Although some of the parts on this bike are from the race team (forks, shock, hubs, exhaust), the rest of it is pure 2016. The new bike is lighter, slimmer and features redesigned bodywork—plus a black rear fender. Tonkov will race it this weekend in Italy. It cannot be used in the AMA Nationals until it is homolugated.

Husky will have a new frame for 2016, which mimics the KTM Factory Edition frames. The frame is stiffer torsionally and more forgiving longitudinally. The subframe has been redesigned.

The FC250 engine is lighter, smaller and more compact. It features improved centralization of mass. The fuel injection has been revised with the no-pulley throttle body and smaller battery.

Ducati will be a year-long MotoGP title threat with Andrea Dovizioso in 2015, reckons reigning champion Marc Marquez.

Dovizioso has finished second in the opening two grands prix in Qatar and America, putting him second in the standings at present - one point behind leader Valentino Rossi and four ahead of Marquez.

Although Honda rider Marquez was able to dominate at Austin for a third straight yearlast weekend, he said the fact Dovizioso's Ducati was able to beat Rossi's Yamaha to second suggested the Italian bike's Losail pace was no fluke.

"At the moment, you are looking to Andrea and Valentino but with all of my respect to Andrea, Valentino will be very strong," Marquez said when asked who he saw as his title rivals.

"But also with Andrea, there was a question mark in Qatar. [At Austin] he was really strong in the practice but it looked like he could struggle [in the race].

"But in the race, he pushed me for some laps and the bike has good potential.

"We need to keep focus on him and Valentino but also Jorge [Lorenzo] will be there."

Marquez said the return of Ducati to the frontrunning pack was going to make it harder to get away with poor races, noting that he could only recover to fifth in Qatar after his first-lap error.

"For the championship it is much better because if you have a mistake like I did in Qatar, last year it would be easier for me to finish on the podium," he said.

"But if you don't find the correct set-up, you can finish fifth or sixth and lose a lot points.

"This is good because the championship will be more open until the end."

BRAKING DUCATI'S WEAK POINT

Dovizioso agreed that the Austin performance validated Ducati's revival, though he highlighted braking performance as an area where it still lost out to Honda and Yamaha.

"It's really special because it confirms just how good the bike is," he said of his second place in America.

"I believe we need to improve small things in the brake and traction area front on every track, but the speed is there so it's nice to be in this situation.

"Our power compared to Valentino in fourth, fifth and sixth gear is better but our braking is not the best. It's good but it's still not enough.

"We had to brake really on the limit, especially in the hard braking going from sixth to first but our engine along the straight is faster."

MRS Yamaha Team rider Kev Coghlan scored third place after the first competitive outing on the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1M in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. Kev fought all the way for the win and only missed out by 1.485 seconds after 13 laps at a warm and dry Motorland Aragon.

With track temperatures higher than he had been able to experience fully in practice, Coghlan was still in contention all the way until near the end of the race. By that stage he was not able to continue his push towards the eventual top two podium riders, Roberto Tamburini and Luca Savadori.

Florian Marino did not find the best set-up to tackle the long and undulating 5.077km circuit in Spain on his MRS Yamaha Team YZF-R1M, despite a late change that improved his set-up for the race.  He took a seventh place and with it valuable championship points at the first of eight rounds in 2015.

Sylvain Barrier, G.M. Racing Yamaha Team, found the race a physical struggle after a practice crash, but he finished 11th in the race, one of five YZF-R1M riders inside the top few positions.

With championship positions mimicking race positions at round one Coghlan is third overall with 16 points, Marino seventh with nine points.

The next round comes along in only a few days time, at the iconic Assen circuit in the Netherlands, on Sunday 19th April.

Kev Coghlan: “We had some grip issues front and rear towards the end, which was unusual as we have not had any bother with that all weekend. There was a bit more track temperature today and that was probably why. I am happy with that race for the first time out on the new Yamaha R1M. It is a great job from all the guys in MRS Yamaha and all the guys at Yamaha Motor Europe. Things can only move forward from here.”

Florian Marin: “Unfortunately this weekend we just did not find race set-up for this track. We tried different things but I was out of where I should have been. To finish seventh was the best I could do but hopefully with the data from here I can move forward and learn from what we did this weekend. I believe we will get better for the next round in Assen.”

Adrian Morillas - MRS Yamaha Team

“This is a great start of the season. As our bike is so new we still have to get used to it. At the end of the race Kev was losing a bit out of the tighter corners due to grip issues. In the middle of the race grip was good and after that the grip went a little down, so to finish third in the first race is good. We never did a full race distance with these track temperatures. Florian did not find the perfect setting on his bike so it moved a lot on the brakes. We tried some new setting on his bikes after warm-up and it was better for the race.”

The YZF-R1 dazzled during the opening round of the MotoAmerica Series, which saw Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha team’s Josh Hayes and Cameron Beaubier tied for the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship lead after a thrilling double one-two at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).

Despite Saturday’s challenging track conditions during a rain soaked first race, defending Superbike Champion Josh Hayes had a great start off the line and did not relinquish his lead once. Teammate Beaubier was not far behind. Starting from pole, he positioned himself in the top three early on in the race and soon moved up the order. He took second over the line, making it a one-two result for the all-new YZF-R1 on its 2015 MotoAmerica Series debut.

The second race on Sunday was dry and brought even more excitement. The Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha riders had fans on the edge of their seats when Hayes tried to take the lead from Beaubier in the last turn of the final lap. It was a brave move by the veteran rider, but the youngster wasn’t willing to give up the victory. He quickly shut the door and took his first win of the season with scuffs on his leathers from his teammate’s front tyre.

The MotoAmerica’s Superstock 1000 class also saw some great racing action from Yamaha. The Superstock series races conjointly with Superbike, but this didn’t faze RoadRace Factory/Yamaha rider Jake Gagne. He rode his Superstock YZF-R1 to a win in his class and was fourth overall, leaving all Superbike competitors behind him except for those that stood on the rostrum. On the Superstock podium he was joined by fellow Yamaha rider Tyler O'Hara in third.

Gagne followed up on this success in the second Superstock 1000 race by mirroring the double-podium claimed by the YZF-R1 in the Superbike category. Once again he finished on the top-step, this time with Taylor Knapp Racing’s Taylor Knapp grabbing third.

The MotoAmerica Supersport class had only one race scheduled at COTA on the Saturday, but the Yamalube/Y.E.S./Graves/Yamaha Supersport team made sure to make it count. Rider JD Beach didn’t let the difficult moist track conditions catch him out and smoothly rode his Yamaha YZF-R6 to the win, with teammate Garrett Gerloff following in second place.

Yamaha comes away from COTA with two victories and two second places in Superbike, along with two wins and two third places in Superstock 1000 and a one-two in Supersport, leaving the teams in high spirits for round two of the MotoAmerica Series at Road Atlanta this weekend.

Tsingtao Racing / Hampshire MV Agusta have confirmed that eight times TT Race winner Ian Hutchinson will race their factory backed MV Agusta in the Monster Energy Supersport TT Races in 2015. The Bingley Bullet returned to the TT last year after missing the 2013 meeting through injury.

The team will campaign the iconic Italian marque's F3 675 machine. It has a unique three cylinder engine with a counter rotating crankshaft - a ground breaking solution previously only seen on MotoGP bikes.

MV Agusta is one of most widely revered manufacturers at the TT. MV Agusta’s have won 34 TT races and taken 61 podiums between 1952 and 1972. The first race win came in the 1952 Ultra-Lightweight race, won by Cecil Sandford, while the last was the 1972 senior won by Giacomo Agostini.

While Agostini is the most successful MV Agusta rider at the TT with 10 wins to his name, some of the greatest names in the event's history have also raced on MV’s including John Surtees (6 wins), Carlo Ubbiali (5 wins), Mike Hailwood (4 wins) and Tarquinio Provini (3 wins). Other race winners have included Gary Hocking (2 wins) while John Hartle, Bill Lomas, Cecil Sandford and Les Graham have also stood on the top step.

MV Agusta President Giovanni Castiglioni commented:

"MV Agusta’s are indelibly associated with the Isle of Man TT Races and we are looking forward to adding the next chapter in our long and successful history of racing on the Isle of Man. Ian Hutchinson is a legend around the Mountain Course and it is fitting that he is following in some of the great names that have raced MV's at the TT."

Dave Tyson, Team Manager, Hampshire MV Agusta Tsingtao racing commented:

"I'm really pleased with the signing of Hutchy for this year's IOM TT as well as the North-West 200. It gives us a great opportunity to challenge at the front and as we all know he is a TT winner."
"MV Agusta has a winning tradition at the TT and we are going to do everything we can to do that. I know that Giovanni and all the staff at the Italian factory are supporting us and it means we can have a real shot at it."

He concluded that "The 2015 F3 is better than ever and results from current runner up world champion Jules Cluzel in WSS (World Super Sport) class have proven the bikes competitive so we now need to make that happen on the 36 mile TT circuit. It is the third time we have been at the TT, in 2013 the team was the first to bring a Chinese bike and this year we hope to bring a trophy back to Hampshire MV Agusta."

“MV Agusta is making huge inroads back into all forms of racing after many years of not being on the tracks around the world,” said Craig Langton Sales Director MV Agusta SA a division of the Cayenne Group. “It all started years ago for MV Agusta at the TT with Ago and his 10 wins, also some of the biggest legends in road racing all rode the famous MV Agusta’s, achieving some great results, this is the start for the Italians brands to own the race tracks again, only time will tell.”

Italy’s favourite boutique brand will be back at the Isle of Man TT races this year, with a two rider team that includes American Brandon Cretu.

Cretu and his teammate Ben Wylie will campaign for Bimota at the big four road races (North West 200, Isle of Man TT, Ulster Grand Prix, and Macau GP) on-board the Bimota BB3 superbike.

This is not the first time that Cretu and Wylie have raced together, having shared a pit while at the Wylie Racing team during the 2011 and 2012 Isle of Man TT races.

Though the Bimota BB3 was ruled ineligible for FIM events, the international road racing scene has no hang-ups letting the S 1000 RR-powered superbikes line up on the starting grid.

“After I thought I wouldn’t be riding this year, to be able to work up a deal so quickly with Bimota and Ben is a dream come true, said Brandon Cretu. “Ben and I have known each other since my first TT and I rate him, his family, and his racing program in the highest regard.”

“I can’t wait to begin testing with the team and bring not only my riding but also my experience in acquiring sponsors and managing team operations. I think the Bimota BB3 is going to allow me some of my best finishes ever. 2015 is going to be an outstanding year!”

Source: Bimota UK

“We have only one of these 2015 Bimota BB3’s left at the special price of R 499 000, the new price on the next shipment is R 749 900, said Craig Langton Sales Director Bimota SA a division of the Cayenne Group. “ As a race machine or the best track day motorcycle there is nothing better, interested customers would need to call soonest to reserve this BB3.”

Caption Bimota BB3 TT version

For more information call Berto Santos at Cayenne World on 011 244 1900

Harley-Davidson Europe announces a host of exciting events for 2015

(March 13, 2015) -  Harley-Davidson® riders from across Europe and beyond are gearing up for an fantastic year of Harley events as the company announces its events schedule for 2015.

Each event is designed to have its own unique flavour and atmosphere, giving visitors a distinct and different experience at each venue and a real ‘reason to ride’ to each one. The only constants will be a schedule of great live music, custom bike shows, demo rides, parades, dealer & traders areas, ride-outs – and the camaraderie of thousands of fellow Harley riders.

The event season kicks off in earnest at Grimaud with the 9^th annual Harley-Davidson Euro Festival, taking place from 7-10 May in the Golfe de St-Tropez in the chic Cote D’Azur region. There will be a laid back vibe at this increasingly popular beachfront event in the Harley calendar. Over 13,000 Harley devotees attended the 2014 edition of this event, and this year as many or more are expected to soak up the resort atmosphere, listen to some great music on the beach stage and chill out at the many nightclubs and restaurants.

The highlight for many Harley riders each year is the European H.O.G. Rally, which moves to a different location each year. The 24th Annual European H.O.G. Rally takes place 18-21 June in the beautiful setting of sophisticated, chic Spanish marina resort of Puerto Sherry near Cadiz. This stunning location has never hosted a major Harley-Davidson event before and over 10,000 riders are expected to attend this year.

Next on the calendar is the annual Barcelona Harley Days from 3-5 July. Started in 2008 as the official 105th Anniversary celebration for Europe, this open and free event in the heart of the cosmopolitan Catalan capital is a perennial favourite and a massive draw for Harley riders and brand enthusiasts from across Europe.

Finally, the celebrations come to a climax in Austria with the traditional season closing event when Faaker See in Austria will once again play host to Europe’s biggest open and free biker festival, European Bike Week. From 8-13 September, more than 100,000 riders from all over Europe and beyond will be turning the province of Carinthia into a massive Harley-Davidson festival. The event will provide entertainment, events and activities to suit every taste, amid some of the most breath-taking scenery and riding roads to be found anywhere in the world.

“2015 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for Harley-Davidson, and we are going to mark the occasion with our most exciting line-up of events yet,” said Trevor Barton, Harley-Davidson Europe Consumer Experience Manager . “Harley-Davidson is a customer-led organization and we have listened to what our owners and customers told us to ensure we deliver the best season of Harley-Davidson events yet’.

Tickets for Euro Festival and the European H.O.G. Rally went on sale on 9 March with tickets starting at just €20 – visit www.harley-davidson.com/events for event details and to purchase tickets.

For details of all Harley-Davidson and Harley Owners Group events for 2015, log on to the Events Calendars on www.harley-davidson.com/events.

This is one shoot out that most superbike riders would like to see happen, to this day it has never happened, the MV Agusta factory say the new 800 RR’s will certainly clean up in a full shoot out test. After all that’s exactly why they created the 3 cylinder 800’s, they made them all round performers, lighter, stronger, faster and far better handlers, quick of the mark with all the latest in the electronic department, some say it was designed just to take on the larger machines. 

The arrival of the three-cylinder engines in the MV Agusta range has reaffirmed the brands technological supremacy: in fact, it has allowed MVA to widen the range of models on offer, as well as differentiating the available displacements and the price ranges. With this product development strategy focused on design excellence and racing-derived solutions, MV Agusta has achieved a level of commercial success that has led to expansion throughout Europe and beyond, not to mention the fantastic victories it has taken in the Supersport World Championship, starting this year in the opening WSBK round at Phillip Island in Australia.

Of the many three-cylinder engine characteristics worth a mention, first and foremost are the compact engine size and extremely low weight: MV Agusta was ahead of what is now the popular trend of making vehicles ever lighter, gaining clear advantages in terms of riding dynamics. In fact, all of the three cylinder models have been voted top of the class in their respective segments by testers for major publications around the world.

For MV Agusta the RR designated models have always represented top shelf evolution, the synthesis of performance, design and exclusivity. The 800 RR’s set new frontiers with an exceptional weight-to-power ratio for the segment and the engine capacity. This allows MVA to take on competitors with larger capacity engines R&D and development operations were focused on the engine and the fuel system: specifically a second bank of shower injectors was placed in the filter box. The new MVICS 2.0 system, which optimises engine response at any rpm, adjusting output and further improving the already impressive stride of the MV Agusta three cylinder models.

The EAS 2.0 quickshifter is part of the standard equipment that makes the RR units so exclusive: it provides electronic assistance not only in the gear selection phase but also when downshifting. It works in the Sport and Custom maps as long as the speed is above 30 kph. It revolutionises ones approach to riding. First and foremost, it optimises shifting times when riding sportily: at the same time it increases comfort if you are using the bike in the city or for touring. For racing it’s the complete package

“We will welcome any challenge for our MV Agusta 800 RR’s,” said Craig Langton. All I can say is bring it on our little 800 is waiting; perhaps one of the magazines is prepared to set this up sometime soon.”

For more information on the new MV Augusta 800 RR’s call Cayenne World on 011 244 1900 or visit their web site www.cayenne.co.za