news header 750

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.497477

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, 13end bike test


dungyRed Bull KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey scored another podium finish in the 450 SX class at the twelfth round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series on Saturday at the Roger Centre in Toronto, Canada. His factory teammate Ken Roczen also earned a solid fifth place.

Dungey, one of the most consistent riders in the competition is now second in the championship points, trailing Villopoto, the leader by 25 points. Roczen, from Germany who is in his rookie year in the 450-class is currently fourth.

Dungey was placed in the first 450 SX heat at the start of the night program. He was fourth around the first corner but dropped two places in the opening lap after making a bid for third place. He then recovered from the mistake and finished fourth to take a transfer spot to the main event.

Roczen started in the second 450 SX heat and was fifth out of the gate. The young German quickly moved through the pack, was in second by the end of the fourth lap and went on to finish in that position for a place in the main next to his teammate.
?

When the gate dropped for the twenty lap main event, it was Roczen on his 450 SX-F Factory Edition bike that set the pace after pulling the holeshot around the first corner. Dungey was a few positions back in fifth. Roczen held the lead for three laps before dropping back to second. Meanwhile, Dungey was putting in solid laps and by the halfway mark was sitting in third behind his teammate.

Dungey lost a position to James Stewart on lap twelve but gained it back after passing Roczen on the following lap. Dungey held his pace to grab the final podium place while Roczen went on to finish fifth.
 
Ryan Dungey:This track was really challenging tonight. It was really rutted up which made us have to switch lines often and it was hard to climb through the pack and make passes. I’m glad to be on the podium but I feel I should have been a little better tonight. I’m hoping to make up for that at the next round.”
 
Ken Roczen: I struggled a bit in the main tonight. “I feel like I might have trained too hard during the week and I got tired tonight. I’m glad I could get the holeshot for my team but I would have really liked to finish on the podium.”

Next Event: St. Louis, MO – March 29, 2014

US SX Rd. 12 Toronto
Overall Results –
1, James Stewart
2, Justin Barcia
3, Ryan Dungey – KTM
4, Justin Brayton
5, Ken Roczen – KTM
6, Ryan Villopoto
7, Weston Peick
8, Dean Wilson
9, Josh Hill
Other KTM
10, Matt Goerke – KTM
11, Andrew Short – KTM

Overall Point Standings after Round 12
1, Villopoto – 246
2, Dungey – 221
3, Stewart – 207
4, Roczen 197
5, Brayton 185end bike test


taddy.blazusiak superenduro-2014-rnd3 086

Taddy Blazusiak, a rider who has had spectacular success, particularly in Extreme Enduro, SuperEnduro and Endurocross will continue under contract with the KTM Factory Team for the seasons 2015 and 2016. 

Taddy, now 30, burst onto the scene in 2006 at the notoriously difficult Erzberg Rodeo, when after winning the prologue, he was offered a borrowed KTM bike to race the grueling Red Bull Hare Scramble. He won the event, his first of five, and was rewarded with a place on the KTM Factory Extreme Enduro team.

Blazusiak then turned his attention to what was the beginning of the vibrant discipline of indoor enduro and has gone on to be the dominant rider in both Europe and the USA. He has now won five consecutive SuperEnduro World Championships and another five AMA EnduroCross Championships. He is also now the rider that everyone wants to beat. Taddy rides a KTM 250 EXC-F

Pit Beirer, Head of KTM Motorsports said he was delighted that Blazusiak is staying with the factory team. “We’ve had already enjoyed eight great years with Taddy and I’m very pleased that he is staying with us as a valued member of the KTM Racing family. Taddy is a real professional and with his thrilling riding style and will to win, he has been a key figure in the emergence of EnduroCross in the US and SuperEnduro in Europe. We look forward to sharing even more success with him in the coming seasons.”

Having secured his fifth SuperEnduro world title in Tours, France at the end of February, Taddy is now preparing for the AMA EnduroCross, which kicks off in Las Vegas on May 2 and finishes in Ontario, CA on November 22. EnduroCross and SuperEnduro are on a popularity roll and the sport is also now being practiced in other countries. Both major international competitions continue to expand in terms of calendar events and rider and crowd support.

Taddy Blazusiak: “I already had a contract with KTM through to the end of 2014, but I’m super pumped and really happy to extend this for another two years. I have a great bike and a great team and I am really looking forward to winning some more titles. We are about to start testing ahead of the EnduroCross season and I’m looking forward to another great year.”

Blazusiak’s incredible riding skill and his obvious enthusiasm for what he does has not only earned him a huge international fan base; it has also made a big contribution to the growing popularity of this sport that makes enduro accessible to spectators in a stadium environment. end bike test


Red Bull KTM Factory racers Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings both delivered double moto wins in the MXGP and MX2 classes at the MXGP of Thailand on Sunday to take their respective GP victories and the red plates as championship points leaders.

While it is early days in the 17-round championship, KTM’s two reigning world champions signaled their intentions in the second round of the championship with the kind of flair that has allowed them, and KTM, to dominate their classes in previous seasons.

GP THAILAND 01Both Cairoli and Herlings laid down the marker of their intentions in their opening motos on the Si Racha circuit with Herlings getting the action underway in the opening MX2 moto. His second place in qualifying earned him a place next to Dylan Ferrandis on the starting line and their recent rivalry was evident with a touch of wheels as they launched out of the gates.

But Herlings, who returned to racing last week in Qatar after a near six-month injury layoff, had taken control of the race 10 minutes into the 30 minute plus 2-lap race, and with an advantage of six seconds. Looking much more comfortable on the track than he did in Qatar last weekend, the double MX2 world champion went on to take a solid win while his rivals fought it out behind him for the minor places.

diamond Mahoney lr

The Diamond Route 400, the opening round of the South African National Offroad championship, took place this past weekend in Wolmaransstad in the North West province, 2hrs 30min outside of Johannesburg. Recent rain saw competitors preparing for a wet and muddy race but the weather gods were in a good mood this past Saturday when they stopped the rain the day before the race and sunshine awaited riders and spectators alike on race day.

All eyes were on the Brother KTM team at this opening round of the National Offroad championship and on two men in particular, namely Ross Branch who dominated the seeding event earlier this year and his team mate Louwrens Mahoney. Would they be able to run at the front at the Wolmaransstad National and would the multiple champion Mahoney be able to claim back the number one plate after his injuries suffered last year? The outcome of this race would certainly give an indication of where the 2014 Offroad championship could be going.diamond Branch lr

The race format for the Diamond Route 400 saw a six lap race which consisted of two different loops of approx. 60 km’s that competitors had to complete three times each. After three laps a 15min de control gave competitors enough time to refuel themselves and their machines while carrying out necessary tyre changes, etc. Brother KTM’s Louwrens Mahoney quickly set the pace onboard his KTM 500 XC-W and found his rhythm. He knew he still had the pace after he had been out of the racing environment for nearly seven months and put the hammer down, keeping the lead all the way to the chequered flag, taking overall victory and winning the highly contended OR1 (open) class.

“The morning pace was extremely fast from the beginning, both Ross (Branch) and Timmy (Young) were racing each other MX style but they got lost and kept overshooting corners, so I caught them. My bike handled like a dream after we made some small changes to my suspension and from then I could start charging even more and extended my lead. I didn’t want to make mistakes, but I knew I had to push hard which all paid off at the end. I couldn’t be happier with my first victory for the year and I’m looking forward to the remainder of the season.”, said Mahoney.

Mahoney had to keep an eye out for Kargo Racing’s Timothy Young as well as Brother KTM team mate Ross Branch earlier in the race, problems however moved Young further back in the field, while Branch started chasing his team mate onboard his KTM 450 XC-F.

“I had a good day and tried to learn as much as I could from the front runners. Louwrens (Mahoney) managed to pull away from us and my timing and strategy weren’t the best earlier in the race, but I put the hammer down on the last lap when I realized that I had fallen back to fourth place overall on corrected time, only a few seconds off second and third place. I managed to make up time and I’m extremely happy with my second place overall.”, said Branch 

In the OR2 (250cc) class it was Brother KTM’s Tyron Miller who impressed onboard his KTM 350 XC-F. Miller took the OR2 class win and finished the race in 7th place overall. “My first lap was slow, I got caught up in traffic, but my second and third laps were much better and once we changed to the second loop for the last three laps I could start charging as the course was a lot faster and less technical, which was to the advantage of the bigger bikes, but I managed to keep up. All in all I had a good day and I’m happy with my result.”, said Miller. Miller’s team mate Jonathan van Wyk finished in 5th place in the OR2 class 

diamond team lrLouw Schmidt, Brother KTM’s youngest rider on the team, did not disappoint when he crossed the finish line in an impressive 8th place onboard his KTM 250 XC-F, being the first OR3 (200cc) rider home. A phenomenal ride from the 2013 OR4 champion and certainly a rider to watch out for in 2014 and seasons to come.

“I got to know the track during the first lap and started enjoying the course. The track got rutted out a bit however and there were a couple of braking bumps to watch out for. The marking of the course was great and I enjoyed changing over to the faster second loop as it was a lot more open and I could start pushing. My bike was great and I am very happy with my result. I was looking for a top 10 overall and that’s what I achieved.”, said Schmidt.

Senior class rider Juan ‘Bollie’ van Rooyen was looking forward to the first National Offroad and had changed to the 300 XC-W 2-stroke machine for 2014. The seasoned rider from Port Elizabeth enjoyed the much lighter and nimble 2-stroke machine and had a great time out amongst all the youngsters. Van Rooyen took top honours in the Senior class and is the top title contender for 2014.

The Brother KTM team could not have asked for more, taking home the overall win, OR1, OR2, OR3 and Senior class wins as well as the manufacturer’s trophy. All competitors are now looking forward to round two of the National Offroad championship taking place in Windsorton near Kimberley on 12 April. end bike test


Red Bull KTM Factory Team riders Ken Roczen and Ryan Dungey both scored a podium finish at the tenth round of the Monster Energy Supercross Series held at Daytona International Speedway. 

The two teammates and rivals are now 2-3 in the championship points with Dungey in second at 181 and Roczen of Germany in third just one point behind. Both ride the KTM 450 SX-F. ktm daytona

Dungey put together a solid heat race finishing fourth in the first 450 SX heat to transfer into the main event while Roczen was able to pull off a third place finish in heat number two.

daytona 250

Take a wild guess what the Daytona track was like. Answer: Rough! Florida had taken on a solid bit of rain in the days leading up to the race, so while the track looked smooth at first, the dirt underneath was soft, which led to huge ruts. Some riders commented on the general similarity to last weekend’s race in Indy due to the technical challenge. Lap times were over a minute, which still makes it the longest race in the Monster Energy Supercross Championship.daytona 450

450SX Overall

  1. Ryan Villopoto
  2. Ken Roczen
  3. Ryan Dungey
  4. Broc Tickle
  5. Andrew Short
  6. Wil Hahn
  7. Dean Wilson
  8. Matt Goerke
  9. Justin Brayton
  10. Josh Grant

250SX Overall

  1. Blake Baggett
  2. Adam Cianciarulo
  3. Martin Davalos
  4. Blake Wharton
  5. Justin Bogle
  6. Jeremy Martin
  7. Matt Bisceglia
  8. Vince Friese
  9. Kyle Cunningham
  10. Matt Lemoine

For more info logon to

http://racerxonline.com/2014/03/09/saturday-night-live

end bike test


Harley-Davidson is at it again. Fresh off the back of unveiling the new H-D Street 750 and the launch of Project RUSHMORE, America’s leading motorcycle manufacturer unleashed today three new motorcycles that expand its diverse line-up of street bikes, and put more models for more riders on the showroom floor of each Harley-Davidson dealer.

The mid-year release of the retro-cool Low Rider,  nimble SuperLow 1200T and mean Street Bob Special Edition completes the largest new-model launch in Harley-Davidson’s 110-year history and keeps the throttle pinned on the company’s accelerated, customer-led product-development process.

“It’s been an incredible year,” said Rob Lindley, Vice-President and Managing Director, EMEA. “First Project RUSHMORE, then H-D Street, and now the new Street Bob Special Edition, SuperLow 1200T and Low Rider, all the result of riding with our customers and delivering what they want, each executed with the technical prowess and rebellious spirit that we infuse in each and every new Harley.”

Low RiderLowRider

In 1977 Harley-Davidson created a ride-it-hard, put-it-away dirty, make-your-own-boundaries custom motorcycle that became an icon – the Low Rider.

Today that defiant attitude returns with a vengeance as the legendary Low Rider model name is reprised for an all-new cruiser that rolls with old-school class and exciting new performance. A polished headlamp visor and wrinkle black trim are touchstone styling elements from the original Low Rider model. The unrelenting thrust of the Twin Cam 103 powertrain signals departure with a satisfying, throaty tone through twisting header pipes feeding a 2-into-1 exhaust. Suspension is calibrated for all-day comfort and precise handling, while dual-front disc brakes deliver capable stopping power. The new adjustable seat and handlebar risers enable a perfect fit for more riders. Ample Genuine Motor Accessories offer endless possibilities for self-expression, so any rider can own the look and own the road.

SuperLow 1200TSuperLow 1200T

Harley-Davidson opens the door to touring adventure further with the introduction of the new SuperLow 1200T, a motorcycle that combines a nimble chassis with essential touring features and the power to ride to the horizon. A detachable windshield, locking saddlebags and Michelin Scorcher 11T touring tyres are standard equipment. Docking points accommodate detachable accessory racks and backrests for ease of customization. A new seat and control ergonomics are shaped specifically to give more riders long-distance comfort. The SuperLow 1200T can run with the pack thanks to the power of a 1200cc Evolution V-Twin engine. Also weighing in at 53.5kg less than the lightest Harley-Davidson Big Twin touring motorcycle, it is the lightest touring bike in our line-up. The finish is premium Harley-Davidson with aluminum wheels, optional two-tone paint scheme and plenty of brilliant chrome.

Street Bob Special EditionStreetBob Special Edition

The new Street Bob Special Edition, a custom model that retains the stripped-down and undistilled essence of a Big Twin Street Bob, returns for 2014 with a raft of new eye-catching features that pack in even more power and style for Harley-Davidson riders around the world. Inspired by Harley-Davidson’s Factory Customization programme, this new motorcycle is only available in select markets, including those in the European, Middle East and African regions.

The Street Bob Special Edition takes rebellious Harley-Davidson customization to the max and gets some seriously special treatment with a powerful 1690cc engine, 5-spoke cast wheels, and a unique two-tone paint job with graphics. The added ever-popular and stylish Badlander two-up saddle, forward controls and drag handlebars give this rowdy bobber an even meaner, leaner attitude for riders who appreciate the pure essence of motorcycling.

The new model also retains all the key styling features of the stripped-back Big Twin, which include the chopped rear fender, Fat Bob fuel tank, and blacked-out powertrain. Broken down feature-by-feature, the model begins with Split Five Spoke cast aluminium wheels, finished in black with contrast cut highlights. A flat Drag-style handlebar replaces the stock mini-ape bar and lowers the bike’s profile while the two-up Badlander seat replaces the stock solo seat and offers a smooth, clean line from the fuel tank all the way to the rear fender. end bike test


Johnny Pag

The Cayenne Group has chalked up yet another exciting, blue chip brand for South African motorcycle enthusiasts. Gracing Cayenne’s showrooms countrywide are the hugely popular Johnny Pag Custom built Choppers are already a talking point in the local motorcycle community.

“The new USA-built Johnny Pag machines, are the most affordable custom-built choppers available here we are initially featuring two models in their range, the Ventura and the Malibu” said Cayenne Group’s Craig Langton.  

The Malibu, a Softail chopper, and the Ventura Hardtail, will both retail for R 39 900 including VAT. “We could well extend this range later on with additional models”, said Langton. “Right now our sales team and dealers are delighted by the initial response from the market, and we are asking customers to reserve their Johnny Pags as only limited stock is available from our first shipment”.

mysterybike00
In 1967, a plumber doing renovations of an apartment building outside Chicago tore down a brick wall and found what would prove to be a baffling mystery to vintage motorcycle enthusiasts - a one-of-a-kind motorcycle bearing 1917 plates and the name "Traub". The building’s elderly owner admitted that his son had stolen the bike before going off to WWI, never to return. But where the bike came from and who made it remains a unknown to this day.

Currently residing in the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, the Traub is considered by many to not only be the rarest motorcycle in their collection, but in the world.

 

 

 

favicon4