Inside Dirt - Issue 16

RIDER OF THE YEAR DEAN FERRIS

TOP 10 MOMENTS OF 2016

pg. 114

pg. 85

TEAR OFF NO MORE ROLL OFFS

2017 TEAM PREDICTIONS FOR MXN

pg. 124

pg. 107

Image: AUS-X Open

5 9 5 1

SUPERPOLES MX RACE WINS MX ROUND WINS SX ROUND WIN

2016

1st MX NATIONALS

MOTOCROSS SUPERCROSS

2nd SUPERCROSS

ISSUE 16 19.12.2016

MOTUL Powersport Line

THE

POWERING PASSION MOTUL MC Care A wide range of products to fully maintain and take care of the motorcycle, the motorcyclist and their equipment.

Imported and distributed in Australia by:

See our dealer locator at: www.linkint.com.au

02 160358

Photo credit: MXN Images

Whether racing, commuting or just having fun, each attitude needs a specific answer to the specific conditions. Motul’s experts have developed a wide range of dedicated products for the specific requirements of each Powersport machine. For racing attitude, the Motul 300V Factory Line Off Road Racing is a 100% synthetic lubricant with technology that is unmatched in the industry.

03

MAGIC MOMENT If you think about the champions of this decade its hard to believe that CR22 has beat them all in their prime: Carmicheal, Stewart, Villapoto, Dungey, Rokzen and now rising talent Cooper Webb. This man is one of the greats and is not bound by his age!

Image: AUS-X Open

FLIP YOUR PHONE HORIZONTAL TO VIEW THE FULL IMAGE

MAGIC MOMENT Jay Marmont’s return to racing was unexpected and no one could have predicted he would be on the podium in Australia’s biggest Supercross event beating not only Australia’s best but also Cooper Webb.

Image: AUS-X Open

FLIP YOUR PHONE HORIZONTAL TO VIEW THE FULL IMAGE

Christmas is just around the corner, and to celebrate, we’ve released our very own special edition of Inside Dirt to celebrate the festive season.

2016 has been one of the biggest years of racing this country has ever seen, with highs and lows to boot, so to wrap the entire season up, we’ve put together one final issue the will take you back to some of the best moments of the year.

We have also crowned our Inside Dirt ‘Rider of the Year’ Dean Ferris after a simply incredible performance throughout Motocross and Supercross, and shared the impressive stats that contributed to him now being known as the ‘Aussie all-rounder’.

Whether it’s the Motul MX Nationals, Supercross, Off-Road, galleries, information on the tear off ban or where the support classes will take place in 2017, this mag has it all covered.

So get reading kids, we’re taking one last look at 2016 in Inside Dirt before preparing for another epic 12 months of racing.

8

FEATURES 12

Behind the Gate

14

2017 MX Nationals Calender

79

Behind the CEO - Peter Doyle

85

Top 10 Moments of 2016

107 2017 Team Predictions 114 Rider of the year - Dean Ferris 124 Tear off no more - Rolloffs 136 Whats Trending

MOTOCROSS 20

2016 Year in Images

60

2016 MX National Results

SUPERCROSS 68

AUS-X Open Review

72

2016 Supercross Results

ISSUE #16

ON PAGE 124: If you haven’t heard already, Tear off’s have been banned in Australia. We give you the details plus some roll off options that you can compare.

68

ON PAGE 114: Dean Ferris has been named the 2016 Rider of the Year with his impressive performance in both MX and SX.

20 ON PAGE 85: What where the top 10 best moments of 2016? Find out here.

09 9

TA K E T O T H E U N K N O W N

BEHIND THE GATES

TIME TO WRAP UP ANOTHER HUGE YEAR. _________ KEVIN WILLIAMS TAKES TIME TO REFLECT ON THE YEAR AT HAND AND LOOKS FORWARD TO THE 2017 CHAMPIONSHIP.

12

It’s been a big 2016, and Australia has been lucky enough to witness some of the greatest racing this country has ever seen this season. Whether it was the Motul MX Nationals or the fiery battle between Chad Reed and Cooper Webb at the AUS-X Open, this year has been one of my favourites, and I’ve got a feeling 2017 may get even better.

For us at the Motul MX Nationals, this year was what many have described as ‘the hardest fought championship in more than a decade’ and I think they’re right. All championships went down to the wire, and it really made being at the helm a pleasure.

After 20 years of running events, I still get the same thrill every time we pull in to a track the week prior to setup. This is where dreams are made, this is where athletes fulfil their lifelong goals, and I’m very proud to be able to be a part of that.

I’d like to take this opportunity to once again thank and congratulate our

sponsors who were a part of making this year so successful. We are able to put on a professionally run series for ten weekends of the year thanks to the support of the motorcycling industry, and many of those partnerships have spanned well over 15 years. Link International took on the naming rights to the series with Motul this year which was very special for myself personally, as they have supported what we have done for our entire 20 years. Also Yamaha Australia is another company who has also supported us from day one, so to have their commitment this year was also very special.

For myself and my team there hasn’t been a huge ‘down time’ period as yet. We have been busy running a number of other events since the Motul MX Nationals wrapped up, which would you believe is exactly how we like to spend our off-season. We have also been busy prepping and planning for the 2017 Motul MX Nationals, and we can assure

you that if you were fans of this year’s racing, that next season is going to be even bigger and better.

I’d like to give a huge congratulations to Dean Ferris who has been awarded with our Inside Dirt ‘Rider of the Year’. It was quite an easy decision in selecting Dean after his achievements in Motocross and Supercross, but it wasn’t just those performances that made him stand out this season. You can read more about his year in the story inside.

As for me, I’m signing off for 2016 to spend some time with my family. My wife and kids have dedicated their lives to racing for another season this year and after some well earned rest, we will all be looking forward to getting back in to it when round one of the Motul MX Nationals kicks off in April, 2017.

Thank you for reading and downloading the mag, we hope you enjoy our final issue of Inside Dirt for 2016!

13

2017 CALENDER RND

DATE

VENUE

CLASSES

1

April 2nd

Wonthaggi, VIC

MX1 MX2 MXD

125 Juniors

2

23rd April

Appin, NSW

MX1 MX2 MXD

250 Juniors

3

7th May

Conondale, QLD

MX1 MX2 MXD

125cc Gold Cup Seniors

4

21st May

Horsham, VIC

MX1 MX2 MXD

250 Juniors

125cc Juniors

5

28th May

Murray Bridge, SA

MX1 MX2 MXD

6

3rd July

Nowra, NSW

MX1 MX2 MXD

85cc Cup 9 12 years

7

16th July

Shepparton, VIC

MX1 MX2 MXD

125cc Gold Cup Seniors

8

30th July

Port Macquarie, NSW

MX1 MX2 MXD

125cc Gold Cup Seniors

9

13th August

Toowoomba, QLD

MX1 MX2

250 Juniors Amateur Cup

10

19-20th August

Coolum, QLD

MX1 MX2

Vets 30 plus Vets 40 Plus Womens Amateur Cup SXS

HORSHAM R

O

U

N

D

WATCH IT NOW

16

1

17

18

Thor MX1 Round Overall 1) Matt Moss – 65 points 2) Kirk Gibbs – 64 points 3) Dean Ferris – 60 points 4) Kade Mosig – 56 points 5) Todd Waters – 54 points Thor MX1 Championship 1) Matt Moss – 65 points 2) Kirk Gibbs – 64 points 3) Dean Ferris – 60 points 4) Kade Mosig – 56 points 5) Todd Waters – 54 points Motul MX2 Round Overall 1) Caleb Ward – 61 points 2) Nathan Crawford – 60 points 3) Jake Moss – 60 points 4) Wilson Todd – 58 points 5) Jed Beaton – 57 points Motul MX2 Championship 1) Caleb Ward – 61 points 2) Nathan Crawford – 60 points 3) Jake Moss – 60 points 4) Wilson Todd – 58 points 5) Jed Beaton – 57 points Pirelli MXD Round Overall 1) Connor Tierney – 70 points 2) Cooper Pozniak – 60 points 3) Kaleb Barham – 58 points 4) Wade Kirkland – 57 points 5) Zak Small – 54 points Pirelli MXD Championship 1) Connor Tierney – 70 points 2) Cooper Pozniak – 60 points 3) Kaleb Barham – 58 points 4) Wade Kirkland – 57 points 5) Zak Small – 54 points 19

APPIN R

O

U

N

D

WATCH IT NOW

20

2

21

22

Thor MX1 Round Overall 1) Dean Ferris – 65 points 2) Brett Metcalfe – 63 points 3) Todd Waters – 62 points 4) Kirk Gibbs – 60 points 5) Matt Moss – 52 points Thor MX1 Championship 1) Dean Ferris – 127 points 2) Kirk Gibbs – 125 points 3) Todd Waters – 119 points 4) Matt Moss – 117 points 5) Brett Metcalfe – 115 points Motul MX2 Round Overall 1) Caleb Ward – 65 points 2) Kale Makeham – 60 points 3) Luke Arbon – 56 points 4) Nathan Crawford – 55 points 5) Jayden Rykers – 52 points Motul MX2 Championship 1) Caleb Ward – 126 points 2) Nathan Crawford – 115 points 3) Jake Moss – 107 points 4) Luke Arbon – 106 points 5) Kale Makeham – 104 points Pirelli MXD Round Overall 1) Jordan Hill – 65 points 2) Connor Tierney – 64 points 3) Mitchell Evans – 63 points 4) Wade Kirkland – 54 points 5) Cooper Pozniak – 52 points Pirelli MXD Championship 1) Connor Tierney – 134 points 2) Cooper Pozniak – 112 points 3) Wade Kirkland – 111 points 4) Kaleb Barham – 107 points 5) Jordan Hill – 103 points 23

BROADFORD R

O

U

N

D

WATCH IT NOW

24

3

25

26

Thor MX1 Round Overall 1) Kirk Gibbs– 64 points 2) Dean Ferris – 63 points 3) Todd Waters – 63 points 4) Matt Moss – 60 points 5) Brett Metcalfe – 50 points Thor MX1 Championship 1) Dean Ferris – 190 points 2) Kirk Gibbs – 189 points 3) Todd Waters – 182 points 4) Matt Moss – 177 points 5) Brett Metcalfe – 165 points Motul MX2 Round Overall 1) Jed Beaton – 70 points 2) Kyle Webster – 62 points 3) Luke Arbon – 55 points 4) Nathan Crawford – 54 points 5) Jake Moss – 54 points Motul MX2 Championship 1) Jed Beaton – 172 points 2) Nathan Crawford – 169 points 3) Luke Arbon – 161 points 4) Jake Moss – 161 points 5) Wilson Todd – 148 points Pirelli MXD Round Overall 1) Mitchell Evans – 67 points 2) Jordan Hill – 61 points 3) Wade Kirkland – 58 points 4) Loshie Latimer– 56 points 5) Kaleb Barham – 51 points Pirelli MXD Championship 1) Connor Tierney – 185 points 2) Wade Kirkland – 169 points 3) Jordan Hill – 164 points 4) Cooper Pozniak – 162 points 5) Kaleb Barham – 158 points 27

M.BRIDGE R

O

U

N

D

WATCH IT NOW

28

4

29

30

Thor MX1 Round Overall 1) Todd Waters – 65 points 2) Kirk Gibbs – 63 points 3) Brett Metcalfe – 58 points 4) Dean Ferris – 58 points 5) Kade Mosig – 57 points Thor MX1 Championship 1) Kirk Gibbs – 252 points 2) Dean Ferris – 251 points 3) Todd Waters – 247 points 4) Matt Moss – 228 points 5) Brett Metcalfe – 225 points Motul MX2 Round Overall 1) Caleb Ward – 70 points 2) Nathan Crawford – 62 points 3) Jed Beaton – 60 points 4) Jake Moss – 55 points 5) Wilson Todd – 50 points Motul MX2 Championship 1) Jed Beaton – 232 points 2) Nathan Crawford – 231 points 3) Jake Moss – 216 points 4) Caleb Ward – 212 points 5) Wilson Todd – 198 points Pirelli MXD Round Overall 1) Connor Tierney – 67 points 2) Wade Kirkland – 58 points 3) Cooper Pozniak – 58 points 4) Mitchell Evans – 55 points 5) Kaleb Barham – 52 points Pirelli MXD Championship 1) Connor Tierney – 252 points 2) Wade Kirkland – 227 points 3) Cooper Pozniak – 220 points 4) Jordan Hill – 215 points 5) Mitchell Evans – 212 points 31

WANNEROO R

O

U

N

D

WATCH IT NOW

32

5

33

34

Thor MX1 Round Overall 1) Kirk Gibbs – 97 points 2) Matt Moss – 86 points 3) Todd Waters – 86 points 4) Kade Mosig – 80 points 5) Jesse Dobson – 80 points Thor MX1 Championship 1) Kirk Gibbs – 351 points 2) Todd Waters – 334 points 3) Dean Ferris – 324 points 4) Matt Moss – 314 points 5) Kade Mosig – 267 points Motul MX2 Round Overall 1) Nathan Crawford – 95 points 2) Caleb Ward – 93 points 3) Jayden Rykers – 92 points 4) Kyle Webster – 87 points 5) Jed Beaton – 81 points Motul MX2 Championship 1) Nathan Crawford – 326 points 2) Jed Beaton – 313 points 3) Caleb Ward – 305 points 4) Jayden Rykers – 280 points 5) Wilson Todd – 270 points

35

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

ALPINESTARS PROTECTS JETT REYNOLDS

THE PROS OF TOMORROW WEAR THE s

TECH 7

ALPINESTARS.COM #ALPINESTARSPROTECTS

NOWRA R

O

U

N

D

WATCH IT NOW

38

6

39

40

Thor MX1 Round Overall 1) Dean Ferris – 67 points 2) Matt Moss – 67 points 3) Kirk Gibbs – 58 points 4) Kade Mosig – 55 points 5) Todd Waters – 54 points Thor MX1 Championship 1) Kirk Gibbs – 409 points 2) Dean Ferris – 394 points 3) Todd Waters – 388 points 4) Matt Moss – 381 points 5) Kade Mosig – 323 points Motul MX2 Round Overall 1) Caleb Ward – 70 points 2) Jed Beaton – 60 points 3) Nathan Crawford – 58 points 4) Jayden Rykers – 56 points 5) Wilson Todd – 54 points Motul MX2 Championship 1) Nathan Crawford – 384 points 2) Caleb Ward – 375 points 3) Jed Beaton – 373 points 4) Jayden Rykers – 336 points 5) Wilson Todd – 324 points Pirelli MXD Round Overall 1) Wade Kirkland – 65 points 2) Mitchell Evans – 64 points 3) Connor Tierney – 58 points 4) Cooper Pozniak – 54 points 5) Lochie Latimer – 51 points Pirelli MXD Championship 1) Connor Tierney – 310 points 2) Wade Kirkland – 292 points 3) Mitchell Evans – 276 points 4) Cooper Pozniak – 274 points 5) Jordan Hill – 264 points 41

CONONDALE R

O

U

N

D

WATCH IT NOW

42

7

43

44

Thor MX1 Round Overall 1) Dean Ferris – 67 points 2) Todd Waters – 65 points 3) Kirk Gibbs – 60 points 4) Kade Mosig – 58 points 5) Jacob Wright – 50 points Thor MX1 Championship 1) Kirk Gibbs – 470 points 2) Dean Ferris – 464 points 3) Todd Waters – 455 points 4) Kade Mosig – 381 points 5) Matt Moss – 381 points Motul MX2 Round Overall 1) Jed Beaton – 67 points 2) Nathan Crawford – 63 points 3) Jayden Rykers – 57 points 4) Caleb Ward – 56 points 5) Kale Makeham – 49 points Motul MX2 Championship 1) Nathan Crawford – 447 points 2) Jed Beaton – 440 points 3) Caleb Ward – 431 points 4) Jayden Rykers – 393 points 5) Wilson Todd – 354 points Pirelli MXD Round Overall 1) Mitchell Evans – 70 points 2) Cooper Pozniak – 64 points 3) Jordan Hill – 58 points 4) Zak Small – 51 points 5) Lochie Latimer – 50 points Pirelli MXD Championship 1) Connor Tierney – 359 points 2) Mitchell Evans – 346 points 3) Wade Kirkland – 342 points 4) Cooper Pozniak – 338 points 5) Jordan Hill – 322 points 45

SHEPPARTON R

O

U

N

D

WATCH IT NOW

46

8

47

48

Thor MX1 Round Overall 1) Kirk Gibbs – 65 points 2) Todd Waters – 65 points 3) Dean Ferris – 64 points 4) Kade Mosig – 56 points 5) Jesse Dobson – 51 points Thor MX1 Championship 1) Kirk Gibbs – 538 points 2) Dean Ferris – 529 points 3) Todd Waters – 522 points 4) Kade Mosig – 437 points 5) Matt Moss – 381 points Motul MX2 Round Overall 1) Jed Beaton – 67 points 2) Caleb Ward – 61 points 3) Nathan Crawford – 60 points 4) Wilson Todd – 58 points 5) Jayden Rykers – 56 points Motul MX2 Championship 1) Jed Beaton – 507 points 2) Nathan Crawford– 507 points 3) Caleb Ward – 492 points 4) Jayden Rykers – 449 points 5) Wilson Todd – 412 points Pirelli MXD Round Overall 1) Mitchell Evans – 70 points 2) Wade Kirkland – 62 points 3) Cooper Pozniak – 56 points 4) Connor Tierney – 54 points 5) Kaleb Barham – 50 points Pirelli MXD Championship 1) Mitchell Evans – 416 points 2) Connor Tierney – 413 points 3) Wade Kirkland – 404 points 4) Cooper Pozniak – 394 points 5) Kaleb Barham – 350 points 49

TOOWOOMBA R

O

U

N

D

WATCH IT NOW

50

9

51

52

Thor MX1 Round Overall 1) Dean Ferris – 67 points 2) Kyle Peters – 65 points 3) Kirk Gibbs – 62 points 4) Todd Waters – 56 points 5) Dylan Long – 51 points Thor MX1 Championship 1) Kirk Gibbs – 602 points 2) Dean Ferris – 596 points 3) Todd Waters – 578 points 4) Kade Mosig – 486 points 5) Dylan Long – 411 points Motul MX2 Round Overall 1) Nathan Crawford – 67 points 2) Caleb Ward – 63 points 3) Jed Beaton – 56 points 4) Kale Makeham – 50 points 5) Dylan Wills – 48 points Motul MX2 Championship 1) Nathan Crawford – 574 points 2) Jed Beaton – 563 points 3) Caleb Ward – 555 points 4) Jayden Rykers – 479 points 5) Wilson Todd – 444 points Pirelli MXD Round Overall 1) Mitchell Evans – 70 points 2) Wade Kirkland – 62 points 3) Cooper Pozniak – 56 points 4) Connor Tierney – 54 points 5) Kaleb Barham – 50 points Pirelli MXD Championship 1) Mitchell Evans – 416 points 2) Connor Tierney – 413 points 3) Wade Kirkland – 404 points 4) Cooper Pozniak – 394 points 5) Kaleb Barham – 350 points 53

COOLUM R

O

U

N

D

WATCH IT NOW

54

1

0

55

56

Thor MX1 Round Overall 1) Todd Waters – 67 points 2) Dean Ferris – 67 points 3) Kirk Gibbs – 58 points 4) Kade Mosig – 54 points 5) Dylan Long – 49 points Thor MX1 Championship 1) Dean Ferris – 666 points 2) Kirk Gibbs – 660 points 3) Todd Waters – 647 points 4) Kade Mosig – 541 points 5) Dylan Long – 460 points Motul MX2 Round Overall 1) Jed Beaton – 67 points 2) Wilson Todd – 63 points 3) Caleb Ward – 62 points 4) Jayden Rykers – 58 points 5) Kyle Webster – 52 points Motul MX2 Championship 1) Jed Beaton – 630 points 2) Caleb Ward – 617 points 3) Nathan Crawford – 574 points 4) Jayden Rykers – 537 points 5) Wilson Todd – 507 points Pirelli MXD Round Overall 1) Wade Kirkland – 63 points 2) Cooper Pozniak – 61 points 3) Kaleb Barham – 60 points 4) Zak Small – 57 points 5) Connor Tierney – 52 points Pirelli MXD Championship 1) Mitchell Evans – 536 points 2) Connor Tierney – 523 points 3) Cooper Pozniak – 510 points 4) Wade Kirkland – 509 points 5) Kaleb Barham – 454 points

DEAN FERRIS

2016 MX1 AUSTRALIAN MOTOCROSS CHAMPION MX1 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS 1

Dean Ferris

666

26

Lawson Bopping

85

2

Kirk Gibbs

660

27

Jack Foley

82

3

Todd Waters

647

28

Corey James

77

4

Kade Mosig

541

29

Travis Tough

74

5

Dylan Long

460

30

Brendan Duck

72

6

Jay Wilson

417

31

Mitch Taylor

72

7

Jacob Wright

403

32

Alex Redgwell

59

8

Matt Moss

381

33

Jake Watling

56

9

Michael Menchi

376

34

Brett Norton

55

10

Daniel Banks

374

35

Charlie Creech

53

11

Izak Maule

338

36

Joel Milesevic

53

12

Luke Wilson

270

37

Hamish Harwood

49

13

Brett Metcalfe

225

38

Craig Anderson

43

14

James Alen

213

39

Eddie Brown

40

15

Jesse Dobson

209

40

Rhys Hume

38

16

Kurt Gow

204

41

William Angel

38

17

Daniel Reardon

171

42

Robert Lovett

36

18

Michael Mahon

171

43

Joey Merrylees

34

19

Kurt Wightman

163

44

Jordan Rose

33

20

Joel Green

142

45

Anthony Rubotham

29

21

Craig Bolton

132

46

Aaron Watts

23

22

Jamie Law

110

47

Lachy Steen

19

23

Matthew Toth

108

48

Paul Leybourne

18

24

Kyle Peters

98

49

Brodie Sims

17

25

Jayson Tough

93

50

Julian Cutajar

17

60

JED BEATON

2016 MX2 AUSTRALIAN MOTOCROSS CHAMPION MX2 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS 1

Jed Beaton

630

26

Jayden Conforto

96

2

Caleb Ward

617

27

Jamie Harvey

91

3

Nathan Crawford

574

28

Hadleigh Knight

85

4

Jayden Rykers

537

29

Josh Adams

80

5

Wilson Todd

507

30

Geoffrey Chalmers

78

6

Dylan Wills

470

31

Darren Schenk

64

7

Hamish Harwood

448

32

Jake Fewster

56

8

Joel Wightman

426

33

Elias Dukes

52

9

Kyle Webster

376

34

Daniel McEntee

51

10

Dean Porter

365

35

Lochie Latimer

51

11

Kale Makeham

359

36

James Jafer

48

12

Wade Hunter

324

37

Geran Stapleton

46

13

Keiron Hall

282

38

Boyd Hocking

44

14

Richie Evans

267

39

Joel Green

42

15

Ricky Latimer

261

40

Allister Kent

41

16

Aaron Tanti

208

41

Jessica Moore

40

17

Bailey Coxon

200

42

Mitch Norris

40

18

Joel Evans

194

43

Jedidiah Cornthwaite 37

19

Nick Sutherland

174

44

Tom Jones

35

20

Jake Moss

161

45

Russell Scoble

35

21

Luke Arbon

161

46

Calib Best

31

22

Lachlan Davis

151

47

Adam Smith

28

23

Tomas Ravenhorst

140

48

Jesse Madden

28

24

Kurt Gow

106

49

Riley Graham

28

25

Mathew McEntee

102

50

Brock McLeary

28 61

MITCHELL EVANS

2016 MXD AUSTRALIAN MOTOCROSS CHAMPION MXD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS 1

Mitchell Evans

536

26

Billy Harth

75

2

Connor Tierney

523

27

Trae Kuehn

58

3

Cooper Pozniak

510

28

Cody McMahon

54

4

Wade Kirkland

509

29

Brendon Walther

51

5

Kaleb Barham

454

30

Ryan Eden

42

6

Zak Small

433

31

Ben Kearns

38

7

Jordan Hill

431

32

Tom West

38

8

Hugh McKay

345

33

Jesse Bishop

38

9

Levi McManus

310

34

Jaiden Corrigan

37

10

Lochie Latimer

303

35

Blake Parker

33

11

Luke Abela

293

36

Cameren ogilvie

30

12

Jackson Coulson

266

37

Tristan Owen

29

13

Sam Pelz

265

38

Bryce Ognenis

29

14

Cory Watts

262

39

Dean De Fazio

28

15

Justin Hart

245

40

Emma Milesevic

27

16

Tyler Bullen

194

41

Quinlen Adams

25

17

Zhane Dunlop

173

42

Kade Taylor

23

18

Travis Silk

161

43

Dylan Dukes

23

19

Dylan Wood

134

44

Joel Phillips

20

20

Tyler McCoy

123

45

Jai Constantinou

20

21

Wyatt Fogarty

106

46

Lawson Preston

20

22

Jimmy Griffin

102

47

Quinlan Adams

19

23

Ryan Kenney

94

48

CODY WHITE

17

24

Angus Gelly

89

49

Wilson Norman

11

25

Lachlan Wilson

84

50

Travis Tough

11

62

CODY DYCE

2016 MXR AUSTRALIAN MOTOCROSS CHAMPION MXR CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS 1

Cody Dyce

188

26

Connor McNamara

34

2

Morgan Fogarty

169

27

Jaxon Murphy

34

3

Caleb Grothues

163

28

Dylan Marchand

30

4

Callum Norton

151

29

Joshua Whitehead

29

5

Riley Dukes

149

30

Corey Crawford

28

6

Jy Roberts

145

31

Regan Duffy

28

7

Mason Semmens

133

32

Travis Edwards

27

8

Jake Williams

119

33

Dante Hyam

26

9

Bailey Malkiewicz

108

34

Dylan Wakartschuk

25

10

Rhys Budd

105

35

josh Brewster

22

11

John Bova

104

36

George Knight

15

12

Jake Cobbin

98

37

Zack Wright

13

13

Brodie Ellis

93

38

Adam Smerdon

12

14

Michael Driscoll

86

39

Domonic White

11

15

Hayden Matterson

82

40

Dylan Vivian

9

16

Lachlan Wells

75

41

Angus Roughan

7

17

Chandler Burns

68

42

Finn Laverty

7

18

Korey McMahon

68

43

James Davison

6

19

Liam Walsh

63

44

Ryan Morgan

5

20

Royce Anell

59

45

Thornton Brough

0

21

Tyler Darby

57

22

Paris Rode

45

23

Jack Kukas

44

24

Oliver Marchand

41

25

Levi Rogers

35 63

JESSICA MOORE

2016 MXW AUSTRALIAN MOTOCROSS CHAMPION WOMENS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS 1

Jessica Moore

127

26

Oleana Crawford

14

2

Maddy Brown

123

27

Brooke Thiemann

11

3

Meghan Rutledge

119

28

Stephanie Maule

9

4

Emma Milesevic

116

29

alana king

9

5

Tayla Jones

114

25

Samantha Beecroft

17

6

Danielle Foot

100

7

Sarah Guthrie

100

8

Jessica Gardiner

91

9

Courtney Whyte - D... 86

10

Chelsea Blakers

79

11

Chelsea Carter

76

12

Steph Cutler

75

13

Emelie Karlsson

70

14

Jamie Sanders

67

15

Hannah Bagnall

63

16

Charlotte Gamble

63

17

Tamara Gray

63

18

Bianca Barnett

51

19

Lily Kent

45

20

Leeha Worthington

41

21

Megan Bagnall

37

22

Bailey Sanders

37

23

Fleur Barling

32

24

Tahlia Lang

19

25

Samantha Beecroft

17

64

VETS 30-39 RESULTS

VETS 40+ RESULTS

1

Craig Anderson

70

1

Cameron Taylor

70

2

Malcolm Cash

64

2

Yarrive Konsky

62

3

Steven Powell

55

3

aaron Hunt

58

4

Nathan Crawford

52

4

Michael Dennis

56

5

Nathan Brochtrup

51

5

Mark Oberthur

56

6

Andrew Haack

51

6

Daniel Phillips

48

7

Travis Regeling

49

7

Alistair King

48

8

Sam Lyttle

44

8

Tam Paul

46

9

Andrew Shacklock

43

9

Mathew Brown

46

10

Chris Adams

43

10

Ross Style

42

11

Nathan Webber

39

11

David Mills

40

12

Cassidy Holland

35

12

Duncan Reid

19

13

Brett Weh

35

13

Paul Boddington

18

14

Dean Freer

35

14

Clint Andrewartha

0

15

Robbie Marshall

30

14

Simon Lewis

0

16

Ben Chandler

15

14

Mark Wood

0

17

brett smith

14

14

Scott Eisenhauer

0

18

Michael Radatti

0

18

Andrew Smith

0

18

Brad Lawrence

0

18

Steve Moreels

0

65

AMATEUR CUP RESULTS

85 RESULTS

1

Brad Polsoni

207

1

John Bova

186

2

Joel Newton

151

2

Tyler Darby

184

3

Justin Hill

129

3

Bailey Malkiewicz

152

4

Kerrod Morrissy

126

4

Ricky chalmers

132

5

daniel figueroa

108

5

Brandon Steel

116

6

Lachy Steen

101

6

Reece Crutch

113

7

Connor Cook

100

7

Zack Wright

106

8

Nicholas Davis

89

8

Ryan Morgan

93

9

Daniel Webber

79

9

Alex Larwood

67

10

Nicholas Russell

68

10

Noah Ferguson

65

11

Reece Hoffman

67

11

Oliver Marchand

65

12

Joshua Melis

62

12

Ryan Gaylor

56

13

Danielle Foot

61

13

Reid Taylor

54

14

Jesse Bishop

58

14

Jayden Rudd

52

15

Callum Wastell

58

15

Jai Walker

49

16

Dean De Fazio

56

16

Joshua Zorbas

49

17

William Angel

54

17

Cooper Sheidow

48

18

Jonathan Wheeler

51

18

Dylan Vivian

45

19

Jack Davey

50

19

Micheal Murphy

44

20

Trent Brochtrup

50

20

Domonic White

44

21

Daniel Jones

50

21

Riley Findlay

42

22

Jake Mead

48

22

Blake Hollis

41

23

mitch Drummond

48

23

Denzel Woulfe

38

24

Zac Williams

47

24

Billy Payne

37

25

Mark Godwin

46

25

Lyle Byrne

37

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Image: AUS-X Open

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2 0

1 6

Motorcycling Australia’s National AME Management – the promoters Supercross Championship came to the behind the AUS-X Open spent more than ultimate climax in Sydney just over a 12 months piecing together the two days month a go, with this year’s champions of action, ensuring that not only every crowned alongside Supercross person who purchased a ticket royalty, INDOORS at the to the record breaking event “Children’s AUS-X Open. left with a once in a life dreams were

After four rounds time experience, but that made, racer’s of racing the 2016 this year’s Australian goals became Supercross season Supercross Champions a reality, and came to a close at Justin Brayton and fans had a once Qudos Bank Arena over Jackson Richardson in a lifetime two huge days of racing, were crowned in the opportunity” where children’s dreams presence of more than were made, racer’s goals 25,000 fans, in front of an became a reality, and fans had the audience of millions thanks to live one in a lifetime opportunity to watch and international television coverage, as on as stars such as Chad Reed, Cooper well as more than half a million Aussies Webb, Ryan Villopoto, Justin Brayton and who watched here in Oz! more, all hit the man made surface to line The AUS-X Open smashed crowd up against our country’s fastest athletes. numbers out of the park throughout the

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“This year’s Australian Supercross Champions Justin Brayton and Jackson Richardson were crowned in the presence of more than 25,000 fans”

two days, recording the largest attendance in Australian Supercross history, ensuring that the Supercross message in Australia was spread to not only our regular sport lovers but to the wider community. The AUS-X Open brought Supercross back to the lounge rooms of Australians.

For the first time in history, crowds had the opportunity to watch 4 x World Supercross Champion Ryan Villopoto go bar to bar with our series regulars, lifting the 2016 Australian Supercross Championship to an all time high!

With Chad Reed winning both nights, Brayton being crowned the SX1 Championship winner on night one, and Jackson Richardson taking the SX2 Championship honours on night two, there was no shortage in epic moments over the two days, and if one thing is for sure, it’s that the final two rounds of the 2016 Australian Supercross Series were the perfect way to finish off the season.

O P

N

O P E N

A U S X

Images: AUS-X Open

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JUSTIN BRAYTON

2016 AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPION SX1 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS 1

Justin BRAYTON (USA)

105

20

James ALEN

11

2

Dean FERRIS

85

21

Chris ALLDREDGE (USA)

9

3

Daniel REARDON

78

22

Cooper WEBB (USA)

8

4

Wil HAHN (USA)

77

23

Nicholas BRESSAN

8

5

Jay MARMONT

71

24

Damien HARRISON

7

6

Kade MOSIG

64

25

Nathan CRAWFORD

6

7

Jay WILSON

48

26

Ryan VILLOPOTO (USA)

5

8

Adam ENTICKNAP (USA)

46

9

Kyle PETERS (USA)

38

10

Luke WILSON

35

11

Lawson BOPPING

33

12

Jesse DOBSON

32

13

Boyd HOCKING

30

14

Joel NEWTON

22

15

Todd WATERS

20

16

Chris CAMILLERI

16

17

Chad REED

15

18

Barry SURAWSKI

14

19

Cheyne BOYD

13

72

S X 1

Images: AUS-X Open

JACKSON RICHARDSON 2016 AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPION SX2 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS 1

Jackson RICHARDSON

105

20

Taylor POTTER

11

2

Gavin FAITH (USA)

102

21

Mitchell NORRIS

11

3

Hayden MELLROSS

99

22

Kale MAKEHAM

9

4

Joel WIGHTMAN

62

23

Wade KIRKLAND

9

5

Wade HUNTER

58

24

Cooper POZNIAK

6

6

Wilson TODD

56

25

Jamie HARVEY

5

7

Dylan WILLS

53

26

Mitch EVANS

5

8

Jordan HILL

48

27

Luke CLOUT

4

9

Kyle WEBSTER

47

28

Brody CASSIDY

2

10

Aaron TANTI

44

29

Kerion HALL

1

11

Geran STAPLETON

42

12

Tomas RAVENHORST

39

13

Josh CACHIA

36

14

Lewis WOODS

34

15

Nathan CRAWFORD

31

16

Jesse MADDEN

22

17

Connor TIERNEY

19

18

James BROWN

15

19

Jimmy DECOTIS

14

74

S X 2

Images: AUS-X Open

N AT E A DA M S | C A P T UR E D BY JA S O N TAY LO R

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BEHIND THE CEO PETER DOYLE On behalf of Motorcycling Australia, I would firstly like to say a huge congratulations to the entire Off-Road motorcycling community on what has been a fantastic year of racing. Whether it was the Motul MX Nationals, the Yamaha AORC, the 2016 Australian Supercross Championship or the KTM Australian Junior Motocross titles, we have all been treated to yet another stellar year of championships, which have been contributed to by all corners of the Australian Motocross Industry.

As the National Governing Body for motorcycling in Australia, we have experienced plenty of positive change throughout 2016, which has enabled us to continue supporting the country’s OffRoad Championships, and take more steps forward so that the sport can continue to grow into the future.

We are confident that we have a very strong board, who all have motorcycling’s best intentions and members at heart.

The board is made up of individuals who have experience in not only racing, but

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WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SUCCESS OF OUR CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS YEAR, IT’S CLEAR THAT THE RIGHT PEOPLE ARE IN THE RIGHT JOBS, AND THAT THINGS ARE ONLY GOING TO GET BETTER FROM HERE” - PETER DOYLE

recreational riding, media, marketing and finance, making them all a highly valuable asset to motorcycling in Australia.

As well as the strengthening we have experienced with the MA Board of Directors, we have also recruited a number of key staff within the office who strive daily to improve the sport as well as keeping the administration that happens behind the scenes running smoothly.

When you look at the success of our Australian Championships this year, it’s clear that the right people are in the right jobs, and that things are only going to get better from here.

One championship that we have had the pleasure of promoting in-house this year has been the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship. With 12 rounds of competing this season it’s taken plenty of hard work and dedication from all involved. Yamaha Australia has been our biggest supporter of the series, and the amount of time and effort that the entire company puts in to ensuring our riders experience the highest level of 80

competing has been second to none.

Without Yamaha’s support the AORC would not be possible, and we can’t thank them enough for their contribution to the success of the championship. Another key individual who has been involved in the management of the Yamaha AORC is Matt Falvo. This was Matt’s first year as the manager of the championship and he went above and beyond to ensure that every single weekend was as successful, if not better than the last. Finally, the clubs. They play an integral role in the AORC and have made MA’s job as easy as possible at every single round. Thank you for your commitment to the sport, and for ensuring that our riders left with a smile after each round.

One of our biggest championships, the Motul MX Nationals also celebrated another fantastic year during 2016. With a number of big names returning from overseas it was arguably one of the most hard fought titles that this country has seen in years, and as always, was run very well thanks to Williams Event Management.

Williams Event Management also celebrated their 20th year in operation this year which is a fantastic achievement from a promoter who works tirelessly to

make the sport better year in year out.

We have had a long standing relationship with Kevin Williams and his team, and his hard work over the years has allowed motocross in Australia to continue to become bigger and better every season.

As someone who has spent more hours than I can count at motocross tracks, I still very much enjoy attending and being a part of the Motul MX Nationals, and as an organisation we’re very excited for what 2017 has in store.

The 2016 Aussie Juniors was also a great success, and KTM Australia once again played a huge role in contributing to another year of junior racing at its highest level. Despite challenging weather conditions in South Australia, it was very encouraging to see so many families continuing to dedicate their time to Motocross. Motocross is a family sport and one which we believe allows a lot of families to stay closer together for longer, so to see competitor numbers in excess of 600, and mums and dads from all over the country spending the week in Renmark, we are confident that our sport will continue to go from strength to strength in the future.

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Finally, what better way to wrap up the 2016 Off-Road calendar than with the Australian Supercross Championship.

In recent years Supercross has gone through a period of revival and I think it’s fair to say after this year’s series, the discipline is well and truly back on track.

All four promoters contributed greatly at their respective rounds, and by having a number of promoters engaged in the series it has driven them all to put forward the best weekends of racing that they possibly can, and continue to set new goals for the years to come. From starting in Queensland at Jimboomba, to finishing up at the AUS-X Open in Sydney, fans across the country were treated this year, and as a huge fan of Supercross myself, I can only imagine what it would have been like for some of the kids in the crowd or even the riders themselves who got to share the grand finale round

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experience in the company of Chad Reed, Cooper Webb and of course Ryan Villipoto. Supercross is in a healthy and positive place, and I think we can all agree that the future of the sport is bright.

So with all of that said, a big thank you also to you guys. The Inside Dirt readers and our members. Whether you’re a part of racing at one of our championships or you ride recreationally on the weekends, your continued support for the sport that we all love is greatly valued.

Remember to stay safe these holidays, have fun on your bikes, and enjoy this festive season with your friends and families.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Peter Doyle CEO Motorcycling Australia

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TOP 10 MOMENTS OF 2016 2016 HAS BEEN ANOTHER EPIC YEAR OF RACING HERE IN AUSTRALIA AND THERE HAVE BEEN TONS OF MOMENTS THAT HAVE CAPTURED OUR ATTENTION, BUT THERE ARE TEN THAT HAVE REALLY STOOD OUT AS UNFORGETTABLE ACROSS MOTOCROSS, SUPERCROSS, OFF-ROAD AND MORE. RELIVE THEM ALL NOW AS WE REFLECT ON THE 2016 RACE SEASON.

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1 of 10

Round 1 Motul MX Nationals: HORSHAM It was without a doubt one of the most highly anticipated rounds of the year and for good reason. Todd Waters, Dean Ferris, Brett Metcalfe, Kirk Gibbs and Matt Moss were just five of the highly talented individuals who set the tone for the season in the MX1 class at Horsham, and showed the country why the 2016 Motul MX Nationals Championship was the most hotly contested title in years. With the injection of European and American experience, as well as a defending champion and a rider searching for redemption after a tough 2015, fans were left guessing after round one as to who would conclude the ten rounds victorious.

Horsham set the scene, and reminded everyone just what this sport is all about.

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2 of 10

Jed Beaton breaks through With one of the most humble families in the pits, and a quiet achiever attitude, Jed Beaton was one of the greatest success stories to come out of the 2016 Motul MX Nationals race season. Despite not always being the fastest MX2 rider on track, and copping the brunt of much criticism throughout the year, Beaton won races when it counted, and proved that when it comes to winning championships, consistency is one of, if not the most important element to a rider’s success. With the support of his brother Ross, and privateer Yamaha team DPH Motorsport, Beaton won the 2016 MX2 Championship by going undefeated at Coolum. Following the win, Beaton secured a Honda ride for the 2017 EMX Championship in Europe, making him a rider to watch in the years to come.

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3 of 10

Ferris becomes the Aussie all-rounder If you had of said at the beginning of the year that Dean Ferris would not only win the 2016 Australian Motocross title but would finish the Australian Supercross Championship as the highest placed Aussie rider, then most people would have laughed, but you know what, that’s exactly what he did. There has never been any question in Dean’s motocross ability, but Supercross was a discipline Dean had himself admitted was not his forte – YEAH RIGHT! From the minute gates dropped at the Supercross this year, Ferris made his presence known, finishing second on the podium at round one, and carrying that same consistency throughout all six rounds. Come the last installment of the Supercross in Sydney, Ferris finished second in the championship just behind American Justin Brayton, cementing his name as Australia’s Motocross and Supercross all-rounder.

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4 of 10

Aus-X Open: Cooper Webb’s fan base grows After a successful first appearance at the AUS-X Open in 2015, Australians were busting to see the 2016 American Motocross and Supercross Lites Champion Cooper Webb when the event rolled around for the second time this year. Now, one thing we are all pretty certain about is that we don’t like to see anyone beat our man Chad Reed at home, and this year we got to enjoy watching Reedy win both nights, and Cooper take on the rest of the field at the biggest indoor motorcycling event on the calendar. Prior to 2015, Webb’s fan base in Australia was relatively solid, but after his gentleman like performance at the first AUS-X Open and then his success back in the U.S, it’s safe to say that Webb is now an Aussie fan favorite.

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Image: AUS-X Open

5 of 10

Awarding three MX champions at Coolum This season marked another year of awarding three champions at Coolum. MXD, MX2, and MX1 were all snatched up by Mitch Evans, Jed Beaton and Dean Ferris at the season finale of the Motul MX Nationals on the Sunshine Coast back in August, which for motorcycling fans is exactly how it should be done. While the AMA outdoors and the MXGP both wrapped up their championships early, Motul MX Nationals fans got to wait it out until the very final moto at Coolum to see who would be crowned the 2016 champs, keeping all of us including riders on the edge of their seats until the final chequered flag flew.

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6 of 10

Stacked class of Women at season finale Equally as awesome at Coolum was the stacked women’s class. If you were on the Sunshine Coast that weekend, you’ll know that it wasn’t just the amount of girls who took part in the Australian Championship races, but the quality of competition was second to none. Maddy Brown and Meghan Rutledge proved that their fiery rivalry on the track is just as fierce off the circuit, and of course that the race isn’t over until it’s over, with Maddy devastatingly losing what would have been her second Aussie title to Western Australia’s Jessica Moore on the finish line – a moment, we nor the crowds will ever forget.

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7 of 10

Toby Price wins Dakar Flash back almost 12 months now, and you’ve got one of the greatest success stories in Australian Motorcycling history. Toby Price, originally from a small country town in Hillston, took on the world in January this year, to take on his second ever Dakar rally. Now, after winning multiple AORC titles, Finke’s, Hattah’s, plus finishing third at his Dakar debut, even us Aussies thought it would take a couple of go’s for Toby to stand on the Dakar top step, but funnily enough he proved everyone wrong, becoming the first ever Australian in history to win the race in 2016. To not include this moment would be a crime, and with word out there being that he’s well into his preparation for his third Dakar, we can’t wait to see what he does in 2017.

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Image: Kin M.

8 of 10

Women’s ISDE Team make it four in a row For the fourth year in succession, Australia’s Women’s ISDE team became world champions once again, this time in Spain. Jemma Wilson, Jessica Gardiner, and Tayla Jones not only represented all female motorcyclists, but their country in early October, doing what many believed was impossible – sticking it to the rest of the world and becoming four-time world champions. Over six grueling days of competition the girls created their own piece of history, with Jones taking third (individually) in the Women’s category, while both Gardiner and Wilson concluded the event inside the top 20, enabling ‘Team Australia’ to edge out the likes of Spain and Germany to become the 2016 World Champions.

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9 of 10

Matt Phillips takes EnduroGP World Champs 23-year old Matt Phillips became the 2016 EnduroGP world champion in September this year, delivering Sherco with their first ever World title, and becoming yet another Australian to show the rest of the globe why we breed the fastest riders down under. The EnduroGP class which was newly created in 2016 in order to determine the fastest rider across all powered machines, was collected by Phillips, as well as him taking out the E2 category in the meantime. With Phillips being nothing short of dominant in the international offroad scene for the last few years, it’s easy to see why his world championship win this year is one of our favorites.

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10 of 10

Daniel Sanders the next Toby Price?

With Toby Price shifting his attention to full-time rally in 2016, the door was left open for Australia’s next superstar to make his way through the ranks, and this year that’s exactly what Daniel Sanders did. The KTM rider was able to not only wrap up the AORC title with 10 round wins, but collect the E3 outright victory for the first time in his career.

Following his AORC success, Sanders was then unstoppable on the world stage too, becoming the E3 World Champion at this year’s ISDE, and ensuring that he is a young KTM rider who’s career we want to watch unfold in the years to come.

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M

MXN

7 1 20 M A TE S P U 2017N TEAM E I L PREDICTIONS WITH A NUMBER OF TEAMS YET TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON THEIR 2017 LINEUPS, THE RUMOUR MILL HAS BEEN BUSY CHURNING OUT THE VARIOUS RIDER OPTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR’S SEASON. HERE WE GUIDE READERS THROUGH WHAT’S CONFIRMED AND WHAT’S RUMOURED TO BE THE 2017 LINE UP OF SOME OF THE MAJOR MX AND SX TEAMS.

CDR Yamaha TEAM MANAGER: Craig Dack 111. DEAN FERRIS – MX1

STATUS: Confirmed 117. DYLAN LONG – MX1

With Dean Ferris signing on for Motocross only in 2017, CDR Yamaha are yet to make an announcement on who they will sign for Supercross in 2017, however having already spent two years with the team, the chances are it will be Dan Reardon once again.

Serco Yamaha TEAM MANAGER: Gavin Eales JACKSON RICHARDSON – MX2

STATUS: Rumour MITCH EVANS – MX2

It’s likely that Serco Yamaha has done deals with both Jackson Richardson and Mitch Evans for 2017.

Yamalube Yamaha TEAM MANAGER: Scott Bishop 33. CODY DYCE - MXD

STATUS: Confirmed 17. COOPER POZNIAK – MXD

After a very Impressive rookie year Cooper Pozniak signed a deal with the Yamaha development team whilst Cody Dyce’s impressive junior results were enough to seal the second spot on the team.

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DPH Yamaha TEAM MANAGER: Dale Hocking 8. KADE MOSIG – MX1 (CONFIRMED)

STATUS: Confirmed 2. WILSON TODD – MX2

DPH Motorsport has confirmed Kade Mosig, while rumour has it Wilson Todd is the pick for MX2, with Hayden Mellross rumoured to be competing in a few rounds of the Motul MX Nationals mid-season.

KTM Motocross Racing Team TEAM MANAGER: Kyle Blunden 5. KIRK GIBBS – MX1

STATUS: Rumour 26. LUKE STYKE – MX1

Rumour has it that both Gibbs and Styke will return to the team for next year’s season with Gibbs possiblly taking a Motocross only deal.

Raceline Pirelli KTM TEAM MANAGER: Chris Tisdale 3. JAYDEN RYKERS – MX2

WADE KIRKLAND – MX2

STATUS: Rumour CALEB GROTHUES – MXD

Word has it that Raceline Pirelli KTM have been linked to Jayden Rykers and Wade Kirkland for MX2 and Caleb Grothues for MXD.

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Husqvarna Australia TEAM MANAGER: 54 – LUKE ARBON

STATUS: Rumour 24 - BRETT METCALFE - MX1

One rumour we like the sound of is that Husqvarna Australia will field Luke Arbon and Brett Metcalfe for the full Motul MX Nationals season.

Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki TEAM MANAGER: Neale Wilson 14. KYLE PETERS – MX1

STATUS: Confirmed 15. LUKE WILSON – MX1

After a very impressive introduction to the MX Nationals in 2016 Kyle Peters was hot porperty for the 2017 season and Suzuki was quick to sign him on.

NPE Monster Energy Kawasaki TEAM MANAGER: Troy Carroll

STATUS: Confirmed

NATHAN CRAWFORD – MX1 (CONFIRMED) Kawasaki are yet to confirm who their second rider will be in the MX1 class for 2017, however there have been recent links to international European riders (Rumoured to be Aleksandr Tonkov) The team is set to make an announcement in the coming weeks.

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Crankt Protein Honda Racing Team TEAM MANAGER: Jay Foreman 47. TODD WATERS – MX1

STATUS: Confirmed LUKE CLOUT – MX1

Todd Waters is a title contender so its no suprise many teams wanted him to join their 2017 campaign. Honda won him over and combined with the release of there 2017 all new CRF 450 they will be in contention.

CRF Honda Racing Team TEAM MANAGER: Mark Luksich 30. JOEL WIGHTMAN –MX1

STATUS: Rumour 96. KYLE WEBSTER – MX2

CRF Honda Racing Team may continue with both 2016 pilots Kyle Webster and Joel Wightman, with Wightman possibly stepping up to the MX1 class on a 450.

Finally, Davey Motorsports may take on a larger support program for riders in 2017, seeing the team take a semi to all ten rounds of the Motul MX Nationals.

Proformance Racing as well as a handful of other privateer teams are yet to make announcements on their line-ups for 2017 More Announcements will be made as we get closer to the opening round of the MX Nationals so stay tuned.

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2016 INSIDE DIRT

RIDER OF THE YEAR DEAN FERRIS It’s been nothing short of a crazy season for Dean Ferris. Today, we share the highs, the lows, and the details thanks to CDR Yamaha’s Craig Dack on why we’ve selected Ferris to become our first ever INSIDE DIRT RIDER OF THE YEAR.

Before the 2016 Motul MX Nationals wrapped up back in August, Dean Ferris had never won a championship.

That sentence itself is hard to comprehend. We’ve heard his name for years. He’s travelled to America, Europe, he’s raced MX of Nations for Australia,

competed here on home soil and won countless races, yet a championship has always seemed to evade him.

Until this year, Dean Ferris had been known as a racer who doesn’t finish seasons. Who won races, had fast lap times, but when push came to shove, didn’t know when to ‘calm his farm’ or ‘button off’. He’s arguably one of the fastest riders to come out of Australia for more than a decade, but when it comes to consistency, before this year, Dean hadn’t mastered that aspect of racing, making him a 115

huge risk for teams and sponsors alike. started his career on a YZ80, and one thing After all, is it safe to sign a rider who may that enticed me was that he was a bit of a only make it to seven out of fifteen races rough diamond. I’ve been quoted on this per year? One man who was willing to a lot, but I like to tame the beast rather take the risk on Dean Ferris this season than create one. I saw so much potential was CDR Yamaha’s Craig Dack. in him, and I believed the influence of

Craig Dack – a man who requires CDR Yamaha would be a great fit.” no introduction was at somewhat of a From round one Dean emerged cross-roads himself as the 2016 Motul MX back on to the MX Nationals scene as the Nationals approached. Having won for five same old Ferris. Like a bull at a gate, he or six years straight and then experiencing did anything and everything to ensure a period of three years of narrowly he won races, but despite winning missing out on a title, CDR more races than anyone “Not only Yamaha was in need of a throughout the first five had Dean rider who could go the rounds, when the series appeared to have distance, someone who arrived at Wanneroo, suffered one of the could put together ten history was repeated. worst crashes of the consistent rounds, and Despite sitting in year, but hopes of a second in the MX1 of course ‘button off’ 2016 championship championship heading when it was required. began to slip “Entering the 2016 Motul in to the round, and away” MX Nationals our last likely to leave with the red championship win was with plate, Ferris went down in the Josh Coppins in 2012. It wasn’t through West only a few turns out from the lack of trying – every year we were always start straight after winning both opening in the fight, but 2016 was about getting motos, in what was a racing incident that back to where we’d been before,” Dack could most certainly have been avoided. explained.

The crash itself went viral, and for many, “When I heard that Dean Ferris and Todd it was a classic case of Dean Ferris selfWaters were coming back from Europe, I destructing mid way through a season. knew those guys were at a top ten level at For Craig Dack the moment of the MXGPs, and we didn’t want to sign an impact was a complicated experience. international rider unless we absolutely Not only had Dean appeared to have had to, so I knew we needed one of them. suffered one of the worst crashes of the “The thing with Dean was that he was a year, but hopes of a 2016 championship Yamaha guy through and through. He began to slip away within seconds.

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“That moment was the catalyst that turned the entire year around, but at the time it could have gone either way,” Dack said.

“Dean had had a lot of moments leading up to Wanneroo, and we had heard about and had seen those kind of traits, where he could be leading by a country mile but could almost go cartwheeling down a track for no explained reason. But until that crash happened at Wanneroo we couldn’t really deal with addressing those traits.

“Once we saw him later that night and we knew that he was ok, we were obviously all upset and disappointed for him, but we said let’s keep our head up, mathematically we can still win this thing.

“I never gave up on the idea that we could win and neither did he. We knew it was going to be difficult, and we also knew we’d used up our life line so it was going to be a lot of hard work.

“The thing is with Dean, is that you could put a brick wall up in front of him and he’d try and get through it to win, it was 117

THE STATS MX NATIONALS - FIRST PLACE

1

MOST RACE WINS 9 Dean Ferris 5 Todd Waters 3 Kirk Gibbs

1

MOST ROUND WINS 4 Dean Ferris 3 Todd Waters 2 Kirk Gibbs

st

st

SUPERCROSS - SECOND PLACE

3

MOST RACE WINS 3 Justin Brayton 2 Chad Reed 1 Dean Ferris

2

MOST PODIUMS 5 Justin Brayton 3 Dean Ferris 2 Chad Reed

rd

nd

1

st

SUPERPOLES WINS 5 Dean Ferris 1 Todd Waters 1 Kirk Gibbs

about teaching him to go around it.”

In what was a true miracle, Dean returned home for the mid-season break after Wanneroo with only minor injuries, however had the mountainous task ahead of him – rebuilding his 2016 championship.

Being the only rider inside the top three to register a DNF, Dean had his work cut out for him, and the entire racing industry knew that is Ferris wanted to walk away from Coolum with the MX1 title, that it would take a flawless performance week in, week out. Dean needed to win races.

He needed to make magic happen, and he simply couldn’t afford to make any kind of mistakes.

Thankfully that’s exactly what he did, despite some hiccups at Round 7 in Shepparton where Dean went down twice whilst out in the lead on his own, the Yamaha rider podiumed at every round post the mid-season break, and by the time riders arrived at Coolum, he was ready to go head to head with Kirk Gibbs for one final time.

For Ferris, Coolum was understandably nerve wracking with the pressure of making one final chase towards the title, but for Craig Dack, Round 10 of the Motul MX Nationals in 2016 was a weekend he certainly won’t

be able to forget quickly.

“The surprising thing from my experience at Coolum when we got to the last round, was that I almost went to pieces, I struggled to keep myself together, but Dean, he was as cool as a cucumber. It was almost like a complete role reversal” Dack explained.

“At that point in the championship, for Dean the work we had done together had soaked in to his bones, and he was really on top of things, but me, I was a wreck.

“There had been lots of little pieces to the puzzle, and one thing was teaching Dean that sometimes it’s ok not to win. He’s an incredible athlete, probably one of the fittest I’ve worked with, but he needed to learn when it’s ok to settle.”

In what was in some aspects an ironic way for Dean to win the 2016 MX1 championship at Coolum, the CDR Yamaha rider finished second overall on the day with a GoPro Superpole victory, a race win and a second place, rewarding himself with the first ever championship of his career.

For Craig Dack, Round 10 of the Motul MX Nationals was also far more than just celebrating yet another year of standing on the top stop, Coolum was where he and the entire country witnessed a rider becoming a man.

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“When you get certain riders, some of them really stand out, and Dean is right at the top for me. Dean lost his father when he was young and he’s had to become his own man very early in life.

“The way he had the courage to leave the country when he had a deal with Kawasaki years ago, and the way he’d risked everything to go over to the other side of the world to race – he’s put in the hard yards, so if anybody really deserved the championship, especially when you hear his story, it was Dean.

“It’s taken him a lot of years of hard work and dedication, and especially the way the year went, it was very special to see him finally get that title.”

After winning his first ever championship, and performing outstandingly at the MXoN at Maggiora in Italy, Ferris returned home, refocussed, and switched his attention to Supercross, a discipline that he himself had openly admitted was not his forte.

With Dan Reardon, Ferris’s teammate the defending SX1 champion, Craig Dack looked to the veteran’s experience and skill rather than Dean to represent CDR Yamaha throughout the six round series, giving Dean the opportunity to learn the craft with less pressure, and ensure that unrealistic expectations weren’t placed on the newly crowned motocross champ.

Now, even after Ferris finished second in front of Reardon at the Supercross 120

opener at Jimboomba, most spectators put it down to being a bit of a fluke, Dean being high on confidence, or that once the tracks became more technical and complicated that Ferris would be nowhere to be seen.

However, one man who became a big fan of ‘Supercross Dean’ from Jimboomba onwards was the same man who backed his from the start, Craig Dack.

“After Jimboomba I have to admit I was shocked. And I wasn’t shocked because I thought he’d be a bad Supercross rider, I was shocked because I didn’t have any expectations,” Dack explained.

“Before round one, a lot of people had been saying to me that Dean couldn’t ride Supercross, but the fact of the matter was that I didn’t know if he could or he couldn’t – my mind was completely open.

“I think with the attitude I had of no expectation, I passed it on to Dean a bit and it worked.”

Despite the industry in some ways ignoring the fact of the matter, that Dean had proved at round one that he was in fact a Supercross rider, it wasn’t until he won a round in Melbourne, that Australia realised Ferris was in fact the new Aussie all-rounder.

As the season progressed, Craig Dack began to realise that he’d signed not only the best Motocross rider in the country, but the best Supercross rider that Australia currently has.

“I never thought that round one was a

fluke, only because of the way he rode that race. The way I saw him put down laps consistently and smoothly and then slowly wear Brayton down - round one at Jimboomba is what turned me around,” Dack said.

“I was a fan of his Supercross riding skills as soon as I’d seen that. He proved it week in, week out that he could do it, and consequently he podiumed multiple times, won a round, and finished as Australia’s highest placed rider.”

From that point onwards Ferris became the hottest property in the country, and rightly so. Even the European teams came out of the woodwork after his performance at the MXoN, and with Ferris eager to get back on the World Championship circuit, the options for 2017 came flooding in.

But regardless of what landed on the Kyogle kid’s table, nothing could seem to pry him away from CDR Yamaha.

There was something about the electric combination of himself and the team, that no 121

other offer could match. Needless to say, signing 2016’s most successful racer was at the top of Craig Dack’s priority list.

“Dean wanted to go overseas and he still does, but he wants to wait for the right team and the right infrastructure to go and do that again. He knows he has time to go back, and he really enjoyed the year with us and wanted to continue building on what we achieved this year,” “He’s obviously signed a motocross only deal, which I was more than happy to offer him given what he did for us this year, but that’s not to say that he can’t race Supercross – it’s his option.

“Contractually 2017 is motocross only, but if he wanted to race Supercross again then he would absolutely be able to.”

With a signature on the dotted line indicating that Ferris will be back to defend his MX1 title with CDR Yamaha in 2017, Craig Dack has now had some time to reflect on what has been one of his most memorable season’s with Inside 122

Dirt’s Rider of the Year.

“At Sydney I had a really special moment with Dean’s mum, where she thanked me for helping her son to become a man, that’s the moments we do this for really,” Dack said.

“It’s coming up to 25 years the CDR Yamaha’s been around, and yes it’s a job, yes there’s pressure, yes there are things that we’re required to do, but at the end of the day if we can all go to work with a smile on our faces, and experience those special moments that change people’s lives then you’re extra lucky.

“The experience I’ve had, and that I’m having with Dean right now, with him, and his mum, and his family is very special for me. He deserves to be crowned Inside Dirt’s Rider of the Year, and we can’t wait to do it again in 2017.”

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124

OUT WITH THE OLD IN WITH THE NEW

X X X

TEAR OFF NO MORE WE REVIEW WHY MA MADE THE CHANGE AND FEATURE SOME ROLL SYSTEMS YOU

CAN RUN IN 2017

MOVING TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE THE VERDICT Motorcycling Australia has released a statement addressing the 2017 tear-off ban that will see riders forced to use rolloff systems in all disciplines of off-road and motocross racing.

After mounting speculation of the ban being implemented, the statement indicated that it will in fact be introduced for next year. Environmental issues caused from the plastic tear-offs are at the base of the decision, which has been made to ensure greater longevity of the sport.

The statement read ‘with every possible environmental issue in motorsport, worldwide, constantly under the microscope of the general public, our sport faces some of the most significant environmental lobby group opposition of any’.

Williams Event Management director Kevin Williams – promoter of the Motul MX Nationals – shared his opinion of the ban and revealed his support of the decision.

“We need to be proactive about the environment and tear-offs are becoming an issue globally,” Williams stated in the recent MA statement. “We’ve all known 126

for a couple of years now that [the] days were numbered for tear-offs. Aside from tear offs being banned in enduro and cross-country competition for the past few years, there are some venues in Australia where you simply cannot run tear-offs, which has been the case for years.

“All the major [goggle] companies have a roll-off system and generally offer systems that can be easily retro fitted to existing goggles in addition to providing ripcord and electric versions. So, no one can say that they can’t get a roll-off system easily in Australia. Coupled with that, the price comparison between tearoffs and roll-offs means that usually, rolloff films are far cheaper than tear-offs.

The average competition rider runs a stack of 20 tear-offs per race. Now multiply that by one hundred and 20 riders over several races a day – that can be up to 5000 plastic tear-offs [on a very muddy day] at one MX Nationals meet.”

The controversial decision to ban tear-offs in 2017 has sparked mixed opinions within motorcycling communities, where many are opposing the new changes.

YOU MAY BE THINKING

WHAT SHOULD I USE? WE ASKED SOME OF OUR FRIENDS IN THE GOGGLE INDUSTRY TO SEND US THROUGH SOME INFO ON THE ROLL OFF SYSTEMS ON OFFER, SO YOU CAN MAKE YOUR CHOICE FOR THE 2017 SEASON.

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SCOTT

PROSPECT

FEATURES - 50mm Works Film System canisters - SCOTT anti-stick grid with mudflap - Lens Lock System - Articulated outriggers - 3-Layer face foam - Extra wide 50mm no-slip silicone strap - LENS TECHNOLOGIES Cylindrical SCOTT - TruView single WORKS lens - NoFogâ„¢ Anti-Fog lens treatment

$149.95 ON MXSTORE VIEW NOW 128

OAKLEY

AIRBRAKE

FEATURES - High Impact Plutonite Lens with F3 Anti-Fog coating - Switch-Lock Lens Technology for fast and easy lens changing - Outrigger System for Balanced Fit - Injection Molded Polycarbonate under extreme pressure to create a precise contour of optically correct geometry - Frame is composed of ultra-strong, yet lightweight, O Matter™ combined with flexible urethane

$239.95 ON MXSTORE VIEW NOW 129

SPY

OMEN

FEATURES - Replaceable mud flap that diverts mud and moisture.

- Clear film canisters for quick viewing of remaining quantity.

- Anti-fog, scratch resistant lens with UV protection - Optically correct polycarbonate lens for clear vision.

SPY Clear View System is available for the SPY Klutch and Omen goggle.

$189.95 ON MXSTORE + Clear View System RRP $89.95 VIEW NOW 130

THOR

SNIPER

FEATURES - Replaceable mud flap that diverts mud and moisture.

- Clear film canisters for quick viewing of remaining quantity.

- Anti-fog, scratch resistant lens with UV protection - Optically correct polycarbonate lens for clear vision.

Designed for use on the THOR Sniper, Conquer and Combat goggles.

$99.95 ON MXSTORE + Clear View System RRP $89.95 VIEW NOW 131

ARIETE

TERRA MX

FEATURES - Polyurethane frame, - Anti fog, anti scratch lexan lens, - 2 layer foam, - Single silicone bead strap, - Roll off system

$119.95 RRP VIEW NOW 132

OTHER

OPTIONS

SCOTT RECOIL WITH ROLL OFF

SPY KLUTCH

$84.95

$119.95

SCOTT BUZZ YOUTH WITH ROLL OFF SYSTEM The Buzz MX WFS is the first SCOTT kid goggle with a roll-off system. It is equipped with WORKS pins on the lens and can be used with tear offs. With this added feature, the junior rider for sure has all same advantages than the adult rider. The goggle comes with the same great features than the regular Buzz MX.

$79.95 RRP 133

MOTOCROSS ENDURO COMPETITION

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S L A N O I T A N X M WASH OF THE

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whats

TRENDING

2017 SUPERCROSS TV SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED Monster Energy Supercross will provide an option to access the action, energy and excitement in real time outside of North America for the first time via the pay-per-view live stream.

Fans will be able to purchase a season pass for $99.99 and stream races live and up to one week following the race.

Source: racerxonline.com 136

JAMES STEWART ITS OVER! There now seems zero chance of James Stewart being on the start line in 2017. No news on the multiple AMA Supercross and Motocross champion. If it is over, it signals out the end of one of the most dramatic, and turbulance careers of any rider, both in America, or anywhere in the world.

Source: mxlarge.com

RACER X FILMS: SX PREVIEW SHOW: THE LEAP They’re right there! Jason Anderson won two races in 2016, Cole Seely won one as a rookie in 2015, and Marvin Musquin coulda shoulda woulda won Atlanta back in February.

Source: racerxonline.com 2017 MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS SEASON PREVIEW Source: motocrossactionmag.com 137

DAN REARDON SIGNS WITH YAMALUBE/STAR RACING YAMAHA Australian Dan Reardon is returning to the United States in 2017. The former GEICO Honda, CDR Yamaha and MotoConcepts rider announced on his Instagram that he has signed a deal with Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha to contest the 2017 250SX West Region in Monster Energy Supercross.

Source: racerxonline.com

TIMED RACES COMING TO MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS IN 2017 The 250SX class will feature a 15-minute plus one lap format instead of the typical 15-lap main event.

Meanwhile, the 450SX class will be 20 minutes plus one lap instead of 20 laps. One important thing to note: the clock will start once the gate drops.

Source: mxlarge.com

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