Hurricane Season

Hannah flys Magoo hill at Saddelback 1979

Team USA put protest in against Hunter Lawrence at MXoN

While team Australia were celebrating the MXoN the USA were protesting Hunter Lawrence for wiping his gate amongst miscommunication about whether he was allowed to wipe the grate or not. But it shows just how badly the USA wanted to win!

Renthals Paul Perebijinos, who was involved in the protest for the US said to Steve Matthes: “The big question that we had, and we had a meeting with the FIM before the weekend started to go over rules, and we did that as a team. We filmed the entire meeting because we wanted to have documentation of the questions he asked.

“Believe it or not, I was the person that asked the question about wiping the grate and wiping the gate. Because this was an issue that we kind of asked about after we saw the gates being wiped at Red Bud and never got a real clear answer, so we brought it up again and they basically said, you cannot wipe anything.

“So going to the final moto, we noticed two people wiping gates and it was Jorge Prado and Hunter Lawrence. So we had it on film, because we were filming as gates were bring loaded every since time because we wanted to be prepared. We’re not trying to call somebody a cheater but we are trying to make sure nobody is trying to gain an advantage over us.

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“We kind of actioned that protest in the middle of the moto before it was over, we were already getting video prepared, ready to action that protest and it was against Hunter Lawrence. We are not trying to accuse Hunter of cheating, he asked the question himself because he, like us, is trying to gain an advantage he can within the rules. And he asked the question, can I wipe my grid? And they told him he could, so why wouldn’t he? When was wiping it he was under the impression he was doing no wrong, when we saw him wiping it we were under the impresion that he was doing some wrong.

“It didn’t feel great afterwards, the protest was taking a while and there was already a podium celebration… ultimately nothing changed, it was a misinterpretation of a rule that really isn’t specifically addressed. I think some rule will show up about that in the future. I think it needs to be addressed in the rulebook.”

Get the full interview and more detail on the issue with Steve Matthes and Paul Perebijinos below:

AMA vs MXGP - Legends Opinion

reprint from mxlarge.com

In my opinion, by far the best podcast in the sport is the Title 24 podcast with two AMA and MXoN legends, Ricky Carmichael and Ryan Villopoto. Don’t we owe these two a lot for the memories they have given us, both in AMA events and of course the biggest motocross race of the year, the MXoN.

Interestingly they had a question from a fan, about the difference between the AMA and FIM bikes at the Nations and it allowed both RC and RV to give their opinion on the challenges for Team USA, or more so, AMA based riders have going to the Nations.

Not sure I agree with it all, but for sure, these two men know what it takes and have experienced the challenge on numerous occasions. Team USA is for sure one of the highlights for the event, mainly because they we don’t get to see hem race much and, in the past, on many occasions, the American media, public showed a lack of respect for the GP riders. That has of course changed over the last 13 Nations, with Team USA winning just once and even losing at home at Redbud in 2018.

In my opinion, I am not sure there is anything between the speed of the two series at the moment and with Jett Lawrence, Chase Sexton, Hunter Lawrence, Jorg Prado and Haiden Deegan leading the way in USA and Tim Gajser, Jeffrey Herlings, Lucas Coenen and Kay De Wolf leading the way in Europe, we are heading for some sensational MXoN battles in the coming decade. I might even think the speed is closer than ever before and we also know the relationship between MXsports and Infront, is better than ever, and allows us to see the AMA guys racing on home turf at the MXoN more often than ever.

Below is the quick chat with RC and RV on the battle to race the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations for the AMA riders.

RC: I like this question, and I feel like this is an oversight and people don’t realize but when people throw shade at US and our position in the MXoN, if we don’t win. The question was, do the MXGP guys, get to ride their MXGP bikes at MXoN. Is that an advantage over US. What do you think RV?

RV: Well, actually, I think it was Thursday or Friday and my sister works for the KTM group and when we are over there, it doesn’t matter what manufacturer you ride for, yet, I am Blu Cru Yamaha and Carlos, the team co-ordinator there at KTM, we are all close right. We are on their soil and even though we ride for different teams, when we are over there together (the American team riders), it is all Team USA. I was looking at Tom’s bike (Vialle) and looking at AP’s (Plessinger) bike and looking at Herlings bike and that was a question I asked, what is different between Jeffrey’s bike and AP’s bike, because in the past, they have been different, but currently, the bikes are basically identical. The MXGP fames could be hand welded, it is the same as a robot welded frame. So, the bikes are pretty much identical. Which was strange to hear, because when I was racing MXGP in 2015, the bikes were totally different. When Dungey went over to Lommel (in 2012) they had completely different set-ups, frames were different, but that time has changed, and they are on the same stuff. Also, the Yamaha’s are similar frames.

RC: I heard that some of our boys were down on power compared to the MXGP riders, but maybe they sorted that out. What I found, you are not in your regular rig and those guys are in their regular rig. We are not accustomed; the paddock is different. From that standpoint, there is a disadvantage for Team USA. They are racing their normal, it isn’t our normal.

RV: Something else, when I was talking with Carlos, and I think it was Saturday evening, they run a different grate to what we run on. The holes on the MXGP grate are much smaller, so a lot less traction and we also had the mist coming down and there was a tone of dudes who spun sideway on the grate (mainly MXGP guys did that - editor). So, back to what we were up against, Team USA were up against, racing on their stage. When it was at Redbud, the black grates were more tacking than the green grates, when we had mud, so there are a lot of tricks of the trade and that is where we don’t know and we have two days to figure it out, things we are not accustomed to. I said to Davey Coombes we need to put them on our grates, which are really tacky, that we run for supercross and motocross (not a racer, but I would assume tackier is better for everyone, not just the Team USA guys – editor). Give us that hair advantage. Let’s be honest, Team USA has a total of 23 wins, for MXoN, for the Chamberlain Cup. No matter if we lose the year before, we didn’t’ win last year and we didn’t win this year, and if we win or lose the prior year, the US still has a target on their back. We have the biggest stage for motocross, we have the supercross, the TV packages we have with NBC and Peacock (in my opinion, MXGP has a larger Worldwide TV package than SX – editor) and the money backing the racing, all those dudes want to beat our riders, regardless if their team is in it to win the MXoN or not, just like Gajser right, his team wasn’t in it to win it, Slovenian wasn’t in it to win, but he went 1-1.

David Bailey...CR 500

David Bailey suspension testing a CR 500S

2024 Rallye du Maroc

Daniel Sanders has claimed victory over Adrien Van Beveren and Pablo Quintanilla on stage three of the 2024 Rallye du Maroc.

Demonstrating exceptional skill in the dunes of today’s timed special, the Australian has taken the provisional rally lead with an advantage of one minute and 35 seconds after three full days and more than nine hours of intense competition.

The route of the longest day of this year’s Rallye du Maroc headed out of Zagora into the Oriental region but unlike the previous stages, the rain had not made as much of an impact on the route. 327km of timed special awaited the competitors as the stage made its way north via the breathtaking Merzouga and Erg Chebbi dunes, which rise over 500 feet at their peak. It was going to be as spectacular to ride as they were to see, especially as the recent rainfall had created glimmering lakes that nestled in amongst the dunes. With half of the stage made up of stony tracks caution was still advised as riders headed to the final destination of Mengoub Bouârfa.

As the third rider into the special, Daniel Sanders had two targets ahead of him in the form of Tosha Schareina and Adrien Van Beveren, both of whom he caught by kilometer 104.

Having made up good time on his rivals over the first half of the special, Sanders maintained a solid but safe pace over the second half, which consisted primarily of washed-out riverbeds and fast, rocky tracks. Making little in the way of errors over the long stage, and despite not earning any bonus time, Sanders rode home safely as fastest on the special. After well over nine hours of racing against the clock, Sanders holds a one-minute-and-30-second advantage at the front of the field.

“That’s stage three done! Another very long day on the bike with over 200 kilometers done in the morning and then well over 300 kilometers of special,” Sanders said. “It’s been super-hot, very dusty, and very demanding. I felt really good today and got off to a strong start. I caught the two guys ahead by the neutralization then pushed through the dust a little bit and got into the dunes. One of the guys ahead made a little mistake, but it meant it was difficult to get out front and collect any time bonus, so as the terrain turned a little rockier, I just played it smart and made sure I brought the bike home safely. We have a new area to race tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to it.”

 Adrien Van Beveren is doing everything he can to claim the 2024 World Championship with second on stage another strong showing. Photo: Rally Zone

With two stages remaining, Adrien Van Beveren isn’t giving up in the title fight just yet and took a spirited second place finish. Although nearly five minutes behind his teammate Schareina, today’s result has moved him up from fifth to third overall and with scenes reminiscent of Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter coming up on the last two stages, this terrain will favour the Dakar 48 Hour Chrono winner.

“Today I had a good stage, I was in Tosha’s dust for a while, then Daniel Sanders caught me so I spent half of the stage in a lot of dust,” the Frenchman explained. “It was a bit frustrating to not be able to push in my own rhythm but I then focused, accepted the situation and kept more or less the same distance to Daniel. The last part was really stony but I enjoyed the ride, the bike is really safe and this is an important factor in this race because there is a lot of dangers and risk. I felt comfortable, I had good rhythm without the need to go faster than normal, so now I will remain focused for the next couple of days.”

Pablo Quintanilla holds down fifth overall after finishing day 3 in third position. Photo: Rally Zone

With a better set up on his bike, Pablo Quintanilla was on a charge from the off posting the quickest time 33km into the stage. After a committed ride through the Merzouga dunes, his consistent pace paid off with the third fastest time of the day.

“Well the first part of the stage was really fun to ride, there were some fast pistes in the valleys, with mixed terrain alternating between hard pack and sandy sections,” Quintanilla explained. “Then we got to the classic Merzouga dunes which were really fun to ride until the refuelling. After that we started with the rocky section in the hard packed piste and I was pushing and feeling quite good. Then in the rocky sections it was a bit dangerous and I didn’t want to take any risks. I’m feeling better on the bike day by day with a good setup, so I’m happy.”

Maintaining a strong pace over the varied terrain of stage three, Luciano Benavides set off fifth into today’s 327-kilometer special and held that position to the finish where he now lies fourth overall in the provisional rally standings and is focused on making the best use of his seat time on the bike in race conditions to build his confidence and speed ahead of the upcoming Dakar Rally next January.

“It feels good to get stage three done – it was a really long stage and quite tough, similar to a Dakar stage,” Benavides said. “There were a lot of broken pistes and rocky tracks, and I found it tricky to settle into a good rhythm. The pace isn’t quite there yet, but we’ll keep on working on some things and improve the set-up as the rally goes on.”

Tosha Schareina carried on fighting hard to the finish line where his grit and determination had paid off to be quickest by 52 seconds. However, after the organisers had analysed Schareina’s GPS, he was found to have left the mid-stage neutralisation zone too early and was given a 13 minute time penalty which dropped him down to fifth and second overall.

“I made a big mistake six kilometres into the stage so I then had to try and fix something on my bike which meant I lost a bit of concentration and around four minutes in time,” Schareina explained. “Adrien was coming and I tried to chase him, I then passed him and continued to push during the rest of the stage. Daniel is putting a lot of pressure on, so with two more days to go I will keep focussed and go for it.”

The penultimate stage tomorrow loops around Megoub Bouârfa with 315km against the clock as the route takes them west wards from the Algerian border where the desert terrain will make riders feel like they’re back at the Dakar. This will be a good warm up for the 47th edition of the famous rally that takes place in January.

Cianciarulo on Deegan – “I Didn’t See this Level of Dominance Coming

Tomac at MXoN

Forkner Returns

“He is Moving Back to Georgia to Ride with Triumph,”Ryan Hughes Breaks Austin Forkner’s News

by Troy Dog October 7, 2024, 7:55 pm

After months of speculation an rumors on the future of Austin Forkner and his career, we can now say who he will be riding for in the 2025 season…thanks to his old trainer Ryan Hughes.

Apparently, Hughes had lunch with Forkner today to wish him well on his journey East to ride for Triumph.

To be honest, after the year that Forkner has had, we’re just happy to see that he wants to continue racing.

I trust Ryno’s words…all the way down to his ‘unlocking the hips’ movement, so this is legit. It’s not a press release, but it’ll do.

The switch to Triumph will take some time to adjust for us, as we haven’t seen Forkner on anything other than a Kawasaki since the 2011 season. He’s been green since Ryan Holliday picked him up after dominating the 85 (9-11) Stock and Modified classes at Loretta Lynn’s in 2010 on a Suzuki.

We’ll keep an eye out for an official PR from Triumph, until then…

Good job Ryno. Keep being you mate.

 

Tomac on GP Tracks!

Eli Tomac After the Motocross of Nations: “These GP Tracks Are Tough”

by Slaw Dog October 7, 2024, 2:30 pm

Not long ago, when Team USA could seemingly do no wrong at the Motocross of Nations, second place might have felt like a failure.

Not this year.

Things have changed. The European riders are faster than ever and have adapted their riding styles. Australia, thanks to the Lawrence brothers, are a force. And, overall, riders from across the globe have made it difficult for Team USA to win year-in and year-out like they once did.

This year was even more of an anomaly. Due to injuries, Cooper Webb had to drop down to the 250 Class. Eli Tomac, coming off an injury of his own prior to Pro Motocross, was a late replacement for Chase Sexton and Aaron Plessinger suffered a shoulder injury a few weeks before the event.

No, these are not excuses, just explaining it all.

Still, the USA had a damn good chance entering the third and final moto as they sat second overall behind The Netherlands. While Tomac and Plessinger put in a strong effort, Jett and Hunter Lawrence brought it home for Australia. While second place is not a win, this year it almost felt like it.

“It was a strong effort from everyone. Coop, AP (Aaron Plessinger), we all stepped up and rode our hearts out, that’s for sure,” said Tomac. “It was a gnarly track. These GP tracks are tough. The ruts were pretty insane, and it was very technical riding. We were very close in points in the end. Second doesn’t sit well, but it is what it is. We all tried hard, and I’m proud of our team.”

“Today was crazy. The track conditions, and this event in general, is insane,” said Webb. “I had an up-and-down day. The first moto wasn’t the greatest for me, but I redeemed myself in the second one. I felt like I rode really well that moto, put up a solid number and left it up to the boys. Overall, it was a great effort from the team. Everyone stepped up and did their part, and we were a few points away from winning it all. I’m happy with the podium. Obviously, the goal is to win, but I think with the cards that we were dealt, coming into this two weeks ago, this is a good result. I’m just stoked to have a good time, get on the podium, and come out of here healthy and ready for the new year.” 

2024 Team USA