I'm not here to just ride around and have fun' – Friese on WSX

Eventful night in Abu Dhabi recalled after another WSX podium.

Polarizing MCR Honda racer Vince Friese has detailed the motive behind his bullish aggression that has become the primary talking point of the World Supercross Championship (WSX) following Abu Dhabi’s second round of the 2023 season.

The 33-year-old American moved to declare that ‘I’m not here to just ride around and have fun’ in his bid to challenge for the 450 class crown.

Friese posted the fifth fastest time in superpole and engaged in a battle for the lead with Dean Wilson (Fire Power Froth Honda) in the opening WSX final of the night at Etihad Arena on Saturday night.

In an attempt to counter, Friese dived up the inside in the 180-degree turn and made contact with Wilson, bringing him down as a result. Friese ultimately took the checkered flag first after fending off defending WSX champion Ken Roczen (PMG Suzuki), but was docked two positions after the race for ‘dangerous racing’, according to FIM officials.

“If you put a bunch of money on the line, like we have here, and put us on an arenacross track, I think that is the way it is going to go,” Friese explained. “At least for me, I’m not here to just ride around and have fun – I’m here to make some money, pay my bills.

“That is what we are doing, we are battling for a position. If these guys want to take it easy, they can take it easy, but I am going to race hard.”

The controversial CRF450R rider finished runner-up behind Wilson in the second race following further barbs between them, before being classified eighth in the final encounter after himself crashing out of top-three contention, crossing the line in P6 and then being handed another two-place penalty.

“Honestly, I don’t know what happened, whether I got a penalty for it or not, I just know that I got third overall,” Friese added after going off-track in race three while dicing with Joey Savatgy (Mobil 1 Rick Ware Racing). “But, I mean, it is what it is… if it was wrong, then I will take the penalty.

“I’ve read through the rulebook, but it has been a while – round one was three or four months ago, so maybe I’ll give the rulebook another read-through. It’s hard to say if my front wheel was ahead of his or not, but yeah, I just tried to ride slowly.

“Yeah, I cut a portion of the corner off, and I think in my head ‘what do I do, what do I do here, just go?’. They had already told me there was another penalty, so at that point it was ‘let’s just race dirt bikes at this point’.

“Whatever, that is the kind of racing that I enjoy. I hate to take a position that is not mine, and if it is wrong, then I’ll take the penalty for that. I don’t know if there was a penalty for the pass on Dean [in race one], but I feel like that was just good old motocross racing.”

Amidst the eventful night, Friese landed third overall for the round and enters the Boost Mobile Australian Grand Prix at Marvel Stadium positioned fourth in the standings, currently 19 points back from new red plate-holder Savatgy.

Prado To Test AMA Supercross!

Reigning FIM Motocross World Campion Jorge Prado was out in California last month to test a bit of supercross. The 22-year-old Spaniard has been on supercross tracks in the USA before, but why did he come back out on the heels of his MXGP title? Well, it turns out he might be interested in coming to the USA full time to race Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship as soon as 2025.

Well, Kris Cooksey announced today that Jorge Prado will race in the first three rounds of the 2024 AMA Supercross season with Troy Lee Designs GasGas. Chris Cooksey is rarely wrong, and whenever he makes a statement, he always ends up being right. The 2024 Supercross season promises to be even more interesting.

Ferrandis to Phoenix Honda

“Stoked to find a new home at Phoenix Honda,” he said. He also thanked the Phoenix Honda crew for the opportunity and has been looking to “ride red for a long time.”

He finished off the post, saying, “Let’s get to work and be ready for 2024.”

Ferrandis’ most recent success came in 2021 when he won the AMA 450cc Pro Motocross Championship aboard a Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha, but the Frenchman has since struggled, mostly with injuries. Ferrandis was left without a ride after Eli Tomac announced he is returning in 2024 with his current Star Yamaha team and the Star’s re-signing of former Red Bull KTM rider Cooper Webb

Art Eckman the Voice of Moto!

 

We are sad to report of the passing of Art Eckman, the longtime television host of Monster Energy Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross, as well as the weekly Moto World show, and countless other sporting events, near his home in Georgia. He was 81 years old. 

For an entire generation of motorsports viewers Eckman was the voice of supercross and motocross. Teamed with AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame rider David Bailey in the TV booth, Eckman's voice became synonymous with two-wheeled motorsports. He highly respected in and around the paddock by such racing icons Jeremy McGrath, Jeff Stanton, Damon Bradshaw and Jean-Michel Bayle, and later also became a mentor for future TV analysts and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers Jeff Emig, Ricky Carmichael, Grant Langtson and James Stewart. His voice was an indelible part of the sport and will be missed.

Earlier this year, Art attended the Atlanta Supercross, which gave long-time fans and colleagues a chance to catch up with one of the legendary figures of this sport.

Art is survived by his wife of 46 years, Donna Haines Eckman, as well as two daughters, Christine Eckman and Kara Eckman Mecke, along with Kara’s husband Ralph Mecke and their two children, Alastair and Cedric Mecke. 

Plans for a Celebration of Life service will be at 3 p.m. on Friday, November 10, 2023, at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30305.  In memory of Art’s life and in lieu of flowers, the family suggests that a donation be made to InCommunity. InComunity, is a non-profit organization that provides support to individuals with developmental disabilities. Over the years, this organization has been a significant part of the Eckman family as its staff has helped Christine Eckman thrive in her community.  

World Vet Podium 2023

This is a great podium in any era! Brown, McGrath, Dubach...still very fast.

World Vet Live Coverage

Hey Moto Fan, Watch the LIVE broadcast of the 2023 Dubya World Vet Motocross Championship from Glen Helen this Sunday, Nov 5th, at 8:20 a.m. (PST) straight from race day at the iconic Glen Helen raceway, coming to you on the MXA YouTube Channel.  Event Highlights: 📅 When: This Sunday, 8:20 a.m. PST 🏁R aces to Watch: 30 Pro Race and World Cup Class 🎥 Where: Motocross Action’s YouTube Channel Riders of distinction from around the world are gearing up, each aiming for the revered Vet crown. Witness motocross legends like Mike Brown, Doug Dubach, Kurt Nichol and Sean Lipanovich in intense competition, as they seek to add another accolade to their storied careers. Why Our Broadcast is Special: High-End Production: Our expert crew ensures you get a seamless viewing experience. Bird's Eye View: Drone pilots will capture every twist and turn from the skies above. In-Depth Analysis: Stay informed with play-by-play commentary from our seasoned analysts. 🔔 Ensure you don’t miss out! Click here to watch and set a reminder! Best, MOTOCROSS ACTION MAGAZINE © 2023 Motocross Action Magazine, Hi-Torque Publications. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive promotions and offers from us. If you wish to unsubscribe, please do so. by clicking here.

Focus!

Honda 450... All Lawrence!

Team Honda HRC confirmed today that Hunter Lawrence will move up to the 450 class for the 2024 season, competing in the AMA Supercross, AMA Pro Motocross and SuperMotocross series. The 24-year-old Australian, who last season earned crowns in the 250SX East Region and 250 outdoor series, will campaign the factory Honda CRF450RWE alongside his brother, Jett Lawrence. “It’s a pleasure to move Hunter up to the CRF450RWE,” added Brandon Wilson, Manager of Racing and Experiential Marketing at American Honda. “Since joining our team three years ago, he has consistently made a positive impact, in terms of results but also for the constructive, optimistic influence that he invariably brings. Last season saw him earn the 250 titles that we all knew he was capable of, but he’s also a very good 450 rider. We look forward to him adding to his success now that he’s in the premier class.” 

World Vet MX 11/4..Glen Helen

2023 DUBYA WORLD VET MX CHAMPIONSHIPS

Online Reg Closes:  11/1/2023, 10:00:00 AM

39th Annual Dubya World Vet MX Championships

Gate Hours:

Wednesday, November 1st       2pm-8pm

Thursday, November 2nd          8am-8pm

Friday, November 3rd                   6am-9pm

Saturday, November 4th              5:30am-9pm

Sunday, November 5th                 5:30am-6pm

Honda CR ELECTRIC PROTO shows leading pace in debut weekend in Saitama

Team HRC completes a successful competitive debut for the CR ELECTRIC PROTO in Japanese Motocross

After a successful qualifying run yesterday, Sunday’s race day brought mixed fortunes for Team HRC but a race-leading demonstration of pace of the new CR ELECTRIC PROTO.

In the morning’s practice, Trey Canard followed on seamlessly from his Saturday pace to go second fastest on the all-electric #41, making its global competitive debut this weekend.

Then came the first ever race for Honda’s new prototype machine, in the form of JMX Rd.8 Heat 1. The opening race was smooth, with Canard starting strongly, settling into a rhythm and crossing the line second aboard the CR ELECTRIC PROTO. As learning, development and ultimately the pace continued to improve throughout the weekend, Canard closed to just 0.7s off the fastest lap and was looking fast.

In the second heat, Canard again started well and looked to be set to keep building on the weekend’s momentum, but an early crash with heat 1 rival Jay Wilson unfortunately ruled him out of the race.

Returning for the third heat, Canard made best use of the Honda’s instant electric torque and again started strongly, taking the lead exiting the first corner. In fact, Canard took two of the three holeshots on CR ELECTRIC PROTO.

Starting to stretch that lead from his weekend-long rival, the #27 of Wilson, it would have been the perfect culmination of the weekend’s learning and work on the CR ELECTRIC PROTO to take the machine’s first win in its first ever competitive weekend - but unfortunately, as the track continued to get ever more rutted, Canard crashed with 12 and a half minutes remaining of the 15-minute race.

Nonetheless, with the opportunity provided by racing to learn, develop and prove the prototype machine in the heat of battle for the first time, it has been a successful and encouraging debut for the CR ELECTRIC PROTO - a weekend which has provided valuable data for ongoing development of Honda’s all-electric motocross initiative.

Trey Canard, no.41 CR ELECTRIC PROTO

“This weekend was definitely a big challenge for me but it was a great race for our development. Each time I was on the track we improved the motorcycle and the CR ELECTRIC PROTO team adapted to the challenge. 

“We had some shines of brilliance as a team, the starts being one of them with two of the three holeshots. There were also some sections on the track that were very impressive and that makes me excited for the future of this motorcycle. 

“I’m disappointed to not finish all of the motos after all of the hard work the team has put in but I think we showed that the potential of the bike is quite high especially for our very first attempt at racing. I’m grateful to be a part of this effort and I’m very proud of each and every person who has worked so hard.”

Taichi Honda, Team HRC Team Manager

“First of all, I would like to thank the development team and everyone involved for preparing the CR ELECTRIC PROTO to be ready for competition in such a short time.

“I would also like to thank Trey Canard for showing his potential even though he has only had a few tests.

“We had three heats for the first time today and we will take what we learnt from each race and feed it back to the ongoing development of the CR ELECTRIC project.” 

---