Yamaha's Factory Daker Team

De Soultrait & Caimi join Yamaha’s factory team for Dakar

 

Photo Credit: Yamaha Racing

Frenchman Xavier De Soultrait and Franco Caimi have signed with Yamaha to be part of their four-man team for Dakar Rally 2018.

Top rookie of the 2017 Dakar Rally, Caimi from Argentina placed eighth overall.

“There are no words to thank Yamaha for giving me the opportunity to join their official team,” told Caimi. “The feeling has been great ever since I got on the WR450F Rally machine. Switching from enduro to rally racing almost two years ago I immediately felt it was the right thing to do, so joining the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team is a huge step in my career.”

One of the strongest Yamaha riders during the early stages of the rally, privateer De Soultrait was fastest on the opening stage and consistently placed inside the top five until running into trouble mid way. Now part of the official Yamaha he’s looking forward to better his result of 13th from Dakar 2016.

“Being part of the Yamaha family for a long time, it feels great to be part of the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team,” said De Soultrait. “Everything is so well organised and from our part we only have to worry about our performance in the stages. 

“We've started testing the latest version of the WR450F Rally couple of weeks ago and I was immediately impressed by its overall performance. Compared to the mostly standard bike I raced in this year's Dakar, there is more power, better braking performance and loads of extra top speed. It's a great package, which we want to make even better for the upcoming Dakar.”

 

Photo Credit: Yamaha Racing

 

The duo make their start as factory Yamaha riders in this week’s Afriquia Merzouga Rally. 

“We are happy to announce that Xavier de Soultrait and Franco Caimi will be the factory riders alongside Adrien Van Beveren and Rodney Faggotter,” said the Yamaha boss José Leloir, 

“We are at the Afriquia Merzouga Rally for the fifth time as it’s a great training ground and nice competition for the riders and the machines."

2017 J Day Offroad Crow Hill GP Highlights

Tim Gajser Post Crash Interview!

In order to contend for a title, you must push your limits. That cost Tim Gajser at the Grand Prix of Latvia, unfortunately, as he withdrew from the second moto after a huge crash. The day was far from perfect before that also, as he got taken out in the first moto and had to overcome a severe dead leg. The MX Vice editor, Lewis Phillips, was lucky enough to catch up with Gajser for a post-race interview. Remember, you can watch the incident to see exactly what happened.

MX Vice: Pushing all the results to one side, it is just great to see you here and okay. That second moto crash was gnarly!

Tim Gajser: Yeah, I am really happy. Really thankful. Actually for the moment I was on the x-ray, everything was okay. Nothing is broken, so I think that is the most important thing. Now we have one week off, so fourteen days until the next race. I hope I can get myself together and be there.

Nothing is broken then? It is just a case of you are beaten, battered and sore?

Yeah, just that. Really happy about that.

Is there one thing specifically that is hurting?

All the left side. Everything on the left side.

Did the crash in the first moto have anything to do with that? Obviously you appeared to be in tons of pain, so has that contributed to this at all?

Yeah. First race I had a good start and then Butron was behind me. He just left the bike, left the clutch in the corner and just cleaned me out. I don’t know if this was on purpose or not, but it was dangerous for myself and for him as well. Even for the other guys as well! I was in a lot of pain after that crash, but I was glad that I could continue riding and still take some important points in first moto. That is how it is, anyway. That is motocross. Bad races also can happen.

Are you bothered at all about losing the red plate, or is that not really an issue at this point in the season? Obviously getting yourself ready for Teutschenthal is the priority.

For the moment I am glad that I’m okay. That’s the main point. The season is still really long. We have still twelve races to go, so anything can still happen. I’m a little bit disappointed to lose the red plate, for sure, but that is how it is. We can’t change that.

What did you think of the track this weekend? Obviously it caught a lot of guys out in the second moto. Maybe it was a bit harder underneath than before? What did you think of it?

The track was really bumpy – it was really damaged. They did not work a lot during the races like they usually do, but that is how it is. It was the same for everyone. I risked a little bit too much and then I went over the handlebars and didn’t finish the moto, so I lost a lot of points. That is how it is and, like I mentioned, hope I can ride in Teutschenthal. I will be back – that is it.

The way you feel right now then, it is questionable whether you could ride? If, say, the race was next weekend, would you be sat here thinking there is no chance at all?

I think we will see. We have like fourteen days, so I go back home tomorrow. We will make some further searches on my body, some further x-rays and everything. Tomorrow we will know how it is, if it is really just the pain and nothing is broken. I hope so. For sure if I will be able to sit on the bike, I will ride in Teutschenthal.

Interview: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: ConwayMX

MXGP of Latvia Tim Gajser Crash

Take a look at the Tim Gajser crash from Latvia. A big accident

Tim Gajser – Injury Update

Tim Gajser the defending MXGP champion and red plate owner going into the Grand Prix of Latvia had a big crash today and it seems he is ok. Rushed to the trackside medical area the HRC rider has had x-rays and scans. We spoke to HRC sport manager Roger Harvey about the accident and injury.

“We are hearing he is ok. They have given him x-rays and scans and it seems ok, but with bruising some things can be mask stuff. We will get him checked fully, but the current news is good. It seems he got lost in one of the big ruts we have here in Kegums.”

Bavo Swijgers image

2017 CZ World Championship

CZ World Championships

Photos By Bill Evans

The CZ World Championships were held last weekend at Prairie City instead of Est. because of the high tides caused by the Oroville dam. Bill Evans called me Saturday morning about our club pop-up he thought it would be a good idea to have our club represented. So did I, so I took the 10x20 club pop-up out and helped set it up. We were in a great spot next to where riders entered the track.

I got there mid morning and in a large open area up front was set up for riders to display their bikes. Most of them were CZ’s but there also were Hodoka’s, Bultaco’s and some Macio’s, it was a great thing to see all those old classic bikes. Some were in better than new condition and you could see the hours and hours of effort put into these classics. The old bikes offer their owners the opportunity to be innovated to a degree in how they go about fixing them up, some were as stock as they can be and others were heavily modified.

A lot of those bikes had their own sort or unique sound so a lot of them sounded like they did back in the day, but there were a lot that sounded unlike anything back then a very solid modern two stroke sound.

The track looked perfect for those old bikes (The Armstrong’s did a great job I thought)  one of the things that impressed me the most was the cornering speed they are low and just railed the corners. (In the right hands of course)

I don’t know how many riders there were my guess would be between two to three hundred a lot of riders had several bikes they rode. They came from all over the country and world for that matter. Some of the old names we remember (Or at least me) John Desoto, Rex Staten, Brad Lackey, Danny Turner etc. 

I liked what I saw Saturday and decided to come back Sunday and watch the races. I thoroughly enjoyed them and will go again for sure.

Doug 21J

Herlings Wins 2017 Latvia GP

Herlings wins, Gajser crashed

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings is back to his best as he claimed the Grand Prix of Latvia in the MXGP class. The Flying Dutchman was brilliant with a 1-1 performance and his 62^nd GP win of his career.

Although the win by Herlings was brilliant for the series, a possibly injury to defending champion Tim Gajser, who crashed out of the second moto of the MXGP class.

Having spoken to former GP rider Gordon Crockard of Honda Europe, who was on the scene of the accident, Tim mentioned he was ok, and just had some pain on the side of his body. Good news for the MXGP champ.

Herlings is now 84 points behind Cairoli in the series points.

Jasikonis led the second moto early from Herlings, Gajser, Butron, Cairoli, Leok, Van Horebeek,. Desalle, Bobryshev and Paulin. Van Horebeek went down and was back outside the top twenty and Cairoli was passed by Leok.

Jasikonis is on it as he pulls a two second lead over Herlings, then came Gajser, Bobryshev, Cairoli, Desalle, Paulin, Simpson, Leok, and Febvre.

On lap five Herlings went past Jasikonis for the lead and probably the GP overall. Cairoli parked Bobryshev to move into fourth place.

After six laps it was Herlings, Jasikonis, Gajser, Cairoli, Bobryshev, Desalle, Paulin, Leok, Simpson, and Nagl.

Gajser passed Jasikonis and moved into second place, with Cairoli also starting to put pressure on the Suzuki rider. On lap 10 Cairoli passed Jasikonis for third place.

Gajser crashed hard and seemed to be knocked out and was carried to the ambulance.

After 13 laps its Herlings, Cairoli, Jasikonis, Bobryshev, Desalle, Paulin, Anstie, Nagl, Coldenhoff, and Febvre.

Herlings wins it from Cairoli and Jasikonis.

MXGP – Race 2 – Classification

1 84 Herlings, Jeffrey NED KNMV KTM 34:23.826 17 0:00.000 0:00.000 1:55.059 8 48.1
2 222 Cairoli, Antonio ITA FMI KTM 34:41.672 17 0:17.846 0:17.846 1:54.790 7 48.2
3 27 Jasikonis, Arminas LTU LMSF Suzuki 34:47.673 17 0:23.847 0:06.001 1:54.744 2 48.3
4 777 Bobryshev, Evgeny RUS MFR Honda 34:59.301 17 0:35.475 0:11.628 1:55.539 2 47.9
5 25 Desalle, Clement BEL FMB Kawasaki 35:07.328 17 0:43.502 0:08.027 1:56.196 2 47.7
6 99 Anstie, Max GBR ACU Husqvarna 35:11.734 17 0:47.908 0:04.406 1:57.276 9 47.2
7 21 Paulin, Gautier FRA MCM Husqvarna 35:13.712 17 0:49.886 0:01.978 1:56.658 2 47.5
8 12 Nagl, Maximilian GER DMSB Husqvarna 35:16.908 17 0:53.082 0:03.196 1:57.217 4 47.2
9 259 Coldenhoff, Glenn NED KNMV KTM 35:18.986 17 0:55.160 0:02.078 1:57.782 10 47
10 461 Febvre, Romain FRA FFM Yamaha 35:23.427 17 0:59.601 0:04.441 1:57.982 10 46.9

Is This Fast...Yes This Is Very Fast!

David Kamo's Go Pro footage after the start of the 2017 SIDRA Oreana 100. Stopped to help Jared Schlapia get off the race course after his gnarly crash. Watch as he passes dozens of racers at lightning speed to take the overall win.

Mugen E Rex – Electric-powered motocross machine

Mugen, together with Honda, has also just whipped the covers off an electric-powered motocross machine.

Dubbed the Mugen E Rex (yes, really), the emission free ’crosser boasts Showa suspension, Nissan stoppers and – wait for it – carbon-fibre brake discs!   

Okay, so it’s clearly not lobbing in showrooms any time soon, but it shows that the who’s who of both electric powered and petrol-powered machinery are exploring the greener, more silent side of motorcycling.

Herlings Wins Qualifier...Here's His Comments

Jeffrey Herlings comments

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings finally sampled victory today in Latvia. While it was just an MXGP qualification win, it was still a win. Here is what he thought of the day.

“It’s been so long since I was winning, so long I can’t even remember. It was just a qualification win, so it’s not that important, but hopefully we can get two good starts tomorrow. I was quick in both practices, once we get a good start we can work from there. The start is really key, and it’s a big advantage to be on the inside.

“We were on the inside (at the start) and some tracks it doesn’t matter, but here it is important it’s a key to getting a good start. I was fifth or sixth and kept a tight turn and came out ok. I had arm pump in the start of the race, it started going away at the end of the race. I just need more riding tomorrow and it will be ok. I have nothing to lose, the championship is over, so I have nothing to lose. Obviously a lot of races to go, but it’s a good feeling being on the other side.

“It sounds weird, but I have been looking at Tomac and he is fast, but at the end of the moto he is so fast. So I want to be good in the beginning, but also charge at the end of the race. I am looking forward to tomorrow.

“It don’t know if the Bullet is back, I need to get a first win. I had been waiting so long and a lot of hype. We couldn’t make a good start in the championships, but this track suits me well and we are coming close and closer each week.”

MXGP of LATVIA 2017 Qualifiers

Kegums Qualifying Highlights