Australian Supercross Magazine 2015

1 SUPERCROSS MAGAZINE ISSUE 01 / 2015

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01SUPERCROSS MAGAZINE ISSUE 01 / 2015


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012015 SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS




WELCOME TO THE 2015 AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP Whilst 2015 marks our 37th year of Supercross in Australia,

the quest for an extended Championship with more prizemoney

and greater coverage for riders, fans and sponsors came in late

2014 when Championship rights holder Full Throttle Sports

Management initiated open discussions.

For 2015 we have entered into new agreements with four different

promoters to provide a brand new Australian Supercross Championship.

Motorcycling Australias top priority was to secure more

rounds,more exposure and increase prizemoney for competitors.

The 2015 Australian Supercross Championship has doubledfrom

three weekends to six and there is a massive increase in

prizemoney, with more than $120,000 being paid out.

The 2015 Australian Supercross Championship will entertain more

than 50,000 spectators at events across four states, including

venues in Bathurst and Sydney (NSW), Jimboomba and Coolum

(Queensland), Adelaide (South Australia) and Sunshine (Victoria).

This year we welcome back numerous valued sponsors, including

presenting partner Penrite Oil and for the first time, Supercheap

Auto.

Motorcycling Australia would like to thank thepromotersand the

dedicated volunteers and staff who ensure the fans have a truly

memorable experience; this Championship is simply not possible

without their hard work and commitment.

On behalf of Motorcycling Australia, the sponsors, promoters,

staff and riders, we warmly welcome you to the 2015 Australian

Supercross Championship.

MARK LUKSICH Championship Coordinator


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CONTENTS

10 MOTORCYCLING AUSTRALIA

12 SONSORS MESSAGE

14 EVENT SCHEDULE

40 THE MAKING OF THOR

64 BE A HERO -THE GO PRO STORY

70 QUARTER LITRE ROCKETS

102 SXD DEVELOPMENT PHASE

113 WORLD CLASS AUSSIE WOMEN

116 BRETT METCALF

120 YOU CANT STOP US: UNIT

126 PRIVATEER POWER

134 GABRIEL JOINS SUPERCROSS

138 KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

142 SHINING LITES

160 JUNIOR LEAGUE

162 TAKE YOUR SEATS

18 AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS HISTORY 20 years of supercross30 WHOS THE BOSS Matt Moss on making it a three-peat69 TRUE FAITH Gavin Faith from Iowa USA to Australian Supercross champ92 KING KIRK Can Kirk Gibbs claim both Australian titles?

106 GETTING STARTED A helpful introduction to dirt bikes and racing149 HOW TO SUPERCROSS Blitzing the whoops, jumping and getting off the line

Publisher: Motorcycling Australiia | Managing Editor: Yarrive Konsky | Art Director: Josh Smith Assistant Designer: Rhys van Slooten | Senior Writer: Andrew Clubb | Senior Photographer: Cameron Taylor

Senior Photographer: Marc Jones Photography | Contributing Photographers: Jeff Crow and Craig Bourke Digital Prepress: CMYK Hub | Printing: CMYK Hub

18 30 69

92 106 149


On behalf of Penrite, I am delighted to welcome you to the 2015

Australian Supercross Championship. This marks the second year

for Penrite as a primary partner of Australias premier motorcycle

championship and we are looking forward to another exciting

season in 2015. This year is particularly momentous as the

championship has been extended to six rounds and prizemoney

has been increased to more than $100,000.

Our special association with motorcycle sport, specifically the

Australian Supercross Championship comes from our passion

towards this amazing country and its motorcycle racing heritage.

As Penrite moves towards its 90th year in business the Australian

owned and made oil company is proud to be associated with

motorsport events of the highest level.

The high performance of Penrite lubricants in terms of

specifications, range and applications, and reliability naturally

compliments its alignment with the high speed, intense and

technologically advanced sport of Supercross

We welcome riders, race fans and industry partners and wish you

all a memorable 2015 Australian Supercross Championship.

Toby Dymond

General Manager

SPONSORS MESSAGEFROM THE PENRITE GENERAL MANAGER


RACING SCHEDULE SUPERCROSS IS A NUMBERS GAME, THAT STARTS WITH GETTING THE HOLESHOT, BY BURSTING OUT OF THE GATES AND LEADING A FULL GRID OF 20 RIDERS THROUGH TURN ONE AND ON INTO THE RACE, SO YOU DONT HAVE TO NAVIGATE AROUND SLOWER COMPETITORS.

Its about qualifying first during the days all-important Qualifying events, so you get first

pick of the start gate to nail your preferred line to turn one.

Its about winning Heat races and setting the fastest Heat time, so as once again you can

pick which gate you want to start from for the most important races of the whole event,

the Finals.

SX1 (450 Pro) and SX2 (250 Pro) riders race across two Heats respectively. The line-ups

for the Heat races are determined from Qualifying earlier in the day. The highest placing

Qualifier goes into Heat 1, second to Heat 2, third to Heat 1, fourth to Heat 2 and so on. The

top eight finishers in each Heat race go straight to the Final, with the remainder going to

a Last Chance Qualifier. The top four finishers in the Last Chance Qualifier earn the last

remaining spots in the Final, to complete the 20-rider grid. In the Finals, SX1 competitors

will battle it out over 20 laps, while SX2 will contest a 15 lap main event. THE SXD will race

one heat and one 12 lap final.

The Womens, Junior Lites, Junior Minis (85cc two-stroke and 150cc four-stroke) and

Intermediate and Clubman Open and Lites classes will all contest three races, where points

scored will be accumulated to determine the Overall placings in the event.

SX1 (PRO OPEN)

2 x Heat races (8 laps), 1 x LCQ (6 laps)

1 x Final (20 laps)

SX2 (PRO LITE)

2 x Heat races (7 laps), 1 x LCQ (5 laps) 1 x

Final (15 laps)

SXD (UNDER 19 DEVELOPMENT CLASS)

2 x Heat races (7 laps), 1 x LCQ (5 laps)

1 x Final (12 laps)

SX1 AND SX2 (INTERMEDIATE AND CLUBMEN)

3 x 6 lap races

JUNIOR LITES:

3 x 6 lap races

JUNIOR MINIS (85CC TWO-STROKE AND 150CC 4-STROKE) 3 x 6 lap races

WOMENS: 3 x 7 laps

*Race program subject to change pending rider entry numbers


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OFFICIAL TYRE







OFFICIAL TYRE








OFFICIAL TYRE







OFFICIAL TYRE


ARCHERFIELD 1979, L-R REX STATEN, MIKE BELL & STEPHEN GALL


WHEN IT COMES TO RIP-ROARING, BARNSTORMING, HIGH-FLYING MOTORCYCLE RACING THAT IS GUARANTEED TO GET THE

FANS ON THE EDGE OF THEIR SEATS, SUPERCROSS IS HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE THE PACK AND ITS BEEN

THAT WAY FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS IN AUSTRALIA.

For the more than 40 years since the first Superbowl

of Motocross roared into life inside the Los Angeles Coliseum in July

1972, Supercross has been on a full-throttle charge that has taken dirt

bike racing to the masses.

Today the superstars of Supercross in the USA are household names

who strut their stuff on man-made tracks inside the biggest baseball

and football stadiums across the country. With big-buck backing from

the major motorcycle manufacturers and outside industry sponsors,

they follow a nationwide five month schedule of Monster Energy AMA

Supercross Series racing, all of which takes place under the glare of

blazing floodlights and live broadcast TV cameras that instantly take

the sport to fans right around the world.

Supercross in America is big business and nowadays it is doing

the kind of business that Mike Goodwin, the promoter of that first

Superbowl of Motocross could have only ever dreamed of. (Mind you,

Goodwin has plenty of time to dream about that nowadays, as he is in

jail after being found guilty of plotting the murders of rival promoter

and former busines partner Mickey Thompson and his wife ...

but thats a whole other story.)

AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS

HISTORY


SIMPLY SUPERJUST LIKE TRENDS LIKE THE YO YO, HULA HOOP, SKATEBOARDS AND BMX BIKES, ALL OF WHICH WERE BIG IN THE 70S, IT DIDNT TAKE LONG FOR SUPERCROSS TO MAKE ITS MARK DOWN UNDER.

The consensus is that Australias first

Supercross-style race events played

out at Sydneys Parramatta Raceway

in 1978. More stadium motocross

than pure Supercross, speedway

promoter Sid Hopping had a man-

made motocross track built inside the

confines of his clay speedway venue

and a three-round series played

out, with Mr Motocross series rivals

Stephen Gall and Anthony Gunter the

star attractions.

The Parramatta events were the first

time we raced inside a stadium on a

man-made track, Gunter remembers.

It was a lot different to traditional

motocross races outdoors, but they

were good events and drew good

crowds.

The local Brian Collins Motorcycles

dealership was the major sponsor and

they dished up three Yamaha YZs as

the major prizes; one YZ to the winner

of each class. I won the Unlimited

class, ahead of Gally, so I scored a

brand new YZ400, which was pretty

neat. But I was sponsored by Suzuki,

so I sold the bike ... looking back now,

I wish I had have kept it, it would be a

classic! Gunter laughs.


SHEEP FLOCKING TO A SHEPHERDA YEAR LATER REAL BIG-TIME SUPERCROSS HIT AUSTRALIA WHEN SPEEDWAY RACER AND PROMOTER BLAIR SHEPHERD DESCENDED ON ARCHERFIELD SPEEDWAY IN SUBURBAN BRISBANE WITH THE INAUGURAL STAGING OF THE STEFANS SUPERBOWL OF MOTOCROSS IN 1979.

Sponsored by hair care magnate

Stefan Ackerie, Shepherd recreated

a full-size American-style supercross

track on the Archerfield infield and

then flew in leading American racers

Mike Too Tall Bell and Rocket Rex

Staten to take on Australias green-

behind-the-ears Supercross hopefuls.

The record books show that despite

the night being hit by a massive storm

that drenched the huge crowd and the

track, Bell took the win from Staten,

with Gall the top of the Aussies and

claiming the final step on the podium.

Upping the ante, Shepherd took the

Supercross show to Sydney the next

year, for the first of two magnificent

events staged upon the massive

green infield of the Sydney Speedway

at the then Sydney Showgrounds at

Moore Park, which today has been

redeveloped into the FOX Studios

entertainment precinct.

Exploiting once again the Australia

versus the USA theme, not to mention

promoting the pants off any angle he

could to get Supercross in front of

the masses, which included bringing

wheely king, American Doug Domokos

to wheely around the track before

the cameras on press day, Shepherd

filled the Sydney Showgrounds to

the rafters for Supercross two years

running.

The first Sydney Supercross in 1980

saw Rex Staten and countryman

Marty Smith lead home Stephen Gall

in the final. But a year later, Gall came

up trumps in the 1981 Sydney event

and took a rousing victory ahead of

American national champ, Jammin

Jimmy Weinert.

Thats when Supercross really

started to come of age in Australia,

remembers Gall, as the Sydney

Showground events really caught

the imagination of the public, thanks

to all the great promotion Blair

Shepherd put into his events.

BACK THEN GRUNT AND I WERE BASICALLY AT THE TOP OF THE GAME HERE IN AUSTRALIA, BUT RIGHT AWAY WHEN THE PROMOTERS STARTED BRINGING THE AMERICANS TO AUSTRALIA, WE SAID, LETS GO TO WHERE THE BIG BOYS PLAY. STEVEN GALL

BLOKES ON SPOKES1981 ALSO SAW SUPERCROSS MOVE SOUTH TO THE VICTORIAN CAPITAL, WHEN MELBOURNES ROYAL SHOWGROUNDS PLAYED HOST TO THE FIRST-EVER SUPERCROSS MASTERS EVENT.

This time the event was promoted

around an Australia versus the World

theme, with organisers flying in big

name Yanks, as well as riders from

Belgium, Sweden, Scotland, France

and New Zealand, to face off against

a big grid of hopeful Aussies. This

time American golden boy, Yamaha

factory rider Broc Glover, took the

win from countryman Jim Gibson.

The Melbourne event was co-

promoted by Phil Christensen,

founder of the Spokes Promotions

organisation, and who would go on

to become Australias most prolific

of Supercross promoters.

Supercross was now much

entrenched in the psyche of

Australian motorcycle and

motorsport fans and through the

early 1980s the sport exploded

in popularity, as professional

promoters like Spokes staged big

events at major stadiums that saw

Australian riders constantly facing

off against international heroes. The

imports included no lesser stars than

world motocross champions Danny

LaPorte and Hakan Carlqvist, as well

two-time winner of the LA Coliseum

1990 MYDT PETER MELTON & CRAIG DACK


A SUPERCROSS IN EVERY TOWN ... & EVEN INDOORS!THROUGH THE MID TO LATE 1980S, AND INTO THE 90S, AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CONTINUED ON AN UPWARD SWING, WITH THE RACE CALENDAR DOTTED WITH SUPERCROSS EVENTS AT SPEEDWAYS AND SHOWGROUNDS RIGHT AROUND THE COUNTRY, ALONGSIDE STATE AND NATIONAL MOTOCROSS RACES, AS WELL AS THE PREMIER MR MOTOCROSS SERIES.

This was an era when journeymen

young motocross racers could travel

the length and breadth of the land,

at first in their panel vans and box

trailers, and later in their HiAce vans,

with prizemoney and sponsorships

giving them the means to maintain the

road tripping lifestyle. Meanwhile, a

precious few, among them the likes of

Craig Dack, Glen Bell and transplanted

American Eddie Warren, were able to

make a comfortable full-time living

from racing.

Spokes Promotions had now

cemented itself as the countrys

leading Supercross promoter, and in

1986 pulled off what remains to this

day as a promotional coup: they took

the Supercross Masters indoors to

the plush confines of the downtown

Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Christensen and his then partners Alan

Horsley and Phil Harrison must have

known deep down it was a big ask

to build a dirt bike race track inside

a plush downtown entertainment

centre more known to hosting rock

concerts and stage shows. But living

by the old adage, if you dont ask, you

dont get, they went for it.

Wed talk about bringing dirt in and

racing bikes inside the Entertainment

Centre and laugh about it, explained

Harrison in an interview with the

speedcafe.com web site about the

birth of the indoor Supercross Masters

events.

REST IN PEACE JOEL ELLIOT, TRAGICALLY TAKEN AWAY JUST WHEN HE WAS ON THE VERGE OF BECOMING THE NEXT AUSSIE AFTER JEFF LEISK TO SCORE A FACTORY RIDE IN THE USA.

Supercross, American Jimmy Ellis,

who would eventually settle full-

time Down Under, and AMA national

motocross champion, Darrell Shultz,

to name but a few.

The classy international imports

played a huge role in those formative

years of Supercross in Australia. Not

only did they draw the fans in droves

and keep the turnstiles ticking over,

much to the delight of the promoters,

they also helped drive Australian

racers to sharpen their Supercross

skills in rapid fashion.

From those very first international

Supercross events Blair Shepherd

promoted, I just knew I had to get

to America and learn more about

Supercross and the specific skills

it would take to win, explains Gall,

who in 1980 made the first of what

would become an annual pre-season

training and racing pilgrimage to

southern California.

Back then Grunt and I were

basically at the top of the game here

in Australia, but right away when

the promoters started bringing the

Americans to Australia, we said,

lets go to where the big boys play.

Anthony and I spent two months in

California at the start of 1980 and we

just soaked up as much as we could,

in terms of riding and training and

bike set-up, Gall continues.

Bob Leisk also took his son Jeff

over there at the same time, as Jeff

was coming up through the ranks in

Western Australia, and we all ended

up staying together for a few weeks

at the place they had organised.

Back then you could ride and race

almost every day of the week at

tracks all around Los Angeles, which

is exactly what we did, and we learnt

so much.

Indeed the quietly spoken but so

naturally talented young Leisk put the

skills honed on his trips to California

to great effect, by becoming the first

Australian rider to win a Supercross

Masters event and bring the American

whitewash to a halt. Leisk would go

on to notch up two stellar seasons in

Australia in 84 and 85 with Honda,

before moving to America full-time in

86 in a global assault that saw him gain

factory team rides with Yamaha and

Honda and would ultimately take him to

runner-up honours in the World 500cc

Motocross Championship in 1989.


ONE DAY WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT, THE NEXT WE WERE MEETING THE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE MANAGEMENT WITH A PROPOSAL. I THOUGHT THEYD THROW US OUT OF THE OFFICE PHIL HARRISON

One day we were talking about

it, the next we were meeting the

Entertainment Centre management

with a proposal. I thought theyd throw

us out of the office, but management

listened. They didnt say much, but

they said they would contact us the

following Tuesday.

Sure enough they called us back

and the first thing they said was, why

didnt you come to us sooner?

That first event in Sydney was very

successful; we sold out two nights and

half a matinee on the Sunday. Then

we went on to stage further indoor

events in Brisbane (at the Boondall

Entertainment Centre) and Melbourne

(at Rod Laver Arena).

At the time, indoor supercross was a

concept that shocked the purists to

the core, who screamed the indoor

stadium floorspace would be too

small. The track was tight, yes, and

the lap times short, but the racing

was intense, the facilities were top-

shelf and the crowds absolutely loved

it. Well, they loved nearly all of it, save

for the fact that brash American rider,

the beefy Jo Jo Keller, barnstormed

his way to victory and grabbed

the whopping $8,000 first place

prizemoney at that first indoor event

in Sydney.

IF ANYONE IS OWED A DEBT OF GRATITUDE FOR THE GOALS AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS

AS A SPORT HAS KICKED OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS, IT HAS TO BE PHIL CHRISTENSEN

AND THE SUPERCROSS MASTERS, CRAIG DACK

20 YEARS OF SUPERCROSS MASTERYFOR THE BEST PART OF THE NEXT 20 YEARS, THE SUPERCROSS MASTERS SET THE PACE IN SUPERCROSS PROMOTION IN AUSTRALIA UNDER THE CAREFUL GUIDANCE OF CHRISTENSEN, WHO NOT LONG AFTER THOSE FIRST INDOOR EVENTS GAINED SOLE CONTROL OF SPOKES PROMOTIONS. FROM THAT POINT ON, HE MAINTAINED A SINGLE-MINDED VISION TO PUSH SUPERCROSS INTO THE RANKS OF AUSTRALIAS MAINSTREAM SPORT AND ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS.

The Supercross Masters gained

series status in 1989, with Team

Hondas then prodigal son Glen

Bell winning the first-ever series

and etching his name in the record

books.

The Masters was also granted

Australian Supercross Championship

status by Motorcycling Australia

a few years later, as the prestigious

series wound its way through

a national championship chase that

each year would continue to include

major speedway, showground,

stadium and indoor venues around

the country. And nearly every step

of the way the action took place under

the bright lights and watchful gaze

of television cameras that helped

to push Supercross racing into the

lounge rooms of fans, which in turn

helped to increase the popularity of

the sports leading racers.

The Adelaide Entertainment Centre

was soon added to the Supercross

Masters calendar of prime inner-

city venues, while the Newcastle

Entertainment Centre also scored

a round. And then in 1999, the

Supercross Masters became the first-

ever ticketed event at the brand-new

Sydney Superdome that was built as

part of the Sydney 2000 Olympics

precinct.

Then three years later, Gosford

Stadium on the NSW central coast was

added to the mix and the giant green

infield of the purpose-built football

stadium became a fabulous fixture

for the annual Supercross Masters

spectacle.

In fact, through the early 2000s,

the Supercross Masters series

was arguably at its zenith.

Christensen time and again

concentrated on the Australia versus

the USA theme for the premier indoor

Sydney Superdome and Melbourne

Rod Laver Arena and outdoor Gosford

Stadium events, by bringing some of

the biggest names in the sport Down

Under to take on Australias best blokes

on spokes as the bill posters screamed.

American champions of the highest

calibre, including Jeremy McGrath,

Travis Pastrana and Mike LaRocco,

all took their turn in leading the

American assault on some of

the Supercross Masters most

memorable meets in the 2000s.

Meanwhile, any time Christensen

could negotiate the return of the

by then American-based Aussie

superstar Chad Reed to race at

the Superdome or Gosford rounds,

they were always barnstormer

events that had the turnstiles

spinning and the sold-out shingle

hung out above the ticket booths

as the aura and anticipation of the

latest Supercross Masters show hit

fever pitch.

Credit where credit is due,

Phil Christensen did a great job

promoting Supercross in Australia,

for a very, very long time, says

legend Australian racer turned

race team owner, Craig Dack.

I was there as a racer in those earliest

days of the Supercross Masters in the

late 1980s, and I was there all the way

through from the mid 1990s as CDR

Yamaha team owner and manager,

and theres no question Christo had

the formula right.

With the Supercross Masters the

promotion was solid, the racing

was exciting, the crowd went home

happy, and as a promoter, he had

the business model in place to

ensure his events ongoing success.

If anyone is owed a debt of

gratitude for the goals Australian

Supercross as a sport has kicked

over the past 30 years, it has to be

Phil Christensen and the Supercross

Masters, says Dack.

01 2015 SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS


A CORNER IS TURNED IN 2004 MOTORSPORTS PROMOTER SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED (SEL) TURNED ITS CONSIDERABLE PROMOTIONAL RESOURCES TO SUPERCROSS AND LAUNCHED THE SX NATIONALS SERIES WITH GREAT FANFARE AND HYPE HOWEVER A YEAR LATER IT WAS BUT A DISTANT MEMORY AS RAINED-OUT EVENTS AND EXPENSIVE OVERHEADS DASHED ITS COMMERCIAL VIABILITY.

Then, two years later, in 2007,

Christensen staged what proved to be

the final Supercross Masters events

after it was announced another new

promoter would enter the Supercross

fray, when former IronMan series

organiser, Mike Porra, joined forces

with Chad Reed to reveal the Super-X

series would launch in 2008.

Super-X was big and bold, bright and

brassy, offering rounds at leading

football stadiums around the country

and even in New Zealand, with giant

USA-style tracks, live television

coverage and innovative race formats

that moved well away from the heat-

semi-LCQ-final format of traditional

supercross events. And with the

involvement of Reed, who was now

well and truly established as a global

Supercross superstar, Super-X looked

set to really fire.

But two years later Super-X was also

gone, as Reed eventually removed

himself from the series and Porra

wound down this side of his business

interests to concentrate on the Nitro

Circus action sports and FMX events

he also promoted, and which continue

to go gangbusters to this day. Once

again big-time Supercross promotion

had proved a tough commercial

proposition.

In the years since then Supercross has

somewhat returned to its grass-roots,

with former racer and current Penrite

Honda Racing team owner, Yarrive

Konsky, stepping forward to work with

Motorcycling Australia and re-ignite

the sport that so many of us in the pits

and in the stands know and love.

A long time racer and a person with

a deep passion for the sport, Konsky

had previously promoted successful

one-off Supercross events in 2003

and had been co-promoter of the


in 2007.

Konsky and his team at Full Throttle

Sports took over the reigns of the


in 2011 and for four years straight

he guided the fortunes of the series

almost single-handedly.

Given the economic climate of recent

years, and the only ever escalating

costs of staging major events, no

matter whether they be in sport or

more mainstream entertainment

spheres, the role of event organiser

has come with arguably more

promotional risk than ever.

Supercross is entertaining, but from

a promoters point of view, it can be

unpredictable, explains Konsky.

Nevertheless, the crowds have

always continued to support the

sport, its riders and the championship.

Branching out and adopting a new

strategy to widen the reach of the

sport will enable Supercross to grow

its popularity.

Supercross needs to adapt to

changing trends and this is a positive

direction for the future of the sport.

ITS A FULL HOUSE FOR THE SUPERCROSS MASTERS AT GOSFOR IN 2004 AS CHAD REED RETURNS HOME TO GIVE THE PACK A RIDING LESSON.


RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOWALL OF WHICH BRINGS US TO TODAY AND THE 2015 AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, WHICH IS BEING CO-ORDINATED BY MOTORCYCLING AUSTRALIA, WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH FOUR DIFFERENT EVENT PROMOTERS ACROSS THE CHAMPIONSHIPS SIX ROUNDS.

Konsky and his FTS crew will stage

round one at Bathurst and round six

at Melbournes Sunshine Stadium.

Scott Bannan and his staff at Bannan

Corporation will host round two at

Jimboomba in south-east Queensland

and round four at Coolum on the

Queensland Sunshine Coast.

Longtime Adelaide motorsport

promoter, Mark Gilbert who has

previously partnered with Christensen

in Supercross Masters events in South

Australia and his team at Gilbert

Racing will stage round three at

Wayville Showgrounds in Adelaide.

Finally, Adam Bailey and his partners

at AME Management will host round

five of the Championship at Allphones

Arena at Homebush in Sydney as part

of their Aus-X Open event thats

right, Supercross is returning to the

Superdome at Sydney!

With a $120,000 prizemoney pool up

for grabs across the championship,

and all Australias leading race

teams confirming their participation,

the 2015 Australian Supercross

Championship is really kicking gears

and roosting.

And with international stars of the

calibre of leading American pros Gavin

Faith (the reigning SX2 Aussie champ)

and Venezuelan Anthony Rodriguez

here to race the entire series, along

with global superstars James Bubba

Stewart and Australias own Chad Reed,

who will race at round five at Allphones

Arena, this years championship will be

an absolute cracker.

The co-operation we have received

from so many people to get to

this stage has been outstanding,

enthused Series Co-Ordinator Mark

Luksich on the eve of the opening

round at Bathurst on the weekend of

the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000

V8 Supercars race at Mount Panorama.

The promoters, motorcycle industry,

teams, riders, Motorcycling Australia

and all our Championship partners

have been working so hard behind-

the-scenes. In particular the four

promoters of the Championship events

deserve credit for their efforts and I

know they all want to give the crowds

a great show and exciting racing.

We have had some great partners

come onboard with the Championship,

including many traditional supercross

sponsors, as well as some exciting new

sponsors, Luksich continues.

Feedback from so many of the

riders and teams is positive and I

know they are looking forward to the

Championship and all the excitement

that comes with racing under lights in

front of large and vocal crowds.

Indeed, Supercross in Australia,

after an amazing almost 40 year run,

is locked and loaded and ready to

continue its high-flying ride in 2015 ...

may the best riders win!

WE HAVE HAD SOME GREAT PARTNERS COME ONBOARD WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP, INCLUDING MANY TRADITIONAL SUPERCROSS SPONSORS, AS WELL AS SOME EXCITING NEW SPONSORS. MARK LUKSICH

AMERICAN GAVIN FAITH HAS PLUNDERED THE AUSSIESUPERCROSS SCENE FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, AND IS BACK AGAIN FOR 2015.


AUSTRALIAS HIGHWAY TO THE USAFOR AS LONG AS SUPERCROSS HAS BEEN STAGED IN AUSTRALIA, A COMMON THEME OF MAJOR EVENTS BEEN THE SPECTACLE OF OUR LOCAL AUSSIE HEROES TAKING ON THE SOME OF THE BEST RIDERS OF THE WORLD FROM AMERICA.

Most times, the American heroes are

flown in for one-off appearances,

lured either by a sizeable bank-roll of

appearance money or an all-expenses

paid working holiday in the Aussie sun

or a combination of both.

For some of Uncle Sams finest, their

jet-setting visits turned into something

more permanent: witness the likes of

Jimmy Ellis and Eddie Warren, both of

whom settled here full-time after their

racing days.

But the traffic across the Pacific

Ocean has not been all one-way.

In fact Aussie riders have been taking

aim on the USA since the early 1980s,

initially going there in the pre-season

to hone their skills for the Australian

race calendar. Stephen Gall and

Jeff Leisk were the first to do so,

and enjoyed instant results on their

returns back home.

Of course Leisk then went on to

become the first Aussie rider to crack

the American scene on a permanent

basis and joined the ranks of the

USAs elite factory team riders for

three seasons from 1986. The WA ace

scored factory rides with Yamaha and

Honda in America before heading to

Europe, proving that an Aussie could

make it big in the USA.

But it took a while for another Australian

to do it: in 2002 to be precise and Chad

Reed was the man to do it.

The Hunter Valley, NSW, gun spent

a year in Europe in 01 and then hit

the USA with all guns blazing in 02,

winning the AMAs Eastern Region

125cc Supercross Championship,

which catapulted him straight into

a factory ride with Yamaha in the

premier 250cc class the very next

year. And believe it or not, the guy is

still there in the USA doing it, having

won multiple AMA championships

along the way and cementing his

reputation as one of the greats of the

sport, no matter what nationality.

Reeds early successes in the USA

instantly put Australia on the radar

of Americas leading race team

managers and talent scouts. and for

a long time through the 2000s, the

exodus of Aussie riders to the land

of the star spangled banner was

constant.

Michael Byrne and Brett Metcalfe

were next to make a career in the

USA, and both are still there.

Then in rapid succession over the

last decade Craig Anderson, the late

Andrew MacFarlane, Daniel Reardon,

Jay Marmont, Tye Simmonds, Josh

Cachia, Matt and Jake Moss, and Dean

Ferris to name the most high-profile

of Aussies to move to America, all

scored prized seats with teams in the

USA on a permanent basis.

And while some have scored AMA

race wins and podium placings, none

has managed to match the exploits of

Reed in climbing to the very top of the

Supercross totem pole.

Reed is often described as a once in a

generation rider and he has certainly

set the bar high for any Australian

rider wanting to match him. Will it

happen? Only the next generation of

aspiring Australian riders can answer

that question: best of luck to them all!

CHAD REED HAS BEEN AUSTRALIAS MOST SUCCESSFUL SUPERCROSS EXPORT EVER, INSPIRING A GENERATION OF RIDERS TO TRY AND FOLLOW IN HIS WHEEL TRACKS.


JUSTIN BARCIA Alpinestars.com/MXJUSTIN BARCIA Alpinestars.com/MX


TEAM MOTUL PIRELLI SUZUKIS MATT MOSS WAS THE UNDISPUTED BOSS OF AUSTRALIAN MOTOCROSS AND SUPERCROSS IN 2013 AND 14, ROMPING THROUGH DUAL MOTOCROSS AND SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BOTH SEASONS. BUT THIS YEAR AN UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT CUT SHORT HIS MX NATIONALS CAMPAIGN.NOW THE NINE-TIME AUSSIE CHAMP IS BACK ON THE BIKE AND READY TO ROOST WITH A SINGLE-MINDED GOAL OF TAKING AN HISTORIC SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP THREE-PEAT.

WHOS THE BOSS


Flashback to 2001 and press day for the

Supercross Masters at the then brand new

Sydney Superdome that just a year earlier

had been one of the epicenter venues for

the worlds ultimate sporting spectacle,

the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

This time though, the spectacle about

to play out inside the state-of-the-art

20,000 seat indoor Superdome venue

is one of a very different kind. Theres

not a gymnastics mat, parallel beam or

badminton net in sight, instead the stadium

floor has been buried under hundreds of

tonnes of topsoil and turned into a man-

made torture-track for the best of the

blokes on spokes.

Supercross is about to hit the Olympic

precinct and the two big stars of that

memorable 2001 event are Aussie hero

Chad Reed, who has just jetted back

home after contesting the World 250cc

Motocross championship in Europe

and finishing runner-up on debut and

American rider Travis Pastrana, who was

fast on his way to becoming the worlds

greatest action sports hero.

Riding a Suzuki, Pastrana takes centre

stage with Reed and fast starts busting out

all the aerial tricks he is renowned for in

front of the cameras, before then taking a

breather back in the pits.

In the Suzuki team enclave, a pair of pint-

size powerpacks are zapping about behind

Pastrana, hanging on his every word and

figuratively nipping at his heels like a pair

of playful puppies.

The two youngsters are Matt and Jake

Moss, twins from the NSW south coast,

and junior racers with modest backing

from Suzuki on RM80s but being part

of Suzukis inner sanctum gives them

the greatest Gold card pass of the whole

weekend: they get to hang out with Travis;

yes, THE Travis Pastrana.

Every kid in the Superdome that weekend

and there were thousands upon thousands

of them would have given anything to get

to hang with Travis.

Yeah, it was pretty cool! remembers Matt

Moss, who is now aged 27.

Back then Travis was pretty much still a

pure racer and only just starting to get into

jumping and freestyle, so getting all that

time with him was unreal. We got to talk

heaps and just soak up so much from a guy

who was our idol.

Plus hed give us challenges, where hed

let us have his jersey if we won our next

race. Stuff like that, it was so cool.

Its moments like those that help mould the

careers of aspiring young sportsmen like

the motocrossing Moss twins.

So fast forward the time machine 14 years

and Matt Moss now proudly carries the

number one plate into the 2015 Australian


Hes been Australias leading dirt bike

racer through 2013 and 14, and has the

championships to prove it.

But theres been a whole lot of water under

the bridge since that 2001 Superdrome

press day, and its fair to say the Matt Moss

story has had its roller coaster moments

along the way.


IN THE BEGINNINGWEVE ALWAYS HAD DIRT BIKES, SINCE JUST BEFORE WE WERE FOUR YEARS OLD, MATT REMEMBERS. MY FIRST BIKE WAS A PEE WEE 50.

Matts dad, Greg, was a motocross racer

and to this day continues to be deeply

entrenched in the sport, running the Moss

Institute motocross coaching program,

which is based in the NSW southern

highlands near Braidwood but stages

coaching clinics right around the country.

Dads still my coach, and my mentor,

always has been, Matt explains.

With the family pedigree it was pretty

much a given the Moss twins would make

a career from riding bikes, if they wanted.

We just loved motocross and racing, from

day one, it was in the blood, says Matt.

The Moss twins had an instant talent for

it, for sure, and if there was one thing they

loved most, it was jumping.

Thats for sure! Matt beams.

We were always jumping anything on our

85s, Jake and I just loved that, which really

helped us to excel at Supercross.

That reputation for ballsy aerial antics was

part of what brought the Moss twins to the

attention of Team Motul Pirelli Suzuki boss

Jay Foreman, who began to help the pair

out with bikes and parts.

In the early days of juniors Jake and I

were in the hunt for championships, Matt

remembers, but until Jay took us on we

never had the really good machinery.

From there Jay really helped both Jake

and I, as he realised the potential we had.

As the podium places and titles started

rolling in, the Moss twins moved up into

seniors and put together a support team

deal with Yamaha and Ficeda Accessories,

under the AXO banner.

That was when we turned 16 and were in

our first year in seniors, says Matt.

Jake won some races and I got some

seconds and thirds, but it had some

tough times, as we were riding YZ125s

when 250Fs were starting to dominate,

especially in motocross.

When I finally got on a 250F for some

races, thats when I started to get some

results in the nationals and that helped

open up some doors, which lead to a deal

with Craig Dacks CDR Yamaha team.

Matt had a couple of seasons on the CDR

team, primarily on 250Fs, but for a while

there was a game plan for him to race

a YZ250 two-stroke, and certainly in

Supercross events, against the onslaught

of the fast becoming dominant new-age

450cc four-strokes.

I was still young and kind of small to be

racing a 450, so thats why that plan was

made, Matt remembers.

It was good for a while, and I was getting

podiums against riders who had been my

idols, but that was short lived. I crashed

into the back of another rider landing a

jump in a Supercross when I was leading

the series and broke my leg.

So that time with CDR wasnt what I hoped

it would be, but at least a highlight was a

round of the Nationals at Toowoomba,

where Jake won the Lites and I actually

won the 450s. That was pretty cool.


THE MOTO MERRY GO ROUNDWHEN MATT ANNOUNCED A CHANGE OF HORIZONS FOR THE 2008 SEASON, IT CAME AS LITTLE SURPRISE THAT JAY FOREMAN AND THE NATIONAL SUZUKI TEAM WERE BACK IN THE PICTURE. REKINDLING THE RELATIONSHIP FROM THE MINIBIKE DAYS DELIVERED INSTANT RESULTS AND BIG ONES AT THAT.

Jake was going to sign with Jays Suzuki

team for 08, but then Jake left to go race in

America, so the chance came up for me to get

the deal, Matt explains.

Getting back with Jay and Suzuki worked

out really well. I loved being back on a 250

thumper and I won the Lites Supercross

championship in 2008 and then backed up

and won the Lites Motocross and Supercross

championships in 2009. They were two really

solid seasons.

But 2009 had a sting in the tail.

At the final Supercross of the year in Brisbane,

Matt crashed and broke his wrist and his back.

But theres a double-whammy to the story:

Matt had just signed a contract to race a 450

with Roger DeCoster and the factory Makita

Suzuki team in the USA for 2010 ... after his

twin brother Jake, who was his team mate in

the local Suzuki squad, had to opt out of the

ride after he was injured.

Yeah, Jake was meant to go, but then he

got injured, so I was offered the deal, which

was unreal, but in the end it turned out to be

probably the worst decision of my life, Matt

reveals.

I got hurt just before I was due to head over

to America, which meant I missed the entire

Supercross season over there.

And then when I could get back on the

bike, I was just chasing my tail for the whole

motocross series over there and wound out

the series in 23rd overall.

Plus I was living on my own over there, doing

everything myself, and it was tough.

When I look back now at that 2010

experience, it sounds like it should have been

so unreal to be on a factory team in the USA,

but it was really a case of taking too big a step

too soon.

Heading back home to Australia, Matt

regrouped and eventually accepted an offer

to jump camps to JDR Motorsports KTM

to race a Lites bike in OZ in 2011, with the

promise of being part of the team when it

expanded to also race in the USA.

It was a good deal, Matt says of the offer

from the JDR team, which had factory

support from KTM Australia and KTM USA.

JDR offered that if I won the motocross and

supercross titles in Australia in 2011, then I

would get a ride with the team in America in

2012. And thats just what I did and thats how

it panned out.

NOT SO MELLOW YELLOW2013 AND 14 WERE ABSOLUTE BANNER YEARS ONCE AGAIN FOR THE REKINDLED MATT MOSS AND TEAM MOTUL PIRELLI SUZUKI COMBINATION.

Showing the sport who is boss, Matt, under

the guidance of team manager Jay Foreman

and now on a 450 full-time, steamrolled the

opposition and won the MX1 MX Nationals

championship AND the SX1 Australian

Supercross Championship both years.

Complete domination? Absolutely. Jay and

the Suzuki team give me great equipment, the

best, says Matt.

So two years after that somewhat aborted

American effort with Suzuki in 2010, Matt was

back in the States full-time.

But this time it was a lot different,

Matt explains.

JDR was an Aussie team that expanded to

race in America, so I knew the people on the

team and this time my girlfriend (now wife,

Sophie) came over with me and I had a lot

more support around me.

I was fit going into the season and raced a

Lites bike in Supercross in the Western Region

and had some great races and finished sixth

in the series and got on the podium with a

third place at one round.

But then as we started to get into the

motocross series, I got sick and came down

with a virus that just knocked me out of action

for ages. And that was that.

Heading back home to OZ once again, Matt

had to look after his health first, while at the

same time get back on the hustings for a ride

for 2013, as the JDR team was doing it tough

to secure the sponsorship support to keep it

operating in the USA all the way through the

next year.

It was looking like the JDR team would not

continue, Matt explains, so I did a deal with

Jay and Suzuki again to race the Supercross

series in Australia at the end of 2012, and, well,

weve been back together again ever since.

Plus Jay has a lot of trust in me and

what I can do and cant do. He trusts my

decisions and that has had a big bearing

on us winning so many championships over

the years.

But at the end of the day, I push myself to

the limits and want to win races; Im never

happy unless Im winning.

But after two seasons filled with winning,

this year has been a different story.

Two days before the first round of this

years MX Nationals I had a big crash and

knocked myself out, Matt explains.

Then in the first race at the first round I had

another big crash and rung my bell again.

I tried to race the second moto, but the

head injury was taking its toll and I couldnt

finish the race and I was even spewing in

my helmet, the whole lot.

Over the next few rounds, things werent much

better and after Coolum, I just said to myself: This

isnt me, Im not this guy.

So I just started training my butt off, and my

brother Tom and my dad helped out a lot, to get

things back on track.

At Raymond Terrace I came out and won a moto

and got second on the day, which was great.

Then at the next round at Shepparton I qualified

first and was right back into it... and then

I hit a bobcat ... and that was it for the

motocross season.


1). How close are you and your twin brother Jake? We are real close, super-close; all those stories about twins

are pretty true. Jake and I can look at each other and have a

conversation, without even talking! And yeah, there are times

when I wake up at night and have to ring him, because I just know

something has happened.

2). On the track, could you take-out Jake, just like any other rider? We did have pretty big contact in a race once, and everyone though it was deliberate, but it was an accident. I would

never take my brother out; if he is better than me on the day, I

have to accept that.

3). Whats your greater strength as a racer: physical or mental? In the last couple of years my mental strength has been massive. But now my physical strength also has come up a lot, its

ten times what it used to be.

4). Who has been your greatest rival over the years? Kirk Gibbs, and my brother. Gibbsy is a threat, while my bro, well, hes

my bro!

5). What has been your greatest race ever? Winning my first MX Nationals MX1 championship in 2013 over Todd Waters. It

was a huge season and crossing that finish line at the final race at

the final round to win the championship was the best feeling in the

world. I wanted to beat him so bad.

TEN QUICK QUESTIONS

WITH MOSSY

6). Who do you look up to for inspiration? My dad, for sure, and Chad Reed, definitely. But I also take inspiration from family

and people who have a great family and put time into their kids.

7). Do you get a kick out of helping with coaching at your dads Moss Institute? Absolutely. I try to help as much as I can. The next best thing to winning yourself is seeing someone

you have helped to win and achieve their goals.

8). Are you a spender or a saver? Ohh ... I used to be a spender! Seriously, I used to have two cars, and two jet skis, and

all sorts of stuff. Now I have two houses.

9). What are three things people might be surprised to know about Matt Moss? First, people dont realise all the effort and work that actually goes into doing what I do, its not just riding

the bike. Second, I love surfing. And third, I love fishing actually, if I

wasnt a pro motocrosser, Id like to be a pro fisherman.

10). Where to now for Matt Moss? Im 27, so Ive still got a few more years racing in me, I would like to think. Maybe by the time

Im 31 or 32 the drive might diminish and a crop of new young kids

might come through and take over. As for after racing, I want to stay

in the sport and maybe run a race team, that would be pretty cool.


THE COMEBACK TRAILINJURIES ARE PART AND PARCEL OF EVERY PROFESSIONAL MOTOCROSS RACERS CAREER: THEYRE AN OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD.

Matt, and his twin brother Jake, have had

more than their fair share of injuries over

all their years of racing, and coping with

them is part and parcel of what they do.

Injuries in racing are just one of those

things and you deal with them, Matt

says matter-of-factly.

They happen, and usual ly as a result

of a decision you made at the time on

the track .

But what of an incident like that

unfortunate accident at Shepparton, where

circumstances are out of your control?

Matt ponders the question before

answering.

Its one of those things where a lot of

other riders might have quit, he suggests.

But Im strong, physically, and mentally,

and I knew I was at the top when it

happened. I was wanting to win.

And I wanted to keep winning, which is

what drove me to want to heal and get back

on the bike and get ready for Supercross.

Scaphoid and knee injuries were amongst

the most serious of the wounds Matt

suffered in that bruising Shepparton

encounter, and it was just on eight weeks

before he gained a clearance from the

doctors to start riding again and hit the

training tracks.

It felt so good to be back on the bike, just

awesome! Matt enthuses.

I felt really good right away, and had been

keeping myself healthy during the time off

the bike, so that as soon as I was riding

again, I was back to 100 percent almost

straight away.

As soon as I could I was pounding out the

20 lappers to get ready for Supercross.

TARGETING A SX1 THREE-PEATAFTER CAPTURING THE SX1 TITLE IN 2013, MATT ENJOYED A SENSATIONAL RUN THROUGH LAST YEARS AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, WINNING EVERY SINGLE ROUND TO TAKE BACK-TO-BACK TITLES AND LEAVE THE PACK IN HIS ROOST.

It was just one of those years when

everything seemed to click into place, Matt

says of his 2014 Supercross campaign.

I felt good going into the championship

and knew I had done all my training and my

program was solid, so it was great to go

through undefeated and get my name in the

record books.

I would love to do that again: when you

achieve something once, you want to go and

do it again.

With the announcement of a $120,000

prizemoney pool for this years six round

championship, and the presence of

international stars Gavin Faith and Anthony

Rodridguez for the series, not to mention

global supercross superstars Chad Reed

and James Bubba Stewart who will contest

round five at Sydneys Allphones Arena on

November 28, Matt agrees the 2015 Australian

Supercross Championship is shaping up to be

one to remember.

Any time we can get riders of the calibre

of Chad or James to Australia is incredible,

Matt enthuses.

They are the best riders in the world and the

Sydney event is going to be a stand-out, no

question about it.

But the whole series this year is really

ramping up, he continues.

There are international riders at every round

and all the promoters are so hungry to make

every round a huge success.

The tracks are going to be awesome and I

know the Queensland rounds will both have

big USA-style tracks the racing will be

sensational. The whole Supercross vibe is

really firing up.

And with that, Matt climbs back in the saddle

of his Suzuki 450 to hit the Moss Institute

Training Facilitys brand new Supercross

training track to throw down another 20

lapper ... but gives one final, and perhaps

most ominous, comment:

Ill be going all-out for Supercross again this

year, Matt offers.

I wont be leaving anything on the table,

thats for sure.


AUSTRALIA VERSUS THE USADOES MOSSY RECKON ANOTHER AUSSIE RACER WILL EVER

MAKE IT BIG IN THE USA AND BEAT THE AMERICANS AT THEIR

OWN GAME?

In the past decade or so a constant stream of Australian riders have

winged their way across the Pacific Ocean with a dream of conquering

dirt bike racings holy grail: the prestigious AMA Supercross Series.

But Chad Reed is the only Aussie who has ever made it all the way to

the very top and stayed there for more than a decade.

Matt Moss has had two cracks at America: once with a full-factory

Suzuki 450cc ride in 2010 and then with a KTM-supported Lites ride

in 2012.

We had to ask Matt what is it that has set Reedy apart from the

crowd, and will another Aussie rider ever replicate Chads efforts?

Chad has done everything right, every step of the way,

Mossy reckons.

People dont realise just how much effort, and in particular money, it

takes to get where he has. He left Australia, went straight to Europe

and made a name and made good money and then went straight to

America and had one year in Lites and then went straight to the big-

time. And he went into it in a time when the contracts were big, like

hundreds of thousands of dollars, even for Lites riders back then. You

could run top ten and make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

Now the contracts arent as big, except for the very best guys, plus

there is so much depth of talent right now, that if you get there, but

you dont make your mark right away, youre gone.

Bottom-line, though, Chad is one gifted guy, hes that one rider in a

generation.

Honestly, I find it hard to believe anyone from Australia will

do that again any time soon.


ELI TOMAC Alpinestars.com/MXELI TOMAC Alpinestars.com/MX


ALL IN.THE MAKING OF THOR

After every image has been shared, every detail

analysed, every opinion voiced, and every race

run, there is still that one space that exists where

there is only man and machine. The last bastion

of solitude and joy that can only be found when

riding your dirt bike.

Once youve experienced it, theres simply no

turning back, no undoing of what youve done,

no unfeeling of what youve felt, no magic spell to

take you back to who you were before you started

riding. Youve become one of us. Welcome.

For more than 45 years, the worlds best motocross

and Supercross racers have ridden with THOR.

From company founder Torsten Hallman and

GP legends Joel Robert and Roger DeCoster,

to the next generation of superstars like Adam

Cianciarulo and Jason Anderson, THOR salutes its

Championship heritage.


H E AV YI S N O TFAS TSTOP SABOTAGING YOUR MOTOSGET THE LIGHTER, FASTER VERGE HELMET.


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OPEN WARFARE

OPEN WARFAREPRO OPENS TEAM REVIEWSWHEN THE GATES DROP ON THE PREMIER SX1 DIVISION OF THE 2015 AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, ITS GOING TO BE ALL-OUT WAR AS THE STRONGEST FIELD OF 450CC CLASS CONTENDERS IN YEARS BANG BARS IN PURSUIT OF THE COVETED NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP CROWN.

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OPEN WARFARE


And then theres the intensity of that full-

throttle charge to the first turn, where bars

bang and elbows rub as the fight gets real

for the honour of grabbing the holeshot

and setting the front running pace all the

way to the chequered flag.

Its the sort of excitement that brings the fans

to their feet as they cheer themselves hoarse.

In 2015 the Australian Supercross

Championship promises to deliver an

absolute feast of it and nowhere more so

than in the big-bore SX1 class, where this

years field is stacked with more genuine

championship contenders than the sport

has seen in ages.

THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

OF SUPERCROSS RACING ARE SIMPLY

SPECTACULAR.IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN MATCH THE SHEER IMMENSITY

OF A FULL GRID OF FINELY TUNED 450CC SUPERCROSS MACHINES

REVVING TO THE REDLINE IN THE MOMENT BEFORE THE GATE

DROPS?

This really is going to be war and come

the end of 2015s six-round, four-state

championship battle, only one rider will

stand tall as the ultimate conquerer ... so

lets take a look at the leading factory-

backed teams gladiators.


1 MATT MOSS TEAM MOTUL SUZUKI

3 ADAM MONEA MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI

4 CHEYNE BOYD PARK 4 MX YAMAHA

5 KIRK GIBBS KTM MX RACE TEAM

7 JACOB WRIGHT CRAIG DACK RACING

8 KADE MOSIG CRAIG DACK RACING

11 SAM MARTIN WILSON HONDA RACING TEAM

15 GAVIN FAITH PENRITE WILSON HONDA

18 AARON TANTI GRAIG ANDERSON RACING

26 LUKE STYKE KTM MX RACE TEAM

46 CHRIS CAMMILLERI FREESTYLE KINGS

62 ANTHONY RODRIGUEZ PENRITE HONDA

65 DANIEL MCOY SFC RACING

70 LAWSON BOPPING DPH MOTORSPORT YAMAHA

86 DANIEL MCENTEE DPH MOTORSPORT YAMAHA

96 KALE MAKEHAM TEAM MOTUL SUZUKI

111 DANNY HAM

117 DYLAN LONG NPS MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI

122 DANIEL REARDON CRAIG DACK RACING

141 JOEL NEWTON DAVIS BIKE WORX

SX1 PRO OPEN


PENRITE HONDA RACINGHONDAS LEADING NATIONAL RACE TEAM IS MAKING A BOLD MOVE FOR SUPERCROSS GLORY BY BOLSTERING ITS ARSENAL AND BRINGING IN TWO INTERNATIONAL COMBATANTS FOR THIS YEARS SX1 CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE.

One rider is a name well known to local Supercross

fans: its American Supercross and arenacross

specialist Gavin Faith, who has made a happy hunting

ground of annul pilgrimages Down Under at the end

of each year to race the Aussie Supercross titles.

Faiths raced in OZ the last four years straight,

and has concentrated on the SX2 division, where

he won the championship two years out of four.

In fact hes the reigning SX2 champ, but this year

steps up into SX1 to race the Penrite Honda teams

potent CRF450R all series long. Will Faith being

able to translate all his small-bore success to the

Open class bike? Thats the question Honda fans are

eagerly awaiting to be answered.

Meanwhile Faiths international team mate at

Penrite Honda will be Venezeulan star Anthony

Rodriguez, who will also race a CRF450R in the

series.

Rodriguez was a multi-time national motocross

championship winner in his native Venezuela,

before taking aim on a race career in the USA,

which saw him rack up a dozen American

amateur national titles before turning Pro.

In 2014 and 2015 Rodriguez scored a 250

class ride with the factory-backed Star Racing

Yamaha team and this year nailed down

sixth overall in the AMA 250 Eastern Region

Supercross title chase, highlighted by two fifth

place finishes.

Rodrigeuz bases his race program out of

Georgia in the USA, and like Faith, is keen

to take on Australias best racers in the 2015

Australian Supercross Championship.


NPS KAWASAKI MONSTER ENERGY RACING TEAMAS A FORMER AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION AND ACCOMPLISHED INTERNATIONAL COMPETITOR, JAKE MOSS WAS ALL SET TO SPEARHEAD THE FACTORY-BACKED KAWASAKI RACE TEAMS EFFORT IN AUSTRALIA THIS YEAR.

But a broken leg ruled him out early in the season, and

then, just when he could get back on the bike and eye

off a mid-season comeback, Jake suffered a broken

leg again and with that his season was done and

dusted thanks to two strokes of very bad luck.

Adam Monea was left to fly the NPS Kawasaki Monster

Energy Racing Team flag through the MX Nationals

and stepped up to the plate in a big way to nail down

third overall in the MX1 category behind Kirk Gibbs

and Kade Mosig.

After finishing second overall in last years Australian

Supercross Championship, Monea has serious form

on the board for the 2015 SX1 title chase

and with former multi-time national

champ, Kawasaki team boss, Troy Carroll,

in his corner, is sure to be a championship

contender.

Meanwhile Victorian young gun Dylan Long

was drafted into the Kawasaki squad mid-

year to fill the void left by the injured Moss,

and the former privateer clearly rose to the

challenge. Long stunningly won a MX1 moto

at the Nowra round of the MX Nationals on

his way to locking down a solid top-ten

finish in the motocross championship.

Long, like team mate Monea, thrives on

Supercross racing and with the Team Green

duo mounted aboard Kawasakis latest

2016 KX450F, expect the green machines

to be charging for wins every time they hit

the track.

kawasakiaus www.kawasaki.com.au

RACE READY SSF-AIR TAC (TRIPLE AIR CHAMBER) FORKS I LAUNCH CONTROL FOR THE HOLESHOT ADVANTAGEPLUG-AND-PLAY DFI COUPLERS FOR EASY ENGINE TUNING I ADJUSTABLE HANDLEBAR AND FOOTPEG POSITIONING

DIGITAL FORK AIR PUMP AND NEW HANDHELD KX CALIBRATION KIT ACCESSORIES PROVIDE THE SAME PRECISION TUNING AS KAWASAKI FACTORY TEAMS

LIGHTER, SLIMMER & MORE RIGID FRAME FOR SHARPER HANDLING & FEEL UPDATED ENGINE DESIGN IS EVEN LIGHTER & MORE POWERFUL REVISED SEAT, TANK & RADIATOR SHROUDS FOR EASIER BODY POSITIONING NEW REAR INTAKE DUCTS IMPROVE AIRFLOW & THROTTLE RESPONSE


kawasakiaus www.kawasaki.com.au

RACE READY SSF-AIR TAC (TRIPLE AIR CHAMBER) FORKS I LAUNCH CONTROL FOR THE HOLESHOT ADVANTAGEPLUG-AND-PLAY DFI COUPLERS FOR EASY ENGINE TUNING I ADJUSTABLE HANDLEBAR AND FOOTPEG POSITIONING

DIGITAL FORK AIR PUMP AND NEW HANDHELD KX CALIBRATION KIT ACCESSORIES PROVIDE THE SAME PRECISION TUNING AS KAWASAKI FACTORY TEAMS

LIGHTER, SLIMMER & MORE RIGID FRAME FOR SHARPER HANDLING & FEEL UPDATED ENGINE DESIGN IS EVEN LIGHTER & MORE POWERFUL REVISED SEAT, TANK & RADIATOR SHROUDS FOR EASIER BODY POSITIONING NEW REAR INTAKE DUCTS IMPROVE AIRFLOW & THROTTLE RESPONSE


TEAM MOTUL SUZUKIWHATS IT LIKE TO BE THE RIDER WITH THE BIGGEST TARGET OF ALL ON YOUR BACK?

Just ask Team Motul Suzuki top dog Matt Moss,

who heads into the 2015 Australian Supercross

Championship as the reigning two-time winner of the

premier SX1 championship.

Moss won the 2013 Supercross and MX Nationals

championships in 2013, then backed up and did it all

again last year, the Suzuki ace even going undefeated

in the 2014 Supercross series as he laid waste to the

opposition in no uncertain terms.

It was a stunning display, in which Moss says,

everything just clicked.

And now that hes done it once, he wants to do it again.

But 2015 has been tough. Moss suffered a terrible

mid-season accident at the Shepparton round of the

MX Nationals, which sidelined him from riding for two

months with wrist and knee injuries.

That ruled out his motocross hopes for the year, so

now Moss is setting his sights on an historic third

straight Australian SX1 Championship. And

given the Suzuki stars determined mood

and no-nonsense attitude to racing, it will

be a brave punter indeed who bets against

Moss and the Suzuki squad taking out a

memorable Supercross three-peat.

Meanwhile young gun Kale Makeham is the

second member of the Motul Suzuki team,

and is in his first full season of Open class

racing, having just locked down a solid

ninth overall in the MX Nationals.

With a fifth overall in last years SX2

Supercross championship, Makeham has

form on the board and with the resources

of the Motul Suzuki squad behind him,

a break-out performance in this years

championship could be well on the cards.


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DPH MOTORSPORTS PETER STEVENS YAMAHAIT DEMANDS REAL COMMITMENT TO STEP UP AND TAKE ON THE OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTOR-BACKED FACTORY RACE TEAMS IN AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS AND MOTOCROSS RACING, BUT THATS JUST WHAT THE DPH MOTORSPORTS PETER STEVENS YAMAHA TEAM HAS DONE.

Theres no missing the DPH Motorsports team in the

pits, thanks to their impressive transporter, sizeable pit

enclave and very serious race effort, all made possible

thanks to major sponsors Peter Stevens Motorcycles,

Yamaha, SP Tools, Shift, Fox and Repsol.

And on the track the DPH squadron has also made its

mark the past two years.

Last year lead team rider Kade Mosig scored a MX

Nationals round win and finished top ten overall in

Supercross for the DPH Motorsports team, which no

doubt went a long way to him scoring a spot

with the full-factory CDR Yamaha Racing

team in 2015.

This year DPH Motorsports Peter Stevens

Yamaha rider Lawson Bopping fired his

YZ450F race bike to a resounding win at

the Coolum fifth round of the MX Nationals,

and ultimately went on to finish a strong fifth

overall in the MX1 championship chase.

Now Bopping, who made the SX1 series

podium last year with third place overall,

is leading the DPH Motorsports outfit into

battle in Supercross, supported by the highly

experienced Josh Cachia in the SX2 class.

With a pedigree that includes stints on

factory race teams in previous years, and

representing Australia in the Motocross of

Nations in 2012, Bopping certainly ranks as a

rider who might just spring a serious surprise

in Supercross this year.


CDR YAMAHA RACINGBY SHEER WEIGHT OF NUMBERS, THE CDR YAMAHA RACING TEAM IS SHOWING HOW SERIOUS IT IS TAKING THE 2015 AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP BY BRINGING A TRIPLE-BARREL ASSAULT TO THE STARTLINE.

Victorian ace Kade Mosig and decorated veteran

Dan Reardon have been flying the CDR Yamaha flag

all year long in the MX Nationals, where Mosig nailed

down the runner-up spot in the MX1 championship,

while Reardon finished sixth in the standings.

Now the longtime Yamaha factory team, which is

managed by motocross and supercross legend Craig

Dack, is rapt to welcome its third team member, Jacob

Wright, back from the sidelines to join Mosig and

Reardon in the battle for the Australian Supercross

Championship.

Wright has spent all this year recovering from a knee

injury and now that hes finally back in the saddle, is

busting to play his part in putting the blue bikes at the

front of the pack in the Supercross series.

All three CDR Yamaha riders are

championship contenders and have been

pounding the training tracks in recent

months.

But the story of Reardon is a stand-out

one: the stylish Queenslander actually

retired from racing three years ago, after a

decorated career spent in Australia and the

USA racing for leading teams.

After three years out of the game, a

chance invite to ride at a dirt track event in

Queensland late last year lead to the racing

bug biting again and Reardon worked out a

deal with Dack and the CDR Yamaha team.

Reardons been part of some memorable

Supercross races in the past, not the least

of which was a ding-dong battle with

Aussie hero Chad Reed at the Burswood

Superdome in Perth in 2009 where

Reardon emerged on top. If he can repeat

that kind of form, Reardon wont be giving

anything away to his younger team mates

and the rest of the Supercross pack.


KTM MOTOCROSS RACING TEAMHOT OFF A BIG WIN IN THIS YEARS MX1 CLASS OF THE MX NATIONALS THANKS TO THE SEASON-LONG DOMINANCE OF TEAM LEADER KIRK GIBBS, THE KTM MOTOCROSS RACING TEAM HAS A REAL SPRING IN ITS STEP COMING INTO THE 2015 AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP.

Gibbs snared the KTM team its first Open national

motocross championship since 2002 and the factory-

backed squad was so rapt, they gave the South

Australian ace a guest ride in the final round of the

World MX GP Championship in America in September.

And then the KTM squad renewed not only Gibbs

contract for 2016, but team mate Luke Styke as well,

and even signed on young gun Caleb Ward for the MX2

class for next year.

All of which means the KTM team is locked and loaded

for Supercross ... and beyond.

Gibbsy ran fourth in last years Supercross

championship chase behind Matt Moss, Adam Monea

and Lawson Bopping, and readily admits he should

do better than that. He wants to challenge

for this years SX1 championship and wont

accept anything less.

Meantime Styke, who has an impressive

resume that includes Australian

MX2 Motocross and SX2 Supercross

Championships in 2013, and who spent

2014 racing the MX GPs in Europe full-time,

returned to race in Australia with KTM this

year and wound out the MX Nationals

fourth overall in his first season racing a

450.

Gibbs and Styke have been team mates in

previous years, are great mates, and both

are accomplished Supercross racers, so

look for the orange army to pull out all

the stops in an effort to take control of the

Supercross battlefield.

THE 2016 MOTOCROSS MODEL RANGE.The revolutionary 2016 Husqvarna motocross range. Redesigned from the wheels up, this is a profoundly lighter,

much faster and infinitely better-functioning range of bikes unlike any before them. Featuring cutting-edge

design innovations and premium-quality components, going fast was

never more fun or as effortless as this.

2016 MODEL UPDATESNew carbon fibre subframeNew swingarm with reduced weightUpdated WP 4CS front forkNew CNC machined triple clampsNew WP rear shockNew Footpeg mounts New Magura hydraulic clutchNew Pro Taper handlebarNew ODI Lock on gripsNew airbox design & tool-less air filter accessNew seat cover with high-grip and durable materialDID Black WheelsDunlop MX52 motocross tyresLIGHTER FOR MY2016Model MY2016 MY2015TC 125 89.1 kg 91.9 kgFC 250 100.1 kg 103.7 kgFC 350 101.7 kg 106.0 kgFC 450 102.4 kg 107.2 kg

www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com

2 STROKE MY2016 TC85 | TC125 | TC2504 STROKE MY2016 FC250 | FC350 | FC450

over a centuryof history


HUSQVARNA AUSTRALIA/CRAIG ANDERSON RACINGTHERES PRECIOUS FEW MOTORCYCLE BRANDS WITH A 100-PLUS YEAR PEDIGREE, BUT THATS THE PROUD HERITAGE HUSQVARNA HAS BEHIND IT.

Originally founded in Sweden, Husqvarna in

recent years has traded hands through Italian,

German and now Austrian ownership, with

the renowned white, blue and yellow marque

now part of the fast-charging KTM group of

companies, which in recent years has undergone

stunning growth.

Husqvarna has factory-backed racing activities

right around the world including the World MX

GP Championship, where this year Aussie riders

Todd Waters and Dean Ferris have been part of

the brands factory MX1 teams while here in

Australia, Husqvarna teams contest all the major

national off-road championships.

Legend Australian motocross racer Craig

Anderson now manages the Craig Anderson

Racing Husqvarna team, where this year the

teams Open class rider is Aaron Tanti, who

pushed his FC350 thumper to 11th overall in the

MX Nationals, despite also having to juggle the

demands of a full-time job with his race program.

Meanwhile young gun Jesse Dobson races the

Open class as part of the national Husqvarna

Factory Support team, and he finished tenth

overall in the MX Nationals, despite missing the

final two rounds through injury.

Both Husqvarna riders are now looking for a

strong finish to their 2015 seasons, by aiming

for big results in the SX1 class of the Australian


DANNY HAM FLIES AGAINTHE NAME DANNY HAM NEEDS LITTLE INTRODUCTION TO HARDCORE AUSSIE DIRT BIKE FANS OF THE LATE 1990S AND 2000S.

Hammy was the high-flying hero of a generation of moto

followers, by successfully crossing the divide between racer

and freestyler ... in the days before freestyle MX became a

sport all its own.

Born and bred in the NSW Hunter Valley, which has always

been a hotbed of dirt bike talent, Hammy raced at the

highest levels of the sport in factory team rides with both

CDR Yamaha and Team Suzuki, and was also hand-picked

to appear in an early instalment of the globally renowned

Crusty Demons of Dirt video series.

Now, at age 37, Hammy has decided to put a whole lot of fun

back into his world, which in recent years has been dominated

by working fly-in, fly-out operating heavy machinery in the

mines in WA. Hes climbing back on a bike to line up in the

2015 Australian Supercross Championship.

Ham is back on a Suzuki RM-Z450 with backing from Maitland

Motorcycles and has scored the support of long time friends,

Chris Woods from the Raceline Pirelli Suzuki team, and

Andrew Hopson from Axis Motorsports. Hes been training

hard and putting in plenty of laps at the practice tracks.

I love Supercross, its fun, and what Im doing now is all

about having fun, serious fun, enthuses Ham.

No doubt plenty of fans will want to say, Good luck Hammy!

I LOVE SUPERCROSS, ITS FUN, AND WHAT IM DOING NOW IS ALL ABOUT HAVING FUN, SERIOUS FUN, DANNY HAM

THE 2016 MOTOCROSS MODEL RANGE.The revolutionary 2016 Husqvarna motocross range. Redesigned from the wheels up, this is a profoundly lighter,

much faster and infinitely better-functioning range of bikes unlike any before them. Featuring cutting-edge

design innovations and premium-quality components, going fast was

never more fun or as effortless as this.

2016 MODEL UPDATESNew carbon fibre subframeNew swingarm with reduced weightUpdated WP 4CS front forkNew CNC machined triple clampsNew WP rear shockNew Footpeg mounts New Magura hydraulic clutchNew Pro Taper handlebarNew ODI Lock on gripsNew airbox design & tool-less air filter accessNew seat cover with high-grip and durable materialDID Black WheelsDunlop MX52 motocross tyresLIGHTER FOR MY2016Model MY2016 MY2015TC 125 89.1 kg 91.9 kgFC 250 100.1 kg 103.7 kgFC 350 101.7 kg 106.0 kgFC 450 102.4 kg 107.2 kg

www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com

2 STROKE MY2016 TC85 | TC125 | TC2504 STROKE MY2016 FC250 | FC350 | FC450

over a centuryof history


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Documents

Australian Supercross Magazine 2015