Parity or just to early to judge?

AMA Nationals – Parity

Parity in American Motocross is something that does not happen a whole lot. Every year, a clear favorite seems to find a rhythm and start clicking off consistent wins. In fact, in the 17 years that we have been in the new millennium, three 450MX Motocross championships have ended with only one rider winning every moto. Ricky Carmichael was the first rider to have a perfect season doing, it in 2002 and again in 2004. James Stewart followed with a perfect season in 2008. So when there are a lot of different riders who not only have a chance to win, but are actually winning, it is very noticeable.

The last two weeks in American Motocross have been wild. There have been eight motos ran: four at Glen Helen and four at Thunder Valley. Both classes ran two motos at each race, and they produced a result that has not occurred seen since May 28, 2000. In eight possible races over two weeks, eight different riders won a Moto. Here is a look at how the motos laid out at Glen Helen and Thunder Valley:

It is incredible. Last year, only three riders won motos in the 450MX class all season long and now four different winners have won motos in two weeks. So when was the last time this happened? Well, you have to go all the way back to the second and third rounds of the 2000 MX season. In 2017, it was also the second and third round where this strange occurrence happened but this happened at Glen Helen and Thunder Valley. Back then, rounds two and three took place at Hangtown and High Point. This was also back when the classes were still regarded as the 125cc and 250cc classes instead of the four-stroke era 250MX and 450MX classes. Here is how it broke down back then:

It took 17 years for it to happen again, and it seems so weird that it would happen now. If someone told me that this would have happened in the 2017 Motocross season and that Eli Tomac would not be one of the guys to have won a moto during this bizarre stretch, I would have laughed. Tomac has had some bad luck during this span, so he is very capable of turning things around once the series resumes in a week and a half at High Point. But for now, we have five different moto winners in both classes after six motos this season.

Looking at this eight moto run of ridiculous unpredictability, there is one thing different about this 2017 sequence when compared to what happened back in 2000. With eight different moto winners, you would have to believe that there would be four different overall winners as well; assuming that one of the riders who won a moto, also won the overall. Well, that’s not quite how it went down. In 2017, there were four different overall winners, but there were only three different overall winners. This happened because David Vuillemin won back-to-back weeks by going 2-2 for the overall at Hangtown and then 3-1 for the overall at High Point in the 250cc class. Even though he didn’t win a moto at Hangtown, he still claimed the overall. This actually connects the 2000 sequence to 2017 in a weird way as Zach Osborne won the 250MX overall at Glen Helen going 4-2 even though he did not win a moto in the past two weeks.

Realistically, I don’t bring this up to say that we are really in for a wild year now. History shows that multiple successive race winners are a very rare occurrence and the chances of this trend continuing are slim to none. In 2000, Ricky Carmichael ended up winning the 250cc championship by 83 points over Sebastien Tortelli. There is still a lot of racing left but that also means there is plenty of time for someone to find their groove and go on a winning streak. No matter what happens, nobody could have predicted this wild start to the season and it has certainly made for some great racing.

360 Helmet Cam: Jeremy Martin at Glen Helen

Get an adrenaline rush as you ride along with professional Motocross and Supercross racer, Jeremy Martin, at the Glen Helen Raceway in this year's 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season

Down under with KTM Australia’s Lyndon Snodgrass

Newly recruited Australian KTM Enduro Team Rider Lyndon Snodgrass shows us around one of his training compounds. How'd you like to have a course like this in your backyard?

KTM Is Riding High!

Austrian Power Plant

Hard work pays off, and there is no harder working teams in the motocross world than the Red Bull KTM Factory team, and their little brother (who is probably growing up quick enough to be the big brother one day), Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory team.

While KTM might not have won the last two MXGP titles (they went the HRC and Yamaha), you cannot deny they are the strongest team in world motocross, and it doesn’t look like they will be slowing down any time soon.

At present, they have big points leads in the MXGP (Antonio Cairoli), MX2 (Pauls Jonass) and AMA 450 motocross championship (Marvin Musquin), and their Husqvarna rider, Zach Osborne leads the AMA 250 championship. Oh, did we also mention they have already won the 2017 AMA 450 Supercross championship with Ryan Dungey, and Osborne gave the Husky a title in the AMA 250 SX series.

With names like Roger De Coster, Joel Smets, Heinz Kinigadner, Jacky Martens, Antti Pyrhonen, Pit Beirer and so many other former racers working for them, and some of the best technicians in the sport, the future looks bright for the orange army.

In the toughest motocross championship in the world, the MXGP class, KTM and their little brother Husqvarna are first and second in the manufacturers classification, KTM with 374 pts, Husqvarna 316pts, and HRC third with 311 pts. They are also first and second in the rider points with Antonio Cairoli and Gautier Paulin.

In the MX2 manufacturers classification they are first and third, with 414pts for KTM, Suzuki second with 341pts and then Husky with 336pts. Can the Husky boys put the Austrian brands first and second after Russia?

When Blake Baggett took his KTM to victory last weekend, ahead of the KTM of Marvin Musquin and the Husqvarna or Jason Anderson, it was just what the many in Europe expected. In the championship Musquin leads Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac, with Baggett and Anderson third and fourth, while Dean Wilson is 6^th in the points standings.

In the AMA 450 Motocross championships Osborne leads with 119pts to KTM rider Alex Martin. This against the all-mighty power of the Pro-Circuit Kawasaki team.

In the biggest national championship in Europe, the Dutch Masters of Motocross Jeffrey Herlings leads the 450 class, followed by Gautier Paulin (Husqvarna) and Max Anstie (Husqvarna). In the MX2 class its Thomas Kjer Olsen (Husqvarna) leading two KTM riders in Brian Bogers and Calvin Vlaanderen.

Hey, even Christophe Pourcel is winning on a Husqvarna in Canada!!!

'Jim Ross' calls highlights of Thunder Valley National

Race Report like you've never heard before!

The action was so incredible at round three of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross at Thunder Valley that it almost seemed fake. Did Justin Bogle really win after a fire broke out in the RCH pits? Did El Chupacabra return from the depths? Did the 250 Class really come down to four riders and one point? Was this all scripted? Hmmmm, maybe it’s best to hear it through the voice of legendary pro wrestling announcer “Jim Ross.” Enjoy racing like you’ve never heard it before!

Australian Supercross Championship

CDR Yamaha confirms Ferris for supercross campaign

MX Nationals champion commits to full 2017 season.

Image: Jeremy Hammer.

CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris has confirmed he will contest this year’s Australian Supercross Championship after initially signing a motocross-only contract ahead of the 2017 season.

Ferris made the late decision to commit to this year’s schedule after achieving success during the 2016 series as he claimed one round victory and finished in second-place behind Justin Brayton in the SX1 championship.

“I signed my motocross contract for 2017 in the early stages of for last year’s supercross championship and I wanted to get through the series and see how I felt and if I enjoyed that style of racing again before I made any commitments for 2017,” Ferris said.

“Last year was the first time I had done supercross with a great team behind me and on an awesome bike and when I reflect on the championship, I realised how much fun I had and that I would like to do it again.

“Craig [Dack] and I had been discussing it for the past few weeks and I told him I was in and the contract was drawn up. It was a simple decision really, and I love going racing with everyone at CDR Yamaha.”

The defending Motul MX Nationals MX1 champion aims to be a well-rounded contender and believes his 2017 supercross performance will improve due to added experience heading into the series.

“Being able to ride both motocross and supercross well is important and having the skills for racing indoors or out will only benefit my riding,” he explained.

“Last year my preparations were limited to due racing the Motocross of Nations but I was able to find my feet pretty fast so that was good and now with the bit of experience and knowledge gained, hopefully this year the process will be a little easier.

“It is also a great opportunity to race oversees competitors who do our races. Last year it was cool to line up alongside Chad Reed, Ryan Villopoto, Justin Brayton and Cooper Webb, while this year Jason Anderson and Reed have already been conformed for the AUS-X Open round so that is something to look forward to.”

The 2017 Australian Supercross Championship is set to kick off on 23 September at Jimboomba in Queensland.

KTM's Musquin Interview

Marvin Musquin interview

Before the start of the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, a lot of us thought Red Bull / KTM’s Marvin Musquin would be a factor here and there, but the former two-time MX2 World Champion has been a factor everywhere. With Ryan Dungey retired and Trey Canard out injured, Musquin has been the only rider in the Red Bull / KTM pits, and the #25 has definitely made the team happy about focusing all their resources on only him these during first three rounds of the series.

At the 2017 Thunder Valley National last weekend, Marvin struggled with a first turn crash in moto one and a bad start in moto two, but he was still able to make the day a positive one. In moto one, a first turn crash forced Marvin to fight from behind, but he still crossed the finish line with a fourth. Marvin’s moto two start was better, but he was still buried outside the top ten through the first turn. Just like in moto one, Marvin carved his way forward for thirty-minutes plus two laps and, this time, made his way up to third. Surprisingly, Marvin’s 4-3 on the day was good enough for second overall, but inconsistency seems to be the theme of the 2017 outdoor series in both classes.

In a very inconsistent 450MX class, Marvin has shown Dungey-like consistency with a 2-2-1-3-4-3 scorecard, and because of that, he now takes a 17-point lead into the series’ first weekend off. After the Thunder Valley National was in the books, I caught up with the Frenchman by his motor home in the pits.

Marvin, good day overall for you, but a rough patch to get to the good results. How did you feel about your day?

Yeah, exactly! Practice went super good. It was really nice, but I knew the track was going to get harder. Here, they always get deep ruts, and the inside gets soft and crusty on top. It’s rough but a good track. My starts were not really good, especially in that first moto. Unfortunately, Josh Grant went down in front of us and I couldn’t avoid him. From pretty far back to fourth place was awesome. In the second moto, I wish I had a better start to battle with [Blake] Baggett and [Eli] Tomac, but I think Baggett was faster today. Speed-wise, he was on it today, but I wish I was with Eli. Eli got better in that second moto. But to get third in that second moto was good considering the start. We need better starts, but here at high altitude—starting in first gear—I struggled. I couldn’t get a good jump. That’s why it was a tough day. It put me in a tough position and I had to fight really hard. But that’s what we do. I gave 100% and it was good to get second overall.

Do you play around with testing first gear starts versus second gear starts at this altitude, or is it so obvious that only first gear starts work good here?

Yeah, it’s only here in Colorado. I’ve tried second gear here, but you always want to get a good jump, so first gear is better.

Did Blake’s speed here today surprise you at all?

Yes and no. Yes, because he was definitely faster and he won the overall, but then, no because that’s Blake Baggett outdoors. He’s always been a good rider and a tough rider. It was a great day for him, for sure.

Blake’s a lot like you in the sense that if you give him some confidence, he will run with it.

Yeah, exactly. His confidence right now is definitely higher, but we have the same bike and it will be a battle.

You have one of your best tracks coming up at the next round at High Point. Is it important to keep that momentum?

Yeah, I think so. Those first three rounds are tough tracks, especially Glen Helen. To get away from here with a second place and a win the week before and still be leading the championship is awesome.

Surprisingly, you actually gained two point from a 15-point lead to 17 points with a 4-3 scorecard.

Yeah, considering my starts and the crash, it was a good day. I think we’ll have better tracks.

At the beginning of the year if someone told you that you were going to have a win and a 17-point lead in the 450 championship after round three, you would probably be pretty happy with that.

Oh, for sure. You never know where you’re at when you start the season. Last year was not easy outdoors. I got good by the end, but a few guys were injured, and it was only [Ken] Roczen, me and Tomac. And then [Justin] Barcia sometimes. This year, we have Blake Baggett, [Jason] Anderson and Tomac are the top four right now. Sometimes there are others that can ride well. It’s a great championship, and I think it’s good for the fans.

Speaking of other guys stepping up, where did that ride in the first moto by Justin Bogle come from? That win was unexpected.

Actually, I didn’t know. I looked ahead of me in the first moto and I saw Anderson, and I’m like, “Well, Anderson is leading.” I thought Baggett got second and I got third. Yeah, I got to the finish line and saw Bogle winning. It’s really good for him. Me and Justin moved up to the 450 class at the same time last year and we battled in the 250 class. I know how hard it is to move up to the 450, and he has had tough times like me—with a little bit of injuries and stuff—so it’s good for him. Congratulations to him.

With Ryan gone, the class really feels like the 250 class of just a couple of years ago. You’ve battled all these kids for years. What’s your plan for the weekend off now? Do you get to rest up a little?

We’ll be able to have a nice weekend at home and that’s it. Just enjoy being home. Me and Mathilde—my wife—we’ll maybe go on the lake and stuff like that. Take the jet-ski and have some fun. It’s a tough sport and we race a lot, every weekend. The pressure and the work during the week, it will be nice to enjoy some time off.

Photos by: Simon Cudby

Cherokee National Enduro

Thad DuVall takes Cherokee National Enduro win

Photo Credit: Shan Moore

Thad DuVall grabbed his second win in a row at this weekend’s Cherokee National Enduro in Greensboro, Georgia – round four of the 2017 Kenda AMA National Enduro Series presented by Moose Racing. 

DuVall not only had to battle a formidable lineup of competitors, but the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing-backed rider also had to fight the elements, as a hot, humid and dry day turned turned wet and muddy when rain storms moved into the area about halfway into the event. Despite the extreme conditions, DuVall won five of the six tests and took the overall win by one-minute-and-thirteen-seconds over series point leader Steward Baylor Jr. at the end of 56 miles of racing. 

With the win, DuVall cut into Baylor’s point lead, and now sits just eight points behind Baylor in the series standings with just five rounds remaining. 

Although things went DuVall’s way for most of the day, there was some drama in the third test when he crashed hard and at one point wasn’t sure he could finish. 

“I hit my head pretty hard and it was hurting pretty bad,” said DuVall. “I wasn’t sure I could continue, but I went into the fourth test and I just wasn’t all there. Steward ended up beating me in that test, but I regrouped and by that point I had a pretty good cushion. I really just needed to cruise, but I felt like the slower I went the more mistakes I made.

"I felt like the harder I charged the better I was, so I came back and won the last two tests. I honestly didn’t think I was going to be able to finish after the fourth test – I was sick and didn’t feel well, but I just cleared my head and ended up winning.”

 

Photo Credit: Shan Moore

 

Steward Baylor came into the event having spent the previous week in the hospital due to a virus. The SRT Racing KTM rider admittedly didn’t have the best week of practice prior to the Cherokee and came into the event hoping to salvage a top-five finish, however, the South Carolina rider was able to keep DuVall honest all day and even won the fourth test. In fact, Baylor didn’t finish worse than second all day.

“I came in a little bit behind the eight-ball, after spending last week in the hospital, but I rode well today,” said Baylor. “I wasn’t expecting to do this well, but we kept it tight and hopefully we can bounce back from this and get back on top of the podium. It’s good to come out here and come away with a good finish after all that happened last week.”

Josh Toth is still learning the ropes in the national enduro series, but the Connecticut rider picked up steam as the day progressed and came on strong in the last three tests. The Am Pro Yamaha rider claimed his best finish to date with a third.

“I rode pretty good in the beginning, but I couldn’t stay off the ground,” said Toth. “I like the mud, so when it started raining I think I got stronger. I’m getting better at this tight stuff and I definitely had a lot of fun.”

KR4 Arrive-n-Ride Husqvarna’s Grant Baylor turned in a steady day for fourth. 

“I had pretty good rides in the second and third tests, but I was a little off the pace in the fourth test,” said Grant. “I was sitting about 30 seconds behind Toth in third heading into the final test and I went in there and pushed really hard and ended up crashing, so I had to settle for fourth.”

Grant still has a solid grip on third overall in the series standings, sitting nine points ahead of Russell Bobbitt, who was fifth overall at the Cherokee. 

Bobbitt came into the event hot off of a podium finish at the previous round in Louisiana, but the FMF KTM Factory Racing-backed rider struggled with suspension settings at the Cherokee and was a bit off the pace.

“With the setup we had, I just wasn’t comfortable in some of the tests,” said Bobbitt. “I was riding within my comfort zone but I don’t think I rode up to my potential. We’ll just go back now and work on our setup for the next round and go from there.”

Finishing a tenth of a second behind Bobbitt in sixth was Cory Buttrick. The SRT Racing KTM rider was third fastest in test three, but tests four and fifth didn’t go well for him. Heading into the sixth and final test, Buttrick was 13 seconds behind Bobbitt for fifth, and he ended up beating Bobbitt in the test, but came up just a tenth of a second short, which left him with sixth. 

 

Photo Credit: Shan Moore

 

Solid Performance KTM’s Jesse Groemm made the long drive from New Jersey to finish seventh, crossing the line a minute-and-twenty-seven seconds behind Buttrick.

Eighth overall and first in the Rekluse/Expert-AA class was Thorn Devlin, who has won all four rounds in the division so far.  The AirGroup/Enduro Engineering Husqvarna rider finished 27 seconds ahead of eighth place overall and five-minutes-and-seventeen-seconds ahead of Logan Lowrey, the second place finisher in the Expert-AA class. AirGroup/Enduro Engineering Husqvarna’s Tyler Vore was third in the class and 16th overall. 

“I only went down once all day, but in the fourth test I broke off the end of my brake pedal at the start of the test so I had to ride most of the 12 miles without a rear brake,” said Devlin. 

KTM riders Evan Smith and Zach Hayes rounded out the top 10 overall.

In the Women’s Elite class, Aussie off-road star Tayla Jones claimed her fourth win of the series, putting her KR4 Arrive-n-Ride Husqvarna on top of the podium ahead of Husqvarna rider Sarah Baldwin and KTM rider Ashley Copeland. Jones beat out Baldwin by almost nine minutes, while Copeland finished another five minutes back in third. 

The 2017 Kenda AMA National Enduro Series presented by Moose Racing resumes action with round five of the series on July 23rd in Cross Fork, Pennsylvania for the Rattlesnake National Enduro. For more information on the series check out www.nationalenduro.com.

RESULTS

1. Thad DuVall (Hsq)

2. Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM)

3. Josh Toth (Yam)

4. Grant Baylor (Hsq)

5. Russell Bobbitt (KTM)

6. Cory Buttrick (KTM)

7. Jesse Groemm (KTM)

8. Thorn Devlin (Hsq)

9. Evan Smith (KTM)

10. Zach Hayes (KTM)

Russia MXGP

Gajser out of Russia

Following two recent crashes for Tim Gajser at the MXGP of Latvia and then two weeks after in the MXGP of Germany, Team HRC MXGP can confirm that unfortunately the World Champion has sustained a broken shoulder blade, meaning he will not be fit to ride at the MXGP of Russia this weekend.

The crash in Latvia left him badly bruised, but the tough Slovenian remounted his Honda CRF450RW in Germany after a fortnight of rest, gritting his teeth to try again. Unfortunately, a second crash at the Teutschenthal track left him with what has now been confirmed as a broken shoulder.

Tim has been treated by a specialist from the National Sports Injury clinic in Slovenia and will continue to receive treatment and physiotherapy over the next few weeks. As rest is a vital part of his recovery, he will be unable to race at the Russia track of Orlyonok this weekend.

This is a decision which Team HRC have not taken lightly and time and again Tim has demonstrated his determination and strength to push through pain, but with ten Grands Prix remaining this season, giving him time to heal properly now is the prudent option. Should his recovery go as expected, he will be back for the Italian GP in three weeks.

Tim Gajser: This is something I was really trying to avoid as I really do not want to miss any races. Unfortunately, my shoulder injury is a little worse than we first realised, so I have to accept that I can’t race this weekend in Russia. I want to make sure it is fully recovered before I come back. I will really miss racing in Russia, especially as it is the first race over there since 2012. I just want to say I am sorry to my fans, sponsors, team, Honda and all the other people who help me be where I am. In terms of my recovery we all agree that it is the right decision, and one thing I can say is that I will come back stronger!

Russia

Russian Motocross History

Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s many of the mysteries of the world motocross travelling circus were around the eastern bloc country of Soviet Union. Riders dressed in those red shirts with the hammer and sickle on the chest. Their stern faces and often accompanied by Russian agents.

Despite Russia being the largest country in the world by surface area, covering more than one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area, and the ninth most populous, with over 144 million people, its history in motocross has been hot and cold.

Back in the early 1960’s names such as Igor Grigoriev, and Victor Arbekov led the Russian charge on the world motocross championship. Grigoriev was the first Russian to finish top three in the world, finishing with third place in the 250cc class in 1963.

Arbekov made history in his country in 1965, winning the 250 championship and starting a love affair between the sport and Russia.

The greatest Russian motocross rider, Guennady Moisseev would capture his first of three world titles in 1974, also in the 250 class, and he would then win again in 1977 and 1978.

Around the era of Moisseev many Russian riders captured GP victories, or top three finishes in the championship. Vladimir Kavinov would finish third in the 250cc championship in 1976, second in 1977, and again third in 1979.

The country of Russia would have to wait 36 years before the got another medal in the world motocross championships, when Evgeny Bobryshev finished with third place in the 2015 MXGP championship.

As for Grand Prix’s held in Russia, the first was in 1963, and it was in 1965 that a Russian rider won at home, when Grigoriev won the 250 GP. It’s been 30 times that a motocross Grand Prix has been held in Russia, and of course in a couple of weeks’ time, it will become 31 times.

Russia also won the MXoN on two occasions, the first time in Kishinev, Russia in 1968 and again in 1978.

Guennady Moisseev – Russian Legend

Moisseev who had won the 1974 World 250cc championship, on a KTM motorcycle, however in high drama, he reached the title after kicking the other title contender Jaroslav Falta down in last race of the season.

In 1976, he narrowly lost the 250 world championship by one point to Heikki Mikkola despite a late season charge. He won two more 250 world championships in 1977 and 1978, again while riding KTM motorcycles.

In 1978, he was a member of the winning Russian team in the Motocross des Nations. Moisseev won a race for the last time in 1979 when friction developed between the Russian Motorcycling Federation and the KTM factory. As a result, KTM withdrew their support of the Russian team. Without competitive motorcycles, the Soviet team could no longer compete against the Western European and Japanese factory racing teams.

Moisseev, like many Russian sports stars of his era, was enlisted in the Russian Army, rising to the ranks of Major during his racing career. His extreme fitness combined with team tactics made him a fearsome competitor. After retiring from competition, Moisseev became a motocross coach. In 1977, Moisseev was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour and, in 1978 he was given the honorary title of “Honoured Master of Sports.” In December 2000, he was elected president of the Russian Motorcycle Federation.

Russian GP winners

Guennady Moisseev 14
Victor Arbekov 10
Vladimir Kavinov 8
Anatoly Ovchinnikov 2
Igor Grigoriev 1
Pavel Rulev 1
Eugenij Rybalchenko 1
Evgeny Bobryshev 1

Russian Legend – Guennady Moisseev – Images KTM