Throwdown No.265 – 04/12/15

—

Australians enjoyed their first taste of indoor supercross racing in many years over the weekend at Sydney’s AllPhones Arena, with the inaugural AUS-X Open offering up bar-to-bar action and extraordinary shows on Saturday and Sunday that kept fans on edge at all times. “This event is a real boost for supercross in Australia and I just want to thank Ricky Carmichael and Cooper Webb for coming out, and the fans who came down to Sydney or watched the broadcast on 7mate – it’s been an awesome weekend back home,” said Saturday night’s winner, Chad Reed. Webb took home the SX1-class victory on Sunday night, while Jimmy Decotis secured SX2-class wins on both nights. For more on the successful AUS-X Open events, visit: www.ausxopen.com.au

^ Image: Kurt Teague Visual

—

CDR Yamaha’s Dan Reardon enters this weekend’s Australian Supercross Championship final (taking place at Knights Stadium in Melbourne) with a 31-point lead over teammate, Kade Mosig, while Decotis holds a 31-point lead over Honda-mounted Wilson MX rider, Jackson Richardson. Expect both riders to race conservatively, with the bigger picture in mind.

—

Just before the FMX Best Trick competitions took place each night at the AUS-X Open, Reed and Carmichael treated fans to three-lap one-on-one races – something that Reed says should have happened more than ten years ago. Reed, on home turf, was successful in defeating Carmichael on both occasions. The former rivals shook hands and had a good laugh at the conclusion of each race.

—

Click here to check out Transmoto’s hot shots from the fifth round of the 2015 Australian Supercross Championship (Saturday’s AUS-X Open event) shot by Kurt Teague Visual.

^ Image: Kurt Teague Visual

—

Unfortunately, the AUS-X Open injury list was extensive. Adam Monea, Matt Moss, Gavin Faith, Luke Styke, Luke Clout, Luke Arbon, Wade Hunter, Jed Beaton, Kyle Webster and more all sustained injuries that saw them DNF races or sitting on the sidelines by Sunday. Yamaha-mounted Privateer, Western Australia’s Brody Cassidy, took the worst fall on Sunday, and was placed in an induced coma. A GoFundMe account, which anyone can donate to, has been set up to assist with his recovery.

—

The 2015 New Zealand Supercross Championship unfortunately had to be cancelled, with gale force winds forcing organisers to pull the pin shortly after Qualifying sessions. The one-round one-off event, held in conjunction with the Burt Munro Challenge Festival, was meant to go down at the Cooper SX track near Winton. With powerlines being torn down, amongst other carnage across the Southland region, the safety of the riders and spectators was paramount, and it was a call that had to be made. For more information, click here.

—

—

After a successful year that saw Josh Green win all before him in the E1 class and Beau Ralston take the E2 championship in the 2015 AORC, both riders have recommitted to the Active8 Yamalube Yamaha team for the 2016 season. The International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) winners will again represent Yamaha at the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC), the Australian 4-Day Enduro (A4DE), as well as high profile events such as the Finke and Hattah Desert races.

^ Image: Andy Wigan

—

2008 SuperEnduro World Champion and living enduro legend, David Knight, has announced that he will not contest the 2015/2016 SuperEnduro series, due to being unable to find a factory ride. “I really tried everything to find a handlebar and to race SuperEnduro this season, but I couldn’t find anything,” said a very disappointed Knight. “Unfortunately, I have to forget about it!” Riders contesting the 2015/2016 SuperEnduro World Championship are Cody Webb, Colton Haaker, Paul Bolton, Ty Tremaine, Jonny Walker, Taylor Robert, Dani Gibert, Marion Roman, Alfredo Gomez and Taddy Blazusiak.

—

Speaking of Cody Webb, check out this cool video of the RPM/KTM rider on his way to claiming the 2015 AMA EnduroCross title recently.

—

Greg Yager, head of Ride ADV, and his good buddy, Pete Marshall, recently rode non-stop across Australia’s Simpson Desert in nine hours. The next day, they turned around and rode back in another ten hours straight, fully loaded. Most riders take two to three days to cross the Simpson, and most would run a support vehicle with fears of breaking down or getting bogged in the deep, red sand. Read more about the Yamaha WR250R-mounted journey here.

—

—

The 2015 Australian FMX And Speed & Style Titles are set to take place at Murray Bridge in South Australia on Saturday, December 12. Check out the official teaser below, and to purchase a ticket, visit: www.outix.com.au

—

Aussie supercross fans were treated to some of the greatest FMX action the country has ever seen at the inaugural AUS-X Open over the weekend. Jackson Strong was able to win both FMX Best Trick competitions, laying down a Frontflip One Hander on November 28 and a Frontflip on November 29, taking home a whopping $40,000 for his efforts. He defeated Frenchman, Tom Pagés, Japan’s Taka Higashino, as well as Australian riders, Rob Adelberg and Ryan Brown.

^ Image: Kurt Teague Visual

—

Australian FMX stalwart, Robbie Marshall, was performing in Showtime FMX demos outside AllPhones Arena prior to the AUS-X Open, before he headed inside to race in the SX1 class. With a freestyle motocross ramp being used as the finish up-ramp, Marshall decided to huck a gigantic Backflip on lap five of the Main Event! He was fined $600 by Motorcycling Australia, but every single cent was worth every single cheer!

—

Over the past year, Transmoto‘s Ben Heidrich has been fortunate enough to meet some pretty amazing people. Temecula, California, has been a hot spot for freestyle motocross for years and is home to many big name riders such as Brian Deegan, Nate Adams, Ronnie Faisst and Jimmy Fitzpatrick. While Benny was in Temecula recently, he met and had the chance to hang out with a rider named Scotty Stephens. He’s a super nice dude who rips on a dirt bike and rides with the Metal Mulisha crew. Heidrich hit him up for a few stories about growing up in Temecula.

—

—

Transmoto‘s 2015 November-December issue (#53) is on sale now (click here to purchase a copy and have it sent to your doorstep). A bonus 2016 KTM calendar is included. In this issue, we analyse the 14-season rivalry between Chad Reed and James Stewart that will soon reignite Down Under, ask Ryan Villopoto about his European experiment (as well as his retirement), and get to know the 2015 MXGP champ that came out of nowhere, Romain Febvre. In the way of bikes, we compare Yamaha’s 2016-model 250cc machines, pick apart Antoine Meo’s E2-class winning KTM 350EXC-F, and take a look at Josh Sheehan’s Honda CRF450R that he Triple-Flipped into the record books. CDR Yamaha’s Chris Hollis offers up some sage advice on racing enduro in Australia, and we explain how to get your bike’s footpegs, rear brake pedal and gear-shift lever properly adjusted for your big, booted hooves. We also applaud Team Australia’s winning International Six Days Enduro teams with a 14-page tribute in the form of a stunning pictorial.

—

This month, if you purchase a 12-issue print subscription to Transmoto (for just $90) you’ll go in the running to win a 2016 Husqvarna FC450, valued at an RRP of $11,995, plus one year’s supply of Bel-Ray oils and lubricants (limited to a retail value of $2380). After being fitted with loads of premium-quality Husqvarna Accessories genuine parts, and undergoing a series of mods as a Transmoto project bike, this new-generation FC450 will get a factory freshen-up before being won by one very, very lucky subscriber.

—

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 website audience, more than 370,000 Facebook followers and 22,000-plus Instagram followers. If you’re in the market to buy, there are loads of classified ad listings to flick through. Start buying, selling and swapping your unwanted bikes, gear, parts and accessories today for FREE!

—

Over 24,000 motorcycle enthusiasts flocked to Sydney Olympic Park for the recent 2015 Sydney Motorcycle Show, presented by InsureMyRide. Despite scorching temperatures of 43 degrees threatening to keep patrons away on Friday, a record number of new bikes being unveiled ensured a bumper crowd for the opening day. The next two days were highlighted by loads of activities and things to check out, including FMX demos, street stunts from Lukey Luke, meet-and-greet sessions with Robbie Maddison at the Transmoto stand, and the Honda Motorcycles Head2Head Endurocross. Overall, the event was dubbed a huge success by consumers and the industry.

—

Aussie dirt track legend Paul Caslick will lead a three-rider Husqvarna Factory Support dirt track team into season 2016, after selecting 17-year-old Newcastle ace Max Croker as the team’s third and final rider last weekend. Croker will share the Husqvarna awning alongside the nine-time Australian champion, and 13-year-old rising star and Casey Stoner Cup winner, Billy Van Eerde, who rides with support from Chris Watson Motorcycles. For more information, click here.

—

Penrite Oil has launched a unique brand ambassador program, inviting motoring enthusiasts from around the globe to apply for a limited number of racing development sponsorships. For more information, visit: www.penriteoil.com.au

—

After enjoying a wealth of success in all forms of racing in 2015, Husqvarna Motorcycles has entered into a long-term, worldwide partnership with Rockstar Energy. This agreement will see all of Husqvarna’s official factory race teams named Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing. Riders will include Max Nagl, Christophe Charlier, Max Anstie, Thomas Covington (MXGP), Christophe Pourcel, Jason Anderson, Martin Davalos, Zach Osborne (American MX/SX), Mathias Bellino, Danny McCanney, Pascal Rauchenecker, Josep Garcia, Graham Jarvis, Mario Roman (EWC/Extreme Enduro/SuperEnduro), Jacob Argubright, Andrew Delong, Josh Strang, Mike Brown, Colton Haaker (American GNCC/EnduroCross), Ruben Faria, Pablo Quintanilla and Pierre-Alexandre Renet (Rally/Cross Country).

—

Interested in winning a Hitcase (one of the best protection systems for iPhones on the market) and a bunch of rad accessories? If your answer is yes, you’ve come to the right place. Thanks to Hitcase and MXstore, we’re giving away an awesome Hitcase prize pack.

To enter, just follow these simple steps, and may the biggest hit win!

• Upload a short riding video to Instagram
• Tag @mxstore @hitcase and @transmoto
• Hashtag #MXBIGGESTHIT
• Confirm your entry via this link: www.mxstore.com.au/form/the-biggest-hit-with-hitcase

The competition will end at midnight on Sunday, December 6, 2015. Good luck!

—