Throwdown No.254 – 10/09/15

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Chad Reed has ensured all the recent images we’ve seen of him (made public exclusively through the social media channels he seems to revel in using) have been aboard a Yamaha. But according to our sources in the USA, there’s growing speculation that the 33-year-old Aussie will end up with a Honda deal. Word on the street is that Reedy is getting in tight with HRC to possibly be a development guy in future years. Of course, Reed is not engaging in any speculation about which manufacturer he will or won’t sign with. And this only serves to magnify the intrigue of the late-November AUS-X Open event in Sydney, where Reed will go bar-to-bar with James Stewart for the first (and possible last) time ever in front of Aussie fans.

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Having just wrapped up the Australian MX Nats’ MX2-class title, Jay Wilson is about to join his JCR Yamaha team manager and mentor, Josh Coppins, on a trip to Europe for the late-September MXoN in France. And while the pair is there, they also plan to drop in on the Rinaldi Factory Yamaha team (who Coppins raced for back in 2007-’09). The usually understated Coppins says Jay Wilson is a “huge talent” and, given that the Kiwi is held in such high regard in World Motocross circles, don’t be surprised if he succeeds in convincing a reputable European-based race team that Wilson is worth backing for season 2016. According to Wilson – who has become a much faster, well-rounded and more mature rider under Coppins’ watchful eye – “I can’t wait to get to Europe to race the des Nations and meet some of the teams over there. Josh is so well connected and respected in Europe, so it’s going to be a great opportunity to make the trip with him. I’ve learned so much from Josh this year, and I like the idea of racing in Europe. I think I’m ready for it.” We wouldn’t bet on seeing Wilson racing in Australia next year.

^ Image: Jeremy Hammer

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Word on the street is that Jake Moss won’t be healthy enough to contest the 2015 Australian Supercross Championship, plagued by injuries suffered earlier this year. Rumours are also starting to fly that Moss and NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki will part ways in 2016. His replacement will most likely be Dylan Long (for the ASX series as well as the 2016 season), who contested the second half of the 2015 MX Nationals with the team. We’ve heard that KTM is also looking to hire Long for 2016 to race alongside Luke Styke in the MX1 class. Stay tuned for developments.

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If you love a good rumour or two, @nobullshitmx posted some juicy tales on their Instagram page earlier this week. The person behind the page doesn’t want to reveal their identity, so credibility is questionable, but here’s what they see happening domestically in the near future:

• Dylan Wills to switch from riding a Privateer KTM to a Serco Yamaha bike in 2016
• Luke Clout to head to the USA in 2016
• Hunter Lawrence to race in Europe in 2016 on board a Kawasaki KX250F
• Kirk Gibbs contesting the MXGP series next year is a 99% done deal
• Dan Reardon to head back to the USA in 2016
• Matt Moss to Penrite Honda for season 2016

Reckon they’re crazy? Drop a comment on the @nobullshitmx Instagram page and speak your mind!

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Sources close to Transmoto tell us that Josh Cachia is close to securing a deal with DPH Motorsport Yamaha to contest the 2015 Australian Supercross Championship. Cachia sat out the entire 2015 MX Nationals – we’d be stoked to see him back on the track.

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Josh Grant, Marvin Musquin, Ben Townley, Davi Millsaps, Cooper Webb, Dean Wilson, Brett Metcalfe, Christophe Pourcel, Jason Anderson, Cody Cooper and Kirk Gibbs are all set to mix it up with the regular MXGP guys at Glen Helen next weekend. First, though, the MXGP of Mexico is on the agenda. Read more in this week’s MXGP Insider column.

^ Jason Anderson at Glen Helen earlier this year… Image: Kurt Teague

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We’ve reached the halfway mark of the 2015 FIM International Six Days Enduro and Team Australia is topping the charts in the World Trophy, Junior Trophy and Women’s Trophy classes. The World Trophy team leads by over 12 minutes, the Junior Trophy team leads by over eight minutes and the Women’s Trophy team leads by over a whopping 27 minutes. Individually, Josh Green sits second in E1, Daniel Milner sits second in E2, Matthew Phillips sits fourth in E2, Daniel Sanders leads E3, Lachlan Stanford sits third in E3, and Tayla Jones, Jemma Wilson and Jessica Gardiner are holding down the 1-2-3 position in the EW class. To keep up to date with ISDE results, test times and standings, visit the official website: www.fim-isde2015.com

^ Image: Mark Kariya/Waratah Lawncare & Garden Management

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At the end of day three, eight individual riders were excluded from competition for missing a checkpoint. The flow-on effect resulted in Australia’s main World Trophy rivals heading into day three – USA (second), defending champions France (third) and Spain (fourth) – all disqualified from the competition. Team USA also took a huge blow with Kailub Russell, who was the Outright winner on day one and E1 leader after day two, injuring his knee which will see him sit out the remainder of the competition.

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Rumours that Australia’s Matt Phillips will join the CH Sherco team for next year’s Enduro World Championship (EWC) have gathered momentum in recent weeks. But Phillips – the World Junior and E3-class EWC Champion in 2012 and 2013, respectively – has not returned Transmoto’s recent calls to confirm or deny the speculation. We suspect he won’t, either – at least, not until after the EWC’s final round in late September, where he has a slim but mathematical chance of preventing Mathias Bellino from claiming the 2015 E3 title. It’s no secret that Phillips has butted heads with his KTM Enduro Factory Racing Team (mainly over suspension set-up) this season. Combine that with the fact the CH Sherco team is made up of the same guys (team manager Fabrizio Azzalin and several mechanics) that MP gelled with so well when he won the EJ world title in 2012 (on the CH Husqvarna team), and these rumours would seem to have more than a little substance.

^ Image: KTM Images/Jonty Edmunds

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Sources close to Transmoto tell us that Frenchman Tom Pagés will be contesting FMX Best Trick competition at the AUS-X Open in late-November, alongside Jacko Strong, David Rinaldo, Libor Podmol, Rob Adelberg and Taka Higashino, who have all been confirmed already.

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Big news from South Africa – Levi Sherwood has pulled out of the penultimate round of the 2015 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour due to an injury he sustained at the same location one year ago fighting for the title against Australia’s Josh Sheehan. Word is a screw placed in Levi’s ankle at Pretoria last year has started to unscrew and was causing him considerable pain while practicing for the round. This is a major setback for Levi as he again had a strong chance of becoming only the second rider in history (behind American Nate Adams) to win the series twice. More from Grant ‘Goba’ O’Brien who is on the ground at X-Fighters can be found here.

^ Levi Sherwood’s fill-in, Alastair Sayer… Image: Grant ‘Goba’ O’Brien

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Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine‘s 2015 September-October issue (#52) is on sale now. Click here to find out what’s inside and be sure to grab a print copy from your local newsagents or a digital version via the Zinio App.

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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 advertise what you’ve got to sell in front of a captive audience of over 100,000 unique website browsers per month, more than 350,000 Facebook followers and 15,000-plus Instagram followers. Start buying, selling and swapping your unwanted bikes, gear, parts and accessories for FREE!

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Momentum is building for the 2015 Sydney Motorcycle Show presented by InsureMyRide, set to take place on November 20-22 at the Sydney Showgrounds, with over 90% of the available floor space already snapped up by exhibitors. For more on the show, click here.

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At the recent Transmoto 6-Hour, we had bikes getting bogged in mud holes left, right and centre – the weather really got the better of us. Luckily, we had a Stuckmate handy to help tow riders out of messy situations. Check out how the thing works below.

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If you’re into bench racing and love the AMA race scene, then you’ll probably be well aware of Steve Matthes and his “original moto podcast” – whether it comes under the guise of DMXS Radio, Steve Matthes Show or Pulp MX. Last week, Matthes spoke for more than an hour in an exclusive one-on-one with Australia’s Craig Dack – about everything from Dack’s racing success in the 1980s and ’90s to his battles with Jeff Leisk to the Aussie race scene to the new wave of talent (or lack of it) lining up to fill Chad Reed’s boots in the coming years. Check it out. It’s a great listen.

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