Metrakit Canada (~http://metrakit.ca~) and the AMRA based in Calgary, Alberta will have two talented teens heading off to Valencia, Spain this December to compete in the IV Metrakit World Festival with over 100 other Metrakit riders.

Tanner Thiessen aged 14 and Cody Matechuk aged 11 are representing Canada at this years event. ~http://amra.ca/metrakitworldfestival.htm~

This year riders aged 7 – 12 will compete on the 72SP machine and those 13 years old and up will race the PreGP 125 , the same motorcycle used in the Red Bull Rookies Cup run offs.

In 2005 Tanner competed at III Metrakit World Festival and finished 12th. This year Tanner will be competing for the first time in the Metrakit Pre GP 125 class while Cody will be competing on the Metrakit Mini GP 72 SP.

The Metrakit World Festival is open to Metrakit riders from around the world aged 7 and up and is designed to duplicate all the aspects and thrills of a MotoGP event and provide the kids (and parents) with an experience they will never forget.

Past podium winners have gone on to join the MotoGP Academy, been awarded sponsored CEV Cup rides, have competed in the Red Bull Series or been awarded sponsored US rides.

It is the one event that talented teens who wish to get noticed need to attend.

Remember, with Metrakit it’s not just about the bikes.

If you have any questions on Metrakit, the Program or the event phone Phil at Metrakit Canada; 1-800-910-5525 ~http://amra.ca/Metrakit2006.htm~

No other brand of motorcycle delivers this opportunity to young riders today.

The concept, the machinery, the progression, the network, the relationships – all are in alignment to get you the most from the Metrakit opportunity.

The name æHayden’ probably rings a bell right now. The latest American racing dynasty is of course from Owensboro, Kentucky and is affectionately known as Earl’s Race Team.

No sooner had Earl Hayden’s middle son, Nicky, taken the ultimate prize by becoming the latest American MotoGP World Champion, defeating seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi for the title, did his cousin, Hayden Gillim, pick up the silverware in the junior ranks and following rapidly, very rapidly, in his cousin’s footsteps.

Last weekend in Las Vegas, Gillim, the 11-year-old cousin to Tommy, Nicky and Roger, was standing up and thanking his team, sponsors and family for their support and help in becoming the AMA Youth Dirt Track Rider of the Year 2006. He also became the AMA Sports Youth Rider of the Year 2006. The way he delivered his speech was on a par with his obvious natural talent on the race track and would’ve made most parents of children much older very proud.

“I’m simply delighted for the boy,” said Uncle Earl, from his Owensboro home. “It has been a heck of a year for the whole family, and this is a really nice way to round off the year. I hope he enjoyed the experience, but that he was back in school the following week. That’s the most important thing right now.”

Hayden appears to have the same fighting spirit that has become so synonymous within the Hayden family û the will to win burns stronger than anything, and that is shining through in Hayden’s young, determined focus to keep it in the family.

Next year, it is anticipated that young Hayden will be riding in both road racing and dirt track series. One thing appears for sure – the Hayden dynasty is as strong as ever, and maybe not just for the next few years – maybe for much, much longer.

Finally, while watching the other Haydens, keep this thought in the back of your mind – there’s a new generation coming sideways æround the corner and he’s going very, very fast!

Viperformance, rights holder for Metrakit Junior road racing in Australia, are proud to have extended an invitation to 13 year old Queenslander Dylan Mavin to represent Australia in The IV Metrakit World Festival taking place on the 16th and 17th of December 2006 at the World famous Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia Spain. This is the first time Australia has been represented in this event.

More than 150 Metrakit Mini GP riders aged between 8 to 16 years from all over the world (Spain, USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Brazil, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and Australia) will be able to compare their level of road racing skills and abilities whilst all on equal equipment.

Dylan is entered into the Metrakit GP70 SP class. He will be supplied a bike and technical support including mechanics and trainer. The juniors will also have the assistance of World championship racers along with personalities from the motorcycling world who will be in attendance.

After purchasing his Metrakit GP80XL (2 stroke) back in December 2005, Dylan has been practising, training and competing on several Australian tracks including Hidden Valley Raceway N.T, Queensland Raceway and Phillip Island GP Circuit to name a few, in preparation for competing in the Metrakit State rounds and Championship event next year. Dylan has been proactive in the promotion of the Metrakit brand, bikes and concept including handing out brochures and demonstrations on his Metrakit GP80 XL.

The weekend will host two classes for the Metrakit mini GP70 and one for the Pre GP125. Practice will be held on the Saturday 16th with racing on the Sunday, followed by presentation of prizes and trophies. All participants will receive products and a commemorative gift. The weekend’s events will conclude with a celebration and free paella for all.

Dylan is excited at the opportunity to be representing Australia before the Australian Metrakit series kicks off in early 2007, he is looking forward to the experience and knowledge he will gain from competing on an International level on a World class circuit.

Motorcycle Sportsmen club have been appointed to hold the 2007 Metrakit junior series rounds in Queensland. Dylan is a member of this club which is supportive in accommodating Junior road racing.

Metrakit Range of GP bikes:

- GP 50 (2stroke), 9 to 12 years

- GP70SP (2 stroke), 9 to 12 years

- GP80XL Copa (2 stroke), 13 to 16 years

No other brand of motorcycle delivers this opportunity to young riders today.

The concept, the machinery, the progression, the network, the relationships – all are in alignment to get you the most from the Metrakit opportunity.

For more information on the bikes and the series, contact: ~sales@metrakit.com.au~

Or visit our site: ~http://www.metrakit.com.au~

It is that time of year again. The time to finalize the wording of rules for the coming season.

For those out there that want to read a set of rules and know what they mean, a common vocabulary is the first step in understanding. If as a community we can normalize wording on a couple of things it would be really helpful to everyone.

Here are a couple of the ones that have caused some grief in 2006:

GP Chassis

- A GP chassis is one that comes off a RS or TZ (GP125 or larger bike).

GP Style Chassis (let’s retire this term)

- now referred to as road race chassis

Road Race Chassis

- This is a road based chassis. Examples are Metrakit, Conti, NSR, YSR, etc.

MX Chassis

- This is the chassis on bikes that used to have knobby tires on them in their previous life.

Road Race Handlebars

- These are also referred to as Clip-ons. They bolt onto the fork tubes.

MX Handlebars

- These bolt onto a perch mounted (or part of) the triple tree.

Now if you want to distinguish between MX based bikes and Road Race based bikes, it is pretty straight forward with the terms above. There are clubs that don’t allow GP chassis bikes, now with a common vocabulary it is clear who they are and what their intention is.

For example, OMRRA doesn’t allow bikes with MX handlebars and only GP Chassis to run in their 85cc class. Now they can word their rules without accidentally banning the Metrakit 80XL and Royce McLeans’ YZ85-RR.

While it may seem like a little thing, if you can pass the word to the folks who write the rules for your club, it would be very helpful to everyone.

Roadracing World’s “A Call For Young Guns, Class Of 2007″ Questionnaire is up on their website now. Selected riders appear in their annual “Young Guns” printed feature.

~http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=27677~

It wasn’t a pretty sight. Every part of the former MX bike was laid before us. We had already received the motor and forks back from Pro-circuit who rebuilt the motor, evidenced by old top end that was still in good condition. Additionally, they installed the Barnett clutch kit and Moto Tassinari’s vForce3 that were sent. The forks and shock came a day later, reworked by Pro-Circuit and prominently displayed their trademark logo.

Pro-Circuit also provided us with a pipe and silencer. The pipe is their distinctive Works Exhaust Pipe with its hand welded, styling industrial finish complete with pounded seams. The R304 Stainless Silencer they sent along is used by practically every Pro-Circuit equipped racer out there. Its housing is made of lightweight aluminum with a brushed finish that nicely hides any nicks. For some reason we had to muscle the silencer a bit to align the mounting bracket. We also had a bit of an issue fitting the all bodywork, which implied to us that our used bike had flipped in its previous life and came out worse for wear with a slightly tweaked subframe.

The 2004 KTM shipped with silver powder-coated components. I have both a general aversion to silver frames and wanted to give the bike a unique feel. So we had Everlast Custom Powdercoating powder-coat the frame, subframe, swingarm, and footpegs in semi-gloss black which were all carefully wrapped in cardboard boxes. Only after having this done we learned that the 2007 KTMs were going to ship with a black main frame. So much for being unique in the frame department.

The rest of the bike lay in boxes and zip-lock bags labeled with their contents. By simply grouping the various components in separate bags and marking them, we were able to quickly reassemble components without issue and in a matter of hours.

In every mini club we have come across the 65 motard class allows for aftermarket brakes. From the factory, the KTMs have been known to have good brakes and up until 2004 they shipped with Brembo master cylinders. The 2004 KTM uses an 8mm steel braided line which is common on high-end mountain bikes. We had contacted GP Tech about using one of their thumb brakes to actuate the rear brake. A thumb driven rear brake allows a motard rider to ride foot out into right hand corners, which is a significant advantage over the standard foot pedal. The thumb brake is also commonly used on stunt bikes where the rider might take their feet off the pegs. Unfortunately we weren’t able to bolt up the thumb brake to the 2004 braking system. The reason? That crazy 8mm line that KTM switched to. Bikes using the standard 10mm line would have no such complications. We were sad, but will give the GP Tech thumb brake a try on another bike soon.

We weren’t completely bummed out though because Galfer recently started making wave rotors and pads for the KTM65SX. And it just so happened that they were interested in getting some feedback. The rotors are a noticeable upgrade from the stockers. Not only do they have a good feel to them, they had less sprung weight allowing for quicker transitions. They also cooled faster and when combined with Galfer’s pads, didn’t fade even when run long and hard. They bolted right up with zero issues. The Galfer parts were definitely a worthwhile upgrade to stock system.

We broke with motard convention and went with road racing clip-ons instead of the traditional MX handle bars. We initially intended to go with the MX bars, but after seeing Royce McLean’s YZ85 running clip-ons we decided to try it out. We called up Graves Motorsports and caught them on a good day. They agreed to send us a set of 45mm clip-ons commonly found on road racing bikes. In this particular instance, using a KTM as the basis for this project was a big advantage. The KTM not only runs inverted front forks that allow the use of the common sized 45mm sized clip-ons, it also has a billet triple tree. While it may not mean much to MX folks, it meant that the entire handle bar perch could simply be unbolted from the top of the tree. This allowed us to drop the front end by simply dropping them in the triple tree. We were able to lower the front end of the bike without opening the front forks. For folks converting an RM, for example, wouldn’t be able to run clip-ons without some fabrication. And if they stayed with MX bars, the top of the fork tubes would hit the bar limiting the ability to drop the front end. Their only option is to open the forks and hack away. The KTM avoids all of that. Its not all roses with the KTM, as you will read, as it has its own road blocks. But it sure did look good when we put those clip-ons on the forks.

We set the angle on the clip-ons to mimic the angle used on a NSR50. We then mounted up the ╜ waffle Soft Grips provided by Renthal. While the Renthal grip glue was an adventure, it worked well and we haven’t seen any rotation or slipping of the grips since installation. My only advice it to make sure you put enough glue on that it slides easily, and do the work installation quick, because the glue dries fast.

ASV Inventions sent us a set of their unbreakable levers in red. They were a breeze to install and impressed us so much, that we ordered up a set for the team’s NSR50 as well. They are light, yet built not to break through the patented folding design. Bend them backwards and they spring back into place. As anyone that has dropped a bike knows, the first thing to snap in the lever. I am not excited to say that we tested the levers, but we did. The bike has since been down a few times and the ASV levers came through 100% functional with only minor scuffs to the hardware itself. While not cheap, the levers are cheap insurance when you have a junior rider who tip-toes a bike and may drop it on occasion.

In the bike’s previous life it had been around the block a time or two and so had its drive train. We’ve used Renthal products over the years and have always found them to be top notch so it was a no-brainer to contact them. We received a selection of their UltraLite chainwheels and a R-1 420 chain. In a matter of minutes we installed the 14/46t gearing combination commonly used by flat trackers.

With everything in place we went about the business of tightening up the rear axle. Of course it is only after you have everything together and ready to go that the laws of physics creeps its ugly head. There was only had a half inch of space between the rear tire and the cross brace. To make matters worse, that was without the mud guard installed and with the axle at the end of the adjustment. We had no room. If anything had to be adjusted (gearing, chain tension, etc), the tire would rub the cross brace on the swingarm. By this time I’m sure you’re probably thinking I’m a retard because of course you check clearances first. Well, I did one better. I asked someone that did the same rear tire set-up on their dirt tracker. Using the same size wheel, same tireaexcept that it turns out that he didn’t use the same exact tire. He used a generation before. It was the same 120/80R12 size, same brand, but we had the newest tire, Bridgestone’s BT601SS.

To be clear we choose the tire specifically because it was Bridgestone’s new tire. We also choose it because it is a true MiniGP tire, not a scooter tire. There are other tires on the market, but we wanted to run this tire. And while this was a unique tire issue because of the design of the KTM’s swingarm, we didn’t have any clearance issues on the front. KX motards for example have tire clearance issues on the front as there isn’t every much room between the front forks which require even the narrower scooter tires to be trimmed to fit between the spindly forks. Imagine the magnitude of the problem if they tried to shoehorn a meaty MiniGP tire in there. Eash.

After lots of afterthought and some more conversations on the KTMTalk.com forum, we went about the task of lengthening the swingarm. There were other options of course. One of the most attractive was a custom swingarm. Aftermarket swingarms could have been easily modified by the designer to accommodate our needs, but it would have cost $450 and taken six weeks. Instead we visited our local welder with explicit instructions. It took two days and $200. The only stinker is that the swingarm had already been powdercoated, but at least the industrial look the welding resulted in matched the factory finish on the Pro Circuit pipe. After both the swingarm and rear brake mount were extended to accommodate the meaty Bridgestone, we finished the final assembly.

Since this was a MiniGPX project bike, we choose to run it in our team’s colors. That meant it would not be seen in the traditional KTM orange. We went with all black Polisport bodywork and Mick Peterson at SpeedGraffix created a custom sticker set for the bike. When we first saw was Mick had pulled together we were blown away. The full body sticker kit was top notch across the board. While the black bike was nice, it was only when the SpeedGraffix was applied that it really looked the part.

After some appreciating how sweet Mick’s work looked, we took it off the bike for fear of rashing it up on the first outing. It went back in the wrapper, and would remain there until we had shaken the bike down. Dressed back in orange, all that was left to do was break in the motor and take it for a spin.

a continued in Part 4 a

How to reach these guys

ASV

~http://www.asvinventions.com~

Barnett Tool & Engineering

~http://www.barnettclutches.com~

Bridgestone

Performance Tire Service Co.

+1 (317) 890-4500

Buchanan Spoke and Rim

~http://www.buchananspokes.com~

Everlast Custom Powdercoating

+1 (360) 225-6084

Galfer Braking

~http://www.galferusa.com~

GP Tech

~http://www.gptechllc.com~

Graves Motorsports

~http://www.gravesport.com~

KTM North America

~http://www.ktm.com~

Moto Tassinari vForce3

~http://www.mototassinari.com~

Pro Caliber Motorsports

~http://www.procaliber.com~

Pro-Circuit

~http://www.procircuit.com~

Pro-Wheel Racing Wheels

~http://www.prowheelracing.com~

Rain City Powersports

+1 (360) 574-2755

Renthal

~http://www.renthal.com~

SpeedGraffix

~http://www.speedgraffix.com~

The 2007 CMMRA Riders Coloring Calendar is now available for $10 each.

This calendar was created using photos taken by Rod Girard at CMRRA events. Each month has a different drawing that you can have fun coloring in. The drawings feature some of the young, up and coming talents, as well as our seasoned veterans. The back page has the 12 photographs that you can use as a reference when coloring in each month. Each month also has CMRRA race dates, plus MotoGP, WSB and AMA events. This calendar is for the road racing enthusiast!

Check out this link to see the 12 photos used and a sample of the drawings: ~http://www.photoshow.net/watch/jE4ih9UT~

Rich Johnson

~finelineracing5@yahoo.com ~

Cycle Imports and Metrakit USA are pleased to anounce that the fourth edition of the Metrakit World Festival is upon us and will take place this December 16 and 17, 2006 at the world Famous Circuito Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.

Five American youngsters are set to take the trip to represent the USA alongside Cycle Imports as follows;

MiniGp (MK12″ wheel)

\t1.\tCassidy Heiser from PA

\t2.\tAntonio Filho from NJ (Brazil)

\t3.\tMichael Aquino from CA

PreGp 125 (17″ wheel)

\t1.\tTommy Aquino from CA

\t2.\tRey Dominguez from FL

As with each of the previous installments, 2006 is guaranteed to be bigger and better than the year before. It is once again set to be a world caliber event, unique in the world for its spec.. charateristics, participation, venue and atmosphere.

The ingredients could not be better, more than 150 of the top riders (ages 8+) from each of the regions/countries participating will be there to show their stuff. Countries participating inlcude (U.S.A., Spain, Canada, Bermuda, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Brazil, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Australia and Germany)

This year for the first time, the weekend will include a PreGP 125 class for kids 13 and older. This class will mirror the 125 cup to be in place in the USA 2007. Cycle Imports is now taking names for tryouts in 2007. Contact them at 813-655-8470 or visit ~http://www.cycleimports.com~

The weekend will host two classes and three races, (two for the mini GP and one for the PRE GP 125).

Due to the great number of participants in the Mini GP class and for safety reasons, the competition will be divided in two groups, determined by transponder qualifying sessions.

In addition to the race action there will be activities for the children and appearances by world championship riders as well as personalities from the motorcycling world. We expect this year to be no different than the previous by providing a great weekend party for all.

This past Saturday at the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association (OMRRA) awards banquet, OMMRA club President Mike McDonough confirmed to the gathered crowd that the OMRRA board has approved the creation of an 85GP class for the 2007 season. This new class is intended as a stepping stone for OMRRA’s junior riders moving up from various MiniGP bikes. Final rules are still being worked out but the general picture is drawn and the 85GP class will be run with the 250 Vintage (160 class) class.

“By creating an 85GP class it gives the kids that have come up through our pocketbike program a way to get on the big track before throwing a leg over the 125s.” commented McDonough. “We have some really fast kids here that we expect to make a good showing when they are big enough to run with the USGPRU.”

McDonough knows that age isn’t a prerequisite to being a good racer. He was the OMRRA Novice School instructor that graduated then 11-year old Elena Myers. He then watched from the seat of his own RS125 as she won the first race she entered the next day.

The 85GP class will also allow adult riders and will not have an age restriction of any kind. Riders that want to participate in the class will be required to go through the same Novice program that larger displacement riders do currently. Junior riders that complete the OMRRA Novice School will hold a restricted license (which initially limits them to running in the 85cc class).

Parties interested are encouraged to plan ahead and attend the first of two Novice Schools offered during the 2007 competitive season.

More information on OMRRA and its race program can be found at ~http://www.omrra.com~

The off-season is generally a busy time for MotoGP riders, Shinya Nakano is no different. He has yet to ride the 800cc Honda RC211V that he will contest next season, but has been involved with a bike intro this week in his native Japan. Nakano a longtime advocate of pocketbikes has been helping with the development of two pocketbikes by Nihon Life. These bikes will be made available through his Japanese language website ~http://www.shinya56.com~

In an interview earlier this season by MotoGP.com Nakano described that the first time he rode a pocketbike when he was so scared he cried. He has matured since he was five commenting “Since I first got on the bike I have learned a large amount, and I am in MotoGP largely thanks to pocketbikes. I want to replay the opportunity by supporting the races and in-turn bring more kids into the sport with these new bikes.”

The MT30RC-56V (entry level) and the R40EX-56X (expert) are available in black, red, blue and white.