Throwdown No.198 – 17/07/14

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At the seventh round of the 2014 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, the Budds Creek National, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey went 2-1 to take the Overall in the 450 Class, ahead of teammate, Ken Roczen (1-2) and GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac (4-3). In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett went 3-1 to secure the win ahead of Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin (2-2)and Rockstar KTM Racing’s Jason Anderson (1-7). Round 8, the Spring Creek National, is taking place this weekend. Expect home-round riders, Dungey and Martin, to dominate the track. 

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Who remembers the epic “Chad-Apault” crash that Australia’s Chad Reed suffered at Millville in 2011? During the opening lap of the second 450 Class moto, Reed had just assumed the lead, looking to take his fifth win of the season, before losing control of his bike and flying upwards of 50 feet through the air. Despite the frightening fall, Reed came away virtually unscathed, and after collecting his breath, returned to action. After crossing the line in 34th from 35 riders, Reed fought his way into 14th by the end of the moto. His 1-14 moto scores resulted in fifth Overall, and even more importantly, Reed was able to maintain his series points lead as a result of his incredible effort. Click here to watch the footage.

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The 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals continued over the weekend with Round 7 at Conondale, Queensland.  KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Kirk Gibbs went 2-2-1 to secure the MX1 Overall, finishing two points ahead of Team Motul Suzuki’s Matt Moss (who won the GoPro Super Pole). CDR Yamaha rider, Billy Mackenzie, finished in third Overall, while NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Monea and Berry Sweet Husqvarna’s Brock Winston rounded out the top five. With three rounds remaining, Moss currently holds an 18-point lead over Gibbs in the championship standings, while Mackenzie is a further 50 points behind. Winner of Round 6, DPH Motorsport Yamaha’s Kade Mosig, scored a DNF in the opening moto due to a mechanical issue, and managed to salvage fifth and third finishes in the final two motos.

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In the MX2 class at Conondale, 17-year-old Privateer, Caleb Ward, stepped up and claimed his second round Overall of the season, after winning at Round 5 in Wanneroo, Western Australia. Ward went 1-1-10 to win ahead of fellow Privateer, Errol Willis, and series leader, Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout. Penrite Oil Honda Racing’s Josh Cachia and CMR Red Bull Motorex KTM’s Hamish Harwood rounded out the top five. Clout currently sits 16 points ahead of Harwood, while Husqvarna-mounted rider, Luke Arbon, sits a further 27 points behind. In the MXD (Under 19s) ranks, GYTR Yamaha’s Jed Beaton went 2-2-1 to claim the Overall ahead of KTM’s Jack Simpson, teammate Wilson Todd, KTM’s Aaron Tanti and Husqvarna’s Nathan Crawford. Beaton now holds a 10-point advantage over Simpson, while Husqvarna’s Egan Mastin sits a further 13 points behind.

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Check out Transmoto’s 25-image gallery from the seventh round of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals, held at Conondale. These images were captured by Transmoto‘s Johnny Bonnar.

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New Zealand’s Ben Townley returned to racing in Oz over the weekend, contesting Conondale’s MX Nationals round for the Penrite Oil Honda Racing squad. You can read about how he went, along with all over the other Kiwi competitors currently racing in the series, in this week’s NZ Insider column.

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At Conondale’s Monster Energy MX Nationals round over the weekend, CDR Yamaha rider, Jay Marmont, officially announced that he would be retiring from full-time racing come the end of season 2014. He made the announcement under the CDR Yamaha big-rig after the opening moto – impressively, he scored the holeshot in that moto and lead Team Motul Suzuki’s Matt Moss for quite a few laps before falling back. Marmont’s career will be forever highlighted by the four consecutive MX1 championships he secured while racing under Craig Dack’s wing between 2008 and 2011. Funnily enough, absent at Conondale over the weekend was Jay’s younger brother and Raceline Suzuki rider, Ryan. It’s all but confirmed that he’ll be making his departure from full-time racing come the end of this year’s racing season, too.

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A dirt bike hits you in the head, and you’re knocked unconscious. After you’ve been hit, your body curls around so you’re facing the tyre of the machine, and it’s wedged into your arm pit. You’re then dragged across an MX2 start straight at Finland’s FIM Motocross World Championship round… This is what happened to Australia’s Luke Styke over the weekend, and he’s injured the ligaments in his shoulder. Click here to watch the footage. In lighter news, Australia’s Dean Ferris went 6-5 to secure sixth Overall in the MX1 ranks – a very impressive effort put forth from the Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing rider. 

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The 2014 Australian Off Road Championship (AORC) moves to Kyogle, NSW this weekend for the ninth and tenth rounds of this year’s series. CDR Yamaha’s Daniel Milner will be the man to watch, as he went 1-1 at Coonawarra’s previous round – and that was with an ankle that had barely recovered from an injury suffered earlier this year! 25 points are awarded to the winner at each round, and Milner sits only 30 points behind KTM Enduro Racing Team’s Toby Price. Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team’s Glenn Kearney only sits 11 points behind Price, and Active8 Yamaha’s Josh Green only sits 13 points behind. The title race isn’t over yet!

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Click here to check out Fourohfour‘s highlights package from the 2014 KTM Hattah Desert Race. You can watch R!DE HQ‘s highlights package below. 

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The 2014 Swann Insurance South Australian 24-Hour Reliability Trial took place over the weekend in Kapunda. Click here to check out Fourohfour‘s finest images from the event. The shots captured at night look amazing. 

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Transmoto’s Europe-based off-road gun for hire, Llewelyn Pavey, throws a leg over the 2015 Betas at the international launch to offer this top-line insight into the Italian manufacturer’s new two- and four-stroke enduro offerings. Read our full-length review by clicking here.

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Suzuki Motorcycles Australia has announced the imminent arrival of their 2015 DR-Z250 and DR-Z400E models, expected to hit Australian shores in August. In the way of graphics, the 2015 DR-Z machines draw inspiration from Suzuki’s championship-winning RM-Z range. No other major changes have been made to the models for 2015. Click here to check ’em out.

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Check out this raw GoPro footage from the 2014 Transmoto 12-Hour, courtesy of former Pro snowboarder and long-time friend of Transmoto, Mark Cowley. We’ll have an announcement on the 2015 event coming next week, so stay tuned.

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Australia is known for producing amazing freestyle motocross riders – we have some of the most talented and professional athletes in the world. A rider that has always stood out for putting in 100% on the bike is Joel Brown. The 28-year-old from Griffith, NSW has been putting in work over the last few years, winning Australian championships and travelling overseas for demonstrations and competitions. Transmoto‘s Ben Heidrich caught up with Joel for a chat about his thriving FMX career. Read the interview in this week’s FMX Insider column. 

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This video is amazing. Here’s what Motosport.com had to say about producing it: “The freestyle scene as we know it wouldn’t be the same without Australia’s riders pushing the limits. Regular Backflips and whips aren’t enough for guys like Josh Sheehan, who continue to develop new tricks and keep freestyle on the cutting edge. Lucky for us, we got invited out along with Brett Cue, so Josh can show us how a session is done, Australian style. You’re crazy, Josh!” Yewwww! 

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2014 is turning into a genuine party marathon for sports enthusiasts in Germany. Following the nation-wide celebrations and euphoria surrounding Germany’s soccer team winning the World Cup last weekend, there will be another round of partying and sports in Munich on Saturday. The world’s best freestyle motocross riders will meet for a unique event in Munich for the fourth stop of the 2014 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour. The world’s best FMX riders are looking to win world championship points on a first-of-its-kind track set up on a lake – a completely new and eagerly awaited experience for the riders and spectators. With weather forecasts of bright sunshine and rising temperatures, the ingredients are all there for an unrivalled weekend of sports and partying.

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Click here to find out what’s inside Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine’s 2015 July-August Issue (#45), and be sure to grab yourself a print or digital edition.

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You can now show your support towards Chad Reed and TwoTwo Motorsports by wearing official team and casual apparel. Available in a wide range of men’s, women’s and kid’s sizes, you can get yours exclusively via the TwoTwo Motorsports online store.

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Complete Transmoto‘s 12-question subscriber survey and you could WIN!The first three questions simply require you to tell us your gender, where you live and how old you are – seriously, this survey’s nothing like your Year 12 Mathematics exam. We’re just collecting bits of information that will help us help you in the long run. Click here to complete the survey! One lucky entrant will win a Transmoto T-Shirt, a KTM/OGIO backpack, Scott goggles and a copy ofTransmoto Dirt Bike Magazine‘s first-ever issue.

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