CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE 2016 GLEN HELEN MX
PHOTOS | Maeda, Emery, Davis, Swanberg, Antonovich
We hit the 2016 Glen Helen MX with full-force and a five-man staff all equipped with cameras. What’d we see? Everything! This Kickstart from the second round of the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross is massive and we’ll have plenty more to come through the week. Really, there’s not much more to say here that the photos don’t show, so start reading…
It's been a long time coming, but Alex Martin finally earned his first-ever 250 National win. "I didn't know if I had won the overall when I crossed the finish line," he told us. "So I didn't want to fist pump and act too happy." A-Mart's 2-2 topped his younger brother Jeremy's 3-1 for the overall.
Christian Craig crashed in the controversial SX-style section in the early laps of the first 250 moto and suffered a badly broken tibia and fibula in his right leg. The GEICO Honda rider underwent surgery on Sunday to have a rod inserted in the larger bone and will be out of action for several weeks. Get well soon, Christian!
The Rekluse Torq Drive clutch has swept through pro racing in recent years and has become just as common as the Hinson Racing billet clutch, which has for years been the standard. This is 250 National Champion Jeremy Martin's Yamaha YZ250F.
If you are a cyclist and follow any of the top racers on Strava, chances are that you've seen some odd-looking bicycle rides on their feeds. That's because many are using their Garmins and Strava accounts to keep track of their heart rate as they moto. This Garmin watch is mounted on Cooper Webb's Yamaha.
No, those aren't yoga pants. Jeremy Martin is a huge fan of the new Stance Moto knee brace sock, as are we!
Ken Roczen debuted his new signature Flexair Fox Racing gear at Glen Helen press day. The ice-blue setup is available in limited quantities, and also includes a matching helmet.
There's nothing like a custom butt patch to do a little social media self-promotion!
With a GoPro Hero4+ and a Litpro tracker, Broc Tickle's helmet looks overloaded with technology.
How brutal is the roost at the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Nationals? So gnarly that teams like RCH opt to protect not only the upper fork legs with a carbon fiber guard, but the triple clamps, too!
Broc Tickle is the latest rider to protect a wrist injury with an AllSport Dynamics custom wrist brace. Tickle reports that he can't even tell that it's on, and that he will begin to wear one as a preventative measure on his left wrist, too.
What could have been. An air fork malfunction cost Ken Roczen a potential perfect season, only three motos in.
What better way to combat a hot San Bernardino afternoon than popsicles?
Monster Energy Kawasaki has been using the PowerLift electric bike stand for the past few months. We've had several in the TransWorld Motocross garage, too, and have come to love the effortless electronic assist.
It's all in the details. Love the rim decals on the Monster Energy Kawasakis.
Have you noticed that the factory Kawasakis looks extra green this year? The 2017 models will come with the same green side panels and front numberplate, but sadly, the green airbox will not be included.
Toshiki Tomita is the reigning All Japan IA2 Champion (250 class), but he passed on a title defense in his home country in favor of gaining experience on the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Nationals circuit this summer. With famed tuner Masa Ito by his side, Tomita will race the entire series aboard a factory supported Honda CRF450R, out of the Rocky Mountain Motorsports pit.
You know, we would have never chosen this color scheme for a company truck, but in person, the Fox Racing vehicles look bad ass!
Karcher power washers is an official sponsor the TLD/GoPro/Red Bull/KTM team, and they provide this super-cool wash area on the side of the team pit area. Much more sano than the blue tarps the other squads use.
With five bikes under the TLD/GoPro/Red Bull/KTM semi, it's a full house each and every week. Have you seen the Behind-the-Scenes videos that the team puts out after each National? If you haven't, you should really take a look. Filmed entirely on GoPro cameras, they are insightful and entertaining.
Rockstar Energy Racing Husqvarna's Zach Osborne chose to run this super aggressive sand tire at Glen Helen, in spite of the hard-packed sections of the track that developed late in the day. Apparently, Osborne has a lot of experience with the semi-paddle, thanks to his off-road escapades.
Factory titanium and carbon fiber fuel tanks can be found on all three of the CRF450Rs under the Rocky Mountain awning. Though they look stock in outward size, they gain fuel capacity by filling every available millimeter of space between the tank and frame, seat, and engine.
Of the three riders in the Rocky Mountain pit, Frederik Noren is pegged as the factory Showa R&D rider, and thus races with this Showa BRF works shock.
The recent earthquake in Sendai, Japan, has sent the Honda factory into a tailspin, delaying production of several new models including the CRF MX line. All factory Honda racebikes were adorned with this sticker in support of the damaged city of Sendai.
Getting the band back together again: Monster Energy Kawasaki's Wil Hahn was on hand at Glen Helen as a spectator, as he is not only recovering from the injuries he sustained in Supercross earlier in the year, but from a broken thumb and fractured sternum he suffered in a road bike crash a few weeks ago. Seeing Hahn with his trainer Ryan Fedrow and training partner Justin Bogle was a sight for sore eyes. Get well soon, Wil!
Apparently, there was a little mixup in the credentials office...
On Thursday morning before press day, Justin Bogle cut the palm of his right hand while slicing an avocado. The cut troubled him all weekend long, making it difficult for him to hold on to the handlebars. The GEICO Honda rider suffered several close calls as he raced to 15th in pain, and for safety's sake he elected to sit out moto two.
We noticed this off foam grip donut set-up on Justin Bogle's GEICO Honda CRF450R. Apparently, if he doesn't have them he can get a blister on his hand from rubbing against the bike's kill button.
See the Japanese writing on the cylinder of Justin Bogle's GEICO Honda? Top secret specs? Nope. Special works settings? Nope. It's Lars Lindstrom's signature! He signs every cylinder head as he puts them together. Tricky, Lars-san!
It's the little details that count. Sunstar laser etches each rider's number into each of their rear sprockets. Cool!
We spotted Josh Hansen spectating at the Glen Helen National. When we asked him if he would race any selected MX Nationals this summer, Lil' Hanny laughed.
Fan support for local boy Josh Grant was strong at Glen Helen.
Blake Baggett is an animal. After breaking his collarbone in the closing moment's of Hangtown's second moto, the Californian had surgery to plate the bone on Monday, then showed up to race at Glen Helen! Baggett endured the pain to finish 16th in moto one, but elected to sit out the second go-round. Tough!
Not even Baggett's mechanic Brandon Anderson could believe that his rider was lining up for what is arguably the most brutal track of the year.
After dislocating his shoulder in the opening moto of the season at Hangtown last weekend, James Stewart underwent extensive therapy to tighten up his shoulder so he could compete at Glen Helen. After riding practice, he deemed it too dangerous to race up and down the hills with a shoulder that could come back out at any second with no warning. Wise choice.
Cooper Webb won the first 250 moto with a great inside pass on teammate Alex Martin, but he was mired at the start of race two and could only catch up to fourth and third overall. Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha swept the podium with the Martin brothers and Webb, but the Western Regional 250 Supercross Champion was visibly upset with his finish on the day. For a guy who suffered a broken wrist only weeks ago, Cooper is looking great on the track. Oh yeah, and we are big fans of the new Thor MX apparel that Webb and the rest of the Thor team debuted at Glen Helen, too!
Cooper Webb's mom, Trent, is one of the coolest ladies in the pits. After her son won his second-straight Supercross title a couple weeks ago, one of her friends gifted her a solid-gold number-one plate charm for her necklace. Pretty cool!
Earlier in the year, we made a Pit Pass video about Shane McElrath's custom airbox covers that he was fabricating with an air filter cage and fiberglass for the new SX-F KTM bikes. "As soon as that video came out, TwinAir got to work and made covers for the new bike," joked Jessy Nelson's mechanic, Jordan Troxell.
Transponder numbers are handed out randomly as mechanics roll their bikes through tech inspection. When Jordan Troxell got transponder number 13, he predicted that it was a sign of luck. Nelson's 13-3 scores were good enough for sixth overall. Not a win, but a solid showing nonetheless for the likable rider who just returned to action after an injury in January.
We're not sure, but we think Doc Bodnar was asking Jessy Nelson for some hair care advice when we snapped this photo...
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