The first time Ducati has won at Le Mans in MotoGP history (Part 2)

MotoGP’s rookie, also the younger brother of Marc Marquez, has not had a remarkable record since the beginning of the year, but on a triumphant day, he managed to climb into the top.

P.Espargaro has the 3rd podium of the last 5 legs

Overcoming the more experienced drivers, coupled with the puzzling drop in Dovizioso’s last four laps, Marquez unexpectedly took second place, securing it to the end of the race and winning the first MotoGP podium. in career.

At the top, Petrucci dominated the race and made a too safe distance when Dovi fell behind. Since then, he went to a surprise victory at Le Mans, also the second time he won the MotoGP championship since winning at home at Mugello nearly a year and a half ago.

This is the first time Ducati has won at Le Mans in MotoGP history

Petrucci is the seventh winner in 2020 after nine races, and he and A. Marquez are the 14th and 15th drivers to join the podium this year. The remaining position on the podium belonged to Pol Espargaro after trying to overcome Dovi in ​​the penultimate race, for the third time to finish 3rd in the last 5 races.

This is the first time Ducati has won at Le Mans in MotoGP history

In the end, Quartararo only finished ninth but still increased the distance with Joan Mir to 10 points when Suzuki raced with many ups and downs. He started 14th, sometimes dropped to 20th, but rose to 11th, behind Maverick Vinales.

Jordi Torres is the 2nd Champion of the MotoE World Cup

In other developments, the 2nd year MotoE World Cup has found a new champion with a “overturn” phase in the last two races. Rookie Jordi Torres has never won in the first four races, but only with the championship in Race 1 in France, while all three remaining candidates in the championship race are Matteo Ferrari, Dominique Aegerter, and Mattia Casadei. All had accidents, he rose to have a great advantage in the last race.

No need to win but 6th place in Race 2 took him to the MotoE World Cup 2020 championship with 4 podiums, including an extremely important victory. Ferrari and Aegerter ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively in the final of the season.

The first time Ducati has won at Le Mans in MotoGP history (Part 1)

The race to win is now an internal affair of the Ducati racing team with Petrucci and Dovizioso.

Leading the personal rankings and full of confidence entering the home race at Le Mans with the advantage of winning the pole, however cold rainy conditions in France deprived Fabio Quartararo’s chances of being crowned. Instead, fans welcome the return of a raining expert at MotoGP and the 7th winner of this 2020 season.

The race to win is now an internal affair of the Ducati racing team

Fabio Quartararo won the third pole of the year with an impressive performance at the Le Mans Bugatti racetrack, leaving the opponents behind at least 0.22 seconds. However, race is a completely different story.

If it rains and the temperature is low, the steering wheel of the Petronas SRT has a lot of difficulties with the Ducati behind the wheel, Jack Miller or Danilo Petrucci, respectively. A surprising person has the third starting position at this stage.

And unfortunately, that happened just before the race, the rain fell on Le Mans causing the tire tactics of all riders to change.

A. Marquez excellently won the first podium MotoGP

From the very first seconds of the race started, three Ducati from Petrucci, Miller, and even Andrea Dovizioso from the sixth place overtook Quartararo to take the first three spots. The # 20 French driver continues to fall deeply towards the bottom of the top 10 and has no chance of winning this stage.

A. Marquez excellently won the first podium MotoGP

In contrast, the 3 Ducati cars run very stably at the top and preserve their position throughout the length of the race. The turning point came in round 19 when Miller’s car had a technical problem forced to give up unfortunately while competing for a podium and win.

In addition, Alex Rins (Suzuki) is on track to finding the second victory of the year, but he made a mistake in the 20th round to continue having an empty race this year.

Thus, the race to win is now only an internal matter of the Ducati factory racing team with Petrucci and Dovizioso. In the back suddenly a strange but unfamiliar name appeared and competed fiercely for a podium position, Alex Marquez.

10 most powerful racing superbikes in the world (Part 3)

Aprilia also offers Race Pack racing packages with lightweight aluminum rims, Ohlins suspension. In addition, the Italian automaker also offers the RSV4 RF with a limited number of 500 units.

7. MV Agusta F4 RR (201 hp)

MV Agusta F4 RR is a commercial version of the World Superbike Championship race car with a capacity of 212 horsepower. MV Agusta has been acquired by Mercedes-Benz with a 25% stake, so the AMG logo appears on the body of this superbike.

Overall, the car is 2,115 mm long, 750 mm wide and 830 mm high, the ground clearance reaches 115 mm. Dry weight of 190 kg, fuel tank capacity of 17 liters.

MV Agusta F4 RR has many modern features such as the Ride-By-Wire electronic throttle control system to help the engine operate more efficiently. Ohlins shock absorbers adjust power, systems such as the system that supports quickshifts.

4 control modes for setting the normal conditions (Normal), operating in the rain (Rain), sports (Sport) and an operating mode that the driver sets the parameters by himself.

8. Kawasaki ZZR1400 (200 horsepower)

Kawasaki ZZR1400 was developed based on the frame structure of the most powerful superbike in the world today. ZZR1400 carries the power of a 1,441 cc four-cylinder engine, producing 200 hp at 10,000 rpm and 162.5 Nm of peak torque at 7,500 rpm. Vehicle speed is limited to 300 km / h.

Noteworthy equipment on the special edition Kawasaki ZZR1400 includes a 6-speed gearbox, sliding clutch, fuel-saving operating mode, longer and stronger rear grips to bear the aluminum frame.

9. Kawasaki ZX-10R (200 horsepower)

Kawasaki ZX-10R is a superbike in the 1,000 cc segment, rival of Yamaha R1 and Honda CBR 1000RR. The four-cylinder 197 horsepower capacity, 998 cc capacity, the inside has many notable improvements.

ZX-10R features an electronic control system to adjust traction, cornering management and engine braking, ABS. In addition, the rear grips have been modified to help the car balance well and redistribute weight, making it easier for cornering.

10. Yamaha YZF-R1 (182 horsepower)

Yamaha R1 is the leading superbike in the sports car series manufactured by Yamaha. This is a street bike popular with many bikers in the world. 

Yamaha R1 is equipped with technologies inherited from the MotoGP racing team on the M1 superbike model. These include YCC-I intelligent fuel feeding system, throttle control system with YCC-T electronic chip and intelligent TCS traction control system with 6 different modes.

10 most powerful racing superbikes in the world (Part 2)

4. Kawasaki Ninja H2 (205 hp)

The Ninja H2 is the first commercial vehicle in the world and is also the only one to date equipped with a supercharged forced air intake engine.

The capacity of the car is only 205 horsepower, not too prominent in the 1,000-cubic-meter supersport segment today, but Ninja H2 still attracts attention thanks to the highest torque in the segment.

Ninja H2 is equipped with 6-speed gearbox with hydraulic clutch of Brembo. In addition, the Ninja H2 also features Quick Shift for quick gear changes.

Ninja H2 has a tough and strong design. The front headlights use LED bulbs, two large air cavities on the two sides, but only the left wind cavity is responsible for the intake of supercharger. Turn signal light integrated on the rearview mirror of the vehicle.

Engine: supercharged 998 cc, 4 cylinders in line

Capacity: 205 hp (215 hp with ram air set)

Reference price in the European market: 28,000 USD

5. Ducati 1299 Panigale R (205 hp)

Compared to the 1199 juniors, the 1299 Panigale R has a larger head for improved aerodynamics. At the same time, Ducati also arranged a sophisticated range of LED daytime running lights that both enhance the aesthetics and enhance the lighting of the vehicle.

In addition, 1299 Panigale R also allows users to customize the driving mode in the “bespoke” style (personalized) to best suit the control of each person.

1299 Panigale R deserves to be one of the highest bikes of Ducati when it is integrated with many advanced technologies such as Ducati Traction Control (traction control system), Ducati Wheelie Control (technology to limit the loading phases. unwanted head when accelerator is too fast), ABS anti-lock braking system on both wheels.

Engine: Superquadro L-Twin, 1198 cc

Capacity: 205 horsepower

Reference price in European market: 35,000 USD

6. Aprilia RSV4 RR (201 hp)

The 1,000cc superbike segment witnessed the competition of many famous names, from BMW S1000RR, Yamaha R1, Ducati 1299 Panigale, Kawasaki Ninja H2 and indispensable a name from Italy – Aprilia RSV4 RR.

Aprilia RSV4 RR owns a list of electronic assist technologies including second-generation APRC (Aprilia Performance Ride Control) operation control. Traction Control Traction Control, control wheelie control, Launch Control and Quick Shift gearshift. All combined with Ride by Wire throttle control and multiple running modes.

10 most powerful racing super bikes in the world (Part 1)

Top 10 marks the growth of Japanese automakers with 5 positions, but most unfortunately, there is no Honda superbike.

Kawasaki is noticeable when there are up to 4 models in the list. Aprilia and MV Agusta each have two units, while Ducati and Yamaha have only one representative.

1. Kawasaki Ninja H2R (326 hp)

Launched nearly two years but until now, Kawasaki Ninja H2R has no rivals in strength. H2R uses advanced assistive technologies such as traction control KTRC (Traction Control), KLCM start control (Launch Control), KEBC engine brake control, anti-lock braking KIBS, to quick gear and electronic shock absorber forks from Ohlins. 

Engine: 998 cc supercharged, 4 cylinders in line

Capacity: 310 hp (326 hp with ram air set)

Reference price in European market: USD 55,000.

2. Aprilia RSV4 R-FW (230 hp)

FW stands for Factory Works, Aprilia’s racing development division. The Aprilia units of this division have won 54 racing car titles around the world.

The most successful version is RSV4. The bike has won seven world superbike titles, along with races for riders and car manufacturers at the FIM Superstock 1000 2015. With all of the above, it is possible to predict the RSV4 R-FW is not a medium size.

The car is equipped with many modern technologies for the track including pneumatic valves, APX2 electric motor management system, adaptive traction control, wheel control. The all-titanium Akrapovic exhaust system is only for racing use and the suspension includes the Ohlins Racing FGR 300 front forks, which can be adjusted according to the steering angle and Ohlins TTX GP rear shock absorbers.

Engine: V4 999,6 cc

Capacity: more than 230 horsepower

Reference price in European market: USD 104,600.

3. MV Agusta F4 RC (212 hp)

The MV Agusta F4 RC is a commercial version of the World Superbike Championship F4 RR, producing only 250 units worldwide.

This model weighs only 175 kg, lower than the F4 RR racing version. To reduce weight, MV Agusta F4 RC carries a lot of high-tech components such as the crankshaft lighter than 0.48 kg compared to standard racing cars.

The engine uses 333 titanium bolts and 11 magnesium covers, helping to reduce an additional 1.13 kg. The body is made of carbon fiber, helps reduce 1.99 kg, Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes for racing.

Engine: 4 cylinders, 998 cc

Capacity: 205 horsepower (212 horsepower if using the racing kit)

Reference price in European market: USD 46,000.

13-way journey through 10 countries of the 30th WSBK motorbike racing (Part 2)

Regarding the situation of personnel of the racing teams, most of the most notable names of the tournament have found themselves a new stop.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) both have a new 2-year contract from last summer and will continue the new season with the teams they have been attached to from 2015 to the present.

Rea set a new WSBK record with his fifth consecutive championship with Kawasaki in 2019. And in the sixth championship campaign, the British driver will have a new teammate, Alex Lowes, a fellow countryman. have the most successful 2019 season with Yamaha with 9 podiums and 3rd place on the individual standings.

Alvaro Bautista, after a year of disappointing performance at Ducati, decided to join Honda in his second year at the WSBK. In 2020, Honda will return as a factory racing team, supported by HRC with the ambition to win from the first stages. Bautista will be the main driver of the racing team with the second steering wheel Leon Haslam (racing for Kawasaki in 2019), bringing a new color to the tournament.

Bautista switched from Ducati to Honda in hopes of winning the championship

The other place at ARUBA.IT Racing Ducati next to Davies, is a veteran of MotoGP (2008-2018), British driver Scott Redding will have the opening stage of WSBK after winning the British Superbike in 2019.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu independent race team (Turkey) will be given the opportunity at Yamaha factory team when replacing Lowes. He will accompany Michael van der Mark, creating a youthful squad capable of standing in the top of the next few years.

The last factory team, BMW Motorrad retains their main driver, Tom Sykes after his good results in 2019. Accompanying him in 2020 is Irish steering wheel Eugene Laverty, two names previously used to compete for the WSBK 2013 championship together, and Sykes took the throne. Both will have the opportunity to compete with each other again in the same car next year.

Overall, the picture of the championship race in 2020 will still be the presence of names that have proven their ability in the past year. However, it is impossible not to mention Scott Redding and Ducati, who are considered the “dark horse” of the new season.

I know that the British steering wheel can create waves as what Bautista did in the first half of 2019. Will the 6th championship for Rea and Kawasaki or a new name crowned? Let’s wait for WSBK 2020.

13-way journey through 10 countries of the 30th WSBK motorbike racing (Part 1)

Besides MotoGP, another 2-wheel drive racing tournament has also received a lot of attention, that is the World Superbike will also have major changes in 2020.

By the end of November, the tournament organizers have confirmed the official schedule for the 2020 season, with 13 races, no increase (decrease) compared to 2019 but there are some changes in destinations. Taking place in 10 countries on 4 different continents, the 2020 season will once again start in Australia at the beginning of March.

The Philips Island racetrack will mark the 30th time in history of organizing a WSBK race, no race in the world has achieved this milestone yet. In addition, there will also be an official test before the final season on February 24-25, 2020.

Philips Island will be the start of the WSBK 2020 season

Two weeks later, the teams will come to the race in Qatar, where all new riders will ‘visit’ at the end of October, with the last race of 2019. Losail racecourse will have 2 consecutive weeks. continue to be busy when organizing 2 tournaments MotoGP and World SBK. The change of Thai GP stage in MotoGP race when moving to March forced this race to break up with WSBK this year.

In addition, the only race in North America at Laguna Seca racetrack, California, USA will not appear next year.

The usual European season starts at Jerez in late March, then returns to Spain twice in Aragon in late May and the first time WSBK goes to the Barcelona-Catalunya racetrack in mid-September. Italy will remain the country with more than one race, with two races at Imola and Misano in about 35 days.

July and August is a break time for riders to take only 2 stages in the first week of the month. The WSBK will return to Germany, but with a new Oschersleben race, the fourth fixed race track in Germany, after Nürburgring, Hockenheimring and Sachsenring.

Oschersleben racetrack (Germany) is the new destination of German GP

September is a sprint stage with 3 races at Algarve (Portugal), Barcelona (Spain) and Magny-Cours (France) in less than 25 days. The season-ending race will take place in South America, with the Argentine GP race at the San Juan Villicum racetrack on October 11, 2020. In addition, the middle of the season will have an official test but the time and place have not been announced.