Vicki Golden once again a front-runner

After capping off her amateur career with a Women's Class title at the Amateur National Championships in 2008, Vicki Golden burst onto the professional motocross scene in 2009 at the age of 18. She was instantly a challenger in her first full season of women's motocross competition but suffered an injury to bring her season to a premature end. In 2010, she was once again a front-runner, ultimately finishing fourth in the championship.

With a full nine months between competition, Golden's motocross version of cabin fever reached its pinnacle and she made the foray into supercross competition, taking part in exhibition events in Europe just prior to the 2011 season. After discovering her love and skill in the more technical discipline, Golden decided that she wasn't ready to stop racing and determined the next logical transition would be to compete in the ultra-competitive AMA Arenacross Series' Western Regional Championship in the Arenacross Lites class.

While she missed the opening round of the championship in Tulsa, Golden will compete in the remaining six rounds, beginning with this weekend's two-night showcase from Denver. By becoming a full-time member of the AMA Arenacross Series, Golden is making history by going head-to-head with the men, a first in the U.S.
In recent years, the once seemingly indestructible gender barrier within the sport has slowly deteriorated as the nation's top female racers have become faster, more athletic, and now receive the necessary support from the sport's manufacturers. Through this growth, the gap between men and women has narrowed and now Golden is making the breakthrough initiative to see where she stands in the more competitive division.

"This is just huge for all women in the sport of motocross," said Miss Arenacross Lindsey Scheltema, who is a women's motocross competitor as well and has raced head-to-head with Golden. "Vicki is going to accomplish something we've all dreamt of. She definitely has a lot of speed and I hope she does well. I'm excited for her and you can bet a part of me will be rooting for her."

Ultimately for Golden, the venture into the AMA Arenacross Series isn't about winning a championship, it's about staying at the top of her game. While her aspirations are obviously high, at the end of the day nothing can compare to the continued development of a rider than competition. If she hopes to one day capture a championship of her own, Golden is going to have to take it to the next level and she's doing just that.

The Denver Coliseum, sight of this weekend's Denver Arenacross, is arguably the most historic venue in the state of Colorado. Built in 1952, it is one of the most diverse arenas in the country hosting virtually any event imaginable over its six decades of existence. It's capable of seating 10,200 spectators and provides an intimate environment that is ideal for the AMA Arenacross Series.

The action commences for the Denver Arenacross today at 7:00 p.m. MT followed by a second night of racing on Saturday at the same time. Amateur Day concludes an exciting weekend of action on Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m. MT

Advance tickets are available for this weekend's Denver Arenacross at the Denver Coliseum Box Office, Ticketmaster charge by phone, and ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $2 more the day of the race.

New for 2011! Live timing and scoring from each round of the AMA Arenacross Series. To follow the intense racing action live, log onto www.Arenacross.com.

Never miss out on the latest news! Follow the AMA Arenacross Series on Facebook and Twitter! Log on to http://www.facebook.com/AMAarenacross and http://twitter.com/arenacross today!

About Feld Motor Sports(r)
Feld Motor Sports(r), Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam(r), Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz(tm), and IHRA(r) Nitro Jam(r).  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world's largest producer of live family entertainment.  For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

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Director Steve Johnson join reelected Directors Frank Esposito and Don Emde

Newly elected Director Steve Johnson, President and COO of Tucker Rocky Distributing, will join reelected Directors Frank Esposito, President, Kendon Industries, Inc. and Don Emde, Owner and President, Don Emde, Inc., on the 12-director board, six of whom are elected and six who are appointed by OEMs.

“As we continue our focus on reviving the powersports industry in 2011, we look forward to the vital perspectives offered by both our new and returning Directors,” said Tim Buche, President and CEO, Motorcycle Industry Council. “We are excited to gain Steve’s valuable insights from his many years at Tucker Rocky Distributing, a leader in aftermarket distribution and longtime Member of the MIC.”

The remaining three elected Directors will serve one more year of their two-year term that expires in February 2012: Eric Anderson, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Motorsport Aftermarket Group; Mark Blackwell, Vice President-Motorcycles, Polaris Industries, Inc. and MIC Chairman Larry Little, CEO, The Little Group.

The above join the six Directors appointed by the motorcycle manufacturer/distributor members who pay market share dues: Ray Blank, Senior Vice President, Motorcycle Division, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; Steve Bortolamedi, Senior Communications Manager, American Suzuki Motor Corp.; Jon-Erik Burleson, President, KTM North America, Inc.; Pieter De Waal, Vice President, BMW Motorrad USA; Roger Hagie, Director, Public Affairs, Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA and Dennis McNeal, Vice President-Motorcycle Operations, Yamaha Motor Corp., USA.

“On behalf of the MIC Board and Members, we would also like to thank outgoing Director Paolo Timoni, President and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas, Inc., and outgoing Director Sarah Schilke, Marketing and Technical Communications Manager, Schuberth North America, for their four years of service,” said Buche.

“As the first female Director to serve on the board, Sarah brought a fresh perspective to our decision-making process, while Paolo’s enthusiasm to introduce new riders to our sport was shared and appreciated by all. I am confident that our newly elected Directors will continue to build upon their significant contributions.”
MIC’s Members with voting status submitted ballots by mail or the electronic voting site. Election results were independently tabulated by Hall & Jones, CPA.

The Motorcycle Industry Council exists to preserve, protect and promote motorcycling through government relations, communications and media relations, statistics and research, aftermarket programs, development of data communications standards, and activities surrounding technical and regulatory issues. It is a not-for-profit, national industry association representing manufacturers and distributors of motorcycles, scooters, motorcycle/ATV/ROV parts and accessories, and members of allied trades such as insurance, finance and investment firms, media companies and consultants.

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Ryan Villopoto Career over the Years

Ryan Villopoto currently competing in the AMA Supercross series and the AMA Lucas Oil Motocross series, resides in Murrieta California and races for the Monster Energy Kawasaki team.

2011
Ryan captured wins in rounds one and two of the 2011 season in Los Angeles,California.

2010
Villopoto returned with the Monster Energy Kawasaki Team in the Supercross class and has been battling consistently with Ryan Dungey for the overall points lead.

Round 14 Injury
Whilst in the lead during the final at St Louis, Villopoto came up short on a triple jump and leaped from his bike landing hard. His bike dived into the face of the 3rd jump and flipped over several times. Medical workers arrived on the scene and cut Villopoto's racing boot off his foot. Villopoto had to be carried off the track. Further examination revealed a broken right tibia and fibula and surgery was performed to stabilize it. Due to the extent of his injury, he will not return to complete the season.

2009
Villopoto's beginning year in the AMA Supercross Series, racing a Team Kawasaki Factory KX450. Ryan Villopoto's first win in the 450 class took place on his "hometown" track at Qwest Field, Seattle, on April 18, 2009. He dominated the field and won convincingly over Chad Reed (2008 Supercross Series Champion) and James Stewart (who won 11 races and was the 2009 Series winner). Villopoto wrapped up the AMA Supercross series of 2009 with his second win in Las Vegas, NV, on May 2, 2009.

2008
Earned his third consecutive AMA motocross 250cc Championship by winning eight events and finishing on the podium in 11 of 12 starts. Finished second in the AMA Supercross Lites East Region Championship with three wins and five podiums in seven starts. Claimed the MX2 championship at the Motocross of Nations helping Team USA earn the team title for the third consecutive year.

2007
Villopoto started the season with a dominating performance in the AMA West Supercross Lites Series, where he won seven of the eight races. He carried his momentum into motocross, winning his second-straight AMA Motocross Lites Championship. To cap off a perfect season, Villopoto became the first rider in history to win the overalls in both motos on KX250F against larger 450cc motorcycles at the Motocross of Nations.

2006
Villopoto began his professional career in the AMA West Supercross Lites Series at Angel Stadium for Anaheim I, where he finished second-place overall. He won his first race later in the season at Texas Stadium in Dallas and ended the Supercross Lites season third overall. Then Ryan headed to the AMA Motocross Lites Series with a little more experience stemming from his amateur days. With eight podium finishes and six first-place finishes, Villopoto proved to be unstoppable during his rookie season and became the AMA Motocross Lites Champion. That momentum was carried over into the post-season where Villopoto was selected as a member of Team USA at the Motocross of Nations in England and helped Team USA claim first place. Ryan was also named the 2006 AMA Supercross/Motocross Rookie of the Year.

2005
Villopoto concluded his career as a Team Green amateur racer and was honored for his many achievements as the recipient of the 2005 AMA Horizon Award. He competed in his first professional Motocross race at Binghamton’s Broome-Tioga Sports Center where he placed 15th overall. He finished up the remainder of his rookie season taking fifth overall at Steel City Raceway and second overall at Glen Helen Raceway.

2004
Competing in numerous amateur motocross races for Team Green and winning an impressive 12 titles. He won three races at Lake Whitney Spring National, three at the GNC Finals, two at Mammoth Motocross, and four at the NMA Ponca City Grand Nationals. Alessi did give Villopoto a hard time, but Sean Bohannon gave him an even harder time. Bohannon was dominating in the stock class until he unfortunately broke his femur at Ponca City.

2003
Villopoto won 12 titles for Team Green. He won two Kawasaki Race of Champions races, four Winter Olympic SX races, four Winter Olympic MX races, and two Winter Olympics Olympiad titles.

2002
Ryan won the NMA 85cc Open, and placed second in both the 85cc Stock and Modified classes at the AMA Amateur National Championships as a Team Green Rider.

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Jari Heinonen in charge of managing Fox Canada’s network of sales representatives and dealers nationwide

Fox, which already has a subsidiary in the U.K. to manage European business is opening a new subsidiary for the Canadian market, to be headquartered in Calgary. Jari Heinonen, who has worked in the motorcycle and bicycle industries his entire career will be in charge of managing Fox Canada’s network of sales representatives and dealers nationwide. "Aurora Action Sports has done an excellent job distributing Fox in Canada for the past 30 years.

The next logical step in the evolution of our Canadian business is the opening of the Fox Canada subsidiary.

The addition of Jari’s experience and professionalism, combined with his genuine enthusiasm for the sports Fox is founded upon, will strengthen our ability to meet the needs of our Canadian customers," noted Greg Fox, Vice President of Sales. Before joining Fox Canada, Mr. Heinonen previously managed Aurora Action Sport's Western Region sales and distribution offices. “I'm really thrilled to be a part of this new venture. It will be exciting to put together our team to build on the popularity of the Fox brand here in Canada”Prior to Aurora, Jari raced professionally as a Yamaha and Honda sponsored rider in the Canadian Motocross National Series, finishing well in the top ten throughout the first half of the 80s and still competes regularly in the vet classes. Additional employment opportunities exist with Fox Canada in the departments of; Sales:

About Fox: Founded in 1974, Fox Head, Inc. is headquartered in Morgan Hill, CA, with additional offices in Irvine, CA and Newcastle, UK. The Fox brand is the most recognized brand of motocross and mountain bike apparel and protective gear in the world today. Through the guidance and feedback of Fox's championship-winning athletes, the company utilizes the best technology and design talent available to enhance and optimize the quality, comfort and performance of all of its products. Fox Head, Inc.18400 Sutter BlvdMorgan Hill, CA 95037USAwww.foxhead.comFox Canada e-mail contact: foxcanadainfo@foxhead.com

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The Beach Race at Weston super Mare

The licence has been granted by North Somerset Council following a competitive tendering process that will enable Events 22 to host an event for the next three years with the option to extend for a further two years. Over the past 12 months a number of event organisers have expressed an interest in organising a motorcycle event on the beach. Keen to ensure an opportunity was given to all interested parties, the council invited bids.

Three bids were received and were subject to a detailed evaluation. The submission from Events 22, which proposes a five-day event with a "family festival feel", was accepted. "Events 22 are market leaders in staging live sporting events," said Cllr Felicity Baker, executive member for tourism and leisure services. "We are looking forward to working with them on their exciting proposals."

“The Beach Race at Weston super Mare has long been one of the biggest dates in the off road calendar and It’s both great for Events 22 as a company and without doubt a massive boost for the MCF” explained Events 22 Managing Director, Matt Bates. “Like many people in our sport, as a company we’ve all visited and raced at Weston many times and it’s clear to see that the potential of the Beach Race is massive and it’s our collective goal to make the Beach Race great once again”.

“We’re also realists, and it’s clear to see that over the years the Beach Race has become increasingly more expensive to take part in and it’s one of our many goals to make sure that the first thing we do is reduce the entrance fee for both a rider and spectator. We also want to make the Beach Race more than just a Beach Race by introducing many more elements without changing or diluting any part of the race”.

A date for the 2011 Beach Race at Weston-super-Mare will be released within the next month whilst entries and event information will be available from February 14th. For all other information please contact: oliver@events22.co.uk


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Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus opportunity to ride the new Spanish circuit

The test was primarily arranged to give riders Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus an opportunity to ride the new Spanish circuit after they missed a World Superbike championship test at the 5.078km circuit last October.
However, rain yesterday morning precluded any testing until the afternoon and, with freezing conditions all day today, the riders and team decided not to test the Castrol Honda CBR1000RR machines any further.

Instead, the team packed up early to begin the journey to Portimao in Portugal for an official three-day test next Wednesday 26 January, where better conditions are expected.

Jonathan Rea - #4
It's been a frustrating couple of days really because after the rain yesterday morning it's been sunny, but it's been really, really cold. At least I got some laps in yesterday afternoon - maybe 30 or 40 - so I know which way the track goes and I was able to give some good feedback on gearing to my crew. It wasn't a complete waste of time - it's a really nice circuit and I enjoyed riding it but we were understandably a little way off where our rivals were when they had three days testing here last October. But when we come back in June, at least we won't be starting completely blind.

Ruben Xaus - #111
It was freezing! Much colder than when the team was launched in the UK earlier this week! Today, it was maximum 3° in the sun and always below zero in the shadows. And there are many shadows here, because the circuit has many hills. In fact, it was difficult to ride yesterday afternoon when the sun was very low because of all the shadows. The circuit is blind everywhere, but still very interesting. And the bikes looked amazing on track for the first time.

Ronald ten Kate - team manager
The wet and cold conditions really allowed us only yesterday afternoon to test and then it was -5° overnight with a really cold wind all day today. Of course, we were hoping for more laps, but we were happy to test at this new track for the championship and I'm sure that after the laps they did yesterday, the riders now know which way it goes. We got a little bit of information on the set-up we'll be looking for but we could certainly have used more. But it is what it is and we'll go to Portugal next week to test the bikes and new parts properly.

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The third round of the series at Dodger Stadium

The third round of the series was held at a new venue in the heart of downtown Los Angeles the Dodger Stadium.Roczen was warmly welcome by the Southern California crowd after earning the third fastest lap time in timed qualifying and proving he was a main...

One thing was apparent at the conclusion of this weekend: the German rider had learned how to start. Roczen had struggled with his starts the previous two rounds and that seemed to be a problem of the past as he almost holeshot the heat race coming around the first corner in 2nd position and he complimented that start with an equally impressive beginning to his main event.

Roczen missed a triple jump on the first lap of his heat race as he sat in 2nd position which allowed Martin Davalos to make a pass. Roczen quickly caught back up to Davalos and early leader Nick Paluzzi. Both Davalos and Roczen passed Paluzzi on lap three and began to battle for the lead. With two laps to go Roczen remained in hot pursuit of the Suzuki rider. When the checkered flag flew Roczen was only half a bike length behind Davalos finishing 2nd in the heat.

Roczen put himself in good position in the main event as he jumped off the line in 2nd position behind holeshot winner Cole Seely. Roczen took an outside line a few turns later and allowed Josh Hansen to make a pass. Behind Roczen, a train of Lites riders closed in to create a five-man battle for the top position. Roczen was sitting in 3rd position early in the race behind Tomac when Kyle Cunningham came in the inside of Roczen before the finish line jump in a clear take out. Roczen had no where to go and fell straight onto Cunningham. Davalos who was in tow couldn't avoid the downed riders and also fell in the turn.

After the crash, Roczen remounted in 8th position. "After I went down, I rode a little tight and it took me a bit to get back into my rhythm," stated the Red Bull/KTM rider. Roczen's crash put him back with Josh Hansen, who had also had an early race accident. The two riders worked their way up to through the pack with a few position swaps along the way. At the end of the race Roczen had worked his way back into 6th position earning his best finish this season.

"I am okay with my result today. I am bummed about the crash because I put myself in a good position for a podium finish and once I crashed I could only salvage a top ten. The positive about the past few races is I am continuously learning and improving each race and feel that I will be inside the top three soon," remarked Roczen.

Andrew Short finished 9th overall to earn his third consecutive top ten finish in the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship Series. This weekend marked the first-ever Supercross event held at the famous Dodger Stadium. The rider's and fans enjoyed the new stop on the AMA Supercross tour that brought in a crowd of over 40,000 motorcycle enthusiasts.

Short had a great start to the day qualifying 9th fastest in timed practice. His quick practice time awarded him a decent gate pick in his heat. Unfortunately, he got a bad jump off the gate and rounded the first turn in 15th. Thanks to years of experience he quickly maneuvered his way inside the top ten and was sitting in 8th position at the end of the first lap. On lap three he passed JDR/J-Star/KTM rider Tye Simmonds for 7th position and kept a consistent pace to qualify 7th into the main.

Short's Red Bull/KTM teammate, Mike Alessi, had a decent heat starting in 8th position and maintaining that spot through the checkered flag. "After crashing last weekend and going to the LCQ, I was glad to have an easy heat race this weekend putting my KTM 350 SX-F into the main event," remarked Alessi.

The crowd was in high spirits as the riders lined up for the SX main event. Both Short and Alessi reported that the moisture was coming out in the soil and had made the track more slippery which had changed some of the lines and jumps they were able to do in practice and the heats.

When the gate dropped Short came around the first corner in 8th position with Alessi a few spots back in 12th. On the second half of the track Short was passed by Ryan Villopoto and dropped to 9th position as they crossed the finish line jump of lap one. The first half of the race was a nine-rider freight train with Shorty at the tail end of the pack.
On lap three, Short closed in on the 8th place ride of Austin Stroupe. After pressuring Stroupe for two laps he made a clean pass to gain the position and set his sights on Brett Metcalfe. It appeared that Short would catch Metcalfe as the race continued but pressure from Chad Reed caused Short to become defensive of his lines and lose time on Metcalfe. Reed was able to make the pass on Short with a couple laps to go. Short eventually finished the race in 9th. Alessi hung on to finish 17th.

"I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to hold Reed off at the end of the race, but happy to still finish inside the top ten. This week I worked with Sebastien Tortelli and he gave some great race advice throughout the day. We also made a lot of progress to the bike which helped my performance in the main event. I am happy with the direction everything is going," remarked Short.
Next Event: Oakland, CA - January 29, 2011


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The finish of the Dakar 2011 in Buenos Aires

Following ten months of preparation, two of the team riders arrived at the finish of the Dakar 2011 in Buenos Aires. The individual results may not be satisfying, but the overall performance throughout the rally has everyone looking forward to the races ahead.

The recent Dakar turned out to be an ill-fated affair for the young team. The first setback: rally ace David Fretigne crashed during a test race in October and couldn't fully recover until the start of the Dakar. The south-american adventure had to take place without the Frenchman. The next low point came when Paulo Goncalves, who had just steered his BMW to a much-noticed stage win, had to retire with an injury. The same happened to Brazilian rider Ze Helio. Finally Frans Verhoeven was unlucky hitting a stone and damaging his engine case. The very fast and highly experienced Dutchman lost five hours, having to repair his bike.

Given all the drama, an end result of 15th for Verhoeven and 30th for Portuguese rider Pedro Bianchi Prata is a creditable achievement. Everyone who takes a closer look at the race statistics will notice that both team and bikes were fully competitive. It's just that Lady Luck wasn't kind to the Bavarian newcomers.

Verhoeven and Goncalves still recored one stage win each, plus three additional podium finishes. A speedbrain rider headed the provisional standings during five race days. Altogether team riders recorded 17 finishes inside the top ten. "That's a solid foundation," commented team principal Wolfgang Fischer. "The 14-men crew, coming from seven different nations - riders, mechanics, helpers - worked very well together. Everyone was fully concentrated on his job, there was a positive never-give-up attitude and a strong team spirit. We're fully motivated and will keep working hard to achieve good results in this year's FIM Rally World Championship.

"I'd like to thank all our sponsors and partners, first of all BMW and Monster Energy, for their vote of confidence and support. Our injured riders Paulo Goncalves, Ze Helio and David Fretigne are recovering well and will soon be ready to get on the gas again."

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Honda racing teams all showed the performance advantage of Yoshimura products with their strong results

The Rockstar Makita Suzuki, Rockstar Energy Suzuki, and Honda racing teams all showed the performance advantage of Yoshimura products with their strong results.Yoshimura-backed teams all showed strong performances once again in front of another sell-out crowd during the second round of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship season Saturday night in Phoenix, AZ.

Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey piloted his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z450 to a fifth-place finish. Teammate Brett Metcalfe rode a strong race on his Suzuki as well, scoring an eighth-place finish in the 20-lap main event.

"We didn't have the best of days, but I'm proud of the entire Rockstar Makita Suzuki team," said Dungey. "We are in this together, whether they be good nights or those that don't get you a win. The track was real tricky tonight, with slick spots all over the place. It wasn't a track you could really push forward on. It was like we were riding on marbles in some turns. We are going right back to work this week. I'm looking forward to LA."

"Practices went pretty good," said Metcalfe. "I went into the heat race and got a bad start, but I was feeling pretty good and put in some good laps on my Suzuki. But then I missed a triple and lost my rhythm; ended up falling and got tight. So that was disappointing. My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team was able to make some changes to the bike that really helped me in the main. I didn't get a good start, but I was able to ride much more solid and my Suzuki was working really well. I'm happy with another eighth-place and we'll continue to make little improvements and get better as we go along. I'm really looking forward to next week at Dodger Stadium - I think it's going to be a real exciting venue."

American Honda Racing's Trey Canard recorded his first podium result of the season in Phoenix. Competing in his first full supercross season for the factory Honda squad, Canard raced his Yoshimura-equipped Honda CRF450R(r) to a third-place finish.

After finishing fifth in his heat race, Canard got away to a mid-pack start in the main and worked his way up to the number three spot by lap seven, where he remained until the race's end, keeping both Chad Reed and defending champ Ryan Dungey at bay. "I'm really happy to score a podium finish so early in the season, but I'm not necessarily happy with the way I rode tonight," said Canard. "There were a couple of sections that I just didn't nail and with the level of talent in this competition, I can't be messing sections up. The American Honda Racing team had my bike dialed in and my lap times were pretty good. I'm sure that as the season goes on and as I gain more experience in the supercross class, I will improve."

Honda Racing's Josh Grant was laying down solid laps on his Yoshimura-equipped CRF450R in his heat race when he was struck hard by another rider and went down. Determined to continue, Grant rejoined the competition but had to pull out to seek medical attention for an injured leg. "I'm bummed about getting hurt tonight," said Grant. "I had my knee evaluated by the trackside Asterisk medical crew and x-rays showed it wasn't broken so that's good. I'll have it checked by my doctor at home this week and take it from there."

On the lites side, Rockstar Energy Suzuki's Ryan Morais had a strong ride on his Yoshimura-equipped Suzuki RM-Z250 in the 15-lap lites main event, finishing third. Teammate Martin Davalos finished ninth on his Suzuki.

"Practice started out a little slow, but I felt better than last week," said Morais. "The Rockstar Energy Suzuki team made a few changes to my bike for the main event and I got a great start, almost the hole-shot, and put myself in a good position, being really consistent, and tried not to make any mistakes because I know the track was really slick. I tried to be patient and let the race come to me. I ended up third. I'm happy. Hopefully this week leading up to LA I'll be able to ride more and just put more time on my Suzuki, and I think I'll be a lot better next weekend."

"I felt great on my Suzuki in practice," said Davalos. "I had a good heat race and felt like I was riding really well. In the main event, I just made a little mistake and it put me behind. I felt like I could have won. It was very disappointing, after a good practice and a great heat race, to have the problem in the main and end up ninth. Definitely something to take back home and work on, and come back to LA and try to win the race."
The next stop of the 2011 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship for the Yoshimura-backed teams is Saturday, January 22nd, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA.

About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is "The Leader in Performance" and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit http://www.yoshimura-rd.com/.

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Josh Hansen lead the Supercross and Supercross

Circuit/Kawasaki's Josh Hansen lead the Supercross and Supercross Lites classes respectively. The process of converting the legendary baseball stadium into a Monster Energy Supercross track is now underway for the third stop of the 2011 schedule.

"This marks a historic time not only for Monster Energy Supercross, but Dodger Stadium as well," said Todd Jendro, Senior Director of two-wheel operations, Feld Motor Sports. "This venue has a historic past and will now welcome 150 of the best riders on the planet. We feel that given the iconic image of Dodger Baseball and Dodger Stadium that it is the perfect fit to host an event of this caliber."

San Manuel Yamaha's James Stewart claimed his first win last weekend and heads into Dodger Stadium two points behind leader Ryan Villopoto.

Never before in the 48-year history of Dodger Stadium has an event of such a unique nature and logistic complexity been held at Chavez Ravine. Known for being the home of one of the most prominent Major League Baseball franchises of all time, 550 truckloads of dirt will sit on the Dodger Stadium floor for the first time ever, signifying a new era for the venue.

"I'm very excited for this," said Michael Young, chief revenue officer for the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I'm excited to expose this venue to millions of supercross fans across the world that have never had the opportunity to come to Dodger Stadium and hopefully convert them into baseball fans. This is an amazing sport and the growth of supercross is staggering, particularly in a time when many sports are shrinking."

Last weekend at Phoenix's Chase Field, San Manuel Yamaha's James Stewart earned his first Supercross class main event win of the year, leading from wire-to-wire. Week one winner, Ryan Villopoto, finished second and Supercross class rookie and American Honda rider Trey Canard, of Shawnee, Okla., finished third.

"I really wanted to pull that holeshot," said Stewart. "The track was tough, but I haven't won in over a year, so I really wanted this one. I was even a little nervous out there but I want to thank everyone on my team for giving me such an awesome bike. This feels great."

On lap 9, Villopoto, who was mere bike lengths behind Stewart, fell but was able to remount in seconds and carry it to the finish.

"That section was tough all night," said Villopoto. "All the riders were pushing the limit on it and it got me. I was pushing James (Stewart) and waiting for a mistake, but I ended up being the one to make one. I still was able to do what I came here to do and leave with some valuable points. Now it's on to Dodger Stadium."

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Josh Hansen extended his winning streak to two last weekend and sits atop the points standing with a six point lead heading into Dodger Stadium this Saturday for the third race of the championship.

In the Supercross Lites class, it was another strong night for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki. Broc Tickle, of Holly, Mich., raced to the holeshot with Rockstar Energy Suzuki's Ryan Morais, of Murrieta, Calif., and his teammate Hansen, of Elbert, Colo., in tow. Tickle led for seven laps, but made a costly mistake by tipping the bike over in a turn. Hansen, who had moved into second at the time, took advantage of it and never looked back. Tickle remounted in third, but battled back for his second runner-up effort of the season with Morais rounding out the podium in third.

"I'm really stoked," exclaimed Hansen. "I didn't get the start I needed to, but I tried my best to be patient and it worked out for me. I want to thank everyone on my team for helping me out and giving me a good bike and all these fans for coming out."

Dodger Stadium is located at: 1000 Elysian Park Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

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Jeff Gibson preparation to return to the top of the AMA Arenacross Series

Two seasons ago,Jeff Gibson entered the AMA Arenacross Series full time after spending most of his career in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship. The Ohio native hoped his honed skills on the larger supercross layouts would translate to the tighter, more technical tracks of arenacross. After 11 rounds, he stood above the rest as the 2009 AMA Arenacross Series Champion, posting six victories along the way. The sport had found a new star.

Entering the 2010 season, the target was on Gibson’s back as he looked for back-to-back titles and the fourth consecutive championship for TUF Honda. However, an offseason crash left Gibson in the hospital, in need of emergency surgery that would leave him bed ridden for some time. While he healed up in time for the start of the 2010 championship, Gibson never seemed to find his rhythm, failing to win a single race and finishing fourth in the Arenacross class title fight.

After what Gibson considered to be a disappointing year, he put in countless hours of preparation to return to the top of the AMA Arenacross Series. After his performance in Tulsa last weekend, it looks like he’s where he wants to be.

Jeff, you’re off to a great start this season, going two-for-two in the first couple rounds. After such a great year in 2009 followed by frustration in 2010, how does it feel to be back in front?

“It fees really good right now. I’m really excited about how things are going. I feel really comfortable on the bike and I feel blessed (to be in this position). I’m excited for the race this weekend and I’m just trying to enjoy everything I have right now.”

What do you feel has contributed to the success you’ve had this year?
 
“I don’t know. I’ve been riding really well recently and I put a lot of work into the offseason. I’m really focused and I want (the championship) bad. In the 2010 season, I was coming off an injury and it really set me back. Coming into 2011, I was healthy all summer and it allowed me to put in the work that needed to be done.”

You mentioned 2010 and the trouble you had. Did the injury affect you more than you thought and just take you a lot longer to fully come back from?
 
“I think that was the big thing. The injury really threw me back and I think that’s why I was faster on the 250 (rather than the 450). I wasn’t strong enough to ride the 450 yet. When the series switched over, I was really fighting that and it took me a while to get used to it. But, since I wasn’t healthy the whole year, I think it was a big thing coming into last season.”

Have you done anything differently in preparation for 2011?
“No. There’s nothing really different. I’ve been able to focus a lot more and put in some hard work like I did before the 2009 season. I’m happy with that and I just need to keep moving forward.”

It’s been only two rounds and there are still 12 more to go, but with the success you’ve had so early, how do you think that plays to your advantage?

“I (actually) think it’s a bigger bulls eye on my back. We are only two races into the season and there is a lot of racing left. I ultimately have to just take it one race at a time.”

Would you say that the talent level in the AMA Arenacross Series is deeper than ever?
 
“Yeah it is. It’s a really tough field this year. It’s unfortunate with the loss of Josh (Demuth), but there are a couple more guys that have come into the series. Even without Josh, it’s kind of sad, but it’s still really tough. Everyone goes the same speed and lap times are so close. I think it’s going to lead to a good season.”

It’s seems like you’ve found a home at TUF Honda. What is it about the team that works so well for you?
 
“I just feel real comfortable with the TUF Honda team. This is my third year with them and my third year with my mechanic Andy Brennan and he and I get along really well. He actually lives only 35-40 minutes away from me. And the whole team just gets along really well. I love being a part of the team and I love riding a Honda. I feel really comfortable on the bike.”

The series heads to Dayton this weekend, which is sort of a homecoming for you racing in your home state. How does it feel to race so close to home?
 
“I’m really excited about it. I love going to Dayton. It’s one of my favorite rounds. I’m able to sleep in my own bed the night before and drive up (to the race) that morning. There’s a ton of Ohio fans that show up and I have a lot of family and friends that come out, plus my wife can go to this race. It’s just really cool.”

Round three of the 2011 AMA Arenacross Series kicks off in just a few days from the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio, Saturday, January 22 starting at 7:00 p.m. ET!

New for 2011, live timing and scoring from each round of the AMA Arenacross Series. To follow the intense racing action live, log onto www.arenacross.com. Never miss out on the latest news! Follow the AMA Arenacross Series on Facebook and Twitter! Log on to http://www.facebook.com/AMAarenacross and http://twitter.com/arenacross today!

AMA Arenacross Championship PointsJeff Gibson, 50 Chad Johnson, 40 Tyler Bowers, 40  Nathan Skaggs, 38 Zach Ames, 34  Gray Davenport, 27 Dave Ginolfi, 24 Willy Browning, 24 Cole Siebler, 23  Cory Green, 20  Adam Gully, 25  Patrick Massie, 22 Kyle White, 20 Austin Coon, 18 Hunter Clements, 16


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Marc Coma officially wrapped up the 2011 Dakar Rally

Spaniard Marc Coma officially wrapped up the 2011 Dakar Rally on Saturday by winning the event for the third time in his career. The final stage was marked by Dutchman Frans Verhoeven winning the trek back to Buenos Aires during a modified route due to heavy rainfall. Portugal’s Helder Rodrigues took a close second in the stage just five seconds behind Verhoeven and in the process picked up third overall in the competition while Jean de Azevedo of Brazil snagged third in Stage 13. Meanwhile KTM rivals Cyril Despres and Coma took fourth and fifth respectively in the stage as Coma finished the final leg 02:16 behind Verhoeven. It was more than enough for Coma to win, however, as he ended the overall event more than 15 minutes ahead of Coma and more than an hour and a half ahead of Rodrigues.

The final stage may have been quick compared to the rest in the series, but with riders racking up injuries and fatigue the final 181 km special was still a challenge. After winning Stage 12 Coma was the first to embark on the final leg of the journey. However, just 47 km into the stage Yamaha’s Rodrigues jumped into the lead ahead of Despres and Aprilia’s Francisco Lopez as Coma dropped slightly off the pace. By the first checkpoint Verhoeven had thrown his name into the mix and was leading the field by just one second ahead of Despres with Rodrigues trailing in third. At the 150 km mark Lopez had his hopes for a podium result crushed when the shock absorber on his bike ruptured and put the Chilean rider more than an hour behind his competition. As if things couldn’t get worse for Lopez, his electronics gave out after Checkpoint 3 and he had to be towed in by teammate, Alain Duclos.

Francisco Lopez (left) receives support from Etienne Lavigne following a difficult final stage of the 2011 Dakar Rally. “It was unbelievable," said Lopez. "Thirty kilometers before the finish and the suspension link was broken, and I crossed the line pulled by Alain Duclos. These are things that happen in the Dakar. Now, we have to forget it and focus in the evolution of the bike and what we can do next year.”

Meanwhile Verhoeven rolled across the finish line with his BMW in Buenos Aires to claim his first stage victory of the rally ahead of Rodrigues and Azevedo.

The major shock of the day was Rodrigues who collected third overall after trailing Lopez by more than 42 minutes heading into the final stretch. Lopez had to settle for fourth after a disappointing day as Spaniard Pedrero Garcia earned a top-five finish overall in fourth more than three hours adrift of Coma. After Americans Jonah Street and Quinn Cody of Honda collected 13th and 14th respectively in the final stage, Cody managed a top-10 finish in ninth overall as Street took home 12th.

Marc Coma (ESP – KTM) 5th, 1st OA
"Staying focused was essential so I did focus on my riding. It was the only way to win. What was really tough was that I could not let my guard down, not even for a second. When a tough was ending, the next one was even tougher. We all know that a Dakar is a difficult race but this year it was particularly difficult. This victory is the reward of all the hard work, the reward of many years and a lot of tensions over the last few days. It is the bonus you get for steering right and for so many sacrifices over the years. I have to pay tribute to all the people in my team, who supported me. We had ambitious goals and to reach them we had to have the best, people made for the Dakar and willing to all work towards the same goal. As anyone in the Dakar, we had tough times. So I am going to get some rest and think about the future. Becaue, truth is that with the race and the permanent tension I did not have time to think about anything else in a long time."
Cyril Despres was not able to defend the Dakar title and had to settle for second overall following his fourth-place finish in the final stage.

 Cyril Despres (FRA – KTM) 4th, 2nd OA
“This special is different if you are in first place as it was the case last year... then you want the race to be shorter. When you are second, you would want the race to be longer. But anyway, the feeling of finishing a Dakar is always nice especially here with all the people welcoming you. I am sad I could not do better than this though I raced 11 Dakar, won 3 and ended 8 times on the podium. One more would have been great. But I just could not make any better. I made some mistakes; they were two small mistakes but they held some heavy consequences.”

Juan Pedrero Garcia (ESP – KTM) 7th, 5th OA
“I am really happy. We worked hard and we can be happy. I must thank Marc (Coma) and all of those who helped me, especially the many sponsors without whom I would not be here. I am really, really happy. My track record is a fast one, for sure. In just three years, I am now in an official team and I am finishing fifth!”

Frans Verhoeven (BEL – BMW) 1st, 15th OA
“To be honnest, this was not a stage for me. It was too short. I prefer longer stages. At my age, longer stages are better; I am an enduring person. I did some self-motivation and this morning, I was very focuses on the curves. I released the brakes a notch and I increased my puch another notch. I tried not to make mistakes despite the dust in front of me. I was pretty successful and I won the scratch. I had a very good Dakar. I finished almost every day in the Top 10. It was my goal. There was just one very bad day where I have to change my engine in the stage and I lost 5h30. If I had not lost that time, I would have fought for fourth place. But tha's not how it works. I am finishing 16th and I am pretty happy about it.”

2011 Dakar Rally Stage 13 Results:
1. Frans Verhoeven, BEL (BMW) 01:25:07
2. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Yamaha) 01:25:12
3. Jean de Azevedo, BRA (KTM) 01:25:26Portugal's Helder Rodrigues (left) managed third overall after Francisco Lopez suffered major losses in the final day.
4. Cyril Despres, FRA (KTM) 01:25:51
5. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 01:27:23
6. Henk Knuiman, NLD (KTM) 01:27:54
7. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (KTM) 01:28:12
8. Pal Anders Ullevalseter, NOR (KTM) 01:28:58
9. Jacek Czachor, POL (KTM) 01:29:45
10. Miran Stanovnik, SVN (KTM) 01:30:23

2011 Dakar Rally Overall Standings:
1. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 51:25:00
2. Cyril Despres, FRA (KTM) 51:40:04
3. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Yamaha) 53:05:20
4. Francisco Lopez, CHL (Aprilia) 53:34:45
5. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (KTM) 54:32:03
6. Pal Anders Ullevalseter, NOR (KTM) 54:57:56
7. Jean de Azevedo, BRA (KTM) 55:24:38
8. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 55:38:01
9. Quinn Cody, USA (Honda) 56:17:10
10. Jacek Czachor, POL (KTM) 57:38:41

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Ryan Dungey started the evening with a fourth-place finish in his heat race

The reigning Champion Brett Metcalfe as put in his second top-10 finish of the season in eighth place and is now sixth in the title chase with 15 more rounds to go.

Ryan Dungey started the evening with a fourth-place finish in his heat race. In the Main Event, he started seventh but was third by the second turn. A tough first lap put him back to seventh, but he was able to put together some impressive laps and work his way up to a fifth-place finish.

"We didn't have the best of days, but I'm proud of the entire Rockstar Makita Suzuki team," said Dungey. "We are in this together, whether they be good nights or those that don't get you a win. The track was real tricky tonight, with slick spots all over the place. It wasn't a track you could really push forward on. It was like we were riding on marbles in some turns. We are going right back to work this week and I'm looking forward to LA."

Metcalfe started out the night with a seventh-place finish in his heat race. After an 11th-place start, and despite a minor get-off, he methodically worked his Suzuki RM-Z450 up to an eighth-place finish in the Main Event.

"Practices went pretty good," said Metcalfe. "I went into the heat race and got a bad start, but I was feeling pretty good and put in some good laps on my Suzuki. But then I missed a triple and lost my rhythm; ended up falling and got tight. So that was disappointing. My Rockstar Makita Suzuki team was able to make some changes to the bike that really helped me in the Main. I didn't get a good start, but I was able to ride much more solid and my Suzuki was working really well. I'm happy with another eighth-place and we'll continue to make little improvements and get better as we go along. I'm really looking forward to next week at Dodger Stadium - I think it's going to be a real exciting venue."

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Jeff Gibson this weekend's second race from Kansas City

At the conclusion of the night, 2009 AMA Arenacross Champion and TUF Honda rider Jeff Gibson stood atop the podium and carries the momentum into this weekend's second race from Kansas City, Mo., and Kemper Arena.

Currently, Gibson's points lead over Babbitt's Monster Energy/TiLUBE Kawasaki presented Maxxis rider Tyler Bowers by only three points. However, in a discipline and a championship where consistency is key, Gibson holds the upper hand, particularly from a mental standpoint.

Last Saturday, mere tenths of a second separated the top 15 riders in the Arenacross class. With competition closer than its ever been in the AMA Arenacross Series, the mental edge could be the key to a season of dominance, or a season of frustration. No rider is more evident of that than Gibson.

After one of the most impressive full-time debuts the series had ever seen, Gibson surprisingly cruised to the Arenacross class title just two seasons ago. When the gates dropped on the 2010 season, all eyes were on Gibson to continue his impressive run and seemingly innate ability to navigate the technical arenacross layouts better than any of his competitors. However, after an offseason of misfortune and frustration, Gibson wasn't able to rekindle the magic.

A life-threatening injury set Gibson's preparations for his title defense behind the eight ball before he even had a chance to hit the test track. Furthermore, the return of the 450cc motorcycle to the Arenacross class wasn't something Gibson was looking forward to. Despite a full recovery and a solid start to the season, Gibson never seemed to display the same confidence and it showed as he went winless en route to finishing fourth in the championship.

Now, Gibson is back and the field of competitors are more talented than ever before. Arguably the most confident rider in the pits based on his performance in 2010 is Bowers. He gave Gibson all he could handle last Saturday night, but settled for the runner-up spot, perhaps knowing that second is good enough and that his time at the front of the field will come.

Moreover, two-time AMA Arenacross Series champion Chad Johnson is hot on Gibson and his teammate Bowers' heels thanks to a third-place effort in the opening round. As the most experienced and tactical rider in the class, Johnson's approach is much more thought out than his counterparts, relying on years of experience and a tremendously successful resume to carry him to the title.

A wild card in the championship mix is the winner of his heat race last weekend in Tulsa, ARMA Energy/MainEventRock.com Honda's Daniel Blair. After making his debut in the AMA Arenacross Series for the newly-formed team with his brother Vincent in the best way possible, Blair fell in the main event and soldiered home to a 14th-place result. One would think with the competition being as tight as it is and mistakes holding such a heavy consequence that Blair would be factored out of the championship picture. However, just last season, reigning AMA Arenacross Series Champion Josh Demuth defied the odds, kicking off the season with a 13th-place finish before battling back to capture the title. While his mulligan is gone, Blair shouldn't be counted out just yet.

The same can be said for several other of the stars of the AMA Arenacross Series like Zach Ames and Nathan Skaggs of the Foremost Insurance/Spinechillers/Honda Fairfield Racing team as well as Kevin Johnson and Kelly Smith of Team Faith Yamaha. With 13 weeks to go, it's still anyone's championship to win, but this weekend the entire Arenacross class field will be looking for their edge in the hunt for the title.

Since opening in 1974, Kemper Arena has become one of the landmark venues in the middle portion of the United States. In addition to numerous sporting events, it has also played host to several of the world's most famous musical artists like Elvis, Kiss, AC/DC, Michael Jackson and Garth Brooks. It rose to fame as a premier event facility by serving as the home of the renowned Kansas Jayhawks basketball program.

On Saturday night, Kemper Arena will transform into a man-made dirt battleground, showcasing some of the most exciting racing on the planet.

The first gates drop on the Kansas City Arenacross Saturday, January 15 beginning at 7:00 p.m. The action concludes with Amateur Day on Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m.

Advance tickets are available for this weekend's Kansas City Arenacross at Ticketmaster charge by phone and ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $2 more the day of the race.

Fans in attendance also can take part in the Track Party on Saturday prior to the start of the show for the chance to meet the riders and get autographs. Simply recycle any MONSTER ENERGY can at the gate entrance for FREE admission. Must have valid Saturday event ticket to enter.

New for 2011! Live timing and scoring from each round of the AMA Arenacross Series. To follow the intense racing action live, log onto www.Arenacross.com.

Never miss out on the latest news! Follow the AMA Arenacross Series on Facebook and Twitter! Log on to http://www.facebook.com/AMAarenacross and http://twitter.com/arenacross today!

About Feld Motor Sports(r)
Feld Motor Sports(r), Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam(r), Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz(sm), and IHRA(r) Nitro Jam(r).  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world's largest producer of live family entertainment.  For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

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DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha's west coast squad

DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha's  west coast squad comprised of #35 Kyle Cunningham and a newcomer to professional Supercross #72 Nick Paluzzi took to the track in timed qualifying in great form. Turning the most heads early on was Cunningham who went out and set the 5th fastest lap time. Following in contention was Paluzzi in 13th who signed onto the team just two weeks before the opening round.

Moving into the night show, both riders were slated into the second heat race. Once the gate dropped and all the riders rounded the first turn, it was Paluzzi taking the best of starts in 2nd followed by Cunningham who was mired in the rear of the field. In the six lap race, Paluzzi rode strong and smart, diligently holding down the second spot the entire way and made his first ever main event in the same amount of tries. Meanwhile, Cunningham started to make an upward assault; setting quick times allowed him to net 5th in the end.

The main event got under way, and the starts by both teammates matched those of the earlier qualifying race, when the first lap was in the books Paluzzi held down 5th, and Cunningham sat 13th. From there both DNA Shred Stix backed riders put their heads down, making runs to climb the results tally.  Three laps into the fifteen total lap race, Paluzzi solidly sat in the top pack of riders in 5th, and Cunningham had clawed his way to 9th. With the race closing in on the halfway mark, very clearly Kyle had made gains and was pressuring for the 5th position, all the while Nick had fallen back a few positions to 9th due to his lack of seat time.  As the race came to a finish, unfortunately on lap ten Cunningham was picking himself up off the ground after crashing on a step on, step off section and  would go on to put his Yamaha in 13th. Paluzzi had since kept up a steady pace, and went on to finish 9th in his first ever Supercross. Undeniably showing true promise, both riders are set to tackle the race in Phoenix, AZ this coming Saturday.

Star Racing/NCY/Yamaha would like to thank our great sponsors for having us fully prepared.

DNA Shred Stix, Yamaha Motor Corp, Scott Racing, DNA Energy, North County Yamaha, Easton ExP, FMF, Sunstar, Factory Effex, Dunlop, Enzo, Cosworth, N-Fab, Motion Pro, ODI Grips, RK Chains, Excel rims, Yamalube, GYTR, Ride Engineering, Twin Air, Lightspeed, ARC, Braking, Vortex Ignitions, Web Cams, ICW, JD Built, Renegade Fuels, Crank Works, Eibach, Met Tec.

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Yoshimura Yamaha YZ450F Project Bike at the MTA Vet World Championships

What better way to test our Yoshimura Yamaha YZ450F Project Bike than to race it at the MTA Vet World Championships at Glen Helen Raceway? Our thought’s exactly…

If you’re not familiar with our Yoshimura-prepped ’10 YZ450F make sure to peruse the Yoshimura Yamaha YZ450F Project Bike review. If you don’t feel like reading it then here’s the Cliff Notes summary: Yoshimura Research and Development took a brand-new YZ450F and modified a number of components within the engine, drivetrain and chassis in hopes of improving the bike’s outright performance. While some of the mods can’t be considered cheap (the bike has $6000 worth of upgrades), we were absolutely shocked by not only how ridiculously fast it is on track but how easy it was to ride.

OFF TO THE RACES

Each year, Glen Helen Raceway, Southern California’s biggest, fastest and most challenging motocross track hosts the MTA Vet World Championships. The race is open to both men and women, regardless of skill level, with the only requirement being that you’re over the age of 30 (there is a 25-plus class on Saturday). The event attracts racers from all over the globe. We saw racers competing from Mexico and Sweden just to name a few countries. We competed in Sunday’s 30-plus Novice class.


One of the best things about racing motocross is how simple it is as compared to other forms of motorcycle racing i.e. road racing. Bike prep wise you don’t really have to do much besides making sure your bike’s topped off on fluids, the air filter isn’t too dirty, and setting the tire pressure. While you don’t necessarily need a brand-new set of tires we fitted a fresh set of Dunlop’s affordable Geomax MX51 intermediate terrain tires to make sure we couldn’t make any lame excuses if we sucked it up on track.

It’s also worth noting how much easier it is to set-up your bike. Compared to street bikes, its way easier to dial-in your suspension settings and once you find a setting that works you don’t need to spent a lot of time making adjustments for different tracks and/or tires. This allows you to focus more time on riding. Lastly, racing motocross is more affordable with a race entry fees only costing $45 for the majority of classes.

On race day there typically is one quick practice in order for you to check out track conditions and scout out ruts and race lines. However, it isn’t enough time for you to get comfortable with the layout so if you’ve never ridden at GH it’s a good idea to hit up the track on Thursday or Friday before a big race weekend to acclimate yourself to the track because Glen Helen is all about speed. It’s the only track that I know where you actually use top gear on a 450. Therefore it’s important to have a bike that not only gets up and goes, but has strong brakes and stiff yet plush suspension.

MOTO 1
The start of a motocross race is my favorite part of the race. There is just something exciting about lining up with a bunch of other like-minded motorcycling maniacs before drag racing down a straightaway and into Turn 1 in hopes of emerging first. It is pure adrenaline overload and I love it. A total of 26 riders were in my class so the starting gate wasn’t totally full yet there were enough riders to ensure some decent bar banging action.

Similar to many other Southern California tracks, Glen Helen employs a concrete starting gate. While some prefer conventional dirt starts I actually dig concrete starts as it levels the playing field and makes it so the person with the fastest motorcycle won’t necessarily get the holeshot due to the slippery surface of the concrete.

Getting a good start off concrete is all about smooth and gentle launches in order to avoid spinning the rear tire. And that’s where the smooth bottom-end power of the Yoshimura-tuned engine and fantastic clutch action courtesy of the upgraded Hinson componentry helped considerably.


When the gate dropped I slipped off the concrete and onto the dirt gently without much wheel spin. As soon as I hit the dirt I pinned the throttle and started banging on the gear shift lever up through the gearbox. Immediately apparent is how much smoother it switches between each cog courtesy of the special In-house Superfinishing (ISF) process. ISF is a special friction-reducing coating that is applied to moving parts, in this case the transmission gears. It’s similar in effect to hand-polishing but it’s far less labor intensive which makes it much more cost effective than ever before. This helps make each gear mesh more smoothly and allows the transmission to operate more freely.

I started to tangle with another rider as I entered Turn 1 which caused me to let off the gas and hesitate for a second which made me lose a few spots but I was still inside the top-5 as we leapt off the first table top and into Turn 2. The guys running first and second opened a bit of a gap on me and I was basically riding by myself for the majority of the race.

My race was one of the earlier ones in the day so the track wasn’t very rough yet. Even still the performance of the Noleen-tuned suspension really made the bike easy to ride. Believing that the front end spring rate was a bit soft in our original review, Noleen fitted slightly stiffer fork springs (0.48 kg/mm versus 0.47 stockers.)
Although it wasn’t a drastic change the bike felt quite a bit different when you were speeding downhill. The bike had a much more level chassis pitch and always felt like it had extra suspension stroke when large bumps were encountered downhill. In fact, given the limited amount of track time with the new set-up I never got the confidence to really maximize the added damping ability of the fork. Still it was a welcome change compared to before.

I ended up taking a fifth place finish but was well out of sight of the four guys in front of me so I was going to have to find some more speed in the second moto.

MOTO 2
The start of the second moto was almost identical to the first one. I got onto the dirt well and powered passed folks before letting off a bit early into Turn 1. Even still I was toward the front. I made a couple passes right away and was now in third position. I managed to stay with the two front guys this time and followed them for the next two laps.

At one point it almost felt like I was cheating considering how quickly I caught up to them courtesy of the insane amount of power that the Yosh-tuned engine pumps out. While bottom-end is actually a bit softer as compared to stock, the mid-range and top-end engine performance is unreal. And when you combine that with the phenomenal traction of the Dunlop rear tire I could achieve some pretty outrageous drives up GH’s near vertical hill climbs. Equally as pleasing was the outright power of the oversized front brake which made slowing down from warp speed a simple affair.

Within a few moments I was within striking distance. As I came around a slow flat 180-degree turn toward the back of the track I didn’t stay in the rut and ended up tipping over. The bike didn’t stall but I was now a few seconds behind the leaders. I hastily started sprinting again anxious to try and catch back up. I was hitting all my lines and everything was good until I stared motoring up the first hill. I was in second gear and had a decent amount of momentum but when I hit the uphill ledge jump I swapped out in the air. I immediately thought ‘oh my God I’m going to crash’ and instead of keeping my weight forward and the throttle pinned I high-sided and ended up landing on my head.

If you crash at this part of the track you’re in trouble as riders can’t see you as they jump up off the ledge. I immediately picked up my bike and tried to wheel it off track, however it’s so steep here that I struggled. Fortunately I was so far ahead of the fourth place person that I already had the bike re-fired as they came around, but I was forced to take a long detour down and around the hill in order to get back on track due to the position where I crashed. I bent my handlebar in the crash so it took me a while to get comfortable again on the bike and I actually almost crashed again going down the second hill. I ended up nursing it back home in 18th place in Moto 2 and ended up 10th overall. It wasn’t the result I wanted but that’s what happens when you hit the ground when you’re racing. Moral of the story is stay up on two wheels at all costs!

All said and done I am beyond impressed with the performance of our Yamaha project bike. Not only is it ridiculously fast it is by far one of the easiest dirt bike’s I’ve ever ridden. From its smooth powerband to its supple suspension performance it proves that with a few modifications you can get your bike dialed for racing motocross.


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Jonah Street proved the most skilled rider

American Jonah Street proved the most skilled rider through the towering dune sections of the Atacama Desert on Tuesday after claiming a victory for the U.S. in Stage 9 of the 2011 Dakar Rally. The Yamaha WR450F rider obtained only the second Dakar stage win of his career and came back strong from two disappointing days in which he finished outside the top-20. Street pulled off the win more than three minutes ahead of Dutchman Frans Verhoeven, who was followed just two seconds later by France’s David Casteu. Meanwhile, KTM rivals Cyril Despres and Marc Coma took seventh and ninth respectively following the day’s difficult start.

Stage 9 may not have been a particularly long journey at 270 km, but what it lacked in distance it made up for in challenging terrain. The trek featured mammoth dunes which could easily bog riders down and a unique start that had competitors setting off in groups. The leading riders were released in a row of 10 while those behind set off 20 at a time. A navigational error right out of the gate allowed the second wave to catch the first almost immediately and the resulting mass or dirt bikes further complicated things with large amounts of dust. In the resulting chaos many riders took wrong turns and lost time while attempting to separate from the field. Street was part of the third wave and was fortunate not to be swept up in the early confusion.

The top-10 riders were the first to hit the stage and those included Coma and Despres among others. By Checkpoint 1 BMW’s Verhoeven had slipped into the lead ahead of Honda’s Thierry Bethys and Casteu. Meanwhile Despres and Coma remained well outside the leading pack back in 20th and 21st, respectively. Yamaha’s Helder Rodrigues also had a solid start and quickly moved into third following the first 33km of the day. By 63 km the Portuguese rider was in the lead with Verhoeven and Spaniard Jordi Viladoms hotly pursuing. At the 163 km mark Street made his way in the leading pack in second while remaining just under three minutes adrift of Rodrigues. Meanwhile, Coma and Despres continued playing cat and mouse behind the leaders with the Spaniard leading the Frenchman by 35 seconds.

Frenchman Fran Verhoeven claimed second in Stage 8 and was 3:38 behind stage winner, Jonah Street.By Checkpoint 2 Street had successfully made the pass ahead of Rodrigues for the lead which he kept across the finish line. The American’s resulting finish puts him back up to 14th in the overall order. Rodrigues’ day took a turn for the worst when he became lost and ran out of fuel. As a result Rodrigues gave up second in the order to finish back in 33rd while Verhoeven went by to finish 3:38 behind Street. Casteu scraped by just two seconds later in third while Spaniard Gerard Guell and Viladoms rounded out the top-five.

In the overall standings the order for the top-five remained the same despite Despres crossing the finish line more than a minute ahead of current rally leader, Coma. Aprilia’s Francisco Lopez remains more than 23 minutes behind Coma after finishing Stage 9 in 10th.

Jonah Street (USA – Yamaha) 1st, 14th OA
“I had to start in the third wave, which was good and bad; good that everyone up front new their position and were taking it easy and I got to charge through. The second wave caught everybody in the second to last sand dunes. Then in the last dunes, I think when there were only three bikes in front of me I went over the handlebars hard, straight into the sand, totally unannounced, but I was okay. I got back up and followed them in, because I figured that I started two waves behind them so I was doing alright. Today we didn't have any bike problems, everything went really smooth, so I'm happy. It's awesome. You know what? We've been capable of it all rally, it just hasn't fallen into our plate. It's awesome, totally awesome. It's what we come here to do, to do the best we can and first is the best you can do, so to win a stage pretty special.”

Fran Verhoeven (BEL – BMW) 2nd, 25th OA
“For today's grouped start, since I like motocross, I wasn't stressed about being in between other riders. I attacked from the start. In the dunes and the mountains, there was a lot of fog, and I caught up with Ullevalseter. I couldn't understand, because he set off five minutes before me. I guess the group in front got really lost and that I navigated really well. It's perfect.”

KTM's Cyril Despres could only muster seventh during the stage which featured a difficult start and sandy dunes.David Casteu (FRA – Sherco) 3rd, 40th OA
“It's wonderful. I navigated by myself, since there were no tracks. I rode with Verhoeven in the right direction, making sure I was crossing the dunes well. Soon, we started to see the bikes of Chaleco, Coma… We went hell for leather, right up to the finish. It was absolutely great. As a result, it helped me forget my gearbox problems a bit.”

Cyril Despres (FRA – KTM) 7th, 2nd OA
“After the start, we didn't stay grouped for a long time because at the 17 km point Helder Rodrigues took a wrong direction and we all followed him. So, we turned round and ran straight into the second wave of starters. We were all riding in each others dust. It was a bit of a strange stage really. For the general standings, I assumed my responsibilities, because I'm fed up of playing cat and mouse for the last few years. We'll see what this strategy produces. Now I'll have to wait for the stage in Fiambala.”

Marc Coma (ESP – KTM) 9th, 1st OA
“With the grouped start and the fog, the start of the stage and the navigation was very difficult. In the first group, we got lost, turning right when we shouldn't have. When we got back on track the second wave caught up with us. It was a bit of a mess. After that, a group of around twenty quick riders formed and we managed to ride the rest of the stage normally. But in the end, it was a difficult day.”

Helder Rodrigues (PRT – Yamaha) 33rd, 4th OA
“The day started well for me again. I was riding really well until the 215 km point, then I got a bit lost. I rode 9 km too much, so I turned back and ran out of petrol. Luckily, Felipe Prohens gave me some petrol. It's terrible. 15 kilometers from here I had the best time, but that's rallying for you.”

2011 Dakar Rally Stage 9 Results:
After placing ninth in the stage Marc Coma remains the overall rally leader by 08:14 ahead of Cyril Despres.
1. Jonah Street, USA (Yamaha) 03:06:56
2. Frans Verhoeven, BEL (BMW) 03:10:34
3. David Casteu, FRA (Sherco) 03:10:36
4. Gerard Farres Guell, ESP (Aprilia) 03:11:26
5. Jordi Viladoms, ESP (Yamaha) 03:12:42
6. Daniel Gouet, CHL (Honda) 03:12:58
7. Cyril Despres, FRA (KTM) 03:12:59
8. Pal Anders Ullevalseter, NOR (KTM) 03:13:55
9. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 03:14:04
10. Francisco Lopez Contardo, CHL (Aprilia) 03:14:49

2011 Dakar Rally Overall Standings:
1. Marc Coma, ESP (KTM) 11:32:56
2. Cyril Despres, FRA (KTM) 11:41:10
3. Francisco Lopez Contardo, CHL (Aprilia) 11:56:29
4. Helder Rodrigues, PRT (Yamaha) 12:34:47
5. Ruben Faria, PRT (KTM) 12:54:16
6. Pal Anders Ullevalseter, NOR (KTM) 13:35:13
7. Juan Pedrero Garcia, ESP (KTM) 13:37:40
8. Quinn Cody, USA (Honda) 14:12:36
9. Jean de Azevedo, BRA (KTM) 14:15:51
10. Ivan Jakes, SVK (Yamaha) 14:30:28

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Stephane Peterhansel had more trouble with flat tires

In the car category, Stephane Peterhansel had more trouble with flat tires while Orlando Terranova had to withdraw after somersaulting as Guerlain Chicherit had done the day before. Nasser Al-Attiyah gets closer to Sainz after a 10th stage victory in his Dakar career.

Ales Loprais keeps shaking the Kamaz truck domination and achieves a second stage victory in a row. - DAKAR 2011 News via Dakar.com


He sure took his time this year. Since the Dakar has been taking place on home turf, "Chaleco" never waited for too long to thrill his supporters. But this year, victory had so far been eluding the Aprilia leader who nearly won the stage in Iquique finishing right behind Goncalves. This year, Lopez had been feeling so great, easy like never before, for instance with navigation which is normally not his forte. His Italian 450cc having now demonstrated its reliability, both in terms of performance and sturdiness, all the conditions were there to see Lopez roar out of the box. So it is in Antofagasta, one of the cities where he already won honorary citizenship in the past that the man achieved his fifth victory in a Dakar. In order to make sure he would win this one, the Chilean rider was very tidy; he cleared km 176 with more than 4' lead over Coma. Upon arrival, he finished with a 2'21'' margin, a glorious day of fame and a small jump closer to the top of the standings where he is still 3rd, 18'27'' behind the Catalan rider.

The 273 km on the menu of the day did not really change things between both KTM riders, although the day made them both realize the "Chaleco" threat is a pretty serious one. Coma remains in the lead 7'24'' ahead of Despres who closed the gap a bit today. Both men know that such a short lead can be destroyed any day by a mechanical problem or by a dodgy navigation decision. By the way, the gaps separating the winner and second at the end of a Dakar are often more in the vicinity of the hour than of the minute. We have to go back to the 2005 edition of the Dakar to see a title won with a less-than-10-minute lead. A bit further down the ranks, the good news finally came from Pal-Anders Ullevalseter who ended with the 8th fastest time of the day and is back in the Top 10. As for Jonah Street, he is on the way out of the leadership, falling more than an hour behind Coma at CP3 (km 192) after having had to stop for an engine failure. David Casteu is already pretty far down the ranks, but trouble seems to be the daily bread of the Sherco rider, who also had to spend a long time repairing off trail.

Until the rest day, the X-Raid clan was able to see - with optimism - that its glass was half full. Unfortunately, bad luck struck repeatedly on Sven Quandt's team, who is probably experiencing his toughest 24 hours as team manager. In Arica, Guerlain Chicherit started by ruining the Mini Countryman he was required to bring to Buenos Aires in one piece. And - more importantly - his leader, Stephane Peterhansel seems to be on a downward slope with a new flat tire after just 15 km of racing today. Concerned by the rotten luck and about managing his spare tires, "Peter" drove conservatively and lost another painful 21' to Carlos Sainz in the standings. But the run of misfortunes does not stop there for BMW. Apart from the two punctured tires of Krzysztof Holowcyc, the X3 of Orlando Terranova went off trail and somersaulted after about 200 km of special stage. The Argentine flagship driver in this category, who seemed to be doing pretty well and about to enter and stay in the Top 5, leaves the race before even reentering his home country.

So the tide seems to be turning in favor of the Race Touareg III, who finished the day with the three fastest times of the special stage ... and no flat tires! Nasser Al Attiyah is - once again, like last year - in pursuit of Sainz and gaining ground on the Spaniard. Together with his 10th stage victory in a Dakar, the Qatari is now just 1'22'' from first place in the general standings. Giniel De Villiers who is common to the sometimes useful strategy of playing it slow is also getting closer to the podium: he is now only 11' behind Peterhansel and if he were to pass him in the standings, he would be the one providing for a VW treble.

The wind might have turned in the truck category. Ales Loprais and his copilot Josef Kalina - four-time Dakar winner - were counting on a psychological trigger to bring trouble into the well-oiled routine of the Kamaz trucks. No one will ever know if the Russian clan is getting panicky but one thing is sure: Loprais is driving with confidence. He crossed the finish line of the Antofagasta stage a winner; this is his second consecutive stage victory in his Dakar career. In the general standings, he gets closer to the top and is now 16'22'' behind Kabirov, who is still leader, and is now in front of Vladimir Chagin by almost the same time. A Czech dream might slowly but surely be coming true...
For more race info, check out Dakar.com.


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Chad Reed long way from the Junior days back in Australia

So,the big event of Anaheim 1 has been run and won. I could tell by your Tweets that you were super proud and excited to debut your brand new TwoTwo Motorsports team. You’ve come a long way from the Junior days back in Australia…

Yeah, real proud and excited for the weekend. Honestly, I was just in a position where I needed to go racing because there’s only so much riding that you can do by yourself. You get to a point where you’re happy and comfortable, so after that you need to go racing to see where the next step is.

It’s just running through that whole procedure of being at the race, putting the tent up with all the guys – all new guys, some of them which I have worked with before – and just figuring each other out.

I think we had a very smooth weekend and a good result. We were quick in practice and qualifying, then struggled a little in the heat and the main, but overall I think top five is a great start for us.

You finished fifth in the main event after being way back in the pack on the opening lap. It’s a positive start, even if it wasn’t quite the fairytale start for you.

I mean, there’s always the fairytale story where you want to come out and win on debut or whatever, but I think championships are it. I feel confident in where we’re at and the chances that we have to move forward are positive.

We’re just putting a plan together for this week, do some testing and change a few things here and there. It’s all just to make things a little easier on the weekend and make it all a little more comfortable.

Overall the weekend went, I wouldn’t say exactly to plan because the goal is to try win or be on the podium, but top five is the best that we could manage and that’s good enough for me.

We have seen how comfortable you look on the Honda and you’ve told me before that the bike really suits you, so was it everything you hoped for once you were in a race situation with the likes of Stewart, Dungey, Villopoto and co.?

Yeah, it was good I think. Overall there are a few little things that I need to work on but that’s very typical of this time of the year. I can promise you that there’s not a rider in the top five or 10 that are not going to take what they learned this weekend to improve on their set-ups.

Like I said earlier, I was comfortable and ready to go racing – we needed to go racing to see what the next step was. I feel like we have a good game plan and we can go and work on our weaknesses, so I think we’ll be a little stronger.

Obviously starts are important every year, but this year we’ve got a solid group of young kids in there who are strong from the beginning, so you definitely can’t put yourself in vulnerable positions like I did this weekend.

Pretty much off the start I think James [Stewart] was two ahead of me on the first lap and he finished two ahead at the end, so I just have to be stronger off the gate and stronger in the first half then I think we’ll be right in it.

It was the first time in a very long time that you haven’t raced a factory bike in AMA Supercross. Do you feel as though that is a disadvantage in this day and age, or it’s all good?

I honestly don’t look at is as a factory bike or a privateer bike. It’s all about who you’ve got working on your bike and who’s calling the shots. I feel like we have a great bike and I don’t think that my fifth place reflects on my bike not being a factory bike. I have a good plan and a good starting point. There are things on my bike that are the same as what I’ve had in the past so I’m not far off.

The biggest advantage of being on a factory team is having all those resources around you, and the endless parts in the truck and race shop that have been accumulated. We don’t have that, so that’s really our weakest link – everything has to be started from the ground up.

We’re working with a new motorcycle for us and have no previous model or year to fall back on, so I’m sure every weekend we’ll learn something and will try to be purposeful on the changes that we make.

How different was it for you to enter A1 as your own boss? I guess you don’t really have anybody to answer to except for the people who are putting in hard work, as well as your sponsors, but at the end of the day you’re the boss now!

[Laughs] yeah, it’s nice actually. I’m having a lot of fun with it, it’s exciting, it’s fun and it’s challenging. At the end of the day, I don’t get called up into the office because I’m the one calling everybody else in to make the next plan for the week.

That’s fun for me because I get to call the shots, make plans and communicate with those guys to get their feelings on what they saw and what needs to be better so we can move forward.

It’s the same, but different. Everybody does it, so I guess all that’s changed is I’m saying “hey guys, let’s talk about this”, rather than being told to be in a room to see what happened, kind of thing [laughs].

There’s a long way to go in the series, a lot of races to be won. What’s the next step for you at this point after reflecting on A1?

At this point we’re making a plan, moving forward and are looking forward to the week. We’re ready to go, ready to get after it! Starts are obviously priority number one, which all comes down to me and my technique.


Getting my technique consistent is what I need to do. My heat race start was great, I watched it on film over and over again and my technique and my form was awesome. I actually could have been a lot more aggressive and probably could have got the holeshot.

I felt like I was really calm at the first one for some reason and I guess last year played a big role in that. I was in the middle of the pack and ended up not finishing the race because I came together with another rider.

This year I didn’t want to jeopardise a good top five finish, so overall we have a good base to work from now. We’ll do some starts, work on the suspension a little bit here and there and I think we’ll be solid this weekend in Phoenix.

Just finally, there was a lot of uncertainty heading into this year’s season opener for a variety of obvious reasons. Looking back now, were you able to get a good gauge on your main rivals?

You know, personally I would say that I think the pace was low on the weekend – I wouldn’t say that the pace was high. The track was challenging in ways that it really hadn’t been before.

Normally Anaheim is hard-pack and slick, that’s what we expect from it, but this year it had a lot of rain on it and the dirt was pretty moist. Throughout the night program it seemed like the moisture was coming up and it kind of got greasy on the main line, but off of the main line it was really loose.

I think a lot of people were struggling with that, and I know that I was struggling on the track in some sections. Kind of what I felt and what I could see in other riders on video looked consistent to what I was feeling.

Overall I felt the pace was low this weekend, and that for the big storm that everybody’s talking about I thought it was a pretty damn boring race. I know I was a distant fifth and that’s not the plan or the goal to be there, but I just felt like the race was a little bit of a let down with no battles at all.

We’ll all regroup and come out firing for Phoenix and the future races. I don’t think Anaheim 1 is a reflection on how the season’s going to be – it’s going to intensify a lot and will be pretty crazy here in the coming weeks.

Cool mate, well good luck this weekend and Australia is definitely behind you guys in the TwoTwo Motorsports team.

Thanks, man. I appreciate it and we’ll definitely be trying our best.
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