Bikesrepublic

Amirul Azreen

WorldSBK rider Toprak Razgatlioglu is not thinking about MotoGP yet as he prioritises becoming a WorldSBK champion first.

The Turkish rider was heavily linked with the Sepang Racing Team MotoGP to replace the retiring Valentino Rossi.

It is understood that the offer to move to MotoGP with SRT was on the table for the 24-year-old rider before he decided to extend his stay in WorldSBK for two more seasons.

According to Razgatlioglu, his current objective is to become a World Champion in WorldSBK.

“Normally, my plan would be to be Superbike World Champion and maybe after that move up to the MotoGP paddock, and I don’t know.

“Now I’m just focused on being a Superbike champion, and I like the category paddock.

“I remember being here in 2013 and 2014 at the Rookies Cup, and this is a completely different paddock.

“Everyone has the dream of being in MotoGP, I know that, but I repeat, I haven’t had that dream for many years now because I know that for me MotoGP is like a galaxy, and maybe I could have a bike, but for me personally I think it’s better to be champion in Superbikes, that’s the dream and what I’m following and after that maybe we can come here,” he said.

Despite finishing the 2020 season at 4th place, the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider is just three points behind Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea in the overall standings, thanks to five wins from the last ten races.

Triumph Motorcycles is set to introduce the company’s production-spec superbike based on a teaser shared across its social media platform.

While details remain scarce, apart from a photo and the name, Speed Triple 1200 RR, the prototype is a faired version of the current Speed Triple 1200 RS.

*Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS

The photo shared by the British marquee clearly shows that the 1200 RR offers aggressive riding ergonomics thanks to a fork-mounted clip-on instead of the raised handlebar on the RS.

However, it remains to be seen whether the 1200 RR is a full-blown supersport like its smaller siblings, the Daytona Moto2 765 Limited Edition.

Moving on to the 49 seconds teaser video, we could see a single round headlamp at the front, and an exposed frame, suggesting the new motorcycle is not a fully-faired sports bike.

Triumph Motorcycles will unveil the new motorcycle in September.

Ducati Malaysia is pleased to announce the reconvene of nationwide showrooms operations with strict adherence to SOP.

To provide a safer customer experience, every staff at Ducati Malaysia is fully vaccinated and ready to serve throughout the week.

However, Ducati Malaysia would like to advise all customers to present a digital vaccination certificate as proof and Covid-19 risk status before entering the premises.

Apart from the usual MySejahtera check-in and body temperature scanning, children’s aged 12-years-old and below are not allowed to enter.

Meanwhile, customers can also check out the latest offering by Ducati Malaysia, including the recently launched, Ducati Scrambler ‘Nightshift’.

Sepang Racing Team (SRT) will continue to compete in the 2022 MotoGP season as an independent team, as confirmed by Sepang International Circuit (SIC) CEO Azhan Shafriman Hanif.

According to Azhan, while SRT will no longer be associated with SIC, the decision to rebrand the MotoGP team for 2022 is up to Datuk Razlan Razali.

“I leave it to Datuk Razlan to comment on this so that we (SIC) get a clearer picture of how he wants to lead the team in MotoGP after this.

“But as I mentioned before, they (SRT) will move as a new entity and no longer under SIC. Everything rests on Datuk Razlan’s shoulders moving forward,” said Azhan.

However, Azhan stresses that while the partnership with SRT has ended, SIC has no plans to set up a new MotoGP team.

“There are no plans yet; as you know, forming a team in the World Championship takes a lot of budget and sponsorship.

“But looking at the current situation, our focus is to look back at our program. Our concentration will be on MiniGP to CEV.

“Get our boys ready and competitive. I’m sure we will get there, God willing,” he added.

Nonetheless, SIC will continue to focus on riders development, especially talents in SIC MiniGP and CEV.

“Looking at the current situation, we need to review our program. Our focus is to bring riders from MiniGP to CEV,” he added.

There is finally light at the end of the tunnel for Maverick Vinales after what has been a controversial couple of weeks for the Spanish rider.

Aprilia Racing factory team has officially announced the 26-year-old as the team new rider for 2022, replacing Lorenzo Salvadori, who will continue with the team as a tester.

Vinales has signed an annual contract with an option for renewal.

*Aprilia RS-GP 2021

Aprilia, in an official statement by CEO, Massimo Rivola said, “We are extremely happy to announce that we have signed Maverick Viñales, a very high-level rider and one of the purest talents in the premier category.

“Our project has now been enriched with the value that Maverick brings – a World Champion who has confirmed his talent as a top rider in MotoGP.

“We are honoured to be able to make all of our best skills available to Viñales along with our enthusiasm and our passion. I am confident that, like Aleix, he will embrace this extremely high-potential project. The arrival of Maverick in no way distances Lorenzo Savadori from the team, as he will remain an integral part of the Aprilia Racing family.”

The announcement did not come as a surprise as the Italian outfit is the only relevant destination for the 2013 Moto3 world champion.

Vinales was suspended from last weekend action at the Austrian GP due to an irregular operation on the M1 a week earlier before apologising for failing to control his frustration.

Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether he will be allowed to return on the M1 at Silverstone.

The CFMOTO Malaysia brand is undeniably getting bigger and bigger, with its wide range of 250cc up to 650cc motorcycles.

The 250SR quickly gained attention when CFMOTO launched the motorcycle in Penang back in 2019, with the brand already making its mark previously with the 400NK and 650MT.

 

During the launch, CFMOTO informed us that the all-new 700CL-X would also arrive in Malaysia in 2021 before it was put on hold due to the current pandemic Covid-19.

Nevertheless, CFMOTO Malaysia was kind enough to unveil the official selling price for the 700CL-X. The all-new retro-style scrambler will be available for RM28,800 (excluding road tax, insurance and registration) once it is on sale.

 

 

To our surprise, the official selling price is much lower than expected, as we earlier assume that it will fall between RM30,000 to RM35,000.

When it was unveiled at 2019 EICMA, three variants were on display: Heritage, Adventure, and Sport with the motorcycle powered by a 693cc parallel-twin engine that punches around 74hp and 68Nm of torque.

The 700CL-X boast with variety of features which includes:

  • 41mm KYB USD front forks (fully adjustable)
  • Rear KYB single shock (preload & rebound adjustability)
  • Retro-looking front LED headlights (all-round LED lighting system)
  • 17-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels + Pirelli MT60 RS tyres
  • Slipper clutch
  • Selectable riding modes, cruise control + LCD dashboard
  • Continental ABS

 

CFMOTO Malaysia has yet to announce the launch date despite the price unveiling, but we were told that the bike would be ready for testing within a month.

We will provide an in-depth review of the motorcycle once it is available.

 

American electric motorcycle manufacturer SUPER73 has unveiled a limited edition e-bike in partnership with Hot Wheels.

Limited to just 24 units, the unique e-bike was build to celebrate the legacy of the Hot Wheels brand as the number one selling toy in the world.

According to SUPER73, the unique collaboration project is based on the SUPER73-RX, the company’s premium model.

The e-bike is equipped with a powerful 960kW battery and offers four riding modes that can be selected via the SUPER73 smartphone app.

Other features include:

  • 4-piston aluminium brake calliper
  • inverted front fork with air assist
  • adjustable rear-monoshock
  • aluminium-alloy frame

To pay homage to the Hot Wheels brand, the e-bike comes with the iconic orange and blue graphics located on the tank and subframe.

Further customisation includes a custom embroidered Hot Wheels edition seat and handlebar pad.

To further elevate customer experience, every purchase of the Hot Wheels x SUPER73-RX will include a collectable Hot Wheels diecast of a SUPER73 Ford Bronco adventure vehicle.

Brad Binder recorded his second MotoGP victory in his career after gambling on slick tyres in the final five laps in the wet at the Austrian GP.

It was a miracle win for the South African who decided not to enter the pit to swap his bikes with wet tyres with just six laps to go.

The KTM rider was out of the picture for the first 23 laps as Francesco Bagnaia, Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo battling it out for a top spot.

With six laps remaining, the track was hit with heavy rain, resulting in Marquez, Bagnaia, Quartararo, and Joan Mir entering the pit to swap their bikes.

However, Binder decided to gamble on slicks and went on to finished the race in the first place, followed by Bagnaia and Pramac’s Jorge Martin.

After the race, Binder said he dreamt about going up the podium after missing out for so long.

“I went to bed last night thinking all I want today is a podium.

“It’s been so long! It’s been the longest in I don’t know how many years since I was on the podium.

“I’ve been close a few times, had a few fourth places, but haven’t been back. To be honest, I was having a horrendous race before I decided to stay out, and everyone else came in,” he said.

This was Binder’s first podium of the season after missing out at fourth place last week at the Red Bull Ring.

MotoGP action will return in Silverstone at the end of August.

Maverick Vinales finally breaks silence over Yamaha’s decision to suspend the rider for this weekend Austrian GP.

The decision was made on Thursday due to an unexplained irregular operation of the factory-spec M1 by the Spaniard during last weekend Styria GP.

The 26-year-old rider decided to share his side of the story with SKY TV.

“It was a frustrating moment. The first race of the year was perfect, then I came back for the second half of the season with a lot of strength, but everything went wrong.

“There was an explosion inside me that I didn’t channel the right way.

“I apologize to Yamaha. I didn’t ride in the right way in those laps,” said Vinales.

He again apologizes for the incident.

“I still want to apologize to Yamaha. It wasn’t my intention to end up like this,” he added.

However, it is still unsure whether the apology is enough for Yamaha to allow the rider to return to action in the next round at Silverstone.

Sepang International Circuit (SIC) and Petronas have mutually agreed to end their partnership as title sponsor of Petronas Sepang Racing Team (SRT).

The official announcement came after an initial report by motorsport.com that Petronas is seeking to withdraw its sponsorship from SRT on Friday.

The Malaysian giant oil company has been the title partner to SIC since 2018, with Petronas Sprinta Racing in Moto2 and Moto3 before the project was expanded to MotoGP with SRT.

“SIC wishes to thank Petronas for the unwavering support during the partnership and a remarkable journey together.

“We respect Petronas decision and mutually agreed that this partnership had accomplished its purpose and objectives. We have enjoyed a meaningful partnership with great achievements and memorable moments with the team.

“I believe this is not the end of our collaboration in motorsports as we continue our quest in nurturing Malaysia’s motorsports talents,” said Azhan Shafriman Hanif, Chief Executive Officer of SIC.

Meanwhile, Datin Anita Azrina Abdul Aziz, Petronas Head of Strategic Communications, lamented that it was the right time to conclude the partnership.

“We entered into this partnership with SIC to showcase our R&D capabilities, and we are proud that PETRONAS Fluid Technology Solutions have been instrumental towards establishing the team’s status as a championship contender.

“Together, we have created some standout moments in the sport, serving as an indication that we have achieved what we set out to do, and we feel it is the right time for us to conclude the partnership.

“On behalf of PETRONAS, we would like to express our gratitude to SIC for their commitment towards ensuring the success of the partnership,” she explained.

Meanwhile, SIC suggests that SRT will continue in MotoGP from 2022 under a new independent entity, with an official announcement to be made soon, including the dissolution of Moto2 and Moto3.

The race organizers of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) has decided to end the motorcycle racing category two years after the tragic death of Carlin Dunne.

The official confirmation came after completing a two-year review on the prospect of bringing motorcycle racing back to Pikes Peak.

While Fred Veitch, Interim Chairman of the PPIHC, admitted the decision was difficult, it was the right one to make.

“Motorcycle competition has been part of the history of the race off-and-on since 1916 and has been both thrilling and tragic for competitors and fans alike.

“This has been a long process and a difficult decision, but we believe it is the right decision and one that is in the best interest of the organization at this time,” he said.

There are a number of factors that lead to such a decision, the first being the increase of riders fatalities and the types of bikes involved in the competition.

During the early years, riders race to the top with dirt bikes, but everything changes when the road was paved all the way to the top.

This resulted in riders opted for powerful road bikes, which drastically increased the speed and a higher chance of accidents.

Dunne was involved in an accident while riding the Ducati Streetfighter V4 Prototype on his way to the finish line.

(Source: PPIHC)

Husqvarna has unveiled their first-ever adventure motorcycle, the 901 Norden, ahead of the official.

The 901 Norden is the Swedish firm first attempt into the competitive mid-range adventure motorcycle market.

According to reports, the all-new motorcycle is currently in its final stage and is build based on 889cc parallel-twin engine taken from the KTM 890 Adventure.

However, the 901 Norden offers a different architecture thanks to its Kiska, the same company responsible for designing the Vitpilen dan Svartpilen motorcycle.

Interestingly, the 901 Norden delivers the same design aspect of the concept model shown at the 2019 EICMA in Milan.

You can catch all the latest videos of the 901 Norden on Husqvarna official YouTube channel.

While it might not show you the whole picture, but it definitely can get you feeling excited about the new adventure bike.

Archive

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on YouTube