Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 66 Issue 02 i Australian Motorcycle News

ROADBIKES ARE THE stars of the recent new-bike sales data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, figures which reveal a steady 3.5 per cent growth in sales of motorcycles, scooters and ATVs during the first six months of 2016. Roadies account for almost half the new bikes sold over the period, with 22,921 of the 52,782 machines sold headed for the tarmac. And while Honda retains the mantle for the highest volume overall, the best performer in the roadbike segment was once again Harley-Davidson which edged out the Japanese bike maker by a nose, selling 4685 new H-Ds compared to Honda’s 4500 new road-going motorcycles. Yamaha, Kawasaki and BMW rounded out the top five in terms of roadbikes with the last of the big four Japanese brands, Suzuki,…

WHILE THERE’S UNDERSTANDABLE attention on the Honda CBR250RR reaching production (see page 15), another concept first revealed at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show could also be edging towards showrooms. Harking back to the days of the firm’s now-collectible Z50 line, Honda showed two 50cc Grom concepts, both with scrambler-inspired styling. Now it’s starting to appear that the more retro-flavoured of the two bikes could in fact become a production model. Unlike the existing 125cc Grom, or MSX125 as it’s known in some markets, the two concepts featured 50cc engines instead of 125cc singles, and Japanese sources say this is a path the firm intends to take with a future production Grom derivative. Now the more retro version of the two concepts – a bike that includes all the scrambler…

Ice Racing revisited Ice racing at the Dandenong Iceland (Vol 65 No 23), to quote Youngy, “the equivalent of a North Sea Cod holidaying in the Simpson desert”! What a blast from the past. The photo on page 81 triggered an avalanche of memories. Summer of ’86, what better time to conduct an ice racing meet and where else but Dandenong? I was there with my wife and her family supporting her young brother Paul ‘Wheeties’ Wheatland (he’s the one in the lead in the photo). 500cc, one gear, no brakes, methanol burning sliders, spinning their screw-clad wheels around an indoor ice stadium; a unique experience, piqued with the heavy aroma of Castrol R. From memory, it was real hard work for the riders and like all motorcycle sport, entertaining…

AS A LAST-MINUTE addition to the rider list for the recent BMW RR Experience at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, I wasn’t in a position to push my way to the front of the queue and snatch a set of keys to one of the S1000RR sportsbikes available to the paying punters – most of whom appeared to be simultaneously salivating and quivering at the prospect of blasting a high-powered BMW motorcycle around the famous circuit. Instead, I hung back and once all the bikes had been divvied I ended up sans motorcycle. “Why don’t you jump on the K1300R,” suggested Miles Davies from BMW Australia, and so began possibly the longest quick spin in AMCN history. That was four months ago, and since then I have enjoyed track…

AWAY LIKE A CAT WITH A CRACKER UP ITS CLACKER “Seriously? Seriously, Chris!? You want me to return the Harley-Davidson Iron 883 long-termer and swap it over for a mini-bike? And then take it out for a test with my partner? Let me remind you that our combined ages are close to 110 years (about six times the age of the Z125’s intended audience) and together we will weigh 153kg on a bike with 160kg load rating. And you want to get it photographed in the middle of the busiest weekend outside of the Sydney Olympics? Anything else Chris? Maybe a two-up wheelie and crash into the harbour just to get some coverage on the 7pm news? I guess Editor Dobie didn’t pick up on my sarcasm (or chose to…

Two great rides from long time championship leader Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and the championship would have been all over bar the shouting – and gnashing of teeth from those not on a factory Kawasaki in 2016. After his success in Race 1 on Saturday at Laguna Seca, Rea held a 71-point lead in the championship race, and had claimed a little bit of history – his victory was his first ever at this American circuit. But in Race 2 the championship pendulum swung away from him again, marginally. While the Northern Irishman is still odds-on to be the first back-to-back champion since Carl Fogarty, a DNF for Rea and a win for Sykes means the other man in KRT green may still be in with a shout. For…

What is the difference between tactics and guesswork? It must be this: when the guessing works out right, that’s tactics. And vice versa. A second successive race afflicted by violently erratic weather gave riders an opportunity to get their strategy right or wrong. And it was surely no coincidence that the team and rider who got it most right scored a seventh consecutive win at the too-tight little German GP circuit of the Sachsenring, nor that he did it from pole position. The reward for Marc Márquez and Repsol Honda was reinforced because his main title rival, Jorge Lorenzo, could hardly have got it more wrong. As a result, the Movistar Yamaha rider scored just one point for a dismal 15th place. Márquez’s 25 points for his third win of…

The race started streaming wet, and while Johann Zarco (Ajo Kalex) led into the first corner, Idemitsu Kalex-mounted Nakagami had taken over by the end of the lap, and he held on for the next six, with Alex Rins (Páginas Amarillas Kalex) and an inspired Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Kalex) in pursuit. Zarco, meanwhile, dropped behind Marcel Schrötter (AGR Kalex), until the German crashed out on lap five; then he was harried by EG-VDS teammates Franco Morbidelli and Alex Márquez. But it would be a race of many crashes, and on lap seven Nakagami slipped off. Two laps later Sam Lowes (Federal Oils Kalex), after pushing through to sixth. Both remounted, Lowes only to fall again later on. Rins inherited the lead from Nakagami only to have a near-spill himself, giving…

AUSTRALIAN REMY GARDNER’S role as part-time replacement in the Tasca Moto2 team has become permanent, with the 18-year-old set to see out the season after two ‘one-off’ rides at the previous two races at Catalunya and Assen. He rewarded the team with four points for 12th place to add to the single point he scored in Catalunya. “It was fixed up during this weekend,” he said, adding that he would now abandon his Spanish CEV Moto2 championship campaign, where he had already won a race. The MotoGP future of Moto2 champion Johann Zarco’s was also confirmed on race eve in Germany, with the announcement that the 26-year-old Frenchman had signed with the Monster-backed Tech 3 Yamaha team. Zarco will join fellow Moto2 rider Jonas Folger, making two class rookies in…

ROUND 5 OF the British Superbike Championship took place at the ex-WWII airfield of Snetterton on 8-10 July. In Race 1 Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) got off to a flyer from pole position before carnage unfolded when riders concertinaed at the Montreal hairpin (Turn 2). James Ellison (JGSpeedfit Kawasaki) went sprawling, along with Richard Cooper (Buildbase BMW) and Aussie Broc Parkes (ePayMe Yamaha) who was filling in for an injured John Hopkins. A split second later Shakey came to grief when Leon Haslam (JGSpeedfit Kawasaki) sped around the outside and forced him onto the grass. Victorian Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) was close behind and pushed past Haslam for the lead but was caught and overtaken by his teammate Dan Linfoot soon after. Another incident at Montreal on lap…

THE ROLLING HILLS at Conondale, Queensland quickly became a mud pit when Round 7 of the MX Nats got underway on 17 July. MX1 once again provided non-stop action as Todd Waters (Wilson Suzuki) and Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) looked to make up vital ground on points leader Kirk Gibbs (KTM Australia). Waters started the day off in spectacular fashion laying claim to the lead early and never looking back. Ferris kept Waters honest, but in treacherous conditions he found it hard to make the pass. Dylan Long (Crankt Honda) was solid early but got passed by Kade Mosig (NPE Kawasaki) who secured the final podium position. An early crash in Moto 2 put Waters on the back foot but he recovered well to retain third position. After a strong…

WOMEN’S INTERNATIONAL SIX Day Enduro Champions, Tayla Jones, Jessica Gardiner and Jemma Wilson look set for an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory when they head off to Spain’s high sierra in October. Now dubbed the Yamaha Blu Cru, the gals won by almost an hour in 2015 and look even stronger this year. Australia’s Senior Trophy Team couldn’t be better placed to repeat last year’s victory with all four riders – Daniel Milner (Yamaha), Daniel Sanders (KTM), Lachlan Stanford (Husqvarna) and Josh Strang (Husqvarna) – having won individual ISDE gold in Spain and Slovakia, with Sanders the reigning E3 (over 450cc) ISDE Champion. After winning individual gold as part of Australia’s successful Junior ISDE Team in 2015, Tom McCormack (KTM) will lead out rising stars Jack Simpson (KTM) and Nic Tomlinson…

THIS COMPUTER-MADE image gives the best insight so far into what Kawasaki’s next-generation Ninja 1000 sports tourer will look like as the firm works to revamp and extend its Z1000-based range. The pictures here are derived from patents that show a restyled version of the Ninja 1000 incorporating the sort of MotoGP-inspired winglets that are already such a notable feature on Kawasaki’s H2 and H2R supercharged superbikes. According to our Japanese sources, both the naked Z1000 and faired Ninja 1000 will be revamped for 2017, with updated models appearing at the Cologne Intermot show towards the end of this year. The changes are said to fall short of being full replacement models but will include technical and visual upgrades as well as the addition of a completely new derivative. The…

HONDA HAS STARTED the pre-marketing of its forthcoming CBR250RR sportsbike with two videos that give a peek at the bike and reveal the sound of its parallel-twin engine. The movies also give final confirmation of the name, with a close-up of the 250RR badge. Initially, the new CBR will focus particularly on Indonesia, where it’s also being manufactured. In those markets, 250cc sportsbikes are hot property, with Yamaha’s YZF-R25 and Kawasaki’s Ninja 250 – both parallel twins – setting the standard. In comparison, Honda’s current single-cylinder CBR250R loses the spec-sheet battle. The 2500RR is based on last year’s Light Weight Super Sports concept. While the Öhlins rear shock, Akrapovic end can and skimpy petal brake discs are missing from the production CBR250RR, its overall appearance will be largely unaltered. The…

THE SHANNONS CLUB is holding an online Show ’n’ Shine competition with a chance to win prizes from the comfort of your own garage. The virtual competition provides bike (and car) owners with the opportunity to show off their pride and joy without having to transport or put extra unwanted kays on their beloved machine. To enter and be in the running for a share of $5500 worth of fuel vouchers, all you need to do is upload your best pics to Shannons.com.au/club/win — and you don’t even need to be a member to be involved. Wandering through the machines on display in the Show ’n’ Shine is just as easy, and free, and there’s no big-headed blokes in front of you blocking your view, either. There are eight weekly…

1983 Honda CBX550F Honda’s CBX550F was a sports tourer that ran from 1982 to 1986. It boasted beautiful styling but suffered criticism for brake fade associated with the in-board ventilated discs that were housed in a drum type enclosure. The 1983 model was adorned with Honda’s highly popular comstar wheels with three-spoke configuration, and a race derived 'bunch of bananas' four-into-two exhaust that linked gas from cylinders two and three, and one and four. This system improved low to midrange torque but also had shortfalls in terms of moisture accumulation and internal corrosion. What it’s got The Honda CBX550F is powered by an air-cooled, four-stroke, transverse four cylinder 572cc, carburetted engine with DOHC and four valves per cylinder. Power runs through a six-speed constant mesh gearbox. The front suspension is…

Gixxer lover Hi guys, That GSX-S1000 test (Vol 65 No 25) was my wife to a tee – naked and nice, nimble, ballsy, comfortable, copious amounts of torque, open to wind blasts, and a beautiful top-end growl. Cheers. Mark Lithgow Via email Mark, What a classic! It was a close call on letter of the issue, but I’ll send you a couple of Gassit T-shirts for you and the wife so you can be a matching pair on your next ride. Chris. Sunshine TT Hello. We recently rode the proposed 47km circuit for the Sunshine Coast International TT – a combination of sections of road known and loved by local motorcyclists. There’s some awesome scenery, some really dodgy bits of road, some fast and tricky bits. Not sure about the…

WHAT WITH ALL of today’s bike companies throwing custom mods and aftermarket accessories at buyers, it’s easy to forget that just a few years ago they were about as welcoming of modifications as Mike Baird is of a late night bevvy. But how things have changed! It seems that pretty much everywhere you look these days, manufacturers are falling over themselves to have their bikes customised by hot shops or to sell you trick bolt-on bits. BMW has the RnineT. Ducati has the Scrambler. And now Yamaha has the MT and XSR range. And while some of you may point out that manufacturers have always been keen to sell you aftermarket accessories, what’s on offer now beats anything that’s been available before. And then some. Need proof? How’s a fully…

You’ll be needing your toothbrush and a clean pair of pants It seems to me that Suzuki is not perceived as a sexy brand, and this may even be costing the company sales it should rightly have in terms of value and capability. It’s a shame, because it means a lot of riders are missing out by overlooking Suzuki when they do their pre-purchase test-ride crawl around the dealers. Case in point is the V-Strom 1000, about which I recently had a conversation with an old friend, who also happens to be the owner of long-serving Victorian Suzuki dealership Raceway Motorcycles in Keilor. Damian and I were in total agreeance (back off grammar geeks, I’m part Scottish, so it’s a real word) that both the 1000 and 650 V-Strom are…

WHILE AIR BAG suits are undeniably the focus of today’s market, you can expect to see significant advancements to the science of motorcycling safety apparel over the next decade. From the outlandish ‘Safety Spheres’ which turn crash victims into human Zorb balls, to the hi-tech helmets that offer night vision, HUD displays with Wifi connectivity and GPS technology, and bionic armour made of ultra-thin materials with exceptional heat and abrasion resistance. There is an incredible spectrum of products and technologies in the pipeline, however, none are production ready or offer the kind of evidence-based, rider protection that is currently available through riding gear equipped with stand-alone airbag systems. Sales of the new Tech-Air™ range are projected to exceed 10,000 units in the next two years, during which time the transition…

Anthony West Grid 14th, R1 12th, R2 9th 17th overall 50 points “POINTS AGAIN AND a top 10 result so cannot really complain too much about that. Of course I would like to be with that group that is in front of me, but now we are sort of missing the gap to the group in front and we have established that the guys behind me… I can beat them. So I am in the middle and had a bit of a lonely second race. I had a problem all weekend with rear grip on the entry into the turn and we were not really able to resolve it, even though it got better in that second race. We are just missing a little bit of entry speed to set…

Enea Bastianini was on pole for a second successive race, with Andrea Locatelli and rookie Arón Canet alongside. Binder was on the far end of row two, one down on title rival Navarro, making an impressive return from injury. Then the weather came, and handed the advantage to a rookie on the seventh row of the grid. Bastianini (Gresini Honda) led away, then second-row starter Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM took a lap up front. But Honda Team Asia’s Khairul Idham Pawi, wet winner in Argentina, was already making his way through, and on lap four he took a lead he would keep for the rest of the race. Andrea Locatelli (Leopard Honda) was embroiled with Bastianini and a very on-form John McPhee (Saxoprint Peugeot) in a three-way battle behind.…

RUMOURS ARE AGAIN circulating that Casey Stoner will make a wildcard race appearance for Ducati this year in the Austrian Grand Prix in early August. But as AMCN went to press no decision had been taken, despite the paddock speculation at the German GP that a one-off Stoner return is imminent. The decision is Stoner’s alone and he has so far been ambivalent about racing again with zero pressure from Ducati. One thing is clear according to AMCN’s sources and that is if Stoner does not race in Austria then there is no plan B for him to enter any other race. Stoner was scheduled to complete a crucial two-day with Ducati at the A1 Ring on 19 and 20 July.…

ANOTHER ROUND, ANOTHER different winner as Swedish rider Antonio Lindbäck stood atop the rostrum after the Adrian Flux British FIM Speedway Grand Prix at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 9 July. Speedway’s showcase meeting again created a tremendous atmosphere and only just fell short of producing a British winner for the home crowd. As the SGP series heads into its mid-year break for the World Cup, Greg Hancock and Tai Woffinden sit comfortably at the head of the points chase, after both built up towards a place in the final at Cardiff. Jason Doyle could not repeat his success of the previous round but has moved to third overall, albeit leading a close five-way battle chasing the leading duo, with that group including Aussie Chris Holder who again failed…

IT WAS A DREAM start for Jarred Brook’s international racing career as the 18-year-old picked up three AMA Number one championship plates and bagged the coveted Horizon Award at the 2016 AMA Dirt Track Grand Championships in Du Quoin, Illinois. The six-day event tested all four disciplines of US dirt-track racing, with points earned from Short Track, Half Mile, Mile and TT events being used to determine the overall Grand Champions. Just three Horizon Awards are given annually to the most outstanding rider in road racing, dirt track and motocross disciplines, and Brook, who hails from Gympie in Queensland, became the first international rider to win the American Motorcyclist Association’s most prestigious amateur award. “All I was hoping to do was to make the main events. Instead I came away…

THE FAR NORTH Queensland Road Racing Club Incorporated (FNQRRC) was founded in 2003 and holds race days from March through to November each year at the MakoTrac International Racetrack, located 65km west of Cairns in Mareeba. MakoTrac International Racetrack is 1350m of hot mix bitumen and also includes a 300m dirt section used for Supermoto races. The FNQRRC will be hosting the 2016 Stay Upright Australian Supermoto Championship on 29-31 July. Australia’s best Supermoto riders will be making their way north from around the country to fight it out on track for the number one plate in several classes including Open, Pro, Women’s and Juniors. The Supermoto Open class is for two-stroke machines up to 500cc and four-stroke machines up to 700cc. Australia’s 2015 Supermoto Championship S1 runner-up, Ross ‘Maestro’…

SMART PHONES, SMART watches and smart televisions are now a widely accepted way of life for many people and, if young Polish inventor Bartosz Ambrozkiewicz has his way, smart mirrors will soon become a normal part of many motorcyclists lives, too. While automotive electronics guru Bosch has already developed a smart motorcycle mirror of sorts (AMCN Vol 65 No 15) – one that will alert riders to vehicles or objects in their blind spots – Ambro›kiewicz’s invention sees the smarts applied in a physical sense and which has the mirrors, er, mirroring riders’ movements. They're called Zercado Mirrors. The invention occurred as a result of Ambro›kiewicz suffering a motorcycle accident which he says could have been avoided if his mirrors were properly adjusted. And while some may argue that improving…

The youngest of five children, David Emde grew up in a San Diego motorcycle family made famous across the American race scene. It would be only a matter of time before David would be racing at the elite level like his older brother Don Emde (Where Are They Now Vol 65 No 22), who won the 1972 Daytona 200, matching his father Floyd’s feat to make them the only the father and son to win the event. With so much pedigree around him, it was the perfect upbringing for a budding professional racer, despite the big age difference between David and Don. “Dave and I got along well,” remembers Don. “Being seven years older, I had my friends and he had his. We generally did different things but when he…

The concept behind Triumph’s Tiger Sport is not new, but over time it has proved hard to perfect. In the modern world most things, including motorcycles, are built for one purpose: a sportsbike has a powerful engine and needs to carve through corners like a knife; a motocrosser is light, agile and designed to win in the rough; a tourer has a big fat seat and plush suspension … you get the idea. It’s not like that when building a big adventure bike. Wheel sizes, engine capacity, configuration, weight and ergonomics are all pieced together in what the manufacturer hopes is a winning mix. But if you combine the wrong pieces and parameters it’s easy to make a flop, or just another bike in a competitive market. BMW, Ducati, Yamaha,…

The starting line is an already high 2862 metres above sea level, the summit a breath-robbing 4300m Since motorised sport began well over a century ago, there have been some oddball events tried, and mostly abandoned. One that has survived the test of time is the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb – a sinuous clamber of a smidgen under 20km (19.988km /12.42 miles). The starting line is an already high 2862 metres above sea level, the summit a breath-robbing 4300m. The road rises at an average gradient of seven per cent, and there are sheer drops of 100m throughout the journey. For 51 weeks of the year, the road to the summit is part of the National Park; during race week it’s closed to normal traffic for strictly regulated periods.…

As a motorcyclist it’s hard not to notice the famous Alpinestars logo that adorns riders at virtually every major event. Nowadays it’s one of the most high-profile brands in motorcycling. However, that wide-reaching success belies its humble beginnings as a small cobbling business at the foothills of the Dolomites back in the 1960s. The company’s founder, Sante Mazzarolo, studied his craft under the guidance of his father and grandfather before joining a local hiking boot business. After 11 years of toeing the company line he decided to strike out on his own and in 1963 Alpinestars was born. The new company was named after the Stella Alpina flower, also known as Edelweiss, which symbolises the daring early season challenge that local climbers were undertaking to be the first to reach…

Throttle wheelies are par for the course in lower gears and every crest on your favourite fast backroad is a launch ramp 1 There’s a reasonable fuel range available at around 230km 2 You best buy two if you want the better half along. Pillion perch is tiny 3 The K1 front fork saw the introduction of titanium nitride coating on the inner fork leg 4 The black frame is a giveway that you are looking at a K3 or K4 With Yamaha’s YZF-R1 sitting pretty as top dog in the performance-bike stakes as the new millennium dawned, Suzuki’s reputation for super-competitive machines was under serious challenge. While its GSX-R750 – the original racer with lights – had been a game-changer, there was no prospect at this point of its…

Sports Rubber LinkInternational $199 (f); $299 (r) (07) 9587 1466 linkint.com.au The Pirelli Diablo Rosso III was developed from knowledge gained as official tyre supplier to the WSBK. It’s claimed to deliver exceptional grip, stable cornering and performance consistency over its lifecycle. Prices listed are for 120/70ZR-17 and 180/55ZR-17. Various other sizes are available. Dirty Blue Denim Ficeda Accessories From $249.95 (02) 9827 7561 ficeda.com.au Sartso Dirty Blue Relaxed Straight Leg Stretched Denim jeans are made with a relaxed waist band and crutch for extra comfort when on the bike. They're made of a fashionable washed blue denim with contrasting copper stitching. They have Kevlar protection, hip and knee armour pockets and a breathable liner. Fast Change QuickLapPerformance From $339 (07) 3397 9194 quicklapperformance.com.au The Cordona Quickshift System allows for…

Throttling back? WITH SO MANY technical limits (electronics, suspension and brakes being cost capped, one set of internal gearbox choices all year, limited engine tuning and chassis geometry restrictions) what you start out with – as a basic motorcycle in 2016 – is crucially important. The better the base bike, the more race ready or amenable to tuning it is, the better your final destination can be. For 2017, there will be another seemingly small, but actually quite significant, change to the tech rules: everybody will need to use the same throttle bodies, injectors and all other intake kit (bar the trumpets) that the base roadbike comes with. So if you want to have any clever variable inlets, split throttles or similarly ‘tuneable’ intake parts, now is the time to…

ROBBIE BUGDEN (SA Kawasaki BCperformance/Kawasaki Motors Finance) has leapfrogged to the lead of the Australasian Superbike Championship with an almost perfect performance during the third round of the Swann Insurance series held at Queensland Raceway. The only blip in Bugden’s otherwise flawless weekend was a second place in the opening race when Michael Blair (YRT/Ipone/Blairbuild/Campbells Home Hardware) raced to victory, and showed the form that could see him challenge for top spot during the rest of the season. Blair, riding a Yamaha YZF-R1, jumped straight to the lead in the opening nine-lap race. He was overtaken by Bugden on lap four, but quickly regained the position to be first to the chequered flag by 1.2 seconds. Third place went to Bugden’s SA Kawasaki BCperformance teammate and now former championship leader…

JORGE LORENZO RECORDED only three falls in the whole of 2015, just two the year before, and three in 2013. At the Sachsenring, the reigning World Champion equalled his 2015 score in two days of practice. One fall on Friday and two more on Saturday brought his season-so-far total to eight, in a nightmare weekend where for the first time he had to run with the lower orders in Q1 to make it into the top 12 in Q2, and which immediately followed his dismal 10th place at the previous round at a wet Assen. Things got worse with 15th in the German race, although at least he stayed wheels down. “Three mistakes on my part – it is not normal that I make so many, but this weekend it…

THE RETURN OF Yamaha to the official ranks of the WSBK championship in 2016 has been dogged by bad luck, rider injury and a disruption to the development program. After another weekend of nearly-there results, and some more dramas and misfortunes for Alex Lowes, the team left Laguna with some breathing space before the next round in distant mid-September. “We are doing two days of testing at Lausitzring on 17 and 18 (August) and Sylvain Guintoli will test there with Alex,” confirmed Pata Yamaha team manager Paul Denning about his two regular, if often injured, riders. Denning also admitted that the aftermath of Guintoli’s huge Imola highside was worse than first realised. “It was a very big crash for Sylvain at Imola … He has had perfect treatment but the…

AT JUST 15 years of age, Matthew Gilmore has become a two-time world champion, winning the 2016 FIM 250cc Speedway Youth World Cup in Gustrow, Germany. The pint-sized rider from Cowra in New South Wales qualified for the final with an unbeaten 15-point maximum in Grudziadz, Poland, the weekend prior. So dominant was Gilmore’s title defence, he dropped only one single point from 12 rides. Joining Gilmore on the victory dais was 14-year-old Queenslander Jedd List, who finished in third place after a hard battle with Danish rider, Mads Hansen in the final. It was heartbreak, however, for 16-year-old New South Welshman Mitchell Cluff, who was eliminated from the semi-final in Poland after engine problems derailed his campaign. RESULTS…

THE 2016/17 ANDRA drag racing season opened with the ‘Nitro Up North’ event at Darwin’s Hidden Valley drag strip on 8-9 July. Top Fuel Motorcycle was one of the headliners and while it was a surprise to not see Chris Matheson in the pits, a strong contingent of West Aussie riders and Harley-Davidson bikes had the crowd on their feet. During Friday’s qualifying session, reigning ANDRA Champ Chris Porter and Mark Drew gave the fans plenty to get excited about with side-by-side six-second passes. After three sessions it was Drew on top with a 6.54 ET at 220mph. Porter followed with a new best of 6.65 at 226.13mph, while Winternationals winner Damian Muscat went 7.04 for number three. Saturday was race day and Porter took on Ben Stevens. As they…