Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 65 Issue 22 i Australian Motorcycle News

THIS IS THE first image of Triumph’s next-generation Street Triple which is tipped to get a 90cc capacity boost for it to become the Street Triple 765. The extra cubes will help it gain performance despite being redesigned to meet tougher emissions laws. Triumph plans to offer four versions; a base model with 82kW, Kayaba suspension and axial Nissin brakes which will be joined by an 85.7kW R version – the bike seen here – using radial Nissins and Showa suspension. A touring ‘RT’ model with an optional half fairing and more gadgets will join the range using R-spec suspension and an even more powerful 93.2kW engine. The same high-end motor will also power a new RS version that gains Öhlins suspension and Brembo Monobloc radial calipers. Although we only…

GO ON, GET OUT  THREE! There are still a few spots left on the fully supported BMW SG Safari Enduro which will see participants ride from South Australia’s Streaky Bay through to the historic New South Wales city of Broken Hill. The eight-day event kicks off on 24 July and prices range from $2000 through to $3900 depending on your accomodation comfort level. For more information or to bite the bullet and register, head to www.bmwsafari.com. 50 BUCKS Fresh from Veloce Publishing in the UK comes Racing Line, former AMCN editor Bob Guntrip’s book on racing in Britain during the 1960s. “It was an exciting time,” said Bob. “Big names doing battle up and down the country every weekend”. The 232-pager is out now, priced at $49.99, and you can…

Pleasure and pain Well, what a bittersweet issue of AMCN. Here I am with two busted wrists, maybe six months till I throw a leg over a bike again, my 10-year-old HP2 with nearly 150,000km on it, and you blokes bring out a cracker of a magazine. As they say, karma’s a bitch, although in this case karma came in the shape of a wallaby! Now, Mr Young outdid himself with a couple of superb tests. Just for the record Youngy, my $30K adventure bike has been getting dirty since the day I bought it, so hopefully we will see some of those Ducati Desmos out in the sticks too. My last proper ride was with a mate on his new Africa Twin (manual, ABS) and having recently organised a…

...takes up less room than your moustache comb collection Servicing First service 1000km Service intervals 5000km Lifetime Warranty is an optional extra at $250 and covers the lifetime of the original owner’s ownership of the motorcycle. These days it’s an Australian entrepreneurial motorcycle manufacturing phenomenon, but Braaap was born out of founder Brad Smith’s simple desire to kickstart mini motocross Superlite MX racing in Australia. To do that he needed a pit bike, and after taking on every odd job he could find (and inventing a few others along the way), the then 16-year-old saved enough pennies to order in a shipment of Chinese-made models. And when that first container didn’t live up to expectations, he kept riding hard on the tail of his dream, eventually sourcing a mini-bike out…

BRITAIN’S FAST, FLOWING and spacious Thruxton Race circuit, measuring 2.35 miles (3.78km), is near Andover in Hampshire, to the west of London, it was originally a WW2 RAF base. The first bike race at the decommissioned airfield took place in August 1952, and in 1968 the British Automobile Racing Club took over the track to ensure its permanent survival. Nowadays just two motorcycle races per year are held at Thruxton, including a round of the British Superbike series. But back in the 60s, Thruxton was a popular bike racing venue and one of the events held there each year, the Thruxton 500, was Britain’s premier long-distance event for production motorcycles. It was of major importance to the British manufacturers because it represented a competitive 500-mile test of their road models…

IT WOULD BE the dream of anyone fascinated by the history of Grand Prix racing to ride the Moto Guzzi V8, and I fulfilled that dream thanks to the generosity of famed British collector Sammy Miller. After a shakedown test at the local WW2 airfield that doubles as the Miller Museum test track, I was given the honour of riding the bike up the hill at Goodwood – twice. It takes around 20 minutes to warm the V8 engine up from cold to the required 70 degrees. Before firing it up, fuel is squirted down each of the eight carbs’ long intake trumpets, then you flick the ignition, select bottom gear on the one-down four-up right-foot gearshift, and you only need a few paces’ shove to clutch the V8 effortlessly…

AMCN: How did this all start? BB: I moved to a small desert town called El Centro, Imperial Valley, California. There was a racetrack there, at the IV Expo Centre, but there was nobody running it. I asked them what it would take to get the track going, and I became a licenced promoter two days later. That was back in November 2014. AMCN: So that’s where IV League came from? BB: Yeah, it started out we were gunna throw one race for our buddies. We realised we had to have so many riders in order to pay for the facility, to cover the cost of promoting the thing to the riders, we then started going after spectators. It was never really intended to be an event like this, an…

WE FINALLY GOT our beloved MT-07 back from Sydney under the pretence that it ‘needed’ some bling attached to it. That seemed a pretty flimsy excuse to me – after all, the MT-07 is already one of the coolest looking LAMS bikes around; more to the point, trying to fix something that ain’t broken is usually a recipe for disaster. But it was a double success in the end. First because the boys in Sydney fell for it and finally let the bike out of their garage, and second because the team at Online Racing Spares Moorabbin did such a great job of setting our Yammie apart from the ever growing MT-07 crowd. The Puig accessories they added to the bike are all specially designed for the MT-07 and include…

If Chaz Davies dominated the WSBK races at Imola, then Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) simply owned Imola for the third time in four years. For the second time in two races we had a truncated Supersport contest. Planned for 17 laps, it ended up being an 11-lap full-point restart, after a double whammy. First of all, former championship leader Randy Krummenacher’s Puccetti Kawasaki started leaking what looked like oil but was claimed later to be water. He did not see the problem, smelled nothing, and with his bike working well enough to be third he carried on at full pace. When the black and orange disk flag came out he didn’t see any number next to it and carried on. When he realised it was for him he looked…

A TREND IN 2016 has been the improvement of the once struggling official MV Agusta Reparto Corse squad. While they are long time competitors at the top level in WSS, it has taken a year and a bit to really have lone rider Leon Camier compete with the bigger names with any degree of consistency. His main advantage at this race was a new engine spec that gave him enough power to stay in contention with his peers. He used it to the full and made another giant leap as a result. With a potential fifth in Race 1 that became a sixth after a technical glitch late on, and then a real fifth in Race 2, it was a massive boost for him and his team. He was stoked…

RIDERS FACED challenging conditions at Oulton Park during the second round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship when intermittent rain gave way to a drying track in both races. In Race 1, Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) showed enough aggressive style and superior skill in the wet to keep championship hopeful Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) at bay. After the pair stormed clear of the chasing pack mid-race, Haslam forged ahead to cross the line just 0.103s ahead of Iddon. His teammate James Ellison couldn’t match the pace of the leaders and settled for a comfortable third position. Australian Jason O’Halloran performed superbly on an ageing Honda CBR10000 SP Fireblade to maintain a consistent pace and finish fourth. And South Australian Billy McConnell brought the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki home in…

RYAN DUNGEY (Red Bull KTM) sealed his second consecutive AMA title – and his third overall – with one round in hand with a fourth place finish at Round 16 in MetLife Stadium, New Jersey. Ken Roczen (Soaring Eagle Suzuki), who steadily became stronger as the season played out, took a second win in succession at the penultimate round in front of Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Cole Seely (Team Honda HRC) In the Eastern Regional 250SX class Malcolm Stewart (Geico Honda) took his second win for the season ahead of Martin Davalos (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) and Jeremy Martin (Star Racing Yamaha). The final round dished up the most challenging racing conditions of the season with several riders coming to grief on the slippery rhythm section of Sam Boyd…

THE WEST AUSTRALIAN road racing season got underway over the weekend of 30 April-1 May. Sadly, the weekend was marred by the death of 28-year-old racer Daniel Chadbund on Saturday in the first Superbike race of the weekend following an incident at turn seven. In the Hughes Limousines Superbike Championship, Ben Stronach (Swift Windscreens ZX-10) took the three wins to head the championship at this early stage. Ralph Mammoliti (Trakdayz ZX-10) took two seconds and a third place on his return to racing, and Adam Chambers (ZX-10) and Adam Senior (Consent 2 Go Yamaha R1) were the other placegetters. With half points awarded for the first race, Stronach leads on 63 points from Mammoliti on 48 and Chambers on 47. The Hydroquip Supersport Championship Sam Clarke (Banhams WA ZX-6) stormed…

With a completely new generation of water-cooled Bonnevilles now on sale it’s only a matter of time before the rest of Triumph’s Bonnie-based models also get replaced – and here’s a photograph of the next-generation Scrambler on test. While the firm is already offering a scrambler-style ‘inspiration kit’ of bolt-on parts for its new water-cooled, Bonnie-derived Street Twin, that kit is little more than a replacement seat and a non-road-legal Vance and Hines exhaust. The new real Scrambler will be the offspring of the prototype in these pictures. This prototype is clearly based on the Street Twin, which means it has the smaller, 900cc version of the new water-cooled engine rather than the Thruxton or Bonneville T120’s 1200cc unit. That makes sense, since it’s aimed squarely of rivalling Ducati’s 803cc…

LAST YEAR IN Milan, Benelli surprised us with its pretty Leoncino scrambler and 500cc adventure bike – but it looks like the Chinese-owned firm has more tricks up its sleeve. These are the first, leaked pictures of a forthcoming new model, codenamed BJ750GS. Given that the TRK 502 was developed under the BJ500GS code, it’s pretty clear that the ‘750’ bit refers to its capacity. That’s actually a surprise, since the engine is visually identical to the old three-cylinder unit featured in the Tornado, TNT and Tre-K, and that in previous incarnations has been offered in 898cc and 1131cc forms. So 750cc suggests it’s been either de-stroked or sleeved down significantly. It also means that the same basic bike you see here could just as easily be offered with either…

HONDA HAS FILED patents for a new on-bike air conditioning system that might not be as crazy as it sounds. The gizmo is a stand-alone tank bag that doubles as a piece of luggage. Like a normal tank bag there’s a zip around the edge and the lid lifts to reveal storage space, but the clever bit is inside the lid itself. There you’ll find a small blower unit, much like the heater fan in a car, that’s powered by a rechargeable battery. It sucks in air from mesh intakes at the sides of the bag, through an intake chamber and then out through movable vents on the top that aim the air up under the chin of your helmet. A separate flap underneath the tank bag’s lid can be…

2001 Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird In 1996 Honda’s CBR1000F evolved into the CBR1100XX Super Blackbird. The sleek and streamlined model was only available in black initially, however, by the end of the production run in 2007, blue, red and titanium (silver) paintwork were also on offer. The most significant engineering change occurred in 1999 when the PGM-FI and ram-air systems were introduced. This big-bore four cylinder was aimed squarely at seizing the World's Fastest Production Motorcycle crown, which it did, then held from 1997 to 1999. What it’s got The Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird is powered by a liquid-cooled, four-stroke, transverse four-cylinder 1137cc, fuel-injected engine with DOHC and four valves per cylinder. Power runs through a six-speed constant mesh gearbox. The front suspension is a 43mm cartridge type fork with 120mm…

and carries an extra 4.2 litres of fuel all with a wet weight of 230kg. This is only 2kg above the non-ABS Honda’s wet weight. When the KTM has used the extra fuel it will weigh 1.5 kg less than the Honda whilst having ABS, a centrestand and none of the Honda’s shortcomings. Regards, Greg Jeanes Via email Hi Greg, You will find we tested the R1200GS in Vol 65 No 01, and through Vol 64. Surely two brand new bikes in the Ducati Enduro and Honda Africa Twin deserve to be featured ahead of retracing old ground with previously tested models, even great ones like the BMW. Chris The Kat’s pyjamas Amazing story from you guys about the Suzuki Katanas and it’s all true – people went absolutely nuts…

KTM typically has taken some tricks from its world leading dirtbikes How can a motorcycle be soft and approachable, but also sharp and brutal? It depends on what you’re comparing it to, and also on the sophistication of its electronics. The 1290 Super Duke GT represents the softer side of a seriously hard edged motorcycle family, and it’s only the brilliance of its combined Keihin and Bosch brain power which make it so civilised. Because, make no mistake, the GT retains all the brute force of the Super Duke R from which it was derived, but somehow delivers it in a softly rounded package of useability. Like meticulously prepared lunacy, lovingly delivered in easy to chew lumps of grunty goodness. I can still taste it now. The Mattighofen mob’s first…

There is an aura about the Moto Guzzi 500 V8 that defies the fact that it raced for only two years (1956-57) and somehow never won a World Championship GP. Created exactly 60 years ago in a small workshop on the shores of Lake Como by a team of just 12 men, including the three engineers who conceived it, this bike is truly the stuff of legend. With its improbable specification of eight cylinders, sixteen valves, eight carburettors and four camshafts, this 500cc motorcycle revved to 16,000rpm safely, was measured at 286km/h along the Masta Straight at Spa-Francorchamps in its final race and produced 59kW (79hp) at 12,500rpm in its ultimate guise. Not even Honda’s 250/297 six or oval-piston NR500 can topple Moto Guzzi’s V8 from its throne as the…

Tour leader A CACOPHONY OF oohs and ahhs echoed around the walls of Horror HQ when a sleek S1000XR turned up from BMW to join our fleet of long-termers. We’ve been eagerly awaiting one of these super-tourers since its victory in 2015’s Motorcycle of the Year test, and were absolutely chuffed when we saw that the good folks at Motorrad had seen fit to deck it out in full touring mode. Wasting no time, I packed up the panniers, punched in some far off coordinates, and proceeded to hit the road for a weekend away on this tasty new toy. Stay tuned for an update on our fully optioned XR, and a review of my bone-crunching exploits in Glenmaggie... BMW S1000XR Liquid-cooled, 16-valve, DOHC, in-line four 118kW & 112Nm (claimed)…

I WAS BITING my nails in anticipation of the wet and cold months ahead until RST delivered a new Pro Series Ventilator V jacket to AMCN HQ. This thermally insulated, waterproof and armour-clad addition to the gear locker has crushed any excuses I had for staying off two wheels this winter, and after a quick ride I reckon its three-layer system might actually cut the mustard. I’ll be notching up a swag of kays with this kit over the next few months so keep an eye out for a full test review soon. Colour: Black/silver Sizes S-5XL RRP $339.95 Monza Imports (03) 8327 8888 monzaimports.com.au…

Motor heads ONE OF THE trickiest technical issues for teams to deal with in recent years in the WSBK series has been the limitation on engine numbers that riders can use for practice or racing over the year. With many engine items that used to be full race parts now stock, this has meant work from the teams to make sure they get a season out of their allocation of seven engines per rider, while still maintaining performance. Making an engine last for a long time is ‘easy.’ Making an engine go faster, for the experts, is also ‘easy’. Making an engine have both characteristics is where art and science must collide to ensure competitiveness. And then there is the question of when to use a new engine – assuming…

There were two different ways to do the French GP. You could start at the lights, ride round for 28 laps of the tortuous stop-and-go Bugatti circuit, and pass the chequered flag. Or you could crash. This year, in spite of perfect warm and dry conditions, eight of 21 starters took the second option. One of them was erstwhile points leader Marc Márquez, along with both factory Ducatis. Márquez was the only one able to remount, finishing a lap behind but claiming two potentially valuable points for 13th. Not as valuable as the 25 taken by Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo, who had one of his ominous copybook weekends. He started from pole, led into the first corner, and sailed serenely away to take his second win of the season, and…

Thomas Lüthi was on pole, and the Garage Plus Kalex rider took a flyer to lead away from Franco Morbidelli (EG-VDS Kalex) and second qualifier Álex Rins (Páginas Amarillas Kalex), while Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Kalex) didn’t complete the first lap. Rins was directly up to second, and on lap seven he pounced on Lüthi to take a lead he would never relinquish. Not without pressure, however. “I pushed hard to pass Lüthi, because I knew he was fast, but when I was there I got a signal that there were four riders behind me, so I had to keep pushing.” They were the two above, joined by Simone Corsi – the veteran having something of a renaissance after his switch to Speed Up – and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Kalex). By…

AT LE MANS the only bikes without some sort of aerodyne were the four lowlier satellite Ducatis – the GP14.2 machines of Laverty, Baz, Barberá and Hernández, plus the junior satellite Hondas of Miller and Rabat. The factory Dukes had redesigned top wings, with an air-fence halfway along, then another smaller fenced outer winglet plus a version of the side-flank biplanes. But hostility to the protuberances remains strong, pretty much everywhere except within wingletpioneers Ducati. Bradley Smith explained: “There is a very minimal effect on performance – especially our wings. Not even 0.1 seconds a lap. Ducati have been a bit smarter and have had more time. They have fairings designed to use the wings.” So why was he using them? “It’s like the seamless gearboxes: you’ve got to have…

IT WAS CLEAR that Chaz Davies had both races under control at Imola. Even as he danced on the edge of adhesion and pace at times, his confidence was total. He even had time to ease up on Saturday, near the end. His reasons for this were at least partially due to memories of what happened to his bike in 2015. Not to mention looking to having the best possible bike on Sunday – and the rest of 2016 as well. This matters in a series with a limited number of engines available all season, and Davies was smart enough not to push the bike when it wasn’t necessary. “My pace dropped off at the end but I really buttoned it off,” said Davies. “With about six to go I…

DANISH RIDER PETER Kildemand celebrated becoming a permanent wildcard rider for 2016 by winning the opening round of the Speedway Grand Prix series at the Slovenian FIM Speedway Grand Prix staged in Krsko on 30 April. Despite carrying a rib injury into the meeting, Kildemand scored his second SGP victory and was, pleasingly for Australian fans, joined on the rostrum by Jason Doyle and Chris Holder. The Krsko meeting produced one of the strangest scorecharts in SGP history, with 13 of the 16 riders winning heats – the best of them Maciej Janowski with three – and only two riders – Kildemand and Nicki Pedersen – scored in all five of their heats as gate position three proved very unproductive. Amazingly, after the 20 heats, the top scorers were on…

THE 400 THUNDER Series came to Sydney Dragway on 7-9 May. In Top Bike, Damian Muscat was third, taking the B-Final on a solo 7.64. The A-Final saw Chris Porter defeat Mark Drew in a 6.66 to 6.98 decider. In Pro Bike, Maurice Allen had the quickest ride with a 7.30 pass in qualifying. In the final, Scott White had the early lead but the horsepower of Corey Buttegieg’s Buell snatched the win in a 7.60 to 7.34 decider. Competition Bike and Modified Bike were abandoned due to poor weather on Sunday.…

THE ONSLAUGHT OF new Triumph models is continuing with yet another version of the new water-cooled Bonneville. The next bike set for launch is this Street Cup. As the name suggests, it’s derived from the 900cc Street Twin but gains a sporting twist. In fact, Triumph hasn’t had to develop many new parts to create the bike. The seat and headlight come from the new Thruxton, as do the clip-on bars, giving a café racer style. Unlike the retro, wire-wheeled Thruxton, the Street Cup keeps the alloy wheels from the Street Twin and gains a new exhaust system with black end cans. The front brake is new, with a floating disc instead of the fixed version on the Street Twin. The Street Cup name was leaked along with a handful…

SUZUKI AUSTRALIA HAS raided its genuine accessories catalogue to create an Australian-specific Grand Tourer edition of its 1000cc adventure bike dubbed the V-Strom 1000GT. The GT variant adds $4500 to the standard bike’s $15,490 (plus on-roads) price tag but comes equipped with a swag of made-to-fit touring equipment and accessories. Similar to what the Australian subsidiary did with its adventure-spec V-Strom 650XT, the 1037cc machine has been equipped with a 35-litre topbox matched to a pair of hard panniers, it gets a centrestand as standard, a lower engine cowling, crash bars, a large adjustable touring screen, plastic hand guards, a tank protector, and a dedicated set of Ground Tourer decals. “The GT-Grand Tourer model is simply the complete package, ready to ride away from the dealership with nothing more to…

RIDING AIDS HAVE become commonplace over the last few years, but Honda’s latest plan is to create bikes that actually teach you to become a better rider. While the latest in ABS, stability control, anti-wheelie and traction control systems can help prevent accidents, they do nothing to teach riders how to extend the limits of their own bikes and avoid getting into trouble in the first place. Unlike cars, where many of these electronic nannies were spawned, bikes are massively influenced by the position of the rider – and his or her weight – in relation to the manoeuvre they’re undertaking. Hanging off the bike in corners helps keep the fatter part of the tyre in contact with the road and add grip where traction control can merely reduce power…

It’s not the first time I’ve been on the outside of the law, but this time I was an outlaw in a gang of 150 or so other likeminded souls, and that was a first. Fellow dirt-thirsty slide-fiends, all assembled on the hallowed stage of Del Mar Showgrounds, where up to a decade ago the Del Mar Mile had been a major event on the Pro Flat Track scene. Today, we are rubbing shoulders and eating each other’s dust on an 1/8-mile oval track built inside Del Mar’s show jumping arena. It’s a fitting scene for the nostalgia-packed vibe of an IV League Flat Track event. The towering domed roof and concrete stands reverberate and amplify the sound of thunder rising up from the arena floor as if Thor himself…

IN MY LAST yarn, you might have seen a photo of me dreaming of more noise and power, well I can report that the dream is now a reality. I met up with Luke Rafferty at Harley Heaven’s Sydney store, and we went through Harley-Davidson 920-page parts and accessories catalogue. And we worked out what would be best suited for the Iron. I wanted to make the bike a bit louder on the road so people could hear me coming, but not that hard sound that sets car alarms off and wakes up sleeping babies. I wanted to get that traditional Harley pop sound rather than a crack. Luke and I decided on a set of Screamin’ Eagle pipes and a black heavy breather. He also suggested that I run…

I’ve been gleefully rolling around in the dirt quite a lot lately, so I’m glad to have an off-road helmet which is up to the job of keeping my noggin cool, comfortable and safe for long days of sweatin’ in a dusty saddle. The Bell Moto-9 has a ‘Trimatrix’ composite construction which gives it a reasonably light weight of 1450g without the price premium of the full carbon-shelled model. Three sizes of outer shell offer a better fit through the size range, and importantly for image conscious motocross brats kids, won’t make you look like you’ve got a disproportionately huge bonce if you’re at the small end of the scale. The D-ring fastened retention strap is padded with a super-soft, super-comfortable material which I can only presume must be ethically…

ESSENTIALS Fuel is available at Colo Heights, including PULP, as well as takeaway and sit down meals. The Cockfighter Creek Tavern, or Bulga Tavern is also a good spot for a cold drink and food. Mobile phone reception along the Putty Road is poor. There are a couple of public phone boxes along the route if you need to make a call. Fix It There appears to be no mechanical assistance available between Windsor and Singleton. There is plenty of help available at Singleton Motorcycles located at 47 John Street – on the right as you come into Singleton on John Street. Open weekdays 8.30am-5pm and Saturday until 12.30pm. Fuel Up Colo Heights Service Station: 3356 Putty Road, Colo Heights (02) 4565 0207 Caltex: 58-62 John Street, Singleton (02) 6571…

A thriller as usual, and a second straight win for Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM). He seized the lead on the first lap from pole qualifier Nico Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold Honda), and the usual early brawl continued until after half distance, when four broke away. One was Binder’s main challenger Romano Fenati (Sky VR46 KTM), and the Estrella Galicia Honda pairing of Jorge Navarro and rookie teammate Arón Canet. Fenati led most often over the line, but Binder was waiting for his chance. “I tried to pull away but I saw today it wouldn’t be possible … but I knew if I pushed really hard on the last lap I could brake a little later and close the lines well enough not to give anyone a chance of passing me.” That…

COULD TWO-STROKES be making a comeback in grand prix racing, when the current Moto2 regulations end after the 2018 season? It’s not impossible, according to Trevor Morris, technical director of Externpro, the company in charge of supplying and maintaining the CBR600 engines in Moto2. While strokers might have fallen out of favour both for road and racing motorcycles, new two-stroke technology is still there and under continuing development in the automotive industry, seeking ever-smaller and more efficient motors especially for hybrid vehicles. “At the moment, almost anything is possible,” said Morris. “Even two-strokes, which I have suggested as one alternative. But 2018 is probably a bit too soon.” He agreed that a more open class would answer many current criticisms of Moto2, but would go against the need for a…

THE OFFICIAL HONDA World Superbike team went from podium runners at Assen to strugglers at Imola, despite the winter work that has transformed the Fireblade’s performance, and raised the team’s expectations. But the reality at Imola was a struggle, in both practice and races. Neither Honda worked well at Imola, which was a particular surprise given that Jonathan Rea won a double there for Honda as recently as 2014. Nicky Hayden, a first time Imola runner, went from a top three to well over 25 seconds from the winner each time out in Italy. “Racing will do that to you,” he said, speaking from experience. “It will put you back in your place real quick. Of course we (Nicky and VDM) have both had very strong weekends in Assen in…

THE TIGHT LAYOUT and hard packed sand of Zelta Zirgs in Kegums Latvia posed plenty of challenges to riders at Round 6 of the FIM Motocross World Championship. MXGP rookie Tim Gasjer (Gariboldi Honda) proved a stand out as he bucked and weaved his way around the 1540m track for the overall win. The 19-year-old was first across the line in Race 1, and did well to finish fourth in the second race after a highside on the rhythm section of the opening lap. Former champ Antonio Cairoli found his form again and took second overall (3,2), while reigning champion Romain Febvre (Monster Energy Yamaha) struggled in Race 1 but surged ahead in Race 2 to come away with third overall (5,1). Ben Townley (Suzuki) wasted no time getting back…

RIDERS FACED challenging conditions at Broadford during Round 3 of the MX Nationals after heavy rain reduced the track to a mud-coated slip ’n’ slide before the race even got underway. The steep hills proved a mission for the smaller capacity bikes, but made for an exciting display of racing in all classes. In MX1, Todd Waters (Wilson Cool Air Suzuki) made an early breakaway in Moto 1 and used the clear track to forge ahead of Kirk Gibbs (KTM Australia) who came second. Matt Moss (NPE Monster Kawasaki) placed third. During the rain soaked Moto 2, red plate holder Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) found the sweet spot on his YZ450F and stormed away from the pack to secure victory. Gibbs came second again while Waters put on a last…

WHEN I WAS growing up in the San Diego area, I was the luckiest kid with parents who ran a motorcycle shop. There were open fields near our home so I could ride trailbikes every day. When I started racing, what was unique was that we were the first generation of riders who were racing on Japanese brands. The sport was exploding, and made even more popular with the release in 1971 of the movie On Any Sunday. I grew up in the home of my father, Floyd Emde, who had won Daytona back in 1948 when they raced it on the beach. We’re the only father and son to ever win it. I was disappointed that I didn’t win Daytona on my first try in 1971 on a factory…