You searched for - Page 5 of 1115

Podcast

Brap Talk Podcast #88 – Exit Strategy

By Apex Radio Collective 06/30/2022 3 Comments

Episode 88 of the Brap Talk motorcycle podcast is out with another “weekly” episode, for your two-wheeled listening pleasure.

In this episode, we talk a bit about the media-side of the motorcycle industry, and some of the things Jensen has noticed in his 13-year career at Asphalt & Rubber, as Shahin conducts his “exit interview” from the space.

We talk a bit about life, motorcycles, and everything – and we think you will find the conversation not only entertaining but also informational…with plenty of rabbit holes along the way.

Keep Reading

Podcast

Paddock Pass Podcast Episode 285 – MotoGP at The Cathedral

By Apex Radio Collective 06/30/2022 No Comments

Episode 285 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one sees us covering the Dutch TT at The Cathedral, in Assen.

On the mics, we have the full crew of Steve English, David Emmett, and Neil Morrison as they look at the events of the Dutch round, and the aftermath of Fabio Quartararo’s crash with Aleix Espargaro.

The guys get the conversation started by covering the plethora of rider-market news that happened at The Cathedral, especially the news concerning Alex Marquez and Alex Rins.

We of course have to give considerable time to Aleix Espargaro’s race, after he recouped disaster from Quartararo’s crash, and made his way to a heroic last-corner pass for fourth place.

Espargaro is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the MotoGP paddock, and Aprilia had a strong showing in Holland with Maverick Viñales on the podium as well.Ada

The guys then look at the fate of KTM at Assen, and we have an interview with Brad Binder, as he talks to our man, Adam Wheeler.

The show’s last topic consists of a discussion on why the Ducati is so good, and what an incredible performance it was from Marco Bezzecchi to grab his first podium. Naturally, we finish off with our winners and losers.

Be sure to follow the Paddock Pass Podcast on Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud – we even have an RSS feed for you. Now, we also have a YouTube channel, which you should subscribe to as well.

If you want to support the Paddock Pass Podcast, we now have a Patreon account, where members will get exclusive content.

Help support our podcasting endeavors and sign-up to get behind-the-scenes looks at the motorcycle racing paddocks.

Source: SoundCloud

Keep Reading

Bikes

Ducati Drops the Details on Its 150hp Electric MotoE Race Bike

By Jensen Beeler 06/30/2022 17 Comments

The bombshell racing news for 2023 has to be the fact that Ducati is taking over as the sole-manufacturer of the FIM MotoE World Cup, which runs at select MotoGP race rounds.

Before this news, Ducati was perhaps the last brand you would expect to embrace an electric powertrain, and since their MotoE announcement, the folks in Borgo Panigale have been working publicly on that goal with gusto.

Now today, we get our first proper glimpse at the Ducati “V21L” MotoE project, but also some of the performance specs we can expect in the MotoE series.

First off, the numbers you are dying to hear: 495 lbs (225 kg) ready-to-race, 150hp (110 kW) of peak power, 103 lbs•ft of torque (140 Nm), a 18 kWh battery pack (running at 800 volts) that can be charged to 80% in 45 minutes with the onboard 20 kW charger, and a top speed of over 170 mph (275 km/h) at the Mugello track.

Not to over-use an Italian cliché, but that’s a spicy meatball, and close to what Ducati achieves with its Panigale V4 superbike.

Keep Reading

Bikes

Too Many Photos of the 2023 Husqvarna FS 450 Supermoto

By Jensen Beeler 06/27/2022 10 Comments

Supermotos have a special place in our Asphalt & Rubber loving hearts, so we celebrate every new model release we can, and today sees us looking at the 2023 Husqvarna FS 450 – the pointy end of production supermotos.

The Swedish brand claims that the 2023 is “all new” for the coming model year, though a careful look at the previous year’s machine shows that things are a close evolution of before.

That being said, the 2023 Husqvarna FS 450 does feature a new hydro-formed frame, as well as a new 450cc single-cylinder engine, and promises to be a class-leader on performance.

Keep Reading

MotoGP

Is Yamaha Better Off Putting All Their Eggs in Fabio Quartararo’s Basket?

By David Emmett 06/27/2022 2 Comments

Is the 2022 Yamaha M1 a good MotoGP bike? It is a simple question with a simple answer: it depends. If Fabio Quartararo is riding it, it is good enough to have won two races, get on the podium in three others, and lead the 2022 MotoGP championship by 22 points.

But if anyone other than Fabio Quartararo is riding it, it is not quite so good. The best result by the trio of Franco Morbidelli, Andrea Dovizioso, and Darryn Binder is a seventh place, by Morbidelli at Mandalika. That seventh place is one of only two top tens for the other Yamahas, Darryn Binder being the other at the same race.

Together, Morbidelli, Dovizioso, and Binder have scored a grand total of 40 points. Fabio Quartararo has 147, over three times as many. And he has never finished behind any of the other Yamahas throughout the season.

In fact, the closest any other Yamaha rider has gotten to Quartararo is Franco Morbidelli’s eleventh place, two places behind his teammate, at the season opener at Qatar. Since then, Quartararo and the other Yamaha riders have been operating on different planets.

Keep Reading

MotoGP

Jack Miller Will Race in the Factory KTM MotoGP Team Thru 2024

By David Emmett 06/09/2022 7 Comments

The next piece of the 2023 puzzle has fallen into place. Today, KTM and Ducati announced that Jack Miller would be leaving the factory Ducati squad at the end of 2022, and joining KTM for the 2023 and 2024 season to race in the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing squad.

Miller is no stranger to KTM. The Australian raced for KTM in his final year in Moto3, before making the move to MotoGP. He is managed by Aki Ajo, the veteran team manager of KTM’s Moto2 and Moto3 squads.

So a return to KTM is no surprise, and had been the subject of rumors for several weeks now.

Keep Reading

MotoGP

Paddock Pass Podcast Episode 282 – MotoGP at Catalunya

By Apex Radio Collective 06/09/2022 No Comments

After an eventful, in every possible meaning of that word, weekend at Montmelo, Adam Wheelerand David Emmett sit around Neil Morrison’s dinner table in his apartment in Barcelona to look back at a race which was full of surprises.

There was plenty to talk about. We discuss Fabio Quartararo’s win, and how he seems to be unbeatable at the moment, even when his rivals aren’t taken out.

Keep Reading

MotoGP

Fabio Quartararo Extends With Yamaha For Next Two Seasons

By David Emmett 06/09/2022 1 Comment

Fabio Quartararo has signed on for two more years with Yamaha. The Frenchman will be racing in the factory Monster Energy Yamaha team for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

The move had been long expected. Despite early rumors that Quartararo was disappointed with the offer Yamaha had made, the two sides were destined to end up together.

Keep Reading

MotoGP

RNF Switching to Aprilia for 2023 MotoGP Season & Beyond

By David Emmett 06/09/2022 5 Comments

The WithU RNF team is to switch from Yamaha to Aprilia for the coming seasons. An agreement was reached with Aprilia between the Le Mans and Mugello rounds for the team to become a satellite team for the Noale factory, and field two more Aprilia RS-GP MotoGP machines from 2023 and beyond.

The deal came about after talks with Yamaha failed to yield satisfactory results for RNF. The Malaysian team had long been hoping to play a role as a junior team to the factory, in the mold of Pramac at Ducati and Tech3 at KTM. But RNF never felt they got the support from Yamaha which they had wanted.

A switch from Yamaha to Aprilia allows them to make that step forward. Though details are sparse in the press release, it is clear that RNF will get much stronger support from Aprilia than they did from Yamaha, with the team to serve as a conduit for talent into the factory team.

The deal was announced just before MotoGP FP1, a surprising moment to choose. But that was a result of factory rider Aleix Espargaro prematurely tweeting and then deleting a welcome to RNF to Aprilia. But by then, it was too late to retract.

The original plan had been for an announcement to be made in the afternoon, but Espargaro’s over-eager thumbs forced Aprilia and RNF to announce earlier.

The move by RNF leaves Yamaha with just two bikes on the grid for 2023. The Japanese factory had been in talks with the VR46 Mooney team to race Yamahas next season, but the team is currently still set to race Ducatis.

RNF’s departure is the second time a satellite team have left for greener pastures. Tech3 dropped Yamaha and switched to KTM at the end of 2018.

Source: RNF; Photo: Aprilia

Keep Reading

MotoGP

Why There Are No Quick Fixes to MotoGP’s Lack of Overtaking

By David Emmett 05/31/2022 15 Comments

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past month or so, you will have heard the criticism of MotoGP. Though the field is close, it has become harder and harder to overtake the riders in front.

The Le Mans race was a case in point: the 27-lap race featured only a handful of overtakes, most of which were made possible only by a mistake by the rider ahead.

The problem was brought into stark relief by last weekend’s WorldSBK races at Estoril.

Alvaro Bautista, Jonathan Rea, and Toprak Razgatlioglu put on a dazzling display of passing in all three races on Saturday and Sunday, finding ways to jam their bikes ahead of each other into the first corner, the fourth corner, the Parabolica Interior, and the tight, awkward uphill chicane.

They produced three glorious races.

Keep Reading