ISDE Day 1

A damp start to day one did not deter defending champions RecoveR8 Team Australia - as they topped both the FIM World Trophy and FIM Junior Trophy classes. However in the FIM Women’s World Trophy fight, RecoveR8 Team Australia have got work to do after the opening if they are to retain this title as they placed third behind surprise early leaders Germany and the USA in second spot.

New Husky Adventure Bike?

Once again, Husqvarna has used EICMA to tease us with a near-production-looking concept that's as modish as anything coming out of the custom scene. It's already given us a tracker and a café racer, now Husky is delving into the adventure-travel world with the Norden 901 concept. Consider our interest very much piqued.

Chad Reed Still Rocking!

Over the weekend, Chad Reed returned to the Paris Supercross for the first time in several years. The 2007 King of Paris finished 15th at this year’s event, leaving banged up from a get off in the second-to-last race of the weekend, which left him unable to start the last race. But Reed left Paris healthy and will continue to check off his off-season races with his Mountain Motorsports supported effort, as he posted to Instagram earlier that he's landed in Auckland, New Zealand, for this weekend’s S-X Open Auckland. 

Reed has had limited seat time since the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship as he's had to recover from his season-ending injury and he's also spent some time behind the wheel racing Lamborghinis. When the 2020 supercross championship kicks off on January 4, Reed could line up for his 250th main event start. As you'll read below, he told our Steve Matthes post-race that 2020 A1 is in the plans. Check out what else he had to say.

 Racer X: Today didn’t go very well. Was it a body issue or a bike problem for not starting the last main?
Chad Reed: Body. Unfortunately, body.

You went down off the start, second main, in that rhythm.
Yeah. Man, it was freaking just the same as Seattle, just instead of a right-hand turn it was a left-hand turn. Seattle was my fault. Obviously, I was way more beat up. It’s always easy to be like, “That was stupid.” I paid the ultimate price, leaving in an ambulance. This one was just kind of a racing move, to be honest. I watched it on the video and even in the moment, I don’t know that I could have done anything better or worse or anyone around me. The outside was coming from right to left, and the inside from left to right. Then I was perfectly in the middle. We had Friese and Hill on the outside, and then I was in the middle, and Mookie on the inside. So I just unfortunately found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mookie tagged me. We collided. I think he just had momentum on his side. I was kind of coming from a little bit more going straight, where he was coming inside out. That momentum just offset me and it pretty much was all I could do to regather it up. Right as I was regathering it up, “Bam Bam” got me. In the video, it’s a terrible angle. It’s from behind and you can’t really see what happened. There wasn’t a huge like, “Oh, he hit me.” But he somehow grabbed me and literally ripped me off the bike and threw me out onto the flat. So, really strange, to be honest. Kind of feeling pretty beat up, but thankful that it’s not worse.

"My goal is to not become fully just where I go away. I do enjoy racing a dirt bike and I do enjoy working out and challenging yourself. That’s generally something that I would like to try to hold onto." Boris Splatkov

You came in. We were joking yesterday about your lack of prep for this one. You hadn’t ridden a ton. So all in all, your starts were terrible, by the way. How’d you feel?
Yeah, starts are terrible. It’s definitely probably the biggest thing on my mind right now, is how do we figure that out. I have some ideas, I think.

Number six [Jeremy Martin] was really good over here. His starts were money.
Yeah. I just walked away from finding out what he’s doing clutch-wise. I think we need to make some changes with the clutch. I think that that will give me a smoother feel. It was really aggressive. I come from the old days of when there was no spring pressure and Yamaha slips a lot, so that’s kind of where I learned the majority of my career there. So then I’ve always had to kind of go that direction, which is terrible for clutch wear and longevity.

I’ve heard the grate is different over here than America. That must affect things, too.
Yeah. The beginning of the weekend I was kind of like, we had some internal issues that were going on a little bit, but the grate is really aggressive. So then it’s kind of like, okay, the grate is whatever. Maybe it’s not ideal. But giving it more thought, I think we need to change it up a little bit, or at least try it. I think all in all, like you said, I didn’t have the ideal prep time, but I don’t feel like that’s an excuse. That’s just facts. That’s just you can’t sit here and wish it was one way or another. I’m a world Lamborghini champion, man. So you got to take the good with the bad. I’ve given up some moto time to achieve what I set out for myself in the summertime with the Lamborghini stuff. I had a freaking awesome weekend. 

You’ve never been here at this arena, right?
No. Don’t you think we should be here for world supercross?

Yeah, sure. Why not? They want to do it. I think we’re going to Saudi Arabia or something.
Sounds amazing. I just think that an amazing stadium, French fans are always passionate. When you come to venues like this and the dirt’s good, when you have that combination it’s kind of like you wish that there really is bigger and better things for supercross and it would be awesome to see everybody here.

It would be cool. It’s definitely cool. The worst thing is the pits being next to the track, but other than that it’s fine. Fans seem to dig you being here. I was noticing the applause. I came by your pits. Fans were deep into it. I think they were cool to see Chad Reed back again. It’s been 12 years or something.
For sure. Obviously, it was a busy weekend. I had a good, solid flow like always. I was probably the second most popular guy here. It’s tough to compete with the French in France.

Maybe DV [David Vuillemin] was number two.
Maybe I was four because [Jean-Michel] Bayle was here, too. So I made top five. I generally was really excited about what we’re taking away from here, to be honest with you. Bike was good. I was a little nervous about the Euro fuel, but in all honestly, I think the thing ran better.

Jace Owen was saying his bike didn’t feel the same with the Euro fuel or whatever they were using. We’ve had some fun at this race over the years.  You’ve had a lot of fun at this race over the years. It’s iconic. It’s the jewel of the off-season stuff. I tweeted today I first saw you here in ’01. I was working for Nick. You took down Jeremy [McGrath], then he walked all across the pits to come talk to you and we were all watching.
Not only did he walk, he climbed the bicycle fence thing.

We were all watching it.
Literally the whole American pit and the Euros, and here comes my hero, literally so pissed off at me. He’s ready to go rip my head off. I just looked at him. Whatever he said, I was just like, “Yes. I’m sorry.”

Honestly, I remember, I was standing in the mechanics area. He was holding you up. You were going forward. I think you were just like, I can’t deal with this guy. He’s got to go down. We were like, who is this guy? To me, that’s the first thing I think of when I think of Chad Reed.
Yeah. I think that my perspective was obviously I was trying to go forward. I definitely went in there for an aggressive block pass, and Jeremy, I think he was so used to no one really being that aggressive with him.

 

"I feel like all the things I learned and felt this weekend are fully relatable to what you’re going to feel at Anaheim." Rich Shepherd

He’s the King, bro.
Maybe I’m the first… Well, maybe Ricky [Carmichael] before me, but then I was like the second coming of that, somebody who was willing to go in there and make a pass. So everybody I think a long time had just, “Oh, it’s Jeremy. Try to figure a way around.” Or not even the fact that he never really had people on him. He just turned down, and I didn’t expect him to turn down like he did. I cleaned his ass out. It was scary.

We’re like, who the f*** is this Aussie guy? What does he think he’s doing? F*** him. He took down the King!
Yeah. That was one thing, and then two weeks later when I finally flew straight from here to the US, and then we were at the Yamaha track and I was out. I remember there was a rhythm on the track and it needed some shovel work. I grabbed the shovel and was helping him. Basically here I am, a 19-year-old kid, and I’m like, “Hey, man. I’m so sorry.” We’ve been tight ever since. I remember even Skip came over at that point. It was kind of like Skip was the mediator. We weren’t blowing up, but…

Oscar was there?
No, this was pre-Oscar. This was YOT.

But Oscar was at Bercy with you?
Oscar was at Bercy, yes. So, a lot has happened since way back then, and we’re still here. Who knows? Maybe it’s my last, maybe it’s not. I generally love these events. I would like to, maybe if I pull back and I don’t race full-time, but it would be fun to do some of this. My goal is to not become fully just where I go away. I do enjoy racing a dirt bike and I do enjoy working out and challenging yourself. That’s generally something that I would like to try to hold onto.

Two more races for you, New Zealand and Australia coming up. Then we’ll see.
New Zealand next weekend, so it’s going to be interesting. I feel pretty beat up right now. I’m a little bit nervous because I landed pretty hard and I have a feeling that I might have got one of my ribs again. Ribs don’t feel good. Anyway, we’ll rest up. I got 20-something hours of flying tomorrow. In my opinion, this is always the highest, most prestige race, and it’s even higher now with this venue. But Australia and New Zealand have equaled that in my opinion. I think the off-season races, I think that this race and Australia and New Zealand is way more important to me than Monster Cup. Monster Cup is not really a supercross. I feel like all the things I learned and felt this weekend are fully relatable to what you’re going to feel at Anaheim.

It was a deep field. It was competitive. It was guys going at it. I’m going to write this when I write about this race. It was one of the better Paris/Bercy’s I’ve been to.
Yeah. The pace was high. I felt like the track was probably the gnarliest in the qualifying practice yesterday morning. Whoops were really tough. In those conditions, I generally felt pretty competitive. I think I was less than a second off of the top. I was fourth overall. So I think you got to look for the positives when there’s not a lot on paper. I just think that it was a good experience for me.

What’s the percent we see you on the line at A1?
I would like to say I’m confident that I’ll be there.

That’s not a percent though, confidence. Ninety-two percent, in honor of AC?
You’re not going to like this, but I’m going to say 50/50. I really do think at this point it could go either way. I feel good with the people that I’ve got around me and the people that are working for me. I think everybody at Mountain Motorsports generally are excited to try to figure something out. Ryan and Justin are working really, really hard. I do have confidence in them. If it doesn’t happen, it won’t be for a lack of trying. So I’ll say 50/50. You’re asking me about Anaheim, which Anaheim is easy to make it.

True, I guess I meant more the series.
I think the series is a genuine 50/50. Anaheim, I don’t have a question in my mind…

Because that’s your 250 start.
It will be start number 250. If you’re going to do start number 250, why not do it at Anaheim? So I think no matter what, I’ll be at Anaheim. 

EICMA Motorcycle Show 2019

The Unrideables: The 500cc Two-Stroke Era in GP Racing

by BikeBandit 

Today’s 240-plus horsepower MotoGP bikes take an incredible amount of skill for even the best racers in the world to control. But they are nothing compared to the wildly powerful, brutally accelerating, crash-prone 500cc two-strokes used in GP racing for nearly three decades. Check out the history of these beastly race bikes that scare even the best riders on earth! 

They are known to this day as the baddest, beastliest, most aggressive motorcycles to ever find their way to a racetrack, known as much for their screaming sound, distinct smell, and wicked performance as they were for launching riders into the air in spectacularly violent crashes.

The massive 500cc two-stroke race bikes that once dominated Grand Prix seem almost irresponsibly dangerous now, especially when compared to the ultra-refined four-strokes in use today. But they also made for some of the most exciting and competitive motorcycle racing of all time, giving them a mythic status among both racers and fans that remains to this day.

For nearly three decades, those 500cc two-stroke beasts challenged, frightened, and even severely injured the best racers on the planet – a reputation that earned them the nickname “the Unrideables.”

Previous to the 1970s, two stroke engines (so named because they have one combustion cycle every two strokes of the piston, rather than every four as in most engines) were very common in Grand Prix racing, but in the smaller 125cc and 250cc classes. Due to their nature, two-strokes accelerate very rapidly and are extremely lightweight relative to the power they create, which makes them excellent performers but also more difficult to control.

Check out that unique exhaust system! Complex exhausts are a signature part of the 2-stroke 500cc engines that dominated GP racing for nearly 3 decades.

At the time, there was not only the perception that 500ccs was a massive amount of displacement for a two-stroke, but that an engine that size could not be made to run reliably. Well it was a huge amount of displacement indeed, but it turns out the reliability issue was wrong – it just took someone to prove that it could be done.

It was British GP racer Barry Sheene who was was first to really master the 500cc two-stroke, due mainly to the creative design of his race bike. His team, led by famed British frame builder Colin Seeley, took the air cooled 2T engine from a powerful Suzuki TR500 and built a new bike around the potent engine. On this new bike, Sheene quickly proved he could ride big two-stroke just as well as he did the 125s on which he rose to fame.

As good as it was, the TR500 engine was only good for around 80HP at the time. But two-stroke development happened fast once the factories figured out that a race worthy 500cc two-stroke was indeed possible. Yamaha hit back next, using their experience with 250cc 2-cylinders to build a 500cc 4-cylinder bike, on which Giacomo Agostini rode to a world championship in 1975. 

The great Barry Sheene and his now-famous RG500 with a Square Four 500cc 2-stroke engine.

But Suzuki was quick to strike back. Encouraged by their success with the TR500, but understanding that they needed a ground-up 500cc two-stroke build, they developed the RG500. The RG500 had a square-four engine developed on the basis of the factory’s 250cc GP bikes, which cranked out over 100 bhp and could reach speeds of up to 175 MPH. The RG500 would become a legend in the skilled hands of Sheene once again, who won World Championships in both 1976 and 1977.

But again, Yamaha’s development was fast, and they then developed the OW models, which mated well with the aggressive, tire-sliding riding style of American dirt track prodigy Kenny Roberts. Roberts wheelied and slid his way to an incredible three World Championships in a row, blowing the world away with not only his speed and riding style, but demonstrating the potency of Yamaha’s machines, which by 1980 were twisting out an incredible 130hp.

 

The Yamaha YZR500 became the bike to beat in the skilled hands of great American flat-tracker-turned-GP-racer “King Kenny” Roberts.

Honda, meanwhile, stuck to its guns as a four-stroke company, which they had huge success with in the 125cc and 250cc classes in the 1960s. But as the rules throughout the 1970s kept both four-stroke and two-stroke displacement capped at 500cc, two-strokes had a clear advantage. Even at the height of the two-stroke era, Honda stuck to it’s guns, building the NR500. With unique oval pistons and 8 valves per cylinder, it was unquestionably the most sophisticated engine design in GP, but it remained at a disadvantage due to the huge power differences inherent in its four-stroke design.

Honda finally succumbed to the trend in 1982, finally building their own 500cc two-stroke. But the approach they took was dramatically different from the Yamaha and Suzuki who, locked in a power war, were building machines that were so powerful they became almost unmanageable, winning races almost as often as they launched their riders into spectacular crashes.

Honda’s project was led by a motocross engineer, who opted for light weight and maneuverability at the expense of outright power. The result was the now-legendary NS500, a light and slim race bike with a unique three-cylinder design in an L-configuration. Though less powerful than it’s rivals, the Honda was much more manageable, and Honda’s design philosophy was proven when Freddie Spencer took it to two World Championships.

Honda’s triple-cylinder architecture was unique, and made for a remarkably rideable bike (for being a 500cc two stroke anyway.) But at the end of the day, much of GP racing is still a power war, and it was still no match for the narrow, well-balanced, and massively powerful V4s that dominated the grid. Once Honda went full-bore into both two-strokes and the dominant V4 engine architecture, they became virtually unstoppable on the racetrack. By the late 1990s, Honda’s V4-powered bikes piloted by the brilliant Australian racer Mick Doohan won a remarkable 5 consecutive titles. 

Australian racing champion Mick Doohan mastering Honda’s brilliant NSR500, which he rode to an incredible 5 consecutive world titles.

By the end of the 1990s, a full generation had passed since 500cc two-strokes stormed onto the tracks of Grand Prix – which became apparent when a second-generation GP racer, Kenny Roberts Jr., followed in his dad’s footsteps and won the world championship in 2000. Robert’s Jr. won it on a Suzuki, far advanced from the Suzuki that first proved 500cc two-strokes could even be race-worthy at all. By then, these vicious bikes were weighing well under 300 pounds and putting out 160-180hp – more than double the first generation of engines in the class, which were considered difficult to control even in their time.

But by the 2000s, two strokes had run their course. The motorcycle industry in general was turning away from two-strokes, as government regulations rendered them obsolete on the streets, and as manufacturers began to place more emphasis on four-stroke development that they could apply to their consumer models.

But before two-strokes sang their swan song in GP racing, the 500cc era would give motorcycle racing fans one more special gift – an up-and-coming young racer from Italy named Valentino Rossi. Riding for Honda, and under the tutelage of the legendary Mick Doohan, Rossi mastered the unruly two-stroke beasts, dominating the class for the last two years it remained. 2002 would see a rules change that allowed four-strokes nearly double the displacement at 990ccs, after which the two-strokes were placed at a disadvantage, quickly disappearing from the grid thereafter.

Rossi would go on to become a legend in MotoGP, with a staggering 7 more GP championships in the premier class alone. But Rossi always maintained a fondess for the wild, brutally powerful 500cc two-strokes that posed a constant challenge even to the most skilled racers in the world, a sentiment echoed by many of the racers who were around during that era of racing.

Even still, the 500cc two-strokes – with their otherworldy sound, distinct exhaust smell, and a hyper-aggressive nature unmatched by any of todays ultra-refined bikes – maintain a legendary status, and awe, charm, and thrill spectators and riders alike to this day.

Jim Pomeroy - Remembered

Jim Pomeroy is responsible for a number of firsts in motocross during the 1970s. His record of first includes:

* The first American to win an FIM World Championship MX Event (Spain 1973)
* The first rider to win his debut World GP MX race (Spain 1973)
* The first American to lead the World MX Championship (Spain 1973)
* The first rider to win a World MX GP on a Spanish MX bike (Bultaco)
* The first winner of an indoor Supercross race (Houston, 1974)
* The first American to lead the Trans-AMA Championship (1975)
* The first American to win a moto at the U.S. 500cc GP race (Carlsbad 1977)
* The first non-world champion to win the Trophies des-Nations event (1974)

Born November 16, 1952 in Sunnyside, Washington, Jim Pomeroy was blessed with a number of factors that contributed to his success. His father, Don Pomeroy, was a very successful racer in the late 1950s and '60s. Motorcycle racing was a family affair for the Pomeroys. Jim, his younger brother Ron, sister Debbie and mother were all involved in motorcycling.

Starting with his first bike, a Yamaguchi 55, and progressing through a Yamaha 80, 100 and then DT1 250, young Jim raced flat track, hillclimbs, motocross and hare scrambles events. The Pomeroy family competed at just about any local motorcycle event, including field meets.

Pomeroy grew up immersed in motorcycling and racing. However, winning didn’t come easily during the early part of his racing career. As a pre-teen competing against men, he always seemed to finish in the first non-trophy position. All this changed one day when Don Pomeroy decided to secretly buy his son a trophy to make up for Jim consistently "almost" winning a trophy. (This was a fact Jim Pomeroy only discovered much later as an adult.) The joy of winning the trophy seemed to be all Jim needed to suddenly start winning the races against the older riders.

Winning soon became second nature. By age 13, Pomeroy had amassed a large collection of trophies. And he kept on winning in flat track, motocross, hillclimb and even snowmobiles. Pomeroy’s popularity soon spread out from the central Washington region to other parts of the Pacific Northwest and Canada and he began receiving offers to ride for other people. Unable to ride Pro in the United States, due to the AMA age requirement of 18, Pomeroy headed up to Canada where the age requirement was only 16. He won the Western Canadian Championship, the Manitoba Championship as well as several regional championships.

In November of 1970, Pomeroy finally turned 18 and was able to participate in AMA pro races. His first AMA pro race was a Trans-AMA 250cc support race at Puyallup, Washington, where he finished sixth overall.

In 1971, Pomeroy competed primarily regionally, but he did run an Inter-AMA and a Trans-AMA race. While Jim’s top-20 overall finishes may not have been notable, his riding style was attracting notice. The Trans-AMA race Pomeroy competed in was held at Boise, Idaho. The track included a 450-foot downhill. The other riders would come over the top cautiously and then be careful not to pick up too much speed before the tight corner at the bottom. But not Pomeroy. He would crest the top of the hill, land partway down slope, shift up two gears and pin the throttle wide open. As Brad Lackey watched Pomeroy on a practice lap, he thought there was no way he was going to make the corner. But the brash Pomeroy made it and then he did it again the next lap, and the next. Lackey brought Jim Weinert over to watch. These two riders soon understood that if they were to beat Pomeroy that day, they would have to ride the downhill the same way.

In 1972, Pomeroy rode the AMA 250 and 500cc MX Nationals and Trans-AMA events as a privateer on a Bultaco. The year started with an overall victory at an AMA 250MX event at Saddleback Park in Irvine, California. Pomeroy finished the 1972 500cc Championship fifth overall and had clearly established himself as one of America’s strongest rising motocross stars. The AMA acknowledged Jim’s success by naming him to the first AMA team to attend Motocross des Nations.

In 1973, Pomeroy signed a support rider contract to race for a local Bultaco dealer. The deal included a trip to Europe to do a number of races before the U.S. season started. Racing in Europe had long been a dream for Pomeroy. In preparing for the initial GP race, Pomeroy did a couple of international races to get some experience with European tracks and riders. He quickly discovered that he could win. Brimming with confidence, Pomeroy arrived at the first race of the 1973 season, the Spanish 250cc Grand Prix. After getting a top-10 start, he quickly took advantage of the wide racetrack. Utilizing his flat track experience, he took the outside line and passed the field in the first lap.

Pomeroy exploded onto the motocross scene with the overall race victory and the lead in the World 250 Motocross Championships. Bultaco quickly signed him to a new contract to compete in the World Championships. At first, many fellow GP riders believed Pomeroy’s victory was a fluke, but the 20-year-old American quickly won over the skeptics with strong finishes all season, including a second overall at the Italian GP. Pomeroy finished the year with a seventh overall in the world championship. Clearly Jim Pomeroy was capable of winning against the best riders in the world. 

Pomeroy returned to the United States in the summer of 1973 to compete in several Inter-AMA series. He finished second at the Los Angeles Coliseum race as well as recording top-five or top-10 finishes at the other summer events. Pomeroy finished the AMA 250 Motocross championships ranked 10th, despite only competing in five rounds of the 15-race series. Pomeroy also competed in the fall Trans AMA series. He quickly recorded a string of top-10 overall finishes in the early events. However, Pomeroy suffered from a string of DNFs in the later rounds that hampered his final series result. His efforts in 1973 were honored with his selection as the AMA Most Popular MX rider award. He was also selected by Motorcyclist magazine as a MX All Star for 1973.

In 1974, '75 and '76, Pomeroy continued to compete in the World Championships in Europe. He also competed in U.S. races that did not conflict with the World Championship schedule including the newly formed AMA Supercross (then called the Yamaha Super Series) and Trans-AMA series in North America.

In 1974, Pomeroy started his year in the United States by winning the first indoor Supercross race held at the Houston Astrodome. In the World Championship, he battled equipment failures to finish the year a disappointing 14th. Pomeroy’s best finishes of the year were a couple of third-place moto finishes. (Belgium and Czechoslovakia). In the Trans-AMA series Pomeroy recorded a number of very strong third and fourth overalls at the start of the series. He again battled equipment failures and finished third in the last round and was fourth overall and top American for the series. He finished the year on a high note by becoming the first non-World Champion to win the Trophies des Nations.

In 1975, Pomeroy had a strong year in the World Championships, finishing seventh overall. His year included a victory at Belgium and a number of second and third place finishes. In the United States, Pomeroy had an outstanding Trans-AMA series. This included the first moto victory by an American in a Trans-AMA event. Incredibly, he won the race on a stock Bultaco borrowed from a fan at the Georgia event. (Jim’s factory bike was delayed in shipping from Europe.) Pomeroy led the Trans-AMA series for a number of races. Unfortunately, he injured his knee at the Puyallup round and did not complete the balance of the series.

1976 saw Pomeroy had his best year in the World Championships, finishing fourth overall. While his year in Europe was his best ever, he had a miserable Trans-AMA series. Pomeroy fought equipment and team troubles and finished outside the top 15 or 20 at some races. But his result in the World Championship helped Pomeroy win the Motorcyclist magazine Man of the Year award for 1976.

In 1977 Pomeroy switched from his traditional Bultaco brand bike to join Honda’s factory race team. He competed in the AMA 250cc National Motocross Series, AMA Supercross and Trans-AMA series in 1977 and '78.

In 1977, Pomeroy started the year strong with a number of runner-up finishes in AMA Supercross and finished the series second overall. His strong results continued in the 250 outdoor nationals and he finished the 250cc series ranked third. He also finished well in the fall Trans-AMA series. Starting with a third overall at the season opener, Pomeroy finished with seven top-10 places in the eight-round series. Series highlights included a second at Buchanan, Michigan.

In 1978, Pomeroy struggled in the AMA Supercross series. The outdoor nationals went much better for him and he finished the 250cc nationals ranked fifth. In the fall Trans-AMA series, however, Pomeroy broke his collarbone at the Unadilla round. The injury prevented him competing in the early rounds of the Trans-AMA. He did return to record a number of top-ten finishes in the later rounds.

In 1979, Pomeroy wanted to return to the World Championships in Europe. Originally, he planned to race for KTM, but on a stopover during the return trip from meeting with KTM, he was persuaded to rejoin Bultaco. 1979 proved to be a very difficult year. Although Pomeroy was back racing for the World MX Championship, Bultaco was unable to match the money and technology the Japanese manufacturers were putting into their World MX Championship efforts. Bultaco suspended race operations partway through the season as the company ceased operations. Pomeroy regrouped and raced the final portion of the World Championship for an Italian manufacturer, Beta. He did manage to record a number of top-10 moto finishes when the Bultaco or Beta held together.

It had been Pomeroy’s plan for many years to retire from racing before it had put too much strain on his body. So in 1980, he decided he had reached that point and retired from professional motocross racing. He continued to be involved in the sport through his motocross school. Pomeroy toured the United States for several years helping develop another generation of American motocross riders. In 1987, Pomeroy was a passenger in a vehicle that was involved in a crash that left him with permanent damage to his back. But he remained active doing motocross schools at various vintage or regional club events throughout the West. He died August 6, 2006, in a Jeep crash in Washington.

Jim Pomeroy had impressive success both in the World Championship and AMA Motocross and Supercross series, but just as important, he made the world aware of the potential of U.S. riders and motivated a generation of new riders and fans.

Bobryshev and Searle - AMA Nationals?

 

It is a great time in the winter when many contacts end, and others start. All the news of Thomas Covington coming back, there is also the talk from a couple of GP veterans to try and give some rounds of the AMA Nationals a shot in 2020. Evgeny Bobryshev and Tommy Searle have both mentioned possibly doing a round or two in USA next year.

In our exclusive interviews with the two riders they are clear they want to experience something different in the twighlight of their careers. Bobryshev who will race just the European rounds of the MXGP and the British championship for PAR Homes RFX Racing Husqvarna team, will need to look at the calendars of those series to fit in an AMA round.

“The discussion at the moment,” Bobryshev told MXLarge. “Is to maybe miss the overseas GPs and maybe do some rounds of the AMA Nationals in the US. With this team. I mean, for sure I do British and the European GPs and the overseas, we are still talking about that, but we might do Outdoors instead. I would like to do this, it is something new and I haven’t raced in America, only some GP. I races on 85cc races in America for a few months when I was really young.”

Buildbase Honda rider Tommy Searle will race the UK series and also mentioned to us last month that he wouldn’t mind trying to return to America for a round of the AMA Nationals.

“I chose to go to America (earlier in his career)," Searle told MXlarge. "And I did enjoy my time there and I wouldn’t change that. As an 18-year-old kid living in America and that was the dream at the time. I want to race a couple of Grand Prix’s in 2020 and also maybe a round of the AMA Nationals next year.”

With Tim Gajser also mentioning how much he would love to race in America, there is no doubt the GP riders see the current trend of GP domination as a good chance to head to the AMA series and try their luck against the best in USA.

Covington Back in GPs

The Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Supported MXGP Team will operate as a Yamaha Motor Europe ‘Supported’ team inside the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship. The team will be Alessandro Lupino, Thomas Covington and Calvin Vlaanderen.

Former Junior Motocross World Champion Alessandro Lupino will remain on the Gebben Van Venrooy Team for a third season. The happy-go-lucky 29-year-old from Viterbo, Italy is excited to enter his fifth season inside the premier class with the familiar support of the Gebben Yamaha Supported MXGP Team where he will line-up on a cutting edge YZ450F machine.

Joining Lupino on Yamaha’s proven YZ450F, former MX2 Grand Prix winners Thomas Covington and Calvin Vlaanderen will make the step-up from MX2 to the MXGP class in 2020. Between them in MX2 they have accumulated 26 podium finishes and five Grand Prix wins.

As the most successful American to contest the FIM Motocross World Championship in the last decade with four MX2 Grand Prix wins and 16 MX2 podium finishes, Covington, a 24-year-old from Alabama, is set to return to Europe where he will make his MXGP debut onboard a YZ450F at the opening round of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship at Matterley Basin in Winchester, England.

Joining Lupino and Covington after a powerful end to his MX2 career where he celebrated a maiden win for The Netherlands at the 2019 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations, in Assen, The Netherlands, Vlaanderen is highly motivated to start training with the Gebben Yamaha Supported MXGP Team. The 23-year-old South African, who has also obtained Dutch citizenship, made four podium appearances in his final MX2 season and, like Covington, is determined to make a successful transition from the 250cc to the 450cc.

Alessandro Lupino “I’m really happy to be back on Yamaha. I made my World Championship debut on Yamaha and I was a part of the Yamaha Family for many years, so it is really nice to be back on a blue bike especially with this team because they have worked so hard over the last two years that I have been with them. The team started out as a small team and they have improved year after year, so I am happy that next year we will line up with a very strong team. I think that with my teammates Thomas Covington and Calvin Vlaanderen, we can do a lot for the team, and I know they will do a lot for us. I am looking forward to training with them and I think it will be a great and fun season.

Thomas Covington “I’m super excited to be coming back to MXGP for the 2020 season. Especially with a great team like Gebben Van Venrooy with the support from Yamaha. I’m looking forward to a fresh start to show what I can do in the premier class”

Calvin Vlaanderen “I am really excited to have signed with Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Supported MXGP Team for 2020 and I am extremely grateful for this opportunity. I’m really motivated to move up to the 450cc and although everything will be new to me and it will definitely be a learning year, I feel I have had some incredible experiences in MX2 that I can carry with into the bigger class and I feel like I can get some good result. The team is awesome and extremely motivated especially with the switch to Yamaha, and I get a good feeling from that. I know that we will work very hard for the upcoming season.”

Cody Webb signs for FactoryONE Sherco

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Cody Webb signs a multi-year deal with Sherco USA team to race 2020 Extreme, American Hard Enduro and EnduroCross series.

FactoryONE Sherco Team has announced the major signing of Cody Webb to their new Enduro team. The Californian signed a multi-year agreement to ride the SE 300 Factory Sherco in Hard Enduro, AMA EnduroCross, plus International events including the ErzbergRodeo, Red Bull Romaniacs and the biggest stateside Hard Enduro, and newly announced WESS round, Tennessee Knockout. 

“I am super excited about representing Sherco USA.” Says Webb about his new deal. “I had a great relationship with them on the trials side in the past, before making the switch to enduro and having more success than I ever imagined. 

“I’m now looking forward to riding with a brand I believe in and promoting the sport of hard enduro and trials. Sherco USA is giving me the opportunity to do what I love most and help achieve my future racing goals.”  

The news comes as little surprise to us but it was held under embargo so we had to sit on our hands until now. The move for the FactoryONE Sherco team is making big moves ahead of the 2020 season and Webb is a major scalp to take - more big name US riders are due announcing soon

Like the majority of top hard enduro racers, Cody got his professional start riding trials for Ryan Young’s Products Trials Team aboard a Sherco when he was 15 years old. Cody became the 2010 AMA/NATC Mototrials Champion before moving to hard enduro. 

“The history we have with Cody could not be denied”, said Ryan Young (himself a six-time Champion). “It is going to be great having Cody on the team. Like before, all of us here at RYP will be working to help him and the FactoryONE team to achieve their goals. Most of the people Cody worked with when he was 15 are still here, it is like having one of the family come back home!”  

Webb’s entry into enduro came in the form of EnduroCross, where he has won three titles (2014, 2015, and 2017). He is also the 2018 FIM SuperEnduro World Champion, has six medals in X-Games. 

Cody put his name on the international scene in 2016 when he arrive at the ErzbergRodeo Hare Scramble as a relative unknown. On arguably the world’s hardest single day event, Webb finished in second place, backing it up with a solid third the following year. He is the first and only American to do so at this prestigious event.

“It is an understatement to say how excited we are to have Cody on team FactoryONE Sherco,” said Ron Sallman, team owner. “To have someone of his caliber, well it almost leaves you speechless as his riding speaks for itself. 

“In addition to his riding, we see tremendous value and potential with his engineering background. I am not sure there is a better ambassador for the sport of Hard Enduro than Cody Webb. He will always have a place here at Sherco USA, long after he retires from racing.”

Cody’s first race will be the King of the Motos on February 8, 2020. He will compete in the entire 2020 American Hard Enduro series, the Kenda Tennessee Knockout (round six of the WESS Enduro World Championship) and select European hard enduros like Romaniacs and ErzbergRodeo (both also rounds of the WESS championship. He will also race the full 2020 AMA EnduroCross season. 

About FactoryONE Sherco:

Team FactoryONE is a multi-time United States AMA championship observed trials team and newly formed enduro team led by some of the top riders in the business. The Trials team is led by 11x AMA Champion Pat Smage (Smah-gee) on the men’s side; and 6x AMA Champion Louise Forsley (fours-lee) on the Women’s side. The trials team consists of 10 riders. The Enduro team is led By Cody Webb and features eight total riders competing in disciplines like Hard Enduro, EnduroCross, GNCC and NEPG

Steward Baylor Claims Fourth AMA National Enduro Title

STANTON, Ala. – KTM-supported rider Steward Baylor Jr. claimed his fourth-career AMA National Enduro Championship on Sunday with a big victory aboard his Tely Energy Racing KTM at the final round in Stanton, Alabama. His brother and teammate, Grant, finished a close second on the day to claim the runner-up position in the overall championship. Additionally, KTM-supported rider Russell Bobbitt rounded out the overall podium to give KTM a 1-2-3 sweep at the season finale.

Steward came into the final round with a 26-point lead in the championship, knowing that all he needed to do was maintain a solid pace to claim the title. However, from the start of the opening test it was clear that he was going for nothing less than a win as he claimed the test-one victory by five seconds. He took third in test-two before going on to finish second to Grant in the next three tests, bringing the race-win down to a head-to-head battle in the final test of the day. Steward kept his focus sharp as he battled his way to victory, besting his brother Grant by five seconds in test six and finishing one-second ahead in the overall battle.

Baylor KTM Images

Steward Baylor: “I told myself before the day started that I was going to just ride to claim the championship but that all changed when the helmet got strapped. My day started strong with a test-win but by test five Grant had pulled ahead again and I knew I would have to give it everything I had. I can honestly say I don’t think I have ever had a better test. It was unreal after 60 race miles!”

Antti Kallonen: “Congratulations to Steward on his fourth National Enduro title and also to his brother Grant, who put up a good fight to finish second for the season.”

With a valiant fight at the season finale, Grant finished a very close second with a total of three test-wins on the day. Unfortunately for Grant, he wasn’t able to maintain as much consistency as his brother, which caused him to fall just short of the overall win. With five victories this season – the most of any rider – Grant was able to secure an impressive runner-up position in the overall championship despite missing the first round due to injury.