Mugello and Catalunya MotoGP rounds to be rescheduled
Section: Competition
Additional postponements made to 2020 world championship.
Image: Supplied.
Additional postponements to the 2020 MotoGP World Championship calendar have been made, with Mugello and Catalunya to be rescheduled to later dates.
The Italian grand prix was scheduled from 29-31 May, while the Barcelona round in Spain was due to be held between 5-7 June.
“As the situation remains in a state of constant evolution, new dates for these grands prix, as well as the recently-postponed French and Spanish GPs, cannot be confirmed until it becomes clearer when exactly it will be possible to hold the events,” a statement read.
A revised calendar will be released once possible, with the next potential date on the calendar being Sachsenring, Germany, on 19-21 June due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Revamped schedule confirmed due to coronavirus outbreak.
Image: Supplied.
A revised 2019-2020 Endurance World Championship (EWC) calendar has been released in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that has placed the sport on pause.
The 8 Hours of Oschersleben scheduled to take place in Germany on 6 June has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.
Instead, the EWC series will resume with Japan’s prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours on 19 July. Following that, the Le Mans 24 Hours will take place on the new date of 29-30 August in France.
It has also been revealed that the Bol d’Or 24 Hours at Paul Ricard, France, will be added to the 2019-2020 schedule to complete the championship.
Shortened calendar appearing more likely as delays keep coming.
Image: Supplied.
Delays to the 2020 MotoGP World Championship season keep on coming, with organisers now confirming that the Grand Prix of France has been postponed.
Originally due to take place between 15-17 May, round six of the season will be pushed back to later in the year amid the COVID-19 crisis.
“As the situation remains in a state of constant evolution, new dates for the French GP and the recently-postponed Gran Premio Red Bull de Espana cannot be confirmed until it becomes clearer when exactly it will be possible to hold the events,” a statement from Dorna Sports read.
The earliest commencement will now be Mugello on 29-31 May, which remains unlikely considering the current situation in Italy. Chances of the season being shortened this year to beneath 20 rounds are now beginning to elevate.
Husqvarna’s Hampshire undergoes timely knee surgery
Section: Competition
Break in the season enables 250SX East challenger to repair injury.
Image: Octopi Media.
250SX East contender RJ Hampshire underwent surgery on an existing knee injury this week, suffered in the pre-season and causing troubles through the opening rounds of 2020.
Currently third in the standings following two podiums in four races, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider will aim to return once racing resumes.
“I didn’t say much about it for many reasons, back in December I dabbed my knee coming into a corner and the handlebar came down right on top,” Hampshire explained. “I completely tore my ACL, multiple tears in my meniscus and a fractured tibia.
“For myself, missing Supercross was not an option after the work and changes we made. I didn’t miss a day of riding and did everything I could to get it where I was happy going into round one.
“The beating it took on race day was much worse than the practice days. I was set on getting it fixed at the end of outdoors, but now with the rest of Supercross getting moved till later in the year and the uncertainty of when motocross is starting, that wasn’t gonna happen.”
Monster Energy Supercross is currently on hold due to coronavirus, now set to be completed in the fall following Lucas Oil Pro Motocross which is pencilled in to begin mid-June through September.
Lengthy recovery time sets JGRMX Suzuki signing for return.
Image: Foremost Media.
JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki recruit Joey Savatgy has been cleared to return to riding this week, four months on from his incident at the AUS-X Open off-season race in Australia.
Savatgy sustained a serious heel injury in practice at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, sidelined ever since as he works toward a return to competition.
“We got the X-rays this morning, I sent them to my doctor and he has cleared me,” Savatgy explained. “We’re officially cleared to get back into the saddle and start riding.
“It’s ‘only’ taken a little over 16 weeks, so it’s been a long, long journey. I appreciate the support, it means a lot. I’m hungry and excited to get back into the groove, shake the cobwebs off and get back to work.”
With Monster Energy Supercross suspended at this point as a result of COVID-19 and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross scheduled to begin in mid-June, the opportunity for Savatgy to prepare and return for the back-half of the season continues to elevate.
Retirement tour of Reed to potentially extend into 2021
Section: Competition
Part-time campaign on the agenda for retiring former 450SX champion.
Image: Octopi Media.
The retirement tour of Chad Reed could extend into 2021 on a part-time basis as the current Monster Energy Supercross season remains suspended due to the coronavirus crisis.
Reed isn’t convinced that organisers will be able to complete the remaining seven rounds as intended, but indicated that he’s considering lining up at selected rounds next year regardless.
With the pandemic bringing professional sports to a halt globally, the 38-year-old’s ‘One Last Ride’ tour have been disrupted following 10 of a scheduled 17 rounds. He has also been planning further sportscar appearances in an extension of his Mountain Motorsports association.
“My personal opinion, I don’t think we’re going to get back racing this season and, if we do, it’s probably going to be like one race,” Reed told Autoweek in an interview this week. “But I also believe that good things come out of bad things.
“Maybe this puts me in a position to want to come back for more races next season. My professional career is wrapped up, but there is nothing stopping me from coming back for a handful of races. I was going to do that anyway, so maybe I add more now.”
Aboard privately-run Honda machinery, Reed recorded his strongest finish of the season with 13th position at Daytona directly prior to the stoppage, matching his score from Arlington two rounds earlier.
Updated Supercross schedule remains a work in progress
Section: Competition
Challenges mount for Feld Motor Sports to map out final seven rounds.
Image: Octopi Media.
Organisers of Monster Energy Supercross continue to evaluate options in order to complete all seven rounds remaining in the 2020 championship, determined to deliver the full series as planned.
The opening 10 rounds took place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic halting proceedings, with Eli Tomac currently atop the 450SX standings while Dylan Ferrandis and Chase Sexton lead the 250SX regions.
Speaking to the Real Talk 447 Podcast hosted by Jeff Emig alongside Ricky Carmichael (embedded below), Feld Motor Sports director of operations – Supercross Dave Prater outlined the challenges presented as the entertainment business seeks to save the season.
“Right now we’re planning for multiple situations,” Prater stated during the interview. “We’re working on different budget scenarios depending on where we end up racing and what dates we end up racing on, so that’s the biggest challenge.
“The uncertainty of not knowing when things will get back to normal, we’re trying to plan for the best possible scenario to get these seven rounds in and finishing the 2020 season. The goal is to finish rounds 11 through 17 before the end of 2020.”
“With all of the OEMs and teams it was unanimous, everyone wanted to finish the Supercross season, so that’s what we’re working towards,” he continued. “Everyone thought it was important that they get a complete 17-round championship.”
Ongoing teleconferences between Feld Motor Sports and the manufacturers involved continue to take place, gathering every Monday and Thursday to assess the ever-evolving situation. Communication with series sponsors are also continuing.
The added element of the Major League Baseball (MLB) season being delayed, as well as a looming National Football League (NFL) season scheduled to open in September, could complicate the ability for Supercross to secure traditional venues in the fall. Back-to-back double-header rounds aren’t a priority of Feld Motor Sports at this moment.
Postponements to a wide range of sporting events including the Major League Soccer (MLS) will also likely disrupt plans to host the 2020 Monster Energy Cup at the Dignity Health Sports Park – home stadium of the LA Galaxy – in October.
It’s unclear when an updated Supercross schedule will be finalized and announced, with Feld Motor Sports having to work around the revised MLB and NFL schedules when set. Once Supercross does resume, it’s anticipated it will run from mid-September through to the end of October over consecutive weekends in an ideal roster.
Despite widespread speculation that the series wouldn’t be able to be declared 10 rounds in, Prater did state that it could in fact be called now and still warrant a championship, not that Feld Motor Sport is considering that as a genuine option.
Shoulder surgery declared a success for Team HRC’s Evans
Section: Competition
MXGP revelation recovering at home following recent injury.
Image: Supplied.
Team HRC rookie Mitch Evans has undergone a successful operation on the shoulder that he injured at Valkenswaard, Netherlands, at round two of MXGP.
Evans had surgery in Brisbane for an arthroscopic anterior stabilisation, which went to plan and now enables him to begin his recovery.
“I’m glad to have had the surgery and I can now get home and begin my recovery,” Evans said. “It’s a strange situation with the season and all these postponed races, but my aim is to get my shoulder feeling 100 percent and to get back riding and feeling comfortable on the bike again.”
At the moment, the next scheduled event is in Russia on 6 June in just over three months time, but with the nature of the current COVID-19 pandemic causing uncertainty, there is no real timeline for the Australian’s next outing.
Iannone banned for 18 months following anti-doping failure
Section: Competition
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider unable to compete until mid-2021.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Italian Andrea Iannone has been suspended for 18 months by the FIM after failing an anti-doping test conducted in Malaysia last November.
The Aprilia rider’s period of ineligibility will span between 17 December 2019 when he was provisionally suspended to 16 June 2021.
Iannone tested positive for Drostanolone metabolite 2α-methyl-5α-androstane-3α-ol-17-one, a WADA prohibited substance under heading ‘S1. Anabolic Agents, 1. Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS), a. Exogenous AAS’ of the FIM Anti-doping Code.
In addition, Iannone was disqualified from rounds 18 and 19 of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship at Sepang and Valencia. An appeal against the CDI decision may be lodged before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days.
Italian edition of ISDE postponed until late next year
Section: Competition
COVID-19 pandemic prompts organisers to delay event by 12 months.
Image: Supplied.
This year’s International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE) has been postponed until 2021, with plans now in place for the Italian event to take place between 30 August to 4 September next year.
With the next ISDE set to be held in Lombardy and Piedmont, considering the coronavirus pandemic it has been decided to move it to next year.
“The FIM along with its stakeholders have had to take many difficult decisions over recent weeks as we adapt to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it is having on various countries around the world,” commented FIM president Jorge Viegas.
“Postponing the ISDE was not a decision that we have taken easily, as we know how important it is to riders from a large number of nations and to the various national federations too.
“However, thanks to the great co-operation of the FMI and the local organising committee we feel we have taken the correct step to be fair to all concerned and to ensure we can celebrate a great 95th edition of the ISDE in Italy in 2021.”
The annual off-road event attracts several hundred competitors from more than 30 countries around the world each year, all of whom which have to commit to extensive travel and logistic plans several months in advance of the ISDE.
In addition, the ISDE demands many months of forward planning and work to prepare many hundred of kilometres of course, all of which rely on the permission of the various local authorities and stakeholders.
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