GRAND PRIX JAMBOREE: WHAT’S HAPPENING?

Jeremy van Horebeek.

Jeremy van Horebeek will miss Valkenswaard. The Belgian rider has broken two bones in his foot after a crash at the second moto of the GP of Italy. He will also miss the Grand Prix of Spain on May 10.

Ryan Villopoto sustained four cracks in his tailbone (coccyx) from his crash in the second moto of the GP in Italy. The word is that he will try to ride his KX450F on Friday to see if it is possible for him to race the Valkenswaard sand this weekend.

Christophe Pourcel is reportedly in talks to race the 450 AMA Nationals for the Rockstar Husqvarna. Pourcel was seen testing the Husqvarna at Pala this week. Although there is no official announcement, Martin Davalos was suppose to ride the 450 class until he got Epstein-Barr during the Supercross series. Perhap Davalos isn’t healthy yet.

Max Nagl.

Max Nagl was not considered a threat in this year’s 450 World Championship series. He was at Team Honda in 2013-2014, but got bounced unceremoniously to make room for Gautier Paulin in 2015 — while Honda kept an equally underperforming Evgeny Bobryshev. Nagl got a ride on Kimi Raikkonen’s Ice One Husqvarna team — and since he had been a KTM factory rider for most of his career, the new Husky not only fit him better than the CRF450, but Max has won three of the first four GPs.

Ken De Dycker scored his best result of the 2015 season when 9-7 in Arco di Trento last week. The former 450 Championship contender is no longer in the hunt. His Trentino scores were his only time in the top ten this year.

Tyla Rattray.

Tyla Rattray crashed in Italy, but will be back in action in Valkenswaard, albeit with a sore shoulder. Rattray is 16th in 450 points. His moto scored after four races have been 17-16-8-8-17-20-0-0. He is behind Ken De Dycker in GP points.

Arco di Trento.

The Arco di Trento track is one of the prettiest in the world, but it isn’t liked by the majority of riders because of its hard, rocky and slippery surface. Making it worse this year was the addition of the European 125, 150 and 250 EMX support classes that chewed up the course before the Grand Prix.

PARTRIDGE & THE AMA: ANOTHER HAVE VERSUS HAVE-NOT INJUSTICE

This screen shot from the TV coverage shows that Kyle Partridge’s gate (far right) did not fall all the way down. According to Partridge’s team, the AMA refused to restart the race because they said it “bounced up,” but the video clearly showed that it hung up 8 inches above the ground. Kyle’s wry comment was that he wasn’t “fast enough” in the AMA eyes to get a restart.

CAIROLI’S HEAD SLAPPER

Tony Cairoli slipped in the shower and crack his head on the Thursday before the Italian GP. He had to get 10 stitches. Tony said, “I had a crash in the shower on Thursday and needed ten stitches in my head, it was pretty big. I am still a little sore with my neck and everything. It’s funny; we race motocross but I fell in the shower.”

RICH STUELKE’S PHOTO OF THE WEEK

The AMA stars are always talking about how dangerous the sport is. They are lucky to have gotten out of the 250 Novice class — where they would meet Jeff Fitzgerald (left) and Shane Roberts (right).

MEMORIES OF THE WAY WE WERE

Last Saturday Willy Simons crashed and suffered a concussion. We thought this  PK Racing ad from the 1974 World Mini Grand Prix (that featured a 41-year-younger Willy) would cheer him up.

NEW YORK SUPERCROSS PROMO TV AD

DEBBI TAMIETTI’S PHOTO OF THE WEEK

  You meet the nicest people at the rider’s meeting. But which one of these two old coots is the nice one?

 

 

SUPERCROSS AT A GLANCE: BIG APPLE ADJACENT ON SATURDAY…AND WE MEAN “DAY”

These are the top three riders in the 250 East heading into the final East round this weekend. Jeremy Martin (left) is third, Marvin Musquin first and Justin Bogle second. Something big would have to happen to change the overall results.

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…..……………..Ryan Dungey…..Marvin Musquin
Mar. 21…Detroit………….…….Eli Tomac………..Justin Bogle
Mar. 28…St. Louis…..…………Ryan Dungey…..Marvin Musquin
Apr. 11…..Houston…………..….Cole Seely………Cooper Webb
Apr. 18….Santa Clara………….Ryan Dungey…..Cooper Webb
Apr. 25….New York……..
May 2……Las Vegas……..
450 Supercross Champion…Ryan Dungey (KTM)
250 West Champion…Cooper Webb (Yam)
250 East points leader…Marvin Musquin (KTM)

CURRENT 2015 AMA SUPERCROSS POINTS

Chad is currently fourth in the standings, 27 points out of third with two races to go.

2015 AMA 450 SUPERCROSS POINTS STANDINGS
(After 15 of 17 races)
1. Ryan Dungey…343
2. Eli Tomac…258
3. Cole Seely…239
4. Chad Reed…212
5. Trey Canard…204
6. Blake Baggett…190
7. Jason Anderson…188
8. Broc Tickle…168
9. Andrew Short…164
10. Ken Roczen…156

FINAL 2015 AMA 250 WEST SUPERCROSS POINTS STANDINGS
1. Cooper Webb…186
2. Shane McElrath…124
3. Zach Osborne…117
4. Justin Hill…116
5. Aaron Plessinger…113
6. Alex Martin…111
7. Malcolm Stewart…107
8. Jessy  Nelson…106
9. Tyler Bowers…105
10. Josh Hansen…91

2015 AMA 250 EAST SUPERCROSS POINTS STANDINGS
(After 7 of 8 races)
1. Marvin Musquin…169
2. Justin Bogle…149
3. Jeremy Martin…125
4. Joey Savatgy…113
5. R.J. Hampshire…84
6. Anthony Rodriquez…84
7. Jimmy Decotis…84
8. Kyle Peters…76
9. Martin Davalos…63
10. Kyle Cunningham…60

DON’T FORGET! THIS WEEK’S SUPERCROSS IS ON AT NOON IN SUNNY SoCAL

IS MARZOCCHI SUSPENSION ON ITS DEATH BED?

Marzocchi did the suspension on the famous Puch MC250.

Unconfirmed reports out of Italy, a lot of reports, say that Italian suspension company, now best known for mountain bike suspension, but still a supplier to motorcycle brands like MV Agusta, Ducati and Bimota, is going to be closed down in September of 2015. Marzocchi was bought by American auto part manufacturer firm Tenneco in 2008. Tenneco’s brands include Monroe shocks, Rancho shocks and DynoMax exhausts. The relationship between Tenneco and Marzocchi has been iffy ever since Tenneco tried to shutter the Bologna factory in 2011. The factory wasn’t closed then, but the lease on the build was not renewed. At this time there has been no official announcement about the closing or whether Marzocchi will be sold to a third party. Stay tuned.

 

 

 

WANNA FLAG AT THE GLEN HELEN NATIONAL?

For more info write to [email protected]

DAN ALAMANGOS’ PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Motocross Rule #27: Line ’em up and shoot ’em down.

30-MINUTE MOTOS AT REM, ON THE GLEN HELEN NATIONAL TRACK, THIS SATURDAY

This Saturday’s race will feature REM’s annual 30-minute motos for the Pro classes (and select Intermediate classes). REM does this to allow aspiring AMA Pros, who are trying to get ready for the AMA 250/450 Nationals, to see how long 30 minutes is. Plus, this week’s REM race will be on the National track instead of the REM track. For more info click on www.remsatmx.com

MALCOLM SMITH DONATES “ON ANY SUNDAY” HUSKY 400 TO HALL OF FAME

1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross.

The 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross that Malcolm Smith rode in the iconic motorcycling movie, “On Any Sunday” will now go on permanent display at at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio. It was donated to the museum by Malcolm.

“I’m happy to donate my ‘On Any Sunday’ Husky to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, where it can continue to inspire people about motorcycling and remind everyone how much fun it is. Many remember ‘On Any Sunday’ as the reason they started riding and I continue to hear it today. Whenever I’m at a motorcycle event, people always tell me that watching me enjoying riding so much in the movie was the reason they got into bikes, and they’re so happy they did. I always ask them what their lives would have been like if they hadn’t discovered motorcycles — they can’t imagine it,” said Malcolm Smith.

 

 

 

THIS WEEK’S BIRTHDAY BOYS: K-ROC TURNS 21

We can expect a celebration very similar to this next Wednesday when Kenny turns 21—except there won’t be any motorcycles involved.

April 23…Mike Fisher 1967 (48)
April 24…Robby Skaggs 1977 (38)
April 25…Max Anstie 1993 (22)
April 26…Jeff Matiasevich 1970 (45)
April 26…Mike Jones 1966 (49)
April 26…Taddy Blazusiak 1983 (32)
April 26…Nicolas Aubin 1988 (27)
April 27…Eric McCrummen 1986 (29)
April 28…Keith Bowen 1966 (49)
April 29…Willy Musgrave 1963 (52)
April 29…Ken Roczen 1994 (21)
April 29…Tyler Bowers 1991 (24)
April 29…John Ker 1950 (65)

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO MXA AND MAKE MONEY

The May 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, if at all. Luckily, you can get all of MXA on your 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: A VERY BUSY TWO WEEKS

2015 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
April 24……..……………………Broadford, Vic

2015 AMA  SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
April 25……………………………East Rutherford, NJ
May 2………………………………Las Vegas, NV

2015 AMSOIL ARENACROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
April 25-26………………..………Fresno, CA
May 1-3………………………….…..Las Vegas, NV

2015 GNCC CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
April 25…………………………….Springville, IN

2015 FIM WORLD MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
April 26………………..Valkenswaard, Holland
May 10…………………Talavera, Spain

2015 GEICO ENDUROCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
May 1………………….Las Vegas, NV

2015 AMA 250/450 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
May 16…………….…Hangtown, CA
May 23…………….…Glen Helen, CA
May 30………….……Thunder Valley, CO

2015 WORLD OFFROAD CHAMPIONSHIP (WORCS)
May 24 ……………….Cedar City, UT

2015 AMA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

The Velodrome turn is coming back on May 23. It’s a book end to the Talladega first turn.

May 16…………….…Hangtown, CA
May 23…………….…Glen Helen, CA
May 30………….……Thunder Valley, CO
June 6………………..Muddy Creek, TN
June 13……………….Mt. Morris, PA
June 27………………Budds, MD
July 4…………………Red Bud, MI
July 18………..……..Millville, MN
July 25……………….Washougal, WA
August 8………….…Unadilla, NY
August 15……….…..Miller Motorsports, UT
August 22 …………..Crawfordsville, IN

2015 GP’S AT A GLANCE: ROUND FIVE ON SAND-DAY

Max Nagl (12) has a had a tough few years, and was unceremoniously dumped from Team Honda this year to make room for Gautier Paulin. After four rounds, Max and his Husky are getting the last laugh.

Date             Venue                          450                                 250
Feb. 28……Qatar………….Max Nagl………………Jeffrey Herlings
March 8..…Thailand…….Ryan Villopoto………Jeffrey Herlings
March 29…Argentina……Max Nagl……………..Dylan Ferrandis
April 19……Italy…………..Max Nagl………………Tim Gajser
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 Leaders…Jeffrey Herlings (KTM)

CURRENT 250/450 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

Ryan Villopoto (2) is one of only two GP riders to win a 450 Grand Prix this season, but he is also the only major contender to DNF (when he crashed out in Italy last weekend) .

2015 FIM 450 POINTS STANDINGS
(After 4 of 17 races)
1. Clement Desalle…171
2. Max Nagl….170
3. Tony Cairoli…170
4. Romain Febvre…129
5. Gautier Paulin…128
6. Ryan Villopoto…124
7. Evgeny Bobryshev…100
8. Todd Waters…78
9. Jeremy Van Horebeek…75
10. David Guarneri……70

2015 FIM 250 POINTS STANDINGS
(After 4 of 17 races)
1. Jeffrey Herlings….172
2. Dylan Ferrandis…159
3. Pauls Jonass…133
4. Tim Gajser…126
5. Julien Lieber…101
6. Valentin Guillod…101
7. Jeremy Seewer…99
8. Aleksandr Tonkov…95
9. Thomas Covington…86
10. Jordi Tixier…75

Photos: John Basher, Debbi Tamietti, Dan Alamangos, Massimo Zanzani, Ray Archer, Kawasaki, Husqvarna, Troy Lee Designs, Suzuki, KTM, Honda, Yamaha