The world’s top footballers can easily earn eight-figure sums in a single year, and most are not shy about spending it just as quickly. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are famous for their multi-million dollar car collections. But there are some footballers who prefer to get their kicks on two wheels. Let’s meet them.  

ANOTHER RACE IN THE LEADING GROUP FOR ALEIX AND APRILIA

SEVENTH PLACE WITH SOME REGRETS BUT IMPORTANT POINTS

On the Sunday where he celebrated his 75th MotoGP start with Aprilia, Aleix Espargaró was the protagonist of yet another race in the leading group. Starting extremely well from the third spot on the grid, Aleix took the race lead in the early stages and then settling into second behind Márquez. A few drops of rain after a few laps cost him a few tenths, recompacting the group where he continued to battle all the way to the chequered flag.

His seventh place finish may not give proper credit to the performance of Aleix and the RS-GP, but it does definitively confirm the important progress demonstrated throughout this 2021 season.

It could also have been a good Sunday for Lorenzo Savadori who, despite his starting position, joined the group battling for points straight away. However, a crash during the sixth lap brought his race to an early end.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I am pleased with the level we have reached but I am also angry because I expected to be able to achieve something more today. The reality of the situation is that we are undoubtedly in the leading group, both in qualifying and in the race, on tracks that are vastly different from one another, but we need to keep working to find that final step. I was extremely strong at the start today and then I was able to maintain the pace rather well behind Marc. In the stage of the race when a few drops of rain fell, he managed to pull away. He began building his victory at that moment. Compared to the others, I had some limitations mid corner, a question of a few tenths per lap, but that’s all it takes in this MotoGP championship."

LORENZO SAVADORI
"I am obviously not satisfied with the way the weekend ended. I started rather well and I was in the group that would have made a play for the points zone, with a good pace. Unfortunately, I crashed. We still need to figure out what happened, but the end result is a lost opportunity to do well. On a positive note, despite the incredible level of this championship, I continue to improve and get closer to some rather respectable adversaries."

YET ANOTHER SOLID FRIDAY FOR ALEIX AND APRILIA

LORENZO DISCOVERING THE SECRETS OF THE SACHSENRING

The 52 degrees Celsius on the asphalt (31°C air temps) did not keep the MotoGP riders from doing some interesting times already on the first day of practice at the Sachsenring. The hilly German track was the setting for yet another solid Friday for Aleix Espargaró, who has by now become a fixture in the top part of the rankings with his Aprilia RS-GP.

With an eye to race preparation, the Spanish rider still managed to take seventh in the combined standings. He also demonstrated an outstanding pace, fundamental in view of the 30 laps scheduled for Sunday.

For Lorenzo Savadori, the Sachsenring is basically a brand new track since his references during his 125 and MotoE career don’t count for much. It is certainly not an easy layout, but Lorenzo tackled it gradually, improving more than 7 tenths between the two sessions and limiting the gap behind the lead to just over one second.


ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I know it may seem strange, given the final position, but I think this was the best Friday of the season so far. I felt good straight away. I'm able to be fast without taking excessive risks and the grip helps us, significantly higher than it was in Barcelona. I didn’t put together a perfect performance on my flying lap, but I'm competitive in terms of pace. This will be a track where the tyres will be highly stressed, also because of the weather conditions, so working well on that aspect is important."

LORENZO SAVADORI
"I liked coming back to this track. The last time I raced here was in 2019 with the MotoE bike. Clearly, everything changes with a MotoGP bike. The track gets a lot smaller, but I must say that I had fun. We worked a lot with used tyres. We need to improve the second stage of the race because in Barcelona that was a limiting factor for us again. When I put on the new tyre, I did two decent laps, but I think that our potential is higher. We are still lacking a bit, especially on T2, but I continue to improve and, for now, that is still the main objective."

The wealthy love their toys and the creativity of some leads to some incredible innovations in the recreational industries. Even during the pandemic and increased emissions regulations, motorcycle sales were staggering at times posting double-digit percentage growth over the previous year. Boat sales also followed this trend where sales dropped in March 2020 when COVID restrictions hit, but rebounded to post one of the best years ever. Without the ability to seriously travel, people either hit the road on their bikes or took to the water for enjoyment.  

For yacht owners, cruising from South Florida to the Northeast is an annual migration that happens in early summer with destinations like the Hamptons or Newport, Rhode Island. Others spend the year island-hopping through the Caribbean, moving from marina to marina with family and friends in tow.

For motorcycle owners that are part of this yearly, seasonal activity, this presents a challenge as to how to bring your bike with you during your on-water adventure. Many yachts have large spaces near the transom of the boat, but these are often devoted to an extra cabin for crew, water toys, or storage. While most are large enough for a motorcycle, getting one down to the swim platform creates too many challenges.

One custom motorcycle builder has gone above and beyond to create a solution for one of their clients. The “Lauge Jensen Tender” is a safe and elegant way to store and transport your motorcycle while cruising on your boat, assuming its got a large enough deck to handle it. Many motor yacht have large cockpits and decks that stretch 18 feet wide or more making it possible to install this portable garage.

A mechanical arm, similar to what is used to put a yacht tender into the water, actually unloads the motorcycle right from your boat, to the dock. And away you go!   

Another major British boat builder, Princess Yachts, employed a company called CJR Fabrication to develop a Motorcycle Display Unit, or MDU for short, for their 30-Meter Superyacht. The MDU was constructed of stainless-steel and toughened glass, but also was designed to be aesthetically pleasing as well. To suit the look of the Princess 30M, CJR mirror-polished the metal structure, as well as painted some of it with a white gel finish to match the color of the fiberglass on the yacht.

This particular yacht owner wished to continue riding his new Lauge Jensen Viking custom motorcycle as he traveled abroad. Another requirements included the need to be able to see the motorcycle at all times. The MDU was placed on the forward deck of the boat with the three toughened glass panels facing out, so all could easily see the bike.

No matter what the obstacles may be between you and the road, with enough creativity, ingenuity, and resources, anything is possible.

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Suzuki has announced details of a new A2 licence-friendly GSX-S950, which is available from August and features the ability to be restricted to 35kW to comply with A2 licence regulations. The GSX-S950 will represent a new proposition in the market, providing a ‘big bike’ experience at a restricted output for new riders, before becoming an ideal stepping stone to more powerful machines once derestricted.

Based on the GSX-S1000 platform – and using the same torque-laden inline-four cylinder engine – the GSX-S950 produces 95PS in standard trim, with restrictor kits readily available to ensure it conforms to the A2 licence category. However, despite a reduced peak power compared to its GSX-S1000 sibling, the 950 still makes use of the donor engine’s creamy midrange to produce 92 Nm of peak torque, with the same slip and assist clutch aiding smoother downshifts and slicker upshifts under hard acceleration.

The motor is also wrapped in the same twin-spar aluminium frame and uses the same superbike-derived swingarm and rear shock, but to help achieve a lower RRP – and therefore making it an even more accessible package – it uses 43mm KYB front forks. Other chassis changes include the use of Tokico front brake calipers and straight ‘bars, while the bespoke Dunlop Roadsport 2 tyres, 19-litre fuel tank, and new seat remain.

An electronics package comprises a three-mode traction control system that adds a safety net, while convenience comes from Suzuki’s low RPM assist feature and easy start function. The ride-by-wire throttle from the GSX-S1000 is carried over.

Bodywork replicates the new, aggressive, and angular styling of the GSX-S1000, with the same stacked LED headlights front and centre. The taillight is also full LED.

Available in August, the GSX-S950 comes in a striking white and red, a matt black, plus a metallic triton blue, all adorned with the visually different 950 logo on the radiator shrouds.