Triumph Street Triple R Review.

Smoke, tire screeching and sirens. Not the kind of things any of us want to encounter, especially during a motorcycle ride. But when you’re aboard the new Triumph Street Triple R these are some of the situations that come with the territory, often good but also bad - if you get caught.

So where was the smoke coming from? The rear tire of course. The screeching? Again, rear tire. And the siren? Well, that was an ambulance zooming past in the opposite direction, but it could have just as well been the police because when you’re on this bike you suddenly change.

We’ve felt this way before. In fact, when we rode last year’s original Street Triple this same feeling of lawlessness overpowered our every action. From the moment you hit the starter button to the time you drop the kickstand down, it is as if you relent total control to Triumph’s middleweight streetfighter.

Blame it on its ridiculously friendly liquid-cooled 675cc Inline Three engine, pulled from last year’s Daytona 675 Supersport (however, retuned with a lower redline and different camshaft profiles for increased low and mid-range torque). Simply put, the engine is a masterpiece. It is as mild or wild as your right wrist commands. A flat and no doubt purposely controlled spread of power is achieved right from the bottom sweep of the tach needle making wheelies in first gear mandatory. As the rpm’s climb, so does engine power, but it rises in such a linear fashion that within seconds you’ll be stabbing at the gearshift lever with all seven blue shift lights screaming for relief. This much fun should be illegal; unfortunately some of the time it is.

Adding to the exhilarating thrill of acceleration is the Triple’s unique engine octave. A few pumps of the throttle in neutral and the engine lets out a high-pitched whine. In gear, that whine is quickly trumped by an induction roar that gets progressively deeper, then all of a sudden morphs back into a shriek as the engine hovers near its 12,650 redline (1300 revs shy of the ’09 Daytona 675).
Keeping the engine out of the red and accelerating forward is accomplished via the same six-speed transmission as the original Street Triple, as is the manual cable-actuated clutch. The transmission continues to prove it’s the definition of “close-ratio” as it features gears stacked right next to each other. Add in the Street Triple’s lower final-drive gearing and it’s a recipe for constant left foot work. It’s a small price to pay, however, because with an engine as good as the Triumph’s you’re going to want to keep the throttle pinned as much and as long as possible.



Although the Street Triple’s powertrain doesn’t make use of a slipper clutch (which is becoming increasingly standard for high-performance streetbikes such as this one), the combination of its minimal engine braking and progressive clutch action counteract the lower drive gearing and make it easy not to miss.

So by now you’re probably wondering, ‘Jeez, the R -spec sounds just like last year’s Street Triple, is anything even different?’ Well, yes. The chassis is where the R-spec and regular Street Triple differ.

One of the only drawbacks we found with last year’s Street Triple was its suspension. Although it’s versatile for a variety of riders in all weights and skill levels, it’s definitely on the soft side. And combined with its lack of adjustment (completely non-adjustable with the exception of the rear shock spring preload) it remains the limiting factor when blasting around at speed.

Triumph answered by delivering the R-spec Triple with a 3-way adjustable (preload, compression and rebound) inverted fork and equally adjustable gas-charged rear shock. With the factory settings you’ll notice a tauter feel, front and rear, without it being harsh or jarring. This pays dividends when you’re loading the fork while jamming on the front brakes, charging into a corner hard. However, back out the preload and compression adjustment on the fork and it begins to feel soft and springy similar to the non R-spec Triple’s suspension. Adjustability is paramount and with the R you get the best of both worlds.
Another difference is the R’s higher-spec front brake calipers. Larger radial-mount 4-piston Nissin calipers grab onto a pair of similar-sized 308mm rotors, now with a new Nissin radial-pump master cylinder powering the set-up through stainless-steel brake lines. Out back the same 220mm disc is clamped down by a Nissin single-piston caliper and braided line.

We thought last year’s Street Triple had an above average set of brakes so we were optimistic about the upgraded Nissin’s. But our first ride let us down as initial front brake performance wasn’t on par with the sum of its components, even with around 1000 miles on the odometer. After a few hard stops, the brake pads did finally bed-in and performance improved significantly. As the bike sits now, the brakes are more than enough power to flip you over the handlebar, fortunately there’s also plenty of feel so fast, rear-wheel-in-the-air stops are simple and fun. Just like last year’s Street Triple, the rear brake is about as good as it gets. And with the bikes short wheelbase, low seat height and centralized 425 pounds of mass, it makes for perfect rear brake sideways antics.

Like the standard Street Triple, the R gets the identical frame and swingarm as this year’s Daytona 675. Though where the base Street Triple makes use of slightly less aggressive chassis geometry, the R gets identical numbers (23.9 degrees rake, 92.4mm trail) to the Daytona 675, including the ability to modify the pivot angle of the swingarm if desired.
On paper the R should turn sharper than the standard Triple, but we couldn’t tell any difference. What we did notice is that the Triumph’s agility remains as good as ever. Likewise, its stability, even at high speeds on rough pavement, is extremely planted. Also notable is the continued fitment of Dunlop’s versatile Qualifier rubber and we continue to be impressed with the tire’s quick warm-up times, mild steering manners and outstanding level of outright grip.

The R’s cockpit is a mix of old and new. The seat features a new double-stitched two-tone cover and is now slightly taller (5mm). Magura aluminum handlebars replace the steel bars yet retain the same slightly elevated position and bend. Another plus is the front brake lever now offers 6-position adjustment.

Compared to even a Supersport motorcycle, the Street Triple R feels small. The combination of its slim engine dimensions, short length front-to-rear and low center of gravity make it one of the easiest motorcycles to control. Period. Our only complaint is that handlebar movement is limited due to the steering lock, which makes tight quarters maneuvering more difficult than it should be.

The same slick-looking instrument panel returns and seems to have more onboard functions than the space shuttle. A big sweep tachometer is easy to see at a glance as are the digital speedo and standard warning lights. But when you try to use functions like the lap timer, miles-per- gallon, average speed, and other engine functions, it’s confusing. Further complicating things are the three small buttons on the base of the panel, which are hard to access with or without gloves. Even worse, once you figure out how to navigate through the menus, getting each function to reset is impossible unless you practically study the manual. It’s all way too complicated.

So is the Street Triple R right for you and is it worth the $800 up-charge over the standard Street Triple? Well, if you’re the type of person who has little self-restraint, than this motorcycle will not be for you. It’s one of the few bikes that possess the right combination of power, weight and size, which make it all too easy to get in trouble on a Mad Max maniac binge, and it’s just so much fun. And now with the R’s more competent suspension and brakes, it’s equally as rowdy through the corners. Quite the combination, only downside being you may be attending traffic school quite soon…

Turner Motorsport Turned Heads in 2010 on StopTech Brakes

As the 2010 racing season draws to a close, we find ourselves with a long line of StopTech-equipped race teams to congratulate. Earlier in the week we threw a shout out to Compass360 Racing but today we focus on Turner Motorsport.

Turner Motorsport has once again had a record-setting year. This month the team competed in the final race of 2010 at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. Turner Motorsport drivers Joey Hand and Michael Marsal drove the #97 Turner BMW M3 to yet another podium finish.

The new V8 powered Turner Motorsport M3 running on StopTech brakes has proven itself in Grand Am Racing with two First place wins, one Second place, and four Third place finishes, making for a stellar 2010 season. The team's 7 podium finishes, including a 5-race podium streak spanning Homestead to Watkins Glen, also handed BMW the 2010 manufacturers championship.

The impressive season results earned the TMS team in Second Place in Team championship out of over 30 teams and drivers Joey Hand and Michael Marsal finished Second in the GS Driver's Championship, piloting the #97 Turner BMW M3.

The 2011 Grand Am Racing season starts January 27-28, with the GRAND-AM 200 at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Compass360 Takes Grand-Am Championship with Honda Civic Si on StopTech and Power Slot brakes

Congrats are in order once again for Compass360 Racing. After a great run all season long as part of Team StopTech, Compass360 Racing secured their second straight Grand-Am Championship in one of the most dramatic season finales in Grand-Am series' history.

Lawson Aschenbach and David Thilenius, co-drivers of the Compass360 Racing #74 Honda Civic Si, started the race at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah 19 points behind in the championship, but ended up standing atop the standings two-and-a-half hours later, capping off an exciting season of racing for Compass360. The Compass360 Racing competition Honda Civic Si racecars made a switch over to rear StopTech Street Performance Brake Pads at the top of this stellar season and also run on Power Slot Power Alloy brake rotors.

As the checkered flag flew, with #74 on the podium in third, the championship battle was a tie: two teams had 274 points. With two wins and two second-place finishes each, it came down to third-place finishes. That made the team's just completed third place finish the final boost to the top of the championship.

This is Compass360 Racing's second Driver and Team championship in a row. For the third time in the last four seasons, C360R delivered Honda (or Acura) the Manufacturer's Championship.

Way to go!

Jet ski video online!

Just got edited the movie about the jet ski day at the lake Vanaja with Mattila end of this summer. Like I told you me and Jari both have old 750 Kawasaki stand up jet skis and we often boast about our riding skills to each other but we never had time to meet and see who is who until this summer! Instead of freestyle and free ride we made a track and started to take lap times and ended up racing each other the whole day! Looking back we should have had also some free riding but hey, this only shows that racing is in our blood! Check out the video and see who was faster...

The last GP will be the next weekend in France. It's gonna be in Noiretable which is the same place where I confirmed my first world title in 2007 so I have a nice memories and I'm looking forward to a good race like back then! My lead over Ivan Cervantes is 28 points which more than enough but there's no space for big mistakes either. Just have to keep calm and focused. Easy to say but can't help the pressure building... But no worries, I've found a cure for it in Finnish forest with these lovely mushrooms!!

Dual Podiums, Again, For Sofronas During SCCA Race Weekend

Congratulations are in order for James Sofronas for pulling out all the stops in Virginia last weekend as part of the 2010 SCCA World Challenge Series. For the second time this season, he landed dual podium visits in the same weekend on StopTech brakes for GMG Racing and Team StopTech.

His first two-fer was just last month at Mid-Ohio when he landed first and second during the two race weekend. This time he pulled in both second and third at the Virginia International Raceway in his No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3 featuring StopTech Trophy brakes.

Sofronas battled hard for his second place finish on Saturday after pulling away with the starting pack. Andy Pilgrim gapped Sofronas early, but by lap 13 that gap began to shrink. By lap 17, the two were running nose-to-tail. A brake-fueled pass in Turn One assured him a second place finish with Pilgrim left behind and earned him the Clean Pass of the Race award.

Sunday's third place visit to the podium was well-earned. A rough start had him ninth place by the second lap. One notable move on his quest for the podium was his pass of  Jason Daskalos in the No. 5 Daskalos Developments Dodge Viper for fifth position in Turn Two on lap 12 which earned him the Move of the Race.

"I started picking off guys and then I’d make a mistake and fall back," admitted Sofronas. "I think I passed seven cars…twice. The car was more than capable but I was just not driving in my limits. I’m pretty lucky to finish third. It’s a testament to this GMG team and the Porsche.”

The last round of the 2010 season takes place on October 1-3 at the Utah Grand Prix.

The Bucket List..............Check

Just as the title says, Sandy completed something from his racing bucket list. That accomplishment would be running in the 4.20’s. He actually ran in the 20’s on two out of the four runs with the best run of a 4.255 @ 168.20. That is a career best elapsed time and speed for the 462 cubic inch small block.

The ADRL race at Rockingham, NC was rained out before the first round but was considered a success for the Roush/Yates team. Yes, we ran in the 4.20’s for the first time, but more importantly, we made four passes in a row without having to abort. Sandy is finally sorting out the clutch combination and it could not have come at a better time.

Since Rockingham is a relatively close track, we had a lot of friends show up. Some of those friends were Sandy’s co-workers at Roush/Yates Engines. These guys got to see Sandy in his element. They got to see the truck and trailer with the awning out for the first time. He also had the new Roush/ Yates banner hanging up on the back of the trailer. This was a hot item. The banner stopped a lot of people, who would then walk into our pit area to see what was under the hood. This allowed for a lot of engine networking, which is what Sandy is especially good at. Not only can he build horse power, tune it and the clutch and pretty much do everything else, he has a way of communicating with the people. People want to do business with him because you can trust what he says. Just a quick thought. Sandy reminds me of the old school pro racer of the seventies, but the current day version. He drives the rig, drives the car, tunes and services his car, performs maintenance on everything, and does all the networking just so he can race.

Since the race was rained out, it will continue next weekend, September 24 & 25, at Norwalk, Ohio. ADRL does not race on Sunday, so this is why the race was not finished this past weekend. At the ADRL events, you park on Thursday with three rounds of qualifying on Friday and then one round of qualifying and racing on Saturday. So if the race is rained out, it is made up at the next event on Friday.

Sandy and I have great memories of Norwalk. In 2005 we won the IHRA World Nationals in Top Sportsman for our first national event win together. It was the first time we had run in the sixes on every pass to win. The dial in on the car was a 6.94. Small block cool. When we won that race, it was just the two of us and it was a lot of work. Now he has the 5-speed in the car, and if it’s just the two of us going this time and servicing the clutch, it may be a long weekend.

Sandy will have something figured out. He always does. It was great to see our friends at the Rock and it will be great to see some old friends at Norwalk. So, if you are not busy next weekend, the more the merrier.

Don

StopTech's New Professional Off-Road Racing Brakes: Inspiration from Within

This week StopTech took the cover off of their latest braking endeavor:  off-road racing!  The official press release about the built-for-dirt kits based on StopTech Trophy technology mentions the victory in the desert for Centric Parts CEO Dino Crescentini at a prior Baja 1000.  It's worth noting that dirt runs in the veins of other members of the Centric Parts family too.

Hats off to Chris Kemp for his achievement in the desert. Kemp, a partner and founder of Centric Parts whose team oversees Southern California, finished first in Class 1500, second overall, at the 2010 "Best In The Desert" Vegas to Reno race.

His ride was a 1500 class car from Speed Technologies that ran a solid race from start to finish, which happens to be 500 miles away across brutal and unforgiving terrain. What you call a big pothole on your drive to work wouldn't even make Kemp's radar compared to the pounding craters that assault car and driver on these races.

It took him 9 hours and 20 minutes to claw his way through the desert from his 20th position start to his one-two finish. Here's an interview from the finish line...

Way to go Chris!

Photo Credit: Art Eugenio

2010 Star VMAX vs Triumph Rocket III.

2010 Star VMAX vs Triumph Rocket III Roadster review.

Who needs 165 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque? Well, nobody really needs it, but we sure aren’t complaining after comparing the Star VMAX and Triumph Rocket III Roadster.

This isn’t the first time we’ve sought a comparison mate for the reborn VMAX. When it first hit the streets in 2009, with its near 200 crank horsepower claims, we tapped the now-extinct Suzuki B-King for a comparison. Pure performance street bikes, head to head, but the sporty Hayabusa-powered B-King made the Max feel big and rather cruiser-ish. This time around we looked at the cruiser side of the performance spectrum for a comparison competitor.

A natural candidate emerged when Triumph announced it had taken its Rocket III Triple and wrung out 15% more torque, added blacked out styling cues and a more standard ergonomic package and slapped on the Roadster moniker. Voila, a hopped up performance cruiser to match up with the VMAX.

So that’s the rationale for our comparison. Grab two of the most powerful motorcycle engines available and run ‘em against each other to see what happens.

Testing these brutes we logged miles commuting to work, as well as off-the-clock play rides. Editors kept scrambling to place dibs on either one for the ride home on Friday, as there was plenty of rubber to burn on the weekend. We also put the two up on the Mickey Cohen Motorsports dyno, as well as our Intercomp scales to measure raw performance data and weights. And, of course, we had to take both out to the local dragstrip to snag some quarter-mile times during Friday night drags.

It was a fun couple weeks. Here’s what we discovered.

The VMAX and Roadster are both all about engine performance, but they bring the heat in two different ways. While the VMAX exemplefies the extremes of horsepower production with its distinctive V-Four, the Roadster rips pure torque from its Inline Triple.

A nasty-looking 65-degree 1679cc V-Four featuring 90 x 60mm bore and stroke powers the mighty Max. Internals include chain-driven intake and gear-driven exhaust cams actuating the four-valve heads, with an 11.3:1 compression ratio. Yamaha’s sportbike technology lends high-performance systems like the Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle (YCC-T) and Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake (YCC-I), the latter featuring variable-length intake trumpets controlled by the ECU dependent on rpm. Then, of course, there is the ram air flowing through the distinctive polished aluminum scoops (they ain’t just for style).

All that fancy engine talk equates to some serious real world wahoo! – to the tune of 165 horsepower at the rear wheel. Factor in about a 15% loss due to the shaft final drive and our dyno measurement matches favorably with Yamaha’s near 200 hp crank claims. It also makes the VMAX one of the most powerful machines we have ever tested. Only three production rides have registered more dyno hp: the 2010 BMW S1000RR (182.8 hp), 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa (166.8 hp) and the VMAX we tested in 2009 (166.4 hp). The Max produces plenty of torque too, with 104 lb-ft peak numbers.

Triumph’s Rocket is no slouch either. It churns out prodigious torque courtesy of a 2.3 liter Inline Triple. Yes, that’s economy automotive-type big, and at 2294cc it’s the largest displacement motorcycle engine in production (we’re choosing to ignore the Chevy V-8-powered Boss Hoss – see side bar). To get a grasp on scale, that’s an extra 615cc more than the hulking VMAX! Like the Star the Rocket sources DOHC valve train, but with a much larger 101.6mm bore and 94.3mm stroke producing a lower 8.7:1 compression ratio.

At the tech briefing for the original Rocket, Triumph’s product manager told us that during engine development the mill produced so much power it caused the pipes to glow on the dyno. So it’s perhaps not surprising that the engineers at Hinkley managed to coax an extra 15% torque out of the already prodigious motor. Still, the 132 lb-ft registered on our dyno run makes the new Roadster the most prolific torque producer we’ve ever come across (and our lb-ft measurement tallies a little low from what we’ve seen, with some sources claiming close to 140 lb-ft).

Although both impressive, on road the two motors deliver a different riding experiences. The Triumph stonks acceleration right off the bottom, but can’t compete with the sheer brutality of the VMAX. That’s not a slight on the Trumpet, just a nod to the Yamaha. It takes a lot of chutzpah to call the Rocket III Roadster slow, but the VMAX has the stones to back it up.

“The VMAX may not have the torque of the Rocket but it certainly is the King of this duo,” says Motorcycle USA VP Ken Hutchison. “Head to head roll-ons still seem to be the V-Max’s forte. One-up or two-up the Max feels faster in the real world. The engine is just awesome.”

The Star motor spins up much quicker than the Rocket, the throttle packing a knockout punch right from idle. The practical application of all those horses on the pavement is a rear wheel that can’t keep from spinning. Crack the throttle violently and the VMAX spins it up in the lower gears without effort. This trait alone make the Max a must ride for hooligans.

“By itself, it is impossible not to get sucked into cracking this thing open now and then,” admits Ken. “It’s so damn fast it makes me laugh. It burns out in parking lots if you crack it open for a second. It burns out when you are accelerating from a stop light. Heck, it even burns out if you give it too much throttle on the exit of a sharp turn. This is the original hooligan bike baby, and I dig it.”

The Roadster’s acceleration is far from timid, but by comparison feels more manageable and linear. Torque is everywhere, plenty of it, chugging along from right down at the bottom. With well over 120 lb-ft just off idle, the torque climbs and holds steady right up to 4000 rpm where it registers peak horsepower at 114 hp. From there it signs off fairly quick, but don’t worry, shift up through the five-speed gearbox and hold on tight.

“The Roadster has the capacity to draw power from very low rpm,” agrees our Cruiser Editor, Bryan Harley. “Hitting an uphill switchback with the added weight of my wife as passenger, I was able to keep it in second gear despite dropping down to 1500 rpm, and it still had the torque to power back up without having to shift down. Impressive pull, with a very linear power delivery and broad powerband.”

It’s worth noting too, that with a curb weight of 809 lbs the Rocket has to carry an extra 120 lbs compared to the VMAX. Yet, in spite of the weight handicap, the British bike still blurs the roadside scenery at a brisk pace.

Considering their immense size and power outputs, neither engine exhibits much vibration – particularly when judged as performance cruisers (imagine the vibes from a 165-hp Harley – forget your fillings rattling out, your teeth would be gone!). With the Triumph’s monster Triple longitudinally mounted, we also expected the twisting force of its gyrating crankshaft to be far more noticeable. The sensation is there, particularly when revving hard at idle, but it’s not overpowering and less pronounced than what we recall even from the BMW Boxer or Moto Guzzi V-Twin. Triumph credits a contra-rotating balancer and shaft drive for the smooth operation.

Triumph tweaked its shaft final drive and clutch to match up with the up-spec engine performance. The VMAX is shaft driven as well and while these bikes are not as smooth as a chain or belt-driven motorcycle, neither shaft unit significantly hinders performance, though they felt a little more course when applying throttle in a corner (which you need to be very careful with, particularly aboard the VMAX.)

The Triumph and Star each sport a five-speed gearbox. Some testers noted the Star’s clutch engaged at the end of the lever, with a stronger pull required, but both bikes acquitted themselves well enough in this area. Our Cruiser Editor did note, however, that the Rocket III transmission felt more clunky than the silky-smooth gearbox on the British firm’s new Thunderbird Twin.

Two more diving videos online!

Hi guys! I just put couple more of my diving videos online! I filmed both back in 2008 Christmas holidays in Dauin Philippines. Dauin is situated in the Oriental side of the island of Negros in the Visayan part of the Philippines. Dauin offers some fantastic diving and Sea Explorers have been operating there for 20 years and their local diveguides are the best! My divemaster Jesse found me many extraordinary creatures like mating Flamboyant Cuttlefishes! On the video you can see also Flamboyant Cuttlefish eggs that have already life inside them. On the other video you can see Mandarin fishes mating. They are very small psychedelically colored and shy fish that come out only at the dusk which makes them very difficult to film! The bigger one is male and he is looking for love but gets rejected many times before he gets lucky. The act is very short but messy... have fun!

GP Fethiye, Turkey race report

Turkish GP was in Fethiye which is only 90min catamaran ride away from Rhodes island. It was the first time that we had a GP in Turkey and everybody had some doubts about how the organizer could manage a race of this level without previous experience organizing international races. Walking the special tests from Tuesday to Friday we discovered something different to other GPs. For example the Enduro test was very slow resembling more like an Xtrem test on a rocky hill side. Giovanni Sala is the course inspector for F.I.M. and upon his arrival on Thursday he made the necessary changes. He opened up some slow corners and took off the sharpest corners in the steepest part of the hill. After these modifications it was still very slow but reasonable. It was mostly on this rocky hill having all the difficult off camber corners but it had also a flat area in the middle with more tight cornering. The Xtrem test was also really slow up and down a ravine with some steep but short uphills and some artificially made obstacles in the pine forest. Sala modified also this test trying to made it a little more rideable. These modifications of the special tests were easy compared to other problem he had to face: the poor marking of the course. There were not enough arrows pointing the way and there was no logic in the way they were put up. There was only one almost hidden arrow in some crossroads while in some crossroads there was no arrows at all. It’s good to have Sala as inspector of the course but there’s not much he can do when the F.I.M. sends him to the race place only two days before the race! The MX test was on a kind of MX track just made with a bulldozer on the hills near the Xtrem. The profile of the track was beautiful but the strange mix of sand, stones and hardpack made the soil tricky. I liked the MX test and didn’t mind having slower Enduro and Xtrem test for a chance so I had a good feeling about the race and finding two turtles on the way to see the special tests on Friday confirmed my good luck to come. These turtles were bigger than those I had seen in Serres. They seemed like an old couple having their peaceful afternoon walk crossing the main asphalt road in front of our car. I slowed down and stopped to take a look. The bigger one was covered with dried mud and it acted more cautious than the clean and smaller one. The smaller one didn’t mind us looking at it very closely but kept wandering about the front yard of a house next to the main road. What a dangerous business was that road crossing for these slow moving creatures! I don’t think their carapaces would save them if a car runs over them at 90km/h! I also doubt their ability to see the cars from distance and judge the time necessary to cross the road safely between the cars. Lucky turtles!

We didn’t have Super test on Friday so after having checked the pre-riders on the special tests and put the bikes to parc ferme I had a photo shoot with my friend Antoine Meo for Dario Agrati. We are both proud TOMMASELLI handlebar riders so we had some fun posing together with our Tommis!

The race started on Saturday morning one rider at a minute like in Greece in order to avoid the dust. The first part of the trail lead out of the city of Fethiye up on the mountain that was incredibly stony. Very slow pathways on the mountain crawling over the sharp edged rocks. I was trying to avoid gaps between the stones and not to brake brake discs and chain guide. After this long trail we arrived to the Enduro test but it was not timed on the first lap. After the Enduro test we had more trail of gravel roads and rocky paths leading to the MX test. The trail was so poorly marked that riders went the wrong way many times but some way or another everybody made it to the service before the MX test. We had about 15mins at the service which was about 5min too much but better that than 5min too little! The organizer had done incredible job with the MX test. After they had made the track with the bulldozer they had also used a roller to flatten it and watered it on Friday so on the first lap it was nice and smooth! The track went over the hill tops and turning at the same time in few places so it was crucial to remember the right riding lines and angles in order to jump over the hilltops. The most dangerous place was at one hilltop that had almost chicane-like curve on it. The track was wide but I had studied a perfect line to jump straight and even if I misjudged the angle a little I thought I would land safely only one meter off the perfect line. I thought most of the riders would ride the same line and jump like I was planning but I was wrong. I had ridden good so far but when I turned from the berm of the corner before this hilltop and went much wider than I had planned. I tried to correct my arrival angle to the ramp and took off lined with the lines other riders had made on it. Once airborne I realized my fatal error! I had corrected my line way too much and trusted other rider’s lines and now I was going to land too far and completely off the track! My heart jumped and the time froze so I had time to think and see myself getting injured and ending up in the hospital throwing away my championship!! There was a deep ditch and uneven terrain with some rocks on my landing area and I couldn’t believe my luck when I found my self bouncing off from the ground still clutching the handlebars and suddenly I was back on the track! Half a meter shorter and I would have landed in the ditch! Half a meter longer and I would have hit the big stones!! I ended up in the middle of the corner and to save myself from going over the berm and off the track again I turned sharply against the berm keeping the momentum. The problem was that I had to turn to the right while the track went to the left! I knew I lost some precious time but I was just so happy to be alive!! I was so relieved but I tried my best to re-focus and finish the special test properly. I ended up doing 5:03:90 being only one second slower than Cervantes who did the best time of E2! I knew that next lap without mistakes I could be much faster though! After the MX we had more trail and a couple of short but deep river crossings where the water reached the number plates and the holes of the air filter box! I was terrified thinking what would happen if the engine would suck in some water! I wondered what was the point of putting these river crossings on our trail. Imagine if someone looses his championship for this? These crossings were only about 2-3m wide but there was no way around them. You had to just dive in and hope for the best. If you reached the river crossing soon after another rider it made it even worse because you couldn’t see the bottom and the stones! On this trail I got lost and came back to find the right way again and ended up riding so slowly trying to catch a glimpse of a piece of bunting that marked the way. Some arrows pointed also the wrong way and in some places there were no markings at all so you had to kind of guess where to go! The Xtrem test was timed on the first lap too and I tried to be quick in all the sharp corners and did 3:07:47 beating Ivan by 1,3s. The best time was done surprisingly by the French two stroke Husky pilot Marc Bourgeois! After the Xtrem we had more badly marked trail leading back to Fethiye and the paddock. There was some kilometers long section in the riverbed and it had only some pieces of bunting here and there marking the course. Entering the riverbed there was no arrows pointing the way so most of the riders decided to ride up on the river bank on the gravel road as it was a lot more comfortable than riding in the riverbed with stones and bumbs water and mud. At one place the riverbed turned muddy from side to side and there was some water and weeds also to make it more difficult to see where to pass. I tried the right side of the river and when I advanced slowly in the mud my bike started to sink. Instead of trying to go trough full gas I was quickly off the gas and stepped down from the bike. The terrain was hopelessly soft and I was glad for my decision when I saw Ivan taking the left side after me. Terrain was harder there so I lifted the bike up from the mud and pushed it carefully backwards from the swamp and followed Ivan. It took a long time following the riverbed slowly and trying to avoid the swamps and see if the trail continued on the river or if it turned away. Finally arriving to the road I saw that the time was running short and we were still far away from the paddock. I had 10min and unknown amount of trail left so I started to ride as fast as I dared on the roads leading to Fethiye center and the paddock. When I arrived I had only 2min left so Luca quickly filled my bike up while I drank and ate a little and then the second lap started.

Long rocky terrain over the mountain with a nice panoramic view to Fethiye and the sea. Not much time to admire it though. We had to face the Enduro test full gas this time. Ivan did the best time 7:57:10 while I was second fastest but a little over 3s slower! On the second lap the trail started to be more visible and after all the wrong turns of the first lap it was easier to pick the right way. On the MX test I pushed hard but avoided crazy jumps and this time the best time 5:02:51 was done by Salminen! I was only 0,4s slower but more importantly 2,5s faster than Ivan. The next time check was going to be after the Xtrem and the long trail at the paddock so I tried to be faster on the trail this time. Riding faster I arrived to one ditch too fast and when I realized I can’t slow down enough I opened the throttle again jumping over the ditch. There was one stone sticking out on the other side where I landed and it put my head and my Tommi handlebars to the collision course. The stone kicked my front wheel sideways and upwards and my right hand clutching the handlebar hit my chin hard! I literally almost punched myself out and felt a little dizzy for a while! It made me ride slower hoping I would recover before I reached the Xtrem test! Ivan made the best time 3:00:41 but I was only less than one second slower so I was doing OK! The riverbed trail was easier on the second lap for you knew that you should continue all the way and knew where the mud holes were. Riding all the way faster without taking the wrong way saved a lot of time and I had about 10min at the paddock. At the paddock taking off my helmet mechanics realized my chin was bleeding and asked what had happened. I told them I just punched myself hard to make myself more concentrated!

Third and last lap started and I was fighting to beat Ivan. Only couple of seconds were separating us and I knew I had to push hard on the Enduro test to beat Ivan who was surely feeling more like home on this kind of terrain. I had a very good ride on this slow off camber zig-zag special test and did the best time 7:53:34 while Ivan some problems being 8s slower! I continued to ride hard on the last MX and did the best time again 5:01:53 beating Ivan by 1,4s. Only the last Xtrem to do and this time I was the one who was leading and Ivan was the challenger who tried to beat me! I ended up doing a little nervous ride almost crashing but still improving my time by 0,76s which I thought was fast enough. Ivan did incredible ride doing 2:56:20 beating me by 4,2s and for a moment I wasn’t that sure about my victory! Marika confirmed that I had won but only by about four seconds! I was surprised that I won also the overall of this first ever Turkish GP! After the prize giving and the autograph session I headed to the Xtrem to see if the organizer had modified it and found better line for the first uphill. It was getting dark already when we got back to our apartment and after the dinner I hit the bed not feeling so tired like after the Saturday in Greece.

On Sunday morning the temperature was couple of degrees higher than on Saturday and I felt the sweat flow down my spine as I started the engine of my CRF450. This time the Enduro test was timed on the first lap and I had a good ride doing the best time of E2 7:42:72 but couldn’t believe time that another Finn Eero Remes had done in E1: 7:35:91!! I had a 33 point lead over Cervantes so I had no pressure at all and I threw myself on MX test just purely for fun and tried to win just for the sport of it! I was on the gas cornering perfectly the sandy berms and knew I was about to do a killer time when it happened. It was the first very slow corner of the test towards the end and I just entered a bit too fast and made a mistake in the braking killing the engine and falling down (you can see this on the video). My faithful Honda fired up at the third kick but I ended up being 10s slower than Salminen’s best time 5:00:51 and about 7s slower than Ivan! It didn’t matter though. I was feeling good and I knew I could still win. On the Xtrem I pushed hard for I had walked through it Saturday evening. There was one obstacle that played a nasty trick on me though. Guess which obstacle? The damn old used truck tires that were 1/3 buried upright in the ground! The thing with these obstacles is that you have to judge your speed correctly when you go over them. If you hit them too hard they will bend and bounce just when your back wheel is rolling over them and your front wheel is pointing down. This causes you to fly over the handlebars. On Saturday I avoided this situation by taking the tires in between two of them so the weight of my bike was divided by two tires. Clever. It worked out perfectly on Saturday but now I had to face a new problem: The tires weren’t fixed to the ground strong enough and there was a gap opened up between them! I realized it too late and could only wheelie and hope for the best! No way. My bike stuck between the tires so hard I couldn’t even push it through! I had to get off the bike and yank it few times backwards with all my strength to release it. Then I had to back off and try again. This time I got over them but in the end I had lost too much time. I was 15s slower than Ivan who made the best time!! When the first lap was done I was about 20s behind Ivan. No good.

The second lap started and the heat started to build up. The curious thing about the marking of the trail was that it kept improving lap by lap. I mean there was no point in improving it after the chaos of the first lap because after that everybody already knew where to go! On the Enduro test I pushed hard but found Ivan and also Thomas Oldrati beating me! Thomas only by about half a second but Ivan by 1,65s. Damned! I pushed really hard on the MX and did the best time of E2 4:59:36 beating Ivan by almost six seconds! There was only one other rider in the race who was able to go under 5min. It was E1 rider Eero Remes with incredible fast time again 4:57:81 and on a sandy track that required some horsepower!! Eero was on fire in the Turkish heat!! After the good MX I was too eager to catch up lost time on the Xtrem and fell down in the first corner when my front wheel pushed through the berm! Like this wasn’t enough I crashed again in the middle of the pine forest when I tried to corner fast around one tree. There was a stone on my line and my front wheel just washed out from it! I couldn’t believe it!! Two crashes on the same special test! I felt like an idiot doing bad time again and over 14s slower than Ivan’s best time!! The second lap ended and I was 6th!!

The last lap started and the heat was taking it’s toll. I kept drinking a lot but it was just hot. Nothing to compared to the heat of Serres a week ago but still a little bit too hot! On the Enduro test I pushed as hard as I could and was totally exhausted after 7:47:48 of very aggressive riding! It was a hard job in this heat to do that because the special test was so slow that I was on the first gear most of the time! This time around Pierre-Alexandre Renet was second best but 3,3s slower. I knew I had to keep pushing hard and make no more mistakes to make it to the podium. I had another great ride on the MX test that had got rougher doing the best time 5:02:22 while my team mate Balletti was the second fastest 5:03:91! On the last Xtrem test I finally managed to pull myself together and did 2:53:49 which was the second best time and only one second slower than Ivan’s best time. I was happy that I had it right this time because my team mate Balletti made third best time only 0,3s slower than me! In the final results I got third only 4:47s in front of Balletti but in the other hand only 3:76s behind Oldrati!! I considered it a small victory after three crashes and that unlucky episode with the tires of the Xtrem!

Overall I consider also the Turkish GP a good race for first timers! Only minus I have to give for the bad marking of the trail. The MX test was awesome! The Enduro test and the Xtrem were very slow but hey, it’s good to have different kind of special tests after all!! The people turned out to be friendly and supportive including the kids at the riverbed pointing the way! Also local Honda dealer KIVRAK MOTOR was really helpful providing us another service assistance so I can only say that the first ever Turkish GP was a very positive experience for me! Thanks a lot again for all the people for the support!

Now I am leading by 28 points from Cervantes and only last weekend to go... but hey! I am already the winner of the Enduro Special Trophy!! It’s the Finnish site following the overall championship. This is a new record for me. I have won it twice before but never two days in advance before!!

Awesome in-car video: Dino's Porsche Takes Vette on Hard Turn

Check out this clip of StopTech CEO Dino Crescentinti in the No. 4 GMG / Stoptech Porsche 911 GT3-Cup car, making a great start in the 2nd SCCA World Challenge race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Park in 2010.

He hauls the Stoptech Porsche down from 156 MPH to 60 in turn 3 Mid Ohio motorsports park, Dino eats up the pavement and makes short work of passing the yellow Corvette driven by Skeen in just 4 seconds and pulling - 1.5G's on his Toyo 888 racing tires....Impressive

GP Serres, Greece race report

The GP of Greece was in Serres just like last year. Even the special tests were the same. Only difference was whole new special test called Xtrem but it was actually more like a short Enduro test. It was very near the Enduro test’s start- finish area. It had a couple of drop offs on the sandy river bed with some water in it and some sections with up and downhills in the bush. The MX test was exactly the same MX track like last year. Also 2008 Six Days final MX was held on this track which is situated at the Serres Racing Circuit. The Enduro test was the same also but with some little modifications. This time there was no grass track section in the middle of the test and also one forest section that had few uphills had been taken off. I walked through it three times trying to memorize every bit of it although I remembered most of it well already from previous races. I tried also to look for turtles that I saw in the race last year but I didn’t see any! I even brought my camera with me to take some pictures if I found one but no luck! Not a single one even if I wandered a little of the track in the most likely places to look for them! My team mates Oscar Balletti and Fabio Mossini went walking the Enduro test later in the evening and they heard a strange banging sound near the track on the mountain. They took a closer look and find a smaller turtle banging it’s shell against the bigger one’s shell! Who knows what it was trying to do?

The Xtrem/Super test was next to the paddock just like last year but this time it was a little bit faster and easier. On Friday after the registrations for the race everybody headed to the special tests to see the pre-riders. On the new special test we watched Pellegrinelli and Tiainen jump nice and far from the bigger drop off. The landing area seemed hard enough with no bigger stones so I decided to jump down full gas in the race. That meant 3-4 gear so the jump was pretty spectacular! Before the Super test on Friday evening we did also pre-ride both Enduro and the new special test. We had 50min to ride though the trail and the special tests and then back to the paddock to do the Super test. I had my Super test race against Cervantes who pulled it off this time doing 1:36:97 beating me by 2,08s! Damn! I wasn’t happy at all but Saturday was going to be long and hard...

On Saturday morning the temperature was over 30C already at 0900 and I wondered how hot it would get as I had seen the weather forecast give warnings of unusual scorching heat! Right after the start we had the Super test/Xtrem again and this time I did a better time 1:37:43 beating Ivan by nearly 2s; but Renet was the fastest beating me by 0,4s. Also Ljunggren and Thain were a little bit faster than me. After this we had incredibly long trail that took us1h and 5min through river beds and mountains to reach the new special test. On this test I made the best time 3:21:59 beating Ivan by 2,8s. After this we had few minutes at the service to get refreshed for the Enduro test. This was a hard and hadardous test but I had good ride doing the best time 10:05:37 while Ivan had a good ride too doing the second best time 10:07:00. After this we had another long trail to get back to the paddock and MX test. The organizer had watered some parts of the track right before we got there and I nearly crashed in the very first corner. It looked grippy but was like ice! After this I was a little cautious and that showed in my time that was only fifth of the E2 but Ivan was about half a second slower. It seemed like the riders who started later got a little bit advantage with a little dryer track. My lead over Ivan after the first lap was 4,7s.

The second lap started with the Xtrem where Thain made the best time 1:37:30 but I beat Ivan by 0,6s which was more important for me. The heat was getting nasty on the second lap’s neverending trail and doing the new special test straight after was hard job. This time Ivan made the best time 3:19:60 while I made few little mistakes and was 3s slower! On the Enduro test I pushed hard and I knew I was going to do incredible time until I crashed towards the end of the test. In one off camber corner over a little hill decending to the road my front wheel just washed out on the thick layer of dust and I landed flat on the road. Luckily the engine was still running and I didn’t hurt myself so I got up really quickly and tried to finish the test as well as I could with bent handlebars! I ended up being only 3,6s slower than Ivan! But this meant Ivan took 0,25s lead over me! Shit!! I knew I could regain my lead on the last lap’s Enduro but I needed to keep the gap as small a possible! At the end of the second lap the MX test had been watered again! I was saved by a miracle from highside crash at the ramp of the third jump and that left me feeling unsecure for the rest of the test. I couldn’t predict the grip in different spots of the track that were wet. Some of them had good grip and some were very slippery while some parts were dry and dusty. I didn’t understand the point of watering the track like that. It made riding only very dangerous!! I lost another 2,5s to Ivan. To me only thing worthwhile watering was my head that felt like boiling! At the paddock the thermometers were showing 42-46C in the shade!!

The last lap started with the Xtrem where I lost half a second more to Ivan. The 1h 5min trail was unbearable. Even the wind felt burning hot and made even the sweat dry on my riding shirt and pants! The air was hot like hell everywhere. There was no relief even in the shades at the riverbed or at the top of the mountain. I have never used a camel pack but this time I regretted not having one. I got to drink only half way of this trail where Tullio Pellegrinelli waited for me with my Flow. It was refreshing but my mouth was dry like a bedouin’s sandal only 10min after! When the trail finally was done I felt a little dizzy but pushed as hard as I could to catch Ivan on the new special test but despite being the second fastest I was about 1,5s slower! On the last Enduro test I gave my everything but had a strange kind of problem that slowed me down a little. The special tests were poorly marked and this caused some problems like people going through the bunting but my case was different. On top of the mountain wind was blowing the bunting and bending it all the way over the track. It was bending so much because it was put around two trees that were about 20m apart from one another. It should have been fixed with sticks to the ground in many more places. Anyway, the bunting caught my handlebars and came off the trees so I had like 20m of it hanging and flapping from my handlebars! I tried to keep focused but it was too disturbing. I tried to get rid of it at some places riding with one hand but no way! I waited until the trail descended to the gravel road and on the longest straight tried again. I had to back off gas a little to use more force to brake the two buntings but I managed to rip them off and continued to push like hell. Even with this episode I made the best time 10:05:77 while Ivan was second but only less than five seconds slower. This meant Ivan was leading by 0,11s before the last MX test!!! Riding the long trail to the paddock I tried to figure out how to beat Ivan but I just couldn’t think of any new lines or ways to ride this half wet half dry test. We’ve had this situation many times before with Ivan and I have always pulled off the victory from him but now Ivan was able to do the best time 2:32:03 while I improved also but was a little over one second slower. Ivan ended up winning the day by 1,25s and I was disappointed. I really wanted to win but on days like this it seems I wasn’t meant to win, no matter what. I have pulled of victories many times on tight situations like this and now it kind of felt like we had changed roles with Ivan. Before I had always won on Saturday and Ivan challenging on Sunday. Now it was my time to challenge but I didn’t know how for I felt totally exhausted and dehydrated by the scorching heat. My 21 points lead over Ivan had narrowed to 18 and I was already thinking that when the weekend was done it might be 15 but I didn’t care. As long as I was finishing second it was good enough for the championship. After prize giving and autograph session I went to walk through the new special test to find out some alternative lines and it paid off for I found couple of lines where some riders had passed but which I haven’t seen during the race trying to go full gas everywhere. More importantly though I found my lucky turtle! At the top of the hill at the highest point of this special test I saw first fresh turtle tracks on the dusty track we had been riding. I followed the turtle tracks and found it just half a meter beside our track pulling it’s head inside it’s carapace when it heard my voice. It was a small one and I hoped it would find a safer place to rest the next day when I was going through this special test again! At the dinner I tried to drink and eat as much as possible and retreated to the air conditioned hotel room which felt like heaven to my overheated body.

I found myself sweating already before the start on Sunday morning but I had confidence to make it through the day with my new camel pack and the weather forecast that promised couple of degrees less heat than the day before. On the first Xtrem and I tried my best to be quick straight out of the paddock doing 1:39:08 but Ivan started strong being two seconds faster! The long trail felt even longer but the air was cooler in the morning than the day before. Arrived to the new special test I pushed hard but Ivan still beat me again but now only by less than one second! On the Enduro test I noticed that someone had opened up one chicane creating a faster line through it but I was too focused to ride on the same line like on Saturday and I missed it riding through the chicane slower. I knew though that there’s at least one second to gain there the next lap. My time was the best anyway 10:03:36 but Ivan was fast too being only 2,4s slower! The long trail back to the paddock and the MX test where the organizer had made the right decision and watered the track only the night before and not anymore in the morning. I was able to keep up with Ivan’s pace this time being only 0,25s slower. After the first lap I was less than one second behind Ivan and I was determined to push hard and try to win the day.

The second lap started with the Xtrem where I pushed like hell and managed to do it perfectly 1:37:99 and beat Ivan by nearly two seconds! On the second lap’s long trail the heat wasn’t so bad like on Saturday but it was just too long. Finally arriving to the new special test I managed to keep my pace untouchable although I was a little out of control when aquaplaning on the river bed! I did 3:21:23 and beat Ivan by nearly four seconds!! After the service I entered the time control on my minute and saw Ivan starting already on the Enduro test. What the hell was happening??? He was supposed to enter one minute after me! Then I saw Oldrati there also. I couldn’t believe it. Both had made the same mistake and entered the time check three minutes too early! Rules of Enduro are hard and one minute too late or early at the time check equals to one minute penalty. I have learned it the hard way myself and I know how it feels to be suddenly minutes behind in the results! In rally each minute equals to 10s penalty which would be better also in Enduro that has become a sport where the gaps are measured in hundreths of a second in each race. The minute-penalty rule has become totally obsolete in modern Enduro and this time it was an experienced rider and four time World Champion like Cervantes who had to pay the price. I had suddenly the pressure off my shoulders Ivan being three minutes behind. I decided to keep riding hard nevertheless because that’s what I do best and stay focused. I had really good ride but towards the end I had a close call at one river crossing. I wheelied over it full gas but there must have been a bigger stone under the water that kicked the bike sideways! I hit the other side of the river sideways and was so close to crash that my handlebars were almost touching the ground! I couldn’t believe I didn’t crash but when I needed to brake next time I realized I didn’t have the rear brake anymore!! The brake pedal went down with no braking effect at all. I had to slow down but my time was still ok. I couldn’t fix the broken pedal and I had to do also the MX test without the rear brake. I was a little terrified thinking about the big jumps but when I started I just tried to ride like before braking harder with the front brake and using engine braking shifting down to first gear entering every corner. On the first smaller jumps I realized I controlled the bike without brake as well and only when I overshoot the biggest jump a little I couldn’t do anything to take it down earlier. A little heavier landing that’s all. Even the tight grass track section at the end of the test went much better than I thought and in the end my time was 2:36:94 which was only 3,7s slower than Salminen who did the best time of E2 on this one! At the service Luca found out that my rear brake pedal had snapped close to the brake pump and with a new pedal it was fixed. The last lap started and the heat didn’t get to that unbearable infernal level like on Saturday but being still very hot. I continued to race like nothing had happened trying to beat Ivan purely with my special test times while Ivan was pushing hard to climb up in the results. In the end of the day I won the day with 1min 40s over Salminen who was second. Renet was third and Ivan was 8^th with his 3min penalty. Without his penalties Ivan would have been 13,65s slower than me and that made me happy knowing that I really was the fastest of all on Sunday! Like icing for the cake I also won the Husqvarna Xtrem Award on Sunday!

Last but not least: BIG thanks to Serres HM Honda dealer Nick from MOTOACTION and Honda importer Evangelios Sarakakis for all the help during the Serres GP!!

After the race price giving we hurried with our rent car to Thessaloniki in order to catch a flight to Rhodes island. My Catalonian friend Jordi was with us and we had good time on Monday swimming at Aegean sea to shake off the fatigue built up in our bodies over the hard race weekend. Also some coordination exercises by somersaulting in the water from the concrete platform build up in the sea for jumping. Tuesday morning we took a ferry from Rhodes to Marmaris in Turkey. Then with rented car drive 130km south to Fethiye and here we are starting to walk the special tests again!