Table of contents for 27 April 2022 in MCN

‘TTS say it’s a good idea to fit a longer swingarm’ Silverstone-based TTS have created a bolt-on supercharger to fit every generation of Hayabusa – and it catapults the horsepower at the Suzuki’s rear wheel to between 300bhp and 360bhp. The kit uses a new design of anticlockwise supercharger from Rotrex, which has allowed TTS to simplify their original set up and so reduce costs both in manufacturing and in the install. The result is a kit that helps a bike charge smoothly to the redline with no lag, from £4560. What’s more astonishing is that very little modification is needed to the stock bike. The only engine mod needed is a thicker gasket to lower the compression. Elsewhere, the injectors require a small tweak and an uprated fuel pump…

Four classic bike YouTubers who go by the name Lemon Drizzle Gang are organising a bike meet on Sunday, May 8 to raise money for those displaced by the Ukraine war. The event, which is being called the L.D.G Classic Bike Meet For Ukraine, will take place at The Midway Truck Stop, Whitchurch, Wrexham, between 10.30am and 3.30pm, with donations being welcomed on the day, as well as via the group’s Just Giving page. “If we get 100 quid we’ll be happy, but if we get five grand then we’ll be delighted, ” the group’s Mike Fry told MCN. “All we want to do is raise some money to help the people who have been caught up in this.” Mike established the video page around a year ago alongside Stewart…

New for ’22 from Spada is the innovative Alberta four-layer modular jacket. Spada worked with real riders in a dedicated focus and feedback workshop to identify the key features and characteristics to make the perfect multi-layer jacket, and the Alberta is the result. The jacket has been designed so that all layers can be used collectively or independently from each other. Developed to handle all four seasons, the Alberta has been designed for all styles of riding through all kinds of weather. Layer one is a thermal gilet that can attach to the inner of the main jacket using a loop system. Layer two is a CE Level A Certified mesh jacket with five-piece CE armour. The jacket is available in colour options black, grey or blue. Layer three is…

LUIGI ‘GIGI’ DALL’IGNA 55, Italian, General Manager Ducati Corse Engineer who’s played a part in no less than 49 riders’ and constructors’ titles, across 125GP, 250GP, MotoGP and WSB, with Aprilia and Ducati. Gigi Dall’Igna is already in the pantheon of Italian motorcycle engineering greats, along with Fabio Taglioni, Ducati’s first genius engineer, Piero Remor, who guided Gilera and then MV to world-title glory, and Carlo Guzzi, whose brilliance took Moto Guzzi to their first Isle of Man TT victories. The 55-year-old has won world titles across the sport, from engineering the Aprilia two-strokes that won some of the company’s first world championships in the 1990s, to designing Aprilia’s RSV4 superbike, winner of three WSB titles, and creating Ducati’s current Desmosedici MotoGP bike, winner of the last two constructors titles.…

International effort It’s a Chinese bike with Japanese suspension, German electronics and Italian tyres. The BMW that first used the engine was a German bike, built in Italy using an Austrian engine. Trinkets and baubles There’s a TFT, tyre monitoring, Bluetooth, USB charging and sweepy indicators, plus a centrestand crash bars, stainless steel exhaust, alloy ’bars and a decent bash plate. Keeping it healthy Voge give a two-year warranty. The 652cc thumper needs fresh oil, an oil filter and a valve check every 5000km – that’s just 3125 miles, and twice as frequent as when Rotax made it……

“When I worked as a traffic cop I went to a lot of bike crashes at the beginning of the riding season, ” says Rapid Training coach Giles Lamb. “Most of them were bend-assessment accidents, where riders simply went in too fast for their ability, target fixated and binned it.” Crash investigator Gary Baldwin (who founded Rapid Training) agrees, and says poor bike prep can be a problem too: “We see accidents due to basics like tyre pressures – we had a scooter rider take his bike out for the first time last spring, he was doing 30mph or so, tried to take a gentle left hand bend through a housing estate – the first bend he’d taken – tips it in, can’t hold it, and hits a bollard. He’d…

Road, off-road and adventure rider who loves getting away touring Having spent the last decade onboard dedicated adventure bikes it’s been a long time since I’ve ridden a road focused bike such as the Ducati Multistrada V2. It may look like an adventure bike, but its intentions remain firmly on the tarmac. I haven’t done many miles on the Multi yet, but the initial impressions are of complete competence – whether that be sitting in the fast lane of the motorway, negotiating London traffic, riding my favourite twisty road or cruising two-up with luggage. I love the keyless ignition. Initially it takes some getting used to, but once you have it makes complete sense as you just keep the key tucked away in your jacket – avoiding the inevitable hunting…

Another ‘crazy’ penalty In Sunday’s Sprint, Bautista was demoted from second to third for exceeding track limits. But the consensus is that, up on the raised kerb, a fraction of Bautista’s tyre hovered above the green paint but did not touch it. Since the end of Sunday’s Assen World Superbike races it has been revealed that Alvaro Bautista came scarily close to a crash just moments after title rivals Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu had dramatically collided in front of him. After three close shaves of his own, the Spaniard pulled away to a dominant win which extended his championship lead to 18 points over Rea and 45 over Razgatlioglu. First Bautista had to avoid the chaos immediately in front of him, almost running over Rea as the six-time champion…

If there’s one thing that is very clear in WSB this year it’s the fact the Bautista/Ducati, Rea/Kawasaki and Razgatlioglu/Yamaha combinations are in a different league. That’s the effect of a rider staying with a team, moulding it around him, enjoying an almost telepathic connection with their crew chief and having a bike built for them; slightly different in Bautista’s case, having returned to Ducati, but he did have a year on the bike in 2019. Across the weekend, the top trio were lapping around a full second quicker than those in pursuit. The reactions of respective teammates Michael Rinaldi, Alex Lowes and Andrea Locatelli tell the tale: They’re all scratching their heads wondering how on earth to close the gap. These three world-class riders have totally raised the bar.…

ASSEN CIRCUIT 16 Laverty 10 17 Mykhalchyk 9 18 Tamburini 9 19 Ponsson 8 20 Bernardi 6 21 Haslam 3 22 Mercado 1 WSB POSITIONS RACE 1 WSB POSITIONS SP RACE 11 Redding +14.239 12 Vierge +16.491 13 Mahias +16.800 14 Nozane +18.989 15 VD Mark +20.625 16 Tamburini +21.463 17 Haslam +23.762 18 Mercado +23.998 19 Ponsson +24.207 20 Bernardi +25.949 21 Ruiu +33.209 22 Syharin +33.519 WSB POSITIONS RACE 2 11 Tamburini +36.810 12 Ponsson +36.814 13 Haslam +37.000 14 Bernardi +38.862 15 Mercado +41.674 16 Ruiu +51.252 17 Syharin +51.382 18 Konig +1’10.088…

Moto2 experienced a miraculous escape in Portugal after a horrifying incident at turn two claimed eleven riders. Nine of the top eleven fell as rain suddenly intensified in scenes race leader Aron Canet likened to a World War 2 battlefield. The Spaniard was most unfortunate of all, suffering a broken right arm and fractured little finger. Sam Lowes also crashed and was shunted by a bike behind. Despite breaking no bones, he reported considerable pain in his back, arm and elbow, ahead of further hospital checks this week. Rain flags were first shown on lap three. Tony Arbolino, another crasher, felt the race should have been stopped then. But Jake Dixon noted: “It was spitting but the grip was good. It wasn’t bad until everyone crashed.” Faller Cameron Beaubier spoke…

MATTHEW BIRT INSIGHT Getting the inside line on grand prix racing since 1996 Whatever Yamaha are paying Fabio Quartararo, it’s not enough. The reigning world champion’s value to the Japanese factory is incalculable and the Frenchman proved it again in Portimao with an utterly dominant first win in 11 races to ignite his title defence after a stuttering start to 2022. Quartararo is stalling on signing a new contract, having been unimpressed with Yamaha’s failure to plug an embarrassing horsepower and speed deficit with his YZR-M1 coming into the new season. Yamaha might need to write a blank cheque though because Portimao was further proof that the Iwata factory simply can’t afford to lose their prized asset. Quartararo has scored 44 more points on his own than faltering teammate Franco Morbidelli…

A new scheme aims to get more motorcyclists to take part in post-test training and ride more considerately with regards to fellow road users and the environment. The Elite Rider Programme kicked off today (Wednesday, April 27) and is the brainchild of the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) alongside other key road safety groups such as the Department for Transport, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, National Highways, Doc Bike, RoSPA, and Road Safety GB. “As an industry we believe that better trained riders will be safer riders and post-test training will be the best way to address this, ” said MCIA CEO Tony Campbell. “Improving our road safety record will be key to the industry’s future. “However, this is not just the riders’ fault, therefore MCIA will continue to pressure the…

A group of Honda Fireblade enthusiasts are organising a meet up to celebrate the model reaching its 30th milestone. Even though it feels like yesterday, the Fireblade was released way back in 1992. To celebrate this, a Fireblade group have teamed up to bring at least two of every vintage to the Silverstone Museum on Sunday, May 1, at 1pm for all to see and maybe have a rideout too. “One of the guys in the Fireblade Owners Group, Alex Butcher, was keen to get everyone together to celebrate the anniversary of the bike, ” says group member Aaron Umney. “Alex managed to get the ball rolling and a few of us have helped him out.”…

Estate and lettings agents Belvoir are sending two keen riders on a month-long electric motorcycle charity trip, visiting every one of their offices whilst heading between John O’Groats and Land’s End. Set to take place across August, the route is being tackled by Belvoir’s Franchise Director Ian Maclean and industry figure Andy Soloman, with the duo riding a pair of Energica motorcycles that are currently being prepared for the trip. The mammoth plug-in challenge is being called the Route 166 charity fundraiser, thanks to Belvoir having 166 offices nationwide. It’s expected to take the pair 27 days, riding six days a week, covering a total distance of around 3600 miles. “Pre-pandemic I’d always dreamed of celebrating my ‘big’ birthday by completing the famous Route 66 in America, ” says Maclean,…

The Devitt MCN Festival of Motorcycling kicks off at Peterborough’s East of England Arena on May 14-15 and boasts the biggest multi-manufacturer test fleet in Europe. Ducati, Kawasaki, Triumph, Harley-Davidson, Yamaha and Zero have already confirmed comprehensive test fleets and now Honda and KTM have revealed the machines they’ll be bringing along. The KTM test fleet includes the range-topping 1290 Super Adventure and Super Duke plus the 890 and 390 Adventure and the 1290 Super Duke Evo. Honda, meanwhile, have pulled together a 16-bike line-up with everything from the all-new NT1100 and Gold Wing to the CRF1100 Africa Twin Adventure Sport, including both manual and DCT variants, alongside sportsbikes and commuters. Honda test fleet in full* NT1100 DCT, NT1100, CB1000R, Gold Wing Tour DCT, Gold Wing DCT, CBR650, CB650, NC750X…

JENNY TINMOUTH Every week we give a different rider a wodge of fictional cash and ask them to ‘buy’ the bike that sets their soul on fire. This is Jenny’s pick... Jenny has achieved an incredible amount. The only woman to have raced in the British Superbike Championship, Jenny is the female lap record holder at the TT with an average of 119.945mph and has done stunt work for film and TV. So, what would the rider who escaped Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise’s character in Mission: Impossible) buy for herself? “I’ve generally chosen Hondas, ” says Jenny. “I’m a big fan of two-strokes, so I’d be tempted to get a CRM250, the enduro version of the old CR250 – a proper two-stroke smelly thing! But in the end I’d play…

Send your first bike pics to: yourpics@motorcyclenews.com YAMAHA RD350 LC Stonewashed jeans, Hi-tec trainers, no gloves, leather blouson jacket from the market and Alien Driver helmet. Mark Senn SUZUKI GSX-R1000 Me on my Suzuki GSX-R1000 K3 at the Gooseneck on the Isle of Man back in 2012. Terry Bullock TRIUMPH TIGER CUB I have just celebrated my 76th birthday. This me at 16 on my Tiger Cub, the second pic (right) is me on my latest bike... TRIUMPH TT BONNEVILLE This is me on my Triumph TT Bonneville, one of the first bikes I built for myself and I am pleased to say I still have it today. Tom Griffin KAWASAKI Z900RS ...60 years of motorcycling since the Tiger Cub. Bikes have changed in that time but as you can…

‘Welsh camping trip’ R5K MEMBERS PETER PHELPS, SHAUN NAPIER AND TERRY DEVONSHIRE Had an awesome weekend in Wales. We stayed at Bikers Campsite in west Wales. Excellent service and we will be back there soon. Took in some fantastic sites with a trip up The Devil’s Staircase and the surrounding areas. We recorded 630 miles in total for the weekend. ‘It’s always good at Squires’ R5K MEMBER JON ASHLEY A selfie at Squires! Always a great rideout destination with a Yorkshire excursion on the way home. Here’s me and my friends Bob and Mark enjoying a Good Friday pass. ‘First visit this year to one of my favourite spots’ R5K MEMBER ANGIE HEAD That’s Pen-y-ghent in the Yorkshire Dales behind us. We also stopped at the Ribblehead Viaduct for an…

£18,200 Yamaha YZF-R1 £8400 Yamaha R7…

Gigi Dall’Igna is best known in MotoGP for pushing the boundaries with the new tech he has introduced: downforce aerodynamics, holeshot devices, shapeshifters (also called ride-height devices) and so on. All his tricks have been copied by the other firms, which proves the brilliance of his thinking, even if all he’s done is follow logic. “Since the beginning of my career I’ve been convinced that aerodynamics hasn’t been developed enough in motorcycle racing, ” he says. “So when I started working for Ducati I thought this is something we must push forward in order to win.” A few years after introducing downforce aero Dall’Igna created holeshot devices and shapeshifters, which lower the motorcycle to reduce wheelies at the start and when exiting corners. “If you study the data it’s easy…

★★★★★ Shoei Ex-Zero review £429.99 ‘Vain? Me? Well, maybe…’ Tested by Ben Clarke for 2 months This Shoei Ex-Zero is a lightweight, comfy and fairly practical helmet (in fair weather at least) but I couldn’t care less about all that. Look at it. It’s so good-looking that I’d still wear it if it crushed my head. I’d probably still wear it if I couldn’t see where I was going or it was made of immaculately finished papier-mâché. Maybe that makes me a dandy, but I don’t care… Luckily for me and my disgusting vanity, the Shoei suffers none of those shortcomings. In fact, despite its lightweight design and jetstyle drop-down visor, the Ex-Zero scores an impressive 4-star SHARP rating. So I can waft around trendy bike meets and coffee shops…

About 25 years ago a mate bought a used Aprilia. It was great... or it was until bothersome niggles and dire parts supply kept it off the road for 12 months. Such tales still affect the firm’s reputation, but the truth is that Aprilias made this millennium are robust and reliable – and the back-up is sorted, too. They’re also ace to own and can offer the best experiences in their class. Here’s our pick of semi-exotic Italians... YOUR EXPERT Mike Armitage has been a full-time tester and journalist for 20 years. The ex-engineer rides 30,000 miles a year and knows how to spot a hound. £4750-£7500 Aprilia Tuono V4 R Superbike performance, exotic air, and they’re easy to live with You know when you go to the British MotoGP…

In the minutes following Razgatlioglu and Rea’s clash it even seemed possible Scott Redding could challenge for a podium. Following a penalty for Axel Bassani, the Ducati turned BMW star finished fifth in what was his best race for the German brand so far. However, the 2019 BSB Champion is keeping his feet well and truly on the ground. It was refreshing to see Redding fight and overtake, even including the factory Kawasaki of Alex Lowes. After his miserable start to 2022, this was the confidence boost Redding needed, but how much were Assen’s direction changes and lack of long straights masking the BMW’s weaknesses? There was also major tyre wear, Redding struggling for front grip on Saturday and rear adhesion on Sunday. “It was an OK result, ” he…

KTM left Portugal with mixed feelings. There was no repeat of Miguel Oliveira’s home heroics here from 2020 despite the factory harbouring podium hopes. And Brad Binder’s 19-race run of point-scoring rides came to an end courtesy of a crash at turn eight. But Oliveira still brought home fifth place, despite feeling he had chosen the wrong front tyre. With hindsight, he’d have picked the hard over the medium. “The feeling is we could have challenged for more, ” he said. A lack of track time held them back. And there was some comfort this was still a massive improvement on the previous race in Texas, which was an unmitigated disaster. Another positive was the RC16’s performance around the track’s tight curves and high-speed changes of direction, an area of…

Honda’s new winless streak stretched to seven races in Portugal. The optimism that came with the all-new 2022 RC213V is likewise getting stretched. The list of excuses may be plausible enough… but it is also getting longer, one race at a time. The main excuse concerns a lack of testing for what is the only all-new bike on the grid. Even the Ducati GP22, suffering similar teething troubles, has some elements from last year’s fully competitive bike. Honda had to start again. Pre-season testing was limited to five days, the shortest ever. While Pol Espargaro had his moments, star rider Marc Marquez was on the back foot. Partly it was his own lack of training and preparation after a winter of recuperation from double-vision; it was also the changed character…

A mesmerising display of perfection at Portimao was evidence that without Quartararo Yamaha’s world championship campaign would be in complete disarray. The Yamaha M1 may be a dream machine to ride but it takes an alien to cover its glaring weakness, extract the maximum and bolt together a championship. This is something, apart from stupendous talent, that Quartararo shares with Honda icon Marc Marquez. The notoriously difficult-to-ride Honda RC213V can only be conquered by Marquez to win titles. The M1 has different, but equally special, demands. Not just any rider rolls up and wins a championship on it. Quartararo is in rarefied air at Yamaha. Since 2004 he is the only rider to join Rossi and Lorenzo as a title-winner on the M1. And it’s a bike that for two…

On March 23 Chancellor Rishi Sunak proclaimed the “biggest cut to all fuel duty rates – ever” as he sliced 5p per litre from the tax in an effort to combat rising costs – but that reduction hasn’t been reflected in pump prices. In March alone the average cost of a litre of unleaded as measured by the Government’s own data broke the £1.50 barrier for the first time. It rose to £1.60 just one week later and peaked at £1.65 just before Sunak’s Spring Statement. In contrast it took a decade for the price to rise from £1.40 – first breached in April 2012 – to £1.50 per litre. Since 20% VAT is added after fuel duty, that 5p tax cut should actually amount to 6p less cost per…

Motorcycle helmet safety standards have been rightfully given a boost recently with the introduction of ECE 22.06 and a greater focus on rotational injuries. Now armour specialists D3O want to take rider safety to another level by adding a thin layer of their soft flexible protection within a helmet’s comfort liner, to help absorb low-level impacts. Known as AMP, the D30 system is designed to help riders involved accidents such as a tumble at the traffic lights or getting struck by a branch whilst off-roading; the sort of thing which is unlikely to compress the EPS lining (the polystyrene) within the helmet. “We found that standards are testing – quite rightly – those really high energies that activate an EPS lining, ” D30’s Head of Motorsport, Richard Harfoot, told MCN.…

GasGas are taking their first modern era steps into the road market, revealing their SM 700 and ES 700 single-cylinder middleweight range. The supermoto-style SM 700 and dual-purpose ES 700 share much of their hardware with KTM’s 690 and Husqvarna 701 family – hardly surprising given all three belong to the same parent company. Both will be finished in GasGas’ distinctive red livery with white decals reminiscent of their Moto3 racer. Performance can be capped to meet an A2 licence, with the 692.7cc thumper producing a claimed 73.7bhp at 8000rpm in standard trim. The engine boasts 10,000km service intervals and is housed is a steel trellis chassis, also used by the equivalent KTM and Husky, with the road-focused SM 700 suspended on a set of compression-and rebound-adjustable 48mm WP Apex…

Surely one way of tackling the fake kit problem as highlighted in your supplement (MCN, April 13) would be for manufacturers to impregnate legitimate gear with Smartwater security markings because fakers would not have the means of duplicating this and local trading standards officers could spot fakes easily using equipment supplied by Smartwater. The treatment is already used to great effect to combat theft of bikes and in many other areas and is simple to apply while remaining invisible to the naked eye. P Cousins, email Be our Star Letter writer and win these DXR Jordan Boots worth £69.99 available exclusively at www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk…

Ride further in 2022 with a little help from our one-stop event guide JUST BREW IT Ride out to Britain’s best biking cafés Connors Café in Wigston swung open its doors for the first time earlier this year, and although the inspiration behind Leicestershire’s newest biker spot isn’t an easy tale, it’s proof that behind every dark cloud is a patch of sun which can change everything. “Connor was my nephew, ” says owner Pete Pullen. “He was a nightmare at school and to get him to behave a bit we got him a bike. But he had a crash on April 24, 2009 and died. He shouldn’t have been on it, but that was the sort of lad he was, and he had always wanted to race in motocross.…

Back in the mists of adventure-bike time we’d refer to a 650cc dual-purpose machine as a ‘giant trailie’. Yet now, in a world of knobbly-tyred bikes with 160bhp, Voge’s 650DSX is a middleweight. Given that it’s A2 friendly you might even class it as a learner tool. Funny old world. For those unsure, Voge is the premium subsidiary brand of Loncin, the Chinese behemoth that churns out millions of two-wheelers a year and screws together engines for various BMWs including their parallel twins. They’re handled here in Blighty by Lexmoto. The 650DSX is the largest Voge and uses a liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine in a package with KYB suspension, Nissin brakes, Pirelli rubber, switchable ABS, and a TFT dash with connectivity and tyre pressure monitoring. It’s even got stupid sequential indicators.…

It’s usually the summer rides you remember forever, whether it’s chasing a sunset across the Yorkshire Moors, or feeling the air cool as hairpin after hairpin leads you higher into the Alps. But in many ways, your spring rides are far more important. They’re the foundations for a great summer and the ones where you get back up to speed. Riding through the winter is an excellent idea because it keeps your riding brain ticking over – and can be great fun if you’ve got the right kit – but even the most hardcore of us won’t have leant a bike over much when the roads are cold. So now is the time to steal an hour here and afternoon there to shake off the rust. The challenge is to…

Owns a Ducati Monster and a Yamaha XMAX400. Loves solo touring trips With 27 miles on the clock, a weekend of sunshine forecast and the first service booked for three days’ time, I make a last minute plan to ride to Le Touquet. I should say my sole objective is to get a feel for my new long termer, which I’ll be running as part of the MCN fleet, but in all honesty it’s to enjoy some fresh mussels and chilled rosé. Covid restrictions and a house move have meant it’s been over three years since I’ve taken a trip to France and the anticipation of riding the NT1100 on one of my favourite stretches of road, the D940 from Calais to Le Touquet, is making me giddy. With over…

Michael Neeves has been an MCN roadtester for over 20 years – he’s done it all, seen it all, and knows all about speed: “Speed is all about being in control of every situation. Riding too slowly puts your destiny in someone else’s hands, but riding too fast can take it out of yours. Stick to speed limits, but ride at a pace where you can take action where things are likely to happen: junctions, blind corners, farms etc. “Riding a motorcycle isn’t just one of the best ways to travel, it can be an art form, too. But what makes the distinction is rider ability: the difference between simply being licensed to ride, and constantly improving your skills. “Controlling your speed is not just about how wide you open…

Nineteen-time Isle of Man TT winner Michael Dunlop is without a Superbike ride just days ahead of the opening practice sessions for the North West 200 and TT races. The Ballymoney man stunned the audience at last weekend’s TT launch event in Ramsey when he dramatically announced his split with Paul Bird’s Ducati squad. Dunlop told fans that the V4 R Superbike being built for him was supposed be ready to test during last week’s BSB shakedown at Oulton Park. When the bike failed to materialise, Dunlop pulled the plug on the deal, forcing TT bosses to remove a PBM liveried Ducati from the line-up of bikes on the stage of the launch just a few hours before the event began. “I’m never far from a drama.” Dunlop joked. “But…

You don’t finish sixth in MotoGP if you’re not something special. Perhaps Iker Lecuona’s aspirations lie in GP racing but, for now at least, Honda’s hotshot is celebrating his first WSB podium. It definitely wasn’t expected by HRC this soon, having predicted no top threes until the second half of the year. From Valencia, 22-year-old Lecuona was left off the MotoGP grid after missing out on a KTM deal. His chief problem was not talent but being ‘another Spaniard’ in a paddock full of them. Even he admits he was a tad lucky, taking advantage of Rea and Razgatlioglu’s collision. However, as soon as it happened, instinct kicked in as he dived past Andrea Locatelli and Alvaro Bautista to seize the lead. Then came some clever race management: “After I…

Assen is dubbed the ‘Cathedral of Speed’ but was scene of no fewer than 72 crashes this past weekend. Of all the dramas, none was more significant than world champions Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea coming together on the sixth lap of Race 2. The collision left the door open for Alvaro Bautista to collect one of his easiest wins. Kawasaki and Yamaha’s superstars have come together before, but they’ve never ended up on the floor. In a Hollywoodlike moment experienced live by television viewers from Rea’s onboard camera, the duo skidded off in a shower of sparks before blaming one another. Heading to Estoril after a three-week break, both trail Ducati man Bautista in the championship. As per Aragon, Rea would have preferred to end the weekend as it…

Numbers never lie. It’s just that in the case of Alex Rins they don’t add up. After five races the Suzuki speedster is yet to lead a lap. Yet he departed Portimao level on points with Fabio Quartararo and second in the standings only on a count back. And race wins? None since Rins was on the top step of the podium at Aragon 1 in 2020. That’s 27 races ago. Go figure. Now bristling with confidence Rins is bullish about ending that streak at his home race, the Spanish GP at Jerez, on Sunday. Don’t bet against it if Rins can channel the stunning pace of his heroic surge from 23rd to fourth, both madcap and sublime in equal parts, in a blockbuster performance in Portugal. Rins started on…

Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia look set to star in MotoGP’s title chase for the long-haul in 2022. Despite a celebrated first win in Argentina earlier this month, there were still some lingering doubts about the experienced Spaniard’s credentials at sustaining a serious and prolonged title tilt. But a second podium in three races with a hard-fought third from the front row in Portimao puts Espargaro just three points off the lead in the World Championship fight heading into this weekend’s Jerez GP. Espargaro has already racked up an impressive 66-point haul from the opening five rounds of the season to emerge as one of the big surprise packages in 2022. The fact that Espargaro didn’t score that many points in an entire campaign in his first four years with Aprilia…