Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i Transworld Motocross

Have you ever noticed that no one is ever watching when you pull off something excellent on the track, but everyone sees when you fall or do something embarrassing? This was exactly what happened at the most recent A Day In The Dirt Grand Prix, a Thanksgiving weekend race that is one of my favorite events of the year. I’d actually missed the previous couple ADITD after a consecutive run that spanned well over a decade. After my daughters graduated high school and stopped playing soccer, I had sold our family motorhome and didn’t miss all the hassles of loading, unloading, parking, and cleaning the camper. At the same time, though, the allure of ADITD without the fun of camping out with my buddies just wasn’t the same, and hence,…

BJ Burns Hometown: Moreno Valley, CA Classes Raced: +30 Pro Sponsors: Chaparral Motorsports, Steven Geary, Shift, Emig Grips, enzo racing, MX University, Hinson, ProTaper, Maxima Brian “BJ” Burns is a former professional racer who now shares his knowledge with students that he coaches through his company, MX University. With additional experience as a professional mechanic, Burns has plenty to offer the racers that rely on him for guidance. We first became aware of MX University when South African Bradley Lionnet—one of Burns’ longest-running students—swept every pro moto at our inaugural TransAm National in 2015. Recently, Burns showed up to do a little racing of his own and proved to be dominant in the +30 Pro class. We asked Burns what he thinks makes a good motocross coach, as we’ve known…

SLIPSHOT STARTING DEVICE Price: $500 Developed by longtime motocross racer and funny-car race team clutch specialist Charlie Pausina, the Slipshot is a small hydraulic damper that controls the rate at which the clutch is allowed to engage at the start of a race. Mounted down near your engine at the clutch actuation arm, the unit is activated by a handlebar-mounted lever on the starting line after you pull in your clutch lever and click your bike into gear. When activated, the shaft inside the Slipshot unit extends and rests against the clutch actuation lever. In theory, you can hold the bike wide open and simply dump the clutch lever when the gate drops, and the Slipshot will do the rest by controlling the clutch engagement down at the arm. Once…

“I’D LIKE TO STICK AROUND” Chad, it’s 2019 and you’re still in the game! Yeah, I’m actually excited to be honest with you. 2018 was awesome on many different levels and then really difficult on others. I didn’t want to go out like that. From a racing standpoint, it was a really challenging year. I definitely didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve or even get to the level that I was used to. I’m really excited to be going racing again, healthy and ready to go. I went pro in 1998 and here we are going into 2019. Yeah, 20 years of professional motocross and Supercross racing and I’m still at it. During some very important years in your career, you decided to put up your own money to…

DYLAN FERRANDIS Three years ago, at Angel Stadium in Orange County, California, then-MX2 World Championship racer Dylan Ferrandis and a group of his buddies stood inside the cold and cramped concrete tunnels of the worn-out ballpark and impatiently waited for the start of the first 450SX main event of the new season. “This is where I want to be in 2017,” the French-born rider said a few days before he’d have to get back on a jumbo jet, fly to Europe, and begin preparing for 2016 MX2 World Championship. “This where it’s at.” Less than five months later, while he was giving Grand Prix sensation Jeffrey Herlings a serious run for his money all along the MXGP world tour, word broke that Ferrandis had inked a two-year deal to race…

Each discipline of racing brings its own unique risks to the table, and there are far too many to even attempt to list, but some are preventable while others are inevitable. In motocross, it’s understood that first-turn crashes are a matter of “when” not “if,” but crashing into a downed or stalled rider can usually be avoided with appropriate flagging. However, in the world of off-road, high speeds, rocks, trees, and racing courses without any preview adds up to some serious risks. When Kurt Caselli passed away in a racing accident six years ago, these risks were forced to the front of the minds of racers and weekend warriors alike. Born from this tragedy was the Kurt Caselli Foundation and Kurt Caselli Memorial Ride Day that supports it. Together, they…

How many times have we heard that getting a good start is the key to the race? The answer is more than enough, but still, any professional racer will agree that the start is the most important part of any race. It happens to be the only time a rider can pass an entire field of racers all at once. SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda’s Vince Friese was the first rider who came to mind for this particular category, as he is arguably one of the best starters on the line each weekend. “Nailing your starts is hugely important, especially at our level.” Friese said. “But even for the average weekend racer, how well you perform on the start will make or break your overall result at the end of the race!” We…

With nine CRF off-road machines to choose from in 2019, Honda has the right bike for just about everyone. And while much of the glory and big race wins are captured by full-sized bikes in the 450 class, there’s something to be said for an easy-to-ride 250 that can be just as—if not more—effective in most conditions. Enter the all-new 2019 CRF250RX, a closed-course off-road competition machine that’s bred from the amazing CRF250R motocross bike, and sure to be a hit for the boys in red. WHAT’S DIFFERENT How does the CRF250RX differ from its motocross-bred brother? The changes are simple, but effective. A larger fuel tank (2.25 gallons) allows you to ride further and longer, revised suspension settings offer greater comfort and compliance off-road, Dunlop AT81 tires provide the…

Relating to elite professional athletes sometimes seems impossible, but the truth is that while top racers are incredibly gifted in what they do, most implement fairly basic habits that we could all benefit from. Looking to elaborate on the subject, we sat down with Blake Savage, a former pro racer who now trains and works with talents like Ken Roczen, Christian Craig, Cole Seely, and Chase Sexton among others. Blake’s interaction and coaching with these athletes on a daily basis helps shine light into many things that could help the average racer. Read on for five healthy habits from Blake that are sure to improve your results and experience as a racer! Morning Routine and Warm-Up: Setting the day off with a stress-free, organized morning can have a huge impact on…

Motocross racing is one of the toughest and most physically demanding sports on the planet. It takes years and years of hard work and dedication to make it to an elite level, and it’s a path followed by more than you could ever imagine. Trevor Stewart was one of those many racers who hoped to reach the pinnacle of Supercross and motocross, but after a string of injuries in 2014 along with a number of other factors, Stewart found himself at a crossroads when he realized how hard it would be to earn a living as a motocross racer. Originally from Southern California, Stewart got his start on two wheels at the age of four after receiving a Yamaha PW50 for his birthday. It wasn’t long before he found him-self…

GT Sensor Carbon Pro Price: $5,750 Frame: Carbon fiber Fork: RockShox Pike RCT3, 130mm Shock: RockShox Deluxe RT3, 130mm Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle 1x12 Wheelsize: 29 inches Brakes: SRAM Level TL hydraulic disc gtbicycles.com GT Bicycles was one of the pioneers in the early days of dual-suspension mountain bikes, and its iconic LTS rear suspension design has stood the test of time and is still effective today with some modern upgrades. The Sensor is a 29-inch trail bike, and we chose to test this model because we wanted something that would climb with a moderate level of efficiency, yet be able to handle some more aggressive downhill trails than a full cross-country bike is capable of in average hands. Though 27.5-inch wheels are popular among the enduro crowd, we prefer…

It seems rather late to conduct a bike shootout, but with the all-new Suzuki RM-Z250 and revised Honda CRF250R only arriving on dealership floors in late November, waiting for the last two of the big six machines to arrive was a must. This year, we found ourselves in a unique situation, as we had spent plenty of time on four of the contenders and had a good idea of how they stacked up against one another, but we needed to see where the yellow and red bikes fit in. 2019 is a great year to be a 250 rider, as all six machines are competitive as delivered and each have shining points that make them uniquely desirable. So what’s new? We’ll start with the most-changed motorcycles. The Yamaha YZ250F received…

It’s a great time to be alive if you’re a motocross rider looking to purchase a brand-new motorcycle. With companies building bikes that are literally race ready as delivered, it’s gotten even more exciting with companies bringing their specialty models to the top of their lines. Most recently, Honda joined in on the party to make a bold statement with their 2019 CRF450RWE model released in 2018. This “Works Edition” model hit the market with some enticing additions like their hand-ported cylinder, Yoshimura mufflers, titanium nitride-coated lower fork legs and shock shaft with revalved suspension, Team Honda HRC look, and much more. Originally we had planned to build our own stock 2019 CRF450R test bike to a similar spec that would compete head-to-head with the WE and compare price points.…

Hometown: Clinton, PA Years Wrenching: 6 Rider: Aaron Plessinger Past Riders: Alex Martin, Phil Nicoletti, PJ Larsen Billy Hartle knows more than anyone that you don’t become a factory 450 mechanic by accident. This actually isn’t the first time Billy has graced the pages of our magazine for the Spanner feature, but a lot has changed since he was last highlighted as a wrench for Aaron Plessinger’s 2016 Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha. Since then, the two have earned the 2018 Monster Energy Supercross 250SX West Coast Championship and the 2018 AMA Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 250 Class Championship. Along with all of this success came a contract for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing team for Plessinger, and he brought Billy along for the job. “It was pretty surreal trying to work…