Tag Archives: Dakar

Toby Price in Dakar Stage 2 top five | Sanders opens stage, finishing P28

Dakar 2022 – Stage 2


We went into Stage 2 of the 2022 Dakar Rally with Australian Daniel Sanders holding a three-minute lead and opening the stage, ahead of Pablo Quintanilla, Matthias Walkner, Adrien Van Beveren, and Sam Sunderland. Toby Price meanwhile suffered a navigation error that saw a P22 result for Stage 1, dictating the same starting position for today’s stage.

Stage 2 would provide a big shake-up of the front runners, as the challenge of opening the stage bit Sanders on his GasGas machinery, ending up on the wrong side of a canyon for the finish.

Toby Price moves into top five overall after Dakar 2022 Stage 2
Toby Price moves into top five overall after Dakar 2022 Stage 2 – Dakar 2022 Stage 2 – Image by Rally Zone

The stage saw Sunderland move into the overall lead from Yamaha’s Adrien Van Beveren, with Sanders dropping to third 3m29s off the leader in the provisional results before a 10-minute penalty pushed him down to seventh. Walkner, Howes and Lorenzo Santolino completed the top five, with Toby Price moving into 15th. Price now sits 32m48s off the front runner, having closed the gap significantly.

The second full stage also brought about some route changes, with downpours over the last days causing flooding, including washing out the Al Artawiyah bivouac for the Marathon stage, with the Stage 2 destination camp instead changed to Al Qaisumah, with the 338.43-kilometre special stage unchanged, mainly featuring dunes.

Australian Daniel Sanders retains the lead into Dakar Stage 1
Daniel Sanders – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Daniel Sanders found himself on the wrong side of canyon nearing the end of stage two, and had to make a quick decision. Instead of turning back, he opted to jump his GasGas RC 450F clean over it to get himself back in the race, which, fortunately, worked. From there it was a hard charge to the finish line, however a 10-minute penalty saw the rider lose a number of places as the results updated.

Daniel Sanders – P28

“Today was pretty wild to begin with as it was pretty cloudy and the stage was super-fast early on. I had a good day going until after a fuel stop where I went down the wrong side of a canyon and lost a little bit of time. In the end I had to jump over it to get out of it but once back on the right line I pushed on to the finish. A little frustrating but I was able to make up some time in the dunes so all in all, not a bad day really.”

Toby Price
Toby Price – Dakar 2022 Stage 2 – Image by Rally Zone

Toby Price’s second day at the 2022 Dakar proved a better one, with the Aussie building his pace throughout the day and fighting his way up the order. Completing the stage as fifth fastest, he earnt himself a strong start position for day three, where Price will aim to cut his deficit to the leaders once again.

Toby Price – P5

“Today went a lot better than yesterday, and I was able to claw back a little time on the leaders. It’s always tough when you lose a big chunk of time early on, but it’s still very early days and there’s a lot of racing left. The bike is really good – I’m feeling really comfortable – so let’s continue tomorrow and see what happens.”

Toby Price
Toby Price – Dakar 2022 Stage 2 – Image by Rally Zone

Australian Andrew Houlihan meanwhile finished the day in 110th and sits 112th overall.


Joan Barreda started the day from a favourable position to attack, let no-one stand between him and his goal, completing the special with a surplus of five-and-a-half minutes over the stage’s nearest rider.

Joan Barreda – P1

“I’m happy with today, especially after yesterday’s hard day, where several riders got lost. To make up time in the general standings is good, and we have to be aware that there are ten days ahead and that anything can happen. We are physically in good shape and we are looking forward to it. We have worked all year to get here in good shape, so now is the time to get it all out. I am also happy to be the third rider in the history of the Dakar with the most stage victories. I’m proud of the work I’ve done over the years and the mark I’ve left.”

Joan Barreda
Joan Barreda – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Starting sixth on stage two of the 2022 Dakar Rally, Sam Sunderland put together a faultless display of riding and navigation to catch the front runners, lead the stage, and then bring his RC 450F Rally home in a fine second place. The strong result moves the Brit to the top of the provisional leaderboard.

Sam Sunderland – P2

“It was an interesting day today and it certainly went a bit more smoothly than yesterday, which is what I wanted. I started sixth and focused on just pushing hard to catch the leaders. There was some tricky navigation, but I figured out the way pretty quickly and caught up to Van Beveren. We then caught up with a few more of the leading guys so from there onwards we took it in turns to navigate and it was a pretty cool way to end the stage.”

Sam Sunderland
Sam Sunderland – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Completing stage one in 14th place, defending Dakar Champion Kevin Benavides made the very best use of his starting position to make up time on his rivals. With his KTM 450 RALLY performing perfectly, Benavides was able to work his way up the rankings as the day progressed, moving into the top three by the halfway point. From there, the experienced Argentinian maintained a strong pace to the finish, ultimately claiming third, just under six minutes down on the stage winner.

Kevin Benavides – P3

“Today was a good day, especially after such a tough day yesterday. I started near the back and was able to push really hard. The special today was really fast in places, but also quite complicated – you had to know where to attack and where to focus on your navigation. It’s only day two and everything can happen at the Dakar – there are always ups and downs. I’m looking forward to the next few days.”

Kevin Benavides
Kevin Benavides – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Starting the special stage as the 10th rider to set off, Skyler was quickly up to speed and chasing down the riders ahead of him, once again pushing hard but not taking any unnecessary risks so early on in the event. Enjoying the fast tracks and wet sandy conditions, the American was soon knocking on the door of a top-three finish, eventually bringing his FR 450 Rally home in fourth.

Skyler Howes – P4

“The stage went well for me – I felt pretty comfortable riding on the wet sand. The dunes and the fast, sandy tracks were a lot of fun to ride, so today was really enjoyable, especially after some of the stresses of yesterday. I felt like I rode at a pretty good pace, and I’m happy with my result. It puts me in a good position for stage three, so I hope I can maximise on that. My focus is just to keep putting in solid rides, and make sure that I stay focused on the navigation. Overall, I’m really happy with how today went.”

Skyler Howes
Skyler Howes – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Joaquim Rodrigues of Hero Motosports was sixth, behind Toby Price, with Stefan Svitko of the Slovnaft Rally Team seventh.

Maintaining excellent form Adrien Van Beveren entered the high-speed special in fourth, and used his superior navigational skills to open the stage together with the other leading riders. Maintaining his strong pace throughout, he ultimately completed the stage as the eighth fastest competitor, advancing to second in the overall provisional classification.

Adrien Van Beveren – P8

“I’m happy about today’s stage, it looks like our navigation strategy has paid off again. My priority over the stage was to keep checking the road book and making the right changes of direction while still keeping a good pace and it has worked well. I have a good start position for tomorrow, so I will try and continue doing what I have been doing for these first two days and stay focused. It’s only been two stages so there’s a long way to go.”

Adrien Van Beveren
Adrien Van Beveren – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

It was also a positive day of racing for Andrew Short who, after a difficult first stage where he fell foul to a tricky note in the roadbook, clawed back 10 minutes on the provisional leader at the close of stage two. Completing the special as the ninth fastest rider ensures a beneficial starting position for stage three, where the American will once again focus on reeling in the riders ahead of him.

Andrew Short – P9

“Today went a lot better for me. My speed was good and the terrain was awesome. Very motocross-style in between the wide-open sections and overall it was just a great day on the bike. After refuelling I did make a small navigational mistake but otherwise today was much more positive and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Andrew Short
Andrew Short – Dakar 2022 Stage 2

Tech3 KTM Factory Racing’s Danilo Petrucci suffered a technical issue early on in the stage that brought his day to a premature end.

Tonight the Dakar convoy congregates at the Al Qaisumah bivouac due to the proposed Marathon bivouac at Al Artawiyah being washed out by heavy rains.

Stage 3 has also been affected due to the change of today’s bivouac. Race organisers yesterday decided to cancel the first sector of the special, so riders will not have to complete the 368-kilometre timed stage. The first riders are expected to arrive back in Al Qaisumah at approximately 13:00.

Dakar 2022 Results Stage 2
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time/Gap
1 Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy Honda 03h31m20
2 Sam Sunderland Gasgas  +00h05m33
3 Kevin Benavides Red Bull KTM  +00h05m54
4 Skyler Howes Husqvarna  +00h06m16
5 Toby Price Red Bull KTM +00h07m00
6 Joaquim Rodrigues Hero Motosports +00h10m18
7 Stefan Svitko Slovnaft Rally Team +00h10m32
8 Adrien Van Beveren Monster Energy Yamaha +00h11m34
9 Andrew Short Monster Energy Yamaha +00h12m02
10 Aaron Mare Hero Motosports  +00h12m37
11 Martin Michek Orion Moto +00h13m18
12 Rui Gonçalves Sherco TVS +00h13m48
13 Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo Monster Energy Honda +00h14m26
14 Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM +00h14m31
15 Ricky Brabec Monster Energy Honda +00h15m04
16 Lorenzo Santolino Sherco TVS +00h15m30
17 Luciano Benavides Husqvarna  +00h21m21
18 Camille Chapeliere Team Baines  +00h21m34
19 Joan Pedrero Garcia Rieju – FN Speed +00h22m31
20 Maciej Giemza Orlen Team +00h23m09
Dakar 2022 Provisional Standings after Stage 2
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time/Gap
1 Sam Sunderland GasGas  08h31m29
2 Adrien Van Beveren Monster Energy Yamaha +00h02m51
3 Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM +00h04m08
4 Skyler Howes Husqvarna +00h09m59
5 Lorenzo Santolino Sherco TVS +00h10m55
6 Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy Honda +00h12m31
7 Daniel Sanders GasGas  +00h13m29
8 Stefan Svitko Slovnaft +00h17m39
9 Aaron Mare Hero Motosports  +00h18m41
10 Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy Honda +00h20m25
11 Kevin Benavides Red Bull KTM +00h20m47
12 Ross Branch Monster Energy Yamaha +00h22m21
13 Xavier De Soultrait Ht Rally Raid Husqvarna +00h31m55
14 Mason Klein Bas Dakar KTM +00h32m26
15 Toby Price Red Bull KTM +00h32m48
16  Andrew Short Monster Energy Yamaha +00h35m59
17  Daniel Nosiglia Jager Rieju – FN +00h40m31
18 Joaquim Rodrigues Hero Motosports +00h45m13
19 Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo Monster Energy Honda +00h46m21
20 Jan Brabec Strojrent Racing +00h50m32

2022 Dakar Rally schedule
Stage Date Start/Finish Distance | Special
STAGE 1A Sat, Jan 1, 2022 Jeddah > Hail 834 km | 19 km
STAGE 1B Sun, Jan 2, 2022 Ha’il > Hail 546 km | 334 km
STAGE 2 Mon, Jan 3, 2022 Ha’il > Al Artawiyah 585 km | 339 km
STAGE 3 Tues, Jan 4, 2022 Al Artawiyah > Al Qaysumah 554 km | 368 km
STAGE 4 Wed, Jan 5, 2022 Al Qaisumah > Riyadh 707 km | 465 km
STAGE 5 Thurs, Jan 6, 2022 Riyadh > Riyadh 563 km | 348 km
STAGE 6 Fri, Jan 7, 2022 Riyadh > Riyadh 635 km | 421 km
REST Sat, Jan 8, 2022 Riyadh
STAGE 7 Sun, Jan 9, 2022 Riyadh > Al Dawadimi 700 km | 401 km
STAGE 8 Mon, Jan 10, 2022 Al Dawadimi > Wadi Ad Dawasir 828 km | 394 km
STAGE 9 Tues, Jan 11, 2022 Wadi Ad Dawasir > Wadi Ad Dawasir 490 km | 287 km
STAGE 10 Wed, Jan 12, 2022 Wadi Ad Dawasir > Bisha 757 km | 374 km
STAGE 11 Thurs, Jan 13, 2022 Bisha > Bisha 500 km | 345 km
STAGE 12 Fri, Jan 14, 2022 Bisha > Jeddah 676 km | 163 km

2022 Dakar Rally schedule and map

Source: MCNews.com.au

Sanders backs up Stage 1A victory winning 334 km 1B stage to extend Dakar lead

Dakar 2022 – Stage 1B


It was Australian Daniel Sanders flying the GasGas flag at the head of the 2022 Dakar field, claiming top honours for the prologue yesterday, with Stage 1 today reinforcing that was no fluke as he again proved fastest again after choosing a strategic 15th place start for the day.

Daniel Sanders
Daniel Sanders – 2022 Dakar Stage 1

Stage 1 was a loop for Ha’Il, covering 546 km, including 334 km of special, with navigation catching out many riders including Toby Price who lost significant time as a result.

Add a section of wet, sandy desert tracks due to overnight rain and the additional hazard, along with the usual demanding sand dunes, fast, rough tracks, and challenging navigation ensured a seriously demanding opening stage.

For Sanders, the game plan worked perfectly, allowing him to win the stage by over two-minutes to extend his place at the top of the overall provisional classification. Opening stages are a situation fraught with uncertainty, however that will now be the challenge for Stage 2 for the Aussie.

Daniel Sanders – P1

“So far things are shaping up really good. After winning the Prologue yesterday I got to choose my starting position and opted to start in 15th and then focus on chasing after the guys up front. There was some tricky navigation near the end of the special but I kept cool, avoided any huge errors and then l lead the stage to the end. This was great for me as it made sure I focused on my roadbook and as I’ll lead out tomorrow – it was good to get a little experience of riding alone up front. I’m excited for tomorrow and looking forward to the challenge ahead.”

Australian Daniel Sanders retains the lead into Dakar Stage 1
Daniel Sanders – 2022 Dakar Stage 1

In stark contrast to his winning ride on stage one of last year’s Dakar Rally, Toby Price unfortunately endured a hugely frustrating opening stage. As one of the many riders to run into the same navigational issue, the Australian would eventually complete the special 47 minutes down on countryman Sanders.

Toby Price – P22

“The stage was a bit of a rough one for me today. There was one note that just didn’t seem to add up properly, didn’t quite make sense to me, so I ended up getting lost for 45, maybe 50, minutes. So, not a good way to start the rally. But it’s early days and let’s see what happens. No crashes, so that’s good, but a costly navigation mistake. I’ll keep my head down and keep at it and see what tomorrow brings.”

Toby Price
Toby Price – 2022 Dakar Stage 1

Pablo Quintanilla produced a fine performance today for Honda, arriving at the Ha’il bivouac satisfied with securing another runner-up spot on the stage.

Pablo Quintanilla – P2

“It was a tough, complicated day. Last night it rained and washed out some tracks, the route was barely visible. I tried to push throughout the whole stage, even at the note at kilometre 268, where there was a hidden waypoint that was very difficult to find. I took it easy, navigated well and in the end it turned out to be a good day. It was very physically demanding, with a lot of changes of direction, on tracks that were not very visible, very fast and stone-filled… but I feel good, with good pace. I think it was a great day.”

Pablo Quintanilla
Pablo Quintanilla – 2022 Dakar Stage 1

Matthias Walkner pushed hard from the start and, throughout the opening six waypoints, made up good time on the riders ahead of him. Running into a navigational issue mid-way between waypoints six and seven, Walkner was able to quickly find his way and end the stage in a strong third place.

Matthias Walkner – P3

“It was a good day but super tricky with the navigation today. The rain certainly made the sand harder and things a little more challenging, but a few of us worked together, riding in a fast, strong group at the end of the stage to make sure that we arrived at the finish in a good way. In the morning the rain made the sand firmer and really nice to ride on, but at the end of the day it was much more challenging and harder to ride on. Although today was a hard day, it’s only the first day of the rally. We saw it last year, you can lose or win 30 minutes or so, but at this early stage in the race that doesn’t mean too much.”

Matthias Walkner
Matthias Walkner – 2022 Dakar Stage 1

Adrien Van Beveren made a highly positive start to his Dakar campaign by completing the special as the fourth fastest rider, despite entering as the 10th rider, with the event very much a war of attrition for Yamaha, looking at last year’s results.

Adrien Van Beveren – P4

“Today was tricky, but really enjoyable. I made a small navigation error early on but nothing major and my pace was where it needed to be also. So, it was a slow start but then I was able to ride with Pablo Quintanilla and this really improved my speed. There was some really difficult navigation near the end, but I found my way through and then opened the stage to the finish. I entered the stage in 10th and completed it as the first rider so this has been a great day for me. The focus for tomorrow will be to build from this result and start to build some momentum.”

Adrien Van Beveren
Adrien Van Beveren – 2022 Dakar Stage 1

Enjoying a strong debut ride aboard GasGas machinery, Sam Sunderland was well placed and running up front with the leading riders until until finding one of the waypoints late on in the 334-kilometre special proved anything but easy. After losing valuable time along with many of his rivals, Sunderland quickly found his way and pushed to the end of the special to secure his sixth-place finish.

Sam Sunderland – P6

“The first proper day is done and it’s safe to say that we went straight in at the deep end! My navigation was good all day but when we got to kilometre 276 there was a waypoint which was really difficult to find. A few of us went around in circles but once I found it my only option was to push as hard as I could to make up for lost time. It’s been a tough first day but there’s such a long way to go, hopefully tomorrow will go a little more smoothly.”

Sam Sunderland
Sam Sunderland – 2022 Dakar Stage 1

Ross Branch, like his teammate Adrien, moved forward during the stage to join the leading group of riders before a small crash slowed his progress. Remounting quickly and chasing down the leaders once again, a minor navigational error then cost the Botswana native a couple of minutes, completing the special as the eighth fastest rider.

Ross Branch – P8

“It was an up and down day today but overall I’m happy. I had a crash early on, around kilometre 130 and then I made a pretty big mistake with my navigation, which was frustrating. I lost a couple of minutes there but I’m all good otherwise. I feel good, and my bike is running perfectly. I’m now focused on tomorrow and looking forward to making up for lost time”

Skyler Howes claimed Husqvarna Factory Racing’s best result, the American completed the 546-kilometre stage as the 10th fastest rider despite a navigational issue hampering his performance.

Faring well during his first ever Dakar Rally special stage, Danilo Petrucci was able to benefit from his starting position of 33rd and follow the tracks ahead of him, ending up P12. Arriving at the troublesome waypoints after the leading riders, the Italian was able to avoid issues and went on to enjoy a notably positive result but did score a one-minute penalty, the ex MotoGP star 33-minutes behind the race leader.

Danilo Petrucci

I’m really, really happy to finish my first real Dakar stage. I was so nervous at the start. Generally, all went ok for me but the 120 kilometers after the refueling seemed really, really long for me, especially with the big dunes.”

Aussie privateer Andrew Houlihan kicked off his Dakar campaign with a P117 result, four hours off leading time.

The second stage of the Dakar, set to take place tomorrow, will be dominated by dunes. There will be several stretches of dunes occupying about a quarter of the 338-kilometre special stage.

With a total of 568 kilometres, this was intended to be the only marathon stage of the 2022 Dakar, finishing in Al Artawiyah, but due to a heavy downpour yesterday which flooded the originally planned site, the bivouac has been moved to Al Qaisumah. As a result, there is no scheduled marathon stage and RallyGP riders will be able to receive external mechanical assistance like on any other race day.

Dakar 2022 Results Stage 1 (Stage 1B Provisional)

Pos Rider Nat Bike Time/Gap
1 SANDERS Daniel AUS Gas Gas 03:43’10
2 QUINTANILLA Pablo CHI Honda +00:02’07
3 WALKNER Matthias AUT KTM +00:08’31
4 SANTOLINO Lorenzo SPA Sherco +00:10’04
5 VAN BEVEREN Adrien FRA Yamaha +00:10’06
6 DE SOULTRAIT Xavier FRA Husqvarna +00:12’01
7 SUNDERLAND Sam GBR Gas Gas +00:13’01
8 HOWES Skyler USA Husqvarna +00:16’17
9 EVAN BRANCH Ross BWA Yamaha +00:17’26
10 SVITKO Stefan SLO KTM +00:17’41
11 MARÉ Aaron RSA Hero +00:21’03
12 MAIO Antonio POR Yamaha +00:26’05
13 NOSIGLIA Daniel BOL Rieju +00:29’57
14 BENAVIDES Luciano ARG Husqvarna +00:34’22
15 BARREDA Joan SPA Honda +00:38’54

Dakar 2022 Provisional Standings after Stage 1 (Provisional)

Pos Rider Nat Overall/Gap
1 SANDERS Daniel AUS 04:38’40
2 QUINTANILLA Pablo CHI +00:03’07
3 WALKNER Matthias AUT +00:11’06
4 VAN BEVEREN Adrien FRA +00:12’46
5 SUNDERLAND Sam GBR +00:15’56
6 SANTOLINO Lorenzo SPA +00:16’54
7 DE SOULTRAIT Xavier FRA +00:18’36
8 EVAN BRANCH Ross BWA +00:19’21
9 HOWES Skyler USA +00:25’12
10 MARÉ Aaron RSA +00:27’33

2022 Dakar Rally schedule

Stage Date Start/Finish Distance | Special
STAGE 1A Sat, Jan 1, 2022 Jeddah > Hail 834 km | 19 km
STAGE 1B Sun, Jan 2, 2022 Ha’il > Hail 546 km | 334 km
STAGE 2 Mon, Jan 3, 2022 Ha’il > Al Artawiyah 585 km | 339 km
STAGE 3 Tues, Jan 4, 2022 Al Artawiyah > Al Qaysumah 554 km | 368 km
STAGE 4 Wed, Jan 5, 2022 Al Qaisumah > Riyadh 707 km | 465 km
STAGE 5 Thurs, Jan 6, 2022 Riyadh > Riyadh 563 km | 348 km
STAGE 6 Fri, Jan 7, 2022 Riyadh > Riyadh 635 km | 421 km
REST Sat, Jan 8, 2022 Riyadh
STAGE 7 Sun, Jan 9, 2022 Riyadh > Al Dawadimi 700 km | 401 km
STAGE 8 Mon, Jan 10, 2022 Al Dawadimi > Wadi Ad Dawasir 828 km | 394 km
STAGE 9 Tues, Jan 11, 2022 Wadi Ad Dawasir > Wadi Ad Dawasir 490 km | 287 km
STAGE 10 Wed, Jan 12, 2022 Wadi Ad Dawasir > Bisha 757 km | 374 km
STAGE 11 Thurs, Jan 13, 2022 Bisha > Bisha 500 km | 345 km
STAGE 12 Fri, Jan 14, 2022 Bisha > Jeddah 676 km | 163 km
2022 Dakar Rally schedule and map
2022 Dakar Rally schedule and map

Source: MCNews.com.au

Sanders wins qualifying special stage and selects start position 15 for Stage 1B

Dakar 2022 – Stage 1A

Daniel Sanders, who claimed top rookie honours and finished just outside the podium last year, grabbed his maiden Dakar stage win in the opener short special of Dakar 2022 overnight.

It was a first in more than one way, as the Australian also netted GASGAS its first triumph in the most prestigious rally raid on Earth. As the icing on the cake, it was the first victory for the new 450 platform being used across the GASGAS, KTM and Husqvarna team, the latest showpiece of the Mattighofen factory, unveiled in Morocco last year. GASGAS is the 13th constructor to take a stage in Dakar, the rally had not feted a new winner since 2010, when Sherco and Aprilia opened their accounts.

Daniel Sanders

After departing Jeddah along the Red Sea for a northbound 225 km transfer, the starting shot for the qualifying stage was fired at the entrance to the Medina region. The opening 19 km sprint was a sign of things to come: sandy tracks and dunes in an all-sand timed sector in which the entrants crowned and gobbled up dunes, sometimes even broken ones, and climbed to an altitude of close to 400 metres.

On this power hike, competitors were expected to bring their A game from the beginning for the special before the caravan then headed north-east for a 614 km liaison to Ha’il, where the grand start podium awaited the participants for tomorrow’s stage 1B on a loop course.

Pablo Quintanilla crossed the finish-line twelve seconds adrift of the day’s winner, Daniel Sanders. The prologue’s conversion factor, a coefficient of five, put him one minute behind the Australian, with the Monster Energy Honda Team rider now lying in second place in the rally’s overall standings.

Daniel Sanders – P1

It’s cool to win my first Dakar special. I was really comfortable in the stage, the bike was handling unreal. It’s cool to show some speed, but the navigation has to start tomorrow. Looking forward to a long race. I knew I had to be fast in the prologue. If there’s not too much navigation, I can be in the top 3 or 5 in the prologue. This will give me a good spot to start from 10th to 15th tomorrow, I get to choose. It’s cool to win my first Dakar special.

Daniel Sanders
Pablo Quintanilla – P2

I’m very happy with the way we have started the year. It was a short prologue, but it was intense, fast, with dunes and some rocks, but it helped me to get my nerves sorted out and start to get into the swing of things little by little. My goal was to finish in the top four and I finished second, so I did it and I’ll be able to choose a good starting position for tomorrow, which is an important stage with over 300 kilometres of special. It will be complicated. It will be important to start from the rear. We hope to have a good first week of rallying.”

Pablo Quintanilla

Ross Branch was third quickest on a day where riders were most definitely playing a tactical game.

KTM Factory Racing duo Kevin Benavides of Argentina was P4 and Austria’s Matthias Walkner P5.

Kevin Benavides – P4

It’s never easy to get started at the Dakar. There are always some nerves and lots of emotion. I was feeling a bit rigid at the beginning, but I managed to relax as I got into the stage.

Kevin Benavides

Former champion Sam Sunderland was seventh behind Adrien Van Beveren, while two-time winner Toby Price was one place further back in eighth.

Toby Price

Joan Barreda was the second rider in the RallyGP group to take the start. With a lot of dust in the air over the opening stretches and without any major references ahead, the Spaniard posted tenth on the day. Honda team-mate American Ricky Brabec opted not to push too hard on the first day and took P12, however, without dropping any significant time to his rivals.

Ricky Brabec – P12

I think the Dakar really starts tomorrow. It was just a prologue and a big transfer day. Today was just really for starting positions. I didn’t do the best, so it looks like I’m going to be starting from the front, more or less, tomorrow. There is still the whole Dakar to race; we have twelve days more of racing. So today was a kind of transfer day just to get to Ha’il. The team is here. We are looking healthy, so let’s keep moving forwards, keep the spirits high and let’s keep the finish in sight.

Ricky Brabec

In his usual fashion, José Ignacio Cornejo produced a fairly reserved prologue. The Chilean from Iquique, who is 25th, will pick up the pace as the race progresses and was happy to be well back in the pack during the opening stage.

José Ignacio Cornejo – P21

Today, there was a lot to be gained, but even more to be lost in the middle of the pack of 15, so I decided to play it safe. I lost some time today, but I’ll get opportunities to claw it back in the coming days.”

José Ignacio Cornejo

MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci completed his first dip at Dakar in P23.

Danilo Petrucci

Aussie privateer Andrew Houlihan made a safe start to his second Dakar campaign and finished Stage 1A in 115th.

Tomorrow’s stage

On Saturday evening, at the drivers’ briefing, the top finishers chose the starting order for tomorrow’s stage 1B, a looping stage in Ha’il, including 333 kilometres of special stage. Friday fast man Daniel Sanders selected start position #15. Pablo Quintanilla will start in fourteenth position, whilst Brabec will start from fourth and Barreda from sixth. Cornejo will start in the same position he finished today.  It will be run over sandy tracks, reaching an altitude of 1,300 metres, with a fair degree of navigational complexity.

However, not all of the route will be against the clock: a total of 181 kilometres of liaison section will complete the day’s 514-kilometre total. The departure from the Ha’il bivouac will be at 0545 and the first riders are expected to arrive back at the bivouac from 1245 (local time) onwards.

Dakar 2022 Results Prologue (Stage 1A)

  1. SANDERS Daniel AUS Gas Gas Factory Team 00:55’30
  2. QUINTANILL Pablo CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +00:01’00
  3. BRANCH Ross BWA Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +00:01’55
  4. BENAVIDES Kevin ARG Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +00:02’00
  5. WALKNER Matthias AUT Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +00:02’35
  6. VAN BEVEREN Adrien FRA Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +00:02’40
  7. SUNDERLAND Sam GBR Gas Gas Factory Team +00:02’55
  8. PRICE Toby 18 Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +00:02’55
  9. SHORT Andrew USA Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +00:03’00
  10. BARREDA Joan SPA Monster Energy Honda Team +00:03’00
  11. RODRIGUES Joaquim POR Hero Motorsports Team Rally +00:03’05
  12. BRABEC Ricky USA Monster Energy Honda Team +00:03’55
  13. BENAVIDES Luciano ARG Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing +00:04’05
  14. MICHEK Martin CZE Orion Moto Racing Group +00:04’15
  15. COX Bradley RSA BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM +00:05’30

Source: MCNews.com.au

We preview Dakar 2022 as action gets underway in Jeddah

Dakar 2022

Marking the first round of the 2022 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship and awarding extra points due to its classification as an FIM Marathon Rally, the 44th edition of the Dakar is building up to be more important than ever. Covering 12 stages from January 1 to January 14, and totalling close to 8,000 kilometres, the race promises to provide the ultimate test of endurance, speed, and navigation as it travels through the Saudi desert.

Today, the 1st of January, the caravan for the 44th Dakar sets out from Jeddah to Ha’il, with the return to a traditional date for an innovative and unprecedented stage on the Dakar. Motorcycle competitors face a new development in 2022: a short 19-kilometre qualifying special stage. Everyone will have to fight for their place over the short distance against the clock. Though customary in the FIA World Championship car category, this will be a first on the Dakar for everybody. The times achieved on the special will be used to determine the starting orders for the following day and will produce an initial classification. 

The 15 quickest riders will be able to choose their place among the first 15 starting positions the following day. The quickest rider will have his choice in regards to starting preference which is always an important strategy as opening the way can be a very tricky task. 

KTM want Dakar back!

Honda brought KTM’s amazing 18-year reign to an end when Ricky Brabec took victory in 2020 on the CRF. In 2013, Honda returned to the Dakar Rally after a 23-year absence but it took Big Red until 2020 to break KTM’s stranglehold on the Dakar. It was an emotional victory that also coincided with the loss of a Dakar great when Portuguese star Paulo Goncalves crashed on stage seven of Dakar 2020 and died as a result of his injuries. 

Kevin Benavides then made it two in a row for Honda with victory in 2021 but then in a high profile defection joins KTM for Dakar 2022! 

Kevin Benavides

After all the work we have done on the new bike, it’s really important to give it a final test in the sort of terrain we’re going to face. I enjoyed the shakedown, and the bike feels really good – I immediately had a good connection with the bike and was able to test a lot of things. The bike is definitely on-point with the suspension and the engine and everything. Now it’s time to get everything prepared, focus on the race, and start the show.

Kevin Benavides

Dakar legend and five-time winner Marc Coma has been appointed special adviser for KTM during the fortnight in Saudi Arabia. 

The KTM “dream team” decked out in Red Bull colours is made up of three former Dakar winner with Australian Toby Price (the winner in 2016 and 2019) alongside Benavides after signing a new two-year contract. 

A year recovering from injury saw Toby Price off his bike for much of the 2021 season. However, now close to being fully fit, the Aussie is confident that the testing and development done to the new KTM 450 RALLY over the course of the year will pay off, Price is very much focused on securing his third victory at the Dakar.

Toby Price

The Red Bull KTM bike is feeling really good at the moment and I’m just super keen to get the race underway now. The event itself is looking like it’s going to be a really tough 12 days in the desert and a massive test as per usual. I need to make sure I stay consistent, try and make it to the rest day in a good position and then see what the second week brings.

Toby Price

After the trials and tribulations of COVID-19 both Benavides and Price made their return to competition last October for the Rallye du Maroc. While at the Rallye du Maroc, Matthias Walkner grabbed the title of world champion, even before the finale. 

Matthias Walkner

I think I don’t have so much pressure because I’ve had a really good season and I have the world championship title in my pocket, but of course our main goal is again to stay on the top in the Dakar. If I can continue again in a top three position it would be amazing. Right now, I feel super, super excited and motivated, I think more than ever, because it may be my last Dakar because my contract after this Dakar is finished”. 

Matthias Walkner

Danilo Petrucci, recently retired from MotoGP and a surprise guest who will enjoy the much sought-after status of official rider, is ready to seize the unique opportunity of a radical change in style, after the Italian’s 169 starts in the MotoGP! 

However, this reconversion started in an extraordinary manner, with a broken ankle on 8th December during training followed by an initial positive COVID test result on Saudi soil that was soon revealed to be a false positive after a blood test! 

The Italian has already started to feel the heat even before the desert, which he will discover in the coming days. Nevertheless, at the age of 31 years, the track biker can point to genuine off-road experience which perhaps may allow him to become the best rookie in 2022… 

Danilo Petrucci

After a really difficult couple of days I am finally allowed to race. I was on my bike at the shakedown when I received the message that my Covid test had come back positive. Thankfully, a blood test returned a negative result, and I was cleared to compete. I still need to take a lot of care, especially with my ankle, but I’m really looking forward to the race now. I want to say a big thank you to all the team for their help over the past week, too.

Danilo Petrucci checks in alongside Aussies Toby Price and Daniel Sanders

Petrucci is not the only famous road racer to be starting Dakar 2022 as Carlos Checa also joins the desert racers at Dakar for the first time but will be on four wheels. 

Sherco

The official KTM team will not be the only one to start the 44th edition of the Dakar with a new machine. French constructor Sherco, which achieved a 7th-place finish with Lorenzo Santolini in January 2021 when all its bikes made it to the finish of the rally, will also be showing off its new weapon in the desert.

Sherco 450 SEF Rally

The three official riders will thus now be able to count on a 450 SEF Rally that is s full 12 kilograms lighter, despite the fact that it has three litres’ more fuel capacity. The Nîmes-based brand’s technicians have announced that the machine is 80 per cent modified, with the objectives of greater sharpness and better distribution of weight. However, it is also a more “simplified” machine compared to its initial design which is now nine years old.

Sherco 450 SEF Rally

GASGAS

In what will be GASGAS Factory Racing’s third official participation in the Dakar Rally, they take former race winner Sam Sunderland and young charger Daniel Sanders into the battle.

Sam Sunderland and young charger Daniel Sanders head up the GASGAS challenge

Knowing to expect the unexpected at the Dakar, the 2022 edition will mark Sam Sunderland’s ninth start at the prestigious annual event. A previous race winner in 2018, the Brit has an abundance of experience and certainly possesses the skills needed to challenge for a place on the overall podium.

Sam Sunderland

We’re just one day away from the Prologue and the start of the Dakar so it’s a pretty exciting time! We had a really positive shakedown a couple of days ago, so we’re all set to get things started. The Dakar always throws up some surprises, so it’ll be important to stay focused, keep looking forwards, and stay calm. For sure I’m aiming for a strong result and I think it’s certainly possible to get on the overall podium once again.”

Sam Sunderland

Delivering a highly impressive fourth-place result at the Dakar just under one year ago, the ever-confident Daniel Sanders returns to the race following a solid season competing in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship in 2021. With the Aussie ultimately claiming a bronze medal in the FIM series, and now armed with even more experience, he has a serious shot of success at the 2022 Dakar.

Daniel Sanders

The shakedown went really well and it was a good chance to run the bike in, set it up for the race, and make sure everything is spot on for the start. It was good to loosen up the body on the bike a little bit too and shake out the nerves before the serious stuff starts. I felt great on the bike, everything was perfect, and I really can’t wait to get this race underway.

Daniel Sanders

Husqvarna

Luciano Benavides and Skyler Howes will represent Husqvarna Factory Racing with the two-man team set to compete on the new FR 450 Rally.

2022 Husqvarna FR 450 Rally

Crashing out of the 2021 Dakar on stage nine, Luciano Benavides was forced to spend the start of his 2021 season recovering from an injury to his shoulder. Determined to get back on the bike and back racing as soon as possible, the young Argentinian returned to competition at the first round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship in Kazakhstan, where he claimed an impressive sixth place overall.

A solid seventh-place result at the Silk Way Rally further increased Benavides’ confidence and he was able to carry that momentum into the Rallye du Maroc where his consistency enabled him to secure another top-six finish. Now, heading into the 2022 Dakar, Luciano is back to full fitness and feels more motivated than ever to secure his best result at the legendary event.

Luciano Benavides

2021 has been a long, tough year for me. It started well with the Dakar where I had good speed, but then my crash forced me out of the event. It took a lot of rest and training to get my shoulder up to strength, but thankfully I was able to get back on the bike quite early on and begin to build my pace again. The first couple of world championship rounds went ok at Kazakhstan and Silk Way, I was able to slowly build my confidence, but I knew I was a little bit off the pace. We spent a lot of time in the middle of the year developing the new bike and then when we rode it in Morocco it was definitely a big step forward for me. Not only did the bike perform really well, but it also helped me and my confidence – I felt comfortable straight away and from that the speed came more easily. The team have done an incredible job – many hours working and testing and I’m pleased with the result. Now, looking ahead to the next Dakar I’m happy with where I am both mentally and physically, and with my speed. The bike and the team are working really good right now, so I believe we have an excellent package for Dakar and will be able to fight for strong results. For sure, it’s going to be tough as always, but this will be my fifth Dakar and I think I’m better prepared than ever.”

Luciano Benavides

Signing for the Husqvarna factory in April, Skyler Howes competed in his first international event for the team just over one month later at Rally Kazakhstan. The likeable American immediately impressed, converting his speed and enthusiasm into two stage wins.

Luciano Benavides and Skyler Howes

Gelling well with the team and with the bike, Howes continued to deliver strong performances for the rest of the world championship season, mixing it with the more established racers while also gaining valuable experience along the way. Securing fifth place and finishing as the top privateer at the 2021 Dakar, Skyler is now looking forward to competing at the event for the first time as a fully supported factory rider and will be hoping to make the best use of his excellent navigational skills on the technical terrain while fighting for a top result.

Skyler Howes

The year has gone really well for me – it’s been my first season as a factory racer and that has made a huge difference, it’s been great to just focus on my racing, which I feel is reflected in my results. Going into the Dakar in January, I’m definitely more prepared than I ever have been, but at the same time my goals remain the same – give it my all, stay safe, but try to come out the other side with the very best result possible. The Dakar is tough, and you can pretty much guarantee you’re going to have difficult days. The key is to keep looking forward and focus on that final result – that’s what keeps me going and keeps me motivated. The new bike we have been developing throughout the year has been another massive improvement for me. In years past, I’ve just turned up at the Dakar and often ridden a bike for the first time at that event. Now, I’ve been given the chance to not only spend a lot more time on that bike, but also have a massive input into its development. That’s had the effect that I feel really at home on the new FR 450 Rally and I’m looking forward to taking it to Dakar. At the end of the day, I’ll be happy if I give it my all and have fun, hopefully the final result will reflect that too.”

Skyler Howes

Yamaha

Following on from a highly rewarding season of racing in the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, Yamaha’s Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team takes on Dakar 2022 with Adrien Van Beveren, Ross Branch, and Andrew Short.

Alexandre Kowalski – Yamaha Europe Off-Road Racing Manager

Entering Dakar 2022 is an exciting time for the team following a whole year of continuous hard work from the mechanics and technicians, and of course the riders who have achieved so much in 2021. Behind the scenes we have developed the bike so much and it has been put to the test throughout the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. With Ross winning in Kazakhstan and Adrien ending the season as vice world champion, it clearly proves that we are heading in the right direction. Because of the success this year the team spirit is really high, and this is really important at such a long race like the Dakar. Anything can happen at this event, but I know the riders have all worked so hard to build up and prepare themselves in the best possible way. Now, we can look forward to the Dakar with confidence and I have a strong belief that it will be a successful race for the riders and the team as a whole.

Leading the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team into the desert at the 2022 Dakar Rally is Adrien Van Beveren. With his impressive second place finish in the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship still fresh in his mind, the Frenchman used the entire series as part of his preparations for the 2022 Dakar. Rounding out his highly positive season with three stage wins and a second-place overall result at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in November, Van Beveren is feeling fit, strong, and is undoubtedly back to his very best.

Adrien Van Beveren

I’ve just completed my final training sessions ahead of the Dakar and I’m feeling really strong and ready for the race. The whole of 2021 has been great for me. Round by round in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship I had a solid strategy of being consistent and minimising mistakes. I was able to execute my plan perfectly and end the season as vice world champion, which I was really pleased about for both myself and the team. To avoid some unnecessary pressure, I’m looking at the Dakar as just another race and a continuation of my progress throughout the last year. For sure it is a huge race that everyone in rally focuses on, but I will take it day by day, stage by stage, and apply the same mindset that took me to success in this year’s world championship.”

For Ross Branch, 2021 was something of a learning year in what was only his first full season of rally racing. Demonstrating his capabilities with an impressive win at Rally Kazakhstan, the Botswana native posted impressive stage finishes at all rounds of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship with a few unfortunate incidents hampering his overall results. Undeterred and with a renewed focus, Ross looks to harness his raw speed to successfully reach the Dakar finish line on January 14.

Ross Branch

This year has flown by, and Dakar is now just around the corner. I’m really excited for it. A fresh start, new stages, and I think it’s going to be a really good race. During the last year the team have been working super-hard and this is really motivating as a rider to see as it just inspires me to put everything that I have into my training and preparation. My goal for the race is to finish each stage. It sounds modest but it’s such a long and wild race where anything can happen. Staying trouble free will be so important and now with my experience from racing all year in 2021, I’m in a really good place mentally ahead of the Dakar. I’ve got a great team behind me, and everything is in place for a successful race. I can’t wait to get started.”

Lining up with his sights set on securing his best ever result at the Dakar Rally is the third and final Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team rider, Andrew Short. With the American knowing the importance of safely completing each and every stage, as well as how chaotic the first few days of the Dakar can be, the 39-year-old is fully focused on achieving his goal.

Andrew Short

I’m really looking forward to Dakar 2022 and it’ll actually be my fifth time racing the event. For this one I want to beat my best finish of sixth and to do that it’s super important to finish every stage safely. Each year I seem to experience some kind of problem early in the race so my focus will be on getting through week one without any major issues, then I’ll have the option to ramp things up in week two if I need to. Overall, you never really know how this race will go but I’ll be doing everything in my power to ensure the best result possible and have no regrets when the race comes to an end.”

Honda

And of course then we have our reigning champions, Honda.  Monster Energy Honda Team finished with a historic one-two at the previous Dakar.   Undoubtedly, the team’s intention for this 2022 Dakar Rally edition is to achieve a hat-trick of triumphs in this, the most arduous era of the Dakar; one featuring greater competition than ever before. With this objective in mind, the team line up the following squad: Joan Barreda, Ricky Brabec, José Ignacio Cornejo and Pablo Quintanilla. The Monster Energy Honda Team – with former rider Ruben Faria as General Manager – is made up of a total of 26 members from six different countries.

Ricky Brabec

Everything has been great this year: the team is looking good, we’re working hard and we’re all excited to be here for another edition of the Dakar Rally here in Saudi Arabia. It’s a great desert, a great country to compete in. For me, obviously, the expectations are high: we want to win. The whole team wants to win… There are a lot of people here who could win. For me personally, we are trying to do things right and get to the finish in one piece and without mistakes. Obviously, strategy plays a big part, but it’s difficult when you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. We are fine, the rally starts tomorrow. We’re closing the year great and hoping for a better start to the new year with a place on the podium. Follow us! Wish us all the best.

Ricky Brabec
Pablo Quintanilla

With one day to go until the start of the Dakar and after completing the scrutineering and the shakedown where we had the bikes tested, everything is now relaxed. I feel very good and confident about what is ahead. We’ve had a great season, where we won in Morocco and then pre-season training with the whole team in Chile that has given us a lot of motivation, a lot of desire to go out and compete in this race.”

Pablo Quintanilla
José Ignacio Cornejo

We passed the scrutineering and everything is all set to start the Dakar Rally 2022 tomorrow. I am happy and looking forward to starting this edition of the race. We have had a great 2021, with some good training and a lot of teamwork. Both the bike and the team are very solid and I’m happy to be here to kick off another Dakar. Tomorrow we will have the prologue, which will define the starting positions for the first stage. I’m all set to tackle my seventh Dakar.

José Ignacio Cornejo
Joan Barreda

Everything is ready and in good order to take the start. I am very happy because this year I have had a fine season, winning the Andalucía Rally and also the Baja, so we will try to stay on the right track over the opening days of the race and hopefully we will have a great rally.

Joan Barreda
Ruben Faria – Monster Energy Honda General Manager

The first win is the team making it to Jeddah, getting through the PCR test and being all negative. For me, this is already a triumph. We are practically the same team as last year and we have only changed two or three members of the team; we are well organised and with a clear objective in mind. The riders are also in great shape. They have had a very intense build-up to the Dakar with good results and, moreover, without any injuries. They are highly motivated.

“We passed the scrutineering and everything went well. Ricky spoke about his goal at the official press conference and he was very clear: to win the Dakar. And what he said makes sense after winning and finishing runner-up in the previous two editions. Last year, Nacho was in first place with just three days to go when he fell. Now he is highly motivated and feels comfortable on this type of terrain. Joan is probably the fastest of the whole bivouac. Last year he was having a very great race but he had a mishap on the penultimate day and his chances slipped away. Even so, he is always a rider to be reckoned with. Last but not least, Pablo Quintanilla is the new rider in the team although he has already completed in two races, winning the Rallye du Maroc. I think we have four riders who will be in the battle for the overall rally win. From my point of view, this year it will be a battle to the end, because the other teams also have very strong riders.

“Our goal is to win because we have already won the two previous races. But the Dakar is thirteen days of racing and a lot of things can happen. We have a great, very reliable bike. For me, it’s the best bike in the whole Dakar. Also this year, the Japanese technicians who couldn’t be here last year because of Covid issues have been able to join us and we also have a Showa suspension technician. The Dakar, however, is so unpredictable and evenly matched that only when you cross the finish line on the final day will the winner of the race be known. We only have one secret: work and work, putting the team before family and friends. It can go well or badly, but if you don’t do your best, you don’t get results.”

Ricky Brabec

Huge field

The official list of starters is made up of 409 racing vehicles, including 144 bikes (of which 33 will race in the Original by Motul category), 20 quads, 87 T1 cars, 2 T2s as well as 48 T3 lightweight prototypes, 47 T4 SSVs, 56 trucks (T5) and lastly 5 vehicles in the Open category. 

Behind their handlebars and wheels, 206 competitors will be participating for the first time on the Dakar, whilst 121 riders, drivers and co-pilots with “Legend” status will be taking part for the 10th time or more. The contingent of ladies has also significantly increased, totaling 28, including 3 100% female crews. With regard to the nationalities represented, France is predominant with 170 participants, ahead of Spain (74) and the Netherlands (64).  Aussie privateer Andrew Houlihan (#62 – KTM 450 Rally Factory Replica) is competing in his second Dakar.

Each evening at the bivouac, they will be joined by the 142 vehicles participating in the 2nd edition of the Dakar Classic, comprising a caravan of 301 competitors.

What lays ahead

Starting in Jeddah and finishing in Ha’il, the first day of racing will feature a short 19-kilometre timed special stage, taking place between two very lengthy liaison sections for a total stage of 834 kilometres. The special stage will take place over dirt tracks featuring the occasional small dune, which will give the riders a reminder of their skills in the sand. Finishing positions for the special stage will be important, as they will allow the top finishers to be able to choose their starting positions for the following stage.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Sam Sunderland joins Daniel Sanders in GASGAS Factory Rally Team

GASGAS Factory Racing Rally Team

Sam Sunderland will join Daniel Sanders under the GASGAS Factory Racing awning in 2022. Undoubtedly a pair of heavy hitters on the rally scene, having finished third and fourth respectively at the 2021 Dakar Rally, the dynamic duo are ready to chase glory in the upcoming 2022 event in January before taking on the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.

Sam Sunderland join Daniel Sanders under the GASGAS Factory Racing umbrella for 2022
Norbert Stadlbauer – GASGAS Rally Team Manager

It’s great to have two very talented riders racing for GASGAS next season. They are at different stages of their careers, yet they both have the talent to win. Sam is very experienced, and his career achievements speak for themselves. He knows everything there is to know about rally and this will help him to succeed in 2022. Daniel only has one full season of rally racing under his belt, but he has picked things up really quickly. He doesn’t have the experience that Sam has but he’s a very quick learner as we have seen in 2021. They’re both fast, motivated, and capable, so we fully expect to see them battling for success at the Dakar and then in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship next year.

Sam Sunderland join Daniel Sanders under the GASGAS Factory Racing umbrella for 2022

Former Dakar Rally winner Sam Sunderland needs no introduction. The Brit has dedicated much of his life to the sport of rallying, lifting the Dakar winner’s trophy in 2017. Since then, Sam has been crowned FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion in 2019 and continues to fight for that coveted second title at the Dakar. Sunderland was back to his best at the 2021 edition of the event where he remained in contention for victory until the very last day. With a focus on adding another Dakar win to his resume, the Brit has all the tools needed to get the job done.

Sam Sunderland
Sam Sunderland – GASGAS Factory Racing

It’s super exciting for me to be joining the GASGAS Factory Racing team. It’s a relatively new team but with strong foundations and a lot of expertise behind the program. For sure it’s a new challenge and a new opportunity for me and it gives me a lot of confidence being within similar surroundings, so I can focus on the job at hand. So far, everything has been really positive. I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent some time on the bike recently and I can’t wait to start racing. My goal is to win the Dakar again and claim the first win for GASGAS too, so I’m really motivated and excited for the future. It’s cool to be racing in new colors and I’m looking forward to coming out swinging at the Dakar on the red bike.”

Sam Sunderland join Daniel Sanders under the GASGAS Factory Racing umbrella for 2022

Daniel Sanders strengthens the team for what will only be his second full season of rally racing. Beginning the year with a seriously impressive fourth-place finish at the 2021 Dakar, the Aussie then went on to claim the bronze medal in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. Not bad by anyone’s standards, especially for a rookie! We really can’t wait to see what he can do next year with all the experience that he’s gained throughout this season.

Daniel Sanders – GASGAS Factory Racing

Being able to be one of the faces of GASGAS for another year, especially alongside Sam, is really cool. I’ve just finished up my first full season of racing rally and I’m certainly looking forward to another! It’s not all that long until the Dakar starts and with the world championship coming up pretty soon after that, it’s going to be another busy year. I’ve learned so much in 2021 and I’m excited for the future, the opportunity that I have, and I can’t wait to get started again. Let’s go!”

Daniel Sanders

Both riders are now busy preparing themselves ahead of the 44th edition of the Dakar Rally, which kicks off on January 1, 2022. They’ll then take a short break before gearing up once again for the opening round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, which is scheduled to start sometime in the spring.

Daniel Sanders
Pit Beirer – GASGAS Motorsport Director

It’s a huge moment for GASGAS to have both Sam and Daniel on the Rally team. What started off as a small project with Laia, and then with Daniel, has now become a much bigger effort. Signing a former Dakar winner in Sam, and having quite possibly the best young talent in rally at the moment in Daniel, really shows a clear statement that the brand is ready to compete for victories and grow its presence further in rally. It’s really exciting for GASGAS to have two great riders that are both capable of winning in 2022 and I wish them both the best of luck for the Dakar Rally and 2022 season.”

Daniel Sanders

Source: MCNews.com.au

Sanders third in 2021 Dakar Prologue | Price ninth

Dakar Rally 2021 – Prologue


Today saw the Dakar Rally 2021 kick off with the prologue, Maurizio Gerini marking the first biker to enter the 11km stage travelling from Jeddah to Jeddah, however it was last year’s winner Ricky Brabec who stamped his authority on the day.

Ricky Brabec

“Today was good. Pretty short – just a ten-kilometre prologue. Nothing to really lose or nothing to gain. Just enough to shake the bugs out of the bike and the body. We’re now ready for the actual start. Tomorrow we start nice and early. We came away with first and second place in the prologue for me and Joan. So tomorrow Joan and I will open the way and hopefully it will go well. It’s a long race but I think strategy will start to play in, but as of now, it’s time to get lunch, get the gear off and time to focus.”

Ricky Brabec proved the man to beat topping the 2021 Dakar prologue

Joan Barreda looked like an early shoo-in for the win, with Aussie Daniel Sanders in close proximity, however Brabec proved fastest overall, just 13-seconds separating the top three.

Daniel Sanders third in Dakar 2021 Prologue – Image by Rally Zone

Joan Barreda was actually the first of the favourites to get to grips with the motorbike special, with the occasion marking his eleventh Dakar, boasting 17 stage wins under his belt, showing immediate speed. He was outpaced by Brabec by six-seconds, with Sanders a further seven-seconds in arrears.

Joan Barreda

“I am happy with this first day. It was a pretty quick prologue and it wasn’t easy. The first part was in an open river and it was complicated because we had to validate each note within an 80-metre radius. From there we entered a very stony mountainous area which was very quick and quite difficult. I hesitated over some of the Roadbook validations but didn’t really waste too much time. I am quite happy with this first contact.”

Joan Barreda

The 2020 Dakar champion, Ricky Brabec, was of course the last biker to start the special, but that proved no hurdle.

Ross Branch was fourth fastest, followed by Sebastian Buhler, Andrew Short, Kevin Benavides, Pablo Quintanilla and then Australian Toby Price in ninth 22s off pace, with Joaquim Rodrigues completing the top 10. Price’s teammates, Matthias Walkner and Sam Sunderland both also finished within a minute of the leader.

Toby Price was 22s off pace for the Dakar 2021 prologue – Image by Rally Zone

Michael Burgess was the next fastest Australian in 39th, 1m14s off leading pace, while Joseph Houlihan came home in 72th, 2m46s off the leader.

Sunday, sees the first stage of the Dakar 2021, which will be contested entirely on-track between Jeddah and Bisha. Competitors can expect 277 kilometres of special timed out of a 622-kilometre total trek. The route will pass through several valleys with several sections requiring deft roadbook reading skills. Some of the stony sections could prove detrimental to the tyres.


2021 Dakar Rally – Prologue Results

Pos Rider Nat. Man. Time Gap
1 R. BRABEC USA HONDA 000:06:01
2 J. BARREDA BORT ESP HONDA 000:06:07 0:00:06
3 D. SANDERS AUS KTM 000:06:14 0:00:13
4 R. BRANCH BWA YAMAHA 000:06:15 0:00:14
5 S. BÜHLER DEU HERO 000:06:17 0:00:16
6 A. SHORT USA YAMAHA 000:06:18 0:00:17
7 K. BENAVIDES ARG HONDA 000:06:21 0:00:20
8 P. QUINTANILLA CHL HUSQVARNA 000:06:23 0:00:22
9 T. PRICE AUS KTM 000:06:23 0:00:22
10 J. RODRIGUES PRT HERO 000:06:24 0:00:23
11 J. MCCANNEY GBR YAMAHA 000:06:24 0:00:23
12 M. GIEMZA POL HUSQVARNA 000:06:27 0:00:26
13 S. HOWES USA KTM 000:06:28 0:00:27
14 F. CAIMI ARG YAMAHA 000:06:30 0:00:29
15 L. BENAVIDES ARG HUSQVARNA 000:06:30 0:00:29
16 L. SANTOLINO ESP SHERCO FACTORY 000:06:32 0:00:31
17 A. VAN BEVEREN FRA YAMAHA 000:06:33 0:00:32
18 M. WALKNER AUT KTM 000:06:33 0:00:32
19 X. DE SOULTRAIT FRA HUSQVARNA 000:06:35 0:00:34
20 R. GONCALVES PRT SHERCO FACTORY 000:06:36 0:00:35
21 S. SVITKO SVK KTM 000:06:38 0:00:37
22 O. MENA ESP KTM 000:06:39 0:00:38
23 A. TOMICZEK POL HUSQVARNA 000:06:41 0:00:40
24 M. MICHEK CZE KTM 000:06:41 0:00:40
25 JI. CORNEJO FLORIMO CHL HONDA 000:06:51 0:00:50
39 M. BURGESS AUS KTM 000:07:15 0:01:14
72 AJ. HOULIHAN AUS KTM 000:08:47 0:02:46

2021 Dakar Schedule

Stage Date Start > Finish Total Special
P Saturday, January 2, 2021 Jeddah > Jeddah 11 km 11 km
1 Sunday, January 3, 2021 Jeddah > Bisha 622 km 277 km
2 Monday, January 4, 2021 Bisha > Wadi Al Dawasir 685 km 457 km
3 Tuesday, January 5, 2021 Wadi Al Dawasir > Wadi Al Dawasir 630 km 403 km
4 Wednesday, January 6, 2021 Wadi Al Dawasir > Riyadh 813 km 337 km
5 Thursday, January 7, 2021 Riyadh > Buraydah 625 km 419 km
6 Friday, January 8, 2021 Buraydah > Ha’il 655 km 485 km
Rest Saturday, January 9, 2021 Ha’il (Rest Day)
7 Sunday, January 10, 2021 Ha’il > Sakaka 737 km 471 km
8 Monday, January 11, 2021 Sakaka > Neom 709 km 375 km
9 Tuesday, January 12, 2021 Neom > Neom 579 km 465 km
10 Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Neom > Al-Ula 583 km 342 km
11 Thursday, January 14, 2021 Al-Ula > Yanbu 557 km 511 km
12 Friday, January 15, 2021 Yanbu > Jeddah 452 km 225 km

Dakar 2021 Preview

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto News Weekly | Brabec to defend Dakar | e-FMX | Brayton to Honda

Moto News Weekly Wrap
January 2, 2021

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

What’s New:

  • Inaugural e-FMX World Champion crowned
  • Brayton to lead all new Muc-Off Honda Racing Team in AMA SX
  • Jonny Walker teams up with Beta Motorcycles in 2021
  • Ricky Brabec & Honda to defend Dakar crown in 2021
  • Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team set for Dakar campaign
  • Shakedown tests complete for KTM Dakar crew
  • New rules aimed at boosting Dakar safety
  • Dakar Rally 2021 schedule
  • Dakar Motorcycle Entry List 2021
  • 2021 Racing Calendars

Inaugural e-FMX World Champion crowned

The Grand Final of the inaugural e-FMX World Championship produced the best gameplay to date with two new champions and the introduction of a brand new Night of the Jumps Best Trick level in TiMX : This is Motocross.

E-FMX World Championship Trophy

The Grand Final episode featured a three-way battle between the favourite for the series, Nitro World Games winner from Australia, Pat Bowden, who was up against the Spanish FMX Champion and TikTok MX star, Pedro Moreno and the young gun from the Czech Republic, Matej Cesak.

Pedro Moreno put together one of the best runs of the series in the final. After two weeks training since the Semi Finals, Pedro decided to utilise more variety in his run including the McMetz to Cliffhanger combo which was actually performed IRL by Dany Torres from Spain. Unfortunately variety alone wasn’t enough to advance further and Pedro finished the season in third position.

After 11 months out of action due to injury, Pat Bowden returned to his YZ250 only a week ago since his crash in January. However, after his first ride, Pat’s doctor scheduled him in for surgery immediately to remove the Lunate bone in the wrist and replace it with a prosthetic replacement! This all happened two-days before the final run of the game. Somehow, Pat managed to put together an incredibly good run inside TiMX, and the judges voted him to be in second position overall.

With the smoothest of runs, showing incredible variety, dexterity and difficulty in tricks both in real life and inside the game mechanics, Matej Cesak was crowned the first ever e-FMX World Champion by proving every week to be one of the best riders. Perhaps as the youngest in the final he had an advantage on the mobile game, but Matej’s win could not be disputed with such a smooth run and some tricks looking very similar to his style in real life!

Matej Cesak

For the win, Matej takes home $500 for winning the overall series from TiMX and Aussie Adrenaline, but also receiving an invite to compete at a real-world FMX competition at Night of the Jumps in 2021 and also 250,000 Gold Coins of in-game currency.

The first ever FMX eSport series became even more interesting in the final round, with a brand new discipline coming online only four days before the final with an all new FMX Best Trick competition mode inside the Night of the Jumps textured level.

With an invite open to all 16 players who had competed throughout the series and a couple of new riders, the Best Trick competition was on another level with a Roll-in set up to give the rider enough speed before the huge Moon Booter, the largest ramp built into the game, with riders able to try almost any trick imaginable!

There was so much variety from Josh Sheehan’s 720 to Taka Higashino’s Double Backflip California Roll 360 to Maikel Melero’s Quadruple Backflip with a Bike Flip (technically creating the only Quin Flip in the entire series!). However the win came down to the riders who showed variety, degree of difficulty and also innovation.

Tied for third place, was Matej Cesak and Pat Bowden. Matej with his Quadruple Backflip 360 California Roll and Pat with his Triple Backflip 360 with a Bike Flip.
The runner-up for Best Trick was the Russian FMX Champion and Crowd Favourite, Nick Ivankov with his very innovative Backflip to Inside Roll (body varial) to Front Flip.

Pedro Moreno – Best Trick Winner – Image courtesy of Pedro Moreno FMX Instagram

The winner for the first ever e-FMX World Championship Best Trick competition was the Spanish FMX Champion, Pedro Moreno. Pulling a Quadruple Backflip including a 360 in the middle and holding the Cliffhanger on the final backflip rotation, Pedro showed an incredible use of game mechanics to produce the trick while stating that he “needs more fingers and hands to perform bigger tricks!”

Not only is the special Night of the Jumps track in the game for this competition series, it is also available for all players who have downloaded the game on iOS or Android platforms with the Gold VIP Membership. The NOTJ Track which was designed from the Berlin World Championship course looks almost identical to the real world and is available in the Early Access area for VIP Members with the option to become available as one of the divisions in the open game.

The e-FMX World Championship series could not have happened without the support of FC Moto. Aussie Adrenaline produced an incredible mobile game, and Night of the Jumps partnered with AA to create this all new eSport series in 2020 and into the future with all new projects.

You can check out or download the app at – https://www.nightofthejumps.com/esport (link)

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Brayton to lead all new Muc-Off Honda Racing Team in AMA SX

Konsky Motorsport Group have announce Muc-Off as their new title sponsor for 2021. Muc-Off Honda, run by Australian Yarrive Konsky, will be competing in the premier division of the US world championship – the Monster Energy AMA Supercross as well as select European rounds during 2021.

Heading up the team is four times Australian SX champion and Daytona Supercross Winner veteran Justin Brayton, who will compete in the 450SX class on the new 2021 CRF 450R.

Brayton is considered to be the most consistent rider in the prolific series, finishing inside the top ten 12 times during the 2020 season. 2021 marks Brayton’s 18th year as a professional motocross/supercross racer. In 2018 he achieved a career best where he won the main event in Daytona onboard a CRF 450R and in 2012 he had his best overall championship finish – fourth.

Justin Brayton

“It’s super exciting to be working closely with Yarrive again for 2021, especially with him bringing an exciting new brand to the table. His passion and enthusiasm for this sport has been a positive influence on me. We have seen a lot of success in Australia, so I hope to relive this in the U.S supercross this year. I have been riding the new 2021 CRF 450R and I am feeling comfortable on it, testing has been great so now I just need to put it all together and focus on a strong and consistent season.”

Justin Brayton – Muc-Off Honda Racing Team

Mitchell Oldenburg will also be returning to the team in 2021 where he will be riding the CRF 250 alongside new teammate Mitchell Harrison. Harrison returns to the American Supercross Championship after a brief stint racing in the FIM World Motocross championship in the MX2 class.

Mitchell Oldenburg

“This is my third season with Yarrive and Honda and I feeling more ready than ever to go racing. Riding the same bike for a third season is an advantage as I am feeling so comfortable with the bike and I feel at home with the team. With Muc-Off as the new title sponsor, it has given me the motivation to show the world what I have got!”

Mitchell Oldenburg – Muc-Off Honda Racing Team

Mitchell Harrison

“When I got the call up to race for Muc-Off Honda, I was excited as I have only good things about their program. I went out to test the bike and immediately asked for the contract as it just felt right. The team is competitive and because of both Muc-Off and Honda coming in to support the team for 2021, I am committed to getting top results.”

The Supercross season gets underway at the NRG Stadium in Houston Texas on the 16th January 2021. This will be the first of three races in Houston.

Mitchell Harrison – Muc-Off Honda Racing Team

Yarrive Konsky – Team Owner

“I am really pleased that we can finally shout about our plans for 2021. It has been 4 months in the making, with a final push at the 11th hour to get to this point, but now we are here, I am keen to start seeing results. Working with Muc-Off as our new title sponsor for next year has been really refreshing. Their ethos and work ethic has been instrumental in getting us here and I am looking forward to seeing this relationship develop.”

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Jonny Walker teams up with Beta Motorcycles in 2021

Jonny Walker has signed with Beta in a Factory supported team to challenge for top honours in both the Super Enduro World Championship and the new FIM Extreme Championship in 2021, marking his first appearance on the Beta and along with existing support from worldwide brands Redbull, Leatt, GoPro, POD.

Jonny Walker joins Beta in 2021

Jonny Walker

“It is really exciting for me to undertake this new adventure, seeing the success that BETA has had in World Enduro championship over the years made my decision easy. Being able to carry on with my existing loyal sponsors is amazing and a credit to their vision and direction. I am really looking forward to working with new brands and helping them grow.”

Jonny Walker

Fabrizio Dini Factory Beta Team Manager

“Beta are extremely happy to support Jonny, he is for sure a very professional and strong world class rider. We are excited to work with him as we know that he is serious and professional about his business and the great results that will surely follow. Beta are also very happy that we are starting work as soon as possible and look forward to a good and successful season working together.”

Jonny Walker will compete the Super Enduro World Championship and the new FIM Extreme Championship


x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Ricky Brabec to defend Dakar crown in 2021

For the first time since the official Honda team returned to the Dakar Rally in 2013 after a 23-year absence, one of the team bikes will compete the event with the number one emblazoned on its fairings. The Monster Energy Honda Team will be seeking to replicate the feat achieved by Ricky Brabec last year, as they face a new goal and a new challenge.

Monster Energy Honda Rally Team - Dakar 2021
Monster Energy Honda Rally Team – Dakar 2021

The Monster Energy Honda Team is already in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, sitting out the final hours of lockdown in the hotel, after the final COVID-19 testing, ahead of the day of scrutineering. The team is all set to do battle in the 2021 Dakar Rally in a bid to hold on to the title clinched last year by American Ricky Brabec.

Recent months have seen the team undergo very thorough pre-race preparations in order to arrive at the world’s toughest race in the best possible conditions.

Ricky Brabec – Monster Energy Honda Rally Team – Dakar 2021

Ricky Brabec

“We’ve finished the scrutineering and we are now looking forward to the prologue tomorrow. The whole team is ready. I’m ready as well. We will try and do our best to defend the number one. It’s not going to be easy. The target on our back is pretty big. But we are here and we can’t really say much right now. The race hasn’t even started. We’ll get back to you guys in a couple of days and let you know how things are going. That’s the goal – to defend the number one.”

Ricky Brabec, José Ignacio Cornejo, Kevin Benavides and Joan Barreda are the four factory riders lining up for the Monster Energy Honda Team, all having managed to finish the most recent edition of the Dakar. The squad arrives at the Dakar in top physical shape, hoping to relive the sensation of lifting the Dakar winner’s bronze Touareg prize.

José Ignacio Cornejo- Monster Energy Honda Rally Team – Dakar 2021

José Ignacio Cornejo

“I’m happy to be here to start another Dakar Rally, my sixth and fourth with HRC. I’m pleased, the team is solid and highly-motivated, eager to get out and have a good race. Tomorrow, we have the prologue and it will be important to make a solid start, with good pace and without making mistakes. It will be a good chance to get a feel for things ahead of stage one on Sunday. We will give it everything we can, as always.”

Gilles Lalay won the Dakar back in 1989 and no other Honda rider has since adorned the plaque until 2021. The American rider’s CRF450 Rally now proudly sports the winner’s decals. Ricky Brabec will be accompanied by three other top-class riders: Chilean José Ignacio Cornejo, fourth last year, who has proven to be a valuable asset, adapting well to the Saudi Arabian terrain.

Kevin Benavides- Monster Energy Honda Rally Team – Dakar 2021

Alongside will be Argentinean rider Kevin Benavides (#47), runner-up in 2018. He will be another rider aspiring to claim the overall victory and arrives on top form this year after a win at the Andalucia Rally. No introduction is necessary for Joan Barreda (#88). By now a Dakar rider of legendary status, having participated eleven times and the current competing rider with the highest number of stage wins under his belt – 24.

Kevin Benavides

“Everything is ready. The wait is over and I am very motivated to start this new Dakar Rally. I have trained a lot and I was able to win in the only race – the Andalucia Rally – that I competed in, which has made me far more motivated to arrive here in good shape. I am eager to start this Dakar, so let’s get the action underway!”

Joan Barreda

“Today we did the administrative and technical verifications and the truth is that everything went quite quickly because we had practically everything ready to go. Normally everything is slower and more laborious. Now we only need to start tomorrow at noon with the prologue where we can give it some throttle, which is what we all want.”

Joan Barreda- Monster Energy Honda Rally Team – Dakar 2021

The 2021 Dakar Rally begins on January 3 in Jeddah and is set to finish in the same Saudi Arabian city on the 15th of the same month after a total 7,649-kilometre trek, to include some 4,767 kilometres against the clock.

Ricky Brabec- Monster Energy Honda Rally Team – Dakar 2021

Ruben Faria – General Manager

“The bikes have been checked, the documents, too. Everything is done and we are ready to start the prologue tomorrow that will determine the starting order on the first day. It won’t be a very long special, but there will be some navigation and we hope it won’t be too complicated. It will be difficult for the riders as starting the Dakar is always an emotion-filled event. The idea is that they can do the best possible prologue. The goal is to reach January 15 on top sport and with all the bikes in the top ten, with some good feelings. There are many very good riders. Ours guys are good too and they are also in great shape. I’m confident the team to be able to produce a good result.”

The Monster Energy Honda Team at Dakar scrutineering
x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team set for Dakar campaign

In 2021, for the first time in history the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team will enter the Dakar Rally with five riders. Forming a formidable line-up of experienced, determined racers, all eyes will be on Adrien Van Beveren, Franco Caimi, Andrew Short, Ross Branch and Jamie McCanney as all five take on one of the world’s toughest off-road rally races in the new year.

Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team – Dakar 2021

With the opening stage of the 2021 Dakar Rally set to kick off, all members of the team are fully prepared for the upcoming challenge. Well aware of the demanding days that lay ahead, each rider heads to the start line with high hopes and with the experience needed to secure a strong result in the desert.

Leading the team is the experienced Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren. Fully focused on his dream of winning the Dakar Rally, after spending the early part of 2020 recovering from surgery, he more recently spent much of the autumn and early winter in Dubai, re-acquainting himself with the same desert conditions he will face this January. Currently feeling strong and riding as well as he’s ever done following a positive outing at the Hail Rally, Van Beveren is set to take on the Dakar Rally in arguably his best ever form.

Adrien Van Beveren

“Since my crash at Dakar in 2020 it took two surgeries before I could work on my full recovery. I had six months off the bike, but I now feel really good. I’m not deterred by my crash last year and I still dream of winning the Dakar. This has been my motivation to work hard and prepare myself for 2021. My training has gone really well and I have been in Dubai riding in the dunes for a while now, so I feel like I am back to my best. I managed to race the Hail Rally recently, which was a positive part of my training. With the race taking place on the same terrain as the Dakar it also included tricky navigation, so it was perfect for me to race there. My bike is good and I feel good, so I am really confident now and I can’t wait to go racing again.”

Adrien Van Beveren

Franco Caimi was a consistent threat for top five stage results throughout the 2020 Dakar Rally, with the 32-year-old ultimately placing eighth overall to match his career-best result from the 2017 edition. Since then, Franco returned home to his native Argentina and following a brief recovery period and time to reflect, he switched his attention to the 2021 edition. Now, with months of focused training under his belt, Caimi is confident in establishing himself as a title contender.

Franco Caimi

“I’ve been at home training in Argentina and my preparations have been going really well. I feel great on the bike and physically and mentally I’m ready to go racing. I’m confident for a good result in 2021. For sure I will be pushing for the win which would be amazing for me and the team and it’s what I have been working for. I’ve studied the schedule and the stages, and the new route looks really good with a lot of mixed terrain, so I’m positive for a good result at the Dakar.”

Franco Caimi

Since joining the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team in March 2020, Andrew Short has spent much of the year riding in the Nevada desert, becoming fully acquainted with his Yamaha WR450F Rally machine. Following months of training, he made his racing debut with the team at the Andalucia Rally in Spain where a positive result saw Short confidently adjust to his new team surroundings and further develop his bike set-up. Looking ahead, Andrew has drawn upon his experiences from previous Dakars to form a solid race strategy heading into the 2021 event as he looks forward to taking on the Dakar rally challenge.

Andrew Short

“It’s been a strange year with only one race since the last Dakar, so it’s not been normal that’s for sure. I raced the Andalucia Rally which was only a small race, but it was important as it was the first one for me on the Yamaha. It was good for me to ride the bike in a race environment but also work with the whole team and spend time with the whole crew. I’ve been training a lot in the Nevada desert, continuing to learn the bike and lately I’ve been working on getting back into the racing mindset. The Dakar is a race like no other and for 2021 I’ll be taking it day by day. You learn a lot every year and for me it will be important to know when to push and when not to. I can’t wait to start racing and hopefully by the end of 13 days in the desert we can come away with a solid result.”

Andrew Short

Much like his teammates Franco and Andrew, Ross Branch has spent much of 2020 training, clocking up countless miles on his Yamaha WR450F Rally in his Botswana homeland. Working on further improving his roadbook skills, and now armed with the full support of the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team, Ross is excited to race at the 43rd edition of the Dakar. With Branch looking to harness his raw speed to ensure consistently high stage results, the 34-year-old is aiming for a top 10 overall result.

Ross Branch

“My training and preparation for Dakar has gone amazingly well and I’m really excited for January 3 to get things started. I’ve spent a lot of time at home in Botswana on my Yamaha and focussed on my roadbook training. I’m really happy with everything and it’s not long until we can go racing. It’s a strong field for 2021 and I think there’s 20 riders that could win. I’ll be focussing on minimising mistakes and being consistent on every stage. I’m really thankful for the team giving me this opportunity to give the Dakar my best shot and I hope to repay them with a solid result inside the top 10.”

Ross Branch

The team’s youngest rider is 26 years old Jamie McCanney, who is well prepared for what will be his second Dakar Rally. Still very new to the discipline, the Manxman made his Dakar debut a little over a year ago, making positive steps as the event progressed. Towards the end of the two-week race, Jamie enjoyed some rapid progress, delivering his best on stage 11 with sixth overall – a result that helped push him up the leaderboard to 15th in the final classification. With valuable experience earned, and with more time spent working on the set-up of his Yamaha WR450F Rally, McCanney is confident of improving upon his debut result.

Jamie McCanney

“I’m really looking forward to the Dakar Rally. It’s a shame that we only got to race once since the last Dakar and I’ve not been able to ride sand dunes like I’ll experience in January. I’ve been preparing myself in different ways though, working hard on my roadbook skills especially. I’ve been doing as much as I can, riding a lot and I’m really happy with my bike. Throughout the year the team has been working hard and we’re much better prepared than last time, so I’m happy with where we are at ahead of racing again. My expectations are to take it day by day, step by step, but ultimately I want to enjoy my riding and improve upon my 15th place finish last year.”

Jamie McCanney

The 2021 Dakar Rally gets underway in the port city of Jeddah on January 3 and will cover more than 7500km before finishing in the same location on January 15.

Alexandre Kowalski – Yamaha Europe Off-Road Racing Manager

“For sure 2020 has been a challenging year but we are really looking forward to the Dakar Rally. It’s an exciting time for the team as it will be the first time in history that five official Yamaha riders will race in this event. With Adrien, Franco, Jamie, Ross, and Andrew, we have a very strong team. We were fortunate to race the Andalucia Rally in October with all riders present and that was really good practice and preparation for us. The team spirit is really strong and they have all been training hard. Because of travel restrictions they have had to make their final preparations alone, but they are all hard workers and know what they need to do. The bike for 2021 has a few minor changes, so in their final preparations the riders can fully-focus on their riding and roadbook training. For Dakar, there are new regulations, with the new safety air bag and especially with the number of rear tyres that each rider can use. Each rider can only use six in total so there is some race management that the riders need to think about and prepare for. There is a strong line-up of riders and our team is ready for the challenge. We’re excited to start racing.”

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Shakedown tests complete for KTM Dakar crew

Held in the Middle East for the second consecutive year, and celebrating its 43rd edition, this year’s Dakar Rally looks set to challenge all competitors from day one. Following the short 11km Prologue, riders will face 12 demanding stages, totaling 7,646km, taking them through some of the toughest terrain Saudi Arabia has to offer.

Toby Price, Matthias Walkner and Sam Sunderland

Delivering a completely new route for 2021, the event organizers have been working hard to create a race that further tests all competitors’ navigational skills. Average speeds across the 4,767km of timed specials will also be reduced, with the stages expected to comprise of slower, more technically demanding terrain. In the interest of safety, new regulations have also been brought in for this year’s race, including restrictions on tires, an audible warning system that will notify riders of dangers ahead while racing, as well as airbag jackets also becoming compulsory.

The three Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders already enjoy a huge amount of rally experience – all three are former Dakar winners – together with knowledge of racing the Dakar in the Middle East. Toby Price, Matthias Walkner and Sam Sunderland are fit and fully motivated to take on the upcoming race and have their sights set on securing strong results.

Daniel Sanders – Image by Marcin Kin

KTM Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders has only contested one cross-country rally in his career and comes into the 2021 Dakar as a relative rookie. Nevertheless, the team’s junior rider has shown great maturity and speed on the run up to the race and will be aiming to complete the event with a solid finish.

Jordi Viladoms – KTM Rally Team Manager

“Things are going well here in Jeddah, it has been a tough journey for the whole team to get here with the various restrictions and tests in place, but we’re 100% ready for the race now. The Shakedown was extremely positive, and although the terrain wasn’t quite what we expect to face in the rally itself, all riders were immediately up to speed and felt comfortable on their bikes. We now just have to complete the final administrative and technical checks and then we can finally go racing!”

Following the short Prologue on Saturday, January 2, the 2021 Dakar Rally starts with the 623km stage one on Sunday, January 3 from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. In total, the event consists of 12 full stages, covering a distance of 7,646km, with the finish also taking place in Jeddah, on January 15.


x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

New rules aimed at boosting Dakar safety

It is a question as old as motorbike racing itself: how can one go faster than the competition without being too reckless? Even the Dakar has to come up with an answer to this dilemma for the world of motor sports, as bikers seek to squeeze every last ounce of speed from their machines while organisers place the safety of the competitors at the heart of their concerns.

Tyre limits aim to slow riders down, boosting safety, with only six rears allowed – Daniel Sanders’ 2021 KTM 450 Rally

Bikers, manufacturers, organisers, federations and other stakeholders came together in Lisbon in autumn to bridge the gap between these ambitions. “It has become obvious that motorbikes go too fast nowadays”, stresses David Castera, the director of the Dakar. “Today’s 450 cc single-cylinders are just as fast as the 800 cc twin-cylinders of the late 1980s, and they accelerate even faster to boot. There are two main approaches to boosting safety. Active safety is about improving the equipment used, for example, by requiring the use of airbags, whereas passive safety can be increased by capping the speed of the bikers and similar rules.

“Too many bikers want to ride as if it were a motocross race, but a rally raid is completely different. The focus is on endurance and stamina. This is why top bikers will not be allowed to use more than six rear tyres throughout the two weeks of racing. “Going full gas on stony terrain will no longer be an option for anyone who wants to win this race”, insists David Castera. “They will have to take care of their gear to make it to the finish.”

Race official Jordi Pérez was in charge of marking the batch of six tyres for each of the competitors subject to the new rule. “36 bikers are affected, explains the Spaniard, who is serving as a technical scrutineering official. “The tyres all have to be the same model and are branded with a red-hot iron. We also put a special sticker on them and paint them with a stroke of coloured reactive marker.” As abrasive as it is, even the Saudi sand should be unable to erase these markings.

2021 Dakar Schedule

Stage Date Start > Finish Total Special
P Saturday, January 2, 2021 Jeddah > Jeddah 11 km 11 km
1 Sunday, January 3, 2021 Jeddah > Bisha 622 km 277 km
2 Monday, January 4, 2021 Bisha > Wadi Al Dawasir 685 km 457 km
3 Tuesday, January 5, 2021 Wadi Al Dawasir > Wadi Al Dawasir 630 km 403 km
4 Wednesday, January 6, 2021 Wadi Al Dawasir > Riyadh 813 km 337 km
5 Thursday, January 7, 2021 Riyadh > Buraydah 625 km 419 km
6 Friday, January 8, 2021 Buraydah > Ha’il 655 km 485 km
Rest Saturday, January 9, 2021 Ha’il (Rest Day)
7 Sunday, January 10, 2021 Ha’il > Sakaka 737 km 471 km
8 Monday, January 11, 2021 Sakaka > Neom 709 km 375 km
9 Tuesday, January 12, 2021 Neom > Neom 579 km 465 km
10 Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Neom > Al-Ula 583 km 342 km
11 Thursday, January 14, 2021 Al-Ula > Yanbu 557 km 511 km
12 Friday, January 15, 2021 Yanbu > Jeddah 452 km 225 km

Dakar 2021 Preview

2021 Dakar Motorcycle Entry List

Num. Rider Nat. Team
1 Brabec Ricky USA Honda Monster Energy Honda Team 2021
2 Quintanilla Pablo CHL Husqvarna Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
3 Price Toby AUS KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Team
4 Cornejo Florimo Jose Ignacio CHL  Honda Monster Energy Honda Team 2021
5 Sunderland Sam GBR KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Team
6 Caimi FRAnco ARG  Yamaha Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team
7 Short Andrew USA  Yamaha Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team
9 Howes Skyler USA KTM  Bas Dakar KTM Racing Team
11 Svitko Stefan SVK  KTM Slovnaft Rally Team
12 De Soultrait Xavier  FRA Husqvarna Ht Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing
15 Santolino Lorenzo  ESP Sherco Tvs Sherco Tvs Rally Factory
17 Pedrero Garcia Juan  ESP KTM Fn Speed – Rieju Team
18 Branch Ross  BWA Yamaha Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team
19 Goncalves Dias  RUI Jorge PRT Sherco Tvs Sherco Tvs Rally Factory
20 Tomiczek Adam POL Husqvarna Orlen Team
21 Sanders Daniel AUS KTM KTM Factory Team
22 Giemza Maciej POL Husqvarna Orlen Team
23 Jakes Ivan SVK KTM Jakes Dakar Team
24 Bühler Sebastian DEU Hero Hero Motosports Team Rally
25 Spierings Paul NLD  Husqvarna Ht Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing
26 Engel Milan CZE KTM Moto Racing Group (Mrg)
27 Rodrigues Joaquim  PRT Hero Hero Motosports Team Rally
29 Gyenes Emanuel  ROU KTM Autonet Motorcycle Team
30 Gelazninkas Arunas  LTU KTM Zigmas Dakar Team
31 Michek Martin  CZE KTM Moto Racing Group (Mrg)
32 Schareina Tosha  ESP KTM Fn Speed – KTM Team
33 Koitha Veettil Harith Noah IND Sherco Sherco Tvs Rally Factory
34 Patrao Mario  PRT KTM Credit Agricola – Mario Patrao Motosport
35 Guillen Rivera Juan Pablo  MEX KTM Nomadas Adventure
36 Brabec Jan  CZE KTM Strojrent Racing
37 Pabiska David  CZE KTM Jantar Team
39 Melot Benjamin FRA KTM Benjamin Melot
41 Yakp Zaker  CHN KTM Wu Pu Da Hai Dao Dakar Rally Team
42 Van Beveren Adrien FRA Yamaha Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team
44 Sanz Laia  ESP Gas Gas Gas Gas Factory Team
45 Min Zhang  CHN KTM Wu Pu Da Hai Dao Dakar Rally Team
46 Marcic Simon  SVN Husqvarna Marcic
47 Benavides Kevin  ARG Honda Monster Energy Honda Team 2021
48 Doveze Mathieu  FRA KTM Nomade Racing Assistance
50 C. S. Santosh  IND Hero Hero Motosports Team Rally
51 Al-Lal Lahadil Rachid  ESP KTM Melilla Sport Capital
52 Walkner Matthias  AUT KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Team
53 Podmol Libor CZE  Husqvarna Podmol Dakar Team
54 Chapeliere Camille FRA KTM Team Baines Rally
55 Hongyi Zhao  CHN KTM Wu Pu Da Hai Dao Dakar Rally Team
56 Pacheco Giordano  COL KTM Calidoso Racing Team
58 Iglesias Sanchez Eduardo  ESP KTM Fn Speed – Team Monforte Rally
59 Interno Tiziano  ITA Beta Rally Pov
60 Darques Stéphane  FRA Yamaha M.O.R.Al
61 Dubois Norbert FRA KTM Aventure Moto 61
62 Houlihan Andrew Joseph AUS KTM Nomadas Adventure
63 Dabrowski Konrad  POL KTM Duust Rally Team
65 Picco FRAnco ITA Husqvarna Team FRAnco Picco
66 Bouchet Pascal  FRA KTM Team Baines Rally
67 Lhotsky Rudolf  CZE Husqvarna Jantar Team
68 Mccanney Jamie  GBR Yamaha Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team
69 Roelants Walter  BEL Husqvarna Ht Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing
70 Alghuneim Mishal  SAU KTM Mishal Alghuneim
71 Farhan Salman Mohamed Humood Farhan  BHR Husqvarna Ht Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing
72 Rauber Pascal  FRA KTM Team 2rm
73 Jaffar Mohammed  KWT KTM Duust Rally Team
74 Betriu Jaume ESP KTM Fn Speed – KTM Team
76 Krejci Roman  CZE KTM Bo!Beton Team
77 Benavides Luciano ARG Husqvarna Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
78 Zacchetti Cesare ITA KTM Cesare Zacchetti
79 Baratin Amaury  FRA KTM Horizon Moto 95
80 Burgess Michael  AUS KTM Bas Dakar KTM Racing Team
81 Vlcak Erik  SVK Husqvarna Slovnaft Rally Team
82 Raorane Ashish IND KTM Ashish Raorane
83 Chavez David PER KTM Club Aventura Touareg
84 Hawker Neil  GBR Husqvarna Neil Hawker
85 Azinhais Alexandre  PRT KTM Club Aventura Touareg
86 Herbst Charlie FRA KTM Team Charlie Herbst
87 Mena Oriol  ESP Rieju Fn Speed – Rieju Team
88 Barreda Bort Joan  ESP Honda Monster Energy Honda Team 2021
89 Saghmeister Gabor  SRB KTM Saghmeister Team
90 Catanese FRAncesco  ITA Yamaha Tuttogru
92 Martinez Eric  FRA Husqvarna Eric Martinez
93 Lorenzo Piolini  ITA KTM Caravanserraglio Rally Racing Team
94 Susset Olivier  FRA Husqvarna Xtreme Garage
95 Flick Xavier FRA Husqvarna Xtrem Racing
96 Albero Puig Daniel  ESP  KTM Team Un Diabetico En El Dakar
97 Benko Martin  SVK KTM Norwit Racing
98 Garcia Sara ESP Yamaha Pont Grup Yamaha
99 Vega Puerta Javier  ESP Yamaha Pont Grup Yamaha
100 Rossat Audrey  FRA KTM Rossat Audrey
101 Knight David  GBR Husqvarna Ht Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing
102 Jugla Sara  FRA KTM Team Baines Rally
104 Altoaimi Fawaz  SAU Yamaha Fawaz Racing
105 Dominguez Fernando  ESP KTM Club Aventura Touareg
107 Stigliano Giovanni  ITA Yamaha Team Jbrally
108 Calmet Marc  ESP KTM Fn Speed – Rieju Team
110 Bartoszek Jacek POL KTM Duust Rally Team
111 Cherpin Pierre  FRA Husqvarna Pierre Cherpin
112 Campdera Juan  ESP KTM Juan Campdera
114 Carbonell Mendez Eladio  ESP KTM Pikaeras Team
115 Harmsen Olaf  NLD KTM Bas Dakar KTM Racing Team
116 Blandin Erick FRA KTM Team Baines Rally
117 Alexander James  BWA Yamaha The Kalahari Madala
118 Bispo Alexandre  ESP KTM Expresso Racing
120 Trejos Jhon COL KTM Jhon Trejos
121 Barthelemy Guillaume FRA KTM Team Rs Concept
123 Pedemonte Angelo ITA  KTM Pedemonte Angelo
125 Barlerin Frédéric  FRA KTM Rallye Fred
126 Llanos Diego Gamaliel  ESP KTM Diego Gamaliel Llanos
127 Jobard Willy  FRA Garnati Garnati Racing
133 Davide Cominardi ITA Honda Cominardi
142 Gerini Maurizio ITA Husqvarna Solarys Racing
x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

2021 Racing schedule

2021 Provisional MXGP Calendar

Rnd Grand Prix Date
1 MXGP of Oman, Muscat Fri 2 Apr – Sat 3 Apr
2 MXGP of Italy, TBA Sat 24 Apr – Sun 25 Apr
3 MXGP of Portugal, Agueda Sat 8 May – Sun 9 May
4 MXGP of The Netherlands, Oss Sat 22 May – Sun 23 May
5 MXGP of Germany, Teutschenthal Sat 29 May – Sun 30 May
6 MXGP of Russia, Orlyonok Sat 12 Jun – Sun 13 Jun
7 MXGP of Latvia, Kegums Sat 19 Jun – Sun 20 Jun
8 MXGP of Jakarta (INA), Jakarta Sat 3 Jul – Sun 4 Jul
9 MXGP of Indonesia, Semarang Sat 10 Jul – Sun 11 Jul
10 MXGP of Czech Replublic, Loket Sat 24 Jul – Sun 25 Jul
11 MXGP of Belgium, Lommel Sat 31 Jul – Sun 1 Aug
12 MXGP of Sweden, Uddevalla Sat 7 Aug – Sun 8 Aug
13 MXGP of Finland, Iitti-KimiRing Sat 21 Aug – Sun 22 Aug
14 MXGP of Igora Drive (RUS), Igora Drive Sat 28 Aug – Sun 29 Aug
15 MXGP of Turkey, Afyonkarahisar Sat 11 Sep – Sun 12 Sep
16 MXGP of China, TBA Sat 18 Sep – Sun 19 Sep
17 MXGP of France, St Jean d’Angely Sat 9 Oct – Sun 10 Oct
18 MXGP of Spain, intu Xanadu-Arroyomolinos Sat 16 Oct – Sun 17 Oct
19 TBA  Sat 30 Oct – Sun 31 Oct
20 MXGP of Patagonia Argentina, Neuquen Sat 13 Nov – Sun 14 Nov

2021 Yamaha AORC presented by MXStore calendar

Round Location Date
Rounds 1 & 2 Nowra, NSW March 27-28
Rounds 3 & 4 TBA, VIC April 17-18
Rounds 5 & 6 Kyogle, NSW July 17-18
Rounds 7 & 8 TBA, QLD August 6-7
Rounds 9 & 10 Kingston SE, SA September 18-19
Rounds 11 & 12 Omeo, VIC October 16-17

2021 Australian Pro MX calendar

Rnd Date Location
1 Apr-11 Wonthaggi, Victoria
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, 125 CUP
2 May-02 Canberra, ACT
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3
3 May-30 Gilman, South Australia
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, 125 CUP
4 Jun-27 Maitland, NSW
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, Classic Motocross Evolution Motocross Cup
5 Jul-25 Wodonga, Victoria
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, 125 CUP
6 Aug-08 QMP, Queensland
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, MXW, AORC (Fri & Sat)
7/8 August 14-15 Coolum, Queensland
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, VETS (Sat)
MX1, MX2, MX3, MXW (Sun)

2021 Speedway GP Calendar

Date Round Location
Apr-24 2021  FIM Speedway Grand Prix TBC
May-15 2021 PZM Warsaw  FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland PGE Narodowy
May-22 2021 German   FIM Speedway Grand Prix Bergring Arena
Jun-05 2021 Czech Republic  FIM Speedway Grand Prix Marketa Stadium
Jun-19 2021  FIM Speedway Grand Prix TBC
Jul-17 2021 Adrian Flux British  FIM Speedway Grand Prix Principality Stadium
Jul-31 2021 Betard Wroclaw FIM Speedway Grand Prix OF POLAND Olympic Stadium
Aug-14 2021 Swedish  FIM Speedway Grand Prix G&B Arena
Aug-28 2021 Russian FIM Speedway Grand Prix Anatoly Stepanov Stadium
Sep-11 2021 Danish FIM Speedway Grand Prix Sponsored by ECCO Vojens Speedway Center
Oct-02 2021 Torun  FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland Marian Rose MotoArena

2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship (Provisional)

Round 1 May 7-9 Extreme XL Lagares Portugal FMP
Round 2 June 3-6 Red Bull Erzbergrodeo Austria AMF
Round 3 July 10/11 TBD Italy FMI
Round 4 July 27-31 Red Bull Romaniacs Romania FRM
Round 5 August 14/15 Red Bull TKO USA AMA
Round 6 September 18/19 TBD Poland PZM
Round 7 October 1-3 Hixpania Hard Enduro Spain RFME
Round 8 October 30/31 GetzenRodeo Germany DMSB

2021 Australian Senior Speedway Solo calendar

Round Location Date
Round 1 Gillman Speedway, SA 3 January, 2021
Round 2 Olympic Park, VIC 5 January, 2021
Round 3 Diamond Park, Albury Wodonga, VIC 7 January, 2021
Round 4 Loxford Park, NSW 9 January, 2021
Round 5 Mick Doohan Raceway, QLD 13 January, 2021

2021 Australian Speedway events

Championship Location  Date
2021 Australian Under 21’s Speedway Championship Gillman Speedway, SA 16 January, 2021
2021 Australian Junior Speedway Sidecar Championship Pinjar Park, WA 3-4 April, 2021
2021 Australian Senior Speedway Sidecar Championship Pinjar Park, WA 3-4 April, 2021
2021 Speedway FIM Oceania Speedway Championship Gillman Speedway, SA 30 January, 2021
2021 Speedway FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship Gillman Speedway, SA 17 April, 2021

2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies calendar

Date Event Cat 1 RallyGP Cat 2 Rally 2 Cat 3
Grp1 Moto-Rally Grp1 Moto-Rally Grp2 Moto Enduro Grp3 Quad Adventure Trophy Grp1+3 SSV
April 9-13 BP Ultimate Portugal Rally (POR) X X X X X X
June 7-13 Rally Kazakhstan (KAZ) X X X X X
July 1-11 Silkway Rally (RUS) X X X X X
August 13-22 Rally do Sertoes (BRA) X X X X X
October 8-13 Rallye du Maroc (MAR) X X X X X X
November 6-12 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (UAE) X X X X X X

2021 AMA Supercross calendar

2021 AMA Supercross Calendar
Round 1 Houston, Texas East NRG Stadium Sat, January 16
Round 2 Houston, Texas East NRG Stadium Tues, January 19
Round 3 Houston, Texas East NRG Stadium Sat, January 23
Round 4 Indianapolis, Indiana East Lucas Oil Stadium Sat, January 30
Round 5 Indianapolis, Indiana East Lucas Oil Stadium Tues, February 2
Round 6 Indianapolis, Indiana East Lucas Oil Stadium Sat, February 6
Round 7 Orlando, Florida East Camping World Stadium Sat, February 13
Round 8 Orlando, Florida West Camping World Stadium Sat, February 20
Round 9 Daytona Beach, Florida West Daytona Int. Speedway Sat, March 6
Round 10 Arlington, Texas West AT&T Stadium Sat, March 13
Round 11 Arlington, Texas West AT&T Stadium Tues, March 16
Round 12 Arlington, Texas West AT&T Stadium Sat, March 20
Round 13 Atlanta, Georgia West Atlanta Motor Speedway Sat, April 10
Round 14 Atlanta, Georgia West Atlanta Motor Speedway Tues, April 13
Round 15 Atlanta, Georgia West Atlanta Motor Speedway Sat, April 17
Round 16 Salt Lake City, Utah East Rice-Eccles Stadium Sat, April 24
Round 17 Salt Lake City, Utah W/E Rice-Eccles Stadium Sat, May 1

2021 GNCC

Round Date Event Name City, State Micro/eMTB
Rnd 1 Feb 20-21 Big Buck Union, SC Micro
Rnd 2 Mar 6-7 Wild Boar Palatka, FL Micro
Rnd 3 Mar 13-14 The General Washington, GA Micro/eMTB
Rnd 4 Mar 27-28 Camp Coker Bullet Society Hill, SC Micro
Rnd 5 Apr 17-18 Tiger Run Union, SC Micro/eMTB
Rnd 6 May 1-2 Hoosier Crawfordsville, IN Micro/eMTB
Rnd 7 May 22-23 The John Penton Millfield, OH Micro/eMTB
Rnd 8 Jun 5-6 Mason-Dixon Mount Morris, PA Micro/eMTB
Rnd 9 Jun 26-27 Snowshoe Snowshoe, WV eMTB
Rain Jul 10-11 RAIN DATE
Jul-31 Loretta Lynn eMTB Hurricane Mills, TN eMTB
Rnd 10 Sep 11-12 The Mountaineer Beckley, WV Micro/eMTB
Rnd 11 Sep 25-26 Burr Oak Millfield, OH Micro
Rnd 12 Oct 9-10 Buckwheat 100 Newburg, WV Micro
Rnd 13 Oct 23-24 Ironman Crawfordsville, IN Micro
Rain Nov 13-14 RAIN DATE

2021 New Zealand Motocross Championship

Round Location Date
Round One Woodville Grand Prix 31st January, 2021  
Round Two Rotorua 21st February, 2021
Round Three Hawkes Bay 20th March, 2021
Round Four Taupo 28th March, 2021

FIM Bajas World Cup 2021 (Provisional)

Date Round Location Nation
18-20 Feb Dubai Intl Baja Dubai UAE
18-20 Mar Jordan Baja Aqaba Jordan
8-10 Apr Qatar Int Baja Doha Qatar
28-30 May Baja do Pinahl Serta Portugal
17-19 Jun Baja Jalapao 500 Teruel Spain
23-25 Jul Baja Aragon Teruel Spain
5-8 Aug Hungarian Baja Varpalota Hungary
29 Aug-1 Sep Atacama Baja 1 Copiapo Chile
2-4 Sep Atacama Baja 2 Copiapo Chile
28-30 Oct Baja Portalegre Portalegre Portugal

2021 Provisional Australian Supercross dates

  • 25 September – Further information TBA
  • 9 October – Further information TBA
  • 16 October – Further information TBA
  • 23 October – Further information TBA
  • 30 October – Further information TBA
  • 6 November – Further information TBA
  • 20 November – Further information TBA
  • 27 November – Further information TBA

2021 Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE)
May 19-22 – Harvey, WA

2021 Enduro Australian Three Day Vintage Enduro (A3VE)
7-9 May – Blackwood, VIC

2021 Finke Desert Race
11-14 June – Northern Territory

2021 Hattah Desert Race
3-4 July – Hattah, Victoria

2021 Motocross Australian Classic Motocross Championship
9-11 July – Nowra, NSW

2021 Motocross Australian Post Classic Motocross
16-18 July – Nowra, NSW

2021 International Six Day Enduro (ISDE)
30 August – 4 September – Italy

U.S. AMA West ISDE Qualifier Series

  • March 20-21: Red Mountain, Calif., Desert MC and Prospectors MC, AMA District 37 Sprint Enduro
  • April 17-18: Campwood, Ariz., Arizona Trail Riders, AMA AMRA
  • May 22-23: Craig, Colo., Enduro Colorado, AMA RMEC

U.S. AMA East ISDE Qualifier Series

  • May 1-2: Battle Creek Mich., BCMC, AMA Michigan Sprint Enduro
  • May 7-8: Plantersville, Ala., Southern Enduro Riders Association
  • May 29-30: Glen Daniel, W. Va., AMA Full Gas Sprint Enduro
x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Source: MCNews.com.au

Price, Sanders, Burgess & Houlihan to fly Aussie flag at Dakar

Toby Price, Daniel Sanders, Michael Burgess & Andrew Houlihan set for Dakar 2021


Dakar 2021 will kick off on January 3, with four Australians aiming to make history at one of the world’s toughest off-road events, with a route of 7,646 km starting and finishing in Jeddah, including 4,767 km of special stages.

Former Dakar and Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) Champion, Toby Price, aboard the Red Bull KTM, is joined by new team-mate, current AORC Champion, Daniel Sanders. They will be joined by Bendigo’s Michael Burgess and Andrew Houlihan from Albury, NSW.

Toby Price – Image by Marcin Kin

Burgess will be racing with Swiss-based team Nomad Racing aboard a KTM, while Houlihan will be competing with the Nomadas Adventure Coca Cola Racing Team and also has support from Speedcafe.

The Dakar 2021 starts in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on January 2 with a prologue, before riders start the first of 11 gruelling stages which run between January 3-15.

Dakar Rally organisers have ensured this year’s route will be a brand-new experience for all riders, including every single kilometre of the special stages, while the fastest sectors, where the difference comes down to raw power, have been trimmed.

Toby Price – Image by Marcin Kin

Add to this the fact that a majority of riders have barely had any race time on their bikes this year thanks to COVID-19, and anybody could win the Dakar.

Both Price and Sanders had seat time earlier this year with the Andalucia Rally, where Sanders surprised the rally world by not only qualifying for the Dakar, but taking a stage win in his first ever rally event. His impressive speed and handling of the rally machine had tongues wagging.

Price, a two-times Dakar winner, is fierce in the sand dunes, and regarded as one of the toughest rally riders the world has seen. He will be a force to be reckoned with and will have a massive contingent of Australian fans cheering him on from their television screens.

Toby Price – Image by Marcin Kin

Houlihan will be aboard a new 2020 KTM Rally Factory replica he has prepared in his Albury workshop in recent months.

Houlihan trained as much as possible in recent months including riding at night and navigation training aboard 2020 KTM 450 Rally Factory Replica.

Houlihan had plans to leave for Dakar on January 26, but his flight was cancelled amid COVID concerns and was forced to scramble to find alternative flights through Europe to get to Dakar.

Andrew Houlihan

“Dakar has the reputation as the most physically and mentally demanding, as well as the most dangerous race in the world. As soon as I returned to Australia in February from the Africa Eco Race COVID hit, and my plans to return to Morocco and Saudi to train did not happen. I have had to make the most of what time I’ve had available in Australia. It definitely has not been the ideal preparation for me. So for 2021 I just want to get across the finish line safely, get my first Dakar done and then return in 2022. I’m really excited to be there with Toby, Daniel and Michael. I expect all three of these guys to be very competitive. It would be great to see Aussies on the podium in Saudi.”

For Burgess, he is no stranger to desert racing having had plenty of training in the Western Australian deserts and has previously competed in the Sahara Desert sand dunes of Morocco.

Michael Burgess

“My training has been great, probably the best I have had leading into any event, and I have really enjoyed the journey. I’m fit and looking forward to riding the road books. My expectations of Dakar are the whole challenge that goes with the label ‘Dakar’. My expectations of myself are to enjoy it, results are not a factor when it comes to the investment made with an event like Dakar. Riding to finish is the goal. I am looking forward to Riding with Andrew, Daniel and Toby. We have been talking through social media networks helping each other out. I am also very proud to be waving the Australian flag alongside these three legends.”

Michael Burgess

For Sanders, the 2020 Australia Off-Road Championship Champion, this will be his first Dakar rally and only having ridden a rally bike in the past four months, he has adapted quickly and will definitely be a rider to watch.

Daniel Sanders – Image by Marcin Kin

Daniel Sanders

“My expectations are to finish and hopefully I’ve learnt a lot over the last 4-months of roadbook training and with the bike, so I’d really like to get into the top 10 but of course I want to finish it mostly. I’m expecting the worst. I expect long tiring days, low energy so it’s going to be very hard to focus and minimise the fatigue. It’s cool to be in a group of Aussies racing and to see Andrew and Michael racing and seeing their passion for the race. We’ve all been in contact and helping each other where we can in this tough situation of COVID. It will be really cool to catch up and here the stories each day in the race. For the supporters, I’ll be giving it everything. I haven’t left the country for 4-months to not finish. I think it’s going to take a couple of days in the race to get in a good rhythm and see how the race pans out. I hope to be at the pointy end but with only one rally under my belt, I hope I’ve got enough experience in racing and some luck on my side to get up the pointy end. Thanks everyone for their support.”

Daniel Sanders – Image by Marcin Kin

2021 Dakar Schedule

Stage Date Start > Finish Total Special
P Saturday, January 2, 2021 Jeddah > Jeddah 11 km 11 km
1 Sunday, January 3, 2021 Jeddah > Bisha 622 km 277 km
2 Monday, January 4, 2021 Bisha > Wadi Al Dawasir 685 km 457 km
3 Tuesday, January 5, 2021 Wadi Al Dawasir > Wadi Al Dawasir 630 km 403 km
4 Wednesday, January 6, 2021 Wadi Al Dawasir > Riyadh 813 km 337 km
5 Thursday, January 7, 2021 Riyadh > Buraydah 625 km 419 km
6 Friday, January 8, 2021 Buraydah > Ha’il 655 km 485 km
Rest Saturday, January 9, 2021 Ha’il (Rest Day)
7 Sunday, January 10, 2021 Ha’il > Sakaka 737 km 471 km
8 Monday, January 11, 2021 Sakaka > Neom 709 km 375 km
9 Tuesday, January 12, 2021 Neom > Neom 579 km 465 km
10 Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Neom > Al-Ula 583 km 342 km
11 Thursday, January 14, 2021 Al-Ula > Yanbu 557 km 511 km
12 Friday, January 15, 2021 Yanbu > Jeddah 452 km 225 km
Dakar 2021 Preview

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto News Weekly | Summercross | Hard Enduro | Oz Factory Teams

Moto News Weekly Wrap
December 29, 2020

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

What’s New:

  • Kayne Lamont wins 2020 Whakatane Summercross
  • FIM Hard Enduro World Championship launched in 2021
  • GasGas announce Australian factory MX, SX and Enduro teams
  • Waters, Wills, Norton to lead Husqvarna Factory efforts in 2021
  • Daniel Milner to headline KTM Factory Teams line-up in 2021
  • Jesse Dobson completes Serco Yamaha line-up for 2021
  • 2021 Dakar Rally showcases global talent
  • 2021 GNCC Series schedule announced
  • FIM Bajas World Cup 2021 Provisional Calendar
  • 2021 Racing Calendars

Kayne Lamont wins 2020 Whakatane Summercross

Kayne Lamont has won the 2020 Whakatane Summercross MX1 title, with racing coming down to the fifth and final race of the day, which saw Lamont and Cody Cooper tied on points. Each rider had claimed two wins and two second places a-piece, heading into a hard fought final with everything on the line.

Kayne Lamont – Altherm JCR Yamaha

Race 1 saw Lamont take the win from Cooper and Ethan Martens, with Rhys Carter claiming fourth. Race 2 saw a repeat performance with Lamont once again taking the win from Cooper, this time by 5.838s, while Carter moved into the top three, a position he was intent on maintaining.

Cooper turned the tables on Lamont in Races 3 & 4, taking both wins, by 6.272 and 8.021s respectively, while Carter came home in third across both races.

The fifth and final race saw competitors facing a longer 11-lap race, but one that featured the joker lane lap unique to Whakatane, proving the closest race, with only 0.811s separating Lamont and Cooper at the line. A distant third saw Carter wrap up a consistent day.

The final win for Kayne Lamont lent him a four-point lead and the Whakatane Summercross MX1 title, ending the day on 242-points, to Cody Cooper on 238, while Rhys Carter wrapped up third with 213-points. Ethan Martens (206) and Tommy Watts (196) completed the top five in the MX1 class.

Kayne Lamont

“I am still in the mix of finding my final bike setup for nationals, which I will finalise with Ben Townley throughout January. I had decent starts all day and managed to get to the front early in my first two races. In races 3 and 4, I managed to get to second behind Cody but the track was very difficult to pass on so I finished behind him. In the final race I got the holeshot and rode a nice smooth race with Cody right behind me the whole time but I held him off to claim the win and the overall!”

Breingan Earthmoving – MX1 Overall Results

Pos Competitor Total R1 R2 R3 R4 R5
1 Kayne Lamont 242 50 50 46 46 50
2 Cody Cooper 238 46 46 50 50 46
3 Rhys Carter 213 41 43 43 43 43
4 Ethan Martens 206 43 41 41 40 41
5 Tommy Watts 196 39 40 39 39 39
6 Tyler Steiner 190 36 33 40 41 40
7 Brad Groombridge 189 40 37 37 37 38
8 Jacob Steel 187 37 39 38 36 37
9 Richard Horne 178 38 38 28 38 36
10 Isaiah McGoldrick 172 34 35 36 35 32
11 Quade Young 166 35 36 32 28 35
12 Sam Middleton 165 33 31 34 34 33
13 Andy Todd 161 32 34 35 29 31
14 Aydan Palmer 160 31 32 33 30 34
15 Caleb Franklin 151 30 28 30 33 30
16 Craig Dally 150 28 30 31 32 29
17 Travis Rankin 146 29 29 29 31 28

MX2

In the MX2 Josiah Natzke put in a masterclass of control, taking the holeshot in each race with overtaking proving difficult, leaving him with a perfect 250-points after five races.

Ben Townley and Maximum Purvis finished the day on 219-points a-piece, however Townley was awarded second with second place in the final race, leaving Purvis disappointed, sharing, “We’ve got a few things to work on before Woodville so we will go away put our heads down and try to sort them out.”

Maximum Purvis – Altherm JCR Yamaha

Completing the top five was James Scott on 212-points, while Luke Van der Lee was fifth with 197-points.

The Altherm JCR Yamaha Team will now prepare for the Woodville Grand Prix which ties into Round 1 of the New Zealand Motocross Championship, and will be held over the January 30-31 weekend at Palmerston North.

Josh Coppins – Altherm JCR Yamaha Team Manager

“We will spend the next four weeks getting Kayne and Max further tuned in for round one of the nationals which coincides with the Woodville GP on January 31. Our new junior rider Madoc Dixon will return from his wrist injury rehab and we look forward to seeing how he goes in the 125cc class this season.”

Underwood & Wilkins – MX2 Overall Results

Pos Competitor Total R1 R2 R3 R4 R5
1 Josiah Natzke 250 50 50 50 50 50
2 Ben Townley 219 41 43 46 43 46
3 Maximus Purvis 219 46 46 43 41 43
4 James Scott 212 43 41 41 46 41
5 Luke Van der Lee 197 40 39 39 40 39
6 Jacob Hunt 184 37 37 36 38 36
7 Carlin Hedley 178 36 36 34 37 35
8 Luka Freemantle 177 39 40 21 39 38
9 Hunter Scott 170 32 38 32 35 33
10 Carter Hanes 164 30 33 33 36 32
11 Sam Corston 163 35 34 31 32 31
12 Kaleb Livesey 162 34 32 29 33 34
13 Logan Maddren 155 27 30 37 34 27
14 Jack Rodgers 146 28 31 30 31 26
15 Reece Lister 140 38 22 40 40
16 Liam Hutton 137 29 25 28 27 28
17 Seton Head 136 31 38 30 37
18 Kyle Pickerill 132 26 28 27 26 25
19 Sam Robbie 131 21 26 26 28 30
20 David Ashton 129 25 27 25 29 23
21 Ben Valois 126 23 29 22 23 29
22 Toby McKendry 118 22 24 23 25 24
23 Leslie Longstaff 117 24 23 24 24 22
24 Toby Winiata 103 33 35 35

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

FIM Hard Enduro World Championship launched in 2021

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and WESS Promotion GmbH have announced a partnership for the Hard Enduro Sport, with the ‘FIM Hard Enduro World Championship’ launched with an inaugural season in 2021.

A new Pro-Class regulation, in line with all FIM international standards, will offer the highest level of transparency and fairness to professional riders, teams and manufacturers who will compete to win the official world-recognized title of FIM Hard Enduro World Champion.

WESS Rnd Extreme XL Lagares Sun River Atmos FM
Extreme XL Lagares

The integration of amateur riders has been promised to stay an inherent and defining characteristic of the series, which will see the common effort of amateurs and professionals competing in the same race to further attract enthusiasts around the world to participate in FIM Hard Enduro World Championship events, ensuring long-term growth of the Championship.

Tony Skillington – FIM CEO

“Every once in a while an opportunity comes to do something very interesting and new in motorcycle sport. I am completely convinced that this Championship will become a very important part of the FIM calendar in the future and I am more than pleased that we are finally signing a four-year contract for the promotion of a FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. I also appreciate the energy and dedication that both FIM and WESS have deployed together to work on all of the ways to make this Championship a success.”

Red Bull Romaniacs
Winfried Kerschhaggl – WESS Promotion GmbH states

“This is a very exciting time for us and our sport. Following an incredibly busy time, building and shaping WESS, work is paying off. The past three years helped us to gain the recognition of the FIM. A special thanks from our side goes to Tony Skillington, who has been very supportive since the conversations about a joint project started. We’re ready to take the next step as the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. Together with the FIM we move into 2021 with confidence and enthusiasm and look forward to ongoing exciting racing.”

2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Provisional calendar

Round 1 May 7-9 Extreme XL Lagares Portugal FMP
Round 2 June 3-6 Red Bull Erzbergrodeo Austria AMF
Round 3 July 10/11 TBD Italy FMI
Round 4 July 27-31 Red Bull Romaniacs Romania FRM
Round 5 August 14/15 Red Bull TKO USA AMA
Round 6 September 18/19 TBD Poland PZM
Round 7 October 1-3 Hixpania Hard Enduro Spain RFME
Round 8 October 30/31 GetzenRodeo Germany DMSB

GasGas announce Australian factory MX, SX and Enduro teams

GasGas Motorcycles has announced a pair of race teams in Australia ahead of the 2021 season, marking the arrival of GasGas factory motocross, supercross and enduro squads.

GasGas announced 2021 Factory Racing effort in Australia

GasGas signed a youthful combination of Aaron Tanti (motocross/supercross) and Mason Semmens (enduro) for the coming year, set to battle it out among the sport’s best at a national level – a first for the GasGas brand across those categories.

Tanti is transferring into the MX1/SX1 category for the Australian Motocross Championship (ProMX) and Australian Supercross Championship. He will be equipped with the GasGas MC 450F, benefiting from experience gained in the US at the beginning of 2020.

Aaron Tanti – GasGas Motocross Racing Team

“I’m really looking forward to joining the factory GasGas team in 2021, it will be a lot of fun being part of the brand and I can’t wait to get on the new MC 450F. I was always aiming to step up to the premier class for next year if I was staying here in Australia, so it’s worked out well to be joining GasGas in the factory team and having this opportunity. I’ve been putting a lot of effort into my racing for a number of years now, so I look forward to getting things going!”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Tanti Multiple SX OAK Kardy
Aaron Tanti will join the GasGas Factory Racing team in Australia for 2020 – Image by Jeff Kardas

Alongside him and equally as eager to showcase his talents in the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) is Semmens, who has learned his craft within the KTM Group family and will lead the GasGas enduro team on-board a GasGas EC 250F. He claimed runner-up in E1 as a rookie in the shortened 2020 season.

Mason Semmens – GasGas Enduro Racing Team

“To be joining GasGas for 2021 and continuing this journey off-road is super-exciting, I feel like it’s a good fit for me and I know that the bikes will be really competitive from the start. Last season we didn’t get to race as much as we’d hoped in the AORC, but it was a promising opening few rounds that I had and I’ve still been working hard since, so now I have my sights set on what’s to come next and hope to be right there challenging for wins and the title in my class especially.”

Yamaha AORC Rnd Toowoomba Mason Semmens
Mason Semmens will compete the AORC with GasGas Factory Racing

Brad Hagi – Managing Director KTM Group Oceania

“As we launch this exciting new brand into the market, it pairs perfectly having Aaron and Mason on board to represent us. GasGas is set to be competitive right out of the gates, but there is also an authentic, grassroots element to the brand that these two young guns represent with their enthusiastic and vibrant personalities. Mason has grown up through the KTM Group ranks and both himself and Aaron are ready to step up and stamp their authority on the Australia racing scene with GasGas.”

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Waters, Wills, Norton to lead Husqvarna Factory efforts in 2021

National MX1 champion Todd Waters will remain with Husqvarna in 2021 and will pull double-duty in both the Australian Motocross Championship (ProMX) and Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC).

Husqvarna Australia announce Todd Waters, Dylan Wills and Callumn Norton as their factory racers for 2021

Waters is an ambassador for the Husqvarna Motorcycles brand and will split his time between the Husqvarna Factory Racing Team riding the FC 450 in motocross and the FE 450 in enduro, where he placed third in E2 on debut during 2020.

Todd Waters

“To be remaining part of the Husqvarna family into 2021 is a big deal to me, an exciting project and one that I am happy to be involved in. We haven’t been able to race nationally since winning the MX1 title in 2019, but it has been a busy year in its own ways and now we are definitely looking forward to getting back on track and working hard to defend the championship. I’m also looking forward to continuing off-road, gaining experience there and hopefully being in contention throughout the season.”

Todd Waters will compete in the motocross and enduro events for 2021

Dylan Wills will also be running the Husqvarna flag, and is regarded as one of the country’s top young talents as he prepares to step up to the premier class in supercross. He will also be contesting MX2 outdoors within his own program.

Dylan Wills

“This is a dream come true for me, to be a part of a factory team in supercross and as a rookie on the FC 450. I will have great people behind me and the best equipment possible, so that is a great opportunity that I want to make the most of at this stage of my career and I’m thankful for everybody who has been involved to get this deal together. I’m going to be riding outdoors in MX2 with my own program as well, so we have solid plans in place and I’m looking forward to it all in 2021.”

Husqvarna Motorcycles will also bring their desert racing program back in-house, set to tackle the FINKE Desert Race with up-and-comer Callum Norton aboard the FE 501.

Callum Norton

“I am really excited to be able to go racing again and looking forward to what hopefully should be a good year! This will be my third FINKE desert race and I cannot wait to get out there on the Husky. I have always been attracted to desert racing, ever since I was a kid and went to watch the HATTAH race. Through my junior ranks I realised I liked sand and was pretty good at riding it, so when the opportunities came up when I turned Senior to focus on the desert style of racing, I jumped at the chance. And now to be part of the Husky team for 2021, I am so excited to get out there and see what we can do.”

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Daniel Milner to headline KTM Factory Teams line-up in 2021

KTM has announced its factory teams to contest the national enduro, motocross and supercross championships, as well as desert competition for 2021, with reigning Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) #1 plate-holder Daniel Milner headlining the line-up and continuing for a fifth-straight year.

Milner will revert to his favoured KTM 500 EXC-F in the E3 division next season, determined to get back to racing after having the 2020 championship cut short and spearheading KTM’s more focused off-road program.

Daniel Milner

“Being able to sign for my fifth year with KTM in 2021 is really cool. I’m looking forward to working with the team again, getting back to the races and seeing what we can do in the new year. I’ve been able to achieve a lot with KTM since joining them and have been really motivated this year, so we will continue that, aim to do the same again next season and deliver some more championships.”

Daniel Milner

In addition, longtime KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team standout Regan Duffy will lead KTM’s return to operating an in-house factory Australian Motocross Championship (ProMX) and Australian Supercross Championship effort.

Duffy captured the 2019 Australian MXD title riding KTM machinery and, following a glowing performance at that year’s Motocross of Nations (MXoN) in Holland riding the KTM 450 SX-F, the teenager has earned his opportunity in the premier class with KTM Motocross Racing Team.

Regan Duffy

“I’m really excited to be joining KTM and riding the 450 SX-F next season. I’ve been part of the brand’s development path for a lot of my career and feel at home on the bigger bike, so it’s a really good opportunity to step up with a great team around me. Not being able to race at the national level in 2020 was disappointing, but we will now set our sights on what’s ahead and look forward to the challenge.”

Regan Duffy

Current Finke Desert Race title-holder David Walsh will also return to the KTM Factory Racing Team in 2021, eager to get back on the KTM 500 EXC-F in a competitive environment as he looks to defend his result achieved in the prestigious event during 2019.

David Walsh

“I can’t wait to get back out on the bike with KTM and it will be good to do some racing again. I’m very grateful to be part of the factory team and I really want to keep the success in the desert going for everybody. I chased the Finke win for so long and managed to hold onto it without even racing this year! Seriously though, we will prepare for 2021 and make the most of this opportunity together.”

David Walsh
David Walsh
x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Jesse Dobson completes Serco Yamaha line-up in 2021

After taking a fill-in ride with Serco Yamaha halfway through the 2020 season, Jesse Dobson joins as a full time ride with the Yamaha MX2 team in 2021. He will join Nathan Crawford in the two pronged attack contesting the MX2 championship at both the Pro MX and the Australian Supercross Championship.

Jesse Dobson

Dobson adjusted instantly to the Yamaha YZ250F and gelled with the team and the results showed on the track. His speed was right there with the best MX2 pilots in Australia and with the extra time to fine tune his training and riding, Dobson expects to be a major player in MX2 championships in the season ahead.

Jesse Dobson

“I said when I moved to the MX2 class at the start of 2020 that I wasn’t going to be there to make up the numbers and that I wanted success and that hasn’t changed. In fact, it has only got stronger as I was able to use 2020 as a season to gain experience back on a 250 and learn how to ride one properly and effectively again. I’m stoked to re-sign with Serco Yamaha and have a great bunch of people around me. The bikes are awesome, and we have a great list of team sponsors who provide us with the tools to win races and championships. It’s been a long wait between national events, and I can’t wait to get back behind the gate at round one and feel the excitement of competing at a national again. The MX2 class is always super competitive and there are plenty of good riders capable of winning rounds, so it’s time to get to work and make the most of the pre-season.”

Jesse Dobson

Team owner, Gavin Eales, likes how his team has come together and after a year of not much on track action, is recharged and ready to go for season 2021.

Gavin Eales – Serco Yamaha Team Owner

“In Nathan and Jesse we have two hard working and dedicated athletes who are both focused on winning races. Both of them enjoy the training aspect of racing and now bring a lot of experience to the team as they have been on the scene for several years now. It’s also a benefit that both live near our team base in Brisbane which makes life much easier when testing and maintaining bikes. We have also been fortunate to be with Yamaha Motor Australia and continue our relationship into its 21st year and the team will be the show case for the range of high performance products Serco distributes in Australia.”

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

2021 Dakar Rally showcases global talent

The 43rd edition of the Dakar Rally is shaping up to offer an amazing field of competition in the bike category, a year after the victory by Ricky Brabec halted KTM’s long reign. 2020 will however see the Austrian firm counting on three former winners with the ambition of retaking their crown.

Dakar Rally Stage Ricky Brabec rallyzone
Ricky Brabec Dakar 2020 – Image by Rally Zone

The Saudi challenge will probably not be limited to a duel between KTM and Honda, Yamaha’s Van Beveren or Husqvarna’s Quintanilla, among other contenders, boast the capacities to join in the battle for victory.

Their hour has perhaps not yet arrived, but the leaders of the younger generation have already shown a glimpse of their talent, with the likes of Ross Branch, Skyler Howes and Jamie McCanney, alongside rookies like Daniel Sanders and Tosha Schareina, who will be attempting to make an impression.

Daniel Sanders – Image by Marcin Kin

The threat had been growing for several years, but the blows struck against KTM failed to land properly until last January. The saga was commenced by Fabrizio Meoni in 2001, then continued by the reign of Cyril Despres and Marc Coma, as well as via the emergence of a new generation at the end of the 2010s, but was interrupted by Ricky Brabec and his Honda following 18 consecutive victories.

The Austrian firm’s pride may have taken a blow, but it has not lost any of its potential and its trio of former winners, made up of Toby Price, Sam Sunderland and Mathias Walkner are only thinking of climbing back to the rally’s summit.

Toby Price, Matthias Walkner and Sam Sunderland

Among the favourites since his breakthrough in 2016 (claiming fourth), the dreams of Kevin Benavides could come true if he rides a flawless race. He managed to do this on the Rally of Andalusia, dominating his rivals on a less demanding racing format than the Dakar. His team-mate Ignacio Cornejo (fourth at Dakar in 2020), will also be on the lookout for victory, as will Spanish rider Joan Barreda who is still seeking a place on the podium.

Dakar Rally Stage Kevin Benavides ABI
Kevin Benavides Dakar 2020

While Honda can point to the boast of having been the first constructor to rock the KTM boat, Yamaha’s ambitions are just as legitimate, despite a 2020 edition marred by the premature exits of its two leaders. Adrien Van Beveren, whose taste of Saudi Arabia’s sands did not exceed three-days last January, has been whetting his appetite on the recent Bajas de Ha’il, where he won ahead of competitors that were less imposing than on the Dakar but sufficient to get him up to the right pace.

Adrien Van Beveren – Hail Baja 2

In the blue bike camp, he will be accompanied by the newcomer to the team Andrew Short (sixth in 2019) as well as by Franco Caimi (eighth in 2020). His former accomplice Xavier de Soultrait will be donning the colours of Husqvarna to join Pablo Quintanilla, the runner-up to Brabec in January, and a rider who also seems perfectly set to triumph after finishing in the top five in four participations out eight.

The places in this tightly packed elite will be even more sought-after given that a new generation is starting to break through, with Luciano Benavides, Ross Branch, Skyler Howes and Jamie McCanney, all finishing in the top 15 off the last edition.

Looking to the future, a watchful eye will also have to be cast over a handful of especially promising rookies who have caught the attention of the main constructors by shining in similar disciplines before making their debut this year on the Dakar.

Daniel Sanders – Image by Marcin Kin

Such is the case for Australia’s Daniel Sanders, who aims to follow in the tracks of Toby Price for KTM, but also Portugal’s Rui Gonçalves enrolled by Sherco and Spaniard Tosha Schareina. Finally, the youngest rider in the category also deserves a mention: Konrad Dabrowski, who is the direct heir to Marek, one of the pioneers of the Polish rally-raid school in Africa (with a ninth place finish in 2003 in particular).

2021 Dakar Schedule

Stage Date Start > Finish Total Special
P Saturday, January 2, 2021 Jeddah > Jeddah 11 km 11 km
1 Sunday, January 3, 2021 Jeddah > Bisha 622 km 277 km
2 Monday, January 4, 2021 Bisha > Wadi Al Dawasir 685 km 457 km
3 Tuesday, January 5, 2021 Wadi Al Dawasir > Wadi Al Dawasir 630 km 403 km
4 Wednesday, January 6, 2021 Wadi Al Dawasir > Riyadh 813 km 337 km
5 Thursday, January 7, 2021 Riyadh > Buraydah 625 km 419 km
6 Friday, January 8, 2021 Buraydah > Ha’il 655 km 485 km
Rest Saturday, January 9, 2021 Ha’il (Rest Day)
7 Sunday, January 10, 2021 Ha’il > Sakaka 737 km 471 km
8 Monday, January 11, 2021 Sakaka > Neom 709 km 375 km
9 Tuesday, January 12, 2021 Neom > Neom 579 km 465 km
10 Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Neom > Al-Ula 583 km 342 km
11 Thursday, January 14, 2021 Al-Ula > Yanbu 557 km 511 km
12 Friday, January 15, 2021 Yanbu > Jeddah 452 km 225 km
x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Twisted Tea/H.E.P. Motorsports Suzuki Racing AMA SX team announced

Suzuki’s 450 class race team for the 2021 Monster Energy AMA/ FIM World Supercross Championship will be Twisted Tea/ H.E.P. Motorsports Suzuki Racing, with riders Max Anstie, Brandon Hartranft and Adam Enticknap on the race-ready 2021 Suzuki RM-Z450.

Max Anstie – Image by Jeff Kardas

Both Anstie and Enticknap had a solid season of racing in 2020 under the H.E.P. Suzuki tent and are excited to start racing in 2021. New to the H.E.P Motorsports Suzuki team for 2021 is Brandon Hartranft, making his rookie debut in the 450 class. All three riders will compete on the 2021 Suzuki RM-Z450 and benefit from the support of Suzuki’s RM Army support program.

Dustin Pipes – Twisted Tea/ H.E.P. Motorsports/ Suzuki Racing Team Co-Owner

“We are thrilled to up our game with Suzuki and its legendary RM-Z450 class bikes for the 2021 Supercross series. With Max, Adam and now Brandon on the squad, we expect strong and consistent results in the premier class this season.”

 Chris Wheeler – Suzuki’s Racing Manager

“I’m excited to work with the Twisted Tea/ H.E.P. Motorsports Team, our premier 450 class Supercross team for 2021. This team has the experience and the strength of this rider line-up to make for a competitive and exciting Supercross season for Suzuki, and the RM Army in 2021.”


2021 GNCC Series schedule announced

The Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized have just announced the series schedule for the upcoming 2021 season.

2020 GNCC Buckwheat 100 – Image by Ken Hill

Jeff Russell – GNCC Trail Boss

“We’re excited to get the 2021 GNCC Racing season off and rolling. We have a lot of really great facilities that have hosted some amazing events in the past, and we’re ready to see another season full of excellent racing on some great racecourses.”

The GNCC Series is set to kick off on February 20-21 with the Big Buck GNCC in Union, South Carolina. From there the series will head south for the seventh Annual Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka, Florida, which is also held in conjunction with the 2021 Daytona Beach “Bike Week” festivities on March 7-8.

Then the next weekend, March 13-14, the series continues in Washington, Georgia for a back-to-back round with The General GNCC at Aonia Pass Motocross.

Moving onto round four of the season, the series will head to Society Hill, South Carolina for the Camp Coker Bullet GNCC, March 27-28. Then after a two-week hiatus the series will once again return to Union, South Carolina April 17-18 for the Tiger Run GNCC at Big Buck Farm.

Kailub Russell retired in 2020 – Photo: Ken Hill

Kicking off the month of May will be the Hoosier GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana at Ironman Raceway for the first of two GNCC’s to be held on that property. Returning to the series schedule as one of the oldest GNCC events on the circuit will be the 33rd John Penton GNCC held in Millfield, Ohio on May 22-23, followed by the Mason-Dixon GNCC held in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania on June 5-6. The series will also make its return to Snowshoe Mountain for the 14th Annual Snowshoe GNCC event on June 26-27.

After the summer break, the series will return to Summit Bechtel Reserve for round 10 on September 11-12. The Mountaineer GNCC continues to be a popular addition to the series schedule. Located in the heart of southern West Virginia, the race is hosted at the spectacular 11,000-acre home of the National Scout Jamboree. Round 11 will be held in Millfield, Ohio for the Burr Oak GNCC, with the penultimate round of racing being hosted at the Buckwheat 100 in Newburg, West Virginia on October 9-10. Ironman in Crawfordsville, Indiana, will make its return to host the GNCC season finale race on October 23-24.

Josh Toth – Image by Ken Hill

The 2021 schedule welcomes back many of its most seasoned venues, including Big Buck in Union, South Carolina; The General in Washington, Georgia; The John Penton in Millfield, Ohio; West Virginia’s popular Snowshoe GNCC in Snowshoe, West Virginia; and the Ironman finale in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Two rain date have been set for the 2021 season for the weekends of July 11-12 and November 13-14, with locations to be announced at a later date, if needed.

2021 GNCC Schedule

Round Date Event Name City, State Micro/eMTB
Rnd 1 Feb 20-21 Big Buck Union, SC Micro
Rnd 2 Mar 6-7 Wild Boar Palatka, FL Micro
Rnd 3 Mar 13-14 The General Washington, GA Micro/eMTB
Rnd 4 Mar 27-28 Camp Coker Bullet Society Hill, SC Micro
Rnd 5 Apr 17-18 Tiger Run Union, SC Micro/eMTB
Rnd 6 May 1-2 Hoosier Crawfordsville, IN Micro/eMTB
Rnd 7 May 22-23 The John Penton Millfield, OH Micro/eMTB
Rnd 8 Jun 5-6 Mason-Dixon Mount Morris, PA Micro/eMTB
Rnd 9 Jun 26-27 Snowshoe Snowshoe, WV eMTB
Rain Jul 10-11 RAIN DATE
Jul-31 Loretta Lynn eMTB Hurricane Mills, TN eMTB
Rnd 10 Sep 11-12 The Mountaineer Beckley, WV Micro/eMTB
Rnd 11 Sep 25-26 Burr Oak Millfield, OH Micro
Rnd 12 Oct 9-10 Buckwheat 100 Newburg, WV Micro
Rnd 13 Oct 23-24 Ironman Crawfordsville, IN Micro
Rain Nov 13-14 RAIN DATE

FIM Bajas World Cup 2021 Provisional Calendar

The 2021 FIM Bajas World Cup takes place over a Series of Qualifying Events as well as a Final. Each Event in the Qualifying Series has a scoring coefficient of 1 *. The Final has a scoring coefficient of 2 .

The Final is open to all competitors. In order to be included in the ranking of the FIM Bajas World Cup, competitors must have completed and scored points in at least one of the Events of the Qualifying Series. Only these competitors will be eligible for the final ranking of the FIM Bajas World Cup.

The final ranking of the FIM Bajas World Cup will be established on the basis of the two best results of the Qualifying Series, added to the points awarded in the Final. This is valid in all three categories (Motorbikes, Quads and SSV) and in all three classes (Women’s, Junior and Veteran).

FIM Bajas World Cup 2021 Provisional Calendar

Date Round Location Nation
18-20 Feb Dubai Intl Baja Dubai UAE
18-20 Mar Jordan Baja Aqaba Jordan
8-10 Apr Qatar Int Baja Doha Qatar
28-30 May Baja do Pinahl Serta Portugal
17-19 Jun Baja Jalapao 500 Teruel Spain
23-25 Jul Baja Aragon Teruel Spain
5-8 Aug Hungarian Baja Varpalota Hungary
29 Aug-1 Sep Atacama Baja 1 Copiapo Chile
2-4 Sep Atacama Baja 2 Copiapo Chile
28-30 Oct Baja Portalegre Portalegre Portugal
x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

2021 Racing schedule

2021 Provisional MXGP Calendar

Rnd Grand Prix Date
1 MXGP of Oman, Muscat Fri 2 Apr – Sat 3 Apr
2 MXGP of Italy, TBA Sat 24 Apr – Sun 25 Apr
3 MXGP of Portugal, Agueda Sat 8 May – Sun 9 May
4 MXGP of The Netherlands, Oss Sat 22 May – Sun 23 May
5 MXGP of Germany, Teutschenthal Sat 29 May – Sun 30 May
6 MXGP of Russia, Orlyonok Sat 12 Jun – Sun 13 Jun
7 MXGP of Latvia, Kegums Sat 19 Jun – Sun 20 Jun
8 MXGP of Jakarta (INA), Jakarta Sat 3 Jul – Sun 4 Jul
9 MXGP of Indonesia, Semarang Sat 10 Jul – Sun 11 Jul
10 MXGP of Czech Replublic, Loket Sat 24 Jul – Sun 25 Jul
11 MXGP of Belgium, Lommel Sat 31 Jul – Sun 1 Aug
12 MXGP of Sweden, Uddevalla Sat 7 Aug – Sun 8 Aug
13 MXGP of Finland, Iitti-KimiRing Sat 21 Aug – Sun 22 Aug
14 MXGP of Igora Drive (RUS), Igora Drive Sat 28 Aug – Sun 29 Aug
15 MXGP of Turkey, Afyonkarahisar Sat 11 Sep – Sun 12 Sep
16 MXGP of China, TBA Sat 18 Sep – Sun 19 Sep
17 MXGP of France, St Jean d’Angely Sat 9 Oct – Sun 10 Oct
18 MXGP of Spain, intu Xanadu-Arroyomolinos Sat 16 Oct – Sun 17 Oct
19 TBA  Sat 30 Oct – Sun 31 Oct
20 MXGP of Patagonia Argentina, Neuquen Sat 13 Nov – Sun 14 Nov

2021 Yamaha AORC presented by MXStore calendar

Round Location Date
Rounds 1 & 2 Nowra, NSW March 27-28
Rounds 3 & 4 TBA, VIC April 17-18
Rounds 5 & 6 Kyogle, NSW July 17-18
Rounds 7 & 8 TBA, QLD August 6-7
Rounds 9 & 10 Kingston SE, SA September 18-19
Rounds 11 & 12 Omeo, VIC October 16-17

2021 Australian Pro MX calendar

Rnd Date Location
1 Apr-11 Wonthaggi, Victoria
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, 125 CUP
2 May-02 Canberra, ACT
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3
3 May-30 Gilman, South Australia
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, 125 CUP
4 Jun-27 Maitland, NSW
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, Classic Motocross Evolution Motocross Cup
5 Jul-25 Wodonga, Victoria
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, 125 CUP
6 Aug-08 QMP, Queensland
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, MXW, AORC (Fri & Sat)
7/8 August 14-15 Coolum, Queensland
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, VETS (Sat)
MX1, MX2, MX3, MXW (Sun)

2021 Speedway GP Calendar

Date Round Location
Apr-24 2021  FIM Speedway Grand Prix TBC
May-15 2021 PZM Warsaw  FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland PGE Narodowy
May-22 2021 German   FIM Speedway Grand Prix Bergring Arena
Jun-05 2021 Czech Republic  FIM Speedway Grand Prix Marketa Stadium
Jun-19 2021  FIM Speedway Grand Prix TBC
Jul-17 2021 Adrian Flux British  FIM Speedway Grand Prix Principality Stadium
Jul-31 2021 Betard Wroclaw FIM Speedway Grand Prix OF POLAND Olympic Stadium
Aug-14 2021 Swedish  FIM Speedway Grand Prix G&B Arena
Aug-28 2021 Russian FIM Speedway Grand Prix Anatoly Stepanov Stadium
Sep-11 2021 Danish FIM Speedway Grand Prix Sponsored by ECCO Vojens Speedway Center
Oct-02 2021 Torun  FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland Marian Rose MotoArena

2021 Australian Senior Speedway Solo calendar

Round Location Date
Round 1 Gillman Speedway, SA 3 January, 2021
Round 2 Olympic Park, VIC 5 January, 2021
Round 3 Diamond Park, Albury Wodonga, VIC 7 January, 2021
Round 4 Loxford Park, NSW 9 January, 2021
Round 5 Mick Doohan Raceway, QLD 13 January, 2021

2021 Australian Speedway events

Championship Location  Date
2021 Australian Under 21’s Speedway Championship Gillman Speedway, SA 16 January, 2021
2021 Australian Junior Speedway Sidecar Championship Pinjar Park, WA 3-4 April, 2021
2021 Australian Senior Speedway Sidecar Championship Pinjar Park, WA 3-4 April, 2021
2021 Speedway FIM Oceania Speedway Championship Gillman Speedway, SA 30 January, 2021
2021 Speedway FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship Gillman Speedway, SA 17 April, 2021

2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies calendar

Date Event Cat 1 RallyGP Cat 2 Rally 2 Cat 3
Grp1 Moto-Rally Grp1 Moto-Rally Grp2 Moto Enduro Grp3 Quad Adventure Trophy Grp1+3 SSV
April 9-13 BP Ultimate Portugal Rally (POR) X X X X X X
June 7-13 Rally Kazakhstan (KAZ) X X X X X
July 1-11 Silkway Rally (RUS) X X X X X
August 13-22 Rally do Sertoes (BRA) X X X X X
October 8-13 Rallye du Maroc (MAR) X X X X X X
November 6-12 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (UAE) X X X X X X

2021 AMA Supercross calendar

2021 AMA Supercross Calendar
Round 1 Houston, Texas East NRG Stadium Sat, January 16
Round 2 Houston, Texas East NRG Stadium Tues, January 19
Round 3 Houston, Texas East NRG Stadium Sat, January 23
Round 4 Indianapolis, Indiana East Lucas Oil Stadium Sat, January 30
Round 5 Indianapolis, Indiana East Lucas Oil Stadium Tues, February 2
Round 6 Indianapolis, Indiana East Lucas Oil Stadium Sat, February 6
Round 7 Orlando, Florida East Camping World Stadium Sat, February 13
Round 8 Orlando, Florida West Camping World Stadium Sat, February 20
Round 9 Daytona Beach, Florida West Daytona Int. Speedway Sat, March 6
Round 10 Arlington, Texas West AT&T Stadium Sat, March 13
Round 11 Arlington, Texas West AT&T Stadium Tues, March 16
Round 12 Arlington, Texas West AT&T Stadium Sat, March 20
Round 13 Atlanta, Georgia West Atlanta Motor Speedway Sat, April 10
Round 14 Atlanta, Georgia West Atlanta Motor Speedway Tues, April 13
Round 15 Atlanta, Georgia West Atlanta Motor Speedway Sat, April 17
Round 16 Salt Lake City, Utah East Rice-Eccles Stadium Sat, April 24
Round 17 Salt Lake City, Utah W/E Rice-Eccles Stadium Sat, May 1

2021 New Zealand Motocross Championship

Round Location Date
Round One Woodville Grand Prix 31st January, 2021  
Round Two Rotorua 21st February, 2021
Round Three Hawkes Bay 20th March, 2021
Round Four Taupo 28th March, 2021

2021 Provisional Australian Supercross dates

  • 25 September – Further information TBA
  • 9 October – Further information TBA
  • 16 October – Further information TBA
  • 23 October – Further information TBA
  • 30 October – Further information TBA
  • 6 November – Further information TBA
  • 20 November – Further information TBA
  • 27 November – Further information TBA

2021 Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE)
May 19-22 – Harvey, WA

2021 Enduro Australian Three Day Vintage Enduro (A3VE)
7-9 May – Blackwood, VIC

2021 Finke Desert Race
11-14 June – Northern Territory

2021 Hattah Desert Race
3-4 July – Hattah, Victoria

2021 Motocross Australian Classic Motocross Championship
9-11 July – Nowra, NSW

2021 Motocross Australian Post Classic Motocross
16-18 July – Nowra, NSW

2021 International Six Day Enduro (ISDE)
30 August – 4 September – Italy

U.S. AMA West ISDE Qualifier Series

  • March 20-21: Red Mountain, Calif., Desert MC and Prospectors MC, AMA District 37 Sprint Enduro
  • April 17-18: Campwood, Ariz., Arizona Trail Riders, AMA AMRA
  • May 22-23: Craig, Colo., Enduro Colorado, AMA RMEC

U.S. AMA East ISDE Qualifier Series

  • May 1-2: Battle Creek Mich., BCMC, AMA Michigan Sprint Enduro
  • May 7-8: Plantersville, Ala., Southern Enduro Riders Association
  • May 29-30: Glen Daniel, W. Va., AMA Full Gas Sprint Enduro

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto News Weekly | Hail Baja II | AORC | AMA SX | WA & VIC Speedway

Moto News Weekly Wrap
December 22, 2020

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

What’s New:

  • Adrien Van Beveren wins Hail Baja II
  • 2020 WA Junior Speedway Solo & Sidecar champs crowned
  • 2020 Victorian Senior & Junior Solo Speedway Championships
  • GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing hosting 13-rider line-up in 2021
  • 2021 Australian Off-Road Championship Updates
  • 2021 ProMX Championship expands classes
  • Laia Sanz set for GasGas Dakar 2021 campaign
  • US ISDE Club Team Qualifier events announced
  • 2021 AMA Supercross calendar update
  • 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies calendar

Adrien Van Beveren wins Hail Baja II

Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Official Team’s Adrien Van Beveren has topped the second Hail Baja, his final competitive outing ahead of the 2021 Dakar Rally. With participation proving to be highly productive for the Frenchman, the event’s challenging terrain and technical navigation provided one last chance for Van Beveren to finalise the set-up of his Yamaha WR450F Rally ahead of the Dakar Rally in January 2021.

Adrien Van Beveren – Hail Baja 2

With a race format similar to the opening Hail Baja, the second edition of the event again comprised of two stages, with a slightly shorter overall distance of 491km. Opening the stage on day one, Van Beveren quickly put his navigational skills to work. With the stage set entirely in the demanding sand dunes surrounding the town of Baqaa, he accurately navigated his way through each checkpoint, going on to complete the stage to finish a healthy 31-minutes ahead of the second placed finisher.

Stage two provided Adrien with much different desert conditions. Faced with the rockiest stage of the Hail Rally, it was a welcome challenge for the Frenchman to navigate through slow, technical sections aboard the Yamaha WR450F Rally. Remaining composed throughout and following another untroubled ride, Van Beveren reached the finish line unscathed to successfully complete his final race ahead of the Dakar Rally in January.

Adrien Van Beveren – Hail Baja 2

Now, with just over two weeks to go until the start of the 2021 Dakar Rally, Adrien will enjoy a short period of recovery before gearing up again to take on the challenge that lies ahead.

Adrien Van Beveren

“It’s been a really great trip to these two races in Hail. It was a big effort to get here, so I’m thankful to the team that we were able to make it happen. My feeling on the bike is really good and I felt great in the desert. The second stage had very high speeds and I was completely comfortable, so this gives me a lot of confidence ahead of Dakar. I will now take some rest for a week before getting ready for the big race in January.”

Adrien Van Beveren – Hail Baja 2

Overall 2020 Hail Baja Results (Provisional)

Pos Rider Man. Time Gap
1 Adrien Van Beveren Yamaha 5:19:20
2 Mishal Alghuneim KTM 6:12:25 +0:53:05
3 Anas Al Ruhayany KTM 6:12:35 +0:53:15
4 Konrad Dabrowski KTM 6:29:00 +1:09:40
5 Abdulmajeed Abdulaziz Aakhulaifi Yamaha 6:29:07 +1:09:47
6 Riyadh Saud Alshammari Yamaha 6:31:01 +1:11:41

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

WA Junior Speedway Solo & Sidecar champs crowned

By Graeme Sinden, Images by Jon Gall and Graham Veasey

The Speedway Motorcycle Club of WA hosted the Junior 125cc Solo and Junior 250cc Sidecar Championships at its Pinjar Park Motorcycle Speedway facility in Neerabup, WA on Saturday, at the small 142m ‘WOFFY’ track which was established as a Junior Racing circuit by Rob Woffinden and a number of like minded volunteers around 10 or 11 years ago.

In a dominant performance, young WA rider Mitch McDiarmid was crowned the new 125cc Junior WA Solo Champion, after storming to victory with a maximum 18-point score.

Junior 125cc Solo champion Mitch McDiarmid

While he was relatively untroubled in his five heat races, Linkin Metcalf made McDiarmid work for the Championship decider by pushing him to the limit in what turned out to be the best race of the night.

Metcalf appeared to have plenty of speed and dared to take the high line for almost the entire four-lap journey and had his nose in front on several occasions as they went handlebar to handlebar with neither rider giving an inch, But it was Diarmid who got the job job done to record a very popular Championship win.

Junior 125cc Solo champion Mitch McDiarmid topped the podium ahead of Phoenix Elliot and Axle McCarthy

Unlucky story of the night, (one of two, actually) was that of current Australian 125cc solo Champion Luke Killeen, who after winning two heats succumbed to engine problems on his bike and was not able to secure another ride to continue in the title race.

The other unlucky story of the night was that of Adam Fewster and his accomplished passenger Thomas Grigson. The pair rode superbly all night long winning each of their five heat races only to have their outfit fail early on in the championship decider in the 250cc Junior sidecar Championship.

Jake Harvey and his passenger Nathan Gajec were cock-a-hoop as they swept into the lead and raced to a fine sidecar Championship win adding to the one  they secured last year. Jake Harvey is an extremely competitive junior sidecar rider and will move up to senior competition next season.

Jake Harvey and passenger Nathan Gajec topped the Junior 250cc Sidecar class, Mitchell McDiarmid/Phoenix Elliot were runner-up and Adam Fewster/Thomas Grigson claimed bronze

There were many other highlights on the evening and it was a great pleasure watching all the young competitors giving it their all in the sport they love.

The Executive committee of the Speedway Motorcycle Club provided a brand new race tyre for the Junior ‘Rider of the Night’ for the Championship night.

Grant Woodhams had no hesitation in awarding The “Junior Rider Of the Night” prize to Mitch McDiarmid for his outstanding 18-point maximum on his way to winning the solo Championship.

WA Junior 125cc Solo Sidecar Title

  1. Mitchell McDiarmid
  2. Phoenix Elliot
  3. Axle McCarthy

WA Junior 250cc Sidecar Title

  1. Jake Harvey/Nathan Gajek
  2. Mitchell McDiarmid/Phoenix Elliot
  3. Adam Fewster/Thomas Grigson
x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

2020 Victorian Senior & Junior Solo Speedway Championships

The Mildura Motorcycle Club held the 2020 Victorian Senior and Junior Solo Speedway championships at the Olympic Park Speedway in Mildura over the weekend, with Justin Sedgmen crowned 2020 Victorian Solo champion ahead of Jordan Steward and Jacob Hook.

Justin Sedgmen – P1

“Victorian Champion! Stoked to get the win! Finally a Victorian Title win at Olympic Park. Thanks to everyone that came out, the Mildura Motorcycle Club and all my valued sponsors.”

Jacob Hook – P3

“On the weekend we made the trip to Mildura for the Vic title. Shout out to the Mildura Motorcycle Club for putting on a great event the track was mint and racing fast all night! I had a good meeting except for one hiccup. Second, first, DNF, first, first finishing the heats on 11 points, winning the B Final to progress through to the A Main. I am super happy with the results finishing on the podium in third place securing a work permit. Thanks to everyone that supports me.”

In the Victorian Junior 250cc class it was James Pearson taking the title from Jackson Milner and Mick Cogdell, while the Junior 125cc class saw Beau Bailey take the crown ahead of Harry Saddler and Noah Grabham.

The next event on the calendar is the Phil Crump Solo International on Saturday January 2 (2021) at Olympic Park Speedway Mildura.

Victorian Senior 500cc Championship

  1. Justin Sedgmen
  2. Jordan Stewart
  3. Jacob Hook
  4. Cooper Riordan

Victorian Junior 125cc Championship

  1. Beau Bailey
  2. Harry Saddler
  3. Noah Grabham
  4. Ashley Jansen-Batchelor

Victorian Junior 250cc Championship

  1. James Pearson
  2. Jacko Milner
  3. Mick Cogdell
  4. Broc White
x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing backing 13-rider line-up in 2021

Entering its 20th year since inception, and 15th year as a national development program, GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing shows no signs of slowing down with a massive 13 rider line up spreading all the way from the 65ccc division, to the newly formed MX3 class at the Pro MX.

Jake Rumens

Continuing with a hands-on, state by state support program that allows riders and families to work with team managers, many of whom are ex-professional racers and coaches, Yamaha Junior Racing has proven to be a pathway to success with a long list of riders progressing through the program and onto a career in racing.

Each rider is asked to contest the local series in their region, their state motocross championships as well the pinnacle of junior racing, the week-long Australian Junior Motocross Championships held in the last week of September each year.

Having 13 riders on the track requires a significant investment from not just Yamaha Motor Australia and its products like Yamalube, GYTR, YMF and YMI, but also from Ficeda Accessories who also are 100 per cent behind the team with the help of first class companies like SCOTT, Just1, Dunlop and DID.

2021 promises to be another exciting year for the team with a full calendar back in place in all states and a dozen overly enthusiastic and energetic dirt bike racers desperate to be back on the race track and doing what they love. The 2021 rider roster is as follows.

Jobe Dunne

Western Australia

  • Deegan Fort: 65cc / 85cc small wheel
  • Jake Rumens: 85cc big wheel/ 125cc
  • Manager: Peter Strickland

South Australia

  • Ryder Woodrow: 65cc/ 85cc small wheel
  • Wil Carpenter: 85cc / 125cc
  • Manager: Shane Metcalfe

Tasmania

  • Jay Jennings: 65cc / 85cc small wheel
  • Angus Pearce: 125cc/ 250cc
  • Manager: Brody Jennings

Victoria

  • Jobe Dunne: 65cc/ 85cc small wheel
  • Pat Martinn: 125cc/ 250cc
  • Manager: Cameron Taylor

NSW

  • Kayd Kingsford: 85cc big wheel /125cc
  • Ryder Kingsford: 125cc / 250cc
  • Manager: Darren Thompson

Queensland

  • Jake Cannon: 85cc big wheel / 125cc
  • Kobe Drew: 125cc/ 250cc
  • Jackson Camilleri: 250cc MX3

2021 Australian Off-Road Championship Updates

The Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) Management Team has announced a new initiative – Club AORC – for the 2021 Championship. Club AORC is aimed at new and upcoming riders to give them a taste of the national Championship competition while also rewarding them under the Club AORC points system.

2021 AORC calendar

The AORC team also announced that Australia’s largest online motorcycle gear and accessories retailer, MXstore, will continue their strong support as ‘Presented By’ sponsor of the 2021 AORC. MXstore were key to the success of this year’s Championship, by not only supporting the Championship, but also providing significant prizes for riders at all the rounds. The continued partnership shows the growth for both the Championship and company as an ongoing relationship.

Club AORC riders will receive bonus points for participating in seven rounds or more of the 12 round AORC in 2021. If a rider starts seven rounds or more, a 50-point bonus will be given towards the rider’s Club AORC points results in their relevant Championship class.

Any rider within 10 per cent of the class winner at any sprint or enduro round or within 10 per cent of the class winners fastest lap for a cross country round will not be eligible for Club AORC.

AORC Josh Green
Josh Green – AORC 2020

Motorcycling Australia Off-Road Events Manager, Matthew Falvo, said this was an exciting new initiative to further grow the AORC after record rider numbers in AORC this year.

Matthew Falvo

“We are always looking at new and innovative ways to provide off-road riders with an opportunity to race against the world’s best riders in the Australian Off-Road Championship. This new initiative is a great way for riders new to off-road national competition racers to test their limits in our growing Championship and still be rewarded for their efforts. Club AORC is about providing riders with a progression into full-blown national competition against the world’s best riders in the AORC. The AORC is the breeding ground of the world’s best off-road riders and we want to ensure that we can provide new avenues for weekend enthusiasts and part-time racers to make the transition to one of the world’s best off-road Championships.”

More Information is still to follow including regulations and further exciting incentives for Club AORC.

AORC Junior Coaching

Another new initiative from the AORC paddock was the announcement of the Exclusive AORC Junior Coaching days, which will be run by many of the world’s best enduro riders in 2021. The junior coaching days will be held in February and conducted by Australia’s very own world and ISDE Champions Daniel Sanders, Daniel Milner, Fraser Higlett, Josh Green, Michael Driscoll and Jessica Gardner in Victoria, NSW, and Queensland.

AORC have held these coaching days earlier this year and were swamped with interest and registrations, and expect nothing less for 2021, encouraging young riders aged 9-15-years-old to be book early and avoid missing out.

In NSW on February 6, 2021 from 9 am-3 pm, at Stroud, Josh Green, Michael Driscoll and multiple AORC Women’s Champion Jessica Gardner, thanks to OffRoad Advantage and JG Institute, will impart their skills and knowledge to juniors, which will also include an exclusive junior girls coaching session with Jessica Gardner. Click here to enter NOW.

NSW AORC Junior Coaching day

Current World and 2020 AORC Champions Daniel Sanders and Emma Milesevic will hold a one-day training camp at Three Bridges in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, on February 20, 2021 between 9 am-3 pm. Riders will get exclusive tips and tricks from the world’s best and will include an exclusive junior girls coaching clinic, with Emma Milesevic. Click here to enter NOW.

Lang Lang, Victoria, AORC Junior Coaching day

Fraser Higlett, Harry Teed, Zoe Bocarri and Ebony Nielson will also hold a junior coaching day on February 20, 2021 between 9 am and 3 pm at Crows Nest, Queensland in conjunction with QLD JEDS Coaching to help build the repertoire of riders’ skills and knowledge. Entries open soon.

Crows Nest, Queensland, AORC Junior Coaching day

Victorian juniors on February 21, 2021, between 9 am and 3 pm will get the opportunity to learn at Lang Lang, Victoria when, thanks to DM31 OffRoad Development, 2020 AORC E2 class Champion Daniel Milner and Mason Semmens will hold a coaching day teaching young riders all the necessary skills to become AORC Champions. Click here to enter NOW.

Three Bridges, Victoria, AORC Junior Coaching day

For additional information and pricing head to the AORC website at https://www.aorc.org.au/junior-dev/. Profits from the training camps go towards funding the 2021 Australian ISDE Teams. Australia has punched well above its weight in previous ISDE events and brought home a swag of first places and podium finishes. 2021 promises to be another highly competitive year for the Australian contingent.

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

2021 ProMX Championship expands classes

ProMX has announced new support classes for the inaugural 2021 Championship season, which will support the elite MX1, MX2 and MX3 classes of the ProMX Championship. Expanding on the permanent championship classes will see the introduction of the MXW (MX Womens), VETS ( Veterans), 125cc Cup and Classic Motocross Evolution Cup classes.

2021 ProMX

The addition of these class favourites will ensure for fans that the 2021 ProMX Championship is jam packed with handlebar-to-handlebar action. The additional ProMX classes will feature alongside MX1, MX2 and MX3 at select rounds further strengthening the Championship.

MXW will provide an opportunity for elite female riders to showcase their talents both to the Australian and international audiences, as well as provide valuable exposure to hopeful MXGP candidates who are looking for an international future. Veteran racing is also thriving and the opportunity to showcase riders’ skill and talents in 2021.

Support classes provide a valuable access point to national racing, and the 125cc Cup is a rider and fan favourite event that will see two stroke racers have the opportunity to race at national level events and tracks. The addition of the Classic Motocross Evolution Cup, aims to also give an access point to the classic motocross riders who wish to enjoy competitive racing at a national level to entertain both the crowds and industry with the classic bikes of yesteryear.

MXW

Open to riders sixteen years of age and over competing in an open class structure on 125cc machines and up, the MXW class has seen many great champions emerge over recent years and go on to international success with the likes of Meghan Rutledge, Maddy Brown and Jess Moore all enjoying long standing careers in the MXW class. The next generation of women competing in MXW will take the track with PROMX in 2021.

VETS

The vet classes will feature two age group categories being 30-39 and 40+. With many retired pro riders and national champions racing alongside their fellow VET class competitors, the VET classes provide a great outlet for the industry and riders to embrace a potent mix of competition and camaraderie.

125 Cup

A rider and fan favourite, the 125 cup will see the sound of two strokes singing around select rounds of ProMX in 2021. Open to riders 16 years of age and over competing on 125cc two stroke machines, this class provides highly competitive on track action.

Classic Motocross Evolution Cup

This classic motocross class is open to applicable bikes as per the MoMs of the evolution class to give classic motocross enthusiasts the opportunity to compete for a national championship.

See the full season calendar with class breakdown for each outing below.

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

Laia Sanz set for GasGas Dakar 2021 campaign

Laia Sanz and GASGAS Factory Racing have completed their pre-Dakar testing and are now counting down the days to the start of their epic New Year adventure. Laia will take to the start of her 11th Dakar in a little over two weeks’ time on board the GASGAS RC 450F, covering 12-stages and 7,646 km, including 4,767 km of timed specials.

Laia Sanz – GASGAS Factory Racing

For Laia recent months have been especially challenging due to contracting Lyme Disease during the summer, making her final Dakar preparations more complicated than normal. However, with support from her team, friends, and sponsors, Laia believes she is now ready to take on the world’s toughest cross-country rally.

Laia Sanz – GASGAS Factory Racing

The 43rd edition of the race will see an increased emphasis placed on rider navigation and competitor’s abilities to tackle slower-speed, technical terrain, which is great news for Laia. Reducing the event’s average speeds, with her ability to both navigate well while under pressure and complete long stages with the minimum of mistakes, Laia is upbeat about this year’s route.

The event will start and finish at the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah. Like all competitors, Laia will face a short qualifying prologue on Saturday, January 2, before starting the rally proper and 12 long and demanding stages covering a total of 7,646 km. With a rest day in Ha’il midway through the race, Laia will then work her way back to Jeddah on January 15, having raced 4,767 km of timed special stages against the clock.

Laia Sanz – GASGAS Factory Racing

With bikes and vehicles already on their way to Jeddah for the start of the race, GASGAS Factory Racing announced a couple of changes in the team’s sponsor structure. Laia will wear KENNY race clothing for her assault on the 2021 Dakar and receive added support from long-time sponsor KH7.

Laia Sanz

“It’s been a really tough year for me, so to be able to look forward to racing the 2021 Dakar means so much. I injured my hand on the second stage of this year’s Dakar, back in January, and although I carried on and completed the event the injury turned out to be worse than we thought. It took a while at the beginning of the year to recover from that. I was really looking forward to start training on my GASGAS trial and enduro bikes, and maybe fitting in some events. Unfortunately, when I was finally able to get out on my bikes again, I started to feel ill. Eventually I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, which made me feel very unwell. Thankfully, with the right treatment I have been able to start riding again. I know I’m not 100% and we’ll have to see just how I feel when the rally starts in January. It helps that we have some experience now of the terrain we will face, and the way things work with the move to the Middle East. The event in January should also be a little more technical and with tougher navigation, so I’m looking forward to that. I don’t want to put any pressure on myself, and another finish would be incredible, but my main goal is to go there and just enjoy the race.”

Laia Sanz – GASGAS Factory Racing
x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

U.S. ISDE Club Team Qualifier events announced

Two AMA-sanctioned International Six Days Enduro Qualifier Series will be used to determine which amateur off-road racers will represent the United States at the 2021 FIM International Six Days Enduro in Italy.

The 2021 AMA East Region ISDE Qualifier Series and the 2021 AMA West Region ISDE Qualifier Series each consist of three rounds, beginning in March and ending in May. The 95th edition of the ISDE is scheduled for Aug. 30 – Sept. 4 in Lombardy-Piedmont, Italy.

ISDE competitor Ty Tremaine – Photo by Mary Rinell

The U.S. ISDE team won the World Trophy and Women’s World Trophy championships at the 2019 ISDE, as well as the Club Cup title. The American Junior World Trophy team placed second in its class. The 2020 ISDE was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Erek Kudla – AMA Off-Road Racing Manager

“With the World, Women’s and Club Trophies still held by the U.S. ISDE Team, and after missing a year of racing, our riders are very excited to return to represent the country in international competition. The qualifying process has been very successful in getting our fastest riders from either coast onto our Club teams, and we are looking forward to another great year at the world championship event.”

In the 2021 qualifiers, riders receive an overall score for each day of competition and will be ranked by their four highest scores at the end of each series. Selected riders will be organized into seven three-member U.S. Club teams, which include the overall top seven riders from each of the two qualifier series, as well as the top 40-plus rider from each qualifier series. Five riders are selected by the AMA ISDE Advisory Committee, which also selects the U.S. ISDE Trophy teams. The seven American Club teams compete alongside the three U.S. ISDE World Trophy teams at the event.

AMA West ISDE Qualifier Series

  • March 20-21: Red Mountain, Calif., Desert MC and Prospectors MC, AMA District 37 Sprint Enduro
  • April 17-18: Campwood, Ariz., Arizona Trail Riders, AMA AMRA
  • May 22-23: Craig, Colo., Enduro Colorado, AMA RMEC

AMA East ISDE Qualifier Series

  • May 1-2: Battle Creek Mich., BCMC, AMA Michigan Sprint Enduro
  • May 7-8: Plantersville, Ala., Southern Enduro Riders Association
  • May 29-30: Glen Daniel, W. Va., AMA Full Gas Sprint Enduro
x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

2021 AMA Supercross calendar update

A new updated schedule has been announced this week for the 2021 Monster Energy FIM/ AMA Supercross Championship that will see a total of 17 rounds from January 16 to May 1.

Due to the uncertainty of the ongoing Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the original calendar now features several back-to-back rounds and Saturday and Tuesday races included.

The updates, announced by promoters Feld Entertainment, include three consecutive rounds in Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway and an added round at Salt Lake City in Utah. The original rounds in Arizona rounds have been cancelled and replaced with Orlando in Florida.

2021 AMA Supercross Calendar
Round 1 Houston, Texas East NRG Stadium Sat, January 16
Round 2 Houston, Texas East NRG Stadium Tues, January 19
Round 3 Houston, Texas East NRG Stadium Sat, January 23
Round 4 Indianapolis, Indiana East Lucas Oil Stadium Sat, January 30
Round 5 Indianapolis, Indiana East Lucas Oil Stadium Tues, February 2
Round 6 Indianapolis, Indiana East Lucas Oil Stadium Sat, February 6
Round 7 Orlando, Florida East Camping World Stadium Sat, February 13
Round 8 Orlando, Florida West Camping World Stadium Sat, February 20
Round 9 Daytona Beach, Florida West Daytona Int. Speedway Sat, March 6
Round 10 Arlington, Texas West AT&T Stadium Sat, March 13
Round 11 Arlington, Texas West AT&T Stadium Tues, March 16
Round 12 Arlington, Texas West AT&T Stadium Sat, March 20
Round 13 Atlanta, Georgia West Atlanta Motor Speedway Sat, April 10
Round 14 Atlanta, Georgia West Atlanta Motor Speedway Tues, April 13
Round 15 Atlanta, Georgia West Atlanta Motor Speedway Sat, April 17
Round 16 Salt Lake City, Utah East Rice-Eccles Stadium Sat, April 24
Round 17 Salt Lake City, Utah W/E Rice-Eccles Stadium Sat, May 1

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies calendar announced

The FIM, the Portuguese Motorcycling Federation (FMP), the Automotorsport Federation of the Republic of Kazakhstan (AMFK), the Motorcycle Federation of Russia (MFR), Brazilian Motorcycle Confederation (CBM), the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Motocyclisme (FRMM) and the Emirates Motorsports Organization (EMSO) and local organisers have revealed the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship and World Cups provisional calendar.

Date Event Cat 1 RallyGP Cat 2 Rally 2 Cat 3
Grp1 Moto-Rally Grp1 Moto-Rally Grp2 Moto Enduro Grp3 Quad Adventure Trophy Grp1+3 SSV
April 9-13 BP Ultimate Portugal Rally (POR) X X X X X X
June 7-13 Rally Kazakhstan (KAZ) X X X X X
July 1-11 Silkway Rally (RUS) X X X X X
August 13-22 Rally do Sertoes (BRA) X X X X X
October 8-13 Rallye du Maroc (MAR) X X X X X X
November 6-12 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (UAE) X X X X X X

x Dunlop Gen Web Banner
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop

2021 Racing schedule

2021 Provisional MXGP Calendar

Rnd Grand Prix Date
1 MXGP of Oman, Muscat Fri 2 Apr – Sat 3 Apr
2 MXGP of Italy, TBA Sat 24 Apr – Sun 25 Apr
3 MXGP of Portugal, Agueda Sat 8 May – Sun 9 May
4 MXGP of The Netherlands, Oss Sat 22 May – Sun 23 May
5 MXGP of Germany, Teutschenthal Sat 29 May – Sun 30 May
6 MXGP of Russia, Orlyonok Sat 12 Jun – Sun 13 Jun
7 MXGP of Latvia, Kegums Sat 19 Jun – Sun 20 Jun
8 MXGP of Jakarta (INA), Jakarta Sat 3 Jul – Sun 4 Jul
9 MXGP of Indonesia, Semarang Sat 10 Jul – Sun 11 Jul
10 MXGP of Czech Replublic, Loket Sat 24 Jul – Sun 25 Jul
11 MXGP of Belgium, Lommel Sat 31 Jul – Sun 1 Aug
12 MXGP of Sweden, Uddevalla Sat 7 Aug – Sun 8 Aug
13 MXGP of Finland, Iitti-KimiRing Sat 21 Aug – Sun 22 Aug
14 MXGP of Igora Drive (RUS), Igora Drive Sat 28 Aug – Sun 29 Aug
15 MXGP of Turkey, Afyonkarahisar Sat 11 Sep – Sun 12 Sep
16 MXGP of China, TBA Sat 18 Sep – Sun 19 Sep
17 MXGP of France, St Jean d’Angely Sat 9 Oct – Sun 10 Oct
18 MXGP of Spain, intu Xanadu-Arroyomolinos Sat 16 Oct – Sun 17 Oct
19 TBA  Sat 30 Oct – Sun 31 Oct
20 MXGP of Patagonia Argentina, Neuquen Sat 13 Nov – Sun 14 Nov

2021 Yamaha AORC presented by MXStore calendar

Round Location Date
Rounds 1 & 2 Nowra, NSW March 27-28
Rounds 3 & 4 TBA, VIC April 17-18
Rounds 5 & 6 Kyogle, NSW July 17-18
Rounds 7 & 8 TBA, QLD August 6-7
Rounds 9 & 10 Kingston SE, SA September 18-19
Rounds 11 & 12 Omeo, VIC October 16-17

2021 Australian Pro MX calendar

Rnd Date Location
1 Apr-11 Wonthaggi, Victoria
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, 125 CUP
2 May-02 Canberra, ACT
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3
3 May-30 Gilman, South Australia
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, 125 CUP
4 Jun-27 Maitland, NSW
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, Classic Motocross Evolution Motocross Cup
5 Jul-25 Wodonga, Victoria
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, 125 CUP
6 Aug-08 QMP, Queensland
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, MXW, AORC (Fri & Sat)
7/8 August 14-15 Coolum, Queensland
Classes: MX1, MX2, MX3, VETS (Sat)
MX1, MX2, MX3, MXW (Sun)

2021 Speedway GP Calendar

Date Round Location
Apr-24 2021  FIM Speedway Grand Prix TBC
May-15 2021 PZM Warsaw  FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland PGE Narodowy
May-22 2021 German   FIM Speedway Grand Prix Bergring Arena
Jun-05 2021 Czech Republic  FIM Speedway Grand Prix Marketa Stadium
Jun-19 2021  FIM Speedway Grand Prix TBC
Jul-17 2021 Adrian Flux British  FIM Speedway Grand Prix Principality Stadium
Jul-31 2021 Betard Wroclaw FIM Speedway Grand Prix OF POLAND Olympic Stadium
Aug-14 2021 Swedish  FIM Speedway Grand Prix G&B Arena
Aug-28 2021 Russian FIM Speedway Grand Prix Anatoly Stepanov Stadium
Sep-11 2021 Danish FIM Speedway Grand Prix Sponsored by ECCO Vojens Speedway Center
Oct-02 2021 Torun  FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland Marian Rose MotoArena

2021 Australian Senior Speedway Solo calendar

Round Location Date
Round 1 Gillman Speedway, SA 3 January, 2021
Round 2 Olympic Park, VIC 5 January, 2021
Round 3 Diamond Park, Albury Wodonga, VIC 7 January, 2021
Round 4 Loxford Park, NSW 9 January, 2021
Round 5 Mick Doohan Raceway, QLD 13 January, 2021

2021 Australian Speedway events

Championship Location  Date
2021 Australian Under 21’s Speedway Championship Gillman Speedway, SA 16 January, 2021
2021 Australian Junior Speedway Sidecar Championship Pinjar Park, WA 3-4 April, 2021
2021 Australian Senior Speedway Sidecar Championship Pinjar Park, WA 3-4 April, 2021
2021 Speedway FIM Oceania Speedway Championship Gillman Speedway, SA 30 January, 2021
2021 Speedway FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship Gillman Speedway, SA 17 April, 2021

2021 Provisional Australian Supercross dates

  • 25 September – Further information TBA
  • 9 October – Further information TBA
  • 16 October – Further information TBA
  • 23 October – Further information TBA
  • 30 October – Further information TBA
  • 6 November – Further information TBA
  • 20 November – Further information TBA
  • 27 November – Further information TBA

2021 Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE)
May 19-22 – Harvey, WA

2021 Enduro Australian Three Day Vintage Enduro (A3VE)
7-9 May – Blackwood, VIC

2021 Finke Desert Race
11-14 June – Northern Territory

2021 Hattah Desert Race
3-4 July – Hattah, Victoria

2021 Motocross Australian Classic Motocross Championship
9-11 July – Nowra, NSW

2021 Motocross Australian Post Classic Motocross
16-18 July – Nowra, NSW

2021 International Six Day Enduro (ISDE)
30 August – 4 September – Italy

Source: MCNews.com.au