MOTOCROSS ACTION’S MID-WEEK REPORT: (08/10/12)

SURPRISING STEWIE NEWS…SURPRISING THAT IT TOOK SO LONG TO ANNOUNCE IT

LORETTA LYNN STAR CHASE BELL SIGNS A LONG-TERM CONTRACT WITH KTM

JDR Motorsports, KTM’s support and amateur arm, signed Chase Bell to a long-term contract that will allow him to race two more years as an amateur and his first year as a pro rider for the JDR/J-Star/KTM Team. For 2013, Bell will compete in the 250 B Stock and Modified classes aboard his KTM 250SXF. Bell will receive full support from the JDR Motorsports crew at the major amateur racing events and will pit out of their support vehicle.  

JDR/J-Star/KTM Team Manager Nathan Ramsey said,”We have been watching Chase for the past year and are really happy with his work ethic, results and progress. We know the amateur riders are the future of our sport and in order to encourage up-and-coming stars to join our team when they turn pro we need to be present at the amateur level as well.”

SOUTHWICK NATIONAL INSIDER INFO WITH RALPH PITELLO

Southwick’s sand makes it a special race because it puts an extra demand on the riders and their bikes. Riders get beat up by big whoops that form naturally in the sand. The roost can kill their eyesight. The deep, power-robbing sand makes riders spend so much more time on the throttle that some teams have to run a bigger fuel tank just for Southwick. After two weeks break we’re exciting about the event so we called Southwick’s Ralph and Diane Pitello to get all the insider event info.

MXA: What’s new about the event this year?
Ralph: This will be our 40th year racing at Southwick. 1972 was the first year that Southwick allowed us to have races, and that first race was a fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund [Dana-Farber Cancer Institute]. So this year we’re bringing it back. We’re taking donations for the Jimmy Fund and there will be a drawing at the National to win a new 2012 KX450F.

The track?
Of course, the track itself has had a number of changes over the f40 years. This year in particular we added 40-50 truck loads of new sand. We refused to bring in anything but sand because it’s the only sand track and we’re going to leave it sand. Hopefully the weather will work with us. Last year we were on the heels of Hurricane Irene which really put a damper on things.

The Facility?
The facility is same great facility that it has been. There are three different parking lot areas. It’s more of a community event because the community recreation center and the local schools offer their parking lots for the event and take small donations to help fund their programs. Parking is very close to the track. So the community is really behind us and that why the track has been able to continue, right in the middle of town for forty years.

What are the must-see obstacles around the track?
There is a new tunnel jump that we’ve had for two years that fans can stand right next to. It’s about 20 or 30 feet high. The tunnel allows access for the medics. The jump is right out of a turn so it’s pretty challenging for riders and fun to watch.

The biggest attraction here is the Buckley Berm, named after photographer Paul Buckley who has done many photo shoots in that turn. It’s right in front of the big, main bleachers so fans get a great view of it.

Dowd holeshot Windham, Reed and Carmichael in this classic 2005 Southwick photo.

We have the Henry Highway right in front our mechanics area in honor of Doug Henry. We have the Junkyard Doghouse in honor of John Dowd with an actual doghouse with JYD on it.

The fences lines are close to the track and most of the track sits in a bowl. So spectators can easily see the action and racers can really see and hear the fans cheering too. Local John Dowd get cheered in every corner and he can hear just about every fan that’s rooting for him. Also, with the berm that build up you get quite an echo. Riders are really challenged by this track and they have to really work hard to finish where they want to.

IS IT HOT ENOUGH FOR YOU? THE MXA WRECKING CREWS STAYS COOL WITH CANOPY COOL

Canopy Cool is a portable misting system that runs off your truck’s cigarette lighter and makes the hottest day feel cool. If you race where it is hot, you need this. The pump draws water from a five-gallon bucket (which MXA fills up from the track’s watering system). The misting hose has clips that make it easy to attach under your EZ-Up awning. The hotter the day, the better the Canopy Cool works. On a 100-degree day, the temperature under MXA‘s canopy measures a balmy 80 degrees. Our $219.95 BL-1 model (BL stands for Bucket Lid) includes 40 feet of tubing, a 14-foot power cord, 10 brass misters, six Velcro mounting straps, six metal hanging clips and a submersible pump.

Tips. When you hook the nozzles up to your canopy, read the wind properly so that the mist is blown towards the people under the awning. Be forewarned that sitting under a mister system will make you wet?no problem for a sweaty motorcycle racer, but not nice for a girlfriend or wife trying to read a book.

Retail price?  $219.95 (10-nozzle system-as tested), $179.95 (six-nozzle system), $279.95 (10-nozzle system with 11-hour battery power), $299.95 (10-nozzle system with 20-hour battery power). For more info go to www.canopycool.com or (503) 391-9473.

PANICREV’S CAMPREV CHRISTIAN MOTOCROSS CAMP IS HEADING TO WASHOUGAL MX PARK

 
Press release: CampRev is coming to one of the most beautiful motocross tracks in the world, Washougal MX Park. Dont miss out on this opportunity of a lifetime to train with some of the top Christian athletes in the sport of motocross, on one of the most prestigious tracks in the world. This 3-day motocross camp is designed to help give riders a solid spiritual, physical, and technical foundation. Moreover, the camp is designed for riders of all ages and skill levels that are looking to take their skills on the racetrack to a new level! The camp will feature daily chapel services and prayer, in addition to going over conditioning, corners, jumping, starts, riding position, technique and much more. Come spend your summer break at the 2012 CampREV Motocross Camp; grow spiritually, make life-long friends, and take your riding to a new level. We look forward to seeing you at Washougal MX in August.
 
Dates: August 20th, 21st, & 22nd
Location: Washougal MX Park
Lead Instructor: Ben Evans
Camp Instructors: Timmy Weigand, Ross Johnson, Chris Alldredge, TBA
Camp Price: $385
Contact Us: [email protected] or (626) 991-1518.

SEE THE GREEN ARROW’S HELMET CAM OF THIS SATURDAY’S SOUTHWICK TRACK LAYOUT


KEN DE DYCKER TURNS A FILL-IN RIDE INTO A FACTORY GIG FOR 2013…GOOD THINGS DO HAPPEN

Stefan Everts, PiT Beirer, Ken De Dycker and Claudio De Carli shake hands on Big Ken’s 2013 deal.

Press release: KTM Motorsports has announced that Belgian rider Ken de Dycker has been signed to ride for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team 450 lineup for the 2013 season. De Dycker was brought in to the team in 2012 to stand in for the injured Max Nagl and has performed well as the replacement rider. He joins five times World Champion Tony Cairoli as the second rider in MX1.

KTM’s 450 factory team manager Claudio de Carli said the team was happy that they had been able to give de Dycker the confidence to perform well as the replacement rider. “We realized after a while that Ken was riding well and doing his best to finish in the top five so we decided to confirm him for the whole of the current season and obviously now also for next year. I hope he will continue to deliver the same level of satisfaction and to make a positive contribution to the team,” Claudio de Carli said.

At the time of signing after the MX1 GP of the Czech Republic in Loket, de Dycker was in a solid overall fifth in the 2012 championship standings. Cairoli is both the reigning champion and the current points leader with an advantage of 30 points over second place Clement Desalle of Belgium.

MXA PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: DAVID TALKS ABOUT PATRIOT RACING EXHAUSTS

“We’ve been in business for 26 years. We’ve been private-labeling for different companies throughout the years, and now we are trying to put our own brand out there. Nowadays, average pipes are a thousand dollars for a full system made out of Ti, but stainless still results in good quality and power. We feel the market needs that right now. It’s a completely stainless steel system; it doesn’t use any rivets, and it comes with an extra packing kit,” said Patriot Racing’s David Aleman. $249.95 (slip-on), $399.95 (full system) ?www.patriotracingexhaust.com or (714) 777-3278.

RIDE WITH BRIT JAMES DUNN, FOUR GOPRO CAMERAS AND A KTM 125 TWO-STROKE…OH YEAH, NO MUSIC

MXA PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: KEVIN TALKS ABOUT WARP 9 OVERSIZED RADIATORS

“Our radiators are similar to other high-priced radiators, but we’re not raking you over the coals for them. The capacity is typically 25 percent more than stock. They have two or three cooling cores per side and are 20 percent deeper. We are running a 1.5mm aluminum, so they aren’t as easily tweaked as the stock ones. Most competitors’ are 1.0mm thick, and stock is 0.8mm thick,” said Warp 9’s Kevin Tanis. $219.00(pair) ? www.warp9racing.com or (801) 699-7979.

TAKE A LAP AROUND LORETTA LYNN…WELL,TAKE A LITTLE MORE THAN A LAP WHILE YOU ARE AT IT

LORETTA LYNN ROLL CALL: 2012 AMA NATIONAL AMATEUR CHAMPIONS … ALL OF THEM

51 (7-8) AMA 2 Stock…Jaiden Taylor
51 (4-6) AMA 1 Stock…Ryder Difranceso
51 (4-6) Stock Limited…Codee Samples
51 (4-6) Shaft Drive Stock…Braxton Brown
65 (10-11) Stock …Conner Mullenix
65 (7-9) Stock…Pierce Brown
65 (7-11) Mod…Carson Mumford
85 (9-11) Stock …Jordan Bailey
85 (9-11) Modified…Jordan Bailey
Mini Sr (12-14) Mod…Justin Hoeft
Mini Sr. (12-14) Stock…Justin Hoeft
Super Mini 1 (12-15)…Adam Cianciarulo
Super Mini 2 (13-16)…Adam Cianciarulo
250 C Stock…Axell Hodges
250 C Mod…Garrett Schnepp
450 C…Cody Herzog
Schoolboy 1 (12-16) B/C…Jordan Smith
Schoolboy 2 (13-16) B/C…Troy Graffunder
College B/C (16-24)…Gregory Gehrer
Two-Stroke…Mike Sleeter
250 B Stock…Cooper Webb
250 B Mod…Matt Bisceglia
450 B Mod…Anthony Rodriguez
450 B Stock …Matt Bisceglia
Open Pro Sport…Jesse Wentland
250 A…Zach Bell
450 A…Zach Williams
Over-25…Ricky Carmichael
Over-30…Dustin Walker
Over-35…….Robbie Reynard
Over-40…Doug Dubach
Over-45…Doug Dubach
Over-50…Gary Semics
Girls (12-15)…Brandy Richards
Girls (9-11)…Jazzmyn Canfield
Women (14+)…Taylor Higgins

TREY CANARD RE-UPS WITH FLY GEAR FOR 2017

Trey.

Trey Canard has signed a five-year endorsement agreement extension that will have him wearing Fly Racing helmets and racewear through the 2017 season. Canard, who will return to AMA 450 Supercross and Outdoor MX in 2013, will showcase Fly Racing’s Evolution and Kinetic racewear lines, as well as its new Lite Hydrogen racewear. Canard will also continue to wear Fly Racing’s Formula MX and F2 Carbon helmets. Trey had this to say about his renewed contract with Fly Racing: “I’m looking forward to continuing to grow with Fly/WPS. The last two years have been unbelievable and knowing I will be working with the same people for the next five years is a huge blessing. I’m excited for Fly’s future. To see their excitement and commitment to bettering their brand is an amazing thing for me. Can’t wait for 2013 to get here.”

Fly Racing owner Craig Shoemaker, echoed Canard’s enthusiasm about the extended partnership. “We couldn’t be more proud to have Trey Canard as a continuing member of the Fly Racing Family. He is a class act both on the track and off, and shows great speed and character everywhere he goes. We’re thrilled to have Trey and his family for this long-term commitment. We look forward to many more great years ahead.” FLY Racing products can be purchased at your local WPS dealer. To view its exciting range of 2013 products, visit the brand-new FLYRacing.com.

TWIN AIR 40TH ANNIVERSERY VIDEO

HOPETOWN/CORRIGANVILLE GRAND PRIX CELEBRATION

ATTRACTIONS
-Motocross champion and gourmet chef Marty Tripes will be doing the honors of his famous BBQ for this event
-Lots of vintage bikes will be on display
-Legends and Heroes Motocross Exhibit will be on display
-Bud and Dave Ekins Memorabilia will be on exhibit
-T-Shirts with Hopetown/ Corriganville Grand Prix commemorative artwork will be for sale at the event
-All proceeds will benefit the Simi Valley Police Foundation
-Tom White and the Early Years of Motocross will be at the event
-Posters will also be available at the event for a modest donation
-Keep viewing to see news and additions to the event
-Please bring photos, memorabilia, 8mm movies and other related items you would like to share at the event.
-The event will be held at 2674 Westhills Court, Simi Valley, CA 93065
-Go to the website to register to bring a bike or multiple bikes, to contact the event organizers or for more info: www.hopetowngp.com  

YOUNG GUNS EPISODE 7: GEICO TESTING FOR MILLVILLE

MOTO GATE PROMOTION: FREE T-SHIRT AND/OR GLOVES

You will receive a free Moto-Gate T-shirt with every purchase of a Moto-Gate and/or Receive a free set of Moto-Gate Utility work gloves with every purchase of a set of Moto-Gate Tie Downs. Please specify sizes of T-shirts and gloves in the “Special Order Instructions” during check out. If there are no sizes listed, no free swag will be included in the shipment. The holiday season is just around the corner. This is a must have for any truck owner. Get your shopping done early this year! For more info visit www.Moto-Gate.com

NITRO CIRCUS 3D IS OUT TODAY (8/7/12)!
Travis Pastrana and the Nitro Crew have hit the mainstream big-screen with Nitro Circus 3D. In addition to dirt bike stunts they jump tricycles across skyscrapers and they jump a school bus over 200ft! Travis said “No one would insure us so please go watch the movie so we can own our own our houses again.” Here’s the trailer:

RACE STARTER AL WILCOX INDUCTED INTO THE AMA MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME

The late Al Wilcox, a former motorcycle racer who went on to be a race starter for decades, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the 2012 AMA Legends Weekend at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 16-17. “Al Wilcox was a fixture at motorcycle races as a starter for more than five decades and a true ambassador for the sport,” said Jeffrey V. Heininger, chairman of board of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, which oversees the Hall of Fame. “He was well respected, well liked and dedicated his life to racing. He is certainly missed.”

Wilcox began flagging races in 1959, increasing his duties after ending his racing career in 1966. He went on to flag the famed Daytona 200 motorcycle race for many years with AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame flagger Duke Pennell, and also performed flagging duties for WERA roadraces for decades. Wilcox became known as “Airborne Al” because of his unique flagging style that involved jumping up in the air at the end of a race during his 50-plus years of flagging.He died Feb. 3, 2011, at age 92. More information about the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame can be found at www.motorcyclemuseum.org.

FOUR-GALLON MINIMUM AT ETHANOL BLEND GAS PUMPS

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require all consumers to buy at least four gallons of gasoline from certain gas pumps after the new E15 ethanol-gasoline blend is introduced into the market, the American Motorcyclist Association reports. The EPA revealed the requirement to the AMA in a letter dated Aug. 1, responding to AMA concerns that E15 ? a gasoline formulation that contains up to 15 percent ethanol by volume ? could be put in motorcycle and ATV gas tanks inadvertently when consumers use blender pumps. A blender pump dispenses different fuel blends through the same hose, and the vast majority of motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles in use today aren’t designed to operate on E15 fuel. “With E15 gasoline, our members who make a concerted effort to fuel their motorcycles or ATVs with E10-or-less gasoline may be unknowingly refueling with residual fuel left in the hose,” Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations, wrote in a June 20 letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.

“Unlike an automobile or SUV that has a large fuel tank, the residual fuel left in a fueling hose could be detrimental to the performance of motorcycle or ATV engines due to the small size of their fuel tanks and the higher concentration of ethanol that would, therefore, be present in the fuel,” Allard wrote. “In addition, the use of E15 will lower fuel efficiency and possibly cause premature engine failure. Use of E15 fuel voids many manufacturer warranties. In off-road engines, the effects can even be dangerous for users.”

Byron Bunker of the EPA National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory responded to the AMA on behalf of Jackson. “EPA requires that retail stations that own or operate blender pumps either dispense E15 from a dedicated hose and nozzle if able or, in the case of E15 and E10 being dispensed from the same hose, require that at least four gallons of fuel be purchased to prevent vehicles and engines with smaller fuel tanks from being exposed to gasoline-ethanol blended fuels containing greater than 10 volume percent ethanol,” Bunker wrote. “Additionally, EPA is requiring that retail stations that offer E10 and E15 from the same hose and nozzle use additional labeling to inform consumers about the minimum purchase requirement,” Bunker wrote.

“Since motorcyclists and ATV users, as you suggest, have relatively small fuel tanks, they should pay careful attention to the labeling of blender pumps to ensure that an appropriate fuel is chosen, in this case E10 or E0,” he wrote. Another problem with the new EPA policy, Allard said, is that not all motorcycle and ATV gas tanks hold four or more gallons.

“Not only do we find it unacceptable for the EPA to mandate that everyone — including our members — buy minimum amounts of gas, but the EPA answer simply won’t work because of the sizes of many motorcycle and ATV gas tanks and the fact that off-highway riders take containers of gas with them on their trips, and most times those containers are much smaller than four gallons,” Allard said. “The EPA needs to come up with a better solution,” he said. “The EPA also needs to back an independent study to determine whether E15 is safe for motorcycle and ATV engines.” The AMA has repeatedly expressed concerns to government officials and federal lawmakers about possible damage to motorcycle and ATV engines caused by the inadvertent use of E15 when the new fuel becomes widely available, and has asked that motorcycles and ATVs be part of any scientific study into the effects of E15.

Ethanol is essentially grain alcohol produced from crops such as corn that is mixed with gasoline to produce an ethanol-gasoline blend motor fuel. In October 2010, the EPA approved the use of E15 in model year 2007 and newer light-duty vehicles (cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty passenger vehicles). Then, in January 2011, the EPA added model year 2001-06 light-duty vehicles to the approved list. No motorcycles or ATVs are currently on the list.