Wednesday, February 1, 2012

New BMW M5. Expert dialogue with Maximilian Ahme

When did work begin on the development of the BMW M5 and how many kilometres were covered during testing? Two to three years must be allowed for testing the development of a BMW M. In some cases predecessor vehicles are … Continue reading

Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2012/01/27/new-bmw-m5-expert-dialog-with-maximilian-ahm/

Gilberto Parlotti Ginger Molloy Gino Borsoi Giuseppe Colnago Giuseppe Visenzi

Niccol� Canepa and Red Devils Roma WSBK team complete final test at Vallelunga

Newbie World Superbike team Red Devils Roma has continued their preparation for the 2012 with another two day test session at Vallelunga last weekend. Niccol� Canepa seemed particularly pleased with[...]


Source: http://feeds.blogo.it/~r/twowheelsblog/com/~3/tnS4lcLgD4M/story01.htm

Jack Ahearn Jack Brett Adrien Morillas Akira Yanagawa Akiyasu Motohashi

EMCO and Noel Dowler set to return in 2012

Following a successful rookie season in 2011 Sherwood Park, Alberta?s Noel Dowler, driver of the #5 EMCO Dodge and EMCO Corporation have reached a multiyear partnership agreement that will see Dowler competing in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in 2012 and beyond.� Following a successful rookie season in 2011 Dowler looks forward to taking the [...]

Source: http://www.flagworld.com/news/?p=68988

Alex Criville Alex de Angelis Alex Debon Alex George Alex Hofmann

First Look: 2012 BMW S1000RR Superbike

When BMW first introduced the S1000RR superbike in 2009, it quickly became one of the best selling superbikes on the market; and it was no slouch on the racetrack either, proving itself right out of the box in the Canadian Superbike championship, and taking the 2011 Championship title.

So how does a company take a top selling, near perfect sportbike and make it even better? We caught up with Markus Poshner, Head of Model Lines 2, BMW Motorrad at the EICMA trade show in Milan. Poshner oversees the development of all of the "S" and "K" series BMW motorcycles, and admits that the S1000RR is "his baby".

For 2012, BMW brought about some refinements to the S1000RR; small changes that would bring about a significantly improved and easier to handle ride. For starters, BMW addressed some concerns about a hyper-sensitive throttle in "race" and "slick" power modes. New maps were introduced for the different power modes, and a new throttle tube was installed with a shorter pull for better handling. The throttle also gets heated grips, the first superbike ever to do so, and something Canadian consumers may well appreciate!

A new exhaust pipe was also installed, giving the S1000RR more mid-range power and a more linear power curve, ultimately making the BMW's powerful superbike easier to handle.

The chassis was also modified with changes to the swingarm and pivot point, as well as the geometry of the front forks. The front end of the motorcycle was raised 5mm, while the shock length was decreased by 4mm. The engine and mainframe are turned slightly backwards and the wheelbase was shortened by 9mm as the rear sprocket was replaced with one-tooth smaller sprocket. The 2012 model also gets a 10-way adjustable steering damper for better control and smoother operation.

According to Poshner, the electronics package on the S1000RR has totally changed. The Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) system was updated significantly and the traction control is now much smoother than the first generation S1000RR. The instrumentation panel is much easier to read and more features are available. One new feature in particular is the "Best Lap in Progress" option that records a rider's best lap on given markers on the racetrack. A green light is displayed if you went faster than your previous lap. The brightness of the display is also adjustable in five settings.

Aesthetically, the BMW S1000RR got some re-shaped side panels and a smaller, more streamlined tail section to help with aerodynamics. The 2012 model is also available in 4 sharp colour options- Racing Red with Alpine White, Bluefire, Sapphire Black Metallic and BMW's traditional BMW Motorrad Motorport colours.

The overall refinements should lead to a much smoother, easier handling ride and will make the BMW S1000RR superbike more comfortable to handle for riders of all levels. Judging from the line-ups at EICMA to see the new S1000RR, we're certain that BMW is going to continue to top the charts with this best-selling superbike.




Source: http://insidemotorcycles.blogspot.com/2011/11/first-look-2012-bmw-s1000rr-superbike.html

Dan Shorey Dani Pedrosa Dario Ambrosini Daryl Beattie Dave Chadwick

Will Raikkonen fare better back in F1?

It’s nothing new to suggest that Kimi Raikkonen didn’t exactly dazzle everyone in the two years he spent rallying. But because of the relative lack of competition in the WRC compared to Formula 1, it’s not a given that his 2012 season will be much of an improvement on the last couple. Raikonen’s WRC record [...]

Source: http://2or4.co.uk/2012/01/18/will-raikkonen-fare-better-back-in-f1/

Arturo Tizon August Auinger August Hobl Axel Pons Barry Ditchburn

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Exclusive Interview: Karim Habib, BMW Head of Exterior Design

At the recent Detroit Auto Show, BMWBLOG had the opportunity to interview Karim Habib, BMW’s Head of Exterior Designer. The 40-year old designer has been known as the creator of the new BMW 7 Series and CS Concept exterior design. … Continue reading

Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2012/01/30/exclusive-interview-karim-habib-bmw-head-of-exterior-design/

Efren VAzquez Emilio Alzamora Emilio Mendogni Enrico Lorenzetti Eric Saul

Ups and downs in the 2011 F1 midfield

Looking at the final teams standings, there were clearly a few classes of Formula 1 team in 2011. The extremes At the bottom, with no points apiece, the new(ish) teams – Team Lotus, HRT and Virgin. In with them, incredibly, you’ve got to lump Williams, with a pitiful 5 points. At the top, you could [...]

Source: http://2or4.co.uk/2011/12/06/ups-and-downs-in-the-2011-f1-midfield/

Harry Hinton Haruchika Aoki Heinz Rosner Helmut Bradl Helmut Hallmeier

Supershow Snags Honda Canada

On the heels of a recent announcement that Canadian Kawasaki Motors will be participating in only one Toronto-based motorcycle show this winter, the North American International Supershow reports that Honda Canada will also be returning to the popular consumer show held at the Toronto International Centre in Mississauga from January 6-8, 2012.

In a recent press release from the North American International Motorcycle Supershow, the organization notes that Honda Canada is finalizing arrangements to once again exhibit at the show. According to the press release, the Honda Corporate Booth will be located in Hall 3 and will feature the Honda motorcycle and ATV 2012 line-ups, including the best selling CBR250R, plus their extensive line of Honda Power Equipment.

According to Nick Pollice, of Honda Canada, "The Honda Canada booth will be the booth to visit this year at the North American International Motorcycle Supershow 2012. We look forward to seeing you there!"

The recent move calls into question the future of the upcoming Toronto Motorcycle Show being held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from December 9-11, 2011. With the December show traditionally the venue for manufacturers to launch their latest product to the Canadian market, the question remains whether other manufacturers will also see the North American International Motorcycle Supershow as the premiere venue to launch new product offerings. In today's economy, consolidating a number of trade shows in one market certainly makes fiscal sense.

To purchase advance tickets to the 36th annual North American International Motorcycle Supershow or to become an exhibitor, please call 1-888-661-SHOW (7496).

Source: http://insidemotorcycles.blogspot.com/2011/11/supershow-snags-honda-canada.html

Alberto Pagani Alberto Puig Aldo Nannini Alessandro Gramigni Alex Baldolini

Honda NSX to Make a Return

Last week we blogged about just a handful of the exciting cars to look forward to this year, and today we bring you news that a new, eagerly anticipated, Honda NSX is on the way. The only problem being, who knows when? Certainly not this year, or in the next couple, but maybe in three [...]

Source: http://www.longlife.co.uk/blog/index.php/2012/01/honda-nsx-to-make-a-return/

Carlos Checa Carlos Lavado Casey Stoner Category Cecil Sandford

Car and Driver: BMW 1M, 335is, Z4is and X5 M at the track

Car and Driver takes a large array of contenders to Virginia International Raceway to determine how quick the sportiest cars on the market are in a controlled environment. Lightning Lap can be considered the equivalent of the N�rburgring Nordschleife where … Continue reading

Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2012/01/29/car-and-driver-bmw-1m-335is-z4is-and-x5-m-at-the-track/

Jack Brett Adrien Morillas Akira Yanagawa Akiyasu Motohashi Alan Barnett

DP Brakes announces two North American National Road Racing Championships in 2011

From a Press Release from DP Brakes

BUFFALO, NY. ? DP Brakes has announced two Road Racing Championships in North America for 2011.

In the AMA Pro Racing Eastern and Supersport National Series, James ?The Rocket? Rispoli took the overall Championship in both with DP Brakes.

Rispoli said, ?What an awesome 2011 season I had. Winning my first AMA Pro Racing Supersport Championship in the eastern division and also the National title along with The Young Gun Award in the same year was almost unreal?.

He added, ? I can honestly say I would not be here if not for the awesome stopping power of my DP Titanium Race Pads. Time and again I was able to overtake my competitors by going in deeper, and braking later, with confidence. Also, with no brake fade, they allowed me to hold a lead and cross the stripe on top. This could not have happened without the consistent performance of my DP Brakes.?

DP Brakes also won the Parts Canada Pro Canadian Superbike Championship with Rad X/BMW Motorrad rider Brett McCormick.

Rad X/BMW Motorrad Team manager, Chris Duff gave credit to the DP Brakes RDP X-Race Titanium compound.

He said, ?The Rad X/BMW Team was proud to once again use DP Brake Pads in our S1000RR bikes for 2011. The stopping performance provided our team riders to be able to brake late, with confidence and trust that the brake feel is the same fromlap one to the end of the race and ultimately achieving a championship?.

?We are truly honored to be associated with such high profile teams and individuals. We congratulate them on such a terrific year of racing and are very proud to part of their success.? stated Larry Mills, President of DP Brakes North America.

Mills continued, ?All riders were using our New High Performance RDP X-Race Titanium brake pads. Results have so far proven that we have a compound available to be competitive with all other brands and even show an upgrade over those. The superb initial response, incredible feel and fade free performance puts us at the top of the charts?.

These RDP X-Race Titanium Brake pads are available exclusively through Parts Unlimited, in the US, Parts Canada.

For more information on the complete line-up of DP Brakes brake pads, shoes, rotors and clutch kits, contact DP Brakes North American Headquarters/Tony Mills International Inc. at 4401 Walden Avenue, Lancaster, NY 14086, (716) 681-8806, or visit them on the web at www.dp-brakes.com .

Source: http://insidemotorcycles.blogspot.com/2011/11/dp-brakes-announces-two-north-american.html

Davide Tardozzi Derek Chatterton Derek Minter Derek Woodman Dickie Dale

Sympatico.ca Drives MINI?s Countryman JCW Prototype

Our Road Test Editor, Shawn Molnar recently reported for autos.sympatico.ca in Kuhtai, Austria, delivering his impressions of MINI’s Countryman JCW prototype. �The MINI Countryman JCW is expected to go into production in the second half of this year – and … Continue reading

Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2012/01/27/sympatico-ca-drives-minis-countryman-jcw-prototype/

Angel Rodriguez Angelo Bergamonti Angelo Copeta Anthony West Anton Mang

Canadian Dan Kruger: Endurance Race Report from China

Team Kawasaki/BG finished 2nd in Free Practice, took Pole in Qualifying by only 100th of a second (On the first flying lap), and led the first 2 laps of the 103 lap, 3 Hour Endurance Race at Zhuhai on December 11th. The team swapped the lead with Factory Yes Yamaha and it was starting to appear to be more of a 3 Hour sprint race until about half way through when Yamaha encountered some engine problems. They pitted and rolled out the other bike. The rules in this event allow for 2 bikes and 2 or 3 riders on the track for 45 minutes at a time maximum.

Team Kawasaki/BG consisted of regular Dan Kruger from Canada and Alan Vilches Alejes from Spain. Alan currently competes in the Spanish 1000 Superstock Championship also on a Kawasaki. They made a good team today as they both followed the strategy 100% and as a result, brought home the win in convincing fashion. Alan was new to this track but picked it up pretty fast.

According to Dan Kruger: ?I was pleased to have the quickest lap time of the event barely dipping into the 1:39's. Considering the weather and track conditions, I was pleased with that time and the Kawasaki ZX10 traction control played a key role in today's victory. Ending the season beating the YES Yamaha Team only makes me wish the 2012 season was already here. This was my 2nd Endurance race in 10 days, the last one being at Phillip Island for 8 hours. We finished 3rd in 1000Superstock and 10th Overall in that event?

Dan will be back over in China testing a Moto 2 machine in late December. January will be mainly training and a break. He will return to testing in February and racing for 2012 begins in March. The team expects to announce a major sponsor within 2 weeks if all goes according to plan.

Source: http://insidemotorcycles.blogspot.com/2011/12/canadian-dan-kruger-endurance-race.html

Current events Daijiro Kato Dan Shorey Dani Pedrosa Dario Ambrosini

Delta Wing race car takes shape

Delta Wing race car takes shape

The first picture of the radical new Delta Wing race car has been issued from its base at All American ...

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Source: http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/race/sports-cars/delta-wing-race-car-takes-shape/

Freddie Spencer Frederic Petit Frederic Protat Fumio Ito GAbor TalmAcsi

The Year Ahead

Now that the festive and New Year activities have more or less come to a close, and we are all (kind of) back into the swing of things we can look forward to the year ahead, and in terms of upcoming cars in 2012 there is a lot of reason to smile and get very [...]

Source: http://www.longlife.co.uk/blog/index.php/2012/01/the-year-ahead/

Daijiro Kato Dan Shorey Dani Pedrosa Dario Ambrosini Daryl Beattie

Toronto Motorcycle Parking: Benefits Outweigh the Costs

Free motorcycle parking in Toronto may soon come to and end if Toronto budget chief Mike Del Grande and Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam get their way. In a recent report from the Toronto Sun, Del Grande was quoted as saying about motorcycles, "They burn gas just like everyone else. You take a parking spot, you pay what you pay for cars." Del Grande and Wong-Tam are encouraging other council members to consider charging for motorcycle parking in Toronto.

Inside Motorcycles caught up with Daniel Tessier, President and CEO of the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada, to get his views on the matter. According to Tessier, "Six years ago, the City of Toronto demonstrated real traffic management leadership by providing free street parking and other improvements for motorcycles and motorized scooters. But the City is about to take a step back if it continues with a proposal to enforce parking charges and fees for motorcycles." Tessier notes that from a strictly functional point of view, parking receipts tend to disappear from parked motorcycles resulting in unwarranted fines. He also points out that by taking up less space on the road, motorcycles have less of an impact on road infrastructure thereby saving municipal dollars. Further, the existing program to encourage free motorcycle parking compliments the Ontario government's tourism strategy to attract motorcyclists from border provinces and states.

Tessier went on to explain the benefits of free motorcycle parking and noted that not only should the parking program be preserved , but the city would benefit from the implementation of a motorcycling strategy. Tessier suggests a traffic safety management strategy could result in less accidents by opening up the lines of site at busy intersections by reserving parking spaces for motorcycles. "Reserving the last parking space at major intersections for motorcyclists would provide systemic allocation of motorcycle parking space. This traffic management approach would ensure uncluttered and clear lines of site for all road users, reducing the number of crashes at intersections involving motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. The City would save emergency response; but more importantly, it would save lives and reduce injury."


Source: http://insidemotorcycles.blogspot.com/2011/12/toronto-motorcycle-parking-benefits.html

Akiyasu Motohashi Alan Barnett Alan Carter Alan North Alan Shepherd

Monday, January 30, 2012

Smacking is banned? If only

Smacking is banned? If only, Eagle Eye - Breaking views from Independent commentators -David Lammy MP and the Mail on Sunday seem to think that hitting children is banned in this country. Lammy goes further in his error, by attributing the summer’s riots that started in his constituency,�Tottenham, to this non-existent ban. The law on smacking was tightened in the Children Act 2004, which made it unlawful to hit [...]

Source: http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/01/29/smacking-is-banned-if-only/

Doriano Romboni Duilio Agostini Eduardo Aleman Efren VAzquez Emilio Alzamora

?Clark-like? Carlos Reutemann

‘Clark-like’ Carlos Reutemann

Carlos Reutemann was a racing driver from Central Casting: blue eyes, chiseled jaw, dimples, brooding Brando brows, luxuriant hair, tanned. ...

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Source: http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/f1/history/clark-like-carlos-reutemann/

Barry Ditchburn Barry Smith Ben Drinkwater Ben Spies Benedicto Caldarella

James Ellison on his return to MotoGP

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/feedburner/rduE/~3/zJ8Xa9k-phY/james-ellison-on-his-return-to-motogp.html

Ernesto Brambilla Ernie Lyons Ernst Degner Eskil Suter Esteve Rabat

Moto2 2012 Season Line Up Released

Friday also saw the announcement of the Moto2 class riders and teams. With the field of 32 seeing 10 Spanish riders the competition will be fierce. The field starts with three British riders again with Gino Rea joining Bradley Smith and Scott Redding. NicolasTerol steps up after winning the 125cc Class last season, how well [...]

Source: http://www.philsmotogp.co.uk/moto2-2012-line-up/

Alan Carter Alan North Alan Shepherd Alano Montanari Alberto Gandossi