Image: Supplied.

Team France has removed MX2 World Championship rookie Tom Vialle from its 2019 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) squad due to a logo dispute.

The disagreement has been sparked over the size of Vialle’s Red Bull KTM Factory Racing logo on the jersey required to be worn by Team France, one of the only nations to impose strict guidelines on branding and sponsors at the prestigious event.

The French talent explained his exclusion has been caused by a centimetre of real estate on the jersey, which the French federation declined

“I will not ride at the MXoN for a cap,” said Vialle in a statement. “To be precise we are talking about some centimetre on the cap, but the French federation does not accept. The only one nation that will not accept it! I’m very disappointed because I was motivated to ride at this race. Thank you everybody for the support.”

President of the French federation, Jacques Bolle, commented: “I am really saddened by this situation, especially for Tom, but for my part, I consider that the drivers must first wear the colors of France at the MXON. Trademarks are necessary, but they can not impose at the expense of national colors.”

Maxime Renaux (Yamaha) has now been drafted in to replace Vialle alongside Gautier Paulin (Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha) and Jordi Tixier (KTM) – who’s filling in for the injured Romain Febvre (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) – as the team attempts to claim five consecutive MXoN victories at Assen in the Netherlands on 28-29 September.

Image: Foremost Media.

A mixture of race formats will be rolled out at the opening three rounds of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship, adding a new dynamic to the series.

Brisbane Entertainment Centre’s tight confines will see a double-header format introduced for the season-opener on 12 October, while Gillman’s second stop on 19 October will offer up a traditional single main event. The fan-favourite triple-header format will feature at WIN Stadium’s third stop, scheduled for 9 November.

The formats will make for a unique start to the championship, with the various races set to deliver unpredictable results amongst riders in both the SX1 and SX2 categories.

“We have three different styles of events,” Troy Bayliss Events co-founder Mark Peterson told MotoOnline.com.au. “Round one at Brisbane will be what we’re calling a double-header, so SX1 and SX2 will have two main finals – final one and two, which will make up the points.

“We then go to Adelaide and they’ll race the traditional format with one main event final, and then we go to WIN Stadium, which will be a triple-header – there are three main events there that will make up the round winner. It’s a really good mix of events, locations and size of tracks that we know will really mix up the results by the end of the first three rounds.”

The formats for the S-X Open Auckland and AUS-X Open Melbourne are anticipated to be revealed in the lead-up to the season-opener.

Image: John Pearson.

KTM Enduro Racing Team’s Lyndon Snodgrass has reinforced that applying pressure on E1 championship leader Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamulube Racing) will be key in his bid for the crown after the points gap increased to 16 at Coonalpyn’s eighth and ninth rounds of the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC).

Snodgrass recorded a supremely consistent 2-2 scorecard throughout the weekend, coming within seconds of victory on both days of racing, while he was ranked fifth and fourth on Saturday and Sunday in the unofficial outright standings.

“I finished second in class both days, which were some good results, but I wasn’t super-happy because I need to gain points in the championship,” Snodgrass commented.

“The tracks at Coonalpyn were awesome though, I really liked them and the racing was close, so it was positive all in all. Saturday’s track was fast and I enjoyed that a lot, plus today’s variation of terrain was also a lot of fun to ride, so we will move forward from here and keep the pressure on for the championship to see what happens at the final rounds.”

Hedley will host the final two rounds of the championship on 14-15 September in Victoria.

Image: John Pearson.

A pair of valuable victories in the E1 category at Coonalpyn’s eighth and ninth rounds of the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) marked a return to form for Luke Styke, the reigning champion admitting he endured difficulties at the previous two stops.

The Active8 Yamaha Yamalube Racing rider rode dominantly across the rounds in South Australia, finishing fourth in the unofficial outright classification on Saturday before promoting himself to third on Sunday.

The former motocross and supercross champion boosted his title chances by claiming wins in the E1 class on both days, stretching his championship advantage to 16 points over Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team) as just two rounds remain.

“After a couple of ordinary rounds for me, it was good to get back on top of things and ride the way I should,” Styke explained. “I struggled a bit at Kyogle and Broken Hill, but I felt good all weekend and I love riding in these kinds of conditions.

“The bike was strong all weekend and I had a clean run with no major issues, so I leave here healthy, fit and confident to keep the momentum going into the final two rounds. Thanks to the team for all the hard work – we will keep it going all the way to the end as anything can happen in this sport.”

The AORC now heads to Hedley in Victoria on 14-15 September for the final two rounds of the series.

Image: Foremost Media.

Empire Kawasaki has signed AMA Supercross regular Bradley Taft to pursue the SX2 title in the upcoming 2019 Australian Supercross Championship, which is due to commence on 12 October at Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

The American, who raced the series in 2018 with Penrite Honda Racing before a hand injury saw his campaign come to a premature end, will take the seat made vacant by Pirelli MX Nationals MXD contender Deakin Hellier – the youthful talent set to use the closing half of 2019 to hone his skills in the discipline.

“Bradley touched base with us last year about doing motocross and supercross, we pretty much stayed in touch the whole time through email and it panned out we needed a 250 rider,” team manager Tyson Cherry explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “He was super keen to come over, so we ended up signing a deal with him six weeks, and now he’s here.”

The Victorian-based squad will continue to operate a three-rider team with regulars Dylan Long and Lawson Bopping, the latter still committed to series with the full backing of Empire Kawasaki despite undiagnosed health issues resurfacing throughout the year.

“At this point, Lawson will definitely be going to round one,” Cherry added. “He’s working through his illness, and I think it’s important we as a team stick by him – we don’t want to just say ‘you don’t have a ride anymore’. I think it’s important we stick by him going through this tough period of his career.”

Taft’s signing comes after an array of American rider announcements for the full Australian supercross series, such as Penrite Honda Racing duo Justin Brayton and Chris Blose, plus Serco Yamaha’s Jacob Hayes. A list of internationals have also been confirmed for the S-X Open Auckland and AUS-X Open Melbourne.