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Hoping Lewis or someone in the know can chime in.
I’ve noticed from socials that harrup has left Dixon and gone to a ktm team and jack chambers has suddenly signed for Dixon to do the GP’s?? What’s the full story there? Falling out with Dixon and Harrup?
also bonus question what’s happen with the team Rizzi was on??
' Sends out for popcorn' .
What i will say, is that Chambers impressed on his debut, and came across real well on the pre grid interview, his connection to Osborne already makes him OK by me.
Will follow him with interest.
Malin got halfway through saying why Rizzi was a no-show, but someone stacked it ( almost certainly Geerts) and he never went back to it.
@LewisPhillips we need the gossip
Haarup had speed to be in top5 but Dixon team didnt get their race bikes running first races?
Lewis talked about this on last weeks MXGP Podcast.
Harrup didn't like the current reliability issues of the Dixon bikes.
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Seems like a cool move for Jack, hopefully it sparks something like it did for Osbourne way back when! I'll be rooting for him!
...Steve Dixon's team is not backed by Kawasaki is it?
Does he have access to KHI factory parts and technology, or is he racing production- based motorcycles from the crate?
I was told he may have bought a container full of production bikes last year but who knows if its true.
I saw Haarup's bike up close for a minute last year - I don't know Kawi's that well, but it looked like a modified production bike to me at first glance.
I wonder why they are having so many issues with the reliability?
The Dixon bikes used to have Cosworth technology. Mega high revs might not be best for mx applications?
Podcast are so lame why just cant write small article or is it ok to talk in podcast that Dixon bikes werent running but bad publicity to write it down?
I'm not sure about the Cosworth connection in the current Dixon bikes. Their 2015 and 2016 250s were sigificantly upgraded by Cosworth. They ran a special heavy crank, tool steel rod, a very special dlc coated piston and ring pack, special cam and springs, OS valves, 16:1 and higher comp, revised dual injectors, CFD porting, Vortex ECU, their own 3.7% 02 fuel and so on. Often they ran a 3 speed the power was very broad. Redline was 16500 rpm and peak HP over 50.
It was put to me that the engine part lifing, particularly the piston, and springs, was critical and when not followed, failures resulted.
I don't know about their 2015-16 bikes.
But everything you said applies to their 2012-13 carby yz250f that Dean Ferris rode. He even holeshotted both mxdn races on it.
I don't think the media will even try to come up with a direct question to Rizzi or Haarup of why they left/were not riding. And i'm pretty sure that the media also have enough info to come up with the answers themselves, but they have no interest in bringing that up.
In the end the media is simply way to dependent on teams and the industry for their living, so they won't bring stuff like this up.
This is one of the biggest problems with our sport. What do people love? Storylines and gossip.
it’s exactly why the ufc has grown so fast and why drive to survive has pushed F1 to new audiences in recent years.
In order to attract new audience you have to have drama and characters for them to get invested in.
Max Anstie won the MX2 holeshot award in 2015 on the Dixon Kawasaki.He came in 3rd overall and won 5 or 6 Motos and the Lommel round.
Rumours in the pits are that the team is struggling with money. Like, really struggling.
He was on a Yamaha , for the Lommel win. Which was in bits 5 mins before the gate drop of the second Moto having won the first one.
They didnt go to Kawasaki till later on.
The Yamaha Lommel win was in 2014, but they were on Kawasaki in 2015 when he won the Latvian GP. Dixon only raced the reverse cylinder YZ250F one year (2014) and they didn't even start the season on it.
Pit Row
Haarup basically said the bike wouldn't stay together so that was his reason for leaving.
If that was a surprise to him , he didnt do his homework .
I was at Lommel in 2014.. cant believe it was that long ago.
I think this is the best thing that could have happened to Jack. He's fast but was throwing it on the ground far too often in Supercross. He does come from an off-road background growing up in the FTR Hare Scramble series so I think the non-groomed tracks of MXGP will suit him well.
I don’t mind to answer any questions to the social media fraternity, it seems everyone knows a bit and makes up the rest, sometimes it’s entertaining but I’m thick skinned so it’s ok, as always I offer anyone to come into the awning and ask away about team, riders, the British GP, after 34 years in GP there are a few stories, be about the max at Lommel start line drama or whatever.
Zacho seems to have great respect (and stories) for you and that's good enough for me...
My avatar is Max winning at Lommel on the Kawi, love that place it's one of my favourite GPs.
As for Steve Dixon, I've always found him upstanding, he's been involved in this sport at the highest level for so long, the British GP is highly regarded by teams, competitors and fans alike.
Nice of you to come here and answer questions Steve, thank you.
I do have a couple: As an experienced team owner, how do you decide the balance between motor reliability and performance on the KX250? Do you take the risk with a high performance motor, or do you go with less HP and more reliability?
Do you ever talk to Harry Nolte about how his bikes are set up?
I'm a big Haarup guy... I really believe in him and, trust me, a lot of teams feel similarly with 2024 looming.
I've spoken to him a lot, off record, and he has constantly said that he has nothing but respect for Steve and his sponsors.
Haarup really loved his time there and Dixon got the best out of him, as he has with so many riders (that list is really long).
It was just one of those things where the situation was no longer right for either party. There was no big argument or anything.
Now, will Haarup win the world title in 2024? I'm open to having that chat...
Oh, Chambers. Dixon rung Zach and said that he needed a guy. Obviously, Jack was the first guy that Zach mentioned.
Dixon always leans on Zach for advice on American riders. That's a cool relationship and testament to Dixon's program.
Of course no one wants to break down, but with four strokes it’s complex and parts take a long time to manufacture.
it’s not like going down a shop and just ordering, everything has to be designed together to suit and then manufactured, sometimes the direction you take throws up other real life issues that take time to solve and then the only option is stock, which hs also not an option.
I I speak with Mitch etc, not really Harry but between riders engines are so different, imagine when I had Zach and Tonus how difference the wear on the bike was, Mikkel never wore a clutch out, other riders would use 6 in a GP..
I’m a fan of Harrup badass style even his starting technique is sick!
Besides Chambers though, how many Americans have made their way over to race for Dixon? I can only think of Sanayei.
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