racing

A 17-year-old is taking the motorcycle racing world by storm

General Posts / By

by James Warren from https://www.theolivepress.es SPAIN has often been called the mecca for motorcycle racing, with world champions being cultivated from the moment they can sit on a bike. Household names like Marc Marquez, Aleix Espargaro and current champ Joan Mir all started riding and racing while they were at school, making use of Spain’s love of two wheels to develop their talents unhindered. As these riders fight to earn their latest victories in 2021, they all have one eye on one name that is causing waves in the Moto3 World Championship. And that name is Pedro Acosta, a young 17-year-old from Mazarron, Murcia. So far in 2021, the young man has taken three victories and one podium in the first four races, shattering records for the 250cc class and leaving experts to hail him as a ‘future legend’. But how has this teenager become one of the most exciting prospects since Marc Marquez arrived on the scene back in 2008. The answer can be found at the Circuito de Cartagena, a race track six kilometres northwest of the popular resort. The circuit is popular with trackday riders, people who own motorcycles who rent sessions on the track to hone their skills. Acosta’s father, also Pedro, was one such rider, with a love for American legend Kevin Schwanz, and eager for his son to inherit his love for two wheels. “Dad had a Suzuki like Schwantz’s and I grew up looking at the photos and videos of him.” said Acosta in an interview with Spanish publication Marca. Acosta’s father, keen to see his son carry on the mantle, give him a €150 Chinese Motina bike at the age of five, and brought him to track days at the Cartagena circuit to watch his father ride. “At first he was not […]

A 17-year-old is taking the motorcycle racing world by storm Read More »

May Motorcycle Bikernet Weekly News for May 6, 2021

General Posts / By

Hey, What’s the deal today? It’s motorcycle month. The sun is shining in Deadwood. The news is packed, and I’m waiting to close on our Sturgis property so I can unpack. The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Click Here to read the Weekly News on Bikernet. Join the Cantina for exclusive content – Subscribe Now. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

May Motorcycle Bikernet Weekly News for May 6, 2021 Read More »

Epic Indian vs Harley-Davidson Bagger First Race of 2021

General Posts / By

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com SEE VIDEO BELOW – It’s been an exciting weekend for motorcycle enthusiasts as the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta hosted a number of MotoAmerica events. For us, by far the most spectacular was the first race of what is now the King of the Baggers series. Born last year as a single run at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, King of the Baggers morphed for 2021 into a small series of three races, and attracted significantly more involvement from both Indian and Harley-Davidson. The former went on the starting grid with no fewer than three factory-backed teams, while the latter enlisted its own factory team and backed four other Harley-Davidson riders. Back in 2020, we had 11 Harleys going up against just two Indians. The outnumbered bike maker managed to end the race in first and third podium positions, with riders Tyler O’Hara and Frankie Garcia, respectively. Sandwiched between them was Harley rider Hayden Gillim. This year, O’Hara and Garcia repeated their performance from 2020, and ended the race in the exact same positions. This time, however, Gillim completed the race fourth, and his spot between the two Indian riders was taken by Harley’s own Kyle Wyman. The rest of the Harley pack, save for one that didn’t finish the race, came in after them. Unlike last year however, Harley riders did seem to put on more of a fight. For most of the race, the lead switched from O’Hara to Wyman repeatedly in epic fights, but in the end the Indian rider managed to cross the finish line first, just under a second ahead of the runner-up. You can watch the video attached below for highlights from the race. There are two more events left in this inaugural season of King of the Baggers, with

Epic Indian vs Harley-Davidson Bagger First Race of 2021 Read More »

Lowes fights back to third at the Spanish Grand Prix

General Posts / By

After a tough start, Sam Lowes saved his best for last to claim his third podium finish from the opening four races of 2021, while Augusto Fernandez suffered an unfortunate early crash from third. The Moto2 field had to navigate 23 laps of the Circuit of Jerez Angel Nieto in ambient temperatures of 21 degrees for the fourth round of 2021. There were mixed fortunes for the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team riders in an outing that broke the previous Moto2 race record. Sam Lowes scored 16 important points for his world championship challenge, while Augusto Fernandez failed to finish. Augusto Fernandez – DNF The 23-year old enjoyed a brilliant start from seventh on the grid, and climbed four places in the first half a lap to sit a very strong third. But Augusto’s race came to a frustrating end when he tucked the front at turn six on the third lap, a result that brings his first non-score of the 2021 season. It means the rider from the Balearic Islands slips to ninth in the championship with 23 points. “The positive thing is we have the speed again” “A big shame! I made a great start. I was there and in the lead group. My pace was podium pace and I felt good. I did a 1’41.7s with a full tank on the second lap. I was third and thought it was time to relax so I could be strong at the end of the race. But I made a little mistake, coming into turn six hot with the brakes. With the full tank, the front closed immediately. I couldn’t do anything. The positive thing is we have the speed again. Also, we are constant in every practice at different tracks – the second weekend in Qatar, Portimao and

Lowes fights back to third at the Spanish Grand Prix Read More »

Creating a 1916 Harley-Davidson from only an original engine

General Posts / By

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Recreating a historic Harley-Davidson racing model without the original parts except the original engine. Believe it or not, it’s been 118 years since the foundations of the company we now know as Harley-Davidson were laid. Somehow, the company managed to get through two hot world wars, a cold, long one, and more near-death experiences that we care count. Such a long history means there are more models in the company’s past than in its present (and some, might argue, more than in the future). Some are so old it’s literally impossible to come across one, and people have to turn to all sorts of gimmicks to get their hands on a historic model. Like the guys behind this build did. Trying to bring back one of Harley’s historic racing models, a Swedish museum by the name of MC Collection got their hands on an original motorcycle engine from 1916 and built a bike around it, trying to capture the essence of what was once the Model 11K racer. The engine belonged to a Model F, and was slapped inside a full loop frame constructed (together with the forks) by former German road racing cyclist Christian Henn. The frame presents itself just like it did on the original Harley of more than a century ago, in the so-called keystone configuration, with stressed members and steel engine plates. This way of building racers gave them better handling but, perhaps equally as important, allowed for the cylinder to be removed with the powerplant still fitted on the bike, allowing for quick intervention during races, if they were required. This 1916 Harley was put together in Sweden more than a decade ago, and in the meantime it made it to the U.S. It was listed as for sale during

Creating a 1916 Harley-Davidson from only an original engine Read More »

American racing champion Dick Mann passes away

General Posts / By

from https://www.roadracingworld.com Racing Legend Dick Mann passes away – from a press release issued By American Motorcyclist Association AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and Racing Legend Dick Mann Passes Mann, a two-time AMA Grand National Champion, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998 PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Dick “Bugsy” Mann, one of the most versatile racers to ever throw a leg over a motorcycle, passed away on April 26 at the age of 86. Mr. Mann, born June 13, 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah, was a two-time AMA Grand National Champion (1963 and 1971), and became best known for being the first person to achieve a motorcycle racing Grand Slam, which involved winning across all five types of circuits included in the Grand National Championship: road racing, TT, short track, half-mile and mile. When he retired from racing in 1974, Mann had 24 national victories, which — at the time — placed him second in all-time wins within the AMA Grand National Series. While Mann got his racing start in scrambles, he soon got hooked on turning left on dirt ovals, and after some time learning his trade, headed to the professional racing circuit in 1954, turning expert in 1955. He achieved his first national win at the Peoria TT in 1959, quickly establishing himself as an elite racer in the series. Mann also helped pioneer the sport of motocross in the U.S., competing in several of the early AMA professional motocross races in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Perhaps Mann’s most fulfilling national win was his victory in the 1970 Daytona 200 aboard the then-new Honda CB750. He’d been racing the Daytona 200 for 15 years and finished second three times, and in 1970 finally got to the top step of the podium, holding off rising

American racing champion Dick Mann passes away Read More »

Rare unused CZ Motorcycle at Mecum auction

General Posts / By

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com This CZ Motorcycle Arrived in New York Decades Ago, Was Left Untouched Say you read these two words: Ceska zbrojovka. For an English speaker, they are tongue-twisting, and they probably don’t mean that much either. Except, perhaps, if you’re into firearms. Or motocross machines. That’s because the Czech company by that name makes products for both these worlds. As far as motorcycles go, people know the company best as CZ. Present mostly on the European market, the moniker reached American shores in the 1970s, forever changing how motocross racing was done. For instance, a racer by the name John DeSoto won the 1970 Elsinore GP on a CZ bike. That is just one of CZ’s achievements; the nameplate holds six Motocross Grand Prix World Championship titles (consecutive ones, won between 1964 and 1969), but is also responsible for impressive wins in enduro. Presently, finding a new CZ motorcycle is almost impossible, as they don’t make them anymore. One has to look long and hard just to come across such a two-wheeler with a few miles on it. But what if we told you the one you see before your eyes, although almost half a century old, is literally brand new? Over the years, we’ve come across machines that could have easily been described as virtually new, but this one is literally so. As in, the thing has never ever been ridden, and it still comes in the original factory crate it was shipped to the U.S. in. It is the complete package, with all the packing plastic and oiled paper, and even an original spare parts list. We stumbled upon this incredible piece of motoring history on the lot of motorcycles that are going under the hammer this week in Las Vegas. Sadly, we don’t

Rare unused CZ Motorcycle at Mecum auction Read More »

MotoGP Inspired Honda RC213V-S Limited Edition

General Posts / By

by Dragos Chitulescu from https://www.autoevolution.com MotoGP Inspired Honda RC213V-S Costs as Much as a Ferrari, Comes With Zero Miles. When Honda first announced the RC213V-S a few years ago, quite a few people were hoping that they would at least get a chance to see this bike with their own eyes. After Honda took Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez to the RedBull Ring to test it, pointing out that this is the closest you could ever get to a MotoGP motorcycle, levels of excitement continued soaring. Not long ago, we showed you a very spectacular Ducati 1299 Superleggera, which was already a very fast and very expensive motorcycle, and it looks like it still hasn’t been sold. But the fact that this RC213V-S just popped up is even more impressive. Because it’s nearly three times more expensive than the aforementioned Ducati, and it’s also much rarer. Honda initially planned to release just 250 units of this bike, but rumors have pointed out that a smaller number has made it to production stages. It is a hand-built motorcycle in a dedicated factory in Japan, and the bike that is for sale here is unit number 007, which gives it an extra degree of coolness. Looking over the specs, this particular unit is almost like the MotoGP bike but without the pneumatic valves and the seamless transmission. Those were changed to provide increased reliability for people using them on public roads. There are also other elements to make it road-legal such as the headlights, taillights, side mirrors, a horn, and a license plate holder. While the “normal” (if you can call it that) version came with just 157 horsepower, this bike also has the optional HRC Sport kit, which should provide you with about 212 horsepower. The parts included in the kit

MotoGP Inspired Honda RC213V-S Limited Edition Read More »

The Move-Out Bikernet Weekly News for April 29th, 2021

General Posts / By

It’s Sorta Nuts, But Happening! It’s great to see events popping up all over the country. We have news from the Climate Depot, El Diablo Run, Builtwell, Lowbrow, Harley, Laconia, Mo’s Egg House, News Max, Readers, Monks, Lifestyle Cycles, Covid, Royal Enfield, the Bagger Racing Empire, Vance and Hines, GMA, and the Gun Nut Report. Freedom wins again! Next week we will cover the Fandango, Texas event and then I’m hoping to bring you a very cool feature, the final Crocker. Hang on and keep riding free, forever! –Bandit The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Click Here to Read the Weekly News on Bikernet. Join the Cantina for exclusive content – Subscribe Today. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

The Move-Out Bikernet Weekly News for April 29th, 2021 Read More »

The weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix

General Posts / By

Lowes and Fernandez chasing big gains in Spain The Elf Marc VDS Racing Team remains on the Iberian Peninsula to make the short trip across the border from Portimao to Jerez for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. The famous Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto hosted the Spanish and Andalusian rounds as part of a double-header that kicked off a heavily revamped European schedule last July. Sam Lowes and Augusto Fernandez enjoyed a successful pre-season test in Jerez just a few weeks ago and both are confident they can play a prominent role in the 23-lap battle, which is scheduled to commence at 1220pm local time on Sunday. Successive top six finishes, including a gritty ride to an outstanding fifth last time out in Portimao, have given Fernandez a huge injection of confidence heading into his home Grand Prix. Fernandez finished 13th in both Jerez battles last season but the 4.4km track has special memories for the 23-year-old after he started on the front row and finished on the podium for the first time in his World Championship career in 2019. “We are getting closer to where we need to be” “I’m really excited to start the weekend in Jerez after the strong race in Portimao. I finished really close to the podium and I was in the front group for the whole race and that’s where I want to stay now. It seems like we are getting closer and closer to where we need to be, so hopefully we can continue to improve and fight for a top position again.” Lowes is determined to reassert his authority on the 2021 title chase after a first corner crash meant the Briton left round three in Portugal empty-handed. The Jerez track is the perfect place for Lowes to rediscover his winning touch after

The weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix Read More »

Scroll to Top