Ferrandis Feeling Upbeat

Pace promising for Star Racing rider at ninth round of season.

Image: Octopi Media.

Improvements at Unadilla have Dylan Ferrandis certain he’s ‘back to normal’ after the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider delivered his best performance of the 450MX season yet over the weekend.

Former champion Ferrandis commenced the ninth round of the 2023 Pro Motocross season by qualifying seventh fastest and made a decent start to moto one to feature in the top-five early on.

From there he progressively worked his way forward and capitalized on a mistake from Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) to move into second with three laps to go, then charging to within just 1.690s of race-winner Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) come race’s-end.

An issue with his holeshot device saw his start negatively impacted in moto two and he was P8 at the conclusion of the opening lap. The number 14 made his way to third, where he would ultimately finish the race, to secure his 14th moto podium of the season and P3 overall on the day.

“You know, some races like Washougal, I was not really feeling great and didn’t really have the speed, but I was getting the holeshot,” Ferrandis said. “This track, I was feeling great today and trying to get a holeshot… I broke my holeshot device. I don’t know what broke, but it broke like two feet after the gate and obviously, the bike wheelied and it was over.

“Yeah, lack of luck. I don’t why it happened today, it sucked, but it is what it is. Then I was dead-last to the first turn and I had to come back from behind. Still, a better day for me, it was the first race of the season that I was able to fight the Honda boys and I feel like myself.

“I feel like I was back to my normal riding style, normal speed and yeah, it feels good because at some points I was like ‘maybe I’m over, maybe I don’t know how to ride a dirt bike anymore’. I was pretty sure it was more bike set-up than anything, but after so many bad races you start to question yourself.

“We used this break after Washougal, we had a meeting with the team and realized I was struggling with the bike and I wanted to try some specific parts. We did, they agree and, obviously, I was right – the bike is way better, the set-up is way better. It fits my riding style and fits exactly what I was looking for, for a long time.

“I think I proved to myself that I still know how to ride a dirt bike fast and now, with more confidence and more time on the new set-up, maybe for the next two rounds I can give a shot to the boys next to me [Jett Lawrence and Chase Sexton].”

The 2021 450MX championship winner is second in the standings with four motos remaining, as the gates drop on the penultimate round of the series this Saturday at Budds Creek.

Barcia Blasts a 2 Stroke!

Wow, there is nothing better than ripping wide open on a 300 2-stroke. We had an awesome day at the Berg's backyard track. No stopwatch, no pressure; just fun. We shot this video on our own time FOR FUN because we love dirt bikes and want to share how we ride them. Go ride your bike!!

If you’ve attended an AMA Supercross or Pro Motocross race since 2009, chances are you’ve seen or at least heard Justin Barcia on the track. The New York native is known for his aggressive style, whether it be making passes or contact with his competitors and revving the daylights out of his bike. Suffice it to say Barcia has spent more time on the rev limiter than any current professional supercross and motocross racer.

The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas Factory Racing rider doesn’t limit his full-throttle style to just four-strokes though. Barcia recently swung a leg over a 2023 GasGas MC 250 equipped with a 300 Factory Kit from the Austrian brand’s Technical Accessories catalog and took it for a ride around his friend Jack Berg’s backyard track—wide open, of course. Check out the video above to watch Bam Bam in action on the carbureted big-bore smoker.

Starts Matter...Works Connection Delivers!

An unbelievable perfect rookie season for @jettson18 wrapping it up early at Unadilla! #ProLaunchStartDevice

Jett Wraps Up the Title!

  

Jett Lawrence has done it, delivering the AMA 450 Motocross Championship in his rookie season following back-to-back 250 National Motocross Titles. Rookie titles are rare, but they happen, even as recently as Dylan Ferrandis in 2021. This one feels exceptional, though, because Jett has remained perfect in the 450 class so far, winning every race he’s entered, and he just turned 20 years old. This could be just the beginning of a huge run.

With all that positivity, it becomes easy to forget that this wasn’t a foregone conclusion. It wasn’t easy. In fact, Jett’s road was not only hard, but harder than most. He talked about all of it in the post-race press conference.

Jett, amazing season so far. Championship. So, what’s it feel like to continue with the streak and the championship as a rookie?
Jett Lawrence: Unreal day. I’ve always liked coming to this track. I feel like when they rip it like how they do normally, it’s an unreal track. It kind of brings back almost European vibes with all the ruts and that stuff. It’s pretty cool to see what I’ve done so far. It’s cool. Coming in [to the season], mentally I was like, I know I can do those guys’ pace, it’s whether I can beat them or not or if I have the knowledge. After the first few rounds I kind of—it wasn’t confidence, but I just started to know, I just need to get my starts and kind of just think it through more. It’s good because a lot of the media guys on the podcasts and that stuff doubted me, saying I'm going to have one of those rookie seasons where I may crash and that stuff. I mean, the last person I remember getting a championship in their rookie season dominating was the guy next to me [Dylan Ferrandis]. So I had that as my goal. It was hard with him in there, and Chase. Definitely tough competitors. They have that never-die in them. So, it was a fun season so far. I’m still excited for the last two rounds.

Go to www.racerxill online.com for the rest of this story about Jett's journey to the top.

Febvre Hangs Tough

While Kawasaki factory rider Romain Febvre’s run of victories might have stopped in Sweden last weekend, the hot form the Frenchman is carrying into this last stage of the 2023 MXGP championship is very much still on point. 

A 2-2 result saw him finish second overall and once again beat him the red plate man, Jorge Prado. The sixth time in a row he has beaten the Spaniard and while that massive points gap of Prado is still secure, Febvre had made it clear, second isn't really something he is happy about, in the championship, or in Sweden.

The 2015 World champion and 2021 runner-up is capable of many things in our sport and his desire to win on every single occasion must be taken very seriously. Coming into the MXGP of The Netherlands, at the Arnhem circuit next weekend, don’t be surprised to see Febvre come out swinging again and produce yet another win.

Febvre had a frustrating time in qualification on the Saturday in Uddevalla and the track is notoriously difficult to pass on. He quickly made a pass stick on the opening lap to take over fifth, he was denied at every turn as he sought to take over fourth. He eventually found a way through after ten minutes but slipped off less than a lap later as he pushed hard to pull back the gap to third. The pattern of racing continued after he remounted, and he eventually finished a disappointed fifth.

“I had a good feeling with the bike, and I enjoy riding this track but it’s really difficult to make the difference as there are so few options to pass. I was eventually able to pass Jeffrey when he made a mistake, but then I also made a mistake, and he was able to pass me back. Even if you are faster, it’s difficult to find a spot as they had changed the track in some corners where it was possible to make a move in the past. My start was not the best, just average, and even though I could gain some positions in the first few corners, that was it.”

“I get the FOX Holeshot in the first race and was leading so I thought that this was going to be my race, but I made a mistake and gave the lead to Jorge (Prado). In the second race was the same with a good start but I was just second and could not pass Seewer. Happy to be on the podium again with a 2-2 and I’ll try to win next time. Today I got two good starts and when I holeshot in the first race. I knew the starts were vital today in these muddy conditions and everything was going well in the first moto until I made a mistake and crashed in a corner. It only cost me a few seconds, but Prado was able to go past me, and I had to settle for second. In the second race I was second again after a couple of corners; in the first few laps I was behind Seewer and tried to find a spot to pass him but there were no possibilities! I was faster and I tried to open up some lines to pass him but in the end I nearly crashed. Today it was easy to make mistakes and the starting line was really muddy. I’m satisfied with my races; I finished twice second, and I was consistent once again.”

So, as we head to Arnhem, Holland, you just know that Febvre will already be planning his attack on the white sand of the Dutch circuit and bring some fire to his rival’s next weekend. Another win isn’t far off and while many will have their eyes on the Flying Dutchman, Jeffrey Herlings, don’t be surprised if the Frenchman ruins the home-coming plans of “The Bullet”.

Aprilla Gone Wild

This MX bike was banned by the AMA, but why? Let's find out! In this video we ride and review one of the rarest, most exotic production dirt bikes ever made, and of course we are also going to compare it against our favorite big bore 500cc 2 stroke as well. The Aprilia MXV450 is the only twin cylinder motocross machine of the modern era, but why are they so rare? What happened to this V-Twin project? And why were the banned from racing in American Pro Motocross and Supercross? This video has all the answers! :-D We love riding these weird bikes and telling their wonderful stories, so if you have something that you think we should feature please do drop me a message on instagram @oneminutemoto A huge thanks goes to Jon for lending us his awesome bike for the day and to Sean Smith for helping me test this Italian Stallion.

Bam Bam Is Back!

Confirmed: Justin Barcia to return at Unadilla National

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This weekend’s ninth round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Unadilla will see Justin Barcia make a welcome return to action with Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing, marking his first outdoor appearance of the 2023 season.

• Justin Barcia will be back behind the 450MX Class gates at Unadilla
• Final three rounds of Pro Motocross will lead into SMX Championship
• Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS thanks 250MX fill-in Caden Braswell

Barcia, who was recently on location at the GASGAS Spice It Up Festival in Italy to help introduce the 2024 range, will be back on track riding his MC 450F Factory Edition across the final three rounds of the outdoor season and is excited to build momentum over the course of the next three weeks.

Justin was initially injured toward the end of April in Nashville’s AMA Supercross Championship round, with complications delaying his return. Despite sitting out the final stages of the 450SX season and missing the majority of Pro Motocross, the 31-year-old currently sits 10th in the combined SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) standings.

Justin Barcia: “It’s been a process, for sure, a lot to think about. We’re past the injury now after two surgeries, lots of training and a lot of recovery, so I’m definitely excited to come back at my home race in New York for the fans and myself, just to get out there. There are no expectations set because I’ve been off for a lot of months, so I just want to go out there and have fun and build. Obviously, as a racer, you always want to be competitive, but I just need to get back to the races and enjoy being around the team, as well as my family and friends there. Unadilla’s going to be a cool race!”

With Barcia lining up alongside 250MX team regular Pierce Brown this Saturday at Unadilla, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing would like to thank fill-in rider Caden Braswell for his efforts throughout the opening eight rounds of the series.

Max Lee, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team Manager: “We are very excited to have Justin Barcia back racing with us at Unadilla. It’s been longer than we all expected for him to be returning to the races, but we are as excited as ever to have him alongside Pierce Brown this weekend. Without a ton of time that Justin has had on the bike, it looks like he hasn’t skipped a beat. I’m excited to bring him back to his home MX race of the season and hopefully bring some more excitement as well! Caden will no longer be joining us at the races this season. The team is very thankful for the opportunity to work with him and for keeping us racing, since for the first six rounds, he was our only rider. We wish him the best in the next step of his career and hope he can keep improving. See you at the races!”

Words: Press Release

Image: Align Media

Justin Barcia Having Fun

Justin Barcia takes down Taddy Blazusiak! All just in fun and no one is on probation as a results. They were both taking part in the games at the GasGas Spice It Up festival near Florence, Italy this week where the 2024 GasGas product line was revealed.

Ageless Mike Brown Takes Two Classes at Loretta's

Brown won the 40 class and the 50 class beating former National Champ Jeff Emig on both races.

50+ Year Old Mike Brown to Race AMA Pro Motocross National in 2024

August 1, 2023 by James Stewart

Mike Brown, aged 51, achieved an impressive victory in the 40-plus opening moto at the 2023 Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National, defeating Jeff Emig by a significant margin of thirty seconds.

Brown praised the new 350 KTM bike and expressed his determination to pursue victory throughout his career. He also emphasized the importance of this race to him every year. On the podium, he stated that he plans to participate in a National event after Loretta’s if he returns next year.

“I’m trying to get as many championships here, I’m not chasing it but I’m getting close, enjoy one more year of it and then try a National and if I qualify good, and if I don’t, I’ll probably be back here”

Can - Am Re Born

Can-Am motorcycles was a big player in American motocross back in the 1970s. They even managed to win the 1974 AMA 250 National Motocross Championship with Gary Jones at the controls (as part of a one-two-three sweep of the Nationals with Jones, Tripes and Ellis). Then a year later, Jimmy Ellis won the 1975 AMA Supercross Championship. They never reached that pinnacle of success in motocross ever again.

But, when Can-Am purchased Alta’s intellectual properties and patents, you knew something was coming—the 2024 Can-Am Pulse electric Dual-Sport bike was coming. This Can-Am video doesn’t give you a great look at what they are working on, but since they showed us the prototype less than a year ago—we think you know what it looks like.