Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 252 i Dirt Action

Happy birthday to the Kawasaki KX, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. The first KX appeared in 1973, and the very next year American racer Jimmy Weinert took the Team Green machine to the top step of the podium in AMA racing. Other Kawasaki KX racing legends over the past five decades include Jeff Ward, Jeff Emig, Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto and Eli Tomac, who have all helped Kawasaki amass 63 AMA MX and SX championships and no less than 720 AMA event victories. Meanwhile, here in Oz Kawasaki's KX has been best known with racers such as Anthony Gunter, Trevor Williams, Eddie Warren, Peter Melton and Dan Reardon, to name a few. Kawasaki's KX range has long been at the forefront of the technological race, boasting…

MOTOR MOUTH NEWS American-based Aussie off-road racer Mason Semmens made a successful return home to Oz recently, scoring himself a big win in the annual Hattah Desert Race. After finishing second to Daniel Milner at Hattah in 2021 and then having to miss the ‘22 race, Semmens hit top gear this year aboard a Trail Jesters Racing KTM 450 to take the Outright and 251-450cc class wins. Husqvarna rider Jack Simpson finished in second position Outright, some three minutes behind Semmens in the gruelling eight-lap race. GasGas team young gun Korey McMahon also kept up his big form of late to complete the Outright podium, finishing some two minutes further back from Simpson, while Angus Riordan (KTM) and Corey Hammond (KTM) rounded out the top five. I got off to…

MOTOR MOUTH NEWS It's been a hell of an online ride for the team at MXStore since 2010, when a bunch of moto mates came up with the concept of creating an online store that offers everything moto for sale. Then in 2016 they teamed up with Aussie off-road legend Geoff Ballard as partners in GB's thriving Ballard's Off-Road business, and since then the place has been going absolutely gangbusters. What blew us away about visiting MXStore HQ was to find the retail showroom was not only packed with stock, of course, but also loaded with stacks of the coolest moto memorabilia. Replica race bikes, real race bikes and autographed mementoes ranging from jerseys to headlights off bikes GB raced at the ISDE over the years are stashed all about…

If you were riding dirtbikes around the turn of the century, you will know the impact the ‘new-generation’ Yamaha YZ-F and WR-F 400 and 250 models had when they launched. Until this point, two-strokes ruled the off-road world. Motocross riding featured pretty much 100 per cent premix machines, while enduro had a mix of two- and four-stroke classes, although the two-bangers continued to dominate the results. But this all changed in 1997 when Doug Henry won the Las Vegas AMA Supercross Series final on debut, riding the prototype Yamaha YZM400 thumper, before then winning the AMA 250cc MX Championship the very next year on a production YZ400F. From that point forward, it was clear rival brands had to come up with their own competitive new-generation four-strokes to match Yamaha and…

INTERVIEW: CHARLI CANNON Whatever's in the water at Maroochy River on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, the Cannon family kids have certainly been drinking from the fountain of motocross success. Parents Wade and Taryn Cannon have bred three children that have fast taken aim on the upper echelons of Australian motocross racing. Daughter Charli and eldest son Jake are already knocking on the door of success at world championship level, while youngest brother Louis is also super-talented on a bike at an age when kids are figuring out where their life journey might lead them. Since turning senior last year and joining the Yamalube Yamaha MX Racing team, Charli has dominated local WMX racing and has already taken aim on the next big chapter to come in her career: success in the…

MOTO MANUAL TECH TIPS Servicing air filters might not be the most glamorous of mechanical tasks, but let me stress it is actually one of the most important because if you don't do it regularly and correctly, you run the risk of suffering very serious mechanical failures. Dusting a motor, especially a four-stroke, will be very expensive to repair, so let's take a look at how you can keep your motor breathing freely and cleanly. WHAT'S THE RUSH? Here at CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Racing we use Rush O2 air filter elements, which are made-in-Australia products that differ from the standard filter element by featuring a sawtooth foam design. The benefit of this is you get twice the surface area on the filter, which helps to capture even more dust…

MOTO MANUAL TRAINING TIPS When it comes to young motocross riders, there is no denying the thrill and excitement that accompanies the sport. However, beneath the exhilaration lies the importance of strength and conditioning, which is often overlooked or misunderstood by parents and guardians. There have always been a lot of myths surrounding junior athletes when it comes to strength and conditioning. Common reactions range from “Weights will stunt my child's growth” to “My child's too young to do resistance training”. In this article, I want to shed light on the significance of strength and conditioning training for young motocross enthusiasts, debunking any common fears and misconceptions that may hinder a young rider's progress. After all, if a child is old enough to ride a bike, they are undoubtedly old…

TAIL PIPE THE FINAL WORD There's a new sheriff in town — and he's settling into the editor's chair here at DIRT ACTION. His name is Grant O'Brien — better known as Goba — and he officially takes over with the next issue of DA. The son of accomplished road racer and Isle of Man TT competitor Phil O'Brien, Goba raced motocross through the 1980s and ‘90s before busting into dirtbike magazines as editor of Freerider MX in 2001. He went on to edit Trailbike Adventure magazine, contributed freelance stories to magazines all around the world, and for a decade travelled the globe judging Red Bull's X-Fighters series, Nitro World Games and X Games. Based in far-north NSW where he rides and races with the Kyogle Dirt Bike Club, Goba…

MOTOR MOUTH NEWS JGR Yamaha Ballard's Off-Road racer Jess Gardiner has long been a fixture in the Women's division of Australian off-road racing, yet she shows no signs of slowing down, structuring a hectic calendar for 2023 that has seen her racing both at home in Australia and in Europe in the Enduro GP world championship. Racking up serious frequent flyer miles, Gardiner recently wrapped up an incredible seventh A4DE Women's national championship in WA, leads the Women's division of the Yamaha AORC series, and currently sits second in the world title with just one round remaining. British racer Jane Daniels has been untouchable in the Enduro GP rounds, winning all six days of racing thus far, while Jess has been racking up constant podium placings to sit ten points…

There's no denying Whites Powersports has fast become one of Australasia's largest and most progressive motorcycle accessory importing and distributing businesses. And as if to prove the point, you need look no further than the firm's brand-new warehouse and distribution centre in Brisbane. Owned and driven by a bloke named Keith Larkin, Whites is a New Zealand company that services the motorcycle industry on both sides of the Tasman. Keith himself is a dedicated adventure bike rider and actually has three Suzuki DR-Z400s parked on three different continents, all ready to take him on new adventures at a moment's notice. Whites’ new Brisbane warehouse measures a whopping 5,000 square metres and gives the biggest indication yet of the massive growth Whites Powersports is undergoing. We were recently invited to check…

MOTOR MOUTH THEN & NOW 01: How about this guy, Matt Phillips? Talk about taking the off-road world by storm and going all the way to the top. He turned his back on a big-buck offer from Yamaha to keep racing in Australia in 2013, and on the advice of his then teammate Stefan Merriman, decided to chase his dreams of a World Enduro Championship in Europe. Five years later he had won it all and banked no less than four world championships before promptly turning his back on the enduro GPs and returning home to Tasmania. More recently he's been in the corner of up and coming Tasmanian charger Kyron Bacon, while also celebrating the birth of a son, Seth, and marrying his long-time partner, Cat. Congrats, Matty! 02:…

CONONDALE CLASSIC WEEKEND I feel like I've been transported back 30 or 40 years to the era of cool. In every direction as far as the eye can see, there are campers with much-loved pre-'95 classic dirtbikes dotted around the landscape. From pristine motocrossers and enduro models to the odd ag bike that looks like it's been dragged out of a farmer's shed, every motorcycle has a story to tell. And those stories involve countless hours of hard yakka spent with patience and enthusiasm rebuilding these machines to a like-new or rideable condition. I'm a newbie at the Conondale Classic Weekend. I raced Honda CR125s in the 1980s, so I do feel a connection to the vibe here, and coming to this event has been on the ‘things I must…

I can't remember the year I first saw Josh Green ride. Maybe it was 2006 or 2007, but I do remember where it was and even the corner I was standing on. It was a state enduro round at Gwandalan on the NSW Central Coast. They were running sprints that day and I was walking the track with my camera. I stopped at a section where riders came up a rise and lifted the front wheel, or now and then got a little airborne before landing and pinning it into the next left-hander. It was a decent spot for a photo, but nothing spectacular. There was some serious talent there that day, including the likes of Chris Hollis and Jarrod Bewley. It was tight single-trail with no room for error…

MOTO MANUAL ENDURO BIKE BUILD The Racing edition of Beta's RR390 is, as the label suggests, race-ready right off the showroom floor, complete with KYB suspension, and is widely regarded as one of the best off-road bikes money can buy. Queensland racer Fraser Higlett has certainly been putting his RR390 to good use this year. Not long after he scored a double-round win in the Queensland Off-Road Championship, backed up by a top-ten finish at the A4DE in WA, we tracked down Vic Martin, Beta Australia's Technical Manager, to get the lowdown on Fraser's Beta RR390 Racing. RIDER CONNECTION Refining the rider connection to the bike is the first step the Beta crew took in getting this RR390 race-day ready. Fraser prefers a low handlebar bend, choosing Renthal soft grips…

MOTO MANUAL MX RIDING TIPS Mud! Pigs might love it, but most dirtbike riders don't. The dirty brown stuff is hard to ride, you and your bike are going to get hammered, and then it demands a huge clean-up afterwards. But the fact is, mud races are part and parcel of the sport we love. They just happen, so the sooner you get prepped for a mudder and accept it, the sooner you will be better able to conquer it. And always remember, the conditions are the same for everyone! So let's take a look at a bunch of tips to help you beat your next mud race… BIKE PREPS » Grips: Do everything you can to keep your grips dry right up to the start of your race. Wet…

MOTOR MOUTH NEWS The Australian distributor of Sherco dirtbikes, Mojo Motorcycles, is justifiably proud of Motul Pirelli Sherco team rider Jonte Reynders’ big win in the Pilot Air Compressors Australian Four Day Enduro in WA this year. And the fact that Jonte took the Outright and E2 class wins — against a field packed with 450s — on a remarkably stock Sherco 300 SEF Factory thumper only gave them more reason to celebrate.To share the festivities with everyone, Sherco is now offering a special Jonte Reynders A4DE Commemorative Edition 300 SEF Factory that comes loaded with a stack of bolt-on goodies to make a true replica of the bike Jonte raced in WA. The special goodies include: » Renthal FatBar handlebar (821 McGrath black bend). » Renthal FatBar LE bar…

MOTOR MOUTH NEWS Alice Springs desert racing legend David Walsh has continued to etch his name in the history books, winning this year's Tatt's Finke Desert Race and in the process becoming only the second rider ever to win the King of the Desert crown four years on the trot. Only Randall Gregory's five-year domination from 1991 to 1995 stands taller than Walsh's current win streak. Racing aboard a HMG Motorsport KTM 500 EXC-F, Walsh was in dominant form this year, comfortably topping the pre-race prologue, then blitzing the two-day race from Alice Springs south to the Aboriginal community of Finke and back again. Walsh ultimately scored himself a handsome one-minute-and-56-second victory over the second-placed rider, fellow KTM 500 EXC-F racer Callum Norton. Husqvarna-mounted Ivan Long completed the podium, while…

MOTOR MOUTH NEWS Jonte Reynders and the Motul Pirelli Sherco team are still celebrating the biggest win of their careers after capturing the Outright and E2 championship victories at the 2023 Pilot Air Compressors Australian Four Day Enduro Championship staged at Harvey in south-west WA. The prestigious event proved to be a two-horse race between Reynders and Shop Yamaha Racing team legend Josh Green, with Greeny setting the pace through the opening days of competition. But then in the all-important final moto on day four, the pair tangled in the first turn of the race, with Green suffering a knee injury. He battled on but then crashed while dicing with Team KTM rider Andy Wilksch. Meanwhile, out in front, Reynders was hammering along on his Sherco 300 SEF Factory, and…

KTM Twelve months ago KTM pulled the wraps off a new range of motocross models that were seriously revamped over the year before. Now it's the turn of the enduro range to score the same major work-over … and ka-boom! The 2024 KTM enduro weapons are as good as entirely brand new. In fact, the quote is that 95 per cent of the latest Kato off-roaders are all-new components. Crikey! Big changes include the fitting of new 48mm WP XACT closed cartridge forks across the range, revised frames with increased longitudinal rigidity to boost stability, all-new throttle body injection (TBI), reed valve and electronic power valve on the twostrokes, repositioned engines on the four-strokes to boost mass centralisation, new off-road control units (OCU) to replace electronic fuses and relays, revised…

2007 KX250 RESTORATION Red, green, yellow, blue, orange or white … cut the skin of any serious moto fan and the blood that flows will give a definite hint of their allegiances. Such is the case with Dylan O'Keeffe: scratch his skin and he's going to bleed green. Kawasaki green. At 27 years of age, Dylan's story of a life in moto starts like most of us: he first threw a leg over a bike at ten years of age, climbed aboard a Chinese Thumpstar for a while, before graduating to a 2005 model Yamaha YZ250F … which unfortunately ended up being stolen by some low-lifes. Thankfully his dad had an ‘06 50th Anniversary YZ450F that he could borrow — when he was just 14 years of age. Score! A…

MOTOCROSS AMERICANA I CELEBRATED MY ARRIVAL IN LA WITH A STOP AT RANDY'S DONUTS JUST OUTSIDE THE AIRPORT. THEN I GRABBED A SIM CARD WITH UNLIMITED DATA AND I WAS OFF! Some things just have to be done, so when the boss at work calmly pronounced that no more annual leave would be approved until the end of the year, I knew the time was ripe to take one last holiday and head to the USA for a Great American MX Road Trip. Yee haa! With COVID-19 and all, it's been a while since I've been to the States, so I decided to go in hard with this trip, hatching a plan to cover the opening three rounds of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Pala and Hangtown in California,…

When it comes to experience, veteran Aussie motocross racer Todd Waters has just about done it all. His journey began as an up and coming factory-backed KTM racer, and over the years we've seen the likeable Queenslander take his career to the highest level, including an Australian 450cc MX Championship in 2019, and stints in MXGP riding for factory Husqvarna and Honda HRC. Nowadays, Todd is the lead 450cc rider and team owner of Australia's factory-backed Husqvarna motocross effort, the Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing team. With Husqvarna releasing an all-new FC450 for the ‘23 season, we tracked down Jason Waters, lead technician at Raceline Performace, to give us a rundown on the development of the team's premier-class race bike. LET'S DO IT Given that 450cc motocross bikes are already…

We've hit more hills over the years than we've had hot dinners, and some hillside battles we've won, while plenty of others we haven't. Put these ten tips to good use next time you're confronted by a Widowmaker … 1. VISION When there's a hill coming up, you want to know all about it so you can start dealing with it sooner rather than later. And that's especially true if you're in a race situation and every second counts. So look ahead, because like always, forewarned is forearmed. 2. LINE CHOICE As soon as you get to the run-up to the hill, look for the line you will take. Look for the path of least resistance and the cleanest way to get to the top. Some hills might be long…