Ahead of this week’s ninth round of the 2014 World Superbike Championship at Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway, which runs in conjunction with AMA SuperBike, a few of the series top riders headed to the renowned Monterey Aquarium.
In attendance were the reigning World Superbike Champion, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), along with Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team), Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team), Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike), Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team – EVO), Aaron Yates (Team Hero EBR) and Christian Iddon (Team Bimota Alstare – EVO).
Also making the visit were two AMA SuperBike riders who are riding as wildcard riders this weekend, creating a 29-rider grid – Larry Pegram and Chris Ulrich. Pegram will pilot a Foremost Insurance EBR 1190RX, and Ulritch a GEICO Honda CBR1000RR.
The SBK boys were taken on a guided tour of the aquarium, which is one of the largest sea exhibits in the world. How large? Monterey Aquarium holds 1 million gallons of water, and is home to loads of aquatic creatures, including sharks, turtles, and tuna.
But down time is minimal; the riders will be on the Laguna Seca circuit at 10:30 a.m. PT Friday for the first practice session of the weekend.
Benda motorcycles are beginning to make a ripple on US shores with four intriguing and competitive models, courtesy of its partnership with Keeway Group. We were impressed with the Napoleonbob 500 and have now gotten our gloves on the persuasive, entry-level 2026 Benda Chinchilla 300, with its modest MSRP of $4999. It would be difficult to design a more welcoming entry-level cruiser than this easy-handling, visually appealing boulevard bobber. Editor Don Williams and Associate Editor Kelly Callan discuss the Benda Chinchilla 300 and how it actually rode for them.
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Our guest this episode is Jesse Merriman, Chief Technician for Jeremy McWilliams at the Arch Motorcycle racing project. Arch Racing was founded by Gard Hollinger and Keanu Reevs to compete in the Moto America Super Hooligan race series. Teejay Adams chats with Jesse about the Arch motorcycle and the challenges of extracting the absolute most from an air-cooled V-Twin racing engine and custom chassis.
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Here’s quick reminder to check out our monthly digital magazine. It’s filled with everything you want to read on motorcycling, including some things you’ve probably not seen elsewhere. It’s absolutely free and you will find it on the Apple App Store and of course on Google Play as well.
Don’t forget to leave us your comments on our social media—we’re on all the usual platforms at Ultimate Motorcycling. We love hearing your feedback… so good or bad, please let us know what you think. If there’s something you’d like us to cover, we’d love to hear those ideas too!
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