DeCoster on a Yamaha?

Here's a quick story and some footage of "The Man" from back in the day.

Brandon Dunn | The Rebirth Of Bill’s Pipes

Bill's Pipes On A Comeback Mission

March 02, 2016 By Casey Davis

 

Today, only a few of the original motocross exhaust brands exist today, as many have disappeared over the last decade. There are only three remaining exhaust manufacturers that existed in the 90s, and they are really the only brands that continue to produce two-stroke and four-stroke exhausts since the rise of the four-stroke machines in the early 2000s. Among these three remaining brands is Bill’s Pipes, who is well known for their dominance in the late 90s and early 2000s. However, after the four-stroke revolution, the small Corona, California-based brand struggled to keep up with their four-stroke exhaust producing competitors, as FMF and Pro Circuit dominated the exhaust industry along with many other brands popping up and following suit. That’s all beginning to change, though, as Bill’s Pipes has stepped out of the shadows and looks to reclaim their title as one of the most sought after exhaust brands. Yesterday, we had the pleasure of working with Bill’s Pipes’ Brandon Dunn and decided to get his take on the rebirth of the brand that was so dominant in the two-stroke era.

You seem to be the go-to-guy at Bill’s Pipes for everything. What does your job title entail?
Basically just a little bit of everything since we are such a small company. Whether it’s sales, marketing, rider support and even sometimes production of our products – whatever the job calls for it’s all hands on deck. We just try to make it happen no matter the circumstances.

Sort of like a jack of all trades, then?
Yeah, you’re kind of just thrown into the fire to get it done, but that’s how you learn. It doesn’t matter if you’re the owner like Bill – who is very hands on – we just do whatever it takes to get the task done. It’s not a rarity to see him building pipes out in the shop, either. Everybody there really does put in a good effort to help everyone else’s jobs a little easier.

How long have you been at Bills Pipes and how did you end up working there?
I’ve been at Bill’s for a little over two years, now. I ended up working there because I was working at a different company that did fuel management systems, mostly with road bikes. I wasn’t really stoked on working with road bikes all the time because I’m more into the motocross side of motorcycles. I grew up riding dirt bikes and I grew up with a lot of people that raced, so ultimately working at Bill’s Pipes was a natural fit for me. Back in the 2000s when Bill’s was in its prime of winning championships with Primal Impulse and Branden Jesseman and those guys, I was living with my best friend Greg Schnell who was also winning races. We competed against those guys and I knew they had a top-notch quality program, so it was a really easy fit for me to end up here at Bill’s.

 

Bill’s Pipes’ RE-22 four-stroke exhaust system.

A few months back, I spent some time at the shop filming for our “How It’s Made | Two-Stroke Pipe” video, and during that time I really got to understand how much of a genius Bill is when it comes to the science behind creating exhausts. Do you find yourself learning a lot while working with Bill?
Yeah, absolutely. Frankly, Bill is sort of like Rain Man to an extent (laughs). His mathematical skills are above and beyond my pay grade (laughs). He can break a pipe down into numbers, he can build a pipe off of numbers and he actually does the mathematics backwards with different cone-pipe angles. The same technology he uses to make two-stroke exhaust systems, he’s applied to make four-stroke exhausts. The amazing part is that they work and they work very well. The pipes produce power and he never second-guesses himself. Factory Honda and factory Suzuki sought his expertise for so many years because of his unmatched knowledge of building pipes.

Over the last few years, Bills Pipes has gone through a rebirth of sorts after a number of years of seemingly being non-existant. Is that something that you’ve noticed, as well?
Yeah, and it’s okay to say it because the brand was almost dead. The two-stroke era came and went, and then the four-strokes came into the picture and that is about the time the bills faded out a little bit. Going forward, though, with the help of team Barn Pros Racing, Vicki Golden and Killian Rusk – who was a huge benefit for us – their input is helping us get back into the mix. Helping those guys out has really helped us to progress, As well. Working with all of those guys has really helped us to fine-tune our product to ensure that we have something better than our competition. Bill’s Pipes is a very small company, so we really have to make sure that our pipes perform at the same caliber as our competitors. We are not nearly as big as Pro Circuit, FMF or Yoshimura, so we really can’t rely on our name to make sales. Our product’s performance is top priority, so that’s how we intend on standing out.

 

Bill’s Pipes’ MX-2 Carbon Silencer.

Another thing I noticed while filming the “How It’s Made” video is the amount of hands-on work you guys put into your product. Is that something that you are proud of?
Yeah, absolutely! It’s great when someone can value your opinion, and a lot of that goes on at Bill’s. Egos never get in the way and no one ever has a bad suggestion or idea. All of this benefits the end consumer, and that’s what we are in it for. Literally everyone is on the same page and we are working hard to get Bill’s Pipes back on the map like it was in the early 2000’s. Bill’s has won motocross championships, Supercross championships and all of that happened while the brand was at the top of its game, so we intend on making that happen again. We know where we need to get back to you, and that’s the ultimate goal for everyone at the company.

Do you guys have any kind of new product coming out anytime soon?
Yeah, we actually just released our RE-22 line, which is our full titanium exhaust system for four-strokes. Everything is bent in-house and everything is welded in-house. There is a large demand for titanium right now, so we wanted to give the consumer what they want. Also, our MX-2 carbon line of silencers for two-strokes is also being released, which are very reasonably priced along with our cone pipes. The carbon silencers and the cone pipes have really brought us up a notch to be equal with our competitors. We are pushing forward no matter what bike it is, and next on the list is the 65cc and 50cc machines because those are such huge classes. That’s something that we don’t want to ignore.

 

Bill’s Pipes’ Cone-Look Pipe.

Obviously Bill’s has a strong history with two-stroke exhaust. Have you guys noticed the growing popularity in two-strokes over the last few years? And have you had consumers asking about how they could get their hands on a cone pipe?
Absolutely! Just our Instagram has grown so much over the last few years. We are very appreciative of people that follow us and support the brand even if they’re running one of our competitors systems on their bike. It’s still really cool to see them pumped on the fact that we are making a comeback of sorts. Our two-stroke line, in my opinion has always been superior in performance, and that’s something that we pride ourselves on. Our motto is “Why Settle!” and that’s the reason why our two-stroke line outperforms the competitors. We get a lot of requests for exhaust systems for Hondas and Kawasakis, and soon will be able to bring those products back to those brands here in the near future. That’s all thanks to the manufactures that continue to produce two-strokes. The average guy can’t afford a near $10,000 four-stroke especially if the thing blows up. I think that’s the reason for the popularity in two-strokes again and I truly believe that two-strokes are aiding in keeping this sport alive. Maybe and hopefully the manufacturers that stopped producing two-strokes will bring back their two-stroke line of bikes. Yamaha, KTM and Husqvarna never jumped ship when it came to those bikes, so maybe those other manufacturers will want to join in soon because these bikes really do make our sport so much more economical and enjoyable.

1977 Sears Point...Hannah...Lackey

Short video, annoying music but classic Hurricane!

 

Australian Vet Champion

Motocross News
World Vets Champion to take on the States Best

Posted: Monday, 29th February, 2016 : 7:12 PM  Fullnoise

Macclesfield's current World Vets motocross champion Michael Reefman will this weekend, March 5-6, take on the best Vets riders in the state as the opening round of the 2016 Victorian Senior Motocross Championships revs into high-gear at the Blue Rock Motorcycle Club in Newborough in the Latrobe Valley.

The 46-year-old, who has been racing motocross since he was 10-years-old, won the Over 40s Expert title by 47 points at the 2013 Victorian Senior Motocross Championships and last year took out the World Vets Motocross Championships at the Glen Helen Raceway, California in the United States.

In 2015, Michael also third overall behind Troy Dorron and Craig Rutherford in the same Over 40s Expert class, and third overall in the Vets 40 Plus Championship at the MX Nationals. He also won the Vets 40+ Expert title at the 2015 Shell Advance Gippsland Region Motocross Championships.

Mike, however, picks the Vets the 45 and Over Expert title that he won at the Dubya World Vets Motocross Championships in November as his most prized trophy. “The race itself in the US was very, very big. They had over a thousand entries and there were 20 different countries represented. Guys from everywhere, including South Africa, France and Germany. It was unbelievable,” Mike added.

“On Saturday, there were two 25 minute motos, which constituted of 11 laps and 2 minute, 20 second lap-times. We did 11 laps of 25 minutes in the first race, and my first lap was in 2min.21secs, and my 11th lap was in 2min.22secs. I was a second between every single lap. It was a fantastic experience,” Mike continued. “On Sunday, there were two motos of 5 laps, which was a little easier.

“I hope to get back over there this year with some more support. It was pretty tough going over there by myself. I had to change my own tyres, doing my own filters and all the rest as I was racing so it wasn’t the easiest way to do it but all in all it went pretty well. I pretty much got a holeshot in all my races and I won from start to finish,” Mike added.

On the VSMXC, Mike would like to finish on the top step of the podium this season, and will also try and successfully defend his title in the Gippsland Region MX Championships and will also try and compete in the MX Nationals at Conondale, Queensland on July 17. “I’m really looking forward to this year’s competition racing against the likes of Dorron and Rutherford again. It should be really close racing,” Mike said.

Mike would like to thank his sponsors Peter Stevens Motorcycles, Fox Head Australia, Repsol, Yamaha Australia, the Collective Family, BLS Suspension, and Top Line Seat Covers.

The opening round for the 2016 Victorian Senior Motocross Championships takes place at the Blue Rock Motorcycle Club in Newborough, just 2 hours east of Melbourne, in the Latrobe Valley on the weekend of March 5-6.

Entries for the competition are still open, and close on Monday, February 29 at 7PM: https://cloudentries.com.au/Event/EventForm/3493.

Main Photo: Mike Reefman
Credit: Supplied.

Tony Cairoli reveals his toughest MXGP rivals

An exclusive interview with the MXGP legend who’s vying for an incredible ninth world title in 2016.

By Giovanni Cortinovis on 26 February 2016

After a five-month wait since the end of last season, the first gate drop of the 2016 MXGP World Championship finally takes place this weekend in Qatar.

The anticipation ahead of the floodlit opener at the Losail International Circuit had been building for some time, and not just because it’s the start of a new campaign. Round 1 will also see Tony Cairoli back in action.

The eight-times MX World Champion has missed a crucial part of the build-up to the new season, being forced to sit out three rounds of the Italian series (his usual preparation) following a rib injury in pre-season training towards the end of January.

Added to that the fact that Cairoli’s 2015 season was disrupted by injury, and he’s chomping at the bit to get back to business. We’re excited too, so we caught up with Cairoli ahead of Qatar to hear from the man himself.

[The goal for 2016 is] to win the World Championship...

Tony, how are you physically?
Physically not so good, the ribs haven’t caused me too much trouble but nerve compression in my arm and neck is still giving me some problems.

How prepared would you say you are, physically?
Around 40 percent.

And mentally?
I’d say 90 percent for the most part, sometimes 60 percent, but it depends on how I am feeling physically at that given point.

You’ve renewed with KTM until 2018. That must’ve been a great feeling.
I am delighted to continue my career with KTM. It’s what I wanted. It’s an honour for me to be part of such a great team for the next three years. When you’re riding for KTM good results are expected of course, being consistently in the top three and winning championships.

Ride with Tony at last year’s MXGP of the USA:

You’ve been on the 450 for a year now. How do you feel, and has it changed the way you ride?
No. Of course I have less experience on the larger bike, because I only did a few races last year on the 450 [eight GPs, Ed]. I still have more to learn about this bike, but I’ll definitely feel a lot more confident on it.

What’s your goal for the 2016 season?
To win the World Championship.

Who’ll be the toughest riders you’ll face?
I think the favourites will be Romain Febvre, Clément Desalle and Max Nagl. Close behind them and capable of winning the title, I believe, are Jeremy van Horebeek, Evgeny Bobryshev, 

and Gautier Paulin, who had great championships last year. There are a couple of outsiders too, like Tim Gajser and Glenn Coldenhoff.

7 motocross legends who’ve lit up the sport

Making this list wasn't easy. We all have our favourite riders of all time, regardless of their achievements. So to make our selection we studied the track record of every rider. These are the real legends of the Motocross World Championship.

In MX, as with any other sport, there have always been great athletes but only a select few were truly exceptional. After a 64-year history, here are the real Kings of Motocross.

Joël Robert

He didn't win as many world titles as Stefan Everts or Antonio Cairoli, but to many he's arguably the most talented rider in motocross history. His riding style was really special, always going on the inside of the turn and being able to control any slide with an incredible mix of talent and technique.

During his peak years, the Belgian was so dominant that he could do some genuinely unbelievable things, like stopping at the grandstand in the middle of the race to give someone a kiss.

Six-times MX World Champion
250cc (1964, 1968 and 1969 – CZ; 1970, 1971 and 1972 – Suzuki)

Roger De Coster

A versatile rider, he was not only the best in MX but also excelled in trials and Enduro – even winning a gold medal in the ISDE (International Six Days Enduro). De Coster had a fluid style, keeping everything under control. His level of fitness was legendary, so much so that the Belgian was able to up the pace during the last laps in order to win with a comfortable margin. Roger is so respected in the motocross world that he's simply known as “The Man”.

5 times MX World Champion
500cc (1971, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976 – Suzuki)

Eric Geboers

He was called “The Kid” because of his big brother, Sylvain Geboers, a top rider in the 250cc class during the 1970s. Later, Eric made history by becoming the first man to win the world championship in all three classes: 125cc, 250cc and 500cc. That earned him the title of “Mr 875cc”.

Georges Jobé, his team-mate, tried to achieve this feat for a number of years, but without luck. After his illustrious motocross career Geboers switched to four wheels, taking part in endurance races.

Five-times MX World Champion
125cc (1982 and 1983 – Suzuki)
250cc (1987 – Honda)
500cc (1988 and 1990 – Honda)

Georges Jobé

At the age of 16 he decided to give up a promising career in football to turn to MX where he was determined to make history. The Belgian achieved five world titles, but was also the first man to make a successful double jump. It happened in 1984, during the British GP, when Jobé flew over André Malherbe, his toughest rival. Photographer Nick Haskell was there to take the shot, which became an iconic image in motocross history.

Five-times MX World Champion
250cc (1980 and 1983 – Suzuki)
500cc (1987, 1991 and 1992 – Honda)

Joël Smets

“The Flemish Lion” was named after Joël Robert, who was his parents’ favourite rider. He began to compete a bit later – he was already 17 – but it was immediately clear that a new star had been born.

Lady Luck was not kind to Smets, who was forced to retire after suffering a serious knee injury during the Gaildorf GP in Germany. With 57 GP victories under his belt, Smets ranks third in the overall standings, just behind Stefan Everts (101) and Antonio Cairoli (75).

Five-times MX World Champion
500cc (1995, 1997 and 1998 – Husaberg; 2000 – KTM)
650cc (2003 – KTM)

Stefan Everts

Son of four-time world champion Harry Everts, Stefan has made history while always showing a perfect style. Everybody admired his incredible technique on the motorbike, riding standing up much more frequently than his rivals. Nobody could control the machine the way he did. During his career he was able to maintain an almost impossible consistency, in part due to his experience and talent. In 2003 Stefan Everts won in the three classes (125cc, MXGP and 650cc) during the same day in Erneé (France). He retired at the end of the 2006 season, the year he won 14 out of 15 GPs.

10-times MX World Champion
125cc (1991 – Suzuki RM 125)
250cc (1995 – Kawasaki KX 250; 1996 and 1997 – Honda CR 250)
500cc (2001 and 2002 – Yamaha YZF 450)
MX1 (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 – Yamaha YZF 450)

Antonio Cairoli

Tony Cairoli began to compete at the tender age of seven and he's not looked back since. No other rider has achieved more world titles in the top class.

Part of the secret of this incredible success comes from his association with Claudio de Carli and his squad: The Red Bull Factory Racing Team. Of course, nobody achieves what Cairoli has without supreme talent. There's no way to match his willpower and love for the sport.

The Italian enjoys the roar of the fans, the atmosphere, the emotion and almost every other aspect of his work.

Eight-times MX World Champion
MX2 (2005 and 2007 – Yamaha YZ 250F)
MX1 (2009 – Yamaha YZ 450F; 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 – KTM SXF 350)
MXGP (2014 – KTM SXF 350)

Matrix Free Sticker Kits!!!!

Happy Leap Year!
This weekend only, receive a free Matrix sticker kit with any Matrix, 1.7 Cleaning Solutions, or NEXT Components purchase.
Visit www.matrixracingproducts.com to view all products!

*Sticker kits will automatically be added to every order between 2/27/16 & 2/29/16.

View the 2016 Matrix Concepts, 1.7 Cleaning Solutions, & NEXT COMPONENTS Catalogs.

FLY Racing Signs Wilvo/Virus/KTM Team and Shaun Simpson

February 23, 2016 – Boise, ID – FLY Racing is pleased join the World Motocross GP series in 2016 through a new partnership with Steve Turner Racing and his Wilvo/Virus/KTM Team. Team riders Shaun Simpson and Adam Sterry will represent FLY Racing in MX1 and MX2 wearing its innovative Lite Hydrogen and Evolution 2.0 with integrated BOA system racewear in both MXGP and British Championship events.

      Shaun Simpson                                                                           Adam Sterry

Hot on the heels of an outstanding pre-season with wins at the Hawkstone International and Valence events, Shaun Simpson comes into the start of the MXGP season as a contender for race wins as well as the championship title chase.

Look for the Wilvo/Virus/KTM Team in action as they bring FLY Racing to the center stage of MXGP racing in 2016. To view FLY Racing’s complete line-up of racewear, helmets, protective gear, and casual apparel visit www.flyracing.com.

RedBud founder Gene Ritchie passes away

The video above is from a July, 2014 feature we did on RedBud founder Gene Ritchie, who passed away Saturday at the age of 79. A good portion of that written story is below as well

This photo is from 2014 of RedBud found Gene Ritchie (right), his daughter Amy (middle) and his son Tim (left). Amy and Tim have taken over the family legacy of running RedBud, now the nation's biggest motocross race. Gene passed away Saturday at the age of 79.

The motocross world has lost one of its all-time greats.

RedBud founder Gene Ritchie died Saturday at the age of 79 at home in Buchanan. His family tells us it was from complications of a head injury he suffered three weeks ago.

"We're so thankful that he left this earth just the way he wanted to: peacefully, at home with his dogs and family," his family said. "RedBud was his vision, his dream. To everyone who ever threw a leg over their bike or set foot there, he was so very grateful. He often said, "if you get to do something you love for a living, you're truly blessed". He was blessed. Godspeed, Geno. We love you."

A native of Valparaiso, Ritchie created RedBud in 1972. More than 40 years later, it is the single biggest motocross race in the nation attracting around 30,000 fans every 4th of July weekend to Southwest Michigan.

"It's hard to explain really," Gene Ritchie told NewsCenter 16 days before the 2014 RedBud National. "It's hard to understand. You never would have dreamt anything like this when you get started to what it is now to thousands of people."

Ritchie is a motocross legend--beloved by legends.

"The 1st time I saw him, I was like this guy's real mean," 7-time RedBud champion Ricky Carmichael said in 2014. "And really he's just a big teddy bear."

Ritchie just loved to ride in the 1960s. As he went through some old photos, he comes across one of him with the front wheel up.

"I won a wheelie contest and got [my daughter] Amy a teddy bear," Ritchie says with a smile looking at the photo. "I raced for quite a few years, I just fell in love with it," Ritchie explains. "I knew I couldn't make money racing because I wasn't fast enough."

So he realized he had to take a different path. One day in the early 1970s, he was in Buchanan for a snowmobile race.

"I came up here right where the announcers tower now is and I said 'boy what a place for a motocross track,'" Ritchie explained. "I talked to the owner and he said, 'I've been thinking about selling the place.'"

Gene and some partners bought the place and RedBud was born in 1972. He eventually bought his partners out. But growing his business wasn't easy at first.

"We weren't well liked when we first got here," Richie said with a laugh.

He remembered the bank not wanting to give him a loan and his neighbors just not being fond of him. "Kill Ritchie," is what Gene remembered some neighbors proclaiming.

But over time, Ritchie and his track won the community over. He says it took about ten years to gain traction and then they were off and running.

"Since then it's become quite the spectacle," Gene said. "We quadruple the size of Buchanan.

Gene credited RedBud's growth to his kids--Amy and Tim, who now run the track.

"They've made it what it is," Gene said of Amy and Tim. "I got it started when it was on the ground floor. Now that I got old and retired, they took over and do all the hard work and my son says my main job is to go around kissing babies. That's what I try to do mostly."

"This is his other child so this is kind of one of our siblings I guess," Amy says with a smile back in 2014. "This is his baby and he looks out for it."

Tim says it always helped having his dad as a resource to get feedback on how the track is operating. He remembers the time when he really took over the reigns from his dad. It happened when Tim pushed for the building of a 120 foot jump.

"He didn't want to do it, didn't want to do it," Tim explained in 2014. "And finally he let me do it and now that's the first place he takes people is to LaRocco's Leap."

Tim was right. LaRocco's Leap is now the signature spot at the RedBud track.

On race days, Gene would stand high above the track on a giant scissor lift. Those moments were special for him.

"Oh certainly, especially when they start screaming RedBud," Gene said in 2014 with a crack in his voice before he stops himself before getting emotional.

Who doesn't love saying----"ReddddddBudddddddd." It's the signature yell of any motocross fan that will be at RedBud each 4th of July.

And it's all thanks to that fateful day when Gene took his snowmobile up a hill and had a vision. His vision grew into the nation's biggest motocross race.

Snowbird Ride Day!

What do you do if you are retired and there is snow on the ground where you live? You could dress warm and ride your bike in the snow or you could head south to Arizona. Here's a typical ride day for some snowbirds who have escaped to Yuma.

"Friday was once again the boys day for riding and riding we did as today would take about 7 hours to complete We Larry,Craig, Jim, Bruce and myself left the compound about 9 am heading south into the Barry Goldwater desert range for 30 + miles before crossing East through the mountain range, once through them we headed North for a ways to connect with a drag road. It’s a deep sand wash that is dragged with tires being pulled with a truck to make it smooth so you can see if illegals are crossing the desert at night. It's about 5 miles long and once across the valley floor we pick up a trail that passes old army tanks.We stop for a break and a snack here before heading South to visit the F4 Phantom jet that crashed, but it was crowded with other visitors so we took some pictures and left. We have already traveled 50+ miles, it's noon and we have two more stops.

Next stop was the Betty Lee Mine( http://www.in-the-desert.com/coppermts.html ) Once there we strip down as much as we can as it’s a 1/2 mile walk or better through a wash and old rock road that was once how they got equipment up to it. Once there we do a walk around and spend about 40 mins before leaving back to the bikes and quads. From hear we head North to the Baker Tanks and by now it's after 2 pm so we decide to have another snack and fuel up the quads as we still have another 30 + miles before we get to camp. We decide to skip lunch at Dusty’s so we can be home before 5.

The Lady’s are having some finger foods and other friends are stopping to visit. Lucky for us we just have time to clean up and help set up chairs and tables....Another great time on the trail with super friends......And the Beer and food was great ...Thanks to the Lady’s in our life..."

Frank