All things youth moto…

Winning is one thing – winning in the face of bureaucratic adversity is another as Cobra Moto podiums whilst weathering the Lead Law storm

Including the 2011 Cobra All-Star Team!

HILLSDALE, Mich., (Dec. 30, 2011) – In the corporate equivalent of clearing a 100-foot triple on 50cc bike, Cobra Moto won maybe its – and mini cycle racing’s in general – most important race of all time … the race to defeat the ominous CPSIA “Lead Law” that cast a shadow over the entire youth motocross industry the past two years.

Battling in suits and ties on one front, Cobra Moto was backed by some incredible young talent on the other – racers who were victorious in the vast majority of 50cc races at the major American amateur MX Nationals – from Oak Hill, Texas, to Mill Creek, Ala., Mesquite, Nev.’s Mini GPs, Ponca City (Okla.), Loretta’s (Tenn.), Branson, Mo., and the Florida Mini Os. Cobra Moto racers also won big at the annual MX Masters Kids in Europe and well as a number of Canadian MX championships.

“2011 will certainly go down in Cobra Moto’s heritage as a turning point year not only for the company, but the sport of mini cycle racing in general,” said Cobra Moto President Sean Hilbert. “Along with the principles at MX Sports, the AMA and the Motorcycle Industry Council, the biggest race Cobra Moto won this year was in Washington D.C.’s halls of Congress. Outside that it was the Cobra Moto kids that stepped up and made us proud, as they have since the company’s inception, at every major amateur MX National-caliber race throughout North America and Europe.” 

A number of factory-backed racers stood out for Cobra Moto in 2011. And most importantly, a number of them return for the 2012 competition season as senior members of their respective classes. Here’s a look at Cobra Moto’s 2011 All-Star Team!

Stilez Robertson (California) – Racing his final Loretta’s on a Cobra, Robertson set a 50cc class wins record that’s going to be tough to beat. Recording his 26th win at the big one – Loretta’s – Robertson broke the record previously held by former Cobra racer Adam Cianciarulo. Robertson went 1st/1st/1st to win out in the 51cc (7-8) AMA 1 Stock Senior class to become the winningest AMA amateur racer ever on 50cc bikes.

Pierce Brown (Utah) – Brown threw down at the season opener in Oak Hill, racing to victory in all three 50cc classes he entered on his Cobra CX50SR, aka the “King Cobra.” This included the 7-8 Stock, 7-8 Modified and the hotly-contested 4-9 Open class. In all Brown went 6-0 in six motos – the best results of any Cobra racer, setting the stage for excellent 2011 competition year for Brown and Cobra Moto. Brown also put the Cobra CX65 on a number of major amateur MX National podiums.
Ryder Di Francesco (California) – Stepping up big at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., Di Francesco became the first five-year old in the storied history of the event to win the 51cc (4-6) AMA 2 Stock Junior class. He gave up the first moto to his Cobra Moto-backed central Cal riding buddy Jett Reynolds, then went on to win the next two motos. Prior to Loretta’s Reynolds and Di Francesco had gone 1st/2nd, respectively, at Ponca – leading a Cobra Moto charge that would see the King 50 capture nine of the top ten spots in Ponca’s 50cc through 6 Mod class.
Jett Reynolds (California) – Wherever you found Di Francesco on the podium, Reynolds was sure to be there as well. From Ponca to Loretta’s, Cobra Moto’s Bakersfield Boyz – joined by New York’s Reed Cooper – also made up the entire 7-8 50cc class Olympiad podium at the Mini Os, the first time in memory which that’s occurred with one brand – Cobra Moto!
Brock Bennett (California) – The third Cobra Moto kid out of Bakersfield won big against his riding buddies at the World Mini GPs (50cc through 6 Mod class) and was a consistent high podium finisher at Ponca and Oak Hill.
Gage Linville (Georgia) – Although he got off to a bit of a slow start in 2011, Linville closed out the year on a high note, winning the coveted Olympiad title (MX/SX combined) in the 50cc 7-8 class at the Mini Os. Linville, 7, a longtime Cobra Moto-backed racer, will return to contest the 7-8 class again next year at all the major amateur MX Nationals.
Reed Cooper (New York) – Making the overall 50cc 7-8 podium with two Cobra Moto Bakersfield racers, Cooper blasted big at the Mini Os – winning the coveted 4-6 50cc Olympiad title. Reed also opened the season on a sweet note, sweeping top honors in both the 4-6 Stock and 4-6 Multi-Speed classes at Mill Creek.

Cobra Moto would also like to recognize its 2011 “Honorable Mention” racers: Tommy Rios (Florida), Tanner Ward (Canada), Jack Rogers (Maryland), Vance Stiers (Texas), Brayden Bruce (Wyoming), Dylan Woodcock (UK), Jayden Taylor (Michigan), Branden Walther (Texas), Hunter Budd (AX Champ, Texas), Cameron Davis (Pennsylvania), Kruz Sampson (Tennessee), Tanner Kemp (Ohio), Hunter Scott (Canada), Ryan Smith (Oklahoma), Cade Britt (Colorado), Alex Mann (Washington), Ramon Rusche (Oklahoma), Chase Yentzer (Pennsylvania), Seth Milam (Texas), Max Miller (Oregon), Chandler Baker (Oklahoma), Jeremy McKie (Canada), Tyler Archambault (Michigan), Dilan Schwartz (California) and Harry Wichmann (UK), along with a special Honorable Mention to Cobra’s top female racer – New Jersey’s Jordan “JJ” Jarvis!

Photos by Rodney Webb

European foothold for the American-made Cobra minicycles and ATVs is crucial, according to President Sean Hilbert

HILLSDALE, Mich., (Oct. 5 , 2010) – The world’s leading manufacturer of competition minicycles and ATVs, U.S.-based Cobra Motorcycles, will represent with its latest line of bikes at this week’s (Oct. 6-10) INTERMOT show in Cologne.

Housed in Hall 5.1 at Koelnmesse, Cobra will showcase its CX50 Jr. and Sr. – aka the legendary “King Cobra” – models and the new crate-to-podium CX65 – all of which have proven their mettle at the European MX Master Kids events.

“Europe’s the birthplace of motocross, so it’s important for Cobra to have a foothold there,” said Cobra President Sean Hilbert. “Cobra’s European racers have enjoyed great successes in numerous national caliber races across the region and we’ve worked to adapt the Cobra brand to their specific needs, including the Cobra King 50 Big Wheel package that originated in Europe.”

INTERMOT’s “Young Action” program will give young motocross enthusiast a firsthand look at the Cobra brand through special-built outdoor tracks to test the latest product. Best yet it’s all FREE to children under the age of 12 – which happens to be Cobra’s precise market in the youth motocross movement.

“Cobra’s international racing marketing efforts with the CX50 Junior and Senior lines, along with the CX65 and ATVs, are deeply rooted in the UK, France, Portugal, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Estonia,” explained Hilbert. “This will be Cobra’s first year displaying at INTERMOT as we continue to grow the American-made brand of competition mini cycles globally. We look forward to visiting with our existing customers and introducing legions of new motocross enthusiasts and their dads to the Cobra Generation.”

Dubbed the “Center of the international two-wheeler world,” one of Germany’s biggest motorcycle events of the year will feature more than a thousand suppliers spread out over miles of booth space. Along with Cobra mini cycles the five-day event will also showcase the latest in motorcycles, scooters, lightweight and small motorbikes, electric mobility, clothing and accessories. With both indoor and outdoor displays, INTERMOT provides both up-close viewing and hands-on experiences for the enthusiasts attending. For more information on INTERMOT link to: www.intermot-koeln.com

The race day kicked off with the 51cc 7-8 Class taking it to the track. Stilez Robertson pulled a nice holeshot followed closely by Lance Kobusch. Stilez, protecting his championship opportunity, battled with Lance for a few laps before letting him go. Lance ran away with the moto, and Stilez rode to a smart second place finish. Third place was earned by a hard-riding Grant Doolittle making his most impressive showing to-date on the national scene. Cobra mounted Jackson Turpin and Guage Keith rounded out the top five.

Overall podium points leaders for the LL 2010 50 7-8 Class Championship are 1^st Stilez Robertson (Cobra) 2^nd Jackson Turpin (Cobra) 3^rd Tied Jack Rodgers (Cobra) / Parker Mashburn (Cobra).

In the 51cc 4-6 class, Gage Linville pulled the holeshot and was challenged early on by Jaiden Taylor. At the start of Lap 3, Jaiden decided to jump to the inside of Linville for the pass, but instead he clipped Linville’s back tire and slid off the side of the track. Despite a late fall, Linville managed the moto win followed by  Vance Stiers and Robert Hailey. Going into moto three on Friday, the championship race is: 1^st Gage Linville, 2^nd Robert Hailey, and 3^rd Jaiden Taylor.

In Thursday’s 65cc 7-9 Stock Class, Cobra’s Aaden Vaezie nearly pulled the holeshot, and rode a great race until the heat got too him near mid-race. He finished a strong eleventh and was one of the highest finishing eight-year-olds in the race.

Chase Sexton once again rode an outstanding 10-11 Stock 65cc moto putting in a fourth place ride. Chase sits in a solid third place going into the final moto.

(Photo Credit: Corey Bixby of See How Big)

Cobra kicked off Loretta Lynn’s this year with an unveiling party to show off our 2011 lineup. We introduced all five bikes including the new CX50s and CX65 and our CARD King and CARD 65. Everyone loved them! Stay tuned for more details.

Racing kicked off Tuesday morning, and so far it’s looking like another successful year at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch as Stylez Robertson and Gage Linville both won their first motos in the 7-8 and 4-6 51cc stock classes. Backing Stylez and Gage up on the podium were Cobra mounted Parker Mashburn and Jackson Turpin (nephew of former MX star Keith Turpin) in the 7-8 class and Vance Stiers and Jaiden Taylor in the 4-6 class.

Later in the day, Cobra’s Chase Sexton had an impressive come-back in the 65cc 7-11 mod class where he recovered from three tip-overs to charge through for a strong sixth.

(Photo Credits: Corey Bixby of See How Big)

Check out our newest addition to the Cobra CARD accessory lineup.  These aircraft aluminum gas caps come standard with vent hose and check valve, and they are available in three colors – Red, Blue, and Black.

Application:

2003-2010 CX50JR
2010 CX50SR (King)
2007-2010 CX65
All ATVs

Red – TCR60001R
Blue – TCR60001B
Black – TCR60001BL

MSRP: $48.88