Australasian Dirt Bike — January 2018

http://www.adbmag.com JANUARY 2018 | 53

A-team

LAWSON BOPPING

Ex-pro racer

Age: 28

Current bike: Yamaha YZ450F

Team repping: DPH Yamaha

Race class: MX1

RYAN MARMONT

Ex-pro racer

Age: 32

Hometown: Wollongong, NSW

Current bike: KTM 250SX-F

Team repping: KTM Australia

Race class: MX2

DANIEL PHILLIPS

Vet

Age: 47

Hometown:Sydney

Current bike:Suzuki RM-Z450

Team repping:Western MC, JTR

Race class:Vets

CODY MACKIE

Pro racer/stuntman

Age: 31

Hometown: Kiama, NSW

Current bike: Husky FC125, 250, 450

Team repping: Husqvarna Australia

Race class: 125 Cup

MEGAN RUTLEDGE

Pro

Age: 22

Hometown:Mudgee, NSW

Current bike:Kawasaki KX250F

Team repping:Kawasaki Australia

Race class:MX2, Womens

LEE HOGAN

Ex-pro racer

Age: 45

Hometown: Melbourne, Vic

Current bike: Honda CRF450R

Team repping: BCP Honda

Race class: Retired

Location
The site for this epic encounter was
Larbert MX some 45-minutes drive
from Canberra in Braidwood. This
standy circuit is operated by
motocross/supercross gun Lawson
Bopping who had the track watered
and immaculately prepped for our
day of debauchery. As a reward we
were kind enough to let him ride the
test bikes.

Why these testers?
The most important aspect of any
ADB shootout is the scoring system.
To ensure no bias and the fairest
possible outcome we enlist the
services of riders that are sponsored
by or affiliated with a manufacturer
and then prevent them from scoring
their own brand. For example, Cody
Mackie could not score the
Husqvarna FC450, but he did score
all the other bikes.

The Scorecard

The scorecard is broken into three

weighted sections: suspension and

handling (50%), motor (40%) and

ergos (10%). The bike with the

highest weighted average score from

all the testers is the winner. When

scoring each bike, the tester is not

scoring it based on how it suits

them, but on how the bike fits the

450cc class. For example, if a bike

was down on power but a tester

liked that lack of aggression, the

bike would not score well just

because it suited the rider, it would

be marked down because it did not

suit the class. When scoring, the

tester has to take into account the

kind of bike and who would ride it.