Wil Ruprecht wins Italian Enduro Round 6 in Marche

Australian Wil Ruprecht has topped the sixth round of the Italian Enduro championship (Campionato Assoluti d’Italia Enduro) held in Marche and in doing so extended his championship lead in the Absolute standings.

235 riders turned up for the Fabriano event from all over the world, including a boom in international representation with 13 nations represented.

The 54 km course was repeated four times, featuring three special stages, kicking off with the Scott Enduro Test, before the AIroh Cross Test and finally the Extreme Test.

The overall victory went to Wil Ruprecht, boasting a number of first place finishes across the day’s stages to finish 11.84s ahead of runner up Steve Holcombe.

Steve Holcombe

“I’m happy to be back racing in Italy, I’ve missed races during this recovery period. My performance is undoubtedly satisfactory and above all expectations.”

Brad Freeman completed the top three, 20.92s off leading pace, as the second Beta on the podium, alongside Holcombe, with Ruprecht’s TM claiming top honours.

Brad Freeman

“A fluctuating race in concerning timing, but I am happy with the race pace. Now maximum concentration for the next round of the Assoluti and then we’ll go right into the EnduroGP.”

Theophile Espinasse finished fourth, ahead of Matteo Cavallo, Andrea Verona and Hamish McDonald.

Ruprecht now leads the standings on 100-points, while Brad Freeman is second overall on 84. Third is Matthew Horse on 81.

Absolute Absolutes of Italy Round 6 Results

Absolute Ranking of Italy

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Joan Barreda wins the 2021 Andalucía Rally

After 1086 km of special stage, over the hills and plains of Andalusia, victory in the bike class for the 2021 Andalucía Rally went to Joan Barreda (Monster Energy Honda) 03’28 ahead of compatriot Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco Factory) with Honda Monster Energy’s new recruit the Chilean Pablo Quintanilla third at 10’29.

Joan Barreda (Monster Energy Honda) put in a blistering performance to protect his slim overall lead. Opening the road and despite being chased down by Lorenzo Santolino he actually increased his lead over the Sherco rider by 36 seconds to win the Andalucía Rally 2021, his first victory since the Merzouga in 2018, in fine style. It’s an important milestone for Barreda who has struggled for two years with a troublesome wrist injury.

Joan Barreda – P1

“It was a difficult final stage, opening the track from the beginning. It has not been easy at all: we went over the same stretches of very broken tracks that we had already been over in the last few days. I had to keep calm and hold a fast pace because I knew they were chasing me down, pushing hard behind me. In the end, I felt pretty good and I was able to keep up the pace through to the final finish-line. Having such a very good stage has allowed me to win the rally.”

Lorenzo Santolino – P2

“Really happy for me and the team who are improving the bike every race. I learned a lot here and got more confidence with the navigation. Congratulations to Barreda for the win.”

Pablo Quintanilla turned out to be the winner of the final total 185-kilometre special. The new Monster Energy Honda Team signing couldn’t have got his maiden rally off to a better start. Furthermore, the Chilean rider was able to consolidate a brilliant third final position, more than satisfactory after his first kilometres astride the Honda CRF450 RALLY.

Pablo Quintanilla – P3

“We have finished the first race with the team and all I can say is that I am very pleased about it. It was a very hard week, super intense, but very important to be able to get to know the whole team, find some good sensations and get to know the way that the team works. I felt comfortable with the team, on the bike, and I think I have gradually progressed, finishing with a very good stage win. I have to thank all these people who have worked alongside me all this week. Now, we are going to rest a bit and plan the immediate future. I am very happy and motivated about all the things that lie ahead.”

Joaquim Rodrigues and Franco Caimi completed the top five, with 15-seconds separating the two riders, who were 13’50 and 14’05 off the winning overall time.

Joaquim Rodrigues – P4

“Today was difficult day for me as I had a couple of crashes and hurt my hand and knee a little bit. So, I decided to slow down and focus on getting the bike to the finish safely. In the second part I got into a better rhythm and pushed through to the finish line. I am setting a good pace on the bike and the bike is also performing really well so I am happy with the results. I want to thank my team, entire Hero family and all our fans for their support.”

Franco Caimi – P5

“I focused today on improving my feeling and confidence on the bike so I am happy to be at the end and with the way things have gone in my first rally with my new team. I really enjoyed it and want to thank my entire crew for doing a fantastic job through the rally and also our supporters and my new Hero family. Now we will start our work for the upcoming Kazakhstan Rally.”

Andalucia Rally 2021 Final Standings

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Ricky Brabec dominates 2021 Sonora Rally

The seventh edition of the Sonora Rally once again had Ricky Brabec as the key protagonist. This year’s victory means that Monster Energy Honda Team’s American rider has now won more than half of the editions of the Mexican race held to date. Team-mate José Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo also finished on the podium behind runner up Skyler Howes.

The five-stage rally, held in the Altar desert in the state of Sonora in northern Mexico, included over 900 kilometres of timed special stages on a total 1,500-kilometre route.

Ricky Brabec not only scooped the final triumph, with wins in two out of five stages, but kept a firm grip on the race throughout, on an error-free ride that included some scorching pace, even in some of the most difficult sections of the course. Brabec, who lined up against some of the factory riders set to participate in the forthcoming Dakar Rally, romped home to a win with a 13-minute gap over the nearest second-placed rival, claiming a third consecutive win in the race, the fourth in total in the rally.

Ricky Brabec – P1

“Sonora rally was great. I year ago we had Covid, so it’s really great to be back here. It was a difficult five days and we made it happen. We are happy to come away with the overall win. Three times in a row is pretty nice. Looking forward to the next rally event and possibly coming back for training later this year. It’s great to have a few factory riders down here including Nacho. Hopefully we did a good job for you guys. See you soon.”

Skyler Howes took runner up, despite some issues with his nav equipment and finished the Sonora Rally just under 13-minutes behind Brabec, but still leading Cornejo by 10-minutes.

Skyler Howes – P2

“Super grateful to be here at my first rally as an official Factory racer for @rockstarhusky. A lot had to come together in a short time, thank you so much to the team for making it happen. Had some bugs with the nav equipment this week but otherwise had a clean rally. Great training and seat time on the new machine and great times with good people. Thank you to my crew Gary, Kelly, Tristan and Gee for coming down and spending a week in the heat with me making sure I was dialled in. Time to head home and gear up for the next one! Next up: Rally Kazakhstan.”

Young Chilean rider Ricky Brabec, made his debut in the rally, improving by the day, adapting well to a somewhat different race format and would eventually snatch a win in the final stage, earning himself third place on the rally’s final podium.

José Ignacio Cornejo – P3

“It was good to get back to racing after the Dakar and there was a feeling of unfinished business after the crash that prevented me from continuing. Here in Sonora I was able to get back up to race pace. In the beginning it was a bit tough, but as the days went by I felt better on the Honda and I was able to win on the last day. I am happy to be able to finish the race, to have done so with a podium finish and to be able to continue improving day by day. It was a great first race of the season. Now, to keep working and try to regain the level I had a few months ago. I have to thank Monster Energy Honda Team, HRC, and also JCR Honda for everything they have done during the race. I am very motivated to continue working and achieving better results.”

2021 Sonora Rally

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Manjimup Trail Bike Hub approved in Western Australia

The Trail Bike Hub Manjimup Facebook page has just revealed the project’s approval, with the Commonwealth Government and Manjimup Shire committing to funding the initiative after seven-years.

Manjimup would be a familiar name to many riders due to the Manjimup 15000 Motocross event, which at the Cosy Creek MX circuit has hosted some of the worlds best over the years.

The move marks step one of the Manjimup Trail Bike Hub road plan, with the next step being to develop the Manjimup Adventure Bike Rider Experience, followed by the Trail Bike Tourer Experience, then private property family use facilities. The final stages of the project will be to develop the Single Track Explorer Experience, then the Family Explorer Experience and finally the ATV explorer Experience.

The Manjimup Trail Bike Hub concept is described as aiming to offer a trails focused experience that also caters to all aspects of trail bike riding, from the trails themselves, through to accommodation and related services.

The Hub will be the first of its kind in Australia, with suggested benefits including high levels of tourism, both interstate and internationally, while using a management system capable of driving demand.

Also mentioned is the inclusion of specialty shops catering to trail bike sales, repair and maintenance, which could make the Manjimup Trail Bike Hub a one-stop-shop for trail riders in the state.

The project is an exciting landmark for Australia, with trail riders around the country increasingly complaining about the lacking availability of riding locations and trails being closed, with many in the community feeling they are being squeezed out by government, councils and local land management services.

Here’s what the Trail Bike Hub Manjimup Facebook page had to share:

“Woohoo, we’ve done it! It’s time to crack a tinnie, charge your champagne glasses and toast the official pending birth of Australia’s first and only Trail Bike Hub. Last Thursday the Manjimup Shire received an announcement by the Commonwealth Government that the funding for this project has been granted. To all of you that have stuck by this seven year dream of mine, I applaud you for your patience. I now trust this news will resonate amongst this great trail bike keen community and within the next year we will have some trails ready to go. To our committee I take my hat off to you all, your diligence and hard work has now been rewarded!

“The Trail Bike Hub Centre can now officially start its planning and design process, the demolition of the existing building can now take place to make way for a new purpose built facility. I will be posting a little down the track for anybody who will be able to lend a hand for a day. This will be part of the fundraising condition as required and our contribution to the grant fund. The proposed date may be the Saturday of the motocross weekend in June.
Watch this space for more to come!”

Manjimup Shire’s Media Release – Funding for Manjimup Trail Bike Hub

The Manjimup Trail Bike Hub is about to kick up a gear with the announcement of $980,000 funding through the Commonwealth Regional Recovery Partnerships program matched to a $576,500 contribution from the Shire of Manjimup. The Hub aims to position Manjimup as the centre for trail bike riding in Western Australia (and Australia), creating a significant new point of difference catalyst for visitation to the Shire district, and the region.

The funding will set the wheels in motion for the trail planning processes, implementation and commercialisation of the funded project primarily for licenced trail and enduro motorbikes on publicly managed roads. An additional stage may be funded by the private commercial sector and subject to future funding, further stages incorporating unlicensed trail bikes may be introduced based on the outcome of trail planning processes, approvals and the success of the existing project.

The completion of funded stages is anticipated to take two and a half years, during which routes on existing trails will be mapped, new trails will be designed and a Trail Bike Centre is built in Manjimup. The project will include extensive consultation with riders and the wider community. An initial Feasibility Report for the Hub, prepared in 2017, outlined that the Manjimup region is the prime location for Western Australia’s first sustainable trail bike hub.

 Paul Omodei – Shire President

“We are very confident that this initiative will be hugely beneficial to our region, both socially and economically. This is why the Shire of Manjimup had already allocated funding and resources to undertake the pre-phase project that included a funding contribution from the South West Development Commission to produce a business case that was used in the successful funding application. I would like to thank the Commonwealth Government and the elected representatives Mr Rick Wilson MP and Hon. Nola Marino MP for backing the Shire by funding this project and we look forward to working with all stakeholders to deliver what will be a fantastic regional project.” 

The Manjimup Trail Bike Hub Inc. will be the driving force behind the implementation of the Hub. Now that funding has been secured, a call will be put out soon by the Manjimup Trail Bike Hub Inc. for interested trail bike riders and the local community to become a member of the association’s executive committee, which will be the driving force behind implementing the first three stages of the hub.

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Jorge Prado talks his second crack in the MXGP class with KTM

Still only 20 years of age Jorge Prado has already tasted victory with the KTM 250 SX-F in MX2 – where he dominated the class to 2018 and 2019 world championships – and the KTM 450 SX-F in what was a typically fast and impactful debut term in MXGP in 2020.

Already Spain’s most decorated motocrosser, Prado set out his stall last year with three wins and eight podium finishes, the second biggest collection of silverware in the class, despite coming into the campaign with limited preparation due to a winter leg injury. Now fit, confident and ready to re-establish his world-renowned starting prowess in MXGP #61 is one of the pre-season favourites.

2020 was your first in MXGP. It’s fair to say there were some ups-and-downs…

Jorge Prado: “2020 was quite a hard season for me because getting injured just before the start of my first year in the premier class didn’t help! It meant I started racing without much training or testing. Despite that, I had some very good moments, especially towards the end when I was getting fit and winning races. At one point I even had some possibilities for the title, so I was quite happy. Overall, I would say that 2020 was good season but I could have done without the two injuries. The best moments were the first podium, the first win on the 450 in Italy and the victory in Spain.”

What was the biggest lesson?

Prado: “Coming into a season from injury is never easy because you need a certain amount of track time to get back to your level. I pushed myself to the limit in that ‘recovery’ phase where I was actually racing to get to 100% as fast as I could and make some good results. So, the lesson was about how I could reach my limits physically.”

Did you feel like you had mastered the KTM 450 SX-F by the later phase of the season?

Prado: “It’s a hard question because I missed that training period. I didn’t get a pre-season. Then we had to stop because of Covid-19 and two weeks before the restart I was injured again with my collarbone! I raced in Latvia for round three with just two weeks on the bike. By the end of 2020 I was finally getting there, and you could see that in my results because I was fighting more and more for first position. I think I learned so much from that period and where I needed to improve. Now I feel like I am getting into my first real off-season of 450 preparation.”

You always seem like a confident guy but did the 12 months of 2020 – from the broken femur to the COVID-19 diagnosis that prematurely ended the season – represent the hardest spell of your career?

Prado: “Yeah, 2020 was one of the hardest of my career. I moved to the 450 class as the 250 champion and with high expectations, at least for myself. I was expecting good results and the injury threw me a bit. The 450 is a very nice bike to ride but if you need to push it for the whole 30 minute plus two laps moto then it is not very easy. You have to be really ready for that. It’s not easy to ride those bikes fast for a long time; you really need good physical condition.”

Who will surprise you in 2021?

Prado: “Hmm, I don’t know. I think Jeffrey [Herlings]! For sure Tony [Cairoli] will be good, also [Tim] Gajser and [Romain] Febvre. Surprises? It’s hard to say but if you look at every year there are always questions about who will be good but, in the end, it is always the same guys at the front. I feel like I am also in the group. Not because other people are saying it but when I see the results. I’m not a guy that really builds myself up but if I look at the results of last year then I have to be honest and say: ‘this year I can fight for those positions again and I need to be ready’. My goal is to fight for the title and that’s it.”

Supercross: it was a career direction for you at one stage. You are still only 20, so how do you feel about it now?

Prado: “Honestly, I am really focused on doing very well and getting the title in MXGP and, watching supercross right now, I feel that it would be something very fun to try. It would be very different. It would not be easy at all to go and get to a position to fight for a title. You not only need to get used to riding supercross at that level but also racing it. I’ve never raced supercross in my life. It would be very hard! I think if I did have the possibility to get there and race then I will want to go, and I would want results. Right now, I’m looking only at MXGP.”

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Tom Vialle on MX2 2021 with KTM

In November 2020, and at the culmination of just his second season as an MX2 Grand Prix rider, Tom Vialle became Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s ninth different FIM MX2 World Champion and delivered the 13th gold number plate for the KTM 250 SX-F. For 2021 the Frenchman is hoping to be the brand’s fourth double-champ since 2009!

Still just 20 years old, Vialle is now the de facto team leader in MX2 and will be looking to expand his collection of eight Grand Prix wins, all taken in Red Bull KTM colours.

Even though society was very much in the grip of the pandemic, how was the winter as World Champion?

Tom Vialle: “To become world champion felt like the best thing ever and it really sunk in during a month of holidays where I just stayed in France to be with family and friends; which was really nice. I didn’t do so many interviews or much travelling because of COVID-19. There were a few things we missed like the traditional FIM Awards and the KTM Christmas party in Austria. It was a shame but at the same time it was a very easy and relaxed time before starting to train and think about 2021.”

You must have welcomed the break because 2020 was an intense season of many races in a short space of time and a close duel with Jago Geerts…

Vialle: “Yeah, for sure. The last part of the season was really difficult because it felt like a lot of races, but there was extra pressure because of the COVID situation around the championship. We were doing a lot of testing and I was trying to do things as safely as possible but mentally it was extra weight. It was a good battle with Jago and when he made a couple of mistakes in the middle of the season I kept really focused and did my best.”

2020 must have shown how every mistake and every point counts: it was a close-run contest between the both of you up until the last few motos…

Vialle: “Yes, very much so. The goal was to be world champion and not to win every GP. I knew I had to learn to accept 2nd or 3rd on the podium, lose a couple of points but then focus to win or gain them back the next weekend. It was not easy! It was my first year fighting for the title and it was important not to over-think things. When we came to Lommel [the penultimate triple header] I was already thinking about the championship at this point and being careful to ride a bit more safely.”

So, will you carry #28 or #1 in 2021? And are you ready for a different challenge of defending the crown?

Vialle: “I want to keep #28 so that’s what it will be! For sure 2021 is a bit different, but then again I spent most of 2020 with the red plate so that kind of pressure is the same. Don’t forget that when you are riding you don’t see the red plate! Everybody wants to beat you, but I think I had some of that last year as well: I kinda like being in that position. In 2020 it was mainly me and Jago so it was difficult to take points from him and to feel a bit safe with the lead. It only happened when he started to make a few mistakes. I think in 2021 there will be a few other riders even if [Thomas Kjer] Olsen and [Ben] Watson moved to the 450s. We’ll see. It’ll be an interesting year but I believe Jago will be the first guy to beat.”

You are leading the team again but with 2021 being your third year in MX2 is there even more work to do with development now?

Vialle: “Yeah, we have been working a lot with the KTM 250 SX-F and developing the race bike. I’ve actually been riding with our new engine recently, which will help us a lot in 2021. I feel good on the bike. With Rene [Hofer] we’ve been working through set-ups and made good progress.”

Do you have one eye on the MXGP class? If you win again in 2021 then you’ll have to move up for 2022 regardless…

Vialle: “Sure, we’ve been thinking about this a little bit because, like you said, if I win again this year then I’ll be on the 450. We have seen with Jorge, who was a double MX2 champion – even if he had a hard 2019 winter with his broken leg – that he was able to be quite fast and at the front in MXGP. Olsen looked good as well in his first pre-season races with the bigger bike. When you change the motorcycle then it is like a ‘reset’: it’s a new machine, new year, new category, new rivals so it brings new motivation, let’s say. I’m really focused to win this year and we’ll see for the next.”

Source: MCNews.com.au