The MotoGP paddock is all abuzz with Ducati and Andrea Dovizioso having reached an agreement that will see the Italian wearing the colours of the Ducati Team in 2013 and 2014.

Andrea Dovizioso currently sits in fourth place overall in the MotoGP championship standings and will soon join Nicky Hayden on the team. The pair will face the next season together, working on development of the Desmosedici and the MotoGP project for the championship. President Gabriele Del Torchio had this to say, “It is with great pleasure that I welcome Andrea, as we marshal our best efforts in confronting the MotoGP World Championship. Along with Nicky Hayden, with whom we have renewed a working agreement, we are confident that we will be able to proceed with our development program, to compete, and to obtain the results and rewards that will repay our efforts and the faith.”

“Andrea’s technical sensibility and test-riding abilities are of great value, as are his talent and determination,” added Filippo Preziosi, General Manager of Ducati Corse. Andrea has done well for himself before and this new partnership will a great opportunity for him to take his racing career to the next level.

Andrea rode a bike for the first time at 4 years old, and at 7 he competed in his first minibike race. In 2000 he won the Aprilia Challenge trophy, and in 2001 he finished fourth in the Italian Championship. In 2008 he moved up to MotoGP, where he has achieved one victory so far (England, 2009) and twenty-one podiums.

The MotoGP paddock is all abuzz with Ducati and Andrea Dovizioso having reached an agreement that will see the Italian wearing the colours of the Ducati Team in 2013 and 2014.

Andrea Dovizioso currently sits in fourth place overall in the MotoGP championship standings and will soon join Nicky Hayden on the team. The pair will face the next season together, working on development of the Desmosedici and the MotoGP project for the championship. President Gabriele Del Torchio had this to say, “It is with great pleasure that I welcome Andrea, as we marshal our best efforts in confronting the MotoGP World Championship. Along with Nicky Hayden, with whom we have renewed a working agreement, we are confident that we will be able to proceed with our development program, to compete, and to obtain the results and rewards that will repay our efforts and the faith.”

“Andrea’s technical sensibility and test-riding abilities are of great value, as are his talent and determination,” added Filippo Preziosi, General Manager of Ducati Corse. Andrea has done well for himself before and this new partnership will a great opportunity for him to take his racing career to the next level.

Andrea rode a bike for the first time at 4 years old, and at 7 he competed in his first minibike race. In 2000 he won the Aprilia Challenge trophy, and in 2001 he finished fourth in the Italian Championship. In 2008 he moved up to MotoGP, where he has achieved one victory so far (England, 2009) and twenty-one podiums.

Carlin Dunne dominated the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, setting the new course record for motorcycles today from pole position for the second year in a row on a Ducati Multistrada 1200 S.

This win marks Ducati’s third-straight victory at the historic “Race to the Clouds”. Both Dunne and Spider Grips Ducati teammate and six-time winner Greg Tracy finished the race under the 10-minute barrier, which is a first for any motorcycle in the race’s 90-year history. Dunne crossed the finish line at the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak with the record-setting time of 9:52.819, beating his previous record of 11:11.32, while Tracy was less than six seconds behind, placing second with 9:58.262.

“Today was an emotional day,” said Dunne. “The year of work the Spider Grips Ducati team put into preparing for Pikes Peak got us across the finish line in under 10 minutes, an achievement we’re very proud of. When we heard that we won and broke the record for the second time, I was speechless. The one-two finish proves the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S is the ultimate bike to conquer Pikes Peak.”

Dunne reached speeds above 144mph (230kmh)  throughout the mountain’s straights, and traversed 156 turns, ranging from hairpin, blind, decreasing radius, and multi-apex turns, while consistently gaining elevation up the technical 12.42-mile (20km) course. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, or “Race to the Clouds”, is situated in a range of the Rocky Mountains, 16km west of Colorado Springs and races from a start line altitude of 2,862 metres (9,389ft) to a finish line at 4,300 (14,100ft).

“Ducatisti around the world are celebrating the victory of Carlin Dunne and the Spider Grips Ducati Team – we are all very proud,” said Dominique Cheraki, General Manager of Ducati North America. “Three years ago we chose the Multistrada 1200 S to compete at Pikes Peak to showcase its on-and-off road capabilities, class-leading ergonomics, handling, and performance. When we were alerted that the entire course would be paved in 2012, there was no doubt that the Multistrada 1200 S was still the right choice and breaking the record today proves this.”

Carlin Dunne dominated the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, setting the new course record for motorcycles today from pole position for the second year in a row on a Ducati Multistrada 1200 S.

This win marks Ducati’s third-straight victory at the historic “Race to the Clouds”. Both Dunne and Spider Grips Ducati teammate and six-time winner Greg Tracy finished the race under the 10-minute barrier, which is a first for any motorcycle in the race’s 90-year history. Dunne crossed the finish line at the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak with the record-setting time of 9:52.819, beating his previous record of 11:11.32, while Tracy was less than six seconds behind, placing second with 9:58.262.

“Today was an emotional day,” said Dunne. “The year of work the Spider Grips Ducati team put into preparing for Pikes Peak got us across the finish line in under 10 minutes, an achievement we’re very proud of. When we heard that we won and broke the record for the second time, I was speechless. The one-two finish proves the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S is the ultimate bike to conquer Pikes Peak.”

Dunne reached speeds above 144mph (230kmh)  throughout the mountain’s straights, and traversed 156 turns, ranging from hairpin, blind, decreasing radius, and multi-apex turns, while consistently gaining elevation up the technical 12.42-mile (20km) course. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, or “Race to the Clouds”, is situated in a range of the Rocky Mountains, 16km west of Colorado Springs and races from a start line altitude of 2,862 metres (9,389ft) to a finish line at 4,300 (14,100ft).

“Ducatisti around the world are celebrating the victory of Carlin Dunne and the Spider Grips Ducati Team – we are all very proud,” said Dominique Cheraki, General Manager of Ducati North America. “Three years ago we chose the Multistrada 1200 S to compete at Pikes Peak to showcase its on-and-off road capabilities, class-leading ergonomics, handling, and performance. When we were alerted that the entire course would be paved in 2012, there was no doubt that the Multistrada 1200 S was still the right choice and breaking the record today proves this.”

Japanese automotive manufacturer Suzuki have just announced the final dates for their Girl Torque trackday.

The event, held especially for women bike riders, started a year back at the Donington Park motor racing circuit in England.  This year the event will take place on Wednesday, August 29th at the Cadwell Park motor racing circuit in Lincolnshire, England. Suzuki will be welcoming all female riders for the event, regardless of make of machine owned, to celebrate everything that is great about bikes and biking. Tyco Suzuki riders Josh Brookes, Alastair Seeley and Conor Cummins will be in attendance, as well as World Superbike star Leon Camier. Also in attendance will be three-time former British Champion and Suzuki’s Racing Director John Reynolds. He will be on hand to mentor those on the track, and offer his expert advice and tips. KAIS Suspension will also be on hand to assist with the set up and each rider will be provided with a transponder, so that they will be able to view their best lap times at the end of the event. All the best girls, keep riding.

 

 

Japanese automotive manufacturer Suzuki have just announced the final dates for their Girl Torque trackday.

The event, held especially for women bike riders, started a year back at the Donington Park motor racing circuit in England.  This year the event will take place on Wednesday, August 29th at the Cadwell Park motor racing circuit in Lincolnshire, England. Suzuki will be welcoming all female riders for the event, regardless of make of machine owned, to celebrate everything that is great about bikes and biking. Tyco Suzuki riders Josh Brookes, Alastair Seeley and Conor Cummins will be in attendance, as well as World Superbike star Leon Camier. Also in attendance will be three-time former British Champion and Suzuki’s Racing Director John Reynolds. He will be on hand to mentor those on the track, and offer his expert advice and tips. KAIS Suspension will also be on hand to assist with the set up and each rider will be provided with a transponder, so that they will be able to view their best lap times at the end of the event. All the best girls, keep riding.

 

 

Defending MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner beat current championship leader Jorge Lorenzo to claim his 4th win of the season in a thrilling race at the Laguna Seca circuit.

In doing so, Stoner closed the gap with Lorenzo to only 30 points, and is now only 9 points behind his Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa. Stoner blazed his way to glory while opting for the softer compound tyres, whereas everyone opted for the hard ones. This would prove to be the Australian rider’s master stroke as he made his move on the championship leader with just 11 laps to go. Stoner and Lorenzo were followed by Dani Pedrosa who had to settle for the 3rd place.

The trio started the race at the front of the grid with Lorenzo on pole position and they quickly pulled away from the rest on the dusty Californian track. It was surely looking as a three-way horse race to the finish. British rider Cal Crutchlow finished fifth after failing to find a way past Andrea Dovizioso as the two riders battled it out for claiming the 4th position. Ultimately,Dovizioso proved to much for the Brit who came home 5th.

American Ben Spies, who has been in the news recently regarding his future with Yamaha had completed a torrid weekend on his home circuit by crashing out. Seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi failed to finish for the first time this season, sending his bike into the gravel with merely two laps remaining.

Defending MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner beat current championship leader Jorge Lorenzo to claim his 4th win of the season in a thrilling race at the Laguna Seca circuit.

In doing so, Stoner closed the gap with Lorenzo to only 30 points, and is now only 9 points behind his Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa. Stoner blazed his way to glory while opting for the softer compound tyres, whereas everyone opted for the hard ones. This would prove to be the Australian rider’s master stroke as he made his move on the championship leader with just 11 laps to go. Stoner and Lorenzo were followed by Dani Pedrosa who had to settle for the 3rd place.

The trio started the race at the front of the grid with Lorenzo on pole position and they quickly pulled away from the rest on the dusty Californian track. It was surely looking as a three-way horse race to the finish. British rider Cal Crutchlow finished fifth after failing to find a way past Andrea Dovizioso as the two riders battled it out for claiming the 4th position. Ultimately,Dovizioso proved to much for the Brit who came home 5th.

American Ben Spies, who has been in the news recently regarding his future with Yamaha had completed a torrid weekend on his home circuit by crashing out. Seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi failed to finish for the first time this season, sending his bike into the gravel with merely two laps remaining.

In a pleasant turn of events, we just came to know that a newly formed Indian team is gearing up for participating at the World Superbike Championship next year, in the Supersports category.

Apparently, this new team, called Kawasaki MSD R-N Team India, has already made their debut at Brno with Florian Marino on the Ninja ZX-6R and will now be joined by Dan Linfoot at Silverstone in the next round. Judging by Merino’s 13^th place finish at Brno – the team’s debut, mind you – it certainly bodes well for the future.

We poked around the reasons behind the rather enigmatic team name and came to learn that the ‘MSD’ stands for cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who happens to be the director of the team while ‘R-N’ would have connections with Southern filmstar Nagarjuna, another director in the team. The team is being led by Team Principal, Amit Sandill, an electronics and communications engineer while Andrew Stone is the Technical Director.

The official announcement of the team’s plans will happen very soon and we are as eager as you are to hear more on this exciting new Indian step into the world of motorsports. Stay tuned to bikeindia.in for more news on the same!

In a pleasant turn of events, we just came to know that a newly formed Indian team is gearing up for participating at the World Superbike Championship next year, in the Supersports category.

Apparently, this new team, called Kawasaki MSD R-N Team India, has already made their debut at Brno with Florian Marino on the Ninja ZX-6R and will now be joined by Dan Linfoot at Silverstone in the next round. Judging by Merino’s 13^th place finish at Brno – the team’s debut, mind you – it certainly bodes well for the future.

We poked around the reasons behind the rather enigmatic team name and came to learn that the ‘MSD’ stands for cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who happens to be the director of the team while ‘R-N’ would have connections with Southern filmstar Nagarjuna, another director in the team. The team is being led by Team Principal, Amit Sandill, an electronics and communications engineer while Andrew Stone is the Technical Director.

The official announcement of the team’s plans will happen very soon and we are as eager as you are to hear more on this exciting new Indian step into the world of motorsports. Stay tuned to bikeindia.in for more news on the same!