Transworld Motocross October 2016

In 1998 I was invited to attend what’s largely considered to have been the first-ever freestyle motocross competition, held in Las Vegas, Nevada. As editor of MXracer Magazine at the time, I was excited to watch all of the nut jobs like Mike Metzger, Larry Linkogle, and Mike Jones compete for the win, but they all got spanked by a 14-yearold Travis Pastrana, who attacked the course like it was a racetrack. A year later, FMX was included in the Summer X Games, and in an instant freestyle motocross was an overnight craze. It’s mind-blowing to think that, as a magazine guy, I’ve watched the sport of FMX evolve from the heel clicker and nac-nac antics in Crusty Demons Of Dirt to the backflip and front-flip variations of today. The…

TIM GAJSER While many expected Tim Gajser to defend his 2015 Monster Energy FIM Motocross MX2 (250) World Championship, the Gariboldi Honda team opted to instead move him up to the premier MXGP (450) ranks in 2016. The decision was met with some concern, as the Gariboldi Honda rider is still early in his professional career and had years of eligibility left in the development division, but his battles with defending MXGP champion Romain Febvre have surprised the paddock and turned the Slovenian into a favorite for the title during his rookie season. From the outside things seem almost effortless, but Gajser is quick to point out that it is in fact the payback for years of hard work and struggle. “When someone says they wish they have my life,…

THE GIRL This month we found our model on Instagram (@twmxdotcom) on the #twmxpinup hashtag landing page. Cynthia Magana is a 20-year-old from Anaheim, California, and is one of the Lucas Oil girls at selected West Coast rounds of the Pro Motocross series, Cyn is quite familiar with the sport. Although she hasn’t learned to ride yet, she’s a regular at the tracks with her boyfriend, and the couple attends every Monster Energy Supercross possible. During the week Cyn actually works at “The Happiest Place On Earth”: Disneyland where she’s a performer. Follow Cynthia on Instagram @cynmagana THE BIKE There’s no bike on this page, but you can learn more about the Boyesen Engineering/Motorcycle Superstore Factory 105 Kawasaki KX100 that we’re raffling off in November on page 28. At five…

Last year we tested the Intense Spider 29C and were extremely impressed with the trail bike’s cross-country abilities. Blessed with more suspension than a traditional cross-country bike (130 mm front and rear), the Spider 29C climbed as well as it descended. For 2016, Intense introduced a new 27.5-inch wheel version of the Spider with revised frame geometry to take advantage of the smaller, nimbler wheels. To be honest, we wondered if the 275C would be as impressive as the largerwheeled 29C version. Was it? In a word, yes! The Spider 275C is an aggressive and responsive trail bike that’s perfect for tight, technical single-track with punchy climbs and tricky descents. Thanks to its stiff carbon frame and efficient rearsuspension design, the bike climbs very well in spite of its 67-degree…

SHOT RACE GEAR AEROLITE Price: $119.99 (pant), $39.99 (jersey), $29.99 (glove) What It Is Shot Race Gear is entering its second year in the United States market, but the French apparel manufacturer is one of the most well-established in Europe with 25 years of history. Last year Shot brought in its entry and midlevel lines, but for 2017 the premier Aerolite line will be available Stateside. Hits • Last year’s midlevel Contact gear was excellent, but we had a couple complaints about the baggy jersey sleeves and lower pant legs. Shot took our feedback into consideration and modified its entire line, and the Aerolite gear is like Baby Bear’s porridge: just right. • Everyone has different taste, but we love the look of the Aerolite gear—it’s not too plain yet…

With modern motocross bikes being built in stock form with tremendous amounts of power on tap, it’s more important than ever to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack with corner speed. Sure, any racer can pin it on a straightaway, but races are truly won in the corners. Any given track will have countless variations of turns, and most riders would agree that when you add in rollers it changes the whole dynamic of difficulty. Not only do you have to think about line choice, but you now also have to consider timing, entry and exit points, and how to carry speed through smoothly. Always searching for more ways to drop our lap times, we rang up team RCH Racing/Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/ Suzuki Factory Racing’s Broc Tickle…