Sunday, June 16, 2013

Skate As METALLICA's James Hetfield In The New Tony Hawk Pro Skater Video Game

Without question, if it wasn’t for Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, I would have never gotten into skateboarding as a sport. The game, with it’s super-great soundtrack exposed an entire new world to skating.



After a bunch of iterations, the game was never the same. So, what does a company do? Go for the nostalgia factor. Activision is releasing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD “Revert” expansion pack on December 4 via XBox Live download, and there is a familiar face or two in the game.


Both James Hetfield and Robert Trijuillo of Metallica will be available as unlockable characters in the game. You will also get some old school levels from the first two games.


For five bucks, you can make James Hetfield go up really high on a half-pipe and watch him crash and fall and bleed all over the place. METALLLL!!!!



Skate As METALLICA's James Hetfield In The New Tony Hawk Pro Skater Video Game

AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE Album To Be Released In Spite Of Tim Lambesis Trial

Austrian Death Machine raised over $78,000 in crowd funding for the album and it seems all too convenient that we are just getting an update now that Tim finished his vocals before his trip to Asia, which happened right before he got arrested for attempting to hire a hit man to murder his wife.


Did Tim post the update? It’s obviously written from the perspective of “ARNOLD,” the front man of the band, who is voiced by Chad Ackerman formerly of Destroy the Runner. Is Chad posting this update or did Tim post it? Surely it had to be Chad because Tim is in a mess right now?


Then again, with Lambesis released from prison and under house-arrest, perhaps he is spending his time finishing this record to get his mind off the looming trial kicking off on June 26th. Lambesis paid a bondsmen 160K to be released on June 4th and has been under house arrest ever since.


I know we are looking forward to a new Austrian Death Machine…are you?



AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE Album To Be Released In Spite Of Tim Lambesis Trial

Thursday, June 6, 2013

AS I LAY DYING FRONTMAN TIM LAMBESIS POSTS BAIL


Documents in his court file indicate Lambesis or his agent paid $160,000 in fees as a “premium” to All-Pro Bail Bonds on May 30, 2013, and immediately secured his liberty. Lambesis was released the same day from Vista jail, in Northern San Diego County.




Lambesis or somebody acting on his behalf paid the bail bondsman to basically vouch for Lambesis that he will be making his court appearances, and should Lambesis miss an appearance the bondsman would have to pay the full amount of his bail, $2 million. If Lambesis were to pay the $2 million bail, he would get it back. But because he worked with a bail bondsman, the $160,000 is non-refundable and is basically payment so that the bondsman would vouch for him, an interest for the bail payment.


The conditions of the bail, as previously reported, would require that Lambesis hand over his passport to the court as well as have a GPS monitor installed on his ankle to monitor his whereabouts which will be limited to his home, his attorney’s office, a residential treatment program and most interestingly his work.


Does this mean he wil finish Austrian Death Machines Triple Brutal!?! I guess we will all wait and see!


Lambesis’ next scheduled court date has now been pushed to June 26, 2013 at the San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse.



AS I LAY DYING FRONTMAN TIM LAMBESIS POSTS BAIL

Round 3 - AMA Lucas Oil Pro Motocross - Muddy Creek Tennessee Results

Coming into this event Ryan Villopoto had dominated the previous 2 rounds winning all motos.  Ken Roczen also leads the 250 class coming out of last weeks event at Colorado.


250 qualifying has Ken Roczen with the fastest lap time at 2 minutes 1 second followed by Tomac and Baggett.


450 qualifying has a little shakeup with Josh Grant having the fastest time at 2 minutes 4 seconds followed by Suzuki’s Clement Desalle, Justin Barcia, Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto.


 


250 Moto 1 - as they round the first corner it’s Zach Osborne with the holeshot.  He is quickly taken over by Cooper Webb and Ken Rozcen makes the pass as well.  They are followed by Musquin, Jason Anderson and Blake Baggett.


After 2 Ken Roczen makes the pass on Cooper Webb for the lead.  The top 5 stay pretty much the same, and Eli Tomac is back in 11th.


Less than halfway through (15 minute mark) they’ve gone 7 laps and Roczen still has the lead with Marvin Musquin moving into 2nd.  Blake Baggett is 3th followed by a hard charge by Tomac and 5th is Osborne.


After 12 laps Roczen leads Musquin by 8 seconds and now Tomac goes down!  Now Osborne is in 4th with the leaders staying the same.


Ken Rozcen wins moto 1!  They go 17 laps and Musquin finishes 2nd followed by Baggett and Tomac works his way past Cooper Webb late to take 4th.



Marvin Musquin Muddy Creek 2013

Marvin Musquin Muddy Creek 2013



 


450 Moto 1 -  No surprise here, Ryan Villopoto takes the early lead, but what is surprising is Justin Barcia makes a pass on Villopoto halfway through lap 1!  But Villopoto will move back into the lead before the end of the first lap.  After 1 its Villopoto, Barcia, Trey Canard, Mike Alessi, James Stewart, Ryan Dungey, Ryan Sipes, Justin Brayton, Celement Desalle and Phil Nicoletti.


Trey Canard goes down pretty hard not long after the first couple laps and is pulling off.  Riders are going 3o minutes plus 2 laps, so endurance is key.


15 minutes into the race and riders average lap times are dipping below 2 minutes.  Villopoto still leads with Barcia in 2nd, Dungey makes the pass on James Stewart and moves into 3rd, Stewart 4th.  Chad Reed is running 14th.  Could this be his last season?


2 laps to go and Villopoto has a 10 second lead on Barcia, with Dungey Stewart and Celement following.


Ryan Villopoto wins the 450 moto 1!  Its his 5th straight moto win, they go 17 laps.  Barcia with a good ride in 2nd followed by Stewart and Clement.  Canard finishes 29th even after pulling off.


 


250 Moto 2 - Eli Tomac grabs the holeshot followed by Musquin and Osborne.  Roczen is back in 6 with Baggett in 8th.  The track here has great dirt but it is starting to dry out creating some pretty big ruts.


3rd lap Roczen goes down!  Tomac continues to lead with Musquin in 2nd and Osborne 3rd.  Justin Bogle, Baggett and Roczen follow.


Tomac is dominating this moto leading Musquin, Osborne, Baggett, Bogle and Roczen in 6th.


After 10 laps Roczen catches and passes both Bogle and Baggett to move into 4th.  Running order is Tomac, Musquin, Osborne, Roczen, Baggett then Bogle.


Lap 13, getting close to the end and fatigue setting in, Roczen passes Osborne.  Lap 15 Baggett makes the move and passes Roczen!  Its Tomac Musquin, Baggett, Roczen and Osborne.  If the order stays this way Musquin will get the Overall.


Another 17 laps in the book and Eli Tomac wins moto 2, Marvin Musquin wins the overall!  Baggett finishes 3rd followed by Roczen and Osborne.  (Results Below).


 


450 Moto 2 - Justin Barcia grabs the holeshot!  Big pileup in the first corner, Rattray and Clemente are involved.  And……Villopoto goes down halfway through lap 1.


After 1 lap in the book its Justin Barcia, Ryan Dungey, James Stewart, Mike Alessi, Kevin Strijbos and Malcolm Stewart.  Reed is 11th and Villopoto is 16th.


After 5 laps Barcia leads Dungey by about 2 seconds.  Alessi has moved into 3rd after passing Stewart, then Canard, Strijbos and Villopoto.



Ryan Dungey Muddy Creek 2013

Ryan Dungey Muddy Creek 2013



15 minutes gone and Justin Barcia is still leading followed by Dungey, Alessi, Canard, Stewart and Villopoto.  Villopoto is charging hard moving around Stewart  and 3 laps later getting by Canard for 4th.


25 minutes into the race Dungey finally makes his move on Barcia and into the lead.  Villopoto passes Alessi and moves into 3rd.  Then Villopoto bobbles and Alessi passes him back, Canard moves into 3rd now.


As the checkered flag waves Ryan Dungey wins the Muddy Creek 2013 450 outdoor overall!  Barcia takes 2nd in the moto and 2nd overall.  Canard finishes 3rd and Villopoto works his way to 4th.


 


Here are your 2013 Motocross Results for Muddy Creek Tennessee.


450 Results:



  1. Ryan Dungey – KTM – 3/1

  2. Justin Barcia – HON – 2/2

  3. Ryan Villopoto – KAW – 1/4

  4. James Stewart – SUZ – 4/6

  5. Mike Alessi – SUZ – 6/5

  6. Clement Desalle – SUZ – 5/9

  7. Kevin Strijbos – SUZ – 14/7

  8. Andrew Short – KTM – 12/10

  9. Trey Canard – HON – 29/3

  10. Broc Tickle – SUZ – 13/11

  11. Jake Weimer – KAW – 18/8

  12. Chad Reed – HON – 15/13

  13. Josh Grant – YAM – 7/36

  14. Phil Nicoletti – YAM – 8/33

  15. Ryan Sipes – SUZ – 9/21

  16. Justin Brayton – YAM – 10/40

  17. Tyla Rattray – KAW – 11/38

  18. Malcolm Stewart – HON – 25/12

  19. Les Smith – KTM – 17/18

  20. Vince Friese – KTM – 40/14


250 Results:



  1. Marvin Musquin – KTM – 2/2

  2. Eli Tomac – HON – 4/1

  3. Ken Roczen – KTM – 1/4

  4. Blake Baggett – KAW – 3/3

  5. Zach Osborne – HON – 6/5

  6. Jason Anderson – SUZ – 7/7

  7. Justin Bogle – HON – 12/6

  8. Kyle Cunningham – YAM – 8/11

  9. Blake Wharton – SUZ – 11/9

  10. Cooper Webb – YAM – 5/15

  11. Martin Davalos – KAW – 13/8

  12. Joseph Savatgy – KTM – 10/12

  13. Cole Seely – HON – 9/13

  14. Justin Hill – KAW – 16/14

  15. Jeremy Martin – YAM – 21/10

  16. Alex Martin – YAM – 15/16

  17. Darryn Durham – KAW – 14/17

  18. Jackson Richardson – HON – 19/19

  19. D Epstein – KAW – 17/39

  20. Brady Kiesel – YAM – 24/18


450 Point Standings:



  1. Ryan Villopoto – 143

  2. Ryan Dungey – 133

  3. Justin Barcia – 114

  4. James Stewart – 99

  5. Trey Canard – 90

  6. Mike Alessi – 85

  7. Tyla Rattray – 59

  8. Clement Desalle – 58

  9. Andrew Short – 54

  10. Ryan Sipes – 49

  11. Broc Tickle – 47

  12. Kevin Strijbos – 45

  13. Jake Weimer – 44

  14. Phil Nicoletti – 42

  15. Malcolm Stewart – 37


250 Point Standings:



  1. Ken Roczen – 138

  2. Eli Tomac – 132

  3. Marvin Musquin – 116

  4. Blake Baggett – 110

  5. Zach Osborne – 96

  6. Jason Anderson – 77

  7. Cooper Webb – 65

  8. Kyle Cunningham – 62

  9. Justin Bogle – 61

  10. Jeremy Martin – 61

  11. Blake Wharton – 57

  12. Martin Davalos – 55

  13. Cole Seely – 52

  14. Justin Hill – 51

  15. Joseph Savatgy – 46


 



Round 3 - AMA Lucas Oil Pro Motocross - Muddy Creek Tennessee Results

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Electric Sports Bike to Make Debut at Pikes Peak Race

How cool is this, the first Electric Sports Bike in actual competition is set to take to the road at one of the oldest motor races in the world.


The Machine is packed with some of the newest technologies seen in the sport bike world, and is attempting to take on the 97 year old Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.  Just to show what it’s make of.


When you look at the new electric sports bike it looks like a normal street bike.  Everything about it from the wheels to the seat.


But take a look behind the body and a motorcycle like no other appears. Traditional motorcycles have frames cradling a combustion engine, gas tank and gearbox, the Amarok has an airplane-inspired riveted aluminum monocoque fuselage packed with the latest in lithium battery technology.


It’s the result of making a virtue out of a vice. The fuselage is much stronger and lighter than a conventional welded frame, but not well suited to the shape of combustion engines. It is, however, ideal for cradling the weight of batteries, one of the major performance limiters of electric vehicles.


“We’ve completely thrown the traditional architecture out the window and just built a bike from scratch around electric batteries,” says Michael Uhlarik, one of the duo behind the Amarok.


The bike weighs just 147 kilograms. While the most common 600-cc production superbikes are all within five kilograms of each other, the Amarok is 38 kilograms lighter than the lightest among them, and only 10 kilograms heavier than the MotoGP Moto2 bikes, the most advanced 600-cc race bikes in the world.


The Amarok has twin air-cooled electric motors putting out 80 horsepower. While that’s well shy of the 130 hp propelling production 600-cc bikes, the Amarok folks stress that it has almost twice the torque at 120 lb-ft, has to move much less weight, and point out that the electric motors delivers full power through the full rpm range, and not just in the narrow 500-rpm band that make frequent gear changes a necessity on a combustion bike. As a result, the Amarok has no gear box. Set up for maximum speed, it will do about 250 km/h.


The Men


Michael Uhlarik conceived of the Amarok after spending years in Europe designing motorcycles for Yamaha and Piaggio, among others. Originally from Sudbury, Ont., he moved back to Canada to work for Bombardier in Quebec, but when he was laid off after the 2008 economic collapse, he found himself with a lot of time and an empty 148-year-old barn on his property in Lennoxville, Que., in which to build the motorcycle of his dreams.


“Motorcycles are old. It’s a 130-year-old invention, and there’s really not a lot left to do,” Uhlarik said. “With electrification you have the possibility to start from scratch and possibly wildly alter the architecture of a motorcycle, which is a very compelling thing to a designer.”


To bring his design to life, he teamed up with friend and neighbour Kevin O’Neil, a machinist, mechanic and long-time automotive hobbyist who brings inventive craftsmanship to Uhlarik’s design experience.


The Mountain


For its first real-world challenge, the Amarok is coming off the design table and testing bench to take on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.


Run each year since 1916, the Race to the Clouds is the second-oldest motor race in North America.


The race is a timed 20-kilometre run up Pikes Peak mountain in the Colorado Rockies, climbing 1,440 metres in elevation, or about three times the height of the CN Tower.


There are several long straightaways, but the key is to keep as much speed as possible through the 156 turns while avoiding drop-offs as deep as 600 metres.


“It showcases what I think are our strengths,” Uhlarik says. “Handling is everything when you’ve got 156 turns.”


And those strengths will be challenged. Tracy’s Amarok entry sparked Pikes Peak electric motorcycle record holder Chip Yates to make a late effort to defend his title aboard one of the Amarok’s competitors, the Lightning electric sport bike.


The Mission


The current Amarok is a bike that showcases the realities of today’s electric battery and motor technology, which provides the power to take on combustion bikes on the racetrack, but doesn’t have the range and recharging times to match conventional bikes on the open road.


But as the technology advances, the goal is to build Amarok street bikes for the post-digital age, when the kids of aging baby boomers are ready to abandon their parents’ allegiances to gasoline, loud pipes as quickly as they dropped MySpace for Facebook, and get excited about a bike that can be precision tuned with an smartphone app rather than a wrench.


“There’s a whole new generation who grew up with grew up with the Internet and cellphone technology and they don’t care about things like brand heritage,” Uhlarik says. “The end goal is to create a motorcycle brand that speaks to that generation.”


Until then, Amarok aims to have a competition-quality model for sale to racers and well-heeled track-day enthusiasts by 2014, with a price somewhere between $22,000 to $25,000.



Electric Sports Bike to Make Debut at Pikes Peak Race