MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT BY DARYL ECKLUND #9

#WHIPITWEDNESDAY

MIDWEEK-7738

Rider: Johnny Jelderda
Location: Milestone MX
Bike: Tyler Bowers 51Fifty Yamaha YZ250F
Date: February 22th, 2017
Photographer: Daryl Ecklund
Camera: Canon 5D Mark iv
Lens: 70-200mm f/2.8
Focal length: 200mm
Exposure: 1/1600 sec.
F-stop: 4.5
ISO: 500

MXA IN NORTH CAROLINA AT THE JGR TEST TRACK

jgr-8110On the left you have MXA’s old Managing Editor, John Basher who is now the Brand Manager of JRG’s retail side. On the right is MXA’s chief test rider, Dennis Stapleton. They are both setting the bike up for Daryl Ecklund’s camera. 

phil nicolettiThe outcome of a successful photo shoot of Phil Nicoletti’s JGR Suzuki RM-Z250. North Carolina red clay dirt and a green back ground is a nice change of scenery from our normal stomping grounds. 

jgr-8163The other side of Phil’s bike at the JGR Supercross test track.

jgr-8416Dennis Stapleton was the lucky one that got to hammer out laps on the factory machine.

jgr-8580Unfortunately, Phil broke his heal on Press Day at the Dallas Supercross. He will be on the side lines for a good 4 months.

kyle petersKyle Peters was out testing as the fill in rider for Matt Bisceglia who broke his leg. Kyle was testing different engines. 

jgr-8685Test engine number 1. This was the same engine we tested in Phil’s bike.

jgr-8723Showa A-Kit forks. B-e-a-utiful. 

jgr-8556Kyle was putting in some solid laps at the JGR Supercross test track.

THEY SAID IT: ATLANTA SUPERCROSS

eli tomacEli Tomac“I’m satisfied with the result. That race was tough. The start didn’t really happen in the Heat Race either, and it’s something I’ll look back on. I really need to be better off the start, that’s how important they are. But no excuses, Ryan straight up beat us tonight and got the start. I did what I could.”

MIDWEEK--2Zach Osborne –“I had a great night. I worked hard for that win and I’m ready to keep the momentum going into next week. It feels good to have the red plate.”

Blake Baggett supercrossBlake Baggett “We have been plugging away – the whole team – and I’m getting more comfortable on the bike and I’m loving it. We’re getting better and better each weekend and I can’t thank the team and sponsors enough for believing in me and helping me get up here tonight.”

cole seelyCole Seely“Today definitely did not go the way I wanted it to. I felt like I had the speed and was pretty competitive all day so leaving with a sixth isn’t ideal. I found some good lines in the heat race and was pretty confident heading into the main event. I got off to an ok start but in the second turn I got t-boned pretty hard by someone and their bar or lever somehow jammed into my bicep. It stung pretty bad but the adrenaline I think helped me fight through it for the first few laps. After that I just started to make mistakes, then one thing lead to another and I found myself in sixth. I’m pretty bummed about that. I need to go back to work and revaluate some things this week. The bike felt good, I just need to work on myself. I know I have the speed, I just need to put it all together so luckily we still have time in the series.”

alex martinAlex Martin“It was pretty cool to start off 1-2 with my teammate Jordon, but he made a little mistake on the on-off and I just kind of came around the outside and did the on-off and when we came to the inside we kind of collided there and unfortunately I sent him over. Luckily, he kept it on two wheels and I was able to keep it on two wheels and make it up to second. I’m not going to lie, that was a tough pill to swallow [last round] especially in front of the hometown crowd to walk back to the pits and know that you basically took a DNF, but on Sunday I woke up and realized we have eight races left and 200 points on the table and I’ve just been feeling way too good during the off season on the bike and getting along with the team and honestly to get 2nd tonight, it feels really good.”

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: THOR MX SECTOR LEVEL HELMET

MIDWEEK-The Thor Sector level helmet is a stylish and affordable helmet.

• DOT/ECE 22.05 Approved
• Dual density EPS liner provides a more progressive impact absorption
• Fully adjustable visor provides ample coverage
• Hi-flow mouth vent with filter to prevent roost from entering
• Injection molded polycarbonate/ ABS shell
• Flexible rubber nose piece helps deflect roost
• Rear shell shape quickly and easily repositions the goggle strap
• Extensive venting with internal air passages for maximum cooling
• Weight – 1400g (+-50g) size medium
• XS – XXL
• $109.95 www.thormx.com

SUPERCROSS KNOWLEDGE: ATLANTA SUPERCROSS

atlanta supercross-6073That start of the 450 Supercross main event.

By Broc Bridges

1. Ryan Dungey closed out the Georgia Dome with his fifth victory in Atlanta and 33rd win of all-time. It was Dungey’s 125th career start and he also nabbed his 96th career podium.
2. Zach Osborne earned his first career 250SX Class victory in Atlanta and now has the second most starts in the 250SX Class before earning a win at 49. Martin Davalos holds the record at 56 starts before a win and he also broke his winless streak in Atlanta back in 2014.

zach osborneZach Osborne gets his first win indoors.

3. For only the second time in Supercross history a KTM won the 450SX class and a Husqvarna won the 250SX Class. The other time it happened was Atlanta 2016 (Dungey and Davalos).
4. In his 55th career start, Eli Tomac earned his 22nd career podium with a runner-up in Atlanta. He had the only Japanese brand bike in the top five as KTM and Husqvarna dominated the top of the results yet again.
5. Blake Baggett matched his career high of third place that he set in Daytona of 2015.

jason andersonJason Anderson.

6. Jason Anderson made his 40th career start in Atlanta and finished fourth. He now has a 26 race top-10 streak in races he has started (was DQ’d at Anaheim II). Anderson has only finished outside of the top-10 three times in his career.
7. Nine riders have already been on the podium this season: Ken Roczen, Cooper Webb, Chad Reed, Dungey, Musquin, Tomac, Baggett, Seely, and Anderson.

chad reedChad Reed throwing a Nad-Nac in opening ceremonies.

8. Chad Reed rode to his fifth top-10 of the season in Atlanta with a seventh place finish. He is still looking for his 36th career win on a Yamaha, the brand he won his two Championships on. His last victory on the brand was Las Vegas of 2008, but Reed is still the winningest rider in Yamaha history and has the third most wins on a single brand in Supercross history (J. McGrath 43 on Honda, R. Villopoto 41 on Kawasaki, and C. Reed 35 on Yamaha. McGrath is also fourth on this list with his 27 on Yamaha).

WE RIDE TYLER BOWERS 51FIFTY YAMAHA YZ250F

TYLER BOWERSLook for a full test of Tyler Bowers 51Fifty Yamaha YZ250F in a future issue of MXA.

MIDWEEK-7889MXA test rider, Johnny Jelderda rode Tyler’s bike at the Milestone Supercross track to get in some good testing laps. 

MIDWEEK-7755Jelderda putting to the test the SDI suspension in the Milestone whoops.

TWO-STROKE SPOTLIGHT: KYLE SAVOIE’S KAWASAKI KX250

two-stroke“This is my Kawasaki KX250 build. It has a Pro Circuit Works pipe and a R304 Shorty silencer. I ditched the stock suspension components for Öhlins front and rear forks and shock. I used  VForce 3 reeds, TPS triple clamps a Hinson clutch and powdercoated the OEM  hubs blue. I also but on black Tusk rims. The wheels are off a 2009 Kawasaki KX250F.”

kx250 two-strokeEditors note: Please keep those two-stroke submissions coming. If you would like your bike to be featured in the “Two-Stroke Spotlight,” please email me at [email protected]. All I ask is that you give a breakdown of your bike and a detailed description of the build. Please also send a few photos of your steed. By submitting your bike for the “Two-Stroke Spotlight,” you agree to release all ownership rights to the images and copy to MXA. Please don’t email me spam or try selling me Taylor Swift concert tickets or email me spam. I already celebrate T-Swizzle’s entire collective, and there will be “bad blood” if you send me junk mail. See what I did there? Happy submitting your smoker.

10 STOLEN KTM’S

MIDWEEK-6526Something like this seems to happen often at the Atlanta Supercross round. 10 2017 KTM 50SX bikes were stolen on last Sunday from the KJSC semi in Atlanta. Identifying parts include:  Nihilo stator and clutch cover with engraved KJSC logos, FMF exhaust system, Pro Taper rear sprocket and KJSC graphics. If you have any information contact [email protected].

2017 RACE SCHEDULES: BE THERE OR BE SQUARE

atlanta supercross-9099

California is the richest race state in the union, with seven major events in 2017. Folks in Michigan should rejoice, as Supercross (Detroit), Arenacross (Grand Rapids) and the Lucas Oil Nationals (Red Bud) visit “The Great Lake State.” And those residing in the Pacific Northwest will be happy hosting a bevy of events, from Supercross to the AMA Nationals.

2017 MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS SERIES

January 7…Angel Stadium…Anaheim, CA (West)
January 14…Petco Park…San Diego, CA (West)
January 21…Angel Stadium…Anaheim, CA (West)
January 28…University of Phoenix…Glendale, AZ (West)
February 4…Alameda Coliseum…Oakland, CA (West)
February 11…AT&T Stadium…Arlington, TX (West)
February 18…U.S. Bank Stadium…Minneapolis, MN (East)
February 25…Georgia Dome…Atlanta, GA (East)
March 4…Rogers Centre…Toronto, Canada (East)
March 11…Daytona Speedway…Daytona, FL (East)
March 18…Lucas Oil Stadium…Indianapolis, IN (East)
March 25…Ford Field…Detroit, MI (East)
April 1…America’s Center…St. Louis, MO (East)
April 8…CenturyLink Field…Seattle, WA (West)
April 22…Rice-Eccles Stadium…Salt Lake City, UT (West)
April 29…MetLife Stadium…East Rutherford, NJ (East)
May 6…Sam Boyd Stadium…Las Vegas, NV (East/West)
*Visit http://www.supercrosslive.com/ to purchase tickets

2017 AMSOIL ARENACROSS SERIES

January 7-8…U.S. Bank Arena…Cincinnati, OH
January 13-15…Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids, MI
January 20-22…Royal Farms Arena…Baltimore, MD
January 28-29…Bridgestone Arena…Nashville, TN
February 4-5…Freedom Hall…Louisville, KY
February 18-19…Sprint Center…Kansas City, MO
February 24-26…Georgia Dome…Atlanta, GA
March 3-5…Landers Center…Southaven, MS
March 11-12…Smoothie King Center…New Orleans, LA
March 18-19…Moda Center…Portland, OR
March 24-26…Livestock Events Center…Reno, NV
April 1-2…Golden I Center…Sacramento, CA
April 22-23…Denver Coliseum…Denver, CO
May 5-7…Orleans Arena…Las Vegas, NV
*Visit http://www.supercrosslive.com/ to purchase tickets

2017 LUCAS OIL PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

May 20…Hangtown…Sacramento, CA
May 27…Glen Helen…San Bernardino, CA
June 3…Thunder Valley…Lakewood, CO
June 17…High Point…Mount Morris, PA
June 24…Muddy Creek…Blountville, TN
July 1…Red Bud…Buchanan, MI
July 8…Southwick…Southwick, MA
July 22…Spring Creek…Millville, MN
July 29…Washougal…Washougal, WA
August 12…Unadilla…New Berlin, NY
August 19…Budds Creek…Mechanicsville, MD
August 26…Ironman…Crawfordsville, IN
* Visit http://www.promotocross.com/mx/tickets to buy tickets

2017 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

February 25…Losail…Qatar
March 5…Pangkal Pinang…Indonesia
March 19…Neuquen…Argentina
April 2…Leon…Mexico
April 16…Trentino…Italy
April 23…Valkenswaard…The Netherlands
May 7…Kegums…Latvia
May 21…Teutschenthal…Germany
May 28…Ernee…France
June 11…Orlyonok…Russia
June 25…Maggiora…Italy
July 2…Agueda…Portugal
July 23…Loket…Czech Republic
August 6…Lommel…Belgium
August 13…Frauenfeld…Switzerland
August 20…Uddevalla…Sweden
September 3…Charlotte…USA
September 10…Assen…The Netherlands
September 17…Villars sous Ecot…France

 

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