On-Track Off-Road issue 173

March 2018 No 173

MXGP

white out...

Never let it be said that motocrossers aren’t hardy souls.

The Grand Prix of Europe was appropriately named for some of the weird and unpredictable winter weather in the region so far in 2018 but for all the changing conditions at Valkenswaard the tone of supremacy remained the same.

Last Sunday Jeffrey Herlings really was the Ice Man Photo by Ray Archer

MotoGP

light it up 31 year old Andrea Dovizioso made good on the enduring career renaissance at the top of MotoGP with his seventh victory in the space of twelve months and his first at Qatar after four previous podium finishes at Losail. “This is not my limit, and nobody has a limit if you work in a right way,� #4 said on Sunday night and after another last corner thriller with Marc Marquez. What next?

Photo by CormacGP

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Eli Tomac might have ruled the St Louis Supercross but Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson is steering the ship with a wake of two Main Events and with just six rounds to go. With another Aldon Baker protégé bring home one of the most sought after titles in bike racing? The weeks are clicking down Photo by Husqvarna

PREMIUM VENTILATED RACEWEAR RED / NAVY

2018 MOTO COLLECTION | SOLD AT FINER DEALERS WORLDWIDE | TROYLEEDESIGNS.COM

SMITH JORDONNS / RED BULL / KTM

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MotoGP

grand prix of qatar

losail ¡ march 18th ¡ Rnd 1 of 19

MotoGP winner: Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Moto2 winner: Pecco Bagnaia, Kalex Moto3 winner: Jorge Martin, Honda

as you m

By Adam Wheeler. Blogs by David Emmett/Neil Morrison Photos by CormacGP

mean to go on

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A strong wind swept across the Losail circuit for two days and the same swirl of momentum battered MotoGP in the 70th year of the FIM World Championship. Race/ practice times, E-bikes, ‘inflated’ riders in gravel traps and a new tight proximity and intensity between large sections of the premier class grid with mere tenths of a second leaving analytical and almost desperate athletes lost as how to gain an advantage. And of course there was speed: Monster Tech3 Yamaha’s Johann Zarco blasting a new lap record and destroying a decade-old time set by Jorge Lorenzo in 2008.

There were also the constants: the same faces defying the boundaries of adhesion, the same fingers being pointed at some alleged discrepancies in the Michelin rubber and the usual raft of contract rumours; now de rigour for the opening round of the MotoGP campaign.

There was a formula at Losail. Andrea Dovizioso had finished as runner-up for the three previous years and was the best Ducati at the circuit in the last five. His pace in practice indicated he was in the same vein of form and that his career peak of 2017 was not going to fade away.

“In Qatar it’s always a crazy race,” he said on Friday. “It depends a lot on the brain of the competitor so it’s not easy to manage this situation. But I feel good. We have to be smart and manage the situation in the best way.”

His path to the front from a mid-top ten slot and a field jammed together in terms of times and speed – a hallmark of the pre-season tests and an indicator of what can be expected this year – was effective and the final corner showdown with Marquez was another extension of the 2017 drama. “It’s like déjà vu,” semi-joked runner-up Marquez. “It’s true - in another hand - that I lost this last lap, last corner at the worst circuits for us: Red Bull Ring, Motegi, and here.”

“So, if it is like this in the future it will be okay. But then on the strong circuits, on my favorite circuits, then I need to attack there! I knew that I was on the limit, but, I try. Now I can sleep well this night. If not, I cannot sleep. I tried. It was not possible.”

A 228th podium from 366 Grand Prix starts – and pace that kept him with the leaders all evening – vindicated Valentino Rossi’s call to remain in MotoGP into his forties. While questions will be asked of Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Iannone and the KTM factory after glitchy and problematic weekends. Losail was won by experience but the lights shone brightly on youth with Jack Miller, Alex Rins, Franco Morbidelli and Hafizh Syahrin catching the eye.

More promise bubbled away in Moto2 with Bagnaia, Baldassarri and Marquez and in Moto3 with Martin, Canet and Dalla Porta surging to prominence at the first calling.

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The thousands and thousands of MotoGP fans around the world partial to the colour of yellow or the number 46 were relieved at the first major slice of news to emerge from the opener.

That Valentino Rossi will be 41 years old in the opening phase of (most likely) his last FIM World Championship season in 2020 was not a surprising development – the iconic Italian had been hinting for several weeks that he’d be keen to compete into his fifth decade – but the fact that he choose to exist at the sharp end of the pressurised pool of Grand Prix for another three seasons (including 2018) says a lot about Rossi the man as much as the racer.

“I have enough strength and energy to continue,” he said at Losail for the first press conference of the year and before he rode to third place for his 192nd MotoGP podium on Sunday. “I like riding the bike and it can sometimes be difficult but I like all the things about this [racing], the lifestyle. The atmosphere in the team is good and the support from Yamaha is good.”

Questions of Rossi’s motivation have been more and more prevalent over the passing seasons as the lines creep up on the face, teammates like Maverick Viñales offer stiff resistance at the age of 23 and as the de-

mands of MotoGP and arguably the most competitive era of the premier class hold fast and even climb.

Rossi has claimed grand prix spoils for all but two of his twenty-two years at the top and at least one a season for the last half a decade. His ninth (and last) world title however came in the last decade. For all the talk of records and longevity Rossi clearly still wants to be submerged in racing and commit beyond a single speculative campaign. He cited the example of former world superbike champion Troy Bayliss as a reason not to step out of a sport if the timing didn’t feel right. “It could be a risk…” he admits. “But that’s why I’ll race until the end.”

For Movistar Yamaha there were multiple causes to invest and continue with an athlete that has given twelve years to the company and race team; the association has already yielded four titles and four runner-up positions.

“There are so many reasons,” admitted Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis. “It’s difficult to give one. Because of everything he brings to Yamaha and the sport and the team [and] because of who he is. That’s the motivation. But I would also like to add that he is still highly competitive and absolutely a top rider capable of winning.”

“He will only continue if he is convinced he’s ready to put in that maximum effort and if he’s convinced that he can be competitive,” he adds. “It’s the same for us.

We want competitive riders.

If Valentino is convinced, that means he has made that personal commitment and he feels confident. Therefore so do we.”

Rossi will maintain his fight against the passage of time and that means MotoGP will soak up the special stream of colour and character for a while longer. On Sunday he showed that there were still plenty of stretch in the muscles and wiliness in the racecraft. “In our sport, like in other sports, just one thing is important: the result,” he said Sunday night. “So you can speak a lot, but the only important thing is what happens on the track. I don’t race for demonstrate to people that I’m not too old. I race to demonstrate to myself that I can stay at the top. This is the good way, I think…”

‘Silly Season’ should really be changed to ‘Silly Preseason’. Johann Zarco was already being asked about his link to Repsol Honda on Saturday evening while Jorge Lorenzo is allegedly a target for Suzuki. Destination of the satellite Yamahas in 2019 was a topic firmly associated with Marc VDS and of course the fates of Tech3, Valentino Rossi and Danilo Petrucci are already pegged (or not, in the case of the outgoing Italian Pramac star). Yamaha were at the crux of two rider contracts and the fate of their support machinery and YMR MD Lin Jarvis ruminated on several points on Thursday night…

On the increasingly early tendency for deals to be done for the following racing year…

It’s a little bit ironic saying something because we have been the protagonists that have advanced things. It makes it more complicated these days because there are six factories involved now; you need to make your

moves earlier, sometimes to block, sometimes to keep. It creates situations where if somebody makes a move it means from those two riders that are still in that team, one of them is going to be gone. Beginning the season knowing you might not have a ride the following year, is not particularly a good thing.

It means as team managers and factories, we have to try to – it’s a chess game – make your moves, trying to imagine who will be competitive in the future. It’s not so easy. With six factories it’s definitely a hotter market and you have to stay very much on your toes. But it’s not totally new. We signed [Jorge] Lorenzo when he still had one and a half seasons to ride in 250s. It’s not totally changed…but nevertheless it’s very competitive, just like the rest of the grid is very competitive. The rider’s market is also very competitive.

On losing Tech3 as a partner after two decades…

We will continue to support them to the maximum and we’re already doing that. The decision to leave was Hervé’s.

We respect that decision. We regret that decision because we’ve had 20 years together.

But sometimes things happen in life and I think he got a proposal that he described as an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Normally those offers come from Italy but this one came from Austria. I understand and respect that decision. For sure Valencia at the end of the year will be a sad day. I don’t believe that Hervé has left because he didn’t feel the support from Yamaha. This is just my opinion. Hervé left because he had a fantastic offer from a competitor who really needs to have a satellite team. That offer probably included many things including bike performance, or finance or stability.

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On the increased competition between the brands off the track…

From a sporting side, it’s a positive development. The reality is KTM is going to supply the Poncharal team.

So if you are Dorna it’s great.

We have six manufacturers now in the game and six manufacturers now ready to supply satellite teams. But for us it broke a relationship that existed for 20 years. Did we know that it was a threat?

Did we see it coming this early? No. Are we glad we discovered it so early? Yes, because now we can at least plan for an alternative. It’s more competitive for manufacturers to keep a good satellite team, and to keep good riders, yes. It’s not easy.

There is only limited money in every factory’s budget. You can’t just open your wallet

and throw it all out there. It’s not possible. Some compromises will probably have to be taken.

On Yamaha finding another team for 2019…

I hope so, yeah. Of course it’s an option not to do it as well. We know there are two options: to replace the Tech 3 team with another team, or not. So we have to evaluate that, depending on the possible partners we can find, the conditions. We’ll evaluate as discussions progress. We’d like to have it done probably before June because then you start to get into planning for the next season. You have to be ready with all of your decisions regarding manpower, support, ordering parts, and so on. So we’d probably like to be ready by June.

On Rossi becoming a Yamaha MotoGP team owner…

Year by year, things are always changing so we will definitely be open to looking at supplying more than four bikes in the future. I don’t see that as a problem. Valentino hasn’t even decided yet to enter definitively into MotoGP, so firstly there is that factor. Secondly, if he should enter, is it in ’21? If he enters, is it with one rider or two riders? So there are many factors. That’s three years away.

We can change a lot things between now and three years time if we want to. It’s certainly something we will consider and I don’t think it will be a barrier to another team to get involved with Yamaha.

Even before a throttle had been turned at Losail arguably the Pramac Ducati team were at the centre of some curious transfer talk. Jack Miller sits in a desirable position of facing his first year on the Desmosedici with the knowledge that a good showing by the 23 year old Australian in the next fourfive Grands Prix will lead to either a works bike with the same crew in 2019 or possibly a factory slot if either Andrea Dovizioso or Jorge Lorenzo depart. Pecco Bagnaia already has a berth for next year and by winning the first Moto2 race at the start of just his second term in the intermediate class is again scaling the ladder.

Miller was alive to the challenge (and perhaps the tight window to prove to his new employers). “It is a level-playing field out there and as close as it has ever been in terms of the bikes,” he said. “They are all very competitive and it means a wild-card or the likes of what Cal and I did in 2016 could happen. It will be interesting. Zarco will definitely get that first victory soon. Petrucci also. Guys in the satellite teams will be with the factory guys every week.”

“It is a little bit early [to think about 2019] but as we know we have the option with Ducati so the first thing is to try and stay with them and enjoy myself here,” he added.

“We are also looking at other stuff but it is far too early to be thinking about that. Danilo has been here a lot longer than me, so I’d say he is probably first in the pecking order.

We’ll just have to take what comes with us.”

Miller would go on to have a solid debut with the satellite squad despite using an older bike than Petrucci. The Italian meanwhile looked lean and quick as he rode to fifth.

Petrucci knows he is in contract limbo but – as Miller indicated – his service to Ducati is likely to be noticed and at 27 he is still an attractive proposition for other factory teams.

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On Thursday Danilo spoke in his usual eloquent manner about the predicament as well as the pressures that riders in his position have to cope with.

“This year for me is the most important and I have to fight for something big for next year,” he said. “Pramac gave me a big opportunity.

I have the best bike I’ve ever ridden. So every year has become more difficult but now we are talking about fighting for first position or the top five and not [just] for earning some points.”

“This year - I don’t know why - maybe the rider level has become higher and higher. I remember for example in Thailand on the second day [of the test] there were 20 riders within one second. Here [in Qatar] twelve riders in a second, on a two-minute track. So it’s difficult to make the difference; in the top ten I think I’m the only one to have never won a race in this championship. And I never fight for the title so for me all the names are quite heavy around me!”

“Some riders sign the contract already before the championship starts. So this put a lot of pressure because we have a short time for our career and this year is more heavy because everyone is without contract. We are 20 riders in the world doing this job and you have to be always at 100%.”

Petrucci also took time to shed some light on the lifestyle and demands of being in MotoGP. The thrill, glamour and adoration are facets but so the constant presence of needing to be dedicated to their craft. Unsurprisingly it made #9 question his devotion in the first place.

“This time the winter was very short. I came home on December 1st and I left home in the middle of January. So there is not an offseason any more. We have to be always calm, focused, fit. It’s not easy.

Many times I thought to quit in MotoGP in the past years when my situation was more difficult, but I have the calmness and consciousness to understand that if I don’t find or I’m not happy here I can go away. Nobody put a gun to my head and said ‘you have to ride in MotoGP!’” “It’s only a bike race…but it’s a very hard and difficult bike race. Regarding myself it’s always a fight inside telling me: ‘it’s what you’ve dreamed of all your life’ but also on the other side ‘why are you always tired, struggling to sleep at night?!’”

“But the most difficult thing is that we train every week and we don’t go on the bike,” he continued. “It’s like if a football player always did athletic preparation and only got the ball on Sunday for the match. So you are always a little bit worried about your physical preparation: is it okay? Am I doing good or not? If I change something, will it work? In a MotoGP career you ride the bike maybe 3-4% of the time! It’s quite strange.”

“The positive thing is that tomorrow we go on the bike, and when that happens I forget everything for forty-five minutes. It’s the best thing in the world for me.”

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motogp BLOG

arctic beasts...

If you will allow me to torture an analogy for a moment, Grand Prix motorcycle racers are a bit like the beasts of the Arctic. From time to time, when the conditions turn inclement, they up-sticks and migrate to pastures new, in search of fertile surroundings. They tire of their teams, believing their teammates are getting favoured treatment.

They grow unsatisfied at their salaries, feeling they are not being paid what they deserve. Or they grow impatient at a lack of results, blaming their failure on racing departments taking the wrong direction with development.

There is one major difference between a Grand Prix motorcycle racer and a great beast of the cold, however. A caribou knows it is a caribou, and goes only where its instincts tell it that it will prosper. MotoGP racers do not know if they are either caribou or lemmings, whether they are to grow fat on rich pastures, or launch themselves off a cliff to their doom.

The Ducati is the most notorious for making lemmings out of riders. Valentino Rossi went from caribou at Yamaha to lemming at Ducati, losing two years of his career in the process.

Though the jury is still out on Jorge Lorenzo, his results so far have been horribly inconsistent:

he has a handful of podiums, and was fastest at the Sepang test, but at the Buriram test he was nowhere. Meanwhile, his teammate Andrea Dovizioso is fast almost everywhere, winning the season opener at Qatar on Sunday.

But Honda is no stranger to lemmings, though they tend to occur on satellite bikes rather than in the factory team. The danger of the RC213V is all too clear from the vast improvement of fortunes for Jack Miller and Tito Rabat, who jumped off a Honda, onto a Ducati, and finished tenth and eleventh at Qatar.

We may be about to find out just how hard it is to switch to a Honda. At Qatar, Johann Zarco was being heavily linked to the second Repsol Honda seat alongside Marc Mรกrquez. Zarco has already established himself as an exceptional talent. He was a consistent podium threat as a rookie, was fastest at the Qatar test, took pole in the opening race, then led for 17 of the 22 laps, until his front tyre gave up on him.

He has all the tools a great racer needs: he has the precision and smoothness with the throttle to allow him to run the softest rear tyre and get everything out of it.

By David Emmett

He has the aggression to see a gap and go for it, and the reflexes to make the pass work.

He has the racecraft to ride his own race, and not get sucked into doing battle on someone else’s terms. He has the intelligence to understand what a bike needs, the adaptability to change his riding style to suit it, and the focus to banish distractions which might otherwise get in his way.

So will Zarco be a lemming or a caribou on the Honda? There is good reason to be concerned for the Frenchman. Zarco has learned to ride a MotoGP bike like Jorge Lorenzo. That means carrying lots of lean angle, lots of corner speed, and then getting on the gas smoothly and early to get maximum drive out of the corner.

The Honda doesn’t work like that, though. The RC213V needs to be punished under braking, still its strongest point, flung into the corner late and picked up quickly, spending as little time as possible on the edge of the tyre.

Then, the rider has to get their body forward while they push the bike upright and open the gas, to try to control the wheelie.

Marc Márquez is of course the master of this. He manages the bike with his body, having developed a deep understanding of how to change the dynamics of the bike by moving his body weight around, sometimes blatantly, sometimes subtly. If Zarco is to match Márquez on the Honda, he will have to stop copying Lorenzo and start copying Márquez.

It is a massive change in riding style, one which could easily destroy Zarco’s reputation if he cannot manage it. His smoothness with the throttle may help make the change, controlling wheelie with his wrist while he learns the acrobatic tricks of Márquez to use his body weight.

Though the prospect of a factory bike in the Repsol Honda team is tempting, it is not without risks.

The Honda and Yamaha are the two most radically different bikes on the grid, hardly surprising given that their design philosophies are diametrical opposites. They require radically different riding styles and approaches. If Zarco is to beat Márquez on the Honda, he will need to combine what he learned from Lorenzo and combine it with new lessons from Márquez. For Zarco, the line between lemming or caribou could be very thin indeed.

5 things you might not have known about Michelin & MotoGP Qatar has all the nerves and ‘unknowns’ of a first race and this has an influence on practically every component of a team and the championship; not just the riders’ predisposition. New Michelin Motorsport Two Wheel Manager Piero Taramasso shed some light on a few facts about the brands work in the MotoGP series…

Michelin know where the rubber is at all times “Each tyre has a serial number and we can follow it from the building process to transport and then when it arrives to track. We can see if it has been fitted or heated or re-fitted. We check the storage temperature and try to understand if there are any problems then where they might have come from.

Thanks to the sensor we have access to the tyre in ‘live time’ when it is being used.”

“We know which tyres are where for a race and when they are new and have not been fitted or warmed. We have some tolerance and each rider has one ‘race’ tyre and we tell them “this is the best one, so keep it for the race” and if there is another that has been fitted or warmed before then we inform then to use for say Free Practice 1. A tyre does not get worse after being warmed or fitted but we inform and advise the teams anyway.”

“Tyres are numbered and put into ‘blocks’ for a fair spread of rubber and then the list is give to IRTA who randomly assign them to teams. 24 sets are given out.”

Each MotoGP tyre is mollycoddled Yep, MotoGP race rubber probably has a more comfortable journey to each circuit than a hefty majority of the paddock. “We monitor all storage temperatures and have a target of 20-22 degrees. The [shipping] container is temperature-controlled and in Europe we transport the tyres with an airconditioned truck. The tyres are not placed in metal racks but are hung in hammocks.”

However the fate of any defective tyre is a little more brutal on its return to Clermont-Ferrand. “We cut it open and do chemical analysis and look at all the original properties of the compound and if they were respected.

We look at the transport temperature and how many times it was fitted or heated: a lot of work.”

The life span of a tyre Moto2 and Moto3 races not only help to clean the track for MotoGP but also leave skim of Dunlop to help for grip. Still, as you’d expect, tyres only last so long. Like manufacturers whom provide time or kilometre guidance on bike components Michelin are equally, if not much more diligent on their watch. There is an enormous amount of logging and data registration goes into the life cycle of every single tyre, whether it is spinning or being warmed.

“We are working on a mandatory system from 2019 that will record how long a tyre is kept in a warmer. We will put a threshold of say 85 or 100 or 150 hours and then the tyre is no longer usable for the GP. We make tests on the tyres after fivesix days, so two GPs, and we put it out-of-stock.

This is the maximum it can be warmed. We advise teams to keep the tyres warm all the time; they switch the blankets on in the morning and off in the night. The blanket temperature is 90 degrees and the tyre compound works at more than 120; so it is at the bottom level. From our test we know that the heating cycle does not affect the grip but might affect just a warm-up lap, so it might take a bit longer to be in the right conditions.”

Michelin have frozen development of tyres during the race season, after pressure from areas of the paddock. “Riders and teams asked for more stability. In 2016 we changed a lot: compounds and front and rear casings and riders were complaining and could not prepare. Dorna asked us to provide a list for all the races and that way we can freeze the tyre allocation like engines and bodywork are frozen. This way we can prove that the tyres will be the same and riders know what is coming.”

Understandably for the French firm this is not ideal. “This is not our goal because we are here to develop the technology and the compound and to improve the tyre: so it was not the best idea for us but because the request was made we did it. The only development we can do is during the winter tests and we came with two more front compounds this year and when they were validated we put them on the list.”

The company get frustrated by rider gripes

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Qatar saw the issue of tyre performance particular on the front wheel - come to the fore. Perhaps Johann Zarco’s fade from being the leader to eighth position was the clearest example. Other comments by riders across the weekend pointed to some inconsistency in the grip; one racer even remarking that Michelin’s rubber could be a championshipdeciding factor. The blanket nature of supply means total satisfaction will be nigh on impossible.

“We look at the data and people might complain about the grip of a soft tyre and say it was different in, say, the morning session compared to the afternoon but then the conditions were completely different! They might also change a [bike] setting and then it is not an issue with grip but ‘warm-up’ and the rider did not push enough on the out-lap or it was only in the tyre warmer for one hour or three hours. There are a lot of factors that can change the performance of a tyre. But we always listen to all the riders, we look at the data and if they improved the lap-time.

The teams can get things wrong sometimes.

We had maybe eight complaints on Saturday in Qatar and when we analysed there were maybe two cases with a problem; the rest were complaints without any technical explanation. It is a complicated subject.”

Michelin have helped towards the great parity MotoGP has had controlled tyres for nine years now. Bridgestone assumed the position as sole supplier in 2009 and 2018 is Michelin’s third season throwing rubber around the paddock. In that time there were 9 different winners in 2016 and 5 in 2017.

Along with other elements of the rulebook Michelin feel that their product and service has contributed to the ‘levelling’ of the field and the potency of the show. “I’m happy when I see something like a Ducati, a Honda, a Suzuki and private and factories teams at the front. It means that the tyres are working well for different manufacturers and styles of riding. Last year we proved that even being a single tyre supplier we could have some ‘strategy’ between the soft, medium or hard options and the rider can choose and then manage. It can be exciting.”

motogp BLOG

only sillier from here Not for the first time, Bradley Smith called it. Last season had not yet drawn to a close and talk at his dealings with the media at Valencia were already addressing contract renewals, extensions and signings – not for this year, you understand, but for 2019. Such talk at such a time was “crazy” according to the Englishman. And he wasn’t wrong.

The opening chapter to the 2018 season was always going to resemble a ‘he-said, she-said’ sewing circle of chatter regarding the premier class grid and the soon-to-be vacant seats. As of January 1st, only Cal Crutchlow, Franco Morbidelli and Xavier Simeon were the only three of the class’ 24 names that could focus on the year ahead without the inevitable distraction that comes with the incessant hum of rumour and gossip that accompanies every corner of the paddock.

Fast-forward a little over three months and Yamaha’s Maverick Viñales has already put pen to paper on a two-year extension. Marc Marquez has done the same, earning himself a reported 15 million Euros a year in the process. Ducati’s yearlong pursuit of Italian wunderkind Francesco Bagnaia has “99.9%” resulted in Danilo Petrucci exiting the Pramac fold come November. And

Valentino Rossi’s desire to race until he is 41 means he’ll be a MotoGP regular for 21 straight seasons. All this before a wheel had even been turned at round one.

The trouble is, this trend of riders signing early shows little sign of dissipating (and at the moment this isn’t just limited to riders, as certain satellite teams seek out new manufacturers). Expect the same jockeying for place when the next wave of two-year deals is up around this time in 2020 - or earlier still. Historically, Brno in early August was often the scene of many rumours regarding seat changes for the following year surfacing. So why has it moved forward five – even six – months?

The answer is fairly simple: Sunday’s pulsating race made history. 15th placed Karel Abraham crossed the line just 23 seconds back of race winner Andrea Dovizioso. Not only was that the closest top 15 in pre-

mier class history. It was the seventh occasion in the past twelve months the lowest points scorer has finished less than 35 seconds off the highest. And to put that into perspective, such a feat occurred on just four occasions prior to last year’s curtain raiser. Four times. In 68 years.

In short, MotoGP is more competitive than it has ever been. With each of the six factories fielding either competitive machinery, or boasting of competitive budgets, there are more places for the class’ elite to go. Suddenly seeing Jorge Lorenzo’s name linked with Suzuki doesn’t seem preposterous. The idea of Dani Pedrosa on a KTM? Stranger things have happened. The closeness of the field is also pushing the satellite bikes closer to the front, too.

Thus it comes as little surprise to hear of Johann Zarco, Cal Crutchlow and Danilo Petrucci – all top ten regulars through preseason - hav-

By Neil Morrison

ing their sights set on factory rides for next year. More riders jockeying for more seats. Should the racing remain as close, it’s hard to imagine this changing in the years that come.

Now to get their man, factories are forced to play their hand much earlier than before, partly through fear of a competitor beating them to it.

As Yamaha’s managing director Lin Jarvis explained in Qatar: “Because there are six factories involved now, you need to make your moves earlier, sometimes to block, sometimes to keep. It creates situations where if somebody makes a move it means from those two riders that are still in that team, one of them is going to be gone.

“Beginning the season knowing you might not have a ride the following year is not particularly a good thing. It’s a chess game. As team managers and factories you have to make your moves, trying to imagine who will be competitive in the future. It’s not so easy. With six factories it’s definitely a hotter market and you have to stay very much on your toes.”

The danger? For factories, there are many. Would Ducati, for example, have stumped up 25 million Euros over two years if they signed Jorge Lorenzo in the August or September of 2016, when he was effectively out of championship contention, rather than when his stunning feats from the year before were still fresh that March? Probably not, and 16 months into his Ducati stay, the Majorcan has yet to live up to his billing as the grid’s most expensive rider.

The time in which certain names can prove they are worthy of their position (or salary) is shrinking rapidly, too. Rather than having all season to showcase their capabilities, a team boss is more likely to arrive at a snap judgement on his man after three races, rather than twelve or 15 – a situation far from ideal when a new team, bike, and in Hafizh Syahrin or Thomas Luthi’s case, class, requires a period of transition.

Is there a means to combat a trend that appears to creep up earlier every other year?

Back at Valencia, Smith proposed the enablement of a ‘transfer window,’ similar to what is seen in football, whereby teams have two set months in which to sign players. Yet one imagines manufacturers would find ways to get in potential signing’s ears, dangling a pre-contract agreements before their eyes.

Another option is to just sit back and enjoy the show. More competitive seats could mean more deals that elicit genuine surprise. Can it be distracting for riders and viewers alike? Yes. Is it fair? Absolutely not. But judgements are quicker and more ruthless in all corners of modern elite-level sport.

The only caveat to that is current man of the moment Andrea Dovizioso is reaping the benefits of five years of patience that accompanied the graft undertaken to turn Ducati from also-rans to title challengers. It’s difficult to imagine KTM affording Pol Espargaro a similar stay of judgement.

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Products

alpinestars A look at one of Alpinestars’ most technically advanced riding/racing gloves: the GP Pro R2. The company claim the CE certified product has been tested on WorldSBK and MotoGP tracks round the world.

In terms of performance the GP Pro R2 (made from Kangaroo leather and synthetic suede palm reinforcements) has an anatomically engineered design, and features Dynamic Friction Shield (DFS) protectors, airflow ventilation and has a heavy focus on abrasion resistance around the palm and fingers. The company have also patented their ‘third and fourth finger-bridge’ to prevent leather from twisting on fingers, and helps prevent seam failure and finger separation. Further up the hand and the GP Pro R2 has an anatomically contoured polymer wrist cuff that wraps around wrist to protect the wrist bone from impact. Closure incorporates Velcro wrist adjustable strap for a secure, personalized fit. To stop the glove feeling like a stiff and rigid carcass Alpinestars have added elements like 3D foam padding on the top of the hand and developed ergonomic stretch insert between thumb and palm offers flexibility to vastly improve hand movement. Small details like logos being printed on the material to save weight and a touchscreen compatible fingertip add to the overall package.

The GP Pro R2 will cost around 250 euros (200 pounds) but have to be one of the best choices for trackdays/performance.

www.alpinestars.com

Feature

04 time lucky

Andrea Dovizioso’s journey from nearly man to outright contender

By Neil Morrison Photos by CormacGP

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“...in life there is no limit.�

the path of dovi

From a perennial outsider, Andrea Dovizioso has begun this new season just he finished the last: as the man most likely to stop the Marc Marquez juggernaut. On Track Off Road analyses the factors behind the sea change in the Italian’s results.

So often in life, the weight of words does not immediately take hold. The 2016 season was drawing to a welcome close at Valencia and Andrea Dovizoso was still feeling the warm buzz that accompanied a famous victory – his first for Ducati – in Malaysia just ten days before.

“I feel much lighter,” he said that November Friday afternoon, referencing his drive along the bustling motorways of Spain’s third city to the circuit on Thursday, exiting pit lane the following morning, and attacking the weekend as a recent MotoGP race winner. The timing screens from that day did not necessarily suggest as much. Dovizioso had ended FP2 fifth and would finish the weekend outside the top six.

Yet something in his following statement suggested the seeds for great things were already sewn. “This is a big difference,” he explained. “We ride the bike with a lot of technique. But the mind makes the biggest difference. All the other things – I know what we need to do to improve and where we need to improve; I’m really focussed on that. But for sure I feel lighter and that’s a good feeling.”

Now in his 30th year, the Italian was pointing to a lifting of pressure, that evergrowing monkey off his back. After close to four years of incessant work from his – and Ducati’s – end, he finally had a result to showcase the progress inside Borgo Panigale, and illustrate the factory’s rise from high-profile underachievers to intuitive, forward thinking challengers harbouring genuine ambition (those in doubt need only consider new signing Jorge Lorenzo’s salary).

And, most importantly, Dovizioso rightfully saw his name among the sport’s very best as riders to win in that season’s premier class. He was devastated by then-teammate Andrea Iannone’s narrow win in Austria. Those close to his camp confirmed he found his brash countryman’s debut victory that ended the factory’s 99-race winless run the most difficult of pills to swallow.

But his time would come. At Sepang he out-rode Valentino Rossi in the rain.

Results at Motegi and Phillip Island also elicited feelings that would become commonplace in 2017: real surprise. His Ducati performing above expectations at tracks at which either it or Dovizioso had previously faltered. Here was confirmation that he might not always have the speed to win but there was competitive consistency for the first time since joining Bologna’s ranks in the winter of 2012.

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From there, the subsequent change from the ‘nearly man’ of the class, to Marc Marquez’s rival-in-chief was profound.

No one took on the Catalan as often, and emerged triumphant, as Dovizioso did in 2017. After the first race of 2018 he has won 50% of his previous 14 outings, three of those coming via an icy coolness of mind in last-lap, last-corner duels.

Following on from a winter of testing and an exceptional curtain raiser for the new season, Dovizioso stands as the rider most likely to carry the fight to the reigning world champion.

On that cool, autumnal day at Valencia, 18 months before, few foresaw such a turnaround. Victory at Sepang may have been the first step, but the wheels of the Italian’s transformation were already in motion.

The power of the mind The numbers don’t lie. Yes, Ducati and Dovizioso had been on a largely upward trajectory from the summer of 2016 but he was unsurprisingly overlooked as a possible challenger at the beginning of the following year. Those three seasons at Repsol Honda, where he had little in the way of an answer for team-mates Dani Pedrosa (2009 and ’10) and Casey Stoner (2011) still hung over his head.

And there were those previous outings in Qatar in 2015 and ’16, when not even Ducati’s top speed advantage could be translated into victory. Two wins from 160 premier class starts still paled in comparison to the class’ leading names. Dovi was good but perhaps not good enough.

the path of dovi

A sense of limitation hung over the rider from Forli, on Italy’s east coast. One need only watch Marc Marquez: 2017 Unseen, Dorna’s recent behind-the-scenes documentary on last year’s pulsating title duel, to see the reigning world champion’s view on Dovizioso’s early season success. “[We thought it was] Amazing that Dovi won and everyone else was behind us,” said Marquez of his rival’s win at Montmeló. In other words: if the Ducati man is in front, not a problem. He won’t feature later in the year.

The talent was always there. This is a rider, after all, who competed against – and beat – genuine greats throughout his days in 125s and 250s. His debut season in MotoGP merited a fifth place finish in the championship. And he was mostly exceptional in his year with the satellite Tech 3 Yamaha in 2012.

But through the first nine terms in the class, that vital killer edge was often lacking. In ‘15 he was largely outperformed by new team-mate Iannone. “On a good day, he’ll always be second,” was one unnamed Ducati employee’s assessment of the factory rider prior to 2016. Dovizioso was too nice, too analytical to really wring the best out of his package. Reversing this notion wouldn’t come overnight.

It was around the middle of ‘16 that he had his first meeting with Amedeo Maffei, a decorated Italian psychologist and mental trainer. Along with specialising in the dynamics of the human psyche and its relationship with the body, Maffei was decorated with a gold star from the Italian Red Cross for his humanitarian efforts.

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the path of dovi

His chief invention - the Keope GPR - is a kind of psychiatric chair that sends electromechanical activity to ten of the body’s pressure points, stimulating the central nervous system and removing tension.

Believed to aid concentration and balance while combating stress and fatigue, Dovizioso regularly cited these interactions with Maffei in the winter of ’16-’17 as a reason behind his success.

On his subject, Maffei noted Dovizioso had been “too modest” in his competitive interactions in the past. “Everything has changed in him,” he told Spanish sports daily Marca last October. “In fact, everything was already inside. He had some hidden abilities. We just unlocked them. He did several courses on motivation and increasing his skill. [In the past] I think he was too modest and that made him not be able to get out of his inner fears.”

“It could be argued that a high-profile figure played a greater role in Dovizioso’s rise: Jorge Lorenzo.. But rather than cower at the challenge, Dovizioso welcomed his old sparring partner from 125s and 250s into the fold. Here was a chance to prove his might against one of the very best.”

“You can meet some people who can explain something and you can live in a different way,” he said at Montmeló last June. “It can become much about a different thing in a different moment in your life. They are small things but it created a big difference.” He later told OTOR contributor David Emmett, “I understood something important about life that helped me to live in a better way, and the consequence was to manage better the race weekend, and work in a better way, created a better relation with the people.

All very small things together corrected the situation.”

Refining his approach With that training behind him, Dovizioso entered 2017 – his fifth with Ducati – a calmer, less agitated figure. The benefits of his refined, methodical working methods were very much evident from the Italian Grand Prix onwards. Not only did a coolness of mind serve him well in those last corner duels with Marquez in Austria, Japan, and most recently, Qatar.

But he had a newfound ability to play the long game, focussing on racing conditions and those alone through Friday and Saturday.

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Nowhere was this more apparent than last season’s Grand Prix of Catalunya. As title rival Maverick Viñales was flustered from the off, perplexed by an alarming lack of grip, while Marquez crashed five times, continually seeking the limit over the three days, Dovizioso did much of his work out of the limelight. Never closer than 0.4s to the leading rider in each session that preceded the race, he put all distractions aside, knowing consistency could win out among rapidly degrading tyres slip-sliding across a greasy, exhausted surface.

Feeling the benefits of a crew that had surrounded him for the previous four years was also crucial. As was his relationship with crew chief Alberto Giribuola, with whom he began working in 2016.

It was this, rather than Maffei’s training, that Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi points to as crucial to the Italian’s recent success.

“This psychological thing happened a few times during last winter, but it never happened during the season,” Tardozzi explains. “In the end, what helped a lot was the relationship with Alberto Giribuola. His attitude convinced Dovi that he can really be there every race and I guess that this symbiosis brought some positive effect. They work very well together. They know each other. They found the way to work in the proper way and there was never a step on the bike. There are some things that doesn’t belong to two clicks, or belong to one frame; it belongs to personal relationships. I think this year Dovi found a good bike and a good way to work with his race engineer.”

Giribuola, who oversaw Pramac’s technical operation before moving to Dovizioso’s corner, saw several small details in 2016 that they worked on for the following year.

the path of dovi

“I asked him to trust me more and he did it,” he told the Gazzetta Dello Sport last October. “There were times when he was so agitated, even involuntarily, and as a result the tension in the team rose.

We worked on that. Even small things like smiling and making jokes helps him make a result in the race. The Andrea we see today is more relaxed.”

The rider agrees, pointing to one small detail that helped him maintain an emotional equilibrium over a weekend. “Free practice three for me is very difficult to be in the top ten,” he said last year.

“When I pass through that it’s a different weekend for me. So, a small thing always can create a big result at the end.”

Does Tardozzi notice a change in the Dovizioso of 2013 and the rider we see now? “No,” came the response. “Just I see a light in the eyes. This year he was happy to ride. Before he was not so happy to ride and he was thinking too much about the problems. Now he is thinking about the good things of the bike and he was working on those, not on the weak points. He was thinking, ‘Oh, this is good. Improve this part of the bike and I can manage the others.’ It’s a different way to work.

“Many riders work on the problems. You can work on the good matters of the bike. There are bikes like ours that are very good on the brakes. [He would say,] ‘Improve this before solving the problem.’ It’s a different method, a different attitude. It depends from which point you want to see the problems or not see the problems.”

The Lorenzo effect It could be argued that a high-profile figure played a greater role in Dovizioso’s rise: Jorge Lorenzo. The mercurial Majorcan’s arrival into Bologna’s open arms in the winter of 2016 was supposed to signal the end for the Italian. But rather than cower at the new challenge, Dovizioso welcomed his old sparring partner from 125s and 250s into the fold.

Here was a chance to prove his might against one of the very best.

Ex-Repsol Honda team boss Livio Suppo regularly cited Lorenzo’s move as more influential than Maffei’s training, a sentiment echoed by Tardozzi. “Absolutely, I think that Jorge in a way helped him to convince himself that he can be a top rider – not only a fast rider. That’s the difference.” Last year’s outings at Jerez and Aragon aside, the Majorcan was outperformed by Dovizioso at every race.

Lorenzo’s arrival proved that not everybody can be a success in red. The idea that Dovizioso had underperformed during his time with the factory was clearly a source of frustration. Take his reaction to winning in Sepang, 2016 for instance.

Entering a boxed-in room for his media dealings, the Ducati man initially turned his back to the assembled press. A photo was snapped of him exuberantly smiling, pointing to those sitting behind - an act of gentle defiance perhaps, a chiding of those who had doubted him before, a sarcastic: ‘This one’s for you.’

Feature “This is the first time Dovi is in a position where he feels he is trusted. Finally he sees the fruit of his work and finally this has given him an extra boost. Maybe before he was riding at 90 but he’s riding at 100 now.

When I asked about this gesture last May, his response pointed to a man slighted by his perception as a ‘nearly man’. “That race was a strong emotion,” he said. “I managed the race and everything was really good. But the reality was it was more important for the people in this world than me to understand I am one of the top riders. If you don’t win a race it looks like you are not one of them but this is not the reality. But for a lot of people in this world it’s like this.”

Having Lorenzo struggle by his side brought his feats into greater focus. And having the factory place its total backing behind him in spite of the five-time world champion’s presence was a further boost.

Ex-team boss Hervé Poncharal feels his position as factory figurehead has also played a key role. “I think maybe Dovi went to the best place he could have been because Ducati was a bit lost when he joined them,” he says. “Cal [Crutchlow] gave up. It was not easy. Showing them what he showed them gave the factory [a boost] and the factory gave him everything he wanted. Somewhere else would have been impossible, because he would have been rider number two.

“Also because deep inside himself, having heard all the things [like] ‘You will never be a Lorenzo, Rossi or Marquez’ – even if you don’t think that but you read this again and again – maybe you start to see yourself as a ‘B’ rider. But now, a world champion – Lorenzo – has arrived and he is beating him, for sure this has helped him to wake up and say, ‘I can do it!’”

2018 A third last-lap brawl with Marquez confirmed a winter of promise. Judging by satellite rider Danilo Petrucci’s recent showings, Ducati’s GP18 is an upgrade on its predecessor. And Dovizioso feels there is still more to come. “I understood what I did [to get to this level],” he said on Sunday evening after another cool, brilliantly judged win. “It wasn’t a one-off last year; it was the reality. I confirmed that. Now I’m even better. This shows nobody has a limit,” he says. “This is not my limit and no one has a limit if you work in the right way.”

If the full appreciation of his feats hadn’t come during the first four years of his Ducati stewardship, Dovizioso is now rightly being spoken of among MotoGP’s leading names. Yet more success awaits.

the path of dovi

Feature

the ups & downs

Ten years on from his stunning desert debut Scott Redding reflects on a turbulent decade in the MotoGP paddock

By Steve English Photos by CormacGP/Steve English

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“I

was the next big thing in this paddock...until I wasn’t,” reflected Scott Redding. “Looking back to when I won at Donington Park and seeing what’s happened in my career since, I thought it would be a lot better. I thought I’d have one or two titles by now.

That was my mindset as a 15 year old because all I had done was win.”

Winning in elite sport is a habit. Success will beget more success. One wrong turn however can snowball into more difficulties. Building a successful career in the MotoGP paddock is as much about keeping plates spinning as it is about spinning tyres. Ten years ago, when Redding made his 125GP debut under the floodlights of Qatar, he was the man in the spotlight. A front row start and two top five finishes to open his career, not to mention becoming the youngest ever Grand Prix winner, showed that the hype was justified.

who knew all about the road you had to take. My dad and my uncle brought me up in racing but they knew nothing about top level racing. I was taught to ride f**king hard and to train f**king harder.

Coming through the ranks I was thought to be a fighter and to be aggressive. I wasn’t taught about muscle development and weight or the mental lessons you need. I learned them the hard way.

“I missed out on guidance. If you put me and Marquez next to each other, at that point I was beating him. After 2008 he had the right help and he progressed mentally, whereas I stayed the same. It all started to be a struggle from that next year because I got taller, I got heavier and suddenly it was one thing after another that snowballed.

“It’s strange how it all happened but I feel that I’m in a much better place now compared to the last three years. I feel so much more confident in myself now compared to the past...”

Redding should have been hot property and when he won at Donington Park he was on the path to superstardom. It was, however, another 15 year old rookie that was on the fast track. Marc Marquez, a month Redding’s junior, stood next to him on the podium that day - but from that point onwards their careers started to diverge.

“I needed someone to control me and put me in the right position to do the right things. When I signed for Marc VDS I was alone and my dad said ‘go do what you’ve got to do because I’ve taken you as far as I can.’ I learned so much at that point but still had so much more to learn but I’m every day I’m learning stuff that I should have learned years ago.”

“Talent will only take you so far in racing. Marquez was brought up by Emilo Alzamora who was a world champion

Learning lessons the hard way has aged Redding.

ups & downs: Scott Redding

The mileage has been added to the motor far quicker than the years but at 25, there are only six riders younger than him on the premier class grid. Even the Englishman himself does struggle to keep perspective at times. His age does, however, give him confidence that he can find the form that marked him out as a potential superstar when he first arrived.

“I do forget how young I am. I forget that I’m 25 because I feel like I’m 35. There’s guys in Moto2 that are 26 or 27 and I see guys that are 23 and I think that they’re young...but I’m only two years older than them. I’ve been here a long time and I’ve not met my expectations. I know that there’s more in myself and that I’ve not shown what I can do. Every year I work harder and work in different areas to try and improve.”

While success breeds success one wrong turn can easily turn into a dead end for the next couple of years. A difficult second season in 125GP saw him move to Moto2 and it took three years to get onto the right bike at the right time. That 2012 season saw Marquez claim the title and move to a factory Honda in MotoGP. The Spaniard was, rightly, hailed as already being one of the best riders in the world.

His former rival was seen as drinking in last chance saloon.

A title charge in Moto2 in 2013 put Redding’s career back on the right path: going toe to toe with Pol Espargaro for the title and before fracturing his wrist in Australia and missing two rounds. Espargaro won both races to overturn Redding’s slender title lead and was champion. The fine lines between success and failure can easily become blurred.

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ups & downs: Scott Redding

“Honestly, the worst thing that I ever did was to go to MotoGP in 2014 because I now know that I should have stayed in Moto2 and won the championship. At the time though I was at a big disadvantage because of my weight. I had the option of giving everyone 15kg in Moto2 or taking the jump and going to MotoGP. I went to a bad bike, the Open Honda, and the following year with Marc VDS on the Honda it was even worse. I went to Pramac and it was all going OK but then it fell apart.

“If you’re not on the best bike you have to fight harder. Moto2 is a good example because in the first year I was on the Suter and had some good races but I was riding so hard. In three races I completely blew myself out just because I was riding so hard. When we got the Kalex in 2012 I had a good year with five podiums. It was tough not to win the championship in 2013 but it was luck that ran against me. Some things in life happen and that was one of them for me.

“That year I was winning races and in the click of your fingers it was all done. In my career I had I won in England, went to Spain and struggled at first but once I was on the right bike I was dominating. I won the last race at Valencia by ten seconds. I came to MotoGP and was on the front row at the first 125GP in Qatar.

In Moto2 when I had the right bike I was winning. That was me and that was my level.”

Getting back to that level is the challenge for Redding. Onto his fourth different bike in the premier class, the Brit knows that the clock is ticking on him. After a winter spent adapting to the Aprilia RS-GP, he feels a renewed optimism and

Feature confidence but knows better than most that success in MotoGP is about the little details as much as the big picture.

“It’s strange how it all happened but I feel that I’m in a much better place now compared to the last three years. I feel so much more confident in myself now compared to the past and I have so much more confidence in myself now. I’m becoming more and more the rider that I want to be and coming to Aprilia has helped that.

“I know that I needed to find my confidence again and knowing that has allowed me to understand all the things that I needed to do but it also gave me more motivation for training and the background parts of the job. If you get a pay-off from training you feel better and it motivates you. If you don’t get the breakthrough that comes from seeing light at the end of that tunnel it’s impossible to make progress.

“From all my experience I’ve told kids that I’m working with that it’s not about winning it’s about winning at the right time. As you come up through the ranks you need to be beaten by better riders.

They push you to improve. You need to move at the right time from one place to the next and not think about winning the championships along the way. You only want to win a world championship and everything else is about getting here.

It’s about the big picture and in that you learn more from being beaten than by winning easily.”

ups & downs: Scott Redding

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The 520MX O-Ring has the following specs: slim outer plates with cold-forged pin collars for high tensile strength (8,440 lbs.) and increased durability, chromium carbide pins (520MX) for reduced friction and improved impact load absorption, thermally refined alloy steel pins (520 MX O-Ring) for added reinforcement and improved impact load absorption, specially developed gold color surface coating reduces corrosion, gives factory look, perfectly matched to ProTaper RS Sprockets for maximum power output and extended chain & sprocket life, Slim O-Ring Technology™ (520MX O-Ring) minimizes chain width, eliminating the clearance issues of competing O-ring chain designs.

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Prices start from 35 dollars.

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SBK BLOG

The struggle...

It’s a bit early in the season to have writer’s block. This doesn’t bode well....with the WorldSBK season having started in a flurry of activity with testing, pre-season photoshoots, more testing and then the first race crammed into the space of four weeks or so, it seems as though everyone has decided they need a half term holiday already. Including me.

The period throughout January and February brought lots of interest and plenty of talking points but it now feels that we have hit some dead water, there is no wind in the sails and it’s all gone a bit quiet. The next race in Buriram can’t come soon enough.

Inevitably the world’s motorcycle media have been consumed by events elsewhere, with the first races of MotoGP on one hand and MXGP on the other hand.

Both of which have been interesting in their own right.

The MotoGP race at the weekend served up some great action. With Zarco, Crutchlow and Petrucci sticking it to the factory boys for much of the race it made for great viewing. In the end, however, the podium was shared by the big three.

Ultimately I foresee this as the pattern for the season. Marquez, Dovi, Vinales and Rossi will end the season at the top I reckon; only the final order has to be decided.

One thing that did catch my eye was the lack of pace from the KTMs and Aprilias, both being more than 30 seconds behind Dovizioso at the chequered flag.

The entire field was spread over 47 seconds, which is incidentally a similar time gap from the WorldSBK races at Losail at the end of last year. Standard electronics on the GP bikes are certainly helping some, but not all it would appear.

Over in MXGP the Red Bull KTMs of Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings have been utterly dominant in the first two races, run in completely different conditions as well.

KTM have introduced a new 450 machine this year and in the hands of Cairoli and Herlings it’s showing the rest of the field a clean pair of heels.

Now for something completely different.

In the tennis world Roger Federer seems to have found the elixir of youth. He’s been on fire this year and, as he nears his 100th career win, he was beaten for the first time in ‘18 at Indian Wells. I also saw that Rory McIlroy got back to winning ways and Tiger Woods enjoyed some kind of return to form at the Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament in Orlando as well at the weekend.

So what does all this have in common?

By Graeme Brown

Marquez, Rossi, Honda, Yamaha, Cairoli, KTM, Federer. They are all the best in their chosen sport, with the best equipment, winning almost metonymically. Yet no one is suggesting that old Roger plays with one arm behind his back; I never heard Tiger Woods being told he has to play blind fold when he was in his prime. Cairoli has won nine World MX titles, six with KTM in the last eight years, but no one is suggesting that his race machine has its engine restricted.

It’s the one thing that keeps coming to my mind at the moment, the new technical regulations in WorldSBK and how I am worried that too many of these changes - solely designed to restrict Kawasaki and Jonathan Rea - may have long term damaging effects on the series.

I openly accept that the results have been overly predictable in the last two years, but they have also been in other sports and other forms of motorbike racing.

MotoGP is most certainly a better show at the moment but the distance from the winner to those finishing last is more or less the

same as WorldSBK. So will we see MotoGP introduce engine restriction on the top three manufacturers to allow Suzuki, KTM and Aprilia to catch up?

I also don’t have a magic solution.

Maybe these new rules will be the answer to some current perceived problem but if the concern is that WorldSBK is losing it’s audience, then I think there are better ways to re-engage with fans than to manufacture a result that is not necessarily seen as being fair.

I was a great fan of the British Touring Car Championship in the 1990’s. It was a simple formula of technical regulations and free to view TV rights masterminded by an Australian, Alan Gow. Millions watched on a Saturday afternoon and the small racetracks of the UK struggled to cope with the tens of thousands of spectators that wanted to see the show live.

Who would have thought we would ever have seen a Volvo 850 Estate as a racing car? But the formula worked.

By 2000 Gow passed control of the series to Octagon, previous owners of WorldSBK as well, and BTCC’s star started to fade.

It was a downward spiral where repeated changes to the technical regulations and changes to the TV landscape meant that the wider popularity of the series fell away.

Gow is now back in charge of BTCC and it has had something of a mini revival but it will never reach those heady days of the 1990’s. Sound familiar?

This coming weekend’s racing in Buriram for WorldSBK will be more of a litmus test for the new regs than Phillip Island. The layout of the track is such that it suited the leggy performance of the Kawasaki on the long straights and equally the low down grunt of the Ducati coming out of the sharp corners. In the last two years nobody could get near them. So let’s see if the there really has been a ground shift in the performance of the Superbikes to level the playing field, and consequently if that will see an upturn in popularity or, if something completely different is needed

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This eyewear is made in Europe and centred around high impact resistant and lightweight polycarbonate.

www.ride100percent.com Some of the other aspects are: 5-base cylindrical shield lens for increased peripheral view and protection, top view raised frame for optimal field of vision, interchangeable lenses, lower air scoops to increase ventilation while reducing moisture on the lens, 100% UV protection (UV 400), scratch resistant lens coating, HYDROILO lens treatment to repel water, dirt and oil, temple arm scoops to manage moisture, shatterproof and lightweight Grilamid TR90 frame, ultra-grip TPE rubber nose pads and tips. The Speedtrap also comes with a hard case, microfiber bag and a clear replacement lens.

mxgp

grand prix of europe

valkenswaard · march 18 · Rnd 2 of 19

MXGP winner: Jeffrey Herlings, KTM MX2 winner: Pauls Jonass, KTM

on repeat

By Adam Wheeler, Photos by Ray Archer

Four holeshots, two second positions and a gap of just six points to the championship leader after two rounds of nineteen: world champion Tony Cairoli might not feel too despondent about his current status quo in MXGP and with his bid to grab a tenth title and eighth since 2009 in the premier class.

But could the Red Bull KTM rider have won both Grands Prix in Argentina and Holland (the ‘Europe’ round)? The 32 year old had the starts, the pace and the initiative to add to that 83 career total but was summarily wound-in by his teammate and despatched with relative ease; late race mistakes that fly in

the face of all that wealth of experience must also rankle.

Cairoli is a competitive beast; his recent contract extension to take him into a thirty-sixth year as an MXGP athlete is the ultimate underline of that character. So the pursuit and demotion by Jeffrey Herlings will have stung at the time but Tony will have already assessed the wider landscape.

Herlings is forcing #222 to push to upper limits and for a rider that admitted to winning his 2014 title by riding at “70%” this must be the kind of professional challenge he unconsciously seeks with the launch of each new season. Cairoli has repeatedly

stated that his motivation to continue competing is based on personal desire to improve and get better and faster: in 2018 he will surely find a hefty yardstick as long as Herlings (or any other rider that can raise their game) remains flying.

With Argentina (he has never triumphed at Neuquen) and Valkenswaard in the books (he won for six years on the Dutch sand but has missed out since 2014) he can look back at two fixtures where he would typically face some adversity.

mxgp europe

Herlings was expected to win round two. His dwarfing record of seven victories in eight years at the Eurocircuit is not a subtle formbook. It might have been easier for Tony if his rival had simply disappeared into the distance, instead of being relegated for three successive motos. It might be interesting to watch if Cairoli switches tactics in the coming rounds in Spain, Italy (a key event in this simmering early duel) and Portugal to become the pursuer and see if he can pressurise Herlings into the sort of error that produced a crash and cost the 23 year old Pole Position on a freezing Saturday.

Regardless of the events that occurred through one hour and ten minutes of racing on a Sunday, Tony will be counting points. He knows Jeffrey likes to dance on the limit and perhaps Cairoli’s age and monumental experience in championship-construction is keener to the travails that are sure to come with the twentyeight motos ahead. However don’t forget that Herlings is also a three times champion and has learnt very painfully that a campaign cannot be juggled frivolously week to week.

And what of Jeffrey? For a racer that devours confidence-building results, feedback and feeling then 2018 could not have started any better. Not only is he unbeaten but he has effectively humbled the best rider in the modern era and the defending number one that resides just a few metres away in the awning each weekend. A disappointing part of the two GPs so far will be the amount of work he has given himself out of the gate (even if it has made for riveting fare for spectators) and only #84 and his closest companions will know how near he has been to disaster in putting Cairoli to the sword.

Perhaps he thinks the psychological effects are important? It could be part of a strategy to try and break Cairoli’s steely resolve.

The action between the pair has been gripping and hard to predict but has also remained respectful and spacious. How long will it remain so? With such a high profile match-up it will also be hard to work out any small elements of gamesmanship. The desire to keep the contest ‘clean’ will not only be a wish for two superlative athletes with almost a quarter of a century of GP racing between them but also a priority and hard line from KTM. “From my side: 100%,” Herlings said on the topic. “I like to ride clean. The sport is already very dangerous so I want to keep it clean all the way. Tony is very experienced and very smart. I hope it will be the same from his side.”

Herlings-Cairoli and now Jonass-Prado means that MXGP continues to have a heavy orange hue. The disputes among these four riders along will form a narrative that will bring fans to the fences and screens each weekend but some extra

colour would not go amiss.

HRC’s Tim Gajser will naturally need time to come back to speed but it is almost a year since we have seen the Slovenian at his peak. Monster Energy Yamaha’s Jeremy Van Horebeek’s second moto tumble in Valkenswaard was disappointing considering the Belgian’s potential at the start of the season and by layering a base in the top four from which he could contemplate the search of new performance limits. Too often ‘JVH’ has had to regain rhythm or progress after a physical problem or form dip and this tendency has frequently pegged the Yamaha man (now five years) into a leaderboard ‘hoverer’. Not since 2014 has he really hit the heights of the category.

Jonass’ brilliance and authority in MX2 is a case of ‘different rider, same scenario’ for KTM and their rivals. There is a hint of Herlings-type formidability with the Latvian: essential starts, strength and low propensity for foul-ups.

“The world title gives some extra confidence but it also takes the pressure away so you can ride really relaxed,” he revealed. “At the end of last year I was very careful.

This year I am starting from zero and riding very smooth and easy.”

With 2 wins and 4 moto chequered flags the gauntlet has been smacked on the dirt in front of Jorge Prado (maybe one of his best races yet to second overall?) and Thomas Kjer Olsen, even a slightly distant Hunter Lawrence.

Certainly one of the standout elements of Valkenwaard was the freaky weather that made exhaust fumes act as indispensible hand-warmers in the gate and sub-zero temperatures one of the rarest race conditions in MXGP history. The venue near Eindhoven is no stranger to a cold and rainy climate for Grand Prix in the past but has also basked in summer skies at a similar time in the calendar.

The consequences of the rain, snow and cold churned the Eurocircuit into a narrow and perilous course. Thankfully the occurrences on the lumpy terrain were far from a cold dish for race fans.

mxgp europe

mxgp europe

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Feature

Australia can boast two of the best motorcycle racers this century on both the asphalt and the dirt, and tipped to follow in the tyre treads of Casey Stoner and Chad Reed is eighteen year old motocross starlet Hunter Lawrence.

Does the Sunshine Coaster have what it takes?

making ripples

By Adam Wheeler Photos by JP Acevedo/Ray Archer

Feature

W

ith a 2019 Geico Honda contract in his pocket, a Ricky Carmichael Motocross of Nations gong on his shelf (as best young racer at the sport’s flagship annual spectacle), three podium finishes from his last four MX2 Grand Prix appearances – bridging a rookie 2017 to the recentlylaunched 2018 campaign - and on two different bikes: Lawrence is like a rocket shedding support struts and barrelling towards the blue with thunderous momentum.

A much-hyped teenage talent, even one with the technical acumen and supposed freakily mental resilience of Lawrence, is nothing new in motocross and certainly not in sporting circles generally. The transition from near-fettled to feted is still a stretch but those people around #96 and since he flew with his family (younger brother Jett is also rapid on a dirtbike and set for Geico too) and left their roots on other side of the world are convinced that Lawrence is on the edge of something special.

Previous MXGP athletes – Coppins, Townley, Rattray - that journeyed to another continent to pursue their motocross ambitions often commented on the extra sense of commitment and willingness that accompanies the thirst to uproot their existence.

For these ‘imports’ it made racing harder to contemplate, but also adds certain steel to their performances; the knowledge that real chances are fewer and further between compared to those afforded to riders from Europe and in the heartland of Grand Prix.

Lawrence appears to be in this mould. The story of his roots from penniless youth prospect to a European gamble with family in tow (Australia to Belgium), injury, two teams closing but star-

dom emerging at the end of 2017 would befit the narrative arc of an athlete twice his age in terms of drama, decisions, soul-searching and characterbuilding.

“He is only eighteen but the family have already had to sacrifice so much,” explains 114 Motorsports Team Manager Livia Lancelot; a former double WMX FIM World Champion and now rookie tutor to a sophomore candidate for title glory.

HuNtER lAWRENCE

“I think it made him grow up Now, he’s on a pre-runner to a lot, more than many other his Geico saddle and is argueighteen year olds. I think he is ably Honda’s best chance of already really mature.” another MX2 title since Tim Gajser profited from Jeffrey Sitting down to talk with LawHerlings’ implosion in 2015. rence and both the green 2018 will be only his second shoots of his age and unusual Grand Prix year and for all the level-headedness both emerge signs of an exceptional rider through a thirty-minute chat. and racer can he really be the He talks avidly and with an first Australian world chamendearing naivety about his pion this century? Just six emotions but also with convic- months before he considers tion and honesty. For someone another life disrupting move relatively new to the process to the States? of conversing about himself then it’s impressive. Hunter is “I was a bit scared when he no dour career-obsessive (“I’m first said he wanted to win a bit of a clown,” he sheepthe title this year and really ishly admits at one point) but wanted to beat everybody neither is he racing to mess because sometimes you need around and enjoy the tempothat maturity to know when rary spoils and attention that to accept something like fifth come the way of a young man place,” Lancelot admits. “Talkwhose profile is flowering. ing to him more I can see that he has that mentality.

THAT SAME CAPACITY TO FINESSE AND HANDLE THE HONDA WAS EVIDENT IN ARGENTINA WHEN HE LED THE GRAND PRIX AND ULTIMATELY FINISHED THIRD OVERALL He won EMX250 European Championship races almost right away with the Monster Energy Kawasaki team but then suffered a knee injury that ended 2016 prematurely. He worryingly seemed to stumble last year when adjusting to Grand Prix at the first attempt, this time with Suzuki, but soon figured out the demands of the game and was the standout athlete at the end of 2017.

He knows sometimes he cannot win and will have to settle for a ‘bad day’. So he is strong mentally and is confident with his work in the winter. From what I have seen I think he can be world champion, and needs to put all the little details together in his racing to make it happen. He just needs to limit the mistakes from wanting it too much.”

Feature Lawrence’s ease with people saw him blend quickly with the doomed factory Suzuki team last year. He became firm friends with Jeremy Seewer. The Swiss was pushing for the ’17 crown in a final roll of the dice before having to transfer to the MXGP category (he reached the age ceiling of 23). He came close and finished as runnerup. The pair now swap roles: Lawrence in the MX2 hot seat while Seewer assumes the ‘rookie’ mantle in MXGP. “It is not easy and it is never easy to win out there but if someone has the mentality and the strength to do it then it’s Hunter because he adapts so fast and has so much ability,” Seewer assesses.

“He was even winning some races at the end of his first year. Once he has his package sorted on the new team then he’ll be dangerous for the title.”

Hunter therefore has credibility. There is even less doubt when it comes to his skills.

“He looks so natural and like he is having fun all the time,” Lancelot observes. “He tries a lot of different lines.

It is the proof of a talented rider when he can put the bike where he wants. That’s his strong point. I don’t see any weaknesses in his riding style. For the most part I just see a talent kid having fun.”

hunter lawrence

“I was kinda alone in the Suzuki MX2 set-up for a while and when Hunter came in last year it was a cool thing,” Seewer admits. “I was going for the title and he was doing his first year, so I could help him and we had a lot of fun together. From the very beginning I realised that he was a special kid. On practice days in the winter I could see that he was quick and smart, and I could also learn from him also. He struggled a bit in the beginning to adapt to the GPs but once he got dialled-in then his results became really good. I saw it coming in the winter… simply because I could see how he rode the bike.”

What more is there to see?

That same capacity to finesse and handle the Honda was evident in Argentina when he

led the Grand Prix and ultimately finished third overall.

It was a reassuring debut and allowed Lawrence to begin what will be a short and pressurised last stint to be world No.1. Eyeing the red plate and overcoming defending champion Pauls Jonass and Denmark’s Thomas Kjer Olsen will be the principal challenges.

For now, on the bank of the picturesque lake in Patagonia and dry after partially submerging himself in the water for the photoshoot, Hunter is still a jewel partially obscured by the sand, ready for full discovery and disclosure.

Tell us a bit about home…

I’m from the Sunshine Coast, which is about an hour north of Brisbane on the east coast.

It doesn’t rain!

Feature

“we had five garage sales, we sold the cars, the house and all we had to chase this dream. Some might say it is stupid but we had nothing to lose...”

And definitely not three times a week like it does in Belgium. It’s a quiet little town detached from the city, which I like. I miss it a lot. It is a completely different lifestyle in Europe and we’re here for the motocross. But home isn’t going anywhere. No matter how comfortable I will feel in other countries it will always be ‘home’ for the little things like knowing your way around and where all the shops are… you don’t need a GPS! Did you form some strong roots there? It seemed like you came to Europe quite quickly…

Yeah, it did happen soon. I was finishing year eleven and had my good mates in school.

I didn’t have a girlfriend then.

We always knew that in Australia motocross wasn’t really going anywhere big: we had to come to Europe and America and Supercross is another step. We saw other kids coming over here and to the US and were getting interest. We kept saying to ourselves ‘we just need a chance…’ and once that came along it was a no-brainer to chase it. We had a phone call one night from JJ and Gael Luisetti [former

Monster Energy Kawasaki MX2 team owners] and the first thought in my mind after that call and when they said they wanted me to come and ride for the factory Kawasaki team was ‘when can we go?!’ I love and miss my mates heaps, but they are still there and they support me. When I finish motocross I hope to go back and catch-up.

That’s quite a significant leap.

How did you get to the point where there was international interest in you?

We were coming to compete in the Junior World Championships in Europe. We had no money, so for us to race overseas and get the attention of other teams it was the cheapest way. We knew the Australian Federation would pay my flights – and those of Jett, my younger brother - so my Dad would only have to pay his way. It was the only way we could do it. At the world championships in Spain [2015] I got third place and Ben Townley [New Zealand GP and AMA MX race winner, 250SX East Supercross Champion and former MX2 world champ] called JJ and Gael and recommended me for a ride.

It was Ben who helped get us the chance, which we grabbed with two hands. Without that call my career might not have started.

The world championships were a good window but it must have also put a lot of pressure on you. All that distance and effort and then needing to perform and catch the eye with only one shot on one day…

When you say it like that then, yeah, it’s true. It is a lot of pressure for a kid but my Dad was always good like that and mentally I was quite calm about it all. In my mind I had an opportunity to race my dirtbike against the fastest kids in the world and it was just a moment to do my best, ride my heart out and hopefully be a junior world champion. At that point in time in Spain – in all honesty – I was already thinking about my first year in the seniors in Australia. We had a ride arranged already with the Yamaha team I was on but the call came from Europe and we said to them “we have this opportunity…” and they were unreal about it.

They said they didn’t want to hold me back and Scott Bishop and Mike Ward were great.

It was pretty cool.

hunter lawrence

You are still so young…but was there a pivotal moment when it was clear you had the ability to be able to chase a career path?

I think from the eight years I was racing in Australia I was dominant only for two! I certainly wasn’t the guy who was winning everything year after year. As a kid my vision was so small. It was about racing state championships, and an Australian title was such a big

thing and it was all that you wanted. Looking back now and it means almost nothing! Nobody cares how many Australian titles I have won.

My dream as a kid was to ride for Mitch Payton at Pro Circuit and be like [Adam] Cianciarulo: that kind of deal. It wasn’t until my last year in Australia when I stopped believing in that and lost a bit of faith. I realised it might not happen and I had to focus on what I

was doing there and then. We didn’t get that Pro Circuit offer but we got the European version of it and my dream kinda started again.

What about your family? Did it mean a big dinner-table meeting and some big decisions?

It wasn’t easy. The decision was made to make this step as a family. It helped that

Feature

hunter lawrence

Kawasaki also wanted my younger brother.

So we had five garage sales, we sold the cars, the house and all we had to chase this dream.

Some might say it is stupid but we had nothing to lose. In Australia we were struggling to put food on the table every week and if we sold everything and started again from zero in Europe it would be no different for us. Do we stay with nothing or leave with nothing and chase some dreams? In the end, as a family, it was a no-brainer.

It must have been difficult to race up until that point…

Not easy at all, and we were lucky that I was picked up by the KTM programme in Australia when I was thirteen-fourteen and they gave us parts and stuff which was awesome and so appreciated. We would race every part until it broke because we couldn’t afford a new sprocket or new tyre. You know how it is.

From KTM we then went to Yamaha and if they hadn’t have supported us then we wouldn’t be racing because there was no way we could keep going financially. My Dad was a renderer and a lot of businesses went broke on him. We lost a lot of money and it was a hard time for us. Looking back it all adds up and you don’t realise how critical those moments of support actually are. At the time you think ‘we’re getting good results, great, we can keep on going’ but if it wasn’t for those people then maybe we still wouldn’t be in the sport.

Timing is everything they say…

Exactly, and I was really about to give up on things when that opportunity came along.

Were there any low moments when you came to Europe? Time when you wanted to go back but knew you couldn’t?

Yes and no. We never thought ‘can we go back?’ We’d sold everything and hadn’t left anything behind in case of a Plan B. We thought in order to succeed here we’d have to come with the mentality that this is our home and we’re here for a reason. There were days – weeks even – when I wished I was back in Australia. It never felt easy. At this time last year, around round four of the MX2 series, I was at an all-time low. I was crashing every weekend and every race. There were ups and downs but I’d say it got a lot better from the summer onwards. There were many moments – maybe we’d need another interview to talk about them all! I’d gone from Australia where I was with my mates all day at school and then riding in the afternoons to here where on a Monday you’d have cycling, stretching and the need to organise yourself: it went from school to being a job. Not a hobby any more. In Belgium it was raining, cloudy and cool and without any sunshine for weeks on-end and no friends. I knew absolutely nobody. So it is like having all these different elements in your life and suddenly they get taken away. But it was our decision of course. To be honest: I think it took a year before I was happy living in Europe. It was crazy actually.

You seemed to seize on the relationships with the Suzuki guys last year…

Yeah, they are like my best friends now. I had a couple of buddies before that but I get on really well with Jeremy and we’d go around each other’s houses for dinner and do stuff outside of motocross; perhaps that was seen as something a bit unusual because not many GP guys do that with their teammates. Me and Jeremy get along awesomely and I wonder what would have happened if we’d been battling on the track but I was coming in as a rookie and he was battling for the title.

Feature We had some action now and again but we could always talk about it and be good mates after. To think that in a couple of months I’ll have to leave and do it all again is scary but if your dreams don’t scare you then they’re not big enough.

Could you summarise that first GP year?

There was a lot of promise and some strange decisions in the races that didn’t quite work out for you…

I made a lot of stupid decisions and a lot of mistakes came from the fact that I doubted myself. Many of the early GP crashes came down to that and I was struggling. I had no confidence on the bike and was thinking ‘if I do this, then

what is the bike going to do?’ It was really bad. My riding got better from the Grand Prix of Latvia but then I got injured and after that we just kept building up. The end of the year was quite good because I came off five weeks without riding and the results arrived. It comes down to yourself at the end of the day and being able to put all the things around you out of your thoughts so that things don’t become bigger than what they are.

Was the Motocross of Nations and your appearance for Australia as well as winning the Ricky Carmichael award a career highlight so far?

hunter lawrence

For sure. It is by far the coolest event of the year and I still love the whole weekend. People said I rode much better than I’d done all season but in my mind there was no difference from how I’d been three GPs before. It [Matterley Basin in the UK] was just my track. It is a weekend I’ll never forget and I was the first Australian to win an individual class.

Results and stuff aside I had a lot of fun: the atmosphere, Jeremy racing the 450 Suzuki, representing Australia and having that custom gear. It was cool.

Can you explain a bit about your character? You’ve been through three teams and three bikes in three years. You are clearly someone that doesn’t get too rattled…

That’s true. It’s actually been five years with different bikes as I was with KTM in Australia, went to Yamaha and then came to Europe on a Kawasaki. That team stopped at the end of 2016 so we went to Suzuki and that team stopped as well!

Now we’re on a Honda and it is confirmed we’ll be so next year, so it’s cool to finally have the same bike. I would say I have quite a calm and easy-going personality and not many things bother me.

I’m quite relaxed…and a bit of a clown!

I can be talking crap with mates a minute before the gate drops but when that 30 second board goes up then it’s work time.

I couldn’t be at the racetrack all day and be over-thinking stuff. Perhaps it is just a trait of an Australian and in some ways it is good and some ways bad.

Why is that bad?

Maybe people think you are too casual and too relaxed.

Like you don’t care enough?

Maybe. If I go out on the bike and I have a few tears in my riding pants then I think that’s fine because that’s my childhood in me: I’d wear those things until the whole inside leg was ripped off! I don’t get fazed too much and I think it is hard to get in my head. I don’t take crap from anyone and I don’t mind ‘dishing it out’. I think I’m ‘what you see is what you get’.

Feature What sort of rider are you?

Hopefully people will say I’m a good one! I’m technical; ruts and tracks that need that technique is perhaps my strong point. Flat, wide-open and speed tracks are a bit of a weakness. I don’t know why, and I’ve worked on it and I’m trying to get better at it. I’m not one to ‘rip-it-and-grip-it’.

I’m smooth and use my controls. I’m consistent with my lap-times; most of the time! I look slow. Nothing too special.

Have you been to a Supercross?

In Australia we did all the junior races but I’ve never been to the States.

So you don’t really know what to expect?

No, just what I’ve seen through the screen.

So Anaheim 1 in 2019 will be an experience for you…

Yeah…there was talk this year that I should just go over and experience one of them but we were flat-put with winter testing. I’ve heard from others that the hairs on the back of the neck stand up…that’s unbelievable. So it will be another hurdle we’ll have to get over next year.

For a laidback, happy-golucky Aussie is that the ultimate stage for you?

I think it is only human to be nervous for the first time in front of 50,000 people.

If it’s your first time and you’re not then there’s something wrong with you. By the first couple of rounds I think it will feel more normal and you can block it out. Actually, if you have a strong mentality and you are switched-on then I think you can easily shut it all out. You might be a bit awed and tired through the night show and Heat races but when the gate drops I think all the nerves will go away because if they don’t then I think you’ll quickly get ‘bitten’.

Does this sport still scare you? A lot of guys get chewed up in Supercross…

Sure. There are days when… well, you don’t think about it a lot simply because you can’t.

It is one of the most dangerous sports on the planet.

Especially if you think about what could happen…your throttle could get stuck on the ramp or the bike can seize in the air. Anything can happen.

It’s denial.

So true! You don’t even want to think about anything like that. You can die doing this sport but you are so emotionally invested in it that the reward outweighs the risk. It is what you love. It’s my verdict. I know that mums freak out when they watch racing. I don’t know how much more I can talk about it actually…

Speaking of mums, is there any hint of a maternal influence from having Livia Lancelot as Team Manager? 2018 is an adventure for you both it would seem…

Ha! In all honesty everything has been going really well. I know it is my job to tell you that even if they weren’t but truthfully I can say things are going good. Livia’s communication skills are great and she’s a genuine and kindhearted person. I struggle to find any kind of negative because everything is very organised and transparent. I’m happy and I think it will be a good year.

You have one shot for winning the MX2 title this year so the margin for error is perhaps a bit tighter for you compared to anyone else…

That’s true. And I have switched from telling myself that all winter to just blocking it out. I think if you keep stating that the title has to be won then it’ll get to you. I’ve been working a lot physically and mentally in the off-season. As far as I’m concerned [Pauls] Jonass is coming in with the red plate and the only thing he can do is repeat 2017.

[Thomas Kjer] Olsen can only go two positions higher so I think they have pressure to do better and not worse. I’m on a privateer team and not on a factory bike and I think there

hunter lawrence

are odds stacked against me.

Even in terms of budget and travelling to the races and in terms of times and arrangements. It is going to be interesting and I like a challenge and love to be the underdog.

We’re looking at this shot from every aspect we can think of and we want to give it our all.

If we are not going to be init-to-win-it then we want to make it bloody hard for the other guys. That’s my angle. I think I need to be consistently top five every weekend and make sure my bad weekends are still better than the other guys’.

Lastly you mentioned ‘mental work’. What does that mean for you?

Just preparing myself and keep reminding myself what I am here for and what I am doing and having faith in my own training programme. Just one thing could go wrong and maybe your team or someone in your ‘circle’ might start the questioning and you end up questioning yourself. Everything I learned last year I’m trying to remember and use; all those race scenarios. I’m trying to be as experienced and wise as an eighteen year old can be.

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AUSTIN FORKNER

AMA-SX

St Louis supercross

the dome · march 17 · Rnd 11 of 17 450SX winner: Eli Tomac, Kawasaki 250SX winner: Zach Osborne, Husqvarna

to charge again??

Blog by Steve Matthes, Photos by Monster Energy/Swanberg, KTM/Cudby/Husqvarna

st louis sx

AMA BLOG

Earn the part...

This 2018 Monster Energy Supercross series is marching along to the inevitable conclusion of awarding Rockstar Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson his first 450SX title. St Louis was the spot this past weekend, and it marked a return to a more normal ‘format’. After a Triple Crown race in Atlanta and the very unique Daytona Speedway track, this was your standard Supercross inside a football stadium.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac put on a riding clinic in St Louis leading from beginning to end in dominating fashion.

Tomac grabbed his fifth win of the series and moved into fourth in the points. He’s 18 behind Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin for second place but of course, none of this matters to Eli or the Kawasaki crew. A DNF at round one and a DNS at round two has done him-in for this title but if the last-to-second-ride in Daytona didn’t show it, then the St Louis race - where he had a lead of over 20 seconds at different points - proved yet again who’s the fastest rider. And in case you didn’t notice, he was also the fastest in 2017. Unless disaster strikes, Tomac’s going to come up empty handed and he’s within one win of tying Damon Bradshaw for the most 450SX wins without having won a title. Lots

of time left for Tomac to get out of that category but most likely, it’ll have to happen in 2019 or beyond.

Anderson started right behind Tomac but had nothing for the green machine. He did have plenty for everyone else as he easily pulled away from Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin and expanded his lead in the series to two events. But don’t think Jason’s playing it safe as he told us after the race.

“I really want to win some races before the season’s over” said Anderson about adding to his four win total. “I don’t want it in my head to ‘manage it’ at all.

Tonight I started out second right behind Eli and he had some of those sections, like that triple in the back, that he was nailing every lap. I honestly didn’t have it

in me. I felt like if I kept trying to some of those lines that it could bite me. This is one of those times to where sometimes you have to swallow your pride a little bit. But at the same time, Eli was just savage. He was crushing us.

Hopefully [we’ll] come back next weekend and battle for that win again.”

In 250SX action, with all the injuries mounting, it seems this eastern battle will be mostly about Rockstar Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne and Monster Pro Circuit’s Austin Forkner. In front of his home fans Forkner took the lead early but had initial pressure on him from Osborne. Those two pulled away on everyone else and it looked like a great battle was going to ensue. Then Forkner lost the front end off a dragonback jump and the defending champ took an easy win.

By Steve Matthes

Forkner crashed later on as well and could only muster a fifth.

Eight point lead now for Osborne over the Pro Circuit rider and with this weekend’s race being an east/west shootout then things could get nutty.

Besides the long list of riders that are out with injury or who have missed time this year, there are other riders like RM ATV/MC KTM’s Blake Baggett that are hurt but toughing it out. Baggett was racking up podiums and looking at the possibility of a win when he had a bike issue at Atlanta and cased a jump. He’s been a shell of himself ever since as he tries to race with damaged hand ligaments. Baggett can’t practice during the week, he’s icing his hand after the races and you can see in his Daytona finish and this weekend when he was sixth that all the momentum he’s gathered has come to a screeching halt.

“It is what it is. I guess it’s a survival series now,” Baggett told me after the race. “Just doing what I can. I had that little mishap when everything was going good.

Sometimes things happen that

you can’t control. I went down there and was able to rehab the wrist a little bit for Daytona but I wasn’t even near myself or what I wanted to be. I haven’t rode since Atlanta, other than racing on the weekend. We just try to do what we can. When your hand’s sore, you have just no strength.”

around MCR 24/7. But Brayton, probably out of options, signed with them last year, Honda gave the team some support (because they liked Brayton) and the team has turned itself around. Heck, even Friese has stayed relatively out of the spotlight and riding very well.

There are injuries out there that hold the riders back from racing but Baggett’s an example of what some other riders are dealing with also.

I think it’s an indication that whether you’re Brayton, whether you’re Genova or Tony Alessi that you can just never give up. You never know what can happen from week to week and although at times things seem dark and the light in the tunnel is ever going to show, if you work hard, show up and try to do things right; well things just might turn your way. Not to get all sentimental here but the win is inspiring on many levels and as a media guy that was once banned from going to the MCR truck, I’m now welcomed in there with open arms and even arranged with Tony Alessi to present Brayton with a hot tub on my weekly internet motocross show. Yes, strange days indeed but the bottom line is you just never, ever know in sport.

And lastly, although it’s a week old let’s continue to give it up to one of the more unlikely winners in the past ten years and that’s Justin Brayton of the SmartTop MCR Honda team. As you know, Brayton captured Daytona with an incredible performance to become the oldest 450SX winner ever as well as the rider with the most career races before winning his first 450SX. Brayton’s a good dude who had a couple of ‘down’ years. The MCR team, managed

by Tony Alessi, owned by Mike Genova has had its share of ups and downs over the years & there always seemed to be drama

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troy lee designs Some pics from TLD’s GP and (GP Air) Spring collections just released. There is a simplistic and smart look to the latest riding gear that can easily be spotted in Supercross stadiums and MXGP tracks. TLD pitch the Air as some of the lightest and coolest wares you can find. The pant features a ratchet closing system and cowhide leather on the knee panels. Potent 900 denier means it is a pant that will last. The stretch capabilities come through the 2-way panels at the knee, calf and crotch. Expect to pay anything from 110 dollars depending on the design and the limited edition pieces. The shirt (4 way stretch collar and cuffs, polyester build and sewn-in elbow padding) starts from around 35 dollars. Don’t forget the gloves.

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TEST

enjoy the commute Words by Roland Brown, Photos by Zep Gori, Ciro Meggiolaro, Francesc Montero & Felix Romero

Honda X-ADV

Like many successful inventions, it seems obvious in retrospect. Of course an “adventure scooter” was a brilliant idea. After all, adventure bikes led by BMW’s R1200GS have been popular for years, and fourwheeled SUVs sell in huge numbers. A scooter along similar lines, with chunky off-road looks and long-travel suspension, was a sure-fire winner.

That might seem like a convincing argument now, with Honda’s X-ADV confirmed as Europe’s seventh best-selling motorcycle of 2017. And it’s certainly true that the curious creation is fun to ride, on road or even on a not-too-demanding dirt track.

Its softly-tuned, 745cc parallel twin engine is flexible, its Dual Clutch Transmission system effortless, its comfort levels high thanks partly to that generous suspension travel.

But many doubts surrounded the X-ADV when it was launched last year. Plenty of people couldn’t see the point of a 745cc scooter which, for all its ruggedly appealing styling, had limited off-road ability, few advantages over conventional scooters for road use, and was expensive too.

Daniele Lucchesi never had any doubt. The designer from Honda Europe’s product planning department had come up with the idea when on holiday in Greece, struggling to ride down a bumpy trail to the beach with his girlfriend on the pillion of a hired scooter. Back at work, he managed to convince his bosses that a dual-purpose scooter was worth developing.

“Given that most owners won’t ever take the X-ADV off-road, the chunky scooter’s popularity is to some extent a triumph of style over substance. But that has been true of adventure bikes and fourwheeled SUVs for years...”

Honda X-ADV

One point in his favour was that Honda already had a suitable starting point in the Integra, a faired maxi-scooter powered by the softlytuned, 54bhp parallel twin engine used in the popular NC750 bikes. Less helpfully, it had already been the basis of a previous spin-off scooter, the wedge-shaped Vultus, which had been a resounding flop.

Despite that, the X-ADV got the go-ahead, using essentially the Integra’s power train and steel frame, and with Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission as standard. This year the twincylinder unit is updated with a two-way adjustable traction control system, and has its rev limit increased by 900rpm, though still only to 7500rpm. For off-road riding the dashboard has a new “G” button, which gives a more direct drive to the rear wheel, for better control.

The X-ADV’s main off-road feature is its longtravel suspension, which matches Honda’s NC750X adventure bike with 150mm-plus at each end.

Although the wheels have wire spokes and wear dual-purpose Bridgestone Trail Wing tyres, their diameters are 17in front, 15in rear – far from the large sizes best suited to off-road riding.

Specification is otherwise that of an upmarket maxi-scooter, incorporating keyless ignition, LED lighting, hand-guards, centre-stand and a screen that is manually adjustable through five positions. The seat hinges to reveal a courtesy light, USB socket and room for a full-face helmet.

That seat is quite high (at 820mm), which combines with the long footboards to make the X-ADV slightly tricky to climb aboard, and to balance unless you’ve got long legs. But once you’re under way, the torquey parallel twin motor and DCT gearbox give scooter-style convenience with respectably motorbike-like performance.

Honda X-ADV

The front brake is powerful thanks to twin discs and radial four-piston calipers, aided by a rear disc that is operated by the left handlebar lever in scooter fashion.

Despite weighing a substantial 238kg with fuel, the X-ADV accelerates respectably briskly, especially if you’re in automatic mode and using the sportiest of the three Sport settings, rather than the softer Drive mode. The DCT system also gives the option of manual change using paddles on the left bar, operated by thumb and forefinger.

The X-ADV cruises effortlessly, giving useful protection for chest, hands and legs. Comfort is reasonable although the feet-forwards riding position puts all your weight through the seat.

Like all the NC-related models it’s very economical, capable of 60mpg-plus in normal use, yet is good for just over 100mph if you’ve fuel to burn.

Its unconventional chassis works respectably well. Steering is reasonably light and neutral despite the long wheelbase, and the suspension gives a well-controlled ride despite the generous travel.

Honda don’t pretend the X-ADV is intended for serious off-road use but it copes with gentle dirt tracks easily enough. Especially when fitted with the accessory footrests, which put your weight lower and further back than the footboards. The suspension now comes into its own to soak up most bumps, and there’s an aluminium bash-plate to protect the engine, if not that shapely bodywork.

Given that most owners won’t ever take the X-ADV off-road, the chunky scooter’s popularity (despite a high price – it’s now £9959 in the UK) is to some extent a triumph of style over substance. But that has been true of adventure bikes and four-wheeled SUVs for years, and hasn’t prevented them from selling in vast numbers.

All of which confirms that the X-ADV concept really was a genius bit of holiday inspiration, whether or not it makes much practical sense. Its success surely means that Honda’s brave, slightly curious creation won’t remain the world’s only adventure scooter for much longer.

back page Monster Energy Girls

By Ryan Swanberg/Monster

on track off road

‘On-track Off-road’ is a free, bi-weekly publication for the screen focussed on bringing the latest perspectives on events, blogs and some of the very finest photography from the three worlds of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the AMA Motocross and Supercross series’ and MotoGP. ‘On-track Off-road’ will be published online at www.ontrackoffroad.com every other Tuesday. To receive an email notification that a new issue available with a brief description of each edition’s contents simply enter an address in the box provided on the homepage. All email addresses will be kept strictly confidential and only used for purposes connected with OTOR. Adam Wheeler Editor and MXGP/MotoGP correspondent Ray Archer Photographer Steve Matthes AMA MX and SX correspondent Cormac Ryan-Meenan MotoGP Photographer www.cormacgp.com David Emmett MotoGP Blogger Neil Morrison MotoGP Blogger Graeme Brown WSB Blogger and Photographer Roland Brown Tester Núria Garcia Cover Design Gabi Álvarez Web developer Hosting FireThumb7 - www.firethumb7.co.uk Thanks to www.mototribu.com PHOTO CREDITS Ray Archer, CormacGP, JP Acevedo, Simon Cudby, Monster Energy/R.Swanberg, Honda

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