Third victory of the year captured by Webb at SLC4
Section: Competition
Forkner makes ground in 250SX West with pivotal Utah win.
Image: Octopi Media.
Defending Monster Energy Supercross champion Cooper Webb picked up his third win of the 2020 season at SLC4, delivering a commanding performance tonight in Utah.
The Red Bull KTM rider won by 5.091s over the in-form Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna), as Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) salvaged P3.
While Webb jumped out front early to withstand a challenge from a gritty Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) to lead every lap, Tomac was forced to climb from 12th at the end of the opening lap. Fourth was top-qualifier Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain KTM WPS).
Roczen, meanwhile, again dropped back down the order from around the halfway point, eventually crossing the finish in fifth place as he continues to battle health problems through the Salt Lake City rounds.
It was another strong showing from Martin Davalos (Monster Energy Team Tedder KTM) in P6, followed by Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna), his teammate Dean Wilson, Aaron Plessinger (Monster Energy Yamaha) and Benny Bloss (Rocky Mountain KTM WPS).
Anderson has now moved to fourth in the standings after Monster Energy Yamaha’s Justin Barcia crashed out of the main event, his factory YZ450F too badly damaged to continue in what appeared to be a strange incident. Australia’s Chad Reed (Mountain Motorsports CR22 Racing KTM) rode to 11th after a solid start inside the top five.
The 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Championship will again be staged inside Rice-Eccles Stadium this Sunday, 14 June. Tomac currently carries a 27-point advantage over Webb, with Roczen a further two behind.
Image: Octopi Media.
Victory in Salt Lake City has lifted Austin Forkner into 250SX West title contention as the regional series restarted in 2020 Monster Energy Supercross.
The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider climbed to second in the standings with two rounds remaining, now within 10 points of the lead.
Forkner was able to get out front early and maintain the lead from there, keeping red plate-holder Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) at bay to win by 3.109s. Completing the podium was Forkner’s teammate Cameron McAdoo.
It was an important result for McAdoo as, although he wasn’t able to fend off Ferrandis, his finish took points away from top qualifier Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha), who is now third in the points.
Finishing fifth was Michael Mosiman (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna), directly behind Cooper and comfortably ahead of Alex Martin (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki). Seventh through 10th included Brandon Hartranft (TLD Red Bull KTM), Christian Craig (Geico Honda), Derek Drake (TLD Red Bull KTM) and Mitchell Oldenburg (Penrite Honda Racing).
Returning for his first appearance since Anaheim 2, Geico Honda’s Jett Lawrence ran inside the top five early, but a fall demoted him to an 11th-place result. Elder brother and teammate Hunter endured a trying debut, going down on lap one of the final and ending up 13th, behind countryman Luke Clout (Penrite Honda Racing).
The 250SX West championship will continue with its penultimate round this Sunday, 14 June, with Ferrandis looking to set up back-to-back crowns in the final stages of the season.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship organiser MSVR has today (Wednesday) announced an updated 2020 calendar following approval by its governing body, the MCRCB. The new schedule will feature six triple-header events, totaling 18 championship rounds, all of which will be broadcast live on Eurosport.
Following extensive consultation with teams, broadcasters, partners and circuits, the revised provisional calendar will begin at the start of August with the opening rounds taking place at Donington Park (National) on 7/8/9 August before moving to Snetterton later in the month (21/22/23 August) for the second event.
BSB to kick back into action at Donington Park (National) on 7/8/9 August
The title fight will then move on to the Silverstone National circuit on 4/5/6 September with Oulton Park hosting the fourth event of the season on 18/19/20 September.
The penultimate event will take place at Donington Park (Grand Prix) on its original date of 2/3/4 October with the traditional season finale to decide the champion two weeks later on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, maintaining the weekend of 16/17/18 October.
Given the reduction in championship races from 27 to 18, the usual ‘Showdown’ format will not be applied to the 2020 Bennetts British Superbike Championship. An official test will take place prior to the opening round at Donington, with full details to be confirmed soon.
The regular supporting championships consisting of the Quattro Group British Supersport/GP2, British Talent Cup, Pirelli National Superstock, HEL Performance Junior Supersport, Ducati TriOptions Cup and Molson Group British Sidecars will also feature across the revised calendar of events.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Series Director Stuart Higgs
“This has been an incredibly challenging period, but the enthusiasm, commitment and passion from everyone involved in the championship has been outstanding. To reach the position of announcing a provisional calendar is a big step forward. Naturally we are very disappointed that several of the traditional circuits have had to be omitted, which has been as a result of very detailed assessments of the operational, logistical and economic consequences pertinent to all circuits arising out of the COVID 19 pandemic. The firm message though is that we look forward to a full array of circuits returning in 2021. We are optimistic that we will be able to welcome fans to BSB this season, enjoying these large outdoor circuit venues with plenty of room to socially distance. We are working with the circuits to agree protocols that meet all relevant guidance and will continue to do so as the guidance evolves over the coming weeks, with further announcements on this to follow. For now though, the focus is continuing to prepare the various protocols and operational detail to ensure the safety of everyone in the BSB community.”
The King of Every Kingdom Around the world on a very small motorcycle
With J. Peter “The Bear” Thoeming
And finally, The West, the part of America I have returned to again and again in subsequent years.
The West
The Black Hills were pretty, especially after the long run over the Great Plains, but they’re rather spoilt by dozens of tacky tourist traps. These fill the side of the road leading to Mount Rushmore and consist of such things as The Life of Jesus Wax Museum. The famous faces on the mountain itself look rather funny for some reason.
Most of the Black Hills is totally unspoilt, and I found myself a little free Forestry Service campsite, where I was joined by two other riders. One had a CX500, the other an immaculate Harley Sportster. We lit a fire, drank what booze we had between us and watched the satellites passing over in the crystal night air. An elderly couple travelling in a camper joined us, and brought an enormous shopping bag full of fresh popcorn. What a night!
There’s a system of balance in nature. After you’ve had a good time for a while, you get a bad time. Mine started the next morning with a flat tyre, and continued when the bike wouldn’t start. Too high up, perhaps. We were a mile high. Much pushing finally got us under way, after I’d filled the tube with latex foam from an aerosol can.
Flat countryside and altitude were of note, with the Honda taking a turn
The bike laboured all that day against a strong headwind across Wyoming, the original cowboy country. Rolling grassy hills as far as I could see, broken by mostly dry water courses with names like Dead Horse Creek and Mad Woman Creek.
It was overcast and chilly. But the sun came out the next day, and as I rode up to the Powder River Pass and Tensleep Canyon I thought of John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club, who had said, ‘There is something in the sight of the mountains that restores a man’s spirit.’
I could have done with a little extra restoration in Basin, just on the other side of the mountains. The rear tyre was flat again, and I began the mammoth task of repairing the old tube. Mammoth because I kept pinching it while putting it back in. I wasn’t yet used to the new set of tyre levers I’d bought, and the tube was very old.
By the time the rear tyre held air again, the tube had six new patches on it and I retreated to the local bar to try to drown my sorrows. At least I found convivial company and a couple of good games of pool, and had my first taste of decent Coors beer – a significant improvement on the usual American slops.
Pinching the tube while trying to fix a leak led to six patches to get the job done
I also got a lot of sympathy for not being American, and specifically for not being from Wyoming. The entire clientele of the bar assured me that Wyoming was the best place in the whole world, even if Basin, with its population of 700, might be a bit “slow”.
My road west from this little oasis kept heading for a window in the thick general overcast, a window filled with sunshine and pretty little clouds. But I couldn’t catch it, and it finally disappeared when I reached Cody, a town devoted to the memory of Buffalo Bill Cody, or at least devoted to the amount of tourist money that memory could bring in.
Up in the mountains once again, I found a bloke lying on the ground next to the most decrepit bike I have ever seen – and I’ve seen some decrepit bikes in my day, some of them mine. This was a 250cc Honda of indeterminate vintage, with one muffler tied to the rack and most parts held on either by grease or wire.
The owner of this apparition proudly claimed the road as his and bummed a few coke cans of petrol from me – this being the most convenient receptacle to drain the petrol into – and went cheerily on his way.
Into Yellowstone National Park
Shoshone Canyon provided some exciting riding the next day, and took me up to the gates of Yellowstone National Park, and the snow once more. It was disappointing to learn that all the bears had been moved up to the high country, but it appeared that they had been having trouble with the humans. There was no danger of my meeting any bears that night anyway; I checked into the Old Faithful Lodge. Snow had been forecast for the night, and my tent suddenly seemed awfully flimsy.
Yellowstone Park itself was beautiful, like a piece of the world just after the creation, but I wasn’t particularly impressed by the Old Faithful geyser. One Japanese bloke was, though. He spent most of the evening sitting at the bar’s picture window, a barely tasted glass of whisky in front of him, concentrating on the geyser.
My evening was brilliant – I celebrated New Year’s Eve with the staff. A trifle odd seeing that it was 31 August… It appears that a few years ago a party of visitors had been trapped by an early snowstorm towards the end of August. They reasoned that since they were stuck anyway, and it was white outside, they might as well celebrate Christmas. The staff have taken this up as a tradition, and there’s always a Christmas and a New Year’s Eve party towards the end of August.
I had a marvelous time meeting everybody, discussing politics, the MX system and the iniquity of the labour laws; all those things which are endlessly fascinating when you’re drunk, getting more drunk and the surroundings feel good. One of the fascinating things I discovered that night was that if you’re over 6ft 7in tall, you’re safe from the draft. The US Army isn’t set up to cope with people taller than that. So grow!
All the celebrating must have disturbed my sense of direction (which assumes that I have one), because I took the wrong road in the morning. Instead of heading for Craters of the Moon National Park, I found myself on the road to Missoula. I made the best of it anyway and enjoyed the sweeping wheat fields and later the enormous trees of Lolo Pass.
Zabriskie Point
Just over the pass, an elderly chap on a KZ400 with a sidecar waved me over to the side of the road and offered me a cup of coffee. We stood in the thin drizzle, drank coffee out of his thermos and compared travelling styles. He was travelling even more slowly than I!
Outside Lewiston I had another flat tyre. This time I replaced the tube, but the bike needed new wheel bearings as well. The old ones had been severely knocked around from having the wheel removed so often. The bike was running much better now that I was out of the high country. Perhaps it would have been worthwhile to change the jetting after all.
I didn’t need any directions to get to Portland – just follow the Columbia River, right along the tops of the sheer cliffs that border its northern side. But once in Portland, I did need directions – just to find the post office. It seemed I had come to the wrong town. The first person I asked was a biker who had broken down on the freeway.
He told me I wanted the exit two back. This on the freeway, where you can’t turn around. After I’d found my way into town by myself, I asked a lady at a street corner. She did her valiant best, but became totally incoherent within a few seconds. We both finally gave up.
I then found the post office by myself, checked for mail, and made the mistake of asking for the road to the west. First my informant tried to talk me into going south. Then he told me to go down a certain street and turn left just before I could see the viaduct. What is the matter with Portland?
Finally getting back to the coast marked an achievement of sorts, seeing the Pacific
At Lincoln City, when I finally did reach the coast, I saw the Pacific for the first time since the beginning of the trip. In a way, my circumnavigation of the Earth was over.
But of course my ride was far from over, so I headed off down the coast the next morning. I stopped quite early at a lookout to take a photo of the fog swirling in to bathe the foot of the cliffs. When I got back on the bike, it was once again those ominous couple of inches lower. Another flat rear tyre – and this time there was an enormous sliver of glass in my nice new tube. Out with the tyre levers once again.
The coast was lovely, with forests and cliffs and dunes and hills and enormous trees – and a family of moose in a meadow by the river. The Youth Hostel in Bandon, a well-preserved old fishing town, provided shelter for three days while I relaxed, reading and checking over the bike. A new chain was overdue, so I made a shopping trip into the local metropolis, Coos Bay.
There was also some impressive views along the coast…
The Honda shop had a chain, and a small supermarket had some beer in white cans just marked ‘Beer’. It was explained to me that this was what was known as a ‘generic’ product – no brand name, no advertising, and therefore a low price. I bought a six pack.
On the way back to Bandon I also picked an enormous plastic shopping bag full of blackberries. I was just congratulating myself on how well everything was going when the rear chain broke. Well, well. When will I learn not to congratulate myself? It was rather convenient that I was carrying the brand-new replacement in my tank box.
Aprilia re-signs Aleix Espargaro through 2022 season
Section: Competition
Spaniard will remain aboard factory RS-GP for two more years.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Aprilia Racing has renewed the contract of Aleix Espargaro for the 2021 and 2022 MotoGP World Championship seasons, the Spaniard to remain aboard the factory RS-GP.
Espargaro has ridden for Aprilia since 2017 and has played a key part in the Italian manufacturer’s grand prix project, leading to the development of their latest model.
The latest prototype showed significant and promising signs of competitiveness in the winter tests before the 2020 season was disrupted, so much that they contributed to Espargaro’s decision.
“I am happy about this confirmation,” Espargaro said. “The human aspect is extremely important for me and, in four seasons, Aprilia has become my second family, so with this contract, which is certainly the most important of my career, they demonstrated that I am at the centre of this project.
“On a technical level, the growth in recent months convinced me, with the arrival of many reinforcements and the début of the 2020 RS-GP, which did so well in the tests. I feel like we need to finish the job we started over the winter. I can’t wait to get back together with my entire team and race with the new bike, to take this project where it deserves to be.”
Astride the RS-GP since the 2017 season, Espargaro has weathered various phases of the Aprilia MotoGP project, from the great and promising growth in the first season to the difficulties of 2018, all the way to the technical revolution of 2019 which led to the birth of the new 2020 RS-GP
Vespa is an iconic brand that captures the essence of history while successfully marrying their heritage with modern technology and sophistication.
2020 Vespa GTS Super Sport in ‘Yellow Sole’
The big body Vespa, in its modern shape with automatic transmission, was born in 2003, with the first arrival of the Vespa GT 125 and 200. The family of large Vespas then evolved with the arrival of the GTS 250 version, followed by engine capacities of up to 300 cc. Later on, the Vespa GTS benefits from the family of I-get engines, offering 125 and 150 cc capacity.
2020 Vespa GTS Super Sport in White Innocenza
After a major re-design in 2019 of the whole GTS range more changes have been made with the Vespa GTS Super Sport 300 now being equipped with Vespa’s new HPE (High Performance Engine) for the 2020 model year.
2020 Vespa GTS Super Sport in Black Opaco
The GTS carries on the all-steel bodywork tradition and with the HPE power-plant is now powered by the most powerful engine ever installed in a Vespa, the 23-horsepower HPE powerplant is a four-stroke single that combines a smooth torque delivery with great economy.
2020 Vespa GTS Super Sport in Black Opaco
A new cylinder-head with improved port shaping utilises a SOHC to operate larger valves that are opened for a longer duration via roller rockers.
2020 Vespa GTS Super Sport in Yellow Sole
The new HPE engine is controlled by a latest-generation Magneti Marelli MIUG4 ECU, which already conforms with the future Euro 5 standard: equipped with greater calculation capacity, it contributes to improving overall engine efficiency and allows for the engine to be started practically instantaneously, after just two rotations of the crankshaft.
2020 Vespa GTS Super Sport in White Innocenza
Service intervals have been extended to 10,000 kilometres and the CVT drivetrain has been strengthened to offer further durability.
2020 Vespa GTS Super Sport in Yellow Sole
The Vespa GTS Supersport rolls on 12-inch rims and has a 220 mm brake disc at each end backed up with ABS.
2020 Vespa GTS Super Sport in White Innocenze
Generous under-seat storage can swallow two open-face helmets or a decent swag of groceries.
2020 Vespa GTS Super Sport in Black Opaco
There are also optional chrome front and rear luggage racks or a top-box complete with passenger back-rest are available as part of an extensive accessories range. A bluetooth kit is also available to increase the capabilities of the standard instrumentation.
2020 Vespa GTS Super Sport in Yellow Sole
2020 Vespa GTS Super Sport HPE Specifications
Engine – 278 cc, HPE four-stroke, single-cylinder
Bore x Stroke – 75 x 63 mm
Max. Power – 23 hp (17 kW) at 8500 rpm
Max. Torque – 25.6 Nm at 5500 rpm
Induction – EFI
Transmission – CVT
Front Suspension – Single sided swing-arm and sprung hydraulic shock
Recovering Tickle targets progress in coming races
Section: Competition
JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki rider returns at third stop in Salt Lake City.
Image: Octopi Media.
Injury-struck Broc Tickle is looking to make genuine progression over the closing four rounds of Monster Energy Supercross after enduring the most difficult main event of his lengthy career in Utah on Sunday.
Tickle broke his hand in the first race back at Salt Lake City, sidelined for SLC2 and then riding through the pain to return with JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki at round 13 of the season.
Dealt with some of the most difficult track conditions in memory after heavy rain fell at Rice-Eccles Stadium during the morning, the 30-year-old transferred via the LCQ and then pressed on for 17th position. His goal is to build from there in the coming rounds.
“I was just glad to be back racing, to be honest,” Tickle admitted. “Obviously, the first race, I didn’t get to race back here in Salt Lake, sat out the week and came back yesterday. It’s been tough, but I want to finish out these last four and make progress.
“I would say my hand is probably not going to feel great, even by the end of it, but I’m gonna manage it the best way I can, get as much therapy as I can. It’s healing and it’s tough to accept that’s what I’m dealt with, but we’ve gotta make the best of it and if I can make progress and by the end of this be close to where I want to be, I’ll be happy and we came here for a reason.”
Tickle said that it’s both discomfort and a lack of strength that affected him over the weekend, but with improved weather conditions expected for Wednesday, added time to recover should be in his favor.
“I basically broke my pointer-finger metacarpal and my fifth metacarpal, which is your pinky,” he explained. “So, you can imagine my grip strength isn’t 100 percent by any means. On top of that, the conditions were tough. Yesterday was a struggle, maybe the toughest main event that I’ve done, to be honest, and I’ve been doing this for a while.
“For me, I just want to make progress and by the end of this, be where I feel like I should be. Anywhere from sixth to 12th, if I can be consistently there, I’ll be happy. I’ve been dealt a lot of different circumstances in the past two years, so I just want to make progress and be in these last four. I feel like I still have potential to be in the mix and that’s why I’m still here.”
The COVID-19 induced break from racing has been a blessing in disguise for Yamaha Racing Team’s, Aiden Wagner.
At the Official ASBK Test at Phillip Island in January, Wagner was one of the fastest riders on track but an accident left the Queenslander requiring surgery to his left thumb.
While he raced at the opening round, he admitted after the event he lacked feeling in his hand trying to wrestle his Yamaha R1 around the Island at over 300 km/h.
Aiden Wagner during testing at Phillip Island early this year – Image by Rob Mott
Wagner’s results were also hampered by electrical gremlins which significantly impacted power delivery throughout the weekend that hampered his pace.
After the first round, Wagner again had surgery on his hand and is now eager to get back in the hot seat onboard the YRT YZF-R1M.
“I’ve had three surgeries on it now, it’s been fused and now unfused. While I’m still recovering it’s pretty good, it’s stronger now and I can ride my bike, and I definitely have feeling in it again. It’s great getting the strength back, its quite a powerful part of your hand and I’ve got no numbness or residual pain which I had previously, and I can move my thumb like normal.
“I’ve been training hard and am doing exercises on my hand to continue to build up more strength. I’ve been riding on our property through rough terrain and doing breaking exercises to strengthen my hand more every afternoon after work on the farm with the Yamaha YZ 250 and it feels really good. It (COVID-19) has been such a bad thing, but for me its been a bit of a blessing that I could heal and get my hand back to normal and be fit and ready for the next round.
“Jumping on the Yamaha R1 and just holding the thing wide open, I can’t wait to get that adrenalin rush again – power sliding on that beast I’m pretty keen to do that. I believe once restrictions are lifted and borders re-open, we will be able to do some testing. It’s hard at the moment, because some of the team and team-mate Cru Halliday are down south in NSW and the rest of the team are here in Queensland. I’ve got all the 2020 parts now so it’s just finding the right settings for me and I can’t wait to hit the track.”
Aiden Wagner during testing at Phillip Island early this year – Image by TBG
The downtime has also seen Wagner expand his business interests buying land to further develop his family macadamia nut business.
“I’ve been working with my Dad’s company but have also started my new macadamia farm. I’ve worked on my grandparents farm since I was born, and I do a lot of work over there to help them out. I always liked the idea of it and definitely wasn’t planning on doing it now, but the perfect opportunity came up to expand the family business while I’m racing. It’s something I can keep on top of while I’m racing and is a good long-term business. Funnily enough, while some businesses have suffered during COVID we have been really busy doing double time.”
Aiden Wagner during testing at Phillip Island early this year – Image by Rob Mott
COVID-19 restrictions still has season 2020 on hold, but ASBK management are working hard to find COVID-safe solutions under the current State Government restrictions and hope to as soon as practical get the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, under way soon.
2020 mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship Points
SLC3 main event ‘a race for the ages’ declares Webb
Section: Competition
Champion satisfied with 450SX runner-up on Sunday afternoon.
Image: Octopi Media.
Red Bull KTM’s defending champion Cooper Webb has labelled SLC3 ‘a race for the ages’ following his race-long duel with Monster Energy Supercross leader Eli Tomac.
Webb and Tomac traded the lead on multiple occasions throughout the 20-minute duration, lapping up to fourth place in the process.
It was eventually Tomac who got the upper-hand on Webb in the final laps, enabling him to extend a 26-point lead over Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) in the standings. Webb is third, again 32 points back from the lead.
“Overall, it was an incredible race, like you said,” Webb recalled. “We were laying it all out there. I think I was first to the first turn and then Zach snuck inside of me. I was behind him for about a lap, when I cleared him it was me and Eli.
“I don’t know how long I was able to lead, but I knew he was all over me. I was doing that line right in the whoops and it felt good, but after he passed me I saw it was definitely not the preferred line. It was a barn-burner – he led and then I led, I think I ended up leading twice and he led twice.
“The lappers were insane. From my end, I know I left it all out there – I felt like we were just both wanting to purely win. I thought I uncorked a pretty cool rhythm, but I was just able to watch the highlights and saw that he did that three, three, three. I feel like that was a race for the ages, for sure.
“It’s unfortunate to lose by a second, but at the same time it’s cool to be able to go wire-to-wire like that with the red plate-holder. Obviously he has seven wins now, so he’s been on it this year and it’s cool to be able to run with him. We laid it all out there, for sure.”
Despite the need for Tomac to have an off result if he’s to take the championship down to the wire, Webb was respectful throughout the showdown, as was Tomac on his way to victory.
“We’re both aggressive-natured and want to go for it, but I feel like we’ve always been pretty respectful with everything,” added Webb. “Tonight was the same. Obviously, I want to get after this championship and stuff, but it’s still a ways out.
“For me I was just wanting to race hard and try to win – that was my main goal. It’s cool for us to be able to battle like that, especially with him having the red plate, and stuff like that. You don’t want to just clean someone out like I saw Bam-Bam [Justin Barcia] and him in the heat race or whatever. It was good racing.”
Aleix Espargaró with Aprilia MotoGP for 2021 and 2022 seasons
Astride the RS-GP since the 2017 season, Aleix Espargaró has weathered various phases of the Aprilia MotoGP project, from the great and promising growth in the first season to the difficulties of 2018, all the way to the technical revolution of 2019 which led to the birth of the new 2020 RS-GP.
The latest prototype showed significant and promising signs of competitiveness in the winter tests, before the 2020 season was disrupted, so much that they contributed to Aleix’s decision.
Aleix Espargaró
“I am happy about this confirmation. The human aspect is extremely important for me, and in four seasons, Aprilia has become my second family, so with this contract, which is certainly the most important of my career, they demonstrated that I am at the centre of this project. On a technical level, the growth in recent months convinced me, with the arrival of many reinforcements and the début of the 2020 RS-GP, which did so well in the tests. I feel like we need to finish the job we started over the winter. I can’t wait to get back together with my entire team and race with the new bike, to take this project where it deserves to be.”
Aleix Espargaró
Passionate, always committed on the track and a motivator in the garage, this will bring Aleix to his sixth season in a row astride the Italian bike. This is a sign of continuity and trust that comes at this turning point in Aprilia’s technical project.
Massimo Rivola – CEO Aprilia Racing
“We wanted Aleix’s confirmation by all means and we are very happy that it arrived. At a rather tumultuous time for the rider market, providing continuity for our project with a rider the calibre of Aleix is essential. With him, who we have established as our captain, we have begun an entirely new project, involving new resources and taking a bike that seems to have come out very well onto the track. Now we hope that he will soon take an Aprilia to the top, where it has never been in MotoGP history.”
Aleix Espargaro is in love with the new RS-GP Source: MCNews.com.au
There might not be any TT this year (2020) due to the plague, but I still thought it might be a great time to revisit my epic trip to the TT two years ago, 2018, and re-live a motorcycle journey that took in a fair bit of Great Britain, Wales, Ireland and of course, the Isle of Man itself. I hope you enjoy the ride…
Trev’s TT Trip 2018 Part Five
I will leave it up to my partner in crime on the 2018 TT Trip, Anthony De Groot, to cover this fifth instalment that details our recent epic UK adventure. Here we detail the Triumph Adventure Experience situated at Ystradgynlais, right at the foot of the Brecon Beacons region in South Wales.
The Triumph Adventure Experience was only launched recently and offers both experiences and structured courses starting from £299, which includes a loan motorcycle and all your riding gear.
All the gear is supplied inclusive of the course cost on the Triumph Adventure Experience
There is not even an insurance disclaimer to sign as accidental damage is also covered inclusive of the price.
The supplied bikes are the latest Triumph Explorer XCa models in both 1200 and 800cc guises, or Triumph Scramblers.
Triumph Adventure Experience Scramblers
Structured courses progress through three tiers and are held across two days. These cost £499 all inclusive and the course we undertook was a mix of all three levels to give us an idea what your average punter might experience on the course. The top level course concentrates on specialist drills and is aimed at those that have already covered Level Two, or are already well accomplished off-road riders.
Triumph Adventure Experience
Triumph Adventure Experience
It’s an exciting age in which we’re living, full of uncertainty and instability and change. I know that’s a deep and philosophical way to begin a story about the simple pleasures that come from ramming a big adventure bike into places better suited to a nimble enduro machine, but we’ll come back to that later.
Full disclaimer here, when the invitation to attend the Triumph Adventure Experience arrived I was more than a just a little nervous. With only a small amount of off-road experience to draw upon, and on much nimbler, lighter, more forgiving dirt bikes, I knew the two days ahead were going to test me. (Ant’s experience racing BMX into his late teens can be seen when he is riding off-road, as his balance and control on a dirtbike is amazing considering his relative lack of experience – Trev).
Only a week earlier I’d never ridden an adventure bike, and now I was set to send one slideways into an old coal mine in Wales. Nothing like a bit of fear and trepidation to calm the nerves.
Triumph Adventure Experience 1200 Explorers
Launched earlier this year, the Triumph Adventure Experience is an opportunity for riders of all levels and experience to escape the tarmac and go bush on a big adventure bike, or Scrambler, and have a laugh under the watchful eye of skilled instructors. If you’ve ever cast your eyes over a pannier laden adventure bike and wondered just how capable off-road it actually is, this is your chance to find out.
Located roughly four hours west of London in the Brecon Beacons, we were greeted by a fleet of Tiger 1200s and 800s, all shod with road/trail knobbleys, and welcomed inside by one of our Instructors, Matt, for a tour of the facilities.
Triumph Adventure Experience
It’s evident from the moment you set a boot inside the Adventure experience facility that a fair amount of thought has gone into making this as simple and comfortable as possible.
Plug and play experience…. That is, you just need to bring yourself. Don’t worry about needing the latest and greatest riding gear, Triumph supply the whole shooting match. All the necessary clothing and safety gear you’ll require is provided.
Triumph Adventure Experience – These lockers hold all the gear for you to use on the course
They take all your details and sizes when you book and provide a numbered locker with all your gear ready to go. After you’ve gotten it soaked in the rain and mud, they’ll take it and store it in their drying room overnight, so its crispy warm and dry for your second days riding. They also have bathrooms and showers so you can exit feeling slightly more human after your workout in the “arena”.
Triumph Adventure Experience – Drying Room
After a briefing with Mat and Keith, where they queried us about our riding experience and gave us an idea of the activities and terrain that lay ahead, we watched a quick introductory video. It was then time to suit up and head through a hall lined with scramblers out to the car park and our waiting steeds.The Triumph Tiger XCa 1200, 800, and the 900cc Bonneville Street Scrambler are all on offer as part of the experience. As I’d spent most of the previous week with the 800 between my legs, I thought best to stick with the devil I knew and we set off on the short journey to the Arena.
Triumph Adventure Experience
Offroad-Pro – How I sign off in my email signature now after surviving the two days with Triumph, and also one of the five rider modes on the Tiger XCa. Before venturing down into the “multi terrain arena” Matt and Keith explained the difference between the two off-road rider modes on the bikes, off-road & off-road pro.
The former allowing some rear wheel spin before traction limits throttle, the latter disabling traction control and abs. I made the mistake late in the day of setting off up a steep, muddy incline in Offroad mode only to have the TC step in to limit the power, this resulted in me eventually stalling out with no drive, and having a little lie-down. Offroad-Pro mode is definitely the go in wet and slippery off-road conditions if you need to try and get up hills, with that selected it was time for another go, and this time around I managed to complete the vertical instead of ending up horizontal.
Triumph Adventure Experience
After a bit of a history lesson on the semi-defunct coal mine the “arena” is set in, we set off and Matt and Keith lead us though some simple obstacles designed to highlight our weaknesses before settling back and assessing our skill level and giving us some pointers on getting more comfortable handling the bikes. I was fortunate that the little dirtbike experience I mentioned having earlier has mainly all been in the last 12 months so miraculously, the big Tiger didn’t feel as alien slipping and sliding underneath me as I expected. The road/trail tyres added to the amusement also as the front end troweled straight ahead through the mud while the rear just went all over the place.
Check out the video below that is taken onboard with Trev as he rode the larger 1200 XCa behind me through most sections.
Video – Triumph Adventure Experience
Somehow I managed to bluff the boys as to my ability and through the course of the first day they took us through some of the more difficult terrain providing plenty of giggles. One of the funnier moments was watching Keith flying past us on a sodden grass incline completely sideways (see video above), but somehow managing to keep the big 1200XCa upright and not take Trev out in the process. There’s certainly no shortage of varied and testing terrain in the arena.
Beyond the Arena, tight winding b-roads and the spectacular countryside of Wales also beckons around the Brecons. One of the beauties of the Triumph Adventure Experience is its flexibility. There’s no fixed schedule here, it can be adapted to suit the group in question. And if there are widely varying skill levels in the group, riders can be split into two groups that then take on different challenges.
Triumph Exploer 1200 XCa in the Brecon Beacons
As we became a little tired and sloppy, the boys took us off the dirt and on to the tarmac to show us some of the back roads that only the locals know about. Winding though tight little slippery roads between farms and forests, and eventually stopping to drip dry and fill our bellies. The little pub the boys took us to for lunch served up some of the best lamb I’ve ever eaten.
Triumph Exploer 1200 XCa in the Brecon Beacons
Our on-road adventures continued as the instructors showed us more of the Brecons, taking us through the national park via sections of the famous Welsh TT circuit that is in the process of being revived and put on the real road racing calendar.
Unfortunately thick fog made the ride a little treacherous, visbility was reduced and thus we weren’t able to really relax and enjoy the scenery this area is known for. The instructors promised that on clear days you can see all the way to the coast and the Irish Sea, I don’t doubt them.
Diverting away from the hills and heading south, we passed Caerphilly Castle, a sprawling 13th century stone fortress surrounded by moats and magnificent gardens.
Caerphilly Castle
After we wrapped up on the second day and expressed our thanks to the guides Matt and Keith, we hit the road for a good few hours ride up to the port of Holyhead to catch the Ferry across the Irish Sea to Dublin.
On the ride my mind was still buzzing with excitement, the smart people at Triumph have done something very clever here. The whole enchilada.
The Scramblers might be more suited to those a bit short in the leg department or with very little off-road experience.
Triumph have packaged, pitched and executed the adventure experience perfectly, and it got me thinking. With the change in the global financial landscape, and the rise of millennials shucking the traditional values of building wealth and owning possessions in favour of sharing and capturing memories, maybe Triumph are trying to entice a new generation of customers by manufacturing not just a product, but an experience?
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Especially if you are considering buying a Triumph Explorer, as this would be the best demonstration ride you could ever hope for. Considering the bike, all your gear, and any potential damage is all included in the cover price I would say its an absolute bargain.
Heading across to undertake it with a few mates would be a great craic, or leave the rest of your family to explore Wales while you are out riding. What ever excuse you need to come up with to get out and get amongst it, find one…
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