Australasian Dirt Bike Magazine Issue 522

THE MONTH OF January is always the most exciting time for Aussie, dirtbike tragics, espescially in 2023. First up, there was Dakar. In previous years we've watched on, amazed at what foreign competitors endure throughout the 14-day navigational rally. But, with the exception of a few Aussies competing as privateers and token Aussie "factory" rides from the likes of Matt Fish (Husqvarna) and Ben Grabham (KTM) there hasn't been much of reason to be heavily invested, until recently. For 2023 we had reason to stay up and watch the race unfold, every night, for 14 days. With two, experienced factory riders from Australia in Toby Price (Red Bull KTM) and Daniel Sanders (Red Buli GASGAS) our chances of Dakar victory were high. Need I say, Sanders and Price are also very…

THE RE-VAMPED 2023 Australian Hard Enduro Championship is scheduled for five-rounds spread across three States. The big news is that Sherco Factory rider Mario Roman is locked in to contest Round 1, the Kosciuszko Killer in Victoria on 1 April. Roman is a front-runner on the world hard enduro scene and it is expected that hard enduro enthusiasts will be treated to a top-shelf performance from the Spaniard. Round 1: Kosciuszko Killer Vic. April 1-2. Round 2: Mother of Mayhem. Vic. May 13-14. Round 3: Ironstone Extreme. QLD. June 24-25. Round 4: Hillstorm Challenge. NSW. August 12-13. Round 5: Goldfields Extreme. NSW. October 7-8.…

THE 2023 YAMAHA Australian OffRoad Championship presented by MXstore is scheduled for 12 rounds spread across six weekends beginning in Mendooran, NSW on March 25. Defending AORC champ Kyron Bacon is expected to be red-hot once again on his Shop Yamaha WR250F and is tipped to be the main protagonist for the E1 class and the outright honours. The E2 class appears to be where the big action will take place with defending class champ Josh Green intent on defending his title, but he will have to fight off Husqvarna's Todd Waters and E3 class convert, Sherco team rider Jonte Reynders. Although yet to be announced at the time of writing, it is rumoured that 2022 E3 class champ Andy Wilksch will also be in the E2 class aboard a…

MOTORCYCLING AUSTRALIA (MA) has announced new licensing pricing for 2023. Rising insurance costs is behind the increase and MA released a statement saying, "While any price rise is not ideal, keeping this rise to a minimum has been a specific focus for MA. "Many sporting bodies have seen significant increases of late as they simply attempt to ensure adequate insurance coverage for their sport. We have worked closely with our insurance brokers to ensure the best possible pricing and coverage for licence holders and we have been able to limit the increase to an average of just 4% for 2023." With AMA going under late in 2022, the only governing body offering insurance to competitors in motorcycle sport in Australia is MA.…

AUSTRALIAN ENDURO ace Wil Ruprecht has joined the Sherco Factory Racing Team to contest the 2023 FiM World Enduro Championship. Although widely known for some time, Sherco finally made the official announcement in early January after rumours began circulating about the matter in late 2022. Ruprecht claimed the 2022 E2 World Enduro Championship with the TM Boano Factory Team but signed a two-year contract with Sherco shortly after. Ruprecht is eyeing off the 2023 Championship intent on fighting for the EnduroGP title. You can read more about Ruprecht's move to Sherco and his approach to racing EnduroGP in an upcoming issue of ADB.…

TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES IS forging ahead with its plans for enduro and motocross bikes and has announced their plans to enter the Monster Energy AMA SuperMotocross World Championship at the start of 2024. A fully supported factory race program has been established in the United States to run motocross operations under the all-new global Triumph Racing banner. Set-up and operated in partnership with Bobby Hewitt, this new Triumph Racing team will field two of Triumph's all-new 250cc four-strokes in the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship West and East Coast series before entering the 450cc class in 2025. Word has it that Ricky Carmichael continues to develop the Triumph motocross bikes, which just adds to the excitement.…