Shows & Events

The famed and prestigious Ducati Riding Experience is set to take place in the US of A next month.

The Italian marque are all set to offer bike enthusiasts a chance of a lifetime to be a part of the DRE (Ducati Riding Experience). Ten years after its introduction, the DRE is again preparing its motorcycles and riding school staff to teach riders of all levels in the US, from absolute beginners to experienced race track specialists.

Chief DRE Instructor, Dario Marchetti is all set with his team of teachers which include the likes of the legendary Troy Bayliss (three-times World Superbike Champion), Marco Lucchinelli (500 World Champion), Manuel Poggiali (125 and 250 World Champion), Niccolò Canepa (2013 FIM Superstock Championship competitor), Paolo Casoli (World Supersport Champion) and Andrew Pitt (two-times World Supersport Champion).

The 2013 DRE: USA is based on ensuring constant development and control of teaching protocols along with standards of excellence to all the participants who enroll at the 2013: DRE. Course participants will be provided a Ducati motorcycle, instructor, lunch and a welcome kit and riding gear also. For further DRE 2013 information enthusiast can go on the www.Ducati.com and can send enquiry mails on dre@ducati.com.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltd (HMSI) participated in the 32nd India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 14-27 November 2012 in association with the Delhi Traffic Police at their pavilion.

Activities for young children included role plays and interactive games for a “fun way” of learning. There were also Special Painting Competitions for over a 1,000 children from the age group of 5-8 years with gifts for the winners.

Honda arranged a practical riding experience for 9-12 year old children in a protected road environment designed specially for the purpose. The company trained 1,100 children on its CRF 50 model to help them understand why safe riding is important. Parents were advised to not allow children access to vehicles before they are at the correct legal age to ride or drive. The families were also presented ‘safe family’ framed photographs.

For riders aged 16 years and above, riding trainers (who are also present at all HMSI dealerships) helped them to experience more than 100 possible road dangers.

Over 2,000 visitors got to participate in this virtual experience, and more than 50,000 visitors to the Trade Fair gave an overwhelming response to Honda’s initiative of spreading road safety awareness and knowledge.

Not many off you might be aware about Valentino Rossi’s prowess on four-wheels, but the fact is that The Doctor has always been as good with cars as he is with bikes.

At this year’s ‘Monza Rally Show’ which took place over the weekend and, Rossi came home victorious after taking part in this star studded event.

Driving a tricked out WRC-spec Ford Fiesta, Vale blazed his way past the likes of three-times LeMans winner Dindo Capello, two times Italian rally champion Piero Longhi and MotoGP stars like World Champion Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso.

Second place went to Dindo Capello who was just 2.8s behind after nine stages in a Citroen DS3 WRC. Capello had already won the Monza event four times before. In third place was Piero Longhi. Andrea Dovizioso, who is apparently replacing Rossi at Ducati next year, came home fifth in another Citroen DS3 while current MotoGP champ Jorge Lorenzo finished tenth.

Rossi also won the ‘Master Show’ event on Sunday afternoon at the Monza event, where he went head-to-head in a series of heats on the tracks main straight. The Italian got the better of Dovizioso in the semi finals and Capello in the final to cap off a phenomenal race weekend at Monza.

picture courtesy: motogp.com

Speculations have been rife for some time that the biannual Auto Expo would be shifted out of New Delhi, especially in the wake of the chaotic Auto Expo 2012.

The organisers have now confirmed that the Expo will now move to Greater Noida from 2014 onwards, which incidentally coincides with the 25th anniversary of the event. For many years, the Auto Expo has been synonymous with Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Over the past few years, though, there has been mounting criticism of the mismanagement and chaos at every event, and often it was suggested that the Expo be moved to a new venue.

In 2014, the Auto Expo will be held at the Greater Noida Exposition Mart. The event has also been moved to February from January, so that it does not clash with other international automotive shows. This will also allow some leeway to automotive publications that typically conduct their award ceremonies in January every year.

The venue and month are not the only changes though – the name now changes to ‘Auto Expo – the Motor Show 2014′. In the 2014 edition, there will be a separate event for automobile manufacturers at the Greater Noida Exposition Mart, and the components’ exhibition might move to the Buddh International Circuit. Pragati Maidan offers a built-up area of 53,580 sq m, whereas the Greater Noida Exposition Mart currently has 27,648 sq m, with an additional 25,000 sq m to be ready by 2014 with space for additional hangars. The number of visitors to the Expo though has been on the decline – the 2010 edition attracted 1.8 million visitors, which crashed to just 700,000 in 2012, and experts fear that shifting the venue outside Delhi could cause a further dip in attendance figures.

KTM recently released a glimpse of the new 1290 Super Duke R, a bike that the company refers to as a “Beast” on its blog.

The official release and pictures coming in from the just-concluded EICMA show highlight the loud design theme of the new naked, including orange graphics, two-toned alloy wheels, a “hooligan cam” mounted just above the tail, and a custom Akrapovic exhaust pipe. These indicate that the prototype is likely to be a trade-show special, and a production version with a slightly toned-down design theme could follow soon.

Mechanically, the bike is expected to include a new chassis, ride-by-wire throttle control, WP suspension, and a 182PS 1,290cc V-twin engine that could be a bored-out version of the motor from the KTM 1190 RC8 R.