Dirty Devil Part 4

MXA TWO-STROKE SPOTLIGHT: BIG-BORE YAMAHA YZ295

TWO-STROKE SPOTLIGHT: BIG-BORE YAMAHA YZ295

From MXA website - www.motocrossactionmag.com

Art McDade and Buck Gerolamy teamed up to make a customized 2009 Yamaha YZ295. It seems that going big on the YZ250 is a popular choice. If you’re thinking about throwing a big-bore into your 250 two-stroke, I suggest purchasing a flywheel weight from Steahly Offroad. They have a plethora of options to help smooth the power and make the engine more tractable. Anyway, here’s Art and Buck’s science project. What’s cool is how they included website links. You, too, can build a red and white YZ295.

“Attached are pictures of a well used 2009 Yamaha YZ250 brought back to life as a YZ295.  The engine uses an Eric Gorr low to mid 295 kit ($660) and runs on pump gas. The suspension was rebuilt with SKF products. We think this is the perfect two-stroke for Vet riders. It is lightweight with lots of power and excellent handling. Listed below are all of the suppliers we used.

Suspension By Buck – www.suspensionbybuck.com
Fly Racing – www.flyracing.com
Dirt DNA – www.dirtdna.com
Tusk Off-Road – www.tuskoffroad.com
Works Connection – www.worksconnection.com
Innteck – www.innteck-usa.com
Boyesen – www.boyesen.com
UFO Plastics – www.ufoplasticusa.com
Torc1 Racing– http://www.torc1racing.com/
Eric Gorr – www.eric-gorr.com
Matrix Concepts – http://www.matrixracingproducts.com/
TM Designworks – www.tmdesignworks.com
Bill’s Pipes – www.billspipes.com
Clarke Mfg – www.clarkemfg.com
Guts –  www.gutsracing.com    

Thanks for featuring the bike.”
~ Art McDade & Buck Gerolamy

Please keep those submissions coming. If you would like your bike to be featured in the “Two-Stroke Spotlight,” please email me at johnbashermxa@gmail.com. All I ask is that you give a breakdown of your bike and a detailed description of the build. Please also send a few photos of your steed. By submitting your bike for the “Two-Stroke Spotlight,” you agree to release all ownership rights to the images and copy to MXA. Please don’t email me spam or try selling me Taylor Swift concert tickets or email me spam. I already celebrate T-Swizzle’s entire collective, and there will be “bad blood” if you send me junk mail. See what I did there? Happy submitting your smoker.

YZ 295 ....Big Bike Build!

We build a YZ 250 into a YZ 295 with a new updated look. This is the bike Yamaha should build. The perfect vets two stroke.

Project Contributors

Suspension By Buck - www.suspensionbybuck.com

Fly Racing - www.flyracing.com

Dirt DNA – www.dirtdna.com

Tusk Off-Road – www.tuskoffroad.com

Works Connection – www.worksconnection.com

Innteck – www.innteck-usa.com  

Boyesen – www.boyesen.com

UFO Plastics – www.ufoplasticusa.com

Torc1 Racing– www.torc1.com

Eric Gorr – www.eric-gorr.com

Matrix Concepts – www.matrixconcepts.com

TM Designs – www.tmdesignworks.com

Bill’s Pipes – www.billspipes.com

Clarke Mfg – www.clarkemfg.com

Guts –  www.gutsracing.com          

Dirty Devil Day 3

After traveling 13 miles up a dirt road so treacherous it was named Hell’s Backbone, we reach a bridged crossing with 1,500-foot drops on either side. The surrounding area is called Death Hollow for a reason. Welcome to the Dirty Devil motorcycle adventure ride.

Rocky Mountain ATV/MC is headquartered in Utah, so as you might imagine, we do a lot of riding in the state. We’ve had a lot of opportunities to see some of the most majestic vistas Utah has to offer. We’ve put together a ride that begins in Payson and heads on a loop through the southeast section of the state, traversing everything from mountains to slickrock. We call it the Dirty Devil, named for the Dirty Devil River that the route crosses several times.

As part of our RM Rides series, we’ve documented the ride and put it together in a video series and companion blog post, making it easy for you to plan your own Dirty Devil adventure with your friends. We’ve provided the GPS files below so you can follow our same route.

Red Bull Knock Out....This Will Be Knarly!

 Red Bull Knock Out – Track

 Check out a 3D animation of the brand-new track, which features a killer X-Loop and The Minefield

The Thunder Down Under

Chad Reed recaps his 2016 AUS-X Open night one SX1 victory inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

 

Reed takes 2016 AUS-X Open clean-sweep in Sydney

 

Racing Post: Alex Gobert

Faith wins drama-packed SX2 final as Richardson seals championship.

Image: AUS-X Open.

Australia’s Chad Reed has done the double in the AUS-X Open in Sydney to cap off the 2016 Australian Supercross Championship, leading 17 laps of the Sunday main event.

It was a confidence-inspiring ride for Reed on the dry, slick surface, holding factory Yamaha teammate Cooper Webb at bay for position to win by 1.804s this afternoon.

Third belonged to newly-crowned champion Justin Brayton (Honda Genuine Racing) after he was bumped down by Reed in the first corner, putting in a stellar ride to make his way by Ryan Villopoto (Monster Energy Kawasaki) in the closing laps.

Villopoto starred by leading the opening three laps before Reed Shannon’s Shortcut to take charge, however he was able to keep pushing throughout the 20-lap duration out of retirement.

Completing the top five was MX Nationals champion Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha), while Kyle Peters (KTM Motocross Racing Team), the retiring Wil Hahn (National Pump Monster Energy Kawasaki), Dan Reardon (CDR Yamaha), Chris Alldredge (Crankt Honda) and Adam Enticknap (Honda Genuine Racing) rounded out the top 10.

Last night’s podium finisher Jay Marmont (MXR&D Husqvarna) crashed out of contention in the whoops, as did Jesse Dobson (KTM Motocross Racing Team) later in the race.

Image: AUS-X Open.

A dramatic second program of SX2 action in Sydney to decide the championship was dominated by American Arenacross champion Gavin Faith (Penrite Honda), however it was Jackson Richardson (Serco Yamaha) who won the title.

While Faith cleared off out from for a 16.415s victory, a championship win for longtime points leader Hayden Mellross (DPH Motorsport Yamaha) was looking a certainty until his bike stopped with just two laps remaining of the 15.

That shuffled him back to third in the points race, while a charging Richardson moved from eighth on lap one all the way to second by race’s end to claim the 2016 title by three points over Faith.

Third in the final was Western Australian domestic regular Kyle Webster (CRF Honda Racing), well ahead of an impressive Josh Cachia (Penrite Honda) and Jordan Hill (Yamalube Yamaha).

The top 10 was filled by Joel Wightman (CRF Honda Racing), Geran Stapleton (Honda), Wilson Todd (Serco Yamaha), Tomas Ravenhorst (Yamaha) and Keiron Hall (Yamaha).

This afternoon’s Monster Energy FMX Best Trick contest belonged to Tom Pages with his highly-technical bike-flip off the quarter-pipe, also winning the crowd-judged Best Whip for the second time in two attempts this weekend.

Reed, Villapoto, Webb...Australian SX

Moto 360 Post: Jeremy Hammer

An all-access Australian view of dirt bikes, presented by Alpinestars.

We’re coming to you direct from Qudos Bank Arena where Foremost Media has assembled our largest presence of the year for what is no doubt the most important event on the racing calendar, the AUS-X Open.

Last year’s inaugural event was incredible, as we’ve said so many times before, and this year is set to be an even more polished event from AME Management. It truly is the ultimate way to round out the domestic season.

We’ll be on deck all weekend – probably a good 28 hours worth of coverage from the arena – and plan to deliver what will be the most extensive range of content we ever have on MotoOnline.com.au. And that’s largely because the promoters hugely assist us in doing so.

Not only do we have the excitement of the added internationals in Sydney for AUS-X Open, but both days this year will be Australian Supercross Championship events. And good news for the fans is, the SX1 and SX2 titles are going down to the wire.

Ticket sales are up over last year, which is immensely positive for the sport locally, but not only that, those who aren’t able to make it to Sydney will be able to watch both nights completely live on Fox Sports (there’s even international broadcasts as well). Check those details out here.

Otherwise, if you aren’t able to view on TV either, we will have ongoing coverage in Racefeed on MotoOnline.com.au from throughout practice, qualifying and into the night shows. So it’s definitely a positive vibe, this event’s set an extremely high benchmark in AUS Supercross and we can’t wait for the action. Here’s Spence…

Image: AUS-X Open.

The time has come! It’s AUS-X Open weekend and I’ve personally been amongst the action already with press day duties for MotoOnline.com.au. It was awesome to see riders such as Ryan Villopoto, Chad Reed and Cooper Webb mixing it up with both domestic stars of the sport and our regular American contenders for 2016.

The track, well let’s just say that the finish line jump is gnarly and the rest looks fairly similar to last year’s layout, which I personally think created great racing. Overall we’re in for another awesome event, the guys at AME Management really know how to put on a show, and both Saturday and Sunday’s events are sure to be impressive.

My main priority at press day was to create a Pre-Race film, which you can click here to view. We had minimal time to shoot inside the arena, and as always, it was hectic with riders and media everywhere. Luckily the riders threw down as many laps as possible and I was able to get my shots and move on to the interviews.

It was great to check in with riders such as Chad Reed, Cooper Webb and Ryan Villopoto to hear their thoughts on the 2016 event. Having Reed and Webb returning for 2016, and Villopoto making his AUS-X Open debut, there were a mixture of comments made. Both Reed and Webb feel much more confident with their programs for 2016, and RV, well he’s just here having fun!

The guy is still amazing on a motorcycle, as expected, and although he has talked down any chances of an upset win, you’d be crazy to bet against him. He may not have the fitness following retirement, but he sure has the skills and racecraft to make magic out on the track. I personally can’t wait for the racing to get underway, and if you haven’t got a ticket yet, go buy one now! Well that’s all from me this week, here’s Jeremy…

Image: Jeremy Hammer (Foremost Media).

What is probably the most highly anticipated weekend in Australian motocross and supercross, is finally here! I honestly can’t wait to see the likes of Reed, Webb and Villopoto hit the track inside Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena for this years AUS-X Open.

While those three guys are stealing the spotlight, this weekend’s event will also see our Australian supercross champions crowned, as the AUS-X Open will be held in conjunction with rounds five and six of the Australian Supercross championship. I think the addition of the three extra riders could play a pivotal role in how the SX1 championship pans out.

With that in mind, the circuit also won’t be your regular type of supercross track, as the arena’s small floorspace will provide significantly tight racing – these are two huge factors for our championship regulars. Aggressive passes will be a common sight both tonight and tomorrow, and with a championship on the line, and I’m sure plenty of pride, there’s going to be more incentive for riders lay it on the line.

The SX2 category doesn’t exactly have the same issue with three additional big-name riders, although we will see two new faces in the series this weekend – Blake Lilly and Justin Hoeft. Both of them are very capable riders, although it’s unsure of what they can do inside an unfamiliar arena.

Only eight points separate championship leader Hayden Mellross and Jackson Richardson, which is a relatively small margin with 30 points up for grabs over the weekend. Mellross is the favourite for the title – he has been extremely consistent all season long and is yet to finish off the podium.

American Gavin Faith has a slim chance of claiming the title being 17 points behind Mellross, although he would be a strong bet to capture victory in Sydney. Not only is he coming off a win from last weekend’s fourth round in Melbourne, but as the 2016 AMSOIL Arenacross champion, this weekend’s tight track layout will play into his favour.

Gas Gas’s next generation EC300 lets rip

 Gas Gas unveiled their all-new EC250 & EC300 at yesterday’s EICMA show in Milan

Watch 2016 Worlds Vet

Check out all the action from the 32nd annual Dubya World Vets Motocross Championships held at the iconic Glen Helen raceway in San Bernardino, California. Enjoy!

MXDN...Wild, Wild Days!

The Madness Behind The Olympics Of Motocross

Words and Photography: Eric Shirk

We get behind the scenes of the wildest motocross event on the planet.

Nestled in the hills of Maggiora, Italy lies Maggiora Park: home of the 2016 Motocross of Nations. Countries from around the world send teams of three to represent their homeland and compete in what is the olympics of motocross. With the riders come droves of passionate fans and at times it’s hard to tell if the fans are there for the racing or the lifestyle. We got behind the scenes of this year’s rowdiest moments at the Motocross of Nations - here is what happened.

 

National Pride

The theme of the Motocross of Nations is simple: national pride. That doesn’t mean just holding out a flag or wearing your colors; it means being ready to dress up, down, and sideways. The Irish bring their game every year: green suits, orange beards, and enough four-leaf clovers to safely walk under a ladder while holding a black cat. Anything goes, for the flag.

Flagged Fog

When national pride begins to take over, creativity quickly emerges. Seemingly stereotypical outfits still reign supreme as a choice way for man to represent country. However, a smoke bomb is a sure-fire way to shut out any opposing countries’ national pride. Thanks to the Italian fans in the bottom right corner, this photo now screams “Forza Italia!”

White Noise

The fans, the lifestyle and the personality of Motocross of Nations are fascinating. At times, it’s hard to even focus on the amazing racing happening on the track. While the sights are incredible, it’s the sound that’s most captivating. From sun up to sun down, there is immense noise. It’s the sound of 100,000 individuals traveling far and wide to do whatever it takes to support their country. The man in the above image was captured during one of many camera-induced riots caused throughout the course of the weekend. If we pulled a camera out in the crowd, hell would immediately break loose.

Hometown Fans

When arriving in Maggiora, we knew that the Italian fans were going to be insane. Each year as the FIM, the Motocross of Nations governing body, announces the race’s host country, hometown fans take special initiative to show the rest of the world how hard they can get down. And of course, how much they support their home country.

The Invasion

While the Italian fans seemed to have their home country on lockdown, it was this group of French fans that seemed to have another goal in mind. Being that Team France had won the MXoN the past two years, these French fans had arrived in Maggiora for one reason only: to conquer. Team France took the lead on the first day and this group marched through the professional pits chanting the French national anthem.

Full Steam A-Head

As one might imagine, nightlife at the Motocross of Nations is completely out of hand. Circular minibike tracks marked by porta-potties, motorcycles engulfed in flames and enough chainsaws to excite any lumberjack can be found after-hours in the field behind the track. One of the more popular attractions were circus-style games like the above punching bag strength machine. While strongman after strongman took his swings, this brave trooper took a different approach. After about three or four tries (and a bruise to the head) he was able to set off the “Winner” lights with his forehead. Needless to say, if you use your head as a weapon you’re bound to be a crowd favorite at Motocross of Nations. 

Hype Machines

No matter what the machine was, if it produced a sound that was high in decibels then it fit right in at the MXoN. Chainsaws, air horns, motorcycles (obviously), and any other obnoxiously loud machines were completely welcomed. Passionate individuals and loud noises go hand-in-hand. This group didn’t have a chainsaw, but their car motor with custom exhaust pipes designed to blow flames did the job. 

Throttle Therapy

While many fans had been adorning their chainsaws in dirt bike parts, few had their chainsaw wired to a hand throttle like this guy. From the retro facemask to the custom beer-equipped construction helmet, this guy was the whole package. The most interesting part about this interaction though was that not one word was exchanged. While hundreds of fans surrounded him as he revved his chainsaw and pretended to race the track, not one use of common language was found. The more throttle he gave the chainsaw, the louder the crowd erupted.

Fence Down

When Team Italy’s Antonio Cairoli took laps in front of his home country, the fans lost their minds. Not only did Cairoli lead laps, but the 31-year old grabbed an overall win in the Motocross GP class as well. Italy’s national motocross hero leading the biggest race of the year in front of the hometown crowd means a few fences might get taken down.

Crowd Control

After a grueling battle between the Netherlands, the U.S. and France, Team France came out on top. The French fans exploded the moment Team France rider Romain Febvre crossed the finish line and clinched the title. Wave after wave of fans charged the fences and barged their way onto the track.

Last Man Standing

At the end of the day, as the mist of flag-colored smoke bombs cleared, there were still fans left standing. Since 1947, nearly 40 countries have lined up to do battle at the Motocross of Nations. Millions of fans have traveled far and wide to get to a MXoN event in an attempt to support their country. The race will come and go, but the atmosphere, like the smoke, will linger long after the erruption.