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Australian Motocross

Whoa, forget about Super X for now, because the Australian silly season is well and truly in full swing. Much like the U.S, Australian teams are wasting no time trying to lock in their keys to success for 2012.

Could Jay Marmont and 2011 CDR Rockstar Energy Drink Yamaha teammate Josh Coppins be going head-to-head on different teams next year? Image: Alex Gobert.

Here are the expected changes that we are hearing from all angles:

• Brad Anderson is officially riding for Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing

• Todd Waters will not be at Honda, instead expected to ride for Suzuki

• Suzuki is expected to add an additional Pro Open bike to its team, likely for Cody Cooper

• Josh Coppins is done at CDR Rockstar Energy Drink Yamaha

• Jay Marmont is almost certain to be leaving Yamaha, believed to be in talks with Monster Energy Kawasaki

• Dean Ferris is leaving Australia altogether, linked to ICE Racing in World Motocross

• Matt Moss will depart JDR Motorex KTM, joining JDR’s American team in the AMA

• Craig Anderson will NOT hang up his boots, opting for another season on his own team

• Tye Simmonds has an offer from JDR Motorex KTM to return to the Australian team after a year in the States

• Kade Mosig is on the shopping lists of select factory teams

• Ben Townley has expressed interest in racing the MX Nationals and will be here unless he gets a ride in the U.S.

• Kirk Gibbs and Jake Moss would have to be favourites for the seat at Yamaha if Marmont does switch

That leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions, including the futures of Billy Mackenzie, Jake Moss, Cheyne Boyd and Daniel McCoy. All four deserve factory seats, but what ones we aren’t quite sure.

Whatever the case, Australian Motocross will be better than ever with all of these shake-ups, because uncertainty creates interest, and that’s exactly what the sport needs right now.

Stay glued to MotoOnline.com.au for all the information we can gather as the news breaks.

Australian Supercross

There are less than three weeks until the Monster Energy Super X, Australasian Supercross Championship, starts and it’s going to be here before we know it as expected.

This weekend is Bathurst (for four-wheel fans), the next is MotoGP down at Phillip Island, and then the one after marks round one of Super X at Melbourne Knights Stadium.

Who has done their homework? Who has made improvements on their bike? Who has spent the most time making sure their track is similar to the ones that they’ll race on? Who has been practicing the formats? Those are just some of the answers that we should know after round one.

What we do know is that Jay Marmont is looking exceptional right now, probably happier than ever before with the CDR Rockstar Energy Drink Yamaha. With all this talk going on that he’s changing colours for next year, some might think that relationships are rocky at Yamaha. No chance. The team is testing with him and Jake Moss this week and all is good.

What we still don’t know is whether or not Billy Mackenzie will have a teammate in the 450 class for Super X at Monster Energy Kawasaki, or if Rockstar Motul Suzuki has a Lites rider at all! If they do, it will be Martin Davalos as we’ve previously reported.

This season could be the year of the surprise. There are a number of young guys who want to make their mark, including Lawson Bopping, Todd Waters, Tye Simmonds, Cody Mackie in the Opens to name a few. In the Lites you need to keep an eye out for Josh Cachia, Brenden Harrison, Kade Mosig and even Luke Styke.

Don’t forget that Dean Ferris is stepping down as well after an incredible couple of seasons in the Opens outdoors, while Matt Moss is still quite young himself despite being a multi-time national champion.

Speaking of Cachia, the word from America is that he’s been flying over there and has really impressed the JDR/J-Star/KTM team including team manager Nate Ramsay. If you don’t believe that JDR is going to use the team as a springboard for Aussies to the AMA, wait until the next few years pass.

Anyway, we are really getting excited now, so in case you have been living under a rock and missed them on the site, go to the Film tab on the navigation bar to check out the first few preview videos that we had Guy Streeter put together of pre-Super X training with Ryan Marmont, Errol Willis and Jay Marmont! There are many more to come…

American Supercross

Well, it’s finally happened. Ryan Dungey is riding a Red Bull KTM. Reunited with Roger DeCoster, this is KTM’s first real opportunity to finally right what went so wrong with Jeremy McGrath back in 2002.

The reality is that we live in a very different world to back then, and that KTM has come a long way both in racing and its general performance of the production bikes. Needless to say, with Dungey, Ken Roczen and Marvin Musquin all locked in to ride SX-Fs, 2012 is KTM’s time to shine.

Many have reported that Dungey will ride a special version of the 450 SX-F, already dubbed the ‘Dungey Replica’ and believed to be based off the super lightweight and fuel injected 450 EXC enduro bike that KTM released recently.

Time will tell, but we certainly cannot wait to see how the number five does come Anaheim 1. To see the full range of Dungey/KTM images, check out Racer X Online’s gallery here.

Ryan Dungey could be KTM's shining light in the U.S. next season. He's already hard at work in California. Image: Racer X Online.

What us Aussies really want to know is what manufacturer Chad Reed will ride for in 2012. Honda or Suzuki seem to be the realistic options, but just what one it is we have no idea.

Chad is a fan of both bikes for a variety of reasons, and will have men in his corner that share experience with both as well. We’d love to give you the bombshell of what bike he’s on, but really, nobody yet knows.

How about the growing speculation that James Stewart is in talks with TwoTwo Motorsports? I can’t see it happening unless James either brings sponsorship or is prepared to ride for a lower wage than what we’d expect, but his future is high up in the air right now without too many options remaining. If James isn’t at TwoTwo, we have no idea who will be. Get on @CRtwotwo’s Twitter and see if you can work it out for yourself!

That leaves Stewart at either JGR or on his own deal again, with many recently stating that their mate’s brother’s girlfriend knows what Bubba is going to do (just kidding!). It’s thought that JGR is going to Suzuki and signing Stewart to ride alongside Davi Millsaps.

Justin Brayton is already riding the factory Honda that he was confirmed for late last week, while Andrew Short will also be on a Honda with factory support as part of the Jeremy McGrath/Larry Brooks operation. Lets hope Brooks has more luck getting along with riders on that team than what he did with Reed and Stewart.

What all of these off-season mix ups mean is that the Monster Energy Cup could very well be an easy win for Ryan Villopoto considering Reed won’t be there, Dungey won’t either and Stewart doesn’t have a bike. Although’ I’m sure the likes of Justin Barcia, Broc Tickle and even Marvin Musquin will be doing their best to battle RV for the million.

Australian Off Road

Congratulations have to go out to Chris Hollis for his big win in the Yamaha Australian Off Road Championship, using consistency to clinch the title at Salisbury over the weekend.

Hollis didn’t win a single round this year but still managed to take the crown, heading a Ballard’s Yamaha clean-sweep of the podium with Stefan Merriman and Matthew Phillips.

This year didn’t go exactly to plan for Motorcycling Australia running the series within state rounds, largely affected by rain including the season finale on Monday, which had to be cancelled because of the weather.

What we do know is that next year is shaping up to be even better, with dual champion Toby Price expected to be back to 100 percent fitness for Motorex KTM, Ben Grabham too, and young gun Phillips learning from this year.

Rising star Matt Phillips will be a favourite for the 2012 AORC crown if he remains in Australia.

There are many who could step up and challenge for the title, plus Yamaha and KTM’s rivalry for supremacy is also sure to boost the sport in a lot of ways for competitors. Husqvarna will also be pushing hard, and we’re even hearing that GHR Honda may be back in the mix.

Bring it on!

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