Throwdown No.210 – 16/10/14

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As y’all know, the much-anticipated 2014 Monster Energy Cup is taking place this weekend at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium. Australian fans will be able to catch all of the action live on ESPN2 from 12:30pm (AEST) on Sunday, October 19. Unfortunately, this year’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX series winner, Ryan Villopoto, won’t be competing, and it looks as though last year’s Monster Energy Cup winner, James Stewart, won’t be in attendance either! Bubba has not yet been granted permission to race the event, after he failed his World Anti-Doping Test at the Seattle SX (and his subsequent provisional FIM suspension seems to apply in this scenario). There’s still a chance he’ll line up, but things are looking really, really slim right now. RCH Suzuki’s new rider, Ken Roczen, isn’t competing either – bad news for eager fans waiting to watch Kenny tear things up on his all-new RM-Z450. Anyway, who does that leave us with, taking RV2, JS7 and KR94 out of the equation? Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard, Eli Tomac, Davi Millsaps, Justin Barcia and Australia’s Chad Reed (among others) all have realistic opportunities to take home the Monster Million ($1-million for any rider that can go 1-1-1 at the event). We’re keen to see who can step up and claim the crown.

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Word on the street is that Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart will be handed his final sentence (regarding his suspension) from the FIM within the next couple of weeks. If he is given a two-year ban from racing FIM events (as many expect he will be) it will effectively mean the end of this professional career. Villopoto has officially competed in his last-ever SX race. Unfortunately, there’s a very real possibility that James might have, too. Read more on the situation in this week’s USA Insider column.

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Speaking of RV, Transmoto‘s Eric Johnson was able to track down Kawasaki’s man on the month for an exclusive interview, where he openly discusses what he expects heading into the FIM Motocross World Championship in 2015, retiring from the sport in 2016, the fact that people shouldn’t compare him to the likes of Ricky Carmichael and Jeremy McGrath, his knee injury, training with Aldon Baker and loads more. Love him or hate him, we suggest you read this interview.

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KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team rider, Caleb Grothues, has accepted an invitation to compete in this weekend’s Monster Energy Cup in the Super Mini Class. The 14-year-old Aussie will compete on the same track as some of the very biggest names in the world – despite the fact that he’s only started riding on SX tracks and competing in the more compressed form of the sport this year. Grothues, who won his fourth Australian Junior MX title a little over a week ago, left for the US on Tuesday for the stand-alone event which takes place Saturday evening. Grothues will race on board a KTM 85SX big-wheel machine, fitted with a 105cc barrel. Good luck, dude!

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We’re hearing rumours that Honda’s Eli Tomac will be running a KYB fork come season 2015, as he hates the Showa SFF fork he is currently running. Stay tuned for developments.

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Dylan Ferrandis, a member of the French team that won the 2014 Motocross of Nations, has signed a long-term agreement with Kawasaki to continue in the FIM MX2 World Championship before moving to the USA in 2016. The young Frenchman has always dreamed to continue his career in the USA, and Kawasaki has offered him an opportunity through a long-term agreement; the 20-year-old kid from Southern France will race for the Monster Energy Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team in next year’s GPs before moving to Mitch Payton’s 250cc Kawasaki team in America. Following in the footsteps of Christophe Pourcel (2006 MX2 World Champion and 2009/2010 US 250SX champion) and Arnaud Tonus (moving next season from the MX2 series to the US 250cc series), Dylan will be the third rider to move from Europe to USA with the full support of Kawasaki, thanks to the strong partnership between KME, KMC and KHI (detailed in RV’s interview).

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On our shores here in Australia, we’ve got the third and fourth rounds of the 2014 Australian Supercross Championship to look forward to this weekend (being held alongside the MotoGP at Phillip Island for the third consecutive year). Expect Team Motul Suzuki’s Matt Moss to be carrying in momentum from Bathurst over the weekend (where he went 1-1) in the SX1 Class. He’ll face fierce competition from NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Monea, KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Kirk Gibbs and his new teammate, Lawson Bopping, who impressively scored a podium finish at Round 2 on Sunday. In the SX2 Class, KTM’s Brenden Harrison and Honda’s Gavin Faith split wins at Bathurst, and in the SXD (Under 19s) Class, KTM-mounted riders, Jack Simpson and Brock McLeary, shared the top step of the podium. Stay tuned to Transmoto‘s social media channels for updates from Phillip Island.

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Transmoto sources tell us that America’s Gavin Faith rocked up at LAX last Wednesday, ready to board a plane to Australia, only to discover that there was some sort of mistake made under the Penrite Oil Honda Racing big-rig, and he didn’t actually have a plane ticket booked! He called Team Manager, Yarrive Konsky, to find out what was going on, and was forced to purchase a $4000 return ticket at the counter, with help from an Australian Supercross Championship series sponsor. We can’t imagine the amount of confusion that would have been going on there!

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Our man on the ground in Bathurst over the weekend, Grant Reynolds from FiftySix Clix, captured loads of awesome images that have hopefully already graced your screens. If you missed what he shot, click here.

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Japanese Pro women’s racer, the popular and stylish Sayaka Kaneshiro, returned to Australia last week to go up against our girls at Bathurst. She would eventually finish in second Overall behind Picton’s Meghan Rutledge. Transmoto caught up with the 22-year-old AMA Women’s MX champ before she headed back to Osaka. Read the interview here.

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The rumour that Ben Townley’s going to come out of retirement and race full-time come season 2015 is gaining more and more momentum. Read more on the situation in this week’s NZ Insider column.

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Factory FMF/KTM rider, Kailub Russell, took the win at the first-ever Full Gas Sprint Enduro over the weekend, ahead of Australian riders, Daniel Milner and Josh Strang. The event was a two-day gathering, held at the Big Buck Ranch in America. You can check out the official highlights from the event below.

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It’s been a stellar year for Fox Australia’s off-road squad, with multiple championships and race wins celebrated by Chris Hollis, Daniel Milner, Daniel “Chucky” Sanders, Tom Mason and Jemma Wilson. “We are really proud of what our off-road team has achieved this year and this video is a tribute to the guys,” said Fox Australia’s Athlete Manager, Mick Sinclair. “The presence of off-road racing in Australia has really increased over the past couple of years, and the athletes deserve every little bit of credit and exposure they get.” Click here and watch Fox Australia’s all-new video, titled “What A Year” – The Australian Fox Off-Road Team, filmed and edited by Fourohfour, exclusive to Transmoto‘s website.

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If Toby Price’s unofficial title as Australia’s most versatile off-road racer was in any doubt, the 27-year-old Maitlander’s top-ten finish in his first-ever international FIM rally competition may have put the question beyond doubt. Price completed last week’s sixth and final day of the OiLibya Moroccan Rally in eighth place – enough to give him eighth Overall in what was the ultimate round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. Price finished the day just four seconds behind Red Bull KTM’s four-time Dakar Rally winner, Marc Coma, who wrapped up the round win, and the 2014 title. Price will now focus on representing Team Australia at the upcoming International Six Days Enduro, and then seems certain to face the starter for the world’s biggest off-road race – the 2015 Dakar Rally – when it begins in Buenos Aires on January 4. Go, you good thing!

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Taking place alongside this weekend’s Monster Energy Cup will be the crowd-favourite Dirt Shark Biggest Whip contest. The format has been revised for 2014 (riders must perform their biggest, most bad-ass whips on a dirt-to-dirt jump instead of a kicker-to-dirt jump) and they’ll only get a couple of opportunities to impress judges. Australia’s Jarryd McNeil, James Carter, Ronnie Renner, Destin Cantrell, Brett Cue, Nate Adams and Beau Bamburg will need to fight for a place in the finals in qualifying before facing the pre-qualified competitors; Tom Parsons, Josh Hansen, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, Todd Potter and Edger Torrentaras (all X Games medalists). As always, it’s bound to be a visual treat!

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Multiple-time X Games medalist, Australia’s Cam Sinclair, will return to his SX roots this weekend, contesting the SX2 State Cup at the third and fourth rounds of the Penrite Oil Australian Supercross Championship. Sinclair, who holds the current world record for the longest Backflip performed on a dirt bike, has not raced competitively in over 10 years. The Victorian has been riding with DPH Motorsports rider, Kade Mosig, in the lead-up to this weekend’s double-header and said he is looking forward to making a return to racing. “I am really looking forward to riding supercross again,” said Sinclair. “I started out racing but then steered in the direction of freestyle motocross so I kind of feel like I have come full circle. “I have been practicing with Kade and having a good time with it again. My overall fitness is pretty good, although I think I might struggle a little bit with race fitness, but that is all part of the fun.” We’re looking forward to seeing you out there, brother!

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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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Due to popular demand, Transmoto has released a dozen more tickets for our first-ever Day In The Vineyard event (an opportunity to ride with CDR Yamaha’s Chris Hollis in a non-competitive environment on private property at Stroud, NSW on Sunday, October 26). Transmoto‘s Day In The Vineyard was conceived to cater to those who are relatively new to dirt bikes, and who tend to be intimidated by crowded trailrides or the hectic, over-competitive vibe of the average motocross track. So if this sounds like your kind of Sunday, purchase your ticket quickly because spots after we sell these last dozen tickets, that’s it! Don’t miss out on what’s going to be an awesome day!

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Taking place on the same day as Transmoto‘s Day In The Vineyard is the annual Stockmans Rally, taking place in the Big River State Forest in Victoria. It’s a non-competitive event (seems to be the trend these days!) with free camping available. If you’d like to know more about it, click here.

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Australia’s Sherco importer, Mojo Motorcycles, has announced the appointment of Stephen Tuff as Brand Manager for Sherco Australia. The role, which was created especially for the racer and moto journalist, will see him develop the racing arm of the brand, roll out Sherco’s race plans for 2015 and manage the increasingly popular demo ride days across the country.

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Suzuki Australia has announced the introduction of an all-new RMX450Z enduro racer to its line-up, which the brand will seek ADR approval for prior to its release Down Under. For more information, click here.

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Youthstream has announced the official calendar for the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship, FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship, FIM Veteran’s Motocross World Cup and the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. You can check out the entire schedule by clicking here. The final round of the 2015 FIM Motocross World Championship will take place at Glen Helen in America – something that Ryan Villopoto’s deal would have had a lot to do with. There will be no Australian MXGP round as speculation suggested. It’s a shame that RV will never race in Australia, as legends such as Jeremy McGrath once did. Perhaps we’ll see the World Championship return to our shores in 2016.

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You don’t know what funny is until you’ve watched Ken Roczen saying, “G’day, Transmoto,” in his best Aussie accent! Check out our Instagram feed @transmoto to view the 15-second clip, produced by ANAKT’s Jason Macalpine, starring Kenny riding his all-new RM-Z450 at the Suzuki test track.

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