Jarvins wins in Spain

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider Graham Jarvis has claimed victory at the 2017 Hixpania Hard Enduro in northern Spain. Putting in one of his season’s best rides, Graham’s teammate Billy Bolt finished fourth overall.

For the second edition of the Hixpania Hard Enduro, the racing was staged over three days. Friday saw competitors battle it out on a SuperEnduro-styled course in the town square of Aguilar de Campoo. Saturday delivered a 48-kilometre enduro loop around the nearby lake to be ridden three times.

Sunday’s main event was a short 15-minute extreme loop, raced over a two-hour 30-minute duration. With points allocated per race, an overall classification of the three days determined this year’s Hixpania champion.

Getting his event off to a slow start, Jarvis placed an unusual seventh in the Friday prologue. Picking up things to end up fourth on Saturday, Graham knew only victory on the third and final day would help his chances of winning this year’s Hixpania Hard Enduro.

Last away in the Le Mans style start, he steadily began to pick riders off as the race progressed. By mid-distance he had climbed up to fourth and was beginning to find his pace. With two laps to go, Jarvis launched his attack for victory and managed to break away. With an impossible climb delivering the final sting in the tail for the race, he was the first to reach the top. In doing so he also took the overall event win.

For Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt, the Hixpania Hard Enduro marked his final outdoor race of 2017 and arguably his best performance of the season. Fast from the off, 19-year-old Bolt battled hard in the Friday night prologue for victory. Challenging eventual winner Jonny Walker all the way, only a very small crash at the end cost him a shot at winning. Billy eventually slipped back to third in the prologue.

Riding strong during Saturday’s race, Bolt enjoyed his fair share of the lead in the opening lap. A rear moose issue on lap two dropped him back, but fixing the issue at the service point, he regrouped strongly to claim fifth.

For Sunday’s main event, Bolt took the holeshot and led lap one. Racing hard with Alfredo Gomez during the first hour and then also Jonny Walker during the latter half of the race, Bolt held his nerve on the final climb to take second on the day and secure a strong fourth overall.

Graham Jarvis: “I honestly wasn’t expecting to win this one today. Coming into the final race, Sunday’s extreme race, I was about fourth overall in the points classification and so thought the overall win was out of reach. My plan was to just fight for the win in this race and see what happened. I was actually the last rider to reach my bike at the start and so was last away. I picked off a few riders quickly enough and to be honest it helped not leading. I could read the tracks the guys had made and managed to avoid some of their mistakes with line choices. The top four riders bunched up at about the halfway point and then with about two laps to go I got into the lead and pushed on. The final hillclimb was pretty much impossible. But luckily I got there first and was roped up. I just had to watch and see what would unfold next. Jonny Walker had a crash and dropped to fourth. We tied on points but my win was enough for victory. I’m really happy with that because Hixpania was one of the few hard enduro races I’d yet to win.”

Billy Bolt: “I’ve really enjoyed racing here at Hixpania for the first time. I would have loved to sign off on my 2017 hard enduro season with a podium result but fourth is good and I feel like I put in my best ride of the year. Friday’s prologue was a lot of fun. It was a short superenduro course in the town square. I battled all race with Jonny. Initially I finished second but then there was some confusion with the results and I dropped to third. Saturday was a bit up and down. I ran into moose trouble on lap two of three and slipped way back. But once we fixed the problem I clawed my way back to fifth. For Sunday’s extreme race, I got the holeshot and led on lap one. Alfredo was pushing hard but I was able to run his pace. We swapped positions plenty of times and in the final hour there were four of us fighting for the win. On the final climb I managed to get up to where we needed to be roped up in second place. But things got a bit hectic and ropes got tangled. I nearly lost my position but managed to drag my way across the finish line to place second in the race behind Graham.”

Results — Hixpania Hard Enduro 2017
1. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna)
2. Jonny Walker (KTM)
3. Alfredo Gomez (KTM)
4. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna)
5. Mario Roman (Sherco)

Dr. D Rolls On!

SUNDAY DUBYA WORLD VET MX CHAMPIONSHIP - 11/5/2017 GLEN HELEN RACEWAY

50+ PRO - Overall Finish Positions   View LaptimesMoto 1Moto 2

Overall Nbr   Name Moto 1 Moto 2  1st   #15   DOUG DUBACH  TUSTIN, CA  1st 1st  2nd   #2   KURT NICOLL  TEMECULA, CA  2nd 2nd  3rd   #181   KEITH BOWEN  BEVENTON, MI  3rd 4th  4th   #70   JOHN GREWE  ROCKFORD, MI  5th 3rd  5th   #4   RON LECHIEN  LAKESIDE,   4th 5th  6th   #83   KEVIN FOLEY  VILLA, CA  7th 6th  7th   #7   PETE MURRAY  LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA  6th 7th  8th   #852   KEVIN BARDA  VICTORVILLE, CA  8th 8th  9th   #326   ED FOEDISH  SCOTTSDALE, AZ  11th 9th  10th   #461   STEVE MACHADO JR  DUBLIN, CA  9th 11th  11th   #115b   JEFF WATTS  SANTA CRUZ, CA  13th 10th  12th   #737   LOREN POCHIROWSKI  LAKE FOREST, CA  14th 13th  13th   #599   BRYAN SCHRITTER  ORTH OGDEN, UT  12th 15th  14th   #96   ROBERT REISINGER  NEWHALL, CA  10th 17th  15th   #975   ROSS STYLE  NEWCASTLE, CA  17th 14th  16th   #278   GLENN CARMODY  BLUFFDALE, UT  18th 16th  17th   #23   JAYSON CROTTEAU  CHANDLER, AZ  16th 18th  18th   #12   KENNETH SMITH  SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT  15th 19th  19th   #29b   TIM TYNAN  GEORGETOWN, CA  DNF 12th  DNF   #23x   PHIL DOWELL  JOHN BURR, CA  DNF DNF  DNF   #2x   LUTHER FRENCH  CHERRY VALLEY, CA  DNF DNF  DNF   #18   ED G HEACOX  SO CAL, CA  DNF DNF  DNF   #130   ISAO IDA  SAITAMA, JAPAN,   DNF DNF  DNF   #10   JON ORTNER  SANTA BARBARA, CA  DNF DNF

Brown Wins World Vet

SATURDAY DUBYA WORLD VET MX CHAMPIONSHIPS - 11/4/2017 GLEN HELEN RACEWAY

40+ PRO - Overall Finish Positions

Overall Nbr   Name Moto 1 Moto 2  1st   #3   MIKE BROWN  BLUFF CITY, TN  1st 1st  2nd   #15   DOUG DUBACH  TUSTIN, CA  2nd 2nd  3rd   #88   KENJIRO TSUJI  CHATSWORTH, CA  4th 3rd  4th   #2   KURT NICOLL  TEMECULA, CA  3rd 4th  5th   #70   JOHN GREWE  ROCKFORD, MI  5th 5th  6th   #97   JEREMY CHAUSSEE  LANCASTER, CA  7th 6th  7th   #9   BRIAN WHEELER  GLOS, ENGLAND,   8th 7th  8th   #25   TODD DEHOOP  HUDSONVILLE, MI  6th 9th  9th   #940   MATT KARLSEN  SACHSE, TX  9th 8th  10th   #74   JULIAN CERNY  CALGARY, AB  11th 10th  11th   #607   ROGER SVENSSON  ,   10th 12th  12th   #413   TODD MITCHELL  MURRIETA, CA  13th 11th  13th   #285   ROBB FLOTH  KUNA, ID  12th 15th  14th   #445   MARC DIONNE  QUEBEC,   15th 13th  15th   #l7   PASHA AFOHAR  ENCINO, CA    28th  16th   #3x   RONNY HERLITSCHKE  GERMANY,   16th 14th  17th   #9x   SHAWN WYNNE  LOMPOC, CA  14th 17th  18th   #801   GUY GIROUX  QUEBEC,   18th 16th  19th   #19   AARON HUNT  AUSTRALIA,   17th 18th  20th   #99   STALE BJORDAL  OSLO, NORWAY,   19th 19th  21st   #326   ED FOEDISH  SCOTTSDALE, AZ  20th 20th  22nd   #200   JIMMY PARDUE  APPLE VALLEY, CA  21st 21st  23rd   #29b   TIM TYNAN  GEORGETOWN, CA  25th 22nd  24th   #224   FRED POULIN  QUEBEC, QB  24th 23rd  25th   #284   STEVE DREWLO  BISMARK, ND  23rd 24th  26th   #73   RALF SCHMIDT  BANNING, CA  22nd 30th  27th   #861   DAVID CINCOTTA  APPLE VALLEY, CA  27th 26th  28th   #46   ALEXANDRE LANGEVIN  QUEBEC,   30th 25th  29th   #866   BILLY VAN VUGT  ONTARIO,   28th 27th  30th   #23   JAYSON CROTTEAU  CHANDLER, AZ  29th 29th  31st   #138   GWIDAEL BUCHON  LOS ANGELES,   26th DNF  32nd   #111   JEFF MATIASEVICH  CORONA, CA  32nd 31st  33rd   #138x   BOBBY JONES  SCOTTSDALE,   31st 32nd

RC on the 2-stroke

Nagl to TM

TM Racing is very pleased to announce its come back to MXGP. In fact, the Team will take part in the Motocross World Championship Top Class.

The MXGP gathers all the best riders worldwide, as well as all European and World manufacturers. It was 2015 when we last saw TM RACING facing a MXGP with Davide Guarneri, who classified 18th in the overall Championship standings.

The past two years, the Italian Factory based in Pesaro, focused on young racers battling it out in the MX2. Their decision rewarded them with excellent results achieved by Samuele Bernardini. This year the racer won the second heat of the Indonesian Grand Prix, finishing second overall at the end of the GP. Now it is about time to go back to the Top Class and to do so TM RACING decided to enlist MAX NAGL.

The German rider is going to race using a machinery, which is the evolution of the prototype used in 2015. There are going to be several updates in terms of engine, frame and suspensions. The MX 450 FI we will see next year at the MXGP World Championship is going to undergo a constant progress throughout the whole season.

The aim is the continuous development, race after race, in order to have a machinery, which perfectly suits the German rider. His ideal bike.

Marco Ricciardi Team Manager:

“Engaging Max in our Team is a great honor. I have a great opinion of Max, talking from a technical point of view and especially for his professionalism and honesty demonstrated for so many years in the paddock. This is the reason why I think he is the right rider for our come back to the Top Class. To tell you the truth, I’m very proud of being part of this evolution and important project for TM RACING.

The World Championship enjoys great health; however, some manufacturers even bigger than ours decided to shut down their Teams in MX2 while one definitely retired from racing. On the other hand, TM RACING decided to work its way up and go back to MXGP! Now we have to work hard to provide Max with the best bike ever so that he could stay at the top of the standings. Furthermore, we will do our best to bring Samuele back to the goals and levels achieved at the beginning of the season. I’ve no doubts Samu will be able to recover after the bad accident which affected his season.”

Max Nagl:

“I’m very happy to be part of TM RACING FACTORY TEAM. I feel so inspired! TM RACING FACTORY TEAM is a different reality; the team is smaller compared to others and this fits with me. I can’t wait to start developing the new MX 450FI machinery, as well as working side by side with such a highly motivated Team.”

Hixpania Prologue to Walker

Walker off to winning start in Hixpania Hard Enduro

: Robert Lynn / Future7Media

Jonny Walker kick starts the Hixpania Hard Enduro with victory in Friday night´s prologue.

Packed to capacity, the spectators were treated to some close fought racing as Walker rode home for the win over Billy Bolt and Alfredo Gomez in the Aguilar de Campoo town square.

The super enduro style prologue in Hixpania saw Jonny taking the win in the 10 minutes plus two lap race.

“That was such a cool race,” told Walker. “The lap was really short so there was plenty of overtaking and action.

“I led off the start but Billy, Alfredo and Graham were right there and we banged bars for most of the race.

“It was a cool way to start off Hixpania and I´m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Photo credit: Robert Lynn / Future7Media

The super enduro style track set up by the organisers delivered a good spectacle for the crowd that gathered in Aguilar de Campoo’s main square.

Spectators were treated to three finals with the Knight Pro super final capping the evening off.

Photo credit: Robert Lynn / Future7Media

After a timed run to select the top 20 riders to take part in the superfinal, Billy Bolt and Eloi Salsench looked like the guys to beat taking first and second respectively.

Fast away Walker took the lead in the matrix zone immediately after the start and managed to hold off Bolt´s continuous attacks throughout the intense race.

Photo credit: Robert Lynn / Future7Media

Alfredo Gomez had to fight his way through the pack and after putting some solid laps, he claimed the final spot on the podium.

For Saturday, riders will tackle the Campoo Xtreme, an approximately 40-kilometre loop around the lake ridden three times.

The loop will increase with difficulty per lap. A total of 60 riders qualify through to the main event.

Photo credit: Robert Lynn / Future7Media

With riders completing the prologue lap in about 25 seconds, and over 25 laps completed in the main race, keeping track on the final standings proved tough.

Boise Endurocross Up For Grabs

Webb looks to keep endurocross win streak alive in Boise

Photo credit: Tanner Yeager

The 2017 AMA Endurocross championship heads to the Ford Idaho Centre in Nampa, west of the city of Boise, for the sixth and penultimate round of the series.

FMF KTM Factory rider, Cody Webb will come into the Boise event as favourite, but anything can happen in EnduroCross. Colton Haaker, the defending EnduroCross champion, is still suffering from injury and is not expected to participate but there is a long list of riders eager to challenge Webb.

Twenty-year-old Trystan Hart has stepped up this season and earned three podiums in five events. The Canadian challenged Webb at the most recent round in Scottsdale and wants to earn his first win.

Kyle Redmond has earned several podiums over the years and he too, is looking for a win. Ty Tremaine, the three-time Junior EnduroCross champion, still only twenty-one years old, finished third in the championship in 2017 and looks poised to challenge Webb as well.

GasGas backed Noah Kepple, another twenty-one-year-old, also shows amazing skills that could earn him a top spot. Cooper Abbott, son of off-road motorcycle racing legend Destry Abbott, is quickly becoming one of the stars of EnduroCross.

There will certainly be plenty of action in the pro class as well as the other classes, Amateur, Vet, Women and TrialsCross.

Photo credit: Tanner Yeager

The Boise EnduroCross will also include one of the Friday night Destry Abbott, DA8 training sessions on the track. The two-hour EnduroCross training session is very hands on with several of the top pro riders assisting Destry in providing instruction on how to tackle the obstacles.

The session is open to all riders (even those not competing at the Boise event). For the $100 entry fee, you will learn how to tackle the difficult obstacles found on tough trails and EnduroCross tracks. This will be limited to the first 20 entries so sign up quickly to hold your spot.

Photo credit: Tanner Yeager

EnduroCross includes a class for everyone with the Amateur, Vet, TrialsCross, Women’s and Super EnduroCross (Pro) classes. And for 2017, there is an Amateur B Main, which allows more riders to make it into the night show. If you want to give it a shot yourself, now is the time to sign up.

A Sad Day...Tom White Passes

RIP TOM WHITE | MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY ICON PASSES AT 68

 

November 2, 2017

Tom White, famed motorcycle racer, business owner, philanthropist, and historian, has passed away after a courageous battle against cancer. He was 68.

Tom was raised near the ocean in Huntington Beach, California, where he grew up surfing before discovering his life-long passion: motorcycles. He soon found his niche in flat track racing, eventually earning national number 80 as a professional.

Tom’s last ride. 

In 1976, White founded Tom White’s Cycle Specialties, which would later become White Brothers Cycle Specialties when White partnered with his twin brother, Dan. Over the next 25 years, White Brothers would grow into a nearly $40 million-a-year company that employed nearly 200 employees at its peak. White sold White Brothers in 2000, and turned his attention towards restoring and collecting vintage motocross bikes.

Over the next decade, White’s collection grew to over 170 motorcycles, including a variety of unique models from brands such as Husqvarna, CZ, Maico, Bultaco, BSA, and others. White believed his efforts were but one piece of a greater industry initiative to ensure the history and legacy of motorcycle racing in the United States remained intact and relevant for future generations of racers and fans.

Tom was loved be many.

 

White’s Early Years of Motocross Museum, located on his family’s private property in Orange County, California, is not open to the public, but it has played host to motorcycle industry events including product launches, professional racing media gatherings, as well as numerous charity fundraising efforts.

In addition to his role as a motorcycle historian, White discovered another passion over the past few decades: announcing motorcycle races. White became the announcer of the weekly REM motocross series at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, one of his greatest joys. In 2017, White was honored with a monument along Glen Helen’s Walk of Fame. White also served as the announcer for many professional races throughout the United States, reveling in the thrill of all disciplines of motorcycle racing.

In 2014, White was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame. And in 2018, White is due to receive the prestigious Dick Hammer lifetime achievement award from the Southern California Trailblazers Motorcycle Club.

 

Tom in his hey-day.

“While we mourn the loss of an incredible human being, we also celebrate his life, his achievements, his passion for motorcycles, and his love of friends and family,” says the White family. “We hope that Tom’s life story serves as inspiration to everyone that fierce determination and good will can yield a life extraordinarily well lived.”

Tom White passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his family, along several of his favorite motorcycles. He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, dear friends, and motorcycle enthusiasts around the world.

White will be honored in a memorial service to be announced at a future date.

A MOTOCROSS STORY OF BRAVERY AND GENEROSITY

 

 

Tom White raced his last motocross race in the middle of his chemotherapy one month ago. Tom had bought a KTM 450SXF Factory Edition before his diagnosis and all he wanted to do was race it one time. He got his wish and is now too ill to ever ride it again.

By Mike Marion

In mid-July Tom White stopped me after practice in front of the REM tower and told me that he had a Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke with five hours on it. He said he wasn’t riding it anymore because he had ridden Jody’s KTM 450SXF the week before and had rushed out and bought one. He proceeded to explain that he had added an intake and flywheel, but other than that it was stock. I asked him how much he wanted for it. He thought about it for a moment and said, “To you, $4000.”

Mike Marion on his TW-80 YZ250. Mike’s story about Tom White’s generosity is emotional.

I had no intentions of buying a new bike at the time, but I knew that this was a good deal. Tom took tremendous care of his bikes and this one looked brand-new. When I returned to my pit and told my friends about the offer, they told me to buy it and, if I couldn’t afford it, they would lend me money. I thought I could sell my 2005 YZ250 for $2000 and easily pay off the balance. So, after an hour of consideration, I went back to Tom and told him it was a deal. He said, “Call me on Monday,” and gave me directions the number.

The silver plastic was painted with the same chemical system that is used to make paint stick to auto plastic.

I was kind of sad about the whole thing because I knew that Tom was battling cancer and I didn’t really want to take his bike away from him. I called on Monday, but he said that he had just had chemo and that he wasn’t up to dealing with anything on that day. I understood.

Tom White’s 1964 Yamaha YZ250A that Mike Marion based his tribute bike on.

Then he said that he had changed his mind about selling the bike to me. I was disappointed until he said, “I’m going to give it to you for free.” I was shocked. I knew that he didn’t need the money and just wanted me to be able to ride his bike. He repeated several times that he just “wanted me to ride the bike.” It was kind of strange to be getting a new bike for free, but at the same time not being excited to be receiving such a gift because of the circumstances.

A day later I called him for directions to his house. He sounded much better on the phone, and he proceeded to tell me that I could come over to his house and pick up the bike. He said he had all the paperwork done–bill of sale, etc. I was still in shock! I said, “Tom, are you really giving me the bike for free?”

He said, “Yes. I told you that.” I told him that no one had ever done anything for me like this. And he said, “Well, they have now.” I’ve know Tom for years and knew that he was dirt track racer, AMA Hall of Famer, had won the World Vet Championship, was a wildly successful businessman and owned a famous motorcycle museum, but we had never spent any real personal time together. I was just a guy who raced at the same REM races every week as him. So I asked him, “Why me?” He told me that he admired me for being a loyal two-stroke guy, a dedicated racer and he thought I was the perfect person to appreciate a new bike.

REM is a tight knit group of racers and everyone admires Tom for his accomplishments in motorcycling and as a person.

I became very emotional and had to clear my voice and wipe my eyes. It seemed surreal. I was amazed at his generosity and his bravery in thinking about others while fighting a terrible battle with cancer.

I had never been to his house before, and I asked if I could bring a friend, Bill Reimer, with me. He said, “Sure.” When we got there, Tom took us to his office and gave me the bill of sale and then showed us around his museum. He had told me earlier on the phone that he did not have a lot of time, but he showed us his 150-bike museum from from top to bottom and then took us to another building and showed us his flat track museum. Eventually, we loaded the bike and said our goodbyes. I thought, “What an act of generosity.”

When Bill’s Pipes heard that Mike Marion was building a bike to honor Tom White, the donated a pip and silencer.

I wanted to do something for him, but I didn’t know anything that seemed appropriate. I decided that I would use the bike to honor Tom and his achievements. I designed the plastic and graphics to look like a 1974 Yamaha that I saw in his museum. It was silver with red stripes. But, there was no source of silver plastic. Then my friend Bill at M&L Auto Collision told me that he painted lots of plastic car bumpers and had a special treatment that would work on plastic motorcycle parts. He painted the RTech Revolution plastic silver and ZLT did the TW-80 graphics. Bill’s Pipes graciously donated a pipe and a silencer with the mere mention of Tom White’s name. And Dan Berg gave me a brand-new set of Dunlop tires.

This bike meant more to me than just a gift from a friend. It was a gift from his heart, and Tom White has plenty of that. Before this brief encounter Tom White was just a racing buddy, but now he will be in my thoughts and prayers forever.

Crashes plague Nick Schmidt in South Australia

It was a tough weekend for Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki’s Nick Schmidt and Luke Wilson, with bad luck at Round three of the Australian Supercross Championship at Virginia in South Australia proving costly.

With both riders making solid progress at the team’s recent outing in Melbourne, the pair headed in to the weekend looking to better their performances, however both Wilson and Schmidt suffered one of the most difficult outings of the season.

Schmidt who has consistently been one of the fastest SX1 riders in the field since his arrival from the USA suffered one of the biggest crashes of the weekend on Saturday night.

After qualifying in an impressive fourth position, Schmidt was confident ahead of his first race of the evening. Unfortunately, a first lap crash which saw him go down hard placed him in sixth at the conclusion of the race, but despite being battered and bruised Schmidt took to the line for the final and salvaged a tenth place at the conclusion of the round.

“The weekend started off really well – I was fast all day and I just made a stupid mistake in the heat race and hurt my knee a bit,” Schmidt explained.

“It was a massive crash that I had, but I knew that I could ride better than I could walk so in the main I gave it my all. I had a good jump but I got hit by another rider and went down so I had to get back up and I eventually got back to tenth.

“Although it doesn’t look great on paper, there were a lot of positives to take from the weekend. We certainly have the speed so now it’s about putting it all together. I’ll have a couple of days off to let the body rest and then and come out even stronger in Sydney.”

Luke Wilson was unable to line up for the nights SX1 main event. - Credit: Aaryn MInerds

Unfortunately, fellow SX1 teammate Wilson did not line up for the main event in South Australia on Saturday night.