The folks over at FMF are always looking for new and better ways to improve bikes. This time they decided to try their hands at getting the weight of a KTM300 down under 200lbs.

The specifications from KTM offer a dry weight of 221.34ibs… so add some oil and gas the bike ballons up over 230lbs.

In this new feature section of the TSM site we’ll be introducing you to racers and industry people. These interview answers are not edited or changed for content, only spelling and punctuation will be corrected. So what you get is down to earth answers direct from the folks being interviewed.

In this edition we introduce Randall Everett. If you have been a reader of the site you may have watched Randall pounding out some laps on his YZ250 in the feature video. It was so amazing hearing the way Randall rides that bike that we figured we’d get in touch with him and ask some questions.

Taking on a European flavour for a couple of days Maico International travelled to Belgium last weekend following an invitation to race in the Belgium International Maico Cup.

With Maico Keith Ree unable to attend the meeting the burden of responsibility fell on the shoulders of the tenacious Dunlop Maxima rider Neil Berry, to represent the distributors on the start gate. Held at the popular Pulderboss circuit the venue has been hosting international race meetings for the last 54 years and features a curious mix of fast flowing straights and jumps, combined with a sandy wooded section which ruts up quickly, before moving back out into a twisty section of bends and jumps.

Lil’ D over at FMF Racing sent us a pile of photos that he shot at the 2 Stroke Invitational at Red Bud. There are some great behind the scenes photos here. Enjoy!

Thanks Donnie!

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you already know the winner of the race held on July 4th in Red Bud. Ricky Carmichael. Was there any doubt?

What’s hard to believe is how little information there is about this race in any of the mainstream media. Sure it’s not a part of the Lucas Oil Motocross Championships and the bikes are not the ones that the manufacturers are currently selling (with the exception of Yamaha and KTM).

Riding on the crest of a wave in P/R terms, Maico International have gone one step further in their crusade by becoming the first company in the world to endorse the full range of Maxima oils products.

Based in the U.K., Maico International bosses Vincent Page and his partner Lesley White along with one of their riders, and head mechanic Neil Berry have been vigorously testing all the products with their high performance two stroke range of bikes and are at a loss to find anything negative to report about the performance of any the Maxima products.

Carmichael, Stanton & Emig head up a field including Michigan Mafia greats in this all-two-stroke gate exhibition race @ RedBud July 4th

Check out this video of Jeff Stanton blasting around the Red Bud track on his Honda CR250 two stroke.

KTM has announced record 2008 sales of 25,000 two-stroke bikes and says it sees no end to the high-performance two-stroke. Australian firm Orbital is testing a 200bhp, fully emissions-compliant 1000cc twin that’s lighter and more fuel efficient than any rival four-stroke. Aprilia craves an accessible performance middleweight, says it could easily render its seminal RS250 Euro-3 compliant and has twice already come close to releasing such a bike. R&D departments in Europe, Asia and North America are arriving at the same conclusion: everything you know about two-strokes is wrong, and their revenge against the four-stroke is imminent.

This berating may be viewed as some random individual who is voicing his singular and own misguided opinion. However, it is a letter from a MX fan that did get around the circuits, and did talk and listen to a lot of parents. These are the very parents that the next generations of MX fans and riders are built on. The people who are the reason MX have the support of sponsors like Redbull, Monster Energy just to mention a few.  These are the same parents who are purchasing the bikes, gear and are paying the bills to keep those very same bikes and events running.

I am NOT a lone voice or a SINGLE opinion. There are many parents and 25 year old pilots, who no longer want to spend the vast amounts of dollars required to simply race and maintain a modern 4 stroke motor.