Riding Baja

Here's a good look at trail riding Baja

Australian MX 2016

CDR Yamaha set for 2016

Armed with two experienced pilots who know how to win, a championship winning bike that has been through a multi-year development period and stability behind the scenes, CDR Yamaha have crossed the I’s and dotted the T’s as they are about to embark on another MX Nationals campaign.

Starting on April 3, in Horsham Victoria, the CDR Yamaha team will enter its 24th year as Yamaha’s Factory MX1 outfit. The team has long been regarded as the benchmark for Australian motocross and the success of the team is no fluke with the best mechanics and technical staff in the country.

After three years racing internationally, Dean Ferris has returned to Australia and taking an instantly liking to his CDR Yamaha YZ450F. Ferris has been hard at work, competing in the New Zealand Motocross Championships in a combined CDR / JCR effort as well as contesting the Conondale Cup recently in Queensland as a warm to his national campaign.

Those events have proven to be beneficial to Ferris and his early season form has been promising.

“I’m really enjoying racing back in Australia and working with the CDR Yamaha team has been amazing. I felt comfortable right away on the YZ450F and things have only improved as we have tested a range of settings and components.

“New Zealand has also been a great way to kick start my year but I was employed to win the MX Nationals so that’s my goal and what the team and I are working towards. Horsham is right around the corner and I’m good to go,” Ferris ends.

This time last year, Dan Reardon decided he wanted to race again and in a last minute move, he was drafted into the CDR Yamaha team. Nine months later, he won the Australian Supercross Championship. With motivation at an all-time high, Reardon is excited to go racing and feels are is much better placed to challenge for the MX National crown in 2016.

“Last year, the first time I did a 30 minute moto was at round one of the championship so now with a good pre-season behind me, I think I’m far more prepared for the coming season. To win the supercross championship was a good morale booster for me but I also want to show that I’m not just a supercross guy and that I can ride motocross.

“The MX1 field is good this year with plenty of high quality riders, so the winner will have to be on top of their game. It will be a hard fought championship right from the drop of the gate at round one.”

Team owner and former four time Mr. Motocross winner, Craig Dack, believes the ground work has been done and both his riders are in with a legitimate chance of winning the prestigious MX Nationals.

“Both Dan and Dean are experienced riders with race wins both here and overseas to their name. I like the fact that they have racing maturity and have the mental strength to succeed in racing.

“During testing, the feedback on the bike has been positive and we think with our testing program, the YZ450F is as good as it’s ever been. The staff have been tireless in getting all the one percenters right and we a great group of sponsors behind us again this year.

“At CDR Yamaha, we know how difficult it is to win a national championship in the MX1 division and with other teams stepping up their programs, 2016 presents a huge challenge for us but one we are looking forward to.

“I have had enough of the off season, it’s time to go racing,” Dack says boldly.

The MX Nationals roars to life on April 3 in Horsham, Victoria. The challenging ten round championship wraps up at Coolum in Queensland in August where the champions will be crowned.

Main Photo: Dan Reardon back in CDR Yamaha colours for 2016

Metcalfe Down Under

Motocross News
Brett Metcalfe to renew acquaintances with Husqvarna for MX Nationals

Aussie motocross hero Brett Metcalfe will renew acquaintances with Husqvarna Australia and the 2016 FC450 when he returns this weekend in an exciting new deal pertaining to the first half of this year's MX Nationals series.

With the ink still drying on the agreement Metcalfe is already preparing to head to Australia as a special guest rider on the SD3 Husqvarna team owned by Steve McKinnon, to compete in the first four rounds of this year's MX Nationals series.

McKinnon and Husqvarna Australia Brand Manager Jon Hafey began looking at alternatives after the departure of Jacob Wright from the factory supported squad a fortnight ago.

With positive memories of Metcalfe's podium-yielding visit to Wayville for the third round of the Australian Supercross championships last October, the pair quickly put together a proposal to invite Metcalfe back to participate in the outdoor championship.

Metcalfe’s inclusion will now mean that Husqvarna Australia will field a two-rider MX1 assault for at least the first four rounds of the championship, with young Queenslander Jesse Dobson looking in hot touch during recent events after shaking off any signs of last year’s knee injury.

"When I first got the call from SD3 Husqvarna owner Steve McKinnon I was optimistic but unsure if it was possible," Metcalfe explained. "I’m always excited about the opportunity of racing, especially after Wayville SX last year on the Husqvarna FC450. I had a great time with the crew and things went smoothly. We both had a few targets to hit and went to work on it immediately and came up with green lights, so I’m excited about it and also happy that I'll get to bring my wife and my two boys down to enjoy a little Australian lifestyle and visit my family.

"I've been training and riding since January so I hope to be up to speed quickly once I arrive in Australia for the SD3 Husqvarna team this weekend. The field in the 450 class is going to be intense. The list of riders is long and it's great to see it finally build up. I have a feeling the racing is going to be amazing for the fans in both classes. I've already spent good time with my new Teammate Luke Arbon and his chief mechanic Andy Pringle in the past month here in California, so I know the SD3 Husqvarna team is prepared and ready to compete.

"I'd really like thank Steve and Dimity McKinnon from SD3, Jon Hafey and Jeff Leisk from Husqvarna, Lincoln McFayden at Mcleod's Accessories, Kelso at Rockstar, and give a special Thanks to Andre Laurin from Rockstar/OTSFF for allowing me to come down, my longtime agent David Evans and of course my Family for the Love and support.”

Jon Hafey, Husqvarna Brand Manager was excited as Metcalfe to see the South Australian back racing in Australia.

"I'm very excited and I have had the pleasure of sharing two MX Des Nations experiences with Brett and he is the consummate professional. Knowing Brett he would be under no illusion as to the level of competition at the pointy end of the field here, but I would expect him to be very competitive. Brett is a fan of the Husky 450 after riding it to second place in the Wayville Supercross last year, and he was more than willing to come back for these selected MX Nationals appearances.”

Steve McKinnon, SD3 Husqvarna Team Owner, added, “Following Jacob Wright’s departure from SD3 Husqvarna we have managed to pull together a very exciting eleventh-hour deal to have Brett Metcalfe race the opening four rounds of the MX Nationals. Brett was an amazing and very popular competitor when he last visited Australia for the third round of the Australian Supercross championships in October last year.

"Brett recently spent a lot of time training with SD3 rider Luke Arbon over the pre-season and he fits effortlessly into our team structure so I think it's going to be good for SD3 Husqvarna and great for the sport to have Brett back in the country for these opening four rounds of the MX Nationals series. I can’t wait.”

Main Photo: Brett Metcalfe set for the MX NAtionals on the 2016 FC450.

Honda’s CRF250 Rally Takes Shape

Honda put wheels in motion for CRF250 Rally

The new Africa Twin is undoubtedly one of the biggest arrivals of recent times in the adventure market, but rumours late last year that Honda's line-up is about to be complemented by a quarter-litre machine have taken another step towards becoming reality as revealed at the recent Osaka motorcycle show.

 

Although there is still no official release date or announcement from Honda these images clearly show progress from the CAD concept drawings in circulation last November. 

Honda has now trademarked the ‘CRF250 Rally’ name in the US and Europe as well as filing design patents for the styling of the new bike.

Looks are borrowed heavily from the CRF450 Production racer complete with HRC livery, Showa forks, twin LED headlights, Renthal bars and tall windscreen blended with the familiar chassis, indicators and mirrors from the best selling CRF250L it is based on. 

 

The Japanese manufacturer clearly sees a market for an affordable, small capacity bike that will allow a way into the increasingly popular world of rallying for younger riders and those on a budget.

We will soon be having our first ride on the new Africa Twin and will keep you updated on progress with its younger sibling

Daniel Milner Wrestles the Win from Strang and DuVall

Alligator Sprint Enduro

Mar 4, 2016 | Race Reports

Daniel Milner

The second round of the 2016 KENDA Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series presented by Moose Racing took place at the home of the Alligator Enduro in Bunnell, FL, infamous for its seemingly bottomless black sand, the racers were faced with two challenging special tests during the two-day event.

Racing began on the 2-mile cross test with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Josh Strang jumping out to the test win ahead of fellow Australian, and round one winner, N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Daniel Milner by just half a second. FMF KTM’s Russell Bobbitt finished the test in 3rd, and Thad DuVall, who finished 2nd-overall at round one placed 4th in the test but dropped 8-seconds to Strang.

The second test of the day was on the 3.5-mile enduro test and it was Milner who posted a blazing 6:53.521 test time through the pines, palmettos, and tricky bog sections, over 6-seconds ahead of test one winner Strang. Milner’s win in that test gave him the overall lead that he would hold for the remainder of the two days of racing.

Milner would go on to win the 3rd test of the day, the riders second lap on the cross test, by 5-seconds over Strang and increasing his lead to over 10-seconds. DuVall would rebound from a disastrous 2nd test that saw him drop 12-seconds to Milner with a 3rd-place finish in the cross test.

FMF KTM’s Russell Bobbitt would keep himself in the mix with a win in the 4th test of the day, the 2nd lap of the enduro test. Strang and Milner kept their consistent day going with 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the test, with RPM/KTM’s Evan Smith putting in his best ride of the day to finish 4th.

As the soft sand began to deteriorate and bog holes claimed some amateur riders, line selection became of the utmost importance and the 5th and 6th tests of the day would set the tone for the remainder of the event with Milner taking the cross test win ahead of Strang, and Duvall taking the final win of the day, and his first test win of the event, in the enduro test to secure 3rd-place for the day.

In the Women’s Pro class Mackenzie Tricker, round one winner, swept the first four tests of the day before Red Bull’s Tarah Gieger was able to claim the final cross test win. Tricker would rebound in the final enduro test to get her 5th test win of the day and head into the second day of racing with a 16-second cushion over Gieger. Ashley Copeland was 3rd followed by Brooke Cosner and Sarah Baldwin.

Daniel Milner started the second day of racing looking to pad his 11-second lead and put himself in a position to claim his second consecutive overall win of the season and he did just that by taking the cross test win by 5-seconds over Strang. Russell Bobbitt was another second back in 3rd with DuVall just a few tenths behind him in 4th.

DuVall would pick up in the enduro test where he left off on Wednesday by taking the win ahead of Milner, Strang, and Bobbitt. The FAR KR4 Performance rider would go on to sweep the enduro tests for day two with Strang finishing 2nd in the final two enduro tests keeping DuVall honest in those tests.

Daniel Milner whose ISDE experience shined in the European-style cross test went on to win the remaining two attempts on the grass track, making a clean sweep of cross test wins for the day. Fellow Aussie and ISDE veteran, Josh Strang, finished second in all of the cross tests on the day and while he didn’t win any tests on day two, he would ultimately finish second overall for the day behind Milner and ahead of DuVall with his three test wins.

At the end of the two days of racing Milner’s lead stretched to nearly 15-seconds ahead of Strang with DuVall another 17-seconds back. FMF KTM’s Russell Bobbitt would secure 4th-place for the event with SRT Off-Road’s Cory Buttrick rounding out the top-five.

Continuing the trend of Aussies on top, Mackenzie Tricker would sweep all six tests in the Women’s Pro class to take the overall win. Ride MPS / Bonzi Racing’s Brooke Cosner would finish 2nd for the day to work her way up to 3rd-place overall. Red Bull’s Tarah Gieger was 3rd fastest on the day and would finish the event in 2nd-place. Ashley Copeland, 3rd-place after the first day of racing, would experience a mechanical and DNF on day two. Sarah Baldwin and Mandi Mastin would round out the top-five.

The Top Amateur for the event was Argentinian Luciano Benavides, who took the win in the Open A class at round one and again at round two. Benavides has been in the United States training with Mike Brown and is planning to return from Argentina to compete in the remainder of the FGSE events in 2016.

The youth overall went to Silas Powers who took the Supermini 12-15 win.

The 2016 KENDA Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series presented by Moose Racing continues racing on April 23-24 in Romney, WV for the Ride-On Moto presented round of the series, which will also act as the East Coast AMA ISDE Qualifier. Registration for the event will open on March 15th on LiveLaps.com.

1. Daniel Milner – 1:06:26.731 – Yamaha
2. Josh Strang – 1:06:41.241 – Husqvarna
3. Thad DuVall – 1:06:58.663 – Husqvarna
4. Russell Bobbitt – 1:07:23.929 – KTM
5. Cory Buttrick – 1:07:46.192 – KTM
6. Drew Higgins – 1:07:54.027 – KTM
7. Evan Smith – 1:07:58.605 – KTM
8. Garrett Edmisten – 1:08:29.856 – Yamaha
9. Jordan Ashburn – 1:08:31.780 – KTM
10. Jason Klammer – 1:09:35.576 – KTM

Team Honda Looks To The Nationals

Motocross News
Team Honda HRC set sights on the outdoors

Posted: Tuesday, 22nd March, 2016

 

Before taking the weekend off from the AMA Monster Energy Supercross, Team Honda HRC has set it's focus on the outdoors as the team looks to the 2016 AMA Motocross Championship.

Following the 12th round, the Detroit Supercross round, Trey Canard, Cole Seely and Justin Bogle were scheduled to spend Monday and Tuesday at Canard’s private track in Edmond, Oklahoma, to begin preparing for the AMA Pro Motocross series.

“This will be our first outdoor test of the season, which is typical for this time of year,” explained team manager Dan Betley.

“Trey has a couple different tracks that we’re going to do some testing on. Our focus for the week is chassis and suspension. We want to get a good base for the riders and get them comfortable. We’ll be starting with what we raced on last year and then building off of that. After this week, we’ll get back to supercross, but from here on out we’ll start to have some regular outdoor tests to get ready for the season.”

Cole Seely

Plagued with injury during his rookie 450 outdoor season last year, Seely is looking forward to putting in the work for the 2016 series.

“I only raced a handful of motocross races last year, so I’m excited to get out there and test with the KYB guys especially,” he explained. “I didn’t get much time with them last year because I was transitioning over to their equipment when I got hurt, so I didn’t get much testing in. I’m excited to get out there and put some days in to figure out some outdoor settings. I feel like I’ve never really had a great outdoor setup that I feel confident in because I don’t think I’ve ever focused enough on the testing, so I’m excited to get back to it.”

With six rounds of the 2016 Supercross season left Canard sits 10th in the standings, Seely 6th and Justin Bogle 17th.

Australian Off Road Championship

Off Road News
Active8 Yamaha Yamalube Racing Well Placed After AORC Opener

Monday, 21st March, 2016

 

Active8 Yamaha Yamalube’s Josh Green and Beau Ralston have laid done solid foundations for their Australian Off Road Championship (AORC) aspirations after the opening round of the championship was contested at Kilkivan in Queensland over the weekend.

New signing and Australia’s fastest female racer, Tayla Jones, also made her debut for the team and put in a very respectable effort in what now is an ultra-competitive E1 men’s class.

In hot and humid conditions, the Active8 Yamaha Yamalube teamsters set about getting their championship off on the right foot. Over-night rain on Saturday night improved conditions but the heat was relentless and made competitors work for their results.

Josh Green, the 2015 E1 (250cc) champion, has stepped up to the E2 division and mounted on the all new WR450F. Green signaled his intentions over the weekend and showed plenty of raw speed taking seven special test wins out of the 14 contested.

Unfortunately, a mistake on each day cost Green any chance of winning either day but lessons were learnt and Green is right in contention as the championship moves to rounds three and four next month.

Green leaves Kilkivan sitting in second place outright and leading the E2 (450cc) class.

“I felt pretty good on the bike all weekend but just pushed a bit hard in a couple of tests each day and that cost me,” Green explains. “I just needed to stay calm and get the job done instead of over- riding it and going down.

“The WR450F proved to be awesome over the weekend and the extra step up in power made for a pretty exciting weekend.

“But to be in second place after the weekend and know that my speed and fitness is good and I’m 100% healthy leaves me well placed and looking forward to the next rounds.”

Beau Ralston is also right in the heat of the battle as he posted a very consistent weekend on his WR480F in the E3 category. Ralston logged a fourth outright on day one and then a sixth outright on day 2, to sit in fifth outright. He also is currently running third in the E3 division after the weekend.

Ralston can take confidence from the weekend and feels there is plenty of room for improvement in his riding.

“I was pretty consistent over the weekend, although I certainly felt better on the bike on Saturday and it showed in the results. Sunday wasn’t bad but my riding was just a bit off and with the tests being a little faster due to the rain, I wasn’t quite able to generate the speed I needed.

“Otherwise, the weekend was smooth sailing and the bike is working well. I have a couple of weeks before the next round so with the opening round out of the way, now I can relax and ride properly,” Ralston explains.

Tayla Jones made a strong debut for the Active8 Yamaha team

Tayla Jones leapt into the deep end as she choose to leave the women’s division after dominating the class in 2015 and jump in with the boys in E1 (250cc). 2016 now sees the E1 class considerably deeper than previous seasons, yet Jones stuck to the task and finished 17th in class and 53rd outright on Saturday while on Sunday, she jumped 10 positions to land in 43rd outright and move to 15th in E1.

“Electing to race the guys is so can I challenge myself to be a better rider and race with more intensity than I would if I was racing the other girls,” Jones said. “The weekend was a big learning curve for me and E1 is so competitive this year.

“I was pretty nervous on Saturday but I was able to relax a bit on Sunday and I rode so much better. The Active8 Yamaha team have been awesome and it’s nice to be able to discuss what’s happening out on the tests with the team so I can continue to improve.

“My YZ250FX ran great all weekend and now I know what to expect, things should be better again at the next round,” Tayla concluded.

Ex off-road champion and Active8 Yamaha team manager, AJ Roberts, was happy with his teams’ performance over the weekend and believes there are plenty of positives to take from the opening rounds.

“Both Josh and Beau have positioned themselves well after the opening weekend despite not being at their best. We can work with both of them to clean up any issues over the weekend and keep building momentum as the championship progresses.

Tayla did really well for her first major race in E1. The class is pretty tough this year and the heat was sapping all weekend so for her to place where she did is a good result. I’m sure she wants to do better and will go home and work hard but it was a good start and now with some E1 familiarity, she will be a better rider for it,” AJ signs off.

Rounds three and four of the championship will take place at Portland in NSW on April 9 and 10.

For a full list of results: http://www.mylaps.com/en/events/1242136

Main Photo: Josh Green on the gas at the AORC season opener
Credit: Mad Dog Images

AORC Results – After Round 2 (Provisional)

OUTRIGHT
1st Daniel Saunders – 50
2nd Josh Green – 42 (Active8 Yamaha)
3rd Lachlan Stanford – 42
4th Tye Simmonds - 34
5th Beau Ralston - 32 (Active8 Yamaha)

2 Stroke Challenges the Alligator!

2016 Alligator Full Gas Sprint Enduro

Jump on board with FMF/Maxxis/RPM KTM Racing Team's Drew Higgins as he tackles the enduro test of the Alligator Full Gas Sprint Enduro.

Red Bull Hard Enduro 2016

Meet this season’s Hard Enduro contenders

Can Jonny Walker repeat last year’s heroics or will he be reeled in by a young and hungry pack?

Jonny Walker became the man to beat last year © Future7Media

By Robert Lynn on 17 March 2016

With the winter break all but over, the Red Bull Hard Enduro Series gears up for a new season of action-packed competition. Six races await the world’s best enduro riders, taking them across Europe, South Africa and into South America.

In 2015, Jonny Walker was the man to beat with a near flawless performance. While Walker looks to repeat that form this year, he’ll have his work cut out as Graham Jarvis, Wade Young, Spain’s duo of Alfredo Gómez and Mario Román, along with rising youngster Manuel Lettenbichler, look to grab their fair share of the limelight.

Jonny Walker

2015 was the year of Jonny Walker. Winning all bar one of the Red Bull Hard Enduro events, Walker recorded the best year of his career so far. Stepping out of his SuperEnduro schedule to tackle the French AlesTrem classic in January, Walker proved he’s ready for the 2016 challenge by claiming the win. After an early battle with Wade Young, Walker kicked things up a gear as the difficulty level increased and pulled clear to secure a seven-minute margin of victory. If that was a sign of things to come, the young Brit may well remain a familiar sight on the top step of the podium.

Lettenbichler Junior

Following in his father’s footsteps, Manuel Lettenbichler will take in a full season of Red Bull Hard Enduro in 2016. Clear favourite to win the SuperEnduro Junior World Championship, Lettenbichler has been on top form this winter and is looking to step it up outdoors. Almost claiming a podium result at last year’s Red Bull 111 Megawatt, Lettenbichler has what it takes to get the job done. Expect him to hit the podium at least once this year.

Wade Young

Since joining Sherco as a factory rider, Wade Young has been enjoying an incredible start to the year. He kept Jonny Walker honest at the AlesTrem and then remarkably took on and beat non other than Graham Jarvis at the Hell’s Gate classic. With his eyes firmly fixed on the prize and Sherco backing him all the way, 2016 could be the year of Wade Young.

The Spanish Armada

The Spanish Armada strengthens for 2016 with both Alfredo Gómez and Mario Román running factory-backed machinery. With a change of colours this year, Gómez moves from Husqvarna to KTM, joining Walker as a team-mate. Runner-up at the 2015 Hell’s Gate, Román was one of the season’s surprise performers until a knee injury cut short his campaign. But his results didn’t go unnoticed and Husqvarna were quick to sign him up as a team-mate to Graham Jarvis.

South America Kick Off

Red Bull Minas Riders is a new race on the calendar for 2016. Marking the very first time the Hard Enduro series ventures to South America. The race in Brazil signals a step into the unknown and, most importantly, makes for a level playing field. Following a similar format to the Red Bull Romaniacs, the Minas Riders four-day event will feature a city prologue in Belo Horizonte before three tough days of riding in the surrounding mountains.

The 2016 Red Bull Hard Enduro series takes place in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on April 17-20.

Super Enduro World Champion...Colton Haaker!

 Fly Racing sponsored Colton Haaker crowned World Champion in Madrid.