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Wade Young – “there were some gnarly days for sure”

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With his impressive victory at Red Bull Romaniacs 2018 Wade Young became the youngest ever winner of the event and in doing so ticked-off one huge racing life goal.

Round four of the World Enduro Super Series saw Sherco Factory Racing’s Wade Young commanding role for five epic days of Enduro racing in Romania. The 22-year-old South African battled all week both with his main rival Manuel Lettenbichler and the incredibly demanding riding conditions to secure the biggest victory of his career to date.

Congratulations Wade, how does it feel to have won the 15th edition of Red Bull Romaniacs?

Wade Young: “Thanks. This race is probably the toughest Enduro race around so I’m really stoked on the win. It’s a hugely demanding event. It’s five days on a bike and you get pushed to your absolute physical limit. 

“I’ve been trying for a while now to get it done and finally the winner’s trophy is mine. But thanks also go to my whole Sherco Factory Racing team, my mechanic and family and friends who’ve kept me going all week.”

 

Photo Credit: Andrea Belluschi/Future7Media

Entering the final day of racing you only had a small four-minute lead, were you nervous about that?

“I felt like I was riding well all week and knew that I could do it. But also, Manuel Lettenbichler was riding good too and was keeping me honest. He was fast on the up hills but I managed to reel him in on the downhills and flowing sections of the course. It went like that for the whole day right until the last couple of checkpoints. I knew then it was a case of now or never and I just gave it everything I had. I rode at maximum attack for the final 20 kilometres.”

What was the feeling like entering the final hillclimb in Gusterita, knowing you’d done enough to win?

“I could hear the crowd cheering and the atmosphere was just pumping. The final hillclimb is always nervy because it’s so steep and easy to make a mistake. With the gap being so tight crashing there could have lost me the entire race. I wanted to celebrate but held back until the finish line and then once I passed the chequered flag the enormity of it all hit me. It was an unreal moment in my Enduro career.”

 

Photo Credit: Andrea Belluschi/Future7Media

Aside from winning the race, were there any other highlights for you during the Red Bull Romaniacs?

“Probably just before the service point on off road day three. There we had the hardest climb of the race and I managed to pull a gap on the guys. Up until then the climbs were not my strongest asset and to just get it right and build a small lead felt awesome. It was a little victory in itself.”

You’ve had multiple podium results in Romania and now a win, what is it about the Red Bull Romaniacs that suits your style of riding?

“I think it’s the long days — it’s not just all about technique. Somewhere like the Erzbergrodeo relies a lot on technique and trials riding, where for me Red Bull Romaniacs is a pure form of Enduro riding. It’s man and machine against the elements for as long as it takes each day. It’s the toughest and most physically demanding Enduro race in the world. It requires you to dig deep and that’s something I can do when the going gets tough. I feel like I showed that this week — there were some gnarly days for sure.”

 

Photo Credit: Andrea Belluschi/Future7Media

Finally, with a debut Red Bull Romaniacs win do you think you can keep that momentum going and claim a debut Red Bull 111 Megawatt victory?

“I’d definitely like to. Although it’s completely different to here in Romania, it’s a race where I’ve finished on the podium before. I’m riding well and I’ve always been strong there, so I’ll try to fight for the top step of the podium again.”

World Enduro Super Series – 2018 Schedule

Rnd 1. Extreme XL Lagares (Portugal) May 11-13

Rnd 2. Erzbergrodeo (Austria) May 31-June 3

Rnd 3. Trèfle Lozérien AMV (France) June 8-10

Rnd 4. Red Bull Romaniacs (Romania) July 24-28

Rnd 5. Red Bull 111 Megawatt (Poland) September 8-9

Rnd 6. Hawkstone Park Cross-Country (England) September 22-23

Rnd 7. Gotland Grand National (Sweden) October 26-27

Rnd 8. Red Bull Knock Out (The Netherlands) November 10

Supercross ‘Legends and Champions’ on show in Geelong

  Post: Alex Gobert

Take a ride down memory lane at round three of the season.

Fans at round three of the 2018 Australian Supercross Championships presented by Yamaha Motor Australia at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, Victoria, are set to enjoy the ultimate dose of supercross nostalgia.

A star-studded line-up of Australian Supercross Legends and Champions are set to make a special appearance at the 13 October event.

The Legends and Champions revival will be headlined by decorated Australian dirt bike veteran Craig Dack, who is a Geelong local, and his longtime arch-rival Glen Bell, in a special feature of the national championship meeting. Craig Anderson, Troy Carroll, Jay Marmont, Danny Ham, Cameron Taylor and Ryan Marmont are also confirmed to appear.

“It will be an absolute thrill for multiple generations of race fans to see so many Legends and Champions of Australian Supercross on the grid together,” enthused Geelong race organiser and triple world champion Troy Bayliss, of Troy Bayliss Events.

“The Dack versus Bell rivalry was huge back in the 1980s and early 1990s and to see these two heroes of the sport take to the track once again will be a very special occasion, where true fans of the sport can show their appreciation for the part all these Legends and Champions played in the golden years of Australian supercross racing.”

While not a race, the Legends and Champions parade is set to kick off the evening’s action on a spectacular USA-inspired race track built from thousands of tonnes of topsoil that will be trucked onto the expansive infield of GMHBA Stadium.

With so many of the Legends and Champions having been part of great rivalries in their hey-days, the Geelong parade will rekindle countless memories for riders and fans alike, turning back the clock to an era when pre-mix fumes and Rat Racing gear ruled the Australian supercross scene.

“Having an Australian Supercross Championship event in my hometown is special in its own right,” admits Dack, who is nowadays owner and team principal of the powerhouse CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team. “But to also have the opportunity to be included in the Legends and Champions parade is sure to make for a night everyone at the event will remember.

“I will be riding my 1992 Yamaha YZ250 in the Legends and Champions parade, which is my favourite bike in my collection, as Yamaha gave it to me as a retirement present in my final year of professional racing,” Dack reveals.

“To line up alongside some of my old rivals like Belly, not to mention so many of my former CDR Yamaha team racers over the past 26 years, will be such a special occasion and I hope to see thousands of past and present supercross fans at the Geelong event to cheer us all on.”

Queensland-based Australian Supercross Championship Hall of Fame member Troy Carroll, who won six Australian Supercross Championships in the late 1990s and early 2000s, can’t wait to get back behind the start gates at the Geelong event.

“Having the opportunity to line-up alongside guys like Dacka in the Legends and Champions parade will be so memorable,” Carroll commented. “I can’t wait to do some laps with the guys and then settle back with the Geelong fans and enjoy a big night of racing.”

AORC Recap from Dungog – Aussie Enduro Championships

Race recap from Round 5 & 6 of the 2018 Yamaha Motor Australia AORC in Dungog, New South Wales. The first time card enduro of the season for the Australian national championships is looking pretty sweet.

Hot Topics: MXGP of Belgium

A look ahead to the fifteenth round

The FIM Motocross World Championship is in an odd spot. Although things are still well and truly up in the air, there are really no question marks. Everyone knows that Jeffrey Herlings is the best rider in the premier class currently and will probably win the Grand Prix of Belgium, which will be run this weekend, and the same could be said for Jorge Prado. Questioning who is going to win this weekend almost seems like a pointless exercise at this point.

It is not like those two will definitely win their respective classes, as nothing is guaranteed in this series, but most would opt for the same answers. The ball is in the court of those who are hunting now. Antonio Cairoli and Pauls Jonass must upset the apple cart and chuck their names back into the mix though, before it is too late. There are not going to be too many more opportunities to do that this season. Cairoli is obviously restricted with what he can do currently, because of those two fractures in his thumb, but things should begin to straighten out over the next two months. It remains to be seen whether he will still have a fighting chance at that point.

Antonio Cairoli faces a thirty-point deficit to Jeffrey Herlings currently (KTM Images/Ray Archer)

There is nothing that is holding Pauls Jonass back currently, on the other hand, so it is full steam ahead at this point. The fact that Jorge Prado gained eleven points on his rival over a single weekend sums up the way that the momentum is swinging at this time and, seeing as he has won a lot in the sand throughout his career, most expect that trend to continue. There is a fact that most are continuously overlooking though. Prado was the victor at the Grand Prix of Belgium twelve months ago, as most know, but Jonass was quite competitive and won the opening moto on the day. A fifth in the second moto does not make his record look too appealing though.

Pauls Jonass acquired that fifth after crashing in turn one and putting on one heck of a charge through the field. It was an awe-inspiring ride and reflecting on that must give him some confidence entering the weekend, so perhaps this could be a turning point? It is also worth noting that he won the Czech Grand Prix last year though and that obviously did not make much of a difference to the way that he performed at the previous round. There is no doubt that the guy who swept the first six motos of the season is in there somewhere, but he needs to resurface sooner rather than later. The good news is that a deficit of eleven points is miniscule at this point.

There is another battle that was featured in this column prior to the Czech round, which has changed quite a lot. Thomas Kjer Olsen has more of a cushion in the fight for third in the series now. Another player has entered that brawl, however, as Calvin Vlaanderen is a very real threat at this point. Vlaanderen trails Olsen by forty points, but he has gained that exact amount in the last three rounds alone. It is clearly realistic for him to get the job done by the end of the season, but he will have to overhaul Ben Watson in the standings as well. Watson is thirteen ahead in fourth. All of those guys excel in sand and would have had the Grand Prix of Belgium circled on their calendars.

Calvin Vlaanderen is the man on the move in MX2 at the moment (Honda Racing Corporation)

Another hot topic, one that was referenced on the MX Vice Twitter account at the previous Grand Prix, is what will Hunter Lawrence do at these final few rounds? It is almost tough to believe that he could depart for the United States with just a single moto win to his name. Lawrence is capable of achieving so much more than that and one would presume that he is eager to stand atop the box just once, so that can be ticked off his bucket list. It would help him head to the American scene with a little more clout too. Instead, however, it seems that his focus is shifting to the Motocross of Nations.

In a lot of interviews that have been conducted recently, Hunter Lawrence has mentioned that he hopes to build himself back up through the remaining rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship so that he can come out swinging at RedBud in October. It is understandable that he would feel that way, seeing as it will be his first opportunity to impress on American soil and the head guys at GEICO Honda would be in attendance. Is it not odd that his mind immediately wanders to that though? A Grand Prix win would be a nice way to get closure on this part of his career at least. Anyway, it is certainly a possibility that he will pull one off!

Words: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: Honda Racing Corporation

Revision: MXGP of Belgium

Look through the MXGP History Books

The Grand Prix of Belgium, round fifteen of the FIM Motocross World Championship, strikes fear into the hearts of most. The bottomless sand of Lommel has given some riders a lot in recent years. However, on the other hand, it has taken so much away from some. There is no doubt that will also occur when the Grand Prix contingent roll into the facility this weekend.

It is hardly surprising that Red Bull KTM have been dominant at Lommel. The Belgian circuit landed on the calendar for the first time back in 2008 and Jonathan Barragan immediately put them on the top of the podium, thanks to a victory in the second moto, and since then just one other manufacturer has beaten them to the top step in the premier class. Suzuki won with Ken De Dycker in 2009 and then Kevin Strijbos delivered another victory in 2016. Suzuki have only won a single moto at the venue though, despite that success, as De Dycker went only won a single moto that year and then Strijbos recorded a brace of thirds en route to his triumph three years ago.

Kevin Strijbos took an unlikely overall win at Lommel two seasons ago (Suzuki Racing)

Husqvarna (Max Nagl in 2016) and Honda (Marc de Reuver in 2008 and Tim Gajser in 2016) have also stole premier-class moto wins at Lommel but failed to put one of their riders on the top step of the podium. More manufacturers have enjoyed some success in the MX2 division, even though Max Anstie is the only non-KTM rider to stand atop the Belgian box in that class. Anstie won with Yamaha in 2014, Kawasaki in 2015 and Husqvarna in 2016. The impressive three-year run makes him the winningest MX2 rider at this particular Grand Prix. Jorge Prado will not be able to match that number, even if he wins this weekend, as that victory last year was his first at Lommel.

Now, most will immediately question that Max Anstie is the winningest MX2 rider at Lommel and presume that Jeffrey Herlings holds that title. It is not a crazy theory, seeing as Herlings is so great in the sand, but he has actually only raced at this track once in the last four years. The various injuries that beset him during his time as an MX2 rider always occurred around the time of Lommel and, with that in mind, he has not spent a ton of time behind a starting gate at this particular track. Last year was the first time that he had raced a Grand Prix there since 2011 and, unsurprisingly, he won.

The power-sapping sand does prompt surprises and there are two that really stand out. Gert Krestinov won the first MX2 Grand Prix at Lommel, first of all, with an eighth and a first. Had he scored thirty-eight points, which was the total that he had on that day, at Loket last weekend, then he would have been fourth overall. A scorecard like that does not typically give a rider a win! The same could be said about Kevin Strijbos, who took what will probably end up being his final victory with a brace of thirds in 2016. Consistency is rewarded in conditions such as this, as it is a trait that is particularly hard to master when the track deteriorates so rapidly with each lap that passes.

Antonio Cairoli has always been a contender at the Belgian Grand Prix (KTM Images/Ray Archer)

Heading into this weekend’s Grand Prix of Belgium, most would presume that Jeffrey Herlings will claim his third overall victory at Lommel and second in the premier division. It seems that most believe Jorge Prado is the best MX2 rider in these conditions as well. It is worth noting, however, that Pauls Jonass was the first-moto winner a year ago. A crash in the first turn in moto two was what stopped him from making a serious run at the overall victory.

Lommel

Herlings and Cairoli in Lommel

Surprisingly the rider many say is the best sand rider ever, Jeffrey Herlings has only won in Lommel on two occasions, those in 2011 in the MX2 class, beating home Ken Roczen, and again in the MXGP class in 2017, beating Antonio Cairoli.

Herlings did get a moto win at the 2012 Motocross of Nations but lost the overall to Antonio Cairoli who went 1-1 on that day. It might be added, Herlings has crashed in the first corner of the final moto of the day and came back from last to nearly pass the Italian in the dying stages of the moto, but he couldn’t get it done.

Antonio Cairoli got his first taste of victory at the Lommel circuit, winning in the MX1 class in 2010, and Cairoli again won in the MX1 class in 2011. Lommel disappeared for a couple of years from the GP calendar, first in 2012 when the MXoN was held at the circuit, and again in 2013, when Bastogne held a GP, but when Lommel returned in 2014 Cairoli won again, making it three from three (or four from four if you count the MXoN).

Since 2014 though, Cairoli hasn’t been able to get a GP victory in the deep sand of Lommel, with surprise winners in Shaun Simpson (2015), and Kevin Strijbos (2016), before Herlings won in 2017. 

So as it stands, while Cairoli has four victories at the circuit, he hasn’t won in four years, and Herlings has just the two wins, but is coming off that victory last year. Herlings has also missed the Lommel GP on a number of occasions due to mid-season injuries, and in fact also missed the GP of Bastogne in 2013, due to injury.

So on current form, you would have to go with Herlings to take victory, and make it three wins at the circuit, but history has been kind to Cairoli at this circuit. If the Italian can get a start, and Herlings doesn’t get the start, you can be sure Cairoli will be working hard in the early laps to make a break, and like that 2012 MXoN third moto, will be looking over his shoulder for the Dutchman to come, and you can be sure, if he doesn’t get the start, he will be coming, and fast.

If I was a betting man, of course I will pick Herlings to win this weekend, his 10 GP wins in 2018, and his nearly unbeatable form at the moment makes his a heavy favourite, but we all know that Antonio Cairoli won’t be giving up soon, and legends do things that can surprise us. With his hand now healed, we can see Cairoli trying to make it tough on the Dutchman, and don’t be surprised to see paint swapped as they both fight for not only a Lommel victory, but also the upper-hand in the MXGP championship.

Ray Archer image

Adventure Bike... Really?

Harley-Davidson Developing New, Liquid-Cooled

Models for Adventure

Prototype 2020 Harley-Davidson Pan America

Harley Davidson has announced a big push into new market segments with modular liquid-cooled engines. Sixteen new bikes will utilize the new 60° v-twins in displacements of 500cc, 750cc, 975cc, and 1250cc. These will be DOHC designs, so expect modern, competitive levels of horsepower and torque.

Pictured are a couple of prototypes shown by Harley of a new adventure model called the Pan America, displacing 1250cc, as well as a Streetfighter displacing 975cc. Harley expects these to be introduced as 2020 models.

Harley also emphasized the importance of electric models in its future. Pictured near the bottom of this article is the 2019 LiveWire. An entire “family of products” in the EV category will range all the way down to bicycles.

“Traditional” cruiser models will continue to be developed. Here is a summary from Harley-Davidson of its future plans, followed by a video:

It’s a fast-changing world with new consumer demands. Alongside our existing loyal riders, we will lead the next revolution of two-wheeled freedom to inspire future riders who have yet to even think about the thrill of riding.

Prototype 2020 Harley-Davidson Pan America

New 2019 Fly Race Gear!

The traditional new gear launch for Fly Racing is always the Washougal National. Here is a quick look at the new 2019 Fly gear. For more details go to www.Flyracing.com

Jarvis's Painful Romaniacs Decision

“Deciding to stop was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

As the 2017 winner and most successful rider in Red Bull Romaniacs history, Graham Jarvis began the 15th edition aiming for his seventh victory in what had been a vintage year for the experienced Hard Enduro specialist. 

Finishing fourth on the opening day in the mountains (after seventh in the Prologue), Graham was 17 minutes behind the leaders, not happy with his riding and clearly not where he or we expected him to be. 

However, despite citing a lack of energy, the 2018 Erzbergrodeo winner battled through Off Road Day 2 to reach half way in the race seventh, although over 30 minutes down on eventual winner Wade Young on the day. He did maintain fourth overall however and at this point we knew from past experience with Graham things could turn around.

 

Photo Credit: Andrea Belluschi/Future7Media

But Jarvis started the penultimate day still feeling low on energy and clearly fatigued. After reaching the first checkpoint of the day and riding with many possibilities running though his mind, he was forced to withdraw from the race before the midday service point. 

“Deciding to stop was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do but it was the most sensible option to take.” Said Jarvis after the event. 

“I simply had no more energy to continue and knew the safest thing to do was retire from the race. The race this year was tough, one of the toughest for a very long time and right from the off I just wasn’t feeling right. I didn’t get into that groove like I normally do and was struggling in places where I knew I shouldn’t have been.” He explained.

2018 has brought the usual mix of tough challenges for Jarvis but he more than met them with victory at Erzbergrodeo. The most successful rider in Romaniacs history was all set for the challenge against his younger rivals in the 2018 event: “I really wanted to challenge for a seventh Romaniacs win this year but it wasn’t to be. My focus now is to rest and recuperate and get back to full fitness and energy for the rest of the WESS championship.”

 

Photo Credit: Andrea Belluschi/Future7Media