Mick produced the Roadracing World Historic Racebike Illustrations feature for decades before his recent passing. He knew his subject matter, having worked on Norton designs and also having raced Norton motorcycles. May he rest in peace…

The post Barber Video: Mick Ofield & Brian Slark On 50 Years Of Norton Design appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Hopkins started riding at just four years old and quickly made a name for himself, winning the 2000 AMA 750cc Supersport Championship at 17 years old and becoming the AMA Formula Xtreme Champion the following year. His raw talent propelled him onto the MotoGP stage in 2002 with Red Bull Yamaha, where he rode 500cc machinery before switching to Suzuki’s four-stroke GSV-R in 2003.

Hopkins later raced for Kawasaki, battling through injuries before the manufacturer’s MotoGP exit in 2009. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that he truly showcased his talent again—this time in the British Superbike Championship, where he fought for the title all season, only to lose in a dramatic last-lap clash, finishing runner-up for the year.

Beyond the track, Hopkins opens up about the physical and mental toll of professional racing, his battles with injuries, and how they ultimately led to struggles with addiction. He shares his path to recovery, the lessons he’s learned, and the motivation behind writing his book, “Leathered,” where he tells his story in full.

Now focused on mentoring the next generation of racers, most notably American Moto2 rider Joe Roberts, Hopkins discusses his passion for guiding young riders through the sport with the support and mentorship he wished he had. Most recently, he has taken on a new challenge as co-owner of Apex Racing Center in Perris, California, working to revitalize the popular supermoto and karting track.

Available on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, the twenty-sixth full episode with Hopper is out now. Video of the episode can also be viewed on Spotify or YouTube (link below).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaTwkmFG-3c

Keep up with John on Instagram via @21jhopper.

The post Pipe Dreams Podcast: John Hopkins Tells All In 4-Hour (!) Epic appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

The 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will feature a pair of Bimota bikes for the first time since 2014, and their official team launch event just took place from their factory in Rimini, Italy. With their new bike proudly on display, the KB998 ‘Rimini’, Chief Operating Officer of the resurgent Italian manufacturer, Pierluigi Marconi fielded questions and sounded off on the experience he and his team are having so far with their project.

Bimota is an important thread in the rich tapestry of World Superbike’s history, a bimota YB4, ridden by Davide Tardozzi won the first-ever WorldSBK race back in 1988 at Donington Park in England. Following that season, Bimota competed for another three seasons before suspending their participation in the championship in 1991. From there, Bimota made sporadic appearances, in 1995, 2000, -where Anthony Gobert won the last race on the back of a Bimota- and lastly in 2014, when the manufacturer withdrew from the competition until this 2025 season. Pierluigi Marconi gave his take on what a return to WorldSBK means to Bimota.

“I’m really happy today because finally we have the chance to return to World Superbike. Racing is in the DNA of Bimota, so for us it was really important to be able to return to WorldSBK.” Said Marconi “In 2019, when Kawasaki was thinking about buying Bimota, all of us were thinking that we must return to racing. We are really happy and we think it is crucial for us to be back in the race.”

Bimota’s return is in part due to Kawasaki’s partial acquisition of the company, leading the two manufacturers to collaborate in the development of the KB998, combining the chassis engineering expertise of Bimota with the battle-tested race winning heart of Kawasaki’s ZX-10RR Ninja’s engine. Despite the logistical issues one could infer the project would suffer from given Bimota is based in Italy, and Kawasaki in Japan, Marconi claims that this is a non-factor in their project.

“Our World Superbike project started in 2023, and we built a prototype to understand how the bike would be. We built the frame, Kawasaki built the engine and electronics, and then we put together the first prototype.” Said Marconi “We did the first test in Italy, and the test went really well, so we sent the bike back to Japan and did some other tests with it.” Said Marconi “It seems unbelievable, but it’s become very easy to work with them, we both are really professional, and we know that we need help from Kawasaki with the engine, the suspension, the electronics, and they know we can handle the frame, the body, the ergonomics, so we work together without any issues really smoothly, and this is unbelievable.”

Despite how new the project and their KB998 platform is, riders Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani seem to be settling in well, as they have both performed well in preseason testing so far. With the final tests set to take place days before the season-opening Race 1 on Saturday February 22nd, bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team may very well be among the title contenders this year if they continue to display the pace they have demonstrated so far.

“We have two beautiful riders, I really like Alex and Axel, because they’re both different, but they’re both really fast, and on the track, they like to make a move. I think 2025 can be a good season for us. Long-term, we would like to win, I don’t know how long this will take but we will give all we have to accomplish this one day.” stated Marconi

The post World Superbike: Marconi Details bimota Origin, Progress appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

“It’s Always Going To Be Cat-And-Dog …”

By Michael Gougis

Gregorio Lavilla’s job is a bit like juggling chainsaws. Overseeing the rules and class structure for the Superbike World Championship requires him to chase market changes,  balance performance between wide varieties of machines, and create and eliminate classes. He has to find new ways to reduce performance in the face of an army of engineers whose sole purpose in life is to find a way to make racebikes go faster. He has to keep an ever-shifting cast of manufacturers happy enough that they keep racing. And he has to do so without appearing tone-deaf to a world outside of motorcycle racing that demands increasingly cleaner and more efficient machinery.

At the end of 2024, Lavilla, a former racer in MotoGP, 500cc GP and 250cc Grand Prix as well as in World Superbike, and a British Superbike Champion, sat down with Roadracing World to discuss what the future held for the World Superbike World Championship. He talked about upcoming changes to the entry-level race class; new tools to balance machine performance in Superbike; and even the possibility that Supersport could become the premier category in the series, second only to MotoGP in terms of worldwide status and prestige.

The existing Supersport300 class is going away at the end of 2025, to be replaced with bikes with double their power output, Lavilla says. The goal is to react to changes in the market and to make it easier for riders to make the jump from the entry-level class to Supersport, the next-faster category. Right now, the Supersport300 machines make about 45 horsepower and Supersport bikes about 140. The goal for the new class will be a power output of about 80 to 90 horsepower, according to Lavilla.

“Right now, in terms of power, we have quite a big gap from the Supersport300 to the following class, which is Supersport. We felt like the Supersport300 class worked for the purpose for which it was created, but now the market has evolved, and there are new products available for which we can see a good fit for having an affordable entry class but are for more performance machines,” Lavilla says.

“(We want) to give a little bit more punch to the teams and riders, to be able to enjoy World Championship tracks with a little more power and make it easier to make the transition to Supersport, so it would not be such a big jump in terms of power. Some riders can adapt very quickly, obviously. But others take more time. And unfortunately, this is a sport where there is not much time that the teams and sponsors give you. So if you are able to be a bit more prepared–the skills will be more in line with the class that follows, and that should help with the transition.

“It will not be such a big jump in the lap times. It will be more powerful, but it will be more heavy, and honestly, the Supersport300s are fast, very fast!”

Having managed to do a decent job of balancing performance among a wide variety of machines in the current Next Generation Supersport category, the series is hoping to do the same for the new entry-level class. While the V-Twin Ducati Panigale V2 clearly was the machine to be on in World Supersport for 2024, the Inline-4 Yamaha YZF-R6 still took six race wins and MV Agusta’s three-cylinder F3 800 RR was on the podium.

Right now, Lavilla says, eight manufacturers from around the world have expressed interest in the new class, with machines including Twins, Triples, and Fours. And the interest of Chinese manufacturers in racing is not to be overlooked. QJMotors raced its SRK 800 RR, a 778cc Inline-4, in Supersport in 2024, and World Superbike wants to be sure that Chinese manufacturers have a place on the grid.

“So now we have to analyze all the different models of the manufacturers who have said they are interested. We think it will be good for the sport to have more manufacturers,” Lavilla says. “We need to start to deploy the technical regulations and the balance and collect the machines and do dyno tests. They have a lot of work to do. It’s not an easy task.”

Lavilla says the series has a new tool for balancing and reducing performance in the 2025 Superbike class–fuel flow restrictions. With the mechanical and technical aspects of the system tested and proven in 2024, fuel flow restrictions can be used to keep the speeds down and push the development of leaner, less-polluting engines.

“We want to go in line with society, so we want to be more efficient in emissions, everything. But we have different concepts in manufacturers. In an ideal scenario, you put a rule and that’s it. The rule is the same for everyone. That will end up that all of the machines will have the same number of cylinders, the same capacity, the same characteristics for all machines that are track-oriented,” Lavilla says.

“But manufacturers now–there is a big diversity in the types of machines in the market. Every manufacturer has a model that is completely different. And you have to be fair! You need to be able to react, but to react in a way that you don’t interfere. It’s not to level things to where everyone can achieve that level. It’s a World Championship. It’s hard to be a World Champion. It must be a World Championship effort for a team, for a manufacturer. So how do you make that work? It’s very difficult.

“In the past, we have used rpm to balance. Now the manufacturers say we can try the fuel flow to balance. If someone overshoots, we need to re-balance. (With fuel flow regulation) you do it in a way that helps emissions, society. Technically it’s very challenging for a manufacturer. But if they do, they can say, ‘We are still winning, and we are doing so in a way with less emissions.’”

According to Lavilla, engine rpm and weight differences between bikes and individual riders will remain, but the current thinking is that fuel flow restrictions will be a better way to balance machine performance. There are no proposals to modify the weight balancing rules, even though, as Lavilla says, “You try things. Sometimes things work, sometimes they work less.

“Different engine configurations may affect (fuel needs) more for some than others. If they decide they prefer not to touch the fuel flow, because someone may say, ‘I cannot reduce my fuel flow any more because it becomes a safety issue, my engine needs lubrication and refrigeration from the fuel flow and this and that,’ then let’s find another way of balance. We may not lower the fuel, so then let’s look at rpm. But the preferred option currently is working on the fuel (flow).

“Right now, you have fast bikes with quite the high fuel consumption and fast bikes with very low fuel consumption. So it will be quite interesting! And even if we go that route, the engineers will try to make the bike just as fast using less fuel. That’s technology. That’s fine. Good. It’s always going to be cat-and-dog. That’s the game. That’s their job!”

(Editors note: The final version of the 2025 Superbike regulations, published four days ago, does away with rev limits.)

In the past, Lavilla has said that MotoGP is where manufacturers market their brands and Superbike is where they market the machines that they sell. Right now, literbike sales have fallen worldwide, while there is renewed interest in the performance category directly below. Yamaha’s new YZF-R9, which will be racing in Supersport this season, is an indicator of a mainstream, high-volume manufacturer introducing a high-profile model into that category. And Superbike displacements have changed throughout the years.

Currently, there is enough interest in literbike-class machines to keep the Superbike class at that level. Kawasaki has just introduced a new Bimota-branded machine for the class. Ducati, BMW, and Kawasaki will be racing new and updated 1000cc racebikes in 2025.

But market and safety considerations mean that the series must be open to do what is necessary to maintain manufacturer interest and to keep speeds safe. The tracks are not changing, so the machines must stay within performance parameters that maximize safety.

Lavilla paused after he was asked if Supersport could replace Superbike. Then he took a very deep breath before responding. “Honestly speaking, I have an idea, but it needs to be up to manufacturers, the national championships. But what I can tell you is that the Supersport platform … could be something different, something bigger. The tools are there to progress. It’s just a matter of what the manufacturers want to follow because we have to promote what manufacturers sell.

“Manufacturers sell what is best for their marketing strategies. But then we need to place that into the environment of a nice show for them to promote their machines. If these tendencies change in terms of marketing issues or safety issues, we have to be open-minded and clear about what will be next. I feel we are ready for whatever will come.”

The post World Superbike: Executive Director Lavilla Previews Tech Future appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Since January 19th 1945, MV Agusta has been creating masterpieces on two wheels, infused with innovation, beauty, and proudly handmade in Italy.

Logo OTTANTESIMO ANNIVERSARIO

MV Agusta celebrates its 80th anniversary, a remarkable milestone that tells a unique story of innovation, passion, and success in the world of motorcycling. Since 1945, MV Agusta has been synonymous with excellence in design, engineering, and motorcycle racing. Over eight decades, the Varese-based brand has set new standards for quality and performance, both on the racetrack, with its unmatched record of 75 world titles (38 riders and 37 manufacturers), and on the road, becoming an icon of Italian style and craftsmanship. Since its inception, MV Agusta has embodied the values of innovation, precision, and dedication, crafting models that have entered the mythology of motorcycling. Every motorcycle designed is the result of an enduring passion for performance, technical perfection, and aesthetic exploration — foundational principles of a philosophy that continues to inspire generations of riders and enthusiasts worldwide.
The Agusta family, a key player in the aviation industry, unable to produce airplanes immediately after World War II, decided to channel its passion for speed and technology into building motorcycles. On January 19th 1945, the Società Anonima Meccanica Verghera was officially founded in Cascina Costa di Samarate, near today’s Malpensa International Airport, in northern Italy.

The first MV Agusta-branded motorcycle was officially launched in the fall of 1945 and went down in history as the MV 98. The Agusta family’s love for aviation was clearly reflected in their motorcycles, giving them a true racing soul. With the MV 98, an extraordinary series of victories and successes began, dominating racetracks worldwide for decades. The aviation legacy is evident throughout MV Agusta’s 80-year history. A prime example is the iconic red and silver livery: while the red symbolizes Italy’s motorsport heritage, the silver pays homage to aviation, where wartime planes often left with their aluminum fuselages unpainted to save weight.

The mass production of automobiles in the 1950s and 1960s caused a significant decline in demand for motorcycles as a simple means of transportation. MV Agusta’s response was to develop increasingly innovative, high-performance models distinguished by constant aesthetic research. These bikes sparked desire as aspirational objects, overcoming the diminishing necessity of two-wheeled transportation. This strategy proved successful, thanks in part to the brand’s continued sporting triumphs.

Count Domenico Agusta had a knack for selecting the best riders, many of whom became motorcycling legends: Franco Bertoni, MV Agusta’s first rider, followed by Arcisio Artesiani, Carlo Ubbiali (“The Flying Chinaman”), Leslie Graham, Cecil Sandford, Fortunato Libanori, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Gianfranco Bonera, Giacomo Agostini, and Phil Read. During the 30 years of the Agusta era, their victories intertwined with the legacy of legendary MV Agusta production models. The partnership between MV Agusta and Giacomo Agostini remains the most famous in motorcycling history: during his career on Cascina Costa’s bikes, “Ago” won 13 world titles, 18 Italian championships, and 10 Tourist Trophies, becoming the most successful rider in motorcycling history.

MV Agusta’s 80 years are marked not only by countless sporting successes but also by the creation of true collector’s items, highly sought after by enthusiasts worldwide. Examples include the 175 CSS of 1954, nicknamed “Disco Volante”, the 1973 750 S “America”, the legendary F4 launched in 1997, whose variants have captivated generations of motorcyclists, and the iconic Brutale, still considered the epitome of naked bikes. In 2010, with the F3 — the world’s first motorcycle to feature a counter-rotating crankshaft — MV Agusta adopted a technical solution that revolutionized handling and stability in mid-sized sports bikes.

Recent history has been marked by models such as the Rush, Dragster, Turismo Veloce, and Superveloce, each embodying the brand’s DNA of innovation, performance, and beauty. In 2024, MV Agusta took another bold step forward with the Enduro Veloce, redefining the adventure bike segment with a project that combines performance, advanced technology, and sophisticated design.

MV Agusta’s creations are not only milestones in motorcycling but also recognized as true works of art. Some have earned places in the world’s most renowned design and art museums.

The Superveloce, unveiled in 2018, with its neo-retro aesthetic which stunned the world was chosen by American artist Daniel Arsham to create six of his “modern relics.” The artist selects icons of contemporary pop culture and reworks them using his erosion technique, transforming them into objects that merge classic aesthetics with a forward-looking perspective. In 2024, the Superveloce Arsham, the most exclusive motorcycle in history, was showcased in the Arsham 3024 exhibition during the Venice Biennale.
The name Superveloce evolved further in 2024 with the final version of the Superveloce 1000 Serie Oro. Produced in just 500 units, this motorcycle was instantly hailed as “the world’s most beautiful bike.” Its beauty inspired Hollywood director Nicholas Winding Refn, who created a short film titled “Beauty Is Not A Sin,” selected for the Venice Film Festival’s official lineup — the first commercial project ever to achieve this honor.

“Motorcycle Art,” the slogan that accompanies MV Agusta, embodies the artistic and artisanal dimension of the brand, elevating it beyond mere motorcycle manufacturing to a true factory of dreams on two wheels, upholding authentic Made in Italy as a core value.

Today, MV Agusta looks to the future with the same pioneering spirit that has defined its legacy. With a focus on technological innovation, connectivity, and strengthening relationships with dealers and customers, the brand continues to create unique motorcycles that seamlessly blend tradition and modernity.

As a tribute to this glorious history, MV Agusta has crafted the 2025 Collezione Ottantesimo, unveiled last November at EICMA. The Centro Stile MV Agusta redesigned the historic logo for this occasion, replacing the traditional emblem on all motorcycles in the collection.

The six celebratory models (800 Series 3-cylinder range: Brutale RR Ottantesimo, Dragster RR Ottantesimo, F3 RR Ottantesimo, and Superveloce S Ottantesimo – 1000 Series 4-cylinder range: Brutale 1000 Ottantesimo and Brutale 1000 RR Ottantesimo), all produced in a limited series of just 500 units, are identifiable by a laser engraving, “1 of 500,” located either on the steering plate or on the tank protection plate, depending on the model. Each motorcycle dedicated to the 80th Anniversary comes with its respective certificate of authenticity.

The 80th Anniversary Collection celebrates a glorious history of passion, success, and performance that, over 80 years, has brought true Made in Italy to the top of the world more times than anyone else. It has gifted works of art in the form of motorcycles and made generations of enthusiasts and lovers of design, mechanics, and beauty dream and fall in love, always staying true to its vision.

Luca Martin, CEO of MV Agusta Motor S.p.A., stated: “Being part of MV Agusta during such a significant year in its history is a unique emotion and a great responsibility. This milestone is not only a tribute to our legacy but also a commitment to the future: to continue innovating while maintaining the values that have made MV Agusta a global icon. We are proud to represent Italian excellence, recognized last December at Montecitorio with the ‘100 Italian Excellences’ award, a testament to our craftsmanship, exclusivity, and passion. Every MV Agusta motorcycle in the world comes entirely, and solely, from our beautiful factory on the shores of Lake Varese. The knowledge of working in the only place where these dreams take shape is a source of immense pride for all of us.”

The post MV Agusta Celebrates 80th Anniversary appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Much is new ahead of ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team’s 2025 campaign, a new version of the M 1000 RR, the #1 mounted on Toprak Razgatlioglu’s bike, and new regulations are set to impact BMW’s package as the German manufacturer hopes to not only defend their Riders’ title, but double down, and claim the Manufacturers’ title as well. Further complicating all this buzz, while he will be fully recovered by the start of the season, it was confirmed Razgatlioglu will miss at least the Jerez test, and potentially the Portimao test as he suffered an injury to his right index finger, crucial for his signature braking style.

TOPRAK #1 AGAIN, BMW #1 FOR THE FIRST-EVER TIME: aiming high in 2025

Toprak Razgatlioglu’s bombshell decision to change teams from Yamaha, which he had won a World Championship with in 2021, to BMW, who in their history had never propelled a rider to a Championship was a huge talking point heading into 2024. A year later, ‘El Turco’ has flipped the narrative on its head, he is the defending Riders’ Champion and it is BMW who are projected among the title frontrunners this year. Hot off the best season in the manufacturer’s history, BMW will look to keep that momentum ahead of the preseason tests in Jerez and Portimao which precede round one in Phillip Island, Australia.

“Normally I wouldn’t use #1, but I did this for BMW, this is a really big team accomplishment, we worked really hard and now we are World Champions,” said Razgatlioglu. “I can feel improvements in the grip, it doesn’t feel super different, but with the new fairing I feel the bike being even more agile, to me this is a big step.”

VAN DER MARK RESURGENT: The Dutchman looks to keep building on a strong 2024 campaign

Shoulder-to-shoulder, he is joined by friend and teammate Michael Van der Mark, who enjoyed a very positive comeback season. Free of injury after struggling to maintain his race fitness throughout 2022 and 2023, 2024 saw him place 6th in the rider championship, winning race day one at the French Round, third at race day two in the Spanish Round, and a fastest lap at race day two at the Motul Czech Round.

“We’ve been building a lot of momentum the last year, we ended the season so strong, and now with the bike new and improved, we should be there from the start,” said Van der Mark. “I have a lot of confidence, and of course Phillip Island is different, but I think we are stronger than last year. I’m really looking forward to it.”

BLUSCH LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEW CHALLENGE: He and his BMW Team set their eyes on the rider and manufacturer title double

Sven Blusch, BMW Motorrad Director was enthusiastic to get the season rolling, while to him the pressure is higher, symptomatic of having the prestigious #1 on the fairing of one of their riders, he also expanded on the higher goals the team is striving for.

“It’s a different mindset we have now, from being the hunters, to now being the hunted, so far it feels really good,” said Blusch. “I think if you come in as the Champion you always want to be the Champion again, there’s the Manufacturers’ Championship as well, which we were not able to win last year, and now we are going for sure for both, we are going all-in.”

TITLE DEFENCE: BMW’s take on this season’s opposition

Team Principal, Shaun Muir made clear that while his BMW garage is highly confident in the talent of their riders and team, goals as high as winning both the Riders’ and Manufacturers’ competitions will be no easy task with the other teams they will be facing off against on the track.

“The fuel flow regulation is going to make in impact for everybody, we don’t underestimate the opposition at all, we know the strength of the other manufacturers,” said Muir. “ We know specifically riders like Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro [Bautista] (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) are going to be very strong, so we don’t underestimate our competition and have full respect for their abilities.”

GETTING AN UPGRADE: BMW will compete with a new and improved M1000RR in 2025

Chris Gonschor, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team’s Technical Director illustrated how his team are adjusting to a new bike as well as new regulations and the absence of last year’s superconcessions which his team was granted.

“The 2025 M 1000 RR benefits from homologations made to the street bike, including six more horsepower, new aerodynamics, a new fairing and new electronics, adding potential for even more improvements.” Said Gonschor, “At the end of January, FIM officials are coming to Berlin to fully homologate the bike, and we have no doubt that everything will be sorted, and by Phillip Island we will be ready to race.”

The post World Superbike: BMW Unveils 2025 Race Team appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Fernandez and Ogura spoke to members of the international MotoGP media as Trackhouse unveiled its 2025 liveries for NASCAR and MotoGP, with each talking about their preparations for the upcoming season.

The two are approaching 2025 from different perspectives. For Fernandez, it’s his first year starting out with the same team he raced for in the prior season, and the first time he’s starting with a factory bike at his disposal. Fernandez raced for KTM Tech3 in 2022, rode for the CryptoData RNF MotoGP Team on an Aprilia RS-GP in 2023, and when Trackhouse bought up the remnants of the imploded RNF team, Fernadez stayed on board for 2024, but started the season with a 2023-spec bike. Fernandez switched to a 2024-spec machine halfway through the season, a change that left him struggling; he cut a despondent figure in the post-race media debriefings after the season finale in Barcelona.

The post-season test saw Fernandez further evaluating the 2024 bike and learning to work with new crew members, and he said he spent a lot of time over the break working with Team Principal Davide Brivio on his mental fitness.

“We changed the staff. We didn’t try the new bike, we wanted to see how the new people would (work) with the team,” Fernandez said. “It was a different preseason for me. I was really focused on myself. I changed the personal trainer to try to feel fit. I was working on myself in the mentality area. Never in MotoGP have I started the season with a factory bike. Overall, I am really happy.

“I want to be fit, focused and try to do my best. Davide helped me a lot. Maybe this is my problem. I want more than we have in the moment.”

Fernandez is the only rider continuing with Aprilia into the 2025 season. World Champion Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi are joing the factory Aprilia squad from Ducati, while Ogura arrives as the reigning Moto2 World Champion. Yet Fernandez says he does not consider himself a leader of the team, and he is most interested in learning from his teammates. Martin and Ogura are World Champions and Bezzecchi is a three-time MotoGP Grand Prix winner. 

“It is super clear to me. I have a lot of things to learn from them,” Fernandez said.

Ogura is at the beginning of a steep learning curve. The Michelin slicks in MotoGP are dramatically different than the Pirellis used in Moto2, and the RS-GP makes twice the horsepower of his Triumph-powered Moto2 Boscoscuro. 

But in his first outing, Ogura said he didn’t find the bike over-taxing, and said he was spending the off-season training mostly by riding on the track. During the Barcelona test, Ogura did 10 to 12-lap stints, and his times were comparable to Somkiat Chantra and Fermin Aldeguer, the other Moto2 rookies moving up to MotoGP for 2025.

“If it’s really necessary to work on the physical side, I will. I don’t really feel – it sounds strange, but it didn’t feel so hard on the physical side in Barcelona,” Ogura said, while acknowledging that the upcoming tests in Malaysia and Thailand will be more physically challenging.

“There’s still a lot to understand. I have eight (testing) days until I start on the first race,” Ogura said. “Clearly, I’m in the position to learn from all of the three (Aprilia) riders.”

The post MotoGP: Trackhouse Riders Preview 2025 Season appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

The night before the 2024 season-ending test at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, Ducati Corse General Manager Luigi “Gigi” Dall’Igna met with members of the international media covering MotoGP. The architect of the fastest road racing motorcycles in history (see footnote), Dall’Igna talked about the 2025 season’s machinery, challenges and riders.

Dall’Igna said that while the GP24’s performance was a significant step forward from the prior year’s model, he did not anticipate a similar jump between the GP24 and the GP25, nor would such a leap forward be necessary.

In prior seasons, the new factory Ducatis could take some time to fine-tune to the point where they were consistently better than the Desmosedici of the year before. In 2024, it was clear from the start that the GP24 was a lot faster.

Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia won 10 of the first 11 races on the GP24. It took the talents of eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez to wrestle the GP23 onto the top of the podium, and no other GP23 rider won a race.

“Honestly speaking, the 2025 at this time is not the same step forward. The level of the GP24 at the moment is quite high and if you introduce a lot of differences between the two bikes, you have to take some risks. At the moment, I think it’s not necessary,” Dall’Igna said.

“I think that we have to improve a little bit the speed of the bike on the straight, because some of our competitors I think (are) a bit stronger than us on that point. And I would like to improve a little bit the speed in the middle of the corner.”

One of the areas where the GP24 excelled was in using the new-for-2024 Michelin rear slick to its ultimate performance capability. Riders on other brands said Ducati riders were fast on new tires and could conserve the tire more during a race. Dall’Igna, not surprisingly, said his team’s efforts were not focused on improvements in that area.

“I think we can improve (tire conservation) a little bit, but it is not a real problem at the moment. I think we have an advantage in comparison to the others. It’s not something we are looking for,” Dall’Igna said. When asked why the GP24 was so much better at using the new rear tire than the GP23, Dall’Igna giggled, not about to divulge a performance secret to his competitors. “It’s difficult to explain, you know. Actually, it’s not difficult, but I can’t,” he said, then started laughing out loud.

Ducati is focused on improving braking performance with the GP25, Dall’Igna said.

“The braking point and the braking stability of the bike is one of the keys, because to overtake the others is really difficult. So you need to have this on the bike,” he said. After the test, Bagnaia said the GP25’s braking is not yet to the level of the braking performance of the GP24, but that the GP25 was much better at this stage of development than any Ducati he had tested in the past.

In 2025, Ducati will drop from eight to six bikes on the grid and from four to three of the latest specification machines. Ducati has profited from having so many bikes on the track, as the company can gather more data to fine-tune all aspects of the motorcycles. It’s so critical that at the Sachsenring round, when rumors spread that Ducati was likely to have only three GP25s on the grid, Bagnaia said it was a concern and that he would be happier with four of the latest factory-spec machines in the field. Bagnaia’s comments indicate just how critical data collection has become in MotoGP – when is the last time a racer on a title-winning bike wanted to share that equipment with more riders, not fewer?

Is the reduction in machines a worry for Ducati?

“Honestly speaking, no,” Dall’Igna said. “The real problem (in 2025) is that the other manufacturers have, I think, better riders. Because in the past, you see some bikes, for example, Aprilia, make a step from two bikes to four. The results were more or less the same. So I don’t think to have only six bikes on the grid with six riders will be a real problem for us. The real problem is (2024 MotoGP World Champion Jorge) Martin is leaving for another company, and same for Enea (Bastianini, a seven-time race winner). I think this is the difference between 2024 and 2025.

“From a money point of view, this is the best solution. With three (GP25) bikes, it’s simply better from the economics point of view. On the technical point of view, it’s not any real advantage to have four factory bikes instead of three.”

Dall’Igna said he and other Ducati managers knew that there was every chance that they would lose Martin after 2024, and that there was every chance that he would take the title with him elsewhere, if they didn’t give him a spot on the factory team. After all, Martin had been overlooked before for the factory Ducati ride – Bastianini got the spot, not him. And other teams were approaching Martin with offers. But Ducati still promoted Marquez to the factory team, setting off a chain reaction that saw Martin sign with Aprilia, Bastianini switch to KTM and Ducati’s satellite Pramac Racing team switch to Yamaha.

After a year of working with Marquez, Dall’Igna said promoting the eight-time World Champion to the factory Ducati team was the best move Ducati could make.

“When I took this decision, for sure we thought quite a lot. Also, we thought that Martin could win the Championship this year. This is something that we had to evaluate, and we took the decision. I don’t change my idea at the moment, and I’m convinced that we have the best possible solution,” Dall’Igna says.

At the beginning of 2024, Ducati signed Moto2 standout Fermin Aldeguer to a MotoGP contract for 2025, and later assigned him a place on the Gresini Racing Team. Aldeguer then suffered through an underwhelming Moto2 season, crashing frequently, winning only three races and finishing fifth in the overall standings. Dall’Igna said he still stands by the decision to sign Aldeguer, but admitted the young rider has some work to do.

“He is one of the young talents of the MotoGP. I’m really happy to have him in one of our teams. He has a lot of really good things – and some things that he has to develop and understand better. I think we can help him to do this,” Dall’Igna said. “I’m convinced that in a couple of years he will be in a fight for the Championship.”

Lastly, Dall’Igna reminded everyone that past results are no guarantee of future performance. After a year like 2024, with 19 wins in 20 starts, Ducati is justified in looking for small performance gains that do not come at the expense of performance losses elsewhere. But to win in MotoGP, you must always look for more performance, he said.

“The new season is a completely new book. The manufacturer who is in trouble can make a jump in front. You never know. You have to be focused on the problems that you have to solve and to try to develop the bike as much as possible. This is our job and this is what we have to do,” he said.

Footnote: KTM’s RC16 has clocked a 0.501 mph higher top speed at Mugello, 227.483 mph to the Ducati Desmosedici’s 226.676 mph. However, of the 18 circuits listed on the MotoGP.com website with lap record information, Ducati’s Desmosedici GP24 holds the outright lap record at 12 of them – and the GP23 holds the outright lap record at another.

The post MotoGP: Ducati’s Luigi “Gigi” Dall’Igna Says 2025 Is “A Completely New Book …” appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

After starting to settle in to his new digs, Sterlacchini met briefly with members of the motosports media corps after the first post-season test concluded in Barcelona. He was forthcoming about the task ahead and spoke about what he knew and had learned, as well as what he didn’t yet know. Jumping in and making accurate, insightful assessments into something as complicated as a factory MotoGP effort after a few hours – Sterlacchini said that was something beyond the capabilities of a mere human.

“Personally, I don’t think that is possible. You don’t need a person who is good, you need God to in a short time understand everything,” he said. “To be honest, in some aspects, it’s starting to become a bit more clear, less blurred, picture. But as I said, it is absolutely premature to draw any conclusions at the moment.”

Sterlacchini said it wasn’t enough to simply focus on the RS-GP, but on the way that the team goes about doing its business on race weekend as well. In the past two seasons, the Aprilia MotoGP racebike has shown that under the right circumstances it is as fast – or faster than – anything else on the track. But the RS-GP’s performance, and the performance of its riders, has been dramatically inconsistent, and the team has been plagued by mechanical failures as well. Miguel Oliveira, who is leaving the satellite Aprilia Trackhouse Racing team to join Pramac Yamaha, said in a recent public appearance that his RS-GP suffered a short circuit in the CPU during practice in Indonesia that cut all traction control systems on the bike, throwing him to the ground and leaving him with a broken wrist.

“You have to reach the perfection of all the systems, no? It doesn’t mean that you have to improve just the bike, but also in the way you are leading the rider to perform in the proper way during the weekend. Like you are aligning the planets,” Sterlacchini said. “So you have to understand what the plan is for the engine brake, then the traction control, then the way you are using the bike in some corners, making the pick-up – this is a sort of process. Clearly the performance of the Aprilia is quite good. Obviously, it is not enough. All of us are here for just one position (to win), no? So we keep working to try to arrive to the spot.”

Getting to know everyone in the racing department, know what they do, and understand how they work together is not the accomplishment of a day or a week, he said.

“I think a reasonable time would be four to eight months. This doesn’t mean we didn’t start to work until that moment. But until the meantime, to have an overall quite clear picture, that is the window of time,” Sterlacchini said.

“The difficulty of our job in general, as a company, not just my job, because I am a piece of the puzzle, is not that you have a new rider, he’s a rookie, not a rookie, it’s the fact that you are challenging 18 other people in the world. It’s a big challenge. It’s the ultimate level, no? You have to optimize (everything).

“I think the fact that we have Jorge (Martin) that is coming from the world-title bike – and he’s a world-title rider – is a big opportunity, no? Because we have a reference. We can understand clearly more where we have to concentrate the most. He’s a mixture between a Champion and a leader. It’s astonishing the way he is approaching the job. It’s really good.”

Finally, Sterlacchini reminded reporters that it’s not just about how the bike is built, but how it is set up. The best bike in the world will lose, every time, if the suspension settings are off, the team has chosen the wrong tires, etc. MotoGP machines are incredibly complicated interactions of hydraulic, electronic, mechanical and aerodynamic systems, and setting all of them up to find the optimal interaction between them is a challenge in its own right.

“At the end, there are pro and cons between the (Aprilia RS-GP and the Ducati) project Martin rode this season. The bike has been developed, for sure, but the settings have been developed over several years. So I think it is premature to say an aspect is good in Ducati rather than Aprilia. And to be honest, I think we never have to look in the past, but we have to analyze in the present what we need in the future. So that is the mission.”

The post MotoGP: Aprilia Tech Director’s Goal Is To “Align The Planets” appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

This agreement is the culmination of years of collaboration between Japan’s KOMINE Co Ltd and the U.S.-based AGV Sports Group Inc., two brands with long histories of innovation in rider protection. Through this partnership, the companies will expand their reach into new markets and develop groundbreaking products that adhere to the highest safety and performance standards.

The collaboration aims to leverage the strengths of both companies in product development, distribution, and marketing to expand their reach into new international markets. KOMINE Co Ltd will bring its state-of-the-art protective gear technology to the North American Market while AGV Sports Group Inc. will utilize its 40 years of experience in the US and Canadian markets to introduce and promote the KOMINE brand to new broader audiences.

“This cooperation agreement symbolizes the fusion of our mutual passion for motorcycling and protecting motorcyclists,” said Michael Chang, Overseas Sales Manager of KOMINE Co Ltd. “By combining our technical expertise and market knowledge, we are setting the stage for a safer and more exhilarating riding experience.”

Founded in 1947, KOMINE has been a pioneer in motorcycle safety gear for over seven decades. Transitioning from manufacturing helmets to a full array of motorcycling apparel in the 1960s, KOMINE has continually prioritized quality and affordability, meeting stringent safety standards required by today’s riders.

Since its inception in 1985, AGV Sports Group has specialized in high-performance motorcycle apparel. Originating from a joint venture with Italy’s AGV Helmets, the company has maintained a focus on sport riding and racing, working with top riders worldwide to ensure products meet the demands of the sport.

Both companies trace their origins back to the motorcycle helmet industry, which has profoundly influenced their business models, product development lines and commitment to safety. The partnership aims to harness this shared heritage to enhance their apparel offerings, ensuring that each product exceeds safety standards without sacrificing comfort or style.

“Partnering with Komine Co Ltd is a natural step forward for AGV Sports Group,” said Michael Parrotte, President of AGV Sports Group Inc. “Together, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of safety and innovation, while delivering unparalleled products to riders everywhere.”

The post AGV Sports, KOMINE Form Global Partnership appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.