Old versus New – MXGP

 MXGP 2017

The closer we get to the start of the 2017 MXGP championship, set for the Losail circuit on the outskirts of Doha, in Qatar, the more the veterans of the MXGP class look a lot more than just competitive.

While we have all spent the winter talking about Herlings, Gajser and Febvre, it’s been Cairoli, Van Horebeek, Nagl and Desalle who have walked away with victories in the pre-season races in Italy, England and France.

While this might not totally wipe out the thought of the new breed continuing to do what they did in 2015 and 2016, it does bring the veterans back into the equation, and for the sport of motocross, that’s an awesome thing.

What we do know is Antonio Cairoli looks to be back to his best. From six moto he’s won five and finished second in the other. His speed and timing looks like the rider who more or less dominated from 2005 until 2014, and picked up eight world motocross championships. More titles in the same type of period than any rider in the history of the sport.

For us that questioned him, we should have known better. I know I had written him off on more than one occasion and for that I am truly sorry. The Sicilian deserves to be given the benefit of doubt when he tells us he is just struggling with injury, and I am sure if he doesn’t come out and win in Qatar, we will all be waiting for his Italian International form to resurface.

What we don’t know is where Jeffrey Herlings sits in all of this. His massive crash on the weekend came at the time he has just made a brilliant pass on both HRC riders Evgeny Bobryshev and Tim Gajser, and it didn’t look like a crash that was from over-riding, but just bad luck.

Herlings showed at the MXoN and SMX Cup he can ride a 450 better than anyone, but he has also shown moments where he seems to lose concentration and from what we saw on the weekend, that doesn’t end well. I still believe he should be placed as the favourite for the 2017 title, but I’ve been wrong enough times in the past.

The biggest surprise from the pre-season has been the lack of form of world MXGP champion Tim Gajser, who hasn’t really shown any of the form from 2015 and 2016, although with a new bike, he might just be coming to terms with the whole set-up. He is a rider who has shocked us on several occasions, from his first GP victory over Jeffrey Herlings in Trento, when he beat the MX2 in a head to head battle, to his MX2  title victory, his Qatar MXGP victory in 2016 and then of course taking the title at the end of the season, so we can never count the Slovenian out.

What it does all mean is that that opening round in Qatar in around 11 days’ time is going to be all that more exciting, and for the sport of motocross, everyone is a winner.

In Any Language The Question Is Why?

The Bassella Race is Spain’s biggest enduro and for 2017 they built one bad ass extreme enduro course. Xavi Leon avoids the carnage and chaos to show us how it’s done…

CZ World Championship

WORCS Round 2 Primm, NV

Robert Wins WORCS Racing Round 2

FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Taylor Robert claimed his second-straight victory in the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) on Sunday for Round 2 of the 11-round series in Primm, Nevada. 

Robert was able to keep his KTM out front from start-to-finish as he led all nine laps of the two-hour race. Beginning with a 10-second lead on the opening lap, Robert continued to stretch his lead over the course of the race, where he finished almost two minutes ahead of the second place rider Gary Sutherlin.

“The race was awesome,” told Robert. “We had perfect weather and the track conditions were good – it was really fast and rough. I had a good start and quickly got into the lead. “I tried to check out and just focus on riding my own race all the way to the checkers.”

In the Pro 2 class, KTM-mounted rider Logan Chambers earned his second consecutive win to extend his early points lead in the class. FMF/Maxxis/RPM KTM Racing Team’s Dante Oliveira put in an impressive come-from-behind performance to claim second after an early pit stop put him in dead last on the opening lap.

KTM-mounted Austin Serpa earned his first victory of the season in the Pro 2 Lites class, where he now sits one-point ahead in the early championship standings. 

Next Event: Round 3 – Taft, California – February 17-19, 2017

Matrix Now Accepting Team Rider Resumes

Matrix Concepts | 1.7 Cleaning Solutions & NEXT Components

 Now Accepting Team Rider Resumes

 

February 6, 2017 – We have some great things happening in 2017 and invite you to join our team!   

Matrix Concepts is an off road market leader in custom stands, cans, work mats, ramps, tie downs, toolboxes, and a variety of accessories.

Next Components offers a complete line of components and controls including the Smart Levers, OEM Replacement Levers, Grips, Sprockets, Hour Meters, Shifters, and much more.

1.7 Cleaning Solutions comprises of a variety of cleaning solutions such as wash, spray n shine, brake cleaner, and many more. 1.7 offers fourteen solutions to help keep your machine race ready and show room clean.

Riders can apply one of three ways.

Matrix Website: http://www.matrixracingproducts.com/sponsorship

Hookit.com: http://www.hookit.com/brands/matrixconcepts/

MxSponsor: http://mxsponsor.com/companies/matrix-concepts  

Matrix Concepts is part of Group6USA’s family of brands. GROUP 6 USA, LLC is based in Valencia, CA and includes Matrix Concepts | 1.7 Cleaning Solutions | Next Components | Atlas Brace | TAG Metals | Royal Racing MTB Apparel | 7iDP MTB Protection. 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 our brand sites at: http://www.group6usa.com

Snowbird Paradise???

When I looked out the window first thing this mornig I was encouraged by the blue sky I saw. I thought I might be able to get in some riding this weekend but an hour later it was raining. Northern California has been hit by rain storm after rain storm...the dought is gone. Thats the good news the bad news is most mx tracks are under water or they are giant mud bogs. Since I wasn't going to be able to ride I thought I'd call my buddy Larry (23x) and see what riding was like in southern Arizona. Larry has become an official "SnowBird" and moves south every winter. Larry laughed when I asked him if he was getting any riding. He told me he can ride every day on trails that go on for miles. He sent these videos to prove his point.

Riding the Barry Goldwater range

After watching this video I questioned what he meant by riding. This is more about surving rocks, rocks and more rocks. This ride will shake the fillings from your teeth. I'm not sure I'd want to ride this trail very often but Larry assured me there lots of  better trails to ride so he sent this next video. No snow, no rain and miles of open trails...a snowbird's paradise.

The Wash

First Ride 2017 Yamaha YZ125 - Motocross Action Magazine

For this edition of Shaken not Stirred we take a look at the 2017 Yamaha YZ125. This bike has BNG for 17 along with a new 270mm front brake rotor. Although this bike isn't changed much, Yamaha still offers a two stroke that is reliable and fun to ride. We are hoping in the future Yamaha updates their 2 stroke line to become more competitive with its competition. To see the full story head over to motocrossactionmag.com

What Do They Think of Reed in Austrailia?

Features 2 Feb 2017

The Point: Rebound of Reed

 

The Point Post: Adam Spence

Selection of Australian pros on Reed's Phoenix podium.

It has been one of the hottest topics this week, Chad Reed’s impressive 450SX main event performance at round four of the 2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Phoenix, Arizona. In a season turnaround of sorts, the factory Yamaha rider charged through the field, passing defending multi-time champion Ryan Dungey in the process, to claim a strong second place finish and his first podium since Atlanta’s round eight in 2016. It may not have been a win, but for Reed fans, fellow contenders and the entire motocross industry, it was a sign that the gritty Australian was returning to dangerous form. In this edition of The Point, MotoOnline.con.au checked in with a selection of Australian racers to hear their take on the awesome ride from Australia’s greatest export.

Source: Supplied.

Kade Mosig (DPH Motorsport Yamaha):
I thought it was really, really awesome to see. You can never count Chad out, I still knew he had it in him, just watching him ride that Yamaha he looks really comfortable and at one with it. I guess it was only a matter of time before it all clicked for it, and far out, it was so insane to watch and it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I know I’m just watching it on a TV screen, but to see the pace they’re going and how much they’re hanging it out, that’s pretty awesome to see. To be honest, it’s hard to know what you’re going to get with Chad sometimes, but I think obviously the lead-up he had and the way he rode in Sydney, I thought he could always still do it. I understand he’s getting a little older, but at the same time he’s getting a little wiser too, so you can never count him out.

Nathan Crawford (Kawasaki):
I think he went 20th, ninth, seventh and then second, so he was obviously improving his results every time, but for him to come out and do that, I mean, sure people can say they’re surprised and all of that, but Chad’s obviously the best we’ve got in motocross and supercross right now. He’s 34-years-old now and a true gladiator you could say, he’s just soldiering on and showing the top riders in the world right now that he can still do it. I think personally now that he has a lot more confidence after that podium, for sure he should be able to keep getting himself up there at the pointy-end of the field.

Luke Wilson (Wilson Coolair Motul Suzuki):
It was sick, it was good to see. I’ve been interested to see how he was going to go this year, people had been talking to me and asking how I thought he would go. I said a few times that you might see him on the podium by the end of it, but he’s come around and done it pretty quick, so it will be good to see what he can do for the rest of the season. Once he gets the ball rolling he just seems to keep on going, so I’m interested to see how the rest of the season is going to go for him.

Source: Supplied.

Jackson Richardson (Serco Yamaha):
It was definitely good to see, because after watching him at AUS-X Open, he was looking good. He struggled at the first couple rounds and then all of the sudden he just came out and passed Dungey and had a good ride, hopefully it’s a sign of what’s to come. Usually he gets a good one on and then he starts getting a bit of a roll on, so hopefully he can keep that momentum going. It’s good to see him back up there battling for podiums and wins. I can’t pin-point what he has changed, but whatever he has done, it’s definitely working for him and hopefully he can keep that balling rolling and we’ll see more of it.

Todd Waters (Crankt Protein Honda Racing):
It was sick, but that’s just Chad all over. He knows how to win, he’s just a winning dude, a top guy. He can be down in a bit of a rut, and then just pull out and start killing it, he’s done it his whole career pretty much. It’s good to see him starting to build on it and in the past he’s kept it going, so I think it might be a turn around for his championship. He’s got good people around him, and he changed to Yamaha the year before, so it was a new team and everything. Right now he probably has the right people around him and he’s feeling comfortable and confident, that’s what it takes.

Jesse Dobson:
It was solid, he rode awesome and he made quick work of both Dungey and Seely. He just rode a solid 20 minutes and he’s definitely made a big improvement from the opening rounds, for sure. Whether it was bike adjustments or him just getting in the right frame of mind, I think he definitely showed what he’s capable of and if he does that in more of these races there’s no reason why he can’t be at the top of the podium.

Team HRC - ready for 2017 GP's