Thursday, March 14, 2019 at 9:24PM Leave it to Red Bull to find a trail like this and film it. Pick you adventure sport and Red Bull will capture it on film.
Riding A Dirt Bike 4000m Up The Acatenango Volcano
Thursday, March 14, 2019 at 9:15PM Thursday 14, March 2019
Ken Roczen didn't get to be where he is now (a world champion, Motocross of Nations champion and national champion) by just kicking back and settling in for podiums. He's not wired like that and this 450SX winless drought that has stretched to seventeen races over three years must be killing him. Outwardly he's been putting on a good face, saying the right things and, in some way, I'm sure he means everything he says, but he's being paid to win and that's all he's ever known.
Ever since the win that Red Bull KTM's Cooper Webb snatched away from him in Dallas in the last turn, Roczen's not made the podium after making five out of the first seven and holding the red plate twice at that. Granted, he said he was sick in a social-media post after Detroit so there's probably a bit of residue from that the last couple of weeks. He certainly rode very well in Daytona all day long and stalked eventual event winner Eli Tomac in the heat race but, come the main event, there he was laying in the first turn with his teammate Cole Seely. The long road to the front began and I'm sure Roczen wondered, "What else?" as he laid there in the dirt.
Roczen has got a comeback from that devastating arm/elbow injury suffered in 2017 that's already been a success after so many surgeries. He then had to overcome a bad injury to his right hand last season. This year he's had to deal with his brother-in-law and trainer, Blake Savage, suffering a bad crash whilst riding with Kenny. Add to this the wins in Houston last year, the first main at the Anaheim Triple Crown and Dallas this year being taken from him at almost the last second. Everything seems to be working against the German and, trust me, guys like Kenny don't have much go wrong in their lives that often. They have always been able to work harder, ride harder and have that supreme confidence in everything they do.
'94' has had the red plate this year but right now he's fourth in the points and twenty-one down to the wonder boy, Cooper Webb. I would've thought he would've had multiple wins by now and I still think he'll get some here before too long, but what he has got to do is, and I know this is a cliché, but trust the process and know that his program, team and bike is more than capable enough to win races. Try harder and sometimes you just end up confused and forgetting where you started.
I know it's hard to have empathy for someone like Roczen, from the outside he has got it all: Millions of dollars, he races motorcycles for a living and even his dog is awesome. However, in a way, I do feel for #94. I don't really cheer for riders anymore, I cheer for stories and one of the ones I want to talk about is Roczen making it all the way back to the top spot. I haven't talked to him lately, but I would guess right now it's not going well for him.
He's too good and he's gone through too much for this to continue. I hope he wins and wins real soon, as the sport's better with him in it.
Words: Steve Matthes | Lead Image: Honda Racing Corporation
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at 7:26PM The new Maxxis Maxxcross MX-ST motocross tire was designed in close collaboration with AMA Supercross champion Jeremy McGrath.
It features a new, lightweight, pliable carcass design, a strong construction and a uniquely spaced tread block pattern that is said to deliver high stability, comfort and durability.
The new ply material applied in the Maxxcross MX-ST has a lower elongation and stronger resistance to external forces and resistance to deformation, resulting in greater cornering stability, braking, and jumping performance.
The sidewall provides stronger vertical stiffness with a longer apex and a harder compound to better absorb energy when landing.
To further optimize stiffness, and in turn improve grip, especially on starts, the new compound uses reinforced carbon nanoparticles in the manufacturing process. As a result, grip is improved by 19% over the previous generation Maxxcross IT, and stiffness increased by 33% and hardness by 4%.
On the front, a new tread block design features functional polygon half-blocks, which reduce chunking and increase braking grip and stability, with forces equally and smoothly distributed. The periodic arrangement of half-blocks and shoulder blocks also lends them to predictable turning and help reduce oversteer.
A new tread pattern design on the rear, which uses 33 central blocks – reduced from the conventional 36 – is said to give good grip and drive characteristics. The front tread retains 36 middle blocks – with sharp angles to help them bite in soft terrain – and 36 shoulder blocks, all of which combine to provide better turning performance and increased grip and acceleration.
McGrath said, “I’ve been working on the new MX-ST with Maxxis for the last few years and honestly a lot of effort has gone into it. What we’ve come up with is a compound that is pretty amazing. It took us a while, but the team at Maxxis did a great job, and we’ve struck gold really. The compound and the compliance of the tire is great.
“Obviously there are a lot of factors that go into a great motocross tire, like the strength of the sidewall and the softness of the carcass. You don’t want any roll when you’re braking, plus you want the traction and durability on the rear, and honestly we’ve struck gold with this tire,” he concluded.
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at 6:06PM Penrite Honda Racing ace cleared to ride this weekend's MX Nationals.
Image: Foremost Media.
Brett Metcalfe has revealed he’ll line-up for this weekend’s Pirelli MX Nationals season-opener at Appin in New South Wales despite suffering a number of vertebrae fractures in his lower back six weeks ago.
The Penrite Honda Racing talent sustained the injury while testing, and after recently receiving a doctor’s clearance, he’s set to pilot his CRF450R for the first time since the incident tomorrow in a training session.
While grateful to be in an adequate state to line-up this weekend, the extended period on the sidelines comes as a hinderance to the beginning of his campaign, where he’s considered as a title favourite in the highly-competitive MX1 category.
“I’ve had an injury and it will be six weeks since it happened this Sunday,” Metcalfe revealed to MotoOnline.com.au. “I had a bit of a crash during our pre-season testing and fractured the wings on the four vertebrae in the lumbar spot.
“The plan is to line-up for the race – I’ll probably have one test ride tomorrow, and then that’ll be it. The first goal was to make it with a doctor’s clearance, and then the next goal is to line-up for the race and complete the day’s racing with as many points as we can get.”
Alongside a switch to KYB suspension confirmed in January, the Victorian-based Honda squad will transition to Bridgestone tyres – marking the re-entry of the brand in motocross with a factory operation – as well utilising FMF exhaust systems.
“We’ve made a few switches this year, Bridgestone tyres being one of them,” Metcalfe added. “It’s pretty cool for the sport to have another tyre manufacturer in the game – it hasn’t been done in a long time in motocross. It’s pretty exciting, and the feeling I had with them prior to the injury was great.
“We’re also using FMF exhaust systems – it’s cool because I was always fairly close with the FMF guys in the States. And then there’s the switch to KYB suspension, which has been really good. Once I get healthy, we’re pretty excited with how we stand and hopefully we see the results on the track.”
It was determined today that the MX Nationals will introduce a new Sprint format for 2019 consisting of two short, back-to-back outings, followed by a traditional moto. The format will alternate between the MX1 and MX2 categories – the premier class set to debut the structure this weekend.
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at 10:11AM A friend of mine sent me this story and it reminded me of why I ride. Dirt riding/racing has evolved over the years. Now we have Monster Supercross, Red Bull, whoops, doubles, triples and more. It is all good but sometimes it is fun to look back at where we came from. If you were lucky enough to grow up with Penton, OSSA, Bultaco well you know how fortunate we are to have new modern equipment. If you ever saw Carl ride... well you were very lucky. Thanks to Dave Duarte for sending this over.
Cranke in action on a Penton. (Photo by Lee Sutton)
It was the 1975 International Six Days Trials (ISDT) held that year at the Isle of Man. During the road race special test, Carl Cranke showed his versatility by leading the rest of the competitors, which utilized parts of the famous Isle of Man TT course. Cranke’s 350cc Penton was one of the most powerful bikes in the ISDT that year and he was wringing every last ounce out of it.
Then, entering a turn, his Penton seized and the rear wheel locked. There was a big mound of dirt just before the corner and Cranke just decide to take the jump. Fans watching looked on in amazement. This crazy American was taking this jump, on the road test no less, at an unbelievable rate of speed. Little did they know that Crake was simply holding on for dear life. When he landed the bike caught and came back to life. Two Czech riders had gotten by him during the mishap, and in the closing laps let’s just say Carl was “Cranking it Up” (sorry, bad pun I know) to catch them. He was clocked at 102 miles per hour on the knobby shod Penton! He got by one rider with only famous ISDT rider Zdenek Cespiva still in front on him. Cranke pulled into Cespiva’s draft and took the slingshot to go around him at the finish line when suddenly his Penton seized again and this time locked up solid just as he crossed the line, just inches behind Cespiva.
“It was funny too, because in the newspaper the next morning they had a picture of me at the finish line and there was smoke coming off my rear tire,” Cranke recalls. “I think it was the best finish ever by an American in an ISDT road test.”
Cranke was a top American motorcycle enduro racer of the 1960s and ’70s. He represented the United States in 10 International Six Day Trials (ISDT) events while competing aboard Penton, KTM and Yamaha motorcycles. He earned seven gold medals and two silver medals in ISDT competition.
Cranke grew up in Northern California, not far from Sacramento, and began racing a 50cc Suzuki in local flat track races with sponsorship from a hometown motorcycle shop when he was 16. As a teen Carl was a flat track regular and then started doing scrambles, in the days before America even had motocross.
Cranke excelled at all types of motorcycle racing he entered, but was especially good at flat track racing. He turned pro when he was 18.
“In 1968 I was the high-point novice short-track racer in the nation,” Cranke says with pride. “I raced against Mert Lawwill and Dick Mann and I actually won a lot of the races as a novice. Bugsy’s (Mann) always been my hero, so when I started racing and got to race against him…well, that was heaven.”
Cranke was well on his way to becoming a full-time professional flat tracker, but there was one glitch – money.
“After my novice year I would have had to move up to a 500cc, a big bike you know,” Cranke says. “It was just too much of an expense for me. My whole thing was I just loved to ride motorcycles, so I started doing hare scrambles and hare and hounds because you got to ride a lot. I won a lot of events doing that and then motocross came around, so I started riding motocross.”
Cranke was up against a lot of talented MX riders in northern California, including a guy by the name of Brad Lackey, a future World Champion. Cranke more than held his own. He won some big motocross events, including Hopetown, one of the premier events in early American motocross.
Perhaps the most important motocross win Cranke had was beating Lars Larsson in the support race at a Trans Am event in Gilroy, California. It was that victory that prompted Penton to sign Cranke as a support rider.
Riding for Penton led to him to being offered the job as West Coast service manager for the company. Carl had always dreamed of riding the ISDT and in the summer of 1972, he told his boss Fred Moxley about it. Fred told Carl that there was a qualifier coming up in Oregon and he could race one of his salesman’s bikes. Cranke ended up finishing second overall in the ISDT qualifier to leading off-road racer Dick Burleson.
Moxley was pushing to have Cranke be part of Penton’s ISDT team, but John Penton told Moxley, “All the west coast riders can do is ride in the desert.”
“John didn’t realize I was a Northern California guy and we rode mudders, rocks everything.”
Penton invited Cranke to race another qualifier in Ohio. In a wet, muddy mess of a race, Cranke finished second overall and the deal was sealed – Cranke was going to be part of the ’72 Team USA Trophy team. He earned Gold that year in Czechoslovakia. It was the start of a long and fruitful stint in ISDT events for Cranke.
Looking back at his ISDT career Carl says his ride in on incredibly rocky and challenging course in Camerino, Italy in 1974 was his personal best. That year the American Trophy and Silver Vase Teams finished fourth.
Cranke wrapped up his pro and ISDT career after the 1981 season.
Today Cranke lives in the Pacific Northwest, not far away from the location of the Washougal Motocross National, an area he calls “God’s Country”. He still enjoys dual-sport riding with his youngest son.
Cranke is also a member of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame for his illustrious off-road career. He looks back on that time as a golden age of the sport, where America was beginning to participate and do well on the world stage in what is now called the ISDE.
“I grew up in the absolute best time possible,” Cranke says. “There’ll never be another era like that where people could just have fun. Now you look at Supercross and stuff, and yeah, I was an athlete and took care of myself, but it’s so much different now. There’s so much training that it’s not nearly as much fun.
“I also feel so fortunate to have grown up and been part of John Penton and his company. I still stay in touch with Jackie (Jack Penton) and all those guys, the ones who are still with us.”
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 9:45PM HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - The owner of a motocross park in Northeast Harris County said he’s fed up suspects continue to steal motocross bikes, four-wheelers and other equipment from his property.
Monday between 2:30 and 4:30 a.m., suspected burglars broke into the garage and stole several pieces of equipment worth more than $50,000.
“It’s tearing me up because I have put my life into this place,” said Danny Erdeljac, the owner of Rio Bravo Motocross Park.
He bought the track in 2008, and rebuilt it to what it looked like back in the ‘70s. Since then, the property not only hosted motocross events, but mud runs, camps, corporate events and more.
“It’s just another robbery to them. To us, it takes away everything we’ve built,” Erdeljac said.
The owner said the suspects moved a ladder that was outside and placed it underneath a vent on the backside of the building.
“They didn’t go through the doors, they unscrewed the big exhaust vent in the back of the building and went through that,” Erdeljac said.
The motion detector sensed the suspects around 2:30 a.m., but the suspects waited and came back around 4:30 a.m. Erdeljac said the suspects used bolt cutters to open the garage and dragged the motorcycles out.
“The four-wheeler and the side-by-side, they cut the ignition out in about five seconds, turned it on. They probably threw the bikes in the back of the side-by-side and drove off with the bike,” explained Erdeljac, who said the bikes had locks around the chains.
He believes it took them about 15 minutes to steal the equipment, which included a 250 Honda, 230 Honda, a 2018 Yamaha Viking, two brand-new steel weed eaters, gas tanks and generators.
“You can follow the tracks of where they (the suspects) went. So they can get out the park, down the bayou and by the Dollar General off of Ralston Road on North Lake Houston Park. Same path they took last time," Erdeljac said.
This time it was about $50,000 worth of equipment. The time before, it was more than $100,000 and the equipment wasn’t insured.
He said last time there were at least seven suspects, compared to three this time. The family believes it’s someone who is familiar with the property.
“They knew what they were doing because when they came they went straight to our refrigerator , because the last time they came, they stole all the energy drinks,” Erdeljac said. “This time they went to the refrigerator and there wasn’t any energy drinks -- they drank water.”
Erdeljac said when the suspects took the water bottles, they left their trash and Harris County deputies were able to collect fingerprints and DNA off the water bottles.
One of the bikes stolen was his son’s bike, which was stolen last time.
“This bike I got this time was on my dime,” said Danny Erdeljac III. “It just hurts. Luckily, I have good relationship with God and he knows that it’s just stuff. I may or may not replace it.”
His father said he’s frustrated because in the past, suspects have been caught but claimed to have bought the bikes from a third party.
“We’ve probably had 20 vehicles stolen over the last 18 months, and so they catch some of them and all they do is say, ‘Oh, we bought it on Craigslist,‘ and that’s the end of it,” Erdeljac said.
It’s been a hard year for the family. Erdeljac was diagnosed with kidney failure, among other health problems. His kids worry that the stress of the robbery may impact his health more.
“I was just saying, 'Mom, Dad, don’t stress over this kind of stuff, because this shaves off years when you stress. That it’s not worth it. It’s just stuff,’" Erdeljac III said. “I hate that someone could do that. Whoever is out there, just know that they’re more than just bikes, this is a family business, and it means a lot to us.”
Anyone with information about the suspects or stolen bikes and equipment is asked to contact CrimeStoppers at 713-222-8477.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 5:04PM
Cessnock’s Potters Brewery was all hands to the pump as 80 Ténéré Tragics congregated for the start of their annual ride in honour of the legendary Dakar Rally-bred adventure bike.
The five day adventure ride staged last week took riders and crew through Bathurst, Goulburn, Tumut and Cooma to end at the Alpine Hotel in the NSW Snowy Mountains resort of Thredbo.
Participants were treated to a Yamaha bLU cRU ADV Skills Session with Yamaha legend Stephen Gall staged near Cessnock the day before the run started. 23 Tragics gained riding instruction that was put to good use over the next five days riding a range of Ténéré models from original 600s right through to new XTZ1200 Super Ténérés.
Factory CDR chief technician and long-time Ténéré adventure rider Gary Benn rode up from VIC to his first event with a special XTZ750 twin fitted with many original Dakar Rally bike parts. Yamaha Factory Rally Dakar racer Rod Faggotter, made a special guest appearance to ride with the Tragics on the final two days. Stephen Gall hosted an exclusive Q&A session with Rod at the end of day four at Cooma that offered a unique insight into his recent experience in the 2019 Dakar Rally.
Five first model 1983 XT600ZL Ténérés joined the run this year - Dave Bottomley, Neil Asplin, Matt Parker-Charlton, Shane Johnston and organiser Andrew Clubb were the riders of the coveted original model large-tanked singles.
Andrew Clubb said of the ride, “It’s been another huge week filled with so much Ténéré spirit! The run this year included stacks of the best Ténéré riding in central and southern NSW and while conditions were mostly dry, storms late on day two near Crookwell and overnight rain before the start of the final day from Cooma made for ground conditions that were absolutely perfect... and put plenty of smiles on the Tragics’ faces,”
“The Tragics are an awesome pack brought together by the legendary Ténéré brand that we celebrate all week long on the Ténéré Tragics Run. The planning starts now for next year’s tenth anniversary Tragics Run, and you bet the Tragics are pumped that the new Ténéré 700 is coming in December!"
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 5:01PM
Photo: Future7Media
The World Enduro Super Series has announced that Spain’s Hixpania Hard Enduro will become part of the forthcoming 2019 championship.
Joining the series as round four, Hixpania Hard Enduro will replace the provisionally proposed Classic Enduro in Italy and will be held on June 21-23.
Facing complications in securing a suitable venue in Italy in June, series organisers WESS Promotion GmbH decided to look further afield. Following discussions with The 5 Elements event organisation team they were able to incorporate Hixpania Hard Enduro into this year’s series.
“Although our initial goal was to host round four of the series in Italy, the difficulties in trying to find a suitable venue on that specific date regrettably made it impossible," Winfried Kerschhaggl – WESS, Series Manager - said. "However, we’re now looking forward to working with Fran Rico and his 5 Elements team and fully trust that they can deliver a memorable event for all to enjoy. We’re confident that Hixpania Hard Enduro will deliver some of this year’s standout moments of the World Enduro Super Series.”
Now entering its fourth edition, the Hixpania Hard Enduro has quickly become one of Spain’s most prestigious races, and one of Europe’s most visible Enduro races. Annually attracting many of the world’s best Enduro riders, it also welcomes a wealth of eager amateur competitors.
For 2019, the race moves from its original autumn date to become a ‘summer’ event. The format of the race itself will remain unchanged.
Staged over three days, the opening day of competition will feature a Superenduro-style prologue in the heart of the Aguilar de Campoo’s medieval town.
The second day’s ‘Campoo Extreme’ will take riders out on a challenging, 50-kilometre Cross-Country loop around the nearby lake, which competitors will complete three times.
Bringing proceedings to a close, the third and final day of competition – known as ‘Lost Roads’ – will feature a multi-lap Hard Enduro race located in the infamous nearby quarry.
The eight-round World Enduro Super Series begins with Portugal’s Extreme XL Lagares on May 10-12.
WORLD ENDURO SUPER SERIES – 2019 SCHEDULE
Round 1: Extreme XL Lagares (Portugal) May 10-12
Round 2: Trèfle Lozérien AMV (France) May 17-19
Round 3: Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble (Austria) May 30-June 2
Round 4: Hixpania Hard Enduro (Spain) June 21-23
Round 5: Red Bull Romaniacs (Romania) July 30-August 4
Round 6: Hawkstone Park Cross Country (United Kingdom) September 21-22
Round 7: BR2 Enduro Solsona (Spain) October 5-6
Round 8: GetzenRodeo (Germany) November 2-3
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 4:49PM 
There is no doubt, the injury to World motocross champion Jeffrey Herlings has been something not a single motocross fans wants to see. Herlings is without question the fastest man on the planet, and it doesn’t matter if he says it, or a rival competitor says it, it is just the facts.
Winning record to compare to the greats of the sport like Ricky Carmichael, Stefan Everts, Jeremy McGrath or Antonio Cairoli. At 24 years of age, he has 84 GP wins, and four World motocross championships. He is already a great of our sport, and if he ended his career tomorrow, it has been one of the best ever. But, we want more, we want to see him pass Everts 101 GP wins, we want to see him pass DeCoster, Robert, Smets, Geboers and Jobe in the all-time list. Heck, as hard as it seems now, if he can catch and pass Everts, Cairoli and Carmichael for championship victories, that wouldn’t be a bad thing for the sport either, but at the moment, it is all a question mark.
The Flying Dutchman hasn’t really spoken to the media yet, he has thrown out the odd comment, and yesterday we got the biggest comments from major Dutch television company NOS. In those comments he mentioned that racing the AMA Nationals was a possibility.
Now, it seems clear his injury means he won’t be very well prepared come May 18 when the AMA Nationals starts. Racing the AMA Nationals on a full-time basis hasn’t really been on his hit list, and I still think he isn’t that keen on going and living in America.
Here is a guy, who is as Dutch as they come. He comes from a very family orientated part of Holland called Brabant, and as a young journalist, it was the first place I set feet when I moved to Europe. My ex-wife is from Brabant, my four children are born there, and I know the attitude of that area.
Jeffrey is also the last guy to arrive to a Grand Prix and the first to leave. He loves being home, he probably still loves his mums home cooking, and loves spending time with his friends. He isn’t interested in travel, just riding his dirt bike, and putting in the effort to be the best prepared he can be. I think the American life-style would be something that would irritate him.
His goals have always been to break records in Europe, get that 101 GP wins of Everts, more World motocross championships, and set his name in stone in the sport. As mentioned, he is already a legend of the sport, his AMA National victory in 2017, when he swept the best American based riders aside and won at Ironman is something no GP rider has done, at least not on their debut and not in that fashion.
He has been the stand-out rider in the last three MXoN, going 1-2-1-2-1-2, not just a little better than anyone else, but a lot better. It didn’t matter that Jason Anderson, Max Anstie or Glenn Coldenhoff beat him in a moto, he has been the stand-out guy.
But now, we again hear the talk of America. I spoke to his mechanic and team manager in Argentina, just a quick chat about all the American talk, both felt it unlikely he would go. I have to agree with them. I think at the end of the day, what does Jeffrey Herlings have to win by taking an AMA National championship? He has already beaten those guys time and time again in the last three years. His goals are in Europe, and even if he was to return in May, he then has probably 15 chances to win a GP, hell, he can still pass Cairoli and move into second place in the all-time GP winners list.
Winning in America isn’t like it was 10 or 20 years ago. It isn’t like he would be going there for a bigger challenge, because it’s been proven the last five or six years that the MXGP riders are the best in the World, so what is the point of winning a series that isn’t even rated above the one he is already racing?
Not to mention, he still won't be going to America with a great off-season, he won't have ridden a bike for two or three months, and while supercross isn't motocross, guys like Tomac, Roczen and Musquin will have all had way better preperation than the Dutchman. Major injury could be around the corner going there with a goal of a championship with terrible preperation.
Would it be cool if he races in USA for a full season, 100%? Would I love it, probably, but as a fan, as a supporter of the MXGP championship, I want to see him race the MXGP championship. I want to see him win another 10 or so GPs. I want him to go into 2020 with the chance of winning his fifth World title, and pass Everts 101 GP wins.
History is something that interests Herlings, and while an AMA number one plate in his house might look good, a year away from MXGP might hurt him. The speed isn’t the same in USA, we have seen that at Redbud. A year racing against lesser competition might give guys like Cairoli, Gajser and Febvre that edge they need to run with him in 2020.
So, I, as an experience media guy in Europe and a guy who has lived in Holland for 25 years, actually a year longer than Jeffrey, I don’t think we will see Herlings race in America in 2019. He might think about it, but Jeffrey Herlings is 100% European, and his heart is in Europe, not in America. His goals are in MXGP, not in AMA Nationals.
At the end of the day, I hope Herlings makes a decision that will help him get over this horrible foot injury. As a media guy who gets to speak to him most weeks, I hope whatever happens he arrives back at a motocross track, and can feel the wind of victory again. His work ethic deserves that, and for us, the fans, we look forward to that moment again.
Dutch video here on Herlings, obviously in Dutch, but good to see the champ on a video even if its while he is injured (video)
Ray Archer image
Thursday, March 7, 2019 at 1:17PM Our world can be a strange place. The UAE seems an odd choice for a KTM sponsored female riding group. However, it shows dirt bike riding breaks down many social barriers. Riding is just too much fun. Go Girls!
Off-roading group encourages women to ride bikes to push their limits and feel empowered
Sharmila Dhal, Deputy UAE Editor
The Grit Girls group has women from different backgrounds, and nationalities. Image Credit: Supplied
DUBAI: A clutch of women, who call themselves Grit Girls UAE, have formed an off-road motocross and enduro group with a mission to inspire, encourage and facilitate other women to ride bikes, as they believe it is a means to push one’s limits and feel empowered.
It’s a message that finds a strong echo on International Women’s Day.
Martinette Van Vuuren, an Australian expat who founded the group late last month, told Gulf News, “Some enthusiasts like me just ventured into the Dubai desert recently to kick-start a new community that is centred around determination, inclusivity and fun.”
She said the event — the first Grit Girls UAE Try Day — with support from ANB Automobiles, distributor of KTM in UAE, hosted more than 30 new women riders for one-to-one basics training.
“Supplied with gear, bikes and nourishment, the women left the event capable of riding a dirt bike.”
She said the group has a diverse mix of women from different backgrounds. “We already have 80 members on board and they come from over 20 nationalities, including Britons, South Africans, Indians, Iraqis and Saudis. The age group is also diverse, with the youngest being a teenager and the oldest 50.”
