Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2016 i Transworld Motocross

The risks involved in our sport are obvious, and although each and every one of us understands the dangers of racing motocross, it’s still a tremendous blow when someone close to us is seriously injured while riding a motorcycle. My perspective of riding and racing changed forever when my brother Ross was paralyzed in a crash in September of 2009. Although I’ve since regained my love for all things moto, there were a few months following his injury that I lost all interest in ever riding again. Seeing the way his life was forever changed drove me into a deep, dark funk, and I didn’t know if the risk was worth the reward any longer. It was Ross, actually, who changed my mind. “I rode three or four times per…

“WHEELIE COOL, MAN!” RAISING IT UP W/ DEAN WILSON For most of us “average” riders, the thought of being able to do a wheelie for as long we want sounds like a pipe dream. Sure, a little raise of the front-end happens now and again while on the power, but you aren’t going to find too many people who can say, “Oh, for sure, I can wheelie for days!” Being enthusiasts of all disciplines of dirt-bike riding, we’ll be the first to admit that this edition of Skills certainly won’t help you win races, but it might help land a date with that special someone you’ve been trying to impress trackside. The point is wheelies are pretty cool, and there was a certain rider by the name of Dean Wilson…

IT WAS A TYPICAL hot and sticky Midwestern afternoon on Sunday, July 17, 1977, when I watched a racer named Gaston Rahier win the 125cc World Championship. At round 10 of the 125cc World Championship series, the diminutive Belgian won that day’s overall victory at the Mid-Ohio Valvoline Grand Prix, and in doing so clinched his third consecutive Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Motocross World Championship for Team Suzuki. I was 11 years old at the time, and I can still remember the whole affair as if it were yesterday. To me it was a larger-than-life experience, and in some ways—and even at that young age—would have a strong impact on my life to come. To stand along the rust-colored snow fence that surrounded the pit area, I looked on in…

BACK IN 2010 the staff of TransWorld Motocross magazine decided that it was time to give back to the motocross community; to produce a fun-filled event for motocrossers to enjoy riding, entertainment, pro racing, new products, services, and contests for riders of all ages and abilities—all for free! And with that, the TWMX SLAM Fest was born. Over the past seven years the event has evolved from a single day of fun into three full days of riding and racing with the TransWorld Motocross Industry Cup being held on Friday for those who spend their weekdays working behind the scenes to come out and play, the SLAM Fest and Pro SLAM race on Saturday, and the opening round of the TWMX Race Series Fall Classic on Sunday. This year MTA…

Hometown: Nicoma Park, NY Years Wrenching: 8 Rider: Cooper Webb Past Riders: Ryan Clark, Phil Nicoletti, Lucas Morais, Max Anstie, Nick Paluzzi, Gareth Swanepoel, Travis Baker, Jessy Nelson Growing up on the East Coast as an avid motocross rider and fan of the sport, Eric Gass admits that he loved tinkering with bikes just as much as riding and racing them. “I was usually the guy who was missing practice because I was helping someone put in a clutch or change the brake pads on their bike,” Eric explains. “I’ve just always had a passion to work on bikes.” But it wasn’t until he was working a full-time gig in a hospital out of high school when his supervisor at the time urged him to make a New Year’s resolution…

SECOND CHANCES are scarce in motocross. Riders are given a limited window for success—often very early in their professional career—and if things don’t pan out in the allotted time, attention turns to the next person on the list. It’s happened dozens of times and will certainly continue to be the norm. True, there are a few exceptions to this unofficial standard, but it’s more difficult to fight back to the front than it is to be there from the beginning. Some have ridden for lesser teams or moved their entire lives to other parts of the world for a new start. Zach Osborne has lived out both of these scenarios. A strong passion and perseverance while facing the chance of a prematurely ended career helped Osborne during his time contesting…

Like the amazing KTM 350 SX-F, the odd-sized KTM 150 SX two-stroke is a machine without a specific home when it comes to racing. Too large to compete in the popular 125cc Schoolboy division, the ultra-popular 150 SX is known by those who have ridden it as the sport’s most-fun motorcycle, period. Wildly more powerful than a standard 125 yet not as arm-jerking as a 250cc two-stroke, the 150 SX can be ridden aggressively with greater ease than a true tiddler and ridden at that pace for longer than you could do so on a full-sized 250. How fun is the 150 SX? Let’s just say that KTM sells each and every unit it imports into the United States every year, often before the models are even released to the…