Innehållsförteckning för February 2017 från Dirt Action

ALL THE ON- AND OFF-TRACK NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE AS FOUND AND REPORTED BY DIRT HOUND AARYN MINERDS The SGP series returns to Etihad Stadium for a third straight season. The 2016 finale there saw Aussie icon Chris Holder blow the roof off with an unforgettable victory while American great Greg Hancock clinched his fourth world title. Another spectacular night of racing is in store next October as speedway’s biggest stars head Down Under for the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest indoor motorsport event. Australian heroes Holder and Jason Doyle will be determined to deliver big performances in front of a passionate home crowd. 2017 FIM SPEEDWAY GRAND PRIX CALENDAR • Apr 29 Slovenian FIM Speedway Grand Prix (Krsko) • May 13 Warsaw FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland (Warsaw) •…

Motorycling Australia has confirmed that Jake Moss has received a four-year sanction after he chose not to contest a positive test to the prohibited substance Ostarine. The MA official statement reads, “On 22 May 2016, Mr Moss tested positive to the Prohibited Substance Ostarine (Class S.1.2 Other Anabolic Agents) following a doping control test conducted by ASADA at the MX Nationals in Murray Bridge, South Australia. “Mr Moss did not apply for a hearing in the Court of Arbitration for Sport and accordingly the mandatory four-year sanction has been imposed. MA imposed the mandatory provisional suspension on Mr Moss on 15 July 2016 and his sanction has been backdated to take account of the time he has already served. “This means he is ineligible to participate, as an athlete or…

ALL THE ON- AND OFF-TRACK NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE AS FOUND AND REPORTED BY DIRT HOUND AARYN MINERDS CDR Yamaha’s Chris Hollis announced his retirement plans on the eve of the final day of this year’s Australian 4-Day Enduro, an event he won in 2008 and in which he finished runner-up this year. In a career that has spanned over 20 years, 32-year-old Hollis has won Australian titles in multiple off-road disciplines, scoring two AORC titles, one A4DE championship and the 2014 Enduro-X title. He also won six ISDE gold medals representing Australia six times. “Racing has played such a huge part of my life and there are so many aspects that I will miss,” he said. “The friends made along the way, seeing places you wouldn’t normally go…

After announcing that 2016 MX Nationals MX1 champion Dean Ferris would again headline its 2017 effort, CDR Yamaha has confirmed that Dylan Long will join the team after parting ways with Crankt Honda. “To be asked by Craig to join the CDR Yamaha team is a huge honour and something every Australian racer aspires to,” says Long. “I’ve watched how professional the team is and I can’t wait to get started with them. “I love the YZ450F and think it’s an awesome bike and I know that it will only get better as the team develops it to suit me. The first race seems so far away but I’m motivated and ready to go and proud to wear the CDR Yamaha colours in 2017.” With the bLU cRU set for…

"BACK TO A 49MM SPRING FORK AND THERE ARE NO COMPLAINTS FROM ME" The much-anticipated, all-new premier-class offering from Honda has arrived. The 2017 CRF450R is a bike with a heritage in motocross that’s second to none. Some of the best-known names in motocross have won on its predecessors yet for many different reasons it’s been longer than Honda would like since it last won a major US championship. There have been championships in Europe and even here in Australia but success in the US has eluded them. With the release of this bike, the big signing of Ken Roczen and the obvious increase in input from HRC, it would seem they’re ready to break that drought and bag a US championship — at least, I’m sure they’re hoping to.…

BRIAN SIMCOX I started with the standard map and tried the more aggressive one too but like the Kawi I actually preferred the standard map. I felt really comfortable straightaway. It handled really well and the ergos just really suited me. I know the power isn’t quite there but I really feel that what it lacked in that department it made up for in handling and also by having a really smooth power delivery. The power is probably a little deceiving and maybe not as soft as it first feels. CHRIS URQUHART From an ergo point of view they have it right. I felt really comfortable on that bike. The suspension is good and I went way harder in the fork — more air pressure and about 5 more on…

BRIAN SIMCOX I was pretty keen to get on this bike. I started with the standard air setting on the fork and ended up dropping back to 130psi, which gave a good feeling for me. I really loved how I could carry taller gears on this bike yet at the same time hold a gear if I needed and it would just rev and not ever seem to sign off. CHRIS URQUHART The ergos of this thing are great. It feels really balanced, really easy to throw into turns; doesn’t matter if it’s a berm or a rut, it stays on line. No matter what I did with the forks, whether I went harder or softer, it still turned really well. It was pretty hard to fault the handling. I…

For over a decade now, Australian motocross has been desperately trying to unearth its next Chad Reed. Promising careers have come and gone. Some have had international success but not at the level of Reed, while others have crashed and burned. Yet the bottom line is there is only one Chad Reed. But what we might have is the first Hunter Lawrence, a motocross child prodigy who’s lived and breathed the sport since the very first time he fired a bike to life 10 years ago. Hunter’s junior success in Australia wasn’t instant. Like all devoted families, the Lawrences dedicated themselves to racing but at a different level from many regular families. It wasn’t about trophies or instant rewards; it was about paying your dues and learning things the right…

GOPRO HERO 5 BLACK 01 It’s waterproof without having to lock it into a housing. That makes it smaller and the sound is less affected by having the microphone hidden under a plastic case. 02 The rear LCD screen makes it by far the easiest GoPro to use. Everything is more intuitive and easier find and understand. It’s a fair bit more capable and complicated than the previous model so the screen is a huge benefit. 03 The Hero 5 can record and display telemetry so you can see how far, how high and how fast you went as well as the G-forces and ride path. 04 Auto-upload to The Cloud means you can back up and clear your card once you’re within Wi-Fi range and then go and keep…

Firstly, thanks so much to each and everyone of you who have supported us since we first began way back in 1989. Yes it’s amazingly been 28 years and a lot has changed in that time, except of course our passion for bikes. As a business, Ballard’s has actually had it’s biggest challenge trying to compete in the new online world that you now know. Luckily though, and by sheer chance, in early 2016 came a meeting with Jake and Jason from MXstore that led to ourselves partnering with this cutting edge and very hardworking team of Aussies. This partnership means more for you. More products, more opportunities and many more options. I am now even more involved than I have been for years! We have a local shop front…

ALL THE ON- AND OFF-TRACK NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE AS FOUND AND REPORTED BY DIRT HOUND AARYN MINERDS Two-time AMA Supercross Champion, Australia’s Chad Reed, has announced that he has signed a deal that will see him run Fox racewear for the 2017 season. After spending the first eight years racing in the US as a Thor athlete, Reed moved into Shift racewear when he formed his Two Two motorsports team in 2011. Having run Fox boots and helmets over the past few years, Reed will line up at A1 on January 7 decked out from head to toe in Fox gear though he’ll continue to wear Oakley goggles.…

1. STOPP PERFORMANCE BRAKE DISCS Stopp brake discs offer a comprehensive range for over 5000 road and off-road motorcycles, from models dating back to 1980 up to current models. The range includes brake pads for dirtbikes and caliper extension brackets for oversize/supermotard front disc conversions. Stopp brake discs are manufactured using 420 stainless steel with added carbon content to ensure excellent braking performance and durability. All Stopp floating brake discs feature quality 7075 alloy carriers. The choice of 7075 alloy delivers superior strength while allowing for high-quality anodisation and low weight. All rivets/ buttons used on Stopp floating brake discs are stainless steel. The use of high-quality metals and machining ensures that Stopp brake discs offer excellent stopping power for both road and off-road bikes. The slotted-wave design allows for…

ALL THE ON- AND OFF-TRACK NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE AS FOUND AND REPORTED BY DIRT HOUND AARYN MINERDS After also winning at Erzberg, Romaniacs, Battle of the Vikings, Getzenrodeo and Ukupacha, Graham Jarvis had his work cut out for him at the prestigious year-ending event in South Africa with KTM’s Alfredo Gómez pushing him all way to the finish of the four-day event. At the line, Jarvis finished a narrow nine seconds in front of Gómez after 16 hours and 14 minutes of competitive racing. KTM’s Scott Bouverie rounded out the podium. “To end the season with another win is just great,” said Jarvis. “To be fair, this year the Roof was different to any other year I’ve raced it. It was just so difficult to get a gap…

Justin Brayton, 2016 Australian Supercross champion, has signed to race with the now Honda-backed Moto Concepts team to race the 2017 Monster Energy AMA Supercross championship. Brayton, who will contest the series aboard Honda’s all-new 2017 CRF450R, will be joined by team regulars Mike Alessi and second-year 450 supercross rider Vince Friese, both of whom will start the year aboard the 2016 model. Expanding to a five-rider lineup, the team continues its relationship with Monster Energy Cup Amateur winner Cameron McAdoo, who will contest the East Coast 250 championship, while veteran rider Kyle Chisholm joins the team to race the West Coast 250 series.…

The final pieces of the American racing puzzle were put in place with both Suzuki and Honda announcing the last details of their factory and factory-supported race teams for the 2017 season. Suzuki’s official factory team for 2017 is RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing, which won the 2016 American Motocross Championship with Ken Roczen (who’s moved over to the Factory Honda team for 2017). One of the last team announcements before the start of the new season revealed Justin Bogle would join alongside team regular Broc Tickle. Over at the Autotrader/JGRMX Racing team, some major changes have been announced with the team discontinuing its partnership with Yamaha and moving to Suzuki machinery for 2017. While the bikes have changed, there are only small changes to the team’s lineup. Both Justin Barcia and…

There’s no bigger show than the AMA Supercross series. Legends are made and careers crushed while thousands upon thousands watch, both in the stadiums and on television. For 2017 there’s a battle waiting to explode in the 450 ranks between Roczen, Dungey and Tomac in what could be the closet and hardest racing in years. Behind them, the likes of Musquin, Reed, Anderson and Webb will be ready to take advantage of any cracks that open up in the top three and we can see some huge upsets along the way. Let’s take a look at the form guide of the top contenders ... MARVIN MUSQUIN Marvin is in a similar position to Tomac in that this is his last year on contract but after a tough first year the…

BRIAN SIMCOX This bike surprised me. I played around with the maps on this a fair bit and really felt the more aggressive map 2 was the best option, even when the track started to get hard and slick. I felt really at home on this bike even though it was the first time I’d ridden it. It’s really light and nimble and I felt like I could put it anywhere I wanted on the track. I played around with the traction control — I’d heard mixed things about it [but] it was pretty impressive, actually. I noticed it straightaway on the hard, slick stuff. Overall, just a really solid bike. CHRIS URQUHART I really struggled to separate these two bikes. I ran the same settings in the suspension; they…

BRIAN SIMCOX I felt this bike was really responsive off the bottom and it impressed me straightaway. It handled nicely but I struggled a little with the ergonomics: it took me a while to settle in on it and get really comfortable. CHRIS URQUHART I felt comfortable on it straightaway but for me the seat was a little bit soft and the ergos a little lazy. It was great fun to ride but just felt a little bit lazy. Handling was good but I struggled a little with the fork; it just tucked a couple of times coming into some of the faster turns. I made a few tweaks and improved it but I’d need to work on that a little more. The rear was great; had no issues there…

YAMAHA RX-A760 • 7.2 channel home theatre receiver • Power output: 2 × 90 watts per channel into 8 ohms (20–20kHz) at 0.06% THD; 5×65W per channel into 8 › (our estimates); 7 × 50W per channel into 8 › (our estimates) • Dolby Atmos & DTS: X processing for use with in-ceiling or “height” speakers for more enveloping home theatre sound • Video upconversion: Up to 1080p and 4K/Ultra HD for analogue and HDMI sources • YPAO: Includes the Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer, an automatic speaker calibration with Reflected Sound Control & Volume to deliver more accurate surround sound across different listening levels (microphone included) • Wi-Fi: Built-in Wi-Fi for listening to music from a networked PC, free internet radio & music services • Wireless Direct: This lets…

Honda officially lifted the covers off its all-new 2017 CRF450R for the first time Down Under on the opening day of the 2016 Moto Expo in Melbourne on November 25. In even more great news for Australian riders, shortly after this year’s expo Honda Australia announced that the off-road version of its new CRF range, the CRF450RX, would be heading to Australia in March after initially not being slated for the local market. The 2017 CRF450RX is based on the all-new 2017 CRF450R but with some slight tweaks including enduro-spec suspension, PGM-FI and EMSB mapping. In addition, a larger fuel tank, an 18-inch rear wheel, sidestand and electric start will be standard.…

@ADAMCIANCIARULO “I’m certainly not the best at this stuff — but it’s pretty rad seeing the progress I’ve made this offseason. Having fun too!” @KENROCZEN94 “It’s ’cause you are finally working with an actual trainer for the first time that knows what he is doing. @adamcianciarulo” @DPINGREE101 “@kenroczen94 So the rider that handled you in supercross the past two seasons works with a trainer who doesn’t know what he’s doing? Interesting.” @KENROCZEN94 “@dpingree101 This is not about me or Ryan. This is about Adam. Not sure how Adam’s strength has been while he was with another trainer. Strength means it can prevent injuries which is exactly where Adam was lacking, unfortunately. But I don’t expect you to know that, pal.” @KENROCZEN94 “@dpingree101 Also I ‘handled’ every single one of his…

French rider Mathias Bellino raced to the 2016 Yamaha Australian 4-Day Enduro Championship win at Merrijig in Victoria, beating home Australia’s top talent to score both the outright and E2 titles aboard his Husqvarna 450 FE. After four days of competition, Bellino finished just 12 seconds ahead of CDR Yamaha’s Chris Hollis while Daniel Milner rounded out the podium. The trio of E2 competitors claimed top honours both in their class and outright. Finishing fourth outright and leading home the E1 class was Active8 Yamaha’s Josh Green, taking the win ahead of Husqvarna’s Glen Kearney and 2016 AORC E1 champion Jack Simpson. In the big-bike class, Daniel Sanders backed up his outright AORC championship with the A4DE E3 class win and fifth outright, rounding off a great season for the…

Shootouts are an exciting time of year. To get the opportunity to pick a class of bike and then ride all the brands back to back is something we don’t take lightly. It takes some organising to make it happen; the manufacturers supply a motorcycle and technician for a long day of photos and riding and we appreciate their efforts — without them we don’t have a shootout. The test riders put in a huge effort, riding almost non-stop all day to get a read on the bikes and make any necessary adjustments. Believe it or not, it’s a pretty tough day as a rider — awesome and fun, but tough. We’re lucky to have been allowed to use Ranch MX’s track for the day. It goes without saying the…

BRIAN SIMCOX I started off with the standard plug in it and then came back in after a few laps and switched it out for the leaner or more aggressive plug. I put a few laps in with that fitted and actually come back in for the standard plug again. The aggressive one just seemed to make the bike rev out really quick and meant I had to change gears much more. So that was interesting — the standard map felt better to me. I just softened off the forks a little and that was all I needed to feel really comfortable on it. It’s a really slim and nimble-feeling bike that I felt like I could put anywhere I wanted on the track. CHRIS URQUHART It’s such a nice…

BRIAN SIMCOX I usually ride a Yamaha so from a comfort point of view that was no problem. I was happy with the setup straightaway. I really like how responsive the power was but also how smooth it rolled on, too. I felt like I could carry a taller gear on it through most turns compared to the other Japanese bikes. CHRIS URQUHART Super-strong engine, revs to the moon. It felt really strong but I didn’t feel overly comfortable with the ergos. I kept standing the bike up in turns and popping out of lines here and there compared to the Husky and KTM. The engine overrides those issues, though. It’s such a strong power delivery: you can rev it or labour it and it responds well either way. The…

For the last couple of years I’ve keeping an eye longingly on the amazing rides Daryl Beattie Adventures (DBA) puts on. From the Canning Stock Route to the Simpson Desert, Finke and Cape York, it looked like Daryl’s were some of the best rides in the most interesting places. Every time I saw some photos or video I couldn’t help but wish I was in there amongst it. Daryl started running the tours in 2014 and, while he needs little introduction in a motorcycle magazine, I’ll just throw out a quick reminder that he’s not only a regular on Channel Ten’s motorsport coverage but he also had one of the most successful and spectacular racing careers in the 500cc Grand Prix era. He was one of the few to give…

THE PLAN IS TO TAKE THIS MOTORCYCLE AND UTILISE ITS VERSATILITY TO RIDE A HUGE ARRAY OF TERRAIN I’ve never been so excited to load a motorcycle onto my ute. I headed to KTM’s Sydney HQ with a smile like a split watermelon. It’s been a long 12 months since I’ve had a long-term test bike and there couldn’t have been one better to fill the void in the shed than the all-new KTM 500 EXC. My wish for a 500cc registered bike started more than 12 months ago when I had the opportunity to test Glenn Kearney’s Husqvarna FE501. Oh boy, what an absolute grass-track weapon! I was hooked. Fourth-gear drifts and straight-line warp-speed were amazing fun — I’m smiling now just thinking about it. When images of the…