Little Red Ridinghood Meets...The Hurricane!

Technical fault forces Reed out of MXGP in Italy

News 27 Jun 2016

Racing Post: Adam Spence

Yamaha-mounted Aussie bows out of final wildcard appearance.

Australia’s Chad Reed finished out his short 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship tour with an unfortunate mechanical issue forcing him out of the Italian MXGP event in Mantova.

Following a 13th place overall finish at the previous Matterley Basin event, the one-time grand prix regular was searching for another top 15 finish before the unknown technical fault occurred.

“I was just trying to find a rhythm that would kind of put me somewhere in the top 15,” Reed told PulpMX. “I was in the top 20 there and we had a bike issue. I don’t know what happened, it was just like someone pulled the plug.”

Due to a hand injury sustained at the previous round, Reed entered the second and final event scheduled on his European vacation with minimal preparation time and admits it did hinder his performance during the two-day event.

“I only rode once this week on Wednesday and around 15 minutes in my hand was really sore,” he said. “I showed up Saturday morning to ride and immediately it was hurting, I couldn’t hold on and I didn’t have any grip strength so I struggled all weekend.”

Although his MXGP appearances didn’t end on a high note, the Australian motocross and supercross icon enjoyed returning to the series that kicked off his international career and says a 2017 return could be on the cards.

“It’s been fun,” he added. “I got to do things I was able to do 15 years ago and I really did enjoy the trip, I would like to come back next year.”

Reed will now take a brief break from racing before attending his next scheduled racing event inside Qudos Bank Arena for the 2016 AUS-X Open event on 12-13 November.

AMA Huntersville National Enduro

Russell Bobbitt made it two in a row with the win. He was followed by Steward Baylor in second place and Jesse Groemm in third place

Moto for the Young at Heart!

Motocross racing isn't just for the young!

Monday, June 27, 2016

By Tyler Graef ~ Southeast Missourian

2Brothers AHRMA Nationals on Sunday at Sky High Motocross Park at Old Appleton.

OLD APPLETON — The first riders were out working the track well before 9:30 a.m. Sunday, but it wasn’t looking good.

Riders from all over the country had gathered at Sky High Motocross Park in Old Appleton for the 2 Brothers AHRMA National races, where the heats were scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., but a couple of inches of overnight rain had left parts of the track a muddy, slogging mess.

“Remember to stay high, especially around turn 8,” an announcer warned racers. “Stay high, and you’ll be just fine. Go down low, though, and you’re gonna need some flippers.”

By the time the track had been rerouted around the worst of the soup, the first race was about an hour late in starting.

But late starts are what you make of them, if 74-year-old motocross racer Teddy Landers’ successes are any indication.

Terry Mcphillips, 61, of Bloomington, Illinois, overtakes Jerry Shanafelt of Odin, Illinois

“I started racing again at 58,” he said, after more than three decades on the sidelines.

“I’ve always liked bikes,” he said. “But in 1972, I put the bikes in the barn. Didn’t take ’em out until 2000.”

An engineer by trade, he said it’s the perfect constructive outlet for him in his spare time.

“And what’s great about the vintage races is that you can see the entire evolution of the dirt bike,” he said, before launching into an explanation of two-stroke power capabilities and ideal suspension mechanisms.

“And coming to the bike races is just about the people, too,” he said. “I found these guys, and they’re just awesome. They’re all here because they love these machines.”

Jamie Wills of Cape Girardeau jumps a berm on his 1977 Husqvarna 250

But Landers, like the other competitors, also is there to win.

“Even though we tell our wives, ‘Oh, honey, I’m just gonna go ride around a bit,’” he said. “If there’s someone in front of you, you want to pass ’em.”

Because he was the only rider in the 70-plus bracket, he won first place just by walking onto the track, but he didn’t care about the plaque, he said

 

 

“I’m by nature a bit competitive,” he said.

Indeed, Landers is well-known among other riders, and not in a humor-the-geezer way, either.

“He’s faster than he looks, definitely,” said 19-year-old racer Jesse Pietroburgo. “Really, he’s faster than me.”

Pietroburgo, Landers’ understudy-of-sorts, said while he’s enamored by the mechanical aspect of the motorcycles, there’s nothing like that whine of a dirt bike, or the feeling of spurting up, one after another over the hill and sliding through the muck past the spectators, leaving a wave of exhaust on the hot breeze. And that’s a feeling that doesn’t go away.

At 61, Terry Mcphillips is a bit younger than Landers, but he too had dabbled in racing as a young man but had assumed those days were behind him.

“But then, I went to a vintage race,” he said. “It was old men on old bikes. ... I said, ‘Well I can do this!’ Even though some of those guys really know how to boogie.”

Hoot Parker, 51, won his first race of the day but almost shrugged afterward. After all, he’s got 42 years of practice under his belt.

“It started off as just a hobby that me and my dad did,” he said. “That was our fishing, hunting and that all rolled into one.”

The bikes he was there to race were between 30 and 40 years old, each with scores of hours of rebuild time put in to get them trackworthy again.

“A lot of the time, we’re working with bikes that probably should have been scrapped,” he said. “And would have.”

But, he pointed out, it’s surprising what a rebuilt motor, a new clutch or a repaired frame can do to bring a bike back to life.

Parker, a safety consultant in Louisiana, also said while the competition is stiff, it’s not reckless.

“Well, we don’t have young, 18-year-old racers out there in our races,” he said. “But yeah, it comes down to knowing where our limits are.”

And nostalgia isn’t the only thing that typically draws older racers to the vintage circuit.

Nashville, Tennessee, racer Adam Flowers has raced the majority of his life but said the older bikes are simply the more prudent option.

“You’re not hitting 60 miles per hour, you’re not doing 100-foot jumps. If you’re on a 40-year-old bike, you’re a little bit safer than being out there on a modern bike,” he said. “It’s old man racing.”

tgraef@semissourian.com

RV Busts Out A Few Laps!

Villopoto surprises MotoWest crowd by competing

More than 330 riders competed Saturday at the Pacific Racing Organization's Northwest National MX competition at the MotoWest track near the Bremerton airport. (Contributed photo)

By Austin Miller, amiller@kitsapsun.com

BREMERTON — A familiar name stole the show for the 2,000 fans Saturday at the Northwest Motocross Series' stop at MotoWest.

Six-time Supercross champion Ryan Villopoto made a surprise return at the first motocross event in Bremerton in 35 years, winning two races in the 450 cc pro division.

Villopoto, a Poulsbo native, planned to attend the event, but didn't decide to race until a few days ago. Once he was announced, the crowd gathered near the finish line cheered in excitement.

"I was going to be out here anyway, so why not," Villopoto said. "A lot of people were excited about it and really enjoyed it, so that was cool."

This event was different than an Supercross event, with fans standing feet away from the race track instead of sitting in the stands. It gave those in attendance the opportunity to see their local hero up close.

Villopoto moved back after retiring from professional motocross in 2015. His wife, Kristen, opened Urban City Brew, a coffee shop in Silverdale. He spends some time pouring cement for his friend's construction company in Kingston.

After traveling across the country and the world, Saturday's event marked the closest to home has Villopoto has raced. The MotoWest track opened near Bremerton National Airport in 2015.

He said he and his brother Tyler had to make an hour and a half trip to Port Angeles whenever they wanted to ride as kids.

"To have this 20 minutes from where I'm at, or another track on this side of the water, is huge," he said.

Tyler Villopoto competed in the same two races as his older brother, finishing in second and third. Those two races were the first time they had raced together behind a gate in 15 years.

Brian Nilsen, co-owner of MotoWest, called Saturday's races a "massive success" and said he was humbled by the smiles he saw on people's faces as they watched the more than 330 riders.

"My dream was to have a place where people could go and race locally and in Kitsap County there was nothing for 35 years," Nilsen said. "That's what feels so good for me, to give people a place where they can come and race and practice."

Villopoto and Nilsen hope the track can allow more people to get into motocross.

Nilsen said nearly 40 percent of the riders that practice at the track during the week are young boys and girls.

"If we would have had a track when Ryan and Tyler were growing up that would have been fantastic," he said. "There might be more Ryans and Tylers out there and now they only have to go 10 or 15 minutes to practice. The chance of growing more professional riders is very good for this area."

.

Chad Chats From Italy

Pit Chat with Chad Reed FULLBACK MXGP of Lombardia - Italy 2016

 

MX Nation...Fathers and Sons

Former phenom Adam Cianciarulo and top rookie Austin Forkner both enter the 2016 outdoor season with much to prove, but race day doesn’t always go according to plan. Austin learns what it means to be a pro, while Adam and his father butt heads.

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Glen Helen Never Looked So Tough

It was a hot one at Glen Helen Raceway hovering around 100 degrees but that just added to the challenge for some of the best technical enduro racers in the world! Presented by Prairie Dogs MC, filmed and edited by Beau Cotington. Be sure to check out the FULL 40+ MINUTE UNCUT full length video available for all devices exclusively at www.beaucottington.com

57-year-old motocross racer Cathy McMaster competes against riders that are half her age

Cathy McMaster flies through the air at age 57 as the oldest women's motocross racer in the are

Cathy McMaster admits she's always been "kind of a crazy person."

At 57, she is 30 years older than the next oldest woman competing in area motocross circuits. Most of her competitors are 14- and 15-year-old girls. The oldest woman in her class is 27. In her first full season of racing in the Oshawa Competition Motorcycle Club McMaster, who first tried the sport at 55, finished third in the ladies B division.

"I'll try anything," said McMaster. "It was really scary in the beginning. You're going off jumps four and five feet in the air and I'm no spring chicken."

The adrenaline rush, she says, is worth the risk. So far, her worst injury is a broken thumb caused when another rider collied with her. She's had several spills.

"As they say, if you haven't crashed, you're not going fast enough," she said.

"Conquering the fear is a big thing for me. Getting yourself up in the air is scary and when you actually do it it's like 'Wow, I actually accomplished it.' It's a total adrenaline rush."

McMaster has seen children barely old enough to walk on bikes so she's aware of how late a bloomer she is, but she says she's been accepted by the youngsters.

"They're really great kids. Very different from your average kids. They kind of respect anybody who will give it a go," McMaster said. "They're very helpful. I've learned so much from them. Watching them is very inspirational. They're fearless."

McMaster and her partner Christina, moved to Bridgenorth from Ajax last year after retiring as TTC drivers. They've owned a trailer in Omemee for 11 years and liked the area.

McMaster has ridden road bikes all her life but bought her first dirt bike at age 52 and road on area trails. Two years ago, she joined the OCMC and now that she's retired she has the time to run the full series. She also races at the Burnt River Offroad Facility once a month and in the Maguire's Motocross Racing Series which travels around Eastern Ontario.

Riding a motorcycle, she said, doesn't necessarily prepare you one for motocross.

"The only things the same about a motocross bike and road bike is they have gears and two tires," she said. "Everything else is totally different. When I got on the dirt bike it was so different.

"There is more to it than I ever would have imagined. There is so much to learn and so much technique. I used to think you just get on the bike and ride."

Christina helps in the pits and is her biggest fan after some early trepidation.

"At first I was worried about her crashing and hurting herself," said Christina. "She had just retired and I thought 'Oh, my god.' But she's very safety conscious. I'm really excited for her and I'll support her in anything she wants to do. We've been together for 29 years so I'm kind of used to her now."

Cathy does have one regret.

"I wish there were more women my age who did it. Then the competition would be more equal for me. These kids, well, you know how much energy a kid has. On the other hand, they do push me to go faster."

mdavies@postmedia.com

Valentino Rossi....Motocrosser?

‘The Ranch’ is a source of inspiration, motivation and high-speed adrenaline for Valentino Rossi. At this private facility just outside his hometown of Tavullia the Italian has prolonged his love of motorcycles, his passion for competition and laid the foundations for an even longer legacy in the sport of MotoGP. Granted exclusive and special access this is a unique insight and glimpse into the dirt track facility and the