Throwdown No.167 – 21/11/13

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What a week it’s been in the world of Aussie SX, eh? Over the weekend, our 2013 Australian Supercross champions were crowned at Toowoomba’s controversy-filled finale – Matt Moss (Pro Open), Luke Styke (Pro Lites), Jay Wilson (Under 19s) and Brock McLeary (Junior Lites). Unfortunately, though, the spotlight wasn’t exactly directed towards our winners, as you’ve all surely heard by now. Headlines broke around the globe that Jake Moss, Matt’s brother, had taken out Josh Hill on the third lap of the Main Event, in order to allow Matt to run away with his fifth national title for Suzuki. Was that the case? Not exactly. Our man in the US, Eric Johnson, spoke with Josh, and our website dude here in Oz, Kurt Teague, spoke with Jake, and both sides of the story were revealed. The video footage leaked via social media isn’t enough to use to make a distinct call on who was at fault, but it sounds like Motorcycling Australia has put an end to all investigations on the situation.

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Back to our 2013 ASX winners. Really, you’ve got to feel sorry for Motul Pirelli Suzuki’s Matt Moss, and the way he’s been treated this week. The man won this year’s Monster Energy MX Nationals MX1 title, and you could only expect a load of respect to be heading his way after winning this year’s supercross title, right? Sure, there are those out there who’ve given the champ the love he deserved, but many were quick to jump on the situation and call Matt an ‘unworthy’ winner. It’s a real shame, we reckon. We’ll be catching up with Mossy later this week to get his take on everything that’s happened over the last week, so stay tuned.

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The other piece of controversy that went down on Saturday night was, strangely, in the Junior Lites class. KTM-mounted Brock McLeary carried the red plate into the series finale and, after taking second in the night’s Main Event behind Yamaha-mounted Wilson Todd, he was awarded with the trophy and the number one plate on the podium. Then, the confusion kicked in. Confusion over the scoring system used at the previous Phillip Island double-header round led to the official standings showing McLeary as the runner-up, and Todd as the champion. Transmoto contacted Yamaha Australia’s Scott Bishop to gain an insight into the situation. “At Phillip Island, there were three races held on each day,” explained Bishop. “It was never actually defined whether the riders would receive points from every moto, or just points from the day’s Overall scores. In the end, the call was made to award points for every moto, which led to McLeary taking the win.” McLeary was crowned the champion on 177 points, barely scraping ahead of Todd’s 176.

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Yamaha Australia isn’t too bummed about losing the Junior Lites crown, anyway. For one, while the racing took place alongside the national SX championship, it was never actually a national championship itself – just a series. And they did manage to secure the Pro Lites and Under 19s titles with Luke Styke for Serco Yamaha and Jay Wilson for GYTR Yamaha. Styke, like Matt Moss, won this year’s national MX title, and was stoked to make his way past last year’s champion, Carlton Dry Honda Racing’s Gavin Faith. Wilson dominated the Under 19s series this year, winning the four races prior to the finale, and claimed the title 19 points ahead of Corey James.

That’s enough on supercross for now, eh? If you’d like more news from Toowoomba’s ASX round, click here and satisfy yourself.

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It was announced this week that 23-year-old Aussie, Dean Ferris, has parted ways with the Bike It Yamaha Cosworth team, and won’t be contesting the 2014 FIM Motocross World Championship in the 450cc class. Instead, he’ll remain aboard a 250, and is expected to sign a deal with the Red Bull KTM team in America very soon. Ken Roczen has moved up to the big-bike class, joining Ryan Dungey, which leaves Marvin Musquin alone in the small-bike class. Ferris turned plenty of heads at this year’s Motocross of Nations, so it comes as no surprise that guys like Roger De Coster (Red Bull KTM Team Manager) are interested in Ferris’ abilities. You can read the full-length press release that was put out this week here.

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MOTO 5 The Movie went on sale this week. We encourage all Aussies to pick up a copy on iTunes and check out Josh Cachia’s epic section shot on his sandy home-track in South Australia. Epic’s actually an understatement. Go suss it out.

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Where’s Chris Hollis heading next year? Even he’s not too sure. Rumours landed on our desks last week that Hollis could be joining CDR Yamaha Off Road Racing, and also that he could be forming his own Kawasaki-mounted effort. Transmoto got in touch with Hollis this morning to set the record straight. “At the moment, I’ve got nothing tricky up my sleeve,” said Hollis. “There aren’t many seats left in the Aussie paddock, so I’m just exploring my options at this stage. Times are tough, but I really want to go racing next year, that’s for sure.” Here’s hoping you can snatch something up, mate.

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Word on the street is that Matt Phillips could be very close to signing a deal with KTM to contest the 2014 Enduro World Championship. As Husaberg will be absent in the pits next year, seats with Factory teams are becoming much harder to secure. Phillips, who raced for Husqvarna (and won a Junior World title with!) this year, is currently without a deal, but as we just mentioned, KTM is on the cards. Transmoto contacted Phillips, but he couldn’t say a lot at this stage. Apparently, Sherco has put an offer on the table as well, although details are scarce right now. Stay tuned for a confirmation soon on who Matty has signed with.

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Speaking of Husky, Graham Jarvis has secured the Bel Ray Husqvarna Extreme Factory Team its first Hard Enduro victory at the Roof Of Africa in Lesotho, South Africa over the weekend. It’s seems crazy, but just last weekend, Jarvis was here in Oz presenting Husaberg with a victory at the Wildwood Rock Extreme Enduro.

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This right here, is definitely one of the most unique off-road events on the Aussie calendar. Watch this video and you’ll understand what Shane Watts’ Three Bridges Pony Express is all about. Nice work on the clip, R!DE HQ.

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Speaking of Watts, he just sent us this photo of these 1997 and 1998 Factory KTM 125cc beasts. He reckons they’re ready to rip with Ben Grabham by his side.

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Does embracing dual-purpose bikes suggest one’s ageing disgracefully, or simply becoming more practical? Last year, we married inexperienced adventure riders with BMW’s 650 Sertao and Yamaha’s 660 Ténéré and headed to the hills to find out. If you’d like to read the full-length article, you can pick up a print or digital edition of Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine‘s 2012 September (#23) Issue by clicking here.

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Taking three wins from three starts, Taddy Blazusiak convincingly put his KTM on the top step of the podium at the opening round of the 2013/2014 Maxxis FIM SuperEnduro World Championship at Liverpool’s Echo Arena over the weekend. Enjoying a successful start to his season, Sherco’s David Knight finished as the runner-up, with Spain’s Dani Gibert on board a Husaberg completing the top three.

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With great sadness, the passing of off-road racing legend, Kurt Caselli, was announced late last week, after he sustained injuries in a crash during the SCORE Baja 1000. Original reports stated that Kurt was killed as a result of booby-traps set on the course, but it was later confirmed by competitors in the race that that was not the case. The Caselli family has invited all family, friends and fans of Kurt to attend his Memorial Ride Day on December 6 at Glen Helen Raceway in the US from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Ride in peace, Kurt.

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Why on earth are we posting a Bliss N Eso music video clip? Because, it features Aussie FMX star, Cam Sinclair. It’s actually really sweet, the way that the video clip follows Cam’s rather famous Double Backflip crash suffered at Red Bull X-Fighters a few years ago, to the day that he jumped back into the arena at X Games, and made one of the greatest come-backs ever, landing the trick that almost claimed his life in front of thousands. This clip was put together by Allan Hardy, who also filmed Cachia’s MOTO 5 section.

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Two years in the making, the Andy Hensel ‘Support to Walk’ Fundraiser went ahead in Port Pirie, South Australia on November 9. After being postponed in 2012 due to insurance reasons, the event finally went ahead, and FMX riders from all around the country came together to support Andy, who lost the use of his lower body from a riding incident. Andy’ s goal is to raise $50,000, so he can travel to Project Walk in America for intense physiotherapy and training to regain the use of his legs. The event raised $24,000 that will go towards his fund, bringing his dream of walking again closer. You can check out the rad video that was made at the event here.

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Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine’s 2013 December Issue (#38) is on sale now! Click here to find out what’s inside, and be sure to grab yourself a print or digital edition.

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If you’d like to win a brand-spanking new 2014 KTM 350EXC-F, subscribe to Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine this month and you’ll be in the running. Remember, you’ve gotta be in it to win it!

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Congratulations, Isaac Miller! You swung by our stall at the 2013 Sydney Motorcycle & Scooter Expo over the weekend, entered in our raffle to win a brand new set of Oakley Airbrake MX goggles, and you won, buddy! We’ll be in contact with you later this week to get you hooked up with your prize! Thanks to everyone who did come past the Transmoto stall on the weekend, whether it was to have a chat, grab yourself a free magazine, or to subscribe to us.

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If you’d like to be one of the first to see Ray “Goof” Vandenberg’s Factory RM500 (which we’ve got an awesome story on in Transmoto‘s January Issue, on sale in a couple of weeks’ time) in public, the place to be is at the Mr Motocross Legends & Stars Charity Dinner, raising money for Challenge to support kids with cancer, on March 8 next year at the Crown Casino in Melbourne. Tickets are limited and they’re going fast. You can book single tickets or for a table of ten here.

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Motorcycling Australia is now inviting motorcycle sports clubs around Australia to raise the bar and apply to host an Australian championship event. Applications are being sought out for seasons 2015 and 2016. Applications to host 2015 championship events must be received by January 8, 2014. To download an application form click here.

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Drift Innovation is set to release their newest and most powerful camera, the Ghost-S. Available worldwide on November 26, the wearable action-packed camera boasts the longest battery life on the market and numerous industry-leading features. You can pre-order the Ghost-S and get more information on the unit here.

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Australian motocross legend, Jeff Leisk, turned 50 this week. His present? He’s being inducted into the Motorcycling Western Australia Hall Of Fame tomorrow night at the Grand Ballroom Rendezvous Hotel in Scarborough. The ‘Night of Champions’ is aimed to honour state champions and those individuals who’ve achieved greatness on their dirt bikes. Leisky will be inducted alongside Chum Taylor, Trevor Laurence, Peter Nicol and John Rock. For more on the night, click here. The Motorcycling WA Hall Of Fame is all-new, and a ceremony will be held annually from this year onwards.

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We end this week’s Throwdown with a spectacular BMX video produced by French filmmaker, JC Pieri. This here’s for all you aspiring moto filmers out there. Go make something awesome with your mates!

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