MXGP of Lombardia 2018

Highlights

Antonio Cairoli - interview

Antonio Cairoli is a very smart motocross rider, pushing his limits, but seemingly not daring to go beyond those limits. In battle with current red plate owner in the MXGP class Jeffrey Herlings, those limits can’t be reached as the Dutchman has been too good, but now in injury, the Italian is looking like he is the winner in the whole 2018 battle, at least for now.

Of course the outcome of the 2018 MXGP championship is just at the half way mark, and Herlings will be coming back to try and grab his first 450 championship. I wouldn't bet against either man at this stage, and that is what makes this years MXGP championship so amazing.

We caught up with him and asked him about those battles and his GP victory, his qualification race win yesterday and the injury to Jeffrey Herlings.

MXlarge: Antonio, how did it feel to win today?

Cairoli: It was a good race again just a small mistake in the second moto, I stalled the bike and crashed, too high in the gears, I tried to ride smooth, and yesterday I used a lot of energy and I was a bit tired. It was good for the championship. I wanted to put a gap in the second moto and was pushing and I fell, but I know this track is tough an its hot and I tried to come back. Tim was strong, but I passed him.

MXlarge: What about that first moto?

Cairoli: The goal is to make a win and make up some points. Unfortunately, Jeffrey is not here, and I hope he can get better soon and we can have some battles in the future. Yes, for sure, yesterday was difficult with the bad start and I wanted to be top ten from the start and I had a good start. I am really happy with this win.”

MXlarge: Not the start to the weekend you would have wanted in the Saturday qualification race, but you still showed you had to speed to come through and make a lot of passes.

Cairoli: The start is important, but not too much on this track, but I don’t need to crash twice in the first lap, and this wasn’t going to happen on Sunday. I try and get good points for the championship.

MXlarge: It is a track that is good for making different lines and then you are able to pass.

Cairoli: Yes, of course, that is nice about a track like this. Track like this, or Argentina, you can really come through the pack with technique and stay out of trouble and some tracks you really need to make contact to pass, so I like tracks like this one. I also like the hot weather, because for some riders it isn’t common for them, and I really like the hot weather. My condition is good.

MXlarge: Obviously we got the news this week that Jeffrey injured himself. How do you see that, maybe disappointed because you both prove to improve your levels against each other, but it does open the door for you a little?

Cairoli: I know, one thing for sure, the level we were racing is on the limit, and even in training you need to push a lot, really hard. It could happen to him, it could happen to me. When you push so hard like this, it is easy to make a small mistake that can cost you an injury. We look forward for myself, stay away from injury and be consistent all season and build a better condition. What I see I miss some laps at the end of the moto with consistency and that is what I am building for.

MXlarge: You mentioned in the press conference that you don’t think about the championship, but does this make you think more, like an advantage now?

Cairoli: I mean it is a good opportunity to come closer in the points, that is clear, but I mean, I like to fight with him, and beat him and that is of course what I am working for. The speed when we are battling is high and we pull a big gap on the rest, doesn’t matter if it is sand or hard pack. I just want to build my speed and be consistent, and what I see I need the last five minutes, when he is strong, I need to work on that and I hope we have more battles in the future.

MXlarge: We head to Indonesia, and I know you like these races. What are you looking forward to?

Cairoli: I like to race far away from home and also the hot weather I like. I hope the tracks are nice, this is a bit scary, because it is so far-away, and we never know what we might get, but I am hoping Youthstream are trying to make a good track for us. I am pretty sure the track will be nice, and we will have good battles.

Motocross track coming to southwest Minnesota

Dale Ackermann displays the motocross trophies he earned during the 2017 racing season with his bike in front of Worthington Sports Center in Worthington. The Round Lake farmer has the green light to construct his own race track in Jackson County. (Alyssa Sobotka / The Globe)

LAKEFIELD — A Round Lake farmer revved up on a new life outlook and geared for a different, faster pace is hoping to revive local interest in and opportunities for motocross racing.

If repurposing an abandoned gravel pit stays on track, Dale Ackermann will host his first motocross race on his new dirt bike track and campground south of Lakefield in late summer or early fall.

“I want to bring something to the community that (my friends and I) didn’t have (growing up),” said the 55-year-old racing fanatic.

The future American Motorcycle Association-sanctioned District 23 state motocross track will be located approximately six miles south of Lakefield in the southwest corner of Section 32 in Hunter Township. The three-quarters to a mile-long track will allow motocross racers from across the state to compete and earn points in a variety of classes.

Once the track is complete, Ackermann plans to host nine to 12 racing events throughout the competitive season, June through September.  

“My goal is to have something every other week,” Ackermann said.  

While Ackermann is passionate about motocross, he’s also enthused about creating a family-oriented destination in southwest Minnesota, including amenities for those who aren’t interested in the sport.

There will be a 10-acre campsite for self-contained campers. A mini-golf course, bicycle track and sand volleyball court will also be available.

“Whatever the community wants to participate in, I want to provide,” he said.  

The site will adopt the name Diamond Park, which incorporates a nickname Ackermann was affectionately given by the “young bucks” within the past five years after returning to racing himself.

“If someone crashed, I would stop and help them get the bike off of them and I got popular by doing that,” he said, explaining how he received the nickname “Diamond.”

“I didn’t care if I won or lost. I was out there to have fun.”

The campground will be considered primitive, as there will initially be no electricity or water hookups. Depending on how well the park is received, Ackermann may make campground upgrades in the future.

The Jackson County Planning Commission and Jackson County Board of Commissioners recently approved Ackermann’s conditional use permit request, with a handful of conditions. Some conditions include the presence of safety personnel during racing and other on-track activities, dust control, erosion control and on-track activities scheduled between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Ackermann guessed the park will employ about 15 individuals seasonally.

The construction of the track and park is initially being funded out of Ackermann’s back pocket, with promotional help from his inner circle of racers and Worthington Sports Center. Once complete, gate, racing and campground fees will be charged for general upkeep of the grounds.

He hopes the track will have a domino effect, and help boost business for local merchants as well as interest in a powersports program.

He also hopes it has a positive effect on the local economy, as he suspects Diamond Park visitors will make trips into surrounding towns for a variety of needs. The nearest AMA-sanctioned track is in Mankato.

Ackermann has toyed with the idea of constructing a racetrack on the gravel pit that sits on 64 acres of land for the past few years. The time to pull the trigger and turn the idea into a reality is now, he said.

After listening to his late mother Beatrice’s advice about to not work so hard as he cared for her throughout her battle with lung cancer, a recent health scare of his own eventually triggered Ackermann’s desire to hop on a bike again after an approximately 28-year hiatus from competitive racing.

“Mom kept telling me not to work so hard — life is too short,” he said of his mother, who passed in 2009. “Sure, I heard the words, but didn’t think too much of it until, around my 50th (birthday), doctors found a mass on my kidney.”

He was quick to go purchase a selection of adult “toys,” ranging from a dirt bike, camper, snowmobile and icehouse.

“With my health scare, I figured if I was going to die, I wanted to go have my fun,” Ackermann said.

A member of the 50-plus racing class for the past five years, the oldest racer in the immediate area has also been racing alongside the younger generation of racers, all while in ’70s and ’80s-style garb.

“I stuck out like a sore thumb,” Ackermann said, laughing as he reminisced on his first years back racing.

During last year’s season, Ackermann earned second place in the 40-year-old class, and fourth place in the 45 and 50-year-old classes.

Much like the way he dresses, Ackermann also prepares for his races much the same nearly 30 years later — thinking about his dad.

His late father, Allen, never attended a race, fearful of his son being injured, but he did give his son some advice each time on his way out the door.

“He told me, ‘If you want to win, hold the throttle open longer than everyone else’ and ‘You can’t pass ’em if you follow ’em,’” said Ackermann of his father, who died in 1989. “Every weekend on that starting line, I’m thinking about Dad.”

Ackermann admits he’s been having too much fun the last few years racing again, but as someone who is sick of farming, it’s now time to get the project complete.

“I’ve seen many farmers, friends, aunts and uncles that work until they’re 70 and dead the next year because they don’t have anything to do or their body is so deteriorated,” he said, explaining how he chooses to live instead.   

As far as Ackermann’s health goes, the future remains a mystery, as doctors continue to monitor the mass on his kidney. It’s remained the same size in recent years, and so long as it continues to remain stagnant, no severe action will be taken. If it does grow, he said, he and his doctors will have to determine their next course of action.

“I’m living every year as if I’m going to be dead next year,” he said.

Qualifying Highlights MXGP of Lombardia

David Knight for Weston

Weston Beach Race

Four-time FIM Enduro World Champion David Knight MBE will race this year’s HydroGarden Weston Beach Race on an SR75 2018 Suzuki RM-Z450.

Knighter, a multi-time winner on the Somerset sands, was runner-up in the solo race in 2017 and is confident that this new partnership with Geoff Walker’s SR75 Suzuki team will provide him with everything he needs to challenge for the win this time around.

“I’m very happy to be riding for the SR75 Suzuki team for Weston 2018,” he said. “I tested the all-new 2018 machine and knew it was the right bike to tackle the job on straight away which is very rare for me.

“I love the chassis and the motor as it’s a very easy bike to ride which is the most important thing for me along with reliability because Weston isn’t kind.

“I’ve known Geoff for years and, like myself, he leaves no stone unturned and runs a great team with amazing support from the crew at Suzuki GB and – most of all – he makes it fun which is what I really need out of a team so I can’t wait.”

Knighter has already taken delivery of his practice bike and won the Douglas Beach Race on his first outing last week. Meanwhile, team owner Geoff is preparing a full beach-race specification SR75 RM-Z450.

“To sign David is fantastic for us as a team and for Suzuki GB as a brand,” said Geoff. “I have worked and raced with David for years and it is great to have this legend as part of our programme. We are looking forward to having a lot of fun and putting in the work to enjoy every domestic and global adventure as we move forward with the development of the incredible RM-Z450.

“This bike is key to signing David as the man loved it from the first moment we fired it up. There are many exciting times ahead for SR75 Suzuki and, as always, we would like to thank Rob Cooper and the Suzuki GB crew who make it possible for all of us to enjoy our sport and show just how great their products are.”

Jeffrey Herlings to Undergo Surgery and Miss MXGP of Italy

Jeffrey Herlings to Undergo Surgery and Miss MXGP of Italy

 

Herlings crashed while practicing at Berghem in Holland in prperation for this weekends MXGP of Italy. Photo: Ray Archer

KTM have confirmed that MXGP championship leader Jeffrey Herlings will need surgery for a broken collar bone sustained in a practice crash.

Herlings was practicing in his home of Holland for this weekends MXGP of Italy when the accident occured.

"MXGP FIM World Championship leader Jeffrey Herlings will have surgery to repair a break to his right collarbone after a crash while practicing at Berghem in Holland today," KTM stated.

"The 23 year old is scheduled for a procedure at renowned surgeon Dr Claes’ clinic in the next few hours to fix a fracture near a plate that was inserted for a previous injury. It is extremely likely that the winner of 8 from 10 Grands Prix this season will miss this weekend’s Lombardia round at Ottobiano in Italy but then has a two week break before the Grand Prix of Indonesia on July 1st."

No official time frame has been given for his return but with eight round wins under his belt and a healthy 62 point lead in the standings his hope of taking his maiden MXGP title still looks possible.

Jeffrey Herlings has a 63 point lead in the championship as he prepares for surgery today. He has a two week break before the MXGP of Indonesia. Photo: Ray Arche

Round 5 International Old Timers MX Series

The Sierra Old Timers 42 annual motocross was held June 9^th and 10th and was also round five in the International Old Timers series.

Held at the Prairie City OHV Park on the Hangtown National track, the weather was just about perfect a little windy here and there but nothing to really complain about. It could have easily been 100 and no wind at all. And the good news about this weekend, the ambulance did not move at all for three days. However, that doesn’t mean there weren’t tip over’s or just plain get off’s there were but nobody left in the ambulance. 

The club ended up with a decent turnout considering once again Mammoth MX was scheduled for the following weekend, along with all the graduations, weddings etc. in June. Maybe it’s time for the club to look at moving the date.

This event always has a big turnout from out of State riders and I’m sure that has to do with; it’s Hangtown, just like we go to Glen Helen in SoCal or Washougal in Washington because these are they iconic tracks.

I saw a few great scraps between riders and I’m sure there were many more I didn’t see. The 50 class is and continues to be the biggest classes and as such the track layouts are evolving to accommodate those riders whose skill levels are greater than in years past. And that leaves a segment of us older riders whose skills are not that of a fifty year old, no matter how much we try to tell are selves differently. And as such some the current layouts are very challenging, I’ve quit trying to get better and push myself into trying to make that long double and any gap jumps are down carry right scary. So when a track has lips (Jump take off ramps) that send you way up in the air and are designed to help carry a rider over the jump all they do for those of us that don’t clear a jump like that is we fall out of the sky and hit the top of the jump hard and that hurts. So we have to adjust our riding styles to blend in with the newer younger riders tracks. So there are just some places you just have to be cautious about. Hopefully there’s enough of the in betweens you end up being able to get into a good rhythm on the track.

So this last weekend at the race there were a number of older riders who were complaining about the track layout and the watering. Riding a muddy track is difficult for the vast majority of us, but us older riders are not very flexible anymore we tend to be more rigid so slipping and sliding is not fun at all and we tend to tip over more in those conditions, consequently it’s zero fun.

The track was over watered in places my opinion and in a couple of places it was way over done to the point of becoming a quagmire. I think the culprits were the hand waters; they need hand watering lessons 101. There were a couple riders (I’m sure there weren’t any of us older riders though) who were way out of bounds in expressing their dislike for the track conditions and should have been asked to leave for their actions in my opinion.

The dinner was a real treat for us locals and a new experience for the out of state riders, they served Jim boy’s tacos and even seconds were available. This year’s raffle was almost unbelievable, the amount and quality of prizes was beyond last year’s. And this the grand prize was a Giant mountain bike. 

The music played all weekend by Mike the announcer was perfect and along with the great weather and some good racing the vast, vast majority of those who attended enjoyed themselves.

Doug 21J

PS Check out the pictures of the track as the sun was going down. The Prairie City OHV park will never be mistaken for a garden spot, but the pictures of the track at this time of day is pretty neat.

GNCC

Russell chased all the way by Bollinger at Tomahawk

GNCC goes down to the wire again in 2018 as Kailub Russell and Trevor Bollinger fight to the flag at Tomahawk – Josh Toth earns his fifth XC2 250 Pro Class win.

Round eight of the 2018 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series was greeted with more than perfect racing conditions as temperatures were in the mid-60’s and a cool breeze on Seneca Highlands for the Dunlop Tomahawk GNCC in Odessa, New York.

 

Photo Credit: Ken Hill

XC1 Pro class

Making his return to GNCC, Ryan Sipes grabbed the main event holeshot and lead for the first laps of the race, but ultimately finish in 18th. Kailub Russell and Trevor Bollinger would make the early pass and push forward battling amongst themselves for the three-hour race.

Bollinger came through timing each lap just seconds behind Russell, pushing harder each lap. When the white flag flew Bollinger tried for a last lap charge but finished just 0.8 seconds behind K. Russell. This is Bollinger’s second appearance on the podium this year, and his best performance thus far in the season.

 

Photo Credit: Ken Hill

Just two weeks ago in Ohio, Thad Duvall dominated the day but a mid-pack start left him way down on the two front-runners. Duvall worked up to third on the second lap and remained there for the duration of the race. 

Duvall’s team-mate Josh Strang finished fourth after finding himself in the ninth on the second lap. He put his head down from there and made the charge up to fourth.

Ricky Russell ran in podium contention early in the race. No stranger to the top five positions in the XC1 ranks, Ricky earned his second-best finish of the season with a fifth overall in New York.

Steward Baylor and Grant Baylor were not having the race they hoped for. Grant was out after two laps due to a mechanical issue while Steward was putting in a good ride until he blew a fuse on his bike.

Travis Pastrana | Honoring The Evel Knievel Legacy

3 Separate Distance Jumps In Las Vegas

In roughly three weeks time, Travis Pastrana will attempt arguably one of his most impressive/iconic stunts all in the name of Evel Knievel. In a sense, Knievel paved the way for today’s action sports stunts, so TP199 is setting out to honor the Evel Knievel legacy by doing recreating three of Evel’s most iconic jumps. The first jump will be over a gap filled with more than 50 crushed cars, the second will see him fly over 16 Greyhound buses and for the third and final jump Pastrana will recreate Evel’s Caesar’s Palace fountain jump. Oh, and did we mention he'”ll be doing all three jumps aboard an Indian Scout FTR750, while wearing a cape and dress boots in true Evel Knievel fashion? We had a few minutes to chat with Travis about the creation of this project, so check out what he had to say…

*The event will take place in Las Vegas, NV on July 8th and will be a 3-hour live broadcast on the History channel.*

Travis, it’s good to see you again and it looks like you’re doing well. But let’s get down to business. Talk about this wild set up that you have out here and the stunts that you plan to complete…

Well, this is a classic case of be careful what you ask for ( laughs). With Nitro Circus, our goal is to build up the action sports community along with the motorcycle community and one of the things that we do is put on these live shows with a bunch of crazy stunts, so we have a lot of networks coming to us with ideas. When the history channel approached us and asked about a live stunt, we all got together and it sat in a room, and I think it was Dave Matais that said, “If this is history related there needs to be some sort of story.” With that said, we were left with the question of “Who started all of this for us?" and the majority of us all had one answer: Evel Knievel. So essentially I’m looking to pay tribute to the man himself! The world record now for distance jumping on a dirt bike is well over 400 feet, so obviously attempting something like that is very high risk because if something goes wrong you’ll likely die. So at that point you almost have to ask yourself “Is it even worth it? Do people really care about it that much?" Hypothetically speaking, if I were to do a distance jump and make it past the current world record by 10 feet or whatever it would be cool don’t get me wrong, but we wanted to go a different route by utilizing a different kind of machine; not just a dirt bike, which are basically made for jumping. We asked ourselves, “What were Evel’s greatest jumps?” Obviously Cesar’s Palace is probably the most iconic stunt location in the history of stunts, ever, so once we learned that we could probably get access to the facility, we then approached Greyhound busses. Evel wore a cape and dress boots, so at that point nothing is about safety. It was about the show, it was about the spectacle. It was a costume essentially (laughs). So we’ve decided to go that route. We’re aiming for a live spectacle in Las Vegas just like what Evel did. We thought, "Let's do a live three hour special where we bring in celebrities that grew up with Even Knievel as their hero." We want to have celebrities come in to talk about their unique experiences and memories of Evel. There are so many kids in the younger generation that have no idea who Evel is, so this is a Great way for us to honor him and to showcase what he was all about. With The resurgence of flat-track racing, Roland Sands is quite arguably at the forefront of that movement, so I wanted him involved in this project. We were then left with the question of what bike was I going to ride. Obviously when you think of Evel you picture that big number 1 on that Harley Davidson. That’s the bike that Evel was known for, but really he jumped everything. Roland Said to me, “Travis, if Nitro Circus is really about the resurgence of action sports and motorcycle riding in general, then it has to be Indian motorcycles." They're a manufacturer that really wants this to come back and they've been making it happen at events like X Games. And to be completely honest, the Indian that I’ll be jumping is about as close as we could get to Evel’s bike when we started with the stock platform. Obviously the bike has a few modifications to it and the ramps that I’ll be jumping aren't wedge jumps, so we are using the technology that we have to make this as safe as possible. At the same time, though, things changed when they asked me which of his jumps I wanted to do because my answer was, “All of them!” As I said before, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it (laughs) and I got it because I’ll be jumping a total of three separate jumps varying in distance. Jump number one will consist of a gap containing over 52 crushed cars, the next jump will take him over 16 Greyhound buses and the third and final jump will be over the Caesar's Palace fountains. I’ve got about a week out here to test and I’ve already jumped the bike to dirt (about 80 feet or so) so I’ve got a little better understanding as to how the bike jumps. Plus, I didn’t want to look like a joke when we invited out all of the press (laughs). We’ve got guys out here building each of the jumps and landings right now, but I’m going to take these on one at a time to build up muscle memory for each jump. I think we’re aiming for somewhere around the 160-180 foot mark to make this as exciting as possible, but I already feel like somewhat of a sissy compared to Evel because of all of the safety precautions involved (laughs). I’m going into these jumps with the same mindset as Evel; I’m doing them no matter the wind or whatever else! Three separate jumps in one night is definitely going to be tough for me. All of his bikes were geared up to go up to a specific speed to ensure that whatever the top speed was wouldn’t take him past the landing. Obviously I won’t have that luxury because the three jumps will require different speeds.

Let’s talk about the machine that you’ll be jumping. It sounds like this was almost a collab of sorts with Roland Sands, as his input is obviously of great value when it comes to these bikes…

This creation is mostly Roland. I told him right off the bat that I don’t know very much about these bikes. It’s twice the weight with a third of the amount of suspension travel that I’m used to riding on and jumping with, but I’ve jumped a lot of different stuff (laughs). Buses, four-wheelers, cars, everything kind of flies so I wasn’t worried about the actual jumping aspect because I feel that I have that covered, so I asked Roland to be the man when it comes to wardrobe and motorcycle authenticity. I gave that creative freedom to Roland and this is what we’ve come up with. I like it because it still has that cool feeling about it and it will still stoke out the guys that race and ride these bikes. I mean I’ve even got my bend of ProTaper bars on there (laughs)! We’ve also made some modifications to the foot pegs, but ultimately it’s still a bike that is a tank that’s not meant to fly.

A few minutes ago, I heard you giving someone a rundown about the bikes weight and suspension travel and all that because this machine is in stark contrast to what you’re usually jumping…

Yeah (laughs)! This bike is twice the weight and it only has a third of the amount of suspension travel as a regular dirt bike. Obviously that is something that I’ll have to acclimate myself too, but the other thing to keep in mind is that this bike puts out a ton of power. It’s been cool working with the guys on this bike because I’m learning so much. This bike is extremely linear and smooth which is what makes it such a good modern dirt-track bike. However, I don’t really have time for linear and smooth because I need as much power as I can get right off the bat since my run up to the jumps is somewhat limited. In all reality, today is a test day of sorts for me on this bike. We are figuring out what parts deliver the most amount of power. We are seeing what speeds we can get up to and how quickly we can get there. On the final jump it will basically be one simple plan; go as fast as I possibly can and don't miss a shift. That’s it! I mean that does make things a little simpler for me, (laughs) but it’s a little scary at the same time. It’s kind of gnarly because if I miss a shift there really isn’t any time for me to stop, so I need to make every move count. Maybe I can aim for the water if I get lucky (laughs).

You briefly touched on your attire for the nights events and it sounds like you’ve got something pretty cool planned out…

I’m wearing a cape, dude… (laughs)! The hardest piece to attain for the whole outfit were the boots. They had to be custom made, and to be completely honest they’re made for going out to the club (laughs). Evel must not have cared about the jumps because he was way more excited for the afterparty if he was jumping in those (laughs) I'm just kidding. It’s no secret that I’ve broken plenty of bones and that includes my ankles, which are both fused from past injuries, so that’s another reason why the boots had to be custom made. Again, I don't want to miss a shift in these boots, so I was talking to my team and we’ve been considering starting off in second gear and shifting to third instead of 1st to 2nd because there’s a chance I could click into neutral accidentally. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m thoroughly looking forward to the event.

Roughly how long ago did this idea popped into your head? Were you able to get right down to business or did you sit on it for sometime before telling anyone else?

It’s taken roughly a year, and I think that’s about the time that the History channel showed real interest in the idea. It’s really cool being involved with Nitro Circus because of the place that it’s at right now. From one side of the spectrum to the other, you have everyone from the Olympics to Weedmaps creating these live, one-off stunt shows. Networks have been coming to us constantly for stuff like this so it’s cool to see that happening. Every day, ideas are thought up by these networks and obviously a lot of them aren’t doable, but occasionally we come across on that really makes us think! A lot of those thoughts look really good on paper, and to be completely honest this stunt just might fall under that category because this is going to be a true challenge from every aspect. However, we’ve got a great crew out here and a great bike! The other challenge is our lack of time for preparation because I really only have a week to figure out how to fly this thing.

Yeah, talk about the amount of preparation time you’ve had for these jumps in Las Vegas. It’s not very extensive, right?

I’m not exactly working with the ideal amount of time for preparation, as we are about three weeks out from the jumps, but that’s fine. I’ve obviously been riding the bike a little bit today for some testing and I’ve done so for about 10 days total, but after today that’s it until it’s showtime! Essentially this is my last day of testing. I’m just going to take this one jump at a time obviously starting with the smallest of the three. I think for added safety we'll even utilize the Nitro airbags that you see during our live shows. Eventually I’ll move up to the final jump, which is the most challenging because we are starting on a platform with only a limited distance for a run-in.

This ramp set up that you’ll be using is pretty unique in that you’ll be up on a platform the whole time, right? 

Right! We would’ve done it flat on the ground just like he did, but there is a lot of infrastructure built up around the fountains now. We are just trying to make it as big as we possibly can with what we have to work with.

So it turns out you actually had the pleasure of meeting Evel Knievel. Can we hear that story?

(Laughs) I had just won the Daytona Supercross and I was 16 years old. That was my first Supercross win! I had the ultimate introduction to Evel (laughs). Somebody introduced Evel and I, but this person was talking me up like crazy since I had just won my first race. The guy stopped talking so I said, “Hello Evel, it’s so nice to meet you…” and halfway through my first sentence he interrupted me and said, “That’s great kid… Go get me a beer!” (laughs). Oh! And the best part is that He was judging a Hawaiian Tropics Bikini Contest! So after hearing that Evel was thirsty, I went and found my dad and told him that Evel Knievel told me to get him a beer. My dad did a double take at me and literally ran to the front of the beer line telling people that the beer was for Evel (laughs). So my dad hands me the beer and I took it over to Evel just to hear him say, “Thank you!” This day and age you wouldn’t exactly want that to happen if you actually met your hero, but with him I guess it was expected (laughs). I thought to myself, "That man is living life to the fullest!" Obviously that is defined differently for each person, but that was him! He definitely held true to what I was expecting (laughs).

In your opinion how does this stunt compare to the rest of the crazy things that you’ve done over the course of your life?

I think what makes this gnarly – as is the case with any live event – is that you have to go when they say go regardless of the wind or any other weather condition! Normally, if it’s just a little windy you can sometimes wait it out, but that’s not always the case. For me, I’m taking pride in the fact that I have the opportunity to represent the legacy of Evel. He was the kind of guy that if he said something, he was going to follow through with it. Even if he knew he wasn’t going to make it, he still did it. He was a man of his word in that sense, and I want to uphold that very same value. To be a man of my word like that, I think is my biggest fear. Hopefully the weather will be perfect and we won’t even have to worry about it, but we'll be prepared for it otherwise. This is about representing an icon! In the case that something does happen on the first or second jump and I’m still capable of continuing, then you better believe that’s what I’ll be doing!

This is off topic, but can we talk about your friend Phil Smage that went long on a distance jump in a Razr? That was stomach-turning to say the least, but it appears he’s finally headed in the right direction with his recovery. Can you give us any updates?

That was seemingly one of the biggest fuck-ups in modern stunt history, and being the stunt coordinator on that I feel responsible. To see one of my best friend get really hurt like that has been really tough. The toughest part, though, is that all of the numbers were correct from our initial testing, too. He was going about 12mph over the intended speed, plus the skid-plate acted like a wing, so Murphy’s Law kicked in. Yes, the 12mph would have taken him further than what was intended, but because the Razr caught lift and essentially flew for a second or so Phil was just taken way too high. At that point, the front end lifted and all of that weight came down on just the rear tires instead of all four, which is obviously more ideal for weight distribution, plus he landed on the brakes. Essentially everything that could’ve gone wrong, went wrong. It just sucks, man. At the end of the day, distance jumping can be catastrophic if there’s even the slightest miscalculation, and unfortunately that was the case with Phil. Of course the Internet and social media were quick to jump to conclusions on everything, and if you can believe it I even received a hand-written letter that was dropped off in my own mailbox from someone stating that they hope my kids get paralyzed just so that I can know how it feels. What I’m saying is that I have received hate on basically every level. I mean I’ve spent almost every dime that I’ve made trying to build this industry back up. This is dangerous shit and obviously we want to make it as safe as we possibly can, but when something goes that wrong and people jump to conclusions too quickly it doesn’t make things any easier; especially when pain is wished upon innocent people. The whole thing has changed my outlook on the future of things, but at the same time the industry has been extremely positive. Road 2 Recovery has been chipping in along with Weinerschnitzel, so it’s extremely great to see that positivity. Obviously I’m feeling pretty negative about the whole situation, but as many have seen Phil is one of the most positive people on earth. At the end of the day things went wrong and everyone knows their responsibility.

Brayton Returns to Australian SX

Justin Brayton To Defend his Australian SX1 Championship Title in 2018

  Current back to back Australian Supercross champion confirmed to be retunring down under to defend his number one plate with Honda. - Credit: Aaryn Minerds

Justin Brayton will return to defend his Australian Supercross Championship with Honda Racing for 2018.

The back-to-back Champion has set his sights on a triple crown under the directorship of Yarrive Konsky and the Penrite Honda Racing Team.

“I look forward to coming back for the 2018 SX season. Australia feels like my second home, since 2016 I have spent nearly as much time in Australia as I have in my home in Charlotte, as the American Championship is relentless. We are travelling to 16 rounds across 17 weekends, so it’s quite full-on.” Said Brayton.

Brayton attributes his most recent success in America to competing in Australia.

“I 100% believe that racing in Australia gave me the kick-start I needed to be ready for the World Supercross Championship in America. We were able to prepare in race conditions. The emulation is priceless and I am thankful that all parties came together to make it seamless.” Brayton added.

Brayton and the Honda Australia team will be looking to repeat the success of the past few years again in 2018 - Credit: Aaryn Minerds

Honda Racing’s Brand and Motorsport Manager Glyn Griffiths welcomes Brayton’s return and thinks his inclusion has lifted the level of racing and awareness of competition in Australia.

“Justin is world class; his inclusion the past two years has lifted the level `of competition in Australia and has created worldwide awareness for our program and Australian Racing.”

Brayton and the team will announce more details on sponsors and activities as they happen, with Yarrive Konsky stating; “We are finalising some sponsorships and activations. We want to involve spectators and fans more this year and give them some exclusive experiences.”