[Features]

Throwdown No.185 – 17/04/14

10 years ago

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That’s two rounds of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals in the books! At Appin over the weekend, Team Motul Suzuki’s Matt Moss scored his second Overall round victory of the season, going 1-1 ahead of his twin brother, NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Moss and KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Kirk Gibbs. Matt now leads the MX1 standings by 20 points over Gibbs, while Jake’s teammate, Adam Monea, sits third Overall in the title chase. The third round of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals is set to take place at Wonthaggi in Victoria, April 27.

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In the MX Nats MX2 class, Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout walked away with his first Overall round win of the season after going 1-3, ahead of TuneTech KTM’s Kale Makeham (2-2) and his rookie teammate, Jay Wilson (4-1). Clout sits 14 points ahead of Hamish Harwood in the championship standings, while in third Overall sits Brenden Harrison. The MXD (Under 19s) class was taken out by KTM-mounted rider, Jack Simpson, ahead of Egan Mastin and Jed Beaton. While Simpson, Mastin and Beaton went 1-2-3 at Appin, it’s Beaton who currently leads the MXD standings, ahead of Mastin and Simpson.

Check out Transmoto‘s 40-image gallery from the second round of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals, held at Appin in NSW, April 13.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto is on the cusp of grasping his fourth consecutive AMA Supercross title. The latest rumours have him once again missing the outdoor championship this season, though. There are a few conflicting reports as to why, but most point to a nagging knee injury that needs to be corrected. The real question pertains to the bigger rumor… Is he considering retirement this year? Most in the know all agree that RV will retire sooner rather than later. Much like Carmichael, the rigours and strain of such a brutal training program remove the fun from the endeavour and lead to an early exit. The flame burns intensely bright, bringing wins and titles, but seems to also burn out early under the extreme measures Aldon Baker places on his athletes. He still has another year on all of his contracts, but if he indeed does decide to walk away, it would be a bomb dropped on the sport. Whatever he chooses, he should have no regrets. Whether it be an exit in 2014 or 2015, he has left his mark on the history books.

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Ken Roczen to RCH Suzuki? Justin Barcia to JGR Yamaha? According to Transmoto‘s American contributor and former Pro racer, Jason Thomas, that’s just two of the rider moves that the smart money is on for 2015. To read our full-length Musical Chairs article, click here. It’s beyond interesting.

Discount Tire Racing/TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed has been on the sidelines for two months now, and the AMA Supercross series really misses him. Will he be healed up and ready to contest the opening round of the 2014 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, though? As we sit today, he is busy training, albeit off his motorcycle. He is logging hundreds of kilometres a week on his bicycle, in preparation for his outdoor assault. For more on Reedy’s current situation, click here.

It’s been confirmed that Michael Byrne will join the 2014 Australian Motocross of Nations team – not as a rider, but as a consultant. The experience and knowledge he will bring to the table will be invaluable for the Aussies this year. More information can be found here.

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The first European GP of 2014 is in the books and all-in-all it was a bit of a cracker, with four different winners in the two MXGP and MX2 motos. Yeah, apparently the Red Bull KTM duo of Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings can be beaten! Read more in this week’s MXGP Insider, penned by David Bulmer. The fifth round of the 2014 FIM Motocross World Championship is set to take place this weekend in Sevlievo, Bulgaria.

Australia’s Meghan Rutledge experienced some pretty bad luck at Trentino’s FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship round over the weekend. After taking home a win on Saturday, Rutledge crashed on Sunday and before she could do anything, a flag marshal assisted her, handing her an instant disqualification. The guy meant well, but a language barrier prevented Rutledge from stopping him. It’s a real bummer for Meg, who went 1-1 at the season opener in Qatar. She now sits second Overall in the series, five points shy of the lead.

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Australian rider, Matt Phillips, impressively went 2-3 over the weekend at Portugal’s 2014 Enduro World Championship (EWC) rounds, held in Vale de Cambra. The KTM Enduro Factory Racing Team racer scored second Overall on Day 1, before taking third Overall on Day 2. He was able to walk away with second Overall in the Enduro 3 (E3) class standings, 16 points shy of teammate, Ivan Cervantes. For more results from the event, click here.

Hit play and listen to the beautiful sound of Phillips’ 2014 KTM 300EXC at full throttle…

The third and fourth rounds of the 2014 Yamaha Australian Off Road Championship (AORC) are going down this weekend in Boyland, Qld. If you’re not up to speed with what’s happened in this year’s AORC series so far, click here to read our 10 Talking Points article from Bulahdelah’s opening rounds.

Australia’s Jess Gardiner literally got home from Europe this morning (after contesting the opening rounds of the 2014 FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship – and doing quite well) and she’s already on her way back to her place in NSW to pack a bag and head on up to Queensland to contest the AORC this weekend! Go, girl!

Australian rider, Rocky Mountain ATV/MC’s Josh Strang scored himself another podium finish in the US, finishing in third Overall at the fourth round of the 2014 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series over the weekend. Factory FMF/KTM rider, Kailub Russell, claimed his third consecutive victory of the year, extending his championship points lead to eight over Charlie Mullins. Round 5 of the 2014 GNCC is set to take place on April 27 with the Limestone 100.

Check out this incredible footage of a passing move that GNCC racer, Jason Thomas, put on Kailub Russell during the first lap of racing over the weekend. Drift much?!

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At last year’s Condo 750, brothers Jake and Todd Smith went 1-2 aboard their GHR Hondas. This year, the duo returned to the event, although it was Todd who claimed the top step of the dais, while Jake finished in second. Shane Deiner finished in third Overall. Detailed results from the event can be found here. We’ll have an image gallery from the event online soon, too.

This year, local Condoblin rider, Todd Ridley, won the Condo Safari Challenge award in the Moto category, and Sharna Stimson won the challenge in the Quad category. The award gives these two riders free entry into this year’s Australasian Safari. Congrats, guys.

Last week, we presented to you the exclusive first look at RIDE: World Elements, the all-new dirt bike film fromFourohfour, set to be released in December, 2014. As sections of the RIDE: World Elements are filmed, we’ll be dropping these exclusive teasers, right here on Transmoto‘s website. Check out Toby Price’s epic teaser section filmed just out of Alice Springs here.

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In this week’s FMX Insider, we’re taking a look at the 19-year-old freestyle motocross shredder from New South Wales, Jake Smith. This guy did his first-ever Backflip to dirt on a 450cc machine – seriously, he never even went near a foam pit to dip his toes in the water. He’s definitely got a bright future ahead of him in FMX.

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Check out Aussie riders, Blake ‘Bilko’ Williams, Cheyne Boyd and Josh Cachia viciously attack some South Australian sand dunes in this sweet clip, pieced together by long-time friends of TransmotoRussell Brothers Films. The whole thing screams nothing but laughter and good times.

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Click here to find out what’s inside Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine’s 2014 May Issue (#43), and be sure to grab yourself a print or digital edition.

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Want to jump on board a 2014-model Sherco? King Valley Motorcycles is hosting a test ride day on May 10 from 9.00 AM at Starglen Lodge in Bonnie Doon, Victoria, where you can test ride various 2014 two-stroke and four-stroke Sherco models. It’s only going to cost you $20 bucks to ride all day – just take with you your riding gear, your own bike (if you like) and enough money to purchase a brand new Sherco if you want one! If you’ve got any questions, contact Dave at King Valley Motorcycles by emailing kingvalley.m.cycles@bigpond.com or call (03) 5728 9009.

The latest jacket protector from SCOTT – the Softcon – has been designed to cater for personal safety and unmatched comfort. It’s available for $299.95 RRP, and can be purchased in M, L and XL sizes. For more information on the product, click here.

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The 2014 Penrite Broadford Bike Bonanza – set to be held at Victoria’s Broadford Motorcycle Complex this weekend – is going from strength to strength. For 2014, the event appears to have a greater proportion of dirt bike attractions, with fresh tracks for speedway, dirt track and vintage MX bikes. It’s been announced that eight-time Aussie MX champ, Glen Bell, will be riding vintage Hondas at the event, too. For more information, click here.

US-based filmer, Dylan Pfohl, is one seriously talented dude that loves anything that has two wheels, whether it has a motor or not. Check out his epic 2014 showreel below. There’s some amazing footage of BTO Sports KTM’s Andrew Short in there.

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