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5-Ball VL,XA,FL Knucklehead build, Part 3

By General Posts

by Bandit with photos by Weed

I’m facing a number of challenges. I’ve also faced some pressure lately and I don’t like to associate pressure or stress with building motorcycles. Hell, I moved to motorcycle Nirvana in the Black Hills to duck the bullshit California riders face daily.

I thought I could just tinker in the shop in Sturgis for hours unencumbered, without anxiety or worry, especially in the winter. I don’t have a deadline for this bike, what gives? Hell, I don’t know. I started to lean on myself to get shit done, so that’s why I’m writing about it, so I face the music and stop. Okay, did it work?

Goddammit, this puppy is going to be cool or I’ll die trying, right. Hang on for the next episode.

Click Here to Read this Photo Feature Tech only on Bikernet.com

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AHDRA Opens Motorcycle Drag Racing Season at North Florida

By General Posts

event: AMA/AHDRA Don “DJ” Johnson Spring Nationals
when: March 17-19, 2023
where: North Florida Motorplex, Fountain, USA

The AMA/AHDRA All-American motorcycle drag racing series opened the 2023 season with the Don “DJ” Johnson Spring Nationals presented by MTC Engineering at Fountain, Florida’s eighth mile North Florida Motorplex.

While all gasoline classes ran to completion, Top Fuel and Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel will finish at the next event in Rockingham after a series of shutdown area incidents were a cause of concern for AHDRA’s Bill Rowe.

The deciding moment was when “Jimmy Mac” McMillan ran off the end of the track in his Top Fuel semi, skipped completely over the sand trap and into the woods when his throttle stuck partially open and his chute failed to deploy. McMillan suffered two broken vertebrae and two broken ribs in the accident.

Waiting at the ready line was 2021 champ Ryan Peery for a bye to the final. Peery had his own shutdown drama in the first round of qualifying when his front tire exploded as soon as he touched the brake. His chute also didn’t deploy and Ryan dug deep into the sand.

Peery will face current champ Tracy Kile—who thundered away to an advantage that he held to the stripe for a 4.25 to 4.38 win against McMillan—when the final is run at The Rock.

The Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel final will also run at Rockingham, with champion Sam White facing “Bad Apple Mary” Dangrow. White’s 4.61 against Jason Leeper gave him lane choice against Mary, who ran 4.91 while beating her teammate Walter Halonski.

Nitro Funnybike was able to run to completion, as champion Michael Balch never had an opponent that could fire the bike and stage.

“It was a good weekend for me and a good weekend for the AHDRA,” said Balch. “There were some great looking and well-running machines there, there was just not a big turnout in my class.

“Nitro is an expensive class to run and it was a far drive for most, so I can understand the turnout. Diesel is expensive. But make no mistake—no matter how far the race is, my team will be there. You will not beat me while sitting home watching (videos on the internet.)

“My crew was there, all hands on deck. My crew chief Steve Rominski worked closely with my mentor John Red Rhea and Eli mixed the fuel to the percentage they deemed necessary. The tune-up was great but we did battle an air leak this weekend.”

Still, the team Autolite/Millenium Industrial Services Nitro Funnybike went home with a win. “The other Funnybike that was there broke in the water box, so it was an easy win for us. I would much rather have stiff competition and compete, but I feel we can and will win every event.

“We broke the intake scoop in the last qualifying round and Jay Turner Racing was nice enough to loan me one so I could continue racing. I truly appreciate the sportsmanship.

“It was a scary ending with my good friend and a man that I look up to, Jimmy Mac, going off the track. But that man is a gladiator and a warrior and I have faith that he will heal up 100% and be back as soon as he can be.

“I thank my sponsors, the track photographers, Billy Rowe and the entire AHDRA staff. Also the crew at North Florida Motorplex for doing a fantastic job, and I look forward to the next race.”

There were a few classes that seemed to be starting too early in the spring for some competitors to be ready, including GMS Racing Engines Xtreme Outlaw. Mike Motto turned the event into his own record-setting session, shattering the eighth mile, no-bar, street tire Harley-Davidson record but falling short of the 4 second pass he was looking for.

“Our goal was to set another record,” said Motto. “We reset the eighth mile record on Saturday with a 5.06 at 146 mph. Then Sunday we had a slightly better track and reset the record again at 5.03 at 147.

“What a weekend for the season opener. Despite Mother Nature (cold, cloudy, windy weather) we got it done! We will be in Rockingham next to see if we can better what we have started.

“I want to thank everyone at GMS Racing Engines. Not only have we developed great friendships but we have put together the GMS Racing Team, which will be unstoppable!

“Gregg (Dahl of GMS) said I rode like an animal, but that’s because Gregg and Damon gave me a BEAST to ride! Every single person at GMS has contributed to this project and I would like to thank them all.

“Also I would like to shout-out to the others who help make this machine what it is. Thank you Energy One Clutches, R&D Racing Transmissions, Renegade Fuels, NGK spark plugs, Bandit Belt Drives, and MTC Engineering.

“Most of all we had a couple friends go down this weekend, so let’s keep them in our prayers for a speedy recovery. See you all at the races!”

In addition to McMillan’s injuries, John Cabral wheelied over backwards on his turbo Bagger during qualifying. Cabral was back at the track on raceday with no broken bones.

Motto’s GMS teammate (and brother-in-law) Chris Hoppe won Zippers Performance Pro Modified handily as final round opponent Kimberly “K-Charm” Deshields is learning her way around her Pro Mod bike. Hoppe thanked GMS Racing Engines.

2022 Pingel Modified champion Deshields raced her way unopposed to the winners circle of the brand new Axtell Cylinders Super Modified class.

Pingel Modified fared a little better, and saw Kentuckian Jeff Workman take out Nate “St. Patrick’s Day” Carnahan. Workman’s .132 light was enough despite Carnahan’s .056 as Jeff put up a 6.14 to Nate’s 6.28.

“Everyone was struggling to find the right tune and traction for the conditions we were in,” said Workman. “I got lucky on this one to hit the better tune.

“Like to give thanks to Powermist Racing Fuel for their continuing support, DBR Fabrication for an amazing frame and exhaust, and Pingel for sponsoring the Modified class.”

Tim Whitehead and AHDRA champion Scott Tomsu shared the bagger bounty at North Florida, with Tomsu beating Whitehead in the Pro Bagger final and Whitehead reversing the outcome in the Bagger Streetbike final.

Tomsu ceded the tree by .039 to Whitehead in the Pro Bagger final, but drove around for the win. “Took home a first and a second in the bagger classes on my foot-shift bike while tweaking on the new turbo bike (pictured). It (the turbo) is going to be a rocket when we get it where we want.

Get the Extraordinary History of Motorcycle Drag Racing on a DVD at 5-Ball Racing Shop. Click to view the all-new 5-Ball Racing Shop.

“I want to thank my sponsors—STFU Motorcycles, Ward Performance, Gardner Racing Concepts, Lyndall Brakes, and all my supporters in the STFU Crue.”

Whitehead bit back in Bagger Streetbike, despite once again getting left on (.162 to .214 ) by Tomsu. This time Whitehead drove around, taking the win with a 7.37 at 98.21 to Tomsu’s 8.46 at 80.16.

“Wow, what a weekend!” said Whitehead. “I was in four different classes and took third in Eliminator ET, runner-up in Pro Bagger, and won Bagger Street.

“Was in the Street finals with Scott, who has a really fast bagger. STFU had a little trouble and I was able to make an A-B pass for the win.

“This is my second year running AHDRA. I was runner-up in Hot Rod Bagger in 2022, so to start the season off with a win is pretty dad-gum amazing!

“I’d like to thank the good Lord above for watching over all of us, my mom and dad, and rest of my family and friends for all the support.

“Also Area 51 Customs, Cherry&Irwin Trial Lawyers, Renegade Virtual Trade, The Glass Doctor, #itsallgood, Xtreme Shotz Productions—XSP, and Harley-Davidson of Dothan.

“I dedicate this win to my late grandmother ‘Mama Bobbie’ that we lost last June. Never give up on your dreams and always stay humble!”

Ken Strauss’ .014 starting line advantage was enough to push Chris Hoppe out the back door in a double breakout 5.95 Top Eliminator race.

Brian Harris seemed to have Super Pro 6.60 in hand until he crossed the centerline against Mike McManus.

“Luck of the Irish on St. Patricks Day racing weekend,” said McManus. “I got lucky every round!

“My bike runs low 6 seconds, so trying to slow down to 6.60 is really hard. So first round I won ‘cause my opponent had a motor or shift issue. I went 8.99 at like 48 mph in the semi’s but got lucky again. My opponent broke out with a 6.599 on my 6.70ish —wow could not believe it!

“So on to the the finals. I get lane choice and take left lane. So my opponent gets the winlight, but as he is chicken winging me he crossed centerline and takes out the eighth mile cone and MPH cone, gets DQed and I get the win. Wow, luck of the Irish weekend!

“I want to thank Eatmyink, 41 Performance, Mac Tools, and St. Patrick!”

AHDRA champion Brad Croneberger nailed a 7.02 to 7.10 against Casey Smith in the Universal Fleet and Tire 7.00 Pro Eliminator final. “Spun the tire leaving and couldn’t make the distance up,” reported Smith.

“It was a real challenging race weekend with the changing weather conditions,” said Croneberger. “The cold and the strong tailwind made it real difficult to stay in the index all weekend.

“Then they had some issues with the qualifying, so we ended up having to draw chips for first round matchups and right off the bat I had to race Chris Phipps—who I usually end up racing in the finals.

“Then things didn’t get any easier, and I had to race Bryce Creek followed by Donnie Huffman—always a tough matchup. Then to top it all off I had to race Casey Smith in the finals, and it seemed like he was in every final this weekend, so it was a very difficult road to get this win.

“Would like to thank North Florida Motorplex for giving us a top notch facility to race at. It’s a long drive from Pennsylvania, but definitely worth it to race here.

“Also Bill and Chrissy Rowe for putting on top notch events, my dad for helping me make some repairs to the bike in the off-season, and last but not least—my wife for helping get to the race and helping out at it.”

While Smith didn’t win that 7.00 Pro Eliminator final, he did pretty well elsewhere after deciding to make the trip to Fountain from Macon, Georgia, at beyond the very last minute.

“I was in the shop working on some customers bikes and got a call that they didn’t finish qualifiers on Saturday,” said Smith. “So per the rules, I called Bill Rowe and asked if I could still get in the runs on Sunday morning. He said ‘Yes sir, registration is still open. We start at 11:00am.’ So I finished the shop work and packed up to head south. Drove all night and got to the track about 7:00am. All I can say is some people just love racing!

“Signed up for four classes and then went to work. Made one small change after two passes and dialed her in.”

His .041 light against Chris Phipps’ .146 set the stage for Phipps to go way too quick in a double breakout, 7.35 Super Eliminator final.

“In Super Eliminator I faced Chris Phipps in the finals. I cut a better light and we had an awesome race looking at each other all the way. Straight up whack-fest, double breakout. He just went a little more than I did past the index.”

Smith caught a break in Saturday’s Eliminator, leaving .022 after final round opponent Chris Ussery, who’s transmission then broke and allowed Smith to drive around.

“Was able to win the Eliminator class racing against some awesome competitors, including 2022 Eliminator champ Chris Ussery in the finals,” said Smith. “Great race.

“I do a lot alone at the track, but the guys in the background that make it possible are Chad Hart at XLXBHORSEPOWER and the guys at Harley-Davidson of Macon making sure I got all the parts I need.

“GEN2 Smith Racing starting off the year the right way. Long way to go ahead of us.”

Racin’ Ray Robinson raced his short wheelbase, bucking Buell to the Sunday Eliminator win, beating the great Donnie Huffman when Donnie had an uncharacteristically bad reaction time.

“I would like to thank AHDRA for putting on a good race weekend despite the weather and accidents,” said Robinson, who sadly is adding a swingarm and shock to his handful Buell. “And to my crew at Universal Fleet and Tire—couldn’t have won the ET class without all their help and motivation. And to my family, thanks for supporting me while I chase my dreams. Love y’all!”

Huffman my have blown the race against Robinson, but delivered for the win against AHDRA champion Cody Hayworth in Vreeland’s Harley-Davidson 6.35. Huffman put a killer .019 light up against Hayworth’s .158 and stayed close to the index with a 6.38

“It was freaking cold, I was ready to go back to Florida,” laughed Huffman.

Michael Hines Jr. took the tree .022 to .203 against his brother Jaden to set up the Junior Dragbikes win, running 9.96 to Jaden’s 10.56.

“Michael broke into the 9s for the first time ever,” said proud dad Michael Sr. “And all day Sunday, he was so happy!

“They loved seeing all the big bikes, and they got to meet Tii Thorpe this weekend. They loved that too. Can’t wait for The Rock in April!”

That’s right, AHDRA’s next stop is the brand new, but still legendary, Rockingham Dragway—the spiritual home of Nitro Harley drag racing. Bill and Chrissy Rowe can’t wait to welcome the AHDRA family back to The Rock on April 28-30.

The AMA/AHDRA website is at http://raceahdra.com/

For more information, email AHDRA’s Bill Rowe at bcrowe92891@gmail.com

AMA/AHDRA thanks Vreeland’s Harley-Davidson, MTC Engineering , Hawaya Racing, Pingel Enterprise, GMS Racing Engines, Zippers Performance, Horsepower Inc., Vanson Leathers , Universal Fleet & Tire, IHDRA, V-Twin Powersports, Daryl Coffin Motorsports, All-Harley World Shootout, Axtell Cylinders and Racers For Christ.

This report was prepared by Tim Hailey. Enjoy everything there is to read, see and watch about motorcycle drag racing and more at https://www.eatmyink.com ;

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Tropical Tattoo Bike Week 2023

By General Posts

by Rogue, Misled & Christy

Good People Having a Good Time

The Tropical Tattoo Old School Chopper Time Ride-In Bike Show is definitely the place to be on Thursday of Bike Week.

Bikernet has been attending and promoting this event for a very long time because it keeps getting better and bigger.

 It is just a really cool place to be, the bike show has 26 classes and some wild handmade trophies and goody bags to go to all winners.

Click Here to read this engaging photo feature only on Bikernet.com

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Road Test Report: Trike Kit Failure

By General Posts

Howdy!

Grab a chair an’ a beer, ‘cause I’ve got a warning for ya! A lot of ya will remember be from Thunder Press, and remember my wife, Reggie’s pink trike. She’s put almost 100K miles on it, and rode it all over the western states.

A while back, she noticed a clunk, an’ when I checked it out, I found that the left side axle housing had broken the welds, and the angle destroyed the bearing surfaces of the aluminum center housing. I found out that Champion Trikes, the makers of the kit I used, (before Harley made trikes) had been sold and the design changed, so no parts are available for the older kits.

With a lot of miles on the bike, we decided it wasn’t worth buying another 10K kit, so she bought a new trike and I started to put her Heritage back on 2 wheels. That’s when I discovered that the main supports were also broken, and it’s lucky she wasn’t slidin’ down the highway on her ass at 80 miles an hour!

I’m not knockin’ Champion Trikes here, since the current owners had nothing to do with the kit I bought 16 years ago. I just want to let anyone with one of the early kits know that there’s a problem, and they need to check all welds closely! I’m including some pix of the damage to let ya know where to look. The white paint is where the welds broke, and should be one piece.

Ride safe, y’all, and we’ll see ya on the road!

Buckshot, Thunder Press (Retired)

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NCOM Biker Newsbytes for March 2023

By General Posts

Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish

Industry & Legislative Motorcycle News from USA and the world

Click Here to read this month’s NCOM news on Bikernet.com

This Month in the News, we cover:

  • BILL INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS TO PREVENT ICE BANS
  • EU LAWMAKERS APPROVE 2035 BAN ON NEW FOSSIL FUEL VEHICLES
  • STATES CONSIDER ANTI-PROFILING, LANE SPLITTING AND HELMET LAWS
  • BANISHING KIDS FROM MOTORCYCLES
  • FRANCE PROHIBITS EV “GREENWASHING”
  • ITALY TO LIMIT VEHICLE ACCESS PRIOR TO OLYMPICS
  • TAYTAY INSTITUTES “NO HELMET POLICY”
  • WORLD’S LARGEST CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE SHOW A HUGE HIT
  • NCOM CONVENTION RISES IN PHOENIX

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How To Get Creative With Weed Pens In Day-To-Day Life?

By General Posts

Weed pens are becoming increasingly popular as an effective way to vaporize cannabis and its derivatives. If you’re curious about the potential of using a weed pen, it could make your day-to-day experience smoother and more enjoyable. Not only are they discreet, but they are also incredibly easy to use and portable. Simply pick from various strains according to your need or desire, load your cannabis into the chamber, hit the button, and you’re ready to go! Thanks to this convenience, more people are embracing the idea of using weed pens in their everyday lives to quickly escape from reality without any mess or fuss.

6 Ways To Get Creative With Weed Pens In Day-To-Day Life

1. Create Art

Weed pens have become a popular way for many to experience the benefits of cannabis in an easy, discreet manner. With their versatility, modern vape pens also create an opportunity to create art.

This has led to a growth in what is known as “Vape Art”–a blend of fashion and functionality with larger-than-life vapor clouds being sculpted into shapes and designs. With weed pen technology evolving daily, more and more people are expected to enter this unique part of the cannabis culture to create art with vape pens––drawing on inspiration from new sources and manifesting that inspiration into something visible in real-time.

2. Use Them As An Aromatherapy Tool

Weed pens give users an alternative to traditional smoking and are discreet, easy to use, and can even provide a new way of expressing creativity. One great way to get creative with weed pens is using them as an aromatherapy tool.

This means using their various aromatic blends for essential oils to help combat discomfort or give off a refreshing scent after a tiring day. The vast movement of smoke from the device’s wand tip could act as a great means for aromatherapy relaxation, allowing users to revitalize their senses and calm their minds as needed.

All in all, weed pens offer several possibilities to explore to find something new and exciting that works best for you.

3. Add Unique Scents To Clothes

Smoking weed pens isn’t just a fashion statement anymore, it can be used to add unique scents to your clothes that last all day. This unique vaping technique releases fragrances and oils into the air, which can be easily trapped in textiles.

It’s an easy process and doesn’t require extra effort — just take a few puffs and pass the weed pen through the fabric, such as t-shirts or pants. This intriguing trend, paired with everyday functionality, provides an innovative experience that everyone should have a chance to try out!

The relaxing atmosphere, quality fragrances, and lasting scent make it worth putting in some effort to get creative with how you use your weed pens.

4. Make Your Perfume

The creative possibilities of weed pens are endless and can be adapted to fit any lifestyle. If you want to get creative, one way to do that is with the ancient art of perfume crafting. With a vape pen, you can use scents extracted from cannabis plants to make a unique fragrance for yourself or somebody else.

While this might sound complicated, it doesn’t have to be! All you need is a weed pen and essential oil. After performing simple steps like steeping and blending, you’ll have your own potent, aromatic perfume. Creating your DIY perfume is an unforgettable and innovative experience that can help you stand out in any crowd.

5. Scent Your Home

Vaping weed pens has become a distinct hobby even among home decor enthusiasts. With just a few subtle changes to your regular vaporizer routine, you can now scent your home and find refuge in the engaging aromas of marijuana.

Start by investing in high-quality weed-infused oil cartridges that replace your traditional flavors. Keep your vaporizer temperature low during inhalation for maximum results. As you vape, the micro-doses enable naturally generated aromatic molecules to travel across your living spaces, filling them with the desired fragrance that lingers on for hours.

The play of aromas emitted through vaping creates an interesting sensory environment and is an ideal way to start a relaxing evening when coupled with soothing music.

6. Bring Nature Indoors With Herb-Filled Pens

Nowadays, more and more people are looking for creative ways to bring the beauty of nature into their homes. One unexpected way to do this is with herb-filled weed pens. These pens are filled with fragrant herbs like lavender, rosemary, and chamomile, providing a pleasant scent in whatever room the pen is placed.

Not only do these plants smell great, but they also make a great decorative item that adds a natural touch to any space. Whether stored on or near a window to catch the sun in the afternoon or proudly displayed on a shelf or dresser, herb-filled pens will freshen up any room or office.

Why Is It Necessary To Get Creative With Weed Pens?

Weed pens provide a convenient way to consume cannabis without being encumbered by the paraphernalia associated with traditional consumption methods like bongs or papers. However, due to innovations in the cannabis industry, it is important for smokers and merchants to get creative with weed pens to ensure they stay ahead of the trends and competitors.

With an ever-increasing number of companies entering the space, brands that can offer something unique and interesting stand out more than those that don’t. Creative designs, interesting product names, and unique packaging all help set one weed pen apart. Getting creative with these aspects can help consumers decide which brand they want to pick up next.

Are Weed Pens Legal?

Weed pens, also known as vape pens, are a vaporizer that allows users to inhale variations of cannabis concentrates. Depending on your location, these devices’ possession and sale can vary significantly in legality. In the US, possessing weed pens in 33 states for medicinal purposes and in 11 states for recreational use is legal. Additionally, certain types of cannabis, such as CBD, may be legally purchased even if recreational marijuana is not yet legalized in the state. However, it is essential to always check your local laws before purchasing any marijuana product or device, as laws can change quickly and without warning.

Will there be a Royal Enfield Sherpa 650 ?

By General Posts

with inputs by Pratik Bhanushali from https://www.msn.com

Speculated to be

  • to be powered by the same engine as the current 650s
  • gets spoked wheel
  • could borrow the bodywork from the Interceptor 650

Royal Enfield may offer yet another new model called Sherpa 650. It is getting crowded at Enfield product listing with motorcycles aimed at different types of riders. This is such a big leap from just 10 to 15 years ago. The brand and the company keeps on growing and improving and challenging itself as well as its target audience.

A test mule seen in the spy shots here gives a better look at the probable production model.

The specifications may be very similar to 650cc trio from Royal Enfield — namely Interceptor 650, Continental GT 650, and Super Meteor 650)

Sherpa 650 looks similar to the Interceptor’s unit but has suspended on USD front forks and dual rear shocks. It seems it would get off-road ready tires.

Rumors suggest that Royal Enfield would likely launch the new Sherpa 650 in 2024. It’ll be positioned above the Interceptor and below the new Super Meteor in RE’s lineup.

Click here for Image Source

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The Buffalo Motorama is this weekend

By General Posts

When: MARCH 24-26, 2023

Where: Buffalo Convention Center

What: The Largest Indoor Custom Car and Motorcycle Show this side of New York

Recently added!

  • Martin Biron (Saturday March 25 1:00pm – 2:30pm)
  • Rob Ray (Sunday March 26 12:00pm – 1:30pm)
  • Rick Jeanneret (Sunday March 26 12:00pm – 1:30pm)

The Buffalo Motorama – This Weekend!

Friday March 24 / Saturday March 25 / Sunday March 26, 2023

On March 24-26, 2023 the Buffalo Convention Center in Buffalo New York will host the Buffalo Motorama, the largest indoor custom car and motorcycle show this side of New York. 2023 marks our 11th year showcasing some of the best vehicles, vendors, and something for the entire family to enjoy.

For up-to-date information on the show, features, and more, visit our website www.BuffaloMotorama.com

Like our Facebook page to be eligible for prizes and contests www.facebook.com/buffalomotorama

Contact us at show@buffalomotorama.com or 716-222-2590 for more information

Purchase your presale Discount Tickets now! FREE Event Poster with ticket presale purchase

Purchase your 2023 Buffalo Motorama pre-sale tickets online and get a FREE Limited Edition Buffalo Motorama event poster with each ticket purchase.

CLICK HERE TO Purchase Buffalo Motorama Tickets Today

Purchase Buffalo Motorama Merch. Limited quantities of shirts available. Shirts, hoodies, hats, and more available.

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A Breakthrough Top-Five Finish for Monster Energy rider Chris Blose

By General Posts

A Breakthrough Top-Five Finish for Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Chris Blose

Foothill Ranch, Calif. (March 19, 2023) – The Motown music echoed through snowy streets as Monster Energy® Supercross raced into the Motor City for Detroit SX, Round 10 of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship. In the 250SX Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Chris Blose led the Team Green® charge with his first top-five result of the season. In the 450SX Class, Adam Cianciarulo led laps early in the Main Event until mid-race adversity relegated him and his Monster Energy Kawasaki teammate Jason Anderson to eighth and ninth place at the checkered flag.

The opening laps of the first free practice session revealed that the Detroit SX track was set to give the top riders in the world all they could handle. The sharp whoop section and abundance of tight switchback turns proved further complicated by the unique terrain of deep ruts and a hard packed base layer. Blose was quick to assert his competence in the whoops as he mastered the most challenging section of the track and began to rival near the top of the leaderboard. In the final qualification session, Blose executed the track with precision and strung together several race simulated laps to log the seventh fastest lap time of the morning (53.393).

At the start of 250SX Heat 2, Blose emerged from the first turn in fifth with his sight set forward until an early-race mistake shuffled him back to eighth place. Blose regrouped by the end of Lap 2 and began to work his way up the running order. With superior whoop speed and consistent laps, the No.57 Kawasaki KX™250 rider overtook his rivals in rapid succession. Blose advanced through the field to challenge for fourth on the final lap before securing a fifth-place place result and earning a direct transfer to the Main Event.

When the gate dropped for the 250SX Main Event, Blose again launched out to a fifth-place start and quickly found his rhythm. With the championship points leaders ahead, Blose latched onto the pace of the front group and began to separate himself from the rest of the class. The veteran rider logged steady laps and was one of the few competitors continuing to blitz through the increasingly challenging whoop section in the late stages. With just four laps remaining, a near collision with a lapped rider forced Blose to get hard on his brakes and allowed former two-time MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle to close the distance between them. Blose proved his determination in the closing laps of the race as he fended off the world class pressure and earned his first top-five finish of the 2023 season in impressive fashion.

“The support of the Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team has been awesome as we’ve focused on building with each week of racing. I’ve improved my main event finish by one position at each of the last three races, so I’d say that process has been going really well. It was great to break into the top-five and show the hard work of this whole squad. Now, with a few weeks to prepare for Atlanta, we should be even more ready to challenge at the front of the pack.” – Chris Blose

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The Monster Energy® Kawasaki duo of Anderson and Cianciarulo took to the track with a clear purpose for the opening 450SX Free Practice as they quickly dialed in the course and began experimenting with alternate rhythms. As the qualification sessions progressed, both Kawasaki KX™450SR riders honed in on the ideal racing line and ramped up their intensity. Anderson, the second fastest qualifier of the morning (51.491), was edged out for pole position by less than a tenth of a second, and Cianciarulo followed close on his heels with the fourth fastest lap (51.927).

When the gate dropped for 450SX Heat 1, Anderson rocketed out to the holeshot and immediately extended a gap from the field by tripling through the opening section. Cianciarulo emerged from the first turn in ninth but thrilled the crowd as he made quick work of the competition and passed his way into third before the end of the second lap. While Cianciarulo continued his pursuit of second place, Anderson set sail out front to lead every lap of the race and secure a commanding heat race win; the 33rd 450SX Heat Win of his career. Cianciarulo’s charge through the pack earned him third at the finish.

The Kawasaki duo lined up for the 450SX Main Event with first gate pick for the No. 21 of Anderson. When the gate dropped, the KX™450SR was out to the early lead, but this time it was Cianciarulo at the tip of the spear. The No.9 Kawasaki rider commanded the start of the race with the championship contenders all hot on his trail. Anderson, racing ahead from an eighth-place start, was pushing the pack forward while Cianciarulo fought to defend his lead. The intensity of the front battle increased and Cianciarulo was shuffled to sixth on Lap 4. Cianciarulo and Anderson matched pace for several laps in sixth and seventh until Anderson crashed exiting the whoop section and dropped back to 10th. Meanwhile, Cianciarulo was pushing his way forward and inching back into contention for the top-five battle until he too made a mistake and crashed over the rutted step-on-step-off section. The Monster Energy® Kawasaki teammates both continued to charge to the finish and reclaimed positions late in the race for respective eighth and ninth place finishes at the checkered flag.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m a little frustrated about my fall in the Main Event, but there are so many positives to focus on from the day that I know we’re making progress. This dirt was tricky to find comfort on, but I had a solid run in qualifying this morning and backed it up with a good ride in the Heat Race. In the Main, I led some laps early and, once I settled in behind Kenny (Roczen), I was able to stay right there with those guys. Unfortunately, that one mistake cost me a few positions, but we’ll focus forward to Seattle and aim to tie it at all together.” – Adam Cianciarulo

“My day started out strong with good times in qualifying and I knew my KX™450SR was in a good spot to be competitive on this track. I grabbed the holeshot in my Heat Race and led start to finish, so the goal was to carry that into the Main Event. I started a little further back in the top 10 and then, while trying to battle my way forward, I got close with Adam in the whoops and just lost it. After I got up from the crash everything was pretty tweaked, so I focused on making the most of it and salvaged what I could for a top-10.” – Jason Anderson

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