track

Day At the Races: MotoGP At Laguna Seca 2010

Filed under: Sports

There is an amazing amount of wealth at motorcycle races. You might picture the populous at a NASCAR race as being a bit above poverty level (no offense NASCAR fans, but you know what aura some of your fellow race lovers give off), but the followers of the world famous MotoGP series include some well to do participants. Many of them fervent collectors and sophisticated gear-heads. As such, you could easily quality MotoGP as a luxury sport (just for a different class than say the Kentucky Derby). At least the motorcycles themselves use top-notch hardware and technology. Amazing to think that the bikes themselves have serious computers on board. I went to the MotoGP race day at Laguna Seca historic race track near Monterey, CA - here are some of the sights and sounds of the excitement.

I've put together a bit of a visual article below when you go to "READ MORE." Much of what you see if pretty self explanatory. If you've never been to a motorcycle race, then be aware that most people attend and shove earplugs in their ears due to the incredible sound of many high-powered engines operating at full revs simultaneously.

Tags: 2010, Laguna Seca, Lorenzo, Monterey, MotoGP, race, track, video

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Anybody want a X-Bow? Track Toys Sitting Unsold at Austrian Factory

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

This is the KTM X-Bow. It's perhaps one of the most fantastic track toys ever devised. Sure, you can drive it on the street. And some owners do. But one look at this mean machine is all you need to realize this isn't a suitable replacement for your luxury sedan. What it is, however, is a load of fun. It's made by Austrian motorcycle company KTM, known especially for their dirt bikes, and powered by a 237hp turbocharged Audi engines, which may not seem like a lot, but considering that the whole vehicle weighs just 1500 lbs, the power to weight ratio is astronomical.

The X-Bow (think "crossbow") generated so much public interest upon its debut last year that KTM felt it had to increase production to meet perceived demand. So initial projections for 500 units a year were doubled to 1000. But then the economy took a nose-dive. So far this year, KTM has already built 500 units, but most of them are sitting at the factory waiting for buyers. Only 80 have been sold so far this year, a far cry from the 2000 orders the company reportedly received when the vehicle was launched, prompting the company to shut down production at its new purpose-built factory in Graz, Austria, until they can sell the ones they've got on hand. Which probably means that there's so attractive pricing on its way for those who can pony up the £37,000 the carbon-fiber concoction commands in the British market.

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Tags: circuit, crossbow, false, ktm, ktm x bow, ktm x-bow, KtmX-bow, KtmXBow, spas-awards, track, track toy, TrackToy, x-bow, xbow