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An Inside Look at Monster Energy AMA Supercross

May 2, 2019 by ponycargirl Leave a Comment

Over the past decade, Monster Energy AMA Supercross has seen a welcome rise in attendance and popularity. The ever-evolving series has changed quite a bit from the days of Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael to an increasingly data-driven sport with exclusive factory team trainers producing elite athletes. Much like their four-wheel motorsport brethren, factory riders train full-time on and off the track, giving them a distinct advantage over privateers while narrowing the competitive gap to fractions of a second between teams. I had the opportunity before Round 16 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, to talk to some of the riders, managers, trainers, and Carmichael himself about what goes on behind the scenes to ensure success.

Potential riders are often spotted at amateur races. Interested teams will back a candidate as young as 12 or 13 with sponsorship, even bringing them to train alongside signed riders. “What we do is we bring them to the group and they’re around these guys, training with these guys, involved with their program… maybe not to as high a level… time-wise, maybe not on the bike as much… but it’s getting them used to that. Riding with these guys during the week is the biggest thing, I think, because they see that, they kind of have that carrot they’re always chasing… that’s always bringing them closer and closer,” said Wil Hahn, Star Racing/Yamaha Racing team manager and former pro rider. “We might not have a kid sign when they’re on the 60’s or 80’s, but we’re trying to help them.”

Training to track time ratio is around 50/50. Gareth Swanepoel, the trainer (and also a former rider) for the Yamaha team said that while the training depends on each rider’s needs, during the racing season they’ll ride three times a week, two bike rides a week, two days of gym, plus active recovery days with lights rides, running, yoga, or other stretching. This all evolved in the sport when Ricky Carmichael, looking to gain an edge over physically bigger riders in the 450SX class, hired a trainer. “He took it to a whole new level of training, so now, everyone has to train because he was beating everyone so bad, everyone had to start training to keep up with him,” commented Jeremy Albrecht, JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing Team Manager. “Everyone follows what the top guy is doing, so when he started training like that, then the next guy does it, and now everyone does it.”

In training, moto-specific LitPRO as well as GPS combined with On-bike data loggers capable of pulling in up to 12 data points gather information from the motor and shocks that is downloaded after completion then linked to video. Teams then use propriety software pinpoint mechanical performance then adjust as needed after practice or a heat. As an example, “We’re able to measure how much suspension’s used in corners and whoops and obstacles and if [a rider] comes in and says, ‘Hey, my bike’s really soft’, we can look… on the computers to kind of say, ‘Well, you didn’t use all your travel’”, said Yamaha Supercross/Motocross Supervisor Jim Perry in the paddock on Saturday. “So if he says one thing, we’re able to look at the data and say, ‘Maybe that isn’t what you’re feeling’… then our suspension engineers and chassis engineers can analyze that and make some changes.” Unlike many of the automotive racing series, communication between the rider and team is verboten during the actual race. Instead, riders rely on communication with their mechanic and a white board.

All of this data gathering and training comes together at the starting gate – staying calm, keeping the heart rate low combined with muscle memory to get out of the gate as quickly as possible when it drops. Getting a good position on the track, ahead of the field, is key. In an informal meeting with H.E.P. Motorsports 450cc riders Kyle Chisholm, Alex Ray, and Adam Enticknap on media day, Ray told us “The only that’s going through your mind is you want a good start, you want to start up front, because if you’re in the middle or in the back, it creates more risk… you have more people, everyone’s bunched up in a group, you don’t know what all these other people are doing, if you’re up front, you sort of have control over the race.”

During racing season, meetings are on Monday, ride and train during the week, travel, practice on Friday, race on Saturday, travel on Sunday… meetings, train, race, repeat.

A quick primer: In Monster Energy AMA Supercross, there are two classes – the 250SX bikes are the “Lites”, the younger riders’ development series. This class is subdivided into East and West regions for the entire season until the Las Vegas championship, where 22 riders race in the East/West Showdown over 15 minutes plus one lap. The 450SX is the top level of the Supercross series and race nationally, where the main even features 22 riders racing for 20 minutes plus one lap. Each division goes through qualifying on the day before the finals, and the 40 fastest riders advance to the race day events. On race day, both classes have two heats of 20 riders each, and the top nine advance to the main event. Everyone else has one more chance in the Last Chance Qualifier, and the top four LCQ finishers round out the 22 final competitors. The bikes are all from six manufacturers – Honda, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki, and Yamaha. The dirt track, like its rallycross counterpart, has a series of obstacles; small, waist-high bumps called “whoops”, a table top, a rhythm section with no drummer but larger jumps of varying size and interval, and the ultimate finish-line jump assuring a spectacular airborne end to the race.

The 2019 season has seen its share of crazy weather, most notably torrential rain in San Diego and snow in Denver before the race. New Jersey was no exception; the track was covered for rain on Friday, scuttling the opportunity to practice for many of the riders. The track wasn’t too much of a mess for a cold but sunny race day, though looking at my clogged sneaker treads after a track walk, there was a lot of packed mud. In the 250SX class, Chase Sexton won the race, with Mitchell Oldenburg and Justin Cooper in second and third. Going into the 450SX finals, Cooper Webb was the points leader. After an exciting race with several overtakes and mistakes by the riders in front, Cooper Webb ultimately triumphed with Zach Osborne and Eli Tomac in second and third.

The Las Vegas Championship where the 250 East and West divisions race and a new 2019 450SX champion will be crowned takes place Saturday, May 4th. Check your local listings for viewing times and channels.

















 

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Riding the BMW C evolution e-scooter prototype

October 8, 2016 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Gary Grant rides the BMW e-scooter in Jolly Olde England in July 2012.

Gary Grant rides the BMW e-scooter in Jolly Olde England in July 2012.

This story was originally published in the print version of the Toronto Star Wheels way back in 2012. This is the first time it has appeared online.

 

LONDON, ENGLAND—The official slogan for the Olympic Games in London is “Inspire a Generation,” which is just what BMW intends to do with its involvement as a sponsor.

As the official automotive supplier to the Olympics, there are more than 4,000 BMW and MINI cars in London for the Games, a large portion of which are diesel- or electric-powered.

BMW Motorrad has supplied 25 motorcycles for sports that occur out on the road. The automaker was chosen for the role largely because of its commitment to being the most sustainable company, and the ability of this massive fleet to meet the emissions target of 120 grams of C02 per kilometre.

Tying in with the sustainable transportation theme, BMW Motorrad recently launched a pair of maxi-scooters leading up to a new, all-electric scooter.

To give the world a taste of what an electric scooter might be like, BMW brought a small group of journalists to London to be the first on the C evolution e-scooter.


Not scheduled to hit markets until early 2014, production versions of the C evolution don’t exist yet, so Motorrad provided five prototypes for us to ride.

Most reviews of two-wheeled vehicles are written by grizzled motorcycling riders and this was true at my first bike-related event, as I (in my 40s) was one of the youngest on hand.

But I am also a new rider, without any predisposed opinions of what a motorcycle is versus a scooter.

In reality, I suspect most buyers of BMW’s Urban Mobility offerings will be closer to my level of experience than that of a lifetime biker.

Our day began at London’s newly rejuvenated Canary Wharf, where we had our choice between the C600 Sport and the C650 GT.



This would be my first time driving or riding on the wrong side of the road, not to mention the promise of dense Olympic traffic, so I chose the smaller 600 cc machine.

It was still the biggest bike I’ve ridden. Pulling out onto the road, I was surprised to find that without a clutch and shifter, the C600 Sport is as simple as riding a bicycle.

That simplicity allowed me to concentrate on the road ahead. As we rode out towards the countryside, I was excited to notice that we crossed the Tower Bridge. Several asked if I had noticed the Olympic rings hanging overhead. Not a chance, as I was focused on the traffic on either side of me! Outside of London, I began to notice the biggest difference between our roads and theirs: the width.

In Canada, our two-lane roads are usually a car-and-a-half wide in each direction, with copious shoulder areas. In the British countryside, a two-lane road is often so narrow that two passing cars have just inches between them, while their outside mirrors are brushing the bushes. Drivers in the U.K. appear to be very aware of where their corners are and have few qualms about the tight space.

Our destination atop the petrol- powered scooter was the Aperfield Inn, a pub that sits on land that was a manor estate dating back to 1066, owned by William the Conqueror.It was a fitting setting to learn about the future of sustainable mobility.

BMW engineer, Dr. Ebner Christian, walked us around the C evolution, reminding us that these were prototype units and some features might not be quite what we could expect from a production model.

In particular, the throttle could be a bit sensitive, so cracking the throttle open from a standstill was unwise. There are only five of these and they’re worth 420,000 euros ($515,000) each.

The futuristic-looking C evolution sits lower to the ground than the combustion engine-powered maxi-scooters, making it easier for one’s feet to touch the ground while stopped.

This might seem like a little thing, but it inspires confidence.

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Being gentle with the throttle at first, I found that the e-scooter was even easier to ride than the gasoline scooters. The battery (the same one used in the upcoming BMW i3 car) is down low, which makes the bike incredibly manoeuvreable at low speeds.

The peak power output of 35 kW works out to about 47 horsepower, which may not seem like a lot. But the incredible torque of the electric motor translates into a machine that goes like a scared cat, without the noise or vibration of an internal combustion engine. The manoeuvreability, coupled with instant power on tap, makes for one incredibly fun ride.

With the distances that most of us commute in North American cities such as Toronto, I am not a big fan of the limited range offered by the electric cars we have seen so far.

A drive from my home in Whitby to downtown Toronto and back would leave me stranded somewhere in Pickering.

However, most folks who get to work on two wheels are urban dwellers who don’t travel so far each day. The C evolution is able to travel about 100 km on a charge, which might be a week’s worth of travel for many potential buyers.

After being electrified, we went on a scenic ride that took us to a wonderful spot called Hever Castle. Originally built in 1270, Tudor dwellings were added in the 1500s, when the castle was the childhood home of the infamous Anne Boleyn. In more recent years, the castle was owned by William Waldorf Astor, who lavished time and money restoring the historic place to its former glory while adding grand gardens and a Tudor inspired village. Sadly, I did not meet up with the ghosts of Boleyn and King Henry VIII who are said to walk the halls.



For the ride back to London, I mounted the C650 GT, which looks more imposing than the smaller C600.

Like so many other things, size can be deceiving, as the GT is even easier to ride than the smaller Sport. That is a good thing, because I was about to experience a test of my riding like I had never imagined.

As a group of 20 or more bikes made their way toward London’s core, the traffic became denser with each block passed. As we approached the park where the Olympic equestrian competitors were assembled, the roads were well and truly blocked.

Our group threaded its way through the parked traffic. The fact that I made it through with no damage to myself or the GT is more a testament to how easy this Urban Mobility tool is to use than to my riding ability.

Automakers are struggling to find a way to connect with today’s young urban generation, many of whom have no interest in cars, nor an inclination to even get a driver’s licence.

The need to be mobile is obviously still real, and this generation puts more weight into the green factor when they finally do purchase their own method of transport.

With an easy and fun riding experience and practical storage options, BMW Motorrad’s Urban Mobility trio might just be the game-changers needed to “Inspire a Generation.”

 

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After a very full day of riding, our group hopped on a bus and were delivered to the Olympic site. It was opening night of the Summer games and we had the opportunity to watch two women’s basketball games. While I usually would have little interest in the sport, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Team GB in action on their home turf! It was a very late night, but was also an unforgettable experience!

 

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Watch a guy rip around Carleton University tunnels on a Suzuki

July 21, 2014 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

carlton

Have you ever walked through a pedestrian tunnel complex and wondered how cool it would be to blast around the maze on a bike or maybe a go-kart? Yeah, me too, but then common sense has always prevailed. YouTuber LoganM lives his live unfettered by the confines of common sense, and has a Suzuki DRZ400 and a GoPro at his disposal. Oh, and access to the tunnels at Carleton University in Canada’s capital city.

As one might expect, youth and stupidity make for a pretty cool video.

Unfortunately for Logan, University staff and Ottawa police have seen the video and are on the case according to Metro. I’m no detective, but I’m thinking that tracking this dude down isn’t going to be too difficult, so check out his wild ride, complete with wheelies, before it gets taken down!

It would seem that the video has already been taken down, but you can still see it here

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Vintage Motorcycles twist things up at Mosport

August 12, 2011 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Normally we only cover the 4 wheeled side of motorsport here in The Garage, but this weekend things are a bit different. This weekend the Vintage Road Racing Association has invaded Mosport for their annual race weekend. There are all sorts of bikes, from little old GP type bikes to more recent rice rockets. The laid back atmosphere is a nice contrast to the all out Superbike battle that will happen at the track next weekend.

This afternoon I shot a bit of a 2 hour endurance race and you can see some of the shots after the break.
[Read more…]

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Lapping Mosport with Pro 6 Cycle

July 13, 2011 by Gary Grant 1 Comment

Last Fall we met up with Cory Adams, a officer with Durham Regional Police. Adams isn’t your typical cop though, as he runs Durham’s safe riding campaigns and also plays a big part in Pro 6 Cycle’s lapping days at Mosport with his DRPS branded bikes. Cory invited us up to spend some time with the group and shoot a few pics along the way.
[Read more…]

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2011 Yamaha FZ8 Review – 8 is the New 6

August 9, 2010 by Neil Johnston 1 Comment


Yamaha’s ditched the FZ6 for the FZ8 with a smoother torquier engine derived from the FZ1, but will it lure new riders and intermediate riders seeking a sporting experience melded with sharp streetfighter looks?

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Baja: Tropic of Cancer 1 – Prelude

July 27, 2010 by Neil Johnston Leave a Comment


Neil Johnston and Kevin Miklossy, our motorcycle contributors from OneWheelDrive.Net, got ahold of two Honda Varaderos this spring. Now, in Canada the Varadero is being marketed as an adventure bike, and that requires a suitable destination? How about Mexico’s Baja, because that should be adventurous enough. Big bikes, sand, Mexico; what could possible go wrong?

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KTM RC8 – Poetry as Bloodsport

March 23, 2009 by Neil Johnston 4 Comments

Is the KTM RC8 as stunning to ride as it is to look at? Neil Johnston takes to the roads on this very rare offering to find out.

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2009 BMW F800GS – A Small Adventure

February 14, 2009 by Neil Johnston 4 Comments

Neil Johnston of OneWheelDrive.Net tests the BMW F800GS adventure bike… in winter… with a destination of the ski resort Whistler, BC. How does the F800GS cope with unexpected road conditions like ice? Does it live up to the GS name? All will be answered.

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2009 Monster 696 – Monsters Inc. Reborn

May 19, 2008 by Neil Johnston Leave a Comment

2009 Monster 696In the tunnel a mid-90’s blue Cavalier pulls along side. Glancing to the right, through the glass, I see the driver mouthing the words, “Is that the new Monster?” I nod. He gives me a thumbs up, and with a roll on of the throttle the tunnel fills with the 2009 Monster 696’s twin under-seat exhaust barking their departure.

Continue reading on OneWheelDrive.Net →

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