THE GASGAS FILES: MXA GOES TO ITALY TO RIDE SPANISH BIKES THAT ARE BUILT IN AUSTRIA

BY JOSH MOSIMAN

When GasGas invited MXA to fly to Italy for their 2024 new-model introduction, I got the call to pack my gear bag to represent the wrecking crew in the town of Citta di Castello, two hours south of Florence, Italy. In Citta di Castello, there is a racetrack named “Crossodromo La Trogna.” It is an Italian national-caliber track that sits on 47 acres of land with a motocross track, off-road trails through the woods, and an old brick building outfitted with a kitchen, bar, showers and bathrooms. In true Euro fashion, the track is laid out on the side of a mountain, with off-camber sections, steep up and downs, and flowing jumps. As is normal for most tracks in Italy, the dirt was hard and rocky.

I COULDN’T HELP BUT ASK, “WHY ITALY?” IT WAS LOGICAL TO ASSUME THAT THE 2024 GASGAS MODEL LAUNCH WOULD BE IN SPAIN, BECAUSE GASGAS WAS BORN IN SPAIN 38 YEARS AGO.

I wasn’t the first MXA test rider to travel to Italy for a new-model intro; several MXA test riders have made the journey in the past; in fact, this would be my second time to Italy. My first Italian adventure was over 10 years ago when I raced the 2011 FIM Junior World Motocross Championships at Cingoli, which is another very scenic but hard-packed Italian track (just two hours away from Citta di Castello). Back then, I raced a Suzuki RM125 two-stroke.

Surprisingly, the trip to Citta di Castello was my first time traveling abroad for MXA on a work trip, and I was blown away by the lengths GasGas went to introduce their 2024 models. This launch was important to GasGas because the 2024 model year would mark the first big update for GasGas machines since the brand was originally relaunched by the Austrians back in 2021. Although the bikes still have the same amount of KTM DNA as before, the GasGas marketing department didn’t miss this opportunity to promote their new-generation bike.

I couldn’t help but ask, “Why Italy?” GasGas was born in Spain 38 years ago, but when the Austrian-based Pierer Mobility Group (KTM), located in Mattighofen, Austria, bought GasGas, they moved manufacturing of motocross and off-road bikes to Austria, leaving trials bike manufacturing at a new factory in Barcelona. It was logical to assume that the 2024 GasGas model launch would be in Spain. But, unfortunately for our Spanish hopes, it was moved to Italy, because Spain has been struggling with wildfires this summer, and often the Spanish government will shut down off-road riding whenever there’s a high fire risk. Plus, some of the Spanish tracks aren’t allowed to be watered during the summer, either, for the same reasons.

What made the Italian-based new-model launch different were three important facts: (1) It was an international bike launch with all the American and European media combined; (2) Instead of just a motocross launch, which is where MXA’s focus lies, it included all 16 models of GasGas dirt bikes—from enduro to cross-country to motocross. There were multiple units of each model, 60 in total, plus enough mechanics to set them up for the worldwide magazine and internet outlets; (3) The media launch was combined with a public ride day called the “Spice It Up Festival” where, on Saturday, GasGas held a free event where anyone could register online to come to Crossodromo La Trogna and ride for two 20-minute sessions on the bikes of their choice. Afterwards, they could stick around to watch Justin Barcia and GasGas enduro riders like Taddy Blazusiak and Andrea Verona ride on the track, and meet them in person. 

MXA handled all of our testing duties on Friday before the crowds arrived, riding both the enduro loop and motocross track. Then, on Saturday, we walked through five different tech talks to get a refresher course on the updates that GasGas made to the new bikes, most of which we’ve been learning about since we tested the 2023-1/2 GasGas MC250F and MC450F Factory Editions.

It’s exciting to see 60 brand-new dirt bikes in one place, and it’s even better when you know you’ll have the opportunity to ride whichever bikes you’d like. Still, the best part of the event for me was meeting the engineers, mechanics and test riders who work (almost) endlessly to develop the bikes. Why do I say “almost”? Because KTM in Austria gives their employees five weeks of vacation a year. Wow, the European workload seems nice! I think we Americans might be workaholics. 

GasGas brought 30 motocross bikes and 30 enduro bikes, they had full factory semi truck and untold number of Sprinter vans. WP had a sprinter van dedicated to setting up suspension, and there were multiple technical display tents with frames, as well as engine and suspension cutaways so that you could see what was going on inside the engine and suspension components, which I also appreciate very much! Equally as impressive as 60 new dirt bikes was the multitude of red-shirt-wearing employees at the event. GasGas had marketing managers, product managers, photographers, social-media managers, local Italian GasGas representatives, mechanics, test riders, engineers, brand ambassadors and corporate bigwigs in attendance.

 Of course, with a translator in hand, I sought out the Crossodromo track owner for the lowdown on local motocross in Italy. He explained that the track was founded in 1985 by a moto club that took care of it, all with volunteers. The racetrack is open almost every weekend for practice for an entry fee of €25 per rider ($27.24 USD), and they host seven races a year drawing between 100 and 200 racers. Although the facility seemed capable, it hasn’t held any MXGP races, only national Italian championship races and other local events. Their biggest event ever had 500 riders, and it was an enduro race sponsored by KTM/Husky/GasGas for riders on Austrian bikes only. They had a special test on the motocross track and a big loop around the trails. 

OF COURSE, WITH A TRANSLATOR IN HAND, I SOUGHT OUT THE CROSSODROMO TRACK OWNER FOR THE LOWDOWN ON LOCAL MOTOCROSS IN ITALY. HE EXPLAINED THAT  THE RACETRACK IS OPEN ALMOST EVERY WEEKEND FOR PRACTICE FOR AN ENTRY FEE OF €25 PER RIDER ($27.24 USD).

There are two other tracks in this region of Italy, both within a 60-mile radius. But, one nice part about this track is that they have an international homologation. This means that the track is FIM certified for safety with the right dimensions for entry and exit to the track, plus camping areas, wash bays, showers, bathrooms and a full sprinkler watering system for the track.

MXA does test the occasional off-road bike, because in SoCal we race a mix of motocross and cross-country races, like the NGPC series; SRA cross-country; and 6-, 10- and 24-hour endurance events, so it was fun to swing a leg over the GasGas EC250F, EC350F and EC500F over a weekend. Plus, we looked forward to riding the EX350F cross-country bike with the new  WP XACT, closed-cartridge, coil-spring forks, as well as the MC125 and MC250 two-stroke. Honesty, I could’ve ridden more bikes, but I was mostly concerned about spending as much time as possible on the motocross models to get a base understanding of how they worked before we start testing back home with the rest of the MXA wrecking crew.

The cross-country bikes were a hot commodity with their new coil-spring forks, and it was nice to have them at an international press launch, even though they are only available in the North American and Australian markets. They’re basically motocross bikes with 6-speed transmissions, 18-inch rear wheels, Dunlop instead of Maxxis tires, closed-cartridge spring forks with softer valving and 9-liter (2.37-gallon) gas tanks, but unlike KTM and Husky, the GasGas models don’t come with a map switch. 

AFTER RIDING FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE WP AER FORKS GETS STIFFER AND STIFFER. IT ISN’T A BIG ISSUE IN MOTOCROSS WHERE THE LONGEST RACES ARE 30 MINUTES, BUT IT PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN TWO- AND THREE-HOUR CROSS-COUNTRY RACES.

The Crossodromo enduro loop was built like a sprint enduro test, with half of it being in the trees and the other half in a field like a true grass track. It was ultra-cool to ride moto and enduro back to back on the new bikes. The spring forks were a huge change for the cross-country models, and the driving factor for the change was longer races. After riding for an extended period of time, the air inside the WP AER forks builds up pressure, making the forks stiffer and stiffer. It isn’t a big issue in motocross where the longest races are 30 minutes, but it plays a big role in two- and three-hour cross-country races. The 2024 closed-cartridge XACT fork on the EX models are much more racy than the XPLOR open-cartridge fork on the enduro bikes. They have better hold-up and utilize a base valve to add pressure on the spring full-time, which eliminates cavitation and oil foaming. 

As for the motocross models, they’ve received all the major updates that KTM and Husqvarna gained in 2023  with their own GasGas flavor mixed in. The big difference between the red Austrian bikes and the white and orange ones is the lower price tag—the 2024 GasGas MC450F costs $10,399 compared to $11,099 for the KTM 450SXF and $11,199 for the Husqvarna FC450. Technical differences include the softer suspension settings, different aluminum triple clamps, BrakTec hydraulics (brakes and clutch), Maxxis tires, non-branded Neken handlebars, aluminum subframes, unique bodywork, fuel tanks and slightly wider plastics. 

MXA recently tested the new Maxxis MX-SI tires, which I raced with at three AMA 450 Nationals this summer, and they are a big improvement over the MX-ST tires that have come stock on GasGas models since 2021 and are known for throwing knobs at a rapid pace. We were bummed that the new MX-SI or MX-IH tires didn’t come on the 2024 GasGas models, because some of the rear tires were already chunking rubber after the long two days of riding. Also, the Braktec brakes were a big topic of conversation in Italy. Brembo bought the Spanish Braktec company, and although they look like Brembo master cylinders and calipers, they aren’t made by Brembo. They’re produced at the Braktec’s factory in Spain. Thankfully, the motocross and cross-country brakes are new and improved versions, with significant changes and improved pucker power, but they still don’t stop like Brembo.

GasGas is the “fun brand” of the Austrian trio, and they exhibited that at Citta di Castello with a full-on rock concert, hot-pepper-eating contest, holeshot races, fireworks in the evenings and an awesome lineup of 2024 machines.

As for me, I flew back to SoCal for exactly seven days before the whole MXA wrecking crew—Dennis Stapleton, Trevor Nelson, Josh Fout and I—boarded a transatlantic jet for a week-long visit to Mattighofen (Jody Weisel and Daryl Ecklund, both of whom have been to Mattighofen before, stayed behind to hold down the MXA fort). We plan to run rampant through the KTM factory, KTM museum, KTM R&D department, and not only get to ride everything they’ve got, but I was invited to race a round of the 2023 Austrian 450 National Motocross Championships, but that’s a story for another day.

 

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