All-Moto
for June (from the web)
* (July 1) Yesterday's Sunday
Herald Sun (Melbourne) ran a news
story essentially confirming our tip on front number plates. It's now a matter
of when, rather than if, for Victoria,
and we suspect all other states. Vic Transport Minister Peter Batchelor was
quoted saying, "A minority of irresponsible motorcyclists have been
deliberately provocative, thumbing their nose at speed safety cameras and
enforcement agencies," he said. The 'evidence' run by the newspaper
included a (in AllMoto's opinion) doctored photo of a
rider who was claimed to be giving a speed camera the finger at 179 km/h in a
60 zone. There is also circumstantial evidence which says either the quoted
speed is a lie or it was staged in the first place. Whether the pic is doctored or misrepresented may become a hot issue.
Surely we can believe what the police supplies the media? NSW police went
through a major corruption investigation in the 1990s, Qld
in the 1980s, and West Australia now. Which state next?
The story quotes the Minister as saying the change requires a change of
Australian Design Rules. With Queensland,
Victoria and South
Australia police known to be in favour,
this could yet happen. Three sources within VicRoads
confirmed they believe it will become law. From the same newspaper report:
"He (the Minister) said he would put a national proposal on safe front
number plates to a meeting of state Transport Ministers in August." Our
sources say 181 motorcyclists per month escape fines, out of a total 47,000
motorists fined in Victoria in
the same period. This is substantially under the figure quoted in the newspaper
report. Meanwhile Vic Roads commissioned a report from Dr Marcus Wigan on the practicalities of introducing front plates.
Our reading of the draft report is it recommends the police simply switch to
using cameras that shoot in both directions as a far simpler and more
cost-efficient measure. Here's a question: why has it not been found necessary
in any other country in the western world?
* (June 30) Valentino Rossi took
out the Assen MotoGP last
night, two seconds ahead of Alex Barros and nine
seconds in front of Carlos Checa. Melandri
took out the 250 (Australian Casey Stoner was in eighth), while 16-year-old Danio Pedrosa won the 125cc.
* (June 29) In what's becoming a
familiar story line, Honda-mounted Valentino Rossi will start from pole in
tonight's Assen MotoGP.
He's joined on the front row by Max Biaggi (Yamaha),
a much-improved Kenny Roberts (Suzuki) and Loris Capirossi.
Meanwhile Australian teenager Casey Stoner impressed with a seventh spot in the
250 grid, which is lead by Marco Melandri.
* (June 28) Triumph Motorcycles
says it is on target to resume production of complete bikes this September
after a fire wiped out the assembly area of the factory earlier last March.
* (June 27) Current 250cc World
Championship number two Josh Coppins failed a doping
test at the Grand Prix of Austria two weeks ago where he finished in third
place.
* (June 25) Interesting
speculation offered by reader John Becker. Given Troy Bayliss
(Ducati superbike) seems
destined for MotoGP on the V4 in 2003, what are the
chances of him having a wildcard entry for the Oz GP later this year (October
18-20)? And perhaps Andrew Pitt on the new Kawasaki?
* (June 24) Aussie Troy
Bayliss took out both heats of last night's world superbike champs, with Colin Edwards in second both times
and remaining well in the title hunt. Hodgson and Haga
shared the two third places. Meanwhile the supersport
championship has hotted up considerably with Fabian Foret taking the win. Foret, Chambon and Pitt are separated by only a few points.
* (June 23) Australian Troy
Bayliss took pole at Misano
last night, shattering the circuit record in the process. Ben Bostrom and Colin Edwards filled out the top three. Supersport qualifying was lead by Foret,
Fujiwara and Chambon. Aussie Andrew Pitt filled out
the front row.
* (June 18) News for modifiers:
MAG Inc, the parent company of White Brothers Performance Products, Kuryakyn USA and Progressive Suspension USA, announced
today that it has acquired Vance & Hines Racing.
* (June 17) Despite the best
efforts of Carlos Checa at his home GP, Valentino
Rossi added to his tally of wins at Catalunya last
night. Ukawa's V5 took him to second, leaving Checa to settle for third. Injured Australian Casey Stoner
managed an impressive sixth in the 250 class.
* (June 17) Injured Australian
Rider Garry McCoy is expected to return to racing the Red Bull Yamaha at the British
GP in four weeks. "Things are going well here in Andorra
and my ankle is feeling really good. I've been doing a lot of work on my
stationary bicycle since coming back from Austria
where I had the operation and the immediate post-op physiotherapy. Even right
after the operation I felt more movement in the ankle and it has just been
going well since then."
* (June 16) It looks as though
Yamaha's efforts to get the M1 up to speed are beginning to pay off, with Max Biaggi taking pole last night. He was followed by Ukawa (Honda), Gibernau (Suzuki)
and Rossi (Hon) to fill out an interesting front row of the grid. Garry McCoy's
replacement, American John Hopkins, impressed with a sixth spot behind Capirossi. See our MotoGP page -
click here.
* (June 15) German, Alex Hofmann
makes racing history this weekend at the Catalunya GP
in Spain aboard
the Red Bull Yamaha YZR 500. Hofmann, who recently celebrated his 22nd
birthday, will be the first German rider
ever to race on a factory 500 Yamaha.
* (June 15) After a seven year
absence from local tracks as a competitor, former Australian Superbike champion Mat Mladin
will return to Australia in August with plans to compete in the final two
rounds of them Formula Xtreme category of the 2002
Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State. Since the end of the 1995
racing season Mladin, from Camden
south east of Sydney, has been
competing successfully in the American AMA Superbike
Championships where he has become a major force. He has taken victory in the
championship over the past three years aboard his Yoshimura Suzuki and has not
placed lower than fourth in the six years that he has competed in America.
The early conclusion of this year's American AMA Superbike
Championship (August 11), has allowed Mladin the
opportunity to return to Australia and compete at the two Sydney events, the
first at Oran Park on August 17th & 18th and then Eastern Creek on September 28th
& 29th . Mladin will remain in Australian until early in the new year
before he returns to America
to compete in the 2003 AMA Superbike Championship
once again with Yoshimura Suzuki.
* (June 13) From MotoGP: Telefonica Movistar Suzuki Team Manager Garry Taylor received a huge
boost this week with the news that factory racer Akira Ryo, who this week flies
in from Japan to contest the Gran Premi
Marlboro de Catalunya, will be accompanied by a full
squad of factory engineers.
* (June 13) Keen to avert a
second straight motorcycle grand prix without an Australian on the grid, teenager
Casey Stoner is hopeful of lining up in Barcelona this weekend. However the
16-year-old, from Kurri Kurri
in New South Wales, won't be
taking any undue risks at the Catalunya GP. With
30-year-old Sydney veteran Garry McCoy sidelined from the MotoGP
world championship for several weeks by his leg injuries, Stoner's withdrawal
from the Italian GP during 250cc qualifying at Mugello
two weeks ago left Australia without a representative in any of the three
categories for the first time since the 1984 San Marino GP. Stoner fractured a scaphoid bone in his right wrist when he crashed out of the
French GP four weeks ago. While optimistic of racing this weekend, he will
"wait and see how things go in Friday's practice" at the Catalunya circuit on the northern outskirts of Barcelona.
"My hand feels good, and I have more movement and feeling in it than I did
at Mugello," Stoner said. "But after not
having any feeling in my throttle hand in Italy,
I have to make sure I can race without any pain-killers. "I really hope it
will be okay because I like the circuit here. It's interesting, and pretty
technical, with some blind corners and fast bits. "But if my wrist isn't
right after practice or qualifying on Friday then I won't race. It's better
that I wait until I'm 100 per cent healthy and can get results."
* (June 13) From reader Nigel
Bickerstaff: "Over the next three months the Yarra
Ranges Road Safety Commitee will be formulating its
motor cycle road safety program for the next summer. I am looking for clubs who
wish to have a voice in this process, or who simply wish to be involved or know
what's going on." Email: [email protected]
* (June 12) Italian motorcycle
Grand Prix ace Max Biaggi was made to eat humble pie
at his Yamaha team's recent test session at Valencia, Spain, after losing a bet
with his mechanics' assistant, Luciano Bertagna. At dinner after the second day of tests the pair
were talking about running and Bertagna told Biaggi he could run a kilometre
in less than four minutes. The Roman rider was far from convinced and laid a
bet of 500 euros that he could not do it. Biaggi then
proceeded to measure a 1 km course on his scooter, down the start-finish
straight and around the first corner of the Valencia
circuit, for Bertagna to attempt the challenge. Biaggi watched in amazement as Bertagna
defied the odds to break four minutes and claim his prize. "He was brilliant,
he deserved to win. I never thought he'd do it," Biaggi
said as he settled the bet while still in his racing leathers.
* (June 12) Honda has three
mid-sized models penciled in for limited release in Australia.
They are the 600 SilverWing parallel-twin maxi-scooter,
the V-twin-powered XLV 650 adventure tourer and 650 Deauville light road tourer.
* (June 11) Japanese industrial
giant Kawasaki, absent from Grand Prix motorcycle racing for 20 years, is planning
to race its new prototype in Australia in October, according to the latest
edition of Australian Motorcycle News. The magazine says Kawasaki
intends to field the four-stroke bike as a wildcard entry at the last four GPs
of the season in Japan,
Malaysia, Australia
and Spain. The
SKYY VODKA Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix will be held at Victoria's
Phillip Island
circuit on October 18th -20th. Kawasaki
will enter the MotoGP championship full-time next
year, with Australia's
reigning world champion Supersport rider Andrew Pitt
tipped to head its challenge. Japanese test rider Akira Yanagawa
is expected to be Kawasaki's rider
in the four races at the end of this season. Kawasaki
has not had a presence in the premier GP class since South African Kork Ballington finished ninth in
the 1982 500cc world championship. It is reported to be pulling out of the Superbike World Championship at the end of this year to
concentrate on its MotoGP project and Supersport. Yanagawa has already
raced the first version of Kawasaki's
new GP bike in the All-Japan Championship, winning a 320-kilometre race at Suzuka. How this sits with the company's motorcycle
alliance with Suzuki is yet to be seen.
* (June 11) World superbike gossip: reigning champ Troy Bayliss
is near certain to get a crack at MotoGP next year,
on Ducati's new V-four. At this stage he's most
likely to have Loris Capirossi as a team-mate. Meanwhile
the new Malaysian-backed Foggy Petronas team says it
will debut its machinery (with Australian Troy Corser
as one of the riders) at the Laguna Seca round of the
World Supers on July 14 - a couple of weeks earlier than expected. The official
unveiling happens tonight in a London
restaurant.
* (June 10) Troy Bayliss scored his fifth double victory for the superbike season last night, while Suzuki ride Katsuaki Fukiwara scored his
first Supersport win ahead of Aussie Andrew Pitt.
* (June 9) Australian Ducati rider Troy Baliss is on
pole for tonight's German round of the World Superbike
Series. Ducatis dominate
the front row, with Bostrom, Edwards and Hodgson
heading the grid.