Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Metal Mulisha’s Nate Diaz will step into the cage this Saturday, May 5, 2012 and take on Jim Miller in Newark, New Jersey. Right now, Nate Diaz matches up well with any of the top five fighters in the division. Diaz is a straight-up warrior with great cardio, strong boxing techniques, extremely impressive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills, and a love for brutal fights.

With his brother Nick Diaz in his corner, this headline UFC fight will be something you definitely don’t want to miss out on. Dana White has said the man who wins is likely to meet Benson Henderson or Frankie Edgar some time later in 2012.

We recently just released the Nate Diaz 209 Signature Metal Mulisha Walkout tee in 3 different colorways! Make sure to pick one up and tune-in for the Diaz fight this weekend!

Serco Yamaha / Metal Mulisha Racing team member Luke Styke has made it a hat trick of podium finishes in the opening three rounds after the Wonthaggi round of the 2012 MX Nationals was concluded over the weekend. After a third and a win at the opening two rounds, Styke took over the points leaders red plate and headed into round three at Wonthaggi looking to keep the consistency rolling and the red plate in his possession.

Styke achieved both goals, taking second place for the round on the back of his 3-1-6 results and maintains a 23 point lead in the championship. The win in race two was undoubtedly the highlight of the day as Styke snatched the holeshot and broke clear of the pack to take a wire to wire win. “Today was good. The first two races went well and I felt like I had the speed and fitness to get the job done, but my start in the last race wasn’t great so I just had to get as many points as possible. My plan is to be fast and consistent at every round and so far things are on track after the first three rounds.” – Styke

Team mate Kirk Gibbs faced some challenges at Wonthaggi but still managed to pull down sixth for the day. Gibbs found himself picking up his YZ250F more times than he would care to remember as small crashes proved costly. He rounded out the day with 5-13-4 results with the opening two motos both marred with falls. Despite the tough day, Gibbs currently lies in third place in the championship and with seven rounds remaining there is plenty of time to launch an assault on the championship leaders as the MX2 class heads towards the business end of the season. “It was a bit of a frustrating day where I made some small mistakes that cost me dearly. I would work my way into a reasonable position, only to fall and drop valuable points. I need to get that sorted ASAP.” – Gibbs.

Results
MX2 – Wonthaggi
1st Ford Dale – 69 (Honda)
2nd Luke Styke – 60 (Serco Yamaha)
3rd Josh Cachia – 57 (KTM)
4th Adam Monea – 55 (Suzuki)
5th Cheyne Boyd – 49 (Honda)
6th Kirk Gibbs – 43 (Serco Yamaha)
7th Kade Mosig – 43 (Kawasaki)
8th Errol Willis -39 (Suzuki)
9th Geran Stapleton – 36 (Honda)
10th Lewis Woods – 29 (Suzuki)

Championship Standings – After Round Three
1st Luke Styke- 192
2nd Ford Dale – 179
3rd Kirk Gibbs – 162
4th Josh Cachia – 149
5th Kade Mosig – 140
6th Cheyne Boyd – 136
7th Adam Monea – 135
8th Errol Willis – 115
9th Justin McDonald – 110
10th Ryan Marmont – 91

Back here in the USA and coming off a win last weekend, Star Valli Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes got a great start in his heat race, only to go down while leading. Sipes managed to recover and finish fourth. In the main, unfortunately, Sipes suffered some bad luck and wound up 16th. Already looking ahead, Sipes is focusing on the East/West Shootout in Las Vegas. He won the season-ending event last year and is eager to defend his title next weekend. “This was not the weekend I was hoping for but I feel like I was riding good. I should have had the heat win, but I had a little tip-over. In the main, it was the craziest thing, I got taken out pretty hard on the parade lap. The bike was all bent up and there was no back brake, but by the middle of the race I was putting in some good laps. Then I mistimed a section and made a mistake that hurt me. Now, I’m just looking forward to defending the East/West Shootout in Las Vegas next weekend. I’ll be there and I’ll be strong.” – Sipes

In the Supercross class, Bobby Kiniry continues to charge hard! After transferring to the main by winning the LCQ, Kiniry made the most of his gate pick and gave 100 percent for all 20 laps. Kiniry worked his way through the field to finish ninth and pick up his third top-10 result of the year. “I got the Rockstar Yamaha out to a pretty bad start in the main event, due to my qualifying. Then I just chugged along and came from about 18th to ninth. So I got a solid top 10 for the night, and I moved us up a spot in points. My Rockstar Yamaha felt great and I’m just trying to stay in the top 10. Las Vegas is next weekend and I’ve done well there in the past, so I’m looking forward to it.” – Kiniry

Weston Peick turned in a respectable performance at Salt Lake City. Peick overcame a fraught first lap in his eight-lap heat race to pick up the final transfer spot to the main.

There, Peick rallied after a less-than-optimal gate pick and worked his way through the field to 12th. “In the heat race, I got a great jump off the gate but then I spun really bad right past the finish line and got pinched off. Then I worked my way from about 17th to ninth. Obviously, in the main, I had almost the last gate pick so I was basically last off the start. But I just worked my way up the best I could with how fast the track was. For Las Vegas next weekend, I’ve got to have my game going. I’ve got to walk out of there close to the top five to get up in the points. But anything can happen, it’s Supercross.” – Peick

Gareth Swanepoel is still recovering from injury and did not race in Salt Lake City, nor did Nico Izzi, who qualified well but suffered a practice crash and was unable to race.

The next event for the Rockstar Energy Racing teams is the 17th and final round of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship on Saturday, May 5th, at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV.

Download (QuickTime 15.1MB)

It was reported last week on our website, that the Metal Mulisha team was shoveling in new sections at Jimmy Fitzpatrick’s compound. Between the vineyards of Southern California’s Temecula wine country, Fitz has constructed a prime spot of property known to many as “Fitzland” which is laid out on 54 acres of land.
Fitz started digging years ago with some 50 foot jumps, which evolved into 120-foot ramp to dirt jumps, bigger natural terrain jumps reaching 160 feet, ramps, and a full-pull 5th gear wide open ramp to dirt jump that launches you across his property. With the course freshly prepped, new sections in place, and some down time before tours or upcoming races, Brian Deegan, Wes Agee, Julian Dusseau, Jimmy Hill, Larry Linkogle, Derek Garland, and Ronnie Faisst, came out to do what they do best, put in a solid ride, hang out, and fire up the bbq with some of Fitz’s homemade recipes and a good time.

Ryan Sipes took a visit to the Metal Mulisha headquarters to catch up and discuss his recent win in Seattle. Check out the video update…

Download (QuickTime 15.1MB)

The Star Valli Yamaha Rockstar Metal Mulisha Racing team got their ride on in Seattle, WA, on Saturday night for round 15 of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship at CenturyLink Field. As the series switched back to Western Region Supercross Lites rounds, Star Valli Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes returned from injury and made the most of the opportunity by capturing his first win of the season.

Sipes took advantage of the recent down time afforded the Western Region Supercross Lites riders to fully heal from his early-season injuries. As a result, Sipes came back stronger, healthier and faster than ever. Sipes finished fifth in his six-lap heat race, and then dominated the main by getting out front immediately and leading all 15 laps to take the checkers.

“I’m happy to get the win. I ended up in first coming around the second corner, and I just put my head down and tried to focus on the track. I just kept bringing my focus back to race the track, tried not to look back, and tried not to think about anything. I’m so happy for the Star Valli Yamaha team. We’ve all been working hard and it’s all been worth it. Now I just want to try and get another one at Salt Lake City next weekend.” – Ryan Sipes

In the Supercross class, Weston Peick just keeps getting better. Seattle saw him continue to focus on consistency and he was well rewarded. Peick won the LCQ and transferred to the main, where he clicked off 20 solid laps to finish ninth. This marks Peick’s fourth-consecutive top-10 result.

“I had a good weekend at Seattle, I’ve had some bad luck with crashes here in the past, but this weekend I turned it around and had a solid race. I ended up having to go to the LCQ, but I pulled the holeshot and won. I went into the main event around 13th, but stayed consistent and worked my way up to ninth place. I’m pumped on that and looking to take that momentum into next weekend at Salt Lake City.” – Weston Peick

Bobby Kiniry struggled a bit at the Seattle event. He finished seventh in his heat race and transferred to the main, where he suffered some bad luck and wound up 12th. Likewise, Star Valli Yamaha teammate Nico Izzi fell victim to bad luck, stalling his bike while running in a transfer spot in his heat race and ultimately missing the main.

“This was just an off day. I got in the main and got a mediocre start, and was battling with some people. Then another rider endo’d in front of me and I had nowhere to go, so I went right into him and his bike. We both got up OK, and I salvaged 12th out of the night. I’ve got two more rounds and I’m looking forward to that. I just need to put it together for 20 laps and get back in the top 10 again.” – Bobby Kiniry

Gareth Swanepoel did not race at Seattle. He had minor surgery during the break and unfortunately developed an infection that delayed his recovery. He hopes to be back before the season’s end.

Big congrats to Ryan Sipes and the next event for the Star Valli Yamaha Rockstar Metal Mulisha Racing is the 16th round of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship on Saturday, April 28th, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT.

Metal Mulisha Maiden of the month winner, Theresa stopped by the Mulisha headquarters for a quick photo shoot, interview, and to snag a bunch of our newest clothing and accessories to go home with. Check out what Theresa had to say…

MM: When did you become a Metal Mulisha fan and how’d you hear about us?

Theresa: I became a fan in 2007. I always saw the logo before, but never knew what it actually was all about. Then when I started dating my boyfriend, he took me to my first X Games event and I fell in love with Mulisha from that day on!

MM: So do you ride?

Theresa: Yeah, I ride sometimes.

MM: What are you riding then and when did that all start for you?

Theresa: Well I learned on a CR150 about… 3 years ago. I usually go out in Barstow and Ocotillo Wells.

MM: If you could have the chance to meet any Metal Mulisha rider, who would it be and why?

Theresa: Todd Potter!!! I love his style of riding and his whips are insane! I also dig his personality

MM: What are some of your hobbies outside of riding?

Theresa: Cooking, shopping, working out… the usual girl stuff.

MM: What is your favorite event to go to?

Theresa: Supercross!!!

MM: What do you think about all our new Summer Metal Mulisha Maiden line?

Theresa: I think their way cute, I want them all.

MM: What is the craziest thing you have ever done?

Theresa: Got a tattoo when I was 16 without my parents knowing about it for 2 yrs…

MM: Anyone you want to give a shout-out to?

Theresa: My boyfriend Robert. Hes a great supporter and always believes in me. Love you!

Lucas Oil Off Road Racing is back along with some hot weather in Motorsports Park, located in Lake Elsinore, CA. The new 1.1-mile circuit track layout is pretty nasty! Besides from everyone behind the wheel holding down some heavy speed throughout the track; a volley of jumps, a massive step-up, a huge ‘booter’ ( seen in the photo below ) and a ugly rhythm section… really put each driver and class to the test.

FRIDAY:

Brian Deegan, fired up his Pro 2 and opened the fight with a 52.413 on lap one in his #38 Rockstar/Metal Mulisha Ford.

On the final lap, Deegan held the top spot claiming a 1st place qualifier taking the pole with a lap time of 50.357.

This redeemed the day for Brian, as he took on a unfortunate rollover in the Pro Lite qualifier.

” I had a good day at track today while qualifying 1st in Pro 2. During the Pro Lite, the upper A arm broke and flipped me during the 1st lap. Going for wins all weekend long, with nothing to lose! ” – Brian Deegan

It was up to Justin “Bean” Smith to make it on the pole for Metal Mulisha, in his Pro Lite.

Bean got in a solid early lap at 54.080 in his #19 Competitive Metals/Metal Mulisha Ford, and although he was challenged by Casey Currie, Bean came out on top of the session, improving his time to a 53.139 coming in third overall.

Todd Leduc rolled out onto the track ready to battle for a solid time, in his Pro 4. LeDuc finished very strong coming in second with a 49.129.

Super Lite saw a good mix of drivers vying for the top spot in qualifying this afternoon. None other than the “freestylerrr” himself, Larry Linkogle took it to the dirt today for his second race ever.

Link put in some seat time during the the season kick off in Chandler, Arizona during round 1 & 2.

Link put up a fight today, battled it out on the track and ended up having some mechanical issues taking him out of the qualifying. It was up Ryan Hagy in the #0X General Tire truck to finish up the class with a front spot.

Hagy really kicked things into gear, keeping a solid line, clearing the table top step-up and rounding out the top five position with his best time of 58.018.

Cameron Steel got behind the wheel of his Pro Buggy Unlimited for the first time this season. Justin “Bean” Smith fill in for Steele during round 1 & 2 for a extremely good reason… Cameron stayed home by his wife’s side as they both welcomed their first child. (Congratulations Cameron! We are so pumped for you!), Besides from the huge smile on Cameron’s face throughout the pits, Steele did what he does best in the Pro Buggy… taking the lead and wrapping up the time sheets on lap one, turning a 53.490!

Hailie the Dirt Princess Deegan, was determined today to take on the other drivers in her Junior 2 Trophy Kart Class. She came right on the track, keeping a solid speed, and the momentum got hung up during a yellow caution flag. She took on the full course green and locked down an impressive 10th place position for tomorrows race.

That wraps up the action during the Fridays practice and qualifying. Come down and join us again all weekend long for Round 3 & 4. We will continue to update this page daily so make sure to check back for more details, photos, videos, and news.

SATURDAY:

Round three of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series kicked off with the Pro 4 Unlimited’s and the intensity never let up. LOORRS officials made a last minute decision to cancel today’s qualifying session due to track maintenance and driver safety so the track was a guessing game for most of the drivers.

Todd Leduc was putting up a really good fight, back and forth chasing down his brother Kyle Leduc. Todd was in the fight, making clean passes, and pushed his way up to the front. After coming off the, huge ‘booter’ we have been talking about and Todd went right into the right drifting corner, he got caught up with three other trucks, pushing his promising spot off the podium. Todd, you will kick some ass in round 4!

Pro Lite Unlimited’s took the stage filling the track with 24 drivers ready make a point. With some of the best racing we’ve seen thus far this season, the Pro Lites had the crowd on their feet the entire time and left the crowd wanting more. The 2011 Pro Lite champion Brian Deegan battled his way through the pack to grab the top spot, overtaking Rj Anderson for the first place position with just one lap to go. Justin “Bean” Smith saw his first DNF of the season after getting tangled up with another Pro Lite newcomer. “Bean” suffered a broken upper link in the rear of the truck after flipping the truck and decided to pull it into the hot pits not wanting to risk destroying the truck for the entire weekend. After the race Bean said, “Tomorrow is about being aggressive. Our truck was running flawless and I can’t let these guys push me around”. Brian Deegan, Rj Anderson and Chris Brandt all took the top spots in the Pro Lite division.

Just as the heat started to take a toll on the crowd, the Pro 2 Unlimited’s took the track and from there on it was standing room only. Carl Renezeder took the green flag in the forth position and was on the hunt for his 97th shortcourse win only to come up short to none other than the Pro 2 champ and race winner; Brian Deegan.

Both Brian Deegan and Marty Hart finished in front of Renezeder rounding off the top 3 positions. Congrats Deegan! Get ready for Round 4!

SUNDAY:

This Pro 2 kicked off with Deegan right up front battling hard with Marty Hart and Rob MacCachren holding a top 3 position. Brian was looking like another promising podium finish, gunning down the top spot for 1st place. With just two laps remaining, and with all the fans on their feet; Deegan made a clean pass for the front spot as his truck billowed smoke across the whole track due to some motor issues. Deegan didn’t hold off, while pushing his truck across the checkered flag with a 5th place finish. Along with this unfortunate innocent in PRO 2… while racing in the Pro Lite class Deegan was leading and it was looking like a promising 1st place finish. With some dirty driving chasing down Deegan, some squid “no names” cleaned Deegan, taking him out of the race. It was a rough day today in round 4 but Deegan is still good on points in PRO 2 and is ready to take on round 4 & 5.

Make sure to check back later this week for a full LOORRS Metal Mulisha video update along with a massive photo gallery.

: What’s up Jacko…

: Nothing much mate just in Lockhart. Been doing a shit amount of riding lately at the house. We just got some fresh rain so today I just did a little session and hit all the jumps.

: How’s the fire truck?

: Actually I’m sitting in her right now. Thing works nice throwing all that water on the course, nice and wet.
I just put in a huge Supercross track that is fucking wicked!
I’ll make a video for the Mulisha fans here soon. Tell all the Mulisha boys they need to make another trip out to Wagga. Need to get Deegan and Faisst out here to make a few runs around my spot.
Oh ya, I put in a full blowing drifting course out here too. I think I am going to challenge the one and only, Mad Mike. Eat your heart out I’m coming for you Mike haha.

: What have you been practicing the most on right now?

: Been doing lots of flip tricks, been pulling of some really nasty KOD flips and a bunch of more combo tricks. Been putting in lots of hours in the foam pit. Retired my flip levers too…

: What’s going on with the levers?

: Got sick of them. They just kinda feel to weird and I have way more fun riding without them. I have more control during my KOD’s now, and I can do any trick plenty well with them off.

: X Games, it’s right around the corner…

: Well, I got a few tricks going… For X Games this really naughty trick I lined up called, “THE JACK“. It is a trick that has never been seen, or done before, this will be the trick. Just be ready for X. I also have been on the quest trying to slay dragons, seeking the next maiden princess.

: Emma McFerran, she is staying at the compound…

: Yep. She lives here at my parents house now, about 100 meters away. She’s to scared to sleep on my side of the property or near my dōjō work shack. I’m training her for freestyle actually, and it has been pretty cool to have a chick go bigger than half the guys out there. The whole deal is top secret for now.

: Send me a text of the most recent photo on your phone.

: Perfect I just got that picture of my cow, have you seen it yet?

: Haha, not yet and why did you buy a cow?

: A fucking mascot what else mate. And to pull chicks.

: How do you like your new signature tees?

: I think they’re all pretty sick. Pumped I have three of them available, the Jacko-Roo, Jacko Black, and the Jacko Only The Strong tee. Like the fact they have a range of colors in there.

: Any shout-outs?

: Any dragons that need slaying or naughty princesses out there out there looking for a good time hit me me up on facebook and my twitter @jackostrong. Cheers mates.

Have you seen Jacko’s pad? Get a behind the scenes tour of his crib, one hour outside the city of Wagga Wagga, Australia in the small rural farming town called Lockhart.

You can also click here see the update while filming for Metal Mulisha’s Black Friday.

The guys over at Leatt caught up with Ryan Sipes to talk about his Supercross practice crash, and how he is healing up. Check out this all new video and catch up on how Sipes is doing…

The Star Valli Yamaha Rockstar Metal Mulisha team were a sight to behold as they returned to racing in the infamous Big Easy after a weekend off. Round 14 of the 2012 AMA/FIM Supercross Championship at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA.

Although Cunningham is still recovering from recent injuries, the Star Valli Yamaha rider put in a heart-felt ride in New Orleans. Despite an early get-off in his six-lap heat race, Cunningham quickly remounted and carded a fifth-place result. In the 15-lap main event, Cunningham overcame a rough start and diligently worked his way through the field to capture sixth and finish the season with his best result to date.

“New Orleans was pretty good,” said Cunningham. “I got a bad start, and that’s kind of been a thing for me, not getting out of the gate. But I rode 15 laps good and got up to sixth, so now I’ll just go from here and test Outdoors next week. I haven’t been able to train the way I wanted to, and I’ve been off the bike after hurting my wrist at Dallas and hitting my head at Indy. So it’s just going to be nice to go home, work out a little more, spend more time on the bike and get to where we need to be.”

Star Valli Yamaha teammate Kyle Peters had a solid showing in his heat race, finishing seventh and transferring to the main. Unfortunately, Peters suffered some bad luck in the main and was unable to finish the race. Despite this, Peters remains optimistic about his rookie season.

“Overall, it was a decent night,” said Peters. “I had a good start and I felt pretty good all night. But we had some problems on the first lap and there was nothing we could do.”

In the Supercross class, Star Valli Yamaha’s Weston Peick carded his best main event result of the year. Peick started the night by picking up a solid fifth-place result in his heat race, and then went on to bring home a well-earned seventh-place finish in the 20-lap main event.

“My night went good,” said Peick. “In the heat race, I didn’t have such a good start but I worked my way up to fifth, which was pretty solid. In the main, I got off to a decent start, about 11th or 12th, and just stayed consistent. Everything this year has been about consistency, so I just worked my way up and up and up, and ended up seventh overall for the night. So I was pretty pumped on that.”

Star Valli Yamaha teammate Nico Izzi raced his last Supercross class race of 2012 at New Orleans. Although he’s been racing the premier class during the Eastern Region rounds, Izzi officially campaigns Western Region Supercross Lites and those rounds resume next weekend. In New Orleans, Izzi put in a spirited ride in his heat race, going down in the sand section but remounting to finish ninth and transfer to the main. In the main event, he was giving it his all when he went down again and was out for the evening.

“I had a pretty tough heat,” said Izzi. “I went down and came back to ninth. Then, in the main, I was doing good and running seventh. But on the 14th lap, I was pushing the edge and I swapped out so hard in the whoops, there was nothing I could do. The bike shot sideways and I had to just go for a ride. At least I’m healthy and I can move on to Supercross Lites next week, so that’ll be fun to change it up and try to get a podium in the Lites class.”

Also on the Star Valli Yamaha team, Bobby Kiniry had a bittersweet night. Coming off his best result of the season at the last race at Houston, Kiniry carded a notable sixth-place finish in his heat race. But in the main, he got swept up in a turn-one pile-up and never really recovered. He finished 18th.

“I got the Rockstar Yamaha to a great jump, maybe first or second,” said Kiniry. “And then I got down to the first turn and another rider made a bonehead move and put us all over the berm. It was a huge pile-up – I had tuff blocks stuck in my bike – and I just tried to get up and get going as fast as I could. I was riding around mid-pack, then I hit neutral and fell on my own and got another lap down. It was just a fiasco out there. I just had a rough main, but now I’m ready to get back to work this week and put that Rockstar Yamaha in the top five next weekend at Seattle.”