News

A Moriwaki Kawasaki that New Zealand's Graeme Crosby set the UK road racing scene alight with will be one of the highlights of Bonhams' Stafford auction in the UK this coming October 16.

What do top riders James Stewart, Ricky Carmichael and Chad Reed have in common? The answer lies in their origins: all three champions began their careers buzzing around on a Yamaha PW50. This year, the iconic two-stroke fun machine is celebrating its 30th year in production.

On the eve of the penultimate round of the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship, Spain's Carlos Checa looks a certainty to take the title. With a lead of close to 100 points over his nearest rival, the championship is all but Checa's, but the Spaniard doesn't want to make it a "walk in the park".

After a brief Moto2 campaign last year, Damian Cudlin will get his chance at a MotoGP ride this weekend. The 29-year-old Australian will substitute for the injured Loris Capirossi at the Japanese Grand Prix. After dislocating his right shoulder at the Aragon round, Capirossi's injuries have not healed sufficiently for the Italian to compete at this weekend's round 15 of the MotoGP Championship.

The Smith brothers continue to make the 2011 Australasian Safari their own, with the pair recording another strong finish on their Honda CRF 450X bikes. Leg 5, run around a huge salt lake, saw the challenge of Yamaha's Shane Diener evaporate when he had a mechanical failure on the leg's second stage.

Twenty years on from its initial launch, Honda is revving up for the Australian release of the high performance 2012 CBR1000RR Fireblade. The latest model promises superior handling and greater rideability - goals facilitated by enhanced technology and a newly strengthened suspension - along with a decrease in weight and upgraded styling.

Motocross and enduro riders across Victoria are revving up to take part in the KTM Ride4Kids. Now in its 10th year, Ride4Kids brings together the dirt bike community for the biggest motorcycling charity event in the country, raising funds for Challenge, a not-for-profit organisation supporting children and families living with cancer.

The longest leg of the 2011 Australasian Safari saw the stranglehold of the Honda-mounted Smith brothers broken, as Yamaha's Shane Diener won the leg and strengthened his third position overall in the moto division.

Husqvarna's keenly anticipated all-new mini bike CR 65 2012 model has arrived in Australia.

Excitement is mounting at the Yamaha camp as riders, teams and fans get set to celebrate Yamaha's 50th anniversary of Moto Grand Prix at Phillip Island on 14 to 16 October 2011.

Suzuki's exciting DR-Z400SM 2012 supermotard is now available in Australia, resplendent in a fierce new colour scheme.

Honda has announced the development of two new engines; one for midsized motorcycles and the other for scooters.

MotoGP's Marco Simoncelli traded two wheels for four last week, when he took Mikko Hirvonen's Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team Fiesta RS for a spin in the UK. The event, held at Carlisle airfield in Wales, was arranged by Castrol who sponsor both the WRC Team and Simoncelli's 'Team San Carlo Honda Gresini' MotoGP squad.

Leg 3 of the Australasian Safari - from Sandstone to Laverton - was the toughest so far, and featured the longest stage of the event at 317.94 kms. In a day marked by accidents and navigation challenges, some high profile competitors severely dented their chances of Safari success.

The 2011 Australasian Safari's third leg saw a change of scenery, change of pace, and change of leader as XXXXXXX as the slippery grasslands that characterised the opening day's stages gave way to more open tracks that saw the overall pace increased.

The 2012 provisional calendar for the FIM Superbike World Championship has been released. There are still a few 'blanks' in the calendar, but the most notable inclusion for 2012 is a Russian round, to be held at the 'Moscow International Raceway'.

MX fans around the country are advised to keep an eye and ear out for a distinctive 1992 Yamaha YZ 250 - the last race bike of multiple Mr Motocross champ, Craig Dack, which was stolen from the CDR Rockstar Yamaha workshop in Geelong on Sunday morning.

The Smith brothers were strong again in leg 2 of the 2011 Australasian Safari, but consistency from KTM's Ben Grabham meant he won the leg by less than a minute from Jacob Smith.

Pretty scenery proved pretty treacherous for moto and quad comeptitors in the 2011 Australasian Safari. The long grasses and wildfloweres through much of the leg one section of the course meant riders couldn't see rocks and other dangers that lay hidden under the greenery.

With some riders still talking about the possibility of boycotting the Japanese MotoGP round over safety concerns around the Fukushima nuclear accident, Loris Capirossi may be forced to miss the race at Motegi for different reasons following his crash at Aragon.

Green conditions, long grass and slippery tracks made a change from the usual extremely dry and dusty conditions for the prologue opening to the 2011 Australasian Safari. The conditions made navigating and slipping the biggest hurdles of the 19km course for the moto and quad riders, which set the start order for Leg One of the race.

In 2011, the VACC Safe Routes Scooter Rally will celebrate its sixth year in bringing awareness to the cause of 'safe routes' for scooter riders in inner urban areas, as well as making motorists and politicians aware of the value scooters play in reducing inner city congestion.

Mojo Motorcycles have recently announced the introduction of the TGB 'X Race 150' scooter, which is set to be available this October. As the name suggests, the X Race is a sporty scooter that combines bold and racy looks with a powerful 150cc engine.

If you're camping down at the 2011 IVECO Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix this October 14 - 16, you're in for a treat on the night of October 15, when the Highside Campground area will host a screening of 'Fastest', the new MotoGP documentary from Mark Neale.