What's MDK/KTM Going to Do?

Posted by Steve Matthes on Monday, September 15, 2008

Comment (11)

At this point, team MDK/Muscle Milk KTM has almost everybody signed. I've cracked on these guys before for the fact that they probably didn't keep Mitch Payton up at night worrying about how to beat them, but I think I was a little off base there. Going into the year they had Justin Brayton, Matt Georke, Ryan Sipes, Billy Laninovich and Martin Davalos all competing in the Lites divison.

Team manager Danny Paladino let me know a few times that he'd used my quotes as motivation for the team and I'm glad he did. The "we get no respect" card is used a lot by teams and athletes to great results, just look at last year's Super Bowl champs, the New York Giants. They're still using it this year! Anyway, Brayton surprised me, Sipes finally stayed healthy and put in some good rides, Davalos was very fast at times and Georke did pretty well when he jumped to a 450. And while I'm sure that Mitch doesn't look at them as his main comp (a nod to Alessi Weekly there, thank you), he has to be impressed by how fast the pumpkins are, they pulled a lot of holeshots this summer!

Team manager Danny Paladino let me know a few times that he used my quotes as motivation for the team and I'm glad he did.

So, for 2009, what have we got over there? Well besides having the hottest spokesmodels in the pits, I think we'll see some more progress. They have kept Brayton, Sipes, and Davalos, they added World Championship runner-up Tommy "Gun" Searle for the outdoors, and I recently heard that the team signed Will Hahn. I see Davalos (who was courted heavily by Mitch Payton before deciding to stay with KTM) being a front runner in supercross, and Searle doing well outside. Davalos has to avoid the highlight reel crashes that we've seen from him, and Searle has to get used to the American tracks and the pace of racing. He doesn't have the advantage of racing supercross, but I think that's a good thing. See Greg Albertyn and Sebastian Tortelli for examples of why. Sipes and Brayton will also be in the mix.

Steve Matthes

Justin Brayton at Texas

I like Brayton. He's one of those guys who has paid his dues over the years, and I think he appreciates the fact that he's making a living racing motorcycles. The guy has come all the way from privateer arenacross to a factory ride on the world's greatest stage.

What's going on with the 450 team? I heard through the grapevine (What does that even mean? Who goes to a grapevine for any answers? Anyway, if a grapevine is talking to you, it's time to go see a doctor.) that it will be shelved for 2009, with an eye towards 2010. This means that Nick Wey is out, but we kind of knew that anyway, right? I know that KTM was talking to Kevin Windham, but I guess that didn't work out. There were also rumors of a pretty big outside-the-industry sponsor jumping on board. I applaud KTM for thinking outside the box with the look and design of the 450, and I hope it works out someday that they are a player in the MX1/450/Supercross class. Whatever.

Posted by Steve Matthes on Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 3:31 pm

Comment (11)

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