Tyer Linders - WSMC - Making a pass with late breaking
A lot has happened over the last few days in motorcycling. Not only was Sunday the USMGP season finale in LAs Vegas, it was the last round of the 17 round MotoGP series.
As everyone (who isn’t under a rock) knows Nicky Hayden walked away MotoGP World Champion. Beyond Nicky’s tears and obvious warmth, something else has happened, Rossi has had a revelation. What is it you ask? Simply this…
“I thought I was invincible, but that’s only true for comic book heroes.”
There has been a lot of talk about track safety in relation to motorcycles and racetracks. Most of this is related to street based race bikes such as the GSX-R1000 and how their 180 horse motors have outgrown America’s racetracks. In general, safety is less of an issue with an NSR putting out a heart stopping 7 horsepower. But MiniGP bikes and the organizations that run them are running into the same issue.
Trickle down technology comes in many shapes, and this outgrowing of kart tracks is directly related to two things: tires and horsepower. The latest generation of MiniGP tires are GP comp tires in MiniGP sizes. Gone are the days of choosing from a hard or harder scooter tire, now we have real race rubber such as Bridgestone’s new BT601SS. With the new side grip, up go the corner speeds.
The second influence is the effect of the powerful 4-stroke motors making their way into mini racing. MiniGP bikes with a motor such as the one found in Honda’s 2007 CRF150R have basically done the same thing to kart tracks that the new liter bikes have done to America’s big tracks. When you add 30% to the power output of a bike, the distance to safely crash also increases. Karts don’t need the extra run off, and these tracks weren’t constructed to accommodate bikes such as your uncle’s YSR, let alone a 35 horse (what a mod CRF150R motor will most likely put out) MiniGP racer running GP slicks.
There are choices to be made, by the MiniGP community as well as the promoters and parents. If nothing else, members of the mini community need to be aware of the higher corner speeds and the increased distance requirements to safely crash these new breed of bikes. It would be a shame to see anyone get hurt, most of all a child.
Franco Morbidelli Young Promising Rider For The Future Of Pramac D’antin MotoGP Team
His name is Franco Morbidelli, he will be 12 years-old in December. He’s part of a new project of PRAMAC D’ANTIN MOTOGP Team. Paolo Campinoti and Luis d’Antin decided to invest on him for the future. The agreement between the parts has been reached today at Valencia, where is taking place the last round of the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. The young promising rider will be managed with the aim of bringing him to the premier-class of the World Championship. MORBIDELLI, born in Rome but living in Babbucce (Province of Pesaro, Italy), is coming from the races of minibikes. In 2005, he won the “Assoluti d’Italia”, the selections of the Regional Championship and he was Italian Vice-Champion in the Junior B class. He made some practice with the 125GP during the 2006 season and is a really promising rider.
France Morbidelli: “I’m very happy, until now, I’ve raced with the minibikes and it is great to have an opportunity as this one. I’ve been practising with the 125GP from this year, I will go on and I would really like to reach the World Championship. Until now, everything has gone in the right way, and I hope they will believe in me for a long time. I will do my best to reach our aims”.
Paolo Campinoti (CEO PRAMAC Group): “We have decided to raise a young Italian rider to make him reach the World Championship, following him from the beginning. With this new project, our aim is to make an investment in the long term. This young champion is a really promising rider and we believe very much in his possibilities”.
With all the hubbub about Honda’s new 4-stroke motors some of the old schoolers may feel a bit left out. Those running a Honda NSR50 have the option of paying for a bracket kit to bolt in a XR100 motor, the Derbis can do any number of things.
The fact that we will see a CRF150F bolted into a RS125 frame is a telling sign of the times to come. Head to head racing of 2 and 4-strokes has been going on as long as two riders kicked the motors over. But with the influx of technology be it from MotoGP or MX, the result is the same, the new 4-stroke motors are dominating the previously balanced classes.
Those die hard guys that insist on running the great-grandma of minis, the YSR need not feel left out of the 4-stroke whirlwind. Don’t toss that ancient beast, there are options. The new for 2007 Lanza YSF100 is here to give all those YSRs an opportunity to join the 4-strokers without serious effort.
Designed by Southern California resident Joe Lanza of Lanzatech Racing, the 2007 Lanza YSF100 really is a mounting bracket to allow the bolt-in of a 4-stroker with no frame modifications. The Lanza YSF100 (Joe’s YSR with a 4-stroker using this bracket) will make it debut at the AMA Southern California Gran Prix in little over a week. While it will still handle like a YSR, it should reel in some of those thumpers.
If you want to reach Lanza you can catch him through his website: ~http://www.myspace.com/joe_lanza~
Michael Beck has signed a contract to race for Team M4 EMGO Suzuki in 2007. The 18-year-old second-generation racer showed promise in his first year as an AMA pro rider in 2006 and demonstrated that he is one of the most talented young racers on the AMA scene.
Other racers that started with CMRRA that moved into the Pro ranks are: John Hopkins (MotoGP); Josh Herrin (AMA Factory Yamaha): Chris Ulrich (AMA RoadracingWorld.com Suzuki); Jason Perez (AMA Pro); Brad Adams (AMA Pro) with more to come.
The Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association (OMRRA) has had a successful road racing program for decades. OMRRA has always had an eye for the future and how to develop safe riders regardless of age. Having been the stomping grounds for AMA champion Jimmy Moore, NASB (Superbike) Champion Keith Pinkstaff and current Jordan Motorsports rider Jake Holden, OMRRA has produced a rider or three.
Under the leadership of past President Jim Kennedy, OMRRA created the first pocketbike program (~http://www.omrrapocketbikes.com~) within a major road racing organization in North America. The program has been a success, with the first batch of those junior riders having moved to mini races at local kart tracks. Those same riders have are now ready to move beyond the kart tracks. It’s time for them to make the step onto the big track with the rest of OMRRA’s riders.
Starting with the 2007 season OMRRA is considering the inortduction of an 85cc class intended to be a stepping stone into the full racing program of the club. The program details are still being finalized but the intention is to have 17″ wheeled GP chassis bikes such as a TZ or RS with a MX based 85cc motor. This is the same format used by clubs such as: CMRA, CMRRA, AMRA, NWMini, and SCminiGP with great success.
To make sure all our riders are safe, OMRRA is looking at purchasing air fence barriers to increase the safety of Portland International Raceway.
All new riders participating in the 85 class would go through the same Novice School instruction that Elena Myers went through as an 11-year old last year. OMRRA allowed her to earn her expert license while other clubs denied her request, and subsequently won her first Expert race with the club.
We look forward to the future and hope to see more home grown racers follow in Jimmy and Jake’s footsteps through this new program. To learn more visit OMRRA’s forum: ~http://www.omrra.com/forums/~
Suspension has always been one of those things that you either understand what and how a bikes works or you don’t. It doesn’t matter if someone explains it a hundred times, if you get it, you get it, if you don’t, well you try and ride around it.
Dave Hodges is the guy top racers turn to when their suspension is struck with SARS (st ain’t right syndrome). MiniGPX is no different. When our rider complained that the Pro-Circuit MiniGPX KTM65SX MiniMotard was having front end chatter issues, we packed up and visted his shop. By having Dave as a neighbor, we are lucky enough to have one of the very best independent suspension tuners in our backyard. After a 40 minute drive, we were greeted by Dave at his shop in Oregon City.
After no less than 5 seconds he had determined what the issue was, and in two days we will have the forks back. Next time we take the bike to the track we will find out if all is well. Considering his track record with riders such as Vincent Haskovec, Jimmy Moore, Jake Holden, Jason Perez, and Will Eikenberry we know that our SARS will be cured by Dave ‘the magician’ Hodges of GP Suspension (~http://www.gpsuspension.com~).
Phil Gaze from Metrakit Canada is changing lives & raising the level of Mini Road Racing in Canada with what he calls: The Program
Metrakit’s objective is to enable young people to start racing and to seamlessly progress to MotoGP, providing the machine, race series, environment and opportunity to achieve their dreams.
The Metrakit program and the MiniGP roadracing motorcycle is designed to take young people from initial racing to competing in International competition within 3 years .
Metrakit have been involved in 2 stroke performance part design and manufacture for over 28 years and are based near Barcelona, Spain. This region is home to 125 and 250 GP race teams, race equipment manufacturers, top tuning and performance shops, MotoGP riders, Dorna, world class race tracks and has a history and culture of motorcycle road racing.
In 2001 Metrakit designed the MiniGP range of motorcycles and the Metrakit race series.
The MiniGP are road race competition motorcycles of reduced dimensions and weight primarily designed for children between 8 and 15 years that wish to compete in motorcycle road racing on purpose designed and built equipment.
All the MiniGP models, as well as their components, have been designed to match those used on Grand Prix bikes, thus obtaining motorcycles with very similar reactions to the 125 cc machines used in the World Championship races.
The MiniGP in its three versions, is the definitive machine for those children that want to start road racing, offering the optimum design for their size, strength and weight.
The equipment is only part of the requirement to be successful in road racing. Like all sports there are 3 components to being successful û equipment, skill and knowledge with a good mental approach.
Metrakit Canada offers programmes to young riders (and their parents) that provide a complete and seamless solution.
This total approach ensures that the bike, rider and family operate in harmony and can achieve success.
These programs are offered in a context of sportsmanship, self responsibility and accountability, excellence and respect.
Metrakit also provides a huge opportunity to young riders from around the world through its World Festival that is held annually in Spain. This event absolutely duplicates the MotoGP experience for the riders and enables them all to measure themselves against the world on a known top class race track. A rider may be fast and has many wins on a local track but how does he compare against others in the sport û not only in the city, region or country but vs. international competition? This event answers this question. It also enables those 125GP team managers, sponsors and team scouts who attend this event to identify up and coming talent to answer that same question. As a result of this exposure, many of the top Metrakit riders have progressed to 125 GP teams, the MotoGP Academy or National teams.
To be successful in top level road racing, as with any sport, it is not only about talent, equipment and knowledge (and money) but often the deciding factor is who you know and the relationships you have with those people who can make a difference to a young rider’s progression.
Being based near Barcelona, Spain enables Metrakit to be in contact and develop valuable relationships with MotoGP / Dorna, 125 GP team managers, Spanish organisers and many of the top personnel involved in world class road racing. This position is unique and allows Metrakit to open up doors to unparalleled opportunity for those who do not have a history and the contacts at a top level in the sport.
Simply put, no other company offers young road racers (and their parents) the equipment, program, opportunity and relationships to achieve world class success in road racing that is available through Metrakit and Metrakit Canada ~http://www.metrakit.ca~.
Peter Lenz from Vancouver, Washington wrapped up the regular season this past weekend, clinching the Mini50GP title with a solid win over his FNB Racing teammate Bennie Taylor (Metrakit). The season plan was to only have Peter ride the nearly oversized 2004 Honda NSR50 in practice until he hit a growth spurt. Peter prayed hard and sprouted an inch, which was just enough to allow him to control the MiniGP racer. In early Spring he showed so much maturity on the track that his pleas to race the bike were heeded. Though Peter didn’t start racing in the series until the third event he was able to win the class championship in Mini50GP and set the outright 50cc track record.
Over the last year Peter has received coaching from Keith Code and several of his highly trained California Superbike School coaches, most recently supersport ace, Misti Hurst.
This past weekend Peter rode a new bike, a Pro-Circuit KTM65SX Motard/ Roadracer. After his session with Misti the week before, Peter set a scorching time of 48.5 seconds, setting a class record. Not bad for a little guy that was supposed to have spent 2006 focused on pocketbikes.
When not on his MiniGP and MiniMotard bikes, Peter races pocketbikes for the BMS Factory team. In their travels (USA, Spain, France, Canada) Peter won 8 pocketbike championships including the CMA sanctioned Canadian National Open Class Pocketbike Championship. That’s 9 championships so far in 2006.
Peter has over 40 race wins in 2006, but racing season isn’t over yet with the biggest race of the year just around the corner. You can catch Peter and a swarm of other mini racers at the upcoming AMA Southern California Mini Gran Prix (~http://www.scminigp.com~) being held November 4-5 at California Speedway.
Get to know Peter from his feature in Cycle World (page 94, Nov. 06) and keep up with his progress through this website ~http://www.peterlenz.com~
Thank you to Peter’s 2006 Sponsors:
MiniGPX.com
BMS Pocketbikes
Comcast Cable
Arai Helmets (thank you for keeping Peter safe)
Keith Code’s California Superbike School
FNB Racing
Smokin’ Pocketbikes
Vortex Racing Components
SpyOptic
Tranquil Velocity Photography
SpeedGraffix
Fully sponsored KTM65SX bike provided by MiniGPX in conjunction with these fine sponsors: ASV, Barnett Tool & Engineering, Bridgestone, Buchanan Spoke and Rim, Everlast Custom Powdercoating, Graves, Galfer Braking, GP Tech, KTM North America, Moto Tassinari vForce3, Pro Caliber Motorsports, Pro-Circuit, Pro-Wheel Racing Wheels, Rain City Powersports, Renthal, SpeedGraffix
CAPRA is racing in Maryland.
NMRRA (NWmini) is racing in Oregon.
OMRRA is racing in Oregon.
PocketbikeGP is racing in California.
SCminiGP is racing in California.
WCPBS is racing in Florida.
Take a look at ~http://minigpx.com/calendar/~ for details.
