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GARY JONES TRIBUTE BIKE: THE WRAP

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Our 2024 Honda CRF450R has spent the previous couple of months in a celeb storage. Four-time 250 National MX Champion Gary Jones nonetheless rides at age 72–and he nonetheless hauls! We loaned him our Honda check bike with the blessing of Ryan Dudek at Honda. Like us, Ryan is a giant Jones fan, however he additionally needed to have Jones as a particular visitor for Honda’s Cars, Bikes and Coffee occasion at Honda’s Collection Hall. Every different month, guests are inspired to drive or journey their very own attention-grabbing car or bike of any model or period to indicate off whereas having fun with the Collection Hall, particular reveals, the Power of Dreams Cafe, merchandise retailer, and extra. Dudek dressed up our check bike in particular graphics as a tribute to Gary’s 1973 championship on a Honda RC250 works bike, which was Honda’s first official motocross championship. One of the unique 1973 works bikes is on show within the assortment corridor.

The Gary Jones tribute bike has suspension revalved by AHM, however is in any other case inventory–a minimum of mechanically. The graphics are superior. Wouldn’t this make a terrific particular version for 2025?

Gary’s 4 championships got here on three totally different manufacturers; Yamaha Honda and Can-Am. His 1971 championship was taken from the Inter-Am collection, the place he was prime American. That one isn’t at all times listed within the file books, however by 1972, it was an official AMA championship. Gary gained once more. Both these years he was on Yamaha. Then Honda made him a proposal he couldn’t refuse and he gained the 1973 championship on a motorcycle similar to the one in Honda’s foyer as we speak.
“The bike Honda has on display I only rode once,” Gary studies. “It was a test bike at the end of the season. I think Gary Chaplin and Rich Eierstedt eventually raced it. I had moved on to Honda’s Open class bike by then. I raced it at the Carlsbad USGP and the frame broke–I crashed so hard! After that, Honda didn’t want to race the Open class any more.”


Gary’s profession took a giant change at that time. He left Honda, rode a non-public Maico within the Trans-AMA collection after which signed with Can-Am, the place he gained the 1974 250 Championship. Unfortunately, that will be his final. He broke his leg at Daytona in 1975 and it was an extended, tough restoration.
Honda’s subsequent Cars, Bikes and Coffee occasion will probably be on June 15. The American Honda Collection Hall is positioned within the foyer of Honda’s U.S. headquarters. The Hall shouldn’t be open on different weekends however is on weekdays throughout common work hours.
Location
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
1919 Torrance Blvd
Torrance, CA 90505
Phone: (310) 783-2000

GARY’S OTHER BIKE

Another Gary Jones tribute bike is that this 1974 Yamaha YZ360, which will probably be ridden by his son Justin Jones within the Wiseco Two-Stroke Championship subsequent week. Gary completed second within the Open class to Brad Lacky in 1972 on a motorcycle kind of like this one. “My bike back then was about 180 pounds” says Gary.  We’ve seen Justin journey this bike. He might win most native professional lessons on it.

THE ARCTIC LEOPARD

The Arctic Leopard EXE800 will promote within the $9000 vary.

New within the Dirt Bike storage this week is an Arctic Leopard. This is an organization that caught our consideration on the Dakar Rally earlier this yr. There’s now an electrical bike class. Who knew? The levels have decreased mileage, however the bikes nonetheless must race for over 100 miles on most days. The EXE800 is roughly equal to a 250 motocross bike with a weight of about 230 kilos. We even have the EXE880, which is extra like a 450. It will promote within the $11,000 vary.

The distributor for Arctic Leopard within the U.S. is now an organization known as Pinned Electric. Interested sellers can contact Braxton at  [email protected].

We already had Carson Brown flip a number of laps on the Arctic Leopard. He clearly had enjoyable. But, he at all times has enjoyable!

SILVER STATE PREREGISTRATION

Entries are nonetheless open for the Best In The Desert Silver State 300–barely. If you don’t get your registration in as we speak, it’ll value you an additional $100! Click on the hyperlink: https://zone4.ca/register.asp?id=33851&lan=1&cartlevel=1

See you subsequent week!

–Ron Lawson
Motorsport

Vettel Will Drive His F1 Cars at Goodwood FoS Using Sustainable Fuel

Sebastian Vettel, the four-time Formula One World Champion, will showcase the practicality of fossil-free synthetic fuel by driving a selection of his personal F1 cars at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Vettel will use P1 Fuels sustainable fuel to race Nigel Mansell’s 1992 title-winning Williams Renault and Ayrton Senna’s 1993 Monaco Grand Prix-winning McLaren Ford. The vehicles’ V10 and V8 engines require no modifications to run on this direct replacement fuel. Vettel will drive both cars up the festival’s famous hill course over the weekend.

This demonstration comes as more automakers and companies start to explore synthetic fuel’s potential. Last year, Porsche began producing synthetic fuel at a plant in Chile, using it in the first drops of the nearly carbon-neutral fuel in a 911. While production will increase through 2027, it is not enough to replace our daily consumption of fossil fuel.

In April, Stellantis announced that it was testing synthetic fuels in several of its engines. The company evaluated 28 gasoline and diesel engine families built between 2014 and 2029, examining emissions, power, reliability, and other engine parameters.

The European Union also showed support for synthetic fuels earlier this year by allowing the sale of new cars that run on them. However, automakers must meet certain requirements for implementing the technology and ensuring vehicles do not use regular gasoline or diesel fuel.

While synthetic e-fuels still require a significant amount of energy to create, limiting their ability to reduce CO2 emissions, advancements continue to be made. Toyota CEO Koji Sato believes the technology must overcome this hurdle before it can be widely adopted.

Porsche’s production facility in southern Chile takes advantage of the region’s wind conditions, which allow the plant’s wind turbines to operate optimally and power the energy-intensive production process. Critics, such as Volkswagen brand boss Thomas Schäfer, have labeled e-fuel technology as unnecessary noise.

Vettel’s F1 career began in 2007, and he achieved his first Grand Prix win for Toro Rosso at Monza in 2008. He went on to win his first World Championship for Red Bull in 2010 and subsequently claimed three more titles during his 16-year career before retiring in December of last year.