Carlos Checa aboard the Alstare Ducati 1199 Panigale.
2013 World Superbike Championship
By Sam Sims
For 2013 World Superbike, the newly-formed Alstare Ducati Team will field the 1199 Panigale.
The switch from the 1198 to the 1199 arrives with many obstacles for the Alstare team and its riders Carlos Checa and Ayrton Badovini, and testing is key. But the team didn’t have much luck during a three-day testing session at Jerez Saturday through Monday.Due to inclement weather at the Spanish circuit, the World SBK Champion Checa and Badovini only got three hours of track time. But the team, which is under the direction of Team Manager Francis Batta and Ducati SBK Project Manager Ernesto Marinelli, reports that some useful data was collected.Aryton Badovini at Jerez aboard the Alstare Ducati 1199 Panigale.Alstare Ducati says: “It was of course not possible to respect the original planned program of work but the limited track time did allow the riders to build their confidence with the bike and provide some good feedback which will prove to be an extremely important starting point when it comes to the next tests in Australia.“The 1199 Panigale R bikes will now go back to Alstare’s racing department where work will continue in coming weeks.”Alstare Ducati will return to the track on Feb. 14-15 for additional private testing at Phillip Island in Australia, ahead of the official tests at the same circuit Feb. 18-19.
KTM RC 390 and Gordon McCall of Quail Motorcycle Gathering
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the new KTM RC 390. The entry-level KTM has always been an impressive motorcycle that has sold extremely well, however the factory has now taken the bike to another level, with top-spec features that are typically found on flagship machines. Clearly KTM has realized that even smaller engined machines should have high spec suspension, brakes and electronics packages. Nic tells us how well the new RC 390 is equipped, and what he thought of riding the smaller displacement rocket.
In the second segment I chat with automotive and motorcycle industry icon, Gordon McCall. Gordon is the Director of Motorsports at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California.
This weekend of Saturday May 14th sees the annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering re-start after its Covid-forced hiatus, and having attended every one of the previous Motorcycle Gatherings, personally I’m very happy that the event is back on the schedule. Gordon chats about the event and a little of what’s happening this year. It’s a great event and if you feel like a trip to the gorgeous Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, you’ll get to meet Gordon, Roland Sands, and of course a large number of stunning motorcycles too.
From all of us at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!
 wrapped up a three-day private World Superbike test at Jerez on Monday.){kind=link}