Bench Racing & The Morning Reads

B'day list starts with PaulBach. I cried...

AZ-J said:

B'day list starts with PaulBach. I cried...

Click to expand...

Me too.

I spent many mornings trading PMs with Paul. Nothing earth shattering often just observations about something he read following links contained in articles in the morning reads. We worked together a couple of times also.

I was stunned then smiled when I realized his name was on the birthday list.

The sense of surprise and stunned was a result of seeing his name unexpectedly. Like many of the PMs and conversations we had he would catch me flatfooted with his observations so did seeing his name.

The smile came when I thought about how he might react to his death and on going comments in an imaginary exchange with him in my mind. I have run the imaginary conversation over in my mind at various times. How they run changes depending on what starts them. How they end is always the same. I find myself in a vortex as Paul moves forward in a new direction to build with his special kind of gusto.

We all just miss him and his wit!

Thursday, 24 March

Members with Birthdays Today

SBK

BMW-Motorrad.com: Managing BMW Motorrad Motorsport

BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team - WSBK - Donington Park - Preview
• 23.03.2011
• Press Release

Donington Park (UK), March 23rd 2011 - Next Sunday at Donington Park, the BMW Motorrad Italy Superbike team will face the second round of the Superbike World Championship 2011.

Unfortunately, James Toseland cannot line up for the team. He has been forced to abandon the race after suffering a fracture to the distal radius of the right wrist in a fall at the Motorland Aragon circuit, where he was riding in a private test. After being operated on at Manchester Hospital, James must convalescence for six weeks.

Consequently only Ayrton Badovini will represent the team making its Superbike season debut after winning the Superstock 2010 FIM Cup. Ayrton has already raced at Donington Park in 2008, winning points in the World Superbike race. The Italian will race in Britain with the S 1000 RR, which has been developed ater the Australian race, in which Ayrton won two World Championship points. The advances were made in private testing at the Spanish Motorland Aragon circuit.
Andrea Buzzoni, Director of BMW Motorrad Italy, said: "James’ accident is very unfortunate and just what we didn’t want. We have been continuing a successful major development programme following the wet winter tests and the limited time that we had to prepare the bike. After an initial error in the Spanish hospital where doctors underestimated the problem with his wrist which led to complications over and above the accident damage, James is recovering with great spirit, determination and positive attitude, because - like us - he is excited about the project. He believes in it and wants to return as soon as possible. James does not want to be replaced, nor do we like to think about replacing him, but that will be assessed with time as James’ medical progress becomes apparent.Ayrton, who has done a great job during testing, will be our only rider on the track. I am sure he will do well. "

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1?? Checa (Ducati) p. 50 - 2?? Biaggi (Aprilia) p. 40 - 3?? Melandri (Yamaha) p. 27 - ...16?? Toseland (BMW) p. 2 - 17?? Badovini (BMW) p. 2

gpone.com: Biaggi chasing Checa

worldsbk.com: Haslam’s special relationship with Donington Park

Yamaha-racing.com: Yamaha World Superbike Team prepare for Doningotn

aprilia.com: World SBK 2011 launches in Europe after the Australian first round

hondaproracing.com: Castrol Honda returns to Donington

MotoGP

autosport.com: Pedrosa gutted by injury revelation

Formula 1

FIA.com:
Race preview – 2011 Australian Grand Prix
Circuit Information
Steward Biographies

thesun.co.uk: Michael Schumacher explains the rule changes in F1 for 2011

Other Racing

2012 Dakar ‘further north than ever’ Peru official video
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BsUsa3Qjz38" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

On the Street

Over on pashnit.com/forum they are working on a new lower (an comfortable) seats for the BMW F 800 GS[/url)

The competition’s competition - AMG e Ducati 848
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_LpcpWOROMQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Reference: :

[url=http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=33345]Shameless Trolling For Touring Tips

NHTSA.dot.gov Vehicle Recalls RSS

I see from yesterdays posts you do read these questions and tips.

MSF Question of the Day: What is the most important reason not to grab the front brake or jam down hard on the rear brake?

MSF Tip of the Day: Before you even think about swinging a leg over a bike, you've got to gear up from head-to-toe with the right stuff.

Gasbuddy.com: Search for local gas prices along your trip route.

Cycle-ergo.com motorcycle ergonomic simulator.

Woot of the Day

Bike Candy

All the talk about motorcycle movies I had to pick up some bike candy to enjoy as I watched Sir Anthony.

The Worlds Fastest Indian,



I don’t know about the Chevy

Friday, 25 March

Members with Birthdays Today

SBK

fim-live.com: Superbike Infront extends major broadcast agreements

worldsbk.com: Rea in good shape for Donington

bbbc.co.uk: Leon Haslam relishing Superbikes return at Donington


dailystar.co.uk: Leon HaslamÔÇÖs secret weapon

MotoGP

sportrider.com: BMW moving to MotoGP soon?

hondaproracing.com: Medical checks confirm Pedrosa's shoulder is still not 100% fit, but doctors rule out any complication


Formula 1

FIA.com
Australian GP ÔÇô Press Conference 1
DRIVERS: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Narain Karthikeyan (HRT), Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber), Pastor Maldonado (Williams), Mark Webber (Red Bull)

reuters.com: Ecclestone hits out at FIA president Todt




Other Racing



On the Street

thekneeslider.com: Qucik charge battery developments

motorcyclenews.com: BMW and Honda ready new scooters for 2012

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webbikeworld.com: X-Lite X-551 Helmet Review

motorcycle.com: BMw contributes 1 million euro to earthquake relief

The Mothership

Hendrik von Kuenheim, General Director of BMW Motorrad, elected new ACEM President.
ÔÇó 24.03.2011
ÔÇó Press Release
Munich/ Oxford. Hendrik von Kuenheim, General Director BMW Motorrad, was appointed as the new President of the ACEM (Association des Constructeurs Europ?®ens de Motocycles), the European Motorcycle Industry Association. Based in Brussels, the ACEM represents the manufacturers of motorcycles, scooters, tricycles and quadricycles at European level...more

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5AYPeSyeJB8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


FWIW


Reference: :

Shameless Trolling For Touring Tips

NHTSA.dot.gov Vehicle Recalls RSS

MSF Question of the Day: When approaching an intersection as shown in the illustration above, what should you do?
Note; when I put this together the picture above was not working. Please tell them not me.

MSF Tip of the Day:

Gasbuddy.com: Search for local gas prices along your trip route.

Cycle-ergo.com motorcycle ergonomic simulator.

Woot of the Day

Bike Candy

I have been seeing this title in this forum for a long time and yesterday I finally clicked on it. This is awesome! I wish I had looked at this a long time ago.
I will be reading this everyday.
Thanks to those who make this happen.

Donington Park - Friday Free Practice

WorldSBK Donington Park : Friday Free Practice

The field is picking up where it left off in Australia to start the Donington weekend. Haslam has a good first session result but needs to dial in his bike for today’s qualifying session. Corser continues to struggle while the 100 practice laps at Jerez seem to have helped Badovini

Results:

1 7 C. CHECA ESP Althea Racing Ducati 1098R 1'29.978 23 160,959 264,3

2 33 M. MELANDRI ITA Yamaha World Superbike Team Yamaha YZF R1 1'30.134 0.156 0.156 24 160,681 265,6

3 4 J. REA GBR Castrol Honda Honda CBR1000RR 1'30.184 0.206 0.050 23 160,592 264,9

4 91 L. HASLAM GBR BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 1'30.566 0.588 0.382 21 159,914 265,6

5 17 J. LASCORZ ESP Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'30.687 0.709 0.121 23 159,701 264,9

6 84 M. FABRIZIO ITA Team Suzuki Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'30.789 0.811 0.102 26 159,522 257,9

7 1 M. BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'30.797 0.819 0.008 26 159,507 259,8

8 86 A. BADOVINI ITA BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team BMW S1000 RR 1'30.827 0.849 0.030 22 159,455 255,5

9 66 T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'30.842 0.864 0.015 23 159,428 261,1

10 96 J. SMRZ CZE Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R 1'30.868 0.890 0.026 21 159,383 263,0

11 11 T. CORSER AUS BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 1'30.970 0.992 0.102 20 159,204 267,5

12 58 E. LAVERTY IRL Yamaha World Superbike Team Yamaha YZF R1 1'30.985 1.007 0.015 19 159,178 263,6

13 2 L. CAMIER GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'31.022 1.044 0.037 24 159,113 256,7

14 111 R. XAUS ESP Castrol Honda Honda CBR1000RR 1'31.112 1.134 0.090 19 158,956 256,7

15 121 M. BERGER FRA Supersonic Racing Team Ducati 1098R 1'31.337 1.359 0.225 26 158,564 261,1

16 41 N. HAGA JPN PATA Racing Team Aprilia Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'31.387 1.409 0.050 19 158,478 255,5

17 50 S. GUINTOLI FRA Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R 1'31.782 1.804 0.395 24 157,796 263,6

18 44 R. ROLFO ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'32.159 2.181 0.377 25 157,150 261,1

19 77 C. VERMEULEN AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'32.670 2.692 0.511 16 156,284 261,7

20 8 M. AITCHISON AUS Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1'33.295 3.317 0.625 23 155,237 261,1

Donington Park - Friday Qualifying Session

WorldSBK Donington Park : Friday Qualifying

40 minutes remaining:

Haslam is in P1.

Corser continues in the mid pack.

Badovini has not found a way to improve on his morning times and is slipping down the grid.

18 minutes remaining

Checa takes P1 from Haslam who is in the pits.

Haslam appears to have been searching for more speed but in the process has not been able to put together all of the elements that make up a better lap.

At the 17 minute mark Corse bumps teammate Haslam for P2 moving up from P16!

Badovini has been bouncing between P10 and P13. He runs consistent laps but is not improving his time. He is less than a second off Chec’s time but 12 spots behind him.

10 minutes remaining

Biaggi is heading back out. He had been in P2 behind Haslam for much of the session then dropped to P 5/6 as others moved up.

Most riders are shown Pit In. There is enough time for one more round of laps for the provisional pole at Donington.

Less than five minutes and the board jumbles.

Biaggi is in P1
Melandri / Yamaha P2
Checa P 3

Haslam and Corser have droped to P6,7 respectively

Badovini is in P15 and could get bumped from Superpole.

Chequered Flag
Biagi and Melandri are in the 1’28s.

Biaggi takes the provisional pole.

1 1 BIAGGI M ITA Aprilia RSV4 Factory PIT IN 1'28.794 259,8 27

2 33 MELANDRI M ITA Yamaha YZF R1 PIT IN 1'28.841 0.047 264,3 24

3 7 CHECA C ESP Ducati 1098R PIT IN 1'29.194 0.400 262,3 25

4 58 LAVERTY E IRL Yamaha YZF R1 PIT IN 1'29.379 0.585 264,3 20

5 96 SMRZ J CZE Ducati 1098R PIT IN 1'29.397 0.603 259,2 28

6 91 HASLAM L GBR BMW S1000 RR PIT IN 1'29.472 0.678 221,9 20

7 11 CORSER T AUS BMW S1000 RR PIT IN 1'29.476 0.682 266,9 21

8 111 XAUS R ESP Honda CBR1000RR PIT IN 1'29.613 0.819 201,9 21

9 17 LASCORZ J ESP Kawasaki ZX-10R PIT IN 1'29.637 0.843 259,8 22

10 2 CAMIER L GBR Aprilia RSV4 Factory PIT IN 1'29.639 0.845 216,1 22

11 41 HAGA N JPN Aprilia RSV4 Factory PIT IN 1'29.814 1.020 252,5 26

12 121 BERGER M FRA Ducati 1098R PIT IN 1'29.851 1.057 254,3 21

13 66 SYKES T GBR Kawasaki ZX-10R PIT IN 1'29.860 1.066 259,8 23

14 50 GUINTOLI S FRA Ducati 1098R PIT IN 1'30.008 1.214 261,7 19

15 86 BADOVINI A ITA BMW S1000 RR PIT IN 1'30.169 1.375 251,3 19

16 4 REA J GBR Honda CBR1000RR PIT IN 1'30.348 1.554 256,7 22

17 84 FABRIZIO M ITA Suzuki GSX-R1000 PIT IN 1'30.383 1.589 20

18 44 ROLFO R ITA Kawasaki ZX-10R PIT IN 1'30.680 1.886 258,6 27

19 8 AITCHISON M AUS Kawasaki ZX-10R PIT IN 1'31.117 2.323 257,9 26

20 77 VERMEULEN C AUS Kawasaki ZX-10R PIT IN 1'31.485 2.691 246,7 16



This was a good session for the BMW riders. Haslam set the pace for most of the session. Corser showed life at the end. Both look set for strong showings on Satuday in Superpole. Badovini advnaces to the Superpole round. He is having trouble improving his time but the numbers look good for his ability to race on Sunday.

The teams are off to the pits to find Saturday setup magic. I am off to the dentist to have a tooth pulled

Feel good over that tooth Mika! It's my birthday today, so great wishes from me on the extraction.

WorldSBK: Donington Park Friday Qualifying

BMW Motorrad Motorsport - WSBK - Donington - Qualifying Practice 1
• 25.03.2011
• Press Release
Weather conditions: Sunny with some scattered clouds.
Temperature: Air: 15 – 20 ??C, Track: 19 – 22 ??C
Number of riders participating: 20 from 12 teams
Fastest lap Free Practice: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:29.978 min
Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) 1:28.794 min


Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport had an encouraging start to the second round of the FIM Superbike World Championship 2011 at Donington (GBR). Works rider Leon Haslam (GBR), who lives near the race track, dominated the first half of the first qualifying session, setting a string of fastest times. In the second half of the session his teammate Troy Corser (AUS) was second for a long time. In the end Leon finished qualifying today in sixth and Troy in seventh. Both riders’ crews continued their work on chassis and mapping setup for the BMW S 1000 RRs.


Leon Haslam:
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:30.566 min (P4)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: 1:29.472 min (P6)
“Today has gone well for us. The track was a little dirty this morning, which made riding slightly tricky, but other than that so far we have done a good job. Basically we have just been going through the motions with setup, trying to identify areas to improve the bike so we can keep reducing our lap times. I haven’t been here for two years so I am improving with every lap, and I think I can continue that into tomorrow. The team is working hard, the progress so far has been good and I think we are in with a good chance of qualifying well tomorrow.”


Troy Corser:
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:30.970 min (P11)/Fastest lap Qualifying Practice: 1:29.476 min (P7)
“This Friday was not too bad. They have changed the track a little bit, but I enjoy riding at Donington. You have to be a little bit careful with the left hand side of the tyre, so I did this going down through the Craner Curves. But the bike seems to be working quite okay. We still feel the bumps badly, and the bike still wants to do a wheelie off the apex of the corners. We are working on improving these areas and this would mean another good step. The way the bike feels and the lap times are good, and we are not that far away from the fast guys. This was probably one of the best Fridays we have had for a long time.”


Rainer B?ñumel (Head of Race Operations):
“I am very happy that both our riders were able to ride on top. This proves we have made another step forward with our bike. We are there and now we will see what happens tomorrow - and what the weather will be like. If you want to be in the position to fight at the front in the races, you need to qualify in the first two rows. So this is our aim for the third superpole session. I would be happy if we could achieve that.”

BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team - WSBK - Donington Park - Day 1
• 25.03.2011
• Press Release

Change in direction of results for the BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike team during the first day of the second round of the Superbike World Championship, with the race taking place on Sunday at the English circuit of Donington Park.

In the morning practice session Ayrton Badovini showed improvements to his S 1000 RR, achieving the eighth fastest time, and for some of the session sitting near the top of the list. In the afternoon, during qualifying, work continued but at the end of the session a fall prevented the rider and the team reaping the fruits of their labour. The team are happy with the steady improvement of the bike and tomorrow, weather permitting, Ayrton will try to improve on his current position.
James Toseland was at Donington Park today to say hello to his team. The Englishman has his right arm tightly bandaged and over the coming weeks will undergo a check-up to establish how quickly he can return to the track.

Ayrton Badovini said: "Today went very well. I missed the final lap because I made a mistake but I was able to confirm that we have made a remarkable step forward. We were constantly in the first fifteen although there are still things that need fixing. We have a good margin for improvement. Tonight the engineers have a lot of information to work with and we will try to do better tomorrow. "

Serafino Foti, sporting director of BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike team said: "Apart from the slip at the last minute the day has been positive. Without that problem we could have been around tenth, given that sixth to fifteenth places are separated by just seven tenths of a second. It is important to continue working as we are doing and continue to develop the bike. Tomorrow we'll certainly improve. We were pleased that James came to visit us here at Donington and we hope to see him back on track soon. "

fim-live.com: Biaggi on song at classic Donington Ciruit

worldsbk.com: Biaggi and Melandri wrap up Q1 at the front.

hondaproracing.com: Xaus continues to progress as Rea struggles for grip

Suzuki-racing.com: Fabrizio lucky to escape injury

FWIW

With two sessions under our belts at Phillip Island I was PUMPED! I wish I could say that at the same point in the Donington Park round. I do see much to be optimistic about but, and that is a big but, I am very cautious.

Haslam seemed ready to dial in his RR from the first moment it turned a wheel in battle. I watched various chart times as he tuned the machine for complete track impact that gave him a first race podium.

The BMW riders toped the session at several points. Haslam sat on top of grid order for most of Friday timed qualifying session. Corser struggled then came back to knock his team mate down a peg. Badovini is going to his first Superpole round and at various points in both sessions was within the top 10 riders.

The BMW riders used fewer laps to move themselves into the Superpole round. This is a big deal because the S 1000 RR has a history of eating up tyres in the early rounds of a weekend making it even harder to manage tyres in the later rounds. This is a small victory but a victory none the less.

There are a few numbers that have me nervous; however.

Max Speed / Average Speed
The S 1000 RR is a speed demon, but that does not make it a balanced race bike. I will harp on this time and time again this season. Both Haslam and Corser picked up approximately 5 kph of maximum speed but only turned roughly 2 of those into increases in average speed. The bike set up is out of wack.

The GAP
Each of the sessions has a chart for a racers ideal lap and then compares it to the actual lap time and gives you a gap score. Haslam had three perfect laps in qualifying at Phillip Island and his gap was consistently smaller than Checa’s at P.I.. I do not sense the team is dialing the bike in this weekend. The gap remains and they are larger than the session P1. The bike set up is out of wack.

Qualifying v Racing
I do believe that both Haslam and Corser can qualify well up in the standings. That is not what is concerning me. Qualifying is a sprint on an open track. You can set a bike up for muscle and do just that; muscle your way to a strong qualifying position. WorldSBK races are short but they involve combat. You need balance to attack and defend over the length of a race. After two sessions I see other bikes that may fall to the Enigma Riders in qualifying but look to be preparing to defeat the BMW Cavalry in racing battle.



Weekend Coverage Note

I must apologize going into this first WorldSBK and Formula 1 race weekend. I need to be a slacker this weekend. Thursday I had a small accident. One injury was a broken tooth. I did not get any sleep last night and I am loopier than normal (I know that is hard to believe but true) from pain pills. I missed work today and need to go in tomorrow. Saturday’s post will be later in the day and will include the normal fun along with catching up on WorldSBK Superpole and the first round of qualifying for the 2011 F1 season.

Bike Candy

The Enigma Cavalry

Leon Haslam




Troy Corser




Ayrton Badovini



Focus..I said FOCUS…I mean on the BIKE!!!



Please Do!

Saturday, 26 March

Members with Birthdays Today



SBK

fim-live.com: Checa wins Superpole at impressive pace

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BMW Motorrad Motorsport - WSBK - Donington - Superpole
ÔÇó 26.03.2011
ÔÇó Press Release
Weather conditions: Cloudy and cold, but dry.
Temperature: Air: 7 ÔÇô 10 ??C, Track: 5 ÔÇô 9 ??C
Number of riders participating: 19 from 12 teams
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team) 1:28.794 min
Fastest lap Superpole 3: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:28.099 min


Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport will start the second round of the FIM Superbike World Championship 2011 at Donington (GBR) from the front row. Local works rider, Leon Haslam (GBR), secured the second best qualifying result ever for the team, finishing second in todayÔÇÖs Superpole Qualifying. His team mate Troy Corser (AUS) will start tomorrowÔÇÖs races from tenth position.


Leon Haslam:
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:29.472 min (P7) / Fastest lap FP: 1:28.968 min (P2) / Fastest lap Superpole 3: 1:28.365 min (P2)
ÔÇ£I am really looking forward to tomorrow now. We wanted a front row start and we have got that. We definitely made good progress from Australia to this event. Hopefully it is a dry day tomorrow, and I will try to beat the others this time. In a race anything can happen, but we are making steps in the right direction. If we can get a good start and have consistent races, we will be in with a good shot.ÔÇØ
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Troy Corser:
Fastest lap Qualifying Practices: 1:29.476 min (P8) / Fastest lap FP: 1:29.861 min (P10) / Fastest lap Superpole 2: 1:28.836 min (P10)
ÔÇ£We had no serious issues, but there were some small vibrations in the rear tyre on the second qualifier. We are still just trying to find a good set-up. The cold weather was no problem, just a bit hard on the tyre. It seems to be tearing up quite a bit with the cold, but that is okay. Overall I am happy, but not with the qualifying result. The race tyre is quite good and consistent. We just need to get a good start and then we will see what is possible.ÔÇØ




Rainer B?ñumel (Head of Race Operations):
ÔÇ£On the whole I am happy with how Superpole has turned out for us. Troy was unlucky; he was suffering from some vibration issues which prevented him from taking full advantage of the qualifying tyre and stopped him from progressing into Superpole 3. Even so, heading up the third row is not so bad. We know Troy can get good starts and his race pace is good so we are confident. With regard to Leon we are all really happy. He has good pace on a race tyre and he will be pushing for the front tomorrow for sure.ÔÇØ



BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team - WSBK - Donington Park - Superpole
ÔÇó 26.03.2011
ÔÇó Press Release
The twelfth time realized in the second qualifying session was not sufficient to Ayrton Badovini to get into Superpole. An outside temperature of seven degrees (five on asphalt) has led the pilot of the BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike team to go down under the weather made its first session yesterday and, unfortunately, Ayrton remained out of the final session of testing for only a single position .
Ayrton Badovini said: "Today the track was not in the same conditions of yesterday and fall in first qualifying session prevented us from time to hit the decisive moment. In today's free practice we worked on the duration, since the rhythm does not is bad and we hope to have a good race. "
Serafino Foti, sporting director of BMW Motorrad Superbike Team Italy said: "Actually, it's better than it looks. Unfortunately, we lost the Superpole, to the crash yesterday and today the track conditions did not allow us to improve. In today's practice, however, we were in the final ranking twelfths, but the absolute time obtained was not enough to get into the top 16. In today's free practice afternoon we tried the long run of sixteen laps and the rhythm is not bad. There is still the uncertainty of the choice of tires which will be defined according to the temperature of tomorrow. "
SUPERPOLE: 1?? Checa (Ducati) 1'28"099 - 2?? Haslam (BMW) 1'28"365 - 3?? Sykes (Kawasaki) 1'28"556 ... 17?? Badovini (BMW) 1'30"169.

gpone.com: Biaggi down twice but still fastest
Biaggi remains a favorite in my book for tomorrows race.
hondaproracing.com: Second ro for Rea

Suzuki-racing.com: Fabrizio on Doninton 3rd row

worldsbk.com: Infront introduces on board cameras at Donington

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Chris Vermeulen Doninton Park 2011 FP1
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MotoGP

THEYÔÇÖRE BACK!!! ÔÇô Los MiniBikers ÔÇô The Qatar GP

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Formula 1

FIA.com
Third Practice Session Classifications

Qualifying Classifications

Stewards Reprots:
- Barrichello changes broken gear box within rules no penalty
- HRT failed to qualify with 107% of the pole time and will not be allowed to race.
- Dry tyres for the drivers taking part in Q3

Qualifying Press Conference
DRIVERS
1 - Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull)
2 - Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren)
3 - Mark WEBBER (Red Bull)

Formula1.com
Qualifying analysis ÔÇô is Vettel invincible?
Jenson Button Q&A: McLaren have made a massive step forward

Reuters.com
Petrov hails bset qualifying result
McLaren ready for victory after rapid turnaround
Schmacher holds little hope fo a Sunday surprise
Alonso laments Ferrair qualifying lapse

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On the Street

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The Mothership

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FWIW

Leon HaslamÔÇÖs top speed was down the average speed stayed up and the grid position improved greatly for him. The bike is heading in the right direction. Troy Corser continues to have problems. The setups are not always transferable between bikes. Throw in a vibration and Superpole was not what he or the team hoped for. He has shown his ability work magic on the raced day starting grid launch his bike to the front. LetÔÇÖs hope he still has the magic in his right wrist and left hand fingers.

BiaggiÔÇÖs problems surprised me more than a little. He looked, at least to my eye, of dominating the 2011 first round in Europe like he did in Assen in 2010. Perhaps he is just waiting for the SBK circus to actually get back to the continent. The British have a way of seeing themselves as Brits first and oh by the way geographically associated with that artificial geographic terms called Europe second.

If Biaggi can keep his Aprilia on the black he will be a strong contender on Sunday in both races. His Aprilia is normally a muscle machine using brute force and top speed to compensate for seeming lack of balance in the corners. Friday the bike and rider were in balance with toned down top speed, low gaps between actual and ideal lap times that combined to look to me to be one scary combination for the Enigma Cavalry to have to compete with. He was not able to keep it on the black all the time on Saturday, but Sunday is coming.

When I lived in London I found the weather to be very much like my then home of Lilydale on the Mississippi; wait an hour and the weather will change.

I am very disappointed in BMW Italia. Come on guys you have been around long enough to know this is March in England. It is going to be cold and the weather will change from hour to hour and most definitely from day to day. Here in Fly-Over-Land the internet weather prediction for Donington was that it would be colder than Friday. You guys are there.

Welcome to World SBK rookie. You were run away champions in 2010 owning pole after pole and race after race. This is 2011. You are racing WSBK not WSS 1000. You were in P15 on Friday headed to the Superpole round if you did not get bumped in the Saturday qualifier. Focus, you got bumped. Biaggi had his problems with the changes in weather but he did not sit around and whine about it.

This provides a segue into F1

In the run up to the aborted Bahrain GP Virgin F1 commented in several interviews that it was not certain that its cars would be able to qualify with in the 107% rule for qualifying. This bit of honesty is uncharacteristic for F1 teams. It was a refreshingly realistic admission of their then current state of development and the times the competition were turning in head to head test sessions.

For the Australian GP Virgin F1 qualified within the 107% rule. Hispanic Racing Team (HRT) did not. VirginÔÇÖs pre-Bahrain admission was refreshingly honest but at the same time it was a troll. Were the FIA and Bernie EcclestoneÔÇÖs Formula One willing to enforce the 107% rule? There were no comments from either at the time beyond general discussions of the rules and the progress all teams were making. The race stewards have ruled that HRT will not be allowed to compete on Sunday. HRT is no doubt lobbying and lobbying had with FOTA, the FIA and Bernine to some how overturn the race stewards decision. There are sponsor dollars and the potential life of the team at stake. I hope the ruling stands.

Sebastian Vettle dominated F1 qualifying and never touched the KERS button in the process. WOW! He and Red Bull are my picks to repeat this season. At this point the brilliance of my prognostication seems obvious.

Lewis Hamilton and McLaren were my early picks to unseat the 2010 Champions and take the 2011 crowns but early problems with the car led me to my choice. I am not trying to change my pick. Far from it; I will stay with the young German and his Red Bull. Rather I want to point out that when we are older and grayer than we already are we may well look back on this season as one of the great seasons and the fight between Red Bull and McLaren Vettel and Hamilton as one of the great season fights of all time in F1.

bbc.co.uk: Lewis Hamilton says he can beat Red Bull in Australian GP

Hamilton found something within himself last season that his competition will have to deal with this season. McLaren is formidable any season. It believes in itself and in Hamilton.

KERS, moveable wings, the 107% rule and passing will dominate the news this season. Vettle/Red Bull and Hamilton/McLaren will dominate the history of this season.

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Back in the pack is a bit of German Bike Candy with a bit of Italian flair. The confectioners need to work a bit harder to make it a fist class delight.

Race Notes : Australian GP

Welcome to the first edition of Formula 1 Race Notes for 2011.

Live timing is up on the screen here in Fly-Over-Land and the Australian GP is scheduled to start shortly. The weather is good and we should be in for a good race.

The Grid

P / Driver

1 Vettel
2 Hamilton
3 Weber
4 Button
5 Alonso
6 Petrov
7 Rosberg
8 Massa
9 Kobayashi
10 Buemi
11 Schumacher
12 Alguersuari
13 Perez
14 Di Resta
15 Maldonado
16 Sutil
17 Barrichello
18 Heidfled
19 Kovalainen
20 Trulli
21 Glock
22 D'Ambrosio

Conditions are fine and dry for the 58 lap race.

Vettel leads the pack away on the formation lap. All the discussion of moveable wings, KERS the 107% rule make no difference now. It is down to wheel to wheel racing to decide the first race of the new season.

The moveable rear wing can be used after the first two laps by drivers on the main straight provided they are within a second of the car in front and within the ÔÇ£DRS detection zoneÔÇØ which in Melbourne is between turns 14 and 16.

Bollix! Live timing is blanked out. I hate the start of a new season. Off to the BBC

Great start for Vettel who blasts away from the field.

Lap 1 Schumacher pits with a tire puncture. Not a good start

Lap 22
Barrichello and Rosberg get into it in turn three. Barrichello attempts a pas but smacks the Mercedes in the side pod, breaks his own knows and leaves the German smoking. Looks like race over for him. Barrichello will have to answer to race stewards no doubt.

Lap 26
Button apparently has made the first pass using the moveable wing to overtake Kobayashi's Suaber.

Lap 30
Alonso sets a race fast lap but in P5 he is far adrift of Vettel. The Champ is now shown as 9.1 seconds ahead of Hamilton in P2. Hamilton is reported to be having tire problems ÔÇô excessive wear on the left fronts which is causing a stir in the McLaren pit.

Lap 32
Hamilton go wide in turn 1. Some damage to his car ÔÇô how bad remains to be seen.

Stewards have given Barrichello a drive through penalty for his incident with rosberg.

Lap 35
Hamilton is slightly quicker than Vettel now. Is this gain by the McLaren or has the Champ switched his Red Bull into cruiser mode. A win is a win and yields the same points if done by hundredths of a second or laps ahead.

Lap 36
We get an answer to why Vettel was slowing down ÔÇô the tyere went away and he and Hamilton both pit for a new pair of shoes. Vettel picks up a set of softs and Hamilton the hard compound. McLaren will not be stopping again on purpose.

Lap 39
Alonso has moved past Petrov and into P4. Webber in P4 is next on his list.

Lap 41
Alonso has Webber set up to pull a pass using the DRS but Webber pits making the issue mute. Alonso moves into P3 unchallenged while Vettel extends his lead out to 9.5 seconds over Hamilton in P2.

Lap 42
Webber is boxed by Ferraris. He goes wide in turn three but is able to hod off Massa

the top 10 are

Vettel
Hailton
Petrov
Alonso
Webber
Massa
button
Perez
Kobayashi
Buemi
A good race for Sauber with two cars in the top 1o at this point in the race.

Petrov snuck [ast Aonso to take back P3 when the Spaniard pitted. The Russian's teammate Heidfeld is back in familiar race territory for him ÔÇô P13. This is a big disappointment for him and Renault.

Lap 45
Webber and Alonso are dueling. The Ferrai pit reminds their driver to use KERS. The system originally vaunted as an overtaking tool has long played on defense. Will it offset the DRS offense for Webber?

Lap 49
Massa has lost positions to Button first then to Perez. He continues to drop. Massa pits and lap 50 is show in P10. Saubers are in P7 and 8!

Lap 50
The order now is
Vettel
Hamilton
Petrov
Alonso
Webber
Button
Perez
Kobayashi
Buemi
Massa

Hamilton is told by the pits to 'look after the car' his McLaren is damaged and will hopefully limp home in P2.

Petrov is 4.6 seconds ahead of Alonso. What a show for the Russian. Alonso starts the season where he left off with the last. He is adrift of a competitor wondering if he has time to catch him let alone make a pass.

Lap 53
Vettel is now 13.3 seconds ahead of Hamilton and his wounded McLaren.

Petrov motors on in P3 with his lead over Alonso in P4 down to 2,7 seconds. This could be interesting after all.

Lap 54
Massa makes a pass using DRS overtaking Buemi for P9.

Lap 56
Alonso may be stammied by Petrov once again. The Russian is holding on to P3 despite the Spaniards challenge.

VETTEL WINS the Australian GP in dominating fashion.

Hamilton comes home in P2. It was not the epic fight I anticipated but that will come in another part of the season.

Vitaly Petrov, almost replaced last season due to lack of performance, comes home in P3 to round out the podium positions.

The rest of the field in order
Alonso - Ferrai
Webber ÔÇô Red Bull
Button - McLaren
Perez - Sauber
Kobayashi - Sauber
Massa - Ferrari
Buemi ÔÇô Toro Rosso round out the points positions.
They are followed by:
Sutil ÔÇô Force India
Di Resta ÔÇô Force India
Aqueruari ÔÇô Toro Rosso
Heidfeld ÔÇô Lotus Renault
Truli - Lotus
d' Ambrosio ÔÇô Virgin

Show as retired
Glock ÔÇô Virgin
Barrichello ÔÇô Williams
Rosberg ÔÇô Mercedes
Kovalainen ÔÇô Lotus
Schumacher ÔÇô Mercedes
Maldonado ÔÇô Williams

Vettel will clearly be up to defending his title. Hamilton's strained and damaged McLaren was not much of a challenge in this race but he is the person and car team that will have him wondering in the weeks to come.

What impact will a podium have on Petrov? Time will tell if this marks the beginning of his ascent into the leadership of his team or if Austria is just a one hit wonder in F1.

The Sauber team and drivers seem to have forgotten their Ferrari 'B' team status and have inserted themselves into the fight with the big boys. Great!

A good start to the F1 season. Hopefully I will get live timing sorted out for next race.

Off for some shut eye then race one at Donington.

Donington Park - Race 1

Haslam toped the leader board for the first six laps then gave way to Smrz and his Ducati. Race 1 winner Melandri on a Yamaha was in P9 after lap one and clawed his way through the field taking P2 from Haslam on lap 17 of the 23 lap race. Haslam was unable to retake and with two corners left in the race feel victim to Checa and his Ducati.

Corser started the race in P7 and was not able to pull off a race start launch to the front. Instead he held his position until lap five when he was passed by Melandri and then Biaggi falling to P9. Two laps latter Checa was on the move and took position from Corser. As that group duelled ahead he remained in contact and retook and held P9 on lap 18 to the end of the race.

Badovini began the race in P14 and fell to P16 within 2 laps. He was able to regain positions and finished the race in P13 behind former BMW rider Xaus now on a Castrol Honda.

Race 1

1 9 33 M. MELANDRI ITA Yamaha World Superbike Team Yamaha YZF R1

2 4 96 J. SMRZ CZE Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R

3 1 7 C. CHECA ESP Althea Racing Ducati 1098R

4 2 91 L. HASLAM GBR BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR

5 8 4 J. REA GBR Castrol Honda Honda CBR1000RR

6 5 41 N. HAGA JPN PATA Racing Team Aprilia Aprilia RSV4 Factory

7 6 1 M. BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory

8 7 2 L. CAMIER GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4

9 10 11 T. CORSER AUS BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR

10 12 17 J. LASCORZ ESP Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R

11 14 50 S. GUINTOLI FRA Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R

12 16 111 R. XAUS ESP Castrol Honda Honda CBR1000RR

13 17 86 A. BADOVINI ITA BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team BMW S1000 RR

14 18 44 R. ROLFO ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R

15 19 8 M. AITCHISON AUS Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R

Not Classified

RET 3 66 T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike Kawasaki ZX-10R 17 6 Laps


RET 11 84 M. FABRIZIO ITA Team Suzuki Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 14 9 Laps

RET 15 121 M. BERGER FRA Supersonic Racing Team Ducati 1098R 5 18 Laps

RET 13 58 E. LAVERTY IRL Yamaha World Superbike Team Yamaha YZF R1 3 20 Laps


I have been called away and will miss race two. I will post a summary and press releases this evening.

Donington Park - Race 2

Haslam finishes in P4 again while Checa wins Race 2 at Donington Park. Badovini comes home in P9 to break into the top ten for the first time in his SBK career. Corser comes home a disappointing P13. Defending WorldSBK Champion Biaggi was disqualified.

Two P4s for the weekend puts Haslam in third for the 2011 Rider Standings with 53 points. Carlos Checa is in P1 with 91 points followed by Marco Melandri with 72. Max Biaggi 42 points trails Haslam by 7 points.

BMW with 53 points holds P4 in the 2011 Manufacturers standings. Ducati is in P1 with 95, Yamaha in P2 with 74 and Aprilia in P3 with 66 points. Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki trail BMW in that order.

BMWÔÇÖs P4 is solely the result of HaslamÔÇÖs efforts. If BMW holds any hope of moving up the standings let alone making my winning the Manufacturer crown happen the rest of the Enigma Cavalry must contribute more.

1 1 7 C. CHECA ESP Althea Racing Ducati 1098R 23 1'28.988

2 9 33 M. MELANDRI ITA Yamaha World Superbike Team Yamaha YZF R1 23 3.

3 7 2 L. CAMIER GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 23 5.902

4 2 91 L. HASLAM GBR BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 23 13.842

5 12 17 J. LASCORZ ESP Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX-10R 23 14.253

6 8 4 J. REA GBR Castrol Honda Honda CBR1000RR 23 19.413

7 11 84 M. FABRIZIO ITA Team Suzuki Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 23 20.278

8 4 96 J. SMRZ CZE Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R 23 21.160

9 17 86 A. BADOVINI ITA BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team BMW S1000 RR 23 24.298

10 16 111 R. XAUS ESP Castrol Honda Honda CBR1000RR 23 24.907

11 14 50 S. GUINTOLI FRA Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati 1098R 23 32.440

12 3 66 T. SYKES GBR Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike Kawasaki ZX-10R 23 32.679

13 10 11 T. CORSER AUS BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 23 34.070

14 13 58 E. LAVERTY IRL Yamaha World Superbike Team Yamaha YZF R1 23 36.418

15 18 44 R. ROLFO ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 23 44.037

16 19 8 M. AITCHISON AUS Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 23 52.412

17 5 41 N. HAGA JPN PATA Racing Team Aprilia Aprilia RSV4 Factory 23 56.634

Not Classified
RET 15 121 M. BERGER FRA Supersonic Racing Team Ducati 1098R 1 22

Disqualified
DIS 6 1 M. BIAGGI ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team Aprilia RSV4 Factory 9 14 Laps
Biaggi false starts and failed to comply in time to a mandatory ride through penalty resulting in his disqualification.


BMW Motorrad Motorsport - WSBK - Donington - Races
ÔÇó 27.03.2011
ÔÇó Press Release
Weather conditions: Cloudy, but dry.
Temperature: Air: 7 ÔÇô 10 ??C, Track: 6 ÔÇô 16 ??C
Number of riders participating: 19 from 12 teams
Fastest lap Race 1: Noriyuki Haga (PATA Racing Team Aprilia) 1:29.137 min
Fastest lap Race 2: Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1:28.988 min

Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport had an exciting Sunday at the second round of the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship in Donington (GBR). In the ridersÔÇÖ championship British works rider, Leon Haslam, improved to third (53 points) after notching up two fourth positions. Troy Corser (AUS) moved up to 13th (16 points). In the manufacturersÔÇÖ standings BMW is fourth (53 points).

In race 1 Leon missed the podium by only 0.3 seconds. Starting second, he took the lead straight away and kept it until lap six. Later on he had some issues, but was still third starting the final lap. Just a few corners before the finish Leon dropped back to fourth. Troy made up some positions at the start, but struggled with low grip and finally finished ninth. At the start of race 2 Leon again stormed into the lead, and in the opening laps he had a thrilling fight at the front. But on lap eight he had a highsider and fell back. Right to the chequered flag Leon was fighting his way back through the field and made it to fourth. Troy finished another difficult race 13th.

Leon Haslam:
Result Race 1: 4th, Gap to 1st: 00:06.176 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:29.584 min
Result Race 2: 4th, Gap to 1st: 00:13.842 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:29.365 min
ÔÇ£It has again been a hard fought weekend for us, but we have definitely made clear improvements from Australia. In race 1 we had some issues, which were similar to those I experienced in Phillip Island, so we made some changes for the second race and it was a real improvement, especially in the second half. I made a mistake in the early laps of race 2, which dropped me back a number of places, but I was happy I was able to fight back and finish strong. We will now work hard to be ready for Assen.ÔÇØ

Troy Corser:
Result Race 1: 9th, Gap to 1st: 00:14.877 min / Fastest Lap Race 1: 1:29.695 min
Result Race 2: 13th, Gap to 1st: 00:34.070 min / Fastest Lap Race 2: 1:30.278 min
ÔÇ£We have improved the bike in some areas since Phillip Island, which is good, but we are still encountering some issues that we need to address. We are struggling with too much spin from the rear tyre, and itÔÇÖs making it hard to set consistent times. The bike felt more settled and easier to ride with the changes we have made, but we are still having issues. We have a test coming up so hopefully we can make some good progress there and be ready for Assen.ÔÇØ

Bernhard Gobmeier (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director):
ÔÇ£It was very exciting. We were able to do good lap times in practice, qualifying, Superpole and the warm-up. In the races Leon had issues trying to push to the limit. He was not able to keep the line he wanted to, but he was able to fight his way back after his highsider. We are happy he has improved to third in the ridersÔÇÖ classification and know the areas where we have to improve. Troy suffered all weekend from a lack of grip, which was partly due to the cool temperatures. With these conditions we were not able to get the best out of his tyres. Now we are looking forward to Assen. We will use the experiences we gained in Donington to make another step forward.ÔÇØ

BMW MOTORRAD ITALIA SUPERBIKE TEAM - WSBK - RACE
ÔÇó 27.03.2011
ÔÇó Press Release

The BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike team have scored ten points overall from the second round of the Superbike World Championship 2011. Ayrton Badovini, took to the track as the only rider for the team because of the injury sustained by James Toseland. Ayrton scored points in both races, showing a great improvement in the S 1000RR since the Australian race.

In Race 1, finishing in thirteenth position, Ayrton gained three World Championship points, while in race 2 he was able to get to ninth - ahead of some "works" bikes - after making great progress from seventeenth place on the grid.

Ayrton Badovini said: "I am very pleased with the progress the team has made, although we know that we still have a lot of work to do, especially with regard to the lap times and start. In race 1 we had a number of problems but in race 2, thanks to the changes made, I kept a very fast race pace, even managing to get under 1'30" a few laps from the end. I thank the team for its support and continued belief in me. I hope James returns soon because itÔÇÖs hard work and I need his input. "

Serafino Foti, sporting director of BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike team, said: "We have made a significant step forward compared to Australia. In this race, unfortunately, we were penalised by our start position. Between race 1 and race 2 we changed the type of tyre and made changes that proved to be the right ones, as Ayrton achieved his best time in the last few laps. I want to thank the team because it did, as always, a great job and we are working in the right direction. Well done Ayrton too because the race 2 improvements highlighted his talent."

Race 1 (temperature 7 ?? - 6 ?? asphalt): 1, Melandri (Yamaha) 34'33"189 - 2nd Smrz (Ducati) 2" 455 - 3rd Checa (Ducati) 5"839 ... 13 ?? Badovini (BMW) 31" 869.

Race 2 (temperature 10 ?? - 16 ?? asphalt): 1, Checa (Ducati) 34'21"537 - 2nd Melandri (Yamaha) 3"397 - 3rd Camier (Aprilia) 5"902 ... 9 ?? Badovini (BMW) 24"298.

Championship Standings: 1, Checa (Ducati), points 91 - 2nd Melandri (Yamaha) points 72 - 3rd Haslam (BMW) points 53... 15 ?? Badovini (BMW) points 15.

SBK Race 1 Donington Park
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SBK Race 2 Donington Park
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A rare sight in motobike racing. It's never good to get passed by your own wheel, especially when you're on a bike.
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aprilia.com: DIFFICULT WEEKEND FOR APRILIA ALITALIA RACING TEAM AT DONINGTON PARK. EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE BY LEON CAMIER, ON THE PODIUM IN RACE 2, CONTRASTED BY TWO UPHILL RACES FOR REIGNING CHAMPION MAX BIAGGI

Hondaproracing: Race 1 ÔÇô Top six for Rea

Suzuki-racing.com: Fabrizio fights back for 7th

BMW Race Candy

Monday, 28 March

Members with Birthdays Today and from Sunday

SBK

ducati.com: Checa (Althea Racing) consolidates his championship lead with a stunning race win

fim-live.com: Melandri and Checa share the biggest spoils at Donington

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Biaggi and Melandri bringing a bit of NASCAR to WorldSBK?
video into: Max Biaggi spent most of Saturday getting in other riders' way; he knocked Michel Fabrizio off his Suzuki during practice, then stuck himself in front of Nori Haga and Marco Melandri on their flying laps in Superpole.

Melandri clearly felt most strongly about it, opting to get in Biaggi's face during the rest of Superpole and then confront him about it afterwards. This is the rather effeminate contretemps they had, and then Melandri's opinion on the incident.

Also included: Eurosport's studio guests and their amusing analysis of the whole thing.

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Formula 1

jamesallenonf1: Red Bull using start only KERS?

bbc.co.uk: I’m back in title fight – Lewis hamilton

formula1.com: Saubers disqualified over technical infringement

autosport.com: Suaber seeks answers on wing design

reuters.com: Team by team analysis of the Australian GP

Caution audio may be LOUD on these videos
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On the Street

motorcylistonline.com: Pair of Norton racers added to may motocycle sale

dealernews.com: Kawasaki plans no long term production stoppages

webbikeworld.com: Cargol Turn & Go Review

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Woot of the Day

Bike Candy

Maybe I'm a youngin' and this is just hitting me for the first time, but...

anyone else ever see a bike in the bike candy section that is an amazing restore/mod/upgrade to a bike you used to own, and curse yourself for ever selling it?

I owned about 10 different dirt bikes in my life, and while I miss the fun of riding them, I don't miss a particular bike. My first road bike was a POS asian cruiser knockoff I don,t give a second thought to.

But my first BMW, my first BMW was a pristine, clean K75 with under 5k miles when I got it... I wish I still had it, and would gladly pay double what I sold it for right now (sadly at the time, I only had room in the stable for one bike and the new one took the spot). Pics of those bikes in the bike candy spot made me think of my old bike... I do miss it.

Anyways, as always Mika, nice job on the daily posts.... beautiful bikes and great information.

Chris

p.s. -- edges of the last pic above have been edited or cropped somehow... look at the headlight and the seat... looks like they removed the real details to make photoshopped bars/headlight, and seat/number

Tuesday, 29 March

Members with Birthdays Today

SBK

worldsbk.com: Melandri joins SBK winners elite


MotoGP

fim-lice.com: Next stop Jerez fo MotoGP class

suzuki-racing.com: Hopkins set for Suzuki MotoGP return

bbc.co.uk: John Hopkins set for difficult MotoGP comeback in Jerez

video from MotoGP: Europe welcomes the MotoGP battle


Formula 1

formula1.com: Australia analysis – Attack best form of defense

HRT remains upbeat
hispaniaf1team.com: We created a miracle again but it wasn’t enough. We’ll be back in Malaysia stronger than ever!

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Other Racing

roadracingworld.com: WERA hold events in West Virginia and Las Vegas this coming weekend

On the Street

dealernews.com: Florida man develops handicap-accessible kits for motorcycles

thevintagent.com: Adventures in Guzziland

The Mothership

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The largest Rolls-Royce showroom in the world has opened in the Umm Al Nar area of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The new state-of-the-art facility was unveiled by Torsten M??ller-?ûtv?Âs, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars…[/url= https://www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/pressclub/p/rr/pressDetail.html?outputChannelId=4&id=T0102056EN&left_menu_item=node__5450&status=published]more[/url]

The BMW 3 Series established the compact sports sedan segment and laid the foundation stone for the world’s most successful premium model series…more



FWIW

Stories are popping up in the European motorcycle press and all over the internet about BMW and MotoGP. The following one from the English publisher Visordown is one of the more detailed pieces I have recently seen.

visordown.com: BMW eyeing up MotoGP entry

We all need to keep in mind that rumors of BMW going racing in MotoGP have been with us for some years and this nugget demonstrates.



The current round of rumors sight meetings between Dona and BMW's General Director, Hendrik von Kuenheim held behind closed doors. This is all very cloak and dagger kind of stuff that makes for good rumors. Yet, these meeting may also be explained away as very understandable for thee reasons that have nothing to do with Roundel MotoGP entries. First there is BMW’s association with MotoGP as both the supplier of safety cars and other vehicles and as a series sponsor all in an effort to pump up sales of cars. As to meetings with Herr von Huenheim his new role as head of the ACEM would provide ample reason to meet with MotoGP as an industry representative. Finally BMW has always participated in FIM homologation rules development with both BMW engineers and managers participating. The rules for MotoGP and WorldSBK are up in the air and thus it would make sense for this discussion to take place even if there is no intent to go racing in MotoGP.

I hope they do. I can lay out a nice case for marketing and the bean counters that BMW should stay in WorldSBK. That further generations of the S 1000 RR should be developed. That BMW Italia should take over the WorldSBK campaign. Finally that BMW Motorrad Motorsport should go racing in MotoGP. If Munich will listen I would happily tell them my thoughts in detail.

The ‘M’ in BMW stands for Motor. With F1 headed to tubo-four cylinder engines in the near future MotoGP is the place to demonstrate high revving engine technical prowess. BWM has a strong history of supplying some very strong engines to F1 builders. The S 1000 engine is no slouch as a racing power plant. I am all for taking all the F1 skills and combining them with the current SBK lessons and going MotoGP racing.

The BMW F1 experience leaves me with some questions; however. As an engine supplier they provided power plants that were every bit match to those from Ferrari. The trouble was now the power or the straight line performance of their engines but the fact the bloody cars did not turn like Ferraris. (The fact that some guy named Schumacher was driving the red steeds may have had something to do with that but that is another column). BMW’s frustration with not reaching the top podium step as an engine supplier led to the purchase of Sauber and building chassis as well as engines.

After dropping many more euros each year in the Hinwil based BMW-Sauber F1 effort than a decade of racing in MotoGP will cost BMW learned two things. First they can build as powerful and dependable engine as anyone else in racing. Second, building those skinny cigar shaped chassis with wings is not as easy as one might think.

I do think if BMW is going to be involved in racing that it makes sense for them to be involved in MotoGP. I don’t understand why they aren’t in it now. Perhaps their reading of BMW’s F1 history and the current WorldSBK effort leads them to the same conclusion that I come to.

At the MotoGP level of prototype motorcycle racing they have the capability to build a more powerful and dependable engine than just about anyone. It’s not the engine that worries it’s the fact those little MotoGP chassis are much harder to design, build and make turn than you might think. Just look at the problems the red MotoGP Italian team is having with their current bike. They have been building racing bikes in the modern era a lot longer than BMW and I hear their pilot name Val or something like that is pretty good when he is healthy.

Another thing I learned following F1 was that Peter Sauber made a good deal of money and had a lot of fun building chassis for BMW. I think I’ll head down to the Official Fly-Over-Land pit stop and see if the gang is up for some chassis building.

Reference: :

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MSF Tip of the Day: Make yourself more visible at night by wearing reflective clothing

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Weddnesday, 30 March

Members with Birthdays Today

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SBK

visordown.com: Max Biaggi losses the plot - - - and very nearly his teeth

visordown.com: Biaggi and Melandri receive warnings

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thisisnottingham.co.uk: Haslam cuts frustrated figure

worldsbk.com: Berger ÔÇÿincredulousÔÇÖ about rear wheel incident

MotoGP

bridgestonemotorsport.com: Bridgestone MotoGP Spanish GP preview

fim-live: MotoGP returns to Europe for Spanish GP

bbc.co.uk: Pedrosa to race a Jerez despite nerve problem

motomatters.com: 2011 MotoGP Jerez Press releases
It is so nice when someone else does the aggregating now and then.

Formula 1

formula1.com: Sauber will not appeal Melbourne disqualification

f1technical.net: How Red Bull passes the front wing flexing test


Other Racing

ducatinewstoday.com: Bayliss to Rossi ÔÇô ÔÇ£Doubt it MateÔÇØ

fim-live.com: Reed takes ove Supercross points standings

reuters.com: Raikkonen planning NASCAR debut this year

On the Street

dnaindia.com: BMW plans to drive in sub 1000cc bikes by 2012

webbikeworld.com: Cardo Scala Rider G4 software upgrade version 3.0 report

utlimatemotorcycling.com: Aerostich Transit motocycle suit ÔÇô review

thekneeslider.com: Swivel storage solution tool boxes, a new spin on the old tool box

utlitmatemotorcycling.com: Metzler Interact tires first impression

technologyreview.com: Robots to the rescue in Japan

motocycledaily.com: James Stewart arrested in Florida

The Mothership

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FWIW

From the Mustard Museum Newsletter:

Champion cheese carver Troy Landwehr recently transformed a 1200 pound block of cheddar cheese into the Statue of Liberty. The entire process is captured with time-lapse. Music: The Sweet Nothings
00:02:28

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MSF Question of the Day: When passing parked cars, you should do which of the following?

MSF Tip of the Day: Choose a DOT-compliant helmet. Learn more about helmet selection here, P. 5

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From BIKEEXIF.



Swiss BMW dealers are reaching out to new customer markets.

Thursday, 31 March

Members with Birthdays Today

SBK

worldsbk: Perelli notes from Donigton Park

MotoGP

motomatters.com: Jerez Preview ÔÇô Party at the end of the world

hondaproracing.com: The Repsol Honda team arrives in Jerez


Formula 1

formula1.com: Formula One helmets become even safer

f1technical.net: Keeping the MP3-26 brakes cool




Other Racing

dealernews.com: Electric superbike to take on Pikes Peak

Dirk M??ller and his BMW Team RLL team-mates got their American Le Mans Series campaign off to a start with a win. In an interview, the German talks about his 2011 program.more

On the Street

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The Mothership

BMW Group Classic at the Techno Classica 2011.
ÔÇó 30.03.2011
ÔÇó Informa?º?úo ?á Imprensa
Informa?º?úo do editor: Photos coming soon

Munich/Essen. BMW Group Classic is presenting keynote highlights for the year 2011 from the product and company history of the three group brands at the Techno Classica in Essen. We are particularly pleased that after a gap of five years the ultimate heritage brand  Rolls Royce  will once again be represented with us at the stand, enthuses Karl Baumer, Director of BMW Group Classic at the worlds biggest classic car fair. But tradition is not the only aspect on show in Essen. In fact, the Techno Classica itself has become a tradition as far as we are concerned, was how Baumer summarised exhibitions at the show over the past years. As always, we are in Hall 12, as always with an overview of our activities during the course of the year, and as always in close coordination with the BMW Clubs. more



Reference: :

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MSF Question of the Day: Riders are most likely to have a problem with another vehicle in which of the following situations?

MSF Tip of the Day: If you ride at night, you might add an auxiliary driving light wired into the high-beam circuit. Check local equipment laws.


Gasbuddy.com: Search for local gas prices along your trip route.

Cycle-ergo.com motorcycle ergonomic simulator.

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