May 24, 2013 – Encinitas, CA – Not only was Donnie Hansen a national Supercross, Motocross and MX des Nations champion, but an important part of our motocross DNA. After his lucrative racing career Donnie went on to become a coach and trainer, and has made an impact on countless competitors in our sport. This weekend, during the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in Thunder Valley, Colorado, Donnie Hansen will present the Legends to Heroes award to one of those he mentored, Andrew Short.

Short is a veteran top competitor in the Pro Motocross ranks, and throughout his racing career the Colorado native has demonstrated boundless talent and determination. His ability to persevere is evident by his actions this past year, regaining momentum as a fan favorite on his BTO KTM. Andrew, also known as “Shorty,” is recognized as one of the “good guys” of motocross, always willing to take time for his many appreciative fans and supporters. His humble demeanor is predominantly due to the fact that Shorty had to fight his way to the top, and he truly values everything that he’s accomplished.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — As Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx is being considered in Washington, D.C., to be the U.S. transportation secretary, the American Motorcyclist Association is reminding lawmakers that the secretary is responsible for the Recreational Trails Program.

The AMA’s concerns were raised at the nomination hearing by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). She asked Foxx: “If confirmed, will you work to ensure that this valuable program [RTP] continues to meet the needs of all trail users in Minnesota and across the nation?”

Foxx responded that he “looks forward to working with you [Klobuchar] on these issues.”

Those trails are very important for tourism and rural economies, are a way to explore the nation’s natural beauty and provide a way to enjoy physical activity, wrote Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations, in a column that appeared in the Washington, D.C., newspaper The Hill on May 21.

Reno, Nev. (May 23, 2013) – The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF) announced today the 2013 Class of Inductees.  The late Larry Bergquist, Bob Chandler, Frank DeAngelo, Jerry Herbst and Bob “The Weatherman” Steinberger will have their names added to the venerable list of those who have committed their lives to the off-road community.

The five inductees’ extensive accomplishments cover a number of arenas in the sport including off-road racing, pioneers of the industry and for the first time: special achievement.

Their legacies will be celebrated and displayed for the public in Gallery Four within the famed National Automobile Museum – the Harrah Collection – located in Reno, Nev.  They join names synonymous with the sport including Parnelli Jones, Malcolm Smith, Steve McQueen, James Garner, Walker Evans, Rod Hall as well as many others who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes making the sport prosper and grow.

CYPRESS, Calif. – Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has approved first quarter awards providing funding from its OHV Access Initiative, the industry leader in Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails (GRANTs), to deserving organizations across the country.

“Yamaha has approved new GRANTs to support organizations that span the country, from California to Vermont, serving the mission to promote safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable riding areas,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV and SxS marketing manager. “Yamaha’s reach through the OHV Access Initiative is national, but the heart of the program resides in the local communities that enjoy increased family fun and economic development through safe, responsible OHV access.”

Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s James Stewart celebrated two stunning holeshots and a solid third-place overall result at the season-opening round of the 2013 AMA Pro Motocross Championships at the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Sacramento, California, on Saturday.

After missing the final three rounds of AMA/ FIM World Supercross series due to injury, Stewart returned to racing with a vengeance over the weekend, demonstrating tremendous speed, discipline and consistency and racing two very smart motos: In both 30-minute races, he took the holeshot on his Yoshimura Suzuki RM-Z450 and got out-front immediately. In the first moto, he led briefly before slotting comfortably into third. In the second moto, he stepped it up and led the first five laps before again finishing third. The two combined results handed the Yoshimura Suzuki rider third-place overall.

SACRAMENTO – With a record event attendance of nearly 25,000 fans, the 45th running of the Red Bull Hangtown Motocross Classic proved to be one for the history books as the 2013 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, kicked off in Sacramento, Calif. on Saturday. After missing an entire season in 2012 due to injury, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto made a valiant return, sweeping both 450 Class motos atop one of the most stacked fields in the series’ recent history. Additionally, Red Bull KTM’s Ken Roczen claimed his first career 250 Class overall victory at Hangtown.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s James Stewart, who missed most of the second half of the 2012 season, made a comeback of his own by grabbing the Motorcycle-Superstore.com holeshot in Moto 1, garnering one point toward the overall championship holeshot bonus of $25,000 in the 450 Class. However, keeping the lead wasn’t an easy task as three other former 450 Class Champions and several returning contenders chased the 2008 champ early on.

SAN DIEGO — With pre-running on the official race course ongoing since last  Wednesday, SCORE champion racer Steve Hengeveld will be the spotlight guest talking about next week’s 45th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 during Tonight’s airing of Roger Norman’s Dirt LiveHD weekly Internet broadcast Tuesday at 7 p.m. Pacific Time. Airing in High Definition on www.score-international.com, the show will air from its broadcast home at the SCORE International tech shop in San Diego.

Hengeveld, a six-time SCORE season motorcycle point champion who also has eight career motorcycle class wins in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, is part of the defending champion team in this race. Besides Hengeveld, joining rider of record Robby Bell in this year’s attempt to defend their title will be David Pearson and Taylor Robert as the team rides the No. 4x Monster Energy THR Motorsports Kawasaki KX450F.

Another scheduled guest on tonight’s show is veteran SCORE Trophy Truck racer Gary Williams, a co-driver with Ryan Arciero who teams with Troy Herbst in the No. 91 Monster Energy Terrible Herbst Motorsports Ford F-150.

Irvine, Calif. – Three weeks after wrapping up his third-consecutive Monster Energy Supercross championship, Ryan Villopoto kicked off the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship with a dominating 1-1 performance. Villopoto took over the lead before the halfway point in both motos and was unchallenged, winning by more than 20 seconds. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Weimer finished 13th, while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Tyla Rattray and Dean Wilson finished ninth and 14th, respectively. In the 250 class, defending champion Blake Baggett finished second overall. His teammates Justin Hill, Darryn Durham, and Martin Davalos finished 10th, 14th, and 17th respectively, to open the season.

Making it Look Easy
After fighting for a third straight supercross title the last four months, Villopoto did not have much time to prepare for his first outdoor season since 2011. You would have never known it though, as he handled the competition to take the lead in both motos and win by more than 20 seconds. Monster Energy Kawasaki are some of the few that are running the new triple chamber air fork, which Villopoto put to the test and demonstrated how well it worked on the rough Hangtown track.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association is pleased to welcome support from Wellard Group Holdings for the U.S. national team’s effort at the International Six Days Enduro in Sardinia, Italy, Sept. 30-Oct. 5. Wellard will also be the title sponsor of a U.S. club team at the event.

“Racing for the ISDE World Trophy is one of the biggest financial and logistical commitments in the sport,” said AMA Off-Road Racing Manager Chuck Weir. “Wellard’s backing helps provide some of the crucial resources that we need to support our racers at this world championship event.”

In addition to buying multiple team jerseys for each U.S. national team rider at the ISDE, the riders on the Wellard Club Team will receive direct financial support to help cover their expenses. Competitors who are interested in riding for the Wellard team must qualify through the U.S. ISDE qualifier program and must pre-register with Wellard here: www.wellard.com.au/589.

Wellard Managing Director Mauro Balzarini has been involved with off-road racing for many years and was a multi-time national enduro champion in his earlier riding career. Balzarini has competed in six ISDEs himself.

Corona, CA – The EnduroCross crowd headed overseas for another round of the International X Games Enduro X, this time in Barcelona, Spain where Cory Graffunder rode his TXC310R to a fifth-place finish. Also in action over the weekend was the Fred Andrews Racing (FAR) Husqvarna team at the Limestone GNCC. Though Andrew DeLong didn’t fare quite as well, he managed to salvage a top-ten finish and keep his XC2 points chase alive.

Rain threatened to turn the Barcelona, Spain Enduro X event into another mud fest, but the promoters managed to keep the course dry and fast for the Moto X competition. Factory Husqvarna’s Cory Graffunder called on his motocross skills to tackle the jumpy high-speed course, and thanks to a bold move on the tractor tire jump, was able to pass former teammate Kyle Redmond in the main event. Graffunder ran as high as fourth, and held on strong to finish close behind former champion Taddy Blazusiak.