Round 1 of the 2020 Yamaha Off Road Championship was held in Toowoomba and presented new challenges to our riders, including new faces in the field and first round nerves, with new classes also joining the mix.
Coming out on top today and setting 2020 out on the best foot was Luke Styke (Yamaha Active8 Yamalube) in E1, Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) in E2, Daniel “Chucky” Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) in E3 and Korey McMahon (Sutto’s Motorex KTM Racing Team) in the EJ class.
Luke Styke – 2020 Yamaha AORC Round 1 – Toowoomba
This new season also introduces of new Junior classes, including JJ, JG and J1, all in mind to ensure the sport is safely secured in future generations to come. Round 1 was clinched by Riley McGillivray in J4, Billy Hargy in J3, Jett Yarnold in J2, Charlie Connolly in J1, Max Stevenson in JJ and Danielle McDonald in JG.
Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha MXStore Ballards Off-Road Team) led the Women’s results at Round 1, Lee Stephens (True Painting and Decorating, KTM Newcastle)in Veterans and Kirk Hutton (Yamaha Motors Australia) in Masters all took out first place, attaining a firm grasp on their continued success from 2019 into 2020. This AORC season also includes the first full season 2 Stroke Cup class, which saw Harry Teed take out the top spot.
E1
Working tooth and nail to hold onto his 2019 victory was Luke Styke on his Yamaha with a time of 55:47.177. Styke lead ahead of Motocross up-and-comer Mason Semmens (KTM Enduro Racing Team), who crossed his seventh and final test for the day with a total time of 55:55.475 with only eight seconds separating two.
Rounding out the E1 Round 1 podium was MXstore’s Kyron Bacon, who continues to grow in leaps and bounds as he transitions from EJ to E1 this season.
Luke Styke
“Today started off a little slower than expected but we progressed throughout the day, made some fixes to the bike and just got better and better. For Round 2 we’re just going to rest up and hopefully start off the racing in a little bit of a better position compared to today.”
E2
As Daniel Milner said at the Press Launch earlier this week, the 2019 racing season was one he wanted to forget, but regardless of the spill early in the day, Milner has grabbed the E2 lead with both hands. Clocking in at 54:39.515, Milner lead comfortably ahead of newcomer and MX Nationals Champion, Todd Waters (Berry Sweet, Husqvarna).
Waters made a big and welcome splash into the E2 class today, shaking up the competition by clocking in an impressive total time of 55:27.309. Closing out the top three was Yamaha Active8 Yamalube’s Josh Green, who finished ahead of Michael Driscoll (Yamaha bLU cRU Off-Road Racing Team) with a total time of 55:36.369.
Daniel Milner
“Today started off strong but I ran into some trouble and came off the bike and I’m lucky that I was able to get back up and continue riding, honestly. Apart from that incident though, my day was pretty good and finished up well with the class win! I think I came into this round swinging, ready to get back into the game in a big way.”
Daniel Milner – 2020 Yamaha AORC Round 1 – Toowoomba
E3
With the number one firmly locked onto his Husqvarna FE501, Chucky remained his unstoppable self. Regardless of a crash early in day’s tests, Chucky did as he does best and pushed through, grinning and bearing it to clock in a time of 55:21.276.
Shaking up the E3 class on the 300 two-stroke is Motul Pirelli Sherco Offroad Racing Team’s Jonte Reynders, who took out second placed behind the International Six Days Enduro World Champion. Rounding out the podium was Callum Norton (KTM Desert Racing Team), with a total time of 57:09.295.
Daniel Sanders – 2020 Yamaha AORC Round 1 – Toowoomba
EJ
It was was the time for Korey McMahon to shine and after tangoing back and forth with the likes of Kyron Bacon last season, McMahon took out a well deserved EJ class win for Round 1, clocking in a time of 58:05.112.
Rounding out the podium today was Blake Hollis (Yamaha) with a total time 58:44.064, and Samuel Pretscherer (Gol Gol Hotel, Mototech) with a time of 59:40.496.
Settling comfortably back into the swings of things, it was like Riley McGillivray never left over the break as he charged ahead of his rivals with ease. McGillivray finished Round 1 with a total time of 48:19.242, ahead of Kodi Stephens and Kobi Wolff.
J3
Billy Hargy was simply unstoppable as he screamed across the Offroad Advantage test track, finishing in first with a total time of 49:16.712. Second place was awarded to William Dennett, while clinching the final podium position was Campbell Hall.
Billy Hargy
“Today was good. Started off a bit slow and came second in the first few tests. I think I was struggling in the test a little bit but I started finding a few good lines and working to my strengths. I didn’t think I’d score the round win and I’m really happy with the end result!”
J2
The rocky landscape didn’t slow down Jett Yarnold, who stole away first place in J2 with ease, clocking in after six laps with a time of 52:38.318. Sliding into second was Levi Stephens, followed closely by Jet Alsop in third.
A brand new addition to the AORC pits, the J1 features 85 small wheels. Coming out on top for Round 1 was Charlie Connolly, with a total time of 56:09.406. Clinching second place was Beau Tripcony, while rounding out the podium was Cooper Boyd.
Charlie Connolly – 2020 Yamaha AORC Round 1 – Toowoomba
JJ
The second brand new addition to AORC is the JJ class with 65cc motorbikes and claiming its first ever round win was none other than Max Stevenson, with a total time of 57:51.208. Taking out second place was Harley Hutton, and close behind was Dylan McDonald scoring third place.
Max Stevenson – 2020 Yamaha AORC Round 1 – Toowoomba
JG
Last but certainly not least in the Juniors is the new JG class. Claiming the first round win was the demon behind the handlebars, Danielle McDonald, with a total time of 54:09.460. McDonald was followed by Monique Simioni and Ariana Collins to complete the podium.
Jess Gardiner appears to have worked straight through the AORC break to build herself up to an even better position for the 2020 season. Clocking in a total time of 1:10:30.314, Gardiner took out first place ahead of ‘The Flying Swede’, Emelie Karlsson (Yamaha).
Stealing away third was Penrite Honda’s Emma Milesevic, who appears to be right at home now after completing a near full season in 2019 whilst also making tracks in Motocross.
Continuing on from a blisteringly hot 2019 season where he rarely faltered off first place, Lee Stephens demonstrated his fine form to take out first place in the Veterans class. Trailing behind Stephens in second place was Richard Chibnall (WBR Echuca On Point Motorcycles, 100% Strength), while the third and final Veteran podium position was won by Christopher Thomas (Thomas Lee KTM).
Lee Stephens
“Had a really good day today. I crashed in the logs on the first test – they caught me out – and I have really been looking forward to getting the season started,” explained Stephens.
Lee Stephens – 2020 Yamaha AORC Round 1 – Toowoomba
Masters
He took out the 2019 AORC Masters title with a round to spare last season and looks set to continue that fantastic streak in 2020, with Kirk Hutton taking out first place, clocking in a total time of 1:07:10.693. Behind Hutton in second was Andrew Gillam, while Timothy Martin rounded out the podium
After the success of the 2 Stroke Cup in selected rounds last season, AORC introduced this class as a full season Championship class for 2020.
Taking out first place at Round 1 was Harry Teed with a total time of 59:10.420. As Teed navigated the WR450F track, which presented a mixture of lush grass and slippery dust, he was followed closely by Brad Hardaker (Banana Coast Pest Control, Yamaha). Third place was won by Dalton Johnson (Motul Pirelli Sheroc Offroad Racing Team).
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
What happened this week
Eli Tomac wins Oakland AMA Supercross Round 5
Dylan Ferrandis tops SX2 at Oakland
Billy Bolt extends SuperEnduro lead in Budapest
Gajser wins Italian MX Round 2 in Ottobiano – Evans second
Cooper claims 2020 NZ MX opener win in Balclutha
Nathan Watson crowned French Beach Race Champion
Toni Bou goes four for four at Barcelona X-Trial
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP 2020 riders announced
2020 Broadford Bike Bonana set for April
2020 Australian Off-Road Championship announce new sponsor
2020 Australian ISDE rider applications open
WP Suspension Australia to support Granquist & Karlsson
Motorcycle Speedway in Western Australia on a roll
MA announce updates to Speedway Australian Championship Selection
King Of MX heads to Bega for Qualifier 1
Australia to host FIM Oceania Junior Motocross Tri-Nations Cup
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 AMA Motocross
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross
2020 MXGP
2020 American Flat Track
2020 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Speedway
2020 FIM Speedway GP Championship
2020 Australian Dirt Track Championship
2020 Australian Track Championship
2020 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC)
2020 FIM SuperEnduro Championship
2020 AMA Extreme Off-Road East/West
2020 FIM Flat Track World Championship
2020 King of MX
2020 Australian Motocross National Championship
2020 Fox New Zealand Motocross Championship
Eli Tomac wins Oakland AMA Supercross Round 5
Chad Reed was missing from the 450 event at Oakland as he is still nursing some broken ribs from his tumble last week and there was no Aussie to cheer for when the 450 Main got underway.
Ken Roczen, Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld
Scoring the holeshot was Ken Roczen ahead of the Kawasaki pairing of Adam Cianiarulo and Eli Tomac, with Cooper Webb soon starting to challenge Eli Tomac. Tomac got the better of team-mate Cianciarulo with 12-minutes remaining in the moto and quickly pulled away to close to within a second of Roczen.
Tomac took the lead with nine-minutes remaining and wasted no time in pulling a second out on Roczen. He looked in control but he made a mistake with five-minutes remaining which allowed Roczen to cruise on by. Tomac then regrouped and had the gap back down to a just under a second with three-minutes remaining on the clock.
The Kawasaki man then passed Roczen again with two-minutes left. A minute later Tomac had built a 1.4-second buffer over Roczen, and when the clock had run out his lead was out to 2.5-seconds as they got the last lap board.
Cooper Webb managed to catch and pass Cianciarulo in the closing stages of the race to push him out of the podium positions, the Kawasaki man seeming to fade late in the race.
Eli Tomac, Cody Webb – Image by Hoppenworld
Then on the final lap Webb seemed to come from nowhere to be all over Roczen. The Honda man had perhaps been cruising to what he had thought was a safe second place, only to be gazumped at the final juncture by Webb. The two made some contact which left Roczen nursing his right foot after the race finished but what really hurt was losing that second place only metres from the finish line.
Eli Tomac was the deserving and very happy victor who celebrated clawing important points back on series leader Roczen, the German’s lead trimmed to now only three-points.
Eli Tomac – P1
“Wow, what a crazy night. We got a good start tonight and were able to get going right away. Had a good battle with Ken (Roczen) tonight, then got a little excited and missed my rear brake and went over the berm there. Luckily, I was able to recover quickly and charge back to the front. My KX™450 was straight up ripping tonight and we closed the points gap up to three points. I am feeling really good right now, and we are just going to carry this momentum into San Diego next weekend.”
Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld
Cooper Webb – P2
“I think I finally just raced ahead tonight. I think I’ve been just kind of conservative and not laying it out there like all these guys have been so today/tonight was a much better direction and I fought hard the whole Main Event. I still need a little there at the beginning but overall I’m pretty happy and I feel like I’m in a good spot moving forward.”
Cooper Webb chases Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld
Adam Cianciarulo – P4
“For me tonight we made great strides and for only riding one time this week to see if my tailbone was good to go, I am pretty pumped with the result. I can’t thank the whole Monster Energy Kawasaki team enough for giving me a setup tonight that allowed me to do what I did after being a little banged up. I am looking forward to some more recovery this week and to come out swinging next week in San Diego.”
Adam Cianciarulo – Image by Hoppenworld
Jason Anderson – P5
“My night was alright. I think my heat race kind of messed up my gate pick and then I was on the outside so I wasn’t really able to be in the battle right away and once I got into fifth I was in no-man’s land so I just rode it in for fifth. We’ll move onto next weekend and hopefully put myself in a better situation.”
Jason Anderson – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Main Event
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Gap
1
Eli Tomac
Kawasaki KX450
21 Laps
2
Cooper Webb
KTM 450SX-F Factory Edi
+03.557
3
Ken Roczen
Honda CRF450R Works E
+04.726
4
Adam Cianciarulo
Kawasaki KX450
+14.812
5
Jason Anderson
Husqvarna FC450 Factory
+16.800
6
Justin Barcia
Yamaha YZ450F
+19.124
7
Dean Wilson
Husqvarna FC450 Factory
+28.468
8
Justin Hill
Honda CRF450R
+29.713
9
Blake Baggett
KTM 450SX-F Factory Edi
+31.336
10
Malcolm Stewart
Honda CRF450R
+48.111
11
Zach Osborne
Husqvarna FC450 Factory
+55.317
12
Aaron Plessinger
Yamaha YZ450F
+57.617
13
Justin Brayton
Honda CRF450R
+58.366
14
Vince Friese
Honda CRF450R
20 Laps
15
Martin Davalos
KTM 450SX-F Factory Edi
+15.151
16
Tyler Bowers
Kawasaki KX450
+16.402
17
Kyle Chisholm
Yamaha YZ450F
+17.974
18
Alex Ray
Kawasaki KX450
+33.447
19
Kyle Cunningham
Suzuki RMZ450
+37.451
20
Cade Autenrieth
Honda CRF450R
+55.953
21
Ryan Breece
Suzuki RMZ450
19 Laps
22
Joshua Cartwright
Kawasaki KX450
+11.918
450SX Standings
Pos
Rider
Total
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
1
Ken Roczen
113
17
26
23
26
21
2
Eli Tomac
110
16
19
26
23
26
3
Justin Barcia
98
26
23
14
18
17
4
Jason Anderson
96
18
21
18
21
18
5
Cooper Webb
95
21
11
21
19
23
6
Adam Cianciarulo
90
23
16
17
15
19
7
Malcolm Stewart
75
14
17
15
16
13
8
Justin Brayton
73
15
15
16
17
10
9
Blake Baggett
69
19
14
9
13
14
10
Zach Osborne
63
9
18
19
5
12
11
Justin Hill
61
12
12
11
11
15
12
Dean Wilson
59
10
10
13
10
16
13
Aaron Plessinger
57
11
13
8
14
11
14
Vince Friese
52
13
9
12
9
9
15
Martin Davalos
39
8
1
10
12
8
16
Tyler Bowers
27
6
6
8
7
17
Justin Bogle
24
7
8
7
2
18
Chris Blose
18
3
5
4
6
19
Chad Reed
15
5
2
5
3
20
Alex Ray
15
4
2
4
5
21
Ryan Breece
12
0
3
7
2
22
Kyle Cunningham
11
0
7
0
4
23
Kyle Chisholm
10
4
6
24
Benny Bloss
7
6
1
25
James Decotis
4
1
3
26
Cade Autenrieth
3
3
27
Fredrik Noren
2
2
28
Jerry Robin
1
0
1
29
Joshua Cartwright
1
0
0
1
SX2 Round Five – Oakland
All three Australians made it through to the 250 Main with Jay Wilson, Aaron Tanti and Luke Clout earning their spot on the start gates after some impressive performances in the heat races. Come the Main it was the #101 Penrite Honda that was the fast starter of the Aussies in fourth place as the riders negotiated lap one. Out front was Alex Martin, Austin Forkner and Dylan Ferrandis.
Luke Clout – Image by Hoppenworld
Forkner worked his way past Alex Martin a couple of laps into the race and Ferrandis then pushed the Suzuki man further back to third.
Cooper slipped past Clout with ten-minutes remaining in the moto, demoting the Aussie to fifth. The 25-year-old then came under pressure from Hartranft with five-minutes remaining, his fifth place finish was under threat.
Dylan Ferrandis – Image by Hoppenworld
Dylan Ferrandis then put a somewhat controversial move on Forkner for the race lead, the Kawasaki man taking avoiding action from a charging Ferrandis, the two never made hard contact but the Frenchman is currently on probation after another questionable move at a previous round on Christian Craig. Ferrandis came out the other side with a two-second lead over Forkner.
On the final lap though Hartranft made a mistake and slipped back to eighth which allowed Clout back through to secure a fifth place finish. The South Australian was also the first Honda home and is now eighth in the championship standings.
Justin Cooper stole third place from Alex Martin in the dying stages of the race then pulled away with apparent ease to secure that final step on the podium.
At the chequered flag it was Ferrandis the clear victor over Forkner and the defending champion now leads the 250 West Championship by two-points.
Aaron Tanti carded a top ten finish, a strong ninth to the Serco Yamaha man. Jay Wilson recovered to 16th place after losing a lot of time in the incident involving Mosiman early in the race.
Dylan Ferrandis – P1
“I’m pretty pumped about the way my day went here in Oakland. I finished first overall and took the red plate, which is awesome. It was such a good night for the team and myself, but we still have many races to go. So we’re back to work again Monday and will work hard to be ready for the next round in San Diego.”
Dylan Ferrandis – Image by Hoppenworld
Austin Forkner – P2
“Tonight was a solid night overall, obviously I would have liked to take the win, but the lapped traffic tonight was no joke. I am happy with where my riding is, so this week we will make some minor tweaks and keep improving. I’ve had to dig myself out of a hole and while we didn’t make up any points on the leader tonight, we did move up to third in the standings. Ten points down isn’t too bad and something I can manage. I’ll keep grinding, chipping away at those points and continue to dig out of this hole. Overall, it was a great night for the entire Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team and we’re looking to finish next week off strong before the break.”
Austin Forkner – Image by Hoppenworld
Justin Cooper – P3
“It was another tough night for me but we were able to bounce back. I did what I had to do. I put in a lot of laps tonight, so I was pretty smoked in that Main. It was pretty hard to pass out there. I just took my time and focused on Alex (Martin). I’m just happy to get a good start and stay up when I hit Alex in that first turn. I have got to give it up to the whole team. We’ll go back to work and try and get back on top.”
Justin Cooper – Image by Hoppenworld
Alex Martin
“All around, better vibes this weekend in Oakland after a productive week of testing in North Carolina with the team. I was able to use that JGR Suzuki power and grab the Main Event holeshot. I led for a while before going back to third where I rode for the majority of the race before I got passed with a lap and a half to go, finishing fourth. Very bittersweet, but I’m happy with the progress that was made in just one short week with the team. I can’t wait for San Diego!”
Alex Martin – Image by Hoppenworld
Luke Clout – P5
“I felt better, testing had gone well and working with Buddy Antunez has clearly helped. It was a positive step forward but we have a lot of work in front of us. I really hope I can stay and complete the championship”
Luke Clout – Image by Hoppenworld
Pos.
Rider
Bike
Laps/Gap
1
Dylan Ferrandis
Yamaha YZ250F
16 Laps
2
Austin Forkner
Kawasaki KX250
+02.336
3
Justin Cooper
Yamaha YZ250F
+12.919
4
Alex Martin
Suzuki RMZ250
+15.287
5
Luke Clout
Honda CRF250R
+27.819
6
Mitchell Oldenburg
Honda CRF250R
+29.297
7
Derek Drake
KTM 250SX-F Factory Edi
+29.634
8
Brandon Hartranft
KTM 250SX-F Factory Edi
+36.472
9
Aaron Tanti
Yamaha YZ250F
+49.634
10
Martin Castelo
Husqvarna FC250
+51.142
11
Carson Brown
Husqvarna FC250
+56.787
12
Jacob Hayes
Husqvarna FC250
+1:05.070
13
Michael Leib
Husqvarna FC250
15 Laps
14
Cameron Mcadoo
Kawasaki KX250
+05.363
15
Robbie Wageman
Yamaha YZ250F
+06.973
16
Jay Wilson
Yamaha YZ250F
+09.282
17
Mitchell Falk
Honda CRF250R
+25.902
18
Taiki Koga
Kawasaki KX250
+33.950
19
Logan Karnow
Kawasaki KX250
+36.715
20
Lorenzo Camporese
Kawasaki KX250
+47.746
21
Killian Auberson
Husqvarna FC250
7 Laps
22
Michael Mosiman
Husqvarna FC250
3 Laps
250SX Standings
Pos
Rider
Total
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
1
Dylan Ferrandis
109
23
11
26
23
26
2
Justin Cooper
107
26
23
23
14
21
3
Austin Forkner
99
18
26
6
26
23
4
Brandon Hartranft
92
16
21
21
19
15
5
Alex Martin
85
13
19
18
16
19
6
Jacob Hayes
73
12
17
15
18
11
7
Mitchell Oldenburg
72
7
15
16
17
17
8
Luke Clout
66
2
16
17
13
18
9
Derek Drake
64
15
13
5
15
16
10
Michael Mosiman
63
19
3
19
21
1
11
Carson Brown
57
8
14
11
12
12
12
Jett Lawrence
46
14
18
14
13
Robbie Wageman
43
10
5
9
11
8
14
Martin Castelo
42
12
7
10
13
15
Aaron Tanti
41
0
10
10
7
14
16
Killian Auberson
41
9
8
13
9
2
17
Jay Wilson
33
6
12
8
7
18
Michael Leib
32
11
6
5
10
19
Christian Craig
29
21
1
1
6
20
Cameron Mcadoo
26
17
9
21
Logan Karnow
19
5
0
8
2
4
22
Mitchell Falk
18
1
7
4
6
23
Derek Kelley
13
4
9
24
Cheyenne Harmon
10
4
3
3
25
Ludovic Macler
7
0
2
4
1
26
Taiki Koga
5
0
5
27
Lorenzo Camporese
5
0
2
3
28
Chris Howell
3
3
Billy Bolt extends SuperEnduro lead in Budapest
The fourth round of the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship was played out at the Papp Laszlo Sportarena in Budapest over the weekend and after three hours of very intense racing and surprising developments the standings in both classes have seen big changes.
In Prestige, everyone was waiting for Taddy Blazusiak to respond after his rival, Billy Bolt, had a perfect GP in Spain. But it was not to be and the Brit further strengthened his lead over the six-time World Champion. In Budapest the only rider to have really troubled Bolt was Jonny Walker.
It wasn’t plain sailing for the young Brit, and the first race of the evening certainly didn’t go to plan as several mistakes – including a huge over-the-bars crash – which saw him fail to keep pace with the quick KTM pairing of Blazusiak and Walker. In fact, Walker impressively dominated the race with his smooth and precise style, gapping the field and leaving Blazusiak to settle for second. Remarkably, Bolt held on to third despite the difficulties, taking important points.
As Race 2 rolled around, Bolt wasn’t going to take any chances. Even after a less than perfect start due to the ‘reverse grid’ format, Bolt was at the front in a flash. Taddy Blazusiak also suffered a bad start, but as the Pole was also struggling with the bike set-up he found it difficult to make up positions. Bolt, edging ever further in front of his rivals, won the second race of the night ahead of Walker, Blazusiak and Pol Tarres, who took a great fourth.
In the final race of the night Jonny Walker once again took to the front with his pacy but precise style, but this time he could not hold off Bolt. The KTM rider made a small mistake in the melee while he was also suffering with arm pump he found it hard to fight back.
Blazusiak was looking keen and found himself in the lead for the first time of the evening, but Bolt was neck-and-neck with the SuperEnduro ‘GOAT’. Under pressure from the wild Brit, Taddy made a mistake that allowed the Factory Husqvarna rider to take the lead. Blazusiak was then also passed by his team-mate, Walker. Alfredo Gomez also snuck through to third as Taddy suffered from his set-up choices again.
With 227 points already clocked up Bolt leaves Hungary 16-points ahead of Blazusiak. After his excellent performance Walker has caught up a bit, but he remains 35 points from his compatriot. The final round of the season in Lodz will be fiery between these three riders.
Billy Bolt
“I came here wanting to show a new me. Often I make mistakes and rush things too much on track, but I’ve been working hard to be smooth, fast and importantly patient. Admittedly in race one I made too many errors and a better result than third slipped away, but I regrouped for the rest of the night. I picked the right moments to attack and was able to win both races comfortably. I’ve always shown my speed is there, but I’m so pleased to bring consistency into the mix like this. We’ve got a healthy lead now heading to the final round in Poland next month, where hopefully we can take this world title.”
Jonny Walker
“I’d been waiting for a ride like I had in race one for a while now. Things just sort of clicked and came together and I was able to make it count for the win. I got a strong start and put myself into the lead on lap two and was never properly challenged. It was brilliant to get a race win under my belt again. For the rest of the night my speed was there, but that break just didn’t come. But to back race one up with a pair of second place finishes is very good. Overall, it’s been a strong night and I’ve again shown myself as one of the championship’s strongest riders. I’m also enjoying myself a lot on the track. There’s still a lot to play for at the final round. We’re going to Lodz which is a stadium I’ve enjoyed a lot of success at in the past, so I’ll be fighting hard to end the series on a high for sure.”
Taddy Blazusiak
“It’s been a bumpy night for sure. I feel like I made the wrong decisions regards setup during practice. I expected the track to develop in a different way than it did and that made it harder for me to race on. I was off my game in the first two races and when I got to the front in race three, I couldn’t be consistent in my riding and made mistakes. Unfortunately, that’s how racing goes sometimes, but I’ll go to Poland hoping to do all I can to win. It’s my home race so I’ve got five weeks to prepare, be ready and go for the title.”
Alfredo Gómez
“The first two races were difficult. I crashed off the start in race one and that put me right at the back. Although I was enjoying the track, it wasn’t easy to make positions but I managed to recover to fifth. In race two I wasn’t in a good starting position on the second row and again got stuck in traffic. Sixth was the best I could do. But I’m happy to show my true form in race three. I was in a good position and got into third early on and then almost took second on the final corner.”
Prestige Overall Event Classification
Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 58 points
Jonny Walker (GBR), KTM, 56
Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 46
Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 35
Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 29
Championship Standings (After round 4 of 5)
Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 227 points
Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 209
Jonny Walker (GBR), KTM 192
Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna 161
Blake Gutzeit (RSA), Husqvarna 112
SuperEnduro Juniors
The Junior class provided some of the most thrilling racing in Hungary, and at the end of the night there was a new leader – the third since the start of the season. Teodor Kabakchiev was the big winner in Budapest, the title hopeful took advantage of the excellent support from a large number of Bulgarian fans to win the night ahead of a keen Leon Hentschel and Dominik Olszowy, who appears to be coming back well.
The three young men fought a fantastic battle during the three races, with Kabakchiev and Hentschel exchanging the top spot several times in the last heat of the night. Ty Cullins failed to repeat the superb performance he had at Round 1 in Poland, suffering in each race in Hungary.
The American seemed to be paying for a lack of experience in the discipline, but also the fatigue of his frequent trips to and from America. The Junior category will certainly be exciting in the final round as Kabakchiev holds just two points over Hentschel, while Cullins is third, 20-points from the leader.
SuperEnduro Junior Standings – Top 5
Teodor KABAKCHIEV 185 points
Leon HENTSCHEL 183
Ty CULLINS 165
Adrien JACON 149
Dominik OLSZOWY 107
SuperEnduro European Class
Magnus Thor became the first Swede to win the European SuperEnduro Cup in Budapest. He had plenty of pressure coming into the evening, having failed to shine at the previous European round in Germany. He had to fight off an ever-attacking Sonny Goggia, and the pair were level on points coming into their final race of the night.
Despite taking overall victory at the Hungarian GP, the disappointed Goggia had to settle for second in the Championship. Pascal Springmman rounded out the Top 3 on the night. Also worth noting was the great home performance of Norbert Zsigovits, the Hungarian to a win in Race 1 to the rapture of the fans.
SuperEnduro European Standings – Top 5
Magnus THOR 102
Sonny GOGGIA 99
Pascal SPRINGMANN 76
Miha SPINDLER 64
Marco PFEIFFER 58
The riders of the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship will now take a month and a half to rest before coming together for the grand finale in Lodz, Poland.
Gajser wins Italian MX Round 2 in Ottobiano – Evans second
The Ottobiano circuit hosted the second round of the 2020 Internazionali d’Italia Motocross on the sandy soil of the Lombardian track, with MXGP World Champion Tim Gajser unrivalled in MX1.
Tim Gajser leads Arnaud Tonus – 2020 Italian Motocross Championship Round 2
The reigning world champion led the race from start to finish. Behind him there was an excellent second place for teammate Mitchell Evans, who repeated his ranking obtained in Riola last Sunday, with Arminas Jasikonis in third. Henry Jacobi and Arnaud Tonus shined by classifying in fourth and fifth place respectively.
Mitchell Evans – 2020 Italian Motocross Championship Round 2
Maxime Renaux meanwhile won the MX2 class and moved to the top of the championship standings. There was a great second place for Gianluca Facchetti who led Tom Vialle and teammate Thibault Benistant at the finish.
Maxime Renaux – 2020 Italian Motocross Championship Round 2
Tim Gajser immediately took command of the Supercampione after an amazing start and kept it up to the chequered flag. Mitchell Evans confirmed his good form so far by taking the runner-up slot, while Arminas Jasikonis was again third. Arnaud Tonus finished fourth while Maxime Renaux, sixth, was the best rider with the smaller MX2 bike.
Tim Gajser – 2020 Italian Motocross Championship Round 2
The 2020 edition of the Internazionali d’Italia Motocross will end with the third and final round scheduled for next weekend at the Tazio Nuvolari circuit in Mantova.
MX1 Top 5 Result
GAJSER Tim (SLO)
EVANS Mitchell (AUS)
JASIKONIS Arminas (LTU)
JACOBI Henry (GER)
TONUS Arnaud (SUI)
MX2 Top 5 Result
RENAUX Maxime (FRA)
FACCHETTI Gianluca (ITA)
VIALLE Tom (FRA)
BENISTANT Thibault (FRA)
HAARUP Mikkel (DEN)
Supercampione Top 5 Results
GAJSER Tim (SLO)
EVANS Mitchell (AUS)
JASIKONIS Arminas (LTU)
TONUS Arnaud (SUI)
FORATO Alberto (ITA)
MX1 Championship Overall
GAJSER Tim (SLO) p.240
EVANS Mitchell (AUS) p. 200
JASIKONIS Arminas (LTU) p. 140
MONTICELLI Ivo (ITA) p. 105
JACOBI Herny (GER) p. 97
MX2 Championship Overall
RENAUX Maxime (FRA) p. 200
GEERTS Jago (BEL) p. 120
GUADAGNINI Mattia (ITA) p. 115
WATSON Ben (GBR) p. 100
FACCHETTI Gianluca (ITA) p. 100
Supercampione Championship Overall
GAJSER Tim (SLO) p. 240
JASIKONIS Arminas (LTU) p. 160
FORATO Alberto (ITA) p. 105
EVANS Mitchell (AUS) p. 100
SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) p. 100
Cooper claims 2020 NZ MX opener win in Balclutha
The 2020 Fox New Zealand Motocross Championship has kicked off in Balclutha, with the first of the four rounds run and won by Cody Cooper and Josiah Natzke in the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively.
Kirk Gibbs was second in MX1 – Image by CD Photography
Cody Cooper took a dominant win in the MX1 class, earning 75 championship points – the maximum – to kick off his season, with Australian Kirk Gibbs coming in second overall, ahead of Hamish Harwood, with Ethan Martens and Brad Groombridge completing the top-five.
Kirk Gibbs
“I fought back – came through the pack – had good speed and got to second. That’s all I could do. My starts let me down all weekend which I’m very disappointed about. It doesn’t look that bad on paper but I’m extremely disappointed with the end result. I wanted to go in there and have a win. I’ll come out swinging in Rotorua because I don’t want to let Cody get too far ahead or it will blow out with it being such a short series.”
Kirk Gibbs and Josh Coppins – Image by CD Photography
In the MX2 class it was closely fought with Natzke taking the win on 63-points from James Scott on 57, with Maximus Purvis a single point behind in third. Australia’s Morgan Fogarty was just outside the top three, with Dylan Walsh fifth.
In the Under-19s, James Scott took the win from Aussie Riley Ward, with Luka Freemantle third. The 125cc class saw Brodie Connolly take maximum points from Madoc Dixon and Mashall Phillips.
NZ Motocross MX1 Results – Round 1
Cody Cooper, 75 points
Kirk Gibbs, 64
Hamish Harwood, 62
Ethan Martens, 46
Brad Groombridge, 43
NZ Motocross MX2 Results – Round 1
Josiah Natzke, 63 points
James Scott, 57
Maximus Purvis, 56
Morgan Fogarty, 47
Dylan Walsh, 44
NZ Motocross Under-19 Results – Round 1
James Scott, 75
Riley Ward, 66
Luka Freemantle, 53
NZ Motocross 125cc Results – Round 1
Brodie Connolly, 75 points
Madoc Dixon, 66
Marshall Phillips, 54
Zac Jillings, 48
Ben Wall, 42
Nathan Watson crowned French Beach Race Champion
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Nathan Watson has successfully defended his French Beach Race Championship title with a hard-fought podium result at Enduropale du Touquet.
Nathan Watson
With the infamous Enduropale du Touquet marking the seventh and final round of the CFS: Championnat de France des Sables, all eyes were on defending champion Nathan Watson to see if he could repeat his 2019 winning result.
As the 1,200 competitors lined up for the beginning of the gruelling three-hour event, Watson knew the importance of making a fast start and then pushing hard during the early stages of race. A little too keen to get his race started, the Brit was later deemed to have jumped the start, picking up a 60-second stop-and-go penalty.
Unaware of what was to come, Nathan exited the first corner just outside the top 10 and set about making ground on the leaders. Battling his way up to fifth during the first five laps, an efficient fuel stop after the first hour of racing moved him into third. Favouring the rougher conditions in the latter stages of race, Watson reached as high as second with just over one hour remaining.
With organisers then handing him the penalty, Nathan’s charge was ended and he ultimately lost his chance of victory. Dropping back down the leaderboard to fourth, he eventually battled his way back into a podium position and finished third at the checkered flag, behind Milko Potisek and Jeremy Van Horebeek
Nathan Watson
“It’s been a hard season, but to come away with back-to-back French Beach Race titles is amazing. It’s a credit to the team, they worked so hard to get this result. It’s me out on the track but it really is a team effort, for sure. Naturally, I wanted to win the championship with victory here today, but the cards didn’t fall my way. Between the nature of the track and then the stop-and-go penalty, things were against me. I felt like the track was maybe too fast for me and I needed more corners to slow the early pace down. I hold my hands up about the start, I simply got my timing a little wrong with the bungy being released. I went a little too early. One minute was a tough penalty, especially as I never gained anything and exited the first corner in 12th. But it is what it is. Overall, I’m pleased with the season as a whole. I think that myself and Camille showed we’re two of the strongest guys out there and our bikes never missed a beat. Thanks to KTM and the team, we’ll celebrate this title for sure!”
Nathan Watson
Championnat de France des Sables Round 7: Enduropale du Touquet
Milko Potisek (FRA), Yamaha, 15 laps, 3:06:44.033
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL), Honda, 3:10:10.404 +3:26
Nathan Watson (GBR), KTM, 3:12:26.582 +5:42
Camille Chapeliere (FRA), KTM, 3:12:49.154 +6:05
Todd Kellett (GBR), Yamaha, 3:14:39.632 +7:55
Championship Standings – Championnat de France des Sables
Nathan Watson (GBR) KTM, 845 points
Todd Kellett (GBR), Yamaha, 755
Camille Chapeliere (FRA), KTM, 671
Richard Fura (FRA), Yamaha, 558
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL), Honda, 552
Toni Bou goes four for four at Barcelona X-Trial
The fourth round of the 2020 X-Trial World Championship was held in Palau Sant Jordi, and saw Toni Bou claim a fourth consecutive win this season and a thirteenth indoor triumph in Barcelona, with Jorge Casales putting GasGas on the podium in third, behind Adam Raga.
Toni Bou
The evening’s action got underway with the preliminary qualifying round with riders tackling a total of six sections. Bou notched up a total of nine penalty marks, two more than arch-rival Adam Raga. With the winners of each of the qualifying heats moving into the next round, the Repsol Honda Team swapped bikes and looked visibly more at ease. The rider then cruised into the Grand Final, accruing just six penalty marks on the way.
In the final, the Repsol Honda Team champ, encouraged throughout by the Barcelona spectators, proved that he is undoubtedly on the hottest form in the indoor discipline. Bou overcame his toughest adversary Adam Raga in the very last Montesa section of the Barcelona indoor trial event, to deliver victory number 13 to the Palau Sant Jordi crowd, for a 66th X-Trial World Championship win.
The result extends the Repsol Honda Team ace’s lead in the overall standings further to a 20-point advantage, with three trials still to run before the indoor season wraps up. The next outing will be held in Bilbao’s Bizkaia Arena on 15th February.
Toni Bou
“We are very happy. It was a really special night here in Barcelona. Being able to reclaim the victory in front of all the fans was incredible. We have given everything in a super tight final. I am very grateful to all the people who have helped me throughout the week, which has been quite a complicated one for me. Also, thanks to all the spectators who came along today in Barcelona to enjoy the show.”
Toni Bou topped the podium from Raga and Casales in Barcelona
Jorge Casales
“I’m really happy, this has been a very important race for me. Also, a really important first part of the season because I’m adjusting to competing on the GasGas. I’ve just had some months on this bike, we’ve worked really hard during these months and we’re seeing the results now. It was a really important race for me here in Barcelona and to get my first podium in the world championship is a dream come true. I’m really happy with it and I’ll continue working hard to continue with this level of performances. Let’s see what happens in Bilbao as every race is quite different. I’m really starting to get a good feeling with the bike now and we’re still working on things to make it even better. I’m really proud because I always trusted GasGas, we’ll continue working to make things happen. I’m really motivated for what’s to come.”
Jorge Casales
X-Trial Barcelona 2020 Results
1
BOU, Toni
SPA
Repsol Honda Team
20
2
RAGA, Adam
SPA
TRRS Factory Team
15
3
CASALES, Jorge
SPA
Gas Gas Factory Team
12
4
BINCAZ, Benoit
FRA
Beta Factory Racing
9
5
BUSTO, Jaime
SPA
Vertigo Factory Team
6
6
FAJARDO, Jeroni
SPA
Sherco Factory Team
4
7
GELABERT, Miquel
SPA
Vertigo Factory Team
2
8
MARCELLI, Gabriel
SPA
RG Team
1
X-Trial Rider Standings
1
BOU, Toni
SPA
80
2
RAGA, Adam
SPA
60
3
BUSTO, Jaime
SPA
28
4
FAJARDO, Jeroni
SPA
25
5
CASALES, Jorge
SPA
24
6
GELABERT, Miquel
SPA
22
7
MARCELLI, Gabriel
SPA
19
8
BINCAZ, Benoit
FRA
16
9
MARTIN, Toby
GBR
1
10
TOULY, Kieran
FRA
1
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP 2020 riders announced
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team will field one of its strongest rider line ups for the 2020 MXGP season with Jeremy Seewer, Gautier Paulin and Arnaud Tonus, having accumulated around 95 pieces of Grand Prix silverware as a result of more than 35 Grand Prix race wins and 18 Grand Prix victories throughout their careers.
Jeremy Seewer, Arnaud Tonus, Gautier Paulin
Arnaud Tonus
“The last few years have been really tough for me. I’ve dealt with a lot of injuries and suffering, both physically and mentally. At one point I almost thought about stopping my career because I was just over it. It’s pretty amazing to see it from where I was to where I’m at right now. I’m super, super thankful.”
Gautier Paulin
“I know what I want and, actually, I can really have what I want right now. Being back with the factory team is a big step and it brings with it that extra one percent, which in racing is big because we’re all at 100 percent. Being on the top step of the MXGP class means being involved every single minute of your life, to be the best.”
Jeremy Seewer
“After being vice-world champion, of course, there is only one more thing to achieve. It’s super tough out there to win. There are so many guys who are world champions, so many guys winning Grands Prix, so it’s a huge amount of work and a big story behind to actually become a world champion. I visualise what it would be like to be on the top, to be world champion. And I think it must be one of the most amazing feelings, just to be the best at what you do.”
2020 Broadford Bike Bonana set for April
The 2020 Broadford Bike Bonanza proudly presents the 12th incarnation of the iconic event, featuring a vast array of machines from yesteryear to be run from 7am Friday, April 10 to 2pm April 12, at the Victorian State Motorcycle Sports Complex, Broadford, Victoria, with online entries now open!
Last year’s Bonanza saw well over 5,000 attendees’ across the three days contribute to the legendary motorcycle event. The 2020 SIBBB will once again serve as an unofficial national meeting point for long lost friends and comrades from the ‘good ol days’ of motorcycling, with the theme for 2020 paying homage to all types of American made motorcycles and sidecars.
Road Race, Enduro, Speedway, Trials, Motocross, Dirt Track disciplines are all catered for in classic and vintage non-competitive on track displays, swap meets, a star-studded gala dinner (held in Broadford township April 11), static motorcycle displays and so much more.
Gates are open from 7am Friday 10th April, road race track from 1 – 4pm. Friday 10th only. The Rest of the tracks are running Saturday and Sunday are from 9am. Racing concludes 2pm Sunday 12th April.
2020 Australian Off-Road Championship announce new backer
Motorcycling Australia have announced Australia’s largest online motorcycle gear and accessories retailer – MXstore – as the ‘Presented By’ sponsor of the 2020 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC).
This new partnership with MXstore is at an exciting time for both the championship and company as both go through significant growth. MXstore is Australia’s number one retailer for motocross and off-road related gear, from bike parts, racing and casual clothing, protective wear, leisure apparel, covering motocross, off-road and adventure disciplines.
MXstore’s Athlete & Partnerships Manager, Geoff Munro, said the move was an exciting step forward for the company.
Geoff Munro
“We’re extremely proud to be able to partner with the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship. It’s a fantastic series and we want to play our part to ensure it’s a great success for everyone involved. We’re privileged here in Australia to have some of the very best enduro riders in the world as well as some extremely promising talent coming through the ranks, so to be able to support their development and success through the AORC is pretty special to us.”
2020 Australian ISDE rider applications open
Motorcycling Australia has called for rider applications to be part of Australia’s next world beating team to take on the best enduro riders at the 2020 International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) in Italy, held from August 31 to September 5.
ISDE 2019 – Image by Dario Agrati
Australia tasted the bubbles of success in 2019 with the RecoveR8 Team Australia Junior Trophy Team Crowned World Champions, while Victoria’s Daniel Sanders secured the ISDE Individual Outright World and E3 Class Championship in Portugal, and 2018 saw Australia reign victorious in the World Trophy and Women’s World Trophy in Chile.
MA is calling for ISDE World Championship riders for the following three classes:
Please address any queries regarding the application directly to MA’s Off-Road Event Manager, Matthew Falvo via: Phone: 03 9684 0514 or Email: [email protected]
WP Suspension Australia to support Granquist & Karlsson
WP Suspension Australia have officially announced its support of Stefan Granquist and Emelie Karlsson for the 2020 off-road season. Joining the WP Suspension Team aboard Yamaha WR450F and WR250F’s respectively, Granquist and Karlsson will pilot their Yamaha machines in an array of off-road races nationwide.
WP Suspension Sales Manager Stefan Appelgren with Granquist & Karlsson
WP Suspension Australia Sales Manager – Stefan Appelgren expressed his excitement at having Stefan and Emelie join the team saying, “The push from WP Suspension into the Australian market is a welcomed addition as we will be supplying a race-specific solution for Japanese manufactures motorcycles. We are excited to have Stefan and Emelie represent the brand and look forward to seeing the WP Suspension logo on Yamaha machinery for 2020.”
With a 6th place finish overall last year, Stefan is a regular at the pointy end of the field in the E2 class of the AORC series, and shared, “Both Emelie and I are incredibly excited about this partnership for the new year. Last year was strong for both of us, we managed to show some speed and put results on the board with myself finishing 6th overall in E2 and Emelie ending up on the podium in the Womens class, even after missing some rounds through injury. It’s an honour to be associated with such a premium brand and we are eager to begin the testing process leading up to the first round of the AORC in Toowoomba.”
Stefan and Emelie will both be running the 48mm Cone Valve fork and Trax shock, which are available for Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki off-road motorcycles.
An increased network of WP Authorised Dealers, means that the same products you see on the bikes of these top professionals, can be purchased and further tuned through one of these dealers. More information on your closest WP Authorised dealer can be found at the following link. Authorised Centres: https://www.wp-suspension.com/authorized-centers/
Motorcycle Speedway in Western Australia on a roll
With Graeme Sinden
Fresh from two international solo friendlies (unofficial tests) between Australia and Great Britain and the running of the Western Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship, attention now focuses on the forthcoming Western Australian Speedway Solo Championship. The WA Title event will be held on Saturday February 15 at WA’s purpose built Pinjar Park Motorcycle Speedway at Neerubup in the Perth’s northern suburbs.
This highly sort after WA Solo Championship is one of the oldest and longest running Speedway events in Australia having commenced way back in 1927. The Championship has been won by many fine riders over the years including World Champions, Sweden’s, Ove Funden, New Zealand’s Ivan Mauger, Australia’s Chris Holder and Britain’s triple World Champ, Tai Woffinden.
Cam Heeps and Tai Woffinden
WA’s International Cam Heeps is expected to nominate and attempt to secure his fifth title win. The greatest number of wins in the Championship event is held jointly by WA’s Mick McKeon and Glenn Doyle with six-a-piece.
Significantly the youngest rider to win the Championship event is Dave Cheshire, also from WA, who won it way back in 1983/84 at the tender age of 16-years-of-age. He certainly had officials scrambling to check his birthdate and speedway license at the time.
MA announce updates to Speedway Australian Championship Selection
Motorcycling Australia released the following information in a recent bulletin, outlining changes to Australian Championship Selection in Speedway:
Information Bulletin #2010 – 31/01/2020
Affected Disciplines: Speedway
Effective: Immediately.
Information Pertains to: 14.11.4 c. Australian Championship Selection
Information: MA would like to advise of updates made to Speedway Australian Championship Selection 14.11.4 c.
Current Rule:
14.11.4 Selection and Qualification 14.11.4.1 To qualify for selection for an Australian Championship event, a competitor must apply in writing no less than 30 days prior to the event, and: a) Be the current Australian Champion, a Top 4 rider in the previous Australian Championships, or a GP rider within the last two years, or b) Be the best performing competitor in the State Championship of the State which issued the competitors’ licence, held a minimum of 30 days prior to the Australian Championship. c) Competitors who are not Australian residents may nominate to compete in the Australian Speedway Championship, and will be considered by the Speedway Commission for inclusion.
New/Updated Rule:
14.11.4 Selection and Qualification 14.11.4.1 To qualify for selection for an Australian Championship event, a competitor must apply in writing no less than 30 days prior to the event, and must be a holder of a current MA Senior National Competition license. To be seeded into this championship the following criteria applies; a) Be the current Australian Champion, a Top 4 rider in the previous Australian Championships, or a GP rider within the last two years, or b) Be the best performing competitor in the State Championship of the State which issued the competitors’ licence, held a minimum of 30 days prior to the Australian Championship or c) Be the best performing Australian competitor in the FIM Oceania Speedway Championship. Competitors who are not Australian residents may nominate to compete in the Australian Speedway Championship, and will be considered by the Speedway Commission for inclusion. All additional positions will be selected from the remaining applications received.
Notes:
Please save a copy of this bulletin and keep it with your MoMS for future reference
All Bulletins will be made available on the MA website (www.ma.org.au)
Rules may change throughout the year so please view the most up to date MoMS on the MA website (www.ma.org.au)
For Rule Change Request Process and forms, please refer to the MA website (www.ma.org.au)
King Of MX heads to Bega for Qualifier 1
Hot on the heels of the devastating fires that have done so much damage to the South Coast of NSW, the first round of the King Of MX motocross series will be hosted by the Far South Coast Motorcycle Club at their Bega race track on February 15-16.
Juniors will race on the Saturday, and Seniors on the Sunday, and the event is expected to bring out some of the best riders in Australia to put on a great show for the people of the South Coast.
Motorcycling NSW is hoping that the competitors, families, support crews, and spectators will also be generating a lot of income for local businesses, restaurants, and hotels just by coming to the area.
The Far South Coast Motorcycle Club venue is located at Sapphire Speedway, Tantawangalo Lane, Candelo and racing will start from around 9am each day on the 15th and 16th of February.
For more information on the 2020 King of MX, head to the brand-new website www.kingofmx.com.au.
2020 King of MX Calendar
Qualifier 1 – February 15-16, Bega – Top 7 qualify for final
Qualifier 2 – February 29-1 March, Narrabri – Top 7 qualify for final
Qualifier 3 – March 14-15, Bathurst – Top 6 qualify for final
Qualifier 4 – March 28-29, Wagga Wagga – Top 6 qualify for final
Qualifier 5 – April 18-19, Lake Macquarie -Top 7 qualify for final
Qualifier 6 – May 9-10, Sydney – Top 7 qualify for final
Final – June 6-8, Undisclosed Location
Australia to host FIM Oceania Junior Motocross Tri-Nations Cup
Australia will host the inaugural FIM Oceania Junior Motocross Tri-Nations Cup with the best junior motocross riders from Australia, New Zealand and France to do battle at Horsham in Victoria, April 4-5, 2020, as part of MX Nationals Rounds 1 & 2.
Each team will consist of a maximum of 10 riders aged 13-17-years-old aboard 125cc motocross bikes, with an FIM Oceania Junior Motocross Tri-Nations Cup individual and team trophy both up for grabs.
The races will be inspired by the FIM Junior MX World Championship formats and rules, and will be the perfect lead-up event for these young riders, before the FIM Junior MX World Championships in Greece in August.
International Six Days of Enduro heads to Italy in 2020
Strong Aussie line-up for 2020 Anaheim SX
OZ Speedway goes global with streaming
Yamaha the major sponsor of 2020 AORC
2020 FIM Speedway of Nations heads to Manchester, England
2020 125cc Solo Speedway line-up announced
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing sign Manuel Lettenbichler
Aaron Tanti and Dylan Walsh to Serco Yamaha in 2020
GasGas Factory Racing sign Albert Cabestany
Australian Supercross celebrate successful 2019 season
MA announce 2020 Dirt Track and Track updates
2020 Australian Motocross Championship calendar announced
2020 NSW State Motocross Championship announced
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 AMA Motocross
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross
2020 MXGP
2020 American Flat Track
2020 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Speedway
2020 FIM Speedway GP Championship
2020 Australian Dirt Track Championship
2020 Australian Track Championship
2020 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC)
2020 FIM SuperEnduro Championship
2020 AMA Extreme Off-Road East/West
2020 FIM Flat Track World Championship
International Six Days of Enduro heads to Italy in 2020
For what will be the 95th edition of the FIM’s longest-running motorcycle race, the 2020 FIM ISDE will be held in Rivanazzano Terme in northern Italy from 31 August to 5 September. A nation rich in Enduro heritage, Italy last held the FIM ISDE in 2013 on the island of Sardinia.
In 2020, it will be the Apennies region of Lombardy and Piedmont that will showcase the beauty of the country to off-road motorcycling enthusiasts from around the World. For race week Rivanazzano Terme’s air strip will turn into the headquarters for this iconic race.
Its buildings will offer full facilities to organisers and the World’s attending media, while the runaway itself will provide a spacious and hard standing working environment for all competing nations. There will also be room for a separate three-hundred-pitch camping area to accommodate competitors and spectators alike.
From Rivanazzano Terme’s air strip the race will lead riders out into the surrounding Apennies mountain region each day, with three unique courses to test both the World’s best Enduro riders and courageous amateurs.
As per tradition, the competition will sign off with a Motocross race on day six at Ottobiano Motorsport. With the circuit previously hosting the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship it will ensure a fitting and spectacular ending to the 2020 FIM ISDE.
Strong Aussie line-up for 2020 Anaheim SX
With the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship less than a month away, the Australian contingent that’ll represent the green and gold will be the strongest it’s been in a decade.
Australian legend Chad Reed will sport the deuce deuce in his final A1 appearance, as he looks to conclude an illustrious career having earnt two World Supercross Championships.
The Lawrence brothers of Jett and Hunter are meanwhile set to make their World Supercross debuts for Geico Honda in 2020. Jett is confirmed on the West Coast, however Hunter’s future in that regard is unclear, with either A1 or the East Coast opener inside Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium the destination for his Supercross debut.
Luke Clout has teamed up with Australian backed Penrite Honda Racing to take on the 250 West Coast Supercross rounds as the team expands into the United States.
Joining Clout on the West is his Serco Yamaha teammate from 2013, Jay Wilson, who’s put together his own Yamaha program to compete in the mostly Californian rounds.
Stalwart young privateer Joel Wightman too will make the jump over in the premier 450cc Class, whilst Serco Yamaha’s Aaron Tanti joins Wilson and co. in the opening 250cc West rounds.
The rapid rise of the Australian Supercross Championship is a major player in domestic Supercross development, with the 2019 series accelerating the professionalism of the sport within Australia, along with providing the springboard for young talent to pursue their dream on the world stage.
Chad Reed has shouldered the load for Australia in Supercross for the last decade, however it’s apparent that the nation is once again on the map worldwide, with a barrage of riders lining up and prepared to take on the world’s best in 2020.
See below for the full 2020 AMA SX calendar.
OZ Speedway goes global with streaming
Australia’s 2020 Senior Solo Speedway Championship rounds, which will be held at Albury-Wodonga Speedway in Victoria, and Gillman Speedway in South Australia, will be live streamed to the world, following Motorcycling Australia securing the deal with NRGTV.
A star studded 16-man field of former World and Australian Champions is set to kickstart the championship including 2016 under 21 World Champion Max Fricke and 2012 Speedway Grand Prix World Champion Chris Holder at Albury-Wodonga on January 6, and Gillman January 11.
The live stream will be available FREE at both events (stream times TBC) via www.australianspeedwaychampionships.com.au (link) and returning to the commentary box will be Kevin Williams and three-time World Speedway Champion Jason Crump.
With no brakes, gears or fear, the Australian Senior Solo Speedway Championship at Albury-Wodonga and Gillman Speedways is expected to capture a significant worldwide audience particularly through Europe.
Sam Redfern – Motorcycling Australia Track Events Manager
“This is one of the strongest championship fields we have produced which will guarantee spectators see some of the best racing of the new year both here in Australia and around the world.”
Yamaha the major sponsor of 2020 AORC
Motorcycling Australia have announced Yamaha Motor Australia as the major sponsor of the 2020 Australian Off-Road Championship, with 2020 marking the 15th consecutive year.
The partnership sees a significant expansion of the 2020 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) which will feature 15 classes of competition, with new junior classes, the return of the 2 Stroke Cup, and Vintage class and continuation of all senior classes.
The expanded competition will take championship rounds to Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and for the first time in history Tasmania and include sprint, cross country and enduro formats.
This 15-year partnership has produced a credible, sustainable and dependable championship for off-road racing enthusiasts that not only caters for grass roots motorcycling but has also produced talented riders that have gone on to the greatest of heights on the world stage.
Yamaha Motorsport Manager, Ray Howard, said Yamaha was dedicated to supporting the AORC and its expansion in 2020.
Ray Howard – Yamaha Motorsport Manager
“Yamaha Motor Australia are pleased to continue our substantial and positive relationships with Motorcycling Australia and the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship in 2020. 2019 was a sensational season and we believe with improvements to the 2020 calendar with new classes and adding Tasmania to the championship there will be even greater progress and improved development of off-road racing in Australia. We look forward to continue working closely with MA and local clubs throughout Australia to further develop the championship that has proven to be a fertile ground for producing international standard riders.”
2020 FIM Speedway of Nations heads to Manchester, England
The 2020 FIM Speedway of Nations world champions will be crowned at Great Britain’s National Speedway Stadium in Manchester, with German track Landshut and Latvian circuit Daugavpils confirmed to host the semi-finals.
The Finals of speedway’s world team championship will take place on May 8 and 9, with GB seeded through automatically as host nation.
This will be the first time Great Britain has hosted the Monster Energy SON Finals, while GB’s opponents will be decided at the two semi-finals, with Semi-Final 1 taking place at Bavarian track Landshut on April 25 and Semi-Final 2 being hosted by Daugavpils on May 2.
Three nations from each round will qualify for the Monster Energy SON Finals in Manchester, joining Great Britain.
2020 FIM Speedway of Nations Calendar
April 25: Semi-Final 1: Landshut, Germany
May 2: Semi-Final 2: Daugavpils, Latvia
May 8/9: Finals: Manchester, Great Britain
2020 Speedway of Nations Semi-Final Draw
Semi-Final 1: Landshut, Germany (April 25): Germany, Poland, Denmark, Slovenia, Czech Republic, France and Italy.
Semi-Final 2: DAUGAVPILS, LATVIA (May 2): Latvia, Russia, Australia, Sweden, Ukraine, Finland and USA.
2020 125cc Solo Speedway line-up announced
Motorcycling Australia have released the list of riders selected to compete in the 2020 Australian 125cc Solo Speedway Championship at Pinjar, Western Australia, with a 16-rider field selected, as well as the 125cc Teams Championship which will kick-off the Championship at Pinjar Park on the weekend of January 17.
Motorcycling Australia Track Events Manager, Sam Redfern, said the 16-rider solo and seven teams fielded shows Australia’s speedway talent was flourishing.
Sam Redfern – Motorcycling Australia Track Events Manager
“This is a fantastic field of Australian talent for the 2020 solo championship and 125cc teams championship. Australian speedway is in a very healthy state and we have the talent to represent Australia on the world stage. I would certainly encourage speedway fans to get to Pinjar on the weekend of January 17 for what will be a fantastic championship meet.”
Due to a lack of nominations in the 250cc class, it will not proceed.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing sign Manuel Lettenbichler
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing have announced the signing of 2019 WESS Enduro World Champion Manuel Lettenbichler. The 21-year-old German joins the factory team with immediate effect as part of a two-year deal for 2020 and 2021.
Lettenbichler recently completed his most successful season to date, with the young German clinching the 2019 WESS Enduro World Championship title following a winning ride at the final round of the series, the GetzenRodeo.
Throughout 2019 Lettenbichler established himself as one of the world’s leading enduro competitors. With victories at Red Bull Romaniacs and GetzenRodeo, plus podium results at Extreme XL Lagares, Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble and the Hawkstone Park Cross-Country, he achieved a total of seven top-five results from eight championship starts, on route to securing his debut WESS world title.
Additionally, ‘Mani’ added further silverware to his 2019 trophy cabinet by winning the AMA Extreme Offroad Grand Championship when he became the first non-American rider to win the Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro.
Lettenbichler joins riders Jonny Walker, Josep Garcia and Nathan Watson for 2020, where he’ll aim to successfully defend his WESS Enduro World Championship crown. Additionally, the young German will also contest selected AMA U.S. Extreme Offroad events.
Manuel Lettenbichler
“I’m really excited to join Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for 2020 and beyond. I’ve ridden KTM motorcycles since I started in enduro but joining the factory team really feels like the next chapter of my career is really beginning now. They are a team I’ve looked up to for a long time. We’ve worked closely together during the last two years, so I know how professional they are and I’m excited to make this an even closer relationship. I’m looking forward to the season ahead and know that racing to defend my title will be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to get started.”
Aaron Tanti and Dylan Walsh to Serco Yamaha in 2020
Yamaha’s MX2 race team Serco Yamaha have announced the signings of Aaron Tanti and Dylan Walsh to steer their YZ250F’s in 2020. Both riders are contracted to do the MX Nationals and the Australian Supercross Championships in the MX2 and SX2 (250cc) divisions and are out for nothing short of championship success.
Tanti returns to the team after laying solid foundations in 2019. Tanti finished fifth in the MX Nationals but was consistently in the lead group and unlucky not to finish higher in the championship standings.
He produced a break out season in Supercross, battling with the US stars on his way to fifth place in the championship, despite not finishing the final round. Although injured from a fall at the final round of Supercross, Tanti has taken to the US to keep racing and training as he prepares for the 2020 onslaught.
Aaron Tanti
“This is the first time in my career I have been with the one team for more than one season, so the stability is something that I like and allows me to make plans knowing that I have the support of Serco Yamaha for 2020. I have a great working relationship with Gavin and the Serco Yamaha team and we were quickly able to get something sorted for the 2020 season a little while ago so that allowed me to focus on my racing and training knowing that things are in place for next season. The YZ250F is an unbelievable bike and we already have a great platform to go ahead even further in 2020 as the team and myself have extensive knowledge and testing already done. It’s awesome to be able to continue with Serco Yamaha and look forward to another successful year with the team.”
Joining Tanti for 2020 will be a new comer to Australian shores, Dylan Walsh. The New Zealand native has been competing in Europe for the past few seasons, highlighted with victory in the British MX2 Championship in 2019, but will return down under for the 2020 and make his debut in the Australian MX Nationals. Walsh will start his year racing in New Zealand before coming to Australia in March and begin the championship chase.
Dylan Walsh
“I would love to have stayed in Europe and continued racing as I felt that I would be a contender in MX2 this year but with the tight economy, my team shut down and I was left with nothing. Australia was the first place I looked when I got the news, and at the same time, Gavin has been doing some research on me, so it all worked out smoothly and here we are. Serco Yamaha have a great reputation and also a lot of success over the years in both motocross and supercross so its awesome to be part of such a strong and committed team. My plan is to stay in New Zealand and do the Nationals over here as a warm up for the MX Nationals in Australia. I will then base myself in South East Queensland to be near the team and get stuck into racing in Australia. I’m both exciting and looking forward to the new challenge and know that the level of racing in Australia is very good at the moment. I watched the racing regularly while I was in Europe and its no coincidence that many MXGP teams are looking at Australian riders. But I’m fit and ready to go and hoping for a great season both here in New Zealand and Australia.”
GasGas Factory Racing sign Albert Cabestany
GasGas Factory Racing have announce the signing of Albert Cabestany, who will compete in the 2020 FIM Trial-E World Cup, assisting GasGas to push forward with the development of electric powered machinery, aboard the GasGas TXE.
Albert Cabestany
“I’m looking forward to this great opportunity with GasGas Motorcycles. Winning this year’s Trial-E World Cup with the TXE gave me a real insight into the true potential of this exciting motorcycle. I was very impressed with its capabilities and know that moving forward we can raise the bar again in 2020. It’s going to be a lot of fun fighting to defend my crown and hopefully delivering GasGas a fourth consecutive title.”
Cabestany is a name that needs little introduction in trials. Arguably one of the sport’s most successful riders, Albert impressively achieved nine wins and over 80 podium results during his 21-year-long FIM Trial World Championship career.
Coming together with GasGas Factory Racing for a one-off outing at the 2019 FIM Trial-E World Cup, Cabestany instantly gelled with the TXE, winning both rounds of the series to clinch the title in style. With his experience and vast trials knowledge the Spaniard is a natural fit to assist GasGas with the ongoing development of its TXE machine.
The three-round 2020 FIM Trial-E World Cup takes place in Andorra, Italy and France.
Australian Supercross celebrate successful 2019 season
Following attendance across the five rounds polling at 70,000, the 2019 Australian Supercross championship has been heralded a major success, with each round – bar Adelaide – also having a broadcast presence, giving an even wider audience.
The International interest from riders year on year too is undeniable, with more and more world-class caliber riders making the trip Down Under prior to their World Supercross Championship assault.
General rider numbers were on the increase too, especially in Wollongong where riders in both the SX1 and SX2 Classes were required to qualify for the night show – which is something that hasn’t happened in the series for a number of years. Overall, rider participation in the Australian Supercross Championship for 2019 was the strongest it’s been in at least the last decade.
Planning is now well underway for the 2020 Australian Supercross Championship and with an increasingly solid foundation in place, is expected to continue it’s steady growth in viewer eyeballs, event attendance and incredible racing competition. Stay tuned for more details on the 2020 Australian Supercross season.
MA announce 2020 Dirt Track and Track updates
The following official Information Bulletin has been released by Motorcycle Australia, advising of a number of changes for the 2020 Dirt Track and Track seasons, regarding classes and competition.
Information Bulletin #2003 : 18/12/2019
Affected Disciplines: Dirt Track and Track
Information Pertains to: Dirt Track and Track Chapter Combination and Alterations to the 2020 MoMS
Updated: It was a directive from MA and the MA Board to combine the Dirt Track and Track Chapters. The intention with combining these chapters is for equality and fairness, safety and simplifying the rules as these disciplines are similar, but not the same.
Major changes implemented for 2020
15.2 Junior class age brackets
Slider and MX bikes and classes are separated. (As per new rule 15.5.0.6)
Standard Wheel and Big Wheel bikes in classes will compete together.
15.5.0.6 Rule deletion
The Commission and the Rules and Technical Committee have approved this Chapter and these updates as they are presented. We understand that in doing this there will be teething problems and not everyone will be satisfied with all rules. If you wish to propose a change to these rules they can do so by following the Rule Change Process as outlined on Pages 6 & 7 of the MoMS.
Current Classes
Categories for Australian Dirt Track & Track Championship Classes; (as will appear in the printed 2020 MoMS)
15.1 SENIORS
Pro 250 100cc to 150cc 2stroke / 200cc to 250cc 4stroke
Pro 450 250cc 2stroke/450cc 4stroke
MX Open 500cc 2stroke/Over 460cc 4stroke
250 Slider 150cc 2stroke & 250cc 4stroke
500cc Slider Up to 500cc
Slider Open Unlimited 460cc and over
Pro Open Women Unlimited
Sidecar Up to 1100cc
ATV Open Up to 550cc 2stroke/700cc 4stroke
ATV Open Women Up to 550cc 2stroke/700cc 4stroke
15.2 JUNIORS
7-u9 – 50cc Auto Div 2 Non Championship
7-u9 – 65cc
9-u13 – 65cc
7-u10 – 85cc 4stroke Modified
10-u14 – 85cc 4stroke Modified
9-u1211 – 85cc 2stroke/150cc 4stroke Standard Wheel
11-u1613 – 85cc 2stroke/150cc 4stroke Standard Wheel
13-u16 – 85cc 2stroke/150cc 4strokeStandard Wheel
11-u13 – 85cc 2stroke/150cc 4stroke Big Wheel
13-u16 – 85cc 2stroke/150cc 4stroke Big Wheel
11-u16 – 85cc 2stroke/150cc 4stroke Girls Standard & Big Wheel
13-u16 – 85cc 2stroke/150cc 4stroke Slider Only
13-u16 – 100cc to 150cc 2stroke
13-u16 – 100cc to 150cc 2stroke
– 200cc to 250cc 4stroke
13-u16 – 100cc to 150cc 2stroke &
– 200cc to 250cc 4stroke Slider Only
13-u16 – 200cc to 250cc 4stroke
New/Updated Classes
Categories for Australian Dirt Track & Track Championship & Competition Classes; (as will appear in the online 2020 MoMS)
15.1 SENIORS
Pro 250 – 100cc to 150cc 2stroke / 200cc to 250cc 4stroke (MX)
Pro 450 – 250cc 2stroke/450cc 4stroke (MX)
MX Open – 500cc 2stroke/Over 460cc 4stroke (MX)
Pro Open Women – Unlimited (MX)
250 Slider – 150cc 2stroke & 250cc 4stroke * removed due to lack of competitors
500cc Slider – Up to 500cc
Slider Open – Unlimited 460cc and over
Sidecar – Up to 1100cc
ATV Open – Up to 550cc 2stroke/700cc 4stroke
ATV Open Women – Up to 550cc 2stroke/700cc 4stroke
15.2 JUNIORS
4-u9 – 50cc Demo Division 1 Non Competitive
7-u9 – 50cc Auto Div 2 Non Championship * rationale for change below
9-u1311 – 85cc 2stroke/150cc 4stroke * 2 class options for 12 year olds
1211-u16 – 85cc 2stroke/150cc 4stroke
11-u16 – 85cc 2stroke/150cc 4stroke Girls Standard & Big Wheel
13-u16 – 85cc 2stroke/150cc 4stroke Slider Only * removed due to insufficient entries
13-u16 – 100cc to 150cc 2stroke
13-u16 – 100cc to 150cc 2stroke * removed due to duplication
13-u16 – 100cc to 150cc 2stroke & * removed as several other class options
– 200cc to 250cc 4stroke
13-u16 – 200cc to 250cc 4stroke
Rationale for the 7-u9 50cc Divi 2 class being changed to a Non Championship class is to ensure the children are here for development and fun with as little pressure and stress on them to win as possible. We do not want children to be pushed prematurely. These are young children and should not be stressed to race and win an Australian Championship, they will have the rest of their riding lives to chase titles if they choose to do so. It is also the hope this will bring bike costs and affordability down.
New Rule
15.5.0.6 Slider and MX machines are to compete separately, in their specified classes. Rationale being the Commission and the Rules & Technical Committee advise this is because they are different machines, with different styles, performance, machine requirements etc.
Rule removal
The below rule is to be removed;
15.4.1.2 Riders are eligible to enter one class above capacity of the machine entered (senior riders only).
Rationale for this rule being removed, is that capacity machines should be racing with comparable machines as they were designed. This will reduce over subscribed combined classes and in turn will come back to competitors as more of their class events on track.
Number Board Colours for Juniors
Tips to understanding and using the correct number board colours for your child. Understand child’s age as at 1st of January of that race year (2020). For Example, my child turned 12 on the 20th of June 2019, so as at the 1st of January 2020 my child is 12 years old, and can compete in this class all year. If my child decides to move up to a 13 year old class throughout the year, they can no longer go back down and compete in 12 year old classes.
Chose a racing class (for example 9-u13 85cc 2stroke or 9-u13 65cc etc)
Identify the age bracket on the number board colour table (15.9.3.2) which is most suitable and colour will be Canary Yellow boards with black numbers)
You can only compete in one age group class.
Wheel Sizes;
Several corrections and duplications have been identified and updated.
Current Rule; 15.20.9 Wheel Sizes
CLASS FRONT REAR
Approx. Metric Equiv. in mm] [Approx. Metric Equiv. in mm] 50cc Auto/Demo Class 10” or 12” [254 or 305] 10” [254] 65cc 14” to 15” [356 to 381] 12” [305] 80cc 4-stroke Standard & Modified 16” to 17” [407 to 432] 14” [356] 85cc 2-stroke & 150cc 4-stroke 15” to 17” [381 to 432] 14” [356] 85cc 2-stroke & 150cc 4-stroke Big Wheel 17”19” to 19”21” [432482 to 482534] 16” to 17”19” [407 to 432482] 85cc 2-stroke & 150cc 4-stroke Big Wheel 17” to 19” [432 to 482] 16” to 17” [407 to 457] (Dirt Track & Track) 85cc 2-stroke & 150cc 4-stroke 17” [457] 14” [356] Standard Wheel (Dirt Track & Track) 100cc 18” to 21” [457 to 534] 16” to 19” [407 to 482] 125cc & over 17” to 21” [432 to 534] 16” to 19” [407 to 482] 250cc 4-stroke 17” to 23” [432 to 586] 16” to 19” [407 to 482]
New/Updated Rule; 15.20.9 Wheel Sizes
CLASS FRONT REAR
Approx. Metric Equiv. in mm] [Approx. Metric Equiv. in mm] 50cc Auto/Demo Class 10” or 12” [254 or 305] 10” [254] 65cc 14” to 15” [356 to 381] 12” [305] 85cc80cc 4-stroke Standard & Modified 16” to 17” [407 to 432] 14” [356] 85cc 2-stroke & 150cc 4-stroke 15” to 19”17” [381 to 482432] 14” to 17” [356 to 432] 85cc 2-stroke & 150cc 4-stroke Big Wheel 17”19” to 19”21” [432482 to 482534] 16” to 17”19” [407 to 432482] 85cc 2-stroke & 150cc 4-stroke Big Wheel 17” to 19” [432 to 482] 16” to 17” [407 to 457] (Dirt Track & Track) 85cc 2-stroke & 150cc 4-stroke 17” [457] 14” [356] Standard Wheel (Dirt Track & Track) 100cc 18” to 21” [457 to 534] 16” to 19” [407 to 482] 125cc & over 17” to 21” [432 to 534] 16” to 19” [407 to 482] 250cc 4-stroke 17” to 23” [432 to 586] 16” to 19” [407 to 482]
Effective from: 1/1/2020
Note: As rules can be changed throughout the year, please view the most up to date MoMS at www.ma.org.au. Please see the MA website for Rule Change Request processes and documents.
2020 Australian Motocross Championship calendar announced
Motorcycling Australia and Williams Event Management have announced the 2020 Australian Motocross National Championship calendar. The series will be conducted over six weekends with nine rounds and three double header events.
A number of factors have required changes to the 2020 calendar particularly around community, rider and spectator safety.
Original plans had the MX Nationals Pro Am at Traralgon in February for the Australian Women’s Vets and Under 19’s. But due to the extreme dry weather conditions and high fire danger risk the Traralgon event was cancelled, with a hope to reschedule it in the coming months.
There have been some major changes to the championship over the last five years, and riders and spectators will see changes again next year to fit within the current climate.
2020 Australian Motocross National Championship dates
Round 1 & 2 Horsham, Victoiria April 4/5
Round 3 Newry, Victoria May 3
Round 4 Gympie, Qld May 24
Round 5 Conondale, QLD June 28
Round 6 & 7 Maitland, NSW July 25/26
Round 8 & 9 Coolum, QLD August 22/23
The series will see several changes in order to ensure the future development and progress of the sport. All rounds will have two moto format only, and other changes are being considered. The supplementary regulation will be release in the first week of February.
2020 NSW State Motocross Championship announced
Motorcycling NSW have announced the 2020 King of MX calendar, with the series heading into its third year and continuing to encourage local racers in each of the six state regions to enter their local qualifier.
The King of MX was designed to revitalise the NSW State Motocross Championship, supporting regional clubs and their members by bringing a larger scale open event to them, where local club racers can throw down against those choosing to travel.
2020 will see new partners combined with some long-term supporters to not only maintain the overall prize pool, but also tailor more prizes to those who do well at a qualifier, not just the final.
As with previous years, the King of MX will consist of six qualifying events, where the first six or seven (depending on the gates available at each qualifier) riders in each class will earn a ‘golden ticket’ to the final. Once a golden ticket is earned, riders don’t have to race any other qualifiers unless they want to, however each rider is only eligible to earn one golden ticket per class.
At the final, in a location that will be announced in due course, State Title Champions will be decided on the June long weekend, over three motos for each class, with the Prince and Princess of MX crowned from the 13 to under-16 years 250F (128cc-150cc 2st & 200cc-250cc 4st, 13 to u/16 years) and 13 to under-16 years girls’ class (100cc-150cc 2st & 200cc- 250cc 4st, 13 to u/16 years, all female) winners.
The 2020 King and Queen of MX will once again battle it out across their respective feature races, with racers selected based on the results of the senior class races. For more information on the 2020 King of MX, head to the brand-new website www.kingofmx.com.au
2020 King of MX Calendar
Qualifier 1 – February 15-16, Bega – Top 7 qualify for final
Qualifier 2 – February 29-1 March, Narrabri – Top 7 qualify for final
Qualifier 3 – March 14-15, Bathurst – Top 6 qualify for final
Qualifier 4 – March 28-29, Wagga Wagga – Top 6 qualify for final
Qualifier 5 – April 18-19, Lake Macquarie -Top 7 qualify for final
Qualifier 6 – May 9-10, Sydney – Top 7 qualify for final
Final – June 6-8, Undisclosed Location
NSW State Motocross Championship Classes
Nippers 4-u/7 years – Demonstration Only
50cc Division 2 – 7-u/9 years
65cc 7-u/10 years
65cc 10-u/12 years
85cc 2st/150cc 4st 9-u/12 years {standard wheel}
85cc 2st /150cc 4st 12-u/14 years {standard & big wheel}
85cc 2st/150cc 4st 14-u/16 years {standard & big wheel}
85cc 2st/150cc 4st 12-u/16 years All Female {standard & big wheel}
100cc-150cc 2st & 200cc- 250cc 4st 13-u/16 years All Female
100cc-125cc 2st 13-u/16 years
128cc-150cc 2st & 200cc-250cc 4st 13-u/16 years
MXW All Powers
MX1 A-Grade 255cc-450cc 2st/4st
MX1 B-Grade 255cc-450cc 2st/4st
C Grade Open
MX2 A-Grade up to 250cc 2st/4st
MX2 B-Grade up to 250cc 2st/4st
C Grade Lites
+35 Vets All Powers
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 AMA Motocross race schedule
May 17 – Hangtown Motocross Classic – Rancho Cordova, CA
May 24 – Fox Raceway National – Pala, CA
May 31 – Thunder Valley National – Lakewood, CO
June 7 – Florida National – Jacksonville, FL
June 21 – High Point National – Mt. Morris, PA
June 28 – Southwick National – Southwick, MA
July 5 – RedBud National – Buchanan, MI
July 19 – Spring Creek National – Millville, MN
July 26 – Washougal National – Washougal, WA
August 16 – Unadilla National – New Berlin, NY
August 23 – Budds Creek National – Mechanicsville, MD
August 30 – Ironman National – Crawfordsville, IN
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Calendar
Jan. 4 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 11 – The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Jan. 18 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 25 – State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Feb. 1 – Ringcentral Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
Feb. 8 – Petco Park, San Diego, Calif.
Feb. 15 – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Feb. 22 – AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Feb. 29 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
March 7 – Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Fla.
March 14 – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianpolis, Ind.
March 21 – Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
March 28 – Centurylink Field, Seattle, Wash.
April 4 – Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, Co.
April 18 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
April 25 – Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
May 2 – Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah
2020 MXGP Calendar
March 1 – Great Britain, Matterley Basin (EMX125, WMX)
March 8 – The Netherlands, Valkenswaard – (EMX250, WMX)
March 22 – Patagonia, Argentina, Neuquen
April 5 – Trentino I, Pietramurata – (EMX250, EMX 2t)
April 19 – Spain, (TBA) – (EMX125, WMX)
April 26 – Portugal, Agueda – (EMX125, EMX250)
May 10 – France, Saint Jean d’Angely – (EMX125, EMX Open)
May 17 – Italy, Maggiora – (EMX Open, WMX)
May 24 – Germany, Teutschenthal – (EMX250, EMX Open)
Nathan Watson retains French Beach Racing lead at Hossegor
KTM Junior Supercross represent at S-X Open & Aus-X Open
Tasmania secures 2020 AORC final rounds
2020 Yamaha supported AORC riders announced
AORC announce four junior summer coaching clinics
Rogers & Wilson with Yamalube Yamaha Racing for 2020
12 rider 2020 GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing line-up announced
FIM Speedway Training Camp fosters young talent
Alfredo Gómez to continue with Husqvarana into 2021
Monster Energy Honda Team vehicles head for Dakar
Henry Wiles to compete 2020 AFT Singles with Honda
Estenson Racing announce Yamaha supported 2020 AFT Team
Jorge Prado recovering from surgery for fractured femur
Yamaha announces 2020 YXZ1000R European Cup
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 AMA Motocross
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross
2020 MXGP
2020 American Flat Track
2020 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Speedway
2020 FIM Speedway GP Championship
2020 Australian Dirt Track Championship
2020 Australian Track Championship
2020 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC)
2020 FIM SuperEnduro Championship
2020 AMA Extreme Off-Road East/West
2020 FIM Flat Track World Championship
Watson retains French Beach Racing lead at Hossegor
Round five of the Championnat de France des Sables (CFS) saw competitors take to the Hossegor shoreline on the south east coast of France. A combination of unsettled weather and high tides ensured challenging conditions for all, with event organisers drastically modifying and shortening the original course layout to ensure racing could proceed.
Arriving at round five in confident spirits following victory at round four last weekend, championship leader Nathan Watson had his sights set on capturing his third consecutive win. Frustratingly, a crash in the first corner immediately put the KTM 450 SX-F mounted rider on the back foot.
Ending the opening lap of the two-hour race in 38th it was clear Nathan had a lot of work to do to keep his win streak alive. Rapidly cutting his way through the field, the Brit incredibly completed lap two inside the top 15. Visibly one of the fastest riders on a very busy track, he continued to work his way forward.
With race leader Todd Kellett pitting on lap nine, Nathan put his KTM out front as he looked to gain as much ground as possible. Colliding with a fallen rider shortly afterwards resulted in Watson’s bike becoming momentarily entangled with another machine. Regrouping, Nathan’s lead was lost and despite his best efforts in the closing stages he had to settle for a hard-fought runner-up result.
Nathan Watson
“In what was a difficult race I’ll take second place today and keep hold of my championship red plate. Coming into this race off the back of two wins I really wanted to keep that momentum going but unfortunately it didn’t happen. With the weather conditions, and organisers needing to change the track due to high tides, things were a lot more unpredictable today than they usually are. I got off to a good start, but when Camille crashed in the first corner I crashed into him and went down, too. With the tight track, coming from the back of the pack wasn’t ideal. I recovered well to briefly lead, but then hit a back marker and got my bike tangled with his and lost more time, so the chance of victory slipped away. But with the red plate still in my hands I’ll work on a few things during the Christmas break and look to get back on the top step of the podium next time out.”
For teammate Camille Chapeliere, a crash off the start dampened his hopes of securing another top-three result. Remounting outside the top 40, the Frenchman bravely fought his way forward. Showing his speed where possible, but opting not to push too hard and risk crashing, he steadily collected more positions as the race wore on. Holding fifth on lap 22 of 24, Camille put all he had into the final two laps to claim fourth and with it maintain his top-three championship position.
Camille Chapeliere
“It was a complicated day out there to say the least. The shortened course made it difficult in many places because there were so many riders on the track. A crash at the start was definitely not the best, but I fought as hard as I could to recover. Making overtakes was risky at times, but I tried to balance those risks and recover as smoothly as possible. I feel like I did that and showed my speed towards the end of the race. Finishing fourth maintains my position of third in the championship.”
The Championnat de France des Sables continues with round six at Grayan-et-L’Hopital on 11-12 January 2020.
Championnat de France des Sables Round 5 – Hossegor
Pos.
Rider
Nat.
Man.
Gap
1
Todd Kellett
GBR
Yamaha
03:06.0
2
Nathan Watson
GBR
KTM
52.71
3
Yentel Martens
BEL
Honda
+5:35.120
4
Camille Chapeliere
FRA
KTM
+6:59.930
5
Jeremy Van Horebeek
BEL
Honda
23 laps
Championship Standings – Championnat de France des Sables 2019
Pos.
Rider
Nat.
Man.
Points
1
Nathan Watson
GBR
KTM
570pts
2
Todd Kellett
GBR
Yamaha
510pts
3
Camille Chapeliere
FRA
KTM
441pts
4
Jeremy Hauquier
FRA
KTM
373pts
5
Stephane Watel
FRA
Honda
365pts
KTM Junior Supercross represent at S-X Open & Aus-X Open
KTM Junior Supercross took centre-stage in the 2019 S-X Open Auckland and AUS-X Open Melbourne events as a total of 30 capable seven- and eight-year-old riders took to the stadiums aboard KTM 50 SX machinery.
The S-X Open International FIM Oceania Supercross Championship features a round each in New Zealand and Australia, with 10 KTM Junior Supercross challengers participating in NZ and 20 in Australia, lining up on the very same supercross circuit during the day and night programs that the professional racers do battle on.
Riding a fleet of KTM 50 SX race bikes dressed in KTM Junior Supercross graphics by Kustom MX, fitted with KTM PowerParts supplied by FMF Racing and Nihilo Concepts, the riders of the KTM Junior Supercross thrilled spectators as they negotiated the highly-technical tracks in truly impressive fashion.
S-X Open Auckland at Mt. Smart Stadium featured Levi McMaster, Kase Shuttleworth and Jayden Bryan on the podium, before fans at Marvel Stadium for AUS-X Open Melbourne witnessed Ollie Birkitt take victory over Nate Perrett and Jake Single.
Each rider and their families enjoyed a full factory VIP experience as part of the KTM Junior Supercross entry, while participants were featured in rider signings, mentored by KTM professional racers including Hamish Harwood in Auckland, as well Daniel Milner and Lyndon Snodgrass in Melbourne. They also met a selection of their heroes throughout the fun-filled events.
Kyle Blunden – Event Coordinator, KTM Australia – New Zealand
“The KTM Junior Supercross is a program we are proud to host at the Oceania Supercross Series. With the assistance of the team at AME and all of our partners who have jumped on board with KTM Junior Supercross in 2019, we are able to give the riders and their mechanic a true factory experience for a day. Witnessing the smiles and the connection between the riders and their parents ignited by the sport of supercross is just awesome. The crowd love it and we hope to continue bringing KTM Junior Supercross to these events for many years to come.”
Tasmania secures 2020 AORC final rounds
In a major coup, Tasmania has secured the 2020 final rounds of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship, now to be held in Wynyard, Tasmania on October 17 and 18, 2020 – for the first time in the AORC’s 14-year history.
The AORC kick starts the 2020 season in Queensland before heading to New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and then the grand final last two rounds in Tasmania.
Motorcycling Australia Off-Road Events Manager, Matthew Falvo said the 2020 Yamaha AORC was shaping up to be the best year yet.
Matthew Falvo – Motorcycling Australia Off-Road Events Manager
“We are very pleased with the enthusiasm, excitement and support Tasmania has shown in securing the final rounds of our growing championship. We are hopeful this partnership will deliver a long-lasting championship presence. With new exciting venues in the 2020 AORC we are sure to again field upwards of 200 plus riders for each event in every state, we are sure the championship can only grow further.”
The 2020 Championship will continue to use a double-header format, which will see six weekends make up twelve rounds of the AORC for 2020. All riders who compete in each of the 10 AORC rounds prior to Tasmania will be eligible for a free entry to the Tasmanian rounds. This includes 85cc and 65cc classes for six rounds.
The AORC has also announced that the Championship will feature a massive 15 classes of competition, with new junior classes, the return of the 2 Stroke Cup, and the Vintage class to feature at the Dungog, NSW round. The new look expanded competition will include sprint, cross country and enduro formats.
The 2 Stroke (2T) Cup has proved a success over the past two years and it will feature at all 12 rounds in 2020. With significant interest, the new and improved 2T Cup will also again cater to bikes ranging from 125cc up to 250cc.
The AORC have expanded competition including introducing two new classes – Junior Girls 85cc to 200cc 2-stroke and 150cc to 250cc 4-stroke bikes for those aged 12-15-years-old at all rounds, and a National Cup Class – Junior 65cc Cup – and the 85cc 2-stroke and 150cc 4-stroke (SW) for those aged 9-12-years-old.
E1, E2 and E3 classes are the AORC Senior Premier classes which have produced several world champions in recent years including this year’s World ISDE and current AORC Champion, Daniel Sanders.
The EJ development class will continue after last year’s success where under 18 riders can compare their times against the E1, E2, and E3 classes in the hope to step up later in the year or the following year.
2020 AORC Classes
Senior Championship Classes
E1: 100cc to 200cc 2-Stroke and 150cc to 250cc 4-Stroke
E2: 220cc to 250cc 2-Stroke and 275cc to 450cc 4-Stroke
E3: 290cc to 500cc 2-Stroke and 475cc to 650cc 4-Stroke
EJ: All powers (Rider must be 18 years or under on 1 January 2020)
Veterans: All Powers (Rider must be 35+ years of age before 1 January 2020)
Masters: All Powers (Rider must be 45+ years of age before 1 January 2020)
Women: All Powers
Junior Championship Classes
J2 12 to 15 years: 85cc 2-stroke & Up to 150cc 4-stroke
J3 13 to 14 years: 125cc to 200cc 2-stroke & 200cc to 250cc 4-stroke
J4 15 years: 125cc to 200cc 2-stroke & 200cc to 250cc 4-stroke
JG (Girls) 12-15 years: 85cc to 200cc 2-stroke and 150cc to 250cc 4-stroke
With six junior classes, no person who is under the age of 16 years may compete in other junior competition. A rider’s age on 1st January will determine their age for competition purposes for that year.
Two familiar faces will front the Yamaha Active8 Yamalube Racing team for 2020, with Luke Styke and Josh Green taking the reins of the teams’ race bikes for another season of the Australian Off Road Championship and the Australian Four Day Enduro.
Styke continues his climb up the off road ladder and since his transition from motocross, he has been nothing short of a revelation. In the two year period racing off road, he has already racked up two AORC championship victories, a A4DE victory and now a gold medal at the International Six day Enduro recently in Portugal.
Luke Styke
“I’m more motivated than ever coming into the 2020 season, I made a few changes to my lifestyle by returning back down to Nowra and feel it’s a better environment for my riding and also closer to family to make life easier. There is so much riding area around here and a more off road based riding program is the only way I can improve my skills and close the gap on Sanders and Milner. Both of those guys are world class and are a fair bit ahead of the rest of us, but my goal is to bridge that gap in 2020 and be in contention for Outright wins as well as class victories. Its also good to be back with the same team again for next season. We all have a great working relationship, and everyone works hard to achieve the best results possible. Both the team and Yamaha have been good to me throughout my racing career and I like the fact we have been able to continue our working relationship and get stronger with each passing season.”
Josh Green is back for his ninth season with Yamaha Active8 Yamalube Racing which must break some form of racing relationship record in Australian Off Road. Green finished second in the 2019 AORC in the premier E2 category and was consistently in the top five outright.
Josh Green
“The older I have got, the more I have started to enjoy the things that used to frustrate me when I was younger, like most teenagers, I didn’t care a lot for testing and developing the bike and just wanted to ride it and not focus on training. Now, I like being able to improve the bike and I find the off bike training rewarding and get a lot from it and that’s what has kept my motivation strong over the years as I find new ways to enjoy different aspects of what we do. And nine years with the one team is pretty cool. I like the loyalty from both sides and the fact we are able to keep the relationship going over such a long period of time. Nine years travelling with AJ could break a lesser man, but you have to take the good with the bad in this job.”
Under the Yamaha off road umbrella will also be a new team, Yamaha bLU Cru Off Road Racing carrying the same sponsors and the same professional personnel behind the scenes, that will house two young prospects in off road racing, Michael Driscoll competing E2, and Blake Hollis in the EJ category.
Carrying the same sponsors and the same professional personnel behind the scenes, Yamaha bLU cRU Off Road Racing will roar to life in 2020. Featuring Michael Driscoll in the E2 (450cc) division after a standout performance at the ISDE and Blake Hollis, fresh out of the junior ranks in EJ (under 19) ranks.
AORC announce four junior summer coaching clinics
Motorcycling Australia and the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship have announced four junior summer coaching clinics with Australia’s world champion riders offering expert advice and coaching in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland in January and February, 2020.
The 2020 AORC Junior Coaching Days clinics will be held on January 18 and 19 in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, January 25 in Stroud, NSW, and February 8 at Toowoomba, Queensland and led by world champion riders including 2020 World ISDE and AORC Champion Daniel Sanders, Daniel Milner, Lyndon Snodgrass, Fraser Higlett, Kirk Hutton, Joshua Green, Michael Driscoll and Jessica Gardiner.
The clinics are for junior riders aged 9-15, with all proceeds going toward funding the 2020 FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) Australian team who head off to Italy in August.
Matthew Falvo – Motorcycling Australia Off-road Events Manager
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Australian junior riders to learn from the world’s best off-road riders in their own backyards. These clinics will help riders build confidence, increase their skill level and learn new tricks on how to get the most out of themselves and their bike. Whether you want to prepare for a race or improve your dirt bike techniques these coaching clinics are vital and spots will fill quickly.”
Rogers & Wilson with Yamalube Yamaha Racing for 2020
Yamaha Racing has announced that 16-year-old Levi Rogers will move from junior racing to the pro level. Rogers, a long time team member of the Yamaha Junior Racing program, will make the big step up to senior racing in 2020, having won a shed full of trophies in his junior days, including multiple state championships and podiums at national events.
Levi Rogers
“I was pretty excited when the Yamalube Yamaha Racing Team came to me and offered me a ride for 2020. I guess one of the benefits of being with Yamaha Junior Racing is that if you get the results in juniors, then the next door opens with Yamaha into MXD and this is a great opportunity for me on such a good team. I know everyone on the team and have worked with them before when I did the MXR races at the MX Nationals for the last two years, so it’s not a new environment. I also have Jay as a team-mate, and I can talk things over with him as he has so much knowledge and experience at this level. For the last 12 months I have watched the senior races closely and I can’t wait to be apart of them now. Yamaha Junior Racing was awesome for me and I had six successful years with them but now its time to take the next step in my career and give it all I have.”
Back for his third year at Yamalube Yamaha Racing will be Jay Wilson. Since returning to Australia and to the Yamalube Team, Wilson has been a model of consistency over the past two years and finishing inside to top five of every championship he has entered, highlighted with the 2018 SX2 Australian Championship.
He will start the year racing the opening rounds of the AMA West Coast 250cc Supercross Championship before returning home in February to prepare for the MX Nationals. From there he will be out to win back both the MX Nationals and Australian Supercross Championships.
Jay Wilson
“I’m lucky to be surrounded by a great team and work with a great company like Yamaha that I don’t even look else where at the end of each year. We have not only a successful working relationship but a good friendship off the track and the results show we do the work. 2019 was a consistent year for the most part and reasonably successful but no championships. I’m still motivated to win championships and that’s what I will be striving for in 2020. I’m in the prime of my career and wanting to keep improving every year with my racing and my technique. Its also exciting to have Levi with us next year. He is a quite kid and doesn’t say too much but I know he listens, and it will be great to be able to help and guide him at each round. His speed is good, and I think he can do well if he keeps working hard.”
With the WBR Yamaha Team and the Yamalube Yamaha Team now announced, Yamaha’s MX Development Manager, Scott Bishop, explains why there has been a slight tweak in structure to each program for 2020.
Scott Bishop – Yamaha MX Development Manager
“We had two talented riders in Alex and Levi coming out of juniors and its important we keep a hold of hard working and successful young riders. In the past, both riders would have gone to the dedicated MXD team, WBR Yamaha, but we believed it would be of more benefit to place the riders to the teams nearest them and also with a more experience team mate so they can understand what it takes to succeed at the next level. Alex is based in Adelaide and Levi is from Blackwater in Central Queensland so for one team to handle the logistics of a rider living so far away would be difficult. With Alex teaming up with WBR, who are in Echuca, Victoria and Levi with Yamalube Yamaha, based in Brisbane, both riders will get the same level of support but be able to work closely with the team both in terms of an off track relationship as well as maintaining practice bikes and equipment. Its our endeavour that both Alex and Levi continue their long and successful relationship with Yamaha and wish them well as they embark on their professional careers.”
12 rider 2020 GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing line-up announced
12 riders will fly the GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing flag in season 2020, as the only truly national based junior motocross development program continues to forge ahead after a stunning 2019 season, that saw the team claim 16 state championships and four national championships.
Each state will have two riders in full GYTR YJR colours, making a total of 12 riders. In addition, Yamaha will continue to assist its dealer network with supported riders to make a huge Yamaha presence at all junior events across the country.
To assist in fast tracking rider development, each state has its own manager / coach in place that can help guide young riders both on and off the track at every event.
The team of 2020 is Jake Turner, Ryder Kingsford and Jackson Camilleri mounted on the YZ125 and YZ250F. Angus Pearce, Wil Carpenter, Kayd Kingsford, Jake Cannon, Jake Rumens and Patrick Martin on the YZ85 and transition to the YZ125, while Jobe Dunne, Jay Jennings and Ryder Woodrow will handle the YZ65 and YZ85 small wheel classes.
In addition, Yamaha will also support via its dealer network and the bLU cRU program Heath Davy, Peter Wolfe (Team Moto), Deegan Fort (Fivestar Motorcycles), Jesse Holding (Mareeba Yamaha), Zac Watson (Suncity), Seth Carpenter (Coast Yamaha), Koby Hantis (Great Southern Motorcycles), Seth Burchell (Excite Motorsports) as well as multi time national girls champion, Charli Cannon.
For many riders the season will get under way in January and with the Australian Junior Nationals now moved to the first week of July, the racing will gather momentum quickly.
GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing 2020 line-up
WA: Jake Turner and Jake Rumens
SA: Wil Carpenter and Ryder Woodrow
TAS: Angus Pearce and Jay Jennings
VIC: Patrick Martin and Jobe Dunne
NSW: Ryder Kingsford and Kayd Kingsford
QLD: Jackson Camilleri and Jake Cannon
FIM Speedway Training Camp fosters young talent
The FIM Speedway Training Camp at Gillman Speedway Stadium in Adelaide, has been lauded a success, giving future Australian stars the training and mentoring to take their riding to the next level.
The training camp was hosted by Motorcycling Australia (MA), the FIM Track Racing Commission (CCP) and FIM Oceania, and saw 17 of Australia’s best young speedway talent receive specialised training. The expert team of coaches included FIM Track Racing Commission Director, Armando Castagna, SGP Race Director, Phil Morris, both former riders, and Australian Speedway legend and former SGP rider, Leigh Adams.
The training camp included on-track riding sessions focussing on rider technique, body positioning, race starts and improving key fundamentals of speedway racing, as well as classroom seminars covering exercise and nutrition, media training, bike preparation, bike maintenance, FIM license and insurance systems, anti-doping education inclusive of the FIM Ride True awareness.
Armando Castagna – FIM Track Racing Commission Director
“It has been one of the best ever training camps that the Track Racing Commission has conductedWorking together Motorcycling Australia (MA) and FIM Oceania (FIMO) was a great partnership and the event was well conducted with Gillman Speedway providing a good track. The level of some of these young riders is already extremely good but over each day we could see the riders improving in many areas.”
Alfredo Gómez to continue with Husqvarana into 2021
Alfredo Gómez will continue with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing through to the end of the 2021 season, having claimed second in the 2019 WESS Enduro World Championship, with the Spaniard to target the world championship title next year.
A key member of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, Gómez was a regular front-runner in all eight rounds of the WESS championship with the TE 300i mounted rider consistently battling for race wins and podium results.
Securing three second-place finishes, while coming agonisingly close to winning the Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rallye, Gómez proved his consistency and speed with a total of seven top-10 results in the mixed-discipline series.
In 2018, the Spaniard suffered a serious leg injury during pre-season training, which ultimately derailed his championship aspirations. Fighting to regain his fitness and return to racing, he proved his unwavering determination to succeed by reaffirming his position as one of the world’s best enduro riders during 2019.
With the support of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing and with a clean bill of health and fitness Alfredo Gomez will look to battle for the coveted world title during the next two years.
Alfredo Gómez
“I’m really happy to continue with Husqvarna Motorcycles for another two years. We’ve grown together a lot during the last few years and I have a really strong and enjoyable relationship with everyone in the team – in a way it has become like an extended part of my family. I’m really proud of what we achieved during 2019 by finishing second overall in the WESS Enduro World Championship and always fighting for the victory. When I seriously injured my leg, they stood by me. There was never any pressure to return to the bike early, they just wanted me to get better. I feel like that was when our bond became even tighter than it already was. I’m looking forward to what lies ahead during these next two years and in particular 2020. We’ve shown ourselves as title contenders with the TE 300i and for certain our goal is to become world champions together.”
Monster Energy Honda Team vehicles head for Dakar
The Rally Dakar organisers, ASO, have overseen several days of verifications prior to the shipment of all European vehicles due to take part in the forthcoming edition of the rally in Saudi Arabia. The Monster Energy Honda vehicles successfully made it through the checks and are now bound for Jeddah.
It was a calm yet cool, sunny day that accompanied the administrative and technical scrutineering at the Paul Ricard Circuit in Le Castellet near Marseille, France as the Monster Energy Honda Team overcame the first hurdle on their way to participation in the 2020 edition of the Dakar Rally.
After providing all the necessary vehicle documentation and managing their transportation and entry into the new country, the ten Monster Energy Honda Team vehicles and motorcycles were subjected to a technical shakedown, where they were thoroughly checked, for, among other things, the vehicles’ key mandatory safety elements. Once these had been approved, the equipment was then given the all-clear to display the officially accredited decals required to participate in the race.
With the vehicles loaded onto the ship, they embarked, destined for the port of Jeddah, on a journey that goes, first, across the Mediterranean to Port Said, in Egypt, and from there, through the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea before reaching the final destination at the Saudi Arabian port, where the vehicles will be collected on January 2.
Henry Wiles to compete 2020 AFT Singles with Honda
American Honda Motor Co. and Richie Morris Racing have signaled their intention to make an all-out assault on the AFT Singles championship with the signing of Henry Wiles to contest the 2020 American Flat Track season aboard a Honda CRF450R.
After returning to the scene following more than 25 years away and coming within six points of claiming the AFT Singles title in 2019, American Honda is set to increase their involvement and support of RMR for the upcoming season.
Richie Morris – Owner of Richie Morris Racing
“It’s an honor to have American Honda back with RMR in an even larger capacity in 2020. I’m so excited that this partnership includes the recruitment of Henry Wiles. In my opinion, Henry is one of the best flat track pros to ever swing a leg over a 450; RMR is proud to have him. We’re certain that he’s the right man to bring home the championship in 2020.”
“King Henry” is arguably one of the most accomplished Singles riders in the history of the sport. He was crowned GNC1 Singles Champion in 2009 and 2010, and boasts 26 career premier-class victories aboard four-stroke singles, including a string of 14 straight at the legendary Peoria TT. In fact, from 2009 to 2016 (the final year singles were included in the premier category), he won half (19 of 38) of the races he started on single-cylinder equipment.
Wiles is AFT’s all-time winningest TT rider with 19 victories in the discipline and stands equal with Chris Carr at the top of the order in Short Track wins at nine. He ranks 11th in career American Flat Track wins at 30, and in 2018 he finished as the AFT Twins championship runner-up with six podiums and 13 top-fives.
Henry Wiles
“Richie gave me a call and was talking about going and winning a 450 championship. It’s absolutely exciting to be associated with American Honda, and I’m walking on to a good team that already has some things sorted out. That’s going to be good for me… and I think it’s going to be bad for everybody else. Richie was very up front with me about what the goal is. They’ve got everything in place, and Richie has won championships before. He’s a team owner who knows how to put the right people in place to do just that.”
Wiles will team with returning RMR rider Cole Zabala, who registered five top-10 finishes in AFT Singles action a year ago with RMR.
Estenson Racing announce Yamaha supported 2020 AFT Team
Yamaha Motor Corporation USA (YMUS) has announce support for Estenson Racing’s effort in American Flat Track for the 2020 season. The team has signed a multi-year deal with JD Beach, who will lead the campaign in the all-new SuperTwins class, while Kolby Carlile, the 2017 AFT Singles Champion, steps up to the premier class alongside Beach aboard the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT. The team has also signed Mikey Rush for a two-pronged threat in the AFT Singles class with young phenom Dallas Daniels.
Returning for his second year with Estenson Racing, 2020 will be JD Beach’s first full-season in American Flat Track. With multiple road race titles on his resume, the Owensboro, Kentucky, resident has his sights set on a SuperTwins crown. He pulled double duty with the team in 2019, competing in the premier classes of both AFT and MotoAmerica.
The racer made history with his first AFT Grand National win at the Super TT in Arizona, which was also the first victory for a Yamaha Twin since 1981. Beach then backed it up the following weekend at Virginia International Raceway with his first MotoAmerica Superbike win, becoming the first rider to top the podium during the same season in the premier class of both disciplines since Nicky Hayden in 2002. He ended the year in AFT with two wins and three podiums.
JD Beach
“I’m really looking forward to being back with the Estenson Racing crew. I think we kind of got started on our back foot last season. We were hoping for more, but we still managed a few wins, and within the Twins team a few podiums. I think the changes to the team and the new personnel are going to help a lot. We’re all putting in a lot of work this winter to come out next season swinging. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Kolby Carlile made the transition to the Twins ranks last season, competing both in the new AFT Production Twins class and AFT Twins. He had a solid rookie year in spite of injury and made a late-season charge for the Production Twins title, ultimately ending the year third in the Production championship with two wins and six podiums.
Kolby Carlile
“2020 is going to be an awesome year for me. I learned a lot last year racing the Twin in the Production Twins class and winning a few rounds. This year I’ll be racing in the new AFT SuperTwins class full-time on the Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07. The guys I’ll be racing against week in and week out are the fastest guys in the world and I feel like I’ve always benefited from racing the best there is. The team also has some new members that are going to be huge additions in the development of the bike. Going into the new year, I’ve been taking a few months away from racing to allow me to focus on getting my knee in better condition. The races are a bit longer this year for me, and the intensity is up from what I have raced before, so being in top physical condition is important. I have an awesome teammate in JD Beach. I’ve grown up learning from him and I don’t plan on stopping now. I look forward to doing my best to improve the bike, the team, and myself in 2020.”
The newest member of the team, Mikey Rush, jumped straight into the premier class of AFT in 2009 and scored his first win in 2013 at the Daytona Short Track. After some tough years in the privateer ranks, he made the move to the AFT Singles class and had a standout season in 2019, finishing second in the championship with four wins and seven podiums. The Californian now looks to bring home the title in 2020 aboard the Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F.
Mikey Rush
“I’m really excited to have this opportunity with Estenson Racing. Tim is a great guy and their whole program is very professional. I’m looking forward to working with them next season and am ready to go racing and fight for the AFT Singles Championship.”
Returning with the team is 2019 AFT Singles Rookie of the Year, Dallas Daniels. The 16-year-old turned heads last season with a dominant debut win at the Peoria TT. He then went on to back it up with two more podiums to finish the year just outside the top 10, despite only turning pro mid-season. Daniels looks to build on his progress in his first full-year of AFT competition.
Dallas Daniels
“I’m super excited to start my first full year in American Flat Track with Estenson Racing. I’ve been training hard and preparing for 2020. I’m really looking forward to getting things started in Daytona. I can’t wait for the season.”
Jorge Prado recovering from surgery for fractured femur
Red Bull KTM’s Jorge Prado is recovering from an operation in Italy to fix a fracture to his left femur, which the eighteen-year-old suffered while training at the Malagrotta circuit near Rome on Thursday.
Prado is stepping into the premier class of the FIM Motocross World Championship in 2020 after claiming the last two MX2 titles, and was circulating his usual practice facility with teammate Tony Cairoli when he lost control approaching a jump.
The Spaniard was transferred to the European Hospital where he immediately underwent a corrective procedure performed by Dr Massimiliano Nannerini to insert a pin into the femur bone. He is expected to leave the ward in two days if initial signs are positive and start rehabilitation to make his MXGP debut as early as possible next season.
Claudio De Carli – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager
“This is bad news and we feel so sorry for Jorge. Things had been going well and he was just two laps away from the end of the training session. It was raining at Malagrotta and you need to have a good control of the bike to make one of the biggest jumps on the track. Jorge could not grip the plastic well, his foot slipped off the footpeg on the ramp and he crashed over the jump. He had surgery yesterday evening by a fantastic doctor that we know and trust and now we have to wait a few days to see if everything is correct before he can leave the hospital. It is a setback to our preparation but the important thing is that Jorge heals well and then can think again about his first season in the MXGP class.”
Yamaha announces 2020 YXZ1000R European Cup
Yamaha Motor Europe has announced the 2020 edition of the YXZ1000R European Cup, set to feature another thrilling year of Yamaha’s sports Side-by-Side vehicles in national championships, culminating in a season-ending SuperFinale.
Following the great success of the 2019 SuperFinale, the event in October 2020 will return to the amazing locations of the Baja Portalegre – Portugal. The Stock winner of the European Cup SuperFinale will receive a brand-new YXZ1000R.
In a new initiative, the 2020 Cup will also field Wildcard entries in the SuperFinale. The top finishing YXZ1000R in the Stock category, in both the 2020 Merzouga Rally – Morocco and Baja Aragon – Spain, will automatically qualify for the SuperFinale, joining the qualifiers from the National Cups.
A new program running parallel to the official YXZ1000R European Cup will be the YXZ1000R Challenge, an overall ranking for racers competing outside of the Cup regardless of their racing preparation type. The YXZ1000R Challenge winner will receive a free entry to the Baja Aragon 2021.
Detailed rules and regulations of the 2020 YXZ1000R European Cup will be available on Yamaha-racing.com soon.
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 AMA Motocross race schedule
May 17 – Hangtown Motocross Classic – Rancho Cordova, CA
May 24 – Fox Raceway National – Pala, CA
May 31 – Thunder Valley National – Lakewood, CO
June 7 – Florida National – Jacksonville, FL
June 21 – High Point National – Mt. Morris, PA
June 28 – Southwick National – Southwick, MA
July 5 – RedBud National – Buchanan, MI
July 19 – Spring Creek National – Millville, MN
July 26 – Washougal National – Washougal, WA
August 16 – Unadilla National – New Berlin, NY
August 23 – Budds Creek National – Mechanicsville, MD
August 30 – Ironman National – Crawfordsville, IN
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Calendar
Jan. 4 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 11 – The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Jan. 18 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 25 – State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Feb. 1 – Ringcentral Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
Feb. 8 – Petco Park, San Diego, Calif.
Feb. 15 – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Feb. 22 – AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Feb. 29 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
March 7 – Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Fla.
March 14 – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianpolis, Ind.
March 21 – Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
March 28 – Centurylink Field, Seattle, Wash.
April 4 – Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, Co.
April 18 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
April 25 – Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
May 2 – Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah
2020 MXGP Calendar
March 1 – Great Britain, Matterley Basin (EMX125, WMX)
March 8 – The Netherlands, Valkenswaard – (EMX250, WMX)
March 22 – Patagonia, Argentina, Neuquen
April 5 – Trentino I, Pietramurata – (EMX250, EMX 2t)
April 19 – Spain, (TBA) – (EMX125, WMX)
April 26 – Portugal, Agueda – (EMX125, EMX250)
May 10 – France, Saint Jean d’Angely – (EMX125, EMX Open)
May 17 – Italy, Maggiora – (EMX Open, WMX)
May 24 – Germany, Teutschenthal – (EMX250, EMX Open)
Anderson, Brayton, Blose crowned at Aus-X Open in Melbourne
CDR Yamaha’s Clout & Reardon go 2-3 in SX1
Josh Osby claims SX2 runner-up for Raceline KTM Thor
Jay Wilson closes out SX2 season in fourth at Marvel Stadium
Dunlop the tyre of choice for Supercross winners
Ricky Carmichael’s SX-Open RM-Z450 sold for $18,000
FIM versus WESS stalemate continues
FIM and FIA fail to reach agreements over SSV racing
Discovery/Eurosport named FIM Speedway GP promoters
Full 2020 AORC calendar announced
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 AMA Motocross
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross
2020 MXGP
2020 American Flat Track
2020 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Speedway
2020 FIM Speedway GP
2020 Australian Dirt Track
2020 Australian Track
Tai Woffinden racing in Perth
Graeme Sinden has informed us that two-times British Champion, three-times World Champion, twice winner of The Rob Woffinden Classic and current Western Australian Speedway Solo Champion Tai Woffinden is in town and booked to race at the fabulous Perth Motorplex on Saturday 7th December.
Tai Woffinden will also race the following week at the Pinjar Park Motorcycle Speedway in Neerubup the following Saturday night for the running of the Rob Woffinden Classic. He has previously won the title twice and is the defending RWC Champion.
Joining Tai Woffinden at Perth Motorplex will be three other British riders who together form a British Team who will contest a series of events against a strong West Australian side.
Team GB
Jack Smith, son of former British Champ, Andy Smith.
Leon Flint, the 16 year old Berwick Bandits flyer
Drew Kemp 2019 British under 19 CHAMPION.
Headlining the Team WA will be former International rider, Frank Smart, the in form Dan Winchester and Matt Marson.
Tai is down under in the Southern hemisphere for some R & R to recover from a bruising European season and his World Grand Prix commitments. He will head back to the UK in the new year, however while in Perth he gives of his time to perform in a couple of shows for his WA fans.
Tai set the Pinjar Park track on fire last January winning the RWC and the WA State Championship and was responsible for some of the largest crowds the new track has seen in its relatively short existence.
This is a great opportunity to see Tai Woffinden and his fellow British team mates perform, an opportunity we don’t get to see often in Perth, and I urge you not to miss either of these two huge speedway meetings.
Valentino Rossi and Luca Marini win 100km dei Campioni
Brothers claim victory ahead of Franco Morbidelli and Andrea Migno in the sixth edition of the event held at Rossi’s VR46 Ranch while despite suffering falls on the unfamiliar surface American duo JD Beach and Sammy Halbert rounded out the podium.
The race started in ‘endurance’ style with riders running towards their bikes. Elia Bartolini entered the first corner ahead of the group followed by Rossi, Migno and Stefano Manzi.
The first laps of the race stages some thrilling moments, Manzi crashed and Rossi managed to overtake Bartolini. During the first bike swap Marini, teaming up with his brother Valentino, gained the head of the group chased by Morbidelli and Lorenzo Baldassarri.
During the fifty laps of the race with riders swapping bikes every five laps, exciting head to head battles are staged.
Marini’s bike stopped and Morbidelli took advantage of Luca’s mistake to gain the lead of the race. On the other hand, some grip issues for Bartolini allow American pairing JD Beach and Sammy Halbert to comeback to fight for third position.
In the last few laps of the race, Rossi succeeded in his attempt to reduce the gap with Migno, getting very close to the Academy rider and setting the last laps of the most exciting edition of the 100km dei Campioni on fire.
The last bike swap marks the beginning of the last five laps which decide the podium positions. Marini took the chequered flag first followed by Morbidelli a few tenths behind and JD Beach fighting with Baldassari until the last corners.
Morbidelli made a mistake and a cone got stuck into his bike. This allowed Marini to overtake Franco and gain the lead of the race which he manages to keep util the finish line winning the 100km dei Campioni together with his brother Rossi. Second place went to Morbidelli and Migno following six seconds behind. The American pair of Beach and Halbert gained the third step of the podium ahead of Bartolini and Baldassarri with a gap of just over a second.
Fifth position went the way of Mattia Pasini and Stefano Manzi, sixth was claimed by Celestino Vietti and Marco Bezzecchi.
The Monster Energy AUS-X Open rocked Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium over the weekend as American Jason Anderson claimed the prestigious S-X Open International FIM Oceania Supercross Championship, while Justin Brayton and Chris Blose claimed the Australian Supercross SX1 and SX2 Championships respectively.
An on-form Luke Clout started off the night in perfect fashion, as he laid down the fastest lap in Superpole, clocking faster than Anderson, Brayton and Chad Reed to name a few.
When the SX1 Finals kicked off Justin Brayton made a positive start to claim the first win of the night, as his title rival Clout ran into dramas, going down multiple times and finishing well down the order.
Anderson claimed the race two victory over Brayton, and put in a repeat performance in the third final, earning the S-X Open International FIM Oceania Supercross Championship title, while Brayton claimed the Australian Supercross SX1 Championship.
Justin Brayton – SX1 Champion
“I’m stoked I got the win – the last few weeks have been so tough, so to get this championship means a lot. I love this country, thank you so much for welcoming me, and I hope that I’ve done your country proud coming over here and winning four straight.”
For Anderson, claiming the FIM Oceania Championship is a big tick off the list.
Jason Anderson – FIM Oceania Champion
“This title is sweet, it’s rad I was able to get it done. The track was slick, racing was tight, but my Rockstar Husky was locked in. Thanks to all the AME boys for putting this on. I love coming Down Under, and really plan on doing it for sometime to come.”
2019 Australian Supercross SX1 Standings
Pos
Name
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
PTS
1
Justin BRAYTON
25
25
20
18
25
113
2
Luke CLOUT
20
22
25
22
14
103
3
Daniel REARDON
22
20
22
16
15
95
4
Brett METCALFE
18
18
16
20
18
90
5
Dylan LONG
16
11
15
13
12
67
6
Richie EVANS
13
16
10
8
13
60
7
Joel WIGHTMAN
10
15
9
9
11
54
8
Josh HILL
18
15
20
53
9
Todd WATERS
15
13
12
7
4
51
10
Jason ANDERSON
25
22
47
11
Jayden RYKERS
12
10
8
5
7
42
12
Lawson BOPPING
14
13
11
3
41
13
Jackson RICHARDSON
12
1
14
9
36
14
Cody DYCE
5
5
14
4
5
33
15
Dylan WOOD
8
6
6
3
6
29
16
Jesse DOBSON
7
14
7
28
17
Henry MILLER
11
12
23
18
Gradie FEATHERSTONE
11
7
2
2
22
19
Justin CARAFA
9
4
8
21
20
Caleb WARD
9
8
17
21
Chad REED
16
16
22
Jesse MADDEN
5
10
15
23
Joey SAVATGY
10
10
24
Lochie LATIMER
6
4
10
25
Cody COOPER
6
6
26
Blake COBBIN
4
4
27
Jamie HARVEY
3
3
28
Joel CIGLIANO
3
3
29
Jono KRUSIC
1
1
SX2
The SX2 Class was once again full of insane racing, with the Triple Crown offering up some incredible action that resulted in Honda’s Mitchell Oldenburg taking the overall victory. In P4 was Australian prodigy Jett Lawrence, who claimed two Knobby Holeshots, as he demonstrated why he has secured a long-term contract with Geico Honda.
The star of the show however in SX2 was American Chris Blose; as he brought home the 2019 Australian Supercross SX2 Championship.
Chris Blose – SX2 Champion
“Oh man; I can’t explain this. I’m so pumped, the Penrite Honda team worked so hard for this, I did too, and we walk out of here with a number one plate. Thanks to everyone involved, it’s a dream come true to be crowned champion.”
Collingwood F.C superstar Jordan De Goey took out the Yamaha Celebrity Challenge, as he put his previous motocross skills to the test and eventually stretched his lead to five seconds in the two-lap affair. His AFL rival, Jack Riewoldt, finished in second to last, with 2019 Supercars Champion Scott McLaughlin claiming the wooden spoon.
The Polyflor International showdown was taken out by the Australian Team, with Dan Reardon, Luke Clout and Chad Reed taking out the USA trio of Jason Anderson, Josh Hill and Ricky Carmichael.
The Monster Energy Best Trick contest saw Melbourne young gun Jayo Archer stomp his first ever Double Backflip in competition, and subsequently, the crowd decided he deserved the gold by popular demand. For Boost Mobile Best Whip, Tyler Wakeford beat some heavy hitters to take gold.
That’s a wrap for supercross action in the Southern Hemisphere for 2019, with 2020 already in the works to become bigger and better than ever, as riders continue to strive for supercross stardom.
2019 Australian Supercross SX2 Standings
Pos
Name
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
PTS
1
Chris BLOSE
20
16
25
22
22
105
2
Joshua OSBY
18
22
22
25
14
101
3
Mitchell OLDENBURG
13
25
20
16
25
99
4
Jay WILSON
16
18
15
18
20
87
5
Aaron TANTI
22
20
18
20
4
84
6
Connor TIERNEY
14
14
15
15
58
7
Regan DUFFY
15
12
14
16
57
8
Bradley TAFT
15
12
13
5
12
57
9
Dylan WILLS
12
10
16
12
50
10
Rhys BUDD
11
8
8
13
40
11
Geran STAPLETON
9
7
11
11
38
12
Ricky LATIMER
8
8
9
10
1
36
13
Tomas RAVENHORST
13
10
9
32
14
Morgan FOGARTY
9
3
9
8
29
15
Kyle WEBSTER
11
11
6
28
16
Jayce COSFORD
10
6
4
6
26
17
Jacob HAYES
25
25
18
Darian SANAYEI
13
10
23
19
Kaleb BARHAM
7
7
5
2
21
20
Jett LAWRENCE
18
18
21
Hugh McKAY
6
7
5
18
22
Wilson TODD
14
14
23
Jaxon HADLOW
6
7
13
24
Jack KUKAS
5
4
9
25
Chandler BURNS
5
5
26
Madison LATTA
4
4
27
Alex LARWOOD
3
3
28
McKenzie O’BREE
2
2
29
Caleb GOULLET
1
1
CDR Yamaha’s Clout & Reardon go 2-3 in SX1
US guest Josh Hill made his first trip to the podium in 2019 taking a third place over the weekend at the Aus-X Open, while Luke Clout and Dan Reardon claimed the two – three finish in the premier SX1 championship despite a challenging final round.
Luke Clout carried the championship leader’s red plate into the final round with a slender one point lead over Justin Brayton. Clout looked on point all day posting the fastest laps in qualifying and in Superpole, but when the three back to back main events rolled on, his luck deserted him. He took a 10-3-7 result, crashing in the first and last race.
Luke Clout
“Look, it’s a bit of a disappointing way to finish the championship but overall, I still see it as a very positive series for me and one that I made gains on as a rider. Myself and the team put in a lot of work both in the lead up and during the championship and it was rewarded with good results all the way through and a second championship behind Justin is still something both the team and myself can be very proud of. Thank you to Craig and everyone on the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team as well as my brother Aaron for the amazing job they do. And to race in this venue tonight, in front of so many people is such a huge moment for our sport. Walking out for race one and seeing the crowd and venue gave me chills.”
Dan Reardon finished up third in the SX1 championship after another solid season, matching his 2018 result, and was sixth overall for Round 5 with a consistent 5-5-7 result. A crash in his heat race, left him a little battered and bruised, while he had to transfer through to the main event via the LCQ but once on the start line it was business as usual for the Queenslander.
Dan Reardon
“I made things difficult for myself when I crashed in the heat race. Instead of having an early pick of the start gate with a direct transfer spot, I had 17th pick of the gate and as a result wasn’t in a good position in the first turn on every start. I would love to have done better here tonight as it was a big stage for our sport in a venue like this and with the biggest crowd we have had for supercross, but still happy to finish third in the championship and be racing at this level. Last year I finished the season with an injury in Auckland that took months to rehab. It took a lot of work to come back and get full strength back in my foot and ankle, but I am glad I did it as I still love racing supercross. It was also great to hook up with the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team again and re-ignite a successful working relationship. We won in 2015 and here we are four years later still going for championships.”
With his three race stint here in Australia as a guest of Monster Energy and CDR Yamaha, Josh Hill broke through for his first podium in 2019, charging to a 3-4-2 result in a hectic night of racing. He was up the front in all thee races and challenging the likes of Justin Brayton and Jason Anderson. In only three round appearances, Hill made his way to eighth overall in the championship.
Josh Hill
“I had such a great time here in Australia and can’t thank everyone from Monster and Yamaha for their support and enthusiasm in having my race down here. Everything about this trip has been so much fun and if the opportunity comes up again I would love to do it as my time here as been amazing. “It was also good to get on the podium at the biggest race of the season and reward the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team. We have been close at the other two rounds and I was desperate to give them some decent results for everything they have done. I hope to come back next year and do a full supercross season as I can see the sport is growing here. I can see why Justin does it every year, you Aussie people are cool, so hopefully we can work out a deal that will enable me to do it again as I think I have more to give in racing and enjoy my time here so much.”
Josh Osby claims SX2 runner-up for Raceline KTM Thor
The Aus-X Open started well for Osby, who qualified as the fastest rider of the day’s timed qualifying sessions and went into the nights heat race feeling confident. The night took a turn for the worse in the very first lap of the heat race however, as Osby was landed on by another rider at the conclusion of lap one, hitting the ground hard.
Making the direct transfer to the main, he went on to claim a 5-7-12, despite a penalty in race two and a ruptured oil filler cap in race three. The result left him seventh overall for the round, and relegated Osby to runner-up in the SX2 championship.
Josh Osby
“Tonight was one of the hardest nights of my career. I put myself in good positions like I have all season, but unfortunately it just didn’t work out. It seemed like nothing went my way from the beginning of the heat race on and although we tried, it wasn’t meant to be this time around. I want to thank the entire team, we came so close and they gave me everything I needed to get the job done. But that’s racing and hopefully I’ll be back for redemption next year.”
In a fantastic showing rookie Regan Duffy finished a very impressive fifth overall with 9-5-6 results respectively in the three SX2 main events. A fifth overall culminates a fantastic rookie Supercross season, leading to seventh overall in the SX2 Championship standings.
Regan Duffy
“Tonight was intense for me, the track here at Marvel Stadium was unreal. I had to figure out a few rhythm sections after the days timed sessions, but we worked it out for the main events and it made a big difference come race time. I had some close calls out there tonight, the racing was incredible to be a part of and I had a great time. I can’t thank the team and everyone in my corner enough, 2019 has been a solid start to my Professional career.”
In an unfortunate incident, SX1 rider Henry Miller would crash in the timed qualifying session during the day and be forced to retire from the event with minor injuries, following a collision with another rider.
Jay Wilson closes out SX2 season in fourth at Marvel Stadium
Jay Wilson, defending SX2 champion, has had a frustrating 2019 season just missing the podium at the opening four rounds, despite winning races and being in contention throughout. But he put all that behind him over the weekend, where the Triple Crown format was again is use, with Wilson carding a 3-2-3 result to take third on the night and move to fourth in the final championship standings.
Jay Wilson
“Tonight my mentality was that I had nothing to lose. I was fifth coming into the final round and even if I had a shocker, it wouldn’t have done much for the overall result, so I just laid it all on the line and see what happened. I didn’t get great starts all night and that was my fault, my reaction time at the gate was terrible but I managed to make some passes only to get near the front but run out of time. But, I feel pretty good with how I raced tonight and just wished I had of taken that mentality in from round one. The team did a great job as always and the bike was perfect. The Yamalube Yamaha Racing team put in a big effort and it was frustrating not to be able to get them on the podium until now in this series. Thanks to my mechanic, Mike Ward, his dedication and passion is unrivalled and while we didn’t get the championship back, we gave it a good shake.”
The Aus-X Open also saw Richie Evans complete his first series in supercross, claiming sixth overall in the SX1 championship. The north Queenslander had only competed in a few supercross events prior to the 2019 season and never on a 450, making sixth place a worthy achievement, alongside taking eighth overall for the round with a 6-9-8 result.
Richie Evans
“Sometimes I look at who is alongside me on the start line and think its pretty amazing that I am on the same track as them. I started next to Jason Anderson in all six main events in Auckland and Melbourne- the guy was the 2018 world champion, and I’m just a dude riding a dirt bike from Cairns. I think he must be over me as I got a few starts on him as well. But its been a good supercross series for me. I came in injured at round one, got a top five in Adelaide, had a couple of tough races in Wollongong and Auckland before finishing strongly here in Melbourne. The team have been great and having Michael work with me has been good as he has so much experience. Thank you to everyone on the team and I have had a great time racing supercross.”
Dunlop the tyre of choice for Supercross winners
In front of 35,000 race fans, Dunlop racers took a clean sweep of not only the final-round podium, but also the championship. The Dunlop Geomax MX33 pattern once again proved to be the tyre of choice inside Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, taking the win in every SX1 track outing.
Justin Brayton opened the night with the win in heat one, while Jason Anderson took the top spot in heat two. Superpole saw Clout set the fastest lap, before the triple-crown race format saw the SX1 class line up for three eight-lap races.
It was Brayton’s consistent 1-2-3 results that earned the overall win, ahead of Anderson’s 7-1-1 and Josh Hill’s 3-4-2 to round out the podium, and it was a 2019 Australian Supercross Championship podium lockout with all riders choosing to race with Dunlop.
In the SX2 class Yamalube Yamaha’s Jay Wilson took third for the night, securing fourth in the championship. Title contender Aaron Tanti, went down hard, earning just four points for the round and settling for fifth overall in the championship. All eyes were on 16-year-old Jett Lawrence as he made his supercross debut, taking a 4-3-2 race results for fourth in the round, and showing many why he is not just a future star of the sport, but a star already.
Robbie Bugden – Dunlop Motorsport Manager
“Just like that, the Australian Supercross Championship is over. What an amazing atmosphere, with 35,000 people watching a world-class field on a world-class track. I’m obviously ecstatic about not only securing the round and championship win in SX1, but to lock out the podium is just amazing, and a credit to both the riders and the Geomax product range. Congratulations to Justin Brayton on his fourth SX1 championship, but also to CDR Yamaha Monster Energy for securing second and third overall with Luke (Clout) and Dan (Reardon), along with Josh Hill taking eighth after missing the first two rounds! It was great to watch Jay Wilson take it to the Americans all night in SX2. He’s a class rider and it’s great to see him up front, once more showing that consistency gets you everywhere. 2019 has been a year of change, but also a great year. We’re proud to work with some incredible teams and riders, and supporting the sport in so many ways, and I’m really looking forward to what 2020 has in store.”
Ricky Carmichael’s SX-Open RM-Z450 sold for $18,000!
Suzuki Australia recently announced the opportunity to own the RM-Z450 ridden by Ricky Carmichael at the 2019 SX-Open Supercross event just run in Melbourne, with the bike passing reserve and selling for $18,000, with all proceeds past the reserve going to the Starlight Foundation.
Ricky Carmichael’s one-off 2019 Suzuki RM-Z450 featured the following modifications from standard.
Yoshimura RS-4 full titanium exhaust system
Hinson complete clutch assembly and factory Suzuki clutch cover
Unique to SX-Open event custom RC graphics kit
ODI Ricky Carmichael signature handlebars and lock-on grips
DID gold race chain
Personally signed by the G.O.A.T himself
A set of FOX riding gear as worn by Ricky Carmichael at the SX-Open event=
Carmichael, the most successful AMA motocross racer of all-time is a seven time AMA Motocross premier class champion and five time AMA Supercross Champion. His unrivalled successes in the sport of motocross have given him the nickname ‘The G.O.A.T’ by his peers; standing for the Greatest of All Time.
FIM versus WESS stalemate continues
Talks have been taking place since the beginning of the year as the FIM have sought to bring WESS under their umbrella.
The FIM have made statements such as, “The FIM will not be flexible in environmental rules, safety conditions, protection of our riders and controlling the sport.” Using such statements to indicate that competitors are at more risk in non FIM events due to riders not being covered under the FIM insurance scheme while competing in WESS events.
For their part WESS organisers seem determined to go their own way. The WESS was set-up largely by Red Bull and KTM/Husqarna immediately joined the competition and had their star contracted riders concentrate on the WESS series.
From the outside looking in, WESS certainly seems to be much more professional than World Enduro/Enduro GP. The media and promotion efforts surrounding WESS make EnduroGP look very amateur indeed.
This week the FIM stated that; “The FIM stays firm with regards to environmental rules, safety conditions, protection of riders and controlling the sport. A new meeting will take place in February 2020, where all parties hope to reach an agreement.”
“Two different tenders were launched: one for the promotion of the FIM Enduro World Championship 2021-2030 and another for a new FIM Enduro Extreme World Cup 2020-2029, with the objective of bringing together the Enduro family. The FIM hopes to receive interesting offers.
FIM and FIA fail to reach agreements over SSV racing
SSV (Side by Side Vehicles): Despite their best efforts, an agreement was not possible between the FIM and the FIA on the matter of SSV Classes. The FIM will proceed with its own production category of light vehicles.
Discovery/Eurosport named FIM Speedway GP promoters
Speedway: A tender was launched during the third trimester of 2019 for the promotion of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship for 2022-2031.
Various offers were submitted to the FIM Board of Directors, who chose after much consideration to sign with Discovery / Eurosport Events as their proposal was the most interesting and innovative from a sports, development and TV coverage point of view. The FIM would like to thank BSI for its dedication and hard work and hopes to collaborate with them again in the future.
Kiwi world champs receive medals at FIM Awards in Monaco
In an historic first for Motorcycling New Zealand (MNZ), two Kiwi world champion riders Courtney Duncan and Hamish MacDonald were officially presented with their 2019 FIM World Championship medals at a glittering ceremony in Monaco, on Sunday night.
Since MNZ became affiliated with the FIM in 1986, New Zealand has never had two riders win world championship events in a single season.
Dunedin-based 23-year-old Duncan (Kawasaki) dominantly won the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship in 2019, after three years of near misses, since bursting onto the scene as a race-winning rookie in 2016.
While 20-year-old MacDonald (Sherco), of Christchurch, claimed the FIM 125cc Youth Enduro World Championship – New Zealand’s first title in the discipline, thanks to an impressive second season at this level.
Duncan says it was “definately a proud moment receiving my world championship medal among all the other winners.”
Her victorious season started with a win in the opening moto of the season at Valkenswaard, The Netherlands. Although she slipped to fourth in the second moto and allowed Dutch rider Nancy van der Ven (Yamaha) to claim the top spot, that would prove to be the only moment she would let her guard down all season.
Consecutive doubles in Portugal, the Czech Republic and Italy, set up a title shot at the final round in Turkey, where she wasted no time in wrapping things up with a dominant 12-second victory in the first moto. Duncan signed-off her 2019 assault with a second race win, making it nine from ten for the season, as she followed in the footsteps of fellow Kiwi Katherine Oberlin-Brown (nee Prumm), who won the Women’s World Cup in 2006 and 2007, before the class was elevated to FIM World Motocross Championship status.
MacDonald showed the world how it was done this year too, by scoring a podium in every single race that he finished in the seven-round season. The first Kiwi rider to compete at world level in over fifteen years, he also showed no shortage of grit and determination to come back after breaking his shoulder at the third round in Spain, where he missed out on the points completely after back-to-back double victories in Germany and Portugal.
His only other no-score after that was on the second day in Italy and despite having conceded the championship lead to Italy’s Claudio Spanu (Husqvarna), MacDonald gradually fought back to make sure of the title with a pair of third places at the final round in Ambert, France.
He and Duncan were treated to all the super-star treatment in Monaco – complete with a helicopter transfer into Monte Carlo and Duncan was dressed for the awards night by Kiwi fashion label Company of Strangers, from her hometown of Dunedin.
“It was a huge honour to be representing New Zealand at these awards and to have Hamish alongside – another Kiwi – is pretty special for our country. I will enjoy this moment before I get back to work towards next season,” Duncan says.
MacDonald was blown away by the hillside district of Monte Carlo, describing it as “amazing and so beautiful.”
“It was great to represent New Zealand on a world stage – not just myself too which is pretty crazy because New Zealand has never had two world champion riders in one year!” Hamish says.
Like Duncan, he will start increasing his hours on the bike and cross-training, as he prepares for the up-coming season, where he moves up to the junior enduro category.
“It will be tough, but I like a challenge and I’m excited to see what it brings, and hopefully I can come back to Monaco next year! Summer will be hard training for me. I don’t know if I’ll race any events in New Zealand yet. I’ll also be doing lots of riding, running and cycling preparing for my return back to Europe in January 2020.” MacDonald says.
Duncan also heads back to Europe around the same time, as her first round is in Britain at the end of February, where she will begin her title defence.
“I’ll start to build for the season when I’m return to New Zealand at the end of the week. It’ll be another big year, which I’m looking forward to.” Duncan says.
2020 AORC round 1-3 locations announced
The Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) have released race weekend locations for the first six of 12 rounds of the 2020 national championship series.
The AORC kick starts the 2020 season off returning to Toowoomba featuring a new Cooby Dam venue for rounds 1 and 2 on February 22 and 23.
The championship then heads south to Dungog, NSW on March 14 and 15 for rounds 3 and 4 and a new venue at Nowra for rounds 5 and 6 on April 18 and 19.
The 2020 Championship will continue to use a double-header format, which will see six weekends make up twelve rounds of the AORC for 2020.
Matthew Falvo – Motorcycling Australia Off-Road Events Manager
“With the recently crowned World Champion Junior Team and overall second placed Australian ISDE team returning for action in 2020, we will have the best riders in the world competing in the Yamaha AORC. We are very excited for the 2020 Yamaha AORC to be returning to Toowoomba, Dungog and Nowra, where we have held successful events in the past. With new exciting venues in the 2020 AORC we are sure to again field upwards of 200 plus riders for each event in every state.”
AORC reveal the second half of the year’s locations for the twelve round 2020 championship once relevant planning approvals have been met.
2020 Australian Off-Road Championship Calendar
Round 1 & 2: Toowoomba, QLD – 22–23 February 2020
Round 3 & 4: Dungog, NSW – 14–15 March 2020
Round 5 & 6: Nowra, NSW – 18–19 April 2020
Round 7 & 8: SA – 1–2 August 2020
Round 9 & 10: VIC – 19–20 September 2020
Round 11 & 12: TBC – 17–18 October 2020
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 AMA Motocross race schedule
May 17 – Hangtown Motocross Classic – Rancho Cordova, CA
May 24 – Fox Raceway National – Pala, CA
May 31 – Thunder Valley National – Lakewood, CO
June 7 – Florida National – Jacksonville, FL
June 21 – High Point National – Mt. Morris, PA
June 28 – Southwick National – Southwick, MA
July 5 – RedBud National – Buchanan, MI
July 19 – Spring Creek National – Millville, MN
July 26 – Washougal National – Washougal, WA
August 16 – Unadilla National – New Berlin, NY
August 23 – Budds Creek National – Mechanicsville, MD
August 30 – Ironman National – Crawfordsville, IN
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Calendar
Jan. 4 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 11 – The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Jan. 18 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 25 – State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Feb. 1 – Ringcentral Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
Feb. 8 – Petco Park, San Diego, Calif.
Feb. 15 – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Feb. 22 – AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Feb. 29 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
March 7 – Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Fla.
March 14 – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianpolis, Ind.
March 21 – Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
March 28 – Centurylink Field, Seattle, Wash.
April 4 – Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, Co.
April 18 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
April 25 – Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
May 2 – Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah
2020 MXGP Calendar
March 1 – Great Britain, Matterley Basin (EMX125, WMX)
March 8 – The Netherlands, Valkenswaard – (EMX250, WMX)
March 22 – Patagonia, Argentina, Neuquen
April 5 – Trentino I, Pietramurata – (EMX250, EMX 2t)
April 19 – Spain, (TBA) – (EMX125, WMX)
April 26 – Portugal, Agueda – (EMX125, EMX250)
May 10 – France, Saint Jean d’Angely – (EMX125, EMX Open)
May 17 – Italy, Maggiora – (EMX Open, WMX)
May 24 – Germany, Teutschenthal – (EMX250, EMX Open)
After the recent bout of rough weather events and dusty venues one could not be well enough prepared for the sublime surface that presented itself on arrival at the Coonalpyn track in South Australia over the weekend.
An abundance of pearlescent white beach sand mixed in with canola crops and some tight mallee scrub made for an amazing location that was universally enjoyed.
The Gawler Motorcycle Club had obviously put a lot of time and effort into this event and it was evident from the moment you drove onto the property. As far as racing spectacles were to go, there was only one real point of contention with the E1 class having the most potential for upset winners.
Both E2 and E3 were expected to run according to script as they had done all year. With the track marked out and riders primed for what was to be some epic riding the only thing holding everybody back was the starter’s gun.
Saturday quickly evolved into a game of who could bury their bike the deepest in successive corners. The sand was fluffy and deep. It was reminiscent of a day at the Stockton Beach dunes. Don’t get me wrong, there was a little bit of rock and mallee scrub thrown in for good measure out the back but none of the spectators could see this so it didn’t matter.
In what was some of the most spectacular racing we’ve seen all year, there was sand being thrown far and wide, left and right. At the end of Round 8 the usual suspects had forged their way to the front in clinical displays of riding deep sand.
Husqvarna Offroad rider Daniel “Chucky” Sanders had walked away with the E3 points while KTM Offroad order Daniel Milner showed why he’s the man to beat in E2.
Threesix Motorsports Yamaha rider Luke Styke edged out KTM Offroad’s Lyndon Snodgrass for the E1 prize. In the women, Jess Gardiner pushed her way to the front beating Emma Milesevic and Yamaha compatriot Emelie Karlsson.
Sunday saw the tracks rotated giving the Vets, Masters, Womens and Clubman classes a look at the thoroughly flogged track ridden on Saturday by the pro classes. To say the whoops were large was a monumental understatement.
In scenes reminiscent of past Hattah Desert races there were whoops out there large enough to swallow bike and rider. The pros shifted to what was previously the Junior track that in one place contained a section of primo sand motocross track. This drew the crowd.
With the tops of the dunes overlooking the marvel of modern earthworks covered in spectators, the pro classes went to war once again.
It soon became obvious that you could put your house on who was going to take out E3 and with the absence of Husqvarna mounted Beau Ralston – who had been sidelined late in the week after a training injury, Daniel Sanders had a real chance to wrap up the E3 championship at the end of the day.
He just needed to finish safely and glory would be his. As the Husqvarna crew held their breath in the pits, Sanders beat the Coonalpyn track into submission to claim the Round 9 and 2019 E3 championship honours in destructive fashion some six minutes clear of his nearest rival.
Daniel Milner was again victorious in E2 leading home Yamaha’s Josh Green by around 3 minutes. He will still need to fight to the end if he is to claim the E2 crown.
As far as E1 goes the final decision will be less clear with a number of different class winners throughout the season however Threesix Yamaha’s Luke Styke looks a strong contender if KTM’s Lyndon Snodgrass or Husqvarna’s Fraser Higlett can’t keep him honest in the final rounds.
Rounds 10 and 11 will take place on 14-15th September at Hedley in Victoria. The deep black dust and sand that makes up the majority of this track is always a good test of man and machine and at this time of year the weather can be capable of just about anything.
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.
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’.
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.”
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.
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.”
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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.”
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.”
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
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
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.”
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
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.”
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!”
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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
In typical Queensland fashion, Round 1 of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) kicked off in steamy conditions, with temperatures reaching into the mid-thirties, alongside dry, dusty conditions.
A new highly technical WR 450 Track pushed the world-class line-up from start to finish as they fought for podium real estate, with Daniel Milner quickest on track for Round 1.
With the completion of Day 1 (Round 1) Luke Styke claimed the E1 victory, Daniel Milner took out E2, Daniel Sanders claimed E3 and newcomer to the Senior category Kyron Bacon won EJ.
On Day 2 (Round 2) of the AORC, Toowoomba’s temperatures and dry conditions put the world class line-up to a final test. With the sun beating down competitors tackled a new Off-Road Advantage Track that demanded strong technical skill.
Coming out on top after the three tests was Lyndon Snodgrass for E1, Daniel Milner for E2, Daniel Sanders for E3 and Kyron Bacon for EJ.
Daniel Milner
“I gelled well with the KTM 350 EXC-F this weekend and it’s an unbelievable package for technical terrain like we had here in Toowoomba. My weekend was awesome, I just tried to stay smooth and consistent without many mistakes, even though we did have a couple of lay-downs along the way! I think every rider did. All in all, I’m absolutely stoked with how the first two rounds have started off the series and now I’m excited for the next event.”
Daniel Sanders
“To win both days in E3 was good, especially battling up front with [Daniel] Milner for the overall, so it was a strong weekend. The Husqvarna FE 501 was definitely competitive for me and I will keep working to gain strength so I can throw it around more to make the most of it in the coming rounds. It’s been a positive start to the season and now we will look ahead from this stage in the season.”
The Junior competitors in classes J2, J3 and J4 faced a challenging Day 1 (Round 1) test on the Yamaha bLU cRU Track that forced a reliance on technical skill, with the Sprint format demanding the fastest test time every time, and proved the undeniable skill that continues to emerge from Australia’s junior Enduro talent. Upon the close of the day’s action, Billy Hargy took out the best time for J2, Campbell O’Donnell for J3 and Blake Hollis for J4.
In true Australian Junior Enduro fashion, Round 2 proved how strong the emerging Enduro talent is, racing the same bLU cRU Track as Round 1. Coming out on top for Round 2 on the bLU cRU Track was Jett Arnold for J2, Riley McGillivray for J3, and Blake Hollis for J4.
Toowoomba also greeted the Women’s, Masters, Veterans and 2-Stroke Cup, as they tackled the five tests on the nearly eight kilometre track. Coming out on top for Day 1 of the 2019 AORC season was Jessica Gardiner for the Women’s class, Kirk Hutton for the Masters, Lee Stephens for the Veterans and Adam Giles for the 2 Stroke Cup.
Over three tests on the WR 450 Track, the Round 2 titles were fought out by the Masters, Women’s, Veterans and 2 Stroke Cup classes, with the wins awarded to Jessica Gardiner for the Women’s, Kirk Hutton for the Masters, Lee Stephens for the Veterans, and Adam Giles for the 2-Stroke Cup!
E1 – 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2
Reigning E1 Champion, Styke, maintained his place at the top of his class, achieving the fastest test times in E1 on Day 1. Styke finished ahead of Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team) and Michael Driscoll (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) to take out the gold, with a time of 1:00:11.804.
Snodgrass continued to apply the pressure to Styke throughout the day, finishing just under 23 seconds behind the reigning Champion. Taking out the remaining spots in the top five was Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) and homegrown Australian legend, Matthew Phillips (MX Store, KTM), with a time of 1:01:27.354 and 1:03:22.590 respectively.
Arriving at the new Off-Road Advantage Track on Day 2 (Round 2), Lyndon Snodgrass came in with a point to prove. Managing the new track’s conditions alongside stifling heat, Snodgrass grappled with his bike to clinch a first place victory ahead of Round 1 Champion, Luke Styke by just over four seconds!
Lyndon Snodgrass
“Overall it was a good weekend for me! I didn’t feel super-confident in the sketchy conditions, but to get second yesterday and then win today is a good feeling and I’m really happy with the result. Riding the KTM 250 EXC-F is awesome for me, it’s really light and handles so well, which was positive for me this weekend. To get these results in such tough conditions is definitely good for the KTM Enduro Racing Team. 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!”
Closing out the podium in third place today was Michael Driscoll, who flew ahead of his trailing competitors to clinch the final podium spot for two days running. Fraser Higlett claimed fourth for the second day in a row.
Fraser Higlett
“It was a tough weekend for me, that’s for sure. The results weren’t what I wanted, but I pushed through and scored decent points, which is good. This gives me something to work from for the rest of the year and I know where I can be if I put it all together. I did have a few good test times, but struggled with some crashes this weekend, and I hope that the next rounds are more positive in terms of results. My Husqvarna FE 250 was really solid all weekend though, so now we will look ahead to the next one.”
MX Store’s Matthew Phillips retired earlier today due to an injury.
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
AORC E1 Standings after Round 1 & 2
Lyndon SNODGRASS 47
Luke STYKE 47
Michael DRISCOLL 40
Fraser HIGLETT 36
Jonte REYNDERS 31
Seton BROOMHALL 29
Lachlan ALLAN 27
Joseph COLE 24
Mackenzie BOWSER 21
Alexander RULOFF 20
E2 – 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2
2018 treated Milner well, and Round 1 of the new 2019 season proved no exception. Milner finished with the fastest time for the day in the E2 class, while maintaining a steady lead over the five tests.
Upon the close of test five, Milner clocked in a time of 58:12.545, ahead of Joshua Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) by just under two minutes, and Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team) by just shy of three minutes.
Broc Grabham and Brad Hardaker took out the remaining spots in the top five, with just under 12 seconds separating Hardaker from Grabham’s time of 1:05:06.627.
Taking out a consecutive round title on Day 2, was Daniel Milner, who remained well ahead of the pack throughout the day. Regardless of tough conditions and yesterday’s crash in the final laps, Milner remained steadfast to clinch both the Round 2 E2 title as well as the fastest time for the day!
Landing in second place, just over three minutes behind Milner was Josh Green, who finished off the day’s three tests with a time of 38:33.191 ahead of Jeremy Carpentier. Carpentier closed off the podium ahead of Broc Grabham, with a time of 39:03.107.
Daniel Milner
“The biggest thing I took out from this weekend was the right technical skills are required to ride my new 350. 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.”
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
AORC E2 Standings after Round 1 & 2
Daniel MILNER 50
Joshua GREEN 44
Jeremy CARPENTIER 40
Broc GRABHAM 36
Brad HARDAKER 32
Kristian SPRENGER 30
Kaleb TREASURE 28
Brent DEAN 25
Wesley KEELEY 24
Jack JUDGE 23
E3 – 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2
Round 1 saw Sanders kick off the E3 with a difficult start, crashing in the first test. In his typical fashion though, Sanders remain cool and collected, picking himself up and dusting himself off to take out the fastest time for the E3 class.
With a time of 58:18.484, Sanders was trailed by Beau Ralston by just over four minutes, followed on by Andrew Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Racing Team). Finishing up the top five places in Round 1 was Jesse Lawton and Matt Murry, with respective times of 1:06:09.427 and 1:08:07.233.
Closing off Day 2 of the weekend with two consecutive E3 title wins was Sanders, leading the charge ahead of the competition by just shy of three minutes. Sanders finished the day with a time of 37:27.786. Trailing behind in second place was Andrew Wilksch, who maintained a strong presence across the weekend to hold onto his place in the top three for the E3 class!
Daniel Sanders
“It was a pretty successful weekend finished off with some Champaign to boot. 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.”
Rounding out the podium in third place for Round 2 was Beau Ralston, finishing behind Wilksch by just over 20 seconds, with a time of 40:31.481.
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
AORC E3 Standings after Round 1 & 2
Daniel SANDERS 50
Andrew WILKSCH 42
Beau RALSTON 42
Jesse LAWTON 36
Matt MURRY 32
Daniel WELSH 30
Daniel MIDDLETON 27
Timothy LONSDALE 27
Jackson CALDWELL 24
Luke MORRISON 22
EJ – 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2
Coming out on top on Day 1 in EJ was Bacon, who maintained a consistent form all day regardless of the heat or dust. Bacon retained high speeds and clear focus to remain in the top two of the leader board all day.
Bacon finished the day with a time of 1:03:47.489, ahead of Joshua Brierley who finished the day on 1:04:06.772. Third place was clinched by Harrison Teed, coming in hot on Brierley’s heels with a final time of 1:05:20.839. Rounding out the top five was William Price and Korey McMahon, with respective times of 1:06:57.405 and 1:07:55.681.
Reflecting the day’s events, Bacon explained that ‘the heat was a struggle, but the hardest aspect to manage was the dust. The conditions changed throughout the day as each test passed, making it even harder to remain fast and consistent.
On Day 2 (Round 2) in the EJ class, Bacon left Toowoomba with two deserving titles under his belt, after leading the charge to finish just shy of 50 seconds ahead of second place holder, Joshua Brierley.
Kyron Bacon
“I had an awesome day today ending up in the top ten fastest times for one of the tests. Hopefully we can continue to back up the success this weekend in Dungog next month.”
Brierley finished with a time of 41:09.418, with Harrison Teed taking out the final podium position with a time today of 41:53.032. With such a small length of time separating the top three in EJ this weekend, great racing is expected at Rounds 3 & 4 in Dungog, New South Wales (NSW) next month.
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 (MX Store, KTM) 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 EJ Standings after Round 1 & 2
Kyron BACON 50
Joshua BRIERLEY 44
Harrison TEED 40
Korey MCMAHON 34
William PRICE 34
Cooper SHEIDOW 30
Riley NANCARROW 27
Nathan HOWE 25
Matt WATERS 25
Mathew PYE 22
J4 – 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2
Already a household name in Australian Enduro racing, Blake Hollis finished Round 1 with the best time of 10:32.818. Hollis sat pretty amid the heat and dust, ahead of Mackenzie Johnson by just over a minute, with Johnson finishing today with a time of 54:32.036. Rounding out the J4 podium today was Zac Perry with a time of 55.33.284.
Dominating once again in Round 2 on Sunday in the J4 class was Hollis, who increased his lead throughout today’s challenging conditions to just over one minute. With a time of 40:11.651, Hollis found his feet early in the first of four tests, moving faster and faster as the day progressed. Following Hollis in second was Mackenzie Johnson, with a time of 41:29.590. Rounding out the podium in third today was Oscar Collins, with a time of 41:58.118.
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 J4 Standings after Round 1 & 2
Blake HOLLIS 50
Mackenzie JOHNSON 44
Oscar COLLINS 38
Zac PERRY 35
Charlie MILTON 34
Cody CHITTICK 30
Kobe CONLEY 27
Hayden CAMPBELL 27
Jay SIMISTER 25
Clay PARSONS 20
J3 – 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2
Campbell O’Donnell clinched a top time for the J3 class on Day 1 of 55:19.273, slipping ahead rival Riley McGillivray by just over six seconds! The final podium position was nabbed by Kodi Stephens with a time of 56:49.768.
Round 1 delivered a showstopping performance as the three podium holders exhibited proof of Australia’s leading junior talent in Enduro raving, with O’Donnell, McGillivray and Stephens each landing a fastest time in one of the five tests.
After finishing second in Round 1 (Saturday), McGillivray came into Day 2 with confidence, finishing the four tests to take out first place. With a time of 40:57.774, McGillivray remained strong and consistent all day to take the lead.
Riley McGillivray
“My plans this weekend were to stay smooth and consistent, whilst putting in the best laps I could manage. Coming from Victoria, I definitely struggled with the heat yesterday, so today I worked really hard on keeping cool. This round has given me a heap of experience and has shown me what I’m going up against this season in the J3 class.”
Taking out the remaining places on the podium for Round 2 was Campbell O’Donnell and William Dennett, with respective times of 41:25.296 and 43:17.461.
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
AORC J3 Standings after Round 1 & 2
Riley MCGILLIVRAY 47
Campbell O’DONNELL 47
William DENNETT 38
Kodi STEPHENS 38
Jack BITHELL 31
Maxwell LIEBEKNECHT 29
Kelly WOOLSTON 26
William COOPER 25
Jethro CARRIAGE 23
Jake HAYES 22
J2 – 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2
Taking out the best time for Round 1 in the J2 class was Billy Hargy with a time of 57:11.271. Second place was clinched by Campbell Hall, who came in hot after Hargy with a time of 57:27.053. Hargy and Hall maintained a classic Tango throughout the days tests, as each fought for fastest times across the five tests. Taking out the final podium place for Round 1 was Jett Yarnold with a time of 58:38.884.
Taking the win Round 2 in J3 was Jett Arnold on Sunday, leading the charge ahead of his rivals by just over forty seconds. Arnold took some time to find his feet during today’s four tests, but once the confidence set in, he flew through the remainder of the day, finishing with a time of 43:59.560.
Following Arnold in second place for Round 2 was Campbell Hall, with a time of 44:40.490. Rounding out the podium today in J2 was Max Phillips, with a time of 45:00.793
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
AORC J2 Standings after Round 1 & 2
Jett YARNOLD 45
Campbell HALL 44
Max PHILLIPS 38
Kyle SANDSTROM 33
Luke CHELLAS 32
Jack SHEARER 29
Billy HARGY 25
Jack HENRICKSON 25
William VELLA 23
Max MENSFORTH 21
Women’s – 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2
Reigning Women’s Champion, Jessica Gardiner, commenced the 2019 season in perfect form as she pursues her campaign to smash the Women’s title record out of the park.
Gardiner finished Day 1 with a time of 1:13:37.414, ahead of Emelie Karlsson by just shy of two minutes. Karlsson finished the day with a time of 1:15:26.672, managing both the high heats, dust and her recovering foot injury to grab second place. Ebony Nielsen trailed Karlsson to take out third place for Round 1 by just under three minutes.
On Sunday’s Round 1 on the WR 450F Track, Gardiner remained a dominating force in the Women’s class, taking out a consecutive round win! Living up to her campaign in chasing the current record for the Women’s titles, Gardiner lead the class by just over three minutes!
Landing in second behind Gardiner was Emma Milesevic with a time of 47:36.299. A maiden voyage in Enduro racing for Milesevic, who currently continues to compete in Motocross, today’s racing proved her growing comfort in the new discipline.
Emma Milesevic
“So far so good! I’m still racing in Motocross as well, but I’m loving the challenge and change in riding Enduro. I’m trying to bring the same speed and aggression from my Motocross racing, whilst also refining my technical skills.”
Third place was clinched by Ebony Nielsen, who managed an impressive weekend to hold onto the final podium spot, with a time of 48:16.332.
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
AORC Women’s Standings after Round 1 & 2
Jessica GARDINER 50
Emma MILESEVIC 40
Ebony NIELSEN 40
Emelie KARLSSON 38
Danielle FOOT 34
Zoe BOCCARI 30
Isabella HOOD 27
Charlotte GAMBLE 27
Masters – 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2
Returning to the AORC pits in Masters is household name, Kirk Hutton, who took out the best time for the class on Day 1 of 1:10:43.091. Moving from the Veteran’s class to Masters, Hutton made a seamless switch to his new class, leading the charge ahead of Timothy Martin by just over four minutes! Rounding out the podium today in third place was John Baker with a time of 1:17:56.029.
Come Round 2, Hutton put on a repeat performance to lead the charge on the WR 450F Track, juggling both a highly technical test and stifling Queensland heats to a 44:12.694 time.
Kirk Hutton
“Today was a little bit harder than yesterday considering we tackled the Pro’s track, which was tough straight from the get go. It was unfortunate that we didn’t have any rain because the conditions made it that bit more difficult. The competition this weekend has been great, making it an absolute pleasure to compete in a sport I love. I haven’t seen Tim Martin since 1996, so it was fantastic to race against one another once again.”
Filling out the remaining podium positions was Timothy Martin and John Baker, with a time of 45:34.107 and 47:36.194 respectively.
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 Masters Standings after Round 1 & 2
Kirk HUTTON 50
Timothy MARTIN 44
John BAKER 40
Ian JENNER 36
Craig TREASURE 32
Peter RUDD 30
Ian MCGILLIVRAY 25
Andrew DENNETT 24
Kenneth HICKS 23
Adam O’CONNOR 23
Veterans – 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2
Kicking off the opening round of the 2019 season, Lee Stephens came out on top with a time of 1:10:18.984, ahead of Benjamin D’Arcy by just shy of two minutes! Taking out the final place on the podium in third was Matthew Keipert with a time of 1:12:23.882.
Today’s competition across the field in the Veterans class was fierce, with many of the top 10 placed featuring in the top three times across the five tests.
Stephens continued his domination on Sunday’s Round 2, clinching consecutive class wins, leading the Veterans by just over 20 seconds! With a time of 43:19.237, Stephens was trailed by Matthew Keipert, who finished with a time of 43:43.326.
Nabbing the final podium position in third, was Christopher Thomas, who finished behind Keipert by just over forty seconds!
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
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 Veterans Standings after Round 1 & 2
Lee STEPHENS 50
Matthew KEIPERT 42
Benjamin D’ARCY 40
Christopher THOMAS 38
Jason PEARCE 32
Daniel SAWTELL 30
Paul CHADWICK 28
Luke ABLITT 26
Phil NEWMAN 23
Daniel WALL 21
2-Stroke Cup – 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2
In an exciting first for the 2019 season, AORC welcomed the new 2-Stroke Cup category, catering for 125cc up to 250cc machinery. Taking out the top spot in Round 1 was Adam Giles with a time of 1:10:52.544.
Trailing behind Giles to take out second place was John Isherwood, with a time of 1:15:40.846. Rounding out the podium for the 2 Stroke Cup was Todd Charlick, following on behind Isherwood by just over three minutes.
It ended as a very successful weekend for Adam Giles, who has left Toowoomba with two class trophies under his belt following Sunday’s racing of Round 2. Giles dominated during the three tests, keeping ahead of his competition to finish the day with just over a four-minute lead!
The remaining podium positions were clinched by John Isherwood and Todd Charlick, with respective times of 46:53.488 and 48:56.977. The 2-Stroke Cup will return as a supporting class at Dungog, New South Wales, from April 6-7.
Moto News Wrap for February 4, 2019 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Moto News Latest
Great night for Kawasaki at San Diego AMA SX
French riders continue to dominate UK Arenacross
Cairoli and Prado continue top form at Ottobiano
Raga beats Bou at Barcelona X-Trial
Cooper and Harwood storm Taranaki
Nathan Watson claims French Beach Race title at Enduropale du Touquet
Suzuki Australia continues contingency program in 2019
Yamaha bLU cRU backs 2019 A4DE
Toowoomba to host opening round of AORC
Mountain Man just a few week’s away
King of MX receives manufacture’s backing
2019 bLU cRU Off-Road Racing increases USA contingency program
Jeffrey Herlings injury update
Italy disqualified from 2018 MXoN
Great night for Kawasaki at San Diego AMA SX
Kawasaki riders Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo have won the 450SX and 250SX main events respectively in sloppy conditions at round five of the AMA Supercross Championships which was held in San Diego last weekend.
450SX Report
San Diego was soaked with unseasonal rain all week as well as on race night so the main event was shortened to just 15 minutes and on a completely water logged circuit Tomac survived the treacherous conditions to not only score his first win of the season, he became the fourth Red Plate holder for the 2019 season.
Marvin Musquin played it safe all race to steadily climb up to second place over Ken Roczen on the very last lap and now sits just tied with Roczen in second place, just four points back from Tomac.
Eli Tomac
“Today was kind of wild with the conditions, we weren’t on the normal dirt but overall it was the direction we wanted to go, qualifying good, getting better starts to put ourselves in the right position but when the rain stopped the mud got thicker so the bike got heavy and each section was sketchy, it had to stop to make sure a track marker didn’t get sucked into my rear wheel and then had to stop to clear my goggles on the last lap so it was the hardest by far.”
Marvin Musquin
“It was a tough day, in the heat race I don’t know what happened but I almost did a 180 off the start but managed to get back to third then in the main I just tried to get a decent start but I didn’t so I was pretty far back, my helmet was heavy, my goggles were full of mud so I almost pulled my goggles off on the first lap but I didn’t which is awesome because it saved me and the roll-off worked out so towards the end, I had no idea where I was (placing wise) so I just kept on passing but you couldn’t attack or you could make a mistake, I got by Bogle, then I saw Kenny and got around him then when we crossed the line I looked at the board and I was in second.”
Ken Roczen
“I thought I was in third, then I got passed my Marvin with one turn to go which wasn’t that happy about, I made some changes this week and we made some improvements on the starts which really paid off because today the tarts were really important, I got a super-good holeshot (in the main) but sure enough, I threw it away and went back to fourth of fifth then ended up third, for the championship we are only four points behind and it’s super tight so for my mind the season doesn’t really start until around round 10 and to somewhere near the front is good and I am just picking my battles right now, I just want to get out of the West Coast because it has been a long time since I accomplished that.”
It was mayhem all race causing Justin Barcia’s Yamaha to fail while Justin Bogle was unlucky not to land on the podium but the fill-in KTM rider managed fourth place ahead of Chad Reed, Aaron Plessinger, Joey Savatgy, and Cooper Webb who went over the handlebars while taking evasive action when Musquin momentarily stalled between two muddy jumps.
Webb lost the red plate in San Diego but remains in contention for the championship to sit in 4th, just eight points behind Tomac.
As for Reed, the veteran finally cracked the top five and has moved into ninth in the championship, just 15 points behind fifth placed Blake Baggett.
450 Main Event Results
Eli Tomac
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen
Justin Bogle
Chad Reed
Aaron Plessinger
Joey Savatgy
Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett
Tyler Bowers
Vince Friese
Dean Wilson
Cole Martinez
Cole Seely
Ben Lamay
Carlen Gardner
Kyle Chisholm
Theodore Pauli
Cade Autenrieth
Alex Ray
Justin Barcia
Heath Harrison
450SX Points after Round 5 of 17
Eli Tomac – 106
Marvin Musquin – 102
Ken Roczen – 102
Cooper Webb – 98
Blake Baggett – 80
Dean Wilson – 80
Justin Barcia – 74
Aaron Plessinger – 66
Chad Reed – 65
Cole Seely – 65
250SX Report
There was only one rider on the track in the 250SX main that looked remotely comfortable in the slippery conditions and it was Cianciarulo who led from go-to-woe to not only convincingly take the win but the Kawasaki rider has moved into the championship lead after his closest rivals faltered.
Cianciarulo’s teammate Garrett Marchbanks rode well to finish second ahead of Jimmy Decotis while championship contenders Shane McElrath, Dylan Ferrandis and Colt Nichols finished 4th, 7th and 10th respectively.
Cianciarulo now holds an eight point lead in the championship over McElrath while Nichols is 10 points back and Ferrandis 12 as the 250SX West riders head into a three week break.
Adam Cianciarulo
“It is good going into the break with my mind at ease but when you have a stressful day like this with all of the unknowns and things that can happen out of your control it is tough but I felt better than usual so now happy to build on this.”
Garrett Marchbanks
“It’s been a big learning curve riding with these guys and I have been working on my starts and my speed so to end up here in second is beyond where I thought we would be when the day got started. My dad and I use to flood a little turn track at our place which made me a pretty good mud rider.”
James Decotis
“I didn’t know I got third, I thought I got another fourth place, I am over fourth place, then I was told I got third, I was trying to stay up, my little legs I was dabbling and struggling so I just stood up, hit my marks to end up third so I am thankful for it.”
In his final race before heading home, Australian privateer Thomas Ravenhorst did not qualify for the night program after an electrical gremlin put an end to his night in San Diego but the good news for us Aussie’s is that Hunter Lawrence will be in action when the AMA Supercross Championship heads to Minneapolis this weekend.
250 Main Event Results
Adam Cianciarulo
Garrett Marchbanks
James Decotis
Shane McElrath
Jess Pettis
Martin Castelo
Dylan Ferrandis
Mathias Jorgensen
Cameron McAdoo
Colt Nichols
Chris Blose
Michael Mosiman
Jacob Hayes
Carson Brown
RJ Hampshire
Scott Champion
RJ Wageman
Devin Harriman
Enzo Lopes
Deegan Vonlossberg
Ludovic Macler
Mitchell Harrison
250 Points after 5 of 10 Rounds
Adam Cianciarulo – 114
Shane McElrath – 106
Colt Nichols – 104
Dylan Ferrandis – 102
RJ Hampshire – 75
James Decotis – 73
Cameron McAdoo – 72
Garrett Marchbanks – 71
Chris Blose – 70
Jess Pettis – 66
French riders continue to dominate UK Arenacross
The Resorts World Arena, Birmingham hosted the fourth round of the six-round UK Arenacross Tour and it was the French pairing of Cedric Soubeyras and Greg Aranda who continued to dominate the series.
Soubeyras won the Superfinal over Aranda and Valentin Teillet and then the Pro-Lites final ahead of Teillet and Julien Lebeau before Aranda won the Pro 450 final over Charles Le Francois and Adam Chatfield.
Aranda now has a four point lead over Soubeyras in the Pro AX class, Soubeyras already has a healthy 48 point lead in the Pro Lites class and Aranda has a 49 point lead in the Pro 450 class while it is the Team FRO Systems Suzuki who is leading the team points chase.
The next stop of The Arenacross Tour is in two weeks’ time The FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th of February 2019.
Cairoli and Prado continue top form at Ottobiano
The second round of the Italian Motocross Championship was held on a rain soaked Ottobiano circuit last Sunday and once again KTM riders Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado have not only won their MX1 and MX2 races respectively but they also finished 1-3 three in the MX1/MX2 combined Superfinal.
Cairoli won the MX1 moto after a hard fought battle with Yamaha’s Romain Febvre but by moto end the Italian had etched out a three second gap to take with win over Febvre, Tim Gajser, Gautier Paulin and Tanel Leok while in the MX2 class Prado won the moto by over seven seconds from Calvin Vlaanderen, Max Renaux, Michelle Cervellin and Ben Watson.
The Superfinal lived up to expectations with Cairoli and Gajser battling tooth and nail for much of the race but Cairoli got the nod by a narrow margin over Gajser, Prado, Febvre and Mikkel Haarup.
Cairoli lead the MX1 championship by 40 points over Febvre and the Superfinal class by 40 points over Gajser while in the MX2 class Prado holds a 90 point lead with one round remaining at Mantova this weekend.
Italian MX1 Standings
Cairoli Antonio (Ita) 240
Febvre Romain (Fra) 200
Gajser Tim(Slo) 160
Paulin Gautier (Fra) 130
Leok Tanel (Est) 115
Italian MX2 Standings
Prado Jorge (Spa) 240
Haarup Mikkel (Den) 150
Cervellin Michele (Ita) 125
Watson Ben (Gbr) 125
Renaux Maxime (Fra) 112
Raga beats Bou at Barcelona X-Trial
Adam Raga has taken a rare victory over Toni Bou at the second round of the FIM X-Trail World Championship held in Barcelona, Spain last weekend.
It was an up and down night for all riders on a very technical circuit but when it was all said and done Raga got the win over Bou with Jaime Busto coming home in third place so after two rounds Raga and Bou are tied on 35 points with Busto tied for third place in the championship with Jeroni Fajardo on 21 points.
The third round of the seven round series will be held in Bilboa, Spain on February 16.
Cooper and Harwood storm Taranaki
The Taranaki Motorcycle Club hosted the opening round of the highly anticipated New Zealand Motocross Championship and in perfect racing weather is was Cody Cooper and Hamish Harwood who came away with first blood in the MX1, MX2 and 125cc classes respectively.
MX1 Report
On the slippery Taranaki layout Cooper dropped the opening MX1 moto to defending champion Kirk Gibbs but the veteran was in no mood to give the Aussie any more fanfare to go on and win the final two motos for the overall win and the points lead heading to the second round of the four round series.
After narrowly winning the opening moto, Gibbs led most of the second moto only to lose the lead to Cooper late in the race but in the third race Gibbs was forced to come through the pack and found speed he had missed earlier in the day to finish just behind Cooper at the line.
Kayne Lamont was right in the mix in all three motos but dropped off the pace as the motos wore on to finish with three third place finishes for third overall ahead of Brad Groombridge (4-4-6), Cohen Chase (5-5-5), Hadleigh Knight and Blake Gillard (6-7-9) who was sizzling around Taranaki on a KTM250SX 2-stroke.
Cody Cooper
“Obviously this is not my favourite track but I am slowly getting to like it and riding it better, my bike is working way better too so we can only get better at the tracks that I like with more traction and speed.”
Kirk Gibbs
“I really enjoyed that last moto, obviously it was a shame having to come from behind but I feel like that is the best I rode all day, that first moto I rode just to protect (from Cooper) the best I could so I was lucky to get that win and obviously in that second race I didn’t flow that well which allowed Coops to get away but in the last moto I felt really good, I was hitting all my marks, I love and bike and it is onward and upwards from here.”
Kayne Lamont
“Today I just tried to get some decent seat time and do some long motos at a high intensity so that was good to get that under my belt but we have a two week break now to Rotorua and I get myself around there pretty good so I will go there pretty confident after today so we will see what we can do there.”
MX1 – Total Points Round 1
Cody Cooper 2-1-1 – 72p
Kirk Gibbs 1-2-2 – 69p
Kayne Lamont 3-3-3 – 60p
Brad Groombridge 4-4-6 – 51p
Cohen Chase 5-5-5 – 48p
Hadleigh Knight 12-6-4 – 41p
Blake Gillard 6-7-9 – 41p
Tyler Steiner 7-10-8 – 38p
Mason Wilkie 10-10-7 – 34p
Jacob Steel 11-8-9 – 33p
MX2 Report
The MX2 class saw three different moto winners with Max Purvis winning the opening moto from Harwood and Brad Groombridge after Aussie Wilson Todd crashed out of the lead but Todd bounced back to win the second moto over Harwood and Joel Meikle but in the final moto it was all Harwood who complete his sixth moto and his third back-to-back race to take the win over Todd and Purvis.
Harwood was forced to race a 4-stroke KTM this year after Motorcycling New Zealand banned the 250cc 2-srokes from the MX2 class but the three-time MX2 champion proved that it wasn’t the power of the 2-stroke that gave him the advantage in previous years.
Hamish Harwood
“The day panned exactly how I wanted it, real happy to win both classes, I am kind of lucky that even when I am tired I can hold a good pace but my main goal is to be healthy, this track can catch you out so now it is on to Rotorua.”
Wilson Todd
“The tracks here are a lot better than what we race on back home and there was plenty of good racing out there today with all of the lines and the way the track forms up but we will fly home tomorrow, do some training and get back for round two.”
MX2 – Total Points Round 1
Hamish Harwood 2-2-1 – 69p
Wilson Todd 8-1-2 – 60p
Maximus Purvis 1-6-3 – 60p
Brad Groombridge 3-6-5 – 51p
Joel Meikle 9-3-7 – 46p
Wyatt Chase 7-7-4 – 46p
Morgan Fogarty 6-4-10 – 43p
Micah McGoldrick 4-15-5 – 38p
Broc Martens 10-9-11 – 30p
Sam Cuthbertson 13-10-8 – 29p
125cc Report
Hamish Harwood works all week as a builder, completes his physical training after work and races on weekends with his father by his side so the three time NZ Champion decided to ride the 125cc class in 2019 and his three wins from three rides proved the decision to be sound.
Brodie Connolly came home with three second places and a name that we will be hearing from in the future is Ben Broad who at the tender age of 15 earned a podium finish in his first senior national outing.
Hamish Harwood
“Obviously the goal is to win but if I am feeling a little fatigued (because of the back-to-back races) I will settle for what I can get but if I am feeling good I am happy to take the win,
Brodie Connolly
“I am just trying to enjoy it (my racing), the track held up well today, the club did a great job, it was technical and hard which is what you want to get the technical riders on top, it was a good day overall.”
Ben Broad
“The track gets really rough compared to the junior days because they don’t groom it as much and there is more competition.”
125cc 2 STROKE – Total Points Round 1
Hamish Harwood 1-1-1 – 75p
Brodie Connolly 2-2-2 – 66p
Benjamin Broad 3-3-3 – 60p
Joshua Bourke-Palmer 4-4-5 – 52p
Tommy Watts 6-7-4 – 47p
Clayton Roeske 7-9-6 – 41p
Jack Dunlop 11-5-8 – 38p
Scott Barr-Smith 12-8-7 – 37p
James Rountree 5-15-10 – 33p
Charlie Richardson 10-11-12 – 33p
MX3 – Total Points Round 1
Steve Craig 1-2-2 – 69p
Lucas Gisler 4-1-1 – 68p
Jonathan Ellison 3-4-3 – 58p
Ivan Boehlen – 6-3-7 – 49p
Patrick Straub 2-13-4 – 48p
Nathan Watson claims French Beach Race title at Enduropale du Touquet
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Nathan Watson has claimed victory at the Enduropale du Touquet beach race, crowning the British rider champion of the Championnat de France des Sables series. Victory at the 44th edition of the iconic beach race also secured KTM’s first French Beach Race Championship title.
With the world-renowned Enduropale du Touquet playing host to the sixth and final round of the Championnat de France des Sables, Nathan Watson arrived at the legendary beach race third overall in the points standings. Knowing that a race win would offer him the greatest chance of championship success, the British rider set about doing exactly that.
A slow start to the race saw Watson lose considerable time on the leaders during the opening hour. Taking things too cautiously on the fast and smooth course, he began to find his rhythm as the event moved past the halfway point. With the track deteriorating, the KTM 450 SX-F mounted rider rapidly cut his way through the field, jumping from sixth to second in just two laps.
Battling hard with race leader and championship rival Milko Potisek, the duo went head-to-head during the closing stages of the race. With the final pitstop complete, Watson attacked hard for the last two laps and managed to break clear. He eventually crossed the finish line as the 2019 French Beach Race champion with a comfortable five-minute margin of victory.
Nathan Watson
“It’s an absolutely amazing feeling to not only win Le Touquet for the first time but also take the championship. We’ve worked incredibly hard this season, so to get a result like this is beyond words. During the first hour of the race I actually thought that I might not be able to do it. A lot of people overtook me early on and I was riding far too cautiously because the course was so fast and smooth. When it grew rougher that’s when I began to come into my own and really find my speed. I was just able to push hard and feel confident in the big sand holes and the slower traffic around me. When I caught Milko we battled for a while and then for the final pitstop we pitted at different times, so I didn’t know where he was after that. All I could do was give it 100 per cent during the final two laps until the finish line. This is the biggest victory of my career – it’s been my dream since I was a child to win this race and now I’ve become the first British rider to do so. I’m also the first KTM rider in over 30 years to win Le Touquet, too. Now, winning the championship as a result is perfect end to a fantastic season. Finally, I just want to say a huge thanks to everyone at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for the support they’ve put into me – it’s amazing to get the result we’ve all worked so hard for.”
Results – Championnat de France des Sables, Round 6
Nathan Watson (GBR) KTM, 15 laps 3:30:20.951
Daymond Martens (BEL) Yamaha, 3:08:16.441
Richard Fura (FRA) Honda, 3:10:14.311
Adrien Van Beveren (FRA) Yamaha, 3:11:17.183
Stephane Watel (FRA) Honda 3:14:05.210
Final Championship Standings
Nathan Watson (GBR) KTM, 735 points
Milko Potisek (FRA) Yamaha, 625
Jeffrey Dewulf (FRA) KTM, 615
Maxime Sot (FRA) Yamaha, 590
Stephane Watel (FRA) Honda, 566
Suzuki Australia continues contingency program in 2019
Suzuki Australia has announced the continuation of its Suzuki Support Rider (SSR) Contingency program for the 2019 MX Nationals, Australian Superbike Championship and recognised state motocross and road racing premier class championships.
Riders who compete on current generation Suzuki motorcycles are eligible to register as for the free SSR contingency program but the rider must register with Suzuki while only one rider can register per VIN.
Suzuki will send each rider an acceptance letter, which includes a SSR Registration Number. One number will be issued per rider, even if the rider competes on more than one machine or in multiple capacity classes. This Registration Number will be used in all claims for contingency or other correspondence with Suzuki.
Only the nominated Motorcycling Australia sanctioned events will be eligible for contingency. Suzuki Support Riders registered for claiming contingency must use the Claim Form attached. Results will be verified by Suzuki against official M.A. results.
Contingency payments will only be made to riders who satisfy the following criteria:
Compete on current generation RM-Z250, RM-Z450, GSX-R600 or GSX-R1000/R.
Registered for SSR and have received acceptance including their Registration Number from Suzuki Australia.
Lodge a claim form within 7 days of the event to Suzuki Australia including their race support number. Suzuki will verify through official race M.A results
For further information on the 2019 SSR Contingency Program, interested customers should visit http://www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au/suzuki-support-rider
Yamaha bLU cRU Backs 2019 A4DE
Motorcycling Australia has announced Yamaha bLU cRU as the official naming rights sponsor of the 2019 Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE) which will once again showcase the current world class talent residing in Australia.
Ray Howard – Yamaha Motorsports Division Manager
“2018 was a spectacular year for Yamaha bLU cRU and the A4DE and we are pleased to continue our relationship with the historic event in 2019. Last year’s Championship saw impressive developmental growth and strategic initiatives that propelled the event to more prestigious level. We are seeing these strategies and developments continue into the 2019 season, strengthening the reputation of this highly respected and much anticipated event. Yamaha bLU cRU looks forward to continue working closely with MA and the A4DE promoters to further develop the Championship, which has proven time and time again to be a fertile platform on which to produce and launch Australian riders onto a world stage.”
The 41st edition of the A4DE will be held in Moruya, NSW on May 1-4. Entries are available until the 17th April, so be sure to secure your place in the historic event here!
Toowoomba to host opening round of AORC
Motorcycling Australia (MA) has advised all competitors and teams entered into the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) racing season that the location of Round 1 and 2 at Gympie, Queensland (QLD) will be relocated to Toowoomba on the 9th and 10th of March.
To ensure the least amount of disruption to riders and teams alike, the competition has been amended to continue successfully incorporating the state of QLD into the Championship whilst also making a conscious effort to minimise the necessary distance to travel.
Moving slightly South to Toowoomba, riders will be presented with picturesque backdrops contrasted by the challenges of the Great Dividing Range and its Western slopes. Both days will still feature continuous sprints where riders will race against the clock as they race to come out on top. Further information on the round and accommodation can be found on the competitor information page of the AORC website.
Mountain Man Just a Few Week’s Away
The Toowoomba Motocross Club is excited to serve up a brand new circuit when the KTM and Motorex backed Mountain Man Motocross hit the iconic Echo Valley facility on February 23-24.
This time round the club has settled on a new track designed to increase both the fun and technical quotient, while still facilitating the vintage racers and bikes with experienced track builder and former champion in his own right Sam Kendall designing the track.
Since the 40th anniversary epic in 2015, top MX1 contenders Kade Mosig, Kirk Gibbs and Dean Ferris have all joined the Mountain Man Honour Roll, and Toowoomba Motocross Club President Ojai Maguire is hopeful of a big turnout for this year’s event.
With a date just three weeks out from the start of the MX Nationals, another part of the attraction is the event’s status as a very useful hit-out for the riders, and a shakedown for the machines, on one of the country’s few world-class motocross tracks.
The other lure is Australia’s biggest prize pool. While the winner will walk away with $1500, the prizemoney pool will pay all the way down to 40th place in the title class.
With the event’s 40+ years of history the club is mindful of its strong heritage appeal and will continue the popular vintage racing during the Saturday program, while other support classes include Women’s, Junior and Sidecar racing.
With the resurgence of interest in two-stroke machines, this year the traditional 125cc Gold Cup has been renamed the Premix class and expanded to include two-stroke powered machines right up to the 500cc monsters which ruled the slopes of Echo Valley in years gone by.
The club has also moved to increase spectator value of Mountain Man, by providing access to the infield for a closer look at the action, offering a $10 weekend pass to access both days racing, and welcoming kids under 13 for free.
Tickets are available at the gate, and for more details please check out the Mountain Man Motocross Facebook page, or contact club President Ojai Maquire on (0428) 159 989.
King of MX receives manufacture’s backing
Kawasaki, KTM, Honda, Suzuki and Husqvarna have banded together to support what is arguably Australia’s richest motocross race series, the King of MX NSW State Titles.
With six individual qualifying events spread around NSW, the King of MX series gives an unprecedented number of racers the chance to test their skills, meet more like-minded racers and their families, and earn their chance to race for their own NSW State Title.
Dave Cooke
“The King of MX is designed to give riders of all ages and abilities the chance to compete and be rewarded when they excel. We’re excited to see most major manufacturers find common ground in supporting this initiative where we actively promote the sport and reward those racers who rise to the top of their class. I can’t thank our partnering manufacturers enough for seeing the vision we have at Motorcycling NSW to support and grow the sport and keep producing, not only champions of the future, but a healthy sport that we can enjoy at all skill levels.”
With 21 classes representing riders of all age groups and skill levels, the beauty of the King of MX is that you don’t have to sacrifice any other championship to be in with a chance. Just race a qualifier that doesn’t clash with your schedule and race your way to the final, just like the 2018 Queen of MX Meghan Rutledge did.
Event Calendar
Qualifier 1: February 16-17, Appin
Qualifier 2: March 2-3, Moree
Qualifier 3: March 23-24, Condobolin
Qualifier 4: April 6-7, Leeton
Qualifier 5: April 20-21, Canberra
Qualifier 6: May 18-19, Maitland
King of MX Final: June 8-10, Goulburn
Racers need to enter one of the six qualifier events where the top six or seven finishers in each class earn their Golden Ticket to the final. Once a rider has qualified, they can still ride the other qualifier events, but they can’t win another Golden Ticket, giving even more riders a chance to qualify. At the final, State Title Champions will be decided over three motos for each class.
2019 bLU cRU Off-Road Racing increases USA contingency program
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A have increased its 2019 bLU cRU Off-Road Racing Contingency Program to nearly $5 million for Yamaha bLU cRU riders competing in off-road motorcycle racing.
In addition to coverage of the AMA Professional Supercross and Motocross, National and Regional Amateur MX and Off-Road events, Yamaha has expanded its support of the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series, with $467,350 available, almost five times as much as offered in 2018 for Yamaha bLU cRU GNCC racers. The Contingency Program also boasts increases in support to Yamaha bLU cRU riders in the American Flat Track (AFT) series, including those bLU cRU riders who will compete in the all-new AFT Production Twins class.
In addition to the professional championships, Yamaha continues to support the sport’s future stars at various national and regional amateur motocross races across the U.S., as well as the newly created “Supercross Futures” series.
Mike Guerra – Racing Department Manager for Yamaha
“Our bLU cRU Off-Road Racing Contingency Program has proven to be hugely popular, and this year, we’ve increased the program by 15%, with total funds of nearly $5 million available to Yamaha riders who excel in competition. We have made huge increases in all classes of the GNCC series, the largest off-road series in the country, by boosting the contingency for Yamaha bLU cRU riders fivefold for 2019! We also have increased our support of the American Flat Track (AFT) series, including its all-new Production Twins class and have also stepped forward to support the new Supercross Futures” series that focuses on emerging supercross talent.”
Riders who compete in supercross, motocross, flat track, or off-road aboard any qualified Yamaha motorcycles are invited to register for the 2019 bLU cRU Off-Road Racing Contingency Program.
All bLU cRU Contingency money will be paid directly to riders’ reloadable bLU cRU Debit Cards. In addition, each bLU cRU rider will receive a $45 credit on http://www.bLUcRUswag.com, as well as discounts on Yamaha GYT-R parts and accessories.
Youthsteam sold to Infront
Swiss sports marketing company Infront has announced the acquisition of Youthstream, the owner of the exclusive television, marketing and global promotional rights to the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship until the 2036 season.
The agreement covers several other events including the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship, the FIM Snowcross World Championship, the European Motocross Championship and the Motocross of European Nations while the management of the Monaco-based company will remain unchanged under the direction of President Giuseppe Luongo together with David Luongo as CEO and Daniele Rizzi as COO.
Phillippe Blatter – Infront’s President & CEO
“We are very glad to welcome the Youthstream team to the Infront Group. Under the proven management and expertise, the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship has become the premier event of off-road motorsport. Following the successful ownership and management of the FIM Superbike World Championship from 2007 to 2012, this acquisition provides us once again with a long-term property ownership in international motorsport further strengthening our comprehensive portfolio. We will collaborate very closely to further optimise fan experience, content offering and ultimately grow the global community in motocross.”
Giuseppe Luongo – Youthstream President
“We have been successfully building this company over more than three decades and are now very much looking forward to continue to further develop our ambitious vision for motocross together with Infront as one of the leading players in global sports business. This agreement comes at the right moment for the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship and allows Youthstream to accelerate its international development. I am sure that the synergies we will generate will be of great benefit for all properties we represent.”
Julien Ternisien – Infront Vice President Summer Sports
“The FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship is an exciting property with a clear potential to grow even further. We are looking forward to taking the sport to the next level of commercial success by activating our extensive media and sponsorship network as well as our full suite of innovative sports solutions. This goes hand in hand with improving media sales and accelerating digital marketing activities, including further improving the MXGP-TV OTT platform for fans all over the world.”
Jorge Viegas – FIM President
“The FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship series is one of motorsports’ fastest growing and most promising properties. We are confident that Infront’s strong market position, resources and marketing capabilities combined with the strong track-record and proven expertise of Youthstream will help raise the bar even higher in terms of growth and popularity for the series.”
About Infront
Infront is a leading sports marketing company managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events, including the distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 1,000 staff working from 39 offices across more than 14 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year.
Jeffrey Herlings injury update
Jeffrey Herlings is obviously hoping for a swift and comprehensive rehabilitation period after surgery to repair a broken right foot but it looks like the defending MXGP World Champion will miss the opening round in Argentina on March 3.
Jeffrey Herlings
“I landed strangely from a jump and was at an angle when I went too close to the track ‘wall’ of dirt at Albaida. I got my foot caught between the bike and the mud. I knew we were in trouble, and we had the operation as soon as possible when we saw the foot was starting to swell. This is obviously not the best way to start 2019 but we’d been riding and preparing well and we have to work now to get back to that level. The good news is that Dr Claes and his team were really happy with how the operation went and I don’t have any more pain or swelling. In six weeks time we’ll know more and it all depends how the bone heals. Thanks for all the messages from the fans. We’ll be back strong!”
Dirk Gruebel – MX2 Team Manager & Technical Co-Ordinator, Red Bull KTM
“This is obviously a disappointing situation for Jeffrey and the team and also for fans of MXGP because we all want to see the guys fit, healthy and ready to go for a new season. It is a shame the way the crash happened and if it hadn’t been for that part of the track then maybe he would have escaped without a problem. Jeffrey had some first class treatment by Dr Claes in Belgium to fix the breaks in what is a tricky part of the body for injury. Everything went well though and there is nothing wrong with his ankle or anything else that could have made the injury more serious. Now he’ll look to recover again and come back to MXGP close to the form we saw in 2018.”
Italy disqualified from 2018 MXoN
Four months after the running of the 2018 Motocross of Nations at RedBud in America, the second placed Italian of Antonio Cairoli, Alessandro Lupino and Michele Cervellin has been disqualified after Cervellin failed the fuel test.
During the event on the 6th and 7th of October, Fuel samples were taken to be tested in accordance with the 2018-1 FIM Technical Rules Motocross (Art.63.04 and 63.05) and it was the ‘fuel tests of No. 20 Michele Crevellin (Italy) attested non conformity with the FIM fuel specifications provided for in Art. 63.01.2 of the 2018-1 FIM Technical Rules Motocross, regarding the properties for unleaded fuel’.
On this basis, the FIM Race Direction has decided to impose upon Mr Crevellin’s team (Team Italy) a disqualification from the entire event, in accordance with Art. 63.05.13 of the 2018-1 Technical Rules Motocross.
No appeal against the decision of the FIM Race Direction has been lodged before the International Disciplinary Court (CDI) within the set deadline so the final results of the 2018 Motocross of Nations have been updated accordingly and it now sees the Netherlands, Great Britain, Australia and USA rounding out the top five behind the winning French team.
2018 Motocross of Nations Top 10
France – 32 (Dylan Ferrandis, Gautier Paulin, Jordi Tixier)
The Netherlands – 39 (Glenn Coldenhoff Jeffrey Herlings, Calvin Vlaanderen)
Great Britain – 41 (Ben Watson Max Anstie Tommy Searle)
Australia – 43 (Hunter Lawrence Mitchell Evans Kirk Gibbs)
USA – 43 (Justin Barcia Eli Tomac Aaron Plessinger)
Moto News Wrap for January 22, 2019 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Moto News Latest
Congrats to Toby – KTM 1-2-3 at Dakar
KTM sweeps Anaheim
French Riders win Belfast Arenacross
Toni Bou wins Budapest X-Trial Round
KTM’s Taylor Robert wins Primm WORCS
Norton third at AMA Hare Scrambles
Australian Junior Solo Speedway Championships
Old Bar Twilight Dirt Track
Willowbank successfully hosts Junior Solo Titles
Woffinden wins Rob Woffinden Solo Classic
Yamaha backs AORC for 14th Year
Kirkness and Whale headline Newcastle Supertrack
Congrats to Toby – KTM 1-2-3 at Dakar
The Toby Price legendary status continues to grow after winning the 2019 Dakar Rally in the most trying of circumstances you would be hard pushed to find any off-road enthusiast who doesn’t admire the skill and tenacity of this genuinely humble Aussie.
Price went into Dakar 2019 under a cloud after breaking the scaphoid in his right wrist on the 12th of December and after getting it operated on by Dr. Mir in Barcelona the long-time KTM rider flew back to Australia to recuperate before the start of Dakar on January the 6th.
Once recuperated enough to start riding (well before doctor’s orders) Price got together with Stephen Gall and they went out to Queensland Moto Park, West of Brisbane to try out some wrist support via the CTi Custom Wrist Brace.
Toby initially rode without any support before he tried some taping which apparently helped but the breakthrough came when Gall fitted the Carbon ‘All Sport Dynamic’ OH2 Wrist Brace which really helped his confidence and this is the brace that helped Toby though to the end of the world’s most gruelling off-road motorcycle race.
Gall, himself a tough competitor who shares the distinction of multiple Finke Desert Race wins with Price, said, “I’m so happy to able to help him win this huge race.”
The 2019 Dakar win adds to Price’s resume which includes his 2016 Dakar win, five AORC wins, two A4DE wins, six Finke Desert Race wins, five Hattah Desert Race wins, ISDE class wins, A Day in the Dirt Motocross Grand Prix win, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge win, Rallye OiLibya du Maroc wins and the 2018 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
Coming into the final Stage 10, race leader Price was faced with a 359-kilometre trek, including a 112-kilometre special and 247-kilometre liaison around the city of Pisco and it couldn’t have gone better for Price who finished the stage in first place, two minutes and 21 seconds ahead of second place holder Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Monster Energy Honda Team 2019).
Overall, Price has finished a staggering nine minute and 13 seconds ahead of reigning title holder Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM Factory Team) while Sam Sunderland (Red Bull KTM Factory Team), clocking in 13 minutes and 34 seconds behind Price, rounded out the podium.
With a podium filled to the brim with KTM bikes, the Austrian brand can now comfortably brag that the last time a KTM bike did not win the Dakar Rally was back in 2000!
Toby Price
“It feels amazing to stand here knowing I have won the Dakar, I don’t think it has really sunk in yet. I thought at the beginning of the event I would be lucky to even make the rest day. My Red Bull KTM bike has been amazing, I want to say a big thank you to my mechanic for that. The whole crew here do an amazing job – without them I would be no one.”
Fellow Australians Ben Young and James Ferguson finished Stage 10 in 55th and 67th place respectively while ending the 2019 Dakar Rally in 51st and 67th overall – great effort boys!
KTM Sweeps Anaheim 2
Round three of the 2019 AMA Supercross Championship at Anaheim featured the first of the ‘Triple Crown’ formats and it was KTM riders Cooper Webb and Shane McElrath who came out on top in the 450SX and 250SX classes respectively.
450 Report
If you were telling anyone before the series kicked off that the first three 450SX round winners were going to be Justin Barcia, Blake Baggett and Cooper Webb you would have been scoffed at but the fact is that you would have been dead right and as arsy as they come.
Cooper Webb got 10th place the week before at Glendale but his performance at Anaheim 2, in particular race one against Roczen backed with his second race win and a solid third in the final race for the overall has put the former 250SX champion on the map as a title contender.
Cody Webb
“Last weekend I was tenth and that wasn’t what I wanted, so I had some redemption this week. But to win is insane – to win two races and be on the podium in the last one is incredible! I really have got to give it up to the group at KTM, they took me under and they changed everything for me. It’s been a struggle the last two years, so those guys just constantly pushing me to get back to where I was and reminding me that I still got it. I can’t believe it and I’ll never forget this day. I hope to keep it going, this is an incredible feeling. Man, I’m speechless.”
Right now Marvin Musquin is managing a knee injury and he admits that the triple crown format is not his strong point but the Frenchman managed three sold races for second overall.
Marvin Musquin
“It’s not always been my strongest point on the start but I’ve been very consistent today. This week I only rode a little bit on Monday. I stayed in California and we got a lot of rain, but obviously it helped on the knee. I tried to work on it the whole week and I felt good getting on the bike compared to last weekend, so it was important and that’s what I need – to feel good and not have any pain. It was great racing tonight, I didn’t win any motos but I got second overall, I was consistent and I was able to battle for the lead and for the podium.”
Eli Tomac had never finished outside of the top five in any of the nine Triple Crown main events he has been part of and at A2 he kept that streak alive by going 4-4-1 for third place overall.
Eli Tomac
“In the first two main events I didn’t do myself any favours off the start but I was happy that we were able to charge forward both times into fourth place. The third race was awesome because I was able to get out in clean air and just ride. The track tonight was technical and even sketchy in some parts, but I am happy to be leaving here healthy and only two points back in the championship.”
Ken Roczen
“Overall, it was a good night of racing. We showed a lot of speed and are happy with this Triple Crown race. We got off to a great start in the first race, getting the holeshot and leading the whole race until I made a mistake in the one of the last rhythm sections, which unfortunately cost me the win. We still came in second, which was great. I didn’t get the best start in the second race but weaseled my way through and felt like I was going really fast. I found myself in third and was catching the guys up front but I made a mistake and went down in the whoops and had about five guys go by me. I didn’t let that distract me, rode strong and worked my way back up to fifth. We were just trying to get through the third race, where I finished fourth and unfortunately, just missed the podium. It was a bummer not to be on the overall podium, but we still have the points lead and red plate so that’s awesome.”
Cole Seely
“Once again, there are a lot of positives to take away from tonight. My starts were much better in two out of the three races, and I was able to run more toward the front of the pack. Being up there and feeling the pace of the front group was huge. The Triple Crown format is definitely a challenge because the turnaround time is really short and you’re basically doing three sprint races, so you have to be on it. I’m getting back into the flow and am excited to go racing each weekend, so seventh is another step in the right direction.”
Class rookie Aaron Plessinger suffered poor starts all night but he improved his position each event with 12-9-6 moto finishes for seventh outright to hold down ninth overall in the championship points.
Aaron Plessinger
“Anaheim 2 was a pretty good race for me. I kind of was struggling with bike setup all day and then after the last practice we made a shock change, and it was great. I got a few bad starts in the first two main events, which hurt my results, but I felt good all night. I rode what I thought was the best that I have ridden. I went 12, 9, 6, for seventh overall. So, I think I did pretty good for it only being my third 450 race. I’m really amped for Oakland next weekend. I’m going to go back and work on my starts, practice them all week and get it down pat so hopefully we can get up front and get a podium.”
As for Plessinger’s Yamaha team mate, Justin Barcia went 7-3 for the first two races but the A1 winner spewed over the bars in one of the rutted rhythm section and was taken to hospital with a bruised tail bone – Barcia is expected to be at the gate this weekend.
Joey Savatgy, who is known as a good starter, looked to use the Triple Crown format to his benefit to achieve the results he has been looking for and in the three main event format, Savatgy was able to surge out front in nearly all three races, which helped him score 8-13-8 results to capture eighth overall.
Joey Savatgy
“It has been a shaky past two weeks for me, so to bounce back from last weekend and land inside the top 10 tonight is something we’ll take. We set out to be consistent today and we did that for the most part, so overall I am happy with where we are. We will clean up a few things this week and come out swinging in Oakland.”
Like many, Jason Anderson suffered from poor starts but managed a pair of sixth place finishes in the opening two races but in the third race he tangled with Chad Reed early and was forced off the track leaving the defending champ to finish back in 17th for ninth on the night to now be 17 points back from championship leader Roczen.
Jason Anderson
“I was able to get a top-10 overall, it wasn’t a horrible weekend, but I’m going to keep pushing and I’ll try to be better next weekend.”
Chad Reed came home in 10th in the opening race but his bike had an issue on the start lije of race two leaving the Aussie as a spectator but Chad bounced back for a solid fifth in the final race of the night for 13th outright.
450SX Results
Cooper Webb 1 – 1 – 3
Marvin Musquin 3 – 2 – 2
Eli Tomac 4 – 4 – 1
Ken Roczen 2 – 5 – 4
Dean Wilson 9 – 8 – 7
Cole Seely 5 – 7 – 13
Aaron Plessinger 12 – 9 – 6
Joey Savatgy 8 – 13 – 8
Jason Anderson 6 – 6 – 17
Justin Barcia 7 – 3 – 22
Justin Hill 13 – 11 – 9
Vince Friese 11 – 12 – 10
Chad Reed 10 – 22 – 5
450SX Points Standings
Ken Roczen – 63
Eli Tomac – 61
Cooper Webb – 57
Marvin Musquin – 56
Justin Barcia – 56
Dean Wilson – 52
Jason Anderson – 46
Aaron Plessinger – 45
Blake Baggett – 45
Cole Seely – 44
250SX Report
Despite Adam Cianciarulo being the fastest man on the track and championship leader Colt Nicolls getting blazing starts, McElrath maintained a solid pace throughout the evening, placing on the podium in the first two mains before winning the final race of the night for the overall.
Shane McElrath
“We’ve been learning a lot throughout the season so far. I mean, we had a really good off-season but you can’t really do bike setup without going to the races and that’s my comfort – that’s really what we’ve been searching for. The last two weekends have been upsetting because of the way I’ve been riding but we’ve just kept pushing – perseverance produces hope, so this is good for us.”
The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing pairing of Dylan Ferrandis and Colt Nichols weren’t too far apart all weekend and at the end of the three main events they were separated by just two points with Ferrandis coming home in second overall while Nicoll rounded out the podium and more importantly maintain his championship points lead, albeit only two points over McElrath.
Dylan Ferrandis
“The short amount of time between each main event made it physically demanding, but I felt good and strong all night. All the rain from the week, made for a really technical rhythm section, but the bike was awesome. My teammate and I were able to put the bike up front at every start. I’m a bit disappointed to finished second again, but me and my team are going to analyze our race and work on what we need for the win.”
Colt Nichols
“The track was very difficult. It got really rutty and soft during the third main event, so made it very hard to continue to jump the rhythm sections and keep everything consistent. The bike was incredible, got off to three really great starts. I’m a little bummed with the way I rode in the last main event after getting the holeshot, but overall it was a good night. Still came out with a podium, can’t be mad at that. It was also pretty tough to bounce back in between each race, with there being a short time in between each one of the main events. Made it physically demanding, but happy with the way I rode. Just have to get a little bit better.”
Cianciarulo once again showed flashes of speed and brilliance as he was able to be a front runner in all three main event races but the Kawasaki rider crashed in the opening two races before being run down by McElrath in the final race to finish with 4-14-2 for fifth overall and he now sits fourth in the point’s standings.
Adam Cianciarulo
“Nights like tonight are frustrating as a racer because we did everything right, but ultimately some small mistakes cost us. We qualified fastest again and in the first race we got out to an early lead but unfortunately, I tucked the front end. In Main Event 2, I had a big get off which really hurt my overall score, but I was happy I was able to bounce back in the third race and come away with a second place. Overall, we are healthy and only eight points back in the championship. We’ve got work to do, but this Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team is coming for you Oakland.”
Poor old Thomas Ravenhorst was leading the LCQ before dropping back to the final qualifying spot and was just two corners away from making it to the main event before sliding out in the right hand berm.
250SX West Results
Shane McElrath 3 – 2 – 1
Dylan Ferrandis 2 – 1 – 3
Colt Nichols 1 – 3 – 4
J. Hampshire 5 – 4 – 5
Adam Cianciarulo 4 – 14 – 2
Cameron McAdoo 9 – 5 – 6
Jacob Hayes 6 – 7 – 9
Michael Mosiman 10 – 6 – 7
Chris Blose 8 – 8 – 8
Mitchell Harrison 12 – 9 – 11
250SX West Points Standings
Colt Nichols – 70
Shane McElrath – 68
Dylan Ferrandis – 63
Adam Cianciarulo – 62
J. Hampshire – 57
Jimmy Decotis – 44
Chris Blose – 44
Cameron McAdoo – 41
Michael Mosiman – 39
Jacob Hayes – 37
French Riders Win Belfast Arenacross
The opening round of the UK Arenacross Series was held in Belfast last weekend and it was the French rides Greg Aranda and Cedric Soubeyres who drew first blood in the 450 and 250 Main events respectively.
The Pro 450s was all about Aranda with the Team Green Kawasaki rider remained unbeaten all day, from free practice right through to the Main Event Super Final but he had to work for the win as Soubeyras tore off the start line, grabbing the holeshot and leading the race right up until two-thirds race distance.
Back in fourth Aranda first picked off Adrien Escoffier and then Valentin Teillet before he closed on Soubeyras and then charged through to the front.
Behind him Soubeyras kept his cool to take second and with Teillet in third, placed two 250s on the podium while Brit Jack Brunell had a storming ride to finish fourth.
Northern Ireland’s Martin Barr crashed earlier in the evening and sadly, a broken hand ruled him out of continuing through to the final, he promised to be back at Birmingham and added; “Despite the injury, I really enjoyed the whole evening. The crowd were unbelievable and I’m now concentrating on getting fit in time for Birmingham.”
Pro Main Event Super Final
#20 Greg Aranda, Team Green Kawasaki
#1 Cedric Soubeyras, FRO Systems, Husqvarna
#373 Valentin Teillet, SR75 Suzuki
#10 Jack Brunell, Team Green Kawasaki
#6 Adrien Escoffier, Buildbase Honda
#4 Fabien Izoird, Shocktech Kawasaki
#64 Nique Thury, FRO Systems
#3 Charles Le Francois, SR75 Suzuki
#744 Diogo Graca, Castrol Power1 Suzuki
#17 Matt Bayliss, Wooldridge Demolition
Pro 450 Championship
#20 Greg Aranda, 90 points
#3 Charles Lefrancois, 58 points
#4 Fabien Izoird, 56 points
#64 Nique Thury, 49 points
#10 Jack Brunell, 45 points
#8 Hugo Basaula, 42 points
Pro Lites Overall
#1 Cedric Soubeyras
#737 Valentin Teillet
#6 Adrien Escoffier
#744 Diogo Graca
#259 Julien Lebeau
#1x Joe Clayton
Pro Lites Championship
#1 Cedric Soubeyras, 82 points
#6 Adrien Escoffier, 56 points
#259 Julien Lebeau, 54 points
#737 Valentin Teillet, 48 points
#1x Joe Clayton, 35 points
#744 Diogo Graca, 31 points
Arenacross now heads back to the mainland for the third and fourth round of the Tour at The Resorts World Arena, Birmingham on Friday the 1st and Saturday the 2nd of February 2019. Doors open at 6pm and the evening’s entertainment gets underway at 7.00pm. Tickets are available directly from the Arena Box Office on 028 9073 9074 or on the door.
Remaining Arenacross Tour dates
1st February – Resorts World Arena, Birmingham
2nd February – Resorts World Arena, Birmingham
15th February – The Fly DSA Arena, Sheffield
16th February – The Fly DSA Arena, Sheffield
Toni Bou Wins Budapest X-Trial Round
The FIM X-Trial World Championship kicked off in Budapest last weekend and as one would expect Repsol Honda Team’s Toni Bou took the win from arch rival Adam Raga and Jeroni Fajardo.
Bou opened the season in the style with a marked difference by the end of the first round, collecting a single penalty compared to the six of Raga then in the semi-final, where only the top finisher from each group would make it through to the grand finale, Bou again proved unmatchable notching up two solitary marks.
The final showdown saw the champ face Raga, with the riders forced to take the same sections but in the reverse direction. Bou started the final losing ground to his opponent before some deft handling eventually moved the Spaniard up into first place and despite picking up a five in the penultimate hazard the defending champ secured the first victory of the 2019 FIM X-Trial championship.
Toni Bou
“I’m super happy to start off winning. It was amazing to get this victory after the rib injury, which I’m still not recovered from totally. We must continue working to improve because I believe that I am not yet where I could be. I trained a little this year and I think I’m not at my usual level. There is still quite a way to go and I want to get there as soon as possible. Yes, in 2018 we won, but I suffered a lot because of the injuries. That is why I want to thank Joaquim Terricabras and all his medical team for the help they have given me, especially for the recent treatment for the rib injury.”
Results X-Trial Budapest 2019
BOU Toni – 20
RAGA Adam – 15
FAJARDO Jeroni – 12
BUSTO Jaime – 9
BINCAZ Benoit – 6
CASALES Jorge – 4
DABILL James – 3
FUJINAMI Takahisa – 2
PEACE Dan – 1
KTM’s Taylor Robert wins Primm WORCS
The opening round of the 2019 Rocky Mountain ATV-MC WORCS Series got underway in Primm, Nevada last weekend and it was Taylor Robert (FMF/KTM) who came away with the victory over the Kawasaki pairing of Zach Bell and Blayne Thompson.
Robert, who was still sore from a big crash the day before while practicing, was dogged most of the way by Bell while Thompson made it two Precision Concepts/Kawasaki Team Green bikes on the podium.
Dante Oliveira (RPM/KTM) and defending champ Giacomo Redondi (KTM) rounded out the top five overall.
Former WORCS champ Gary Sutherlin and a tough day, and that included running out of gas. The KTM rider still managed to place sixth overall, one spot better than Husqvarna rider Andrew Short, who made it to the track just in time after having just completed the Dakar Rally in Peru.
Clayton Hengeveld (Precision Concepts/Kawasaki Team Green) won the Pro2 class, and Mateo Oliveira (GasGas) won the Pro2 Lites division.
Pro
Taylor Robert (KTM)
Zach Bell (Kaw)
Blayne Thompson (Kaw)
Dante Oliveira (KTM)
Giacomo Redondi (KTM)
Pro 2
Clayton Hengeveld (Kaw)
Tallon Lafountaine (Hon)
Austin Serpa (KTM)
Austin Walton (Hus)
Chance Fullerton (Bet)
Pro 2 Lites
Mateo Oliveira (GG)
Brandy Richards (KTM)
Tyler Nicholson (KTM)
Dallas Serpa (KTM)
Parker Wood (KTM)
Norton Third at AMA Hare Scrambles
Aussie Callum Norton is over in America preparing for the 2019 Australian season and last weekend he contested the opening round of the AMA West Hare Scrambles Championship and despite the wet conditions and tough competition the KTM rider came home in third place.
Norton was actually leading the race in the early stages but Joe Wasson managed to get by and take the win over Max Gerston and Norton.
Old Bar Twilight Dirt Track
It was an action packed night of racing as the Australian Dirt Track season kicked off at Old Bar, Taree last weekend and in the end it was Jarryd Oram who came home with the win in the main event over Jamie Chapman and Thomas Donnely while pre-race favourite Michael Kirkness was forced to settle with the 450 class win after getting a flat tyre while winning the Open final.
Chapman bounced back from being pipped by Oram in the Open Final to win the 250cc class while Thomas Donnelly (Dash for Cash), Darren Saxon (Clubman), Michael Booth (Over 35s), Dale Austin (Women), Viv Muddle (65cc 7 – U/9s), Thoren Openshaw (65cc 9 – U/13s), Cody Wilby (85cc 4str Mod.7 – U/12s) and Mitchell Bisley (250cc 4str 13-U/16s) all tasted success over the weekend.
Open Final
Jarryd ORAM
James CHAPMAN
Thomas DONNELLY
Boyd Hollis
Sam DAVIES
Michael BOOTH
Alec HURST
Kye ANDREWS
Jared MYER Michael KIRKNESS
450cc
Michael Kirkness (Macleay)
Thomas Donnelly (Gunnedah)
James Chapman (Macleay)
250cc
James Chapman (Macleay
Thomas Donnelly (Gunnedah
Blake Wilby (Taree)
Clubman
Darren Saxon (Hunter)
Ryan Wilson (Hunter)
Nicholas Ptolemy (Macleay)
Peter Fahey Memorial Over 35s
Michael Booth (Macleay)
Michael Rix (Macleay)
Jason Griffin (Hunter)
Women’s
Dale Austin (Taree)
Abbey Baker (Taree)
One Lap Dash for Cash
Thomas Donnelly (Gunnedah)
65cc 7 – U/9s
Viv Muddle (Gold Coast)
Nate Jaeger (Gunnedah)
Chayse Trappel (Macleay)
65cc 9 – U/13s
Thoren Openshaw (Taree)
Beau Bailey (Cowra)
Will Bisley (Taree)
85cc 4str Mod.7 – U/12s
Cody Wilby (Taree)
Will Bisley (Taree)
Alexander Adamson (Kurri Kurri)
85cc 2str/ 150cc 4str 9 – U/12s
Hayden Nelson (Taree)
Carter Thompson (Kurri Kurri)
Will Bisley (Taree)
85cc 2str/ 150cc 4str 11s
Hayden Nelson (Taree)
Carter Thompson (Kurri Kurri)
Thoren Openshaw (Taree)
85cc 2str/ 150cc 4str 12- U/16s
Mitchell Bisley (Taree)
Cody Lewis (Kurri Kurri)
Thomas Bullen (Kurri Kurri)
250cc 4str 13-U/16s
Mitchell Bisley (Taree)
Jack Joel (Central Coast)
Jarred Loveday (Macleay)
Willowbank Successfully Hosts Junior Solo Titles
Willowbank Raceway’s Ipswich Switches Junior Speedway Club hosted the Australian Junior Speedway Championships last weekend and from all accounts it was an exciting three nights of racing as the resurgence of speedway in Australia continues to flourish.
In the premier Under 21 500cc class it was defending champion Jaimon Lidsey who scored a convincing win from Jordan Stewart, Matt Gilmore and Zach Cook while the under 16 250cc class was a red hot affair but in the end it was Keynan Rew who got the win over Patrick Hamilton, Harrison Ryan and Flynn Nichol.
The 2019 Australian 125cc Under 16’s Pairs Championship was won by the NSW team of Cameron Dunker and Lachlan Hayes while in the 125cc Individual Championship it was Maurice Brown who got the win over Patrick Bowes, Luke Kileen and James Person.
Woffinden wins Rob Woffinden Solo Classic
The Rob Woffinden Classic is a premium event celebrating the legacy that Rob left when he helped build Pinjar Park Speedway in WA from the ground up and last weekend it was his son Tai who won the event for the second time to cap off an off-season that saw the 2018 World Champion enjoy a relaxing time back in Australia while keeping his speedway skills sharp.
The three-time World Champion defeated Cameron Heeps, Daniel Winchester and Blake Russell in the final before inviting all of the children on to the track to celebrate his win with a group photo on the presentation tailer.
Woffinden heads back to the UK in the coming weeks to start preparation for the defence of his World Speedway title.
Yamaha Backs AORC for 14th Year
Running into its 14th consecutive year, Motorcycling Australia (MA) have announced the continued relationship between Yamaha Motor Australia and the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) with Yamaha Motor Australia once again the naming rights sponsor for the 2019 season!
With a relationship that has spanned over a decade, MA and Yamaha Motor Australia will continue developing and expanding upon their professional relationship to build a successful 2019 season.
Ray Howard – Yamaha’s Motorsport Manager
“Yamaha Motor Australia are pleased to continue our substantial and positive relationships with the Australian Off-Road Championship. 2018 was a season full of impressive developments and clear progress, and we are seeing more initiatives in place for the 2019 season. We look forward to continue working closely with MA and the promoting clubs to further develop an already prestigious Championship that has proven to be a fertile ground for producing international standard riders that are successful on a world stage.”
With the likes of six-time consecutive Women’s World Trophy Champion at the FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) Jessica Gardiner included in the line-up of the Women’s class, the 2019 season couldn’t get any bigger! Alongside Gardiner are Team Australia’s World Trophy ISDE Champions Daniel Milner, Daniel Sanders and Lyndon Snodgrass, who each will contend for AORC Championship titles in their respective classes!
AORC has a long and prestigious history of paving the way for international legends, with the likes of 2019 Dakar Rally title holder Toby Price a former two time winner of the AORC.
The 2019 season kicks off in Gympie, Queensland for Rounds 1 and 2, from 9-10 March and entries are now open.
Kirkness and Whale Headline Newcastle Supertrack
Motorcycle racing action returns to the Newcastle Showground this Friday night (January 25) where the ‘Newcastle Supertrack’ meeting will be staged at the iconic venue and it will bring Michael Kirkness and Max Whale together as they battle for glory.
There will be several classes in a race programmed where fans will see two or three rows of riders at the starting grid which is on par with the Flat Track Racing in America but not normally seen in dirt track racing in Australia.
The appearance of Kirkness is significant as over the past decade he has done more flat track racing in the US than any other Australian rider which may give the former Troy Bayliss Classic winner an edge as the 450cc class features 19inch wheels with no front brakes – just like the American AMA flat track racing uses.
The toughest opponent for Kirkness will be Queensland teenager Max Whale who was a runaway winner of the 2018 Rookie of the Year award in the AMA Flat Track Single class despite missing several rounds due to a shoulder injury. Whale heads back to the US next month where he has signed with a well-established team for the 2019 season.
Harry Maxwell has also lodged an entry and his enthusiasm for the meeting can be judged by the fact that he will be travelling down from Proserpine in north Queensland to take part while multiple Central Coast Cup winner David Smith is also among the entries.
There will also be racing for Twin Cylinder and Supermoto classes, a Pro 250 class and Speedway and Long Track sliders.
Action will get under way with practice and one round of racing on Friday afternoon from 4pm before a tea break, then introductions at 6.30pm and then the big night session.
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