Double Podium Glory at Hawkstone for FSX's LPE Kawasaki

Following a horrible seven days the Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasaki Team loaded up and headed to Hawkstone for round 5 of the Red Bull Pro National Championship, and the Kawasaki UK Launch of the new 2012 bikes. The team had spent the week recovering from the Break In at the teams workshop with everyone having to work even harder than normal to ensure we could still attend this event.

The day started with the Practice and Qualification session and with the track being left rough from the youth racing the day before, the riders had plenty of racing lines to choose from. Bryan Mackenzie posted the fastest time in the MX2 class ahead of the likes of Jake Nicholls, Max Anstie and Elliott Banks-Browne, while Gert Krestinov produced a solid 6th place in the MX1 class. Connor Walkley spent the Qualifying session trying to find the best set up on a different bike following the loss of his race bikes in the theft. At the end of the session managed a 20th fastest time in MX2 class after a big crash coming down the hill.
After the lunch break it was time for the opening race of the day. The first race was red flagged in the third lap and handed both Bryan and Gert second chances following crashes on the opening lap. In the restart both Bryan and Gert rounded the first corner inside the top 10. As the race moved on Gert pushed forward and finished the race in a great third place behind Tommy Searle who was guest riding on the new 2012 Kawasaki 450 and Martin Barr. Bryan again rode a solid race a worked his way into third place in MX2 behind Anstie and Clarke. Connor Walkley rode a steady race after struggling to find a set up on the bike, but worked hard to finish 17th in MX2.

The second race of the day saw both Bryan and Gert make top 5 starts pushing on with the front guys early on. Connor also made a good start but a crash on the opening lap dropped the youngster to the back of the field and then a bike problem on lap 3 took Connor out of the race. At the front Gert was battling with Searle and Anderson in the opening laps. At the midway point Gert was in a comfortable third and looking to pass Anderson for second, which he did on the last lap only to be blocked by a back marker letting Anderson back through. Bryan continued to move forward and produce another third place finish. Gert and Bryan’s great results landed them both second overall in each of the MX1 and MX2 class’s,
only being headed by Monster CLS Pro Circuit Kawasaki guest riders Tommy Searle MX1 and Max Anstie MX2.

Connor Walkley
This weekend has possibly been my worst this season, I’ve had no luck this weekend with losing the race bikes in the theft. I struggled with the set up of the bike all day and was swapping between bikes. I had a 17th in the first race and DNF in the second so I’m not happy and roll on next weekend.

Gert Krestinov
My Qualifying session didn’t go to plan and I finished in 6th place in MX1. The first race I got a good start and was in the top 6 and managed to get into third place early on and I felt good as the race went on and the track got rougher. The last race the track was pretty rough and I felt good and followed Anderson in second place and passed him on the last lap but he got me back. I finished second overall on the day and feel happy for the whole team and it’s a big pressure off my shoulders.

Bryan Mackenzie
Today has been a really good weekend following the bad luck the team has suffered in the last week. I raced yesterday in the Scottish Championship and won all three races, but you could say that it is has worked against me with being tired. It’s been a long weekend this week with not arriving at the track today until 5:30am. It’s been nice to repay Steve after this last week, and my Mechanic working on my bike until midnight and also my mate Smithy for driving us down from Scotland over night. So hopefully I can keep this roll going for next weekend and move up the Championship table.

Steve James
After a very bad weekend last week with the break in, and a terrible week at home trying to sort everything out it’s been a bad place to be in. I’m so proud of my whole team this week for digging deep & showing what we can do, I’d like to thank BC for building a bike for Connor and making do of the parts we have left after the break in, just to get to the race this weekend was a massive achievement. The results today have been fantastic with second overall in both MX1 and MX2, and to be the first championship regulars home was a great feeling. Poor Connor didn’t have a good day, but I’m proud of him for doing the best he
could riding a bike that wasn’t really set up for him. Bryan has had a mega weekend winning the three races at the Scottish Championship and then driving all night to get here to ride in two strong races today. He has serious guts and determination to finish second overall. Gert rode well all day and hounded Brad in the second race and actually passed him at the end but lost out due to a back marker. We are third in both MX1 & MX2 Championships & pushing hard for second so it has been a good end to a horrible week and we can move on to Desertmartin next weekend even stronger.

FSX's Rob Smith - Two UCI World Cups in three weeks!

Three weeks, two World Cups and a week in Morzine with two downhill bikes and two road bikes, Ralph Jones and I headed down to Dover for the standard midnight ferry. A couple of hours driving into France before pulling in for a sleep in Hotel Van ! Waking up the next day at a French service station, the mighty Scotty Mears was also pulled in for a sleep in the next parking bay !

5 star !

La Bresse
Used for the first time in 2009 it was back on the circuit ! The French seemed to put a lot of effort in to the event, with some great features on the natural track. Everyone seemed keen to have the event in town and there is always a good buzz in France after the Tour de France.

La Bresse
The track was quite short, but had plenty of line choice and options and some new jumps from the old track, the finish jump had to be made smaller after some serious cases ! After some good practice I was feeling good for qaulifying, but after missing two lines and losing some valuable time I was worried I wouldn't make it into the final as I knew the times would be super close ! I ended up 54th which was all good as I knew I had more time for the finals !
Half way Chalet huck !

Race day and the rain came, changing the dry track into a boggy fest and it looked like a lot of riders were struggling ! I put a full spike on for the final and was looking forward to it ! Sat at the start I could see the 2nd turn which had some deep ruts in, the line I was hitting had filled up with water, no time to change lines now so I planned to back off a little through the puddle ! As I left the start and got the first few ruts nice and fast I completely forgot the plan and hit the rut flat out, going straight down in a big splash !! Game over, I was soaked but nailed the rest of the track and ended up 75th, on such a short track you couldn't make a mistake let alone have a big crash ! Never ride through puddles if you don't know how deep they are !

On the deck !

Minnaar won with a storming run, Barel's run was awesome to watch and he finished 4th later annoucing his retirement. His race runs will be missed, he was the man for one off races, have a watch of his worlds run below ! Al Bond ended up 19th with a bent chain ring his splits were top 10 ! This was one of the best World Cups I have done, good organisation and the crowd was immense, on a short track the crowd lined it the whole way down !
Race run !

Morzine
A nice chilled week before heading to Italy, after a bit of a stitch up we had another night in Hotel Van, before Al Bond hooked us up with some top accompdation. We hit the Avoriaz climb on the road bikes, round about to round about, I completed the climb in 48 mins, Ralph was infront till the top got the better of his stomach ! Al Evans finished just behind me and Bond ten minutes behind on his xc bike ! Morzine seemed pretty quiet 'til the Shrewsbury massive of Titley, Meercat and co found some bangers ! Most of the tracks were pretty beat up but we still had a few good days riding ! Later in the week Ralph destroyed me on the time trial Morzine to Les gets and back ! Headcam from Morzine below
Thanks for help and Go Fast haircut Roland !

The valley of Sun
Val Di Sole
The toughest track I raced on in 2010 and it was the same in 2011, really hard to pick a line and keep your speed, and it was tough on the arms and brakes. This year the sunlight made things even more awkward in the woods with patches of sun in the dark dirt making it difficult to see. The BCF failed to enter me for this, even after a reminder, eventually I got it sorted ! After some good practice runs with Matt Simmonds I went into my qualifying run feeling OK. I made two mistakes ending up in the tapes twice, ending up 121st a lot of other Brits didn't make the final, so it was a weekend in the sun for Ralph and I, Ralph just missed qualifying by .4 !

Roots and Rocks

After not qualifying for the finals, Ralph and I decided to have a go at the road climb to the top of the mountain, 24 kilometres of climbing, 1 hour 28 minutes for me and Ralph four minutes in front, then we enjoyed beating the cars back down the 24 k !

Aaron Gwin won the race, with another one of his standard runs that he has been doing this year, a different league at the moment ! Should be interesting at the champs if its muddy though !
Danny Hart's run was awesome to watch, and what hasn't been seen on any of the videos was how big the cloud of dust was that he sent on the last corner ! Troy Brosnan looked fast all weekend and got his first podium, Simmonds finally getting back up to speed after injury finishing in 16th.

The long drive home and a couple of races left before winter ! Cheers Ralphy, a top few weeks.

Follow rob on twitter - twitter.com/robsmithdh

FSX at Matterley Basin - British Motocross GP

The Thirteenth round of the FIM World Motocross Championship took place at Matterley Basin, near Winchester in the UK - so we decided to head over!

It's been a solid season so far, but with Desalle out for the rest of the year, Cairolli looks set for th MX1 title and after a tough weekend for Herlings due to illness it looks like Fox Motocross's Ken Roczen will take MX2.

Fortunatley we didn't have any rain on the day, which is a good job 'cause no one would have got out the car park!

FSX Sponsored LPE Kawasaki Broken into - Help needed!

Late Saturday night / early hours of Sunday 21st August our Team Workshop was hit by thieves While the Team were away at the British GP!

They have taken a total of 8 bikes
(1) 2011 kawasaki kx 250f,( Connor Walkleys Race Bike ), fitted with c/w Tallon Wheels, black rims silver carbon hubs, Maxxis Tyres, 2010 front forks done by ERS, complete Hinson clutch & cover, PC clutch springs, PC valve spring kit, PC Cams, CP Piston, C,M Race cylinder head, GMX Oversize Rads, Renthal Bar mounts, Renthal 996 twin wall bars, Zeta clutch perch, Zeta alloy throttle tube, Zeta engine plugs, Renthal kevlar grips, DRC blue rad hoses, DEP S7 Exhaust System, Pro Carbon sump guard, Pro Carbon Tank cover,
Zeta hole shot device, Zeta oil filter cover / master cylinder cover / oil filler cap & axel blocks (all red) Factory fx seat cover, Raptor titanium foot pegs.
(2) 2011 kawasaki kx 250f (Connor Walkleys second Race bike / spare bike)
This bike is just the same with all the same extra parts apart from it had stock wheels in it
(3) 2011 kawasaki 250f this was a stock trim bike in like new condition ready to be sold, new stock wheels c/w bridgestone tyres,
(4) 2011 kawasaki kx 250f, stock bike with stock wheels, L.P.E GFX with number 91 on them, DEP Pipe, this bike was awaiting repair it had a small hole in the generator cover.
(5) 2010 kawasaki kxf 450, stock bike c/w L.P.E GFX & DEP Pipe, this bike had some crash damage from practising on wednesday! the sub frame was well bent & the tail pipe was bent right up.this was my knephews bike,he unfortunately crashed & broke his wrist on the wednesday, hense the damage.
(6) 2005 kx 250 2stroke c/w L.P.E GFX with number 91 on the bike, stock wheels & stock pipe, this bike was also my knephews bike.
(7) 2007 kx 250 2stroke c/w old style L.P.E GFX Tallon wheels with gold hubs, Doma tail long enduro tail pipe, this bike had a special engine tuned by yohan loyten.
(8) 2011 honda crf 250 c/w Talon wheels, red hubs, black rims, ERS suspension, PC shock link, PC clutch springs, Renthal 996 Bars, Renthal Bar mounts, DEP Exhaust System, Zeta clutch lever & perch, Works Conection Rad braces, Rads strengthened by GMX, this bike was Gert Krestinovs mechanics bike.
also the team bikes were marked on the engine & the frame with team identification, so they could be easily recognised by us.

Also parts, spares, product etc that was taken
(Maxxis Tyres) 10 x 110/90/19 SI rear tyres, 5 x 110/90/19 Sand / Mud Scoop tyres, 12 x 80/100/21 SI front tyres, 4 x 80/100/21 Enduro front tyres.

(Mousses) 15 x 100/90/19 rear mousses, 10 x 110/90/19 rear mousses,15 x 80/100/21 front mousses.

(Tubes)

12 x Maxxis heavy duty front tubes 80/100/21, 12 x 100/90/19 rear tubes & 12 x 110/90/19 rear tubes.

(wheels)

10 x 2011 brand new stock front wheels c/w bridgestone tyres
10 x 2011 brand new stock rear wheels c/w bridgestone tyres
2 x tallon front wheels used
2 x tallon rear wheels used
2 x brand new tallon front wheels & 2 x brand new tallon 18′ rear Enduro wheels, still in the box.

(oils)
30 x 1 litre bottles of Motorex cross power 4T engine oil, 30 x 1 litre bottles of Motorex G48 coolant, plus varios other oils & lubes etc

(plastics)

8 x Acerbis green front mudguards, 8 x Acerbis green back mudguards, plus 12 x complete stock plastic kits.

(suspension)

3 x sets of brand new 2011 250f single spring front forks, 1 x set of brand new 2011 450 forks & 1 x brand new 2011 450 shock.

(handlebars)

12 x pairs of Renthal 997 twin wall bars, 12 x pairs of Renthal 996 twin wall bars,12 x pairs of Renthal 672 fat bars, 20 x pairs of 604 Renthal fat bars.

(grips)

20 x Renthal kevlar half waffle, 30 x Renthal medium half waffle, 30 x Renthal soft, half waffle, 20 x Renthal medium full diamond.

(sprockets)

all Renthal, 10 x 13T front for 450, 10 x 14T front for 450, 5 x 13T front for 250f, plus 125 & 250 2stroke front sprockets, 15 x 47T rear, 15 x 48T rear, 15 x 49T rear, 25 x 50T rear, 25 x 51T rear, 10 x 52T rear & 10 x 53T rear sprockets.

(spares)

30 x 250f clutch steel plates, 15 x 450 clutch steel plates, 4 x Zeta clutch levers c/w perch, 20 red Zeta front wheel spacers, 20 x Zeta red rear wheel spacers, 6 x sets of gen kawasaki brake pads, 8 x LH rad luevers, 8 x RH rad luevers, 1 x 450 cylinder, complete stock clutch assembly, 2 x stock front front brake levers, 2 x complete 450 clutches steel & fiber plates, DP Brake pads 25 sets front 25 sets of rear, 2 x sets of GMX oversize rads for 250f, 4 x sets of stock rads for 250f, 4 x sets of stock rads for 450, 5 x sets of Raptor titanium foot pegs for 250f & 450, 35 x DID chains, 5 x sets of stock 450 triple clamps, 3 x sets of 250f stock triple clamps, 1 x complete 450 Hinson clutch, 1 x complete 250f Hinson clutch, 4 x Hinson pressure plates, 1 x 250f Hinson clutch rubbers, 80 x 250f fiber clutch plates, 50 x 450 fiber clutch plates,
2 x CP pistons for 250f, 2 x CP pistons for 450, 2 x PC cams for 250f new, 2 x sets of PC valve spring kits new, 2 x sets of PC clutch springs new, 250f head new, RTS 250f tuned head, 5 x stock chain blocks, 8 x stock chain slippers, several front & rear disc’s,

(tools)

8 x sets of motion pro T-Bar’s, 8 x 32mm motion pro spanner – tyre lever combo, 15 x DRC cable oilers,
10 x DRC spoke wrenches, 10 x DRC spring puller, 30 x DRC chain rollers.

As you can see they have done a proper job & the length’s they went to to firstly get into my place & secondly to get all the stuff away as they have had to go across several fields cutting barbed wire & going through hedges etc, they new just what they wanted to take as they left some things behind that wasn’t any use to them for the bikes they took, what really pisses me off is for the amount of stuff they took it was like it was done to order & that it has got to be someone who new i was away at the GP for the weekend & new not all the team riders were riding at the GP! so this has got to be someone within the sport / motocross industry & that makes me feel sick to think about it, i work very hard every day to run my business in a time when it isn’t easy, i run a team because i love motocross & i enjoy getting away from work to have a break from the norm, but now this has happened it makes you think why do i bother! what gives people the wright to take what isn’t theres & prophit from it. I’m sure the bikes will be long gone by now, but if anybody hears anything or knows where they may be can they please give me a call on 07885 637003 or drop me a email to stevejameslpe1@aol.com thankyou

Get ready for the Amateur Freestyle Motocross event of the year!

Over 20 amateur FMX riders from across the UK are getting ready to show off their stuff at the country’s first ever Amateur FMX Championship next weekend. Organised by a group of FMXers in Surrey, the AFMX Jam is a true grassroots event by riders, for riders. A panel of FMX heavyweights will be judging the Jam, including X-Fighters judge Jason Moriarty, FMX World supremo Mick Datitz, and Bolddog FMX star Dan Whitby. The UK’s No 1 FMX rider Chris Birch, AKA Swampy, will also put in an appearance to support the event.


All skill levels are present, from beginner to semi-pro, but everyone share a passion for FMX and a vision of what it can become in the UK. The AFMX Jam takes place at the country's premier custom-built FMX compound, which features five ramps, a fun box, as well as multiple dirt hits and transitions. The Jam also acts as the qualifying round for the amateur segment of the 1st full-on UK FMX Championship series next year.

The event kicks off with a full practice day on the Saturday, followed by the competition on Sunday afternoon. Afterwards the riders, their families and friends will chill out at a BBQ and party.

FreestyleXtreme's Rob Smith in Morzine

FSX's Rob Smith has just got back from Morzine in France, here's a sweet onboard video of him!

John Laverty - On the mend!

Eugene Laverty (Rockin' one of the Santa Cruz tees he got from us!) with his brother John

Things were put into perspective ten days ago when my brother John had a huge crash during Friday practice for the Oulton Park round of the British Superbike Championship. I’d felt quite disappointed following two 5th place finishes at Brno a few days earlier but when I heard the list of John’s injuries I began to realise that finishing top five in a world championship race isn’t something to gripe about. What makes it worse was the fact that something happened out of John’s control so he’s laid up in a hospital bed with career-threatening injuries due to no fault of his own. John’s been very professional following the crash but I don’t think I’d be fit to bite my tongue quite so well if I was in his position!

My family are very fortunate that a friend from back home gave us the use of their son’s student home nearby the hospital so we owe a big thank you to Patrick Graham and his family. I was in hospital with John yesterday and again he was diagnosed with yet another fracture. Never in all the years of being John’s brother did I know the strength of character that he possesses, his courage and positive attitude throughout the whole ordeal has been nothing short of admirable. John’s mechanic Kim made an incredibly kind gesture by buying him an iPad2 but John hasn’t had the chance to watch any movies yet as his entire day is taken up as the docs put him through his paces. He’s all but immobilised as his pelvis, both legs and shoulders are smashed up but he’s still working on keeping some core strength intact! John has a tough few months ahead of him but he really appreciates all he support he’s received from fans since the accident. He’ll be forever grateful to the BSB medical crew as if it wasn’t for them he may well have lost both arms so a big thank you to those guys.

I managed to sneak in a trip to the French Alpes with my brother Michael and Chaz Davies to watch a few stages of the Tour de France. We couldn’t have picked a better year as it proved to be one of the greatest Tours of all time. I was supporting Ireland’s Nicholas Roche who put in some great efforts particular on the Col de Galibier. Those guys are incredible athletes and it was a great experience to be able to cycle a few of the climbs just a couple of hours before them. I’d like to return again next year but it all depends on whether my racing calendar allows it.

I didn’t achieve the greatest of results at Brno so my goal is to get back on the podium this weekend at Silverstone. It’s my second bite at the cherry following a disastrous home round at Donington earlier in the year. I’m currently lying 4th in the championship but I’ve been off the pace of Checa, Biaggi and Melandri lately so I want to be mixing it with those guys from here on in. It’s time to take it up a notch!
Eugene

X Games 17 - Front Flips, Double Backflips and the #199

When we look at a calendar for the year ahead, the weekend which gets the first big red circle around it is always the same event, X Games. 2011 marked the 17th year for the worlds largest action sport games, with a brand new event in the form of Enduro X as well as all the old favourites.

Thursday night was always going to be the biggey with best trick being the highlight, and it sure didn't disapoint! So many tricks were planned, but before it even kicked off Skullcandy's Robbie Maddison declared himself out with a compressed spine.

Marc Monea went for the carry on (front flip 360) and crashed breaking his collarbone, Travis Pastrana went for the TP 720 and crashed breaking his foot and leg, leaving Jackson Strong to take Gold with the first ever Front Flip at X, followed closely by Cam Sinclair with a double backflip nac nac, then Josh Sheehan with a double backflip.





The same evening Matt Buyten won step up, beating Brian Deegan and setting a new world record at the same time.



As well as those too events Best Whip took place, with Twitch taking Gold. It's a bit of a strange one because the winner is voted for by text from the people in the stadium as well as TV viewers, Thomas Pages had the best whip in our opinion, but a Frenchman in the states against Twitch didn't have much of a chance...



Freestyle Gold was decided on Friday, Pastrana already out of the games (we thought) because of his leg, and Nate Adams put in a near perfect run with a couple of 360's to win overall.



Saturday saw Rally Racing, which ended up being won by Englishman Liam Doran, a big shock to all of the US regulars! Liam was on form all day, with a win against double World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm.

We then got to the final day with Rallycross being the star attraction; Brian Deegan, Tanner Foust, Robbie Maddison, Marcus Gronholm and Liam Doran all had a shot at the Gold, then at the last minute someone else entered in an Orange Subaru, yup you guessed it the 199! With a leg in plaster the team made some hand controls and Travis decided to go for it!

In the final Doran got the holeshot but got punted off into turn one by Tanner Foust, messing up both drivers races. Brian Deegan shot off to take an unchallenged win, a lot of luck came his way but to win first you gotta finish! Lining up on the second row of the final was Pastrana - aftr a calm start he found himself 4th on the final lap and when Gronholm ran wide, Pastrana with his broken leg and hand controls over took the double WRC champion to take third, just before outbraking himself (or grabbing the throttle thinking it was the brake) and smashing into a wall. He then had to hobble out of the car as it was smoking and lie down on the floor with his leg raised, to stop him passing out!



Once it was all over the top three celebrated, but most of the attention could be seen at the Boost Mobile Subaru team truck, Pastrana had amazed us all again, and as he sat on a golf cart with his leg in the air, he once again became the star of X Games...

Championship improvement as LPE scale the Heights

Round 4 of the Red Bull Pro National Championship saw the FreestyleXtreme sponsored Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasaki team head to Canada Heights in Kent. The weekends racing was held under very hot and sunny conditions making track conditions harder than usual.

The day started early with the qualification for the Pro class, for Gert Krestinov it signaled the start of a good day after posting the second fastest time for the MX1 class. In the MX2 class both Bryan Mackenzie and Connor Walkley both posted solid times for 4th and 10th places in MX2 respectively.

After the lunch break it was time for the first race of the day which would see both MX1 and MX2 competing against each other. Off the start Krestinov made a good start but unfortunately tangled with Alex Snow in the first corner and would start from dead last. Whilst at the front of the MX2 class Mackenzie started out well within the top 5 and would progress his way up to third at the finish. For Walkley it was to be a tough race battling from a mid pack start to work his way up to 9th. After starting the race in last Krestinov battled hard to recover to 6th place, just behind Crockard.

The second race of the day saw Mackenzie make a much better start and lead the MX2 class on the opening lap, this time Krestinov was able to make a clean start whilst unfortunately Walkley crashed in the first corner. As the race progressed Krestinov worked his way into 5th and set about catching Snow in 3rd place. Mackenzie suffered a couple of small mistakes which pushed him back to 4th place at the finish. Krestinov would eventually work his way into 3rd place passing Snow with a lap to go. Walkley produced a strong ride to recover up to 10th place after starting dead last.
At the end of the day Krestinov and Mackenzie both finished in fourth place overall and advanced to third place in the Championship tables. Walkley’s two solid results gave him eight overall on the day and moved him further up the MX2 Championship to eight place after missing the opening round.

Gert Krestinov
The qualification session this morning went well and I finished the session in second place behind Martin Barr. This weekend I settled into the track and felt good from the start. The first race I had a really bad start and crashed on the first corner leaving me in dead last. I worked hard to recover to 6th place but I was disappointed with that. In the second race I got a better start and was passing the front guys easier. I got third place at the finish and that gave me fourth overall. Fourth is the first loser so I’m feeling disappointed that I didn’t get the podium, so I will have to try that little bit harder.

Bryan Mackenzie
Today has been a really hot day and that has played a bit of a factor in the riding today, but that’s not an excuse. Qualifying went well with fourth place in MX2 and I felt really good out on the track. The first race of the day I got a good start and Banks Browne made a bit of a mess of the first turn and pushed us both out wide. I had a good flow going and finished in third place. The last race I made an amazing start and was leading MX2, but I made two mistakes on the opening lap and dropped back to fourth in MX2. I’m really disappointed in that result as I tried really hard but it wasn’t enough.

Connor Walkley
Today has been pretty successful and had some good results from two bad starts. I finished the first race in ninth place and then a tenth place in the second race. Every weekend I’m feeling stronger and riding better, my results are improving and I’ve moved up to eight in the championship after missing the opening round. This has blown my pre season goals out of the water and from now on I will be setting my goals higher for the rest of the year.

Steve James
This weekend has been another good one for the whole team with strong results in both classes, the weather has also been good but the hot day made it more difficult for all the riders in the championship & really tested everyone’s conditioning. We just missed out of the podium top three again in both classes but we have remained consistent with Bry staying 3rd in the MX2 Championship & Gert moved up to 3rd in the MX1 championship. Young Connor is now 8th after missing the opening round through injury. Qualifying went well with Gert in 2nd, Bryan in 4th and Connor in 10th in their respective classes. The first race went ok apart from Gert’s first corner crash which was to cost him dearly in the overall at the end of the day, Bryan had a very strong ride to finish 3rd, Connor rode well for 9th and Gert worked hard to get back to 6th. The second race went much better with Bryan leading early on but was to make a couple of mistakes dropping down a few places to eventually finish in 4th place, This time it was Connor that crashed on the first turn and had to work his way through back to 10th. Gert had a storming ride in the second race, he got a better start inside the top ten & within a few laps he was up to 5th place & then he had to work really hard to pass the next two riders to finish a strong 3rd. We have had a good day with some great results and hopefully we can continue to improve with in the final three rounds as there is still plenty to play for.

MX1 Overall:
1st Brad Anderson, 2nd Nathan Parker, 3rd Alex Snow, 4th Gert Krestinov, 5th JOSH WATERMAN (SUZUKI), 6th Gordon Crockard, 7th Martin Barr, 8th Luke Benstead, 9th Jamie Smith, 10th Sam Simmons
MX1 Championship Standings:
1st Anderson (197), 2nd Barr (141), 3rd Krestinov (121), 4th Parker (117), 5th Sword (112), 6th Whatley (103), 7th Crockard (100), 8th Shaun Simpson (84), 9th Alex Snow (83), 10th Law (73)
MX2 Overall:
1st Elliott Banks-Browne, 2nd Neville Bradshaw, 3rd Mel Pocock, 4th Bryan MacKenzie, 5th John Phillips, 6th Matthew Bayliss, 7th Sonny Thompson, 8th Connor Walkley, 9th Lewis Trickett, 10th Stuart Edmonds
MX2 Championship Standings:
1st Banks-Browne (197), 2nd Pocock (168), 3rd MacKenzie (131), 4th Bradshaw (113), 5th Edmonds (108), 6th Phillips (84), 7th Clarke (77), 8th Walkley (74), 9th Moffatt (74), 10th Rowson (66).

Championship improvement as LPE scale the Heights

Round 4 of the Red Bull Pro National Championship saw the FreestyleXtreme sponsored Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasaki team head to Canada Heights in Kent. The weekends racing was held under very hot and sunny conditions making track conditions harder than usual.

The day started early with the qualification for the Pro class, for Gert Krestinov it signaled the start of a good day after posting the second fastest time for the MX1 class. In the MX2 class both Bryan Mackenzie and Connor Walkley both posted solid times for 4th and 10th places in MX2 respectively.

After the lunch break it was time for the first race of the day which would see both MX1 and MX2 competing against each other. Off the start Krestinov made a good start but unfortunately tangled with Alex Snow in the first corner and would start from dead last. Whilst at the front of the MX2 class Mackenzie started out well within the top 5 and would progress his way up to third at the finish. For Walkley it was to be a tough race battling from a mid pack start to work his way up to 9th. After starting the race in last Krestinov battled hard to recover to 6th place, just behind Crockard.

The second race of the day saw Mackenzie make a much better start and lead the MX2 class on the opening lap, this time Krestinov was able to make a clean start whilst unfortunately Walkley crashed in the first corner. As the race progressed Krestinov worked his way into 5th and set about catching Snow in 3rd place. Mackenzie suffered a couple of small mistakes which pushed him back to 4th place at the finish. Krestinov would eventually work his way into 3rd place passing Snow with a lap to go. Walkley produced a strong ride to recover up to 10th place after starting dead last.
At the end of the day Krestinov and Mackenzie both finished in fourth place overall and advanced to third place in the Championship tables. Walkley’s two solid results gave him eight overall on the day and moved him further up the MX2 Championship to eight place after missing the opening round.

Gert Krestinov
The qualification session this morning went well and I finished the session in second place behind Martin Barr. This weekend I settled into the track and felt good from the start. The first race I had a really bad start and crashed on the first corner leaving me in dead last. I worked hard to recover to 6th place but I was disappointed with that. In the second race I got a better start and was passing the front guys easier. I got third place at the finish and that gave me fourth overall. Fourth is the first loser so I’m feeling disappointed that I didn’t get the podium, so I will have to try that little bit harder.

Bryan Mackenzie
Today has been a really hot day and that has played a bit of a factor in the riding today, but that’s not an excuse. Qualifying went well with fourth place in MX2 and I felt really good out on the track. The first race of the day I got a good start and Banks Browne made a bit of a mess of the first turn and pushed us both out wide. I had a good flow going and finished in third place. The last race I made an amazing start and was leading MX2, but I made two mistakes on the opening lap and dropped back to fourth in MX2. I’m really disappointed in that result as I tried really hard but it wasn’t enough.

Connor Walkley
Today has been pretty successful and had some good results from two bad starts. I finished the first race in ninth place and then a tenth place in the second race. Every weekend I’m feeling stronger and riding better, my results are improving and I’ve moved up to eight in the championship after missing the opening round. This has blown my pre season goals out of the water and from now on I will be setting my goals higher for the rest of the year.

Steve James
This weekend has been another good one for the whole team with strong results in both classes, the weather has also been good but the hot day made it more difficult for all the riders in the championship & really tested everyone’s conditioning. We just missed out of the podium top three again in both classes but we have remained consistent with Bry staying 3rd in the MX2 Championship & Gert moved up to 3rd in the MX1 championship. Young Connor is now 8th after missing the opening round through injury. Qualifying went well with Gert in 2nd, Bryan in 4th and Connor in 10th in their respective classes. The first race went ok apart from Gert’s first corner crash which was to cost him dearly in the overall at the end of the day, Bryan had a very strong ride to finish 3rd, Connor rode well for 9th and Gert worked hard to get back to 6th. The second race went much better with Bryan leading early on but was to make a couple of mistakes dropping down a few places to eventually finish in 4th place, This time it was Connor that crashed on the first turn and had to work his way through back to 10th. Gert had a storming ride in the second race, he got a better start inside the top ten & within a few laps he was up to 5th place & then he had to work really hard to pass the next two riders to finish a strong 3rd. We have had a good day with some great results and hopefully we can continue to improve with in the final three rounds as there is still plenty to play for.

MX1 Overall:
1st Brad Anderson, 2nd Nathan Parker, 3rd Alex Snow, 4th Gert Krestinov, 5th JOSH WATERMAN (SUZUKI), 6th Gordon Crockard, 7th Martin Barr, 8th Luke Benstead, 9th Jamie Smith, 10th Sam Simmons
MX1 Championship Standings:
1st Anderson (197), 2nd Barr (141), 3rd Krestinov (121), 4th Parker (117), 5th Sword (112), 6th Whatley (103), 7th Crockard (100), 8th Shaun Simpson (84), 9th Alex Snow (83), 10th Law (73)
MX2 Overall:
1st Elliott Banks-Browne, 2nd Neville Bradshaw, 3rd Mel Pocock, 4th Bryan MacKenzie, 5th John Phillips, 6th Matthew Bayliss, 7th Sonny Thompson, 8th Connor Walkley, 9th Lewis Trickett, 10th Stuart Edmonds
MX2 Championship Standings:
1st Banks-Browne (197), 2nd Pocock (168), 3rd MacKenzie (131), 4th Bradshaw (113), 5th Edmonds (108), 6th Phillips (84), 7th Clarke (77), 8th Walkley (74), 9th Moffatt (74), 10th Rowson (66).

MotoX Best Trick: The Event To End All Events...Well Almost.

When X-Games announced who would be lining up in the MotoX Best Trick event, there was as much hype and expectation as the 2006 event when it was rumoured that the wonder boy Travis Pastrana was bringing the double backflip. Now 5 years later (Yes 5 years!) the FMX legends are at it again bring more insane and eye rubbing in disbelief tricks than ever before.
As the X-Games drew within only a few days Robbie “Maddo” Maddison announced that “Due to compressing my spine late last week, I'm unable to ride my bike. I have done every chiropractic and muscular-skeletal therapy possible and after a short ride I have realized I can’t jump into the foam-pit or safely do all of my tricks. With massive regret I have pulled out of MotoX Best trick and FMX at X-Games 17.”
(Above Robbie Maddion, who is not in any FMX event of X-Games due to a compressed spine)
So one of the big hitters was out and with Maddo rumored to be bringing the double body volt or 720 body volt (Your choice on name) fans all felt disappointment, but with that said Maddo will be driving in Rally still.
One thing which was also a disappointment, you may or may not know this, but early on in the year in April, Todd Potter posted this picture on twitter with this tweet “Working on something new, check it!”

(Todd Potter and his Front Flip combo)
This trick Potter had been working on is believed to be some sort of Front Flip combo, which was disappointing not to see being delivered in MotoX Best Trick.
Now the night is finally here, in fact the event X-Games is finally here. The Staple Centre awaits possibly the biggest and most dangerous MotoX Best Trick of the X-Games ever,
So let’s start off with the gold medallist Jackson “Jacko” Strong, landing the first Front Flip ever in competition, well done to him, he’s been working hard on that trick as you could tell when the landing was the smoothest landing for that trick you could ask for, as seen from Nitro Circus’s Jim DeChamp and Paris Rosen, neither is this trick easy but when its landed it tends to have a violent for of being thrown towards the bars. So with that landed it was 1-0 to the Aussies over the Americans.

(Jacko celebrating his success)
Let’s keep things rolling on the magic 8 ball and talk about Josh Sheehan’s double backflip and yes, it has been landed before at X-Games Best Trick twice already and won golds in both landed attempts (Don’t forget Scott Murray’s attempts ending in crashes) but the fact that only a handful of people have actually attempted it and landed it still makes this trick high rated and the danger factory is still very much there. So good on Josh and well done in your rookie X-Games. So that makes it 2-0 to the Aussies.
Now here comes the doom and gloom, I know we all hate it when a rider crashes and fails, but that’s the sport and it happens as we know.
So to start with Mark Monea, well to start with this front flip 360 he landed was amazing and when he had the idea of taking his hands off while doing it we all had that “ehhh are you sure?” feeling, but Monea was positive it would work and quoted too of said “I just feel like I’m doing a regular front flip”, with lots of foam pit jumps dialled in, Monea was ready to hit the ramp at X-Games.

All seems well for Mark off the ramp, he got the flip and rotations flowing, he got his hands off, but when coming round to the landing, things took a very 180 degree turn on him, it appeared the force of the trick was so much that Mark was literally throw off the bike head first into the dirt. Things took a quite turn in the Staple Centre, but soon enough Mark Monea got to his feet and got a warm reception from the crowd. He would not go out for his second attempt.


Now came the crowd favourite, nicknamed “The Wonderboy” Travis Pastrana was back for MotoX Best Trick to landed the TP7 or 720 after his first attempt ended up with him crashing and getting a long term back injury and last year on his return to X-Games Freestyle, Travis decided last minute that it wasn’t safe to pull the TP7 due to breaking his collarbone (And Getting it replaced) a few weeks before and felt he hadn’t the strength to pull off the TP7. But he was back in 2011 and he had been practicing the trick plenty so much so he actually damaged a ligament in his hand from so much foam pit training (Committed much?). So Pastrana as always was pumped, in fact he couldn’t quite contain himself when other riders where pulling out there tricks being such a fan of his own sport.

So here it was Travis was rolling down the ramp, pumping his fist in the air to get the crowd going even more, he makes a U-Turn and then another to attack the ramp, so he hits the ramp and just like the other attempts the last 40 degrees or so of the full 720, go sour and instead of being over the bike keeping the rotation going, he goes under the bike and crashes down, well Pastrana jumps to his feet and picks up his bike and kicks it over and heads straight back to hit the ramp again in the space of 20 seconds of crashing, Travis was clearly mad at himself for not landing the TP7 on his first attempt, and once again Travis is charging towards the ramp, he throws the bike around in midair with such force that the rotation is harder and quicker than before, and the last 40 degrees, he goes under the bike again and slams down hard, the bike slams violently on his right foot.
Travis isn’t so quick to his feet, he is in pain and he knows something is not right. With the help of the medics Pastrana is up on his feet, but finds instantly he can’t walk on his right foot and so he’s helped off. With his helmet on his head bobbing up and down, TP was furious with himself, he felt he let himself down, his friends and family down, the sponsors down and the fans down, but everyone alike are pleased he’s somewhat okay.

It was later confirmed that Travis had broken his right foot and ankle. But has said “I'm on my way to the hospital for x rays, something with my foot, I’ll keep everyone posted. Might be driving with my hands on Saturday” Granted I don’t know if Travis was joking or not, but I’d be ecstatic to see his return.

(All was well at this point for the Pastranathon, but is it really over?)
So now let’s end this article on a high note, Cam Sinclair had rumours of a Double Backflip Combo earlier this year, no one really knew what he was going to do with his Double Backflip. But come X-Games he had it finally dialled in 24 hours before Best Trick (Nothing like leaving things last minute) So when the time came for Cam to hit the ramp, people were looking forward to it, and so when Cam hits the ramp, he pulls off the first ever Double Backflip NacNac, which was pretty amazing, even Travis Pastrana couldn’t believe his eyes, he was spotted getting even more over excited than usual when Cam landed his trick. If you want to see Cam’s Double Backflip NacNac



Now there has been a bit of controversy over who should of won, a few have said that Cam should have won, where as others have said that Jackson Strong earned it. It a tough thing to decided, Jackson nailed his trick, cleanly, first attempt and well the first time in contest, not to mention the Front Flip when failed has gone wrong in big ways for two people.
But on the other hand Cam’s Double Backflip NacNac, was very skilful (Not that Jacko’s trick wasn’t), first ever time ever landed, but it’s also very scary. Cam said when he pulls the NacNac the bike tends to pull sideways, which is could end up in disaster and a big crash and big injuries. Thankfully it didn’t.

Overall MotoX Best Trick had it all, triumph, disaster and controversy. But living up to the hype? I would say so, but I do wonder, who would have won if everyone landed there tricks? That would have been difficult for the judges.

Roll on Freestyle Motocross!

Author - Jordan Lilley

FSX's Eugene Laverty grabs second at Silverstone!

Yamaha World Superbike Team riders Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri were on top form at Silverstone today claiming an impressive double podium a head in the warm British sunshine. Laverty and Melandri completed two solid races in second and third places respectively at the historic track where the Yamaha R1 has proved it’s strength yet again.


In race one, Eugene Laverty shot off his second place on the grid to immediately take the lead, a position he proceeded to hold until the last turn of the sixth lap when he surrendered to the championship leader, Checa. The 25 year old World Superbike rookie pushed hard, holding off advances from Hopkins and Camier behind to complete the first race of this home round in second place, in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Fellow Teammate Marco Melandri was on equally impressive form, moving up to fifth place off the grid. A strong battle with Hopkins and Camier mid race saw the Italian interchange positions with his adversaries on several occasions. Melandri was tailing Camier and preparing to make his move when the Brit was forced to prematurely retire due to engine failure with just three laps to go. The Italian then proceeded to complete the race in third place, joining his Yamaha World Superbike teammate on the podium.


Laverty and Melandri proved to be just as determined and consistent in race two, which was almost a replica of the first race of the day. Laverty performed flawlessly, holding the lead until the sixth lap before finally powering his YZF-R1 to the chequered flag in second place while his teammate followed close behind to claim the third spot on the second podium of the day. From a perfect second row start off the grid, Melandri shot up to fourth place. The Italian, bottled necked in traffic was caused to fall back to fifth and then sixth place before regaining fourth by lap 10. While holding off advances from Biaggi, Melandri proceeded to battle his way up to third place.


We had an awesome weekend chilling with Eugene and the Yamaha team, take a look at some of the pictures below or visit us on Facebook to see all of them! http://www.facebook.com/fsxtreme