Reed and McFarlane - Two Aussies

 

It was 2001, and two young Aussies had made their way to Europe off good performances at the Australian GP the previous year. Chad Reed and Andrew McFarlane. They arrive at the Bellpuig circuit in Spain not really knowing what to expect, Reed racing for the Jan De Groot Kawasaki team in the 250 class, and McFarlane for the Rinaldi Yamaha team in the 500cc class.

I still clearly remember catching up with them early on Saturday, they were walking around the circuit, and I decided to join them. Both were fresh and ready for anything. Reed the more confident and cockier, McFarlane a little humbler and more unsure.

Reed would finish eight and McFarlane ninth, solid performances, but nothing too special. Throughout the 2001 season the two impressed. McFarlane picking up a second-place finish to Stefan Everts at the Aussie GP, and Reed winning the GP of Holland were their highlights. In the end, Reed came home second in the World, and signed a big contract with Troy of Yamaha in USA, the rest is history.

 

As for McFarlane, he continued on in Europe after finishing eight in the World. He would win a handful of Grand Prix’s, maybe the most significant in Namur in Belgium, and he held the red plate in the MX2 championship in 2005, a season that there was even talk that his championship was lost after the team suffered many machine problems as the season folded, and the Aussie lost out to GP legend Antonio Cairoli, who would win his first World championship.

My relationship with both fellow Aussies would be great for many years, travelling to America to watch Reed win East Coast 250 Supercross championships, AMA supercross championships and many main events. In 2005 though, that changed, and it was more business than pleasure and our good friendly relationship more or less ended. I felt I had maybe overstayed my welcome.

I have to say, those years of 2002, 2003 and 2004 following my fellow Australian around America were some of the best in my working life, but Reed with the pressures of winning, and a bunch of new friends seems to lose interest in the old media guy, and I was getting sick of jet lag at the races in US and my kids were getting at an age I needed to be home more, so I made me decide to stop travelling to America (apart for a GP or MXoN).

As for McFarlane, I spent a few GPs with tears in my eyes as they played the Australian National Anthem. Andrew always remained a down to earth Aussie, liked a good chat, and after a solid GP and AMA career moved back to Australia with his wife and daughter. 

Unfortunately, just before retirement, nearly 10 years ago he lost his life in an accident, at the very same circuit that had given him his break in 2000 and saw him finish on the GP podium in 2005, Broadford. The Australian motocross World would mourn one of their best, and for many tears would be shed.

Two Aussies, two paths, but both legends in the sport down under, and both will be remembered for being so many opportunities to the current breed of Australian riders in both GP and AMA.

Sexton Set To Return at Millville

It was the best of times and the worst of times for GEICO Honda's Chase Sexton at the Florida National at WW Ranch Motocross Park. The new 250SX East Region Champion scored the first moto win of his career in the first moto, but he overheated as soon as he finished and couldn't recover for moto two. He started the race but soon pulled off and headed to the pits. Then at Southwick he finished 13th in the first moto and didn't start the second moto (officially finishing 18th overall). He then sat out of RedBud, which is actually a home race for the Illinois-born rider.

Sexton announced today via an Instagram post that he will be back for this weekend's Spring Creek National in Millville, Minnesota. 

"Can’t wait to be doing this again this weekend at Millville!" wrote Sexton in his post. "Just to give you guys an update, we found some pretty big problems in my blood panel that was causing my symptoms and is one of the reasons I over heated in Jacksonville! On vitamins and supplements now to fix the problems and I’m feeling much better!! Thanks for all the support I’m just happy to be back to training and riding!"

Prior to missing the second moto in Florida, Sexton had been building a quiet title bid by starting the year with a series of top-five finishes, and then grabbing the moto win at WW Ranch. At the end of that moto, he was just three points behind Dylan Ferrandis for third in the 250 Class Championship. He will enter this weekend in eighth place in the points standings.

JEREMY MCGRATH RIPS HIS KAWASAKI KX500

The King of Supercross, Jeremy McGrath, rails the iconic Mammoth Motocross track on his freshly rebuilt 2000 Factory Kawasaki KX 500.

What Happens When a Motorcycle Racer Gets into E-Bikes: The Fuell Fluid-1

Erik Buell has raced and designed motorcycles his entire life—now he’s built a powerful, long range e-bike.

By Dan Roe

 

• The Fuell Fluid-1 is a brand new e-bike designed by engineer and motorcycle racer Erik Buell and Formula 1 designer Frédéric Vasseur
• The bike comes in 20mph and 28 mph models, with one or two batteries and a Gates belt drive
• The company says bikes should begin shipping in October

Price: $3,999 and up
Type: Urban electric
Wheel size: 27.5 in.

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A premium e-bike shouldn’t just go fast and far; it should look like the insanely powerful brainchild of a motorcycle fanatic and a Formula 1 engineer, too. That’s the Fuell Fluid-1, a pedal-assisted e-bike with 100 newton-meters (74 ft-lbs) of torque and a 125-mile range. If Fuell sounds like another two-wheeled name you know, it’s Erik Buell, the American Motorcycle Hall of Fame-inductee who helped design the bike. Since launching an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign in late April, the company has raised more than $1 million for development and production; Fuell says the Fluid-1 will begin shipping to backers in October.  The battery and motor are customizable: The Fluid-1 goes up to 20mph and the Fluid-1S (U.S.-only) model tops out at 28 mph. You can have it with one or two Samsung 504 watt-hour batteries; the latter option extends the range past 100 miles, the company claims. Fuell commissioned a custom mid-drive motor from manufacturer Bofeili, which makes mid-drives for a handful of Chinese brands. The 500-watt power figure is average, but its 100nm of torque beats out the most powerful motors from Bosch, Shimano, and Brose. In other words, this thing should fly off the line.

The top tube and down tube house the two Samsung batteries, which combine to give you more than 1 kilowatt of power.

The power reaches the rear wheel via a Gates Carbon Drive belt drive system, a design we’ve found to be smooth and reliable on mountain bikes. An 8-speed Shimano Alfine internal-gear hub handles shifting and keeps the drivetrain’s mechanics out of the elements. Fuell fitted 180mm Tektro hydraulic disc brakes to reign in the 69-pound bike and resilient Pirelli e-bike tires to stand up to rough pavement. A 3.2-inch color screen shows you speed, distance, and battery and pedal-assist levels.

The Fluid-1 cuts a streamline silhouette compared to e-bikes without frame-integrated batteries.

Lifelong motorcycle racer and designer Erik Buell was always good at making bikes go fast, but the transition to electric reflects a contemporary opening for Buell’s skills. After taking his motorcycle racing experience to Harley-Davidson in the late 1970s to improve the handling of the company’s less-than-sporty models, Buell split with Harley to design his own race bikes around leftover Harley engines.

Buell specialized in putting big engines in sport bikes and making them go really, really fast.

Rob Rough/Getty Images

In 1983, Buell started making bikes under Buell Motorcycle Company; Harley bought a 51-percent share of the company in 1993 and bought the rest in 2003. Buell had success selling fast bikes with Harley-Davidson, but the company folded during the Great Recession in 2009. The same year, Buell launched Erik Buell Racing to continue building high-end sport bikes; that company lasted until 2015, when it also declared bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, the Brooklyn-based motorcycle company Vanguard was making bespoke machines with the backing of French entrepreneur François-Xavier Terny. He appears to be the money behind Fuell, and in 2018, a partnership formed between Terny, Buell, and Frédéric Vasseur, the French engineer and boss of Alfa Romeo’s F1 team. (The collaboration’s name has since changed names from VanguardSpark to Fuell.)

With an SR Suntour suspension fork and Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, the Fluid-1S isn’t bound to the pavement.

The torquey motor and streamline frame highlight the Fluid-1, although you can get a 28 mph e-bike for less than half the price and competitors offer two-battery setups for less than the Fuell’s $4,000 starting price. Still, it’s exciting to see motorsport influence the e-bike market, and the Fluid-1’s streamline, integrated-battery shape looks better than simply bolting a rectangular battery to a down tube. And if you’re a fan of Buell’s motorcycle work, keep your eyes peeled for the Fuell Flow 1-S, the company’s prototype electric motorcycle that goes 0-60 in 2.7 seconds.

Interview: Romain Febvre

Romain Febvre on Semarang and his future

Romain Febvre appears to be so close to winning a Grand Prix for the first time since June 2016, yet poor luck and untimely mistakes keep standing in his way. A similar scenario played out at the Grand Prix of Asia over the weekend. There were still a few positives to take from the outing though and, based on this exclusive MX Vice interview from Semarang, Febvre is clinging to those.

MX Vice: After yesterday I was ready to see you on the top step again for the first time since 2016. I believed it was going to happen, but I guess sometimes you have sh*t luck and today was just one of those days where nothing really went right. Hey, I guess you can take the positives form yesterday and be kind of pleased? 

Romain Febvre: Yeah. Yesterday was really good. Today no. I had a small crash and just bent my handlebars so bad that I could not continue. I stopped in pit lane but nothing really much to do, so stop it. The second one I had a really good start but made a mistake in the first turn. I was leading, then slid the rear wheel and could not take the speed before the rollers. I was tenth, maybe twelfth, something like this on the first lap and then came back to fifth. For sure, it is not what I expected after yesterday but it is how it is. Like you say, sometimes it is a little bit luck. For me, a mistake that I need to consider.  

You say you had a small crash in the first moto, but your bars were like seriously bent. You can bend your bars quite easily, but those were properly bent. How did it get in such a bad situation? Talk us through the crash.

Not so much to say. I lost the rear wheel and then I don't know. The bike went on the ground. It was really, really bent. I kind of started again and said, "I'm going to try to ride like this," but it was way too much. With the speed we go on the track, it was not possible. It's not the first time. Not so much to say.

I guess you got up and had flashbacks to Maggiora 2015. Looked at it and were like, "I can do this. Have you not seen me before?"

Yeah. When I took the bike, I said, "I can continue." I felt like it was bent but not too bad. Then when I started to ride, I said, "No, I cannot." If it was like a muddy race, I would try, but it was really, really bent. Not so much to do.

We have talked about it before, but I feel like you are riding at a really high level this year. You have stepped it up from last year, so that is good, and it seems like an MXGP win is coming. Is it frustrating just waiting to finally get that monkey off your back? Are even you starting to wonder when it is going to happen? Last year maybe the speed was not there, so we did not expect it, but this year it could happen at any point.

Yeah. I don't want to push too much pressure on myself also. After Saturday I felt really good. I won the qualifying race easily, then I tried to learn from the mistake before. I'm calm. That is not the problem. I feel when God don't want, then he don't want. I try. It's never like a similar crash or similar mistake that I make. I try my best every time. I hope it will pay off one time. Like you said, the speed is there.

This year I had a really good step last winter about my speed and everything, so that is really good. That has not gone. For sure, I want to win. That's the goal. I will try in Loket. Like this weekend, the track was really tough and slippery. I am happy also. Even if my score was not good, I'm happy to leave in one piece.

Talk about the track here a little bit more. Obviously, we are in Indonesia. It's hard to find good tracks. Do you think this is good enough for MXGP? A lot of riders seemed to say that the layout was good enough, but the ground is not great.

Yeah, the layout is perfect. The ground… It is really bad. What they can do, I don't know. Not so much to do here, I think. Last weekend was much better, the ground, but it is the second time we are coming over. Last year was the same at the end and this year it is even worse, I think. I hope they change places, or they find something to do, but I think you have not so many things to make.

Your contract is up this year. You cannot tell us much, like what you are doing or anything like that. Your deal is done though and that is good, right? The pressure is off and you don't have to worry about the off-track stuff.

Yeah. My deal is done. I cannot say much, but it is what I wanted so I am really happy about my decision. It is something exciting to start for sure. Let's see what the future brings.

Words: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: Ray Archer

Dakar 2020

After 30 years of discovering the beauty of Africa and a decade of adventure exploring the spectacular landscape of South America, a new chapter in the history of Dakar will be written as the world’s biggest rally makes its Middle East debut in Saudi Arabia.
The mega event offers drivers more than just a journey. The rally will be an opportunity for those who dare to test themselves in an unknown landscape and an uncharted terrain, setting the scene for the optimum stage to prove their driving skills, navigational prowess and knack for a challenge.

See you on April, 25th 2019 on this site and on the social networks to find out more about the Dakar 2020!

His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki AlFaisal Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Arabia General Sports Authority.
“The vision and guidance of our leaders have made our dreams and ambitions limitless and have set the sports scene in the Kingdom on a remarkable success route. Today we are thrilled to announce that Rally Dakar, an event with a huge global appeal is coming to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East for the first time. Our country is extremely passionate about sport and our strategic goal is to feed that appetite as we move further towards achieving Vision 2030, of which sport is a basic pillar.

In hosting Dakar Rally we aim to produce an unbelievable and unforgettable experience for drivers as they discover the beauty of Saudi nature and a unique spectacle for motorsport fans not only in Saudi Arabia but also in the region and around the world.”

HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Abdullah Al Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation
“I have always wanted to participate in Dakar Rally. While I wasn’t fortunate to achieve that ambition, I’m now part of achieving a much bigger dream for my country as Dakar comes to the Middle East region for the first time ever.
The vision and support of HRH Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and the trust that GSA president HRH Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Turki Al Faisal had put in us were key to our efforts to secure the hosting rights for an event of such a global magnitude.”

David Castera, Director of the Dakar.

“Looking back at my first memories of the Dakar and my first experiences as a competitor, I’ve always considered that this rally like no other carried a concept of discovery, a voyage into the unknown. By going to Saudi Arabia, it is of course that aspect that fascinates me. I’m convinced that such a feeling will be shared by all the riders, drivers and copilots. As the director of the event, it’s a massive chalenge to be faced with a blank page with limitless possibilities.

I’m already inspired and delighted to have to design a course in such a monumental geography, made for the most audacious itineraries. We are spoilt for choice. Sports, navigation, a will to surpass oneself: all these aspects will naturally be glorified on this territory made for rally-raids.”

General Sipes Video Series From Red Bull Worth a Watch

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you know that Red Bull is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, sponsor of motorsports teams and events. They also produce some very high quality videos.

There is a new video series called General Sipes, featuring American rider Ryan Sipes, who raced professional Supercross/Motocross until 2015. Sipes also became the first American overall winner of the ISDE (International Six-Days Enduro) in 2015.

The General Sipes video series has two episodes out (more to come) shown below. The “aw shucks” narration is pretty corny, but the production value is good and Sipes is an appealing character. The story line involves Sipes tackling several different racing genres at the highest level over the course of a year, including Supercross, GNCC, Flat Track and the crazy Erzberg Hare Scramble. Have a look.

2019 Monster Energy FIM Speedway

2019 Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations finals teams revealed

The Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Finals teams have been confirmed as defending world champions Russia name an unchanged team for their title defence in Togliatti on July 20 and 21.

This year’s hosts made history when they won the inaugural Monster Energy SON Finals in Wroclaw last June – Russia’s first senior speedway World Championship of any kind.

And individual World Championship leader Emil Sayfutdinov, Artem Laguta and joint FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship frontrunner Gleb Chugunov will bid to win back-to-back titles in front of a passionate home crowd in the biggest shale meeting ever staged in Russia.

They face stiff competition from Poland, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, Australia and Denmark, who all make the trip east in search of gold.

Poland welcome back Maciej Janowski, who was forced out of Race Off 1 in Landshut on May 4 after suffering shoulder ligament damage in a crash 24 hours before the German showdown. He takes Patryk Dudek’s place in the side, partnering world No.2 Bartosz Zmarzlik, with former World Under-21 champion Maksym Drabik named as their junior ahead of Bartosz Smektala.

Sweden name an unchanged team following their Race Off 1 triumph, with world No.3 Fredrik Lindgren partnering the in-form Peter Ljung and Filip Hjelmland named as their under-21.

Great Britain have been forced into a change since their Race Off 2 win in Manchester on May 11 after world champion and captain Tai Woffinden was sidelined with a fractured TH4 vertebra and a broken shoulder blade.

Former FIM Speedway Grand Prix regular Chris Harris steps in for Woffy, joining stand-in skipper Craig Cook and under-21 man Robert Lambert in a side bidding to build on the silver medal they clinched in Wroclaw.

Australia have drafted in Jason Doyle for the trip to Togliatti. He returns in place of Chris Holder after sitting out Race Off 2 due to injury. Hot on the heels of reaching his first ever SGP final in Hallstavik on Saturday, Max Fricke partners Doyle with national under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey named as their junior.

Danish boss Hans Nielsen tracks the same three stars who battled their way through Race Off 2 as World Championship frontrunner Leon Madsen links up with seven-time national champion Niels-Kristian Iversen. Frederik Jakobsen is their under-21 rider.

Germany complete the Finals field with Erik Riss replacing Martin Smolinski in the side, with Kai Huckenbeck serving as captain. Lukas Fienhage is selected ahead of Michael Hartel as their under-21 man.

The seven sides will compete over 42 heats – 21 heats on Saturday and 21 on Sunday, with the top scorers progressing automatically into the Grand Final. The second and third-placed countries will then compete in the semi-final for the right to race the leaders for the world title.

Should the semi-final end as a 3-3, the team that scored the most points over 42 heats will progress to the Grand Final. And if the Grand Final ends all square, a run-off featuring one rider from each team will decide the world title.

Penshurst Australian Off-Road Championship finals relocated

Hedley named as replacement venue for season finale.

Image: John Pearson.

Motorcycling Australia has revealed rounds 10 and 11 of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) have been relocated due to local shire and agricultural restrictions in the Penshurst region.

The final two rounds of the 2019 AORC season will now take place at Hedley in Victoria, while remaining on the same scheduled dates of 14-15 September.

To ensure the least amount of disruption to riders and teams alike, the competition has been amended to ensure the championship continues to successfully incorporate the state of Victorian into the series, while also making a conscious effort to minimise the necessary distance to travel.

The original host club, Geelong Motocross Club, will now co-host rounds 10 and 11 with the Corner Inlet Motorcycle Club, at a familiar venue to the AORC.

To close off the 2019 racing season, Hedley will feature a Cross Country racing format for round 10, followed by a Sprint format for round 11.

HRC Dominate the Desert

The Silk Way Rally has arrived in Mongolia. The third stage had a weighty presence from Monster Energy Honda Team,with Kevin Benavides claiming the stage victory and a spirited fight for second place from Joan Barreda.

The rally leaves behind Russia and moves on to Mongolia, the country of eternal blue skies. Change of the scenery: the predominance of the taiga gives way to the steppes in a country characterized by an ample variety of terrain types: forest, mountains and plains, not to mention the Gobi desert in the south. The day’s special took place entirely on Mongolian soil after a liaison road section from Ulan Ude which took competitors across the border into Mongolia. The arrival of harder track and terrain saw an immediate increase in speed and race pace. The bivouac is situated close to the country’s capital Ulan Bator, using the infrastructure from the new airport that is under construction there.

Kevin Benavides took the stage honours on the third day of the Silk Way Rally, setting a scorching pace from the outset of the special stage. The Argentinean’s Monster Energy Honda Team companion, Spanish rider Joan Barreda, in spite of a slight mishap at the start of the special, was able to attack in the latter stages, battling hard with Kevin in search of the day’s quickest stint. Benavides, in the end, recorded the fastest one with Barreda coming home some 30 seconds behind the stage winner who holds on to and increases his grip at the head of the overall standings. Meanwhile, Barreda leapfrogs to third place in the general standings.

The third rider of the Monster Energy Honda Team trio, Chilean José Ignacio Cornejo, was feeling more at home on harder surfaces, finishing the special less than seven minutes adrift of Benavides to improve in the overall rankings too.

Tomorrow sees the fourth stage, the first leg of the marathon stage, with a looping route around the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator. The 476.96-kilometre total stage will include 470.19 against the clock, the longest special of the rally. Riders will have a time period available at their disposal to work on the bikes once the special stage is finished.

Kevin Benavides: Today was a different stage, a very long day: 10 hours on the bike. I enjoyed the special. I did not push as much as possible, but I tried to keep good pace and it was great to win on the day. Tomorrow I will have to open the track, not something I like, as it is not a good one for strategy. There are many days of racing left and you have to enjoy this Silk Way Rally stage by stage, something that I’m really doing.

Joan Barreda: It was a good day in the end, but it was not an easy one. At the beginning of the special I lost some time when I fell into a trap that Paulo Gonçalves had also fallen into. I could not help it, but the bike just fell inside. Fortunately, it was nothing serious for the bike, but I was held up there for at least two minutes. Then, I tried to focus and find good pace without taking too many risks, although I overtook Paulo in the middle of all the dust that he was raising. It was a tricky day. I tried to pull back some of the lost time over the final kilometres, something that isn’t easy on outside tracks and areas of grass.

José Ignacio Cornejo: I am happy to enter Mongolia after the first two stages in Russia which were not my riding style. Here it went much better than the previous ones had. I'm happy with what I've done today and I'm becoming more confidence. We are going to try to go out and make up lost ground. We have been climbing positions little by little and hopefully will continue to do so. Tomorrow will be complicated because it’s the marathon stage and it will also be the longest special stage. So we should perhaps try not to take too many risks over these coming two days.