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CONTENTS
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elcome to Road Dirt Digital, Foremost Media’s first official digital magazine. We’ve made this type of publication for production clients in the past, however this is our first time creating one in-house alongside existing website titles MotoOnline.com.au, CycleOnline.com.au and BikeOnline.com.au. This is a new type of challenge, created to further increase a broader and more common interest in the industry locally. It’s a regular practice for magazines these days to tack a website on the back of their main publica-tions, however for us the trio of separate websites remain our priority for everyday information and entertainment. What we decided was, as part of our embedded content, to create our very own magazine to tie-in content across the sites. The opportunity to feature crossover content between road and dirt bikes (hence the name of Road Dirt Digital) is a really appealing one for Foremost Media. The more we can have motorcycle audi-ences checking out other disciplines directly alongside their preferred type of riding, the better. Af-ter-all, any kind of two-wheel activity is always epic to be involved in from our perspective. Issue one has been pieced together to cap off the year that was in 2016 - including our annual awards feature that you’d usually see on the websites - and we’re pretty stoked with how it’s come together. It will continue to develop as time goes on and our experience builds, but for now, we def-initely feel it’s met our personal expectations. So thanks for reading and enjoy!
IN GEAR 10-11 FOCUSED 12-13 AUS-X OPEN 14-15 JACK MILLER 16-17 MX NATIONALS 38-39 DANIEL SANDERS 40-41 ASBK 42-43 CHAD REED FEATURED 18-23 ROAD DIRT AWARDS 58-62 AUS SUPERCROSS INTERVIEWED 32-26 DEAN FERRIS 44-49 TROY HERFOSS TESTED 64-67 2017 KAWASAKI KX250F 68-69 SCOTT PROSPECT 70-71 PIRELLI DIABLO ROSSO III 72-73 BELL STAR PIT PASS 74-75
/ROADDIRTDIGITAL @ROADDIRTDIGITAL @ROADDIRTDIGITAL
MANAGING EDITOR ALEX GOBERT ART DIRECTOR ADAM SPENCE CONTENT CO-ORDINATOR JEREMY HAMMER PUBLISHER FOREMOST MEDIA WWW.FOREMOSTMEDIA.COM.AU INFO@FOREMOSTMEDIA.COM.AU
COVER IMAGE AUS-X OPEN CONTENTS IMAGE KEITH MUIR
IN GEAR USWE TANKER 16 HYDRATION PACK Created for athletes by athletes with extreme conditions in mind, USWE hydration packs are designed to stay balanced on your back, helping you carry all the required gear and hydration to perform your personal best. At a recommended retail price of $139, the USWE Tanker 16 boasts a 16-litre cargo tank and is available in a variety of colours. For more details, www.stevecramerproducts.com.
ATLAS BRACE RANGE Worn by some of the greatest athletes in the sport including Ryan Villopoto, Atlas’ neck brace range offers four options to suit all sizes of riders. The Carbon and Air models come in sizes small, medium and large, for teen riders the Prodigy brace is offered, for youth riders the Tyke brace and for peewee riders the Broll. Pricing starts from RRP $139.95 for the Broll model through to RRP $629.95 for the Carbon. Visit www.monzaimports.com.au for more details.
MOTUL MATTE SURFACE CLEANER Taking care of matte surfaces is much more complex than those of traditional paints, and thanks to its specific formulation, Motul Matte Surface Clean not only perfectly cleans matte surfaces, but it also restores a similar matte surface. Containing a protective UV filter to prevent fading due to sunlight, the Matte Surface Clean is priced at RRP $19.90. For more on Motul’s extensive MC Care range, head to www.linkint.com.au.
FOX LEGION COLLECTION The all-new 2017 Legion product range consists of a full line of off-road outerwear, jerseys, pants, gloves, and boots specifically designed to take on the trails. Start your journey with gear that keeps you dry without sweating out, agile in tight single-track and protected from the most rugged conditions. Pricing for the LT Offroad jersey and pant is (RRP) $49.95 and (RRP) $179.95 respectively, while a pair Instinct Offroad will set you back (RRP) $629.95. Visit www.monzaimports.com.au for more.
MICHELIN POWER RS TYRES The Power RS is targeted at sports road riders and has achieved a high level of performance through Michelin’s longstanding expertise combined with its experience in top-flight racing and the diversification of its innovations. A combination of new rubber compounds – some of which are derived from racing – and a new carcass, has resulted in unparalleled grip on dry roads and a unique rider experience. The Power RS tyre is slated to be available in January 2017, for more details, visit moto.michelin.com.au.
SUZUKI MOTOGP GSX-RR KIDDIMOTO The Suzuki MotoGP GSX-RR balance bike is the perfect tool for youngsters to develop the necessary skills required before riding a motorcycle for the first time. Available in an exclusive Suzuki livery, the balance bike meets all safety standards and has been EN 71, CE marked. Including a matching helmet, it’s priced at RRP $199. Head to www.suzuki.com.au for more information.
SHARK RACE-R PRO LORENZO REPLICA The Race-R PRO model is one of the first helmets developed featuring computational fluid simulations, with an ECE 22.05 approved standard for Australian roads. The model is recognised as one of the world’s safest helmets, earning five stars in the SHARP crash test. Available in former MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo’s replica design, the flagship helmet is priced at RRP $869.95. For further information, head to www.ficeda.com.au.
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ith Chad Reed and Cooper Webb returning, plus the addition of retired supercross and motocross great Ryan Villopoto, the 2016 AUS-X Open was destined to top its inaugural effort. The event delivered two nights of phenomenal entertainment that over 25,000 fans had the privilege to witness, and much to the crowd’s delight, hometown hero Reed dominated the event with two spirited victories, while Gavin Faith matched the Australian’s result in the drama-filled SX2 category.
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o-one could’ve predicted the season that Australian MotoGP ace Jack Miller would endure in 2016. The likeable Queenslander earned an astonishing career-first victory in the premier class at Assen’s eighth grand prix of the championship, before a wrist injury sustained at the following round in Austria interrupted his season. The 21-year-old was able to return to the world circuit in time to record a host of impressive performances.
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he return of Dean Ferris and Todd Waters from their international rides in Europe bumped the anticipation and excitement for the Motul MX Nationals to an all-new level in 2016, and it exceeded expectations all the way through to the chequered flag at Coolum’s finale. Ferris ultimately claimed the premier class championship, while defending title holder Kirk Gibbs was forced to accept his agonising defeat after controlling the championship for the greater portion of the year. It was just as intense in MX2, especially after former series leader Nathan Crawford bowed out of the 10th and final round due to injury, allowing arch-rival Jed Beaton to claim the title.
MX NATIONALS IMAGE: MXN
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Annual awards feature highlights the winners and events of the year gone by. Always a favourite on the Foremost Media websites, this year we’ve transferred our annual awards feature to Road Dirt Digital, where we reflect upon the great national and international happenings of motorcycling that took place in 2016.
IMAGES: KEITH MUIR/FOREMOST MEDIA/MXN/SIMON CUDBY/ AUS-X OPEN
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NATIONAL RIDER OF THE YEAR: TROY HERFOSS It was only a matter of time until Troy Herfoss captured an Australian Superbike Championship, which he ultimately did for Crankt Protein Honda Racing in 2016. Bouncing back from a mid-season slump thanks to added support from Pirelli, Herfoss owned the final rounds and picked up the number one plate despite being on the ageing CBR1000RR.
INTERNATIONAL RIDER OF THE YEAR: MARC MARQUEZ After losing out to Jorge Lorenzo last year, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez got revenge in 2016 to reclaim the MotoGP World Championship. With three titles in four years, the Spaniard proved once he again he is the class of the field, wrapping up the series with three full rounds remaining this season!
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: SAM CLARKE
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR: CAL CRUTCHLOW
In his first full season of contesting the Australian Supersport Championship, Western Australian Sam Clarke starred on his way to runner-up in the pointstandings. He led the championship into the final round, but didn’t quite get the job done, however he will head to the UK next year with a heap of confidence.
Love him or hate him, LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow always voices his opinion and has plenty of attention cast upon him because of that. We here at Road Dirt Digital are big fans of Crutchlow’s and look forward to seeing even more of him in 2017 - it was epic to see him win a pair of races this season.
SERIES OF THE YEAR: ASBK With the factory teams and top privateer talent in the mix, the 2016 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli was a great show to follow. Kudos to Motorcycling Australia for turning things around and, with some very capable and respected people in management, things are looking even better for next year.
MOST ANTICIPATED MODEL: 2017 HONDA CBR1000RR SP1
HOTTEST TOPIC: MOTOGP MAKES HISTORY
Not just one, but three Honda CBR1000RRs will be released for 2017 - the standard version, SP1 and SP2 models. The first two models aren’t due to be released until May, while there’s no word yet on the latter, so we still have a fair wait on our hands for this arrival. We’re amped to see it on race-tracks around the globe.
A total of nine riders won grands prix in 2016, surpassing the previous record of eight back in 2000. Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Jack Miller, Andrea Iannone, Cal Crutchlow, Maverick Vinales, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso were all victorious, making for an incredible season that ultimately saw Marquez crowned.
HEAVENLY LIGHT
FAST AS HELL
MY17 KTM SX RANGE
KTM continues the powerhouse revolution with its range of world-beating SX machines. With a plethora of wins in a wide number of offroad disciplines, the sheer power, rideability and performance of the KTM 4-stroke bike, combined with the new models being close to the weight limit in all classes, makes the MY17 range READY TO RACE to the front of the field. And introducing an all-new totally redesigned model, the 2017 KTM 250 SX is the most advanced production 2-stroke MX bike ever made.
KTM Group Partner
Motorcycle pictured with additional KTM PowerParts.
2-STROKE // 125 SX » 250 SX 4-STROKE //// 250 SX-F » 350 SX-F » 450 SX-F
GREATEST DISAPPOINTMENT: BROOKES’ WORLDSBK DISASTER Winner of the British championship in 2015 and moving to WorldSBK with his Milwaukee-backed team, albeit switching from Yamaha to BMW, we all had high hopes for Josh Brookes. But, for one reason or another, things never clicked and he finished a lowly 14th in the final standings.
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TOP TEAM: KAWASAKI RACING TEAM Kawasaki may not field a team in MotoGP, however they’re certainly making up for it by dominating WorldSBK with two-time champion Jonathan Rea and teammate Tom Sykes, who won the title in 2013. They went 1-2 in the 2016 championship after putting on a clinic for much of the season, al-so resulting in the manufacturers and teams titles.
BEST EVENT: WORLDSBK/ASBK OPENER There’s something about Phillip Island in February that makes the Superbike World Championship and Australian Superbike Championship opening rounds so special. With the build-up of pre-season testing and then the first major international race weekend of the season, we’re massive fans of this combined event and can’t wait for it to roll around again in a couple of months!
MOST SURPRISING MOMENT: JACK MILLER WINS! In tough conditions at the Dutch TT, Queenslander Jack Miller stormed to his first-career MotoGP win after getting the better of world champion Marc Marquez! He become the first Aussie since Casey Stoner in 2012 to win a race and also the first non-factory entry to finish on top since way back in 2006.
SOCIAL STANDOUT: DANIEL FALZON We’ve said for a number of years that Daniel Falzon and his familyoperated JD Racing team are some of the most professional people in the sport locally, so it’s only natural that he has one of the most engaging social networks on the ASBK grid. Everything from tracking his race weekends, some neat behind the scenes insights and analysis makes him our standout of the year.
SPECIAL MENTION: KTM ARRIVES KTM has made a major investment in 2016 as it prepares to enter the MotoGP World Championship full-time next season as a factory team. The RC16 is a beautiful piece of machinery that is bound to be a contender down the track, but not only that, the Austrian manufacturer will also be fielding an official Moto2 effort! Already they’re the Moto3 champions.
NATIONAL RIDER OF THE YEAR: DEAN FERRIS In his return season to Australia, New South Welshman Dean Ferris delivered on all fronts – he claimed the premier MX1 championship in the Motul MX Nationals series, represented Australia at the MXoN in Italy, claimed his maiden supercross victory and was credited runner-up in the Australian Supercross Championship.
INTERNATIONAL RIDER OF THE YEAR: TOBY PRICE While there were many incredible performances globally during the season, as an Aussie publication it’s hard to look past Toby Price’s Dakar Rally win in only his second attempt. The Red Bull KTM rider shot to fame with his success way back in January and is entering the 2017 edition as the pre-race favourite to defend his crown.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: TIM GAJSER Slovakia’s Tim Gajser soared at the pinnacle of the sport in 2016, wrapping up the premier MXGP class title in the world motocross championship, in what was just his first attempt. He remained consistent throughout the year with several wins to his name, allowing him to be crowned champion with a round to spare.
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR: KEN ROCZEN What’s not to love about Ken Roczen? The charismatic German wowed and entertained fans all year with interesting post-race interviews, segments on short films and slightly controversial posts on social media. And the fact that he dominated the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross series made it even sweeter for his loyal international fanbase.
SERIES OF THE YEAR: AMA SUPERCROSS Regarded as one of the most prestigious championships in the sport, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series delivered one of the most exciting championships in 2016 across all categories. It provided all things from heartbreaking moments to inspiring performances, making it this year’s Series of the Year.
MOST ANTICIPATED MODEL: 2017 HONDA CRF450R While it has only just hit Australian shores, the heavily-updated 2017 Honda CRF450R claims the award for Most Anticipated Model this year. With many manufacturers introducing revised models from their 2016 versions, the new Honda MX1 entry has been one of the most highly-anticipated models in years.
GREATEST DISAPPOINTMENT:PEDS ROCK MX When brothers Matt and Jake Moss were provisionally suspended for allegedly testing positive to a banned substance from an ASADA test, it shocked the industry both domestically and internationally. Jake eventually received a four-year sanction for the infringement, while the outcome for Matt’s case is yet to be determined.
TOP TEAM: CDR YAMAHA HOTTEST TOPIC: TEAR-OFFS BANNED! Motorcycling Australia’s tear-off ban for 2017 will go down as one of the most controversial rule changes in history. The decision to ban tear-offs has divided motocross communities across the country, sparking major debate across social media. Many are opposing the ban, but it will in fact stay in place for the new year.
Adding yet another Australian motocross title to their collection, plus second and third in the Australian Supercross Championship, CDR Yamaha was the most successful team domestically in 2016, earning themselves this year’s Top Team award.
BEST EVENT: AUS-X OPEN Without a doubt, Sydney’s AUS-X Open was the best event of 2016 from our perspective. Over 25,000 fans filled Qudos Bank Arena over the two nights of racing in November, where they were treated to some of the most action-packed racing and entertainment of the year. The fact that home-grown icon Chad Reed won both nights made it even sweeter.
MOST SURPRISING MOMENT: JAY MARMONT PODIUMS It was a surprising moment when Australian motocross and supercross legend Jay Marmont announced he’ll return to professional racing after retiring in 2014, however it was even more surprising that he claimed a heroic podium finish at Sydney’s AUS-X Open against
SOCIAL STANDOUT: DAN REARDON If you’re not following Dan Reardon on social media, you should probably change that rather quickly. Reardon not only shares a host of videos from riding and racing, but he also frequently makes posts that give a great insight into what he does outside of
SPECIAL MENTION: MATTHEW PHILLIPS WORLD CHAMPION Racing for a new team and in a revised championship, Tasmanian Matthew Phillips added the EnduroGP World Championship to his name in 2016. Phillips was ultra-impressive throughout the eight-round series, collecting three outright victories in the process.
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MITCH EVANS
2016 AUSTRALIAN MXD CHAMPION
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JED BEATON
2016 AUSTRALIAN MX2 CHAMPION
DEAN FERRIS
2016 AUSTRALIAN MX1 CHAMPION
MPIONS
INTERVIEWED
Mr. Motocross He may be seen as an outdoor specialist, however CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris has proven once and for all he’s also got supercross skills to burn. WORDS: JEREMY HAMMER IMAGES: MXN/FOREMOST MEDIA
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fter racing internationally in Europe and briefly in America since 2012, Dean Ferris’ decision to head home for the 2016 season with CDR Yamaha came as a surprise to the industry. An up and down start to the Motul MX Nationals series and a terrifying crash at Wanneroo’s fifth round saw the New South Welshman hit the second half of the year with severe intensity and motive, which resulted in him finishing within the top two in the last 10 motos of the year - ultimately claiming the premier class championship. His success didn’t stop there, he would land on the podium at Jimboomba’s Australian supercross season opener despite being labelled as an ‘outdoor only’ guy by many in the industry. He backed up his recent form the following week in Italy for the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) with two impressive performances, before returning to supercross and earning his maiden victory at Melbourne’s fourth round. To complete the season, Ferris was awarded second in the Australian Supercross Championship, marking one of his most successful years domestically. It’s been a big year for you winning the Australian MX1 title, representing the country at the MXoN and also claiming your maiden supercross victory. You must be pleased with how it’s all panned out. Yeah, of course, it’s been a really rock solid year. I got second in New Zealand, first in motocross and second in supercross, so I’m really happy with how it turned out. Obviously you had that nasty crash at Wanneroo that could’ve potentially ended your season all together, however you came out it relatively unscathed. Did that incident have an impact on how you approached the second half of the season? You really seemed to remain much more consistent as you made up considerable points on Kirk Gibbs. It did. Luckily after that crash we had a five-week break and I needed a couple of weeks to physically recover from it. I got a good few weeks of practice in before round six, but it did, it changed me that crash. I was so pissed at myself for having that happen, I put in so much work in that little break that we had and just changed my approach to racing. In a way, I didn’t ride as conservative, but I was much more patient at the same time. I wasn’t outside of the top two for the last 10 races, so it definitely showed. My new approach to how I went about the racing is why I got the good results in the second half of the season.
Coolum is one of those tracks that can catch you out pretty quickly, especially if you’re laying it on the line as you were. You came into that final round with a disadvantage in the points, how did you manage your mentality between leaving nothing on the table and ensuring you made it through the weekend? Look, I had nothing to lose because I was six points down. I didn’t panic, I knew that was close enough, but I knew I had to win Super Pole and moto one – everything was focused around those two results. We achieved that and were in the driver’s seat for the final moto, so we just did what we had to do. I actually rode conservative in the last moto to make sure I didn’t tip over or something, because Gibbs was right there to capitalise. My mentality was to win, full stop. Describe the feeling you had when you crossed the line in that final moto… I was so relieved, you know? I felt like I had been carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders since I was 16 and turned pro. It just felt amazing that I finally won the bloody motocross championship [laughs], which I wouldn’t say has eluded me - I only had a couple of cracks at it before I went to Europe - but just knowing that I didn’t win it before I left for Europe, I don’t know, I just think there was a lot of pressure for me to do it. It’s a really big relief and I was super happy that I did it.
Was there ever a point where you felt you had taken a step back in your career for returning to Australia? And do you feel that earning the championship justified your decision? Definitely, I never once my regretted my decision to come back. Once I decide to do something, I make sure that I do it properly and I put every bit of energy I have into it. It was definitely a good decision to come back. Now there was a short turnaround from motocross to supercross, plus you had the MXoN on your plate too. I could imagine you wanted to prove your worth on the world stage, but the Australian Supercross Championship was equally as important in terms of what you were contracted to do. How did you juggle preparation between them in that period of time? It was tough, especially the week leading up to Jimboomba. One day I would do supercross, the next day motocross, then another day supercross. The day before Jimboomba I was doing motos on the motocross track until dark and then I had to pack my gear bag and take off the next day for supercross. It was tough, but I definitely put a fair bit of time in for motocross, just because it’s such a big race and a long way to go – I didn’t want to go there unprepared or not be on as good a form as what I was at Coolum. That was difficult, but at the same time I didn’t put any pressure on myself at Jimboomba and really surprised myself. I could’ve prepared way too much for Jimboomba and got the same result or worse, you know. The preparation, it was okay.
A lot of people classed you as an outdoor only guy prior to super cross and I think people forget you had some pretty impressive performances during your brief time in America with Red Bull KTM. Was it a pretty sweet feeling to prove them all wrong at Jimboomba’s season-opener where you placed a close second behind American Justin Brayton? Look, I’m never out to prove things to anyone. Never. That was never my intention, but I do think everyone may have had their beer goggles on when they all said I couldn’t ride supercross. There’s been a few Aussies go over and try to do some AMA Supercross and not even qualify - those people here are considered good supercross riders. Where at the same time, I was over there qualifying for the main event no problem, running top 10, but you know, I still couldn’t ride supercross. People didn’t really think about it before they made that statement. Just going back to the MXoN, you had a pretty strong performance in Italy. Did that spark interest from any international teams? No, I had already signed with Craig Dack to stay for 2017 at that point. I did state that I do want to come back in 2018 or sometime in the future and I think a few people were, after my performance, they were like ‘wow, you’re still interested’. I got a lot of positive comments when I was there, many people said that I looked like a completely different rider and looked really comfortable. Being a Yamaha as well, and my body was in way better shape compared to 2015, where I was really suffering with my femur that I broke the year before. I think there were a few people happy to hear that I’m interested to head back.
And then in supercross, you were really strong all season long and captured your maiden victory at Melbourne’s fourth round. Did that surprise you at all considering you hadn’t raced the discipline in a handful of years? If you were to say at the start of the season that I would win a main event, I might’ve been surprised, but not at that point. I knew I was strong enough to win a main event, I was in the race at all of them and at that one,everything just went right. I got the win, so I wasn’t surprised when I won there. You mentioned returning to international racing 2018. Is that something you’re really going to strive for next year and sort something out to be there? Yeah, definitely. I will put in more energy next year to try and get there for 2018. When I came back to Australia originally, I told myself one or two years, so when I signed with Dacka it’s actually what I wanted to do in the end. I was pretty happy to stay here for two years. I see you’ve recently unveiled your website at deanferris.com.au. I personally think every professional rider should have a personal website, but what made you decide to get something like that done? It was actually my girlfriend’s idea and, normally, I’m against all of that stuff because I personally don’t have enough time to take care of it. But my girlfriend came to me with a proposal and laid it all out, I thought it was a wicked idea and now people can get more of an insight into who Dean Ferris is and Dean Ferris in Kyogle, not just the athlete Dean. I just wanted to get more in touch with the fans to help grow the sport, the sport has been good to me and one day down the track I want to give back to the sport as well. This was a great idea, a great opportunity to build my profile and hopefully I can make some more kids out there a Dean Ferris fan. And lastly, how do you think the competition is shaping up for the MX Nationals next year? It’s good. Some of the MX2 boys are stepping up and since Todd [Waters] and I came back last year, it seems the MX1 class is on the uprise again. It’s going to be tough, I can’t slack off now that I’m going to have the number one on my bike - I’m going to work harder, aspire to be a better rider and try to win the thing again. It’s going to be a lot work. Thanks for your time mate, I appreciate it. No worries, Jeremy.
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DAN IMAGE: JOHN HAMILTON
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t’s been a remarkable year for Victorian Daniel Sanders, who claimed the outright victory in the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship in dominating fashion, while also representing Australia at the International Six-Day Enduro in Spain, where he was awarded runner-up honours in the individual outright results. His performance credited him the win in the E3 category, an exceptional effort on the world stage.
NIEL SANDERS
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he 2016 Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul Pirelli marked a pivotal year for the domestic road racing series - the return of factory teams, plus capable privateers along with a motivated management group at the helm of it all were all clear indicators that the six-round series is moving in a forward direction. The championship itself went down to the wire at Winton’s season finale, where a nail-biting round saw Troy Herfoss crowned the new champion of the premier division.
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CHAD REED IMAGE: SIMON CUDBY
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ne of the greatest exports from Australia, Chad Reed continues to remain at the pinnacle of supercross despite being 34 years of age. The resurgence of Yamaha’s in-house factory effort was piloted by Reed in 2016, which saw him earn a handful of podium finishes in the prestigious Monster Energy Supercross championship. Following a doublevictory at the AUS-X Open, the fan-favourite will now head into his 16th season in America.
INTERVIEWED
R E P U S OY TR One of the great all-rounds in Australian racing, Troy Herfoss is the new Australian Superbike Champion. WORDS: ALEX GOBERT IMAGES: KEITH MUIR/ALEX GOBERT
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t was always a matter of when, not if, Troy Herfoss would win the Australian Superbike Championship. A champion in pretty much every discipline he’s ever put his mind to, the 29-year-old from Goulburn is recognised as one of those ‘special’ kinds of talents that are capable of winning regardless of the challenge. And in just his third year back racing after a year on the sidelines, Herfoss delivered Crankt Protein Honda Racing the sweetest title of all - a title that many believed would be out of reach considering the immense competition they’d faced on new machinery this season. Road Dirt Digital was on-hand at Winton’s final round of the 2016 ASBK season to discuss this latest triumph with the Gold Coast-based Herfoss.
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Ticket must be claimed using the online form available at Link International. Ticket is available for purchase of one set (front and rear) of Diablo Rosso III, Diablo Rosso II, Angel GT or Angel ST from an Australian “bricks and mortar” motorcycle store, between November 15, 2016 and February 17, 2017. Ticket is valid for 1 x 3 day paddock pass to World Superbike Phillip Island February 24-26 2017. Ticket numbers limited.
Troy Herfoss, 2016 Australian Superbike Champion. You must be really happy with that result! Yeah, unbelievable weekend! It’s not how I expected it to play out with the weather and then my two main competitors qualifying further back on the grid, but then they came on strong during in races one and two, so I had to work for it. It would have been nice to win race one and take a bit more pressure off, however I was really happy to win race two and win the championship for Crankt Protein Honda Racing. The whole team have done a great job all year and it’s a massive credit to them. Also congratulations to Wayne [Maxwell] and Glenn [Allerton], who have been really tough competitors. Glenn made me work for that race win in the second race all the way down to the last corner, so it definitely feels like I’ve earned this championship and I’m going to enjoy it. You had speed on your side at Winton, but you obviously had to remain focused through-out the whole weekend. What was going through your mind during race one, then after it as well when you saw the points at that stage? I can’t explain how stressful it was trying to ride at my maximum. I didn’t have to win, with where Wayne was, however to try and ride at 110 percent with all that pressure out in front and not chas-ing anyone really tested me. When I realised I won the championship, I didn’t believe I was going to win until I crossed the line really. I’m really happy to win my first official Australian Superbike Championship and just wrapt for Honda. All the guys in the team have worked hard and we really have worked hard for this. I feel that we deserve it.
How does this compare to last year, because obviously that was massive win in itself. It wasn’t the MA series, but at the same time it was the number one series at the point. How does this one compare? To be honest, I feel like last year I was the number one Superbike rider in Australia and that’s no disrespect to Mike [Jones], because he won the Australian Superbike Championship. I feel like we were in the main championship last year and that was really special. It’s amazing to win the Aus-tralian Superbike Championship, but just to be in a championship where I’m racing against the best guys in the country and to win twice now against the best guys feels really good. In saying that, there is something about the title ‘Australian Superbike Champion’. I’ve always wanted that – now my name is on the list next to a long list of riders. Hopefully I can do it a few more times. Looking back to the Barbagallo Raceway round, did you think this was possible at that point? After Sydney Motorsport Park we were pretty worried, but I made a lot of mistakes there. Then at Barbagallo I didn’t feel like we made a lot of mistakes and felt like we had a reasonably good bike, but we were still a long way off. From then I was really wondering if we could finish on the top step or even win races. Crankt Protein Honda Racing and I did a lot of testing and Pirelli brang the SCX rear tyre. From then on the tracks really helped me, I felt like I got up to speed quickly and maybe took the wind out of them a little bit at Morgan Park by getting the double win, which put me back into contention. From then on I knew it was up to me. I knew Wayne would be strong here at Winton
and also Glenn, but the last two years I have battled with Wayne here and it’s been tough, so I was expecting that again. Just a few things went my way this weekend and took a little bit of the pressure off. I hope Wayne is okay and I’m looking forward to battling with him again next year. The relationship with you and the Motologic-run Crankt Protein Honda Racing team looks like it has really developed into something special since you joined them and you’ve had a lot of success as well. It just seems like a really, really good fit… It is a really good fit. I enjoy Paul [Free]’s company off the track and away from the track and I’m sure the feeling is mutual. We all get along great. Also Shaun [Clarke], my crew chief, he is a smart guy and not the sort of guy that lets everyone in. We have developed a pretty good relationship now and we understand how we both work.
Outside of that our sponsors, we have Crankt Protein on board and they are really happy with how things are going. And not forgetting Pirelli and the guys at Honda, who I get along with great. Growing up it’s always your dream to ride for Honda – when I was a kid I used to watch Mick Doohan go around and I wanted to ride for Honda. 2017 will be my fourth year with Honda, I’m signed up, I’m sealed and I’m ready to go. I enjoy the relation-ship I have got and I have always been that sort of guy that enjoys being with the same team. If we can build this relationship I think we will be harder and harder to beat. You have been overseas before and you then stopped racing for a little while. Once you were back in Australia you said this is where you want to be and obviously on one of the best teams there is. Where to for you now in your career? Is this what you want to do, just keep repeating championships, or do you still have that desire to go and take on the world in a sense?
It gives me a funny feeling when I get asked that question. I think deep down I really want to be Superbike world champion, but in this day and age it’s really difficult to get into a competitive team. I reevaluated things when I started racing again, I feel at home with Honda and the racing is really tough and I can make a living here in Australia, so for me unless Ten Kate Honda are knocking on my door and I’m going to factory Superbike, which is a pretty high ask, I’m staying right where I am. And there’s a new Honda CBR1000RR next year, that must be exciting as well, and I guess a major challenge in itself. Yeah, it’s really cool. I haven’t really been involved with a new model before, so I’m glad I’ve got a few years’ experience now with this bike and also Shaun. That’s something that’ll keep us motivated, we’ll be going for another championship and winning races. I know they had a lot of success with this model with
Glenn, who took out the 2008 championship, so high expectations and we are definitely looking forward to riding the new bike. No worries, well thanks a lot and well done on the championship. No dramas, thank you.
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SUPERCROSS MATTERS
The ever-improving landscape of AUS Supercross soared to new heights in 2016. WORDS: JEREMY HAMMER IMAGES: FOREMOST MEDIA/AUS-X OPEN
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ndoubtedly the pinnacle of the sport domestically, the 2016 AUS-X Open in Sydney capped off what was a positive six-round series of Australian supercross, signifying a resurgence of the discipline in this country. After a cloud of uncertainty surrounded supercross prior to 2015, it forced Motorcycle Australia (MA) - the governing body of motorcycle sport - to take evasive action and implement a new approach that would assist in again making supercross the pres-tigious series that it was once regarded as. A handful of promoters have tried their hand at sustaining a series in Australia and, despite their best efforts, the longevity of them has ultimately been unsuccessful. In 2015, MA intro-duced a multi-promoter strategy that saw several different entities host individual rounds, while the governing body overseas the structure. It’s a much more riskfree approach for promoters and it’s proven to be successful with increasing crowd numbers, television cover-age and, most of all, a stronger amount of riders behind the gates. “From what I’ve seen in 2014, we’re way ahead of the game,” explained MA CEO Peter Doyle. “Does it need a lot more? Absolutely. Supercross is difficult, it’s a big outlay for pro-moters, and it’s high-risk for them. I think you’ll find history will tell you that a single promoter hasn’t really worked in Australia for many, many years. Again, not that I’ve been here, but many have tried and failed. I think the series was reasonably good, the quality of the racing was obviously quite good.” AUS-X Open director Adam Bailey shared a similar opinion to Doyle, agreeing that super-cross is heading in the right direction, which he believes is thanks to the enthusiasm from the industry as a whole: “I think it’s back on the up, it’s a really exciting time. Purely, if nothing else, the crowd numbers are increasing there’s no question [about it] across the series. The riders and depth of talent is increasing and gates are becoming more full. Overall, I think the riders and teams are becoming more enthusiastic, as is the industry, which is good news for all of us - there’s a buzz around supercross again.”
While two heavyweights of the industry are in agreement of the approach that is currently being taken, Serco Yamaha team owner Gavin Eales shares a different opinion, in which he believes a sole promoter would see much needed consistency throughout the championship. Although his opinion differs, Eales reflected on the series with positivity, agreeing that it is progressing and going in the right direction. “I think it was a very successful series,” said Eales. “The only problem I see is that we need to have one promoter run the whole lot so we have consistency with tracks and just with how the events run. Apart from that, the events from the outside public view look great, but just from the back-end, I think if you had the same person running every event, it could be a bit better. “Like I said, some continuity of the tracks - the same person building and watering the tracks. The tracks in Adelaide and Melbourne were very dusty, maybe if they put a bit more water on them, I’m just saying they could’ve been a bit better, but even Sydney was pretty dusty. It was definitely better [this year], there’s no doubt it was better. The television was great, we’re go-ing forward and we’re definitely going in the right direction, there’s no doubt about that.” To a degree, both Doyle and Bailey spoke of implementing the consistency that Eales spoke of, however doing so by maintaining the current multipromoter initiative. Doyle discussed ideas such as bringing continuity into the schedule, press days and medical services and used the premier championships of motorcycle sport in Australia as benchmarks that the su-percross series should be striving for. “I think the key now is for the promoters to get some consistency as far as the operational side goes – a consistent schedule, consistent press days and consistent medical,” Doyle continued. “While everything was reasonably good, there were a lot of inconsistencies. When you went to an event in Adelaide, it was different to an event in Brisbane. In reality, I think the key will be to get more consistency for everybody really. That’s not a negative to anyone, super-cross in reality is not a club day, it’s a big investment, it’s a blue-ribbon series like your prem-ier road racing or your premier motocross and premier speedway.
“It’s blue-ribbon and needs to have a sense of professionalism about it. If you look at any good series in the world, it doesn’t matter whether it’s motocross, road racing or speedway, they’re all run on a very consistent basis. I think it will be up to Motorcycling Australia to work with the promoter group to help bring consistency around it – that’s where we’ll be coming into it as the mediator. Essentially, we need to work with the group and start to get them to agree on a common direction in many areas.”
half of them were pretty good,” Marmont said. “Adelaide was unreal, Jim-boomba was pretty good, places like Toowoomba just don’t seem to work there in the past - the crowd and that just weren’t into it as much. But yeah, just the venue places, I thought the tracks were really good this year. I think for Australian tracks, if it’s anywhere from 35- to 50-second lap times, it seems to work out better. Anything that’s a little bit longer than that, our racing seems to get a bit lost and boring with the 20-lap finals.”
Bailey commented on the changes that he feels have benefited supercross, while also refer-ring to the words of Doyle of bringing in consistency and refining the current model: “I don’t know if there are specific changes [to be made], I think it’s going in the right direction. I wasn’t a believer in the Under 19s class and I thought it was a positive to not have that, so that was a good step. I feel like it helped the depth of the SX2 class, which is so important – that was something that I was really rallying for. In terms of future changes, I don’t know, I think every-one is on the right track, it’s just more of the same, which is refining everything that we’re do-ing. From the promoters to the teams and to Motorcycling Australia, I think it’s just to continue to refine everything that we’re doing.”
One of the changes to 2016 Australian Supercross Championship was the addition of junior categories, which is great a initiative from all involved to shape the next generation of riders in the sport and to assist in ensuring the discipline of supercross continues to grows well into the future. This is something that Marmont feels very strongly about and he’s proud that junior racers have the opportunity to take part in a championship of its kind, however he was disappointed in the lack of riders who supported the series in its entirety.
Multiple Australian supercross and motorcross champion Jay Marmont reflected on this year’s championship, which marked his comeback to professional racing after retiring in 2014. The New South Welshman spoke highly of the quality of tracks that were provided in the series and made comments on a selection venues that he feels were adequate in creating a vibe that a supercross event should deliver. “I think there are always changes that could be made to make it better, but to me, the venue choices, I think
“One thing I was disappointed in this year was the lack of juniors that followed the supercross series, I’m not sure why juniors don’t want to do supercross – I thought it was great that the promoters gave them the chance to race in front of all those people in the stands and be de-serving of a supercross championship,” he continued. “When I grew up racing with Chad Reed, Robbie Maddison and all the guys who came through, we always looked forward to doing the supercross championship. That was a little disappointing to sit back and watch, but the kids who did do it, I thought they took a lot away from it and rode really well. There were no injuries, it was safe and everything was great on their end.”
With increasing crowd numbers, television broadcasts and a greater depth of talent amongst the classes, when will Australian supercross rival those that are held in large football stadi-ums of the US? Not in the near future, according to Eales, but he believes it’s possible that if the growth of the sport continues at it’s current rate, then it could well and truly be hosted in football stadiums. However, Eales maintained that it’s important for supercross to not make any steps that would put it back into a vulnerable position. “It would be great to have it in big arenas, but at the end of the day, you have to crawl before you walk,” Eales stated. “Supercross has been down in the dumps for a couple of years. I’m all for letting it grow with the
stadiums, you know, start small and go big. There’s no way we could go to Eithad Stadium at the moment, you wouldn’t get the crowd to justify it - someone would lose a lot of money. In two or three years, yeah we could go to Etihad Stadium, if it keeps growing the way it is. I don’t think it would be a problem, but you’ve just got to grow slowly.” The 2016 Australian Supercross Championship saw a host of international riders contest the series and it’s evident that the interest in the discipline has soared significantly. The AUS-X Open is a true indicator of that, where over 25,000 fans flooded the doors of Qudos Bank Arena throughout the two nights of racing in Sydney Olympic Park. The future of Australian supercross is looking healthy and with the dates of next year’s series already revealed, it suggests that greater organisation has been brought in to ensure to series continues to main-tain its progressive momentum.
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TESTED
GREEN ENVY ROAD DIRT DIGITAL RIDES THE ALL-NEW 2017 KAWASAKI KX250F. WORDS: ADAM SPENCE IMAGES: JEFF CROW
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awasaki has introduced an all-new KX250F for 2017, in line with the broad range of updates introduced on the KX450F motorcycle last year. The 2017 model offers a more powerful engine, a significantly lighter chassis, and slimmer ergonomics, making this new model the most capable KX250F motorcycle to date. Road Dirt Digital had our chance to sample the newest quarter-litre contender on track at Ride Park this week during Kawasaki Motor Australia’s media launch, albeit on a custom-built circuit at the Victorian venue quickly constructed after rain hit the region prior to our test ride. The first noticeable change to the MY17 Kawasaki KX250F is the bodywork. Kawasaki updated the look of its MX2 machine to bring it in line with the KX450F.
Although the bikes look very similar, it should be noted that the two bikes are not exactly identical. The KX250F shroud design features a more refined and polished shape compared to the KX450F, which was updated for 2016. The updated plastics are not the only thing Kawasaki did for 2017 in terms of looks and ergos, they actually shaped the new design around an all-new frame and made crucial updates to the overall feel of the bike. Kawasaki dropped the fuel tank down by 20mm, lowering the centre of gravity to improve handling and flattening out the cockpit of the bike at the same time. On top of this, the seat height is also actually 5mm lower than the previous model.
This move by Kawasaki was a great option in my opinion. The previous models did tend to have that ‘lounge chair’ feel to them as the seat dipped a little too low for my liking. Being a taller rider I enjoy a flatter seat and more legroom between that and the footpegs. The KX250F now feels completely different, I’m totally comfortable in the seated position and the ability to add even more legroom with the adjustable foot pegs is awesome. In previous years I would drop the pegs down to the lowest setting immediately in order to feel comfortable, in 2017 though, I was able to leave them in the standard position and start spinning laps. Another obvious advantage to this updated design is the lowered centre of gravity, which improves the handling of the bike and allows it to corner on a dime.
Another huge update within the chassis and bodywork area is the width of the bike. Kawasaki shaved off a total of 6mm between your legs in order to provide a more nimble feeling machine and save weight at the same time. Kawasaki removed the width between your knees, yet they maintained the same width as the previous model down at your ankles so you can still grip the bike well with your boots. The combination of the updated plastics, new tank design that has gone up from 6.1L in volume to 6.4L, flatter seat and thinner feel between your legs is awesome. If you’re familiar with the previous KX250F models, throw that out the door and prepare for a completely new experience.
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As I said, in previous years I always struggled with the ergos of this bike, but for 2017 it’s a completely different animal and I now have no complaints at all in stock trim. As I touched on earlier, Kawasaki also focused on weight saving for MY17 and managed to shave off a considerable amount for the new model. The 2017 KX250F now weighs in at 104.5kg, shaving a huge 1.6kg off of the bike – that’s massive! The result? Combined with the updated ergos, this bike feels super small and maneuverable, yet doesn’t feel too small or cramped for a rider of my size. It’s right there in that sweet spot. For 2017 the engine package has also been revised to offer improved power across the entire rev range and it has an almost 1.5 horsepower increase. In previous years the KX250F engine has been one of the best performers in class and in 2017 it’s even better. The engine has been redesigned with an offset cylinder layout for more efficient power. The engine now features a lighter bridged-box bottom piston, a downdraft-style intake layout with new injector angle and a new downstream injector with twice as many holes, finer fuel droplets and a wider angle. These updates, combined with a new 43mm throttle body, provide an increase in power, especially in the low-to-mid area and much sharper response. The Kawasaki KX250F has always excelled at higher revs and I personally felt it lacked slightly in the low-to-mid region. For 2017 that has been completely cured, the bike now pulls very strong from the bottom to the top thanks to the revised engine design. In addition to the updated engine package, Kawasaki has also maintained popular pre-existing features. Introduced for 2016, the launch control system remains for 2017 to ensure you get a great jump out of the gate.
Kit available for purchase from your local Kawasaki dealer for more detailed mapping changes. The 2017 Kawasaki KX250F features the Showa SFF Type 2 fork with works-style internal construction that locates its damping assembly in the left fork tube and a spring in the right. To compliment the updated frame, the setting has been made firmer in the fork for 2017, while the rear end of the bike has actually gone slightly softer. The rear also sits 5mm lower for 2017 and features the same swingarm as the KX450F. Initially using the stock suspension settings, the 2017 KX250F felt quite good in the sandy conditions on offer. Although after riding an identical bike with settings suited to National Pump Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jake Moss, I quickly had Kawasaki engineers do the same to my dedicated bike for the day. Moss had the rear of his bike set slightly stiffer than the stock setting, which allowed it to hold up in the stroke and stay a lot more setting in corners. Although this setting worked quite well in the conditions on offer, it may be a different story when it comes to a more hard and choppy circuit. But for the situation on the day, adding more pre-load in the rear worked a treat. Overall the suspension package is great, it feels very balanced and is definitely an improvement over the previous model. It suits the updated frame design and weight of the bike perfectly. Overall the 2017 Kawasaki KX250F is one awesome machine, each and every update has been well thought out and executed perfectly. Even down to the all-new in-mold graphics, Kawasaki has thought of every detail when it came to the creation of their latest and greatest 250cc four-stroke. The 2017 Kawasaki KX250F is now available to purchase at your local dealer for a recommended retail price of $10,499. For more details and dealer locations, head to www.kawasaki.com.au.
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TESTED
SCOTT PROSPECT GOGGLE ROAD DIRT DIGITAL TESTS THE LATEST FROM SCOTT. WORDS: ADAM SPENCE IMAGES: FOREMOST MEDIA
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hen SCOTT unveiled the all-new 2017 Prospect goggle, it was certainly a product we couldn’t wait to get our hands on. SCOTT goggles have always been a high quality choice of eye protection when it comes to motocross, and we had a feeling their latest and greatest innovation would continue that trend. Featuring a larger lens and a thin frame construction, the Prospect goggle offers a maximum field of vision due to the extra height of the lens. The lens is also closer to your eyes to help maximise the overall field of vision. Field of vision has become a huge focus for goggle manufacturers in the past few years, and SCOTT has come through with the goods in that department. Speaking of the lens region of the goggle, the all-new lens retention system developed by SCOTT ensures that the lens won’t pop out when hit with flying rocks or dirt. The lens itself sits within a rubber groove around the frame of the goggle, which is then locked in with moving sections of the outer frame. It really is quite an impressive system overall and works very well. Our set of red/black SCOTT Prospect goggles came fitted with a sliver chrome works lens as standard. Included in the package was an additional clear lens for those cloudy days. For me, I’m a huge fan of tinted lenses, so the silver chrome works lens has remained in the frame for the duration of our time with the product. The lens also features a ‘NoFog’ anti-fog lens treatment, which works very well. When testing products or bikes, you find yourself sitting in the sun waiting to hit a certain section of the track to nail the shots you need. This time sitting on the side of the track is the perfect chance to test the anti-fog ability of your goggles. The 2017 SCOTT Prospect does very well in this department, no doubt about it! The physical size of the 2017 SCOTT Prospect is quite large and fits perfectly inside our Bell Moto-9 Flex helmet.
2017 SCOTT PROSPECT WFS50 MODEL
If the frame were any larger, we may be in trouble, but it’s the perfect size to fill your goggle port and won’t allow any dust or dirt to find its way between your helmet and goggles. Using 3.2 thermoformed face foam, sweat is channeled away from your face and pressure is also released from the nose. The first layer draws sweat away from the face, the middle layer absorbs sweat and the third layer creates a comfortable fit and seal. Two pivoting outriggers also allow the goggle to adapt to any helmet shape and create a great seal to the rider’s face. The 2017 SCOTT Prospect goggle is super comfortable and definitely performs well in warm conditions. For me, I found using the goggle without the removable nose protector was ideal. As the Bell Moto-9 Flex mouthpiece is actually quite close to the face, I found the nose protector would touch on the helmet. All it took was a few seconds to remove the piece and I was on my way – easy fix! The actual shape and design of the goggle is something that definitely needs to be touched on, it looks amazing. The unique frame design gives these goggles an awesome look, and the colour and lens combinations on offer are absolutely killer. It’s always good to see a brand nail both the function and form when releasing an all-new product. To avoid having the goggle slip on your helmet, the 2017 SCOTT Prospect is now fitted with an extra wide, noslip, silicone strap. This strap, together with articulated outriggers, highly contributes to the improvement of the helmet integration. The SCOTT Prospect is also the only motocross goggle compatible with SCOTT’s revolutionary roll-off system, the WFS50.
The low nose design of these goggles makes the installation of the 50mm film possible and the pivoting outriggers enable a slick integration of the canisters for an unmatched look even with the roll offs mounted. The new WFS50 also features a quick and tool-less canister installation with the SCOTT Click-On technology. The red lever makes sure the canister is safely attached to the pins and allows switching from roll-offs to tear-offs easy. The film height of SCOTT’s new WFS50 roll-off system has been increased by 56 percent to become the largest on the market with up to 50 clear views of vision. With the canisters being positioned behind the pivoting outriggers, this results in an increase in field of vision and the canister integration results in a more fluid look.
Overall the 2017 SCOTT Prospect goggle is one impressive product and a credit to the SCOTT brand. Not only are these goggles of the highest quality, they also come in at quite a reasonable price point of $129.95 for the goggle and $149.95 for the goggle and WFS50 roll-off system combination – great value! The 2017 SCOTT Prospect goggle is now available Australia wide, be sure to check out www.ficeda.com.au for more information.
TESTED
PIRELLI DIABLO ROSSO III TYRES ROAD DIRT DIGITAL TESTS WITH PIRELLI AT SEPANG. WORDS: MATTHEW SHIELDS IMAGES: PIRELLI MOTO
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’m the first person to admit that I am no racer. Yep, I tried it and I sure don’t have what it takes to be at the pointy-end of any field. I knew that a long time before I could, and did, race a motorcycle after seeing the likes of Gardner, Doohan, Rainey and Schwantz racing when I had more hair – what they did was next level. Most days of the week if you asked me where I wanted to ride I would still say the racetrack.
Pirelli race what they sell and sell what they race. Conversely, the protagonist for change behind the Rosso III development was the changing needs of road riders and performance level of production machinery. Best of all for me, those types of riders are just like me: they like track days, ride relatively new bikes and enjoy the best high-performance machinery has to offer on the road.
The novelty and thrill of riding on the track is hard to shake. The unrestrained speed and adrenalin are a welcome relief from the unknown you face every time you head out on the road. Like many people riding nakedbikes and sportsbikes over the 800cc mark on the road, this is normal. Riders with these kind of motorcycles will occasionally do a trackday, ride mostly on the road and, best of all, have fun when there are corners.
Pirelli has learnt lots racing World Superbikes as the control tyre supplier for the production-based world championship since 2004. They’ve spent a lot of time developing rubber to cope with a variety of conditions that the Diablo Rosso III’s rider is looking for in racing and trans-ferred this to the road tyre. The key objective of the design of this tyre has been to deliver predictable handling characteristics on the road and an exciting one on the track.
Like the Pirelli Diablo II it replaces, the Diablo Rosso III is the Italian tyre company’s new sports rubber born on the racetrack and made for the road. No, that is not Pirelli’s catch-cry but if it was it would be as honest as they come.
Labelled as one of the most important factors, the change in profile up-front makes shape of the tyre a lot more like Pirelli’s Supercorsa race tyre than the previous Diablo Rosso II, allowing it to work at larger lean angles. The change in profile has increased
the speed and lightness of handling and, most importantly Pirelli says, creates a quicker rise back upand-over the crown of the tyre in a flip-flop situation. The construction within the tyre, however, has been tailored to the front and rear differently. At the rear, a thicker and stiffer construction is meant to cope with high lean angles and big amounts of power being put to ground through it. On the front, it is slightly softer to create a tyre that’s more linear in its behavior to make a better footprint, and give better feedback from the front-end. While the change in profile has optimised the footprint size and improved feeling and grip, it has also consequently improved the tyre’s durability because it is now wearing more evenly. The tread pattern has a reduced void ratio – meaning more rubber and, therefore, more grip on the ground – but works a lot better because of the new compounds. And what would a new tyre be without a spiel on new compounds! Pirelli has made the front Rosso III 100 percent silica, to improve the handling in the wet and dry, and the dual-compound rear is 70 percent silica, to provide stability at high-speed and braking, on the centreline and 100 percent silica on the shoulders. So how does it perform? While having the test solely on a race track of a tyre intended for predominately road riding may seem odd, it couldn’t have been a better proving ground to test the new tyre. Starting on a damp and, in some places wet track, my familiarisation with the circuit layout was the only thing ever questioned. Riding quicker than I would on a damp or patchy road that I knew well, the fast-turning nature of the tyre was evident but not something the condi-tions would let me fully exploit. An hour later, and it was a different circuit.
With a clearly dry line and aboard a previous generation Ducati Multistrada, I was immediate-ly impressed with how quickly and precisely the tyres allowed direction changes and the amount of grip they gave on corner exit. Having ridden the same model Multistrada on the road in Australia with Rosso IIs a week earlier, I can say that the Rosso III gives a much sportier, faster-handling dynamic. In this sense, they are the bolt-on handling improvement Pirelli has intended them to be. A session later, and I am in a different world on the latest generation BMW S 1000 RR. With a dry track aside from an inconvenient patch in one of the tighter corners, it was as sharp and dynamic a ride as any sportsbike on racier rubber. That dodgy patch proved to be the perfect place to test the fast-turning nature of the tyre and the grip of the rear on hard acceleration as I fumbled my way around the wet patch trying to avoid it all day long. By the end of the day, not one tyre on any bike in the sweltering conditions at Sepang looked like it was near the end of its life – something Tom Sykes implied was likely the day before, and was true for us mere mortals testing the tyres. Despite being tested by the heat, and challenged by the sketchy conditions earlier in the day, as far as a tyre for a track day goes they can’t be faulted. They lasted, performance was consistent and predictable, and they def-initely made the handling dynamic sportier – a point proven on the Multistrada and reinforced on the Monster I rode a few days earlier on Rosso IIs. I have no doubt all of these characteristics will improve the road-riding experience too, as much as they have improved the Rosso II’s on the track. So if you like to do the occasional track day, enjoy twisty roads, and want good tyre life, you can’t go wrong with Pirelli’s new offering. Available now from all good bike shops, prices start at $199 for fronts and $299 for rears. To find your nearest stockist, jump on the local distributor website www.linkint.com.au.
TESTED
BELL STAR HELMET ROAD DIRT DIGITAL TESTS HIGH-TECH BELL. WORDS: MATTHEW SHIELDS IMAGE: GREG SMITH
A
fter another two months and 20 or so bikes since my first impression of the 2016 Bell Star, it hasn’t failed to disappoint. The Star is one of three helmets in the new Bell Star range. The Pro Star is made featuring an ultra-fine carbon weave, the Race Star that using a 3k carbon fibre, and the Star that is made of a woven aramid, carbon fibre and fibreglass mix. The other points of difference between the Pro and Race Star from the base model Star is the progressive layering system in the helmet liner that deals with a greater range of impact speeds – something vital on the racetrack more so than the road – and a slightly different profile to accommodate head down riding on the track, and more upright position on the road. Despite the lack of full carbon shell, the Star weighs in less than 200 grams heavier – around the 1600 gram mark – in an extra large size. As road lids go, that’s pretty standard in my experience. The Star uses a shell sizing system that has five different shell sizes for six different helmet sizes. For XL and XXL heads, you get the same shell size, but for every other size – XS, S, M and L – you get a shell size optimised for your head size: now that’s a factory fit! The cheek pads are interchangeable and vary in size between a 35mm and 40mm pad, with 40mm standard fitment in the XL size. I’ve had them in and out a few times and washed them and they still feel and fit like new, as does the liner.
The visor retention system is a button to free the visor and a push to get it back in. It’s got three positions – open, ajar and closed, and it still sounds like a space shuttle door shutting when I close it. Even without a Pinlock fitted, the ventilation with just the chin vent open and chin and nose flaps in was excellent – I didn’t have one bit of fogging on cold and wet rides. The ventilation works very well throughout the helmet with a strong air draw keeping it cool throughout. The chin bar vent also features a removable vent cover and it is this that is responsible for keeping the visor clear without any help from a Pinlock in the time I’ve been using it. Rather than blowing air at your mouth in the cold of winter, the cover forces it to be directed into the visor and keep it fog free – genius! It rides the air well with the visor open on anything except a fully dressed cruiser with a low-sitting, flat screen causing turbulence problems. The field of view in this helmet is so good it felt wrong at first. I normally wear race lids on the road and end up with my head pointing higher than what is comfortable to see my surrounds best. The big eye portal with the little wave you see in the visor towards the corners of both sides is what opens up the field of view so well. It’s a huge safety benefit on the road, and with a slightly different profile in the shell of the Pro and Race Star (to suit head down riding) the big field of view is of equal benefit in a head down position on the track.
Noise wise it is wind-noise quiet, though the big cavities around the ears make sure you hear the bike you are riding and traffic around you well easily. They open up a flat surface that is ideal for intercom systems and it is also a comfortable fit around your temples with glasses and not bad with thick sunnies either. On sportsbikes, nakedbikes and cruisers it cuts the air well and is better with your head more upright, in open air, than in a crouched down racer position. I like race helmets most of all for the ventilation they deliver, and this is an aspect where the Bell Star excels. Same too for the size of the eye portal and how much that really does lighten the load on your neck and shoulders looking around all the time on the road.
Same too with the noise – it cuts the wind nose, but lets the ambient noise in. It’s an aspect of the helmet that some people might not enjoy as much on the road and if that’s the case there’s always the more road-focused Qualifier DLX in the Bell range. If you are a sports rider that wants the style, fit and finish of a race helmet, with a bunch of features that make track riding easier and road riding safer, then it’s pretty hard to go past the 2016 Bell Star. With prices starting at $629.95, for further information on the Bell range of lids or your nearest stockist head to www.bellstar.com.au.
PIT PASS
since then he has been working his way through different disciplines of racing at both the domestic and international level. With a number of championships under his belt, Troy chooses to use only the best products in his bikes.
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When it comes to the ultimate in performance and reliability for his engines, Troy Herfoss uses MOTUL.
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TROY HERFOSS
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Troy Herfoss was born into motorcycle racing,
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300V Factory Line Road Racing
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