Solid weekend for Yamaha and FSX rider Eugene Laverty

Yamaha World Superbike riders Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri fought hard in difficult conditions in Miller Motorsports Park today, U.S. “ Memorial Day” Monday, to take home well-earned points and with both riders now in the top four on the 2011 Championship standings. Variable weather conditions throughout the weekend did not render the infamously difficult and technically demanding American track any easier. Melandri tried his R1 machine in Miller for his first time ever on a dry track in Saturday’s first qualifying, conditions that did not represent themselves until today’s races. With Sunday’s extremely wet weather the Italian was unable to improve various potential dry chassis set ups on the second qualifying day.

An eventful Race one saw several riders crash out of contention at the early stages. Laverty and Melandri got perfect initial starts off their front row places on the grid but unfortunately fell back several positions before entering the first corner. A shifting error on the long straight after the start saw Laverty falling to 15th place before entering the first curve. Impressive race craft was on display as the determined World Superbike Rookie put his head down, gradually closed in on contenders ahead, taking him up to fourth place by lap nine. The Irishman then took on Camier and Guintoli to sit in second place by mid race behind race leader and eventual winner Checa, until extreme tyre wear prevented him from continuing to perform to his full potential. Fighting hard Laverty relentlessly surrendered his podium and crossed the chequered flag in fifth place, just behind Camier in fourth. Melandri was subject to a difficult race one losing three places in early stages of the race, bumping him to seventh. The Italian fought hard to re-claim positions but suffering from tyre wear he completed the race in tenth place. Race two proved to be equally challenging for the Yamaha World Superbike riders. An ideal start allowed both riders to maintain their third and fourth grid positions. Laverty demonstrated to be a skillful rider yet again, pacing himself throughout the race to prevent tyre wear and eventually crossed the line in fourth place in a race won by Checa again. Melandri struggled to keep his initial position and fell back to sixth place by mid race. Fighting off advances from Guintoli and Smrz, the Italian completed the second race in sixth place.

The Yamaha World Superbike Team leaves Miller topping the Team standings with 243 points. Marco Melandri remains in second position in the 2011 Championship standings, 61 points behind Checa in the lead and one point ahead of Biaggi in third while his team-mate Eugene Laverty has jumped up to fourth place in the classification with 109 points. Both riders head to Misano on the 12th June intent on demonstrating yet again to be strong contenders for the championship title.

Marco Melandri
Yamaha World Superbike Team - 10th, 6th
“It was a very difficult day all round. In race one I got off to a good start but I touched Haga at the beginning and let several riders fly by. After a few laps I hit the kerb-stone with the engine cover and the bike leaked a bit of oil on the gearshifter so I had difficulty preventing my foot from slipping. Mid race I also had a problem with the rear tyre which seemed to move and it wasn’t easy to keep the bike stable. Race two was another difficult race, the worst for me this year. I couldn’t perform and prove my potential at any stage. I had set up issues from the very beginning especially on entering curves. I did my best to find a consistent race pace but it was impossible. This isn’t the type of race I should be doing as this way you don’t win championships.”


Eugene Laverty
Yamaha World Superbike Team - 5th, 4th
“I managed to get a great start off the line in both races and maintain my starting position into the first curve. In race one I made a mistake changing the gears which caused me to drop back to 15th. I climbed up to second by mid race but then I began to suffer from extreme tyre wear. We improved the chassis setting before race two and I was a lot more cautious with the tyre. I was sitting in third place from early on but I didn’t want to push too hard in on Max to ensure the tyres would last to the end. I’m quite happy having finished fifth and fourth in the two races and I’m now fourth in the standings, which I’m pleased with.”

Pastrana - X Games practice Backflip 180 on a half pipe!

This is why TP is the greatest Freestyle rider of all time - innovation! He's bored of going over a straight ramp so decided to find a half pipe and go for it on that!

Pastrana Confirmed for X Games 17, what's he got planned?

It was announced this week that DC's Travis Pastrana is now confirmed for best trick, which is awesome news! It’s the event that turned TP from the best Freestyle Motocross rider on the planet to a global action sports super star when he landed the double backflip in 06. Since then TP hasn’t had much luck in the event, not competing in 2010 and having a gnarly crash in 09 when he tried to land the TP720.

We’ve been chatting in the office trying to think what on earth he could try and bring to X17 that would win him the gold and show the world that he’s still got it! A double backflip wouldn’t be anything special this time, he landed one last year without even trying on the way to winning freestyle gold, so that’s off the list! Next we’ve got the TP720. It’s been three years in the making now, but it is without a doubt the most difficult trick to pull. After these two we got talking about the front flip, Pastrana hasn’t been seen attempting one or talking about it! With his fellow Nitro Circus buddy crew Jim DeChamp having stomped it on a dirt bike a few years ago, it’s left us wondering whether or not we could any up seeing some crazy front flip combo…

It’s all now a waiting game to see what’s going to happen but one thing is certain, competition is going to be tough! Todd Potter has been seen practicing some kind of crazy front flip way back in April and with Kyle Loza, Robbie Maddison, Cam Sinclair on Mark Monea with his crazy front flip 360 there is some serious competition!

Whilst we're on the subject, have you seen our new Red Bull Pastrana teamwear? Check it out!

Volcom Riders gear up for AMA Outdoors

The Volcom backed Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki race team sets its sights on The Lucas Oil Motocross Series Championship this Saturday, with the series opener being held at the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova, CA.

"I've been looking forward to bouncing back after a rough supercross season," said Dean Wilson. "I know I have speed, but we'll see what happens. I think I have the most fun riding motocross and I know that can help me stay loose during the long motos."

After finishing off the AMA Supercross series with the Lites Western Region championship title, Broc Tickle looks to keep the momentum going into the outdoors.

"After a pretty good supercross season, I am really looking forward to going back outdoors and seeing where I stack up against everyone." said Blake Baggett.

Finishing an impressive second place finish in the motocross standings last year, Tyla Rattray proved to his competitors why he was a world motocross champion. With wins at High Point Raceway and MX-338 and six additional trips to the podium, the South African only finished outside the top-five twice. This year, Rattray looks to add an AMA motocross championship to his resume.

Josh Hansen had a stellar Supercross season scoring multiple race wins but after dealing with a broken hand, he had some heartbreaking turn of events toward the end of his SX season. Josh will bypass the outdoors circuit and will focus on his future in Supercross going into 2012.

MX1 - Philippaerts victorious after Brazilian battle with Cairolli

The fourth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship belonged to Monster Energy Yamaha and David Philippaerts as the Italian emerged victorious from two hugely entertaining motos at a sweltering and packed Indaiatuba. The Grand Prix of Brazil saw DP19 fight KTM's Tony Cairolii right to the bitter end, with Philippaaerts 7 Cairoli taking home the same points. It was the first time since the 2010 French Grand Prix that he's taken an overall win.

26,000 spectators filled the grandstands around the excellent racing facility an hour north of Sao Paolo. Hot & steamy weather graced the entire weekend as the Grand Prix community faced their second fly-away event in succession.

On Saturday the factory Yamahas formation-flew as Frossard led the Qualification Heat from Philippaerts before the Italian took control at the mid-way point of the sprint and glided to his first pole position since the season-closing Italian Grand Prix last year.

Filling the first slot on the line for the tricky uphill start from a soft gate, Philippaerts and Frossard both launched well and embarked on a spat with Antonio Cairoli for the lead that lasted practically all of the 35 minutes and 2 laps. Clement Desalle also jointed the dispute prior to his error three laps from the flag. Frossard eventually dropped back in third and Philippaerts followed Cairoli to the line.

Another good battle later in the afternoon involved the same cast but Steve Ramon also joined the fray. Desalle again made a mistake and fell and Philippaerts was able to control the moto from the front. Cairoli applied pressure on the penultimate lap but Philippaerts responded by setting the fastest time of the race on the very last lap. The former world champion now has two podium results in 2011. Frossard felt the effects of the thumb strain he sustained in the USA and was fifth at the finish, tying on points with Desalle for third place but losing the podium due to the second race classification.

Anthony Boissiere was searching for points inside the top ten of the leader-board and finished twelfth in the first moto but a hefty crash in the second left the Frenchman short of breath and holding his right shoulder. Full credit must go to 2010 MX3-GP World Champion Carlos Campano who was riding a stock YZ450F after problems with U.S. customs. The Spaniard aced the holeshot against a gate-ful of works bikes in the first moto. Campano was sadly unable to last the distance or even start the second due to pain his hand after a fall at Glen Helen last week.

In the world championship standings Philippaerts and Frossard are fourth and fifth respectively with Boissiere in twelfth. The Grand Prix of France (home events for Frossard and Boissiere and in fact the site of the latters first moto victory in 2005) will occur in two weeks at St Jean dAngely and will start a run of three consecutive events with visits to Spain and Portugal following immediately after.


David Philippaerts, 1st:
I am so happy with this win and Brazil is becoming a special place for me after some good motos last year also. The track was nice and every corner was different with the lines, so the riders were going at different speeds. Like last year I have the same points as Antonio but we have the win this time and I pleased about this. I changed my lines during the middle of the second moto and made a big push. Antonio was fast and I knew he would come but I just focussed on the track ahead and set the fastest time on the last lap. We go to France next and I won my first GP there in 2005 and also last season so I am motivated for this race. Im glad to be heading home now.

Steven Frossard, 4th:
I was happy with the first race because I had a good battle with Cairoli and Philippaerts and it was a lot of fun. In the second moto I took a great start but Philippaerts was faster. At mid-race distance I had a lot of pain in my thumb and I couldnt brake properly. I had to let Ramon and Desalle go through and I ended the race disappointed with fifth because I was close to the podium. It was difficult today. The first part of the track was good but all the bumps and the uphill of the second half of the lap was very difficult for me.

Anthony Boissiere, 18th:
In the beginning things were OK but the track was hard and difficult. I was twelfth in the first moto and then inside the top ten in the second when I hit Barragans bike in a corner. I crashed and it was not possible to breathe for a little while. My shoulder was hurt and I knew I would not be able to continue. I am disappointed with this because I had worked hard during the week and I hope things will be better at St Jean.

Bolddog FMX Championship - Press Day

Spectators will see the UK’s top freestyle motocross riders jumping over 40 feet high into the skies over gaps of up to 80 feet, performing an array of FMX tricks usually only seen on television, such as the amazing “backflip”! The Riders will go head to head in a true test of nerve to see who will throw the biggest tricks to win over the crowd and the professional judges in the Freestyle Championship.

We headed up to the event to get some exclusive pictures and get them to do some tricks just for us! We put the FSX van between the ramp and the landing, check out the pictures below.

Also included in the evening will be street bike freestyle, a mini-bike freestyle competition and mini-bike race. Entertainment off the bikes will include local rock band, “L.A.F.”, professional dancers, fire breathers and of course the “Bolddog Babes” brolly girls.

Both local and national riders will be taking part in the competition including the UK’s current number one FMX rider, Chris Birch from Haverhill, near Bury St Edmunds, who was the only UK rider to be invited to compete in the Redbull X-Fighters International Championship at Battersea, London last year. Other local pro riders that are expected to make an impression in the results include Dan Whitby from Fakenham, Samson Eaton from Harleston and Arran Powley from Dereham.

FreestyleXtreme gear up for Bolddog FMX tour!

On the evening of Saturday June 4th 2011, Rougham Airfield, near Bury St Edmunds will see a new type of pilot and machine take to the skies - The Action Sports Company, Bolddog, will be running a Freestyle Motocross (FMX) Championship and other extreme sports entertainment throughout the evening.

Spectators will see the riders jumping over 40 feet high into the skies over gaps of up to 80 feet, which will give the riders enough “air-time” to perform an array of death defying tricks usually only seen on television. The tricks will include the amazing “back flip”, “look back heart attack”, “holy grab”, “switch blade”, “kiss of death”, “dead body” and many more. Many of these moves will result in the rider exiting their seat, taking their hands and feet off the motorcycle and rotating their body around the bike!

The Riders will go head to head in a true test of nerve to see who will throw the biggest tricks to win over the crowd and the professional judges in the Freestyle Championship. There will even be on board commentary provided by one of the riders as he flies through the air while performing his tricks giving you a true taste of what the riders are doing.

Also included in the evening will be a mini-bike speed and style freestyle competition and race. There will also be the UK’s number one street bike freestyle rider, Paul Hanks, showing off the latest street bike tricks. Entertainment off the bikes will include local rock band “L.A.F.”, professional dancers, fire breathers and of course the “Bolddog Babes” brolly girls.
The Riders

The professional freestyle motocross riders will include the UK’s current number one FMX rider, Chris Birch from Haverhill, near Bury St Edmunds, who was the only UK rider to be invited to compete in the Redbull X-Fighters International Championship at Battersea, London last year. Other top UK professionals that will be competing to take the number one title will be Jamie Squibb from Devon, Dave Wiggins from Gatwick, Danny Veale from Maidstone, Ryan Pasch from Coventry and John Pearson from Preston. Local pro riders that are expected to make an impression in the results include Dan Whitby from Fakenham, Samson Eaton from Harleston and Arran Powley from Dereham.

The best from the UK’s amateur scene will also be given the chance to shine, including Ash Davies from Llangollen in Wales, Stuart Macey from Carshalton, Ben Robinson from Eastbourne, Josh Grindrod from Hockley, Ryan Powley from Dereham, George Harris and Harry Morgan, both from Dorking.

About Bolddog

Traditionally, and for the past seventeen years, the Bolddog Lings Freestyle Motocross Team have been traveling the UK and Europe performing mind blowing shows in font of both live and TV audiences, and in turn promoting motocross and motorcycle sport in a professional manor to a wider audience. The team perform at over 50 events live each year including City, Town, County, Motorsport and even TV Shows.

This year, the team have already been working in Europe, in both Holland and France promoting the EXFMX tour coming to Cardiff in July. Also later in the year they are to perform demonstrations at the Royal Welsh Show, the Royal Cornwall, the Three Counties Show, the British Superbikes and many more. The team also have an impressive list of Film and TV appearances, including performing with Chris Evans on Channel Four’s Famous & Fearless this year.

The Bolddog Lings FMX Team have developed the largest, most advanced ramps and landing systems in the industry. The high tech mobile ramps enable a performing arena to be set up in just a few minutes. This makes it possible for the general public to view one of the most spectacular sports in the world at a local event - traditionally, Supercross arenas and Freestyle Motocross demos were constructed using earth take-off and landing ramps, which take days to build!

Further Information & Tickets

The Team’s main sponsors are East Anglian Honda dealers Lings Honda and further support is received from Honda UK, HRC, Thor, Madison, Metal Mulisha, Osiris Shoes, Kickzoo, FreestyleXtreme, Alpinestars, Easton Bars, Castrol, Donjoy Knee Braces, Dirt Bike Rider Magazine, R. Henderson Sound, Dunlop Tyres, Peter Lee Fire, Waveney Truck Parts, Mojo and RaceBikeBitz.

To buy tickets and for further information on the Bolddog FMX Championship and the Bolddog Company, please visit www.bolddogfmx.com or telephone 07766 567007. The web site gives an overview of the rider profiles, videos, picture galleries, trick knowledge, team and company history, other event schedules, what else the team is up to and more. www.bolddogfmx.com is also an extreme sports online store offering clothing from brands such as Metal Mulisha, Osiris Shoes and Bolddog casual clothing.

Adult Tickets – Standing Only (16 years and over): £12.50 in advance or £15.00 on the night
Kids Tickets – Standing Only (15 years and under): £10.00 in advance or £12.50 on the night
Kids 5 years and under are free

Unbelievable! FSX Athlete Scott Elderfield goes HUGGEE!!

Sometimes the best thing to do is just to watch and be amazed; this is FreestyleXtreme backed Lanes Kawasaki rider Scott Elderfield..!!

Desalle Leads the World with a Win in Glen Helen!

Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1 was able to toast its second victory from just three rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship as Clement Desalle notched a perfect weekend at Glen Helen for the U.S. Grand Prix.

The Belgian sealed pole position and then won both motos on his works RM-Z450 in front of an attendance of 22,000 under varying weather conditions in California. Desalle regained the red plate as MX1 standings-leader after grasping his second champagne bottle of the season and was masterful across a difficult circuit.

Rain throughout Sunday morning meant that the long, fast and big jumps of the historic layout in San Bernardino became slippery and very muddy. Thankfully, strong winds cleared the grey clouds by midday and also started to dry the soil so that a very damp first moto gave way to demanding bumps and ruts by the time of the second gate-drop.

Desalle proved that he had found an unmatchable rhythm across the course during a dry Saturday when he sped to an undisputed pole position. Two excellent starts meant that the 21 year old could forge his pace at the front of the field. Antonio Cairoli and later Max Nagl gave chase to the rear Pirelli of the RM-Z450 deep into the 35 minute and 2 lap distance but neither could dislodge '25' from his position of control.

Team mate Steve Ramon was 13th overall but his result was determined by a fall on one of the steep hills in the first moto that damaged his motorcycle and forced a DNF. The former World Champion rode to seventh place in the second race.

Former World Championship runner-up Kevin Strijbos only just missed out on a podium finish with his RM-Z450 but the Belgian was a welcome sight back at the front of the GP field and collected fourth overall.

After three rounds of the World Championship, Desalle has regained the top spot of the standings and the red plate for the second time. He leads Nagl by six points and Cairoli by a hefty 24. Ramon is 11th.

The team will now refill the crates and pack in preparation for round four and the Grand Prix of Brazil at Indaiatuba next weekend.

Clement Desalle:

"It was a great weekend for me and I have never taken pole position and won both motos before. I also stayed on two wheels and came away without any problems, which is important because the track was dangerous and you had to make quick decisions. I kept in my comfort zone and really enjoyed it."

Steve Ramon:

"My riding wasn't bad but I couldn't find a good rhythm in the first moto and five minutes before the end I made a mistake going down the hill. It was a pretty big crash. The handlebar was bent and the clutch lever had folded down so I had to stop. No points, no good. I was top-five at the start of the second moto but lost two positions on the second lap; however my speed was good. Near the end I had a problem with a lapped rider and I twisted my foot trying to pass him. I had to slow down in the last half-a-lap. What can I say? I cannot be too disappointed because the last few weeks were terrible for me but I had the energy to complete the moto at least. I am looking forward to Brazil now."

MX1 Moto1: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 41:30.376; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:02.908; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:45.473; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:51.224; 5. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:57.603; 6. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +1:03.102; 7. Anthony Boissiere (FRA, Yamaha), +1:20.482; 8. Christian Craig (USA, Honda), +1:21.415; 9. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), +1:36.743; 10. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), +1:48.42. 28. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), -4 lap(s).

MX1 Moto2: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 43:24.372; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), +0:01.561; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:11.515; 4. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), +0:12.887; 5. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:20.108; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Honda), +0:30.121; 7. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), +0:34.060; 8. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), +0:35.550; 9. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), +0:52.794; 10. Xavier Boog (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:56.262;

MX1 Overall result: 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 50 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 42 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 35 p.; 4. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 34 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 32 p.; 6. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 28 p.; 7. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 27 p.; 8. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), 25 p.; 9. Anthony Boissiere (FRA, Yamaha), 23 p.; 10. Christian Craig (USA, Honda), 21 p.; 13. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 14 p.

MX1 World Championship (after 3 of 15 rounds): 1. Clement Desalle (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 128 points; 2. Maximilian Nagl (GER, KTM), 122 p.; 3. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 104 p.; 4. Steven Frossard (FRA, Yamaha), 96 p.; 5. David Philippaerts (ITA, Yamaha), 91 p.; 6. Rui Goncalves (POR, Honda), 89 p.; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), 87 p.; 8. Jonathan Barragan (ESP, Kawasaki), 78 p.; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), 68 p.; 10. Davide Guarneri (ITA, Kawasaki), 58 p.; 11. Steve Ramon (BEL, Rockstar Energy Suzuki World MX1), 56 p.

Preview: MotoGP Heads to Le Mans!

This season's MotoGP has been pretty epic so far, and that looks all set to continue when the MotoGP circus heads off to Le Mans this weekend.

So far this season we've had three different winners, namely Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo. The most notable absence to the list of winners is a certain Italian, whose switch to Ducati so far hasn't quite been the fairytale it was cracked up to be!

Pedrosa seems to be the man of the moment, taking the win in Portugal after recovering from shoulder surgery. Dani Pedrosa put on a clinical display of race craft at the previous Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril to win his first race of the season and move close to championship leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha).

He's now in better shape than ever, and with Casey Stoner hot on his heels expect him to be on fine form at Le Mans. Casey struggled in Portugal with back pain, an issue which he will be hoping has gone away for Le Mans, fortunately it's not one of the bumpier tracks on the calender!
Lorenzo will want to stop Pedrosa in his tracks, Le Mans is one of his favourite tracks and he won here in 2010.

They will be using the Le Mans Bugatti track which is the shorter race track, not the same one they use for the 24 hour race. It's reasonably fast with a high speed right hander just after the start and a fast back section. The final sector is where a lot of time can be gained or lost, it's much tighter than the rest of the track and a good exit from the final corner can make of break a lap.

Whilst we are on the subject, don't forget you can win VIP tickets to the Moto GP at Silverstone with us and the guys at Alpinestars!

New Bike, New Kit, Race win in Bulgaria for Rob Smith!

FreestyleXtreme's newest team rider, Rob Smith has just got back from Bulgaria for his first race on his new bike, here is the blog story from the trip!

Bulgaria, my first race abroad this year was at Sopot, which is one serious track, and would be really good to get used to the new bike. I headed out to the race with Ben Baker, Ralph Jones, Ad Morgan, James Stock and Tom Tickle Gatton, via the lovely Easy Jet.

After a few rain storms the track was pretty slippy, We didnt get too much practice in as the cable slipped off the chairlift, an hour later it was back on and after seeding Ben Baker was first by 5 seconds, with me in second after a steady run , James Stock 3rd and Ralph 4th.

Race day, with the mountain covered in fog, it was pretty cold, and you could hardly see where you were riding in practice, sadly this was the case for one marshal who didn't see Rocking Ralph Jones coming and got hit at full speed, he didn't sound too good, hopefully he is OK now ! I had a solid race run and went into the lead with a 3.57, James Stock went into 5th and Baker 4th on his new bike, which got plenty of attention in the Monster pits, So a first place for me which i was really pleased with ! Ralph was 3rd and a young guy from Slovakia who will be one to watch 2nd. A good start to racing on the new bike !