Throwdown No.138

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.

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Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto joined an elite group of riders after securing his third consecutive Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, inside Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium over the weekend. Villopoto secured the title by earning his ninth win of this year’s 450SX Class season. He joins supercross legends Bob Hannah, Jeremy McGrath, and Ricky Carmichael as the only riders to win three straight supercross championships. Watch the GoPro footage of RV clinching the title below. With only three points separating Rockstar Energy Racing’s Davi Millsaps and Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey, the race for second Overall will continue at this weekend’s season finale at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium.

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With the 450cc title signed, sealed and delivered, it’s all eyes on the 250SX Class. Western Regional: Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen leads GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac by a mere five points. Roczen entered last weekend’s Salt Lake City round with a 20-point advantage, but we all know what happened by now, right? Kenny failed to qualify for the Main Event, and the door was left wide open for Tomac to snatch the lead. And Tomac flinched, finishing in sixth Overall! Roczen will come out swinging, and Tomac, well, we’re not too sure. There appears to be plenty going on in Eli’s world that could affect his clear shot at the title – find out the details inside this week’s USA Insider.

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Then we’ve got the Eastern Regional class, where we’ll again witness Red Bull KTM go up against GEICO Honda for a title. Five points separate the leaders, however the roles are reversed. It’s Honda’s Wil Hahn who leads KTM’s Marvin Musquin. With these two dominating the entire season, it’s a little trickier to pick a winner. We’ll just have to wait and see!

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That’s Round 2 in the books here in Australia! Motorex KTM Racing’s Todd Waters continued his dominance in the MX1 class at Murray Bridge’s MX Nats round, walking away with his second consecutive Overall win for 2013. In the MX2 class, it was Serco Yamaha young-gun Luke Clout who stepped up, narrowly edging out his teammate Luke Styke. MXD (Under 19s) competitors sat out the second round of this year’s series. Racing in all three classes will continue this weekend at Wonthaggi in Victoria, Sunday May 5.

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You may have noticed that at the opening round of the MX Nats, CDR Yamaha rider Billy Mackenzie’s second place position in the all-new GoPro Super Pole is what landed him on the podium in third Overall. Well, it may have worked in his favour there, but those crucial championship points up for grabs worked against him at Murray Bridge. Mackenzie went 2-2, totaling in 64 points for the day’s racing, as he qualified in ninth and missed a shot at the round’s Super Pole. Todd Waters went 5-1 and would have ended with 61 points, however his first place finish in the Super Pole bumped him up to 66, ahead of Mackenzie. Pretty interesting how much of a difference qualifying can now make, eh?

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Monster Energy Kawasaki most definitely experienced a weekend of racing they’d love to forget about in Adelaide over the weekend. Both team riders Adam Monea and Jay Marmont suffered crashes, leading to DNFs in the opening moto. They now sit 14th and 13th, respectively, and have some serious ground to make up. However with eight rounds to go and more than 400 points still up for grabs, the duo remain in championship contention and the team will aim for an improved result this weekend.

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It’s fitting that the KTM-backed 2-Stroke Cup kicks off in the sandy conditions of Victoria’s Wonthaggi track for this weekend’s round of the MX Nats. It’s the first of four rounds where the two-dinger will evoke race fan nostalgia during season 2013. The 2-Stroke Cup next appears at Sydney’s hardpack Appin track in mid-July. Get yourself pumped for this weekend’s racing by reflecting on the highlights from the third round of last year’s series held at the same scheduled location in Wonthaggi.

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_Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine_’s exclusive 2013 450cc motocross bike test is now available to view online, 100% free! The Honda CRF450R, the Kawasaki KX450F, the KTM 450SX-F, the Suzuki RM-Z450 or the Yamaha YZ450F? Click here and find out which bike is right for you.

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The 2013 FIM Motocross World Championship will celebrate the sixth MXGP of the season in the characteristic red soil of Agueda in Portugal this weekend. The MXPG riders have had almost two weeks to recover from the Bulgarian Grand Prix and Red Bull KTM riders Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings will look to top the podium once again, as they lead the MX1 and MX2 standings comfortably. Australia’s Dean Ferris currently sits seventh Overall in the MX2 class.

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Would you believe us if we told you that the 2009 AMA Pro Motocross Championship was Chad Reed’s first – and only – professional motocross title? Yep, that’s right: http://www.transmoto.com.au/publish/news/20120962/Chad-Reed%27s-only-motocross-title?-Really? … Grab a copy of Transmoto’s June Issue to read about Chad’s ’09 MX title, and the way he collected a $4 million insurance payout when he secured it!

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How good is it to see that Australia’s Toby Price is slowly on his way to recovering? It was hard waking up every morning for weeks, seeing updates from his hospital bed in America with next to nothing changing as the days went by. Toby’s dad, John, is taking great care of him back home and making sure he’s doing better and better each day. Check out the scar on his scar below – gnarly, right?!

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Check out this sweet highlights package from the 2013 King of the Enduro-X event, held in Adelaide, April 28. Motorex KTM Racing’s Chris Hollis claimed the Overall victory, followed closely by Honda-mounted Peter Boyle and CDR Yamaha Off Road Racing’s Daniel Milner. R!DE HQ – absolutely killin’ it with the off-road web-edits of late!

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For the final online instalment on our T-Ride 2013 KTM Freeride 350, Transmoto’s Ian Hancock runs through a few cool features he’s picked up on since receiving the bike a few months ago. For more, pick up a copy of Transmoto’s June Issue, on sale now!

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Heading into Round 5 of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series this weekend, it’s the Factory FMF/KTM duo of Charlie Mullins and Kailub Russell who are both in clear contention for the 2013 XC1 title. With three of the four wins this season, Mullins has proven to be the dominant force as he commands the points lead heading into Sunday’s Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mammoth GNCC. However, Russell claimed the Round 2 victory, finishing a close second at the other three rounds and trails his teammate by only ten points in the championship standings with nine races remaining. Australia’s Josh Strang currently trails Thad DuVall in the Overall standings, sitting in the sixth place position. The 2010 GNCC Champ will look to land on the podium this weekend in Kentucky.

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Whether you’re a trailrider or enduro racer – or a bit of both – choosing between the capacity options is tougher than ever before. Transmoto put a 2013 Beta RR350 up against a 2012 Yamaha WR450F alongside a KTM 500EXC and spent a week on trails and enduro loops to get a clearer picture of which capacity suits who better, and why. A video outlining the test is below. For the full feature, pick up a copy of Transmoto‘s June Issue, on sale now!

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Long-time Transmoto contributor, Grant ‘Goba’ O’Brien packed his bags and headed deep into the Simpson Desert last weekend with a few of his mates to celebrate the life of their good friend who recently passed, Tug Boat Bill. The ride will end shortly with their group of five meeting up with adventure riders from all over Oz on top of Big Red to spread his ashes. Goba’s been hookin’ us with a few pics from along the way – makes you kinda jealous, right?

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It was a show for the record books on Saturday night; with 17,000 excited fans packing into Newcastle’s Hunter Stadium for the biggest show Nitro Circus Live has ever performed in Australia. Newcastle was the eighth stop of Nitro Circus Live’s 14-stop Australian Regional Tour, which will also visit Toowoomba, Coffs Harbour, Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Cairns and Rockhampton. Grab a ticket for one of the remaining shows while you can.

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Following her successful debut appearance at the opening round of the IFMXF Night of the Jumps in Berlin, Carlton Dry Honda Racing’s Emma McFerran returned to Germany last weekend to take part in the Munich version of the event at the historic Olympic Arena. McFerran, who thrilled the Berlin crowd earlier in April with her signature Backflip, was recently honoured in the sixth annual FMX Awards. The Aussie won the Best Female FMX Rider category, laying claim to an astounding 60% of the votes ahead of Jolene Van Vugt. Pretty sweet, eh?

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Freestyle motocross in Chile? Why not! FMX stars Nick Franklin (NZ), Nick De Wit (RSA) and Martin Koren (CZE) put on a show for the locals of Talcahuano in this sweet Red Bull X-Fighters Jam.

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Is this the gnarliest FMX-related crash in history?! Check it out and tell us what you think, if you’re not too squirmy when it comes to broken bones…

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Transmoto‘s June Issue is on sale! Inside you’ll find EWC standout Matt Phillips; Pro MXers, Chad Reed, Cole Seely and Kirk Gibbs; new-model KTMs, Betas and Yamahas; an analysis of enduro Pros’ techniques; and an outline of your steed’s annual service. Pick up your print or digital edition now!

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Late next week, KTM is staging an international press launch for its 2014-model range of enduro and MX bikes on the Island of Sardinia, which is off the coast of Italy. It’s widely expected that the entire enduro range will get the SX-F-inspired bodywork for 2014, and that both the 250 and 350EXC-F will adopt the engine upgrades introduced to the 250 and 350SX-F in 2013. With the 250, 350 and 450SX-F all getting major overhauls last year, KTM’s motocross range is more likely to see refinements than revamps. Transmoto‘s Andy Wigan has grudgingly put up his hand to attend KTM’s Mediterranean launch, which will make use of several of the trails earmarked for the Sardinia-based ISDE later this year. Wigan says his helcam footage from the launch will be available to ISDE hopefuls for a small fortune.

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Honda Australia has joined the other manufacturers’ recent too-good-to-be-true deals; this week announcing that their CRF250R and CRF450R come with $1500 HondaDollars – an amount that can be spent at a Honda dealer on accessories, servicing or a reduction in purchase price.

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On Friday May 3 and Sunday May 5, Dakar Rally representative Chris Evans and Australasian Safari event director Justin Hunt will be conducting information nights in Perth and Newcastle, respectively, to answer questions regarding the Australasian Safari, Dakar Rally and the Dakar Challenge. RSVPs are essential to secure a berth – email info@australasiansafari.com.au for more information.

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9-year-old Beau Van Der Wallen from Avalon, NSW (where Transmoto‘s office is based!) dropped by for a visit earlier in the week with a rad story to tell! Beau wrote a story to present to his primary school class on his hero, the newly-crowned three-time AMA Supercross Champ Ryan Villopoto, and he ended up with a lot more than he ever could have expected. It turns out he won his school’s speech project, Australia’s Volcom guys got a hold of it, spoke to Villopoto’s guys in America and before Beau knew it, RV had read and signed Beau’s letter and hooked him up with a signed jersey! Pretty freakin’ sweet, eh?

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