Redding Switching to 4 Wheels

June 18, 2013 By

Gosselies, Belgium – 18 June 2013: Current FIM Moto2 World Championship leader, Scott Redding, will swap his Kalex Moto2 bike for a BMW M3 GT4, as he takes to the track for the first time on four wheels this weekend at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium.

It will be a new experience for Redding, who normally drives a van with less than 100BHP when he’s home between races. At Spa the 20-year-old Briton will be behind the wheel of a BMW M3 GT4, which weighs in at just 1,430 kilograms and produces 420BHP from it’s V8, five litre engine.

Just a bit of a difference then!

The BMW M3 GT4 has been supplied by BMW Motorsport and is the car they use for taxi rides at DTM races, which makes it unique in that it’s fitted with two seats. Redding will receive expert instruction from experienced driver coach, Martin Scheiff, before being let loose on his own around the Spa Francorchamps circuit.

Redding will spend two days at Spa to familiarise himself with both the car and the 20 turns that comprise the seven-kilometre Spa Francorchamps circuit, home of the Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix and the world renowned 24 Hours of Spa endurance race.

“BMW Motorsport very kindly gave me the opportunity to drive the BMW M3 GT4 at Spa and there was no way I was going to pass up a chance like that,” declared Redding. “To be honest I’m a bit nervous about the whole thing. The car weighs next to nothing and produces around 420BHP, so it’s a bit different to the Caddy van I normally knock about in. But it’s not just the car; the track has something of a reputation too.”

“I visited the track for the 1000km of Spa a few years ago, when our car team were racing there, but I’ve never actually ridden the circuit myself. At seven kilometres it’s longer than any track we race on, so learning my way around will be the first priority. Learning a track doesn’t take me that long on a bike, but I suspect it will be a bit harder behind the wheel of a car, as the lines will be completely different and the car itself is about ten times wider than my Moto2 bike.”

“And then there’s the Raidillon…”

“I saw the Marc VDS cars going through there at speed a few years ago and I remember thinking then, ‘that looks a bit scary’, but I suspect it’s going to look a lot more scary from the seat of the BMW M3 GT4 at 200 km/h! The fact that every time I mention to someone that I’m driving at Spa they suck their teeth and whisper ‘Le Raidillon’ hasn’t done much for my nerves, either!”

“I know Martin Scheiff, who’ll be my instructor at the event, so I’ll be in safe hands, but that doesn’t make it any less daunting. Having said that, I’m really looking forward to it and I can’t wait to get out there and give it a go at the wheel of a full on GT4 car.”

More information and high resolution images are available on the Marc VDS Racing Team website at www.marcvds.com.

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Redding and Kallio Ready for Barcelona

June 13, 2013 By

Gosselies, Belgium – 11 June 2013: Scott Redding heads into this weekend’s Grand Prix de Catalunya with a commanding 43 point lead in the FIM Moto2 World Championship standings, after back-to-back wins in Le Mans and Mugello.

The 20-year-old Briton could make it a hat-trick of wins in Barcelona, but he’ll face tough opposition from the Spanish trio of Nico Terol, Tito Rabat and Pol Espargaro, who will be desperate to win in front of their home crowd and to reduce Redding’s massive lead in the championship.

But it may not be only Redding that the Spanish Armada has to keep an eye on this weekend. Mika Kallio currently lies third in the championship – level on points with Terol in second – but the 30-year-old Finn heads to Barcelona with his sights set firmly on giving the Marc VDS Racing Team a one-two at the top of the standings on Sunday.

Livio Loi endured a difficult weekend last time out in Mugello, with set-up issues hampering his progress throughout practice, qualifying and the race, which ended with a 25th place finish. The 16-year-old Belgian made progress with the bike during a test at the Italian circuit on the Tuesday after the race and, as a result, heads to Catalonia with his confidence restored.

Scott Redding #45:
“We head to into this weekend knowing that this race is going to be a bit different. We’re back in Spain, so it’s another home Grand Prix for Terol, Rabat and Espargaro, which means they’ll have the crowd behind them and they’ll be strong. On the other hand, I head to Barcelona with a big points lead in the championship and I’m determined to leave with it intact. To do that I need to ride a smart race, stay out of trouble and pick up as many points as I can this weekend.”

Mika Kallio #36:
“Despite finishing fifth in Mugello, my feeling with the bike just wasn’t there and I need to get that feeling back if we’re going to challenge for the podium in Barcelona. The priority is to be closer to the front from first practice onwards, because we know the three riders closest to me in the championship will be pushing hard and will be prepared to take bigger risks with their home crowd behind them. I’m still pushing for my first win in Moto2, and I’ve had some good results at Catalunya in the past, but if I finish on the podium this weekend then I’ll be happy enough with that.”

Livio Loi #11:
“While Mugello was a difficult weekend for me, we made a big step during the test at the track on Tuesday and my feeling with the bike was much better. Now we return to the Montmeló circuit, where I raced the opening Spanish Championship round earlier in the season. The bike worked well and my lap times were good there, so I’m confident that a finish in the points is a realistic goal this weekend.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“This is the second of four home rounds this season for the likes of Nico Terol, Tito Rabat and Pol Espargaro, so we already know they’re going to be strong with the backing of their home crowd. But we will continue to do what we’ve been doing; focussing on our own race with Scott and Mika, which has served us well up to now. Livio had a difficult weekend in Mugello, but worked hard at the post race test to improve his feeling with the bike, with positive results. I’m confident this weekend in Catalonia we’ll see him back in the points where he belongs.”

More information and high resolution images are available on the Marc VDS Racing Team website at www.marcvds.com.

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David Philippaerts in France!

June 10, 2013 By

The eight round of the FIM World Championship returned to France on the historic track of Ernée in front of 30,000 spectators who totally filled the hill in front of the circuit.

PHILIPPAERTS once more this season had to face the bad luck after finishing a brilliant 6th in the first moto where he was riding as in his best days and keeping behind him a wild Tommy Searle and a fast Max Nagle. In the second moto DP19 was hit at the beginning of the race by Tommy Searle who damaged badly his radiator and forced the italian to retire when a top five of the GP was achievable.

Harri KULLAS was coming back in France after the break in Brazil hoping for a better form but unfortunately results once more did not come as expected this season. After a very good start in fifth in the first moto, the finnish was loosing some positions to finish 11th and in the second moto he did not have to rithm to catch to top ten places and finished down in 17th.

Vseva BRYLYAKOV was riding in France the second round of the European Championship MX2 but he badly crashed in the time practice on the saturday and came out of it with a broken finger and a very sore back. Despite the big fall the russian raced the qualifying race and finished a very good 9th considering his physical conditions but he could not take the start in the Final on the Sunday.
Giacomo Gariboldi: Gariboldi Honda Team Owner:

“It seems that this season we are persecuted with bad luck and cannot put together two good motos in the same day, a pity because I saw a very consistent and fast Philippaerts who could have finish a top five of the day everything going well for him. Anyway, we cannot complain because this is the sport.”"

David Philippaerts, 13th overall of the MX1-GP:

“I was very happy with my 6th place in the first moto and I was just hit on my radiator in the second and could not continue.”

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Phil Soven Starts Off Strong

June 5, 2013 By

Arma Energy wakeboarder Phil Soven has had a strong start to the 2013 season. Phil won the first stop of the Professional Wakeboard Tour. He followed that up with 3rd at the Masters contest and a 2nd at stop number 2 of the pro tour. In addition to killing the contests, Phil also put out a freeriding edit with Alliance Wakeboard Magazine that you can see here http://www.alliancewake.com/wake/sets-with-phil/
Follow us on twitter and instagram @armaenergy to follow Phil and the rest of the team this season!

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Redding Wins Again!

June 2, 2013 By

Mugello, Italy – 2 June 2013: Scott Redding gave the Moto2 field a master class in controlling a race from the front today, as he stormed to his second successive win in as many weeks at Mugello. Mika Kallio ended a difficult weekend on a high by taking a hard fought fifth place finish after starting from 13th position on the grid.

Redding, starting from pole position for the second time this season, looked to be in control from the off, shadowing Takaaki Nakagami until the Japanese rider started to slow and then making his move to take the race lead.

Nico Terol managed to draft his way past on the start finish straight at mid-race distance but, after leading for just four laps, was relegated back to second place by a hard charging Redding, who then pulled out a gap that he maintained to the chequered flag.

Redding’s successive victories at Le Mans and Mugello is the first time a British rider has had back-to-back wins in the intermediate class since Rod Gould in 1971. The Marc VDS rider is also now the youngest British rider to take back-to-back Grand Prix wins, a record previously held by the late, great Barry Sheene.

The Mugello win means Redding extends his lead at the top of the Moto2 Championship standings to 43 points over Nico Terol who, along with Frenchman Johann Zarco, joined the championship leader on the podium today.

Mika Kallio put the troubles of practice and qualifying behind him today, to finish an impressive fifth and consolidate his third position in the championship standings. The 30-year-old Finn started today from 13th on the grid, but a lightning start and a late braking move into turn one, saw him emerge in sixth position. Kallio led the second group for the remainder of the race, but lost out on fourth place to Pol Espargaro in the final few laps.

Livio Loi endured a difficult Moto3 race, as he struggled with the same issues that had plagued him during practice and qualifying. The 16-year-old Belgian eventually finished in 25th position and, after putting this weekend behind him, is already looking forward to rediscovering his form in Barcelona in two weeks time.

Redding, Kallio and Loi will remain at Mugello for testing, with Moto2 scheduled to take to the track on Monday and Moto3 on Tuesday.

Scott Redding #45: 1st
“What a weekend! It didn’t start well, as I just didn’t feel comfortable on the bike, but after consigning it to the skip on Saturday morning, the new bike felt much better. Qualifying on pole really boosted my confidence and once we got going I knew straight away that another win was a possibility. I slotted in behind Taka, pushing past when he started to slow and immediately pulled a gap. I’m not sure how Terol and Zarco caught me, but once Terol went in front I could see he wasn’t comfortable running the pace. I have no idea why he decided to let me through, but I wasn’t going to pass up a chance like that. I knew I could pull away, and that’s what I did.”

Mika Kallio #36: 5th
“I got a great start and managed to go up the inside into turn one, coming out in sixth position. I lost a couple of places over the next few laps and then Corsi dropped his pace by almost a second in front of me and, by the time I pushed my way through, he’d allowed the front four to get away. I knew it was better to push to stay at the front of the group, rather than dropping back and getting involved in the battle that I knew was going on behind me. When Pol came past towards the end I had a plan to retake fourth on the final lap, but he pulled just enough of a gap out of the Biondetti chicane to stop me out braking him into the final corner. I almost drafted him to the line, but he managed to just hold me off. Anyway, I’m happy with fifth after the problems we’ve had this weekend.”

Livio Loi #11: 25th
“This is a weekend I’ll be happy to put behind me. We had problems from the start of practice and we didn’t find a solution. In the race I again had to fight the bike into every turn, just to get it to follow a line, but the more I tried to force it into the corner the more the front tried to break away from me. Obviously I’m disappointed because I came here to Mugello looking for points, but we need to put this one down to experience and use Tuesday’s test here to make sure we’re ready for the next race in Barcelona.”

Marc van der Straten: President, Marc VDS Racing Team
“It was a pleasure to watch Scott take his second win in succession by controlling the race so effectively at the front. Even when he wasn’t leading you could see quite clearly he had everything in hand and, for me, the win was never in doubt. Mika also showed his fighting spirit, taking an impressive fifth place despite experiencing so many problems during practice and qualifying. I know Livio is disappointed with his result today, but it’s more experience for him and I’m confident we’ll see him back on form next time out in Barcelona. Finally, it made me very proud to see Michael Bartholemy walk onto the podium to collect the trophy for the winning team today. He has worked tirelessly to make the Marc VDS Racing Team one of the best in the Grand Prix paddock and it was satisfying for me personally to see him rewarded for his efforts today.”

More information and high resolution images are available on the Marc VDS Racing Team website at www.marcvds.com.

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Good Start for Redding and Kallio

May 31, 2013 By

Mugello, Italy – 31st May 2013: Scott Redding and Mika Kallio made a steady start on the opening day at Mugello, as unseasonable weather at the Italian circuit made for tricky conditions in both free practice sessions.

Overnight rain meant that the opening practice session was held in less than ideal conditions, with damp patches and a low track temperature dictating a cautious approach on slick tyres. Despite sometimes unpredictable grip levels, Redding ended the session fourth fastest and Kallio finished 12th.

Conditions were much improved for this afternoon’s second free practice, despite the black clouds surrounding the Mugello circuit. Redding built his pace throughout the 45-minute session, as he worked to improve front-end feel on the bike, eventually finishing seventh fastest on combined times.

For Kallio the improvement in conditions didn’t bring the expected improvement in lap times, as the increase in grip levels led to instability when trail braking into the corners. The 30-year-old Finn eventually finished in 19th, a position he is determined to improve upon in tomorrow’s final free practice session.

With the Moto3 class first out for free practice this morning Livio Loi had to contend with a damp track after overnight rain at Mugello. The 16-year-old Belgian used the 45-minute session to familiarise himself with the Mugello track, eventually finishing 14th.

Conditions improved significantly for the second free practice session, with the Moto3 riders able to run slicks for the first time. Loi was disappointed to end the session only 24th on the timesheet, after struggling with the bike on both corner entry and exit.

Scott Redding #45: 7th – 1’54.077
“This morning was a bit sketchy; there were damp patches on the track that were difficult to see, but as long as you stuck to the completely dry line it was okay. This afternoon conditions were better, with more grip available, but that caused us some problems with the front. This track is different compared to the others we’ve raced at so far this season, so we knew we’d have some work to do to rediscover the same feeling with the bike. We lost time because of the weather this morning, but we made some improvements this afternoon and I’m sure there is more to come tomorrow.”

Mika Kallio #36: 19th – 1’54.900
“To be honest, I’m not quite sure what happened with the bike this afternoon. From the first lap I had problems with the front on corner entry, with the bike sitting up as soon as I turned in. I have never felt anything like it before and it was impossible to control the bike while trail braking into the turn. We made some changes to reduce the amount of grip at the rear, which improved things a little, but we need to find a lot more. Tonight we need to sit down and come up with a set-up to improve the bike on corner entry, without losing too much of the rear grip that’s giving me good drive out of the turns, especially up through Arrabbiata one and two.”

Livio Loi #11: 24th – 2’02.088
“The bike was fine in the mixed conditions we had for this morning’s free practice session, but then we hit problems in the dry conditions this afternoon. The bike didn’t want to turn in at all, with the front threatening to close on me when I tried to force the bike into the corner. The corner exit was little better, with the bike picking up and running wide as soon as I got on the gas. It was a similar problem to that which we had in Le Mans, but much worse and I had to fight the bike everywhere. We have looked at the data already and it is clear what we need to do to significantly improve the bike, so we’ve already put today behind us and now we’re focussed on tomorrow’s practice and qualifying sessions.”

More information and high resolution images are available on the Marc VDS Racing Team website at www.marcvds.com.

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Redding and Kallio look to repeat Le Mans Success!

May 30, 2013 By

Gosselies, Belgium – 28 May 2013: The Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding and Mika Kallio head to round five of the FIM Moto2 World Championship at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello, Italy with confidence high, after an impressive one-two finish in Le Mans last time out.

Redding’s victory – his first in the Moto2 category and the Marc VDS Racing Team’s first win since entering the championship in 2010 – gave the 20-year-old Briton a 24 point lead in the championship standings.

With Kallio claiming second place at Le Mans, the Marc VDS Racing Team became the first team in Moto2 history to claim the two top spots on the podium. The last time one team dominated the intermediate class to such an extent was back in 2008, when Kallio took the win in China ahead of his KTM teammate, Hiroshi Aoyama.

Redding and Kallio are keen to repeat the success of Le Mans this weekend in Mugello, where both will run an experimental swinging arm on their Kalex Moto2 machines for the first time. The new swinging arm has been developed by the team in conjunction with Kalex and is designed to improve rear traction and reduce chattering.

After missing out on a points scoring finish by the narrowest of margins in the Moto3 race at Le Mans, Livio Loi head to Mugello determined to secure another top 15 finish. The 16-year-old Belgian struggled to make up ground after starting from 21st on the grid so will focus this weekend on improving his qualifying performance.

Scott Redding #45:
“While it was good to finally win in Le Mans, it changes nothing. Our approach will remain the same, with the championship being the priority. The win in Le Mans has given me a 24-point advantage in the standings but, as we’ve seen in the past, it only takes one bad weekend to see that lead reduced significantly. Like Le Mans last week, Mugello is a circuit I like racing at. We have some new parts for the bike this weekend, which I think may give us something of an advantage at such a fast, flowing and technical track.”

Mika Kallio #36:
“In Le Mans we went with a completely different set-up to that which we’d run previously and it took us until Sunday to refine it to the point where my feeling with the bike was good. It will be interesting to see how the feeling is on the first day in Mugello, especially with the new parts we have to test there, because we really need to get the bike dialled in for qualifying this week. Mugello is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar and, although I’ve had some bad luck racing in Italy previously, I’m hoping that my luck will finally change this weekend and we’ll come away with another good result.”

Livio Loi #11:
“Two years ago I won a Moriwaki Cup race at Mugello, so at least I know the track, although it will be very different on a Moto3 bike I think. In Le Mans we had a problem with the tyres in qualifying, which is something we need to address this weekend in Mugello. I need to be qualifying top 15 this weekend if I am to achieve my goal in the race, which is, once again, to finish in a points scoring position.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“While we have to be realistic and understand that repeating the success of Le Mans will be difficult, that won’t stop us pushing every weekend to do so. In the four races so far this season we’ve had a Marc VDS rider on the podium every time and, for me, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t continue this trend at Mugello. With Livio we will focus this weekend on improving his qualifying performance, as you can’t afford to be starting from the seventh row of the grid in such a closely contested championship as Moto3. He needs to be a little more aggressive, both in qualifying and the race, but that will come as he gains experience.”

More information and high resolution images are available on the Marc VDS Racing Team website at www.marcvds.com.

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Saturday Night Racing

May 28, 2013 By

Come out to Lake Elsinore this Saturday and race in the Saturday Night Knockout summer race series presented by Arma Energy! Practice starts at 3PM and racing starts at 5PM! Arma Energy athletes Weston Peick and Matt Buyten plan on racing under the lights this weekend so come out and put your skills to th test.

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Surprise at Hangtown?

May 21, 2013 By

The newest addition to the Arma Energy familie Weston Peick finished an amazing 10th overall in the 450 class at the first race of the outdoor season at Hangtown. Weston finished in solid 8th place in the second moto. Click on the link below to head over to Racer X and vote for Weston as the surprise of the weekend!

http://racerxonline.com/2013/05/20/what-was-the-biggest-surprise-from-hangtown

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Arma Athletes On Top!

May 20, 2013 By

It has been an insane weekend for the Arma team around the world! Here is a recap of all the action that went down at X-Games, Moto GP, Hangtown MX, MXGP, and the pro wakeboard tour!

-Gary Young won his first gold medal in BMX Park at X-Games. Gary has been with Arma from the begining and we couldn’t be more stoked for him!

-Stevie McCann took 5th in BMX Big Air and 6th in BMX Vert at X-Games.

-Matt Buyten took a bronze medal in X-Games step-up.

-Scott Redding and Mika Kallio finished 1 and 2 at Le Mans Moto GP2. Great weekend for the Marc VDS team.

-Weston Peick overcame a few unfortunate problems with his bike and still finished 10th overall at Hangtown. Great finish for a privateer!

-Phil Soven won the first stop of the Pro Wakeboard Tour in Georgia.

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