HRC PR Stunt back fires!

HRC Makes the Comparison: Stoner vs. Rossi

It may still be the pre-season, but the banter regarding MotoGP on Twitter is certainly getting us ready for the start of the 2012 MotoGP Championship. Sending out a simple infographic this morning with the message, “this picture says it all,” HRC’s official Twitter account posted some interesting statistics that compared Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner to Ducati Corse’s Valentino Rossi.

Breaking down Stoner’s win percentage over the past five years, the results of course paint an interesting picture. Of course the image “didn’t say it all” as the reaction on Twitter is about what you’d expect from a world widely divided by international boundaries. This of course lead to the image’s immediate removal, but alas nothing truly dies in the digital age.

In case you aren’t already aware, Valentino Rossi is a nine-time World Champion, and also happens to be the favorite son the of MotoGP Championship. Casey Stoner on the other hand…well, the Australian has at best a tumultuous relationship with the public. Naturally, backlash ensued, and HRC finally removed the graphic from its Twitter account.

Asserting that it was all in good fun and simply pointing out some statistics about the last five years, HRC surely was trying to bolster Stoner’s record, and remove the Repsol Honda rider from the “Most Underrated” list in MotoGP — a hard thing to do, even on the heels of a World Championship.
Is Casey a force to be reckoned with in MotoGP? Absolutely. Has a new dawn of riders entered MotoGP? Certainly. Has Rossi’s complete domination of premier-class racing been challenged by riders like Stoner, Lorenzo, and Pedrosa? Only a fool would say no. Does Rossi still have a rabid pack of fans inside and outside of the MotoGP paddock? You bet.

Commenting on HRC’s graphic, Rossi’s response to the matter was interesting. “eh eh,very easy compare the numbers between me and Stoner from 2006,when I won already 5 champs and 53 races mgp,” tweeted Rossi. Here’s the question though, do past laurels count for anything on race day? While we already have our favorite response so far, leave yours in the comments.
Source: Twitter (Original Post Removed)

The GS I want!

--  Special edition BMW R 1200 GS Rallye

Extended tours, long distance travels, and even journeys to the remote places of our planet run like a thread through the history of BMW GS, just like spectacular adventure rallies and magnificent sporting success. All of this now finds testimony in the special model R 1200 GS Rallye from BMW Motorrad.
Body parts in solid Alpine white, graphics in the legendary BMW Motorrad Motorsports colours, and fork and engine in black. The Paralever swingarm in Asphalt grey metallic, cylinder head covers in Granite grey metallic, and an all chrome exhaust system. A particular eye-catcher is presented by the rear frame with Magma red paintwork.
The sporting look of the 110hp travel enduro is underscored by the seat in black and white.
Cross spoke wheels, heated grips, hand protectors in white, case holder, onboard computer, and the electronic suspension adjustment Enduro ESA make this extraordinary GS ideal for a very wide range of applications.

The highlights of the BMW R 1200 GS Rally special model:

• body parts painted in Alpine white
• graphics in the BMW Motorrad Motorsports colours
• fork slider tubes lined in black
• engine lined in black
• rear frame lined in Magma red
• swingarm (Paralever) lined in Asphalt grey metallic
• cylinder head covers in Granite grey metallic
• seat in black and white
• Enduro ESA
• all chrome exhaust system
• cross spoke wheels
• heated grips
• hand protectors in white
• pannier holder
• onboard computer

New KTM Super Duke

MCN spies the Super Duke!

KTM's all-new 1290cc V-twin Super Duke has been spotted strapped onto a trailer in Tenerife as the prototype machine undergoes endurance testing before its launch later this year.
It is clear from the picture that the Austrian firm is using a modular design concept - the main chassis, engine and fuel tank of the naked Super Duke are identical to the Adventure seen last week.
The picture also shows the extent of the Super Duke's redesign. There is little remaining of the current 990cc V-twin super naked which has kept its hardcore nature since its launch in 2005.
The bike has a new LC8 engine, completely new steel trellis chassis, a single-sided swingarm to replace the double-sided version of the current bike, a new side-mounted exhaust and it appears the bike is getting a full compliment of electronics judging by the number of sensors on the bike.

BMW trumps Aprilia and Ducati in their own back yard!

BMW GS Riders have attitude!

Don’t expect to find Ducati, an Aprilia or a Moto Guzzi to be the best selling motorcycle in Italy, that title in 2011 went to the BMW R1200 GS (5.134 units sold) and to celebrate the model a special website for GS riders has been launched called ‘GS Attitude’ (in Italian only so far).
GS Attitude is where GS riders can post their personal thoughts, stories and photos of their adventures and they even have their own seven point manifesto:
Some people prefer the stars to a 5 star hotels
There are those who challenge the intense cold because the road warms the heart
It doesn’t matter where you sleep, but when you start.
Some people don’t choose the destination, but the trip
There are those who still prefer the fascination of silence and history
There are those who create their own trails
There are those who still believe in adventure and the challenge
Check out the video to see some great footage from the winners of their latest contest.

Source | motoblog.it
 

Interesting 3 day MOTOGP test at SIC

Look at Stoner and Rossi slide the rear...

Stoner backing it in...

Rossi backing it in...

Pictures taken at the same corner... with shots like this. 2012 MOTOGP will get very interesting indeed.

Ducati Team happy with first results from Sepang test

When was the last time you saw Rossi doing this:

 Ducati’s aim during this final day of testing at Sepang was to be within a second from their rivals, which didn’t exactly happen as Valentino Rossi finished 1.2 seconds adrift and in fifth spot, but that was also due to the fact that Casey Stoner set the new record, but the Italian managed to improve 1.568 seconds over the three days. 

It may not seem much compared to the Honda’s and Yamaha’s, but considering that the GP12 got its first real test with the factory riders at Sepang and had no big technical problems, something that Filippo Preziosi was afraid of with a new bike, the Ducati team left Sepang seemingly happy that both Rossi and Nicky Hayden seem happy and confident.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 5th, 2:00.824 (42 laps)

“We on the team are all happy with how this test has gone, especially today. With a 2:00.8, we’re starting to get to a decent time. The two Hondas and the two Yamahas are still ahead of us, but we consider this test to be a starting point. The most positive things we’ve achieved are that the front now lets me ride a little more as I’m able, that the bike reacts well to changes and that we have very clear ideas on what’s still missing. In particular, if we manage to improve the bike’s behaviour on acceleration, we’ll be able to take a consistent step forward. I know that the work has never stopped at Ducati, and now with the information we’ve gathered, they’ll keep working on the areas that we’ve identified. That might take a while, but there’s still some time before the first race. We have to keep improving, so we’re not getting too excited, but I’m pleased with how things have gone so far.”
Posted: Thursday 02 February 2012 by Toni M.

Motogp Pictures 1st day of Testing January 30, 2012

Pictures are better than a thousand words: