Indianapolis hosted the latest round of the AMA Supercross Championships and on a predominantly one-lined, rut-infested lay-out, it was KTM’s Marvin Musquin who won the 450 main event for the second year in a row.
Indy 450SX Report
Musquin entered Indianapolis 19-points behind KTM team-mate Cooper Webb but the French star won at Indianapolis last year, and tghe #25 was looking good for a repeat performance after garnering the holeshot in the 20-minute main event ahead of Joey Savatgy, Eli Tomac, Blake Baggett and Webb in tow. Meanwhile Chad Reed started lap two dead last after tangling with another rider.
Indy Supercross kicks off
Marvin was looking as sharp as ever to etch out a small lead, but on lap seven Tomac made his way past Savatgy for second, then Baggett passed Webb who was looking far from comfortable.
Baggett, Webb
It all got very interesting after Savatgy crashed back to sixth before Baggett caught and passed Tomac who in turn lost another place to Webb.
Baggett, Tomac, Webb
On lap 18 it was a four rider freight train with Musquin, Baggett, Webb and Tomac all within a few seconds of each other, but no matter how hard each rider tried that is how they finished.
Marvin Musquin celebrates victory at Indy
Justin Barcia’s first ride back from concussion earned the veteran a sensational fifth ahead of Savatgy, Zach Osborne, Ken Roczen, Dean Wilson and Justin Brayton.
Justin Barcia
Chad Reed passed 11 riders to earn solid points and retain seventh place in the championship.
Chad Reed
As far as the championship goes Webb leads by 14-points over Musquin, who in turn has a seven-point gap back to Tomac.
Cooper Webb
The biggest loser on the night was former red plate holder Ken Roczen, the German just couldn’t seem to get his shit together and is now 27-points behind Webb with six-rounds still remaining.
Ken Roczen
Marvin Musquin – P1
“It was a long main event and I knew they were charging behind me so I just wanted to stay smooth, my whoops were pretty clean. I didn’t know if it was the best way but towards the end I was able to get it all clean and it feels good to get it done. Tonight I was very confident on the starting gate and to get a holeshot tonight was super important so yeh, it was time [for the win].”
Marvin Musquin and Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett – P2
“The track was busy and tight, there was one line in the whoops and there was one main jump line so if someone (a lapped rider) was there you had to go around so you lost time but we are all racing the same guys on the same track. I gotta give it up to Marvin for leading and Cooper who was keeping me honest, ideally I would have liked to be the top KTM but to be in the middle of em’ is cool.”
Blake Baggett
With the 450 main events now 20-minutes long, instead of the old 20-lap format, it means that most of the points paying races go to 25 or 26 laps and championship leader Cooper Webb has introduced an all new aspect to supercross, and that is ‘patience.’
Copper Webb
Webb actually stalled his KTM mid race, looked way out of contention as he dropped back to fifth well behind Musquin, Tomac, Savatgy and Baggett. The championship leader though refocussed, put his head down and ‘slowly’ edged his way to another podium finish.
Cooper Webb – P3
“This is our third KTM sweep of the season which is cool, during the week me and Marv are riding together so it is great so see all of the hard work transfer to race day. After the last two years not going well this year has been great to be in this position and to click off a lot of great results, surpassing my expectation and being up front, obviously the goal has changed regarding the championship so I need to keep strong every weekend and just keep it going.”
Blake Baggett
Justin Barcia – P5
“After having a tough couple of weeks, months really, since winning Anaheim, it’s been difficult. Then my injury was pretty huge to me, actually, so for me I thought it was going to be difficult to come back from it. The basic thing for me was just to get comfortable and get back in the zone and I progressed all day. I don’t like saying I surprised myself, but I kind of surprised myself tonight. I stayed pretty calm all day, patient. I didn’t really let being off the pace a little bit in practice frustrate me, I just stayed focused, used my positive thinking and good mentality and it was a good race. It was a solid race for the first race back. We definitely want to keep progressing from here and get back on the podium. We’ll take a fifth and move on to next weekend.”
Justin Barcia
Zach Osborne – P7
“In the Main Event, I had a really bad gate and made a really good start of it to put myself in a good position to hang in there. I made some mistakes but I have to take the positive of turning a bad day into a good day and a decent result and move forward.”
Zach Osborne
Dean Wilson – P9
“The heat race was awesome! It was really stacked, so it was good for me to win. It was good for my mental side of things to know that I can still be up there. In the Main Event, I didn’t get the best start but I was able to wrestle my way out of it and into ninth. I would say it’s an improvement for sure but I know that getting a good start makes a big difference in staying out of trouble and I’m going to keep working.”
Dean Wilson
450SX Main Event Results
Marvin Musquin
Blake Baggett +02.449
Cooper Webb +05.298
Eli Tomac +20.508
Justin Barcia +27.428
Joey Savatgy +30.484
Zach Osborne +33.661
Ken Roczen +42.993
Dean Wilson +45.557
Justin Brayton +55.957
Chad Reed 25 Laps
Cole Seely 25 Laps
Bowers Lake 25 Laps
Justin Hill 25 Laps
Justin Bogle 25 Laps
Kyle Chisholm 25 Laps
450SX Main Event Results
Marvin Musquin
Blake Baggett +02.449
Cooper Webb +05.298
450SX Points after 11 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 243
Marvin Musquin – 229
Eli Tomac – 222
Ken Roczen – 216
Blake Baggett – 184
Dean Wilson – 163
Chad Reed – 149
Joey Savatgy – 141
Justin Brayton – 140
Justin Barcia – 138
Cole Seely 128
Aaron Plessinger 123
Justin Bogle 96
Justin Hill 96
Tyler Bowers 79
Indy 250 East Coast Report
Unfortunately for the fans of close racing, when Austin Forkner gets the holeshot in the East Coast series it is game over with his Ryan Villopoto like style racking up the best lap times over and over.
Austin Forkner
This left long time arch rival Chase Sexton to reluctantly settle for second place all of the way to flag while Justin Cooper had to make his way from 10th to third to land on the podium ahead of Mitchell Oldenburg, Martin Davalos, Kyle Peters, Kyle Cunningham, Joshua Osby, Alex Martin and Jordan Bailey.
Justin Cooper
Martin actually crashed in the first corner and started the race dead last so the ride to ninth is more credible, while Oldenburg spent the week with his wife who gave birth to a baby boy the day before Indianapolis, so hats off to the new dad.
Austin Forkner – P1
“I am so pumped to be heading into this break with a full race points lead. I got sick this week so I told myself tonight we were going to damage control, and fortunately damage control tonight was good enough for another win. I am going to use this break to let my body rest, do some outdoor testing, and then get a nice base of supercross practice in before we get going again. The only thing on my mind right now is this championship and I would love to wrap it up before Vegas if possible, but regardless I am going to keep doing what I am doing because right now it is working for me.”
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton – P2
“This is my closest race to home in Illinois so it is cool having everyone here so it was good to get the heat win then I wish I could have put on more of a show in the main event but to be on the podium is always good.”
Chase Sexton
Justin Cooper – P3
“It was a hard fight all night, honestly. I had to work for the heat win and then main event time, I got a really good start and was just leaning in to the inside and everyone came in and kind of pushed me wide. I had to go off the track and it put me way back. Honestly, it was a pretty crappy feeling going around the first lap in 19th; looking over and seeing those guys already two straightaways ahead. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me, so I just put my head down and made some quick passes. I think I was up to seventh or eighth… I had raced with so much energy getting to that point and trying to make quick passes that I kind of hit a wall and was like, ‘Wow. I got to breathe a little bit and regroup.’ That’s kind of what did it. I kind of got a second wind towards the end and felt really good. I felt like I was back on pace and just making up a lot of time. I was keeping an eye on third. I didn’t even know if it was going to happen, but was I able to get in position to make a pass last lap for third. It was a good night for me. Good learning, good building, good progress. So I can’t complain. It just would have been nice to get away clean in that firs turn in that top three to see what we could have done towards the end of the race when those guys were getting a little tired.”
AMA SX 2019 – Indy
Mitchell Oldenburg – P4
“It was a crazy week for me. My wife went into labor Thursday morning at 1:00 a.m. a month early, so it has been a pretty stressful and a scary last couple days, but baby and mama are healthy and doing good. It was pretty hard to leave them to come to race this week. It was hard to get my head straight and to get back in race mode and ride my dirt bike. “We had a decent day overall. The main event was good until the last four laps. I had no idea Justin was coming and kind of just checked out mentally and let it go. We live and we learn. I’m not going to let that happen again. We’ll keep working on our progress in the next couple weeks and come into Nashville swinging.”
AMA SX 2019 – Indy
Martin Davalos – P5
“There are a lot of positives for me to take away from tonight’s race. I obviously would have liked to get that heat race win and found the podium in the main event. I went to California this past week and we did a lot of testing that pointed us in the right direction. I am kind of sad we have the break because I feel like we are on to something. I am going to do some outdoor testing during the break with my teammates and then get ready for the last three races to finish the season out strong.”
Martin Davalos
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton +06.289
Justin Cooper +09.098
Mitchell Oldenburg +09.887
Martin Davalos +22.823
Kyle Peters +27.162
Kyle Cunningham +45.965
Joshua Osby +50.939
Alex Martin 19 Laps
Jordan Bailey 19 Laps
Henry Miller 19 Laps
Brandon Hartranft 19 Laps
Fredrik Noren 19 Laps
Chase Marquier 19 Laps
Mitchell Falk 19 Laps
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton +06.289
Justin Cooper +09.098
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Kawasaki Tames ‘The Beast’ at Daytona
The famous Daytona Speedway hosted the tenth round of the AMA Supercross Championships last weekend and it was as good a night as it can get for Kawasaki with Eli Tomac earning an important win in the 450 class while Austin Forkner kept his championship win streak alive in the 250 East class.
Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10 – Image by Hoppenworld
The Ricky Carmichael designed layout was nicknamed ‘the beast’ as it had a bit of everything thrown in with a very technical ‘1000 feet’ rhythm lane, two sand sections, a wall jump and a series of off-set small whoops called ‘moguls’.
Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10 – Image by Hoppenworld
Despite the deteriorating track conditions Tomac looked untroubled as he went on to win for the third time this season while Webb showed his intestinal fortitude to finish second despite looking far from comfortable in the early laps and once again it was Musquin rounding out the podium in third, this time ahead of Baggett, Joey Savatgy, Zach Osborne, Justin Hill, Roczen, Justin Brayton, Reed, Dean Wilson and Shane McElrath who rode his KTM250SX-F at Daytona.
Eli Tomac
“Earlier in the day Marvin had a lap time that was two and a half seconds faster than me so I was questioning myself so we were playing catch up but then we made some improvements through practice and even in the main, it took some time to get into the groove and I got shuffled back to third but I finally found my lines, was making good time in the whoops and to get this third win at Daytona is pretty special.”
Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10 – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Main Event Results
Eli Tomac
Cooper Webb
Marvin Musquin
Blake Baggett
Joey Savatgy
Zach Osborne
Justin Hill
Ken Roczen
Justin Brayton
Chad Reed
Dean Wilson
Shane McElrath
450SX Points after 10 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 222
Eli Tomac – 203
Marvin Musquin – 203
Ken Roczen – 201
Blake Baggett – 161
Dean Wilson – 149
Chad Reed – 137
Justin Brayton – 127
Joey Savatgy – 124
Aaron Plessinger – 123
250 East Coast Report
Forkner and Sexton have been the fastest riders all day and it wasn’t long before they were 1-2 with Cooper in third and that is the way it stayed until the chequered flag while Mitchell Oldenburg, Alex Martin and Brandon Hartranft all made their way into the top six after poor starts.
Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10 – Image by Hoppenworld
Austin Forkner
“The start helped and doing that big rhythm every lap, it was easy to miss-time it and the whoops were tough so the difference for me was to not make any mistakes, I made some small ones but there were only six turns in the track which weren’t a big deal, it was getting the ruts in the rhythm sections and the whoops which were tough.”
Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10 – Image by Hoppenworld
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton
Justin Cooper
Mitchell Oldenburg
Alex Martin
Brandon Hartranft
Kyle Peters
Joshua Osby
Kyle Cunningham
Martin Davalos
250SX Podium – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10 – Image by Hoppenworld
250 East Coast Points after 6 of 9 Rounds
Austin Forkner – 125
Justin Cooper – 102
Chase Sexton – 102
Alex Martin – 78
Martin Davalos – 71
Brandon Hartranft – 71
Jordon Smith – 70
Mitchell Oldenburg – 69
Kyle Cunningham – 65
Kyle Peters – 62
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Bollinger Draws First Blood at Wildboar GNCC
The deep sand of Palatka, Florida hosted the opening round of the GNCC and it was Steward Baylor Jnr who managed to earn the outright win against his KTM teammate and defending champion Kailub Russell while Josh Strang earned a solid seventh outright and sixth in the XC1 class in his debut for the Kawasaki team.
Steward Baylor Jr – Image by Ken Hill
Ben Kelly scored fourth outright and first in the XC2 class ahead of rising stars Jonathan Girroir and Michael Witowski while Aussie girls Tayla Jones and Mackenzie Tricker were split on the WMX podium by the talented Becca Sheets and it was Jesse Ansley who won the 125cc XC3 class.
Tayla Jones – Image by Ken Hill
The second round will be next weekend in Washington for ‘The General’ GNCC where the inaugural eMTB (Electric Mountain Bike) round will be included in the championship.
Overall Top 10 with Points
Steward Baylor Jr – 30
Kailub Russell – 25
Thaddeus Duvall 3 – 21
Benjamin Kelley – 18
Trevor Bollinger – 16
Joshua Toth – 15
Josh Strang – 14
Jonathan Girroir – 13
Michael Witkowski – 12
Andrew Delong – 11
Steward Baylor Jr on the podium – Image by Ken Hill
XC2 250 Pro with Points
Ben Kelley. 30
Jonathan Girroir – 25
Michael Witkowski – 21
Evan Smith – 18
Tegan R Temple – 16
Ben Parsons – 15
Jonathan T Johnson – 14
Philippe Chaine – 13
Alex Teagarden – 12
Zack Hayes – 11
FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am with Points
Jesse Ansley – 30
Cody J Barnes – 25
Jake H Froman – 21
Michael Beeler Jr – 8
Nate Smith – 16
WXC with Points
Tayla Jones – 30
Becca N Sheets – 25
Mackenzie Tricker – 21
Korie Steede – 18
Brooke Cosner – 16
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Cooper and Harwood Polish Off NZ MX Champs
Taupo’s iconic Digger McEwen Park hosted the fourth and final round of the New Zealand Motocross Championships and it was veteran Cody Cooper who managed to win his seventh MX1 championship by just six points over defending champion Kirk Gibbs while ironman Hamish Harwood won the MX2 and MX125 championships.
Cooper came into the final round with a slender 3-point lead over Gibbs and he extended that to 6 after winning the opening moto but he then lost the second shortened moto to Gibbs before completely dominating the final race to earn the championship.
Cody Cooper
“It was hard, one of the hardest races I’ve ever done I think, it was kind of good that I got a bad start because I managed to find some good lines that I would not have seen. It was a blessing in disguise really.
Kirk Gibbs
“I wasn’t feeling well actually at the start of the day. I woke up last night feeling cold and hot and I had diarrhoea this morning. I felt like I wanted to be sick. I drank some sugary drinks and that seemed to help. The last race I got out front early but struggled with the track a bit. Cody rode really well and passed me. I made a big mistake and came off the track. I lost a lot of ground and he got away and ended up winning.”
Kirk Gibbs
Kayne Lamont finished 3-8-3 after a crash in the red-flagged second race, giving him fourth overall for the weekend and third in the championship.
Kayne Lamont
“I was third in the championship, the same as last year, behind the same two riders – they just swapped places this season. I was a bit frustrated with my pre-season injury but I’m pleased to be healthy coming out of these three rounds. I’ve got a good base to work from for the winter and I’ll prepare better and hope to stay injury-free for next season.”
Kayne Lamont
There was a unique sound that rang out throughout the entire 12 motos that made up the four rounds of the MX1 championship and that was the screaming KTM250SX two-stroke of apprentice electrician Blake Gillard who ended the championship in a more than credible fifth outright.
MX1 – Total Points Round 3
Cody Cooper – 72
Kirk Gibbs – 69
Cohen Chase – 56
Kayne Lamont – 53
Hadleigh Knight – 47
Blake Gillard – 44
Cam Negus – 40
Sam Guise – 40
Roydon White – 35
Richard Horne – 29
2019 FOX NZ Motocross Championship – MX1
Cody Cooper – 285
Kirk Gibbs – 279
Kayne Lamont – 233
Cohen Chase – 186
Blake Gillard – 166
Brad Groombridge – 151
Hadleigh Knight – 141
Roydon White – 139
Sam Guise – 130
Jacob Steel – 129
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Hamish Harwood competed in 24 motos and won most of them to earn the MX2 and MX125 championships ahead of class fields and it even more impressive when you figure in the fact that Hamish is working full time as a house builder between each round.
Wyatt Chase and Max Purvis rounded out the podium in the MX2 class while it was 15-year-old Ben Broad who earned the runner up position in the MX125 class ahead of Joshua Bourke-Palmer.
Hamish Harwood
“This is the first time I’ve won two titles in one season, four in a row for MX2 and now a 125cc title too. I didn’t make it easy for myself in the MX2 class. I had a couple of bad starts, but I only finished outside of the top three on one occasion. I had good points lead at the start of racing at Taupo, so I wasn’t too concerned about winning every MX2 race today.”
MX2 – Total Points Round 3
Wyatt Chase – 72
Hamish Harwood – 67
Mason Semmens – 56
Ethan Martens – 49
Morgan Fogarty – 44
Kyle Hartley – 41
Maximus Purvis – 40
Broc Martens – 35
Sam Cuthbertson – 33
Shaun Fogarty – 32
2019 FOX NZ Motocross Championship – MX2
Hamish Harwood – 265
Wyatt Chase – 214
Maximus Purvis – 203
Morgan Fogarty – 177
Brad Groombridge – 108
Maximus Purvis
MX 125 – Total Points Round 3
Hamish Harwood – 75
Benjamin Broad – 66
Tommy Watts – 56
Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 56
Jack Dunlop – 46
Cam Dillon – 44
Ethan Waters – 43
Zac Jillings – 39
Joseph Andrell – 32
Charlie Richardson – 25
2019 FOX NZ Motocross Championship – MX 125
Hamish Harwood – 300
Benjamin Broad – 234
Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 221
Tommy Watts – 215
Jack Dunlop – 172
Snodgrass, Milner and Sanders Win Toowoomba AORC
The Queensland country town of Toowoomba hosted the opening two rounds of the AORC last weekend and it was an action packed weekend in dry and dusty condition but as you would expect the cream always rises to the top and it was Daniel Sanders, Daniel Milner, Lyndon Snodgrass and Luke Styke who managed victories in the major classes.
Sanders was three minutes ahead of Beau Ralston and Andrew Wilksch on the opening day and it was a similar margin back to Wilksch and Ralston on the second day – Jesse Lawton and Matt Murray rounded out the top five on both days.
Daniel Sanders
“I experienced some crashes this weekend but kept my body healthy to recover as quickly as I could. Coming out of this weekend I know how much harder I need to work on my fitness to close those gaps ahead of Dungog next month.”
Daniel Sanders – 2019 AORC Rounds 1-2
Yamaha AORC E3 Round 1 Provisional Results
Daniel Sanders 58:18.484
Beau Ralston 1:02:19.321
Andrew Wilksch 1:02:35.440
Jesse Lawton 1:06:09.427
Matt Murry 1:08:07.233
Daniel Welsh 1:10:06.429
Timothy Lonsdale 1:10:45.304
AORC E3 Round 2 Provisional Results
Daniel Sanders 37:27.786
Andrew Wilksch 40:10.830
Beau Ralston 40:31.481
Jesse Lawton 41:47.381
Matt Murry 43:37.824
Daniel Welsh 45:26.922
Daniel Middleton 45:49.855
Timothy Lonsdale 46:42.994
Jackson Caldwell 46:48.398
Luke Morrison 48:28.428
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Milner clocked the fastest day outright both days but in the E2 class he won the opening day by well over two minutes from Joshua Green, Jeremy Carpentier, Broc Grabham and Brad Hardaker and that line-up was repeated on Sunday with Milner’s margin cut to just 90 seconds over Green.
Daniel Milner
“Yesterday I found myself struggling in navigating the track, keeping the ball rolling and knowing what gear to ride. It doesn’t matter how hard we test in the off season, conditions seen today really put you to the test, all in all it was an awesome weekend for me, and I’ve picked up where I left off from last year. Everyone on the field seems to be getting faster, and it really goes to show that us Aussie riders are putting it to the world.”
Daniel Milner – 2019 AORC Rounds 1-2
Yamaha AORC E2 Round 1 Provisional Results
Daniel Milner 58:12.545
Joshua Green 1:00:36.815
Jeremy Carpentier 1:01:43.370
Broc Grabham 1:05:06.627
Brad Hardaker 1:05:19.209
Kristian Sprenger 1:06:58.993
Kaleb Treasure 1:07:18.907
Brent Dean 1:08:08.480
Jack Judge 1:08:24:042
Wesley Keeley 1:08:35.773
AORC E2 Round 2 Provisional Results
Daniel Milner 37:04.789
Joshua Green 38:33.191
Jeremy Carpentier 39:03.107
Broc Grabham 41:17.709
Brad Hardaker 41:57.983
Kristian Sprenger 42:34.533
Kaleb Treasure 42:56.997
Wesley Keeley 43:17.885
Brent Dean 43:30.524
Jack Judge 43:31.188
Defending champion Styke narrowly got the win on day one over Snodgrass, Michael Driscoll, Fraser Higlett and Matthew Phillips (digest that line-up for a second) but on Sunday Snodgrass got the win by just 4 seconds over Styke, Driscoll and Higlett – unfortunately Phillips retired with an injury.
Lyndon Snodgrass
“Round 2 featured a different track that was more technical than yesterday. Coming into today I made some small changes, studied the new track extensively during yesterday’s walk, and today ended up being a lot better!”
Lyndon Snodgrass – 2019 AORC Rounds 1-2
Yamaha AORC E1 Round 1 Provisional Results
Luke Styke 1:00:11.804
Lyndon Snodgrass 1:00:44.286
Michael Driscoll 1:01:12.331
Fraser Higlett 1:01:27.354
Matthew Phillips 1:03:22.590
Jonte Reynders 1:04:10.772
Seton Broomhall 1:07:58.887
Lachlan Allan 1:09:14.454
Kye Malone 1:11:00.681
Alexander Ruloff 1:12:36.447
AORC E1 Round 2 Provisional Results
Lyndon Snodgrass 38:03.337
Luke Styke 38:07.726
Michael Driscoll 38:48.957
Fraser Higlett 39:09.410
Jonte Reynders 40:35.042
Seton Broomhall 43:43.988
Lachlan Allan 44:30.347
Joseph Cole 46:05.772
Mackenzie Bowser 46:07.220
Jarrad Vanderhor 46:15.756
Matthew Phiilip’s protégé Kyron Bacon lived up to expectations to win the EJ class while Jess Gardner (Womens), Kirk Hutton (Masters), Lee Stephens (Veterens), Adam Giles (2-Stroke Cup), Blake Hollis (J4), Riley McGillivray (J3) and Campbell Hall (J2) all won their respective classes.
Kyron Bacon – 2019 AORC Rounds 1-2
Yamaha AORC EJ Round 1 Provisional Results
Kyron Bacon 1:03:47.489
Joshua Brierley 1:04:06.772
Harrison Teed 1:05:20.839
William Price 1:06:57.405
Korey McMahon 1:07:55.681
Cooper Sheidow 1:08:00.325
Matt Waters 1:09:45.791
Riley Nancarrow 1:10:22.995
Nathan Howe 1:11:08.932
Jordan Ryan 1:11:24.177
AORC EJ Round 2 Provisional Results
Kyron Bacon 40:21.778
Joshua Brierley 41:09.418
Harrison Teed 41:53.032
Korey McMahon 42:38.214
William Price 43:05.254
Cooper Sheidow 43:38.153
Riley Nancarrow 44:00.211
Nathan Howe 44:08.461
Matthew Pye 44:31.791
Matt Waters 44:32.447
AORC Women’s Round 1 Provisional Results
Jessica Gardiner 1:13:37.414
Emelie Karlsson 1:15:26.672
Ebony Nielsen 1:18:10.896
Emma Milesevic 1:18:41.568
Danielle Foot 1:21:02.977
Zoe Boccari 1:35:23.828
Charlotte Gamble 1:58:19.594
Isabella Hood 2:11:14.505
AORC Women’s Round 2 Provisional Results
Jessica Gardiner 44:21.944
Emma Milesevic 47:36.299
Ebony Nielsen 48:16.332
Danielle Foot 48:57.051
Emelie Karlsson 49:28.960
Zoe Boccari 56:57.933
Women’s Podium – 2019 AORC Rounds 1-2
AORC Masters Round 1 Provisional Results
Kirk Hutton 1:10:43.091
Timothy Martin 1:15:21.955
John Baker 1:17:56.029
Ian Jenner 1:18:18.986
Craig Treasure 1:18:20.476
Peter Rudd 1:18:20.476
Adam O’Connor 1:20:46.668
Andrew Dennett 1:21:20.530
Ian McGillivray 1:21:54.783
Kenneth Hicks 1:22:29.499
AORC Masters Round 2 Provisional Results
Kirk Hutton 44:12.694
Timothy Martin 45:34.107
John Baker 47:36.194
Ian Jenner 48:11.147
Craig Treasure 48:30.065
Peter Rudd 49:47.717
Ian McGillivray 49:58.049
Kenneth Hicks 50:19.411
Andrew Dennett 50:29.575
Zac Williams 50:40.066
AORC Veterans Round 1 Provisional Results
Lee Stephens 1:10:18.984
Benjamin D’Arcy 1:12:16.018
Matthew Keipert 1:12:23.882
Christopher Thomas 1:12:57.099
Jason Pearce 1:15:20.680
Daniel Sawtell 1:16:22.776
Paul Chadwick 1:17:00.579
Luke Ablitt 1:20:20.680
Phillip Chillemi 1:21:57.526
Phil Newman 1:22:35.185
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AORC Veterans Round 2 Provisional Results
Lee Stephens 43:19.237
Matthew Keipert 43:43.326
Christopher Thomas 44:30.010
Benjamin D’Arcy 45:30.266
Jason Pearce 45:55.472
Daniel Sawtell 47:39.455
Paul Chadwick 47:40.939
Luke Ablitt 48:41.890
Phil Newman 51:19.834
Daniel Wall 51:54.248
AORC 2 Stroke Cup Round 2 Provisional Results
Adam Giles 1:10:52.544
John Isherwood 1:15:40.846
Todd Charlick 1:18:53.919
Luke Francis 1:23:35.349
AORC 2 Stroke Cup Round 2 Provisional Results
Adam Giles 42:25.605
John Isherwood 46:53.488
Todd Charlick 48:56.977
Luke Francis 50:56.691
AORC J4 Round 1 Provisional Results
Blake Hollis 53:02.256
Mackenzie Johnson 54:32.036
Zac Perry 55:33.284
Oscar Collins 55:58.836
Charlie Milton 56:14.068
Hayden Campbell 59:00.487
Cody Chittick 59:22.145
Kobe Conley 59.25.085
Jay Simister 59:43.729
Lochie Stafford 1:01:05.230
AORC J4 Round 2 Provisional Results
Blake Hollis 40:11.651
Mackenzie Johnson 41:29.590
Oscar Collins 41:58.118
Charlie Milton 42:04.277
Cody Chittick 42:08.592
Zac Perry 42:23.625
Kobe Conley 43:30.128
Jay Simister 45:34.060
Hayden Campbell 45:51.944
Clay Parsons 46:42.581
AORC J3 Round 1 Provisional Results
Campbell O’Donnell 55:19.273
Riley McGillivray 55:25.586
Kodi Stephens 56:49.768
William Dennett 57:20.674
Tom Park 58:08.907
Jack Bithell 58:58.440
Maxwell Liebekner 59:11.116
William Cooper 1:00:41.351
Kelly Woolston 1:00:53.803
Jake Hayes 1:02:32.856
AORC J3 Round 2 Provisional Results
Riley McGillivray 40:57.774
Campbell O’Donnell 41:25.296
William Dennett 43:17.461
Kodi Stephens 43:18.250
Jack Bithell 44:11.868
Maxwell Liebeknech 44:24.802
Kelly Woolston 46:47.542
Jethro Carriage 46:57.343
William Cooper 47:03.253
Jake Hayes 47:12.359
J3 Podium – 2019 AORC Rounds 1-2
AORC J2 Round 1 Provisional Results
Billy Hargy 57:11.271
Campbell Hall 57:27.053
Jett Arnold 58:38.884
Max Phillips 59:46.669
Luke Chellas 1:04:36.666
Kyle Sandstrom 1:05:49.553
Jack Shearer 1:06:02.664
William Vella 1:06:18.928
Jack Hendrickson 1:07:35.950
Eli Tripcony 1:08:33.760
AORC J2 Round 2 Provisional Results
Jett Arnold 43:59.560
Campbell Hall 44:40.490
Max Phillips 45:00.793
Kyle Sandstrom 47:43.948
Luke Chellas 48:30.285
Jack Shearer 48:55.449
Thomas Vance 50:08.795
Jack Hendrickson 51:34.044
Max Mensforth 52:32.781
Jet Brien 54:46.064
Simpson Wins Opening Round of British MX Champs
Shaun Simpson has put together a 1-2 result to win the opening round of the British MX1 championships ahead of Tommy Searle who was second overall with 3-1 results and third was Lewis Tombs with 5-4 results.
MX1 Moto One
Shaun Simpson 31:07.023
Harri Kullas 31:49.581
Tommy Searle 32:36.734
Mel Pocock 32:45.749
Lewis Tombs 33:02.766
MX1 Moto Two
Tommy Searle 32:15.581
Shaun Simpson 32:38.463
Jake Millward 32:57.623
Lewis Tombs 33:04.516
Ryan Houghton 33:06.107
MX1 Overall
Shaun Simpson – 47
Tommy Searle – 45
Lewis Tombs – 34
Jake Millward – 29
Ryan Houghton – 27
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Toni Bou Wraps Up 2019 X-Trial Championship
Marseille, France has hosted the penultimate round of the 2019 FIM X-Trial World Championship and as expected Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou won his 13th X-Trial title to incredibly take his world championship tally to 25.
Toni Bou
Bou´s direct rival for victory in Marseille was Gas Gas’ Jeroni Fajardo, who progressed from Heat One in sensational fashion by countback after he and TRRS’ Adam Raga were tied. But Fajardo was unable to complete any of the demanding Grand Final sections, and Bou already had victory on the night sewn up with a clean Section Five – his third completed section of the lap.
Toni Bou
“It´s been as demanding as it has enjoyable. This was my first chance to claim the Championship and I took it, even though it wasn´t easy. The sections meant we had to give our absolute best, and that meant the spectators enjoyed the show. But I was keen to claim the title here and avoid being under pressure in X-Trial Andorra, where there were will already be enough expectation as it is my home race. Now I know that we will be there to celebrate, and I hope to win in front of my fans to finish the season. This thirteenth title has been more complicated than some of the others, since my rivals have really pushed hard all season and I have never been able to relax. But I have gradually been improving and tonight has been the culmination of my hard work.”
Toni Bou
Adam Raga, meanwhile, saw his fading Championship hopes extinguished for another year against Bou´s dominance.
Adam Raga
“It was a tough X-Trial right from the start, and I didn´t manage the time very well on the second lap, so ended up short on time and out of the Final. The atmosphere was incredible and the public really pushed us with their encouragement.”
Toni Bou tops the X-Trials podium
The next date on the X-Trial calendar will see another Champion declared as the riders head on to Vendée for the X-Trial of Nations on 13th April.
Major Sponsors Announced for MX Nationals
Williams Event Management (WEM), promoters of the MX Nationals, have announced that on the back of an ongoing relationship with LINK International, Pirelli has the naming rights to the MX2 class while Motul will be the MXD title sponsor along with brands including Polisports and RK Chains.
MX Nationals – Image by Scottya
GAS Imports via their leading product THOR will be the MX1 title sponsor as well as round six and eight presenting partners, GAS will also be represented by other key products including Neken, EBC Brakes, Akrapovic throughout the series.
Kevin Williams – Series Director
“As I approach my 23rd year of running the Australian MX Nationals, I’m very excited to announce the continued support of LINK International as well as GAS Imports, these brands play an integral part in the motocross industry and it’s great to have their support for the 2019 championship.”
In other MX Nationals news, Yamaha Motor Australia have again renewed their partnership within the national motocross scene, their continued support and commitment to the Pirelli MX Nationals insures a strong 2019 series ahead.
Series promoter Kevin Williams also expressed his thoughts on the long and ongoing partnership with Yamaha Motor Australia.
Kevin Williams
“Yamaha have been an integral part of the motocross landscape for as long as i can remember. The on going support for not only the series but teams and privateers alike, along with the innovative bLU cRU experience engaging and capturing the future talents of the sport. They are a brand I’m proud to be partnered with.”
National Sales and Marketing Manager Matthew Ferry, explained the importance of the long partnership they have with the MX Nationals.
Matthew Ferry
“We have been a long time partner of the MX Nationals. The series provides for a large variety of motocross talent from the professionals all the way down to the bLU cRU 65 cup riders. The series helps create the dreams and aspirations for the up and coming riders and stars.”
The opening round of the 2019 season takes place next weekend (March 17th) at Appin Raceway on the outskirts of Sydney, NSW.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Honda Switches to Bridgestone Tyres
With the full support of their lead rider Brett Metcalfe, Honda’s factory off road/motocross racing team in Australia have partnered with Bridgestone Tyres for the 2019 Australian MX Nationals and Supercross Championships.
Lincoln McFayden – Executive General Manager of McLeod Accessories
“McLeod’s are committed to providing race ready Bridgestone tyres to customers. The new range of Battlecross tyres are the race level spec ‘Made in Japan’ tyres that Bridgestone now sell to the general public as well. This is so important to us, to be able to sell the exact products we race, right here in Australia; it’s something not all tyre manufacturers can claim, it’s the Bridgestone advantage that’s for sure.”
After finishing the year out with a solid 2nd overall in the Australian Supercross Championship, Brett Metcalfe was eager to get some solid testing under his belt before making any changes to his set up.
Brett Metcalfe
“At this level we are always working on ways to improve ourselves and the bike. I have raced with Bridgestone before and I know what they are capable of. We needed to be sure we would stay at that level and I believe we will be at an advantage on many tracks with the new tyres. The predictable drive in certain conditions was incredible. Bridgestone has such a good variety with 4 different terrain options and we will be able to take advantage of them as conditions change throughout the day when racing.”
Metcalfe and the team have made it clear they want to come into the new season with the same competitive momentum they finished with in 2018.
Round 1 of the MX Nationals will be held on 17th March in Appin, NSW.
Kings and Queens of Canberra This Weekend
Fairbairn Park will host the annual Stay Upright Kings & Queens of Canberra dirt track meeting this coming weekend Both the Pro Open and Pro 450 classes have attracted the biggest entry which will necessitate three heats of racing in each round.
Abrum and Bailey Richards lead the locals in those classes taking on a blend of experienced campaigners and some more recent recruits in to the senior ranks.
Victorian Bradley Burns always rides the Canberra track well, and he leads the experienced brigade along with South Coast rider Kale Galeano, former Canberra rider Michael Vecchi, consistent Sydneysider Nathan Smith and Edward Grabham from Forbes.
Racing this weekend will showcase the likes of former Australian Junior champion Kye Andrews from Taree, Melbourne rider Bryce Holmes, Tom Herrick from Temora, Connor Ryan and Jake Farnsworth from the Central Coast.
Albury rider Jesse Davies and South Coast Jake Schneiders will contest the Pro Open class as well as clashing in the small line-up of slider machines.
ACT riders are prominent among the entries for the older age brackets (over 35s and 45s) and the Pre 1985 machines which invariably provide plenty of close racing amid invariably great spirit shown by the competitors. Dirt Track Sidecars are also programmed with entries drawn by various NSW country clubs.
Junior racing continues to impress with all the age divisions produce exciting racing from riders who quickly establish themselves as polished performers.
Taree rider Hayden Nelson has an Australian Junior Dirt Track Championship to his credit and his most recent outing showed his versatility as he contested the Australian Junior Championship round for road racing and supermoto.
The oldest junior class (for 13 to Under 16s) is always a feature with Melbourne rider Max Berry likely to be battling for honours with Central Coast rider Harrison Ryan, Callan Butcher from Temora and Jack Joel from Gunnedah.
Saturday sees practice at 9am followed by the first round of competition, while on Sunday it will be straight in to racing at 9am.
While the finals of all classes of racing will wrap up the meeting on Sunday, an additional feature has been added to the Saturday afternoon schedule when fans will see two Shoot-Outs when senior and junior riders will compete in a series of one-on-one battles to find the winners.
The Fairbairn Park track is situated on Pialligo Avenue, Majura and best of all spectator entry is free.
Honda ‘Ride Red’ Program continues in 2019
In 2018, Honda Racing in Australia launched a new off road racing program, geared around supporting privateer riders working towards a factory seat and becoming future Motocross and Supercross stars.
This year, Honda have extended the program to incorporate three new female riders in a bid to support more of Australia’s up and coming talent in all areas of off road racing.
Emma Milesevic, Tanesha Harnet and Alysha Goullet will spearhead Honda’s female Ride Red campaign, with hopes to inspire other sportswomen to chase their respective dreams.
Glyn Griffiths – Honda’s Brand and Motorsport Manager
“Over 1000 females compete across all disciplines of motorcycle racing each year and when these three talented riders contacted Honda for support we were thrilled to provide them with a RIDE RED contract. Tanesha Harnett is no stranger to the Honda family, having raced as a very successful rider in Honda’s Junior program with Lee Hogan. Supporting female talent is something we are proud of and to offer a pathway for Tanesha to continue to grow her moto career was really important to us, along with the inclusion of 2 other talented riders, it’s going to be a great season.”
Tanesha Harnett will race in the MXD of the MX Nationals and the Women’s Nationals as well as her State Championship.
Tanesha Harnett
“Honda supported me through juniors and their loyalty towards me as I head into seniors is sincerely appreciated. This program is fantastic and to be given the chance to continue my career with Honda is awesome. I look forward to another year of competition and learning.”
Emma Milesevic will race selected Australian Off Road Championship events, including Hattah and the Women’s Nationals.
Emma Milesevic
“Wow, this is an amazing opportunity. I have raced around the world and to come home and get an opportunity like this is a dream come true. My Auntie raced Honda and won many women’s motocross titles and I hope to do the same and make my family, Honda and our sponsors proud.”
Emma Milesevic
Alysha Goullett will race in selected MXD races, the Women’s Nationals and her respective State Championship.
Alysha Goullett
“This is my first real sponsorship and I won’t take it for granted. Sometimes all we need is some encouragement and I will do my best to represent everyone and show all of the girls out there that all you need to do is try and not to give up on your goals.”
Honda’s Ride Red program was developed to encourage senior competition participation by providing support to privateers. Penrite Honda Racing’s team owner Yarrive Konsky worked with Honda to get the program up and running.
Yarrive Konsky
“Growing up racing was difficult. The hardest part, aside from the expense was getting the right information. I didn’t know how to train, eat or set my bike up effectively. RIDE RED provides riders with what they need. Not all riders use our factory suspension and engine providers, but they can. They can also talk to our factory riders and capitalise on their wealth of experience. We have an open door policy.”
Honda Genuine will continue to be the Ride Red team’s title sponsor and the entire 2019 Honda Genuine Ride Red includes:
Emma Milesevic – CRF250R – MXD, Women’s Nationals and selected Off Road Events
Tanesha Harnett – CRF250R – MXD and Women’s Nationals
Alysha Goullet – CRF250R – MXD and Women’s Nationals
The famous Daytona Speedway hosted the tenth round of the AMA Supercross Championships last weekend and it was as good a night as it can get for Kawasaki with Eli Tomac earning an important win in the 450 class while Austin Forkner kept his championship win streak alive in the 250 East class.
Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
450SX Report
The Ricky Carmichael designed layout was nicknamed ‘the beast’ as it had a bit of everything thrown in with a very technical ‘1000 feet’ rhythm lane, two sand sections, a wall jump and a series of off-set small whoops called ‘moguls’ but that didn’t seem to bother Blake Baggett who grabbed the holeshot and the early lead ahead of Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb and Marvin Musquin while Ken Roczen was picking himself out of the first sand pit after being a victim of a Chad Reed bobble.
Blake Baggett – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Despite Baggett spectacularly launching off the wall jump each lap, Musquin was looking the fastest in the early going as he passed Webb and Tomac to move into second but then the French star made a few mistakes to drop back to sixth just as Tomac sliced his way under Baggett for the lead with his legs off the pegs and eyes forward.
Cooper Webb – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Despite the deteriorating track conditions Tomac looked untroubled as he went on to win for the third time this season while Webb showed his intestinal fortitude to finish second despite looking far from comfortable in the early laps and once again it was Musquin rounding out the podium in third, this time ahead of Baggett, Joey Savatgy, Zach Osborne, Justin Hill, Roczen, Justin Brayton, Reed, Dean Wilson and Shane McElrath who rode his KTM250SX-F at Daytona.
Marvin Musquin – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Web now holds a 19-point lead over Tomac and Musquin and a further two points ahead of Roczen who dropped from second to fourth in the points after Daytona.
The luckless Cole Seely was also part of the Reed/Roczen incident to finish back in 13th while Aaron Plessinger crashed out of the main and is in doubt for the coming rounds leaving Yamaha without a 450 rider unless Justin Barcia is able to return to racing after being forced out of Daytona with concussion.
Chad Reed – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Eli Tomac – P1
“Earlier in the day Marvin had a lap time that was two and a half seconds faster than me so I was questioning myself so we were playing catch up but then we made some improvements through practice and even in the main, it took some time to get into the groove and I got shuffled back to third but I finally found my lines, was making good time in the whoops and to get this third win at Daytona is pretty special.”
Eli Tomac – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Cooper Webb – P2
“It was a battle the whole time, I came around the first lap in third then Marvin got by me but then he made a mistake but I was then battling with Blake, then right to the end Marvin was all over me, it was a fun race, a difficult race but it is good to get a second and another podium at Daytona.”
Cooper Webb – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Marvin Musquin – P3
“I had a great day, practice was awesome but I went down in the second turn in the heat which put me behind but I came back to fifth place so I was a bit on the outside on the gate for the main but I came out of the sand in the top five then I made some passes but then I hit neutral on the far side of the track which cost me some places but I got back up to third, and almost second, I am a little bit bummed but it was a tough race for sure.”
Marvin Musquin – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Joey Savatgy – P5
“It’s nice to be back in Daytona, especially since it was close enough to drive to and have somewhat of a hometown crowd come out and support me. I felt comfortable all night and our speed and consistency has been showing every weekend. The unique track layout here really emphasized our strengths, so I’m feeling pretty good. I’m pumped on a top-5 finish and to earn some more points.”
Joey Savatgy – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Zach Osborne – P6
“Daytona was good to me this year, sixth-place, that’s my best finish so far. I had some good times in qualifying and I’m starting to find my feet in this class and starting to kind of flow and know my place a little bit. This is something that I can definitely build from and move forward from. It’s been a rough, tough start to the season with an injury before the season and obviously trying to get back at it has been a tough deal but I’m still here, still plugging away, and I know the work that I’m doing during the week will pay off soon and it’s going to be good.”
Zach Osborne – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Dean Wilson – P11
“This weekend was okay, I feel like my riding was really good in the heat race and then the Main Event was looking like it would be off to a great start but then I got roosted in the sand section, I couldn’t see and I went right into a tuff block and fell. After that, I was in dead last and was able to come back to 11th. It’s obviously a huge disappointment on the result but onto next weekend.”
450SX Main Event Results
Eli Tomac
Cooper Webb +06.889
Marvin Musquin +12.291
Blake Baggett +14.825
Joey Savatgy +28.804
Zach Osborne +30.702
Justin Hill +35.560
Ken Roczen +38.371
Justin Brayton +40.004
Chad Reed +42.246
Dean Wilson +55.261
Shane McElrath +59.061
450SX Points after 10 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 222
Eli Tomac – 203
Marvin Musquin – 203
Ken Roczen – 201
Blake Baggett – 161
Dean Wilson – 149
Chad Reed – 137
Justin Brayton – 127
Joey Savatgy – 124
Aaron Plessinger – 123
250 East Coast Report
Championship leader Forkner earned the holeshot in the 250 main but it in the second corner Kyle Peters railed the left hand sand berm like it was the last of his life to launch himself into the lead and for the first few laps Peters was looking solid as Forkner, Justin Cooper and Chase Sexton settled themselves into the race.
Austin Forkner – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Forkner and Sexton have been the fastest riders all day and it wasn’t long before they were 1-2 with Cooper in third and that is the way it stayed until the chequered flag while Mitchell Oldenburg, Alex Martin and Brandon Hartranft all made their way into the top six after poor starts.
Chase Sexton – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Peters ended the race in seventh ahead of Joshua Osby, Kyle Cunningham and Martin Davalos so with three rounds remaining Forkner has a healthy 23-point lead over Cooper and Sexton while Martin, Davalos, Hartranft and Oldenburg are vying for fifth in the points, some 50 points out of the championship lead. Jordan Smith is out of the series after suffering an injury last weekend.
Austin Forkner – P1
“The start helped and doing that big rhythm every lap, it was easy to miss-time it and the whoops were tough so the difference for me was to not make any mistakes, I made some small ones but there were only six turns in the track which weren’t a big deal, it was getting the ruts in the rhythm sections and the whoops which were tough.”
Austin Forkner – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Chase Sexton – P2
“I got the holeshot in my heat race then fell which didn’t help me with my gate pick for the main but I got a top five start, move up a few place then got around Justin when he made a mistake but Austin was about four seconds in front of me which is where is stayed for the rest of the race, track was awesome, it was easy to make mistakes and Austin didn’t make any.”
Chase Sexton – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Justin Cooper – P3
“I got a decent start and it was a three-way battle early but I made a big mistake in the long rhythm which put me back from the leaders but it was a long race. I made some more mistakes which put me behind the front two guys.”
Justin Cooper – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Mitchell Oldenburg – P4
“The night was actually really good for me considering how last weekend went. So I’m stoked to walk away healthy, safe and keep it on two wheels. My bike worked amazing all day and night. I can’t thank the Star Racing Yamaha guys enough for all the work they do in and out each week. The track was a difficult Daytona; gnarly, brutal and really demanding, but my fitness was good tonight and I’m happy with my finish.”
Mitchell Oldenburg – Daytona AMA Supercross 2019 – Round 10
Former GP winner Thomas Covington was back in action at Daytona and managed 12th in the main event.
Thomas Covington – P12
“This weekend was a step in the right direction for me, I had a solid heat race and got into a decent rhythm. In the Main, I just messed up my start a bit and nearly went down in the second corner in the sand and lost a lot of positions. All-in-all, it was another good building weekend for me coming back off my knee injury.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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Webb and Cianciarulo storm Atlanta AMA SX
Atlanta, Georgia hosted the ninth round of the AMA Supercross Championships last weekend and it was an all KTM podium in the 450 class with championship leader Cooper Webb taking the win over Blake Baggett and Marvin Musquin while it was Adam Cianciarulo who won the first of the 250 East/West Shootouts ahead of Dylan Ferrandis and Austin Forkner.
2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
Unfortunately, Chad stalled his Suzuki late in the race to drop back to a disappointing 13th place but the Aussie still sits seventh in the championship, two spots ahead of Justin Barcia who was forced to sit out the event thanks to suffering a concussion after crashing during the week.
Cooper Webb
“Yeh, it was tough, the track was changing a lot but I knew where I was good but there were also places where Marv would catch me, I knew where he was catching me but I didn’t know what line he was using, it is hard when you are leading so I just hit my marks and they weren’t working as good as I would have liked so I started changing things up, made a few mistakes in front of Blake who I knew would be good through the whoops but towards the end I found some lines so another win, that was sweet.”
Cooper Webb – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
Blake Baggett
“It was really hard to pass, you could make a run on someone but to get by was another thing, Marv and Cooper were making runs at each other, I could see it going on in front of me then I got into second and could do the same but when they have that horseshoe sand section over the tunnel I will hands down voice my opinion that I am not for it, it is supercross with steep obstacles and no sand.”
Blake Baggett – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin
“It was tough being the chaser tonight, you had to follow through the sand section and same with the whoops, I didn’t want to chance going to the right, it was a really tough track, I missed the main line in the sand and Blake got me and I would gain some ground then lose some ground, it was tough.”
Marvin Musquin – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen
Aaron Plessinger
…13. Chad Reed
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin
450SX Points after 9 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 199
Ken Roczen – 186
Marvin Musquin – 182
Eli Tomac – 177
Blake Baggett – 142
Dean Wilson – 137
Chad Reed – 124
250 East-West Shootout Report
There was no catching Cianciarulo with the East Coast championship leader taking the win by four second over Ferrandis who dropped Forkner by seven seconds while Sexton, Cooper, McElrath, Nichols, Martin Davalos, Michael Mosiman and Brandon Hartraft rounded out the top ten.
Adam Cianciarulo
“After the start I stayed patient behind Chase, made the move to second behind Austin and obviously didn’t want to do anything stupid which came to mind but I had a good race, mistake free and learned a lot throughout the day.”
Adam Cianciarulo – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
250SX East/West Shootout Results
Adam Cianciarulo
Dylan Ferrandis
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton
Justin Cooper
Shane McElrath
Colt Nichols
Martin Davalos
Michael Mosiman
Brandon Hartranft
250 East Coast Report
For the current top three riders in the East Coast series the shootout did them no harm with Forkner’s third place earning him a handy 18-point margin back to Cooper, who in turn has a two-point buffer back to Sexton.
Austin Forkner – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
250 East Coast Points after 4 of 9 Rounds
Austin Forkner – 99
Justin Cooper – 81
Chase Sexton – 79
Jordon Smith – 70
Alex Martin – 60
West Coast Report
The shootout couldn’t have gone better for Cianciarulo who now holds a 15-point lead over Ferrandis who moved into second in the championship by two points over McElrath, who in turn has a three-point lead over Nichols.
Dylan Ferrandis – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
250 West Coast Points after 6 of 10 Rounds
Adam Cianciarulo – 140
Dylan Ferrandis – 125
Shane McElrath – 123
Colt Nichols – 120
RJ Hampshire – 86
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Cairoli and Prado take first blood at Argentina MXGP
The MXGP of Patagonia, Argentina hosted the opening round of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship and it was the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado who earned double moto victories in the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina
MXGP Race Report
The only thing Cairoli failed at all weekend was his starts but the Italian managed to use all of his veteran savvy to squeeze his way to the lead before the end of the opening lap in moto 1 but it took 6 laps in the second moto to move into the lead.
While defending champion Jeffrey Herlings is on the sidelines with injury Cairoli is under no illusion as to how important these points are and he was doggedly determined to walk away with maximum points in Argentina.
Antonio Cairoli
“I am happy overall today because after yesterday I wasn’t sure how I will do off the starts. The rhythm was high in the beginning but I was just trying to see where I could gain some time. I managed to have 2 good starts, both were in the top ten…I found some good lines and I had a good race taking the overall which makes me really happy. There are a lot of Argentinian fans who cheer for me all year on social media so it is nice to give them a win especially on this track which I have never had the chance to win at, I was close last year but it is always nice to race where people don’t see us often and make them happy.”
Antonio Cairoli – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina
Honda’s Tim Gajser took a hit after crashing on Saturday and was on the sore side on race day but he came through from a poor start in moto one to end the race in second, just 6 seconds back from a cruising Cairoli but in the second moto Tim was right there all race and was just 2 seconds back at the chequered flag – the former champ is showing form that will see him win races in 2019 – Herlings or no Herlings.
Tim Gajser
“It was good, I am really happy, yesterday I had a big crash and today I was a bit sore. In the first race I had a solid start inside the top ten and had to work hard to come through the pack but I finished 2nd which was good. In the second race I was a bit tight and didn’t relax, then Febvre and Tony passed me. I tried to stay with them to see where I was losing time then I passed Romain and with Tony we were about the same times, I tried to push but couldn’t get closer. It was a nice race and I’m looking forward to the next round already.”
Tim Gajser – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina
Romain Febvre scored third in the opening moto and was running a solid third in the second moto until a huge crash on lap 14 put the French Yamaha star out of the race and to rub salt into the wound former Yamaha rider Jeremy Van Horebeek put his Honda into third in the moto and third overall in his debut for his new team.
Jeremy Van Horebeek
“It is still unbelievable, until two weeks ago I didn’t know we would be here so it has been a crazy ride since last year. I am so thankful to this team for giving me the chance. I am thankful and I am going to keep on working to make this a great season.”
Jeremy Van Horebeek – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina
Veterans Clement Desalle and Gautier Paulin earned top five positions with Arminas Jasikonis, Tommy Searle. Shaun Simpson, Jeremy Seewer and Pauls Jonass rounding out the top ten while Romain Febvre ended up 12th, one position ahead of Max Anstie and several ahead of Glenn Coldenhoff who was on deck to score points while recovering from injury.
MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 1
Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:41.270
Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:06.253
Febvre, Romain FRA Yamaha +0:09.838
Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:11.464
Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:02.566
Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:32.226
Lieber, Julien BEL Kawasaki +0:39.435
Jasikonis, Arminas LMSF Husqvarna +0:49.752
Jonass, Pauls LAT Husqvarna +0:50.285
Seewer, Jeremy SUI Yamaha +0:59.164
MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 2
Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:56.475
Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:02.386
Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:37.829
Anstie, Max GBR KTM +0:42.332
Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:43.070
Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:47.509
Searle, Tommy GBR Kawasaki +0:49.602
Jasikonis, Arminas LTU Husqvarna +0:58.810
Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM +1:01.941
Tonus, Arnaud SUI Yamaha +1:03.513
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – 1) Tony Cairoli, 2) Tim Gajser, 3) Jeremy Van Horebeek
MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Standings
Cairoli, A. ITA KTM 50
Gajser, Tim SLO HON 44
Van Horebeek, J. BEL HON 35
Desalle, C. BEL KAW 33
Paulin, G. FRA YAM 32
Jasikonis, A. LTU HUS 26
Searle, Tommy GBR KAW 22
Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM 22
Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 21
Jonass, Pauls LAT HUS 21
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Race Report
The defending champ Prado was expected to be the man to beat in Argentina but the Spaniard led every lap to win the opening moto from Thomas Kjer Olsen, Henry Jacobi, Calvin Vlaanderen and Mitchell Evans before handing down the same punishment in the second moto to take the win from Kjer Olsen, Evans, Vlaanderen and Jacobi.
Jorge Prado
“It was great to be back at the GPs, it is a long season but I have so much fun. Yesterday I had a good day but today I woke up and felt even better. I had 2 good starts which is very important because everyone is going fast and it is hard to make a difference. I am very happy with two firsts, for first overall, and points lead so it is a good start to the season.”
Kjer Olsen and his Husqvarna were working a treat all weekend but his starts on Sunday saw the Dane playing catch up all day.
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“The first race I did slide on the gate…I felt like a came through the pack pretty good but once I got to second Prado was already like 12 seconds ahead so I tried to save some energy for the second race. Again not the greatest of starts but we will go back and work on those for sure to be more consistent. Overall I feel my riding was good and I felt good on the bike so I’m happy about that and it is a great feeling at the start of the season.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina
Mitch Evans sat in seventh place for most of the opening moto before passing Ben Watson and Tom Vialle late in the race to earn fifth place but in the second moto Evans was right on leader Prado’s rear wheel until Kjer Olsen dropped the Aussie to third on lap 5 but Mitch pushed hard to end the moto in third, only 12 seconds behind Prado after 18 laps – impressive!
Mitch Evans
“I couldn’t be any happier, I didn’t really know what to expect being my first GP. I enjoyed every moment of it, it was awesome being here, the fans were awesome so I really enjoyed it. I knew the work that we put in during the off season and the preseason races that we had if I got good starts I could run with these boys.”
Vlaanderen, Jacobi, Watson, Vialle, Jago Geerts, Adam Sterry and Davy Pootjes rounded out the top ten while New Zealand’s Dylan Walsh ended up in 15th overall, five spots ahead of Evans’ teammate Zach Pichon who would have been hoping for better than 20th overall.
Jed Beaton was unable to compete in Argentina thanks to picking up an injury just a week before the opening GP but the Aussie will definitely be at the second round in the UK in a few week’s time so two Aussies on the podium in the coming rounds is more than possible.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Evans creates history at Argentina
Mitch Evans has sensationally created history by becoming the first Aussie to podium on his GP debut, bettering the likes of Robert Scott, Lyndon Heffernan, Jeff Leisk, Craig Dack, Andrew McFarlane, Chad Reed, Hunter Lawrence and Jed Beaton (to name a few) along the way.
After his solid performance in tough conditions at the 2018 Motocross of Nations in America, Evans was starting to get calls from teams in Europe and it wasn’t long before Hunter Lawrence’s old team Honda 114 came knocking and the rest is history.
Mitch Evans
“I am grateful for the opportunity that Honda 114 Motorsports has presented me. Racing in the FIM Motocross World Championship has been a goal of mine since I competed in the world junior championship in 2010. There is a lot for me to learn and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead. I am excited to be racing with the best in the world.”
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Mitch Evans – Image courtesy of Team 114 Motorsports Facebook Page
Evans will now head to the MXGP of Great Britain at Matterley Basin in three weekend’s time and there is nothing surer that the Aussie has learned a lot in Argentina and will hit the second round with a belly full of confidence.
Barcia concussed – misses Atlanta
Justin Barcia has been evaluated to see if he sustained a concussion and was forced to sit out last weekend’s Atlanta Supercross following a training crash at his riding facility in Florida. Barcia
Below is the Monster Energy Yamaha statement:
“Following a medical check at TOC in Tallahassee, Florida, Barcia is being evaluated for concussion and as a precautionary measure will not take part in this weekend’s Monster Energy Supercross round at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
Justin Barcia
“The news of Justin’s accident this morning is a real pity, but our main concern is Justin’s health and recovery. Following the Concussion Protocol, we hope that Justin will be back to 100% and cleared to participate soon.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Holcomba kicks off 2019 with win in Italy
In an effort to get some valuable race miles under his belt ahead of the Enduro World Championships in March, Beta Factory Racing’s Steve Holcombe has started his 2019 racing season with a confidence inspiring result at the opening two rounds of the Italian Enduro Championship in Gioia dei Marsi last weekend.
Steve Holcome – Image by Cristiano Morello
As the reigning Assoluti d’Italia champion, Holcombe was bettered by TM rider Loic Larrieu on the opening day but the World Champ rose to the occasion on day two to take the win from Larrieu and his teammate Daniel McCanney who scored third on both days.
Steve Holcombe
“It’s been a really strong start to the 2019 season for me. I had a good ride on Saturday to finish second and then with some improvements to our setup I was able to take the win on Sunday, which is a real boost. On day one we opted to use a hard compound rear tyre. But with overnight rain that choice didn’t work in our favour and I struggled to find grip on the first lap, especially in the enduro test. As conditions improved, so did my pace and I worked my way back into contention. Fastest on the final extreme test, I got close to topping the results but I wasn’t able to make it happen on the last cross test. However, with a strong end to the day I was able to carry that speed into Sunday. I won the first test to put myself into the lead, before going on to set the fastest time in three more tests and claim victory. I honestly didn’t expect to hold this sort of pace so soon in the year as this race is part of my training plan towards the Enduro World Championship. Overall, it’s been a great result for us as a team and one that will keep us pushing hard as we head towards round one of EnduroGP in Germany at the end of this month.”
Results – Italian Enduro Championship
Round 1
Loic Larrieu (TM) 48:18.93
Steve Holcombe (Beta) 48:25.39
Daniel McCanney (TM) 48:29.79
Round 2
Steve Holcombe (Beta) 47:46.11
Loic Larrieu (TM) 48:01.61
Daniel McCanney (TM) 48:01.98
Price to be honoured at Aussie F1 GP
In an unprecedented move and with global television coverage to boot, 2019 Dakar Rally Champion Toby Price is set to join the Formula One drivers’ parade for a lap of honour ahead of the season opening race of the FIA Formula One World Championship at 2.30pm on Sunday, March 17.
Toby Price – Image by Marcin Kin
Price will follow the convoy of Formula One drivers during the parade to salute fans while riding aboard the KTM machinery he rode to his second Dakar victory.
Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO, Andrew Westacott, acknowledged that the scheduled lap of honour is a fitting way to allow the fans to celebrate the popular two wheel and four wheel racer’s ackomplishments.
Andrew Westacott – Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO
“Toby Price is the only Australian to have ever conquered the gruelling Dakar Rally, and to have now won it for a second-time in defying circumstances is an incredible achievement. What better way to celebrate Toby’s accomplishment than allowing him to join 20 of his peers that are the best racing drivers in the world in a lap of honour on the world stage. We are thrilled to honour Toby at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2019 and see him receive the global recognition he deserves, when the world’s eyes are on Melbourne for the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Dack ready for season 2019
It is hard to believe that it was 27 years ago that Craig Dack Racing (CDR Yamaha) was formed but what is not hard to believe that Craig himself, a multiple Australian Motocross and Supercross Champion still has the competitive juices flowing and is pumped for the new season.
Craig Dack
“I love this time of year. All the hard work over the off season from both the riders and the teams comes to the surface now and it’s time to go racing. This is why we do the work – to see how it plays out on the weekends. Having Appin as the opening round this year should make for a great start to the season as the track always turns on great racing and its well supported by the fans. Our team has a good history at the venue and we hope for that to continue this year. Both Luke (Clout) and Kirk (Gibbs) have had a great pre-season, and both are showing good form. Kirk has raced in New Zealand and showed plenty of speed and quickly adapted to the YZ450F while Luke has done a couple of local races and been successful at those, so I feel we are well placed heading into round one.”
CDR Yamaha’s Craig Dack
“This is our second full season on the current generation YZ450F and it’s a sensational bike with a great chassis and powerful motor. Our time isn’t spent trying to develop the bike a great deal but rather personalise it for the individual rider as the production platform is so good. Brad, Aiden and Gary are able to get the most from it and the riders respect the fact we have such high quality technical staff at CDR. We value the long term partnerships we have with the best companies in the industry. It takes a lot of support to run a team like CDR and I’m proud of the relationships we have built over the years.”
Long term and loyal sponsors like Fox, Pro Circuit, Dunlop, NGK, DID as well as major partner Yamaha have been with CDR Yamaha since the early days and the continued building of relationships with companies like Monster Energy, Kincrome tools and Renthal keep the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team at the front of the pack.
Look for ‘Dacka’ as he is known, the big blue Yamaha rig and the rest of the team on March 17 at Appin Raceway, south west of Sydney.
The stars of the AORC hit Toowoomba this weekend
This coming weekend Toowoomba will host then opening two rounds of the AORC and all of the heavy hitters will be on hand to have a crack at drawing first blood on their competition – let’s see what is going down in the three main classes.
E1
Reigning 2018 E1 Champion Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) has to go into the series as class favourite but the former motocross star will have to contend with four-time world champion Matthew Phillips (MX Store, KTM) in 2019.
Luke Styke
The trouble doesn’t end there for Styke, Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) will no doubt come into Rounds 1 and 2 with a point to prove as will Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team) and Michael Driscoll (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) make thids class the hottest in the series.
E2
2018 E3 Champion Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) will move across to the E2 class this season and the early money is on Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team), Joshua Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) and Broc Grabham to be Milner’s biggest competition this season.
Daniel Milner
“The 500cc bike was awesome, no doubt, but for me as a rider I find I suit a smaller bike better. So switching to a 350cc E2 class bike has been a really enjoyable change. I’m finding I’m moving faster and achieving better results with the smaller bike.”
Daniel Milner – AORC heads to Toowoomba for 2019 opener
E3
After taking out the E2 crown in 2018, Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) has moved to the E3 class and by all accounts Andy Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Team), Beau Ralston and Western Australian Jesse Lawton will all look to keep Sanders on his toes throughout the series.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Mentoring role brings Matthew Phillips to AORC
After a couple of tough years overseas and right in the midst of potentially retiring from the sport, four-time World Champion Matthew Phillips has committed to the 2019 AORC on KTM machinery and it is in the role of mentoring young Kyron Bacon who will be competing in the EJ class that will see Phillips riding for the ‘love for the sport’ once again.
Matthew Phillips
“My plan is to compete in all 11 rounds of the AORC 2019 season, beginning in Rounds 1 and 2 in the E1 class. As the season moves on I’ll change things up a bit by moving across the senior classes with different bikes. The main thinking is that I want to maintain the love for the sport and by changing things up each round will definitely help that! Kyron rode at my property already, and he explained his situation back in 2018. I then offered my support to help him grow and climb up the ranks. Since we became a team, Kyron has been putting in an enormous number of hours, working his bike hard to get faster and faster. I definitely see him as a title contender in the EJ class for 2019 and beyond!”
Matthew Phillips
Look for the KTM/MX Store team this weekend at the opening round of the 2019 AORC at Toowoomba.
Cosford wins Coolum 2-Stroke Cup
Young Jayce Cosford has overcome the weight of his three-digit race number to better some of the fastest riders in Australia to win the premier class at the second round of the 2019 2-Stroke Nationals held at Coolum raceway last weekend.
Cosford won all three motos of the YMI All Powers Cup to take the overall ahead of local shot-shot Jai Walker and round one winner Joel Milesevic while Andrew Shacklock (Hallman Retro Cup). Alex Larwood (125 Junior Cup), Hunter Collins (Yamaha 85cc Cup) and Ky Woods (Raceline 65cc Cup) all took out the support class wins.
YMI All Powers Cup
Jayce Cosford
Jai Walker
Joel Milesevic
Jesse Bishop
Ryan Kenney
Nicholas Kefford
Danny Ham
Wilson Greiner-Daish
Cale Harkin
Kobe Barton
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2020 Aussie Speedway Solo Champs calendar announced
On the back of a highly successful 2019 championship, a completely revamped 2020 Australian Speedway Solo Championship calendar has been announced with five rounds running from 2-11 January, commencing first in Kurri Kurri, NSW and moving South through VIC and landing at the iconic Gillman Speedway in SA.
Reflecting on the new calendar, defending champion Max Fricke is wrapped with the new schedule.
Max Fricke
“The new tighter schedule is a really great change! It matches the European style and suits what we’re used to as we compete throughout the year. It’s also a great experience for riders and fans alike, with such a tight window to collect as many points as you can whilst maintaining your fitness and drive. Going up against such strong competition back in January, which seemed to include everyone bar Jason Doyle, and then taking out my first Australian Senior Solo Championship title was such a great feeling! As we prepare for the European season, I am finding myself increasingly comfortable competing against the likes of Tungate and Holder. It’s also great to come back home to Australia and compete against locals that you haven’t experienced before, who may have different tactics and styles. The growth in Australian Speedway talent that competes in the Senior Solo Championship is really impressive and continues to grow the sport” highlighted Fricke.
Max Fricke
2020 Australian Senior Solo Speedway Championship
2nd Jan – Qualifying Meeting (If Required) – Kurri Kurri, NSW
3rd Jan – Round One – Kurri Kurri, NSW
6th Jan – Round Two – Albury, VIC
7th Jan – Round Three – Undera, VIC
9th Jan – Round Four – Mildura, VIC
11th Jan – Round Five – Gillman, SA
Stay in the loop with all things Australian Speedway by checking out the Australian Speedway Championships website and Facebook!
2020 & 2021 Australian Junior and Senior Speedway Sidecar calendar
The 2020 and 2021 Australian Junior and Senior Speedway Sidecar Championship calendar has also been announced, and reflecting the ever-increasing Speedway Sidecar talent that resides within the Australia, the Championship will land in Mildura, Victoria for 2020 and then venture across the Nullarbor Plain to Pinjar, Western Australia (WA) in 2021!
The 2020 Championship will run from 27-28 April* (*TBA), following on from the festivities of the Easter long weekend. Across in WA for 2021, the Championship will run over the Easter long weekend from 20-21 April.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Atlanta, Georgia hosted the ninth round of the AMA Supercross Championships over the weekend and it was an all KTM podium in the 450 class with championship leader Cooper Webb taking the win over Blake Baggett and Marvin Musquin.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta
Adam Cianciarulo who won the first of the 250 East/West Shootouts ahead of Dylan Ferrandis and Austin Forkner.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta
450SX Report
The KTM trio of Webb, Musquin and Baggett led the pack out of the first corner with Aaron Plessinger and Ken Roczen in tow while Chad Reed and Eli Tomac sat in eighth and 11th respectively.
450 Main gets underway in Atlanta
As Tomac slowly worked his way up the field it was Webb, Musquin and Baggett no more than a few bike lengths from each other until lap 14 when Musquin made a small mistake in the tricky sand section and lost a spot to Baggett who then reeled in Webb and started making life tough for the championship leader.
Cooper Webb, Marvin Musquin and Blake Baggett
Meanwhile, back in the pack, Plessinger was holding off Roczen for fourth as Tomac had brushed aside Reed, Tyler Bowers, Dean Wilson and Justin Brayton to move into sixth place. On the lap 17 Plessinger went down in the sand and Roczen made his way by for fourth, well back from the three KTM riders.
Aaron Plessinger leads Ken Roczen
When the chequered flag dropped Webb won his fifth 450 main event of the 2019 season by just 1.1 seconds over Baggett who had a similar gap back to Musquin. We had to wait another 18-seconds before we got to see Roczen cross the line ahead of Plessinger, Tomac, Brayton, Wilson, Joey Savatgy and Cole Seely.
Cooper Webb takes fifth victory of the nine AMA SX rounds staged so far this season and extended his championship lead over Roczen to 13-points
Unfortunately, Chad Reed stalled his Suzuki late in the race to drop back to a disappointing 13th place but the Aussie still sits seventh in the championship, two spots ahead of Justin Barcia who was forced to sit out the event due to suffering a concussion after crashing during the week.
Cooper Webb – P1
“Yeh, it was tough, the track was changing a lot but I knew where I was good but there were also places where Marv would catch me, I knew where he was catching me but I didn’t know what line he was using, it is hard when you are leading so I just hit my marks and they weren’t working as good as I would have liked so I started changing things up, made a few mistakes in front of Blake who I knew would be good through the whoops but towards the end I found some lines so another win, that was sweet.”
Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett – P2
“It was really hard to pass, you could make a run on someone but to get by was another thing, Marv and Cooper were making runs at each other, I could see it going on in front of me then I got into second and could do the same but when they have that horseshoe sand section over the tunnel I will hands down voice my opinion that I am not for it, it is supercross with steep obstacles and no sand.”
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin – P3
“It felt like it was going to be a better race for me – I had a great start so I was running second, which was good but I was eating a lot of sand in the sand section it was definitely tough. I was pushing really hard – I was better than Cooper in some areas of the track, so I was able to really put pressure on him in some areas but then I would go through the sand and I had to go in the main line because it was the safest and the quickest line but you kind of had to follow. I made a mistake and went off the main line and then Baggett got me. At this point, I just could not make the pass on Blake, even though I showed some really good speed. It’s only a third place tonight and I’m not very happy with the result.”
Marvin Musquin
Aaron Plessinger – P5
“Atlanta supercross was pretty awesome! I was struggling in the first practices a little bit, but we made a little shock change and it was definitely for the better. I qualified thirteenth and went into the heat race with a pretty good gate pick. I came out pretty bad on the start, but I made it work and was able to come back to fifth. Then the main event, I lined up in a pretty good spot and yanked a really good start. I was running fourth for a while and crashed right in the sand, then got up in fifth and stayed there. We made a lot of steps in the right direction. I’m really, really excited about tonight and looking forward to Daytona next weekend!”
Aaron Plessinger
Eli Tomac – P6
“I was feeling great all day, especially with the fastest lap time in qualifying. I made a few errors in my heat race but still felt confident heading into the main, I just wasn’t able to get out in front off the gate and it really cost me. I’m glad we were able to make up some positions and wrap up the first half of the season healthy. I’m really looking forward to Daytona next weekend, it’s definitely one of my favorite tracks and a great one to kick off the second half of the series.”
Eli Tomac chasing Dean Wilson
Dean Wilson – P8
“I think it was a pretty positive day, I qualified third and was riding really well in my heat race. In the Main Event, I kind of didn’t get a great start and just pushed all the way through the checkers. Unfortunately, I only ended up with an eighth and that’s not where I want to be but I’m just going to keep pushing every week and aim for that podium because I know that’s where I can be. I’ve been through a lot, so I’m happy to just be at every race but the big goal for me is the podium because that’s where I really want to be.”
Dean Wilson
Joey Savatgy – P9
“Another top-10 finish for my rookie year. I’m still learning quite a bit and adjusting to the longer, full season in the 450SX class. Obviously, I would like to be up on that podium but it’s all about progress and I feel that’s exactly what we continue to do each week. I’m looking forward to another round close to home and I’ve always loved racing Daytona, so I feel we have a real shot at a podium next weekend!”
Joey Savatgy
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen
Aaron Plessinger
Eli Tomac
Justin Brayton
Dean Wilson
Joey Savatgy
Cole Seely
Justin Hill
Tyler Bowers
Chad Reed
450SX Main Event Results Cooper Webb Blake Baggett Marvin Musquin
450SX Points after 9 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 199
Ken Roczen – 186
Marvin Musquin – 182
Eli Tomac – 177
Blake Baggett – 142
Dean Wilson – 137
Chad Reed – 124
Aaron Plessinger – 122
Justin Barcia 120
Justin Brayton – 113
250 East-West Shootout Report
The first of the East West Shootouts in Atlanta was highly anticipated with all of the talk about the thus far undefeated Austin Forkner and the not so consistent Adam Cianciarulo. Both are leading their respective championships, and going head-to-head it was Forkner who quickly shot into the lead at the start of the 15-minute main event while Cianciarulo was just outside the top five.
Austin Forkner leads Adam Cianciarulo
Chase Sexton sat in second place for seven laps until Cianciarulo sliced up the inside in the right hand turn after the whoops and the troubles didn’t end there for Sexton with Dylan Ferrandis clocking the fastest time of the race as he inched closer to the Honda pilot.
Austin Forkner leads Chase Sexton
Forkner was riding smooth and fast but by lap 10 Cianciarulo had chopped the margin to just one second. A few seconds further back Ferrandis got around Sexton for third with Justin Cooper, Shane McElrath and Colt Nichols all moving into the top seven after poor starts.
Chase Sexton and Adam Cianciarulo
On lap 11 Cianciarulo made the pass on Forkner, with Ferrandis surprisingly moving around Forkner with four minutes to go but there was no catching Cianciarulo. The East Coast championship leader took the win by four second over Ferrandis, who dropped Forkner by seven seconds while Sexton, Cooper, McElrath, Nichols, Martin Davalos, Michael Mosiman and Brandon Hartraft rounded out the top ten.
Adam Cianciarulo
Adam Cianciarulo – P1
“I learned a lot throughout the day, kept a positive attitude to not let the bad moments of the day get to me. This is the best Pro Circuit bike I’ve ridden and I think it shows with both Austin and I leading laps. My team never stops pushing for the best and I’m very grateful to give them another win. It’s crazy because I never even had two wins in a row and now I have three. It feels great.”
Adam Cianciarulo
Dylan Ferrandis – P2
“Last year I left here with a broken arm, a busted jaw and broken teeth so it is good to be on the podium tonight, we showed that the West Coast series is strong, AC was fastest tonight but all up I am happy.”
Dylan Ferrandis
Austin Forkner – P3
“I tried to latch on the Adam after he passed me but they were just a little quicker than me, particularly in the whoops, I crashed twice there in practice and didn’t want a repeat of that so I told myself that I was just going to jump through them, then bam, Dylan got me but I had a good gap (to the next rider) so I figured that this is still a win for the East Coast as far as I am concerned and after the day that I have had I am happy to salvage a third.”
Adam Cianciarulo and Austin Forkner
Justin Cooper – P5
“The bike was awesome all day. We didn’t play around with the settings much, I felt pretty comfortable all day with the bike. The track conditions were deteriorating every lap out there so it was pretty tough to hit your marks every lap, but all in all I’m very happy with both of my starts tonight, I just didn’t get aggressive enough through the first turn. I’m still making little steps forward each weekend and am happy with the progress. It was another solid night with positives to take away. It’s time to turn up the heat because we are hungry for more!”
Justin Cooper
Colt Nichols – P7
“I just got a bad start on a night when I didn’t need to get a bad start. The bike was great. I didn’t really make any changes to it all night, but the track conditions were really tough. It was very, very technical and hard to do the same thing lap after lap. It made it really critical to not make any mistakes, and I didn’t do that very well. So I’m a little upset looking back on the night, but it’s all good. I still salvaged some decent points. Now it’s just get ready for Seattle.”
Martin Davalos – P8
“It felt really good to be back in Atlanta, especially since some of my best finishes have been earned here. The bike felt good all night and I felt that my speed was there but with the shootout format and all of the riders in the mix made it a little more difficult. There is a lot of great talent out here so I’m proud of a top-10 position, but I’m always looking to improve. We’ll get back to work and be ready for Daytona.”
250SX East/West Shootout Results
Adam Cianciarulo
Dylan Ferrandis
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton
Justin Cooper
Shane McElrath
Colt Nichols
Martin Davalos
Michael Mosiman
Brandon Hartranft
Jacob Hayes
RJ Hampshire
Chris Blose
Alex Martin
Kyle Cunningham
Cameron Mcadoo
Jordan Bailey
Jordon Smith
Anthony Rodriguez
Garrett Marchbanks
Kyle Peters
Joshua Osby
250 East Coast Report
For the current top three riders in the East Coast series the shootout did them no harm, with Forkner’s third place earning him a handy 18-point margin back to Cooper who in turn has a two-point buffer back to Sexton.
The big losers on the night were championship contenders Jordan Smith and Alex Martin who came home 18th and 14th respectively to drop them more than a whole round points-wise back from the championship leader.
250 East Coast Points after 4 of 9 Rounds
Austin Forkner – 99
Justin Cooper – 81
Chase Sexton – 79
Jordon Smith – 70
Alex Martin – 60
Martin Davalos – 58
Brandon Hartranft – 54
Kyle Cunningham – 51
Mitchell Oldenburg – 50
Kyle Peters – 46
West Coast Report
The shootout couldn’t have gone better for Cianciarulo who now holds a 15-point lead over Ferrandis who moved into second in the championship by two points over McElrath.
McElrath in turn has a three-point lead over Nichols but the big loser was RJ Hampshire who ended the shootout in 12th which has dropped the Honda rider to 54 points behind Cianciarulo.
Other West Coast riders who had sub-par finishes at the shootout were Chris Blose (13), Cameron Mcadoo (16) and Garrett Marchbanks (20) while Jimmy Decotis didn’t even make it to the main event after finishing ninth in the LCQ.
Moto News Wrap February 26, 2019 – By Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Moto News Latest
Tomac and Forkner win Detroit Triple Header
Jed Beaton injured
Cooper, Webster and Harwood win at NZ MX Champs
Bou wins Granada X-Trial
Todd Waters wins Mountain Man
Febvre and Watson win French International MX
Beta Test Ride Days across Australia
MA calls for EOI to host Australian Championships
Enduro & MX Commissioner applications now open
FIM Board of Directors enters new era
The King of MX Prize Pool Grows to over $53,000
Tomac and Forkner Win Detroit Triple Header
Detroit has hosted the eighth round of the AMA Supercross Championship and it was Kawasaki riders Eli Tomac and Austin Forkner who won the 450SX and 250SX overalls respectively in the second of the season’s ‘Triple Header’ formats.
2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld
Tomac struggled with his starts in all three motos but the Kawasaki rider was in a league of his own to come from outside the top 10 in the opening two races to earn the wins but in the final race Eli not only scored a poor start but he then dropped several spots after running off the track to be as far back as 14th before climbing to sixth at race end.
2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld
After his poorest performance in the championship the previous weekend, Eli’s round win has reduced his deficit to 13 points back from championship leader Cooper Webb.
Eli Tomac
“Gosh, we were feeling it (after the two wins) and going into the final race we got a little too comfy and then totally blew the start before another spot where I hit a hay bale while on the pit board I could see Cooper is charging to the front but overall the weekend is so much better for us.”
2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld
Despite struggling throughout the event Cooper Webb was able to put his race-face on to end the night in second overall to retain the red plate with 6-2-1 moto finishes.
Chad Reed showed great form and speed to finish third in the opening moto then backed that up with a fifth and a seventh for third overall on the night which is his 132nd podium finish to now sit eighth in points, just eight points back from Dean Wilson who holds down the fifth position.
Chad Reed
“We had a really successful day of testing last week, which carried into the weekend. My single lap speed wasn’t great, but I felt race ready. I entered the night program feeling quite good, knowing that a good start was what I needed. I almost got a holeshot. Finishing third in the first main was a great step. I was super excited to get back on the podium, which was my 132nd top-three finish. I’ll take the small wins from the weekend. My top priority is to continue improving in those areas, so I can have a shot at winning one of these things!”
2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld
As he has done throughout the season so far, Ken Roczen put together a consistent 5-6-5 moto results to end the night in fourth to sit just six points out of the championship lead and six points ahead of Marvin Musquin while Justin Brayton, Joey Savatgy, Blake Baggett and Justin Barcia all landed on the podium in one of the three main events.
450 Triple Crown Results and Round Points
Eli Tomac 1-1- 6 = 26
Cooper Webb 6-2-1 = 23
Chad Reed 3-5-7 = 21
Ken Roczen 5-6-5 = 19
Blake Baggett 4-11-2 = 18
Marvin Musquin 9-4-4 = 17
Justin Barcia 10-7-3 = 16
Joey Savatgy 8-3-11 = 15
Justin Brayton 2-12-9 = 14
Zach Osborne 11-8-10 = 13
Dean Wilson 7-9-13 = 12
450SX Points Standings after Round 8 of 17
Cooper Webb – 173
Ken Roczen – 167
Marvin Musquin – 161
Eli Tomac – 160
Dean Wilson – 122
Justin Barcia – 120
Blake Baggett – 119
Chad Reed – 114
Aaron Plessinger – 104
Justin Brayton – 97
Cole Seely – 94
Joey Savatgy – 92
250SX East Report
Austin Forkner has continued his win streak in 2019 with three moto wins giving the Kawasaki rider three round wins and a 13 point lead over KTM’s Jordon Smith who fought through the night with a wrist injury to finish second overall with 2-2-4 finishes ahead of Chase Sexton’s 4-4-2 moto results.
250 SX – 2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld
The racing was red hot all night and it was Justin Cooper (3-5-3), Martin Davalos (5-7-5) and Alex Martin (10-3-6) who all put themselves at the pointy end at one stage or another over the three races.
Interestingly, next weekend’s 250 East/West Shootout in Atlanta will see the two Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders, Adam Cianciarulo and Austin Forkner battle for the points and the bragging rights.
2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld
250 Triple Crown Results and Round Points
Austin Forkner 1-1-1 = 26
Jordon Smith 2-2-4 = 23
Chase Sexton 4-4-2 = 21
Justin Cooper 3-5-3 = 19
Martin Davalos 5-7-5 = 18
Alex Martin 10-3-6 = 17
Mitchell Oldenburg 6-6-8 = 16
Kyle Peters 11-8-7 = 15
Kyle Cunningham 8-11-10 = 14
Blake Wharton 9-10-16 = 13
250SX East Points after Round 3 of 9 Rounds
Austin Forkner – 78
Jordon Smith – 65
Justin Cooper – 63
Chase Sexton – 60
Alex Martin – 51
Mitchell Oldenburg – 50
Kyle Peters – 44
Martin Davalos – 43
Kyle Cunningham – 43
Brandon Hartranft – 41
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Jed Beaton Injured
Australian Jed Beaton crashed in practice at the Lacapelle Marival International Motocross in France and elected to sit out the remainder of the event, and while an early team statement confirmed the Tasmanian is healthy and would ride in Argentina, a further update has shown the injuries to be more serious than initially expected, with Beaton forced to sit out Argentina.
Jed Beaton
“So devastated to say I won’t be lining up in Argentina, a crash yesterday at Lacapelle left me with a few fractures in my vertebrae, I will do my best to be back at GPs as fast as possible! Thanks to the whole team for support and all hard work through this season. We will be back soon.”
Jed Beaton
Cooper, Webster and Harwood Win at NZ MX Champs
The undulating Harrisville Motocross Track in Pukekohe hosted the third round of the New Zealand Motocross Championship last weekend and it was Cody Cooper who narrowly took out the MX1 class while Aussie Kyle Webster got the MX2 win on countback over championship leader Hamish Harwood before Harwood continued his winning streak in the MX125 class.
Kirk Gibbs, Cody Cooper, Kayne Lamont
Cooper and defending champion Kirk Gibbs entered the third round tied on points and after the end of three motos at Harrisville the combatants will head to the final round at Taupo only separated by three points after Cooper went 1-1-2 over Gibbs’ 2-2-1 effort.
Behind the Cooper/Gibbs freight-train Kayne Lamont continued his spree of third place finishes to end the round ahead of Brad Groombridge and the flying 250cc 2-stroke of Blake Gillard who is have a championship to remember.
Kirk Gibbs
MX1 – Total Points Round 3 – Top 5
Cody Cooper – 72
Kirk Gibbs – 69
Kayne Lamont – 60
Brad Groombridge – 52
Blake Gillard – 45
MX1 Points after 3 of 4 Rounds
Cody Cooper – 213
Kirk Gibbs – 210
Kayne Lamont – 180
Brad Groombridge – 151
Cohen Chase – 130
Blake Gillard – 122
Wilson Todd got his weekend off to a solid start in the opening MX2 moto with a win over Harwood and Webster but that would be the last we saw of Todd who didn’t score another point on the day after a coming together with Harwood in moto 2 while Webster got better as the day went on to end up with 3-2-1 finishes to tie on 67 points with Harwood’s 2-1-3 finishes.
Maximus Purvis
Harwood goes to the final round in Taupo with a healthy 35 point lead over Max Purvis and who in turn has a 10 point lead over Todd.
MX2 – Total Points Round 3
Kyle Webster – 67
Hamish Harwood – 67
Mason Semmens – 54
Wyatt Chase – 54
Maximus Purvis – 47
Morgan Fogarty – 43
MX2 Points after 3 of 4 Rounds
Hamish Harwood – 198
Maximus Purvis – 163
Wilson Todd – 153
Wyatt Chase – 142
Brad Groombridge – 138
Hamish Harwood earned another three moto wins in the MX125 class over Josh Bourke-Palmer and Tommy Watts so heading into the final round in Taupo Harwood is only a few points from wrapping up another title while the chase for second is far from over with 15 year old Ben Broad holding the position ahead of Bourke-Palmer and Tommy Watts who are just a few points in arears.
MX 125 – Total Points Round 3
Hamish Harwood – 75
Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 56
Tommy Watts – 54
Jack Dunlop – 52
Scott Barr-Smith – 47
Benjamin Broad – 42
MX 125 Points after 3 of 4 Rounds
Hamish Harwood – 225
Benjamin Broad – 168
Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 165
Tommy Watts – 159
Scott Barr-Smith – 129
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in the Townley household with Ben’s son Levi convincingly winning the YZ65 Cup event at Harrisville from Charlie Shaw and Teddy Shaw.
YZ 65cc Cup – Total Points
Levi Townley – 50
Charlie Schaw – 44
Teddy Shaw – 40
Jayden McKenzie – 36
Harrison Reichenbach – 32
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Bou Wins Granada X-Trial
Toni Bou was again victorious in last weekend’s X-Trial in Granada and with his third victory of the season Bou has etched out a 13 point lead in the championship over Adam Raga with two rounds remaining.
Ton Bou – X-Trials Round 4 – Granada
Bou, aboard the Montesa Cota 4RT, made short work of the first phase to comfortably qualify for the second round, after taking the best score on the first run through sections, collecting just two penalty marks. The second phase turned out to be a tighter, more closely fought group as Bou faced Adam Raga and Miquel Gelabert but the current champ prevailed, guaranteeing a place on the podium before winning the Super-final.
The fifth and penultimate event of the X-Trial World Championship will be held next Saturday, March 9th at the Palais des Sports in Marseille. Prior to this, however, Toni Bou will take part in the opening of the Spanish Trial Championship which will be held on Sunday March 3rd in the town of Arnedillo, La Rioja.
Toni Bou
“I’m super happy. Today was a very hard-fought victory. It was very important to go all out and finally I was able to get the victory after a very difficult semi-final where there was no margin for mistakes. Technically I was very good and I performed well in the final. I will go back home having recovered the good feelings and I want to continue fighting for this championship. We will try to give everything in the two events that we have left.”
Ton Bou – X-Trials Round 4 – Granada
Results X-Trial Granada 2019
BOU Toni
BUSTO Jaime
RAGA Adam
BINCAZ Benoit
FAJARDO Jeroni
Ton Bou tops the podium from Jaime Busto and Adam Raga – X-Trials Round 4 – Granada
X-Trial 2019 Saturday, February 23rd 2019 – Rider Standings – Top 5
BOU Toni – 75
RAGA Adam – 62
BUSTO Jaimie – 45
BINCAZ Benoit – 33
FAJARDO Jeroni – 31
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Todd Waters Wins Mountain Man
Husqvarna mounted Todd Waters has etched his name in moto history after winning the coveted Mountain Man of Motocross event which was held at the revamped Echo Valley circuit in the country Queensland town of Toowoomba.
Over the four Mountain Man motos Waters took out three wins and a second place to earn the overall ahead of Richie Evans who managed to win the third moto and Aaron Tanti who battle with Jay Wilson and Kaleb Barham all weekend to score the final podium position.
Todd Waters won the 2019 Mountain Man
Chris Nichols (Vet 35-44), Chris Lobegeiger (Vets 45 Plus), David Mattock (Sidecar), Kaz Walsh (Pre1995), Connor Lister (Pre 1990), Chelsea Carts (WMX), Campbell O’Donnell (Mini Lites) and Levi Rogers (Junior Mountain Man) all scored wins in the various support classes.
Mountain Man Unlimited
Todd Waters – 137
Richard Evans – 127
Aaron Tanti – 116
Jay Wilson – 116
Kaleb Barham – 108
Mason Rowe – 95
Joel Evans – 92
Isaac Ferguson – 91
Ricky Latimer – 83
Riley Ward – 82
Veterans 35-44
Chris Nichols
Ashley Martin
Bradley McFarlane
Veterans 45 and Over
Chris Lobegeiger
Todd Purdey
Toa Cooper
Sidecars
David Mattock
Darren Ilka
Adam Laman
Pre 95
Kazmond Walsh
Cooper Gierke
Nicholas Leggatt
Pre 90
Connor Lister
Kristian Sprenger
Jarrad Vanderhor
Women
Chelsea Carter
Tahlia Drew
Charlotte Gamble
Mini Lites
Campbell O’Donnell
Kobe Drew
Jake Cannon
Junior Mountain Man
Levi Rogers
Luke Zielinski
Ryan Alexanderson
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Febvre and Watson Win French International MX
Romain Febvre and Ben Watson have won MXGP and MX2 classes respectively at the Lacapelle Marival International Motocross in France last weekend which is also the final race before the start of the MXGP season in Argentina next weekend.
Lacapelle Marival International Motocross – Image by Haudiquert P.
Febvre went 2-1 to win the MXGP class over Gautier Paulin and Jeremy Seewer to give Yamaha a cean sweep of the podium Watson scored 1-1 results to earn the overall over Thomas Kjer Olsen and Aussie Mitch Evans.
Lacapelle Marival International Motocross – Image by Haudiquert P.
Febvre also won the Superfinal from Max Anstie, Paulin, Seewer and Watson while Evans pulled out after just a handful of laps.
Beta Announces Test Ride Days across Australia
Beta has announced a series of test ride days throughout Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania where punters can get a chance to test ride the two-stroke, four-stroke and Trials models but spaces are limited so reserve your spot early via the Beta Australia Facebook Events page.
Beta’s 2019 Trials range arrives in Australia – Beta Demo Days available!
Vince Strang Motorcycles hosts Beta Motorcycles Australia – MY 2019 Beta Day
9am-4pm
Biddaddaba, QLD – Sunday 10th March, 2019
MX Imports hosts Beta Motorcycles Australia – MY 2019 Beta Day
Hobart, TAS – Sunday 17th March, 2019
Bike Barn hosts Beta Motorcycles Australia – MY 2019 Beta Day
9am – 4pm
Ulverstone, TAS – Saturday 23rd March, 2019
Any Wheels hosts Beta Motorcycles Australia – MY 2019 Beta Day
9am – 5pm
Mansfield, VIC – Saturday 30th March, 2019
Mansfield Marine and Motorcycles hosts Beta Motorcycles Australia – MY 2019 Beta Day
9am – 4pm
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MA Calls for EOI to Host Australian Championships
Expressions of interest (EOI) is now being called for from suitably qualified States, Clubs and Promoters who wish to host an Australian Motorcycle Sport Championship for 2020 and 2021.
Australian Dirt Track Championship – Image by Sheree Griffin
Australians continue, time and time again, to produce some of the world’s leading motorcycle athletes, and it is through the support of qualified States, Clubs and Promoters that we can continue to support our national talent in reaching their potential. Australia also grabs the attention from overseas competitors and racing teams, due to our high standard of competition and sportsmanship.
EOI’s are now available for the following Championships Motocross (MX)
Australian Classic Motocross Championship
Australian Post Classic Motocross Championship
Australian ATV Motocross Championship
EOI Forms for the above MX Australian Championships are available here.
Please complete and return your EOI Form to Motorcycling Australia’s (MA) Event Manager for Off-Road, Matthew Falvo, via: [email protected].
Please complete and return your EOI Form to MA’s Event Manager for Track, Samantha Redfern via: [email protected].
All forms must be completed and returned to the above Events contacts by Monday 15th April 2019.
Upon the close of EOI’s for the above listed Championships, MA will contact the successful State, Club or Promoter with additional information on the specific Championship and the requirements moving forward.
Enduro & MX Commissioner Applications Now Open
Motorcycling Australia have announced that applications are now open for the Australian Motocross Commission (AMXC) and the Australian Enduro Commission with the closing date for applications set for Monday the 1st of April 2019.
Commissioners shall be appointed post the Joint Commissions Meeting in April 2019 and according to MA current Commissioners may apply for a position in the above commissions.
As four disciplines are being combined to establish the AMXC (Motocross, Supercross, Classic Motocross & Classic Dirt Track), applicants are not required to be a subject matter expert in all areas, but at least one.
To download the Commission Application Pack for AMXC and Enduro – these can be completed electronically once downloaded and saved.
FIM Board of Directors Enters New Era
The second FIM Board of Directors, under the Chairmanship of the FIM President Mr Jorge Viegas, elected in December 2018, took place in Mies (Switzerland) on Thursday 14 and 15 February ahead of the FIM Conference of Commissions held at the weekend in Geneva.
From left – Giovanni COPIOLI (Board Member); Stephan CARAPIET (FIM Asia President); Glen WILLIAMS (FIM Oceania President); Jos DRIESSEN (Board Member); Jacques BOLLE (FIM Vice-President); Jorge Viegas (FIM President); Robert DINGMAN (FIM North America President & CONUs Representative); Marco COMANA (FIM Africa President ); Pedro VENTURO Jr (FIM Latin America President ); Martin DE GRAAFF (FIM Europe President Ad Interim); Jorgen BITSCH (Board Member ); Jan STOVICEK (Board Member). Image – Rebecca Bowring
The Board of Directors appointed Mr Tony Skillington as FIM Chief Executive Officer and Mr Antonio Alia Portela as new Motocross Director.
The Board Committees reported on ideas to improve the FIM’s Statutes and Sporting Code (Governance Committee, Chair Jacques Bolle), enhance the FIM’s standing and visibility and create a new sense of belonging among the FMNs and CONUs (Strategic Plan Committee, Chair Jorgen Bitsch and Affiliation Committee, Chair Stephan Carapiet).
The Finance Committee (Chair Robert Dingman) stressed the oversight role of the Committee which would keep the Board informed in the interests of greater transparency.
The President informed the Board about several Promoter contracts that have been negotiated since the beginning of the year. A new contract with Eurosport Events for the FIM Endurance World Championship is being finalised and will be signed at the 24 Heures Motos in Le Mans on 20 – 21 April. A contract with ABC Communication for the SuperEnduro World Championship was signed on the Saturday following the Board and Promoter contracts for SuperMoto (Xiem) and FreeStyle Motocross (SportPlus) are to be signed in the coming days. A new Promoter (Martin Beña) has been signed up for Sidecar Motocross from 2020.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Following termination of the FIM’s contract with Sport7, the FIM Trial Commission will be promoting the FIM Trial World Championship in 2019.
For the first time in a decade, the Commission Directors (in the sports and non-sports sectors) were invited to report in person to the Board of Directors on their Commissions’ most important challenges and key ambitions for the future.
The Board Members and Commission Directors greatly welcomed this opportunity for exchange and the new atmosphere of openness ushered in by the FIM President.
The Enduro Commission (CEN) informed the Board that a FIM E-Bike Enduro World Cup will take place on 1 and 2 June 2019, during the Trophée de France E-VTT ENDURO in Privas with the support of the FFM. Another electric bike project was presented by the Motocross Commission (CMS), which also plans to organise a FIM E-Bike Cross World Cup. Further information will be communicated soon.
The Board approved a proposal by the Cross Country Rallies Commission (CRT) to go ahead with the drafting of regulations for SSVs with a view to creating a World Cup in the near future.
A proposal to change the current structure of the FIM’s judicial bodies that deal with Anti-Doping cases was put before the Board after consultation with the FIM International Medical Commission and the International Commission of Judges. The proposal will be put to the Governance Committee ahead of the next Board meeting in May.
Several changes were made to the composition of the FIM Commissions. The new lists of members will be announced shortly.
The CONU Presidents also presented their reports to the Board. Several of the CONUs have new leadership and all are working closely with the FIM Administration to set up or stabilise permanent headquarters to ensure that they can build on a solid foundation going forward.
The next meeting of the FIM Board will be in Warsaw (Poland) on 17 May 2019.
The King of MX Prize Pool Grows to Over $53,000
On the back of extra support from Unifilter Australia, R&D Husky and UNIT, Motorcycling NSW has confirmed the total prize pool for the 2019 King of MX has risen to well over $53,000 with the winners of both the King and Queen feature races each taking home $10,000, while the top three places of each championship class will receive cash and/or prizes thanks to naming rights sponsor Bikebiz.
Joel McDonald – UNIT General Manager
“UNIT is pleased to expand our support of motocross and supercross in Australia to grassroots racing with the King of MX NSW state titles. The championship is an ideal vehicle for UNIT to connect with racers and their families, of all ages, not only from NSW, but the entire east coast of Australia, further supporting our rapid growth in the dedicated motocross hardware and gear segment.”
King of MX 2019
Thanks to R&D Husky, one lucky 50cc racer is going to win an awesome new Husqvarna TC65, valued at $6,795, at the King of MX final.
The TC65 will be won by the highest finishing 50cc rider at the final who did not have a 65cc endorsement at the time of qualification and has not qualified in the 65cc class at a subsequent qualifier event.
For those looking to contribute and support the King of MX, why not purchase some of the event merchandise, with all profits going directly to the King of MX prize pool. Shirts, hoodies, FIST Gloves, drink coolers along with custom KoMX merchandise – all available at the qualifiers or online.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2019 AMA Supecross Round Eight – Ford Field, Detroit
By Darren Smart – Images by Hoppenworld
Detroit hosted the eighth round of the AMA Supercross Championship and it was Kawasaki riders Eli Tomac and Austin Forkner who won the 450SX and 250SX overalls respectively in the second of the season’s ‘Triple Header’ formats.
The last time the supercross series stopped in Detroit, it was Tomac who dominated the competition and the Kawasaki rider was in the middle of one of the hottest streaks of his career winning five races in a row. On Saturday, it was no secret early on that he was once again feeling that dominant, proving fastest in every session.
Eli Tomac
For Chad Reed it was an emotional return to the podium which was well appreciated by the Detroit fans and his fellow competitors.
Chad Reed’s performance was celebrated by himself, the crowd, and his fellow competitors.
450SX Report
Tomac struggled with his starts in all three motos but the Kawasaki rider was in a league of his own to come from outside the top 10 in the opening two races to earn the wins.
Despite poor starts there was no stopping Eli Tomac
In the final race Eli not only scored a poor start but he then dropped several spots after running off the track to be as far back as 14th before climbing to sixth by race end.
Despite poor starts there was no stopping Eli Tomac
After his poorest performance in the championship the previous weekend, Tomac’s round win has reduced his deficit to 13-points back from championship leader Cooper Webb.
Eli Tomac – 1st Overall
“Today was just one of those days where everything clicked. Starting in practice and qualifying with having the fastest times in both sessions. In the main events, I was able to go forward through the pack the whole time which was good. Gosh, we were feeling it (after the two wins) and going into the final race we got a little too comfy and then totally blew the start before another spot where I hit a hay bale while on the pit board I could see Cooper is charging to the front but overall the weekend is so much better for us. I put in a lot of good work this week and it paid off. I am really pleased with how tonight went. We gained some valuable championship points and will continue to keep charging forward.”
Eli Tomac
Despite struggling throughout the event Cooper Webb was able to put his race-face on to end the night in second overall to retain the red plate with 6-2-1 moto finishes.
Cooper Webb – 2nd Overall
“It was a struggle for me today (practice and qualifying) and we were messing with the bike which wasn’t helping much so after the first main I went back to what I knew and we got a holeshot but Eli got around me so it was good to ride with him coz he was the best guy today by far then to get better and win the final race shows me I have plenty of work to do to keep it going.”
Cooper Webb
Chad Reed showed great form and speed to finish third in the opening moto then backed that up with a fifth and a seventh for third overall on the night, which is his 132nd podium finish to now sit eighth in points, just eight points back from Dean Wilson who holds down fifth position in the standings.
Chad Reed – 3rd Overall
“It was a fun day, despite my 14th qualifying position I felt racy so with a good start I could go (with the top guys), the track was challenging, the pace was fast and the whoops were tough so it suited me tonight, very proud to be up here at this stage of my career.”
Chad Reed
As he has done throughout the season so far, Ken Roczen put together a consistent 5-6-5 moto results to end the night in fourth to sit just six-points out of the championship lead and six-points ahead of Marvin Musquin.
Ken Roczen – P4 overall
“Glad tonight is over. Just 1 point away from the podium. I struggled all week with a flu. Still am! My body didn’t feel up to par tonight but i tried to minimize the damage. Glad to be healthy. I hope i m going to have a lot better week this week.”
Ken Roczen
Marvin Musquin – P6 Overall
“It was definitely a tough day of not getting very good starts. I wish I would have started a little bit better, at least in the top three. It was hard to pass with a lot of intensity out of everyone in the first few laps of each moto and I made a big mistake and jumped off the track in the first moto and that cost me a lot. The riding was good tonight, I clocked some really good lap times during each of the three motos so I know the speed was there but unfortunately it was hard to get good results. There was a lot going on in those three Main Events and it’s frustrating but we never give up.”
Marvin Musquin
Justin Brayton, Joey Savatgy, Blake Baggett and Justin Barcia all landed on the podium in one of the three main events.
Justin Barcia – 7th Overall
“It was another crazy night of racing for me in Detroit. The track was really good. It had a lot of option sections and I felt like my bike was working good in the whoops. The first two races for me were not great with the arm pump I dealt with, but the last race was a step in the right direction. I led some laps and put in a pretty good ride with a little bit of arm pump. My starts have definitely been getting better, so things are definitely starting to come around. So all in all, it was a decent weekend. I’m really looking forward to Atlanta.”
Justin Barcia
Joey Savatgy – 8th Overall
“Tonight’s overall result doesn’t reflect how great I felt and my riding today. I qualified pretty good and in the first main, I just didn’t get out of the gate quick enough which put me in a hole. I was pleased to bounce back in the second main and get on the podium with a third, and at one point in the third main event I was challenging for an overall podium but a small mistake ended up costing me. We will regroup this week and come out swinging in Atlanta which is kind of like a home-town race for me.”
Joey Savatgy
Zach Osborne put forth consistent finishes to earn the final top-10 overall position in the 450SX class. Meanwhile, teammate Dean Wilson claimed 11th overall for the night.
Zach Osborne – 10th Overall
“Overall it was a better night for me, I ended up 10th overall, so it’s a step in the right direction and something I can build from. Right now, it’s just getting laps and getting my fitness back, finding some settings that I’m super comfortable with again and finding my race trim. I feel like tonight with the Triple Crown, it’s a lot of racing and a lot of opportunity to be out there on the track and find my feet again. I had some pretty decent battles and was able to make some passes and kind of move around a little bit, which is a nice feeling. So, I’m looking forward to Atlanta, I think we can continue to build and make progress and the results will come soon enough.”
Dean Wilson – 11th Overall
“Today was about mixed emotions, I say that because I qualified second and my riding was really good in both sessions of practice but I struggled in the races tonight. I feel like with my riding I’m a lot more capable than that, so for the third race, I was pretty fired up and came off the start really good. I stayed in fourth the whole race right there and unfortunately, I made a mistake to allow Marvin [Musquin] by me and I went to square him up right before the whoops but I didn’t realize Kenny [Roczen] was right there and I kind of got cleaned out, but that’s racing. Eleventh overall is definitely not where I want to be, I’m very well capable of being on that box but I just need to make it happen.”
Dean Wilson leads Joey Savatgy
Barcia’s rookie teammate Aaron Plessinger continued to make progress in the premier class to end the night 12th overall.
Aaron Plessinger – 12th Overall
“Detroit for me was pretty good, other than the starts. I’m happy with my riding. I’ve just got to get off the gate. My bike was working really well, didn’t change anything on it all day. The track broke down quite a bit tonight, more than I thought it was going to. We came away with 12th overall, I’m not extremely happy with that. I know I can do better, but it’s baby steps. We’re going to do some work this week and get ready for Atlanta.”
Aaron Plessinger
450 Triple Crown Results and Round Points
Eli Tomac 1-1- 6 = 26
Cooper Webb 6-2-1 = 23
Chad Reed 3-5-7 = 21
Ken Roczen 5-6-5 = 19
Blake Baggett 4-11-2 = 18
Marvin Musquin 9-4-4 = 17
Justin Barcia 10-7-3 = 16
Joey Savatgy 8-3-11 = 15
Justin Brayton 2-12-9 = 14
Zach Osborne 11-8-10 = 13
Dean Wilson 7-9-13 = 12
450 Triple Crown Results and Round Points Eli Tomac 1-1- 6 = 26 Cooper Webb 6-2-1 = 23 Chad Reed 3-5-7 = 21
450SX Points Standings after Round 8 of 17
Cooper Webb – 173
Ken Roczen – 167
Marvin Musquin – 161
Eli Tomac – 160
Dean Wilson – 122
Justin Barcia – 120
Blake Baggett – 119
Chad Reed – 114
Aaron Plessinger – 104
Justin Brayton – 97
Cole Seely – 94
Joey Savatgy – 92
250SX East Report
Austin Forkner has continued his win streak in 2019 with three moto wins giving the Kawasaki rider three round wins and a 13 point lead over KTM’s Jordon Smith.
250 SX
Smith fought through the night with a wrist injury to finish second overall with 2-2-4 finishes ahead of Chase Sexton’s 4-4-2 moto results for third.
250 SX
Austin Forkner – 1st Overall
“Everything is just clicking for me this year, I haven’t started a race worse than second this year, I think, and that is huge obviously, if I can get a holeshot, ride my laps and focus on me (and not other riders) is a huge advantage, I want to win next weekend’s East/West shootout but I have to remember that there may be times where I am battling with riders who aren’t part of my championship.”
Austin Forkner
Jordon Smith – 2nd Overall
“We adjusted the bike to get a good feeling for my wrist injury then to get through the night as good as possible and after riding at MTF (Millsaps Training Facility) I wasn’t sure that we would make it through the night but we made it through, scored good points so that is all I can ask for tonight.”
Forkner slips up the inside of Jordon Smith
Chase Sexton – 3rd Overall
“The first two races I got myself where I needed to be but made mistakes that cost me but in the third race I told myself that I need to go out and try to win because I was back a bit in the points – now looking forward to the East/West shootout.”
Chase Sexton
The racing was red hot all night and it was Justin Cooper (3-5-3), Martin Davalos (5-7-5) and Alex Martin (10-3-6) who all put themselves at the pointy end at one stage or another over the three races. Michtell Oldenburg took 7th overall with a 6-6-8.
Justin Cooper – 4th Overall
“The bike was really good all night. We didn’t really play around with the setting, we were pretty happy with it. The track was really tough tonight, though. It was breaking down really quick, so it was important to keep on your toes and stay focused out there. I think I managed the races pretty well, besides my starts. I felt really good on the bike, again, I just put myself in bad situations right off the start. So I’m definitely going to work on those this week and be better for next weekend. We’re making improvements, even if the results don’t show every week. I think it’s just a matter of time. We’re on the right track.”
Justin Cooper
Martin Davalos – P5 Overall
“A triple crown format is a lot of racing and the starts are very crucial,” said Davalos. “I’m really happy with the starts we had tonight and it put us in a good position to fight up front. The east/west showdown is going to be a fun race and hopefully our whole team can finish up front.”
Martin Davalos #73
Mitchell Oldenburg – 7th Overall
“Tonight as a whole was all right. It’s just a little frustrating that my results aren’t showing what I’m capable of and how good I’m feeling and riding. We’re going to work on the starts. Starts are definitely slacking right now. So we’ll go back to the drawing board this week, get some good starts. The track was really fun. I really enjoyed the Triple Crown format, with the three mains. It was a pretty quick night for us and we were go, go, go. Like I said before, results aren’t showing what I’m capable of and how good I’m riding. If we can get a start, we’ll be up there for some wins and some podiums. I know it.”
Mitchell Oldenburg
Jordan Bailey had a rough start to the night with a DNF, before improving throughout with a 12th, and ninth place finish for 11th overall.
Jordan Bailey – 11th Overall
“The first race I had an unfortunate two crashes, which resulted in a DNF. The second race, I charged up to 12th and the third moto I finally got inside the top-10 with ninth. Overall, it was a tough weekend and we look forward to the east/west shootout in Atlanta next weekend.”
250 SX
Interestingly, next weekend’s 250 East/West Shootout in Atlanta will see the two Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders, Adam Cianciarulo and Austin Forkner battle for the points and the bragging rights.
250 Triple Crown Results and Round Points
Austin Forkner 1-1-1 = 26
Jordon Smith 2-2-4 = 23
Chase Sexton 4-4-2 = 21
Justin Cooper 3-5-3 = 19
Martin Davalos 5-7-5 = 18
Alex Martin 10-3-6 = 17
Mitchell Oldenburg 6-6-8 = 16
Kyle Peters 11-8-7 = 15
Kyle Cunningham 8-11-10 = 14
Blake Wharton 9-10-16 = 13
250 Triple Crown Results and Round Points Austin Forkner 1-1-1 = 26 Jordon Smith 2-2-4 = 23 Chase Sexton 4-4-2 = 21 Justin Cooper 3-5-3 = 19 Martin Davalos 5-7-5 = 18 Alex Martin 10-3-6 = 17 Mitchell Oldenburg 6-6-8 = 16 Kyle Peters 11-8-7 = 15 Kyle Cunningham 8-11-10 = 14 Blake Wharton 9-10-16 = 13
Moto News Wrap for February 19, 2019 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Moto News Latest
Webb and Faulkner Win Arlington AMA SX
Gibbs and Todd Win at Rotorua
Anstie, Geerts and Monticelli Win Hawkstone
Bou Wins Bilbao X-Trial
Waters and Wilson Win Sunshine State Opener
Clout and Roberts Win King of MX Opener
Yamaha Motor Europe confirm 2019 MXGP team
Watson & Geerts remain with Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha MX2 in 2019
Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing launch 2019 effort
Yamaha Motor New Zealand & Josh Coppins Racing sign Ben & Levi Townley
KTM Junior MX Racing Team announced for 2019
Benhamiin Herrera joins 2019 Beta Factory Enduro Team
Webb & Faulkner win Arlington AMA SX
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas hosted the seventh round of the AMA Supercross Championship and it was Cooper Webb who sensationally stole the 450SX main event win from Ken Roczen by just half a wheel while Austin Forkner put together a wire-to-wire win in the 250SX East final.
“Tonight was incredible! I just never gave up out there. It was incredible for it to come to the last lap – the last turn even – and to be able to win with such a close finish was absolutely insane. That’s probably the best race ever for me.”
Cooper Webb and Marvin Musquin – Image by Hoppenworld
Ken Roczen – P2
“The whoops was one of the spots where I struggled all through the an event which really effected my flow so this is something we learn from, I am using it as fuel for the next race but it was fun, leading the whole race and losing it is not so much fun but we are healthy and still in the championship.”
Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Main Results
Cooper Webb – 25 Laps
Ken Roczen +00.028
Marvin Musquin +10.784
Blake Baggett +15.401
Joey Savatgy +18.360 …11. Chad Reed +45.767
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Points Standings after Round 7 of 17
Cooper Webb – 150
Ken Roczen – 148
Marvin Musquin – 144
Eli Tomac – 134
Wilson – 110 …9. Chad Reed – 93
Arlington 450SX Podium – Roczen, Webb & Musquin
250SX East Main Event Results
Austin Forkner – 19 Laps
Justin Cooper +04.261
Chase Sexton +09.964
Jordon Smith +15.330
Martin Davalos +16.091
Arlington 250SX East Main Event Results Austin Forkner – 19 Laps Justin Cooper +04.261 Chase Sexton +09.964
250SX East Points after Round 2
Austin Forkner – 52
Justin Cooper – 44
Jordon Smith – 42
Chase Sexton – 39
Alex Martin – 34
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Gibbs & Todd win at Rotorua
The undulating circuit at Rotorua hosted the second round of the New Zealand Motocross Championships and it was Kirk Gibbs who came away with the MX1 class overall while fellow Aussie Wilson Todd won the MX2 and Hamish Harwood the MX 125cc class.
MX1
Australian Gibbs and Cody Cooper battled it out at Rotorua last Sunday with Gold Coast-based Gibbs coming out on top this time around after winning two of the three championship motos while Cooper scored two seconds and a win so after six motos and two rounds the two combatants are tied on 141 points.
Kirk Gibbs
“The day was really good. I got a good start in the first moto then had a good gap and rode to the win, so I was really happy. I made it really tough for myself (in the second moto) I was probably back in about 10th or so, then had to make my way back. I got into second but just couldn’t bridge the gap to Coops [Cody Cooper] and finished there.”
Kirk Gibbs – 2019 MX Nationals Round 2
The third race went the same way as the first and Gibbs pulled away, maintaining the gap to win the race and take the overall round win. “I put a little peg back in for the championship. Coops beat me by three points at the first round and then I beat him by three points yesterday,” added Gibbs.
Kayne Lamont was once again consistent after qualifying third before finishing third three times in the championship motos, after a pre-season knee injury that kept him off the bike during the key preparation months.
Kayne Lamont
“I had two out of the three holeshots, so my starts were there. I managed to run with the boys for a little bit at the start but kind of ran out of puff and managed to circulate to get third. I had enough pace to hang with them but just not through the whole duration of the race. It was just the lack of pre-training and quality bike time. I will catch up with Josh and test some suspension to see if we can improve a little bit for the last two rounds.”
Kayne Lamont – 2019 MX Nationals Round 2
MX1 Top 7
Kirk Gibbs – 72
Cody Cooper – 69
Kayne Lamont – 60
Brad Groombridge – 48
Cohen Chase – 48
Mason Wilkie – 38
Blake Gillard – 36
MX1 Points after 2 of 4 Rounds
Kirk Gibbs – 141
Cody Cooper – 141
Kayne Lamont – 120
Brad Groombridge – 99
Cohen Chase – 96
Blake Gillard – 77
MX2
2018 Australian MX2 Champion Wilson Todd got his championship back on track with the overall win at Rotorua with 4-1-1 moto finishes ahead of fellow Aussie Kyle Webster’s 1-3-3 and defending champion Hamish Harwood’s 2-2-4 finishes so Hamish still leads the championship by three points over Todd while Purvis sits in third a further 12 points back.
Maximus Purvis – 2019 MX Nationals Round 2
MX2 Top Five
Wilson Todd – 68
Kyle Webster – 65
Hamish Harwood – 62
Maximus Purvis – 56
Morgan Fogarty – 47
MX2 Points after 2 of 4 Rounds
Hamish Harwood – 131
Wilson Todd – 128
Maximus Purvis – 116
Brad Groombridge – 97
Morgan Fogarty – 90
MX 125cc
Harwood continues to dominate the MX125 class with three solid moto wins ahead of 15 year old Ben Broad and Tommy Watts – Harwood obviously leads the championship and with two rounds to go he still has to keep his current pace as Broad sits 28 points back.
MX 125 Top 5
Hamish Harwood – 75
Benjamin Broad – 62
Tommy Watts – 58
Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 57
Clayton Roeske – 46
MX 125 Points after 2 of 5 Rounds
Hamish Harwood – 150
Benjamin Broad – 122
Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 109
Tommy Watts – 105
Clayton Roeske – 87
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Anstie, Geerts & Monticelli win Hawkstone
The annual Hawkstone Park International Motocross is one of the key lead-up races to the MXGP season and this year it was veteran Max Anstie who got the overall win in the MXGP class while young Jago Geerts got the win the in the MX2 class before Ivo Monticelli spectacularly won the MX1 and MX2 combined Superfinal.
Max Anstie won the opening MXGP race ahead of Max Nagl and Shaun Simpson but in the second MXGP moto Ivo Monticelli won from Shaun Simpson, Harri Kullas and Anstie so Max earns the overall for with 1-4 motos finishes ahead of Simpson (3-2) and Monticelli (5-1).
Thomas Kjer-Olsen
Adam Sterry battled hard in the early laps of the opening MX2 moto to pull a wining lead ahead of Geerts, Henry Jacobi, Alvin Ostlund and Thomas-Kjer Olsen while Jed Beaton came home in tenth but in the second MX2 moto and it was New Zealander Dylan Walsh who pulled off a shock win ahead of Mikkel Haarup, Bas Vaessen, Geerts, Roan Van-De-Moosdijk and Adam Sterry with Beaton back 14th.
Geerts’ 2-4 moto results earned him the overall ahead of Sterry (1-6), and Haarop (7-2).
Ivo Monticelli won the Superfinal from Max Nagl and Arminas Jasikonis with MX2 riders Olsen in fourth, Geerts in sixth and Beaton in 15th.
Dylan Walsh
“It’s been a bit of an up and down day to be fair. In the first race I had a good moto going with some good lap times until they red-flagged it and on the restart someone clipped me in the first turn and I went down. In the second moto I got a good start and was pressuring for the lead for most of the race and was in a position to take the win when Adam Sterry went down. The Super Final was also looking good and I got myself into around sixth but I had a coming together with another rider and thought it would be best to call it a day.”
Alvin Östlund
“I feel good. It’s my first race so a lot of nerves are out of the way now. In the last race I had the best feeling because I was looser and didn’t get arm-pump. Overall it’s been a solid day, I’m feeling healthy and I got some good practice.”
Thomas Kjer-Olsen
“It’s been a long winter of training and it felt good to finally do some racing. My speed is good at the moment and this is very positive heading to the World Championship. I had two good motos here in the UK and managed to secure fifth overall in MX2. In the mixed MX2/MX1 Superfinal I pushed hard to secure fourth and also be the highest ranking MX2 class rider. I feel I am where I need to be and I will continue working hard in order to be 100% ready for Argentina.”
Jed Beaton
“This was my first race after eight months and it felt good to be back behind the gate, I had some good moments here in the UK, but overall I feel I need more time to show what I am capable of. I made some small mistakes and had a crash in the opening moto, but as the day went on I was able to control my pace. The season has just started and I have a good feeling on my bike. It’s onward and upwards from here and I’m looking ahead to the races to come.”
Jed Beaton
MXGP Moto One
Max Anstie
Max Nagl
Shaun Simpson
Harri Kullas
Ivo Monticelli
Evgeny Bobryshev
Petar Petrov
Mel Pocock
Ryan Houghton
Anton Gole …18. Arminas Jasikonis …38. Tommy Searle
MXGP Moto Two
Ivo Monticelli
Shaun Simpson
Harri Kullas
Max Anstie
Max Nagl
Petar Petrov
Matiss Karro
Arminas Jasikonis
Tommy Searle
Ryan Houghton
Evgeny Bobryshev
MX2 Moto One
Adam Sterry
Jago Geerts
Henry Jacobi
Alvin Ostlund
Thomas-Kjer Olsen
Conrad Mewse
Mikkel Haarup
Davy Pootjes
Bas Vaessen
Jed Beaton
MX2 Moto Two
Dylan Walsh
Mikkel Haarup
Bas Vaessen
Jago Geerts
Roan Van-De-Moosdijk
Adam Sterry
Thomas-Kjer Olsen
Davy Pootjes
Conrad Mewse
Ben Watson …14. Jed Beaton
SuperFinal
Ivo Monticelli
Max Nagl
Arminas Jasikonis
Thomas-Kjer Olsen
Max Anstie
Jago Geerts
Harri Kullas
Evgeny Bobryshev
Mikkel Haarup
Roan Van-De-Moosdijk
Henry Jacobi
Lars Van-Berkel
Bas Vaessen
Alvin Ostlund
Jed Beaton
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Bou wins Bilbao X-Trial
Repsol Montesa Honda rider Toni Bou has restored his 2019 X-Trial Championship lead leaving Bilbao with his 59th career victory over arch rival Adam Raga.
Toni Bou – 2019 X-Trial Round 2
Barcelona winner Raga ensured another close-fought night, topping the standings in round one and matched Bou´s efforts in round two but his rival snatched the early lead in the final, making it through the challenging Section Two with a clean after Raga had recorded a five.
The margin was further extended in Section Four, putting Bou within touching distance of victory, although he then failed in his bid to secure the trophy with a section to spare with a Section Five failure. Still two marks clear, Bou was left to hold his nerve to claim the win and with it the Championship lead.
Toni Bou
“This victory is very important and has been hard-won, since Adam rode well throughout the night. As a result of my fall in Barcelona I haven´t been able to train how I might have liked, so that makes this win even more special. It also means I re-take the lead of the Championship, which is very important when things are so close.”
Toni Bou – 2019 X-Trial Round 2
Despite not being able to make it two in a row Adam Raga was satisfied with second.
Adam Raga
“I’m happy with second place, but especially with my riding, because I beat Toni in Round One, was tied with him in Round Two and only lost in the Final by two marks. I am riding well, and today is more evidence of it. The spectators were exceptional for this first visit to Bilbao.”
Beta’s Benoit Bincaz put in one of the best rides of his career to date, finishing just two marks from a place in the Grand Final but securing a spot on the podium in the Consolation Final over local hero Jaime Busto.
Benoit Bincaz
“I felt strong right from the beginning and kept a high level. It’s my first podium of the season, and the aim is now to repeat it in the coming Rounds. The bike was perfect and I felt comfortable on it. I’m really happy with my performance here and the upward curve in performance I’m enjoying.”
Round Four of the X-Trial FIM World Championship is X-Trial Granada, scheduled for 23rd February.
Toni Bou on the podium with Adam Raga and Benoit Bincaz – 2019 X-Trial Round 2
Results X-Trial Bilbao 2019
BOU Toni SPA Repsol Honda Team
RAGA Adam SPA TRRS Factory Team
BINCAZ Benoit FRA Beta Factory Racing
BUSTO Jaime SPA Gas Gas Factory Team
GELABERT Miquel SPA Sherco Factory Team
FAJARDO Jeroni SPA Gas Gas Factory Team
MARCELLI Gabriel SPA RG Team
PETRELLA Luca ITA Beta Factory Racing
HAGA Sondre NOR TRRS Factory Team
X-Trial Standings after Bilbao 2019
BOU Toni SPA 55
RAGA Adam SPA 50
BUSTO Jaime SPA 30
Waters & Wilson win Sunshine State opener
Coolum MX facility on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hosted the opening round of the Airoh Sunshine State Motocross Championship and it was Todd Waters and Jay Wilson who won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively.
Waters got the win in the MX1 class over Mason Rowe, Kaleb Barham and Joel Rizzo while Wilson won the MX2 class ahead of Aaron Tanti, Ricky Latimer, Joel Evans. Rowe and Barham.
Clout & Roberts win King of MX opener
Appin hosted the opening round of the NSW King of MX series and it was Luke Clout and Jy Roberts who won the star studded MX1 and MX2 classes respectively.
Luke Clout joins CDR for 2019 alongside Kirk Gibbs
CDR Yamaha’s Clout won the MX1 class ahead of National stars Hayden Mellross, Riley Dukes. Joel Green and Joel Wightman while Roberts worked hard all day to win the MX2 class from Regan Duffy, Rhys Budd, Cooper Pozniak, John Bova and Riley Dukes.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Yamaha Motor Europe confirm 2019 MXGP team
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP will lead the 2019 challenge with Romain Febvre and Jeremy Seewer at the helm of the advanced YZ450FM. Following a two month break at the end of 2018, Febvre has had an incredible off-season and is feeling fit, fast and strong as he enters his fourth consecutive year inside the premier class with the Michele Rinaldi led team.
Romain Febvre
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s newest recruit, Seewer, made a successful team debut back in October last year with a silver-medal finish at the final round of the All Japan Championship in Sugo. The talented Swiss rider looks forward to entering his second season on the 450cc bike with the support of the Factory team.
Jeremy Seewer
Strengthening Yamaha’s 2019 crusade, Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP has retained Arnaud Tonus for a third season. In addition, the team has welcomed a familiar name back to the Yamaha Family in the form of Gautier Paulin.
Arnaud Tonus
After a solid off-season where both riders have regularly trained together on the bike and off, the dynamic duo have reaped the benefits of working together and are likely to put their YZ450F motorcycles on the podium this season.
Both teams will travel to Argentina at the end of February where the first round of the nineteen round MXGP series will commence on March 2nd and 3rd.
Ben Watson & Jago Geerts remain with Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha MX2 in 2019
Spearheading the effort and set to take Yamaha’s YZ250F to the top of the MX2 Championship, Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha MX2 has retained Ben Watson and Jago Geerts for another season. Inspired by the ‘quality over quantity’ adage, the team has transitioned from a three-rider line-up to two where they will concentrate on the talent they were awakened to during 2018.
Ben Watson and Jago Geerts
Last year, as new recruits to the team both Watson and Geerts exceeded all expectations on what was initially expected to be a ‘learning year’. 21-year-old Watson achieved a career milestone at the MX2 Grand Prix of Russia when he stood on podium for the first time. He also finished inside the top five at 12 Grands Prix and subsequently finished fourth in the final classification after a season-long battle for the MX2 bronze medal.
Ben Watson
Equally as impressive, Geerts had a superb rookie season complete with a podium appearance of his own at the MXGP of Latvia. The 18 year-old Belgian was awarded Youthstream’s ‘Jan de Groot award’ as the rookie of the year. He finished eighth overall in the 2018 MX2 World Championship despite missing three rounds due to injury.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing launch 2019 effort
Leading national dirt bike racing outfit Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing is all set to fire into the 2019 season, with a two-rider line-up that will contest all major MX Nationals and Australian Supercross Championship events.
Headlining the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team is top gun MX2 championship contender Kyle Webster, who roars into his fourth season with the powerhouse CRF Honda Racing team, which is owned and operated by longtime Honda motocross race team principal Mark Luksich.
Joining Webster in the Penrite Oils and Pirelli tyres sponsored Honda team for 2019 is NSW young gun Rhys Budd, who continues his rise through the Honda ranks and will attack the MXD category this year. Meanwhile Sydney youngster Nick Luksich will enjoy support rider status with the team, as he maintains his push up the ranks of the hotly contested MX2 category.
Kyle Webster
“I’ll be racing selected major NZ events over the next couple of weeks, which will really help me to prepare and be as ready as possible for the start to the Australian season. 2019 is set to be a big year: it will be my fourth season with the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team, and having Craig onboard as my team mechanic will give me added support to chase race wins and championship victories. I want to be as consistent as possible and be there at every race, every weekend, chasing wins all season long.”
Kyle Webster’s Honda CRF250R
New team rider Rhys Budd is one of Australia’s most decorated junior motocross competitors, with a swag of junior championship wins and podiums to his name since he began racing in 2009.
Rhys Budd
“It’s early days yet, but from the very outset the connection with the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team has been really positive and I’m looking forward to the season starting with the MX Nationals at Appin in March. 2019 will be my final year racing in the MXD class, so I want it to be a special one. My goal is always to win and be in the front pack and consistently make the podium, so that’s what I’m aiming for this year.”
Rhys Budd
Heading into his second year in the MX2 category, 19-year-old Nick Luksich is hopeful of putting the injury woes that dogged his 2018 campaign behind him.
Nick Luksich
“2018 was tough, I suffered a broken wrist at the start of the season and then had more injuries through the year and that really wrecks your confidence and you’re not as fit as you want to be when you finally get to line up. This year is shaping up a lot better and I’ve had a really good pre-season and have been doing a lot of riding and training with Kyle, which is so beneficial when you can ride with someone faster and who is so into training. I can’t wait for the season to start at Appin next month!”
The March 17 MX Nationals series opener will formally kick off the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team’s 2019 calendar, which will include all ten rounds of the MX Nationals, followed by the Australian Supercross Championship in the second half of the year, along with selected other major race appearances.
Yamaha Motor New Zealand & Josh Coppins Racing sign Ben & Levi Townley
Two former World MXGP rivals will now be firmly on one team, as Yamaha Motor New Zealand, in association with Josh Coppins Racing, are signing up Ben Townley (YZ450) and son Levi Townley (YZ65), who will both be joining bLU cRU effective immediately.
Josh Coppins
“Ben will be a Yamaha ambassador and we will support him across a bunch of racing activities with more to follow and Levi is about supporting the future of the sport. We have decided to re-establish the Yamaha brand in junior racing and off the back of the new YZ65, timing has never been better to look for our new champions.”
Ben Townley (YZ450) and son Levi Townley (YZ65)
He and MX2 World Champion Townley are two of New Zealand’s most successful motocross riders and used to live together for three years in Belgium racing in the World MXGP Championships. In 2005 they finished second and third respectively in the MX1 class to ten-time world champ legend Stefan Everts. At one point Ben and Josh won five GPs in a row between them over Everts – not bad for a couple of Kiwis!
Despite being fiercely competitive on track, off it they were good mates. So, when it came time for Coppins to move away from investing in international racing, he decided to refocus on a junior programme.
Tauranga-based Townley, who retired professionally in 2016, will not only be coaching young riders he will also be riding in select races around New Zealand, including some enduro events.
Being able to share the workload is vital for Coppins, as he is busy running his own Altherm JCR Yamaha motocross race team – made up of senior riders Kirk Gibbs, Kayne Lamont (both MX1) and Maximus Purvis (MX2) at all the major national events.
Coppins will continue with the team and also take on a more managerial position within Yamaha New Zealand, which allows him to be more involved in fostering the country’s young riders.
Eight-year-old Levi’s first race will be the 2019 Ebbett Pukekohe Auckland Motocross Champs in Tuakau on Saturday 23rd February 2019. The following day he will race in the Yamaha Motor New Zealand YZ65 Cup at Harrisville, Pukekohe, which is part of the third round of the Fox New Zealand Motocross Championships.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
KTM Junior MX Racing Team announced for 2019
KTM Australia has confirmed its KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team for the 2019 season, the five-rider line-up to include Blake Fox, Ryan Alexanderson, Jett Burgess-Stevens, Jet Alsop and Kayden Minear this year.
Jet Alsop
Fox, Burgess-Stevens and Alsop return to the factory team, while Alexanderson and Minear are new to the roster after achieving remarkable results last season. Together, the KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team will be targeting another strong campaign nationwide.
New South Welshman Fox will pilot a KTM 250 SX-F and KTM 125 SX in what will be his last year of junior competition. Incoming KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team recruit Alexanderson, 14, won the Mini Lites BW 12-U14s title at the 2018 Australian Junior Motocross Championship, now stepping up to the KTM 250 SX-F and KTM 125 SX for the year ahead.
Blake Fox
Tasmanian talent Burgess-Stevens will return for his second season with the KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team, the 13-year-old riding a KTM 125 SX in addition to the KTM 85 SX BW. Also back for another term, well-credentialed Queenslander Alsop, 12, will focus upon the KTM 85 SX SW this year.
Minear is a current national champion after capturing the 65cc 9-U11s championship last year, earning his place in the factory team to ride a KTM 85 SX SW and KTM 65 SX in 2019.
Benjamin Herrera joins 2019 Beta Factory Enduro Team
Beta has officially signed up Benjamin Herrera to complete the Beta Factory Enduro Team line-up. The 24-year-old Chilean – pictured with Team Manager Fabrizio Dini, next to a Beta production-model – will indeed support EnduroGP World Champion Steve Holcombe.
Herrera will be busy throughout the whole World Enduro Championship and in some stages of the Assoluti d’Italia on the Beta RR 350 4T.
This is an important promotion that sees the young Chilean move from the Beta Importer Team in his country to being the official rider for the 2019 season.
Benjamin Herrera
“I am very pleased I signed this new contract, it’s a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to become an official rider and now it’s amazing. The aim is to achieve good results both in the World Enduro Championship and in the Assoluti d’Italia in the E2 class. I’m well aware of the value of the Beta brand, since last year I raced with this bike, even if not as an official rider, and I really like the RR.”
Benjamin Herrera
Riders will be on their bikes very soon – the Assoluti d’Italia will start on 2 March at Gioia dei Marsi, while the first stage of the Enduro World Championship is scheduled for 22 March at Dahlen in Germany.
2019 Assoluti D’Italia Calendar
2-3 Mar – Gioia Dei Marsi Aq
31 Mar – Arma Di Taggia Im 1
4 Mar – Pontremoli Ms
1-2 Jun – Sant’angelo In Vado Pu
14 Jul – Crespano Del Grappa Tv
5-6 Oct – Gaggio Montano Bo
2019 World Enduro Championship Calendar
22-24 Mar – Dahlem Germany
3-5 May – Valpacos Portugal
10-12 May – Santiago De Comp. Spain
14-16 Jun – Ajaccio Corsica
21-23 Jun – Rovetta Italy
13-15 Sep – Uhlirske Janovice Czech Republic
27-29 Sep – Ambert France
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AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, hosted the seventh round of the AMA Supercross Championship last weekend. KTM’s Cooper Webb came through the pack to sensationally steal the 450SX main event win from Ken Roczen by just half a wheel at the flag!
AMA Supercross 2019 – Arlington- Texas
450SX Report
Eli Tomac pulled the holeshot ahead of Roczen and Marvin Musquin while Webb managed several key passes to come around the first lap in seventh place, two spots ahead of Zach Osborne who was making his 450SX class debut.
AMA Supercross 2019 – Arlington- Texas
Tomac was pushing hard to try to get away from the pack but Roczen stalked the Kawasaki rider before moving his way to the lead on lap four, then immediately started to break into the 49-second lap times just as Webb moved into the top five.
Eli Tomac chasing Ken Roczen
Tomac dropped his Kawasaki on lap seven but remounted in seventh place allowing Musquin to move into second ahead of Joey Savatgy, Blake Baggett and Webb.
Marvin Musquin and Cooper Webb
The race looked to be Roczen’s, the German enjoying a handy six-second lead over Musquin.
Ken Roczen
Webb soon moved up to second after getting the better of Musquin, then on the back of quad-jumping instead of triple-single jumping at the end of one of the rhythm lanes, he was suddenly on the back wheel of Roczen with a lap to go.
Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb
Webb then pulled alongside Roczen in the whoops, which gave him the opportunity to dive up the inside of Roczen and then out-drag the Honda rider to the finish line by a wheel length.
AMA SX 2019 – Round Seven – Arlington, Texas
That is Webb’s second victory in succession, and his fourth from the seven rounds staged thus far this season. The Arlington victory earns Webb the red plate with a two-point lead over Roczen. The Honda star is still yet to win a main so far this season.
Cooper Webb
Webb now has the red plate with a two point lead over Roczen who in turn has a four point advantage over Musquin.
Cooper Webb
Cooper Webb – P1
“Tonight was incredible! I just never gave up out there. It was incredible for it to come to the last lap – the last turn even – and to be able to win with such a close finish was absolutely insane. That’s probably the best race ever for me.”
Cooper Webb
Ken Roczen – P2
“The whoops was one of the spots where I struggled all through the an event which really effected my flow so this is something we learn from, I am using it as fuel for the next race but it was fun, leading the whole race and losing it is not so much fun but we are healthy and still in the championship.”
Ken Roczen
Marvin Musquin – P3
“We are definitely looking for our first win but being on the podium for the last five is super important but to salvage third after such a poor heat race is important for the race and the championship. It’s good, but I was in a good position for better, so I am a little bit disappointed with that but I’m also happy that we were able to turn it around after the heat race.”
Marvin Musquin
Justin Barcia – P7
“Crazy day of racing for me for sure. I felt good, the bike was working well. I had a pretty good practice, was right in the times, but in the heat race, didn’t get off to a good start. I was working my way through the pack and got taken out. In the main event, I was on the far outside and got a really good jump off the gate. I was right in it, but I was just so far outside I got pushed out and went into the hay bales and started last. I went from last to seventh. I was riding well, but again wasn’t able to make things happen that I needed to happen. I need to get a better start and put myself in front of the pack where I belong. We’re moving on from this weekend and will get ready for Detroit.”
Justin Barcia
Dean Wilson – P8
“My night was not amazing but not too bad either, I think the best part of my race was that I came through the pack really well and I passed a lot of good riders. By the time I got to the position I was in, there was really no one in front of me that I could catch so I ended up with an eighth. It’s not what I want but the beginning was promising with the speed I had. I just need to get a better start and get up there and we’ll be good. I’ll take it but we want to get on the podium for sure.”
Dean Wilson
Aaron Plessinger – P9
“We made big steps in the right direction at Dallas. The bike worked pretty good all day, I just need to get my starts dialed in. We’re going to go off to Florida and ride with Justin for a little bit and hopefully can build some intensity. All in all, I’m pretty happy with tonight and taking steps in the right direction. We’ll move forward from here, and on to Detroit.”
Aaron Plessinger #7
After going through the LCQ and then running off the track at the start, Justin Barcia put in a great ride to fight his way back to seventh while Chad Reed finished the night in 11th after passing Tomac.
Arlington 450SX Main Results
Cooper Webb – 25 Laps
Ken Roczen +00.028
Marvin Musquin +10.784
Blake Baggett +15.401
Joey Savatgy +18.360
Cole Seely +23.241
Justin Barcia +26.545
Dean Wilson +29.567
Aaron Plessinger +30.739
Justin Brayton +41.282
Chad Reed +45.767
Eli Tomac +49.446
Justin Hill – 24Laps
Kyle Chisholm +00.453
Ben Lamay +16.975
450SX Points Standings after Round 7 of 17
Cooper Webb – 150
Ken Roczen – 148
Marvin Musquin – 144
Eli Tomac – 134
Dean Wilson – 110
Justin Barcia – 104
Blake Baggett – 101
Cole Seely – 94
Chad Reed – 93
Aaron Plessinger – 93
250SX East Report
Austin Forkner scored the holeshot ahead of Kyle Peters, Chase Sexton and Jordon Smith but it wasn’t long before Peters was passed by Sexton and Smith, while Alex Martin was struggling to recover from his poor start and was back in 14th place.
AMA Supercross 2019 – Arlington- Texas
Sexton managed to hold pace with Forkner for several laps as Justin Cooper jumped into fourth place ahead of Martin Davalos.
Chase Sexton
At the half way mark of the 15-minute race Forkner had a small gap over Sexton, who in turn had Smith and Cooper closing in on him while Davalos dropped a couple of seconds.
Austin Forkner
On lap 13 Sexton made a mistake that allowed Smith and Cooper into second and third. Only for Smith to then slide out of a turn which put him back to fifth, and promoted Cooper up into second place ahead of Sexton and Davalos. Smith got the better of Davalos in the closing stages of the race to claim fourth.
Jordon Smith
After the 19 laps it was Forkner that took the flag first, winning his second straight main event. Cooper, Sexton, Smith and Davalos rounded out the top five – Martin made it to back up to eighth place by race end.
Arlington 250SX East Main Event Results Austin Forkner – 19 Laps Justin Cooper +04.261 Chase Sexton +09.964
Austin Forkner – P1
“At one point Chase and Jordan were reeling me in so I figured I could just push harder and potentially throw it all away or back it down a bit, ride in my comfort zone and if I get caught and passed so be it, luckily that didn’t happen, I caught my breath and pulled off the win. The tough thing for me is to try and ride own my lines, I found my focus about five minutes in, but I have plenty of stuff I can work on this week heading into Round 3. I felt like I struggled a little bit and still won so I’m ecstatic. It’s nice to know what we can go into the week and work on. I can’t wait to get back next week even better.”
Austin Forkner
Justin Cooper – P2
“I feel we rebuilt a little this week and we made one place up the podium from last week so we’ll take it, it is a long series and the tracks are going to challenge us but we will go back, try and fix a few things. It feels great to get two podiums in a row. Compared to last year we were sitting out the second round, so to start the season out like this is pretty cool. The track was pretty tough today, we just had to take what we could get out there. Still, big improvements, and we’re not going to stop here. The bike was great all day again. We’ll just keep searching for new things and keep trying to better our self each time we get out on the track.”
Justin Cooper
Chase Sexton – P3
“I had a pretty good start in the main, where I could make something happen and I felt really good on my bike but with five minutes left I made two mistakes which cost me big time.”
Chase Sexton
Martin Davalos – P5
“This race was one I wanted to get through healthy and I was able to do that. It was great to show that I’m capable of being up with the front runners and bounce back. I would love to get a better start next weekend and really contend for a podium spot.”
Martin Davalos
Mitchell Oldenburg – P6
“The track conditions were tough tonight; it was super soft and rutted. I kind of got off to a slow start in the main again this week, but I was able to regroup fairly well and finish with a decent sixth. I’m really pumped on my heat race and how the practices went this morning. So I’m looking to build on this race and go to Detroit for the Triple Crown next weekend and come out swinging.”
Moto News Wrap for February 11, 2019 by Darren Smart
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Moto News Latest
Webb and Faulkner Take Minneapolis AMA SX
Taddy Wins SuperEnduro in Budapest
Cairoli and Prado Wrap Up Italian Motocross Championships
Dean Wilson to Rockstar Husqvarna
Hunter Lawrence Injured
Traralgon Hosts Successful 2 Stroke Nationals
FIM Speedway of Nations News
Applications Open for Australian WJMX Team
Webb and Faulkner take Minneapolis AMA SX
The sixth round of the 2019 AMA Supercross Championship was held in Minneapolis last weekend and the racing has once again held the fans of the sport on the edge of their seats as two of the brightest stars in the sport in Cooper Webb and Austin Forkner took out main event wins the 450SX and 250SX East classes respectively.
AMA Supercross kicks off at Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Report
Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy scored the holeshot in the main event and for the first half of the race Webb was looking for a way around Savatgy while holding off Ken Roczen, Blake Baggett and Marvin Musquin but when Webb got around Savatgy on lap 15 the flood gates opened allowing Roczen, Baggett and eventually Musquin get around Savatgy.
AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Webb reeled off the closing laps without any mistakes to score his third win of the year ahead of Roczen who also kept himself tidy for second place ahead of Musquin who was gifted yet another podium after Baggett went over the bars on a tricky seat-bounce double-triple combination.
Marvin Musquin – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Eli Tomac was almost dead last after his poorest start of the season but the former championship leader whittled his way to sixth place, one spot ahead of Chad Reed who encountered his own problems during the main event to not only score seventh place but also move into eight in the championship, just 14 points out of the top five.
Eli Tomac – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
The 2019 season has set a new record with the top four in the Championship standings only separated by two points after six rounds with Roczen on 125, Webb on 124 while Eli Tomac and Marvin Musquin are both tied with 123 points – even more amazingly, Roczen and Musquin are yet to win a round!
AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Cooper Webb
“To get three wins this year is pretty spectacular, especially bouncing back from last week – having that bad race in the mud – but I never lost belief, never lost faith and knew I was still good. I felt good all day today and to be able to apply it in the heat race, win that, and then win the main was pretty special. It’s cool, I have to pinch myself because I’ve come such a long way in a short amount of time. It’s crazy what a year or half a year will do to you. The last two years this place ended my season, so it’s pretty cool to bounce back from that and never give up, never doubt myself, make a change and stick to it. I want to keep doing well and doing what I’m doing. I definitely feel like I have a lot to improve on and a lot to learn but we’ll see if we can keep going.”
Cooper Webb – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Ken Roczen
“I felt really good, and early on when Joey was still leading, I had a couple of good spots, and I kind of came up on Cooper a little bit. But I couldn’t pass him. After Cooper passed for the lead, I noticed that Joey was getting tired or whatever, but he was still going enough where we couldn’t pass. I had to pick my battles a little bit. The way these turns are, and the intensity that we brought, I didn’t want to do a silly, aggressive move and bump up on the inside. I just wanted to do it in a smart way, but I waited too long, for sure.”
Ken Roczen – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin
“It was definitely a tough night. I made it really hard on myself going down in the heat race while running in second – I made a little mistake that cost me big time and then again, I hit neutral and went down again. With a really bad gate pick, I knew it was going to be hard to choose either inside or outside on the gate but I chose to go very far inside and I didn’t get the start I wanted. I was tight inside and came out top-ten but on a track like that, it’s super tough to be in that position to make passes. It took me a long time to get into the top-five and I was pushing to get around [Blake] Baggett and unfortunately, he went down hard, hopefully he’s okay. Once I was in third, I tried to give a push for second but there was a gap and physically I gave a lot when I was trying to pass guys for most of the Main Event. Definitely tough, but to be third on the podium tonight is a good result considering where I came from with the heat race and the start, so I’ll definitely take it.”
Marvin Musquin – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Dean Wilson
“The night wasn’t great but not too bad, either, I’m not super pumped on it but I came out healthy. I think the past couple weeks of not getting into my normal schedule, due to the rain and resting the week after Oakland because of my knee, definitely had me feeling it and it was a tough Main Event the whole time. I think just trying to get back to my normal schedule will help a lot. It was awesome to be back with the team this weekend and we’re just going to get better from here.”
Justin Barcia
“Going into the main event I didn’t make any bike changes, or anything like that I was really comfortable. I was right on the main pack of guys in front of me, I just came into the corner pretty quick, pushed my front end and ended up going down pretty hard and rode home to ninth. For me it was a frustrating race to say the least because I felt like I was capable of being on the podium tonight and fighting for the win. It’s definitely frustrating, but I felt like I was back to myself again, comfort wise and stuff, I felt good on the bike. I was happy with my riding, just wish I could’ve done better in the main event. Moving on to next weekend I just want to have good starts and get back up front.”
Justin Barcia – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Aaron Plessinger
“It was a rough one for me. I definitely struggled on my starts. I got a break in the heat race. I got a bad jump, but shot the gap and made it. In the main event I didn’t have that gap and I got shut off; I definitely need to keep working on it. We’re going to go back to California this week, we’ll get some more testing in on the bike and try and dial it in a little more for me. I just need to keep working on it, getting used to it. I’m going to go back and do some more homework and come back ready for Dallas.”
Aaron Plessinger – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Ken Roczen
Marvin Musquin
Joey Savatgy
Justin Brayton
Eli Tomac
Chad Reed
Dean Wilson
Justin Barcia
Aaron Plessinger
Cole Seely
Vince Friese
Justin Bogle
Tyler Bowers
Kyle Chisholm
Alex Ray
Ben Lamay
Daniel Herrlein
Cheyenne Harmon
Casey Brennan
Blake Baggett
Aj Catanzaro
450 Podium 1) Cooper Webb, 2) Ken Roczen, 3) Marvin Musquin – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Points after 6 of 17
Ken Roczen – 125
Cooper Webb – 124
Eli Tomac – 123
Marvin Musquin – 123
Dean Wilson – 95
Justin Barcia – 88
Blake Baggett – 82
Chad Reed – 81
Aaron Plessinger – 79
Cole Seely – 77
Justin Brayton – 70
Vince Friese – 65
Justin Bogle – 60
Joey Savatgy – 59
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250SX East Report
Austin Forkner was fast all day and it wasn’t good news for his opposition when the Kawasaki pilot grabbed the holeshot and he never looked back to take the win but the action behind was a little more riveting with Jordon Smith surviving a flat tyre change on the start line and a small crash mid race to finish second ahead of Justin Cooper who looked smooth and untroubled on his way to third head of Chase Sexton and Alex Martin.
AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Austin Forkner
“Basically, you don’t want to think about not making mistakes because that’s when you make them. I was just trying to click off laps. My starts were killer tonight in the heat and the main. I was just out there trying to maintain it, and I saw, whenever Jordon [Smith] got into to second, I might have to try to turn it up. He was maybe going a little bit faster, but then he went down. But when you get to that settle stage, sometimes that’s when mistakes happen, so I just tried to keep focused forward.”
Austin Forkner – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Jordon Smith
“We got a flat tire and Christian, my mechanic did an amazing job, they started the bikes before he had the nut off the rear wheel, I was afraid the gate was going to drop and we weren’t going to be ready.”
Justin Cooper
“The bike was awesome all day and the team made adjustments to fix anything I was uncomfortable with. I was able to predict exactly what the bike was going to do throughout the race, even with the track conditions getting worse. I had a terrible start, but felt great on the bike the whole main and just had to maintain the race as best I could with all the chaos around me. Everything about the day went smooth except a little first race jitters in the heat race. First podium at my second Supercross race ever… what more is there to say? It’s a great feeling!”
Justin Cooper – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Mitchell Oldenburg
“Today was decent. Practice went well for me, I felt really comfortable and the bike was working awesome. Tonight though, just wasn’t the best night for me. I didn’t feel that great. Not racing for a year was tough, and it showed tonight. I’m looking forward to building off of this and getting ready for the next few races and Dallas next weekend.”
Mitchell Oldenburg – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Jordan Bailey
“It was a good start to my first supercross, practice went well and the track was pretty good. I got fourth in the heat race, and in the main my start wasn’t very good but we got ninth. I’m happy with it to start with but we’ve got to keep getting better.”
Jordan Bailey – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Thomas Covington
“It was a solid first weekend for me, I was definitely a little bit nervous and tight throughout the whole day but each session got a little bit better and I squeaked into the Main Event in the heat. In the Main Event, I just went out and had as much fun as I could out there and it turned out pretty good. I was happy with how the bike was working and everything, just have to get back to work this week and hopefully progress next weekend.”
Thomas Covington – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Alex Martin held Justin Cooper at bay for nearly the whole main but he ended up getting bumped off the track by Cooper and missed the transponder line at the finish so his team had to go and request a manual rescoring of that lap for Alex to be credited with fourth place after initial results had him back in 13th.
250SX East Results
Austin Forkner
Jordon Smith
Justin Cooper
Alex Martin
Chase Sexton
Mitchell Oldenburg
Kyle Cunningham
Brandon Hartranft
Jordan Bailey
Kyle Peters
Thomas Covington
Blake Wharton
Martin Davalos
Christian Craig
250 Podium 1) Austin Fornker, 2) Jordon Smith, 3) Justin Cooper – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
250SX East after Round 1 of 9
Austin Forkner – 26
Jordon Smith – 23
Justin Cooper – 21
Alex Martin – 19
Chase Sexton – 18
Mitchell Oldenburg – 17
Kyle Cunningham – 16
Brandon Hartranft – 15
Jordan Bailey – 14
Kyle Peters – 13
Thomas Covington – 12
Blake Wharton – 8
Martin Davalos – 7
Christian Craig – 3
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Taddy Wins SuperEnduro in Budapest
Budapest hosted round four of the 2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship last weekend and it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Taddy Blazusiak who took the win ahead of teammate Cody Webb and Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker.
Superpole went to Webb, with Blazusiak finishing a close second before Webb took the lead in the first of the three finals and set about opening up a good margin over the chasing riders. Although pressured early on by his teammate, Cody went on to claim a flag-to-flag victory with Blazusiak fighting off the challenges from Colton Haaker to finish second.
In the reverse-grid race two, it was Blazusiak who got the best start of the championship contenders but Haaker took over the lead and quickly opened a gap that he would maintain to earn the win over Blazusiak and Webb.
In the final race, it was Blazusiak who took the holeshot over Haaker with Webb close behind in third and for the first half of the race the three leading riders pushed hard, maintaining a fast pace on the demanding course but Taddy managed to hold his nerve to ultimately take the race three win over Haaker and Webb and with it the overall victory.
Taddy Blazusiak
“To take the win tonight feels great. I’ve been mostly off the bike since I hurt my knee in Madrid, so to come here and claim the overall is amazing. I didn’t quite have the out-and-out speed this evening, so I knew I would have to be clever and use my race craft. I got two second places and then in the last race I got a good start and knew it would be difficult for the others to pass. I rode clean but defensively and it paid off. Budapest has been great – the track was not too technical, but it was physically demanding and tricky to make time on. I’m really looking forward to Bilbao now in April.”
Webb edged Haaker by one point in the overall standings in Budapest so going into the final round in Spain on April the 6th, Haaker holds a 12 points lead in the championship.
Cody Webb
“It’s been a good night for me overall – I’m happy with second. I got a really good start in the first race and was just able to run away with it. In the second race, I started off right on the inside from the second row but I got caught up early and had to fight my way through the whole pack back up to third. In the last race it was good fun battling with the guys up front but it was so tricky to make a good pass – we were all pushing so hard and the pace was relentless. I struggled with traffic later on and couldn’t quite close up to the two leaders. We have got a bit of a break now before the last round so I’ll keep training and work on my intensity before Bilbao and hopefully be in a good position to fight for the championship.”
Cody Webb – SuperEnduro Round 4 – Hungary 2019
Results — 2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, Round 4 Prestige Race 1
Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 6:44.923
Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 6:50.858 +5.935
Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 6:51.421 +6.498
Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:22.186 +37.263
Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:28.249 +43.326
Prestige Race 2
Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 6:38.691
Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 6:47.256 +8.565
Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 7:00.298 +21.607
Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:10.778 +32.087
Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 6:52.969 +1 lap
Prestige Race 3
Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 6:36.278
Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 6:38.226 +1.948
Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 6:50.587 +14.309
Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:13.035 +36.757
Diogo Viera (POR), Yamaha, 6:43.492 +1 lap
Alfredo Gomez proves consistent in fourth across the events races- SuperEnduro Round 4 – Hungary 2019
Prestige Class — Overall
Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 56 points
Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 53 pts
Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 52 pts
Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 39 pts
Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 32 pts
Championship Standings (After round 4)
Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 211 points
Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 199 pts
Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 184 pts
Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 122 pts
Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 119 pts
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Cairoli and Prado Wrap Up Italian Motocross Championships
Mantova hosted the final round of the three round Italian Motocross Championships last weekend and it was Tim Gajser who scored the MX1 win before Jorge Prado dominated the MX2 race then Antonio Cairoli managed to win a the Superfinal.
Italian Motocross Championship 2019 – Round 3, Mantova
HRC Factory rider Tim Gajser won the MXGP race at Mantova ahead of 2015 World MXGP champion Romain Febvre, Antonio Cairoli, Gautier Paulin and Max Nagl with Cairoli being crowned MX1 champion of Italy for 2019.
Tim Gajser
“It is great to win again, it is just Italian championship, but a great race. I wanted to pass Tonus quickly and I tried to gap Romain, but he was really close. We had a good pace, and I liked the track. I look forward to the second race.”
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Romain Febvre
“It went good, I had a good start, not very good but good start. I was quick to second and battled with Tim, really close to him and I made some mistakes. Sometimes I was faster, sometimes he was faster. I was happy, but I got some arm pump and that is why I slowed down.”
Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jorge Prado earned the Italian Championship with the MX2 race win in Mantova over early leader Moreau, Tom Vialle, Jago Geerst and Stephen Rubini while Aussie Mitch Evans ended the race in 11th of the 40 starters.
Tom Vialle – Italian Motocross Championship 2019 – Round 3, Mantova
The Superfinal saw a massive first turn pile-up but out front Cairoli managed to etch out a lead before taking a comfortable win ahead of Nagl who had to fight off a fast finishing Prado who started well outside the top ten to narrowly miss out of second place while Mitch Evans ended the race in a credible ninth place.
Antonio Cairoli – Italian Motocross Championship 2019 – Round 3, Mantova
Cairoli and Prado ended up 1-2 in the Superfinal Championships.
Antonio Cairoli
“The Italian Championship is always a good series because we have a lot of champions on the line, this year especially, with four different world champions. We had a lot of things to test and the best way to do that was with racing. We had a perfect series, except for that first moto today: I was upset with my start. It was good in one way, and that’s to be able to make some passes and work through the pack and learn about that. This is also good training for the GPs. When we are on the line in the world championship it is a little bit different; everyone is extra motivated and doing their best to keep up with me and Jeffrey. I think since last year people have been working with us in mind. We will improve but they will improve also. We’ll see when the gate drops in MXGP but the championship there is very long and you have to be consistent and don’t make mistakes. This is the key.”
Antonio Cairoli – Italian Motocross Championship 2019 – Round 3, Mantova
Jorge Prado
“It’s been a really good championship and great pre-season training. Mantova was a different kind of track today: big ruts and with some special demands. I won my MX2 race and then had a good jump [from the gate] against the 450s. I was battling a long time with [Max] Nagl and I couldn’t make the pass, but anyway I’m happy. The bike was working great in these races. We have some weeks of training ahead but we are in the good way and will go to Argentina in the best shape possible.”
With Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team having no fit 450SX riders, Dean Wilson has been given a seat with the team for the remainder of the AMA Supercross season.
Jason Anderson and Zach Osborne are currently out with Anderson sustaining a season ending broken arm injury, while Osborne (Broken collar bone) is expected to return to the team in the coming weeks.
Wilson started with the team at Minneapolis last weekend where he finished a solid 8th place in the main event to maintain 5th in the championship standings.
Dean Wilson
“I am really excited to be back with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team. They have been a great help with my privateer effort. I am looking forward to putting in good results and making everyone proud.”
Dean Wilson
Bobby Hewitt
“Dean has been a part of our program for many years. I am very excited to have him back under the truck for the remainder of the 2019 AMA Supercross Championship Series.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Hunter Lawrence Injured
On the eve of making his AMA Supercross debut Australia’s Hunter Lawrence has crashed and aggravated a collarbone injury which he sustained some eight to nine weeks ago.
Hunter Lawrence
A timetable for Lawrence’s return has not been set but he could be back in time to compete in some supercross rounds or the Geico Honda pilot might be out until the Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Championship which begins in May.
Hunter Lawrence
Below is his Instagram post.
‘Absolutely heartbroken to say the least guys. I wont be lining up at round 1 this weekend. Some of you know a few months back I had a collarbone injury that I have now re-injured. And it isn’t in a condition where I am not able to plate it. A misfortunate crash and part of the sport. Will do everything i can like always to get back to 100%. I want to thank my amazing @fchonda team and supporting sponsors for all their great support. And a massive shoutout to all of the Aussie fans that were behind me and following along. Super bummed, but with the aussie grit and determination i’ll be back soon.’
Traralgon Hosts Successful 2 Stroke Nationals
Traralgon has hosted the opening round of the Yamaha bLU cRU 2 Stroke Nationals and it was Pro racer Joel Milesevic who won the premier YMI All Powers Cup ahead of Deakin Hellier and Ryan Kenney.
Meanwhile Blake Fox (125cc Junior Cup), James Hanson (Hallman Retro Cup), Hunter Collins (Yamaha 85cc Cup) and Ky Woods (Raceline 65cc Cup) earned the top spots in the support classes.
Coolum will host the second round of the series on March 3, before Canberra get the final round on April 27.
YMI All Powers Cup
Joel Milesevic
Deakin Hellier
Ryan Kenney
Taylor Potter
Jai Walker
Yamaha 125cc Junior Cup
Blake Fox
Alex Larwood
Blake Hollis
Ricky Chalmers
Ryan Alexanderson
Hallman Retro Cup
James Hanson
Steven Bowen
Jake West
Paul Grant
Kade Dunscombe
Yamaha 85cc Cup
Hunter Collins
Cambell Williams
Ryder Kingsford
Jett Burgess-Stevens
Seth Burchell
Raceline 65cc Cup
Ky Woods
Jett Williams
Jack Deveson
Koby Hantis
Kayd Kingsford
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
FIM Speedway of Nations News
The start position draw for Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Race Offs 1 and 2 in Landshut and Manchester in May has been confirmed.
Germany host Poland, Sweden, Slovenia, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Italy at Race Off 1, which takes place in Landshut on Saturday, May 4, before the Lions come up against Australia, Denmark, USA, France, Finland and Latvia at Race Off 2 in Manchester on Saturday, May 11.
The start position draw sees GB line up in the white and yellow starting gates against fellow 2018 finalists Australia and Denmark, with the Danish clash coming in race six and the Aussie showdown taking place in heat 15.
With gates two and four producing 14 winners compared to the nine that triumphed from gates one and three at Race Off 2 in 2018, the Lions will be hopeful the draw works in their favour at the National Speedway Stadium.
The hosts come up against neighbours France in their opener in heat three, with Australia kicking the night off against Finland in race one and Latvia taking on Denmark in heat two. The USA get their night started against the Aussies in race four.
The Landshut round sees Germany face tough finish to their heats as they come up against Sweden in heat 13, Ukraine in race 17 and Poland in heat 20 to round off the night. They will be keen to pile up the points early on, starting in their opener against Italy in race two.
Their fellow 2018 finalists Poland and Sweden collide in their opening heat – race three – a clash that could have a massive bearing on who tops the podium in Bavaria, with the Poles starting from gates one and three.
The top two teams from both Race Offs are guaranteed a spot at the Monster Energy SON Finals in Togliatti alongside hosts Russia on July 20 and 21, with the teams placed third to fifth competing in two knock-out heats to decide the final qualifier from both meetings.
Applications Open for Australian WJMX Team
Applications are now open for Australian riders who want to compete in the 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship which will take place at Russia’s cosmopolitan capital, Moscow, in July.
Australia’s 2018 WJMX team
2018 was a massive year for Team Australia with the event held on home soil and Australia taking out the Team of Nations trophy, and competitors Bailey Malkiewicz and Braden Plath taking out the 125cc WJMX title and 65cc World Cup respectively!
Team Australia will be split out according to the 2019 WJMX classes:
FIM Junior 65cc Motocross World Cup: Age Restrictions-minimum 10 years of age and maximum 12 years of age.
FIM Junior 85cc Motocross World Championship: Age Restrictions-minimum 12 years of age and maximum 14 years of age.
FIM Junior 125cc Motocross World Championship: Age Restrictions- minimum 13 years of age and maximum 17 years of age.
The Australian squad will be supported by the 2019 Team Manager, Mark Willingham who will continue in this role for the third year running.
Applications close in less than a month so click on the link below for more information:
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Look for ‘Dacka’ as he is known, the big blue Yamaha rig and the rest of the team on March 17 at Appin Raceway, south west of Sydney.
