Wodonga ProMX Round 5 postpone due to Covid
The ProMX Management Team have postponed Round 5 of the Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores, which was to be held at Wodonga, Victoria.
This decision has been made due to the continued complications of state government COVID-19 restrictions which have resulted from the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks across Australia including South East Queensland and Greater Sydney.
The postponement decision has not been made lightly, as enforced border restrictions have affected a number of riders and teams, but more significantly they affect the ability to produce the ProMX Live TV production that is based from Greater Sydney.
ProMX Management has made the decision to provide advance notification to riders and teams during this highly complicated time, after the NSW Government recently extended its Greater Sydney lockdown for a further seven days.
Round 5 of the ProMX Championship was to be held July 25 at Wodonga, VIC. ProMX Management Team and the host club, Albury-Wodonga MCC will now work closely to review a potential new date the Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores.
2021 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship scheduled for July 15
The 2021 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship is scheduled for July 15-20 in Du Quoin, Ill., promising five days of intense competition among the nation’s elite amateur riders as the Grand Championship returns to the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.
This year’s event features 24 competitive classes, and in addition to racing the Mile on day one, racers will compete on the Half-Mile, TT and Short Track over the five-day event. The full racing schedule, class structure and updated regulations can be viewed at americanmotorcyclist.com.
The Magic Mile has an illustrious history in flat track racing, with races dating back to the 1920s. The return to the Magic Mile for 2021 is the first in over half a decade.
AMA National No. 1 plates will be awarded to the racers in each class who earn the highest point totals. Racers will compete for the Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award, which honors an amateur racer poised for success at the pro level.
Awards will also be given for AMA Youth Flat Track Racer of the Year and AMA Vet/Senior Flat Track Racer of the Year. The Bill Werner Fast Brain Award will also be handed out to racers who are fast and display academic excellence. The award is bestowed upon a racer based upon his or her performance at the event, as well as their performance in school based on official school transcripts supplied at the time of application.
2021 SGP finale in Torun becomes a double
The FIM and BSI Speedway have revealed that the season-ending 2021 eWinner Torun FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland will now be a double-header event. The action takes place on Friday, October 1 and Saturday, October 2 at the Marian Rose Motoarena.
As with the previously announced double-headers, riders will compete each night for the maximum 20 points per SGP round. The final stop on the 2021 calendar is sure to be an exciting weekend, culminating in a world champion being crowned.
Torun has hosted an FIM Speedway Grand Prix round every year since 2010, with the World Championship trophy being presented six times at the Motoarena.
Tickets for the newly-announced Friday event will be available in due course.
Honda’s first MXGP champ meets its latest at Matterly Basin
At the second round of the 2021 FIM World Motocross Championship, in Matterley Basin, there was a meeting between two very special riders in Honda’s illustrious history – Graham Noyce and Tim Gajser.
The importance of these two legends cannot be understated as Noyce was Honda’s first ever world motocross champion in 1979, in the 500cc class, leading the way for a whole host of title-winning riders on red machines to follow, including Gajser, who is the reigning 2020 MXGP champion, on board his Honda CRF450RW.
In the years between, the list of champions riding Honda machines is unmatched by any other manufacturer, with a total of 20 titles by nine different riders in the 41 years, including a streak from 1984-1993 when Honda won every single premier title. And when you add in other world motocross championship classes, that streak extends to 1997 for a total of 14 years when Honda was on the top step of the final podium.
With over double the number of premier class championships, Honda could actually increase their dominance even further after the 2021 season as Gajser looks to win his third MXGP title in a row. He is already the most successful rider in their history with four titles and 30 GP wins and he is currently holding the red-plate in this year’s championship after third round which just took place in Maggiora, Italy.
Number of Premier Class Titles for Honda
3 – Tim Gajser
3 – Georges Jobe
3 – David Thorpe
3 – Andre Malherbe
2 – Frederic Bolley
2 – Stefan Everts
2 – Eric Geboers
1 – Greg Albertyn
1 – Graham Noyce
World Championship Titles for Honda
1979 – Graham Noyce (500cc)*
1980 – Andre Malherbe (500cc)*
1981 – Andre Malherbe (500cc)*
1984 – Andre Malherbe (500cc)*
1985 – David Thorpe (500cc)*
1986 – David Thorpe (500cc)*
1987 – Georges Jobe (500cc)*
1987 – Eric Geboers (250cc)
1988 – Eric Geboers (500cc)*
1988 – Jean-Michel Bayle (125cc)
1989 – David Thorpe (500cc)*
1989 – Jean-Michel Bayle (250cc)
1990 – Eric Geboers (500cc)*
1991 – Georges Jobe (500cc)*
1991 – Trampas Parker (250cc)
1992 – Georges Jobe (500cc)*
1992 – Greg Albertyn (125cc)
1993 – Greg Albertyn (250cc)*
1994 – Marcus Hansson (250cc)
1995 – Alessandro Puzar (125cc)
1996 – Stefan Everts (250cc)*
1997 – Stefan Everts (250cc)*
1999 – Frederic Bolley (250cc)*
2000 – Frederic Bolley (250cc)*
2011 – Julien Bill (MX3)
2013 – Klemen Gercar (MX3)
2015 – Tim Gajser (MX2)
2016 – Tim Gajser (MXGP)*
2019 – Tim Gajser (MXGP)*
2020 – Tim Gajser (MXGP)*
* denotes premier class title
Bolt claims 2021 Abestone Hard Enduro victory
Britain’s Billy Bolt started off by laid down the gauntlet at round three of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, producing the fastest qualification time at the Abestone Hard Enduro.
Already looking at home in the Tuscan mountains, Bolt topped Saturday’s time sheets ahead of Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) and Taddy Blazusiak (GASGAS).
After a nine-week wait between the opening round at Extreme XL Lagares and the Abestone Hard Enduro, this year’s FIM Hard Enduro World Championship has finally roared back into life. Friday’s ELEVEIT Extreme Test gave competitors a chance to stretch their legs over a short but demanding extreme course.
The new Italian event promised much with big mountain riding, gnarly rocky climbs, and true Hard Enduro terrain, and it delivered on every count. After Saturday’s qualification, competitors got down to the business end of the weekend with the LIQUI MOLY Super Final, where two laps of a world-class Hard Enduro awaited them.
Having topped both Friday’s timed practice and Saturday’s qualification, Bolt sat on pole position for Sunday and started as the rider everyone had to beat. However, with just a 12-second cushion over closest rival Lettenbichler, it was still all to play for.
With Bolt opening the course, Lettenbichler patiently took his time and then gave chase. Knowing the early river section would be tough, he worked it hard and immediately caught up to Bolt’s rear wheel. From there the fight for victory was on. Throughout the two laps the duo swapped positions.
Lettenbichler appeared to have the edge on the rocky climbs up the mountain, while Bolt held the advantage on the way down. Pulling the pin on the final descents, Bolt put his Husqvarna out front and held Lettenbichler off to win.
Billy Bolt
“It’s awesome to pull off the win – it’s been a dream weekend for me to be honest. I came here wanting to show that my pace at Extreme XL Lagares was no fluke and that I’m ready for the riverbeds and climbs and I got to show that. The race itself was a bit of a blur, it was proper intense. I messed the early river section up and Mani got on my wheel, and we just battled from there. He had me in the Minestrone Rock Garden, but I felt strong in the woods. On the final lap I just went for the pass, made it stick and hung it out for the win!”
Manuel Lettenbichler
“I’m a little bummed not to have won, but second is definitely a great start to the season and the pace we had over the rest of the field was very strong. I can’t complain with my riding, I gave it everything and it was a good fight with Billy. I caught him early in the river and we rode back and forth together for most of the race. It came down to the wire, but just didn’t go my way. But it’s good to know where my pace is at now and with what we showed today, there’s going to be a lot more tight battles to come.”
Behind the leading duo – over 13 minutes behind, such was the speed of the top two – Jarvis was another man on a mission. Hampered by a starting position of ninth, he had work to do. Building pace as the race progressed, he began to pull back positions. A gamble not to refuel at the end of lap one leapfrogged him further up the running order. And with a strong run over the mountain, the 46-year-old Hard Enduro legend, took third.
Graham Jarvis
“My qualification wasn’t too good with ninth, so I had a good bit of traffic in front of me most of the way through. I rode too tense on the first lap and struggled to find a decent rhythm – especially with those early riverbed sections. Gradually I got the speed up and lap two was much better. We gambled on not refuelling and it worked out in our favour. I think my speed and fitness was there to get up with the top two, but the early issues didn’t make it possible. But I’m looking forward now for Red Bull Romaniacs.”
Putting in a strong showing throughout the two laps, Jonny Walker (Beta) just didn’t have an answer for Jarvis in the closing stages and had to be content with fourth. Shadowing Jarvis off the line, Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) kept close to his teammate during the opening lap. But with Jarvis finding another gear on lap two, the Spaniard wasn’t able to go with him, ending his race fifth.
Alfredo Gomez
“The first part of the race was good. Riding with Graham I was feeling good. We managed to catch and pass a lot of the other guys on the way up the mountain, but on the descents I wasn’t so comfortable. I’m happy to go top five and finally get the season underway, but today wasn’t my best day.”
Taddy Blazusiak fought hard, right to the end, to claim a sixth place result, showing great speed throughout the three-day event.
Taddy Blazusiak
“I really enjoyed today – the race was really tough, but good fun, and I think in general I rode really well. I was in the fight for the podium early on and heading through the river section I made a mistake that cost me some time and put me a few minutes behind the guys in front. I tried my best to claw the time back, but I bruised my ribs a little in the crash and decided to aim for a good, safe finish. I’m really happy with sixth place, especially as I was on pace with the others. The event here in Italy has been great, the fans have been amazing too. The race is really intense, the terrain is perfect for hard enduro – I hope it stays on the calendar for a long time to come.”
The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship continues with round four at Red Bull Romaniacs in Romania on July 27-31.
Source: MCNews.com.au