2018 World Supersport Championship 300 champion, Ana Carrasco has officially returns to Moto3 World Championship, where she competed between 2013 and 2015.
After becoming the first woman to become a world champion in two-wheel racing, Carrasco decided to part ways with Kawasaki and the WorldSSP300.
“Racing is tough, not just on track where people see but also at times like this when you have to make tough decisions.
“My ambition is always to grow as a rider, to set myself new goals that other’s see as impossible and to achieve them. When my parents bought me my first minibike and then I started racing of course my dream was like any rider “one day I want to be a World Champion”.
” This I achieved in 2018 and even today that feeling is magical; but anyone that understands racing will know that every racer needs to push, to be ambitious and to test themselves again and again.
“This opportunity to ride in Moto3™ is a logical step in my mind even if the emotional step is hard,” said Carrasco in a statement.
Carrasco recently participated in the official Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) test at Jerez as preparation to keep fit before the first pre-season test.
You can now get in line to be among the first owner of the unique Italjet Dragster 125 in Malaysia.
The Italian brand scooter is expected to launch in Malaysia soon, as previously reported by local media, Paultan.org.
After some digging on Malaysia’s popular e-commerce site Mudah, we noticed that some dealers are already accepting bookings for the Italjet Dragster 125 for as low as RM50.
However, it is also worth noting that the Dragster 125 is on sale for RM32,990.
While it may not be an official price tag for the nifty scooter, it may well indicate that the Dragster 125 is up for sale at around RM32k.
Italjet halted its plan to unveil the bike back in 2020 due to Covid-19 despite receiving worldwide attention in 2019.
Nevertheless, Italjet has confirmed that the Dragster 125 and Dragster 200 will begin shipping in December 2021, with Malaysia among the lucky recipient
The 125 variant makes 13hp from its single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine, while the Dragster 200 offers 18hp.
While the power figure is not too exciting, the Dragster comes equipped with premium components, such as an Akrapovic exhaust system, Brembo brakes and Ohlins suspension.
Meanwhile, the company also confirmed its plans to unveil the company first electric motorcycle in 2022.
While some think that the Yamaha Niken is already considered a crazy build by the Japanese firm, France-based company, Furion decided to take it up a notch by adding a new hybrid system.
The electric motor is powered by a 2.2kilowatt hour battery which will be supplemented by a regenerative braking system.
The current Niken runs on Yamaha’s CP3 engine and makes 115hp @ 10,120rpm and 87.5Nm @ 8,500rpm, but according to Furion, the addition of a wheel hub motor fitted to the two front wheels will add another 47hp on top, which brings the total power figure to 160hp.
The hybrid system will also increase its torque to 140Nm, turning the Niken into a monstrous all-wheel-drive trike and moving it closer to superbike territory.
While we are still unsure of the purpose of the build apart from Furion having a little bit of fun with the Niken, the concept could also mark a new future for three-wheeled mobility.
Ducati announced the introduction of Ducati Unica, a customization program dedicated to builders who wants to design a one of a kind Ducati motorcycle of their dream.
As a start, Ducati opens its Centro Stile Ducati doors to motorcycle builders who want to begin their journey by collaborating directly with designers and technicians to create unique machinery.
The initial sketches to the finished product will be documented and will see the involvement of Ducatisti with the support of Ducati professionals.
Thanks to the helping hand from the brand professionals, each step will be outlined, including precious materials, dedicated finishes, unique colours, and Ducati Performance accessories to ensure the builds meet a real Ducati’s criteria.
Builders who signed up for the program will be given a special pass to enter the Centro Stile Ducati in person to check on the progress, experiencing the first-hand level of dedication and attention to detail Ducati reserves for each project.
“Design is a distinctive element of our creations. For some time, we had been working on the launch of a project that would give Ducatisti the possibility of identifying themselves even more with their own bike, making it a direct expression of each person’s individual style.
“So we created Ducati Unica, a highly exclusive program that testifies to the excellence of Made in Italy of which Ducati is a representative in the world. An exciting and unforgettable experience of customization to be experienced directly within our Centro Stile,” said Andrea Ferraresi, Centro Stile Ducati Director.
According to Ducati, each Ducati Unica builds will be delivered to owners along with a certificate of uniqueness to ensure its non-replicability.
Loyal Ducatista Dave Enders has worked on the first Ducati Unica project with the number 500 of 500 Ducati Superleggera V4. Enders, who owned many of Ducati’s flagship models, said his Lamborghini Aventador SVJ inspires his Ducati Unica project.
Honda caused a stir last year EICMA after dropping a teaser of a brand-new mid-size motorcycle in Milan.
Although Honda stopped short of giving much away other than a CGI silhouette, Japanese publication Autoby has published what it believes is the finished look of the upcoming Honda CB 750 S (Hornet).
While it might be just another render, considering that Autoby has a reputation of ‘predicting’ the right design, the CB 750 S might turn out exactly as the rendered image.
The mid-size motorcycle will debut as CB 750 S and will continue Honda’s CB600F Hornet but will showcase the exact design blueprint as the Hornet 250cc currently sold in India.
The CB 750 S is expected to feature Honda’s typical naked bike design similar to the Neo Sports Cafe CB650 R but will adopt a sharper front headlight compared to the 650 circular headlamps.
However, the CB 750 S is expected to feature a new build-up engine as previously reported and not taken straight from the NC750 series.
The engine is rumoured to be the same platform set to be used on Honda’s upcoming Transalp, a potential challenger to Aprilia’s Tuareg 660 and Yamaha’s Tenere 700.
On that note, there is also a high possibility that the new engine could also translate into the development of a fully-faired CBR750 in the future to rival the Yamaha YZF-R7.
The final day of the three day two night ride, we head back to KL from Penang.
But because it is a relatively straightforward ride, the participants suggest to check out the new highest highway in Malaysia (at 61.5 meters above ground, the Paya Terubong to Ayer Hitam road takes over from the Rawang bypass as the highest highway) – this though turned out to be a disaster of traffic proportions.
Disaster is probably an overstatement, because we ended up in an absolute hellish traffic crawl through the market in Ayer Hitam, Penang.
Everything and everyone was stuck in that traffic, from the guy on a bicycle, to a cute Vespa and even a bus amongst the many cars.
And in the midst of it all were us! On gleaming BMWs with mega engines protruding out the sides, slowly inching along traffic, trying not to scratch the engine or get a dent on that beautiful body work.
If there is one thing that this epic traffic jam revealed was just how good the R18s were in slow traffic.
The low speed balance of the bike was fantastic, and only at extremely low speeds did we need to tripod it around traffic.
I know this is not a big deal, but keep in mind that the massive twin 1,802cc boxer engine keeps pushing the bike from side to side, so keeping this thing steady at low speed can be a workout. The fact that the R18 does it so effortlessly is genius.
We didn’t actually reach our destination, because we were stuck in traffic for quite a while and then lost our way, so we decided to get on to the second bridge and head south.
And this time I was on the R18 Classic, and boy am I glad for that.
Riding at about 160km/h on a shieldless cruiser is like holding onto a pole at hurricane level winds.
According to the Beaufort Wind Force Scale (a scale used to describe nautical wind speed), any wind that is stronger than 118km/h is enough to devastate a coastline.
So the next time you see anyone riding a cruiser faster than 110km/h, give his arms the due credit.
On the highway, the cruise control function available solely on the R18 Classic is a welcomed feature. Especially on long distance rides where the constant throttle input can become tiring.
The abundance of torque though lets you glide effortlessly. Even when you need to overtake.
Having said that, I did find myself downshifting a gear or two when I needed to get out of the way of an idiot in a fast moving murder machine aka Myvi.
Later I hopped on to the R18 Pure because a media colleague wanted to try out the Classic, because he saw that I was a lot more comfortable than anyone else was.
The R18 Pure can be brutally uncomfortable at anything above 120km/h. But that’s also the case with any shieldless cruiser such as a Harley-Davidson Fatboy or anything of that sort.
But on the long sweeping corners after Kuala Kangsar towards Ipoh was when the R18 Pure came together nicely.
BMW R18 Malaysia
From the vantage point of the rider, the engine looks like it’s just a few centimetres off the road. And this creates a psychological barrier when cornering for fear of scrapping the engine covers.
But get over that and you will notice that the R18 Pure really does like to corner. The R18 Pure at least.
It doesn’t take much to scrape the foot pegs, but it is only the brave that can keep scraping without fear. A quick check between my legs tells me that the size of my nuts doesn’t allow for that.
We reached Ipoh a little after noon, for lunch at The Andersonian Club.
Being an Ipoh boy myself, I have to say that this is not the finest that Ipoh has to offer, but there’s no arguing against a good banana leaf lunch.
But that made the ride back to KL a little more arduous because we all know what happens after a banana leaf lunch at noon.
But I was back on the R18 Classic for that part of the journey. The screen shielding me from the wind, the cruise control taking on the throttling duties, and that fat front wheel soaking up bumps better than the 70 profile Michelin on the R18 Pure.
But the other thing that I truly enjoyed was the ride itself.
BMW R18 Malaysia
Riding in the cool Cameronian breeze. Carving the many corners of Sungai Koyan. The yummy food in Penang and the stay in G Hotel in Gourney drive. And especially the company.
I enjoyed it all. Everything was beautifully put together and the people and the R18’s made it better.
BMW R18 Malaysia
But this is not a journey that only a select few can enjoy. You too can sign up for this at a little over RM3,000.
I received a message from a friend saying that it didn’t sound like a good deal – I didn’t understand that.
BMW R18 Malaysia
The bike rental alone costs RM1,000 a day (if you can find one) while a stay at the G Hotel in Gourney comes in at over RM500 per night.
You can’t really put a value to not having to line up at Nasi Kandar Deen Maju. And that sunset cruise was a classy touch – typically BMW. But just so you know, the cruise alone costs RM4,500 for three hours.
BMW R18 Malaysia
For RM3,350, you get an all expenses paid trip. Even the petrol is covered and you don’t even have to worry about carrying your own bags because there will be a support car to manage all of that.
All you have to do is ride. And perhaps just like it did for me – your soul too can be fuelled.
