From the desert to the Andes, MotoGP™ heads from the Middle East to Latin America for Round 2 but it’s more than simply a change of scenery. Heat is now partnered by humidity, the floodlights of Losail are a distant memory and the record books see a switch around, for Termas de Rio Hondo, east of the continent’s backbone of the Andes and a far cry west of the pampa, traditionally has one man setting the pace: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). But pace, history shows, is not always the winning ingredient.
Victorian Motorcycle Council chairman Peter Baulch says the extra patrols were to be expected given the high rider toll.
NSW deaths
The three NSW deaths over the weekend were:
Just after 4.30pm on Sunday (24 March 2019), emergency services were called to the Great Western Highway at Meadow Flat, following reports a motorcyclist had come off his bike. Officers from Chifley Police District attended and found the 59-year-old man had died at the scene.
About 8.30am on Saturday, a motorcycle and a utility collided on Putty Road, Howells Valley, about 50km south of Singleton. The motorcycle rider, a 44-year-old man, sustained serious injuries and was flown to John Hunter Hospital, where he later died. The driver of the utility, a 58-year-old man, was uninjured. He was taken to Singleton Hospital for mandatory blood and urine tests.
Just before 7.30pm on Friday, emergency services were called to the New England Highway near Whittingham, after a motorcycle and two cars collided. Officers from Hunter Valley Police District rendered assistance. The 50-year-old rider died at the scene.
Our condolences to their families and friends.
Steve Pearce in action
Motorcycle Council of NSW chairman Steve Pearce says he is “always saddened” to hear of rider deaths.
“I think we all consider the effect on families and friends, and also the emergency services who have to attend the accident scene,” he says.
“A day out enjoying an activity which gives us so much joy can quickly change for the worse.”
Dangerous riding
NSW Police say they prosecuted several riders over the weekend for traffic dangerous offences:
About 12:20pm on Sunday, Highway Patrol motorcycle officers observed a motorcycle travelling towards them on the incorrect side of the road, while overtaking another vehicle across double yellow lines. The rider was issued an infringement notice for ‘not keep left of the dividing line’, fined $337, and lost three points.
About 3.35pm on Sunday, Hunter Valley Highway Patrol were carrying out “stationary speed enforcement” on the New England Highway at Lower Belford when they detected a motorcycle travelling at 169km/h in a 100km/h zone. Police activated lights and sirens and directed the rider to stop. A 25-year-old Dubbo man has been issued a traffic infringement notice for speeding by more than 45km/h and his licence was suspended.
About 11:20am on Saturday, at Carrathool, officers detected a rider at 160km/h in a 110km/h zone while overtaking another vehicle. The 19-year-old provisional licence-holder was arrested for a blood/urine analysis and issued an infringement notice for exceeding the speed limit over 45km/h. He was fined $2345, his licence was suspended for six months and his registration for three months.
Rider stopped by NSW Police for speeding
Vulnerable riders
NSW Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy of the state’s Traffic & Highway Patrol Command said there had been 18 rider deaths so far this year. That’s six more than at the same time last year.
“Drivers and riders alike need to make sure that they are doing the right thing and sharing our roads safely,” he says.
“Highway Patrol officers will continue out in force to prevent further harm to NSW road users; however, we need the help of the public to stem the current rise in fatalities.”
Steve provided these statistics that show motorcyclists are vulnerable road users:
17% of motorcycle fatalities involve alcohol levels over the legal limit;
Excessive speed is attributed to 54% of motorcycle fatalities; and
8% of motorcycle fatalities involve fatigue.
He says the highest number of motorcycle fatalities are in the age group under 30 while fatalities in the 50-59 age group tripled over the past 10 years. Males are the majority of fatalities (96%) and 17% of motorcyclists killed do not hold a valid Licence.
“These statistics don’t mean we should stay home,” Steve says.
“We just need to understand the risks we face as motorcyclists, and apply some basic risk strategies before we ride out.”
NSW Motorcycle Council rider advice
Ride to conditions: More than any other road user, motorcyclists are vulnerable to road conditions. If it doesn’t feel safe to continue, then stop and wait until conditions improve. You are the best judge. Toughing it out generally is an indicator of subjecting yourself to additional risk.
Risk assessment: The best road riders are risk managers. Take your own risk assessment before you go out for a ride. How much experience have I had with the type of riding I am about to start? Am I totally comfortable on the motorcycle I am riding? How fit am I? is the motorcycle well serviced and ready to go? If you have any doubts about your ability, readiness or fitness, its probably a good idea to stay home and polish the beast! There will be plenty of other opportunities to ride.
Training and experience: There are plenty of rider training schools offering skills development and refresher courses. If you can’t get to a course, spend some time on the Rider Risk video series on YouTube for riding and survival tips.
Rest every couple of hours: Plan your ride. On your way there will be some great places to stop and rest, and enjoy the local hospitality and scenery. Taking a regular break will keep you fresh and alert.
Don’t drink and ride: This is one of the easiest strategies we can implement to survive.
Speeding: It’s not the speed that is the problem, it’s what happens when a speeding rider has to cope with either changing road conditions or the random act of another motorist. Trees, guardrails, other moving objects, slippery road markings, gravel and potholes are not your friends when you come off a speeding motorcycle. Leave it for the racetrack.
Wear the best gear available: Research indicates that wearing the best protective gear available leads to a much better chance of survival. Why? Comfort and protection. If in doubt, refer to the testing results on the MotoCAP website and the MCCNSW Helmet videos.
Seattle hosted last weekend’s round of the AMA Supercross Championships. French riders Marvin Musquin and Dylan Ferrandis who won the 450SX and 250SX West main events respectively after an action-packed and somewhat controversial night of racing. Chad Reed is out for the remainder of the season (see separate report here – Link) after crashing out of the Main.
Reed has a hefty injury list from the clash, with eight broken ribs, a broken scapula and a collapsed lung. But blamed nobody but himself.
450SX Report
Zach Osborne ‘dive bombed’ the first corner to earn his first 450SX holeshot ahead of Marvin Musquin, Ken Roczen, Cole Seely, Eli Tomac, Joey Savatgy, Dean Wilson and Cooper Webb but the news behind wasn’t real flash with Chad Reed losing traction as the field entered the second jump section causing Chad and his Suzuki to spew left into the pack bringing Ryan Breece, Justin Brayton down before Kyle Chisholm was left with no choice but to land right on top of Reed.
Carnage at Seattle Supercross – Image Hoppenworld
Musquin continued to lead and stretched his lead in the second and third laps on the back of jumping through the section where Reed was being attended to despite the ‘no jumping’ medical flag being waved.
Musquin jumped when not permitted – Seattle Supercross – Image Hoppenworld
Roczen, Seely, Tomac, Savatgy and Webb all obeyed the medical flag while continuing to battle their way around the rest of the technical layout.
Roczen and Seely roll the jumps due to the medic flag
Reed has a hefty injury from the clash, with eight broken ribs, a broken scapula and a collapsed lung. But blamed nobody but himself.
Chad Reed on Instagram
Chad Reed on InstagramEllie Reed posted this image of husband Chad on her Instagram
The race remained reasonably stagnant right up to the chequered flag with Musquin, Roczen, and Tomac filling the podium positions ahead of Webb who had worked his way by Seely with seven minutes remaining before Seely lost spots to Savatgy, Wilson, and Blake Baggett in the dying laps.
Cooper Webb
Musquin took his second consecutive win, with Roczen, Tomac, Webb, Savatgy, Wilson, Baggett, Osborne, Seely, and Tyler Bowers rounding out the top ten.
Marvin Musquin
Musquin was docked seven-points for jumping through a medical flag and the French rider remains second in the series, and 14-points behind team-mate Cooper Webb (Marvin was 14 points down coming into Seattle). Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac is just five-points further back.
Marvin Musquin – P1
“I know what I did wrong, I have no excuses, I was leading and going for it and I saw the yellows (flags) and I did slow down but I did jump, but this doesn’t take away from my win because after that I slowed down and was looking back and Kenny was right behind me but I put in a solid main, I am really happy with my riding and that doesn’t take anything away (from the win), so I am really happy.”
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen – P2
“I am just happy how I bounced back this weekend, as it happened (Musquin jumping through the medical flag), I noticed it but we had the whole main ahead of us and by the time we hit the finish line jump I had forgotten all about it until someone mentioned it, what’s done is done, he won but I kept it on two wheels and felt a lot better this weekend.”
Seattle SX
Eli Tomac – P3
“I would have loved to be able to take the win tonight, but landing on the podium is always a good place to be. The entire Monster Energy Kawasaki team and I have been working each week to improve on the bike and myself. Tonight’s track had a great layout and I was just feeling good all day; there were a lot of fun battles from the heat to the main. We’ll build from what we’ve learned here and apply it to Houston next weekend.”
Eli Tomac
Joey Savatgy – P5
“I’m feeling good. It’s great to place in the top-5 and I hope to just continue on this upward trend we’re on. I felt I had the speed and I‘ve had so many learning experiences in the past few weeks that I feel I was able to apply tonight. I’m still shooting for my goal to land on the podium before the season ends and I’ll just keep grinding until I get there.”
Joey Savatgy
A notable absence from the results was Josh Grant who failed to make the main event in his first outing on the factory Yamaha as Aaron Plessinger’s replacement – Grant actually crashed out of a qualifying position in the LCQ.
Josh Grant
“The bike was great all day. The track conditions were difficult to adjust to though, and there were some really slick spots and we struggled in the whoop section. I’m going to head home, work on a few things and come back to Houston with a little more riding under my belt. Everybody has bad days and looking at that main event, mine still went better than most.”
Josh Grant
Grant’s teammate Justin Barcia didn’t fare much better with a 17th in the main.
Justin Barcia
“It was a difficult day for me. I wasn’t able to ride during the week due to my shoulder, so I was a bit rusty. It was also an extremely difficult track. I had a rough start and got caught on a tough block, then I crashed in my heat race which set me back. Then in the main I had a pretty hard crash in the beginning of the race… It was definitely a weekend to forget and move on from.”
Justin Barcia
450SX Main Event Results
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen +02.361
Eli Tomac +07.407
Cooper Webb +08.673
Joey Savatgy +17.291
Dean Wilson +19.910
Blake Baggett +23.324
Zach Osborne +34.986
Cole Seely +36.024
Tyler Bowers +49.229
450SX Main Event Results
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen +02.361
Eli Tomac +07.407
450SX Points after 12 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 262
Marvin Musquin – 248
Eli Tomac – 243
Ken Roczen – 239
Blake Baggett – 200
Dean Wilson – 180
Joey Savatgy – 159
Chad Reed – 151
Justin Barcia – 144
Cole Seely – 142
250 West Coast Report
Dylan Merriam, RJ Hampshire, Cameron McAdoo were involved in a start straight crash handing Colt Nichols the holeshot ahead of Adam Cianciarulo. But Nichols soon crashed out of the lead and was unable to re-join the race while Cianciarulo dropped several spots after clipped the rear of Nichols’ bike in the first rhythm section.
Seattle SX
After the first lap chaos Dylan Ferrandis found himself in the lead and it wasn’t long before Cianciarulo jumped up to second ahead of Jimmy Decotis and Jacob Hayes. On the next lap Hayes dropped a couple spots when he crashed thanks to a Michael Mosiman block passed. Hayes later dropped out of the race.
Dylan Ferrandis
Ferrandis continued to hold a gap back to Cianciarulo who was trying every line on the track to gain ground but Ferrandis remained mistake free until late in the race when the French star had a bad run through the treacherous whoop section allowing Cianciarulo to get within striking distance.
Cianciarulo made a similar mistake in the whoops a lap later handing Ferrandis a handy lead with one lap remaining but Cianciarulo was able to close right back up on Ferrandis and even went for an unlikely block pass on the final turn.
Jimmy Decotis
He came up short so it was Ferrandis’ first main win in America while Cianciarulo, Decotis, Mosiman and Chris Blose rounded out the top five ahead of RJ Hampshire who came back to sixth after the start straight crash.
Cianciarulo now holds a 12-point lead over Ferrandis as they head to Houston next weekend. The big losers at Seattle were Shane McElrath and Nichols with the third and fourth placed riders in the points scoring zero on the night thanks to McElrath pulling out after practice with a back injury and the first lap crash of Nichols.
Dylan Ferrandis – P1
“It has taken me three years in America to get my first win, I have suffered a lot of bad starts but tonight I got a good start then my teammate (Nichols) crashed right in front of me so I took the lead and I was leading the main which is new for me so I just tried to ride with no mistakes, Adam was right on my back and it was really challenging for me but I think for the future this is going to help me a lot. The bike was really good tonight. We made some changes on it between practices to get the best bike as possible for the track condition. The track wasn’t that difficult this weekend at Seattle even though some rhythms were a bit tougher than other ones. It gives me more confidence for the next upcoming races now that I know I’m able to win a Supercross race in the U.S.!”
Dylan Ferrandis
Adam Cianciarulo – P2
“The beginning was a little crazy, I thought I had the start but Nichol came across and he hit the same hand that Austin Forkner hit a few weeks ago so I had bloody knuckles again and I was pissed, once I got through that I had to tell myself to chill a little then Colt went down and I got by Jimmy so I was behind Dylan and I knew it was going to be hard to get by him because he has been riding great and I am taking nothing away from Dylan, congrats.”
Adam Cianciarulo
Jimmy Decotis – P3
“The whoops were really good all day, I think I was one of the better ones through there but in the main event it turned into a jump line which I wasn’t real comfortable with but I went with what everyone else was doing, overall I like it when we have a big long set of whoops, I also think it something we need at all of these races to separate guys, we are racing professional supercross, we should have big whoops.”
AMA Supercross 2019
Round 12 – Seattle
250 West Coast Main Event Results
Dylan Ferrandis
Adam Cianciarulo +00.571
Jimmy Decotis +23.247
Michael Mosiman +24.421
Chris Blose +38.961
RJ Hampshire +42.054
Mitchell Harrison +42.466
Cameron McAdoo +44.045
Enzo Lopes -1 Laps
Justin Starling -1 Laps
250 West Coast Main Event Results
Dylan Ferrandis
Adam Cianciarulo +00.571
Jimmy Decotis +23.247
Frenchman holds onto victory while receiving points sanction.
Image: Supplied.
Marvin Musquin has acknowledged his wrongdoing in a rule violation at the beginning of yesterday’s main event for Seattle’s 11th round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
A major incident in the first rhythm lane that claimed Chad Reed (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing) and Justin Brayton (Smartop Bullfrog Spas Honda) prompted red-cross flags to be displayed when the field came around for lap two with Musquin out front, however while slowing down, the Frenchman doubled through the section.
The red-cross flag calls for riders to immediately slow down and roll any obstacles, with Musquin’s violation resulting in his victory coming under review before officials handed him a seven-point penalty in the standings and forfeiture of his prize purse.
“I know what I did wrong, and I have no excuses,” Musquin admitted. “I was leading, and obviously leading on the first lap, I was going for it. I saw the yellows and made a mistake – I did slow down, but then I did jump, so there’s nothing I can do right now.
“It doesn’t take anything away from win, because right after that, I was definitely looking back and slowing down – I didn’t know what to do really. Kenny was catching me and right behind me, but I put in a solid main and I was really happy with my riding.”
Musquin’s seven-point penalty meant he was unable to make up ground on Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate and current points leader Cooper Webb, the duo still separated by 14 points.
The first round of the 2019 EnduroGP championship kicked off in Germany over the weekend, with Australian Wil Ruprecht impressing with his results on board the Swedish Team Yamaha Johansson MPE banner, claiming third overall in both the Junior and J1 results on Day 1, as well as second in the same classes on Day 2.
Australian Wil Ruprecht joins the Team Yamaha Johansson MPE Team in 2019 and was on form in Germany – Image by Caroline Joelsson
Ruprecht also impressed in the Akrapovic Super Test, where despite being a Junior rider, he set a 2:16.06, the fastest time of the test, ahead of Benjamin Herrera and Thomas Oldrati.
The 2019 EnduroGP season sees no official team from KTM and Husqvarna who seem to have abandoned the prime category of the EnduroGP series in pursuit of Enduro competition in other championships.
This largely leaves the premier class of EnduroGP to the Spanish brands Gas Gas, Beta and Sherco.
KTM and Husqvarna no doubt have their reasons for dumping the series, but I can say from a press and PR point of view, I can certainly see why.
Wil Ruprecht (Team Yamaha Johansson MPE) – Image by Caroline Joelsson
Akrapovic Super Test Award Standings
Wil RUPRECHT 10 points
Benjamin HERRERA 9
Thomas OLDRATI 8
Daniel MCCANNEY 7p
Steve HOLCOMBE 6
Kirian MIRABET 5
Hamish MACDONALD 4
Andrea VERONA 3
Loïc LARRIEU 2
Alex SALVINI 1
EnduroGP of Germany – Day 1
Germany has once again proven its passion for Enduro with a huge number of spectators turning out to watch Day 1’s special tests. The loop-style lap consisted of two Enduro Tests, one Extreme Test, and a Cross Test. With three laps for all the EnduroGP riders, and two laps for the newly created Enduro Open categories.
Steve Holcombe – Image by Future7Media
In EnduroGP, Steve Holcombe has started exactly were he left off. The quadruple World Champion slotted himself quickly into the top spot despite having the tough job of opening the track. He won eight specials and increased his gap with each passing test. Holcombe completed the day with an advantage of 1 minute and 7 seconds.
The Brit took the overall top spot ahead of his compatriot, the new rider at TM – Danny McCanney. The rider from the Isle of Man took over second place in the middle of the morning. His pace allowed him to win two tests, but he struggled to really threaten the untouchable Holcombe. Danny continued his push all afternoon to widen his gap over Brad Freeman.
Freeman was in behind Holcombe for a good part of the morning. The Beta Boano rider had a dip in form and lost one place in the overall standings.
Steve Holcombe – Image by Future7Media
He had to spend the rest of the day controlling his gap to Christophe Nambotin, with the Frenchman starting the season in great shape. Fourth on of this first day, the factory Gas Gas rider gains a good points haul from the beginning of the season.
Perhaps the unluckiest rider of the day was Alex Salvini. The Honda rider lost out big time early in the day, running into radiator hose problems. This caused him to be late at the next time control and he therefore incurred a 4 minute penalty which plummeted him down the standings. Salvini tried hard to regain a few places but mistakes set him back further. He returned to the paddock at the end of the day in 25th position, more than 7 minutes behind the winner.
In the fight for the podium, Eero Remes was forced to give up after his chain broke. This DNF for Remes benefited Loïc Larrieu, who returned to parc fermé in fifth position.
In fact, three E3 riders made up the top five overall, with the big bikes showing strongly on the first day of this German GP.
E1 Day 1 Podium – Freeman won from Cavallo and Guarneri
In E1, despite his small drop in the overall rankings, Freeman won in front of 2018 Junior Champion Matteo Cavallo and Davide Guarneri.
In the E2 category, the disappointments of Remes and Salvini benefitted Loïc Larrieu who won ahead of Albin Elowson and Christophe Charlier, who was delayed by a crash and a pain in the shoulder.
In E3 Steve Holcombe won in front of Danny McCanney and Christophe Nambotin.
EnduroGP Day 1 Podium – Steve Holcombe wins from Daniel McCanney and Brad Freeman
EnduroGP Day 1 Top 10
Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
Loïc LARRIEU – France
Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
Christophe CHARLIER – France
Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
E1 Day 1 Results
Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
Davide GUARNERI – Italy
Rudy MORONI – Italy
E2 Day 1 Podium – Loic Larrieu claimed the E2 Day 1 win from Elowson and Herrera
E2 Day 1 Results
Loïc LARRIEU – France
Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
Giacomo REDONDI – Italy
Antoine BASSET – France
E3 Day 1 Results
Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
David ABGRALL – France
Anthony GESLIN – France
EnduroGP Juniors – Day 1
In Junior Andrea Verona had to work hard to hold back a charge from Australia’s hot prospect Wil Ruprecht. The TM rider showed his typical composure despite losing some time with a stick in his wheel. He stayed focused on making no mistakes and in the end, he crushed the competition by winning by more than 1 minute and 25 seconds ahead of his Aussie rival.
At the beginning of the day Wil Ruprecht was fighting hard, but he ran out of steam and couldn’t hold off a quick Theo Espinasse. The Frenchman put in a strong performance during the three laps. Jack Edmondson finished in fourth place, a sluggish start for the son of Paul meant he had to push hard for the rest of the day.
Wil Ruprecht (Team Yamaha Johansson MPE) – Image by Caroline Joelsson
Matthew Van Oevelen finished in fifth place, this result is encouraging for the rider who has just switched teams.
In J1 Verona showed his dominance over Espinasse and Ruprecht. In J2, Jack Edmondson won ahead of Enric Francisco and Leo Le Quere.
The Youth category was dominated by Hamish MacDonald, determined to leave his opponents in the dust. He won ahead of Claudio Spanu and Matteo Pavoni, who enjoyed a superb fight all day long.
Junior Day 1 Podium – Andrea Verona won from Espinasse and Ruprecht
Junior – Day 1
Andrea VERONA – Italy
Théophile ESPINASSE – France
Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
Junior 1 (J1) – Day 1
Andrea VERONA – Italy
Théophile ESPINASSE – France
Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
Thomas DUBOST – France
Junior 2 (J2) – Day 1
Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
Leo LE QUERE – France
Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
Till DE CLERCQ – France
Youth Cup – Day 1
Hamish MACDONALD – New Zealand
Claudio SPANU – Italy
Matteo PAVONI – Italy
Alejandro NAVARRO HUERTAS – Spain
Hugo SVARD – Finland
Enduro Open World Cup – Day 1
The Champion Lubricants Enduro Open World Cup, a new initiative from the FIM has already proved a success considering the impressive number of riders entered for this first round. In the 4-stroke class Bernhard Schoepf won ahead of Luis Oliveira and Fraser Flockhart.
In the 2-stroke class, Portugal’s Goncalo Reis won ahead of Richard Tucker and Martin Ortner.
In Senior, Enduro legend David Knight took his first win since 2013. Werner Mueller and the returning Euan McConnell completed the top three.
Open Senior – Day 1
David KNIGHT United Kingdom
WERNER MUELLER Germany
EUAN MCCONNELL United Kingdom
FERNANDO FERREIRA Portugal
PATRICK ANDERSSON Sweden
Open 2 Strokes – Day 1
Gonçalo REIS Portugal
Richard TUCKER United Kingdom
Nico RAMBOW Germany
Martin ORTNER Austria
Rafal BRACIK Poland
Open 4 Strokes – Day 1
Bernhard SCHOEPF – Austria
Robert RIEDEL – Germany
Luis OLIVEIRA – Portugal
Fraser FLOCKHART – United Kingdom
Bas KLEIN HAVENELD – Netherlands
EnduroGP of Germany – Day 2
After an eventful first day, the EnduroGP stars were back on track for another day of competition in Dahlen. The tests had been significantly ‘cut up’ after so many competitors riding on the first day, and the second day offered up a lot of surprises.
Steve Holcombe – Image by Future7Media
Steve Holcombe did not have the same disadvantage as Day 1, where he had to open the tests. With the course well ‘bedded in’, the reigning EnduroGP Champion into his rhythm immediately. He impressed from the start, winning eight specials in a row on scratch.
Only Davide Guarneri, Brad Freeman and Danny Mccanney managed to ‘steal’ test victories from the Beta Factory rider on the overall times. Despite the pressure and the fatigue of the tough terrain, Holcombe showed perfect control.
The season is just beginning but Holcombe already seems to be at the top of his game. Naturally, he is leading the EnduroGP class and E3 class at the end of this weekend in Germany.
Benjamin Herrera would round out the EnduroGP top 10
Brad Freeman snatched second place on the EnduroGP podium. The Beta Boano rider launched his offensive on McCanney just after mid-day. He managed to limit the damage to Holcombe, ending the day 43 seconds behind the reigning EnduroGP Champion.
Danny McCanney finished 3rd overall on this 2nd day and his debut weekend with TM Factory. The Brit could not fight back against Freeman, but he remained focused to secure an important 3rd spot.
Danny McCanney
“I finish third today, I’m a little disappointed, but overall I’m very happy with my weekend. I can’t wait to continue the season and gain some more good results.”
Eero Remes started the day aggressively as he was eager to put Saturday’s mechnical DNF behind him. His new Team Manager, Joakim Johansson was thrilled with the performance of his new signing. The Yamaha rider was solid all day, fighting continuously in the top five overall. He finished fourth.
Alex Salvini was also fighting with Remes and Larrieu for the top five all day. The Italian ended this 2nd day feeling more positive after his bad luck and DNF on Day 1. He said he felt confident for the next round of the EnduroGP Championship in Portugal.
Alex Salvini
Christophe Nambotin was the only big DNF on Day 2, after a strong performance on the opening day, the Gas Gas rider saw his race cut short by a gearbox failure. ‘Nambot’ was nevertheless satisfied with his form and felt ready to face the rest of the season.
In the E1 category, Brad Freeman confirmed his 2018 confidence has not wavered, and it was another victory for him ahead of Davide Guarneri and Thomas Oldrati.
Brad Freeman
“I’m happy because today I was able to increase my pace to catch up with Danny. I’m still a long way from Steve, but I’m happy to be on this 100 per cent British podium.”
The fight in E2 was intense between the three ‘favorites’ and it was Remes who eventually won ahead of Salvini and Larrieu, beating the Italian by just 0.16 seconds.
Eero Remes
“The first day was very disappointing for me and the team, but I told the team that the season is very long and we are going to catch up. I feel good and this victory in E2 is a first great reward.”
Holcombe took no prisoners in E3 and won the class ahead of Mccanney and Anthony Geslin.
Steve Holcombe
“It’s difficult to sum up how much of a surprise it is to win both days. My goal was to podium and claim strong points, so as you can imagine a double victory in EnduroGP and Enduro 3 is a huge result to take. I didn’t have a great Super Test on Friday – I never really do – but I wanted to push hard from the beginning on Saturday to see where I was at. That strategy paid off and I won by 70 seconds. I went with that tactic again on Sunday and made things count on the opening two laps. I ran out of steam a little on the final lap but knew that with the effort I’d put in earlier on, barring any major mistakes, I could win. We’ve a couple of weeks now until round two in Portugal, so the plan remains unchanged – keep working with the goal of getting stronger. I know there’s room to improve. Finally, a huge thanks to Beta and all the team – a result like this is very much a team effort.”
Steve Holcombe – Image by Future7Media
EnduroGP Day 2 Top 10
Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
Eero REMES – Finland
Alex SALVINI – Italy
Loïc LARRIEU – France
Davide GUARNERI – Italy
Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
Brad Freeman topped the E1 podium on Day 2
E1 Day 2 Results
Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
Davide GUARNERI – Italy
Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
Rudy MORONI – Italy
E2 Day 2 Results
Eero REMES – Finland
Alex SALVINI – Italy
Loïc LARRIEU – France
Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
Antoine BASSET – France
Steve Holcombe once again won the E3 class on Day 2
E3 Day 2 Results
Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
Anthony GESLIN – France
David ABGRALL – France
Dennis SCHROETER – Germany
EnduroGP Juniors – Day 2
In the hotly contested Junior class, the surprise lay in the difficulties suffered by Andrea Verona early in the day. The Italian’s bike stopped in the first Cross Test and Andrea lost about 50 seconds and fell down to 7th position.
Junior Day 2 Podium – Andrea Verona once again topped the podium, with Wil Ruprecht moving up into second
But the 2018 Youth Cup Champion had the resources to keep his focus and fight back test by test. After just six tests he was already back on the podium, about thirty seconds from the leader, Wil Ruprecht.
After overhauling Theo Espinasse for 2nd place, the factory TM rider went after Ruprecht, giving his all and taking the overall victory in the last special! The talented Australian admitted that he cracked under the pressure of the TM rider.
Wil Ruprecht
“I don’t know what to say to you, I am so disappointed, I cracked under the pressure, I crashed three times on the last test. Andrea was the better man and he deserves it. I can only try to learn and improve after such a defeat.”
Verona also won in J1 ahead of Ruprecht and Espinasse. Enric Francisco, who had a great day, won in J2 ahead of Jack Edmondson and Emanuele Facchetti.
Andrea Verona
“This might be the most beautiful victory of my career so far. When I lost so much time this morning after the bike stopped in the Cross Test I knew I had the potential to win. My body hurts because I really attacked all day, but I’m super happy.”
Andrea Verona
In the Youth category, Hamish MacDonald confirmed his ‘favourite’ status with another comfortable victory. 2nd went to Matteo Pavoni, who overtook his compatriot, Claudio Spanu towards the end of the day.
Junior – Day 2
Andrea VERONA Italy
Wil RUPRECHT Australia
Théophile ESPINASSE France
Enric FRANCISCO Spain
Jack EDMONDSON United Kingdom
Junior 1 (J1) – Day 2
Andrea VERONA – Italy
Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
Théophile ESPINASSE – France
Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
Thomas DUBOST – France
Junior 2 (J2) – Day 2
Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
Ruy BARBOSA – Chile
Jimmy WICKSELL – Sweden
Youth Cup – Day 2
Hamish MACDONALD – New Zealand
Matteo PAVONI – Italy
Claudio SPANU – Italy
Hugo SVARD – Finland
Nathan BERERD – France
Enduro Open World Cup – Day 2
David Knight completed his return to competition by taking the double in the Senior class double of the Champion Lubricants Enduro Open World Championship. He won in front of Werner Mueller and Euan McConnell.
In the 4-stroke class, Bernhard Schoepf clinched a second win ahead of Robert Riedel and Fraser Flockhart.
The 2-stroke category enjoyed a second different winner in two days of competition; Richard won in front of Rafal Bracik and Nico Ranbow.
The German Grand Prix was a real success – 155 riders delighted 18,000 spectators throughout the weekend. The next round of the Maxxis FIM EnduroGP World Championship will take place in Portugal in the city of Valpaços from May 3rd to 5th.
Championship lead unexpected for Wakefield Park runner-up.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Reigning Supersport champion Cru Halliday has been taken by surprise with his early form in returning to the premier class this season, which now sees him controlling the points in the Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).
Finishing second overall at Wakefield Park’s second round in New South Wales, the Yamaha Racing Team rider displayed blistering pace all weekend long, landing on pole before lodging a pair of P2 race results.
The New South Welshman declared his desire for winning is strong with two runner-ups now behind him, although he’s adamant he won’t exceed his limits to capture an elusive victory as he endeavours to manage the championship lead in the coming rounds.
“To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting it,” Halliday admitted to CycleOnline.com.au. “I’m with the factory Yamaha team, and they’re putting the right bike underneath me to do it. It’s been a bit of a surprise too, but every time I go out there, I feel better on the bike, and I think going back to the 600 last year really helped.
“I know I can run up there – if you look back, I’ve run up the front in previous races, but I think it’s just more consistent this time and I’m taking a whole new look at it. I think that’s why I’ve been on the box in the first two rounds. The desire to win is definitely there, I would’ve liked to have won yesterday at Wakefield, but Troy [Herfoss] rode unreal.
“Everyone’s out there to get on the top box, and I’d love to clean-sweep one weekend – it’s going to be hard, and the competition is getting harder and harder – we’re breaking lap records. I’m not going to push it and throw it down the road where I can lose a heap of points – the championship is there, and I’m in the right place for it.”
Defending ASBK champion Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing) reigned supreme at his home round on Sunday, clinching two race wins to position himself just five points behind Halliday in the series classification.
Founders and moderators April Ryan and Rebecca Bell say the group started almost two years ago as a “small, humble idea”.
“The group was created to provide women who share the same hobby with a support network that they felt comfortable interacting in,” says April.
“ECFR was created to provide women with a place to ask questions, post their thoughts and find likeminded individuals who share the same passion – riding.”
Membership increased to more than 1000 in its first year, and now sits at about 1600 riders from Victoria to Far North Queensland, with 95% engagement and almost 1000 posts a month.
Hard times
Rebecca (left) and April
The founders say their group has not been without adversaries.
“We were ridiculed, abused, threatened and even had mock groups made about ECFR at the beginning,” April says.
“Regardless of backlash, ECFR has successfully empowered women to where the amount of involved, capable and talented women joining in on the hobby has increased exponentially.
“Regardless of including a variety of women from all walks of life, and all types of motorcycles, this has created a community where complete strangers are now best friends who will all help each other out at the drop of a hat”.
Female rider issues
The group has also helped “shed some light on the consistently untapped, and underrepresented market of female riders in both marketing, and general social aspects”, they say.
“A key pain point is the lack of female gear made and available in Australia,” April says.
“When we have met with suppliers to potentially alleviate this, the answer is often that ‘women come in so many different shapes and sizes, which makes it difficult for us to make women’s gear … so we simply don’t’.”
They say the industry has a mistaken belief that women riders are too few to bother.
While no official statistics are kept, it is believed female riders represent about 10-12% of the Aussie rider population, but is growing at a rapid rate.
The next biggest female contingent seems to be New Zealand with 16%, closely followed by Germany with 15%.
“While times are changing, and women riders are becoming more prominent, it’s still disheartening to be treated differently, but it only solidifies how brand-loyal women, and especially women riders, become over time when they find branding that represents their needs,” April says.
Charity work
Rather than just another Facebook group, April and Rebecca say they have endeavoured to give back to the community by organising several charity events.
An example was their Share the Dignity female sanitary product donation ride, which involved Brisbane women purchasing, and then riding from various locations to donate, sanitary items to homeless women and domestic abuse survivors.
“ECFR is so much more than just a group; it’s now like a family. It has become a platform for rider concepts, ideas, training, skills honing, advice and issues,” April says.
“We have watched women who were too anxious to look at their motorcycles after accidents, become track riding ‘extraordinaires’ through the support, advice and ongoing understanding of complete and utter strangers – but only because the strangers were a part of ECFR.
“We have watched young, new learners blossom into confident filtering commuters through the guidance and ongoing mentorship in our ECFR mentorship program.”
The program matches riders seeking further experience or expertise in a new area, with experienced riders in that particular skill, in their areas to act as mentors.
ECFR also holds monthly member forums at various locations which are live streamed to all members to ensure transparency of issues, upcoming changes, events and more.
April and Rebecca say that the way ECFR is set up has helped their members discuss and get advice on difficult issues affecting their lives whether it be motorcycle related, or personally related such as divorce, domestic abuse and mental illness.
The group will celebrate International Female Ride Day on May 4 with several morning rides around Brisbane ending at Brisbane Motorcycles for free food and drinks for all IFRD participants.
Riders are encouraged to “dress up”.
“This is to celebrate women who ride, and show solidarity in numbers,” April says.
Chad Reed lost traction as the field entered the second jump section at Seattle on the weekend, which caused Chad and his Suzuki to dart left into the pack, bringing Ryan Breece and Justin Brayton down, before Kyle Chisholm was left with no choice but to land right on top of Reed.
Carnage at Seattle Supercross – Image Hoppenworld
Reed has a hefty injury list from the clash, with eight broken ribs, a broken scapula and a collapsed lung. But blamed nobody but himself.
Chad Reed on Instagram
Chad Reed on Instagram
Ellie Reed on Instagram
Ellie Reed posted this image of husband Chad on her InstagramEllie Reed posted this comment with the above image of husband Chad on her Instagram
Chad turned 37 earlier this month and was ranked seventh in the AMA Supercross Championship in the lead up to the Seattle round, ahead of Savatgy, Brayton, Barcia, Seely and Plessinger.
Chad Reed is carted away for medical treatment after crashing heavily at the Seattle Supercross event – Image by Hoppenworld
Reed holds the record for the most Main Event race starts in Supercross history and is the most accomplished Australian motocross and supercross racer in the history of the sport.
Chad Reed’s performance was celebrated by himself, the crowd, and his fellow competitors after his podium finish in Detroit earlier this year.Chad Reed claimed inaugural FIM Oceania Championship in Auckland late last year – Image AUS-X OpenChad Reed – San Diego 2016Chad Reed (2004)
MotoCAP, the world’s first safety and comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing, uses a secretive system for buying and selecting gear for testing to guarantee integrity.
Deakin Uni Institute for Frontier Materials Senior Research Fellow Chris Hurren says they have so far not been supplied with any test products by any manufacturer.
“At this point the scheme is totally funded by Australian State Governments, some of the auto clubs and insurers and the NZ ACC,” he says.
“All garments are purchased from retail and online without the manufacturers knowledge or involvement.”
Secretive buying system
MotoCAP testing equipment at the Deakin Uni Geelong campus
Their sourcing system is quite secretive with one of the two garments used for testing bought in stores in Australia and New Zealand.
“We never buy more than one garment type at a time so a typical buying run may consist of one leather jacket, one textile jacket and a pair of denim jeans,” Chris says.
“Another buying run may be a textile jacket, a pair of textile pants and a pair of gloves. The person doing the in store purchase is a rider and they try on the garments like a normal buyer so almost impossible to detect.
“We then use the same covert purchasing system for an online purchase of a second garment generally of a different size and/or colour if available.
“The delivery address is changed regularly and never to the University.
“This is all done to ensure that manufacturers can not trick up the garments to get a higher score. The only time industry knows that they have been sourced for testing is when the results are displayed on the website.”
Manufacturer involvement
However, manufacturers have been invited to submit rider gear for testing and rating.
“There are two methods for manufacturers to organise for their product to be tested but neither of these have been utilised yet as the program is still in its infancy,” Chris says.
“A manufacturer can pay for a garment to be purchased using the above method and added to the testing program.
“A manufacturer may also get their product tested before it enters the stores by providing a number of boxes (50+ garments depending on the product and size of company) of their manufactured product in a warehouse where it is randomly sampled for three garments.
“Two of these garments will be tested and the third held to be compared with retail stock when it arrives in store. If what turns up in store is different to what was tested then their rating will be rescinded and they will be prosecuted by the ACCC for false advertising.
More ratings
MotoCAP textile jacket ratings
So far, MotoCAP has tested 18 textile and leather jackets, 18 pairs of jeans and leggings and eight pair of gloves.
The last ratings posted were for textile pants about five weeks ago.
In the next few weeks MotoCAP will post ratings for seven pairs of leather pants and an additional posting of gloves, textile jackets and textile pants.
That means they will have every product class covered: gloves, leather jackets, leather pants, textile jackets, textile pants, ladies leggings and denim jeans.
Chris says they will have more than 150 products on the website by June 30.
“We have purposely targeted only 10% of the market in the first year so that manufacturers have a chance to come along with the scheme,” he says.
“We do not want to put a manufacturer out of business as we want them to improve their products and think about protection and thermal comfort in their design.”
“If they follow this path like car manufacturers did for ANCAP then the rider will always be the winner.
Factory Yamaha guest rider to undergo further medical evaluation this week.
Image: Supplied.
Triple Australian motocross champion Dean Ferris is feared to have suffered a knee injury in his return to the MXGP World Championship at Matterley Basin in Great Britain yesterday.
Ferris, who’s currently filling in for injured athlete Romain Febvre at Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing in a three-race deal, completed moto one in 15th position, however a crash at the beginning of race two called for a premature end to his weekend.
He’ll undergo further medical examination to determine the extent of the injury, and ultimately come to a conclusion on if he can continue racing this season.
“It was a tough weekend, but I got more comfortable in every session,” Ferris explained. “I thought the last fifteen minutes of the race I found my groove and had some really good lap-times, so I was content with that. In moto two, I went down on the start and I have hurt my knee, so that will need to be assessed.”
The injury could jeopardise Ferris’ intentions to lock-in a deal in the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, which was his plan after earning the Pirelli MX Nationals MX1 crown for three consecutive years with CDR Yamaha Monster Energy.
Bringing you the Best Motorcycle News from Around the Web!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
