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Australian Supercross

Tickets officially went on sale for the Monster Energy Super X, Australasian Supercross Championship, this week, so get in quick before it’s too late. There’s a 20 percent decrease across the board according to Global Action sports when it comes to pricing, and tickets start from as little as $19 per round plus a booking fee. Visit www.superx.com.au for further details.

Right now everything is quiet following a huge finish to the MX Nationals season, with teams taking delivery of their all-new 2012 bikes (in most cases) and riders putting the finishing touches on their test tracks as we speak. It’s almost go time, ladies and gentleman.

One rider who won’t be starting his preparation until at least next week is Jay Marmont, the recently crowned four-time Pro Open outdoor champion currently on vacation in Queensland with his wife, Abby. With no bikes, no deadlines and not a worry in the world, you can bet that Jay is only just realising his achievement in the nationals.

Meanwhile, his brother Ryan has continued his comeback aboard the JDR Motorex KTM 350 SX-F, riding motocross of late before he begins to prep their supercross track this weekend. Once that’s done, it’s expected they’ll start riding late next week and we plan to head out there to see how it’s all coming along.

New South Wales is actually a bit of a hot spot for supercross training in the pre-season, so stay tuned for a lot of unique content that you won’t find anywhere else in the lead-up to the series. We also might have a few surprises in store, too!

So we’ve had the confirmation that Chris Blose is riding for Hart and Huntington/InsureMyRide on a Kawasaki in the Open class of Super X, but there are still rumours that suggest Josh Hansen will be back to defend his title with the factory Kawasaki team. With Hansen believed to be rejoining Hart’s team in the U.S next year, some are saying he’ll be in H&H colours under the factory truck.

But can we expect more Americans to come? Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing already has Cheyne Boyd and Todd Waters on 450s, but we’re still hearing that they could bring over the likes of Kevin Windham for a round or two if they can lock one of those guys in. And then there’s the Lites ride, which isn’t yet confirmed. Interestingly, team owner Yarrive Konsky is in the U.S. right now…

While many have opted to take time out between the MX Nationals and Super X, a determined Boyd has already been riding following what was a lackluster outdoor season by his standards. He knows he needs to make things happen in Super X, especially since he missed the series altogether in 2010.

I was speaking to Craig Dack this afternoon and he confirmed that Jake Moss is on track to compete with the team during Super X alongside Jay Marmont, making for an incredible all-Aussie combo as long as Jake’s shoulder is strong enough. He’s already been training, according to Dack, and hopes to be on the bike some time next month.

It’s shaping up to be a mega series that will be over as quickly as it begins considering there will be five-straight rounds of racing, and we can’t wait to get things started in the pre-season.

World Motocross

The Australian team selected for the Motocross of Nations was announced on Monday morning, featuring Chad Reed (MX1), Matt Moss (MX2) and Brett Metcalfe (MX3). Reed and Metty have MXoN experience, while Mossy is a newcomer to the event, but the Aussie Lites champion has what it takes to pull of a surprise performance in France.

Moss is travelling to America this coming Sunday to train for the event with JDR Motorsports, which should be a good move as he’ll be riding alongside many of the top AMA pros as they prepare for the Pala round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship on 10 September.

The MXoN is the weekend following Pala, so don’t expect a surprise appearance from Moss in the AMA finale, but wouldn’t that be something to see. We’ll probably just have to be patient though, because the reality is that 2012 is his time to shine back in the U.S. with JDR.

Since the Motocross of Nations is on just days after Pala, Reed has already mentioned on Twitter that TwoTwo Motorsports have been forced to ship a spare bike over for the event. That’s the case across the board when it comes to the U.S. riders and teams, but the equipment will no doubt be on par with their regular mounts.

All eyes will be on Billy Mackenzie this weekend at the British Motocross Grand Prix as he makes his world championship return. BillyMac has been a welcome addition to Australian racing over the past two years, so make sure you support him and follow his progress on the world stage come Sunday. Good luck, mate!

Two other MX Nationals regulars will be on hand at Matterley Basin, however both Dean Ferris and Josh Coppins will still be recovering from injuries sustained in their pile-up at the Coolum season finale. Both have since undergone surgery as you may have seen in Breaking News, but I doubt there are any hard feelings between them.

The interesting thing in the whole scenario is that as a 21-year-old Australia, Ferris will be attending the British GP with his eyes wide open dreaming of some day switching gears in his career to Europe full time. On the other Hand, 34-year-old Coppins has been there, done that, and will simply enjoy catching up with old friends for the weekend.

American Motocross

While we continued to report on the regular Australians in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Unadilla last weekend, some of you would have noticed that our very own GNCC champion Josh Strang was on hand in his first outdoor appearance of the year.

Strang does the majority of his off-road training on the motocross tracks of Southern California, so when the opportunity arose to ride at Unadilla, he certainly jumped at the chance. He did good too, running inside the top 20 close to the pace of Tye Simmonds, winding up with 22-20 results for 24th overall. That’s a single point, which is no mean feat against the world’s best.

Chad Reed has admitted he’s struggled to find momentum since that awful crash at Millville, with his title hopes fading with every round won by Ryan Villopoto. The weekend saw Reed lose even more points as Honda drafted in Justin Barcia, who finished on the podium and essentially took points from Chad. I don’t think Chad will blame anybody for that though, because after all, racing is racing.

Michael Byrne continued his consistent run just outside the top 10 and is safe for next year with a two-year deal, but we have to ask, where is Tye Simmonds going to end up next year? Sources in the U.S. say he won’t be with JDR unless it’s in Australia, but he must want to stay over there for one more season. We’ll see what information we can dig up over the coming weeks.

Freestyle Motocross

Red Bull announced last week that they are doing a unique competition of sorts in the lead up to next months X-Fighters finale in Sydney, involving trail bike riders in what will be a dirt bike treasure hunt. Prizes up for grabs include tickets to the X-Fighters, a signed set of Robbie Maddison’s gear and even a Swatch watch!

Head to www.redbull.com.au/lostandfound to register for a chance to join the Red Bull Lost and Found search party. There will are crates ‘missing’ in NSW, QLD, VIC and WA, so whatever you find from the cargo will be yours to keep in a series of group trail rides organized through trail bike tour companies.

Registration closes on 29 August and all you need to do is tell Red Bull in 25 words or less ‘What’s the worst thing you’ve lost and best thing you’ve found?’ In order to register you’ll need a current Australian motorcycle license, registered bike and all the appropriate safety gear.

That’s all for this week, thank you as always for stopping by and remember to spread the word – everybody should visit MotoOnline.com.au for all the Aussie-based dirt bike content we can provide!

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