Sponsored Riders

Ian Blythe  -  In the last few years we at STR have witnessed
Ian become an ever more impressive rider/racer both in the
USA and Internationally.  Never satisfied, Ian travels and competes
world wide fulfilling his passion.

STR Equipped  (speed bleed valves, rear caliper radiator, rear brake

pedal plate, clutch cover guard).











Brian Vaughan - 
STR Equipped

(speed bleed valves, rear caliper radiator, rear brake pedal plate,

clutch cover guard).
  •  "System Tech Racing offers a wide variety of products that give your bike that factory look, while adding performance."
  •   "System Tech's brake cooler paired with their extended brake reservoir eliminated my brake problems."
  •   "System Tech's oil fill caps look cool and eliminate the chance of your stock KTM cap from coming loose."



Ned Suesse -  Top American Finisher @ Dakar 2012 -  STR Equipped

(speed bleed valves, rear caliper radiator, rear brake pedal plate,

clutch cover guard).





  • The Dakar has fascinated me for many years- I love long, technical loops, racing comes after riding and exploring for me. The Dakar goes from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and across the Andes in the middle, so it is the longest and most technical ride I could think of. After studying the race for many years, I decided it was 2012 or bust, so I did whatever I had to do to get to the start line. Turns out, that is a lot!
  • My goal for the race was simply to finish, so my plan was to stay within my comfort zone and not worry how I was doing relative to anyone else. The biggest challenge in Dakar isn't any single obstacle, it is the sheer distance involved (think Fairbanks Alaska, to Miami Florida, PLUS 500 miles), and keeping the law of averages from catching up with you.
  • The race bike was a 2009 KTM 450 XCW that I built it as simply (and cheaply) as I could, with the logic that the same bike is as capable and reliable as a trail bike, it would work well for my goals at Dakar. That turned out to be true- it held up perfectly through the entire 9000km race! I'm never a fan of just bolting parts on for bling, I chose STR parts for function and they worked perfectly. The Fork Bleeders are the only ones I've tried that are never stick open and hold up to abuse- don't get me started on the silly rubber caps on some other brands! Same for the rear caliper radiator- on a bike as heavy as the Dakar rig, the brakes get used hard and I was able to avoid boiling my brakes with the help of that part.
  • In the end, everything came together. The bike worked perfectly for my goals, I managed to avoid any serious crashes, and after 14 stages and 9000 km, I got to cross the finish line in Lima, Peru as the only American to make it to the end. A big thanks to John and System Tech Racing for helping me achieves my dream.