SUPERCROSS AT A GLANCE UP TO DAYTONA

KTM’s Marvin Musquin (25) has won three of the first four 250 East races. Marvin won Daytona back in 2013 and repeated again this weekend.

Date             Venue                                  450                           250
Jan. 3…..Anaheim I…………Ken Roczen…….Jessy Nelson
Jan. 10…Phoenix…………….Eli Tomac……….Cooper Webb
Jan. 17…Anaheim II…………Ken Roczen…….Cooper Webb
Jan. 24…Oakland……………Trey Canard……Malcolm Stewart
Jan. 31…..Anaheim III…….…Ryan Dungey…..Cooper Webb
Feb. 7…..San Diego…………Trey Canard……Cooper Webb
Feb. 14…Dallas……………….Ryan Dungey…..Marvin Musquin
Feb. 21…Atlanta………………Chad Reed…..…..Jeremy Martin
Feb. 28…Atlanta………………..Ryan Dungey…..Marvin Musquin
Mar. 7…Daytona………………..Ryan Dungey…..Marvin Musquin
Mar. 14…..Indy
Mar. 21…Detroit
Mar. 28…St. Louis
Apr. 11…..Houston
Apr. 18….Santa Clara
Apr. 25….New York
May 2……Las Vegas
450 Points leader…Ryan Dungey (KTM)
250 West points leader…Cooper Webb (Yam)
250 East points leader…Marvin Musquin (KTM)

2015 GP’S AT A GLANCE UP TO THAILAND

Clement Desalle has been the Steady Eddie of the 2015 GP season. His seconds in Qatar and Thailand have him in the points lead.

Date             Venue                          450                                 250
Feb. 28……Qatar………..Max Nagl………………Jeffrey Herlings
March 8..…Thailand…….Ryan Villopoto……..Jeffrey Herlings
March 29…Argentina…..
April 19……Italy…………..
April 26……Holland……..
May 10…….Spain………..
May 24…….England…….
May 31….…France………
June 14……Italy…………..
June 21…..Germany…….
July 5………Sweden……..
July 12…….Latvia………..
July 26……Czech Rep….
Aug 2……..Belgium……..
Aug 16……Brazil………….
Aug 30……Holland………
Sept 13….Mexico………..
Sept. 20…Glen Helen….
450 Points Leader…Clement Desalle (Hus)
250 Points Leader…Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)

WHO’S WHO IN 2015 SUPERCROSS POINTS?

Chad Reed is now fifth in 450 points after Daytona, but he is 84 points behind Ryan Dungey.

2015 AMA 450 SUPERCROSS POINTS STANDINGS
(After 10 of 17 races)
1. Ryan Dungey…224
2. Trey Canard…184
3. Eli Tomac…159
4. Ken Roczen…156
5. Chad Reed…140
6. Jason Anderson…140
7. Cole Seely…138
8. Blake Baggett…135
9. Andrew Short…109
10. Broc Tickle…107

2015 AMA 250 EAST SUPERCROSS POINTS STANDINGS
(After 4 of 9 races)
1. Marvin Musquin…97
2. Jeremy Martin…85
3. Justin Bogle…84
4. Joey Savatgy…72
5. Martin Davalos…56
6. R.J. Hampshire…38
7. Anthony Rodriquez…34
8. Vince Friese…38
9. Kyle Peters…43
10. Jimmy Decotis…42

2015 AMA 250 WEST SUPERCROSS POINTS STANDINGS
(After 6 of 9 races)
1. Copper Webb…136
2. Jessy  Nelson…106
3. Tyler Bowers…104
4. Zach Osborne…102
5. Shane McElrath…86
6. Aaron Plessinger…81
7. Justin Hill…79
8. Josh Hansen…79
9. Alex Martin…75
10. Malcolm Stewart…69

DAYTONA ENDUROCROSS TO CODY WEBB

The podium was Kyle Redmond (left), Cody webb (center) and Colton Haaker (right).

Cody Webb kicked off the defense of his Geico EnduroCross AMA Championship in style by taking the win at the opening round inside the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. The FMF/RPM/KTM Team Maxxis rider had a back-and-forth battle with Kyle Redmond on the Factory Beta early in the race and survived a crash and a bad start to take the win. Redmond eventually had a few crashes of his own and battled back to finish third. Husqvarna-backed Colton Haaker rode a steady race to take second.

Kyle Redmond got a third on his first-ever race on a Beta.

DAYTONA ENDUROCROSS RESULTS
1. Cody Webb…KTM
2. Colton Haaker…Hus
3. Kyle Redmond…Bet
4. Cory Graffunder…KTM
5. Max Gerston…Bet
6. Mike Brown…Hus
7. Bobby Prochnau…KTM
8. Kevin Rookstool…Suz
9. Ty Cullins…Bet
10. Destry Abbott…Kaw

MEMORIES OF THE WAY WE WERE

Jimmy Mac found this old photo of Jody Weisel racing at Saddleback from 30 years ago. There is a lot of weird stuff in this photo that only Jody could explain, but we did notice Jody’s Kayaba air shocks (covered by accordian-style rubber boots). Just a reminder that there is nothing new under the sun.

 

 

KTM FACTORY EDITION NEWS: WHERE ARE THEY?

For those waiting for one of the 450 Factory Edition 250SXFs or 450SXFs, they arrived at their Virginia port last week and are being processed to dealers immediately. East Coast dealers should get their bikes before West Coast dealers — because bikes bound for points west have to be shipped (via train).

TOM WHITE’S GARDEN WALL

Tom White had famous SoCal artist Jon Ortner, who just happens to be a former AMA Pro, paint a 45-foot long mural as a tribute to the historical men and machines of motocross on the wall behind his “Early Years of Motocross Museum.” Ortner, who specializes in painting Italian Fresco walls that are reminiscent of Italian villas, worked with Tom White to bring the colors of the gardens above the wall and burnished them into the wall. Ortner then layered the riders and their machines into the surface. It has the archeological, unearthed, cave painting look that Tom wanted for his museum. For more info on Jon Ortner’s paintings go to www.weatheredwalls.com. Click on the photo of Tom and wall to enlarge it.

WANT TO FLAG AT THE GLEN HELEN NATIONAL IN MAY

Send an email to [email protected] to sign on to a very important job.

HUSKY WINS QATAR: HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE THEIR LAST WIN?

Max Nagl.

When Max Nagl swept both motos of last week’s Qatar Grand Prix, it was a momentous moment for the Husqvarna team. But, how long has it been since Husky last won a GP? Was it with Heikki Mikkola? Jacky Martens? Alessio Chiodi? No. It has been less than 7 months. Romain Febvre won the Brazil 250 Grand Prix on September 7, 2014.

The last time Husqvarna could win in the premier class was in 1984. Husky won in a 250 GP (predecessor of the current 450 GP category). Prior to Max Nagl, the last Husqvarna winner in 450 (or 500)r class was the Belgian rider Jo Martens, who won the GP of Yugoslavia at Orehova Vas on in 1984.

ROAD RACERS ON DIRT

Anthony West on dirt.

Although Ryan Villopoto had a bad weekend in Qatar, MXA’s Dennis Stapleton finished second in the GP support races behind buddy Jake Preston. The winner of the support race gets to race the MX1 Grand Prix later on the same day. In the past, Stapleton has won the Arab support class, but then rejected the offer to race the MX1 class, preferring to race the second support race. Why? Because the support race pays $2500 to win and the Grand Prix pays $0. Jake Preston did race the 450 GP and finished 29th. Also of note, the Qatar Motorcycle Association (QMMF), which sponsors an FIM Moto2 road race team, brought their two road racers, Anthony West and Julien Simon, to race the Losail motocross support class. Both road racers had motocross experience before going all pavement. Simon finished fourth behind Jake Preston, Dennis Stapleton and Terry Gautier. Anthony West was sixth behind Kuwaiti rider Mohammed Jaffar. Anthony West has won two road race GPs, a 250 GP in 2003 and a Moto2 GP last year in Assen. He is best known, in light of James Stewart’s recent drug suspension, for being banned for 18 months in 2012 for violating the FIM drug rules by using Methylhexaneamine.

JAKE PRESTON’S & DENNIS STAPLETON’S DAY AT THE QATAR GP

 

 

 

THIS WEEK’S BIRTHDAY BOYS: COLE SEELY IS 25

Mar. 6…Eddie Cole

Mar. 7…Jake Canada 1991
Mar. 7…Beau Bamburg

Mar. 9…Michele Rinaldi 1959

Mar. 10…Cole Seely 1990

Mar. 10…Donnie Hansen

Mar. 11…Josh Coppins 1977
Mar. 13…Josh Demuth 1979

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Mar. 13…Shaun Simpson 1988

IT’S A MOTORCYCLE IN THE USA, CAR IN JAPAN & GOLF CART IN PALM SPRINGS

Toyota i-Road three-wheel leaner.

The Toyota i-Road is half as wide as a Smart car. It seats two in tandem (front to back) and is fully enclosed. It is electric powered and has self-righting Active Lean technology. Three-wheel leaners are not new, Piaggio already makes a scooter called the MP3 that works on the same two front-wheels-that-lean formula. The i-Road is front-wheel drive (with a 2.7-hp hub electric motors for each front wheel). Obviously the major market for this machine is retirement communities that allow small electric vehicles on city streets and crowded urban centers where a motorcycle-sized car would be a plus. Although legal in most States as a motorcycle, because it has three-wheels, it has no future in the USA with its 30-mile range and governed under-40 mph top speed.

MOTOCROSS ACTION PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Before Russian GP rider Evgeny Bobryshev was born, Guennady Moiseev and Viktor Kavinov were riding for the CCCP.

GREG BLACKWELL JOINS KTM

Former racer and business exec Greg Blackwell

Greg Blackwell, brother of AMA 500 National Champion Mark Blackwell and former Vice President of Parts Unlimited, has been appointed the new Vice President of Parts, Garments & Accessories at KTM. He will guide KTM’s PowerParts, PowerWear and SpareParts divisions. “Growing our parts and accessory business is the top priority for us moving forward,” said KTM head Jon-Erik Burleson. “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to bring Greg, with all of his experience in the aftermarket side of the business, to our team. Combining his experience with the KTM brand will be a big step for us, and most importantly, our dealer’s business.”

Greg Blackwell said, “Our goal is to increase communication between KTM personnel and KTM dealers, expand support to our district sales managers, develop authentic, co-branded products that offers unique sales opportunities for our dealers, while delivering exciting product that pairs with KTM’s “Ready To Race’ philosophy.”

MAX ANSTIE SKIPS THAILAND…SEE WHY

AND HERE IS WHY

 

MXA PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: PRO CIRCUIT TI-2 SHORTY CARBON FOR THE KX85

The Ti-2 Carbon Shorty is a kevlar/titanium silencer for Kawasaki KX85 and KX100 models. Just like the big bike version, the new KX85/100 Ti-2 Silencer is manufactured using a carbon fiber and Kevlar shell for light weight and durability and high-grade titanium end-caps and tubing. Racers can expect the same high Pro Circuit quality and championship winning performance as our standard R-304 Shorty Silencer plus lighter weight and that “factory” look that says you’re serious about winning. Available for 1998 to 2015 KX80/85/100 models and designed for closed-course racing only. The retail price is $329.95 at www.procircuit.com.

 

 

WHAT’S LEFT OF YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE

All times are Eastern. There are 6 races left on Fox Sports 1 (including Daytona), 1 race on Fox Sports 2 and one on Fox. New York on April 25 is a day race.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO MXA & MAKE A PROFIT ON THE DEAL

The April 2015 issue of  MXA could be hand delivered to your door by a uniformed agent of the Federal Government. Is this a great country or what?

Do you subscribe to MXA? You should. We know that you think that print magazines are dead and that the internet will fill the void, but most of the stuff in the current issue of MXA won’t appear on the web for several months. Luckily, you can get all of MXA on iPhone, iPad, Kindle or Android by going to the Apple Store, Amazon or Google play, but better yet get the Digital desktop version at https://hi-torque.com/product/motocross-action-digital-edition/ or click on the link below to get the print version delivered to your door for only $15.99 (plus you get a free $25 Gift Card from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC just for subscribing). There is a profit to be made in this deal for you. For the Print magazine go to: http://hi-torque.com/product/subscribe-to-motocross-action-magazine/

COMING EVENTS: STARTING THIS WEEKEND

INDIANAPOLIS SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
March 14………….…..Indianapolis, IN

2015 AMSOIL ARENCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Mar. 13-15……………Southaven, MS

2015 GNCC CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
March 15…………………Washington, GA

2015 BRITISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
March 15…Hilton Park

2015 FRENCH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
March 15……………….Sommieres

2015 DUTCH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
March 15…………….…Gemert

2015 WOMEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Mar. 21……………..…Wortham, TX

2015 GEICO ENDUROCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
March 21……………..Salt Lake City, UT

2015 SPANISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
March 22…Valverde Del Camino

2015 GRAND PRIX OF ARGENTINA
March 29………………Neuwuen, Argentina

2015 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
March 29……..……Horsham, Vic

WORLD TWO-STROKE CHAMPIONSHIP
April 4…Glen Helen, CA

WORLD MINI GRAND PRIX AT GLEN HELEN: APRIL 14-18

For more info go to www.nmamx.com

 

Photos: John Basher, John Ker, Ray Archer, Jimmy Mac, Anthony West Instagram, MXGP, Husqvarna, Yamaha