Japanese based Team Mugen (M-TEC Co., Ltd., Shin NAGAOSA, President) has confirmed that it will make a dual assault on the electric bike class at the 2015 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy.

Mugen has confirmed that their team will again be represented in the SES TT Zero Race by twenty-one time TT Race winner John McGuinness and outright lap record holder, New Zealand's Bruce Anstey, who set the fastest ever lap around the Mountain Course, 132.298 mph (00:17:06.682), in last year's Superbike Race.

Three qualifying sessions have been confirmed for this year's SES TT Zero Race on Friday 5th, Saturday 6th and Monday 8th June with race day on Wednesday 10th June.

Team Mugen will participate with a machine named 'SHINDEN YON', which means "God of Electricity, number 4". The machine has been newly developed to improve on last year's 'Shinden San' model. 'SHINDEN YON' will be exhibited at the 2015 Tokyo Motorcycle Show, which will be held at Tokyo Big Sight in March, 2015.

The team made their TT debut in 2012, achieving a prestigious 104mph average lap speed in their debut season and at last year's meeting John McGuinness raised the outright lap record for the Zero class to 117.336mph, (19:17.3) becoming the first rider to break 20 minutes for an electric bike with his team-mate Bruce Anstey following him home in 115.048. To date the pair are the only riders to have lapped the course in a time of under 20 minutes.

Akihiro Miyata, Mugen's team Director, commented:

"The challenge of participating in the Isle of Man TT electric motorcycle races, which is a new discipline to us and completely different from our core strengths as a manufacturer and developer of high-speed internal combustion engines, started in 2012 as our unique project to foster young engineers and conduct developments in a new area.

He continued:

"We achieved our initial goal of 2014 which was to exceed an average speed of 115 mph (185 km/h) and in doing so captured the long-sought after victory, with a one-two finish for the team, in a time that beat the previous record lap record in the TT Zero Challenge class by more than one minute (00:19:17.3 lap)."

Mugen's Satoshi Katsumata and Director Akihiro Miyata will represent the 'Shinden Yon' team on the Isle of Man.

Cristiano Silei leaves Ducati to face a new professional challenge
• Claudio Domenicali "We thank Cristiano Silei for his contribution
• in achieving the record results in 2014"
• Andrea Buzzoni will start in his new position on February, the 2nd, 2015

Borgo Panigale (Bologna) 30 January, 2015 – Andrea Buzzoni (45) will become the new Ducati Sales and Marketing Director. His motorcycle passion and great experience in Sales Management and Marketing of premium brands will be a key factor for the growth of the Borgo Panigale Company.

Andrea Buzzoni, born in Milan and graduated in Political Science, has gained his experience in the motorcycle world, working for over 17 years in Sales and Marketing. Former Ducati employee, he worked as Director in the Germany Branch from 2001 to 2004, then he was the General Manager for BMW Motorrad Italy for 10 years.

His commitment in the racing world was also great. Firstly he has managed, for BMW Motorrad Italia, the projects of the Superstock and Superbike World Championship and subsequently, the official factory team of the World Superbike Championship.

Ducati Vice President Sales and Marketing, Cristiano Silei (47), has resigned from the Company to face a new professional challenge.

Claudio Domenicali, Ducati CEO, thanks Cristiano Silei for the achievements and the commitment in these years of collaboration, and wishes him further success in his future career. Cristiano Silei has contributed to increase Ducati international expansion and has achieved record results. Over 45.100 motorcycles have been delivered to customers in 2014, this is the best result ever for the Borgo Panigale Company.

Cristiano Silei has greatly contributed in the creation of the new Ducati brand, Scrambler, laying the foundation for further commercial successes for the Company.

We have had to change the dates of this year's event – now between the 31st August – due to a double booking. We apologise if this has caused an inconvenience. On a positive note, the change of date means the rally does not clash with the Rock and Bike at Squires Café Bar and also the Bulldog Bash at Avon Raceway, which will mean busy rallies for all three events. 

1st to the 3rd of May 2015

A LOT OF LAPS AND GOOD SENSATIONS FOR THE APRILIA RSV4

LEON HASLAM IS FIT AND READY FOR PHILLIP ISLAND, "ROOKIE" JORDI TORRES IS IMPROVING AND PLEASED

Jerez (Spain), 27 January 2015 - The two days at Jerez de la Frontera for the Aprilia-Red Devils team were intense, with riders Leon Haslam and Jordi Torres busy with the final tests before the opening round of World Superbike 2015 which will be held in Australia on 22 February.

Thanks to the decidedly fair weather, Leon and Jordi were able to complete a tight testing schedule, increasing their familiarity with the reigning World Champion bike, the Aprilia RSV4, lap by lap. Lap times were encouraging, but what really counts is that the range of possible adjustments was explored in terms of setup and electronics, gathering information which will be useful as the season develops.

Leon Haslam, already fast at Portimão, confirmed his excellent condition. His harmony with a bike that is new to him is impressive, so much that the rider from Ealing was able to work on tyre wear, simulating race conditions. Haslam put in 148 laps, the best of which in 1’40.069. "We took a lot of laps today, more than anyone else. We analysed a lot of things and now I feel really good on the bike in terms of setup. In a race simulation toward the end of the testing we were able to find a good speed and I gained confidence, even managing to improve on my best time using a soft tyre. That has always been a problem for me, putting the qualifier tyre to good use is another reason for us to be pleased with these tests. Phillip Island is a track that I like and apparently it suits my Aprilia well, so we'll definitely be optimistic going into our first race."

The "rookie", Jordi Torres, showed significant progress compared to the previous tests. Determined to do well in his rookie World Superbike year, the twenty-seven year old Spaniard took full advantage of the two days he had, lapping consistently (169 times around the track by the end of the tests) and stopping the clock at 1'41.983 on his best lap. He also did a lot of work with used tyres and reported a decidedly positive feeling.

Jordi Torres: "I'm pleased with the way things went. We were able to try a lot of things. The bike is easy to ride, that's my first impression, even if I still don't feel like I'm at 100%, especially when braking in the middle of a turn. There are still a lot of things I need to figure out, but I'll be heading to Phillip Island confidently, especially since we did a good job with race tyres. We could have shaved off a few more tenths of a second, maybe testing the qualifier tyre, but overall I'm quite pleased."

Six-time World Champion Max Biaggi was also in the Aprilia garage at Jerez, with Michael Laverty working alongside him as a test rider. Biaggi made excellent progress, topped off with a best time of 1'41.9 in race simulation.

Max Biaggi: "At the beginning of these tests I had a bit of trouble getting back into the groove, but that's normal after a long break. Little by little I began to feel more comfortable with the bike and my times began to show it, so as a result my enthusiasm also increased because I'm always happy to be in the saddle. I'm happy that we were able to complete the testing schedule. That's what I'm here for and I adapted willingly to the Team's needs. We are all quite pleased with this return 3 years after my last time around the track on a Superbike. In the future I expect to put in some faster laps so I can give accurate indications in “race” mode."

FOR SUPERBIKE AND SUPERSTOCK 1000 CHAMPIONSHIPS

2015 - 2016

The partnership with the Althea Racing Team presented in the Montecchio Maggiore headquarters

FIAMM top management, the pilots, and the Althea Racing General Manager all present.

Montecchio Maggiore, 30 January 2015 – The partnership between FIAMM, the leading company in the automotive component sector and energy systems, and the Althea Racing Team, a prestigious Italian motorcycling team and four-time winner of the Superbike and Superstock World Championships, was presented to the press.

FIAMM will be the official sponsor of the Althea Racing Team for the 2015 -2016 seasons, both in the Fim World Championship Superbike and in the Fim Cup Superstock 1000.

Superbike-class riders Matteo Baiocco and Nicolas Terol, as well as Superstock 1000-class riders Raffaele De Rosa and Luca Salvadori were also present at the event. The former are veterans of the Jerez de la Frontera test, where they obtained excellent results in view of the first race of the season to be held on Phillip Island next 22 February.

The event conducted by sports journalists Giovanni di Pillo and Gian Luca dall’Ara was also attended by FIAMM CEO, Stefano Dolcetta, FIAMM Executive Vice President Market & Product Reserve & Mobility Power Solutions, Nicolò Gasparin, and Althea Racing Team patron, Genesio Bevilacqua.

FIAMM will sponsor the Althea Team and its brand will be present on the motorbike fairing, on the riders' racing suits and their clothing, on the team vehicles used for transport, on the outside walls of the box and Hospitality booth, and on everything regarding communications.

“FIAMM has always believed in motorsports as a vehicle for promoting its brand and image in both Italian and foreign markets,” affirms Stefano Dolcetta, CEO of FIAMM.

“I remember our commitment during the 1980’s and ‘90s in the Formula One of Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, and Michele Alboreto, but even the epic deeds of the Group B Rallies where Audi, Lancia, and the Superbike competed with the reds of Borgo Panigale, winning on circuits worldwide. More recently, we sponsored Peugeot, the multi-champion of Italia Rally, and supported the Ferrari Challenge."

In light of this constant interest in the world of racing motorcycles, two years ago FIAMM decided to invest in becoming a leader of the motor sports.

“For us, Superbike represents the ultimate vehicle,” explains Nicolò Gasparin, FIAMM Executive Vice President Market & Product Reserve & Mobility Power Solutions, “above all since this type of motorcycle derives from the series and is therefore very similar to products that the public can buy and equip with FIAMM products.

We made contact with Althea as soon as 2012 and today we firmly believe in the Team’s potential.”

"I am truly grateful for the trust that FIAMM has placed in our team,” shares Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager of Althea, “and I am honoured to bring to the track an Italian brand that has accompanied so many riders and teams in its long history.

The FIAMM Group, founded in 1942, produces and distributes accumulators for automobile ignitions and industrial use (UPS, energy reserves) and acoustic signals (automobile horns and sirens). The group is now present in 60 countries with about 3300 employees worldwide and about 1200 in Italy. The 2014 turnover amounted to a value of 560 million Euro. The main markets served are Italy (26%) and the rest of Europe (51%), where direct sales to auto manufacturers (BMW, Fiat-Chrysler, Ford, Mercedes, GM-Opel, PSA, Renault-Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Jaguar, Ferrari, Maserati) represent about 30% of the turnover.