CHAD REED ANAHEIM 1

Dakar

Joan Barreda won the stage, his second of the race so far, by a huge margin. The Spaniard took the overall race lead after Stage 2, but a navigation error the following day dropped him down the overall standings. The Honda rider finished more than 10 minutes clear of his closest challenger, Austrian Matthias Walkner, today though.

Kevin Benavides rounded out the podium and there was an impressive run by Antoine Méo, but it's Yamaha's Adrian Van Beveren who continues to lead the overall standings.

Walkner is just over a minute adrift of the leader

© Marcelo Maragni/Red Bull Content Pool

There was much more to lose than to win on today's stage. In the Dakar every stage is different so it's not easy to maintain a strategyMatthias Walkner

Selected standings

• 1. Joan Barreda (Honda) 03:19:42
• 2. Matthias Walkner (KTM) +00:10:26
• 3. Kevin Benavides (Honda) +00:12:20
• 4. Antoine Méo (KTM) +00:13:00
• 7. Toby Price (KTM) +00:15:00

Summary - Bike - Stage 4 (San Juan de Marcona / San Juan de Marcona) - Dakar 2018 . Dakar Dakar

For its 40th edition, the 10th to be held in South America, the Dakar rally is revisiting the Pacific Ocean and the dunes of Peru, which drivers and riders will tackle after a few days sampling the delights of the capital, Lima. Competitors will then head through to Bolivia, for a welcome rest day in the festive atmosphere of La Paz. Argentinian aficionados top the podium when it comes to enthusiasm and good humour, and the most joyous of them will be waiting to acclaim the riders in Córdoba, host to the Dakar finish line for the first time.

Stewart Returns...Malcom That Is

Stewart lands a deal.

Malcolm Stewart will return to racing this weekend with factory equipment. Mookie flew to Southern California earlier this week for a test ride with Autotrader Yoshimura Suzuki and things clearly went well, as it has been confirmed that he will join the team as a fill-in for the injured Justin Bogle. Stewart will make his debut at Houston this weekend.

"WARNING: Content may melt the internet," the team wrote on social media. "We are excited to welcome @MalcolmStewart to the @AutoTrader_com @Yoshimura_RD @SuzukiCycles team. Malcolm will be filling in for the injured Justin Bogle on a race-by-race basis starting this weekend in Houston." Bogle sustained a concussion at the Monster Energy Cup and then sustained a similar injury a couple of weeks later, so is not able to race. There is no timeline on his recovery.

Malcolm Stewart initially planned on piloting a privateer Kawasaki in Monster Energy Supercross, but could not get a programme together for the opening round. So, because of that and an unforeseen issue that was not specified, he skipped Anaheim 1. The last race that he competed in was the final Monster Energy Supercross round in Las Vegas in May.

New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix

Woodville GP Goes to the Next Level with FIM Oceania Status

 

New Zealand’s biggest Motocross event, the 2018 Honda New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville will have a new Australian flavour, with the race on January 27-28 being awarded FIM Oceania status.

This will be the first time in the event’s illustrious 57-year history that it has been awarded FIM Oceania status, and the host club, Manawatu Orion Motorcycle Club's Secretary, Anna Cvitanovich is thrilled with the new challenge being incorporated.

“We are really excited to have FIM Oceania status, as it adds another dimension to the weekend’s racing,” according to Cvitanovich. “We are absolutely stoked with the news, and we can only see this helping improve and grow the event which is good for the sport in New Zealand and Australia. The status really helps to provide a new interesting dynamic and builds healthy competition between the two nations!”

The spectacular two-day event has always attracted international interest, but the 2018 New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville, in just under a month’s time, will be further enhanced with an FIM Oceania element added to the weekend's race programme.

The FIM Oceania Challenge will include competition for both Junior and Senior riders, with many of Australia's finest booked to arrive and all of them keen to take on their Kiwi counterparts.

“The event has always had a handful of the top Aussies who come over and do the NZ MX Championship, and in 2017 we had a huge contingent of Junior riders come and compete. The club couldn’t have been happier about that,” continued Cvitanovich.

“We expect around 6,000 to 7,000 fans to visit the track over the weekend, with Sunday's crowd expected to be around the 5,000 mark. There’s always a great family atmosphere and this year’s event could be the best yet. We want nothing more than to entertain the crowd and the FIM Oceania Challenge is something they can really get behind.” concluded Cvitanovich.

President of FIM Oceania, Glen Williams, who is also the president of FIM Oceania, said he was thrilled to reveal this latest development.

"FIM Oceania is looking to grow its profile across our sport," said Williams.

"FIM Oceania is pleased to be supporting the Woodville event. A healthy sporting rivalry between Australia and New Zealand has always existed and FIM Oceania is happy to keep that going in motocross too. It helps build the relationship between the two countries," Williams concluded.

Competitor Information Australian Junior competitors will receive a travel rebate and refund on their entry fee. Also the club is willing to provide free pit allocation.

Any Australian rider looking to enter or receive further information on travel rebate should contact Anna Cvitanovich for further information on akvcvit@xtra.co.nz.

To make the trip over the ditch even better, Round One of the New Zealand Senior MX Championship is scheduled for the following weekend. Any visiting rider over 15 years of age is eligible to enter, MX1, MX2 and Senior 125 class's of the New Zealand Senior MX Championships.

Utah property owner sues over Motocross Track violations

Wanship property owner sues Summit County over motocross track violations

 

Steve Luczak, a Wanship property owner, filed a lawsuit in 3rd District Court on Jan. 5 against Summit County over the zoning ordinance violations he incurred while operating his motocross track.

Wanship property owner Steve Luczak is suing Summit County over the enforcement actions that were taken against him for zoning ordinance violations he incurred while operating his motocross track.

The 3rd District Court lawsuit filed on Jan. 5 appeals a decision rendered by the county's administrative law judge that required remediation and restoration of the hillside where the motocross track sits. The motocross track, located near 1800 S. Hoytsville Road, is situated on the hill above the Weber River and can be seen from Interstate 80. The track has been there since 2014.

"We will just have to fight it out," said Luczak, owner of Kodiak America Homes. "We haven't paid any fees and aren't planning to. It's totally a property rights issue now. I did everything I was supposed to do. I went to the county, applied for the permit and did everything that they required me to do. I bought this property to use it for recreation and agriculture. We are not going to tear it down. It is a private track on private property."

The Summit County Engineering Department issued a grading permit to Luczak on Nov. 18, 2014. The grading permit was limited to 6.2 acres and 4,860 cubic yards of soil. It expired on May 17, 2015. However, as the county alleges the grading work continued around the property in excess of the permit, Community Development Director Pat Putt issued a cease-and-desist order in 2016.

"I feel like it is personal or political at this point. There are things we could work out, but the track is not coming down.”

Luczak filed an appeal with the Summit County Council to refute Putt's claim that he could not operate the track on his property because it violates the approved uses for that subdivision, and the County Council upheld Putt's determination.

However, the Council found in July of 2016 that, since the county's engineer had issued the grading permit, the county was barred from enforcing the zoning violations. In February, Putt issued a Notice of Violation to Luczak to restore and re-vegetate all motocross track areas.

A 3rd District Court judge in February overturned the Council's decision barring the county from enforcing the violations against Luczak. A hearing was held before the county's administrative law judge, who rendered a decision on Dec. 1 requiring Luczak to remediate and restore the property, in addition to posting a $683,046 performance bond on or before Jan. 1, 2018, and paying $140,000 in civil penalties. A performance bond is a form of surety that is held by the county.

If Luczak does not comply with the judge's ruling, the county can pursue appropriate legal means to recover fees and to enforce the terms and conditions of the order. Failure to comply with the ruling would constitute a class C misdemeanor.

The motocross track has become a major point of contention among neighbors who have called it a nuisance, citing the noise and activity as detrimental to their way of life. Others have supported the activity on Luczak's property.

Luczak insists he will not pay any of the fees. He said he is not operating a commercial track, adding the county has no rules about riding on private property. He said he can still ride on his property, but not on the track.

"I feel like it is personal or political at this point," he said. "There are things we could work out, but the track is not coming down. The county recognized the whole time through that I was OK with my permits, but to change their minds and come up with a different definition for the use of the property isn't right. The next thing they will tell people is they can't ride on their property."

Dave Thomas, Summit County's chief civil deputy attorney, said in an email to The Park Record the prior court's decision is final. He said the new lawsuit attempts to re-litigate the prior court decision, but added "there is no jurisdiction to do so.

Unless the administrative court, 3rd District Court or county agrees to rescind the enforcement violations, Luczak "must post the bond and begin remediation," Thomas said.

"The new lawsuit is an appeal of the ALJ's (administrative law judge) Order on the Notice of Violation. Thus it is limited to the reasonableness of the remedy imposed by the ALJ," he said.

Specialized A1 Ride Daze

2018 Specialized A1 Ride Daze

In Memory of Nicky Hayden

January 08, 2018 By Donn Maeda

      

(L-R) Ryan Villopoto, Zach Osborne, Marvin Musquin, Tyla Rattray, Broc Tickle, Aldon Baker, Kelly Lumgair, and Ryan Dungey were among the star attendees at the annual A1 Ride Daze.

Specialized A1 Ride Daze

Held the Sunday morning after the season-opening Monster Energy Supercross at Angels Stadium, the Specialized A1 Ride Daze mountain bike ride is always a good time. A road ride portion is held on Saturday, but seeing as it is the day of the race we’ve never been able to check it out because we’re already at the track! This year’s event was held in memory of Nicky Hayden, who lost his life tragically in a cycling accident in 2017.

Each year, commemorative Specialized water bottles are handed out. This year, it was emblazoned with Hayden’s signature stars and stripes 69.

This year, several Supercross racers showed up to join in on the fun; most notably Anaheim One winner Marvin Musquin and his Red Bull KTM teammate Broc Tickle, as well as fellow Baker’s Factory rider Zach Osborne. Retired racers Ryan Dungey, Jeremy McGrath, Wil Hahn, Tyla Rattray, Jeff Ward, and Ryan Villopoto were also on hand.

Ryan Villopoto shares a laugh with his friend and former trainer Aldon Baker.

Chad Reed showed up to enjoy the ride with MotoGP stars Cal Crutchlow and Jack Miller, and they were among the fastest finishers in the group, which grew to over 200 riders this year.

On Chad Reed’s @crtwotwo Instagram: Fun pedal with the boys at the @iamspecialized @nicky_hayden ride day.

The event was hosted by Rock N’ Road Cyclery and started from the parking lot at the Mission Viejo store. Riders rode a bit of bike path before popping out on the road near the famous Cook’s Corner, then climbed Modjeska Road and Santiago Truck Trail before descending the Luge singletrack, a trail that is highly regarded as the best in Orange County.

Muscle Monster, Specialized, Mind FX and more set up a cool vendors’ row in front of the Mission Viejo Rock N. Road Cyclery.

Popular Supercross privateer racers Alex Ray and the Entinknap brothers – Adam and Tyler – also showed up to enjoy a nice Sunday recovery ride after the races. The Entinknap brothers even had their pair of Honda CRF450R race bikes in the back of their truck. “We’re driving home after this, dawg!” said Adam.

The Seven Deuce Tres and Seven Deuce Deuce…redefining cycling style.

Alex Ray – and his massive calves – carve a corner on The Luge.

Former Supercross and Motocross Champion Johnny O’Mara (far left) captains a powerful amateur MTB race team that is sponsored by Baghouse Industrial and Specialized bikes.

Jeremy McGrath: style on anything with two wheels!

Is Barcia Back?

Justin Barcia interview

Posted on January 08, 2018

Everyone loves a good comeback story in sports, and heading into the opening round of the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, all the hype was focused on the comeback of Team HRC’s Ken Roczen, but a rider known to us all as BamBam stole some of that spotlight and ignited a comeback story of his own.

At the end of the 2017 season, Justin Barcia found himself in that unenvious position that many former superstars who had a couple bad years tend to find themselves in: the unemployment line. With some back-to-back injuries and a few lackluster seasons with the JGRMX team, #51 had gone from having teams jump at the opportunity to pay him seven figures to ride their bikes to having nobody wanting to pay him anything. While Justin showed flashes of brilliance with an incredible MXoN ride and some outdoor overall wins in the 450MX class, in Supercross the two-time 450SX main event winner had literally become a non-factor. With so much emphasis placed on SX performances and some in the paddock questioning his overall desire teams opted to simply look the other way this “Silly Season”.

As the prospect of racing as a privateer in ’18 was staring Justin square in the face, Justin checked his ego at the door, loaded up a privateer Honda and showed up at the Monster Energy Cup on his own dime. At the Monster Cup, he finished sixth overall with a 10-6-5 scorecard on the night, but more importantly, he showed he was far from finished and willing to swallow his pride and do whatever it took to get to the races. Soon after, Davi Millsaps went out injured over at the Monster Energy / Knich / Yamaha factory racing team, so the team slapped a #51 on the bike and signed BamBam to what amounted to a six-race trial deal to fill in for Davi. After what happened on Saturday night, though, we’re thinking we will likely be seeing Justin under that tent for all 17 rounds of SX and possibly even beyond.

From the first practice on at A1, Justin was near the top of the board in qualifying and ended up qualifying for the night show with the third fastest lap. In his heat race, he got a sixth place start and by lap five he was in the lead, running away with a dominant heat race win. In the main event, Justin started in second behind Monster Energy / Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac and stayed surprisingly close before inheriting the lead when Tomac threw it away in a rhythm section. Justin led for for just three laps before getting swallowed up by the pressure of Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin and Rockstar / Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson and pushed back to third. From there you know some thought Justin might drop anchor and lose a podium, but instead he latched onto to Anderson and kept Roczen at bay back in fourth to cross the line with a surprising opening round podium.

Whether or not this one podium means BamBam is back for good remains to be seen, but what we saw out of him on Saturday night definitely has me leaning towards him possibly being a factor throughout the season if healthy. After his possible career rebirth performance at A1, Dan Lamb caught up with him to talk about how the Yamaha ride came to be and his debut with the team in Anaheim.

What a difference a couple months makes, Justin. At Monster Cup, I talked to you and you were setting up your own pits and digging around looking for a light so you could work on your own bike. A couple months later and you’re back on a factory team, leading the main event and standing on the podium.

It shows just never give up. I didn’t know what was going on, but I got the call from Yamaha and I was super grateful for the opportunity. It’s six races right now. I’m taking it race by race. My goal is to turn it into something way more long term because I want to be in this sport for a few more years to come. Tonight was great. The team’s awesome. They’re very positive, supportive. They have a lot of experience, and putting myself with them seems like a great fit. I can’t complain.

Did you chase this down when Davi got hurt or did you just get a call?

No, I got a call actually a day or two days before Monster Cup and they wanted me to race Monster Cup on their bike, but I just put so much work and money into my own setup that I couldn’t do that. I told them if there was something long term, I’d love to be in that situation. It kind of went back and forth. No one really knew what was going on with Davi, so I was just back home for a month after Monster Cup just riding a stock bike, you know, the bike I had before Monster Cup. And I was thinking something’s gotta give because I’m not sure what I’m gonna do. It was like either someone needs to call or I’m going to start putting together my own team. And that’s a lot of work. So, I didn’t really chase it, but I definitely knew I deserved a fresh start. At Monster Cup I had not very long on the bike and I showed that I’m still pretty quick. I didn’t light the world on fire, but still.

You still kind of have a name. (laughs)

Unfortunately in this sport, name doesn’t mean anything; it’s results. I know how it is. Hard work pays off.

Did you surprise yourself about how quick you were up to speed on the Yamaha today? In qualifying you went right to the top of the board and stayed on the board [top 5 times in his session] all day.

Yeah, I mean, I just believed in myself. During the month and a half I’ve been out here in California for the season, I just took a new look at life. “One,” I said, “am I gonna race still?” And I said, “Yeah, I want to race still.” And then I thought, “Two, I want to be back to where I’ve been in the past.” So, alright, I’m gonna have to hit the restart button like fully: new team, new me. I’m gonna get married next year. I put together a group of people that I believe could bring me back to this position, so surprised? I’m not necessarily surprised. I wanted to come out of here top five, so I exceeded my expectations. That’s awesome.

Talk about the main a little. You were leading after Marvin Musquin crashed and looking good. What was going through your mind at that point?

I don’t know. I’ve been in that situation before. It’s been a long time, but I wasn’t like crazy nervous. I was just having fun. I told myself, “Let’s just have fun all day. Whatever the outcome is, is the outcome.” I put in the work. I’ve been putting in the work for years, but it just didn’t pay off unfortunately. Today it did and it felt great. I was first, second, third…

When you got to third, were you worried about losing a podium at all with Roczen coming.

Well, I seen Roczen behind me and I seen Anderson in front of me and I said, “I don’t want to go backwards so I might as well go forwards.” There was a fine line on that track to where pushing it too hard could cost you a crash, so I was trying to find that fine line. I did. I made a couple of mistakes which cost me obviously second or the win. But yeah, it was a cool night.

Did you catch a little late race adrenaline there at the end because you were catching Jason Anderson again for second?

Yeah, I started reeling him back in. I was like, “Alright, cool.” I started pushing a little harder in a few spots and, like I said, trying to find that edge of the track. My fitness is awesome. I felt good, felt strong, and I believe we’re just going to keep building and getting better and better.

Welcome back to the podium and the press conference.

Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.

Dakar Day 2

Motorcycles

Walkner adds another victory for the official KTM tea© Marcelo Maragni/Red Bull Content Pool

Joan ‘Bang-Bang’ Barreda was the clear winner in the motorbike race, finishing almost three minutes clear of sand specialist Adrian Van Beveren. KTM’s Matthias Walkner took third place while local favourite Pablo Quintanilla finished in sixth to the delight of the Chilean fans. Defending champion Sam Sunderland, stayed in touch in seventh place.

Selected standings

• 1. Joan Barreda (Honda) 02:56:44
• 2. Adrien Ven Beveren (Yamaha) a 00:02:54
• 3. Matthias Walkner (KTM) a 00:04.24
• 7. Sam Sunderland (KTM) a 00:06:01
• 10. Toby Price (KTM) a 00:06:40
• 13. Antonie Méo (KTM) a 00:08:43
• 24. Laia Sanz (KTM) a 00:21:13

Barreda overcomes the second stage with authority

"A hard, tough stage with quite a confusing part at the beginning where we had to keep our concentration. I jumped a dune hard and I really felt that in my hand over the next few kilometres", said Joan Barreda. "The final part was very fast and I was able to pick up quite a bit of space and in the end it turned out well. Tomorrow we have to open the track and everything changes again, but we always knew that it would be that way and we just have to keep on as best we can".

SuperEnduro World Champuionship

Cody Webb takes victory at SuperEnduro in Germany

 

KTM’s Cody Webb put in a stellar ride at round two of the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship to claim the overall victory in Poland.

In the Prestige category it was another exciting night with a combative atmosphere amongst the riders, who were subject to many mistakes and falls, including a big pile-up at the start of the 2nd race. 

It was Cody WEBB (USA - KTM) who won on the night, although he was closely followed by reigning World Champion Colton HAAKER (USA - Husqvarna), who was disadvantaged during the third heat by a collision with his teammate. 

"It was not easy,” told Webb. “I learned from my mistake in the first moto in terms of my starting position. So I'm very happy with this end result!”

 

Photo Credit: Robert Lynn

Billy BOLT (GB - Husqvarna) was third overall at the end of the races, but he was forced give his place to Taddy BLAZUSIAK (PL - KTM), who benefitted from a revised penalty from the FIM. 

The Polish rider originally picked up a 20-second penalty for an unauthorised jump on the first lap, but this was later reduced to 10 seconds. A 3rd place which made a difference of 4 points.

As for the home favourite, Manuel LETTENBICHLER (D - KTM), he finished in 7th overall after losing ground in the heats despite initially making great starts.