Innehållsförteckning för March 2016 från Dirt Action

Justin Barcia went into the 2016 AMA Supercross series as one of the names many expected to see up the front. The first round saw the JGR Yamaha rider get a good start but fade backwards during the final like he’d dropped four anchors. As it turns out, the bearded Bam Bam Barcia was carrying an injury that will see him out of racing indefinitely. It all happened during a mountain bike ride pre-season when Barcia suffered a tear to the ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb, causing intense pain. Barcia stated in an Instagram post, “I injured my hand the week before A1 and will undergo surgery this week … It’s a tough pill to swallow with how hard I worked this year and was ready to be in…

It’s a packed program this year with MX1, MX2 and MXD headlining, with brilliant support from the 85cc Cup, the Rising Star Rookies, Vets (30–39 and 40+) and the Australian Women’s Motocross Championship WEM has released the 2016 MX Nationals calendar, which features plenty of familiar tracks and a return to a couple of old favourites in Murray Bridge and Conondale. It’s a packed program this year with MX1, MX2 and MXD headlining, with brilliant support from the 85cc Cup, the Rising Star Rookies, Vets (30–39 and 40+) and the Australian Women’s Motocross Championship. The MX Nats always puts on a brilliant meet and the racing in 2016 is sure to be epic. This year sees team changes for Matt Moss, Dylan Long and Jay Wilson just to name a…

In 1998, I rode the WR400F and thought, “Holy shit... this thing is good for a four-stroke.” But it didn’t sway me from my two-stroke. In 2001, I rode the WR426F and thought, “Holy shit... this thing is powerful.” But I liked my two-stroke more (actually I liked the 400 more, too). But then, in 2003, I rode the WR450F and I was hooked. It’s amazing to think that even by the third iteration no other manufacturer had anything to throw out against the WR-F and that bike would serve until 2007 when the aluminium frame arrived. The CRF450X was roaming the earth by this stage and ran an arguably better suspension set-up, certainly better forks, but the sales juggernaut of the WR-F just rolled on. It was another four…

JEFF STANTON – 6-TIME AMA CHAMPION WHICH WAS YOUR TOUGHEST CHAMPIONSHIP TO WIN? CARMICHAEL: That one is easy. There’s actually two — the 2003 Supercross Championship series and the 2006 Supercross series. Those two championships were the hardest of my career by far. EMIG: I would say it would have to be the 1996 250cc AMA Motocross Championship. I was down quite a bit in points and I got a lot of seconds at the beginning part of the season. It came down to the final race and I managed to win it. That one was pretty tough. STANTON: You know a first championship is always tough but when you keep winning them and going back to back every year, it gets harder. The competition gets better and better so…

Come for an adventure ride, said Clubby. It’ll be fun, said Clubby. And who was I to argue? I have a helmet, boots and gear, so what was stopping me? Oh yeah... I didn’t have a bike. So I rang my old man, who just bought a Suzuki V-Strom 650, and asked him if I could borrow it. The bike hadn’t done any serious riding yet; it was shiny and fresh and I reckoned it was about time it got a taste of the offroad. It was running Bridgestone Trailwing tyres, which are a solid choice for dirt road and milder trail stuff in the dry. I figured it would be fine because I had convinced myself it wouldn’t rain. WHERE ARE WE GOING? The ride was to start in…

The valve clearance closing up was the indicator that this top end needed a freshen up. Now it's time to check the head, valve and valve seats. 01 EXHAUSTING Before we cut the valve seats, the head needs to be cleaned, degreased and carbon deposits removed. The header pipe gasket will be pushed into the head and locked in with carbon. You might need a pick or similar to dislodge it. They are usually made of copper and are one-use only since they compress to make a good seal. A new gasket should be in the top-end gasket kit. 02 LOOSE STUD When the header pipe was removed the nut locked onto the stud, causing it to wind out of the head. Now is a good time to fix it…

Aussie Josh Strang has penned a deal with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory off-road team in the US aboard an FC 450. Strangy moved to the Husky team in 2015 and carded some excellent results, eventually finishing third overall in the GNCC series. Strang’s team mates include the great Mike Brown and the guy that can nail an epic 360 (YouTube that) in Colton Haaker, as well as Andrew Delong and Jacob Argubright. Tim Weigand is the team manager. POWERED BY…

WHY THIS ROUTE FOR MOTONOMAD II? Ever since Himalayan Hero, I had my heart set on doing something in the Himalayas again. I wanted to cross the Himalayas and punch on north into Tibet. The whole storyline was going to revolve around Tibet and I figured the start point would be Calcutta (Kolkata) in India and the end point Beijing in China. Just a perfect route and everything in between that would be huge. When I started looking into the logistics of trying to ride bikes into Tibet, it all just seemed pretty much impossible because of Chinese restrictions on being able to travel on your own bike and without a guide. It just got way too hard. I had to uproot that whole plan and to me that was…

If I were to ask you what an Under 19s Australian Off-Road Champion (AORC)/a rider who was part of last year’s winning ISDE Junior World Trophy team and a veterinarian have in common, what would your answer be? Not a hell of a lot, right? Well, guess again. It’s amazing how this world works and brings different kinds of people together, especially in motorcycle racing. The enduro family more than likely already knows who Daniel “Chucky” Sanders is. Let’s face facts: it’s kind of hard not to know who this 21-year-old is. He’s young, charismatic and he's going places — fast! In fact, even before the curtains are drawn back on this year’s AORC season, which kicks into life on 19–20 March in Queensland, the factory KTM Enduro Racing Team…

On the outside there are race wins, big dollars and adoring fans as Chad Reed continues to bring star power to Supercross. On his recent whirlwind trip back to Australia, I got to see what goes on behind the scenes as Chad again put Supercross back on the sporting map. It’s 8am on Sunday, the morning after Chad Reed whipped the capacity crowd into a frenzy at Allphones Arena after taking a wire-to-wire win in the 20-lap main event. He looked like he was back to top form and ready to contend for AMA championships. Chad wanders through the vacant pit area, one of the first riders to arrive on day two. His spirits are high. “Morning Captain,” I yelled to him as he bounced his way up the truck…

There’s something to really love about the Sherco brand here in Australia. It’s a small fish in a big sea, fighting it’s way to becoming a class-leader in the Australian market — the classic underdog archetype so adored by us Aussies. Since Mojo Motorcycles took over the importation rights of the brand, the company has continued to promote the quality motorcycles and help take them to the masses. It’s one thing to have an awesome motorcycle but if it’s not readily available, or if the manufacturer can’t provide parts and accessory support, it’s a hard sell to a bloke over a beer at the pub. Some serious steps have been taken by the team at Sherco Motorcycles Australia to achieve this and, as a result, the Sherco 450 SEF-R will…

01 Clever — this idea is sophisticated and unique. That’s the sign of some good thinkers at work. 02 Tough — the Voyager is built to take some hard knocks and keep performing. 03 Intuitive — it’s not hard to use at all. It’s not hard to install, either. 04 Affordable — it's not too pricey compared to other motorcycle GPS units but it offers things they would never dream of. 05 All-in-one — make tracks or follow tracks and open up a whole world of navigation. Bundle in a huge amount of real-time riding info — from engine temperature to speed, location and time or tacho.…

FROM A COUPLE OF HOURS OF SHOOTING PHOTOS TO LETTING THE BEST PRO RIDERS IN AUSTRALIA GIVE IT EVERYTHING THEY’VE GOT FOR A FEW WEEKS… Have you ever wondered how your bike would cope if you handed it over to a pro rider? Would they love it? Laugh at it? Destroy it? I handed our YZ125 Enduro over to Josh Green for a day to get some shots and, I have to admit, I thought he’d be a total pro and get the job done and then hand it back so he could get back on his WR450F. We spent a couple of hours at his property getting some shots and it was impossible to miss the fact that he was having a tonne of fun on the little dinger.…

If adventure is your middle name, your parents probably didn’t like you. But if it's your middle name just metaphorically speaking, you need to check out the Touratech Adventure Challenge. Taking place in the beautiful town of Bright, Victoria, on March 19, the event is a chance to take on an array of skills-based challenges throughout the day to see if you can make your way through to the finals. Alternatively, it’s a perfect chance to have a look at and actually ride a test bike from Aprilia, BMW, Honda, KTM, Suzuki, Triumph or Yamaha. This sounds like a great event held in good spirit and in a great part of the world. Take our advice and taste some of the amazing beers at the Bright Brewery. For more info,…

“WE GOT THROUGH ALL THE HEAT RACES BUT IT WAS DISAPPOINTING THAT WE WERE NOT ABLE TO RUN THE FINAL FEW EVENTS” The weather this summer has been crap in many parts of Oz and even the might of Troy Bayliss couldn’t keep the rains at bay when the gate dropped on the Motul Pirelli Troy Bayliss Classic in Taree, NSW. Around 5000 spectators made the trip to the newly surfaced Taree Motorcycle Club to catch all classes blast through three rounds each of racing before the rains came and the fun stopped. “It was a great day considering the conditions,” said Bayliss. “We got through all the heat races but it was disappointing that we were not able to run the final few events. I would have chopped off…

1: ACERBIS X-LEG PRO SOCKS — $69.95 • Long-sock design for use with knee pads • Silicone edge to maintain fit • Reinforcements around the shin and ankle • Zone compression for better blood circulation • Breathable insert on the instep • Reinforcements on the toe and heel • Flat seam at the toe line • Available in blue, yellow, orange or red • 80 per cent polyamide Meryl Skinlife • 10 per cent polypropylene Dryarn • 10 per cent elastane Meryl Skinlife 2: USWE XC HYDROPACK 2.0L • Four-point suspension harness • Big flow 45° bite valve • Media pocket • Hydration tube clip • Neck-brace compatible • 2.0L hydration capacity • 430g including bladder • 35cm L x 28cm W x 8cm H • Multi-size adjustment 3: BELL…

Having raced for 48 hours in only his second Dakar rally, Aussie Toby Price became the first Australian to ever win the famous race and etch his name into a hall of legends like no other. We’ve all been watching Toby win everything in off-road since he bagged his first surprising title at the 2009 AORC series for MSC Kawasaki. We’ve seen him dominate Finke and Hattah, the A4DE and ISDE, and win at will in the AORC. Last year he entered his first Dakar as an outsider on the Red Bull and Factory KTM Rally teams, but as riders fell he found himself moved up in the ranks and managed to secure third place. It was a huge moment for Aussie motorsport, but it was about to get more…

“We have a code 1,” says the usually unflappable Simon Maas, director of RACESAFE, on his headset. He stands just metres away from Dylan Wilson, who went down heavily on the opening lap of race two of the MXD class at the first round of the 2015 MX Nationals at Horsham. With that command, the 14-member team springs into action as the stress on Simon’s face explains the situation. Dylan is motionless on the track as the team rush to his aid. Upon arrival, Dylan is unconscious, not breathing and his other vital signs are almost nonexistent. It’s the worst-case scenario for the RACESAFE crew but one they have faced many times before. The race is called off and the riders head back to the starting gate totally unaware of…

My phone rings and it’s SERCO Motorsport manager Gavin Eales. As is the case with Gavin, it’s so hard to get a hold of him that I was fumbling with the answer button to see what he had to say. Without even a hello, he says, “What are you doing Saturday, December 5th?” I reply, “Nothing, tell me what I’m doing, Gav,” and he says, “You’re riding the Ricky Carmichael University Experience at Coolum. I have a bike for you to use and I know you’re going to have a real good time.” As I say my thanks, the phone hangs up and he’s gone. For those of you who don’t know me personally, let me confess something: motocross and I don’t get along. Yes, I can ride on a…

Jay Marmont will forever be a name etched in the Australian motocross history books. One of the most determined racers we have ever seen, Jay’s career highlight of winning four straight Australian Motocross Championships will be one of the greatest streaks for a long time to come. Jay has since hung up the boots, dabbled in some racing, spent some time working a full-time job and is now focused on improving the up-and-coming racers in our country. Let’s start at the top — what’s been happening since you hung up the boots? Just trying to find myself. It was pretty tough last year sitting on the other side of the fence. So I’ve been doing a few things: coaching a few kids, doing some ride schools. I’ve started Next Level…

SHOEI 2016 VFX-W CAPACITOR TC-3 YELLOW HELMET • Multi-Ply AIM+ Shell construction (Snell M2015-approved) • Dual-Layer EPS liner • V-430 “Sleek” visor • 3D Max-Dry liner system • Emergency Quick Release System (EQRS) • Ventilation • “Sleek” mouthpiece • Five-year warranty SP TOOLS MOTORSPORT TOOL KIT • Heavy-duty full-extension ball-bearing drawer slides • Dual gas strut lid stays • Dog bone-style frame construction offers maximum rigidity • Cliklok drawer locking system • Side storage compartments suitable for aerosol cans PARK TOOL PCS-10 HOME MECHANIC WORK STAND • Quick-adjust, cam-type, single-action clamp adjusts to fit tubes from 24-76mm • Rotate 360° for easy access to any part of the bike • Park Tool bike-repair stand has quick-release height adjustment/locking with sliding yoke for fast folding and extra stability • Stable, three-point…