KTM’s four time Dakar winner Marc Coma fought a great fight this week at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge for the closest of finishes on the final Leg Five to miss the overall victory by just 20 seconds.

Coma, of Spain was on the podium with overall winner Paolo Goncalves and third placed Joan Barreda but can be well satisfied with his performance in the opening round of the FIM Cross-Countries Rally Championship.

KTM Factory teammate Jordi Viladoms finished in fourth overall and with Slovenia’s Miran Stanovnik in fifth to give KTM three of the top five riders in the competition. KTM UAE’s Mohammed AlBalooshi finished in sixth overall.

KTM factory riders competed on the 2014 KTM 450 Rally bike, the same machine Coma rode to KTM's 13th Dakar victory in January 2014.

Throughout the week Coma was never off the winning pace by more than 1 minute 31. He was the overall leader after Leg 2 and Leg 4 but his win in Leg 4 meant he was first out on the final day with the added responsibility of opening the track.

Sam Sunderland, the talented young British rider made a stunning start to the rally in his debut ride for the KTM Factory Team. He took line honors in Legs 1 & 3 before exiting in the fourth leg with bike issues, the result of coming off a particularly high dune during Leg 4.

Marc Coma: "We fought until the last kilometer but in this race we know the starting order has a big influence. We also had a race strategy with Sam (Sunderland) that we could not carry out after he went out. We missed the win by just 20 seconds, which was a shame because it would have been great to win here for the eighth time. I felt very comfortable and after winning the Dakar, I had the same motivation. I will try to get the win in Qatar (Sealine Rally April 20-25) that has eluded us here by such a small margin.”?

It was also an unlucky outing for KTM supported rider Jakub ‘Kuba’ Przygonski who crashed out of Leg 2. He returned to Poland for treatment for an injured back and dislocated elbow. His Orlen Team reported that he would not need surgery.
 
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Rally
(Rd. 1 of the FIM World Cross Countries World Championship)
Final overall results after Leg Five
1, Paolo Goncalves, POR, Honda, 16 hours 57.47
2, Marc Coma, ESP, KTM, 16:58.07 (at 20 seconds)
3, Joan Barreda, ESP, Honda, 17:38.36
4, Jordi Viladoms, ESP KTM, 17:38.36?
5, Miran Stanovnik SVN, KTM, 18:37.11
Other KTM
6, Mohammed AlBalooshi ARE, KTM, 18.57.53

Leg Five Results
1, Goncalves 2 hours 44.06
2, Coma, KTM 2:48.32
3, Barreda at 2:48.32
4, Helder Rodrigues, POR, Honda, 2:49.23
5, Viladoms at 2:53.35
Other KTM
6, Stanovnik at 2:46.37
7, AlBalooshi at 3:14.42

www.abudhabidesertchallenge.com 

KTM Factory riders Sam Sunderland and Marc Coma continue to occupy the first two overall places as the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first round of the FIM World Cross Countries Rallies Championship reaches the half way mark.

Britain’s Sunderland, the factory team’s latest recruit has a narrow overall lead over veteran and four-times Dakar winner Coma of Spain but they are being hotly pursued by two other top riders, Paolo Goncalves and Joan Barreda. Sunderland and Coma finished 3-4 in Tuesday’s Leg Three as both the temperatures and the competition began to heat up.

KTM factory rider Jordi Viladoms of Spain finished sixth in Tuesday’s leg to win back some time lost in the first two days. He is currently in fifth overall.

Coma said it had been another long hot day with very tough desert riding. “I opened the track today and when you are out in front and concentrating on the navigation, you tend to lose some time. But I am happy that we are still fighting for the victory and with two days to go it is important to stay very focused and make no mistakes.”

"Today was a little like we expected because it was not open desert and the dunes were quite narrow. This means it was difficult to keep a high pace. The level is high and our rivals are not making it easy. So it’s important to continue the fight. We have a good speed and the bike is running smoothly. "

Dubai–based Sunderland said he is enjoying being in the KTM Factory Team and riding the 2014 KTM 450 Rally machine. “I started out behind Marc today and I managed to catch him at about the 70 km mark. We rode together for about 30-40 km after refueling, then the others caught us and we rode the rest of the way in a group. Today there were not so many dunes but we did have a lot of hard piste to ride.” Sunderland will be aiming to improve on his third place finish last season and is well placed to achieve it.

KTM support rider Jakub “Kuba” Przygonski is out of the rally after crashing at the 190 km mark in Monday’s second leg just one day after he made a valiant attempt to save the life of a crash victim. Kuba’s Orlen Team later reported he had dislocated his elbow and injured his back and has returned to Poland for treatment. The team confirmed that he did not require surgery for his injured back.

Wednesday is the penultimate stage and riders face 380 kilometers, 240 of which are under the clock. Leg Four also features a mass start, another challenge for the riders in contention for the podium.

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Rally
(Rd. 1 of the FIM World Cross Countries World Championship)
Results Leg Three
1, Joan Barreda, ESP, Honda, 3:20.02
2, Paolo Goncalves, POR, Honda, 3:21.07
3, Sam Sunderland, GBR, KTM, 3:23.06
4, Marc Coma, ESP, KTM, 3:25.01
5, Helder Rodrigues, POR, Honda, 3:28.53
6, Jordi Viladoms, ESP KTM, 3:30.41
Other KTM
7, Mohammed AlBalooshi ARE, KTM, 3:40.35
8, Miran Stanovnik SVN, KTM, 3:42.24

 Overall Standings (after Leg Two)
1, Sunderland, KTM 10:33.02
2, Coma, KTM 10:33.30
3, Goncalves at 10:33.52
4, Barreda at 10:40.39
5, Viladoms at 11:04.19
Other KTM
6, Stanovnik at 11:53.41
7, AlBalooshi at 11:59.39

www.abudhabidesertchallenge.com 

On their 50^th anniversary, PUIG is manufacturing in the city it has seen us born. In Granollers, nearby Barcelona, it is located the 8,000 sq.m. facilities where PUIG holds the 3 sections of the company: Commercial, Thermoforming Plastics, and Metallic Components. After 50 years, PUIG is still designing, creating, and producing with the enthusiasm of the first day.

PUIG was founded on 1964 as “Carenados PUIG” by the brothers Josep and Jaume Puig who inherit from their father Joan Puig –mechanic trained in the 20s-, the interest for mechanics and specially for motorcycles. Nowadays, the vision of the Puig brothers is still alive on their mission:

• Manufacture and comercialize motorcycle accessories that protects the rider from the cold and wind, are easy to mount, and optimize the aerodinamic and style of the motorcycle.

First designs were made by Jaume in a garage and then sold in Barcelona by Josep. Barcelona was a main spot in Spain for motorcycles back in the day. The mounting process was easy and always precise. The design was new and practical, and soon the Puig brothers were recognized as good quality products. Historic clients in Barcelona are now part of our history as they help us become what Puig is nowadays.

In the late 70’s and 80’s PUIG developed full kits of bodywork for important motorcycles and become a must-have products for all motorcyclist. This was the hit PUIG needed to reach customers all around Spain. The expansion throughout Spain was not easy, but these kits along with a preceeding reputation made things easier.

By mid 90’s, PUIG started the expansion in Europe. France and Portugal were the primary targets. Then Italy, UK, and finally Netherlands and Germany. Other European countries adhered rapidly to our distribution network.

And finally, the new century brought us overseas with importers in South Africa, Taiwan, United States, Japan, Brazil, Malaysia, among many other countries worldwide. Moreover, PUIG opened in 2012 a new warehouse in Orlando, FL, USA, to improve distribution reaching customers overseas faster than ever.

After 5 decades, PUIG has collaborated with several important racing teams. On the 60s and 70s, PUIG sponsored the “red bullets” of Mollet (Derbi) and won various world titles together. In the new era, PUIG has achieved titles in World SBK, two on World Supersport, six on World Roadracing Endurance, and two in Moto2; also, podiums and pole positions in MotoGP.

From PUIG we want to celebrate this 50th anniversary with our customers worldwide –directors, managers, and employees – that work towards our mail goal and we hope this collaboration will continue for the next 50 years.

Puig imported and distributed by 

www.trickbitz.co.za

The KTM Factory Rally riders got down to some serious desert racing on Sunday with the opening leg of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first round of the 2014 World Cross Countries Rally Championship. Team rookie Sam Sunderland was the fastest home in the opening stage of 290 km, shadowed by 4-times Dakar winner Marc Coma just 34 seconds behind in second place.

Jordi Villadoms (Spain) and KTM supported rider Jakub Przygonski (Poland) came in at fifth and sixth, 11.12 and 15.06 off the pace set by Britain’s Sunderland. Sunderland and Coma are 1-2 in the overall standings after Leg One and Saturday’s prologue. the KTM Factory Team are competing on the 2014 KTM 450 Rally bike , the machine on which Coma took his fourth Dakar victory in January and KTM thirteenth.

Riders faced dauntingly high temperatures and demanding conditions through the dunes on Day One to signal that there is plenty more tough riding on the menu in the coming days. Leg Two on Monday is set to be a challenge with 494.82 km through the Emirates desert, including 269.67 km under the clock.

Marc Coma: “It was a good day for us today and the first day is very important to get the feeling for the desert back again. We are coming back to racing after some months since the Dakar, and I have had time to rest and get fit.

“The first day of the rally here in Abu Dhabi is always tricky because we are already in the dunes in the first kilometers but I am feeling good and I have a good feeling for the bike. Sam (Sunderland) opened the road today and he was very fast. We rode together and we had a good rhythm. Now it’s important to plan a good strategy for the coming days.”

The stage was marred by the fatal accident of a British rider Cameron Waugh who was found injured at the 155 km mark by KTM’s support rider Jakub Przygonski of Poland. Przygonski raised the alarm and performed CPR for 20 minutes on the victim. Waugh was airlifted to hospital some 13 minutes later but was pronounced dead on arrival.
 
KTM Racing joins Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, the rally organizers in expressing condolences to the Waugh family. The president paid tribute to Przygonski, who he said “.... was heroic in the way he tried to save a fellow competitor.” Przygonski admitted to his team it had been a tough day and it had been difficult to concentrate after the accident.

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Rally
Rd. 1 of the FIM World Cross Countries World Championship
Results Leg One (290 km)
1, Sam, Sunderland, GBR, KTM, 3 hours 29.47
2, Marc Coma, ESP, KTM, at 34 seconds
3, Paolo Goncalves, POR, Honda, at 2:44
4, Joan Barreda, ESP, Honda, at 5:05
5, Jordi Villadoms, ESP KTM, at 11.12
6, Jakub Przygonski, POL, KTM, at 15.06

Overall Standings (after Leg One and Saturday’s Prologue)
1, Sunderland, KTM 3 hours 31.53
2, Coma, KTM at 34 seconds
3, Goncalves at 2.45
4, Barreda at 5.04

The 2014 Enduro World Championship got underway in Solsana with the GP of Catalunya this weekend, with the KTM Enduro Factory Team reaping a slew of victories and podiums to launch their title bids.

Saturday’s first round proved to be particularly fruitful with wins in all three senior classes and two second places in E1 and E3 put all five factory riders in the spotlight. Riders returned on Sunday to pick up wins in E1 and E3, a podium second in E2 and a podium third in E3 to round off a great first weekend of racing.

E1
On what was described by Frenchman Antoine Meo as a return to the days of very hard Enduro riding, the 2013 E3 World Champion Christophe Nambotin proved at home and in winning form in Saturday’s E1 on the nimble KTM 250 EXC-F, winning six tests. Teammate Cristobal Guerrero of Spain was back to top form and injury free to finish second.

Nambotin was again in great form in the E1 class on Sunday to be fastest in seven of the nine tests for another decisive victory. Teammate Guerrero looked set to seal second place after a crash had cost him three places and 12 seconds and he had to settle for fourth.

E2
Meo (2013 E1 World Champion) was also the top rider in the highly competitive E2 class and led the field all day Saturday despite nursing a small foot injury. “It’s a long time since we had a race like that. The stages were long and very difficult. But I like the bike (350 EXC-F) a lot and the team has worked very well through the winter. The E2 is a tough class but its fun for me.”

Meo returned on Sunday to pull off second in E2 with a strong finish in the last three tests, eventually losing to Renet of France by just one second.

E3
Ivan Cervantes, like Guerrero, well supported by the Spanish fans had a great day out on Saturday to take the E3 victory but the factory team’s rookie, Australian Matt Phillips did not make it easy for him as the two riders on their 300 EXC machines sealed the top two spots in E3.?

Cervantes was again the dominant E3 rider on Sunday to comfortably take the top podium place. Phillips had a problem in the second extreme test but recovered well to hang onto a podium third on Sunday to signal the rookie will be a major player in the class this season.

Team boss Fabio Farioli said it had been a very solid weekend for the team. “Of course we would have likes to also have a win on Sunday in the E2 class but it was a good weekend, there were some very good fights for victory and we are now looking forward to the next rounds in Portugal next weekend.”

Enduro World Championship Rd.2 GP of Catalunya
Results E1
1, Christophe Nambotin, FRA, KTM (2 x wins in Rds. 1 & 2)
2, Anthony Boissiere, FRA, Sherco
3, Eero Remes, FIN, TM
4, Cristobal Guerrero, ESP, KTM (placed 2-4 in Rd. 1 & 2)
5, Jeremy Tarroux, FRA, Sherco
Other KTM
10, Edward Hubner, GER, KTM
11, Rudy Moroni, ITA, KTM
13, Joaquim Rodrigues, POR, KTM

E1 Championship Points after Rd. 2
1, Nambotin 40
2, Guerrero 32
3, Boissiere 27

Results E2
1, Pierre-Alexandre Renet, FRA, Husqvarna
2, Antoine Meo, FRA, KTM
3, Johnny Aubert, FRA, Beta
4, Jonathan Barragan, ITA Husqvarna
5, Alex Salvini, ITA, Honda
Other KTM
10, Mirko Gritti, ITA, KTM
12, Goncalo Reis, POR, KTM

E2 Championship Points after Rd. 2
1, Meo 37
2, Renet 35
3, Aubert 32

Results E3
1, Ivan Cervantes, ESP, KTM (2 x wins in Rd.1 &2)
2, Matti Seistola, FIN, Sherco
3, Matthew Phillips, AUS, KTM (placed 2-3 in Rd. 1 &2)
4, Luis Correa, POR, Beta
5, Aigar Leok, EST, TM
Other KTM
7, Jeremy Joly, France, KTM
11, Oscar Balletti, ITA, KTM
13, Simone Albergoni, ITA, KTM

E3 Championship points after Rd. 2
1, Cervantes 40
2, Phillips 32
3, Seistola 27 

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ken Roczen made a welcome return to the US Supercross Championship on Saturday night in Houston’s Reliant Stadium when he finished third. Teammate Ryan Dungey made an impressive recovery from a first lap crash to finish seventh overall and salvaged important points in the championship hunt.

Dungey was up in the first 450 SX heat where he engaged in a six-lap, four-way battle for the win alongside James Stewart, Josh Grant and Justin Barcia. He was third at the start and gained a place on Stewart in lap two. Then he took the opposite line down the split section and together with Stewart got around Grant to move into the top two spots. The leading contenders remained a bike length apart as they battled to the checkered flag.  Dungey crossed the line in second to advance to the main event.

Roczen was placed in the second heat and was at fifth after the start. He advanced into fourth in lap four at after leader Ryan Villopoto crashed and slipped past fellow KTM rider and holeshot winner Andrew Short on the final lap to finish third for his qualifying place in the main.

Roczen was a solid fifth at the first corner in the main event but quickly advanced to third place during the first lap. Behind him, Dungey had a poor jump off the start. He was buried back at eighteenth on the first lap, made contact with two other riders and crashed. He quickly scrambled back into the action but was right at the back of the pack.

Dungey spent the first half of the race moving up the order while turning lap times that were matching the lead riders. He was back in the top ten at the halfway mark and continued to pick off riders in the remaining laps to finish an impressive seventh at the end of the race.

Roczen was able to maintain his position to the checkered flag. He crossed the line in third to make a welcome return to the podium after an absence of four rounds. The German teenager is having an impressive debut season in the 450-class with both he and Dungey riding the KTM 450 SX-F Factory bike.

“It feels great to get back on the podium,” said Roczen. “I never was able to jump the quad that the lead riders were doing so I lost some time to them, but I am happy overall with the way I rode. I’m starting to test a lot more for outdoors coming up and I feel like it is making me stronger and will help me near the end of the season.”
 
“Unfortunately, I got a bad start and then came together with another rider on the opening lap which caused me to go down,” Dungey commented after the race. “I did my best to salvage what points I could riding from last to seventh by the end of the race. I’m disappointed how the race turned out but happy that I’m healthy and came away unscathed.”

Dungey and Roczen are currently 3-4 in the championship points with Dungey just one point away from second place. ?

The competition returns to the west coast next weekend for the next event at Seattle, WA – April 12, 2014

Overall 450-class results Rd. 14  Houston 
1, Ryan Villopoto
2, Justin Barcia
3, Ken Roczen – KTM
4, Trey Canard
5, James Stewart
6, Andrew Short – KTM
7, Ryan Dungey – KTM
8, Mike Alessi
9, Eli Tomac
10, Chris Blose

Overall Point Standings –
1, Ryan Villopoto – 293
2, Stewart 248
3, Dungey 247
4, Roczen 235
5. Barcia 198

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli of Italy was at his golden best on Sunday at the MXGP of Brazil taking a decisive 1-1 victory to surge ahead 30 points in the championship after just three rounds. It was the Italian’s sixty- fifth career GP victory.

The seven times world champion opened his account in the first moto with a stunning display of riding on his KTM 350 SX-F that thrilled the 20,000 Brazilian fans.

After getting hemmed in at the start he moved from sixteenth up to sixth in the opening lap and then settled down to pick off his challengers one by one while at the same time setting a string of personal best lap times. Twelve minutes into the 30-minute plus two laps race he was half a second behind the leader Jeremy van Horebeek. Two minutes later he took the lead and began to distance himself from the rest of the field.

Even the rain that started to fall on the Beto Carrero red clay track failed to undermine the pace of the race leader. Cairoli was in front by almost 16 seconds when he charged across the finish line, setting the stage for a thrilling second moto.

Heavier rain in between the two sessions threw in another difficulty factor, ensuring that the surface became slicker and stickier than in the opening moto. Cairoli was fourth at the start as MXGP riders shot out of the grid for the second time but he quickly moved up a position to sit behind his traditional rivals Gautier Paulin and Clement Desalle. Cairoli settled down in the next laps to put pressure on Desalle while assessing his overtaking options.

Sixteen minutes into the race he made his move into second. One minute later he was in the lead and immediately put down his fastest lap. The Italian went on to wrap up the race in style to pick up maximum points for this outing in South America.

Tony Cairoli: “I like this track a lot and I like being here in Brazil with a lot of cool people cheering. It’s a very technical track and this level of difficulty was increased after the rain we had between the two motos. Also the track this year was ripped way too much but it was the same for everyone. In some ways that was good because it was even more technical. It’s nice to be winning again like we did last year. Now I have 65 GP wins so it was another great result.”

MX2
With Jeffrey Herlings absent while resting an injured shoulder this weekend, the competition was fierce in the MX2 class, however it proved to be an unlucky weekend for Cairoli’s factory teammate Jordi Tixier of France. A series of crashes on the slick red clay track left him with a 12-12 result for an uncharacteristic overall eleventh.

Tixier admitted after the races that he had struggled with the Brazilian circuit right from the opening practice. “I never had a good feeling for the track right through this weekend and I also didn’t have the speed. I crashed three times in each race and twice I finished twelfth so I am really disappointed. In practice I am good but I am not so good in the race so it is something in my head I have to try to sort out.”

MX2 GP winner Arnaud Tonus of Switzerland took the victory and Herlings, who has consistently been the MX2 championship leader over the past two seasons dropped to fourth in the points. But as Brazil is only the third of a long 18-round season, there is plenty of opportunity for KTM’s Dutch rider to make up lost ground in his quest for a third world title.

In other news from the Red Bull KTM Factory team, Cairoli's MXGP partner Ken de Dycker, who has been recovering from an off season injury, suffered another slight setback this week when he sustained a small injury to his left ankle as the result of an accident at home. Ken has been told by his doctors that it should be healed in about 10 days.

The next round is at Arco di Trento in Italy on April 13, 2013

MXGP Results Rd. 3 Brazil
1, Tony Cairoli, ITA, KTM, (1 – 1)
2, Clement Desalle, BEL, Suzuki, (3 – 3)
3, Jeremy van Horebeek, BEL, Yamaha, (2 – 4)
4, Gautier Paulin, FRA, Kawasaki, (6 - 2)
5, Max Nagl, GER, Honda, (4 – 5)
Other KTM
13, Jake Nicholls, GBR, KTM, (11 - 15)
15, Matiss Karro, LAT, KTM, (20 - 8)
16, Shaun Simpson, GBR, KTM, (15 -13)

MXGP Standings after Rd. 3
1, Cairoli, 142
2, Paulin, 112
3, Van Horebeek, 112
4, Desalle, 111
5, Nagl, 110

MXGP Manufacturers Standings after Rd. 3
1, KTM, 142
2, Suzuki, 113
3, Kawasaki, 112

MX2 Results
1, Arnaud Tonus, SUI, Kawasaki, (1 – 2)
2, Glenn Coldenhoff, NED, Suzuki, (5 - 1)
3, Max Anstie, GBR, Yamaha, (4 - 4)
4, Dylan Ferrandis, FRA, Kawasaki, (2 – 10)
5, Tim Gajser, SLO, Honda, (11 - 3)
Other KTM
6, Valentin Guillod, SUI, KTM (7 - 5)
10, Jose Butron, ESP, KTM (9 - 9)
11, Jordi Tixier, FRA, KTM (12 - 12)
12, Mel Pocock, GBR, KTM (15 -13)

MX2 Standings after Rd. 3
1, Tonus, 112
2, Coldenhoff, 110
3, Ferrandis, 107
4, Herlings, 97
5, Febvre, 96
Other KTM
8, Tixier, 77
9, Butron, 74
11, Guillod, 59
15, Pocock, 37

MX2 Manufacturers Standings after Rd. 3
1, Kawasaki, 130
2, KTM, 127
3, Suzuki, 110

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ken Roczen of Germany finished fourth overall at the thirteenth round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Factory teammate Ryan Dungey battled alongside him but suffered a last lap crash that dropped him down the order into ninth.

Despite his bad luck, Dungey retains his second position in the overall points and Roczen holds onto fourth as he continues his great rookies season in the 450-class.

Dungey raced heat one and grabbed the holeshot and the first lap lead only to see the race restarted after it was red flagged for a fallen rider. This time Dungey came out of the gate at fifth place. He picked up one position early on and then spent the final lap in a three-way battle for second place. He banged bars with Justin Barcia and Weston Peick and came up just short of making the pass to finish fourth to qualify into the main event.

Roczen lined up for the second heat and pulled a third place start off the line. He maintained his pace and finished the race in that same position to advance to the main event.

When the gate dropped for the main event, Roczen was in sixth and Dungey got stuck mid-pack. Roczen made critical passes to move up to a possible podium position in the first half of the race and was in fourth at the halfway mark. Dungey followed suit and had moved up from eleventh to sixth by lap twelve. Dungey then made a pass on Justin Brayton to move into the top five and continued to work his way up to the leaders.

Dungey was able to reel in his teammate on the final lap and began to pressure for the position through the final rhythm section. But he then made a mistake and crashed while trying to battle for the spot and lost a few positions while scrambling back into the action. Roczen held onto his fourth position while Dungey cross the line in ninth place, just behind KTM rider Andrew Short.
 
Ken Roczen: “I really liked the dirt used on the track tonight. It didn’t get too deep or rutted but was still challenging and fun to ride. The whoop section was a little tricky and the lappers were hard to get around toward the end of the race. My result wasn’t quite what I hoped but definitely not the worst outcome either, so I’ll take it.”

Next Event: Houston, TX – April 5, 2014

Overall Results –
1, James Stewart
2, Ryan Villopoto
3, Justin Barcia
4, Ken Roczen – KTM
5, Trey Canard
6, Eli Tomac
7, Josh Hill
8, Andrew Short – KTM
9, Ryan Dungey – KTM
10, Justin Brayton

?Overall Point Standings –
1, Ryan Villopoto – 246
2, Ryan Dungey – 221
3, James Stewart – 207
4, Ken Roczen – 197
5, Justin Brayton – 185 

The new brand count goes on for the Cayenne Group with the recent landing of the famous Italian Bimota brand for Southern Africa.

“The Bimota built machines are very popular in South Africa and have been for some time now” said Craig Langton The plan is to rebuild the brand in this country. ”

“We will be importing the full Bimota range including the exclusive BB3 powered by the BMW S 1000 RR power plant” he went on to say

The Bimota brand adds to the Cayenne Groups list of famous Italian motor cycles joining MV Agusta and Beta, this latest acquisition grows their brand tally to 8 with more to come according to sources.

Cayenne Kyalami is a very successful Honda dealer with the group having its own brands as well these being the Hyosung, Johnny Pag, Kuberg, Norton, Beta, MV Agusta and now Bimota.  

Bimota is a small, Italian manufacturer of custom and production motorcycles. It was founded in 1973 in Rimini, Italy by Bianchi, Morri and Tamburini how it all started is a very interesting story.          

In September 1972, Massimo Tamburini crashed his Honda 750 Four at the Misano racetrack. The accident left him with three broken ribs. If the accident hadn't occurred, Bimota may never have come into existence. While Massimo was recuperating, he constructed a tubular steel frame that could withstand the horsepower being produced by the big Japanese manufacturer's engines. The frame Massimo constructed lowered the centre of gravity and reduced the weight of the original Honda. With the creation of the HB1, the Bimota was born. Only ten of these first motor cycles were ever produced.

The Bimota name was derived from its founder's initials; Bianchi, Morri and Tamburini. However, it was the enthusiasm and engineering excellence of Massimo Tamburini that carried the Company to success. In the 1970’s, Bimota produced racing frames that caught the attention of serious bike racers. Frames such as the YB1, YB2, YB3 and HDB1, HDB2 and SB1, were of superior quality and the perception of what a racing bike should be was changed forever.

Australian Jack Miller took line honors in the opening Moto3 World Championship race at the Losail Circuit in Qatar, the first of 18 rounds of the competition. It was the 19-year-old Australian’s first Moto3 win and was a great debut with the Red Bull KTM Ajo Factory team.

Miller who had a front row start swooped to the front at the start of the race shadowed by Spaniard Marc Marquez. The two riders then settled down to swap the lead back and forth and at one point had a 3.5 second lead on the rest of the pack.  

Behind the leaders a battle raged for the minor podium place with engagement by no less than five or six riders. The group narrowed the gap to the two leaders to less than a second in the closing laps setting up what was to be a thrilling final dash to the line.

Miller who before then race had pledged to be patient and go for the maximum points, played his hand well. Going into the final corners the Australian was perfectly placed to capitalize on a small mistake by rival Marquez. Marquez went wide in the corner, Miller quickly grabbed the advantage and went on to take line honors and pick up maximum points in the opening round.

Immediately after the race, an excited Miller said he had gone all out in the final lap. “It was pretty scary going into the final lap because the tires were more worn than I expected them to be. But I just gave it my all. We couldn't have asked for anything better. It was a really good first race. its a great way to start the season, but its that. Its the start. We still have a long way to go and I still have a lot to learn."

Miller’s teammate Karel Hanika, who won his berth in the factory team after taking victory in the 2013 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup rode a solid race from nineteenth position on the grid to finish in thirteenth place to pick up his first world championship points in his debit race. Both riders are on the KTM RC250 GP machine.

Factory team boss Aki Ajo said it had been great to start the season with a win but underlined it would be a hard fought competition in 2014. "It will be really tough in the small bike category but somehow also very interesting. The tough competition between the manufacturers makes it more interesting for everyone and for us it is even more motivation to work even harder. Never give up!"

The first of the 18-round competition for the 2014 Moto3 World Championship set the scene for what will be a hard fought battle for the title this season.

Moto GP of Qatar - Losail Circuit - Round 1
Moto3 Results
1, Jack Miller, AUS, KTM, 38’05.810
2, Alex Marquez, ESP, Honda, 38’06.043
3, Efren Vazquez, ESP, Honda, 38’06.090
4, Miquel Oliveira, POR, Mahindra, 38’06.105
5, Alex Rins, ESP, Honda, 38’06.179
6, Jakub Kornfeil, CZE, KTM, 38’06.396
7, Alexis Masbou, FRA, Honda,38’07.919
8, Isaac Viñales, ESP, KTM, 38’07.971
9, Niccolo Antonelli, ITA, KTM, 38’13.963
10, Francesco Bagnaia, ITA, KTM, 38’13.983
Other KTM
12, Romano Fenati, ITA, KTM, 38’14.029
14, Karel Hanika, CZE, KTM, 38’17.102
16, Enea Bastianini, ITA, KTM, 38’27.969
DNF, Eric Granado, BRA, KTM
DNF, Hafiq Azmi, MAL, KTM

Moto3 Standings after Round 1
1, Miller, 25
2, Marquez, 20
3, Vazquez, 16
4, Oliveira, 13
5, Rins, 11
6, Kornfeil, 10
7, Masbou, 9
8, Viñales, 8
9, Antonelli, 7
10, Bagnaia, 6
Other KTM
12, Fenati, 4
14, Hanika, 2

Moto3 Manufacturers Standings after Round 1
1, KTM, 25
2, Honda, 20
3, Mahindra, 13