KTM Racing News Stage Five Desafio Ruta

Courtesy of KTM

Stage glory again went to the KTM Factory Team on Friday with Chaleco Lopez of Chile taking victory in the penultimate stage and also assuming the narrowest of leads in the overall standings from Portugal’s Helder Rodrigues. It was also a good day for KTM’s other two riders with American Kurt Caselli second in the stage and third overall while Thursday’s stage winner Marc Coma of Spain finished fourth in the stage. Coma goes into the final stage on Saturday with a 3.58 minutes deficit in the overall standings. All three riders are on the KTM 450 Rally bike. On their way from Chicelito to San Juan, riders again faced cancellation of part of the timed special, which was slated to be 455.74 km in two sections linked with a neutral section but in the end the only raced the second part. All that is now left is a loop section on Saturday, which takes riders out of San Juan and back in again. The timed special is just 146.23 km and will be toughly contested. While Coma experienced some (time) costly setback in Stage Three because of fuel line problems and made a massive recovering to get back into the race on Thursday, now all three KTM factory riders are vying for the podium places. Coma, KTM’s multi Dakar winner and reigning World Champion said he was quite satisfied with his ride. “Today went quite okay and even though I had to open the track we defended pretty well,” he said, adding that organizers had decided to cancel the first part of the stage for quads and bike, largely because of freezing temperatures. “We had to climb to 3100 meters and first thing this morning it was predicted that 1000 meters of that would be in freezing conditions.” Coma said the navigation had been demanding and while it was not an easy ride he also said it was fun. The result puts Coma back in the reckoning for the overall victory. He is currently fifth but only trails overall leader Helder Rodrigues of Portugal by 3.17 minutes. Among his toughest rivals for the number one spot will be Caselli, currently third overall and just 1.39 behind the leader, and Lopez in fourth overall trailing by just 2.11 with two more stages to go. Coma: “Tomorrow will be the last day with a shorter timed stage of 146 km, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy. After the problems we had it was good to get to final stage with some options. It will be complicated but of course I will not stop trying to win.” The Desafio Ruta 40 is part of the Dakar Challenge series but also the fourth leg of the FIM World Cross Countries Championship. Coma, the reigning world champion has already won all three earlier legs. Stage Five results 1, Chaleco Lopez, Chile, KTM 2:27.25 2, Kurt Caselli, USA, KTM at 1.07 3, Helder Rodrigues, Portugal, Honda at 2.12 4, Marc Coma, Spain, KTM 2.52 5, David Casteu at 5.08 6, Daniel Guiet, KTM 5.20 7, Paolo Goncalves, Portugal, Speedbrain, 5.25 8, Pablo Quintanilla, KTM, 5.45 9, Javier Pizzolito, Argentina, Honda at 7.14 10, Claudio Rodriguez, Honda at 10.07 Overall after Stage 5 1, Lopez, 16:38.28 2, Helder Rodrigues at 0.1 (plus one minute penalty 3, Caselli, KTM at 0.35 4, Coma, KTM at 3.58 5, Casteu at 5.30 6, Pizzolito at 6.19 7, Goncalves at 15.42 8, C. Rodrigues at 53.51 9, Salvatierra at 59.18 10, Prohens at 1:00.08

Lopez holds a narrow overall lead after penultimate stage Caselli second in St.5, third overall Coma to work on cutting his 3.58 deficit in final dash

Rodrigues on the podium again in Argentina

Courtesy of Team HRC

Stage 5: Chilecito to San Juan Total stage: 781.66km Special stage: 455.74km   Helder Rodrigues finished third in today’s fifth stage of the Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina and now sits just one second off the overall lead with the final stage scheduled for tomorrow.   Today’s long stage from Chilecito to San Juan originally comprised 326km of liaison and a further 455km of special, but it was shorted to a 231km special because of extremely cold temperatures at the start early this morning. The stage was won by Francisco Lopez, who now holds the slender one second overall lead.   Rodrigues rode a controlled stage over very fast terrain to maintain his challenge for this year’s rally, while his Team HRC team-mate Javier Pizzolito had to ride today with no GPS, eventually finishing in ninth place.   Tomorrow’s short, circular stage, starting and ending in San Juan, will be critical to the overall results, with Rodrigues scheduled to start in third place for the 146km special.   Helder Rodrigues #3 – 3rd Today’s was a very fast stage and our bike didn’t have the same advantage as on other stages, but I pushed hard the whole time and I’m happy with the result. Tomorrow could be a photo finish at the end because the guys at the front are so close together. I will give everything I can.   Javier Pizzolito #7 – 9th It was difficult again today but for a different reason – this time I had no GPS! I managed OK though and didn’t lose too much time. Tomorrow will be a challenge and, for sure, a close finish.   Martino Bianchi – general manager, Team HRC Helder rode very well today and controlled the stage. The first three riders are now very close and, with the last stage tomorrow, it will be an extremely tight finish.   Desafio Ruta 40 Stage 5 results: 1 Francicso Lopez (KTM) 2 Kurt Caselli (KTM) +1m07s 3 Helder Rodrigues (Team HRC) +2m12s 4 Marc Coma (KTM) +2m52s 5 David Casteu (Yamaha) +5m08s 6 Daniel Gouet (KTM) +5m20s 7 Paulo Goncalves (Speedbrain) +5.25s 8 Pablo Quintanilla (KTM) +5.45s 9 Javier Pizzolito (Team HRC) +7m14s Overall standings: 1 Lopez (KTM) 2 Rodrigues (Team HRC) +1s 3 Caselli (KTM) +35s 4 Coma (KTM) +3m58s 5 Casteu (Yamaha) +5.30s 6 Pizzolito (Team HRC) +6m19s

Helder Rodrigues Javier Pizzolito

KTM Results Desafio Ruta 40 Stage 5

Courtesy of KTM

Stage 5 results
1, Chaleco Lopez, Chile, KTM 2:27.25
2, Kurt Caselli, USA, KTM at 1.07
3, Helder Rodrigues, Portugal, Honda at 2.12
4, Marc Coma, Spain, KTM 2.52
5, David Casteu at 5.08
6, Daniel Guiet, KTM 5.20
7, Paolo Goncalves, Portugal, Speedbrain, 5.25
8, Pablo Quintanilla, KTM, 5.45
9, Javier Pizzolito, Argentina, Honda at 7.14
10, Claudio Rodriguez, Honda at 10.07

Overall after Stage 5
1, Lopez, 16:38.28
2, Helder Rodrigues at 0.1 (plus one minute penalty
3, Caselli, KTM at 0.35
4, Coma, KTM at 3.58
5, Casteu at 5.30
6, Pizzolito at 6.19
7, Goncalves at 15.42
8, C. Rodrigues at 53.51
9, Salvatierra at 59.18
10, Prohens at 1:00.08

TT Legends shine at Isle of Man

Courtesy of FIM NEWS

The 2013 Isle of Man TT has been a resounding success for Honda and the Honda TT Legends, with six out of the seven solo races being won by the team’s riders and seven of the nine solo and sidecar races being won on Honda machinery. Honda’s tally of TT wins now stands at 170.

The week began in spectacular style on Saturday with the Superbike race, which ended in an all-Honda podium. Honda TT Legends’ Michael Dunlop stormed to victory to bring home his first TT win for Honda, 30 years after his uncle Joey Dunlop achieved the same feat. Team-mate John McGuinness took third place behind Wilson Craig Honda’s Cameron Donald and in doing so set a new outright lap record of 131.67mph.

Saturday also hosted the first of the Sidecar races with quadruple World Champion Tim Reeves taking his first TT victory alongside passenger Dan Sayle aboard their Honda-based machine.

The following day saw the first of the Supersport races with Michael Dunlop securing his second win of the week, this time with his own MD Racing Honda team. By the afternoon and the end of the Superstock race, his double had become a hat-trick as he took yet another win and set a stunning new lap record of 131.220mph. McGuinness was also on the podium in third with HM Plant Honda by Padgett’s Motorcycles.

After a day of rest, the races returned on Wednesday with the TT Zero Challenge, the second Sidecar event and the final Supersport battle. Honda TT Legends’ riders Michael Rutter and John McGuinness impressed on their respective electric bikes, with Rutter snatching the win from McGuinness by just 1.67 seconds. The Sidecar race saw former World Champions Ben and Tom Birchall leading from start to finish aboard their Honda machinery to take their first TT victory.

In the Supersport race, Michael Dunlop put in another blistering performance with his MD Racing Honda to secure the win and set another new lap record of 128.667mph. Bruce Anstey and John McGuinness – both riding for HM Plant Honda by Padgett’s Motorcycles – placed second and third respectively to complete another all-Honda podium.

With the majority of the racing complete, all eyes turned to the final and most anticipated battle of the Isle of Man TT – the six-lap Senior. With four wins already in the bag, Michael Dunlop was aiming for five out of five, while John McGuinness was on the hunt for his 20th TT victory.

It was McGuinness who triumphed in the final race, which was delayed following a red flag after an incident on Bray Hill on the opening lap. The Morcambe Missile’s 20th TT win and 41st podium coming after an epic battle with Michael Dunlop, who finished second to crown an incredible personal week, with Kiwi Bruce Anstey completing yet another Honda 1-2-3.

Marc Coma won for the third time the Sardegna Rally Race

Courtesy of FIM NEWS

2010, 2011 and now 2013. Marc Coma won for the third time the Sardegna Rally Race, invariably with the KTM, and becomes the absolute record holder. The Spaniard has won the race with a lead of more than seven minutes on the Portuguese Paulo Gonçalves, who made his debut with a Honda of the Team HRC. In third place, a trifle late, the other Spanish Joan Pedrero, in the race with a Beta of Italian Dirt Racing Team.

Coma went straight to the top by winning the first leg from Alghero to Arborea, has given the way to Alessandro Botturi at the end of the second, came back in the lead at the end of the third stage, and stay there until the end of the Rally. In total, the Spaniard has won three selective sections and two stages, and owes its exceptional performance to the highest concentration, which has guaranteed him the minimum errors rating and the perfect alignment with the difficulties of the race, with particular reference to the navigation. Unlike its rivals, which have alternated excellent days to other even disastrous, Coma has maintained a profile perfectly homogeneous, limiting the attacks and preferring a kind of natural selection in determining the outcome of the Rally. Yet another masterpiece of class, strength and experience goes right in the anthology of the Riders of Avià career.

There were also a very interesting fight for the remaining two places on the podium, which involved six Riders in the enclosed space of a few minutes, and that was resolved only at the end of the last stage. Paulo Gonçalves, Joan Pedrero, Cyril Despres, who made his debut with Yamaha, and Italians Alessandro Botturi, Andrea Mancini and Paolo Ceci, following the final order of arrival, took part in an exciting selection. In particular, Botturi gave the feeling of having already acquired the necessary pace to compete in the Great Rallyes. The Giant of Lumezzane has managed in such a short time to gain the necessary experience to extricate himself in the difficult art of navigation, and the difficult Sardegna Rally Race has provided a clear evidence of it. Botturi, who won three special stages and two legs, had his big break chance during the fourth and penultimate stage, when he was very near to a resounding success, then thwarted by a fuel problem just a few meters from the end of the stage .

As third on the podium in San Teodoro, Joan Pedrero has provided the evidence of being able to do it without the umbilical cord that bound him to Marc Coma with the degree of water carrier. Pedrero joined the Team Beta Dirt Racing at the very last moment, won three specials tests and a stage, the third, and only sold in the final second place to the Portuguese Gonçalves. The latter conquers his third runner-up in the three World Rally he played so far, and remains the only potential rival of Marc Coma who is the provisional leader with three wins.

The last selective section of the race, over two hundred kilometers long, has completed the range of scenarios and technical situations offered to the participants by the Sardegna Rally Race. After the mountain slopes, the long rides along the sea and the very wide range of weather conditions, the final stage was certainly smoother and faster than the previous ones, and with much less navigation difficulties. Coma has “explored” it for a good part of its development, but finally Alexander Botturi was the winner of the last test of the Sardegna Rally Race 2013 edition.

The Rally, created by Antonello Chiara and Gianrenzo Bazzu six years ago, is a magnificent event, and probably one of the most complete of the discipline. Its atypical configuration contains an incredible number of consents, which are the source of its record and its prerogatives. The rest, ie the maximum of her dowry, is Sardinia.

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