Rallye du Maroc Update Stages 1-3

Round four of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship – 2021 the Rallye du Maroc – opened with a short 10-kilometre Prologue to determine the start order for Saturday’s stage one. With riders opting for strategy rather than all-out speed, easing off to ensure a mid-pack result so as not to open the first full stage.

At 441 kilometres, the shortest of the event, stage one included a timed special of 288 kilometres, raced against the clock. Opening with a fast section of tracks, the route challenged competitors with 30 kilometres of dunes before returning to the sandy and stony pistes on the way to the finish.

Stage 1 proved a great one for the Monster Energy Honda Team, with Joan Barreda claiming the early lead, then Ricky Brabec and Pablo Quintanilla completing the podium in a Honda 1-2-3. Top KTM rider was Matthias Walkner in fourth, followed by Australia’s Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) in fifth.

Toby Price was second fastest in the prologue and soon took the lead, but a sandstorm causing Price and many other riders to lose time, with almost no visibility Price lost around 40 minutes to finish the stage 25^th.

At a total of 609 kilometres, stage two was the longest of the race and included a challenging timed special of 334 kilometres. KTM’s Matthias Walkner hit his rhythm in the sand dunes to claim the stage win from Jose Cornejo and Pablo Quintanilla while Daniel Sanders moved up to fourth.

Toby Price had to start the day from 29th, he was proving dast but had to deal with the dust of all the slower riders in front of him. TP brought his KTM 450 Rally home in 13th, moving up through the standings.

Stage three in contrast featured the longest timed special of the event, the 604-kilometre stage proving a real challenge for all competitors. With the section raced against the clock and covering over 341 kilometres, the test was made up of fast, stony tracks to the northeast of the bivouac town of Zagora, it delivered incredibly tricky navigation that caught out many of those riding near the front.

American Ricky Brabec was the leading protagonist of the day with some excellent navigation and a pace that no other rider was able to match. Brabec not only won the stage but also snatched the overall Rally du Maroc lead. Hero Motorsports’ Sebastian Buhler finished second for the stage, Yamaha’s Andrew Short third.

Finishing just over one minute ahead of team-mate Walkner who opened the stage, Toby Price showed strong pace throughout the day’s special. Falling foul of the same note that caught out many riders, Toby eventually got back on track relatively quickly to complete the stage 11th fastest.

Toby Price

“Day three has gone well, we’re not trying to do anything too crazy, just get some good race time on the bike. Yeah, we all had a little issue there later on after the refueling, the drawing on the road book just didn’t seem quite right and it caught a lot of the guys out. But on a positive note, we’re making good progress on the new bike, getting really comfortable on it, and definitely going in the right direction. The plan is to stay healthy and keep doing what we’re doing.”

A couple of minor navigational errors by Daniel Sanders on stage three resulted in a lowly – by his standards – 15th place finish. Nevertheless, after beginning the rally with two impressive stage times, the Australian only loses one spot in the provisional rally classification with an overall podium result still very much on the cards.

Daniel Sanders

“It’s been a really tough day today. Early on, about 30 kilometres in, I made a mistake with my navigation, so I then had to ride at my limit for the rest of the stage to make up for lost time. I think I lost around nine minutes there which was quite frustrating. After the refueling station at 220 kilometres I was then into a pretty difficult navigation area and the lines from the guys in front were all over the place. There were some tricky notes in the roadbook, and it just caught me out. It was a learning day for sure today and in a way, it’s good to experience something like this to make me a better rider in the future and I definitely learned from it. Two days to go now and I’m looking forward to getting back up the sharp end tomorrow.”

Sanders now holds sixth overall, while Price sits 16th overall, with two stages left to compete.

2021 Rallye du Maroc Standings after Stage 3

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Tom Vialle extends KTM contract for four more years

Tom Vialle has extended his contract with KTM for a further four years and will defend his MX2 title on the 250 SX-F in 2022, before stepping up to the premiere class in 2023.

20-year-old Vialle claimed the 2020 MX2 title and has already won four Grands Prix in the current campaign. The Frenchman is rapidly climbing the standings after suffering a broken right hand earlier in the season and has risen from 11th to 4th position with seven rounds still to go.

After entering the Red Bull KTM squad as an MX2 rookie in 2019, Vialle has made incredible progress and mixed his blossoming technique, fitness, racecraft and intelligence with outstanding results. He has now committed his future to the factory effort to bring his association with KTM up to more than half a decade.

As well as aiming for another MX2 crown in 2022 – where Vialle will also help develop the latest generation of the KTM 250 SX-F – #28 is also lined-up to make his debut with the KTM 450 SX-F in MXGP in 2023 where he will be given time and scope to learn the intricacies of the division in a deal that will stretch to the end of 2025.

Tom Vialle

“I’m so happy to continue with KTM. I want to give special thanks to Robert and Pit because they understand me and my wish to make another year in MX2 because I had some bad luck this season. I want another title. I feel so good with the team – Dirk, Joel, Valentina, Harry, the whole crew – and I wanted to carry on with them. It was an easy decision. KTM is my first team! They were the first people who believed in me, so I am very grateful.”

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Sammy Halbert injured at Charlotte Half-Mile

Sammy Halbert was injured at the weekend’s Charlotte Half-Mile, ending up in hospital, receiving stitches to his eye. He was caught up in Bauman’s crash and with nowhere to go ended up being launched, ending his race.

He did however make it to the Awards Banquet regardless, appearing in good spirits.

Sammy Halbert

“Not ded, plastic surgeon sewed up my eyelid and just like that I’m all ready for Halloween. Not one to miss a party, [I] broke out of the ER last night and still made the American Flat Track awards banquet with my babe.”

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Jonny Walker reinstated into Hixpania results

British rider Jonny Walker has been reinstated into the results of round seven of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship – the 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro, being allocated fifth overall in the race as a result.

During round seven of the series in Spain, Walker was excluded from the results of The Lost Way race due to a course violation. Walker later received incorrect information from the FIM Jury Secretary regarding his right to appeal the decision.

Winfried Kerschhaggl – FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Series Manager

“While there is no doubt that that the decision of the Clerk of the Course to disqualify Jonny was correct, based on the fact that he left the track to return to the paddock and repair his motorcycle, which was not permitted, the decision has to be reversed due to a procedural error. Simply, Jonny was given the wrong information by the FIM Jury Secretary regarding what he needed to do about protesting against his disqualification. Therefore, his fifth place result is reinstated.”

2021 FIM Hard Enduro Championship Standings (Revised)

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A4DE returns in 2022 at Victoria’s Dandenong Motorcycle Club in Erica

The Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE) is back on the calendar for 2022 where it will be hosted by Victoria’s Dandenong Motorcycle Club at Erica. Scheduled to be held May 4-7, 2022 the Championship returns to Victoria – where it was last hosted in Mansfield back in 2016.

Conceived in 1978, the A4DE is renowned nationally for its fierce competition, as the riders tackle all elements of the off-road terrain over three days of traditional enduro battling against the clock and finishing off on day four with a spectacular final Motocross.

The Erica location will provide the perfect landscape for the highly anticipated event as it did back in 1987 when it was first hosted in the town. The event will include excellent spectator vantage points, plus easy access from the township.

Frank Gogol – Dandenong Motorcycle Club

“Many older Enduro enthusiasts will have fond memories of the 1987 A4DE at Erica with the Park Ferme on the edge of the State Forest that contains epic enduro trails in typical Victorian heavily treed gum forests. With the event scheduled for May, the trail conditions should be prime. With the assistance of DELWP (Forests Vic) and Parks Victoria the trails have been approved for use and are vast within the surrounding State Forests. Long trail loops planned with the Park Ferme at the hub of the expansive trail network. This event will create a significant economic benefit to the surrounding towns, bringing hundreds of competitors, officials and supporters to the region during the four-day event.”

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Haiden Deegan joins Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing

Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing will team up with Haiden Deegan in a multi-year deal to join the team’s amateur motocross program. At the young age of 15, Deegan is already one of the most popular riders in the sport with his on-track success and engaging personality.

Haiden Deegan

“I’m excited to ride with champions and learn from them at Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing. I feel good on the bike and have a lot of work to do, and I am looking forward to it!”

The son of motocross icon Brian Deegan, racing is in his blood and he shares his father’s work ethic and passion for the sport. He has won championships at every level that he has raced, including winning four in a single day. In addition to his impressive number of titles, at 10 years old, Deegan became the youngest rider in the world to land a backflip on a motorcycle.

Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 Team Manager

“We’re really happy to have a rider of Haiden’s caliber join our team. He has a great presence on and off the track and is a proven championship contender. We look forward to the upcoming season and look to bring home some more number-one plates!”

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Speedway of Nations Final line-ups revealed

The starting line-ups for the 2021 Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final in Manchester on Saturday and Sunday have been confirmed. Hosts Great Britain, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Latvia and France battle it out over two days in the ultimate test of team riding, staged at Britain’s iconic National Speedway Stadium.

Each country must select two senior riders and one under-21 from their five-man squad as they compete to become FIM world champions. The Brits track their two FIM Speedway Grand Prix stars, triple world champion Tai Woffinden and 2020 European champion Robert Lambert.

British Under-21 champion Tom Brennan is named as their under-21 rider on his SGB Premiership home track in Manchester, but his Belle Vue team mate Dan Bewley is overlooked by joint team managers Simon Stead and Oliver Allen, with Woffinden and Lambert ending SGP 2021 in strong form.

Last year’s Monster Energy SON runners-up Poland draft in Maciej Janowski for his first appearance in the competition since 2019. He replaces Dominik Kubera, who partnered double world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik to victory at Semi-Final 1 in Daugavpils, Latvia on September 17.

New FIM Speedway Under-21 world champion Jakub Miskowiak teams up with Zmarzlik and Janowski to complete a stellar side in team manager Rafal Dobrucki’s first Final as Polish boss.

Semi-Final 2 winners Australia are led by 2017 world champion Jason Doyle and former Belle Vue star Max Fricke, who returns to his former British home track. Keynan Rew is their under-21 star.

Denmark list an unchanged side from Semi-Final 1, with double European champion Mikkel Michelsen, former world No.2 Leon Madsen and FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship runner-up Mads Hansen bidding for the country’s first world team title since 2014.

The Swedes are without their SGP icon Fredrik Lindgren, who has ended his season early due to an ongoing battle with long Covid and a hand injury.

His place is taken by double Swedish champion Jacob Thorssell, who partners stand-in skipper Pontus Aspgren, while promising young gun Philip Hellstrom-Bangs is their under-21.

Making historic first-ever final appearances, both Latvia and France name unchanged sides from Semi-Final 2.

Former European champion Andzejs Lebedevs leads Latvia into action, alongside 2020 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship bronze medallist Olegs Mihailovs. European Under-19 champion Francis Gusts is named as their under-21.

The French side features David Bellego and Dimitri Berge, who teamed up to help Swedish side Masarna win the Bauhaus Elitserien in 2020. FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship rider Steven Goret is their junior man.

The seven sides battle it out over 21 heats on Saturday, followed by another 21 heats on Sunday as each of the countries face each other once on each day.

The highest scoring nation over two days earns automatic qualification for the Grand Final, with the second and third-placed sides meeting in the Grand Final Qualifier. The winning team in that race faces the top-scoring country in the Grand Final for the Monster Energy SON world title.

Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final Line-Ups

• GREAT BRITAIN: 1 Tai Woffinden ©, 2 Robert Lambert, 3 Tom Brennan (U21). Team Managers: Simon Stead and Oliver Allen.
• POLAND: 1 Bartosz Zmarzlik ©, 2 Maciej Janowski, 3 Jakub Miskowiak (U21). Team Manager: Rafal Dobrucki.
• SWEDEN: 1 Pontus Aspgren ©, 2 Jacob Thorssell, 3 Philip Hellstrom-Bangs (U21). Team Manager: Morgan Andersson.
• DENMARK: 1 Leon Madsen ©, 2 Mikkel Michelsen, 3 Mads Hansen (U21). Team Manager: Hans Nielsen.
• AUSTRALIA: 1 Jason Doyle ©, 2 Max Fricke, 3 Keynan Rew (U21). Team Manager: Mark Lemon.
• LATVIA: 1 Andzejs Lebedevs ©, 2 Olegs Mihailovs, 3 Francis Gusts (U21). Team Manager: Vladimirs Ribnikovs.
• FRANCE: 1 David Bellego ©, 2 Dimitri Berge, 3 Steven Goret (U21). Team Manager: Laurent Sambarrey.

Monster Energy FIM SON Final Day 1 (Saturday) Draw

• A – GREAT BRITAIN
• B – LATVIA
• C – POLAND
• D – AUSTRALIA
• E – SWEDEN
• F – FRANCE
• G – DENMARK

Monster Energy FIM SON Final Day 2 (Sunday) Draw

• A – LATVIA
• B – SWEDEN
• C – AUSTRALIA
• D – FRANCE
• E – GREAT BRITAIN
• F – POLAND
• G – DENMARK

Source: MCNews.com.au