On the Pegs Magazine - 01 January 2018

STEW BAYLOR INTERVIEW SILLY SEASON PREVIEW

STEW BAYLOR INTERVIEW SILLY SEASON PREVIEW

The Big Picture

AND GAM

CLASSIC STYLE

Karl Davis Jr does a classic front-wheel floater during a recent practice session in northeastern Oklahoma. Read about Karl and Louise Forsely in next month’s issue as we quiz them about performing with Marvel Universe Live.

PHOTO BY SHAN MOORE

The Big Picture

AND GAM INTO THE NIGHT

AirGroup/Enduro Engineering Husqvarna’s Logan Lowery follows his headlight along a rocky trail at the recent Ozark 100 Miler in Mansfield, Missouri. Logan finished fourth overall in the extreme off-road event.

PHOTO BY SHAN MOORE

The Big Picture

AND GAM GOOD MORNING

One of the perks of spending more than 20 years on the road covering all forms of motorcycle racing.

PHOTO BY SHAN MOORE

The Big Picture

AND GAM

LEGO LAND RIDIN’

Toni Bou leaps from one concrete obstacle to another during the opening round of the FIM X-Trials Championships in Vendee, France. Of course, the Repsol Honda rider won the event.

PHOTO COURTESY HONDA RACING

The Big Picture

ANDLEAPGAMESOF FAITH

Vertigo factory rider Arnau Farré takes a giant leap during the opening round of the FIM X-Trial series in Vendee, France.

PHOTO COURTESY VERTIGO

The Big Picture

AND GAMES GOING DOWN?

Laia Sanz during a training session in Catalonia, Spain, as she prepares for the upcoming Dakar Rally in January.

PHOTO COURTESY SEBAS ROMERO/ RED BULL CONTENT POOL

THE LOOP

News and Culture From The World Of Trials, Offroad and Extreme Racing

AMA ANNOUNCES EXTREME SCHEDULE

FOUR STATE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS ANNOUNCED

New for 2018, the American Motorcyclist Association will sanction four AMA Extreme Off-Road State Championships in the states of Texas, Michigan, California and Pennsylvania and will recognize the overall winner of each event as an AMA state champion.

“We are excited to finally share this big, new addition to the AMA racing calendar,” AMA Off-Road Racing Manager Erek Kudla said. “This has been in the works for a few years now and came together as a result of the hard work of many clubs who will be hosting these extreme events. My hope is that the top amateurs lined up at these races will eventually become some of the best professional extreme off-road racers in the world!”

The top three overall finishers in each of the four AMA Extreme Off-Road State Championships will have their entry fees waived and qualify to compete in Sunday’s racing at the AMA Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro, an AMA Grand Championship, scheduled for Aug. 18-19 in Sequatchie, Tenn.

The top ten overall finishers at AMA Extreme Off-Road State Championships–that are not pre-selected for the

RevLimiter Extreme Enduro

AMA Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro–will qualify to be placed in one of the top ten rows for Saturday’s racing at the AMA Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro.

In 2017, the AMA introduced extreme off-road racing into the AMA rulebook and recognizes it as a form of racing that includes obstacles that take a high level of technical skill to navigate.

Courses are made up of a minimum of 50 percent natural, off-road terrain and may include manmade obstacles, as well. Extreme off-road features Le Man’s starts, timed sections, GPS navigation and course changes, among other things.

From agonizing hill climbs to endless rock fields and log crossings, extreme off-road tests a rider’s skill and the machine’s capabilities over some of the most challenging terrain that venues have to offer.

For more information on the AMA Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro and AMA Extreme Off-Road State Championships, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Racing/Extreme-OffRoad.

Jan. 13-14: Decatur, Texas Rocky Ridge Ranch Hosted by MotoKolors Racing

Mad Moose Hard Enduro

June 18: Marquette, Mich.: Hosted by UP Sandstormers MC

Last Dog Standing

June 9: Devore, Calif.: Glen Helen Raceway: Hosted by Prairie Dogs MC

Tough Like RORR

June 30-July 1: Tamaqua, Pa.: Hosted by Reading Off-Road Riders

TRIAL STORE USA TITLE SPONSOR OF US MOTOTRIALS

Trial Store USA steps up as the Title Sponsor of the NATC/AMA MotoTrials National Series for 2018. “It was a goal of ours from early on to create a trials business large enough to give back to the sport”, said Alexander Niederer of Trial Store USA. “We love this sport, my brother (Andreas) and I are active riders and are thrilled to have our company associated at the highest level with the series”.

“It is great to see what the Niederer’s have done with their company, it is good to see that they have achieved success within our sport and are able to step up in such a large way, the sport is benefiting from their achievement. We look forward to a great series in 2018 with the support of Trial Store USA and all of our other outstanding sponsors”, said Brad Baumert Chief Enthusiast Officer (CEO) of the North American Trials Council.

FOUND ON FACEBOOK: BERNIE SCHREIBER’S TWO-WHEEL DRIVE SWM

PHOTO COURTESY SCHREIBER

Think Rokon and Christini were the only motorcycles to come up with a twowheel drive design? Here’s 1979 FIM World Trials Champ Bernie Schreiber sitting on a prototype 1982 SWM converted to twowheel drive.

According to Bernie, the bike never made it into production because it didn’t pass FIM rules, which calls for a rear-wheel drive system only.

As far as how it handled, Bernie says it was “very strange”.

NATIONAL ENDURO ADDS 10TH ROUND

The National Enduro Promotions Group has added a 10th round to its recently released schedule, adding a final round on November 4th in Stanton, Alabama. The Gobbler Getter Enduro was this year’s last event, as well, and the end-ofyear awards ceremony will once again take place at this event.

ALSO NEW FOR 2018

• 10 rounds instead of 9: The ISDE moved their date to mid Nov. opening up some weekends

• Less days for pre-entry before event: 30-days before round 1 and 40-days before rounds 2-10

• More pre-entries available per round: 720 #1, 550 #2, 550 #3, 600 #4, 550 #5, 550 #6, 550 #7, 550 #8, 550 #9, 600 #10, resulting in less riders on the waiting list.

• 4 new venues: Lynnville Indiana, Arrington Virginia, Chandlersville Ohio, Marquette Michigan

• NE Pro2 class: A closer stepping stone to the premier NE Pro1 class, top 10 in series points on reserved rows 21-30 & top 5 event purse for this new class. For more info go to www.nationalenduro.com.

2018 FIM ISDE DATES CHANGED

The 2018 FIM International Six Days Enduro, originally scheduled for Oct. 22-27 in Viña del Mar, Chile, has been rescheduled to Nov. 12-17 at the same location. In addition to the World, Junior and Women’s Trophy Teams, each country can send a number of three-rider club teams. Teams compete for team honors, while individual riders race for a gold, silver or bronze medals, which are based on a rider’s finishing time relative to the leader.

AMA ISDE Qualifier rounds determine who will compete on six of the seven national U.S. Club Teams, while the AMA ISDE Advisory Committee selects the U.S. World Trophy, Junior Trophy and Women’s Trophy teams.

For more information on the AMA International Six Days Enduro Qualifier Series, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com/racing/story/enduro-championship-and-premier-events-1.

For more information on the 2018 International Six Days Enduro visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Racing/Story/international-six-daysenduro.

2018 FIM X-TRIAL CALENDAR

The FIM has released the X-Trial Championship Indoor Trials calendar for the 2018 season, which includes a round in December of 2017, the opening round, in Vendee, France.

This year’s series will feature eight events – more than in last year’s series. The format has also undergone some changes, with three phases to determine the competition’s eventual winner.

The first phase – an initial qualifying round – will be fought out in among the nine participating riders in groups of three. The top six go on to the next round – a semi-final – where only the best of each of the two groups will go through to dispute the grand final.

Toni Bou will be going for an unprecedented eleventh indoor title in 2018.

December 3, 2017 Vendéspace Vendée France

January 13, 2018 Sud de France Arena Montpellier France

January 19, 2018 Zénith de Toulouse Toulouse France

January 26, 2018 TBA Strasbourg France

February 4, 2018 Palau Sant Jordi Barcelona Spain

March 8, 2018 CD San Pablo Seville Spain

March 17, 2018 Accord Hotels Arena Paris France

March 29, 2018 Budapest Arena Budapest Hungary

TRIAL125 CLASS GOES FULL TIME

2018 will see Trial125 become a full FIM World Championship (promoted from FIM World Cup) alongside Trial2 that was elevated to the same level in 2017, and the longer established blue ribbon TrialGP and TrialGP Women classes.

This prestigious recognition comes after the huge success of the five round series this year that saw a large increase in the number of riders who contested the entire championship and that also witnessed a record breaking entry at TrialGP Great Britain when the class was over-subscribed for the first time in its history.

Entries for the new FIM Trial125 World Championship will open in early January for pre-selected riders (comprising of this year’s top fifteen Trial125 ranked riders) and for the soon to be confirmed pre-selected riders in the other class too. As per 2017, each class will be limited with pre-selected riders having a two-week priority period before entries are then opened to all riders (subject to approval) on a first come first served basis.

Speaking on behalf of Sport7, TrialGP Championship Director Jake Miller said. “We would like to thank the FIM for recognizing Trial125 as a true World Championship and as a highly important platform for developing the next generation of champions. Trial125, our rookie class, represents the future of our sport and is something that ranks high amongst our priorities as we look to build on the success of our initial season as promoters.”

Full details will be sent to all pre-selected riders and then other riders in due course, with the relevant information also being published on www.trialgp.com at the same time.

2018 WORLD ENDURO SUPER 2018 WORLD ENDURO SUPER

A new series called the World Enduro Super Series is launching for the 2018 season and will bring together some of the most iconic events on the calendar.

It will lead to a first world enduro champion being crowned at the end of the campaign, which begins in Portugal next May.

The WESS will include Hard Enduro, Classic Enduro, Cross-Country and Beach Racing-style events, with riders permitted to ride on their preferred make and style of motorbike.

Such events will keep their same format but with a new, uniformed points-scoring system across the board.

In all, the series will include eight events from the Extreme XL Lagares on May 11-13 to the season finale, Red Bull Knock Out in the Netherlands, on November 10.

WESS managing director Philipp Stossier said: “To us, enduro means many things but, most importantly, it represents inclusion of competitors, diversity of events and terrain and a considered mix of authenticity and modernity – all ele -

SUPER SERIES ANNOUNCED SUPER SERIES ANNOUNCED

ments that sit at the heart of WESS.

“We’re not reinventing the wheel, we’re bringing together well-established endure competitions run the way they’ve always been run onto a larger communications platform to ensure endure sports receives the focused, global exposure it deserves.”

2018 World Enduro Super Series Schedule

May 11-13 Extreme XL Lagares (Portugal)

May 31 – June 3 Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble (Austria)

June 8-10 Trefle Lozerien AMV (France)

July 24-28 Red Bull Romaniacs (Romania)

Sept (TBA) Red Bull 111 Megawatt (Poland)

TBA

October 26-27 Gotland Grand National (Sweden)

November 10 Red Bull Knock Out (The Netherlands)

2018 TRS ONE RR

RAGA RACING

Late last summer, TRS moved into a factory that was four-times larger than the one it had previously worked from, allowing the company the space to continue to grow and constantly improve the fine details of an already extremely well made machine.

As far as improvements for 2018, there is not really one single biggest improvement but rather a short-list of little things we have seen evolve from Jordi Tarres’ well-known constant attention to detail.

There have been improvements to the precision of manufacture of components in the shifting mechanism, kick-start mechanism, revisions in the crankshaft tolerances and bearing and seal areas, some minor changes to add additional strength to the chassis construction, but no changes to the geometry, and a com-

pletely revised fuel tank and cap and the tank has slightly larger fuel capacity. Some heat treatment and coatings have been revised on some engine components as well. Of course they are always tinkering with suspension settings and spring rates, so some minor improvements there also.

And of course, Bold New Graphics.

The most impressive detail is that

Adam Raga rides a bike very close to the production model 300 RR. US Importer Jim Snell told us that in Arizona he had the chance to be around Adam’s personal bikes and spent some quality time with his mechanic Lluis Codina. Jim told us he honestly believes that in the GP class, Adam rides the bike that is the one that is closest to being a standard production model.

THE GOODS

ENGINE

• New kick-starter system with increased performance and reliability.

• New kick-start pedal fulcrum, hard anodized.

• New clutch cover adapted to the new kick-starter system.

• New gear shift system, increased precision, smoother and more reliable.

• New secondary shaft with revised bearings for increased strength and reliability.

• New crankshaft and revised crankshaft bearings.

• New machining of the clutch actuator levers, better precisión in use.

• New internal engine tolerances for quieter and livelier operation.

SUSPENSION

• New Tech Gold fork, with new settings and increased sensititvity.

• New Reiger rear shock absorber set-up, softer, faster and increased sensititvity.

IMPROVEMENTS

• New TRRS radiator with larger diameter fan blade and waterproof SPAL motor.

• New brake disc and sprocket protectors with improved flexibility.

• New design micro-fusion investment-cast rear brake and shift pedals.

• New cylinder head and combustión chamber, improves performance and reliability.

• New KEIHIN carburetor spring for improved smoothness during operation.

• New fuel tank. Larger capacity and improved finish.

• New fuel tank cap. Larger diameter, easier to operate, improved sealing.

• New graphic design and stickers.

• New NEKEN handlebars.

• New and improved CDI connection.

SMAGE RIDING TECHNIQUE PAT

FOR THE NEXT YEAR, NINE-TIME US MOTOTRIALS CHAMPION PAT SMAGE WILL BE BRINGING US MONTHLY RIDING TIPS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU A BETTER RIDER. AND WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BE A BETTER RIDER? WHETHER YOU’RE A TRIALS RIDER OR AN OFF-ROAD ENTHUSIAST, WE’RE CERTAIN YOU’LL BENEFIT FROM PAT’S TIPS, SO SIT BACK AND TAKE IT ALL IN. BE SAFE AND DON’T FORGET TO PRACTICE WITH A BUDDY!

WALKING A SECTION

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

TRIALGP 2017 REVIEW

LIMITED EDITION BOOK

Price: 99.95 Euros

This 100+ page limited edition hard cover book celebrates the first season of the new TrialGP era

Packed with an amazing array of stunning images - including some previously unpublished shots - all captured by internationally renowned photographer Pep Segales, the premium printed pages follow the full journey of the 2017 season.

Covering the championship fight across all classes - including TrialGP, TrialGP Women, Trial2, Trial2 Women and Trial125, the 2017 TrialGP season review charts the complete story from the opening round in Spain around the World to Japan and America before returning to Europe and ending at the breathtaking venue for TrialGP Italy.

Additional pages have been included covering the season’s closing team event - FIM Trial des Nations, rider galleries and exclusive behind the scene paddock shots to create a must own, history recording annual.

Limited to just 75 copies worldwide, this book represents the first in a series of TrialGP publications that will build into a much sought after and iconic collection. Click HERE to order.

Photos: Alessio

Barbanti,

R. Schedl

BETA 125 RR-S LOWERING KIT

Max Sug. Retail: $159.99 * Website: www.BETAUSA.com

Beta USA recently announced the new 125 RR-S 2” Suspension Lowering Kit available at your nearest Beta Dealer. The 125 RR-S lowering kit includes a right front fork leg spacer, and a lower rear shock clevis, lowering the 125 RR-S 2” from stock height. Dealer installation is recommended, & detailed instructions are included with each kit.

* Shock shaft holding tool available separately & MUST be used during install or damage to the shock shaft will occur! # AB-15038, MSRP: $48.99

S3 LEVER AND CARB ADJUSTER KITS

Max Sug. Retail: See website Website: www.RYPUSA.com

Ryan Young Products carries S3 lever replacement kits and carburetor kits for most brands.

TRIALS TRAINING CENTER TRIALS TRAINING CENTER

Cody’s Webb

A bi-monthly column by EnduroCross and MotoTrial National Champion Cody Webb

PHOTO

Well I feel like I bailed on you guys. Not sure if you even realized it, but I completely failed on my last article and forgot all about it. Luckily, Shan is a pretty understanding guy and let it slide without firing me. I have no idea what we even discussed last, so I figured we might as well talk about the EnduroCross series this year and what’s to come in the near future.

I’m currently sitting in the lobby of a hotel in Poland for the first round of SuperEnduro. Hanging out in the hallway in my sweatpants since the Wi-Fi has no connection in the room. But it doesn’t matter because I’m stoked to be back racing the FIM series again. I got off track there, trying not to skip ahead too fast. This year’s EnduroCross series was nearly perfect for me. Was almost like it came right out of a textbook. We did our homework with

the KTM team this year after just always looking for more from the last season. What we ended up with was, in my mind, the perfect EnduroCross weapon. Confidence is key at all levels of every sport and when you’re in tune with your equipment, it sure makes the job a whole lot easier. I managed to be the fastest time qualifier at every round this season and finished it off by winning 6 of the 7 events taking home my third championship. Now we can move forward again, now that I caught you all up.

I re-signed with the KTM team for another two years, which I’m really excited about. Especially since I will be able to get more races under my belt. Can’t do this forever, unless you’re Mike Brown, so I’ve got to take this opportunity while I still can. I’m back in the FIM SuperEnduro series and will be competing

in more international events as well.

A new series was just released consisting of 8 international events that’s a mix of extreme enduro, traditional enduro, and famous beach races. I’m up for the challenge and excited to see what comes up. One thing is for certain, I will most likely be getting some solid airline miles in next season. We also hope to hit more extreme races here in the states as well.

Basically I got too much going on for next season and going to do my best to juggle it all. It will most likely be tough, but for sure it will be a blast and I’m excited to see how it all shapes up.

Happy Holidays everyone and enjoy the New Year! Also I apologize now for the grammatical errors since I typed this on my phone. n

SILLY SEASON’S SILLY SEASON’S A LOOK AT WHO WENT

About this time every year we find ourselves in the midsts of what the industry calls jockeying to better their positions with the factory and satellite teams for the coming

FMF KTM FACTORY OFF-ROAD RACING

JOSH TOTH, KAILUB RUSSELL, CODY WEBB, TAYLOR ROBERT

Josh Toth (left) made the switch from Am Pro Yamaha to the factory KTM off-road team during the off-season, filling the void left by fivetime champ Russell Bobbitt, who is running his own team in 2018. Toth will attempt to defend his XC2 250 Pro title aboard a KTM 250 XC-F following a dominant 2017 season where he claimed eight vic tories in 13 rounds. The Connecticut rider will also race the KTM 250 XC-F in the NE Pro1 division in the AMA National Enduro Championship.

Kailub Russell (below) signed a four year deal in June of 2016 and will concentrate on GNCC, where he has four consecutive XC1 titles and 47 career victories. Kailub will also race the AMA Big 6 Grand Prix Series out west.

On the west coast, Taylor Robert will once again compete aboard a KTM 450 XC-F in the AMA National Hare & Hound Championship, as well as the World Offroad Racing Championship Series (WORCS).

Three-Time AMA Super EnduroCross Champion Cody Webb returns to defend his title aboard a KTM 350 EXCF, while also competing in the full FIM Super Enduro Championship and select extreme enduros where he will ride the new KTM 250 XC-W TPI model.

SEASON’S GREETINGS SEASON’S GREETINGS WHERE FOR 2018

calls Silly Season. It’s that time of the year when rider contracts are up and riders are year. Here’s what we know so far about who went where among the off-road teams..

N-FAB AM PRO YAMAHA

RICKY RUSSELL, TBA

With the departure of Josh Toth to KTM, it looks like Randy Hawkins will be relying solely on Ricky Russell (right) to represent Yamaha in the GNCC series in the XC1 class. Randy also told us he plans on adding an XC2 rider who has yet to be named.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA

THAD DUVALL, JOSH STRANG

Thad DuVall (left) signed a two-year deal starting in 2018 with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, while Josh Strang is in the final year of a two-year contract. Thad plans on riding the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series along with the GNCC series. The West Virginia rider finished second in both series in 2017 despite suffering a major wrist injury at mid-season.

Strang, who was the 2010 GNCC champ, will ride the GNCC series and the Full Gas Sprint Enduro series.

SILLY SEASON’S SILLY SEASON’S

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ATV-MC/KR4/HUSQVARNA

CORY BUTTRICK, LANE MICHEAL, TAYLA JONES

Frank Keegan Jr. has made quite an impact with his Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/KR4/ Husqvarna racing team, winning the Full Gas Sprint Enduro title in 2016 with Thad DuVall. For 2018, KR4 will pick up Cory Buttrick (left), who had some very strong rides this year. The Ohio native will certainly benefit from having a mechanic. The last two years he’s been racing and doing his own mechanical work! Buttrick will concentrate on the AMA National Enduro Series, in addition to riding a few GNCC rounds. Along with Buttrick, KR4 also picked up Layne Michael (below left), who will move up to the XC1 in the GNCC series, plus he will race the Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series. In the XC2 class, KR4 will have Liam Draper. Of course, Tayla Jones (below right) is back and she will once again race three series: AMA National Enduro, GNCC and the Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series .

GRANT BAYLOR TELY RACING

SEASON’S GREETINGS SEASON’S GREETINGS

TELY

RACING

STEWARD BAYLOR, GRANT BAYLOR

BAYLOR TO RACING

Steward Baylor (left) will be leaving SRT Racing and fielding his own team with brother Grant (below) with support from KTM.

“For next year we’ve obviously got KTM support.,” Steward told On The Pegs. “Grant will be moving to a KTM with me. He’s ridden the Husky this past year and Antti (Kallonen) took him back with open arms. We’re going to be back with KTM and Tely Energy is the team that we’ll be riding for. It’s Todd Ely, who is based out of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area and he owns a natural gas business. He’s got a youth team right now and he wanted to get some heavy hitters in there. He actually first contacted me after my win at Big Buck this year. The offers starting coming in this year really early. We were getting offers in June for next year. Todd was coming down to South Carolina the following week to go to the beach, so we drove down there and hung out and kind of talked everything over. At first it was supposed to be just me. He ended up just bringing it to my attention that he’d like to have both of the brothers. It was appealing to him. I talked to Grant, and everything just kind of fell into place since then. We’ll both be with those guys. I don’t necessarily know who all the other sponsors there are going to be, but I think right now we’re going to have a really good setup for next year.”

SILLY SEASON’S SILLY SEASON’S

AIRGROUP/ENDURO ENGINEERING

DREW HIGGINS, LOGAN LOWREY

Drew Higgins (left) of Keller, Texas and Trenton, Missouri’s Logan Lowery (right) have signed to ride Husqvarna TX300s for AirGroup/Enduro Engineering Husqvarna in 2018. Higgins will ride the NE Pro1 class in the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series, while Lowery will ride the new NE Pro2 division. The team will also compete in a variety of other series and high profile specialty events.

Lowery finished third in this year’s ExpertAA division in the National Enduro series, while Higgins finished ninth overall in the Pro division. In their first outing for AirGroup/Enduro Engineering Husqvarna, Higgins finished third in the recent Ozark 100 Miler extreme race in Missouri, while Lowery was right behind in fourth.

AIRGROUP/ENDURO ENGINEERING

SEASON’S GREETINGS SEASON’S GREETINGS

BETA USA

JORDAN ASHBURN, MIKE WITKOWSKI, MAX GERSTON

TO AIRGROUP/ENDURO ENGINEERING

Rodney Smith will act as team manager for Beta USA in 2018, and the team will once again rely on Jordan Ashburn (left) in the GNCC series in the XC1 class and the Full Gas Sprint Enduro series.

New signee Mike Witkowski will concentrate on the AMA National Enduro Series, plus ride the XC2 class in the GNCC series.

In the AMA EnduroCross Series, Beta USA returns Max Gerston (below right). Gerston will also ride the West Hare Scrambles series plus Extreme Enduros. Morgan Tanke will ride the AMA EnduroCross series along with National Hare & Hound. Meanwhile, Mason Ottersberg (below left) will also ride the EnduroCross Series, plus the AMA Big 6 Series. Out west, Joe Wasson and Chance Fullerton will ride the National Hare & Hound Series.

SILLY SEASON’S SILLY SEASON’S

GNARLY ROOTS RACING

RUSSELL BOBBITT, BEN SPIES

Things weren’t totally buttoned down when we spoke with Russell Bobbitt (left) about his plans for 2018, but what he could tell us for sure was that he was running his own team next year with the help of Cole Kirkpatrick. Russ told us he would still be KTM supported and he’s committed to the entire Kenda AMA National Enduro Series in addition to a few other high profile events and possibly the Kenda Full Gas Spent Enduro Series. Russell told us he was negotiating with a title sponsor that he could not name at the time. Russ did tell us that there’s a good possibility that former World and AMA Superbike Champion Ben Spies (below) will be in some way associated with the team, riding the new Pro-2 class in the Kenda AMA National Enduro series. Spies is also rumored to be eyeing the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro series, where his roadracing skills would suit him perfectly on the grass track tests. Spies rode this year’s John Zink National Enduro in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, where he finished fourth in the Open A class. In addition to racing, Russ and Cole will be conducting guided Enduro tours and Adventure rides.

“The Adventure rides and Enduro tours will be all inclusive with bike rentals and support for the riders,” Bobbitt told On The Pegs. “So basically, it’s a race team and an Enduro Tour/ Adventure Tour business.”

SEASON’S GREETINGS SEASON’S GREETINGS

GAS GAS NORTH AMERICA

ANDREW DELONG, THORN DEVLIN

Torrot GasGas NA Inc. signed former AMA National Enduro Champion Andrew Delong (left) to join the GasGas North America race effort. The 2014 National Enduro Champion will be aboard the new 2018 XC300 machine on the front row during the 2018 GNCC season, contesting the XC1 Pro class. In addition to the GNCC series, Delong will be competing in the National Enduro NE Pro 1 division.

Andrew will also help advise on product testing and younger rider development. The Pennsylvania native has reportedly been logging hours on the new bike getting ready for the new season.

“For 2018, I’m excited to take on new challenges and start fresh with the new GasGas company,” said DeLong. “ With one day of riding the bike, I’m super comfortable and excited to be on it. It’s been awhile since I’ve completed a full season, so my goal this year is to stay healthy and complete the season, and I want to be competitive every race. I’m very thankful to GasGas for giving me an opportunity like this!”

In addition to DeLong, Torrot GasGas NA Inc. also signed last year’s Kenda AMA National Enduro Expert-AA champion Thorn Devlin (right), who will compete in the NE Pro1 class in National Enduro.

For EnduroCross, Torrot Gas Gas NA has 10-time National Trials Champ Geoff Aaron returning to the fold. Aaron also serves as the team manager for Gas Gas’ US Trials Team, in addition to spending much of the year doing riding demonstrations at various industry functions and events. Noah Kepple had yet to be confirmed at the time we published this issue.

SILLY SEASON’S SILLY SEASON’S

EVAN SMITH, RON COMMO III, WALLY PALMER TEAM SRT/HUSQVARNA

SRT Racing won the Kenda AMA National Enduro title and the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series title behind the aggressive style of Steward Baylor in 2017. Baylor moved Tely Racing for 2018 but Team SRT should be in good hands having picked up Evan Smith (left) for the new year. Smtih was without a doubt the most improved pro rider of this past year, going from just inside the top 10 at the start of the season to sniffing at the podium at season’s end.

Ron Commo III is another east coast rider who should be a top-10 contender in the National Enduro Series. All SRT riders will be on Husqvarna in 2018.

For the AMA EnduroCross series, SRT Racing has series regulars Cory Graffunder, Trystan Hart, Kyle Redmond and Wild Wally Palmer (below) signed for 2018. Hart finished second in the EnduroCross series this year behind KTM’s Cody Webb, while Redmond was fourth and Graffunder was fifth. The trio should make for a formidable team in 2018. Palmer, who is always a crowd favorite, ended the 2017 season in 14th overall.

SRT Racing is based on the west coast so a lot of their riders are west coast guys. Here’s a list of the rest of the SRT Racing lineup:

Austin Wells, Clayton Gerstner, JT Baker, Joseph Bartziokas, Mike McGinnis, Morgan Crawford and Ryan Smith.

SEASON’S GREETINGS SEASON’S GREETINGS

TRAIL JESTERS KTM RACING OFFROAD BEN KELLEY, JASON KLAMMER

Ben Kelley (left) has signed with KTM and will return as a member of Trail Jesters KTM Racing offroad team for 2018. Kelley will race a factory prepared KTM 250 XC-F in the Grand National Cross Country XC2 250 Pro class and AMA National Enduro Championship NE1 Pro class. The Connecticut native will also compete in select National Extreme Enduros aboard a factory prepared KTM 250 XC-W TPI.

Kelley competed in the last four ISDE events and two years ago in Navara, Spain, he won the C2 class championship and was a member of the second place club team.

The 2018 Trail Jesters KTM Racing team will have a five-rider roster. Joining Kelley will be New England stand outs Jason Klammer, Taylor Johnston, Simon Johnson and Owen Giese..

Trail Jesters Racing served as sort of a springboard for Josh Toth, who moved from Trail Jesters Racing to a factory Yamaha ride in 2017 before graduating to a factory KTM ride for 2018.

Super enthusiast Ross Mauri is the owner of Trail Jesters Racing.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

STEWARD BAYLOR

“My first title, I was young. I was fast. I was fearless. I had balls of steel, I guess you could say. I came to win. I didn’t settle for second. I was going to win or I was going to crash trying. I had no respect for a national championship at that point.”

- STEWARD BAYLOR

SHAN MOORE

“It feels awesome to win another title,” Steward Baylor told On The Pegs after the Gobbler Getter Enduro. “After my injuries, after coming back from something the doctors told me I would never be able to come back from, to come back this year and come out swinging the way that I did and come out winning races in all three series and holding the points lead for a brief time in the GNCC’s, the sprint enduros, and now winning the national enduros, it’s been an unbelievable year. For me, more than anything, all I know is the doctors don’t know what the hell they’re talking about because I just proved them wrong. I’ve had a lot of surgeries. We had eight surgeries. We had stuff that the doctors said you shouldn’t be riding with. You shouldn’t ride with bones hanging out, but we’ve done it. At this point in my career I’m older, I guess you could say a little bit more wise, but at the end of the day I’m still hanging it out. That thought’s always in the back of my mind. What if I get hurt again? What if I’m in the hospital again? It’s something that I’ve got to live with but at the same time I’m so glad to be able to overcome that adversity and move forward into my career and kind of move back into the place where I was, where I left off five years ago.”

Steward Baylor took on an ambitious schedule in 2017, riding the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series, the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series and the Grand National Cross Country Series. And despite falling sick mid-way into the year with the Epstein-Barr Virus, the South Carolina rider still managed to win two titles: the National Enduro title and the Sprint Enduro title, though they both came down to the final round.

Steward is no stranger to riding through sickness and injury, and once rode a national enduro three days after having surgery to staple a broken collarbone. On The Pegs spoke with the KTM rider and got the scoop on how he managed this year’s season.

You won the opening round of the national enduro series in South Carolina. Do you feel like you came into this year better prepared than you have in the past?

I’ve won the opening round down there in Sumter quite a few times. That was always one of my favorite tracks, the race that I ride the best. I didn’t want to say that that race really sets the tone for the season because I’ve done it before, so it wasn’t necessarily at that point that I thought that I could do it. But after the GNCC win, I knew for a fact that I was better prepared than I had ever been coming into a season. Obviously the consistency in the first part of the year, at least until I got sick, it definitely showed that I was where I needed to be. Obviously the sickness definitely took me back down quite a bit. I still haven’t 100% rebounded from that, but that’s part of it.

What do you think was the difference from this year to last year? What were you doing better this year from last year?

Last year I think I realized that I really needed to put everything into this. There’s only a select few of us making money and those few are the guys that are winning. Actually Kailub (Russell), Thad (DuVall) and I are on the podium close to 70% of the time. And we’re probably the only three that are making a comfortable living doing this. That’s where I wanted to be. That’s where I saw myself. So, last year I started putting in the work. I changed trainers. I started doing some different things. I started trying some different techniques while on the bike. Everything just kind of fell in place. It obviously took over a year to get to where I wanted to be, and it took the off-season. I think the off-season training is the place where I can pick up the most. The reason I say that is during race season you do a GNCC, you’re out for two days. Yes, you can work out if you want to, but my trainer basically tells me you’re going to do more damage than good if you’re out there training on Monday and Tuesday. During the off-season I can hit it every day of the week, and we can control what my body’s doing. This off-season, since working with him, we really put in the man-hours and got my body where it needed to be. It’s tough to maintain during the season with such a busy schedule doing all three series, but we found time to balance it pretty well early in the year, at least until the sickness. I think having a positive crew around me and a mechanic this year, which I haven’t had the last few years, and just the little things, kind of tying up all the loose ends, everything fell into place.

How do you juggle riding three different series?

To be honest, it’s tough. It’s awful. I bought a boat this year kind of expecting to go out and have fun on it, and the only time that I ever really got to take it out was when Russell Bobbitt and Evan Smith would come up or I’d have buddies come down that shared the same passion that I do, because all of my friends back home work a 9-5 and they don’t have weekdays off. I don’t have weekends off. So I never even got to play on the boat. It’s definitely tough. There’s a lot of times where by mid-season I’m burned out. Everybody talks about how you’ve got the dream job. Man, I bust my ass. I’m putting in 70 hours, 80 hours a week. Doing the three series, usually I’m driving on Mondays. I’ve got Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to train. I’m usually leaving by midday on Thursday, depending on the race. I want to be there 48 hours in advance. After a long car drive, it does wipe your body out. Every little thing kind of plays into it. It’s tough to really manage my time. I just kind of stick with the same routine. I come home on Mondays and I try to get the majority of my stuff clean. That way everything is ready to roll on Thursday when I’m ready to leave. Then I try to spend my Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning doing what I need to do on the bike. It’s tough, but once you kind of get into a routine you just kind of try to stick with that routine and do it over and over. It’s definitely repetitive. It’s boring. A lot of time behind the wheel. I’ve calculated up the hours. Sunday to Sunday, seven days a week, I spend on average four hours behind the wheel of a car. So, it’s a lot of drive time. Obviously most of the hours are accumulated on the week-

ends, but we’re definitely grinding hard this year. It’s a short-lived life in this series. I want to do everything I can in the short amount of time that I have.

Can you do as well or better financially doing your own deal, compared to riding for a factory team?

The thing is, obviously everybody has kind of paid attention to the model that I’ve left over the last few years. In no shape or form do I want to sound cocky or arrogant, but it’s a card that I can play and not many people can really play this card. I come off as the real guy. I’ve been injured for the last few years. Until this year, I haven’t done anything. For the last five years, since Instagram, Facebook was around, I’ve still got a larger following than everybody but Kailub in our sport. I think that the reason for that is the way that people see me. They see me as a real guy. A guy that they can drink a beer with. A guy that their kids can come up and get their poster signed. For me, by doing my own deal I can keep that image, where under the factory team it’s a little bit different. Obviously they have to be very politically correct. For me personally it’s one of the things that I see that just doesn’t necessarily sit the same with me, because I’ve built this image. Everything in sports, everything realistically in anything is based upon image. It’s what people see. I want people to see me as a real person. Yes, I cuss. I’ll drink a beer with you. It’s stuff that real people do. I want to be seen and known and associated as a real guy. I’ve been able to play that card. By doing my own deals it allows me to have the freedom of speech, I guess you could say, to where I can. If the time comes to where I’ve got to join one

of the factory teams, obviously this is a business. I understand that 100%. I’ve built this image based on what worked for me during the time that I needed it to work for me. I’ve made a lot of money by doing that and by setting that image. But if things need to change, I can change however I need to be. The way I have to see it is Kevin Windham, Chad Reed - I went down to Party in the Pasture a few years ago and these guys were out amongst the crowd drinking beer. This was when I was younger and I looked up to these guys. I was like, man, that’s so cool. Those guys are real guys. If you look, Kevin Windham and Chad Reed, they’ve had colorful careers. They’ve been good riders, but they were never the Ryan Villopotos. They were never the James Stewarts. They never had a dominant season like that. But what they had is they had the fans. I believe that the reason they had those fans is because they were perceived as a real person. Now the guy that you see doing it is Ken Roczen. Obviously motocross has a lot more places for guys like that to be seen in their own image, but for me I’m the only one in the woods and I don’t think there’s a lot of room for it. The Ryan Dungey’s have to be out there. There has to be a lot of clean-cut, socially acceptable at all times guys. For me that’s just not me, at least at this time. Whatever I’ve done has worked for me so far.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but even though you have your own deal, I think KTM supplies you with Allen Gravitt as your mechanic, right?

Yes. So, KTM is still a huge part of my program.

That’s got to be huge to have a mechanic after spending the last few years working on your own bikes. Last year that was one of the things. I had done all the work last year. I ran three series. It was tough to run three series, let alone tough to run three series while being your own mechanic. There for a while I had Colt Hensley down to work on my bike, then he had to go back home. So this year we locked in a deal with KTM to where we had a mechanic. For next year it sounds like we’re going to have AG back again. KTM is still a really big part of my program. When Antti (Kallonen) and I talked he understands my image. He understands what I’m going for. He knows that the way that KTM is going to be is a little more corporate. They’ve got to have the clean-cut guy, and I completely understand that. He understands where I’m coming from. We see eye to eye on everything. I’ve had KTM support since I was ten years old with Jack Penton when it all started. I definitely never want to leave that company. I’m definitely glad to have their support. Next year it looks like my brother Grant will be joining the team. Hopefully he’ll have a little better season now that his shoulder is fixed. I think it’s going to be a really good year, having the KTM support and being able to do our own thing, just kind of working towards our dreams as a kid. Being able to do it with your brother and share the top step of the podium two races back to back with him was pretty bad-ass. I really hope next year is as good as I have it pictured.

How would you to describe your style?

I’ve really struggled – and it’s always been this way – I’ve struggled on the opening lap on a GNCC. I’ve struggled at the first section of a national enduro. The faster and easier the trail is, I struggle. So, this year I picked up the sprint enduros because they’re fast and easy, and you’ve got to be on your toes. They’re short and then you get an hour break. So, it’s basically like you’re completely shutting off and then firing up again. That was intended to help my starting, but even still with the national enduros I haven’t been winning the first test. It’s definitely tough to start with a deficit every weekend. As the race wears on and the tests usually get longer and the A sections are at the end, that’s where I’ve always ridden the best. When the track is gnarly and it’s very physically demanding and you’ve really got to be on your toes. I don’t know what it is. Not really sure

“The “A” sections end, that’s where ridden

why it suits me the way it does. The last section of Missouri, the last section of Oklahoma when it’s gnarly, when it’s rocky, when it’s technical, it’s just always been what suits my style. I really don’t know the answer because if I go

sections are at the

where I’ve always ridden the best.”

out to a Hard Enduro I’ll place, but I’m not up there with Cody Webb, by any means. I guarantee if you throw him in a national enduro on the last test when it’s as gnarly as Missouri was, I’ll smoke him there.

Do you think you get better as the race goes on?

I definitely do. In the GNCC’s, nine times out of the ten, you look at the

last lap time either Grant or I, one of the two of us have the fastest lap almost every race there at the end. It’s tough. It really is. I start with that deficit and mentally it’s tough to wrap your mind around coming back through all those guys. A lot of times, especially in the GNCC’s, nobody wants to let you by. Then at the national enduros, you start that race with a deficit. You move into the second test and you’ve got an hour to sit there while you’re doing the transfer, or sitting there eating a snack or whatever waiting for the second section to start. You’ve got an hour to sit there and kick yourself for whatever you did in the first test. For me, that’s tough. It’s hard to overcome that. The best thing that I can do is be positive, forget about it and move on to the next section.

How do you prepare for three different series during the week? If there’s an enduro coming up do you ride all tight stuff? If there’s a sprint enduro coming up, do you ride sprints?

My on-the-bike training doesn’t necessarily change from week to week. I try to ride three days a week. A lot of times it’s only two with the season rolling like it is right now. But basically I try to get an hour and a half of seat time. One thing that I’ve found is drills are key. Doing your corner drills, putting in the actual work, it does pay off, but you’ve got to have fun too. I try to do 15 minutes just playing around, having fun, blowing up turns, going hill climbing, screwing around, riding rocks, whatever it may be. Then I try to put in an hour solid of corner drills, whatever it may be, whatever I’m working on that day. I usually try to stick to the same things. I’m doing my turns, my braking, braking control, riding without brakes, standing up, sitting down, whatever my drill may be. Sometimes riding without my hand on the bar. Sometimes I’ll try to keep my feet on the pegs the entire way around the track. Little things like that. I put exactly an hour on the bike doing those drills, and then another 15 minutes to kind of cool me off in the end, just to cool me down. I guess the difference from week to week is actually my training in the gym. We’ll do more duration on a GNCC week. Very short, explosive bursts during sprint enduro week. Then during the national enduros we’ll do kind of a very explosive, zone five. We base everything off

of where my heart rate is when I’ve worn my heart rate in those races. We’ll try to do like a zone five, not necessarily short but more like ten-minute sprints for the national enduro weeks. Basically my trainer’s idea behind that is you’re getting your body into a routine, you’re building up a routine every day that your body notices, and when it’s race day you’re not shocking your body by what you’re doing to it. So, that’s the only difference that I actually do. It’s not necessarily on the bike, but it’s more in the gym.

“That was kind opener realized my body

Are you and Grant still practicing together?

Yes. Now I live about 30 minutes from my dad’s, but in-between where he lives and where I live my uncle has a killer place. We go out there a good bit. My dad’s place, obviously we still ride there sometimes. Sometimes we’ll ride back behind my new house. We just try to mix it up. Luckily this year with Tayla being around and MacKenzie Tricker up the road, Ricky Russell, Grant, we’ve had a pretty good group to ride throughout the week. Russell Bobbitt and Evan Smith come up sometimes and ride the rocks out at my uncle’s

place. There’s always usually somebody to ride with. I’m not struggling to find somebody to go out and put motos in. Honestly at the end of the day the one that always pulls through is probably Tayla. She’s there and she’s ready to ride. It doesn’t matter. Sometimes she’ll ride in the morning. I’ll text her and say, “Hey, you want to ride this afternoon?” She’ll gear back up and be ready to roll. We obviously still put in the time together and are able to ride a good bit together, but this year it’s been really good. We’ve had a lot of people to ride with. It’s been fun.

kind of an eyefor me, when I

body was not up to par.”

The year you won your first championship you were pretty much a sand specialist, but now you’re very balanced. You’re good in the rocks. You’re good everywhere. Do you feel like you’re an all-around rider now?

Yeah, definitely. I’ve spent a lot of time making sure that I could compete in every condition. It’s funny that you bring that up. This year obviously at my dad’s house we’ve got sand, we’ve got roots, we’ve got our tight trails. We’ve got almost everything you could imagine. Now my uncle’s new place is very

similar, except we also have sand there. I get all the conditions. Grant asked me one day, “Why are you riding? We don’t have a rock race for three months.” I’m like, “I’m riding the rocks because when that rock race comes I want to be 100% prepared for it.” I go out and I change clickers. I try to keep notes. I try to make sure that I know exactly what my bike’s going to do. I try to find that really good balance between everything. A lot of times I’ll work a rock loop at least once a week, at least for a few minutes. Sometimes it’s my warm-up, sometimes it’s for fun. I want to be well balanced for whenever those obstacles are thrown at me. Obviously this year it’s really paid off. Any technical or rocky sections, it’s definitely been the deal-breaker at a lot of these national enduros for me whenever those gnarly sections roll out.

Talk about the series finale – the Gobbler Getter. That’s where the title was decided.

The day started surprisingly well. I think in my entire career in national enduros, I’ve probably only won the opening test a handful of times, I would say less than five. For me to start out the day with that win, that was definitely good motivation leading into the next one. Obviously things were still fairly close. I was able to gap out I think close to 30 seconds there after test four, or right at 30 seconds, just over. Somewhere in there. I gave myself enough of a cushion to ride those last two sections smart. I made a pretty big mistake there in test five and went down. That set me back. It’s funny -

when I went down, I was counting. I knew exactly. From the time I hit the ground to the time I got back up it was seven seconds exactly. For me, that was really tough. Then Thad (DuVall) ended up getting me back I think 12 seconds in there. The last test all I was thinking is let him throw it away if anybody’s going to throw it away. Let him push. Let him try to catch me. He rode a really flawless race as well as I. At the end of the day, only twelve seconds separated us. He ended up beating me by a few more in that last test, but luckily I had just enough of a cushion. That place has suited me really well. I’m definitely happy with the way the day went.

This was kind of an up and down year with you getting sick midway through the year. Were you surprised that you were able to come back like you did?

Yeah, definitely. When I got sick it was one of those things where my temperature was so high they said I could get brain damage. I know my memory was definitely not there. The following two months probably I lost everything that Nate and I, my trainer, had worked so hard to gain. We basically watched it go away as I was lying on the couch every day just about. I was trying so hard. I wanted to work out. I wanted to train. I wanted to ride. When I would get out of bed, go ride, go train, whatever it may be, it was all I could do to get 20 minutes into it. That was really tough for me knowing the amount of work that I put in this year. I had a lot of second thoughts on everything. Whenever Pennsylvania National Enduro

rolled around that is my favorite race. It always has been, and in my opinion always will be. That was kind of an eyeopener for me when I realized my body was just not up to par. That race always suits me and I didn’t even land on the podium. That was really tough to live with. Over the next few weeks we studied on what I had and upped the doses on the vitamins. There leading into Unadilla I was able to start training. Over the last few months everything started turning back around and just started clicking again. We closed out the season with a few wins. Obviously Thad was hurt and I was sick, but we rode really well even with the circumstances. I felt just as strong as I ever have. I can’t wait to race with him next year. It was a hell of a year. Thad, hats off to him. He was great after the race. We hugged each other. It was super cool. We talked about deer hunting while we were racing all day long. People around the track have been asking all day, “You’re actually buddies with the guy that you’re going up head to head with?” All I got to say is we both want the same thing at the end of the day. I really enjoy racing Thad. He’s a good guy. Obviously they helped me out a lot when I had my eye issues a few weeks ago. Hats off to the whole DuVall family for having me up there, riding with me and being so cool during all of this. Obviously it was a hell of a year, a lot of pressure. I haven’t been getting much sleep the last two weeks. n

“From the time I hit the ground to the time I got up was seven seconds exactly.”

ALIEN AUTOPSY

A MOTORHEAD’S GUIDE TO THE COOLEST BIKES

STEWARD BAYLOR’S

KTM 350 XC-F

Steward Baylor won the Kenda AMA National Enduro title and the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro title on a KTM 350 XCF. We talked to Stew’s mechanic, Allen Gravitt, to get the scoop on his championship winning bike. Here’s Allen’s rundown of the bike:

The suspension is done by Coppersmith out of Ohio. At the Enduros Steward likes the closed-cartridge forks, and at the GNCC’s he runs the cone valves. The cone valves are a little bit stiffer, and he likes the feel of the closedcartridge forks in the Enduro type stuff because they’ve got a little bit more plushness right at the top of the stroke. For National Enduro it’s really stiff, but for his weight

and ability it’s kind of soft at the very beginning, but then it firms up real quick. I’ve never seen him really bottom it hard. He’s never had knobby tire marks under the rear fender or any of that stuff. The shock, we had to have some springs special-made because with his weight and his ability he was right between two springs. So, instead of running the stock 50 or going up to a 54 we had some 53’s made,

and that’s what he seems to prefer on the enduro bike.

The Enduro motor is tuned by Factory Services to have a little bit more bottom, where the GNCC motor has more top-end, over-rev stuff. The guys in Factory Services, they know whose motor it is they are working on, so they have specs for every person’s motor and they pull the sheet out. Okay, this one gets built this way.

He’s running the KTM hard parts triple clamps, with stock 22mm off-set, right out of the KTM hard parts book.

He uses Flex bars with G2 throttle cam and tube, and G2 hand guards. He’s been known to get a little whiskey throttle every now and then, so I leave a little play in the throttle.

He’s kind of picky about lever placement, especially with the problems that he’s had with his wrist. The brake lever and the clutch lever have to be in exactly the right spot.

ALIEN AUTOPSY

STEWARD BAYLOR’S KTM 350 XC-F

There’s guys out there a lot more picky about it, but he’s still pretty picky.

We run stock brake calipers and stock rotors. On the front and on the rear, we run the SRT solid rotors and the SRT sprockets and chains, plus TM Designs chain guides.

Gearing is 13/50 and he never changes.

We run the same tires everywhere except in the sand. It’s always a Washougal II Sticky, front and rear.

Our FMF exhausts come from KTM, through the factory team. It’s what they’ve done testing with FMF and run on the dyno to find what works the best with their motor package.

The clutch is a Rekluse manual. In really tight or re -

ally sandy races he’s pretty rough on clutches, or in the mud. But most of the time he’s not that bad on clutches. We don’t put a new clutch in for every race.

We run a fan on the radiators, right out of the hard parts catalogue. It’s got a programmable thermostat so I can set how hot it gets when it comes on. It’s pretty neat. We’ve got a few trick little things like an SXS skid plate from Jonathan Seehorn. And then we’ve got a carbon fiber ignition wire guard coming out of the ignition cover to keep rocks and stuff from hitting it.

Stew runs the Fastway ankle savers foot pegs. He

and Grant were the first ones to use them. They were cast iron back then. Those things weighed five pounds each. These don’t weigh anything.

The rear master cylinder is stock. The hose is Galfer and the caliper is stock. We always run the stock rear brake pads.

The linkage is stock. This bike is a lot more stock than what everybody thinks it is.

Stew’s not real picky to work with. He’s got a few things that he’s really picky about, like bar position and the brake pedal. He likes a lot of power out of the motor. He runs the bike at a really high RPM so we kind of do what we can to prevent overheating issues and stuff like that with that

kind of stuff.

I always bleed the brakes, but usually the fluid looks like brand new. The thing that he’s the hardest on is the tires, the rear tire. He can smoke a rear tire faster than anybody I’ve ever seen, and that’s because he rides at such a high RPM all the time. The bike spins all the time. n

SHOULD I BUY THAT

SWEET,

THAT NEW BIKE?

SWEET,

BUY IT! BUY A BEATER AND RIDE VINTAGE CLASS

WOULDN’T YOUR GIRLFRIEND WANT BE HAPPY?

The T-18 (Dragonfly) is coming very soon. The first adult electric trials bike with a real clutch, 3-hr battery, gears and a weight of 120 lbs.

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TRS ONE RR

ADAM RAGA RACING

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THE INSIDE SCOOP BACK ON TOP

A look at Pat Smage’s quest for a ninth US MotoTrials title and his two-year battle with Spaniard Marc Friexa. IN 2016, SPANIARD MARC FREIXA HAD HIS WAY WITH THE US MOTOTRIALS SERIES, WINNING THE US CHAMPIONSHIP WITH RELATIVE EASE. THAT WAS ENOUGH INCENTIVE FOR PAT SMAGE TO PUT HIS NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE. THE WISCONSIN NATIVE WORKED HARD ALL WINTER PREPARING FOR THE 2017 SEASON, WHICH HE EVENTUALLY WON, BEATING FREIXA FOR THE TITLE.

Last year Freixa beat you. What did you do over the winter to improve? I worked on a lot over the winter. I would say that the biggest thing was probably mental because in 2016 when I heard he was coming over I knew what he had done in the past and I think mentally I was beat before we started. So the biggest thing was getting over that and just trying to enjoy riding. That really helped take the pressure off a little bit and just let me ride without thinking that I have to win or else. Mentally that was the biggest challenge to just have the confidence to know that I’m capable of beating him, since I didn’t feel that I was the year before. A lot of that was due to Ryan Young having the confidence in me. During the off-season he just told me, ‘hey, we’re going to win again’. It was maybe at that time tough for me to believe but after he said that I’m like, well, I’m going to do everything I possibly can to try to win again. A lot of that was spending a lot of time in the winter riding outside. We had a pretty mellow winter. The ground was freezing and thawing a lot, but I was riding in those worst possible conditions more than I had in the past. I had always ridden no matter what the conditions were, but this year we just had a lot of weather that allowed me to ride outside more. We didn’t have a lot of big snows where you just couldn’t go anywhere. It was more like a couple inches of snow or just really, really soft mud. So, just riding in those conditions and figuring out how to find traction where there is none. I spent a lot of time out there in the woods by my house. You never know if it’s going to pay off, but this year it actually did with the conditions in Rhode Island. So I’m

“The ground and thawing riding in those sible conditions had in the past.”

ground was freezing thawing a lot, but I was those worst posconditions more than I past.”

really happy that it actually made it all worthwhile when you’re used to beating your head against the wall a little bit trying to ride when it’s not the most pleasant out, but it just makes it all worthwhile.

You had told me at one time that the slippery stuff was kind of one of your weaknesses and that you really improved there. So technically, what did you do?

It’s a little bit of everything. Just knowing when to use those techniques. I could do them in the past, but when the event would come around I would just basically almost throw it out the window and not be confident enough in my abilities in the mud to actually ride like I should. It’s just being patient, weighting the pegs more, moving your feet back on the pegs to get your weight further down and back. Being patient on those takeoffs and waiting to dig in for the traction at times. Just being really smooth and patient and just waiting out that grip because it doesn’t just come right away. You can’t just move your body forward and let the clutch out because you’ll just spin everywhere. The main thing is having confidence in those conditions. When it started raining in 2016 I totally fell apart. This year it started raining again and Ryan talked to me about staying positive. I’m just like, I’m going to stay positive and make the best of it and use the techniques that I’ve been working on for years and years. I guess it’s taken this long to actually be confident in my abilities to put it to the test when I actually needed. It was nice to see that pay off and be worthwhile.

“When it started in 2016 I totally This year it ing and Ryan about staying

started raining totally fell apart. started rainRyan talked to me staying positive.”

I noticed also this year that on a big obstacle if you were doing a splatter, where maybe in the past you might bail out too soon, you would hold on that extra second and wait for the tire to grab traction and just ride it out, and it’d end up paying off for you.

Yeah. Also I was a little bit too much of a perfectionist in my riding where if I felt just a little bit off then it would lead to a mistake, but now I try to ride that out a little bit and let the bike do what I know it can. It can make up for mistakes if you let it. If I was just a little bit off line it would freak me out and it was not where I wanted to be, so it would lead to a bigger mistake. Just being comfortable, letting my bike do a little bit of the work and holding on that extra second instead of bailing out is definitely key. It’s something that was really hard for me to be comfortable with. I always want to be in control and the second I feel like I’m spinning or not on my line or didn’t pop clutch at the right time or anything like that, in the past it would have freaked me out a little bit more. I just try to let that slide a bit and be patient with everything and know that if there’s traction that I can wait for it and find it. The bikes these days are so amazing. They can just do so much more. I’m still learning what they can do. Just relying on the clutch and the power and the grip of the tires and everything. It’s pretty amazing what they can do.

When I was at your place a couple of years ago, you were doing a lot of practicing on a fat bike bicycle. Are you still doing that?

Yeah. I still do a lot of mountain biking. I think it just keeps things fun and interesting and also just

“I was a little of a perfectionist felt like I was then it would take.”

little bit too much perfectionist where if I was just a bit off would lead to a mis-

builds the cardio, which is necessary to have that endurance throughout the day and be able to stay strong from the first section to the last. You have to be in pretty good shape. Anything that has two wheels I’ve always gravitated towards and enjoyed doing. So when I can find something like that that is fun and I want to do it and it also benefits me on the motorcycle, everything goes hand in hand and it makes sense to keep doing that for as long as I can.

At what point during the season did you realize, ‘hey, I think I might be able to win this thing’?

There were three moments that stand out to me. The first one was actually in Texas on Sunday. It was a relatively easy day except for a few sections. And one section in particular, number 10, had a tricky uphill right-hander. On the third loop I came around and Marc was riding ahead of me. So he rode it and made a mistake. That kind of just put all the pressure on me to either clean it and have that confidence knowing that I can ride that stuff just as well or at times better than him, and for me to be able to clean it the third loop and have a clean day, just kind of gave me a little bit of confidence. It just gave me that little confidence boost that I think carried through Kansas. Then the next thing was in Ohio. After losing the first day very narrowly, I really wanted to make up for it the second day. I started off well but I had a big mistake when I broke the ribbon in a section. I was just one inch off my line and the front tire slid into the ribbon and I got a five. After that point, it was like, if I have one mistake during the day I’m pretty much going to lose. At that point, it was like the whole season was in jeopardy. Marc had the momentum from winning the day before, and I just blew it right away in the first few sections on Sunday. But to be able to turn that around and come away with the win that day, that was really key for me confidence-wise and just to know that I can come back from mistakes, and even if I do make one there’s still that chance that he can make one too. It really helped going into the last rounds in Rhode Island. The final thing was being able to win in the mud in Rhode Island. That was really the biggest thing for me that just made it all worth it. So where I had struggled the most before, I was able to pull off the win. Definitely those three times were kind of the big memories for me and just kind of wraps up the whole year in those few moments.

Pat Smage and Toni Bou (above) enjoy some fun on bicycles at this year’s Trial des Nations. Pat and Marc celebrate after the Rhode Island round.

I think it was section number three in Rhode Island on the first day, there was pretty much a vertical rock and you pretty much used your whole body just to get up on it. Nobody else could even get up on it.

Yeah, I remember that one. There was a real muddy takeoff. Everybody was trying to splatter it and just spinning like crazy and almost going over the bars because there was no traction. It was one of the mud techniques I had been practicing. I just barely used any throttle and just pretty much willed the bike up with strength. If you pop the clutch at all you’re just going to stand and light the tire up and just not go anywhere. You’re basically just whipping the bike up there with no help from the power.

Do you think maybe that was some bicycle technique that you were using?

Yes, that was basically a very, very exaggerated bicycle bunny-hop. On a bicycle you’re definitely kind of coasting in and just bunny-hopping up yourself. So, it was kind of just everything I possibly had to do that. It was like riding a 150-pound bicycle up to the top of the rock. It was definitely something that I’d taken from that. It’s not exactly, directly the same way but it’s the same kind of technique, just adapted to a motorcycle

When you go practice, do you find one obstacle that you know you need to practice on and just do it repeatedly? Or do you set up a section that’s just got everything in it and just keep riding it until you clean it?

I do a little bit of both. I like to mix it up. Typically before the season I’ll do at least six sections and

ride them at least three times. in those three times I’ll keep riding I learned how to do it and got didn’t clean it within those three Typically before and after that obstacles, but it’s not like a number things. At times there’s things want to work on, splatter stuff niques. But I really like to make feel that’s the best way to practice combining all those techniques you’re competing, so you want fortable making the lines together. so much better when you’re thinking entire section rather than just is important to do those single there also, but I think it’s less important Once you kind of learn them all tain level, it’s more important

A few years ago you told me weaknesses were hill climbs. hill climbs?

Yeah, I definitely have been and owe a lot of that to my dad. some land up north of us. The I was really disappointed because kind of sandy hill climbs. I was because I’m no good at this stuff’. more fun and just kind of forced to ride them better and learn and take on the challenge rather ‘I suck at this stuff. I don’t want need to practice and make me actually really enjoy them. I love

times. If I don’t clean them riding it until I feel like got some cleans. Or if I three then I’ll move on. that I’ll work on certain number of a certain things I have in mind that I stuff and individual techmake sections because I practice because you’re techniques in sections while want to be the most comtogether. You’ll be focused thinking about an just one obstacle. But it single obstacles here and important typically. all and you’re at a certo focus on sections.

me one of your big climbs. Are you better at working on them a lot dad. He actually bought The first time I went there because it was all loose was like, ‘this is a bummer stuff’. I wanted it to be forced myself to learn how how to enjoy them rather than being like, want to ride it’. It’s what I me a better rider. Now I love going there. It’s so

- DO YOU -

MIND?

WE TALK TO SIX-TIME US TRIALS CHAMP RYAN YOUNG ABOUT MINDING FOR PAT IN 2017

What area did you see the biggest improvement in Pat this year over last year?

He had a couple areas of big improvement. One is riding in the mud. He practiced a lot of slippery terrain, so when it was wet he was pretty dialed in on the slippery stuff. The other big improvement was his attitude. He wasn’t defeated before the event even started like in the past. If it was slippery he would pretty much be defeated before he even started. So he had a really good attitude, very positive, never gave up and never lost his cool. We had some fiascos that in the past would have just ended our day because of the attitude “I already lost.” This year, we would fight to the very end, and it really paid off in several occasions. So believing in himself and staying positive all day long.

much different than what I practice on all the time at my house, so to have that area to go train has been really beneficial for me because it’s basically taking my biggest weakness and giving me no excuse not to practice and get better at it.

I know you told me you were sponsored by one of the bicycle companies. Are you still working with a bicycle company?

Still working with the same company. It’s Fatback. Still riding for them. This year I took just a little bit of a step back with the videos and stuff on that side just because I really wanted to focus on the motorcycle stuff. I’m still using that just more for cross-training. A little bit less of the travel for this year anyway. Just hoping to save that for the off-season. There’s still a chance of doing another trip, but for now just trying to really focus on the trials stuff this year before I can go with that again.

Last year you would start an event and you would go out ahead of Freixa and go as fast as you could, but this year you spent more time watching Freixa and you guys would ride back and forth. Do you feel like you learned anything watching Freixa, or did you pretty much just ride your own race?

That was part of my strategy last year, just kind of try to run away. I haven’t had very many chances to ride with someone like him and watch him and see how he does things. So, this year I just took it as a way to learn and a way to try to get better. I actually rode practice with him a little bit and just tried to watch how he did things. I don’t think every technique and way he hits things, it doesn’t always transfer over

to what will work for me because versus four-stroke thing. There’s techniques there. I think just everything still helped me and option. There was one thing Texas before the event that and then after watching him using all this body and effort He was hardly doing anything, it each time. It almost was one approaches. He actually let the the very bottom of the obstacle. vertical that the rear tire would I was trying to lift and splatter as I can, and it was just impossible get all the way to the top. So the bottom without hardly any was like, just try that and see wrong to do but it worked. So just kind of kept in mind if we that. It definitely helps. He has than anyone here and has been anyone here. So I was like, I vantage of that and try to learn here instead of just try to run

Do you feel like there were the two-stroke had an advantage some places where the four-stroke tage?

I used to feel a little bit more bikes now the power is so smooth are so good that even in Rhode body thinks a muddy event able to have the upper hand

because of the two-stroke

There’s a little bit different just to see how he rode and and just gave me another thing we were practicing in I couldn’t quite figure out, him I figured it out. I was effort and I wasn’t making it. anything, but he was flying up one of those “less is more” the back tire just slam into obstacle. But he was just so would drive up to the top. splatter and get as much lift impossible to get enough to So to watch him just hit any body movement, it see what happens. It felt so So it was something that I we ran into an obstacle like has way more experience been at a level higher than might as well take adlearn something while he’s run away. were some sections where advantage and maybe four-stroke had an advanmore that way, but with the smooth and the clutches Rhode Island where everyfavors a four-stroke, to be hand there proved to me I was

- RYAN YOUNG -

Let’s talk about strategy. Last year you guys rode ahead of Marc Freixa and didn’t even watch him ride. This year you rode with him. You took turns going first. Pat paid more attention to Marc’s riding. Was that a definite strategy that you guys changed for this year?

We didn’t really change the strategy per se. What we communicated to each other was we can’t do what we did last year. That means a lot of things. It means attitude, 100% effort all the way to the last section, and perhaps watching the scores and watching him ride a few sections.

I noticed in Ohio he had bad luck where in one of the sections he cleared a marker but then the sand went down and knocked the boundary over, and he ended up getting a five. But he didn’t seem to let it bother him. He came back and won the next day. That was kind of proof right there that his attitude was way better than what it was the year before.

Yeah, we almost won that day as well. I think his attitude did carry on a little bit to the next section and he gave away I think at least two points in the next section on the exit. There was just a couple little tiny ledges. I think he had two ones there. But he did maybe have a little tiny hiccup then finished strong that day and did almost have the victory that day as well. But much, much, much better attitude than past seasons. He kept his cool and calm. For me as a minder, he was much more enjoyable to work with, keeping his cool all day long and me not having to babysit his temper.

wrong. So, I wouldn’t say that anywhere was really better or worse for either of us. I think it comes down to more just being more familiar with the bike and knowing how you have to ride on that bike. I know he’s developed the bike he’s on pretty well, pretty far and been hands-on with that. He knows how it works and I know how mine works. They both can get the job done and work really well. So it’s just about deciding how you need to ride each individual area.

Do you feel like that first day in Rhode Island was your best win of the year?

Yeah, definitely. It’s one that will probably stick out for a long time, especially after the year before how things went then and how things typically would go for me in those conditions. To prove to myself that I can do it in those conditions I think will help me in the future too. Before it would be raining and I went bike riding in the rain and practicing and had no issues with that, it was just when I would come to the event I would lose that confidence and not be able to ride like I know I can. So to prove to myself that I can do it I think is just going to help me in the future. That one is probably going to stick out and be a memorable one.

How much does Ryan help you?

Do you feel like you improved mentally or technique-wise?

That’s a good question. I would cause I knew I had the techniques slippery conditions. I just wasn’t to use and a lot of that comes mentally confident and actually rather than knowing they’re use them when you need them. just getting over that block. I could do them, so when you’re beat down like that it’s almost anything other than losing. So enough to not think about that not be bummed out that he’s and be positive and put everything test. It’s definitely a mental battle with trials because it’s such a take can really get you down able to move past those mistakes has been the biggest challenge.

He really does quite a bit. All around from the mental side to the actual techniques and line choice and everything. It really depends on the day. If there’s an easier day he doesn’t have as much to help just because it’s pretty straightforward, but when things get challenging and tricky and there’s more lines to choose from, or if I do have mistakes he’s really good at realizing those mistakes and looking for different lines and suggesting different ent gear choice. He’s been pretty say. This year was definitely the worked together. If I made a what to say. If I found somewhere tioning I would know when know what to say. We worked know each other pretty well, when I need help and when do my thing and all that. It was well as a team as we did this

different techniques or a differpretty beneficial, I would the best we’ve ever mistake he would know somewhere that I was questo ask him, and he would worked together really well. We well, so he’s getting to know he needs to just let me was really great to work as year.

improved more this year technique-wise?

would say mentally betechniques in the past in the wasn’t able to put them comes down to being more actually putting them to use there but being afraid to them. I would say my brain

In 2016 I didn’t think you’re already mentally almost impossible to expect So to just be confident that the whole day and he’s here, just try your best everything you know to the battle that is really hard a long day that one misdown and ruin your day. To be mistakes and still ride well challenge.

- RYAN YOUNG -

Pat’s always told me that slippery conditions were his weak spot, did you see a big improvement in his slippery riding skills?

Yeah, in Rhode Island it was extremely slippery and he hit the marks perfectly. We did have fives, but again he didn’t give up. He stuck with it and kept fighting to the end. There were a few sections that were just incredible how you would need huge lift and land right on the apex of a rock because it’s basically as slippery as ice. If you’re not in the center it’s going to slide off. You have to shut all the power off immediately. Just things like that that you have to know from practice, how to keep that tire stuck and not spin off the top of a rock. It’s a very fine line and he was hitting it perfectly every time. So his winter slippery practice I think really paid off. Basically at the end of last year he knew he could beat Marc because of how close he was, and basically fiving the last section is the only difference why he lost. So I think he knew he could beat Marc. He had all winter to really try to up his game where he might have been coasting previous years in the national championships, or maybe not practicing 150%. That little taste of victory towards the end of the season gave Pat a lot of drive to step up his practice. n

What advice would you give a young rider who wants to get to the championship level and to be the best that he can be?

I’d say the biggest thing is to have fun and don’t expect too much of yourself and don’t let mistakes or bad days or bad weekends or bad years really get you down too much. There’s always another event. There’s always another year. There’s always ways to improve. Use any mistakes you make as a way to learn and a way to get better. It never comes down to the one day. It’s always the big picture. It’s learning out of mistakes and getting better. One mistake isn’t going to keep you from getting better and learning from it. Keep enjoying it and realize that riding motorcycles is a fun thing to do and that’s why everybody gets into it in the first place. I think that’s the biggest thing to remember is just to have fun and everything else will come if you put the time in.

Do you think it’s possible for a young rider to move up classes too fast? That maybe he should stay in stay amateur class longer and learn the basics better?

I think it’s important to learn the basics. I have seen a few kids that move up too quick and then they’re crashing or just pushing through things and

they’re not learning the correct way, so it’s not helping them that they’re riding harder sections because they’re just throwing themselves in there and not even really thinking about it and just trying to ride. You’re better off riding the class until you’re almost bored with it and not learning anything, and then you move up when you’re really ready for that challenge. Even the Pro class sometimes, there will be days that are very easy so it’s important to learn how to be consistent. Even if there’s an easy section you can still make mistakes, but to make sure you don’t on a competition day, that takes a lot of practice riding those easy sections and being mentally focused. That’s something that you can develop by riding that class you’re in until you’re really set on it and really ready to move up. You can always learn.

The old 125 versus a big bike controversy. Some little kids, sometimes their dads want to get them on a big bike as soon as possible. Are you in favor of staying on a 125 and learning how to use your body more rather than using the power? Or do you think you should move up to the bigger bike and learn how to use the power?

I’m definitely an advocate of the 125 even though I didn’t take the ap -

proach, I’d say is the best way. My dad didn’t even really know about it at the time so he just got the 290. ‘Here, ride this one.’ After starting on a big bike and then later going back and riding the 125 for a few years, it really helped develop me as a rider, using that extra technique. I would say that’s something that has helped me in the mud these days. That rock you were talking about that was all body, that also comes from riding a 125 where you don’t have that power to rely on. You have to ride everything perfect and really exaggerate your body techniques and movements. So I’m definitely all for staying on 125s as long as you can, really. As long as it makes sense. I think that 125 Expert class, I’d really like to see more guys stick in it longer to develop further and then they’ll be more ready for the pro class when that time comes.

What do you think about next year’s schedule?

It’s going to be good. It’s spread out and longer, which will be interesting just because we’ve been so accustomed to the short seasons and getting it done in the end of June. But it will cover a lot of different terrain and it will be a good, true test of an allaround rider to ride all the different venues. I’ve been all the places that we’re going, so I think it’s going to be a fun year and another challenging one. I’m definitely looking forward to it. n

“I have seen a few kids that move up too quick and then they’re crashing or just pushing through things and they’re not learning the correct way.”

VENDEE, FRANCE, DECEMBER 3, 2017

BOU WINS X-TRIAL OPENER

AND SO IT BEGINS

PHOTOS COURTESY HONDA RACING, TRS, AND VERTIGO MOTORS

TONI BOU

AND SO IT BEGINS

The 2018 X-Trial series is

off and running

- even though the first round was held in December of 2017 - and Toni Bou began the defense of his eleventh indoor title with style, easily winning the series opener in Vendee, France.

New promoter 2Play has installed a new format for X-Trials for the new season, which features three phases to determine the competition’s eventual winner.

The first phase – an initial qualifying round – will be fought out in among the nine participating riders in groups of three. The top six go on to the next round – a semi-final – where only the best of each of the two groups will go through to compete in the final. Bou excelled in all phases.

SO BEGINS

In the first qualifying round, Bou laid down the gauntlet, collecting just a single penalty point in the sixsection course, as the eleven-time champion sauntered through the relatively easy sections. The second phase of the competition saw Bou included in a group with James Dabill and Benoît Bincaz, with only the topfinisher going through to the final. Bou replicated the near perfect first lap to comfortably seal a place in the final.

In the meantime, last year’s runner-up to the series, Adam Raga, suffered a nasty crash in in the final section of qualifying which ultimately kept him out of the two-man final.

AND SO IT BEGINS

SO BEGINS

Raga, still stunned by his earlier crash, managed to reach the second phase, but as the first rider to tackle each section the factory TRS rider was eventually eliminated by new Gas Gas signee Jaime Busto.

“I had a good scare at the end of the last zone of the first lap because I lost control of the bike and it was a hard fall, fortunately I did not hurt myself and I did well in the semifinal, in fact I was out of the final by just a point, considering how the trial started, getting on the podium is a good result,” said Raga.

FINAL

The final was not decided until the last zone of the night and it turned out to be a face-off with former teammate Busto, whose six points were no match for the incumbent champion who picked up a solitary penalty mark en route to victory.

Busto fived the second zone on the first circuit, giving Bou a comfortable cushion, and Bou’s single dab on the final lap in section four was not an issue. In the end, Bou won the event with a solitary point, while Busto finished second with six. The last step of the podium was awarded to Raga.

“We have started a new season and we knew that we would have a fight on our hands, especially when we saw how easy the sections were,” said Bou. “Jaime

AND SO IT BEGINS

VERTIGO FACTORY RIDER

JORGE CASALES SKIPS ALONG THE TOP OF THE NARROWEST OF LINES

pushed harder than we’d expected, putting in a very good lap and turning out to be a great rival. I think I made a few more mistakes and if things continue like this, the championship could turn out to be a hotly disputed one. It is important to start with a victory and with good sensations. Now we will rest a bit and continue with the pre-season which we haven’t yet been able to do so far.”

Busto’s strong performance gave Gas Gas a podium in his first ride for the marquee.

“It was a great debut with the new team and the new bike, I felt comfortable from the beginning, and reaching the final is the result of the excellent work of the GasGas team,” said Busto.

SO BEGINS

Jeroni Fajardo (GG) was fourth behind Raga, while James Dabill (Beta) claimed an excellent fifth position after struggling to overcome a five in the first zone. Local entry Benoit Bincaz impressed in the first phase of competition delighting the fans with a sixth.

RESULTS

1. Toni Bou (Hon) 1

2. Jaime Busto (GG) 6

3. Adam Raga (TRS) 3

4. Jeroni Fajardo (GG) 7

5. James Dabill (Bet) 13

6. Benoit Bincaz (Sco) 16

7. Jorge Casales (Ver) 11

8. Matteo Grattarola (Mon) 11

9. Arnau Farre (Ver) 14

JAIME BUSTO (GG), TONI BOU (HON) AND ADAM RAGA (TRS) GRACE THE PODIUM AT THE VENDEE, FRANCE FIM X-TRIAL.

CRASH HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO \ COURTESY FIM X-TRIAL

AND SO IT BEGINS

CABO, NO GO

The 2018 FIM X-Trial series started amid controversy at the series opener in Vendee, France, when heavy hitter Albert Cabestany was left out of the draw due to the new promoter’s regulations. When the FIM signed with 2Play to organize the 2018 series, 2Play issued a statement saying in part that “This new working relationship with the FIM and 2Play will enable us to launch a new concept for X-Trial. The rules will be a total innovation in our discipline. This new system will enable us to change the concept of the zones and open up the sport to a larger number of riders. We also hope to attract young riders into the discipline. Altogether, the new concept should make the sport more spectacular and dynamic.”

In an attempt to open up the sport for young competitors, riders like Cabestany were left out.

Cabestany had this to say on his Facebook page:

“The X-Trial world championship begins today. Well, I don’t know if you can call the world championship one in which the best pilots in the world are not involved. In which if you are a certain age, even if the level, they discriminate against you. A World Championship in which they pick the pilots to finger. A World Championship in which to face the best riders in the world is not a priority. Ladies and gentlemen, here you are, the world championship of X-Trial 2018. Congratulations to the FIM and Promoter 2 Play for this milestone. Here you are, the X-Trial 2017 ranking, and the fixed drivers for this world and the event riders. I’m sorry, but for me today it’s a sad day. I’ve been the last 15 years on the podium of trial indoor, last year on the podium in half the dates and I didn’t end up third for a sigh, and this is the respect that you treat from the organization Of this “world”. thank you. I just have to wish a lot of luck to all the partners that if they are today on the opening date, and as they always do, have a great show.”

Criteria for picking the riders for the 2018 X-Trial series:

Here is the criteria 2Play is using to pick riders for the 2018 series:

a) The first 3 classified riders of the previous edition (season) of the X-Trial World Championship. (Toni Bou, Adam Raga and Jeroni Fajardo)

b) The first 2 classified in the previous edition of the Trial World Championship (which are not among those mentioned above). ( Jaime Busto and Takahisa Fujinami).

c) The next qualifier in the previous edition of the Trial World Championship, of a nationality other than those mentioned above. (James Dabill).

d) The next driver under 25 years old classified in the previous edition of the Trial World Championship and of a nationality other than those mentioned above. (Franz Kadlec).

e) These 7 fixed drivers must participate in all rounds of the championship. If a fixed pilot declines the proposal to participate in the complete championship, is injured or can not participate, then the CTR will designate a substitute.

RIDERS FOR THE 2018 SEASON

FIXED RIDERS:

Toni Bou - Spain

Adam Raga - Adam Raga

James Dabill - UK

Benoit Bincaz - France

Jaime Busto - Spain

OPENING ROUND “INVITED RIDERS”

Jeroni Fajardo - Spain

Matteo Grattarola - Italy

Jorge Casales - Spain

Arnau Farre - Spain

THE END OF A SEASON

TRIALS INC.

A lot has happened in the trials Incorporated world over the past year. We’ve had celebrations, defeats, bumps and bruises and broken bikes, and more rain than anyone can measure. To signify a close to the 2017 season and honor those special moments, TI hosted their annual year-end banquet, this time in Dayton, OH. Everyone who rode at least 8 events was presented with a plaque showcasing their achievements and positions in each event, as well as a photograph of themselves in action. In addition to these awards, specialized awards were given to those who showed exceptional skills or contribution to the trials community.

STEPHANIE VETTERLEY

STORY AND PHOTOS BY

Children are the future of any sport, and trials is no exception. The first award of the evening was presented to Tim Pullman from the Conley family. Tim received the “Minder of the Year” award for his hard work and dedication helping mind for many of the children riding the Youth and Novice classes. Tim surrendered his entire Trials riding season, driving from Virginia to each event to assist the children with bike issues, navigating the loops, and offering advice for riding sections. “I had a great time and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

The Conley family were flooded with a series of awards this year. Greg Conley received the highly-coveted “Mr. Clean” award for securing the most clean rides of any rider (305 cleans). Kim Conley received awards for her help with photography, setting up and keeping the Ohio National on track, as well as everything else she helped with for the year. Jim Zuroske presented the 10th annual “Titanium Tough” award to Gwen Conley. This travelling award was created to recognize the efforts of teamwork between children and parents, and is given to someone who displayed persistence through all chal-

lenges. Gwen pushed herself to finish every event she attended, and helped with, or checked, many others. Finally, the Conley clan was given the “Sportsman of the Year” award, also known as the “Bill Spring Memorial Award.” This family has shown total involvement in the sport, ranging from riding and checking events, to organizing and hosting a National, to attending the NATC meeting. Few families have this large of a workforce that is as dedicated and hardworking as the Conleys.

The Royce Klein Hall of Fame saw its 3rd round of inductees. Trials Inc created this Hall of Fame to honor members who exhibit great compassion, commitment, dedication, selflessness, and service to Trials Inc and the trials community. Jerry Huddleston and Steve Williams were this year’s inductees. Jerry has been involved in trials since the mid-1970’s, saw a son through to his Champclass championship win, was TI NATC representative, worked as the NATC awards coordinator, and was inducted into the NATC Hall of Fame in 2015. Steve started with Trials Inc in the 1970’s and has brought countless new rider to the sport. He has been Section Captain at several

World Rounds, has been in charge of Tech Inspection at AMA Vintage Days, and has helped find places to practice and compete by flawlessly bridging the gap between land owners and the trials club. Steve is currently the second-highest of all TI members with regards to the most competitions finished, standing at 203. TI’s own Jim Watson was also inducted into the NATC Hall of Fame as thanks for his dedication. Jim has been part of the ride survey committee since the mid 1990’s, has served as the TI NATC rep, and has acted as the NATC AMA Congress representative. Their perseverance and devotion to the club and the sport has helped make trials into the great entity it is today and we thank them for their years of service.

The end of a season also marks the club meeting to discuss new items for the upcoming season. The meeting welcomes not only the Board Members and Trial Masters, but all interested trials riders who would like to bring up new business or speak about current rules. Hosted at the Dayton Motorcycle Club, this year’s meeting saw the creation of a new class, designated SPA for “Sportsman-Advanced.” This

class will be a better gradation for those riders looking to graduate from the Sportsman class to the Advanced class. As there is a considerable increase in skill requirement between the two, the SPA class riders will ride half their day with the hardest Sportsman sections as laid out, with the other half being the easiest Advanced sections, and will give them a chance to truly test their skill level.

Round 1 of Trial Inc’s 2018 season was special for a couple different reasons. First off, it marked the return of trials competition to the Dayton Dirt Riders club. Comprised of about 50 acres, this area has housed motorcycle events since the mid-1970’s and used to host TI in the years around 1975. Even today, Dayton Dirt Riders is mostly an enduro club, with its members riding every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, year-round. Trial Inc member Steve Berry has been involved with this venue for 40 years, learning trials from one of its former owners, Russ Driver, for which this year’s trials event was aptly named the Russ Driver Memorial Ride, at least the 3rd of its kind. Russ was a former toolmaker and trials hobbyist, and was a mentor

to Steve, teaching him the way of setting sections and running a trials event. He was also active in TI in his day, and the Memorial Ride was established to express how much he influenced the lives of other motorcycle riders.

This event also marked the beginning of Jerry Young’s 50th trials season. Jerry was the first AMA National Trials Champion, in 1972 and makes it a point to ride as many events as he’s able. He is a frequent and welcomed participant in Trials Inc’s events.

The event had a rather overcast start, but the sky threatened to open the floodgates. Because of this, one loop was removed from all classes. This meant that Novice had only two loops to complete, while the rest needed to make three. In all, the sections were set up properly for each skill level. The most important thing to be weary of when setting up a trials event is keeping a safe exit route for splatters/turns/ etc should things go awry. No section was set up as to be potentially dangerous to any rider, allowing everyone to feel comfortable pushing their skill set. Rain prior to the event added another element, making parts of the loop muddy enough to feel like an obstacle. Some

rather gradual hill climbs had ruts nearly 8 inches deep, only growing deeper the more riders it saw. This also impacted the sections, making rather simple turns challenging. Even though it was a muddy, every rider seemed to enjoy the day, and two members even took the chance to try out the new SPA class. Paul Barrows took second place, with Greg Conley taking first. Vintage A class, riding the Sportsman

line, saw Mark Schwab take third, Mitch Kalinowski take second, and Ryan Young place first. The Vintage class, riding the Intermediate line, saw Jim Niebrzydowski take third, Tom Burklow take second; first place, with a great start to his season, was Jerry Young.

For a complete race schedule for 2018, check out www. trialsinc.org. Stay tuned for our updated website and scoring system. See you on the loop! n

2018 CALENDAR

2018 US MOTOTRIALS

April 21-22

April 28-29

June 9-10

June 16-17

Roswell, New Mexico

Salida, Colorado

Sequatchie, Tennessee

Uniontown, Arkansas

Aug 25-26 Donner, California

2018 FIM TRIAL GP

May 19-20 Caprodon, Spain

June 2-3

Motegi, Japan

June 16-17 TBA, Great Britain

June 30-July 1 La Antigua, Argentina

July 14-15 Auron, France

July 28-29 Comblain-au-Pont, Belgium

Sept 1-2

Sept 8-9

TBA, Europe

Arco di Trento, Italy

2018 TRIAL DES NATIONS

Sept 22-23

Sokolov, Czech Republic

2018 AMA NATIONAL ENDURO SERIES

Feb 4

Sumter, South Carolina

March 4 Forest Hill, Louisiana

April 15 Lynnville, Indiana

May 6 Arrington, Virginia

June 3 Greensboro, Georgia

July 22 Cross Fork, Pennsylvania

Aug 26 Chandlersville, Ohio

Sept 9 Marquette, Michigan

Sept 23 Matthews, Indiana

Nov 4 Stanton, Alabama

2018 WORLD SUPER ENDURO

Jan 6

Riesa, Germany

Feb 17 Malaga, Spain

March 3

Bilbao, Spain

March 31 Lidkowpin,

2018 FIM WORLD ENDURO

March 17-18 Helsinki, Finland

April 29-30

Santiago, Spain

May 5-6 Castelo Bronco,

June 3-4 Tallin, Estonia

June 30 Arco di Trento, July TBA TBA, France

Sept 2-3 Edolo, Italy

Sept 23-24 ` Hawkstone

Oct 14-15 Woltersdorf,

2018 FIM WORLD ENDURO

May 11-13

May 31 – June 3

June 8-10

July 24-28

October 26-27

Portugal -

Austria - Erzberg

France - Trefle

Romania -

Sept (TBA) Poland - Red

Sweden - Gotland

November 10 The Netherlands

2018 INTERNATIONAL SIX DAYS

November 12-17

2018 WORCS

Feb 2-4

Vina-del-Mar,

Las Vegas, Feb 22-25

Peoria, Arizona

March 23-25 Lake Havasu, April 20-22 Hurricane, May 25-27

Cedar City,

Sept 14-15 Devore, California

Oct 19-21 Adelanto, Nov 9-11 Primm, Nevada

Spain

Lidkowpin, Sweden

CHAMPIONSHIP

Finland

Spain

Bronco, Portugal

Estonia

Trento, Italy

France

Italy

Hawkstone Park, England

Woltersdorf, Germany

SUPER SERIES

- Extreme XL Lagares

Erzberg

Trefle Lozerien AMV

Red Bull Romaniacs

Red Bull 111 Megawatt

Gotland Grand National

Netherlands - Red Bull Knock Out

DAYS ENDURO

Vina-del-Mar, Chile

Nevada

Arizona

Havasu, Arizona

Hurricane, Utah

City, Utah

California

California

Nevada

2018 TRIALS INC.

April 7-8

April 28-29

May 19-20

July 21-22

Aug 18-19

Sept 1-2

Sept 15-16

Sept 29-30

Oct 13-14

Oct 27-28

Nov 10-11

Tippecanoe, Ohio

Garrettsville, Ohio

Sidell, Illinois

North Benton, Ohio

Toronto, Ohio

Newark, Ohio

Bloomington, Indiana

Bedford, Kentucky

Little Hocking, Ohio

S. Bloomingville, Ohio

Dayton, Ohio (Banquet)

2018 STRA TRIALS

March 3-4

March 10-11

March 24-25

April 7-8

May 19-20

June 9-10

Oct 13-14

Oct 27-28

Nov 10-11

Blairsville, Georgia

Ocala, Florida

Sequatchie, Tennessee (Training)

Maryville, Tennessee

Lenoir City, Tennessee

Sequatchie, Tennessee (National)

Cornelia, Georgia

Sequatchie, Tennessee (58K)

Ringgold, Georgia

2018 RMTA TRIALS

March 4

Stock Ranch (Tune up Trial)

May 20 Montevista

June 2/3

July 1

July 21/22

Aug 18/19

Sept 16

Sept 30

Oct 14

Nonami Ranch

Cledgehammer Gultch

Hartman Rocks

Rainbow trail ( Ute Cub)

Valcano gultch

Pilot Peak South

Tucker’s Ranch