Test

Sebastien Tortelli is a name well known to most involved in our beautiful sport of motocross. A two-time World motocross champion, in 1996 and 1998, once in the 125cc class, beating Paul Malin and once in the 250 class, beating Stefan Everts.

Tortelli competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1994 to 1998 and, competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1999 to 2005. He returned to Europe to compete in the 2006 FIM Motocross World Championship for his final season of professional motocross. Tortelli is notable for winning two FIM motocross world championships. He was one of the few competitors who could compete and beat both Stefan Everts and Ricky Carmichael in their prime.

Tortelli won the 1996 125cc motocross world championship in a dominating manner by winning 11 out of 12 Grand Prix races and became the youngest-ever motocross world champion at the time. He moved up to the 250cc world championship in the 1997 season and won two Grand Prix races to end the season ranked fourth in the championship.

Tortelli competed in his first American motocross competition at the opening round of the 1998 AMA Supercross season in the Los Angeles Coliseum as a relatively unknown competitor to American spectators. In one of the biggest surprises in AMA Supercross history, Tortelli won the race held in muddy conditions against top AMA competitors such as Jeremy McGrath and Jeff Emig. The victory marked the only supercross victory of Tortelli’s career.

Tortelli signed a contract with KTM to compete in the 2006 MX1 class for 450cc motorcycles. He had a contract clause that guaranteed him a return to the AMA series if he could win the FIM MX1 title. He showed surprising speed at the opening round in Belgium when, he traded moto wins with Everts. However, at the third round of the series, he dislocated his hip at the Portuguese Grand Prix and had to drop out of the 2006 Grand Prix season. He announced his retirement from professional motocross in December 2006 at the age of 28.

Now, at 45 years old, Tortelli has built a strong relationship with the Stark Future development program and helps prepare the Stark riders for competition. In a venture that is creating the future for our sport, Tortelli has decided to come out of retirement and will race the World Vets Motocross event at Farleigh Castle, on July 20 and 21.

Q: Have you raced since you retired?

Tortelli: Not really. I raced Loretta Lynn after I retired, because some of the guys I was training in America after I retired were doing that race and they motivated me to join them there. I have done some smaller races for Stark, nothing too serious, just some events here and there.

Q: I saw your introduction video, very funny, but as a former World champion, do you take this return to racing in England seriously or its just for fun?

Tortelli: I race just for the fun of it. When you get to a certain age, you know you are not young anymore, for sure the next day when you are sore. I would say, last year or last two years I am riding a lot, developing the Stark, but since we started racing last year, I don’t have as much time now. I ride once in a while to give direction for the development, but mainly I focus on the racing side of things for Stark.

Q: I remember doing an interview with Jack (Brunell) after he won the Arenacross title on the Stark and it was run in America and Davey Coombs from RacerX told me, everyone in the industry in America read that interview. The Stark has created a huge interest and I assume you racing it at Farleigh in July will also create a lot of interest in the UK media and industry?

Tortelli: Well, probably the month before and get some time on the bike to prepare. The beauty of the Stark, it is very easy to ride and for me, I get less tired, so I know I don’t need to be in great shape to have some fun. A few of the guys racing that event motivated me to go and race. I want to go, have a good time with some old friends. Today I am taking things more for fun.

Q: What I noticed when I got the images from Stark, you look the same as when you rode the Honda, or Kawasaki. You style looks the same, the look in your eyes is the same. Do you feel more comfortable on the electric bike than you did on your race bikes?

Tortelli: I feel super comfortable on the Stark. I am an old guy racing for many years, so I use the Stark foot brake, it is my natural motion, but I do ride with the hand brake doing trail riding, but I think your riding style, is your riding style, no matter if you are going fast or not. From the outside it looks like when I raced, but it isn’t. It is like riding a bicycle. My body is in good shape and the injuries I got haven’t hurt me too bad and I am still strong and don’t suffer too much. Riding is good for getting the morning aches away and its good medicine.

Q: Do you know who you race in your age limit, Jeff Emig maybe, Rob Herring, Mike Brown, or Billy Mackenzie?

Tortelli: I have no idea. I am 45, but the boys didn’t tell me which age group I am in, they just said come on over and let’s have some fun. (Seb will race in the 40-age group with Mackenzie (who is 40), while Dobb, Herring, Brown and Emig will be in the 50-age group).

Q: You still look in great shape and not a lot different from your racing days. These vet races, the Stark racing the combustion engines, I know a lot of the guys in the Arenacross mentioned they couldn’t hear the Stark bike and it put them off a little. Racing motocross, is faster and have you experienced that in your races you have raced, that riders you come up to pass are surprised you are there?

Tortelli: I did a few races where that happened. I didn’t get any issues, you have to look ahead, but maybe for these old guys, I need to put a horn on it and honk when I come around (smiling). 

Q: As far as how you guys did with Jack in the Arenacross and the performance clearly really impressive. Jack is also racing right?

Tortelli: Yes, but he will race the 500 2-stroke, he is very motivated for this race. He has some old nice 500 Honda’s and he will race one of those.

Q: You know Foxhill well, you won there on the 125 and the 250 in 1996 and 1998, but have you ever been to Farleigh Castle and if not, what do you look forward to about racing on this legendary circuit?

Tortelli: No, I have never ridden Farleigh, but I know it is an iconic circuit and what I like about it, it an old fashion track, with natural layout and todays track are too many jumps and short, but this old track, more natural, a bit narrow and you get less speed, but its good for an old guy like me.

Q: Do you know if you arrive with a big Stark set-up, or you just arrive in a small van to fit into the whole feel of the event?

Tortelli: At this moment, we don’t know. It hasn’t been decided, but I think we also have support from the dealer out there and its two months before the event, but will make a decision soon and we need to have the guys racing Supercross in France and Enduro guys racing, so we need to plan it all in. Obviously when you go to the UK, it isn’t Europe anymore, so it makes it a bit more complicated.

The one and only Chad Reed is to ride at the World Vets Motocross on August 19th – 20th 2023. No introduction needed for this dirt bike great. Just imagine, you could end up racing against Chad – now there’s a story for your grandkids!

Here’s a few words from Chad.

We are delighted to announce that 1979 Motocross World Champion Graham Noyce will be attending the World Vets Motocross event at Farleigh Castle in August. So, here’s your chance to meet another motocross great.

Graham Noyce is a legendary figure in the world of motocross, having been a star of the sport during the 1970s and 1980s. Born on January 11, 1955, in Kent, England, Noyce began his career in motocross at a young age and quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with on the track.

Noyce’s breakthrough came in 1979 when he won the 500cc Motocross World Championship, becoming the first British rider to win a 500cc motocross world championship since Jeff Smith won the title in 1965. Over the course of his career, Noyce won numerous races and championships, including the British Motocross Championship and the Trans-AMA Series in the United States. He was known for his aggressive riding style and incredible skill on the bike, which earned him a legion of fans around the world.

Despite suffering a serious injury in 1983 that forced him to retire from racing at the age of 28, Noyce continued to be involved in the sport as a team manager and coach. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000 and remains a respected figure in the motocross community to this day.

Great news – you are going to be treated to the all-action style of Jake Nicholls, as he is set to ride the World Vets Motocross at Farleigh Castle in August.

Jake took the motocross world by storm with his incredible talent and fearless attitude. From a young age, Jake has been pushing the limits of what is possible on a dirt bike, and he quickly became one of the most respected riders in the sport. With his lightning-fast reflexes and impressive technical skills, Jake achieved numerous victories in the UK and on the international stage, earning himself a reputation as one of the top motocross riders in the world.

A Suffolk lad, Jake first started riding dirt bikes at the age of five and he quickly fell in love with the thrill of the sport, turning professional at just 15 years old. His absolute commitment to the sport is borne out by the fact that Jake broke 43 bones during his career, before one last big injury forced him to retire at just 32 years old. Jake is still active in the sport as a team manager and continues to ride for fun – he will definitely be near the front of the pack at this event!

Whiskey Throttle Media will be bringing some California Cool to the World Vets Motocross at Farleigh Castle on August 19th-20th.

The guys from the world’s best dirt bike media platform will be there to entertain you and interview riders, including former world champions. These are professional riders interviewing professional riders – you will never get a better chance to see your heroes relaxing in an informal
setting and chatting about their lives, their racing and the inside stories of back in the day.

Whiskey Throttle front man David “Ping” Pingree will be there in person asking the questions. Ping brings decades of experience in the industry as a former professional racer and journalist.  “We wanted to create a platform that speaks to riders and racers of all levels,” said Pingree. “We believe that Whiskey Throttle Media can offer a unique perspective on the sport that other media outlets simply cannot.” Whiskey Throttle Media’s content includes original articles, podcasts, and video interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. The team is committed to delivering engaging, informative, and entertaining content that will appeal to a broad range of motorsports enthusiasts. “Our goal is to create a community where riders and fans can come together to share their passion for the sport,” said Pingree. “We want to provide a platform where riders can tell their stories, and fans can connect with them on a personal level.”

Visit the Whiskey Throttle Media website here : https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/

and their YouTube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/@thewhiskeythrottlemedia.

Well this really is shaping up to be a fantastic weekend. None other than the voice of motorsport himself, Jack Burnicle, is going to be commentating at the World Vets Motocross.

Having Jack on the mike not only supports this as a major event, but it just feels right, doesn’t it – having the voice we all know and love talking us through the weekend. We can’t wait! As you know, Jack has a rich and varied history behind the mike in motorsport – here’s a little bit about his story:

Born in Billingham-on-Tees, Jack was besotted with cars and motor racing as a lad, before the throwaway gift of a couple of old motorcycle racing books changed all that as he was turning 16, and he got a motorbike. This meant he could ride to local ‘scrambles’, which at that time took place almost every weekend around his native Durham and North Yorkshire, and he got to know many of his heroes, some of whom are still friends today.

Jack was smitten by the noise, the smell and the excitement and started taking photographs, initially on his Mam’s Kodak Brownie! Art College in Leeds expanded his horizons, then he moved to London and in 1976 was persuaded by grand prix racer and longstanding pal Roger Harvey to attend the French 125GP which, that famously red-hot summer, was only 40 miles from Calais, at Cassel. And that was where the grand prix bug bit; the huge crowd, the dust, heat and excitement made for an intoxicating mixture, plus he had found some work to photograph the action and write a story for weekly paper Motor Cycle News.

For the next 20 years he would travel Europe and the USA, often on road trips with the many riders and their families who kindly made it all possible, and had his work published worldwide. Also, in 1991, Jack was offered the opportunity to work broadcasting off-road motorcycle sport of all disciplines, including world motocross and trials and the iconic Bercy supercross, with fledgling Paris-based television station Eurosport.

This mushroomed in 1998 when he was invited to become lead commentator for their new road racing acquisition, World Superbikes, and he embarked on further adventures abroad until 2016, while still covering MXGPs when time allowed. British Superbikes had followed in 2007, initially on ITV before being moved to Eurosport.

Jack continued as lead commentator on both road racing series until also finishing BSB at the end of 2021. He has since returned to the dirt with a full season of MXGP on Eurosport in 2022 and is now celebrating almost 60 years of involvement in his favourite sport!