Throwdown No.218 – 12/12/14

Transmoto’s Throwdown, presented by Toyota. Unbreakable Hilux. Unbreakable in all conditions.

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Rookie White. That’s pretty much all everyone’s been talking about this week, as close to every media outlet we can think of worldwide shared the footage of his insane 250ft quad. Yeah, the jump is enormous, but it’s made even more incredible by the fact that he is only 16 years old, and he hit the jump on his second lap around the track without thinking twice. He’s either going to destroy the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship in a few years’ time, or he’s going to become one hell of a freerider. Can you imagine that kid being unleashed on the dunes of Glamis?! Damn…

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News broke this morning that Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider, Adam Cianciarulo, will not compete in the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series, following an injury suffered while competing overseas (Geneva SX). The three-time 250SX race winner (who was on his way to winning the 2014 East Coast title before getting injured) landed awkwardly following a crash and the impact injured his shoulder, forcing him to undergo surgery this week. Wishing you a speedy recovery, buddy…

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Did you catch the official teaser for the 2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross series? If you missed it, hit play below and get yourself amped for Anaheim 1, locked in to take place on January 3!

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The annual Auckland MX Championship was held over the weekend at the famous Harrisville circuit, near the south Auckland metropolis of Pukekohe. Suzuki’s Brad Groombridge scored the MX1 win, while Yamaha’s Kayne Lamont walked away with the MX2 crown. More in this week’s NZ Insider column.

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MX2 championship contender, Jay Wilson, will front the start line in 2015 on a Yamaha YZ250F with backing from Yamaha Australia and New Zealand’s JCR (Josh Coppins Racing) Yamaha in a unique racing arrangement across both countries. Wilson, already a confirmed starter for JCR Yamaha in the New Zealand Motocross Championships, will carry over several of the JCR team sponsors for his Australian campaign and remain under the guidance of former MX1 MX Nationals champion, Josh Coppins.

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New Zealand’s national anthem could soon be ringing out loud at a Grand Prix motocross track in Europe. That’s the plan, anyway, as Waikato teenager, Josiah Natzke, revealed this week that he has accepted a five-year contract to race for the Red Bull Factory KTM team, starting with the European 125 (EMX125) Championship next season. The 15-year-old will race for the CMR Red Bull KTM team in the MX2 (250cc) class at the New Zealand Motocross Championships in February and March and will then immediately pack his bags for Lummen, near Hasselt in Belgium, where he will join Stefan Everts’ KTM factory team set-up. Natzke will race the EMX125 class for the first year, with the potential to move up to the EMX250 class or into the MX2 Grand Prix competition. “My ultimate goal is to win a championship, at any level,” said Natzke. “This is huge. It’s an opportunity that has not come around for anyone since Taupo’s Ben Townley went to Europe for the first time in 2001 and he became MX2 world champion in 2004. It’s up to me to make this work.” Best of luck, dude!

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The final round of the 2014 Motorex Queensland Supercross Championships took place over the weekend at Jimboomba’s Hills International College. Below, we’ve posted two clips that we loved from the event – Matt Moss fighting with Daniel McCoy and Brock McLeary taking on Jake Moss in a “Dash For Cash” race. Epic.

Moss vs McCoy

McLeary vs Moss

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Earlier this week, Transmoto‘s Andy Wigan flew to New Zealand and spent a couple of days sampling the all-new YZ250FX – the enduro/motocross bike hybrid that Yamaha has just launched – to get a fix on exactly where it sits relative to the YZ250F and WR250F. What exactly is this machine? Who is it built for? And, more importantly, how does the thing perform? We’ll tell you early next week – keep an eye on the website for our detailed review.

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Australia’s Josh Strang will make the switch from Yamaha to Husqvarna machinery in 2015, set to contest the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series on board a FC450 in the XC1 Pro class, and will also race the National Enduro series aboard a FC350. “I have been a Husky guy ever since I could remember,” Strang said. “My Dad used to race them and that is all I ever wanted to ride,” said Strang. “Joining Husqvarna really brings back memories, and puts a lot of excitement back into my racing program.” The Australian native has inked a two-year deal with the Husqvarna Factory Racing team.

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Entries are now open and tickets are now on sale for the 2015 InsureMyRide Australian Enduro-X Nationals. Head to www.enduro-x.com.au to secure your place now!

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Taddy Blazusiak made an excellent start to his 2015 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship campaign on Saturday night, topping all three Main Event finals at Round 1 in Gdansk, Poland. Switching to a 300cc two-stroke for his 2015 SuperEnduro campaign, in winning, Blazusiak already holds a 12-point advantage. Here, Taddy talks about winning in front of his home crowd, switching back to a two-stroke and his near disastrous start to the first Main Event…

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The official premiere of Fourohfour‘s new full-length film, RIDE: World Elements, took place over the weekend at the Ritz Cinema in Randwick, Sydney. To purchase a copy of the DVD, click here. Check out the official trailer below.

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Go behind-the-scenes with America’s Brett Cue as he films his segment for MOTO 6! This 10-minute video has it all, from insane whips, to fake rubber snakes, to strapping air horns to office chairs, to filming movie scenes in a toilet…

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The 2015 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour will feature two new locations in Greece and the United Arab Emirates to highlight the five-round 2015 season that is shaping up to be an exciting championship battle. Defending champion, Josh Sheehan, will be up against three former champs determined to end the Australia’s reign on top of the world’s most prestigious freestyle motocross series with their bags of new tricks. The 2015 World Tour will also return to the traditional hotbeds of Mexico City, Madrid and Pretoria. More information can be found here.

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Click here to find out what’s inside Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine’s 2015 November-December Issue (#47), and be sure to grab yourself a print or digital edition.

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Got a dirt bike you want to sell? How about some used gear, parts or accessories? Thanks to the Transmoto Trader, you’re going to be able to advertise what you’ve got to sell in front of a captive audience of over 100,000 unique website browsers per month, more than 310,000 Facebook followers and 10,000-plus Instagram followers. Create an account via Transmoto’s website (it’s quick and easy to do, and you can even log in using your Facebook account) and start posting. Start buying, selling and swapping your unwanted bikes, gear, parts and accessories.

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Head to www.sherco.com.au and check out Sherco Australia’s brand new website.

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Kenda has signed on with the East Coast MX series, presented by Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine, as the official tyre sponsor for 2015. “The East Coast MX series is a great series that gives riders the opportunity to race against some of the best riders in the state and we are really excited to be involved,” said Kenda Australia General Manager, Steve Dooley.

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Victorian-based Monza Imports has been appointed as the official Repsol Lubricants distributor in Australia.

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Youthstream has announced that the 2015 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship will take place on the weekend of July 19 at the circuit of El Molar in Madrid, Spain.

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“Imagine being in your early twenties, barely being able to afford a sandwich at lunch and then overnight, you notice you have millions in your bank account. I went out and bought houses, boats and sports cars – it was a totally surreal moment, an absolute dream come true. It’s really beyond words. Huge parties came next, with helicopters, girls, houseboats, and everything else you can imagine. If I ever misplaced something, I just bought a new one. I think I own five of every basic household item now.” For the very first time, Paul Everest, the founder of Unit, candidly speaks to Transmoto about the rise and fall of the iconic Australian action sports brand.

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