Rizla Suzuki have unveiled their 2010 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R with livery and design by Troy Lee Designs.

The design is pretty slick, and the blue shade of the bike looks darker than previous years.

This is the the fourth generation of the 800cc GSV-R four-stroke prototype Grand Prix bike. It has been developed for the 2010 season with a focus of improved acceleration as well as increased durability to coincide with the new engine restrictions that will be implemented into this year’s championship. Improvements to aerodynamics, chassis performance and electronic systems go to make this the most technically advanced racing motorcycle that the Suzuki factory has ever produced.

Photographs of the new Rizla Suzuki GSV-R and livery:

Full specification of the 2010 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R:

Engine Type:
4 stroke water cooled V4

Displacement:
800cc

Max Power:
225+ ps / 18,000rpm

Valve Control and Type:
Pneumatic (air control), DOHC four-valve

Carburation Type:
Fuel injection

Lubrication System:
Wet sump (Motul Lubricants)

Clutch:
Dry multi plates (back torque reduction type)

Transmission:
Six speed low friction constant mesh

Final Drive:
Chain

Frame Type:
Twin spar aluminum alloy frame

Suspension:
Front: Inverted type telescopic (Ohlins)
Rear: Link type (Ohlins)

Tyres:
Bridgestone

Wheels:

Front and rear: 429mm (16.5 inches)
Brake System:

Front: Double carbon disc (Brembo)
Rear: Single steel disc (Brembo)

Overall Length:
2080mm

Overall Width:
660mm

Overall Height:
1150mm

Weight:
150+kg

Fuel Tank:
21L

Estimated top speed:
330+km/h

Popularity: 1% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

Jorge Martinez and Hector Barbera’s satellite Ducati team will officially be known as Paginas Amarillas Aspar Team. The Aspar team unveiled their new livery for 2010 and announced their primary sponsor as The Spanish Yellow Pages (Paginas Amarilla). As can be expected with a sponsor like this, the bike livery is a bright yellow and makes it the boldest and brightest looking bike seen on the grid since possibly the factory Yamaha’s in 2006.

Popularity: 1% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

Donington Park is still the spiritual home of MotoGP in the UK, and the video below shows the sad state that the track is currently in since Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd lost the rights to Formula 1 and MotoGP and fell into bankruptcy.

The track has since been returned to the Wheatcroft family and is currently not in an operational state and is not in contention for any race meets. The motto on their website that states “Preserving the past, protecting the future” seems a long way off the mark when you see the video below that was recorded by MCN on a recent lap of the Donington track.

Donington Park Video Description:
This exclusive video shot by MCN shows the true scale of the work to repair the ill-fated building work facing the circuit owners before they can bring back any kind of racing to the track. MCN was able to complete a lap in a car with a video camera to show just how much destruction has been wreaked before the building work attempting to turn the track into a Formula One track ceased. For the full story behind the next step in the renewel of Donington check out the March 10 issue of MCN.

Popularity: 1% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

YamahaMotorUSA have made an name for themselves over the past year by putting out some refreshing and humerous promotional videos such as The Ben Spies Method and A Day at the Office (featuring Rossi, Lorenzo, Toseland, and Edwards) – however their latest entry is a more serious affair that sees Ben Spies in conversation with Eddie Lawson.

And when we say ‘in conversation’ we mean both men reading from a script that was given to them by the Yamaha press department whilst singing the praises of Yamaha, mentioning the engineers behind the technology, and dropping in loads of references to the Yamaha street bikes. Spies tends to look down when delivering his lines – possibly embarrassment at the script, or perhaps just trying to hide a smile about how easy it is to line his pockets with promotional dollars? Yes, we are envious; we’d offer to read out poems dedicated to the Head of Yamaha racing whilst riding naked on a Yamaha moped through a barn full of stinging nettles and angry bees for a fraction of the price.

Sarcasm aside, it’s still worth a watch just to see these two professionals sharing some screen time together. Watch it below:

Official Yamaha Blurb:
Ben Spies, World Superbike Champion, and 4-Time World GP podium-topper and racing deity Eddie Lawson sit down together and discuss a myriad of motorcycle topics — including their ultra-competitive natures, their striking similarities, and what it takes to become a champion.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Popularity: 1% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

The San Carlo Gresini Honda team had their official launch yesterday in the Telenova studios in Milan. The livery had been previously seen in the last MotoGP test, but Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli were both on hand to field questions.

The San Carlo Gresini Honda team will be interesting to watch in 2010 as both Italians will be challenging each other to prove who is the number 1 rider. Both riders have very real motivations; Melandri will be keen to repair his reputation and erase the memories of his Ducati experience whilst building on the revival he had on the Kawasaki from last year; Simoncelli has a very public rivalry with much of the other rookies for 2010 (especially Bautista and Barbera) and will want to prove that he is the fastest of the new crop of riders and will also be aiming to erase criticisms of being a wild rider whose over-enthusiasm can lead to crashes. Both riders have very different styles and their physical differences will likely lead to some very different set-ups on the bikes. And if all that wasn’t enough, Marco Simoncelli also has historically stronger links to the factory Honda team.

Alberto Vitaloni (San Carlo President)
“People make difference: that is what I thought when I met Fausto Gresini for the first time. I had been offered other opportunities to enter the world of motorcycle racing previously but I was never fully convinced when it came to taking the plunge. As soon as I shook hands with Fausto I realised that we had an instant understanding and that we could work well together. Professionalism is not something that comes by chance: it comes through hard work, through having concern for others and the instinct to predict change and being able to move with the times. They are all characteristics I appreciate in my partners and characteristics I also see in every single person who works with Fausto. For this reason San Carlo decided to embrace this project a couple of years ago and will continue to do so this season. The San Carlo Honda Gresini team has become a joint force that is evolving over time and that is encountering various areas of mutual understanding as well as being two very Italian entities. That last point has even more relevance this year and is an extra reason to work together. For the first time in many years two Italian riders will compete together in MotoGP for an Italian team. This hadn’t happened since 1982, with Team Gallina. For such a proudly patriotic brand as San Carlo it is nice to be able to put a true flavour of Italy out on the track.”

Fausto Gresini
“Today was a really special day because a personal dream of mine has been fulfilled – having two top riders contest the MotoGP World Cha$pionship with my team and an Italian sponsor like San Carlo. I am proud to represent Italy around the world and I am looking forward to going racing this year – hopefully we can ensure that our flag flies high at circuits all over the world.”

Marco Melandri
“It has been a different and enjoyable day. Professional engagements like this are always good fun as far as I am concerned. This afternoon was like the warm-up and tonight will be like the race, when we go live on air for ‘Griglia di partenza’ on Telenova!”

Marco Simoncelli
“I’m really happy to be at this presentation although I would prefer to be on my bike! I think this could be a really good year for us. We need to work well from the start but I really think we can gives ourselves plenty of reason to celebrate!”

Photos from the San Carlo Gresini Honda Launch:

Popularity: 1% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds