Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2016 i Dirt Action

THE BIKE RETAINS THE DUAL EXHAUST SYSTEM, WHICH IS NOW MORE COMPACT AND CLOSER TO THE FRAME’S CENTRE The 2017 Honda CRF450R is all new. From top to bottom and on the 15th anniversary of its first 450R, the bike is a vision of what Honda believes is the best possible 450 for 2017. The 2016 was an excellent bike that lacked only in horsepower, with mixed feelings about the air fork. For the new CRF, Honda has made a return to the spring fork with a 49mm Showa setup. This will please many riders. The engine features a new downdraft intake tract and FI body to improve power as well as a redesigned cylinder head that now uses a new “in-finger” rocker design. The rockers and piston pins also…

CHAD REED “Family vacation just got a little more interesting. @chriswatsonmc got the kids and I sorted with a few @yamahamotoraus bikes. Can’t wait to take the kids for a ride.” JOSH GREEN “Sunday arvo cruising! Took the dog to the beach #stressrelief” TOBY PRICE “111 days till we roll out again ... At this point here I for sure didn’t think I would end up on the top step. I wanted it so bad but didn’t think it would happen in the 2nd year ... If I can do it once, I can do it again. #dakar2017” PHOTO @ PIERCEMAIRA TYE SIMMONDS “Part of tomorrow’s race track @mccormack93 testing the depths! Mud Race it is for the last two rounds. #properwet #plentyofmoistureabout #jetskisneeded” DYLAN LONG “Who would buy one…

I REALLY LIKED THE WAY THE FORKS FELT. THEY WERE FIRM AND GAVE A VERY DIRECT FEEL OF WHAT WAS GOING ON — NOT HARSH BUT DIRECT AND WITHOUT ANY VAGUENESS Nathan Crawford was harrowingly close to his first pro championship this year in the MX Nationals MX2 class. He’d fought his way to an 11-point lead into the final round at Coolum only to suffer a practice crash in the week preceding, which left him with a lacerated spleen and kidney and unable to ride. He would eventually round out the championship in third place overall behind rivals Jed Beaton and Caleb Ward. The machine he races is via a factory-supported deal with Husqvarna Australia but, essentially, Nato’s racing program is pieced together by him and his family. Kenny…

“WITH THE AORC AND DESERT RACES COMBINED — ALONG WITH WORLD-CLASS EXTREME EVENTS LIKE WILDWOOD ROCK — IT’S HARD TO REACH ANY CONCLUSION OTHER THAN OFF-ROAD RACING IN AUSTRALIA IS VERY STRONG” There is more than one professional racing story in Australia. One sees the Australian Off-Road Racing Championships going from strength to strength in small but steady increments, with ever-improving coverage and communication and riders who are increasingly media and fan savvy. The AORC alone doesn’t attract a tonne of competitors and that’s a concern that needs to be addressed, but there’s no doubt the sport as a whole is more welcoming and open to fans than motocross. In particular, the KTM and Active8 Yamaha teams have done a brilliant job of creating an unintimidating and constant stream of…

“FILLING UP THE #BALLARDSBUS IN #WOODBURN. IF YOU SPY US, TAKE A SNAP AND TAG IT #BALLARDSBUS.” — BALLARD’S OFFROAD “Thank you @sgiftracing for this masterpiece of a butt patch. Outstanding work Clay!!! Thanks ...” — BLAKE BILKO WILLIAMS “Just wrapped up the 450 Motocross Championship today with @KenRoczen94 and the @RCHracing team. Now watching #UFC202 with the crew.” — RICKY CARMICHAEL “Kudos to this guy @AussieGrit. Put him on the spot and he flew the flag for Australia as he always has! #shoeysallround” — DANIEL RICCARDO “ONCE UPON A TIME ‘BALLING’ WAS HAVING YOUR PILOT READY WITH THE PRIVATE JET TO RACE @RICKYCARMICHAEL @JS7 OUTTA THE AIRPORT. #WEOLD” — CHAD REED “ON MY OWN BUT A BIRTHDAY RIDE IS ALWAYS GOING TO MAKE ME SMILE. THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR…

“IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE INDUSTRY HAS FACED THIS ISSUE AND NOBODY HAD A HANDBOOK TO REFER TO” Easily the most contentious and baffling topic to come up so far this year is the allegations of doping against the Moss brothers, Jake and Matt — and to be clear, at the time of writing they are just allegations. For those who haven’t followed this from day one, here’s a brief rundown. Matt and Jake were tested by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) at Murray Bridge along with Nathan Crawford and Dean Ferris. We know this — it wasn’t a secret. Before the next round we were informed via a Kawasaki Australia press release that both Jake and Matt had been suspended for disciplinary…

“THE DIRT SECTION WAS IN A PERFECTLY MOWED PARK AND THE MAIN STRAIGHT WAS LITERALLY 10 METRES FROM THE WATER’S EDGE” SuperMoto is in resurgence in Australia — there are no two ways about it. In the middle 00s, slicks on dirtbikes was a hugely popular and super glamorous form of motorcycle racing. While the numbers and high-profile events may have dwindled in recent years, the Australian scene is far from dead. And if the second running of the Newcastle City SuperMoto is anything to go by, it’s very much on a steep rise in popularity. LOCATION, LOCATION The Watson Demolition & Earthworks Newcastle City SuperMoto takes place in one of the most picturesque locations possible: on the foreshore of Newcastle, just two hours north of Sydney, with the glistening…

The 2016 Motocross Nationals series had a lot going on. Surprise winners, a doping controversy, a visiting American, substandard performances, great racing and even terrible racing — it was all there. Come the end of the series, Yamaha stood as the dominant manufacturer. Dean Ferris won the title that had thus far eluded him, no doubt setting him up to head back to Europe. Two factory riders were excluded at the halfway mark, never to return; a privateer team beat the big guys; and a few riders may only get more chances in 2017 due to the fact that it looks as though there are more seats than bums. After 10 rounds, we learned that the gap between the MX1 top four and the rest of the field is huge.…

It’s nearly Christmas, guys, and you know what that means: time to start dropping some serious hints to Mum and Dad — and, of course, Santa. We’ve done our best to help you out here with a rundown of some of the coolest junior bikes on the planet. Find the one you like and circle it; maybe cut it out and stick it on the fridge or get some tape and stick it on your forehead so everyone gets the hint. All the best and good luck choosing!…

MINDS ARE BLOWN ALL OVER THE WORLD AND EVERYONE PONDERS THE CHANCE THAT HE MIGHT ONE DAY ACTUALLY WIN THE GREAT RACE The story is well known: Aussie Toby Price enters his first Dakar in 2015 and grabs a stage win on his way to third overall. Minds are blown all over the world and everyone ponders the chance that he might one day actually win the great race. Fast-forward to 2016 and with full KTM Factory support, following the retirement of the legendary Marc Coma, Toby gets his second chance at Dakar. These are huge boots to fill. Nobody could be expected to replace Coma directly but when you’re the guy coming in as a great leaves the building there’s a level of expectation and pressure. The 37th running…

LEAVING THE PAST BEHIND AND LOOKING AT THE WR250R IN 2016, HAS IT STOOD THE TEST OF TIME? In 2008, Yamaha released a curious little beastie that we didn’t know we needed at that point: the WR250R. We remember being pretty sceptical about the whole thing, knowing full well the TT-R250 was a great bike — so why bring out a competing model? Also, in 2008 EFI was still something of an unknown to the dirtbike world and, ridiculous as it seems now, some of the great forum scribes were claiming that should such a contraption make its way onto our glorious machines the end was coming. In 2008, Nickelback released an album that did exceedingly well — which, in my mind, goes to show how confused we were eight…

LEXX MXe EXHAUST SYSTEM The Lexx system offers an increase of up to 4hp. Baffle and spark arrestor included along with all mounting hardware and performance-engineered mid-pipe. Range covers Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, KTM, Husaberg and Husqvarna four-strokes. $344.95 // s3performance.com.au 4MX CARBON FIBRE CLUTCH COVER GUARD This 4MX cover guard is made using a composite of carbon fibre, Kevlar, fibreglass and high-temperature resins. This combination of materials distributes any impact over a large area to reduce the likelihood of damage. Available for KTM, Husqvarna, Sherco and Beta. $122 // onlineracingspares.com.au GS HELMET GS helmets are designed for riders who love to experience off-road terrain. The 100 per cent carbon-fibre reinforced-plastic shell and impact-absorbing EPS inner liner offer maximum safety while the spoiler and removable sun shield are designed with optimum…

We were lucky enough to get a chance to sit down with moto legends and Motodevelopment directors Chris Urquhart and Shane Booth, who graciously took some time out of their busy schedules recently to talk to us and give us a chance to hear about what they’re up to. Since you’re reading this magazine you’ll also want to know about a recent big move by Shane and Chris to Husky after almost 20 years with Yamaha. So let’s take a look at where it all started for them and then hear a little of what’s coming for Motodevelopment and the industry in Australia in general. What started you in motocross? Shane: Literally a flyer for the local minikhana club that my dad was handed. Dad took me out to the…

I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY LAPS I CUT THAT AFTERNOON BUT MY HANDS WERE BLISTERED AND I SLEPT LIKE A CONTENTED FAT BABY So what’s the worst thing about the new 2017 YZ250F? Unfortunately for me, at some point it has to go back to Yamaha head office. I’ve had the quarter-litre world beater in my care for a few weeks now and absolutely love it. I was lucky enough to be part of the 2015 DIRT ACTION MX shootout when the new-generation bike was first launched. It impressed the hell out of me then — and so does the 2017 model. Since picking the YZ250F up from Boothy I’ve hit up some of my local bush loops. The strength of the motor at low-to-mid rpm made short work of…