Francisco Lopez has made a habit of winning at least one stage at home since the Dakar has been hosted by his country. Last year, “Chaleco” missed out on this prestigious stage due to a navigational mistake. This time, after a faultless performance all along the 423 km of the Day’s special, the Chilean fans’ favourite offered himself a royal descent down to the now famous finish at Iquique, with its 3 in 10 gradient and many spectators. Success seemed to be on the side of Lopez, because when it came to totting up, he appeared to have won the stage by one second from Frans Verhoeven. Read the full article »

In the duel already being fought by Marc Coma and Cyril Despres, the Catalan took a very slim advantage in the 4th stage of the Personal Dakar Argentina Chile, on a day on which the rally entered Chilean territory. This morning, the Spaniard was the first at the starting line, the most delicate position on the Dakar, because by definition, the competitor opening the way has no tracks to follow. That said, Coma has already shown his expertise in navigation in addition to his skill behind the handlebars. Read the full article »

On the long special of the day, Marc Coma was victorious. The Spanish rider did a very efficient job and and picked up his 12th stage victory on the Dakar in San Salvador de Jujuy, ahead of Cyril Despres. The Frenchman holds on to the race lead by a small margin, whereas outsiders Paulo Gonçalves and Olivier Pain did their chances a whole world of good. Coma was not the only beneficiary of the day’s battles. Paulo Gonçalves, third-placed 3’36” behind the stage winner, moves up a rank with his fine performance. Read the full article »

The two title holders, Cyril Despres and Carlos Sainz, both won their second consecutive stage on the Personal Dakar Argentina Chile 2011. In the bike category, the Frenchman boasts a lead of 2’35” over Marc Coma. Already delighted with the performance of Ruben Faria during the afternoon, Cyril Despres learned yesterday evening that in fact he had picked up victory on stage 1, after a one minute penalty was handed out to his team-mate for breaking the speed limit. Read the full article »

This video is a bit old but still funny. Norwegian Motorcycle Union (Norsk Motorcykkel Union) says 8 of 10 collisions are caused by drivers that never see the motorcycle. On the video, riders look like bugs on windshields, and the drivers don’t know how to get rid of them. Scandinavian strange sense of humor. But it definitely works. Good scenario, and the comedy get the point: be careful at motorcycle! Read the full article »

Portuguese rider Ruben Faria (KTM 450 Rally) won the first stage of Dakar yesterday, while Cyril Despres (France, KTM) and Marc Coma (Spain, KTM) finished second and third. After downloading the GPS data from the instruments of Ruben Faria, the race officials have handed down a one minute penalty to him for a slight breach of the speed limits. As a result, he loses the best time of the day by a whisker, which has gone to Cyril Despres, declared winner of the first stage. The best US rider was Jonah Street who finished 6th. Read the full article »

Kawasaki’s Vulcan 1700 is a motorcycle that combines comfort, style and functionality. The Vaquero (pronounced va-kero, Spanish for cowboy) shares its 1700cc liquid-cooled, SOHC, 52-degree V-twin with the Vulcan Classic, Vulcan Nomad and Vulcan Voyager. The bike features Candy Fire red paint, muscle car-styled instrumentation, chrome accents, blacked out engine, air-cleaner cover, wheels and tank cover. Read the full article »

Paris Hilton unveiled her MotoGP racing team in Madrid on Saturday. The two Aprilia RSA will compete in the 125cc category from 2011-2013 with riders Sergio Gadea and Maverick Vinales. The hotel chain heiress entertained the attending press by posing next to the bikes which were pink, white and blue fairings. Hilton also agreed to attend at least five races next season. "I can't believe I have my own racing team! So cool! :)" Hilton posted on Twitter while at the launch. Read the full article »

Cobra Engineering’s Special Projects Division has drawn five concept bikes based on the Honda VT750 Shadow’s V-twin, a Scrambler, Café Racer, Street Fighter, Dirt Tracker and Bobber. “Once again, Cobra Engineering will undertake a multi-bike custom project. Back in 1996 Cobra did a similar project with American Honda around the 750 Ace, building what would come to be known as the Four Aces. Now with the new RS750, Cobra will build two customs based around two ofthe five concepts presented here,” said Ken Boyko from Cobra. Read the full article »

The German manufacturer released a new video to all their fans. The guys at the Bavarian company found a real funny way to wish you a merry Christmas season. The commercial invites you to make your own e-card, a BMW Motorrad Christmas Concert to send to your family and friends as a Christmas gift. Interested in this idea? Just click on the BMW Motorrad Christmas Concert link here and follow the instructions. Read the full article »