Transmoto Dirt Bike

7/23/2019 Transmoto Dirt Bike

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/transmoto-dirt-bike 1/116

Dunlop tyres are distributed throughout Australia by:

VIC, NSW, ACT, WA - Monza Imports (03) 8327 8888

QLD, SA, NT - Ficeda Accessories (07) 3906 7034 and (08) 8359 0176

TAS - Fulton Enterprises (03) 6326 9199

Share your I RIDE story

@RideDunlopAU

Getting to places like this takes the right tyres

Geomax® AT81™ tyres offer more all-around performance for off-road racing and trail riding

Lateral grooves on the shoulder knobs provide additional biting edges

Rear center blocks offer a large contact patch for optimized traction

High-wear resistant rear compound offers enhanced resistance to chipping, tearing and wear

Also available in RC (reinforced) specs for extra rugged performance

I RIDEFOR VIEWS LIKE THESE

KEN ROCZEN SIGNATURE SERIES

AIRBRAKE™

MXBy the time he was a teenager, Ken Roczen had already earned a

unior world championship, and it put him on a trajectory of success

hat continues without limits. Talent and drive took him from back-

o-back masters championships in his native Germany to a World

Championship in MX2, then up to the 250 class where he became

he West Coast Supercross Champion in 2013. The next year saw him

at the top of the podium in the 450 Pro Motocross Championship,

making him one of an elite group of riders who earned the title in

heir rookie season.

When a racer is that skilled at his craft, he deserves a namesake goggle that salutes

his style while offering all the performance he demands. Introducing the Ken Roczen

Signature Series Airbrake™ MX, a design that salutes Ken’s love for the California

festyle. Oakley artists decked the strap with surfboard stripes and palm trees, and

he colors keep the attitude on the edge of menacing. We put Ken’s racing number

on an outrigger and a custom strap wrap that proudly carries a print of his signature.

his premium Oakley goggle comes with a custom Microclear bag for frame

torage and lens cleaning.

www.OAKLEY.com.au

|« |BLAKE BAGGETT

FACTORY YOSHIMURA SUZUKI

B L A K E

BAGGETT|« |2016 HARDWEAR |FLOW BLACK/RED

DISTRIBUTED BY

CASSONS PTY LTD AUSTRALIAP: +61(0)2 8882 1900 F: +61(0)2 8882 1999

E: enquiries@cassons.com.aW: www.cassons.com.a

NEW ZEALAND NORTHERN ACCESSORIES LTDE: sales@northacc.co.nz - W: www.northern.co.n

“Since it first appeared in 2012, the 350EXC-Fhas been a roaring worldwide sales success for

KTM. But it never managed to win the blue-ribbonEnduro 2 World Championship. Until now, that is!”

F U T U R E 7 M E D I A

InsideNOV-DEC 2015 // ISSUE #53

REGULARS

12 CONTRIBUTORS

An artless attempt to summarise the life

and times of three freelancers we dig.

14 EDITORIAL

Dealing with the consequences of being

as washed-up has-been that never was.

18 FRAMED

Three big, striking images that showcase

three of the world’s most illustrious races.

26 BIKE DISSECTED

An intriguing insight into the mods made

to Josh Sheehan’s ‘Triple-Flip’ CRF450R.

80 BIKE DISSECTED

We finally get a detailed look at KTM’s

first EWC title-winning 350EXC-F.

108 TECH: FOOT CONTROLS

Set-up tips to make sure your boots

remain best friends with your bike.

111 3 PRIZED POSSESSIONS

The Jerkyls’ El Presidente itemises

the first things he’d grab in a house fire.

112 RIPPING YARN

The story behind Jeff Emig’s favourite shot

of himself from the 1992 MXdN in West Oz.

FEATURES

L o g o n t o w w w . t r a n s m o t o . c o m . a u

f o r m o r e i m a g e s , i n t e r v i e w s ,

i n f o & v i d s . O r f i n d u s o n

34 PICTORIAL:

2015 ISDE FROM SLOVAKIA

Inside the Australians’ history-making

success, and the inexplicable meddling

by officials and the French-backed FIM.

50 PROFILE:

RYAN VILLOPOTO

The recently retired RV opens up about

his ‘Euro experiment’ and what really went on with his bike and body this year.

61 BIKE:

FOUR 2016 YAMAHA 250s

A year ago, Yamaha’s only 250cc enduro

bike was an ageing WR250F. Now they’ve

got four models to choose from. We tested

the two- and four-strokes back-to-back.

70 PROFILE:

CHAD REED vs JAMES STEWART

These two great rivals began their Pro

career on the same night in 2002. And

their battle will soon resume in Australia.

86 PROFILE:

ROMAIN FEBVRE

While everyone’s still figuring out how

to pronounce his name, he’s cementedhimself as the world’s best MX rider!

96 HOW-TO:

RACE ENDURO

Multi-time national champ, Chris

Hollis, explains how to properly adapt

your riding skillset for when the

pressure’s on in a racing environment.

WIN: 2016 FC450 PLUS a year’s supply of Bel-Ray oil & lube!

REGULARCONTRIBUTORS

By all accounts, Romain Febvre is a

down-to-earth, hard-working, almost

self-effacing character. Which, let’s

be honest, is not exactly how the rest

of the world tends to regard the French.

Emotional, passionate, brooding and even

neurotic, yes. But salt-of-the-earth and

laconic? By and large, no! Hailing from

a small rural town in the east of France,

Febvre grew up and raced in relative

isolation, and his quietly spoken demeanor

reflects that. He’s popular with the media

and race fans, but never been ‘one of

the boys’ with the other riders in the pit

paddock, which is why most rivals

tend to regard him as aloof and even

indifferent. The fact he’s consistently

kicking their arse every weekend,

seemingly without trying, might

have something to do with that!

Wasn’t it great to see the young Frenchman

go head-to-head and beat America’s

best riders at the USA stop of the MX

World Championship, and then repeat

the schooling a week later at the MXoN

in France. If winning the 2015 MXGP world

title with a few rounds to spare wasn’t

enough to convince everyone that Febvre

was the real deal, then his performance

over those two back-to-back weekends

sure did. Not only did Febvre out-ride

and out-think the Americans – and

everyone else, for that matter – he

also demonstrated that he’s packing

an endless repertoire of new-gen riding

moves to match the best of them. And,

captured by Ray Archer’s ubiquitous

lens, this late-season scrub on his 60th

Anniversary YZ450F sure demonstrates

that. Right now, this guy – who few of

us even knew a year ago – is undoubtedly

the best motocross rider in the world.

Cover UncoveredMXGP rookie, Romain Febvre, en route to handing Yamaha its first

premier-class Motocross World Championship title in eight long years.

MEET THE CONTRIBUTORS

Gary Freeman raced motocross for 10 years.

In 1990, he won a UK magazine competition

to race a 1991 Honda Britain CR125 and join

DBR Magazine ’s test team alongside ex-GP

racer Rob Andrews, which was his gateway

into motocross photography and journalism.

In 1995, he quit his day job and began studying

for a BA (Hons) Degree in Photography at

Nottingham Trent University. After 10 years

of testing production and factory motocross

bikes for various magazines, Gary established

Redeye Media Ltd – a creative photo and video

production company based in the UK, shooting

anything from private jets to high fashion

to train toilets (true), but the passion for

anything on wheels remains.

John Pearson spent most of his young life

tearing around paddocks at his family

farm aboard a 1983 XR80R. In his teenage

years, he raced motocross at the Armidale

Motorcycle Club in NSW. And that’s where his

passion for sporting photography started.

John spent a number of years supplying the

AMCC with photos and travelling to arenacross

events – and even some MX Nationals rounds

– before finally stepping into the world of the

Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC).

John developed a photography business –

On The Pipe Images – that has allowed him to

follow his lifelong dream of shooting some of

the best off-road racers in the world. He was

first published in issue #51 of Transmoto .

GARY FREEMAN

JOHN PEARSON

Mark Kariya started his two-wheeled career

about half a century ago when he was

assigned the chore of checking the sprinklers

twice a day at his family’s orange grove in

southern California, which he did aboard

a Honda CT90. But what really sparked his

motorcycling love affair was going to watch

two of his cousins race for the first time. Well,

maybe that and the movie On Any Sunday . From

there, he was hooked for life and has managed

to live that passion daily through his work as a

freelance photojournalist. It’s also afforded him

the opportunity to ride and race all over the

world in just about every facet of the sport.

MARK KARIYA

ANDY WIGAN

RAY ARCHER

N o p r o b l em, j u s t h ea d t o transmoto.com.au,o r z i n o . c o m t o g et y o u r h a n d s o n a n yo f o u r p r i n t o r d i g i t a l b a c k i s s u es .MISSED AN ISSUE? ISSN: 1839-0358

E n j oy T h e R i d e

MANAGING EDITOR

Andy Wigan | andy.wigan@transmoto.com.au

ART DIRECTOR

Wayne Smith | wayne.smith@transmoto.com.a

ONLINE CONTENT MANAGER

Kurt Teague | kurt.teague@transmoto.com.au

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

Fourohfour | Greg Smith | Jorden Bethune

AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT

Eric Johnson

EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT

Jonty Edmunds

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

Geoff Ballard, Garry Blizzard, Mark Brown, Ben Bunda, JefCrow, Simon Cudby, Nick Dole, Ben Foster, Benjamin TuffyJosh Green, Danny Ham, Ian Hancock, Amanda KirkpatricEric Johnson, Mark Kariya, Scott Keegan, Derek MorrisonTony Nolan, Grant O’Brien, John Pearson, David PingreeBeau Ralston, AJ Roberts, Ken Roche, Damian Smith, RyneSwanberg, Cameron Taylor, Jason Weigandt, Peter Whitak

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Phil Osborn | (02) 9965 7324phil.osborn@coastalwatch.com

DIGITAL ADVERTISING

Miles Finlay | (02) 9965 7365mfinlay@coastalwatch.com

EVENTS MANAGER Robbie Warden | robbie.warden@3cmg.com.au

SPIRITUAL LEADER

Kim Sundell

PRINTED BY Webstar Australia

DISTRIBUTED BY Network Services

Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine is published 6 times a year by TDBPty Ltd, ACN 141 679 423, 681 Barrenjoey Rd, Avalon, NSW, 210Phone (02) 9965 7364. Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine welcomphotographic and written contributions. Send with a stampeself-addressed envelope to 681 Barrenjoey Rd, Avalon, NSW, 210We do not accept responsibility for unsolicited material providin this way. Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine retains reprint righcontributors retain resale rights. Views expressed by the authors anot necessarily those of the publishers.

WWW.TRANSMOTO.COM.AU

I’d never had a lash at dirt track. No, despite riding since I

was a kid and editing dirt bike magazines for nearly 20 years,

I’d never cut a lap around a flat track circuit of any variety.

And because dirt track has been a rite of passage for so many

Australian riders, it’s a bit embarrassing to admit that. I mean,

I hadn’t been purposely avoiding it. Or had I?

When a mate who’d founded a recreational group of mature-aged

circle-work jerks – now called “The Jerkyls” – urged me to sample

dirt track during one of his ‘SundaySlide’ sessions at Nepean

Raceway, I suddenly felt a strange pang deep

in my gut. So maybe I had been avoiding

it all these years after all. I’d never got

nervous before riding a new trail, enduro

or motocross track, so why the trepidation

with dirt track? Dunno. Maybe it had

something to with those concrete walls in

such close proximity to high-speed corners.

Anyway, on a beautiful Sunday morning

in spring, the time had come. The boys

from The Jerkyls had sourced me a

cobbled-together 1976-ish YZ cum IT in

dirt track trim, and I was raring to go on

the fantastically well-prepped Nepean circuit. I even convinced my

missus, Sonja, to come along for the day. She isn’t much into bikes,

so I sold her on the idea that this infamous track was surrounded by

a picturesque gum forest, where she could walk the dog and indulgein a spot of sketching. If I’m honest though, I’d invited her along for

moral support as I popped my dirt-track cherry.

The “YZIT250” was an interesting way to introduce myself to the

discipline, mainly because its stonking engine was accompanied by

non-existent brakes and suspension that felt like it rode on rubber

bands. But, after a few heart-stopping moments, I found some

sort of rhythm and even managed to back the thing into the odd

turn. Lap by lap, I got a little more daring and sideways. And before

long, I was having a ball. Sadly, a flat tyre – which almost pitched

me off the thing at the end of the fifth-gear straight – put a

premature end to the session. But I’d become a danger to myself

and others by that stage, so it was probably fortuitous timing.

Back in the pits, adrenalin finally in check, I ran into Sonja.

“How was it, sweetie?,” she asked, more out of duty than interest,

it seemed. “Great!,” I said. And then, because

I couldn’t help myself, “How did I look

out there?,” I asked, pathetically. After an

awkwardly long pause, she said, “Umm, a bit

kooky.” And she wasn’t joking. “Your elbows

were down,” she mercilessly continued, “and

your head was bobbling around quite a lot.”

Wow, that hurt. “My head was bobbling

around? Seriously? Did you even know

which rider I was out there?,” I enquired.

“Yeah, of course. The guy in the yellow

helmet,” she said, before throwing a stick

for the dog and disappearing again,

apparently oblivious to the blue helmet that hung off my forearm.

I didn’t know whether I was thankful that she’d been watching

another rider the whole time, or pissed off that, after being together

for 22 years, she couldn’t single me out from the other blokescutting laps. Or both. But in Sonja’s defense, I rarely wear the

same gear or helmet two rides in a row. Accordingly, I got my

ego back in check and laughed at the fact I’d actually thrown

out a ‘look-at-me’ line to her. Thanks to this dirt track caper,

I’d clearly regressed to my teenage years. And, damn, it felt good!

L O O K A T M E ,

LOOK AT ME!

“Thanks to this dirt

track caper, I’d clearly

regressed to my

teenage years. And,

damn, it felt good!”

ANDY WIGAN THOMAS WALK

TRANSMOTOEDITORIAL

THE 2016 MOTOCROSS MODEL RANGEThe revolutionary 2016 Husqvarna motocross range. Redesigned from the wheels up, this is a profoundly lighter,

much faster and infinitely better-functioning range of bikes – unlike any before them. Featuring cutting-edge design

innovations and premium-quality components, going fast was never more fun or as effortless as this.

2 STROKE MY2016 TC85 | TC125 | TC250

4 STROKE MY2016 FC250 | FC350 | FC450

Get faster

Full features + benefits of the new 2016 range

www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com

J A S O N

E R S O N

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/transmoto-dirt-bike 16/116THORMX.COM THOR stocklist contact: Gas Imports Australia Ph: 03 8331-0300 | www.gasimports.com.au

HEAVYI S

NO TFASTSTOP SABOTAGING YOUR MOTOS

GET THE LIGHTER, FASTER VERGE HELMET.

MOTOCROSS OF

NATIONS

Everyone loves to rally behind a home-

team, right? Think State Of Origin. Okay, not

everyone who lives in New South Wales or

Queensland is into rugby, but most will find

time to watch these annual showdowns,

or at least follow the results, because the

players aren’t competing for money or some

trophy; they’re out there for pride and glory.

And when your home-team wins, you get to

feel that pride, and be a part of the victory.

Now, think about how the 80,000 screaming

French fans felt when Gautier Paulin, Marvin

Musquin and Romain Febvre won the 2015Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations at

Ernée. The crowd was roaring all weekend,

cheering for their riders, and that surely

helped the Frogs take home this year’s

Chamberlain Cup – Team France’s first ever

back-to-back win. While Justin Barcia was

able to hold his own in the MX1 class, and

Cooper Webb had some amazing battles with

Febvre – the 2015 MXGP champ – Team USA

finished the event in second Overall, ahead

of Team Belgium. The Australian squad,

consisting of Todd Waters, Dean Ferris

and LukeClout, finished in seventh.

RAY ARCHER

5 things you don’tknow about this event:

WHO: AMA Supercross pilots

WHAT: 2015 Monster Energy Cup

WHEN: October 17, 2015

WHERE: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1 In 2011, Ryan Villopoto won the

inaugural running of the Monster

Energy Cup, sweeping all three Main

Events to take home $1,000,000. The

impressive feat is yetto be repeated.

2 No rider has won the Monster Energy

Cup more than once. Besides RV, other

winners include Justin Barcia (2012),

James Stewart (2013), Davi M illsaps

(2014) andKen Roczen(2015).

3 Ken Roczen has won the last two

AMA Supercross season openers

at Anaheim. His 2015 Monster Energy

Cup victory could lead him into a

thirdconsecutive A1 win.

4 In 2015, Jason Anderson became the

first rider to holeshot all three Main

Events. He finished the 2015 event in

third Overall after missing the Joker

Lane in theopening moto. Doh!

5 Finishing second Overall in 2015 was the

ever-consistent Ryan Dungey. This is

the fourth time Dungey has finished in

second at the MEC. That made it a Red

Bull 1-2 at the Monster-sponsored event.

SIMON CUDBY

RED BULL

STRAIGHT RHYTHM

Red Bull Straight Rhythm broke the Internet

when it was first unveiled on YouTube in 2013.

One year later, the concept of riders going

head-to-head on an unwound, half-mile-long

supercross track was brought to life. James

Stewart won the inaugural running in the

Open class and, after spending 16 months

under a drug-related suspension (which

banned him from racing FIM-sanctioned

events), was able to return to racing on

October 10 at Pomona, California, to win the

2015 edition of Red Bull Straight Rhythm.Think about that – he sat out the entire 2015

season, and was still able to show up at his

first race back and make guys like Ryan

Dungey and Ken Roczen look slow, (although

RD5 did give him a serious run for his money

at one stage). We’re not saying that JS7 will

be able to rock up at Anaheim 1 and dominate

the 2016 proceedings, but there’s no doubt

that he’ll be up there running with the top

guys, where he belongs. We have to give

props to Stewart’s ‘baby’ brother, Malcolm,

who claimed his first Pro title in the Lites

class at Straight Rhythm,too.

RED BULL CONTENT POOL/GARTH MILAN

CAMERA SHOWN AT: ACTUAL SIZE

Pre-order now. 360fly.com

360fly captures your world in fully immersive, interactive 360°

HD video. Plus, with our 360fly app you can view and edit

videos—adding music, motion sequences and filters—straight

from your mobile device, making sharing your most epic edits

to social media a breeze.

Shoot. Share. Swipe. With the camera and app that misses

nothing. And changes everything.

GIVE UP, STANDARDPOINT OF VIEW VIDEO.

YOU’RE SURROUNDED.

COCKPIT

Freestyle motocross riders are very particular about the way

they set up the cockpit of their machines. A lot of tricks are

executed through or around the bars so confidence in the

set-up is important. Josh opts for a higher bend Tag Metals

6091 bar to give him a little more room to get his larger-

framed body through with tricks like the Stripper Flip.

He uses Tag soft waffle grips, and a set of Klayver custom-

made Flip Levers that he then modifies slightly to suit his

style. As Ash points out, “Josh doesn’t like the levers toohigh so he heats up the metal lever with an oxy torch and

bends them closer to the bars. They look trick, are very

durable, and they are essential for tricks like Super Flips,

Indy Flairs, Stripper Flip and Cordova Flip.” To ensure the

front-end remains pointing straight ahead while letting go

of the bars mid-trick or landing no-handed, Josh uses a GPR4

steering damper that combines with the top triple clamp.

“He is pretty picky with how the steering damper feels”, says

Ash. “He bleeds it often before each event as the change in

temperatures moving from one country to the next causes

a little air to build up in them. He also uses a thicker 15 or

20-weight oil so he can increase the resistance if necessary.”

PERFORMANCEWhen Josh trains at his compound in Donnybrook, Western

Australia, he tunes his bike to perform his tricks at sea level.

Josh has to be so in tune with the performance of his bike’s

engine because attempting a trick like the Double Flip with

either too little or too much power could mean under- or

over-rotating ... with dire consequences. In fact, Josh won’t

attempt the Double Flip in Mexico City because it’s 2200m

above sea level and the engine’s performance suffers

massively due to a lack of oxygen. “At higher altitude stops

on the tour,” says Josh, “I’ll get Ash to put in a high-comp

piston and a different cam to regain some of the lost bottom

to mid-range power. But in Mexico, it still doesn’t give me

enough power to safely execute the Double.” Ash says they

also try different high-octane fuels – and to an extent the

fuel-injected CRF450R tunes itself in different altitudes – but

they can tweak it either side to improve the power for theconditions. “With the custom aftermarket ignition, we have

a bunch of settings with different power curves to choose

from to best suit different locations’ temperature and

altitude,” says Ash. “It has nine different preset maps,

one dial that replicates the pilot jet, mainjet and needle,

plus the idle. That lets us run the engine richer or leaner

so there’s plentyof adjustment to get it right.”

UNDER THE KNIFE

Core FMX fans will remember the old days where riders

hacked away at their two-banger’s plastics and seat to create

grab-holes. It wasn’t always pretty, but it did the job. Josh’s

CRF450R thumper is a little more complicated as the airbox is

closed off for emission control, so he has to spend some timecutting out the guts and top to make room for his grab-holes.

He cuts the plastic sideplates enough so he can easily get his

hand around the side of the seat, which he only trims slightly

because he says it’s just too uncomfortable to ride around

with the foam trimmed too lean. “Lucky I’ve got big hands,”

says Josh. “I’d rather have the fatter seat for comfort over

a thinner one that’s easier to grab.” The pleated seat cover

Josh uses is more for looks, and although it offers grip to

stop him from sliding backwards, Ash says it’s the grip tape

that makes the big difference. “Josh is very picky with his

grip tape becausehe can’t afford to slip off the back of the

bike halfway through a Double Flip rotation,” Ash points out.

“He’ll cover the frame and about a third of the side plastics

to ensure his legs have a good area to grip.”

DISSECTED

GEAREDFORGRUNTAsh tells us Josh likes to pull away from a standing start in second gear so they replaced the

13/48 standard gearing with a much shorter 13/51 combo for most locations. “This improves

bottom-end response,” explains Ash. “The engine also revs out quicker, which means Josh

can judge his speed easier heading at the ramp and is less likely to over-jump, thereby

making it safer. He can still jump a 110-foot ramp in second, and at courses such as Mexico

with high altitude, we’ll g o one tooth higher again to compensate for the loss of power.”

HOT,HOT,HOT!With freestyle motocross, there’s a lot of slow riding and idling, so the engine temperature

heats up quickly and runs hot, especially with the four-strokes. The standard radiator cap

is rated at a pressure of 1.1 Bar so Josh runs a higher-spec cap with a rating of anywhere

between 1.4 and 2 Bar to stop the bike from overheating. According to Ash, “You’ll notice

radiator coolant pissing out from a standard bike after idling for a while, so it’s important

for us to make sure the CRF450R doesn’t boil while Josh is waiting for his run to begin.”

TITANIUM,BABYJosh is always looking for ways to reduce the weight of his Honda CRF 450R because

the lighter it is, the easier it is to move around when executing rotating or spin-type

tricks. Just by removing the stock dual muffler system and replacing it with an FMF

titanium header and sin gle Factory 4.1 muffler, the bike dropped two kilos. Josh is moreconcerned about saving weight than finding more power, and he’s spent some coin this

season chasing those savings by replacing most steel bolts with titanium equivalents.

That includes the ‘big three’ bolts – wheel axles, swingarm pivot and engine mounts –

plus the bolts in the subrame, muffler, seat, plastic, front calliper, triple clamps, clutch

and brake perch. The standard footpegs have been replaced with titanium Raptor units,

and Josh also has a titanium shock spring that will save another half kilo. It all makes a

noticeable difference when he is launching into a 360, Double Flip or Flair.

RUBBER Josh’s bike gets shipped to each Red Bull X-Fighters event by the organisers and the tyres

are supplied to suit the type of dirt the course is built from. “Obviously the tyres don’t make

as big of a di fference as they do with motocross or supercross,” says Josh. “But sometimes

we ride on hardpack courses or, like the recent Athens round, very soft and loamy dirt. So it

still helps to have the right tyre for each round of the series to hook up better.” Josh runs15psi front and rear at most locations, and a little higher pressures for really hard surfaces.

W hen flying through the air

upside-down, you need to

knowthe bike underneath you is

rock solid. So for Josh, it’s all about

having someone in his corner he

can trust to get things right. The last

thing he needsis doubt heading into

battle. “I like to understand how

things workon my bike and know

what changes affect w hat,” he says.

“At events I don’t have time to work

on my bike so it’s great to have Ash

at each X-Fighters event to bounce

ideasoff, and also someone I can

trust to make sure the changes are

done right. This allows me to focus

on the competition 100 percent

while he ta kes care of the bike .

Having that trust in my mechanic

enables me to keep my mind clear

and puts me at ease.”

Accordin g to Ash, Josh is as

switched on with mechanical

knowledge as anyone he knows,

which makes his job eas ier in th e

heat of competition. “Any changes

I need to make on the bike come

directly from him,” he points out.

“He’ll just say ‘suspension’s a bit

soft’ or ‘engine’s running lean

off the bottom’ and I’ll make the

changes. Josh is just really focused

at the events. He’s easy to work

with and d oesn’t stre ss out easi ly.”

The 2015 Red Bull X-Fighters

season hasn’t gone that well for

the 2014 champ. In a sport that’s

constantly evolving, Josh feels

he’s lacked progression this year

compared to his rivals. “I just

haven’t really progressed from

2014,” he says candidly. “I’ve made

a few small changes whereas Tom

Pagès has a few new big tricks and

has become more consistent with

his other tricks. Last year, I feel

I got lucky in a few head-to-head

rounds against Tom, where he

crashed out going for his big-banger

tricks. The same applied with

Clinton Moore last year. He was stil

finding his consistency, whereas I

felt comfortable with all my tricks

and put together consistent, solid

runs. This year, Tom and Clint

have had all their tricks on lock

and they’re making things a lot

harder for me to reach the top

step of the podium. I’ve also had

less time to train and prepare for

each round due to my Nitro Circus

commitments, and the time I put

into executing the Triple Flip.

It’s hard to find that balance.”

A TEAM EFFORT

SUSPENSIONWith trick evolution rocketing sky-high over the past decade, riders

have reallyhad to be on their game with bike set-up. The G-force in

Josh’s Double Flip alone is enough to blow suspension components if

they’re built incorrectly and not up to the task. Josh has worked closely

with Sydney-based Factory Spec Suspension’s Ken Wheeler to ensure his

KYB air forksand Pro Link KYB shock can handle the hardest of hits.

“My suspension is not that far off the set-up of a supercross bike with

harder compression and slower rebound,” says Josh. “Landing fromthe Double Flip is by far the harshest impact, so as long as I’m set up

correctly for that trick, everything else is fine. I’ve worked with Ken

to get a good base setting so the only thing I have to worry about is

adjusting my bike’s suspension to suit the climate I’m riding in. When it’s

cold, I notice my suspension stiffens, and vice versa in hot temperatures.”

DISSECTED

PROTECTION REDEFINED

CHESTPROTECTION

BACK PROTECTION

SHOULDERPROTECTION

ELBOWPROTECTION

FLANKPROTECTION

Chest and back protection are certified to the highest Level 2 standard

|47 Ventilation slots & perforated 3DF foam for maximum cooling

|Adjustable to help ensure a great fit Integrated Kidney belt | Easy neck brace integ

moisture wicking fabric | Available in S/M - XXL

GET YOUR FULLY INTEGRATED CE CERTIFIED PROTECTION NOW

Also Available in Black

DISTRIBUTED BYCASSONS PTY LTD - AUSTRALIAP: +61(0)2 8882 1900 || F: +61(0)2 8882 1999

E: enquiries@cassons.com.au

W: www.cassons.com.au

COLE SEELY PERFORMS BETTER IN

THE OMEN GOGGLE WITH HAPPY LENSTM.

LEARN HOW AT SPYOPTIC.COM/HAPPY

ENDURO T h e N e w

F a c e O f

WhenAustralia’s first ever ISDE team returned fromthe 1977Czechoslovakia event witha 100%DNF rate, they’dnever have imaginedour Senior, Junior and Women’s teams would clean-sweep the top stepof the podiumat theSlovakian Six-Day in 2015. Nor would theyeverhave imagineda court of law would decide the event’s outcome!

n case you hadn’t heard, Australia did alright at

the recent International Six Days Enduro (ISDE)

in Slovakia. Better than alright, in f act. They

absolutely killed it. Despite a fraction of thefunding and support that many other nations

receive, Australia’s World, Junior and Women’s

Trophy teams all won enduro’s Holy Grail.

It was the third consecutive win for our plucky

Women; the second time in history that our

Junior team won (the debut win being way back in 1995), and

the first win for our World Trophy team. Or was it?

Well, due to what can only be described as incomprehensible

officiating, Australia’s World Trophy team has had to swallow the bitter

pill of beingprovisionally relegated to second place behind France,

pending the outcome of an FIM legal hearing. Yes, it’s a sad day when

sporting events are decided by arcane workings of a legal system on the

other side of the world (and as they say, a slow apology is no apology).But the Aussies remain confident that justice will prevail and that they’ll

finally be recognised as rightful winners of the 2015 ISDE. After all,

that’s exactly how they were regarded by everyone (except the French)

after the French-run FIM’s baffling eleventh-hour “reintegration” of

eight disqualified riders – three of whom were French.

Without getting lost in the rulebook’s fine print or the inexplicable

meddling by legal teams from France’s federation and the FIM, let’s

take a look at the ongoing points of discussion, and try to separate

fact from fiction while this decision hangs in the balance.

ANDY WIGAN MARK KARIYA

2015 ISD

n Day 3, eight riders from five

nations missed a ‘route check’.

But because they didn’t seek (nor

gain) an advantage, they should

never have been disqualified from

the event in the first place.

It’s true that when these eight riders(three of whom were from France’s

World Trophy team) strayed off the

course, they did not take a shortcut,

but in fact rode a longer route before rejoining the course

proper. However, they rode past two “Wrong Way” signs

before finding their way back to the course. Other ISDE

indiscretions – such as a rider checking into a control

early or late – is seldom, if ever, due to a rider seeking

to advance their position. But, irrespective, it’s still

a fundamental mistake for which rules apply. In other

words, accidentally straying off the course and missing

the route check is not a mitigating factor.

The protests against the riders’ disqualifications

were made on the grounds that the course was notproperly marked.

The Clerk of the Course and members of the ISDE’s Jury

went out to inspect the relevant section of the course to

satisfy themselves that it was correctly marked and their

decision to disqualify the riders was the correct one.

After doing that, their decision remained unchanged.

The fact that all 500 riders – including these eight –

The 2014 Enduro 3 World

Champion, Matt Phillips,

got up to his usual antics at

the ISDE. Fans love the guy.

2015 ISDE

followed the correct course that very morning made it all

that much harder to understand why these eight strayed

off-course in the afternoon. It was not a consecutive

batch of riders who ‘followed the leader’ and went the

wrong way, either; the eight were separated by riders

who stuck to the correct course.

Under the rules of the ISDE, missing a ‘route check’

means the rider did not ride the course, which is a fundamental breach of the event’s rules.

One of the founding principles of enduro racing is

that riders must complete the entire course. It’s a

fundamental tenet of the sport, if you like. This stems

from the idea that enduro racing is not simply about

being the fastest rider; it’s also very much about riders

being able to maintain their bike and maintain their

focus while fatigued. Failing to follow the course arrows

is a clear sign that a rider has lost focus. Like waypoints

in the Dakar Rally, ISDE riders have no idea how many

route checks there will be on any given day. These

checks (where a plastic tag on the rider’s handlebars is

clipped by an official) are set up at random places and

times on the course, but will often be immediately after

a tough hillclimb or technical section, where riders riskdamage to themselves or their bikes. The route check in

question on Day 3 was at the end of a particularly gnarly

rock-strewn creek bed, where several riders (Australian

Daniel Milner and Beau Ralston included) derailed

chains or busted radiators. No one is explicitly suggesting

that this implies the riders missed the route check on

purpose, but it illustrates how missing it could materially

In 2013, Slovakia's Košice

was the European Capital

of Culture. In 2015, it copped

a dose of enduro culture.

Josh Green was Australia's

only E1 representative. He

ran a smart and solid fifth

in the class on his Yamaha.

2015 ISD

affect a rider’s chances and the outcome of the race.

All five teams affected by the Day 3

disqualifications (France, USA, Spain, Great

Britain, Italy) protested the decision, so the initial

ruling must have been wrong. Right?

After the riders were reinstated for Day 6, the Italian

team’s management claimed they were pressured into

joining the French team’s protest on Day 3. Subsequent

actions by other teams involved suggested they were

similarly contrite about initially siding with t he French.

Allowing riders to ‘ride under protest’ in no way indicates

that their protest is likely to be evaluated favourably.

Even if the ISDE’s Jury found the eight riders to be

in the wrong, the punishment of disqualification

was too severe.

While some agree with this, it remains completely

besides the point. The rules under which the 2015

event was run allow only one course of action for riders

who failed to follow the course: disqualification. The

penalty is harsh because it reflects how crucial following

the course is to this event. To dole out a more ‘fitting’

punishment would be entirely arbitrary. That’s not to

uttingall thepolitics,

legal proceedingsand

emotional accusations aside,

therewere some incredible

individual performances from

theAustralian riders at thisyear’s ISDE.Here’s a snapshot...

WORLD TROPHY

Afteran event-long ding-dong

battlewith standout American

ISDE debutante,Ryan Sipes,

Australia’sDan Milner had

to settlefor a very narrow

secondin boththe E2class

and Outright. Milner posted

several Outright special test

andday-wins duringthe event.

Matt Phillips and Beau

Ralston finished fifth and

ninth,respectively, in the

E2 class, while Glenn Kearney

(a last-minute call-upto replace

Josh Strang) didbrilliantly on

an unfamiliarbike andnext to

no preparation to run20th inthehotly contestedE2 class.

Josh Green was Australia’s

soleE1-classentrant, andran

fifth Overall.

Lachy Stanford wonthe

E3class Outright onDay1.

Hewenton tofinish sixth

(andthe first four-stroke

rider)in theE3 class.

JUNIOR WORLD TROPHY

Three of Australia’s Junior

Trophy team riders were racing

their first ISDE (Broc Grabham,

Tom Mason andTyeSimmonds).

Thefourthmember of the

Junior team, DanielSanders,

wasracingonly hissecond

ISDE, andthe 20-year-old

stepped up big-time. Hefollowed in (his domestic

teammate)Toby Price’s 2014

footstepsby winningthe

E3 class Overall, andran

an astonishingfourth in

the Outright standings.

In theE2 class, Tye Simmonds

finishedan exceptionally

strong10th. He wasthe second

Junior rider in theclass.

Broc Grabham did well to run

34th in E2 aboard a 300cc

four-stroke machine after a

last-minute change from his

preferred 450cc Sherco

mount, while Tom Mason

posted a commendable

top-20 in the E3 class.

WOMEN’S

WORLD TROPHY

The Slovakian win made it

three in a row, with Team

Australia fielding the same

trio – Jess Gardiner, TaylaJones and Jemma Wilson –

for all three years. This year,

the Aussie women won by more

than 55 minutes over France,

withSweden a further 20

minutes back in third.

Tayla Jones won all six days of

competition and all except two

special tests – which were won

by herteammate, Wilson.

Jemma Wilson rode the entire

event with painful tendonitis

in both wrists to finish a stoic

second Overall in the EW class.

SLOVAKIA S t a n d o u t s I n

2015 ISDE

With a two-minute deficit to the

French, the Aussies rode out of

their skins in the final moto, but

came up one minute short.

Junior team riders, Tom

Mason (#57), Tye Simmonds

(#59) and Broc Grabham

(#56) – three ISDE debutants.

say the rules can’t be changed for subsequent ISDEs. But

for the 2015 installment, the situation is cut and dried.

Take for example the situation when Australia’s Peter

Savage was running alongside his bike as he pushed it to

the starting line of the 1980 ISDE in France, and his heelinadvertently kicked his bike into gear and caused it t o

bump-start the engine. According to the rulebook back

then, prematurely starting your bike meant exclusion

from the event. And that’s exactly what happened to

Savage – in spite of the fact it was widely regarded that

the penalty of was too harsh for this ‘crime’. The incident

prompted a discussion that saw the rule amended for

future ISDEs (the penalty was changed to one minute),

but Savage had to abide by the rules that applied at the

time he raced. In other words, rules and penalties can

be changed, but that needs to happen before an event;

not during or after it. To prepare themselves for the faint possibility that

the French team might be reinstated into the

results, Australia’s team management should have

manually kept tabs on the French riders’ results.

On Days 4 and 5, the French riders were racing under

protest, but seeing as they had been disqualified from

the event, Team France did not appear in the event’s

The Daniel duo – Milner

(left) and Sanders (right) –

were Australia's standout

riders this year in Slovakia.

2015 ISD

results for two days. Individual rider times did appear,

so Australia’s management team went through the

laborious job of manually adding up the combined

total for the disqualified French riders, to determine

the hypothetical position of a reinstated French team.

Given that Team Australia had amassed a 12-minute

lead over the second-place team, Italy, they rode

conservatively on Days 4 and 5 – never once suspecting

that the disqualified riders would be reinstated. Which

is understandable, given the protest against the initial

disqualification had been denied by organisers. Yes, the

Aussies were aware that, hypothetically, the French were

catching them, but it was only when the eight riders were

reinstated prior to Day 6 that anyone realised the French

team were two minutes ahead of the Australians. At that

late stage of t he game – with only Day 6’s final motocross

remaining – it was too late for the Aussies to react to

the “reintegrated” riders and the re-shuffled results.

Riding their hearts out on the final day, the Australians

halved the two-minute deficit to the French, but could

do no more. Remember also that by reinstating the

riders from France, GB, Spain, USA and Italy, Team Italy

was relegated from second to fourth. So they too will

be hanging on the decision of the FIM’s International

Disciplinary Court (CDI). The real question should be

why it took a few days between the decision to disqualify

2015 ISDE

onAtkins hasattended 20

ISDEs. He’s beenan integral

part of Australia’s management team

since 1998, and Team Manager since

2011. So, what did Don make of what

went down in Slovakia? We asked the

quietly spoken enduro tragic to help

put Australia’s stellar performance

– and the event’s officiating – into

clearer perspective for us.

TM: What does the whole

shemozzle boil down to in

your mind, Don?

DA: If a rider wants to race a

motorcycle discipline where he

or she is only judged on being

the fastest, then there are other

disciplines designed for them. If the

rider wants to demonstrate they’re

a more complete package, then

they’ll race enduro. And an absolutely

fundamental part of enduro is

following the course. Having every

rider complete the same course is

the central objective that organisers

of any enduro event work to achieve.

I’m not saying those eight riders

intended to do anything wrong

in Slovakia, but they did. And the

rulebook has very specific penalties

for that – disqualification.

How does the current situation –

where the decision has gone

above the event’s Jury and is

now being played out between

legal teams from the FIM and the

French federation – sit with you?

Not at all well. I find it interesting

that, prior to the event, there’s all thistalk between the countries of there

being “gentleman’s agreements” with

things such as helpers being allowed

to hand bumbags over to riders at

tests, but not putting extra parts or

tools in those bumbags. The next

thing you know, we’ve got lawyers

at 20 paces. I understand that the

process is there to allow for that. But

it remains very unusual that things

escalated so quickly. One minute, it’s

all about doing things for the good

of the sport; the next, the results are

being determined by courts of law.

My understanding is that the FIM’s

International Disciplinary Courtshould have a decision by October

23, but it appears unlikely that

that timeframe will be adhered to.

And until that decision is made,

there is absolutely nothing that

we or Motorcycling Australia can do.

In the 20 years you’ve been

involved with ISDEs, have you even

seen anything like this before?

No, never. Not that I’ve been aware

of, anyway. I’ve seen final motocross

races stopped and punch-ups between

riders and officials, but nothing like

this. I wasn’t aware that this sport

resortedto thoseextremes to sort out

theirproblems.I believe the Jury’s

President threatened to resign over

the way this was dealt with by the

FIM, so that’ll give you a feel for how

unusual these circumstances were.

I am bitterly disappointed about the

direction the sport has been taken.

If it’s any consolation, it seemed

as if an Australian win had the

unanimous support of all other

countries, and that even the

speaking to the Australian team

as rightful winners.

Yes, there was an amazing amount

of support for the Australian World

Trophy team after the French team

was reinstated in the results. That

support came from a range of

countries and officials. That’s nice,

but it’s not a consolation.

There are certainly lots of positives

to take out of Slovakia, though.

Absolutely. And it’s very unfortunate

that this preoccupation with the

protest and appeal process has

taken attention away from the fact

that our Women’s and Junior Trophy

teams both won the event, and

that Australian riders put in some

sensational individual performances.

I know of many long-time Australian

enduro aficionados who have welled

up with emotion about this incredible

achievement. And rightly so. Many

also made reference to the late John

Hall, who took Australia’s first ever

ISDE team to Czechoslovakia in 1977.In 2012, the French won the World,

Junior and Women’s Trophy Teams –

the only time that has been done.

If the decision goes in our favour,

not only would we match that 2012

French result, we’d take it one step

further because we also won a fourth

trophy – the Watling Trophy – this

year, which is awarded to the most

improved nation. I believe four

trophies at one event would be

unprecedented. It’d be a fitting tribute

for the dedication shown by many

people – riders and supporters – in the

Australian off-road scene for years.

What are the odds of Australiabeing belatedly announced as

winners of the World Trophy Team?

I honestly couldn’t say. But if I believe

in enduro and everything it stands

for – and this sport has been a huge

part of my life – then the French

federation’s appeal must be denied

and this win handed to Australia. I

think that, for the good of the sport,

you can’t ignore the rules to that

degree. And to some extent, the future

of the sport depends on the right

decision being made here. Otherwise, it

could establish a damaging precedent.

A c c o r d i n g T o T h eA last-minute call-up to

replace Josh Strang, Glenn

Kearney brought his vast

experience to the team.

It might look like a celebration,

but it was equal parts protest

against being provisionally

relegated to second place.

and reinstate the riders. That’s an untenable situation

in any sporting event, and for everyone involved. The

fact the FIM is an organisation run largely by the French

sure doesn’t help in this situation, either. In the public’s

eyes, it tends to give the FIM a FIFA-like bent quality.

And who’s to say there’s no merit in those views?

By standing on the top step of the podium, and then

walking off (instead of moving to the second step of

the podium), the Australian World Trophy team demonstrated poor sportsmanship.

Well, if that was the case, no one who attended the

presentation (French team and federation aside, that

is) seemed to think so. The Aussies were universally

cheered for their admittedly cheeky statement – a

protest by celebration, if you like. The French team was

universally booed by the large crowd when they finally

took their place on the top step of the podium – which

is unfortunate because the riders themselves had

little to do with the debacle. So, if anything, the poor

sportsmanship came from the crowd, not the Aussies.

Regrettably, things escalated later that night at Košice’s

downtown watering hole where a majority of t eams

and riders congregated. Such was the disgust about the

favouritism that the FIM had seemed to show the French

riders, the multilingual pub descended into a collectivechorus of “Fuck the French! Fuck the French!” for quite

some time. Sadly, in the whirlwind of emotion, even

punches were thrown. By all accounts, it was ugly

and unsavory. And if all the booing at the event’s

presentation didn’t do enough to leave a bad taste

in everyone’s mouth, then the drama that went down

that night at the pub sure did.

2015 ISD

Australia’s largestMotorcycleExpofeaturing the biggestdisplayof newMotorcycles,Scooters, ATV’s, UTV’s & PWC’s. Displaybikes includingCustoms,CafeBikes,Classics, Vintage, Cruisers& SportsPerformance. Plus Accessories, Apparel,Aftermarket products, servicesand a hugeclearance sale. Adult andChildren’sTest Rides, Live MotorcycleEntertainment,SpecialGuests,interactive displaysplus Head2Head EnduroCross.

For tickets andshow informationsvisit www.SydneyMotorcycleShow.com.au

www.facebook.com/SydneyMotorcycleShow

Friday 20th

– Sunday 22nd

November SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARKwww.SydneyMotorcycleShow.com.au

managed by

supported by

presented by

GARYFREEMAN

REDEYE MEDIA, SIMON CUDBY, DAVID BULMER

THE GINGER

ENIGMAyan Villopoto is not only one of the greatest ever

dirt bike racers but, as a ‘lifer’ with both Kawasaki

and Thor, he’s also one of the most loyal. What will

add to RV’s enduring legacy is the fact he achieved

so much success while going bar-to-bar against

astonishingly talented opposition. He’s bettered

guys such as James Stewart, Chad Reed, Ryan

Dungey,and at least one additional emerging star each year –

Trey Canard (2011), Justin Barcia (2013), Ken Roczen (2014),

and many more. It’simpossible to explain how truly remarkable

that is. So his (frankly bizarre) crash at the Grand Prix of

Trentino back in April really wasn’t what any of us were

expecting. It appeared to be a rookie mistake from one ofthe greatest racers of all time; a mistake that, in effect, ended

his career more prematurely than anyone would have liked.

Why did Ryan Villopoto walk away from the

sport at the top of his game? How does he

think he’ll be remembered? Was his ‘Euro

experiment’ a mistake? And what does RV plan

to do with himself now? Transmoto ’s Gary

Freeman took the 27-year-old aside for an

exclusive photo shoot in Belgium, where Ryan

opened up about the strange secrecy that

defined his final 12 months in the sport.

PROFILERYAN VILLOPOTO

THAT LOOP-OUT

It’s all over the Internet if you

fancy re-watching,but in essence

Ryan’s Trentino get-off was a classic

‘loop-out’, leaving him on the deck

and clearly in a lotof pain. Should

he havebacked off and let Desalle

through? In hindsight, probably.

But in the heatof battle, many may

have done thesame.“That crash was definitely weird,”

recalls Ryan. “It wentwrong so

quickly and I don’t remember

exactly what happened. Obviously

I was in themidst of a battle and

clearly madea mistake. I remember

landing off that single jump and the

suspension compressed on landing,

then recoiled. Everything happened

like a ‘perfect storm’ and I wasn’t

ready for it. Before I knew it, I was

upside-down. When I got up, I was

in some pain. It knocked the wind

out of me and made my whole lower

area hurt pretty badly.”

Grand Prix motocross racing is

dangerous, and that hardpacked

Trentino surface gave no mercy

as Villopoto slid off the back of his

factory Kawasaki at full noise. Right

after the crash, Ryan made a fast

exit across the Atlantic – back tothe environment, circle of friends,

acquaintances and professionals he

trusted. While he received a detailed

analysis of his injuries and thought

long and hard about his next move,

speculation went into overdrive.

From a bystander’s point of view,

it looked bad to read ‘Where is

Ryan Villopoto?’ headlines.

Rumour had it no one could get

hold of the American. And they

persisted for months.

“The injury I sustained was a

broken tailbone – my coccyx,” RV

says. “I broke it in four places so that

took a while to heal, and after some

time it was still giving me problems.

There was also soft tissue damage

around the L4 and L5 vertebra,

I believe, so we did work with a

chiropractor and obviously gave it

time to heal. Even now, if I sit on ahard chair or sit for a while and get

up, I can still feel the effects. I’m

told that will last a year. It is what

is and we did what we could, but in

the end it wasn’t going to be enough.

I was off the bike for some time and

to come back and race at this level,

I needed a longer time t o train.

“Yes, I did go quiet for while,” RV

continues, referring to reports that

he went off the radar after that crash.

“But we were trying to figure out

where things were and how much

time would be left in the season if I

returned. The window was closing

and after a while, together with my

trainer Aldon Baker and everyone

else involved, we made a decision.

Sure, it wasn’t as quick as people

would have liked, but there are a

lot of people involved. I had to go

to my personal major sponsorsindividually and talk with them

about a major decision like that,

but I’m happy with the decision

I made. I said before the season

stated that this would be my last

go at racing, win or lose. It didn’t

end up as we all would have liked

it, but it was a good experience

while it lasted. I’ve had knee surgery

three times, but my back injury

meant it was going to take me some

“I broke my coccyx, plusthere was soft tissue

damage around my l4

and l5 vertebrae. I’m told

that i’ll continue to feel

the effects of the injury

for a full year.”

time to come back. People will say

what they’re gonna say. And that’s

fine. Nobody was living it expect for

me, and you’re never going to keep

everybody happy.”

A CASE OF ADAPTATION

So with a massive dose of

disappointment, the motocross

world had to accept that the eagerlyanticipated clash between the most

successful motocross racer in recent

US history and the rest of Europe

was over. But looking back at the

challenges Ryan faced, was he really

going to be World MX Champion

in 2015 when he was embracing a

new team, new bike, new tracks,

new countries and new cultures.

Was he really that good to be able to

overcome the changes to his routine

and still win?

“Yeah, it was different. Living

here in Europe and the travelling

to the first couple of overseas races

was different. Infact, everything

about it was different. Not one single

thing was the killer; it was just a

combination of everything, and

every little thing adds up. Over here

though, we were like, ‘Shit, we gotta

drive six hours to France because it’sraining here’ or ‘We’ve gotta go find

a hardpacked track’. So it was very,

very different from week to week to

week. It was never routine, but that’s

part of the game over here and the

riders are used to that.”

And what about the criticisms

that RV’s bike set-up was way off the

mark for the generally slower MXGP

tracks early in the season? “Looking

back at bike set-up, we knew it

was going to be a big undertaking,”

explainsRV. “I don’t think we knew

itwas going tobe so different. In

the States, we havemassivebraking

bumps cominginto theturns and

you guys have massive acceleration

bumps coming out of the turns. So

it’s flip-flopped. Sure, the GP circuits

have braking bumps, but I’ve found

most of the big stuff you set your

bike up for is acceleration bumps.Tracks are rough all over the world,

but there are definitely more choppy

bumps in Europe, so it calls for a

totally different bike set-up. It was

also tough fitting into a new team

because I’d only been with two teams

in my whole career. I rode for Mitch

Payton on a 250 team, but it was

only that 250 team. I was there for

my whole 250-class career and then

on the Factory Kawasaki team for

mywhole450 career. That being

thecase, comingto a differentteam

was a steep learning curve in itself.”

SLUGGISH START

So the gate dropped in Qatar – race

one, GP one and RV was left on

the start line with a stalled engine.

Unconfirmed rumours suggested

an electrical fault was to blame,but this left RV with a heck of a

challenge to hack his way through a

fast-disappearing pack. He was up

to 13th by lap five, posting lap times

that would have easily put him up

with the leaders, but a small crash

lost him five places. He finished

the race in ninth, a minute behind

eventual winner, Max Nagl. RV

finished the second moto in eighth,

which gave him seventh Overall, but

he was alreadya full moto’s points

adrift of Naglgoing into the second

GP in Thailand. He won that GP’s

Overall with a 1-3result, winning the

qualifying raceby a staggering 33

seconds, and the first moto by more

than10 seconds. By race two though,

he seemed to haveblown out;

starting in fourth place and moving

up to thirdon lap three, and staying

there for the remainder of the race.

“Weknow that Qatar didn’t go as

planned,but there are races back

homein the States that didn’t go

as planned too,” explains RV. “I

didn’t planon crashing in Seattle

andtearing my ACL,for example.

Nothing is planned.It is what it is.

Things happen. I won in Thailand

andI was adjusting to the two-day

format. Sure, I probably could have

donesome things differently for

the second moto. I’ve trained, raced

andwon in hotter conditions, but

I’vebeen usedto it. But most of us

arrived in Qatar andThailand from

Europe, where we were still riding

in sweatshirts. It’s the shock factor

goingfrom one temperature to

anotherthat’sthe tough thing.

“I’ve beenbeaten at a lot of

differentplaces and won a lot ofchampionships, and you’re never

goingto win every race,” he goes

onto say. “Losing is a part of game

as well as winning. The year didn’t

turnout like we would have liked

it to,but that’s justthe way it is. At

firstit’s a big bummer, but you get

over it. As a racer there’s always

ups and downs,valleys and peaks.

You ridethe wavewhen it’s bitchin’,

andwhen it’s no goodyou make do.

Looking back at my GP racing, I

don’t regret beingbeaten at this or

that race. In fact,I won the second

GP of the season. So although I onlyhada short go at it,I think I fared

pretty well.If anyone wants to think

otherwise, thenflip the situation

and goto the USandrace.”

EUROPE vs AMERICA

There’s beenan age-old war of

words between these two motocross

worlds, but the general consensus

is that the standardof the AMA

and World Championship riders is

now closer than ever. Some suggest

this narrowing speed differential

is simply because of the internet

and the ease in which ‘information

sharing’ has allowed learning that

was not previously possible. For

example, when Team USA’s ‘dream

team’ of David Bailey, Ricky Johnson

and Johnny O’Mara trounced the

opposition at the 1986 MXoN in

Maggiora, they showed speed, style

and, most importantly, technique

that could not have been known and

emulated in Europe – other than

by going to the USA and observing

it first-hand, of course. These days,

riders can tune into an endless

supply of online video content that

givesa virtual first-hand insight into

who’s doing what and how.Take the

Bubba Scrub. Does a scrub photo

really demonstrate how it’s done?

Photos were all we used to have,

and once a team such as the 1986 US

MXoN entry arrived with a host of

tricks and killer speed, all the Euros

could do is watch ... and lose! Not so

nowadays. But how does RV view the

modern-day differences between American and European motocross?

“The GP guys aren’t any better

than we are in the States, and we’re

not any better than the GP guys,”

says RV. “It’s just a different lifestyle

and racing style. And the tracks

develop differently. We can take any

one of these Euro guys and most

of them probably wouldn’t make a

few laps around a supercross track.

It’s just that different. You might

have a few French riders who ride

supercross better than most, but the

bottom line is there’s not a whole lot

of Euros who head that way because

it’s tough, difficult and different.

And vice versa – there’s not many

Americans who come this way.”

LIFE BEYOND RACING

Even now, it’s still hard to believe

that at the age of 27, RV has retired

and the dream of seeing him over in

Europe, trading blows with the top

GP guys, is tough to let go of. It’s like

an action movie ending before the

first car chase. But perhaps we ought

to give the guy a break. He’s human

after all and he clearly wants to quit

while fit and live the rest of his life

in relative peace with the financial

security that a successful racing

career has brought.

“There’s a whole lot more to life

than living on the road and racing,”

RV says without any skerrick of

doubt in his voice. “I set goals and

I’ve reached them, and I’ve made

enough money to be able to stop. So

I want to quit while I’m ahead. I canlook back and see what I’ve done and

the sport’s been really good to me.

Racing motorcycles is something I

did, but that’s not my life. In racing,

I gave it all and I’ve sacrificed a lot to

be one of the best. I didn’t set out to

be that, and for me there’s a whole

lot more than just racing. I think

there are things I’ve missed out on

and I’ll be able to go and do those

now. The number one thing for me

is to be able to spend time with the

rest of my family – y’know, going

home when there are birthdays and

all the grandkids are growing up.

“Looking back, my dad was always

pushing me as a kid. My family

invested a lot of money in my racing,

so I couldn’t stop even if I wanted

to. I never thought about stopping

racing back when I was Amateur

though. I was okay at that level, but

then I turned Pro and gained a lot of

speed really quickly. And as I didn’t

finish school, I really had nothing to

fall back on. Racing was my job and

I had to make it work. What else was

I going to do? What else could I have

done? I know there’s some kids out

there who watch things on TV and

say ‘I wanna do that’, but that wasn’t

me. Sure, there’ve been times when

it’s been really good. But there’ve

also been really bad times. I’ll always

ride. But racing is something that I

did, and that’s over now.”

RV’s LEGACY

So the curtain’s come down on RV’s

superb career, but how will he be

viewed in the sport’s history books?

Has he done enough to stack upagainst the mighty Ricky Carmichae

or supercross legend Jeremy

McGrath? What do they think of RV

Does he care?

“I always looked up to McGrath.

He was the guy. I’d go to supercross

races as a kid and that’s who we’d

watch. I don’t consider Ricky as

the G.O.A.T. He was one of the

greatest of all time. So was McGrath

They’re both great in their own

way, in slightly different eras. The

accomplishments Ricky and Jeremy

both have to their names is huge.

“How RC or McGrath rate me,I don’t know,” RV goes on to say

matter-of-factly. “I don’t want to say

I don’t care, but everyone has their

own opinions. Some people like me,

some people were never a fan. But

that’s the way it’s gotta be.”

What about James Stewart –

clearly one of the fastest of all time,

but perhaps an unfulfilled potential?

How does RV rate him?

“James Stewart, I dunno. That’s a

“My decision to stop racingdidn’t come quickly. But i feltthat i had to go to my majorsponsors individually and talkwith them about it personally

before making any publicannouncement.”

2014 – 1st AMA Supercross

2013 – 1st AMA Motocross

2012 – 10th Monster Energy Cup

2011 – 1st Monster Energy Cup

2011 – 1st Motocross of Nations

2011 – 1st AMA Motocross

2010 – 4th AMA Supercross

2009 – 2nd US Open of Supercross

2009 – 6th AMA Supercross

2008 – 1st 250 Motocross

2008 – 2nd Supercross Lites East

2007 – 1st Supercross Lites West

2006 – AMA Supercross/Motocross Rookie of the Year

2006 – 3rd Supercross Lites West

2005 – AMA Sports Horizon Award

2005 – 20th 125 Motocross

2004 – 1st 105cc Supermini 12-15 Youth Regional

2004 – 1st 85cc Modified 14-15 Youth Regional

2003 – 2nd 105cc Supermini 12-15 Loretta Lynn’s

2003 – 2nd 85cc Modified 14-15 Loretta Lynn’s

National

2003 – 1st 105cc Supermini 12-15

Amateur & Youth Regional

2003 – 1st 85cc Modified 14-15

Amateur & Youth Regional

2002 – 2nd Amateur National Championship

85cc (Modified & Stock classes)

2002 – 1st NMA 85cc Open

RYAN VILLOPOTO – CAREER SNAPSHOT

any of us are aware that Ryan Villopoto has won five AMA Supercross titles (250cc in 2007, and 450cc in 2011/12/13/14) and five AMA Motocross titles

(250cc in 2006/07/08, and 450cc in 2011 and 2013). But what about the rest of the achievements that aren’t as apparent? Here’s the full complementof standout results you’ll find on RV’s bulging CV:

“In the states,

we have massive

braking bumps

whereas the

european tracks

have massive

acceleration

bumps and

much more chop.

That’s what

made bike set-up

more difficult

initially.”

question journalists ask – unfulfilled

this or that? Okay, well why don’t

you put the shoes, or boots, on the

other foot. Why aren’t you doing it?

Because you can’t. I get it. James

could probably be the best if he put

his head down and did what he had

to do. But that’s the way it goes.

That’s what makes different riders

great at different times. So if people

want to call anybody out who’s at our

level, they ought to do it themselves

and then see how it is.”It’s easier to leave than to be

left behind, because leaving when

the crowd wants more is a sure

way to be remembered at your

best. But leaving a sport that’s been

a part of your everyday life for so

long must be tough. However much

you put on a brave face, surely RV

will miss racing. Or will he? It may

be partly true that Ryan’s choices

denied his US fans a final farewell

anddeprivedthe Europeans to

witness the promised showdown

between two great moto continents.

But with Tony Cairoli, Clement

Desalle and Max Nagl all sidelined

through injury, and Gautier Paulin

all struggling to find form this

season, anRV title winwith so

many top guys MIA may not

have been the showdown we’d

all hoped for anyway.

“Had I continued, people

would say it wasn’t fair because

Tony Cairoli got hurt. You’re never

gonna keep everybody happy,”

reflects Ryan. “Some people in the

States were bummed to see me g o

to Europe in my last year of racing.

But they got to see me race a lot. I

think it was good for both parties

and most of the people over here

were pretty excited that I came.

“There’s always going to be

something you miss. Supercross is a

different animal for sure. It’s nothing

like Outdoors or GPs. Supercross

is cool. But to be that good, to bethe guy ... well, look what I had to

do. That takes a lot of work. Sure I

could have done things differently

in some areas. But my career has

been one of the better ones. There

are not many guys who can say

they can make a living, and a life,

from racing. I couldn’t ask for any

more. It’s a dangerous sport and

I’m healthy. Things can happen

even when it’s not your fault so

“Outdoors, the gp guys aren’t any

better than we are in the states,

and we’re not any better than

the gp guys. But most of these

euro guys probably wouldn’t

make a few laps around asupercross track.”

PROFILRYAN VILLOPOT

I’mhappy with the way it’s turned

out.But whenyou decide to stop, the

window shuts very quickly because

you have to be at such a high level

to compete.And if you’re not at that

level, you’re just putting yourself at

risk.When youstop, you stop. I’m

not saying you can’t come back, but

you’vegotta be sharp to race.”

There’s bravado in RV’s voice as

he clinicallydissectshis exit from

racing life, but are there any regrets?

“I’d won pretty much every

championship there was to win in

the States,” he says. “So no regrets

about my GP decision. It was cool tosee and experience different things

overhere.I’llstillbe involvedwith

the team and Kawasaki and my

sponsors in the States. I’m already

getting calls to ride the 2016 bike, soI can now experience both sides of it.

ButI’ll alwaysbe a fanof racing.”

Although it’s impossible to know

whether Ryan Villopoto would have

become World Champion, it wasa fascinating, if brief, moment in

motocross history that may never

be repeated.

Ryan’s trainer Aldon Baker

once said, “The more you can

keep changes as small as possible,

the better.” In essence, change

was Ryan’s biggest challenge to

overcome in Europe, but he was

learning fast and clearly improving

at each race. True champions find

a way to win, and RV had already

won some tough battles. But the

outcome of his war in Europe

will never be known. In fact, the

speculation it’s given rise to will

only add to RV’s ongoing enigma –the ginger enigma.

RIDER TOTAL SX WINS SX CLASS (250/450) LITES CLASS (125/250)

Jeremy McGrath 85 72 13

James Stewart 68 50 18

Ricky Carmichael 60 48 12

Ryan Villopoto 52 41 11

Chad Reed 50 44 6

Kevin Windham 30 18 12

Ricky Johnson 28 28 n/a

Bob Hannah 27 27 n/a

Ryan Dungey 26 14 12

Damon Bradshaw 25 19 6

RV’s TOTAL CAREER WINS...

11 wins in 125/250 AMA Supercross (Regional)– x1in 2006, x7in 2007, x3in 2008.

20 wins in 125/250 AMA Motocross – x6in 2006, x5in 2007, x9in 2008.

41 wins in 250/450AMA Supercross – x2 in2009,x7 in2010, x6in 2011, x9in 2012,x10in 2013, x7in 2014.

12 wins in 250/450AMA Motocross – x1 in2009,x3 in2011, x8in 2013.

73total AMAwins – x6 in 2006,x5 in 2007, x9 in 2008, x3 in 2009, x7 in 2010, x9 in 2011, x9 in 2012, x18 in 2013, x7 in 2014.

1 win in MXGP – x1 in 2015.

“I don’t consider ricky CARMICHAELas the g.O.A.T. He was one of

the greatest of all time. So

was mcgrath. They’re both

great in their own way.”

SUPERCROSS WINS...

NO ONE KNOWS YAMAHA BETTERWHY RISK AFTERMARKET WHEN YOU CAN FIT GENUINE YAMAHA PARTS & ACCESSORIES?

FACTORY-DEVELOPED GUARANTEED FIT & PERFORMANCE

AVAILABLE FROM YOUR AUTHORIZED YAMAHA DEALER OR Y-SHOP ONLINE:

Genuine Parts & Accessories // Performance // Protection // Plastics // Handlebar Controls // Decals & Graphics // Stands, Ramps & Mats

YOUR 2016 WRF CHECKLIST:

........

Yamaha EFI Power Tuner........................................

GYTR Offroad Flywheel ...........................................

GYTR Alloy Sump Guard (silver or black) .............

GYTR Radiator Cage Set ........................................

GYTR Graphics Set ....................................................

GYTR High Flow Air Filter......................................

Yamaha Tall or Low Complete Seat....................

Or whatever else takes your fancy from your

Authorized Yamaha Dealer or the easy-to-

navigate Y-Shop.

If you got it into your head that you wanted a new 250cc

Yamaha enduro bike for Christmas, 2014, your options

were very limited. Sure, there was the venerable old five-

valve WR250F, but that model hadn’t really been updated

since 2007 and had largely fallen off trail and enduro riders’

radars. Or, in a quiet corner of a rural dealer, you might have

found a decade-old YZ250WR in cobwebs – one of those

locally converted YZ250s that came with ADR, but little

else that suggested it was seriously adapted for enduro use.

Just a year later, however, Yamaha fans are spoiled for

choice. If you’re shopping for a 250cc bush-savvy Yamaha this

Christmas, you’re suddenly presented with four options – two

four-strokes and two two-strokes – each of which has been

carefully adapted to work off-road. Yes, the boys in

blue overalls have been busy; not only with building

all-new models, but with developing cross-country

variations of them too. From the ADR-compliant WR250F,

through to the ready-to-race, cross-country YZ250FX,

YZ250X and YZ250XR, Yamaha boasts a formidable

off-road model line-up for 2016; at a time that just happens

to coincide with the brand’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

But how do you decipher which of these machines is

best suited to you? How do they ride compared with the

motocross models they’re based on, and with each other?

What do they cost? And are they in need of any immediate

mods? With Mackay’s Gum Valley venue housing adjacent

motocross and enduro tracks, it was the perfect test

venue to get some answers to those questions.

SPOILT CHOICEIn the space of just one year, Yamaha has gone from having nothing of note in the

250cc enduro bike segment to four models. We compared these machines witheach other, and with the motocross models they are each derived from.

ANDY WIGAN iKAPTUREIMAGES, ANDYWIGAN

2016 YAMI 250

WHAT IS IT?

The easiest way to think of the

2016 YZ250FX is as a hybrid

version of Yamaha’s 2015-model

YZ250F and WR250F. Essentially,

it’s a WR250F with firmer

suspension settings, a YZ250F

exhaust system (with mapping to

suit) and no lights or wiring harness.

Or,if you’d prefer, it’s a YZ250F with

a six-speed gearbox, an electric-start

and an 18-inch rear wheel.

Whichever way you look at it,

the FX sits somewhere between

its enduro motocross cousins;

a pared-down, lighter version

of the WR250F, designed with

serious racers in mind.

RRP: $11,499

2016 UPGRADES

Updated graphics.

HOW’S IT RIDE?

Compared with the WR250F, the

most obvious difference with the

FX is how much quicker it responds

to throttle inputs. With a less

restrictive exhaust, shorter gearing

(13/51) and mapping that’s much

closer to the motocross model’s, the

FX gets into the meat of its power

noticeably lower in the rev range.

It comes on with more punch and is

much happier to be short-shifted,

which is great for hillclimbs and

flowing singletrail where you’d

rather not be going up and down

through the gearbox.

Like the WR250F, the FX’s

chassis has a sweet combination

of sharp steering at low speeds

and sure-footage stability at pace,

and its suspension package feels

closer to a purpose-built enduro

bike than a full-blown motocrosser.

THE 2016 YZ250FXTHE FOUR-STROKES...

2016 YAMI 250s

But with less weight attached to its

handlebars (it has a number plate in

place of the headlight, and no full-

wrap hand guards), the FX’s chassis

has a more flickable feel. It might

not float over a bunch of small rocks

quite as effortlessly as the WR250F,

but it remains super-predictable and

doesn’t deflect off trail obstacles the

way a motocross bike tends to. And

with more bottoming resistance at

both ends, it keeps its composure on

big hits and jump landings, even in

the hands of heavier riders.

Interestingly, the FX’s 56N/mm

shock spring is actually firmer than

the 54N/mm coil used in both its

YZ250F and WR250F cousins. Why?

Because the 56N/mm spring works

better on the big, square-edged hits

and logs (that generally aren’t found

lying across a motocross track), plus

it needs to carry both a battery and

the average trail or cross-country

pilot who – including gear, gut and

Camelbak – is generally heavier than

the average MX2-class jockey.

FIRST MODS

Removeair filter frame’s mesh to

improve airflow (andre-map).

Fit YMA’s $500 Cross-Country

Kit, which includes a set of

hand guards, headlight, horn,

steel-braided brakeline, rear

tail-light/stoplight and a GYTR

alloy bashplate. In effect, the kit’s

components allows you to ride

the bike legally in states that offer

recreational rego.

WHO’S IT SUIT?

If you’re a dedicated off-road racer,

the FX is the obvious choice over

the WR250F – and not just because

it comes without all the superfluous

ADR componentry. The FX is lighter,

more firmly sprung and comes with

a punchier, more responsive engine.

At $11,499, not only does it cost $700

less than the 2016 WR250F; you’ll

also save another lump of coin by

not having to immediately buy a less

restrictive aftermarket muffler for

the thing. The same rationale applies

to those of you who are lucky enough

to live where Rec Rego rules apply

– especially if you’re an experienced

and/or heavier rider because you can

push the FX hard with confidence

in the bush, and happily carry that

aggression over to the motocross

track. The idea of a user-friendly

YZ250F with the convenience of

an electric leg will surely appeal to

older motocross riders too.

WHAT IS IT?

It’s the second year-model of the

all-new machine that arrived in early

2015. The bike is based heavily on

Yamaha’s new-generation YZ250F

(sharing its four-valve, reverse-

oriented engine, rolling chassis,

suspension components and ergos),

but gets a six-speed transmission,

18-inch rear wheel, electric-start,

lights, and a swag of other engine and

suspension mods specifically aimed

at adapting it for off-road terrain.RRP: $12,199

2016 UPGRADES

Aside from the new black rims,

nothing is new for 2016. That said,

Australia and New Zealand are the

only markets in the world where the

2016 WR250F will be available in

Yamaha’s 60th Anniversary yellow

livery. In fact, it’s only available in

yellow for our market in 2016 – a

YMC Japan tip-of-the-hat to the

blue personnel in Oz and NZ who’ve

played a pivotal role in developing

this machine over the past 15 years.

HOW’S IT RIDE?

With only a colour change for

2016, the new bike rides just like

the 2015 one does. In short, it’s

light, agile, balanced, brilliantlysuspended, and comes with excellent

brakes and an engine that’s an

aftermarket pipe away from being

race-ready. The real magic in this

machine is not just its ability to

turn sharply in tight terrain, but

the fact its chassis remains so

stable and sure-footed at high

speeds. Whether you throw the

bike into a gnarly rock garden, land

off an erosion mound into a series

of jagged ruts, or whack a loose rock

midway though a corner with the

bike cranked over, the WR250F has

an uncanny ability to hold its line.

And if you head toTransmoto’s

website and watch the footage

of Luke Clout and Jay Wilson –

Australia’s 2014 and 2015 MX2-

class MX Nats champs – going at

it around Gum Valley, you’ll see

that the WR250F is no slouch

around a motocross track, either.

FIRST MODS

A less restrictive and lighter

aftermarket muffler.

Remove air filterframe’s mesh

to improve airflow (andre-map).

A multi-function digital speedo

(with an hour-meter function).

WHO’S IT SUIT?

The average trailrider will find

that this bike turns every corner,

every erosion mound and every

ride into a hoot-inducing play

session – no matter what the

terrain. The suspension is plush

over small bumps without

wallowing, and yet its damping

progression is so good, 85-90kg

riders will rarely get either end

to bottom. While Pro racers will

be happy with the standard shock,they’ll want firmer fork springs

and an aftermarket muffler

(to release the potential in the

machine’s fuel-injected, reverse-

oriented, four-valve powerplant).

But if national-level off-road

competition is your bag, you’re

likely to be better off buying a

cross-country-specced YZ250FX.

L O G O N T O

For an insight into Yamaha’s new-generation 2016 WR450F that’s was unveiled in mid-October, but won’t go on sale in Australia until January, 2016 (in both blue and 60th anniversary yellow options).

THE 2016 WR250FTHE FOUR-STROKES...

2016 YAMI 250

WHAT IS IT?

Unlike the half-arsed off-road

conversions Yamahaperformed on

itsYZ250in thelate 1990s and early

2000s, this 2016-model YZ250X

is the realdeal. It’s Yamaha’s first

factory off-roadconversion for the

YZ250, indicating the companyis

nowserious about properlyadapting

theirmuch-loved two-stroke MXer

for off-road use.

The YZ250X runsan identical

frame, subframe,ergos and

bodywork as the motocross bike

it’s based on. Butthe X’s engine

comes in formajorchanges, andthe

KYB fork and shock getdifferent

internalsand much-revised damping

settings. Comparedto the YZ250,

the X’s powerplant usesa different

barrel, head, CDI,YPVS power-valve

setting, expansion chamber, clutch

springs and radiators, and puts its

power to the ground through a new

wide-ratio five-speed transmission

and18-inch rearwheel.

YMA alsoplans to release a

variant of this model, which they’re

calling the YZ250XR – with the “R”

designating Rec Rego. The XR comes

with YMA’s Rec Rego kit (detailed

for the YZ250FX on page 60) and

costs an extra$500.

RRP:$10,499(YZ250X),

$10,999 (YZ250XR).

2016 UPGRADES

The entire two-strokemachine is

new for 2016 – in it s off-road

guise anyway.

HOW’S IT RIDE?

After jumping off any of the four-

strokes, it immediately strikes

you not only how light, slim and

agile the YZ250X feels, but how

neutral its chassis balance is.

The 250X doesn’t pitch its weight

forward under engine braking

or squat excessively in the rear-

end under acceleration, and that

front-to-rear composure is very

confidence inspiring.

But how does it compare to

the YZ250 on which it’s based?

Well, as much as the YZ250

was perfectly jetted and pulled

seamlessly from low in its rev

range, it was a real handful around

the enduro loop. The close-ratio

gearbox and punchy power meant

you were constantly dancing on

the shifter or struggling to find

traction, while its fir m, MX-spec

suspension and 19-inch rear wheel

made the bike almost unrideable

though the rock-strewn creekbed.

All of which highlighted just

how far removed the 2016 YZ250X

is from the MX bike it’s derived

from. With its completely revised

powerplant, the X generates much

broader, smother and torquey power

and, combined with its noticeably

wider-ratio transmission, gets that

power to the ground a lot more

effectively. It still retains that punch

THE 2016 YZ250X (& YZ250XR)THE TWO-STROKES...

2016 YAMI 250

PROFILECHAD REED

RESUMES

The end of the 2015 AMA

season sent Chad Reed into an

intervention and a reinvention.

The world around him dictated

that his impactful, inspiring effort with

TwoTwo Motorsports had to be wound up,

and that left him shopping for a new bike

brand and fighting back questions about

his age. But these are familiar battles for

Reed, who has risen above such challenges

time and again. And as he relaunches

himself at the much-hyped AUS-X Open

at Allphones Arena in Sydney at the end

of November, he’ll find another familiar

challenge ahead: James Stewart, the other

half of the greatest rivalry in the history

of the sport. Stewart is also coming

Down Under for AUS-X Open, and also

relaunching his career after a 16-month

suspension handed down by the FIM.

Yep, times change, but Reed versus

Stewart never does.Transmoto’s USA

Correspondent, Jason Weigandt,

spoke with Reedy to get his take on the

rivalry, the race, and whether the word

‘retirement’ has entered his vocabulary.

On the eve of Chad Reed’s homecoming for the AUS-X Open

in Sydney, our exclusive interview with the 33-year-old

Aussie suggests little has changed. After 14 AMA seasons,

he’s still outspoken, fired up and ready to do battle with

his longest-standing racing rival, James Stewart.

JA N W EI AND

SIMON CUDBY,

Chad Reed and James

Stewart battling in Australia.

Sounds like this will be an epic

event. What even led you to do

this racein thefirst place?

CR:I always tryto do one race in

Australia peryear, I obviously have a

massivefollowing there and it’s were

my rootsare. Also it’s the one excuse

I get to guarantee myself that I get

to seemy family and friends. I was in

theloop withthe project before it wasevena reality, and I think with the

currentstate of racing in Australia –

from where it was when I raced there,

to whenI wasinvolved with the series

as a promoter, to where things are now

– thatthis is a sustainable event for the

future.It’srun at Allphones Arena, in

the OlympicPark precinct of Sydney,

andI’m excitedabout it.

You first rana ‘prototype’ of the

TwoTwo team at the Super X series

in Oz in 2010, and it seemed like

that vibe carried you forward,

even into the US scene.

Racing in the off-season is one thing

that I wanted to do more of this

year. When you do motocross and

supercross in the US, you’re on one

schedule, and it’s based on trying to get

as much rest and as little travel as you

can. That’s how gnarly the season is. In

my situation, as soon as I found out I’d

miss the rest of the Outdoors, I knew

I could do things like this, and yeah,I think it does help rejuvenate you

moving forward. It’s going to be fun.

Were you part of the process to

bring James over?

I wasn’t a part of James coming over,

but I’m supportive of it. James and

I obviously have a ton of history. It’s

going to be neat for Australian fans

to have James and I down there

together, that’s for sure.

Yeah, but where are you guys right

now? Will you have to avoid each

other during every moment of the

trip, or can you stand in the same

spotlight? So much has happened

between you two at this point, so

is it possible to coexist?

It’s been a never-ending thing between

him and me. One minute we’re cool,

the next minute we’re not. It is what

it is. We’re just competitive. You have

two individuals who have been around

for the same amount of time. My first

year in the US was his first year as aPro, and neither one of us want to lose.

That’s it. That’s all it is. The end result

is that we’re always finding each other

on the race track, and that’s a good

thing. That’s healthy. There’s a reason

why the two of us are by far the two

Transmoto Dirt Bike

Documents

Transcript of Transmoto Dirt Bike

DIRT BIKE RACING By Erik Palmer Dirt Bike Racing By: Erik Palmer.

The Best Places to Dirt Bike in the U.S

Dirt Bike U.S.a.

DR70 Dirt Bikemanuals.monsterscooterparts.com/recreational/Baja/DirtBikes/manual... · DR70 Dirt Bike. Your bike is warranted to be free of manufacturing defects in material and workmanship

Dirt Bike Radiator Hose Kits

Buy Mini Dirt Bike - Arlington Power Sports

How to buy the Best Dirt Bike

Transmoto: The Dirt Journals - The Chad Reed Interview

Transmoto: The Dirt Journals - Enduro-X Special Edition

Product Information - ombwarehouse.com · Baja Web > Product Information > Parts Lists > DIRTBIKE > DR150-XR Xmoto 150cc Dirt Bike (VIN PREFIX L98B) DR150-XR Xmoto 150cc Dirt Bike

Dirt Bike Riding

DX70/DX110 Dirt Bike OWNER’S MANUAL - Gardner Inc Runner_Dirt... · II Congratulations on your purchase of a Baja Motorsports dirt bike. Your dirt bike is warranted to be free of

How to ride a dirt bike through sand

Dirt Bike Riding By. Alex Gunde Dirt Bike Riding By. Alex Gunde.

Transmoto Exclusive - Kirk Gibbs Reanimated

Transmoto 8Hour Dargo...Printed: 18/04/2016 4:17:14 PM Esquire 1 The Lord Orbits Licensed to: Motorcycling NSW Limited Transmoto 8Hour Dargo All Competitors Transmoto 8 Hour Dargo

Transmoto 6-Hour In Pictures

Illegal ATV, Dirt Bike Riders

FORT RILEY ATV & DIRT BIKE REGULATIONS AND … Riding/fort... · FORT RILEY ATV & DIRT BIKE REGULATIONS AND INFORMATION FORT RILEY ATV & DIRT BIKE OPERATIONS GUIDE For more information

Dirt Bike School: Tips and Practice Guide