Moto 3, Oral Engineering and the 2012 BMW S1000RR

KTM and Honda may have been the main players at recent Jerez Moto 3 test but GP newcomers, Oral Engineering, weren’t too far behind with our very own Danny Webb posting the 15th best time. Italian based Oral are supplying engines to Mahindra Racing (Danny & Marcel Schrotter) and Ambroggio Next Racing (Simone Grotzki & Giulian Pedone). Mahindra have their motor housed in an all new, Italian tubular steel chassis, while Ambroggio have gone down the more economic route of using their 2011 Aprilia RSW 125 chassis. Strict Moto 3 rules dictate that your engine has to be pretty simple and the Oral is no exception. The single cylinder 250cc four stroke has a four valve head, sits bolt upright in it's chassis and in another cost saving exercise existing Aprilia gearbox internals can be used. And like every other bike on the grid, the bore is limited to 81mm with top revs limited to 14,000. Both the Oral teams use Arrow exhaust systems.

I watched the very likeable Italian Simone Grotzki testing his machine this week at Almeria and I couldn’t believe how much noise this little bike makes. It was his first run out of the season so he was a fair bit off the pace but he said it was a joy to ride, and although the chassis was built for the Aprilia two stroke GP machine it felt almost perfect. He believes Moto 3 machines will easily lap faster than the 125s as the power delivery is super smooth and the new spec Dunlops have taken a huge leap forward. Good luck Simone!   

I also tested the 2012 BMW1000RR for the first time this week at Almeria and refinement was the first word that sprung to mind. Of course the 2010/2011 model did everything it said on the box; it was a missile, had clever electronics and a quality finish but I always felt it had a slightly tepid personality. I suppose a bit like a having super fit girlfriend that didn't return much affection. The new bike has a shorter wheelbase with a higher swinging arm pivot which gives it more responsive steering and lighter handling. It was certainly more agile and needed less physical effort when tested back to back at Almeria with the 2011 model. It also has a heavier crankshaft giving it a smoother throttle feeling and there are also some subtle cosmetic changes, my favourite being the new ducts incorporated in the redesigned tail unit. 

I'd say the new S1000RR is now a more involving, user friendly package and it seems to rings my bell in Rizla blue. Now I’m now feeling the love.    

By Niall Mackenzie