Michelin recalls some Pilot tires

Valentino and the other MotoGp Michelin riders are not the only ones to suffer from the quality of their tires. Our PMP friend Almos has found the following picture of a Pilot, showing the consequences of some sort of manufacturing defect. As reported by autochannel.com the recall affects the 120/70 ZR 17 (58W) Michelin Pilot Power 2CT and Michelin Pilot Power front tires with the label "Made in France" and the marking DOT 6UCW 980T or DOT 6UCW 979T.
Last night we were watching again the Donington race in Matchless sipping some charming Stella Artois when Naim shouted ... I swear that my Supercorsa are better than those Michelin, and I bet that I could hook Vale up with a better price ...(LOL).
A company wants to be in MotoGp to give worldwide visibility to its products and services but when at racing and street level people start losing trust, it's a major strategical problem to face for any corporation even for one of the biggest in the industry.

Picture source: gsxrboyz.com

Casey "Stormer" conquers even Donington

Casey “Stormer” wins even in a soggy Donington Park, in a track where, theoretically, his red Missile shouldn’t have outperformed the rest of the competitors.
Indeed on Saturday during the qualifications he had made a mistake on his fast lap and for that reason he ended up in 5th position in the final grid. A grid that had 4 Michelin riders in the first 4 places: Edwards, Rossi, Pedrosa and Hayden. The qualifications results prompted all different kind of speculations given this unusual grid but we were in Donington, England, where they have the greenest run offs of all the all the MotoGp circuits so it was not surprise that on Sunday it was raining. At the beginning Pedrosa led the group for 4 laps but as soon Edwards passed him and he had to ride in the clouds of water created by the front riders his start losing positions. The Texas Tornado seemed very comfortable under the rain in a track that he knows very well and maintained the first position for 15 laps, or until he started suffering Stoner's pressure, he went wide on a right turn and left the door opened to the Aussie. Casey had been riding behind him for 10 laps at a pace very similar to the leader, but when the rain stopped and the riders formed a dry line, his Bridgestone turned to be the winning cards for the day. The Michelin tires of Edward & Co. started to overheat and losing pieces of thread as the camera mounted under Valentino’s tail showed very clearly. The analysis of the fastest lap for each rider shows 5 Bridgestone riders leading before Edwards and Rossi, the fastest Michelin men. Curiously the best time for the Bridgestone group was achieved between the 23rd and the 27th lap, when they were riding in dry conditions.
Let’s face it: Rossi never looked very comfortable Sunday. He was already more than 4 seconds behind the leaders when he started matching their lap times. On top of that he mistakenly went into the grass in a double right for which he lost precious time that could have been useful in defending his third position against Vermeulen. The young Aussie took advantage of Rossi’s rear wheelspin when the track started drying out and passed him with four laps to go relegating the Doctor in 4th position.
Now with other 10 races, Stoner has extended his lead to 26 points: not too many, but still quite a bit considering that he has won 5 of eight MotoGp races, in pretty much any condition. Right now the trio Stoner-Ducati-Bridgestone seems irresistible with Rossi, the only other contender to the World Championship, still working hard with the Fiat-Yamaha and Michelin engineers in order to improve the performance of his YZR-M1. With 2 of the last 3 races in wet conditions where he suffered the dominance of the red Casey “Stormer”, I am sure that for Assen he is hoping for a sunny day, like he had in Mugello for his last victory.

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Who's this person?

Nowadays it’s easy to go at a race event and see the PMP “That’s How We Ride” shirt and ask yourself: who is this person?

Any clue?

Answer: Bill Jones, Pocono Raceway Manager in charge with the leasing of track facilities or in other words the person with whom every club renting the track has to work elbow to elbow for a smooth and flowless event.

Stoner like Gibernau?

Stoner has already been compared to Gibernau and people seem to agree that the Aussie is a better rider, someone who seems not to crack under pressure or when jinxed. Almos, one of our PMP members, has found a very interesting video from LeMans, 2003 World Championship.
Rossi and Gibernau are both riding Hondas, same engines, same speed … only different wrists
Enjoy the show


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Rossi and his feelings at the beginning of a straight

Today, as reported by the Italian medias, Valentino participated via telephone at a prominent radio show, Vivaradio2. Initially Rossi acted as he was just one of fans calling to talk to the singer invited for the day, but then he went on talking about the World Championship and ventilating his concerns about the extra power for the Ducati engines. Among other things he said “…the Japanese companies were not ready to the change of engines, while the Ducati it was… Unfortunately the speed gap on the straights is almost embarrassing …” and then added “ I almost cry at beginning of a straight … but I will compete hard against the Ducatis and Stoner, who is riding like a God …”
Anyhow, the serious topics and comments left space to irresistible laughing when Rossi agreed to participate in a play during which he imitated the engine sound of his race bike, even during the gear shifting and at … the beginning of the straights (LOL).

Good luck Champ …. we will be watching you.

As matter of the fact, next Monday at 8:00PM the PMP crew will meet at Matchless, a bar in Williamsurg, NYC, to watch again the 250cc and the MotoGp races along with other local motorbike lovers. See you there, hopefully drinking on Valentino’s victory in Donington.

A fast lap on the legendary Nuerburgring

This video is suggested by Almos: a fast lap on the fabulous Nuerburgring.
Thank you to jmlwalker67 who has posted it on YouTube we learn that the rider is Helmut Dahne, bike lap record holder on a RC 30. In the video he is riding a R1 and commenting his lap with a voice that I would have never linked to a damn fast guy!!!! His lines, throttle control and braking are just perfect! He rides with the confidence and smoothness of a champion knowing perfectly the challenges of the Ring, maybe the most difficult racetrack built in the world.



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Gran Premi De Catalunia: 7th round to Stoner

Last Sunday we watched the 7th round of the match between Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi, the only two contenders to the 2007 MotoGp World Championship. Stoner has won this bout but without a knockout, a clear triumph that wouldn’t leave space to different interpretations.
Rossi had the pole, but as usual, a slow start relegated him in fourth position so it took two laps for him to pass Hopper and another eight, almost half race, to overtake Pedrosa. Only at this point he was able to start giving pressure to Stoner: initially he tried a few times in a double left turn and then at the end of the long straight of the Catalunya circuit. I have said “pressure” because he didn’t have enough speed to build a real gap from the Australian kid. Rossi’s M1 seemed extremely stable on the brakes and able to keep the line even under heavy trail braking but more than once the Italian went a bit wide as result of his overtaking and Stoner grabbed the opportunity to pass him again. Everybody knows that Ducati is the fastest bike, even when the Italian factory team limits its top speed for gas consumption reasons in certain racetrack, but Sunday we noticed the extra acceleration too. So far Stoner has been able to master the acceleration of his bike by edging tires and throttle to the perfection. Vice versa Capirossi, his teammate, has been struggling with the extra power: it seems that on the high speed turns he carries more speed up to the apex but then he is slower than the Aussie in opening the throttle .
Going back to our match, until the end Valentino tried to induce an error from his competitor and even when, at three laps from the end, he was able to gain a few bikes from Casey, the small advantage was immediately filled on the following long stretch. The 21 year old Ducati rider is living a magic moment with flawless performance on the best bike on the grid. Sunday, Capirossi on the Ducati was able to go from the 17th place to 7th, an incredible performance but the same couldn’t be said for Edwards who started in 5th position to end the race in 10th. Curiously Edward was the first Michelin rider after Rossi and Pedrosa.
The Spaniard got the third position, a great result considering that he was the only rider able to stay with the two leaders the whole race but, honestly, I was surprised that he didn’t try to mix his cards again with an aggressive move whenever he had the opportunity. Unless Pedrosa was hoping in a contact or big mistake by Rossi and Stoner that could have opened the road to an easy victory, something that it could have happened after all ….
Randy De Puniet was the big surprise of the day: fourth with a broken collarbone and a knee swollen to the point that he could barely walk!!!!! I do not know what kind of fracture, if any, he has suffered but last fall I broke my collarbone and I couldn't ride my bike for several weeks so, once again, I praise the magic work performed by Doct. Claudio Costa’s Clinica Mobile.
Finally, let's give a standing ovation to the fast and courageous John Hopkins: he stormed to a well-deserved fourth place after setting the fastest lap during the race and an unofficial lap record at the testing session held at the Catalunya track the day after the MotoGp race. Hopper is really getting confident with his Suzuki and the Bridgestone tire package so I am positive that he will be one of the protagonists of the end of the season, one of those riders that will be stealing precious points to the leaders of the World Championship.
Ten days to Donnington, to the next round …..Only 14 points separate the two contenders …..I am betting on Rossi

Gran Premio D'Italia: The Doctor rules for the 6th time in Italy

I have just came back from Arizona and last Sunday race in Mugello already belongs to the past, to the history of an amazing 2007 World Championship. Today, June 9, 2007, Valentino won the pole for tomorrow’s race in Catalunya and it’s obviously too late to elaborate on what happened in Italy 6 days ago. Anyhow I would like to ask a question: how is possible to live without MotoGp? While 85,000 people were screaming and yelling, laughing and crying creating a live and colorful frame to the gorgeous race track in Tuscany, Italy, in Phoenix, Arizona …..nothing!!!! There, to find a sport bike is as difficult as to find some shade in the desert. The majority of riders are Harley Davidson guys riding with no helmet, no gloves, or any sort of protection. They do not look happy, indeed most of them display tough expressions on their faces, that are not softened at all by their round and big bellies.
I have to admit that I had access to Speed Vision but a long time ago I decided to avoid to watch my favorite show in a channel that constantly chops the race with commercials. So I watched the race on MotoGp only when I got back in Brooklyn, a couple of days ago. I already knew the final result but I must admit that I was impressed by the dynamic of the competition. Once again the tires, more than anything else, affected the race: all the Bridgestone guys were not totally comfortable with their rubber and Melandri more than everybody else: he was flying in the first part of the race and it looked that he could have battled for the podium, but then vibrations, lack of grip and proper feed-back forced him to slow down. Rossi had a slower bike, slower than the Ducatis, the Hondas and Hopper’s Suzuki but the Fiat-Yamaha jackass on french hooves seemed to follow the inputs of its rider perfectly in the twisty parts of the race track, so once Vale decided to overtake his competitors, he did it with a confidence and an authority that does not find equals in the rest of the circus.
He is the King of Mugello and the only one able to keep writing pages of epic racing over the years.
Today’s pole position in Spain was won with the heart, but Stoner is right there in 4th position and, once again, he seems to have the fastest race pace: to win, Rossi would need to pull a rabbit out of his hat for a second time … or better to find more of those carrots for his jackass like in Mugello.

PMP Event: Pocono Raceway 5/20

Pocono Raceway is our backyard, the closest racetrack to NYC. At beginning, back in the 90s, Robert Lombardi and I used to ride our bikes there with a bag on our shoulders. I still remember the first time when at 5:30 am we took a desolated Verrazzano bridge at increasing speed so by the time we reached the highest point I thought I was going to jump directly in the sunrise of a memorable day.
I can not recall how many times we have been in PR, too many, or just enough to know that up there any thing can happen with the weather. I have rode under snow flakes in October, or got caught under epical torrential rain in the summer, but regardless you can bet your money that in a matter of a short time the conditions will improve maybe because we are stirring the wind with our beloved bikes, a wind that is constantly sweeping the sky above Pocono Raceway.
Again, last week the Cassandras of the weather forecast were calling for ominous rain, something that it’s not well accepted for an event at the end of May, so Sunday morning it was not surprise that we took our time in wearing our leather suits: the sky was gray and the temperature unpleasantly cold, but right after the first session, Mr. PR Wind woke up and magically remove the blanket of clouds to reveal a beautiful blue sky. From that point on it was downhill: a little adjustment on the never perfect suspensions, a little bit more rubber on the asphalt and the lap timer start proving that the heat was on. The inevitable dicing prompted excitement inside and outside the track. Beside the PMP guys Naim, Antonio, Mike, Almos and myself, we enjoyed the company of our friends Peter Dave, Gabor, Rob and Jerry.
















I want to take the opportunity to thank SBTT for organizing a flawless event with the help of Pocono Raceway in the person of Bill Jones, the track service offered by the PA POSSE and its Marshall Speedy, and finally our sponsors and friends that have been helping us in putting together the PMP concept:
Mario Pires from AJS Autowerks, Diana from JSTypography and Dennis from RaceDayPhoto, beside Techline Construction, United Watermains, 666 Cycles, Stucco Antico, SilverLining, Pasticceria Tichetti, MadeinItalyNYC, Strawberry Shakes & Grill, Brooklyn Bike Works, and Lee Miles Transmission in Brooklyn.

Grand Prix de France: Rain Soaked Only Someone's Dream

Viva la France, Viva la France …Vermuelen, Melandri and Stoner must have thought at the end of the race from the podium. This is the land where back in 1789 a revolution, that in a few centuries has changed the political configuration of the rest of Europe, started. Last Sunday in Le Mans we had a race that most of us could have never imagined: with Edwards and Rossi right on the front grid, we could have never expected such a debacle for the Yamaha – Michelin team. The threatening clouds hovering over the track at the beginning of the race became the different bets of the MotoGp Roulette: while the riders were scrambling to position themselves during the first few laps of the race, their teams were still trying to foresee the next hour weather. With the new rules under rain conditions it’s up to the rider to decide when to go back to change his bike in order to optimize his position and the choice of tires. The tendency is to delay as much as possible the decision to play the best set up for the final leg of the race, but not necessarily this is the best option. Since the beginning Rossi had jumped to the front of the group with the authority given by his seven world titles and his desire to finally play his game after having suffered Ducati top speed in the first four races. Le Mans with its short straights and spiky turns was supposed to give him the opportunity to catch back Stoner in the World Championship. Who knows what he must have thought when the first few rain drops appeared on his windshield ... I know for sure what I was thinking: "...Rossi is one of the best riders in the rain and he is going to prove it again today!..." As soon as the pace was reduced as result of the initial rain the French riders Guintoli and DePuniet gave the spectators a few minutes of national pride: they launched themselves in a sort of kamikaze's charge to the front of the field with the attitude typical of those Japanese wild cards racing at their home track trying to impress the Honda managers with a result that could change their lives. Both of them crashed while still riding slick tires, challenging smarter competitors that in reality had already cautiously reduced their speed.
Indeed, among them Rossi had lost his lead and seemed to suffer under the rain. As soon as he changed the bike he charged back in third position but after a few laps I understood that it was again one of those days. While Vermuelen took the lead of the race in front Melandri, Rossi was passed by Stoner, Pedrosa, Hayden and Hofmann. He was struggling; his body language was the same one that he had in Turkey while dealing with a shredded rear tire. I was expecting him to glide graciously into corners and coming out of them with impressive power slides but none of this happened. With the exception of Stoner loosing suddenly and dangerously the rear a few times, I do not recall anybody riding with the old 990cc style. Both, Rossi and Michelin, have claimed to make a mistake with choosing a rear tire with hard compound: strangely last Sunday Rossi was passed in the corners while having problem in hugging the apex of the turns! But normally this is the result of a lack of reliance on the front tire and not the rear! Maybe it’s just a coincidence but in front the press Melandri has claimed that once he had changed the bike the good feeling with the front end of his bike boosted his confidence. By gathering all these information together my speculation, or better, my guess is that the electronics of the new bikes must have confined Rossi’s well-known throttle control skills. I suppose that the performance of the traction control systems of his M1 along with the Michelin hard-compound rear tire must have affected simultaneously the handling and the power delivery of his bike. Today Rossi, the same guy that a few years ago everybody thought could win even with a scooter, has become the victim of the MotoGp evolution, where the combination of tires and electronics has become more important of the rider: exactly what Honda declared three years ago, convincing Rossi to go to Yamaha a brand that had not won a title in the last twelve years. Rossi has won a title with the new bike but in the mean time Honda has given its own spin to the evolution of MotoGp.
The 800cc, an odd size for the market, it’s was supposed to be a fraction of their old winning engine. And to weaken the Rossi’s effect on the masses Honda has been betting on Pedrosa, a real “factory rider”. But even the biggest corporations and their strategies can fail in front the creativity and passion of the single individuals: Ducati, a small Italian company, has been ruining their plans since the beginning of year.



Picture source: (1), (2), (3)
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