Buell 1125RR to Race in AMA/DMG Superbike Class

Buell Press Release:

"(July 15) Buell Motorcycle Company today introduced the 1125RR, a race-use only motorcycle intended for competition in the AMA Pro Racing American Superbike class.

"The 1125RR is designed to give privateer racers a turn-key machine to compete in the American Superbike class in AMA Pro Racing. We want to build on our program that has proven so successful for privateers in the Daytona SportBike class," said Erik Buell, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer, Buell Motorcycle Company.

The Buell 1125RR features a modified Helicon 1125cc (103mm bore x 67.5mm stroke) liquid-cooled 72-degree V-Twin engine. Power increases come from components including a larger airbox and intake manifold, revised valves and camshafts, a higher compression ratio, titanium exhaust system and other weight-reduced components.

The 1125RR chassis is the standard 1125R design with fuel-in-the-frame, plus a billet axle adjustment system and chain-drive to allow gearing changes. Suspension travel is managed by fully adjustable units, with a Showa 43mm front fork and a remote-reservoir rear shock. A ZTL2 (Zero Torsional Load) eight-piston front caliper is mated with a modified front rotor."

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The presence of Buell and the role DMG sees Buell playing in their series can't be disputed. I have Buell coming out of my ears, even as someone who is disinterested in the AMA (hence the general lack of published AMA results on this blog). From the Sportbike class controversy to the new Buell "pacebike", to this, Buell is not going away any time soon.

Is the 1125rr a bad thing? It's almost definitely a hypocritical thing: It was only months ago that Mat Mladin was 'busted' for an illegal crankshaft; a part required to be within AMA homogenization specifications. The Buell 1125rr will come out-of-the-box with "custom" parts which would normally be subject to similar homogenization, such as the camshaft.

Yet, is it bad for the sport? It depends. Would the podium ability of the "rr" mean the gradual end of the presence of the "stock" 1125r in the Sportbike class?

Even the most casual motorcycle racing fan knows what cubic centimeters and pistons are. It's been asked for a long time why a modern, liquid-cooled v-twin machine pushing a dozen hundred cc is racing 600cc inline-fours half its size rather than Ducati 1098 Superbikes. The valves, camshaft, and other hypocritical details on the "rr" will not be nearly as blatant an unfair advantage to the spectators. That may be a step in the right direction.

For that I say: Let Buell sidestep homogenization requirements for the remainder of this season. It's a small price to pay if we can divert Buell's invasion of US roadracing from the Sportbike class into the Superbike class, where sadly I doubt cams, valves, and other tidbits will give a bike which previously raced 600s the extra 400-600 cubes of power to compete with the bikes of Mladin, Pegram, and co., not to mention the chassis.

To Buell: It's great that you're supporting roadracing to a dramatically increased degree, but how about next time around you just design a quality, purpose-built sportbike from the get-go? I doubt Ducati would maintain the amount of racing prestige it currently enjoys by racing bikes with 3000cc engines. Sure, the racing could be close: That 3000cc bike may have the worst handling on the market and match up perfectly with the laptimes of an R1 at Monza, but does anyone care?

Rea Fastest at Imola WSBK testing, Spies 3rd, Neukirchner Injured AGAIN!

"Max Neukirchner, back on his Alstare Suzuki for the first time since the Monza incident, high-sided at the Tamburello ninety minutes into the morning session. He was stretchered to the medical centre but a further X-ray scan at Imola hospital revealed a D12 dorsal vertebra fracture in his lower back as well as three minor cracks in the right L1, L2 and L3 lumbar vertebrae. Neukirchner will return to Germany and must remain at total rest in a plaster cast for 30 days."
Superbike:

1 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'48.670
2 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'48.847
3 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 1'49.262
4 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'49.309
5 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'49.422
6 121 Hopkins J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'49.443
7 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'49.467
8 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'49.555
9 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'49.577
10 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'49.645
11 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1'49.736
12 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1'50.226
13 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'50.265
14 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1'50.310
15 100 Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'50.414
16 10 Nieto F. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'50.423
17 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'50.486
18 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'50.518
19 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'50.583
20 53 Polita A. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'50.743
21 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1'51.077
22 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'52.547

Supersport:

1 54 Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 1'51.552
2 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 1'51.705
3 50 Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1'51.890
4 99 Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 1'52.531
5 24 McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 1'53.152
6 1 Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1'53.612
7 69 Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 1'53.767
8 117 Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR600RR 1'53.803
9 13 West A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1'53.931
10 8 Aitchison M. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1'53.963
11 15 O'Halloran J. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 1'54.316
12 16 Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1'54.331
13 9 Dell'Omo D. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'54.346
14 105 Vizziello G. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 1'54.778
15 132 Morais S. (RSA) Triumph Daytona 675 1'54.882
16 25 Laverty M. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 1'55.502

A Day at the Office with Team Yamaha (MotoGP)

AMA Results from 2009 Laguna Seca Round

Supersport:

1 Ben Bostrom Yamaha Yamaha YZF-R6
2 Chaz Davies Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team Aprilia RSV
3 Josh Herrin Team Graves Yamaha Yamaha YZF-R6
4 Tommy Aquino Team Graves Yamaha Yamaha YZF-R6
5 Robertino Pietri Team E.S.P. Yamaha Yamaha YZF-R6
6 Steve Rapp Bazzaz / Pat Clark Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6
7 Chris Peris Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR
8 Danny Eslick Daytona Racing/RMR Buell Buell 1125R
9 Jamie Hacking Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
10 Bobby Fong
11 Michael Barnes GEICO Powersports Buell 1125R
12 Michael Beck Team Beck Racing Yamaha YZF-R6
13 Shawn Higbee Higbee-Racing.com Buell 1125R

Cardenas and Di Salvo: DNF/Crash

Superbike:

1 Mat Mladin Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000
2 Blake Young Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000
3 Aaron Yates Jordan Suzuki Brand Suzuki GSX-R1000
4 Joshua Hayes Yamaha Motor Corp Yamaha R1
5 Ben Bostrom Yamaha Motor Corp Yamaha R1
6 Neil Hodgson Corona Extra Honda Honda CBR1000RR
7 Jake Holden Holden Racing Honda CBR1000RR
8 Tommy Hayden Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000
9 Geoff May National Guard Jordan Suzuki Suzuki GSX-R1000
10 Larry Pegram Pegram Racing Ducati 1098R
11 Taylor Knapp Taylor Knapp Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000
12 Chris Ulrich Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000
13 Hawk Mazotta
14 Aaron Gobert AGR Inc. Honda CBR1000RR

Major confusion throughout the race - pace cars sitting on track, multiple jump starts, red flags, restarts, re-restarts... not a good show from DMG

USGP: MotoGP from Laguna Seca 2009 Results

1 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Honda
2 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Yamaha
3 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Yamaha
4 Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro Ducati
5 Nicky Hayden Ducati Marlboro Ducati
6 Tony Elias San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda
7 Colin Edwards II Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha
8 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki Suzuki
9 Randy De Puniet LCR Honda Honda
10 Marco Melandri Hayate Racing Kawasaki
11 Alex De Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda
12 Niccolo Canepa Pramac Racing Ducati
13 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Honda
14 Sete Gibernau Grupo Fransisco Hernando Ducati
15 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki Suzuki
16 Gabor Talmacsi Scot Racing Honda
17 James Toseland Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha

World Superbike 2009: Donington Highlight Vids

Superbike Race 1



Superbike Race 2



Supersport



The Triumph 675 Daytona makes podium!