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Sunderland celebrates GasGas’s Dakar win in Mattihhofen

The entire GASGAS family congratulated Sam Sunderland on his outstanding performance at Dakar Rally in Mattighoffen in Australia, with history made for the manufacturer in just their third try at the Dakar. For Pierer Mobility AG which includes KTM and Husqvarna, it also marked their 19th title.

To celebrate the 2022 Dakar victory in style, Sam Sunderland handed over the trophy at the Headquarters to Stefan Pierer, before riding his winning Dakar bike through various buildings to the delight of all employees.

Sam Sunderland

“It’s incredible to celebrate my Dakar win with everyone from GASGAS, I will remember this day forever. This really was a team effort with so many people at the factory in Austria fully behind the rally program, so it’s amazing to share this special result with all of them. This Dakar win really does feel so much better than my first! It’s my first rally win with GASGAS and things couldn’t have gone any better. The bike worked perfectly from the start, which made things a lot easier, as this year’s race was one of the toughest I’ve ever done. It’s been five years since my first win and with it being such a tight race this year, it makes this victory much sweeter.”

Stefan Pierer – CEO PIERER Mobility AG

“Winning our 19th Dakar Rally title and to bring back the trophy to Mattighofen is a very special moment for everyone here in the company. It clearly underlines our commitment to this very special event and writes a positive new chapter in our incredible Dakar history. Sam’s performance was truly impressive. With the support of the GASGAS team, he managed the race perfectly, fighting hard and using his experience perfectly. This is a result everyone involved in GASGAS can be very proud of.”

Pit Beirer – Motorsport Director

“Sam has done an incredible job at this year’s Dakar. It was a long fight, with many challenges to overcome, but with the support of the whole Motorsports team he was able to bring the trophy back to Austria. We are so proud of all the hard work the whole GASGAS team have put in to achieve their first Dakar win – it’s an historic victory and hopefully just the first success in what will be a successful year for the brand. When you think about what goes into a race like Dakar – the preparation, the logistics, the trucks, everything that goes on behind the scenes – all of this must come together to claim a win at one of the toughest events on the motorsport calendar. This is another important step in the onward progression of the GASGAS brand.”

Robert Jonas – Vice President Motorsports Offroad

“To win the Dakar Rally is a huge achievement for both Sam and the GASGAS Factory Racing team. We are extremely proud of the victory and definitely thankful to the hard work of so many. Sam did an amazing job, maintaining good speed and consistency at this year’s race, as well as navigating well through every stage to ensure he stayed near the top of the standings. And with such a dedicated team behind him, that performance was rewarded with a win at the world’s toughest rally raid. Congratulations to Sam and the whole of GASGAS Factory Racing.”

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Riders Talk 2022 AMA Supercross Round Four, Anaheim II

450 Main

Ken Roczen took the early lead ahead of Shane McElrath, Malcolm Stewart and Jason Anderson. Eli Tomac was fifth ahead of Marvin Musquin and Chase Sexton on lap one.

Malcolm Stewart moved up to second place on the following lap and then both Jason Anderson, and Eli Tomac, followed by Chase Sexton pushed McElrath further back to sixth.

Jason Anderson was on a charge and took Stewart for second place, two laps later Tomac did the same to relegate to Stewart back to fourth.

Jason Anderson reeled in Ken Roczen and the two then collided in the sand resulting in Roczen going down. Roczen was all the way down in 18th place by the time he was back up and running, while Anderson now led the race.

Meanwhile Chase Sexton had moved up to third place after passing Stewart.

Jason Anderson then jumped a little too far through a rhythm section and ran wide which allowed Tomac through to the lead.

Tomac then took it home all the way to the chequered flag and now leads the championship by six-points over Chase Sexton, the Honda man finished third tonight.

The second place for Anderson moved him up to third place in the points standings.

Ken Roczen managed to make his way back up to 13th but that was a hefty blow to his title aspirations, the German drifting back to ninth place on the points table. However, things are still pretty tight as he is only 23-points away from the championship lead, and there is a hell of a lot of racing still to go this season.

Supercross next heads to Glendale in Arizona for round five of what is a 17-round championship.

Eli Tomac – P1

“It feels great to get this win. It also feels good to get this win for everyone behind me. The team has been working so hard, and what we’ve been able to do and how we’ve been able to improve each weekend is awesome. We’ve just been inching our way forward and fine-tuning every week, so it feels so good to get everyone that result that we all work for. The track was so cool, with really technical rhythm sections, and my motorcycle was so good tonight. I could put it wherever I wanted to – inside, outside – and it was good for the distance, so that’s exciting for us.”

Jason Anderson – P2

“To come away with second tonight was solid. I felt a bit off all day and that led to a few mistakes in the heat race which set me back as far as gate pick. When it came time for the Main Event, I knew I could put it all together aboard my KX™450SR and fight for a win on this track. I made the most of the start and came out of the first turn about fifth. I executed a few really quick passes to get out front and was leading the race until I mistimed that triple-triple line after the finish. I was able to get the rhythm clean the rest of the race and my speed was strong throughout. It’s nice to have a podium finish tonight, I just have a few things to clean up to improve for next weekend.”

Chase Sexton – P3

“I felt really good tonight. This weekend the whoops section of the track was unpredictable and had a lot of edges, but I feel like I managed them well. The track was good though. I had fun all day. It was a pretty technical track especially with a long set of whoops and a long rhythm section that was pretty tough. It was nice to have a long lap time and not so many laps in the main event though. My bike felt good all day but it’s an ongoing process; I just have to be better. I stalled my bike once but only lost a second or so. Eli [Tomac] and Jason [Anderson] were riding really good, but I expect to be in the mix with the frontrunners this year. Last year I learned a lot so I’m trying not to make those mistakes I made last year. I want to be on the podium every weekend and racing with these guys. I just have to get better for next weekend.”

Dylan Ferrandis – P4

“We had a really challenging track, but I was feeling good on the bike, and the lap times were great all day. I finally got a good start in the heat race, which I was really happy about, and finished third. In the main event, I went on the outside, which wasn’t ideal, but I didn’t really have a nice spot on the inside. It was an okay start, but I got pinched in the first turn and was pretty far back in position. Then I just charged the best I could, made many passes, and finished fourth. The bike is good, and I felt strong in the whoops, so there are a lot of positives from today, but after the podium last week, I wish I would have finished on the box again. This season, the competition is tough, so it’s not always easy. I just gave everything I had, and fourth was my position today.”

Marvin Musquin – P6

“I wanted to rebound this weekend and not do what I did last weekend. I was in a decent position off the start and made a mistake, missed a rhythm and lost one or two spots, but I ended up sixth tonight. I had the potential to do a little better but man, it was difficult for me through the whoops, I was losing time there, but the rest of the track I was doing great. Overall, a little bit more consistent Main Event, a little better fight and we move forward to the next round.”

Justin Barcia – P7

“All-in-all, it was a good day. We were having a lot of fun in practice! I felt like it was one of my better practices of the year so far and I was getting comfortable on the bike. I got a really bad start in the Main Event and with how the field is so fast right now, I wasn’t able to get where I wanted to be so seventh was the best finish I could pull off tonight. I’m going to go back to the drawing board, get my starts dialed and we’ll be back in Phoenix and ready to be back on the podium!”

Cooper Webb – P8

“Extremely tough night tonight at A2. I didn’t get a great start and I was pretty buried in the pack early on. I was able to make some passes and get up to around seventh, and then ended up falling backwards a few spots. I was able to get back up, make some more passes and ended up eighth. Definitely not a great night at all, but the only thing we can do now is regroup and try to get better for next weekend in Arizona.”

Ken Roczen – P13

“Our weekend was a nightmare. I’ve been struggling lately with my bike setup, just not really getting comfortable. It was a tough one for us but we did decent; when nighttime comes, it seems like we always get our stuff together. I got second in the heat race, and we got the holeshot in the main event. Things were going pretty decent. I struggled with the whoops so that was definitely not my strong point; I almost went down there once, and the same lap I got taken down by [Jason] Anderson – unfortunately left the door open. Probably not the right turn for him to put on a pass, but obviously it got me and I crashed pretty hard right there. I had to make a stop after that to get all the sand out of my goggles, and our night was pretty much over after that; I could only salvage 13th place, but we never gave up. We’re quite a few points down. It’s a bummer, but I’m looking forward to next weekend to get some consistency in and do some training and riding; I couldn’t really do that last week. Hopefully we’ll head to Phoenix with a bit more confidence and more riding time under my belt.”

450 Main Results

450 Championship Standings (Round 4 of 17)

250 Main

Vince Friese and Michael Mosiman got the best starts but Christian Craig was soon on the move and up to third after the first few turns.  Jo Shimoda then took the battle back up to Craig to move back up to that third position. Jalek Swoll and Hunter Lawrence were fifth and sixth respectively at this early juncture.

Mosiman moved through to the lead as Friese and Craig tussled over second position, after the championship leader had got the better of Shimoda once again. Their battle was allowing Mosiman to break away a little. Hunter Lawrence was now up to  fourth with 12-minutes still left on the shot clock.

Christian Craig eventually broke away from Friese and chased down Mosiman. With five-minutes remaining Craig put a fairly stiff move on Mosiman, the GASGAS rider came back at him at the next turn and could have pushed him over the edge but instead kept his riding clean and stayed in second, that was a pivotal moment in the race.

Hunter Lawrence was attacking the track while trying to look for a way past Vince Friese for third place with two-minutes left on the clock. Jo Shimoda was not out of that battle either and could capitalise if either Friese or Lawrence make a mistake. The situation was tight with two laps to run.  Friese then went down in the whoops, perhaps succumbing to the pressure from Lawrence, Shimoda then hit Friese as the Kawasaki man had nowhere to go, it was ugly but both men were okay.

Up front Christian Craig had pulled away from Mosiman and that pair looked settled in those 1-2 positions while the incident between Friese and Shimoda had made Lawrence’s third place finish look safe.

Christian Craig went on to victory and with it extended his championship lead over Hunter Lawrence to 11-points.  With second place Michael Mosiman strengthened his third place on the points table and is now only three-points behind Lawrence.

A great consistent start to the season for Lawrence, who, while not visiting the top step on the podium yet, he has been on the podium at every round so far this season.

Supercross next heads to Glendale in Arizona for round five of what is a ten round 250 West Championship.

Christian Craig – P1

“The day started out pretty good. The track was tricky and slippery, but I kept the ball rolling. I qualified well and then went into the heat race, had a good start, and battled with my teammate a little bit. I had a good ride in that one and was able to take the win. In the main event, I just focused on myself and clicked off my laps. I had a good battle with another rider and ended up passing him. I’m stoked to get my third win of the season and extend my points lead. We’re going to try and keep it going and not change anything; just keep doing what I’m doing.”

Michael Mosiman – P2

“I’m stoked to be here! It’s not too often that these things happen and when they do, I’m just going to enjoy it. Such a good race with Christian, he’s riding so good – I learned a thing or two from him and I think he learned a thing or two from me. We had clean racing out there and it was an absolute blast! I’m going to enjoy it tonight and work on some things. I look forward to challenging him all year and see if we can get some more wins.”

Hunter Lawrence – P3

“We had a tough day at Anaheim 2, as we just didn’t have the pace. We were kind of struggling from the get-go – a little behind the eightball from the start; we had our work cut out for us. The track was tough during the main event, and everyone was similar in regards to pace. It wasn’t a track that people got fatigued on at all; it felt like the distance was easy on the track tonight, but the track was rough. It was a tough one, but we’re looking to rebound, come back strong and kick Phoenix off with a bang.”

Nate Thrasher – P4

“It was a good day overall. We had a good qualifying and a good heat race; I just made a couple of mistakes that kind of cost me the win. I didn’t get the best start in the main event and had to come from behind. I just didn’t get around people fast enough and got a little tight there at the end. It wasn’t my best ride, but I felt like I had the speed tonight for a podium and was maybe even able to fight for a win. It was a tough race, and I did the best I could, but it’s not where I want to be. We’re going to keep fighting and keep working, and maybe next weekend, go for a podium.”

Jo Shimoda – P7

“I had an okay start and quickly moved my way to fifth. Most of the race I was in fifth position and just slowly catching up until late in the race when I could see the podium position right there ahead of me. With only a couple of laps left I was really close to third and then Friese crashed in the whoops, and I collided with him. It’s unfortunate that we both fell, but my riding is improving, and I think we made small improvements overall tonight so I’m looking forward to Glendale next weekend.”

250 Main Results

250 West Championship Standings (Round 4 of 10)

Source: MCNews.com.au