Ryan Dungey Retires

Ryan Dungey interview – Retirement

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Ryan Dungey retired today in America. The multiple AMA champion spoke the media and here are some of the questions and answers.

“Good morning and I want to thank you all for coming out. Its hard to believe this day has come, but today I announce my retirement from motocross and supercross.”

Roger DeCoster on Dungey taking over the team manager roll

De Coster: I am sure the chance will be there, but I don’t know if he is ready tomorrow to put in the time. He will take a break now and maybe we ask Ryan this time next year. Is that is his choice he can do that.

Dungey on taking over that roll if it came up

Dungey: There will be never be a team manager like Roger, so much experience and that helped my career move forward. Being down with the racing side, and have some time off. For me and my wife we have travelled a lot and want to enjoy other things. Jumping right into that, travelling so much, it’s too soon. I have so much experience from racing and it would be a waste to not apply it forward and help the next generation. Not racing the outdoors, I will be there for Marvin, and if I can do that great. Roger is the team manager and he has a lot more experience than I do.

On making the decision to retire

Dungey: It wasn’t a one day thing, it was a good year of thinking about things and I remember after the Colorado race and I thought lets do another two more (years), but I needed to pump the brakes. Back in November it was weighing one me a bit and I didn’t know where I was, I talked to Aldon and we said let’s get through Supercross. As things were coming I think I knew, but going through Vegas and leading up to it, I just thought to myself I have had enough. I pushed it and I am mentally exhausted. I think in November win or lose that might be it after Vegas.

On breaking his neck last year

Dungey: It woke me up for sure, but not knowing it was broke, but racing the race. Monday, we saw it was broken. The doctor said had it gone anymore I could have done damage to my spinal cord. I said to Lindsey (his wife) I am done, but I took my time, gathered myself. It weighed on me a bit. I knew a life lived in fear is no life at all. I wanted to fulfil my contract. I didn’t want to race in fear, I wanted to get on that dirt bike and race.

On the accident of Ken Roczen

Dungey: I think it was one more thing. Things happen, he was in the zone and just like it happened to me, it happened to Ken. You don’t want to get hurt, you want to get the job done. Usually when you ride fearsome like that, something will happen. I wanted to have fun and enjoy it like I did when I was a kid.

On doing something else outside the sport

Dungey: I like riding, I love riding and a lot of things I liked about the sport and away from it. I need to take my time and not rush into anything.

Cairoli Talks

Inside Story: Antonio Cairoli Interview – Red Plate

 

By Geoff Meyer

Antonio Cairoli has held the red plate already this season, after the opening round victory in Qatar, and while the Italian legend will go to round eight in Germany with the red plate, it isn’t about leading now that is driving the Red Bull KTM Factory rider at this point of the season.

Having won Grand Prix’s in Qatar and Italy, it’s been a little up and down since. Poor starts, and small mistakes have robbed the eight times world champion of major points, and while his speed is not a question mark, he needs to improve his first corner position to really crack another GP win.

Teutschenthal could be the perfect place for that, as Cairoli has had success there in the past and the rough and tumble of the German circuit plays right into the hands of the experienced Italian.

Antonio was kind enough to answer our questions after his podium finish in Latvia.

With Tim Gasjer’s crashes in Latvia, Antonio Cairoli now leads the MXGP standings by 17 points.

It was a good day for you in Latvia, and it’s also good to see your speed so good this year. You are often the fastest guy, just bad starts or some small mistakes. How did it feel?

Yes, I am really fast this year. Like last year I was not the fastest one on many occasions. This year the speed is there and my condition is good, but the starts are mixed. I get big holeshots, or last. Again today, first moto bad start—outside the top 15—and then I try and do my best to come to the front, but it is very difficult, everybody is very fast and the track was very sketchy. We saw a lot of crashes this week, and I couldn’t come higher than fifth place. That wasn’t the best, because I want to at least finish top three. I struggled passing guys and by the time I passed the others were gone.

And your second moto?

Second moto, I thought ok. We go for a better result. I first tried to get a good start, a pretty good one. [Arminas] Jasikonis was lucky, because he nearly hit the gate and got a big holeshot. I lost my focus [due to Jasikonis jumping early], but still I got a good run out of the gate. I almost took the holeshot in the first corner, but then I went too wide and I went off the track. I got back on in sixth place and tried to find the spots to pass. I made to third place, but I struggled with Boby [Evgeny Bobryshev] and I saw it was easy to crash. I tried to stay in attention, but the first guys took a gap. I passed Boby and tried to catch Tim [Gasjer]. I caught him, but he made a big crash in the waves and I got a little scared after seeing that. A lot of crashes and Jeffrey [Herlings] was really fast on this track. This kind of soil is always good, but for me it is important to keep it on two wheels and fight for the win.

How difficult is that? The passing, because you can see you are really fast, but passing is just impossible sometimes. How frustrating is that and how do you keep mentally strong to keep trying to pass?

It’s tough, especially this year. The bikes have made a big step and it allows you to do very good things. Everyone is very fast, especially in that first 10 or 20 minutes. Everyone is fast and everyone can hang on. Gajser, you never see that, what some riders can do. It’s motocross and we have to deal with it and move on. I can improve in the start and I am happy with my speed and condition. I hope we can do our objective to win races and score as many points as possible.

In 2015 and 2016, injuries hampered the eight-time world champion, but he is back on form in 2017.

It’s early in the season, but to have the red plate back. Does that mean anything to you?

I don’t really care at the moment. Like you said, it’s very early and a lot of races to go. My main goal is to finish top five. That is important for the championship. A lot of guys can win a GP—now Jeffreymdash;so a lot of guys winning. This is good for the championship and if you are one of those five guys, it’s good for the championship.

Is it nicer to be battling like this, or would you prefer winning all the time like sometimes in the past?

It is nicer in one way because you can make some passes and it’s more exciting—more adrenaline. But of course it is also frustrating, because can’t do our own lines and you can’t do your own speed. So in that way it is difficult to maintain the focus. I know I can go faster but with it like it is now, you always have to be careful that nobody hits you and you have to ride differently.

Last question. Teutschenthal—that is a track that really suits you, because you need a lot of experience and you really have to be smart there. Do you look forward to that? Because those tracks you are good on.

I like Teutschenthal a lot because its rough, technical, and not wide open like some other tracks. We will see. I look forward to every weekend, because my condition and speed are good, but I am frustrated about my starts. When I get a bad start I don’t like that at all. I get holeshots or outside the top 10, sometimes outside the top 20 and I will work on that before Germany.

Ray Archer images

 

Gas Gas’s 2018 EC 300

KTM Fuel Injected Two Stroke

EXC Battle Royale - Taddy Blazusiak versus Paul Bolton | KTM

New Colorado MX Track

Motocross track project north of Gypsum steps forward with $150,000 grant!

Special to the Daily |

Rocky Mountain Sports Riders Mike Ewers, left and Jeff Kodish, right, offer some advice to young rider Issy Ewers. With plans for a new motocross trac...

GYPSUM — The Rocky Mountain Sport Riders' effort to build a motocross park in the Gypsum area took a big step forward on Tuesday when the group netted a $150,000 grant from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Off-Highway Vehicle Program.

The award represents Colorado Parks and Wildlife's distribution of money collected from motorized users via its permit program. Each year, motorized trail stewards, clubs and government entities can compete for a share of these funds. Applications are scored based on the need and community benefits of the project, partnerships and support, resource protection, education and enforcement.

The motocross park will be built at the Dry Lake property, located approximately about 4.5 miles north of Interstate 70 on Trail Gulch Road.

During the application process, the Gypsum Motocross Park project obtained statements of support from the town of Gypsum, the Bureau of Land Management, the town of Eagle, Eagle County and the Eagle Chamber of Commerce. In addition, a number of local private businesses contributed dollars and pledged in-kind contributions to the effort. These donors include Beaumont Excavating, RMT Architects, Slaugh Construction and Tamerrel Excavation.

"Eagle County and the town of Gypsum have been incredible partners in the development of this project," said Rocky Mountain Sports Riders member Mitch Hayne. "A huge part of this project was the land acquisition. Both the county and town have worked hard to push forward this important enhancement to recreation opportunities in the valley."

The land purchase closed on Dec. 30.

Track design

The motocross track concept design is already substantially complete.

"Phase 1 will include an intermediate level motocross track, a peewee track for kids, a 4.2-mile singletrack loop, as well as initial infrastructure for parking, fencing and toilet facilities," said Paul Miller, of RMT Architects, the track design firm. "In later phases, we plan to add an expert level motocross track, an enduro cross track, a super cross track, a mini (65-85cc) track, as well as an ATV area."

"This is a perfect location for the motocross park," said Joe O'Malley, Rocky Mountain Sports Riders president. "It is miles from the residences in the town of Gypsum and is bounded by hills and BLM land, which will minimize the impact on the surrounding area, as well as other users in the vicinity. Along those same lines, we will be closing our operations during the offseason in support of wildlife winter range needs."

Initial development of the park includes site cleanup, infrastructure development and fencing. Anyone interested in contributing time or funds to the effort, or anyone who wants to connect with other riders, can contact the group at http://www.rmsrco.com. The organization's Facebook page can be found at Rocky Mountain Sport Riders.

MATRIX CONCEPTS LAUNCHES NEW MOBILE WEBSITE

Matrix Concepts launches new mobile website experience. Check out our new easy to navigate website on your favorite device at www.matrixracingproducts.com. The new site includes everything Matrix Concepts, new products, Specials section and all the products the factory teams use.

 

We are now accepting team riders resumes at www.hookit.com for all brands.

See the complete range at: https://www.matrixracingproducts.com/matrix-catalog/

About: GROUP 6 USA, LLC now includes the following iconic brands. Matrix Concepts & 1.7 / Next Components / Tag Metals / Atlas Brace / Royal Racing / 7iDP Protection are now in one location, based in Valencia, CA. Our products are used and developed by the top MX/Off-Road/Cycling race teams in the world. For more information on our products please visit www.group6usa.com

Legendary Flat Tracker

Super-cool Flat Tracker inspired by a race legend

Motorcycle competition in the US during the 19070s and early 80s was dominated by a type of racing much less familiar to us on this side of the Atlantic.

At first glance, flat-track racing looks like speedway, with most events taking place on oval dirt tacks.

However the crucial difference is that the bikes used for flat-track have front and rear suspension – and rear brakes, allowing for a completely different cornering technique compared to speedway.

The Flat Track Series, sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association, covered five disciplines including the mile, the half-mile, short track (typically a quarter-mile), the TT Steeplechase (an irregular shaped course, with a jump) and the road race (actually not on roads, but on purpose-built tacks such as the Daytona 200).

The style of riding – sliding the rear wheel round corners, nowadays known as drifting – meant that a number of US flat-track racers went on to international success in the MotoGP world, including Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey.

The advent of traction control, which limited rear-wheel sliding later reduced the advantage the flat trackers had enjoyed.

All of which brings us to a quiet market town in Cambridgeshire.

How so?

Well, Huntingdon is the home of the Herald Motor Company, creator of unique 125cc and 250cc motorcycles, the latest custom version of which is called the Flat Tracker.

I am happy to say, the firm has come on leaps and bounds since I first tested it’s original and excellent Classic 125 in 2014.

The line-up now includes a Classic 250 and a Cafe Racer 250 – featuring a four-stroke single-cylinder air-cooled motor.

The bikes are built in China and then upgraded for the British market.

And, more recently, Herald has been producing custom versions based on the 250.

The firm will also create customs with input from customers.

The Flat Tracker certainly looks the part.

The yellow-and-black colour scheme is based on a flat tracker that Ducati made for Australian former World Superbike champion and MotoGP star Troy Bayliss when he was racing for them.

The bike bears his signature and his race number.

It is also reminiscent of Yamaha’s US racing livery.

HMC’s senior engineer Martin Carter told Mirror Motorcycling: “We wanted to demonstrate that you don’t have to spend a fortune to build a custom bike.”

As to the inspiration taken from the Bayliss machine , Martin says simply: I just liked the look of it.”

The bike is pared down and minimalist – no front mudguard, no mirrors.

Like HMC’s other customs, upgrades include SBS brake pads, NGK spark plugs, a HiFlow filter and Venhill braided lines.

The front brake cylinder is taken from a Herald scooter and there’s a quick-action throttle and footpegs from a motocross bike.

The wide, upswept bars are custom made and the lovely seat is from the Redmax Speed Shop.

I loved the Flat Tracker.

The aesthetics and jumping on board took me straight back to my youth when I used to go to watch dirt-track racing on a Sunday afternoon.

Making 21bhp, it’s not going to blow your socks off, but that is irrelevant.

It’s an absolute joy to ride – light (130kg), agile and responsive.

It handles surprisingly well and braking, with front and rear single discs, is more than adequate – I just kept wanting to put my boot on the floor every time I went round a bend.

This is old-skool riding at it’s best – simple and fun.

And the sound from that 250 single, especially the pop when you close the throttle - magic.

heraldmotorcompany.com

Prince George BC ...Blackwater MX

National race prompts Blackwater reconstruction

Ted Clarke / Prince George Citizen

Jeremy Young of Prince George gets air at the Blackwater Motocross Park on Sept. 15, 2012. The Blackwater Motocross Park has “about two weeks of hard-at-it work to get the track and the facility ready,” before the two-day CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals, according to Andrew Forbes, president of the Prince George Motocross Association.   - Submitted photo by Tyler Sabourin

Like the rest of people of Prince George, Andrew Forbes just wants a few days of warm sunny weather.

The biggest motocross event the city has ever hosted is now less that one month away and Forbes knows there's still plenty of work left to do to get Blackwater Motocross Park ready for the two-day CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. That work becomes a lot more difficult when it's too wet.

"We've got equipment and manpower ready to go, we're just waiting for the rain to stop and hopefully that's going to happen within the next week," said Forbes, president of the Prince George Motocross Association. "We've got about two weeks of hard-at-it work to get the track and the facility ready."

Last fall and winter, the owner of Forbes Industrial Contracting brought in his own earthmoving equipment to widen the access road to the motocross track at 28100 Blackwater Road and clear a parking space big enough to handle the swarm of as many as 5,000 people who could show up for the national races, June 10-11. That rough work still needs to smoothed out and Forbes has been waiting for the frost to leave the ground to make that happen.

"I would say we've almost quadrupled the parking area, said Forbes. "The other major improvement was, in order to host a CMRC national event we had to have free and clear access for an ambulance to get in and out. Previously, our driveway in was a single-lane goat trail so if you met somebody halfway in, somebody had to back up. Now we've built a full two lanes of access road so you can meet anywhere and still get by."

The other phase of the project is bringing in new material for the motocross track itself. Built on clay, from the day the facility first opened in 1996, Blackwater has drawn notoriety for the poor drainage of its track in rainstorms. The dirt has to continually be reworked to prevent it from getting packed into a rock-hard surface.

The club has a received a grant from Northern Development Initiatives Trust to replace the existing dirt with sandy loam. To do that, at least 100 truckloads of material have to be moved using highway vehicles which will then be reloaded onto smaller tracks for the trip the hill to the track. Using a bulldozer and an excavator, the new dirt will then have to be worked into the existing soil and spread on the track.

Rain has plagued the Prince George Motocross Club the last three years, whenever it tried to put on a regional series race, turning the track 30 kilometres southwest of the city centre into a mudbog.

"If we can get it to stay there, it will do wonderful things for our track," said Forbes. "Historically, the problem with the Prince George Blackwater track is we spend a large amount of money to get the right dirt on the surface and the very next race we have monsoon-like conditions.

"Because we have clay underneath the sand, every time we get a heavy rain the water has no place to go and we've had to scrape that beautiful material off. The new material has to be worked into the clay and the longer it's worked in the better results we'll have."

White Spruce Enterprises has donated the sand and trucks and Forbes says several other contractors, including O'Brien Training, have donated time and equipment to the project. Before the race, workers will have to get hay bales, flagging and plastic protective fencing in place to protect the riders.

"It's a completely different event than what Prince George is used to holding, we're going to have a number of food vendors, a number of motorsports vendors selling their wares or promoting their businesses," said Forbes. "Prince George is used to hosting amateur races. This is a show and for spectators it's going to be an exciting event. This is going to dwarf anything that's ever happened in Prince George."

 

National race prompts Blackwater reconstruction

Ted Clarke / Prince George Citizen

May 12, 2017 10:16 PM

•  
•  
•  
•  
• 
• 

Jeremy Young of Prince George gets air at the Blackwater Motocross Park on Sept. 15, 2012. The Blackwater Motocross Park has “about two weeks of hard-at-it work to get the track and the facility ready,” before the two-day CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals, according to Andrew Forbes, president of the Prince George Motocross Association.   - Submitted photo by Tyler Sabourin

Like the rest of people of Prince George, Andrew Forbes just wants a few days of warm sunny weather.

The biggest motocross event the city has ever hosted is now less that one month away and Forbes knows there's still plenty of work left to do to get Blackwater Motocross Park ready for the two-day CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. That work becomes a lot more difficult when it's too wet.

"We've got equipment and manpower ready to go, we're just waiting for the rain to stop and hopefully that's going to happen within the next week," said Forbes, president of the Prince George Motocross Association. "We've got about two weeks of hard-at-it work to get the track and the facility ready."

Last fall and winter, the owner of Forbes Industrial Contracting brought in his own earthmoving equipment to widen the access road to the motocross track at 28100 Blackwater Road and clear a parking space big enough to handle the swarm of as many as 5,000 people who could show up for the national races, June 10-11. That rough work still needs to smoothed out and Forbes has been waiting for the frost to leave the ground to make that happen.

"I would say we've almost quadrupled the parking area, said Forbes. "The other major improvement was, in order to host a CMRC national event we had to have free and clear access for an ambulance to get in and out. Previously, our driveway in was a single-lane goat trail so if you met somebody halfway in, somebody had to back up. Now we've built a full two lanes of access road so you can meet anywhere and still get by."

The other phase of the project is bringing in new material for the motocross track itself. Built on clay, from the day the facility first opened in 1996, Blackwater has drawn notoriety for the poor drainage of its track in rainstorms. The dirt has to continually be reworked to prevent it from getting packed into a rock-hard surface.

The club has a received a grant from Northern Development Initiatives Trust to replace the existing dirt with sandy loam. To do that, at least 100 truckloads of material have to be moved using highway vehicles which will then be reloaded onto smaller tracks for the trip the hill to the track. Using a bulldozer and an excavator, the new dirt will then have to be worked into the existing soil and spread on the track.

Rain has plagued the Prince George Motocross Club the last three years, whenever it tried to put on a regional series race, turning the track 30 kilometres southwest of the city centre into a mudbog.

"If we can get it to stay there, it will do wonderful things for our track," said Forbes. "Historically, the problem with the Prince George Blackwater track is we spend a large amount of money to get the right dirt on the surface and the very next race we have monsoon-like conditions.

"Because we have clay underneath the sand, every time we get a heavy rain the water has no place to go and we've had to scrape that beautiful material off. The new material has to be worked into the clay and the longer it's worked in the better results we'll have."

White Spruce Enterprises has donated the sand and trucks and Forbes says several other contractors, including O'Brien Training, have donated time and equipment to the project. Before the race, workers will have to get hay bales, flagging and plastic protective fencing in place to protect the riders.

"It's a completely different event than what Prince George is used to holding, we're going to have a number of food vendors, a number of motorsports vendors selling their wares or promoting their businesses," said Forbes. "Prince George is used to hosting amateur races. This is a show and for spectators it's going to be an exciting event. This is going to dwarf anything that's ever happened in Prince George."

© Copyright 2017 Prince George Citizen

'Please support the Prince George Citizen and online news like this by purchasing a digital subscription.'

Related articles

Local pro Pettis sticking close to home

Otway trails ready for Teck B.C. Cup

Training run crash sidelines Gairns

   

by Taboola 

Sponsored Links 

You May Like

 

Top 10 Flop Bollywood Films Which Attained Cult Status!CriticsUnion

 

Top 8 Largest Living Snakes In The WorldThe-Best-Top.xyz

 

Nootropics are substances that support brain function and promote mental performance. Sometimes people refer to …Nootropic supplement by /thrivous blog

 

20 Of The World’s Greatest PhilanthropistsAfriZap

 

Dune Buggy Shrub Removal (What Was He Thinking?)GuyViral.com

 

The Really Important History That Has Been Neglected Until NowGroovy History

Comments

NOTE: To post a comment you must have an account with at least one of the following services: Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ You may then login using your account credentials for that service. If you do not already have an account you may register a new profile with Disqus by first clicking the "Post as" button and then the link: "Don't have one? Register a new profile".

The Prince George Citizen welcomes your opinions and comments. We do not allow personal attacks, offensive language or unsubstantiated allegations. We reserve the right to edit comments for length, style, legality and taste and reproduce them in print, electronic or otherwise. Comments that contain external links will not be permitted. For further information, please contact the editor or publisher, or see our Terms and Conditions.

Community Event Calendar

Find out what's happening in your community and submit your own local events.

• Add an event

• See all community events

- See more at: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/sports/national-race-prompts-blackwater-reconstruction-1.19712757#sthash.ysm7RNUF.dpuf

National race prompts Blackwater reconstruction

Ted Clarke / Prince George Citizen

May 12, 2017 10:16 PM

•  
•  
•  
•  
• 
• 

Jeremy Young of Prince George gets air at the Blackwater Motocross Park on Sept. 15, 2012. The Blackwater Motocross Park has “about two weeks of hard-at-it work to get the track and the facility ready,” before the two-day CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals, according to Andrew Forbes, president of the Prince George Motocross Association.   - Submitted photo by Tyler Sabourin

Like the rest of people of Prince George, Andrew Forbes just wants a few days of warm sunny weather.

The biggest motocross event the city has ever hosted is now less that one month away and Forbes knows there's still plenty of work left to do to get Blackwater Motocross Park ready for the two-day CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. That work becomes a lot more difficult when it's too wet.

"We've got equipment and manpower ready to go, we're just waiting for the rain to stop and hopefully that's going to happen within the next week," said Forbes, president of the Prince George Motocross Association. "We've got about two weeks of hard-at-it work to get the track and the facility ready."

Last fall and winter, the owner of Forbes Industrial Contracting brought in his own earthmoving equipment to widen the access road to the motocross track at 28100 Blackwater Road and clear a parking space big enough to handle the swarm of as many as 5,000 people who could show up for the national races, June 10-11. That rough work still needs to smoothed out and Forbes has been waiting for the frost to leave the ground to make that happen.

"I would say we've almost quadrupled the parking area, said Forbes. "The other major improvement was, in order to host a CMRC national event we had to have free and clear access for an ambulance to get in and out. Previously, our driveway in was a single-lane goat trail so if you met somebody halfway in, somebody had to back up. Now we've built a full two lanes of access road so you can meet anywhere and still get by."

The other phase of the project is bringing in new material for the motocross track itself. Built on clay, from the day the facility first opened in 1996, Blackwater has drawn notoriety for the poor drainage of its track in rainstorms. The dirt has to continually be reworked to prevent it from getting packed into a rock-hard surface.

The club has a received a grant from Northern Development Initiatives Trust to replace the existing dirt with sandy loam. To do that, at least 100 truckloads of material have to be moved using highway vehicles which will then be reloaded onto smaller tracks for the trip the hill to the track. Using a bulldozer and an excavator, the new dirt will then have to be worked into the existing soil and spread on the track.

Rain has plagued the Prince George Motocross Club the last three years, whenever it tried to put on a regional series race, turning the track 30 kilometres southwest of the city centre into a mudbog.

"If we can get it to stay there, it will do wonderful things for our track," said Forbes. "Historically, the problem with the Prince George Blackwater track is we spend a large amount of money to get the right dirt on the surface and the very next race we have monsoon-like conditions.

"Because we have clay underneath the sand, every time we get a heavy rain the water has no place to go and we've had to scrape that beautiful material off. The new material has to be worked into the clay and the longer it's worked in the better results we'll have."

White Spruce Enterprises has donated the sand and trucks and Forbes says several other contractors, including O'Brien Training, have donated time and equipment to the project. Before the race, workers will have to get hay bales, flagging and plastic protective fencing in place to protect the riders.

"It's a completely different event than what Prince George is used to holding, we're going to have a number of food vendors, a number of motorsports vendors selling their wares or promoting their businesses," said Forbes. "Prince George is used to hosting amateur races. This is a show and for spectators it's going to be an exciting event. This is going to dwarf anything that's ever happened in Prince George."

© Copyright 2017 Prince George Citizen

'Please support the Prince George Citizen and online news like this by purchasing a digital subscription.'

Related articles

Local pro Pettis sticking close to home

Otway trails ready for Teck B.C. Cup

Training run crash sidelines Gairns

   

by Taboola 

Sponsored Links 

You May Like

 

Top 10 Flop Bollywood Films Which Attained Cult Status!CriticsUnion

 

Top 8 Largest Living Snakes In The WorldThe-Best-Top.xyz

 

Nootropics are substances that support brain function and promote mental performance. Sometimes people refer to …Nootropic supplement by /thrivous blog

 

20 Of The World’s Greatest PhilanthropistsAfriZap

 

Dune Buggy Shrub Removal (What Was He Thinking?)GuyViral.com

 

The Really Important History That Has Been Neglected Until NowGroovy History

Comments

NOTE: To post a comment you must have an account with at least one of the following services: Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ You may then login using your account credentials for that service. If you do not already have an account you may register a new profile with Disqus by first clicking the "Post as" button and then the link: "Don't have one? Register a new profile".

The Prince George Citizen welcomes your opinions and comments. We do not allow personal attacks, offensive language or unsubstantiated allegations. We reserve the right to edit comments for length, style, legality and taste and reproduce them in print, electronic or otherwise. Comments that contain external links will not be permitted. For further information, please contact the editor or publisher, or see our Terms and Conditions.

Community Event Calendar

Find out what's happening in your community and submit your own local events.

• Add an event

• See all community events

- See more at: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/sports/national-race-prompts-blackwater-reconstruction-1.19712757#sthash.ysm7RNUF.dpuf

National race prompts Blackwater reconstruction

Ted Clarke / Prince George Citizen

May 12, 2017 10:16 PM

•  
•  
•  
•  
• 
• 

Jeremy Young of Prince George gets air at the Blackwater Motocross Park on Sept. 15, 2012. The Blackwater Motocross Park has “about two weeks of hard-at-it work to get the track and the facility ready,” before the two-day CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals, according to Andrew Forbes, president of the Prince George Motocross Association.   - Submitted photo by Tyler Sabourin

Like the rest of people of Prince George, Andrew Forbes just wants a few days of warm sunny weather.

The biggest motocross event the city has ever hosted is now less that one month away and Forbes knows there's still plenty of work left to do to get Blackwater Motocross Park ready for the two-day CMRC Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals. That work becomes a lot more difficult when it's too wet.

"We've got equipment and manpower ready to go, we're just waiting for the rain to stop and hopefully that's going to happen within the next week," said Forbes, president of the Prince George Motocross Association. "We've got about two weeks of hard-at-it work to get the track and the facility ready."

Last fall and winter, the owner of Forbes Industrial Contracting brought in his own earthmoving equipment to widen the access road to the motocross track at 28100 Blackwater Road and clear a parking space big enough to handle the swarm of as many as 5,000 people who could show up for the national races, June 10-11. That rough work still needs to smoothed out and Forbes has been waiting for the frost to leave the ground to make that happen.

"I would say we've almost quadrupled the parking area, said Forbes. "The other major improvement was, in order to host a CMRC national event we had to have free and clear access for an ambulance to get in and out. Previously, our driveway in was a single-lane goat trail so if you met somebody halfway in, somebody had to back up. Now we've built a full two lanes of access road so you can meet anywhere and still get by."

The other phase of the project is bringing in new material for the motocross track itself. Built on clay, from the day the facility first opened in 1996, Blackwater has drawn notoriety for the poor drainage of its track in rainstorms. The dirt has to continually be reworked to prevent it from getting packed into a rock-hard surface.

The club has a received a grant from Northern Development Initiatives Trust to replace the existing dirt with sandy loam. To do that, at least 100 truckloads of material have to be moved using highway vehicles which will then be reloaded onto smaller tracks for the trip the hill to the track. Using a bulldozer and an excavator, the new dirt will then have to be worked into the existing soil and spread on the track.

Rain has plagued the Prince George Motocross Club the last three years, whenever it tried to put on a regional series race, turning the track 30 kilometres southwest of the city centre into a mudbog.

"If we can get it to stay there, it will do wonderful things for our track," said Forbes. "Historically, the problem with the Prince George Blackwater track is we spend a large amount of money to get the right dirt on the surface and the very next race we have monsoon-like conditions.

"Because we have clay underneath the sand, every time we get a heavy rain the water has no place to go and we've had to scrape that beautiful material off. The new material has to be worked into the clay and the longer it's worked in the better results we'll have."

White Spruce Enterprises has donated the sand and trucks and Forbes says several other contractors, including O'Brien Training, have donated time and equipment to the project. Before the race, workers will have to get hay bales, flagging and plastic protective fencing in place to protect the riders.

"It's a completely different event than what Prince George is used to holding, we're going to have a number of food vendors, a number of motorsports vendors selling their wares or promoting their businesses," said Forbes. "Prince George is used to hosting amateur races. This is a show and for spectators it's going to be an exciting event. This is going to dwarf anything that's ever happened in Prince George."

© Copyright 2017 Prince George Citizen

'Please support the Prince George Citizen and online news like this by purchasing a digital subscription.'

Related articles

Local pro Pettis sticking close to home

Otway trails ready for Teck B.C. Cup

Training run crash sidelines Gairns

   

by Taboola 

Sponsored Links 

You May Like

 

Top 10 Flop Bollywood Films Which Attained Cult Status!CriticsUnion

 

Top 8 Largest Living Snakes In The WorldThe-Best-Top.xyz

 

Nootropics are substances that support brain function and promote mental performance. Sometimes people refer to …Nootropic supplement by /thrivous blog

 

20 Of The World’s Greatest PhilanthropistsAfriZap

 

Dune Buggy Shrub Removal (What Was He Thinking?)GuyViral.com

 

The Really Important History That Has Been Neglected Until NowGroovy History

Comments

NOTE: To post a comment you must have an account with at least one of the following services: Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ You may then login using your account credentials for that service. If you do not already have an account you may register a new profile with Disqus by first clicking the "Post as" button and then the link: "Don't have one? Register a new profile".

The Prince George Citizen welcomes your opinions and comments. We do not allow personal attacks, offensive language or unsubstantiated allegations. We reserve the right to edit comments for length, style, legality and taste and reproduce them in print, electronic or otherwise. Comments that contain external links will not be permitted. For further information, please contact the editor or publisher, or see our Terms and Conditions.

Community Event Calendar

Find out what's happening in your community and submit your own local events.

• Add an event

• See all community events

- See more at: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/sports/national-race-prompts-blackwater-reconstruction-1.19712757#sthash.ysm7RNUF.dpuf

Andrew Short – His Life

Not even a year into retirement from a long and successful racing career, Andrew Short is already keeping extremely busy in the next chapter of his life as American Honda’s brand ambassador, as well as Team Honda HRC’s test rider and mentor. In episode 4 of the REDefined series, you’ll see Short in his new role at the races, while enjoying a new passion for off-road racing and life with his family at their Texas home.

2018 CRF 450...Gets The E Button

2018 Honda CRF 450

Honda revealed today that the CRF450R gets even better for the 2018 model year, with electric starting now standard. Designed following an “Absolute Holeshot” philosophy that resulted in a downdraft-intake layout achieving optimum power and centralized mass, the revolutionary motocross model is the industry’s top-selling 450cc motocrosser. The electric starter that was previously offered as an accessory is now standard, as is a lightweight lithium-ion battery, and the CRF450R also gets updated suspension settings aimed at improving chassis feel and overall action.

Today’s 2018 model-year announcement also included the updated CRF450RX closed-course off-road bike and returning CRF150R mini motocrosser.

“It’s been amazing to see the success of the CRF450R this year, and we’re even more excited about this model with the improvements we’ve made for 2018,” said Lee Edmunds, American Honda’s Manager of Motorcycle Marketing Communications. “In addition to the obvious convenience, electric starting can save valuable seconds following a mid-moto mistake, and with the use of a lithium-ion battery, we can still achieve an extremely light weight. These changes make the CRF450R more competitive than ever, and of course customers can continue to count on Honda durability, quality, and reliability.”

CRF450R
The CRF450R’s downdraft air-intake and fuel-injection layout achieves a potent, broad spread of torque, but it also allows for heavier components to be located as centrally and low as possible so that all that power can be effectively utilized. In addition, the vehicle packaging results in nimble cornering, while updated suspension settings to the Showa® shock and 49mm coil-spring fork improve handling. Corresponding with the addition of an electric starter (powered by a lightweight lithium-ion battery), the kick-start lever has been removed in order to shave precious weight. An updated ECU setting means power delivery is more useable than ever, and the big CRF still has great features like a titanium fuel tank, engine-mode select button, and wave-pattern 260mm front brake. Add it all together and you’ve got a bike that delivers even better on its promise of the “Absolute Holeshot.”

• Color: Red
• Price: $9,149
• Availability: July 2017

CRF450RX
Currently being campaigned in the GNCC series by JCR Honda’s Trevor Bollinger, the CRF450RX already came with electric starting, but for 2018 the model gets a weight reduction with the removal of the kick-start lever and the switch to a lighter-weight lithium-ion battery. The model is based closely on the flagship CRF450R but with off-road-focused updates like a larger 2.2-gallon fuel tank, 18-inch rear wheel, side stand, optimized ECU and suspension settings, and more. When it comes to closed-course competition like GNCC, hare scrambles, and Grand Prix racing, the CRF450RX constitutes the ultimate off-road weapon.