Image: Supplied.

Terrafirma Equipment Sales (TES) will feature as the title sponsor of American Chris Blose at Penrite Honda Racing through Saturday night’s opening round of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship.

The Yarrive Konsky-operated team has uncovered a special one-off livery that Blose’s factory-supported CRF250R will wear at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, with TES committing as a major backer of the official Honda program.

“I have known Yarrive for a long time and have wanted to align with the team for several years,” explained TES managing director, Darren Assink. “The opportunity to join the factory Honda team this year was presented to me and I felt it was the perfect fit for Terrafirma Equipment Sales. I also aligned with the Supercars team that Yarrive is associated with and achieved immediate success – people who buy our machines enjoy all forms of motor-racing.”

TES is a Brisbane-based company, with Assink a fan of racing having partaken himself back in the eighties. He is pleased to see the supercross championship return to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

“The supercross promoters are doing a great job in taking supercross to the masses,” he continued. “The Brisbane Entertainment Centre offers patrons great seating, a warm arena and the perfect atmosphere to experience supercross. Four of the five rounds are going to be on TV and we are proud to be associated with it and the Penrite Honda Racing team.”

Konsky commented: “This is fantastic. Darren’s company sells machines that we all use to build tracks, work on farms and rural land, as well as in small and large construction businesses. The alignment fits and we will work hard to ensure it’s a tangible relationship.”

Image: Foremost Media.

SX2 rookie Regan Duffy has indicated there won’t be any pressure as he enters his maiden Australian Supercross Championship round tomorrow night in Brisbane, his debut coming at the season-opener despite initial uncertainty after recently representing Australia at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN).

It was understood the Western Australian would make his debut following the opening two rounds of the series after he was drafted into Team Australian for the Dutch event at the last minute, allowing him additional time to prepare.

However, his quick adaptation to the discipline since returning home last week from Europe has fast-tracked his debut, and he will now line-up inside Brisbane Entertainment Centre for his very first supercross race.

“I’m really enjoying the process of learning supercross and I’m surprised how quickly I feel at home on a supercross track,” Duffy commented. “I’m not putting any pressure on myself, my goals are to learn as much as I can this year and stay healthy, but with that being said I’m looking forward to being competitive and mixing it up at round one.”

The Raceline KTM Thor rider will be joined in the team by American Josh Osby, while the squad will be absent in the premier class for at least round one after Justin Rodbell was forced to return to the US after obtaining an incorrect visa.

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Jason Anderson has revealed he’ll sit out the 2019 Monster Energy Cup, the decision coming after he spent a lengthy period in Europe preparing for the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) in the Netherlands.

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider also withdrew from last weekend’s Red Bull Straight Rhythm event, the popular contender believing it’s in his best interests to rest ahead of a selection of off-season races – which includes the S-X Open Auckland and AUS-X Open Melbourne – and the 2020 season.

“Just updating everyone about the Red Bull Straight Rhythm and the upcoming Monster Cup,” Anderson explained in a statement. “Everyone knows that after the last outdoor bational Zach and I went to Europe for a month to train for the MXoN and our country.

“My plan was to come back and do the two-stroke Red Bull Straight Rhythm first. Truth is after only two days on the bike after riding in deep sand for a month I just didn’t feel comfortable and chose to not race. I apologise to all my fans who showed up to see me ride, but switching to a two-stroke after riding a four-stroke is harder than what you think it might be.

“Because I’ve been going wide open and not having much time to prepare, not to mention I haven’t had any off-season preparing for all these events, the team and I feel it is in my best interest that I not race the Monster Cup. I wish I could have been able to race and apologise to all my fans who were hoping to see me race at these events. Right now I need to let my body rest and get ready for the long season we have coming up for SX and MX.”

Anderson will race the full Monster Energy S-X Open International Supercross FIM Oceania Championship for the first time at the Auckland and Melbourne rounds this November.

Image: iKapture.

Jay Wilson is welcoming of the increased list of Americans in the SX2 category as he embarks on his title defence, believing his rating internationally will strengthen if he can successfully earn back-to-back championships.

The Australian Supercross Championship, which kicks off on Saturday at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, will see five US talents line-up in the quarter-litre division for the full five rounds.

The influx of internationals has fired up a selection of fans following team announcements, however the Yamalube Yamaha Racing rider, who will race the opening rounds of the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, is adamant that their addition will boost the domestic series despite adding another level of difficulty to his own campaign.

“Last year we entered the season with a whole new machine which we were trying to get to know, and it was a bit of a bonus to win the title,” Wilson explained. “After a whole year of continuity, our preparation is miles ahead of what it was last year.

“This year the field is really deep with SX2 talent – plenty of internationals – which I think is great for our series. It means that, if we win the title and race well against these guys, we’re on the map internationally too – which I think is a really great thing.

“My team and I have a good grasp of championships and I have complete trust in their advice, however it’s too early to be coming up with a real specific game plan just yet – we just do what we do.”

The list of Americans in the SX2 class includes Chris Blose (Penrite Honda Racing), Mitchell Oldenburg (Penrite Honda Racing), Jacob Hayes (Serco Yamaha), Josh Osby (Raceline Pirelli KTM), and Bradley Taft (Empire Kawasaki).

Image: Foremost Media.

Leading SX1 privateer Jesse Dobson is hopeful of gaining enough funding to complete the entire Australian Supercross Championship which kicks off this weekend in Brisbane, admitting he’s not a certain starter for all five rounds of the series at this stage.

Piloting a Husqvarna FC 450, Dobson is coming off a strong Pirelli MX Nationals campaign that saw him finish as the highest-ranked privateer in the premier class.

Revealing offers were on the table through a selection of teams, the popular contender elected not to pursue them in favour of increasing his opportunities for 2020.

“At this stage, I’ve had some incredible support from all my sponsors that got me through the motocross season, and again they’ve stepped up so I can line up at Brisbane,” Dobson explained.

“I actually did have one or two offers to join teams just for supercross, but the reality was short term positives and leaving some of the people that have been with me all year, and I need to really work on my plan for 2020.

“I still don’t know if I can do the entire supercross series yet, but I need to get good results this weekend regardless, so that’s where I’m starting.”

Brisbane Entertainment Centre will host round one tomorrow night before the series travels to Gillman, Wollongong, Auckland and Melbourne.

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Australian Toby Price finished just shy of the podium at the Rally du Maroc for the final round of the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, despite claiming victory on the final stage.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider was playing catch up after running into navigational troubles on the penultimate day, charging to victory in the fifth and final stage to wind up fourth overall.

The Queenslander is hopeful the rally will position him strongly for the 2020 Dakar Rally, where he’s set to defend his crown.

“It hasn’t been a bad rally for me, I only just missed out on the podium, which is frustrating, but it’s been really good training,” Price explained. “I knew I had to push really hard on that last stage and was making up good time but then had a small crash and gave myself a bit of a stiff neck.

“I missed out on the podium by just seven seconds but all-in-all I’m pleased with how I rode. Navigation was really tricky here and we had to learn to ride with the minimum of information. I’m hoping that will put us in a good position for January and the Dakar Rally.”

Price missed the first two rounds of the series as he continued to recover from a broken wrist, earning a ranking of ninth.