Table of contents for 23 March 2016 in MCN

For a very limited time, there’s 15% off group and camping tickets to the MCN Festival. Up until March 23 you can purchase three day tickets for £37.50 (which works out as £12.50 each) normal price: £45/£15 each or three camping packages for £90 (£30 each) normal camping prices are £105 (£35 each). Held at the East of England show-ground on May 14-15. The MCN Festival boasts 2016 test bike fleets from manufacturers, huge amount of trade stands, Transatlantic Trophy short track racing, a classic parade, trials display, autojumble and much more. To take advantage of these ticket offers just visit www.mcnfestival.com or call 0871 2301108…

THE EYEWITNESSES Nick Sanders Endurance adventurer, speaker and tour leader Eric Michell Film and TV producer, was the first to bring Sanders to our screens Bruno Tagliaferri National Sales Manager for Triumph Motorcycles These days Nick Sanders is a legend for his record-breaking global rides, but back in 1997 he was an unknown entity. He hadn’t written any motorcycle books or blogged any adventures. He was just an ambitious guy with a plan to “push the boundaries”. This is the story of how he and a Triumph Daytona 900 circled the world in just 764 hours. Nick Sanders ‘The route was determined by the Guinness Book of Records: they say you have to do a minimum of 18,000 miles, you have to go round in the same direction and use…

Some people have suggested that the actual logistics of the wall he has to ride will make it difficult for him to succeed, but I am sure the team of engineers and technicians Guy has worked with to build it have done all of their sums correctly. These ventures are risky and, even though every risk is addressed, things can still go wrong, as Top Gear’s Richard Hammond found in 2006 when he was badly injured in a drag car crash for TV. As a road racer, Guy is more familiar with risk than almost anyone else. Given everything he has achieved in racing and in his daredevil exploits for television only a fool would dismiss his chances of breaking the Wall of Death record. The training he is doing…

Road bikes 1. 900SS bevel The first Ducati I had for myself. It’s just a perfectly balanced design, with performance and roadholding to match. 2. Élite with jelly mould tank Italian style personified – and when your BSA C15 and Tiger Cub were spewing oil and bits everywhere, these were the Rolls Royce of singles. 3. 916 Strada Another milestone in design that will never date. The bike equivalent of an E-Type Jaguar. Race bikes 1. Hailwood’s 900 1978 Obviously. I built it! 2. Spaggiari’s Imola 750SS The start of all the modern twin-cylinder racers. At the time I preferred his to Paul Smart’s as he had an exciting name. Sorry Paul! 3. Supermono A single that thinks it’s a twin (two conrods and a pendulum, for those that don’t…

Road bikes 1. 750GT 1972 The first bevel V-twin roadster and they got it right first time. 2. 900SS 1975 A true café racer: so minimalist, so purposeful. 3. 999S It was never going to be easy for Ducati after the 916 series but the 999 is stunning. Race bikes 1. Paul Smart’s Imola 750SS An influential machine that inspired so many others. 2. Hailwood’s 1978 TT winner It’s a fairytale comeback on a bike thought by many to be the underdog: a fantastic story. 3. 600 F2 TT Another unlikely multi-race and championship winner.…

Road bikes 1. Desmosedici RR Just like the MotoGP bike, it’s so different, and looks so scary to ride. 2. 1299 Panigale I hated the Panigale at first, but with the latest version has grown on me. 3. 916 It was just so different, and it still looks bloody good now. Everything is in just the right place. Race bikes 1. Desmosedici 990 2002 The Bayliss/Capirossi one. It just looked big and fast. And it was fast. 2. Tony Rutter’s 1985 600 F2 TT. It came with a 16-inch front wheel. Dad [Tony] hated it, and it handled terrible. But it looked dead cool. 3. 998 I raced the 2002 factory bike in 2003 for Renegade. It was absolutely fantastic: silky smooth with unbelievable power. Then we had to strip…

And the winner is… Road bikes 1st 916 series 2nd 900SS/750SS bevel 3rd Panigale Race bikes 1st 916 series2nd Imola 750SS3rd Desmosedici GP series ‘Shock and awe’ Should we be surprised by the lack of surprises on the top step of our road and race podiums? Well, probably not. But look beyond the 916 dominance, a bike that has been always been considered the firm’s most beautiful offspring since its birth, and there are some revelations. The least of them is that Paul Smart’s Imola-winning 750 clearly resonates through our Ducatisti’s lists as a seminal bike in the history of the Italian firm – and not just in racing, but also spilling over into the road bike and subsequent 900SS. Maybe more surprising considering most people’s default obsession with nostalgia,…

‘Five-year-old bikes look like they are six months old’ Jeff Green, 53, has worked with Ducatis for 27 years. He built Foggy’s first race Ducatis and ran his own independent Ducati business until emigrating last year “Over here in Australia I’ve never seen so many miles on Ducatis, but everything looks like it’s only six months old. I took the exhaust off a five-year-old Monster the other day and I could reuse the stud nuts. In the UK the nuts would be seized on. “You can tell if a UK bike has gone through a winter as the gold finish on the fasteners will have been lost. Here the sign of a well-used bike is more likely to be when the rear tyre has gone down well past the wear…

‘More basic than the FJR but Sprints start at £3000’ Sprint is a great sports touring buy Last week, I said that sports-tourer values appeared to be weak. One reason is simply that the models that are around have been around for… well, ages. Take a look at the Yamaha FJR1300. You’ve got early – 2001 or 2002 – models selling for under three grand. But much, much younger models (2008, 2009) aren’t making appreciably more. Maybe four grand. That’s the penalty sellers pay for buying exceptionally long-running models, and the FJR is certainly that. People will look at an older but beautifully kept one, and decide that it’s as valid a purchase as a younger machine, and cheaper. And the base model is over 13 grand. There are a…

Knox Base Layers £104.98 We’ve got a great set of Knox base layers to give away. They are made in the UK from Merino wool and are breathable, wicking and fast drying so ideal for use throughout the year. The material is naturally odour resistant and great for touring. Enter until: April 30 Oxford Monster Disc Lock £70 Shackle-style disc lock that can also be used with a chain. It combines an 11mm hardened alloy steel shackle with a double-locking mechanism. The Monster Disc Lock is Thatcham-approved and has passed the Sold Secure Gold standard. Enter until: March 31 Prescott Bike Festival Family Pass £25 If you are looking for a great family day out, all in aid of a good cause, then look no further than the Prescott Bike…

When Guy Martin’s wall of death world record attempt, live on TV on Easter Monday, is over (see page 22) the Lincolnshire man has signed up for something a little less intense – the forthcoming Classic Pre-65 Scottish Two Day trial. Guy will be the guest of honour in the event for bikes pre-dating 1965. The event takes place from April 29-30, prior to the prestigious Scottish Six Day Trial for modern machinery. In a year where Guy has shelved plans to race at the TT in favour of competing in the 2500-mile Tour Divide mountain bike race in America, the classic trial gives him a chance to at least scratch the itch when it comes to motorcycle competition.…

Danny Kent left Qatar delighted with his return to the Moto2 class, after exceeding his own expectations of a top 10 finish by capitalising on the jump start chaos to take sixth place. Spending much of the race alongside former race winner Dominique Aegerter, Kent was able to maximise his learning opportunities as he eased himself back into the middleweight class after two seasons in Moto3. He said: “If you’d said on Thursday that we’d finish sixth on Sunday, I’d have said that you were joking! The team and me have been working hard and getting closer and closer to the front, and I know that a few people made some jump starts and crashed, but at the end of the day that’s racing. “We did what we needed to…

Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis has admitted that Lorenzo has ‘his best ever’ contract waiting to sign, but for some reason is yet to put pen to paper. Lorenzo’s reluctance to sign has clearly come as a surprise to Yamaha, given that only a month ago Lorenzo admitted that his plan was to extend his deal with the Japanese manufacturer for a 10th year in 2017. Now believed to have an offer on the table from Ducati as well as Yamaha, Lorenzo’s future appears less certain. Unwilling to be drawn on the choice over the weekend, or even admit to the Italian firm’s interest, Lorenzo is playing his cards close to his chest. He said: “The good thing is that I have an offer from Yamaha, and it is what I…

BMW are developing a helmet that uses haptics – the transmission of information via touch – rather than the more common visual or audible signals. A few years ago ‘haptic’ wasn’t a common word, but now – thanks to smartphones – it’s one that most of us have experience of. The vibrations used by phones to send feedback via their touchscreens is the most common example. BMW’s new helmet patent describes a system where a ring of haptic actuators is mounted in the lining of the helmet, circling the rider’s head. Each actuator can vibrate – or possibly apply pressure – to a different part of the head. The obvious application is for satnavs. Instead of having to look down at a GPS at dash level or straining to hear…

Chris is a structural engineer tasked with designing the wall – he specialises in unusual projects. The tricky thing about designing this is that there is nothing to go off. I visited Ken’s wall, but it is a lot smaller and his riders travel at a slower speed so the design doesn’t translate to our wall. That makes it interesting because we had to start from scratch. Here’s how we did it… We were given the maximum weight of the bike and rider (320kg) before anything else. So once we had that figure we could design the wall and specify everything to match. But first we would have to work out the maximum wheel load using that total weight figure. The bike stays on the wall due to centrifugal acceleration…

I’ve been training Guy for his wall of death record attempt and he’s been excellent. He’s turned out to be the easiest person to teach. He does everything I suggest; he listens and is obviously extremely competent on a motorcycle. It would have taken much longer to train someone else. We started training last March, so we’ve had a year to get him ready for this. But it’s a long, slow, gradual process getting someone ready for the extreme nausea. So to train him to deal with the dizziness, he rides around the floor in circles over and over until he’s dizzy. Then he stops, rests and does it again until he’s dizzy. Rest, and go again. We do that until he doesn’t get dizzy anymore. Then we move up…

Given the conditions, this was a tough outing for the DCT. If the test had been conducted on fast sweeping fire tracks I’d have been waxing lyrical. The slight delay in throttle response wouldn’t have been an issue and it would have been a pleasure to ride. One of DCT’s greatest strengths is the ease of use. Select the gear and away you go. The system is clever enough to ensure you are in the right gear at any given time and this in turn enables the rider to concentrate on where he or she is going. Plus, gears can be changed manually if required by simply pressing a button. Of course not all Africa Twins will be taken off road and the vast majority of those that do will…

Road bikes 1. Paul Smart 1000 LE A great bike, but a pity about the handlebar position. 2. The original Monster 900 Twenty years of Monster production can’t be wrong. 3. 916 Strada A model for everyone. Race bikes 1. Supermono That bike is a piece of art. 2. Paul Smart’s 750SS I was there at Brands Hatch, cheering Paul on to win one of the Kent circuit’s greatest races: Boy’s Own stuff. 3. 916 It rewrote the record book with Foggy on board. Steve Harris on race replicas “We made 12 replicas of Tony Rutter’s TT2 Pantah for Steve Wynne back in 1981 and we still do the TT2, an F1 750 rocker arm frame and one for a 900 bevel, the Imola. Ducati are not just a manufacturer,…

Road bikes 1. 916 Strada The first Ducati to bring technology and aesthetic to the maximum level. 2. 1199 Panigale The second Ducati to do the same as above. 3. 851/888 The first twin in history that was able to compete with fours. Race bikes 1. Desmosedici GP07 The winner of the most important championship in motorcycling: MotoGP, in 2007. 2. 851/888 The winner of Ducati’s first really important championship: Superbike 1990. 3. 916 The most winning Ducati of all time (although some say the 999 won more races – Ed).…

Road bikes 1. 916 Strada Words are not necessary. This bike’s beauty explains itself. 2. Panigale Something that seemed impossible: a bike as beautiful as a 916. 3. Scrambler 450 The first Ducati I saw when I was a child, in the 1970s. Race bikes 1. 996R Troy Bayliss’s 2001 Infostrada bike: a knight and his thoroughbred. 2. 888 Elegant, sporty, red, smooth – a real Ducati. 3. Desmosedici GP07 Stoner’s championship-winning bike: the beauty of victory.…

Keep it simple Having owned seven new or under two year-old bikes in the previous four years, I decided last August to buy an ’08 plate BMW R1200R. Lovely bike with ABS and ESA suspension but it now has an ABS pump problem which could cost £1000 to £1500 to put right on a bike that cost £5500. The brakes still work fine and I’ve only had one machine with ABS, so no big deal. But with all the electronic this and that, ride-by-wire, different maps and riding modes on the latest bikes, what will reliability be like in five years' time when out of warranty but affordable outside of PCP deals? I'm now thinking old-style Speed Triple without the ABS as the route to go for less costly biking.…

It was great to see the modern day gladiators doing battle in the MotoGP amphitheatre again at the weekend. While the MotoGP race never quite lived up to my desire for an epic battle, it’s still hard to be unimpressed by Lorenzo’s serene masterclass. More entertaining was the race-long battle in Moto3 that saw one of the closest finish-line duels we’re ever likely to witness, with Antonelli pipping Binder by just 0.007 of a second to take the win from the chasing pack. Moto2 was almost equally gob-smacking, if only because of the inconsistency of race direction in identifying and penalising those who got a bit trigger-happy with the clutch lever off the line. Better luck next time Sam – that could have been race one glory if a little…

‘The Tracer is such great value for a bike that impresses as a daily commuter, fun machine or two-up tourer’ YAMAHA MT-09 TRACER £8149 THE BIKE Weight 210kg Seat height 845mm to 860mm Miles 8244 MPG 48 Mods MCT suspension set-up, heated grips, panniers THE RIDER Andy Downes Senior Reporter andy.downes@motorcyclenews.com Height 5ft 9in Weight 80kg His riding Experienced road rider who loves a long continental trip My time with the Yamaha MT-09 Tracer has come to an end and I’m already missing it. The term ‘all-rounder’ can often paint a picture of a bland bike that’s alright at most things but doesn’t master any of them. The Tracer is definitely an all-rounder but it’s not dull — in many regards it’s nearly perfect for most people, most of the…

‘How did I get a ride-through and he only got a 20-second penalty?’SAM LOWES Pre-race favourite Sam Lowes was left fuming at what could have been, after becoming caught up in the jump start chaos that marred the first Moto2 race of 2016 and left the red-hot Brit down in ninth position. Penalised with a ride-through penalty, along with main title rivals Johann Zarco, Alex Rins and Takaai Nakagami, Lowes was left bitter after the race, more thanks to race control’s blundering than the penalty he suffered. While the quartet were penalised immediately with a ride-through penalty, Franco Morbidelli, perhaps the most blatant of all the jump starters, was allowed to race on and only handed a 20-second time penalty towards the end of the race (see right). This allowed…

‘I was in good shape and could have got across to the leading group’CAL CRUTCHLOW ‘I braked earlier than the lap before, yet I went into the turn 60kph faster’CAL CRUTCHLOW Lightning struck twice for luckless Cal Crutchlow on Sunday when he crashed out of the opening round of the 2016 MotoGP season – with an electronics problem virtually the same as the one that wrecked his Ducati debut at the track in 2014. It all went wrong for the Brit when the electronics on his LCR Honda became ‘lost’ and were unable to pinpoint where he was on the circuit. Shifting the blame from either his LCR team or Honda on to new control electronics manufacturer Magneti Marelli, Crutchlow was left with a machine that didn’t know where it…

‘We took a second-and-a-half off my lap time from the test!’EUGENE LAVERTY Eugene Laverty showed he has lost none of his talent by matching his best-ever MotoGP finish in twelfth after getting the same spec bike as his satellite Ducati peers. Discovering only on the opening day of the season that he has been using a different specification of engine on his Ducati GP14.2 throughout testing to the other satellite Ducati machines of Yonny Hernandez, Hector Barbera and Loris Baz, Laverty says that getting to ride the machine he’ll now have all year has made a massive difference. “We’re in the mix with the others now. With the other engine, it didn’t matter what we did, the bike felt like it had a fundamental problem that wouldn’t make it turn,”…

‘Iannone could’ve stayed with us... so I think Ducati will be very strong’VALENTINO ROSSI The opening race of 2016 saw mixed emotions for the factory Ducati team, with Andrea Dovizioso taking a brilliant podium, while team-mate Andrea Iannone crashed out of the battle for the lead, leaving the Italian manufacturer lamenting what could have been. Dovizioso was arguably the surprise performance of the weekend, seemingly coming out of nowhere to set a series of fast laps and look like the only person capable of challenging Jorge Lorenzo for the win, after the demise of his team-mate. Utilising the outright speed of the GP16 machine on Losail’s 0.6-mile long start-finish straight, Dovizioso was an incredible 6mph faster than Lorenzo. The Italian showed just what the new machine is capable of, leaving…

Lorenzo’s commanding victory in Qatar will no doubt give his rivals some sleepless nights before the second round of the championship in Argentina in two weeks’ time. The 28-year-old Spaniard’s ability to exploit the new Michelin tyres and control the electronics meant he delivered a smooth-riding masterclass in the closing stages of the race. And, perhaps even more telling about how well the Spaniard has gelled with the new French tyres, he even revealed after the race that he had taken the unusual decision of ignoring the advice of his tyre technician. “He wanted me to use the hard tyre,” admitted Lorenzo, who ended up instead using the soft rear option alongside a harder front. “But my decision probably helped me win.” “Theoretically, a soft tyre should be worse at…

The weekend brought good news for MotoGP fans, as Valentino Rossi confirmed he would be remaining in the sport for another three years at least, extending his Movistar Yamaha deal until the end of the 2018 season. Admitting earlier in the year that his decision would be made only after he gauged his pace against his opposition, many expected him to take at least three or four rounds to make the call. But, with Yamaha keen to treat both riders the same and with team-mate Jorge Lorenzo clamouring for a new contract from the squad, Rossi’s preseason testing pace and Yamaha’s confidence in him spurred the Italian into making the decision earlier than planned.…

£85/month Triumph Street Twin If the big new 1200cc Bonneville family seems like too much for your retro bimble, how about this lovely 900cc Street Twin? Just £85 a month, after a £1735 deposit gets you the keys. £95/month KTM RC390 ABS Full on race-bike looks, from what is actually a friendly and comfortable small-capacity road bike. Style and practicality all at £95 per month, with a insanely small £428 deposit. £89/month BMW F800R The F800R has become quite the refined nutter in recent time, making it the ideal do-it-all naked roadster. £1619.75 up front, and £89pm is all you need. £99/month Yamaha XV950R More cruiser than bruiser, the XV is an accomplished ride, and styled to impress. Pay £1968.70 up front, and £99 per month. Like great deals, head…

‘Big, bold and handsome. It’s appointed with stylish touches’ Following the huge success of its all-new, Harley-rivalling Chief family of big V-twin cruisers launched in 2013, comes Indian’s latest newcomer – the Springfield. And on the evidence of MCN’s world first ride in Florida it could well prove to be the American upstart’s best big bike yet. The Springfield is effectively a blend of two of Indian’s existing big twin cruisers, which are all based around the same air-cooled, 1811cc ‘Thunderstroke’ engine. Indian’s current Chief Vintage is a classic tourer distinguished by its Harley Road King-style Plexiglas screen along with soft, leather panniers. Similarly, the continuing Chieftain is a proper ‘bagger’ defined by its larger handlebar-mounted fairing and twin hard panniers. There’s actually a lot more to the Springfield than…

A traditional Wall of Death would place around 2 to 2.5G on the rider, and that’s the minimum needed to stay on the wall. Guy needs to reach 60mph, which equals 3.5G. But he’s been training hard so it wouldn’t surprise me if he pushed it and went for 80mph. That would then equal around 6.4Gs. Now, to reach either of those speeds on a conventional sized wall with a 10m diameter the rider would be facing 14Gs, which is impossible – the heart wouldn’t be able to pump blood to the brain. So that’s why we’ve had to build a bigger wall, with a 40m diameter to bring the G down to a level his body can handle. Let’s say he does 80mph, which we know equals 6.4G. That…

Yamaha’s VMAX is still the king of the strip, still the ultimate muscle bike, and capable of destroying a rear tyre in one day’s hard riding. It’s far from a bad bike, but the new Ducati XDiavel makes it feel prehistoric. The new Ducati is one of the most desirable bikes of 2016, stunning to look at, backed up by impressive handling and electronics packages – both breaking new ground for this segment. Looks, performance, riders aids, it has it all — just don’t expect to beat a VMAX away from the traffic lights. Speed testing data DUCATI XDIAVEL S £18,395 Engine 1262cc, liquid-cooled, V-twin, 8v, six-speed, belt drive Tested power 150.67bhp @ 9500rpm Tested torque 88.80ftlb @ 5000rpm Weight 247kg (kerb) Suspension 50mm Marzocchi forks fully adjustable, Sachs rear…

Road bikes 1. My PS 1000 LE I’ve got to say I love it – without the fairing lowers. 2. 750SS 1975 Just beautiful. The last of the 1100 Monsters also appealed to me. Air-cooled engines look so good. 3. 998R This is the bike I would most like to own and ride now. And a 999R. Obviously one’s a Tamburini design and one’s Terblanche, but they both look great. Race bikes 1. Supermono This one has to be first. I was so close to buying one for my son Scott to ride. 2. Troy Bayliss 999 2006 The Xerox bike, in its last year. 3. My old Imola 750SS Pure simplicity. MotoGP bikes are great but change too often for me to select a specific one. Paul Smart’s Imola…

Road bikes 1. 750SS 1973 The perfect motorcycle. I raced our lovely old ‘Flying Fossil’ up until 1998. Bullseye! 2. 996R 1999/2000 Just the perfect road bike: not too fast, all the looks of a 916, carbon bodywork, Testastretta motor and decent electrics. 3. 888 SP3 1991/92 When I saw this bike at the factory I couldn’t believe how stunning it was. It looked just like a works racer: Öhlins suspension, twin injectors, number boards! Ride one and you feel like you are inside it, not on it. The bellow from the airbox is deafening – and those Termi open pipes belting out that awesome wail! Race bikes 1. Ducati 600 TT2 1981/83 I was lucky enough to buy Tony Rutter’s written-off bike from Dave Railton. I campaigned it in…

Road bikes 1. Scrambler 2015 It’s cool! I don’t want to ride a race replica on the road. I want to put on a rucksack and open face, and pull a little wheelie when no one’s looking. 2. 1299 Panigale R I feel they’ve got it right now. For me, the complete supersports roadbike, with ridiculously good electronics. 3. Diavel It’s a comfortable riding position and I think it looks cool. Race bikes 1. My 2000 BSB INS Ducati I couldn’t crash that motorcycle. It gave so much feel I knew exactly where the limit was and I could hold it there all day. It was a pleasure, a delight, ridiculous, off the scale. That bike gave me a career. I was s**t up to then, but once I could…

DUCATI PASO 750 £400 Richard Newland, Deputy Editor richard.newland@motorcyclenews.com Miles 2412 MPG 45.5 It was always a stupid idea. But I now know that Autumn 2015 to Spring 2016 will forever stick in my mind as the time when I rode a 25-year-old Paso as daily transport, and completed a seemingly impossible 750-mile blast to The Lizard and back in 35 hours without it breaking down. When I first laid eyes on the Paso it was a classic case of over-expectation meeting stark reality. The childish grin slipped off my face so hard it left a mark on my boots. I’d imagined something a lot, well, cleaner. Calling it a basket case would have been to suggest that it was at least all in the basket – but the truth…

Lewis Leathers Motorway boots No 191 £430 Tester Simon Relph Time tested Two years/2800 miles What’s good? Lewis Leathers and Aviakit are logos I have grown up with as my father was a despatch rider for ITN (Independent Television News) from 1961, and each year he would be issued with new riding kit from Lewis Leathers. Back then they were based in Great Portland Street and the place was an Aladdin’s cave. In fact, my dad still has a pair of original Lewis Leathers jeans in the box (I wonder if they might fit me?). Having had such a long connection with their products through the odd hand-me-down pair of boots or a jacket from my dad, I was very pleased to finally get my very own brand new pair…

‘I did scare myself a couple of times – but in a good way!’CHRIS WALKER “I’m definitely not a natural, but I’m digging in!” That was Chris Walker’s typically honest appraisal of the first ever test of the Santander Salt Kawasaki he’ll be racing in the British Sidecar championship in 2016. After an epic 20-year career that has spanned BSB, WSB and 500GPs, Walker will make the intriguing switch to sidecars this year. In his first test at the Circuit de Vienne in France, Walker and his passenger, Jed Pilmoor-Brady, completed more than 100 laps over the course of three-and-a-half days last week. Speaking to MCN, the former BSB runner-up and WSB race winner said: “Nothing can prepare you for what it’s like to ride. The corner speed is amazing…

“Yes, we had a technical issue with the jump start camera recording and playback system. Some images would not display correctly, however we were able to identify six jump starts and these riders were informed immediately and made ride-through penalties. When we had the system running correctly again we identified two more jump starts - Morbidelli and Cortese. “The rules say that a ride-through penalty must be communicated to the rider before the end of the fourth lap, and when a ride-through is not possible, the standard time penalty of 20 seconds is applied. We are aware that 20 seconds does not accurately reflect the ride-through time at every circuit, so we are asking the GP Commission to look at this rule. “Some teams have said that the Morbidelli jump…

‘We have to congratulate Michelin with this improvement’JORGE LORENZO ‘We are thrilled with this result and the improvements we have made’NICHOLAS GOUBERT, MICHELIN While Jorge Lorenzo might have been the biggest winner from Sunday’s opening round of the 2016 MotoGP championship, he arguably wasn’t the happiest man in the paddock afterwards. That honour went to Nicholas Goubert, Michelin Motor-sport’s technical director and the man who has totally turned around the company’s new GP tyres in only a few short months. When the MotoGP field tested and continued to suffer unpredictable crashes on the new Michelins back in Valencia in November, there were serious alarm bells ringing within the paddock. Gone was the incredibly planted front end of the Bridgestones, replaced with a flighty new front tyre that gave no feedback…

‘Sometimes one image is better than a thousand words’JORGE LORENZO The MotoGP championship has undergone major technical changes for 2016 with all new electronics and tyres, but the results, rivalries and hostilities on track appear to have been unchanged. World champion Jorge Lorenzo picked up where he left off by winning the opening round of the championship in Qatar, while Rossi rekindled his fiery relationship with the Spaniard, with the two men trading barbed insults throughout the weekend. With Rossi finishing in fourth place, 2.387s behind Lorenzo and just 0.1s off another bitter rival, Marc Marquez in third, it was a solid, if not spectacular, start for the Italian. But while Rossi was unable to beat Lorenzo on track, he did beat him in the contract negotiation battle, re-signing for…