KTM’s Enduro factory riders picked up another slew of podiums in this weekend’s Rounds 7 &8 of the Enduro World Championship at Torres Vedras in Portugal but the outstanding rider for the Orange team was undoubtedly Christophe Nambotin of France.

Nambotin has proved to be the dominant force in this year’s competition as the season reaches its half way mark as he continued his charge this weekend with another two victories. On Sunday he won all the tests in the hot and dusty conditions but admitted it had been a good but tough day. “I did win all the tests and I liked the extreme test but it was very difficult physically today,” the Frenchman commented. Nambotin also thanked teammate David Knight for his help on Saturday when he had trouble in the river crossing during the final liaison. “If it wasn’t for his help it may not have been possible to finish,” he said.

Sunday proved to be a better day for Antoine Meo in E1 who also came to Portugal with an unblemished score card for the first six rounds. Meo failed to finish on Saturday after hitting a rock in the Extreme test that was built into a disused quarry. This damaged the engine casing, the engine lost all the oil and he was forced to retire. Sunday was a happier day for Meo. “I made a big mistake yesterday but I am very happy today,” the French rider said after resuming his usual place on Sunday on the top of the podium. He said the team were right behind him and had worked very hard to make sure he could race on Sunday.

Husqvarna factory rider Paulo Gonçalves was at Stegenwald Motocross track last time we went, testing out his Rally bikes. He was absolutely flying around too, clearing all the big tabletops easily and going around faster than pretty much anyone I have seen ride there, despite being on a massive rally bike.

Great looking course. Big and technical.

One of the highlights on the Audi stand is the bicycle technology concept known as the Audi e-bike Wörthersee – a sport bike that does not fit into any of the usual categories. It is neither a pedelec nor a conventional bike, but is best described as a high-end pedelec made by Audi for sport, fun and tricks. The Audi e-bike Wörthersee combines the Audi brand’s principal competences – design, ultra, connect and e-tron – and explores the limits of what is technically feasible in terms of design, lightweight construction, networking and electric mobility.

This show bike is futuristic at the very first glance – a bike for tomorrow and beyond. All its components, even the pedals, have been shaped by Audi’s designers, for instance the 26-inch wheels made from CFRP that weigh only 600 grams (1.32 lb) each and have innovative large-area blade-pattern spokes.

The Audi e-bike Wörthersee’s ultra-light carbon-fiber frame weighs only 1,600 grams (3.53 lb). It makes use of bionic principles derived from nature. Material reinforcements are needed only at the points where loads actually occur. The swinging arm for the rear wheel is also made of CFRP. All in all, the Audi e-bike Wörthersee represents the full extent of the brand’s expertise in ultra-lightweight design.

The rear wheel is driven by a chain. The electric motor is a permanent magnet synchronous machine; it is located at the lowest point on the frame and drives the bottom bracket shaft directly. Maximum torque at the rear wheel is in the region of 250 Nm (184.39 lb-ft). Peak output from the electric motor is 2.3 kW – a new top value on the e-bike scene. Excluding the battery, the complete bicycle weighs only 21 kg (46.30 lb), equivalent to a power-weight ratio of 9 kg (19.84 lb) per kilowatt, or 7 kg (15.43 lb) per horsepower – another record-breaking value.

Japan, Moto, drifting, girls, music, insects, cats, dogs, good filming. Like it.

VIA supermoto-central.com

Love this shot from Vurb of Eli Tomac.

The park’s don’t open for a few more weeks here and I am still waiting for a wheel spacer for the front wheel, but I am really looking forward to seeing what this Transition TR250 can do. 180mm’s of travel, brakes almost as big as on a motocross bike, really slack geometry and a weight of around 16.5KG mean this bike should fly downhill. Pretty wide handlebars too!

Once again, big thanks to R107 bikes and BT.

Riders in the KTM Enduro Factory Team picked up a slew of podiums in Rds. 5 & 6 of the World Championships in Munitibar in the autonomous Basque region of Northern Spain at the weekend, particularly underlining their dominance in E1 and E3 classes.

The team’s new French signings Christophe Nambotin and Antoine Meo both drew respect and praise from team boss Fabio Farioli when they continued their unbeaten record so far this season. Both riders have cleaned up every round in the E1 and the E3 classes and leave Spain with a perfect scorecard of 120 points each.

“Nambotin was incredible this weekend,” Farioli said. “He was perfect and Meo also was excellent this weekend.” Indeed the pair cleaned up in the majority of the tests over the two days of intense riding on the 3 x 70 km laps. Farioli said muddy and slippery conditions had prevailed over the weekend and the extreme test had proved very difficult because there were many different lines in the mud.

Photos by J.Edmunds @ Enduro21

Doesn’t look quite as good from the other side, but still a very nice motorcycle. Great website too. Arrick Maurice – Monster 1100 R

The build comes from Ducati’s North American Market, Brand Manager – Arrick Maurice

Pure bike porn