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THE IRVINE COMPANY TO PUT A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AT SADDLEBACK PARK

The shaded area is the proposed housing plot and also Saddleback Park.

The Irvine Company, which owns the land, has submitted a tract map with the City of Orange, California, to allow the subdivision of 426 Acres of land for a residential development of up to 1018 houses, along with two local public parks and a 20-acre Community Sports Park in the area previously known as Saddleback Park. Saddleback closed in 1984 and has sat vacant for the last 32 years—visited only occasionally by motocross racers looking to revisit the historic track, which featured Webco Hill, Suicide Mountain and the Magoo Double Jump.

MEMORIES OF THE WAY WE WERE: WITHOUT PEER (AS IN MATCHLESS)

During the glory days of the big British singles it wasn’t uncommon to see a Matchless and a BSA going for the win. In this case it is Chris Horsfield (161) and Jeff Smith (4). The pudding bowl helmets are a time stamp of 1965, but the rope tied to 4×4 posts lasted well into the 1970s.

GOPRO STOCK PRICE TUMBLES TO LOWEST EVER

From a fashion sense, wearing a box on top of your head ruins the lines.

According to Bloomberg, GoPro shares fell last week to their lowest ever after fourth-quarter earnings and a forecast for future revenue both were worse than analysts predicted. The stock tumbled 8.7 percent to $9.78. This is the lowest share price since they went public in June 2014. GoPro shares have lost 90 percent from their high—they were selling at $93.85 a share. Poor earnings, tougher competition, slow Hero4 Session sales, clunky editing software and better products elsewhere have left the once all-powerful video company looking for a boost.

THE WINNINGEST TEAM IS FIGHTING AN UPHILL BATTLE

Adam Cianciarulo can’t get a break…well, that’s not exactly accurate.

Everyone in the sport, even his competitors feel for Adam Cianciarulo. After a remarkable rookie season in Supercross, where he looked like he would win the 250 East, Adam got hurt and had to miss the rest of the 2014 season. Then, he got hurt again at a meaningless Europe Supercross before the start of the 2015 season. Now, with a broken wrist just before his return to the 2016 AMA 250 East Supercross series, Adam will miss all of the 2016 Supercross season, but will be back for the 250 Nationals. Pro Circuit has had nothing but troubles with its riders — all potential winners — over the last couple years (Joey Savatgy has been their bright light). Cianciarulo has been all but missing from the team for the last couple years. Tyler Bowers dropped off the scene last year with a back injury and has been suffering from illnesses ever since. Arnaud Tonus showed promise at the beginning of the 2015 Supercross season, but got a mysterious illness that seems to come and go. Those three riders are Pro Circuit’s 250 East squad. It is now down to Bowers and Tonus, but are they healthy? Pro Circuit is open to finding a fill-in for Cianaciarulo, but who?

MXA PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: BUD RACING “SECOND” RADIATOR KIT FOR KAWASAKI KX85/KX100

Bud Racing offers a kit that enables hardcore KX85 and especially KX100 racers to mount a second radiator on their Kawasaki mini and Supermini. It’s a must-have for races looking to improve the engine temperature and increase power on their bikes—especially on ported/high-compression engines. There are different kits include the main one that includes the radiator, bracket, silicon hoses kit and Bud exhaust pipe. It’s ready to install easily. The pipe has a different bracket to aid in fitting the radiator kit. It is possible to modify Pro Circuit or FMF pipe to fit our radiator kit with modifications to the bracket position. There is also a replacement kit that just has the radiator, brackets and hoses (offered as a replacement set-up in case of crash damage). $429.00–(951) 245-2660 or www.budracing-usa.com

2016 SUPERCROSS WINNERS AT A GLANCE

It was nice to see Trey Canard back for San Diego after a couple weekends off because of the badly cut hand.

Date           Venue                                450                                250
Jan. 9…….Anaheim……………….Jason Anderson….Cooper Webb
Jan. 16……San Diego……………..Ryan Dungey………Cooper Webb
Jan. 23……Anaheim II……………Ryan Dungey………Cooper Webb
Jan. 30……Oakland……………….Ryan Dungey………Joey Savatgy
Feb. 6…….Phoenix…………………Ken Roczen………..Christian Craig
Feb. 13……San Diego II…………..Ryan Dungey………Joey Savatgy
Feb. 20……Dallas…………………
Feb. 27……Atlanta………………..
March 5……Daytona……………..
March 12…Toronto………………..
March 19…Detroit…………………
April 2……..Santa Clara…………
April 9……..Indianapolis…………
April 16……St. Louis……………..
April 23……Boston………………..
April 30……New York…………….
May 7……..Las Vegas……………
450 Points leader…Ryan Dungey (Hus)
250 West points leader…Joey Savatgy (Kaw)

MXA PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: HINSON JGR YZ450F IGNITION COVER

Hinson Clutch Components is now offering Billetproof ignition covers for the 2014-2016 Yamaha YZ450F. Now available and in stock, get your hands on the ignition cover that Justin Barcia and Weston Peick use on their JGR Yamaha YZ450F race bikes. Built specifically for and proven by JGR Yamaha. Features include anInnovative timing plug/oil fill hole, Akadized coating for extreme boot wear resistance, improved heat dissipation, stronger than stock, precision machined from billet T-6 aircraft quality aluminum to aerospace tolerances. $399.99 at www.hinsonracing.com.

 

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UPCOMING RACES: WHO, WHAT, WHY & WHERE

2016 AMA SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Feb. 20………………..…..Dallas, TX
Feb. 27…………………….Atlanta, GA

2016 AMSOIL ARENACROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Feb. 20-21………………….Tampa, FL
Feb. 27-28…………………Birmingham, AL

2016 REM MOTOCROSS
Feb. 20…………………….Glen Helen, CA
Feb. 27…………….……….Glen Helen, CA

2016 SPANISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Feb. 21………………………San Lucard, Cadiz

2016 KTM JUNIOR SUPERCROSS CHALLENGE
Feb. 20……………………..Dallas, TX
Feb. 27……………………. Atlanta
Mar. 12…………………….Toronto

2016 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Feb. 27……………………..Losail, Qatar (Saturday)
Mar. 06………………..…..Suphan Buri, Thailand
Mar. 13……………………..Sepang, Malaysia (canceled)

2016 BRITISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
March 6……………………..Preston Docks

THIS WEEK’S BIRTHDAY BOYS: DAVI IS 28

Feb. 13…Glenn Coldenhoff 1991
Feb. 14…Sam Gammon
Feb. 14…Tom Carson

Feb. 15…Davi Millsaps 1988

Feb. 16…Josh Hansen 1984
Feb. 16…Don Emde 1951

Feb. 16…Valentino Rossi 1979
Feb. 17…Fredric Bolley 1974

Feb. 17…Heath Voss 1978
Feb. 17…Stefy Bau 1977

Feb. 17…Jason Anderson 1993
Feb. 18…Kevin Foley
Feb. 18…Tyler Evans 1980

HANG ON TO YOUR HAT: DOING LAPS WITH MXA’S BILLY MUSGRAVE

For more info on shifter karts go to www.musgraveracing.com or call (951) 278-8885.

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DAN ALAMANGOS’ PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Nothing is as shocking as walking through the pits and spotting a pink TM. Don’t think that this was some garage queen built up by a guy with too much time on his hands (and bad taste). This is a production 1995 TM 250 two-stroke. They came this way. Note the 2016 TM’s in the background.

MXA PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: PRO CIRCUIT KTM/HUSKY SHOCK PRELOAD COLLARS

The problem with the OEM preload collar for the 2016 KTM and Husqvarna models is its plastic composition. During use, the heat omitted from the shock body heats up the plastic as well. A combination of this, along with dirt working its way underneath, the plastic collar becomes deformed, which makes tuning and adjustment extremely difficult. Pro Circuit’s solution is very simple. We now offer a CNC-machined 6061 aluminum preload collar with a zinc-plated steel lock ring for improved durability and much easier adjustments. Discard your plastic OEM preload collar and replace it with Pro Circuit’s new 6061 collar to make future shock preload adjustments a breeze. $64.95 at www.procircuit.com

SATURDAY’S DALLAS SUPERCROSS TRACK MAP & TV SCHEDULE

Please note that San Diego II and Arlington (Dallas) are on Fox Sports 1, but Atlanta, Detroit and Las Vegas are on Fox Sports 2.  St.Louis and Boston (Foxborough) are day races that will be on the main Fox TV network.

MXA PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: FLY RACING’S WESTON PEICK REPLICA F2 HELMET

Weston Peick’s new replica helmet, based on FLY Racing’s F2 Carbon with integrated MIPS helmet platform, features a custom Weston Peick paint scheme with integrated Viking character graphic. It’s feature include Snell 2015, DOT and ECE certification, a MIPS low-friction layer tp absorb more of the rotational forces, state-of-the-art, carbon fiber and Kevlar composite shell, Coolmaxt liner & cheek pads to absorb sweat, dual-density EPS liner combines two layers of EPS (one softer, one slightly harder. $399.95 at: www.flyracing.com.

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THE CURRENT TOP TEN: LEADING INTO SAN DIEGO II

Joey Svatagy is making a race out of what looked like a runaway series for Cooper Webb. San Diego was Joey’s second win this year.

2015 AMA 250 WEST POINT STANDINGS
(After 6 of 9 races)
1. Joey Savatgy…123
2. Cooper Webb…120
3. Christian Craig…107
4. Colt Nichols…99
5. Zach Osborne…90
6. Jimmy Decotis…85
7. Mitch Oldenburg…81
8. Kyle Peters…75
9. Kyle Cunningham…64
10. Jordon Smith…63

Broc Tickle showed up to watch with a cast on his right wrist. Jake Weimer is filling in his Broc at Suzuki.

2015 AMA 450 POINT STANDING
(After 6 of 17 races)
1. Ryan Dungey… 144
2. Ken Roczen…118
3. Jason Anderson…111
6. Cole Seely…105
4. Chad Reed…103
5. Eli Tomac…103
7. Marvin Musquin…77
9. Justin Brayton…72
8. Davi Millsaps…71
10. Jake Weimer…62

MXA PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: NIHILO NICKEL BORON BRAKE CALIPER PISTONS

Many stock pistons are made from hard plastic and warp under high heat. Nihilo Concepts is now releasing Generation 2 Nickel Boron-Coated Pistons these new pistons are head and shoulders above anything else on the market.The front brake account s for 70 % of the stopping power and in doing so generate extreme heat. This heat can damage the stock plastic pistons and cause brake failure. Adding a Nickel Boron coating to our stainless steel pistons improves performance by reducing friction allowing them to move smoothly as hydraulic pressure is applied and by rejecting heat which can cause brake fluid to boil and brakes to fail.$69.95 at www.nihiloconcepts.com.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO MXA AND MAKE MONEY

You probably haven’t seen the March 2016 issue of MXA yet, but if you subscribed it would be in the trusty hands of a uniformed agent of the U.S. Government on its way to your mailbox right now. Or, you can wait for the bike tests, product reviews, Ricky Carmichael interview and tech features to appear on the internet…in a couple months. Your choice.

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. Better yet get the Digital desktop version at https://hi-torque.com/product/motocross-action-digital-edition/ for $9.99 a year. The MXA test riders prefer the print version and not just because it is delivered by a uniformed employee of the U.S. Government, but because for only $15.99 you get 12 issues and a free $25 Gift Card from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC. That means that 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/

MXA PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: RENTHAL “WORKS FIT” HANDLEBAR COMPARISON TOOL

Renthal has a new comparison tool that allows you to see the difference between all of their bars and all of the stock OEM bars. If you want to switch bars, but don’t know which Renthal bar to go to—you can find out with the click of a mouse. To try it out go to www.renthal.com/worksfit.

The stock 2016 Kawasaki KX250F bar is in black and the Renthal 602 is in red.

MXA wanted to run a slightly flatter bar on our 2016 Kawasaki KX250F. We liked the sweep and general dimension of the stock KX250F handlebar, but didn’t want the ends of kick up so much out by the grips. Voila! We brought up the specs drawing of the stock KX250 bars and overlaid Renthal bars until we found that the Renthal 602 would give us what we wanted.

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BUCKELEW BENEFIT PRACTICE AT ARIZONA’S CANYON RACEWAY FEB. 27

The Buckelew family needs your help.

OVER-THE-HILL-GANG WINTER SERIES AT MILESTONE — FEB. 28

For more info go to www.othgmx.org

CORY NORTON FUND RAISER RIDE DAY ON TUESDAY, MARCH 1

At Glen Helen on Tuesday March 1. Gates open at 9:00a.m. and close at 5:00 p.m. $20 donation to help a firefighter in need.

$10,00 MTA WORLD TWO-STROKE CHAMPIONSHIP — MARCH 26

For more info go to www.glenhelen.com

“BABES IN THE DIRT” AT HUNGRY VALLEY — APRIL 22-24

For more info go to www.babesrideout.com

CZ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REVIVAL — APRIL 24

For more info go to www.avdra.com

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2016’S BIGGEST RACES: THE ONES YOU MISSED ARE IN BLUE

2016 AMA SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Jan. 9…………………….Anaheim, CA
Jan. 16………………….San Diego, CA
Jan. 23………………….Anaheim, CA
Jan. 30………………….Oakland, CA
Feb. 6……………………Phoenix, AZ
Feb. 13………………….San Diego, CA
Feb. 20………………….Arlington, TX
Feb. 27………………….Atlanta, GA
March 5………………….Daytona, FL
March 12………………..Toronto, CAN
March 19………………..Detroit, MI
April 2………………..….Santa Clara, CA
April 9………………..….Indianapolis, IN
April 16………………….St. Louis, MO
April 23………………….Foxboro, MA
April 30………………….East Rutherford, NJ
May 7…………………….Las Vegas, NV

2016 AMA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
May 21……………………Hangtown, CA
May 28.…………………..Glen Helen, CA
June 4..…………………..Thunder Valley, CO
June 18..…………………Mt Morris, PA
June 25.………………….Muddy Creek, TN
July 2.…………………….Red Bud, MI
July 9..……………………Southwick, MA​
July 16.…………………..Millville, MN​
July 23.…………………..Washougal, WA
Aug. 13..………………….Unadilla, NY​
Aug. 20..………………….Budds Creek, MD​
Aug. 27.…………………..Crawfordsville, IN​

2016 FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Feb. 27……………………..Losail, Qatar (Saturday)
Mar. 06……………………..Suphan Buri, Thailand
Mar. 13……………………..Sepang, Malaysia (canceled)
Mar. 28……………………..Valkenswaard, Holland (Monday)
April 10……………………..Neuquen, Argentina
April 17……………………..Leon, Mexico
May 1……………………….Kegums, Latvia
May 8……………………….Teutschenthal, Germany
May 15……………………..Pietramurata, Italy
May 29……………………..Talavera de la Reina, Spain
June 5………………………St Jean d’Angely, France
June 19…………………….Matterly Basin, Great Britain
June 26…………………….Mantova, Italy
July 24………………………Loket, Czech Republic
July 31………………………Lommel, Belgium
Aug. 7……………………….Frauenfeld, Switzerland
Aug. 28……………………..Assen, Holland
Sept. 3………………………Charlotte, USA (Saturday)
Sept.11……………………..Glen Helen, USA

2016 AMSOIL ARENACROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Jan. 9-10………………….Cincinnati,OH
Jan. 15-17………………..Baltimore, MD
Jan. 22-24………………..Allentown, PA
Jan. 30-31………………..Greensboro, NC
Feb. 4-7…………………..Colorado Springs, CO
Feb. 13-14………………..Omaha, NB
Feb. 20-21………………..Tampa, FL
Feb. 27-28………………..Birmingham, AL
Mar. 12-13………………..Lafayette, LA
April 2-3…………………..Ontario, CA
April 9-10…………………Salinas, CA
April 16-17………………..Tacoma, WA.
April 22-24………………..Nampa, ID
May 6-8…………………..Las Vegas, NV

2016 GEICO ENDUROCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Aug. 27……………………..Atlanta, GA
Sept. 3………………………Sioux Falls, SD
Sept. 10…………………….Salt Lake City, UT
Sept. 24…………………….Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 1………………………..Denver, CO
Oct. 22………………………Everett, WA
Nov. 5………………………..Boise, ID
Nov. 19………………………Ontario, CA

2016 KTM JUNIOR SUPERCROSS CHALLENGE
Jan. 16……………………..San Diego, CA
Jan. 23……………………..Anaheim II, CA
Feb. 6……………………….Phoenix, AZ
Feb. 20……………………..Dallas, TX
Feb. 27……………………. Atlanta, GA
Mar. 12…………………….Toronto, CAN
Mar. 19…………………….Detroit, MI
April 9………………………Indianapolis, IN
April 16…………………….St. Louis, MO
May 7……………………….Las Vegas, NV

2016 AMA SUPERMOTO CHAMPIONSHIP
April 9…………………….Bakersfield, CA
June 18………………….Loudon, NH
July 2……………………..Sturgis, SD
Aug. 6…………………….Quebec, Can
Sept. 3…………………..Denver, CO
Oct. 22…………………..Tucson, AZ

2016 CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
June 5…………………..Kamloops, BC
June 12………………….Nanaimo, BC
June 19………………….Calgary, Alb
June 26………………….Regina, Sask
July 10…………………..Courtland, ON
July 17…………………..Ulverton, NS
July 24……………….….Pleasant Valley, NS
July 31…………………..Moncton, NB
Aug. 7……………………Deschambault, QC
Aug. 14………………….Barrie, ON

2016 ITALIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Jan. 31…………………….Alghero
Feb. 7………………………Lamezia Terme
Feb. 15…………………….Ottobiano

MTA WORLD TWO-STROKE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Mar. 26……………………..Glen Helen, CA

2016 CZ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
April 24…………………..Marysville,CA

2016 AMA JUNIOR MOTO X INDOOR AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
May 11-14…………………..Guthrie, OK

2016 AMA VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE DAYS
July 8-10…………………..Lexington, OH

2016 AMA NATIONAL AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Aug. 1-6……………………..Loretta Lynn, TN


2016 MOTOCROSS DES NATIONS
Sept. 25………………………Maggiora, Italy

2016 REM OCTOBERCROSS
Oct. 29……………………….Glen Helen, CA

2016 DUBYA WORLD VET CHAMPIONSHIP
Nov. 5-6…………………….Glen Helen, CA

Photos: John Basher, Daryl Ecklund, Travis Fant, Collin Speckner, Dan Alamangos, Suzuki, MXGP, Dan Alamangos, Jody Weisel, Nihilo Concepts, Pro Circuit, Hinson, Bud Racing and MXA