New Sales Volume Record For BMW Motorcycles In 2007

The BMW Group has achieved a new sales revenue record in 2007. Compared to the previous year, group revenues rose by 14.3% to euro 56,018 million (2006: euro 48,999 million). Revenues of the Automobiles segment went up by 12.7% to euro 53,818 million (2006: euro 47,767 million). The Motorcycles segment reported sales of euro 1,228 million (2006: euro 1,265 million /-2.9%), while the Financial Services segment increased its revenues by 25.8% to euro 13,940 million (2006: euro 11,079 million).

2008 Ducati Superbike Concorso Schedule

The Superbike Concorso is an enthusiast-led event that showcases all outstanding Ducati Superbikes—spanning from the classic era of Cook Neilson’s 1970’s era Supersport up to the recent MotoGP Desmosedici domination with Casey Stoner.

The Superbike Concorso is open to all privately owned 1972-2008 Ducati Superbikes, including the revolutionary Desmosedici and new Ducati 848. The Concorso recognizes performance, history, beauty, and craftsmanship, all carefully weighed by the panel of esteemed motorcycle authorities.

There will be five rounds of the Superbike Concorso in 2008. Four of these rounds will coincide with major American motorcycle races. For those who can’t make it to the track, a fifth round will take place solely online. Entrants can log onto ducatiusa.com or ducatisuperbikeconcorso.com for entry into the Online Round. The Concorso kicks off March 5-8 at Daytona Bike Week and will continue throughout the historic Indianapolis Grand Prix in September.

Round 1 – Daytona AMA March 5–8
Round 2 – Online Round May 5–26
Round 3 – Laguna Seca MotoGP July 18–20
Round 4 – Mid-Ohio AMA August 1–3
Round 5 – Indianapolis MotoGP September 12–14
Each of the five rounds will crown an overall "Best Superbike" with the winner receiving an once-in-a-lifetime trip to Ducati’s Bologna factory. Six runner-up categories spread over distinctive criteria such as "Best Competition Superbike" and "Extraordinary External Beauty" will receive $500 Ducati Performance certificates redeemable at over 160 Ducati Dealerships.

Violent crash for Sekiguchi at the Czech Grand Prix

Taro Sekiguchi, the Japanese rider has suffered a broken pelvis and fractured two ribs at the Czech Grand Prix after a high-speed terrifying crash. He was catapulted into the air when he crashed into Marco Simoncelli’s Gilera motorcycle.
Simoncelli crashed his bike in a corner and the bike slid into the middle of the track. Due to the dust cloud made after his crash Sekiguchi didn’t see anything and slammed Simoncelli’s motorcycle.This violent impact launched the Japanese in a 360 degree spin and made him lose consciousness when he hit the ground. After the accident Sekiguchi was taken to the hospital with an helicopter but the doctors confirmed the fact that he has no internal injuries and he will soon be well enough to be released.

Ulster Grand Prix

A day motorbike fans can't afford to miss

Thousands of bike fans are expected to flock to Dundrod tomorrow for a rip-roaring final day of the Ulster Grand Prix.

Motorcycling enthusiasts have been travelling from across the province to watch 162 world class riders compete.

Leslie Moore, club secretary and race organiser said it had been a great week for both competitors and the public and is expecting the meeting to end on a high.

" Everyone has enjoyed the week so far," he said.

" Hopefully it will stay dry for Saturday. I have my fingers crossed."

"We had 38 new riders compete, so it is still attracting new competitors every year."

Saturday's Race Day will profile six races culminating in the Belfast Telegraph Superbike Race with a winner's prize package of £4,000.

Later today TT trophy cars will be on display.

At 5pm a stunt show featuring Ireland's top streetbike freestyle rider Mattie Griffin will also take place.

Mr Moore said that as well as the racing one of the highlights of the week was a special chat show which involved some of the top riders.

"Fans came face-to-face with their heroes such as John McGuinness, Ian Hutchinson and William Dunlop.

"They were on a panel and it was a great opportunity for the fans to meet the riders who are usually travelling at around 160mph!"

And before racing begins on Saturday rider Scott Lonsdale will run a lap of the famous Dundrod circuit for charity.

Money raised following the run - which is just over seven miles - will go towards the Injured Riders' Fund and the UC Medical Team, also known as the 'Flying Doctors'.

Lonsdale (37) says the two charities are important in supporting injured riders and their families.

" Whatever I can get to help will be great, whether it be £100 or £100,000. I just think it is important to highlight how vital the work these people do is for the sport, the riders and their families," he said.

On Saturday, the roads will close at 9.30am for the Ulster Grand Prix race and re-open again at 6.30pm.

Temporary no waiting restrictions will be implemented on some of the roads surrounding the circuit.

Police would also encourage those attending the event to use the official car parks.

All road users in the vicinity of Dundrod should leave plenty of time for journeys and if possible plan an alternative route.

If you want to support the charities contact Scott at char ity@motorcycleracingireland.com, or make a donation by paypal to charity@motorcycleracingireland.com.

Car parking spaces in the Paddock area are available to pass holders only.

Free car parking will be available at Nutts Corner Market and a shuttle bus service to the course will be running from 7am to 9am.

Passengers must have an official Ulster Grand Prix programme.


5 things you didn't know about Ulster's Grand Prix
* Belfast Telegraph journalist, MP and keen motor cyclist Thomas Moles helped found the first Ulster Grand Prix in 1922

* The original Clady course ran across part of the grass runway at RAF Aldergrove ? opened in 1918 - believe it or not

* It used to be a race tradition ? and probably still is ? for townie enthusiasts to take the bus to Ligoniel and walk the rest of the way to the Dundrod circuit with picnic basket to hand

* For the first two years of its existence the pits were on the Seven Mile Straight by Loanends Primary School ? and curiously enough not far from a pub called Becher's Brook which had been built by a horse racing enthusiast and owner of a runner in the Aintree Grand National

* The first race of all in 1922 had 75 entries for the four classes ? the 250cc event, the 350cc, the 600 cc and the over 600cc

Trans-Viet Motorbike Tours Turn on Norwegian and Danish Travellers

Tour operators in Vietnam has been organizing high-power motorbike tours which attract tourists from Norway and Denmark, preferring to hit the road on their own terms, exploring Vietnam’s must-see sights from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang and Ha Long Bay instead of more restrictive, but more comfortable modern cars and luxury hotels.

Most of the tourists expressing an interest in this type of tour are high earners, Phan Than, Director of the Vyta Tours Company – one of the first companies in Ho Chi Minh City to organise the trans-Viet motorbike tours, said it costs between US $4,000-5000 for a 17-day trans-Viet package tour while a trans-Asia tour takes several months and can cost up to US $30,000-40,000.
Its popularity is also due to the variety in scenery and the chance to get hands-on experience of the culture and daily life of local people, Than said.
However, tour operators have complained that getting tourists temporary driving licences is posing a major challenge. Several companies in Ho Chi Minh City have started up this type of tour, Than said, adding that while demand is increasing, each company can only organise a handful of tours per year due to complicated driving licence procedures.
Vu The Binh, Director of the National Administration of Tourism’s Travel Department, said the simplification of procedures will pave the way for better conditions to get more tourists on this type of tour.

By Kittisak Siripornpitak

2008 Triumph Street Triple: MD First Ride

Time stands still, I can feel the three small cylinders working together to create some sort of a crescendo way too early! How can 675cc feel like so much more?

One of the smartest things the modern Triumph factory did was to strip a Daytona sportsbike to create the Speed Triple. If there is one Triumph that has managed to capture imaginations during the last 10 years it is the Speed Triple. So in the styling department, Triumph has had good reason to make the new Street Triple look similar to the great Speed Triple 1050.

All the difference you'll notice from a distance is the Daytona 675 swinging arm and the lower spec front brakes. The double round headlights are there, the double high stubby exhaust is there and the minimalist look is complete.


The basis for a great naked was always there in the Daytona 675. The engine produced more torque than the bland and characterless in-line fours at the same time as it went just as fast around a racetrack.

The Street Triple feels very light when I first sit on it and push it forwards and backwards with the engine humming on idle. The seat (800mm) and feel is of a taller bike than the 2007 Honda Hornet 600, but the Street Triple feels just as light and nimble.




The acceleration is instant and there's no boring wait for 10K readings on the tachometer. There seems to be drive all over the power band, but from 6,000rpm the fun really begins and the front lifts at 8K both in first and second. Not big wheelies, just a small and very satisfying power wheelie. If you want to play with the big boys the Street Triple can wheelie all day long easily by doing on-offs or using the clutch in second. It's just a natural thing for such a motorcycle. I would have been disappointed if it didn't.


The two things that impress me straight away are the 675cc triple engine and the handling. First I notice that there's no nervousness or tendency to headshake like I have experienced on the Speed Triple. The front end on the Street Triple is rock-solid . . . probably due to the Daytona 675 chassis and swinging arm. The best parts from the Daytona 675 have been donated directly to the Street Triple. This makes the Street Triple a seriously competent sportsbike for the roads and the occasional track-day.

The Kayaba upside-down fork and rear shock keep the Dunlop Qualifier tyres in contact with the changing tarmac. More than mere competence, however, the Street Triple easily inspires the wild in me and I enjoy riding it much more than any new 180bhp litre sportsbike.

The engine is a gem of 106bhp triple power with a claimed 69Nm. Revving it out in first, second and third (continue to sixth if you have the space…) feels great, and above 8,000rpm it offers proper sport bike acceleration. The Street Triple has got the best of both worlds. Hail Triumph for having managed to keep the engine as exciting as this! The 675 is really addictive.


The claimed dry-weight is 167kg (367 lbs.) which is very light. This contributes to the great handling and ease of manoeuvring. The steering angle is not the best for slow car-park manoeuvres in town, but that's about the only thing that I could put my finger on. The two-pot Nissin front brakes are more than up for the job and I actually like them better than the Speed Triple radial items.

Triumph has simply followed the successful recipe from the latest Speed Triple, Daytona 675 and Tiger 1050 and created another "must have" product. The Street Triple hits me in the gut in the same places as a much bigger capacity motorcycle.



Conclusion:
Having ridden and tested the 07 Honda CB600F Hornet, 07 Aprilia SL750 Shiver, Suzuki GSR600, Ducati Monsters, and BMW F800's, I know pretty much what I am looking for in a motorcycle such as the Street Triple. My verdict is that Triumph has built exactly the bike that I want!

+
Great 675cc triple engine-both on low and high revs.
Handles like the Daytona 675
It's worth every penny of that at £5.500 (British Pounds)

-
Slow speed manoeuvrability hindered a bit by the sportsbike-like steering lock
Makes the Speed Triple less attractive…

How far will BMW Go?

If you had told me ten years ago that BMW motorcycles would try to emulate the M division of its automobile business by producing a high performance motorcycle in every class ... and, in fact, the best performing motorcycle in every class, I would not have believed it.


This is a motorcycle company that catered to the mature, conservative motorcyclist for decades. It offered nothing to the adrenalin junkies.

Now that it has acquired Husqvarna, it is becoming clearer that BMW wants to produce state-of-the-art high performance bikes in every category, both on-road and off. Expect to see road machines introduced in the next few years that are designed to take on the best that the Japanese and other European manufacturers have to offer. At the same time, expect BMW to invest funds into Husqvarna and push it even further onto the cutting edge of off-road design

X Games Continues to Take Motorcycling Mainstream

With Suzuki's Ricky Carmichael taking the debut win in the X Games MotoX race this weekend, a much larger audience finally got to see one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time. It also got a taste for motocross/supercross.


Beginning with freestyle, and then supermoto, motorcycling has worked its way into the X Games (and into the minds of the tens of millions of people watching on television). MotoX racing is the most "mainstream" of the motorcycle events so far, and Carmichael is the most decorated motorcycle racer so far.

Think what you will about the X Games as a whole, but it is really bringing motorcycling into the hearts and minds of millions worldwide that might otherwise never catch a glimpse of the joys of this activity.

Ducati

Ducati treatment angers Capirossi

Capirossi is unhappy at the way Ducati broke the news
Ducati rider Loris Capirossi says he is "disgusted" by the way the team handled the signing of his replacement for next season, Marco Melandri.
The 34-year-old said he only found out the news had been made public when he saw a copy of the press release, rather than being told personally.

"I don't think they've treated me well, and all that has happened has disgusted me," he told La Stampa newspaper.

"Ducati's given me a lot, I can't deny, but I've offered a lot in return."

Capirossi said the team had made some effort to make room for him next season on a third factory bike, in addition to the first-choice pairing of Melandri and championship leader Casey Stoner, but he was not happy with the offer.

"Team chief Livio Suppo offered me a third bike identical to the factory team's machines, but my engineer Christian Populin would be moved to work with Melandri and I would be part of the d'Antin satellite team," he said.

"The truth is I was expecting something different."

Capirossi has been linked with Kawasaki and Suzuki so even if he leaves Ducati he should remain in MotoGP.

"I will be riding next year if all goes well, and possibly even in 2009," he said.

Indianapolis to host MotoGP race

The famous Indianapolis Speedway will host a round of the MotoGP world championship in 2008.
Motorcycle racing will return to the famous "Brickyard" for the first time in nearly a century.

The US will host two rounds of the 2008 championship, with the Indianapolis race on 14 September following the US GP at Laguna Seca in California.

The MotoGP circuit will be a new 16-turn 4.1km road course, with riders racing in an anti-clockwise direction.

Indianapolis has hosted the US Formula One Grand Prix since 2000, but last week Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone confirmed that there would not be a 2008 race at the track.

MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden, who is from Kentucky, said: I'm really excited about this race. Coming to such an historic track like Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be really special to me. It's like my home race."

Indianapolis is building a new track for the MotoGP event
His fellow American rider Colin Edwards added: "MotoGP is really starting to take off over there [in the US], and now with two races we'll get a lot more exposure.

"I'm definitely looking forward to it. It's the Brickyard, and it's got racing history for as far back as you can remember. It has so many famous car races there that it's definitely time we got two wheels on the track."

The new MotoGP track follows the Formula One track until Turn 8, after it dispenses with the double hairpin at turns 9 and 10 in favour of a more open S-bend.

It then rejoins the F1 circuit through turns 11 and 12, which bring it back on to the banked oval.

But instead of continuing through the banked turn of the oval, the MotoGP track turns right off it through a series of tight corners before rejoining the Speedway's main straight.

Pedrosa takes win as Rossi falls

Spain's Dani Pedrosa took victory in an eventful German MotoGP on Sunday.
Yamaha's Valentino Rossi, looking to make up ground on championship leader Casey Stoner, slid out of the race on lap five as he tried to overtake.

But Ducati rider Stoner failed to capitalise and the Australian struggled home in fifth in sweltering conditions.

That left Pedrosa to take the chequered flag on his Honda ahead of Italian Loris Capirossi, with Nicky Hayden third despite starting in 14th.


Stoner, who started from pole position on Sunday but suffered suspected tyre problems, extended his lead over Rossi in the championship standings to 32 points with just under half the season left.

The 21-year-old said he had problems with his tyres and had no chance of catching the leaders.


"By the end of the race I was really struggling so to pull fifth out of that was a real positive. I was just hoping to finish the race to tell you the truth," he said,

Rossi was disappointed not to have closed the gap on his young rival.

"Unfortunately I made a mistake and I would like to apologize to everyone, my team, my stable and my fans," said Rossi.

"I lost a few places at the start and had to wait a lap to start pushing forwards. Overtaking De Puniet was difficult because during the sections where you can overtake he was very fast.

I feel great and this is a result I want to give to all the fans who have supported me

Dani Pedrosa

"Eventually I tried it on a more difficult section of the track, I got passed him, but I lost the front end.

"I'm really disappointed because the bike was in top condition and I lost out on the chance to close the gap on Stoner.

Pedrosa, however, was overwhelmed after taking his first victory in more than a year.

"I'm so happy," he told BBC Sport. "I want to thank all the team. I feel great and this is a result I want to give to all the fans who have supported me."

Capirossi, who has been linked with a move away from Ducati, secured his best finish of the season.

His high finish was all the more surprising given that other riders using Bridgestone tyres struggled.

"I wouldn't say it was easy but I made a different choice of tyres to the other Bridgestone riders," said the 34-year-old.

The riders now travel to the United States for race 11 on 22 July at Laguna Seca near Monterey in California.


German Grand Prix result:
1. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda, 41 mins 53.196 secs
2. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Ducati, 42:06.362
3. Nicky Hayden (US) Honda, 42:09.976
4. Colin Edwards (US) Yamaha, 42:11.495
5. Casey Stoner (Australia) Ducati, 42:24.622
6. Marco Melandri (Italy) Honda, 42:25.113
7. John Hopkins (US) Suzuki,42:26.591
8. Anthony West (Australia) Kawasaki, 42:34.390
9. Alex Hofmann (Germany) Ducati, 42:36.410
10. Michel Fabrizio (Italy) Honda, 42:37.655


250cc result:
1. Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) KTM, 41:16.191
2. Mika Kallio (Finland) KTM, 41:16.310
3. Alex de Angelis (San Marino) Aprilia, 41:16.465


125cc result:
1. Gabor Talmacsi (Hungary) Aprilia, 39:30.802
2. Tomoyoshi Koyama (Japan) KTM, 39:34.334
3. Hector Faubel (Spain) Aprilia, 39:34.412