Rossi and Lorenzo gear up for final four races

Fresh from a break of nearly a month, the Fiat Yamaha Team regroups this weekend at the coastal town of Estoril for the Portuguese Grand Prix. Returning to its more traditional end of season slot after moving to April last season, the race marks the start of the final phase of the championship with just the overseas double-header and the Valencian season finale remaining after it. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo lie first and second in the championship and the Yamaha pair's rivalry promises a tense climax to this year's thrilling championship.

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Yamaha Launches Limited Editions of Fazer & FZ

Yamaha has launched limited editions of Fazer & FZ Series bikes while renewing their brand association with John Abraham. In the presence of the Bollywood hunk who is Yamaha’s brand ambassador in India, Yamaha showcased its Fazer and FZ series of bikes which have managed to gain huge popularity in a relatively short span of time. The special edition Fazer and FZ bikes sport a special white and blue paintjob along with details such as white alloy rims with flouroscent blue rim stripes, and tank graphics. Only 3,000 units of the White color Limited edition FZ16, FZ-S and Fazer models will be produced and will be priced at Rs. 66,500, Rs. 68,500 and Rs. 73,500 respectively.

Rossi leading the way in BMW M Award

World Champion Valentino Rossi leads the 2009 BMW M Award standings for best qualifier, just as he leads the MotoGP general classification. With four rounds remaining in the 2009 MotoGP World Championship season Valentino Rossi could be set for double glory, with a 30 point lead in the general classification and a five point lead BMW M Award standings for best qualifier. Having started four of the last five races in pole position Rossi has recently forged ahead of team-mate Jorge Lorenzo in the BMW M Award table, though the battle for supremacy between the Fiat Yamaha pair appears to be set to go right down to the wire. Rossi allowed Lorenzo to take the BMW M Award advantage earlier in the season when he qualified off the front row at three consecutive rounds, Jerez, Le Mans and Mugello, but his qualifying form has been excellent since then and his overall record of six poles thus far in 2009 mean he is a worthy leader in the award standings.

Stoner on the road to recovery

Former World Champion Casey Stoner is recuperating well in Australia ahead of his scheduled return to competition at Estoril. The 2007 MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner is apparently recovering well from illness in his native Australia ahead of his scheduled return to action at the bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal. The Ducati Marlboro rider missed the visits to Brno, Indianapolis and Misano and returned to his family home in Tamworth, New South Wales, in order to try and fully recover from an illness which first affected him at the Barcelona race in June and which he was subsequently unable to overcome in the quick-fire rounds which followed at Assen, Laguna Seca, Sachsenring and Donington. Stoner has enjoyed a fishing trip in the sunshine of the Northern Territory, at a place called Top End, where he took in the local wildlife and relaxed with his family. He is reported to be recovering well from the severe fatigue which was hindering him during those aforementioned races. Several of his MotoGP rivals have wished him a speedy recovery and his team hope to have him back on top form in Portugal in just over three weeks’ time.

How Riders Are Shaped For MotoGP

We all know that MotoGP is one of the toughest races in the world that demands more from the man as well as the machine. In the case of the machine we will be aware of the technologies involved in shaping the machine for the circuit and the amount of hard work put in to make the machine a winning history. But are we aware of the process that the riders are being put through before the racing season?

Now, please don’t think that the riders are celebrities and they come only a day before the season to tune their bikes according to their needs and then start practicing and then qualifying and finally race. There are much more than that, all riders have to undergo some of the toughest physical training and tests to take part in a race and this training depends on the climatic conditions, track conditions, the stress level exhibited in the race and much more. Let’s take a sneak peek into the training process.

The Annual Planning consisting of the physical training and development for a rider is divided into four periods:

• The Pre-Season
• Period Of Competition
• Summer Break And
• End Of Season

The Pre-Season: The Pre-Season usually starts in December and continues till the beginning of the forth coming March and the training during this period is basically the Cardio-Respiratory exercises to increase the stamina and overall strength of the rider. In this period the rider works six days a week with training sessions that lasts minimum six hours a day with just one day of rest. The sessions are divided into three hour sessions approximately with the first session being on a Bi-Cycle and the second one in the swimming pool.

Period Of Competition: This session depends on the proximity of a GP race. The training during this part of the year is any one of the two types: If there is a free week without a race then the physical work is completely aimed at increasing the muscle volume but if there is a week with a race then the muscle volume work-out’s will be lower but with raised intensity. This continues for two to three months and gradually the amount of work to increase the physical volume is reduced and again the intensity will be increased. This is again accompanied by introducing more specific work depending on the needs of the rider himself.

Summer Break: In this period the exercises introduced will be according to the demands of the rider which will be monitored for the riders needs whether they have to improve overall or just work to build up a specific area.

End of Season: This is the last period of the training for the current year where the body is given a month’s rest and in this period the riders will not be subjected towards total rest. They will just be given the advantage to choose the sports of their liking such as badminton, basketball etc… and other games and activities that will increase their speed of their reflexes.

Types Of Training

Cardio-Respiratory: This training is to mainly improve the strength and stamina of the rider. The work-out will be like road-racing bicycling and swimming. Riders will ride some hundreds of kilometers every year, climbing mountains similar to “Tour De France” and for the winter the riders will do a cross-country skiing.

Anerobic: This training is specifically designed in increasing the physical strength of the body to be precise the upper body and the parts are sternocleidomastoid muscle, trapezium, deltopectorals, biceps, triceps, and forearms. The main target of these exercises is to attain maximum strength with minimum volume. This exercise also concentrates mainly on reflex actions that are vital for a rider during the race failing to which the results can be fatal.

Specific Work: This happens during the racing season, depending on where the race is the physical work can be modified a bit so that the rider adapts better to the conditions that they will face during the race. The overall aim of this training is to give the rider the taste of the different conditions that they will be subjected to during the race so that the rider can very well adapt to the stressful changes without much stress.

Food Practices: Riders will have a normal diet but with an eye of general control over their food as overweight can be a loss in the race. The riders will have a complete breakfast with lots of calories as they all get burnt during the sessions on the bike. The lunch will constitute protein rich food such as meat or fish and at night carbohydrate rich food will be given as their basic design over this is to have a balanced diet without gaining weight.

Liquids: During a race the rider will approximately lose 1.5 to 2.0 Kg of liquid from their body due to excessive heat, stress etc… So, keeping them hydrated is something very important and also fundamental. The same is followed for the cycling training where the rider consumes a lot of liquid to keep his body hydrated. During the race sessions each rider will carry two essential bottles of liquid one with an isotonic mix and the other with water to keep them hydrated as dehydration means loss of electrolytes and mineral salts that produces higher level of tiredness and cramps that can be fatal during a race.

Rest: This is one of the main thing that a rider must get after all the above mentioned work out’s. The team will ensure that the rider gets 8 hrs sleep a day which is vital, missing that the rider will be subjected to tiredness and fatigue which when happens during the race can be disastrous to himself as well as the others on the circuit. If the rider needs some more rest, then the team will also ensure that the rider takes a small afternoon naps to refresh his mind and body.

These are the vigorous tests that each and every MotoGP rider is subjected before hopping on to their monsters with some X amount of Bhp’s and Torque that can top an excess of whopping 320 kmph or more in just a few seconds. Pretty easy on papers isn’t it?

Rossi delighted with pole for home race

The MotoGP title holder, standings leader and 2008 Misano race-winner Valentino Rossi was highly satisfied with his qualifying performance on Saturday afternoon. Having taken his sixth pole of 2009 on Saturday at Misano a delighted Valentino Rossi thanked his Fiat Yamaha crew for their nimble work which allowed him to make late dash to secure top spot on the grid. A final effort on a new tyre paid off for the Italian who was under pressure again from his Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa and his own team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who also ended up on the front row.

Motorcycle Maintenance – Do It Yourself

Here is a list of things which you can take care of.

Main Chain & Sprocket

This is a really important part of the bike, and as you might know, the bike won’t move at all if it’s in bad condition. During the monsoons, bike that have an open chain and sprocket against a covered one would need regular oiling, but at the same time, oiling for a closed chain and sprocket can be done just once in two weeks or something. The conventional way for lubricating chains was by using molten grease. This procedure was quite lengthy and used to take almost 12 hours to complete the job. But now you get special sprays for lubricating the chain system.

Along with the sprays, engineers would also advice on greasing the chain. But an open chain system requires either grease or spray due to the fact that grease or oil is a real magnet for dust and dirt; you might realize this when you look at a well greased chain after a week or so of riding. The usual interval for greasing the chain varies depending on the weather and the riding conditions. It’s usually recommended to grease it once in one or two weeks.

For people who can’t seem to find sprays, or prefer another way of doing it, follow the directions below. There are two methods that I’m explaining here:

1st method: Remove the chain from the machine; Dip it in clean diesel for at least 5-6 hrs. Then use the brush (plastic type bristles) for cleaning the mud out of it, and then re-wash it in clean diesel. If possible, hand it for about 2-3 hours to allow the diesel to drip out of the chain. This process would make the joints and the links on the chain free and smooth, the next step would be to dip the chain in EP90 oil or in 20W40 engine oil. There is no need to buy expensive or branded oils for it. You can buy oil which could be affordable, because the ultimate aim is to clean and lubricate the chain links in order to keep it from rusting, coming back to where we left off, after dipping it in the oil keep it that way for 4-5 hrs. And then allow it to hand in order for the oil to drip away, after you have done all of the above, simply install the chain back onto the machine.

2nd method: This is a more common method used for chain cleaning. Follow the same steps as above until the part where you allow the diesel to drip off from the chain, after that, take about half a kilogram of AP3 grease and heat it up so that it turns into a molten liquid. After its liquid enough, pour the same onto the chain and wait till the grease turns solid. After making sure that the grease is cold, remove the chain from the drive system and remove all the extra grease by wiping with the help of a soft cloth. This would make the chain ready to use again and so you can install it back on to the machine.

Battery

This happens to be an essential spare in a two wheeler. On our Indian roads, the horn and warning lights are an important element, these systems require the battery for functioning.

A battery is made up of lead, which is dipped in acid water. Acid water also means electrolyte, this means that the battery acid can actually damage the paint job and cause corrosion to other parts as well, so when you handle a battery, make sure you do so with care. Also, one common problem that batteries face is the oxidation or terminals. Each battery has a positive(+) and negative (-) terminal and overtime, the reactions in the battery cause these terminals to oxidize and that in turn reduces the voltage it can deliver.

So, how this can be avoided? Well in the market there are special sprays available for battery terminals. ‘Battery Coat’ is the best spray in my opinion and this can be sprayed on the terminals to remove or avoid oxidation. The spray avoids the terminals from direct contact to the air. If the spray is not readily, available then the best and the most conventional way to solve this problem is by using VASELINE petroleum jelly. By applying some amount of petroleum jelly the oxidation will not take place. The main drawback of this jelly is that it has a low melting point and during summer seasons, you might find that you need to do it a little often.

Greasing Points

Control levers, brake springs, brake pedals are some of the common points where its advisable to apply grease. Different climates also dictates the use of different types of lubrication. When it rains, it would be unadvisable to use oil for lubrication as it would get washed away easily. Grease would be the best for the monsoon. In summer as we know the temperature is high and its usually always dry. Generally air flows with dust particles. So in summer using oil is the best option for some of the spares. In rains, generally, the temperature becomes very low. At this time greasing would be the best option rather than oiling. Grease attracts dust very fast and could create resistance in moving parts.

Brake Adjustment

This process is very simple and can save you a lot more than money. Every vehicle would have its own basic tool kit. Generally all motorcycles, scooters have 13mm nut size for adjusting the rear brakes. A suitable tool for this bolt would be in the tool kit. There needs to be a little caution applied when tightening the brakes as a tight setting can jam the brakes and cause a lot of problems like engine and brake overheating and also low mileage, at the same time a loose brake setting can slow your reaction time down. So adjust it as required.

Washing

One of my friends used to wash his Bullet for at least 6-7 hours. Well yes 6-7 hours, wondering why? Passion. He used to wash with brush, diesel, cleaning soap etc.

Many washing centers simply use a soap mixture and a dirty towel (which can really scratch your paint job). They would just do it for the money. You, on the other hand, know your vehicle well and so it would be easy for you to clean it, here are a few tips that can help you. Oil stains can be removed easily by using solvents like diesel or kerosene. First spray some water on the machine and then use diesel or kerosene. Then spray water for cleaning it. If you own a new machine, you can keep its paint looking like that everytime by following some simple steps. Use a soft, clean towel and try to wash the mud (on the painted parts) out rather than scrape it off. Also, as much as possible, use a Ph neutral shampoo. Look on the label before purchasing it. After washing don’t forget to oil or grease the joints or parts as told above. Avoid greasing or oil before wash as it may become useless.

Control Levers

These levers are made up of some kind of alloys. But since it is a moving part that a rider would use frequently, make sure you grease the joints well.

Hinges

These are usually found on Royal Enfield Bullets and Honda scooters. These hinges always require oil and rust cleaner spray to keep rust away and they can break loose if not well maintained.

Lorenzo takes win

Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo got his third victory of 2009 at Indianapolis, as his team-mate Valentino Rossi and Spanish rival Dani Pedrosa both crashed in the 28 lap Brickyard contest. The battle for the 2009 World Championship was blown wide open on Sunday at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix as Jorge Lorenzo scored a great win and his Fiat Yamaha colleague Valentino Rossi suffered his first DNF of the year. Lorenzo eventually crossed the line with a 9.5s winning margin to cut Rossi’s championship lead in half, as the deficit dropped from 50 to 25 points, with five races remaining.