Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128219
.... _:-1•• .... .I'I~ •... . .I.~.~- - Happenings In Motorcycling Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Marco Melandri tossed aside his racing leathers recently, replacing them with a Dolce & Gabbana suit, as he had an important meeting with the President of Italy. Melandri was one of four current MotoGP riders lucky enough to be invited to attend a short ceremony with Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, President of the Italian Republic, at the Quirinale Palace in Rome. Organized by the FMI (Italian Federation of Motorcycle Racing), the event was a celebration of Italy's success in motorcycle racing over the years. Italy currently boasts 150 MotoGP and 500cc class Grand Prix victories, putting it in a tie with the USA for the most. Ciampi then presented medals to each rider, including Max Biaggi, Loris Capirossi, Valentino Rossi and Melandri as a token for each of their individual contributions to Italian sporting history. The line-up also included past and present Italian motorcycling heroes from both MotoGP and other motorcycle sports such as Giacomo Agostini, Luca Cadalora, PierPaolo Bianchi, Eugenio Lazzarini, Bruno Ruffo, Carlo Rubini, GianMarco Rossi, Giovanni Sala, Alex Puzar and Yamaha Motocross 125 riders Andrea Bartolini and Alessio Chiodi. Ciampi spoke of his personal interest in motorcycling as a sport, relating to the surprised group his experiences with bikes in his youth when he was in the military. "I once went too fast on a bike and decided it was better not to ride any more!" he explained to the riders. "Motorcycle racing is very special to me - it is sometimes dangerous and can be scary. It is important for young people to watch and to learn from sports, and from motorcycle racing I think they can see that it is good to be prudent and to respect other people." The 82-year-old then wished the riders good luck and success in their careers. By ALAN CATHCART ... • The Return of Morbidelli After producing the world's first-ever production eight-cylinder streetblke, the 850cc Morbidelli va. Italian two-wheeler achiever Giancarlo Morbidelli is now hard at work on a V-12 motorcycle. which he plans to unveil in time to go on sale in the spring of 2005. Unlike his previous va sports tourer, which had its miniature Cosworth DFV-lookalike dohc 32-valve motor positioned lengthways in the Bimota-designed chassis and featured shalt final drive with only II five-speed transmission, the MorbidelJi V-12 will be a 750cc sportbike with Its engine locllted transversely in the ffllme and chllin final drive from the six-speed gearbox. This will be made possible by the extremely compact nature of the motor, which ~ just 380mm wide between the cylinders llt opposite ends of the single-crank layout. By contrast, Honda's six-cylinder CBXIOOO engine measured 600mm in width from one end to the other. Work on the V-12 Morbidelli design was begun last October, using traditional engine drawings rather than CAD-CAM technology, and these have now been completed, with the prototype now being cast up with a view to beginning dyno tests later this year. The 48-vaJve design will feature gear drive to the double overhead camshafts per bank of cylinders, which will be set at a 60-degree Vee angle with MareUi EF! featuring F1-style rotating barrel throttle bodies set in the middle, same as on the system specially developed by the same Italian firm for the Morbidelli V8. Given that the 850cc V8 produced 120 bhp in customer form but with the engine limited to just 11,000 rpm - whereas tests had shown it would safely run to 16,000 revs, at which point over 150 bhp would have been available - the V-12 is likely to rev to 18,000 rpm in sportbike form, with up to ]aO bhp on tap. However, the biggest surprise is reserved for the chassis, which, in prototype form at least, will house this piece of Latin high-tech hardware - a Honda CBR600RR frame! "This is a fantastic piece of design which brings Grand Prix technology to the customer at reasonable cost: says Giancarlo Morbldelli. "We'll certainly be follOWing its layout for the V] 2, and at least for the prototype we'll use a stock Honda chassis modified to take our engine - there is space to do so, because we've checked. What happens after that, we'll see - maybe Honda will want to develop a 990cc MotoGP version!- To cast your vote. log on to http://www.cyclenews.cam. With Hondi!l, Kawi!l5aki. Suzuki and Yamaha all manufacturing a four-stroke 2SDcc motocross tiih in 2DD4, tiow Ion ito you ttilnlt It will tie before ttie 12S two-strokes i!Ire a distant memory 10 ni!ltional competilJoni' A. By the 2DDq Supercross s.eason B. By the 2DDq Motocross-seuDun~========:::::-----~--C. The following season' DUS;';; D. Neverl Tiddlers forever~":I'"""'=';;;"------------ 6 JUNE 18, 2003' cue • e nevvs