Multi-time champion outlines plans as Phillip Island’s opener looms.
Image: Supplied.
Three-time champion Josh Waters has outlined his plans for the 2020 Mi-Bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), launching his own JW Racing team that will see him pilot Suzuki machinery.
Waters, who’ll be equipped with Dunlop tyres this year, is set to race a Suzuki GSX-R1000R that’s a similar specification to what he rode to the 2017 ASBK title.
“I’m just so stoked to have my own team and bikes this season, we’ve got great guys working on the bikes locally and a wealth of experience in the team which is exciting,” Waters explained.
“In the crew I’ve got Brodie [Waters] who’s going to prep my bikes, so he’s my mechanic and crew chief. Vaughan Cumming is also helping out as a mechanic, and then I’ve Byron Draper who’s helping out with the suspension. The floater will be my brother Nicholas [Waters], but he’s hit and miss with the rounds he can make.
“Dunlop has a good plan for the coming year, so it’s really worked out. I’m really looking forward to be successful with Dunlop onboard.”
Waters has had a strong connection with Suzuki throughout his career, winning his ASBK titles in 2009, 2012 and 2017 with the Japanese manufacturer. The ASBK series kicks off this weekend at Phillip Island alongside the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship.
Harley-Davidson have announced the new 2020 Softail Standard model, offering an attainable entry-point into Harley Big Twin ownership with the Milwaukee-Eight 107 powerplant, Vivid Black paint and traditional chrome, and available for $21,495 Ride-Away, offering a more traditional alternative to the slightly more expensive, fully blacked-out Street Bob which demands an addition $1000 premium.
2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard
The Softail Standard and Street Bob offering the easiest entry point into the Softail family, before moving up to the Low Rider, which is priced at $24,495 Ride-Away.
The Softail Standard features the updated Softail chassis, with an optimised steel frame for stiffness and weight, and the Milwaukee-Eight 107 rigid mounted. Monoshock rear suspension and dual-bending valve front forks are found alongside single front and rear disc brakes, with a four-piston front caliper and dual-piston rear caliper.
2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard
Rear preload adjustability can be accessed under the seat, while wheels are classic chromed, steel-laced items, with a 19-inch front and 16-inch rear.
Wheels are chromed, steel spoke items, 19 inch front, 16 inch rear
The Milwaukee-Eight 107 runs dual counter-balancers, four-valve heads being where the ‘Eight’ designation stems from, 10:1 compression and includes dual knock sensors, while being ready for Screamin’ Eagle upgrade kits, and delivers in the region of 110 lbs-ft of torque (145 Nm at 3000 rpm) as well as 94 horsepower in standard trim.
The Milwaukee-Eight 107 produces 110 Nm of torque at 3000 rpm
A chromed two-into-two exhaust is also run, with polished rocker, primary and timer covers, with cylinder head fins left black, along with the round air-cleaner cover.
Mini-ape handlebars on risers help give the Softail Standard some attitude, with mid-controls. The dash is a digital display, with polished riser, top-clamp, triples and chromed headlamp bezel offering contrast to the blacked-out colour scheme.
Mini-ape handlebars join an LCD display and single headlight
The Softail Standard weighs in at 297kg, with a 680mm seat height and offers 28.5 degrees of lean angle both left and right, matching the Street Bob, and likewise only offers a single seat. A small teardrop style tank stores 13.2L of fuel, with Harley suggesting a fuel range in excess of 200km.
The Softail Standard only offers a single-seat, at 680mm
The 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard also looks set to be the ideal canvas for those wishing to customise their bike from the Harley accessory range, with four accessory packages put together featuring a host of possible options.
Day Tripper Custom Package – Pillion seat and a 21-inch detachable sissy bar with pad, passenger foot pegs and mounts, forward foot controls, and black leather Single-Sided Swingarm Bag.
Coast Custom Package – Softail Quarter Fairing, black anodized aluminum Moto Bar handlebar and matching 5.5-inch tall riser, a Bevel two-up seat and passenger foot pegs, and BMX-style foot pegs from the 80GRIT Collection.
Touring Custom Package – Sundowner comfort two-up seat and passenger foot pegs, a 14-inch-high light smoke quick-release windshield, classic black Detachable saddlebags, and a 14.5-inch detachable sissy bar and backrest pad.
Performance Custom Package – Screamin’ Eagle Stage II Torque kit and a Screamin’ Eagle Pro Street Tuner. Screamin’ Eagle Heavy Breather Performance Air Cleaner and Screamin’ Eagle Street Cannon mufflers.
2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard
The 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard is expected to be available mid-2020, and is priced at $21,495 RRP Ride-Away. See the Harley-Davidson Australia website (link) for more information.
The 2020 Harley-Davidson Softail Standard is due mid-2020
That’s a wrap from Qatar Test 👍🏻 it was good to have the opportunity to put in some fast laps today and finish the test up the pointy end. I’m feeling quietly confident coming into the season opener as the GP20 feels like a 🚀 and our race pace was pretty consistent today, we still have a little bit of work to do especially in the 3rd sector but all in all I’m looking forward to Round 1. Vid MotoGP
Rins third as Miller winds up fifth on the timesheets.
Image: Supplied.
Day three of MotoGP testing at Qatar saw Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Vinales emerge fastest, narrowly edging out Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar).
Vinales set the pace with a 1m53.858s to head the field, while Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) wasn’t too far behind, just 0.033s in arrears, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in third a couple of tenths back. Fourth went to Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), as the inline-fours came out on top.
At Yamaha, the day three timesheets made for good reading and even more so overall, as Quartararo was third fastest in the combined standings. Vinales has looked like the man with the threatening race pace with Quartararo extremely close to him, Morbidelli has been consistently quick and Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) seems happy and fast despite not being quite as far up the order (P12 overall).
It wasn’t all perfect reading for the Iwata marque though. Quartararo suffered a technical issue on Sunday and on Monday, and Rossi crashed on day three – rider okay. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team director Massimo Meregalli was pleased with the progress made with improved grip and on acceleration, saying the 2020 package ‘is very competitive’.
Quartararo said his race simulation on day three was very pleasing, pretty much every lap was in the 1:54s and the Frenchman didn’t go for a proper time attack – the 20-year-old going as far as saying ‘there’s margin for more’. That bodes very well for the 2019 Rookie of the Year.
The main job for Team Suzuki Ecstar, meanwhile, was to continue comparing the standard and new chassis, nothing radically new was on the GSX-RRs of Rins and Joan Mir as they focused on the finer details: adjustments in setup and gathering data for the race.
Mir was sixth on day three and the combined timesheets. Along with Yamaha, Suzuki look arguably in the best shape ahead of the Qatar GP with both the Sepang and Qatar Tests proving very good for the Hamamatsu factory. Rins confirmed he is ‘so happy’ with the work done over the three days at Losail International Circuit – and Mir echoed his thoughts too.
Breaking the domination in the top five was a job for Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) on day three. The Australian was the top Ducati in fifth, 0.247s off the top, and said he completed a couple of time attacks and two longer runs. The number 43 is ‘quietly confident’ heading into the opening weekend of the season, and clocked the fastest-ever top speed at Losail, a ridiculous 355kph.
In the Bologna factory camp, Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) was sporting new front aero on one of his bikes, while his other GP20 had the older aero fitted. The Italian said he was pleased with his 22-lap race simulation on day three, but the one-lap pace still needs work ahead of the grand prix. Teammate Andrea Dovizioso was still trying the new swingarm.
Ducati Team manager Davide Tardozzi said the engine is working very well but corner speed – especially on maximum lean angle at the apex – still needs work. In addition, Tardozzi said they are experiencing some issues adapting to Michelin’s new rear tyre.
After finishing P6 on day two, Johann Zarco (Reale Avintia Racing) didn’t improve his time as the Frenchman finished P14 overall, two places ahead of Petrucci, with Dovizioso – who was happy with his long run pace – P10 and Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) P11. Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) was just 0.040s off Petrucci’s time.
It was a busy and intriguing day for reigning champions Honda as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) started with three bikes in his garage, one of those being Takaaki Nakagami’s (LCR Honda Idemitsu) 2019 RC213V. Marquez was seventh overall, Nakagami less than a tenth off.
Nakagami’s teammate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) completed 70 laps as HRC went in search of finding improvements on the final day in Qatar, with the Japanese giants testing things ‘from two or three years ago; according to Repsol Honda team manager Alberto Puig. Crutchlow said he was happy with his pace, but over one or two laps the number 35 is struggling with stopping the bike and grip with the new tyre.
Premier class rookie Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) completed another 47 laps as the Spaniard admitted it was a difficult test for himself and the team, but the reigning Moto2 world champion was reasonably confident that he has a decent pace for the race weekend.
One of the riders of the test based on timesheets alone has to be Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rookie Brad Binder, however. The South African slammed in a mighty impressive 1m54.283s on day three to leave him ninth on the combined and day three times, just 0.425s from Vinales’ pacesetting lap.
As his teammate Pol Espargaro explained earlier in the test, KTM didn’t have anything new to try on day three as they don’t want to start getting lost. Working for the race was the Austrian factory’s objective as it seems their initial 2020 base is pretty much sorted, however there was a slight blip for Espargaro on the final day as he crashed unhurt at turn two.
Over in the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 camp, Miguel Oliveira and premier class rookie Iker Lecuona finished P19 and P20, but the gaps were only 1.150s and 1.443s respectively.
Speaking to motogp.com’s pitlane reporter Simon Crafar on day three, Aprilia Racing Technical Director Romano Albesiano confirmed their sole purpose was to decide on the engine spec they’ll use for the season.
At the end of play, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) finished P13 on the timesheets, just over half a second off Vinales, with test rider Bradley Smith completing a further 55 laps on Monday as Aprilia continue to gather crucial data on their brand new RS-GP. Espargaro said he showed a strong pace on race simulation, lapping in mid-1m54s for plenty of laps was good news for the number 41. A busy test for both riders means Aprilia have a lot of analysing to do before the Qatar GP…
The series returns to Qatar on 8 March for the season-opening round.
New Zealand electric motorcycle company Switch is seeking funding to homologate its stylish go-anywhere eSCRAMBLER and bring it to market in 2022.
Founder Matthew Waddick has already produced an electric conversion kit for a Honda Cub as part of his Shanghai Customs company and is now working on the eSCRAMBLER through Switch.
“We are going to be looking for partners and investors over the next few months for both projects Shanghai Customs and Switch,” says Matthew who says he had to “flee China” last month due to the coronavirus.
“It’s a little early yet for costing, the only thing we can say is that it will be very competitive in the pricing with the business model we are going for.
“No way we are going to price this out of the market.”
eSCRAMBLER
The minimalistic eSCRAMBLER is based on a conventional polished-aluminium, double-cradle frame with upside-down forks, monoshock and 18-inch wheels with knobby tyres for all-terrain use.
It will also feature GPS tracking, three speed modes, USB charger, cruise control, regenerative braking to recharge the battery and Spanish JJuan brakes with Bosch ABS.
eSCRAMBLER includes some tasty parts such as CNC-machine triple clamps and footpegs, leather seat, LED lighting and a digital display that looks like a mobile phone.
One of the design features is how the 50kW motor and swingarm are coaxially mounted, allowing the Gates carbonfibre belt drive to maintain proper tension.
Matthew has partnered with ex-Yamaha Advanced Labs industrial designer and former Danish Flat Track racing champion Michel Riis to design and develop the eSCRAMBLER.
They are targeting up to 150km of range, 150km/h top speed and 0–100km/h in 3.2 seconds.
Switch also plan to have a fast charging system.
Wow factor
Matthew says electric motorcycles are not new anymore.
“You can’t wow people by just being electric; you need to do better than that,” he says.
“We want people to understand this bike, see how it is all put together – to demystify electrics and especially not hide that we have a box full with cells.
“However, the design was not as easy as it looks – in fact it was incredibly difficult. Generally, making a complex product look simple is one of the hardest things to do and this is especially true with electric bikes.”
While the road-legal version will be released in 2022, they will put the bike through its paces this year on the Scandinavian flat tracking circuit.
Matthew says they already have some world champions “lining up to have a thrash”.
If there’s one thing 2020 preseason has taught us to expect, it’s some serious speed from Yamaha and Suzuki. At the close of testing before the first race weekend of the year it was Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) getting into the 1m53s with a 1m53.858 to head the pile. And Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) wasn’t too far behind, just 0.033s in arrears, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in third a couple of tenths back. Fourth? Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), as the in-line fours came out on top in the desert.
At Yamaha, the Day 3 time-sheets made for good reading and even more so overall, as Quartararo was third fastest in the combined standings. Viñales has looked like the man with the threatening race pace with Quartararo extremely close to him, Morbidelli has been consistently quick and Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) seems happy and fast despite not being quite as far up the order (P12 overall). The ‘Doctor’ rarely is before race day, however…
Maverick Vinales – P1
“Today has been a really good day for us because we have been working with very used tyres, especially when the conditions were difficult. We were trying to adapt ourselves when the conditions weren‘t good. I tried my best with used tyres because sometimes in the race you get a kind of difficult feeling. So, I tried to understand what I have to do when the condition is not good on the track. I‘m very happy, the team has been working in a really good way. Six days of testing, and I feel good with the bike. I feel the bike is there, and now we need to continue working, because there‘s a good progression but it‘s still not enough. Honestly, I enjoyed these last three days on the bike so much. For sure it‘s going to be a long week, so I can‘t wait for next Friday and especially Sunday on the grid.”
Maverick Vinales
Valentino Rossi – P12
“First of all, it is incredible because also today we have fifteen riders within maybe half a second. It‘s like Moto2, so this is very good for the championship, the fans, and the races, because it looks like there‘s a good balance between the different riders and bikes. Today we are a little bit worried, not so much about the position – unfortunately I crashed with the second tyre and I think I could have improved the lap time – but more about the pace. We tried to make some long runs, but we had some problems with the tyres very similar to last year, so it looks like, that after some laps, unfortunately I have to slow down and this is not good news. But now the tests are finished we will see during the race weekends. In the races it‘s always different.”
Valentino Rossi
It wasn’t all perfect reading for Yamahe though. Quartararo suffered a technical issue on Sunday and on Monday, and Rossi crashed on Day 3 – rider ok. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director Massimo Meregalli was pleased with the progress made with improved grip and on acceleration, saying the 2020 package “is very competitive.”
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director Massimo Meregalli
“Overall, we are very satisfied with the work done over the last three days. This test was crucial to make sure we are in a competitive condition before we return here within two weeks for the Qatar GP. We‘ve seen both our riders make good steps and we managed to finish the entire 2020 testing programme, so we feel ready to start racing. Maverick is looking really strong. Of course, it‘s a nice confidence boost to have him in first place in the timesheets, but it‘s mostly his race pace that we are pleased with. Valentino suffered a small crash, which is easily done when the humidity increases and the temperatures go down, especially since he was pushing. Luckily, he was uninjured and could continue riding. Over the next week we will analyse his data and focus on improving his tyre life. Anyway, he is not far from the top, so we expect him to be in contention at the front. All in all, we feel eager to start the season!”
Quartararo said his race simulation on Day 3 was very pleasing, pretty much every lap was in the 1:54s and the Frenchman didn’t go for a proper time attack – the 20-year-old going as far as saying “there’s margin for more”. That bodes very well for the 2019 Rookie of the Year.
Razlan Razali – SRT Yamaha Team Principal
“It has been a positive final test in Qatar, before the first round in less than two weeks at the same circuit. Franco and Fabio are getting more comfortable on their respective machines and have simulated many different situations for the race. It looks tight at the top of the standings, especially the top-six, but we are confident that our boys will be there come the Qatar race.”
Franco Morbidelli
Wilco Zeelenberg – SRT Yamaha Team Manager
“The winter test is now finished and I can say that we did what we needed to do and both guys were in the top three, second and third, in this test overall. I’m very pleased with the result and of course we know it’s a test, but it’s important to have the speed and to do all the things that we did. It was also very important to have the right feeling for the race simulation. I’m very pleased with both riders’ results: Fabio was clearly fast like last year but now Franco has made a step up and also proven how quick he is with a top three result. Yamaha promised us two good spec bikes and clearly they have given us this. We are now looking forward to the race next week.”
Franco Morbidelli – P2
“It was a positive test for us overall. We closed the gap to the top little by little and today the pace was really good. The hot lap was also very good, so I’m happy about that. We will take the positives and try to improve even more and make a good job in the race, which is the most important thing. I’m very happy about this pre-season and I think that we have a good feeling straight away from Sepang. I felt more comfortable with the bike, maybe because I know it better, and here in Qatar we made progress and we just have to keep on going like this.”
Franco Morbidelli
Fabio Quartararo – P4
“We did a race simulation and the pace was really good so I’m very happy, the pace was in the 1min 54secs for almost all of the simulation. We didn’t do a real time attack but we are still quite fast, less than two tenths behind the other guys. I think we can improve this as I made a mistake on my fast lap. For the GP weekend I want to improve the fast lap as we know it is normally our speciality but today we didn’t do it. I know we can do it for the first round though and I’m really happy about the job we did today.”
Fabio Quartararo
The main job for Team Suzuki Ecstar, meanwhile, was to continue comparing the standard and new chassis, nothing radically new was on the GSX-RRs of Rins and Joan Mir as they focused on the finer details: adjustments in setup and gathering data for the race. Mir was sixth on Day 3 and the combined timesheets. Along with Yamaha, Suzuki look arguably in the best shape ahead of the Qatar GP with both the Sepang and Qatar Tests proving very good for the Hamamatsu factory. Rins confirmed he is “so happy” with the work done over the three days at Losail International Circuit – and Mir echoed his thoughts too.
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“It was a good test, both riders have finished the winter testing on good form, and they’ve done very well. We were able to confirm important things to do with the engine spec. and the chassis and now everything is in place for us to start racing with this package. I’m really looking forward to the first round!”
Davide Brivio – Team Manager
“The testing has gone well, and we feel positive because we followed our plan to create and confirm the final package – but the true test will be when we start racing! Now we can homologate the parts that we’ve confirmed and begin preparing for the start of the season. Both our riders have shown really good pace, so we’re happy with that, especially as it was only testing. Both Alex and Joan are feeling relaxed and well prepared.”
Alex Rins – P4
“I’m so happy; I was first on day one, second on day two, and third on day three! Sincerely, we tested everything we needed to, and the team worked so well. We’ve taken a step forward compared with last year and I feel confident, at least for the first race. I like to take things step-by-step, so I’m not thinking long term at the moment, but I’m certainly ready for FP1 in less than two weeks! The Top 15 riders are really close, so I think it will be an exciting Grand Prix.”
Alex Rins
Joan Mir – P6
“It’s been a successful test; I improved my lap times and my pace each day and I feel really happy with the bike. Now we just have to continue like this because everything is going in the right direction. We’re really close to the top guys and we have strong pace, but in the race it can be a different story. The Team have done an incredible job, so let’s see what happens!”
Joan Mir
Breaking the domination in the top five was a job for Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) on Day 3. The Australian was the top Ducati in fifth, 0.247 off the top, and said he completed a couple of time attacks and two longer runs. The number 43 is “quietly confident” heading into the opening weekend of the season, and clocked the fastest-ever top speed at Losail, a ridiculous 355 km/h…
Jack Miller – P5
“It was a good day, we did 2 long runs and the second one was better, where I improved my race pace. With the medium tires my feeling was much better, we can still improve a lot and I am confident that before GP we will find the answers we are looking for.”
Jack Miller
In the Bologna factory camp, Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) was sporting new front aero on one of his bikes, while his other GP20 had the older aero fitted. The Italian said he was pleased with his 22-lap race simulation on Day 3, but the one-lap pace still needs work ahead of the Grand Prix. Team-mate Andrea Dovizioso was still trying the new swingarm.
Ducati Team Manager Davide Tardozzi said the engine is working very well but corner speed – especially on maximum lean angle at the apex – still needs work. In addition, Tardozzi said they are experiencing some issues adapting to Michelin’s new rear tyre.
After finishing P6 on Day 2, Johann Zarco (Reale Avintia Racing) didn’t improve his time as the Frenchman finished P14 overall, two places ahead of Petrucci, with Dovizioso – who was happy with his long run pace – P10 and Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) P11. Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) was just 0.040 off Petrucci’s time.
Andrea Dovizioso – P10
“I am really satisfied with the work done today. We were able to try different setups that helped us understand that we still have some room left for improvement. The most positive aspect of today was the race simulation. With used tyres, I was able to cover the race distance without problems. On top of that, I did a few laps behind Danilo, which helped me to understand how to manage better the tyres. My race pace is good, and I am sure that if we can be fast as the front guys, then we will be able to fight for the top positions during the race weekend”.
Andrea Dovizioso
Pecco Bagnaia – P11
“It was a test where we improved a lot, in particularly about race pace, I’m sorry for the time attack today, because I found traffic in my best lap. What makes me happy and confident is the race simulation. For sure we can improve, but after this test I have a clear idea about the race approach and I have more confidence with my bike.”
Pecco Bagnaia
Johann Zarco – P14
“It has been a good test. Compared to Malaysia I had a better control of the bike and when the tyres are new, I can get a good lap time. The third day I cannot improve the second day time because I’ve been working in other things, sometimes we have small problems that don’t help us to continue with the plan that we have. I’m happy with the test and I can’t wait for the first race.”
Johann Zarco
Danilo Petrucci – P16
“I am happy about this final day of testing here in Qatar. We tried to manage our last session well without focusing on lap times and giving priority to the long run. We were able to cover the same distance as the race and to remove the doubts that we still had. Now we need to work well during the race weekend to be able to secure a good starting position for the race. As we were fast during the race simulation, I am sure that we will be able to be competitive also in the race”.
Danilo Petrucci
Tito Rabat – P17
“It was a positive test. It will be a hard-fought championship as we are all in the same second. On the one hand, satisfied with the time, we have to improve lap by lap. We have to stay calm and keep working day by day as we are doing. I begin to have ideas about the structure of how to drive this Ducati to go fast. Now to recover and go back to Qatar at full speed for the race.”
Tito Rabat
It was a busy and intriguing day for reigning Champions Honda as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) started with three bikes in his garage, one of those being Takaaki Nakagami’s (LCR Honda Idemitsu) 2019 RC213V. Marquez was seventh overall, Nakagami less than a tenth off.
Marc Marquez – P7
“After the first two days I was a little worried in all honesty as we were struggling to understand how to improve where we needed to. But today we have made a big breakthrough and now we understand what we need to do, I’m really pleased with what we have done. I was able to be really consistent and I was happy with my rhythm. I have to say a big thank you to Honda, the engineers and my mechanics because they have worked a lot this test and the results are showing for us. We have a direction to follow when we return here for the race.”
Marc Marquez
Takaaki Nakagami – P8
“I’m really happy with these three days of testing, we have been improving every single day. The lap time is good and close to the top – only three-tenths away from the fastest. We’ve seen quite an improvement, and I’m happy with the feeling on the bike. With the new tyres for this year, from the second day to the last we have made improvements when they are well used. The physical condition of my right shoulder has also improved significantly, and I’m happy about how it feels because I’m in less pain. At the end of the day I still have energy, so this is a good sign. We still have one week left, and we will try and recover even more before the start of the season, but we will be ready for Qatar. I really appreciate the LCR Honda Idemitsu Team’s efforts throughout testing. Not only are they having to work through the night for tests here, but they have lots of work to do in the daytime also. All the mechanics have done a great job. I’m really happy and hopefully we can show our potential over the race weekend.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Nakagami’s team-mate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) completed 70 laps as HRC went in search of finding improvements on the final day in Qatar, with the Japanese giants testing things “from two or three years ago” according to Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig. Crutchlow said he was happy with his pace, but over one or two laps the number 35 is struggling with stopping the bike and grip with the new tyre.
Cal Crutchlow – P18
“Today was a very difficult day because of the injuries I suffered in yesterday’s crash. My arm is still very swollen and there is a big haematoma on the elbow. So to do 70 laps today, I’m not sure there are many others who would have been able to do that. My team work really hard, as we all do, but then it’s down to me to tough it out and just get on with the job at hand. Overall, we managed to get through a lot of things this evening, some positive and some negative. We just need to keep working on those negatives by giving HRC all the feedback and information we’ve collected here, so that they can improve the bike for the first race next week.”
Cal Crutchlow
Premier class rookie Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) completed another 47 laps as the Spaniard admitted it was a difficult test for himself and the team, but the reigning Moto2 World Champion was reasonably confident that he has a decent pace for the race weekend.
Alex Marquez – P21
“Today again I was feeling better physically, and the first 30 laps were quite good. We didn’t really have a chance to do a proper time attack today as we were busy with other things and I am still not physically at my best. We were strong in Sepang and here we haven’t been as close as I would have liked to the rest of the field. Thanks to our work this test my team think they have some solutions for the GP next week, I am pleased with this. Now I’ll return home to prepare in the best way possible for my first MotoGP race.”
Alex Marquez
One of the riders of the test based on time-sheets alone has to be Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rookie Brad Binder, however. The South African slammed in a mighty impressive 1m54.283 on Day 3 to leave him ninth on the combined and Day 3 times, just 0.425s from Viñales’ pacesetting lap. As his team-mate Pol Espargaro explained earlier in the test, KTM didn’t have anything new to try on Day 3 as they don’t want to start getting lost. Working for the race was the Austrian factory’s objective as it seems their initial 2020 base is pretty much sorted, however there was a slight blip for Espargaro on the final day as he crashed unhurt at Turn 2. Over in the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 camp, Miguel Oliveira and premier class rookie Iker Lecuona finished P19 and P20, but the gaps were only 1.150s and 1.443s respectively.
Pol Espargaro – P15
“A good day but not such a great ending. We worked well and got some good info with a lot of things but then got a bit lost and it affected us going for a time attack. We made a couple of mistakes and had some issues and then I lost the front on Turn 2 which meant we could not have the happy end we wanted. Overall it has been a great test though and I feel very ready for the race weekend and that’s the most important thing. Brad did very well with a good lap at the right time and that shows we can be there.”
Pol Espargaro
Brad Binder – P9
“I was quite surprised to be honest. I felt comfortable and we made some changes today that helped me a lot and sorted many of my issues. I put in a new set of tyres and ‘bam!’ the lap-time came. The bike was good. I felt way more comfortable to get it stopped, turned quicker and also get on the throttle earlier. Once we figured that part out then it was a lot easier to put a fast lap together but it was still quite difficult to do 22 of them, so I have a long way to go! We made some good steps these three days and the team has been awesome. I’m looking forward to continuing at the GP.”
Brad Binder
Miguel Oliveira – P19
“For sure, the last day was much better than the first two days, at least the lap time progression was there. We couldn’t really use the soft tyre to make a lap time and we mainly focused on the medium tyre to find a race pace, which is right now much better than half of the riders in front of us. This is quite scary, but also positive in a way. Of course, we need to start the race a bit further in front. We have some ideas to work on the race weekend. Testing is always a bit tricky because many riders do a quick lap time and they don’t really have a pace, so in real conditions, you can really see, who is faster and who is not. So, I hope in less than two weeks’ time, we can figure out a way, that we can extract a good lap time.”
Miguel Oliveira
Iker Lecuona – P20
“Overall, I felt good today, apart from a minor crash we had this morning. When I came back to the track in the afternoon, the wind had picked up quite a lot, which is a completely new situation for me. We also tried the new Michelin tyre, which I still need to understand further. When I see the three complete days of test here then I can say that I’m satisfied, although there are still things to improve.”
Iker Lecuona
Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Race Manager
“We still had a lot on the list after Sepang and we managed to get through it here, so the team and the riders did a great job. The focus was to work hard on the bikes to find the final configuration for the race weekend. Generally, we are happy and it is important that all four riders are fit for the start of the season. I think there is clear proof that we made a step with the bike from 2019 to 2020. The lap-time from Brad was very impressive by a rookie but we have been looking at the longer outings and he did well there also. Pol didn’t go for a super-fast time today but we are not worried about his performance at all. The Tech3 guys made some good steps and, as we have seen in the past, lap-times are not always the priorities at winter tests.”
Sebastian Risse, Technical Coordinator MotoGP
“From a technical point of view we are ready. We managed to do most of the large items on our test schedule in Sepang and we know Losail is quite special in terms of the conditions and the way it changes with day sessions and night races and so on. So, we focussed on race distance and knowing the tyres specs better and for this place in particular: this all worked out quite well. You have to look behind the list of times when you are here. I think we are quite well-prepared but we did struggle a bit with Pol today to make the ultimate lap-time; however we know what we have to look for and what we need to do so we are confident.”
Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager
“The final MotoGP test is over, which is exciting news because that means next time we are on track, it will be for round one, which is what everybody has been waiting for since end of the Valencia race. I believe the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team has had some productive winter tests, six days in Sepang and another three days here in Qatar. We knew that the Losail International Circuit was going to be more difficult than what we experienced in Malaysia, that this circuit is a tough one for us and although the final positions are not looking great tonight, the gap to the leaders is a lot smaller than last year. I can’t say that we are 100 percent happy, but I believe we gathered a lot of useful data. I trust Miguel, Iker and the whole Tech3 crew to find some solutions to get a few tenths, that will take us further towards the front. MotoGP itself is definitely a lot more competitive than it used to be in the past. We have 18 riders within a second, which is showing how close everything is and how small improvements can make you jump a few positions. As usual and always, I want to see the glass half full and not half empty, so we give ourselves a few days of rest, a few days of thinking, a few days of finding some good ideas and we’ll be back in Qatar and hopefully where we would like to be, which is in top 10/top 12 positions.”
Aprilia Racing Technical Director Romano Albesiano confirmed their sole purpose was to decide on the engine spec’ they’ll use for the season. At the end of play, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) finished P13 on the timesheets, just over half-a-second off Viñales, with test rider Bradley Smith completing a further 55 laps on Monday as Aprilia continue to gather crucial data on their brand new RS-GP. Espargaro said he showed a strong pace on race simulation, lapping in mid-1m54s for plenty of laps was good news for the number 41. A busy test for both riders means Aprilia have a lot of analysing to do before the Qatar GP…
Aleix Espargaro – P13
“These were three intense days. We did not turn a lot of laps, but we did a lot of work, also taking into account the inevitable hiccoughs that come with the youth of the RS-GP. Overall, we confirmed the potential that had already been seen in Malaysia on this track as well. Especially today in the race simulation: I was able to maintain a good pace. In fact, the feeling improved lap after lap. Now we’ll need to do a good job analysing the data over the next ten days and make the right choices, putting together a package that will allow us to be competitive already in the first race weekend. Aprilia wants it, I want it and I am confident that we will succeed.”
Aleix Espargaro
Bradley Smith – P22
“We did a good job. We concentrated first on testing functionality and then on a few development ideas, not only short-term, but also to give the engineers a direction for the evolutions in the coming months. On a completely new bike, every lap is as precious as gold. The first race on the calendar is just around the corner, and we need to speed up the growth process to have a good base to start from. In terms of the ride, I am pleased with the progress made concerning the pace, whereas I am still lacking a bit of confidence when it comes to doing a flying lap. That is not the most important thing right now, though.”
Bradley Smith
Yamaha and Suzuki have emerged as early Qatar GP favourites, with Honda seeming to have plenty of work to do ahead of Round 1. However, a Grand Prix weekend is a different kettle of fish and we will find out on judgement day – Sunday 8th March – as to how competitive each rider and team really are. The top 18 were split by less than a second, so let’s bring on Friday 6th March when the 2020 MotoGP World Championship gets underway!
One of the most popular Harley models ever sold in Australia will arrive at $A21,495 ($NZ22,750), ride away.
This entry-level Softail will come in black only with a solo seat.
It will be a long way from the original 1984 Evo original Softail Standard, now powered by the 107 (1746cc) Milwaukee Eight engine.
In 2017, the Softail range had a major overhaul making them up to 17kg lighter, with better handling thanks to a 17% stiffer frame, emulsion rear shock and Showa dual-bending-valve forks.
The Softail Standard comes with polished highlights, mini-ape bars, a 13.2-litre tank, low-slung 2-into-2 offset shotgun exhausts and 19-inch chromed steel rims with classic spokes.
Its front-end features clear-coated fork sliders, polished triple-clamps, polished top clamp and riser, and chromed headlamp bezel and turn signals.
A compact electronic instrument with digital display is set in the handlebar riser for a clean and uncluttered look.
Softail Standard accessory packages
Accessorise your Softail Standard
Since it’s a blank canvas for customisers there is a choice of four accessory packages.
Day Tripper Custom Package: Pillion seat and a 21-inch detachable sissy bar with pad, passenger foot pegs and mounts, forward foot controls and a black leather Single-Sided Swingarm Bag.
Coast Custom Package: Softail Quarter Fairing, black anodised aluminium Moto Bar handlebar and 5.5-inch riser, a Bevel two-up seat and passenger foot pegs, and BMX-style foot pegs from the 80GRITCollection.
Touring Custom Package: Sundowner two-up seat and passenger foot pegs, a 14-inch-high light smoke quick-release windshield, classic black detachable saddlebags and a 14.5-inch detachable sissy bar and backrest pad.
Performance Custom Package: Throttle response and mid-range acceleration is improved with a Screamin’ Eagle Stage II Torque kit for the Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine, Screamin’ Eagle Pro Street Tuner, Screamin’ Eagle Heavy Breather Performance Air Cleaner and Screamin’ Eagle Street Cannon mufflers. This factory-engineered performance upgrade retains the original equipment factory warranty when installed by an authorised Harley-Davidson dealer.
A similar opportunity was presented in 2019, and as with the previous iteration, the four tickets will be auctioned off to the highest bidders, with proceeds going to the Marco Simoncelli Foundation. Those who are lucky enough to make the cut will receive a riding helmet as a gift, along with photo and video services.
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
What happened this week
Eli Tomac wins 450SX from Ken Roczen in Texas
Chase Sexton claims 250SX triple-header win from McElrath
2020 AORC kicks off in Toowoomba with Rounds 1 & 2
GNCC season kicks off in South Carolina with Round 1
Gibbs closes in on New Zealand MX1 lead at Round 2
Charles Le Francois wins 2020 Pro 450 Arenacross Championship
Tim Gajser & Mitch Evans talk 2020 with HRC
KTM Ultimate Race 2020 entrants announced
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 AMA Motocross
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross
2020 MXGP
2020 American Flat Track
2020 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Speedway
2020 FIM Speedway GP Championship
2020 Australian Dirt Track Championship
2020 Australian Track Championship
2020 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC)
2020 FIM SuperEnduro Championship
2020 AMA Extreme Off-Road East/West
2020 FIM Flat Track World Championship
2020 King of MX
2020 Australian Motocross National Championship
2020 Fox New Zealand Motocross Championship
Eli Tomac wins 450SX from Ken Roczen in Texas
Ken Roczen took first blood in the 450SX class at the Round 8 triple-header, with victory over Cooper Webb while Jason Anderson rounded out that first podium. Barcia was fourth, while the slow-starting Tomac had worked his way up to fifth place by the flag.
Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld
In Moto2 Blake Baggett scored the hole-shot but this time Eli Tomac was quick out of the blocks and Tomac cruised to a clear victory, despite backing off in the latter half of the race, by more than three-seconds over Anderson, with Hill rounding out the podium ahead of Zach Osborne. Roczen was a disappointing seventh, behind Justin Barcia and Malcolm Stewart.
When the gates dropped for the final 450 Moto of the night it was Zach Osborne with the best clutch hand to get the jump ahead of Blake Baggett, Jason Anderson and Ken Roczen. Late race a beautiful move by Tomac saw him go past Anderson, the Husky rider came back at him but Tomac had more speed up his sleeve and just pulled away to take his best supercross victory for some time, and the overall round win.
Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld
Roczen got Osborne, then made some attempts on Anderson before letting caution call the shots. The German was very careful in this moto with his eye more on the championship points standings and not really up for any hard on-track fights that could bring him undone.
Anderson succumbed to the pressure late in the moto and went down in the whoops, allowing Roczen through for second place. Jason Anderson rounded out the podium ahead of Barcia while Osborne salvaged fifth.
Eli Tomac – P1
“We showed that we could fight and overcome adversity tonight. To be completely honest, I just got a bad start and struggled to find any rhythm in the first main event. Once I got into fifth place I kind of just got tight and couldn’t go forward after that. But I was able to quickly regroup with the team, and in the next two main events, we had a much better gate pick each time and were able to control the races from there. I am just happy to be leaving here healthy. We raced something like 50 laps tonight and as you saw, the track took out a lot of key dudes. I am glad we’re through it and looking forward to Atlanta next weekend.”
Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld
Ken Roczen – P2
“The first main was really good. I made some moves early and while I wouldn’t say I checked out, I rode up front the whole race. It was good to get that first win and start with a low number for the night’s overall points. I think the second race is the most important and we wanted to go out there and get a good finish, but it just wasn’t our race at all. I didn’t get the start I wanted and then couldn’t find the same momentum. I’m happy with how we executed the last race though. I battled hard and went back and forth with Eli [Tomac] a couple times and just rode much better in traffic, having people in front of me and making some passes. All in all, with how many crashes there were throughout the whole day and night, and how I struggled with the track overall, I’m really happy to come away healthy and with second overall.”
Ken Roczen & Cooper Webb – Image by Hoppenworld
Jason Anderson – P3
“My weekend went pretty good, it’s hectic out there with the Triple Crown format. My riding seemed to be pretty good all night but I think the most eventful part for me was the whoops. Other than that, I rode good, put myself in good positions and was able to come out with a podium. I’m having a good time and I’m excited to keep going!”
Jason Anderson – Image by Hoppenworld
Justin Barcia – P4
“It was strong racing tonight in Dallas. We got a little bit better on the starts, but still needed something there to get us on the podium. The track was not super technical, but took a few guys out of the race. All in all, my race was really good. I made charges and made passes. I felt really strong and stayed in the hunt. My starts are going to keep getting better, I just need to stay consistent and keep trying my hardest. I’m ready for next week for sure.”
Justin Barcia – Image by Hoppenworld
Zach Osborne – P5
“It’s nice to finally have a good result for the team and also for me, it just makes the workload a lot easier when you have a decent weekend. To lead some laps in the last Main and finish 7-4-3 with a consistent night, I feel pretty good about it, so we’ll just continue to work and keep this momentum rolling in the right direction for the rest of the season.”
Zach Osborne – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Round Overall Results
Pos
Rider
M1
M2
M3
Total
1
Eli Tomac
5
1
1
26
2
Ken Roczen
1
7
2
23
3
Jason Anderson
3
2
5
21
4
Justin Barcia
4
5
4
19
5
Zach Osborne
7
4
3
18
6
Justin Hill
6
3
8
17
7
Malcolm Stewart
8
6
9
16
8
Aaron Plessinger
9
10
7
15
9
Dean Wilson
13
9
6
14
10
Blake Baggett
10
8
13
13
11
Vince Friese
12
11
10
12
12
Cooper Webb
2
17
20
11
13
Chad Reed
14
12
16
10
14
Ryan Breece
18
15
11
9
15
Kyle Chisholm
19
13
12
8
16
Tyler Bowers
16
14
14
7
17
Martin Davalos
11
20
19
6
18
Kyle Cunningham
17
19
15
5
19
James Weeks
20
16
17
4
20
Ronnie Stewart
21
18
18
3
21
Justin Brayton
15
21
21
2
22
Broc Tickle
22
22
22
1
450SX Standings
Pos
Rider
Total
1
Eli Tomac
181
2
Ken Roczen
174
3
Cooper Webb
155
4
Justin Barcia
154
5
Jason Anderson
139
6
Adam Cianciarulo
128
7
Malcolm Stewart
122
8
Justin Hill
110
9
Zach Osborne
105
10
Justin Brayton
105
11
Blake Baggett
104
12
Dean Wilson
100
13
Aaron Plessinger
92
14
Vince Friese
82
15
Martin Davalos
65
16
Tyler Bowers
49
17
Chad Reed
31
18
Kyle Chisholm
29
19
Ryan Breece
25
20
Justin Bogle
24
21
Kyle Cunningham
21
22
Alex Ray
19
23
Chris Blose
18
24
Benny Bloss
13
25
Broc Tickle
12
26
James Weeks
4
27
James Decotis
4
28
Jason Clermont
3
29
Cade Autenrieth
3
30
Ronnie Stewart
3
31
Adam Enticknap
2
32
Fredrik Noren
2
33
Jerry Robin
1
34
Joshua Cartwright
1
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Chase Sexton claims 250SX triple-header win from McElrath
In Moto 1 it took Sexton a few minutes to get the better of Smith but Hampshire had cleared off and he capitalised on that to take a clear victory over Sexton. Shane McElrath recovered from a poor start to work his way through the field and claim the final step on the rostrum.
Chase Sexton – Image by Hoppenworld
Josh Hill narrowly scored the hole-shot over Chase Sexton in Moto 2, and as the race passed the mid-way point McElrath and then Jeremy Martin moved past Crown while a couple of laps later Garrett Marchbanks pushed Crown further back to fifth place.
And that was the order the finished, Sexton getting the flag over nine-seconds ahead of McElrath while Martin rounded out the podium ahead of Marchbanks.
Josh Hill – Image by Hoppenworld
In Moto 3, Shane McElrath scored the hole-shot in the final 250 Main ahead of Chase Sexton, however McElrath proved to have the measure of Sexton as the #1 Honda never got close enough to the Yamaha to try and make a pass. McElrath was the clear victor over Sexton while the super aggressive Hampshire rounded out the podium.
Chase Sexton – P1
“What a night in Arlington. Happy with how everything went last night and how we bounced back after the chaos in the first main! I’m really just having fun out there racing with these guys and stoked to get a win for the team to reward all their hard work this off season. Thank you Texas!”
Chase Sexton – Image by Hoppenworld
Shane McElrath – P2
“I felt awesome all day. I didn’t put myself in a good position tonight with the first two starts. It really tough to catch the leaders, but I fought hard all night and at times maybe a little too hard. I’m happy with my last race and motivated to get behind the gate again next weekend!”
Shane McElrath – Image by Hoppenworld
RJ Hampshire – P3
“In the first race, I got up front and won my first Main Event and I was stoked on that, I fought hard for it,” Hampshire said. “I felt like we got a good start to the year now. Last weekend was a bit rough but I’m confident that we’re just going to keep getting better now.”
RJ Hampshire – Image by Hoppenworld
Garrett Marchbanks – P5
“I am happy with today’s result. I honestly didn’t feel like myself all day today and struggled in sections of the track. I had tweaked my ankle during practice which really bugged me all night long, so to finish with another top-5, I’ll take it. We will continue to work throughout the week to find an even more comfortable flow so that we are ready to go in Atlanta next weekend.”
Garrett Marchbanks – Image by Hoppenworld
250SX Round Overall Results
Pos
Rider
M1
M2
M3
Total
1
Chase Sexton
2
1
2
26
2
Shane Mcelrath
3
2
1
23
3
RJ Hampshire
1
6
3
21
4
Jeremy Martin
5
3
4
19
5
Garrett Marchbanks
6
4
5
18
6
Joshua Hill
9
7
6
17
7
Joey Crown
7
5
10
16
8
Enzo Lopes
8
8
7
15
9
Jalek Swoll
10
12
9
14
10
Jo Shimoda
14
10
8
13
11
Jordan Bailey
13
11
12
12
12
John Short
12
9
15
11
13
Jordon Smith
4
20
14
10
14
Lorenzo Locurcio
16
17
11
9
15
Curren Thurman
17
15
13
8
16
Dustin Winter
15
13
18
7
17
Richard Jackson
18
16
16
6
18
Jace Owen
11
21
21
5
19
Kevin Moranz
21
14
19
4
20
Isaac Teasdale
20
18
17
3
21
Wilson Fleming
19
19
20
2
22
Kyle Peters
22
22
22
1
250SX Standings
Pos
Rider
Total
1
Dylan Ferrandis
135
2
Justin Cooper
128
3
Austin Forkner
122
4
Brandon Hartranft
110
5
Alex Martin
98
6
Jacob Hayes
89
7
Luke Clout
83
8
Michael Mosiman
82
9
Derek Drake
78
10
Mitchell Oldenburg
72
11
Carson Brown
72
12
Martin Castelo
53
13
Killian Auberson
51
14
Aaron Tanti
50
15
Chase Sexton
49
16
Shane Mcelrath
49
17
Jett Lawrence
46
18
Jay Wilson
45
19
Robbie Wageman
43
20
Jeremy Martin
40
21
Rj Hampshire
38
22
Garrett Marchbanks
37
23
Michael Leib
32
24
Joey Crown
31
25
Christian Craig
29
26
Jordon Smith
28
27
Joshua Hill
28
28
Cameron Mcadoo
27
29
Logan Karnow
27
30
Jo Shimoda
26
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2020 AORC kicks off in Toowoomba with Rounds 1 & 2
KTM Enduro Racing Team duo Daniel Milner and Mason Semmens lead the E2 and E1 categories respectively after riding to victory in the opening rounds of the 2020 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) at Toowoomba over the weekend.
Daniel Milner
Defending E2 champion Milner reigned supreme aboard the KTM 450 EXC-F to dominate both days in Queensland, setting the benchmark outright throughout the weekend.
Daniel Milner
“To win the opening rounds of the year is always a good way to start a championship. I made sure I got through it all clean and had good runs over both days, because it was important to maintain consistency and carry the best pace that I could without making mistakes. I felt like I was well-prepared for the season, but you’re never 100 percent sure, so to have such a strong weekend shows that all the hard work has paid off. I’m really happy with the KTM Enduro Racing Team 450 EXC-F, it’s honestly been unbelievable – especially in the conditions that we had on the weekend. We’ve done a lot of work in the off-season and I’m really happy.”
Daniel Milner
It was a spectacular start to the season for Milner, who became a father for the first time during the off-season, and he began his campaign for the new year in remarkable form. He now has a six-point lead in the standings.
Josh Green led the charge for the Yamaha team and battled on determinedly all weekend despite coming into the season opener under-prepared due to a heavy fall just two weeks prior. But the veteran came out all guns blazing on Saturday and posted times near the top of the outright list and took it up to the major players in off road. He finished the day in third-place in the highly competitive E2 division and shadowed Milner and Australian MX Champ, Todd Waters all weekend.
Josh Green
“Two weeks ago it was doubtful I would even be racing, so to not only be competing but also very competitive is a real bonus and I’m satisfied with the result from the weekend. As each day went on, I could feel my strength draining but on Saturday night, I was able to freshen up and tackle Sunday feeling pretty good. The bike was good all weekend, the team worked hard behind the scenes to ensure I had everything I needed and the interest in off road was as good as I have seen it so it’s awesome to see the promotion and energy in racing at the moment. We have a month until rounds three and four so hopefully I can continue to recover and hit them at 100%. But, glad to get through the weekend unscathed, land on the podium both days and get off to a good start in the 2020 championship.”
Josh Green
The weekend also marked the debut of teenage signing Semmens in the KTM Enduro Racing Team and he didn’t disappoint on-board the KTM 250 SX-F, finishing second in E1 on day one and first on day two for the points-lead.
Semmens is the newest member of the factory KTM off-road program after transitioning from motocross full-time for this season. He’d previously won multiple junior national titles as part of the KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team during his career.
Mason Semmens
“To get 2-1 results and take the points-lead over the weekend in my first race with the KTM Enduro Racing Team is a really good feeling. I wasn’t sure where I was going to be at coming into the first round, but the hard work that we did in the off-season showed and I surprised myself a little bit. I’m learning every time I go out and really tried to minimise mistakes, so it was good and I’m really fortunate to be teammates with Milner. Everything has been awesome and I’m definitely feeling comfortable on the KTM 250 SX-F.”
Mason Semmens
Luke Styke took a convincing victory on Saturday, but the juggernaut was slowed on Sunday when he crashed heavily on the second sprint lap that left him sore, sorry and battered. Nursing a banged up elbow and reaggravating an ankle injury, Styke soldiered on for the remainder of the day. He clawed his way to third place in E1 on the day and his combined 1-3 results saw him sitting second after the opening two rounds.
Luke Styke
“Saturday was good and everything was on track but I got it all wrong in a rocky area of the course and fell onto my elbow and also got my ankle stuck under the bike. And I’m not sure what hurts most. I will have to get them both checked out as the pain in both is pretty high. I managed to finish and actually got better as the day went on, but I was no where near 100%. Thankfully the team had my back and encouraged me to keep plugging away and salvage what I could after the crash. My first priority will be to get both my elbow and ankle checked out and make a plan after that.”
Luke Styke
Daniel Sanders and the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team meanwhile claimed assertive E3 class victories in Toowoomba, QLD. Sanders is not yet back at 100 percent following a wrist injury sustained in the pre-season, but put in a fine performance to open his campaign with commanding results aboard the Husqvarna FE 501.
Despite a difficult start on Saturday morning, the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team rider rebounded to land the E3 overall. He continued that form on Sunday, recording the second-fastest times outright in both rounds of racing.
Daniel Sanders
“The results in class were good this weekend in Toowoomba. It’s definitely positive to start the season on top, especially after the way Saturday started and after spending minimal time on the bike in the lead-up. We have the base to build from now in terms of results and will keep working hard, so thanks to everyone at the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team, the FE 501 was really solid as it always is. I’m excited to keep going and look forward to the Dungog rounds coming up.”
Daniel Sanders
Round One Results
Pos
Rider
Time
1
Daniel MILNER
54m39.5
2
Daniel SANDERS
55m21.3
3
Todd WATERS
55m27.3
4
Joshua GREEN
55m36.4
5
Luke STYKE
55m47.2
6
Mason SEMMENS
55m55.5
7
Michael DRISCOLL
56m19.5
8
Beau RALSTON
56m34.5
9
Jonte REYNDERS
56m59.3
10
Cooper SHEIDOW
57m01.6
11
Stefan GRANQUIST
57m05.3
12
Jeremy CARPENTIER
57m07.0
13
Callum NORTON
57m09.3
14
Kyron BACON
57m38.5
15
Korey MCMAHON
58m05.1
16
Fraser HIGLETT
58m14.9
17
Corey HAMMOND
58m27.0
18
Jesse LAWTON
58m38.4
19
Blake HOLLIS
58m44.1
20
William PRICE
58m54.1
21
Harrison TEED
59m10.4
22
Hayden KEELEY
59m22.9
23
Joshua KILVINGTON
59m26.9
24
Brad HARDAKER
59m34.0
25
Brent DEAN
59m40.3
Round Two Results – Top 25
Pos
Rider
Time
1
Daniel MILNER
59m40.0
2
Daniel SANDERS
00m34.4
3
Todd WATERS
01m23.8
4
Joshua GREEN
01m32.3
5
Michael DRISCOLL
1h02m07.2
6
Mason SEMMENS
1h02m17.8
7
Jonte REYNDERS
1h02m39.4
8
Stefan GRANQUIST
1h02m55.1
9
Callum NORTON
1h03m05.1
10
Jeremy CARPENTIER
1h03m44.2
11
Fraser HIGLETT
1h04m02.8
12
Kyron BACON
1h04m04.4
13
Beau RALSTON
1h04m06.3
14
Luke STYKE
1h04m31.4
15
Korey MCMAHON
1h04m44.6
16
Blake HOLLIS
1h04m50.7
17
Jesse LAWTON
1h04m56.7
18
Cooper SHEIDOW
1h05m01.1
19
Corey HAMMOND
1h05m24.6
20
William PRICE
1h06m00.8
21
Brock NICHOLS
1h06m06.9
22
Brad HARDAKER
1h06m11.9
23
Hayden KEELEY
1h06m28.2
24
Harrison TEED
1h06m42.3
25
Samuel PRETSCHERER
1h06m54.3
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
GNCC season kicks off in South Carolina with Round 1
The first round of the 2020 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series concluded on Sunday in Union, South Carolina with the 23rd Annual Big Buck GNCC. Cool and partly sunny conditions greeted the final day of racing at Round 1, making for almost perfect racing conditions.
Kailub Russell – 2020 GNCC Round 1 – Image by Ken Hill
As racing got underway it was Kailub Russell jumping off the line first to grab the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 holeshot award. Russell would lead the race from start to finish, after gaining a lead of over one-and-a-half minutes by the time they completed lap four out of six. Russell would continue to turn the pace up, and by the time the checkered flag flew, Russell would hold a lead of one minute and 51 seconds. Russell earned his 61st career victory, and his last “first-race” win ever.
Coming through in the second place position was Coastal Bi-Con Racing’s Ricky Russell. After completing the first lap of racing Russell was just 1.9 seconds behind the leader, however as the race wore on Russell would fall back to over a minute-gap. Russell remained focused and pushed through the three-hours of racing to earn second overall and a podium finish to start off the season.
Ricky Russell – 2020 GNCC Round 1 – Image by Ken Hill
Josh Strang had a strong performance at round one of the 2020 GNCC season. Strang would come through sixth on the opening lap, but by the time the race reached the halfway point he had worked his way into the final podium position. Strang would continue to push, and hold off his fellow XC1 Open Pro competitors, taking home a third overall at the season opener.
Earning fourth overall aboard his new team, and in his home state was Steward Baylor Jr. Baylor, who would work his way through the pack after a seventh place start to the day. Baylor looked to be making a late race push, as he came through timing and scoring just five-seconds behind Strang at the completion of the three-hours.
Taking fifth in XC1 Open Pro and sixth overall was Jordan Ashburn. After starting the day up in third, Ashburn would battle with his fellow XC1 competitors throughout the entire three-hour race. Ultimately, Ashburn would cross the line three minutes behind fourth place to finish out round one of the 2020 season.
Mike Witkowski – 2020 GNCC Round 1 – Image by Ken Hill
Earning his first-ever XC2 250 Pro class win was Mike Witkowski. After starting the day off in third, Witkowski would put his head down and go to work on picking off the competition. Coming through timing and scoring on the fourth lap, Witkowski had gained the lead, and would not look back. Witkowski came through one minute and 23 seconds ahead of second, while also finishing fifth in the overall standings.
Making his comeback to GNCC Racing was Johnny Girroir. After missing all but three rounds of racing last year due to health concerns, Girroir proved that he has been hard at work to get back to where he was. Girroir held the lead for the first three laps of XC2 racing in South Carolina, and would then engage in a battle for the lead with Witkowski. Girroir would hold onto second all the way to the checkers.
After battling his way through the pack XC2 class it was Coastal Bi-Con Racing’s Craig DeLong coming through the finish line third in the class. DeLong was not satisfied with his third place finish, and expressed that in his podium interview. However, DeLong continued to close the gap throughout the entire race, crossing the finish line just five seconds behind second.
Zack Hayes – 2020 GNCC Round 1 – Image by Ken Hill
Taking the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class win was Zack Hayes. After making the decision to race the 125 class, Hayes would have his work cut out for him. After grabbing the holeshot Jason Raines made his way to the lead on the second lap. Raines would hold the lead, but when the white flag came out Hayes would make the pass for the lead and hold it until the checkered flag came out. Cole Mattison would come through in the third place position after a consistent day of racing in South Carolina.
Brody Johnson took home the Top Amateur honors at Big Buck on Sunday afternoon. Johnson finished 20th overall, and first in 250 A. Tristan Landrum came through second in 250 A and 25th overall earning second on the top amateur podium. Chase Hayes came through 31st overall, and first in the Open A class earning himself a spot on the top amateur podium.
As the 10 a.m. race started Tayla Jones got the jump off the line first and earning the Trail Jesters $100 WXC holeshot award. Jones would hold the lead on the opening lap, but as the WXC riders came through timing and scoring on lap two it was Becca Sheets with the lead.
Becca Sheets – 2020 GNCC Round 1 – Image by Ken Hill
Sheets would hold onto the lead for the remainder of the race, earning the first WXC and overall win of the season. Jones would cross the line second in South Carolina followed by Rachael Archer rounding out the WXC class and overall podium.
At the conclusion of the youth race it was Grant Davis taking the overall win and YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class win at Big Buck. Noah Cooper came through to take second in YXC1 and in the youth overall. Crossing the line third overall was YXC2 Super Mini Jr. rider, Nick Defeo. Jack Joy captured the final podium position in YXC1, while Cole Forbes and Matthew Hallenbeck rounded out the YXC2 class podium.
The first Moto Hero of 2020 was awarded to Travis Snelson. Snelson comes from Asheville, North Carolina and has been in the Army for 15 years, serving his country in Iraq in 2010 as an engineer.
The 2020 GNCC Season continues in two weeks with the Moose Racing Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka, Florida.
Overall National Championship Standings
Kailub Russell (30)
Ricky Russell (25)
Josh Strang (21)
Steward Baylor Jr. (18)
Michael Witkowski (16)
Jordan Ashburn (15)
Grant Baylor (14)
Layne Michael (13)
Jonathan Girroir (12)
Craig DeLong (11)
XC2 250 Pro Series Standings
Mike Witkowski (30)
Jonathan Girroir (25)
Craig DeLong (21)
Jonathan Johnson (18)
Lyndon Snodgrass (16)
Cody Barnes (15)
Liam Draper (14)
Ryder LeBlond (13)
Thorn Devlin (12)
Simon Johnson (11)
Gibbs closes in on New Zealand MX1 lead at Round 2
Kirk Gibbs topped the podium – Image by Clmintiepix
Cody Cooper took the win in the first MX1 Moto of the weekend at Round 2 of the Fox New Zealand Motocross Championship, with Kirk Gibbs having to settle for second, while Hamish Harwood completed the podium. Kayne Lamont was fourth and Brad Groombridge completed the top five.
The second MX1 Moto was an underdog story for Kirk Gibbs however, who had to recover from a crash and ending up down in 17th, all the way up to claiming the race win and 25-points, ensuring he hung onto his championship lead as they head towards Round 3.
Gibbs followed up in Moto 3 with a dominant win, almost 20-seconds ahead of second-placed Kayne Lamont, with Cody Cooper back in third a further 10-seconds behind. Hamish Hardwood and Hadleigh Knight completed the top five in the final race of the weekend.
Kirk Gibbs won the Round Overall in MX1 on 72-points, with Cody Cooper just five-points in arrears, while Hamish Hardwood is a further nine-points behind. Kayne Lamont was just two-points off Harwood on 56-points, while Brad Groombridge was fifth overall.
The result leaves Kirk Gibbs trailing MX1 leader Cody Cooper by just six-points heading into Round 3, with Hamish Harwood a further 16-points off second-place. Kayne Lamont if fourth in the overall standings, with Brad Groombridge fifth.
Kirk Gibbs
“I was frustrated with myself and just wanted to be in the fight, so I pushed really hard and caught all the way back up to Hamish [Harwood] and Coops [Cooper] and was able to pass both of them and get the win, so I was really happy with that one. I’m really happy with the Altherm JCR Yamaha team and my team at home [in the Sunshine Coast], who are working hard in between rounds. I’m stoked with how today ended up.”
MX1 Round Overall
Pos.
Rider
R1
R2
R3
Overall
1
Kirk Gibbs
22
25
25
72
2
Cody Cooper
25
22
20
67
3
Hamish Harwood
20
20
18
58
4
Kayne Lamont
18
16
22
56
5
Brad Groombridge
16
18
15
49
6
Ethan Martens
15
15
11
41
7
Tyler Steiner
14
14
13
41
8
Cody Murphy
13
13
14
40
9
Hadleigh Knight
12
11
16
39
10
Roydon White
11
12
12
35
MX1 Standings
Pos.
Rider
Points
1
Cody Cooper
142
2
Kirk Gibbs
136
3
Hamish Harwood
120
4
Kayne Lamont
95
5
Brad Groombridge
92
6
Ethan Martens
87
7
Tyler Steiner
82
8
Hadleigh Knight
81
9
Cody Murphy
73
10
Roydon White
70
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2
In MX2 Josia Natzke claimed the opening Moto win, ahead of James Scott and Maximus Purvis, with Caleb Ward and Dylan Walsh completing the top five.
Maximus Purvis – Image by Clmintiepix
Kyle Webster came with with a vengeance in the second Moto, after a DNS in Moto 1, claiming the win from Josia Natzke, while Maximus Purvis was once against third. Dylan Walsh and Morgan Fogarty completed the top five.
Kyle Webster again took the win in the third and final Moto of the weekend in the MX2 class, from Maximus Purvis and James Scott, while Dylan Walsh and Josia Natzke completed the top five.
Josia Natzke concluded the the weekend on 63-points for the round, one ahead of Maximus Purvis, while James Scott was third overall on 57-points. Dylan Walsh was fourth, while Kyle Webster was fifth on 50-points, with the DNS in Moto 1 the limiting factor after two Moto wins.
MX2 Round Overall
Pos
Rider
R1
R2
R3
Overall
1
Josiah Natzke
25
22
16
63
2
Maximus Purvis
20
20
22
62
3
James Scott
22
15
20
57
4
Dylan Walsh
16
18
18
52
5
Kyle Webster
0
25
25
50
6
Caleb Ward
18
14
15
47
7
Morgan Fogarty
15
16
14
45
8
Brad Groombridge
14
13
13
40
9
Cobie Bourke
13
12
8
33
10
Broc Martens
12
9
12
33
MX2 Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Josiah Natzke
126
2
Maximus Purvis
118
3
James Scott
114
4
Dylan Walsh
96
5
Morgan Fogarty
92
6
Caleb Ward
90
7
Brad Groombridge
82
8
Riley Ward
70
9
Broc Martens
62
10
Cobie Bourke
58
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Charles Le Francois wins 2020 Pro 450 Arenacross Championship
Suzuki’s RM-Z450 claimed a fifth Arenacross championship title in the hands of SR75 Suzuki’s Charles Le Francois, who won the 2020 Pro 450 Championship at the SSE Arena in London, UK over the weekend.
Charles Le Francois (SR75 Suzuki) – 2020 Pro 450 Arenacross Champion
Frenchman Le Francois sealed this year’s championship with five main event and super final wins, plus another seven podiums. Suzuki’s previous titles were in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Geoff Walker – SR75 Suzuki Team Owner
“This Arenacross tour and championship win is incredible and another big landmark for the team. Charles and everyone involved in what we do deserve this title as we have never stopped pushing. It is unreal to take Charles and give him the opportunity to capture his first pro championship and to do it with a dominant performance at the final round shows how far he has come and we are incredibly proud of him, and the strength of the RM-Z450 package. I would like to thank Ian and everyone at Suzuki GB, all our team partners, our amazing staff, and our incredible riders and supporters for making this all possible.”
Tim Gajser & Mitch Evans talk 2020 with HRC
Three-time world champion Tim Gajser of Team HRC took the MXGP crown by over 200 points in 2019, including a record-breaking seven overall GPs in a row, then rounding off the year with one-two moto results at the Motocross of Nations in Assen, making him the first Slovenian to win his class at the historic event.
Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
In the meantime, Australian Mitch Evans was competing in his first season in the FIM world motocross championship in the MX2 class, getting off to a good start at the MXGP of Patagonia, before settling into a year that was filled with some ups and downs, as he got used to life in the series.
Now with just a few weeks to go until the start of the 2020 FIM World Motocross Championship, Gajser’s focus is fully on defending that title, while Evans hopes to continue his excellent Internazionali d’Italia form into the MXGP championship and prove to everyone he has what it takes to run up front in the toughest motocross series in the world. We caught up with the duo to find out their thoughts heading into this new season…
Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
Question: Just talk briefly about what that 2019 season was like for you.
Tim Gajser: “2019 was an amazing season. Already coming into the season, I was already feeling good, the bike was really great. I was hoping for a great season, and I was struggling a bit early in the season, making too many mistakes in the first races, but then after Valkenswaard we went to Arco and then everything started going in the right direction and I started winning races, Grand Prix’s and eventually the title.”
Mitch Evans: “I got off to a great start by getting on the podium in Argentina, but things didn’t quite go to plan from then on. I struggled a little bit just with everything being new and perhaps trying to push myself too much in order to over-compensate for the results. It was a learning curve though and I’m glad I was able to come over here and do it. Obviously after that I got the call to join Team HRC, it was a dream come true for me, I’ve always grown up looking at the scene over here and HRC is one of the best rides you can have. I was a little bit speechless when it happened but I knew it was going to be a big challenge and I couldn’t wait to get started.”
Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
Q: What has this off-season been like and what can you tell us about the new bike?
Gajser: “It was very busy, I didn’t have a lot of time off, and had a lot to do. I am thankful I could spend a couple of days at home in my own bed, and then beginning of December I started preparation for 2020. Obviously I had Monster Cup right after Assen and then we had a few days with the new bike. I’ve ridden it a lot more this year of course but as soon as I sat on the bike, I felt really good and comfortable. Everything goes in a good way and we can have great races with that bike and a great season. I never try to stop progressing and Honda are the same, they always come with new things and together we can do big things.”
Evans: “I went over to Japan just for one race at the end of last year and that was a really cool experience. It was great to see what HRC is all about and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience there. Then I went back to Australia for a little bit over the holidays before coming back to Europe this year to ride the new bike and to just work with the team in preparation for the MXGPs. The first time I rode it was in Sardinia and right away I was impressed with what they had done. I was coming from a different place than Tim but I knew that it was a machine capable of winning races and that they’d put in a lot of time and effort to getting it ready for this year.”
Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
Q: What about your preparations for this coming season and how you plan to approach it?
Gajser: “Last year I changed many things and I was super happy with that, so basically we try and stay with the same program, but you can always improve and I tried to improve some things and we try and do that every year, that is the goal. Every year, some riders from MX2 come to MXGP and it makes it bigger and there are more good riders. Already we have the great names, but this year even more good guys and the motivation is that you need to improve, and I always say it could be better. Even winning the races and the titles, I always feel I can do better.”
Evans: “I’ve done a lot of gym work to make sure I’m ready for the extra size and power of the 450 machine. I started a little bit earlier, which meant that I could go to Australia and I think that was important as it refreshed me a bit. Last year I wasn’t able to go home and I felt a bit homesick so just those couple of weeks I think have made a big difference mentally and physically. I’ve tried to work smarter and not just harder, but now I’m back working with the team to get everything ready for this season and it’s all going well.”
Q: Things went very well in Italy, with the pair of you going one-two in the Internazionali d’Italia and winning all the races. Talk about that championship.
Gajser: “It was a great way to start off the season. Of course it isn’t the MXGPs but it was important to see where the new bike was and straight away we can tell it doing very well. We got almost all the holeshots and led all the laps and I felt comfortable right from the beginning. I am very happy with how those three races went and it sets us up nicely for Matterley Basin.”
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Evans: “Like Tim said, those three races went very well. I was very happy with my results and my racing, and my fitness was good too. Winning the last race was also a great feeling for me as it had been a little while since my last victory and it was just a great way to head into the world championships. Things will definitely be tougher there but I’m feeling strong and the Honda CRF450RW is riding well and is fast out of the gate and that is going to be very important when the season begins.”
Q: What are you hoping to achieve in the MXGP class this year?
Gajser: “Defending my title is definitely the goal, but of course, I want to have fun, enjoy the races and stay healthy. I just want to enjoy and if I am having fun riding my dirt bike, I can go really fast. A happy Tim is a fast Tim, so I hope we have good races this year.”
Evans: “I would like to be one of the three or four guys at the front of the field by the end of the season. I know it will be a massive challenge, and I know that the class is extremely competitive with a lot of fast guys in it but I believe that is what I am capable of eventually. To start with, I just want to be consistent and make sure I am in the top 10 each weekend. I want to build my fitness and just work from there towards the front of the field. I’d love to get a couple of podiums and perhaps even a win before the year is out but I’d be happy with a couple of podiums.”
Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
Q: What’s it like having Tim / Mitch as your team-mate?
Gajser: “Mitch is a funny guy and he is a good team-mate. We spent a couple of days in November together and we stayed a couple of weeks in Sardinia and riding and having some meals together. He is a good guy, fast, young. I am getting older, but it is nice having Mitch beside me and he is younger and hungry, and he wants to show he is fast. He already proved in Mantova that he can win races so I think he has a chance to have a very good season this year.”
Evans: “Having Tim as three-time world champion as my team-mate is pretty cool. To be on the same team that he did it on is awesome because they know how to win as well. I couldn’t have anyone better to learn from, so I’m looking forward to improving from him and he’s a great guy, we get along really well so I’ve really enjoyed my time riding with him. We have a bit of banter when we can but when we need to be serious, we are, and its just a good dynamic between us both.”
Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
So with three highly successful Italian races under their belts, the Team HRC duo of Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans will head to Matterley Basin, Great Britain for the opening round of the 2020 MXGP series full of confidence and ready to show that both the brand new Honda CRF450RW and themselves are ready to take on world motocross championship.
See below for the 2020 MXGP calendar.
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
KTM Ultimate Race 2020 entrants announced
Following special qualifying events held within each of the six KTM Adventure Rallies across the world in 2019, KTM has announced the names of those 12 finalists who will be given the once in a lifetime opportunity to race a rally-prepared KTM 790 Adventure R Rally machine at the KTM Ultimate Race 2020.
KTM Ultimate Race
Held within the upcoming Merzouga Rally on May 24 to 29, the second edition of the KTM Ultimate Race will see 12 KTM Adventure riders from Europe, South Africa, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand race aboard equally prepared KTM 790 Adventure R Rally machines. A six-day-long challenge of more than 1,000km, the KTM Ultimate Race 2020 will be a true test for each participant’s riding skills as well as their ability to navigate their way across the Moroccan dunes.
The members of the global KTM Adventure community who have topped their respective KTM Adventure Rally qualifiers to secure their spot at the KTM ULTIMATE RACE 2020 are:
KTM Australia Adventure Rally
Simon Arthur
Graham Cheney
European KTM Adventure Rally
Iker Iturregi
Andrej Crnkovic
KTM South Africa Adventure Rally
Cayle Dormehl
Keegan Eich
KTM North America Adventure Rally
Wes Van Nieuwenhuise
Brendan Crow
KTM Canada Adventure Rally
Wayne Hodder
Wendell Maki
KTM New Zealand Adventure Rally
Mark Dando
Matthew Kneesch
The KTM Ultimate Race is a special category at the Merzouga Rally, very similar to the main event and ridden mostly on the same routes. All participants will face a grueling six-day-long race from the dusty trails to the dunes of Morocco.
KTM Ultimate Race
Each competitor will have access to a specially prepared KTM 790 Adventure R Rally machine, which will be equipped with a host of KTM PowerParts along with a roadbook to help them navigate through the desert. All KTM Ultimate Race participants will be treated like KTM Factory riders, supported on site with a truck and a team of mechanics to help out with parts and tools or with maintaining the bike after a tough race day.
Along with this unique and exclusive prize, competitors will be given a fantastic opportunity to be coached by some of the world’s finest offroad riders. Chris Birch and Quinn Cody will be present to provide their close guidance and tutelage, while actively supporting these riders in every aspect of how to manage this challenge.
KTM Ultimate Race
Featuring more than 1,000km of offroad riding and navigating in the heart of Morocco, the upcoming Merzouga Rally will take place on May 24/29, 2020.
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 AMA Motocross race schedule
May 17 – Hangtown Motocross Classic – Rancho Cordova, CA
May 24 – Fox Raceway National – Pala, CA
May 31 – Thunder Valley National – Lakewood, CO
June 7 – Florida National – Jacksonville, FL
June 21 – High Point National – Mt. Morris, PA
June 28 – Southwick National – Southwick, MA
July 5 – RedBud National – Buchanan, MI
July 19 – Spring Creek National – Millville, MN
July 26 – Washougal National – Washougal, WA
August 16 – Unadilla National – New Berlin, NY
August 23 – Budds Creek National – Mechanicsville, MD
August 30 – Ironman National – Crawfordsville, IN
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Calendar
Jan. 4 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 11 – The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Jan. 18 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 25 – State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Feb. 1 – Ringcentral Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
Feb. 8 – Petco Park, San Diego, Calif.
Feb. 15 – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Feb. 22 – AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Feb. 29 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
March 7 – Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Fla.
March 14 – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianpolis, Ind.
March 21 – Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
March 28 – Centurylink Field, Seattle, Wash.
April 4 – Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, Co.
April 18 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
April 25 – Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
May 2 – Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah
2020 MXGP Calendar
March 1 – Great Britain, Matterley Basin (EMX125, WMX)
March 8 – The Netherlands, Valkenswaard – (EMX250, WMX)
March 22 – Patagonia, Argentina, Neuquen
April 5 – Trentino I, Pietramurata – (EMX250, EMX 2t)
April 19 – Spain, (TBA) – (EMX125, WMX)
April 26 – Portugal, Agueda – (EMX125, EMX250)
May 10 – France, Saint Jean d’Angely – (EMX125, EMX Open)
May 17 – Italy, Maggiora – (EMX Open, WMX)
May 24 – Germany, Teutschenthal – (EMX250, EMX Open)
Leon Haslam, Tom Sykes and Loris Baz were the first riders on track this morning as they gingerly felt their way around the Phillip Island Circuit after heavy rain overnight. The track was mainly dry though and drying further with each minute that passed.
Day one pace-setter Toprak Razgatloglu along with Alvaro Bautista and Chaz Davies then joined the track about half-hour in to the two-hour morning session.
Baz was the first man into the 1m30s this morning, a 1m30.524 as the session went into the second hour.
Jonathan Rea then went quickest so far this week, a 1m30.448 to the reigning world champion with half-an-hour remaining in the morning session.
Tom Sykes then joined the 1m30s party with a 1m30.568 on the BMW S 1000 RR and Toprak Razgatlioglu set a 1m30.886. The Turk improved to 1m30.752 later in the session, still did not quite match his 1m30.740 from yesterday.
Tom Sykes
The top-end horsepower of the Honda was again displayed today with Alvaro Bautista hitting 322.4 km/h down the chute, the fastest top speed recorded here so far this week. For comparative purposes, Bautista was the fastest through the speed trap at the Phillip Island WorldSBK race event last year with 322.4 km/h on the Ducati V4 R in practice. Chaz Davies set the fastest speed here last year in a race at 321.4 km/h on the Ducati.
Bautista made solid gains this morning down to a 1m31.453 but Haslam remains the quickest Honda, the Brit sixth fastest this morning on 1m31.046. Haslam was third quickest through the speed trap.
Takumi Takahashi had a big crash yesterday and did not feel up to riding this morning.
WorldSBK riders will hit the circuit again at 1340 this afternoon for a final two-hour session before WorldSSP competitors are then out on track between 1550 and 1740.
Phillip Island WorldSBK Testing Tuesday Morning Times
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