A1 Where's Short?

Andrew Short - Dakar

While his old friends will be lining up for the opening round of the AMA Supercross championship at Anaheim stadium, former supercross and motocross hero, Andrew Short will be putting his best foot forward in his first ever Dakar Rally.

Despite his calm attitude, the name of his team sponsor suits him well. Short shows up on the Dakar after a rock star career in American Supercross and Motocross. Spectacular on his bike, he takes on a whole new challenge far from the dirt tracks and SX stadiums that he was used to. After stopping his career in 2016, the Colorado native needed something new, something different. He started hearing about that Dakar speaking to the late Kurt Caselli and then got a better taste of off-road events while on a vacation at the Sonora Rally. A new chapter finally opened at the beginning of the year, first with Honda and now with the Husqvarna Factory Team and his debut has been impressive. Third of the Sonora Rally, he then captured a fine 16th spot in Morocco where most of his future Dakar rivals were already competing. But the American wants to take it easy and not get carried away for his first Dakar. He knows the jump into the unknown is a massive one.

“I started riding when I was 5 and turned pro at the age of 17. At 18, I packed my bag and decided to race for a living. I enjoyed an amazing career. I fell in love with off-road racing when I came to see the Sonora Rally and I decided to follow my heart. I know it doesn’t make sense but it’s a huge dream to be able to combine my love for bikes and such an adventure. Riding is a passion. I would have regrets not fulfilling such opportunities. I showed up on the Morocco Rally with no preparation but I really had fun there. You have to respect the conditions. I loved the camaraderie and the brotherhood between the riders. I really don’t know what I’ll feel like during the Dakar. The riding is easy for me but the navigation, the experience, the way you prepare for a stage, the nutrition… all that is new. Physically it’s obviously completely different. I was used to short races. I don’t know how my body will react. Basically the whole Dakar concerns me, and the biggest thing would be not to make it to the finish. First, I have to respect it, then if I come back, I’ll push harder. I’m not focused on a result. I’m worried about the unknown.”

“I’m really excited about taking the start of my first Dakar. After racing motocross and supercross for 16 years as a professional experience becomes automatic year after year. Being a rookie for rally racing I can admit the anticipation and nerves are higher than normal. Since I took the decision to switch into rally racing a few months ago, I did everything possible to better prepare myself for the Dakar challenge. My goal is to keep my mind calm during the next few days and be ready to take in all the new experiences. I want to learn and improve as the race goes on. The cold and the heat and the sand dunes will be the biggest challenge for me and not so much the sand dunes. I’m really excited for this challenge and I believe it’s going to be a life experience. I want to get to the end of this race so that I can get better for the future.”

Marvin Tops A1

Marvin the Marvelous - A1

Posted on January 07, 2018

Kenny Roczen said all the hype about Marvin Musquin was bullshit, Eli Tomac said in the pre-race press conference he would be limiting mistakes. Turns out both men were wrong and it was the two-time world MX2 champion, Musquin who celebrated in Angel stadium this morning.

“To win tonight definitely was not expected,” Musquin said. “It was a difficult day but I tried to stay calm and we were able to make it happen. I had a bad start in the Main Event but we put everything together and we were consistent, it was a long Main – but this is what we’ve been working so hard for. I can’t thank everyone enough for their support!”

Tomac threw it away, and Roczen who started around 12 seconds behind the leader in the opening laps ended around 10 seconds behind Musquin at the end. While he passed a lot of riders, he will need some weeks before he is anywhere near the old Kenny Roczen.

When Eli Tomac took the holeshot, everyone inside the Angel stadium must have though it was all over. He didn’t get too far ahead of second placed man Justin Barcia early, and Peick, Martin and Musquin were holding the other top five places, but it was Musquin who was on fire, moving into fourth quickly, then third.

Roczen starting in 12 was quickly into 10^th, but it was clear he wasn’t riding like his pre-injury speed, as expected with 12 months off the bike.

Just as Musquin moved into third, Tomac had a three second lead over Barcia, and was six seconds ahead of Musquin, while Roczen moved into sixth place. Anderson was also coming through as he battled with Peick for fourth spot.

Roczen had a near accident as he chased team-mate Seely but held it together. Then on the seventh lap, Tomac went down hard, handing the lead to Barcia, but with Musquin just two seconds back, it wouldn’t be long before the Frenchman took the lead.

Tomac was back in 20^th after having to stop to do his pants up, that had come undone in the crash. Again, the American rider once again showing his lack of concentration in important moment.

Roczen moved up to fifth and Musquin was all over Barcia. Bullshit or not, the Frenchman must be the favourite for this year’s AMA Supercross Championship.

Jason Anderson was second at the start of the first 450 heat race and made the move for the lead in the second lap. He fought with Cole Seely for position and battled in the top three in lap 2. He got into the lead shortly after, pulled a gap, and claimed the first 450 heat race victory of the season to transfer directly to the 450 Main Event. 

He was seventh at the start of the 450 main and worked his way up to fifth by the second lap. He stayed focused and held his ground as he battled and passed Weston Peick for fourth in lap five. He moved into third after leader Eli Tomac went down and set his sights on moving into the top two with 10 minutes to go. 

He was on the move and hunted down Justin Barcia down second before making a clean inside pass for the position with seven minutes to go. He continued to set a blistering pace and consistently improved his time with each lap. He ended the night with a second-place finish.

“This was a rather smooth day,” said Anderson. “I was able to get a good start in the heat race and then got the win there. Then I was able to make some good moves in the main and work my way up to second. I think it was a good opening round and it puts me in a good position for the rest of the season.”

Now with Tomac with zero points and a possible shoulder injury and Roczen clearly not his old self, Marvin Musquin, the mister nice guy of American racing might just do a Ryan Dungey and cruise to a title in 2018. Its early going, but I know who I have my money on.

Dakar Motorcycles Day 1

Motorcycles

Last year’s Bike champion Sam Sunderland picked up where he left off by setting the quickest time in the first special. The Red Bull KTM Factory Team rider finished ahead of Adrien van Beveren (Yamaha) and Paul Quintanilla (Husqvarna). Fourth place went to Spain’s Joan Barreda (Honda). His team-mate and fellow Dakar champion Toby Price, who is still recovering from the severe injury that ended his 2017 campaign, finished the special in 14th place.

Sam Sunderland: “I’m happy to have start strongly, but it’s only 30 kilometers, so it doesn’t mean much, it's only the first day of a long race. I went on the attack, of course, because we’re in a race! The title and I start with a victory, which is fantastic!”

This is Dakar! - Dakar 2018

New Signing: Ryan Villopoto To Yamaha

 

Whenever a new deal is on the horizon, it is usually leaked at some point and most people are aware that it is happening. The fact that Ryan Villopoto is now a brand ambassador for Yamaha caught most by surprise, however, as he has been such an integral part of Monster Energy Kawasaki in the last ten years.

"All good things must come to an end," he wrote on social media. "Proud of all the great things I have done and achieved throughout my racing career both amateur and professional at Kawasaki. They will forever be a part of my legacy. Excited for my next chapter and partnership." Villopoto later stated that he is "excited to join Yamaha Motor USA. Thanks to all involved can’t wait to get to work and show you guys what we have in the works."

It is thought that Villopoto will undertake various projects as a brand ambassador at Yamaha. There is no doubt that his face will continue to pop up frequently, as he is involved in the industry through many avenues.

Starting Tips!

Bones on Suspension!

BARE BONES: QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES CAN’T BE TOLERATED

By Bones Bacon

This is one article that is going to be a little difficult to write, but I feel it has to be done. I know I am going to offend some people, but that is not my intention. I believe I have a responsibility to help guide riders into making the right decisions about their suspension. I don’t want anyone to have suspension problems that may lead to them being beaten up or, in a worst-case scenario, crashing.

“LOTS OF RIDERS ARE SUSPENSION SHOPPERS WHO JUMP FROM TUNER TO TUNER IN SEARCH OF THE MAGIC SETTING. I’M SURE THAT MY SUSPENSION HAS ENDED UP ON SOME OTHER SUSPENSION SHOP’S RE-DO LIST. BUT, THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT.”

Over the years I have seen a lot of messed up suspension—broken parts, parts put in wrong or just sloppy workmanship. But, as of late, I have noticed that a lot of riders are sending me stuff that has been worked on by another suspension shop. This isn’t unusual. Lots of riders are suspension shoppers who jump from tuner to tuner in search of the magic setting. I’m sure that my suspension has ended up on some other suspension shop’s re-do list.

But, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about shoddy work from local suspension shops—things that are so egregious they could cause a rider to get hurt.

Here are some examples: When taking the valving off the end of the shock shaft or a fork piston-holder assembly, there is some delicate grinding or machining that has to be done to get the ends of the shafts un-peened. All manufacturers peen over the ends to make sure the nuts don’t come loose. After aggressive grinding, there may not be enough threads left to securely put the nut back on. On fork shafts, sometimes a tuner needs to make a new piston holder with more threads so that the new locknut will be fully engaged. On the shock, it is very critical to grind or, as I do, machine the peened-over area on the shock shaft so the nut can be removed and still have enough threads left for a new nut to be reinstalled after the re-valve has been done. I’m shocked at the number of components I get in my shop that have nuts that are barely held on by a couple of threads.

Another common problem are shocks that have been reassembled with too much oil volume inside the shock body. Most modern shocks have a bladder inside the reservoir that isolates the oil from the nitrogen. If there is too much oil in the shock, the nitrogen bladder will stay in a collapsed shape. When this happens, the collapsed bladder cannot respond to the oil being displaced into the body as the shock compresses. This can cause the shock to hydraulic lock, which can rupture the shock and cause it to break at its weakest point. It’s bad, dangerous and very expensive if this happens.

When I take a fork or shock apart and find that questionable practices have been used by whoever worked on it before, I get angry. I am not talking about their valving, spring rates, oil viscosity or setup choices; it’s more about their knowledge, experience and passion to do a good job. I don’t like suspension shops that take shortcuts—out of ignorance or negligence.

When picking a suspension company to send your components to, it should not be about who can do it the cheapest. It should be about who has the experience, knowledge, concern and funding to make the necessary replacement parts and do the job correctly. Most important, they should take pride in their workmanship.

Think of your suspension shop in the same way that you think of the clinic that is going to do Lasik surgery on your eyes. Are you going to go with the doctor who can do it for the cheapest price? Or, are you going to research the doctor’s credentials, get references from previous patients and check his tech equipment? Trust me; not every suspension shop is perfect or flawless, including mine. But, if the desire and passion are there to do the best job possible, then that is your best investment.

Jim “Bones” Bacon has tuned the suspension of the biggest names in motocross, including Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto and Adam Cianciarulo. If you have a suspension question, send it to mxa@hi-torque.com.

Ricky on Ryan

Husky Off-Road Team

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing 2018 Off-Road Team Announced

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing is pleased to announce their 2018 off-road team featuring Colton Haaker, Josh Strang, Thad Duvall, and newest member Dalton Shirey. 

Looking to defend his 2017 FIM SuperEnduro Championship and contend the 2018 AMA Endurocross series is Colton Haaker. His commitment and perseverance makes him a true pioneer and an integral part of the off-road team. 

Josh Strang will be making his return to the Grand National Cross Country series riding the FX 450 alongside teammate Thad Duvall on an FX 350. Strang will also be racing the Full Gas Sprint Enduro which is a challenge he is looking forward to. Thad Duvall is looking to not only claiming a GNCC title, but an AMA National Enduro title as well. His bout with the team has been successful one and Duvall is a driven racer looking for the top spot. 

Newest member of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory racing team is Dalton Shirey. Dalton will be competing aboard the FX 450. He will be put to the test racing the 2018 AMA National Hare and Hound and AMA Big 6 West Coast Grand Prix Series. 

Colton Haaker, Dalton Shirey, Josh Strang, and Thad Duvall make up the 2018 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team.  Simon Cudby

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