It's a fearful time for motorsport enthusiasts. No more ATVs are racing at Dakar, in fact, there's only one real sport ATV left—thanks for keeping it alive, Yamaha—and there's an almost everpresent fear that some Japanese OEMs might dip out of MotoGP if they can't start competing with Ducati soon.
But hope is not lost, and actually, there's a lot to look forward to.
Thank the good lord for Triumph and its relentless pursuit of off-road dominance. Last year, Triumph shook the motocross and supercross scene when it gave us the first glimpse of its TF 250-X with Ricky Carmichael riding it out into the middle of the arena during the inaugural SuperMotocross final at the LA Memorial Coliseum. I was there. It was amazing, and I'm not sure why, but I nearly cried.
Well, Triumph and Carmichael almost recreated that scene at the SuperMotocross World Championship Final at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on the all-new TF 450-RC, but unlike last year, he didn't bring the bike for a rip on track.
Two advertisements featuring Carmichael riding Triumph's new 450 on track and few glimpses of the new bike static in a studio were broadcast during the event, as a voiceover from Carmichael, a brand ambassador for Triumph, played.
Carmichael stated in the voiceover, "I don't just want to put my name on something. I want to build it from the ground up. If I back it, if I put my name on it, it has to mean something. This is our dream, that is finally, a reality.”
We still need to wait for all the juicy details, but not for long because the full reveal will take place on October 3rd. And if the reception of Triumph's TF 250-X during this past year is anything to go by, we're in for a treat once the 450 is unveiled.
