Stark Varg Racing Debut

All I see in Sexton is Skreech from Saved by the Bell.

"  If a promoter submits a request to allow that it will be denied. " - SlowOldGuy

Pretty easy to understand ; a hard no regarding E bikes in AMA sanctioned competition. ( except E-minis that Honda, KTM, et.al sell by the boatload )

Ktm, Husky, Gas Gas, and Cobra built bikes that met specs already in the rulebook for two years. The Honda Mini Ebike is neither homologated or legal for AMA racing. 

That is factual inaccurate, according to the AMA rulebook, prior to 2020, electric motorcycles were defined, but there was no spec, and racing eligibility was determined through supplemental rules...

Class 4 electric motorcycles were first allowed in AMA racing in 2020 and the specs were included in the rulebook...

https://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/AMA_Racing_Rulebook20-1.pdf

Coincidental this occurred shortly after introduction of the KTM SX-E 5...

https://press.ktm.com/news-ktm-officially-launches-its-ktm-sx-e-5-junior-e-model?id=91256&menueid=3050&l=international

AX UK riders are in Belfast this Friday and Saturday for rounds 3 and 4.

We will see if Jack Brunell can back up his win with another great result and if more time on the bike allows his teammate Justin Bogle to close the gap.

Plot twist, Tommy Searle is still out due to thumb injury but he will be replaced by none other that Thomas Do, the very rider who gave Stark their first podiums at round 1 in late 2023. Interestingly, Do will now hop aboard a Kawi to race against Brunell and Bogle who replaced him at Stark.

Conrad Mewse will be out for revenge after suffering from a technical problem at the last round just before the main event start.

Harri Kullas, fresh from his Dortmund SX1 podium among a horde of french riders, will certainly be a threat for the win as well.

Thomas Do is a good rider but not on the level of  Bogle. 

This AMA discussion really makes me wonder how much power the AMA actually has. Like with the USSE. If USSE goes against the AMA and allows electric bikes, what are the repercussions? Doesn't the AMA need all the membership fees from USSE being an AMA event?

Honestly, everytime my AMA fees are due, I question why I'm paying dues in the first place. Doesn't the AMA mainly advocate for road motorcyclists? How much is the AMA actually contributing to my local district racing?

My conclusions are the AMA adds credibility and a rulebook/framework that makes life easier for promotors.......but again.....how much leverage does that leave the AMA if there's a rogue district.

Sorry for the rant, but my fees are due again and it feels a bit like taxation.

Nobody would be talking about the UK AX series if it wasnt for the Starks in it. Smart marketing. 

I thought the AMA involvement with local mx tracks was mostly about insurance and prestige.

I grew up racing in Texas and the AMA was non-existent. The only time I've ever given them money was the couple of times we raced Loretta Lynn's. They are unnecessary for local amateur racing.

Justin Bogle says he uses 55 HP and 40% regen braking for AX UK, I wonder what his teammates prefer?

They'd prefer if a major OEM still showed any interest in offering them a real contract to race an ICE bike in a significant championship.

Bogle should be winning. He's by far the best rider behind the gate. 

For those of you who think the sound of ICE engines is a dealer breaker for the fans, let's take a look at a drag racing.  

Zzz

Exactly my reaction Mav.    That E-dragster was just pathetic beyond belief.      I've  been to a number of drags and nothing, NOTHING, can replace the bone-rattling roar of those monsters.    ...and the smell of the race fuel wafting up into the stands.    It's an incredible experience.   

Just imagine what MX/SX would be like without the sound.     That will truly be a sad day if it comes to fruition.     I don't see it though.   The sport will be dead if that happens.      People are insane if they think the excitement will be the same without the full sensory experience. 

Tommy Searle's latest, 2 Pro 1 Slow podcast he was pretty violently against mixing ebikes and 4 strokes racing. He got taken out in the last arena cross in the UK, not hearing a Stark bike come in over a jump into a corner and took him out.

 https://youtu.be/uN7xsyTVkWw?si=UgSHLHv5QL6ofzZ1

That would never happen with a 4 stroke...

Ahhhh…… I’m a BIG supporter of e-motos. I think electric vehicles have the possibility of more performance than an ICE vehicle. 
BUT…….. That was even lame to me 😂😂. 
Don’t get me wrong, it was fast, but boring. I definitely think drag racing is completely different than MX. It will work for MX but idk about top fuel lol. 

The Finnish motorcycle federation made a rule change and from the 2024 season, electric bikes (Stark) are allowed in the Finnish MX1 class.

Great news, Zaragoza podiums in Tampere SX was just a first test I guess. Now that I come to think of it, that was probably the first time a Varg rider beat some AMA riders in a pro race?

Please keep us posted here, that was more or less the topic of this thread... at the beginning. Will you do any racing yourself? What's the typical length of MX race in this championship, is this realist for the Varg (taking into account the reduced range in the cold)?

Anyway electrics should not be much of a threat in Finnish championship, according to our resident EV expert on Vital, EV don't work in the cold 

AX UK round 3, Conrad Mewse is on fire, he won both heats, Kullas was also in great shape, he was 2nd then 1st in his heats.

Stark riders did pretty well, Justin Bogle won his first heat, then was 2nd in his 2nd heat, Jack Brunell got 3rd in both heats.

In the main event, Mewse topped a perfect night with the win, followed by Woodcock and Bogle who stepped on his first AX UK podium. Kullas and Brunell completed the top5 while Stark junior rider, Eddie Wade, got 8th after earning his place in the main by winning the head to heads.

Round 4 tomorrow!

And here is an interview with Justin Bogle, before the races:

"The best move that the group made for racing as a team was hiring Sébastien Tortelli. Can't go wrong having a two-time World champion and one of the only guys in history able to run Carmichael pace... very very rare, I mean I could barely do it after Ricky was retired for 10 years"

Gatedrop has lots of pictures

And apparently, for the second time in as many weeks, no one was severely injured while racing against a dangerously silent bike.

How peculiar.

That's Arenacross for you 

It's a good thing you're here to give us the best moments.

I have to admit he lost me after about 30s when he went in "Yeah, I love these crappy pits, it's so much nicer than a factory semi in the US" mode...

You can see he's been doing bs spreading boot camps with Tortelli.

You're absolutely correct. He would have heard the ICE bike coming.

If you watched the video, you would know he didn't hear the ICE bike coming.

The one where Bogle is so in love with the whole thing he would do anything to work for Stark the rest of his life?

Round 4 is over.

In the heats, Brunell goes 5th and 1st, Bogle just like last night wins his first heat and gets 2nd in the other. Wade keeps improving with a 5th and his first heat podium in 3rd place.

Unfortunately Mewse did not race the heats, the organizers say he got a freak accident during qualifying, apparently he got injured without even crashing, hopefully he'll be back soon.

Harri Kullas comfortably won the main event, ahead of 2 Stark riders, Brunell and Wade who got his first podium. Funnily that's Brunell first 2nd place in AX UK, last year he was always 3rd. 

Bogle got a somewhat disappointing 5th behind Chatfield. Not sure yet but it looks like he got tangled up with Luke Burton, they both lost 10 s and were dead last after the first lap, Bogle made a great recovery passing 6 riders in 4 min while lapping faster than anybody except Kullas.

Two riders on the podium, and Brunell gets his red plate back, not a bad day for the Stark boys.

Next week they'll be in Scotland for round 5.