Table of contents for 15 January 2025 in MCN

‘That lowering system is pure witchcraft’ NEW GSA TAKES ON KEY RIVALS, P31 FIRST RIDE Kove’s mini super-naked Motorcycling’s got its work cut out trying to entice the next generation of riders on to two wheels. However, with bikes like Kove’s new 125R youngsters have a lot of incentive when it comes to metal. The CBT-friendly machine costs just £3500 and features a super-naked-alike design complete with a single-sided swingarm. Neevesy has braved the cold weather to bring you his verdict. PAGE 42 MAD WORLD Far-out farthing What happens when you’re a bike-mad engineer, with four tonnes of steel lying around and a creative itch that needs scratching? Well, you build a motorised penny farthing, that’s what! Biker Greg Mitchell from Swindon created what he calls the Super-Farthing out of…

Ducati have opened registrations for their DRE academy courses, allowing bikers to sample the latest machinery alongside expert instruction from the likes of Michele Pirro. With over 32,000 participants since 2003, the programme offers a range of experiences from semi-off-road adventure courses to track riding sessions. Head over to ducati.com to secure your spot. Praise the Captain Richard Finney, creator of Captain Fawcett male grooming products, has been recognised with an MBE in the 2025 New Year Honours for outstanding contribution to International Trade and Charity. “This honour reflects a collective effort,” said Finney. “Life’s road has its potholes, but teamwork makes the journey remarkable.” Among his projects, Finney co-founded the Barbers Ride charity ride, which has raised over £180,000 for children’s charities. Nation in a hurry The RAC’s latest…

A new/old stock Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, still in its original transport crate from 2005, will be sold by Iconic Auctioneers at the Devitt Insurance MCN London Motorcycle Show. The bike will go up for sale at the ExCel London exhibition hall on Sunday, February 16 as part of a larger auction during the three-day show. It will also be available to view in person on both the Friday and Saturday of the event. Finished in Honda’s MotoGP-inspired Repsol livery, the bike was recently imported from Hong Kong, having been in long-term storage as ex-dealer stock. ‘The 2005 Blade is still in its original crate’ It’s unregistered – effectively making it a brand-new analogue superbike, despite being 20 years old. According to the advert, the bike has been removed from its…

mcn.letters@motorcyclenews.com motorcyclenews motorcyclenews MCNnews Tommy was a legend I was saddened to read of the passing of Tommy Robb (MCN, January 3). As a young lad I met him at Mallory Park, in those days spectators had free range. I think it was 1962, Tommy was there racing a factory Honda 125, a most beautiful and exotic machine. I asked for his autograph, which he gladly gave and I still have! But the most wonderful thing was he asked me to help him put the rear wheel in his Honda. For a motorcycle mad 14-year-old, it was super special. A treasured memory. A very lovely, friendly Irish gentleman. I’ll never forget you Tommy. Steve Palmer, email MCN has teamed up with Zerofit – The World’s Warmest Baselayer® – to award…

KEY TO THE AREA ■ SOUTH WEST ■ CENTRAL ■ NORTH & SCOTLAND ■ SOUTH EAST Wednesday January 15 BIKE MEETS ■ Huggys Speedshop, Mallory Park, Leicestershire. From 10am www.huggysspeedshop.co.uk ■ Amici Coffee Biker Night, Girtford Bridge, Sandy, Bedfordshire www.amicicoffee.co.uk ■ Chequered Flag Cafe, Darley Moor, Ashbourne, Derbyshire 5pm-9pm darleymoorcentre.co.uk/chequered-flag-cafe/ ■ The Old Stores, Pontblyddyn, Mold, Flints. 6pm-9pm 07548-224866 or Facebook: The Old Stores Motorbike cafe ■ Squires Cafe, Newthorpe, near Sherburn in Elmet, West Yorks 01977-684618 or www.squires-cafe.co.uk ■ Loomies Moto Cafe, West Meon, Hants. Open till 9pm www.loomiescafe.co.uk ■ Ryka’s Cafe, Box Hill, Surrey 5pm-9pm www.rykas.co.uk ■ The Pathfinder Cafe, Blackbushe, Surrey. From 10.30am-1pm Facebook: Pathfinder Cafe RIDEOUT ■ Burgess Hill & DMC, Station Road Car Park, Burgess Hill, Sussex 7pm-7.30pm burgesshillmc.com Thursday January 16 BIKE MEETS ■…

John Surtees is a household name. Why? Because he is one of the few racers that has made their mark as world champion on both two and four wheels. In fact, he was the first. As the son of a bike dealer, Surtees grew up around motorcycles. At 14 he was passenger on his father’s sidecar at a grasstrack event and the pair won, only to be disqualified once Surtees Jr’s age was revealed. Not to be deterred, at 15 he started racing grasstrack solo on an Excelsior-JAP and in 1950 rode on tarmac for the first time at Brands Hatch on a pre-war 250cc Triumph… with grasstrack tyres. He won his first road race at Aberdare Park the same year, and in 1951 at an international meeting on a…

‘Feels like a class act’ Kove’s 125R might not be the cheapest Chinese-made 125 on the market, but it’s still affordable and costs way less than its Japanese and European rivals. It’s light, agile, has tight handling and best of all, comes choc-full of mini super-naked styling cues and equipment. The engine is refined, easy to use and even barks through its airbox at full throttle. It has enough go for most situations, but it can’t keep with dual carriageway traffic if there’s a steep incline involved and lacks playfulness. Kove have only been around since 2017, but MCN rates their bigger capacity 510X and 800X Pro adventure bikes, which can only bode well for the 125R. Reliability and durability will always be a question mark hanging over the heads…

BRUCE DUNN MCN’s expert technician Banish the chills Winter won’t be a pain in the butt with a heated seat and grips 1 Get ready for that warm glow To take the pain out of winter rides we’re going to be fitting a set of heated grips and a heated seat from Oxford Products, which will both be linked to an Oxford junction box with an internal relay. Before getting started, always unpack the kit and make sure it’s all present and correct, before reading the instructions to get a feel of how it’s going to fit. 2 Remove the bar weights The first stage of fitting the grips is removing the bar end weights. These are usually fastened with an Allen key or screw; with the weights removed, check the length…

Dakar expert brings you the latest desert updates DAKAR 2025 James Hillier embarked on his second Dakar thinking that he knew what to expect, but since his heavy, nosebreaking crash on Stage one along with debilitating flu, Dakar 2025 has been tougher than he could have ever imagined. Despite his injury and compromised lung function which forced him to miss the 48-hour Chrono stage, Hillier re-joined the race, somehow managing to dig deep and get to the rest day. MCN caught up with the WTF Racing Kove rider who revealed just how traumatic Dakar has been this year. “To be honest I’m just soldering thorough,” he said. “I’m gutted with how it’s been going, but I’m still here and things should only get better – even though I’ve been telling…

Former IoM TT winner turned MotoGP tech expert TECH INSIGHT Yamaha had a strange 2024 and will have a stranger 2025, racing two completely different motorcycles – the current YZR-M1 inline-four and an all-new V4, which most likely won’t be ready when the championship starts in March. This two-pronged approach will place huge pressure on Yamaha’s resources, but Yamaha management believe it’s the only way that the championship’s second most successful manufacturer (245 MotoGP wins to Honda’s 313) can get back to the front. At the same time Yamaha return to fielding four riders, for the first time since 2022. Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins continue in the factory team for 2025, while former Honda, Ducati and KTM rider Jack Miller and former KTM and Aprilia man Miguel Oliveira join…

Clive Padgett’s passion for the Isle of Man TT and bike racing in general was in full flow as he outlined his plans with Davey Todd and Luke Mossey. “Although Luke had never ridden for us before I have known him all of his life,” Padgett smiled as he explained how he recruited Mossey into his Milenco-backed Honda squad for last year’s Pirelli National Superstock series. “When Luke was just four years old we sold him his first 50cc bike so there is a long connection.” Mossey was scheduled to compete in just a couple of rounds for the team, but when the former-BSB race winner finished third first time out at Snetterton that plan was quickly amended. ‘We sold Luke his first bike aged four…’ “Luke had already missed…

The new supermotos get a heavy dose of technology, including full LED lighting, a slimline 4.2in TFT dash with bonded glass to reduce glare, and the ability to display turn-by-turn navigation. Both get two-channel Bosch ABS, with optional levels of intervention, and the larger 390 SMC R receives riding modes including ‘Sport’ and ‘Street’. In Sport mode, traction control can be fully turned off (not that it really needs it with a claimed 44bhp) and the bike will remember your preferences for the next ride. To unlock additional performance and style points, customers can also add to their bike with a long list of ‘PowerParts’ optional extras.…

Although no longer road-legal due to the fitment of a non-pneumatic front tyre, Mitchell says he now hopes to run the Super-Farthing up to much higher speeds. “I was originally thinking I would ride it once and then never again, but it’s actually nowhere near as bad as you would think. With the stabilisers down, it’s just like riding a really tall quadbike. “You’d have a job trying to get it to tip over in a corner because the weight is all low down in the swingarm and front wheel. “So far, I’ve only managed to get about 50mph out of it, but that was on a short stretch of tarmac. It’ll definitely do more though. “I’ll need to find somewhere bigger to get some more practise in because it’s…

Retired motorcycle officer PC Ross Dorman has been awarded The King’s Police Medal for his dedication to keeping Kent’s roads moving. Dorman, who helped manage the Brexit border changes and freight rules during the Covid-19 pandemic, said: “Being a police officer is about serving the community, and I’ve always taken that seriously. I’ll treasure this honour for the rest of my life.” Will USA get the Flying Flea bug? Royal Enfield’s all-electric Flying Flea brand has been unveiled stateside, following its European debut last November. The range consists of two machines: the retro C6 and scrambler S6. Enfield unveiled the pair to attendees of the CES technology exhibition in Las Vegas but remain tight-lipped on pricing and performance (which is expected to be equivalent to a 125cc petrol machine). Checa…

GET SIX ISSUES FOR JUST £6! Subscribe to MCN now at: greatmagazines.co.uk/mcn-offer They might be facing financial troubles but KTM have announced updates to their 790 Duke for 2025, with the 799cc LC8c parallel twin now tweaked to meet more stringent Euro5+ emissions regs. Priced at £7999 and available from dealers from the end of this month, the bike comes with a four-year manufacturer warranty (up from two years) and is available in two new colour designs with a choice of orange or black bodywork. Power sits at a claimed 93.7bhp at 8000rpm, meaning it can be restricted to suit an A2 licence, and the bike now gains a new 5in TFT reminiscent of some larger 1290s. The inclusion of the display gives riders access to the brand’s controversial ‘Demo…

I do have an affection for Triumph’s Bobber. Not the early model with its 19in Bonnie front end, I’m more of a Bobber Black man, which comes with 16in wheels and more assured handling. The Black superseded the original and soon became known simply as the Bobber, just in case you are getting confused. Why do I mention this? The other week Triumph announced they were releasing another Triumph Factory Custom (TFC) version, which made me prick up my ears. I am lucky enough to have ridden the first Bobber TFC. It was released in 2020 and followed on from the Thruxton and Rocket 3 TFC. Costing £5000 more than the stock Bobber at £15,500, only 750 were made and it featured a more powerful engine, clip-ons, Brembos, Öhlins and…

Q ‘Guessing life expectancy’ I was knocked off my Multistrada two years ago and am involved in a claim for compensation. I was in the Navy for eight years and was regularly getting promoted, but because of my injuries I have been discharged and I am now looking at alternative careers. Because of this, I will lose a lot of my pension. The solicitor for the other driver is asking for a life expectancy report. Why is this needed? Lance, email A In order to calculate future financial losses, such as for loss of pension, the solicitor will need to know how long someone is likely to survive. This is usually done by reference to a book of tables called the Ogden tables. This is a book that uses statistical…

Of all the people I worked with in my time at Honda, it’s the father of the FireBlade, Tadao Baba, that people are most interested in hearing about. I remember it was the summer of 1990 and Honda Motor Europe (HME) had just been formed to run the European business, based in Reading, UK. One of their first objectives was to recruit a European Product Development Team using people who could work alongside the Japanese in R&D, with the main priorities being that you had excellent riding and technical skills. So as if I hadn’t got enough to do, I sent in my application. After a month or so with no response, I assumed that I had not been considered, until one night I was busy working away in the…

Send your trips to yourpics@motorcyclenews.com Readers John & Anne Burridge (aged 76 & 72) with Wes & Bob (aged 73 & 66) The ride Black Sea adventure When to do it Late summer How miles? 4149 Tell us about the trip… It all started with a comment from our Californian friend Wes that he’d like to ride in Romania. We set off for our four-week trip on my KTM 890 ADV to Prague (via Le Shuttle) where we met our friends who’d flown in and hired a Honda Africa Twin and an NT1100. Places visited were: Bratislava, Budapest, several cities in Romania including Bucharest and we rode the Transfagarasan where we saw bears. Dracula’s Castle was fun, too. We arrived at our final destination of Constanta on the Black Sea…

Get loaded with luggage BMW’s TE-spec R1300 GSA already comes with captive aluminium luggage brackets (as part of a £780 Touring Pack, which also includes electric screen, GPS prep and, for some reason, a chrome exhaust), but the luggage itself is extra. With BMW’s £1072 73.5-litre aluminium adventure panniers, £574 37-litre topbox plus the Touring Package, the total extra cost is £2426. BMW are struggling to supply panniers for the 1300 GSA, which is probably why they aren’t fitted to the bike we’ve tested. The Multistrada V4 Rally on test is the ‘Full Adventure’ model and comes with a pair of large aluminium panniers as standard (left off for the test photos, they’re part of the reason for the bike’s £28,245 price tag). A matching aluminium topbox would add another…

RATINGS Exceptional Very good Good Average Poor Eight months ON TEST HJC RPHA 12 £449.99 (Lawin MC1 Red) ‘One of the best I’ve worn’ Tested by Dan Sutherland for 3500 miles I’m in the fortunate position of testing a lot of helmets during my day job and I try to subject as many as I can to all conditions during my year-round ride to and from the MCN office, or when road testing, and covering leisure miles. After just shy of 4000 miles, I’m happy to say that the HJC RPHA 12 ranks as one of the best I have sampled – for practicality and style. It’s been my go-to for the daily commute since the late summer and has been subjected to torrential rain, freezing fog, the occasional snowflake,…

When we test bikes at MCN we ride them in all conditions, including the cold winter months – and despite having quality riding kit you do tend to get very cold when the temperature dips close to freezing. It’s always a relief when a bike is fitted with heated grips, and it feels like a lottery win if there is a heated seat chucked in as well. The steps in this How To describe the basic elements of fitting the grips and heated seat, if you don’t have them as standard. While fitting the grips I was searching for a packet of cable ties that I had mislaid, and to my surprise I stumbled upon old set of generic heated grips from about 10 years ago. I was shocked by…

Why Europe has the answers Yamaha have a lot of catching up to do, but so far seem to be making more progress than Honda. This is because Yamaha’s MotoGP project has been transformed in recent months, becoming more European than would’ve been conceivable just a few years ago. During November’s first pre-2025 tests at Barcelona there were at least as many European engineers as Japanese in Yamaha’s two garages (factory team and Pramac). Yamaha management – convinced by outgoing race boss Lin Jarvis – deserve credit for moving with the times. They finally admitted that Japan is no longer the crucible of cutting-edge motorcycle racing technology (for the moment, at least) and acted accordingly. The sport’s engineering centre is now in Italy, where the automotive departments of the country’s…

A schoolboy motocross rider, Davey went on to further success in Supermoto before switching to tarmac racing when he was just 14. 2016-2017 • British National Superstock 600cc series 2017 • First roads outings at Skerries 100, Armoy and Scarborough before finishing second at Dundrod 150 National race 2018 • North West 200 – Top Newcomer • Isle of Man TT debut. Best TT Newcomer after lapping at 128.379mph to become second fastest newcomer on the Mountain course 2019 • International Road Racing series champion • Wins North West 200 Supersport race on Milenco by Padgett’s Honda • 131.491mph lap at TT 2020-2021 • Secured ride with Honda Racing UK but Covid forced cancellation of major road races for two seasons 2022 • Races in British Superstock championship after re-joining…

Bringing you the lastest news from the racing world TOP STORY The 10th annual 100km dei Campioni flat track event took place at Valentino Rossi’s ranch in Tavullia last weekend with a who’s who of racing’s biggest names taking to the track alongside the GOAT himself. Each year, 46 riders are selected to join Rossi and other members of the VR46 Academy and are placed into teams of two for a weekend of racing, socialising, eating and partying. Indeed, it’s an event aimed more at having fun than being overly serious, with music adding to the atmosphere. MotoGP, World Superbike, Road Racing, Flat Track and Supermoto racers were present, with notable names from the UK including Michael Dunlop, Ryan Vickers, Davey Todd and Tim Neave. Dunlop was paired with MotoGP…

‘Vale was such a nice guy’ Ryan Vickers “It was such an amazing opportunity and experience, honestly, one of the best things I’ve ever done. Valentino was such a nice guy and would go out of his way to come and talk to you, help you out and make to feel welcome. “I had a good chat with him over lunch one day and he was talking about my career. That’s another thing, he knew about me, where I came from and what I did. He clearly takes the time to understand the riders. “The track itself is insane. It’s so difficult and ridiculously slippery. There’s zero grip, but then within 10 laps it basically goes down to tarmac and there’s plenty of grip. It changes so much, so you…

SAVE £4755 £13,495 Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR When Triumph reinvented their class-leading Speed Triple into 1200cc, 170+bhp form in 2021 they added this half faired, café racer RR version complete with Öhlins, Brembos and more. Normally £18,250, this one, at Triumph West Yorkshire, benefits from a welcome £4755 discount taking it down to just £13,495. www.triumphwestyorkshire.co.uk SAVE £4610 £13,500 Zero SR/F The SR/F is Zero’s core roadster. This brand new, 0-mile 2022 example is on offer at Davant Motorcycles with a discount of over £4000. www.davantbikes.com • Engine electric • Power 110bhp • Weight 220kg • Seat height 787mm SAVE £4271 £24,994 BMW K1600 Grand America The, more laid-back version of BMW’s six-cylinder, 160bhp, full dress tourer normally costs nearly £30K – this one’s on offer at under £25,000.…

THIS WEEK More than 13,000 people and businesses across the West Midlands have signed up to a CCTV database, allowing police to view footage when gathering evidence, or preventing crime. Set up by West Midlands Police last September, the system allows residents to add their home or business Ring-style video doorbells and security systems to a secure map of CCTV cameras across the force’s patch. Officers can then quickly pinpoint premises that could’ve captured evidence of crime, with people then sending in their footage via a secure link. When asked if this system could help prevent motorcycle theft, a representative for West Midlands Police said: “Absolutely! We know how inconvenient and costly vehicle crime can be – that’s why targeting vehicle crime offenders is a priority for us. “The secure…

What better way to prep for an action-packed year of motorcycling than by spending time brushing up on your bike control to ensure you get maximum enjoyment from every mile you ride in 2025? MCN and BikerTek have teamed up to deliver a new online skills hub that’s bursting with invaluable riding advice to boost your riding ability through simple tips and demonstrations. Follow the team as MCN’s experienced journalists and instructor gurus, Rapid Training, demystify the art of riding better. A new six-part video series kicks off in February 2025, but the online hub is already packed with a raft of tips and tutorials that will help you tackle 18 common skills challenges that riders could encounter on every ride – from cornering to braking, tackling junctions and roundabouts,…

• Buy your Devitt Insurance MCN London Motorcycle tickets today and save £££s! • Meet motorcycling’s biggest stars, from TV to track! • Don’t miss the first-ever UK show appearance of up-andcoming MotoGP megastar, Pedro Acosta (please check the website for full details) • Britain’s fastest riders go bar-to-bar in live flat track racing across all three days! • See the latest new bikes, timeless classics from The Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum, premium bike gear at great prices and much more! • Tickets are just £26.50 until midnight on February 13, 2025. PLUS! There’s free indoor motorcycle parking.…

Send your first bike pics to: yourpics@motorcyclenews.com The first bike I sat on… Dad’s Triumph Tiger 110, taken around 1971 after he added his red café racer touch. Paul Hynam Left Montreal in May on my year-old Bultaco Metralla. Arrived back in late August after riding 18,000 miles. Ron Grant Just thought I’d send a photo of me and my first big bike in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1981. What a bike. Graham May My brother Malcolm’s first bike, we lived on an estate built on a WW2 airfield, I taught him to ride on the runways. Alby Walker I started with an RD350 YPVS when I was 18 in 1989 and then got this GSX-R when I was 20 in 1991. Sean Wood This is me in 1993 at…

Amongst his team, the great Baba had something of a reputation as a crasher, and some of his test riders thought that he’d crashed every model of FireBlade, although Baba maintains that it was only actually four of five! I remember turning up to Assen in 1991 with Phillip McCallen, who we’d signed up to help us test the next evolution of FireBlade, and Baba had just totalled an EXUP that we were due to use for the back-to-back testing – he was OK, but the bike absolutely was not! He was wild on a bike! Although, it’s funny because during that Assen test, Baba asked me to tell McCallen to slow down, because he’d worn away the Blade’s rear brake pedal. “Tell him it’s only a road bike,” he…

1 January 19 Mid Kent’s auto and bike jumble Get ready to go hunting for bargains and hidden gems this Sunday at Lockmeadow Market Hall, Maidstone (ME16 8LW). Tickets are just £3. midkentsautojumble.co.uk 2 January 19 Mablethorpe sandracing What’s the new year without a bit of racing? Mablethorpe will be transformed this weekend into a cracking off-road course that’s free to watch. mablethorpesandracing.co.uk 3 January 19 Huddersfield autojumble Anywhere near Huddersfield this weekend? Why not pop down to Phoenix Fairs’ jumble (HD1 1RY). Customers are welcomed from 9am. phoenixfairs.jimdofree.com…

THE MCN TEST • THE HOTTEST BIKES • EVERY WEEK £24,245 (£28,245 as tested) Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally • 1158cc 16v 90° V4 • 167bhp / 89.2lb.ft • £301.37 per month PCP From £18,780 (£25,035 as tested) BMW R1300 GS Adventure TE Option 719 Karakorum • 1300cc 8v flat twin • 143.5bhp / 110lb.ft • £314.76 per month PCP £19,695 (as tested) Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer • 1160cc 12v inline T-plane triple • 148bhp / 95.8lb.ft • £229 per month PCP BMW’s R1300 GS Adventure, Ducati’s Multistrada V4 Rally and Triumph’s Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer are the UK’s favourite deluxe adventure tourers, with the latest technology – radars, speed-sensitive seat heights, semi-active suspension and an embarrassment of electronic riches – as well as commanding riding positions, all-day comfort, big…

‘Size really does matter’ Paul kicks off the conversation: “I don’t enjoy moving the BMW around,” he says. “One time I parked it on a steep kerb and couldn’t get it off the stand. The Ducati is lighter; easy to jump on, easy to ride, feels nimble. The Tiger is between them: more bulk than the Ducati but still agile. Money aside, I’d say the Ducati wins.” Martin agrees: “There’s a sense the GSA is getting too clever – too many features, not enough buttons. The Triumph is tall but not unmanageable – and incredible value. But the Multi is the most sophisticated. Only downsides are economy and price.” Speaking of money, the Triumph is over £5000 cheaper than the BMW and £8500 less than the Ducati. If your heart’s…

Our dealer insider on the dos and don’ts of buying used ‘Yamaha’s Niken was doomed!’ I feel sorry for Yamaha when it comes to the Niken because it is a very forward-thinking model. In many ways it feels a bit like the GTS1000 in that aspect – a great idea that arrived at the wrong time. TDM900, TDR250, TRX850 – I’m starting to lose count of the number of models the firm launched before their time! But the Niken is different as it has something else working against it – an extra wheel! The whole three-wheel thing turns motorcyclists off. Scooter riders are fairly open-minded, which is why bikes such as the Tricity 125 and 300 are popular, but motorcyclists are far more conservative. And that put the Niken on…

There’s a reason why exhausts aren’t made of fabric, so attempting to use cloth to bodge your scooter’s rusty pipe is never going to lead to much success. Even so, owner of Doncaster Motorcycles, Kevin Hollingsworth, came across a such a sight when a particularly noisy Suzuki Burgman 125 thundered into his workshop with half an exhaust and the remnants of high temperature wrap vainly attempting to hold the fort. “The customer came to us on our first day back of the year. We’d been closed since before Christmas, so he’s been riding around like that for at least a couple of weeks,” said Hollingsworth. “It was the loudest Burgman you’ve ever heard, and he’d been using it like that pretty much every day. “It must have been blowing for some…

In what is proving to be one of the most impressive Dakar performances for years, factory Red Bull KTM rider Daniel Sanders continues to dominate Dakar 2025. With five stage wins to his credit the Australian is proving to be the ultimate package, able to win stages either from within the pack or opening and navigating at the front. Heading into the race, there was no doubting Sanders’ raw speed, but his consistency and mental strength has so far left his rivals either reeling or out of the race. Sanders is being chased by a glut of Factory Monster HRC riders in a race that has seen some big names forced to withdraw through big crashes and subsequent injury. At the end of Stage eight there had been a total…

Leading roads photographer and journalist writes for MCN TEAM NEWS Senior and Superstock TT winner Davey Todd will make a sensational return to the Milenco by Padgett’s Honda squad for his 2025 roads campaign. The 29-year-old will ride Honda and Paton machinery in the Supersport and Supertwin classes for Clive Padgett’s squad at the NW200 and Isle of Man TT. This is alongside the FHO Racing M1000RR BMWs he will race in Superbike and Superstock as well as a full-time British Superbike campaign. Todd will be joined in the team by one of his fiercest rivals from his 2024 Superstock campaign as Luke Mossey retains the Padgett’s Honda seat he inherited after Todd jumped ship to the Cheshire Mouldings/TAS Racing team last season. “I am super-excited because it is really…

1 Diogo Moreira & Thomas Chareyre 2 Valentino Rossi & Luca Marini 3 Elia Bartolini & Lorenzo Baldassari 4 Andrea Migno & Franco Morbidelli 5 Mattia Pasini & Flippo Farioli 6 Marco Bezzecchi & Pecco Bagnaia 7 Tito Rabat & Dominique Aegerter 8 Sammy Halbert & JD Beach 9 Xavier Artigas & Jose Antonio Rueda 10 Nicolo Bulega & Federico Fuligni 11 Augusto Fernandez & Andrea Locatelli 12 Ivan Ortola & Manuel Gonzalez 13 Matto Ferrari & Tatsuki Suzuki 14 Tim Neave & Lasse Kurvinen 15 Mattia Casadei & Enea Bastianini 16 Andrea Mantovani & Miguel Oliveira 17 Davey Todd & Ryan Vickers 18 Felippo Fuligni & Matteo Patacca 19 Marco Gaggi & Matteo Gabarrini 20 Alberto Surra & Luca Ottaviani 21 Stefano Nepa & Federico Caricasulo 22 Matteo Bertelle…

What an amazing three days at Rossi’s ranch. It’s such a cool event. Everyone is happy, everyone is chilled. The briefing was scheduled for 10, but started at 10.30 and nobody started riding until Rossi had finished his lunch. The level of competition is impressive, the track opens and they are fast out of the traps, riding hard and looking amazing. It’s literally the best riders in the world all having fun in their little world. No one is pestering them, there are a few spectators, but it’s invite only. The whole thing is just so slick, the track is prepped and watered and after every session it gets graded to within an inch of its life. I found out that I don’t want to be a team manager when…