Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at 2:39PM Monday, March 6, 2017 at 3:46PM 
They call Ryan Dungey "The Diesel," but when he gets a points lead they might as well call him "The Boa Constrictor." Once established, his grip on a title only seems to get tighter and tighter with each passing race until he’s completely choked the life out of the competition’s title hopes. Though Marvin Musquin and Eli Tomac have each proven worthy competition, if this season follows normal trends, it is Dungey’s to lose.
A quick glance at the points shows Dungey leading, and he has only relinquished a 450SX points lead once (early in 2012) since joining the premier class in 2010. Plus, nobody not named Ryan has won a 450SX title since 2009, and since Ryan Villopoto is now retired, things are looking pretty good for Dungey.
Dungey has been described as a racer who will "podium you to death," and for good reason. His ability to avoid bad nights and constantly perform at, or very near, his maximum level is uncanny. "The Diesel" even holds the record for longest 450SX podium streak with 31 consecutive visits to the box, which only ended last year when Dungey took fourth in New Jersey to clinch the title. Since then he hasn’t missed another podium. Unless you’re winning, he’s probably scoring all over you.
Last year Dungey schooled what was considered the deepest field in history on his way to his third career 450SX title, winning nine of 17 races and earning 391 of 425 (92 percent!) possible points. Clearly, he doesn’t need his competition to stumble in order to win. Of course, it doesn’t hurt either, and many of his closest title rivals have already done just that in 2017. Ken Roczen crashed out of the series spectacularly at round three, Jason Anderson missed a race (and a bunch of points) after being disqualified for slapping Vince Friese in the head, and Tomac gave up a ton of points by struggling at the first three rounds. Don’t give Dungey an inch because he’ll quickly stretch it into a mile.
Dungey is about as close as it gets to being bulletproof in a sport that’s incredibly dangerous. Since entering the 450SX Class in 2010, he’s only suffered one injury, a broken collarbone in 2012, that caused him to miss action in Supercross. Even then he only missed five races and finished third overall! A record that close to perfect suggests Dungey will be in the game all season, fighting for his fourth career 450SX championship.
Monday, March 6, 2017 at 1:26PM Atlas Brace Presents “What If?”
Hindsight is always 20/20. When the risk factor is high, it’s much easier to be prepared for the worse.
We talk with Multi-Time SX and MX Champion Ryan Villopoto about why an Atlas Brace is a must have for anyone in the business of taking risks.
About: Atlas Brace Technologies is based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, and Valencia, California. Founded in 2011, Atlas is the home of the first racer designed and racer tested next generation neck braces and body protection. The entire product line is uniquely designed and of the highest level of safety, comfort, and mobility. For more information on Atlas Brace Technologies, please visit www.atlasbrace.com
Sunday, March 5, 2017 at 9:10AM 
Due to the extreme weather conditions at the MXGP of Indonesia the Event Management came to a decision to end the MX2 race 2 prematurely and cancel the MXGP race 2.
For the overall of MX2 – counting both Race 1 and Race 2 results – Suzuki World MX2 Team’s Jeremy Seewer came out victorious followed by TM Racing’s Samuele Bernardini and LRT KTM’s Julien Lieber. In MXGP race 1 results were used for overall classification, this secured the win for Wilvo Yamaha MXGP’s Shaun Simpson, second for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff, while Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle rounded out the podium.
MXGP racing was demanding in Indonesia but Wilvo Yamaha MXGP’s Shaun Simpson handled it better than anyone and supplied an impressive win. He said, “It was good, I was able to make some good moves the first few laps and I was in the lead about halfway through the race!”
Simpson finished just over 7 seconds ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff. The Dutch rider rode a consistent race and maintained his speed lap after lap for his first podium of the year.
In third was Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle, who looked aggressive for the full race and in the end he was closing in finishing less than 5 seconds behind Coldenhoff.
Last week’s winner and red plate holder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, didn’t see the results of before but he managed to finish 4th overall and will continue to hold the red plate.
Finishing strong in the final spot of the top five was Husqvarna 8Biano Racing’s Rui Gonçalves.
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Romain Febvre had a blistering start and came away with the Fox Holeshot, though later in the race he had issues and would place 15th overall. Expect the former champ to show up at the MXGP of Patagonia Argentina determined to win along with the reigning champion and the last winner of the MXGP of Patagonia Argentina Team HRC’s Tim Gajser who finished a respectable 6th place in Indonesia.
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), 36:06.712; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:07.725; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:12.501; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:39.427; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, Husqvarna), +0:43.580; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:46.099; 7. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:56.972; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +1:06.817; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +1:14.269; 10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +1:16.505
MXGP Overall Top 10: 1. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 25 points; 2. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 p.; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 20 p.; 4. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 18 p.; 5. Rui Goncalves (POR, HUS), 16 p.; 6. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 15 p.; 7. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 14 p.; 8. Tanel Leok (EST, HUS), 13 p.; 9. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 12 p.; 10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 11 p.
MXGP Championship Top 10: 1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 68 points; 2. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 60 p.; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 56 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 44 p.; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 42 p.; 6. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 41 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 39 p.; 8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, YAM), 36 p.; 9. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 34 p.; 10. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 34 p.
Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 10:17PM 
Possibly taking some advice from his team-owner (Stefan Everts), Jeremy Seewer had ridden a brilliant race, in muddy conditions to win the opening MX2 moto of the day.
The Suzuki factory rider, who had earlier in the moto also been caught in a massive mud hole that caught out several riders, passed everyone to win by seven seconds over early leader Davy Pootjes and Julien Lieber, who had started in last place after a poor gate pick (having not ridden yesterday determining timed qualification).
Pootjes took the holeshot and lead in the opening MX2 moto. Then came Jonass, Bernardini, Bogers, Sterry, Lawrence, Seewer, Cervellin, Vlaanderen, Watson, Paturel, Monticelli, Van Doninck, Olsen, Webster and Notsuki in 20th. Lieber back in last place.
Bernardini made a pass on Jonass to move into second place, and Pootjes began to move away from the field. Jonass quickly got back around Bernardini, with Seewer passing Lawrence and both passing Sterry.
Bogers went down and handed Seewer fourth place and Lawrence moved into fifth. Lieber was well back after his poor gate pick, but had moved into ninth place on lap two. Olsen was also on the charge, moving into fourth place after passing both Seewer and Lawrence.
The top ten after three laps was Pootjes, with a two second lead, then Jonass, Bernardini, Olsen, Seewer, Lawrence, Sterry, Van Doninck, Lieber, and Ostlund. Bernardini began his slow drop in places, now in seventh as he begins to fade badly again.
Lawrence is riding amazing as he moves past both Olsen and Seewer to move into third place and Olsen drops back to fifth place. Lieber moves into 8th place, and Watson is now 10th.
Jonass passes Pootjes, and its Lawrences turn to make a mistake as he drops to 8th place. Top ten after five laps is Jonass, Pootjes, Seewer, Sterry, Lieber, Van Doninck, Bernardini, Lawrence, Paturel, and Vaessen.
Lieber moves into fourth spot as he passes Sterry, who drops right out of the top 20.
After six laps its Jonass, Pootjes, Seewer, Lieber, Van Doninck, Lawrence, Paturel, Bernardini, Ostlund and Vaesson.
Seewer gets caught in a mud hole, that had claimed a lot of riders and Lawrence, is continues to impress moves into fourth place, after already passing Van Doninck. Lieber also impressing as he moves into third place.
Lawrence goes down in the same mud hole that caught out his team-mate Seewer, and Jonass also has trouble, dropping back to fifth. Seewer takes the lead ahead of Lieber and Pootjes. This race is just crazy.
Six or seven riders caught in the big mud hole, Jonass and Lawrence included as they drop out of the top 10. Lawrence way, way back and Jonass in 16th place. Stefan Everts would have loved the mud hole, but a lot of riders having trouble with it.
Top ten after 13 laps is Seewer, Pootjes, Lieber, Van Doninck, Paturel, Olsen, Vlaanderen, Ward, Bernardini, and Watson.
Seewer wins it from Pootjes and Lieber.
Ray Archer image
Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 9:32PM 
Track conditions have improved for the riders here on Sunday morning, with hardly any rain in the last 24 hours. A little this morning, but the track has held up and its looking like we will have racing today.
Big problems at the Grand Prix of Indonesia on Saturday as the track had become impossible to ride. Saturday had been cancelled for the MXGP and MX2 riders. Grid positions for today will be from the practice yesterday morning. Good news for Herlings who will start second, bad news for Julien Lieber who didn’t ride yesterday mornings MX2 practice.
There are a lot of local fans here that have come to watch so hopefully they will be able to see some good racing today.
Bottomless ruts, a lot of mud and in many rider’s opinions impossible to do two motos, even tomorrow. We talked to a few riders about the track and what they expect. More rider comments later.
Tim Gajser: The track here is very muddy but with all the rain they are having, I am not surprised. It is difficult riding conditions and the jumps are very soft so you sink into the take-off. They also have very deep ruts all over the track which are hard to ride in. It is a shame I couldn’t race this afternoon in qualifying as I just started to feel better on the track towards the end of free practise. Hopefully we will have no more rain and this will help with the race tomorrow.
Evgeny Bobryshev: The track is tough; the mud is soft and very sticky. I didn’t feel I was riding completely at my best out there as I was getting a feel for the track. We are heading into the race with times from practise, so this is not the best time for me as I didn’t put a fast lap in as I would have done in qualifying. If they do some work on the track overnight and we have no more heavy rain then it will be a lot better to race in tomorrow.
Max Anstie: “It is a bit of a mess. We come half way around the world, and it’s a bit unlucky with the weather, although it is the rainy season. I think it rains every day for six months. It’s really muddy and really sticky and the track is already destroyed and we have only done one practice. It’s a bit like a beach race to be honest, people going everywhere. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow. It’s going to rain tomorrow, so not too many people are going to make it around. I don’t think we will be able to finish 30 minutes. In practice my bike was so heavy. Maybe we do a two lap race and see who can survive.”
Hunter Lawrence: “I was just getting used to the track, warming up, finding my rhythm and then I was told that they could take my lap time. It’s unfortunate but with the racing I’ll just go out and try to circulate without crashing, that’s the big key. It’ll be interesting for sure.”
Michele Cervellin: I am disappointed we are not racing qualifying this afternoon but hopefully we will have no more rain and the track will be ok tomorrow. It is a lot wetter here then I thought it would be. I managed to put in a ok time for free practise so I will go out there tomorrow and work on improving this for my team.
Chihiro Notsuka: The track is a lot muddier here then I thought it would be, it is not quite what I expected Indonesia to be like but I don’t mind riding in the mud so this is ok for me. I am focusing on improving my result from last week as I wasn’t so happy with that so I am just going to go out there and ride by best tomorrow.
Jeffrey Herlings: “The track was pretty bad, so much rain here. Hopefully they will take the time from times this morning, but if they take it from the championship points, then I am not looking that good. It’s going to be difficult with a bad gate pick. The track was really bad, soft, many lines, nearly impossible to ride. I think two 35 minute motos many guys will crash or blow up their bikes. The track is just brutal.”
Bas Vaessen: “I’m just going to try and stay on two wheels, that’s the main point. If you can stay on two wheels and finish you will get a high position near the end so that’s the main goal.”
Pauls Jonass: It was really bad, every lap was getting worse and worse. To do two motos on a track like this. I think it’s impossible. I think if we go out now, we can’t do it, because the ruts get so deep and the mud is so sticky and they say more rain this afternoon. We will see what happens.
Arminas Jasikonis: “I didn’t crash and I made the most laps out of everyone. It was quite deep but it was fun to ride. I’ve missed my race bike a little bit so was happy to do the laps. Last lap I tried to do a fast lap at the end and got sixth place for tomorrow so my mood is good and I’m looking forward for tomorrow.”
Jake Nicholls: It’s pretty deep. You know it could be really good, but it’s a new track and bottomless. I think they tried to rip it and obviously when you rip it, the ground is light and it goes straight into it. The mud isn’t a problem. Obviously it keeps going down, it if was like quicksand you could just ride over the top, but it’s very sticky and a lot of mud on the bikes. It just grabs the bikes and the bikes are so heavy and we are going so slow. We could blow the bikes up, but we need to get these bikes to the next round.
Kevin Strijbos: I was fifth, I rode easy and tried not make mistakes and came up fifth. We shall see what they decide about tomorrow and if they do both motos or just one moto. Hopefully the rain can stay away and if it does, they can fix the track and I think it can be pretty decent.
Ray Archer image
Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 9:57AM 
Husqvarna's Colton HAAKER (USA) leads the FIM Maxxis SuperEnduro World Championship as the hotly contested series heads to Bilbao in Spain for the penultimate round.
After a six week break, the stars of the SuperEnduro are back on track this Saturday March 4th at the Grand Prix AMV Seguros of Euskadi, which will take place inside the Bizkaia Arena of the Bilbao Exhibition Centre.
Ultra dominant in Germany in early January, it's extremely clear that Colton HAAKER (USA - Husqvarna) means business in his quest for a second consecutive world title. Aside from Taddy BLAZUSIAK (PL - KTM) at his home in Krakow (Poland), no one else has troubled the American.
However, KTM's Alfredo Gomez (E) has proved himself a serious threat on numerous occasions and is knocking on the door of a race win and overall victory. Riding on home turf and urged on by a euphoric Bizkaia Arena, the penultimate round of the series will prove pivotal for GOMEZ.
Consistent but still slightly lacking outright speed, Jonny WALKER (GB—KTM) will have to attack hard if he wants to retain a title chance in Albi on March 18th for the Final. Training hard between rounds, he's ready to move closer to the front of the pack.
Mario ROMAN (E - Sherco) will be keen to give everything in order to keep his fourth place in the provisional standing and move closer to the top three places. But he will have to face 2016 Junior World Champion Manuel LETTENBICHLER (D - KTM) and the show-stopping rookie Pascal RAUCHENECKER (AUT - Husqvarna).
On the home front, Eloi SALSENCH (Beta) will certainly be looking to shine a little more and keep his place among the top 10 but he will have to manage the fast outsiders like Estonian Rannar UUSNA (KTM), Aurélien ADDESSO (F - Beta), Russia's David LEONOV (Husqvarna) and Sweden 's John NYSTRÖM (KTM).
A debut winner in Germany and now championship leader, Blake GUTZEIT (RSA - Yamaha) holds the reigns of the Junior class. With his confidence high, the South African knows another winning result in Bilbao will move him one step closer to the title in Albi, France on March 18th.
But he will have to be careful as we have seen so many times this season that anything goes in the Junior category. Benjamin HERRERA (CL – TM), Kyle FLANAGAN (RSA - Sherco), Gethin HUMPHREYS (GB - Husqvarna), David CYPRIAN (CZ - KTM), Max VIAL (F - Husqvarna) and Lee SEALEY (GB - Yamaha) are sure to keep the crowd on their feet and will give everything possible to stop the South African stealing focus. Expect fireworks.
After two first rounds of wild action packed racing, we'll see if HAAKER remains on the stop step of the podium or if national favourite GOMEZ can steal the gold. Likewise, GUTZEIT has momentum on his side for victory but in a class as unpredictable as the Juniors then a new winner is certainly possible.
Adding in an additional two races for the national category ensures sparks will fly inside the Bizkaia Arena of the Bilbao Exhibition Centre on Saturday March 4th.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 3:02PM The Sierra Old Timers have a new and very good looking website. Go there for club info and OT race info. They have even added our own 21J for his unique perspectives.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 9:23AM
Ride along with SRT Off-road's Stew Baylor as he rips through an enduro test on day 2 of the Echeconnee MX Full Gas Sprint Enduro.
