AMA Pro Racing News Release
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (November 7, 2011) - AMA Pro Racing is proud to announce the introduction of the XR Showdown, a $60,000 year-end points fund that…
Team Suzuki News Flash
CHINO, CA (November 7, 2011) - Yoshimura Racing and American Suzuki Motor Corporation are proud to announce plans for the 2012 AMA Pro Superbike Championship Series that…
Ducati Racing News Flash
After a positive first two days during the final round of the 2011 MotoGP season, the Ducati Team had an unfortunate and premature end to the Valencia…
Factory Yamaha Racing News Release
MOTOGP SEASON FINALE FREE PRACTICE: Yamaha Factory rider Ben Spies made it count this afternoon in difficult weather conditions to take third on the grid for…
It is with mixed emotions that Yamaha Factory Racing arrives in Valencia this weekend for the final Grand Prix of the 2011 season.
MotoGP’s tragic loss of rising star Marco Simoncelli…
KTM Factory rider Taddy Blazusiak writes Erzberg history with his fifth victory.
Difficult conditions means only nine riders make it to the finish, including seven KTMs. Stefan Everts the best KTM rider among the 1500-strong Prologue starters on the Iron Mountain.
It was the 17th storming on the mighty Iron Mountain in the heart of the Austrian province of Styria. And it was the fifth year of the Blazusiak Extreme-Enduro era. The 28 year-old Polish rider has again underlined just what he is good at in this latest win in the Red bull Hare Scramble, the hardest one day Enduro race in the world, both loved by the fans and hated by the riders in roughly the same dimensions.
But for this and every other win in the past, Taddy had to fight hard in the saddle of his 250 EXC – to be exact, for two hours 12 minutes and three seconds long. No other rider, also in 2011, was faster through all the checkpoints on the ultra-selective course in the middle of this legendary mining area.
Taddy Blazusiak following his fifth consecutive win:
“I’m certainly very happy that I could win again today. First because it seems like the course is more difficult every year and second because we also had to fight with the weather. I made a few mistakes at Carl’s Diner where I lost a lot of time and gave up the lead to Jarvis when I took a bad line. When I finally got out of there I just thought “push, push, push.” Then at the next checkpoint I wondered why I was the first one there. From that point on, I just tried to get through without making any mistakes. I really want to thank all of the team for doing such a great job. Naturally I’m here on the bike every year but without my fantastic KTM team, this series of wins just wouldn’t be possible – Many thanks! “
Behind the second placed Trial specialist Dougie Lampkin (GB) it was Jonny Walker in place three that was a sensation. It was the first every appearance in Erzberg for the 20-year-old Briton.
Brothers Ben and Dan Hemingway at fourth and sixth meant they also joined the elite group of extreme Endurists. And if that wasn’t enough Orange, Japan’s bester Endurist Taichi Tanaka, who was last year 13th, this year moved up to seventh place on his 300 EXC.
Right behind him was KTM professional Chris Birch of New Zealand. The world elite extract from the start list of 1500 riders in 2011 was made up of seven nations from three continents and once again showed what an international format this event in Austria now has.
Apropos Austria – the best national hero landed on place nine, is called Lars Enöckel rides a KTM. Cyril Despres, rally professional, ex-Hare Scramble champ and a returnee to Erzberg was evaluated at 14th on the finishing list, even though he didn’t make it up the mountain in the required four hour limit.
Short looked solid from the first practice all the way to the final checkered flag.
Short started the main event in 8th place and worked his way up throughout the twenty lap main. He never gave up a position, only took them away from others as he climbed his way through the pack. By the end of the race Short had moved into a remarkable 4th place position.
“The past two weeks we have seen tremendous improvement in Short’s riding. He has stepped up his practice times and remained consistent in the races. We are very proud of the progress he has made – he earned every position tonight,” commented Red Bull/KTM Team Coordinator Casey Lytle.
Short’s teammate, Mike Alessi, was not as fortunate in the main event. Alessi had a bad crash in the beginning of the race when he came together with Chris Blose. He was slow to get up and once recovered, tried to ride for a few more laps. Unfortunately, he did not feel well enough to finish the race and he pulled off and returned to the pits for further evaluation.
The next event for the Red Bull/KTM Team is the season finale next weekend in Las Vegas, NV.
The new 250 XC-W is a fast 2-stroker with a new cylinder and exhaust system which delivers more power through the complete rpm range. Combined with the new 6-speed gear box and electric starter in serial production, this bike is an extremely sharp weapon and can stand every competition, the harder the better.
The choice between different ignition mappings and exhaust control characteristics to adjust the power delivery to the riders needs are KTM standard as well.
KTM’s complete line of 2011 off-road models, including MX, should be at the dealers by the end of June.
New for 2011
- Transparent tank –> visibility of fuel level
- New colors
- New decals
- Handlebar protector in serial production
- New cylinder with optimized timing à more torque
- New piston –> higher reliability
- New carburetor setting à better rideability
- New exhaust pipe –> more peak performance
- New 2-component silencer with bigger inner tubing and new bracket –> more torque, cooler running engine and better connection to the bike
- Electric start in serial production
- New 6-speed gearbox
Factory FMF/KTM Team rider Charlie Mullins won the third round of the AMA National Enduro Series held in Kalgary, TX, marking his first win of the 2011 season.
The conditions were the toughest of the season as the riders traversed the dry, hard-packed and rocky Texas soil. The temperatures were in the mid-nineties with high winds.
Mullins, the reigning Champion, started well taking the win in the first test section. Mullins was followed closely by his teammates Cory Buttrick and Russell Bobbitt as well as Husaberg riders Mike Lafferty and Nick Fahringer.
Mullins, who was struggling with the stomach flu throughout the day, was happy to start off strong. “I was glad to get the win in the first section. I also had a pretty decent run in the second test and just came up a little short behind Fahringer,” commented Mullins. “In the third test I got held up by a lapper that fell in front of me and I couldn’t pass in the tight section so I had to wait for him to get going again. It’s just part of racing, but I did lose quite a bit of time in that section.”
Mullins was able to pull it together in the final three tests, turning the fastest time in all three sections. After winning four of the six special tests he was able to ride away with the win. Husaberg’s Nick Fahringer finished 2nd overall while Buttrick and Bobbitt finished 3rd and 4th respectively.
Now three rounds into the series, the FMF/KTM Team holds the top three positions in overall points. Bobbitt holds the points lead with two wins, Mullins is currently in 2nd with one win and Buttrick is 3rd in the overall standings.
Supercross:Red Bull/KTM Factory Team rider Andrew Short made the best of what could have been a disastrous weekend with a come from behind climb through the pack to earn 7th overall at the twelfth round of the AMA Supercross Series in Toronto, Canada.
Short had unfortunate luck in his heat when he suffered a mechanical problem and was forced to withdraw from the race and head to the last chance qualifier. His teammate, Mike Alessi came from a bad start in the same heat to move into the final qualifying position to earn a spot on the main event gate.
“I was nervous heading to the LCQ because I haven’t been to one since 2008,” commented Short. “But it went well and I got a good start from the outside, made some safe passes to move into the lead and took the win to get my Red Bull/KTM into the main event.”
Both Red Bull/KTM Team riders earned phenomenal starts last weekend and were hoping to do the same at the start of the Toronto race but luck wouldn’t have it. Short had to move in from the way outside and got pushed off the track just as he was cutting inside while Alessi missed the turn and had some issues of his own. Both riders got their momentum back and hurried to regain positions.
Alessi was marked down a lap as a result of the first turn mishap while Short started the first lap in 17th and crossed the finish line jump of the same lap three spots forward in 14th. Unfortunately, a few laps into the race Alessi encountered another set back when he suffered a mechanical problem and did not finish the race. Short continued to solider on for the team and moved his KTM 350 SX-F quickly through the pack.
The majority of Short’s passes were made in the first few laps. He began the race at the tail end of a seven rider train and had moved quickly by the riders and into a top ten position by the halfway point. Sticking close by was Kevin Windham who plowed through the bottom half of the riders with Short until it was just the two of them battling for what was now 7th position. Short led their battle through the laps and eventually pulled Windham on the final laps of the race to secure the position.
“I am pretty happy with my ride tonight. Whenever you have a bad start you never know how bad the race can turn out. I am really happy that I moved up inside the top ten and was able to salvage some much needed points,” stated Short after the race.
The riders will return home for the week before heading back to Short’s home state of Texas for the thirteenth round next weekend at the Cowboy Stadium in Dallas.
Factory Red Bull/KTM riders Andrew Short and Mike Alessi put in impressive rides at the 11th round of the AMA Supercross Series held in Jacksonville, FL with a 5th place performance by Short and a 7th place result for Alessi.
Both Red Bull/KTM riders had excellent heat races with both KTM 350 SX-F machines taking the holeshot in their heats. The #800 machine of Mike Alessi was up first in heat number one. He nailed the holeshot and took the early lead.
He continued to lead for the first half of the race before he was passed on lap five. “I began to get arm pump on the fifth lap and fell off the pace a little bit,” remarked Alessi. “I was still happy to run up front for the time that I did and to finish 5th overall in the heat.”
Andrew Short followed Alessi’s start strategy and grabbed the holeshot in his heat. He led James Stewart briefly on the first lap before dropping to 2nd position. Short and Reed battled on the next two laps before Reed made the pass and Short settled into 3rd. Once in 3rd, Short hung tight to the spot and finished in that position to take a nice qualifying spot into the main event.
In the main event, Alessi duplicated his heat race start and pulled the holeshot around the first corner. Short was a few spots back in 6th position. On the first lap, Alessi and Davi Millsaps came together and allowed Short to pass into 4th. Short remained in 4th through the first half of the race before Kevin Windham made a pass on the tenth lap.
Short was able to ride a consistent race through the remaining laps to finish 5th overall marking his sixth top five finish this season. Meanwhile, Alessi spent the majority of the race in 8th position before closing in on Austin Stroupe with a few laps remaining. With one lap to go, Alessi was all over Stroupe. On the final corner he cut underneath Stroupe and made the pass just in time to cross the finish. That pass moved Alessi up to 7th for the night marking his season best finish.
Red Bull/KTM Factory Team rider Mike Alessi earned 10th overall at the tenth round of the AMA Supercross Series at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN.
Alessi and his teammate Andrew Short were both placed in heat one. Off the start both riders were in the top ten. Short worked his way up to 5th place to earn a great gate pick in the main event while Alessi took the final transfer spot with a 9th place finish.
The main event did not go so well for Short. He had a bad jump off the line and came around the first corner near the back of the back. A few turns later he suffered a mechanical problem and was unable to finish the race.
His teammate, Alessi, carried on rounding the first lap in 15th position. He moved up two positions on the next lap to take over 13th place. He continued to maintain his pace as the race progressed and by the halfway point had picked up two more positions. With only two laps to go he was able to capitalize on a mistake by another rider and picked up 10th overall for the night.
“I am happy to finish inside the top ten tonight. This course was definitely challenging and I felt like everyone had a couple close calls tonight as we tried to pick up the speed on the course. I am excited about my consistency to finish inside the top ten but would like to move my focus toward the top five for the second half of this season,” stated Alessi.
The KTM Enduro Factory Team recently presented at the World Championship Indoor Enduro event in Barcelona Spain together with the latest generation of Orange Enduro models.
Now in the countdown to the start of the official calendar of events team boss Fabio Farioli reports that the pre-season preparation has been excellent and he is looking forward to a positive racing season in 2011.
“We are very positive about the 2011 Enduro bikes and our riders can hardly wait to get out on the track and tackle the competition,” he said.
Following on from a successful 2010 season Farioli believes the team has entered a new era with the new generation bikes and the current lineup of riders.
After completing intensive pre-season training, including a joint session in Spain at Stefan Everts’ special facility together with the MX riders of the Red Bull Teka KTM Factory Racing Team, the Enduro riders are looking forward to getting some competition practice under their wheels before the official start of the World Championship GP season on April 1-2, 2011.
The factory lineup shows great promise for the 2011 season and will have the first chance to test themselves on the track and against rivals during the Italian National Championships next weekend in two races on the island of Sardinia (March 12-13) and a further race in Turin, Italy on the following weekend. The only rider who will not compete in these events will be David Knight who has been training in Spain and in the USA.
KTM Racing Press Release
hort had unfortunate luck in his heat when he suffered a mechanical problem and was forced to withdraw from the race and head to the last chance qualifier. His teammate, Mike Alessi came from a bad start in the same heat to move into the final qualifying position to earn a spot on the main event gate.
Both Red Bull/KTM riders had excellent heat races with both KTM 350 SX-F machines taking the holeshot in their heats. The #800 machine of Mike Alessi was up first in heat number one. He nailed the holeshot and took the early lead.
Alessi and his teammate Andrew Short were both placed in heat one. Off the start both riders were in the top ten. Short worked his way up to 5th place to earn a great gate pick in the main event while Alessi took the final transfer spot with a 9th place finish.
Now in the countdown to the start of the official calendar of events team boss Fabio Farioli reports that the pre-season preparation has been excellent and he is looking forward to a positive racing season in 2011.