FINAL STANDINGS 2014 MOTOCROSS DES NATIONS

Kegums, Latvia.

Based on the five best out of six possible scores, the French team was all-powerful at the MXDN in Latvia. Thanks to the dominant riding of Gautier Paulin, the red, white and blue team (those are the national colors of France also) swept to a well deserved victory. Belgium got second based on Jeremy Van Horebeeks’ 1-2 day. And Team USA had a strong second place in one moto by Ryan Dungey (2-11) and a brilliant last-to third-place ride by Eli Tomac (6-3), which was good enough to get the third step on the podium—by virtue of Dungey’s second place beating out Scot/Brit/Canadian Dean Wilson’s third on the “best moto finish” tie breaker countdown. As for Italy’s Antonio Cairoli he crashed out of moto one (on his 250) and rode injured to 19th in moto two. American Jeremy Martin crashed big-time on Saturday and toughed it out on Sunday with reported broken toes to go 11-13.

BEST 5 OUT OF 6 SCORE
1. France ……………..17
2. Belgium …………..27
3. USA ………………..33
4. Great Britain…….33
5. Germany ………….72
6. Italy …………………73
7. Switzerland ………74
8. Russia ……………..75
9. Estonia …………….77
10. Holland ………….80
11. Sweden ……………92
12. Latvia ……………..97
13. Portugal …………99
14. Australia ………..108
15. Denmark ………..124

SEE THE BIKES IN RED, WHITE & BLUE: WITH A CAMEO BY DEAN WILSON’S KAWASAKI

Photos by Dennis Stapleton

Jeremy Martin’s Star Racing Yamalube YZ250F looked great in America’s colors. It was unfortunate that Jeremy was detuned by a Saturday crash and had to race on Sunday with broken toes.

Ryan Dungey had one strong moto and one weak one (crash induced). His bike looked good though.

Dean Wilsonalmost podium Great Britian on the podium, but the Brits missed by the narrowest of margins. This was Dean’s last Kawasaki ride. He will switch to orange this week.

12TH ANNUAL TURKEY RUN IS COMING TO CROW CANYON — WOULDN’T THAT MAKE IT THE CROW RUN

Do you live near Ohio? Are you free the weekend of October 11th? Then Turkey Run it!

FIRST GLIMPSE AT WIL HAHN ON HIS FACTORY MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI

John Basher shot these photos of Wilbur going blazing fast on Friday aboard his brand new factory Kawasaki 450 ride

MXA had a busy week with Daryl Ecklund and Dennis Stapleton in Latvia (and headed for Austria) and Jody busy fork testing, John Basher called in Austin Politelli to handle the KTM 125SX/250SX riding duties.

VIDEO: HERE’S A LOOK AT WHAT THE RED BULL STRAIGHT RHYTHM TRACK WILL LOOK LIKE

AMERICAN HONDA & GEICO HONDA SIGN FOR THREE MORE YEARS

Press release: American Honda Motor Corp., Inc. announced that it has renewed its contract with GEICO Honda for an additional three years, ensuring that the Factory Connection-run program will continue running Honda’s factory-supported 250 team through the 2017 season. Honda’s long professional relationship with Factory Connection owners Mike Grondahl, Jeff Majkrzak and Rick Zielfelder started in 1995, when the company began providing the factory team with suspension-related technical support. Five years later, Factory Connection took over Honda’s satellite team, which has enjoyed consistent success ever since, earning nine titles with Justin Barcia, Justin Bogle, Trey Canard, Wil Hahn, Travis Preston and Eli Tomac. For the 2015 AMA Supercross and Motocross season, the Mike LaRocco-managed GEICO Honda team’s 250 effort comprises Matt Bisceglia, Bogle, R.J. Hampshire and Jordon Smith, all campaigning Honda CRF250R machinery.

“We’re very pleased to extend our partnership with GEICO Honda,” said Ray Conway, Director of Racing at American Honda. “We’ve achieved a lot together over the years, and the team continues to demonstrate that it is second to none in terms of professionalism and capability. We’re confident that together, we can continue adding to our list of accomplishments.”

“We’ve had a long and prosperous relationship with American Honda spanning almost two decades now,” Majkrzak said. “We hope it continues well into the future. It’s an honor to represent Honda and to consistently put the brand on the podium. They have the best motorcycles in the business. We truly feel that we have two of the best names in the industry with GEICO and Honda.”

2015 KTM 150SX & 250SX PHOTO SHOOT

2015 KTM 150SX

Here are a few images out of John Basher’s lens as Austin Politelli displaces fossilized dinosaur droppings at Lake Elsinore. You’ll note that 1(50SX) by land and 2(50SX) by air.

2015 KTM 250SX

FLY RACING & WESTON PEICK INK DEAL

Press release: Fly Racing is proud to announce a renewed partnership with privateer standout, and now Joe Gibbs Racing rider, Weston Peick. Peick has been a part of the FLY Racing family for five years with many more to come. Peick will compete in the full AMA 450 Monster Energy Supercross series as well as the full AMA MX Sports Outdoor National Series aboard his Joe Gibbs Racing Yamaha.

Craig Shoemaker, CEO of Western Power Sports/Fly Racing, had this to say about the renewed partnership “We are excited to continue our relationship with such a hard working athlete and great Fly Racing family member. I am excited to see what Weston can do with this new opportunity.” Watch for Weston in Fly Racing’s full line of Professional Race Equipment soon. View Fly Racing’s full line of helmets, racewear, protective gear, and casual by visiting www.flyracing.com

FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS: THE JAMES STEWART BIBLIOGRAPHY

James Stewart.

JAMES STEWART: AMERICAN CONTRACTOR
This James Stewart helped build America in the 1800s. His firm built railroads west of the Mississippi River and, by the end of the 19th century, had expanded into building banks, department stores, hotels, and civic structures, including the Cincinnati Terminal Building shown above. He left behind an expansive collection of construction photographs that are now in a museum. James died in 1902.

JAMES STEWART: SCOTTISH DOCTOR/MISSIONARY
This James Stewart followed in the footsteps of Dr. David Livingstone (of “Dr. Livingstone, I presume” fame). He founded hospitals, schools and missions in Africa’s Zambezi region in the late 1800s. He died in 1905.

JAMES STEWART: MOVIE ACTOR & USAF GENERAL
This James Stewart was nominated for five Academy Awards (starring in “Rear Window,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” “Harvey,” Mr. Smith Goes To Washington” and “The Spirit of St. Louis”) and was a Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force. He passed away in 1997.

JAMES STEWART: MILLIONAIRE MATHEMATICIAN
This James Stewart wrote the seminal calculus textbook, now in its eighth edition, and followed it up with many more successful math books.

JAMES STEWART: CEO OIL GIANT BAKER HUGHES
This James Stewart is the head of oil services giant Baker Hughes. Earlier this month he sold 35,000 shares of his stock in the company for $2,400,000, but don‘t cry for James, he still owns $18,000,000 more in stock.

JAMES STEWART: CLOCKMAKER
This James Stewart runs a successful grandfather clock business in Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is a third generation clock business that was started 60 years ago by his grandfather. His clocks sell for up to $15,000. Armagh is best known as the place where Saint Patrick founded his Church in 444 AD.

JAMES STEWART: RAW MILK PRODUCER
This James Stewart founded Rawsome foods, a producer of raw and organic foods and unpasteurized milk. The FDA cracked down on Rawsome and arrested Stewart — who then jumped bail. The case was settled out of court.

JAMES STEWART: BOSTON SPORTS RADIO PERSONALITY
This James Stewart is a sports talk show personality on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub. Stewart has won four Marconi Award.

JAMES STEWART: COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE
This James Stewart is a judge on the Louisiana Circuit Court of Appeals. He graduate from the Loyola School of Law in 1980, served as Shreveport, Louisiana’s Assistant District Attorney and was appointed to a judgeship, in the First district Court, in 1991. He is a Lay Deacon in the Zion Baptist Church.

BAKERSFIELD REJOICE! KERN COUNTY RACEWAY TO BUILD MOTOCROSS TRACK

Officials at Kern County Raceway Park, a state-of-the-art 120-acre car racing facility west of Bakersfield, have confirmed the construction of KCRP MX. Motocross action will return to Bakersfield with practice and racing activities to enhance the NASCAR-sanctioned facility. For more news about the opening day go to “Kernraceway” on Facebook

 VERY COOL GRAHAM JARVIS HUSQVARNA VIDEO

TODD WATERS IS BACK IN ACTION

Todd in Bulgaria early into the 2014 GP season.

Sitting seventh overall in the 450 World Championships after round five, IceOne Husqvarna’s Todd Waters was on course to become the standout rookie in 2014. But an unfortunate training accident prior to the Grand Prix of Holland saw the young Australian sidelined with a broken leg, hip and collarbone.  Now with the all clear to race again, Waters returned to racing at the final round of the ADAC German Motocross Championship. Placing a highly impressive fifth in race one

TODD, WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE TO FINALLY GET BACK BEHIND A STARTING GATE AGAIN?  “It felt really, really good. I’m a racer – racing’s what I love to do. You can practice and train day after day but there’s no feeling in the world that beats lining up alongside 39 other riders that are all gunning for that same piece of ground in the first corner.”

TO FINISH FIFTH IN YOUR FIRST RACE BACK MUST HAVE BEEN A WELCOME SURPRISE. DID YOU HAVE ANY EXPECTATIONS LEADING INTO THE EVENT?   “We were racing with a very open mind. Honestly, the team and myself where there just to get a feel for things. They put no pressure on me to deliver a result – they just wanted me to finish both races. On Saturday I was naturally nervous and a bit rusty so I only qualified 16th. That gave me a bad gate pick but somehow I started good and was running as high as third before eventually crossing the finish line in fifth.”

RAIN BEFORE THE SECOND RACE MADE THINGS DIFFICULT, HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THE SLIPPERY CONDITIONS?   “I like riding in the mud but up until that point I hadn’t ridden in mud for a very long time. I had done all my training on sand tracks like Lommel so it was hard to adapt. My start wasn’t so good this time and I got filled in during the first few corners. But like I said, we were just there for the practice. Getting two full motos in was the most important result for us.”

WHEN DID YOU MAKE THE DECISION TO RETURN TO RACING?  “I started back riding about four weeks ago. I had hoped to be ready a little earlier than that so I could race the final GP’s but it just didn’t work out. At 14 weeks after my injury I rode for three days but I wasn’t ready. My ankle was giving me a lot of pain so Antti Pyrhönen – my team manager – made the decision to wait. Even though I wanted to ride he could see I wasn’t ready. In hindsight I have a lot to thank him for because it was the right call to make. It’s good to know that the team have my best interests at heart.”

RECOVERY WISE WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO HELP YOUR REHABILITATION?  “I’ve been lucky to have the support of Red Bull helping me in my recovery. During the first four weeks I spent most of my time resting and allowing the bones to heal. From there it was a matter of slowly building everything back up. Daily physio at Red Bull’s facility in Austria was interesting. They really opened up my eyes to new ways of doing things. We worked a lot on balance and building up my core strength while barefooted. It was a lot of fun.”

ALTHOUGH YOU MISSED OUT ON THE MAJORITY OF THE SEASON WITH INJURY, HAVE YOU SETTLED INTO EUROPEAN LIVING?  “Personally, that’s one of the most important things I can take away from this year. Prior to January I had no base in Europe. I was still sort of commuting between Australia and Belgium. Now I know what I’m about. I’ve got a home, a car and a life – I feel settled. I’m already excited for next year.”

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE OFF-SEASON? WILL YOU RETURN HOME TO AUSTRALIA?  “We have a little bit more training and testing to do here first. I also need to visit Red Bull for a three-day fitness assessment where we’ll work on a training programme for when I return home. About the second week of October I fly back to Australia and from then until Christmas it’s about working hard to be ready for 2015.”

FINALLY, WITH THE MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS TAKING PLACE THIS WEEKEND WHO‘S YOUR MONEY ON FOR THE WIN! “It’s got to be Australia. I’ll be cheering hard for those guys. It would be cool to see them on the podium!”

THIS WEEK’S BIRTHDAY BOYS: BOB IS 58

Sept. 26…Bob Hannah 1956
Sept. 26…Jesse Masterpool
Sept. 27…Jeremy Stenberg 1981

Sept. 28…Erik Kehoe 1964
Sept. 28…Danny Massie
Sept. 28…Gregory Aranda 1989

Sept. 29…Dave Thorpe 1962

Sept. 29…Ricky Dietrich 1987
Oct. 1…Dana Wiggins
Oct. 2…Victor Sheldon

Oct. 1…Bobby Kiniry 1985
Oct. 2…Jim Neese

$25,000 TEXAS PRO CHALLENGE NEXT WEEKEND

For more info go to www.swanmx.com

USED IT, ABUSED IT, TESTED IT: SKF FORKS SEALS/DUST WIPERS

With one of every motocross bike made in our test fleet, the MXA test crew gets tired of blown forks seals. Which is why we replace the stock seals with SKF seals (they come stock on KTM’s and we rarely blow a KTM fork seal). SKF seal kits consist of a new oil seal and a new dust wiper. SKF’s self-lubricating rubber compound not only enables them to keep the oil in, but to reduce static friction (stiction) by a significant amount. Plus, we blow twice as manyKayaba PSF air fork seals as we do coil spring fork seals.

VERDICT: Nothing is more frustrating than looking down at your fork leg and seeing oil oozing towards your front brake rotor. A modern upside-down fork requires complete disassembly to replace a fork seal. In MXA’s opinion, modern fork seals are lightyears better than seals from a few years ago and SKF is better than any other modern seal. It is highly likely that a 2013-era fork seal would never leak or wear out if dirt wasn’t introduced into the equation. It’s not a matter of keeping the oil in, as much as the dirt out — thus the dust wiper. $35.99 (one seal and wiper). www.mx-tech.com or (877) 850-5114.

SEE THE ALL-NEW BUD RACING USA CATALOG

Click here to scroll http://issuu.com/budracing/docs/catbudusa1/0

PANIC REV WINTER CAMP AT GLEN HELEN ON DEC. 29, 30, 31

Press release: This is an opportunity of a lifetime to train with some of the top Christian athletes in the sport of motocross! This 3-day motocross camp is designed to help give riders a solid spiritual, physical, and technical foundation. Moreover, the camp is designed for riders of all ages that are either racing or getting ready to race that are looking to take their skills on the racetrack to a new level. We are not set up to teach first time riders. The camp will feature daily chapel services and prayer, in addition to going over conditioning, corners, jumping, starts, riding position, technique and much more. Our goal is to not only give riders and families tools to improve on the track, but also to help set a foundation that will help navigate life!

Dates: December 29, 30, & 31st
Location: Glen Helen Raceway
Lead Instructor: Matt Cleveland
Camp Instructors: TBA
Camp Tuition: $385
Contact Us: [email protected] or (626) 991-1877

MARK THE DAY: THE REST OF THE YEAR IS SET IN STONE

2014 RED BULL STRAIGHT RHYTHM
October 4….Pomona, CA

2013 ALL-JAPAN MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
October 5…………..Hiroshima
October 26…………Sugo

2014 BRANSON USA CHAMPIONSHIP
Oct. 8-14………Branson, MO

2014 WORLD OFFROAD CHAMPIONSHIP (WORCS) SERIES
October 17-19…Primm, NV

2014 GEICO ENDUROCROSS  CHAMPIONSHIP
October 4…Denver, CO
October 11…Salt Lake City, UT
October 18…Everett, WA
November 15…Boise, ID
November 22…Ontario, CA

2014 TEXAS PRO CHALLENGE
October 5….Tyler, TX

2014 MONSTER CUP
October 18….Las Vegas, NV

2014 AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
October 10……….Bathhurst
October 11………..Bathhurst
October 18………..Phillip Island
October 19………..Phillip Island
November 8………Brisbane

2014 CANADIAN ARENACROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
October. 24-25…………Armstrong, BC
November 7-8…………..Cloverdale, BC
November. 28-29………Chilliwack, BC
December. 5-6…………..Chilliwack, BC

2014 REM OCTOBERCROSS (FORMERLY COMMOTION BY THE OCEAN)
October 25……………..Glen Helen, CA

2014 WORLD VETERAN MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
November 1-2…………….Glen Helen, CA

2014 PARIS SUPERCROSS
November 15-16……………..Bercy

THIS IS NOT MOTOCROSS: BUT IT IS COOL

In a street bike world dominated by massive machines that look like all the other massive machines, the AVA 250 Sport is a throwback to a different era. Industrial designer Adrian Van Anz was inspired by 1960s Grand Prix road racers and his AVA Velocity Works 250 Swift looks very much like a Honda works bike from the Isle of Man. It is street legal in all 50 states and carries a price tag under $4000. The AVA 250 Sport is built by Longcin in China (Longcin makes parts for BMW).

Power comes form an  air-cooled, 249cc, Chinese-built, single-cylinder four-stroke. For more info go to www.avavelocityworks.com.

DREAM JOBS: PIVOT WORKS’ GARRETT PENFIELD

Garrett Penfield.

STARTING POINT: “My first ride was a barn-find 1983 Honda ATC 110. My dad and I got it running, and when I wrecked it, I had to fix it. I have enjoyed working on cars and motorcycles ever since. I started at Pivot Works in 2008. I actually interviewed for a Coordinate Measuring Machine [CMM] programming position, but with my skill and experience designing metal dies, I was able to fill the drafting role better.”

THE JOB: “I think the best part of my job has been watching Pivot Works grow. At a time when our country has just finished going through one of the worst recessions in history, Pivot Works has added a tremendous amount of product over the last couple of years. This has our warehouse busting at the seams. My daily responsibilities include all new-product development, inspection/quality control, and any general duties to get projects completed.”

2014 WORLD VET CHAMPIONSHIP INFO, SCHEDULES & UPDATES

The World Vet Championship celebrates its 30th year at Glen Helen Raceway on November 1-2, 2014. It also gets a new title sponsor, who is really its old sponsor and its founding father. Dubya Wheels will be the new title sponsor (with help from MTA), but they aren’t really a new sponsor. Tom White not only sponsored the first World Vet in 1994, but actually founded the event and sponsored it for 26 years. He is back as the sponsor again—by having his daughter’s company, Dubya Wheels, become the title sponsor in 2014.

Here is the schedule of events for the most important Vet race in the world—start making plans now

Thursday, October 30

Thursday will feature an open practice from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Dubya World Vet Motocross Championships (Presented by MTA) will boast a National-caliber track using all of the famous Glen Helen landmarks such as Talledega, Mount St. Helen, Bud’s Creek, Yamaha Hill and the Sand Rhythm Straight. Thursday is a chance for out-of-state and out-of- country riders to get adapted to the track—while riding with AMA Nationals Pros and 16 year old kids. It’s a wild day.

Friday, October 31

Friday offers a special practice, limited to riders who have pre-entered into the 2014 Dubya World Vet Championship. This practice runs from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. On this day the vendors will be setting up shop and the Glen Helen/Troy Lee Museum will be opened in the afternoon for a historic motocross bike show from Tom White’s “Early Years of Motocross Museum.”

Saturday, November 1

Saturday brings racing to the World Vet Motocross event. The highlight of  Saturday is the Over-40 Pro Championship. There will be support classes for Novice, Intermediate and Expert racers in age groups 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and Over-70. Over-30 Women will also have a class. It should be noted that the only Official World Championship class on Saturday is for the Over-40 Pros —for everyone else it is a chance to work out the kinks before the big day on Sunday

Sunday, November 2

Sunday is the official World Veteran Motocross Championships day. All the same classes that ran on Saturday will race on Sunday—only this time it is for all the marbles. The exception is that the Over-40 Pro class (who named their Champion on Saturday) will be replaced by the Over-30 Pros and a $4000 purse! Last year Travis Preston won the crown and has already confirmed that he intends to defend it vigorously in 2014.

Sunday at noon

Chuck “Feets” Minert (24) on his factory BSA during the 1970 Trans-AMA series.

The Edison Dye Motocross Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented for the 17th time. Initiated to honor individuals who have made a positive contribution to our sport the award has been received by Edison Dye, Roger DeCoster, Jeff Ward, Joel Robert, Torsten Hallman, Bruce Brown and John DeSoto (among others). This year the 2014 Edison Dye Motocross Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to AMA Hall of Famer, Catalina Grand Prix winner and the man who has raced the more motocross races than anyone on the planet — 83-year-old BSA factory rider Chuck “Feets” Minert.

Nuts and Bolts of the World Vet:

Pre-entries are open from August 1 to October 30. The cost is $40 for the first class and $30 for a second class. Post-entries will begin on Friday November 1, and are $50. The Over-30 and Over-40 Pro Class entry fee is $50, pre or post. Practices on both races days (Saturday and Sunday) will begin at 7:30 a.m. Rider can ride in their age appropriate class and are then eligible to move down one skill level for every ten years (for example, an Over-50 Expert can race the Over-40 Intermediate class). Scoring will be by transponder and you must bring your driver’s license to sign-up to prove that you are the right age before transponders will be handed out. No driver’s license—no race. This goes for both pre-entered riders, who must check in, or post entries. For more info or to pre-enter go to www.glenhelen.com