Hurricane's Iconic Photo...The Real Story!

By John Basher

Motocross Action magazine opened shop in 1973, publishing the first issue in June of the same year. While I wasn’t yet a glint in my father’s eyes, I do know that motocross in the 1970s was hugely popular. Statistics show that over one million dirt bikes were sold per year during the boom times of two-wheeled riding. Motorcycles had become embedded in American culture, and it’s easy to see why. A plethora of inexpensive bikes produced by Japanese and European manufacturers flooded the market. Naturally two-wheel offroad racing was the next step for speedsters looking for an even bigger thrill ride after screaming through their small neighborhoods. Competition breeds growth, and the sport of motocross became an interesting endeavor for America’s youth.

BOB HANNAH FOLLOWED IN MARTY SMITH’S FOOTSTEPS, ALTHOUGH KNOWING HANNAH WELL, I’M SURE HE WOULD SPIT ON THE GROUND AND KICK DIRT MY WAY FROM HIS RETIREMENT RETREAT UP IN IDAHO AFTER READING THAT STATEMENT.

Marty Smith, a sun-kissed teenager from San Diego, rose to prominence in the 125 class aboard a Honda. He was a teen idol for aspiring racers, and a heart throb for the droves of women that pursued him. Bob Hannah followed in Smith’s footsteps, although knowing Hannah well, I’m sure he would spit on the ground and kick dirt my way from his retirement retreat up in Idaho upon reading that statement. In Bob’s eyes he was a wolf, rather than a sheep that followed. Bob was, and still remains, the alpha male; the kind of guy who likes the spotlight and rightfully deserves acknowledgement. Hannah won the 125 National Championship in 1976, despite being a relative unknown in the hierarchy of motocross. He knocked Smith, the two-time Champion, from the top spot in a near dominant effort.

Bob Hannah didn’t waste much time in the 125 class. In those days riders used the smaller bore class as a stepping stone, unlike today where there are a number of career 250 riders. The “Hurricane” moved up to the big bike class in 1977 (a note of interest, Bob moved back down to the 125 class for one year in 1982). He finished third overall in the 1977 250 outdoor standings, behind Broc Glover and Danny Laporte. However, it didn’t take long for Hannah to collect his first 250 National crown. He won the title by 59 points over Honda’s Jimmy Ellis

While Hannah was having success outdoors, he was really making headway in Supercross. The California kid strung together three straight 250 Supercross titles, from 1977-’79. During that run he bested guys like “Jammin” Jimmy Weinert, Kent “Rhinestone Cowboy” Howerton, Marty Tripes, Mike “Too Tall” Bell, Jimmy Ellis, Jim Pomeroy and “Gassin” Gaylon Mosier. Hannah was the first rider to win three straight Supercross titles–a feat that wouldn’t be matched until Jeremy McGrath in 1995.

To celebrate Hannah’s achievements and, quite frankly, to sell more copies of MXA, Jody Weisel came up with the idea for this Superman-inspired cover to celebrated Hannah being named the 1979 Rider of the Year. As you can tell from the photo, Bob is ripping off his DG Yamaha jersey and to reveal the Superman logo. Jody bought the Superman shirt in a Hollywood prop shop and Norm Armstrong shot the photo. It was a creative idea that caught people’s attention. Unfortunately, the issue didn’t sell well on newsstands. In fact, the publisher has remarked that any new MXA cover that even remotely resembles the Bob “Superman” Hannah cover would never see the light of day. That’s too bad, because all these years later it is an iconic part of motocross history.  

Reprint from MXA.com

Cannonball GNCC 2016 | Round 2 | Sparta, GA

As Josh Strang comes into the weekend with a win in the XC1 class and Trevor Bollinger with an XC2 win. We get to see if these two can make it two in a row at The Cannonball GNCC!

Big improvements for Southwick Motocross

Southwick MX

Hope E. Tremblay Published: March 15, 2016, 11:01 am Updated: March 15, 2016, 11:04 am

(Photo courtesy: The Westfield News)

SOUTHWICK, Mass. (The Westfield News) – Southwick Motocross organizer Rick Johnson updated the Board of Selectmen last week on the state of the track and upcoming events.

The track is due for permit renewal.

Johnson is the father of Keith Johnson, Southwick Motocross promoter, who said he consults with his son and with the return of The Lucas Pro Nationals, has taken on a more hands-on role.

Johnson was previously the president of New Balance Kids and focused on safety, so he said he is taking on any safety concerns at the track.

Johnson said extensive effort and funds are going into the track to provide Nationals what they need.

“NBC Sports will televise live – only one of three events they will televise live in 2016,” said Johnson.

Johnson said there will be nearly 1,000 feet of new fencing, a new two-story building for announcing, bleachers, and more.

“We will have two tunnels, one for safer spectator viewing and one for medical services,” said Johnson. “And not just for paramedics, there will be a mobile hospital where they could perform surgery.”

There will be a new sound system, also.

Opening day April 3rd
The NESC 2016 season kicks off, come race or watch but don’t miss it!

“We only have the Nationals once, so we have to do this right and show them we can do it,” he said.

If the event goes well, Southwick could get a regular contract for Nationals once again. Several years ago, Nationals pulled out of Southwick. The track needed major improvements to bring back the Lucas Pro event and Johnson said he aims to bring it back.
“All together, just to prepare for Nationals, will be a $200,000 investment,” he said, noting that Mike Grondahl has financially backed the Johnsons to make the improvements a reality.

“He stepped up to the plate,” Johnson said.

Southwick Motocross has 25 events planned for the year and Johnson said they learned from last year’s mistakes and have made changes to the track, security, and more.

“We’ve become more than a weekend race track,” Johnson said, noting the track has continued its work with Team Justice and the community at-large.

Meet the men who define supercross success

Join us as we take a look at some of the most dominant performances in dirt bike history.

Ryan Dungey arrived in Glendale in dominant form © Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

By Aaron Hansel on 5 March 2016

In case you haven't noticed, Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey is currently on one of the hottest streaks in the history of the AMA Supercross championship. If you include last year's series, the Minnesota native has been on the podium for the last 22 consecutive races, including 12 wins. After six rounds of racing so far in 2016, he's already earned a 26 point championship lead and has won four of the six races.

With Dungey's dominance in mind, we took a look at a few of the sport's most dominant streaks.

Ryan Dungey

Since Dungey inspired this piece we'd be wrong to not include some of his other achievements. After wrapping up the 450SX title in 2010, his rookie season, Dungey went nuts in motocross, winning 10 of 12 races on his way to the title. Then in 2012, after taking second at the first two races, he won the remaining 10! 

Jeremy McGrath

No list like this would be complete without Jeremy McGrath, the man known as the King of Supercross. McGrath has all kinds of impressive records, including a list-topping 72 wins and seven supercross titles, but perhaps the most impressive is what he achieved in 1996. The King was on a tear that year the likes of which had never been seen, and as the season was starting to wind down, he still hadn't lost a single race. It finally happened when Jeff Emig beat him in St. Louis, but that was the only race he lost that year in 13 win streak. When you add in his two wins at the end of 1995, his win-streak extended a total of 15 straight races!

Ricky Carmichael

Like McGrath, we could go on forever about Carmichael. He's not nicknamed The G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) for no reason. We'll stick to a few that really stand out though. The first is his insane supercross winning streak, which actually equals McGrath's record of 13 wins in a single season. The second are his perfect motocross seasons. That's right, Carmichael won every single moto not once, but twice, in 2002 and 2004. He's also the only rider to have two separate motocross winning streaks that span three different seasons. No wonder they call him The G.O.A.T.

Ryan Villopoto

Ryan Villopoto went on quite a few streaks during his racing career, but the one most talked about – and most hated by his competitors – took place over four years, when he won four consecutive 450SX championships from 2011–2014, putting him in an exclusive club with Jeremy McGrath, the only other rider to have done so. Interestingly enough, Villopoto was at his prime and could have easily contended for yet more SX championships, but inexplicably called it quits in America and rode a few MXGP races before getting injured and retiring for good in 2015. 

James Stewart made lots of happy memories in 2008 © Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

James Stewart

James Stewart is hands down one of the fastest racers to ever to sit on a dirt bike, and in 2008 the competition felt his wrath all summer long. After missing the supercross season that year with a knee injury, Stewart came back with a vengeance in motocross, winning every single moto to log a rare perfect record. To put it lightly, it wasn't a good season for his competitors!

That perfect summer wasn't the only time Stewart has strung together an incredible string of wins. In 2009 he crashed out of the supercross season opener and was forced to make up a huge points gap on Chad Reed. Undaunted, Stewart went on a rampage that saw him win the next seven straight races, taking the points lead in the process. He went on to take the 450SX championship for the second time in his career.

Fox Racing Goes High Society...Say What?

Who Is Pete Fox? Meet the Man Behind Kanye West's Motocross-Inspired Yeezy Apparel

By Kathleen Wong March 10, 2016 

Kanye West is a busy guy, with his new album The Life of Pablo, his Yeezy fashion brand and managing his controversial and feisty Twitter. So he enlisted the help of Fox Racing co-founder Pete Fox as Yeezy's president, according to Fox's LinkedIn profile, High Snobiety reported. Fox Racing is a California-based motocross apparel brand, according to its website. 

Fox's profile lists him as being president of Yeezy since February 2016, having stepped down as Fox Racing's CEO in 2014 after five years. He was Fox Racing's president for eight years before that.

Yeezy Season 3 debuted to a star-studded Madison Square Garden in New York City earlier this month. The new collection was comprised of biker pants and gloves that were made in a collaboration with Fox Racing, according to High Snobiety. 

The Instagram handle @thepetefox showcases Yeezy products, while @foxpetefox showcases Fox Racing products. 

In collaboration with Adidas, Yeezy Season 1 hit stores in October after its debut at 2015 New York Fashion Week. The line was a combination of high fashion meets urban streetwear, featuring torn sweaters and fur-laced garb. 

Wild Boar GNCC

So Close: Dungey & Musquin Discuss the Atlanta SX

The teammates hash out the controversial race that Musquin relinquished to Dungey on the last lap.

By Eli Moore on 1 March 2016

Marvin Musquin, a 450 class rookie, took the white flag in the 450 main event at the Atlanta Supercross with the lead, his Red Bull KTM teammate and reigning champ Ryan Dungey less than a second behind him. After a perfect start in the main event, Musquin had clicked off lap after perfect lap. By lap 10, people were impressed he’d held the lead that long. By lap 15, people were wondering when Dungey would pass. By lap 19, people were saying “I think Musquin’s got it.”

Marvin Musquin: "I led over 19 laps. I had a great start, and right away I was feeling really aggressive. It felt great to lead some laps finally. I just said to myself 'Lead as many laps as possible'.

Even though his teammate Dungey has won more than half of the races of 2016, Musquin was confident being out in front of the champ, taking comfort in the fact that he knew Dungey wouldn't do anything stupid trying to take the lead.

Musquin: "When I saw Ryan, I was obviously not surprised; he’s won a lot of races. I knew he was going to be fast and was going to try to pass me, but at the same time, I knew he’s a really clean rider and wasn’t going to take me out. He would have passed me clean. I was just trying to hit my lines. I haven’t been leading any laps in the 450 class, and at one point I was thinking of Ryan catching me. But then I saw 6 laps to go and that gave me a boost."

Musquin: "I was leading early, so I said to myself, 'Try to lead as much as you can.' At that point, 6 laps to go, it kind of changed my mindset. I didn’t expect that; I expected to lead about halfway into the main, that would have been good. I knew Dungey was close, I could see him in the last few laps from my inside line before the wall. He was coming fast. I just tried to hit my lines and give 100%."

I was leading early, so I said to myself, 'Try to lead as much as you can.' At that point, 6 laps to go, it kind of changed my mindset.

Marvin Musquin

Unfortunately, in the first rhythm section of that last lap, a fumble while trying to get around James Stewart, who was a lap down due to some complications throughout the race, put Musquin way out of shape, allowing Dungey to pass. Dungey would go on to win his fifth race of the season, while Musquin could only manage a second place.

Musquin: "I [tripled in] 19 times before that. When I saw James in front of me, it put a lot of pressure on me. I slowed down too much going around him. I felt like I had no choice but to try the triple. I went for it, and made a mistake. James was still next to me [in the rhythm section], and I thought he was going to land on me, so I leaned the bike to get out of his way, which messed me up even more. When I look back at it, I feel like I should have gone double in, but that wasn’t the way I was doing it, and I didn’t want to change my line on the last lap. But it is a race till the end, and you have to deal with anything on the race track."

It was a bitter sweet win for the Red Bull KTM squad. Both riders had finished first and second, and Marvin Musquin had his best 450 Supercross result ever. But when a rider is that close to the top, to winning a Supercross on the world’s most challenging stage, having it ripped away at the last second is heart-breaking, no matter what the circumstances. Ryan Dungey cited the mixed emotions having a role in his low-key celebration after winning the race:

Ryan Dungey: "I felt for Marvin. I know what it’s like, putting in 19 hard laps to get passed on the last lap. You go that far for that long.  I see during the week how hard he works. There’s a lot of respect between the two of us. I’m not going to sit there and celebrate right in front of his face, because I thought that would be a little disrespectful."

After the race, Dungey and Musquin shook hands. There was no yelling, no clenched fists, and no blame game:

Dungey: "I think you can learn a lot about a rider with how he handles situations like that. [Marvin] handled it like a champion. He didn’t lose his cool. He was frustrated, but he kept his cool. When you lose yourself and flip out, that shows a lot of weakness."

He’s got a champion’s mentality, and he sees himself at the front. But that’s the cool thing about Marvin – he could win his first race and still be the same humble guy.

Ryan Dungey

Even having come so tantalizingly close to his first win, Musquin took away the positives from the race: he had ridden a near perfect race, and is one of "the guys" now:

Musquin: "It’s a big step in the right direction. Obviously, in Supercross, even if you’re the best, you’re not necessarily going to win. You need the start, you need those 20 laps. There’s so many things to put together. I did everything on Saturday. I felt like I put it all together."

For Dungey, it was the first time Musquin had posed a serious threat to him in a race. But the champ has no plans of changing up his training routine, as he mentors Red Bull KTM's 450 rookie:

Dungey: "He’s a pretty humble guy, and always so respectful. I don’t think this is anything new for him; he’s a champion. He won last year in the 250 class, and came pretty close to winning the outdoors, too. He’s got a champion’s mentality, and he sees himself at the front. But that’s the cool thing about Marvin – he could win his first race and still be the same humble guy; he’s one of a kind. That’s why I have a lot of respect for him.”

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!