YAMAHA T7
Yamaha hasn’t let the arrival of Honda’s Africa Twin go unnoticed. At the EICMA show in Milan there was a concept Tenere shown that got a lot of attention. That doesn’t mean much; the Milan show is a big tease on many levels. There are always bikes shown that never see the light of day.
But apparently the T7, as it’s called, is more than a show bike. It’s a real prototype slated for a late 2018 release in Europe. Oliver Grill, Yamaha Europe’s Product Planning manager, was quoted in Cycle News saying that the bike will be light, slim and suited to off-road riding. It will still have a large tank and range will be a high priority. If the final production bike delivers on all this, it will probably be the most dirt-worthy adventure bike yet. There’s still no word on a U.S. release.
CASELLI RIDE DAY
Last Saturday I hung out of Glen Helen all day. That’s not unusual. But this time I had about 1000 of my closest friends to ride with. It was the fourth annual Caselli Foundation Ride day, which is designed to commemorate Kurt and raise money for the Caselli Foundation. It’s really awesome to see so many people flocking to the event.
I know that most of the people there didn’t know Kurt, but that’s what makes it so great. They come out to honor the idea, and it makes the sport of off-road riding stronger. Kurt’s passing was a tragedy beyond measure, but if he can see what’s resulted, I’m sure he would be proud. The event iself consisten of a day of riding (both on the track and off-road), a team race, a timed ISDE special test, raffles and auctions. The proceeds go to the Caselli Foundation for rider safety.
THE INTERNATIONAL TROPHY
Erec Kudla from the AMA was at the Caselli Ride day, and he brought out the International Trophy that was just won by the U.S. Trophy Team in Spain. It’s an awesome piece of hardware, although it looks a little worse for wear. I’ve seen the trophy many times over the years, and it looks a little more tattered every time. The engraved plaques are coming off, the cup on the top is wobbly and someone hacksawed off a little off the base so it would fit in its carrying case. I always figured it was doing well for something over 100 years old; the first Six Days was held in 1913.
I was curious, though, is it as old as it looks? As it turns out, the trophy that was awarded back then was different, although similar in appearance. The first perpetual trophy was awarded for over 20 years. Then Nazi Germany had a string of wins in the mid ’30s. Somewhere in that period the original, somewhat modest trophy was replaced with a very grand award called the Adolf Huhnlein Cup. The Germans always went big. The last pre-war ISDT was held in Austria, and it was actually taking place when Germany invaded Poland. The British riders actually had to sneak out of Austria because they were suddenly at war. By the time the ISDT started again in 1947, the Huhnlein Cup was gone. The current cup, called the Watling trophy, I think, dates back to 1962. Erec says the AMA will spruce up the cup before taking it to France next year.
SHERCO OFF-ROAD
Clay Stuckey at Sherco Off-road sent us a press release on the company’s off-road racing plans for 2017:
Sherco Offroad, the exclusive importer of Sherco’s Enduro World Championship winning enduro motorcycles, is pleased to announce that in 2017 Nick Fahringer (pictured above) will be competing on a Sherco. He will be competing in the National Enduro Promoters Group (NEPG), National Enduro series, and other selected events such as the Tennessee Knock Out and the Moose Run, which he won this year. In 2016, Nick finished the NEPG series in 8th and in 2015, while dealing with knee injuries, he finished 13th. As well as, finishing 2nd overall in the series in 2013. Nick will be racing a Sherco SE .300R two stroke.
In addition to Nick, Sherco Offroad is pleased to announce that Mason Ottersberg will be competing on a Sherco SEF 300 R four stroke in the Endurocross series and will also compete in selected off road events like the Tennessee Knock Out. He will also travel east from his home near Phoenix, Arizona to try his hand at some eastern off road events. Mason is very well known in his area by many and has a very large following.
KAWASAKI MX TEAMS MADE OFFICIAL
Kawasaki officially announced both the Pro Circuit team and the in-house 450 team this week. We always look forward to this because of the cool photos. Here are the official releases:
The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki racing team has their sights set on the top step of the podium for 2017 with a four-man squad. Joey Savatgy and Adam Cianciarulo return for their third and fourth year on the team, respectively. Following an impressive rookie Pro Motocross season, Austin Forkner makes his Monster Energy Supercross debut with Justin Hill rounding out the impressive roster. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team is one of the winningest supercross and motocross teams in history with 29 AMA titles.
“We are looking forward to starting the 2017 season at full strength,” said Mitch Payton, Pro Circuit owner. “I know every one of our riders is capable of winning races and I expect nothing but the best from them every weekend.”
Monster Energy® Kawasaki will continue its championship winning ways with two-time champion Eli Tomac and returning in a full-time role, Josh Grant. After being crowned the 2012 250cc Monster Energy Supercross West Region Champion and 2013 250cc AMA Pro Motocross Champion, Tomac has added several 450 class supercross and motocross race wins to his impressive resume. Tomac now looks to put his KX™450F up on the top spot of the podium in 2017. Grant, beginning his ninth year in the premier class compliments the team with incredible talent and multiple motocross and supercross wins. Grant looks to continue his winning ways and battle his teammate for the championship. The Monster Energy Kawasaki racing team has been the most dominant supercross and motocross team in the last decade with a combined eight AMA titles.
“Our entire Monster Energy Kawasaki team is ready for the demands of the upcoming season,” said Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Manager Dan Fahie. “Preparation has been going great for both our riders heading into the 2017 season and we could not be happier with the progress the entire team has made during the off season.”
2016 marked a big change in Tomac’s career as he made the switch to Monster Energy Kawasaki. He earned four podiums and a win at Daytona, finishing the supercross season fourth overall. Tomac stepped up his game for the AMA Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season, finishing on the podium eight times and capturing wins at Southwick and Washougal. He would finish second overall in the Pro Motocross Championship. Tomac went on to earn dominant back to back MXGP wins in Charlotte and Glen Helen, and claimed the prestigious 2016 Monster Energy Cup.
Josh Grant joined Monster Energy Kawasaki at Round 11 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM Championship, after Wil Hahn was injured earlier in the season. Grant would ride strong and consistent for the remaining seven races, gaining momentum for outdoors. Unfortunately, an injury held Grant back from riding to his full potential outdoors and was forced to retire from the motocross season at Round 4 after scoring as high as sixth overall at Glen Helen.
The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki racing team has their sights set on the top step of the podium for 2017 with a four-man squad. Joey Savatgy and Adam Cianciarulo return for their third and fourth year on the team, respectively. Following an impressive rookie Pro Motocross season, Austin Forkner makes his Monster Energy Supercross debut with Justin Hill rounding out the impressive roster. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team is one of the winningest supercross and motocross teams in history with 29 AMA titles.
“We are looking forward to starting the 2017 season at full strength,” said Mitch Payton, Pro Circuit owner. “I know every one of our riders is capable of winning races and I expect nothing but the best from them every weekend.”
The Monster Energy Supercross season begins at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California on Saturday, January 7 and runs through the season finale on May 6 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.
See you next time,
–Ron Lawson