Flatout Racing

This calendar, which is one of many projects from James Fleming(fmx Photography). The calendar consists of 20 high quality images from the 2009 Irish Youth motocross season from several events from the year, such as Ferns,Gormo and Dundalk to name a few.

The calendar include top irish youth riders such as, Christy Harnett, Jordan Keogh, Shane Mulligan, David Galvin jnr,

The paper is scratch proof, easy clean from liquid spills, each page is just under A4 size, The photos can be reused after the month has passed to get the most out of the shots and calendars

The Price of this limited edition calendar is 15euro each.

The calendars should be arriving just after Christmas, so will be just in time for the new year

There is a small number of copies left so get your orders in before its too late. So Contact James Fleming @ fmxphotography@gmail.com

Photo and story Jayo Fleming

Interview and photos: James McCarthy

The 2009 Irish motocross season proved to be somewhat extraordinary and for one rider in particular it could only be described as amazing. What was dreamed as a young boy from knee high became reality. That rider of course being Stuart Edmonds who won both mx1 and mx2 Irish championship titles, during this time he picked up as many as 11 wins/8 podiums and 6 pole position spots in qualifying throughout the course of the Irish championship. Along with dealing with injuries the most spectacular seen of the 2009 season was to be set in the final race which was for the championship where he rode 20mins with not 1 but 2 broken hands! I read at the start of the year on Stuarts bebo page “One man: 2 tm’s…4 titles” these titles being mx1+mx2 Irish and Ulster. Unfortunately Stuart lost out on both Ulster’s, but somehow I don’t think that matters to him.

Hi Stuart and welcome to your first official interview for flatout.ie…can you tell us how your year went? 
Hello, ahh the year had its highs and lows but in the end I’m still pleased in some ways but disappointed with the Ulsters due to my injuries I received I was handicapped a small bit with the wrist and then making some stupid mistakes during the year didn’t help either.
 

Over the course of the season many things happened…few bike problems, injuries and unluckiness, yet you managed to put all this behind you…how? 
This year the bikes where great as usual and we managed to solve some small problems that cost us championships last year so no problems with the bike other than me forgetting to turn the petrol on and the big rock in Tinkerhill busting my casing. The way I see it I’ve always got better results by putting all effort into every race and always being determined was a big factor if you want something enough chase for it and you will get it, my motto is ‘’DONT STOP TILL THE BIKE STOPS’’

 Securing the mx2 title with one round remaining must be a great achievement, showing you not only were you the best in this class but by a long shot…how did you fell about this? 
Aww it felt brilliant always something I imagined when I was a kid getting an adult Irish but I did it this year by a long shot and then also securing the mx1 as well was even better. I set my self goals when I was younger a man came to me and said what do I want to be I told him world champion he replied you won’t just get effortlessly so set yourself reasonable goals and your time will come since then my goals have been. 
Irish Adult champion: done and dusted
Race for my country: Done that plenty more to come I hope
Top 10 in adult British race: done that
Qualify for world GP: Twice I did it
Score a GP point: Did it 2008
My next few goals are, race the worlds full time, finish top 5 in British then the ultimate one become world champion. But I’m a long way from that as yet but I’ll not give up

Over the season it seemed obvious that at the latter half of the race you were always capable of pushing yourself a little extra if needed how did you manage to find this even when you were exhausted after 3 25mins + 1lap motos? 
I actually don’t know I asked me self that plenty times during the year, especially when I had done a full Irish on the Saturday and then travelled to England to race the British Sunday I would always manage to be wrecked going up to the line but could manage decent enough positions for the day. But when Monday came round god I would be exhausted.

Fitness in this sport as we all know is crucial and being at the top of your game, fitness is priority, could you just give a few examples of how you obtain this high level of fitness and maintain it over the year? 
O now I couldn’t be giving all my tips away haha I’d be telling me rivals what to do then wouldn’t I. Ha. Em I just maintain 4 day a week gym program involving swimming, running, push up sit ups. Nothing major but it’s all in the effort you put in and the limit you push yourself. I also try get out on the bike twice a week but that very rare.

Next year see’s you move over seas to England and ride with team tm UK how did this deal come about and what does the year consist of for you? 
Em well the deal was a surprise to me as I thought I was going to be left with no ride for next year but Nick and Gavin from CCM organize a package deal for me after they attended the Milan show and I had to decide from moving to the UK with TM or else racing over here and attending to the UK events on a KTM supported from Graham Vigor’s. I thought long and hard and I picked my blue bike again as I felt I needed to be based in the UK if I wanted to progress any further. So for next year it’s looking that I’m moving to the UK in Feb. and hopefully be coming back to do the Irish championship too but it’s not yet confirmed.

What are your aims for next year?
Nothing as yet has been sorted but my hopes are the British championship, the Redbull pro nationals, and maybe couple DEP 2stroke ones I miss them, and then the Irish championship if the dates don’t clash… IF I get enough support I’d like to do two GP’s but that all depends on the money it’s very low at the moment not a lot of people interested in sponsorship. 

With this new bigger better step for you it will help you get noticed by bigger teams again if you perform your best, is this what your hoping for or is it just because you want a change in your racing? 
Its probably the both things really I want to be noticed and I want the teams to see how determined I am and how far I will push myself to try to get where I want to be in racing….. THE TOP so in order for me to do that I’m going to have to be over in the UK training with them and racing with them more often.

Because of the injuries you sustained in the final round of the championship this year you had to withdraw your ride from the MX of Nations…how did you feel about this? 
Aww I felt gutted worst thing I could ever do as much hope I had in getting fit and well for nations within the couple weeks I was just afraid I wouldn’t be up to full scale fitness. Lucky for me I made the right choice as I was not fully capable of riding a bike till end of November so I was glad with my decision as I didn’t want to be the one known to be the let down for attending the nations on an injury and then we didn’t get in that wouldn’t be the best haha. Blame would be on me.

Is there anyone in particular that motivates you and pushes you that extra little bit each time you ride or train?
No not really I train on my own and mostly ride on my own to that is problem my biggest problem that I have no one faster than me that I can try keep up with. I would train harder in order to get better results in the British my main aim is always the British everything I do is because I want to get noticed in England. In riding I always try be as smooth and slow looking as Evert’s. He just looks so effortless on the bike.

Is there anyone you would like to thank for this year and for any help through your youth racing who has helped you move on to your first go at the full British championship? 
I would like to thank everyone that has helped threw my years of racing and also my Family ma, da, Craig and Sophia, Electraction, CCM racing, Westpark fitness, Fox racing, Belray oils, TNT, Corcoran chemicals, Andy Byrne, Steven Pollock, James Kennedy, Adrian Lappin, Michael Woodsworth, Alistair Holland, everyone else that has supported me and helped me out. 

Anything else before you go?
Get a haircut…. 

Finally I would like to say congratulations on a great year and all the best for the coming season on behalf of flatout.ie crew. 
Thanks appreciate it hopefully I’ll bring better results in next year.

Christy Harnett in action at last years British Supercross

The weekend coming sees the start of the 09/10 British Supercross season and there is a big number of Irish lads heading over! Christy Harnett will be a man to watch after his success in the Youths mx2 last year. He achieved a fine 3rd overall, despite missing the first round. Also up is Jim O’Neill, who will be looking to put his bad luck from last year behind him, and has the speed to be up there with Christy. Other riders including Robert Lyons, Ian Jones and James White in the youth mx2 class, as well as James Doyle in the 85cc class. Keith Mckiverigan is traveling over to ride in the Adult clubman class also.

As well as all the local lads, Northern Ireland Martin Barr and Gordon Crockard will be traveling over to race in the Pro series. The Crockstar is fighting fit and has bounced back from his horrific crash in Hawkstone earlier in the year and will be looking to do one better then his 2nd place finish in the championship last year. However the two USA boys Mike Brown and Zach Osbourne will be tough opposition!

Good luck to all the lads racing over there this year, and keep an eye on the flatout.ie forums for regular updates on how they are getting on throughout the race weekends!

Photo: Paddy Conroy

… And smoked him!!

This video is just so good. From the Des Nations 2006, it first shows Everts smoking Stewart during the race and then making some rather funny comments during the press release afterwards when Stewart tries to make excuses by saying he was racing for the team.

This was Stefan Everts’ retirement race and he used it to show why he is recognised by so many MX riders as the best there ever was.

Report: Robert Lynn
Photographer: Joesph McGrath

Stuart Edmonds, 2009 Mx1 and Mx2 Carville Irish Motocross Champion

The maths were simple. Entering the final round of the Irish MX1 championship at Dundalk Motopark, TSR KTM mounted Wayne Garrett needed to win both motos to stand a chance of retaining his title. The rest would be left to faith. Electraction TM mounted Stuart Edmonds held a mere 12-point advantage over Garrett in the chase for the title. If Wayne won, Stuart could settle for no less than third. The only unknown factor in the equation was that of overseas rider Ashley Greedy. With outright speed capable of matching the championship protagonists would he upset the apple cart and snatch a win?

As the 15-second board rose for the start of the opening MX1 moto, all eyes were transfixed upon the blue TM of Edmonds and the orange KTM of Garrett’s. It was Garrett who got the jump and left the starting gate like a bat out of hell to round the first corner at the front of the pack. Staying out of trouble he pulled clear from the chasing pack that was lead by Kawasaki mounted Gary Gibson to take the race win. Buried in the midpack, Edmonds put in a brave first lap and worked his way to 3rd. A costly stall dropped him down to 6th and Greedy inherited 3rd. By mid distance Edmonds had found his way back to 4th but with Garrett out front, 4th wouldn’t do. Digging deep he slowly inched his way to Greedy’s rear mudguard and with two laps to go, the crowd could feel a overtake was imminent. Sizing him up, Stuart went for the pass and made it stick and held on to take 3rd at the chequered flag. He had done enough.

Jim O’Neill who won the B mx2 championship

Entering the final moto of the year, Edmonds lead had shrunk to 7-points and it seemed like Garrett had momentum on his side. The championship had come down to the wire and neither side could afford a slip up. It was title time. Greedy shot out front to hold the early advantage, just in front of Gibson, while Garrett and Edmonds were stationed in 3rd and 4th respectively. All Stuart needed to do was hang on to Wayne’s shirttails, while Wayne needed distance between the two. In an instant, Edmonds single handily offered Garrett the title when he crashed hard off a jump dropping down to 7th. With Wayne up to 2nd and Stuart in the dirt, he was the champion elect. The apple cart had fallen all by itself. Unfortunately for Wayne but luckily for Stuart, the race had only reached half distance, time was still on his side and Lady Luck was on his graphics. Mounting a charge he worked his way to 6th, then 5th before taking 4th off Ross Brown on the final corner of the final lap. With Wayne 2nd had he done enough? It was clear the TSR KTM rider wasn’t content in 2nd he needed the win now more than ever. By winning the race the duo would draw level on overall points but on the count back the championship would be his. Showing a wheel at every given opportunity the crucial pass wouldn’t stick and he crossed the line dejectedly less than a second behind Greedy and with Edmonds narrowly beating Brown by one second, that was all it took for Stuart Edmonds to become the 2009 Carville MX1 Irish champion.

2009 Carville Irish Motocross Champions

MX1: Stuart Edmonds

MX2: Stuart Edmonds

Grade B

MX1: David Ferguson

MX2: Jim O’Neill

Grade C

MX1: Ryan McKeown

MX2: Steven May

Story:James McCarthy
Photos: Jayo Fleming

It was the final round of the youth Irish championship 2009 in Gormanston, all last winter’s hard work, training commitments and years racing were down to this. Over the year some amazing races were seen and lots will be remembered and talked about in the future and Saturday provided a lot of these. It was going to be a tense day for all and it began with were it last left off, full of action.

A championship over view!
• The morning started with the automatics for their final qualifying session of the Irish championship. With Robert Mcilroy entering only needing 10points from the day. Lee coffee is his closest rival in the championship. Having started the day ahead Mcilroy was feeling better than every with confidence of been over a second faster than any other rider in his class in qualifying.
• The 65cc was to be the best racing all day as the championship was down to the line. Aaron Piper local Dublin rider entered the day with a mere 6 point lead over championship contender David Gavin jnr. Over the course of the year both riders provided unmissable action. They were so close you could of flipped a coin, and it was agreed by all that no matter who won the championship, it would be a great achievement to either of the riders as the pace they carried were quick enough to run with the top 6’s of the small wheeled 85’s.
• The small wheeled 85 championship had already been deiced from the previous round and the provisional winner is Jason Meara. Jason decided to sit out the day and watch the action as well as cheering on his younger brother Calum in the 65’s. However there were still other spots to be decided.
• The big wheel 85s was another race to watch for the day as upcoming youth Jordan Keogh had his sights set on the Irish champion title. And from the start Keogh took 1st place in qualifying from Luke Featherstone and 2nd place championship rival Glenn McCormick. Keogh seemed a step ahead however posting fastest lap by 1.7secs
• Again the 125/250f class had been combined for the day as the entries were down. The 125 class championship had also been won before entering the final round by John meara. John has done exceptionally well winning the 125 class this year having only moved up from the b/ws, in which he also won the irish championship last year. John also decided to sit out the day and watch his fellow competitors’ battle it out for the remaining spots. In the 250 class Christy Hartnett entering the day in first ahead of Ryan Davin. Both were able to win the championship but who would it be?

Autos

RACE 1: Lee coffee took charge from the drop of the gates taking the holeshot and never looking back. Lee put his head down and went on to win the race by 2 seconds from Connor Finlay who put up a good battle and took second place. Jaime Blackwood had a quiet race finishing where he began in 3rd spot.
Race 2: This time championship leader Robert Mcilroy took charge of the race and went on to victory from Coffey and Finlay who once again had a close fought battle as seen in race one.
Race 3: Again Mcilroy won with Lee Coffey in 2nd. This time Jack Galvin got 3rd coming in ahead to his older brother David Galvin jnr. Mcilroy’s 2 wins resulted in him winning the 50cc Irish championship.

65cc

Race 1: It was the 1st race of the day for the 65cc class and it brought all riders and spectators to the side of the track to watch the battle commence between piper and Galvin. Piper who need at least one win and two seconds for the championship took lead of the race from the start. But Galvin wasn’t backing down as he gained and gained from behind. The race brought everyone to watch as it gave what was expected a fantastic race. The final corner on the final lap it came down to as piper merely held on to the win from Galvin by just .502 of a second. With his win in the bag Piper only needed two second places now but as motorsport goes it just isn’t that easy. Josh Beausang had a steady race after having a problem with his clutch but held on to 3rd.
Race 2: This time Galvin began the way he needed to taking charge of the race and putting his head down. But Piper wasn’t as lucky as he fell in the first corner and had a lot of ground to make up as he was dead last. With sheer guts and pure determination he worked his way up to 3rd place behind Josh Beausang. The championship was now down to 4 points going in to the last race.
Race 3: For a championship to go to the final round to be decided is exceptional but for it to go to the final race of that final round shows the determination and never give up attitude of both riders. At a young age their dreams of been Irish champion were down to this, this final race, do or die for Galvin! 15…….5……..GO! They were off. Piper taking the lead from Galvin began to slowly make fractions of time on him. But Galvin couldn’t have that, as he pushed through the pain barrior to get to the number one spot, he was handed gift off a lifetime. Piper dropped the bike in a tight left hander and rejoined in 2nd place. Galvin now could do no more than steady up and hope for the best. He held his head and took the win like he needed but where was piper? Where had he finished? As Galvin waited impatiently piper appeared over the final jump in 2nd position after taking the wise decision and backing off the pace to finish the race. Piper had done what he needed and crossed the line in 2nd place taking the championship with sheer delighted by just one single point. In this case I believe not only was Aaron a deserving champion but for the effort put in by both riders. Rider’s family, supporters and friends they can both hold their head high and be their own true champion in their own respective case. Even with the shear disappointment of the narrow loss, Galvin, at only a young age of 10 took it like a true sportsman and waited to congratulate Aaron on what can only be described as an incredible championship. Well done both of ye!

SW 85cc

Race1: The small wheel 85 class began their first race on a slowly improving track. James Mackrel took the lead and put a strong 7secs between him and cork rider Jody Hurley. Hurley going for 2nd overall in the championship took a good second place to close rival Stuart Simpson.
Race 2: Hurley this time proved the top man after working his up from 3rd to 1st in 7 laps to win the race by four seconds and improve his chances of 2nd overall in the championship, to top qualifier Dylan Coffee. Coffee seemed to be enjoying the track today as he was the only rider capable of matching Hurley’s pace throughout the race. Simpson finished 3rd a further 15secs behind coffee.
Race 3: Mackrel again took charge of the final race from Hurley who stayed strong and remained within a biting distance of mackerel at all times. Coffee took 3rd ahead of Simpson again, who would have to settle for 3rd overall in the championship behind cork based Jody Hurley and winner Jason Meara.

BW 85cc

Race 1: Keogh entered the race from pole position but soon struck trouble. He fell at the begging of the race and as he steadily climbed his way back up the pack to 6th spot more trouble hit him. His transponder failed, although he was visibly still out there and working his way up the pack without the transponder it’s no good. Keoghs efforts were finished as he was rewarded with a dnf as of this problem. As much as they tried and wanted to help him they were rule bound and could not do anything about it. McCormick took the win as he needed from Mark Carvill and James doyle.
Race 2: this time Keogh remained drama free except for the fact McCormick wasn’t letting him have it easy. Over the course of the 18min race the two battled side by side, but Keogh remained victorious taking the win by only .6 of a sec to McCormick who couldn’t be faulted for his efforts. Doyle again followed home in 3rd spot.
Race 3: Keogh again in form took charge of the lead from lap 2 followed by McCormick and raced an unmistakable race to take the win and the Big Wheel Irish championship title from McCormick. Jamie Kelly wrapped up the podium position in 3rd.

125 2t/250 4t

Race 1: as the class was mixed it gave the quickest riders of the youths a chance to match the pace of the others. The main attraction of race 1 was the 250fs as Beausang took a pass on Davin for 1st that proved to be bravery. Beausang made a hard charge down the inside of a left hander and never backed off leaving Davin one option shut off. Davin however was not giving in and wouldn’t back down but ended up leaving himself nowhere to go as he went out over the berm and dismounted his bike. Beausang continued to take the win by over 16 seconds to Christy Hartnett who only needed to take it easy to secure his title. Davin regained his machine and put in a good effort to get up to 5th place. The 125 class was won by James white who like Beausang, was a step above the rest of the competition taking the win from Cox followed by Jones.
Race 2: Race two proved to be much the same as one but without the drama, Beausang took the win gain followed by Davin this time and Lyons back from injury. White also remained untouchable once again proving too good for his competition won from 2nd place Cox and Jones again took 3rd.
Race 3: Beausang having not followed the championship was in it just for the race and out leaded the rest of the pack taking the win from Hartnett who had done enough to secure his first Irish championship title. Northern rider Ryan Adair followed home in third. With White going for a perfect day he secured 3 from 3 wins from Cox who placed second. Jones had secured 3rd overall in the championship so opted out of the last race to hand 3rd place over to Jonathan Thomas.

I would also like to congratulate all of the championship winners on the success over the year!
Championship overall’s (provisional only)
Automatics: 1st Robert Mcilroy
2nd Lee Coffey
3rd Jaime Blackwood
65cc:1st Aaron Piper
2nd David Galvin Jnr
3rd David Sorenson
85sw:1st Jason Meara
2nd Jody Hurley
3rd Stuart Simpson
85bw:1st Jordan Keogh
2nd Glenn McCormick
3rd James Doyle
125 2t:1st John Meara
2nd James White
3rd Ian Jones
250f:1st Christy Hartnett
2nd Ryan Davin
3rd Ryan Adair
All Photos of the above event are available to buy off Jayo Fleming along with many others from the year please support his excellent photography, Contact him @ fmxphotography@gmail.com. I also write reports and am available for pr for clubs or other events. I also have a wide range of photos from the adult Irish this year, contact me @ macarthy71@yahoo.ie

Round 5 of the Carvill group adult motocross championship took place in the new east cork motorcycle club facility in Park, Youghal. The track was new to the majority of riders as they had never ridden there before. With the fine weather and the track in pristine condition, the 5th round of the championship was set for a real close battle in all classes.

Sunday morning after the track was watered once again it was all set and ready. With riders briefing finished the A+B MX1 headed to the line for qualifying. Quickly out of the blocks was Dubliner Stuart Edmonds who set fastest lap on a 1.27.327. Wayne Garrett his championship rival followed him in 2nd with 1.28.493 and local rider Raymond Casey in 3rd on 1.29.600. 4th place Ross Brown set a very close lap to that of Raymond’s in 3rd with 0.092 sec of a difference on a 1.29.692. After the session finished the riders discussed in the paddock the track and the majority were happy with it and were ready for good racing.

C MX1 qualifying was also very close with lap times separated by just hundredths of a second. Keith Finnamore took the number one spot on 1.38.187 followed closely by Mark Eccles on 1.38.677 and 3rd place Ken Maher put in a lap time of 1.39.901, so the top 3 spots were separated by only 1.224secs.

A+B MX2 qualifying saw a lot of the mx1 rider’s return to the track giving them another chance to suss it out. But once again Stuart Edmonds qualified 1st followed by Wayne Garrett in 2nd and Richard bird 3rd. Local youth rider Aaron Beausang showed his pace with a 5th gate pick only 2.515secs off that of Edmonds in 1st. C MX2 qualifying was won by David Finnamore followed by Neil Robinson and 3rd place Kyle begs. Top 3 again separated by a close 1.637sec.

Race 1 was the A+B MX1 and after only 13mins of racing gone the transponder system shut down with nothing the club could do only red flag. With the hard work of officials and all involved they got it back up and running and rescheduled the race for the last race of the day.
C MX1 now became the first official race. Clifford Wilson began from 2nd place but with no pressure took over 1st place and walked home with a huge 18.6 sec lead from Mark Eccles who led home Keith Finnamore.

A+B MX2 race 1 showed outstanding pace by Stuart Edmonds who came from 2nd last off the start all the way true the pack to eventually take the race win by 8secs from Richard bird. Edmonds delighted with his start to his day still had a lot more to come however. Tommy Merton put in a good race after dropping to 8th position but steadily climbing his way back up through the field to a good 3rd position.

C MX2 race one was a win right from the start by David Finnamore. After getting the start he carried on throughout the race with an eventual 9sec lead over Ronan Flynn. Ronan began in third position and diced with eventual 3rd position man Stevie May to eventually take 2nd place by 24secs.

After the lunch break and the track heavily watered to keep down the dust the track became extremely slippery. However this would not stop Gary Gibson getting on with what had to be done and take the win from Wayne Garrett and Tommy Merton. Stuart Edmonds began in 4th but quickly disappeared after falling and getting tangled with the track ropes on the 2nd lap. After eventually freeing his way out he remounted but a lap down. But with Edmonds strong pace and never give up determination he un lapped himself and climbed back up the leader board all the way to 4th place before the chequered flag went out. A great performance once again from the Dublin based rider

The final C MX1 race saw 3rd place rider Keith Finnamore in race 1 this time up his game and take the win from Ryan McKeown who got a bad start in race one and could only climb the leader board to 10th position. Race 1 winner Clifford Wilson took 3rd place tying the overall with Keith Finnamore. However Keith took the 1st position due to a better last race.
A+B MX2 once again saw Stuart Edmonds make a comeback from behind. Edmonds took 2nd position early on in the race but went down on a slippy grass section. However this did not stop him and he remounted and took the win from moto-one Suzuki rider Tommy Merton. Local youth Aaron Beausang showed his talent in race 2 after starting out challenging Tommy Merton for the lead in the opening laps of the race. Beausang who couldn’t seem to keep ahead of Merton sat behind him in 2nd place until the more experienced adult riders came by near the closing stages of the race and eventually ended up with a fine 6th position. With maybe more experience we will see him return to action again and possibly challenge for a title win. Richard bird went on to take 3rd place in race 2 after passing back Edmonds when he went down but being re passed by the hard charging Dublin man.

C MX2 was scheduled to be the final race of the day but with the A+B MX1 being re run after the lads had a chance to showcase their talent in front of the spectators remaining to watch the final race. David Finnamore again took the lead from the start and gave no chance to anyone else opening up a lead of 20secs to second place rider Kyle begs. Kyle diced with Ronan Flynn all the way to the line eventually taking 2nd place by just over 2secs.

With all the A+B MX2 riders extremely tired most of them had to go out and repeat their actions from the earlier race in the final A+B MX1 race. With Ross Brown getting the start he always needed he took the lead from Edmonds. But it wasn’t long before Edmonds charged up to his pace and made his move. But brown wasn’t having it. Brown quickly re passed him and this was repeated over and over. This brought all spectators out to the side of the track to cheer on both riders in which was becoming an epic battle. On lap 3 Brown seemed to have missed a gear and Edmonds capitalised immediately. With Brown getting back going in 2nd he put on a charge to catch Edmonds but could not get as close as he would have liked. Edmonds began to pull bit by bit and Ross remained 2nd. Merton meanwhile wad well beaten by the outstanding opening pace of the leaders and remained in 3rd position. But the days racing began to take a toll on Edmonds and he began to wear away and cruise his lap in fear of making mistakes. Brown meanwhile began to close but his opening pace also hit him and could not seem to close enough on Edmonds after the lead he pulled. While the front two slacked off the pace, Merton remained strong and closed in frantically on brown. But all in vain as the chequered flag went out Edmonds won by 4secs from a hard charging Brown. Merton could only remain 3rd a further 4seconds behind.

Overall a good days racing was had by all and the results looked like so:

A MX1- 1st-Stuart Edmonds 43points
2nd-Gary Gibson 43points
3rd-Tommy Merton 40points
B MX1- 1st- Joel Brown 44points
2nd-Chris Wright 43points
3rd-David Ferguson 41points
C MX1- 1st- Keith Finnamore 45points
2nd-Cliford Wilson 45points
3rd-Mark Eccles 40points
A MX2- 1st-Stuart Edmonds 50points
2nd- Tommy Merton 42points
3rd-Richard Bird 42points
B MX2- 1st- Jim O Neill 50points
2nd-Adam Murphy 42points
3rd-Jordan Scott 38points
Photos and story by James McCarthy

First race of the outdoors Motocross season in the US was this weekend, here are some pretty cool photos from it!

Jeremy Lusk passed away late last night after a huge crash while competing at the X-Knights Freestyle Motocross competition in Costa Rica.

Lusk was a member of the Metal Mulisha and one of the best FMX riders in the world.

You can read a bit more about it here:
http://www.metalmulisha.com/blog/2009/02/rest-in-peace-jeremy/

In case any of you want to watch the video of the crash it’s up on youtube…

Well seeing “all” the snow we’ve been getting in the last days and Stuey’s video of him letting that 2t RIIIIP across his local field, I thought you guys might be interested in seeing how we roll up in Iceland

A few explanations cause I know you’re gonna wonder:

1. A bulldozer has been over the track to get most the snow off. What’s left on the track itself is hardpacked snow/ice.

2. The tyres used are studded/spiked tyres which are also used for Icecross on frozen lakes.

3. In the darkest wintertime in Iceland, sunlight might only last between 11:00 to 14:00 (yes 11AM to 2PM!) so if you want to ride at all during the winter, you’re gonna need lights. The main front is usually a very powerful (and big) Xenon hooked up to the bikes electrical system and then many of them also have strong helmet lights as you can see.

Check it out: