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Moto blog

BSB 2012; Mystic Mac investigates

In my opinion, the smartest move in the BSB off season has to be Michael Laverty moving from Swan Yamaha to HM Plant Honda. With a ban on electronics for 2012, and in particular traction control, WFR's Graham Gowland has already proved to Laverty how competitive an EVO spec Fireblade can be - so I’m tipping both these riders to be bang on the money at the Brands Hatch season opener in April. Unlike BMW, Kawasaki and Yamaha, Honda have deliberately developed their road-going Superbike without electronics to give a user friendly feel with good mechanical traction, so it’ll be interesting to see how the opposition copes with their high-tech trickery stripped off.

Simon and Leo

If you are a track day regular this year, you may well have bumped into former racer and friendly Kiwi, Simon Crafar. I first met him in Malaysia in 1990 when he was riding for a Yamaha dealer team, sweating his way round circuits like Shah Alam and Johor Bahru but with a long term plan to make it onto the World scene. And he didn’t take long as after riding for Honda in the UK in 1992 he moved to WSB in 1994 and enjoyed success with both the Honda and Kawasaki factory teams.

Rossi’s Ranch: Valentino’s Personal Playground

What does Valentino Rossi do when he’s not riding his Yamaha M1 around the best racetracks in the world? He relaxes at home in Tavullia, Italy, and rides motorcycles around his newly developed dirt track dubbed, “Rossi’s Ranch.” “It’s like a dream from when you’re a child,” says Rossi. “You hope at one moment you can buy your own racetrack.” It’s safe to say Rossi is financially stable enough at this moment in time to where he can make his childhood dream a reality.