Day 6 - Video Highlights - FIM ISDE

Ryan Dungey Is Rested and Ready for Battle

The 2016 SX champ talks SMX Cup win, Straight Rhythm and reflection during his recent time off.

Dungey and Stewart face off at Straight Rhythm © Chris Tedesco/Red Bull Content Pool 

By Eli Moore on 12 October 2016

Ryan Dungey has spent his professional career at the top of the sport. Plucked from the amateur ranks by the legendary racer-turned-team-manager Roger DeCoster, Dungey immediately excelled as a pro via an incredible work ethic and desire to win. Throughout the span of his decade-long career, Dungey has been the mark of consistency in American motocross, but in 2016 succumbed to a neck injury that pulled him out of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship in the midst of his battle with eventual champ Ken Roczen. Finally, Dungey is back, and ready to prove that his summer off did nothing to quell his incredible speed and race ability.

 

Ryan Dungey © Chris Tedesco/Red Bull Content Pool 

Red Bull: Ryan you just got back from SMX in Germany, which was your first race back after your injury, how was it?

Ryan Dungey: It was good. It was my first race back from injury and thankfully I’m 100-percent healthy. I lost a little bit of fitness but once I was able to get back on the bike and build up the physical side of things, everything came back nicely — then we started to hit some Supercross riding. It had been about four months since I had been on the gate, so there was a little bit of adrenaline and the nerves were a little jumpy, but we were able to calm down and get back in a good groove. We were able to bring home the first-ever Manufacturers Cup for KTM with Marvin [Musquin] and [Jeffrey] Herlings so it was definitely a great weekend. With it being the first race back, to have some success was a lot of fun and we’ll keep building from here. 

Straight Rhythm is such a different beast, what’s the strategy like on race day compared to a normal Supercross?

There’s a couple of things that are unique about it, one of those being that there are no turns, just a bunch of rhythm. Which is fun, but it doesn’t make it easy; it’s almost more difficult than your normal Supercross as far as just getting the rhythm down and making no mistakes. Getting through everything smooth, fast and efficiently is the key. The other thing that makes it unique is that you’re not racing against 20 guys at one time, it’s just you and one other guy and you win or you lose, so it’s pretty simple. It’s almost a little higher pressure because you know you have to hit everything just right. You can’t afford a hiccup because once you make that mistake because it's such a close race and you’ve only got a half mile to make it back up. It’s definitely fun to switch things up a bit, get out of the racing we’re used to and come into more of a drag race type of event.

James Stewart and Ryan Dungey give congrats © Chris Tedesco/Red Bull Content Pool 

Any expectations going into the event?

You know, not really. You definitely don’t go there to get second by any means — you want to win, but just to be there and see the fans and how much they get into it, it’s really great. I think with all the riders and the fans that attend the event, it’s not such a high-pressure situation; it’s more of a fun event. It’s definitely cool of Red Bull to think of these types of things, we have such a long racing career and it allows us to have some fun.

Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen © Chris Tedesco 

You got some time off this summer, which was the first time you’ve really had that in your career. Has that affected you heading into 2017?

Absolutely I mean with racing and the seasons, you’re racing eight months out of the year. You know a lot of people think you get four months off in the offseason, but what they don’t know is we only get about a month off from riding, which is a good bit, but there’s so much preparation that comes with racing that we’re back on the bike in October hitting it pretty hard to get ready for the new season. So with this injury I was able to get a couple months off, which obviously wasn’t ideal but I think that in any situation you can look at the positives — I was able to rest up my injury and get some rest mentally. On the physical side, obviously I was a little bit out of shape, but with taking the time off your body is more fresh and it’s able to adapt a little better [to training] because of that, so that has been nice

The time off for sure makes you more hungry to get back to racing. You get to kind of sit and reflect, and really see the other side of life and what it would be like if you didn’t race. I think at times you miss certain things in life and you don’t realize that what you think it would be like and what it really is like are two different things and for me to be able to see that side of things was great. You know you look at something down the road and you think "If I could just do it this way it would be perfect," but then you’ve got to realize you’re going to still have problems in life and you’re going to have to deal with those situations. So it was good for me to see that side of things to help me really appreciate where I’m at now and get back to it to get ready for a new season and the challenges that lie ahead. I’m definitely looking forward to it.

2016 Big 6 Series - Ridgecrest GP

Presented by Viewfinders MC in Ridgecrest, CA October 1-2, 2016. Filmed and edited by Beau Cottington, video made possible by MSR, GPR Stabilizer, and Maxxis tires. For more info on the series visit www.big6racing.com and for more videos visit www.beaucottington.com

Skills | Two-Strokes to Four-Strokes

Sean Collier Breaks Down The Transition

October 12, 2016 By Mike Emery

 

Photo by Casey Davis

It is pretty obvious that the sport of motocross has evolved way past the two-stroke era, and racing at the highest professional levels will continue to be four-stroke motorcycles. This doesn’t change the fact that there are still two-strokes being raced and ridden globally, all the way down to the grassroots amateur level. The reality is most kids learn how to ride and race aboard 50cc, 60cc, 80cc, and 125cc two-stroke machines before jumping to the next competitive level bike, a 250cc four-stroke. There is certainly a transition period for anyone that must go back and forth between the styles of engine and their inherited handling characteristics.

While filming our video last year, aptly named Transworld Motocross Premix, we did a segment with a talented rider named Sean Collier who has gathered a cult following based on his ability to muscle around his KX500 with ease. Sean also sometimes lines up for select Lucas Oil Pro Motocross nationals for fun, competing at the highest level aboard a KX450, so transitioning back and forth from a two to four-stroke quite often is something the friendly Californian is very used to. Sean even raced both the 450 class and the 2015 FMF Two-Stroke National Challenge on the same day at the Glen Helen national a couple years back. It’s safe to say the guy knows a thing or two about transitioning back and fourth between the two different types of machines, and let us in on a few tips to consider when making the switch back and forth.

Power Delivery: Naturally moving to a four-stoke, the biggest thing you would notice first is the power delivery. The power is a lot more usable, you have a lot more traction out of the hole, and it also feels like it has a lot more power initially, especially when you are coming straight off a two stroke. Two-strokes don’t have as much hit, but the way it’s delivered can sometimes be more violent so controlling traction and the rear end can be more difficult on a two-stroke. The way the four-strokes deliver the power is like a tractor, lots of torque. You need to remember how to deliver the power on each type of bike.

Shifting Points: A two-stroke doesn’t have that torque that a four-stroke has, so it’s really critical to be shifting and stay in the right gear at the right time. If you go into a corner in too high of a gear on a four stroke you can be alright and the bike is going to still want to pull through it, with a little bit of clutch and a raise of the RPM’s. On a two-stroke if you go into a corner in too high of a gear it’s just gonna bog. You have to be in the right gear!

Engine Braking: Engine braking is the biggest difference. There’s really not any engine braking on a two-stroke, it’s minimal. You are going to be over taxing the brakes more on a two-stroke if you aren’t riding the bike properly. You have to learn to carry your momentum into a corner with a two-stroke, rather than race from point A to point B. With a four-stroke you can really utilize the engine breaking when entering a corner to help slow you down, and that is a lot different.

When Jumping: When you’re on a four-stroke, it is going to have that feeling where it wants to throw you over the front a little bit more, where with the two-stroke it’s a little bit more of a free feeling due to not having engine braking, and it’s not going to have that same inertia as the four-stroke. You definitely have to adjust your position on the bike accordingly and prepare for that.

Modern Technology: The first time I went to ride my 500, I brought it to my buddy’s track and it was in a little higher elevation. It literally wouldn’t even run, and I was so bummed. So on a two-stroke you have to get the bike dialed in and jetted properly, and I find that part pretty fun. When you get to a track on a four-stroke everything is self-adjusting, and that kind of took that away now without the carburetors. So if you are getting on a two stroke you may have to re-acclimate yourself to that quickly, getting the bike set up properly, especially if you are in elevation.

Don’t Forget The Premix: I was like twelve years old or so, and this is the first and only time I ever did this. I had about an eighth of a tank left, and my buddy had some random fuel laying around with no oil in it, and I just threw that in the bike. I ended up riding it for the rest of the day and went through that entire tank. When I got home and told pops what happened, he was obviously worried that I damaged the bike. Surprisingly after tearing it down there was minimal damage! So obviously that’s critical, make sure your gas is mixed up for the two-stroke or you’re screwed!

Reprint ffrom Tranworld MX

Weston Beach Race 2016

Is this the gnarliest dirt bike race on earth? With 800+ riders, a 6 mile course, huge sand dunes and one long ass straight the RHL Weston Beach Race might well be the toughest off road race there is. We were there for the 2016 edition of the legendary event to catch all the action. Check out superstars such as Jonny Walker, Robbie Maddison, MotoGP's Scott Reddding and 4 time world champ Dave Thorpe hit the beach!

Weston Beach Race

Nothing like a day riding on the beach with your buddies!

Colton Haaker....Heater!

Plaeco proudly presents HEATER: The gnarliest lap you'll ever see...

New Race Team...Millsaps, Baggett and Bloss

We’re proud to announce that Rocky Mountain ATV/MC and Butler Brothers MX LLC have come together to officially create the new Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-KTM-WPS Race Team. Team RMATVMC is ready to leave a big mark on the 2017 season and the seasons to come.

Trevor Bollinger: 2016 GNCC XC2 Champion

It’s been a breakout season for Trevor Bollinger, where the JCR/Honda rider scored eight wins and wrapped up the 2016 GNCC XC2 Championship with one round to go in the series. Take a look at season highlights during Trevor’s amazing run to his first GNCC Pro title. Congratulations to Trevor, his family, and Team JCR/Honda.

Glen Helen, the name says it all

 Glen Helen - So Cal Internation OTMX

You know I’m sure I’ve said this before, but part of the destination is now the journey, for me anyway. Sure there was a time when time was short so getting there was a pain to be endured. Not so today, I enjoy the journey; you never know what you might see. Like on highway 55 in Idaho, there’s a road you pass called Chicken Dinner Rd. Every time I pass it I can’t help think out loud “winner, winner, chicken dinner”

So in that spirit I decided to take the longer but more scenic route to So Cal for the last International Old Timer MX of the year. Instead of going down I-5, or Hwy. 99 I’m going to take 395 and in order to get to 395 I have to go up Hwy. 50 to and through So Lake Tahoe, what a shame. I found in the past 395 to be much more enjoyable scenery wise than the other two options. Especially this time of year the cottonwoods are just starting to turn into fall colors, sort of a poor man’s version of New England in the fall.

Well the scenery was as expected, great, but I what I didn’t expect were all the delays by crews repaving the highways. I endured five of these on the way down anywhere from fifteen minutes to a half hour and that was just the sitting in line part of it. Then it took another big chunk of time to get clear of the area and get all the traffic in front of me to get back up to speed. What should have been about a nine to ten hour trip turned into an eleven hour plus trip?

I almost made it, but decided to pull off some fifteen miles from the track because I couldn’t remember which turn off to take. The place I picked where highway 138 and I-5 meet is also a place where trains pass each other. I’d say there are at least two segments of our economy that are doing well, paving companies and the railway industry. I have no idea how many trains went by dozens for sure. A few of them woke me up making very strange, spooky sounds as they went by. Also there was a very odd smell that bothered me all night and in the morning I could see why. A few months ago a wild fire swept through and I was smelling the left over smells that accompany a fire like that.

Driving through the gates into Glen Helen is always special because of all those who have gone before. The only thing beautiful about Glen Helen is the track everything else is fairly butt ugly. Each year the trees offer less and less shade and some are beyond offering any shade.

The beauty of this track starts behind the start gate and the memories of all those who have stared down that long, long uphill start straight and at the end a larger than life high banked sweeping right turn dubbed “The Talladega turn” because it is high a (and I mean high) banked turn. You can gain as much speed as your bike will generate down the start strait and carry as much of it as you are willing to up around through and down that turn to the next corner. Which is usually a left hand turn and up the first hill, all the hills are momentum and horse power hills. There are at least three iconic hills that are the face of Glen Helen, a downhill that passes under a steel overpass then back up a steep hill to where the American flag is always flown (The top of that hill is known as Mt St Helens) you then go down the third hill, from there on the track layout varies. Those hills are much steeper than they look in any photo or video. I coasted down the big hill one year after the flag once; I pop stalled the engine just as I headed down it. I had a Rekluse in it and couldn’t bump start it and I wasn’t brave enough to reach down and pull the kick starter out while rolling down that steep ass hill, yes I was puckered.

The other part of the track that remains pretty much the same event after event is the grandstand area, there’s usually a couple of tabletops and a single double triple, woops in that area and then back onto the start straight about half way down the start straight where your acceleration up the start straight normally takes you to the outside of that straight way. It’s pretty exhilarating and by the time you reach the apex of the Talladega turn it feels like your eyeballs are vibrating. 

As you walk to the riders meeting area, sign up, grandstands and food etc. there is the “Walk of Fame” where some of the greats from the past have had plaques laid in their honor. The first one is Roger Decoster in 1997 the last one is Chuck “Feets” Minert in 2014 (He recently passed way at 85)

The turnout was much better than the club had expected since another organization was running an event on the same weekend. The track, the racing, the food, the raffle prizes where great and speaking of dinner it was held in a big hall built a few years ago that is filled with huge posters of legends of the past. This place has so much history, I’m sure to the regulars who show up at this track all the time don’t even see the history right in front of them anymore, but us out of towners do and really appreciate all of it. But once again if you didn’t have the comrade all of it would certainly not be the fun it is nor mean as much as it does.

FYI, I didn’t see anybody kneeling or sitting during our national anthem and as I’ve said before in today’s national climate paying respect to our flag has become a source of pride to those of us in attendance. 

Then there’s the over 70 Vietnam War vet with bullet hole in his back and still has part of it in there lodged against a rib, and he keeps the other part of it as a souvenir. This guy not only races dirt bikes, he still rides bulls in the World Vet Rodeo. The pits are sprinkled with people with stories like this and getting acquainted with new friends and their stories never gets old. The weekend is full of stories where you may even tell one on yourself or point out to everyone someone else’s momentary lapses.  Like the fact that Duane started his bike and it didn’t sound right and from inside his trailer his wife (Debbie) yells at him to take the plug out of the muffler. I told a couple of the wives that woman tend to stick together and support each other while us guys take delight in finding anything we can use to rip the other guy. Carmen who rides a new KTM 250SXF-FE has been experiencing shifting problems and on Sunday because it would no longer stay in gear borrowed Mike Musco’s Yamaha YZ 250 two stroke and rode it extremely well. So I ask him if there might be a new YZ in his future, he says no but maybe a KTM two stroke. You know the best thing, his wife Rene say’s, yep I think a new KTM two stroke just might be in his future. How cool is that?

I received an email ad today from GOPro touting their new Hero 5 and it reminded me that I had taken some video’s using my Hero 4. I wanted to get some footage from the start line up to and around Talladega turn. After reviewing what I had done it’s clear I do not need the new Hero 5 because I don’t even know how to use the Hero 4.

Believe it, the fastest rider over the weekend was a young woman from Japan who rode in the support class, I understand she was out on Friday practicing with Kyle Chrisom (A National MX rider) she easily cleared all the jumps and made the rhythm sections look easy. It was a real treat to watch her. 

I asked the ambulance guys (who didn’t need to use it over the weekend) how the weekend went and they said other than a few bumps and bruises they had a very quiet weekend. (Just what we like)

Well that’s it for the 2016 International Old Timers Moto Cross series. Made some new friends, bs’d with the old ones and have another shit pot of great memories.

Here’s to hopping we can all meet again next year.

21J