned by Count Domenico Agusta, and was winning world titles by the truckloads thanks to the supreme technology of its racing bikes. But the quality of its production bikes at the time was inadequate given the very high prices they fetched. So sales lagged low, but Count Agusta cared mostly for his racing bikes, since losses in the production bike department were filled in by the sales of helicopters.

Today, the quality of production MV Agusta bikes is controversial: the three cylinder bikes are very good, and have proven competitive in World Supersport racing (Jules Cluzel just won in Thailand on his 675cc MV Agusta F3). But the four-cylinder F4 has struggled in terms of sales, and continues to struggle competing against other open-class rivals both on and off the track.

MV Agusta could easily dress up the Brutale engine/chassis platform as a mid-sized “Supersport.” The current, Euro 4 legal, 116 horsepower MV Agusta 800 is a torquey, responsive, user friendly engine that delivers good performance. So is the new Brutale chassis, just add a well-designed fairing, clip-ons, an F3 inspired tank, and you’ve got yourself a very attractive MV Agusta Supersport 800. A real MV Agusta.

Stay tuned here for more on this subject as the story develops.

The testing is over, the predictions are complete, the lubricants, greases, cleaners and filters are packed, and the teams are on their way to Qatar in the Middle East… MotoGP 2016 is ready to roar into action!

Forming and integral part of Motul’s research and development into products of the future, as well as its international marketing strategy, the worlds oldest motorsport championship remains the zenith of two-wheel competition. Cutting edge, high tech prototype machines from the world’s leading motorcycle manufacturers go head to head in the 18 race series which visits 13 different countries between March and November, beginning this weekend with Qatar on the 20^th March.

In 2016 Motul will not only be technically supporting three major factory teams – Team Suzuki, Monster Yamaha Tech3 and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – but will also be title sponsor for four rounds.

Gran Premio Motul de la Republic Argentina. (ARG), Motul TT Assen (NLD), Motul Grand Prix of Japan (JAP) AND Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valencia (ESP). In addition, Motul continues its official partnership with the Grand Prix of France, one of the country’s leading international sporting events, held at Le Mans this year on the 8^th May, for an outstanding 20^th consecutive year.

Free practice

Sylvain Guintoli and Alex Lowes claimed second and fourth positions respectively for the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team at a hot and humid Chang International Circuit this afternoon.

Securing their direct qualification into tomorrow's Superpole 2, Guintoli and Lowes put on a confident display as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returned to Buriram for round two's opening free practice action.

With the track newly resurfaced, both Yamaha riders began the first session carefully, evaluating the conditions on their respective YZF-R1's. The Frenchman completed the morning in seventh, his best lap a 1'36.884, while his British teammate's 1'36.994 followed closely behind in ninth.

As the track temperatures soared to 45°C, the afternoon's times tumbled. Lowes hit the mark early in the second session jumping to second with his first fast lap and holding fifth for the opening 20 minutes. At the half way point Guintoli advanced his time to 1'36.0 to take a top-five position. The final minutes of the afternoon proved even more fruitful for the Yamaha riders; Lowes' fastest lap - 1'35.224 - saw him eventually close the session in fourth, while Guintoli became one of only two riders to break the 1'35 barrier, securing second with a 1'34.811 on his final quick lap.

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team returns to Buriram at 10:45hrs local time tomorrow for the final 15 minutes of free practice ahead of Superpole qualifying and the first race of the weekend at 16:00hrs local time.

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Crew Chief Lez Pearson's well-established career spans national and international championships, having worked in BSB, 500cc GP and WorldSBK over the past 20 years. A consistent member of the Crescent Racing squad for the past decade, 2016 sees Pearson partner Sylvain Guintoli as Yamaha returns the YZF-R1 back to the top flight of production motorcycle competition. Yamaha Racing caught up with Pearson on his return home from Phillip Island's opening round of the season to discuss the new focus this year.

Lez, this is your fifth season in the FIM Superbike World Championship. Having yourself moved up from the British Superbike Championship, can you explain the main differences needed to adapt the YZF-R1 from its national title-winning production-spec base, to those required to challenge competitively on the world stage?

"The tracks are totally different and generally a lot faster in the world championship compared to the ones in the UK, also the competition is much stronger and deeper so the bikes have to perform at a higher level just to achieve the same results respectively. There is, generally, more budget in WorldSBK so your bikes are built to a higher spec and with the involvement of the Factory-run teams basically everything has to be at a far higher level to compete consistently and remain with the front group at every round."

Phillip Island saw the return of Yamaha to the WorldSBK paddock with the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team. What are your overall reflections on the opening weekend, with the bike, team and Sylvain's performance? What positives can you take from such a promising first event, and what are you looking to further develop as the season progresses?

"The first event was very positive for us, especially as the bike is still at such an early stage of development. In terms of outright performance, we must continue to improve compared to the competition, but as a new project we have only had four tests compared to the years of experience all the other teams have with their respective machines! That being said, the YZF-R1's potential was better than first could have been imagined and Sylvain's efforts were extremely encouraging in Australia, with a top-five and top-six result. We need to work hard with what we have now while waiting for improvements but it's been a very good start to the season!"

What will be your main focus when adapting the YZF-R1 from the set-up used at Phillip Island to those needed for Thailand's Chang International Circuit next weekend and why?

"Chang is quite a different circuit and Phillip Island is quite special - we are going from a flowing layout to a more stop/start type track so the bike will need to be better on the brakes than the setting we used in Australia. We need to make the most of the braking areas at Chang and use the R1's strong points as effectively as we can."

Can you provide an insight to the job of a Crew Chief throughout a race weekend - what are your typical schedules and responsibilities day-by-day, how did the Phillip Island event run for you and what are your preparations now in the run up to round two?

"It's not the glamourous job people think it is and there are a lot of long hours! Phillip Island for example saw a 3am finish one night! As an event it went quite smoothly for me and everything worked out well but it's not always that easy. As Chief Engineer I am responsible for the day-to-day running of my side of the team, from simple organisational things like what time we leave in the morning, to what tyre plan were going to run in the next session - there can be quite a lot of pressure over the weekend and stress levels can run quite high. I work with the engineers from Yamaha, Ohlins and Pirelli to find the best solutions together, but ultimately it is my responsibility to put the bike onto the track with the best setting possible. I have already been working hard since PI analysing what happened in the races and where we could gain time while also planning for round two and deciding the start point setting of the bike. As Chief Engineer it's my job to use my experience and decide the start setting for the event and work forward from there."

What is your favourite circuit on the WorldSBK calendar and which do you think will suit the YZF-R1 the best?

"My favourite circuit is probably Laguna Seca, it has everything, good weather, exciting circuit and I love America, all the Italian rounds are nice also - good weather makes a big difference! Regarding the bike, with the performance character of the R1 Donnington will be a strong race for us, which as our home round will be great for the whole team, riders and our partners."

Pearson will join the rest of his Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand later this week as Sylvain Guintoli and Alex Lowes get back to action for round two of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship on Saturday 12th March.

IWATA, February 5, 2016—Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 7272) announced today that their flagship supersport model YZF-R1, and the smartphone application “Rev Translator”, which deciphers engine sound, have received the ‘iF design award 2016’ – one of the most prestigious design prizes - in the product category and the communication category respectively.
This is the third year running that Yamaha has received this award in the product category, and it is the first time for the communication category.

The new flagship supersport YZF-R1 model was developed allowing riders to experience the technical concepts of a MotoGP YZR-M1 machine, and comes equipped with the potential for a circuit-level top speed.
The design, in addition to projecting the image of a YZR-M1 MotoGP machine, is a new innovation of the “Speed Racer” concept and has built a new strand of R-DNA.

“Rev Translator” is the first smartphone application in the world to translate the sound of an engine.
The translator has six different personalities and offers over 100 million lines of dialogue. Rev Translator will reveal its mood based on the engine sound it hears and its comments can also vary depending on the time of day and the weather.

The ‘iF design awards’ have been awarded since 1953 by the international design promotion organization Industries Forum Design Hanover (iF), based in Hanover, Germany. Every year, superior designs are selected from industrial products etc. from around the world.

One of the fastest growing motorsport championships in terms of popularity and visibility, the 2016 FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship will once again receive the global support of Motul through its links with the factory Honda and Suzuki teams, Team HRC and Team Suzuki World MXGP.

In this two-way street, Motul will be at the heart of the demanding motorcycle racing discipline which is held on closed, off-road circuits, using the unique conditions in both competition and consumer ranges.

Team HRC and Team Suzuki World MXGP will use the Motul Factory Line range of products which are dedicated to competition, including the 300V Off Road engine oil, designed to offer better clutch response and grip control with outstanding engine and gearbox protection, and Motul MC Care line for the maintenance and care of the bikes and riders’ equipment.

The 2016 MXGP season, a world championship run over 18 rounds in 15 different countries, will mark Team HRC’s third year in modern motocross. Maintaining the consistency and stability of 2015, Frenchman Gautier Paulin and Russian Ecgeny Bobryshev will once again be working with the expert guidance of Sporting Manager and Motul ambassador, Jean-Michel Bayle – the French motocross and two-time World Champion legend, who joined Team HRC last year.

Paulin and Bobryshev, who finished second and third respectively in 2015 aboard the Honda CRF450RW, will undoubtedly each be looking towards the top step of the championship winners’ rostum. The 2016 season will be the seventh with Honda for the Russian star while it will be the second with HRC for Paulin since returning to the brand after riding the Honda CRF early on in his European career.

Approaching the 2016 season equally eagerly, but with some new elements to its squad, is Team Suzuki World MXGP. The sport’s most successful Grand Prix rider, and another former World Champion, Stefan Everts has assumed the role of Team Principal after reaching an agreement with Geboers Racing Promotions’ Sylvain Geboers. The two Belgians will now steer Suzuki’s factory programme in the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship with the RM-Z450 in the hands of their fellow countryman Kevin Strijbos and New Zealander Ben Townley.

The MXGP season starts on 27^th February in Losail, Qatar and ends I the USA at Glen Helen on September 11^th. 

One of the highlights in the Arai range is without doubt the introduction of the new limited IOMTT helmet.

Arai and the Isle of Man races have a long standing partnership and part of it is the yearly introduction of a special, always limited edition, IOMTT helmet.  Because of our relationship, only Arai may be used the world famous TT logo as part of our helmet design. Off course the new Arai RX-7V with its revolutionary VAS visor system was the obvious choice for this special helmet.

From the very beginning Italian top designer Aldo Drudi has been the creator of these very popular models and certain details will always return in his IOMTT designs. The famous three-legged symbol (the ‘’Triskelion’’) of course, but also the words ‘’Ellan Vannin’’ which is the Manx-language name of the Isle of Man. Also the well-known ‘’TT’’ logo forms an integral part of this new 2016 design. Again Drudi has managed to create a helmet complete in the spirit of the existing IOMTT range, but still different from all its successors.

The Arai IOMTT 2016 helmet will be handmade in a limited production run. After these have been made, no more IOMTT 2016 helmets will be produced.

contact: www.bike-wise.co.za

Designed to break the mould, Motul Onirika 2853 is the new show bike commissioned by Mitul Italia- created by Luca Pozzato’s Officine GPDesign workshop in Turin. The project was conceived to celebrate the company’s forward-looking vision, whilst supporting the fundraising and initiatives of the Motul Corazon charity organisation. The bike was unveiled for the first time during an international preview at Verona’s Motor Bike expo.

Motul Onirika 2853 – Motul’s first show bike – was presented last weekend at Verona’s Motorbike Expo. The name of the bike recalls the history of Motul, but with a look to the future. He term “Onirika’ is a direct reference to dreams, which are the basis for Motul’s concept of the future, while 2853 is one thousand years after the foundation of the company. With the Motul Onirika 2853 project, technological advances and tradition merge together in a dream come true!

“It was a great challenge” said Marco Baraldi, CEO of Motul Italy, “to inject Motul’s core values into an authentic work of art on two wheels, and to do so with an eye to the future. Luca Pozzato of Officine GPDesign has turned a dream into reality. Motul Onirika 2853 is not just an end unto itself, but plays an important part in supporting the actions of Motul Corazon; a non-profit organisation that seeks to improve the future of boys and girls in social distress in many ways, including professional training.”

The starting base was an MV Augusta Brutale 800 machine. The bike is a one-off piece, thus unrepeatable. It is a dream created exclusively for Motul usuing a perfect blend of suggestions and recommendations coming from different sectors and areas in which the company is present.

Officine GPDesign was the showroom responsible for giving shape and weight to this project, which was inspired by a thousand details, quotes, art forms and technologies. Motul Onirirka 2853 features a hand crafted aluminium fuel tank using gears as a theme and coated by using the ‘cubic paint’ technique. Its cast iron grey colour, the gear-shaped fuel cap and the rich detailed textures are all references to Motul’s universe. Its wheels take inspiration from the car world, while the golden bronze colour recalls the past. The coating of the front brake hoses, together with the headlight grill are reminiscent of factories’ high pressure tubes; the chassis features paint with a unique metal oxidised effect.

The lED tail light recalls tiny oil drops. The bike is started using a fingerprint recognition system. By using unconventional materials and taking inspiration from disciplines and worlds that are generally far removed from the norm, Officine GPDesign has created another two-wheel masterpiece.

Motul Onirika 2853 will be displayed during several important international events and will be put on auction to raise money for Motul Corazon. Motul Corazon was born under the auspices of Foundation de France, an internationally active charity organisation, and is a natural step in the development of the Motul Company.

Extreme Off Road Promotions have pleasure in announcing that the date for the 2016 Roof of Africa Bronze Qualifier have been confirmed as follows:

Saturday 21st. May

Supplementary Regulations will be available in the next couple of weeks.The All Comers Class has been dropped this year, however we have introduced a WOW Class which will be a shorter route than the Qualifier. This is for first timers and those wanting to get a taste of Roof of Africa country. Full details will follow in the Supplementary Regulations.

Avani Maseru Hotel is closed over this period for renovations, however Avani Lesotho Hotel are offering a great weekend package so please support our sponsors and stay with them, Briefing and Prize giving will both be at Avani Lesotho so stay where the action is.

Please contact Nthabaleng at mmothebesoane@avanihotels.com

The firm, now owned by KTM, has made its first move under new management towards the street bike market. And they’ve done that by using the KTM 690 SMC R as a donor bike.

The 701 Supermoto is basically the KTM 690 SMC R and the 701 Enduro is the KTM 690 Enduro R, but with three main differences; suspension, bodywork and engine maps.

Husqvarna say that they’ve taken a different approach to KTM by straying from the ‘Ready to Race’ mantra and making the Husky easier to use for the ‘everyday rider’. So, the suspension is softer, the engine maps more user friendly and the bodywork and seat more ergonomic. The Husky also gets a larger 13 litre tank. 

The Supermoto is otherwise the same as the KTM so it gets the powerful four-pot Brembo caliper up front, ride-by-wire throttle and the same potent liquid-cooled 690cc single-cylinder, pumping out 67 bhp (the most powerful single on the market) and 49 ftlbs of torque. All of that, coupled with swish extras like the slipper clutch, and totaling a super-light 145 kg (dry) makes the 701 seriously lustrous. 

And they’ve done a good job with the changes, as the Supermoto’s fully adjustable WP suspension set-up is brilliant, very well balanced and plush. And the engine map in standard mode makes the throttle response smooth and predictable. 

Despite the trick spec sheet, the 701 is pretty easy to ride, yet more than up for a push. Wind on the throttle and as your fingers clasp the grips you’ll quickly forget you’re on a single. The 701 blasts forward so hard it’s impossible not to grin from ear to ear. Throw it into corner after corner and the chassis handles impeccably, inspiring you to go harder. It’s agile, turns sharply, brakes with the merest stroke of the lever and is incredibly fun.

The Enduro model gets a 52 cm (21 inch) front and 45 cm (18 inch) rear. The front fork is still produced by WP, but is enduro competition spec and softer for off-road riding. It also swaps out the four-pot front for a twin-pot. Husqvarna are also developing adventure accessories for the Enduro bike, such as a bolt on tank, increasing the capacity to 20 litres (which Husqvarna claim should return 400 kms) also available is a taller screen.

For more information contact Puzey Bikers Warehouse on 011 795 4122 or visit their web site www.bikerswarehouse.co.za