Yesterday’s Four-Stroke World Championship event at Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California featured the “unofficial” debut of Honda’s CRF450. Factory rider Ryan Hughes was the pilot as the new Honda thumper thumped the competition.
Although not at the level of competition Hughes will face when the Outdoor Nationals begin in May, some fast competition was present, including Yamaha’s Doug Dubach. Dubach is a former factory Yamaha rider, and perhaps the most experienced four-stroke motocross rider in the world (he was the development rider for Yamaha’s four-stroke motocrossers). Dubach finished 2/2 behind Ryno in both motos.
Honda also announced that Hughes will be the only factory rider campaigning the factory four-stroke in the upcoming AMA 250 Outdoor Motocross Nationals. Sebastien Tortelli and Ezra Lusk will ride CR250 two-strokes.
