Appaloosa heads to Russia to take part in the 2020 Baikal Mile
·
·
Appaloosa is back - and heading to Russia to take part in the 2020 Baikal Mile, an event taking place on the iced surface of Lake Baikal which will test rider and machine to the extreme.
Now affectionally dubbed 'Appaloosa v2.0', the machine will make its 2020 racing debut in Russia, revealing a radical new look, from February 25 to March 1 - we'll be bringing you pictures as soon as we can...
Now affectionally dubbed 'Appaloosa v2.0', the machine will make its 2020 racing debut in Russia, revealing a radical new look, from February 25 to March 1 - we'll be bringing you pictures as soon as we can...
The bike
Appaloosa started life as a Scout Bobber, and was originally transformed by Brice Hennebert for the 2019 Sultans of Sprint series. It's now gone through another raft of changes so it's well-prepped for the challenges of racing on ice and the extreme Siberian conditions with continued support from top-level partners Akrapovič, Beringer Brakes, Dunlop Europe, Evok3 Performance, Motorex, Öhlins and tuning advice from Flybike.
The SportSmart Mk3 tyres supplied by Dunlop Europe, have been hand-fitted with hundreds of studs - no easy feat, taking Brice’s mechanic, Dorsan, a whole four days to complete. The “mouth” of the fairing has been closed off with a new carbon fibre nose cap and smaller cooling intakes have been added to the side fairings to control the cooling of the engine from the extreme temperatures it will be reaching.
Appaloosa started life as a Scout Bobber, and was originally transformed by Brice Hennebert for the 2019 Sultans of Sprint series. It's now gone through another raft of changes so it's well-prepped for the challenges of racing on ice and the extreme Siberian conditions with continued support from top-level partners Akrapovič, Beringer Brakes, Dunlop Europe, Evok3 Performance, Motorex, Öhlins and tuning advice from Flybike.
The SportSmart Mk3 tyres supplied by Dunlop Europe, have been hand-fitted with hundreds of studs - no easy feat, taking Brice’s mechanic, Dorsan, a whole four days to complete. The “mouth” of the fairing has been closed off with a new carbon fibre nose cap and smaller cooling intakes have been added to the side fairings to control the cooling of the engine from the extreme temperatures it will be reaching.
Upgrading the NOS system was a priority for better reliability and power with the original system replaced with a Nitrous Express setup. Öhlins Racing has added a steering damper to the full suspension suite supplied in 2019 to keep Appaloosa stable at the higher speeds targeted. Finally, to protect the rider and to keep a clear view ahead, areas around the wheels have been closed off inside the fairing to control the ice thrown up by the studded tyres.
Appaloosa v2.0 was treated full makeover in the form of a new paint scheme too, designed by Benny Maxwell from Axesent, Japan (IG: @axesent) and expertly applied by Matthias from Moto Peinture (IG: @motopeinture).
The event
First taking place in March 2019, the Baikal Mile is set to become an annual fixture on the motorsport calendar.
Run on the ice off the eastern shore of Lake Baikal, the festival is one of the most unique international motorsport and racing culture events due to the extreme conditions of Siberia. With specially prepared 1/8-mile and 1-mile ice tracks, teams will be challenging themselves to set speed records on a variety of specially prepared vehicles alongside stunt riding, drifting, drag racing, flat track and freestyle motocross.
Run on the ice off the eastern shore of Lake Baikal, the festival is one of the most unique international motorsport and racing culture events due to the extreme conditions of Siberia. With specially prepared 1/8-mile and 1-mile ice tracks, teams will be challenging themselves to set speed records on a variety of specially prepared vehicles alongside stunt riding, drifting, drag racing, flat track and freestyle motocross.
Brice Hennebert, creator of Appaloosa, is looking forward to the challenge, “The feeling is crazy, it’s a bit like going racing on the moon. There’s absolutely no reference point, we go to a desert of ice in Siberia where it can be -40°C at night -20°C during the day. I’m super excited and a bit lost at the same time as we have no idea what to expect. With just a few days before the flight, I’m focussing on the practical aspects, but I know this journey will be one of the most insane experiences of my life.”
The team
As you can imagine, this isn't a task to be undertaken alone - and Brice has surrounded himself with a team he can trust and rely on.
“I’m lucky enough to share this incredible adventure with two of my best friends. Sébastien Lorentz and Dorsan “DJ Peeta Selecta". Seb, from Lucky Cat Garage and organiser of the Sultans of Sprint championship, will be piloting Appaloosa. Dorsan, the DJ for Sultans of Sprint, will be helping me with the technical aspects as he will all season. Dorsan will also be keeping the ice party going as DJ for the Baikal Mile Speed Festival.”
Sébastien Lorentz commented, “This will be an extraordinary adventure for us all, what can I say? I feel excited to race on ice for the first time, honoured to ride the IndianxWorkhorse Appaloosa and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve with that beast in such crazy riding conditions. I think we are well prepared, and we’ll all give our best to achieve a great result.”
We're certainly excited to see the completed build and new look Appaloosa v2.0. We'll bring you the news as soon as we have it...
Follow the trip across our social channels too - find us on Facebook and Instagram and look out for the #IndianxWorkhorse hashtag.
As you can imagine, this isn't a task to be undertaken alone - and Brice has surrounded himself with a team he can trust and rely on.
“I’m lucky enough to share this incredible adventure with two of my best friends. Sébastien Lorentz and Dorsan “DJ Peeta Selecta". Seb, from Lucky Cat Garage and organiser of the Sultans of Sprint championship, will be piloting Appaloosa. Dorsan, the DJ for Sultans of Sprint, will be helping me with the technical aspects as he will all season. Dorsan will also be keeping the ice party going as DJ for the Baikal Mile Speed Festival.”
Sébastien Lorentz commented, “This will be an extraordinary adventure for us all, what can I say? I feel excited to race on ice for the first time, honoured to ride the IndianxWorkhorse Appaloosa and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve with that beast in such crazy riding conditions. I think we are well prepared, and we’ll all give our best to achieve a great result.”
We're certainly excited to see the completed build and new look Appaloosa v2.0. We'll bring you the news as soon as we have it...
Follow the trip across our social channels too - find us on Facebook and Instagram and look out for the #IndianxWorkhorse hashtag.