Throwdown No.101

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.

Round 8 of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Washougal ended with Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey claiming his sixth consecutive win for the season, while GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia raced to his second victory of the 2012 season. After a three-week break, the series will return for round 9 at Southwick this weekend. Dungey look’s to have the 450 class title in the bag, sitting 80 points ahead of MotoConcepts Suzuki’s Mike Alessi, while in the 250 class, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Blake Baggett holds a mere 11-point lead over Barcia. Be on the lookout for GEICO Honda’s newest recruit and shining Loretta Lynn’s star, Zach Bell, who will make his professional level debut this weekend.

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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli went 1-1 in Loket at Round 12 of the FIM World MX Championship, claiming Grand Prix victory number 50. Take a trip back to 2001 when 10 times World Motocross Champion Stefan Everts picked up his 50th GP victory at the Namur circuit in Belgium, in this week’s MXGP Insider from Geoff Meyer…

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Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jay Marmont was crowned King of the Cross over the weekend, marking his fourth victory at the event, taking home a cool $10,000 for his weekend’s work. Jay’s brother, Ryan, put in a solid effort returning from injury and was crowned Prince of the Cross. The JDR/KTM Factory Racing rider is hoping to return to the next round of the MX Nats at Moree, but isn’t a certain starter at this point.

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Ellie Reed (@mrstwotwo) snapped this Instagram shot of her boys doing their “homework.” Looks like Tate has his basic colouring skills dialled, showing old man Chad how it’s done!

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Rumours are flying around across the Tasman that Carlton Dry Honda’s Ben Townley has been given clearance to ride next week if all goes to plan. Twisting the throttle on his CRF450R this time next week will mark the first time he’s been back on a bike since the Kiwi legend badly injured his hip in April.

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Eight young rising Australian stars hit the track this past week at the 2012 Red Bull Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. Luke Clout, Mackenzie Tricker, Luke Reardon, Brad West, Hayden Mellross, Caleb Grothues, Callum Norton and Jacob Blomfield all earnt their places at the Ranch through a series of area and regional qualifiers. The Australian riders joined a field of 1,410 speedsters for five days of hard charging battles, on the most infamous amateur circuit in the world. Well done, boys!

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After several events lashed by cold, wet and muddy conditions, riders were thrilled to be racing on dry dirt at Round 4 of the East Coast MX series. The Wollongong Motorcycle Club laid down the welcome mat, where 243 competitors rolled up to do MX battle. Grab the full race report and check out a sweet little video from the day here.

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Multi New Zealand motocross champion, Ethan Martens, will be heading across the Tasman shortly to contest the Pro Lites class at the remaining two rounds of the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals at Moree and Coolum. It’s reported the 20-year-old Auckland resident will be riding a factory Yamaha and is looking to “test the waters” and present himself as a possible class shaker for a stab at a supported ride in 2013.

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We couldn’t resist posting this one. Transmoto contributor, Beau Collicoat, loves to run a big fuzzy haircut, and if you bolted 40 years onto his life, he’d look a lot like Doc Brown from “Back to the Future.” Watch out ladies of Maryborough!

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Now, what are we looking forward to the most? Is it the start of the 2012 AMA Supercross season, or the next instalment of SX Ed with the lovely Miss Diana Dahlgren? We’ve got our answer! Here’s episode 2, guaranteed to leave you gob-smacked just like Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Mitch Payton was.

From racing the Enduro World Championship in Italy, to sitting at home chillin’ in a wheelchair with two fractured ankles. Yep, reigning AORC Women’s Champion Jemma Wilson sure has got it rough at the moment. “Today I have seen a foot and ankle specialist and am booked in for surgery in both ankles on Thursday. Unfortunately I have broken the joint, which requires screws for the bones to heal straight. At present, it appears that I will miss the remainder of this season. Unfortunately I won’t even be able to attend the ISDE as a spectator, as I won’t be much good to anyone in a wheelchair!” Check out part 3 of our exclusive web series with Jemma to find out a bit more about her accident, and get an insight to her incredible experience in Italy not so long ago.

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Kiwi extreme enduro legend Chris Birch has been living and racing in South Africa for the last two years now and recently it dumped with snow in his hometown. What does one do when climate change has its way with one of the hottest and driest places in the world? Naturally Birch thought it was all a bit special so he saddled up and went exploring … through town!

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Ride4Kids is Australia’s largest charity dirt bike event, helping raise much needed funds for Challenge, a not-for-profit organisation supporting children and families living with cancer. Get on down to the Dandenong Motorcycle Club in Wonthaggi, Sunday October 21 to show your support for a great cause.

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The 2012 Great Australian Ride kicked off August 4, with riders embarking on the 20-day adventure from Byron Bay to Australia’s most easterly location, Steep Point. The aim is to raise over $25,000 for the SIDS and Kids foundation – dedicated to saving lives of babies and children and supporting bereaved families. Check out the facebook page to keep up to date.

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Take a look at this cool video from arguably one of the world’s best all-round off-road riders, Taddy Blazusiak, as he talks about his experience at X Games 18 this year, as well as offering some insight into his goals and plans for 2013.

The penultimate round of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour is taking place this weekend, set to roll into Munich, Germany. We’ll then advance to Sydney’s Cockatoo Island on October 6 for the big finale, where the championship will be decided. Reminisce on all the madness that went down at the last round in Madrid, Spain, which left New Zealand’s Levi Sherwood leading the standings, followed by Chile’s Javier Villegas in second, with America’s Todd Potter holding down third.

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The magical duo of Transmoto’s Lachlan and Lance Russell have done it again, this time with a sweet video showcasing Round 3 of the AUFMXC, held at Gympie. Be sure to run your eyes over it, and don’t forget you can grab the full race report from the day here. The next round of the AUFMXC will be held at Mudgee, NSW on September 29.

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Robbie Maddison has been out of competition lately due to injury, but as seen here, he’s not making too bad a recovery. Obviously multi-talented, Maddo loves a spot of wake surfing as well!

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Widely acknowledged as a pioneer of Australian FMX, Matt Schubring has a lot to be proud of. Over the last 10 years, Schuie has provided an unrivalled riding facility and environment, which has helped develop and transform the sport to where it is today. Home to Australia’s first foam pit, the level of progression that came from the facility may never be matched. As Matt turns to a much more relaxed lifestyle, the dream comes to a close for now, but the legend will remain forever. Check out this video, showcasing the end of an era with all the best times had at the legendary Schuieville.

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An underwear photo shoot, some top-secret research at Toyota Racing Development, and a trip to the barbershop to score one ridiculous haircut. These are just some regular day-to-day activities for adrenalin junkie, Travis Pastrana. Catch a glimpse of Pastrana’s life, as he travels across the country before his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut. His hometown buddies, The A-Team, seem to be pretty busy “working” to support him as well.

Oh, and as if Pastrana’s life wasn’t already fast paced enough! The man still feels the need to head out and jump sketchy ramps from rooftop to rooftop… hundreds of stories high … on a tricycle!

Transmoto’s Andy Wigan is over in Spain this week attending Husaberg’s exclusive world media launch for their all-new 2013 models. Check out the newly revamped enduro range, which no longer includes the 70° engine and grab an insight into Husaberg’s new philosophy.

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Valentino Rossi may not have much sway in the off-road community, but it’s reported the seven-time MotoGP Champion is looking for ways to divorce from his sensational two-year, US $40 million dollar contract, with Ducati for an opportunity to reunite with Yamaha. “The Doctor” as he affectionately calls himself, left a dominating partnership with Yamaha to join Ducati in 2010 – a career move that’s been fraught with failures – and is so devastated by his long losing streak that if given the chance with Yamaha, he’s prepared to compete as their No. 2 athlete behind Jorge Lorenzo!

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The MX Nats’ MX1 Championship winner will be taking home this gold TCX trophy. It’s a nice little incentive to go hard for the win, right?

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Victorian parts and accessories distributor, Mainmoto, have introduced two new products to their range. The first are the super-trick Raptor footpegs that are carved from pure titanium and noteworthy for their use by AMA champ Ryan Dungey. The second addition is a spanking new range of graphics from Stellar MX, which can be seen adorning a swag of bikes at the X-Games including Nate Adams, Adam Jones and Mike Mason. For more info on all Mainmoto’s products, check out the website.

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Pirelli introduces new sizes of the Scorpion Rally tyre to Australia; 110/80-19 for the front and 150/70-17 for the rear. They are designed specifically for high displacement enduro street bikes that are geared for the odd gravel excursion. You can grab more information on the tyres here.

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People who search for www.kawasaki.com.au on their smart-phone will now be directed to a fully optimised mobile website and will have access to the full Kawasaki model line-up, a function to find their local Kawasaki dealership and will be able to keep up to date with the latest Kawasaki news and videos on the go.

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CDR Yamaha have teamed up with IVECO to create one hell of a pimpin’ truck. Features of the rig include three separate levels, a workshop, sleeping area and kitchen, just to name a few. What do you guys think of it?

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The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) – Australia’s peak body for the automotive industry – has announced its new Chief Executive. As from September 10, Mr. Tony Webber, will be acting CEO of FCAI.

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It may not be dirt bike related, but wow! Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham is such an inspiration, refusing to let his wheelchair slow him down. Wheelz proves he’s the master of the double backflip and follows that up by throwing down his first ever frontflip. It’s the definition of insanity…