Seewer Eats Sand

Febvre Again... Takes His 6th Win

“We just hit holes everywhere, it’s not even real sand riding.” Race winner Jorge Prado summed up a brutal track at the end of an intense moto with the top three all in with a chance for the win with two laps to go!

Romain Febvre was leading and pulling away from Prado when he stalled in a hole and had to paddly his way out before cating up to second place Seewer who had caught Prado and was looking for the pass at the two lap board only to go down hard in the braking bumps! Febvre then pushed again until a back marker ended his surge on the last lap bt getting in the way as Prado took the win, but even he, with his perfect technique, isn’t finding the track easy!

Race two and Febvre led from start to finish but the fans were enthralled as Glenn Coldenhoff pushed all the way very nearly passed second place Jeremy Seewer on the last lap as they both closed right to the back wheel.of Febvre who almost took it too easy at the end!

Prado settled for fourth ahead of Gajser in fifth.

Febvre said: “I was feeling good. Six GP wins this year, really good."

Jett Cruises to Win

 

Tasked with making several passes in moto one and fending off a hard-charging Chase Sexton in moto two, Jett Lawrence made a relatively trying day look easy on the way to winning his 19th and 20th consecutive Pro Motocross Championship races in 450MX at the 2023 Budds Creek National.

Perhaps brought on by a switch away from the scoop tire in the moments between the sight lap and the gate drop, Lawrence and his Team Honda HRC-prepared machine exited the first turn barely within the top 10

Facing an uphill battle to extend his win streak to a 19th race, the young Australian was clearly motivated to reach the front as he rapidly picked off the riders in front of him, working closer and closer to Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) who grabbed the holeshot and led early and Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM) who chased from second.

Lawrence masterfully passed every rider necessary to take control of the race en route to closing out the victory by a margin of 4.377s over Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki).

Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) held third to claim the moto’s final podium position ahead of Plessinger who dropped back from second and Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) who found the top five in the second weekend of his return to competition.

Garrett Marchbanks (Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha), Cianciarulo, Ty Masterpool (HBI Racing Kawasaki), Sexton, and Phil Nicoletti (Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha) completed the top 10.

A perfectly timed launch from the gate set up a much more ideal opening stanza of the second 450MX moto for Lawrence relative to the first.

Lining up to wrap up the day having won all 19 motos of the Pro Motocross season thus far, Lawrence went on to lead all 17 laps, though he faced pressure from Sexton at two distinct points.

On the fifth lap, Sexton was within 2s of the lead but tipped over and lost several seconds-worth of track position while adding to his fall total on the day after a few mistakes in morning practice and the first moto.

An 8.237s lead for Lawrence was reduced to 7.109s, 4.694s, and 2.296s as the final lap approached, during which Lawrence knew Sexton was fast approaching.

Sexton, the reigning 450SX champion in Monster Energy Supercross, turned his fastest lap of the race after passing the white flag and came just 0.771s short of breaking the now-20-race win streak for his rookie teammate.

Lawrence will take home a 10th overall victory trophy of the year while Plessinger and Anderson earned the other two overall podium positions with 4-3 and 2-5 moto scores, respectively.

Plessinger in third was chased to the checkered flag by Barcia in the second moto, with the GasGas rider placing fifth overall with 5-4 finishes in the motos.

Anderson completed the top five in moto two ahead of Cianciarulo, Masterpool, Marchbanks, Ferrandis, and Freddie Noren (Twisted Tea HEP Suzuki) in the top 10.

With the 450MX championship already wrapped up a week prior to the Budds Creek event, focus in the premier class will be on whether Lawrence can close out a perfect season.

Tony Is Still Very Fast

Antonio Cairoli showed he is still at a world class level as he won the International at Balen against two of his own Red Bull KTM riders, Liam Everts and Sacha Coenen as well as factory Yamaha man, Rick Elzinga. Cairoli went 2-1 and brought back memories of his wilder MX2 days as he threw the little 250 around like a toy and still had the fight in him, refusing to let Liam Everts by in race one and showing the raw speed to get out front, sprint away and win race two!

Amazingly, Cairoli has raced two generations of Everts, racing Stefan at the end of his career in MXoN and then Liam at Red Bud MXoN and this week in Balen, underlining just what a talent Cairoli is to be that fast for that long. Sacha Coenen wasn’t even born when Cairoli won his first world title yet this week Cairoli was racing him and winning!

Now in his late 30s, Cairoli showed just how much talent he has to be able to go into a one-off race and win against some world class rivals. In fact, it raises the question, if there was no U23 rule in the world championship, and it was just for EMX250, could Cairoli have went back to MX2 and got that tenth world title?

Back in the day riders often went back and forward to different classes regardless of age, Mike Brown won his 125 National title at 30, Dobb the 125 world title at 29 and Alex Puzar went back to the 125 class despite already being a 250 world champ in 1990 to win his second world title in 1995 in a final round shootout with Alessio Chiodi, it added some intriuge to the class and the youngster got to learn from experienced riders (something that both Everts and Coenen will now doubt taking from this week).

Jamie Dobb had this to say on the age rule when we spoke to him at WSX: “think the age rule is the most stupid I have ever seen. Take it away, what are you gaining from it now? If you want to guarentee people to go to MXGP, simply put a salary cap, if you want to make the big money, that’s where you need to go. The problem is the young kids coming through, they would still win. Jeffrey won when he was 16, Ken won when he was 16, it’s not going to stop anything but the other kids, they aren’t learning a race craft of how to actually race by riding with the older guys.”

Of course, the flip side is the depth is phenomenal in MXGP with everyone moving up it provides intense competition throughout the top 20, and it is the toughest class in dirt bike racing, but imagine Cairoli going for a tenth world title against Geerts, de Wolf and Vialle in his mid 30s…

Either way Cairoli’s status as one of the greatest to ever throw a leg over a bike will remain and is only enhanced by his performance this week. And the riders he is in charge of now certainly can’t question anything he says this weekend at Arnhem – maybe he should go to the USA and race the final AMA event on a 250 and help Vialle set up the bike!

What a rider!

Article: Jonathan McCready

Images: Danny Relouw

MATRIX CONCEPTS LIFT STAND...Simply the Best!

"The guys at MX43 have been using the LS1 for several years and we love it. After a good hard race or practice session why would you want to lift your bike up? The absolute best stand we have ever used and we have used them all." MX43

WHAT IS IT? The Matrix Concepts LS1 lift stand is absolutely the best step-on bike stand that MXA has ever tested.

WHAT STANDS OUT? Here’s a list of things that stand out with the Matrix Concepts LS1 lift stand.

(1)    Design. Matrix Concepts makes standard metal bike stands, aluminum bike stands, molded plastic bike stands, electric bike stands and the LS1 step-on stand. Each has its advantages, based on usage, price and need. Obviously, most racers choose a standard metal stand. It supports your bike, can be maneuvered on uneven ground, and allows you to carry a gas can within its legs. The big downside is that the rider has to muscle his bike into the air and swing it onto the stand. For those who don’t want to lift a 230-pound machine up 17 inches, Matrix has redesigned and reintroduced the popular Power Lift electric bike stand that ran into supply-line issues during the pandemic and disappeared from the marketplace—only to be redesigned and brought back by Matrix. Electric bike stands mean never having to lift your bike again. Just slide the stand under your bike and step on the “up” button. Unfortunately, they are very expensive.

(2) LS1 design. As a major manufacturer of bike stands of all kinds, Matrix knew that it could make a stand capable of lifting your bike for a substantially lower cost than an electric stand. Rather than muscle power or an electric battery, the LS1 lift stand uses leverage to get your bike up in the air. Step-on stands have been around for decades, but they have typically been cheaply made, wiggly and prone to releasing prematurely if bumped. Matrix committed to making the strongest, most stable, easiest-to-use step-on stand by over-building the LS1. The center post has a jumbo diameter to lessen wiggles, plus there are wide rubber feet on the base. 

(3) Center post. Guiding the center post is a DeRon bushing for smooth action. Plus, there is a urethane bottoming bumper to stop metal-to-metal clank. The lowered height is 12 inches, so it can slip under almost any full-size bike (a minicycle version is on the way). The lifted height is almost 16 inches in the up position. Plus, the step-on linkage self-locks when the stand is in the up position. The 8- by 11-inch platform has a rubber pad on top to help keep the bike firmly positioned.

Thanks to its wide stance, large diameter center post and rubber feet, the LS1 is supremely stable on level ground.

(4) Performance. Of all the step-on stands that MXA has tested, the Matrix LS1 is by far the best of the breed. The engineer who configured the foot-pedal linkage hit the leverage ratio on the head. Getting your bike off the ground is as simple as stepping on the wide foot pedal, while lowering the bike to the ground only requires lifting the pedal upwards with the toe of your boot (it even has teeth under the pedal to ensure that your foot doesn’t slip). We also like that the 16-pound LS1 step-on stand has hand slots on both ends of the top platform, making it easy to carry. 

CONTACT? www.matrixracingproducts.com or (661) 253-1592.

MXA RATING: The LS1 is as good as it gets.

RC and Triumph Moving Forward

In Episode 2 of Vision to Reality, Ricky Carmichael, Bobby Hewitt, Dave Arnold, Ivan Tedesco, and Stephen “Scuba” Westfall are joined by Vincent Bereni for a behind the scenes look at Triumph’s highly anticipated motocross engine.

Ferrandis Feeling Upbeat

Pace promising for Star Racing rider at ninth round of season.

Image: Octopi Media.

Improvements at Unadilla have Dylan Ferrandis certain he’s ‘back to normal’ after the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider delivered his best performance of the 450MX season yet over the weekend.

Former champion Ferrandis commenced the ninth round of the 2023 Pro Motocross season by qualifying seventh fastest and made a decent start to moto one to feature in the top-five early on.

From there he progressively worked his way forward and capitalized on a mistake from Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC) to move into second with three laps to go, then charging to within just 1.690s of race-winner Jett Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) come race’s-end.

An issue with his holeshot device saw his start negatively impacted in moto two and he was P8 at the conclusion of the opening lap. The number 14 made his way to third, where he would ultimately finish the race, to secure his 14th moto podium of the season and P3 overall on the day.

“You know, some races like Washougal, I was not really feeling great and didn’t really have the speed, but I was getting the holeshot,” Ferrandis said. “This track, I was feeling great today and trying to get a holeshot… I broke my holeshot device. I don’t know what broke, but it broke like two feet after the gate and obviously, the bike wheelied and it was over.

“Yeah, lack of luck. I don’t why it happened today, it sucked, but it is what it is. Then I was dead-last to the first turn and I had to come back from behind. Still, a better day for me, it was the first race of the season that I was able to fight the Honda boys and I feel like myself.

“I feel like I was back to my normal riding style, normal speed and yeah, it feels good because at some points I was like ‘maybe I’m over, maybe I don’t know how to ride a dirt bike anymore’. I was pretty sure it was more bike set-up than anything, but after so many bad races you start to question yourself.

“We used this break after Washougal, we had a meeting with the team and realized I was struggling with the bike and I wanted to try some specific parts. We did, they agree and, obviously, I was right – the bike is way better, the set-up is way better. It fits my riding style and fits exactly what I was looking for, for a long time.

“I think I proved to myself that I still know how to ride a dirt bike fast and now, with more confidence and more time on the new set-up, maybe for the next two rounds I can give a shot to the boys next to me [Jett Lawrence and Chase Sexton].”

The 2021 450MX championship winner is second in the standings with four motos remaining, as the gates drop on the penultimate round of the series this Saturday at Budds Creek.

Barcia Blasts a 2 Stroke!

Wow, there is nothing better than ripping wide open on a 300 2-stroke. We had an awesome day at the Berg's backyard track. No stopwatch, no pressure; just fun. We shot this video on our own time FOR FUN because we love dirt bikes and want to share how we ride them. Go ride your bike!!

If you’ve attended an AMA Supercross or Pro Motocross race since 2009, chances are you’ve seen or at least heard Justin Barcia on the track. The New York native is known for his aggressive style, whether it be making passes or contact with his competitors and revving the daylights out of his bike. Suffice it to say Barcia has spent more time on the rev limiter than any current professional supercross and motocross racer.

The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas Factory Racing rider doesn’t limit his full-throttle style to just four-strokes though. Barcia recently swung a leg over a 2023 GasGas MC 250 equipped with a 300 Factory Kit from the Austrian brand’s Technical Accessories catalog and took it for a ride around his friend Jack Berg’s backyard track—wide open, of course. Check out the video above to watch Bam Bam in action on the carbureted big-bore smoker.

Starts Matter...Works Connection Delivers!

An unbelievable perfect rookie season for @jettson18 wrapping it up early at Unadilla! #ProLaunchStartDevice

Jett Wraps Up the Title!

  

Jett Lawrence has done it, delivering the AMA 450 Motocross Championship in his rookie season following back-to-back 250 National Motocross Titles. Rookie titles are rare, but they happen, even as recently as Dylan Ferrandis in 2021. This one feels exceptional, though, because Jett has remained perfect in the 450 class so far, winning every race he’s entered, and he just turned 20 years old. This could be just the beginning of a huge run.

With all that positivity, it becomes easy to forget that this wasn’t a foregone conclusion. It wasn’t easy. In fact, Jett’s road was not only hard, but harder than most. He talked about all of it in the post-race press conference.

Jett, amazing season so far. Championship. So, what’s it feel like to continue with the streak and the championship as a rookie?
Jett Lawrence: Unreal day. I’ve always liked coming to this track. I feel like when they rip it like how they do normally, it’s an unreal track. It kind of brings back almost European vibes with all the ruts and that stuff. It’s pretty cool to see what I’ve done so far. It’s cool. Coming in [to the season], mentally I was like, I know I can do those guys’ pace, it’s whether I can beat them or not or if I have the knowledge. After the first few rounds I kind of—it wasn’t confidence, but I just started to know, I just need to get my starts and kind of just think it through more. It’s good because a lot of the media guys on the podcasts and that stuff doubted me, saying I'm going to have one of those rookie seasons where I may crash and that stuff. I mean, the last person I remember getting a championship in their rookie season dominating was the guy next to me [Dylan Ferrandis]. So I had that as my goal. It was hard with him in there, and Chase. Definitely tough competitors. They have that never-die in them. So, it was a fun season so far. I’m still excited for the last two rounds.

Go to www.racerxill online.com for the rest of this story about Jett's journey to the top.