EXTREME RACING
by: Andrea Di Marcantonio
Photographs: Stefano Taglioni.

Cross-country motorbike racing is an extremely demanding and exciting sport. Conditions vary on each lap with the changing local terrain, the riders having to deal with a massive power potential on bikes that almost appear to "slide" beneath them.
This is what makes it such an intensive sport, in which courage and nerve go hand in hand, experience however always being the key factor.
Experience is vital for a full insight into detail of each specific sector.
Improvisation and passion are not enough to make a World Champion Team.
The Claudio De Carli team has what it takes as demonstrated by the fact that it has, in a few short years, become an important reference point for Yamaha. It won the World Championship in the 125 category in 1997, confirming the excellence of the team, painstakingly acquired test after test, one competition after another. Finally an Italian team that has made world cross-country motorbike racing history, a great and "100% Italian" achievement.
This year the DCR (De Carli Racing) Team has set its sights on the "two and a half" (2.50 cc) title with Claudio Federici, a young rider who is determined to show his worth in the quarter litre category also.
Federici, from Rome, is undoubtedly one of the finest Italian riders, particularly in terms of aggressively competitively riding skills. He is currently at the 3rd place in the 250 cc World Championship category, he knows he is capable of a "great" result; it is only a question of the right time and place.
This dream is obviously only possible with the moral support and sporting commitment of the entire team, which now aspires to once again becoming the World Champion Team.
Talking of world champions, let us take a little time to describe how the DCR Team motorbikes are actually constructed.
They dismantle all those parts of the standard bike, that have to be lightened by making use of quality materials such as titanium and carbon for all the nuts and bolts and some of the frame elements. Carbon being used for the air box and for some of frame guard elements. The engine features a different kind of head (produced in the Roman factory) and different diagrams for a smoother delivery, as well as the "electronic update" of the programmable control box.
This means that Federici is free to select the best route in the fastest time (by means of a button on the handlebar). The exhaust system is also new with silencer made of titanium specifically designed by LeoVince after a long series of track tests.
And talking of track testing……….
The track circuit owned by the DCR Team is that of Malagrotta, just outside Rome, and consists of a circuit with a variety of surface conditions: sand, dust, hard track, deep ruts etc.
Everything originally tried at the testing bench is subsequently put into practice in order to achieve the best performance levels and racing reliability.
The winter training sessions are obviously the most difficult both due to the climate and due to the muddy ground conditions, and due to the large number of parts to be tested, …although it is always the results that count.

This all requires the greatest commitment and passion for the job. A commitment that goes beyond mere part assembly and the search into the best components. Everything is geared to finding the most skilled and committed partners with an ongoing, creative racing tradition.
This is what makes LeoVince such an important partner, with a strong tradition behind it. Providing a partnership capable of moving with the times to provide specific competence in the "dynamic" world of cross-country motorbike racing.