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Laguna Seca MotoGP: Pedrosa Tops FP1

July 27, 2012 at 4:24 PM

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2012 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Free Practice Results

The second half of the 2012 MotoGP Championship got underway Friday with the first of three free practices at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

And under typical California skies in Monterey, it was Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa who topped the first free practice session, the Repsol Honda rider posting a 1:21.424 towards the end of the 45-minute session.

Pedrosa, who finished on the podium in eight of nine rounds, including a win at Sachsenring, utilized an updated chassis and engine during the first free practice session. The Spaniard, who finished third at Laguna Seca last season, was closely stalked by his fellow countryman and current points leader, Yamaha Factory Racing's Jorge Lorenzo.

Lorenzo posted a 1:21.498, a mere 0.074 of a seconds behind Pedrosa. In third, 0.405 behind Pedrosa, was Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner. The Australian is using a new engine in an older chassis. He was quick in the beginning of FP1, but couldn't keep up with Pedrosa and Lorenzo towards the end of the session.

The final rider to post within a second of Pedrosa was Ben Spies, who announced he'll be leaving Yamaha Factory Racing at the end of the 2012 MotoGP Championship. The Texan was 0.515 of a second slower than Pedrosa, and only 0.110 of a second behind Stoner.

The man who will be seeking his fifth podium of the season, Monster Tech 3 Yamaha's Andrea Dovizioso, was fifth fastest, 1.185 seconds behind Pedrosa. Dovi's teammate Cal Crutchlow followed in sixth, 1.248 seconds behind.

Up next was Ducati Team's Valentino Rossi, who is using a new engine at Laguna Seca. The nine-time World Champion finished 1.792 seconds behind Pedrosa, and 0.033 of a second ahead of LCR Honda's Stefan Bradl in eighth.

Ninth quickest was Rossi's teammate Nick Hayden, who announced Friday a year-long extension with Ducati Team; the Kentuckian was 1.886 seconds behind Pedrosa. Rounding out the top 10 fastest times in FP1 was San Carlo Honda Gresini's Alvaro Bautista, the Spaniard 2.113 seconds off the lead.

The top CRT time went to NGM Mobile Forward Racing's Colin Edwards, the American piloting his Suter-BMW to the 11th quickest time, 3.481 seconds behind Pedrosa.

The MotoGP grid also welcomed back Cardion AB Racing's Karel Abraham from injury, with the Czech rider posting the 13th quickest time of the session. Pramac Racing Team's Héctor Barberá is a notable absentee this weekend after breaking his left leg in a motocross accident last weekend. He is replaced by Toni Elías, who was 15th in his first premier-class outing since last season. The line up also saw Attack Performance wildcard Steve Rapp take to the track on the US company's in-house built APR CRT machine. He finished his first outing in 22nd.

2012 Laguna Seca MotoGP Free Practice 1 Results:

Pos.	Num.	Rider	Nation	Team	Bike	Km/h	Time	Gap 1st/Prev.
1.	26	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	263.8	1'21.424
2.	99	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Yamaha Factory Racing	Yamaha	262.6	1'21.498	0.074 / 0.074
3.	1	Casey STONER	AUS	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	263.3	1'21.829	0.405 / 0.331
4.	11	Ben SPIES	USA	Yamaha Factory Racing	Yamaha	263.0	1'21.939	0.515 / 0.110
5.	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	262.8	1'22.609	1.185 / 0.670
6.	35	Cal CRUTCHLOW	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	264.8	1'22.672	1.248 / 0.063
7.	46	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	266.9	1'23.216	1.792 / 0.544
8.	6	Stefan BRADL	GER	LCR Honda MotoGP	Honda	251.6	1'23.249	1.825 / 0.033
9.	69	Nicky HAYDEN	USA	Ducati Team	Ducati	260.0	1'23.310	1.886 / 0.061
10.	19	Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	Honda	258.9	1'23.537	2.113 / 0.227
11.	5	Colin EDWARDS	USA	NGM Mobile Forward Racing	Suter	253.9	1'24.905	3.481 / 1.368
12.	41	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	Power Electronics Aspar	ART	242.5	1'25.169	3.745 / 0.264
13.	17	Karel ABRAHAM	CZE	Cardion AB Motoracing	Ducati	255.8	1'25.215	3.791 / 0.046
14.	54	Mattia PASINI	ITA	Speed Master	ART	240.6	1'25.488	4.064 / 0.273
15.	24	Toni ELIAS	SPA	Pramac Racing Team	Ducati	255.5	1'25.816	4.392 / 0.328
16.	68	Yonny HERNANDEZ	COL	Avintia Blusens	BQR	236.8	1'25.904	4.480 / 0.088
17.	77	James ELLISON	GBR	Paul Bird Motorsport	ART	234.4	1'25.931	4.507 / 0.027
18.	9	Danilo PETRUCCI	ITA	Came IodaRacing Project	Ioda	237.1	1'26.125	4.701 / 0.194
19.	51	Michele PIRRO	ITA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	FTR	243.2	1'26.421	4.997 / 0.296
20.	14	Randy DE PUNIET	FRA	Power Electronics Aspar	ART	233.0	1'26.703	5.279 / 0.282
21.	22	Ivan SILVA	SPA	Avintia Blusens	BQR	236.8	1'27.102	5.678 / 0.399
	15	Steve RAPP	USA	Attack Performance	APR	234.4	1'29.814	8.390 / 2.712

Touratech Super Tenere Build (Video)

July 27, 2012 at 3:41 PM

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Yamaha Super Tenere XT1200Z Build

The folks at Touratech-USA recently celebrated the arrival of Yamaha's new Super Tenere XT1200Z by building a project bike.

Much work went into the Super Tenere, Touratech-USA's Sales and Technical Support guru Iain Glynn enhancing the motorcycle with a host of Touratech products.

During the adventure-bike build, which focused on two-up touring, the Yamaha was fitted with essential protection items, such as crash bars, luggage solutions, such as the Zega Pro pannier system, fog lights, and ergonomic upgrades.

Attached above is a video of the build, including some footage of the Super Tenere in action around scenic areas of Washington.

For additional information on what Touratech-USA offers for the Yamaha Super Tenere XT1200Z, click here.

Suzuka 8 Hours: Yosh Suzuki Tops Friday

July 27, 2012 at 3:11 PM

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2012 Suzuka 8 Hours

Out of sixty teams lining up for the 35th anniversary of the Suzuka 8 Hours, the Yoshimura Suzuki team placed their GSX-R 1000 on the provisional pole for Sunday's race.

The team, consisting of the Australian Josh Waters, World Superbike Aprilia's Leon Camier, and Nobuatsu Aoki, was able to pull off a sub 2.8-minute lap Friday with Waters at the controls.

Waters knocked more than a second of his earlier session best at round three of five in the World Endurance Championship with a time of 2:07.704. The Yoshimura Suzuki team, which finished second at last year's race, were stalked closely by the FCC TSR Honda team of Honda World Superbike's Jonathan Rea, Kosuka Akiyoshi and Tadayuki Okada.

The FCC TSR Team, which won last year's Suzuka 8 Hours, posted a 2:08.169. Taking the provisional third spot on the grid was the Monster Yamaha YART team of Japanese riders Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Noriyuki Haga and Britain's Tommy Hill.

Reigning World Champions SERT is fourth on the World Endurance Championship-leading GSX-R1000, thanks to a 2'08.429 lap set by Yukio Kagayama and they are only a few-hundredths-of-a-second behind second-placed FCC TSR Honda and third-placed Monster Yamaha YART.

The top-10 teams have one further free practice session tomorrow morning before the exciting Top-10 Shootout Finale to determine the starting positions for Sunday's race.

2012 Suzuka 8-Hour Friday Qualifying Results:
1. Yoshimura Suzuki (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 2'07.704
2. FCC TSR Honda (Honda) 2'08.169
3. Monster Yamaha YART (Yamaha) 2'08.352
4. SERT (GSX-R1000) 2'08.429
5. MuSASHI RT-Harc Pro (Honda) 2'08.680
6. EVA RT Test Type (Kawasaki) 2'08.806
7. Teluru EMOBILE (Honda) 2'08.901
8. Honda Dream RT (Honda) 2'09.278
9. TOHO Racing (Honda) 2'09.318
10. Honda Team Asia (Honda) 2'09.433.

Photo courtesy of Goichi Honda

Kawasaki Recalls 2008-2012 Concours 14

July 27, 2012 at 2:34 PM

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Kawasaki Concours 14 Recall

Kawasaki has recalled 2008 through 2012 Concours 14 sport-touring motorcycles due rear-brake issues; Kawasaki says 13,289 motorcycles are affected.

The Japanese motorcycle manufacturer says that due to a gap between the foot brake pedal and guard, small stones or debris can become trapped, creating a brake drag.

This can cause the rear brake to overheat, leading to rear brake damage and lock-up or failure of the rear brakes. The front brakes may also be affected on ZG1400C models.

If the brakes lock up or fail, there is an increased risk of a crash.

Kawasaki will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear master cylinder rod end and remove the brake guard (if installed), free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on, or about, July 30, 2012.

Owners may contact Kawasaki at 1-866-802-9381. Customers may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Vehicle Safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); or visit safercar.gov. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 12V343000.

Hayden Renews Ducati MotoGP Contract

July 27, 2012 at 2:06 PM

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MotoGP Contract News

What better time to announce Nicky Hayden's contract renewal than before the U.S. Red Bull Grand Prix?

Hayden, the Kentuckian who will turn 31 on Monday, has extended his MotoGP contract with the Ducati Team through the 2013 season. This year marked Hayden's fourth year with Ducati, and his 10th year in MotoGP.

The 2006 MotoGP Champion (Repsol Honda) is currently teammates with Valentino Rossi, who has not yet reported on where he'll be in 2013. Since joining Ducati in 2009, Hayden finished 13th that year, seventh in 2010, and eighth in 2011. After nine of 18 rounds in the 2012 MotoGP Championship, Hayden is in eighth place in points, his best finish a sixth place at Qatar, Le Mans and Assen.

While competing on a Ducati, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer says "during that time, he has become extremely popular with fans and Ducatisti all over the world, thanks to his reliably positive outlook, his passion, and his determination."

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team GP12 MotoGP) says: "I'm very happy that I'll be back with Ducati and back in MotoGP, racing at the highest level for a very important team. I love the guys I work with, I love the Ducati fans, and I love the brand. This is an important time for Ducati in a number of ways, and I'm excited that I'll continue to be a part of it. I feel like I've got some unfinished business here, and hopefully we can get all the pieces into place and reap the rewards of the hard work we've put in the last couple of years.

"It's nice to be able to make this announcement at Laguna and to share the moment with my fans, friends and family. If I can do a good result on Sunday, it could make for a pretty special birthday weekend."

Ducati reports that the United States hosts no fewer than 45 DOCs (Ducati Owners Clubs) and on Sautrday thousands of fans will have the opportunity to meet Hayden at Ducati Island, an area at Laguna Seca where Ducatisti gather to follow the race and experience the "red passion."

Following the afternoon qualifying session, Nicky Hayden himself will visit the Island's stage, where many spectators and fans will no doubt be excited to join him in celebrating the news of his renewal with the Ducati Team.

New Land Speed Record Set on GSX-R1100

July 27, 2012 at 1:35 PM

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2012-new-land-speed-record-set-on-gsx-r1100 (1).jpg

Thomas Cronan Posts 262.161 mph Land-Speed Record

Earning the honor of being the eighth-fastest human on a sit-on style motorcycle, landspeed racer Thomas Cronan moved into the elite record books on July 15, setting a new APS/BF-1650/4 class record with the Loring Timing Association (LTA), of 262.161 MPH, on a turbocharged 1991, Suzuki GSX-R1100, owned by Eric Paquette's DAS Performance.

It took two days of trying for Cronan and his team to reach this goal at Loring AFB, in Maine, initially fighting a high-speed wobble on the 1.5-mile course, before they earned the new record in the Altered Partial Streamliner/Blown Fuel-Under 1650cc/Four Cylinder (APS/BF-1650/4) class.

Cronan, from Mill Spring, North Carolina, was riding for Dracut, Massachusetts-based DAS Performance, hooking up with the team last season after proving himself on another bike. This modified GSX-R1100 produces over 400 horsepower with its 1276cc turbocharged engine.

Prior to achieving this record run the bike needed to be tamed, showing the serious effort it takes to secure this sensational goal. Cronan said, "I was only able to do the last two runs at full throttle. On the earlier runs, at around 200 mph, the bike shook and I had to let off. On my second to last run Saturday, as I slowed, the brake line got caught on the front tire and was ripped off. On Sunday we rerouted the brake line and changed to a Michelin tire and the shaking was gone."

The record that Cronan bested was his own, set last year at 250 MPH, on the same bike. Cronan added, "With the Michelin tire the bike was smooth and stable. At 230 MPH it seemed like I was going slow. We also adjusted the boost controller to keep from chunking the tire by putting down too much power too quickly."

According to Cronan, this record also makes him the fastest motorcycle rider from the Carolinas. That's something considerable to say because Lee Shierts lives in North Carolina, and is well known for regularly raising the record bar.

Adding interest to Cronan's record is the fact that his wife Kim gave birth to their son just six months ago, and she's worked full time for the last nine years as an emergency room nurse. About Thomas's landspeed record racing she said, "It's what he does. It's who he is. So I'm encouraging. And I have a motorcycle too." A new dad, a nurse, a baby; it's a family that's truly fully living life's many adventures.

Making Cronan's record possible is a crew of professionals, alongside owner Eric Paquette, that includes Mike Zerofski, Eric's son Kyle, brother Ray, and their cook Roland. Team sponsors include, Harry's Machine Parts, G&G Engineering, Rick at Exile Turbos, Capone Racing, Electromotive Engine Controls, Jung Kwon Martial Arts Academy, World Wide Bearings, and Doc's Cycle Worx. Watch for them at the next Loring AFB event as the team and Cronan attempt to set the record for the world's fastest supercharged motorcycle."