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WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Racing Team has officially unveiled the team colours ahead of the 2022 season.

The Yamaha satellite team will take on the new season with Andrea Dovizioso and Rookie, Darryn Binder.

“I’m really ready for this season!,” said Dovizioso. “I’m training a lot in the gym, on my Motocross bike. I removed the plate on my collarbone in early December in order to feel better for this year.

“Everything is going well. I’m so happy to start this full season after five races of testing last year, which was very important to start early with the Yamaha, which is different to what I used the last eight seasons.

“I’m convinced that this will help me a lot to approach the tests and the races in 2022 in a better way. I know more about the bike, about the engineers and the team in general.

“The new colors are adding to the amazing overall picture and I’m looking forward to the test in Malaysia. The last two years we couldn’t ride there, so I’m really happy to go to Sepang”

Meanwhile, Binder is all set to have a go with his Yamaha M1 for his maiden MotoGP season.

“The colours of my new bike are just beautiful!” added Binder.

“Once you see the design and how everything is going to look like for the season, it just makes you so excited to get out and actually ride with the new livery and then you know the 2022 season is officially starting once the team launch has happened.

“I definitely can’t wait! It’s going to be so awesome, I’m very, very excited for my first season in MotoGP!

“Our goal is just to take it step by step. Obviously, it’s a big jump from Moto3 to MotoGP and I only want to take it gradually and build up as high as I can. I don’t want to do anything too crazy, but rather take one step at a time and go up slowly, but surely. I’m really excited, now I can’t wait for the Sepang test to get everything going!”

Although 2022 is the team inaugural MotoGP season, the WithU RNF MotoGP Racing Team is a continuation of the former Petronas Sepang Racing Team (SRT) project and will fly under the management of founder and team principal, Datuk Razlan Razali.

Despite the success of taking six wins and 15 podiums with Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli in the 2019 and 2020 campaigns, SRT was forced to shut down the team at the end of 2021 due to the simultaneous withdrawal of title sponsor Petronas and Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

Nevertheless, Razlan wants the new team to aim high and be competitive ahead of the new season.

“For this 2022 season, we aim to be amongst the best of the Independent Teams at least.

“We want to fight for the Rookie of the Year, although we know it’s a huge challenge with five rookies in 2022 and Darryn being the only one of them to jump from Moto3 to MotoGP.

“For Andrea, he has a lot to prove coming back after more than six months of sabbatical. He definitely wants to prove not only himself, but everybody, that he still has the motivation, the experience and the drive to fight for the World Championship,” he said.

WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Racing Team will kickstart its campaign beginning with the official pre-season test at Sepang in February.

Vespa is among the motorcycle and scooter brands currently under the wing of Piaggio Group, Europe’s largest motorcycle manufacturer.

While the scooter brand sits alongside Aprilia and Moto Guzzi in Piaggio, Vespa is identified as a significant asset in the company’s overall portfolio.

Piaggio has recently begun to analyse Vespa’s substantial brand value in the company, and the result is outstanding. According to the findings by Interbrand (a significant brand consultancy), the Vespa brand is now worth EUR906 million (RM4.3 billion).

The research was done by taking into account Vespa’s unique brand valuation, including a set of resources, market data, and quantitative studies across ten key markets worldwide.

“Vespa is an icon of style: its uniqueness makes it one of the most admired and desired brands, belonging to the premium space as well as fashion and lifestyle brands.

“For this reason, we must begin to benchmark it against other global brands beyond pure mobility.

“That’s why we have asked Interbrand, the world’s leading brand consultancy, to determine and analyse the financial value of the Vespa brand. This is not a finishing line, but simply a new starting point as we continue to build the future of Vespa,” said Michele Colaninno, Piaggio Group Board Director for Strategy, Products & Innovation.

According to Interbrand, Vespa’s distinctiveness by sticking to its tradition was significant in strengthening the brand.

While other motorcycle brand demands excitement sportiness with a modern and futuristic touch, Vespa, on the other hand, focuses on self-expression and enjoyment.

For the motorcycle enthusiast, the Vespa brand represents the Italian culture and is an inspiration to people worldwide. As we like to say, Vespa isn’t just a motorcycle; it is a lifestyle.

If you own one of BMW’s XR sport-touring ranges, then the new XRider Sport-Touring jacket might be the one thing you need to complete the cycle.

After all, who wouldn’t want matching riding gear to complement your fantastic motorcycle?

For 2022, the new XRide jacket is derived from the XRide suit but tweaked to match the lifestyle of a casual rider.

The jacket is made out of leather reinforced textile, complete with abrasion-resistant polyamide sections on the shoulders and arms.

On top of the nifty combination, the jacket is also integrated with the Airvent ventilation system to assure comfort on hotter days and NP3 and NP2 reinforcements on the elbow and shoulders.

The XRide jacket also incorporates reflective materials on the upper arms and chest to ensure better visibility at night. The coat is also CE-certified according to EN 13595 safety standards.

The BMW XRide jacket also features four pockets, with two inner pockets to store your belongings and waterproof outer bags. Despite design specifically for BMW XR owners, the XRide jacket could also be your go-to riding gear for every sport-touring bike.

According to BMW, the new XRide jacket is retailed at EUR885 (RM4.2k).

Yamaha has officially unveiled the ‘EMF’ electric scooter, developed with Taiwan’s Gogoro that features a swappable battery system.

The EMF e-scooter was designed by Yamaha’s Taiwan (Yamaha Motor R&D Taiwan Co.) division and is based on the Gogoro Design Kit.

The EMF is undoubtedly unique; it features vertically stacked twin-LED headlights, single-piece seats, footboard and flat side panels, while the tail section gets sleek turn indicators and twin LED taillights.

Although the pillion seat is almost non-existent, Yamaha is kindly enough to fit the rear end with integrated grab handles.

Other exciting features include a fully digital instrument with the smartphone connectivity offers turn-by-turn navigation, last parked location, fleet management system and NFC-enabled smart key.

Other notable features include:

  • conventional telescopic front forks
  • twin rear shock absorbers
  • 10-inch alloy wheels
  • front and rear disc
  • combined-braking system (CBS)

However, the main highlight has to be its swappable twin battery pack connected to a liquid-cooled permanent magnet motor that can generate a peak power of 7.6kW (11hp) and 26Nm of torque.

Thanks to the battery weighing 21kg, the scooter tips the scale at 114kg.

According to Yamaha, the EMF scooter will go on sale in Taiwan in March this year, with the first 200 pre-orders is open for a price of TWD99,800 (RM15k).

Indian motorcycle giant Bajaj Auto has recently trademarked a new nameplate, ‘Twinner’, on what could be an all-new twin-cylinder motorcycle.

The documents did not reveal much, other than the ‘Twinner’ nameplate is proposed for motorcycles and scooters but let’s not stop there, shall we? Instead, why don’t we do some critical thinking?

At this point, we know Bajaj is in partnership with British motorcycle manufacturer, Triumph with the two working together in developing 200cc to 700cc motorcycles.

According to previous report, the Bajaj-Triumph collaboration was initially slated to launch an all-new model in 2022 before the plans were pushed to 2023, no thanks to the ongoing pandemic.

However, with the first bike could be revealed by the end of the year, the ‘Twinner’ might as well be the first model to be born from the partnership.

Based on ongoing reports, the ‘Twinner’ is expected to feature a retro-inspired design, similar to Triumph’s Bonneville range.

While this might sound exciting, it is still just speculation, and we can only be sure once Bajaj makes an official announcement.

Do remember that Bajaj also registered another nameplate as well, including ‘Fluor’, ‘Fluir’ and ‘Neuron’.

(Source: GaadiWaadi)

Former MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci has confirmed that he will compete in the MotoAmerica this season.

The ex-Ducati and KTM will ride aboard a factory-backed Ducati in the 2022 MotoAmerica series.

The Italian has been making headlines the past few weeks after an impressive debut at the 2022 Dakar Rally with KTM, where he scored a historic stage win despite not being classified in overall standing after retiring at Stage 2.

With his challenge at the historic race now over, Petrucci will set his sights on the 2022 MotoAmerica, which he confirms will compete with factory-backed Dark Horse HSBK Ducati Panigale V4 R.

Meanwhile, the two-time MotoGP race winner shared his excitement ahead of the 2022 season.

“It’s a life experience.

“I have the opportunity to live abroad and ride motorbikes, which is the thing I love most. I have always been in love with the United States, and I love the lifestyle over there, the open spaces.

“Every winter, I fly to California, rent a bike, and go ride for a couple of weeks in between Los Angeles and San Diego. Last time I went to Ocotillo, and I have friends there like Giacomo Redondi, who is currently racing cross-country in the US,” said Petrucci.

Interestingly, Petrucci revealed that although Ducati replaced him with Jack Miller for the 2021 season, the Italian marquee was the one who reached out to him regarding the prospect of racing in America.

“I’m happy because it was Ducati that contacted me.

“They did everything to get me. It’s very satisfying. When I left the MotoGP Ducati factory team, I remained on good terms with Claudio Domenicali, Gigi Dall’Igna, Paolo Ciabatti and Davide Tardozzi.

“They pushed to have me in MotoAmerica, and it’s a satisfaction,” he added.

Petrucci isn’t the first ex-MotoGP ride to enter MotoAmerica, with Toni Elias enjoying success after leaving the World Championship.

(Source: Cycle World)

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