I just had to let you all know that a couple of sweet new designs have just landed, and now is your chance to get your hands on them before your next door neighbour!

The Linguistic and Peewee Tees are available right now at the Unit Online Store.... But be quick, they are sure to move fast!

• By Allan H

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The 2010 UCI BMX World Cup series kicked off to a great start in Madrid, Spain. The indoor arena in the centre of town drew a big crowd with record numbers of riders attending. Elite Women had 39 riders competing with the top 32 qualifying through the time trial. The Australian team arrived early into Madrid, giving us more time to adapt to the time zone. Having an extra few days than the other countries helped in our favour. Security was tight to get into the stadium so we only saw the track the day before racing started. Tom did a great job designing the track with a new box jump idea for the guys. The girls 2nd straight was quite technical with tall dirt jumps. All the time the Australian team spent at Luke Madills house on the time trials really payed off. I finished in 2nd position in the time trial starting off the weekend with great Olympic points and confidence for racing. I knew that I just had to focus on the processes over the weekend to get the outcome of a podium result, which was my goal. I took each race as it came and focused on riding smart to qualify. I made it through the heats dialling in my lines. I drew a really hard semi final and knew it would be tough. The Jnr World Campion Mariana Pajon didn't even make it through our semi final. I placed 2nd in the semi in front of Shenaze Reid, former World Champion, to progress to the final. It turned out that the top 3 from my semi were the top 3 in the final. I was really nervous on the gate and miss timed it. This put me in 4th into the 1st corner, I got myself into 3rd down the next straight almost passing Shenaze with alot of elbows and bumping. I again almost pssed her on the line, but finished in 3rd spot on the podium. Last years World Cup series started slow... but not this year!! I'm on a mission to prove I'm the best in the world and qualify for the 2012 Olympics. The EDS Aus team now head to the UCI headquarters in Switzerland for training, then off to France for a UCI round.

CB

• By Allan H

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Most of the BMX team is heading overseas this year, so before they go, we will be knocking out some new videos with all the guys. Davo Girsch is first of the blocks, and has come down to Gold Coast for a week of riding and filming new spots. Stay tuned for his new clip in the coming weeks...

On Saturday, Gertrude will be continuing his mission south to Sydney, for the end of daylight savings comp at Five Dock, and some cool dirt jump comp on the 10th of April.

We will be catching up with Cam White, Jaie Toohey, Dane Searls and Cam Pianta at the end of April, as well as covering the Amigos Of Dave Bike Day at the Nerang Skatepark, on May 1. Make sure you all get your ass to Nerang for that, it is for a good cause, and shaping up to be a sweet as day.

• By Allan H

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With another ridiculous 5am start to contend with the weekend was off to a flying start. The drive to Horsham was only slowed by a 60ft concrete Koala, yep that’s correct a 60ft koala.

The action started at 8:30am on Sunday morning, practice and qualifying was all smooth with no injuries, Unit riders Luke Arbon in (U19’s) and Ford Dale riding (Pro-Lites) both qualified in solid positions and had good gate picks, Tye Simmonds was also right in the mix on the new 350cc four stroke. Team Kawasaki rider Bill Mackenzie was right on his game qualifying fastest in the pro open. PJ Larsen ruled the Pro- Lites start order, his time was only bettered by Billy Mackenzie on a fo fiddy. Unit’s young gun Tye Simmonds 11th on debut on the new 350cc four stroke.
The three classes each had three moto’s so the racing and bike cleaning was fierce.

The U19’s was all about Josh Cachia, he grabbed the lead early in the first moto and checked out. Luke Arbon had a bad start and charged through the pack to end the moto in 7th place. That was as good as the day got for Arbon. After crash in the 2nd moto his day was finished with an injury to, well, urr ummm I will just leave that one at tender nether regions. ( Damn that is a bruise!!) The overall winner on the day was Josh Cachia, the visitor from over the ditch Hamish Dobbyn in 2nd and Sunshine Coast product Dylan Peterson rounding out the podium in 3rd.
The pro-lites was dominated by American PJ Larsen, he was quickest in qualifying being a little over 1 second faster than Unit’s Ford Dale in who was 2nd fastest. When the racing started it was a KTM freight train of Larsen and his team mate Ryan (Doggie) Marmont right behind, Dale got a bad start and charged hard to get 3rd. That was the highlight of Dale’s day as he finished 13th in moto 2 and did not finish the 3rd after tangling with Kade Mosig. PJ Larsen grabbed the overall win and the mental edge over the competition his speed and bike skills are amazing and he really is in a class (sorry for the cliché) of his own. Ryan Marmont finished the day in 2nd and Kirk Gibbs finished 3rd.

Pro-open was a class act all day long, three motos three winners. Scotsman Billy Mackenzie (and Unit rider) grabbed the holeshot in moto 1, attempted to establish a buffer however he was pursued my by Todd Waters, Andrew McFarlane and Dean Ferris the ensuing battle saw the four riders pull out a 15 sec gap on the rest of the field by the 10 minute mark. Waters capitalized on a Ferris mistake, got to the front and checked out for the win. Mackenzie nabbed 2nd and Andrew McFarlane 3rd. The 2nd moto was all Ferris, Waters and Mackenzie, Waters struggled to get off the line and was 15th after the 1st lap. Mackenzie and Ferris were arguing over the front running, this allowed the hard charging Waters to close the gap and making up a huge 12 places on the 2nd lap, he got to within 5seconds of the lead pair and that was as close as he got. The final lap board flashed and Ferris was barely in front of Mackenzie, the Scotsman stalked Ferris pushing for a mistake. Ferris held strong until the 2nd last corner where he overshot a berm and Mackenzie made quick work of getting by for the win. The third and final moto was an iron man event. With rain falling the Horsham track turned into a slick clay fest. Defending series champion Jay Marmont nailed the holeshot and checked out.

The eventual margin a huge 25seconds over debutant Unit rider Tye Simmonds. The hype is real people Simmonds has a new machine and killer instinct to match he will win races this year (GO TYEBO!!). Mackenzie was again consistent and thanks to a gift from Cheyne Boyd in the last lap finished 3rd. The overall winner on the day was Unit’s Mackenzie from Todd Waters and series defending champion Jay Marmont nabbing third.

The Mx Nationals are alive and kicking, the 2nd round will take place in Canberra on April 18th. Don’t forget if you want to listen to the live commentary log on to www.mxnationals.com.au or read the text feed at www.fullnoise.com.au
Over and out.

• By Kam W

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More than 4.000 thousand spectators watched the spectacular racing in the Palacio des Deportes downtown Madrid. A record number of 174 competitors from 27 countries entered the first World Cup of the 2010 UCI BMX Supercross season in Madrid. The best 64 men and 32 women qualified for the finals based on their time trial results.

Unit athlete Caroline Buchanan headed to Spain with high hopes, and came away with a very impressive 3rd place! Nice work Caroline!

We are short on details right now, but as soon as Caolrine sends through her race report, we will post it up. The next round of the UCI BMX World Cup is the beginning of May.

• By Allan H

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Photo: Tye Simmonds brand new KTM350F race winner! Courtesy: Full Noise Facebook

With the opening round of the Australian MX Nationals on today in Horsham, along with the next round of AMA Supercross, Motocross fans have alot to be excited about.

Both those events are taking off RIGHT NOW, and unfortunately if you aren't lucky enough to be on site, you won't be able to watch any live video... BUT, you can keep track a bunch of other ways if you just can't wait for the TV coverage. Check the links out below...

AUSTRALIAN MX NATIONALS

Scott Live Feed

AMA SUPERCROSS

Unit Twitter

Live Timing

• By Allan H

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ESPN have been running alot of cool Aussie content lately, and we are pretty sure the whole world of FMX is about to get a big shake up with the huge wave of bangin' Aussie FMX talent coming through the ranks. We already have Bilko and Maddo on the world stage, but now add to that Levi Sherwood, Cam Sinclair, Robbie Adelberg, Clint Moore and more ready to take their place on the top of the FMX world, and what makes it even more exciting, is that all of those guys could rock up to an X-Fighters or X-Games with the real chance of podiuming!

Head over to ESPN now to check out the Clint Moore story, a good read for sure. And keep your eyes peeled for all the Aussie guys this year, Maddo, Levi, Bilko and SIncs are already locked in for the X-Fighters April 16 opener in Mexico.

• By Allan H

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This weekend will see the gate drop on the 2010 Rockstar Mx Nationals in Horsham Victoria.

Defending Champion Jay Marmont will again be a front runner in what can only be accessed as a “stacked” field of Australia’s Pro-Open racers. Team mate Cheyne Boyd will be hot on the heels of Marmont along with Unit young gun Tye Simmonds, Symmonds will pilot the brand new ktm 350 four banger in the open class. A fresh delivery of young talent will be right on the heels of the established stars. Leading the charge are Symmonds, Todd Waters and Dean Ferris, both Waters and Ferris will be race winners this year, consistency is a hard learned lesson and both athletes will be racking up some lessons in 2010. The import pick of the season has to Kawasaki Racing’s Billy Mackenzie, throw in New Zealand’s Cody Cooper and the Pro- Open class will be a helluva free for all.

Pro lites again this year will see some serious bar bangin’. The return of 2008 champion Luke George and the luckless Codie Mackie will ensure the podium at all rounds is a regular merry go round. The super talented Lawson Bopping finally securing his much deserved factory seat is definitely a championship threat. Back on a lites bike for 2010 is Unit’s Ford Dale, Ford is one fast kiddie and if he can keep the rubber on the track he will be at the pointy end come season’s end. Serco Yamaha team mate Kirk Gibbs is back for another shot at the title and also shapes as a serious title contender. The pick of the imports for lites has to be American PJ Larsen, flying the stars and stripes in Australia for the 2nd year after riding Pro Open for JDR motorsports in Super-X in 2009, Larsen is a much vaunted amateur with a string of titles stateside and could well be the fly in Aussie ointment. Wild child award for 2009 goes to U19s winner Luke Styke, he takes no prisoners and will win some races for sure.

The U19’s class is stacked with talent, undoubtedly some of 2009’s best racing came out of 19’s field ensuring the 2010 winner will be one the most hungry and talented rider to emerge from Aussie moto-x in some years. Unit’s Luke Arbon is a guaranteed front runner in the class, after a tough 2009 campaign Arbon is focused on raising a nice big shiny trophy come years end. Josh Cachia and Arbon have been charging at each other since juniors, keep your eyes on Cachia, this kid is F.A.S.T. The Yamaha trio of Ross Beaton, Harley Quinlan and Shaun Redhead will be season long contenders, with Scottie Bishop leading his chargers to u19’s domination in 2009 this team will be at the front. Dylan Peterson won races last year and he will again proving his worth to the Axis Motorsport outfit.

If you aren't lucky enough to get to the track, stay tuned to the Unit Facebook and Twitter for up to date results and news!

• By Kam W

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Back in November 2009, Unit athlete Claire Buchar headed on an epic photo trip with Ian Hylands and friends to Punta San Carlos, Baja Mexico. She just let us know that the story is finally out, and looks awesome!

You can check out some snapshots of the story HERE, or go ride your bike down to the newsagent and pick up your own copy of MBUK.

Nice work Claire!

• By Allan H

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Story courtesy FREERIDER MX

The future is upon us, folks. German magazine Motorrad has leaked pictures of KTM's new Freeride electric motocrosser, and she's a different looking beast, that's for sure.

The battery-powered model, which was to be unveiled on March 26 at the Tokyo Motorcycle Expo along with a supermoto version, is a radical step away from the conventional gas-engined designs we're used to seeing, but it's claimed to pump out about 30h, weigh in at 90kg and run for one-and-a-half hours.

As you'll see in the photo at the bottom, both models are starkly different, despite sharing the power-train and frame designs. Speaking of frame design, is it just us or does the tubular frame look spindly, with some tacky alloy-looking plastic covers whacked onto the side to make it look beefier than it actually is?

The main difference between the two is the mountain-bike style handlebar and headtube design that graces the supermoto version... something we thought would be more fitting on the motocross version, especially if they're calling it a "Freeride bike"...?

As for the price, well KTM is proposing a price of €10,000, which at the current exchange rate means you'll have to part with more than $14,500AU if you love the silent type.

There's no word as to when and where the Freeride will be available, or when it's due to make our shores, but at the current price-point, it looks like we'll be shaking up our premix for a few years yet. We'll bring you more info when it comes to hand.

Check out more pics now HERE

• By Allan H

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You may have read Jaie's most recent blog, announcing he was back on the bike after months and months of down time after a big knee operation in 2009. We are so stoked for him, and it looks like he is shredding already! Jaie sent us through a couple new pics, and he is lookin' good, despite not pushing himself to hard just yet.

Jaie is planning on heading overseas soon, so before he goes we will be catching up with the whole Unit BMX team to film some fresh clips! Mid April we will have Searls, Jaie and Cam White all shredding Cam's backyard monster trails, so stay tuned for that... We can't imagine anything more crazy!

• By Allan H

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Last year Hillzeez went off, and we are stoked to be involved again! Loads of prizes and give-aways, as well as a BMX comp, so make sure you get there and check it out!

• By Allan H

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Hi All,

Just got back from New Zealand where I raced the Oceania Championships in Dunedin.

We landed in Dunedin on Thursday and I got to walk the track. I had heard alot about this track and was really looking forward to finally racing on a real Downhill track. The track was steep and technical and I was finally enjoying riding again.

Sunday morning was the seeding run. This is my first year of racing Elite, so I'm not expecting miracles just yet. I took it easy in my seeding run and managed to seed in 5th place. I was happy with that result and looking forward to pushing harder in the finals. The finals came around and I was feeling great. I took off through the timing gate and heading on down the hill, hitting everything perfectly.

My race run couldn't have been any better, except for one thing, my run was too perfect. It was a really comfortable run and in Downhill, if you want to make the podium, then you have to live on the edge. Your run has to keep you on your toes. Unfortunately this time I didn't make the podium, I finished 6th. 6th is still a good result considering I was racing against some of the best riders New Zealand has produced. I did manage to beat Justin Leov who is ranked 6th in the world, so all is looking good for the world cups this year.

I head off to Italy in 2 weeks, to go into camp with my Ancillotti team before taking on the best in the world at the World Cups. I will keep you all posted on my results overseas.

Cheers
Rhys

• By Allan H

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BREAKING GROUND: BMX DIRT TAKES OVER ABANDONED CONSTRUCTION SITE FOR RED BULL STOMPING GROUND

CHICAGO (March 22, 2010) – This summer, one man’s pile of dirt will become another man’s treasure. Red Bull Stomping Ground will transform an abandoned construction zone into the ultimate dirt playground in Chicago on May 15, 2010. Thousands will be able to witness a BMX dirt competition that will bring the tricks of the trails to an urban mecca, as riders from all over the world will meet in the Windy city to prove who has the best skills.

The abandoned construction site at the corner of Wells and Harrison in the heart of the city will be morphed into a one-of-a-kind BMX field of dreams. With a course designed by BMX legend Fuzzy Hall, dirt jumps will be mixed with found items in the construction site to challenge riders in a truly urban setting. Unlike many contests where the course must be built in several days, Red Bull Stomping Ground will be shaped over 3 weeks, giving ample time for the mind of Hall to run wild. He promises “turns, twists, hips, tons of options and just fun.”

Red Bull Stomping Ground’s style, setting, course and format will establish the top level BMX riders to put their skills on display. Twenty top BMX dirt athletes will be invited to compete and to kick start the dirt contest season, ride with friends, explore the city and show off what tricks they learned in the off-season. The qualifying round for invited professional athletes will take place on May 14th prior to the main event, as twenty five additional riders vie for one of the five open spots in Saturday’s exclusive contest.

This dirt competition will push past boundaries on what is currently possible on a BMX course. Confirmed riders include: Corey Bohan, Anthony Napolitan, Ryan Nyquist, TJ Ellis, Mike "Hucker" Clark, Ryan Guettler and Cam White.

*** Dane Searls also mentioned he has been invited, so you should his name added to that list soon!

RED BULL STOMPING GROUND - WEBSITE

• By Allan H

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PIC: Camilla Stoddart snaps this unique perspective while floating above the course in the Unit chopper!

By now you would have seen our killer HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO from the Farm Jam FMX Contest! But if that isn't enough for you, we have put together a couple of links where you can check out some killer photography from the day!

Camilla Stoddart is a super talented NZ photographer, and lucky for us, has put some of her pics up on her personal blog. She snapped the beauty above while in the Unit chopper, and it gives such a cool perspective of the course, and the massive 150 footer over the hill. Check out her pics HERE

Our buddy Smakker was also on hand from Freerider Magazine, and has uploaded a bunch of his 'B Roll' photographs to the Freerider website. Loads of Unit athletes in there, including an injured Nick Franklin, shredding Levi Sherwood and styling Dane Searls. See Smakker's pics HERE

Finally, EXPN whipped up a bit of story and nicked a couple more photos from Freerider's 'B Roll' selection. Definitely some more bangers in there, so go check them out HERE

• By Allan H

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In early 2008 Dave was diagnosed with a deep brain tumor- Anaplastic Oligoastrocytoma, located in the right lateral ventrical. Since being diagnosed, Dave has undergone multiple surgeries and other treatments. Although most of it was removed, the fact that the tumor had mutated meant that there is a risk of it doing the same again, unless the necessary steps are taken to stop it. Now out of hospital, Dave set on doing what it takes to heal.

Dave still needs your help and the best tretments aren't cheap. Please come along to the bike day, donate some money and have a good time! Loads of riders and sponsors are helping out, so it should be a sweet time...

For more details, head over to the AMIGOS OF DAVE website.

• By Allan H

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Well I have been super super busy lately!

First off we got rained out of the Us vs Them contest in Melbourne a few weeks back, still managed to have a good time. Ended up riding round Melbourne with water up to our stems for most of the afternoon, good to watch people forget how to drive when it's wet. Also got to hang out with Jed Mildon, Jaie Toohey and the other lads which is always a good time.

Weekend after that i headed up to Sydney to hang out with my mate Chris and ride his and Biffo's trails. The guys have put in alot of work recently and its all looking super good right now. Minus the snakes roaming round the area. Was a good time till some local hero with a bit too much testosterone decided to hit people, and end one of our nights prematurely, guess it comes with the territory though. Super bummed about it though.

Super chill weekend for me this weekend just gone, its been the first time in a while that i haven't left my town and gone anywhere and it felt good. I went to film a few clips down the local and ended up blowing out my headset... I'm guessing it probably needed lubing after the weekend in Melbourne, that or i have just been throwing too many barspins lately.

Anyways from this weekend on i will be travelling from Melbourne up to Brisbane on the Triple Six road trip. We will be stopping in plenty of towns to check out the bike stores and ride with everyone, so you should come check it out!!

A bus full of BMX'rs and plenty of beers and stories! I'm sure it will be a good time.

The flyer is below for anyone that is interested, there are a few dates missing, but just hit up the Triple Six website for all the details.

Anyways enough from me, go ride!

Peace
Cam Pianta

• By Allan H

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Photo: Ryan Sipes leads after a massive pile up on the first turn. Courtesy: Racer X Online

Racing headed to Dallas over the weekend, and the feel was electric! Unit Motoconcepts had some aesome results, despite lead 450 rider Dan Reardon being out, still suffering from his Anaheim 1 head smash...

In the Lites class, Ryan Sipes has been biting at the podium all year, but hadn't yet claimed his place in the top 3. Sipes qualified fast, and scored a 2nd place in his heat race. In the main, a cartwheel in the front of the pack into the first corner saw nearly the whole field go down! Ryan Sipes manouvered his way around the carnage and came out in front, to lead nearly the entire race. Only 2 laps from the finish, and a dedicated Blake Bagget made the push to get passed Sipes, and steal the lead. Sipes still recorded his best result of the year, and stood 2nd on the podium!  Sipes now sits in 4th on the overall East Coast Lites Championships, a mere 7 points behind 3rd place Justin Barcia.

In the opens, new recruit Kyle Chrisholm fought hard, and breezed through to the main, before scoring a solid 8th place overall. Kyle now sits 9th in the overall AMA Supercross Class.

Read the full race report now over at RACER X ONLINE

We wish the best of luck to team MotoConcepts leading into next week, as well as to Dan Reardon, who we hope can get back to full strength soon!

• By Allan H

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Australian Freestyle Motocross legend Matt Schubring has signed on the dotted line with a brand new team and naming sponsor for 2010.

Scheduled to ride the entire Crusty Demons Tour of Australia, as well as multiple FMX shows, demos and competitions throughout Australasia; Schubring will once again be a regular star on the FMX circuit and bring some of the biggest and most dangerous action sports stunts to the table.

Thanks to the opportunity to launch his own brand new team, Schubring couldn’t be happier. “SP TOOLS KTM” will strive toward further developing his already extremely strong fan base and build a greater profile amongst the mainstream community.

“I’m really excited to form our own team “SP TOOLS KTM.” SP TOOLS are fantastic products and I’ve always felt comfortable riding the KTM250SX; so it has all worked out perfectly.” Matt Schubring said.

“Right now I feel like I'm the healthiest I’ve been in a couple of years and I have an extremely busy schedule booked in. I’m looking forward to a huge year!”

SP TOOLS are no stranger to partnering with some of Australia’s best motorsports athletes and for 2010 have continued their support of the Stone Brothers V8 Supercar team and young gun driver Shane Van Gisbergen.

“SP TOOLS is looking forward to having Matt as part of the growing stable of young motorsport superstars. Matt is one of the best freestyle riders in the country and he fits perfectly with the direction we want to take the SP brand.” Kevin Davis said (Managing Director of  SP TOOLS)

“Our fresh approach to tools and tool kits appeals to guys of an age that follow young stars like Matt; we couldn’t think of a better guy to be involved with!”

Schubring’s key sponsors include SP Tools, KTM, Unit Clothing, Alpinestars, Osiris, Motorex, TAG, One Industries, ARD and Dragon

• By Allan H

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We recently held a special Facebook fan photo competition, where you had the chance to take home $300 worth of Unit swag. Well, 5 year old Madi was lucky enough to win, and the little shredder was stoked.

Madi sent us through a pic of herself with some of the new gear, and we reckon she looks like the next Caroline Buchanan. Big things to come for sure!

Keep an eye on the Unit Facebook, Twitter and Myspace for more special promos and give-aways over the coming weeks...

• By Allan H

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Supercross heads to Dallas this weekend, as the injury list grows and grows. Unit athlete Dan Reardon had a horrible first round crash at the beginning of 2010, which is apparently still causing him troubles! After coming back for a few rounds, Reardon has dropped back out and this weekend will be the 2nd race in a row he will miss.

This message from Dan's team manager: "He's still feeling the effects of his brutal A1 crash and we're giving him some time to build some mental and physical strength, we look forward to his return to racing."

By the sounds of the message, Dan is not at a good point with his racing, and we can only wish him the very best recovery and hopefully a strong return to racing.

On a more positive note, Unit Motoconcepts team athletes Sipes, Friese and Chrisholm are all still in the mix, and earning good results. So keep an eye on those guys, Sipes especially is a good bet for a podium finish!

Gates drop Saturday USA time, and Sunday morning Australia time, and if your not lucky enough to be in Dallas for the races, then make sure you follow the Live Timing web page or the Unit Twitter feed!

• By Allan H

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We just got the word from our boy Dane Searls that Red Bull Elevation is on for 2010! We are so stoked right now for all the riders and fans who have been missing out eve since Elevation got canned a couple years ago.

Red Bull is known for finding the coolest and craziest locations for their contests, and this year should be no different. We don't have much details as of yet, but we do know that Chicago will be the host city, so here's hoping we see some insane big dirt jumps down the middle of some Chicago City street.

We are also pumped that Dane Searls got an invite, after his massive performance at Cam White's Hillside Dirtjam, Red Bull wouldn't have thought twice!

We haven't heard from Cam White yet, but seen as he is the reighning Elevation Champion from Mexico 2008, we imagine he is first on the list of invites.

Elevation is scheduled for May 15, and we will let you know more details as we find out. Let's hope there is some kind of live webcast setup, so everyone can actually watch the action, rather than wait months and months to see it on TV.

• By Allan H

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Red Bull have put together a really interesting clip about fear, and the role it plays in FMX. Read more and check the clip out now over at EXPN...

Red Bull - What Is Fear?

• By Allan H

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Caroline Buchanan has a photo shoot with Cleo this Friday. Watch out for her in the June issue of Cleo as one of Australia’s most influential women!!!

There’s no stopping her!

• By Allan H

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PIC: Chris Kovarik powers to another National DH victory. FIND MORE PICTURES ONLINE @  Canadian DH Girls

Round 4 of the Australian National Series took place this past weekend in Canberra, bringing the series to an end until next year.

Even though the wind was not as much of a factor than it was during the Worlds, the track was running a bit slower. There had been a lot of rain in the area during the previous couple weeks so there were a lot more ruts and rocks where dirt had washed away. This and the fact that a lot of the lips of jumps were worn down, made it a bit harder and more of an effort to link everything up. But it was fun. I love the jumps, especially the triple-triple near the end. When you can get it good, it feels awesome!

But I swear, no matter how hard you train or not, nothing prepares you for that huge sprint to the finish. Brutal! But good pain….

Chris and I both stood on top of the podium again, ending the off-season on a high note.

In a few weeks we head over to the States for Sea Otter and then it all begins again! I can’t wait to get my new M6!!!!!!!

Thank you for all of your support, I am excited for the season to begin.

Hear from me soon,

Claire.

 

Round 4 – Canberra Downhill results

Elite Men

1.Chris Kovarik (QLD) – 2:34.84

2.Ben Cory (ACT) – 2:37.16

3.Shaun O’Connor (NSW) – 2:37.16

Elite Women

1.Claire Buchar (QLD) – 3:08.12

2.Claire Whiteman (ACT) – 3:18.70

3.Leigh Douglas (TAS) – 3:20.60

• By Allan H

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Pic: Jaie Toohey rejoices in the streets of Melbourne. Shorts, T-Shirt, no shoes and hail hahaha

What up guys? I'm back again! Last week I was down in Melbourne for a contest with the boys, but unfortantley Melbourne weather was definitely not to kind to us. About 5 minutes before the contest, we pretty much got the worst storm I have ever seen! I had to put my helmet on because i was getting nailed by hail stones. But the best was still to come, about 20 mins into the storm Cam Pianta, Matt Whyatt and I decided to try and make it back to the hotel. We got half way and decided to have a hail fight haha. We finally got to the hotel, after riding through waist deep watter in the middle of Melbourne! Cars were underwater, people standing on their roofs and there we were having the time of our lives.

Other than that, I've been back on my bike for the past week and a bit. I am still not 100%, but definitely almost there!

Talk soon.... Jaie
 

• By Allan H

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We can't wait to see Levi head overseas and battle it out at X-Fighters this year, the first round on April 16 in Mexico really can't come soon enough! Levi has been putting in so much practice since coming back from injury, with 100% focus on getting fit, healthy and back to full strength on the bike.

When we caught up with the youngster at the Farm Jam, he was still running the stock graphics on his new KTM 2 banga, while his fresh new graphics kit was stuck in transit 1000's of miles away. Well it looks like they have finally arrived, and Levi's bike for 2010 looks soooooo sweet! Check it out, and make sure you write down all the dates for X-Fighters. Let's just hope they have live webcasts for every round this year.

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS 2010 SERIES DATES

Mexico - April 16

Egypt - May 14

Russia - June 26

Spain - July 22/23

England - August 14

Italy - October 1

• By Allan H

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UPDATE**** Just got a message from Chris, that him and partner Claire both won AGAIN at the weekends National DH contest.

This season, Chris Kovarik has been on a rampage, scoring great results everywhere he goes. The Aussie Downhill legend has been rewarded for his efforts with a swag of cool magazine articles, and even the front cover of the latest Australasian Mountain Bike magazine. Nice work buddy!

But not to be outdone, Chris's partner in crime Claire Buchar has been holding her own, and dominating the womens circuit. It is certainly an interesting duo and we are proud to watch them score these well deserved results.

We will show you a few of the pieces we got sent through, but to be fair, you better go buy the magazine to check out all the bits and pieces. The pair also got a really cool feature in the Catch 22 section, so get going!

• By Allan H

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Since our friends at Freeride Entertainment have finished up on the New World Disorder MTB film series, we have been waiting for someone else to come along and fill the gap. We thought we might be waiting a long time, but it looks like 'Follow Me' could be the next big flick!

Check it out below... Coming May.

• By Allan H

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After a massive week travelling, filming and editing, we are proud to finally offer you the highlights video of the Farm Jam Unit FMX contest!

Levi Sherwood, Joe Sheppard, Jake Bowen, Rhys Hillier, Steve Sommerfield, Dan Frew and Blake O'Connor are just a few of the riders featured, and we promise you won't be dissappointed!

Remember this is only the riding highlights, and we are also working on a full TV feature with loads of behind the scenes features and highlights on the other sports, so stay tuned for that...

• By Allan H

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Canberra hosted 2 of the UCI rounds for 2010 on the weekend. The weather was the only dampener on the event, as everything was run really smooth, with not to many accidents. Day 1 at Tuggeranong, the track held up great in the rain... just REALLY slippery. Day 2 at Melba BMX club had a freshly built new track, that got really boggy with all the rain.

Both days I was feeling really great on the bike. I have had really good prep leading into the weekend and I wanted to put myself in a good position in the series. I had awesome starts both days and powered to the front giving myself a healthy lead to tkae the Elite Womens #1 position both days. I will now prepare for the 1st round of the 2010 BMX Supercross World Cup series in Madrid in 3 weeks time.

CB :)

• By Allan H

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Mat, who calls the Red Bull Compound his "Office", has been riding the FMX Park pretty much every day and started his practise as usual last thrusday with a few others and shape-dog Dane Herron.

All of a sudden something (we do not know any details yet) went terribly wrong during a big one handed Underflip and Rebeaud could not manage to get himself back into position to ride out of it.

Luckily Dane is trained in 1st aid and could stabilize Mat until the medical team arrived.

The crash was so hard & the injuries quite serious that he had to be flown to the Valencia hospital in quite a bad shape, but conscious.

After the first check-up the doctors decided that the 28 year old FMX Pro had to undergo an operation for his fractured arm and his squeezed lung.

Both operations went down smoothly and Mat already feels better and was able to talk on Sunday.

Once he is ready to fly, Rebeaud will leave the hospital in Valencia, California to fly back to Switzerland for further tests, rehab and recovery.

If everything goes forward like Mat has it in mind right now, he will be hopefully ready for the 3rd round of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Series in Madrid in summer.

We wish Mat a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on bike soon.

Courtesy www.fmxworld.com

• By Allan H

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Well i guess its finally time for an update after having Allan aka 'Rossco' on my case to get it done haha.

So after an injury filled season last year, i decided to get my knee fixed in early September. I had my ACL in my right knee replaced with two of my five hamstrings. Which meant I had five months of physio before I could ride again. It was good to go home to NZ and spend time with my friends and family after five months in california.

After five months off the bike I was all freshened up and ready to get back practicing for 2010. This year I decided to switch to riding two strokes after having trouble making some jumps on my 250f last year. So I've been up north practicing with Nick Franklin most weekends for the past month to get ready for Farm Jam.

So Nick and myself went down to Farm Jam to ride it for the first time. We were both stoked with how the Frew brothers had set up the course and had a blast the first night practicing until Nicks bike bogged on the up ramp of one of the step ups. Nick ended up fracturing his wrist in two places and elbow in one. The next morning the Aussie boys turned up so it was cool to catch up and ride with them. That afternoon Steve Sommerfield binned it and broke his collar bone pretty bad. That really brought the mood down having two boys out before the jam even started.

The next day we headed up the hill for the comp/jam session. The way the comp was run was cool. Riders were split up into groups of three and had three 7 minute sessions to show their stuff on the course. It fitted the comp perfectly. I ended up crashing out in my first session and missed out on my second session while I was straightening my bike out, but made it back in time for my third and managed to put some what of a decent run together without crashing.

It was awesome riding such a fun comp in my own country and cant wait to do it all again next year. Just like to say a big thanks to the Frew brothers for putting it all together and taking care of us, and also to Unit for making it all happen.

Cheers
Levi

• By Allan H

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Pic: FRMX editor Simon Makker and Aussie FMX rider Rhys Hillier force 5 guys and their gear bags in the hire car! haha

Yesterday we brought you the Farm Jam from Kelly Mcgarry's perspective. Plenty of laughs, good riding and all round good times. Now it is time to hear from the rest of the team, and there is definitely no shortage of memories! Check them out below...

PS: Joe skipped the questions, and just sent a full update, bloody Sheppo.... How you doing, alright?!

 

BRETT  FREW 'Frewmeister'

Time spent in travel? I came to the Farm a month ago to dig and havent left yet.

Riding Highlights?  I saw a million things I never thought I would see on my jumps go down. ALL the BMX blew my mind, it was next level. Jake Prebble went about 8 feet out of the dirt quarter and Kane 720'd a fast big double that only one person has ever 3'd before! Levi Sherwood dropping bombs! And NZs fastest racer Scott Columb with 90 deg whips on small jumps.

How did you go? I fixed my rear tyre twice during the comp but rode solid when I could dammit

Gnarliest crash? Callum Shaw fully threw his MX bike on a 70ft dirt jump then got up and jumped again about 8 seconds later

Funniest story? Markooooo

Final Thoughts? Lets do it again next year and add more radness

 

LEVI SHERWOOD 'Shezza'

Time spent in travel? Two and a half hours each way.

Riding highlights? Riding with all the boys, don't really have one highlight as such. Just a bloody good weekend all round

How did you go? Yeah not too bad

Gnarliest crash? Well i got to give this one to Steve Sommerfield for sure, although Callum Shaw took a good looking digger aswell

Funniest story? Listening to Sheppo give everyone who podium an Aussie nick name.

Final Thoughts? Awesome comp / weekend, cant wait to go back next year.

 

NICK FRANKLIN 'Franger'

Time spent in travel? 4 hours either way

Riding highlights? Riding the course for a few hours, its a fun track to ride

How did you go? Good, till my bike bogged

Gnarliest crash? Mine, it wasnt that great but i'll claim it

Funniest story? The nurse telling me im an idiot thinking the human body has a bone
called a scaphoid in the wrist, it's in the thumb! haaha

Final Thoughts? It was a cool event and i met some new riders and some old friend
which was rad, i just wish i was a part of the event day in the end

 

DAN FREW 'Frezza'

Time spent in travel? It's 18 steps to me Moto, and by time Ive clicked 5th, Im rolling my Track

Riding highlights? Everybody killing it! All the right people ended up at the top!

How did you go? Sweet, had heaps of fun riding with all the lads, Invited too many young rippers to get any of my Prizemoney back! Didnt place, my brain was a bit wrecked after being sooo busy, and havent been on my bike enough lately..

Gnarliest crash? Steve playing Tag with me Mid Air

Funniest story? Seeing 5 Aussies and all their gear jammed into the smallest rental available! 4 gearbags hanging off roof with some string!

Final Thoughts? Couldnt have asked for a better day out riding in me backyard, massive cheers out to everyone that helped us nail it!

 

JOE SHEPPARD 'Sheppo'

 guys, back in Aus after the Farm Jam and I've got to say it was probably the most fun I've ever had at a comp. Dan Frew had prepared an awesome moto course, which had a bit of everything in it, and when we were having a break from riding we could watch the bmx and mtb boys shredding the incredible lines Brett Frew had put together.
 
Some of my favorite moments of the trip were:
 
-Watching Levi do a perfect turntable to one hand lander off a dirt kicker
-Jake Bowens massive dub nacs
-Can't remember his name but the guy front flipping the drop on a bmx - insane!
-Dane Searles going stupidly high down the whole line and jumping over the half pipe.
 
Then there were some other awesome moments like:
 
-Giving everyone Aussie nicknames... Yeah Franga!
-Watching Dane do mad skids and max doughies on the AG200
-Smoking Levi in the neutral race down the hill
-Having beers around the fire with Shezza, Rosco, Davo, Franga, Evo, Twisty, Chinga, Makka and MARCO!!!
 
A huge thanks to the Frew brothers, you guys are awesome and I can't wait till next year!

p.s. I think we set a new record for the most amount of riders and gear bags in (on?) a Kia Rio on the way back to the airport!

• By Allan H

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With so many amazing athletes at the Farm Jam, and every one with a different experience, we though we might hit up some of the guys with a bunch of Farm Jam questions, to get the low down on what happened on and off the course. First up is Kiwi shredder Kelly McGarry.

Time spent in travel to the jam? 2hours

Riding Highlights? Levi Sherwood ruling and reppin' Kiwi land, Dane Searls steezin' and massive tricks, Paul Langlands boostin and tricking everything, riding with the FJ crew and partyin' afterwards!

How did you go? 3rd place, MTB

Gnarliest crash? Steve Sommerfeild hitting Dan frew in mid air and breaking his collar bone.. Heal up mate!

Funniest story? Old mate trying to bust an air in his Hilux at the camp ground and sending it right into a ditch and writing off his truck! What a twanger.
 
Final Thoughts? Banger weekend with great weather, sick jumps, sick riding, good sponsors and a good vibe over the whole weekend. Cheers to everyone involved!

• By Allan H

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Pic: Cam Pianta blasts out his 'Best Trick' winning Front Flip transfer line

We are currently putting together a Cam White's Hillside Dirtjam TV Feature for Fuel TV that is going to air April 23 at 5.30pm. But in the meantime, our buddies at Eurocam have beaten us to the punch and aired their own cool feature on the event. Not to worry though, our show features alot more behind the scenes and lifestyle action with all the riders so it will still be worth a watch.

Make sure you head over to the Rush TV website now where you can watch the full episode!

RUSH TV - CAM WHITE'S HILLSIDE DIRTJAM TV FEATURE

• By Allan H

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WOW! Farm Jam went off without a hitch over the weekend, deep in the south of New Zealand. The weather was rainy and windy leading up to the event, but the weather gods smiled on the Frew farm come Saturday, and all the riders were greeted with a sunny, hot and still day for competition.

So much cool stuff went down across all sports, just a couple of stand outs include Dane Searls massive double can over a 30 foot booter at the end of the course, Chinga was the only person on the day even jumping the monster! Kelly Mcgarry had a couple goes but called it quits after a mssive bail. Then there was Brian Anzelotti's front flip off the roll in on the big dirt jump line, Which you have to see to believe! And then of course we couldn't go past pretty much everything Levi Sherwood did on the crazy natural terrain freeride MX course. After only just surviving a huge Seatgrab Indy Flip crash with a suspected broken nose, Shezza went back out on course to stomp everything he had and take the overall Unit FMX Contest win. Tricks include huge Shaolin Flips, Ruler Flips, Holy Grab to 1 Hand Indy's along with a swag of his other over extended tricks. 

We will be bringing you all video highlights from the event over the next week, so stay tuned for that!

For now though, here is a list of the main results... and you can head over to our Facebook to check out a couple of pics from the event...

Protec BMX

1st Paul Langlands
2nd Dane Searls
3rd Kane Ohagan

Gravity MTB

1st Connor McFarlane
2nd Karl Bensemman
3rd Kelly McGarry

Unit FMX

1st Levi Sherwood
2nd Jake Bowen
3rd Rhys Hillier

Unit MX Race

1st Scotty Columb
2nd Paul Gow
3rd Brent Scammell

Slide Best Style (All Sports Combined)

Dane Searls - BMX

Jim Beam Best Trick (All Sports Combined)

Brian Anzelotti - MTB

• By Allan H

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The past few weeks have been pretty hetic. The jumps held up great after the jam and I was stoked that it wouldn't take much work to get them back to running dialled. That was until we had the biggest storm in about 8 years. I got a txt MSG from Hess and all it said was 'there goes ya jumps'.

The following day I went out to check it out and was blown away by the damage. 3 of the take off have eroded and partially collasped as well as 3 of the landings and all the run-ups and inbetween the jumps is pretty much non-existant. I was so bummed to see the state of them and I now have hours and hours of digging ahead of me.

Apart from the jumps being trashed, I have spent a lot of time in the foam pit, well more like dust pit as my foam pit has been weathered for a few years. Besides breathing in all the rotted foam particles and getting it in your eyes, it still serves the purpose that it is made to do. I have a couple new tricks dialled in there and am working on some new bangers for the up and coming season.

After we counted up all the dollars raised at the jam, over 13 grand, I took the check into the Canberra hospital and met with some of the kids in the peadiactic ward. I handed out some posters and stickers and also got pushed around on a dope chopper by one of the kids. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad that all the coin we raises is going to a great cause.

Thanks to everyone for their dontaions! Tim fountain and I went out to our friend Bruces house to work on his sons, Scotty and locky's jumps and to have a ride. They have a sweet set up with 4 jumps in a row going down a slight hill and Turning to the left. The last set is pretty big and a nice floater. I just got word that Scotty broke his leg on the last set the other day, get better soon mate.

As for this up and coming week, well I'm currently on a plane flying to Perth. It's non stop for me this month, inbetween learning new tricks in the foam, digging jumps, camping and fishing, who knows what the next week will bring!!!??? Stay tuned for updates from perth!! Later!

• By Allan H

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We were lucky enough to catch up with Kain Saul and the Showtime Yamaha boys at the recent Australian Motorcycle Expo on the Gold Coast. Sauly takes us on a tour of the Expo and gives us the inside word on what the riders do while not performing.

Loads of laughs in this one, along with some demos by the Showtime crew. You will get to meet the real Kain Saul in here! hahaha CHOKE

• By Allan H

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JDR Motorex KTM Racing athlete Tye Simmonds battled through the 2009 Australasian Super X series with an injured knee, but still recorded some very strong results. Now, fresh from knee surgery, Tye is back to 100% and looking to dominate his first year in the Pro Opens category of the Australian MX Nationals.

Additional Footage: www.mxdaily.com.au

Music: 'Good Advice' performed by Grenadiers www.myspace.com/grenadiersmusic

• By Allan H

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We know we said your fan photos had to be controversial, but after hearing about young 5 year old Madi racing against all the boys, not only on the BMX track, but also the MX track, we just have to give her the prize...

We are inspired! Looks like she is going to be the next Caroline Buchanan.. Congrats Madi and keep practicing on the track!

And to all our other fans out there, stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter, as we will be holding loads more giveaways in the coming months!

• By Allan H

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YO.

Just got back from another kick ass NZ road trip, we (Ramon and I ) went to the Frew farm and also the stony hills dirtjump jam . Both spots were the Shizzle , 1st we went to the Frew farm to check out the new line, have a swing on the shovel and kick it with my mates Dan and Brett Frew and also my hometown Boy Karl Bensemann . The boys have been busy and there is some awsome new stuff to ride there , keep your eyes peeled for farm jam coverage. It will be a BANGER.

SOUTHERN FREERIDERS WEBSITE

We had a quick sesh on the new hip line which was siiiick and headed for Stony hills. We turned up and the trails looked amazing, the Henry/James and crew had been diggin' hard and the weather was the best I had ever seen it at the trails we sessioned till dark on friday night and woke on sat morn to another sunny windless day.

I went for a quick surf at st Clair beach then went to the trails and started riding, the trails were running sweeet and they had a judged jam which was a 45 session and the two extra 20 min sessions to bring out the bangers.

Every one was having a great time a few high lights from the top of my head were the up and coming shredders Phil M , Conner and Elmo gettin it DONE, with great riding/tricks all over the trails, Conners 360 transfer was off the CHIZ , Brett Frew was spilling STEEZ every where as usuall , Karl Bensemann was up in the trees BOOSTIN , Team ENGLAND Foz, Tom, Seb and Duncan were makin the most of every line and left no jump untouched and I was pumped to win the judged jam ...Yahooo!

Thanks to every one involved for a super sick weekend of "Roastin Trails"

Cheeeeeeers
McGazz

• By Allan H

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