Road Princess

Who here doesn’t know Yamaha? If you don’t, then I honestly don’t know where you have been. After all, Yamaha is the current second spot holder in terms of motorcycle production.

Anyway, according to a recent report, the company is now planning on increasing the number of motorcycles that it produces in Indonesia. The report continued to disclose that the company may be looking at a 25% increase by 2010.

At present, Indonesian Yamaha facilities are already producing 2.4 million. And the whole deal is actually a part of the motorcycle creator’s business plan that spans up to three years.

Now, if that plan pushes through and it becomes successful, then I think GM, the creator of GMC truck parts may have to follow this three-year plan of Yamaha so as to be able to hold on to the top spot as the greatest vehicle manufacturer. But of course, that’s the car industry. Motorcycles are a different thing.

The existing record for the best and fastest time in Phillip Island was already smashed into pieces and a brand new record shall be engraved in Phillip Island’s history! The one responsible for crushing the previous record (which was set by Marco Melandri in 2005) is no other than the quick, young and reigning World Champion, Casy Stoner!

According to Ducati Racing News, Casey Stoner lapped faster than any other rider in history at Phillip Island. Stoner recorded an astonishing lap of 1'28.777 which came in the third and final of three days of tests. Stoner was definitely the fire starter on the race tracks!

"We did the race simulation with one of Bridgestone's new tyres and it went really well, even though we had to come in three laps early. The track temperature today was actually higher than it was for the race here and you could tell. Even so we managed to lap consistently in low 1.30 and that shows how well they're working in Japan. I'm also really happy with the qualifying tyre, which is the same as last year. It is a good thing that bike is not completely different to 2007 because it has allowed is to find an excellent base to start the season from already. The new version of the engine has a better delivery, especially at the bottom end, and that has allowed me to set fast times more consistently, as well as increasing tyre life. It has been a good test session but now I'm happy to have a couple of weeks to rest and train in the gym. The shoulder feels okay, it is just a little bit weak and sore because I haven't been able to work on it as much as I would have wanted but now we can do that,” says Casey Stoner.

Phillip Island Records

Circuit Record: Marco Melandri (Honda - 2005) 1'30.332
Best pole: Nicky Hayden (Honda - 2006) 1'29.020
Fastest lap GP 2007: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1'30.801
Pole 2007: Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1'29.201

Unofficial lap times:
1. Casey STONER (Ducati) 1:28.777 (51 giri)
2. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda) 1:29.734 (102)
3. James TOSELAND (Yamaha) 1:29.754 (89)
4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda) 1:29.780 (90)
5. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha) 1:29.795 (56)
6. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki) 1:30.216 (73)
7. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda) 1:30.438 (91)
8. Shinya NAKANO (Honda) 1:30.728 (89)
9. Toni ELIAS (Ducati) 1:30.966 (97)
10. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda) 1:30.978 (115)

 

The rider they call “Red Dog” of Monster Energy Kawasaki, Timmy Ferry, reached victory lane in a dramatic fashion! Ferry, armed with his Monster Kawasaki bike with the perfect suspension bushing, earned his second straight visit to the promised land. According to Kawasaki.com, Ferry concluded the race with a second place finish at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. The Red Dog achieved his second-consecutive landing on the podium after captivating his heat race. Alongside Ferry, teammate Travis Preston notched 14th.

"Fisher had been pointing out a line,” said Ferry Timmy. “They cut the last whoop out after the finish line and it set you up to turn early. I hit it every lap just because it felt comfortable and it ended up being the money pass.”

“The rhythm section was tough. I was in fourth and saw the guys in front going double, triple, double, triple. I hadn’t done that at all in practice or the heat race and the main event isn’t the time to try new things, but I knew that was the only way I could keep up. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks,” explained Ferry.

Timmy Ferry’s night began with a thump as he seized his first ever heat race win for a long time. He swifts the track leading all eight laps after securing the holeshot.

“The heat was awesome,” added Ferry. “I hit the holeshot from the outside and it has been working for me lately. It felt great. I haven’t won a heat in a while and I need to run that pace. It opened my lungs up and got my hands working which set me up for the end main.”

“I felt like I improved,” said Preston.

“Instead of getting tired on lap seven, I didn’t get tired until lap 12. It’s tough moving in like this, but I’m having fun and hopefully I get better. My heat race was good. My Kawasaki is ripping it down the start, and that is a key in supercross because when you get out in front it is a lot easier,” says Travis Preston, Ferry's roommate who finished 14th.

“Everyone was saying I could only do it in the mud. I guess I showed them I can do it in the dry as well. I want to thank my team. They did a great job. The track was tough and I need to thank my trainer too. I couldn’t have done it without him,” says Motosport Xtreme Kawasaki’s Tommy Hahn.

 

A motorcycle smashing cars?! C’mon, you must be kidding. How is it possible for a motorcycle to do that? A tiny motorcycle is nothing compared to huge cars!

True, a tiny motorcycle has no edge. But what if it’s not tiny? I mean BIG motorcycle. Not convinced yet? Well, just let the Monster Motorbike do the talking (I guess by now you know why it is aptly called as such).

If you’re driving a car, and you won’t give way to the motorcycle - might as well pray for your life amigo. The ferocious bike will crash you and your stubborn car instead.

According to reports, Monster Motorbike is pulling crowds in Perth, Australia with its car-smashing feats. The bike powered by a truck engine is heading east for the Melbourne Motor Show set to start February 29 and could be turning north to Queensland.

Monster Motorbike, the masterpiece of stunt driver Ray Baumann, weighs 13.6 tonnes, stands 3 meters high and about 9 meters long. "This is just its first season out after spending three years on it," he said. "We are getting it running right and then we will take it on the road and would love to come up to Queensland."

According to News.com, Monster Motorbike has a Detroit Diesel engine anda  6-speed Allison automatic from a prime mover, and uses a 2-speed Eaton differential from a road train to drive a massive chain on each side of the rear wheel. Additionally, the wheels and tyres come from a Caterpillar 80 tonne front end loader and are well-matched to crushing cars.

Baumann used to drive road trains, then turned to setting records for jumping vehicles over all sorts of other vehicles. "We did stunt driving for quite a few years, broke a few records and broke my back a few times, so this is a way of taking a bit more care," he said. "When we designed it we kept the weight down low, so it isn't easy to roll over. However, it can roll if we ran over a car the wrong way, so we still have to be very careful. It's well and truly dangerous, just not as dangerous as the car jumps. Nine to five really isn't my cup of tea."

After watching the motorbike smash cars would you still want to acquire the Daewoo Nubira for bait?

Two of Ducati’s riders, Bayliss and Fabrizio, conquered the race tracks in Qatar last week with impressive numbers! It was as clear as fog lights that the two riders are all set in the upcoming Superbike championship which will start on February 23, 2008. Ducati.com reported that although it was a scorching final test in Qatar’s blazing racetracks, Bayliss and Fabrizio managed to sustain their focus in the final run.

“I’m pretty happy with how things have gone here. On Tuesday we sorted out a few 'gremlins' so to speak. We had a brand new bike here and it always takes a bit of time to run in so we hope that we have solved those problems before next week’s race. We’ve tried different things today with regard to set-up and I managed to complete 55 laps. Lap times were good and we were able to do a long-run after lunch too which went well. I’m also pretty positive about my condition, as although yesterday I wasn’t feeling so comfortable with the bikes settings, I felt much better today after we changed a few things and I think I can say I’m pretty much back to normal. I’m happy I still have another week to get even fitter before next week,” says Troy Bayliss.

“It went well here this week. Yesterday we had a few technical problems but today it all went much better and I’m happy with the progress we made. Today I managed to do 10 laps, each in under 2 minutes, and a total of 71 laps. I’d said that we’re ready for the race next week and I can’t wait for the championship to begin!” Michel Fabrizio commented.

Times clocked in:

• Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) 1m58.8s
• Corser (Yamaha) 1m59.0s
• Haga (Yamaha) 1m59.6s
• Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1m59.6s