So I Started an AX Team, volume 4

CLT809 wrote:

Welp, back at it again with the Suzukis in arenas.      We’ve been able to improve this team every year from an equipment and funding standpoint...

Welp, back at it again with the Suzukis in arenas. 

     We’ve been able to improve this team every year from an equipment and funding standpoint in almost every aspect, which feels good. I don’t think any team can guarantee results in this sport, but I can control what we offer the riders, and I’m proud of it.

     Last year the plan was to flood the starting line with 4 riders in each series. Some bailed, some were led to believe they had better offers, some had to split time between school, etc. I don’t blame anyone but myself really. In trying to help out a ton of riders we wound up frustrating them by not being able to cover enough expenses. Honestly a weird situation to be in, considering the first two years this was strictly providing equipment, and the first year it wasn’t even bikes. But, I suppose expectations change as the program evolves. 

     This year we’ve made some improvements, largely by narrowing our focus to the GT series. From a broadcast standpoint, the two are equal with Fox sports coverage. In Partzilla the tracks are a bit more advanced without being obnoxious like the Kicker series was at times, track builder Sonny has definitely found the sweet spot for pros and B riders. What sold me on focusing on GT was the amateur turnouts, fan attendance, and travel schedule. I have nothing but good things to say about Bobby (owner of Partzilla AX), but to make my team more appealing to riders I needed to pick one series or get a ridiculous jump in funding, and our title sponsor Kwikset loves the fan engagement they get at the GT races. There’s so many things Partzilla is doing right, I really hope they get stronger attendance numbers. 

     By narrowing our focus I’m able to provide a pair of bikes (practice and race) to two riders (Carter Gordon and Branden Walther) and field two riders bringing their own bikes (Luke Dickey and Axel Neff). The riders bringing their bikes enjoy their Suzukis and this way they get to keep all of their team parts. Frankly, I think if someone already likes the Suzukis it makes more sense to do that option as we have access to some really trick stuff they get to keep. There’s no A or B level, as everyone has access to the same stuff, I’m just loaning it to the guys on my bikes and the guys with their own are keeping their share of the parts allowances. Another benefit of narrowing the focus is being able to offer all entries covered, and a bonus program. With the help of Kwikset I can cover the team’s entries and offer a little cash to the top, 2nd, and 3rd finishing team riders, and a crisp high five to the 4th best guy every weekend. If a rider has to drop out for any reason, the entries are prepaid, non-refundable but transferable. So, if something goes sideways I’ll either A)find someone to jump on one of my bikes maybe dust my personal 2005 RM250 off and see how bad I suck, or C) most likely transfer the entries over to another deserving rider on another team and just ask they slap a Kwikset logo on their helmet. Kwikset is really amazing to work with and absolutely gets the motivation by helping out the up and comers and just having fun, and I hope the moto community sees that. 

     Believe it or not, I try to implement some strategy when picking my riders. In the early years, it was “who’s willing to ride a Suzuki or do a bring your own bike program” but as the team has proven itself, and Suzuki’s stock has been rising thanks to a Mr. Roczen, I now have a list of 30+ riders who’ve reached out. There are some I’d love to put on a bike, but I just don’t have a place to stay for overseas riders. Others have speed but mugshots when you google their names. A lot are simply putting out feelers and going with their best offer moments before committing to supercross or arenacross, and I fully support that btw. Of the talent available I look at: character, accountability and willingness to fix their bike or themselves to improve and be honest about what it will take, and ability to get an interview. Cody Groves was a huge asset because the broadcast crew made sure to put a mic in front of him even if he didn’t win a qualifier. Branden Walther knew coming off the couch from a few year hiatus meant he couldn’t finish a main event strong, but he could guarantee wins in the B mains and get interviews. Having a bike on track is nice, but the camera doesn’t pick up any logos. You put that thing front and center on tv with the logos and that’s more valuable than it racing by on track. So in that regard, winning a qualifier or B main still holds a lot of value. Some of my riders might be developing their talent, but I still think they can win a qualifier and deliver value to those brands who live and die by seeing their logo on TV.  Plus, it’s just fun to have some underdogs sometimes. So, with that said, here’s the 2026-2027 roster:

• Carter Gordon, perennial GT Arenacross podium threat
• Axel Neff, AX rookie, but got his RMZ250 in the motos at Millville this summer.
• Luke Dickey, coming back to AX with his school work finished, his mind focused, and his shoulder fixed.  He’s got a couple top 10 seasons in Kicker AX.
• Branden Walther, last year he hopped in last minute after a 3 year hiatus.  He was 50 lbs fatter, but still had blistering one lap speed to remind everyone he battled with Hicks a few years ago.  He’s down 40 lbs and on a works motor vs. a customer spec last year.

      Speaking of “seeing the involvement”, I’ve got a few different graphics designs in my from our friends at Throttle Syndicate. Back by request from Mr. Gordon is the 2005 era style Kwikset motif. We’ll be running that whenever we have Kwikset guests in attendance, so let me know if you are in the construction industry and attending a round or work for a retailer of KwikLas.year we had guests replacing holeshot devices between qualifiers, the perks of your VIP’s all having cordless drills! The 90’s throwback kit is likely to make another return to tie in with a weekend where RaceTech Titanium has stepped up to be title sponsor. We’ll have some O’Neal gear to match and I think the finished product is going to look sweet with every setup. 
 

     Now for what I know brings some of my fellow tech nerds to my threads, the bike builds. The 250’s are pretty tried and true at this point, but we have built and dialed in our electric water pump setups. This has been a long time coming as I just have the bikes I wanted to try it on loaned out too often. We start by buying a Bosch pump, and pressing off the gear that sits on the OEM water pump shaft and removing the impeller. Then it’s either running a homemade aluminum bracket or a leftover BarX twisted manifold with a bracket tied in to secure the pump behind the right radiator. Finally, building the wiring to go from pump, to battery, and handlebar switch and making it nice and tidy. Outside of the pump, we’ll also be trying some different weight flywheels for quicker revving (although the heavier ones are better for whoops). All told, I think I barely have over $100 in an electric water pump setup, and most of that is the battery. Below is my $8 aluminum homemade bracket in lieu of the 3D printed piece ran by BarX. 

 

     The 450 is new territory on heavy mods. We’ve always done a remap and Bill’s pipe and occasionally a high compression off the shelf JE piston… well, I got a 450 frame and had 90% of the pieces to complete a rolling chassis, so I set out to find a motor. I wound up buying the holy grail, a leftover JGR works 450 motor sitting dormant, with a fresh rebuild and inspection from the man himself, Dean Baker the horsepower maker.  To make it  even cooler, I believe the cases were a set they inherited from Yosh, as the bottom end is stamped E16YR002JS. I’m assuming that’s JS7’s 2nd engine in rotation from 2016. Inside, it features a full Hinson clutch assembly with a larger tooth primary gear, a works transmission, a crank with a custom plain bearing rod made by Falicon when Wiseco bought them out, super-secret adjustments to the oiling system to provide enough pressure to support the bearing, a lighter flywheel, custom piston (although the compression ratio is a reasonable 13.9:1), +1mm oversized exhaust valves and +2mm intakes, epoxied and ported head with moldstar seats and guides and shortened intake tract, mated up to perfectly set spring tension to match the cam profile from Webcam and rpm limit. Outside, I keep drooling over the Hinson ignition cover and what I think might be a magnesium (it’s rough cast and I think powdercoated black) primary cover, topped off with the tell-tale gold and champagne anodized billet water pump and oil filter cover I’ve only ever seen on works RMZ450’s. Simply put, it is beautiful. JGR made me a smoking deal on it, and I even bought a spare head. 
 

     Ok, I feel like that’s a good intro. If anyone has any questions or suggestions of what they’d like to see, let me know! Last year was fun trying to shed some light on the other teams and riders too, so I’ll try to post some more of that again. I wound up posting some of my favorite pics from the series photographer of other team’s riders, and this year I’ll remind myself to get some pit bits style content too, as some of these teams are really labors of love for the shops behind them.  

 

CLT809 wrote:

Got a few laced up with yellow and a few laced with black. We have had great luck with the D.I.D st-x rims, and unfortunately they...

Got a few laced up with yellow and a few laced with black. We have had great luck with the D.I.D st-x rims, and unfortunately they discontinued the yellow. Otherwise, I’d probably always run yellow. We’ll bounce back and forth between the two depending on the graphics for the weekend. I know the 05 era factory look has to have yellow in my opinion. I’m on the fence as to which color to run on the 90’s era and the mostly black look.