Throwdown No.238 – 14/05/15

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The 2015 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship is set to begin with the Hangtown Classic this weekend. It’s pretty harsh on riders – having to go from racing supercross 17 out of 18 weekends in a row before jumping into a full season of motocross two weeks later – but it’s awesome for the fans, not having to be away from the action for too long. Red Bull KTM rider, Ryan Dungey, is the man to watch in the premier class, having recently claimed the 2015 450SX title, but last year’s AMA Motocross champ, RCH Racing Suzuki’s Ken Roczen, will be hungry to win after sitting out the majority of the season with an ankle injury. Guys like Eli Tomac, Cole Seely, Blake Baggett and Jason Anderson will also be there to put the pressure on. Oh, and as a wise man once said, “You’d be crazy to count out Chad Reed.”

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In the 250 class, it’s all eyes on the highly anticipated return of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider, Adam Cianciarulo. The boy wonder hasn’t raced in America for over a year and is itching to get back behind a gate. His closest competition will come from last year’s champ, Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin, Martin’s teammate, Cooper Webb (the 2015 250SX Western Regional title winner) and Dungey’s teammate, Marvin Musquin (the 2015 250SX Eastern Regional title winner).

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Australian ripper, Hayden Mellross, will be making his AMA Motocross debut this weekend in the 250 class. A broken leg prevented him from lining up for supercross this year, twice, but he’s keen to mix it up at Hangtown, and for the remainder of the series. “I was planning on racing the AMA Supercross series this year, but unfortunately my bike shut off on the up-ramp of a triple which resulted in me breaking my leg in early December,” Mellross told Transmoto. “After being off the bike for six weeks I started training for supercross again. The Tuesday before the Arlington round, I cased a triple in a rhythm section and re-broke my leg. This will be my first AMA race in America, and I’m pretty excited to get out and get racing again. I plan on contesting the whole Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, but it honestly just depends on how the funds and everything pan out.” Best of luck, mate. We’ll be cheering you on from back home.

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The MX Nationals moves to Murray Bridge in South Australia for the fourth round of the year this weekend. Current MX1 red plate holder, KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Kirk Gibbs, is the hot favourite, as this is his home state round. In the MX2 class, Serco Yamaha’s Luke Clout will be a tough man to beat, but South Aussie SD3 Husqvarna rider, Luke Arbon, will be ready to defend his turf, as he did last year.

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Did you know that out of the 12 FIM Motocross World Championship motos that have taken place this year, there have been eight different winners in the combined MX1 and MX2 classes? It’s a pretty amazing statistic when you look at things, especially when you consider the fact that the current MX2 champion, Jordi Tixier, hasn’t got one, nor has the previous MX1 red plate holder, Clement Desalle.

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New Zealand’s Josiah Natzke was a mere 0.7 seconds away from claiming his first EMX125 European Championship Overall victory at the MXGP of Spain held over the weekend at the famous Talavera de la Reina circuit, around an hour west of Madrid. The KTM Factory Junior Team rider was able to fend off his Spanish teammate, Jorge Prado Garcia, to take the win in Saturday’s opening moto by six seconds, bouncing back from a 20th place in Qualifying. In Sunday’s second and deciding moto, Prado did just enough to hold Natzke at bay, aided by lapped riders in the closing laps. The pair both finished on 47 points with Prado clinching the round win by virtue of his final moto win, in front of his passionate home crowd.

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Not the start to the season that Australia’s Matt Phillips was hoping for, aiming to defend his Enduro World Championship E3 title. The KTM Enduro Factory Racing Team rider claimed a pretty solid second on Saturday, losing to Husqvarna’s Mathias Bellino after making a minor mistake. On Sunday, he was able to secure fifth Overall, and now currently sits third in the championship (22 points behind Bellino, and 16 points behind Sherco’s Matti Seistola). He’ll be keen to get a win on the board heading into the next rounds in Portugal, taking place this weekend. Fellow Australian, Sherco-mounted Jess Gardiner, claimed second Overall on Saturday and Sunday behind KTM-mounted rider, Laia Sanz, in the Women’s class.

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Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Josh Strang took to the inaugural Tomahawk Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) round with caution, on the mend from previously sustained injuries. Strang pushed through the technical course tainted by exposed tree roots, rocks and ruts of the new venue and navigated through some intensely dusty areas to finish in 10th Overall. “I started great and found myself in the lead,” said Strang. “A few miles in I just didn’t have the strength to hold the pace of the front runners, but I pushed through and managed to finish. I look forward to getting better so I can get back on the box next round.”

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Speaking of Strang, his full-length feature from Fourohfour’s film, RIDE: World Elements, went online this week. Check it out here.

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The official highlights from the 2015 Transmoto 12-Hour, staged at Batemans Bay in New South Wales on March 14-15, are online now. Click the image below to check out the clip. For more on the 2015 Transmoto 12-Hour, pick up a copy of Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine‘s special 50th anniversary issue, on sale now.

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Make your way over to Jackson Strong’s Motocross Complex in Wagga Wagga for one hell of a weekend. Jacko is opening up his track for riding all day this Saturday and Sunday, and offering free camping on Saturday night. There’s going to be a Fish Finger’d FMX jam taking place on Saturday night, too. Worth making the trip, no matter where you’re based.

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Aussie freestyle motocross rider, Harry Bink, has been hanging off the bars since 2011 and turned Pro about two years. He does Showtime FMX shows full-time, performs with Nitro Circus Live and recently competed at the Red Bull X-Fighters stop in Mexico, so you could say he operates on a busy schedule. Transmoto‘s Ben Heidrich caught up with the ripper to talk about his promising FMX career. Read the interview here.

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Have you got your hands on a copy of Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine‘s special 50th anniversary issue yet? There’s something for everyone inside, so if you don’t already have your slice of history, head on down to your local newsagent and grab it today. Alternatively, purchase a copy on your favourite digital device using the Zinio App.

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Oh, and if you purchase a six-issue print subscription ($50) to Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine this month, you’ll receive a free Transmoto-branded Mizu drink bottle and multi-tool (a very special gift that came with Transmoto‘s first-ever issue). You can subscribe by clicking here.

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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 can now advertise what you’ve got to sell in front of a captive audience of over 100,000 unique website browsers per month, more than 330,000 Facebook followers and 13,000-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. Oh, and if you use the promo code “TRADER”, it’s FREE!

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Promoters of the Australian Enduro-X Nationals have announced that they will not go ahead with the series in 2016, after running it for four years. “Crowd numbers and support from the general public, although supportive, was not at a level required for us to be in a viable position to continue to run the high costs associated with this series,” said Colin Robbins of RBP Promotions. “Our costs of running the events far outweighed the return we were getting.” You can read a detailed statement from the promoters here.

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Motorcycling Australia, in conjunction with the 2015 Australian Supercross Championship rights promoters, have confirmed the biggest prize pool for the sport in more than a decade. Ensuring recognition and reward for the competitors within the national series, $120,000 will be on offer in the SX1, SX2 and SXD classes across the six-round series. The 2015 Australian Supercross Championship will see events held in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria with the season opener once again held alongside the V8 Supercars in Bathurst on Saturday, October 10.

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Vehicles from Mad Max: Fury Road took over Sydney yesterday, swarming the Opera House. Check out some highlights from the day’s events below, and be sure to go see the film when you can.

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