FSX Chats To MX1 Rider Clement ‘The MX Panda’ Desalle

Currently sat 55 points behind leader Antonio Cairoli in the 2012 MX1 World Championship, we caught up the Belgian rider Clement Desalle before the 13th round at Matterley Basin, UK, to talk about his season so far, the future and the origins of his nickname…

Over the last three years, you have finished in the top 3 in the MX1 GP Championships. Right now, you are just a thirty points behind Cairoli. Do you reckon that 2012 will be your year?

I’ll do my best and I’m looking really positive in the front to try to get the best results possible.

How did it feel to pick up your first double victory earlier in the year at Uddevalla?

It was a good feeling, not only of the results but also because my riding was really good!

After controlling much of 2011 season, your shoulder injury in Belgium meant the championship was snatched from you. How did that feel?

It’s a real bad feeling because I wanted to finish the season on the best level possible without injury.

How do you like to spend your time when you aren’t riding motocross?

I like to train for MX with different kind of sports, like running, cycling, swimming, and racketball. I like to have fun in my 4X4 with friends, pass time with my dogs (animals are the best!). Plus, I like to ride Enduro with friends and my dad during the winter.

Do you think that you would consider racing Motocross over in the States?

Yes, I wouldn’t put this option out of my head. But for me, MX is not only the sport, you know? I want to feel good in the life out of motocross too.

You’ve been nicknamed the ‘MX Panda’. How come? Do you love bamboo? 

My nickname came because I love to eat! It was in 2002 and I was with friends in the Futuroscope (a park in France) and they told me about a documentary about the panda and it said that pandas eat 14 hours in a day. It started from there!

Alongside the new addition this year, the 2013 calendar also features a new track in Thailand. What are your views on the new tracks and the championship reaching new parts of the world?

Honestly, I think it’s more about business than the riders. When you see the condition of some tracks we ride, I’ve had more fun on some practice tracks! I mean, it should be okay to ride in parts of the world like this, but the track should be really good. They should be more prepared for it!

Do you think that teams having to go further afield for racing will have any negative affect on championships? There is plenty of speculation as to why there were fewer competitors in Russia, for example…

I can’t really answer of this question because I don’t know how the teams work. We pay for so many things, it’s normal that some say no. Russia for example, it was really not cool to see only 21 riders on the entry list and 14 riders at the gate. What’s this mean for a World Championship?

What does it mean to you to be part of Fox Racing’s team of athletes?

It’s really good! The people I’ve met are really nice and I really like the design of Fox gear and sportswear!

Paul Bird Motorsport Rider Michael Laverty Chats Exclusively To Freestylextreme About His Dreams For His First Ever MotoGP Season!

PIC: www.speedweek.de

Michael Laverty has been a FreestyleXtreme sponsored athlete for many years so we may be a little bit biased. Even so, we couldn’t be more excited to see the Northern Irishman racing on the world stage alongside the likes of Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo. Michael very kindly took some time out before the first race at Qatar to talk to us about his hopes for the new season.

How is life in the MotoGP treating you, Michael?

Its been good, although Im not sure you get the full MotoGP experience from the Malaysia tests as the paddock is on quite a reduced scale without the Moto 2/3 teams and none of the GP infrastructure. However life inside my team and on track has been really positive. The travel and climate/cultural changes are something that I quite enjoy rather than seeing them as a pain like some do. Ive been away from home a lot already, so I miss Jodi and our dog but its all good, Im answering these questions with a sea view and sun on my back, no complaints here!

There is a huge amount of fan support behind you this year. We particularly like the ‘open letter’ article to you from SofaRacer. Have you noticed a difference in reaction from them since you started in MotoGP?

Its been quite interesting, Im not one to read fan forums but from what Ive been told by those close to me who do, there has been a major shift from the detractors originally to a lot of support. It has been surprising, BSB [British Superbike Championship] is a top national series but just the fact that you race MotoGP (albeit on a CRT machine) really seems to incite a lot of interest. I shall enjoy the support and like SofaRacer stated, enjoy every minute of being a MotoGP rider!

PIC: www.michaellaverty.com

Your testing in Sepang earlier in the year couldn’t have gone much better. Your confidence must be high after that performance?

Its nice, I wont lie - it feels good. Of course I felt that was roughly where I should be in theory but with no prior experience in GP there was a bit of guess work involved. With experience you learn to gauge things, like your level, the competition, their strengths and weaknesses although there can be things you havent accounted for. I like to analyse everything, I feel Im a realist so it wasnt a big surprise to me however it did seem to shock a lot of people.

Is it satisfying to prove to your detractors that you deserve to be on the world stage?

For sure, although I dont really get hung up on other people opinions, positive or negative, I dont really allow myself to take it on board unless it comes from a source whom I respect, you know? Arm chair critics cant ever have a true grasp of what is going on, but if I get praise or criticism from say my brothers my parents or my peers for example, thats a different story. It keeps your feet on the ground when you’re doing well and your chin off the floor when things get tough!

PIC: www.motogp.com

You must be getting on pretty well with your new bike then? What sort of things are you noticing as you spend more time with your CRT Aprilia?

Unfortunately Ive had a grand total of 30 laps on the bike I will race this season, and it was a very unrefined version with no electronics, etc. Sepang 1 I rode the ART bike that James Ellision rode last year, it was good as everything worked so it allowed me to just get on and ride it, learn all the nuances of MotoGP like the circuit, carbon brakes, Bridgestone tyres, electronics etc.

By the final day I was right on the pace with the top CRT [Claiming Rule Team] guys and finished up 2nd, I was really happy with the ART and felt comfortable on it.

We arrived at Sepang 2 with the new PBM [Paul Bird Motorsport] bike, it was a three day test and I didnt get to ride it until after lunch on the final day. It definitely was a test of patience, I felt I needed more track time to continue my learning process but it was important to get some data for the PBM bike, so rather than using the spare ART [Aprilia Racing Technologies] I let my team get on with finishing the new bike. All credit to them they worked harder and longer than any other team on pit lane to get it running and in the end it was very satisfying for them to put a brand new bike on circuit and get damn close to the necessary lap times with minimal track time.

PIC: www.michaellaverty.com

With the whole season ahead of you, what do you think you are looking forward to the most?

Not one thing in particular but the whole experience, riding on the best circuits in the world against the best riders on the best bikes in front of thousands of fans. It is the pinnacle of Motorcycle racing and I plan to enjoy being part of the show.

What are your hopes for Qatar? Have you or the team set any targets?

I have yes, but it may be a little bit unrealistic at the moment, I should know better what our level is after the final Jerez test this weekend. I want to be battling to win the CRT race, if I was on the ART bike I would say it confidently but as we still have a lot of work to do with the PBM bike just to reach the level of the ART bike in performance I am a little bit reluctant.

We also read recently that Paul Bird Motorsport landed a sponsorship with an adult movie subscription channel. Not a bad perk of the job, we assume?

Ha ha, yes there has been mixed reviews from fans on that one but I imagine the male fans wont mind a slightly different look from the promo girls! And no I havent been given a free subscription before you ask, lol.

Snowmobile Rider Caleb Moore Fights For Life After X Games Crash

Freestyle Snowmobile athlete Caleb Moore is currently in a critical condition with brain complications after his accident on Thursday at the 2013 Winter X Games in Aspen.

The Snowmobile Freestyle Competition saw several accidents (including Calebs brother Colten, who separated his hip) but viewers were releived to see all who crashed were conscious. Caleb even reportedly walked from the course after the accident.

www.revoltpowersportsmedia.com

However, it has since been reported that Caleb suffered from bleeding around his heart after the crash, which has led to further complications with his brain. A spokesperson for the family described Caleb as "...in critical condition and is being closely monitored."

We sincerely hope that Caleb shows some signs of recovery. You can show your support on Calebs Facebook Fan pages.

[ABC News]
[USA Today]

Catching Up With Alias Rider Wil Hahn

In the very near future, we will be stocking an impressive range of Alias MX gear, and GEICO Honda casual wear on the FreestyleXtreme site.

Alias may have only been launched in the summer of 2012 but the fledgling MX brand has already made great strides in the world of Motocross. Thanks to a partnership with Geico Honda, Alias sponsored 2012 MX Lites champion Eli Tomac with a full range of race wear, protective gear, gloves and casual wear and this year support Justin Bogle, Zach Bell, Zach Osborne and William Hahn.

That last name will be particularly familiar, after Hahn picked up a win at Atlanta in the 250 SX East, putting him second in the running in the championship, behind Dean Wilson. Take a look at this interview with Wil above and get ready to match his look very soon!

Trials Rider Danny MacAskill Vs San Francisco

The last time we saw San Francisco, it was with Ken Block behind the wheel of his 650 horsepower Ford Fiesta for Gymkhana 5. Although there are considerably less tyres shredded in this video and a bike with the power of a single man, we think that this shows that San Fran and Trials rider Danny MacAskill can create an equally great video with just as much of a demonstration of skill and control.

Were not sure how long Remington (who make hair grooming products) have been in the action sports game but if they continue to make videos of this calibre, we really dont care...

Hawk International Motocross GP Attracts World Class Rider Line Up

The Hawk International Motocross kicks off at Hawkstone Park in Shropshire on the 10th February 2013 and the pre-season opening race has attracted a world-class line-up of riders eager to compete...

The top billing riders heading the field include current MX2 World Champion Jeffrey Herlings and his new KTM team-mate Jordi Tikier, plus Britain’s number one rider Tommy Searle, whose age means he has moved up to the MX1 class and will make his 450 debut for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki.

Searle will be competing at Hawkstone against Clement Desalle, Marc de Reuver and British MX1 Champion Kevin Strijbos. In MX2, British hopes lie at the feet of Elliot Banks Browne, James Dunn and brothers Ben and Nathan Watson.

Hawkstone is situated 10 miles north of Shrewsbury and will be signposted off the A49 Shrewsbury to Whitchurch and the A53 Shrewsbury to Market Drayton roads, postcode SY4 4NA. Race day is Sunday 10th February and tickets are available on the gates at the day, priced £25.

For more information see the new website www.hawkstoneinternationalmx.com

FULL ENTRY LIST:

MX 1


Tony Craig Carnegie                  Fuels/MOM Honda
Carlton Husband                        JLP Racing KTM
Jonathan Barragan                     STR KTM
Ryan Staveley                            Honda
Marc de Reuver                         Stabilo Pro Grip KTM
Ross Keyworth                           Revo Talon Kawasaki
Gautier Paulin                            Kawasaki Racing Team
Kevin Strijbos                             Rockstar Suzuki World MX1
Jilani Cambre                             JDS Racing Team KTM
Clement Desalle                        Rockstar Suzuki World MX1
Alex Snow                                  Oakleaf Kawasaki
Wayne Garrett                           JAR Honda by IFS
Jamie Collins                             TVR Racing KTM
Jake Gowan                               D3 KTM
Tanel Leok                                 Route 77 Energy Honda
Nathan Parker                           Revo Talon Kawasaki
Jens Getteman                          LS Honda
Brad Anderson                          Maxxis Kawasaki by LPE
Shane Carless                           Oakleaf Kawasaki
Dorren Coutts                           Maxxis Kawasaki by LPE
Adam Cook                               Concept Catering KTM
Patrick Major                            Desert Off Road Kawasaki
Connor Walkley                        Maxxis Kawasaki by LPE
Jason Dougan                           Route 77 Energy Honda
Jeremy Van Horebeek               Kawasaki Racing Team
Matiss Karro                             STR KTM
Tommy Searle                           CLS Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki
John Meara                               TMC Moto X Racing Honda
Jake Boyes                                Wulf/Bikesport/Wearside Rewinds Honda
Kenny Van Dueren                    Team Scott KTM
Greg Fisher                               Jack Horseman Kawasaki
Xavier Boog                              Ice1Racing KTM
Jamie Law                                Dyer & Butler KTM
Oliver Sandiford Smith             MJW Kawasaki
Daniel Hutchinson                   Bikesport KTM
Luke Burton                              Heads & All Threads Suzuki
Scott Elderfield                        CMP Racewear/Goldentyre Kawasaki
Jamie Ellis                                RSS/Spiral Graphics/RFX KTM
Scott Ardren                             NC Groundworks Kawasaki
James Lassu                            MJW Kawasaki
Tom Kelly                                 Malin KTM Racing
Ben Hunt                                 Green Lane Recycling Honda
Christy Harnett                       TMC Moto X Racing Honda
Jarad Goodwin                        Suzuki
Tommy Alba                            Dirtbikexpress/HPR Honda
Sam Simmons                          Motoward Yamaha
Ashley Wilde                           Sandbach Scrap Metal Kawasaki
Gareth Padgett                        Yamaha
Rui Goncalves                          Ice1Racing KTM

MX 2

Liam Garland                            Dyer & Butler KTM
Graeme Irwin                            Heads & All Threads Suzuki
Bradley Wheeler                       GL12 Racing KTM
Charlie Hamlet                          Feehily/Morris/Fox/RFX Suzuki
Mathew Callaghan                    RSS Suspension/Recognize GFX Honda
James Dunn                               HM Plant KTM UK
Luke Newman                            International Plywood/Ride Direct Kawasaki
Julien Lieber                              Rockstar Suzuki MX2
Axel Van de Sande                     Stabilo Pro Grip KTM
Elliott Banks-Browne                 HM Plant KTM UK
Mike Kras                                   Team Beursfoon Suzuki
Ceriel Klein Kromhof                  HFS Logistics MX Team KTM
Lewis Tombs                              JAR Honda by IFS
Zac Stealey                                 V Customs Kawasaki
Luke Norris                                 Oct X MNE Kawasaki
Pascal Rauchenecker                 Standing Construct KTM
Arminas Jasikonis                       Route 77 Energy Honda
Jeffrey Herlings                          Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Brian Bogers                              Stabilo Pro Grip KTM
John Robson                               Bikesport Newcastle/ JR Robson KTM
Dan Thornhill                             Revo Talon Kawasaki
Ben Watson                                HM Plant KTM UK
Sam Winterburn                         D3 Racing KTM
Adam Darbyshire                       Underdog Racing Honda
Rob Davidson                            MJW Kawasaki
David Blackburn                        Blackburn Motorbodies Honda
Glenn Fletcher                           CM Engineering/Regent MX/ JWR Honda
Jack Cox                                     JL Cox Cranes/MotoMark Yamaha
Daniel Brough                           Heatex Racing Kawasaki
Maxime Desprey                       Monster Energy Bike It Dixon Yamaha
Petar Petrov                              Kemea-Reytec-van de Laar Yamaha
Ludovic Brevers                        Kemea-Reytec-van de Laar Yamaha
Damon Graulus                         Standing Construct KTM
Brent Van Doninck                    KTM Scott Team
Aaron Pipon                              Martin Racing KTM
Jason Meara                             TMC MotoX Honda
Arnaud Tonus                            CLS Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki
Andre Park                                Kemea-Reytec-van de Laar Yamaha
Glenn Coldenhoff                      Standing Construct KTM
Neville Bradshaw                      Putoline Honda
Alessandro Lupino                    CLS Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki
Jake Milward                             Oakleaf Kawasaki
Jack Kelly Malin                        KTM Racing
James Cottrell                           Putoline Honda
Brad Todd                                  Planet Suspension KTM
Adam Sterry                               STR KTM
Jordi Tixier                                 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Kevin Fors                                  Kemea-Reytec-van de Laar Yamaha
Nathan Watson                          HM Plant KTM UK

Tom Pages Voted Best International Freestyle Motocross Rider In 2012 FMX Awards

Tom Pages

With a string of consistently impressive performances around the world, it will come as little surprise to learn that French FMX star Tom Pages has been voted Best International Freestyle Motocross Rider for 2012 by the readers of www.fmxawards.com.

Picking up 35.3% of the votes, Pages was a clear winner over New Zealander Levi Sherwood, who ranked second with 23.7% of the votes. He was also awarded the position of Best European Rider and narrowly missed out the award for Best FMX Trick Innovation after his Special Flip move was edged out by Taka Higashinos Rock Solid Backflip.

The users also voted Higashino Best Asian FMX Rider, putting him on a par with Pages with two first places to his name.

Taka Higashino

Elsewhere German Luc Ackermann was voted Best European FMX Rookie and Best German FMX Rookie, while his elder brother Hannes Ackermann picked up his second consecutive award for Best German FMX Rider.

Luc Ackermann

As in 2011, Nate Adams was named Best American FMX Rider. On the other side of the globe Josh Sheehan took Best Australian FMX Rider.

Josh Sheehan

Considering her profile and worldwide tours with Nitro Circus, it might perhaps come as a shock to learn that Canadian Jolene van Vught lost our to Aussie Emma McFerran for the newly-created title of Best Female FMX Rider. Although, as McFerran has been known to perform some of her tricks, er, sans kit, we think that may have attracted a couple of votes...

Emma McFerren

All categories and winners are listed below:

Category Winner:
Best International FMX Rider Tom Pages (FRA)
Best European FMX Rider Tom Pages (FRA)
Best American FMX Rider Nate Adams (USA)
Best Australian FMX Rider Josh Sheehan (AUS)
Best African FMX Rider Alastair Sayer (BOT)
Best Asian FMX Rider Taka Higashino (JAP)
Best German FMX Rider Hannes Ackermann GER)
Best South American FMX Rider Javier Villegas (CHL)
Best Female FMX Rider Emma McFerran (AUS)
Best International FMX Rookie Erick Ruiz (MEX)
Best European FMX Rookie Luc Ackermann (GER)
Best German FMX Rookie Luc Ackermann (GER)
Best FMX Series / Event Red Bull X-Fighters
Best FMX Bike Yamaha YZ 250
Best Trick Innovation Rock Solid Backflip – Taka Higashino (JAP)
Best FMX Website www.fmxworld.com

FMX Awards 2012 – Results


Best International FMX Rider
Tom Pages (FRA) 35.3%
Levi Sherwood (NZL) 23.7%
Josh Sheehan (AUS) 14.7%
Taka Higashino (JAP) 13.5%
Dany Torres (ESP) 12.8%

Best European FMX Rider
Tom Pages (FRA) 48.5%
Dany Torres (ESP) 25.7%
David Rinaldo (FRA) 11.8%
Libor Podmol (CZE) 8.1%
Remi Bizouard (FRA) 5.9%

Best American FMX Rider
Nate Adams (USA) 35.6%
Adam Jones (USA) 28.0%
Mike Mason (USA) 12.9%
Todd Potter (USA) 12.1%
Wes Agee (USA) 11.4%

Best Australian FMX Rider
Josh Sheehan (AUS) 43.2%
Jackson Strong (AUS) 22.4%
Clinton Moore (AUS) 16.8%
Cameron Sinclair (AUS) 12.8%
Rob Adelberg (AUS) 4.8%

Best African FMX Rider
Alastair Sayer (BOT) 47.3%
Nick de Wit (RSA) 36.1%
Brendan Potter (RSA) 6.2%
Colin Stanton (RSA) 5.2%
Stewart Couper (RSA) 5.2%

Best Asian FMX Rider
Taka Higashino (JAP) 49.0%
Aleksey Koleshnikov (RUS) 30.4%
Eigo Sato (JAP) 16.6%
Daice Suzuki (JAP) 4.0%
Kota Kugimura (JAP) 0.0%


Best German FMX Rider
Hannes Ackermann 49.6%
Luc Ackermann 26.5%
Fabian Bauersachs 8.8%
Lukas Weis 8.8%
Kai Haase 6.3%

Best South American FMX Rider
Javier Villegas (CHL) 75.9%
Fred Kyrillos (BRA) 9.5%
Gabriel Villegas (CHL) 8.8%
Marcelo Simoes (BRA) 2.9%
Gilmar Flores (BRA) 2.9%

Best Female FMX Rider
Emma McFerran (AUS) 58.9%
Jolene van Vugt (CAN) 31.6%
Mary “Scary” Perkins (NZL) 6.1%
Heather Williams (USA) 3.5%

Best International FMX Rookie
Erick Ruiz (MEX) 37.3%
Luc Ackermann (GER) 24.1%
David Rinaldo (FRA) 18.7%
Wes Agee (USA) 13.3%
Tyrone Gilks (AUS) 6.6%

Best European FMX Rookie
Luc Ackermann (GER) 42.1%
David Rinaldo (FRA) 38.6%
Jeremy Rouanet (FRA) 8.8%
Maxime Gregoire (FRA) 7.0%
Thomas Wirnsberger (AUT) 3.5%

Best German FMX Rookie
Luc Ackermann 64.2%
Tobias Finck 17.4%
Kai Haase 12.9%
Tobias Seibert 5.5%

Best FMX Contest/Series
Red Bull X-Fighters 48.7%
NIGHT of the JUMPs 17.6%
Nitro Circus 16.2%
X Games 14.9%
Nuclear Cowboyz 2.6%

Best FMX Bike
Yamaha YZ 250 32.6%
KTM 250 SX 28.8%
Honda CRF 450 20.5%
Kawasaki KFX 450 10.6%
Suzuki RM 250 7.5%

Best FMX Website
fmxworld.com 42.2%
forty8.com 20.3%
nightofthejumps.com 19.5%
freeridermx.com.au 11.7%
XGames.com/EXPN.com 6.3%

Best FMX Trick Innovation
Rock Solid Backflip – Taka Higashino 35.5%
Special Flip – Tom Pages 34.6%
Front Flip One Hand – Jacko Strong 18.9%
Flair One Hand – Tom Pages 7.1%
The Roulette – Jey Rouanet 3.9%

You can find out more details at www.fmxawards.com

BREAKING James Stewart Becomes First Suzuki Rider Whose Dog Has Twitter

If youre into the Motocross scene and want to keep up-to-date with all of the latest, breaking news - weve got a game-changer.

Its official: James Stewarts dog (Baby Bo) has twitter. Weve been closely monitoring Bos tweets and can report that so far, they are mostly related to steaks or "daddys Supercross".

Were going to be posting updates on this story as it breaks, and well keep you posted.

When we said breaking news, technically speaking he joined twitter on 15th February, but hey no one else covered the story..

Damn I hope James gets home soon. Im starving and I dont want kittles & bits tonight. I need a steak dammit

— Baby Bo (@Therealbabybo) February 19, 2013

Watching the race with @js7 aka "daddy" & he needs to scrub harder. Thinking he can improve on that. Other then that, Solid as a hambone.

— Baby Bo (@Therealbabybo) February 18, 2013

“@therealbabybo: js7.com/2013/02/2013-d…” thx for stopping by the site Bo
— James Stewart (@js7) February 18, 2013

Check out the James Stewart Oakley Mayhem Goggle >