PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Believe it or not, there’s a place on Earth where you can fly to the tropics, whereby you’ll be whisked off to a jungle house right out of Better Homes and Gardens. After unpacking, you’ll hop aboard a WR250 (or WR450 if you so choose), and go tearing through the jungle and crossing rivers while fighting the distractions of beauteous mountain vistas and wildlife normally reserved for American zoos. Daryl Ecklund, Dennis Stapleton and I somehow convinced Costa Rica Unlimited to fly us down for an adventure of a lifetime.

MXA VIDEO: TW1STED DEVELOPMENT YZ250F

COSTA RICA UNLIMITED: A DREAM REVEALED

I took a break from tearing around Costa Rica to snap a photo on the beach–with palm trees in the background–while enjoying the ocean breeze. It wasn’t a bad day.

You would be hard pressed to find anything more unbelievable than what Costa Rica Unlimited is doing. High above Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica Unlimited’s headquarters offers motocross and off-road riders the luxury of riding through the jungle during the day and resting their weary heads in a resort-style house at night. Yesterday the MXA gang arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, after a red-eye flight from Los Angeles. Bleary-eyed but bushy-tailed, we anxiously awaited the opportunity to scale mountains and blast through water crossings. We didn’t have to wait long. Two hours and a great lunch later, we arrived at the epicenter of Costa Rica Unlimited. After unpacking and gawking at our lavish digs, we embarked on a six-hour ride through Costa Rica that covered 53 miles. Sure, it was challenging. Red clay turns to snot when wet, but it was one heck of a good time. The ultimate reward comes from cutting through the jungle on the rear wheel of your buddies and navigating single-track, only to meet the dark sand as water laps against the shore. It is then when euphoria washes away the jet lag. Yesterday we experienced life, and today we plan to do it all over again.

Dennis Stapleton navigates an uphill section while cutting through the clouds.

How much does a package like this cost? It all depends on how many people you have and what add-ons you’d like. A week, which covers six nights and seven days, with three to four days of riding, costs in the neighborhood of $2000 to $3000. The bigger the group of riders equates to a better deal. Ultimately a four-rider group is best, because accommodations are mighty comfortable and the group ride isn’t too big. Keep in mind that food, a zipline tour, and massage can be included for a nominal fee, which puts the rate closer to $3000 for the week. Airfare is not included. For more information, visit www.costaricaunlimited.com.

We took a brief respite from riding to grab water at a grocery store. This happened halfway into our 53-mile journey.

Bring a motocross racer to the beach and he’ll go nuts. Dennis Stapleton tears up the sand at sunset on a WR450.

Daryl Ecklund gets technical by carrying the front wheel through a three-foot deep creek.
This is the view out of the master bedroom at the “Point House” at Costa Rica Unlimited.

The garage.

We quickly made friends. The wildlife comes up to your doorstep to wish you a good morning (and see if you have food).

SCOTT MALLONEE’S BUDDS CREEK PIT SHOTS

The Lucas Oil TLD team takes cover.

The view.

Jeremy Martin gets engaged for moto warfare.

Got mud?

The other view.

A happy Blake Baggett.

Ryan Dungey walked away from a nasty second-moto crash.

Christophe Pourcel is improving at every National.

WIN A HUSQVARNA TC250! 2-STROKE BOYESEN REVOLUTION

[Press Release]

Signup once for your chance to win a 2015 Husqvarna TC 250, or win over $2000 in monthly prizes from Boyesen, FMF Racing, PJ1, Torc 1 Racing, DP Brakes, Evans Cooling, Forma Boots USA, EKS Brand, Adventure Center Powersports, MotoSeat, MSR, Sunstar, Goldentyre USA, Decal Works, Darius Company!

Boyesen and FMF Racing both headline the 2015 2-Stroke Revolution contest and have collaborated with other powerhouse brands like PJ1, Torc 1 Racing, DP Brakes, Evans Cooling, Forma Boots USA, EKS Brand, Adventure Center Powersports, MotoSeat, MSR, Sunstar, Goldentyre USA, Decal Works, and Darius Company to bring an awesome lineup of prizes directly to YOU each month! The 2 Stroke Revolution Contest lasts 5 months, leading up to the Grand Prize drawing to be held on July 31st, 2015. Each month, one winner will be randomly selected to win some of the coolest products on the market today. Simply go to the 2 Stroke Revolution signup page, and submit your entry! All monthly and grand prize winning entries will be announced first on Boyesen’s Facebook page. Also look for winning announcements on motocrossactionmag.com. Click HERE to sign up for free!

STATS DON’T LIE: AMA NATIONALS

Halfway through the Lucas Oil AMA Nationals, and the racing has only reconfirmed what we already know–the 250 class will be a knock down, drag out battle between Marvin Musquin and defending Champ, Jeremy Martin. There’s a ten-point separation between Musquin (258 points) and Martin (248). The next closest rider, Adam Cianciarulo, trails J-Mart by 60 points. Here’s some food for thought:

Jeremy Martin trails Musquin by 10 points. Photo by Scott Mallonee.

* Out of six first motos, Musquin has scored better in four of six motos (Hangtown, Glen Helen, Muddy Creek and High Point). Oddly enough, out of all first motos Musquin has attained 121 points; Martin scored 125 points. Had it not been for a bad crash in the first moto at Lakewood, Marvin would be well ahead in the points chase.

* Marvin Musquin, Jeremy Martin, Adam Cianciarulo, Joey Savatgy, Zach Osborne, Jessy Nelson, Alex Martin, Shane McElrath, Chris Alldredge, Justin Hill and Cooper Webb have made a podium appearance in at least one 250 moto so far (11 riders). Conversely, Ryan Dungey, Ken Roczen, Justin Barcia, Blake Baggett, Jason Anderson, Christophe Pourcel, Weston Peick, Phil Nicoletti and Eli Tomac have made the podium in the 450 class (9 riders).

Despite a second moto hiccup at Budds Creek, Dungey is still holding the red plate. Photo by Scott Mallonee.

* Only 24 points separate third from seventh in the point standings. Halfway through the series, it’ll take a string of moto wins for anyone in that group (Cianciarulo, Savatgy, Osborne, Nelson and Alex Martin) to climb up to the points leaders. Only Adam Cianciarulo, a rider who is getting better in every moto, has the capability of doing that. Stamp it.

* Believe it or not, only five riders haven’t gotten a goose egg so far. Musquin, Martin, Cianciarulo, Nelson and Jordan Smith have scored points in every moto. In the 450 class the consistency is even worse. Only Ryan Dungey, Ken Roczen and Broc Tickle earned points in every moto.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: PART 2

Jamie Ellis is a triple threat–engineer, mechanic and entrepreneur. Ellis, formerly of Rockstar Energy Racing, broke away to form his own company. Specializing in engine performance and aftermarket products, Ellis poured his talents into a 2015 Yamaha YZ250F. The results were astounding. While this picture doesn’t tell the whole story of how good the results were, watching Austin Politelli destroy this berm exemplifies the raw power that the Tw1sted YZ250F pumped out. If you’re more into static photos, see below.

PHOTO TOUR OF MAMMOTH WITH DENNIS STAPLETON