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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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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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Suzuki Quits US Auto Sales

November 5, 2012 by Tom Williams Leave a Comment

Though we may have seen it coming, I was surprised when word got out that Suzuki will cease selling new cars in the US. American Suzuki Motor Corporation filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy today. It looked like Suzuki had been dormant for some time, but when The Garage reviewed the all-new 2010 Kizashi, I was encouraged at the renewed enthusiasm of Suzuki in the States. There were rumors the much lauded Suzuki Swift would finally make its return to these shores. Today, all that went up in smoke.

The Kizashi seemed like a ray of hope for a company that had appeared to have completely lost interest in selling cars in the US. But when the Kiazashi arrived with high hopes from Suzuki, the company marketed the car as just as good as an Audi A4, even challenging Audi shoppers to drive the car, with the promise to pay them $100 if they took the A4. But the Kizashi was competing against cars like the VW Jetta and Mazda6, and Suzuki’s marketing people weren’t talking to them. Which was a shame, because the Kizashi was a great car. Suzuki reached out to an audience that just did not care, and missed a great opportunity.

Suzuki blames low sales, a limited line of vehicles, among other reasons for withdrawing. And that is true. Suzuki has been selling around 2,000 cars a month nationwide. Toyota/Lexus sold 155,000 cars last month, to put things into perspective. Suzuki lacked a full line of vehicles to offer mass appeal to a large group of buyers as well, and the company is right for admitting the same. The SX4, a compact all-wheel drive car has been the bread and butter for Suzuki in the US since its 2007 debut. But with limited development, the SX4 started to get stale in an ever-changing market.

So yes, I am in complete agreement with Suzuki’s reasons. What I would like to add is a scant amount of dealers will hardly help boost sales. I actually live a couple miles from a Suzuki dealership, and I can honestly say I have never seen the Grand Vitara SUV or Equator pick-up on their lot. Hard to be a sales success when half of your products are not even available. But I can’t put blame on the dealer when the company itself is doing almost nothing to promote its product. As a car journalist, I am ashamed to say until today I did not even know Suzuki sold a truck called the Equator, but on the flip side, it goes to show what little effort Suzuki did in promoting its vehicles to the automotive press, and even less so to the car buying public.

I honestly believe if Suzuki brought the Swift back to the US, marketed the Kizashi properly, and streamlined their car/truck portfolio they could have had a chance to be a small, but successful player. But the reality was Suzuki offered no brand identity, a fragmented product line, and a hugely misdirected marketing strategy on the Kizashi, which I now believe was the make it or break it car for the powers that be in Japan. The Kizashi was a sales flop, and that was it.

As a car guy, and one that always roots for the underdog, I am sad to see Suzuki leave the US market. Fear not, their motorcycles and ATV’s will still be sold here, and Suzuki will continue building cars, just not selling them here. Still, I hate to see a company go that offered decent cars at reasonable prices, when it could have been different. While there has been no word from Suzuki Canada, odds are if no further vehicles will be imported to the US, the same can be said for our friends up north.

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Review: Suzuki SX4 SportBack

April 29, 2010 by Tom Williams 3 Comments

When you hear the automotive press rave about great performance bargains, the cars being referred to are usually the MazdaSpeed3, VW GTI or Subaru Impreza WRX-great cars, but for many buyers, $25-$30,000 is hardly considered a bargain. The common conception is if your budget for a new car is under $20,000, you should leave any hope of fun at the dealer’s showroom doors. The new for 2010 Suzuki SX4 SportBack is proof fun can be had for less than twenty grand.

The first SX4 appeared as a 2007 model-the five-door hatch, all-wheel drive Crossover, which took away from Subaru the bragging rights of selling the most inexpensive all-wheel drive car in North America. In 2008, the four-door SX4 Sport debuted as a front drive sedan. For 2010, Suzuki introduces the SportBack, a marriage of the practicality of the Crossover’s body with the sportiness of the Sport sedan. Suzuki also gave the SX4 a host of improvements for 2010, so read on!

[Read more…]

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Things I like today

March 17, 2010 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Just a few things I’ve noticed today that turned my crank:

Ok, so call me color blind (which I am) but this combo is just too cool! Years ago, friend of The Garage, Racer Nika, had this cool Suzuki Swift GT with 5 spoke wheels that were dayglo orange. I coveted them for our rally car. Fortunately, I don’t have a dishonest bone in my body, so Nika never came out of the house to find her wheels missing!

These nasty green rims are just plain old wicked! Thanks for the Auto Insider Blog for causing me to ogle a Civic.
[Read more…]

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Review: Suzuki Kizashi

December 17, 2009 by Tom Williams Leave a Comment

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To say that Suzuki has been a bit player in the North American auto industry is almost too kind. With the exception of the spunky SX4, Suzuki has been handed forgettable, rebadged Daewoo and GM cars for well over a decade-cars that gave nothing in terms of defining the brand, and worse, little reason to keep buyers or the media interested. All of that changes with the Kizashi.

The what? Yes, the name is, well, not elegant in English. Pronounced “kee-zah-shee” the rough translation means “something great is coming.” Suzuki did take a gamble going with this name, but don’t dismiss the car on those grounds. After a week with the Kizashi, this car has the potential to elevate Suzuki from bit player to A-List star.

[Read more…]

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Suzuki Announces US Pricing for Kizashi

November 8, 2009 by Tom Williams Leave a Comment

2010 Kizashi Portland Motion

Here at The Garage, we haven’t been shy about our enthusiasm for the all-new Kizashi. After a preview of the car by Gary Grant, and the opportunity for Gary, video guru Scott Simmons and myself to do a walk around of the car at IMPA Test Days, we all agreed the Kizashi was quite a handsome car, and the quality of materials, fit and finish inside and out impressed us.

A bit player in the North American car market, the Kizashi aims to substantially raise Suzuki’s profile. The success of this car is critically important to the brand, and the car is priced right to battle. All Kizashi’s share the same drivetrain-a 2.4L 185hp four coupled to a six-speed manual, or a CVT. All models offer front or all-wheel drive, but check the box for all-wheel drive, and you are stuck with the CVT. Click below as we disect the models.

[Read more…]

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Forgotten Sporty Cars: Chevy Sprint Turbo

October 20, 2009 by Tom Williams 24 Comments

Welcome back to Forgotten Sporty Cars at The Garage! In this space we recall an era where small, economy car-based vehicles were sold with zippy styling. Whether there was any substance to the sizzle we’ll leave for you to judge.

1987-1988 Chevy Sprint Turbo

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By the mid-1980’s, the aging and unloved Chevy Chevette was nearing its end. Needing a car smaller than the J-Body Cavalier, GM looked to the Suzuki Cultus to fill the void, and started selling the Cultus as the Chevy Sprint in North America in 1985. As a utilitarian plain-jane fuel miser, there was little to note about the Sprint until 1987 when the Turbo model came along. [Read more…]

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2010 Suzuki Kizashi launch

October 18, 2009 by Gary Grant 2 Comments

2010 Suzuki Kizashi (4)

Long time readers of The Garage know that I have a soft spot for the Suzuki brand. This goes back to the early 90’s when we spent some serious time with a pair of Swift GT’s. Our ’89 road car not only did daily duty for about 10 years, but also competed in several years of Solo 1 & 2, not to mention well over a hundred navigational rallies. It was abused hard and kept on rocking. We also did some time as both service crew and driving crew for a ’92 that was a fully prepped performance rally car. Great little car that GT, no matter how many people thought it had 3 cylinders and a turbo or that we had mistakenly put Suzuki badges on a Pontiac Firefly.

Perhaps that has been Suzuki’s greatest flaw. The cars were invisible thanks to lackluster brand marketing.

I get the feeling that that was the old Suzuki. The folks from Suzuki at the launch of the 2010 Kizashi were a vibrant, enthusiastic and forward looking bunch. It shows in the development of this new sedan which is a new direction for the company which has been known for smaller cars and motorcycles. The name Kizashi means something great is coming which points towards not only this model, but future product as well.

While the target competitors for Kizashi are cars like the Accord, Camry, Altima and Mazda6, engineers were looking to take the driving experience to a higher level. More premium sports sedans tend to offer a higher performance drive, which leads to a stronger emotional response from the driver. In other words, make the look fit in with the class, yet blow the consumer away with a driving experience that is above their expectations and do it for a more reasonable price. Sounds like a pretty tall order.
[Read more…]

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Suzuki Adds SportBack to SX4 Family

August 24, 2009 by Tom Williams 1 Comment

sx4I

For 2010, the SX4 family-already consisting of the all-wheel drive Crossover 5-door and front-wheel drive 4-door Sport gains a third member, the SportBack. At first glance the SportBack is a dead-ringer for the Crossover, but parked side by side, the lower ride height, 17″ alloys, subtle aero package and the absence of roof rails set the SportBack apart. The SportBack is available only in front-wheel drive.

For 2010 the SX4 gains a new engine-a 2.0L four producing 150hp. Buyers have a choice of a 6-speed manual or a CVT with paddle shifters. Either way, the EPA predicts about 30mpg in combined driving. Performance shocks, standard anti-roll bars and 4-wheel disc brakes promise a fun ride. In addition to standard GPS navigation, the SX4 also adds a host of interior refinements for 2010.

[Read more…]

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