Valentino Rossi stung by criticism that he is unable to do what Casey Stoner did last year with Ducati has said that his aim at the Japanese round of the MotoGP this weekend is to better Stoner’s performance of last year. Stoner did not go well in practice but rode well in the race last year and Rossi says that he wants to go faster than Stoner did last year even though it is not going to be easy.
Yearly Archives: 2011
Vijay Mallya believes that his Force India Formula1 team should try to overhaul Renault in the constructors championship. Currently Force India is in sixth position position behind fifth placed Renault and trailing by 22 points. However in the last four races Force India F1 has taken out 24 points from Renault’s lead and with quite a few races to go Mallya believes that his team can overtake Renault and that would help in getting extra revenues from TV rights.
John Hopkins was to get his second wild card ride of the season at Brno in the Czech Republic but could not actually take part in the race due to a crash that left him badly injured. But his one time employers Suzuki had promised him another ride lieu of the one that cancelled. It has now emerged that John Hopkins will be riding a second Rizla Suzuki in the MotoGP race at Sepang in Malaysia later this month.
The auto space on the web is agog with rumours that Royal Enfield will be launching diesel engined versions of the Classic 500 and 350 to tap into the base of customers who want great fuel efficiency and low cost fuel. In the past Royal Enfield did launch a diesel engined variant of the Bullet called the Taurus which had so much vibration that most riders reached their destinations with all their teeth fallen out and with a few joints in their bodies gone queer. Mercifully the product was pulled out of the market. Having said that we don’t know if there is some diesel engine that is better than the previous one since without doubt diesel engine technology has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. It is also rumoured that Hero MotoCorp is working on a 400cc diesel bike. Another rumour doing the rounds is that Royal Enfield will launch a cafe racer version of the 500 in about 18 months time.
Picture courtesy: Indiancarsbikes.in
It has emerged that Garware Motors the distributors of Hyosung motorcycles in India will be launching the naked version of the GT650R which it had launched a few months ago. The naked version which is called the GT650N will be priced well below the fully faired racing version with the 650R is. It remains unclear if the new motorcycle will be a facelifted one or the one that is available as of now. Garware has said that it plans to have an overall sales of 1200 units this year.
All Terrain Vehicle manufacturer Polaris has launched its products in India in Chennai. These go anywhere vehicles are not street legal and cannot be driven on public roads. They have been targetted at those who love adventure sport and will take these vehicles into forests and marsh lands and also at the military and the police that could use them to reach places which cannot be reached otherwise due to lack of roads or poor roads. The vehicles do not need registration since they are not meant to be driven on public roads and for the same reason a driver’s licence is also not a necessary prerequisite.
Carwale.com is carrying the news that the Skoda Fabia based sedan which is code named SK251 is likely to be unveiled to the public on the 7th of October, 2011. What is even more interesting is the claim that Carwale.com is making about the name of the car. According to Carwale.com the car which was first thought to be called the Rapid and subsequently the Lauretta may actually have another name when it is unveiled. Now that is interesting.
Picture courtesy: Autocar India.com
Hyundai’s rival to the bestselling Maruti Alto is going to hit the roads soon. Autocar India.com has carried news that Hyundai will start taking bookings for the Eon small car from today i.e the 1st of October, 2011 and it is likely that the car will be launched formally on the 14th of August (this bit is as per Indiancarsbikes.in) and deliveries will commence from November onward. Hyundai has pegged big hopes on this small car to take the battle to the Alto and trounce it. All will be revealed when the car hits the roads.
Pic courtesy: Overdrive.in
Titled ‘HALF! Lightweight with a Passion’ Michelin would like you to design a lightweight family vehicle, find the design brief below.Michelin Challenge Design is Michelin North America’s way of expressing its interest in and commitment to innovative design. Entries are welcome from any country. You can either snail mail, fax or submit your entries online . Registration is open till June 2012.
Participants are asked to explore lightweight vehicle development by designing a family vehicle capable of transporting between four and six people, meeting consumer demands for safety and comfort, usable on the current road infrastructure, and production feasible using materials, powertrain solutions, or manufacturing solutions that are in use today or in development for use in the foreseeable future.
Why does Michelin care about design?
Michelin wants to assist in the evolution of transportation. Michelin’s corporate culture places a high value on design and innovation as important to consumer satisfaction and maintaining Michelin’s role as the industry leader.
Submit entries here.
More info on Michelin Design Challenge 2013 here. Watch Riot Engine’s ‘Design’ section as we get you more information, and do drop us a line if you decide to participate!
Ferraris from various parts of the world took part in this event that showcased a number of classics on Venice’s Grand Canal on board a barge.