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2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) Round 2 (Saturday)

Round 2 of the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) went off without a hitch.
It was an exciting day as the riders and their teams showcased their effort and skill at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).
Race 1 for all classes (except the TOC Desmo Cup) were held today. Race 2 is due tomorrow.

If there’s any indication of tomorrow, today’s (Saturday 28^th July 2018) track action in the 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) Round 2 at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) demonstrated just how much excitement will be in store tomorrow (29^th July 2018).

The morning started with another torrential downpour like the one during Round 1, forcing the riders to go out on Pirelli Diablo Rain tyres and getting fully drenched. They had to do so to gather setup data in case the rain continued throughout the day.

Of important note, SIC has revised the race program for the MSBK series, featuring Free Practie and Qualifying on Friday, Race 1 on Saturday and Race 2 on Sunday for all classes apart from the TOC Desmo Cup.

IDEMITSU ASIA TALENT CUP (ATC)

The ATC riders were the first to hit the track for Race 1 at 1pm. The rain had stopped by this point and the track was drying quickly.

Characteristic of the ATC, the teenagers fought tooth and nail from the green light. However, Mario Aji (#7) from Indonesia and Bill Van Eerde from Australia (#19) managed to break free of the chasing pack halfway through the race.

The pair then started trading the lead with some almost impossible and heart-stopping passes. However, Aji turned up the pace in the last few laps (recording his best on the final and 13^th lap) to keep Eerde at arm’s length, to finish 1^st and 2^nd, respectively.

In 3^rd was Malaysian Danial Sharil (#21) who did well to fight off the other riders and found space to ride a steady race to finish 5 seconds ahead of the 4^th place man, Lucky Hendriansya (#13) also from Indonesia.

TOC DESMO CUP

This class is open specifically for Ducati owners to test their skills in a competitive environment. As mentioned earlier, the Desmo owners went out for Qualifying today. It was an awesome sight and aural pleasure to hear the Thundering Twins roaring around the Sepang International Circuit.

Syamsul Bakhtiar Esa (#14) on a Ducati 1198 recorded the fastest lap of 2:35.576 and astounding 8.166 seconds faster than 2^nd placed qualifier Zulkiply Yahya (#12) on a Ducati 1098. 3^rd fastest was Muhammad Danial Afiq Zamry (#98) on a Ducati 1198.

It was an important affair for both the Desmo Owners Club and TOC Automotive College as TOC supplied the technician workforce which consisted of their lecturers and students, allowing them to get their hands on racebikes as part of their education. Desmo Cup participants, on the other hand, have experienced lecturers working on their bikes.

The TOC Desmo Cup race will be held tomorrow.

SUPERSPORT

The big news prior to this weekend was Malaysia’s current Moto3 rider, Adam Norrodin would be racing in this 600cc class.

Moto3 Rider Adam Norrodin to Ride at MSBK

But Muhammad Helmi Azman (#32) had different plans as he blasted into the lead when the red lights went out, trailed by Adam and the rest of the field. As the race progressed, Helmi kept his blistering pace to open up a huge lead, which he held on to win the race.

Fakhrusy Syarikin Rostam (#66) had been shadowing Adam for many laps until he overtook the latter with a daring move into Turn One. The pair then started trading places until the last lap when Adam managed to capitalize.

Adam came home 2^nd with Rostam less than 0.2 second behind him.

SUPER 250

It’s time for the ultra-competitive, hence ultra-entertaining Super 250 class in mid-afternoon. Competition is extremely close (and cutthroat) as the bikes are closely matched in terms of horsepower, meaning one has to work really hard to break away.

And fought they did, from even before they started braking for Turn One on the opening lap! The competitors banged fairings and elbows into Turns One and Two, almost causing a couple of crashes.

Championship leader, Indonesian Surya Narayana (#9) fought his way through to lead from Turn Two and held on to the finish, although he was hounded closely Jailani Kosma (#71) from Malaysia. Narayana kept his nerve and crossed the finish line as the winner with Kosma 0.5 second behind.

There was pandemonium as the riders fought each other hard, until Yokeshwaran K (#6) from India crashed hard just after the apex for Turn Two, causing the field to slow down and string out.

Malaysian Luth Harith B. Erwan (#38) picked up the final podium spot.

SUPERSTOCK

As opposed to Supersport, the Superstock class consists of 1000cc sportbikes.

Azroy Hakeem’s (#5) aggression worked well to allow him to decimate the field of 17 riders. He crossed the line a full 30 seconds faster than Amirul Hafiq Azmi (#80) of TOC-HKM Racing Team in 2^nd.

Ahmad Khan (#66) came home in 3^rd.

SUPERBIKE

With so many races lined up throughout the day, the premier Superbike class started at 6.15pm. The weather had cooled tremendously by this point, much to the relieve of the riders and tyres.

Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (#25) of Chia PJ Kawasaki knew he had to contend with MSBK’s ex-champion, Rajini Krishnan (#67) who hails from India.

Indeed, the two rode in close formation at the head of the field from the start, with Rajini poised to capitalize on Azlan’s mistakes. Their teams and spectators held their bated breath as Rajini started to close the gap. The pass was going to happen soon.

But Azlan dug deep into his experience in the Asia Road Racing series and turned on his beast mode and started attacking every corner aggressively to open up an immense lead.

That forced Rajini to ride safe and he backed off his pace by the end of the race as he has a comfortable cushion over Jonathan Serrapica (#48) from Switzerland.

The trio completed the race in that order.

It was however, a day to forget for TOC-HKM Racing Team as both riders crashed in the race. Amirul Hafiq Azmi was holding on in 3^rd when crashed heavily, destroying the bike. Fortunately, he was okay. His teammate and championship leader, Muhammad Jamalul Tarmizi (#89) was fighting for 4^th place with Michael Muesel (#78) of Thailand when the former low-sided into the gravel trap. He was able to remount his bike and finished in 15^th for a single point.

The 2018 Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) Round 2 concludes tomorrow.

New Colour for Ducati Supersport

Ducati has unveiled new colour schemes for the Supersport range.
The standard version will get the new Titanium Grey.
The S version will still be sold in Ducati Red and Star Silk Whilte.

The best-selling Supersport gets a new colour. (Please click on the link below for our preview when the Supersport was launched.)

Ducati 900 SuperSport – Ten Things You Should Know

Possibly in a bid to differentiate between the “standard” Supersport and high-spec’ed Supersport S, the former will see the discontinuation of Ducati Red.

In its place is Titanium Grey with red wheels (previously black) and frame. The new colour scheme is reminiscent of the 916 Senna in the mid-1990s. According to a website which published the story, the manufacturer says that the rear seat cover will also be available in Titanium Grey. The new colour will also be available for the plastic inserts for the panniers.

The standard version features fully adjustable 43mm Marzocchi forks and a Sach shock. Owners could add on accessories such as Ducati Quick Shift later, later on.

As for the S-version range, the present Red and Star White Silk paintwork are continued. Standard features are fully-adjustable 48mm Öhlins forks with TiN-coated slider tubes, fully-adjustable Öhlins monoshock with remote reservoir, quickshifter and passenger seat cover.

The engine remains the same 937cc, Testastretta 11^o, 90^o V-Twin (Ducati insists on calling it “L-Twin”) which produces 110 bhp @ 9000 RPM and 93.2 Nm of torque @ 6500 RPM.

Price has also remained unchanged.

Ducati 900 SuperSport – 10 Perkara yang Perlu Anda Tahu

Motosikal Ducati 900 SuperSport baru sahaja dilancarkan.
Motosikal Ducati SuperSport mempunyai keturunan yang panjang serta menarik.
Ducati kini mempunyai sebuah motosikal yang ‘sporty‘ dan praktikal.

(more…)

Ducati 900 SuperSport – Ten Things You Should Know

The 2017 Ducati 900 SuperSport has just been launched.
The Ducati SuperSport lineage is long and interesting.
Ducati now has a bike that’s sporty and practical.

Ducati Malaysia has just launched the 2017 Ducati 900 SuperSport tonight.

Also known as the SS , the SuperSport name is steeped in rich heritage. Here are Ten Things about the 900 SuperSport you should know.

1. HERITAGE

It all started in 1972, when Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari both rode the Super Sport prototype based on the 750 GT to victory and second place respectively, at the Imola 200. The desmodromic-valved V-Twin was designed by none other than the great Fabio “Dr. T” Taglioni (We wrote up about Fabio Taglioni in our Top Motorcycle Designers series).

The significance of these results meant that: 1. Ducati will forever be elevated into the ranks of superbike makers; 2. The use of the desmodromic (desmo) system in virtually every Ducati thereafter; 3. Ducati’s superbikes of that era were named Super Sport.

2. MIKE HAILWOOD
“Mike the Bike” came back to motorcycle racing in 1978 after an 11-year hiatus, joining the Isle of Man TT Formula 1 race, and rode the Ducati 900SS to an emphatic victory.

Mike Hailwood at the 1978 Isle of Man TT

The following year’s 900 Super Sport were painted in black with gold accents, but a limited-edition Mike Hailwood Replica was also produced, complete with green and red colours.

1979 900 Super Sport Mike Hailwood Replica

3. TAMBURINI’S 900SS

The “Michaelangelo of motorcycles,” Massimo Tamburini joined the Cagiva Group in 1985; Cagiva had already acquired Ducati by then.

Tamburini’s first Ducati was the Paso 750 which made its debut in 1986. It featured “boxy” front and rear ends, plus a bodywork which wrapped tightly around the mechanical parts of the bike.

Taking cues from the Paso, he next designed the 851 superbike for 1987. The 851 was the Ducati which started the Italian firm’s dominance in World Superbike.

And from the 851’s design, the 900 SuperSport was reborn in 1988. It was during this time that the SS name had started to be promoted by Ducati. The engine was the 904cc, air-cooled, two-valve, 90-degree, “Desmodue” V-Twin based on the Pantah, with crankcases derived from the 851. This same engine also went on to power the M900 Il Monstro.

But it was in 1991 that the 900SS found great popularity. Between 1991 to 1998, there were many special versions, including the SP (Sport Production), CR, and ultra-sexy SL (SuperLight). Although it was based on the design of the 851, the SS was far more practical for everyday riding and touring to some extent. The riding position didn’t fold the rider in half, instead it was more upright.

Sales of the 900SS started to decline in 1997, due to the popularity of the Monster and 916/996/998 superbike. Ducati offered the 900SS FE (Final Edition) in 1998.

Motorcycle enthusiasts of that era would still fondly remember the 900SS as the Ducati with a volcano-like exhaust rumble.

4. DECLINE OF THE SUPERSPORT

Tamburini had decided to stick with Cagiva who was now concentrating on the MV Agusta marque, leaving Pierre Terblanche to helm the design department at Ducati.

Terblanche designed the SuperSport for 1999, which was inspired by the Supermono he had penned years earlier. The design was too big of a departure from what the Ducatisti had been accustomed to and met heavy resistance in extreme cases.

The SS saw an increase in engine capacity up to 1000cc ultimately, but continued poor sales saw the model axed in 2007.

5. ALL-NEW 2017 DUCATI SUPERSPORT

Ducati revealed the 2017 SuperSport at Intermot 2016.

While Ducati has an extensive lineup in almost every segment, there was a glaring void in the “everyday sportbike” department. Ducati has the Multistrada for both sport-touring and adventure-touring. Conversely, the Panigale as the all-out sportbike. The Monster is a more practical naked sportbike, but doesn’t tour well. The Scrambler is more of a modern classic. The Diavel is a power-cruiser.

The result is this bike. But what should it be called? Why, the SuperSport, of course!

6. RIDING POSITION

The main draw of the 2017 900 SuperSport is its riding position – sporty yet comfortable.

As highlighted above, Ducati heard the requests of the bike buying crowd and built a bike that’s practical for everyday riding, sporty for weekend canyon bombing, comfortable for long-distance touring, and fast enough for the odd trackday.

Just like the 1991 to 1998 900SS.

7. REWORKED POWER DELIVERY

The new 900 SuperSport’s engine is shared with the 939 Hypermotard’s 937cc Testastretta, but has been retuned for low-end and wider torque spread throughout the engine’s range. 80% of the 96.7Nm of peak torque is available from just 3000 RPM.

Low-down and midrange torque is what’s most important when you ride on the streets, as it makes overtaking easier, besides saving your concentration and energy from having to shift often. Additionally, torque is what allows a bike to haul a passenger and luggage easier.

While 113bhp doesn’t seem a lot on paper, it’s already more powerful than the 916 superbike in 1994.

8. DAILY RIDING/TOURING

It may look like the Panigale, but the clip-ons are high set, the footpegs are lower, and the windscreen is adjustable by 50mm. Ducati also offers the “Touring Pack,” which includes a pair of semi-rigid panniers, a larger windscreen and heated grips.

9. SPORT RIDING/CANYON BLASTING

Ducati also offers the “Sport Pack,” which includes a carbon front mudguard, carbon fuel tank cover, articulated racing lever kit, and billet aluminium covers for the front and rear brake fluid reservoirs.

10. VERSIONS

The 2017 Ducati SuperSport is offered in two variants.

The SuperSport S is equipped with fully adjustable 48mm Ohlins fork and Ohlins rear shock. It also features a quickshifter that works on both upshifts and downshifts (the engine blips itself on downshifts). The clutch is therefore only used when starting and stopping. The SuperSport S comes in Ducati Red and Star White Silk. A colour-coordinated rear seat cover is included.

The base SuperSport model gets fully adjustable 41mm Marzocchi forks and Sachs shock that’s adjustable for preload and rebound only. It is available only in two-tone Ducati Red and Saturn Grey. Owners may install the quickshifter of the SuperSport S.