Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2018 i Transworld Motocross

“I’M GOING TO LIVE AND PLAN FOR TOMORROW, YET I AM GOING TO LIVE EVERY DAY LIKE IT IS MY LAST.” —TOM WHITE The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for me. As if putting together the magazine you now hold in your hands and helping our online editor, Michael Antonovich, maintain the website weren’t enough, the end of the calendar year always means one thing for me: our annual feature film. Along with our new video editor, Casey Davis, and our contributing editor, Chase Curtis, I began to collect footage for our 2017 movie—Premix 2—way back in June, but the majority of filming and all of the editing has taken place while we put this issue together. When I started TransWorld Motocross back in 2000, I…

THE BIKE Two-stroke fever has swept through the sport in recent years, and our publisher, Don Wilson, knew of an old 2003 Kawasaki KX250 that a friend had stored in the deepest, darkest corner of his garage. A few thousand dollars and some coaxing is all it took to obtain the gem—which came with a paddle tire and a mildly seized engine—and we wasted little time before sending it off to see our friend Jay Clark (Dirt Bike TV on YouTube) for a complete overhaul. Using parts from Wrench Rabbit, Vertex Pistons, Dunlop, Supersprox, and FMF Racing, Clark restored the 15-year-old machine to like-new condition. In fact, the bike enjoys a starring role in Premix 2 in the very capable hands of Axell Hodges! THE MODEL Janey B is a…

Alex Ray has been a fixture in pro racing for over five years now, but the racer from Tennessee has enjoyed a breakthrough of sorts in recent months, as he attracted the attention of the Cycle Trader/Rock River Yamaha team halfway through 2017 and landed a permanent spot on the team when Tommy Hahn retired after being injured early in the Monster Energy Supercross series. Perhaps the biggest change in Ray’s program, however, has been a big weight loss and gains in overall fitness. Taken under the wing of seasoned veteran Davi Millsaps, Ray adopted a new diet and training regimen that saw him lose nearly 30 pounds. “Cycling plays a big part in my training regimen,” Ray said. “I usually ride twice a day. I have become very familiar…

Of all the major motocross bike manufacturers in the game, KTM is to be applauded for continuing to push forward each and every year, striving to produce the absolute best product possible. While most manufacturers have let their mini-bike technology stagnate and are content to produce the same machines, year after year, wrapped in bold new graphics, KTM is pushing the envelope even further ahead with the release of the all-new 2018 KTM 85 SX. In a nutshell, writing about the things that remain unchanged might be an easier task, as the ’18 bike is really a completely different machine. Starting with the engine, which boasts an all-new cylinder and revised cases, the powerplant weighs in at 1.5 pounds less than its predecessor. A power valve system in the cylinder…

Several years have passed since a new bike has stirred as much curiosity and anticipation as the 2018 Honda CRF250R. Customarily, we get an indication of what the manufacturers have in store for the new model year during our annual trip to the first round of the All Japan National MX Series. Spy photos from the opener are generally a pretty good indication of what to expect will come to production. However, that was not the case for the Honda. It was not until the third round of the series near Hiroshima that the new model made its brief and unorthodox debut. Handpicked from his HRC team advisor role, former four-time IA2 Champion Takeshi Katsuya was chosen to pilot the highly veiled machine at its only appearance for several months.…

How far would you go to pursue a dream? For Dave Feeney of Newcastle, Australia, quitting his nine-to-five gig as a welder and fabricator and flying halfway around the world was just the first step to becoming a championship-winning race mechanic for multiple riders. Feeney described his decision for the move quite simply: “I hated going to work every day, and motocross was always my passion. I was lucky enough to turn an exciting hobby into a career.” However, luck doesn’t come to those who don’t work hard for it, and the subsequent years after his move would be defining in his success. Dave is a real journeyman mechanic, one who has been through multiple gigs within the industry and has just about seen it all. Before his move to…

TIM GAJSER Hailing from Ptuj, Slovenia, Tim Gajser is a 21-year-old from a south Central European nation of a mere 2.1 million inhabitants. Although coming from an unlikely home for a Motocross World Champion, the sincere, animated, and totally genuine young man has risen to the top of the sport twice. This month, Gajser traveled to the United States to compete in his first American Supercross event, the Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, his race came to a halt just a few laps into the first of three main events, but Gajser was impressive nonetheless and has his sights set on eventually crossing the Atlantic to race in the States full-time. What do you make of this whole American Supercross spectacle at the Monster Energy Cup? It’s nice.…

In the ’80s and ’90s, it was common for an American rider or two to contest the All Japan National MX Championship full-time. Brought in as “ringers” of sorts, riders such as Steve Martin, Eddie Warren, Ron Tichenor, and Jeff Matiasevich racked up championships in Japan in the twilight of their careers. Not since Kyle Lewis’ title for Suzuki in ’99, however, has a US rider been solicited to spend a season abroad, but it is still fairly common for racers from the AMA or FIM championships to be invited to compete in a single race here and there. This is most often for the debut a new production machine, or to bring some added excitement to the MFJ season finale, which traditionally goes down well after the conclusion of…

100% RACECRAFT+ Price: $89.99 What It Is Recently, light has been shed on the violence in which modern-day motocross bikes can roost rocks and debris toward the rider’s face, and 100%’s solution to this increased risk is the new Racecraft+, which boasts an injection-molded 1.75-mm-thick lens that provides superior protection against flying objects. To further increase the Racecraft+’s protective qualities, the inner wall of the goggle is taller to provide greater support of the lens when being struck by roost. Of course, the rest of the Racecraft’s features like four-layer face foam, strap outriggers, and a wide silicone-backed elastic strap are included in the new + model. Hits • The Racecraft+ lens is super sturdy, and there’s no doubt that it offers greater impact and penetration protection than a standard…

Two years ago, I had the wild idea to focus our entire 2015 feature film on two-stroke dirt bikes, and the original Premix came together in a perfect storm of ideal circumstances. It was a whirlwind, but Jordan Powell and I filmed and edited the entire movie in only a few short months. Riders were stoked on the idea and it seemed like everything fell together like a well-placed row of dominos. Ryan Villopoto had his own Kawasaki KX250, Dean Wilson and Weston Peick were glad to ride our test bikes, Sean Collier had his infamous 500, Suzuki loaned me a very special aluminum-framed RM250 for Broc Tickle to ride, and my friend AJ Waggoner at Service Honda gladly shipped me a CR500AF and KX250AF for me to film Christian…

Did you know that Husqvarna produces and imports a FC 350? If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be alone. While the KTM 350 SX-F has gained notoriety in the hands of MXGP World Champion Antonio Cairoli, Husky’s version of the mid-sized machine hasn’t been raced at the highest levels of the sport anywhere. Thanks to the shared resources between KTM and Husqvarna, we the consumers benefit from a second option in the 350cc class. Like the white and orange 250 and 450, the 350 from Husqvarna features three major differences from its orange sibling. How do they affect the mid-weight contender? Read on to find out. “THE FC 350 IS A REALLY FUN BIKE TO RIDE, AS THE POWERBAND HAS PLENTY OF GET-UP-AND-GO WITHOUT BEING INTIMIDATING. THE HARDER YOU REV THE…

One of our favorite things about a day at the races is getting to watch the mini-class racers take to the track. There’s something about the PeeWee divisions that we especially enjoy. Perhaps it’s the innocence of the entry-level classes and the pure interaction between the parents and kids that hasn’t yet been affected by sponsorships, homeschooling, or National Championships. Since retiring from professional racing last year, Nick Wey and his boys have become regular fixtures at the TWMX Race Series. This season, five-year-old Donovan Wey entered his first race and has become hooked. “I started racing because my dad and brother do,” Donovan said. “I love to win and I really like the whoops at Pala Raceway.” “Racing isn’t something that I necessarily wanted the boys to do,” Nick…

Over the last few months, the popularity of the Alta Motors Redshift MX has grown quite a bit. This is especially the case if you spend some time on Instagram, as the potential of the Alta in urban environments has been realized by freeriding specialists. Among them is former factory racer Josh Hill. After retiring from professional racing full-time, Hill has used his natural talents on a dirt bike everywhere from the sand dunes of Glamis to the streets of Los Angeles. When the electric motorcycle first became popular, Hill immediately took notice. In fact, he actually approached the company about riding their motorcycle and help in the development of it. “I just like to go riding where you’re not supposed to. I like to do stuff that could piss…

A rhythm section is a series of jumps that are tied together to create a technical lane on the track. Regardless of their difficulty, which can vary greatly, riders either love them or hate them. If you have a lot of time in the saddle and are comfortable with jumping, then these sections can be a lot of fun. However, if you’re having trouble with mastering jumps and timing, chances are you’re not a fan! More often than not the only thing holding us back from taking on a new obstacle or section is fear, as motocross is as much a mental challenge as it is physical. “Tackling a new section on the track is all in your head,” Sean Cantrell said when asked about the 2017 Red Bull Straight…

We’ve long wondered what it would be like to ride through serene settings on a completely quiet motorcycle. Would the ability to stealthily slip through wooded forests or up rocky hillsides change the experience of riding and allow us to traverse what was once off-limit terrain? Our pondering has come to an end with the Redshift EX, a fully electric motorcycle from Alta Motors that is designed for off-road but boasts a street-legal status. The design of the Redshift EX is nearly the exact same as the Redshift MX machine. It features a 350-volt lithium-ion “Alta Pack” battery that is waterproof, impact and vibration resistant up to 20Gs, and features a cooling system that dissipates heat more efficiently than any battery that is used for transportation applications. The battery is…