Innehållsförteckning för Issue 244 från Dirt Action

Multiple-time Australian champion Luke Styke has announced his retirement from professional racing. “All boxes are ticked for me racing MX, SX, offroad and I’m happy to call it a career and retire from full time racing, ” posted Styke on Instagram. “2x MX champ, 1x SX champ, 3x Off-Road champ and heaps of 2nd and 3rds. Raced in Europe MXGP for a year, represented Australia at the MXON and ISDE.” Luke will now turn his focus to his landscaping business, Two Six Landscapes. KOREY MCMAHON TO LEAD GASGAS IN THE BUSH Young gun racer Korey McMahon has been given the opportunity of a lifetime, signing as the official factory rider for GasGas Australia. “It’s exciting news for the 2022 season that I’ll be riding for GasGas Australia in the AORC…

You seem like a busy man lately, mate! Let’s start with TDUB and the riding gear — how did this come about? Was it actioning the obvious value you give to a company to wear their gear and using it for your future, similar to, say, James Stewart and Seven? Creating my own gear brand has been something that I’ve dreamt about for many years; however, racing fulltime meant I never had a chance to act on this. At the beginning of 2020, within what felt like a week, I was cut financially from just about all my major sponsors. Luckily, the Australian government came onboard and paid me some money. A sudden realisation that I won’t always be able to make money from racing spurred me to make my…

Well, mate, quite the announcement earlier in the year! Straight off the bat, let’s get into it. Where did this whole idea come from? The idea to take supercross to international audiences isn’t a new one for us. Ryan and I have been investigating opportunities and have had quite detailed discussions for many years, including trips to Japan, Thailand, Singapore and of course New Zealand, which we did in 2018 and 2019. The announcement of Feld’s decision not to renew with FIM just accelerated the process for us and left the door open for a much bigger opportunity. We really feel that the whole world deserves to experience supercross first hand. There’s been a number of successful one-off international events over the years, including Japan, Europe and Australia - for…

I was having a cruisy morning, sitting around drinking a coffee and punching out some emails, when I got the call from the gang at DIRT ACTION. Never knowing what is going to get thrown my way, I’m always eager to hear what they have lined up for me next. This time round it was to test some of the Beta range! To be completely honest, I actually didn’t know anything about the Italian company and had no clue how large their line-up of bikes was. I love learning about things like this in the motorcycle industry. Beta has an interesting history and has really done some great work with their R&D over the years to produce some impressive motorcycles. Beta was established in 1905 and over the years has…

The club had pretty humble beginnings back in 1972 when Geoff Cohen was looking for somewhere for his son to ride. After approaching the council and being told that there was simply nowhere available, Geoff decided to form a committee and start Happy Wheels. It has since grown into a well-respected club within the motocross community and is proud to celebrate almost 50 years. The club later changed its name to Trail Wheels before settling on the current name, Nunawading & District Motocross Club — or as the members affectionately call it, Nuddas! This is a family-friendly club encouraging all the riders and their families to have fun and is committed to ensuring a safe riding environment. NDMX is located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne and has a focus…

BRAKING MARKER The very first step to worry about when you need to slow the bike down is choosing when to do so. Choosing the right moment to get off the throttle and on the brakes is critical; if you’re slowing for a corner, it’s the difference between nailing your line in the turn or shooting off the outside of the track. In motocross we don’t have braking markers on the side of the track giving us the distance to the next turn, so you have to get creative and make your own. Look for anything that’s a fixed object — it could be a track marker, a tyre bundle or a specific bump on the track that can help you judge consistently where you need to get on the…

Following the Australian success of the Yamaha T7, Yamaha has released the Ténéré 700 World Raid. The World Raid is able to go further than any previous Ténéré and is loaded with features to tackle the toughest adventures. TÉNÉRÉ 700 WORLD RAID KEY FEATURES » 23-litre capacity dual side-mounted fuel tanks » Flat rally-inspired two-piece seat » 5-inch colour TFT meter with mobile notification connectivity » USB type A » 3-mode switchable ABS » High-specification 43mm KYB front forks, 230mm travel » Öhlins adjustable steering damper » Aluminium piggyback rear shock, 220mm wheel travel » High windscreen, easy-to-remove side deflectors and LED flashers » Fully new cockpit area and new front cowling » New larger rider footrests with easy-to-remove rubber inserts » 3-piece aluminium engine guard » New aluminium die-cast…

One word: Motoland. How epic does that sound! This issue, we’re heading to Queensland. Whether you’re a die-hard Blues fan when it comes to State of Origin or not, you can’t deny that Queensland is a beautiful state with much to offer. Amazing beaches, amusement parks, pubs galore and the epic Motoland, just to name a few. Let’s buckle up and head north to enjoy good times with the bike in tow. LOCATION: IPSWICH, QLD WHERE TO STAY There are a few options for accommodation close to Motoland in Ipswich. Quest Ipswich offers spacious apartments and an outdoor swimming pool to cool off after riding all day. Airbnb has some killer places too — to name one, Urban Getaway 4 bedroom, 4 bath retreat is modern and stylish. It’s perfect…

Nutrition and sports nutrition strategies are useful for all levels of riders. I mean, some spectators out there often eat better and more food than riders — what is going on? There is more than one reason why the average rider doing the odd state round needs to prioritise nutrition. Safety is one of them. Going out to the pub and getting on the beers might look cool. Gearing up and swinging a leg over a hot bike in demanding terrain in a hypohydrated state is not so cool. In fact, the risk for heat illness is high and that does not discriminate based on how skilled you are. Enjoyment is another factor. If you’re cramping, fatiguing, and wondering what you’re even doing out there, your ride becomes nothing like…

OK, so we have a ‘99-model KTM 380SX, and we’ve got a ‘99-model 250SX which is a Lee Hogan replica from back in the day, and that one’s pretty much a fully restored bike. The 380 is just an original bike. It’s got some Castrol graphics — we don’t particularly know the history of it but there’s a high chance it was an ex-Castrol bike. Unfortunately, there’s no real way of proving it. She’s pretty original. Got a couple more stickers to be made up for it to put on the rear guard. She was quite the basket case when I got her, as a lot of these things normally are. She was a bike from the Riff out in Penrith, and the guy who had it, he looked like…

DESIGN ME! Design your own graphics kit DIY TRACK BUILD Get creative and make your own track to race your toy bikes around. Use sand, dirt, playdough, mud, or even make one using your pillows under your doona cover. If you are going for the messier option, make sure you chat with your grown-up as they might prefer if you did it outside or on a tray. SOME TIPS: » Small sticks make a great set of whoops » Rocks make a great track edge » A bottle makes a great pipe to jump over » If you are using playdough, make sure you carve yourself some ruts UNIT MINI SHREDDER BLACK KIDS BALANCE BIKE UNIT is an art-based streetwear label with its heritage in two-wheel action sports. At Unit,…

WHAT YOU NEED TO APPLY YOUR MOTOCROSS GRAPHICS: » Rag » Isopropyl alcohol or similar cleaner » Knife » Squeegee » Water bottle for wet method » Heat gun » Clean environment » Patience CLEAN THE PLASTICS Preparation is key when applying graphics. Used plastics must be free from all glue, residue and dirt. Clean all plastics with isopropyl alcohol. Methylated spirits or contact cleaner will also be suitable. Brand-new plastics need to be cleaned as they have a coating on them to ensure they are nice and shiny on the shelf. CHOOSE YOUR METHOD Wet or dry. Talk to your graphics supplier as they may have a preferred, more successful method for their material. WET METHOD Mix up a spray bottle with a very small amount of dishwashing liquid…

Australian company SX Global, recently awarded the rights to promote the FIM World Supercross Championship, has announced exciting details around the new series. The global series will offer only 10 team licenses to independent owners and provide an unparalleled level of financial support for teams. This will include seed funding for every team entering the series, appearance fees at every event, and logistics and freight support throughout the series. In total, more than $50 million has been designated specifically for team and rider support over five years. In addition, the independent ownership model opens the door for significant sponsorship opportunities at global and local event levels. The World Supercross Championship will feature the richest prize purses in the sport’s history, with a total of $250,000 up for grabs at each…

Prior to sliding on a pair of SG-10s, it had been some years since I’d worn Gearne boots. But it really was like sliding on old faithful. The SG-10 is known as one of the best-value boots on the market while still retaining loads of safety features found on the SG-12. The Gaerne Razorback pivot system on display in the SG-10 offers one of the highest levels of ankle protection you’ll find in a boot. The dual-pivot system delivers strong lateral support while preventing ankle twisting and without compromising flexibility or rider comfort. The Gaerne SG-10 is super comfortable, with shock-absorbing material in the footbed to ensure comfort and protection. We’re also big fans of the plastic tie end for extra protection when riding in the bush or rocky terrain.…

As a moto journo, you don’t often get excited when another model is released into a market of already “new and improved” dirtbikes. EFI this, steering angle that – discovering changes isn’t as exciting as, say, finding salted caramel ice-cream at a gelato bar. But when I had a close look at the new 250SE-R from Sherco, cool elements like the under-engine mounted starter motor and electronic power-valve system quickly caught my attention. Then I noticed there’s no kickstart and the battery is mounted below the air filter in the base of the airbox. Throw in WP suspension, Brembo brakes and hydraulic clutch, Keihin carburettor and Kokusan ignition - top-quality components used by the bigger European and Japanese manufacturers - and on paper you’ve got a serious bit of gear.…

F1 SUPERSTAR MAX VERSTAPPEN MEETS ICE SPEEDWAY LEGEND FRANKY ZORN. MAX VERSTAPPEN AND FRANKY ZORN…

While working at DIRT ACTION I have often been asked, “What bike would you buy?” That’s such a difficult question to answer, as my mate who likes extreme enduro isn’t going to want to buy the bike I would, nor would the young gun motocross racer. So (drumroll please) if I was to buy any bike on the market, it would be the Husqvarna FE501. Why? Read on… BIKE FOR ME The type of riding you do determines the bike you want to buy. I love grass track and wide-open, fast-flowing tracks. I enjoy winding technical single trails, but not hills you need to drag your dirtbike up and cause damage, or stupidly steep snotty shit that you are cartwheeling down to the bottom. Throw me speed, throw me single…

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After our initial test on the 2022 Honda CRF250R, it was evident this bike is a sought-after weapon. Although our test riders were impressed with the all-new bike, Mat McEntee is taking the 250 to the next level to learn more and slightly tweak the Honda to get the most out of the MX2 competitor. I’ve been fortunate enough to take this beauty out twice already and to my surprise I had a lot of people come up to me and ask if it’s really as good as everyone says. I missed out on the test day, so although Boothy and Spencey were both huge fans of the bike, I was itching to find out the same thing. Does this rig live up to the hype? Being the same trim…

VISION Once you have both wheels in the entry of the rut, you should be looking around the turn to the exit. Look all the way around and out past the exit as early as possible, even if the rut continues for 10 metres out of the turn. Where you look is where you’ll end up, so keep that vision up and look ahead! INSIDE LEG Get your inside leg up high and out of the way before you lean into the rut. You can see here that my leg is at the top of the radiator shroud and my foot is near the tip of the front fender. Keep your toe pointed so if it hits the ground it will slide and not dig in. If you’re lazy with…