Indholdsfortegnelse for May/Jun 2020 i Dirt Action

TIMBER NIGHTMARE Most of us mere mortals see a single log on the trail and approach it with caution or perhaps even find a way around it. This guy, however, does not shy away. In fact, for a Red Bull video shoot, Manuel Lettenbichler went and found the log mother lode and just made it look all so easy, hitting them at all angles with just more logs after the one he hit. It’s endless logs — that’s a nightmare to us. Much respect to the German.…

The story of bike sales was, again, not a great one in 2019. The market fell 6.1 per cent over 2018 and it’s getting tiresome writing that surely this is the low point, only to find out it gets worse. Offroad bikes remained the strongest segments with a 38.5 per cent share of sales (which is 1.6 per cent down on 2019), with Yamaha topping the dirtbike sales ahead of Honda and KTM. Honda sold the most bikes overall, followed by Yamaha with a big gap back to Kawasaki, KTM and Suzuki, who are somewhat tightly bunched.…

A first-of-its-kind, three-layer impact liner utilises multiple densities of material to more comprehensively disperse impact energy and works to reduce rotational energy transfer. Moto-9’s flexible, segmented liner achieves an adaptive, more personalised fit for a wider variety of head shapes, and allows us to deliver superior ventilation throughout the helmet. The Moto-9 Flex is the most advanced helmet Bell has ever made. FEATURES » Carbon composite shell » EPS-lined chin guard » Extended Wear interior » Flying bridge visor » Industry-leading five-year warranty » Integrated roost guard » Magnefusion emergency release system (MERS) » Padded chin strap with D-ring closure » QuickFlip visor screws » Washable interior XT-2 with prolonged wear » Speed flow ventilation » Padded and lined helmet bag included » Snell 2015 / DOT…

WE TOOK THE DR250 FOR A QUICK BASH THROUGH THE TRAILS AND CAME BACK SMILING. IT’S A GREAT LITTLE TRAILBIKE The Suzuki DR250 has been devoid of serious updates for donkey’s years. Why? Well, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. We took the DR250 for a quick bash through the trails and came back smiling. It’s a great little trailbike. Sitting on the bike, you’re presented with a low and soft seat, and a fairly small yet comfortable cockpit. It’s a bike more suited to someone of smaller stature; a rider of six foot or close will need some extra space. ON BOARD The DR has a very capable power plant. It isn’t a race-bred engine but a low-fuss, low-maintenance, air-cooled four-stroke. It’s old school and that’s the charm…

BEST USA RIDER RYAN DUNGEY » 34 SX WINS » 39 MX WINS » 7 TITLES — SX 4 MX 3 » 31 CONSECUTIVE PODIUMS » 2009-2017 ONLY 2 RACES OUTSIDE THE TOP 10 RD5 is still under-rated by some and that’s just insane. His record speaks for itself but numbers aren’t the whole story. He won on two different manufacturers and that’s something we just don’t see much anymore. His tenacity on both the indoor and outdoor tracks is something we also don’t see much as riders concentrate on supercross, and his presence at the MXoN brought three wins. When he stopped going, the US wins dried up completely. His photo was on a cereal box. He shifted gears with his hand at the 2012 Monster Energy Cup for…

As Dakar turned its back on South America for the sands, horrendous social oppression, religious fanaticism and outstanding scenery of Saudi Arabia, you could almost sense a change in fortunes for the teams was in the air. Honda had suffered years of runner-up finishes, mechanical issues and epic crashes. Yamaha had poked its nose in from time to time but there was zero reason to suspect KTM would be anything but the front runners again. It would take some measure of fate to step in and slow Toby Price down. And fate arrived. Like a bastard, it arrived. It doesn’t need to be said that this was a long time coming. Some have gotten close, but no other manufacturer has won Dakar since Fabrizio Meoni crossed the finish line in…

Y arrive Konsky is the team owner of Penrite Honda. Towards the end of 2019, it was announced that he would support newly signed rider Luke Clout in an attempt at the AMA Supercross Championship, the most prestigious supercross series in the world. What started as a box-van attempt for Clout to gain experience soon became a fully-fledged team mixing it with the biggest names in the sport. We sat with Yarrive to find out why. Yarrive, what a start to the year, mate. You must be very proud of how both Luke and Mitchell (Oldenburg) have been performing. We set realistic goals and objectives before round one. I will be transparent; whilst we have achieved some of them, we are far from content. Collectively, we are learning from each…

01 Transitions photochromic lens adjusts quickly to ambient light levels. The lens has more than enough range to appear clear for night riding, which is something not all transition lenses can achieve. 02 Seven shell sizes, from XS to 3XL, ensure you get the perfect fit for your melon. 03 Built with Koroyd energy-absorption technology, which is on the cutting edge of helmet protection enhancement. 04 Fid-Lock strap closure system — no D-rings here. Instead, the strap uses a very clever magnetic clasp that’s easy to work with gloves on. 05 The visor and helmet shape provide a quiet ride on the higher-speed stretches, with little fatiguing resistance.…

OAKLEY FRONT LINE MX FACTORY PILOT BLACK PRIZM GOGGLES $219.95 www.monzaimports.com.au BALLARD’S ALLOY FOOTPEGS $129.95 www.mxstore.com.au ALPINESTARS 2020 LE TECH 10 SAN DIEGO BOOTS $799.95 www.monzaimports.com.au FOX HRC RED SNAPBACK $59.95 www.foxhead.com.au NEKEN SFH HANDLEBARS $169.95 www.gasimports.com.au MICHELIN STARCROSS 5 TYRE SET $$249.90 www.gasimports.com.au BELL 2020 MX-9 TWITCH SE BLACK/ RED MIPS HELMET $289.95 www.cassons.com.au ONEAL 2020 PRODIGY FIVE-ZERO BLACK/NEON RED GEAR SET $299 www.cassons.com.au…

Australia will host the FIM Oceania Junior Motocross Tri-Nations Cup. The event will see riders from Australia, New Zealand and France do battle at Horsham, Victoria, on April 4-5, which will piggy-back off the Motocross Nationals round held on the same weekend at Horsham. The event will see riders aged 13-17 years old aboard 125cc motocross bikes, with an FIM Oceania Junior Motocross Tri-Nations Cup individual and team trophy both up for grabs. The races will be inspired by the FIM Junior MX World Championship formats and rules, and will be the perfect lead-up event for these young riders before the FIM Junior MX World Championships in Greece in August. Motorcycling Australia CEO Peter Doyle said the inaugural FIM Oceania Junior Motocross Tri-Nations Cup was another way MA and FIM…

KTM’s 790 Adventure R is a beast. It’s arguably the most exciting, all-round-capable adventure bike in this galaxy. Its low weight, cleverly balanced by the unusual Dakar-inspired tank design, coupled with a firecracker of an engine and a suite of electronics, all help to put it somewhere no other manufacturer competes. On top of all that there’s the handling, which is so very dirtbike-like and one of the outstanding features of an already impressive bike. But what if I told you it could get even better? And I mean so, so much better. The standard package has very few shortcomings for most riders and I’ve seen Adam Riemann and Chris Birch do crazy shit on stock bikes that didn’t bend or break (not that I saw anyway), so you know…

It was the last weekend of September 2016 and Mitch Evans was in emotional turmoil. He pushed his YZ250F onto the start line of the famed Maggiora circuit in Italy and his heart was pulsating through his chest. He was in awe, in shock, lost in the moment and well out of his depth. But he knew that’s where he wanted to be. Just a week earlier, Evans had been selected to ride for Australia in the Motocross of Nations. A series of injuries and issues with our more established riders led to Evans, the MXD champion of the time, getting the call-up for his country. Within three days, he was on a plane and destined for the biggest motocross event in the universe. Evans and those that selected him…

So you’ve been off the bike for a while, busy with work, having a family, life. But you knew you would always return one day. What’s more, the kids are old enough now and you really want to get the next generation to experience the joys of getting dirty on two wheels. You don’t want to race, just have some low-risk, low-maintenance fun. The question is, what bikes to get… and what about where do you ride? We didn’t have to go far to find a family in this position, and Kawasaki kindly offered the perfect antidote: three of their spanking-new fun bikes. We will follow their journey and answer these questions and more over the next few issues. Imagine getting a call from DIRT ACTION. The journo on the…

Check the depth first — it can be deceiving. Remember, clear water almost always looks shallower than it actually is, so get ready to get your boots wet and check before you dive in. Identify what’s under the water. It may be muddy, it may be have a log or it may be rocky, and each different obstacle needs a different approach. Grab the bike with your knees. As you almost certainly won’t be able to see what’s underneath, the bike may change direction suddenly without you knowing it was coming. Don’t power-down; try and keep a steady throttle all the way across and don’t over-rev. Traction is your friend, but wheelspin brings things to a wet end. Keep a neutral riding position, ready to move forward or back as…

» Pierer Mobility Group is the parent company of KTM/Husaqvarna/GasGas. » Revenues: 1,520.1 million euro. Up 4% compared to 2018. » Ninth record result in a row. » Push with Husqvarna e-bicycles in Europe » December 31, 2019, the Pierer Mobility Group had 4,368 employees, 3,639 were employed in Austria. » 234,449 sold KTM motorcycles and 45,650 sold Husqvarna motorcycles in the financial year 2019. The sales volume was increased by about 7% compared to the previous year. » In Europe, the overall market grew by around 8.9% in the fiscal year of 2019. KTM succeeded in maintaining market share of around 12%. » In the US market, which declined in the business year 2019 (-2.7%), KTM increased its registrations by 3.6%, thereby raising its market share as of December…

» 9 ROUNDS » 6 WEEKENDS » 4 MONTHS » 3 DOUBLE HEADERS » 1 Day Adults $30, Kids 5 to 15 $20, Family 2+2 $70 » 2 Day Adults $50, Kids 5 to 15 $30, Family 2+2 $100 » www.mxnationals.com.au » Rds 1-2: 4-5 April — Horsham, Victoria » Rd 3: 3 May — Newry, Victoria » Rd 4: 24 May — Gympie, Queensland » Rd 5: 28 June — Conondale, Queensland » Rds 6-7: 25-26 July — Maitland, New South Wales » Rds 8-9: 22-23 August — Coolum, Queensland…

The subject of concussions in sport has gained momentum over the last decade. Some time ago, studies by doctors in the US uncovered troubling findings in the brains of deceased NFL players. Since that time, many other sports have been reviewing not only the effects of concussion but how to put in place rules to deal with athletes affected by head traumas. Riding dirtbikes produces head traumas — unless you’re that one rider in the universe that never falls off. We covered this topic in a large feature on concussions and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in issue 221 and it’s clear that concussions are a very serious and too often overlooked problem, for racers in particular but ultimately for all riders. Motorcycling Australia has responded by teaming up with FIM…

The numbers on show at the conclusion of the 2019 supercross season indicate that not only are the indoor races finding their fans again in Australia, but the largely self-imposed narrow band of coverage the Motocross Nationals offer in this country is now offset somewhat. After coming to a close in front of a claimed 35,000-strong crowd at Marvel Stadium, the Australian Supercross Championship was able to boast attendance of 70,000 fans across five rounds, with every round but one (Adelaide) having a television outlet present. Brisbane and Wollongong had a one-hour highlights packages on SBS, Fox Sports and Kayo. Both Auckland and Melbourne were live on Fox Sports throughout both Australia and Asia, live on Sky Sport in New Zealand, live on Kayo (Australia) and replayed on the Ten…

The Husqvarna 701 Enduro Trek is set to return for 2020 when the ‘Northern Explorer’ event takes place between 27 April and 1 May in New South Wales. This year’s edition follows on from the brilliant inaugural event held in the Victorian High Country in 2019. Boasting an assortment of terrain including everything from sandy coastal tracks to lush rainforests with rocky water crossings and impressive hill climbs, the trek will also feature a mix of open cattle country that will delight participants with a wide range of abilities, including optional harder routes. Starting and finishing in Coffs Harbour, the Husky Trek will explore Northern NSW from coast to country with overnights in Glen Innes, Tenterfield and Yamba. The aim is to support local businesses in the region which have…

NIGHT ONE Broomy almost had his arm ripped off at the start after getting the holeshot and then crashing. Pretty much nobody could clear the finish-line No Fear tabletop that sent riders high but not long enough. A 19 year-old Chad Reed nearly ate shit after wheel tapping the final whoops section in celebration of his massive lead heading into the final corners, but held it together to win over Pastrana, Ando and Cam Taylor. From there it was Daryl Hurley, Craig Carmichael, Shane Metcalfe and Paul Broomfield. Chad then pointed out in the TV interview that it had been over three months since he’d lost a race. Ando’s series lead over Taylor was now six points and the next night was going to be a big one. NIGHT TWO…

Robbie Maddison ain’t slowing down. What’s left to prove? Nothing. But the Aussie legend just keeps pushing the boundaries of what’s insane and what’s entertaining. This time Maddo teamed up with Tyler Bereman to find a way to beat the famously shitty Los Angeles traffic, which of course means jumping, dropping, sliding, wheelieing and taking lines no city planner ever dreamed of. The boys use every part of what’s there in front of them to freeride the city’s outskirts and we definitely don’t recommend trying this in your home town — especially the part where Bereman jumps from one lane of an overpass to another. If that went wrong there’d be a tombstone with his name on it. And Maddo’s drop off the bridge to the drain below is just…

DIRT ACTION: First up, can you explain the difference between last year’s Dakar program for you and this year? ROD FAGGOTTER: So the bikes are fairly similar, but obviously I wasn’t on a factory bike. But they’re continually working on stuff to make the bike better, so my one was a little down on horsepower and top speed. Other than that it was basically the same, and then I guess the biggest difference then was the fact that I had to pull my own program together and support money, whereas previously it was all laid on. Those two things aside, I enjoyed myself the most I have of any Dakar I’ve done because I’ve got enough experience now and I know what to expect. And sort of being my own…