St. Louis winner Ken Roczen says his whoop speed needed to be stronger if he wanted to claim victory at Anaheim 2, the Team Honda HRC rider earning the 450SX points lead with a runner-up result.

The German ace led the opening stages of the 24-lap affair, however relinquished the lead to eventual winner Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki), admitting he lost all his time in the whoops.

The section caused dramas for a number of riders throughout the night, Roczen indicating he took multiple approaches in an effort challenge Tomac before settling for second.

“I hooked up really good and got my first holeshot of the year, so that was nice,” Roczen stated. “We’ve been putting in a lot of work on my starts, so it’s been paying off. For me to be able to win tonight, I had to be a lot better in the whoops. I was just struggling there the entire race, so that didn’t help me out – I feel like I lost all my time there.

“I was trying to skim them, then went to jumping them, which was horrible too; I lost a lot of ground so went back to skimming and just was all over the place and that was where Eli [Tomac] made up a lot of time and closed in on me.

“We definitely have some work to do but don’t want to get too crazy. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re in a good spot right now and we just have to keep it up. First last weekend and second this weekend, plus the red plate is really great. I’m really happy.”

Roczen leads Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) by three points in the standings ahead of Glendale’s fourth round of Monster Energy Supercross this Saturday night.

Image: Octopi Media.

Premier class rookie Adam Cianciarulo has described the third round of Monster Energy Supercross as a ‘rollercoaster ride’ after a mixed encounter at Anaheim’s Angel Stadium.

The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider once again qualified strongly before finishing runner-up in his heat, however the number nine declared a series of mistakes cost him in the 24-lap main, where he eventually crossed the line in sixth.

“Today was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me,” Cianciarulo commented. “I was able to qualify on top again which always helps going into the night show. In my heat race, I was able to get out front but my buddy Ken [Roczen] got by and I settled into second.

“In the 450SX main event, despite my start, I felt like I was riding well and making good progress. I began to go forward and was able to make my way up to fourth, but unfortunately, I made some minor mistakes that cost me a better result.

“Sixth place isn’t where I want to be, but it is a long season and we are going to keep grinding. I am looking forward to the Triple Crown format next weekend in Glendale and the three gate drops we get to race.”

Cianciarulo is ranked fifth in the series standings, 10 points behind red-plate holder Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC).

Image: Supplied.

Maxxis Moto Australia is offering up to $30,000 in Maxxis Moto Money as part of an east coast motocross contingency program in 2020.

Riders using Maxxis tyres at the nominated east coast motocross events in 2020 can earn contingency Maxxis Money towards their next set of newly-developed Maxxis MX-ST tyres.

Earn up to $100 in Maxxis Money for the highest placed and up to $50 for the second-highest placed Maxxis rider (overall) in your class.

Riders will need to be using Maxxis tyres and register for the program at sign-on/registration. Maxxis Moto Money will be awarded at presentations.

For more information, visit www.maxxismoney.com.

Image: Foremost Media.

After recently signing with Empire Kawasaki, Jayden Rykers is confident the added support will allow him to level up his riding throughout the 2020 season and become a podium contender.

Rykers experienced a breakout rookie season in the premier class last year, earning a maiden moto podium at Murray Bridge before consistency granted him a spot inside the top five of the championship rankings until his campaign ended prematurely with injury at Moree.

The 23-year-old, who was a Suzuki-mounted privateer working a full-time job in 2019, believes the ability to focus solely on his riding and commit more time training will enable him to establish himself as a regular front-runner.

“Obviously, it’s a massive switch to my program and I’m going to be able to step-up this year,” Rykers told MotoOnline.com.au.

“At one point I was fourth in the championship, so I guess the biggest thing for me is to be able to put a big pre-season in – this point last year, well I didn’t even confirm a bike until a few weeks before the first round and I was still working a full-time job.

“I think having the time to get myself physically in shape and have more bike time will be the change in getting inside the top five and pushing for podiums at every round. I was pretty happy with my results last year, but by being on the time and having more time to invest into it all, I definitely see myself up with the front guys.”

The MX Nationals kicks off on 4-5 April at Horsham in Victoria.

Image: Octopi Media.

Australian duo Jay Wilson and Aaron Tanti have continued their main event form at the third round of Monster Energy Supercross in Anaheim.

Former Australian SX2 champion Wilson returned to racing at Angel Stadium, the Yamaha-mounted contender electing to sit out the previous stop in St. Louis in favour of improving his recovery from a pre-season crash.

Wilson, who was 17th at Anaheim’s season-opener, put on an impressive display of riding as he charged to 11th in the 18-lap affair. His result moves him to 18th in the 250SX West standings.

Fellow Yamaha-equipped rider Tanti, who came off a P13 result at St. Louis, also made a strong campaign at the Californian round to cross the line in 13th for the second straight weekend, positioning him 16th in the championship rankings.

Compatriots Joel Wightman (Honda) and Geran Stapleton (Honda) were just short of qualifying for the night show. Monster Energy Supercross heads to Glendale this Saturday night for round four.

Image: Octopi Media.

Penrite Honda Racing’s Luke Clout believes he has more to offer after scoring an impressive result just outside of the top five at Anaheim 2’s third stop of Monster Energy Supercross.

It was a long night at Angel Stadium for the Australian favourite, who was forced to qualify for the main event via the last chance qualifier.

Despite having the last gate-pick, the New South Welshman put on a stellar performance in the 18-lap encounter, winding up in sixth position.

Still adapting to the American environment and the transition back to a Honda CRF250R, Clout is adamant on making further improvements prior to returning home to Australia.

“Unfortunately, I crashed [in the heat] and had to go to the LCQ – I just rode quickly enough in the LCQ to make the main,” Clout commented.

“I am okay with my sixth, but I have a lot of work to do. The team has been great – they are giving me everything I need. It’s different over here – I know that doesn’t make sense to some people, but the tracks are different, they are prepared differently, they develop ruts and have moisture in them.

“The intensity is much higher, in Australia we were doing eight-lap races and over here I am doing 18 laps. We have a plan and we are working towards it.”

Clout is now ranked 10th in the 250SX West championship standings as Monster Energy Supercross visits Glendale this weekend.

Image: Foremost Media.

Reigning ISDE and AORC champion Daniel Sanders has revealed a wrist injury sustained last month initially went undetected, the Victorian now forced to endure limited bike time in the lead up to Toowoomba’s opening round of the domestic series.

Sanders crashed while play riding on his own supercross track last December, suffering a dislocated finger before experiencing wrist pain and swelling.

The number 11 underwent scans upon returning from holiday, where the radiology report suggested he was cleared of injury – not satisfied with the finding, Sanders sought out a surgeon to inspect the x-rays, where a crack in his right wrist was immediately discovered.

“I dislocated my finger straight away, but I got up and everything else was fine,” Sanders explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “I had to put the finger back in, and then that night the wrist started to become a problem when I was out throwing hay bales with my brother and my dad.

“I flew to Thailand the next day for 10 days – I took a wrist brace over in case something was wrong. I didn’t think it was anything major because I wasn’t in a heap of pain, but the swelling was there.

“I came back a few days before Christmas and booked in an x-ray, the notes said everything was all clear, so I was a bit confused with that and so was my local GP. I saw a surgeon to double-check the x-ray, and he saw the crack straight away. I had already been riding, and it’s around the four-week mark.

“I’ll be giving it a few weeks – the surgeon said to six to eight weeks [recovery]. I’ll chase up another x-ray this week to see how it’s healing, but yeah, it’s just limited time on the bike.”

Sanders indicated he’ll continue with the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team in 2020, and is adamant he’ll be fit for the AORC opener on 22-23 February.

Image: Supplied.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt has claimed a dominant victory at Spain’s third round of the 2020 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.

Topping the Superpole hot lap, Bolt secured a maximum points haul with three race wins to return to the top of the championship standings with two rounds remaining.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jonny Walker was runner-up with a 3-2-2 scorecard, while teammate Taddy Blazusiak (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) rounded out the podium with 2-4-3 race results.

Alfredo Gomez (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) and Blake Gutzeit (Husqvarna) were fourth and fifth respectively, as Bolt now leads the championship over Blazusiak by six points. The series now heads to Budapest in Hungary on 1 February.

Detailed results