Throwdown No.176 – 06/02/14

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That’s two Overall wins to Reedy! Chad led all 20 laps of the Main Event at Anaheim 3 over the weekend, to take the win ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto. Reed’s fourth podium finish of 2014 gives him the most in the championship this season, while both Roczen and Villopoto each have three podium finishes apiece. Thanks to their consistency, this trio carries an 11-point advantage over the rest of the field heading into San Diego this weekend.

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Interestingly, Reed is the only racer in the sport’s history to have two wins to his name in his 13th season. And he’s also the winningest rider ever at San Diego with six wins, including five in six years from 2003 to 2008. Let’s hope he can secure that third win this weekend and overtake Villopoto in the standings (he currently has a two-point deficit). The man’s also on the front cover of our 2014 March (#41) Issue, which went on sale today. And that just makes him even more awesome.

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Here’s another interesting stat for you. For Villopoto, the 2014 season marks the first time in four seasons that he failed to win a race inside Anaheim’s Angel Stadium. Historically, every rider that has won a championship in the new millennium has also won at least one race at Anaheim. A sign of a negative result to come for the three-time defending champ? We’ll have to wait and see…

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Dirt Shark A3 video, anyone? This edition’s dedicated to Monster Energy models. Yeah, we’ve got your attention now, don’t we!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPcr5KD6LUg

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Yoshimura Suzuki rider, James Stewart, has been right up there with the leaders this season (despite that crash in the whoops at Anaheim 1 that de-railed his 2014 campaign). JS7 will attempt to break a 14-race winless streak this weekend in San Diego.

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It’s alright, guys. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki principal, Mitch Payton, isn’t going to throw himself off that cliff! His man, Dean Wilson, finally stepped up in the 250SX class to take an Overall win in 2014. Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda’s Cole Seely washed out while leading at Anaheim 3, and Wilson got past to go on for the comfortable win. Wilson’s been doing alright this year, but really, much bigger things were expected of him. He’s still up there in the points, though. 12 points away from first, Wilson can still win the 250SX title if he wins the remaining four Western Regional 250SX Class championship races. This class just got really, really interesting!

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Jason Anderson and Malcolm Stewart… Was this a racing incident, or did Mookie want to take the Rockstar KTM Racing rider out intentionally? Check this GoPro footage from A3 and decide for yourself.

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“It’s hard to fly like an eagle when you’re surrounded by a bunch of turkeys.” Yep, Todd Waters has definitely taken that dry Aussie humour over to Europe with him! Watch this video starring Waters on board his all-new Husky with teammate, South Africa’s Tyla Rattray. 

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Transmoto sources tell us that CDR Yamaha principal, Craig Dack, was extremely close to signing Michael Byrne to contest the 2014 MX and SX seasons in Australia. Imagine that! The deal was never made, though, and Byrner took up a deal coaching Mike Alessi in the US (click here for details). Dack’s team this year will consist of Jay Marmont and Billy Mackenzie – a very solid rider line-up.

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Speaking of Jay, we’ll have an exclusive video with the man back on blue dropping over the next couple of weeks. It’s being produced by JCMX Films, and it’s looking damn good at the moment. Stay tuned for more.

^ Image: JCMX Films

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TM Australia has formed a solid rider line-up ahead of the 2014 Monster Energy MX Nationals, placing their title hopes with Daniel McCoy in the MX2 division, racing aboard an MX250 two-stroke. The Queensland-based TM-mounted Full Force Racing team will also field a two rider line-up in the MX2 class, signing Joel Evans with a second rider to be confirmed. In Victoria, Joel Milesevic will be reppin’ TM at the MX Nats through EMU Racing.

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Motorcycling Australia has announced that the 2014 Australian Women’s Motocross Championship will be held in Horsham, Victoria on April 12-13. The championship will deliver two-days of MX action, with some of Australia’s top female riders set to vie for the prestigious national title. It was also announced that the championship will feature an all-new MX Amateurs (MXA) class. Supplementary regulations and entry details will be released over the coming weeks.

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The 2014 East Coast MX series, presented by Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine, is set to kick off at Lakes MCC this weekend. Last year’s series was a huge success, and this year’s five-round series is shaping up to be an even better one. Over 420 entries have been received for the opening round. Lining up against the up-and-coming talent and the punters will be stars such as CDR Yamaha’s Jay Marmont, Raceline Suzuki’s Ryan Marmont and Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout. To stay in touch with the series, follow the official website.

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CDR Yamaha Off Road Racing riders, Chris Hollis and Daniel Milner, went 1-2 at the opening round of the 2014 KTM Australian Enduro-X Nationals, held at Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway over the weekend. Hollis went 2-2-1 to take the Overall round victory ahead of teammate, Milner, who went 4-1-2. KTM Enduro Racing Team rider, Toby Price, went 3-3-3 at Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway to take third Overall on the day. In his first race back on Australian soil since a serious spinal injury suffered in April last year, Price looked dangerously close to his best. 2013 Melbourne Enduro-X winner and Price’s teammate, Peter Boyle, secured fourth Overall at the opening round of this year’s series. Rounding out the top five was Stefan Granquist, on his debut with Active8 Yamaha. The 2014 KTM Australian Enduro-X Nationals moves to Parramatta Speedway in Sydney on February 16 for Round 2 of the three-round series.

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As mentioned in last week’s Throwdown, the 2014 Australian factory Husqvarna squad (consisting of riders yet to be officially announced) did not contest Brisbane’s Enduro-X round, as bikes had not arrived on our shores in time. The team has since taken delivery of their bikes, and with a bit of luck, may contest Round 2. Stay tuned for the official word on Husky’s rider line-up for 2014 over the coming days.

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Check out this GoPro footage from the Enduro-X over the weekend! In the Women’s division, Jess Gardiner, Tayla Jones and Jemma Wilson all went down in the opening Heat, in the same crash. Gardiner captured the action. Off-road girls are tough, eh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmMDagu6zwA&sns=em

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Stay tuned to transmoto.com next week for a video premiering on Tasmania’s Matt Philips. We won’t share too many details for now – just know that this one’s going to knock your socks off.

^ Image: Lee Popowski

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Action sports lovers across the country will be excited to hear that Nitro Circus founder, Travis Pastrana, is making his highly anticipated return to the sport which rocketed him to international superstardom; freestyle motocross. Pastrana will ride at every stop on the Australian Nitro Circus Live tour during May this year. It will be the first time Aussie fans will have had the opportunity to see Pastrana on a dirt bike since 2010. “I am really pumped to be getting back on a dirt bike after three years,” said Pastrana. “I’ve had a rough time with injuries over the past few years and I have challenged myself in different disciplines, but freestyle motocross has always been my true passion. Nothing gets close to the energy generated by fans at a Nitro Circus Live event. I’m stoked to be riding again and can’t wait to come to Australia!” We’re looking forward to it.

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This one’s crazy! Spotted on the Freerider MX website. We bet you’ve never seen anyone ride a jet-ski like this before!

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Click here to find out what’s inside Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine’s 2014 February Issue (#41), and be sure to grab yourself a print or digital edition.

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Want to win yourself a Jayco Toy Hauler valued at over $37,000? Yeah, you do! 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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Seven Mr Motocross legends have been found alive and well, and using eBay, you can bid to secure your place at a once-in-a-life-time dinner with these heroes of the sport. The opening bid is $2500. And you’re bidding for a table of 10 at the dinner to be held on March 8. Bidding will come to an end on February 14. The legends you can bid to sit with include Trevor Flood, Gary Flood, Anthony Gunter, Stephen Gall, Ray “Goof” Vandenberg, Jeff Leisk and Craig Dack. Simply type in the rider’s name to locate the auction on eBay.

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Ever wondered what goes into custom painting a stack-hat? Recently, McLeod Accessories hooked up Transmoto‘s Editor, Andy Wigan, with a brand-spanking new M2R X4 helmet, and left him to have it custom painted to suit his fancies. The man for the job? Mark Brown, who runs Browns Grafix, of course. The project took about ten hours to complete over the course of a few days. Check out this article we posted on the process. Brownie doesn’t give away all of his tricks-of-the-trade, but he definitely offers up an interesting insight.

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Mid-way through last year, we teamed up with KTM Australia to give Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine readers a chance to win a brand new 2014 KTM 350EXC-F. To go into the draw, all you needed to do was subscribe to the print version of the mag, and tell us in 25 words or less why you love Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine. From several hundred entries, Heydon Howard from Bathurst, NSW was chosen as the lucky winner of the 2014 KTM 350EXC-F. Congratulations, mate!

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On October 14 last year, Felix Baumgartner ascended more than 24 miles above Earth’s surface to the edge of space in a stratospheric balloon. Millions across the globe watched as he opened the door of the capsule, stepped off the platform, and broke the speed of sound while free falling safely back to Earth. Felix set three world records that day – and inspired us all to reach beyond the limits of our own realities, and re-imagine our potential to achieve the incredible. Check out this epic GoPro footage that was just released from the jump.

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