Popular Australian deep in preparation for 2019 rally.
Image: Supplied.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price is anticipating greater intensity ahead of the 2019 Dakar Rally as he endeavours to earn the crown for the second time in his career.
Price, who was crowned the FIM Cross-Country Rallies world champion this year, secured the Dakar title in 2016 and has finished third on two occasions.
The popular Australian is deep in preparation for the almost two-week long rally that’s staged in South America, and believes the dune-favoured route will offer an intense race from the beginning of the event.
“Finishing the Dakar on the podium in third after only just coming back from injury was great,” Price explained. “The world championship didn’t start quite like I would have hoped, but I was able to keep my head together, stay consistent and the results finally came.
“Everything clicked in Morocco at that final round and I’m hoping for something similar in Peru. It’s going to be a bit of a strange Dakar, the route looks like about 70 percent is in the dunes and it’s going to be a real challenge, certainly no time to relax.
“In the past there have been days where you can pace yourself and still get a good result by concentrating on navigation and riding smooth – on this one I think it’s going to be flat-out from the very beginning.”
The Dakar Rally is scheduled to commence on 6 Janurary 2019, before finishing up on 17 January 2019 following 5,541 kilometres of riding.
One of the most exciting, and grueling, off-road races of the year is upon us yet again and KTM is ready for battle. Of course, we can only be talking about the 2019 Dakar, and Red Bull KTM is bringing a four-man team to go for its 18th consecutive victory.
Begin press release:
Matthias Walkner, Toby Price, Sam Sunderland and Luciano Benavides are now in the final stages of their preparations ahead of the 2019 Dakar Rally. One final test in Abu Dhabi is now all that stands between the four Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders and the 10-day event being held exclusively in Peru. Fielding an exceptionally strong team that includes three previous Dakar winners, Red Bull KTM will fight for their 18th consecutive victory at the prestigious annual event.
Following an incredible season, that saw Matthias Walkner crowned 2018 Dakar Rally Champion and Toby Price crowned FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion, the focus has now switched firmly back to the Dakar and the 2019 event that kicks off on January 6.
Setting off from Lima, the 2019 Dakar Rally will see riders compete for a total of over 5,000 kilometres, 3,000 of which will be timed special stages. With the route consisting of 70 percent sand dunes, the event will be like no other. The organisers have billed the 41st edition as one of ‘unequalled intensity’ where navigation, endurance and perhaps more importantly than ever, ultimate speed will be key to a strong result.
Looking to defend his 2018 Dakar title, Matthias Walkner will head to Peru with his confidence high. Despite a tricky start to this year’s world championship campaign, Walkner soon found his rhythm onboard his KTM 450 RALLY. Strong finishes at the final few rounds of the season, including runner-up results at the Desafio Inka and Rallye du Maroc, showed that the Austrian rider is on form and ready to take on the Dakar once more.
Matthias Walkner:“I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike in Peru and racing to defend my title. There is a little bit of added pressure for me but my plan is exactly the same as always – stay safe and do my best at the event. It’s difficult to know how things will be with the race held in just one country and with so much of it in the sand. Strategy will be very important as your start position for the day can make a huge difference to the results. I believe it will be very close with a lot of guys fighting for the win, but if everything goes to plan and I can keep to a consistent pace, I would hope for at least another podium finish.”
Less than two months since he was crowned FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion, Toby Price is already fully focused on the Dakar. Similarly to his teammate Walkner, Price endured a challenging start to his 2018 season with some bad fortune and mixed results hampering his championship hopes. However, a charge in the latter half of the year took the Australian to victory at the final round in Morocco and with it he secured his first ever world championship. The 2016 Dakar champion aims to carry that form into Peru and the fast-approaching 2019 event.
Toby Price:“2018 has been an incredible year for me. Finishing the Dakar on the podium in third after only just coming back from injury was great. The world championship didn’t start quite like I would have hoped, but I was able to keep my head together, stay consistent and the results finally came. Everything clicked in Morocco at that final round and I’m hoping for something similar in Peru. It’s going to be a bit of a strange Dakar, the route looks like about 70 percent is in the dunes and it’s going to be a real challenge, certainly no time to relax. In the past there have been days where you can pace yourself and still get a good result by concentrating on navigation and riding smooth – on this one I think it’s going to be flat-out from the very beginning.”
Forced to retire from the 2018 Dakar due to injury, Sam Sunderland was soon back on a bike and fighting for the win at the first round of the world championship in Abu Dhabi. As the season moved on to Chile, Sam was again battling for victory when a further injury caused him to miss the next few races. Regrouping for the final round in Morocco, and despite a tyre issue causing him to lose time early on, the Brit’s pace was impressive in the sand with Sam taking a stage win. Pleased with his speed on the bike, Sunderland has also been working on his overall fitness for what looks to be one of the most intense Dakar Rallies to date.
Sam Sunderland:“As we get closer to Dakar now, I’m feeling really good. I’m happy with how I am riding and confident in my navigation. I know this year in Peru it’s going to be very physically demanding, so I have been working very hard on my training to be in the best shape when the race starts in January. It’s definitely good for me that we have 10 days in the dunes. I love riding that sort of terrain and seem to have good pace there. Whether it will fall in my favour I don’t know. Anything can happen in rallies as we know and you can’t predict a race like Dakar. This year I did have a six-minute lead after Peru so that is encouraging, but the plan is the usual – take each day as it comes.”
Riding the full Red Bull liveried KTM 450 RALLY for the first time at Dakar 2019, Luciano Benavides is hoping to make up for his early departure from the 2018 event with a strong result in Peru. Following five tough months of recovery, Benavides returned to competition at his home race – the Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina – to place an excellent sixth. Concentrating on his navigation and strategy during the final rounds of the year, the number 77 will be looking to build on his experience and complete his first Dakar Rally.
Luciano Benavides:“It’s an honour to ride with the Red Bull colours on the bike. It carries a lot of responsibility and some added pressure, especially as I am riding with three Dakar champions. But I will try my best to turn that into motivation to do well. My first goal is simply to finish, as I had to drop out this year. My second goal is to finish inside the top-10. I know that will be tough and I think with the shorter rally in 2019 it will be even tougher, but I know I have the pace to do so. My crash this year came from a lack of focus, so I need to change that for January. I have spent a lot of time working on my navigation and strategy so hopefully it will all pay off.”
Joining the four-rider Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team in Peru will be Laia Sanz and Mario Patrao. The two KTM Factory Racing riders will both be gunning for strong results at the 2019 Dakar Rally. Sanz will be returning to competition proper following her recent fight with the Epstein Barr virus. Patrao will be racing his first Dakar for the factory team and hopes to be able to support the rest of the squad by riding a solid, consistent Dakar in what looks to be a shorter, but no-less brutal race.
Starting January 6 in Lima, the 2019 Dakar Rally covers 10 full days of racing with one marathon stage and one rest day before the riders return to Lima for the finish on January 17. The total distance covered by the motorcycles will be 5,541 kilometres – 2,889 kilometres of which will be timed special stages.
Australian motorcycle helmet startup Forcite is looking for riders to act as test pilots for their ultralight but ultra-hi-tech smart helmet.
The smart helmet revolution is coming with several hi-tech helmets or add-on units hitting the market in the next few years, changing riding forever.
Not to be outdone by Silicon Valley and Asian tech wizards Michael Drysdale of Forcite Helmets in Sydney is working on a helmet that will include a lot of technology.
If you would like to be a test pilot, simply click here and request to join up.
Forcite helmet
The carbon helmet will have an integrated camera system, navigation, intercom and active noise-cancelling.
Their custom camera system is based on body-worn video used by the defence force.
They also claim Forcite has developed “a totally new way to navigate, get alerts and locate Police and speed camera’s through a combination of software and hardware technology”.
Forcite helmets will include an electronically tinted visor that changes tint within a few milliseconds.
It sounds similar to the AGVisor system that changes tint in less than a second at the touch of a button.
Valentino Rossi with his special Pista GP helmet with AGVisor
The helmet is made of ultralightweight carbon fibre composite “unique to the Forcite range”.
They claim it will be lighter than most standard helmets even though it is equipped with a huge amount of technology.
“It has taken us three years of work to learn how to make this possible with the entire electronics package less than the size of a credit card,” he says.
Electric motorcycles are going racing on the world stage in 2019 and Energica’s Ego Corsa will be the machine all the competitors will be riding. Now that all the teams and riders have had a chance to test, here’s what Energica has to say.
Begin press release:
The cornerstone of the 2019 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup was laid down two weekends ago, when a three-day-test was performed by all twelve teams taking part in the series at the Jerez Circuit. Twelve, stunning Energica Ego Corsa machines were ridden for the first time by the mix of young and experienced talents of motorcycle racing that form the line-up of the new championship, which will get underway for the first time at this same track on May 3-5 2019.
Among these riders, there was one who made the news by making his return to racing at the age of 48: the two-time MotoGP runner-up and nine-time premier class race winner – once in 500cc and eight times in MotoGP – Sete Gibernau, who looked more than ready for action aboard the Ego Corsa assigned to Pons Racing for this test.
The quickest of them all turned out to be, however, former MotoGP factory rider Bradley Smith (Sic Racing Team), who logged a 1’50.265secs lap-time in the fourth of nine 30-minute sessions (on day two).
“I’m really happy” says Bradley Smith. “The three days went super good. It was unfortunate that we had difficult weather conditions, but it was also nice to ride in the dry, in the wet and in mixed conditions just to get some information and feedback from the settings, the tyres and also from the electronic strategies, mappings and configurations that we tried. Overall, I felt I adapted to the bike quite quickly, while trying to understand what makes the bike work at its very best. I feel this championship is going to be very competitive: it was great to see so many riders from different series and disciplines coming together and all of them being not only competitive but also really, really close. It’s a pleasant surprise for everybody involved and a there’s a nice buzz about the championship right now.”
This three-day test was more of a shakedown to make sure riders and teams could get a glimpse of the potential of the all-electric superbike machine by Energica before the winter break. In the meetings and briefings held during and after the test, a positive scenario emerged in which team managers had a very positive feedback to report to Energica CTO Giampiero Testoni, who was actively involved with the group of Energica technicians and mechanics in supporting the teams during the test.
“We are extremely happy with how this first MotoE test went down” Giampiero Testoni began. “All twelve Ego Corsa performed – as expected – consistently over the course of the three days with no major setbacks and a lot of good feedback coming from riders and team managers, whose expectations were not only matched but also widely surpassed. Our team of technicians worked in great synergy with the teams and did an extremely good job, so things are looking up for the future. We will now continue working towards the winter to make sure we’re fully ready to go for the next test at Jerez.”
The next MotoE test will take place at Jerez on March 12-14 2019.
Victorian set to join Waters and Maxwell in satellite-supported role.
Image: Supplied.
Coming off the back of announcements that Josh Waters and Wayne Maxwell have signed two-year deals with Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia, it’s now been revealed the squad will expand to three riders for 2019 with the addition of Alex Phillis.
Phillis finished eighth overall in the 2018 YMF Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) aboard a privateer Suzuki GSX-R1000, and is set to join former champions Waters and Maxwell in a satellite-supported role with the squad.
“We’re thrilled to expand our rider line-up to three next year,” said Suzuki Motorcycles Australia’s marketing manager Lewis Croft. “Suzuki has a rich history with the Phillis family, dating back to the early eighties winning five titles with Rob Phillis on a GSX1100 Katana.
“We look forward to seeing Alex in Team Suzuki Ecstar Australia colours next season, completing one of the strongest rider line-ups in the history of Australian Superbike racing.”
The Victorian will make his debut with the team at the ASBK opener, scheduled to take place in conjunction with opening round of WorldSBK at Phillip Island on 22-24 February.
KTM set for 2019 Dakar Rally with epic rider line-up
Having just claimed the FIM Cross-Country Rally World Title, Toby Price has his sights firmly set on the Dakar Rally 2019, with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team, alongside Walkner, Sunderland, and Benavides.
Toby Price FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion
Price endured a challenging start to his 2018 season with some bad fortune and mixed results hampering his championship hopes, however a charge in the latter half of the year took the Australian to victory at the final round in Morocco and with it he secured his first ever world championship.
Toby Price FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion
The 2016 Dakar champion aims to carry that form into Peru and the fast-approaching 2019 event, which starts January 6 in Lima.
The 2019 Dakar Rally will cover 10 full days of racing with one marathon stage and one rest day before the riders return to Lima for the finish on January 17. The total distance covered by the motorcycles will be 5,541 kilometres – 2,889 kilometres of which will be timed special stages.
Toby Price FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion
With the route consisting of 70 percent sand dunes, the event will be like no other. The organisers have billed the 41st edition as one of ‘unequalled intensity’ where navigation, endurance and perhaps more importantly than ever, ultimate speed will be key to a strong result.
Toby Price
“2018 has been an incredible year for me. Finishing the Dakar on the podium in third after only just coming back from injury was great. The world championship didn’t start quite like I would have hoped, but I was able to keep my head together, stay consistent and the results finally came. Everything clicked in Morocco at that final round and I’m hoping for something similar in Peru. It’s going to be a bit of a strange Dakar, the route looks like about 70 percent is in the dunes and it’s going to be a real challenge, certainly no time to relax. In the past there have been days where you can pace yourself and still get a good result by concentrating on navigation and riding smooth – on this one I think it’s going to be flat-out from the very beginning.”
Toby Price – Image by Sebas Romero
Matthias Walkner was crowned 2018 Dakar Rally Champion and will be looking to defend his title. Despite a tricky start to this year’s world championship campaign, Walkner soon found his rhythm onboard his KTM 450 Rally. Strong finishes at the final few rounds of the season, including runner-up results at the Desafio Inka and Rallye du Maroc, showed that the Austrian rider is on form and ready to take on the Dakar once more.
Matthias Walkner
“I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike in Peru and racing to defend my title. There is a little bit of added pressure for me but my plan is exactly the same as always – stay safe and do my best at the event. It’s difficult to know how things will be with the race held in just one country and with so much of it in the sand. Strategy will be very important as your start position for the day can make a huge difference to the results. I believe it will be very close with a lot of guys fighting for the win, but if everything goes to plan and I can keep to a consistent pace, I would hope for at least another podium finish.”
Matthias Walkner won the 2018 Dakar Rally
Forced to retire from the 2018 Dakar due to injury, Sam Sunderland was soon back on a bike and fighting for the win at the first round of the world championship in Abu Dhabi. As the season moved on to Chile, Sam was again battling for victory when a further injury caused him to miss the next few races. Regrouping for the final round in Morocco the Brit’s pace was impressive in the sand with Sam taking a stage win. Pleased with his speed on the bike, Sunderland has also been working on his overall fitness for what looks to be one of the most intense Dakar Rallies to date.
Sam Sunderland
“As we get closer to Dakar now, I’m feeling really good. I’m happy with how I am riding and confident in my navigation. I know this year in Peru it’s going to be very physically demanding, so I have been working very hard on my training to be in the best shape when the race starts in January. It’s definitely good for me that we have 10 days in the dunes. I love riding that sort of terrain and seem to have good pace there. Whether it will fall in my favour I don’t know. Anything can happen in rallies as we know and you can’t predict a race like Dakar. This year I did have a six-minute lead after Peru so that is encouraging, but the plan is the usual – take each day as it comes.”
Sam Sunderland led the way as Dakar 2018 got underway but was forced to retire due to injury
Riding the full Red Bull liveried KTM 450 Rally for the first time at Dakar 2019, Luciano Benavides is hoping to make up for his early departure from the 2018 event with a strong result in Peru.
Luciano Benavides
“It’s an honour to ride with the Red Bull colours on the bike. It carries a lot of responsibility and some added pressure, especially as I am riding with three Dakar champions. But I will try my best to turn that into motivation to do well. My first goal is simply to finish, as I had to drop out this year. My second goal is to finish inside the top-10. I know that will be tough and I think with the shorter rally in 2019 it will be even tougher, but I know I have the pace to do so. My crash this year came from a lack of focus, so I need to change that for January. I have spent a lot of time working on my navigation and strategy so hopefully it will all pay off.”
Luciano Benavides – Image by Sebas Romero
Joining the four-rider Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team in Peru will be Laia Sanz and Mario Patrao. Sanz will be returning to competition proper following her recent fight with the Epstein Barr virus. Patrao will be racing his first Dakar for the factory team and hopes to be able to support the rest of the squad by riding a solid, consistent Dakar in what looks to be a shorter, but no-less brutal race.
Motorcycle Industry Council survey reveals continuing shift in rider demographics with women representing a growing number of motorcycle ownership.
Begin press release:
Nearly one in five motorcycle owners is now female, compared with one in 10 less than a decade ago, and the data suggests that women could soon make up one quarter of owners, which would be a major shift in motorcycling demographics, according to the latest national survey by the Motorcycle Industry Council.
Among all age groups, women now make up 19 percent of motorcycle owners. But the 2018 survey showed even greater female ownership within younger generations. Among Gen X motorcycle owners, 22 percent were women; among Gen Y, 26 percent were women.
“As the number of Boomer and mature motorcyclists shrink and are replaced by newer riders, we could soon be looking at a solid 25 percent of motorcycle owners being female,” said Andria Yu, MIC director of communications. “We’ve seen with our own eyes many more women riders — on the roads, on the trails, on the track, with families, at motorcycling events, forming clubs and just being part of everyday group rides. Many people in the industry have worked some 30 years to achieve this, and now the data confirms it: More and more women are getting out there and enjoying motorcycles.”
The MIC polled 2,472 adults nationwide for the 2018 Motorcycle/ATV Owner Survey. For decades, the MIC surveys have served as the census of motorcycling, and have tracked a steady growth in the percentage of women who own bikes.
“Major efforts to increase the number of women riders go back to the late 1980s when top manufacturers and distributors came together and formed Discover Today’s Motorcycling, the industry outreach program built to introduce new riders to two-wheeling,” said Cam Arnold, a longtime industry executive who is organizing a Women in Powersports networking event this evening in New York City. “The first DTM project in the 1980s spotlighted the historic 1916 Van Buren sisters ride across the country and garnered much media attention. Throughout the 1990s and on till today, the big brands have dedicated increasing amounts of attention to the women’s market, and we’ve simply seen more and more positive imagery on TV, in movies and in many mainstream settings where women on motorcycles are just having fun.”
The 2018 owner survey also found that women motorcycle owners spend, on average, $574 a year on tires, routine repairs, maintenance, replacement parts, and accessories and modifying equipment, compared with $497 by men.
“We’ve seen particularly strong growth in the aftermarket sector for women,” said Cinnamon Kernes, newly appointed vice president and general manager of MIC Events and the American International Motorcycle Expo presented by Nationwide, the largest powersports trade and consumer show in North America. “Over the past decade, more women are designing riding gear and other products specifically for female riders, working in major companies or creating their own brands. Having gear designed for women by women was a huge step and has certainly helped encourage female ridership.”
The Women in Powersports gathering today will be at the Manhattan showroom and factory of Breaking Hearts & Burning Rubber, a company owned and operated by women producing motorcycle gear and apparel for women.
Motorcycling has grown in popularity and acceptance in American culture in recent decades, which is reflected in the survey. It found that 66 percent of women motorcycle owners say their family and friends would have a positive attitude toward motorcycles and scooters.
The Motorcycle Industry Council exists to preserve, protect and promote motorcycling through government relations, communications and media relations, statistics and research, aftermarket programs, development of data communications standards, activities surrounding technical and regulatory issues, and the American International Motorcycle Expo. As a not-for-profit, national industry association, the MIC seeks to support motorcyclists by representing manufacturers, distributors, dealers and retailers of motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, ROVs, motorcycle/ATV/ROV parts, accessories and related goods and services, and members of allied trades such as insurance, finance and investment companies, media companies and consultants.
The MIC is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with a government relations office in metropolitan Washington, D.C. First called the MIC in 1970, the organization has been in operation since 1914. Visit the MIC at www.mic.org.
A former elite soldier and combat medic is raising funds to buy and equip a “medicycle” to bring crucial medical relief to indigenous communities in far north Australia.
Rick Carey, 64, of the Snowy Mountains, recently completed a three-month, 25,000km fundraising trip through the Northern Territory on his Royal Enfield Classic 500 Pegasus.
He raised more than $8000 for soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Now he plans to return to far north indigenous communities each dry season on a specially equipped medical motorcycle to provide medical relief.
Motorbike Writer supports a lot of charity riders who raise money for good causes. Some critics suggest these riders are just using charity and crowdfunding to pay for their holiday.
However, Rick points out that he sold one of his favourite motorcycles, an original 1998 R1, to fund the first ride.
“I put out over $20,000 to fund my first trip,” the pensioner says.
“I was not going to be accused of using donations to fund the trip.
“I only managed to raise $8000 but I also raised a lot of awareness of PTSD as I’m a former suffer myself.”
Rick has seen combat all over the world with the British Army and has worked with the Australian Special Forces.
Combat medic
As a combat medic, he is now keen to provide medical relief to the indigenous communities he visited on his first trip.
“I never planned to do this but I left the Northern Territory in tears,” he says.
“I couldn’t believe the conditions they were living in.
“I was totally shocked by the disease and injuries these people were living with and even more saddened by the fact they are Australia’s forgotten people with little in the way of aid or medicines to improve their 1700s living conditions.”
Good Samaritan
Rick says he is covered by the Good Samaritan laws.
“I’ll only be doing first aid, nothing radical. Just making people more comfortable.”
Rick hopes to raise $50,000 to buy a BMW F 850 GS and equip it with medical supplies.
“I need a decent off-road bike to handle the conditions that the Enfield couldn’t,” he says.
He plans to head north again in August 2019 and will document the trip to help educate the Australian public on the plight of remote indigenous communities.
“We can continue to ignore the fact Australian children are dying in our own country, or like me we can actually do something without being hamstrung by political agendas,” he says.
“It’s better to do a little good for a few people than nothing at all.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
What Went Down Last Weekend?
Brayton Wins King of Geneva
Bowers is King of Chemnitz
Watson wins in France
Price Ready for Challenging Dakar 19
Yamaha Signs Green, Driscoll and Style for 2019
Three More Yamaha Riders Set for 2019 MXGP
Kirk Gibbs Signs for CDR Yamaha for 2019
2019 Mountain Man Motocross News
Metcalfe Heads Honda Campaign in 2019
King of MX 2019 Dates Announced
Weston Peick Update – Good News
Brayton Wins King of Geneva
Three-time Australian Supercross Champion Justin Brayton capped off a stellar ‘off-season’ by winning the King of Geneva last weekend with a win and a second place over the two nights of racing in front of a quality field and a huge crowd.
Justin Brayton – King of Geneva 2018
Brayton was forced to come from outside the top five to pass Christian Craig for second place during Friday nights final and was looking like he was going to have to settle for second behind Zach Osborne when on the very last lap Osborne hit the rear tyre of a lapped rider only to crash leaving Brayton alone for the win ahead of Craig, Osborne, Vince Friese, Jordi Tixier, Cole Seely and Justin Barcia.
Barcia scored the holeshot in Saturday night’s final ahead of Craig and Brayton but it didn’t take long before Brayton got around Craig and started putting pressure on Barcia but after 20 gruelling laps Barcia got the win ahead of Brayton, Craig, Friese, Tixier, Valentin Teillet and Cole Seely.
Brayton earned a well-deserved King of Geneva over Craig and Barcia. “I don’t what happened to my starts but I knew what I had to do to win the King of Geneva, this is awesome to win my fifth King of Geneva supercross, that’s crazy, who would have thought when you see the list of names who have won this before but I am happy to be part of it and happy to have the record solo (for most wins), I’m stoked.”
SX Final Night One
Justin Brayton
Christian Craig
Zach Osborne
Vince Friese
Jordi Tixier
Cole Seely
Justin Barcia
Cedric Soubeyras
Gregory Aranda
Malcolm Stewart
Valentin Teillet
Fabien Izoird
Nicolas Aubin
Gaetan Le Hir
Xavier Boog
SX Final Night Two
Justin Barcia
Justin Brayton
Christian Craig
Vince Friese
Jordi Tixier
Valentin Teillet
Cole Seely
Gregory Aranda
Fabien Izoird
Khousith Vongsana
Xavier Boog
Nicolas Dercourt
Gaetan Le Hir
Kevin Ballanger
Joen Cros
Nicolas Aubin
Cedric Soubeyras
Zach Osborne
King of Geneva
Justin Brayton (20-17)
Christian Craig (17-15)
Justin Barcia (9-20)
Vince Friese (13-13)
Jordi Tixier (11-11)
Cole Seely (10-9)
Valentin Teillet (5-10)
Gregory Aranda (7-8)
Zach Osborne (15-0)
Fabien Izoird (4-7)
Cameron McAdoo won the Prince of Geneva from Adrien Escoffier and Julien Roussaly.
Prince of Geneva
Cameron McAdoo 17-20
Adrien Escoffier 20-17
Julien Roussaly 13-15
Bowers is King of Chemnitz
American Tyler Bowers was in Germany last weekend and was rewarded by claiming the King of Chemnitz honours after winning Friday night’s final ahead of Cole Martinez before backing that up with another win on Saturday night this time ahead of Charles Lefrancois.
Friday SX1 Final
Tyler Bowers
Cole Martinez
Charles Lefrancois
Dominique Thury
Justin Starling
Saturday – SX1 Final
Tyler Bowers
Charles Lefrancois
Dominique Thury
Cole Martinez
Justin Starling
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Watson wins in France
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Nathan Watson has secured a dominant victory at round three of the Championnat de France des Sables Beach Race Series in St. Léger de Balson after charging his way to a commanding two-minute win.
Championnat de France des Sables Beach Race Series in St. Léger de Balson
Offering a change from the traditional seaside beach race, round three of the Championnat de France des Sables made its way inland to the vast, deep sandy forest region of St. Léger de Balson for the third stop of the championship. Wet and changeable weather for the two-hour-30-minute race ensured conditions would be anything but predictable for the 300 riders competing.
After missing round two due to his World Enduro Super Series commitments, Nathan Watson returned to competitive action in the championship highly motivated following his recent victory at the Red Bull Knock Out beach race in The Netherlands.
Starting strongly, Watson rounded the opening lap inside the top five. However, with conditions proving wet and muddy, he knew it would be a race of attrition for many. Taking his time to settle into things, he steadily worked his way into the lead during the first 45 minutes.
Opting to pit early for a fresh pair of goggles and gloves saw him drop back to second place behind new race leader Milko Potisek. Feeling strong and comfortable in the deteriorating conditions, Nathan quickly worked his way back in front. Continuing his unrelenting pace, the KTM 450 SX-F rider ended the race with a two-minute-20-second margin of victory.
Nathan Watson
“I’m delighted and a little bit surprised with how well my race has gone. I felt in control the whole way through and despite some horrendously tough conditions I was able to manage the pace of the race to my advantage. With a lot of rain I knew conditions would be tricky. My start was ok and I was fourth after lap one. A few riders made some mistakes and then suddenly I was in the lead. However, I needed to pit early for fresh goggles and gloves and that dropped me back into second behind Milko. When I got going again I managed to pull him back in quite quickly and once ahead I continued that strong pace until the chequered flag. It feels great to get this win, especially off the back of my Red Bull Knock Out victory and I’m looking forward to keeping that momentum rolling into round four next weekend.”
Nathan Watson
The Championnat de France des Sables continues with round four on December 9, 2018.
Results – French Beach Race Series, Round 3
Nathan Watson, KTM, 17 laps 2:39:26.670
Milko Potisek, Yamaha, 2:41:47.330
Jeffrey Dewulf, KTM, 2:45:24.490;
Petar Petrov, KTM, 16 laps 2:40:52.881
Maxime Sot, Yamaha, 2:41:22.540
Championship Standings (After round 3)
Milko Potisek, Yamaha, 410pts
Jeffrey Dewulf, KTM, 375pts
Petar Petrov , KTM, 308pts
Maxime Sot, Yamaha, 292pts
Nathan Watson, KTM, 285pts
Price Ready for Challenging Dakar 19
Former Dakar Champion Toby Price is now in the final stages of preparations ahead of the 2019 Dakar Rally. One final test in Abu Dhabi is now all that stands between the current FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion and the 10-day event being held exclusively in Peru beginning on January 6th 2019.
Toby Price
“It’s going to be a bit of a strange Dakar, the route looks like about 70 percent is in the dunes and it’s going to be a real challenge, certainly no time to relax. In the past there have been days where you can pace yourself and still get a good result by concentrating on navigation and riding smooth – on this one I think it’s going to be flat-out from the very beginning.”
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Josh Strang Signs with Kawasaki
Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. has announced that Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green will field two XC1 class riders in the 2019 GNCC and Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series with former GNCC XC1 Champion and current Full Gas Sprint Enduro Champion Josh Strang being the first to sign for the team.
Josh Strang
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to ride the all-new KX450. It’s exciting to join a team like Kawasaki, who believe in the potential of my riding and my results. I rode Kawasaki’s in Australia for many years before moving to the U.S. to race, so it’s really gone full circle for me. I can’t wait to get back on a brand that helped start my career and continues to provide support, which is a big part of succeeding.”
Josh Strang
In addition to the Team Babbitt’s Online racing effort, Kawasaki Team Green will have a lot to offer off-road racers, including a $1.7 million racer rewards program with $427,700 dedicated to the GNCC series.
The Team Green trackside support crew, featuring technical assistance and parts sales for customers will attend seven rounds of the 2019 GNCC series as well as other off-road race events across the country. For GNCC events where the Team Green trackside support crew is not present, the Team Babbitt’s Online semi will have a supply of OEM parts to assist KX customers in need.
To further support our customer, racers can visit their Kawasaki Team Green dealer to earn up to a $1,500 rebate for the purchase of a new 2019 KX model. Kawasaki Team Green dealers have until February 15, 2019 to submit Racer Support applications.
Team Green Manager Ryan Holliday
“We have been working hard to put these programs together and re-establish our presence in the off-road segment. Having the opportunity to continue our successful relationship with Team Babbitt’s Online and be involved with the GNCC series was an easy decision for us. The combination of having a great new KX450 model, experienced riders and the knowledge of our team staff gives us the potential for success right away.”
Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green along with the Team Green trackside support crew will take on the treacherous terrain of the Big Buck GNCC season opener in Union, South Carolina on February 24, 2019.
Yamaha Signs Green, Driscoll and Style for 2019
Josh Green, Luke Styke and Michael Driscoll will remain with the Yamaha Active8 Yamalube team for the 2019 Australian Off-Road Championships as well as other major events around Australia.
After winning the Under 19 division for two years running, Michael Driscoll will now make the big step up to the E1 class for 2019.
Michael Driscoll
“I feel like I have a good foundation to enter the professional classes now and confident I can mix it up with the best in the class right from the get go. Having watched closely how someone like Josh prepares himself and seeing the professionalism he approaches his racing enables me to learn that being successful is more than just hanging off the throttle. Being back with AJ (Roberts) and the team is great and we have a really good thing going. The bikes are awesome and we have an awesome group of people around us so hopefully Luke, Josh and myself can all push each other to have an even better season that last.”
Michael Driscoll
Motocross convert, Luke Styke, proved a revelation in 2018 as he dominated proceedings in the E1 category taking the win in the AORC as well as the A4DE and landing well inside the top five Outright at the majority of the events.
Luke Styke
“Off road was completely new to me this time last year and almost every event I went to I had to learn not just about the bike, the rules or the riding, but also the formats and the fitness required to succeed at the highest level, so it was a lot to take in all at once but I was happy with how the year turned out. But for 2019, I now have that experience, so my time and focus can be on fine tuning my program to get the most from myself and being better again. Last year the goal was to win my class, in 2019, the next step is outright and although Daniel Milner is riding exceptionally well and one of the best riders in the world, there is no point racing if we don’t have him as the bench mark and try and beat him. It will take a lot of work and preparation but the team and I’m already hard at work and looking to make the next step in our performance.”
Luke Styke
Entering into his eighth season with the Yamaha Active8 Yamalube Team, Josh Green is back and determined to lead the way for the team in 2019.
Josh Green
“I still want to win as much as I did in my first season with AJ and the team. Having Styke and Driscoll in the team benefits me as much as I assist them in that I can use their energy and youthful exuberance to keep me going. Yamaha have been great to work with over the years and I’m 100% a Yamaha guy. I’m proud to represent not only this team but also Yamaha and still believe I’m more than capable of mixing it with anyone in Australian Off Road.”
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Three More Yamaha Riders Set for 2019 MXGP
JWR Yamaha Racing has confirmed a three-rider team for the 2019 MXGP season with six-time Grand Prix winner, Kevin Strijbos leading the team which will also feature Vsevolod Brylyakov and Anton Gole.
Kevin Strijbos
“I’m really happy to join the JWR Yamaha Racing team. It is a young dynamic team and I will try to help them with my experience if needed. I’m also looking forward to riding the Yamaha 450F, as I have heard a lot of positive things about the bike. I cannot wait to ride it! It seems the circle will close; I started my first MXGP season on a Yamaha 125 in 2001 and it looks like I will also close it on a Yamaha. Of course, I will do my best next year to get the best results possible.”
Kevin Strijbos to JWR Yamaha Racing in 2019
Vsevolod Brylyakov
“Finally! I am pumped to announce my new deal with JWR Yamaha Racing for the 2019 MXGP season! It is going to be my first year in the MXGP class and to be honest I do feel very excited. After the past two difficult years, with two big injuries, it is not going to be easy to go and race with the strongest and fastest guys in the world, but I am not scared of work and I believe in myself. I am happy to say that I have people who are giving me the same feeling and that is giving me some extra motivation and the will to succeed. Now it is time make some plans, pack my bags and start my trip back to Europe! My knee feels better and stronger day by day. I cannot wait to go and ride this YZ450F!”
Anton Gole
“I am so happy to finally announce my deal with JWR Yamaha Racing. I have known Johan for a couple of years now and I think he is a very driven guy with big dreams and high goals, so I am really excited to join his team. I’m also going to step up to the MXGP class for next year, so to have Vsevolod Brylyakov and Kevin Strijbos as teammates will be awesome. I hope to learn a lot from them. It is going to be a tough challenge to ride in the big-boy class, but I feel really good on the YZ450F and I am really looking forward to it.”
Kirk Gibbs Signs for CDR Yamaha for 2019
The CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team unveiled Kirk Gibbs as one of their new rider signings for the 2019 season at the bLU cRU King of the Valley event at Oakdale, NSW, on the weekend.
Kirk Gibbs – Image by Scottya
Gibbs has been drafted to the powerful CDR Yamaha team for the 2019 motocross season and his first assignment was to spin some laps at the Oakdale event and was alongside team boss Craig Dack as the club hosted its final event of the year and raised money for injured riders Daniel McCoy and Tyler Darby.
With Dean Ferris deciding to look overseas and Dylan Long’s contract not renewed, Craig Dack has been on the lookout for two new riders to spearhead the teams’ 2019 campaign and he is pleased to reveal the signature of Kirk Gibbs for next season and is excited about what he brings to the team.
Craig Dack
“Kirk comes to us as an experienced racer with the qualities we look for in a professional rider. He is hard-working, dedicated and determined in character as well and talented and focused on racing. We believe surrounding him with the CDR Yamaha staff and on Yamaha machinery, we can elevate Kirk even further and look forward to a strong season from him.”
CDR Yamaha’s Craig Dack
Gibbs has been a championship contender in the MX Nationals since the 2013 season and highlighted with his championship win in 2015.
Kirk Gibbs
“I think every rider in the pits look at CDR Yamaha as the best in the business as their on-track success and off -track knowledge is unmatched in Australia. So now to be a part of that environment and have such an experienced team to lean on for advice is a big confidence booster and one that I think can push my results even higher. I have only had some initial set up testing on the Yamaha YZ450F and already I feel I have a bike that I can ride well and suited to my style of riding. The power is smooth yet strong and the chassis feels really stable, so I feel we are well-placed already and really look forward to working closely with Craig and his team in 2019.”
Kirk Gibbs – Image by Scottya
The first assignment for Gibbs on his new Yamaha YZ450F is to tackle the New Zealand Motocross Championships beginning at the end of January before embarking on his MX nationals campaign starting on March 17.
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2019 Mountain Man Motocross News
Since celebrating the 40th anniversary back in 2016, Toowoomba’s Mountain Man of Motocross has once again cemented itself as one of the most prestigious meetings on the calendar with Kade Mosig, Kirk Gibbs and Dean Ferris all being crowned ‘Mountain Man’ over the last three years.
2019 sees the event run over two days later in February (23/24) after the Toowoomba Motocross Club worked hard to minimize any clashes with both modern and vintage mx events while preparing an all new Echo Valley track which will host modern, vintage, post classic, veteran, female and sidecar racing once again.
Echo Valley was a round of the MX Nationals for many years and was voted as the best round of the 2017 series and the Toowoomba Motocross Club prepares the track as good as it ever has for Mountain Man so this is as good an opportunity you will have to kick your 2019 season off on a positive note – stay tuned for the supp regs.
Metcalfe Heads Honda Campaign in 2019
After a solid 2018 season which saw the veteran score second overall in the Australian Supercross Championship, Honda Australia has confirmed they will continue its partnership with Brett Metcalfe into 2019 motocross and supercross seasons.
Brett Metcalfe
“This year has been rewarding for many reasons, winning a round of supercross was important for me and the team. I am building a trusting home at Penrite Honda, my family is settling in at home in Mannum and I am back in the motherland after 18 years oversees. The bonus was finishing 2nd in the Australian Supercross Championship with a new team and on a new bike. We proved this year we could be competitive in Motocross. We were in the top three several times in races and we scored some podium finishes. As a team we were lacking consistency but we worked on that in the second half of Motocross season and in Supercross we turned a lot of things around which will better prepare us for next year.”
Brett Metcalfe – Image by TBG
The Penrite Honda team are pleased to have Metcalfe locked in for another year, feeling he is a great fit for their program and hope that he remains with them for the remainder of his career and beyond.
Yarrive Konsky – Penrite Honda Racing Team Director
“Brett and I have formed a trusting an open friendship and this certainly makes it easy to work together. It is astonishing to think he accomplished everything he did when you really know what he has gone through this year, moving his life back to Australia and spending a lot of time apart from his wife. He has such a resilience, something only great athletes have. He has a home at Honda and we believe in his talents, he is a proven asset on and off the track. We want to do this properly and our focus is on Brett. We may have a second rider to do selected rounds of Motocross but this is yet to be decided,”
Said Penrite Honda Racing Team director Yarrive Konsky who is equally excited about the documentary on Brett Metcalfe he has been working on. The documentary titled “Born to Race” is a compelling story.
Brett Metcalfe claims victory at the Australian Supercross Round 4
At this stage, the team has signed Metcalfe to be their sole Motocross rider and are yet to decide if they will sign a second rider.
Metcalfe left Australia in 2000 to take on the world, he returned full time this year to begin all over again. He and his family have faced real battles and stayed together through love, acceptance and forgiveness. The documentary will be released before the end of the year and shows the making of one of Australia’s true Moto Champions.
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King of MX 2019 Dates Announced
Motorcycling NSW has confirmed the dates and venues for the 2019 King of MX NSW State Motocross Championship where racers need to enter one of the 6 qualifier events (see schedule below) where the top 6 or 7 finishers in each class earn their Golden Ticket to the final.
Dave Cooke – MNSW CEO
“We really wanted to rebuild the NSW State Motocross Championship into a prestigious event, and I think most will agree that the 2018 King of MX was exactly that. We’re proud of the number of riders that raced at the final in Port Macquarie, as well as the enormous prize purse that we were able to distribute to riders on behalf of our event partners. 2019 is looking to be another strong step forward and we’re excited to announce the dates today and look forward to seeing who enters the chase for the golden ticket.”
Once a rider has qualified, they can still ride the other qualifier events but they can’t win another Golden Ticket, so that gives even more riders a chance to qualify. At the final, State Title Champions will be decided over three motos for each class, and some will also earn a spot in the King, Queen, Prince or Princess of MX feature races.
More information will be announced in the coming weeks, including when entries open and supplementary regulations.
King of MX 2019 Dates
Qualifier 1 February 16-17 Sydney Region (Appin)
Qualifier 2 March 2-3 Northern Region (Moree)
Qualifier 3 March 23-24 Central West (Condobolin)
Qualifier 4 April 6-7 Riverina (Leeton)
Qualifier 5 April 20-21 Southern Region (Canberra)
Qualifier 6 May 18-19 Hunter Region (Maitland)
FINAL June Long Weekend 8-9-10 Goulburn
Weston Peick Up-Date – Good News
The first images of Weston Peick after his crash in France were released this week via his instagram page with this update on his progress:
Weston Peick
“Well this has been one hell of an injury I can’t explain how much suffering has gone on over the last two weeks. I had well over 10 fractures throughout my face requiring three surgeries. But it’s finally turning for the better I’m walking around slowly and getting my body moving again, I’ll be flying back home to the states Tuesday. Huge shout out to Road To Recovery and everyone that has made donations to help this long positive journey to get back on my bike. I can’t thank my family and friends enough for their prayers and positive thoughts. Big thanks to all the people here in France that have made my stay easier and more suitable for my family.”
Weston PeickSmarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Metzeler expands its tire portfolio for V-Twins with a new tire providing consistent performance, designed to upgrade the handling of older and current motorcycles and offering stability and excellent grip, even in wet conditions.
Begin press release:
During the CUSTOMBIKE SHOW that opened its doors today in Bad Salzuflen, Germany, METZELER unveiled the new CRUISETEC, the Custom Touring tire designed to optimize the performance of modern and past V-Twins and intended for motorcyclists who want to get the most out of their motorcycles in terms of handling and grip.
With the new CRUISETEC, METZELER extends its successful V-Twin range towards performance-oriented use. This tire upgrades the handling of current and older motorcycles, featuring remarkable grip even in wet conditions, ground breaking performance and innovative stability features. CRUISETEC features revolutionary characteristics for tread pattern, compound recipe and carcass specifications in the production of tires for V-Twin motorcycles.
METZELER has developed CRUISETEC to meet the needs of motorcyclists who increasingly look for emotional, carefree riding and live their riding passion on V-Twin machines with custom performance in mind. CRUISETEC has been designed to pair with the latest generation of Cruisers and Tourers, machines that manufacturers are equipping with high-rated performance parts and the latest electronic rider aids. With the METZELER CRUISETEC tire, these motorcycles can meet their full potential for agility, increased lean angles, improved stability, comfort, shorter stopping distance and faster cornering. Thanks to a cutting-edge combination of technological features – including industry-leading innovations – experienced V-Twin riders and newer riders alike can enjoy a perfected riding performance, confidently confirming Metzeler’s product tagline “Performance Perfected.”
The main benefits of the new CRUISETEC include:
• Enjoy performance cruising, which means great handling, line taking and line holding. Immediate response at all stages also in wet conditions and enhanced cornering grip and safety.
• Performance consistency, which means handling is preserved throughout the entire tire lifespan thanks to the combination of a solid tread pattern with its constant-curvature contours and dual-compound layout that preserves the tire profile thanks to even wear.
• Smooth and effortless riding thanks to maximized line holding when entering and maintaining lean angles and comfort.
• Enhanced confidence and safety, also in the wet, which derives from the effective interaction of the tire with electronic rider aids.
METZELER CRUISETEC is designed to respond to the needs of V-Twin performance riding, and complements the METZELER portfolio for V-Twins, which now consists of:
· CRUISETEC, perfecting the performance of yesterday’s and today’s V-Twins.
· ME 888 Marathon ULTRA featuring an incredibly wide range which includes whitewalls, orange-wall and extra-wide sizes.
· ME77 Perfect, a vintage tread pattern developed to upgrade the ride of old-school customizations.
The new CRUISETEC tire will be available starting January 2019 in the following sizes:
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, the Custom Touring tire designed to optimize the performance of modern and past V-Twins and intended for motorcyclists who want to get the most out of their motorcycles in terms of handling and grip.
