aaron wheelz fotheringham
Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham is an inspiration to many fans world-wide! Photo: Jeff Crow/Nitro Circus Live.

If you happened to experience one of the fourteen Nitro Circus Live shows that recently toured around Oz you would have to agree that Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham Front Flipping his wheelchair off the mega ramp is one of the most inspirational things you’ve ever seen. Wheelz has single handedly changed the perception world-wide of what can be achieved riding a wheelchair and has inspired many people to look at the wheelchair as more of an instrument to be used for fun than just one for medical purposes and a means to get one from A to B.  Before heading back to his hometown of Las Vegas Wheelz dropped by the Unit office to chat to us about his time in Oz on the Nitro Circus tour and what he visions for the future.

Wheelz it’s your first time in the Unit HQ, what do you think mate:  I’m pumped man to be here, it’s cool to meet all the people that make this place happen and have to put up with me! (laughs)

Australia must be like your second home as you’ve spent so much time here of late: Yeah I’ve really enjoyed my time here, it’s been long enough, and I’m looking forward to going home, but I know as soon as I get there I’ll be bored and want to be back on tour.

 aaron wheelz fotheringham
Wheelz with his good friend Julie, who usually is giving him a ride while in Oz. 

Where is home for you now and how different is it from Australia: Home is Las Vegas and it’s pretty warm there right now and heating up heading into the peak of summer. It’s great there because of all the skate parks I can access easily because I have a car, unlike in Oz where I’ve been relying on my friend Julie. The day after I get home I’ll be heading straight to California and Arizona to ride a bunch of parks, which are good options if I get bored in Las Vegas.

Do you have a crew you ride with also in wheelchairs, or BMX/skate: I mostly ride with bikers and skaters, although I do have a few mates in chairs, but none of them live close by. I’m always just cruising with the able bodies.

Tell us about the Nitro Circus tour you’ve just finished, what were some of the highlights: Man I had like a four show streak where I landed the Front Flip every attempt, which was pretty good. Another highlight has been not hitting my head hard every show. That’s has been a big problem in the past as my head is the first thing I hit when I crash, and now I’m working on crashing without hitting my head! I’ve decided I’d rather break my arm than hit my head again even though it takes longer to heal, but it’s more long term damage I’m trying to minimise because I want to ride until I’m like 95… (laughs).

 aaron wheelz fotheringham
It's insane to think you could Front Flip a wheelchair off a mega ramp. Wheelz is a legend!  
Photo: Jeff Crow/Nitro Circus Live.

How many bad hits have you taken to the head so far this year: About nine or ten. Good slams too and you notice it kinda messes with you a bit so I’m like, no more please, concussions are not fun! After a few good hits to the head I notice I space out a little more than usual, even though maybe I’ve always been easily distracted, but yeah it does affect me for sure.

Fans see you riding the shows, but tell us what goes on for you before and after: For me it’s pretty stressful because I have to make sure my wheelchairs are dialed. Like before a show I have to make sure my chair rolls super straight as I can’t afford for anything to go wrong when I’m rolling down the mega ramp. Then after the show I’m pretty stressed if I have to repair any damage before it goes on the semi to the next stop. On this tour there’s been times I’ve had to take parts to a metal fabrication shop to have them repaired. Usually I have more time to repair my wheelchairs, but not on this tour.

You would get some good downtime mid week though: I’ve really enjoyed how much skate park time I’ve had between shows. Usually on tours you’re moving from stop to stop so quick and there’s no time, but on this trip I’ve ridden to my hearts content so I’m super happy about that. I’ve actually been able to flip a bunch of different parks thanks to friends pushing me really fast into quarters. I had a fun session with Rugby League player Jonathon Thurston who gave me a massive boost into a quarter and I flipped, which was a big honour as the guy is a legend. I was like YEAH, that was awesome!

So what’s the plan for the coming months now Nitro is over: Basically I have three months to chill and train before the Latin America tour kicks off, which will be intense. Then 2014 will be a big year with a bunch of tours that have just been released so I’m pretty pumped on that! I’ll always look forward to coming back to Australia though as the crowds are awesome, they’re the best, so loud, and we can always tell when we’re riding in front of them, it’s like, yes this is the place!

You’ve got a huge following on social media, are you pumped on this: Yeah my Instagram ‘AARONWHEELZ’ just blew up and I really appreciate all the love from everyone and it’s cool to see all the support I get via my social media pages. It’s a cool feeling having so many people into what I’m doing and kind of hard to explain really, but yeah I’m stoked! It’s sick!

aaron fotheringham
Wheelz has a legion of fans on the Nitro Circus Live tours. Photo: Jeff Crow/Nitro Circus Live.

What’s your vision for the next decade: Wheelz would like to change the stereotypes that go along with the wheelchair. The big thing for me is wanting people to see being in a wheelchair is a fun thing like BMX is fun for bikers, a skateboard is fun for skaters etc. I’m tired of a wheelchair being perceived as a medical instrument, something you use just to get around. I want a wheelchair to be viewed as something you use to have fun like hitting ramps and riding skate parks like I do. The wheelchair is awesome and a tool to help you succeed in life! It makes me feel good when I see more and more people go to parks in their wheelchair and making most of the opportunity, that really pumps me up!

Inspirational stuff Wheelz, thanks for dropping by the Unit office, and keep living the dream mate: No problem, thanks for having me, you guys rock!    

  • By Goba

JAY WILSON
Jay's solid fourth place overall in the MX2 class is a much needed boost for the talented MXD class rider! Photo: Shayne Rice.

GYTR Yamaha’s Jay Wilson handed in his best performance of the year so far with an impressive fourth place finish in the MX2 division at round five of the MX Nationals at Conondale over the weekend.

jay wilson

The MXD competitor was offered a wild card to compete in the MX2 class as the Conondale didn’t host the MXD event.

Wilson took the opportunity to race at the next level and made the most of his chance. He compiled a very respectable 5-7 results in the two points paying races to net a sensational fourth overall in his MX2 debut. Race one saw Wilson right up the front and banging bars with the best MX2 riders in Australia. He climbed as high as fourth in the final stages of the race, only to lose a position on the last lap. Race two and again Wilson was inside the top 10 and trying to move forward. He passed his way to seventh by the end of the moto and took a well-deserved top four finish.

“It has been a frustrating start to the year in MXD so I came into this race just to have some fun and try and get some mojo back,” Wilson explains. “I got a good jump in the first one and tried to hang with the lead bunch for as long as I could and then in moto two I tried to ride a clean race and no make any mistakes and it paid off. “I’m pumped about the result and hopefully this will be the start of a big finish to the year for me. I can’t thank the GYTR Yamaha team enough for their support and it was good to have my family there as well.”

Joel Dinsdale also had the opportunity to race in the MX2 class at Conondale and like Wilson was just there to get his feet wet and same the next level of racing. He showed plenty of speed, coming back from an average start in moto one to finish in eighth place, which also included a trip into the work area for a change of goggles. Moto two and Dinsdale burst from the blocks and was right in the heat of the battle up front. He locked onto a top five spot and was on track to claim the teams next top five overall, but he fell at the 20 minute mark of the race and was unable to finish. Still, he proved he is capable of mixing with the fastest MX2 riders in Australia and at only 16, his speed and maturity will continue to grow.

joel dinsdale
Joel Dinsdale pictured, and Jay, rocked the Yamaha retro graphics and gear to celebrate Yamaha's 30th anniversary. Photo: Shayne Rice.

“I was in fifth and starting to close up a bit on the rider in fourth when I hit a slick spot on one of the jumps out the back and the front of the bike just washed up the take-off. Then when I took off, I had lost control of the bike,” Dinsdale said of his crash. “It’s nice to know that I can run with those guys and I really enjoyed racing with them but the crash was frustrating as I need to see each race out until the end and not make those mistakes.”

The GYTR Yamaha team will now drop back to the MXD class when the championship resumes at Appin, west of Sydney in five weeks’ time. Dinsdale currently sits in fourth place in the MXD championship, coming off a round win at Broadford while Wilson is in seventh with five rounds remaining. Follow the GYTR Yamaha team on Facebook; www.facebook.com/GYTRYamaha

  • By UNIT

UNIT WELCOMES CALEB GROTHUES

Tuesday 28 May 2013

caleb grothues

UNIT is proud to announce the signing of one of Australia’s most exciting junior motocross riders, Caleb Grothues.

At just 13-years-of-age Caleb has a world championship title to his name, winning the 2012 FIM Junior 65cc Championship in Bulgaria.

2012 was a breakthrough year for the talented young rider from Perth, Western Australia, as he also made his mark on American soil in two prestigious motocross events, Mammoth Mountain and the AMA National Amateur Motocross Championships held at Loretta Lynn.

After winning the second day at Mammoth Mountain to finish second overall Caleb later returned to the States to try and qualify for Loretta Lyn’s against 20,000 hopefuls that were narrowed down to 1400 riders. Caleb qualified for the main event and went on to finish third on day one and won the overall on day two to finish second overall in the modified 65cc class against America’s fastest riders on their home turf.

caleb grothues

Caleb has huge potential to be one of Australia’s best motocross riders and UNIT founder Paul Everest is prepared to back him all the way, saying, “Transmoto magazine recently ran an interview with Caleb Grothues questioning whether he is the next Chad Reed. I believe he could be, and we’d like to give him every opportunity to reach that potential and help to nurture his career. Caleb is a great kid and we’re excited to have him as a member of the UNIT family!”

caleb grothues

On his new deal with UNIT Caleb says, “This is the first time I’ve had a big sponsor like UNIT and it’s a dream come true to join their team of great riders, it’s amazing! I really like the brand and clothing, and am stoked to have their support!”

UNIT looks forward to developing a solid relationship with Caleb and his family long into the future.

  • By Goba

KYLE BALDOCK – LIFE IS GOLDEN

Wednesday 24 April 2013

kyle baldock x games

UNIT BMX rider Kyle Baldock stamped his name in X Games folklore history over the weekend in Foz Do Iguaçu, Brazil, by becoming one of the few athletes ever to win two gold medals at the prestigious world-series action sports event. On his return to Aussie shores we sat down with the new X Game Dirt and Park champion to talk about his wins, the struggles he faced beforehand, and what he learned from riding against the best BMX riders on the planet.

Kyle, congratulations on the double gold haul at X Games Foz, what’s the secret behind the wins: Ha, thanks, good question. I kind of relate it to my early days in BMX when you’d rock up to a comp with the shittiest bike and gear, you don’t really care, and you end up doing well because you’re just focused on your riding and not making excuses because everything’s not perfect. I think at X I just found that happy place, like when you start to expect everything has to be perfect, from the course to bike, etc, you start to lose what’s real and you blame every little thing that goes wrong with your equipment, when in reality all your competitors have to ride the same course and the winner is usually the person who removes himself from making excuses for the way he is riding and is 100 per cent in the zone and enjoying what he does best.

kyle baldock x games
Kyle Baldock on his way to winning his second gold medal in BMX Dirt. Photo: Nick Pescetto/UNIT

Heading into X Game Foz you were struggling with a wrist injury and the concussion you sustained at Simple Session, how did you cope: During practice I was really struggling with the Park course until the last day; I couldn’t do anything, couldn’t physically trick the Box, just wasn’t dialing in the course. As for my wrists I just rode through it, although I did two runs in a row and landed a little flat and it smashed me, then I took a step back and remembered what my girl Honey told me before leaving for Brazil, which was to take the time to study what the other riders were doing and what tricks where, and ride smart instead of just trying to huck the biggest tricks on certain parts of the course, like I did in X Games L.A 2012. This time I didn’t make the same mistake and I also worked on changing my runs every time, which helped.

Then you backed it up in Dirt, talk us through that: Right after finishing Park I got swamped with interviews for ESPN, which is part of the deal with winning gold, but it gave me little time to prepare for the Dirt contest next up. In my first run I did a Flip Bar No Hander over the first set, then a 450 Bar and a Seven No Hander at the end, and got an 88.33. Personally I thought this was my best run because I’d never done a Seven No Hander in competition before, and I was super stoked I pulled it first go, but it didn’t score that high. My next run I tried a different approach and it worked in my favour and scored a 92, and set the mood for the rest of my runs and the rest is history.

 kyle baldock
Kyle with second placed finisher in Park Pat Casey. Photo: Nick Pescetto/UNIT 

How was the Brazilian crowd: The crowd filled the stands for Dirt more than any other sport and they went nuts at the end of every run. They want your helmet, gloves, signature, it was crazy! When I talked to ESPN I was like, ‘You have to bring back dirt in X GAMES forever!’

What was the reaction like after you won your second gold medal, and what did you learn from the event: Everyone surrounded me after my final run in Dirt and rider’s I’ve looked up to for years were congratulating me and giving me props on my runs. It was so cool as I later found out the last person to win double gold at X Games was Kevin Robinson in 2006. The biggest thing I learned at this X Games was I need to work on my fitness more, spend more time swimming in the pool to build up my cardio. I was a lot better in Park this year compared to last, but it was so hot and a lot of riders really struggled. I know I can do all the tricks, but pumping in and out of the bowls is really hard on your legs and body so I want to make sure I’m on top of my fitness for future events to make sure I can pull all of my big tricks on tap.

When did the fact you won two gold medals sink in: Everything happened so fast it didn’t hit me until I was doing an interview a while after the Dirt comp for ESPN. It’s like winning the first gold was amazing, then the second felt surreal, like a smack in the face; is this a dream? Getting those two gold medals helps you understand winning, gives you that deep belief in yourself you can do it again. 

  • By Goba

Benny Phillips – What's Up?

Tuesday 23 April 2013

 benny phillips

Unit MTB rider Benny Phillips has had a tough trot with injury over th elast 12-months, but as you'll read he is well on the way to getting back his A-Game on. Benny talks us through where he's at. 

 

"Hey guys, thought I'd drop a few lines to let everyone out there know what I've been up to in my time off, how my recovery has been and whats in store for me now that I'm back on the bike.

 

So, as some of you may know, I broke my leg and ankle in June of last year. It was a long recovery process but that was overcome. After multiple surgeries, endless physio and rehab sessions I was given the all-clear to get back on the bike. So what do I go and do? Break my foot! I ended up having surgery the next day and had a plate and five screws added to my "bionic leg". Hopefully with all these pins, screws, and plates put in, it will be a bit harder to break in the future!

 

benny phillips

 

The recovery process for this last break was very tedious due to the complication and location of the break. I had do put my head down and go the hard yards with the recovery. I recently have started riding again, am feeling stronger on the bike every day, and I nearly have the majority of my tricks back and can't wait to get back 110% so i can film an edit!

 

As for the rest of the year I aim to stay injury free, film an edit or two, hit a few Gold FMB events in June/July and of course Crankworx.

 

Peace, Benny"

  • By Goba

ANDREU LACONDEGUY

UNIT all-round two-wheeled action sports legend Andreu Lacondeguy recently spent a month Down Under shredding trails, stomping dirt hits on both moto, mountain bike and BMX, surfing, partying, and basically just having the time of his life! Now back in his hometown of Barcelona, Spain, we caught up with the wild man to chat about some of the experiences that stand out in his mind from what he calls “A trip of a lifetime!”

Farm Jam, I showed up there with my filmer Nick Pescetto, we’d never been to New Zealand before, and first thing I see is the farm, the jumps on the freeride FMX course and a Yamaha YZ250 waiting for me. From that moment on it was three days of fun riding moto, MTB and BMX up to six hours a day with all the other riders, yeah that was one of my favourite parts of the trip right there!

andreu lacondeguy

Freeride jumps, that was definitely a little scary at the beginning because I’d never hit jumps like those before and the bike I was riding had stock suspension and one that I wasn’t used too. I had a few close moments, but I think out of all the events the freeride session was one of my favourite parts of Farm Jam because it was new to me and it was so good riding with all the guys hitting those big dirt hits, so sick!

The BMX Jam at Farm Jam was another favourite because 10-minutes before the comp started I wasn’t going to ride, but someone gave me a bike and I was super-chilled after finishing FMX and MTB so I just cruised the trails not doing many big tricks, but just watching everybody throw down and being a part of those crazy trains was so fun. I hadn’t ridden BMX for a long time before that session and it felt so good to be out there riding with the crew.

andreu lacondeguy

Three disciplines, I’ve done it before at Masters Of Dirt shows, but there you only do two moto, BMX, and MTB runs and you’re done, like only 10 jumps per night. At Farm Jam I was riding six hours straight without a break, competing in moto then MTB then BMX, and I was for sure tired at the end of the day and had a few dizzy spells after my BMX runs, but it was so sick!

Queenstown, NZ, I’d heard a lot of good things about Queenstown before going there and as soon as we hit the town I was amazed by the location, mountains, people, burgers, lake, sick trails, some of the best dirt jumps I’ve ever seen. Riders coming from all over the world to ride Red Bull Roast It, and after a week I didn’t want to leave.

Red Bull Roast It was so sick, showing up to those jumps I didn’t even have my BMX with me so I was just borrowing bikes from everyone and sessioning the trails every afternoon with the riders was super fun, priceless!

andreu lacondeguy

BBQ’s at the Red Bull house was another highlight, like we were staying in this insane mansion on top of the hill looking over the lake watching sunsets, drinking beer, after full days of riding. Yeah that was a favourite part of my trip knowing that after riding all day you’d be hanging on that deck with a good bunch of mates with the BBQ cranked. I cooked a little but I’m not much of a chef!

Airports were a big part of our trip. Flying from Barcelona in Spain to Australia and then to New Zealand we crossed the globe, and throw in three bikes, dirt-bike parts, clothes for a month, helmets, camera gear, packs, it gets expensive man! We had some trouble with customs in New Zealand because we were going there for a holiday, but also for a comp, so we didn’t know what to say, but somehow we managed to talk our way through it all, crazy times!

andreu lacondeguy

Different types of riding, like I think this trip is the first time I’ve ridden everything I’d ride back home, from BMX and MTB dirt jumps, downhill trails and freeride jumps, enduro, moto, FMX, freeride FMX, all in one trip is so sick, and why I think this has been one of my best trips ever man!

We surfed a little bit in Oz and checked out the Quicksilver Pro while there, which was great. We managed to get a few hours in the surf over a few days, and we sucked, it was crazy hard man, especially when there are a hundred people in the water around you! But yeah we loved it man, best trip ever, and we’ll be back again next year for sure! Ends.

andreu lacondeguy
  

  • By Goba

tom pages

French freestyle star Tom Pages has been voted Best International Freestyle Motocross Rider by the international FMX community. Garnering 35.3% of the vote, he was a clear winner over second-placed Levi Sherwood (NZL, 23.7%). Pages also picked up the Best European FMX Rider award, another of the major accolades being contested. Only in the Best FMX Trick Innovation category did Tom Pages have to settle for second place, his "Special Flip" edged out by the "Rock Solid Backflip" of Taka Higashino.

The users also voted Higashino Best Asian FMX Rider, putting him on a par with Pages with two first places to his name. 

 

As in 2011, Nate Adams was named Best American FMX Rider. On the other side of the globe Josh Sheehan took Best Australian FMX Rider.

 

tom pages
Tom Pages 540 Flair at Red Bull X-Fighters in Mexico. Photo: B.Gardi/Red Bull

 

The Red Bull X-Fighters grabbed the title of FMX Series of the Year, with runner up the NIGHT of the JUMPs / FIM Freestyle MX World Championship. Best FMX motorbike in 2012 was the Yamaha YZ 250, for the third year in a row. Finally, most votes in the Best FMX Website category went to fmxworld.com.

 

The FMX Awards were created by the Berlinièros Sports Agency in 2006. The awards recognise outstanding performances by FMX riders in the previous season. 

 

An independent international jury of experts draws up a shortlist of five riders in each category, with the winners decided by the users.

 

 

All categories and winners are listed below:

 

Category        Winner:

Best International FMX Rider Tom Pages (FRA)

Best European FMX Rider Tom Pages (FRA)

Best American FMX Rider Nate Adams (USA)

Best Australian FMX Rider Josh Sheehan (AUS)

Best African FMX Rider Alastair Sayer (BOT)

Best Asian FMX Rider        Taka Higashino (JAP)

Best German FMX Rider Hannes Ackermann GER)

Best South American FMX Rider Javier Villegas (CHL)

Best Female FMX Rider Emma McFerran (AUS)

Best International FMX Rookie Erick Ruiz (MEX)

Best European FMX Rookie Luc Ackermann (GER)

Best German FMX Rookie Luc Ackermann (GER)

Best FMX Series / Event Red Bull X-Fighters

Best FMX Bike         Yamaha YZ 250

Best Trick Innovation         Rock Solid Backflip – Taka Higashino (JAP)

Best FMX Website www.fmxworld.com

 

Best International FMX Rider
Tom Pages (FRA) 35.3%
Levi Sherwood (NZL) 23.7%

Josh Sheehan (AUS) 14.7%
Taka Higashino (JAP) 13.5%
Dany Torres (ESP) 12.8%


Best European FMX Rider
Tom Pages (FRA) 48.5%
Dany Torres (ESP) 25.7%

David Rinaldo (FRA)         11.8%

Libor Podmol (CZE)  8.1%
Remi Bizouard (FRA)          5.9%

 

Best American FMX Rider
Nate Adams (USA) 35.6%
Adam Jones (USA) 28.0%
Mike Mason (USA) 12.9%

Todd Potter (USA) 12.1%
Wes Agee (USA)         11.4%

Best Australian FMX Rider
Josh Sheehan (AUS)      43.2%

Jackson Strong (AUS)       22.4%

Clinton Moore (AUS)       16.8%

Cameron Sinclair (AUS)       12.8%
Rob Adelberg (AUS)        4.8%

Best African FMX Rider
Alastair Sayer (BOT)        47.3%
Nick de Wit (RSA) 36.1%
Brendan Potter (RSA)         6.2%
Colin Stanton (RSA)         5.2%

Stewart Couper (RSA) 5.2%

 

Best Asian FMX Rider
Taka Higashino (JAP)         49.0%
Aleksey Koleshnikov (RUS) 30.4%
Eigo Sato (JAP)         16.6%
Daice Suzuki (JAP)          4.0%
Kota Kugimura (JAP)          0.0%

Best German FMX Rider
Hannes Ackermann 49.6%

Luc Ackermann          26.5%

Fabian Bauersachs   8.8%
Lukas Weis           8.8%
Kai Haase           6.3%

Best South American FMX Rider
Javier Villegas (CHL)          75.9%
Fred Kyrillos (BRA)   9.5%
Gabriel Villegas (CHL)   8.8%

Marcelo Simoes (BRA)   2.9%
Gilmar Flores (BRA)           2.9%

Best Female FMX Rider
Emma McFerran (AUS) 58.9%
Jolene van Vugt (CAN) 31.6%
Mary “Scary” Perkins (NZL)   6.1%
Heather Williams (USA)   3.5%

Best International FMX Rookie
Erick Ruiz (MEX)         37.3%
Luc Ackermann (GER) 24.1%
David Rinaldo (FRA)         18.7%
Wes Agee (USA)         13.3%
Tyrone Gilks (AUS)   6.6%

Best European FMX Rookie
Luc Ackermann (GER) 42.1%
David Rinaldo (FRA)         38.6%
Jeremy Rouanet (FRA)   8.8%
Maxime Gregoire (FRA)   7.0%
Thomas Wirnsberger (AUT)   3.5%

Best German FMX Rookie
Luc Ackermann 64.2%
Tobias Finck 17.4%
Kai Haase 12.9%
Tobias Seibert   5.5%

Best FMX Contest/Series
Red Bull X-Fighters 48.7%
NIGHT of the JUMPs 17.6%

Nitro Circus 16.2%
X Games 14.9%
Nuclear Cowboyz 2.6%

Best FMX Bike

Yamaha YZ 250 32.6%

KTM 250 SX 28.8%

Honda CRF 450 20.5%

Kawasaki KFX 450 10.6%

Suzuki RM 250   7.5%

 

Best FMX Website

fmxworld.com 42.2%

forty8.com 20.3%

nightofthejumps.com 19.5%

freeridermx.com.au 11.7%

XGames.com/EXPN.com  6.3%

 

Best FMX Trick Innovation
Rock Solid Backflip – Taka Higashino 35.5%
Special Flip – Tom Pages 34.6%
Front Flip One Hand – Jacko Strong 18.9%
Flair One Hand – Tom Pages   7.1%

The Roulette – Jey Rouanet   3.9%

 

 www.fmxawards.com

  • By UNIT

WHO IS KYLE PETERS?

Tuesday 19 March 2013

kyle peters

UNIT moto rider Kyle Peters turned more than a few heads at the weekend's Indy round of the Monster Energy AMA SX series by finishing second in the 250cc class. Kyle, a privateer battling a strong field of factory riders couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he stood on the podium between winner Marvin Musquin and Will Hahn, the first time he has had the honour, and with the way he is riding it surely won't be the last! 

But who is Kyle Peters many ask? 

 

Kyle is a 19-year-old Southern Gentlemen from Georgia who has a very bright future ahead of him. He is UNIT Clothing's first 250cc rider to grace  the podium, and the highest finisher for the brand in AMA Supercross to date. 


A privateer finishing second behind Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin, and in front of 250 East points leader, factory Honda's Will Hahn, is a very big deal. 

 

KYLE PETERS

 

Kyle's success over the weekend  has not come easy. Unit has supported KP#50 since his A-class days as a Yamaha amateur rider. Factory Yamaha picked him up when he turned pro two years ago, but since then the stand out Am rider has had a string of bad luck and injuries, and was not able to live up to his full potential in the pro ranks he showed as one of Americas top amateurs, and was not able to finish a full season of SX/MX while on factory Yamaha.
 

KYLE PETERS

When Yamaha did not renew his contract at the end of outdoors in 2012 Kyle and his dad decided to buy a few Hondas and get to work on the 2013 SX/MX season. 

 

Kyle lives and trains at one of the top facility’s in America , MTF in Georgia, headed up by Coleen Millsap’s.
 

KP also wanted to get back to wearing Unit, the  company that backed him before he turned pro. Kyle came back to the Unit family as soon as he had the chance, support and a relationship he wants to build on for 2013 and beyond. 

 

Kyle has had opportunity’s and offers from factory support teams for this season, but instead decided to stick to his program he and his dad have put together and the results have come together so far in 2013 finishing inside the top 10 in all of the East Coast rounds this year except one race, including a fourth place at the first round in Dallas.

 

Kyle looks to  carry that momentum into Toronto Canada this weekend wearing a new Unit helmet sporting the southern colours of his hometown Atlanta Braves. 

 

Keep an eye out for this kid! 

 

Between KP and Austin Politelli in the lights class the future looks bright in AMA SX/MX for the UNIT brand alongside the 450 big Guns Josh Grant and Chiz, who plan to be back when the outdoor season kicks off.

  • By UNIT

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