Kevin Benavides

STAGE: 2nd FINAL: 2nd

We finished the stage with Quintanilla which meant that I finished second overall. I go home very happy after winning three of the six stages. It was a very good race for me without any falls. The navigation mishaps were due to errors in the roadbook. I think I was never able to regain the time I lost on the first day, but I did well and battled hard every day to get a one-two for Honda. Congratulations to Joan and the entire Monster Energy Honda Team for the race.

 

 

Paulo Goncalves

STAGE: 10th FINAL: 12ve

It was a difficult race for me. The first day I lost 45 minutes, in addition to falling and lost any options of doing better. Physically I didn’t feel that good and I preferred to ride at a measured pace to not make any mistakes and aggravate the injuries that I am still recovering from. Today was a beautiful stage, with a fast pace out in the dunes. I felt pretty good, especially with the bike, which has worked perfectly on all types of terrain. Congratulations to our team-mates who finished first and second in the race.

 

 

Joan Barreda

STAGE: 5th FINAL: 1st

I am very happy to be back winning races again, especially because we can now forget about a year of injuries. There is still work to do to get back to 100% physically and be able to ride my way, without pain. That’s the way I like to do it: return to the competition like that, have a great race and finish with a win. This will serve as great motivation to keep pushing and reach the highest level by the end of the year.

 

 

Ricky Brabec

STAGE: 8th FINAL: 5th

It’s the final stage of an eventful rally which had some highs and lows. The rally started off well with a great first stage, and then there were some good ones up until the fourth stage. That was where many people all had the same problems with the roadbook. I managed, like some of the others, to make it through to the end with a few mistakes; but this is rallying where everyone makes a few errors. I lost time that day, but in the final stage I was able to make it up and ended up finishing just forty seconds off the podium. For me, that’s awesome and a confidence booster. I’m not totally happy with the overall result, but I’m pleased with the individual stages. Thanks to all.

 

 

José Ignacio Cornejo

STAGE: 6th FINAL: 8th

In this final stage we finished well and I was able to put yesterday’s bad stage behind me. I made a few mistakes. In general it was a good rally, we improved the speed race by race and so we keep moving up positions as the season goes on. It’s getting better and better and I’m happy about that.

 

 

Raul Castells

Monster Energy Honda Team Manager

We are very happy with an outcome that could hardly have been better here at the Merzouga Rally, with such a high level of participation. First and second places are incredible. We are positively surprised by the powerful return of Joan Barreda, whom we congratulate for the victory and who battled hard in each stage. Likewise we also congratulate Kevin Benavides, who has clinched second place winning three specials. We have seen the high level of riding from our team and although some had some issues with the navigation, they have fought hard to be at the top. Navigation has been an important factor and was very difficult in all the stages. It is very important to train and prepare the season well. We are pleased and we want to congratulate the whole team for their effort and results. We will continue to strive to achieve the best results.

Final standings Merzouga Rally 2018

Pos.	Rider	Num	Nation	Team	Constructor	Time/Gap
1	Barreda Joan		SPA	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	13:28’19
2	Benavides Kevin		ARG	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	+6’10
3	Quintanilla Pablo		CHI	Husqvarna Factory Rally Team	Husqvarna	+11’25
4	Caimi Franco		ARG	Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team	Yamaha	+18’49
5	Brabec Ricky		USA	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	+20’04
6	Price Toby		AUS	Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team	KTM	+21’04
7	Pedrero Joan		SPA	Sherco TVS Rally Factory	Sherco	+29’18
8	Cornejo José Ignacio		CHI	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	+42’37
9	Svitko Stefan		SLO	Slovnaft Team	KTM	+53’00
10	Short Andrew		USA	Husqvarna Factory Rally Team	Husqvarna	+1:01’25
11	Duplessis Martín		ARG	Sherco TVS Rally Factory	Sherco	+1:02’28
12	Goncalves Paulo		POR	Monster Energy Honda Team	Honda	+1:09’07
13	Botturi Alessandro		ITA	Botturi Racing	Yamaha	+1:17’32
14	Sanz Laia		SPA	KTM Factory Racing Team	KTM	+1:55’00
15	Mena Oriol		SPA	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	Hero	+2:24’49

The post Monster Energy Honda Team Scores a One-Two Victory at the Merzouga Rally appeared first on Dirt Bikes.

“How come all these tools,” asked Chet. “Are you gonna open up a machine shop in the middle of the desert?”

“Never mind,” I patiently answered, “you can never tell when they’re going to come in handy.”

You see, we were out in the ga­rage preparing for the Barstow to Vegas Race, the one race in the world that caused me more grief than any plague of your choice. It took me four tries before I finally finished one of the damned things–and the one I did finish was no great shakes. Limping the last 60 miles or so with a severely forniscued and flat rear wheel is not exactly chuckles and grins.

Let’s see… my first Barstow to Vegas attempt had ended with a boulder two feet smaller than Alabama trying to occupy the very same space my front wheel was in. The wheel lost.

The second year, though, was a little better; I made it almost to the third gas before the entire exhaust system got ripped off the Greeves I was straddling. Greeves’, like most motorcycles, don’t take too kindly to having wide open ports sucking up the sand. So, I would ride about 50 yards, wire the pipes back in place, ride another 50 yards, do it again, and so forth. Until I arrived so late at the third gas check, the sponsoring club would not let me continue. “We don’t want you out in that desert in the stone dark, bwah.”

Foiled. If I had just had the foresight to have the right fix-em­-up equipment with me, I could have patched the Greeves and con­tinued onward to that elusive finish line.

Such was not the case. Other than one plug tool and a 20-pound crescent wrench, I carried only luck at my side. And all of it of low quality.

Why such a large crescent wrench? Simple. I was from Back East, and relatively new to the desert. Naturally, everyone filled my head with tales of being stranded in the middle of nowhere and being attacked by wild critters and such.

Thus, the wrench served a twofold purpose: maintenance and protection. What fool of a coyote is going to attack a man wielding a 20-pound crescent wrench nearly two feet long?

After the Greeve-ious experi­ence, I took to carrying greater quantities and selections of tools and emergency apparati.

The next year, I rode a 501 Maico in that cursed Barstow to Vegas and had plenty of tools along. Alas. Due to several messy endoes and misplaced gas crews, I never made the cutoff times past the California-Nevada state line. Nevertheless, I had ridden secure in the knowledge that I was able to repair the bike after the spills.

Vowing to finish Barstow to Vegas the next year, I rode a 250 Cooper and–lo and behold–I finished. But, as previously mentioned, in a sorry state of a ruined rear wheel and tire. With some foresight, I thought bitterly, I could have carried a spare tube and tire fixing tools. But no. I had to ride that last nasty section on mostly rim, all because of lack of foresight.

My 1973 Barstow to Vegas attempt was not to be so. Weeks before the race, I started prepping the Honda CR250 Elsinore that was to be my mount. It was a reliable bike. I knew that from four months of steady never-miss-a-beat riding. But the most painstaking of prepa­rations were taken nonetheless.

Most of the motorcycle was dis­mantled, and all critical parts were inspected. Good. Back together carefully. Now, a hefty skid plate got bolted in place, a Preston Petty toolbox/number plate was stuck on the front, and a pile of bare essentials were laid on the floor.

The pile included the following: one of every wrench size in the world, chain parts and a good chain breaker, safety wire, hose clamps, different crescent wrenches, side cutters, screwdrivers, plugs and plug tool, nuts and bolts of every conceivable displacement, spare ca­bles, levers, pedals, treadles and paddles, tape, points, condensers, wire, solder, matches, vise grips, hinges, brackets, more hose clamps, bungee cords, strips of inner tubes, cotter pins, epoxy, timing devices, jets ,sandpaper, contact and point cleaner, more bungee cords and of course, several dozen yards of duct tape.

It took no more than four days to get all of this stuff secured in place. The Preston Petty toolbox/number plate looked like a large white bowling ball, it was so full. Whatever. I was ready for almost anything Barstow to Vegas could throw at me. Whoops. Better tape a tow rope on the cross bar. Just in case.

Just in case. Sure.

As it turned out, the only thing I really needed out of all that crap was the tow rope.

How? Why? How could such a finely prepared machine meet a dire fate?

It happened on the huge lake bed about 55 miles out of Barstow. This was not your ordinary everyday lake bed. Nossirree. This little sucker was about 15 miles long and almost that wide. You sort of drop down out of the mountains and wham­mo, there it is.

From a distance, it looks as smooth as the proverbial baby’s cheeks, but when you get right up on it, it has a crusty layer of something on the top. Guess it comes from the water drying up from underneath and wrinkling the surface. And there was some water still there this year. Rain had fallen a few days before, and mud streaked the lake bed here and there.

It must have come as a shock to some of the riders to descend the dusty mountain only to sink in black, oozing mud a minute or two later. Bizarre!

Most of the riders saw the mud in time and just gassed it hard enough to blast right over it; the unlucky ones didn’t and sank quietly down until the specific gravity of their particular motorcycle was met and matched.

I was lucky enough to see the mud, and passed through it with no sweat. Moments later, the lake bed got flat and smooth enough to allow liberal use of fifth gear. Hoo hah! Get down on the tank like the flattrackers.

I knew from previous experience that it was virtually impossible to hurt the Honda engine. Hell, we had put one on the dyno and run it at full throttle/full load for almost an hour. Not even a whim­per. Just keep it to the stops and listen to that motor scream:

VREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. . . koff … urp.

Who … what … why … where … wha???

All of a sudden, the piston ceased going up and down. For all practical purposes, the motor became one solid piece. This meant several things to the passenger–me–at that moment.

The silence from the once-howling exhaust told me that something was wrong. With lightning-like reflexes, I did absolutely nothing except listen to the sound of my jaw thwack against the tank. Then the rear wheel started to drift off the centerline.

My Bultaco-trained left hand fanned the clutch lever–too late–and the bike lurched to the opposite full lock. Despite many highly original body contor­tions, I was unable to bring the bike back to its intended primary direction of flight. Lord knows, I tried. I screamed, yelled, cursed, wrestled and yanked, but to no avail.

Suddenly–far too suddenly–there was silence. No noise at all, other than the sound of wind rushing past my full coverage helmet. I would need that in a moment or so.

As my completely petrified body lazily turned a few Immel­mans, I thought of all that I had been taught in the last few years. Relax … relax … relax … and let your body ease back to Ma Earth.

But in the back Of my mind, a little voice kept saying over and over, you stupid bastard, you just got off in a fifth gear highiside and are going to end up in China via a self-dug tunnel.

How, indeed, does one relax when one knows that eventually one will make contact, and not with the spirit world, either. With the real world.

Strangely though, the actual impact was very smooth. I never felt any sort of a jolt when my back touched the soft lake bed. I guess the speed was high enough to allow a flat trajectory and a very gradual lowering of the unintended flight pattern.

Hey, this wasn’t so bad, I thought; just lie back and take it easy until the skidding stops. After all, I had on a Full Bore Jacket, which gave me first-rate protection against abrasion, and the soft surface had no rocks or brush in it. Hell, what could happen?

The bike could happen, that’s what. Out of the left corner of my right eye, I could see the Honda flipping through the air like a demented Frisbee. Faaar out, I thought; that’s the first time I’ve ever seen the bottom of a 250 Elsinore. Sure is ugly. The bike must have sensed my immediate thoughts and headed right for me.

For protection, I rolled up into a little ball … as little of a ball as you can make out of 200 pounds of terrified meat–which proved to be a mistake. You see, I was still skidding, but rolling up into a ball made me react like one. The bike joined the rolling match, and we hit the scenic lake bed.

Pain.

Much pain.

More pain.

Finally, silence… I extracted the Honda from the inseam of my shorts and took a careful look at the damage. Bent bars. Bent rider. Nothing that wouldn’t cure on the rider, but the bike appeared close to terminal. After catching the perfunctory breath and letting the old heart slow down to 200 beats or so a minute, I stood the Honda up and took a close look. Whatinnahell could have caused the motor to stick? Or was it something in the gearbox? Lookasee.

I got the plug tool out of the toolbox thing and inserted it over the very cold plug that had been freshly installed the day before I left for Barstow; this would tell the story.

Whup! One turn on the plug tool and the plug fell out of its threaded hole. Ka-link against the side of the fins. Well, I’ll be go to hell! The spark plug backed off and let air in, which let the motor stick, which let me get off. In the middle of nowhere.

Exactly in the middle of no­where.

I stood up and looked around. There was nothing. Noth­ing at all. Not a rock. Not a bug. Not a stick. Not a bush. Nothing. Truly, I was in the middle of the legendary Nowhere. And all the tools in the world weren’t going to help me now. Hellsfire, I would have to carry spare parts for the engine to prevent situations like this from happening in the future.

I sat out on the lake bed a very long time before I managed to wangle a tow from someone. And while I sat there, I had plenty of time to think. What else do you do in the middle of nowhere?

You know what? With a bit of tape and some bungee cords, a fella could probably carry a piston in the air box, and maybe a set of rings taped to the top of his helmet, and a con rod could be taped to one of the swingarm tubes, and it would be no trouble at all to put some extra…

Just wait till next year!

The post Rick Sieman Column: Barstow to Vegas, Nowhere U.S.A. appeared first on Dirt Bikes.

The season opener of the MA Hare & Hound National Championship Series took place this weekend in Red Mountain [near Ridgecrest], California, and was hosted by Desert Motorcycle Club.

The course featured two, 40-mile loops that were extremely technical, containing sand, sand whoops, and rocks.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Dalton Shirey didn’t get off the line quickly and ended the one mile bomb start in the back of the pack. He knew he had to play catch-up in loop one in order to get an ideal finishing position. A few mistakes throughout the loop took its toll on Shirey’s progress as he started the second loop in 10th place. For loop two, he rode consistently on his FX 450, ultimately finishing the day in sixth overall.

“Round 1 of 2018 was a good start for the team and I,” Shirey said. “I felt up to pace most of the race and look forward to bringing my FX 450 to the
podium and hopefully top-spot the remainder of the season!”

The post Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Shirey sixth at NHHA Season Opener appeared first on Dirt Bikes.

Despite a horrible start when his throttle hand twitched as only part of the banner dropped to signal go, the FMF KTM Factory Off-road Racing Team star nonetheless worked his way through the Winter Classic Hare & Hound pack and ended up winning the race at the Spangler Hills Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area outside of Ridgecrest, California. Chidester Transport Racing Yamaha’s Jacob Argubright fell a few times but managed to hold off the returning and still extremely fast Kendall Norman, the 2010 series champ just six seconds behind Argubright at the end of two very different 40-mile loops.

Making Robert’s feat even more impressive is this: He did it just two weeks after surgery!

“I broke my face two weeks ago and had surgery [after a crash while doing some testing], and I have five plates in my face, and I still have stitches in my gums,” Robert said. “I was in pain the whole time!”

This from the guy who was on life support after crashing at 2017 King of the Motos nearly a year ago—yet came back about six months later to win the E3 class at the ISDE.

After his throttle hand twitched when only part of the banner dropped, Robert’s bike refused to start right away, leaving him at a tremendous deficit.

“I was pretty far back and it was really dusty!” Robert said. “I saw two dudes go over the bars on either side of me, and I was like, ‘Oh boy.’ I just kind of paced through the first part then I tried pushing, but man I didn’t make it easy on myself!”

Despite the horrendous start, Robert managed to push past everyone, including Purvines Racing Yamaha’s Nick Burson who rocketed off the line behind only Beta’s Joe Wasson, grabbing the lead well before the first road crossing. From there through the rest of the fast 40-mile first loop, it appeared there was no catching Burson, who lives in Ridgecrest.

“I’m really comfortable with the terrain out here, and my bike’s working well, so I knew I was out front, and it was dusty, so I just tried to get away,” Burson said. “I tried to break away so no one could key off me at all.”

When it came to the more technical 40-mile second loop, however, the change of pace or something threw Burson off—and down. Burson crashed several times on that loop, one crash bending his brake pedal underneath the bike and another ending with the bike landing on top of him, though a friend happened to be spectating nearby and quickly pulled the YZ450FX off his back.

After that, Burson ended up fourth behind Robert, Chidester Transport Racing Yamaha’s Jacob Argubright and 2010 series champ Kendall Norman, who insists he’s back doing what he loves and plans to tackle the entire season, thanks mainly to good friends and sponsors coming together to put a program together.

Wasson continues to improve while recovering from his devastating injury at round two last year. After cruising to a pair of ninth-place finishes at the end of last season, he upped the effort and was rewarded with fifth at the 2018 Winter Classic Hre & Hound.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Off-road Team’s Dalton Shirey claimed sixth ahead of SRT Husqvarna rider Ryan Smith. Chidester Transport Racing Yamaha-mounted Tyler Lynn, the 2017 FMF Pro 250 champ, earned eighth overall in his Pro-class debut followed by Open A winner Jordan Gamboa and SRT Husqvarna’s Morgan Crawford the FMF Pro 250 winner.

Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series, Presented by FMF
Desert Motorcycle Club’s 51st Annual Winter Classic Hare & Hound
Spangler Hills Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area
Ridgecrest, California
Results: January 28, 2018

2018 Winter Classic Hare & Hound Overall
1. Taylor Robert-KTM (first Open Pro)
2. Jacob Argubright-Yam
3. Kendall Norman-Hon
4. Nick Burson-Yam
5. Joseph Wasson-Bet
6. Dalton Shirey-Hus
7. Ryan Smith-Hus
8. Tyler Lynn-Yam
9. Jordan Gamboa-KTM (first A Open)
10. Morgan Crawford (first Pro 250)
11. Andrew Puckett-Yam
12. Jared Schlapia-KTM
13. Kyle Tichenor-Yam
14. Chance Fullerton-Bet
15. Hayden Hintz-Yam (first A 250)
16. Brody Honea-Hon
17. Zachary Spano-KTM
18. Clayton Gerstner-Hus
19. Jarett Megla-Hon
20. Eric Yorba-KTM

For more results from the Winter Classic Hare & Hound, visit www.nationalhareandhound.com.

The post 2018 Winter Classic Hare & Hound: Robert Strikes First appeared first on Dirt Bikes.

Argubright and Chidester Transport Racing is taking things to the next level this season, and Kenda will be adding traction to their season.

“As we take our program to the next level, we are thrilled to have Jacob onboard for 2018. His potential is limitless, and I am confident our future together will be bright.” said Chidester CEO, Dallas Chidester.

The team will focus primarily on the AMA National Hare & Hound Championship. Argubright will compete with the intention of claiming his first-ever Overall series title. Additionally, in an effort to establish himself as a potential Dakar Rally participant for 2019, Argubright will also compete in the Best
in the Desert endurance series, as well as select international rally events.

Kenda is excited about the upcoming racing season and knows the partnership with Chidester Transport Racing will bring out the best in team performance and land riders on the podium!

Since it was founded in 1962, Kenda has operated under the core values of honesty, iInnovation, quality, and customer service. Over the years, Kenda has continued to develop and expand its product offering to meet changing market demands. Today, the company is one of the world’s leading tire and tube manufacturers for automotive, motorcycle, ATV, bicycle, wheelchair, golf cart, lawn care equipment, trailer, skid loader, and agricultural vehicles. With factories all over the world, it is able to provide quality products to suit a wide variety of applications.

For more information, please visit www.kendatire.com.

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Despite dry, dusty conditions–especially compared to the 2017 Parker 250–the Casey Folks Parker 250 attracted its largest turnout in recent memory, with 13 teams in Open Pro alone. But that dust meant it’d be extremely difficult to pass. Lake Powell Off-road Association/Monarch Honda’s Howes exploited this to the fullest.

“This is the first time I’ve ever drawn first starting position so that was a huge, huge reason why I was able to pull out and have such a healthy lead,” Howes said. “The dust was insane today, so being able to start first was huge. Even if you started second or anything, the dust and the way the course goes into the sun a lot of times, starting first at this race–especially with how dry and dusty it’s been–that’s a huge deal.”

Of course, that also meant it was more difficult for Howes to gauge just how to pace himself, so he simply ran his normal race pace.

“I didn’t really know how anyone else would ride, so I rode 100 percent [on the first lap],” Howes said. “I gave it my all, and when I came in off the first [lap], they said I had about an 8t-minute lead. Off the second [lap], they said I had upwards of almost 15 minutes.”

Howes controlled the Casey Folks Parker 250 race from start to finish, getting a great start to a season that will see him concentrate on SCORE as well as moving into rallies.

On the other hand, the Honea/Taylor pair had nothing but dust to deal with as they started ninth in the field of 13 Open Pros at the Casey Folks Parker 250.

“We just rode super-smart, picked good lines and tried to stay out of the dust as much as possible when we could,” Brody Honea said. “You’ve just got to pick your choices through the dust and choose your battles. Tallon [Taylor] got [eventual fourth-place finisher Parker] Steele that last lap, and we ended up in third [physically but second on time].”

The Myers/Stevens team found themselves unable to take advantage of being second off the line on their Husqvarna FX 450

“About the first 15 to 20 miles when I got on the bike [at the Midway pit 27 miles into the loop], I crashed pretty hard and bent the bars and broke the throttle,” Scott Myers said. “We just rode through it and managed [to keep going]. I’m just a little scraped up, and we lost the tracker, but other than that, the bike still rode good—just a little lop-sided!”

Steele and teammate Jake Longtine took fourth bike overall on their 440 Motorsports KTM in 4:38:12, with the Jason Alosi/Wyatt Brittner’s Source 1 Commercial Cleaning Services KTM (4:43:00) fifth. Cooper Motorsports 747/Monarch Honda’s Danny Cooper/Tuffy Pearson/Nick Tolman (4:44:17) took sixth bike, followed by the 300cc Pro winners, brothers Deegan and Jeremy Newton aboard their Scootin’ Newton Racing/La Piazza Pizza YZ250 (4:49:36) and Over 30 Pro winners Danny Cooper/Reece Honea and their Cooper Motorsports 747/Monarch Honda (4:54:41). Braxtan Gallian soloed to seventh Open Pro on his trusty The Pit Enterprise XR650R (4:55:48), and Certified Appliance Yamaha-mounted Alex Kortepeter/Luis Escobedo (4:58:05) was eighth.

For complete GMZ UTV Winter Nationals/Casey Folks Parker 250 results, visit www.bitd.com.

The post Skyler Howes Dominates BITD Casey Folks Parker 250 appeared first on Dirt Bikes.

One of the things that all of them wanted to do, was go riding in the American desert. They had all heard so much about it, but rarely if ever did they have the opportunity to go riding in it. One ride in particular stands out in my mind. I got to be good friends with the great Adolph Weil and spent numerous days with him testing and riding various bikes.

Once, after a day of testing and riding, he asked me if we could just take some time off and go riding in the desert. He didn’t know anything about it except what he had heard and was eager to experience it. I told him about the various places that we raced and rode and thought we would really enjoy the Ponderosa.

At the Ponderosa, they held races about twice a month, and you didn’t need any special cards or memberships to go out and race. You just showed up with your bike and had a good time. There were two classes: the trail bike class that covered bikes under 100cc, and the Open class that covered just about anything else. The course was all sandy desert located about 20 miles east of Palmdale on Highway J. The course varied from race to race, but not too much. A typical race lasted about 45 minutes to an hour, and three laps were covered. Each lap was anywhere from 10 to 12 miles in duration. Some 90 percent of the course was whoops, with two dry lakebeds thrown in.

The start area was mostly flat desert for a few hundred yards, then the deep whoops started appearing. About two miles later, the first of the dry lakes were in front of the riders. Here, the racers who were smart enough to gear way up took advantage of the situation. If your bike could pull a hundred miles an hour, here was a place to do it. Most people only showed up with one or two more teeth on a counter shaft and thought that was the way to go.

After the first dry lakebed, there were miles of whoop-de-dos that demanded the absolute most from your suspension. Then, at about three fourths of the way through, you ran into another smaller lakebed. The last few miles of each loop were seemingly bottomless whoops … and you had three loops of this to go through.

Adolph and I got our gear on and warmed up the bikes. I told him that we should take an easy loop at first and see what was facing him. We took that first loop at about 75% of our riding speed, then came in to the pits to clean our goggles and wipe a little bit of sweat off.

Then we went out and hit the throttles. I made sure that I was on one of my ultra-trick Maicos and Adolph was on it pretty much stock KX250 test bike. He was amazingly quick considering this was all new to him. We came in after three loops and took a break, then did three more.

It was now officially beer and burger time. While we had a few cold brews, I asked Adolph what he had thought about the desert. He absolutely loved it and told me there was nothing even close to that in Europe. He said there was nothing in the way of open land in Europe. Everything was owned by somebody. You just couldn’t hop on a bike and go to an open bit of land unless you knew the owner and had permission to ride there. Or if you had access to some sort of existing track.

He simply could not believe that free and open land actually existed. Only in America.

The post Rick Sieman: USA Land Use from a European Perspective appeared first on Dirt Bikes.

Brea, California. (December 21, 2017)–Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. (SMAI) is excited to announce the enlistment of reigning WORCS and AMA National Hare & Hound Champion Gary Sutherlin to Suzuki’s RM Army for 2018. A Montana native now residing in California, Sutherlin will pilot the 2018 Suzuki RMX450Z which shares core technologies with Suzuki’s Championship-winning RM-Z450 but is designed for the rigorous demands of off-road. Features of the RMX450Z include a powerful, electric start, fuel-injected 449cc engine, slim aggressively styled chassis, 18” rear wheel and full enduro instrumentation and lighting.

“We are very excited at the opportunity to work with Gary this coming season, said Chris Wheeler, Motocross Racing Manager, SMAI. “He has always impressed me with his work ethic, both on and off the bike. I know he’s the perfect fit to the growing RM Army community and gives Suzuki off-road racing fans a yellow bike to cheer for!”

“I’m extremely excited to partner with Suzuki for 2018 and race the RMX450Z,” Sutherlin said. “Being the face of Suzuki’s RM Army off-road racing is an opportunity I’m truly grateful for. I can’t wait to defend the number one plate and help develop the RMX450Z.”

Sutherlin’s first race aboard the 2018 Suzuki RMX450Z will be at round one of the AMA District 37 Big6 GP Series on January 12-14 in Adelanto, California. To learn more about the 2018 Suzuki RMX450Z and the RM Army, visit suzukicycles.com and racesuzuki.com. Be sure to stay up to date on all Suzuki racing news and events by following Suzuki and Gary Sutherlin social channels!

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The unique, one-time showing of the film is being coordinated by Fathom Events. You can click on the link here to find out where it is showing near you and purchase tickets to see it. The film begins at 7:30 p.m. in each U.S. time zone.

The latest documentary by filmmaker Dana Brown (Step Into Liquid, Dust To Glory, High Water, On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter), Dust 2 Glory captures the essence of racing in the wild environs of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico, where racers have been chasing the dream of winning one of the big SCORE Baja events since competition first began there in 1967. The 50th Anniversary SCORE Baja 1000 took place November 16-18, 2017, a total of 1134.40 grueling miles, running from Ensenada, Baja California to La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The motorcycle portion of the event was won by the team of Francesco Arredondo.

Dust 2 Glory captures the entire 2016 SCORE Desert World Championship, with human interest stories ranging from the triumphant to the tragic. Woven throughout the film are tales of racers who give back to the Baja peninsula through their charitable work. Several motorcycle racers are featured in Dust 2 Glory, including the multi-time SCORE Champion Ox Motorsports Honda team of Colton Udall and Mark Samuels, Ironman competitors Carlin Dunne and Tony Gera and the Warrior Built racing team, which is composed of disabled veterans who tragically pay the ultimate price during the running of the 2016 SCORE Baja 500.

“If Wednesday works out well, then I’m a hero, and if it doesn’t, I’m an idiot,” Brown said in a recent interview. “Actually, this is my worst time, right now. I love working on films, and I’d much rather be doing that than worrying about things that are out of my control. I just hope people get out and see it. If they think it sucks, well, I can deal with that, but if they don’t get to see it, that would be a bummer.”

The post Dust 2 Glory Makes U.S. Premiere Tonight appeared first on Dirt Bikes.

Did they have enough of a lead to stay in front with a couple hundred miles left?

The good thing was, they didn’t have to win the race to win the SCORE World Desert Championship for the first time. After losing round one—the San Felipe 250—they’d won the next two rounds and went into the golden anniversary of the world’s oldest and perhaps most famous desert race with a comfortable points lead.

Reigning SCORE Desert World Champions Justin Jones/Ryan Penhall/Mark Samuels/Colton Udall/Ian Young had a year marred by bad fortunes, starting with Udall getting hurt twice at the end of last year and putting him out for most of this season. The SCORE Baja 1000 would be his first race back since before last year’s 1000 where he suffered his first injury the week before, with David Kamo drafted at the last minute to help the team win.

For much of this year’s SCORE Baja 1000, it appeared as though the Bonanza Plumbing/Monster Energy/Ox Motorsports 1X Honda squad would have to settle for second place in both the race and series as early problems dropped them about 30 minutes behind the Bremen/Arredondo/Haines Racing Honda.

Then the 45X’s transmission began failing.

On the other hand, the 1X machine put any problems behind them and began reeling in their rivals. When Young got on the bike near sundown, he drew inspiration from that fact and 75 miles from La Paz, he passed Morgan for the lead.

Udall started on the 1X and rode to race mile 110. Justin Jones rode from race mile 110 to 303. Udall rode from race mile 303 to 524. Samuels rode from race mile 524 to 785. Penhall rode from race mile 785 to 935. Young rode to the finish. Winning a race as big as the Baja 1000 for the first time is a big deal. Coming from behind to win the 50th SCORE Baja 1000 is a huge deal, and the 23-year-old Young was elated when he roared up to the finish line.

Young comes from a family that’s been promoting speedway races in Southern California since the 1970s, and he’s learned that racers are basically entertainers, so when he rode up to the finish platform (located well after the actual finish line), he responded to his emotions and tried to make a little
jump out of it. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize the metal ramp was slick with dew and he crashed, his bike hitting several people on the ramp and leaving one with a broken leg.

It took a few minutes for Morgan to nurse his bike to the finish, the team disappointed at losing the race but somewhat relieved that second was good enough to wrap up the series championship. However, SCORE officials later penalized the 1X team for Young’s incident, adding 30 minutes to their time, which was enough to drop them to second place with a time of 21 hours, 26 minutes and 47 seconds. Thus, Arredondo’s 21:07:17 was good enough to win both the race and SCORE championship. Samuels and the 1X team settled for second in both.

“We knew it was going to be a fight for us,” Arredondo said. “It is really special, the 50th anniversary, and we really gave it all to try and win. We tried to stick to our plan the whole time and were surprised in some places where we made up time. We had some problems with the transmission at the end which made us worried. We didn’t know if the bike was going to hold up from Loreto to the finish and Justin had to adjust his riding at the end. We knew it was going to be a fight and we had a good lead but that changed.”

Morgan agreed.

“I had a lot of issues with the transmission on this bike.,” he said. “I’m surprised it actually finished. We didn’t really get out of fourth [gear] too much coming in after Santa Rita. It [the transmission] was pretty much toast and making a bunch of noise so that was my main issue. It was a really gnarly course, and I’m tired after being on the bike for six hours. I left it all out there for sure.”

The second Bonanza Plumbing/Monster Energy/Ox Motorsports entry of Derek Ausserbauer/Ray Dal Soglio/Travis Frolich/Bryce Oxley/Arik Swain, the 3X Honda, ended up third overall at the SCORE Baja 1000 in 23:02:10 followed by Arredondo’s 44X “B” team (Arredondo/Tommy Harris/Brad Millikan/Grant Statley/Troy Vanscourt) in 23:43:05. The 33X Garrett Off-road Racing/STI/IMS CRF450X of Skyler Howes/Garrett Poucher/Schuyler Schoonmaker/Michel Valenzuela took fifth overall bike and fifth Pro Moto Unlimited in 24:03:37.

“It feels good to be here, and I rode like a madman,” Dal Soglio said of the 3X team’s effort. “I got the bike in fourth place and 20 minutes down and rode like a madman until I got it into third. The whups were gnarly, and I just kept pushing through, and I kept seeing more and more dust. Sure enough, I saw them [the third place motorcycle] pulled over and never saw them again. I want to dedicate the race to my [late] sister, Dana, because I had quite a few sketchy moments but I made it through them all, and I have her to thank for that. The Honda is just the ultimate bike down here. This is probably the straightest and best running bike I was ever handed at a 1000-mile race. I’ve got to thank my teammates for not crashing it.”

Max Drew/rider of record Carlin Dunne/Chris Eberz/Steven Hatch/Forrest McIntosh on the 55X CRF450X, finished the SCORE Baja 1000 with a time of 25:12:07. Pro Moto 40 winners Jeff Kawell/Rider of Record Jano Montoya/Alberto Ruiz/Kirk Russell/Francisco Septien on the 400X KTM 450 XC-W came home with a time of 26:56:08. Pro Moto 30 winners Greg Bardonnex Kris Kilbride/ Rider of Record Ryan Liebelt/Andrew Pucket/Justin Schultz/Brandon Wright finished in 27:13:30. Pro Moto 50 winners Lou Franco/Chris Goolsby/Record Robert Gates/Bob Johnson/Mike Johnson/Jeff Kaplan/David Potts/Doug Smith/Steve Williams on the 549X CRF450X crossed the line in 27:29:46. Pro Moto 50 runners-up Kevin Archer/Sean Clark/Rider of Record Robert Creemers/Pete Heard/Doug Herbert (all from New Zealand) on the 515X CRF450X (28:40:51) rounded out the top 10 bikes overall.

2017 SCORE World Desert Championship
50th Anniversary BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000
Ensenada, Baja California to La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Official Results: November 16-18, 2017 (1134.40 miles)

PRO MOTO UNLIMITED (450cc or more)
1. 45x Francisco Arredondo, 40, Guatemala/Shane Esposito, 43, Temecula, Calif./Justin Morgan, 27, El Cajon, Calif./Max Eddy Jr, 33, Barstow, Calif./Ty Davis, Oak Hills, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 21:07:17 (53.71 mph).
2. 1x Mark Samuels, 28, Yucca Valley, Calif./Colton Udall, 31, San Clemente, Calif./Justin Jones, 25, Temecula, Calif./Ryan Penhall, 30, Corona, Calif./Ian Young, 23, San Clemente, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 21:26:47.
3. 3x Ray Dal Soglio, 26, Scottsdale, Ariz./Derek Ausserbauer, 24, Santa Ynez, Calif./Arik Swain, Santa Cruz, Calif./Bryce OxleySan Clemente, Calif./Travis Frohlich, Santa Barbara, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 23:02:10.
4. 44x Justin Morgan, 27, El Cajon, Calif./Grant Stately, 22, La Jolla, Calif./Tommy Harris, Torrence, Calif./Troy Vanscourt, Norco, Calif./Brad Millikan, Mill Creek, Ariz./Francisco Arredondo, 40, Guatemala, Honda CRF450X, 23:43:05.
5. 33x Garrett Poucher, 34, Valencia, Calif./Michel Valenzuela, Tijuana, Mexico/Skyler Howes, St. George, Utah/Schuyler Schoonmaker, San Diego, Honda CRF450X, 24:03:37.
6. 55x Carlin Dunne, Santa Barbara, Calif./Steven Hatch, 48, Flagstaff, Ariz./Chris Eberz, Kanab, Utah/Forrest McIntosh/Max Drew, Honda CRF450X, 25:12:07; 7. 35x Nick Gust, 29, Pescadero, Calif./Don Campbell, 29, Daly City, Calif./Charlie Walters, 45, Pacifica, Calif./Alejandro Herrera, 18, Ensenada, Mexico/Raul Ortega Jr, 18, Ensenada, Mexico, KTM 450XCF, 30:41:39.
8. 66x Santiago Creel, 31, Mexico City, Mexico/Eric Yorba, 23, Rosarito, Mexico/Roberto Villalobos/Massimo Mangini/Brandon Prieto/Ivan Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico, KTM 500EXC, 36:45:08.
(8 Starters, 8 Finishers)

PRO MOTO LIMITED (449cc or less)
1. 160x Santiago Creel, 31, Mexico City, Mexico/Massimo Mangini, Italy/Larry Serna, Tijuana/Gerardo Rojas, San Quintin, Mexico/Alberto Heredia, Ensenada/Eric Rene Mangana, San Isidro, Calif., KTM 300EXC, 30:42:13 (36.95 mph).
2. 119x Matt Miller, 50, Los Gatos, Calif./Phil Shuyler, 35, Los Gatos, Calif./John Wear, 34, Los Gatos, Calif., Honda CRF250X, 30:48:48.
3. 166x Santiago Creel, 31, Mexico City, Mexico/Massimo Magini/Rene Magana/Ricardo de la Pena/Alberto Heredia/Gerardo Rojas, Vicente Guerrero, Mexico, KTM 350EXC, 30:56:55.
4. 125x Fernando Beltran, 41, Ensenada, Mexico/Emanuel Verdugo, 34, Ensenada, Mexico/David Zarate, 28, Los Cabos, Mexico/Rigoberto Gomez, 28, Ensenada/Jorge Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico/Sammy Maltavan, 24, San Diego, Yamaha YZ250, 32:57:28.
5. 114x Rodolfo Patron, 37, Tijuana, Mexico/Phillip Jaramillo, 19, Tijuana, Mexico/Marco Maclish, 19, El Rosario, Mexico/Juan Marquez, 39, Chula Vista, Calif./Julio Ramirez, 28, Chula Vista, Calif./Francisco Diaz, 17, La Paz, Mexico, KTM350, 41:42:27.
(SCORE Baja 1000: 7 Starters, 5 Finishers)

PRO MOTO 30 (Riders over 30 years old)
1. 300x Ryan Liebelt, 37, Reedley, Calif./Brandon Wright, 40/Justin Schultz, 36, Lake Forest, Calif./Greg Bardonnex, 43, Visalia, Calif./Andrew Pucket, 35/Kris Kilbride, 45, Yamaha WR450, 27:13:30 (41.67 mph).
2. 333x Chad Thornton, 46, Farmington, N.M./Salvador Hernandez, 33, Ensenada, Mexico/Dennis Belingheri, 47, Reno, Nev./Steve Tichnor, 42, Reno, Nev./Jason Trubey, 43, Henderson, Nev./Kevin Johnson, 42, Boulder City, Nev., KTM 500XCW, 30:16:08.
3. 360x Santiago Creel, 31, Mexico City, Mexico/Enrique Fuhrken, 37, Mexico City/Jesus Zavala, 38, Valle de Bravo, Mexico/Patrick Reyes, 38, Mexico City/Antonio de la Vega, 39, Mexico City/Jose Pelayo, 34, Mexico City, KTM 500EXC, 30:48:00.
4. 306x Scott Miller, 42, Gilbert, Ariz./Eric Zite, 50, Gilbert, Ariz./Jeremy Stevens, 36, Gilbert, Ariz./Eric Breien, 34, Owasso, Okla., Husqvarna FE501, 33:54:46.
5. 305x Curtis Yanzick, 40, Cataldo, Idaho/Paul Husbauer, 35, Hillsboro, Ore./Milo Linville, 59, Damacus, Ore./Garrett Yanzick, 34, Selah, Wash./Eric Berard, 41, Winter Garden, Fla./William St. Laurent, 43, Winter Park, Fla., Husqvarna FE501, 35:40:58.
(SCORE Baja 1000: 6 Starters, 5 Finishers)

PRO MOTO 40 (Riders over 40 years old)
1. 400x Jano Montoya, 46, Winter Garden, Fla./Francisco Septien, 42, Ensenada, Mexico/Jeff Kawell, 45, Riverside, Calif./Alberto Ruiz, 42, Ensenada, Mexico/Kirk Russell, 47, Los Barriles, Mexico, KTM 450XCW, 26:56:08 (42.12 mph).
2. 420x Mike Barnhill, 52, El Cajon, Calif./Freddie Willert, 48, El Cajon, Calif./Chad Houck, 48, San Marcos, Calif./Eric Hingeley 48, Clairmont, Calif./Jeff Quade, 51, San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico/Mike Tiffant, 50, Encinitas, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 28:42:15.
3. 477x Francisco Beltran, 46, Aventura, Fla. (La Paz, Mexico)/Sergio Vega, 49/Ulises Fisher, 46/Abelino Montoya, 40/Antonio Salmon, 46, Husqvarna FE501, 28:43:04.
4. 411x Colie Potter, 49, Las Vegas/David Glass, Hemet, Calif./Paul Luce, 43, Albuquerque, N.M./Steve Malley/Mike Bellar/Jason Miller, Honda CRF450X, 29:28:59.
5. 497x Erick Sanchez, 46, San Diego (Mexico)/Oscar Garcia, 43, Tijuana, Mexico/Jorge Langridge, 51, Mexico/Guillermo De la Herran, 42, Tijuana, Mexico/Jorge Medina, 42, Tijuana, Mexico/Alejandro Diaz, 44, La Paz, Mexico, Husaberg 501, 31:33:16.
6. 407x Bruce Anderson, 62, Riverside, Calif./Capt. Scott McCune, 47, Round Rock, Texas/Tony Wilkinson, 45/Shane Scott, 53/Marty Heitmann, 50/Matt Webber, 48, Honda CRF450X, 37:24:07.
(SCORE Baja 1000: 7 Starters, 6 Finishers)

PRO MOTO 50 (Riders over 50 years old)
1. 549x Robert Gates, 75, Victorville, Calif./Lou Franco, 54, Simi Valley, Calif./Jeff Kaplan, Thousands, Calif./Mike Johnson/Bob Johnson/David Potts/Chris Goolsby/Steve Williams, 59/Doug Smith, Upland, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 27:29:46 (41.26 mph).
2. 515x Robert Creemers, 53, New Zealand/Sean Clark, 50, New Zealand/Pete Heard, 53, New Zealand/Doug Herbert, 50, New Zealand/Kevin Archer, 50, New Zealand, Honda CRF450X, 28:40:51.
3. 510x Giovanni Spinali, 51, El Cajon, Calif./John Griffin, 51, Hillcrest, Calif./Earl Roberts, 55, Mexicali, Mexico/Troy Pearce, 50, Ramona, Calif./ Brian Bontekoning, 51, South Africa/Graham Maclachlan, 50, South Africa, Honda CRF450X, 30:50:57.
4. 516x Scott Atchison, 55, Bakersfield, Calif./Greg Hauser, 54, Shell Beach, Calif./Robby Kennedy, 54, Newhall, Calif./Harold Harris, 54, Reedly, Calif./Manny Ornellas, 54, Redding, Calif./Jimmy Somes, 55, Riverside, Calif., Honda XR650R, 30:56:17.
5. 521x Bill Wheeler, 57, Pleasanton, Calif./Jim Libby, 63, Anchorage, Alaska/Tim Sherwin, 59, Loma Linda, Calif./Ken Hilgendorf, 58, Los Angeles, Husqvarna FX450, 30:56:46.
6. 500x Marty Gomez, 57, Randsburg, Calif./Flipper Manchester, 54, Reno, Nev./George Pennington, 50, Denver/Tim Gomez, 60, Long Beach, Calif./Lance Schoonmaker/Mark Winkelman, 58, Cedar Hill, Texas/Rick Emerson, Honda CRF450X, 32:43:51.
7. 550x Bill Sekeres, 56, Santa Clarita, Calif./Mike Prunty, 55, Temecula, Calif./Mike Garvin, 52, Ladera Ranch, Calif./Kevin Ward, 55, Chatsworth, Calif./Daren Heft/Alan Difatta, Agua Dulce, Calif./Craig Wear, 58, Carson City, Nev., Honda CRF450X, 34:26:30.
8. 556x Don Blake, 62, Mission Viejo, Calif./Mike Booth, San Diego/Richie Hudson, Lake Havasu City, Ariz./Steve Underwood, Springfield, Mo./Matt Woody, Grand Lake, Colo./Pat White, Bellingham, Wash., Husqvarna 501, 35:57:37.
9. 505x Daniel Argano, 52, San Luis Obispo, Calif./Robert Eaton, 53, San Luis Obispo, Calif./Scott Hayes, 54, San Luis Obispo, Calif./Tony Zabala, 53, Los Osos, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 42:05:27.
(SCORE Baja 1000: 9 Starters, 9 Finishers)

PRO MOTO IRONMAN (Solo Riders)
1. 715x Jeff Benrud, 47, Raeford, N.C., Honda CRF450X, 30;37:13 (37.05 mph).
2. 729x Michael Skurkis, 40, Henderson, Nev./KTM 500XCW, 31:48:28.
3. 721x Jose Carassco, 27, Rosarito Beach, Mexico, Suzuki RMZ450X, 35:11:14.
4. 740x Boe Huckins, 38, Jackson, Wyo., KTM SXF450, 36:20:50.
5. 778x Mike Crawford, 39, Phoenix, KTM 500EXC, 39:59:30.
6. 712x Eddie Meek, 36, England, KTM 450EXC, 43:01:31.
(SCORE Baja 1000: 19 Starters, 6 Finishers)

PRO MOTO 60 (Riders over 60 years old)
1. 609x Donald Lewis, 74, Manchester, Conn./Richard Jackson, 71, Acton, Calif./ Mike Castro, 64, Apple Valley, Calif./Max Christensen, 64, Sun Valley, Calif./Guy Laycraft, 60, Canada/Larry Engwall, 63, Santana, Calif./Kirk Heintz, Tulare, Calif./Robert Koch, 63, Leona Valley, Calif./George Yates, Irvine, Calif./Jim Meyers, Honda CRF450X, 34:47:41 (32.60 mph).
(SCORE Baja 1000: 2 Starters, 1 Finisher)

For more results, visit http://score-international.com.

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