MCN quiz of the year – the answers
Have you been wracking your brains since the fiendishly tough MCN Quiz of the Year got your grey matter churning, while you simultaneously tried to pickle it with Christmas cheer?
Well, the pain is over – assuming you didn’t just cheat and look to the internet for answers.
Here’s the knowledge you were struggling to recall:
Part I: 2012 in the news
1) Which manufacturer’s show bikes worth around £240,000 were destroyed in a fire and suspected ram raid in January?
Answer: Honda
2) What did Brad Pitt buy after wandering into London dealership HGB Motorcycles in May?
Answer: Helmet and gloves
3 With which popular motorcycle sold in the UK does the China-only Loncin CR9 share its engine?
Answer: BMW G650GS
4) What can BBC presenter Anita Rani be seen doing in this picture which led to criticism from the AA?
Answer: Looking at the camera instead of the road
5) What is the lead bike in this picture of a shopping centre robbery in November?
Answer: Triumph Street Triple
6) How many Ducatis were stolen from a London dealership by raiders in September?
Answer: None
7) Which won when MCN acceleration tested the Suzuki Hayabusa, Kawasaki ZZR1400 and BMW K1300S?
Answer: ZZR1400
8) What major dealer chain went into administration in January?
Answer: George White
9) Which insurance company used Hollyoaks actress Jorgie Porter as the face of a marketing campaign in January?
Answer: Bennetts
10) What speed was recorded by an unmarked police bike as it captured this image of a motorcycle journalist in June?
Answer: 160mph
11) What condition did a Californian man say he suffered from after riding a BMW in a lawsuit against the firm in April?
Answer: Priapism (constant erection)
Bonus question: What did a BMW source say about it?
Answer: “It will never stand up in court.”
12) Which of the following new bikes has to be restricted to be used by A2 licence holders from January 19 2013?
Answer: KTM Duke 390
13) Which of the following 2013 bikes makes most peak power?
Answer: Triumph Daytona 675
14) In May, police admitted they delete records of stolen bikes after how many years?
Answer: Six
15) What type of bikes escaped plans for EU anti-tampering measures in November?
Answer: Bikes making over 47bhp
16) Which of the following did MCN find was fastest to 70mph in September?
Answer: KTM Duke 200
17) What high-profile motorcycle clothing chain was saved from administration in September?
Answer: Hein Gericke
18) What new model did Olympics automotive partner BMW unveil in London during the Games?
Answer: The C Evolution electric scooter
19) What anti-theft measure will feature on all new bikes from Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Triumph, Kawasaki and BMW from next year following an MCN campaign? Answer: security markings on individual parts
20) What did a 156mph speeder try to convince a court of in March in his defence?
Answer: His actions had not been dangerous.
Part II: Bike ID
21) Answer: Moto Guzzi California 1400
22) Answer: Ducati 1199 Panigale
23) Answer: Triumph Trophy 1200
24) Answer: MV 675 F3
25) Answer: 2013 BMW
Part III: Motorcycle maths
In which year did Motor Cycle News launch?
Answer: 1955 (10+119+1986-500+340 = 1955)
26 Lorenzo’s MotoGP world title wins multiplied by the number of valves per cylinder of a Yamaha FZ750 = (2×5=10)
27) John McGuinness’s TT wins plus the number of Honda TT wins the Evolution Fireblade was produced to commemorate = (19+100=119)
28) The number of times Kenny Roberts Jnr won the world title, plus the number of ‘Million’ GSX-R1000 limited editions which will be made worldwide = (1+1985=1986)
29) The number of Ducati Desmosedici D16-RRs built, divided my the number of times Rossi got on the podium with the Ducati MotoGP team = (1500/3 = 500)
30) Agostini and Sheene’s 500cc titles added together, and multiplied by Schwantz’s famous race number = (8+2×34 = 340)
And the answer is: A+B+C-D+E = 1955
Part IV: Technology
31) Ducati’s new 1199 Panigale has the biggest what?
Answer: Pistons of any production sports motorcycle
32) What patented feature do the panniers on Triumph’s new Trophy 1200 have?
Answer: They’re meant to be wobbly
33) What does Ducati call the semi-active suspension system on its new 2013 Multistrada?
Answer: Skyhook
34) Honda revolutionary Dual Clutch Transmission system is available on which bikes?
• VFR1200 only
• VFR1200 and Crosstourer
• VFR1200 and NC700X
• VFR1200 and NC700S
Answer: All of the above
35) What’s unique about the Horex VR6?
Answer: It’s the only motorcycle currently in production powered by a car-style ‘narrow angle’ V engine
36) First motorcycle with a telescopic fork?
Answer: Nimbus Type C
37) When did Yamaha debut their monoshock motocrossers in competition?
Answer: 1973
38) ABS first appeared on a standard production bike in 1988, but which one?
Answer: BMW K 100 RS
39) What was the first production bike with a front disc brake?
Answer: Honda CB750
40) What was the first production motorcycle with fuel injection?
Answer: 1980 Kawasaki Z1000 H
Part V: Who said these things in 2012?
41) “There are bikes sitting there in the garage and I don’t go and get on them. I really want to try and get that feeling back where I just go out and have an absolute ball on a bike.”
Answer: Casey Stoner
42) “I got some shit on Twitter over Jorge Lorenzo’s crash. He caught up to me with nowhere to pass, got impatient, tried going round me, and crashed.”
Answer: James Ellison
43) “MotoGP is a lot less exciting than five or six years ago, because now the races are boring”
Answer: Valentino Rossi
44) “I’m pissed off because I don’t like losing… I couldn’t make him run into the back of me, or make him lose his momentum onto the straight. I’d have preferred him running into me than letting him cut it back.”
Answer: Cal Crutchlow
45) “It’s been very tough and very frustrating. Apart from the bad results and the bad feeling, the bigger frustration is that more or less we have the same problems that we had in Valencia in 2010. Sometimes you have the feeling that you wasted your time.”
Answer: Valentino Rossi
46) “What happened in the first race… Well, I was shocked. The guy moved over on me and pinged me over the bars. I think I have only one ball bag left – it was a big impact.”
Answer: Tommy Hill
47) “Me and the bike finished a race… I’m going to the trophy store, then I’m going to buy a lottery ticket.”
Answer: Ben Spies
48) “To take a project like this on you have to be a glass-half-full person. Obviously there have been lots of concerns and disappointments but you wouldn’t go near a project like this if those worries kept you up at night.”
Answer: Stuart Garner
49) “I’ve had a great career in racing, had a lot of fun and made some money to keep my family. I am not attacking the sport, but it’s time for me to stop.”
Answer: Ryan Farquhar
50) “They lied to me for four months. They also lied to a lot of other people saying they had offered me a two-year deal – but I never saw any paperwork. I am bitter and that is a bad thing to have in racing. I’m disappointed and angry about how the whole thing went.”
Answer: Cal Crutchlow
Part VI: Racing
51) Who do you think has led the most laps in MotoGP in the last 5 years?
Answer: Casey Stoner (with 761 to Lorenzo’s 588)
52) HM Plant rider Kevin Strijbos is a British Champion but in what field?
Answer: British Motocross Championship MX1
53) What was interesting about Ben Spies’ score in MotoGP this season?
• It was exactly half what he scored in 2011
• It was exactly half what he scored in 2010
• It made him the only rider in the top 10 under 100 points
Answer: All of the above
54) What was the top speed recorded by a Moto3 bike (250cc single) this year?
Answer: 146mph
55) Which was the only country to achieve a one-nation Grand Prix podium in 2012?
Answer: Spain
56) Which was the only country to achieve a one-nation WSB podium in 2012?
Answer: Britain
57) The top speed of an AMA Harley XR750 flat track racer is what?
Answer: 130mph
58) How many seasons has Leon Haslam taken part in WSB?
Answer: 7
59) What was the difference in speed between fastest and slowest bikes in MotoGP at Mugello this year?
Answer: 27mph
60) Which firms won the Constructor’s World Championships in MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 this year?
Answer: Honda, Suter, KTM
Part VII: True or false?
61) Kevin Schwantz won more races but fewer world championships than Wayne Rainey
Answer: true – 25 v 24 races; 1 v 3 championships
62) Suzuki has never won a MotoGP race
Answer: False – Vermeulen won in France in 2007
63) Kenny Roberts is old enough to draw a pension
Answer: false, he’s 60 (until 31 December 2012)
64) Former superbike maverick Anthony Gobert is in prison in Australia for stealing from a pensioner
Answer: false, he was never convicted
65) Ducati were the first to employ desmodromic valves in a race engine.
Answer: false, Mercedes’ 1954 F1 car had them. Ducati’s first desmo engine came in 1956
66) ‘Pookipooki’ is Swahili for ‘motorcycle’.
Answer: false, it’s Pikipiki
67) The Honda Fireblade is the UK’s most-stolen bike in the UK.
Answer: false, the R1 is, according to Carole Nash. The Fireblade isn’t in the top 10.
68) Ernst Degner stole Suzuki’s engineering secrets to give to the Communists to enable MZ to build competitive bikes in the 60s.
Answer: false, it was the other way round
69) Canadian children’s author Michelle Duff is also a Grand Prix world championship runner-up.
Answer: true, competing as Mike Duff she was 2nd in the 1965 250cc world championship.
70) Former MotoGP and BSB star John Hopkins’ father is a former TT racer.
Answer: false. Alan Hopkins raced at the Manx from 1969 to ’72, failing to finish each time.
Part VIII: Match the figures to the descriptions
71) Answer: 17,750 (cost in pounds Honda’s customer Moto3 racer, the NSF250R)
72) Answer: 14,500 (mooted rev limit for MotoGP from 2014)
73) Answer: 16,090 (prize for winning Daytona 200)
74) Answer: 1175 (cost of NR750 front mudguard)
75) Answer: 5196 (length of Dakar rally in miles)
76) Answer: 4528 (number of miles ridden in practise by Lorenzo in pre-season testing)
77) Answer: 3105 (cost in pounds for membership of premium bike sharing oufit Spyder Club including 30 days’ riding)
78) Answer: 285 (maximum cost in pounds of petrol to ride a big bike from your house to John o’Groats, Land’s End and home again)
79) Answer: 9633 (cost in pounds of entry to the Dakar Rally)
80) Answer: 11,448 (number of days since a Briton won a premier class GP)
Part IX: Anagrams
Can you unscramble these names of (all current) racers?
81) Brace ye nuts (Answer: Bruce Anstey)
82) Yeast censor (Answer: Casey Stoner)
83) Jogs in n’munches (Answer: John McGuinness)
84) Nearby hens (Answer: Shane Byrne)
85) Insolent saviour (Answer: Valentino Rossi)
86) A grimy nut (Answer: Guy Martin)
87) Spain or dead (Answer: Dani Pedrosa)
88) Caramel nimrod (Answer: Marco Melandri)
89) Sardonic, lewd (Answer: Colin Edwards)
90) Ceremonial (Answer: Leon Camier)
Part X: Records and achievements
91) What bike won the inaugural Paris-Dakar rally?
Answer: 1979 Yamaha XT500
92) What bike was first to do a 100mph lap of the Isle of Man TT course using electric power?
Answer: MotoCzysz E1pc
93) What bike did Pete Svensson ride to a new Top Fuel 1/4-mile record of 5.709 seconds?
Answer: 1626cc Billet Racing
94) What bike has won more World Supersport championships than any other?
Answer: Honda CBR600RR
95) What bike did Nick Sanders ride on his record breaking 31-day lap of the world?
Answer: Triumph Daytona 900
96) What bike holds the world land speed record of 376.363mph?
Answer: 2600cc Ack Attack streamliner
97) What bike was the last two-stroke to claim a pole position for a 500 grand prix?
Answer: Proton KR V3
98) What bike has won the Suzuka 8-hours for the last three years running?
Answer: Honda Fireblade
99) What bike holds the officlal lap record for the Nürburgring Nordschleife?
Answer: Honda RC30
100) What bike has won the most BSB championships?
Answer: Yamaha YZF750
