Throwdown No.200 – 31/07/14

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At the ninth round of the 2014 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, the Washougal National, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey went 1-1 to claim the 450 Class Overall, ahead of GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac (2-2) and teammate, Ken Roczen (3-3). In the 250 Class, Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin went 1-1 to to secure his first Overall win of the season, ahead of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett (5-2) and Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin (4-4). Round 10 is taking place next weekend at Unadilla – yep, that’s the round Jeffrey Herlings was meant to contest… Bummer… 

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Speaking of Herlings, there’s a Vurbmoto Platinum video on the man dropping on iTunes in a couple of days. It was all filmed before he fractured his femur riding an 85SX at the 2014 Stefan Everts Charity Race, so the context is a little off (as you’ll see in the trailer below), but it’s going to be awesome regardless. Don’t miss it.

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Going into the GP of the Czech Republic, the questions were all about whether Jordi Tixier could step up and win in Herlings’ absence. Impressively, he proved a lot of people wrong and took his first moto win and his first Overall for 2014, and scored more than the 36.5 points he needs at each round (in order to overtake Herlings, if the Dutchman doesn’t ride again). Not only that, but he did it the extremely hard way, being involved in an epic 35-minute battle in the whole of the second MX2 moto. Read more about it in this week’s MXGP Insider column.

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The eighth round of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals is taking place at Raymond Terrace, NSW this weekend, and it’s going to be a ripper. At the previous round in Conondale, 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. 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. It’s still anyone’s game, as we’re all well aware! Jump on Instagram and make sure you’re following us @transmoto for updates this weekend.

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

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It’s been confirmed that CDR Yamaha’s Jay Marmont won’t be contesting this weekend’s MX Nats round (after retiring his retirement from full-time racing come the end of 2014 at Conondale). “I have had a range of scans and X-Rays on my wrist since Conondale and there is nothing broken or seriously damaged, but I just don’t have the strength in it to race properly – especially around a track like Raymond Terrace,” explained Marmont. “I would love to be out there as I always enjoy racing there but I have to take the common-sense approach and not risk any further damage.” We can expect to see Jay racing at the final two rounds in Gladstone and Coolum.

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Since the MX Nats resumed with Round 6 at Swan Hill, there has been a notable absentee from the track – Raceline Pirelli Suzuki rider and Jay Marmont’s younger brother, Ryan. The MX2 star has confirmed that he’ll sit out the remainder of the MX season to focus on family and his business, however is not ruling out a return to racing in the future. “I have a business to run and the enjoyment wasn’t there as much this year, considering all the other pieces that go along with it,” Ryan said. “I thought it was best for myself and my family to concentrate on the business at this stage. But that’s not ruling out racing completely. I still feel like I’m competitive, and have more in me.”

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With Jay Marmont retiring come the end of season 2014, CDR Yamaha Team Principal, Craig Dack, is going to have to start weighing up his options for 2014. So what does a TM look at when choosing their rider line-up for the season ahead? “Number one is that you have got to be quick,” explained Dack. “You have to have the speed, and I guess that’s every team manager’s number one. But then you have to look at the character of the person to see if they’re going to fit into the team environment. I like to look for riders that are coachable, have an open mind and are willing to learn. The other thing I look for is that they have the same determination and grit that as our team has got, and that’s to win races.” It’ll be very interesting to see if Billy Mackenzie’s CDR contract gets renewed at the end of the year or not. Will Dack aim for upcoming talent? Or will he swipe for a Matt Moss or a Kirk Gibbs? We’ll have to wait and see as silly season heats up…

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Over the weekend, Taupo’s Digger McEwen Park hosted Ben Townley’s Speedcross Open Day. Speedcross is BT’s new concept, which combines supercross with speedway, and the Taupo club kindly modified their supercross facility to suit. Read more about it in this week’s NZ Insider column.

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The 2014 FIM Enduro World Championship (EWC) moves to Italy this weekend, for the penultimate rounds of this year’s series. In the Enduro 3 category, Australia’s Matt Phillips holds a 19-point lead over his teammate, Ivan Cervantes, who was forced to sit out Sunday’s racing at the previous round in Sweden with a nagging ankle injury. Cervantes will be back in action this weekend – that’s more than what can be said for Husqvarna’s Mathias Bellino, who has ruptured the ACL in his left knee. He’ll be out for the remainder of the season, and he won’t be contesting the 2014 Yamaha Australian 4-Day Enduro (A4DE) in August as originally planned. E3 contender, Sherco’s Matt Seistola, also fractured his cheekbone and upper jaw while training this week, and isn’t sure if he’ll be racing in Italy this weekend. If Phillips can hold off Cervantes, his title hopes will be looking really good when the series moves to Brioude, France later this year for the final rounds.

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Spanish manufacturer, Gas Gas, hasn’t been doing a whole lot in the way of model upgrades over the past couple of years, but for 2015, Gasser fans have more to be excited about – especially on the two-stroke front. Click here to read about the upgrades that have been made to the machines for 2015. 

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Love him or hate him. Competitor or clown. Respect him or scoff at him. Brilliant talent or squandered talent. Wait for what comes next or cringe at the thought of it. Say what you will about him; Josh Hansen is one polarising character. Click here to read this captivating piece that Transmoto‘s Eric Johnson put together with Hansen, where he talks X Games, the 2o14 Monster Energy Cup, the 2015 AMA Supercross series and more. 

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This past weekend at Washougal, Australian FMX sensation, Jarryd McNeil, marked another goal off his list by contesting a round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The 23-year-old came from a background of racing, but life took a turn and he was able to make it to the US with his freestyle career; you probably know of Jarryd as that guy who throws huge whips, has been a multiple-time X Games medalist, and tours with the Nitro Circus Live clan. While he’s known for his mind-blowing whips and tricks, he has some serious speed on a motocross track. Impressively, Jarryd placed 25th Overall in the 250 Class over the weekend in his first race back since 2009. To check out a sweet video with McNeil in the lead-up to Washougal, produced by Vurbmoto, click here.

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Last week, Transmoto exclusively presented to you God’s Country – the all-new FMX video from Lensman’s Andy Richards and Pixel Pig’s Jorden Bethune, that has been co-produced in association with Swarm UAV. The clip features Aussie riders, Truman Carroll, Jackson Strong, Rob Adelberg and Cam Sinclair. Be sure to check it out. 

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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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Tickets are now on sale for the official premiere of RIDE: World Elements, the sequel to RIDE: The Australian Off Road Moto Film, currently being produced by the talented crew at Fourohfour. The official premiere will take place at Sydney Event Cinemas in Sydney’s CBD on Saturday, December 6. General admission tickets cost $25 each and VIP Gold Class tickets cost $70 each. Tickets are limited so get in fast! You can also now pre-order your copy of the DVD for $25, and have it shipped out to you for free before the film’s official premiere.

Click here to purchase tickets!

Click here to pre-order RIDE: World Elements!

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The Yamaha-supported Watagan Trail Bike Rally is now in its 11th year, and the 2014 edition is taking place next weekend! Make sure you attend the popular event on August 9-10 in the picturesque NSW Central Coast state forest. Once again, a lucky Watagans participant will walk away with a brand new 2014-model WR450F. For more information, click here.

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Sherco Australia has partnered with the Kooweerup Motorcycle Club as a major sponsor of the popular Golden Beach Six Hour Cross Country, taking place this weekend at Golden Beach, Victoria. The technical circuit offers racers 19km of sand and takes about 40 minutes to complete a lap. For more information, click here.

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One look at the horrific image below should be enough to convince you to wear kneebraces if you’ve got a bad knee, or if you simply want to prevent a serious injury from occurring. Thanks to Transmoto and Gall Bros Medical, we’re giving you the chance to win 1 CTi Custom Kneebrace. Valued at $1200.00, the CTi Custom Kneebrace is proven to be one of the best kneebraces in the game. All you have to do is grab the image that’s been posted below, post it to your Instagram feed, make sure you’re following us (@ transmoto), tag #transmoto and #ctikneebraces, and you could win! The kneebrace will be measured and fitted by an experienced member at Gall Bros Medial. Winner announced tomorrow (Friday, August 1). Best of luck!

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