Ducati boss confident in Mika Kallio

By Mattehw Birt
Factory Ducati boss Livio Suppo believes Finnish rider Mika Kallio could be one of the surprise packages of the 2009 MotoGP world championship.

The Pramac Racing rookie was in dazzling form at the recent Jerez test session in Spain, springing a major surprise when he clocked the seventh fastest overall time.

That saw the KTM rider beat a host of established MotoGP stars including Colin Edwards and James Toseland, and he was only 0.1s adrift of 2008 Rookie of the Year Jorge Lorenzo.

His early performances have already convinced Ducati’s hierarchy that he could have a big impact in 2009 when he partners fellow MotoGP novice Niccolo Canepa in Ducati’s satellite squad.

Suppo added: “He is a guy who has a very good approach. He is not trying to go fast just to be fast. He is trying to learn and understand the bike and the engineers and when he feels good the time arrives.

"The performance he showed in the 250 class was impressive. People seem to forget in 2007 he was a rookie in 250 and at times he was able to beat Jorge and Andrea (Dovizioso) who have shown in 2008 they are very strong in MotoGP. I think Mika can do a very good job for us.

Source:
http://www.motorcyclenews.com
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James Toseland eager to test 2009 Yamaha

By Matthew Birt
British rider James Toseland is confident that reigning world champion Valentino Rossi will make Yamaha’s factory YZR-M1 an even more formidable package in 2009.

Rossi has been conducting in-depth evaluation of Yamaha’s 2009 prototype in tests at Valencia and Jerez last month, with the complete new bike poised for its track debut on February 5 when testing resumes in Sepang, Malaysia.

After a humiliating defeat at the hands of Ducati and impressive Australian Casey Stoner in 2007, Yamaha responded with 10 victories last season - nine going to Rossi on his way to reclaiming the world title for the first time since 2005.

The YZR-M1 was not only more reliable but it was considerably faster in a straight line, with outright horsepower being a major weakness in 2007.

And now Toseland is eager to benefit from Rossi’s considerable skills when his Tech 3 Yamaha squad receives the ’09 YZR-M1 in Sepang.

The double World Superbike champion told MCN: “One thing that was on the top of my list when I was thinking about signing for Yamaha was having Valentino develop the bike. And having that team that is around him to work on the bike is massive.
To make the changes they did as well as winning the title is quite remarkable and what they do can only help us in our garage. I can’t wait to get on the new bike in Malaysia because I have heard nothing but good things about it from Yamaha and some of the guys in the team.”

Source:
http://www.motorcyclenews.com
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BMW HP2 Megamoto

Words: Rod Chapman, Pics: Ellen Dewar and BMW

SPECIFICATIONS - BMW HP2 MEGAMOTO

ENGINE
Type: Air/oil-cooled, four-stroke, eight-valve flat-twin
Bore x stroke: 101 x 73mm
Displacement: 1170cc
Compression ratio: 11.0:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed, constant mesh
Final drive: Shaft

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Tubular steel space frame
Front suspension: 45mm upside-down Marzocchi forks, adjustable for compression and rebound
Rear suspension: Öhlins monoshock, fully adjustable
Front brake: Twin 320mm discs with four-piston Brembo calipers
Rear brake: Single 265mm disc with twin-piston Brembo caliper

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Dry weight: 179kg
Seat height: 860-910mm
Fuel capacity: 13 litres

PERFORMANCE
Max power: 113hp at 7500rpm
Max torque: 11.7kg-m at 6000rpm

OTHER STUFF
Price: $28,400 plus ORC

Test bike supplied by: BMW Australia
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres

Source:
http://www.bikepoint.com.au
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MV Agusta F4 Ago


Specifications
Engine: 4 cylinder, 4 stroke, 16 valve, DOHC with radial valve
Displacement: 998cc
Compression ratio: 13:1
Starting system: electric
Bore x Stroke: 76 x 55
Max power: 122 kW (166 hp) at 11,750 rpm (at crankshaft)
Max torque: 109 (Nm) at 10,200 rpm
Cooling system: liquid cooled with oil heat exchanger
Engine management: Weber Marelli 1.6M ignition - injection integrated system, induction discharge electronic ignition, Multipoint electronic injection
Clutch: wet, multi-disc
Gearbox: cassette gearbox, 6 speed, constant mesh
Frame: CrMo steel tubular trellis (TIG welded)

Front suspension: upside-down telescopic hydraulic fork with rebound-compression damping and spring preload adjustment 50mm diameter with titanium nitride coating on the legs

Rear suspension: progressive, with single sided swingarm, single Sachs 'Racing' shock absorber with double adjustment rebound-compression damping and spring preload adjustment

Front brake: double aluminium floating disc, 310mm diameter, 6 piston solid block 'Nissin Racing' calipers
Rear brake: single steel disc, 210mm diameter, 4 piston caliper
Front tyre: 120/65 - ZR17 inch
Rear tyre: 190/50 - ZR17 inch, or 180/55 ZR17
Front wheel: Marchesini, forged aluminium, 3.50 x 17
Rear wheel: Marchesini, forged aluminium, 5.75 x 17
Fairing material: thermoplastic and carbon fibre
Wheelbase: 1408mm
Seat height: 810mm
Min ground clearance: 130mm
Dry weight: 192kg
Fuel tank capacity: 21 litres

Source:
http://www.bikepoint.com.au
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Chris Atkinson released from hospital

After crashing heavily when their No. 6 Impreza slid off the road on ice at the start of stage seven, the first running of Walters Arena, Chris Atkinson was airlifted to hospital for observation.

At 2120hrs this evening it was confirmed by the hospital's medical staff and the SWRT medical crew that Chris Atkinson had been discharged from the hospital and was returning to the team's hotel.

Co-driver Stéphane Prévot was also visited by the event's medical crew on the scene but they deemed no further observation was necessary.

Both drivers are ok.

“It is deeply unfortunate that Chris and Stéphane suffered such a bad accident today” said David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal. “We are in close contact with the hospital and they have recently confirmed to us that Chris will be released tonight. That they are both ok is testament to the strength and integrity of our new car and all the work that the team has put into improving the safety features.”

Source:
http://www.swrt.com
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Roxio Software Helps You Take Control of Your Music

If you are a music fan, whether you download songs from the Internet or have a vast collection of CDs, LPs and cassettes stored in your house, Roxio has a piece of software that will help you manage your collection and get more out of your music.

Roxio is probably best known as the maker of Easy CD Creator, a program that helped users make copies of media, even from copy-protected disks. Roxio's newest foray into digital media management is Easy Media Creator 8 Suite, which allows users to capture, rip and store digital audio, make and share playlists, import and organize photos, capture and edit video, view DVDs, back up files, burn audio, video, CDs, DVDs and photo CDs with ease and much more.

But there's much more to Roxio than Easy Media Creator. Roxio's DigitalMedia Studio will help you burn discs for backup and sharing of files and music, as well as allowing you to organize your CD collection, browse by artist, album and genre and create your own mix CDs in minutes.

Roxio's PhotoSuite allows you to easily correct problems in your digital photos, create calendars, cards and other projects involving photos and burn CDs to preserve your precious photos.

eDVD by Roxio allows you to add all sorts of bells and whistles to DVDs you author, including links to web pages, high-definition video, high-resolution still photos, presentations, documents, spreadsheets, flash animation, MP3s and more. And if you need help editing the video for your Hollywood-quality DVD, Roxio can help you with its VideoWave program.

Roxio can also help you capture, compress and store DVDs, remove subtitles or alternative language tracks, combine DVD and DivX formats on one disk, play back on your computer, make labels for your disks and much more.

If you use a Macintosh computer, don't despair. Roxio has powerful media management software for you, too. It's called Toast, and it makes just about anything you'd want to do with digital audio or video a whole lots easier.

Roxio's Toast takes drag and drop simplicity to a whole new level, allowing you to convert DivX files to DVD, burn large files across multiple disks, compress DvDs, put music on an audio DVD with TV menus and shuffle options, create high-definition slide shows, even make custom hybrid Mac and PC discs.

Toast will also help you make widescreen DVDs, convert LPs, cassettes and CDs to your iPod, And with Spin Doctor, which is included with Toast 7, you can capture live audio and store it on your computer. Record a speech, Internet radio, even your old record collection and burn it to CD or audio DVD.

Roxio's line of software allows you to take control of all the media in your home, whether you want backups of DVD movies in case the kids scratch them up, a place to store family photos or a way to collect and organize your entire audio collection.

Steve Williamson is the owner of Best Software Review, your source for reviews of the top software for your home and office. Shop smarter and run your home or business more efficiently with a little help from http://www.best-software-review.com.

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Solberg third at Bettega Memorial

Subaru World Rally Team star Petter Solberg finished a close third in the Bettega Memorial Rallysprint at the Bologna Motorshow on 13-14 December.

Aboard a factory-entered Subaru Impreza WRC2008, the Norwegian finished third after a series of knock-out rounds on both Saturday and Sunday in a mixed-surface arena resembling a WRC spectator stage.

The initial plan was for Chris Atkinson to take the reigns at Bologna, but the Australian was sidelined after his heavy crash on the opening day of Rally GB when he and co-driver Stéphane Prévot slid off the road on sheet ice. Whilst both Atkinson and Prévot are recovering well having suffered no serious injuries from the impact, Chris was given independent medical advice to miss the Bettega Memorial to ensure that he is fully rested in time for the pre-event Rally Ireland test in the new year.

The Bettega Memorial is one of the most popular motorsport events to take place at the Bologna Motor Show and honours the memory of the late Attilio Bettega, a star of the world rally scene in the 1970s and early 1980s. This year was its 24th running.

Subaru has a good heritage at this prestigious event. Last year SWRT test driver Markko Märtin claimed victory aboard an Impreza WRC2007. In 2005 MotoGP star Valentino Rossi thrilled his home crowd when he drove an Impreza WRC2005, and in 2004 Colin McRae was reunited with the model that took him to the 1995 World Rally Championship.

Top six overall positions:
1, Dani Sordo, Citroen C4 WRC
2, Gigi Galli, Ford Focus
3, Petter Solberg, Subaru Impreza
4, Kris Meeke, Citroen Xsara
Eliminated, Francois Duval, Subaru Impreza
Eliminated, Marcus Gronholm, Ford Focus

Source:
http://www.swrt.com
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