Rikki Priest Motocross Training – 20th Nov 08
Over the coming months the UK's most renowned motocross coach is set to embark upon a 3 month training package here in Ireland. Having spent many years helping out riders across the UK Rikki has developed a training course that not only focuses on technique but also looks into rider fitness and even right down to grass track prowess. Throughout this 3 month training package Rikki will help you develop your riding skills and by the end he'll also have a fully calculated training program worked out for you to follow throughout the new season.
If you’re interested in hearing more about what Rikki can do for you or if you want to bring your riding to the next level give Rikki a call and he'll run you through all the fine details of this exclusive package. The 1st date of the training will be on the 20th of December at Dundalk MotoX Park and having spoken to Rikki this morning it's already filling up fast.
Rikki Priest - Mob: 07974 641 913
REED RACES TO VICTORY AT GEELONG SUPERCROSS
Suzuki riders were again in fine form during Round Three of the Australasian Supercross Championship at Geelong's Skilled Stadium on Saturday with Chad Reed winning Pro Open and Matt Moss finishing second in Pro Lites.
In front of a huge crowd of 16,500, Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Reed won the new triple challenge format on his RM-Z450 to remain unbeaten and continue his dominance of the series.
After topping practice and qualifying and winning his heat race, Reed fought off early challenges to prevail in the opening two heats of the triple challenge. In the six-lap final, he took the lead on the second tour and went on to win by over three seconds securing his third round win of the year.
Also in Pro Open, Cameron Taylor enjoyed his strongest weekend since joining Team Shift Motul Suzuki. On his RM-Z450, Taylor took second in his heat race, and finished sixth, third and sixth in the three triple challenge races. The strong results saw Taylor take fourth for the weekend and move up to sixth in the championship standings.
Fresh from his Pro Lites win at Adelaide just seven days earlier, Team Shift Motul Suzuki's Matt Moss was in fine form at Geelong. The 20-year-old topped practice and cruised to fourth in his heat to book a place in the final.
Moss' chances of victory were severely dented by a dramatic start where he hit the start gate. Having dropped to last, Moss charged up the order on his Suzuki RM-Z250, eventually finishing second behind twin brother Jake to maintain a strong second in the championship.
With Lawson Bopping sidelined by a broken scaphoid sustained in Adelaide, Kieran Tisdale was the sole Team Shift Motul Suzuki Development representative in Geelong. Tisdale fought hard to finish second in the last-chance qualifier and secure his second final start of the year in which he finished 19th.
Round Four of the Australasian Supercross Championship will be held at Parramatta Stadium in Sydney on Saturday November 8th.
Chad Reed:
"I have really been looking forward to this round. I knew this venue would be awesome and this track was great to race on and allowed all riders to produce some really fast times. This is one of the biggest crowds I have ever seen in Australian Supercross and they got right behind all of the riders.
"I am blown away by how much the riders keep raising the bar at each round; they all just keep getting faster and stronger."
Cameron Taylor:
"I'm pleased with how the day went. Starts have been one of the main areas we've been working on and we made some changes after Adelaide which have helped. Our race pace on the Suzuki RM-Z450 was good and it was great to be up there mixing it with guys like Chad Reed and holding our own. Fourth is our best result so far and we're moving forward with each round; I'm looking forward to Sydney in a fortnight."
Matt Moss:
"It's a shame about the start of the final; I hit the start gate, flicked up and was lucky not to crash. We dropped to dead last and from there it was just about regaining as many places as possible.
"The Suzuki RM-Z250 was great and we were up to second by about half race distance. Jake Moss was a fair way ahead so we made sure we got second place and heap of points for the championship."
Jay Foreman - Team Shift Motul Team Manager:
"It was another great performance from Chad Reed on the RM-Z450 to make it three wins in a row, he's a pro. We've been working with Cameron Taylor to help him at race starts, which are so important, and we've made some more improvements in that department.
"He rode well and fourth is a good reward; he's only going to get stronger as the season progresses. Considering he could've very easily crashed at the start second is a great result for Matt Moss; from last he did very well to get back up the order.
"We've now got a weekend off between rounds, which is the first time we've had all the bikes and trucks at the workshop since the start of the season. There's plenty of work to do before Sydney and we'll go there confident of making it another successful weekend for Suzuki."
2008 AUSTRALASIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER THREE ROUNDS):
PRO OPEN: 1 Chad Reed (Suzuki RM-Z450) 75, 2 Jay Marmont 64, 3 Cheyne Boyd 52, 4 Daniel Reardon 48, 5 Daniel McCoy 44, 6 Cameron Taylor (Suzuki RM-Z450) 43, 7 Craig Anderson 41, 8 Troy Carroll 40, 9 Brett Landman 36, 10 Nathan Crawford 33.
PRO LITES: 1 Jake Moss 72, 2 Matt Moss (Suzuki RM-Z250) 69, 3 Ryan Marmont 52, 4 Luke George 48, 5 Danny Anderson 42, 6 Tye Simmonds 36, 7 Adam Monea 34, 8 Taylor Potter 33, 9 Kirk Gibbs 32, 10 Todd Waters 28.
Irish Motorcyclist of the Year - 2008
The MRA would encourage you to vote for your choice of Enkalon Irish Motorcyclist of the Year. Obviously it would be great if we could get an off-road rider well up in the voting total so please take a few minutes to vote for your choice by logging into www.enkalonbike.com.
There are three categories in which off road riders could be successful
- Irish Motorcyclist of the Year
- Off Road rider of the year
- Young Off Road Rider of the Year
So, please take just a few minutes to vote for YOUR Irish Motorcyclist of the Year!
The last Off Road Rider to win the top accolade of Irish Motorcyclist of the Year was Alan Morrison some years ago so wouldn’t it be terrific for an Off Road rider to be crowned with the top award of the night in 2008.
Moto-One Suzuki by TAS Statement – 8th October 2008
Following the final round of the Ulster MX2 Championship at Donemana on Saturday 4th October, Team Moto-One Suzuki by TAS have released the following exclusive statement to UlsterMotocross.com
As From Saturday 4th October 2008 Moto-One by TAS can confirm that Team rider Wayne Garrett number 33 has breached his contract and will no longer be a member or be associated with this team or sponsors.
Team manager and Principal Philip McCullough had this to say: “My situation with Wayne Garrett is not something I’m going to talk publicly about other than to say Wayne never had the drive and enthusiasm this year that he showed in my 2 previous years helping him. The switch to Suzuki machinery I feel was a massive positive step for the team and being associated with TAS concreted this. Unfortunately it was seen by Wayne as an easy excuse to blame the machinery when he didn’t perform or succeed like before. His contract was not going to be renewed for 2009 but unfortunately he didn’t show the professionalism to finish the current season out with the team.
Riders come and go in this sport but it is my goal and job to keep Moto-One at the fore front and continue to be the most successful Motocross team in Ireland and that was going to be without Garrett in 2009.”
This statement has been given exclusively to UlsterMotocross.com and is copyright © to Race Deal – Sports PR™
LUCK OF THE IRISH???? -
By Mighty Mal
Well, Motocross of Nations in England had to happen, hospital beckons, and injuries aplenty for the lads of Team Ireland.
You all know the results, USA won again, although if Boissiere had kept going even with his flat tyre, France could have triumphed, but hindsight is always 20/20.
Anyway, behind the scenes as usual, it was all go. We arrived on Friday morning on the bmibaby Motocross shuttle plane, the airport was like a motocross park and fly, went to the track and picked up our passes etc., spoke to the lads and Stephen Russell, had a quick wander round the paddock, and a nosy round the media centre and found out when and where the media events were.
The paddock was fantastic, with Red Bull, Monster Energy and Thor putting on super displays, around Team USA of course, certainly added to the excitement of the weekend.
MXoN weekends feel different to a normal GP weekend, there is a palpable sense of this being the biggest race of the year, and this was in total contrast to Faenza, two weeks earlier, where there was a distinct end of term feel.
I made a point of speaking to Martin Barr as he had a serious crash at Hawkestone the week before, and he was hurting then, but he was limping a lot less at Donington. Stuart Edmonds was grinning from ear to ear just happy to be there, GC was cool as ever, prepping the bike.
We left them in peace and went shopping in Nottingham, buzzing town, as busy at midnight as midday.
We had to collect Rachel, Martin’s girlfriend from the Airport, and we punched in some time in the Thistle Hotel Bar, which was full of Team USA personnel and journalists, (and also Graeme Irwin and Jamie Huddleson, well, foyer anyway).
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny; off we went to Donington, spoke to the lads, all confident, all looking forward to the racing, Stuart still grinning.
In the press centre I was approached by Alex Hodgkinson who had a discussion with me about his race report from Fairy House (he was very critical of the wood chips) which turned out to be ironic when MX1 practice started.
Watched MX1 practice from the pit boxes, after 3 laps GC was in with a locked front wheel. After a close inspection by Gibber, the culprit was found, a 3 inch woodchip had jammed in the wheel, where was Alex when we needed him?
Anyway, practice for the other lads went OK, GC ended up 7th, Martin 4th, and Stuart 21st, not bad considering the company they were in.
Races did not go so well as you all know, and the camp was a bit down on Saturday night, particularly as we were 17th with 2 laps to go until Zach Osborne moved up, and one of the Japanese moved too, relegating us to 20th and to the Final on Sunday morning. Bumping into Steve Dixon, he sort of apologised for Zach putting us out, but that’s racing.
However, GC was upbeat about qualifying trough the B Final, the big worry was Martin, who could barely walk by this stage. A bit of a hunt round the paddock with Stephen Russell and Neil Loughery and we found the French Federation Doctor who had a look at Martins thigh.
A deep muscle tear was diagnosed, and a pain killing injection was not recommended as the damage was so deep that a blood clot was a real risk. The Doc recommended he should not ride, he obviously didn’t know martin too well.
Sunday morning, straight to the camp, Martin had seen the French Doc and had obtained slow release pain killing tablets, but he was still limping badly and in obvious pain, but GC was brimming with confidence, and Stuart, although a bit down, was still determined to do his best.
Out for practice first, and after one lap, GC went missing, we were in the pit box when Martin stopped beside us to tell us Gordon was off the bike, we couldn’t see him, but soon word reached us he was in the ambulance with mild concussion and a sore neck. It seems that the bike either had wheel spin or the back wheel locked up on the face of the jump and she went over nose first, down to 2 men, but qualification was still possible, as only the two best results count in the B Final, as opposed to the five best in the main races.
So, the B Final, arguably the best race of the weekend, with Brazil’s Balbi, an AMA Supercross and National regular getting away on the 450, Martin got a rubbish start out of the gate but was up to 2nd past us at the pit box, and Stuart 7th past us, looking good.
As the race progressed, Stuart disappeared from the top 10, but appeared in 21st on a charge that would eventually take him to 11th in the race, a fantastic performance.
At the sharp end, Martin was struggling with his leg, watching him at the big hairpin and through the whoops at the grandstand he was lifting his leg of the footpeg to relieve the pressure, and he had slipped to 4th.
Suddenly, Balbi disappeared from the timing screen at a split section, and Martin was third, then second behind da Silva, another Brazilian, but he was passed by Bobryshev, all on 450’s remember.
Going to the last lap, Martin was visibly closing on the Russian GP rider, and as he disappeared from our view we had only the crowd’s reaction and the timing screen to let us know what was happening, and what a reaction!
Splits were showing Martin closing, and on the last few corners Martin passed him, I stepped back from the pit boxes to see him cross the line punching the air.
Back at the camp, the crowd burst into spontaneous applause when both the lads returned, Martin grinned across at us, and my missus reminded me that Martin promised us we would be there when he won his first international race, and we were, and given the circumstances, this was an impressive victory.
Stuart had given his all too with a fantastic climb through the pack, and although visibly emotional, he deserves a lot of credit for his performance all weekend.
By this stage, Gordon had been transferred to hospital for a precautionary MRI scan which was thankfully OK. Brazil qualified with 9 points, Ireland 2nd with 12, what might have been?
You know what happened in the race, but afterwards, in the winner press conference there was more controversy where the Americans blamed Pourcel for trying a take out on Stewart and for dozing Villopoto, Pourcels reaction was a wry smile.
They also complained about the track, dirt not the same as in USA, the cold, the rain, and just about anything European you could think of. With the minders, bag carriers, and general hangers on, they are a hard bunch to like, I have spoken with Villopoto before at Anaheim, and he seemed a nice kid, but maybe fame is getting to him as he came across as petulant and moody at the weekend, Tim Ferry seems a nice guy, and Stewart was the most diplomatic to be fair, and the media attention all weekend was unbelievable.
However, after the race I witnessed the worst behaviour I have ever seen at a motocross race, with so called ‘fans’ tearing down banners, signs, whatever they could, even tearing them down and throwing them away, pure vandalism, and not just kids, grown men. I actually witnessed prohibited area signs being stolen, and three Youthstream personnel running up and down the pit boxes to stop them stealing monitors!
Anyway, good points of the weekend, paddock, press facilities, atmosphere, convenience for us travelling, weather, racing, B Final, team spirit, Team USA presence, track access and egress.
Bad points, cost to get in, cost of food and drink, both inside and outside the circuit, English ‘fans’ manner and behaviour(very unsporting people, and rude), Team USA unavailability to public, Team Ireland not qualifying, GC getting hurt again, and most important of all, we have to wait another year for the next one!
Roll on Brescia, Forza Italia!!!!
Team KTM UK – race report Motocross of Nations – Donington Park
Simpson enjoys maiden Motocross of Nations bow at packed Donington
Team KTM UK completed a fantastic 2008 racing schedule with the 62nd Motocross of Nations at Donington Park this weekend. ’08 British Champion Shaun Simpson represented Great Britain in the three rider team for the first time and helped the country to 4th position –only narrowly missing out on the podium- by riding his SXS250F machine to 6th place overall in the Open category.
A bumper 60,000 crowd came to the MotoGP and future Formula One venue in the Midlands for the last major event on the current version of the off-road layout that is located in the Infield section. The track was rough and tricky thanks to the hard and bumpy reddish soil and a coating of rain for several hours on Sunday morning only helped to churn the tacky soil even further.
Simpson got off to a poor start in the second of three races (the first for him) of the day, tangling with other riders and crashing in the second corner. He produced an impressive comeback, goggle-less, to make 15th position by the chequered flag. A better start in the next race (with the machines of the MX1 class in the gate) delivered a steady ride to 13th; a considerable achievement against the bigger bikes.
“It was a mega experience being here as part of the team and in front of a crowd like that, definitely one of the highlights of my career so far,” said Simpson in what was his last appearance for the team after a four year association. “It has been a good season. Breaking my collarbone in the Czech Republic was a setback but we could still take the British title, my first, and today was like a crowning moment. I could not think of a better way to end the year. My only regret is that we missed out on the podium. We were so close and it shows how exciting things can be at this event.”
After campaigns involving the FIM Motocross World Championship, the Maxxis British Championship and the Under-21 British championship, the team came away with two titles thanks to Simpson and Alex Snow’s efforts in the last two series respectively, with James Noble runner-up in the MX1 series.
MX Open Overall Result
1. Tim Ferry, USA, Kawasaki
2. Steve Ramon, BEL, Suzuki
3. Nicolas Aubin, FRA, Yamaha
4. Alex Salvini, ITA, Suzuki
5. Cody Cooper, NZL, Suzuki
6. Shaun Simpson, GBR, KTM
62nd Motocross of Nations final result
1. USA
2. France
3. Belgium
4. Great Britain
5. Italy
HAWKESTONE HEROES – By The Mighty Mal
Hard to believe that we were setting off for the last round of the British Championship only a week after the last GP at Faenza, it only seems like last week we were at Valkenswaard and Donnington Park for the first rounds of both series.
With both Championships mathematically still not over, the bright autumn sunshine that greeted us when we arrived at the grand, spectacular old track boded well for a great days racing.
First out, the Ladies British Championship, and Northern Irelands Natalie Kane took the title for the second year running over a modified course, excluding the big hill with a dominant display, she was simply in a different league, and congratulations to her, and the MVR-D Suso Suzuki team.
Practice went by the form book, with the top three of Simpson, Sword and Barr filling the top three qualification spots, with Graeme Irwin 23rd, and Robert Hamilton 28th.
MX1 also went to form, but Gordon Crockard had a huge get off at the bottom of the Hawkestone hill, cross rutting on the jump while on a quick lap, and ending up on his head, with a bent bike.
Enquiring after his condition a few minutes later, his mechanic, the world famous ‘Gibber’ replied, with all the concern he could muster, ‘he’s OK, it’ll maybe knock some sense into him!!’ Seventh was the result.
In the MX2 Class, Swordy was awesome in his last ride for the Molson Kawasaki outfit, winning the both races was all he could do.
Shaun did what he had to do, gathering the points necessary to clinch his, and the KTM UK teams second, British Championship of 2008.
For us, Martin Barr, in his penultimate ride for the U Tag Yamaha team before heading off to pastures yellow with Rob Hooper’s Relentless Suzuki squad for 2009 started well, with a strong run in second place behind Swordy until the Hill claimed another Northern Irish victim, a heavy fall leaving Martin with a dead left leg, and bruising to his left arm and shoulder. He attempted the second race but had to withdraw after 4 laps, but he will be OK for next weekend he claims.
An emotional podium followed, but congratulations have to go to Shaun on a fabulous year, to his family who have always supported him, and also, to Roger Magee and his team and family too.
I personally have followed Shaun’s career at this level, watching him at the Isle of Wight GP in 2004 on the 125 KTM, then seeing him and the team develop since 2005 where I helped them take the awning down in Sweden when only Shaun and the family were there and they were not even in the main paddock, to seeing him take 4th in the world at Faenza last weekend, where they are now one of the established teams, parked beside Champ KTM has been a pleasure, frustrating sometimes, but a pleasure.
2008 has been a fantastic year for Roger and the team, Under 21 British Champs with Alex Snow, Maxxis British MX2 Champion with Shaun, and runner up in the MX1 Maxxis British Championship with James Noble, 4th in the World MX2 Championships with Shaun, and Shaun’s selection for Team GB adding icing to an already bulging cake, well done to all.
MX1 first race saw Billy McKenzie take his second consecutive Maxxis British MX1 Championship with a race win, behind him, our own Gordon Crockard, after his customary poor start, came alive after 10 minutes and scorched through the pack to claim seventh.
Race 2 saw one of the best performances I have seen at a British Championship by GC.
Billy Mac lined up on a sleeved down CR500 Honda of indeterminate vintage, with GC to his left. I watched the start from beside Billy, and although GC got out of the gate with Billy, by the first corner Billy was 5th, Gordon 35th, don’t ask, I don’t’ know.
Passing us near the finish line on lap one GC was up to 19th and charging.
For the rest of the race GC was passing riders two and three at a time on some occasions, catching the leaders inexorably, he was visibly faster down the big hill, round corners the engine note was noticeably lower than the rest, Gordon working the torque curve of the big Honda instead of using energy using the power curve, he was smoother, faster, and fitter than the rest of the field.
Billy retired from 4th after 4 or five laps, but going into the last lap, GC was closing on leader team mate Ray Rowson, and second place Brad Anderson on the Swift Suzuki, all three on the same straight, but Gordon closing down on both of them at a rapid pace.
Unfortunately the clock, and yellow flags beat him, third was his after an epic, scintillating performance that had the two Rogers, Harvey and Warren who were commentating nearly bursting blood vessels keeping up with him.
Performances like this should remind any doubters of the man’s talent, and speed why he is a shoe in for our Nations team. He seems to have remembered how to race for 35 minutes, not three hours, with Gordon and Martin on this sort of form, and if Stuart Edmonds can carry his speed from the Fairyhouse GP, could be a great weekend at Donnington, we may not win, but we could surprise a few nay sayers out there.
