On-Track Off-Road issue 170

December 2017 No 170

MX

The vintage 2017 MXGP now feels far away, and watching nine times world champion Tony Cairoli racing at his peak a little further‌but this year the Sicilian left memories as strong as any in his glittering career: the Qatar launch, the Arco ‘arrival’, the Ottobiano dice. Tony tucked away another title but also steadied the bar of reference for the insanely demanding sport Photo by Ray Archer

SX

tick, tick tick...

Only a matter of days now until Supercross erupts into life again at Anaheim 1 and with some riveting questions and stories just waiting to pop at the Angel Stadium: will Musquin and Tomac go toe-to-toe? Will Jason Anderson reign again? A surprise winner? Where will Ken place on his return after eleven months away from racing?

January 6th cannot come quicker Photo by Cudby/Shepherd

WorldSBK

opening windows

We thought it was enough to recognise that triple WorldSBK Champion Jonathan Rea had made the shortlist for the 2017 BBC Sports Personality of the Year but then the 30 year old went and finished second in the public vote; the first time for motorcycling since the 1960s. The slice of exposure is a powerful shot for the Northern Irishman as well as WorldSBK and bike racing as a whole. It must be hard for the former #65 to contemplate topping 2017‌ Photo by Monster Energy/Andi Gordon

LEATT.COM

JONNY WALKER

Feature

inside the empire:

Red Bull KTM

time within the powerful pool of orange and an exclusive chat with the MXGP World Champion

By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer

Feature

Red

Bull KTM Factory Racing have monopolised a lot of the fascinating narratives in MXGP this year: the Cairoli comeback, the Herlings crisis and startling re-emergence, the Prado brilliance and surprising weakness, the relentless MX2 holeshots, the force of consistency

by Pauls Jonass for another MX2 crown, another double championship sweep and even a podium shutout of both categories at the Grand Prix of Belgium. How did they make it happen and what went on behind the scenes? We hovered around the orange awning to find out…

Nobody is here. KTM’s factory race setup involves two semi-trailer trucks joined by a centre section that was once a ‘reception’ area but is now a private rider’s zone for changing, relaxing and massage that was increasingly uninhabited as the 2017 season wore on and rivalries tightened. Usually the long and thin passageway behind the screens that offer a slither of privacy away from the work areas and bikes as well as public gaze is a thoroughfare for a busy 15-16 staff, not to mention auxiliary KTM personnel, rider’s entourages, WP technicians and others with interests in the biggest and most successful behemoth in MXGP FIM World Championship racing.

“KTM’s old MX2 ‘banker’ for accolades then walks around the corner, decked in typical tracksuit bottoms, team shirt hanging loose, Oakleys in place and a strange hairband holding back the floppy parting...”

That we can stand and patiently wait to speak to a member of the technical team (on this occasion looming and friendly German and MX2 Team Manager plus

Technical Manager Dirk Gruebel) without fear of imposing has a lot to say about how the crew efficiently but invitingly go about their work. The feats of riders like

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new (ninth) World Champion Tony Cairoli, three times MX2 World Champion and now the fastest rider in the world on a 450 thanks to five GP triumphs from the last six and an AMA National ‘grab’ Jeffrey Herlings, solid Dutchman and podium contributor Glenn Coldenhoff, the fierce starting and wonderfully talented sixteen year old Jorge Prado (the best GP debutant this century in terms of wins) and MX2 World Champion Pauls Jonass means there is usually no shortage of visitors or activity in this cornerstone of the MXGP paddock.

Gruebel appears and is swiftly followed by mechanics like Ryan Deckert (Jonass) and Wayne Banks (Herlings) as well as Team Co-ordinator Valentina Ragni. Director of MX, Joel Smets, is roaming around as well.

Air compressor noise fills the air as bikes are cleaned. The smell of detergent and chain lube also heavy. The adjacent Red Bull Energy Station accompanies the squad at all European rounds and is an indispensable hub for the athletes and the team for a quick escape from the timetable of a GP weekend.

Feature The team’s ratio of glory this year dwarfed the series: four titles (two riders and two manufacturers), twelve MXGP wins from nineteen and twenty-five podiums and then nine victories in MX2 with twenty rostrum appearances. Cairoli and Prado headed the holeshot charts with more than thirty between them.

Pressing Gruebel for a reason behind their prolificacy in 2017 he is quick to answer. “We are such a good group of people lately and we get on really well together,” he says. “There is a family feeling and you feel close to people. If there is a problem – like when Wayne got hurt [ankle problem] – it was weird to have him out but I stepped in and Ruben [Tureluren, Herlings’ practice mechanic and confidante] and we kept the spirit up and we kept going. The achievements have been outstanding this year.”

It is easy to note how compact and in sync the group is across the course of a Grand Prix. Jobs seem to be done with little need for communication or stress. Nobody is panicking or being

questioned. The riders are frequently spotted and use the interiors of the race truck for changing or hanging out when not in their small camper vans loaned to the KTM operation for 2017. There is an atmosphere of quiet productivity.

The competition between the likes of Herlings and Cairoli, and Jonass and Prado (close skirmishes between the pair in Argentina, Lommel, Loket and Assen to name just four) have not helped interteam bonding but the strength of KTM is in the union of its cosmopolitan parts.

This is even evident in the support and interest from KTM North America when MXGP heads to Florida with the presence of people like Roger de Coster and Ian Harrison and their AMA personnel. It is a framework and philosophy sourced and put into place by management and the belief of people such as Pit Beirer and Robert Jonas. It seems far removed from the big-spending days when KTM seemed to misplace their chequebook and investment. Another reminder of the realigning of priorities is the simple yet gleaming set of 450 SX-F and 250 SX-F

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race bikes: an exercise in small design details and powerful efficiency that have come to be the reference for motocross classes on both sides of the Atlantic.

“We have always been known for fast engines, especially in the 250s but in the past - unfortunately - we also had a reputation that they didn’t stay together,” Gruebel says. “At one point we were able to turn that around and move all the negatives into positives. The first thing, and my first priority, was reliability: we had to finish every single race we enter. That was the goal. Of course performance also needed to be on the same level. We really invested big-time in high quality parts. So we have the output but also the reliability and I think we have found a good mix. In the last three years we have very rarely had a technical issue.”

One of the starkest examples of the technical superiority in MX2 was not only Jonass’ ability to make the top three weekafter-week and across different tyres of terrain, and to provide a tool for Prado to show his technique, but the phenom-

enal starting prowess of both bikes that meant an regular orange arrowhead to the MX2 pack. This was achieved off the new metal start gate grid for 2017 but without any radical overhaul of a piece of equipment that has taken six different riders to MX2 success since 2008. “With Jeffrey stepping out of MX2 there was no reason for us to step back in terms of the same type of quality with the bikes,” Gruebel offers. “With Jorge we are lucky that he is a really good starter. He knows how to use the power and potential of the bike, not to put Pauls in the shadow because they are usually 1-2!”

“Prado had it dialled in from the second start! The first start he almost loopedout because there was so much grip and he gave us that surprised look of his and then from the second he was really good and battling with Glenn and Tony from the first day we had the metal net. Pauls took a bit longer to get used to it but within a day or two he was fine and then we then didn’t make any changes to the set-up.”

Feature In contrast Claudio de Carli’s largely Italian faction working around Cairoli for the fourteenth year and Coldenhoff (owner of two trophies in 2017 and signed for ’18) were able to make such progress with the 450 SX-F that the impact with a fit-again Sicilian was instant: Italian Championship spoils and the straight into a Grand Prix win at Qatar. “It was two hard years because of Tony’s injuries so we didn’t have time to test the bike or do development so for us it was hard to understand how the technical side was going,” says David De Carli, Claudio’s son and a key figure in the running of the MXGP Italian collective. “Step-by-step he got better and we started this winter with some good work. We were training like in the past and we saw the result. He started fast and showed everybody he could win.”

The 450 SX-F enjoyed a milestone with Cairoli’s ninth championship this year.

MXGP was all that was missing after Supercross and AMA National crowns.

Cairoli started using the bike in 2015 after left his five-title winning 350 SX-F in the shade but didn’t really gel until he’d shirked the effects of a 2016 pre-season crash (see separate interview) “The bike in 2015 was different to how it is now,” says De Carli. “We did some changes on suspension and engine because this winter he was finally fit and was able to understand what he wanted. Tony likes a smooth engine and gentle through Firmaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx the bottom of the band…but he also likes power: just not too aggressive. We worked a lot on suspension because on the ’15 bike it was not perfect for him.”

Away from the bikes and it was the work of people like Ragni, Tania Milani, masseuse Giuseppe Chiodi, driver Robert Gregor and former five times World

Champion Joel Smets that added to the chemistry. The Belgian made his presence felt in a second year organising aspects of the riders’ training, approach and weekend processes.

“I am examining and analysing a lot and trying to give confidence, even in a way that the rider doesn’t realise it,” the articulate ex-KTM racer explains after we finally get him to pause and commit to a chat on the record. “It can be small words or even a message on WhatsApp. It is something you have to feel ‘with the finger’ and the situation.”

“Championships depend on details. I’m a bit of perfectionist and I like to look back on my work but it is hard to measure… like it is in all sports with coaching,” he says. “It often comes down to small words and then you wonder how big the influence was on the final result. I don’t want to sound cocky but I think I bring my experience in such a way that it helps subtly. It is more about bits and pieces, left and right. Somebody has to be there to say something sometimes and when you see their faces now and again I think I know how to get that smile back.

I know how a sportsman can be: sometimes you just want to put your head in the dirt and not see or talk with anyone.

So you need to let them cool down and find the right way and moment to enter and get them to turn the page and come back strong. I think I helped Jeffrey with that when he hurt his hand. I went to his place and helped with some training and other things: I know those are the difficult days. They need somebody with experience either to talk bullshit or look at other things and be serious. Somebody needs to be there and be receptive.”

inside the empire: red bull ktm

“I have the attitude that with every negative thing there is something positive as well and I think I am quite good in turning things around. Jorge was quite sick in Indonesia and I said to him “we’re now in Argentina and to keep complaining is not going to help any further”. I said to him in terms of technique and timing he is one of the very best but I thought he needs to learn to ‘suffer’ a bit more. He sometimes is a bit too soft and he could make progress. It’s not a weak point because if he was soft then he would not have made it to this level but it was an area where we could work. So he’d been sick but Argentina was nice weekend to practice the suffering! We talked about breathing on the bike and when he made the podium he told him he’d taken on all that advice. Sometimes it is not always that clear!”

Suffering was a theme that it seems every one of KTM’s racers had to endure.

Prado in his learning term, Herlings with his broken hand and misjudgement of the demands of MXGP, Cairoli in two seasons of limitations that had people doubting his rich and proven stock, Coldenhoff in his original and protracted adaptation to the 450 SX-F in 2016 and then Pauls Jonass with his season-ending concussion last year that led to a rethink, an alliance with charismatic and eccentric coach Marc de Reuver and a the kind of approach that made him the first ever world champion from Latvia.

“I’m really pleased with him,” says Gruebel. “He totally changed his attitude this year. After that huge crash he changed his mindset and figured out that he cannot always ride on the edge. This year he is just so calculating and cool and could handle pressure. We work hard and I’m grateful for every podium we achieved.”

The riders even put their crew through the grinder. The MX2 dust-ups between Prado and Jonass – two athletes with two different agendas for 2017 but with the same singular goal each Sunday – meant some tense viewing. “It is not good for my blood pressure and I have not seen my cardiologist for a while!”

Gruebel jests. ‘It has been stressful watching them and luckily it stayed clean but there were some egos! And will always be. If somebody is fast and can win races then we let them win. But Pauls was going for the title and Jorge had a dip; if you are sixth-seventh in the standings then maybe you should not make the life of your teammate harder than necessary. But he’s young and when the helmet is on he goes for the win.”

KTM’s old MX2 ‘banker’ for accolades then walks around the corner, decked in typical tracksuit bottoms, team shirt hanging loose, Oakleys in place and a strange hairband holding back the floppy parting; but when you are this good then the lack of ‘corporate’ look doesn’t matter too much…

Feature

inside the empire: red bull ktm

the herlings turnaround “I think he came in with the wrong goals this year and took it a bit too easy,” Gruebel says from afar. “MXGP hasn’t been harder, and he underestimated the competition and came to learn that a second or third place is also a good result. He changed his mindset to be happy to reach the podium.”

Twenty-two years old, Jeffrey Herlings faced MXGP on a high after another MX2 romp and 2016 Nations acclaim. A pre-season hand break and then realisation that he would not instantly rack-up the numbers he had on the 250 SX-F led to results of 15-17-9-12-8 before he made the podium at Valkenswaard: an event where he has emptied a bottle of champagne every year since his first Grand Prix term in 2010. It led to questions of crisis at one stage and perhaps his first MXGP was the hardest: the race at Qatar tackled with a right hand the size of a large apple. “Man in Qatar I just felt so bad,” he says after we find a quiet corner of the awning later for some perspective. “What could I do? I was one of the guys going for the championship and I felt I at least had to give it a try. Was it stupid after all? I don’t know but at least I would have had those points. I lost the championship by four points one year so I wanted to make sure I was not short again. I’ve been through highs and lows this season but I felt like I ended it on my A-Game and I think I took the maximum of myself in terms of food, training, lifestyle and I gave 100% of what I have. I think I can get better with more experience. I was practicing more for next year and getting used to the 450, test some things.”

“It was tough but I accepted it,” he said on the quickly intensifying clash with Cairoli. “It is what it is. We both have the same bike and as long as that is fair and square…I have zero doubts with KTM and 100% we get the same material and from there on let the best guy win. He was the best this season because of many things, like my injury, having more experience and good starts. He had some luck but then you make you own luck. He was the best guy this season so hands down to him.”

Interestingly Herlings already has a view on how his second campaign on the bigger bike could play out and how he has organised his lifestyle accordingly. Not to mention how the continuing contest between #84 and #222 could evolve.

“I’ve learned a lot and at the beginning of the year I had my MX2 lifestyle of ‘chilling and we’ll see…’ I might not be in the Aldon Baker [famed South African trainer] programme but I was close with what I was doing. You see that hard work pays off and if you can mix that with some talent then the results come. I think it will benefit me for next year. Tony won’t get better than what he showed this season – you never really know…but he will be 32 and I think he won’t make big steps any more whereas I can make a small step and it might be enough to win the championship. We’ll see.”

With the spate of results and emphatic speed from Lommel to Sweden to Florida to the mud of France, Herlings is close to becoming the finished article. Securing the red plate in the biggest window of the international stage is the next phase of a high profile and highly exposed ‘education’ while avoiding the over-confidence that contributed a small percentage to the crashes that caused a broken femur and dislocated hip. “We will try to keep both of his feet on the ground,” warns Gruebel. “This game is about more than one result. He needs to win the title in the ‘big’ class. He is winning races now but we need to get him winning titles.”

Feature

MX2 is one area where titles have not been in short supply. From the first with Ben Townley in 2004 to Tyla Rattray in 2008, Marvin Musquin 2009-2010, Ken Roczen in 2011, Herlings 2012-13, Jordi Tixier in 2014, Herlings again in 2015 and now Jonass it is a spell-binding array of motocross names and characters.

Jonass achieved his first at the age of twenty in the penultimate moto of the season and after a close chase from Suzuki’s Jeremy Seewer, although the Swiss could not match the Latvian’s haul of fifteen podiums that was the highest total from any athlete in 2017.

To show he wasn’t just a collector of garlands, Jonass also excelled to win six times. His first at Qatar was also a maiden GP victory: not a bad sevenmonth period in all. “The feeling on the top of the podium is difficult to describe,” he says in a loud voice but with an easy manner and good sense of humour. “Leading the championship is only something that exists on paper. OK, you have a red plate and it is nice to see it on the bike and gives that extra motivation but going to Villars I was more relaxed even if it did feel like a long time.

I didn’t train so much, kept loose and easy.”

“The KTM is such a good bike now. We always get good starts and it helps so much,” he analyses over a coffee (juice for him) in the Energy Station.

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“If I look at the championship then the results were consistent – if we take out Indonesia [the Pangkal Pinang circuit was flooded and the GP finally cancelled] – and it is almost like a perfect season with many top three results. That was the goal and to avoid as many big crashes and mistakes as possible.”

“It is difficult to point at one major weakpoint this year…maybe I’m too careful sometimes?” he ponders. “In the past I was too crazy and too wild and now maybe too much the other way. Jeremy made a pass on me in Portugal and it was not clean because there was a bit of contact there and some guys said to me ‘you needed to block him and take him out in the next corner…’ but I think you also have to settle down sometimes.

Perhaps he was better that weekend and the next one I’d be faster and would take him back.”

No last minute Gajser-esque jumps out of MX2 for #41. He’ll peel the 4 away from his number next year and will likely go head-to-head with Thomas Covington, Thomas Kjer Olsen, maybe Hunter Lawrence and almost certainly the Spaniard next to him who will actually transfer to the De Carli side of the awning in a strategic switch with Coldenhoff. Pit Beirer seemingly believes the Romebased Italian slide of the factory unit and alongside Cairoli will be beneficial to the teenager. The team count on extensive testing in Italy and Sardinia over the winter and also use a workshop just outside of Lommel; a town where Prado and his family have lived for almost half a decade.

Three wins, one on the Arco hard-pack and two in sand, coupled with two other podiums means that Jorge has partially delivered on the copious hype. Prado is easy to find. Shifting with a laidback gait and the occasional awkwardness of a teenager still in the phases of physical growth and development, Prado also blends poster-boy looks and an expression of innocence. The schoolboy aspect (as an aside Gajser and Seewer were two others that completed their studies while GP racing) hides an almost cutthroat attitude to racing and winning. “We are racing and that means fighting for first position, of course there is team work but it is an individual sport,” he says on the ‘close-calls’ with Jonass. “If he wins I don’t get the same [money, attention, recognition]! It is not like it’s basketball where the whole team wins together. I want to be the guy that’s winning. Of course if it comes to the last moto and he needs first place then we have to start thinking a bit more!”

“Jorge was not a full professional when he started this year because he was combining it with the school,” says Smets, who has also been critical when Prado has wilted in motos in Italy, Portugal and the USA. “So I haven’t really thrown my cards on the table yet next season and I want to step it up a bit next season with him.”

To put things into perspective 2017 was Prado’s second year on a 250 four-stroke and his longest competitive calendar by far. The winter period was the first where he worked with a professional trainer. It has been a year of discovery with some frighteningly good signs of potential.

Feature Prado is called away to prepare for MX2 Timed Practice and the mechanics are working on the 450 SX-Fs. Herlings’ machine in particular is the menacing big brother next to the 250s. Calling on Gruebel’s time again while we stare at the bike being prepped and cleaned by Banks it is clear KTM have really got their act together with the model…

He harbours ambitions of the AMA and Supercross but is still learning about himself and the mental demands of Grand Prix.

“Until Portugal [round twelve] I had a bit of everything: good races, bad races, average races. We started the season expecting a bit more in Qatar. I went there and everybody was so close, and I’ve never had that feeling before. In my previous classes there were never ten guys fighting for one position. I didn’t fight enough in Qatar. Mud in Indonesia, good race in Argentina and bad in Mexico. Those four races cost me a lot of energy with the travelling and trying to adapt. I was not used to it. Back to Europe I got my first win! But then had a big crash at Valkenswaard. After the heat of Italy and in Portugal I was tired and didn’t feel good about my racing: I didn’t finish the motos.

So I took two weeks holidays and since then almost all the races have been inside the top five.”

“I went to my grandparents’ house and didn’t talk about motocross for two weeks or even see a bike. I was completely off the training programme. I came back to Loket and was P5 in the first race and since then it has got better.”

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Feature

Not by halves: “450s have come a long way in a short time” Dirk, how would you evaluate the state and competitiveness of this bike we’re looking at?

The overall package is pretty good. When we started it was a bit rough because Tony came from a 350 and didn’t have that much experience in terms of how to set it up with the power, so it took us a while but then he got hurt and wasn’t fit. It took longer than expected but last winter we had a good test session and he felt comfortable on it. Jeffrey then joined in and, of course, was brand new to it. We invested much more work than we did the year before where we couldn’t really start on the right foot.

In terms of architecture is it a relatively simple bike? If you compare it to something like the Honda…

Ours is a pure motocross bike. Honda are transforming theirs into high-tech toys with lots of sensors and electronics. We have also started that but it takes its time and we don’t have as much experience as Honda coming from the road race side. Of course we have also started that project [MotoGP]!

Which helps us in terms of electronics but there is still a long way to go and I don’t know much of it you can really implement in off-road. It is a question mark. People have been trying for a while and we have also seen the Honda doing some weird stuff and I remember the crash with [Gautier] Paulin in Mexico where nobody could quite figure out how it happened. It [electronics] still has a chink in off-road because nobody knows how water and changing lines and terrain can have an influence. It is a different playground to asphalt. For sure we need to step things up a bit but we are in a good way and I think we have one of the best packages out there.

Going back to 2006 and the Tortelli/Pichon era and two years before that when Steve Ramon won the first ever MXGP (then ‘MX1’) moto on the 450 SX-F: is that bike a world away from what we see now?

Totally. That bike back then was not the best 450 [they made]. The models afterwards received much more effort in terms of building a pure motocross bike. That one was like the twin brother of the Enduro bike when you looked at the frame and the geometry. We had different concepts and views of things at that time. We were running PDS and nobody had the same system. It worked in its own way but it was more difficult to set up and some riders loved the PDS – like Max Nagl and he still does – but there were more possibilities with the link bike and it was more forgiving on certain tracks.

What are the strengths of the SX-F now?

I believe the guys would say it is a light and nimble ride. It looks like the chassis offers some comfort and trust. Engine-wise we have tried to make smooth power with a wide, useable band but everybody can do that now and we just move it around to where we want to have it. I think we have found a good package with it all together. It took a while until the guys knew what they wanted and how to handle it but now it is there.

Tony said at Glen Helen at the end of 2015 that he only came back to test and was working on electronics and chassis so that area must have been work in progress for quite a while…

We were trying a holeshot device – that is now even on stock bikes – but to be honest he doesn’t use it. He just uses a normal set-up. I think it helps to a certain point but if you are a good starter like Tony is then there was always something he didn’t like about the device. Some guys are better at judging it themselves. I’m not 100% convinced about the electronics out there at the moment and that is why we have less on the bike compared to some Japanese companies.

xxxxxxxx: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx People are always working for those marginal gains, so what for next year? Small tweaks? [smiles] No. Even with a 1-2 in the championship then ‘after the race is just before the race’.

Next season will come around fast and we need to make the same effort that we do every year.

Winter will be short.

Even though you’ve led the way since round six and Jeffrey has been so strong in the second part of the season do you still have prototype parts coming through?

We have ideas and we put them out there and sort them out with the riders. If they have a benefit from them then we’ll use it. Development does not stop.

With the championship won in MXGP it fully closes the story of the 350 SX-F: a bike that was supposed to be the answer to the power of the 450s. Was it the right bike at the right time but now the 450s have evolved?

It was the right bike at the right time but also the tracks have changed. We had some influences when [Ryan] Villopoto came over with bigger jumps and it was tougher to clear them on a good level with the 350 because it lacked that little extra torque and that was where the struggle started a bit. Tony changed his mind and also said that on tracks with big uphills – like St Jean [D’Angely in France] for example and Matterley Basin that was fast with big quad jumps – were even harder on the 350. Tracks are still changing now and the layout for me can be good but I also see some more obstacles like wall jumps. We went faster and higher but now we try to break the rhythm with these jumps; these are sections more for supercross in my opinion. We are not talking about super-highpowered 450s any more. They are softer, more manageable and have come a long way in a short time.

Feature

“About being the best? Ha, for sure I would have said ‘no way’ I was top five in the Italian championship but I was nothing special.”

inside the empire: red bull ktm

up to the 9s:

Sitting down with Tony Cairoli I’ll admit I had doubts. Tony Cairoli told the press frequently that he wasn’t able to ride as he wanted in 2016 and it looked that way…but he also won three Grands Prix, took eight podiums and finished second in the world. Just how bad was the nerve damage from a preseason training crash? Or was the Sicilian just missing the intensity that the last two champions, Romain Febvre and Tim Gajser, were bringing to the show?

While it was hard to see just how much Tony was actually struggling, to write-off his chances was foolhardy. 2017 and his form and results was not a great surprise for those who saw him in his pomp just three-four years earlier but it was also eye-opening to see how strong and resilient with the 450 SX-F the 31 year old could be. Cairoli’s humility stopped him overtly dishing out the humble pie for those that we were willing to eat but it was clear that achievements like amassing a 100 point lead, beating Herlings in the Ottobiano sand, defying injury problems that ruined two seasons of his career and proving that he was not ‘over the jump’ helped organise the coals of a fire that still flicks and licks.

For what has become an annual feature interview, we decide to move to Cairoli’s MotoGP-esque camper. In Assen is 48 hours away from bagging the few points he needs for his ninth world crown.

As usual Tony makes little eye contact while he talks, only looking to face you

when you are forming a question. His voice – purveying a good level of English and a British-type sense of humour – drops a little when talking about more personal subjects and he does not hesitate when directing his comments towards some area of frustration. It is a rare thirty-minute audience with an athlete that barely seems to pause for breath and is constantly in demand…

You are on the edge of number nine.

Do you feel like you have proved some people wrong? Those that thought this is the time of the younger guys?

Hmm, there were some that thought like that…but for me it feels like another season has passed because I start every year expecting and going for the win. Injuries are part of the job and I was pretty lucky to stay safe for quite a few years and take a title for six years in a row. I was not so mad…but I knew I could stay at the front still.

2015 and the arm break was a shock but did 2016 and the neck and arm injury p*** you off because it seemed to last much longer…

[The] 2015 [injury] was during the season and I kept trying to ride. I should have stopped earlier. Even with a broken arm for three-four races I was still trying to stay in the hunt for the title.

It is difficult to stop when you are not that far from the leader but in the end I made it a little bit worse and had to

Feature stop anyway. 2016: the injury was bad at the beginning but then it was a bit strange. I was doing normal things in life but on the bike it was weird to ride without strength in your arm and I had to adjust my style. I was riding badly and people could see it was not the real me.

When I was off the bike I was OK but in the riding and at the gym it was not OK. It was one of the strangest seasons.

But it fuelled desire for 2017? You already came out so strong in the Italian Championship…

I didn’t know if I could get over that problem from 2016. I didn’t really know the extent of the problem. I knew I had snapped a nerve and the doctor said I had to adapt and I might get some strength back but it would never be completely healed. I said: “Ok…” and thought I might have to ride like that for the rest of my life. I kept on going to the gym, kept on doing physio and it slowly got better and better. In the winter I was feeling good and was training more like normal and feeling more relaxed on the bike and with more power. In the end it was good and the winter went well.

Where was the nerve? [gestures behind his left shoulder] It came from the neck and went into the back of the arm. It helped stabilise some of the arm. It affected muscle growth and stability and even now I cannot get full power from one muscle but it seems I can use another one quite well.

Were you worried then? The thought of not being able to race as before?

For sure. It was very bad and I just didn’t know enough about it. When you have a broken bone or something then you know it will take a certain amount of months

and it will be OK. In the beginning it was bad because my thumb was going to sleep and my arm was going numb. I was a bit scared but after seven-eight months I felt improvement and it came back to being almost normal.

It was difficult for us all to really see that. You mentioned how badly you were riding and how difficult it was but you were still taking some podiums, winning some motos and finished second in the championship. Did you feel the wearand-tear of the sport and your age behind closed doors?

There is not much you can do about age but I think that at 29-30 you are still capable of a good level however the two injuries ‘stopped’ me for two years and I couldn’t work like I wanted. I rode less.

I trained less. In one way it was good because it gave me more motivation. It is like 2017 ‘saved’ those last two wasted years for me.

Were there some low moments when you were doubting yourself?

For sure. That happened. When you are doing your work – which I usually do alone in the gym or out on a run – you think a lot and want to improve. But it was so difficult for me at that time in 2016. I was running and felt fine but lifting weights I was well down on what I could do before – not even the half – and it was a problem.

People are putting you and someone like Valentino Rossi [38 year old] even closer together and he has reaped benefits of riding and training with younger people. Could – or would – that work for you?

I still feel OK and not that old at all but I am usually riding or training with young

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kids or other riders on the track. It is OK for me. I don’t train much with my teammates but I have other friends that ride with me. It’s not a big problem. [thinks] It is difficult to find many talented kids now. It is more about the ‘show’ than the ‘material’ for them – as we say in Italian.

Only [Jorge] Prado has a lot of talent and he still doesn’t have his head straight.

I think he is the only one who can do something at the moment.

Do they not want to work?

Also this. In one way it is good that the teams are so professional now but it can be bad for the young kids because they have too much of everything. It shouldn’t be like this.

Do you think there are less people riding motocross now?

Yes, there were more people before and I wonder about the state of motocross. In Belgium you’d see a lot of people riding

even if the track was bumpy; they didn’t care about that. Now it seems that everyone wants a flat track or they don’t even pull the bike out of the van. For us riders at Grand Prix level training can be difficult because the tracks are so flat – this is a normal consequence because the amateurs would not come and there are no money for the clubs.

For a few years you have tried to push the sport as much as you could – especially in Italy – how do you feel about that now? Is it still your job?

To be honest I am a bit annoyed about pushing and I find that people tend to know me more than the sport. This is because I do a lot of work. We don’t have motocross on TV in Italy and people are not interested.

The format is wrong and people don’t push to make it easier to see. I’m quite sad because I believed for a lot of years it would become better but…nothing.

Feature But it’s not possible. I hope they can see it somehow and be happy with another good result we made.

On to the people who do help you: Claudio De Carli has been there since the beginning and through the title years and the injury years. How has that relationship and dynamic changed?

Hmmm, the dynamic is still the same even if David [Claudio’s son] is taking more control but Claudio is still there in the background.

Racing, training, promotion, rally and now a wedding. You seem to permanently live in ‘fifth gear’. Will things ever slow down for you?

No, I hope it goes to sixth gear! I like my life a lot and I cannot stay still. It was time for the wedding because we [fiancée Jill Cox] have been together so many years. It is important for her, more than me, but I am happy. I like rally a lot. The world is bigger than motocross and I like to do other things.

In an important weekend for you…do you still think about your Mum and Dad a lot [Cairoli lost his parents to sickness and an accident in 2011 and then 2014]? Or even more at a time like this?

Sure. It is important for me to get another title…for them. I would love it if they could be here celebrating.

If you don’t mind me saying you seemed to have had a strange upbringing by leaving Sicily so young…especially contrasted to the youngsters now that you say have parents or teams that do everything for them. You’re 31 but have lived the life of a guy twice the age…

This is true. I have been away from my parents since I was sixteen/seventeen and it has been a lot of years living alone and doing things by myself. It is good, and makes you stronger and a bit tougher for your sport. But it was a life choice.

If I stayed in Sicily then I couldn’t have done this sport at all. I would have had to do something else.

You are marrying a Dutch woman, you lived in Belgium for many years, Rome is home but there are many links with Patti as well. Where is the real home for you?

For me it is in Rome. I have so many friends in Sicily still and part of my family [three sisters] but I like the place where I grew up from the age of seventeen until now. It feels more like home because all my good times have been there. When I was small in Sicily I only went to school and back home! Sicily is second for sure and Belgium is also important because I have family close by in Holland and lots of friends there. I know the mentality of the Dutch is very different to the Italians and it can be funny to change.

You are going to South Africa for the honeymoon – to also do a rally (good one by the way) – but if I gave you a

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week away somewhere with zero obligations where would you go?

Somewhere with water, where it is hot and where you can fish. I like to rest on some island with fishing and diving: this would be a perfect week.

Sounds like an idyllic life. Is that something within reach? After all those championship bonuses have you been smart with the money and investments to be able to retire tomorrow?

Of course. You have to make good investments because money disappears very quickly. You can put it in the bank and before long you will be ‘f**k, where has it gone?’ If you invest well then you still have something coming every month.

Was there ever any direction with that?

Collecting memorabilia? Classic cars?

Property?

I’ve invested in some industrial buildings that I rent out and I have built my dream house that still needs money because it never seems to be finished.

I’m still riding and I still have some projects for the future. I’m not in a position to stop and want to continue racing for a few years and then we’ll see but investing in the concrete is always a good choice.

Your new RACR brand: is that just a bit of fun at the moment?

It is something that could provide a living. I think a clothing brand is a good investment and a good way to promote yourself. If you start it without any way to promote it or any following then it’s very tough. But I like the project and I have some very good people working on it. It’s important to me.

In one way it is hard to give up the chance for some other deals but then something like my partnership with Reebok is more about gym stuff and RACR is separate.

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Are you disappointed that the Neox goggle brand did not work? Or did you just learn a lot?

Ah, I learned a lot and right from the beginning I realised quickly that it would be a tough one. It is so expensive just to make a sample. I tried my best because I know how important goggles are and I have lost some races due to them in the past. It was something I was really ‘into’.

We were so small and so new against these huge brands that had been there for years. I saw the numbers they were producing and I just realised the size of the investment and how long it would take to make something back so we decided to look at something else. You could make your goggle but then someone in China decides to copy it for half the price. I didn’t throw away money and I was quite smart how we went about it… but I wouldn’t look at it again.

Back to the sport: how do you feel about Herlings this year? Same bike, same team and very often the same speed. You have said nice things about each other in the press but it must be a strange situation because you have rarely had a teammate that has been so competitive. 2018 should be tasty…

Yeah, I’m already looking forward to that. When you are riding for the championship it is very difficult to keep the strength and train every week. At the beginning and the middle of the season you push your hardest in training to gain as many points as possible at the weekend and then when you make a gap it becomes risky to train too much on the bike or even the bicycle. So while you are slowing down a bit and avoiding more risk there is a competitor who is flying at 110% because he wants to earn points and win. He [Jeffrey] was pushing for GP wins and bonuses and I know about that because last year I was riding badly but still going all-or-nothing every other weekend. I didn’t have a good speed or condition but I still won some GPs because I went for it without thinking. Jeffrey is a big talent. Very fast.

I don’t think his technique is one of the best but he puts in so much work on the bike. He is very strong the whole moto and has a lot of power. He rides more on his strength and energy than technique; I like riders who use their technique and who are cleaner with that but everyone has his own style. I’m also different [to him] with my mentality. I never say ‘I am the best’ or ‘nobody can beat me’ and he is the one that will say that. I don’t like that so much. There is always someone better than you! So I never had that mentality in my head…but I also think it is a little bit typical of the Dutch!

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If they start to get near the top then they start to ‘fly’ a little bit. Of course there are also Italians like this but it is not my case. I have never said ‘I am the best try to beat me’. I have just tried to show it through my career.

Will you have to find his weak points? Play a mental game? He’ll only be 20 metres away from you each weekend…

Erm, like I said, if I am in good shape then I am not worried about a fight with him with the speed that we have. To be honest in the last races this season he was better than me but I know that because I have dropped my training level. The lap-times are similar but he can hold on for more minutes than me…but this is normal. I will look to keep the same form I had at the beginning of the season through the same period next year.

In Ottobiano it looked like you had fun…

It was. I liked the track and we had a good fight and we pulled far away from the rest. For sure in the sand he is very fast but so are we and we have so much experience. He rides many days in the week and when you are young like that then it’s normal. Conditioning is key to keep that rhythm for so many laps and that’s what happened in Lommel and the last few races: we were riding for the championship and he was riding for the win.

You never talked that much about numbers but Stefan Everts’ initially untouchable ten titles are within reach. So how do you feel about that now?

I always like to think about Stefan because he was a big legend in the sport and his riding style and technique was amazing. We always look up to him and coming so close with the numbers is amazing. We have the possibility to reach or even pass him but I honestly don’t spend too much time thinking about it. Instead my focus is always on trying to improve a little bit each season.

Jill said you don’t look back on many races but you have clearly changed and evolved as a racer to become almost the complete motocrosser. Will you take some good time to reflect on a career in the weeks after the season?

You know, after you win a title you always think back. It is also a strong point because it means you know how to adapt to a situation and every year you have to work around your rivals and contenders and we have done that well. The winter has always been about trying to improve one area that we felt we were missing the previous season. And like that you always grow.

Your name is already mentioned with the likes of Everts, Carmichael, McGrath, Villopoto. If we could go back in time to Patti and say this to a young Tony Cairoli what would his reaction be?

Ha, for sure when I was a kid then I was not so good, and it was because I didn’t have anybody to compare [myself] with. I wasn’t like Roczen or Herlings who were born close to the capital of motocross and had the chance to see many good riders and just by watching others you can grow a lot. I was in Sicily until I was almost sixteen and the only person who I could see was better than me was my cousin, who was doing local races. I learnt from him and watched DVDs of American races but didn’t see a GP until I got onto a 125. It was very difficult because I didn’t know if I had the talent or not until I reached the De Carli team and I was eighteen. It was pretty late. If I had been born in Holland or Belgium then I would have had more skills earlier. It’s OK. I have really enjoyed my career and I regret nothing.

About the best? Ha, for sure I would have said ‘no way’ I was top five in the Italian championship but I was nothing special. I wouldn’t have believed you.

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The new battle lines

KTM’s rivals may have grimaced more often than they would have liked this year but the future looks just as bleak. Jonass is set to become the first athlete in MXGP to wear the number one plate since 2010 and defend his championship while in the premier class Herlings and Cairoli were responsible for victories in eight of the last nine Grands Prix.

Anything near the same level means the kind of dominance that echo the Honda eras in MotoGP or McClaren in F1. The battle might not be with the rest of the paddock but within the awning walls. Tension was already palpable from round eleven and the Grand Prix of Lombardia when Cairoli and Herlings duelled for supremacy in the sand and the Sicilian revelled in defeat of his then-under-the-weather teammate.

Team management were doing their best to publicly insist both riders were part of the same unit but Cairoli is (and has been) clearly ensconced in the De Carli camp while Herlings rode the same machine but next to the MX2 bikes and operating as a free spirit: as has been his way in the last years. The competition between the two (separated by almost ten years of age) simmered through more on-track battles at Lommel and a spate of insecurity by Herlings that the factory team were favouring Cairoli for the title; a feeling they allegedly moved to swiftly squash around the time of the Lombardian fixture.

Herlings has constantly credited Cairoli’s achievement, particularly in public state-

ments after he had beaten the new champion, while #222 repeatedly pointed out that he was playing the long game and had no desire to match Herlings’ searing pace. With the scores reduced to zero in Argentina next March then the thought of both riders resuming their warring is tantalising for fans but will need some astute handling by KTM. For a period of time the team and brand could well be taking points and momentum away from ‘within’ rather than analysing the competition from Yamaha, Husqvarna and Honda at least.

“It went smoothly this year because Jeffrey got hurt in the beginning,” says Gruebel. “If Jeffrey had started with the form he had at the end of the season and what he had in the winter before his injury then I don’t know if we’d have the harmony in the team that we have at the moment. Next year is going to be challenging. Tony will be going for the tenth, which is outstanding: how many other riders will reach that? So in one respect – as Technical Manager - you want to support him in that goal but on the other hand I am the Team Manager for Jeffrey Herlings and in your heart you want to win it with this guy! He is the new kid on the block and you need to show your support 100%.”

“We have to follow up our work for next year because 2018 will be tough with Jeffrey and Gajser getting fit again,” muses David De Carli. “These guys are younger and that actually helps in a way but Tony has a lot of experience and at almost 32 he is not that old. He is motivated and he has fun and that is the most important thing. He always wants to be better and better and this is the secret.”

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“We knew it wouldn’t be easy even this year,” says Smets. “But it did become a bit easier when Jeffrey hurt his hand.

With respect to the others – and I don’t think I am exaggerating – I think we have the two best riders from the last couple of years and having those two riders in almost the same awning, well, have you seen a cock fight? They keep going until one dies! Jeffrey wasn’t fighting for the championship…but his speed pushed everybody to the next level, more than if the fight was with somebody someone else in the paddock. You want to prove a point and mark your territory.”

2018 (and even 2019 with Herlings set for another two seasons in orange at least) will see the orange empire still at its peak. Afterwards the development strategy of Beirer and Jonas will then come under more scrutiny. Will Jonass make a satisfactory step to the bigger bike? Who will shine next in MX2 with Prado expected to decamp to AMA competition? Can the likes of teenager Rene Hofer [in the official KTM Junior Team in EMX125] become Austria’s first major Grand Prix hope this century? Will someone like Conrad Mewse progress and earn a factory saddle?

David De Carli: “Tony is very strong in the mind but 2016 was a difficult moment for him. Everybody in the team helped him to continue. I was never worried he would stop.”

“I wasn’t ever really in that situation when I was a rider and I don’t remember too many cases of a team having two riders that could both really push for a championship,” he adds. “It will be something new for us to face and we will have to be sharp to guide all that energy that will be released. It’s nice though!

Challenging! And we need to bring them to a 1-2 like they are now.”

“Don’t forget with Jorge now studying at home and finishing his learning year – sometimes doing it the hard way – we will also have two contenders as well in MX2! I expect them both to be going for the title. We might need a team psychologist!”

Bigger questions revolve around Cairoli’s longevity, the De Carli structure post-Cairoli and the future overseas with Roger De Coster still engaging in full-time race deployment in the USA. Mattighofen will have to try and stay one move ahead of the game but while they have the performance, the package and the allure of being the best then there is little more any aspiring athlete could want. Like Jonass admitted when he was a boy watching the first editions of the Latvian GP at Kegums, people will continue to ache and claw to be inside the bright orange awning.

PrOductS

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It is compatible with a neck brace, the main body is made of stretch mesh fabrics and it contains anti-moisture inner panels in 3D panels.’

www.scott-sports.com More specifically that means chest and back plates not to mention D30 on elbows and shoulders. There is also ‘anatomic impact biceps foam’ and Scott say the vest is ‘armpump free’. The Softcon 2 will cost around 220 pounds but will take care of several protective elements in one. For lower joints consider the Softcon 2 knee guard of D30 and EVA composition and designed to be flexible and ergonomic. The front panel is abrasion resistant for better wear capabilities.

MXGP BLOG

start warming the stew...

Putting together the Top 5 MXGP riders of the year should have been pretty easy. After all, the headline narrative of 2017 was clearly the ‘Cairoli Comeback’ and the long-awaited title for KTM and their 450 SX-F. However it felt like a tougher choice than it should have been for the number one slot as Jeffrey Herlings undoubtedly raised his game to the point where he can be considered the fastest 450 rider in the world.

There were several head-to-heads between Cairoli and Herlings.

Cairoli had the running of a sick teammate in the sand of Ottobiano for round eleven and clearly relished the triumph in front of home fans as well as the knowledge he had the better of the Dutchman in his favoured terrain.

“I had the ‘sand king’ behind me,” he said with no small hint of satisfaction after his 1-1. “It was nice to fight with him and he is a pretty clean rider.”

I rode back in the Youthstream ‘mule’ with Herlings from the medical centre that suffocating day in northern Italy and the state of the 21 year old made me wonder how he finished the race at all, nevermind go toe-to-toe with a multi world champion who was back on his game.

Come Lommel for the Grand Prix of Belgium and round fourteen of nineteen again in the sand, the pendulum had swung. An essential piece of information is that Cairoli – with a 105 point lead over his Herlings – had already started to taper-off his training and degree of risk-taking in the motos at this stage. There was less intensity around #222 and a sense of creeping caution. MXGP watchers were not seeing the same 31 year old that dazzled in an Arco di Trento comeback performance that will be talked about for some time to come.

Herlings however was on the rise.

His Lommel 1-1 was just his second double and second victory of 2017 and represented the start of that end-of-season streak. Cairoli offered resistance but it is hard to know whether success for Herlings came through his superiority, or

his rival’s alternative objective for that weekend and the rest of the campaign. Perhaps even the riders themselves don’t know.

That Grand Prix was significant for KTM’s sweep of both MXGP and MX2 podiums; a startling achievement that should rank as one of the manufacturer’s best in FIM motocross world championship competition. Inside the Red Bull set-up at that time the HerlingsCairoli chemistry was just starting to mix a little; Cairoli clearly looking at the big picture but also aware that any prolificacy – as in his MX2 days – by Herlings could reduce his margin for error significantly. Cairoli hovered between conservatism and competitiveness and Herlings eagerly profited from the hesitancy.

By Adam Wheeler

If one athlete was winding down in the latter phase of 2017 (and Cairoli was hardly a player even at the Motocross of Nations) and one was blossoming then it ultimately leads into much speculation for 2018. As a fan, one can only hope that both riders are fit and ready come Argentina. Both are serial title-holders and know intimately how momentum can be built and then controlled from swirling around too much when it comes to the upper echelons of the points standings.

Herlings missed out on his goal of becoming the third rookie MXGP Champion in as many years but has refined his performances mentally, physically and technically with the 450SX-F to be nothing less than the harshest threat to Cairoli’s renewed hegemony.

Meanwhile Herlings’ capability and proximity is another strand of motivation for Cairoli in a quest to acquire title no.10. He proved he was far from ‘done’ in 2017 and the prospect of yet more assertion and matching Stefan Everts’ record is ample juice for #222 to go through the mill again.

To keep banging on about Herlings-Cairoli is to do a disservice to Tim Gajser (at 21 now ‘older and wiser’), Romain Febvre (expect 2015-2016 form with the 2018 Yamaha sorted), Gautier Paulin (now settled with Husqvarna) and Clement Desalle (hitting a prime period of understanding and synergy with Kawasaki) but the potential duel in orange is the tastiest hors d’oeuvre on the table.

This kind of ‘dish’ has tended to follow KTM around in the last years. Motorsport Director Pit Beirer may smile and say interteam title disputes is a good problem to have but it must also be a delicate and sometimes stressful situation. In 2008 Tyla Rattray and Tommy Searle diced for the MX2 crown, and it was a scenario that reared its head fleetingly at the end of 2014 when Jordi Tixier successfully chased down an absent Herlings’ massive points haul. Pauls Jonass and Jordi Prado were also anxiously close on track during more than one Grand Prix in 2017.

In each of these three cases the team – somewhat naturally – veered into different camps.

And it takes a powerful force to maintain unity and professional harmony.

Beirer is adamant that Red Bull KTM is one team, and in terms of function, appearance, professionalism and ethos they are.

But there is little doubt that the mostly-Italian De Carli camp is an inner-circle within (there are even slight variations in sponsorship).

The ‘division’ - with Herlings staged with Glenn Coldenhoff and Jonass in the old ‘MX2 zone’ of the awning - could become a chasm with some forty motos of drama ahead.

“It is hard to say,” mused MX2 Team Manager and also Technical Co-ordinator for the whole team, Dirk Gruebel when asked how the whole spectacle could be handled. “This year they really respected each other in the fight.

There was never any dirty riding and I think if it stays at this level then we can manage.

MXGP BLOG

It is give-and-take and luck will play a big role and some days one will be better than the other.

They both need to accept that they cannot win every week and guys from other brands will also be in there. They both need to be consistent. I hope we don’t need to manage anything but we will need to gauge the situation and it is not something we can really plan now. It is a luxury situation to have two guys from the same team going for a title…but it is also high maintenance!”

Perhaps KTM will flex their diplomatic muscles in 2018, and if they need to then as fans we’ll be lucky recipients of the cause.

The last issue of the year allows me a moment to say a massive ‘thank you’ to all those who have taken the time to click and read throughout 2017. At times it can be hard to know where the future and direction really lies for digital media and online ‘magazines’ – and we’ll be switching to a monthly format in ’18 but with Blogs, photos and articles regularly on the website - but the feedback on OTOR, its contents

and contributors have always been extremely positive and it is an endless source of motivation.

This publication simply wouldn’t happen without the key people and brands that advertise and lend their support, so again a big ‘thanks’ and we hope to keep offering more engaging racing and motorcycle content throughout the next twelve months.

Photo: R. Schedl

www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com

WE ARE TRUE TO OUR ROOTS

THE 2018 HUSQVARNA MOTORCYCLES CASUAL CLOTHING COLLECTION The Husqvarna Motorcycles casual clothing and accessories range reflects the brand’s values with its premium quality and authentic Swedish simplicity. Designed for an adventurous lifestyle, yet expressed in a well-fitted, modern style that embraces the essence of Husqvarna Motorcycles. The new range of casual clothing and lifestyle accessories will allow you to fully embrace our motorcycling culture.

Products

husqvarna Husqvarna are warming up the engines to catch KTM in terms of cool branded leisurewear (maybe their threads are even more appealing for those that are not fans of the orange) and the range for 2018 features some simplistic and elegant offerings. There is also a small clutch of accessories and items for fans of the marque.

Umbrellas, foldaway chairs, model bikes and even a kids pedal-free ‘Minipilen’. In terms of transportation then Husky’s alliance with OGIO means two different types of backpack, a beltbag, hydro pack and large travel bag for kit or clothing. All the products are crafted in the eyecatching blue, grey and yellow colour combinations. And with OGIO you can hardly go wrong for resistance and quality.

www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com

mxgp Feature

2017

MXGP

By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer

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entradeta entradetupio nos fordi im hem aBefectum auceremuro nossid auciBus sedet atua dit vis prorBi

mxgp Feature After judgement on the top five riders of the MX2 class of the 2017 FIM Motocross World Championship in the last issue now its time to turn the light on MXGP. It was a campaign largely free of the injury drama that had left such a mark on 2015 and 2016 (although Tim Gajser might disagree) and produced six winners from nineteen rounds with a total of fourteen different athletes picking up a podium trophy at some point; three of which for the first time on a 450. There were seven winners and eleven ‘podiumees’ in 2016. This year was certainly a milestone for KTM: their first title for the 450 SX-F and first ever one-two in the premier class.

1. tony cairoli red bull ktm, italy, 1st Even though I’ve ruminated on this in the MXGP Blog, realistically, there was no other choice for 2017. Tony Cairoli came into the year thirsty from his ‘driest’ spell in fourteen seasons of Grand Prix but fit, flying and finally happy with the set-up of the 450 SX-F after deliberating between his trusty 350 and the extra engine power (perhaps not the wisest move in the midst of a GP campaign) in 2015 and also 2016.

“We saw in the wintertime that he would be the guy to beat this year…” said Team Technical Co-ordinator Dirk Gruebel recently. Cairoli had owned MXGP from 2009-2014 (and from 2010-2014 with KTM). He broke his arm in 2015 and wrecked his neck and shoulder in pre-season in 2016 (but still won three rounds and finished runner-up). #222 was rapid in the first months of 2017 and swept the three-fixture Italian Championship to such an extent that we Blogged back in February that he’d be the pacesetter at Qatar; a track at which he’d never won.

Cairoli went 1-1 at Losail (admittedly against a sick Gajser) and signalled his intentions but he curiously missed the podium for the next two races (the swamped Indonesian Grand Prix was an anomaly). Second place at round four for the Mexican GP was more like it, and then his amazing victory at Arco di Trento was the catalyst for eight trophies in the next ten events – four of those victories.

It was a period of spoils that extended his lead in the standings to the point where he was able to switch into ‘title mode’ (indeed, after Switzerland he only appeared in the top three once more from the last four outings). Cairoli is ten years older than rivals like Gajser and Herlings but his trio of triumphs in the heat of Ottobiano and Agueda and then at Loket – a track he openly professes to hating – for rounds eleven, twelve and thirteen was the final thrust to a ninth world crown.

It was not his most dominant campaign and there was no regular, standout threat until Jeffrey Herlings found his feet but 2017 was about holding his head high against all the judgements that this irrepressible force of Grand Prix was ‘done’. A healthy and happy (and motivated) Tony Cairoli is a monolith of motocross and can never be discounted. Combined with the rapier starts of the 450 SX-F then #222 was again a competitive package. Expect more of the same in 2018 where the prospect of equalling Stefan Everts’ total of ten championships is a pretty big carrot on a string. Tony might not be able to match the zeal of Herlings, Gajser or Febvre on any given weekend – and there will be a record twenty of those - but there is nobody smarter or better in constructing an assault for the bigger prize.

top five mxgp riders from 2017

mxgp Feature

2. jeffrey herlings red bull ktm, the netherlands, 2nd In practice before the Grand Prix of Europe, round six of the MXGP season, in the sand of Valkenswaard, Holland (scene of his first victory as a fifteen year old in 2010 and site of an unbeaten GP streak ever since) I asked Jeffrey Herlings if he was in crisis. The Dutchman’s right hand was the size of a large apple in his maiden race in the premier class at Qatar less than two months earlier and had since improved but he had yet to appear on the podium and was staring at his longest ever trophyless spell as well as realisation that he’d underestimated the competition after so much dominance in MX2. He smiled, and then gave a very honest and humble admission of misjudgement. Valkenswaard had come around at a good time.

“If I cannot get on the podium here then I will be really worried,” he half-joked. A visibly relieved #84 (see right) walked the second step of the box that day after two motos in the dark sand but still hadn’t scooped the chequered flag with the 450 SX-F. Twenty-two at the start of 2017; Herlings dealt with the blow from his hand, the mental reorientation to raise his game and wobbled through some insecure (misplaced) feelings when he believed his chief target – Cairoli – was KTM’s preferred bet for the title. It was a ‘busy’ time until May and his long-awaited breakthrough with a 1-1 in Latvia.

From round six of nineteen in the Netherlands Herlings would only be absent from a rostrum celebrations three times in the rest of the year. Latvia was the first of a Cairoli-equalling six wins for the season and he chased his teammate damn hard in the final phases of the calendar; his slim hopes only really eroding with a broken chain in Sweden for round sixteen. His confidence was boosted by that sensational wildcard appearance and success in the last fixture of the AMA Lucas oil Pro Motocross series and his international profile hit new heights: Jeffrey was arguably the biggest motocrosser in the world at that point. Herlings’ rate of performances and results easily marked him as the fastest racer in the latter stages of 2017 even if his starts were still not good enough or consistent enough to make life considerably easier for himself. He did eventually reach his MX2 form and confidence levels and that is a prospect to scare any of his rivals in MXGP next year. Jeffrey is a slightly odd athlete; he typically arrives at the last minute to Grands Prix and is often away on the first available flight, seeks privacy and solace in a pair of permanently placed sunglasses and dresses a little against the notion of a corporate factory rider. He is also accessible, friendly and leans on his KTM crew like a family for assurances both technical and emotional. He is a phenomenal racer – strong and courageous and with seemingly very few weaknesses.

Enjoy the sight of him in 2018.

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mxgp Feature

top five mx2 riders from 2017

3. gautier paulin Rockstar Energy iceone Husqvarna Factory Racing, france, 3rd Whether through injury or silentlysuffered technical set-up woes, Gautier Paulin has weathered several seasons of turmoil but 2017 was about creation of a platform of comfort, confidence and results to at last be a strong title contender. His signature with the Rockstar Energy IceOne Husqvarna team was met with quiet optimism. He had raced with factory Yamaha, Kawasaki and HRC efforts and on each occasion had been missing the last final details or magic ingredient to run hard with the likes of Cairoli, Febvre or Gajser (the three championship winners since the start of the decade).

Team Manager Antti Pyrhonen slotted the charismatic Frenchman into a diligent and carefully ordered training and preparation programme and Paulin responded. Seven podium finishes represented four more than 2016 two over 2015 and three more than he managed in 2014. For the second time in the last three years Valkenswaard was a happy hunting ground for GP21 and meant a fourth premier class win with four different manufacturers. Crucially Paulin appeared nearer the front of motos for longer and more frequently in 2017.

At times he was upstaged by rookie teammate Max Anstie but he was also far more consistent than the young Brit; a positive appraisal that couldn’t be given in previous years.

2017 seemed to be a term where Gautier lost a little of his hype. He was quieter, less prevalent in the media and seemed to acknowledge that it was time to make some moves, in case that dreaded tag of ‘best never to win a championship’ started to hover near.

Nearly 28 at the start of the 2018 he has arguably never been in a better set of circumstances to funnel that talent and evident passion for his sport into life-defining achievement. As if to prove that there are fewer riders better at excelling on one day or when the pressure is at it’s heaviest then Paulin was again a figurehead for the French at the Motocross of Nations and another successful defence. If he can make eighteen-nineteen-twenty ‘mini Nations’ in 2018 then he will at last find some feeling of destiny.

mxgp Feature

4. max anstie Rockstar Energy iceone Husqvarna Factory Racing, gbr, 9th At last. Max Anstie found a ‘home’ in Grand Prix after moving around six teams and five manufacturers in seven years. We’re putting Max in the number four slot simply for the rate of progress he made in his debut season on the FC450 and in the premier class. He came into MXGP as a ‘nearly man’ of MX2, renowned for superlative technique but as something of a rough diamond that could be hard to predict.

As he revealed in our exclusive interview in OTOR 165, Anstie merged seamlessly with the rigid guidelines and faultless support system of the IceOne crew and bloomed as a Grand Prix winning athlete because of his surroundings. Max had the best of both worlds on the factory Husky: Max Nagl and Gautier Paulin bore the pressure of needing to deliver results due to their pedigree thus allowing him to learn and develop on the outskirts of the radar…at the same time his saddle on one of the most resourceful teams in the paddock meant he could not slack-off or ignore the timesheets completely. MXGP has been enthralled to rookies in recent years – Gajser and Febvre setting a new bar of expectation – and Anstie was also lucky that a fair share of the early ‘drama’ in this aspect centred around former MX2

rival Jeffrey Herlings (Max even missed two rounds due to an ankle injury and didn’t begin to trouble the top five until the tenth Grand Prix of the year). In the second half of the campaign however he began to have a heavier influence and even showed Paulin – and certainly the off-form and unfortunate Nagl – the fastest lines on a more frequent basis. Anstie has credited the team repeatedly in his education for MXGP racing and the transition from a 250 riding style; he showed promise in the sand of Ottobiano (round eleven) for a first podium finish but really started to peak in the final weeks of the season with a rostrum double in Assen and Villars sous Ecot and then that unforgettable Motocross of Nations performance. Rather than just show his cards, Max flipped them onto the table with abandon at the end of 2017. More than any other time in his career the microscope will swivel firmly onto his efforts in 2018, and due to the speed and confidence with which he bookmarked the season then he’ll travel to Argentina almost equal billing with Paulin; for that reason he makes the top grade.

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top five mx2 riders from 2017

5. clement desalle monster energy kawasaki, belgium, 4th Just shading Tim Gajser, Clement Desalle made a welcome return to the staple position of ‘championship candidate’ in 2017; a status the often-luckless Belgian has filled each season since 2010. Gasjer was bitten by the injury and bad luck he managed to dodge during 2016 and although he was the third most-winningest athlete of the year (three victories) he also made mistakes and paid for them. Desalle took a slightly different mindset into his second term with the factory Kawasaki team and at last seemed settled on the KX450F. He scored two podiums off-the-bat and posted solid points up until round six and a disappointing sixth Grand Prix in Holland. Clement fired back to win in France and Russia and it was encouraging to see signs of that fiery athlete that was the scourge of the premier class and Tony Cairoli’s biggest headache ay the start of the decade.

Perhaps two things frustrated Desalle in 2017: he was often dismayed by the state of some of the new-build tracks, and a propensity to seek and obtain top five results meant a few too many fourth positions for his liking (four occasions). He was one of the few riders on Japanese machinery to regularly strive against the starting prowess of the KTMs and Husqvarnas. Desalle blends a very watchable riding style that at once appears to be so smooth but can then also be very reactive and almost aggressive. Maybe some more of that aggression would have paid dividends in 2017 but #25 has been hurt too much and come close to the top prize several times to know what strategy works for a calendar that does not cease to expand year-onyear. MXGP is richer for a straightforward racer like Clement and having studied and seen Febvre and Gasjer in 2015 and 2016 and watched Cairoli’s renaissance – even with Herlings’ challenge – in 2017, he must know that he still has a lot to say in the premier class dispute.

PrOductS

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AMA BLOG

A1: shooting in the dark...

Merry Christmas and all that to the readers of OTOR; hope the holidays are treating you well. Since this is the last issue until the new year, Adam asked me for a way-too-early Anaheim one prediction column!

Please take this with a grain of salt because it’s hard to forecast this stuff and if you’ve ever seen my fantasy MX scores, you’ll know that I’m not that good at it. Second-guessing AFTER the race? Heck, I’m a virtuoso at that, ask some of the teams and riders in the pits.

1) Eli Tomac: I’m surprised in my bench racing with fellow fans and media members at the lack of respect a guy that won nine races last year gets. It seems to be more about the races that he threw away more than the NINE he won. Yeah, he tied Damon Bradshaw for the most wins in a season without winning the title but he was very dominant for most of the campaign. He’s my pick for the title and my pick to start the year off right.

2) Jason Anderson: The Rockstar Husqvarna rider won Anaheim 1 a couple of years ago and in his rookie season was a very surprising second. Last year was up-anddown for him after that MXDN crash and this year he hasn’t

spent as much time at the Baker’s Factory down in Florida as in other years. Anderson’s an elite rider: he’ll be very good and ready to go at Anaheim 1.

3) Marvin Musquin: The Frenchman has had a great off-season…in fact it couldn’t have gone any better! He’s ‘the guy’ at Red Bull KTM now with Ryan Dungey’s retirement and he’ll be a factor in supercross week in and week out. With his skill, his bike, his starts it’s all there except for whoops speed.

If Marv had Tomac’s capabilities in this section it might be all over for everyone else. He’ll get on the box at A1 and work from there.

4) Ken Roczen: The German star’s comeback to racing is a success with a fourth at round one. I know Kenny’s goal is to come back and win races again and I absolutely believe he will do that. Just not at the first one. There’s no way he’s forgotten how to ride a dirt bike fast and he may even set the fastest qualifying time at Anaheim but riding and racing are two different things and it’s been a LONG time since he’s raced.

Give him a fourth at round one and we’ll move on.

5) Cole Seely: The Factory Honda rider is always good on Southern California tracks as it’s something he’s grown up on. When the sun sets and the moisture comes up,

By Steve Matthes

Seely’s great at throttle control and with friends and family in the stands, he’ll crack the top five and be a podium threat all year long.

6) Cooper Webb: The Monster Yamaha rider had a terrible season last year where everything that could go wrong, did. Well this year he’s made some changes to his programme on and off the track and a last report from someone who was there and doesn’t work for Coop or Yamaha (that’s very important when you talk to people by the way!) Webb was flying and much better than his teammate Justin Barcia.It’s a big year for Webb with his contract coming up and I say he rebounds. ??? Chad Reed: As I detailed for OTOR blog: I’m just not sure what’s going on with the 22. He’s bought some Husky’s and is going racing but with his ankle injury, there’s no chance he’s close to 100% at A1. He’ll get better as the series goes on but it’s going to be tough for him to get back

to “potential race winner any weekend” status. I need to see how he looks on and off the bike before I’m ready to make any bold claims. Saying that though, he loves Anaheim! ???? James Stewart: Stop it bro. It’s over. I’m disgusted in myself that I even listed him here.

250SX Winner: Adam Cianciarulo: We don’t know the full list of riders racing each coast yet but put me down for Monster Pro Circuit’s Adam Cianciarulo as an Anaheim 1 winner and even a 250SX West title. The Boy Wonder has finally figured out his shoulder issues and has had a full off-season for maybe the first time. And he finally won a 250MX national near the end of last season. So this is it for the new #92, his breakthrough year starts now. Yes it’s taken a little while but better late than never!

PrOductS

leatt ‘Understated and slick’ are the two words that Leatt are applying to their 1.5 riding gloves available in seven designs and at a price point of 30 euros or 26 pounds. The 1.5 glove does not carry the same CE-certified knuckle protection that distinguishes the South African’s top-of-the-range equivalent but still has the ‘palm protection’. Leatt claim the ‘handwear’ has ‘super slim with superior handlebar feel, excellent dry and wet grip, very durable with touch screen function, ultra-thin for maximum bike feel, silicone grip print’. They also apply the keywords of ‘barely there’ to emphasis the 1.5’s main selling point.

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motogp BLOG

the final 5s The worst thing about writing a (almost) bi-weekly column about motorcycle racing is that you have neither the time nor the space to cover everything. (Even on my own website, I find myself short of time and space to write about the stories which never quite made it to the top of my priority list.) So here are some thoughts on 2017 that I didn’t quite get around to writing about.

1.Joan Mir

2. Alex Marquez

3. KTM

Joan Mir is the real deal. The way the Spaniard won the Moto3 title was remarkable, taking ten races in a season (and only a boneheaded move by Gabriel Rodrigo deprived him of an excellent chance of winning an eleventh).

But what impressed me more was the way he won. His patience in waiting for the final laps before striking was noteworthy. He didn’t feel the need to lead every lap – one of Romano Fenati’s costly bad habits – content to sit in the top five and conserve his tyres and energy. That maturity, and that confidence is what won him the title. If he can maintain that same mature, intelligent approach to Moto2, he could create problems for the favourites.

Not least his teammate, Alex Márquez.

Speaking of whom, Alex Marquez has a tough road to tread. Being a former Moto3 champion raises expectations which he had failed to live up to in his first two seasons in Moto2. Being Marc Marquez’ brother makes it even more difficult, comparisons being inevitable. But 2017 was the year he started to show his potential.

Crashing out on the last lap at Argentina while battling for the lead with Franco Morbidelli was a sign of the change coming. Two races later at Jerez, he got his first Moto2 victory, the first of three this year. Márquez will start 2018 as one of the main candidates for the title. But the competition will be stiff.

It has been a fascinating year for the Austrian factory. The incredible progress made by their RC16 MotoGP bike has received a lot of attention, and rightly so. They also received plaudits for the very strong end to the season in Moto2, with three victories and double podiums in the last three races. But they made a major mistake in Moto3, and paid for it all year. KTM riders dominated pre-season testing in Moto3, with Nicolo Bulega looking like a clear favourite for the title. But Honda rolled out their new engine at the Qatar test, just a week before the start of the season. That motor had a lot more go, and KTM found they suddenly lacked acceleration and top speed, once their strongest point.

By David Emmett

Engines were ready for homologation, and no time to test, and so KTM had to give up on the 2017 Moto3 season. Expect them to be out for revenge in 2018.

lost practice time on a Friday, along with any chance of competing.

4. Danilo Petrucci

There is a massive pool of young, talented Italian riders in Moto2 and Moto3, with more coming through (including the very quick Dennis Foggia, reigning FIM CEV Moto3 champion). We all know the names: Romano Fenati, Nicolo Bulega, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Enea Bastianini, Lorenzo Dalla Porta, Pecco Bagnaia, Luca Marini.

Many have come through the VR46 Rider Academy – perhaps Valentino Rossi’s most underrated achievement and legacy. Yet those Italian riders are still not managing to dominate like the Spaniards have done in recent years. Despite the coaching and help they receive from the VR46 Academy, they still seem to be missing something, especially in their attitude and approach to racing. Their fierceness is not in question, nor is their ability. But collectively, they seem to miss the calmness and patience; which is key to winning. They have the fiery lust for battle, but they lack the assassin’s cold-blooded

The end of the 2016 season saw a bitter battle played out between Pramac Ducati teammates Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding over who would get their hands on the prize of a Desmosedici GP17 for the 2017 season. Petrucci came out on top, and started the year on the same equipment as the factory team. That had both upsides and downsides. The upsides were that he got to do a lot of testing, and get more time on the bike. At times, that gave him an advantage – and a real chance to get on the podium, and even win. The podium at Mugello was a highlight, and his disappointment at being beaten by Valentino Rossi at Assen was a sign he believed he was capable of more. But being the third Ducati rider on a factory GP17, but not in the factory team, meant he was often handed setups to test for Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo, meaning he

5. Italian talent

efficiency. Is it a skill that is learned, or a question of individual temperament? If I knew that, I would be living off the finder’s fee for the many world champions I had discovered.

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Feature

the 6

Half a dozen MotoGP moments that wowed us in ‘17

By Neil Morrison, Photos by CormacGP

Feature

H

ow does a series go about following up a year that saw unprecedented variety, surprise and intrigue? Well, stick to the same formula and order more of the same. If the spectacle served up in 2016 was good, MotoGP ’17 was even better; five winners, racing of the highest calibre, depth right the way through the field, and, of course, a vintage title chase that went right to the wire in Valencia.

There was drama close to every step of the way. And it all started on the very first lap of the season opener. While the year will come to be remembered for the electrifying feats of Marc Marquez and the late career renaissance of Andrea Dovizioso, there was an array of subplots, stories and moments that stand out when recalling the events of the past nine months. Here, On Track Off Road selects six of the most memorable moments of an incident-packed 2017 season.

26th March, Losail International Circuit: Zarco announces his arrival As far as curtain raisers go, this will take some beating. Of all those expected to challenge at the front of Qatar after a trying rain-affected weekend, class rookie Johann Zarco did not feature highly. True, a four-lap stint on Michelin’s soft rear tyre on Friday evening pointed to the potential within. But the Frenchman had spent his first pre-season aboard MotoGP machinery chasing the times of faster teammate (and fellow rookie) Jonas Folger. If history were to be used as a solid barometer, it would surely take him some time to get up to speed on a bike boasting more than 140bhp than the Moto2 machine that carried him to back-to-back championships in the intermediate class.

6 best moments from 2017 motogp

Not so, and this would certainly be the last time Zarco was underestimated in ‘17. That twelve minute spell at the front under the floodlights may have been just that – twelve minutes – but there was so much to appreciate: cutting across Scott Redding on the run to turn one; squirting under Marc Marquez and Maverick Viñales on the short run to two; darting under early leader Andrea Iannone with consummate ease into turn six; and then having the temerity to begin gapping the field behind. Zarco was not alone when feeling, as he later said, “a pain in the heart” as his M1 went skidding through the gravel two corners into lap six.

A rookie hadn’t hit the heights of leading their first MotoGP outing since that historic day at Suzuka in 1998 when Max Biaggi and Noriyuki Haga exchanged the lead before the former disappeared off and into the distance. As it transpired, Zarco would impress with a relentless consistency in the 17 races that followed, placing him firmly at the top of several factory’s shopping lists for 2019. It was his temperament here – remaining calm in the face of a 45-minute delay – that really stood out.

These twelve minutes set the tone for the events that followed.

Feature

6 best moments from 2017 motogp

4th June, Autodromo del Mugello: Dovizioso stakes his claim

Anyone fortunate enough to spend a weekend at Mugello when the grand prix circus rolls into town will readily acknowledge sleep doesn’t come easy.

The din that reverberates around those sweeping hills that shadow the circuit is as relentless on Thursday evening as it is on Sunday afternoon, a loud, boozy affair saturated with fuel-loving euphoria.

Thus seeing Andrea Dovizioso sporting a pair of darkened smudges under his eyes on the morning of a crucial home grand prix came as no big surprise. But his exhaustion on this occasion had a different source; a bout of food poisoning had kept the Italian awake throughout the Saturday night, necessitating several trips to the bathroom and forcing him to sit out morning warm-up in order to conserve energy.

Who could then have foreseen this first example of the Italian’s fully calculating and ruthless advance through a crammed leading pack to fend off prerace favourite Viñales, surprise package Danilo Petrucci and Valentino Rossi? As Viñales became briefly muddled by Petrucci’s advances, Dovizioso stole critical ground and there was a real assurance as the Ducati man calmly resisted the Catalan’s late-race assault. Only his terrifying 210mph wobble over the crest that precedes turn one would have tested the resolve of those volatile bowels.

This place buzzes with energy and emotion on the dullest of afternoons. But Dovizioso and thirdplaced Petrucci’s tears on the podium only added to the occasion. The significance of Ducati’s first triumph here in eight years wasn’t lost on Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi either. “We understood very well that Mugello and Barcelona changed our season. We found something after the Barcelona test. We understood that we have something in the end that can be good. It was confirmed in Mugello,” he said. “In Barcelona it was reconfirmed. From there we have always been competitive. In those two weeks we understood that we could be there.

From there, Dovi found his balance.”

One of the premier class’ most unlikely title pushes in recent memory had begun.

Feature

25th June, TT Circuit Assen: Rossi weaves his magic at the Cathedral Any seasoned racer will stress the longstanding maxim ‘A win is a win’. But even Valentino Rossi, serial champion and arguably the greatest of all time, would place his latest success among his very best. His post-race reaction certainly suggested as much. “The reason I race is for that feeling that comes for six or seven hours after winning,” he said from a smile that stretched from ear-to-ear.

For this breathless encounter at an everdarkening Assen didn’t just break a winning duck that stretched 13 months. It didn’t just take his GP wins tally to 115 – just seven shy of Giacomo Agostini. It laid bare the 38-year old’s hunger and desire which is as strong 22 years into his grand prix career as any other point. As rain peppered the track in those tension-filled closing laps, and two of the four-rider lead group backed off, Rossi sensed a chance.

It had been a four-way thriller before the rain arrived. Rossi, enjoying the turning advantages of an updated Yamaha chassis, battled pole sitter Zarco, Marc Marquez and Petrucci while Viñales, recovering from a lousy qualifying, succumbed to a hot headed approach through the chicane. Ultimately it came down to Rossi and Petrucci. Had it not been for a touring Alex Rins on the final lap, the Pramac Ducati man may not have been as far back as they approached the chicane. But it was difficult to imagine Rossi ever relenting with the prize within reach.

Also, hidden away in the aftermath: Third placed Marquez had witnessed the improvements of Yamaha’s new chassis firsthand. There was an air of resignation in his dealings with the Spanish media thereafter. “I don’t expect big changes before next year,” he said. “I hope to manage this situation in the best way possible and let’s see if next year can be a good season for us.” HRC sprung into action, announcing a two-day test at Brno over the summer break. Just observe how Marquez’s form went from there.

6 best moments from 2017 motogp

Feature

15th October, Twin Ring Motegi: Dovizioso grows horns

Ducati Corse Press

6 best moments from 2017 motogp

This didn’t have the multi-bike freight train of Silverstone, Aragon or Phillip Island. But, in desperate conditions (Dovizioso said “I didn’t see anything” on the first lap), the two best riders in 2017 came together just as the title fight was intensifying. Arguably the race of the year was the result and Andrea Dovizioso confirmed he was operating above and beyond his supposed capabilities. This was his finest ride to date.

With Movistar Yamaha and Viñales all at sea, the Ducati man was the only hope of taking the fight to Marquez, who had excelled in each of the past six encounters. Only a blown engine at Silverstone had left the championship open. Here, he tried to bury Dovizioso’s challenge for good, pushing then pushing again only to find the ever-present Italian stalking his every move.

On Saturday Dovizioso had said, “To win for sure [is the aim],“ a rare occurrence for a rider usually unwilling to throw it all on the line. But sensing an opening when Marquez got all out of shape on the final lap, he pounced with a majestic move at turn eleven. A similar thriller to their brawl in Austria, where Ducati was seen to have an advantage, here the Italian appeared totally at ease as Marquez sought to raise the stakes. The Catalan may have won the war, but Dovizioso’s consolation will surely lie, among other things, in this new-found strength in midst of critical, intense scraps.

There was a heartening embrace in parc fermé afterward too. The last premier class title race (’15) turned sour around this time, but there was nothing but mutual respect between the pair. “I don’t know who will win this championship but it’s amazing to fight like we did today,” Marquez commented. Even in defeat, his contribution shouldn’t be overlooked.

With Phillip Island fast approaching, he didn’t need to make that final lunge at the last bend. The next best Honda was 13 places and 63 seconds back.

Perhaps he was doing things with the RC213V that shouldn’t have been possible after all.

22nd October, Phillip Island: Another seaside vintage Where to start with this one? How about the number of passes in the leading group, which amounted to 73 in a little over 40 minutes?

Or was it the sheer number of riders (eight) fighting for the lead that stretched along the glorious curves of the world’s finest racetrack? Or perhaps it was the intensity of the battle that had Marquez and Rossi showing off leather scuffs and tears as boastful battle scars. All ensured this was another Phillip Island scrap that will live long in the memory alongside those memories from 1989, ’90, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’03 and ’15.

From that first chaotic run to the Southern Loop, this had a touch of the extraordinary about it. The usual names were there: Marquez, Rossi, Viñales and even ‘Island’ specialist Cal Crutchlow. But the inclusion of Jack Miller, Zarco and Andrea Iannone’s Suzuki – missing in action for so much of the year but serving up a timely reminder of his talents – added extra spice. The moves came thick and fast. So much so that even 38-year old Rossi had to throw caution to the wind.

“You get angry but anyway don’t change nothing,” he said afterwards.

“This is the game. If you want to play, is like this. Is a bit more dangerous, but this is the way. If not, you have to stay at home.”

There were huge title ramifications too. Marquez’s effortless easing away to a sixth win of the year was one thing. Ducati and Dovizioso’s disastrous day was another. They would leave for Malaysia 33 points apart – a huge ask for the Italian to overcome with two races to play.

Another feature that typified racing in ’17 was evident here. 16th placed Tito Rabat crossed the finish line 26 seconds back of Marquez.

This was one of six races through the year that saw the top 15 covered by 35s or less – a feat that had occurred just four times in the previous 68 years of premier class competition. Spec electronics software, Michelin’s increased tyre allocation and added manufacturer support really was bringing the field closer together.

Here, we had an encounter to showpiece it all.

6 best moments from 2017 motogp

Feature

12th November, Circuit Ricardo Tormo: Marquez defies physics at 95mph If there was one moment that proved we are witnessing true greatness, then this is it. A strange thing, you may posit, to write about what was ultimately a mistake. But Marquez’s recovery from a potentially perilous situation at turn one, 24 laps into the season finale had the audience scratching their heads in disbelief. Video replays and photos reinforced it. Just how was maintaining a 160 kilo machine on one’s knee at 95mph when knelt over at 64 degrees for a grand total of 50 metres possible?

It was unsurprising to hear Marquez laugh it off as just another one of those moments he somehow pulled back from the brink. He had done the same at, admittedly, a greatly reduced speed just two weeks before at Sepang. But Crutchlow, who knows all about pushing the front of the RC213V to its limits, could add some perspective: “Trust me. If it were any other Honda rider, we wouldn’t have finished the race. Everyone used to talk about ‘aliens’.

There’s only one alien now. The rest are all normal.”

One could point to a number of critical instances through the season’s summer and autumn that suggested Marquez was reaching new peaks. Taking the RC213V to the within a corner of victory in Austria was one. A calculated last-lap pounce on Danilo Petrucci in the rain at Misano was another.

It was unsurprising to hear Marquez laugh it off as just another one of those moments he somehow pulled back from the brink...

Marquez explained, “I arrive in the end of the straight and I feel like a bike was very close to me. I braked too late. This was the first mistake. Then I go in too fast and suddenly I had a small chatter that we struggle with during all weekend. Since I lost the front, I just say, ‘OK, I will be with my bike until the end. I don’t know if we will finish in the gravel or in the wall, but I will be with her.’ But then I saw the rear was there so I’m able to save with my elbow and knee. When I pulled up, maybe was able to lean again the bike and stay on the asphalt, but I prefer to go in the gravel and finish the race.”

And controlling the eight-rider freight train in Australia at will before a devastating final push highlighted a rider operating on another level to those around him.

But more than results, and titles, this was a glimpse at his supernatural ability to judge and then react to what is going on beneath him in a split second that spoke of his genius. Little wonder we’re already talking of him among the sport’s all-time greats. And he’s still only 24.

6 best moments from 2017 motogp

motogp BLOG

rewind...

It’s that time of the year to cast a nostalgic eye over a stupefying season in MotoGP. Here we hand out awards for the very best – and worst – in an eventful 18-race calendar.

Man of the year: Andrea Dovizioso.

Marc Marquez may have won the war, but – be honest – who saw a title challenge coming from the wise old owl of the class? Dovizioso is always a joy to observe.

His intelligence, foresight and complete disregard for the social media obsessed, jet-set lifestyle of several of the sport’s superstars has always set him apart.

But his on-bike intelligence knew no bounds in 2017. A ruthlessly decisive streak was developed too, and the high-profile arrival of Jorge Lorenzo to Ducati only served to enhance his confidence. There’s something wonderful about observing a rider realising he can carry himself to new heights. His last-lap win at Motegi was a case in point.

Race of the year: Assen, MotoGP – How can a frantic four-rider scrap featuring four men with a liking for a scrap get any better?

Well, try adding a light shower of

rain to proceedings and see who blinks last. The latest of Valentino Rossi’s 115 GP wins was undoubtedly among his finest, a fight that laid bare an insatiable appetite for competition, and that sweet feeling that comes with winning.

Pass of the year: Mattia Pasini, Italian Grand Prix – If you were to choose a slither of tarmac on the championship calendar to produce a series of moves that would win your home grand prix, then why not make it the wonderfully undulating and flowing Casanova-Savelli section that precedes Arrabbiata 1.

It was here, renaissance man Pasini pounced on not just Alex Marquez, but Thomas Luthi, to jump from third to first in ten breathless seconds on the final lap of an allaction race. Rossi said it best: “He did the race that every Italian rider dreams about at night.” Quite.

The Medal of Valour: Cal Crutchlow, Brno – The Englishman had a break in his T6 vertebra after crashing on Alvaro Bautista’s oil in FP3. A trip to the local hospital followed, but Crutchlow found the machine that operates CT scans unmanned. Keen to ride in the afternoon qualifying session, Crutchlow snuck out through the back door, returned to the track, was passed fit by the circuit doctor and rode in FP4. A subsequent CT scan showed a non-displaced fracture “so I was safe.” Going on to qualify fifth was a herculean feat – a tale of no ordinary madness.

The Second Coming of Christ: Joan Mir – Normally this gong is reserved for a new name, a teenage starlet that has perhaps drifted under the attentions of many. But when a rider in Moto3 amasses the kind of numbers Joan Mir did in ‘17, you are forced to take note.

Time and time again, the Majorcan timed his final attack to perfection in just his second season. Of his

By Neil Morrison

ten wins, eight came when winning out in last-lap scraps. The most impressive part? No special training goes into this art. “I only ride on instinct,” he says. He’ll win races in Moto2 in ’18.

Must Try Harder: Nicolo Bulega – This time a year ago and Bulega was being spoken of as a certainty to challenge for the Moto3 world title. His debut in the world championship showed he has the talent.

Yes, the ’17 KTM lagged well behind the Honda. But Bulega’s faults were all-too-apparent: starts and opening laps must improve if he ever hopes to sustain a career in the sport. And much too often he found himself being outclassed by KTM riders from lesser teams. A lot is hanging on his 2018.

The ‘Who, me?’ award for cherubic innocence: Marc Marquez, Sachsenring – Knowing a title rival is mired in frustration, why not stick the boot in and enrage him further?

Marquez had wiped out Viñales’ title lead in two races and could see his compatriot struggling in a wet qualifying. Riding into Viñales’ side at turn two served its purpose: ril-

ing the Yamaha man up. Marquez’s reaction was even better. Pleading total innocence, he laughed his way to assuming the championship lead the next day.

The ‘Pinch yourself, is this really happening?’ award: Johann Zarco, Qatar – Six laps of magic. The first rookie to lead his first premier class race since Biaggi in ’98. And he wasn’t even over the limit when he crashed out. Not bad for a man who was consistently slower than rookie teammate Jonas Folger across pre-season and took 47 races to win in 125s and 54 to do the same in Moto2. It took just six corners to get on the level of MotoGP’s leading names.

The Award for Putting your foot in it: Jorge Lorenzo, Le Mans – For all of Lorenzo’s astounding ability on a bike, he does have a knack for saying the wrong thing. The Majorcan’s nose was put out of joint by Jack Miller during Friday’s safety commission. Miller had apparently said, “Opinions are like a**holes. Everyone has one,” as Lorenzo spoke.

Overflowing with wounded pride, Lorenzo went on: “Very rude. I think

that’s something you shouldn’t’ say to any rider in front of the others, and certainly not to a five time world champion.” Then, referencing Miller’s terrifying crash at turn 1 on Saturday: “God picked him up and said, ‘Today isn’t the day you get hurt.’” A weekend during which news of Nicky Hayden’s grave accident was still being absorbed, Lorenzo’s comments were completely unnecessary, and lacking in tact.

Quote of the Year: Franco Morbidelli – The Moto2 champion had stiff competition, not least from friend Pasini, whose insistence that past arm injuries have little effect on his current speed. “You ride the bike with the balls, not the arms,” he said. Not long after finishing his first GP, American Joe Roberts had a typical baptism of fire. “Riders in the world championship are assholes,” he decried. But Morbidelli’s reaction to crashing out of the lead at Misano was everything that makes the Italian so unique: “I just went home, got on the sofa, and started watching Sky. That’s it…Eating chocolate, you know, like a guy that splits up with his girlfriend.”

Not quite your average racer.

Products

shoei One of the standout piece for Shoei at the recent EICMA show in November was the new Neotec II flip-up that can now incorporate a full communications system. Three different shell sizes and a complete re-design means a compact look that is as functional as it is aesthetic. Shoei state: ‘the upper ventilation also serves as a spoiler when riding upright, while in a sportier and forward driving position, the rear spoiler-style shape of the shell particularly achieves its stabilizing effect.’

There is a re-worked flip-up mechanism allows variable axis locking – thus greater versatility – and easier button access.

www.shoei-europe.com From a safety perspective Shoei claim the Neotec II has ‘an Advanced Integrated Matrix (AIM) shell made up of five different fiberglass and organic layers. This achieves an optimal compromise of maximum stability and flexibility. The liner of the Neotec II also consists of several EPS elements of different hardness, depending on the area, and thus optimally absorbs impact energy.’ The rest of the helmet’s construction has been windtested and maximized to ensure comfort and noise isolation. Sounds like a prime option for long journeys in the saddle.

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rev that retro Words by Roland Brown, Photos by Double Red & Ula Serra

kawasaki z900rs

K

awasaki has taken its time before releasing a naked four in the familiar shape of the Z900RS. European manufacturers, notably BMW, Ducati and Triumph, have had success with numerous heritagethemed machines in recent years. Rival Japanese firms have joined in with models including Honda’s CB1100 and Yamaha’s XSR900.

But Kawasaki has held back, despite the fact that its 903cc, four-cylinder Z1 and near-identical Z900 successor were among the greatest, best looking superbikes of the Seventies. Even Kawasaki’s new-generation Z900, released a year ago – featuring a powerful, 948cc fourcylinder engine and a tubular steel frame – had modern styling with no hint of tradition.

The arrival of the Z900RS suggests that plenty of people at Kawasaki are in touch with their firm’s past glories, after all.

The extra initials stand for Retro Sport, and the new bike’s round headlight, chromerimmed clocks, teardrop tank and ducktail rear end echo the Seventies stars that forged the firm’s reputation for four-cylinder performance.

The RS is not simply the existing Z900 with a few cosmetic modifications. Having decided that a retro four would appeal to a different type of rider – a slightly older and less performance-focused one – Kawasaki retuned the engine to give more flexibility at the expense of top-end power, while also redesigning the frame, uprating the front brake and adding LED lighting and traction control.

The liquid-cooled engine retains its 948cc capacity and dohc, 16-valve layout but is reworked with new camshafts, reduced compression ratio and a heavier crankshaft.

“The Kawasaki is a useful all-rounder, at least by naked bike standards. Its wide bars, generous steering lock and respectably light weight combine to make it manoeuvrable in traffic.

The 17-litre tank will typically give a range of close to 150 miles...�

kawasaki z900rs

The fresh, double-skinned four-into-one exhaust has narrower downpipes than the Z900’s system, which also helps boost midrange power. While torque at low and medium engine speeds is increased, the maximum output of 109bhp is 14bhp down on the current Z900’s figure (but more than 25bhp up on its Seventies namesake).

Most chassis changes are also intended to make the RS more rider-friendly than the sporty, fairly hardcore Z900. Steering geometry is more relaxed; a wider one-piece handlebar gives a more upright riding position; footrests are lower and further forward. A lower rear subframe leaves room for a thicker, Seventies-style dual-seat. Other changes include new thin-spoke 17-inch wheels, designed to resemble wire-spokers, and fourpiston monobloc front brake calipers.

The detailing gets better the closer you look, and the more familiar you are with the famous Zed models. Seventies design inspires the camshaft end caps, round mirrors, sidepanel badges’ lettering and finish, and oval rear light. Even the instruments’ typeface replicates that of the old dials.

The Candy orange and brown colour option matches that of the 1973-model Z1.

Maximum power might be slightly down on the Z900, but the RS still has plenty for a naked bike, and its new-found flexibility is very welcome. There’s more torque everywhere below about 7000rpm, giving the Kawa a pleasant, old-school urgency from 3000rpm or below – and a seriously armyanking burst of acceleration from 5000rpm, as it heads for a top speed of about 140mph.

The only real flaw is the throttle’s response from closed, which is slightly abrupt, most noticeably when exiting slow turns.

Chassis performance is very good, especially for a bike that has been designed for gentle use as well as back-road scratching.

The RS steers with a neutral and enjoyably light feel, helped by the leverage available from those wide bars. Kawasaki resisted any temptation to use an old-style suspension layout. The upside-down forks and rear monoshock give good ride quality plus plenty of control.

Those new monobloc front calipers ensure strong braking, too – in marked contrast to the feeble single disc with which the original Z1 was equipped as standard. Ground clearance is fairly generous, though the sidestand bracket eventually scrapes when you’re exploiting the grip of the Dunlop D300 tyres. There’s an adjustable traction control system, which allows wheelies in the sportier of its two settings.

The Kawasaki is a useful all-rounder, at least by naked bike standards. Its wide bars, generous steering lock and respectably light weight combine to make it manoeuvrable in traffic. The 17-litre tank will typically give a range of close to 150 miles.

kawasaki z900rs

Although the seat is not especially low, it’s slim enough to allow most riders to get both feet down.

Accessories include a lower seat as well as pillion grab-rail, tinted fly-screen and heated grips. For riders who fancy a racier ‘Zed’, the RS will shortly be followed into production by the Z900RS Café, which features a bikini fairing, lower bars, cut-down dual-seat, brushed steel silencer and paintwork in Kawasaki lime green and white.

Even the standard RS is not especially cheap (at between £9899 and £10,199 in the UK, depending on colour, it’s roughly 20 per cent more expensive than the Z900.) But it’s a well designed and timely motorcycle. Kawasaki waited four decades to revive that famous Z900 name with last year’s model.

Adding the Z900RS’s classical look and more rounded character gives the naked four a new dimension – even to riders who were born long after the Z1 ruled the roads.

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on track off road

‘On-track Off-road’ is a free, bi-weekly publication for the screen focussed on bringing the latest perspectives on events, blogs and some of the very finest photography from the three worlds of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the AMA Motocross and Supercross series’ and MotoGP. ‘On-track Off-road’ will be published online at www.ontrackoffroad.com every other Tuesday. To receive an email notification that a new issue available with a brief description of each edition’s contents simply enter an address in the box provided on the homepage. All email addresses will be kept strictly confidential and only used for purposes connected with OTOR. Adam Wheeler Editor and MXGP/MotoGP correspondent Ray Archer Photographer Steve Matthes AMA MX and SX correspondent Cormac Ryan-Meenan MotoGP Photographer www.cormacgp.com Simon Cudby AMA SX/MXPhotographer Matthew Roberts Television Presenter and WSB correspondent Gavin Emmett TV commentator/Presenter and MotoGP Reporter David Emmett MotoGP Blogger Neil Morrison MotoGP Blogger Graeme Brown WSB Blogger and Photographer Roland Brown Tester Núria Garcia Cover Design Rosa Baldrich 2017 re-design Gabi Álvarez Web developer Hosting FireThumb7 - www.firethumb7.co.uk Thanks to www.mototribu.com PHOTO CREDITS Ray Archer, CormacGP, GeeBee Images, KTM, Ducati Corse Press Double Red & Ula Serra Cover shot: 2017 MXGP World Champion Tony Cairoli This publication took a lot of time and effort to put together so please respect it! Nothing in this publication can be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the editorial team. For more information please visit www.ontrackoffroad.com and click ‘Contact us’.