QUICK LINKS IN THE WIND 28 ISDE FRANCE UPDATE 28 READY TO PLAY 2023 Ducati DesertX QUICK SPIN
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 MOTOCROSSIRONMAN SEXTON SHINES, BUT TOMAC STILL ON TOP FEATURES ADVENTURE RIDING IN MOTOGP:GREECEWILDEVOLUTION Also... HARDOUTLIERSENDUROTRIALGPOFFRANCE
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CONTENTS I P4 We take you on another adventure tour, this time all around Greece. PHOTOGRAPHY BY SIMON CUDBY 86
On The Cover: We get our first taste of the new Ducati DesertX. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREGOR HALENDA VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P5 RACED 60 IRONMAN MOTOCROSS No pain, no gain for Sexton TESTED 72 DUCATI DESERTX Cruising Colorado on the new X TRAVELED 86 TOURING GREECE Off on another ADV adventure FEATURED 98 MOTOGP TECH Things you probably didn’t know DEPARTMENTALIZED 8 CAPTURED 28 IN THE WIND 110 STUFF 114 CALENDAR 116 LEADERBOARD 118 RACING ON THE TUBE 120 JOB LISTING 122 ARCHIVES 126 BIKES OF THE STARS 128 LOOKING BACK 130 IN THE PADDOCK
Volume LIX EDITORIAL KIT PALMER EDITOR kitpalmer@cyclenews.com RENNIE SCAYSBROOK ROAD TEST EDITOR rennie.scaysbrook@cyclenews.com RYAN NITZEN OFF-ROAD TEST EDITOR ryan.nitzen@cyclenews.com CONTRIBUTORS KEITH DOWDLE CONTRIBUTING EDITOR MICHAEL SCOTT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR COPY EDITOR JEAN TURNER WEB EDITOR MICHELLE BAIRD ADVERTISING SALES SEAN FINLEY GM, AD SALES MANAGER sean.finley@digitalthrottle.com DAVE ROE V-TWIN SALES DIRECTOR dave.roe@digitalthrottle.com JESSE ZIEGLER SALES DIRECTOR jesse.ziegler@digitalthrottle.com ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN SUNJU KWON ART DIRECTOR/ART MANAGER sunny@cyclenews.com NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS Cycle 26341NewsJefferson Ave., Unit G Murrieta, CA 92562 America’s Motorcycle News Source
can
At Arai, not only the management, but its owner also knows the mission to protect riders and continues learning how a helmet works to protect the wearers against riding impacts. Witnessing how severe and unpredictable some impacts can be, Arai’s focus continues to be the consistent pursuit of gains in protection for helmets bearing our family name.
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impacts. Nothing is a substitute for safe riding practices. ©2022 Arai Helmet DEDICATED TO RIDER PROTECTION XD4 • COVER WHITE FROST THE ARAI DIFFERENCE SCAN TO SEE THE VALUE OF ARAI VIDEO SCAN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE XD4 Photo courtesy of Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.
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When a helmet is impacted, the inner liner is crushed, absorbing impact energy in the process. The liner’s ability to absorb impact energy varies depending on the helmet’s construction and thickness in its upper regions. But Arai helmets, with their proprietary one-piece multi-density EPS liner, can maintain a consistent thickness even in areas where high levels of energy absorption are needed. The helmet remains compact by forming different EPS densities into a single liner of uniform thickness while still satisfying strict helmet standards. helmet protect wearer against all foreseeable
P8 CAPTURED
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P9 This Can’t End Well There’s nothing like seeing your $10,000 dirt bike go tumbling down a cliff, as this rider is about to experience during the Red Bull Outliers Hard Enduro near Calgary, Canada. PHOTOGRAPHY BY FUTURE7MEDIA/ RED BULL CONTENT POOL
CAPTURED TheHomecomingRedBullOutliers Hard Enduro was a homecoming for AMA Hard Enduro Champion Trystan Hart. The Canadian was hoping for a win but second place is still something to make the home fans proud. PHOTOGRAPHY BY FUTURE7MEDIA/ RED BULL CONTENT POOL P12
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P13
PROFESSIONAL RIDERS SHOWN ON CLOSED COURSE. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING, AND PLEASE RESPECT THE ENVIRONMENT. OBEY THE LAW AND READ YOUR OWNER’S MANUAL THOROUGHLY. CRF® is a registered trademark of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. ©2022 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (8/22)
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Fine BrandyStartRichards leaves the start on Monday morning, August 29, en route to a stellar start of the 96th ISDE in France. She once again dominated the women and led the defending Women’s World Trophy Team who started the week on top, backed up ably by rookie Korie Steede and veteran Rachel Gutish. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK KARIYA VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P17
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CAPTURED Sharing The Spoils Of Victory Chase Sexton sprays the fans of the Ironman National MX with champagne after taking the overall win in the 450MX class. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t gain any ground on championship leader Eli Tomac who matched moto finishes with Sexton. Only one point separates Sexton from Tomac going into the series final this weekend at Pala. PHOTOGRAPHY BY HONDA HRC P20
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P21
Fuel your restless spirit with a new adventure every day. Receiving selected upgrades for 2022, the KTM 390 ADVENTURE is here to let every biker go out and adventure even more. No matter the wildness of the trail or the demands of daily mileage, this is a highly capable and exhilarating exploration companion every step of the way. Please make no attempt to imitate the illustrated riding scenes, always wear protective clothing and observe the applicable provisions of the road traffic regulations. The illustrated vehicles may vary in selected details from the production models and some illustrations feature optional equipment available at additional cost. * European specific model shown FIND OUT MORE AT KTM.COM ADVENTURE MORE MonteroF.Photo:
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Defying Gravity Adam Raga appears to defy gravity en route to second place at the TrialGP of France. Raga finished second in France, and is currently third in points behind eventual winner and championship leader Toni Bou. PHOTOGRAPHY BY FUTURE7MEDIA VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P25
PHOTOS:
It’s often tough to beat the home team at the FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), especially when a powerhouse like France hosts what is the oldest off-road world championships on the FIM calendar.Wesaw that last year in Italy with the home country’s best walking away with both the FIM World Trophy (WT) and Junior World Trophy (JWT) categories. But the U.S. team has proven it can beat the odds and take top honors in any category, and its hopes are high for the 96th edition of the ISDE. The Americans are among the highest profile riders of the approximately 650 entered who come from 34 countries. Not all of those countries field teams in the elite WT/JWT/WWT (Wom en’s World Trophy) divisions; the bulk of entries comprise the 150 three-man Club teams, though there are several individuals representing their countries not linked to any team. Last year, the U.S. WT team finished third. This year’s squad of Layne Michael, Dante Oliveira, Kailub Russell and Josh Toth aim to do one or two better as they battle 21 other teams entered.
AimsAmericaHigh at 96th ISDE
Of the 130 three-man Club teams entered, seven are from the U.S. In numerical order, they are Team GBTN (Jaden Dahners, Anson Maloney, Travis Reynaud), XC Gear (Kai Aiello, Craig DeLong, Tyler Vore), Missouri Mud ders (Chase Bright, Huck Jen kins, Nathan Rector), Elizabeth Scott Community (John Beal, Jeff O’Leary, Shawn O’Leary), Mo joMotoSport (Josh Chassaing, Anthony Ferrante, Shane Siebenthall), Eric Cleveland Memorial (David Fullmer, Benjamin Knight, Gary Smith) and Wes Habermehl/Bruce Wakeley Memorial (Jonathan McDougal, Jonathan Seehorn, Brian Storrie). Day One Day one is now in the books and last year’s overall individual winner Josep Garcia of Spain is leading the way. Continuing the form he displayed brilliantly last year—as well as in this year’s EnduroGPs—Garcia won all five special tests on a beautiful day in the French countryside, tallying an aggregate time of 32 Spain’s Josep Garcia, last year’s overall individual winner, is the top individual rider after the first day of competition. MARK KARIYA
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America’s JWT team also earned third last year, and this year’s trio of Cody Barnes, Mateo Oliveira and Austin Walton plan to best that as they face teams from 15 other countries. Of course, the brightest spot last year for the U.S. proved to be its WWT team led by Brandy Richards who achieved a historic first by winning every single test every single day. She’s back this year to see if she can come close to if not repeat that perfor mance and will be joined by fel low returnee Rachel Gutish and first-timer Korie Steede as they aim to best eight other teams.
Finally, towards the end of the day, I started to feel much better and find a little bit of a flow.” Club team standings weren’t available at press time, pending ratification by the FIM jury.
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The fastest American Club rider turned out to be Craig DeLong of the XC Gear team, his 35:36.85 the fourth best of the day and second in C2. Teammate Kai Aielllo wasn’t far behind with his 36:24.75. Mark Kariya
The guy’s on top of his game; he’s on another planet right now.”
minutes, 50.77 seconds to also top the E2 category. Combined with the scores/times of his three teammates (Jaume Betray, Bernat Cortes and Marc Sans), the Spanish World Trophy team’s score/time is a world-leading 2:14:43.88 which puts them 22.26 seconds ahead of Italy, last year’s FIM World Trophy (WT) teamItalianwinners.Andrea Verona was the second-fastest individual and the best of the E1 class with his 33:14.12 followed by Sweden’s Mi kael Persson, the E3 leader after the day’s racing with 33:22.54. The U.S. quartet finished the day fourth fastest, 26.10 seconds be hind Spain, while Team United King dom finds itself a whisker behind Italy—just 0.03 seconds behind. “I think the Spaniards are whip ping our butts, but overall for me, it was a pretty good day,” Oliveira said. “There’s some pretty cool tests. I’m looking forward to finding a little more speed for tomorrow but all in all, it’s one of my better starts to Six Days than in the past so I can’t complain about that, but I want to win so we’ve got some work to do to win.” Individually, he sits ninth overall after the first day. Russell is 10th overall individual, and he added, “I feel like I’ve got a little bit more [speed in me], but I’m just trying to keep it on two wheels and mitigate my risks out there. If I could find three, four seconds a test, I’d be super-stoked. Reaching Josep’s level is out of the realm [of possibility right now].
Then I tried to calm myself back down and ride behind Brandy. She helped me a lot just staying calm.
The U.S. World Trophy team promoted Dante Oliveira from the Junior ranks, and he rewarded them with the best result by an American on the first day. The U.S. Trophy Team finished day one in fourth.
The U.S. Junior World Trophy (JWT) team is already out of the hunt. Sophomore Barnes completed only one test before his bike suffered a suspected electri cal failure that drained his battery dead. With no scores allowed to be dropped, the team is destined to finish last, though Oliveira and Walton will pursue individual glory. Italy leads the JWT standings just a minute and 32.97 seconds ahead of Finland with the United Kingdom third here as well, 2:05.01 behind Italy. America’s Women’s World Trophy (WWT) team provided the best result by leading over the UK and France. As she did last year, Brandy Richards led the way all day, her final score/time a stunning 37:09.13. Newcomer Korie Steede shook her early jitters to post the second-fastest time of the day for women with her 38:23.15, Jane Daniels of the U.K. third-fastest woman at 38:27.69. Canada’s Shelby Turner was fourth for the day followed by American Rachel Gutish. “I was keeping myself feeling pretty cool and collected, feeling good [after walking the tests last week],” Steede noted. “Then we took off this morning and kind of everything hit me at once and I was like, ‘Oh, this is real!’ At Six Days for the first time, this is my first day and I was just kind of freaking out.
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PHOTOS: FUTURE7MEDIA
Bou Tops TrialGP of France Toni Bou (Repsol Honda) was once again triumphant at the TrialGP of France. Staged at Cahors on a sweltering day, the opening five sections were plotted in a quarry where com petitors went head-to-head on steep, loose bankings studded with daunting rock steps. From there it was down to the banks of a nearby river and a series of massive, man-made sections comprising enormous rock steps and yet more heart-stoppingly steepBoubankings.setafurious pace from the start and established an early lead with just a single mark lost on section three where the rest of the TrialGP field all picked up maximums. This feat was repeat ed on section 11 which featured a monster triple step on the exit that looked impossible on first inspection and claimed first-lap fives from everyone apart from Bou who skipped through for a dab at his first attempt.
The Spaniard, who’s aiming for a record-breaking 16th-straight title this season, was on six marks lost at the halfway stage which handed him an eight-mark advantage over compatriot Jaime Busto (Vertigo) with Miquel Ge labert (GasGas) a further three adrift in third. On lap two Bou picked up his first maximum of the trial on section three but added just one more mark to his total to end the day on 12. Following an expensive open ing lap, Adam Raga (TRRS) pulled things together on lap two with his score of seven, lifting him up to second on 25, two ahead of Italy’s Matteo Grattarola (Beta), who produced a brilliant nine-mark performance on lap two. With just eight marks separating the leading riders it was tight at the top with Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) and Gelabert completing the top five as Busto slipped to sixth after going off the boil on lap two.
mathematical
(Left) TRRS’ Adam Raga (left) and Beta’s Matteo Grattarola joined winner Repsol Honda’s Toni Bou on the TrialGP podium in France. (Above) Bou finished 13 points clear of his nearest rival.
TrialGP of
(TRS) 25 3. Matteo Grattarola (Bet) 27 4. Gabriel Marcelli (Mon) 28 5. Miquel Gelabert (GG) 30 6. Jaime Busto (Ver) 32 7. Benoit Bincaz (GG) 41 8. Jeroni Fajardo (She) 44 9. Aniol Gelabert (Bet) 49 10. Toby Martyn (TRS) 51
Results 1. Toni Bou (Mon) 12 points 2. Adam
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“I’m very happy to win today,” said Bou. “It was important for the championship and with Jaime [Busto] finishing sixth I’m in a very goodThereposition.”arenow just two scoring days to go at the TrialGP of Italy in the middle of September, and Bou’s advantage over Busto— who’s the only man still in with a chance of dethroning him—is now 36 points behind with just 40 left up for grabs. CN France Raga
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Germany’s Manuel Lettenbi chler won round seven of the FIM Hard Enduro World Cham pionship, Red Bull Outliers in Canada, August 26-28. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider overcame a titanic battle with home favorite FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Trystan Hart to take the win and claim the championship lead with just one round remain ing. Sherco Factory Racing’s Mario Roman pushed the duo hard all the way to round out the podium in third.
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PHOTOS: RED BULL CONTENT POOL
Making its first-ever stop on Canadian soil, the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship wit nessed a bar-to-bar battle at Red Bull Outliers. In the heart of its Badlands region, the world’s best Hard Enduro riders went head-tohead at the penultimate round of theStagedseason.across two days, racing got underway in downtown Calgary with an urban Endurocross prologue. However, with the weather turning sour, extremely heavy rain meant the action was short-lived with racing brought to an early close for the day.On Sunday, riders faced a twoand-a-half-hour multi-lap battle through the Badlands region. Famed for its dinosaur fossils, the barren area also served up a mean course. Steep climbs, tricky off-camber traverses and tough drop-offs ensured a brutal course to Chasingmaster.ahome win, Hart meant business and was eager to add to the victory he secured last Manuel Lettenbichler took over the FIM Hard Enduro points lead with a big win at the Red Bull Outliers Hard Enduro in Canada.
Lettenbichler Wins Red Bull Outliers Hard Enduro
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time out at Red Bull TKO. However, with round seven also serving as the penultimate stop of the season, it was crunch time for both Roman and Lettenbichler in the championship fight. Separat ed by only one point, in Roman’s favor, going into the event both knew a winning result in Canada could dramatically turn the tables heading into round eight. Hart was quick off the line and tried to make a break, but Letten bichler, and Roman soon after, had closed the gap. Numerous times each rider pushed to open a lead, but every time they were pulled back in. Back and forth, the lead changed hands multiple times. With the laps closing down, Lettenbichler made a final break for it, taking Hart with him, but Roman unable to respond this time. The duo was neck and neck. With the final climb set to decide the outcome, Lettenbi chler put it all on the line. Despite a mistake in the final 20 yards, he was quick to remount and took the win by just six seconds. Although missing out on the home win he came to get, Hart was happy with his efforts for second. Completing the podium, Roman finished just three minutes behind in third. With the top three breaking away, Jarvis Racing Team’s Graham Jarvis took fourth, while GasGas Factory Racing’s Taddy Blazusiak rounded out the top five. With one round remaining, advantage is now on Lettenbi chler’s side. The German holds a four-point lead over Roman, with just the eighth and final round of the 2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship remaining, the 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro on October 7-9. CN Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) Trystan Hart (KTM) Mario Roman (She) Graham Jarvis (Hus) Taddy Blazusiak (GG) Trystan Hart was hoping to get a win in front of the home fans but second was good, too.
RED BULL OUTLIERS HARD ENDURO RESULTS 1.
3.
2.
4.
Mario Roman, here competing in Saturday’s prologue in downtown Calgary, completed the Outliers podium.
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The main events for each class will have a short five-minute break between each. The com-
Unveils Racing Format
World Supercross
The WSX Championship will use a three main event racing format, including Superpole.
The FIM World forfinishers,ingindividualfeatureevents.Global-producedbothChampionshipeachcombinedracesunderwaynewvealedChampionshipSupercross(WSX)re-theracingformatforthechampionshipwhichgetsinOctober.Therewillbethreemaineventforeachclass,withtheindividualresultsofmaineventdeterminingeachroundwinnerfortheWSXandSX2classes.TheformatwillbeliketheSXAUS-XOpenInaddition,theWSXclasswillaSuperpoleround—antimetrialformat,featur-thetop-10WSXheatracetodeterminetheorderthemaineventraces.Forqualifying,theWSXand SX2 fields will each be split into two separate timed qualifying sessions, with individual lap times determining the order for each class’s heat races. Each qualifying session will last 10 minutes, with final laps run to completion once the 10-minute session expires. WSX class heat races will determine the order for the Superpole. The top-five finishers in each of the two WSX heat races will earn a spot in the 10-rider Super Pole. The sixth to 11th place finishers in each heat will fill spots 11-22 in the gate pick order for the main event, with the faster overall heat taking precedent and gate picks alternating between the remaining riders. For the SX2 class, in the same manner as with traditional super cross formats, heat races will determine the order for the main event. Collectively, the faster overall heat will take precedent, with gate pick choice for the main event alternating between the fin ishing order of the two SX2 heats. Exclusive to the WSX class, the Super Pole round will feature 10 riders—the top-five finishers from the two WSX heat races. Featuring an individual time-trial format, lap times from the Super Pole round will determine the gate pick order of the top 10 for the WSX main event races.
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The 2022 FIM Junior Motocross World Champions and World Cup Winner were crowned in Van taa, Finland, August 27-28, after some close racing that saw Ivano Van Erp crowned this year’s 125cc Junior World Champion, while Gyan Doensen became the 85cc Junior World Champion. Lucas Leok won the 65cc World Cup. In the overall standings, it was Team USA who were victorious, finishing at the top ahead of Team Finland and Team Netherlands. The teams from France and Esto nia completed the top five. In all, seven riders—Tayce Mor gan, Maddox Temmerman, Carson Wood, Seth Dennis, Landon Gibson, Casey Cochran and Collin Allen—represented the U.S. in Finland. The team was guided by manager Jeff Cernic. CN RESULTS 1. USA (17) 2. Finland (25) 3. The Netherlands (26) 4. France (31) 5. Estonia (32) IN Team USA won the FIM Junior MX World Championship in the team category. The race was held in Finland. bined individual results determin ing the winner and podium spots for each Championship round. World Supercross Cham pionship points will be awarded the three main event races. Points will follow the traditional supercross format of 25, 22 and 20, 18 and 16 points respectively for first through fifth place, with the remaining 17 rid ers earning from 15 points to 1 point. In total, a maximum of 75 FIM World Championship points are up for grabs at each WSX Championship round. In addition to the main event races, the fastest SX2 qualifier and the winner of the WSX Super pole will be awarded one additional Championship point. CN
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World Championship
FIM
for each of
Team USA Wins FIM Junior Motocross
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Volusia Half-Mile Added to Triple Crown
Because the Black Hills HalfMile was stopped shortly after its start, the Volusia Half-Mile, scheduled for October 15, will now serve as the finale to both the AFT season and the Triple Crown.TheProgressive Triple Crown was originally slated to consist of the Laconia Short Track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire on June 11, the Black Hills Half-Mile at Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, South Dakota on August 6, and the Springfield Mile Double header at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois on SeptemberHowever,3-4.since the premierclass main event at the Black Hills Half-Mile was called com plete shortly after its start and every rider who qualified for the race awarded a single point due to inclement weather, it was decided to designate the Volu sia Half-Mile Finale at Volusia Speedway Park in De Leon Springs, Florida, on October 15, to stand in as the Progressive Triple Crown’s test of Half-Mile supremacy.
Due to the rain-shortened Black Hills Half-Mile, the season-ending Volusia Half-Mile will stand as a round of the Progressive Triple Crown.
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Mir To Sit Out Misano Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan Mir suffered bone and ligament damage to his right ankle and will be forced to miss Misano Mo toGP.Mir suffered the injury at the last round at the Austrian Grand Prix when he went down on the opening lap. The first tests and X-rays performed at the circuit medical center directly after the crash revealed a small fracture in the talus bone of his right ankle. Having returned home on Sunday night, the Mallorcan underwent further tests in Andorra. He then visited Dr. Juan Garcías at Hos pital Juaneda Miramar in Palma de Mallorca where he underwent a CT scan and an extra MRI as the doctors wanted to rule out bone damage to the left talus head as well as the right. Despite issuing a more encouraging diagnosis than expected, Doctor Juan Garcías found ligament and bone damage on the right side, and he recommended caution, advising Mir to take absolute rest for the next 15 days. Mir will undergo another round of scans to assess the injuries following his 15-day rest period, in order to determine the course of treatment and, if eligible, to try riding at Motorland for the Grand Prix of Aragon. CN Joan Mir will sit out Misano due to injuries he suffered at the Austrian Grand Prix. GOLD Team USA Win Foxhill Vet MXdN Z ach Osborne, Ryan Villopoto and Mike Brown traveled to Great Britain’s Foxhill MX circuit, August 27-28, for the Vet Moto cross des Nations and came away with the number-one plates (each rider got their own to take home). In the four-moto format aboard 250cc two-stroke machinery, Team USA accumulated the low est score and was crowned this year’s Foxhill VMXDN Champions. Led by double moto winner Brown, Team USA finished out the weekend with 61 points, followed by Team Great Britain with 73 points and defending champions Northern Ireland with 77 points. Fairhust Wessex and Wales rounded out the top five teams.Brown went 1-1-2-8, while Vil lopoto went 5-104-7 and competed9-8-6-10.OsborneBrownalsointheEvo 125cc class and won three out of the four motos. Unfortunately for him, the moto he didn’t win was a DNF, so he dropped to eighth in the overall classAmericansstandings.Doug Dubach and Keith Johnson competed in the Evo Over 50 division, but it was England’s Kurt Nicoll who came away with the overall victory with 4-1-2-1 moto scores. Dubach got on the podium in third with 3-5-33 results, and Johnson ended up ninth overall with 1-2-DNF-4 results.
PHOTO:
Team USA is expected to field Tim Ferry, Broc Tickle, Keith Johnson and Cody Williams at the next VMXDN event at Farleigh Castle, September 10-11.
CN Mike Brown (center) and teammates Ryan Villopoto (left) and Zach Osborne (right) won the Foxhill Vet MX of Nations event.
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PHOTO: LAURETTE NICOLL
2022 Motocross of Nations Entries
PHOTO: ALIGN MEDIA
The 2022 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations is just a few weeks away and the official entry list has been released. The race will be held on Ameri can soil this year at Michigan’s RedBud MX in Buchanan, Sep tember 24-25, and Team USA, with Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton and Justin Cooper, is hoping to keep the Chamberlain Trophy in the U.S. this year for the first time since 2011. The U.S. certainly has a good shot of doing that but there are a few notable teams that will stand in their way, including the defending champs, Team Italy, with Antonio Cairoli, Andrea Adamo and Mattia Guadagnini. Team France will be strong this year with riders Maxime Renaux, Marvin Musquin and Dylan Ferrandis, as will Team Belgium with Jago Geerts, Liam Everts and Jeremy Van Horebeek. Many feel, however, that Team Australia has a great chance to win it all for the first time with the Lawrence brothers, Hunter and Jett, and Mitchell Evans. Jett Lawrence, who will most likely win this year’s AMA 250MX title, will ride a 450cc with the support of his current Honda HRC factory crew, as will Hunter. And you can’t count out the Dutch team of Glenn Coldenhoff, Kay de Wolf and Calvin Vlaanderen. Great Britain recently an nounced its trio of riders: Dean Wilson, Max Anstie and veteran Tommy Searle. CN Antonio Cairoli hopes to end his racing career by successfully defending this year’s MXoN with his teammates Andrea Adamo and Mattia Guadagnini at RedBud.
IN THE WIND P56
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BY RYAN PHOTOGRAPHYNITZENBY BROWNDOG WILSON I t ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings. Or at least until the checkered flag flies. The 2022 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship has become the closest title fight in history after 11 rounds of racing. And this time that’s not just a baseless quote. It’s literally the closest championship in 50 years of the sport’s history. Eli Tomac led Chase Sexton by just one point coming into Ironman Raceway and after 70 minutes of wheel-to-wheel motos, the standings stayed put after the penultimate round. With Sexton and Jett Lawrence both taking overall wins at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana, their respective title fights are going down to the wire and will be decided at the season finale. 450MX The top two riders in the 450MX class are pulling out all the stops in these final rounds. It’s a no-holds-barred battle between Sexton and Tomac as both riders are willing to lay it all on the line for a championship. For Tomac, it’s likely his last outdoor season as a professional; rumors are swirling of him being Supercrossonly in 2023. For Sexton, it would solidify his name among the sport’s greats and be his first major title in the 450 class. Sexton did what he needed to do at the Ironman National. He got the overall win, but what he really needed was a 1-1. Instead, he traded moto wins with Tomac, keeping the series leader, Tomac, still just one point ahead of him in the championship. After a poor start in moto one, Sexton put on a charge and ran down Tomac, which is something very few have done in the past. Sexton looked to be stalking the Clutch wins for Sexton, Lawrence take titles to the final round
ROUND 11 / AUGUST 27, 2022 IRONMAN RACEWAY / CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA P60 MOTOCROSS I LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
TODOWNTHE
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VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P61 Chase Sexton and Eli Tomac were this close all day.
28 CHRISTIAN CRAIG 5TH (5-5) 450 MX
ROUND 11 / AUGUST 27, 2022 IRONMAN RACEWAY / CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA P62 MOTOCROSS I LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP MYOWNRACE
In his last outdoor season, Dean Wilson fi nally put it back in the top 10. “First moto, I had a really bad start,” he said. “I got up to 13th and had a decent pace at the end. I pushed hard and that gave me good con fidence. I got a decent start in the second moto, and I was hanging in there for a bit. Malcolm [Stewart] and I had a good battle. He got around me and I kind of ran his pace until I came around the corner and the berm went off the track. I lost a few positions, but I got back on, made a good couple charges and ended up ninth. The goal is to be top-10 in both motos.”
15 DEAN WILSON 10TH (13-9) 450MX
Tomac struck first but finished out the day second overall. red-plate holder but capitalized on a mistake and found himself leading the However,way.Tomac found another gear and took back the lead in a stunning show of speed, and held on for the win. In race two, Sexton got out in front early, while Tomac had to make some passes, including Sexton held on for the win in moto two which netted him the overall, but he still trails Tomac in the championship by one point with one race to go.
After not getting picked for Team USA, it looks like Christian Craig has a point to prove as the series winds down. “Today was pretty good,” he said. “I had my best qualifying in third, so that was awesome. I went into the motos feeling good and pulled my first holeshot. I didn’t lead the lap but ran up there for a little bit, and then I lost the pace a little and finished fifth. In the second moto, I rode better and came out with fifth overall. I’m still fifth in the points—it’s close.”
49 NATE THRASHER 5TH (4-6) 250MX
Nate Thrasher led at Ironman and eventu ally logged a season best with fifth overall. “It was a better day, for sure,” Thrasher said. “I was able to get good starts two weekends in a row and got my first holeshot today. Last weekend at Budds Creek, I ended up going down, but this week I was able to lead for a good part of the race. I felt like I had the speed to be up there today, but I ran into a little bit of arm pump and rode a little tight. For the second moto, I didn’t have much left in the tank for that one. We’re making strides in the right direction. It’s a stacked field with a lot of people back from injury, so we’ll take it.”
24 RJ HAMPSHIRE 4TH (2-4) 250MX After winning the overall last weekend, many had their eyes on RJ Hampshire. “It was a better day, for sure,” he said. “I was able to get good starts two weekends in a row and got my first holeshot today. Last weekend at Budds Creek, I ended up going down, but this week I was able to lead for a good part of the race. I felt like I had the speed to be up there today, but I ran into a little bit of arm pump and rode a little Aaron finishwasPlessingerstokedtooutthedayonthepodium.
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P63 let my guard down too much and he obviously took advantage of that. And once he passed me he ran away—I should’ve been more focused when I got to the lead and that was my fault, but I was able to get to the front in the second moto and conserve a bit of energy.” Despite taking second overall, Tomac was on another level. His ride in the first moto was unworld ly, as he dropped the hammer and set the fastest lap of the race with just two to go. In one lap, he put four seconds on Sexton and sealed the deal for the moto win. He did it again in race two, setting a faster lap time despite the track being much worse off. Tomac was on the hunt and cut down Sex ton’s lead from eight seconds to one on Sexton’s teammate, Ken Roczen, before taking over the number-two slot. Despite making a valiant effort and bobble late in the race, Tomac had to give up the fight and give back the points he gained on Sexton a few hours earlier. So, the championship will be decided at the series final at Pala, California, where Sexton won both motos earlier in the year. Tomac went 7-4, so it appears Sexton might have the advantage in the series decider. Simply put, Sexton will need to beat Tomac in both motos at Pala to clinch the title. “When I passed him [Tomac] I knew it wasn’t the last time I’d be seeing him,” said Sexton. “I maybe MYOWNRACE
“Once again we flip-flopped our motos here,” Tomac said. “Once he got around me, I knew it was all or nothing. I got close there in the middle of the race [moto two]. I was pushing really hard until that point and was right there but just cross-rutted over a little single. I lost a lot of time; it wasn’t just a tight. For the second moto, I didn’t have much left in the tank for that one. We’re making strides in the right direction. It’s a stacked field with a lot of people back from injury, so we’ll take it.”
Haiden Deegan made his highly an ticipated pro debut at Ironman. From the sounds of it, this was just a test for Deegan to get his feet wet as he will likely race the amateurs again next year. A big crash late in moto one and a firstturn fall in moto two saw him log 34-24 finishes for 31st overall. “It started off well in the first moto and just tried to work through the pack a little bit, and I felt like I was riding super well,” he said. “I lost my rear brake on the second lap, though, which was unfortunate, but I felt like I was flowing and could run the speed with those guys. I made a little rookie mistake trying to do a little double and went over the bars. That was it for the moto. I was a little banged up but lined up for the second moto and ended up getting taken out a little past the start. From there, I just tried to make my way back up through the pack. It was a big learning experience for me, and I know what I need to work on to get into the top 10.”
small mistake it was a big mistake and honestly thought I was going to tip over and crash right there. That was it and kind of lost touch at that Meanwhile,point.” what a race for Aaron Plessinger to get back on the podium. The Ohio native’s fans came out in droves as he logged 3-3 finishes on the day. Plessinger was on rails and battled with teammate Ryan Dungey for most of the afternoon. With so much action at the front of just over one when a costly crossrut ripped the win away. Fans saw the wind go from his sails, as he settled for second in the moto and ultimately second overall.
Nate Thrasher leads a fast group of 250 riders into turn one.
ROUND 11 / AUGUST 27, 2022 IRONMAN RACEWAY / CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA P64 MOTOCROSS I LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP MYOWNRACE
438 HAIDEN DEEGAN 31ST (34-24) 250MX
FERRANDIS OUT Dylan Ferrandis found himself on the ground after a controversial move by Justin Barcia last weekend at Budds Creek. Ferrandis opted to not race because of a sore back. No word yet if we will see him at Fox Raceway.
PENALTIES Penalties were handed out in both classes on Saturday. Jason Anderson was docked a spot in the second 450 moto for accelerating off track which dropped him to fourth and fourth overall. Justin Cooper and Hunter Lawrence were both penalized two points in the first 250 moto for jumping on a red cross flag.
Briefly...
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into the second one I was a little smoked, and I knew it was going to be tough. I got a really good start again and just sat there behind Kenny and Dungey. I saw them getting beat down, so I jumped on the opportunity.” 250MX Jett Lawrence had the chance to wrap up his second 250MX title this weekend if he gained another 13 points on Jo Shimoda. the field, AP’s rides slid in under the radar, but still matched his season best when he podiumed back at Southwick. He technically crossed the line fourth in moto two, but Jason Anderson was docked one spot for accelerating off track. This gave Plessinger the spot and allowed him to grab third overall. “I was really happy with the way I was riding that first moto,” Plessinger said. “I think I kind of overdid it in the first moto. Going
ENERGY-LESS Justin Cooper, who was just named to the U.S. Motocross of Nations Team, had a quiet day at the Ironman. Although he had had good starts and put himself into the mix, he faded in both motos. “I’m getting really tired and flat midway through the motos,” Cooper admitted. “I just can’t keep the intensity up; I don’t know if it has to do with my illness or not. The pace is really high, and the top guys are riding really well. Maybe it’s just an off weekend for me, but either way, I have some homework to do for sure.” Cooper said he got “super sick” after the Unadilla National and was still not 100 percent last week at Budds Creek. “I had no
ROUND 11 / AUGUST 27, 2022 IRONMAN RACEWAY / CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA P66 MOTOCROSS I LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
HYMAS TOPS MOTO COMBINE Honda rider Chance Hymas won the second running of the 2022 MX Sports Pro Racing Scouting MotoCombine, which was held at Ironman Raceway the night before the National. The Combine features several of the nation’s top amateur motocrossers who are mentored for the day by top veteran racers, including Michael Byrne, Chad Reed and Broc Tickle. Hymas, who was teamed with Byrne, won both 25-minuteplus-two-lap motos. Honda HRC will support Hymas in his first pro race this weekend at Pala. Evan Ferry (Yamaha) was 2-3 for second overall, while Daxton Bennick (KTM) went 4-2 for third overall. Mark Fineis (KTM) and Enzo Temmerman (Kawasaki) rounded out the top five overall. Briefly... Jett overall.grabbedsafeplayedLawrenceitrelativelyandstillanother
Shimoda’s been no slouch lately, with back-to-back secondmoto wins as of late. Lawrence did bring home another overall win but did not take the title a round early as expected. He picked through the field to take the win in moto one but played it safe with a third in moto two. A 1-3 score still gave him first overall, but technically pushed the title fight back to the finale. It seems like neither Jett nor his team is in any real hurry to rush or jeopardize the championship. With 41 points over Shimoda, Jett will likely take the title next week barring any real disaster. “First moto it was a decent start,” said Lawrence. “Was able energy to push,” he said after the Budds Creek race. DEEGAN’S DEBUT “For Haiden, we learned a lot this weekend,” said Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha 250cc Team Manager Jensen Hendler. “The whole point of bringing him in was to gain experience. It is good for him to learn the everyday workings of a professional class, from the schedule to racing. I think we all took away what we wanted from this first race.”
podactive.com/AC9LE2 SOLD AS A PAIR ONLY 1x RIGHT (Sunset Swirl) 1x LEFT (Checkered Flag)
ROUND 11 / AUGUST 27, 2022 IRONMAN RACEWAY / CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA P68 MOTOCROSS I LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
for jumping while a red points,athewedidn’tit,”flag,HunterjumpwithoutmodatheLawrencesevenfinishedwasflag/wheels-on-the-groundcrosslightshown.Two,Shimodastillaheadofhimandsitspointsup.Hondaandthecampwanttofinishseries1-2inpoints,butShidefinitelywon’tgodownafight.“Itwasanokayday,nothingtoupanddownabout,”saidLawrence.“IlookedandIsawthecrossbutIdidn’tthinkanythingofhesaidofthepenalty.“ButIthinkanythingofitbecausedidn’tseeanythinggoingintoturnoroutofit.It’sabitofbummertheydockedmetwobutitiswhatitisnow.”and Hunter at Ironman. He’s now seven points up from third rolling into the final round. “I struggled a bit on how to set up the bike,” Shimoda said. “Even in the first moto, too. But the second one was better, we improved even from qualifying to the second moto. Another win in the second moto is always good, too.” Hunter Lawrence rebounded from a disastrous Budds Creek weekend and landed back on the box at Ironman. Consistency proved to be key for Hunter, as 3-2 scores put him third overall. Sounds like all good news, right? Well, not exactly. And for two reasons. One, Hunter was docked two points in moto one to make my way to the front and just had a good flow there. Then the second one, the first few laps I just struggled to get a flow and actually went back a few positions—not ideal but ended up getting through to third, and the boys were just too gone, so I just settled in from there.” Shimoda has been on a roll lately and even challenged Law rence in moto one. However, a costly fall put him back to fifth, but he rebounded with another second moto win. What’s even better for Shimoda is he beat out points rival Hunter Lawrence. Shimoda jumped to second in points last weekend and put more distance between himself Jo challengedShimodafor the top spots and won moto two.
LONG LIVE THE KING TREAD VICTORIOUSLY RIDER: JEREMY MCGRATH
8. Jalek Swoll (Hus) 11-8 9. Cameron Mcadoo (Kaw) 10-9 10. Seth Hammaker (Kaw) 12-10 450MX 1. Chase Sexton (Hon) 2-1 2. Eli Tomac (Yam) 1-2 3. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 3-3 4. Jason Anderson (Kaw) 6-4 5. Christian Craig (Yam) 5-5 6. Ryan Dungey (KTM) 4-7 7. Ken Roczen (Hon) 7-6 8. Malcolm Stewart (Hus) 11-8 9. Fredrik Noren (KTM) 9-10 10. Dean Wilson (Hus) 13-9 250MX 1. Jett Lawrence (Hon) 1-3 2. Jo Shimoda (Kaw) 5-1 3. Hunter Lawrence (Hon) 3-2 4. RJ Hampshire (Hus) 2-4 5. Nate Thrasher (Yam) 4-6 6. Justin Cooper (Yam) 6-5 7. Max Vohland (KTM) 7-7 ROUND 11 / AUGUST 27, 2022 IRONMAN RACEWAY / CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA P70 MOTOCROSS I LUCAS OIL AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP Despite getting docked two points, Hunter Lawrence found himself back on the podium. 2022 Ironman Motocross Video Highlights
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QUICKSPIN I 2023 Ducati DesertX P72 As far as long-awaited bikes go, I can’t think of one for the last five years that has had as much anticipation attached to it as the Ducati DesertX. Ducati harbored plans to bring a dedicated ADV motorcycle to the market long before the first prototype of the DesertX was unveiled at EICMA in 2019. The mid-size ADV segment has never been more competitive, and Ducati certainly took their time with the DesertX’s development, creating an all-new machine that’s a far cry from the dressed-up Scrambler 1100 we saw in 2019. Oh, Colorado.gloriousAnd there’s hardly a better bike to see it on than a Ducati DesertX. BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK I PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREGOR HALENDA >READY TO PLAY DUCATI HAS FINALLY RELEASED ITS FIRST PURPOSE-BUILT ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLE. THE BIG QUESTION IS… HOW DOES IT RIDE?
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The DesertX utilizes a version of the 937cc 11° Testastretta motor found in the Monster, Supersport, Hypermotard and Multistrada V2, but with revised gear ratios from first to fifth gear to give a more optimum off-road performance. Those shorter gears (especially in first and second gear) are like when you put your four-wheel drive in low range, allowing it to creep down hills smoothly and sedately withoutDucatistalling.is claiming 110 horsepower and 68 lb-ft of torque for the $17,095 DesertX, putting it almost on par with the KTM 890 Adventure R (103 hp/73 lb-ft) and Triumph Tiger 800 XCA (95 hp/58 lb-ft) and ahead of the smaller capacity Yamaha Tenere 700 (74 hp/50 lb-ft) and Aprilia Tuareg (80 hp/51.6 lb-ft). Of course, it’s also the most expensive in this category, even outshining the Triumph by $900, but the good thing with the Ducati is you’re only buying one bike with no electronic lockouts you need to pay to get past. This is the first Ducati to be primarily developed for off-road use and, as such, comes with a tubeless 21-inch front and 18inch rear wheel laced with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR rubber as standard. Ducati’s four-bikes-inone machine in the Multistrada was always designed first as a street bike, an off-road capable bike second, and comes to the market with an asphalt-focused 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel configuration. The DesertX, on the other hand, is firmly in the dirt as its home of choice. A tall 9.06
Rugged DesertX looks are a definite departure from the more modern Multistrada line.
QUICKSPIN I 2023 Ducati DesertX P74
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QUICKSPIN I 2023 Ducati DesertX P76
The ride is a plush one, it must be said, and for my 200-plus pounds of fully geared-up person, I needed to crank everything up in terms of preload, front and rear compression, and rebound, to attain the kind of balance I wanted when scaling some truly incredible peaks in Aspen, Colorado.
As usual, Brembo has supplied the brakes in the dual M50 monobloc calipers we first saw way back in 2016 on bikes like the Kawasaki ZX-10R, Ducati choosing not to go ahead with the Stylema calipers that first came out on the Panigale V4. Despite this,
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P77 (Left) The Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR rubber handled this sort of stuff well. Any more rugged and you might want to start Cagivalooksknobbies.investigating(Right)ChannelingtheofthegreatElefantwillalwayswinyouafewadmirers. inches of front-wheel travel is complemented by 8.66 inches at the rear, with the suspension the domain of Kayaba with chunky 46mm fully adjustable forks up front and a fully adjustable shock at the rear.
QUICKSPIN I 2023 Ducati DesertX P78 braking power is never in question. Those M50s clamp down on twin 320mm discs and are matched to Brembo’s cornering ABS, as is the case on every production Ducati for sale right now. The rear brakes consist of a twin-piston caliper clamping down on a 245mm disc. The electronics are a large part of the DesertX. Controlled by a Bosch IMU and much like the KTM 890 Adventure R, the DesertX has almost every electronic bell and whistle you could hope for, including six riding modes, including the off-road-dedicated Enduro and Rally modes; four power modes (Above) The dash is a bit unique, to say the least. ((Right) Crash bars thankfully come as standard, so you won’t scratch that beautiful pearl-white color scheme so easily. Below) All loaded up with the optional soft case luggage.
Mission control is a dash that looks much like my iPhone 13 Max. At five-inches tall, it can take a little time to get used to the information you’d expect, like remaining fuel and trip info, while Rally mode focuses on the maps you’d normally read in an actual rally race. Pretty neat. As impressive as all that tech is, it doesn’t mean much if the motorcycle itself is no good. This is not the case with the DesertX. At first sit, the DesertX’s ergonomics are ideally set up for real
QUICKSPIN I 2023 Ducati DesertX P80 layout, particularly as the current trend seems to be for wider dashes, not taller. Give it a bit of time and you’ll probably come around to it, particularly when you’re doing turn-by-turn navigation, as that’s how most people have their phones set up in their cars. The dash runs in either Standard or Rally—the former is more useful for the general road of Full, High, Medium and Low; Engine Brake Control (EBC), Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC), Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) and three-stage cornering ABS that can be completely deactivated.
Underbody protection is plentiful.
PHOTO FROM ICELAND @OFFROADUNDERGROUND
Look where you want to go and do it. That’s the beauty of ADV riding. QUICKSPIN I 2023 Ducati DesertX P82
Getting out of town and straight onto the dirt, it’s easy to see how well adapted this engine is to the rigors of ADV riding. The overkill of the V4 Multistrada is quickly On-road manners are excellent for a bike clearly aimed at off-road.
off-roading. Tall bars are matched to a 34.4-inch seat height, giving riders from 6’6” down to five-feet-tall whippets more than enough room to move around. It has a bit of an old-school feel at the handlebars, a little like the Tenere 700 in that the gas tank isn’t mounted down low like on the KTM. Interestingly, Ducati has developed an auxiliary tank that sits at the rear of the passenger seat and takes the capacity from 5.54 gallons up to 7.6 gallons and is activated by a switch on the dashboard once the level on the main tank falls below a certain level.
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QUICKSPIN I 2023 Ducati DesertX P84 forgotten as this 11° Testastretta laps up rocky hill climbs as easily as the highway passes with more than enough lowdown torque for the rough stuff. The electronics help a huge amount here. You can dial up or down as much intervention as you like in terms of traction and power maps, but I found the best performance was attained by just switching off TC and wheelie control. This hints at just how good a base model the Ducati is because you can allow it just to be a big dirt bike, the suspension lapping everything up and not getting tangled up when the electronics start to cut the power. The DesertX is light, agile and supreme fun when you start attacking your favorite sections of dirt. This is a Ducati, after all, and leans more than just a little towards the sporty side of the riding equation. Once I had the same settings for the fork and shock as Ducati’s lead desert-racing rat, Jordan Graham, the DesertX was incredibly fun to experience. The combination of that motor, the dialed-back electronics, roomy ergos, and the dialed-in KYB suspension made for one heck of an afternoon on the Aspen snowfields that were, thankfully, devoid of snow. Slow, rocky ascents were easily tackled, likewise powering back up them. In a style befitting of the great Dakar Rally Lucky Strike Cagivas of the late ’80s and early ’90s, the subsidiary then Ducati owners Claudio and Gianfranco Castiglioni also owned, the DesertX is an excellent machine for a first-timer to produce. Yes, it is certainly expensive, and you’re paying a premium for the badge on the tank, but when it looks this good and goes this good, it’s hard to argue with the price tag. CN SPECIFICATIONS 2023 DUCATI DESERTX ($17,095) ENGINE Ducati Testastretta 11°, L-Twin cylinders VALVETRAIN Desmodromic valvetrain, 4 valves per cylinder DISPLACEMENT 937cc BORE X STROKE 94 x 67.5mm COMPRESSION RATIO 13.3:1 COOLING SYSTEM Liquid FUEL SYSTEM Bosch electronic fuel injection system, 53mm throttle bodies with ride-by-wire system EXHAUST 2-2-1 TRANSMISSION 6-speed ELECTRONICS Riding Modes (6), Power Modes (4), Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC), Engine Brake Control (EBC), Ducati Quick Shift up/down (DQS), Cruise Control, Full LED Lighting System, Daylight Position Lamp (DRL), Ducati Brake Light (DBL), USB Power Socket, 12V Socket, Self-Canceling Indicators CHASSIS Tubular steel trellis FRONT SUSPENSION KYB 46mm fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION KYB shock, fully-adjustable FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 9.06 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 8.66 in. FRONT BRAKE Dual M5 Monobloc, 4-piston, radially mounted caliper, 320mm disc, cornering ABS REAR BRAKE 2 piston, fixed caliper, 265mm disc, cornering ABS FRONT TIRE Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR 90/90 - 21 M/C 54V REAR TIRE Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR 150/70 R18 M/C 70V RAKE 27.6° TRAIL 4.8 in. WHEELBASE 63.3 in. SEAT HEIGHT 34.4 in. FUEL CAPACITY 5.54 gal. WEIGHT (CURB, CLAIMED) 492 lbs. COLOR Matte Star White Silk
ADVENTURE SADDLEBAGSPROOFGREATBASIN 68 Liters COYOTE 39 Liters MOJAVI 12 Liters Gear up for adventure at Giantloopmoto.com @offroadundergroundofficial@cudbyPhoto:
TRAVEL FEATURE I TOURING GREECE ON TWO WHEELS P86 WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY GREECE ADV MYTHICAL ROUTES AROUND GREECE LET’S
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY SIMON CUDBY GREECE ROUTES SHOWS US THE WAY ON TWO WHEELS LET’S RIDE
fter a long day of traveling, we finally exited Athens International Airport in the early evening with our friend and host Angelo Baltoyannis, the owner and co-founder of Mythical Routes, which organizes and operates adventure motorcycle tours in Greece. And he had an adventure waiting for me and riding buddy Randy Commans. The plan? To spend five days riding around Greece on KTM 690s. We’d start the ride in the mountainous Peloponnese area west of Athens and then travel by ferry to the Evia region in the east. Since we were new to the area, we relied on Angelo and his brother and Mythical Routes’ co-owner, Paris, to show us some great routes; after all, that’s their job. Our intro to Greek culture was immediate as Angelo poured us some Ouzo with our dinner as we discussed our route. We were now anxious more than ever to get going. But first, a good night’s sleep.
A
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Day 1: We met the following morning at Mythical Routes moto headquarters in the coastal town of Glyfada, where we mounted our Giant Loop bags onto our motorcycles. By lunchtime, we were finally on the road leaving Athens. Nothing had prepared us for the wall-to-wall traffic that greeted us right out of the gate, but that was soon behind us as we headed west and, none too soon, out of the city. The coastline roads we soon found ourselves on were amazing with the clear blue waters far below us. The first town we visited was the port of Corinth, home to the famous Corinth Canal. Perhaps you saw Robbie Maddison send it across the 70-foot gap in a Red
TRAVEL FEATURE I TOURING GREECE ON TWO WHEELS P90 and pushed on into the dark, navigating uphill switchbacks to the Kalavryta ski resort. Yes, they have skiing in Greece. After a late dinner and a few tasty local beers, it was off to bed after what was a long but unforgettable day in the saddle. Day 2: With fewer miles on today’s agenda, our plan was to spend time exploring the Kalavryta area. We quickly discovered that Greece has some fantastic ADV trails as we crossed the hilltops with spectacular snowcovered peaks in the distance. We saw a small white church on a remote hill that looked straight out of a movie set. Bull video from a few years ago. The gap seemed a lot wider to us, and we couldn’t imagine anyone jumping it! After a delicious lunch, we rode up and over Mount Kyllini with its twisty asphalt and some great off-road sections. As the hours passed, it was getting close to sunset, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. We layered up our Alpinestars gear
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Although we had seen a few ADV riders in town earlier that morning, we didn’t see another soul on the trails all day. After a lunch break in town, we climbed towards the actual ski area. Randy and I commented that these trails were as good as what we had ridden in Idaho or Colorado. We took some detours on the route and even found a little jump spot to shoot some photos of Paris and Randy getting some air.
Day 3: Day three’s plan was to ride over a few mountain passes on our way back to Athens to start the second part of our ride. We skipped breakfast to beat a local ADV club onto the trails. We experienced more beautiful views and great big-bike terrain. We came across a tiny village in the mountains for a late breakfast, then continued to another small ski resort area with even more breathtaking views. We had already decided that riding bikes in Greece
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TRAVEL FEATURE I TOURING GREECE ON TWO WHEELS P94 nets on the quay as we passed by on our KTMs. Heading south along the deserted beaches on a coastal road, we rode our way beside small bays and inlets that, again, had the most incredible clear azure blue water. We stopped for a sand-riding challenge at a long deserted beach, and most of us could do a few frantic runs up and down is one of ADV’s biggest secrets. As we returned to the outskirts of busy Athens, it was game on as we carved through the traffic and back to the Mythical Routes HQ. Day 4: Now for something completely different. We were on our bikes by 7 a.m. to catch the 8:30 a.m. ferry from Rafina to Marmari. We rode our bikes onto the ship and then took an hour’s break while watching the Aegean Sea pass by beneath us on the short crossing eastward over to the island of Evia. Arriving in Marmari was another movie-set moment, as the local fisherman prepared their
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VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P97 without too much trouble. We appreciated the 690’s power! The afternoon was a big con trast to the morning’s adventure, as we traversed rugged mountain roads to altitude before heading down to the town of Karystos. Day 5: We were again up early the following morning to catch the first ferry back across to Rafina. We went south along the coastline to our first more touristy spot of the trip, the Temple of Poseidon. I tried a few Poseidon Adventure jokes, but nobody took the bait. Angelo told us a few of the legend’s stories that came from this area, and I have to say, there was much drama in Greece back in the Afterday!another fantastic lunch (the food here is incredible), it was time to leave this historic area behind and make our way back to HQ in Glyfada. As I said before, we couldn’t believe just how good the riding was on our trip. The guys from Mythical Routes have perfectly prepared KTM and Husqvarna bikes, and we had zero technical problems the whole week. We will be Mythicalback.Routes offers several ADV touring packages, starting at approximately $3000, which include a tour guide, luggage support, bike rental, lodging, breakfast and dinner. On-road tours are also available, as are custom tours. You will find that Mythical Routes Tours is very accommodating. Check out Mythical Routes Tours here. CN
the grid
Jack Miller’s factory Ducati on sprouting
the “stegosaurus”newwings on the seat unit. WILD EVOLUTION
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By many measures, the first half of the 2022 MotoGP has been deeply impressive. Be it the surprise of the assailants (Aprilia and Aleix Espargaro), or its underachievers (Honda, where are you?), no one can posit the series has been easy to predict. Thirteen different podium finishers in the season’s first 11 races are testament to that. What’s more, this year’s championship has been faster than ever—and not just by the small matter of tenths or hundredths of a second. Lap records have been broken at six of the 10 tracks the series had visited before. Race records have also taken a beating. Seven of the outings witnessed so far were quicker than what MotoGP machines had done before.Andquicker by quite some margin. Factors such as temperature and track conditions must always be taken into account. But some of the numbers make for wild reading. Take the season opener in Qatar for instance. The race-winning time was 10.7
EVOLUTION DUE TO SEVERAL TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS, MOTOGP MACHINES ARE NOW ACCELERATING AND BRAKING LIKE NEVER BEFORE. BUT IS THAT AFFECTING THE SHOW? CYCLE NEWS LOOKS AT THE REASONS BEHIND A NEWFOUND DIFFICULTY TO OVERTAKE BY NEIL MORRISON I PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
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was the action, the fairing bashing or banging bars, the incidents that get trackside fans out of their seat? This is no simple coincidence. Let it be said that overtaking has not become extinct. There have been several enjoyable races this year, rich in scrapping and heroic overtakes, such as the Italian GP at Mugello. And there were occasions when riders have made epic comebacks. Alex Rins passed 13 riders on the first seconds faster than the previous year. Similar differences were seen in Argentina (7.4 seconds quicker than the previous race record), Jerez (-5 seconds) and Assen (-9.8 seconds). And that’s before we look at Austin (-18.3 seconds), and Le Mans, where the race record was cut by 19 seconds (accepting 2020 and 2021 were affected by rain). Yet speed doesn’t always translate to excitement. Anyone with even a passing interest in the sport will also have noted how these faster races have, at times, lacked the thing for which MotoGP has been best known in recent years: Overtaking. And lots of it. A number of races (Jerez, Barcelona, Germany) have been light on this aspect. But the French GP was where the spectacle was at its most concerning. There, five bikes circulated for much of the race within 2.7 seconds. But where lap of the Portuguese GP. Marc Marquez rallied to sixth in Austin despite exiting the first turn last. And, most recently, Aleix Espargaro never performed better than at Assen, where he recovered from 15th to fourth. But in those instances, each rider had the speed to run in first or second position, only to either qualify badly or endure early misfortune. The difference in speed to those riders they were passing was pronounced. It’s when margins are finer, and there is no great difference in race pace, it has become more difficult to get by the machine ahead than before. And unsurprisingly, this is intricately linked to the increased capabilities of MotoGP machinery and the development direction the class has taken.
There are a whole host of factors at play. But firstly, it’s worth stat ing that MotoGP has never been as competitive from a mechanical point of view. Currently, there is little to choose between the bikes made by Ducati, Aprilia, Yamaha and Suzuki. Even Honda and KTM have scored podiums this year. And satellite bikes in teams that were once the whipping boys in years gone by can fight for podiums on their day—see Enea Bastianini’s three race wins on a year-old satellite Ducati. As
New Zealander Paul Trevathan (right), crew chief to Red Bull KTM’s Miguel Oliveira (left), says the tech game has moved on enormously since 2020.
What’s Changed?
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As Paul Trevathan, crew chief to Red Bull KTM’s Miguel Oliveira, states, “If you look at the show, it’s a frustrating thing to see the guys not being able to pass like they can. We’ve made this vicious circle, but we’ve done it to ourselves. The rules are there, and we’ve taken them to the maximum.”
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Trevathan opined, “The class is so stacked. There is not a bad rider out there. And I absolutely believe there isn’t a bad motor cycleMichelin’sanymore.”new rear-tire profile, introduced for 2020, has largely allowed riders to go flat out from lap one to the flag. Yet more pertinent is the advanced aero packages run by most of the current six factories. As is the fact every bike on the grid now runs a “ride-height device,” debuted by Ducati toward the end of 2019 and an instrument which lowers the rear of the machine at the mid-to-corner exit phase. Both are partly aimed at reducing wheelying. By keeping the front wheel planted, the load (and, therefore, stress) on the front tire increases. In particular, the ride height devices have changed braking markers and intensity. As the Brembo says it’s getting close the absolute limit of performancebrakingwithregardstothehumanbodyduetotherideheightdevices. “So, if everyone is on the absolute limit in braking zones on similarly matched machines, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make the difference.”
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So, if everyone is on the absolute limit in braking zones on similarly matched machines, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make the difference. In May, Andrea Dovizioso explained, “When you are braking, everybody is locking the front. Everybody. If you are already on the limit because you are locking the front, this means you are not able to brake even two meters later.”
Nakagami’sthethathadmanufacturerMotoGPhasindevelopinganewfronttirewillworkwithaeronowfittedtoMotoGPbikes.(Left)“Dirtyair”fromthebikesinfrontwastoblameforTakaakiskittle-jobinCatalunyathatsentAlexRinsandFrancescoBagnaiaflying. ing the braking performance. In particular, we’ve seen the introduction of the ride height device that helps the rider to brake later and“Inharder.thepast, the difference in braking performance from year to year was small—one, two or three percent. But in the last years we’ve seen braking performance increase by more than 10 percent year by year, thanks to aerodynamics and so on.
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P103 device lowers the bike’s center of gravity, the machine pitches differently into corners than before. Riders can thus brake harder, and later, again adding stress to the front tire. Brembo, brake suppliers for every MotoGP manufacturer, have noted the increased demands on their carbon discs.
“The motorbikes are evolving very fast and not only in the engine or the standard parts, like the chassis, but also in aerodynamics,” said Andrea Bergami, a Brembo race engineer. “That has a big influence on increas(Top right) Michelin arguably has the biggest job any
“The ride height device low ers the center of gravity, so the rider is able to brake later and harder because the pitch limit of the motorbike has increased. One of the main limits of the ‘old’ bikes was the pitch limit—the center was stable. You had the problem that over a certain pres sure it was impossible to brake because the bike pitched. Now the pitch level is higher. If you put the center closer to the ground, you can increase the braking pressure and brake later. Now the riders are always on the limit during the braking.”
The advanced aerodynamics and ride height devices aim to reduce wheelie and put more load on the front tire. Add in the dramatically increased braking forces entering turns, and it’s easy to understand how the so they brake harder, and this generates heat which can go on the tire. The consequence is the pressure rises. You overheat the tire and lose feeling and grip.”
“The influence (of aero and ride height devices) on front tires is massive,” explained Trevathan. “From 2020 to now, it’s gone completely crazy. In the past, we [KTM] were maybe the masters of being able to use the hardest front tire. Now we go to races and even Yamahas and Suzukis have to use the hardest compound. Now [almost everyone] sits between the medium and hard front tire. And many times, the hard isn’t hard enough!”
The situation is manageable when a rider is alone on track as air helps to cool the rubber down. It’s also not such an issue in cooler temperatures, or at tracks, like Mugello, where the heavy braking zones are at a minimum. But when stuck in another rider’s slipstream, on a hot track, “for one lap, half a Miller’s factory Ducati with the “holeshot device” dials in the center of the top triple-clamp.
Piero Taramasso, Manager of Michelin’s two-wheel operation, noted, “They put more wings, more aerodynamics so more load on the front. The ride height device. Also, the brakes. Now they have bigger brake discs, the acceleration which creates this problem. All the evolution is going to the limit for a human.” The same can be said of MotoGP machines exiting corners. Now tooled up with sophisticated ride height devices, which keep the front wheel planted with the throttle wide open, the emphasis of factory engineers has shifted to prioritizing performance on the acceleration phase over outright top speed. up. Even Ducati isn’t hunting for the top speed records anymore.”
So much so, Brembo, the Italian company, feels we are reaching the physical limits of riders stopping with forces up to 2g in heavy braking zones. “After the races, some people ask why some riders feel pain or have arm-pump problems during the race when last year the rider didn’t have problems,” Bergami explained. “It’s not only the braking. It’s a mix of the braking and As KTM’s Trevathan explains, “Now we measure how long it takes to go down a straight—it’s not about the top speed anymore. It’s using the acceleration phase. Before you maybe had amazing top speed but lost in acceleration. But at the end of the straight you could catch up. But those days are gone. Now the acceleration phase is so strong, that’s where you make your time temperature of the Michelin’s front tire increases, which in turn causes the pressure to rocket. This is not something that has passed by the French tire firm.
How Does This Affect The Show?
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lap, even,” according to Jack Miller, the situation can become a nightmare to manage. “The front tire is the holy grail of the motorcycle world,” said Trevathan. “If a rider doesn’t have that feedback from the front, he doesn’t know where to bit earlier. Then if the pressure goes very high, you start to close the front in the middle of the corner, in the fast corners especially. It’s then difficult to have the feeling to try to over take the rider in front of you because you start to think that you disrupts the air behind, creating a wake, which unsettles the bike (this caused Rins’ crash in France and Takaaki Nakagami’s in Barcelona). Second, the aero package alters the bike’s natu ral streamlined outline, greatly impacting top speed. push or how hard he can push.” So, when the tire overheats, the pressure can get out of control. “If the pressure rises more, it starts doing more front locking in braking, so it’s difficult to stop the bike,” said the erudite Luca Marini. “You have to brake a little can crash if you exaggerate.”
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In the past, an overheating front tire could be cured by simply pulling out of the slipstream, giving the rubber fresh air to cool it. But that is currently problem atic for two reasons: First, a MotoGP machine’s aero package
As Trevathan explained, “In 2020 you’d just tell the rider to pull out of the slipstream to cool the tire down. You’d do that on a few straights, and it was fine. But now if you do that, you get the wake and the whole bike starts shaking. And you lose so
Time was when you could get in a draft, pull out and pass cleanly. Now you have to stay in the draft for the longest possible time until the rider in front gets on the brakes, then jump out of the draft to make the pass.
Dovizioso concurred. “The winglets give you downforce. [But] If you have the slipstream, the downforce is the opposite way. This means you are not able to brake even where you brake alone, you have to brake early.” With all these factors at play, it’s easy to envision why simply braking later than the rider ahead isn’t as straightforward as it once was. Miller again. The factory Ducati is slammed front to back with both ride height devices fully engaged.
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much advantage now because you have this extra downforce and extra drag. So [without slipstream] you lose top speed like you don’t believe. To even think about competing and attacking a guy in a corner, you have to tuck in behind him as much as possible. As soon as he brakes, you pull out. If you pull out before, you’re in the wake and it’s a horribleAnotherexperience.”impact of the aero packages: the downforce is dependent on whether you have clear air hitting the front of the bike, rather than being stuck in a slipstream. Marc Marquez noted how, “When you’re alone you use your aerodynamics to turn, you don’t push a lot the front tire. When you are behind somebody then you don’t have the downforce and then you push more the steering, pushing more the tire and then the temperature is going up. It becomes more critical every year.”
That was the opinion of Trevathan on the job at hand for the French tire firm. And as he intimated, this is not a change that can be conjured up over night. But Michelin does have plans to introduce a new front tire, with a rede signed profile, construction and com pound for the 2025 season. “We’ve started working on a new front tire,” revealed Michelin’s Taram asso. “The prototype will be ready at the beginning of next season. We will test it in 2023 and 2024 to introduce it in the it takes just five tests. But you need much more time for a front tire. This is what gives you the“Differentfeeling. riders have different needs. We’ll need a lot of tests in different tracks and condition—the cold at Le Mans and the heat at Sepang, fast tracks like Mugello and slow ones like Valencia. Validating a front tire is prob ably the most difficult thing for us. It’s a new concept of front tire, quite different “The front tire is the holy grail of the motorcycle world.” KTM used to be the masters of the hard front tire. Now they claim, due to the aero, the hardest front-tire compound isn’t hard enough in most cases. 2025 season. The front tire is designed to support better this effort, this stress. It will work with lower tire pressure. We’ll also increase the contact patch when you go into the braking zone.” But even the Italian acknowledges the job at hand. “Asking a manufacturer to test a new tire, they feel they’re losing time. Also, with Covid, it was not easy to find a time and a place to test. I think it’ll be better next year. Now the big difficulty will be to validate the front. For a rear tire, compared to this one. We’ll change the construction and profile. It’ll take a while to understand the tire. Riders will have to adapt their style; the manufacturers will have to adapt their bikes. It’s a big challenge but I’m sure we’ll do it.”
“We need a new front tire. This is absolutely sure. But how the hell is Michelin meant to do that with the test days we have, with guaranteeing it works in different temperatures, different conditions, every asphalt is different, every bike is different? You’re talking about a bringing a new profile. You also have to bring new compounds. It’s a massive task.”
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TheWhat’sSolution?
Prior to that, there is a chance to reduce aero or ride height devices. But series organizer Dorna knows it won’t be able to do that without a fight with the factories, notably Ducati, currently propping up the championship. CN
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VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P111 FASTHOUSE + HOT WHEELS COLLECTION $70 Jersey, $165 Pants II www.fasthouse.com Fasthouse and Hot Wheels have collaborated on a new gearset design. The Hot Wheels graphic is on Fasthouse’s hot-weather Grindhouse jersey and pants. The traditional-fit jersey has mesh on the sides, and the pants have full-grain leather inner-knee panels and perforated poly front panels. The matching gloves ($36) have touchscreen fingertips and durable Clarino palms. TRILOBITE FRESCO SLIM-FIT PANTS $229.99 II www.motonation.com The Trilobite Fresco slim-fit pants, now available from Motonation, are aimed at commuters and urban riders. The riding jeans have an abrasion-resistant inner layer— made from Kevlar, Lycra fibers and Coolmax fibers—wrapped in an outer layer of a modern-looking denim jean. The five-pocket jeans have a raised waistband at the rear for better coverage while in the riding position. The knee-protector pockets can be accessed from the outside, and there’s a hidden back pocket for carrying a smartphone.
P112STUFF REV’IT! APEX GLOVES $319.99 II www.revitsport.com The Apex gloves from Rev’It! have strategically placed stretch panels and molded knuckles for ease of movement. These long-gauntlet cowhide gloves have TPU protection throughout, and the vented gloves include a grip patch at the palm and pre-curved fingers. The double-cuff closures secure the gloves on with hook-and-loop material, and outside stitching along with soft polyester-tricot liners add to their comfort. TWIN POWER H-D ONE-PIECE FLOATING ROTORS $184.95 II https://twinpower-usa.com Tucker Powersport’s Twin Power brand has a line of one-piece floating brake rotors, which offer a traditional look while delivering the maximum rotor-to-pad-contact benefit of a floating-rotor brake setup. The rotors are constructed with a proprietary, stainless-steel friction surface that is precision, doubledisc ground and heat treated. The edges are laser cut, rather than stamped, and special mounting hardware is included to allow the rotors to “float.” Fitments are available for most 2014-and-later Harley-Davidson FLT models with five-bolt mounts.
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P113 SIDI PERFORMER MID BOOTS $229.99 II www.motonation.com The Sidi Performer Mid boots—available from Motonation—are a shorter version of Sidi’s full-sized track boots. The boots have dualcompound soles and Technomicro chassis with pleated panels to make them more comfortable, on or off the bike. The boots are reinforced in all the impact areas with hard armor, and there are quick-drying Cambrelle liners inside. FLY RACING 2023 FORMULA HELMET $699.95 II www.formula.flyracing.com Fly Racing has released its 2023 colorways for its Formula off-road helmets, pictured here in the gold/black Tracer graphic. The Formula helmet includes the latest in impactmanagement and energy-mitigating helmet technology. The removable interior liner of the vented helmet is made from moisture-wicking and anti-microbial materials. The chinbar is reinforced with energyabsorbing EPP, and the opening is padded with both EPS and EPP to reduce the chance of injury to the clavicle bone.
CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR P114 PROMOTOCROSS/SUPERCROSSMOTOCROSS 9/3 (Rnd 12) Pala, CA MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS 9/24-25 Buchanan, MI FIM MXGP 9/4 (Rnd 18) Afyonkarahisar, Turkey 2022-23 AMA ARENACROSS 11/18-19 (Rnd 1) Albany, GA 11/26-27 (Rnd 2) Albany, NY 1/7-8 (Rnd 3) Loveland, CO 1/14-15 (Rnd 4) Prescott, AZ 1/21-22 (Rnd 5) Guthrie, OK 1/28-29 (Rnd 6) Wichita, KS 2/4-5 (Rnd 7) Reno, NV 2/11-12 (Rnd 8) Denver, CO 2/25-26 (Rnd 9) Hobbs, NM 3/4-5 (Rnd 10) Amarillo, TX 3/11-12 (Rnd 11) Tulsa, OK 3/18-19 (Rnd 12) Salem, VA 3/25-26 (Rnd 13) Little Rock, AR 4/1-2 (Rnd 14) Lexington, KY 2022 FIM WORLD SUPERCROSS 10/8 (Rnd 1) Cardiff, England 10/21-22 (Rnd 2) Melbourne, Australia TBA (Rnd 3) TBA ROAD MOTOGPRACING 9/4 (Rnd 14) Misano, San Marino 9/18 (Rnd 15) Aragon, Spain 9/25 (Rnd 16) Motegi, Japan 10/2 (Rnd 17) Buriram, Thailand 10/16 (Rnd 18) Phillip Island, Australia 10/23 (Rnd 19) Sepang, Malaysia 11/6 (Rnd 20) Valencia, Spain 2023 MOTOGP 3/26 (Rnd 1) Portimao, Portugal WORLD SUPERBIKE 9/9-11 (Rnd 7) Magny-Cours, France 9/23-25 (Rnd 8) Barcelona-Catalunya 10/7-9 (Rnd 9) Algarve, Portugal 10/21-23 (Rnd 10) San Juan, Argentina 11/11-13 (Rnd 11) Mandalika, Indonesia 11/18-20 (Rnd 12) Phillip Island, Australia MOTOAMERICA 9/9-11 (Rnd 9) Millville, NJ 9/23-25 (Rnd 10) Birmingham, AL 2023 ISLE OF MAN TT 6/3-10 Douglas, Isle of Man BRITISH SUPERBIKE 9/9-11 (Rnd 8) Snetterton 9/23-25 (Rnd 9) Oulton Park 9/30-10/2 (Rnd 10) Donington 10/14-16 (Rnd 11) Brands Hatch FIM WORLD ENDURANCE 9/17-18 Bol d’Or AMA SUPERMOTO 11/4-6 (Rnd 5) Tucson, AZ FIM SUPERMOTO 9/25 (Rnd 5) Lombardia, Italy 10/16 (Rnd 6) Carole, France FLAT AMERICANTRACK/SPEEDWAYFLATTRACK 9/3 (Rnd 14) Springfield, IL 9/4 (Rnd 15) Springfield, IL 9/24 (Rnd 16) New Richmond, WI 10/15 (Rnd 17) Barberville, FL FIM WORLD SPEEDWAY 9/10 (Rnd 8) Vojens, Denmark 9/17 (Rnd 9) Malilla, Sweden 10/1 (Rnd 10) Torun, Poland OFF ROAD 2022 AMA ENDUROCROSS 9/24 (Rnd 1) Redmond, OR 10/1 (Rnd 2) Denver, CO 10/15 (Rnd 3) Salt Lake City, UT 10/22 (Rnd 4) Prescott Valley, AZ 11/5 (Rnd 5) Boise, ID 11/19 (Rnd 6) Reno, NV GNCC 9/10-11 (Rnd 10) Beckley, WV 9/24-25 (Rnd 11) Millfield, OH 10/8-9 (Rnd 12) Newburg, WV 10/22-23 (Rnd 13) Crawfordsville, IN WORCS 9/16-18 (Rnds 7-8) Preston, ID 10/14-16 (Rnd 9) Mesquite, NV 11/4-6 (Rnd 10) Primm, NV 2023 WORCS 1/20-22 (Rnd 1) Primm, NV 2/17-19 (Rnd 2) Delano, CA 3/10-12 (Rnd 3) Lake Havasu City, AZ 4/7-9 (Rnd 4) Blythe, CA 4/28-30 (Rnds 5-6) Las Vegas, NV 5/26-28 (Rnd 7) Cedar City, UT 9/15-17 (Rnd 8) Vernal, UT 10/13-15 (Rnd 9) Mesquite, NV 11/10-12 (Rnd 10) Lake Havasu City, AZ AMA NATIONAL ENDURO 9/18 (Rnd 7) Marquette, MI 10/2 (Rnd 8) Matthews, IN 10/16 (Rnd 9) Sand Springs, OK 11/6 (Rnd 10) Stanton, AL
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P115 11/12 (Rnd 3) Gamaliel, KY 12/3 (Rnd 4) McEwen, TN 12/17 (Rnd 5) Cadiz, KY 1/7 (Rnd 6) Tompkinsville, KY 1/21 (Rnd 7) Greensburg, KY 2/4 (Rnd 8) Cave City, KY 2/25 (Rnd 9) Hurricane Mills, TN 3/18 (Rnd 10) Crawford, TN BEST IN THE DESERT 10/20-23 (Rnd 6) Laughlin Desert Classic 11/4-6 (Rnd 7) World Hare & Hound 2023 BEST IN THE DESERT 1/4-9 (Rnd 1) Parker 250 2/17-20 (Rnd 2) UTV Legends C’ship 4/20-22 (Rnd 3) Silver State 300 5/18-20 (Rnd 4) TBA 8/16-20 (Rnd 5) Vegas-to-Reno 10/12-15 (Rnd 6) Laughlin Desert Classic 11/9-11 (Rnd 7) World Hare & Hound 2023 SCORE WORLD DESERT C’SHIP 3/29-4/2 (Rnd 1) San Felipe 250 5/31-6/4 (Rnd 2) Baja 500 9/12-17 (Rnd 3) Baja 400 11/13-18 (Rnd 4) Baja 1000 SCORE WORLD DESERT C’SHIP 9/13-18 (Rnd 3) Baja 400 11/15-20 (Rnd 4) Baja 1000 FIM WORLD TRIALS 9/16-18 (Rnd 5) Ponte di Legno, Italy FIM X-TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIPWORLD 10/8 (Rnd 5) Andorra la Vella 11/5 (Rnd 6) TBA, France FIM TRIALGP 9/16-18 (Rnd 6) Ponte di Legno, Italy FIM TRIALS DES NATIONS 9/24-25 Monza, Italy AMA PRO HILLCLIMB 9/17 (Rnd 4) Jefferson, PA 9/25 (Rnd 5) Freemansburg, PA 10/9 (Rnd 6) Oregonia, OH NAHA PRO HILLCLIMB 9/16-18 (Rnds 6-7) New Plymouth, ID FIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPRALLY-RAID 10/1-6 (Rnd 3) Rallye du Maroc 10/18-23 (Rnd 4) Andalucia Rally 2023 FIM RALLY-RAIDWORLDC’SHIP 12/31-1/15 Dakar Rally DRAG RACING NHRA PRO MOTORCYCLESTOCK 8/31-9/5 (Rnd 10) Indianapolis, IN NHRA COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP 9/15-18 (Rnd 11) Reading, PA 9/30-10/2 (Rnd 12) St. Louis, MO 10/13-16 (Rnd 13) Dallas, TX 10/27-30 (Rnd 14) Las Vegas, NV 11/10-13 (Rnd 15) Pomona, CA NHRA TOP FUEL HARLEY SERIES 8/31-9/5 (Rnd 5) Indianapolis, IN 10/13-16 (Rnd 6) Dallas, TX 2023 NHRA PRO STOCK MC 3/9-12 (Rnd 1) Gainesville, FL AMA NATIONAL HARE & HOUND 9/10 (Rnd 6) Panaca, NV 10/8-9 (Rnd 7) Lovelock, NV 10/22-23 (Rnd 8) Lucerne Valley, CA AMA WEST HARE SCRAMBLES 10/15-16 (Rnd 6) Boise, ID 11/5-6 (Rnd 7) Toutle, WA 11/19-20 (Rnd 8) Wilseyville, CA AMA EAST HARE SCRAMBLES 9/18 (Rnd 7) Harpursville, NY FIM HARD ENDURO 10/7-9 (Rnd 8) Hixpania, Spain FIM WORLD ENDURO 10/14-16 (Rnd 7) Zschopau, Germany FIM ISDE 8/29-9/3 Puy en Velay, France NGPC 10/1-2 (Rnd 8) Ridgecrest, CA 10/29-30 (Rnd 9) Blythe, CA 11/12-13 (Rnd 10) Lake Havasu City, AZ 2023 NGPC 1/14-15 (Rnd 1) Delano, CA 2/4-5 (Rnd 2) Taft, CA 3/4-5 (Rnd 3) Glen Helen, CA 4/1-2 (Rnd 4) Twentynine Palms, CA 4/29-30 (Rnd 5) Primm, NV 5/20-21 (Rnd 6) Delta, UT 8/19-20 (Rnd 7) Preston, ID 9/30-10/1 (Rnd 8) Ridgecrest, CA 10/28-29 (Rnd 9) Blythe, CA 11/11-12 (Rnd 10) Lake Havasu City, AZ 2022-23 MID-SOUTH CROSS COUNTRY 10/8 (Rnd 1) Graham, KY 10/29 (Rnd 2) Lewisport, KY
P116CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD ROAD MOTOGPRACING 1. Fabio Quartararo (200/3 wins) 2. Aleix Espargaro (168/1 win) 3. Francesco Bagnaia (156/5 wins) 4. Johann Zarco (125) 5. Jack Miller (123) 6. Enea Bastianini (118/3 wins) 7. Brad Binder (107) 8. Alex Rins (92) 9. Jorge Martin (87) 10. Miguel Oliveira (85/1 win) MOTO2 1. Ai Ogura (183/2 wins) 2. Augusto Fernandez (182/4 wins) 3. Celestino Vietti (156/3 wins) 4. Aron Canet (137) 5. Joe Roberts (108/1 win) 6. Tony Arbolino (108/1 win) 7. Jake Dixon (108) 8. Marcel Schrotter (96) 9. Somkiat Chantra (92/1 win) 10. Pedro Acosta (88/1 win) MOTO3 1. Sergio Garcia (193/3 wins) 2. Izan Guevara (188/3 wins) 3. Dennis Foggia (144/2 wins) 4. Ayumu Sasaki (138/2 wins) 5. Jaume Masia (127/2 wins) 6. Deniz Oncu (127) 7. Tatsuki Suzuki (114) 8. Andrea Migno (84/1 win) 9. Carlos Tatay (70) 10. Xavier Artigas (64) WORLD SUPERBIKE 1. Alvaro Bautista (298/7 wins) 2. Jonathan Rea (267/5 wins) 3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (260/6 wins) 4. Andrea Locatelli (148) 5. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (134) 6. Iker Lecuona (127) 7. Axel Bassani (115) 8. Alex Lowes (113) 9. Scott Redding (110) 10. Xavi Vierge (79) WORLD SUPERSPORT 1. Dominique Aegerter (245/9 wins) 2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (231/3 wins) 3. Nicolo Bulega (147) 4. Can Oncu (112) 5. Stefano Manzi (108) 6. Glenn Van Straalen (75) 7. Yari Montella (75) 8. Federico Caricasulo (67) 9. Adrian Huertas (67) 10. Hannes Soomer (60) MOTOAMERICA SUPERBIKE 1. Jake Gagne (290/10 wins) 2. Danilo Petrucci (289/4 wins) 3. Cameron Peterson (241/1 win) 4. Mathew Scholtz (219/1 win) 5. Hector Barbera (150) 6. PJ Jacobsen (130) 7. Richie Escalante (114) 8. Jake Lewis (109) 9. Ashton Yates (101) 10. Hayden Gillim (96) MOTOAMERICA SUPERSPORT 1. Josh Herrin (309/8 wins) 2. Rocco Landers (233/3 wins) 3. Tyler Scott (192/1 win) 4. Benjamin Smith (123) 5. Kevin Olmedo (114) 6. Luke Power (113) 7. Josh Hayes (98/1 win) 8. Jaret Nassaney (93) 9. Samuel Lochoff (83) 10. Carl Soltisz (76) MOTOAMERICA JUNIOR CUP 1. Cody Wyman (248/6 wins) 2. Gus Rodio (199/1 win) 3. Joseph LiMandri Jr (196/2 wins) 4. Kayla Yaakov (196/2 wins) 5. Max VanDenBrouck (168/3 wins) 6. Aden Thao (132) 7. Avery Dreher (103) 8. Chase Black (92) 9. Owen Williams (92) 10. Hayden Bicknese (84) FLAT SUPERTWINSAMERICANTRACK/SPEEDWAYFLATTRACK 1. Jared Mees (229/3 wins) 2. Briar Bauman (220/3 wins) 3. Dallas Daniels (213/2 wins) 4. JD Beach (200/3 wins) 5. Brandon Robinson (166/1 win) 6. Jarod Vanderkooi (161) 7. Bronson Bauman (140) 8. Davis Fisher (137) 9. Jesse Janisch (123) 10. Robert Pearson (65) AMERICAN FLAT TRACK SINGLES 1. Kody Kopp (257/6 wins) 2. Morgen Mischler (209/2 wins) 3. Trevor Brunner (204/2 wins) 4. Dalton Gauthier (198/2 wins) 5. Max Whale (193/1 win) 6. Trent Lowe (168) 7. Chase Satthoff (147) 8. James Ott (100) 9. Aidan RoosEvans (90) 10. Hunter Bauer (83) FIMTRIALSTRIALGP 1. Toni Bou (154/6 wins) 2. Jaime Busto (118/1 win) 3. Adam Raga (101/1 win) 4. Jeroni Fajardo (94) 5. Matteo Grattarola (89) 6. Gabriel Marcelli (85) 7. Miquel Gelabert (83) 8. Jorge Casales (72) 9. Aniol Gelabert (62) 10. Benoit Bincaz (57) AMASUPERCROSS/MOTOCROSSSUPERCROSS 1. Eli Tomac (359/7 wins) 2. Jason Anderson (350/7 wins) 3. Malcolm Stewart (314) 4. Marvin Musquin (305/1 win) 5. Justin Barcia (302) 6. Chase Sexton (292/1 win) 7. Cooper Webb (278) 8. Brandon Hartranft (178) 9. Justin Brayton (176) 10. Dean Wilson (152) 250 WEST SUPERCROSS 1. Christian Craig (230/4 wins) 2. Hunter Lawrence (220/4 wins) 3. Michael Mosiman (197/1 win) 4. Jo Shimoda (162) 5. Nate Thrasher (152/1 win) 6. Vince Friese (150) 7. Chris Blose (120) 8. Garrett Marchbanks (117) 9. Robbie Wageman (109) 10. Jalek Swoll (106) 250 EAST SUPERCROSS 1. Jett Lawrence (192/4 wins) 2. RJ Hampshire (158/1 win) 3. Pierce Brown (149)
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P117 4. Mitchell Oldenburg (132) 5. Enzo Lopes (117) 6. Jordon Smith (116) 7. Cameron McAdoo (114/1 win) 8. Jace Owen (101) 9. Austin Forkner (98/1 win) 10. Derek Drake (88) AMA 450 MOTOCROSS 1. Eli Tomac (496/4 wins) 2. Chase Sexton (495/4 wins) 3. Jason Anderson (402/2 wins) 4. Ken Roczen (373/1 win) 5. Christian Craig (335) 6. Ryan Dungey (332) 7. Aaron Plessinger (294) 8. Justin Barcia (272) 9. Joey Savatgy (218) 10. Shane McElrath (197) AMA 250 MOTOCROSS 1. Jett Lawrence (478/8 wins) 2. Jo Shimoda (437/2 wins) 3. Hunter Lawrence (432) 4. Justin Cooper (377) 5. RJ Hampshire (314/1 win) 6. Max Vohland (279) 7. Nate Thrasher (231) 8. Seth Hammaker (227) 9. Michael Mosiman (208) 10. Levi Kitchen (193) MXGP WORLD MOTOCROSS 1. Tim Gajser (721/9 wins) 2. Jeremy Seewer (615/3 wins) 3. Jorge Prado (557/1 win) 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (553/1 win) 5. Maxime Renaux (540/1 win) 6. Brian Bogers (406/1 win) 7. Ruben Fernandez (380) 8. Calvin Vlaanderen (379) 9. Pauls Jonass (350) 10. Mitchell Evans (296) MX2 WORLD MOTOCROSS 1. Jago Geerts (710/6 wins) 2. Tom Vialle (708/8 wins) 3. Simon Langenfelder (564/1 win) 4. Kevin Horgmo (503) 5. Thibault Benistant (481/1 win) 6. Mikkel Haarup (435) 7. Kay de Wolf (410) 8. Andrea Adamo (410) 9. Stephen Rubini (373) 10. Liam Everts (286) AMA ARENACROSS 1. Kyle Peters (517/9 wins) 2. Kyle Bitterman (295) 3. Wristin Grigg (265) 4. Nate Mason (239) 5. Cullin Park (234) 6. Brendan Sipple (230) 7. Lance Kobusch (203/1 win) 8. Heath Harrison (187) 9. Collin Hinrichs (184) 10. Luke Dickey (167) OFF NATIONALROADENDURO 1. Grant Baylor (141/2 wins) 2. Ryder Lafferty (134/1 win) 3. Steward Baylor Jr. (119/2 wins) 4. Josh Toth (112) 5. Craig DeLong (108) 6. Evan Smith (68) 7. Trevor Bollinger (65) 8. Ricky Russell (62) 9. Brody Johnson (60) 10. Benjamin Nelko (58) GNCC OVERALL 1. Jordan Ashburn (187/1 win) 2. Benjamin Kelley (180/6 wins) 3. Trevor Bollinger (148) 4. Craig DeLong (141) 5. Grant Baylor (109) 6. Lyndon Snodgrass (108) 7. Ricky Russell (105/1 win) 8. Josh Toth (101) 9. Ryder Lafferty (90) 10. Josh Strang (84/1 win) GNCC XC2 250 PRO 1. Lyndon Snodgrass (198/2 wins) 2. Ryder Lafferty (175/2 wins) 3. Michael Witkowski (167/3 wins) 4. Ruy Barbosa (153) 5. Cody Barnes (143/1 win) 6. Angus Riordan (132) 7. Benjamin Herrera (128) 8. Jonathan Johnson (106) 9. Liam Draper (106) 10. Evan Smith (97) NATIONAL HARE & HOUND 1. Dalton Shirey (121/1 win) 2. Joe Wasson (101/1 win) 3. Taylor Robert (90/3 wins) 4. Carter Klein (75) 5. Preston Campbell (71) 6. Corbin McPherson (64) 7. Zane Roberts (63) 8. Clayton Roberts (55) 9. Jacob Argubright (49) 10. Brody Honea (45) NGPC SERIES 1. Dante Oliveira (180/4 wins) 2. Cole Martinez (163/2 wins) 3. Austin Walton (143) 4. Tyler Lynn (109) 5. Dare Demartile (103) 6. Dalton Shirey (100) 7. Justin Hoeft (80) 8. Trevor Stewart (78) 9. Giacomo Redondi (73) 10. Austin Serpa (60) WORCS 1. Dante Oliveira (143/5 wins) 2. Tyler Lynn (113) 3. Austin Walton (106) 4. Cole Martinez (102) 5. Dare Demartile (102) 6. Trevor Stewart (77/1 win) 7. Cole Zeller (66) 8. Justin Hoeft (45) 9. Giacomo Redondi (44) 10. Matt Maple (42) FIM SUPERENDURO 1. Billy Bolt (186/3 wins) 2. Jonny Walker (136) 3. Taddy Blazusiak (128) 4. Colton Haaker (128) 5. Diogo Vieira (86) 6. Cody Webb (85) 7. Tim Apolle (69) 8. William Hoare (56) 9. Manny Lettenbichler (48) 10. Diego Herrera (48) DRAG RACING NHRA PRO STOCK MC 1. Joey Gladstone (724/2 wins) 2. Angelle Sampey (660/1 win) 3. Eddie Krawiec (628) 4. Steve Johnson (621/2 wins) 5. Matt Smith (615/2 wins) 6. Angie Smith (577) 7. Jerry Savoie (541/1 win) 8. Karen Stoffer (534/1 win) 9. Marc Ingwersen (378) 10. Ryan Oehler (298)
CN III RACING ON THE TUBE RACE CHANNEL EASTERN CENTRAL MOUNTAIN PACIFIC 2021 FIM ENDUROGP OF ESTONIA MAVTV 8/30 6:00 AM 8/30 5:00 AM 8/30 4:00 AM 8/30 3:00 AM 2021 FIM ENDUROGP OF SWEDEN MAVTV 8/30 6:30 AM 8/30 5:30 AM 8/30 4:30 AM 8/30 3:30 AM 2021 AMA ARENACROSS: TAMPA 2 MAVTV 8/30 4:00 PM 8/30 3:00 PM 8/30 2:00 PM 8/30 1:00 PM MOTOAMERICA JR CUP: BRAINERD MAVTV 8/30 5:00 PM 8/30 4:00 PM 8/30 3:00 PM 8/30 2:00 PM MOTOAMERICA REWIND: PITTS FS2 8/30 7:00 PM 8/30 6:00 PM 8/30 5:00 PM 8/30 4:00 PM 2022 PRO MX: IRONMAN 1ST MOTOS MAVTV 8/30 8:00 PM 8/30 7:00 PM 8/30 6:00 PM 8/30 5:00 PM 2022 PRO MX: IRONMAN 2ND MOTOS MAVTV 8/30 10:00 PM 8/30 9:00 PM 8/30 8:00 PM 8/30 7:00 PM 2021 AMA ARENACROSS: TAMPA 2 MAVTV 8/31 1:00 AM 8/31 12:00 AM 8/30 11:00 PM 8/30 10:00 PM 2021 FIM MXGP OF ITALY MAVTV 8/31 4:00 AM 8/31 3:00 AM 8/31 2:00 AM 8/31 1:00 AM MOTOAMERICA JR. CUP: BRAINERD MAVTV 9/1 4:00 PM 9/1 3:00 PM 9/1 2:00 PM 9/1 1:00 PM FIM MX OF TURKEY STUDIO LIVE MXGP-TV 9/3 4:00 AM 9/3 3:00 AM 9/3 2:00 AM 9/3 1:00 AM FIM MX2 OF TURKEY Q’FYING LIVE MXGP-TV 9/3 9:15 AM 9/3 8:15 AM 9/3 7:15 AM 9/3 6:15 AM FIM MXGP OF TURKEY Q’FYING LIVE MXGP-TV 9/3 10:00 AM 9/3 9:00 AM 9/3 8:00 AM 9/3 7:00 AM 2022 AFT CASTLE ROCK TT FS2 9/3 10:30 AM 9/3 9:30 AM 9/3 8:30 AM 9/3 7:30 AM 2022 AFT SACRAMENTO MILE FS2 9/3 11:30 AM 9/3 10:30 AM 9/3 9:30 AM 9/3 8:30 AM PRO MX: PALA II Q’FYING LIVE FLORACING 9/3 1:00 PM 9/3 12:00 PM 9/3 11:00 AM 9/3 10:00 AM PRO MX: PALA II Q’FYING LIVE MAVTV 9/3 1:00 PM 9/3 12:00 PM 9/3 11:00 AM 9/3 10:00 AM AFT SPRINGFIELD MILE I LIVE FANSCHOICE.TV 9/3 2:00 PM 9/3 1:00 PM 9/3 12:00 PM 9/3 11:00 AM PRO MX: PALA II 250 MOTO 1 LIVE FLORACING 9/3 4:00 PM 9/3 3:00 PM 9/3 2:00 PM 9/3 1:00 PM PRO MX: PALA II 250 MOTO 1 LIVE MAVTV 9/3 4:00 PM 9/3 3:00 PM 9/3 2:00 PM 9/3 1:00 PM PRO MX: PALA II 450 MOTO 1 LIVE FLORACING 9/3 5:00 PM 9/3 4:00 PM 9/3 3:00 PM 9/3 2:00 PM PRO MX: PALA II 450 MOTO 1 LIVE MAVTV 9/3 5:00 PM 9/3 4:00 PM 9/3 3:00 PM 9/3 2:00 PM PRO MX: PALA II 250 MOTO 2 LIVE FLORACING 9/3 6:00 PM 9/3 5:00 PM 9/3 4:00 PM 9/3 3:00 PM PRO MX: PALA II 250 MOTO 2 LIVE MAVTV 9/3 6:00 PM 9/3 5:00 PM 9/3 4:00 PM 9/3 3:00 PM PRO MX: PALA II 450 MOTO 2 LIVE FLORACING 9/3 7:00 PM 9/3 6:00 PM 9/3 5:00 PM 9/3 4:00 PM PRO MX: PALA II 450 MOTO 2 LIVE MAVTV 9/3 7:00 PM 9/3 6:00 PM 9/3 5:00 PM 9/3 4:00 PM 2022 PRO MX: PALA II 1ST MOTOS MAVTV 9/3 10:00 PM 9/3 9:00 PM 9/3 8:00 PM 9/3 7:00 PM 2022 PRO MX: PALA II 2ND MOTOS MAVTV 9/4 12:00 AM 9/3 11:00 PM 9/3 10:00 PM 9/3 9:00 PM FIM MX2 OF TURKEY RACE 1 LIVE MXGP-TV 9/4 6:00 AM 9/4 5:00 AM 9/4 4:00 AM 9/4 3:00 AM FIM MXGP OF TURKEY RACE 1 LIVE MXGP-TV 9/4 7:00 AM 9/4 6:00 AM 9/4 5:00 AM 9/4 4:00 AM FIM MX2 OF TURKEY RACE 2 LIVE MXGP-TV 9/4 9:00 AM 9/4 8:00 AM 9/4 7:00 AM 9/4 6:00 AM FIM MX2 OF TURKEY RACE 2 LIVE CBS SPORTS 9/4 9:00 AM 9/4 8:00 AM 9/4 7:00 AM 9/4 6:00 AM FIM MXGP OF TURKEY RACE 2 LIVE CBS SPORTS 9/4 10:00 AM 9/4 9:00 AM 9/4 8:00 AM 9/4 7:00 AM FIM MXGP OF TURKEY RACE 2 LIVE MXGP-TV 9/4 10:00 AM 9/4 9:00 AM 9/4 8:00 AM 9/4 7:00 AM 2022 BITD VEGAS-TO-RENO PART 2 CBS SPORTS 9/4 11:00 AM 9/4 10:00 AM 9/4 9:00 AM 9/4 8:00 AM 2022 NHRA PSM INDY Q’FYING 1 FS1 9/4 1:00 PM 9/4 12:00 PM 9/4 11:00 AM 9/4 10:00 AM 2022 MOTOGP MISANO NBC 9/4 1:30 PM 9/4 12:30 PM 9/4 11:30 AM 9/4 10:30 AM AFT SPRINGFIELD MILE II LIVE FANSCHOICE.TV 9/4 2:00 PM 9/4 1:00 PM 9/4 12:00 PM 9/4 11:00 AM 2022 BITD VEGAS-TO-RENO PART 2 CBS SPORTS 9/4 3:30 PM 9/4 2:30 PM 9/4 1:30 PM 9/4 12:30 PM NHRA PSM INDY Q’FYING 2 LIVE FS1 9/4 5:30 PM 9/4 4:30 PM 9/4 3:30 PM 9/4 2:30 PM 2022 NHRA PSM INDY Q’FYING 2 FS1 9/4 9:30 PM 9/4 8:30 PM 9/4 7:30 PM 9/4 6:30 PM 2022 NHRA PSM INDY Q’FYING 1 FS2 9/4 11:00 PM 9/4 10:00 PM 9/4 9:00 PM 9/4 8:00 PM 2022 FIM MX2 OF TURKEY CBS SPORTS 9/5 1:00 AM 9/5 12:00 AM 9/4 11:00 PM 9/4 10:00 PM 2022 FIM MXGP OF TURKEY CBS SPORTS 9/5 2:00 AM 9/5 1:00 AM 9/5 12:00 AM 9/4 11:00 PM MOTOAMERICA SSP: RIDGE MAVTV 9/5 6:00 AM 9/5 5:00 AM 9/5 4:00 AM 9/5 3:00 AM NHRA DRAG RACING INDY LIVE FS1 9/5 12:00 PM 9/5 11:00 AM 9/5 10:00 AM 9/5 9:00 AM 2022 PRO MX: PALA II MAVTV 9/5 3:00 PM 9/5 2:00 PM 9/5 1:00 PM 9/5 12:00 PM 2022 AFT CASTLE ROCK TT FS2 9/5 7:00 PM 9/5 6:00 PM 9/5 5:00 PM 9/5 4:00 PM 2022 AFT SACRAMENTO MILE FS2 9/5 8:00 PM 9/5 7:00 PM 9/5 6:00 PM 9/5 5:00 PM 2022 NHRA DRAG RACING INDY FS1 9/5 9:00 PM 9/5 8:00 PM 9/5 7:00 PM 9/5 6:00 PM FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE LISTINGS, VISIT CYCLENEWS.COM/MOTORCYCLE-TV-LISTINGS
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Ricky Carmichael will be celebrating a special anniversary next week. Twenty years ago, on September 1, 2002, Carmichael completed the first perfect season in motocross, winning all 12 rounds of the AMA/Chevy Trucks 250cc U.S. Motocross Championship. If that wasn’t impressive enough, the 23-year-old factory Honda rider won all 24 motos! Soak that in for a moment. You’ve probably, at one time or another, raced motocross, so you know what it means when people say that anything can happen in this sport. Of course, anything can happen in any sport. However, motocross is so brutal on both body and machine that you almost expect something “bad” to happen every time you roll up to the start line, like throwing a chain, twisting an ankle, breaking of a shift lever, or getting surprised by a seemingly harmless front-end washout. Simple things like these can easily mean the difference between a win and second place or a win and a DNF. So, completing a perfect season in motocross is extraordinary.Ofcourse, there were many people behind the scenes that contributed to Carmichael’s perfect season, obviously his family and friends, his Honda team, and, perhaps most importantly, his tuner at the time, Chad Watts, who had to have been on pins and needles more than anyone on the planet the day when Carmichael sealed the deal at the Steel City National in Delmont, Pennsylvania. Wonder how many times Watts tightened and retightened every nut and bolt and checked chain tension on RC’s CR250R two-stroke before the“Ifmotos?someone would have told me that I was going to accomplish this at the beginning of the season, I would have laughed,” Carmichael told Cycle News. “I never thought I would go undefeated. I just wanted to defend my title and win another one for Honda. It was a hell of a year.” Yes, that it was. We named Carmichael our 2002 Cycle News Rider of the Year a few months later. He was the first person to receive the award two times, and he did it back-to-back. We asked many legends of the sport what they thought about RC’s accomplishment.Johnny O’Mara, one of Carmichael’s best friends and mentor, said, “I probably never would’ve
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Ricky Carmichael’s Perfect Season Honda’s ad in Cycle News after Ricky Carmichael’s first perfect season says it all.
Aldon Baker, Carmichael’s trainer at the time, said, “I believe that no one else out there trains as hard as he does. My deal is that I look at what he is doing, look at his weakness and work on that. We do have to be careful because there’s a fine line between doing too much, and it’s not an easy program I’ve got for him.
“Ricky puts in more work and more effort than anybody else out there, of course,” said Broc Glover. “He’s a well-trained athlete. You know, he practices a lot and trains a lot, and he’s talented. It’s like watching a gymnast, or someone repeats something over and over and over, and it’s like, ‘God, it’s amazing how many times they can do that in a row.’ Well, Ricky’s the same way. He goes and practices consistently, over and over and over, and he’s a really talented rider.”
will be out
Rick Johnson said it was all about confidence. “I think he’s had many benchmarks that have built his confidence over the years,” Johnson said. We even asked Carmichael himself. “I have to credit my bike,” he said. “I mean, my bike was excellent, really, really fast, sniffles—Car Carmi he Carmichael backed up his first perfect season in motocross in 2002 with another perfect season in 2004. it’s Carmichael there.” Bob Hannah
I also have to watch the mental part of it because the mind runs the body. He has a very tough mind, almost like a hawk that never says die, never gives up. Ricky always gives it 100 percent, some guys think they do, but he never gives up.”“Carmichael rides every lap like it’s the last,” said Jeff Ward. “I mean, I’m pretty amazed he stays on the bike sometimes—he’s not out of shape, but his style’s pretty aggressive.”DavidBailey said, “He wants it more than everybody else, all the time. Before he goes to bed, when he’s trying to go to sleep, he thinks about it. When he wakes up, he’s thinking about it. When he’s riding and training, he’s thinking about it.”
raining on Tuesday, you can’t not train because you don’t want to get the sniffles—
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P123 thought of that [going undefeated]. He’s all about winning, and I’ve never seen anyone take losing so bad—I can’t really explain it. Ricky also feeds off the right things and people. One time, after winning the Daytona Supercross when he was with Kawasaki, Bob Hannah came up to Ricky and congratulated him. Ricky said, ‘Hannah came into my truck and shook my hand!’ Bob doesn’t do things like that to anyone, and Ricky knows what Hannah meant to the Andsport.”whatdid Hannah have to say about Carmichael’s perfect season? “He’s totally dedicated,” Hannah said. “He is willing to give up the rest of his life to be an MX superstar; he’s willing to do that. There are guys that have talent but don’t have the heart—you have to be dedicated to beat him. It’s not the dinner the night before [a race]—you can’t eat three baked potatoes and win the next day. You have to train and work at it. If it’s raining on Tuesday, you can’t not train because you don’t want to get the sniffles—Carmichael will be out there.”
“If
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But he admitted that he was thankful when the perfect season was over: “It’s a relief. I can sleep now at Carmichael’snight.”perfect season in ’04 was also his last season with Honda before departing for Suzuki. It was also perhaps more impressive than his first perfect season when you figure some of the talent he had to contend with in ’04, riders like Chad Reed, David Vuillemin and Windham.“It’snice to do what I did this year when you have a guy that is his [Chad Reed’s] caliber,” Carmichael said at Glen Helen. “I’m so happy, I know I don’t show it, but it was a tough last couple of laps. I definitely had a lump in my throat. I must thank Honda, the guys at the shop, and the people who work with us every weekend. I’ve got great relationships with them, and I’m going to miss those guys.” And they would miss Carmichael, too. After all, when everyone that year on the Honda team—technicians, mechanics, truck drivers, etc.—got a $325 bonus when one of its riders won a National, you’d miss him, too.
CN in-
Luck certainly plays a role when it comes to having the perfect season. Take the last race in ’04 at Glen Helen, for example, when Carmichael landed from a large jump onto a fallen motorcycle during practice. He touched down on Kevin Windham’s crashed bike so hard that it destroyed Carmichael’s frame, which had to be replaced before the first moto, which meant the entire motorcycle had to be torn apart and put back together again in a relatively short time. Also, luckily Carmichael wasn’t hurt in the incident, and the bike later performed flawlessly in the two National motos. Believe it or not, Gosselaar said, through it all, that he wasn’t stressed that day. “Everybody is so professional here,” he said. “It was just an easy day for me.”
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Despite it being Carmichael’s final season on red, Honda gave him a classy send-off with this ad in Cycle News after his second perfect motocross season.
and it handled well for me. But overall, a lot of pieces to the puzzle came together, and that’s what separates everyone else in the end. Also, my training. I feel I have one of the strongest training regimens out there.”
It turns out that Carmichael’s perfect season was no fluke. He did it again two years later, this time with Mike Gosselaar as his mechanic and on a CRF450R four-stroke. So, when he said after the Steel City race in 2002 that “I doubt this [a perfect season] would ever happen again,” he was wrong. In fact, he was doubly wrong. In 2008, James Stewart, aboard a Jeremy Albrecht-tuned KX450F, went 24-0 while leading 369 of 382 laps to winning the title for Kawasaki. Maybe Carmichael had a gut feeling when he also said after Steel City in ’02, “I’m not sure that it’s really possible,” regarding future perfect seasons. “Unless Bubba [Stewart, who had just won his first 125cc outdoor title that year] stops winning, he’s going to break all kinds of records.”
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We proved that you don’t need a motorcycle to do a “cross-up” on the cover of Cycle News 50 years ago... We featured a couple of motorcycle tests in issue number 36, the 1972 Suzuki GT-750 street bike and Monarch 125cc motocrosser... Glen Kyle came away with the AMA Hillclimb Championship... The final round of the AMA 250cc National Motocross Championship was held in conjunction with the National Championship Road Race round at Talladega. Gary Bailey took the overall motocross win. Yvon DuHamel won the road race... We had coverage of the Bonneville National Speed Trials. 50Years Ago SEPTEMBER 12, 1972 P128LOOKING BACK Our Kawasaki KZ1100 tourer test bike was featured on the cover 40 years ago... Gary Scott won the Hamburg Half-Mile, while Jay Springsteen took over the GNC points lead... We showed our readers the latest TT machinery on the Winston Pro Championship circuit... We interviewed new 250cc Motocross World Champion Danny LaPorte The California Green Sticker Fund was under attack. We talked about it in our Sacramento Report... We chatted with Winston Pro Series rookie expert Bubba Shobert 40 Years Ago SEPTEMBER 15, 1982 (Above) Greg Hancock won the AMA National Championship Speedway at Auburn 20 years ago. (Right) A young James Stewart after winning the Pee Wee class at Dade City MX 30 years ago.
30 Years Ago SEPTEMBER 9, 1992 Brazil Grand Prix winner Wayne Rainey was pictured on the cover of Cycle News 30 years ago... Mike Kiedrowski won both 500cc motos at Binghamton to take the championship lead over Jeff Stanton. Jeff Emig won the 125cc class... Raymond Roche and Doug Polen won the World Superbike round in Malaysia... George Jobe clinched the 500cc World Championship MX title in Switzerland despite Kurt Nicoll winning all three motos... David Pingree Bobby Bonds were some of the big winners at the Mini Nationals at Barona Oaks. James Stewart was pictured on the cover of Cycle News for clinching his first outdoor MX Championship at Binghamton, NY... We reported that KTM factory rider Thierry Van Den Bosch won round two of the World Supermoto Championship in Valkenswaard, Holland... We also reported that the new Saddleback Motorsports Park was going to cease operation in a few weeks... It was announced that twotime 500cc World Champion Barry Sheene, 52, was diagnosed with cancer... Greg Hancock won round two of the U.S. National Speedway Series at Auburn. Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.cycleNews.com/cycle-news-archives/ VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P129 20 Years Ago AUGUST 28, 2002 (Left) (L-R) Jay Springsteen, Ted Boody and Gary Scott celebrate on the Hamburg podium 40 years ago. (Right) Yvan DuHamel after winning the AMA National Road Race at Talladega 50 years ago.
Articulated by IRTA president Herve Poncharal, this was the three-strong mantra from the stage, as Dorna, the FIM and IRTA joined forces to announce a sea change in the World Championship.Thestepforward?ASaturdayafternoon
Sprint Race at every grand prix weekend, starting next year. The need for this step? An accumulation of problems, some in themselves fairly minor, that have put MotoGP on the back foot, after a long spell of boomingSomehealth.are of Dorna’s own making—increasing paywalls for
live TV coverage have hit viewing figures badly in important markets, while this year’s Amazon documentary intended to emulate F1’s super-popular “Drive to Survive” has flopped. Others are circumstantial. Rossi’s departure has hurt. His merchandise still sells and yellow-clad fans are still at races, living in the past. Crowd numbers at Mugello’s Italian GP were 43,600-odd on race Sunday—40,000 down on 2019, 55,000 fewer than in 2017.
Add processional racing with little overtaking and the phrase “perfect storm” comes to mind. Thus the decision for an extra Saturday race smacks of some desperation.Actuallyan extra half race. The Sprint Race will run over half distance, and carrying half points.Willit be half as popular?
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The absence of Marc Marquez has added to this effect, with the best in the world—Quartararo, Bagnaia and Bastianini— lacking the same sort of star quality.
Reactions inside the paddock were mixed. But some initial hostility softened overnight, with Fabio Quartararo one who, when he learned more details, went from calling it “stupid” to saying “I changed my mind.”
Those in favor, and there were more than just the three bosses at the conference table, were “If you don’t go forward, you take a step backwards.”
TRACK IDOL –MOTOGP’S NEW REALITY TV
A sort of Strictly Come Rac ing or Track Idol … although without giving the fans a chance to vote on who will win.
To be
More importantly, many sug gested this was a sticking plaster on a broken bone—windowdressing that, instead of solving problems, is just another step in turning MotoGP into soap opera. Or reality TV show.
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 30, 2022 P131 confident it would increase Mo toGP’s appeal. A step closer, said Dorna Chief Carmelo Ezpeleta, not only reinforcing MotoGP as the most exciting motor sport in the world, but also making it the most popular. A statement unlikely to have Formula 1 bosses biting their nails. It would give TV stations something more important on Saturday afternoons, and swell ticket sales. If racing success is measured only by these factors, then the enthusiasm of its promoters is understandable.Likewise,thedismay of tradi tionalist detractors. For them, a shorter Saturday race dilutes the value of the pinnacle of motor cycle racing’s main event on Sunday. A matinee that under mines the big show.
Other objections raised the increased danger of double the number of races, especially racing starts, each year, and further loss of practice time for engi neering development and rider skills (the race will take the place of one full practice session, so there is no extra distance or track time entailed).
are aspectspositivetoa highintensity sprint— pure
To be sure, there are positive aspects to a high-intensity sprint—pure flat-out racing with out having to save tires, energy or fuel. Could be a lot of fun. The Sprint also offers a rider who suffers a crash or a mechanical problem the chance not to come away with zero points for the weekend. On the other hand, an injury could mean los ing 37 (25 plus 12) points instead of just Similar25.things happen else where. In WorldSBK, there’s the Sunday morning Superpole race, a ten-lap sprint, also carry ing half points. In Formula 1, at three races, 100km dashes—with no manda tory tire changes and pit stops, this is a refreshing change from the long and often convoluted tactical full races. In both cases, these races determine grid positions. This won’t happen here, thanks very much. Ezpeleta and his cohorts were at pains to stress that MotoGP had not taken its inspiration from Super bikes or F1. If this smacks of arrogance—a charge that fits the bombastic Dorna chief rather well—it is not in a good way. Using a sprint race to determine grid positions might not actually be a bad idea at all. Especially if that is its main purpose, rather than carrying reduced championship points or a bogus GP win. Riders already complain that the first three free practices are basically high-risk flat-out qualifying sessions rather than a chance to refine techniques and bike settings, since with overtak ing so difficult where you start is often also where you finish. (Then again, how would you de termine grid slots for the sprint?) It is true that something needed to be done. Popular or not, this is just the first of a raft of promised changes, yet to be announced. Window-dressing has never been more timely. CN sure, there lotfuel.tires,havingracingflat-outwithouttosaveenergyorCouldbeaoffun.