Throwdown No.206 – 18/09/14

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Earlier this week, Serco Yamaha announced that 2014 MXD sensation, Jed Beaton, will join the factory supported MX2 team for the 2015 racing season. Beaton impressed in his first year of senior racing, holding the championship lead in the MXD category, before his campaign was cut short due to an injury sustained during practice prior to Round 9. Beaton had won two rounds and had an eight-point lead. Beaton joining the squad throws the future of Jay Wilson up into the air. Wilson re-signing with the team will depend on where 2014 MX2 Aussie champ, Luke Clout, ends up.

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Just a few weeks removed from competing in his last Grand Prix for the European-based Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna team, former MX2 World Champion and perennial AMA championship challenger, Tyla Rattray, chanced upon the path of Transmoto‘s Eric Johnson in always sunny, smoggy, baking-hot Corona, California. Read the interview that was conducted here. Rattray makes some pretty interesting comments about the idea of Ryan Villopoto going up against Antonio Cairoli in next year’s FIM Motocross World Championship.

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For the first time ever, the Monster Energy Cup will be aired live on FOX Sports in 2014. Boo-yah! Bring on October 18!

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It was confirmed this week that Red Bull KTM has signed former Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki racer, Justin Hill, to contest the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series (250SX West) and 2015 Lucas Oil AMA Pro 250 Motocross Championship. Hill and Marvin Musquin will make up the team’s 250 effort in 2015. An official announcement regarding the signing of Hill’s former teammate, Dean Wilson, to the 450 class to race for Red Bull KTM alongside Ryan Dungey is expected in the coming weeks.

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The first eight riders to compete in the inaugural Red Bull Straight Rhythm event have been confirmed. Travis Pastrana, James Stewart, Ryan Dungey, Josh Hansen, Josh Hill, Cole Seely, Dean Wilson and Australia’s Brett Metcalfe are just the first eight of 32 riders that will compete in the innovative, head-to-head competition on Saturday, October 4 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California.

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Chad Reed and long-time close buddy (and Transmoto contributor) Jason “JT$” Thomas, have embarked on a three-week trip to Europe that will see them take in two Moto GPs, some bromance in Italy and the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) in Kegums, Latvia, where they will catch up with the rest of the Aussie team and Michael Byrne, who has taken on a managerial role with the squad this year. JT$ is feeding us a few images from the trip, with the highlights so far being quests of Valentino Rossi at the Misano round of the Moto GP (where Rossi pulled out an epic win – both his and Yamaha’s first for the season), followed by a visit to Rossi’s nearby riding compound where they joined a who’s-who in the Moto GP zoo for a few days of dirt-tracking. Stay tuned to Transmoto‘s social media channels for updates.

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Speaking of the MXoN, it’s interesting that the guy who just beat Jeffrey Herlings to the MX2 World title, Jordi Tixier, was not selected to represent Team France at this year’s event. For an insight into the nail-biting finale where Herlings returned (to race with a broken femur), click here.

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The final round of the 2014 East Coast MX series, presented by Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine, is taking place this weekend at Wollongong MCC, NSW. It’s only Senior racing this weekend, as Juniors concluded a few weeks ago (Seniors were rained out). It’s been an awesome series this year. We’ll have heaps of content to recap on soon.

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The 2014 E3 Enduro World Champ, Australia’s Matt Phillips, pictured with the Aussie enduro icon (and former Team Manager) that got the MX-mad kid into off-road racing back in 2011, Geoff Ballard. GB was in France over the weekend, documenting Phillips’ historic win. Check out more images here.

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While the spotlight has been shining on Phillips’ second consecutive World title win, fellow Aussie, Jess Gardiner, slipped under the radar and quietly secured her first-ever season podium finish in the Women’s Enduro World Championship, finishing in third Overall (after taking fourth Overall at Brioude, France over the weekend). Well done, Jess!

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The 2014 Australasian Safari is getting underway as we write this, for what could be the last night the icon enduro race takes place in Western Australia (or anywhere, for that matter). Having run 1-3 in last year’s Safari, WR450F-mounted riders, Rod Faggotter and Shane Diener, will ride under the Active8 Yamalube Yamaha umbrella this year, and would have to be favourites going into the event. Although the CPW-fettled KTMs of Dakar standout, America’s Quinn Cody and Safari newcomer, Ian Blythe, are likely to be the biggest threats to the Aussies. To grab daily progress reports, visit the official Australasian Safari website.

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Transmoto the official digital media partner of the 2014 Cookardinia Vinduro event, taking place this weekend, September 19-21. If you’re interested in attending, click here.

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Toby Price, who wrapped up his fourth Outright Australian Off Road Championship (AORC) title two weekends ago, leaves for Morocco’s OiLibya Rally next Tuesday. According to Price, endorsement from both his Team Manager (and two-time Dakar entrant) Ben Grabham and Price’s late great mate, Kurt Caselli, prompted the offer from the KTM factory to ride both the Moroccan Rally and Dakar Rally. “It’s pretty cool that I get to spend five days with Marc Coma over in Morocco, and learn as much as I can about the navigation and everything else involved with racing these big rally bikes,” Price said. “After Morocco, I head back to hang out with some mates and watch the Baja 1000 in Mexico before heading south to Argentina to hook up with the Aussie team for the ISDE in early November. People ask me why I’m not racing the Australasian Safari, but I decided not to because the route sheet instruction for navigating a Dakar are quite different and in French, so I want to focus on learning them alone,” Price went on to explain.

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For the past 27 months, Andy Hensel has lived without the use of his lower body. Not once has he shown any signs of defeat, though. In just two years he has already managed to inspire so many people with his positive outlook on life. Andy is now back riding and is one of the first paraplegics in the world to rotate Backflips to dirt on a 350cc motorcycle. Aside from riding and being a positive role model, Andy’s main goal is to regain movement of his legs. He trains hard nearly every day and is headstrong to get back up on his feet. Transmoto‘s Ben Heidrich caught up with Andy for a chat about his recent plans and how the rehab his going. Read the interview here.

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Epic new tricks, evolutionary track designs and a gripping title race thrilled FMX fans around the globe in the 2014 season of Red Bull X-Fighters. Australia’s Josh Sheehan fought all the way to the end, claiming the championship title and cementing his name in the history books with the best. Check out the top action from the 2014 season below.

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Click here to find out what’s inside Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine’s 2015 September-October Issue (#46), and be sure to grab yourself a print or digital edition.

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Got a dirt bike you want to sell? How about some used gear, parts or accessories? Thanks to the Transmoto Trader, you’re going to be able to advertise what you’ve got to sell in front of a captivated audience of over 100,000 unique website browsers per month, more than 310,000 Facebook followers and 10,000-plus Instagram followers. Create an account via Transmoto’s website (it’s quick and easy to do, and you can even log in using your Facebook account) and start posting. Start buying, selling and swapping your unwanted bikes, gear, parts and accessories.

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The 2014 KTM Conondale Cup is set to take place on October 4-5. This year, there’s $10,000 in prize money up for grabs – a huge incentive for riders of all ages to fill out an entry form. The club has recently been stung with $250,000 worth of roadworks to pay for, and they need full grids at all upcoming events to help raise funds. Entry forms and supp regs can be downloaded here.

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On Thursday, September 11, 300 people crammed into the classic art deco cinema at Cremorne’s Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace for the world big-screen premiere of Adam Riemann’s epic film, Motonomad (The Directors’s Cut) – a 7000km extreme off-road mission from the grassy hills of Austria to the political turmoil of the Middle East aboard a couple of KTM 500EXCs. Read all about it and check out images from the night here.

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Next week, entries will open up for Transmoto‘s first-ever “Day In The Vineyard”, where we’ll be giving punters the opportunity to hang out and ride with multiple Aussie off-road champ, CDR Yamaha’s Chris Hollis, in a relaxed, safe and fun environment. The event’s taking place at a private property in Stroud, NSW, on Sunday October 26. The catch? As spots are strictly limited, Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine print subscribers will have first dibs at filling out an entry form. Mag subscribers will also have first dibs at entering our popular Transmoto 12-Hour events, movie premieres and more, which have proven to sell out quickly! Get a 12-issue subscription now and be ready to enter Transmoto‘s first-ever “Day In The Vineyard” next week. A non-competitive day of riding arrowed trails and a Hollis-designed grasstrack (with food and drinks provided and all ages welcome) is not to be missed! You’ll even receive a FREE Transmoto T-Shirt when you subscribe!

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