A difficult afternoon at Anaheim 1 wasn’t enough to ruin the opening round for defending Monster Energy Supercross champion Cooper Webb, coming through with an inspired podium in the main event.

It surfaced following qualifying that Webb had been struck with a bout of sickness, only managing to qualify his Red Bull KTM in 15th overall.

The 24-year-old improved to score third in his heat race, adding to his confidence prior to the 450SX final, in which he surged through the field from sixth in the early laps to secure a podium in P3.

“It was a tough day for sure, but sometimes that happens so it was good to go out,” he explained. “Practice wasn’t anything great – I think I was around 15th, so that wasn’t too good – but I feel like when the race started the heat went pretty good.

“In the main event I plugged away, had a decent start and made a few good passes. I found a good little comfort zone there in third, so just kind of rode it on in.

“I’m actually headed back to Florida to ride out there, St. Louis dirt is always pretty good and our dirt is similar, so I’ll head east and recover. I think it’s just a little 24-hour deal, so yeah, it’s a quick week, but we’ll do everything in our power to get back to 100 per cent.”

Webb’s result came as a surprise of sorts following his afternoon form, but will become increasingly important as the season progresses since he finished ahead of multiple title challengers on the night.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Taddy Blazusiak has clinched victory at Germany’s second round of the 2020 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.

Race one started well for Blazusiak, completing the first lap in third place. He capitalised on errors from those in front of him, ultimately taking the chequered flag with a huge 34-second advantage over Alfredo Gomez (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) and Jonny Walker (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

The second race, despite the reversed grid, went very much the same way as the first – Blazusiak, riding consistently, made his way to the front leaving his rivals behind. This time it was Billy Bolt (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) in second ahead of Walker.

The third and final race saw Blazusiak take the holeshot and instantly create a comfortable lead. The Polish ace never faltered and completed his hat-trick of first-place results to finish ahead of Gomez and bolt.

Overall it was Blazusiak who captured victory while earning the points lead, as Bolt and Walker were second and third respectively. The next stop on the calendar is scheduled for 18 January in Spain.

Detailed results

Serco Yamaha has re-signed Aaron Tanti for the 2020 Australian motocross and supercross season, set to be joined by incoming New Zealander Dylan Walsh.

After finishing fifth in the MX2 class of the MX Nationals and was also P5 in supercross after holding the SX2 red plate three rounds in.

“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,” Tanti said.

“I have a great working relationship with Gavin [Eales] 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 team has also signed Walsh, 22, for both motocross and supercross, the current British MX2 champion due to contest his first year in Australia. He also has extensive MX2 World Championship experience.

“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,” Walsh explained.

“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, 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 excited and looking forward to the new challenge.”

Yamaha Motor Australia has strengthened its partnership with the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC), extending its position as naming rights sponsor for the 2020 season.

The partnership now enters its 15th consecutive year, where the Yamaha brand has assisted in raising the level of the AORC series that has produced multiple ISDE winning riders.

“Motorcycling Australia is very pleased that Yamaha Motor Australia has again for a record 15 years cemented its support of the Yamaha AORC,” said Motorcycling Australia off-road events manager Matthew Falvo.

“Together we are growing the sport of off-road racing and 2020 will see a number of new categories introduced to further tap into Australia’s junior talent. Yamaha Motor Australia dedication to the sport will give confidence to teams and riders that when it comes to off-road racing there is only one road off-road – Yamaha AORC.”

Yamaha Motor Australia motorsport manager Ray Howard added: “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.”

The 2020 AORC season kicks off on 22-23 February at Toowoomba in Queensland.