MXA MID-WEEK REPORT: A2 Photo Gallery & Pits To Press Box Coverage, Privateers On Parade, Brooks On The “Hit”, Is Morais Too Nice To Win?, Pro Circuit’s Mud Set-Up, Plus New Go-Fast Products

ÿ

MXA MID-WEEK REPORTÿ

By: Zapÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

For those of you who saw the MXA Classics I posted last week, one of the photosÿincluded from the December 1976 issue wasÿof Mickey Kessler stuffing his way past a hapless competitor.ÿWell, here’s a nice posedÿshot of Mickey along withÿhis factory Kawasaki and tuner Bill West (who would later go on to the Yamaha team). Note the riveted gas tank and solid plastic fork boots.

MXA PRESS RELEASE: It’s A KTM Weekend In Frisco

MXA PRESS RELEASE: RideÿEngineering Clamps

ÿ

ÿ
Ride Engineering has built a shock linkage that lowers the rear of the CRF250 and CRF450 (same as PC and FC). Then they made a 21mm offset triple clamp to compliment the link. They says that this offset makes the front end a little more forgiving than stock without unweighting it too much. Finally, they added a one-piece bar mount, so the rider could reap all the benefits of rubber mounting (less vibration and hand fatigue) while greatly decreasing the tendency for them to twist in a crash the way individual bar mounts (stock) do.

Application: CRF 2009-10 450R & 2010 250R. Lowering linkage–$199.95. Triple clamp kit–$459.90 21mm triple clamp kit. One-piece bar mounts–$89.95.ÿFor more info, head to Ride Eng.

ÿ

Recently the crew at Faction MX visited the Rockstar Hart & Huntington race shop for a look behind the scenes at the Supercross team based in Las Vegas. After a tour of that facility, it was out to the Supercross test track to watch team riders Matt Boni and Chris Blose put in some laps as they got ready for the weekend.

The Rockstar Hart & Huntington team relies on Faction MX valve train components as well as hi-temp radiator hoses on their CRF450’s. This video gives the public a little look into why the team uses the product as well as what a high level race team such as H&H has at their disposal to be one of the best in the sport. Check it outÿat Team Hart & Huntington.ÿ
ÿ

MXA FEATURE: Privateers On Parade – A Six Pack Of 250’s

ÿ

Hometown: Amherst, MA. Sponsors: Alexander Adams/Kenny G’s Performanceÿ

ÿ

ÿ

RIDER: ANTONIO BALBIÿ

Hometown: Riverside, CA. (via Brazil). Sponsors: 2B Racing, Pro Circuit, Mr. Proÿ

ÿ

RIDER: MICHAEL HORBANÿ

HOMETOWN: Grants Pass, OR. Sponsors: N/A

ÿ

RIDER: TYSON BURMEISTER

HOMETOWN: Norco, CA. SPONSORS: United Towing, MTA, Yoshimura

ÿ

Hometown: Temecula, CA.ÿSponsors: Hostilityÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

Race Tech’s G3-S Custom Series Shocks are now available for motocross and off-road models. These shocks are custom built and personally setup for each rider. Standard features include new G3-LD Gold Valves, High-Performance Springs, independent wide range external Hi and Low Speed Compression Adjusters, Rebound Adjuster, large diameter shock shafts, Bladder Style Reservoirs with hi-volume Reservoir Caps, Ultra Slick Fluid, and low friction seals. Race Tech’s G3-S Custom Series Shocks are “Made in America” and made with the finest materials.

Now riders can customize color combinations with both powder coating on the springs and black anodizing on selected aluminum shock components! Standard spring powder coating colors are: white, black, green, orange, red, blue, silver, and yellow. Black Anodizing is available for the shock adjusters, reservoir, bladder cap, spring collars, and clevis.

Another unique features is the Hydraulic Preload Adjuster which requires just a wrench or T-handle to compress or decompress the spring preload. For more info, head to Race Tech.
ÿ

Dave Ekins is a certifiable American off-road pioneer who has been an avid motorcycle enthusiast for his whole life. In fact, Dave was there with Steve McQueen when they made up the the USA Trophy team at the ISDT (along with Dave’s brother Bud who was famous for doubling for Steve and making the big fence jump The Great Escape). Knowing of his vast reservoir of motorcycle experience, Dave seemed the perfect person to ask the philosophical question that hasÿdogged me for years: What is it about the motorcycle that drives us all so crazy, that drivesÿsuch enthusiasm? Here’s what he had to say…

“That’s a goodÿquestion…all I can say is, you know that feeling you get when you’re driving in your car andÿyouÿsee a truck with some handlebars sticking out of the back and you immediately sit up and crane your neck to see what kind of motorcycle it is. And then, even when it turns out to be the handles of a lawnmower, it was that flash of excitement you felt, the need to look at it – that’s what it is about the motorcycle.”

ÿ

MXA THEN AND NOW: Sound Check

ÿ

Although the current sound limitÿhas been reduced toÿ94 dB (plus being rounded off the next highest number and given a 1 dB correction factor), there is still plenty of debate about whether to make the bikes quieter still.ÿMaybe electric bikes?

ÿ

ANAHEIM TWO REVIEW: From The Pits To The Press Box

ÿ

After five days of continuous rain, last week’s race day started-off full of anxious moments and some major trepidation. A quick peek out the windows at home showed something that every Southern Californian had almost forgetten existed – clear skies. On the road to Anaheim, I passed Arizona rider Deven Raper making his way down the 57 Freeway towards the stadium – things were beginning to look up!

ÿ

ÿ

Lo and behold, who was the first rider I ran into for practice but Devin Raper. Like everyone else, the Confused Clothing/Warthog Racing sponsored riderÿwas happy to find the track in as good condition as it was.

ÿ

Upon arriving at The Big A, the stadium floor was still a soggy mess and looked more like a construction site than a race track.ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

John: “Obviously we all knew it was raining days ago so I got a lot of my prep work done at home. Can I just say that in a very selfish way it’s nice not having #22 here today ? he’d be going crazy with 17 different lens and tear-off combos – just joking! For this race I have 120 pairs of goggles that I built. I have 12 guys that I look after and each of them has nine pairs of goggles each; four with tear-offs and five with film systems. For the tear-offs, I only ran two stacks of laminates (with seven tear-offs in each stack). I’ll get them all back after the race and take them home to wash and rebuild. For the next level of guys down, who I don’t personally build goggles for, I give them all the stuff they need toÿ build their own. I get their film systems back to clean and re-build them. With all the film work, taping the goggles and prepping the tear-offs a mud race will take about three days of work versus probably one long day of just doing tear-offs.”

ÿ

Chad Reed’s bike looked ready to race. Unfortunately, Chad was nowhere to be found due to the broken hand he suffered in Phoenix.ÿÿ

ÿ

ÿ

Bones: “Everything depends on how bad it is. Each bike has two sets of suspension ready to go; one set-up for bad mud and one set-up for good conditions. I even had the guys bring in their practice bike suspension just so we can be ready for the complete slop race and I completely freshened them up with new bushings and oil. In terms of actual bike set-up, you have to figure that if it’s sticky mud that the bike can gain upwards of 100 extra pounds in weight so we have to stiffen everything up on spring pre-load and compression. Besides that, we run a different chain, solid brake rotors, new seat covers, we put foam in all the tight places, we even sharpened up the foot pegs and kick starter.”ÿÿ

ÿ

MUD PREP ON THE PRO CIRCUIT BIKE

ÿ

When the team bikes were unloaded they were running UFO plastic hand guards, but they were removed once the track was found to be drier than expected.

ÿ
ÿ

Talk about sweating the details – both Hansen and Weimer had kickstarters that could double as a cheese grater.

ÿ

ÿ

Almost all the big teams started out the day with solid rotors which avoid collecting mud.

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

QUOTE: “I’m not sure what I did special, I think the team just had a really good day.” Rockstar/Canidae mechanic Rene Zapata on why he received the MMI (Motorcycle Mechanics Institute) award at Phoenix.

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

I had a brief sit-down with San Manuel team manager Larry Brooks. I’ve known Larry since the late ’80’s when I used to shoot photos of him as an MXA test rider. Throughout his own career as a Pro racer, Larry always had a reputation for being a strong, tough guy. I wince every time we shake hands for fear that I’ll come away injured. Back-in-the-day Larry would race hard, crash hard and get up and race hard some more. So after last week’s race in Phoenix, with all the talk about Reed “hitting” Stewart and the AMA stupidly issuing a penalty against Reed (before rescinding it), I asked the former AMA Rookie of The Year (1986)ÿ if, given his own ideas of whatÿgetting a punch would be,ÿ did he really think that what Reed did after their crash was such a big deal.

ÿ

“I don’t know. I didn’t see it happen and I didn’t file a protest. But when I reviewed the race tape in the truck afterwards, as the team manager I felt I needed to point it out to the AMA and whatever they did is what they did. Was it a hit? Probably not, but it was definitely a cheap shot. The thing is that James knows, we all know, there is a history here. This was not an isolated incident, it was weeks and months in the making. James knew that afterÿ Florida last year (when Reed gave Stewart a choke hold) and the Vegas incident (when Reed recklessly rammed Stewart at speed) that the AMA didn’t say a thing to Chad, so we wanted to make them aware of it still going on. As for his crash with Partridge, you can’t say he tried to kill him, he just moved over on him and it was a bad decision, he messed up and it was wrong.”ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

STEWART VERSUS REED – WHO WAS RIGHT?
Much like the late night television wars carried out last week by Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and even David Letterman, so too goes the bitter, but also humorous infighting of AMA’s own late night, millionaire Supercross stars. And just as Jay, Conan and David have both their supporters and detractors, both Stewart and Reed do as well. To hear the partisans from each camp voice their opinion is get a very clear definition of the just how polarized portions of the Supercross pits are today. Casual conversation on the topic at A2 provided plenty of opinion, but also some insight into the battle between our own late night stars.

* “How could they call-out Reed for hitting Stewart after what James did to Partridge?”

* “You know that Reed was screwing with James in the race. He got what was coming to him.”
ÿ
* “Stewart definitely knew that Reed was there, so why would he go so high in that turn and practically invite Reed to go inside?”
ÿ
* “I can’t believe that with everything else going on in the world, like in Haiti, that so many people would care so much about this soap opera.”

* “I don’t like Reed, but I’m really bummed that he’s hurt. It’s just like having Conan go off the air…late night TV was just starting to get good and now one of the main players is gone. Could you imagine what 15 more weeks of the Reed & Stewart show would be like? Talk about a ratings success!”

* “They both had it coming.”

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

Ben Townley was one of many big-name riders to drop by the press box and he was excited to talk about two upcoming events in his life. (1) By the time you read this, Ben will have raced his final race on a Kawasaki in NewÿZealand and will officially becomeÿa Honda-mounted Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs rider. (2) Within the coming month he will become a father. When asked if he was excited about returning to America to race the 450 outdoor series, Ben offered up a very, very enthusiastic “Oh yeah!”

ÿ

BEVO RECALLS THE WORST MUD RACES
ÿ

In 1979 the Oakland Supercross was canceled due to rain and it was run the following week. Knowing that the ground would be exceptionally loamy, Jimmy Weinert showed up with the paddle tire on his factory Kawasaki, andÿaided byÿ”The Hooker,” Weinert threw up a roost and rode off to his first Supercross win in two years. The AMA banned the tire the several weeks later.

With the threatÿof A2 being a sloppy mud race,ÿI decided to ask motocross racing veteran Bevo Forte what some of the worst mud races have been over the years.ÿHere’s what he hadÿto say…ÿÿ
ÿ

“In the old days they never used to cover the tracks so when it rained, it was a mud race ? these days Feld doesÿsuch aÿgood job protecting the track that unless it rains during the race they don’t have mud races anymore.

* Atlanta, 1976 ? it was freezing rain. In fact it was so cold we had to use BIC lighter to warm up the car keys to get into our vans.

* Dallas in ’77 or ’78 was so bad they canceled the second night. Nobody hadÿpower washers back then so I rememberÿKeith McCarty and I headed to a car wash at about three in morning after theÿrace to clean the bikes at a spray wash. All of a sudden a lightningÿstorm started and we both thoughtÿabout howÿstupid it was to be standing there with these steel wands in our hands!
ÿ
* In ’79 the Oakland Supercross got rained out so it wasn’t really a mud race because they canceled it and raced the following week. It was a sand track though.

* Daytona two years ago ? that was a really big mess.”

ÿ

ÿÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

Then it was Ryan Dungey’s turn to take the lead and he did so first afterÿaÿgreat back and forth withÿStewart, followed by another with Josh. Bravo Dungey!ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

Ryan Dungey left A2 with the series points lead, but Josh Hill left with newfound respect from a stadium full of fans.

ÿ

TAG TEAMS

ÿ

ÿ

STAYING CLOSE

French rider Gautier Paulin finds an exit strategy with his borrowed Star Yamaha.ÿÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

FLYING SOLO

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

SoCal local and Rock River Yamaha-backed Weston Peick is having a tough time in his rookie Supercross season, butÿhe doesn’t stop trying (and could be a force in the 450 Nationals).ÿÿ

ÿ

Star Yamaha rider Broc Tickle remains the top Yamaha rider in the 250 class (6th overall).ÿTeam MCR’sÿindoor rookie Max Anstie beat Broc at A2 (7th vs. 10th) and sits inÿ9th place overall.

ÿ

Here’s where John Ker tried to get all artsy on us by slowing down his shudder speed. Wil Hahn supplied the speed blur.

ÿ

Theÿfour words that best define Jake Weimer soÿfar this season: calm, cool,ÿcollected and unbeaten!ÿÿ

ÿ

ÿ

FEATURES:ÿ

ÿÿ úÿÿForged from propriety 2618 high tensile strength alloy

ÿÿ úÿÿTop ring land Scrolling protects against scuffing and reduces crevice volume that cause detonation

ÿÿ úÿÿAccumulator Groove aids compression ring sealing under high cylinder pressures

ÿÿ úÿÿLateral Gas Ports aid in ring sealing

ÿÿ úÿThe skirts are coated with Xylan, a fluoropolymer that reduces friction and aids bed in

ÿÿ úÿÿPolished crown reduces carbon build up and stress relief, minimizing the effect of hot spots leading to detonation

ÿÿ úÿÿSmooth blended barrel form and optimized cam profile reduces engine noise, increases life, and performance

ÿÿ úÿÿFormula One-derived skirt profile allows ultra high RPM

ÿÿ úÿÿPins are DLC coated, strong and lightweight

ÿÿ úÿÿRings, Pins, and Pin Locks included

For Moreÿinfo, head to Cosworth.ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ