2016 SX CHAMP RYAN DUNGEY: PART 1

Transcription

1 QUICK LINKS IN THE WIND 24 HUSQVARNA MUSEUM 94 INTERVIEW 2016 SX CHAMP RYAN DUNGEY: PART 1 I m just happy to be healthy and walking

2 VOL. 53 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 2, 2016 FIRST RIDE 2017 YAMAHA FZ-10 GENTLEMAN FIGHTER CHARLOTTE HALF-MILE MEES LEADS THE WAY QUICK SPIN 2017 HUSQVARNA TE 250/300 ALSO ISDE TRAINING CAMP INDIANA SPRINT ENDURO SONOMA NHRA ARCHIVES: SADDLEBACK MX PARK

3 CONTENTS P4

4 VOL. 53 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 2, 2016 P5 86 RACED 54 CHARLOTTE HALF MILE Mees climbs to top of the leaderboard INTERVIEWED 64 RYAN DUNGEY PART 1 We catch up with the 16 SX champ RIDDEN YAMAHA FZ-10 Another hit for Yamaha? 86 QUICK SPIN 2017 Husqvarna TE 250/300 FEATURED 94 HISTORY REVISED A lap at the Husky museum DEPARTMENTALIZED 6 VOICES 8 CAPTURED 24 WIND 100 STUFF 104 PRODUCT REVIEW 106 CALENDAR 108 LEADERBOARD 110 RACING ON THE TUBE 112 ARCHIVES 114 BIKES OF THE STARS 116 LOOKING BACK 118 CROSS-RUTTED QUICK LINKS IN THE WIND 24 HUSQVARNA MUSEUM 94 VOL. 53 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 2, 2016 On The Cover: In the last seven months, Ryan Dungey has won the SX title, fractured his neck, posed naked (well, close enough) for ESPN Magazine and answered questions about retirement. We talked to him about it all and more in our twopart interview with the champ. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER INTERVIEW 2016 SX CHAMP RYAN DUNGEY: PART 1 I m just happy to be healthy and walking FIRST RIDE 2017 YAMAHA FZ-10 GENTLEMAN FIGHTER CHARLOTTE HALF-MILE MEES LEADS THE WAY QUICK SPIN 2017 HUSQVARNA TE 250/300 ALSO ISDE TRAINING CAMP INDIANA SPRINT ENDURO SONOMA NHRA ARCHIVES: SADDLEBACK MX PARK

5 IN THE WIND YAMAHA FACTORY TRIUMPHS AGAIN AT SUZUKA Yamaha Factory Racing Team won the Suzuka 8 Hours for the second consecutive year. Pol Espargaro, Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Alex Lowes steered the Yamaha number 21 to victory at the July event ahead of Kawasaki s factory Team Green and Yoshimura Suzuki Shell Advance. As in 2015, Yamaha Factory Racing Team swept the board at the Suzuka 8 Hours, claiming both pole position and a win, with Espargaro, Nakasuga and Lowes leading almost every one of the 218 laps. Ryuichi Kiyonari, who got off to a brilliant start in the saddle of Team Kagayama s Suzuki, was the only one to briefly wrestle the lead out of their grasp. Head and shoulders above the others Yamaha s dream team of Alex Lowes (Left), Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Pol Espargaro (right) were unstoppable at Suzuka. with a fastest lap of 2:08.411, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team widened the gap with the other potential winners as the hours slipped by. Second past the finish line, Team Green ran a superb race with riders Akira Yanagawa, Leon Haslam and Kazuki Watanabe. Team Green and Yoshimura Suzuki Shell Advance had waged a heated battle for the second step of the podium in the final few hours of the race, but Team Green managed to turn the duel to its advantage. The last time there P46 was a Kawasaki on the Suzuki 8 Hours podium was It turned out to be a race to forget for Nicky Hayden and the Musashi RT Harc-Pro team, the 8 Hours regulars withdrawing midrace with a blown engine. America s other rider in the race, PJ Jacobsen with the FCC TSR Honda team, finished down in 18th after a crash on the fifth lap by teammate Dominique Aegerter. The team was running fourth but dropped to the back of the pack. French privateer outfit Team April Moto Motors Events (19th at Suzuka) leads the championship by eight points over SRC Kawasaki, 68 to 60, going into the final round of the series at the, Oschersleben 8 Hours on August 27. That final round will also see an increase in available points on offer, with 35 rather than the standard 25 on offer for the race win. CN The race gets underway but for Nicky Hayden and compatriot PJ Jacobsen, it was a race to forget.

6 ROUND 9 / JULY 30, 2016 CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY / CHARLOTTE, NC FLAT TRACK AMA PRO FLAT TRACK SERIES P54 MEES TAKES JARED MEES TAKES OVER POINT Defending Grand National Champion Rogers Racing/Las Vegas Harley-Davidson s Jared Mees came away with his third win of 2016 at round nine of the AMA Pro Flat Track Series. Mees bested Brandon Robinson and Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. in the Harley-Davidson GNC1 presented by Vance & Hines class at the Carolina Harley- Davidson Dealers Association (CHDDA) Charlotte Half- Mile, where the high-banked course provided some of the best racing of the year with wheel-to-wheel, handlebar-tohandlebar racing the norm.

7 VOL. 53 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 2, 2016 P55 COMMANDP S LEAD WITH CHARLOTTE WIN BY DAVE HOENIG PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOENIG AND FLAT TRAK FOTOS GNC1 The 18-rider, 25-lap main event was led into turn two by Wiebler s Harley-Davidson/427RACING s Sammy Halbert. Halbert was flanked by Mees on the inside and Zanotti Racing/Harley-Davidson Motor Company s Jake Johnson on the outside. I actually got the holeshot, but when we went into the corner Sammy had such a good drive he was able to swing around, said Mees. I hounded him for a few laps. I tried so hard to maneuver. I would get right to him and Sammy Halbert (69) jumps into the early lead at the Charlotte Half-Mile.

8 ROUND 9 / JULY 30, 2016 CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY / CHARLOTTE, NC FLAT TRACK AMA PRO FLAT TRACK SERIES P56 then I d pull off his line, which was my line, too, to go by and I d just make a mistake. I d lose the front, so I would run back up. Finally I decided that I had to get by him. The cat and mouse game played out until lap 10 when Mees took over. I kind of put an aggressive move on him. He was skating through the middle so bad and he was losing so much time in the middle, so I knew I needed to stick him in the middle to where he couldn t pick up the gas, said Mees. That is kind of what I did. I just drove it in there and kind of took the block pass away from him. It was clean, but it was an aggressive clean pass for the circumstances. Halbert, who was making his debut on the Wiebler XR750 Harley-Davidson, was able to stay in Mees shadow until lap 14 when he lost his chain ending his night with an 18th-place finish. Halbert s misfortune opened the door for Brandon Robinson, who is having a solid season on his Kennedy Racing/Brent Armbruster XR750. Robinson had passed a fading Brad Baker (Harley-Davidson Motor Company/Vance & Hines) for second just as Halbert hit the sidelines. My start was mediocre. I was about fourth; it felt like for about 10 laps. We were bunched up there for a while, said Robinson. Finally I was (Above) Halbert tries to hold off eventual winner Jared Mees (1). Halbert later dropped out with a broken chain. (Right) Brandon Robinson (44) followed Mees home in second place. able to clear Brad and once I cleared him, Jared and Sammy were kind of going at it. Jared just cleared Sammy before I got to them. He just got a couple bike lengths or so. By the time I got to second we just maintained that distance the entire race. He would pull a little and I would gain on him or make a little mistake here and there. The top of the field still remained tight even after Halbert was no longer a factor. Kenny

9 VOL. 53 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 2, 2016 P57 Coolbeth had overcome a second-row start and was holding third over Baker, Johnson and current points leader Bryan Smith and his Crosley Brands/ T&T Construction backed Kawasaki. We kind of got lucky with whatever happened to Sammy. It s racing, said Coolbeth. I got a really good start, for me, from the second row. I kept those guys in sight. With seven or five laps to go, I don t know what happened to my front tire. I thought there was actually oil on the track. It was plowing like crazy, so I kind of just backed it down. Nobody was by me so I just kind of chilled out. I wasn t going to catch the guys in front of me; they were pretty much gone. It was just about this time that Smith s race began to unravel. As if the loss of his brake wasn t enough, with about 10 laps to go his steel shoe was dislodged and was flapping in the breeze. Unable to attack the corners Smith started a slow drop in the standings and would bottom out with an 11th-place finish. After a strong run to the front Baker was also having brake issues. I didn t lose my brakes; they were just really grabby. They did fade a little bit in the middle, said Baker. They just didn t have a very good feel to them at all. Everything floats in the brakes and they start to cock and they wear weird. It gets to a certain point and it starts rubbing and glowing. I started just laying off the brakes and just rolling. Compounding Baker s problems was an arm fatigue problem. The throttle got super stiff. I would come off the corner and let off and give my arms a break and just let things roll, said Baker.

10 ROUND 9 / JULY 30, 2016 CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY / CHARLOTTE, NC FLAT TRACK AMA PRO FLAT TRACK SERIES P58 Kenny Coolbeth Jr. (2) and Brad Baker (6) fought it out over third place. With only three laps to go Baker (Right) Bryan gave up fourth to Johnson. I got a Smith lost the points lead. It few gifts I think. I got the holeshot didn t help when and I kind of took a gamble and just his steel shoe went right to the top, said Johnson. came loose. I tried [the high line] on the warmup lap, but I guess I didn t test it Carlile grabbed (Far right) Kolby his first career at 100 percent speed, it seemed victory in GNC2. okay. I was just going to kind of run around the top and gamble to see if it would work. I wanted to try to get away before everybody else figured it out. It was pretty greasy up there, in turns three and four about six guys went by me. I knew instantly that I needed to drop back down to everybody else s line. I hung there behind Kenny for a little bit. Bryan and I battled a little bit. I was by myself there for a while. I saw Bryan s steel shoe fell off and I was

11 VOL. 53 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 2, 2016 P59 able to get one back there, added Johnson. When Sammy broke I got one back there. Brad was struggling there at the end and I was able to get by him with a couple laps to go. I was able to pull a fourth out of it. It was looking really bright at the beginning and then went down the tubes and started coming back. Obviously it wasn t what we wanted, but it was a good strong finish. With the laps winding down, the potential of lapped traffic problems for the leaders was a real threat. I just started ticking off my laps. I looked back before I got to the lappers and I had a pretty decent little lead. I looked back as I was crossing the finish line and Brandon was right there. I didn t know that Sammy was gone. I knew Sammy was running a pretty good pace. I figured he would be glued right to me and maybe give me another dive-bomb pass. Coming off his Lima, Ohio, victory, Robinson kept the pressure on the champion. I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing. I damn near fell off a couple times just try- ing to catch him, said Robinson. He was flawlessly smooth tonight. When someone is that smooth, it s hard to beat them. I felt good, just not good enough. That s just the way it goes, I guess. I m feeling really good on the motorcycle. Lima was a huge confidence booster for me. Jared and I went at it in the Gary Nixon Invitational; it was a little local money race in Timonium, Maryland. I was able to get the better of him there, as well. I m just feeling really confident on the motorcycle right now. I m feeling like I can do anything on it now. It s cool. Dominic Colindres made his first ride on the Myers Motorsports Kawasaki pay off with a sixth-place finish. Jeffrey Carver s first ride on the Briggsauto.com/Martin Trucking XR750 Harley-Davidson resulted in seventh place, while Johnny Lewis (Lloyd Brothers Motorsports/Dillard Family Racing) Ducati, Cory Texter s (RMR/McElroy Packaging) Kawasaki and Brandon Wilhelm s (Sammy O Racing/Mike Butler Racing) Kawasaki filled out the top 10. A solid start to the day for Smith second

12 ROUND 9 / JULY 30, 2016 CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY / CHARLOTTE, NC FLAT TRACK AMA PRO FLAT TRACK SERIES P60 (Left to right) Coolbeth, Mees and Robinson celebrate on the GNC1 podium. fastest in qualifying backed up with a heat race win turned south quickly. I wasn t expecting to come in and take the points lead this weekend. I ll be honest, I expected to beat him, said Mees. I didn t expect to take the points lead because Bryan is pretty solid, especially here. We had a good night and he had a bad night. Hopefully we can keep rolling with these. Smith s points advantage has turned into a three-point deficit, with five races remaining on the schedule. Brandon Robinson, Jake Johnson and Sammy Halbert, who dropped from third to fifth, are all more than 35 points off Mees total. GNC2 The 18-rider, 16-lap GNC2 main event was not a battle, but an all out street fight, with possible road rage thrown into the mix. The race had to be restarted twice due to falls on each end of the track. The initial start saw Sibbick Racing s Chase Sconyers (Honda) in the lead, but K.C. Cycle/ Team 95 s Kolby Carlile (Honda) was all over the leader when Tristan Avery fell in turn three. Avery would make the restart, but one lap down. The restart saw Carlile grab the lead over Sconyers and DGR Motorsports/Flat Track Live s Dalton Gauthier (Yamaha). Myers Motorsports/Varnes Racing s Ryan Varnes (Yamaha) and Brandon Price (Don s Kawasaki/ Myers Motorsports) rounded out the top five when Cole Zabala brought out the red once again, as he fell in turn two. The last restart saw Gauthier grab the lead with Carlile, Sconyers, Varnes and Price all bunched closely behind. By the halfway mark, points leader Ryan Wells had pushed his Parkinson Brothers Racing Honda into third. Gauthier, Wells and Carlile would each lead at some point, but when the double checkers

13 ROUND 9 / JULY 30, 2016 CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY / CHARLOTTE, NC FLAT TRACK AMA PRO FLAT TRACK SERIES P62 Carlile (center), Ryan Wells (right) and Dalton Gauthier (left) made up the GNC2 podium. fell it was Carlile recording his first AMA Pro Flat Track win. I ve been dreaming of this for three years now, at least, Carlile said. Ever since I ve turned professional, I knew this day would come. I didn t quite think it was going to take this long but golly, I can t thank my parents enough because they ve stuck behind me through it all. It means so much. They re my biggest supporters and they always will be. I can t thank them enough. I m just super glad to get my dad the first win. It s awesome. The race at the front overshadowed the tight racing just behind as position swapping was rampant throughout the field. Wells was able to pad his points lead over Gauthier by capturing second. Price, Jamison Minor (M2 Racing/Freddy Johnson Racing), Sconyers, Kevin Stollings (Ben Evans Racing/ Woody Kyle Racing), Morgen Mischler (Mischler s Harley- Davidson), Cameron Smith (Carroll Motor Fuels) and Ben Lowe (Lowe-Life Performance) rounded out the top 10. CN GNC1 1. Jared Mees (H-D) 2. Brandon Robinson (H-D) 3. Kenny Coolbeth Jr. (H-D) 4. Jake Johnson (H-D) 5. Brad Baker (H-D) 6. Dominic Colindres (Kaw) 7. Jeffrey Carver Jr. (H-D) 8. Johnny Lewis (Duc) 9. Cory Texter (Kaw) 10. Brandon Whilhelm (Kaw) GNC2 1. Kolby Carlile (Hon) 2. Ryan Wells (Hon) 3. Dalton Gauthier (Yam) 4. Brandon Price (Kaw) 5. Jamison Minor (Hon) 6. Chase Sconyers (Hon) 7. Kevin Stollings (Hon) 8. Morgen Mischler (Hon) 9. Cameron Smith (Hon) 10. Ben Lowe (Hon)

14 QUICKSPIN 2017 HUSQVARNA TE 250/300 P86 ENDURO-IZED TWO-STROK >>WE TAKE A SPIN ON HUSKY S ALL-NEW TE TWO-STROKE ENDURO BIKES

15 VOL. 53 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 2, 2016 P87 The new Husqvarna TE 250/300 felt right at home in the Swedish woods (as it should). Husky s TE line represents enduro two-strokes, and they re all (TE 150, 250 and 300) coming to the U.S.! BY ADAM BOOTH Cycle News recently made the quick jump over the Atlantic ocean to spend a day yes, a day (but it was well worth it) riding the 2017 Husqvarna enduro off-road bikes, the TE 250 and TE 300, in Sweden, where the Husky brand was born. The TE (two-stroke) and FE (fourstroke) enduro line is all new and is based heavily on the completely redone motocross machines. While we spent a majority of our time in Sweden riding the TE 250 and TE 300 two-strokes bikes we will soon see here in the U.S. it should be noted that Husky will also import the new TE 150 two-stroke, which also features electric starting. The European FE line that was also on hand for us to ride in Sweden is very similar to what is coming to the U.S., but before these bikes make it to our shores they will be fitted with all the equipment to make them street legal. The TEs, in case you re wondering, will be certified California red-sticker legal, so there won t be any green-sticker Husqvarnas anymore, just plated and red sticker. ES WHAT S NEW? The Husqvarna TE 250/300 is 90% new for 2017, sharing almost all the updates the 2017 TC (motocross)/tx (cross country) two-strokes received. The E in TE represents enduro in the Husky lineup so the all-new engine uses a six-speed, instead of five, transmission. Like the TC and TX, the clutch is 4mm higher (up higher out of the oil for less drag) and the crankshaft is 19.5mm higher, moving mass

16 QUICKSPIN 2017 HUSQVARNA TE 250/300 P88 One of the biggest differences between the TE and the rest of Husky s off-road line is the fork. The TE comes with spring forks, the rest air forks. closer to the center of gravity. Probably our favorite upgrade The cylinder has new to the all-new TE transfer and exhaust ports, a 250/300 motor reworked exhaust-valve system is the addition of a counterbalancer, which and an optimized water-jacket. One of the coolest additions significantly to the new 2017 two-stroke squelches engine vibes. engine is a counter-balancer, which Husqvarna claims reduces vibration by more than 50%. Feeding the new engine is Mikuni TX 38 carburetor. The electric starter is now below the engine cases, cleaning up the look and centralizing mass further. Compression and engine tuning is more mellow on the TE engines when compared to the TC and TX for improved ridability off road.

17 QUICKSPIN 2017 HUSQVARNA TE 250/300 P90 Integrated bolt-holes on the cradle of the frame hold a protective skid plate on the TE 250/300, a feature that would be cool on all the new Husqvarnas. The TE 250/300 comes standard with a map switch on the right side of the handlebars. Setting one is standard while setting two is less aggressive for slippery conditions. TIME TO RIDE The terrain for testing was a mix of flowing sandy trails, a bit of single track, a motocross track and a ribbon-marked grass track. After a full day aboard both the 250 and 300 we gravitated toward the 300 for the abundance of torque and roll-on power. It doesn t rev out as cleanly or as far as the TE 250, instead rewarding the rider who likes to short shift and stay midrange. On the sandy motocross track the TE 250 was nice thanks to its ability to rev far and carry each gear a bit further. For lighter riders the 250 has plenty down low to pull smoothly, and many riders prefer a 250 over a 300 because of this. Some of that preference in the past was probably based on vibration but with the new counter-balancer, neither the 250 nor the 300 vibrate much at all and easily live up to Husky s 50% reduction claim. In fact the vibes are now on par with four-strokes. This lack of vibration from the new two-stroke makes them feel even smoother when it comes to power delivery. Detuned a little for off-road riding, the TE 300 still offers plenty of power for every type of rider. We were told the switch from Keihin to Mikuni carburetors was because Keihin halted production of carbs, which is unfortunate; we liked the Keihin better. The Mikuni is more finicky and the bikes we rode in Sweden were a little rich right above idle. We ve been wrestling with the jetting on our 2017 Husqvarna TX 300 here in the States, finding that the Mikuni is more sensitive to altitude changes. Look for updates with better settings as we figure them out. Again, this was a one-day impression and changes to the jetting wasn t really an option. Click HERE to read our test of the 2017 Husqvarna TX 300. The Husqvarna TE enduro bikes, while they share almost everything with the motocross models, use then new WP Xplor spring fork, not the AER 48 WP fork. The WP Xplor fork utilizes a split system, with compression adjustment on the left and rebound adjustment on the right. They also feature an easy-to-adjust preload adjuster at the top of the fork. Internally there is a new hydro stop for improved bottoming resistance. The WP shock is the same as what was standard on the 2016 Husky motocross models, but now with off-road valving and a softer spring rate. The shock linkage is enduro specific. Overall, the TE line is quite plush, especially for the higher speed sand terrain. In the single track and out on the grass track the WP suspension worked great, soaking up the trail hack

18 QUICKSPIN 2017 HUSQVARNA TE 250/300 P92 GEAR ID D GEAR SET: MSR LEGEND 71 HELMET:.LEATT GPX 5.5 COMPOSITE GOGGLES: KLIM BOOTS: TCX COMP EVO MICHELIN

19 VOL. 53 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 2, 2016 P93 and keeping the bike planted. We cranked up the preload on the forks all the way and opened up the rebound to keep the front end a little higher in the stroke due to the soft sand. For true off-road riding and navigating technical terrain the plushness is great and that is what the TE line is designed for. Like the TC/ TX models, the overall stability of the Husqvarna TEs is excellent thanks to the new chassis, which has increased torsional rigidity, while longitudinal stiffness has been decreased. The bikes we rode had different tires than the TE s that are coming to the U.S., those will come stock with Dunlop AT 81s. The Magura clutch is smooth and doesn t fade, the Brembo brakes work wonderfully, the air filter is easy to change, the footpegs are excellent, electric start is brilliant and overall they are greatly improved for Unfortunately, one day on two bikes is certainly not enough time to conduct a full test, but we really like what we have seen and felt so far. We will be able to give a complete review when we get the bikes here in the U.S. and take them to all our favorite off-road spots. Off the showroom floor the Husky TE 250 and TE 300s are ready to ride or race, fast or slow, and we predict that it s going to be hard to find a nick in the armor that is the Husqvarna off-road two-stroke. The biggest problem you ll probably have with Husky s new dirt line is whether you want a motocross TC 250, closed-course off-road racer like the TX 300, or the full enduro machine like the TE 250/300 we just got off of. It s going to be a great problem to have. CN The TEs also get more trail-versatile six-speed transmissions.