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Jensen Beeler

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eleonora-pedron-max-biagii

Max Biaggi’s longtime girlfriend and former Miss Italy, Eleonora Pedron, is expecting to have the couple’s first child later this September. The couple revealed the news to Italian weekly magazine “A”during an interview:

As soon as we knew that Ele was pregnant we told her mother, her brother Nicola, my father, my sister and my nephew. We don’t like to exploit our private lives to attract attention to our jobs, infact after this interview we won’t give any others. It doesn’t matter, boy or girl, as long as it’s healthy. Because it’s going to have a brother or sister later on.”

The Roman Emperor doesn’t seem to concerned about getting married anytime soon. When asked about it, he responded, “Marriage? It’s not a priority, I’d like things to go on as they are even if it’s not out of the question. Five or six years ago I never thought of a kid and now…” 

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There’s long been an on-going joke that motorcycle journalists aren’t exactly known to be God’s gift to motorcycling when on the track. It would also be fair to say that some of us spend too much time behind the desk talking about bikes, rather out riding one.

Now, we here at Asphalt & Rubber don’t get too upset when Ducati doesn’t invite us out to warm and sunny Spain to test-ride the new Ducati Streetfigher. We get it…our invitation must have been lost in the mail. However, had we been invited instead of , we’re fairly certain video after the jump wouldn’t have happened. 

 

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As we noted late last week, Jim Ziemer, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson, will be leaving the Milwaukee company soon. Replacing him will be Keith E. Wandell, former COO of Johnson Controls. Along with Mr. Wandell, there is further shuffling and addition in the Harley ranks. Matt Levatich has returned from running MV Agusta, to become Chief Operations Officer. In turn, replacing Levatich at MV Agusta is the Italian Enrico D’Onofrio, former CFO at Ducati. D’Onofrio will take the position of Managing Director of MV Agusta. How about that for three letter bingo?

While we expect that these names have been gracing the lips of Board Members for some time, the announcement of their appointment happily coincides with harsh criticism made in the media of Harley-Davidson’s current financial problems, and general mismanagement. We can only hope that the timely appointments will also mean timely changes for Harley-Davidson.

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ducati-streetfighter-sketches-5

Norwegian site has gotten its hands on some of the sketches used in the process of designing the Ducati Streetfighter. While the drawings show a glimpse into the process of what it takes to bring a motorcycle to fruition, you can also see the evolution of the design itself. From rough polygons and shapes, to the detailed and shaded sketches, and finally the CAD drawing of the finished design, one can see the refinement and process that must be going on in the artists heard.

valencia-race-2-biaggi-aprilia

After his poor start in the first race, further pressure was put on Spies who now stood 35 points behind Noriyuki Haga because of his crash out in Race 2. Surely Haga felt the pressure too, knowing that the American wouldn’t make the same mistakes a second time. With the Championship already playing out in the third stop of the WSBK tour, Race 2 already had more than just a purpose. Continue reading for spoilers from Race 2 of the Valencia World Superbike Races, and to see how Race 2 sorted itself out.

 

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The World Superbike Championship visited Valencia this weekend. With three poles and three wins in a row, all eyes were on Ben Spies at the start of the first Superbike race, wondering if the American could close the 10 point lead that Noriyuki Haga had over him. A sweep of the weekend’s races, could mean that Spies could be leading the series, or at the very least tied with Haga, depending on how the Japanese rider fared. Conversely, Haga with a strong showing could lengthen his early lead over the field. With Spies showing almost a full second on Haga at the Superpole, this would be no easy feat. Continue reading for spoilers from Race 1 of the Valencia World Superbike Races, and to see how Race 1 sorted itself out.

 

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In these last months, some serious events at Monster Tech3 Yamaha have occurred. First, there was the pits that separated James and Colin from each other. And despite all this, James Toseland has kept a very low profile and refused to talk about the events that have surrouneded him, that is, until now. Continue reading to hear what Toseland had to say about himself, and the current state of the Tech3 camp.

 

ducati-desmosedici-rr

Ducati has released the first part of a multipart documentary on the design and development of the Desmosedici RR. This first episode is light on content, but heavy on quick edits, and video effects. The start of this video series seems to be timed well with Aprilia’s release of further information on the RSV4. Coincidence? Perhaps. The less than usual spit and polish on the series so far would seem to suggest time, not quality, was the issue at stake here. Watch the video after the jump.

 

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American Suzuki Motor Corporation laid off more than 15 % of its staff at its Brea, California headquarters and regional offices this past Wednesday, according to Automotive News. Suzuki’s the staff in the United States will now number 475, down from the original 570 workers. In addition to the lay-offs, Suzuki also reduced its regional offices from four to three and consolidated some functions. Once separate positions, employees in service, parts, and sales are finding themselves having to handle the tasks of all three areas.

Source: PowerSports Business