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.

NZ Riders Enjoy World Vet

Coppins one rut away from winning his first world motocross title

ANDY McGECHAN/BIKESPORT NZ

Motueka's Josh Coppins (Altherm JCR Yamaha YZ450F), closer and closer to winning a world title.

One tricky rut was all that stood in the way of Motueka's Josh Coppins finally clinching a world motocross crown at the weekend.

Along with a strong contingent of fellow New Zealanders, the 39-year-old Coppins was among those at the head of the action at the 2016 edition of the veterans' motocross world championships in the United States.

Even as one of the oldest riders in the premier 30+ Pro division, the two-time former world championship runner-up and multi-time New Zealand champion was one of the title favourites and his winning form during Saturday's non-scoring "warm-up" races showed that status was well-founded.

However, the former Yamaha factory rider and now manager of the Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team in New Zealand was eventually denied the title by the narrowest of margins.

Coppins (Yamaha YZ450F) finished 1-2 in the two races, which positioned him first equal with 36-year-old American factory test rider Mike Sleeter, although the Kiwi hero was relegated to second overall because of the count-back rule (Sleeter having the superior result in the final race) and that outcome could be traced back to one small mistake.

"I crashed in the rutted corner in the second race while I was going for the pass on Sleeter. I had set up my move on him on lap five (of 11) but dropped the bike," Coppins explained.

"I managed to pull a lot of time back on Sleeter after that mishap, but the damage had been done and I simply ran out of time to get past him again.

"It was very close racing and I did enjoy it. I struggled a bit with my conditioning for the high temperatures (the thermometer hovering around the 30 degree mark all weekend), but I'm not offering that as an excuse.

"I really wanted to win this year because I move up to the 40+ grade next season. This event has been on my 'bucket list' for quite some time and I was surprised at all the support I had coming from the crowd. There were a lot  of former GP fans of mine who'd come to watch and I was blown away by that. I didn't realise I had such a large following."

With riders permitted to compete also in younger age categories than their own, Hawera's Daryl Hurley took the opportunity to join Coppins in the 30+ grade, finishing 7-4 and claiming fourth overall.

Hurley won his own 40+ Pro grade and Taupo's John Kirkcaldie celebrated victory in the 40+ Expert grade, while Christchurch's Dean Baird and Wellington's Darryn Henderson were riders who also had to be satisfied with finishing runners-up in their respective classifications.

Hurley finished 1-1 in the 40+ Pro grade to take that title, while Kirkcaldie won the 40+ Expert "support" grade with 1-2 results, with Winton's Martin Axtens finishing 5-8 to settle for 7th overall in the same grade.

Baird finished 2-4 in his races to earn runner-up result his 40+ Intermediate grade and Henderson finished 2-2 to claim runner-up in the 50+ Expert grade.

Taranaki's Mitch Rowe finished 4-4 in his 50+ Pro class, which gave him fourth overall for the event, while the title went to British former factory GP racer Kurt Nicoll.

The 51-year-old Rowe took the opportunity to also race in the younger 45+ Expert grade, where he finished 6-6 and a creditable 7th overall. Also taking advantage of the "drop down" rule, Axtens (7-8) finished 8th overall in the same category.

Papakura's Tony Cooksley managed 3-4 results for third equal in the 60+ Expert grade, level on the score-sheet with American former factory rider Chuck Sun, although relegated to fourth on count-back.

Bay of Plenty's Ian Conway finished 10-11 in the 55+ Intermediate grade, good for 11th overall, while Andrew Stewart finished 8-4 for fifth overall in the 50+ Novice grade.

Tauranga's Julie Managh finished 3-4 in the Intermediate Women's grade, which gave her fourth overall for the event. She had also raced in the non-championship women's race on Saturday, finishing fifth overall alongside the Expert grade competitors. 

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Haaker Wins Exciting Boise EnduroCross

Webb and Redmond round out the podium

November 05, 2016 By Sean Finley

 

The Penultimate round of the 2016 AMA EnduroCross Championship took place inside the Ford Idaho Center and Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker came out on top of a wild main event. KTM’s Cody Webb salvaged a second place finish despite two violent crashes to keep the championship chase alive with one race remaining. Beta’s Kyle Redmond led several laps in the main event and finished a solid third.

Webb, Haaker and SRT racing backed Cory Graffunder won the three heat races to earn a bonus championship point each. Graffunder’s win was particularly exciting as he came out on top of a multi-rider tussle for the win when Mike Brown crashed right in front the finish line. When the top two finishers from each of the three heat races squared off for the evening Hot Lap, Haaker earned the bonus point and first gate pick for the main by beating what Webb despite what looked like a solid lap from Webb.

When the main event started, Haaker took the $500 Nexen Tire Holeshot award while Webb went down hard and got run over by several riders. Haaker looked set to walk away with an easy win but got stuck in the firewood pit at the start of the second lap and lost a couple of positions. Redmond took over the lead and held it for five laps as Haaker worked his way back to second but struggled with the firewood pit nearly every lap.

Haaker worked his way past Redmond for the lead on lap six and pulled a small lead but continued to struggle with the firewood pit. Webb got up from his first turn crash well behind the field but started methodically working his way through the pack. He was able to pass Redmond for second on lap seven and then closed in on Haaker to keep the race exciting all the way to the finish. Haaker managed to keep it together to take his fifth win of the season while Webb showed his toughness to take second.

Redmond had a close call when he landed on a log midway through the race and bent his footpeg up. Despite that, he held on to take his first podium finish of the season.

“I got the Holeshot and was riding really good but got stuck the first six laps.” Haaker said. “I saw Cody crash several times and he was going down hard and still managed to catch me because I was getting stuck in the firewood but I have been on the other side of that. It felt good to get another win.”

image: http://motocross.transworld.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/441/files/2016/11/2016_BoiseEX-ColtonHaaker-01-600x400.jpg

Colton Haaker rode his Husqvarna to an exciting win in Boise. Photo: Adam Booth.

“In the beginning I almost wasn’t going to keep going.” Webb said. “I took a big digger and got run over but I realized I was not seriously hurt. Then I crashed again from the top of the rock pile so my bars were bent but I gave it my all to get back up there.”

image: http://motocross.transworld.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/441/files/2016/11/2016_BoiseEX-CodyWebb-600x400.jpg

KTM’s Cody Webb recovered from two big crashes to take a fairly close second place finish. Photo:Adam Booth.

“Everything was good today, I was fastest in the afternoon hot lap, led some laps in the main and finished up with a third place, so that was a great day,” Redmond said. “I was riding with a really bent footpeg for the second half of the race so that made it difficult but I held on for the podium.”

image: http://motocross.transworld.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/441/files/2016/11/2016_BoiseEX-KyleRedmond-03-600x400.jpg

Kyle Redmond had a great day to take the final podium spot on his Beta. Photo: Adam Booth.

Canada’s Trystan Hart put in another amazing race to finish forth on his Husqvarna. Graffunder rode a consistent race to take fifth on his KTM. Husqvarna backed Brown took sixth position, just ahead of RPM KTM’s Ty Tremaine. Those two are in a tight battle for third in the championship. Beta’s Ty Cullins finished eighth after showing good speed all day long. Geoff Aaron finished ninth on his GasGas. Noah Kepple rounded out the top ten on his KTM.

Nick Thompson and Cooper Abbott finished eleventh and twelfth. Five time champion Taddy Blazusiak was credited with thirteenth after he pulled off after a big crash during the main event.

2016 Boise AMA EnduroCross Main Event Results

1. Colton Haaker, Husqvarna
2. Cody Webb, KTM
3. Kyle Redmond, Beta
4. Trystan Hart, Husqvarna
5. Cory Graffunder, KTM
6. Mike Brown, Husqvarna
7. Ty Tremaine, KTM
8. Ty Cullins, Beta
9. Geoff Aaron, GasGas
10. Noah Kepple, KTM
11. Nick Thompson, KTM
12. Cooper Abbott, Husqvarna
13. Taddy Blazusiak, KTM

image: http://motocross.transworld.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/441/files/2016/11/2016_BoiseEX-ProPodium-600x400.jpg

Haaker (center), Webb (left) and Redmond (right) took the top three positions in a crazy main event in Boise. Photo: Adam Booth.

Haaker opened up a fourteen point lead over Webb in the championship, with 179 and 165 respectively. Brown currently holds third with 115 points, just five ahead of Tremaine. Redmond moved into the top five with 103 points.

Canada’s Shelby Turner took her sixth win in seven races in the Women’s main event riding a KTM. Melissa Harten nearly took her first ever win but gave up the lead on the last lap but held on for second on her Beta. Tarah Geiger rounded out the podium on her Honda.

image: http://motocross.transworld.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/441/files/2016/11/2016_BoiseEX-GirlsStart-600x400.jpg

Shelby Turner (50) took the main event win in the Women’s main in Boise. Photo: Adam Booth.

EnduroCross events also include two support classes for Amateurs and Vet riders 35 and older. Shane Cuthbertson made a pass right in front of the finish line to take the Amateur class win over Joshua Bridge. Kevin Dupuis rounded out the podium.

Set-up secrets of the Watson brothers

Ben and Nathan Watson talk us through their motocross and enduro tweaks ahead of Red Bull Knock Out.

When it comes to getting ready for a big race, the Watson brothers, Ben and Nathan, leave nothing to chance. They get to know the terrain that they're due to come up against, and set-up their bikes accordingly. So when they head back to the Netherlands later this month for Red Bull Knock Out, expected them to be fully ready for the world's toughest beach race.

In the this clip from FourOhFour Films, the Watsons open up about the differences in getting race ready for two distinct disciplines, motocross and enduro. When the tweaks have been made there's a full on demonstration on the bumps and turns of Jake Nicholls's training compound in the east of England.

Taylor Robert & Cody Webb’s Donner Partying

Taylor Robert and Cody Webb dish out a pretty awesome display of riding when they pari up at the Donner Ski Ranch. Go big or go home

2017 Beta

2016 World Vet Info

NUTS & BOLTS OF THE 2016 WORLD VET CHAMPIONSHIP

Tom White is the founder, sponsor and announcer for the World Vet Championship. He also won the Over-40 World Championship in 1990.

The World Vet Championship celebrates its 32th year at Glen Helen Raceway on November 5-6, 2016. Dubya Wheels is the title sponsor, but there is a bigger story behind Dubya and the World Vet Championship. Tom White, who owned White Brothers back in the day, sponsored the first World Vet in 1984, and actually founded the event and sponsored it for the first 26 years. After selling the White Brothers, the new owners gave up the sponsorship, but Tom wanted to keep the race moving forward, so he had his daughter and son-in-law’s company, Dubya Wheels, become the title sponsor in 2014. And they are back for 2016 bigger than ever. Here is the schedule of events for the most important Vet race in the world—start making plans now.

Thursday, November 3: Thursday will feature an open practice from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The 2015 Dubya World Vet Motocross Championship wants to give out-of-state and out-of-country riders as many chances as possible to adapt to the track — while riding with AMA National Pros and 16-year-old kids. It’s a wild day. Smart World Vet racers skip riding on Thursday and stand back and watch the mayhem.

 
Doug Dubach.                                                                   Gary Jones.

Friday, November 4: Friday offers a special practice, limited to riders who have pre-entered the 2016 Dubya World Vet Championship. This practice runs from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. On this day the vendors will be setting up shop and the Glen Helen/Troy Lee Museum will be open in the afternoon.

Saturday, November 5: Saturday brings racing to the World Vet Motocross event. Note: Practice is scheduled for 7:00 a.m.  The highlight of  Saturday is the Over-40 Pro Championship. But, there will be support classes for Novice, Intermediate and Expert racers in age groups 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65 and Over-70. It should be noted that the only Official World Championship class on Saturday is for the Over-40 Pros (with a purse) — for everyone else it is a chance to work out the kinks before the big day on Sunday, November 8.

 
Pete DeGraaf & Pete Murray.                                      Rex Staten.

Sunday, November 6: Sunday is the official World Veteran Motocross Championships day. All the same classes that ran on Saturday will race again on Sunday—only this time it is for all the marbles. The exception is the Over-40 Pro class (who named their Champion on Saturday). The big classes on Sunday are the Over-30 Pros, Over-50 Pros and the Over-30 Pro Women. Although former Women’s Wolrd Champion Steffi Lauer is the odds on favorite in the Women’s race, the Over-30 and Over-50 Championships are an unknown quantities. The level of talent is much higher in 2016 than in any year previous.

Sunday at noon: The Edison Dye Motocross Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented for the 19th time. Initiated to honor individuals who have made a positive contribution to our sport, the award has been received by Edison Dye, Roger DeCoster, Jeff Ward, Joel Robert, Torsten Hallman, Bruce Brown, Feets Minert and John DeSoto (among others). This year the 2016 Edison Dye Motocross Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Lars Larsson. Lars was the Swedish Grand Prix rider that Edison Dye brought over to demonstrate Husqvarna motorcycles, before anyone in America had ever heard of them, and showcase the sport of motocross, before anyone in America had heard of it. Lars stayed on after his Husqvarna gig ended and former Thor racing with buddy Torsten Hallman. Lars had a storied motorcycle racing career and is still racing. Lars is a former Over-60 World Champion and a two-time Over-70 Champion.

Over-50 Pro class added: In recognition of the growing number of riders over the age of 50, the 2016 World Vet Championship will be adding an Over-50 pro class to the schedule on Sunday.

Entries: Pre-entries, post-entries: Pre-entries will be accepted up until November 5. Pre-entries are $45 per class ($35 for second class). Post entry is $50 for first class and $40 for second class.