Mud in Your Eye

The KTM 350 SX-F raised a lot of hell back when it was first released, but since then it hasn’t been in the news all that much. KTM introduced its World Motocross team last week for the Star Mantova event. There in Italy, Tony Cairoli piloted the fuel-injected bike to its first-ever victory in front of a partisan home crowd. The smaller bike, which features an all-new chassis with pro link suspension, contests the MX1 (450) division despite its smaller displacement. As Cairoli demonstrated, that doesn’t necessarily equate to a disadvantage.

“It was a fantastic start for me and I enjoyed riding the 350 bike,” he said after the event. “Today I wanted to do some tests to see how it went at the start and everything went well for me. I’m happy with the bike and the results.”

Stefan Everts has been intricately involved with the 350 project and had this to say. “We are excited to see what both our factory riders and bikes are going to produce in 2010. The 350 SX-F launches a new era for MX racing and it’s also a reflection of the company’s commitment to racing and to producing the best off-road machines for anyone who shares the same passion as we do.”

Is this an indication of things to come? Will the 350 SX-F really transform motocross? Will it dominate smaller and larger bikes combined? Will I be able to contain myself and not die of lust before it reaches American shores?

We’ll see.