MARK BLACKWELL EDISON DYE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Every year for the past 24 years, the Edison Dye Lifetime achievement award has been presented to a deserving person whose accomplishments have made a difference to the sport of motocross. The ceremony is held in the Glen Helen Museum during halftime at the Dubya USA World Vet Motocross Championships. This year, the 25th recipient will be Mark Blackwell, the first-ever AMA National Motocross Champion, Grand Prix racer, 1972 Daytona winner, Suzuki team manager, vice president of Husqvarna and AMA Hall of Famer.

In addition to his impressive motocross credentials, Mark was a pioneer in the advent of motocross schools, team management and racers rising to the highest positions in the motorsports industry with management position at Suzuki, Husqvarna, Arctic Cat, Polaris and Victory Motorcycles. Mark continued to race in selected events in the USA through 1975, He also taught at the Suzuki School of Motocross at Carlsbad Raceway, and did product development for a number of companies including Fox, Scott goggles, Goodyear tires and Scott boots.

After racing, Mark transitioned into the business world while earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and a Master’s in Business Administration. Ever since then, he has continued to build his career and reputation helping organizations like KTM, Husqvarna, and Polaris achieve success. Congratulations, Mark, for being the newest member of the Glen Helen Walk of Fame, and recipient of the 2021 Edison Dye Motocross Lifetime Achievement Award!

"It's Game ON"....MXGP

Febvre on a big moto win in Mantova: I still don’t feel any pressure

Romain Febvre of the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team takes a three-point lead to the final round of the FIM World MXGP Motocross Championship on Wednesday after sharing top points at Mantova.

The Frenchman earnt second in Qualifying with an immaculate lap just one-third of a second off pole and utilised his smart gate-pick to round turn one second in the first moto before making a decisive pass for the lead halfway round the opening lap. He immediately raced clear to lead by six seconds after only ten minutes and coolly managed his lead perfectly to take the chequered flag first with an immaculate no-risk performance on the rugged track. His KX450-SR once again hooking up superbly out of the gate in race two Romain immediately established himself in the top three and after six minutes he executed a clever pass to move second. The leader was already several seconds in front; the Kawasaki gave chase to hold the gap for most of the race but in the end, with a huge advantage over the chasers, he sensibly rode home a secure second on the final lap to share top points on the day and take the series points-lead and the red plate into the final round at the same venue on Wednesday.

Romain Febvre: “That was definitely a big win in the first moto. I felt good on the track today though it’s really sketchy in places with the loose surface on a hard base. I took the lead pretty early in the first race but it was tough at the front to be sure of the best lines. It was a heavy race and I struggled a little mid-moto but picked it up again at the end for a strong finish. I again got a great start in race two but I didn’t want to take any risk of a collision to pass Prado and I lost some time to Jeffrey. I made some fast laps to close the gap a little but he was still three or four seconds clear so at one point I decided to settle for second and take the red plate to the final round. It may sound strange that I still don’t feel any pressure. We have really good starts with our KX450-SR here in the sand so I’m confident for Wednesday. We are really close and the best man will win. It’s game on!“

MXGP of Lombardia 2021

Chatter Box: Tim Gajser

MXGP

Lewis Phillips November 2, 2021

Tim Gajser faced a 27-point deficit to the red plate at this time last week, but he is now just a single point behind the series leader. Not a bad turnaround, right? It is all to play for now, of course, as it is effectively a winner takes all scenario. A worthy champion will be crowned in one week, following the two events at Mantova (those being the Grand Prix of Lombardia and Grand Prix of Citta di Mantova).

Gajser discusses the intense scenario in this exclusive MX Vice interview from the recent Grand Prix of Garda. The fact that his start need to improve is dissected, as is his choice to stay away from the scoop tyre. Interestingly, he also admitted that this is a super stressful fight and something that he struggles to stop thinking about. This interview was first posted as a post-race podcast on the MX Vice network.

MX Vice: A very good day for you, especially with that second moto. That has kind of been the story of your Trentino trip, actually, because the second moto has always been better than the first. Is there anything to that?

Tim Gajser: Yeah, exactly. I have been struggling a bit with the first motos the last couple of weeks, not just here in Arco. The second ones are always good with better starts and better riding. Now we have seven days to try to work on these things!

even days to try to work on these things!

I may have been more impressed with your first moto, purely because you were quite aggressive with the guys. You did not get pushed around – I felt like you were the first guy to put your foot down and go, “I want this championship. I am not making it easy.“

Yeah, but I mean I am a clean rider. I do not want to play dirty, T-bone someone or take someone out. It is a championship though and, on a track like this, it is not easy to pass. It was not easy to pass. You have to be a little bit more aggressive, but even the passes that I made were nothing too crazy. It was just showing them a wheel.

The things that you should do! This is a motocross race and that is just fine.

Yes, exactly. Exactly. I did get a little arm pump in the first moto, so I did not really ride like I expect from myself. Anyway, we salvaged some points and finished fourth behind Jeffrey [Herlings]. We did not lose that much. I was definitely happy with the second one – that is how that I feel I should ride. I was more relaxed and had a good start, which helped a lot. I made quick passes in the beginning and rode my own lines to have a good race.

What was the mood when you came in from the first moto? Were you frustrated? Did you make any bike changes to help with the arm pump? 

No, I did not make any changes on the bike. I knew that I just had to relax myself. It was kind of like I rode too tight. I always had someone behind me in the first moto too, so I could not open the door. I could not really ride my lines. It was a struggle all the moto – that was definitely frustrating. I know that I can do better. I was in front of both of them, Jeffrey and also [Romain] Febvre. They passed me after. I was definitely a bit disappointed with the first one, but the second one was good.

I guess the first time that you relaxed today was four laps into the second moto when your mechanic put plus five on the board and you were like, “I have got a clear track and no one is trying to hit me from behind. This is nice.”

I mean, yeah. It was definitely a good feeling. I could use my own lines then. I even made quite a big gap by the end. It was around 15 seconds halfway into the race! It was comfortable. I could back it off in the end – I did not need to risk that much on the last couple of laps. The track was getting really sketchy and slippery in some places. These are the races I like, yeah [laughs].

I remember you talking about starts back at Maggiora – you were saying that you were studying film and all that stuff. I do not feel like your starts are bad, but they are not amazing either. Have you got any ideas on what you need to do there? 

We are working a lot on the starts. They are just a little bit inconsistent. They are not bad; I had one good start and then one was kind of average. We will definitely put a lot of focus on the starts this week. We all know that Mantova has a quite similar start to here. It is not just one perfect gate pick… You can kind of start from inside or outside. Like I have said many times, I think the starts are going to be really crucial and really important. We are all fast and it is not easy to pass. We are going to work on the starts and try to improve them. I feel that it is getting better and better. Still, something is missing.

Have you been using a scoop tyre at all?

No.

That seems to be the move at the moment. Anyone who gets a holeshot is putting a scoop tyre on out there! 

I saw that many, many guys were riding with scoops today.

Jeremy [Seewer] did it last Sunday, [Antonio] Cairoli did it on Wednesday and then everyone did it today.

Yeah. I felt that they have a little bit off an advantage on the starts – they always rip so it is quite soft on the starts. Around the track, you have to use the berms with a scoop and find dirt to lean somewhere. It is quite difficult to just turn without the rut. It is really slippery. It turned out to be a good choice for some of them. I did not want to risk going to the scoop. I tried in free practice this morning.

Oh, so you did give it a go to see what it felt like? 

Everyone was trying. I said, “Okay. I will try for two laps just to see how it feels.” I came back to the MX32, the normal one that I use with Pirelli. It was good.

This is a big championship. There is a lot happening. How is it mentally? Are you stressed? Are you enjoying it? Your last two titles have been a bit boring. Is the competitive side of you enjoying this? How are you feeling upstairs? 

I would say that it is definitely stressful. We all know that everything is going to be done in 10 days. There are three points separating three of us again. It is not easy, but from my point of view I just try to put that on the side. It is not easy like I said. The goal is still to go to the races to have fun, ride like I know how and try to put the championship on the side. It is easier to say than to do. You always have it in the back of your mind, the championship. When you go to bed you are also thinking about it. I think it is the same for everyone. We all want that championship – we are all going to give our best. The best guy is going to win in the end, like I have said many times.

What is the plan for this week? Are you going to ride like normal? Is there anything specific that you want to work on? 

Yeah, I am going to ride. We now go to a sand, hard-pack track.

It is weird. 

Yeah, weird. It is quite similar to Kegums. You have a little bit of sand on top, a couple of centimetres, and then underneath it is quite hard. The braking bumps are quite normal, hard pack braking bumps. We are going to work on the starts, like I said, do some motos and that is it.

DANNY LAPORTE ON LIFE AS AN ADVENTURE

For a really good read about one of the all time greats go to www.mxa.com and read the Danny Laporte story.

World Vet Starts Tomorrow

Glen Helen

MXGP...Garda

Red Bull...The Bullet!

No days off, Win #95 and a 3-Way Title Tussle - Behind the Bullet With Jeffrey Herlings

At the midpoint of the season and with the championship lead regularly changing hands, Jeffrey spends some downtime at home to regroup. Will managing niggling injuries and the unpredictability of an MXGP season disrupt the Bullet’s plan to stay in the hunt? Behind the Bullet with Jeffrey Herlings gives a personal behind the scenes account of just what it takes to compete at the pinnacle of motocross. Experience all the highs and lows of a grueling MXGP season with a first row seat with one of the fastest riders on the planet.