MOTOCROSS ACTION’S MID-WEEK REPORT: (03/16/11)

On Mar 16, 2011 Last updated Mar 23, 2014

By John Basher

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Last week while making a tour through Florida, I stopped in at Christophe Pourcel’s place. Located an hour outside of Orlando, the Frenchman has about 50 acres of prime riding area. Located on the property are two Supercross tracks and an outdoor circuit that weaves through the woods.
If you’re wondering what Pourcel has been up to, the rider has been busy preparing for the 450 Nationals. Christophe hasn’t inked a deal yet, but has been riding a Mitch Payton purchased Kawasaki KX450F. I can vouch for Pourcel when I say that he looks incredible on the 450 – dare I say that his speed is considerably more impressive than when he was on a 250. Any team would be lucky to have the likable guy. Here’s hoping that he lines up to the gate on May 21st at Hangtown.

THE NATIONALS ARE ALMOST HERE…

Can this man defend his 450 National title? Right now all Dungey is thinking about is winning a Supercross race.

It might be putting the cart before the horse, but there’s only 66 days until the Lucas Oil Nationals start! Although the Monster Energy Supercross series has been full of action, I can’t wait to see how the boys will do outdoors.

It will be great to see all of the 250 riders line up to the gate instead of being relegated to their respective coasts. And who can forget the 450 class? Ryan Dungey will be defending his title, and after how things are going for him in Supercross he should be happy to see the light of day once again. If Ryan Villopoto wins the Supercross title he will have a head of steam entering the Nationals (remember that he won the last 450 National that he entered – Glen Helen in 2009).

As for James Stewart, rumors are swirling that if he doesn’t win the Supercross title he will race the complete National series in hopes of attaining a title in 2011. To me it sounds like wishful thinking from the fans. I do know that Stewart will race the first four Nationals (Hangtown, Freestone, High Point and Budds Creek). After Maryland his contract obligations for the year are up. Will he continue if he’s leading the point standings? That’s one big question mark in a year full of surprises.

I’m happy to see that the NPG changed the ruling on rider gate selection. The past few years timed qualifying has determined rider gate choice for both the first and second moto. Now timed qualifying only determines gate selection for the first moto. The second moto gate pick is determined by the rider’s first moto finish. It harks back to the old system, although the NPG refuses to return to qualifying races. That bums me out. Spectators come to watch racers race, not to see them set a fast lap and cruise around the remainder of practice. And I’ll be the first to admit that I miss the old two day racing format. Race teams are happy with the newer format, but I miss the old two day system of practice on Saturday and racing on Sunday.

WHICH MEANS…THE USGP IS ALMOST HERE!

Expect the same gnarly track, but with a bigger spectator and U.S. rider attendance.

Set to run the weekend before the Hangtown opener, the Glen Helen USGP is the unofficial kickoff to the motocross season. Last year Antonio Cairoli and Marvin Musquin beat the Americans, but things have changed quite a bit since last May. Musquin is now supposed to race the Nationals following a torn ACL in November. Cairoli will look to dominate against a heightened field (at least I hope so) of Americans. In 2010 the two biggest AMA National contenders were Mike Alessi and Ben Townley. Expect both riders to show up, as well as KTM compatriot Andrew Short. And since Monster Energy is the title sponsor of the GPs, expect the energy drink company to push team riders Ryan Villopoto, Jake Weimer, and the fleet of Pro Circuit/Kawasaki (Tyla Rattray, Dean Wilson, Broc Tickle and Blake Baggett) to race. Expect to see great racing all around!

The GP series comes to the U.S. only once this year, so make plans to attend. Jody has told me his preliminary ideas for the track. It’s going to be exciting to say the least! For more information on the Glen Helen USGP, visit www.glenhelen.com.

MINI-VIEW: SUZUKI OFFROAD TEAM MANAGER CHRIS WHEELER
Chris Wheeler has been one of those guys in the motocross industry that might have been overlooked for quite a few years, but is instrumental in motocross. The former Pro has been doing R&D testing for American Suzuki for over 10 years. His resume is stellar, which is why Suzuki hired him to be their offroad racing team manager when Mike Webb moved over to fill the void left by Roger DeCoster. Here’s what “Wheels” had to say about his racing career, his relationship with Suzuki, stepping into a new role, and working with GNCC ace Josh Strang.

MXA: Chris, what is your role at Suzuki?
Chris: My official title is offroad Specialist. I’m the team manager for the FMF/Suzuki offroad racing team. I already had a long-standing involvement with being a test rider for Suzuki. When Mike Webb moved over to the Supercross/motocross team there was a vacancy in the offroad side. Suzuki already had a program in place with Shane Nalley. He was coordinating all of the East coast stuff, as far as technical aspects. He fought to put me in at that position, and I’m thankful for that. I’m still involved with rider development.

How many years have you been a test rider for Suzuki?
I’ve been testing with them for over ten years now. When I raced for Suzuki as an amateur I started helping them out with development, and over the years it became a full-time gig. I’m happy that I’ve been able to establish relationships with the people at American Suzuki, as well as engineers over in Japan.

Chris Wheeler is helping Josh Strang (above) defend his GNCC XC1 Pro title.

What younger generations might not know is that at one point you were a top racing prospect.
Yeah, but then I had a neck injury. I broke my C5 through C7 vertebrates. My whole career was filled with injuries. I didn’t have a lot of full seasons under my belt. Looking back, now I can help some of the team riders deal with injuries.

What was your shining moment as a racer?
[Laughter] Let’s see. I had a couple of good races. I holeshot one of the Nationals. In my first real season of Supercross I ran third at the L.A. Coliseum for half of the main before getting tired and going off the track. I don’t really have one specific race that stands out.

What’s it like working for the defending XC1 Pro GNCC champ Josh Strang?
It’s really nice working with Josh. He’s a good dude and he works his butt off. He also listens and is open to suggestions. He has tried different parts for testing purposes on his bike, and even though he knew that he probably wouldn’t like them, he still gave it a shot. Josh is also well rounded. He’s a young guy but is he’s very mature. He’s technically correct when he rides and has great form. I’m impressed with him every time I ride with him.

Chris Wheeler is no slouch on a bike. He has helped MXA several times as a photo rider. Here he shreds a berm on a 2006 RM250.

You brought up Strang’s age. There are a bunch of young guys racing in the GNCC series now. That must be good for the sport.
It’s great for the sport! The young guys are pushing the limits and they are building towards title runs. The slew of young guys have a newer style and even though the races are three hours long those guys are charging.

Did you ever foresee yourself as a team manager?
In a way I did. The offroad thing was a surprise. I didn’t expect it at all, but I really dig it. I’ve only been to the first two rounds of the GNCC series, but it’s a whole lot of fun. It’s exciting to see how guys pick lines and deal with lappers. My background is Supercross and motocross, so it was an eye opener to see GNCC racing. I actually want to get out there and race on an offroad course for two hours.

NUMBER CRUNCHING: IS VILLOPOTO THE CHAMP?

Is this man the 2011 Monster Energy Supercross champ? Time will tell.

The smartest rider so far this season has been Ryan Villopoto, and it shows. The Monster/Kawasaki rider has only finished off the podium twice, but more importantly, he has kept himself out of harm’s way. Instead of banging bars with the likes of James Stewart, Chad Reed, Ryan Dungey and Trey Canard, RV has remained calm, cool and collected. Sure he has inherited a win or two because of good fortune, but you can’t fault the guy for putting himself in the right place. With James Stewart riding like he’s a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any time, Villopoto is sitting back and watching the carnage unfold (Atlanta and Daytona). Does this mean that Ryan will win the 450 Supercross title? Not exactly, but he has displayed all of the qualities of a champion. And, deservedly so, he is also showing that it’s going to take a serious slip up for him to toss his points lead away. Here are a few scenarios to ponder:

Ryan Villopoto leads James Stewart by 26 points. With seven rounds remaining, Ryan could finish second to James in every race and still win the title by five points.

Chad Reed trails James Stewart by three points. Since winning in San Diego, Reed has gained 15 points on his rival. Expect more fireworks from these two before the series is over.

Everyone is making a big stink about Ryan Dungey having yet to win a Supercross race. They’re right to raise a ruckus. Ryan has proven that he doesn’t need to win a race if he wants to finish inside the top three in the point standings, but he’s going to need to string together a few wins if he has any chance of defending his title. Ryan sits nine points out of third and only 12 points out of second.

At this point it’s pretty much a three horse race for the championship, with Villopoto ahead by quite a bit. In the past Ryan might have made a title-costing blunder, but don’t expect that to happen again. As long as Villopoto keeps it inside the top three every race he should cruise home with his first 450 Supercross title. How sweet would it be for RV after he powdered his leg at St. Louis last year?

VIDEO VAULT: WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK

Are you looking to take a break from work and check out motocross videos? I stumbled across this pot of video gold the other afternoon. Before I knew it the sun had gone down and my eyes were bloodshot from staring so intently at my computer screen. Beware! Don’t watch too many of these videos and risk getting fired or divorced. Practice safe video watching. Click here or on the image above to check out the Fox Racing Vimeo video vault if you’re a voracious viewer (how’s that for alliteration!).

IN THE SADDLE WITH MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI

SUZUKI FOUR-STROKE OWNERS – YOU NEED THIS PRODUCT

DR.D now offers a Hot Start Lever for the Suzuki RMZ ($48.95). Suzuki remains one of the few manufactures with Fuel Injection to still include a standard Hot Start Lever. When depressed, fresh air flows into the throttle body providing easier starting.

The plastic OEM lever is quite horrific looking and easily susceptible to breaking when the bike hits the ground. RM owners can wait until a crash or upgrade their ride immediately with the new DR.D Hot Start.

The Hot Start (Part # 4010) fits all Suzuki RMZ250 and RMZ450 from 2008-2011. CNC machined from 6061 billet aluminum, easier thumb operation, improved appearance, increased durability and a retail price of only $48.95 from www.dubachracing.com make the DR.D Hot Start a must-have for RM owners.

TWO-STROKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP VIDEO

MTA Two Stroke Nationals from bike spray on Vimeo.

WORKS CONNECTION LAUNCHES REDESIGNED WEBSITE

[Press Release]

Customers visiting Works Connection’s newly redesigned website, www.worksconnection.com, will enjoy a variety of new features designed to improve their online shopping experience according to Eric Phipps, owner.

The easy-to-navigate website showcases new products, 2011 model applications, videos, race results, retail and dealer online ordering, a dealer locator and installation instructions available in either a video or downloadable PDF format.

About the company-Established in 1989 Works Connection continues to manufacture and distribute high-quality, long lasting dirt bike and ATV products that fit without modification. They can be reached at 800 349-1475 or contact Works Connection, 6451 Capitol Avenue, Diamond Springs, CA 95619 or visit them on the web at www.worksconnection.com.

KTM GETS ITS OWN AUSTRIAN STAMP…AGAIN

Classic motorcycle fans will probably be interested in a new 0.75 Euro stamp issued by the Austrian Post Office commemorating the 1955 KTM 125 DOHC Apfelbeck road racer. The Austria Post Office says that 250,000 of these stamps will be printed. KTM was founded in 1934 by engineer Hans Trunkenpolz and became a leader in offroad motorcycle production leading to the development of a range of motorcycles for all ages and requirements. At the time that the KTM 125 Apfelbeckl was introduced, KTM had just 20 employees, building just three cycles per day.

The stamp, which costs 0.75 Euros, was designed by Hannes Margreiter. This is not the first KTM stamp. Back in 2006 Austria released another KTM motorcycle stamp depicting the KTM 125R Tarzan.