DIRTBIKE

A

renacross expert Gavin Faith is a

lanky Yanky from Duncombe,

Iowa, who has won two Australian

SX2 titles on a CRF250R and

done so in a smooth and

calculated manner. For 2015,

Penrite Honda offered Faith a

deal to step up to SX1 and he jumped at it.

The team put tiny supercrosser Jimmy

Decotis on its CRF250R and he dominated,

while Faith took the reigns of the 450cc

machine. He scored two podiums in six

rounds, with the standout coming on the

first night at Sydney’s Allphones Arena,

where he finished alongside Chad Reed.

But his season ended abruptly the

following night when he went over the

hangers, was knocked out and rushed to

hospital. Having tested the Decotis 250 a few

days before (ssen in ADB issue #438) we

wanted to find out just how differently the two

Americans had sculpted their bikes.

Would a supercrosser like Decotis and the

guy who came third in last year’s Amsoil

Arenacross Championship in the USA really

mix things up?

Would Faith’s 450 be tuned with the sort of

creamy power and stiff suspension you need

for the tight racing of the arenacross tracks he

runs on back home or would it be similar to

Decotis’ set-up?

As you might expect, Faith’s bike was very

much as you would imagine for a rider who

usually rides a 250, with mechanic Blair

Meyer saying that the engine was built to be

smooth and torquey.

Look down those mufflers and you can almost see China

RK Takasago heavy-duty gold chain

Shiny engine produces a lot of glare to dazzle opposition

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52 | APRIL 2016 http://www.adbmag.com.au