KTM Press Newsletter

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ENDURO
The boss speaking: Fabio Farioli - Team Manager Enduro (07.03.2006)
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The KTM factory enduro squad has six riders from five different European countries for 2006. Do you think the team will support riders from outside Europe in the future?

Fabio Farioli: KTM has a real international enduro team for 2006, which is great because KTM sells bikes all over the world. At the moment European riders are the best enduro riders in the world. This is the reason why KTM’s factory enduro team is made up of riders from the Isle of Man, Finland, Italy, Spain and France. When riders from outside of Europe are able to win World Enduro Championship titles they will be welcomed into our family.

Can Ivan Cervantes, Samuli Aro and David Knight repeat their achievements of last season?

Fabio Farioli: It is certainly going to be hard to repeat the results of last year because 2005 was such an amazing season for all three riders. Each rider will face stiff competition but repeating their achievements from last year is what everyone in the team is working towards. We have the best riders, the best bikes, best mechanics and best organization so I am confident that they can win again.

This year the WEC series will start with a winter race in Sweden before travelling to events in Canada and the States. Is the world of enduro growing?

Fabio Farioli: Different types of races as well as events outside of Europe are important if the World Enduro Championship is to grow into a truly international championship. The conditions at many of the races this year will be new to lots of riders but I am sure that the winners will be the same.

KTM will field one official team with six riders into the World Enduro Championship in 2006. What is it that motivates you as team manager this season?

Fabio Farioli: Last year KTM won three individual riders titles, three manufacturers titles and ended up first in the final team standings as well. The incentive for 2006 is not so much to ensure that the team keeps growing but to make sure it stays where it is – at the top of the World Enduro Championship. That is what motivates me.

This season all of KTM’s official riders will race on four-stroke machinery. Do you think that two-stroke machinery is no longer competitive in the WEC?

Fabio Farioli: KTM has the best two-stroke bikes with their 125, 250 and 300. I know that they are still very competitive machines but riders now want four-stroke power when they are racing in the WEC. Anyway, I’m sure in the future we will go back to two strokes, not for all riders but most of them.

Have the riding styles and training techniques of the WEC’s best riders changed in recent years?

Fabio Farioli: Just like in so many sports the world’s best enduro riders are moving towards more specific preparation. Their performance on extreme special tests is very important in today’s world championship so riders have to work hard on their high and low speed riding, as well as having good endurance and strength. All these things are necessary to be on the top.

Sala, Farioli, Rinaldi, Aro, Cervantes, Knight… what do you think that all these champions have in common?

Fabio Farioli: Determination, passion, devotion, world titles andof course KTM!

KTM Press Newsletter

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KTM NORTH AMERICA
Chris Carr wins Hot Shoe National in Savannah, GA (07.03.2006)
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Chris Carr and KTM are off to a great start as Chris Carr and his team demonstrated at the Hot Shoe National event this past weekend in Savannah, GA with a commanding win in the 450 Singles class.

Friday night was the first round in the Hot Shoe National series and Chris Carr was the only KTM entered in a field of eleven Honda’s and was determined to put his Orange bike at the top of the podium.

Carr completed three sessions of time qualifying and clocked in with one of the fastest times, putting him into the first of three rows. As the riders came off the start, Carr was second and quickly moved into first, never to be contested for the rest of the night.

Carr said, “This was such a great night for the team and I. We wanted to use this as a tune-up for Daytona, and I would say that we used the opportunity perfectly and got everything dialed in. We are really looking forward to the first round of the AMA Flat Track Championships.”

Still Kicking
Moto XXX Goes Down, But Not Out in Indianapolis

By definition, no privateer’s season is complete without generous amounts of bad luck. As everyone at Unbound Energy/Moto XXX knows, teams are not exempt from it either. The tenth year squad definitely hit a rough patch in Indianapolis last weekend, but all was definitely not lost.

Timmy Ferry’s performance was the highlight of the weekend. At one point in practice, he had the 7th fastest lap time and felt confident going into the evening program. Once the lights came on, “Red Dog” took an easy route to the main event by finishing second in his semi-final. In the Supercross main, he got a solid start and rounded the first turn inside the top ten. During the next 20 laps, he battled with multiple factory riders and continued to turn solid times. He finished the race in 9th, his second top-ten performance in 3 races, and now sits 13th in the AMA standings. With the series heading to Timmy’s home state of Florida for the next couple of weeks, he’s understandably upbeat and plans to move further up in the running order.

Unfortunately, not everything went so well. Kyle Lewis crashed after coming up short in a rhythm section during practice and was unable to continue. He suffered a facial fracture and looked a lot worse for wear when it was all said and done. Because of a potential risk to his vision in one eye, “Lucky” will sit out the Daytona Supercross and very possibly Orlando as well.

Josh Summey went into Indy with the momentum of his 11th place finish in Atlanta. He was riding well, but got involved in a collision during his heat race. He hit the ground hard and was advised by the Asterisk Mobile Medical staff to visit a local emergency room to be sure that no serious damage had occurred. Wisely, Josh did so and was cleared to race. Unfortunately, he came up just short in his attempt to get back to the track in time for the LCQ. The good news is that he’ll be ready to go Friday night in Daytona.

Finally, Juss Laansoo resumed his Supercross education in Indianapolis. Once again, he qualified into the night show and rode admirably from then on. With the foot injury behind him, Juss plans to use the remaining Supercross rounds as a learning experience while preparing for his assault on the 2006 Outdoor Nationals.

Team Unbound Energy/Moto XXX is faithfully supported by Unbound Energy Drink, American Honda, Akrapovic, O’neal, Honda Genuine Parts, Pro Comp Wheels & Tires, Sidi, Tag Metals, EPersonals.com, M2R Helmets, Polisport Plastic, Pro Honda Oils & Chemicals, Pro-X, Scott, N-Style, MB1 Suspension, Lucky 13, Ready Filter, VP Fuels, Braking, Motion Pro, Hinson Clutch Components, Metaltek, Ogio, Dunlop, Vans Shoes, Fat Wreck Chords, RK Chain, Excel Wheels, Vortex Ignitions, ARC, Ti Lube, Carbon Fiber Works, SDG Seats, PPG, Asterisk, Lockhart Phillips, Red Rider Rewards, Crower Power, Darkside, N-Fab, CST, MT Racing, Vans Shoes.

Hawkstone Park
5/3/2006

Rinaldi Yamaha rider Stefan Everts claimed his third victory in four weeks after winning both MX1 heats of the Hawkstone Park International in Shropshire, England.

The nine times World Champion dominated the first of two heats in bright and sunny but cold conditions. A packed crowd attended one of the more prestigious pre-season events of the winter calendar and the dark Hawkstone sand was in its usual rough and demanding state. The circuit is dwarfed by the large hill section that sees the riders climb a near-vertical 100m slope and the gradient caught out a number of top riders as the International once again boasted an array of Grand Prix stars.

For the third time since the motocross schedule began to crank into life during February, Everts beat the likes of the factory backed Honda team and the works Suzuki and KTM efforts, all housing his main rivals for the 2006 MX1 World Championship.

Everts escaped the clutches of fellow Belgian Kevin Strijbos in the opening sprint and was just as masterful in the second heat as he glided past Strijbos and his team-mate Steve Ramon. A mistake on the last lap gave Strijbos more impetus to close the gap but the race was already won.

A ‘hatrick’ could not be taken later in the afternoon as a rare fall in the ‘Grand Final’ (mixing the best finishers from the MX1 and MX2 classes) allowed Yamaha MX2 representative Billy Mackenzie to streak head on the YZ250F. Although he fronted the pack for the majority of the distance Mackenzie was slowed by backmarkers with just two laps to go and was caught by Strijbos and a charging Everts who plagued the Suzuki rider to the flag and was only a second behind over the finish line.

Contrary to reports stating that he would miss the pre-season race programme Cédric Melotte took to the line at Hawkstone. The Belgian is still recovering from an injured wrist, but was able to wrestle the YZ450FM over the sandy terrain for eigth and fifth positions. He picked up a DNF in the Final after a collision with another rider robbed him of his rear brake.

Bike it Dixon Yamaha’s Billy Mackenzie produced a good performance in his first race meeting of the season. The 21 year old slipped from second place to third in the first heat after suffering some arm-pump but confidently claimed the next heat by over twelve seconds from main British Championship rival Carl Nunn. Only a hold-up with backmarkers prevented the Scot from marking a historic triumph over the 450s in the ‘Grand Final’.

Stefan Everts:
“I will miss this place. It is the sixth year in a row I have come to Hawkstone. I’ve had some great moments here and unfortunately I never got the chance to ride in the Grand Prix. I think it is a great track with a lot of potential. I enjoyed the races today and it was difficult to make the lap of honour for the last time.”

Cédric Melotte:
“The result is not so bad because I wasn’t expecting to finish all three races. In the last heat I hit someone else’s wheel and the brake pedal bent under the footpeg so I could not continue. I am quite satisfied. I could not push too hard because my wrist was giving me trouble but I am confident and now need to go step by step to reach my best level. We are still working on the bike because I missed a lot of testing time.”

Billy Mackenzie:
“I feel like I have an overall win because I managed to produce that good last race. That heat was awesome; it was such a buzz to be leading those guys. With two laps to go I was thinking about what celebration I could do over the finish line, but it never comes that easy when you are racing against the best! Just to be in front of them for that length of time felt good. I also set the fastest lap. This meeting will keep me going for a few weeks. The first race was pretty muddy and I got some arm-pump, but it was the first one of the year so that was expected. I got a top three though and I know I need to work on my consistency so I am pleased. We tweaked the bike and got rid of some of the niggly problems we would have had at Lyng for the British Championship next week.”

MX1 Race 1
1. Stefan Everts 2. Kevin Strijbos 3. Ken de Dycker 4. Mickael Pichon 5. Josh Coppins 6. Tanel Leok 7. Steve Ramon 8. Cédric Melotte 9. James Noble 10. Mark Hucklebridge

MX1 Race 2
1. Stefan Everts 2. Kevin Strijbos 3. Steve Ramon 4. Mickael Pichon 5. Cédric Melotte 6. Josh Coppins 7. Tanel Leok 8. James Noble 9. Ken de Dycker 10. Gordon Crockard

MX1 Grand final result
1. Kevin Strijbos 2. Stefan Everts 3. Josh Coppins 4. Mickael Pichon 5. Tanel Leok 6. Steve Ramon 7. Sebastien Tortelli 8. Mark Jones 9. Yoshitaka Atsuta 10. Gordon Crockard

MX2 Race 1
1. Carl Nunn 2. Tommy Searle 3. Billy Mackenzie 4. Brad Anderson 5. Steven Clarke 6. Lewis Gregory 7. Jason Dougan 8. Wayne Smith 9. Oliver Sandiford Smith 10. Alex Snow

MX2 Race 2
1. Billy Mackenzie 2. Carl Nunn 3. Tommy Searle 4. Wayne Smith 5. Brad Anderson 6. Shaun Simpson 7. Jim Murro 8. Jamie Law 9. Ray Rowson 10. Alex Snow

MX2 Grand final result
1. Billy Mackenzie 2. Lewis Gregory 3. Tommy Searle 4. Oliver Sandiford Smith 5. David Willet 6. Ben Saunders 7. Alex Snow 8. Carl Nunn 9. Ashley Greedy 10. Dan Johnson

KTM Press Newsletter

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MOTOCROSS
Nunn pumped after Hawkstone Park victory (06.03.2006)
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The reigning British Champion looked fit, fast and assured over the rough English sand, under some winter sunshine in low temperatures. A large crowd travelled to the renowned pre-season meeting in Shropshire, just west of the city of Birmingham.

Nunn blasted away from main rival Billy Mackenzieand young Kawasakirider Tommy Searle to win the first moto of 25 minutes and 2 laps and then took a steady 2nd position later in the day to confirm the overall victory. In the last race of the meeting, the ‘Grand Final’ between the best classified riders of MX1 and MX2, Nunn was holding a top six position before he crashed on the long, steep hill section and struggled to restart his machine. He did however manage to complete the race and was ranked 6th from the MX2 group.

Champ KTM team-mate Marc de Reuver was making his first tentative competitive outing of the year but was unable to place within the top ten.

The MX1 team of Mickael Pichon and Sebastien Tortelli were also in attendance. Pichon, who was ill during the week, was easing his way into competition and continuing to work on the set-up of the SX450F. The Frenchman scored a brace of 4th positions for 3rd place overall and was also 4th in the ‘Grand Final’. Tortelli had a crash-filled introduction to the Hawkstone sand with three falls in the first moto. The former World Champion’s best ranking was a 7th in the ‘Grand Final’.

Carl Nunn:

“This was good because I felt that my pace was there last week in Francebut my results did not really show it. I think a lot of people looked at that as if I hadn’t been working this winter when the complete opposite is the real truth. I am way ahead of my condition and readiness of last year; all I can do is build on this. My training is going great. I have lost a bit of weight to be lighter for the starts and it is working well. We are working on the starts as a team and it has been really effective, like we saw today. KTM have worked hard on the 250 and I feel really comfortable on the bike.”

Mickael Pichon:

“Today was not so bad because I had been sick after Pernes for three days. I am in fact quite happy with the result because the track was not that easy! My motos were consistent, no DNFs or big mistakes. I don’t feel that I am at 100% yet physically when it comes to my riding; so I am satisfied. The bike was running well. I want to keep on working because we only have another three weeks before Zolder.”

Sebastien Tortelli:

“There was some good and some bad today. We finished the three motos which was a positive thing but I was not that used to the nasty conditions and had a bad first race with a lot of crashes. I had been training in sand but this was much deeper! I was very happy with the bike and we have made a big step forward compared to the two last races. Now we just need to train and focus on the Championship.”

MX1 Moto 1

1. Stefan Everts

2. Kevin Strijbos

3. Ken de Dycker

4. Mickael Pichon

5. Josh Coppins

6. Tanel Leok

7. Steve Ramon

8. Cedric Melotte

9. James Noble

10. Mark Hucklebridge

MX1 Moto 2

1. Stefan Everts

2. Kevin Strijbos

3. Steve Ramon

4. Mickael Pichon

5. Cedric Melotte

6. Josh Coppins

7. Tanel Leok

8. James Noble

9. Ken de Dycker

10. Gordon Crockard

Grand final result MX1 class:

1. Kevin Strijbos

2. Stefan Everts

3. Josh Coppins

4. Mickael Pichon

5. Tanel Leok

6. Steve Ramon

7. Sebastien Tortelli

8. Mark Jones

9. Yoshitaka Atsuta

10. Gordon Crockard

MX2 Moto 1

1. Carl Nunn

2. Tommy Searle

3. Billy Mackenzie

4. Brad Anderson

5. Steven Clarke

6. Lewis Gregory

7. Jason Dougan

8. Wayne Smith

9. Oliver Sandiford Smith

10. Alex Snow

MX2 Moto 2

1. Billy Mackenzie

2. Carl Nunn

3. Tommy Searle

4. Wayne Smith

5. Brad Anderson

6. Shaun Simpson

7. Jim Murro

8. Jamie Law

9. Ray Rowson

10. Alex Snow

Overall MX2 classification:

1. Carl Nunn

2. Billy Mackenzie

3. Tommy Searle

4. Brad Anderson

5. Wayne Smith

6. Lewis Gregory

7. Alex Snow

8. Steven Clarke

9. Oliver Sandiford Smith

10. Shaun Simpson

Grand Final MX2 classification

1. Billy Mackenzie

2. Lewis Gregory

3. Tommy Searle

4. Oliver Sandiford Smith

5. David Willet

6. Ben Saunders

7. Alex Snow

8. Carl Nunn

9. Ashley Greedy

10. Dan Johnson

KTM Press Newsletter

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KTM NORTH AMERICA
AMA SX Series: Round 9, Indianapolis, IN (06.03.2006)
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The ninth round of the AMA Supercross series moved to Indianapolis, IN this past weekend and saw Josh Hansen finish in the top 10.

Heat one of the Supercross Lites class hosted Josh Hansen and the young Red Bull KTM Rider had a mid-pack start and finished fourth, advancing him to the main. Jay Marmot was in heat two and ran into back luck as the Australian had a mid-pack start and finished in tenth position, moving him to the Last Chance Qualifier where he ended up crashing and did not move up to the main event.

Josh Hansen had a positive attitude going into the main, and as he got off the start, he came around the corner mid-pack and picked riders off, moving into sixth position and stayed there to complete his night.

AMA Amp’d Mobile Supercross Lites results; Indianapolis, IN

1. Davi Millsaps
2. Josh Grant
3. Chris Gosselaar
4. Kelly Smith
5. Robert Kiniry
6. Josh Hansen KTM
7. Branden Jesseman
8. Tucket Hibbert
9. Thomas Hahn
10. Sean Hamblin

Mxforum.com :: View topic - Biggest Crash.

Kind of says it all, doesn’t it?

Just to remind you all, that http://mxforum.com is the place to discuss MX, SX and just about anything else on two wheels. Live, unscripted and moderated by Hammertime - the guy who famously pissed of David Vuellimin so much that he changed his jersey.

Go to MX Forum now and see what the fuss is about - or start your own!

Rally sport nowadays is one of the greatest challenges for man and machine
combining sport and adventure. Rally means riding through spectacular
sceneries on remote desert pists, experiencing sand storms, suffering from
stinging heat during the day and chilling cold during the night, sleeping in
tents and working in the sand with basic equipment. Endurance and good
navigation are as important as good riding skills. Not the fastest rider
will win, but the most complete one.

The rally season starts in mid winter with the Dakar, the mother of all
rallies, and is followed by a World Championship series consisting of eight
rallies throughout the year.

The KTM Factory team varies from 6 to 8 riders throughout the season. On the
Dakar the maximum amount of riders will be present, twelve pilots in three
different teams. The mechanical and logistical
base is Mattighofen, but from the start on the teams race indepentently with
their own structure and fight each other.

There will be two classes in the World Championship 2005 - up to 450cc and
more than 450cc.

OVERALL TEAM MANAGER - HANS TRUNKENPOLZ:
After so much successes, what appeals you to compete again as a team
manager at this Dakar?
In the open class, so to speak the formula one of the rally sports, we
compete with our KTM 660 Rally. The world elite of rally pilots fights for
the crown of rally. Without exaggerating it, we have developed the
best motorcycle here and we aren���t afraid of any competitor. Technically,
the 450 cc class will be the biggest challenge again, since we only start
with one rider and many other brands declared war to us.
Contrary to the open class, the regulations here allow to change the engines
arbitrarily. That makes it somewhat easier for our competitors, because we
follow the objective that every pilot of us has to reach Dakar with only one
spare engine. However, we are optimally prepared with our new 450 and I am
really happy to see the machines and pilots after months racing again.

How many riders will be provided with service during the Dakar?
Of 220 nominations will be 152 KTM motorcycles, which is definitely the best
demonstration of the quality of our rally bikes.

Factory MX2 rider Tyla Rattray shook off the effects of a several day hospitalisation due to a leg infection to register a clean sweep at Zolder, Belgium, for the opening round of the FIM MX1 Motocross World Championships this afternoon.

The South African, making his GP debut on the 250F, was fastest in every practice session on Saturday, won his qualification heat, posted the best time in morning warm-up and then produced faultless performances in the two 35 minute and 2 lap motos. It was his fourth career success.

His team-mate Carl Nunn claimed 10th and 9th on his first World Championship outing for the Champ team. The second moto promised more for the Briton until he stalled the bike while challenging for fourth place.

In front of 20,000 fans (over the weekend) and under blue skies with hot sunshine Ben Townley came close to sealing his first MX1 podium. The
reigning MX2 number one slipped off briefly while trying to pass Mickael Pichon for second place in the first moto and then another minor fall in the second race meant that he couldn���t close down Stefan Everts for fourth spot. Fourth overall was still a satisfactory MX1 baptism for the New Zealander. Steve Ramon had a GP to forget as a crash in the first race and an engine stall in the second left the 2004 Zolder moto winner struggling to enter the leaderboard.

Stefan Everts and Joel Smets were moto winners with the defending World Champion earning the overall victory.

The second round of the World Championships takes place in two weeks time at Bellpuig for the Grand Prix of Spain.

Tyla Rattray:
���I put two good races together today. Over the whole weekend I was feeling good on the bike and confident with the track. I had two good starts and
could pull away pretty quickly. I had been in a hospital bed for four days this week unable to do anything because of an infection. The motos were hard towards the end but of course I���m happy with the win.���

Ben Townley:
���Everyone says I should be happy but I feel that I should have been on the podium. I crashed twice today. The second one was a stupid mistake; the
front wheel just went away. For the first it was just a racing incident with Pichon, maybe I should have waited and taken him in a better place. I have to work on my starts, they are letting me down and making my races harder. Overall it was a good weekend. We still need to work on a better set-up and we will progress from here.���

Steve Ramon:
���I was maybe pushing a bit too hard in the first race. I made a mistake and lost time to Smets but then Coppins rode alongside in a rut on the inside of a corner. He was going flat-out towards the outside of the track and touched me with his elbow. I lost control and made a big crash, going into the public. In the second race the track was so bumpy I could not find a good rhythm and then I stalled the bike.���

Carl Nunn:
���The second race was good. It would have been better if I hadn���t stalled the bike and lost thirty seconds. I think I would���ve preferred to fly over the
bars rather than stall! I thought I was going for third at the time but I still waited to pass Cairoli seeing as everyone was tipping him for the Championship this year. The first race was hard but they usually are and I expected that, everyone gets tired or tense. After the first race you normally learn what you have to do for the next races in terms of riding and training. I wanted a top ten result and got one in both motos and the
overall so I���m satisfied.���

Photos from today���s action can be found on www.ktmimages.com

Results:

MX1 Moto1:

1 Everts, Stefan BEL Yamaha
2 Pichon, Mickael FRA Honda
3 Townley, Ben NZL KTM
4 de Dijcker, Ken BEL Honda
5 Smets, Joel BEL Suzuki
6 Coppins, Joshua NZL Honda
7 Strijbos, Kevin BEL Suzuki
8 Cooper, Paul GBR Honda
9 Leok, Tanel EST Kawasaki
10 Nemeth, Kornel HUN Suzuki

MX1 Moto2:

1 Smets, Joel
2 Pichon, Mickael
3 Everts, Stefan
4 Barragan, Jonathan
5 Townley, Ben
6 Strijbos, Kevin
7 Noble, James
8 Jorgensen, Brian
9 de Dijcker, Ken
10 Cooper, Paul
12 Ramon, Steve

MX1 Overall Result:

1 Everts, Stefan 45
2 Pichon, Mickael 44
3 Smets, Joel 41
4 Townley, Ben 36
5 de Dijcker, Ken 30
6 Strijbos, Kevin 29
7 Coppins, Joshua 25
8 Cooper, Paul 24
9 Noble, James 21
10 Barragan, Jonathan 20
15 Ramon, Steve 13

MX2 Moto1:

1 Rattray, Tyla RSA KTM
2 Melotte, Cedric BEL Yamaha
3 McFarlane, Andrew AUS Yamaha
4 Sword, Stephen GBR Kawasaki
5 Cairoli, Antonio ITA Yamaha
6 Pourcel, Sebastien FRA Kawasaki
7 Chiodi, Alessio ITA Yamaha
8 Caps, Patrick BEL Honda
9 Eggens, Erik NED Honda
10 Nunn, Carl GBR KTM

MX2 Moto2:

1 Rattray, Tyla
2 Melotte, Cedric
3 Pourcel, Sebastien
4 McFarlane, Andrew
5 Cairoli, Antonio
6 Eggens, Erik
7 Chiodi, Alessio
8 Nunn, Carl
9 Sword, Stephen
10 Maschio, Mickael

MX2 Overall Result:

1 Rattray, Tyla 50
2 Melotte, Cedric 44
3 Pourcel, Sebastien 35
4 McFarlane, Andrew 35
5 Cairoli, Antonio 34
6 Eggens, Erik 26
7 Chiodi, Alessio 25
8 Nunn, Carl 23
9 Sword, Stephen 21
10 Maschio, Mickael 20