Throwdown No.161 – 10/10/13

What’s this “Throwdown”? It’s a digital home for rumour, fact and innuendo, delivered on a weekly basis. Covering a broad spectrum of the off-road world’s news, the Throwdown will touch on everything from racing to trailriding; from industry tidbits to issues facing the sport. It’s about delivering you timely information all in one place so you don’t have to scour the internet looking for it.

—

This morning, we broke the news that Brett Metcalfe is flying home on Monday to race the final three rounds of the 2013 Australian Supercross Championships, to be held at Phillip Island and Toowoomba. Awesome? Hell yeah it is! We can’t wait to see him line-up against the Moss brothers, Jay Marmont, Josh Hill, Weston Peick and the rest of the stacked Pro Open class. In our interview with Metty, he talks about fellow Aussie Dean Ferris, the Motocross of Nations, Canada, Aussie SX and racing in America.

Brett Metcalfe will return to Australia next week… Image: Vurbmoto

—

Speaking of Aussie SX, the third round of this year’s series is set to take place at Mt. Gambier, SA this weekend. It’s been five years since a supercross round was held in South Australia, so it’ll be rad to see it return. Recently-crowned Monster Energy MX Nationals MX1 champion, Motul Pirelli Suzuki’s Matt Moss, currently leads the Pro Open class ahead of his brother, Jake Moss, Carlton Dry Honda Racing’s Weston Peick, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jay Marmont and SA-local, Motorex KTM Racing’s Kirk Gibbs. In the Pro Lites class, Serco Yamaha’s Luke Styke and US import, Carlton Dry Honda Racing’s Gavin Faith sit neck-and-neck on 47 points apiece. The top five is completed by Raceline Pirelli Suzuki’s Ryan Marmont, KTM-mounted Privateer Dylan Long and Styke’s teammate Luke Arbon. Bring on the racing!

—

Word on the street is that everything’s a bit chaotic in the land of KTM in America. Rockstar Energy Racing’s Davi Millsaps isn’t really connecting with his 450SX-F, and TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed is a vulture overhead, trying to get KTM riders to abandon ship. We’re hearing Reed’s deal with Kawasaki for season 2014 will be announced soon – will he have a teammate? Stay tuned!

—

In Australia, everything’s going well for two-stroke KTM-mounted rider, Tune Tech Racing’s Kale Makeham. He had a stellar debut year in the Monster Energy MX Nationals MX2 class, claiming second Overall and numerous podiums throughout the season. This week, it was announced that he declined several MX1 and MX2 offers with Factory teams, to continue racing under the Tune Tech banner next year. Check out his latest video clip, where he reveals his plans and thoughts for season 2014.

—

Did you know, that almost all of the SX tracks built for America’s top racers are constructed by the same company, and are right next door to one another? Yeah, teams can literally spy on their opposition! Read the interesting story in this week’s USA Insider, penned by Jason Weigandt.

—

Ricky Johnson is one of America’s all-time motocross legends. In the late 1980s, his factory HRC Honda RC250 was just as famous, and with good reason! Check it out.

Ricky Johnson’s 1986 Honda RC250… Image: Pixel Pig

—

Riders and their families descended upon the rural city of Horsham, Victoria last week to take part in this year’s Australian Junior Motocross Championship. Almost 350 riders lined up, and only 13 went home with a coveted national Aussie MX title. You can grab the full results from each class here. The future of Australian racing sure looks bright!

—

The 2013 Warragul Toyota Thumpercross Challenge will be on for young and old thrill-seekers alike when the Dandenong Motorcycle Club hosts event, November 2-3. For those of you who don’t know, thumpercross is a unique mixture of motocross and enduro racing, which takes place on a natural terrain track. And this year, it’s attracted the attention of CDR Yamaha’s Kade Mosig and American star, Josh Hill. If you’re interested in testing your skills, or just lining up against Mosig and Hill, entries for the event are still open and can be accessed via the Dandenong Motorcycle Club’s website until Friday, October 25.

—

—

That’s the International Six-Days Enduro done and dusted for another year. And what an awesome year this one was for Team Australia. The Senior Men’s Trophy team matched the result of our Motocross of Nations team, securing fourth Overall behind Team France, Team USA and Team Italy. The man spear-heading the effort was Daniel Milner, who finished second Outright to Antoine Meo and claimed victory in the E2 class aboard a YZ450F – remember, Milner’s been on board a 250F all year. And what a year he’s had himself! Outright AORC champion, Outright A4DE champion, and now this. Grab a print or digital edition of Transmoto‘s 2013 April Issue (#30) to read our full-length profile piece on the rising star, who we hear could be looking to race full-time in Europe next year. Stay tuned.

—

Ah, the injuries… Josh Green tore his rotator cuff (in his shoulder), Matt Phillips severely injured his leg and suffered a bit of concussion on Day 2 (before being forced to pull out due to mechanical issues on Day 3) and Tom McCormack got a few stitches in his elbow. And Scotty Keegan rode the majority of the event with a broken leg! There are probably more, but let’s not focus on being hurt for too much longer, eh?

—

Our Junior Trophy team finished in sixth Overall, behind the French, the Italians and Great Britain. Ben Burrell, Scott Keegan, Tom McCormack and Lachy Stanford put up an amazing fight – well done, boys.

—

We were more than stoked to learn that our Aussie girls prevailed and claimed the number one spot on the world stage at the 2013 ISDE. The team, consisting of Jessica Gardiner, Tayla Jones and Jemma Wilson de-throned the French women, who have held the title for the past five years. Gardiner also added to the team’s success, taking first place Outright in the Women’s division ahead of Sweden’s Jessica Jonsson and teammate Wilson. Australia’s turn to hold the crown for years to come? We hope so!

—

What did this week’s unveiling of the new-look Husqvarnas reveal about the rejuvenated brand? Transmoto’s Andy Wigan offered up these insights while en route to the international launch for 2014 model-range in Sweden. Stay tuned, as over the next couple of days, we’ll be bringing you an in-depth evaluation on the models.

Husqvarna’s 2014 range was unveiled in Sweden this week…

—

We’re still catching up on interviews we shot at Dungog’s AORC season finale last month. Check out the two that went up this week, with Husqvarna Racing Australia’s Damian Smith and Motorex KTM Off Road Racing’s Geoff Braico.

—

The 2013 Grand National Cross Country Series heads to St. Clairsville, Ohio this Sunday for the 12^th running of the ITP Powerline Park GNCC. Kailub Russell leads the way heading into the penultimate round of racing with an impressive five-race winning streak behind him, where he holds a slight advantage over teammate, Charlie Mullins in the XC1 class championship standings. Fresh from contesting the 2013 International Six-Days Enduro in Sardinia, Australia’s Josh Strang sits fifth Overall in the class.

—

Honda has released images of its all-new CRF450 RALLY model, designed specifically for rally racing. Check ’em out.

—

—

Don’t miss the FMX action set to go down at this weekend’s Dew Tour stop in San Francisco. With the likes of Taka Higashino and Adam Jones competing, it’s guaranteed to be a good one.

—

Easy-come-easy-go, eh? It was announced this week that International X Games events in France, Brazil, Germany and Spain will not continue in 2014. “We are proud to have run world-class competitions for both the athletes and spectators; however the overall economics of these events do not provide a sustainable future path,” stated ESPN in their press release. X Games events in Aspen (Winter) and Austin, Texas (Summer) will take place in 2014 as scheduled. And here we are, still sulking that ESPN discontinued Moto X Best Trick last year, and canned the incredible Los Angeles event. Thumbs down.

—

—

Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine’s 2013 November Issue (#37) is on sale now! Click here to find out what’s inside, and be sure to grab yourself a print or digital edition.

—

It’s your last chance to go into the draw to win a brand-spanking new 2014 KTM 350EXC-F by subscribing to Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine this month, too. Remember, you’ve gotta be in it to win it! 

—

6D Helmets has partnered with Steve Cramer Products for exclusive distribution in Australia. The lids are trick – click here if you’re interested in picking one up in the near future.

—

The 2014 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series dates have been announced, with locations to be revealed at a later date. The 13-round series will run from March until October next year.

—

Feld Motor Sports has announced that the highly-anticipated Monster Energy Cup will air live on the recently launched FOX Sports 2 channel from Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium on October 19. Fans will enjoy over three hours of live coverage as the biggest names in the sport battle it out for $1 million. Stay tuned for more.

—

Rest in peace, Mark “Chopper” Read. Here’s an interview we shot with the man himself back in 2011.

—