PICKERINGTON, Ohio — American Motorcyclist Association member Chris Latham of Greencastle, Ind., has one more reason to hit the trails this year. The 46-year-old Latham won the grand prize for participating in the 2012 AMA Husqvarna National Dual Sport Trail Riding Series: a 2013 Husqvarna TE449 from series sponsor Husqvarna North America.

The annual AMA prize drawing, conducted by the independent auditing and accounting firm of Plante & Moran of Columbus, Ohio, included participants in all events on the national dual-sport calendar.

Dawson Springs, KY – In muddy conditions, Husaberg Factory rider, Russell Bobbitt, took home his second straight win of the season at round two of the OMA Nationals aboard his Husaberg TE300. Fellow Husaberg rider Nick Fahringer joined him on the podium with a second place finish.

Bobbitt had a flawless day. He launched his Husaberg off the line to earn the holeshot as the riders rounded the first corner. From that point on, he continued to stretch his lead throughout the two-hour plus race on the 7 mile looped course. When Bobbitt crossed the finish line he had lapped up to fourth place and finished an impressive 3 minutes ahead of Fahringer who was second.

Corona, CA – March 18, 2013 – A mere four days after having dominated the opening round of the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series, XC2-class racer Andrew DeLong backed it up with another victory, this time at The General GNCC in Washington, Georgia.

Much like the season opener in River Ranch, Florida only days earlier, the win was a tough fight for DeLong. This time he had Grant Baylor to duel with in the battle for the XC2 class lead. True to form, DeLong let his training do the talking. With two laps left, AD came in for fuel, where his mechanic, Joe Maurer, said, “It’s time to see who’s in shape!”

An all-out sprint in the last laps of the three-hour race saw DeLong with a 23-second lead at the white flag. He pushed hard to the finish, leaving Baylor and factory motocross racer Zach Osborne to battle for second.

Corona, CA – March 13, 2013 – Andrew DeLong and the Fred Andrews Racing Husqvarna team sent a strong message to their fellow XC2 competitors at the opening round of the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series by taking a commanding win at the River Ranch, Florida event. DeLong finished the three-hour race with over a one-minute lead, having worked his way into fifth overall, demonstrating that he is a clear threat to the XC2 title this season.

DeLong had his work cut out for him after crashing in the second turn and heading into the first lap nearly dead last. “We have seen AD come from last and win so we were not too worried,” commented team manager Fred Andrews. “Three hours in the sand is a strong man’s race.”

Tuscumbia, AL – Husaberg Factory rider Russell Bobbitt took the win at the opening round of the OMA Nationals after a two-hour battle with KTM rider Kailub Russell for the lead position.

Bobbitt started the race in fourth position and was able to quickly move up to the lead before the end of the first lap. “I was able to make some passes on the first lap because everyone in front of me was making small mistakes and blowing corners allowing me to close in and gain positions,” stated Bobbitt.

Bobbitt held the lead for the first two laps on the 11 mile course with Kailub Russell in tow. At the gas stop after the completion of the second lap he lost the lead to Russell. “Kailub and I continued to battle throughout the race,” commented Bobbitt. “It was actually pretty fun, but there were so many mud holes down in the bottom of the ravines that we were both covered in water after trading the lead so many times and splashing each other. Neither of us had anymore tear-offs which also became a problem as we continued to battle.”

In yesterday’s King of the Motos race, Cody Webb was able to hold off last year’s winner Graham Jarvis for the win (check out highlights of last year’s event here).

Webb, on the #247 Beta, was the overall King of the Motos winner after completing the 160 miles of race course for two laps with an elapsed time of 4 hours, 50 minutes and 38 second.

Jarvis was in the mix with Webb until a flat tire he sustained on his Husaberg pushed him off the pace and he had to settle for second. Rounding out the podium in the pro class was the Kawasaki-mounted Taylor Robert.

Corona, CA – Husqvarna Motorcycles North America (HMNA) enjoyed a very successful racing season in 2012, filled with highlights including Cory Graffunder’s X Games medal, and XC2 racer Andrew Delong’s historic overall podium finishes in the GNCC series. HMNA is proud to welcome back both Graffunder and Delong in 2013, along with accomplished team members who are poised for another landmark year.

On the “left side” of the U.S., Cory Graffunder will head up Husqvarna’s racing efforts. The Canadian faces an eventful season in 2013 with two AMA national championships on his calendar, as well as four global X Games events! The AMA EnduroCross Series is foremost on Graffunder’s radar this year. Select extreme off-road events like King of the Motos and Last Dog Standing will also keep him occupied in 2013, along with defending his number one plate in the AMA West Hare Scrambles Championship Series.

American Beta has reached a three-year agreement with Motul Oils as the official oil for all Beta motorcycles sold in the American market. Beginning in February all new Betas sold in the USA will include Motul oil in the bikes. The deal also includes support for the American Beta race team operations including Cody Webb, Max Gerston, and Justin Sode’s bikes as well as all of the Mototrial team and the newly signed Purvines Racing bikes.

American Beta’s Tim Pilg explains the agreement, “We are very excited to have Motul as a business partner. Their product’s quality matches our bikes perfectly and will provide our customers with the best oil when they receive their new Beta. We are shipping all Betas with Motul oil so our dealers can fill the bikes with the right product from the start!

American Beta will be providing dealers with 7100 4T and Transoil Expert oil in their line of four stroke Off Road, Dual Sport, and Mototrial bikes. They will also ship their new two stroke RR range of bikes with a bottle of Motul 800 2T Factory Line premix.

The final fourteenth stage of the thirty-fifth edition of the Dakar wound up today in Santiago. Frenchman Cyril Despres became overall winner for the fifth time in a race that had been wide open right up until the end of the last  special test. Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain was once again a main protagonist in this incredible rally with a third place in today’s stage, for Spaniard Joan Barreda taking the team’s tally to twelve podium places. Barreda himself has scored  four partial stage wins, showing just how competitive the Husqvarna TE449RR by Speedbrain is.

The final standings don’t really do justice to Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain or its riders, who were excessively punished for insignificant but costly technical setbacks which had previously not occurred all season. Joan Barreda, in particular, should have finished higher after he dominated the early stages; likewise Alessandro Botturi, who until three days ago was in fifth place.

Today Santiago saw the final parade and the prize-giving ceremony staged on a podium set up downtown as the thirty-fifth edition of the Dakar Rally drew to a close. The parade included all the teams who managed to finish the race that began on the 5th January in Lima, Peru and finally rolled into the Chilean capital some 8000 km (5000 miles) later. Joining the celebrations was the Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, one of the main protagonists this year. This has been the second official participation in the Dakar for the Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain. The race has been an excellent display of all the work carried out by the squad’s technicians at the Dakar, as well as in the factory in Varese, Italy. A superb effort was made also by the private riders aboard their Husqvarna TE449s who were able to take on and complete this great challenge.