Transworld Motocross December 2018

“I CONTINUE TO BE INTERESTED IN NEW THINGS THAT SEEM OLD AND OLD THINGS THAT SEEM NEW.”—JAQUELIN T. ROBERTSON In addition to the 24 regular TWMX Race Series races we promote each year around Southern California, TransWorld Motocross hosts three major stand-alone events: the TransAm Vet Classic, the Mini Major, and the SLAM Fest, which went down just before this issue went to press. The oldest in our trio of special events, the SLAM Fest has grown into a three-day celebration of dirt bikes that starts on Friday with the Industry Cup, continues on Saturday with the main festival day that includes free riding, the SLAM Pro Race, and the Hell On Wheels/Rusty Butcher flat track races, and wraps up with the final round of the TWMXRS Terra Firma Series.…

“I’ve been riding dirt bikes since I was three and started racing at age four,” said Mike Alessi as he sat down for lunch. “It’s been my whole life. It’s all I’ve ever done.” Now 30 years old, Alessi was jittery and a bit nervous about the race he was poised to line up for in a few days’ time at the TransWorld SLAM Festival. It ended up going remarkably well for a racer who, truth being told, contemporary motocross fans may not know a tremendous amount about in 2018. A mere three days after the actual running of the SLAM, Alessi was hanging out at the Monster Energy offices and effervescent with the winning result he pulled down at the TransWorld Motocross-promoted event. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the…

We’re always pumped to learn that someone entered their first-ever motocross with the TWMX Race Series, and 19-year-old Carrington Fowler took his first gate drops at the Terra Firma Series finale at Milestone MX Park on the final day of this year’s TransWorld SLAM Fest. Fowler first became interested in the sport when he attended a Supercross, and he’s attended the last couple SLAM Fests, but he never thought he’d be racing himself one day. At Milestone, Carrington was part of a sizable contingent from Bikes Over Bang’N, a Los Angeles-based organization with a great mission statement: Bikes Over Bang’N intends to decrease gang violence, gang-related deaths, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, and academic failure, by providing at-risk youth living in the inner city a pro-social outlet. By pairing the youth with…

Berik is a brand that is best known for street motorcycling leather goods and boots, but in 2005 and ’06 the Italian brand made a big splash in motocross racing by sponsoring the all-conquering Ricky Carmichael and producing the RC OVS-Pro Boot. To see a brand-new brand enter the motocross marketplace with endorsement from the GOAT was shocking, to say the least, especially since Carmichael left longtime sponsor Alpinestars to join the Berik family. Prior to the boot’s launch, we were visited by representative who reviewed all of its features with us, and its kangaroo-leather construction was touted as the feature that set it apart and above all of its competition. Unfortunately for Berik, the 1971 Senate Bill 880 banned the sale of kangaroo-leather goods in California and as a…

THE BIKE All-new for 2019, the Yamaha YZ250F is an amazing motorcycle that we’ve all been quarreling over when it comes time to check a bike out of the TWMX race shop. Blessed with abundant power throughout the rpm range, the YZ250F now boasts the same smartphone connectivity and Power Tuner app interface that the YZ450F got last year, making it the easiest bike in the class to fine-tune to your liking. Though we were sure that there was no need for an aftermarket exhaust, we tested out a FMF Factory 4.1 system on the YZ250F and were pleased with the overall gains and weight savings it yielded! We then turned to enzo racing, who firmed up the suspension for us once the stock Kayaba components broke in and softened…

Like it or not, pedal-assist mountain bikes are gaining popularity and picking up steam, especially now that major players in the cycling marketplace are throwing their hats into the ring. Intense Cycles is a SoCal-based mountain bike brand with heavy roots in the gravity side of the sport, and we’ve been hearing rumors of an Intense pedal-assist bike for several months now. Intense has also long been a supporter of motocross racing and currently sponsors GEICO Honda racers Chase Sexton and Christian Craig, and we were pretty damned excited when we got an invite from founder Jeff Steber a couple months ago to join him on a secret test ride of sorts. “Bring your riding gear and pedals” was all he told us, and we happily agreed. The Intense Tazer…