Sultans of Sprint Last Breyt review

Race 1 @ The Reunion | Monza, Italy | May 2018

During the races, only custom four-stroke twin-cylinders, strictly air-cooled, are allowed. The choice of Cafe Ricycles fell on a BMW R 850 R, a peaceful bike from the 90s, equipped with a twin-cylinder boxer, good for the journey home-office or a trip out of town, a vehicle that could be considered Dr. Jekyll, and that Rino transformed into Mr. Hyde, to compete against the other monsters of the Sultans' championship, not surprisingly in the “Freak” category.
The bike was named “Nervous”, so we asked Rino to tell us more about the name. “Nervous is me,” he explains, “I am nervous, like this bike, with the compressor and the cardan drive.”

Race 1 @ The Reunion | Monza, Italy | May 2018

The best technical solution adopted was make the BMW engine supercharged (with a volumetric compressor), which compared to teams with a turbocharged engine or NOS system, it starts to push immediately. The turbo gets the maximum torque at higher rpm, and not least, those who boast the help of nitrous oxide must wait for the engine to exceed a certain number of revs, otherwise you risk to burst it! The gearbox is sequential with handlebar controls, activated by a Pingel compressed air system, a US brand specialized in drag bike components.

BMW R 850 R supercharged @ The Reunion | Monza, Italy | May 2018

At the beginning, the clutch was supplied by the Italian company Newfren, that are very skilled in racing; the craft exhaust is Italian too, manufactured by the artisanal Sicilian company Mass, and made specifically for Rino's BMW.
Among the team riders some say that the best tires for the 1/8 mile sprint race are the rain tires, because their compound is designed to rise up to temperature quickly, and guarantee a high grip, but Rino goes on classic and he mounts dragster slick tires, with a flat rear one.

Race 1 @ The Reunion | Monza, Italy | May 2018

On May 19th the day of the first race arrived, at the Temple of Speed.
That morning we arrived in Monza early, Saturday at The Reunion, Rino and his team had been inside the circuit for more than an hour; when they entered it was still completely closed, the staff arrived a little later, so to their surprise they found them in the paddock: “How did you get in?!“
Rino had not slept during the previews night, they had arrived directly from the province of Naples, and above all, he had not tried the bike yet, because it had been completed a week before the race, and in Naples area, during that period it was raining continuously, in the land of the sun... bad luck!

Race 1 @ The Reunion | Monza, Italy | May 2018

The bike didn't even have the body parts, there was no time.
Despite Rino not having slept a wink, he was wide awake, and anxious... “I have to run!” He told us, but in the afternoon, after the free practice session, the race was immediately suspended due to bad weather, then postponed until the following day. A little luck, we thought, so Rino could get some sleep, and the next day he could compete well rested.
Unfortunately, serious clutch problems emerged on Sunday, accomplices were the tests never performed, which did not allow the tuning of the Nervous. The inability to change gear quickly and at the right time caused him to be eliminated in the first round.

In the following weeks, the clutch turned out to be a big problem, the BMW had to be dismantled, a series of components had to be restored, and tests had to be conducted. The time available was short, and the Cafe Ricycles team was forced to skip the race at The Bikers' Classics in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.

Race 1 @ The Reunion | Monza, Italy | May 2018

August is the month of the inevitable stage for those who love this kind of competition: Glemseck 101, where everything was born...
In Germany the Nervous arrived with green and yellow glitered covers, the idea was born thanks to the 70s BMW 2002 Turbo Hot Wheels model, with racing livery, the same from which the coloring of the drag bike is inspired. While Rino, like any respectful rider, wore a new custom helmet, supplied by the technical partner Cast Helmets, depicting a very Italian biker, who eats a good dish of spaghetti al pomodoro!

Race 2 @ Glemseck 101 | Leonberg, Germany | August 2018

“Glemseck” Rino told us “is the mother of all events of this kind, the first races of the Sultans took place played there. The charm and the atmosphere that Glemseck offers is unparalleled.”
Rino fell in love with vintage acceleration competitions, just watching the Sultans Of Sprint races two years earlier, in Leonberg, during Glemseck 101. “I have to be there!” he thought, and with so much determination and passion, he did everything to participate in the 2018 championship.

Race 2 @ Glemseck 101 | Leonberg, Germany | August 2018

Unfortunately in Germany the specter of technical problems reappeared, and this time it hits the battery. “During the free practice session everything was fine, but problems arose in the race: the lithium battery could not support the electrical system.”
The new hitch made Rino's German adventure hard, but his team was not discouraged. They let rest the bike and they turned it on just a moment before the launch, this strategy allowed him to win a shot against Yong “Macaco” Kim, from the German team Schlachtwerk, the rider who eventually won win the championship in the Freak Class category with his Yamaha Skinny Beast (video at the bottom of the page).

Race 2 @ Glemseck 101 | Leonberg, Germany | August 2018

“Too bad for the battery, because in Glemseck we had all the cards in order to classify ourselves well. Back in Italy, we have disassembled the bike again and we found out where the problem came from: the protection sensor of the lithium battery had the task of removing the current following an overload; so the battery appeared to be flat and it isolated itself.”
The mechanics decided to replace it with a gel one, without electronic systems. Then they went to a private area to carry out tests, the new battery guaranteed a duration of twelve sprints, so they were ready to race in France!

Race 4 @ Dandy Riders Festival | Saint-Raphaël, France | September 2018

Race 4 is held during the Dandy Riders Festival, in Saint-Raphaël, France, a beautiful location on the French Riviera. The atmosphere of Saint-Raphaël is the natural environment of Rino, who loves the sea and the beach as a good Neapolitan. The 200 metres track has the peculiarity to finishing uphill, giving you the feeling of riding a launching ramp.
At Dandy the bike was finally in place! And Rino could start climbing the ranking of the race round after round. In a completely unexpected way, as the Cafe Ricycles team was part of the rookies, Rino gained the podium, placing third, after an adrenaline-fuelled semi-final.

Race 4 @ Dandy Riders Festival | Saint-Raphaël, France | September 2018

Race 4 @ Dandy Riders Festival | Saint-Raphaël, France | September 2018

In the French location, without any technical problems, the Neapolitan driver began to have more and more feelings with his BMW, knew her shot after shot, took control of the monster, he understood when to change, started to ignore the rev counter, Rino went down listening the boxer engine.

Race 4 @ Dandy Riders Festival | Saint-Raphaël, France | September 2018

Race 4 @ Dandy Riders Festival | Saint-Raphaël, France | September 2018

The Nervous was designed and built specifically to compete in sprint acceleration races (1/8 of a mile), in order to be able to perform real departures on the model of the American dragster, where the throttle clutch is immediately released with the throttle immediately wide open. With the clutch and the battery set up, Rino can release the “nervous” accumulated by his bike in his previous stages and show to everyone its performance, which will bring it from 35th to 3rd place.

Race 4 @ Dandy Riders Festival | Saint-Raphaël, France | September 2018

Race 4 @ Dandy Riders Festival | Saint-Raphaël, France | September 2018

Not long left for the new season, and we cannot wait to see the new sprints of Rino Scala!