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September 22, 2020

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Bartosz Zmarzlik doubles up in Prague

World champion Bartosz Zmarzlik was elated to break his Prague jinx after storming top of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship with victory in round five on Friday. Zmarzlik arrived at Marketa Stadium having reached just one semi-final in four appearances at the Czech capital track.

Bartosz Zmarzlik

But after battling to a strong 11 points in the heats, he won a semi-final showdown with Tai Woffinden after Jason Doyle and Leon Madsen were both excluded for moving at the start. He then topped the podium after beating three-time Prague winner Woffinden, Slovak star Martin Vaculik and Russian racer Emil Sayfutdinov in the final.

Zmarzlik’s victory and 20 championship points saw him overhaul Fredrik Lindgren for top spot in the SGP standings on 79, with the Swedish ace in hot pursuit on 78 after scoring 12 points for finishing fifth in the meeting.

2020 FIM Speedway GP Round Five Podium
1. Bartosz Zmarzlik 20
2. Tai Woffinden 18
3. Martin Vaculik 16

Then on Saturday Zmarzlik raced to his second straight FIM Speedway Grand Prix win in Prague, and admitted the thrill of the chase made it even sweeter.

The Polish icon topped the Aztorin SGP round-six podium at Marketa Stadium on Saturday night – his second win at the venue in 24 hours and his third SGP victory of 2020.

He heads into the final SGP double-header of the season in Torun, Poland on October 2 and 3 with a seven-point lead over nearest rival Fredrik Lindgren at the top of the World Championship standings.

Zmarzlik chased down Great Britain star Tai Woffinden in an epic final, blazing under the triple world champion with a breathtaking burst down the back straight to complete a maximum haul of 40 championship points this weekend.

The Gorzow favourite also won Friday’s meeting ahead of Woffinden with a sublime start in the final. But he was even happier to top Saturday’s podium after being forced to fight for the win. Zmarzlik claimed his first victory of 2020 in round three at home track Gorzow on Friday, September 11, but fell short of the final on the Saturday night. So he was delighted to follow up a fast Friday with another first place in Prague.

Bartosz Zmarzlik

“I am very happy because I won on both days. This is unbelievable for me and my team. This was a better win than yesterday because all the time I was fighting in the final, and that’s a much better feeling. I always had a good feeling in the race with Tai. I said to my bike ‘come on, come on!’ I was feeling fast and felt I could do it. I am really happy. I didn’t win the starts and win the heats. I was always fighting with the guys and it’s nice to do that rather than just make the start and win the heats. Before the meeting I was a little bit nervous because my second day in Gorzow was not so nice. Friday was the same story. I won the first meeting and was wondering what would happen the next day. What a night it was for me! This is my second win here and I am really happy. But this is history and I must look at what’s before me in the last two rounds. Please keep your fingers crossed for me and I’ll see you soon.”

Bartosz Zmarzlik

Czech Republic SGP Round Five Points

Pos Rider Points
1 Bartosz Zmarzlik  20
2 Tai Woffinden  18
3 Martin Vaculik  16
4 Emil Sayfutdinov  14
5 Fredrik Lindgren  12
6 Jason Doyle  11
7 Artem Laguta  10
8 Leon Madsen  9
9 Max Fricke  8
10 Patryk Dudek  7
11 Mikkel Michelsen  6
12 Maciej Janowski  5
13 Niels-Kristian Iversen  4
14 Matej Zagar  3
15 Antonio Lindback  2
16 Eduard Krcmar  1
17 Vaclav Milik  0
18 Jan Kvech  0

Aztorin SGP Round Six Points

Pos Rider Points
1 Bartosz Zmarzlik  20
2 Tai Woffinden  18
3 Jason Doyle  16
4 Fredrik Lindgren  14
5 Martin Vaculik  12
6 Leon Madsen  11
7 Emil Sayfutdinov  10
8 Maciej Janowski 9 9
9 Max Fricke  8
10 Matej Zagar  7
11 Patryk Dudek  6
12 Artem Laguta  5
13 Antonio Lindback  4
14 Mikkel Michelsen  3
15 Niels-Kristian Iversen  2
16 Vaclav Milik  1
17 Eduard Krcmar  0
18 Jan Kvech  DNR.

SGP World Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Bartosz Zmarzlik  99
2 Fredrik Lindgren  92
3 Tai Woffinden  89
4 Maciej Janowski  71
5 Leon Madsen  70
6 Jason Doyle  69
7 Martin Vaculik  63
8 Emil Sayfutdinov  60
9 Artem Laguta  60
10 Max Fricke  40
11 Matej Zagar  37
12 Niels-Kristian Iversen  30
13 Patryk Dudek  29
14 Mikkel Michelsen  27
15 Gleb Chugunov  16
16 Antonio Lindback  12
17 Anders Thomsen  10
18 Vaclav Milik  1
19 Eduard Krcmar 1
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West Coast Speedway Solo Championship

By Graeme Sinden

A unique Speedway Solo Championship series is planned for the 2020/21 speedway season which will be run at Western Australia’s Perth Motorplex, 35 minutes south of Perth. Ten of the state’s top solo riders will be contracted to race over a series of five rounds to decide an eventual winner. With plenty of prize money on offer the series is expected to be hard fought and become an annual event on the Western Australian Motorcycle Speedway calendar.

The series will commence on 31st October and finish on 27th March 2021. The second round of the five round Championship series on the 5th December coincides with the running of the traditional ‘John Day Classic’ Speedcar division meeting, which attracts one of the largest crowds of any speedway meetings around the country.

Brad Muller from ‘West Coast Promotions’

“We wanted to select and contract some of the best riders in Western Australia to contest a Championship Series over five rounds at The Perth Motorplex complex to showcase motorcycle speedway racing in front of large crowds of bipartisan 4 wheel fans.” “Not only does our Invitational Series provide another Championship for the guys to chase, we hope it will encourage some 4-wheel fans to get up to WA’s dedicated Pinjar Park Motorcycle Speedway circuit in Perth’s northern suburbs. While we are still putting the finishing touches on some fine details, we are well underway with obtaining expressions of interest from potential sponsors for the event. We are also trying to arrange a solo ‘Stars of the Future’ support class to the Invitational ‘Championship Series’. While it is not finalised, we are looking to provide an opportunity for these guys to race in some handicap races with a chance of breaking into the Top Stars event should there be any opportunities. We are thrilled to have the support of the Speedway Motorcycle Club, the Perth Motorplex, and Motorcycling WA, the peak body for motorcycling in Western Australia. Despite Covid issues, West Coast Promotions are committed to ensuring speedway solo racing is alive and well in Western Australia. We will release more news on this exciting event as it comes to hand.”

The invitational five round Championship series at the Perth Motorplex is being planned to showcase solo racing in WA and provide another metropolitan circuit for top WA riders to compete at.

The Speedway Motorcycle Club of WA had previously arranged their racing calendar to allow solos to compete at the Perth Motorplex venue to avoid clashing with their own dedicated Pinjar Park Motorcycle Speedway meetings.

WA Speedway Motorcycle Club President, Steve Marson

“We are delighted to have senior solo riders competing in this fabulous event at the Perth Motorplex. We have had to reschedule our calendar for this year due to Covid restrictions. The Australian Sidecar Championship which was due to be held in Perth during Easter 2021, has been rescheduled and Pinjar Park will now hold this event in 2021/22. We have lots to rearrange and plan and we are encouraged that ‘West Coast Promotions’ have stepped in and taken some of the workload to develop and promote speedway motorcycle racing in WA. West Coast Promotions are providing great support to our club and from what I hear, they appear to be planning a very professional event for local speedway solo riders” which will be good for Motorcycle Speedway in general.”

Ironically, Steve Marson’s son, Matt, who rides for Mildenhall in the British league will be selected in the top ten riders for the Invitational Championship Series. New Club Vice President, former Kiwi rider, Bryan Miller, should also make the cut. The field will also include several former international stars.


2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
Round Six – Spring Creek National, Millville
September 19, 2020

Images Jeff Kardas

The sixth round of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship featured a thrilling afternoon of racing in both the 450 Class and 250 Class. The legendary Spring Creek MX Park provided perfect weather and close racing throughout the day.

450 Class rookie Adam Cianciarulo proved that his victory at the RedBud II National was no fluke as he took his Monster Energy Kawasaki to a second consecutive victory in the premier class. Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-WPS-KTM’s Blake Baggett was a close second both motos, while Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Just Barcia occupied the final step of the podium. Championship point leader Zach Osborne ended the day tenth overall (4-16) and watched his championship lead shrink to just 15-points over Cianciarulo.

In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis collected a pair of moto wins for his second overall victory of the season, retaking the red plate and championship point lead from GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin who finished the day runner-up. JGR/Yoshimura/Suzuki Racing’s Alex Martin landed on the podium in front of his home crowd to finish third overall.

450MX Moto 1 Results

Pos Rider Bike Laps/Interval
1 Adam Cianciarulo KAW 17 Laps
2 Blake Baggett KTM +01.758
3 Marvin Musquin KTM +20.489
4 Zachary Osborne HQV +30.672
5 Justin Barcia YAM +37.337
6 Eli Tomac KAW +41.879
7 Christian Craig HON +43.856
8 Chase Sexton HON +47.919
9 Joseph Savatgy SUZ +56.566
10 Max Anstie SUZ +1:09.827
11 Fredrik Noren SUZ +1:15.407
12 Broc Tickle YAM +1:30.878
13 Benny Bloss HQV +1:59.268
14 Justin  Rodbell KAW +2m00.728
15 Jake Masterpool HQV +2m03.908
16 Justin Bogle KTM +2m09.699
17 Robbie Wageman YAM +2m12.895
18 Coty Schock HON 16 Laps
19 Ben LaMay KTM +10.153
20 Justin Hoeft HQV +18.192
21 Alex Ray KAW +33.218
22 Felix Lopez KTM +39.334
23 Grant Harlan HON +43.371
24 Tyler Bowers KAW +1m06.051
25 Isaac Teasdale SUZ +1m25.799
26 Bryce Backaus YAM +1m26.654
27 Adam Enticknap SUZ +1m7.979
28 McClellan Hile KTM +1m37.559
29 Jeffrey Walker KTM +1m44.635
30 Bryton Carroll YAM +1m48.948
31 Tristan Lane KTM +1m51.033
32 Jared Lesher KTM 15 Laps
33 Nicolas Rolando KTM +17.589
34 Joseph Perron KAW +1m05.025
35 Hunter Braun HON +1m10.061
36 Richard Taylor SUZ 14 Laps
37 Blake Hansen KAW +3m33.170
38 Jerry Lorenz III YAM 9 Laps
39 Matthew Hubert KAW 4 Laps
40 Jeremy Smith KAW DNF

450MX Moto 2 Results

Pos Rider Bike Laps/Interval
1 Adam Cianciarulo KAW 17 Laps
2 Blake Baggett KTM +02.760
3 Chase Sexton HON +20.439
4 Justin Barcia YAM +41.815
5 Eli Tomac KAW  +44.044
6 Christian Craig HON +45.236
7 Joseph Savatgy SUZ +1m09.500
8 Max Anstie SUZ +1m10.166
9 Fredrik Noren SUZ +1m50.492
10 Marvin Musquin KTM +1m59.718
11 Benny Bloss HQV +2m01.893
12 Justin Bogle KTM +2m11.171
13 Grant Harlan HON +2m11.184
14 Justin  Rodbell KAW +2m5.826
15 Jake Masterpool HQV 16 Laps
16 Zachary Osborne HQV +06.936
17 Justin Hoeft HQV +28.329
18 Isaac Teasdale SUZ +34.873
19 Ben LaMay KTM +38.273
20 Tyler Bowers KAW +53.176
21 Robbie Wageman YAM +1m01.402
22 Bryce Backaus YAM +1m05.280
23 Richard Taylor SUZ +1m14.606
24 Felix Lopez KTM +1m22.623
25 McClellan Hile KTM +1m25.946
26 Alex Ray KAW +1m27.952
27 Jared Lesher KTM +1m38.974
28 Tristan Lane KTM +1m43.068
29 Adam Enticknap SUZ +2m10.500
30 Jeffrey Walker KTM +2m12.435
31 Carter Stephenson YAM +2m6.010
32 Nicolas Rolando KTM 15 Laps
33 Joseph Perron KAW +28.254
34 Bryton Carroll YAM +1m56.198
35 Jerry Lorenz III YAM 14 Laps
36 Blake Hansen KAW 5 Laps
37 Broc Tickle YAM 4 Laps
38 Hunter Braun HON +50.652
39 Jeremy Smith KAW 2 Laps
40 Matthew Hubert KAW DNS

450MX Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Zachary Osborne 235
2 Adam Cianciarulo 220
3 Marvin Musquin 215
4 Eli Tomac 196
5 Justin Barcia 194
6 Blake Baggett 190
7 Chase Sexton 173
8 Christian Craig 141
9 Broc Tickle 134
10 Joseph Savatgy 122
11 Max Anstie 113
12 Dean Wilson 97
13 Fredrik Noren 82
14 Henry Miller 59
15 Jason Anderson 58
16 Justin Bogle 56
17 Jake Masterpool 53
18 Justin  Rodbell 49
19 Benny Bloss 47
20 Coty Schock 31
21 Cooper Webb 29
22 John Short 21
23 Ben LaMay 21
24 Grant Harlan 18
25 Jeremy Smith 18
26 Justin Hoeft 17
27 Tyler Bowers 13
28 Luke Renzland 11
29 Matthew Hubert 9
30 Chase Felong 8
31 Felix Lopez 5
32 Robbie Wageman 4
33 Jeffrey Walker 4
34 Cory Carsten 3
35 Isaac Teasdale 3
36 Jared Lesher 3

250

In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis swept both motos to capture the eighth overall victory of his career.

Jett Lawrence was on the podium in the opening 250 Moto then backed that up with a sixth in the second Moto, just missing out on the overall podium by a single point.

Older brother Hunter will be pumped after having carded some great results at Spring Creek, 7-5 placings earning him seventh overall for the round.

250MX Moto 1 Results

Pos Rider Bike Laps/Interval
1 Dylan Ferrandis YAM 17 Laps
2 RJ Hampshire HQV +04.160
3 Jett Lawrence HON +05.989
4 Alex Martin SUZ +07.504
5 Jeremy Martin HON +09.807
6 Cameron Mcadoo KAW +23.993
7 Hunter Lawrence HON +25.267
8 Derek  Drake KTM +33.786
9 Justin Cooper YAM +37.436
10 Brandon Hartranft KTM +40.276
11 Mitchell Harrison KAW +44.921
12 Jo Shimoda HON +46.339
13 Carson Mumford HON +58.717
14 Jarrett Frye YAM +1m06.182
15 Shane McElrath YAM +1:08.763
16 Jerry Robin HQV +1m42.347
17 Derek Kelley HQV +1m54.705
18 Jesse Flock HQV +2m00.406
19 Joshua Varize KTM +2m01.592
20 Joseph Crown YAM +2m07.733
21 Curren Thurman KTM +2m16.761
22 Mason Gonzales YAM 16 Laps
23 Ryder Floyd HON +16.625
24 Austin Root HQV +17.495
25 Mathias Jorgensen KAW +24.696
26 Kevin Moranz KTM +27.210
27 Gared Steinke KAW +27.730
28 Cody Williams HQV +31.306
29 Ezra Hastings HQV +44.607
30 Josh Boaz KTM +44.921
31 Vincent Luhovey KTM +49.306
32 Chase Lorenz HON +1m01.469
33 Colton Eigenmann SUZ +1m48.201
34 Lane Shaw KTM +2m03.970
35 Josiah Hempen KTM 14 Laps
36 Nick Gaines YAM 11 Laps
37 TJ Uselman YAM 7 Laps
38 Max Miller KTM 6 Laps
39 Jalek  Swoll HQV 2 Laps
40 Gage Schehr HQV +33.006

250MX Moto 2 Results

Pos Rider Bike Laps/Interval
1 Dylan Ferrandis YAM 17 Laps
2 Jeremy Martin HON +00.411
3 Justin Cooper YAM +31.518
4 Alex Martin SUZ +34.101
5 Hunter Lawrence HON +35.075
6 Jett Lawrence HON +40.712
7 Shane McElrath YAM +41.902
8 Jo Shimoda HON +57.037
9 Mitchell Harrison KAW +57.661
10 Carson Mumford HON +1m25.915
11 RJ Hampshire HQV +1m31.181
12 Derek  Drake KTM +1m34.866
13 Brandon Hartranft KTM +1m36.685
14 Jarrett Frye YAM +1m57.639
15 Mason Gonzales YAM +2m08.734
16 Derek Kelley HQV +2m11.648
17 Jesse Flock HQV +2m22.850
18 Jalek  Swoll HQV 16 Laps
19 Jerry Robin HQV +05.571
20 Mathias Jorgensen KAW +08.512
21 Curren Thurman KTM +09.895
22 Gared Steinke KAW +43.046
23 Ezra Hastings HQV +46.325
24 Zack Williams KTM +48.901
25 Joshua Varize KTM +49.678
26 Vincent Luhovey KTM +1m09.927
27 Colton Eigenmann SUZ +1m13.846
28 Kevin Moranz KTM +1m15.543
29 Chase Lorenz HON +1m19.738
30 Ryder Floyd HON +1m36.349
31 Lane Shaw KTM 15 Laps
32 Josiah Hempen KTM +1m37.441
33 Austin Root HQV 11 Laps
34 Josh Boaz KTM 9 Laps
35 Joseph Crown YAM 7 Laps
36 Gage Schehr HQV 3 Laps
37 Cody Williams HQV +1m25.918
38 Cameron Mcadoo KAW 2 Laps
39 TJ Uselman YAM DNF
40 Nick Gaines YAM DNS

250MX Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Dylan Ferrandis 257
2 Jeremy Martin 254
3 RJ Hampshire 202
4 Alex Martin 194
5 Shane McElrath 186
6 Justin Cooper 164
7 Jett Lawrence 162
8 Cameron Mcadoo 140
9 Mitchell Harrison 123
10 Brandon Hartranft 114
11 Derek  Drake 106
12 Carson Mumford 95
13 Jo Shimoda 90
14 Hunter Lawrence 73
15 Mason Gonzales 73
16 Stilez Robertson 70
17 Ty Masterpool 54
18 Nick Gaines 44
19 Pierce Brown 36
20 Darian Sanayei 24
21 Hardy Munoz 23
22 Jerry Robin 23
23 Lance Kobusch 18
24 Jalek  Swoll 15
25 Ezra Hastings 14
26 Jarrett Frye 14
27 Joseph Crown 13
28 Derek Kelley 12
29 Gared Steinke 11
30 Austin Root 9
31 Joshua Varize 7
32 Jesse Flock 7
33 Zack Williams 6
34 Jordan Bailey 6
35 Dilan Schwartz 5
36 Maxwell Sanford 4
37 Mathias Jorgensen 4

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2020 French EnduroGP – Réquista

The Acerbis French Grand Prix in Réquista has been much anticipated by all enduro fans after a long delay to the season start due to Covid-19 crisis, and well and truly delivered, keeping everyone in suspense on a dusty first day. The riders enjoyed themselves and put on a show over all three of the tests created by the Réquista Moto Sport club. The ranks of EnduroGP continue to lack many of the world’s best enduro racers due to the decision by KTM and Husqvarna to instead back the rival World Enduro Super Series.

Steve Holcombe
Steve Holcombe

We were close to witnessing ‘the comeback of the year’ with reigning EnduroGP World Champion, Brad Freeman who had a somewhat sluggish start to the day, put together a crazy last lap to put the pressure on his teammate Steve Holcombe. But the number 12 rider missed out by the tiniest margin, with the first EnduroGP class victory going to Holcombe by an incredible two tenths of a second! Despite many mistakes on the last lap, Holcombe impressed throughout the day, even going as far as 18 seconds ahead of Freeman at one point!

Another great protagonist on this first day of the 2020 season was the 2019 Junior World Champion, Andrea Verona. The rookie in the Senior classes was seriously quick and leading proceedings at the end of the first lap. He admitted at the end of the day that he is still a little ”green”, and the Factory TM rider made a few too many mistakes under pressure.

EnduroGP Day 1 Podium -
EnduroGP Day 1 Podium – 1) Steve Holcombe, 2) Brad Freeman, 3) Loic Larrieu

Nevertheless, he secured a brilliant fourth place in the top class. In fact, Verona was just one and a half seconds from third place, which was occupied by a very solid Loïc Larrieu. The Frenchman woke up this morning with a painful shoulder but that did not prevent him from being strong and consistent throughout the day.

Last minute entry to the 2020 season, Davide Guarneri shone on his first day back in the FIM Borilli World Enduro Championship and he pulled off an excellent Top 5! Two Betas and three TMs in the ‘Top Five’ meant unchallenged Italian domination in terms of manufacturers. Also good performances were the returning Jérémy Tarroux and Jaume Betriu who joined the 10 fastest riders on the day.

EGP winner Steve Holcombe also pocketed the victory in Enduro 2 ahead of Loïc Larrieu and Italy’s Matteo Cavallo – also a newcomer in the category. Danny McCanney and Alex Salvini completed the top five.

Steve Holcombe
Steve Holcombe

In Enduro 1, Andrea Verona made an emphatic start to his campaign with a brilliant victory. He outclassed much more experienced riders such as Thomas Oldrati, second, and Christophe Charlier third. The final two places in the Top 5 were occupied by Jérémy Tarroux and the promising Antoine Magain.

Over in E3, Brad Freeman claimed his first victory in the category ahead of Davide Guarneri and Jaume Betriu. Antoine Basset and Marc Sans Soria were next up.

The Junior classes are traditionally some of the hardest fought of the FIM Borilli World Enduro Championship, and the opening round hasn’t disappointed so far!

The crowd in Requista were treated to a magnificent battle between Ruy Barbosa, home rider Théo Espinasse, Roni Kytonen, Hamish Macdonald, Lorenzo Macoritto and Wil Ruprecht! In the lead from the get-go, Barbosa eventually cracked under the combined pressure of Espinasse, Macdonald and Kytonen.

Roni Kytonen
Roni Kytonen

At the end of the 10 specials of the day it was the Frenchman, just recovering from a rupture of the cruciate ligaments, who won on Saturday in front of his Sherco team-mate, Macdonald, and Finland’s Kytonen. The Chilean had to be satisfied with fourth position while Marcoritto stepped up his game at the end of the day to get into the top five, demoting his Beta Boano team-mate to sixth.

At the same time, Espinasse won J2 ahead of Macdonald and Ruprecht while Kytonen won J1 ahead of Barbosa and Macoritto.

In Youth 125cc we believed that the day was going to be a 100% Fantic duel between Jed Etchells and Harry Edmondson! The impressive Brits dominated head and shoulders above the rest of the field at the start of the day, but their charge came to an end against Claudio Spanu and Sergio Navarro. While the Spaniard believed he could take the victory until the last stage, he was pipped to the post by the Italian! The son of legend Paul Edmondson, Harry, takes his very first world podium while Etchells and Hugo Svard finished fourth and fifth. Three Fantics in the first five riders, not a bad return to the World Championship for the Italian brand!

Jed Etchells
Jed Etchells

Finally, in the Champion Lubricants Enduro Open World Cup, Gonçalo Reis started 2020 as he finished 2019, on the top step of the 2-Stroke class podium, ahead of Trials rider Loris Gubian and the Czech Republic’s Robert Friedrich.

In Open 4-Stroke, there were two Belgians in the top two places in the form of Damiaens Dietger and Mathias Van Hoof. Benet Gomez completed the podium.
In the Senior class, David Martinez Corbalan won this first day after a great battle with the Frenchman Arnaud Adam and the Italian Duccio Graziana.

Day 2

After a dusty first day, torrential rains over night on Saturday gave a whole different flavour to Sunday’s proceedings. Despite not being muddy, the three tests had nevertheless changed… although that didn’t change anything for the top riders, who continued their quest for the top.

Steve Holcombe
Steve Holcombe

Once again, Steve Holcombe had to watch his back at the end of the day when both Andrea Verona and Brad Freeman closed to within 16 seconds of him. Holcombe almost lost all his hard work on the last test when his two pursuers were very hot on his heels. But the Factory Beta rider managed to take another slim victory, just 3 seconds ahead of Brad Freeman!

Just like Day 1, the 2019 EGP World Champion took a while to get into the groove and once again narrowly missed out on a win. This is something he will have to sort out before next weekend in Italy. However, despite being out of the Top 3 for the majority of the day Freeman was still able to grab second place, proof of his strength of character.

Brad Freeman

“Once again, I’m angry! When I see the last lap that I put together, it drives me crazy that I didn’t find the rhythm at the start of the day! But in the provisional Championship standings, Steve is not too far away and it’s only the start of the season. Anyway, I’m very happy with my double win in E3 but I have to look for more in EnduroGP!”

EnduroGP Day 2 Podium - Brad Freeman took second, Holcombe first, and
EnduroGP Day 2 Podium – Brad Freeman took second, Holcombe first, and Verona third

As yesterday, Andrea Verona took third place on the EGP podium. The Italian Senior class rookie could have taken advantage of Holcombe’s drop in power to get his first victory in the premier class but a fall in the very last Champion Enduro Test of the weekend deprived him a win and even second place!

Behind the leading trio, Jaume Betriu had a very good race. In the overall lead at the end of the first lap, the Catalan has been out of Enduro for a while to focus on the Dakar Rally, but he clearly hasn’t lost any of his speed during his time off, taking a great fourth place. Fourth on Day 1, France’s Loïc Larrieu took another top five to the detriment of Danny McCanney.

Andrea Verona
Andrea Verona

A special mention again goes to Jérémy Tarroux, who managed seventh place, and for Belgium’s Senior class rookie, Antoine Magain as well as Marc Sans Soria.

In Enduro 2 Holcombe took another victory over Loïc Larrieu and Danny McCanney. Matteo Cavallo and Alex Salvini completed the top five.

Steve Holcombe

“After what’s been the longest off-season, it’s been a dream weekend to be able to kick things off with a double victory in EnduroGP and take an early lead in the championship. Adding to that, being the first person to put a four-stroke Beta on the top step of a world championship enduro podium is special. I was the first rider to win for Beta on a two- stroke, so it’s great to be able to do the double as it were and deliver their first four-stroke win as well. The weekend itself went pretty good from the start. I wanted to push the pace and managed that by winning the super test on Friday. There were mistakes throughout Saturday, especially on the final extreme test, but I kept it together and got the win. After getting that first race day out of the way I felt Sunday was more controlled. Overnight rain made lap one tricky, but I came back strong and won again. Overall, we’ve certainly proved this weekend that we’re on the right track with the 350 – now it’s a matter of building on today in what’s set to be a short, sharp and intense championship.”

Steve Holcombe
Steve Holcombe

In Enduro 1, we also find the same winner from the day before in the form of the 2019 Junior World Champion, Andrea Verona. Tarroux was next up with Thomas Oldrati third. The last two places in the Top 5 went to Antoine Magain and Christophe Charlier.

Andrea Verona

“I am much more satisfied with today than yesterday! I fought all day with HOLCOMBE for the victory, but unfortunately my fall in the very last special of the day cost me a potential victory and also second place. But after all, I was not really expecting to achieve the double in E1 and also get so close in EnduroGP, so I’m really pleased!”

Andrea Verona
Andrea Verona

On the E3 side, the same story goes with Freeman beating Jaume Betriu. After a great day of racing, Marc Sans Soria snatched the last step of the podium from Davide Guarneri while Cristobal Guerrero finished fifth…

Over in the closely contested Junior class, Théo Espinasse once again made life difficult for all his competitors with another win. He will head to Italy next weekend with the Junior leader’s plate! He finished more than 27 seconds ahead of his Sherco Factory team-mate, Hamish Macdonald and Matteo Pavoni.

Théo Espinasse

“Yesterday I won by 15 seconds, today by almost 30 … not bad at all for an injury comeback! I am very happy with myself and with all the work done by the CH Racing team, which has been exceptional all weekend.”

In difficulty at the start of the day, the Australian Wil Ruprecht made an explosive comeback on the last lap but he was far too far from the leading trio to see a podium! A third Beta Boano rider brought up the rear of the Top 5 in the form of Lorenzo Macoritto. Recognised as two of the best teams for bringing on young talent, Sherco Factory and Beta Boano took the lion’s share in the under 23 years classes…

Espinasse therefore also took the double in J2 ahead of Hamish Macdonald and Matteo Pavoni while Lorenzo Macoritto won Junior 1 against Roni Kytonen and the Brazilian Bruno Crivilin.

Roni Kytonen
Roni Kytonen

This time around, Jed Etchells did not falter like the day before and therefore took his very first Youth 125cc victory at the end of a well-rounded day. The rookie Brit has already given a first victory to Fantic and the D’Arpa Sicilia Racing Team who make their World Championship debut this year! Etchells kept Sergio Navarro at bay by more than 26 seconds. Third place was occupied by Claudio Spanu. On the podium the day before, Harry Edmondson took a nice fourth position while Hugo Svard placed a third Fantic in the top five!

Etchells
Etchells

Finally, in Champion Lubricants Enduro Open World Cup, Gonçalo Reis continues to dominate the Open 2-Stroke category ahead of Robert Friedrich. While Loris Gubian secures a second podium.

In Open 4-Stroke, things were unchanged with Damiaens Dietger as the winner, with Mathias Van Hoof second, and Benet Gomez third.

In the Seniors category, we saw a shake up as Italy’s Duccio Graziani took his first victory of the season ahead of the France’s Arnaud Adam (Honda) and Spain’s David Martinez Corbalan.

Another fantastic day of battles and brilliant riding means this Acerbis Grand Prix of France hosted by the Réquista Moto Sport club has been a successful season opener for the Borilli EnduroGP World Championship! We’ll be back next week for Round 2, in Spoleto in Italy.

EnduroGP standings

Pos Rider Nat Man. Points
1 HOLCOMBE Steve  GBR Beta 40
2 FREEMAN Bradley  GBR Beta 34
3 VERONA Andrea  ITA TM 28
4 LARRIEU Loic  FRA TM 26
5 BETRIU AMENGOL Jaume  ESP KTM 19
6 OLDRATI Thomas  ITA Honda 18
7 GUARNERI Davide  ITA TM 16
8 TARROUX Jeremy  FRA Sherco 16
9 McCANNEY Daniel  GBR Honda 15
10 CHARLIER Christophe  FRA Beta 13
11 CAVALLO Matteo  ITA Sherco 11
12 MAGAIN Antoine  BEL Sherco 10
13 SANS SORIA Marc  ESP KTM 6
14 SALVINI Alex ITA Honda 4
15 GUERRERO RUIZ Cristobal ESP Beta 2 2
16 BASSET Antoine FRA Beta 2
17 ABGRALL David FRA Beta 1
18 VIAL Max FRA Husqvarna 1

E1 Class standings

Pos Rider Nat Man. Points
1 VERONA Andrea ITA TM 40
2 OLDRATI Thomas ITA Honda 32
3 TARROUX Jeremy FRA Sherco 30
4 CHARLIER Christophe FRA Beta 26
5 MAGAIN Antoine BEL Sherco 24
6 REMES Eero FIN Yamaha 20
7 SORECA Davide ITA Beta 18
8 SNOW Alexander GBR Honda 16
9 ALUN Richard SWE Sherco 13
10 BURUD Kevin NOR  Yamaha 13

E2 Class standings

Pos Rider Nat Man. Points
1 HOLCOMBE Steve GBR Beta 40
2 LARRIEU Loic FRA TM 34
3 McCANNEY Daniel GBR Honda 28
4 CAVALLO Matteo ITA Sherco 28
5 SALVINI Alex ITA Honda 22
6 GESLIN Anthony FRA Beta 18
7 BLANJOUE Hugo FRA Honda 18
8 VIAL Max FRA Husqvarna 16
9 MIROIR Jeremy FRA Husqvarna 12
10 BARNES Mika FRA KTM 11
11 HUEBNER Edward DEU KTM 11
12 WOOTTON Joe GBR Husqvarna 6
13 GAUTIE Vincent FRA Beta 5
14 PICHAUD Alex FRA Beta 5
15 MARKVART Patrik CZE Husqvarna 2

E3 Class standings

Pos Rider Nat Man. Points
1 FREEMAN Bradley  GBR Beta 40
2 BETRIU AMENGOL Jaume ESP KTM 32
3 GUARNERI Davide ITA TM 30
4 SANS SORIA Marc ESP KTM 26
5 BASSET Antoine FRA Beta 22
6 GUERRERO RUIZ Cristobal ESP Beta 21
7 ABGRALL David FRA Beta 18
8  FRANCISCO Enric ESP Sherco 16
9 PASSET Thibaut FRA Beta 14
10 MORONI Rudy ITA KTM 13
11 RECCHIA Nicola ITA Beta 10
12 RAQUIDEL Julien FRA Beta 8
13 WICKSELL Jimmy SWE Beta 5
14 HADEK Jiri CZE KTM 4
15 BRECHETEAU Jean-Baptiste FRA Beta 3

Junior Class standings

Pos Rider Nat Man. Points
1 ESPINASSE Theophile  FRA Sherco 40
2 MACDONALD Hamish  NZL Sherco 34
3 KYTONEN Roni  FIN  Honda  24
4 PAVONI Matteo  ITA Beta 23
5 RUPRECHT Wil  AUS Beta 23
6 MACORITTO Lorenzo  ITA Beta 22
7 VAN OEVELEN Matthew  BEL Husqvarna 17
8 BARBOSA Ruy  CHL  Husqvarna 16
9 ALIX Antoine  FRA Husqvarna 14
10 DE CLERCQ Till  FRA Husqvarna 13
11 CRIVILIN Bruno  BRA Honda 9
12  DEVOULX Isaac  FRA Yamaha 9
13 CRIQ Antoine  FRA Sherco 6
14 FARGIER Luc FRA Husqvarna 5
15 WILLEMS Erik BEL Husqvarna 4
16 AHLIN Max SWE Husqvarna 2
17 PAU Tomas ESP Beta 1

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2020 Andorran TrialGP

Toni Bou finished second in the first of the twin TrialGP World Championship trials held this weekend in Sant Julià de Lòria, Andorra. The first day of competition at the TrialGP Andorra was a seriously tough affair. Rain made an appearance in the morning leaving the terrain extremely slippery and arduous for all the riders. In addition, the officials were fairly severe in their application of the non-stop rule, resulting in a very closely-fought trial.

Toni Bou
Toni Bou

Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou battled neck and neck for the win against eternal rival Adam Raga throughout the three-lap Andorran course. Bou led the day until halfway through the final lap where he picked up several points, eventually having to settle for second spot on the podium. Despite the result, Toni Bou continues to lead the championship, now with a seven-point lead in the overall standings.

Casales lap one was a mixture of performances. Scoring six maximum scores of five marks lost, he ended lap one with a total score of 33 yet focused on improving. Delivering notably better second and third laps, Casales ended the day in third to claim his first podium of the 2020 series.

Sunday however, saw Bou triumphant in the sixth round of the world championship, re-establishing a ten-point lead at the head of the competition standings.

Trial two of the Andorra TrialGP did not turn out to be such a wash-out as Saturday’s event, but the terrain was, nevertheless, slippery and muddy, especially over the course of the ten-section first lap around the Sant Julià de Lòria route.

A more aggressive and confident Toni Bou produced a high-level showing on the day, particularly in the sections likely to elicit most mistakes and went on to finish the trial with a twenty-point margin over his main rival, Adam Raga. The Repsol Honda Team rider takes the season victory tally to four and now holds a ten-point advantage over his pursuer with one GP – made up of two trials – still to run before the world championship season wraps up.

With drier conditions for day two, Casales again rode well and again finished third overall. Performing consistently on each of the three laps the Spaniard came out on top of a day-long battle with Takahisa Fujinami to join Toni Bou and Adam Raga on the podium and move up to fourth in the 2020 TrialGP championship standings.

Toni Bou topped the Day 2 podium over
Toni Bou topped the Day 2 podium over Adam Raga and Jorge Casales

After three consecutive events, there will now be a well-deserved fortnight’s rest before the end of this atypical TrialGP World Championship. The forthcoming final round of the world championship is scheduled for the weekend of October 9-11 in Lazzate, Italy.

Toni Bou

“Today was a similar day to yesterday: I was a little better on the first and second lap. The sections were difficult, so I was able to gain an advantage. On the final lap I took things more to the limit, perhaps, so I am very happy with this victory. I think the key was section five, where I was able to clean, while Adam Raga ‘fived’ it on each lap. I was much more aggressive today than yesterday and this showed in the result. Overall it has been a very positive weekend.”

Toni Bou
Toni Bou
Jorge Casales

“This has been a very important result for me. Finally, I rode like I know I can in world championship competition. In the Spanish championship, which has a similar level, I have been finishing on the podium, but I wasn’t able to find my rhythm in the world championship. I can say I needed to bounce back, which I did. The first day was hard and the scores were really high, but we kept doing our best despite the wet conditions. The first lap was really hard, it was really important to keep fighting to the end of the day. To be able to finish on the podium again feels great. I really focused on the first lap and felt like I rode well. Holding second during lap two was really good, but I was maybe a little bit too confident in the drier conditions on lap three and made some mistakes. I’m pleased that I stayed ahead of Fujinami, because he was pushing me really hard. So, it’s been a good weekend. Now I need to rest a little and start to prepare for the final round of the series in two weeks.”

TrialGP Andorra Day 1

Pos. Rider Nation L1 L2 L3 T3 Champ Team Points
1 RAGA Adam SPA 19 17 13 1 20 TRRS Factory Team 50
2 BOU Toni SPA 18 13 24 1 17 Repsol Honda Team 56
3 CASALES Jorge SPA 33 21 19 6 15 Gas Gas Factory Team 73
4 MARCELLI Gabriel SPA 28 25 25 1 13 RG Team 79
5 DABILL James GBR 29 27 26 0 11 Beta Factory Racing 82
6 BUSTO Jaime SPA 31 27 25 0 10 Vertigo Factory Team 83
7 FUJINAMI Takahisa JPN 45 20 28 0 9 Repsol Honda Team 93
8 BINCAZ Benoit FRA 34 35 28 1 8 Beta Factory Racing 98
9 FAJARDO Jeroni SPA 37 29 32 0 7 Sherco Factory Team 98
10 GELABERT Miquel SPA 39 30 31 1 6 Gas Gas 101
11 PEACE Dan GBR 33 39 33 0 5 Sherco Factory Team 105
12 PRICE Jack GBR 38 37 30 0 4 Vertigo Factory Team 105

TrialGP Andorra Day 2

Pos. Rider Nation L1 L2 L3 T3 Champ Team Points
1 BOU Toni SPA 12 9 7 0 20 Repsol Honda Team 28
2 RAGA Adam SPA 20 18 10 0 17 TRRS Factory Team 48
3 CASALES Jorge SPA 22 25 23 0 15 Gas Gas Factory Team 70
4 FUJINAMI Takahisa JPN 26 27 19 0 13 Repsol Honda Team 72
5 GELABERT Miquel SPA 27 25 22 0 11 Gas Gas 74
6 BUSTO Jaime SPA 28 23 26 0 10 Vertigo Factory Team 77
7 FAJARDO Jeroni SPA 30 29 20 0 9 Sherco Factory Team 79
8 MARCELLI Gabriel SPA 31 27 21 0 8 RG Team 80
9 DABILL James GBR 36 33 25 0 7 Beta Factory Racing 94
10 PEACE Dan GBR 38 31 27 0 6 Sherco Factory Team 96
11 PRICE Jack GBR 40 30 29 0 5 Vertigo Factory Team 99

TrialGP Standings

Pos. Rider Team Nation Points
1 BOU Toni Repsol Honda Team SPA 112
2 RAGA Adam TRRS Factory Team SPA 102
3 BUSTO Jaime Vertigo Factory Team SPA 81
4 CASALES Jorge Gas Gas Factory Team SPA 66
5 MARCELLI Gabriel RG Team SPA 59
6 FUJINAMI Takahisa Repsol Honda Team JPN 57
7 GELABERT Miquel Gas Gas SPA 56
8 FAJARDO Jeroni Sherco Factory Team SPA 54
9 DABILL James Beta Factory Racing GBR 48
10 BINCAZ Benoit Beta Factory Racing FRA 42
11 PEACE Dan Sherco Factory Team GBR 33
12 PRICE Jack Vertigo Factory Team GBR 32

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Sebastian Bühler wins 2020 Baja TT do Pinhal

From the very first special, Sebastian Bühler (Hero) claimed an advantage over his opponents and never relinquished that lead to eventually take the laurels in 4hr 15min 04sec with a 3min 02sec advantage over Polish rider Adam Tomiczek (Husqvarna). Maciek Giemza (Husqvarna) was third, 5min 46sec adrift.

Sebastian Bühler

“Everything went very well for me, in the afternoon,the terrain was completely different from the morning and had dried up. I was even making dust, while in the morning, we drove in the rain. It’s good to train on all kinds of terrain in one race.”

Sebastian Bühler
Sebastian Bühler

Of the 13 riders entered in the FIM motorcycle and quad categories, three women fought for the Trophy and it was the Portuguese Janaina Souza (Honda) who crossed the finish line 5min 14sec ahead of of Spain’s Sara Garcia (Yamaha).

Official Bike Results after SS3

  1. S. Buhler (Hero) in 4h15’05
  2. A. Tomiczek (Huqvarna) +3’02
  3. M. Giemza (Huqvarna) +5’46
  4. M. Simao (KTM) +14’01
  5. T. De Gavardo (KTM) +30’05

Thomas Kjer Olsen signs two-year contract with Husqvarna

Husqvarna Motorcycles has confirmed the signing of Thomas Kjer Olsen to a two-year contract that will see the 2019 MX2 World Championship runner-up move into the MXGP division in 2021 onboard FC 450 machinery. Thomas will compete for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing in the IceOne Racing team managed by Finn Antti Pyrhönen.

A well-established MX2 World Championship competitor, 23-year-old Kjer Olsen will continue what is now a four-year association with Husqvarna Motorcycles as he takes his first step into MXGP class competition. Producing numerous stand out performances over recent years including three MX2 GP wins, the Dane has unquestionably proven himself as one of the World Championship’s leading MX2 class riders. Finishing as runner-up in the 2019 MX2 World Championship, Thomas previously finished third in both 2017 and 2018.

Thomas Kjer Olsen

“I’m really happy to continue with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, to be staying with the Husqvarna family and moving to the MXGP class with IceOne Racing. I really admire the team, I know they do a great job and I believe that it’s the best team in the MXGP class. I’ve been with Husqvarna for my whole MX2 career and we’ve shared a lot of success and I have a lot to be thankful for. But I’m excited about this new chapter of my career and to be moving to MXGP. I’ve tried the IceOne FC 450 bike and it’s unbelievable. So light and powerful and as I’m a bigger guy I think it’ll really suit to my riding style. The MXGP class is so competitive and an exciting prospect. It’s full of established racers, many that have moved up from MX2 in recent years. I hope to quickly find my feet and settle into the class. I’m really looking forward to it all. For now, I am fully focussed on the MX2 World Championship. We still have a lot of races to go and then I can look forward to moving over to the new team and begin testing with the FC 450 over the winter months. I’m really excited for 2021 and racing in the MXGP class.”

Antti Pyrhönen and Thomas Kjer Olsen
Antti Pyrhönen and Thomas Kjer Olsen

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge cancelled – Dubai Baja rescheduled

Despite the best efforts of all parties involved and due to ongoing health concerns and associated restrictions in light of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the FIM, the Emirates Motorsport Organisation (EMSO) and the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) have announced the cancellation of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge rescheduled to take place from 20-26 November.

The FIM has announced it is working to have an event in the 2020 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship and will communicate further information as soon as possible.

On a positive note the FIM, the Emirates Motorsport Organisation (EMSO) and the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) confirm that the Dubai Intl. Baja will take place from 26-28 November after being rescheduled.

Updated Schedule:

  • 19-20 September FMP Baja do Pinhal Serta Portugal
  • 5-7 November FMP Baja Portalegre Portalegre Portugal
  • 26-28 November EMSO Dubai Intl. Baja Dubai United Arab Emirates
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Source: MCNews.com.au

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