Penrite Honda continues to build in Oakland as a rider development coach is brought in

 

Mitchell Oldenburg finish a respectable sixth at Oakland. Photo: Michael Antonovich 

The Penrite Honda Racing team continue to build as Mitchell Oldenburg and Luke Clout finished 6th and 10th respectively in round 4 of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship at Glendale, Arizona.

Although a top ten finish for both riders is respectable team's director Yarrive Konsky is not content with as he knows both riders are capable of more.

"There are many positives we can take from the first 4 rounds, both riders have had decent starts and they have both shown great promise, however we need to improve a little bit in most areas, and we have a plan to do that" said Konsky.

This is the team's first year racing in America and each race provides them with an opportunity to learn, assess and progress.

"We are competing against teams that are better prepared, we are using each and every round for testing and we are learning so much. The data we collect helps the riders, engineers and management. We are confident we will continue to improve" said Konsky.

One of the team's plans was to hire a rider development coach and they have. Buddy Antunez is no stranger to coaching. He has had great success with Eli Tomac, Weston Pieck and Justin Brayton. Buddy retired from racing in 2004 after winning 5 Arenacross Championships, and achieving 2nd and 3rd outright in the AMA Supercross Championship. Buddy is excited to be involved and believes in the team's potential.

"You need to consider how quickly this has come together. The team has already achieved two top three heat race finishes and six top 10 overalls. There is some real potential in both rider's, and I am excited to get to work" said Antunez.

The team now moves to 8th and 9th in the championship standings. Mitchell moved to 8th following his 6th place finish in round 4 and isn't satisfied, but understands it's a process.
"I got bad starts tonight and it hurt my overall chances. We have a lot of work ahead of us, I am still not 100% following my crash at A1 but I am feeling stronger and I can't wait to throw everything I have at it. I am excited to work with Buddy" said Oldenburg.

 

Despite breaking a toe on press day, Luke Clout still managed 10th and is now 9th in thee championship standings. Photo: Michael Antonovich

Luke Clout got better throughout the night. This is his third top 10 overall in a row and he now move's to 9th in the championship. The team are impressed with his gutsy ride as he broke his toe on Friday during the press call.

"I am bummed I crashed on Friday and broke my toe. My foot was extremely sore, I can't say it affected my riding but I was conscious of it. Another top 10 is good but I am not happy with these overalls. I know what I need to work on and I will continue to push forward, having Buddy will make a difference and everyone on team is working towards a common goal and I appreciate them"

Please note - SK Designs is donating $50 from each set of graphics / seat cover set sold this week to the bush fire charities and each complete kit comes with a cap.

The team will now focus on round 5, which is this coming weekend in Oakland.

2020 Primm WORCS: JP Alvarez Battles for the Lead in Pro 2 Lights

MX Large Ken Roczen interview

Ken Roczen is without question back. After his horrific injury a few years ago, the HRC factory rider seems to have finally found his mojo and is winning again, in fact, you start to wonder if he can take it all the way and finally clinch an AMA supercross championship, something that has eluded him since his move to the 450 class.

With a handy points lead over Eli Tomac, the former MX2 World champion and former AMA motocross champion is still searching for the consistency to take him to his first major indoor title in America. A fan favourite after his horrible accident, the German is getting more than enough support from the often anti-european fans.

MXLarge: Coming into Glendale, you had the red plate, so a lot of red isn't it. How did that feel coming in?

Roczen: I blend right in don’t I. It is good, second place was solid in A2 and 17 rounds is a lot of races and last year I had too many not good ones. We are in a good position and trying to take it weekend by weekend. Have a clean slate no matter how the weekend before was. I am trying to improve my starts and that is focus. Even if you click off five in a row and come into a race thinking you are the man, that is how mistakes come. I like to enjoy myself and then go back to the win and put in hard and consistent work and try and eliminate the stress. I know I have the red plate, but it can change and there are a lot of good guys out there and just try and have good weekend.

MXLarge: Those first corners were hectic.

Roczen: After that second start, I went all the way up there, and started braking and the guys on the inside just ploughed to the front right there. I was kind of shocked that way, it was kind of like a 250 start, they just didn’t let off and that ended up in a red flag. I just try and have a clean slate every time something like that happens. I had good battles with Eli, and I am just having fun and my starts are good.

MXlarge: A lot of carnage too?

Roczen: Those red flags, they are never fun to see, especially for the person involved. Every time you start there are 22 guys going down to the first turns, so there is some sketchiness happening there and any extra start doesn’t help. Overall, we had two holeshots tonight and just rode really well and calm and we were really focusing, and I am still blown away with three awesome wins.

MXLarge: With the three main sweep, I guess they are never easy to win, but was it easier than normal getting three wins in a row?

Roczen: I don’t know if that is the right way to say it at all. The starts were important, and nothing is ever easy and the first one I had Eli om my tail the whole time. We had some good battles going on, and even going into the last one, before the red flag we were kind of buried in the pack and we were going back and forth, which was awesome, because everything was super clean, so, we had a lot of fun. Even though you can technically improve your start, I was disappointed to see the red flag, because I was like, damn, another one. Again, I cleaned everything out and tried to improve.

MXLarge: We talk about starts, and how key they are, and starts in Glendale are a completely different beast.

Roczen: I prefer longer starts, because is spreads out the field a bit and it should take the craziness away a little bit, but a start is a start, and anything can happen. I am a fan of longer starts, because for positioning it doesn’t matter if you are inside or outside, so technically you can get a good start anywhere.

MXLarge: How much more endurance does the triple crown have compared to the normal program?

Roczen: Well, we obviously have our day program and then we go into the night show. If you compare those two, it is more fast race time, but we prepare for it and it shouldn’t effect anything, but the triple crown is more pure race time and normally we are not in the track that much, and due to the red flags we rode a lot tonight for sure. 

Yamaha T 700

Dirt Bike Talks With Ricky Brabec

RICKY BRABEC Q & A

We started calling Ricky Brabec the moment he got back to the states after his nearly perfect Dakar win. When we finally got ahold of him, here’s what he said:

Dirt Bike: Is winning Dakar like you dreamed Or is there anything that caught you off guard?
Ricky Brabec: The aftermath of winning the Dakar is a dream come true. There’s a lot of work, a lot of PR, media stuff, but nothing caught me off-guard. We have to accept the fact that there’s a lot of media in the next few weeks, but for sure it’s a dream come true. 

DB: Do you think your life will change, or will it be back to the routine?
RB: It’s going to be back to the routine. We gotta prepare for 2021. We want to back this up with another championship. We’re going to take a couple of weeks off, maybe a month. Then we’re going to take it slowly at first and then work the hardest between August and Christmas.

DB: As a team Honda did well this year. That hasn’t been the case in the past. What was the difference?
RB: The difference this year versus other years was we spent a lot of time out here in the Mojave, testing and developing the bike. I think that’s a real big part of it. The Japanese have done a great job building this motorcycle. I think the whole team is real confident now with the new specs.

DB: In the past you said that you and Johnny Campbell were like a separate team within Honda. Is it different now?
RB: In the past, we Americans felt a little left out at the Bivouac, but now we have a new team manager. Rubin Faria and Helder Rodriguez are former racers and rally experts. Now, since the Americans have picked up the training program and started to make a push toward the front, they really respect us. It feels really nice. It feels like family. 

DB: As a part of your team, did Johnny Campbell have a good payday as well? 
RB: I don’t know how Johnny’s bonus worked, but I would hope people think of winning as more than just a payday. Of course, there’s money involved, but we do this because we like it, we do it because we have fun and we do it because we want to win. 

DB: When fellow American Andrew Short gave a wheel to Toby Price, your primary competitor at KTM, what was your initial thought?
RB: When I heard about that, my initial thought was ‘naw, Andrew isn’t going to do that. They’re on two different teams!’ That wasn’t how it worked out, though. Toby got the wheel and I thought, ‘oh man, we’re still here racing. Toby’s a real strong guy.’ He lost a little time that day, but you never want to count him out, whether he has a couple of down times or not. 

DB: What was Saudi Arabia like? How did they respond to your tattoos and clothing?
RB: With my shorts and tattoos, I was a little scared at first, but I think they understood that our culture isn’t like theirs.  Still, we didn’t go out in public that often. Some guys had shorts in the bivouac, and that wasn’t a really big deal, but when we went out in public, we tried to take care, wear long pants and long sleeves–obey the law and respect the culture. 

DB: On the days when you got the map book just before the start, was that difficult?
RB: When we got the map book in the morning, no one had any more time to study it than anyone else. We had 25 minutes to load it and look at it, and that’s really a fair game. When people get the map book the day before, there’s a possibility that map guys can make an overlay of the course. Hopefully in the future we can get it like that every morning. That gives us more time to rest in the evenings and it’s equal for everybody and I really like that. It’s the way I train. 

DB: You seemed like you always had speed in reserve this year. Is that new?
RB: Yes and no. We didn’t have the best set up in the past and we didn’t feel that confident. Now, training with Jimmy Lewis and having all the confidence in the world that we can keep up with the other guys, it’s really nice. For sure, there’s a little more speed in reserve now, but you have to make sure you’re not going to get lost. Just having speed isn’t the most important thing. You have to be smart, as well. You can only ride as fast as you can read. It’s really difficult

DB: Did you crash or have any major issues?
RB: I tipped the bike over two times in the dunes, but other than that, for me, it was the perfect rally. 

DB: How close were Paulo Goncalves and you?
RB: Paulo was really close to all of us. He was a part of the team when I got there. Paulo and his family are great people. What happened, happened. We can’t bring him back. We have to accept the fact that racing is dangerous. Every time we put the helmet on we know there are consequences. 

DB: Was the day off after Paulo’s accident good or bad?
RB: The day off was good. The brain gets fatigued, the body get fatigued, so having a day off is nice. It makes the Dakar a little longer. We’re trying to get our laundry done, we’re trying to get through town and get food for the motorhomes. We have media stuff, so a day off doesn’t seem like a day off. The only thing is that you get to sleep an extra hour.  Now, we’re excited. We got the win–first American; stoked on that. We’re gonna hang out for a couple of weeks. Relax. I just got back on Monday and we just went trail riding with Preston Campbell. Helping him gear up for the first National. See you at the races.

Mitch Evans declares he is ready to go for MXGP debut with Team HRC

Mitch Evans has been hard at work as he prepares to make his his debut with Team HRC at the MXGP opener at Matterley Basin, in the UK on March 1st for round one of the 2020 FIM MotocrossWorld Championship.

Joining an extremely competitive MXGP class, Evans who moves up from the MX2 world championship which he rode in 2019, has delared he is ready to go. Despite being just 21 years old, many experts believe that Evans is much more suited to the more powerful 450cc machines, which is something he proved when he won his first outing on the larger capacity bike at Sugo for the Japanese national championship. Now though, the Australian youngster wants to show that as quickly as possible in the MXGP class as he hopes to settle into this 2020 campaign

"It was a dream come true to sign with Team HRC at the end of last year, and even though I’ll be riding in a new class on a brand new bike, I feel ready to show everyone what I am capable of," Evans said.

"I know it won’t be easy because the MXGP class is filled with top riders, but with the help of everyone in the team I believe I am ready to go out there and get some good results. My off season has gone well and when I jumped on this brand new Honda CRF450RW, I felt good right away.

"Each time I get on the machine I feel like I am improving and when I’m riding with Tim, I have the perfect gauge to see just how well I am doing. He has been a great team mate so far but I know the results are down to me and that’s what I am concentrating on when the season begins at the MXGP of Great Britain on March 1st."

HRC General Manager - MXGP, Marcus Pereira de Freitas, is happy with how Evans has fit into the team.

"Mitch has fitted into the team quickly, and has adapted well to riding a 450cc machine after riding in the MX2 class last year," he said. "He has good fitness and has shown a lot of promise in the testing sessions that we’ve had so we are all excited to see what he can do in a race environment. It won’t 

be easy for either rider but everyone in Team HRC is fully committed to helping him achieve his goals and we are confident that 2020 can be another good year for Honda."

Matrix Pre Season Sale!

THE PRESEASON SALE

HERES THE DEAL 

TOOL BOXES & TABLES 
USE CODE: TT35 FOR AN ADDITIONAL 35% OFF THE ALREADY SPECIAL PRICING 
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FREE NAME & NUMBER (A $40.00 VALUE) ON TOOLBOXES & TABLES

Team riders discounts do not apply in addition to this promotion. 

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STANDS | CANS | MATS | RAMPS | TIE DOWNS 
TRACK & GARAGE 
USE CODE G650C FOR 50% OFF 

You CANNOT use 2 codes on 1 order (so as example; if your buying a Toolbox or Table at 35% AND  a Stand, Ramp, Can or Tie-downs at 50% off you will need to place 2 separate orders 1 for Toolbox/Table & 1 for the Stand etc products) 

Is This the 2021 Honda CRF450?

Honda HRC's MXGP team revealed an all-new motorcycle in the 2020 CRF450RW in today's press release announcing the 2020 race team. This works bike is likely based on the next-generation Honda CRF450R, most likely the 2021 model. Honda has suspended its works bike operations in the All-Japan Motocross Nationals, which makes MXGP a source to test next-generation bikes without worrying about production rules, which are used in AMA racing.

Have a look at the photos below and you can see the bike—the slimmer tail section and single-exhaust alone signify big changes from the current-gen Honda, which was introduced in 2017 and has gone through significant refinements since. 

The Honda HRC MXGP press release is below:

New look Team HRC ready for 2020

Defending MXGP champion Tim Gajser will once again be leading the way for Team HRC as they look to repeat their efforts and win the 2020 FIM world motocross title. This year he’ll be under the awning with a new teammate as his #243 bike will be lining up next to Mitch Evans’ #43 machine for his first season in the MXGP class, on what is a brand new Honda CRF450RW.

For Gajser, it’ll be a chance to win his fourth world title after successes in 2015, 2016 and 2019 and he’ll be hoping he can replicate the form that saw him win last year’s championship by over 200 points and included a record breaking seven wins in a row for Honda in the middle period of the season. Now though, the focus is on the first round at Matterley Basin which is a track that he enjoys in what will be the first MXGP gate drops for the newest edition of the Honda CRF450RW.

Joining him in what is once again an extremely competitive MXGP class is rookie Evans who moves up from the MX2 world championship which he rode in 2019. Despite being just 21 years old, many experts believe that Evans is much more suited to the more powerful 450cc machines, which is something he proved when he won his first outing on the larger capacity bike at Sugo for the Japanese national championship. Now though, the Australian youngster wants to show that as quickly as possible in the MXGP class as he hopes to settle into this 2020 campaign. 

Their machine for the season is a completely new Honda CRF450RW, which has been developed to cope with the multitude of conditions that an MXGP rider has to negotiate during these 20 grueling rounds of the 2020 FIM world championship. First up though, is the three rounds of the Italian series, before the MXGP opener at Matterley Basin, Great Britain on March 1st.

#243 Tim Gajser

I am very excited for the start of this 2020 season. Of course I won the MXGP championship last year but now I will try my best to defend the title, for myself and for Team HRC. We have been working very hard over the off season to get ready for the first round and with this new Honda CRF450RW, we believe we are in a very good position to be able to go out and win races just like I did in 2019. It will be tough as there are a lot of fast riders in the class but I feel as though I am still improving as a rider and knowing that Honda are continually trying to improve my bike is a massive confidence boost too. They did an amazing job on this new machine and I felt good straight away in testing, it really suits my style and I already feel stronger on it than this time last year. It will be a long season with 20 rounds, however I am ready to put in the necessary work and with Matterley Basin being a track I really enjoy, I believe I can start out strongly.

#43 Mitchell Evans

It was a dream come true to sign with Team HRC at the end of last year, and even though I’ll be riding in a new class on a brand new bike, I feel ready to show everyone what I am capable of. I know it won’t be easy because the MXGP class is filled with top riders, but with the help of everyone in the team I believe I am ready to go out there and get some good results. My off season has gone well and when I jumped on this brand new Honda CRF450RW, I felt good right away. Each time I get on the machine I feel like I am improving and when I’m riding with Tim, I have the perfect gauge to see just how well I am doing. He has been a great team mate so far but I know the results are down to me and that’s what I am concentrating on when the season begins at the MXGP of Great Britain on March 1st.

Marcus Pereira de Freitas, HRC General Manager – MXGP 

We have been working very hard this winter to make sure that Team HRC is ready for the 2020 world motocross championships. We once again line up with Tim Gajser, who is defending his MXGP championship, but then we have a new rider in Mitch Evans and we also have a completely new Honda CRF450RW that we have been developing in order to go racing for this year.

As always Tim has been great to work with, helping with the testing of the new bike and just being a total professional in everything that he does. He gelled with the new machine really quickly and just like last year, he is coming into the new season in a really good frame of mind.

Mitch has also fitted into the team quickly, and has adapted well to riding a 450cc machine after riding in the MX2 class last year. He has good fitness and has shown a lot of promise in the testing sessions that we’ve had so we are all excited to see what he can do in a race environment.

It won’t be easy for either rider but everyone in Team HRC is fully committed to helping them achieve their goals and we are confident that 2020 can be another good year for Honda. 

Rossi steps up training with motocross return

Valentino Rossi has returned to motocross training as part of his preparations for the 2020 MotoGP season. After being ‘banned’ from motocross after suffering an injury in 2017, before suffering leg fractures later that year in an enduro training accident, the nine-time world champion is back on dirt before heading to Sepang for the Monster Yamaha team launch and the start of pre-season testing.

Tomac Wins

Eli Tomac and his No. 3 Monster Energy® Kawasaki KX™450 ascended to the top step of the podium at Round 3 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship. Racing returned to Anaheim, California for the second and final stop at Angel Stadium, with Tomac grabbing his 28th career 450SX win, meanwhile 450SX rookie and teammate Adam Cianciarulo continued to impress by finishing in sixth place amongst the title contenders.

For the third week in a row, the Monster Energy Kawasaki dynamic duo kicked off the day by qualifying with the two fastest times as Cianciarulo clocked the fastest lap time of 51.865 with Tomac hot on his heels in second with a 51.934. The two Monster Energy Kawasaki riders were the only two riders to put in a hot lap in under 52 seconds. For the third week in a row, Cianciarulo was the fastest qualifier heading into the night show.

Tomac lined up for the first 450SX heat race and right out of the gate was able to tuck under the competition in the first turn. The No. 3 machine wasted no time getting out front and quickly darted away from the competition as he built an impressive nine-second gap over the field and went onto claim his first 450SX heat race win of the season.

Carrying the confidence of qualifying into the night show, Cianciarulo shot out of the 450SX Heat 2 gate in second place, but by the second turn had already claimed the lead. Cianciarulo began clicking off laps where he was able to lead the first half of the heat race before surrendering the top spot and finishing second.

In the 450SX Main Event both Tomac and Cianciarulo found themselves wedged out and sitting mid-pack after the first turn. Both racers began making quick work of the competition and followed one another toward the front of the pack. Tomac was able to maneuver his KX450 around the field and sliced his way into first place just before the halfway point of the race and never looked back, claiming his first 450SX victory of the year. Tomac’s win puts him into third place in the championship point standings and only five points back from the leader. Cianciarulo was able to maintain a top-5 position for the majority of the race but would ultimately cross the finish line in sixth place overall.

 

Eli Tomac: "Today was the day we worked for all offseason. Things were just clicking all day, we qualified second coming into the night, and in the first heat race we were able to get out front early and just kind of set the tone for the rest of the night. In the main, I didn’t get the best jump of the gate, but I was able to find some good passing lanes and remained aggressive in the opening laps. The two sets of whoops and dragon back were so mentally and physically demanding, I believe that is where I was able to separate myself from the rest of the pack. All in all, I can’t thank my team enough, the whole Monster Energy Kawasaki crew for all the hard work this past week, it definitely paid off tonight. I am looking forward to Glendale next weekend and to race a Triple Crown. My first 450SX win came in Phoenix and the high-intensity Triple Crown format really suits my racing style.”