Round 2 of the AMA Pro Motocross season head to the Fox Raceway in Southern California, with Eli Tomac claiming top honours with a dominant win from Marvin Musquin and Ken Roczen. Dean Ferris was 11th overall, Todd Waters 13th and Cody Cooper 35th.
Eli Tomac – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
In the 250 class Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo captured back-to-back victories to start the season and extend his point lead, with Justin Cooper second and Dylan Ferrandis third. Hunter Lawrence was ninth overall, claiming second in Moto 2, with Wilson Todd 19th with a 29-14 and Tyler McCoy 36th.
450 Moto 1
The opening 450 Class moto of the day saw Blake Baggett emerge with the holeshot, but he was quickly passed by Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen. The point leader proceeded to set a torrid pace on the opening lap to establish a multi-second margin over the field.
Eli Tomac – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Baggett settled into second on the opening lap but then crashed out of the position, which moved Jason Anderson briefly into second before he lost the position to Marvin Musquin. Just behind them Cooper Webb gave chase from fourth, with Tomac fifth.
At the halfway point of the moto Tomac was able to capitalize on a mistake from Webb to move into fourth and set his sights on Anderson for third. The reigning back-to-back series titleholder faced a five-second deficit to third and successfully overcame that gap to drop Anderson off the podium. He then made a push to track down the top two.
With less than three minutes remaining in the moto Musquin was able to close to within a second of Roczen, while a hard-charging Tomac closed in from third. Soon all three were less than 1.5 seconds apart, and only got closer as the time wound down.
Musquin attempted to make a pass on Roczen, but it didn’t work and instead opened the door for Tomac to take over second. The champ never let up as he stormed around Roczen before the completion of that same lap.
Marvin Musquin – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Tomac pulled away over the final laps to take the moto win by 3.8 seconds over Roczen, while Musquin followed in third. Anderson was fourth, while his rookie teammate Zach Osborne was fifth.
450 Moto 1 Results
Eli Tomac 2:08.161
Ken Roczen +03.836
Marvin Musquin +04.816
Jason Anderson +13.081
Zach Osborne +20.609
Cooper Webb +21.753
Justin Barcia +1:04.418
Justin Hill +1:04.954
Fredrik Noren +1:21.323
Dean Ferris +1:25.541 …16. Todd Waters +2:10.358 …29. Cody Cooper
450 Moto 2
As the riders emerged from the first turn at the start of the final moto it was Justin Bogle who earned the holeshot ahead of Musquin and Tomac. Anderson, Baggett, and Roczen jockeyed for position behind them.
450 Start – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Musquin was aggressive on the opening lap and attacked Bogle for the lead, with the Frenchman successfully making the pass. Tomac followed into second shortly thereafter, while Anderson moved into third right after they started the second lap.
The lead trio was able to settle into their positions, with Musquin establishing about a 1.5-second lead on Tomac. Anderson ran solidly in third, but Roczen kept him honest from fourth. Roczen applied persistent pressure for several laps and eventually made his move into podium position just before the halfway point, but was nearly 10 seconds behind the leaders.
Tomac’s impatience grew as the second half of the moto unfolded and he began to force the issue with Musquin. The Frenchman responded, but Tomac made a determined pass to grab control of the moto with just over 10 minutes to go. The champ was able to inch away from Musquin from there. Behind them, Roczen received heavy pressure from Osborne, but the German withstood the challenge.
Marvin Musquin – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Out front, Tomac ran the closing moments of the moto all by himself and took an emphatic moto win by 11 seconds over Musquin, with Roczen finishing third.
It’s Tomac’s first 1-1 sweep since the ninth round of last season at Washougal, and marks the 18th win of his 450 Class career, tying him for sixth all time with Kent Howerton.
Musquin (3-2) and Roczen (2-3) ended up in a tie for the runner-up spot, but the better second-moto result gave the Frenchman the tiebreaker.
Eli Tomac
“That second moto was really comfortable [on the bike]. It was really clean at the end. Marvin [Musquin] had a really good pace going there, and about halfway I was able to put pressure on him and make a really good pass. Once I got out front I was able to ride loose, picking good lines, and carried on to the win. We’re in a great position now [with the championship], so we’re right where we want to be.”
Eli Tomac – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Tomac entered the day facing a four-point deficit to Roczen, but leaves with a four-point lead over the German. Musquin moved into third, 19 points out of the lead.
Marvin Musquin – P2
“Coming from Hangtown, I had a rough week with only a little bit of riding on Thursday and Friday so I didn’t have much expectation. I just wanted to get back to my full potential and I feel like today I was back to myself. I’m glad to be back on the podium with second overall and happy with my riding.”
Marvin Musquin – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Zach Osborne – P4
“It was a pretty solid day for me with 5-4 finishes and I have to be content leaving California healthy. This track was brutal today. This is the one that I was the most nervous about as far as the schedule goes and I came out with two decent results. I feel good about my position moving forward and I’ll just keep hammering.”
Zach Osborne – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Jason Anderson – P5
“My weekend went pretty good, the first moto, I kind of just hung in there for a fourth place and stayed with the guys. The second moto, I was riding good but I didn’t really have it in me to up the pace comfortably, so I tried to latch onto third and fourth and do my best to finish strong.”
Jason Anderson – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Cooper Webb – P6
“I didn’t the best starts today and just struggled to work my way to the front. I feel like I rode consistently but not at the pace I needed to be at. I’m looking forward to getting back to Florida and getting back into the routine of things this week so we can come out swinging at Thunder Valley.”
Cooper Webb – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Justin Barcia – P8
“I didn’t get a great flow in the morning and didn’t qualify my best, but going into the moto I knew I would do better. Ended up finishing seventh In the second moto, where the track got even more rough. I’m still building up my fitness and getting stronger coming off of my injuries from earlier this year. All in all it was a decent weekend. I’m glad to leave Fox Raceway healthy, but definitely looking to keep improving and getting better. I’m looking forward to Thunder Valley, I usually do good there.”
Justin Barcia – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Dean Ferris – P11
“I feel like I started the weekend solid, making improvements. First moto was pretty solid and had to dig pretty deep for that one. In the second moto, I got more comfortable with the settings and was pushing toward the front. I ended up having a crash but pushed as hard as I could. All in all we are making progress and will keep working toward improving.”
Dean Ferris – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
450 Results – AMA MX Round 2
450 Podium – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
450 Moto 2 Results
Eli Tomac 2:09.070
Marvin Musquin +11.085
Ken Roczen +17.486
Zach Osborne +20.187
Jason Anderson +32.659
Cooper Webb +50.402
Justin Hill +53.797
Cole Seely +1:01.765
Fredrik Noren +1:08.174
Justin Barcia +1:12.309
Todd Waters +1:29.706
Justin Bogle +1:37.358
Dean Ferris +1:43.119 …38. Cody Cooper
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (1-1)
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (3-2)
Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (2-3)
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (5-4)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (4-5)
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (6-6)
Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Suzuki (8-7)
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (7-10)
Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda (9-9)
Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda (11-8) …11. Dean Ferris, Australia, (10 – 13) …13. Todd Waters, Australia, (16 – 11) …35. Cody Cooper, New Zealand, (29 – 38)
450 Class Championship Standings
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 93
Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 89
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 74
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna – 72
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 70
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM – 65
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 52
Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha – 42
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM – 41
Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda – 38 …14. Todd Waters, Australia, 32 …22. Cody Cooper, New Zealand, 6
250 Moto 1
The first 250 Class moto of the afternoon got underway with the fastest qualifier of the day, Justin Cooper, racing to the holeshot aboard his Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing machine, with teammate Colt Nichols in tow.
250 Start – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Cianciarulo took a gamble on his starting position and lined up his Kawasaki on the farthest outside gate, but it didn’t pay off. With his closest championship rival up front, Cianciarulo started outside the top 10 and had his work cut out for him.
The clear track in the early laps gave Cooper a huge advantage and he was able to establish a bit of a gap over Nichols and the rest of the field. Nichols rode in a solid second, while rookie Hunter Lawrence ran third.
Hunter Lawrence – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Nichols was able to keep Cooper within striking distance, but Lawrence soon received pressure from Jordon Smith. The two riders engage in a brief battle for the position and made contact, which ultimately took both riders to the ground. That allowed RJ Hampshire to move into third, with his teammate Chase Sexton fourth and a hard-charging Cianciarulo in fifth.
In the late stages of the moto, Cianciarulo, who moved into fourth, applied heavy pressure on Hampshire, which ultimately carried them to Nichols in second and ignited a three-rider battle for the final podium positions.
Adam Cianciarulo – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Hampshire was able to withstand a brief pass by Cianciarulo to regain third and then make his way around Nichols for second coming to the white flag. Cianciarulo was able to keep the pressure on Nichols and take over third with just a couple turns remaining.
For the second straight weekend Cooper went wire-to-wire in the opening moto, earning the win by 1.8 seconds over Hampshire. Cianciarulo battled back from his bad start to finish third, with Nichols and Chase Sexton rounding out the top five.
Justin Cooper – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
250 Moto 1
Justin Cooper 2:10.743
R.J. Hampshire +01.888
Adam Cianciarulo +02.745
Colt Nichols Colt Nichols +03.642
Chase Sexton +03.872
Christian Craig +34.613
Dylan Ferrandis +36.982
Michael Mosiman +38.229
Garrett Marchbanks +56.359
Alex Martin Alex +57.855 …29. Wilson Todd …32. Tyler McCoy
250 Moto 2
As the field roared into the first turn for its deciding second moto it was Shane McElrath who came away with the holeshot over rookie Ty Masterpool and Alex Martin. Soon Martin moved into second, while Cooper followed into third. Masterpool then lost another spot to Cianciarulo.
250 Start – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Cianciarulo was on a determined march to the front as he made the pass on Cooper for third. As Martin attempted to make a pass on McElrath for the lead, it allowed Cianciarulo to capitalize on a small mistake from the Suzuki rider.
On the following lap Cianciarulo’s forward surge was complete when he got by McElrath to seize control of the lead. Not long after that Lawrence made an impressive climb from fifth to second to drop Martin out of podium position and bump McElrath to third.
Adam Cianciarulo – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Both Martin and McElrath continued to lose positions, as Cooper fought his way up to third and brought his teammate Dylan Ferrandis along with him into fourth. It wasn’t long before Ferrandis passed his teammate for third.
Lawrence stayed within two seconds of Cianciarulo and at the halfway point of the moto he had closed to within a couple bike lengths. A bobble by Lawrence put some distance between them, but the rookie dug deep to closed back in on Cianciarulo.
Hunter Lawrence – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
As they navigated through lapped riders Cianciarulo made an outside line choice that opened up the inside for Lawrence, and the Australian took full advantage of it to make the pass and establish some breathing room between he and Cianciarulo.
That pass tipped the battle for the overall into Cooper’s favor, but Lawrence gave up the lead with less than two minutes remaining when he tipped over. Nearly four seconds separated the lead duo when Lawrence resumed, but the rookie still managed to close to within just over a second as they came to the white flag.
Dylan Ferrandis – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
On the final lap Cianciarulo picked up the pace and successfully went on to take the moto win by 2.9 seconds over Lawrence. Ferrandis followed in a distant third, just ahead of Cooper.
For the second weekend in a row a second-moto victory vaulted Cianciarulo to the top of the overall classification, where his 3-1 finishes were enough to edge out Cooper (1-4) by just a couple points. Ferrandis grabbed the final spot on the overall podium following 7-3 results.
Adam Cianciarulo – P1
“I had no idea what was happening [with the overall standings]. I just tried to put my best foot forward because I used a lot of energy in the first moto. I can’t say enough good things about Hunter Lawrence. He rode so good. When he crashed I thought I as clear of him [through to the finish], but then all of a sudden I could hear him behind me. I’m just so stoked to get two in a row. This is awesome.”
Adam Cianciarulo – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Cianciarulo was able to add to his early lead in the championship standings, which now sits at six points over Cooper. Ferrandis moved into third, 22 points behind Cianciarulo.
Justin Cooper – P2
“Overall it was another solid day. I’m really striving for the win though, so to come close again is disappointing. It’s also fueling the fire. I was looking to be at front [in Moto 2] but I wasn’t riding as aggressive in the middle of the race and it cost me at the end. I couldn’t catch the front guys and had to settle for second. I am really happy with the bike and team, we will keep fighting to be on top. We are so close! I’m blessed to be in this position so far in the season and pleased that all the hard work is paying off. It’s just going to take a little more to get the job done. I’m really looking forward to getting that win this season.”
Justin Cooper – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Dylan Ferrandis – P3
“In the first moto, I had a crash with Adam (Cianciarulo) and I was way back. I had to push really hard to make it up into the top 10. I didn’t really expect to make the podium and wasn’t really worried about it in the second moto. After the start, I tried everything I could but couldn’t make it up to the rest of the guys. It’s really cool to make it back up on the box after missing out last weekend. I’ll try hard next weekend to get back in the championship chase. It’s a long season.”
Dylan Ferrandis – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Colt Nichols – P5
“Overall a little disappointed with how the day ended up after feeling really good, but we get to try again next week. My bike was great and I’m really happy with the progress we made this past week. The track was tough today, mostly because passing seemed to be hard. Everyone was getting jammed up a bit at times. I’m really looking forward to next week and am ready to head back east.”
Colt Nichols – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Michael Mosiman – P8
“My starts were poor today. The first one, I kind of wheelied out of it so we made a little adjustment for the second moto and then the gate flinched and I hit it, so I was dead last. It’s brutal out there when you’re really charging for 30 minutes but I’m pleased with my fitness. 8-11 finishes are not what we work for and not what we wanted but all things considered, I’m happy with how I rode.”
Michael Mosiman – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Thomas Covington
“Today started out pretty good, I got off to a good start and ran in the top-10 for most of the first moto, so that was a step forward for me. In the second race, I ended up hitting the gate with a few guys next to me and I just had a tough time finding my rhythm for the rest of the moto. I’m going to go back to work this week and try to make another step.”
Thomas Covington – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
250 Results – AMA MX Round 2
250 Podium – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
250 Moto 2
Adam Cianciarulo 2:09.590
Hunter Lawrence +02.957
Dylan Ferrandis +12.584
Justin Cooper +13.135
Chase Sexton +28.728
Alex Martin +50.873
Colt Nichols +53.595
Garrett Marchbanks +1:09.123
Martin Davalos +1:09.620
Shane McElrath +1:10.250 …14. Wilson Todd +1:22.403 …35. Tyler McCoy
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (3-1)
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (1-4)
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Roczen & Cianciarulo Win AMA Motocross at Hangtown
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship kicked off last weekend with the Bell Helmets Hangtown Motocross Classic and it was Ken Roczen who got the overall in the 450 class while Adam Cianciarulo bounced back from a tough loss in supercross to win the 250 class overall.
Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld
450 Report
The opening moto saw riders taking on a track that was breaking down faster than usual thanks to rain in the lead up to the weekend and there were battles right from the get-go but the real head-turner was Roczen blowing by Eli Tomac, Justin Barcia, Jason Anderson and early leader Cooper Webb to take the lead before the completion of the opening lap.
Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld
Once he had a clear track Roczen quickly put multiple seconds between he and Webb, while Anderson, Zach Osborne and Tomac rounded out the top five but Tomac made his way by Osborne before actually passing Anderson for third but Anderson quickly got back around the defending champ then started his way to the rear wheel of Webb.
With ten minutes to go the rain began to fall and Anderson’s pace increased, while Tomac’s dropped which carried the two riders into different directions with Anderson moving by Webb for second as Tomac lost a spot to Osborne to be in fifth.
Jason Anderson – Image by Hoppenworld
Despite the rain, Roczen continued his flawless ride all the way to the finish where he took the opening moto win by 15 seconds over Anderson, Webb and Tomac who was gifted fourth when Osborne crashed in the slippery conditions.
In muddy conditions Marvin Musquin emerged with the second moto holeshot over Webb, Tomac and Roczen but it wasn’t long before Tomac was in the lead ahead of Roczen and the two soon opened up a gap over Anderson who got by his training partners in Osborne, Webb and Musquin.
Cooper Webb – Image by Hoppenworld
Roczen’s impressive early pace allowed him to jump by Tomac into the lead but the Honda rider couldn’t shake Tomac and as they approached lapped riders just before the halfway point it worked to the benefit of Tomac who seized the moment to dive to the inside the reclaim the lead.
From that point on, he left Roczen and the rest of the field behind taking the chequered flag by 43 seconds over Roczen while a resilient Musquin never backed down in his pursuit of Anderson for third, and successfully got back around, but in the closing laps a hard charge from Osborne ultimately put the rookie onto the moto podium.
Marvin Musquin – Image by Hoppenworld
Roczen’s 1-2 outing provided him with his first win since the final round of his championship-winning 2016 season. Since then he has endured through a pair of career-threatening injuries to each of his arms, in which he was forced to fight his way back from more than 10 total surgeries. It’s been a long and difficult road, but Roczen was able to prevail for the 16th win of his career.
Ken Roczen
“It’s been a very, very long time [since I won a race]. Overall the whole day was good,” said Roczen. “It’s difficult at the first race to know what to expect [from yourself] and to know where everyone else is. I just did my best every time I was on the track and it got us a win. It was really sloppy out there and [when conditions are like that] it can easily go in either direction [bad or good], so it feels good that we ended up on the positive side of it.”
Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld
Tomac’s second-moto win vaulted him to second overall (4-1), while Anderson rounded out the overall podium in third (2-5) so Roczen holds a slim four-point lead over Tomac in the 450 Class standings heading into the second round. Anderson sits nine points back in third.
As for the Aussies and Kiwis, factory Yamaha fill-in rider Dean Ferris came back from two bad starts to end the day with 11-8 moto finishes for ninth overall while Todd Waters took his privateer Husqvarna to 12-13 finishes for a credible 12th outright, but there was a disappointing result for Cody cooper who earned 15th in the opening moto before not finished the second mud moto.
450 Class Overall Results Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (1-2) Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (4-1) Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (2-5) – Image by Hoppenworld
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250 Report
Justin Cooper narrowly grab the holeshot over Chase Sexton and Cianciarulo while Hunter Lawrence started well outside the top ten but that wouldn’t last for long with the Aussie flying his way into the top ten.
Justin Cooper – Image by Hoppenworld
Up front Cooper successfully held on to that advantage and established himself as the early leader, with Cianciarulo slotting into second and Sexton into third but with about eight minutes left the Kawasaki rider was all over Cooper’s rear fender, but the Yamaha rider withstood the charge and used lapped riders to his advantage to extend the lead once more.
Hunter Lawrence had forced his way up to sixth place after passing teammate RJ Hampshire and just as they were closing in on fifth placed Colt Nichols, Hunter high sided over an inside rut and was clipped by Hampshire’s footpeg gouging a wound across Lawrence’s arse.
Hunter Lawrence – Image by Hoppenworld
Cooper went wire-to-wire on to take the second moto win of his career by 1.8 seconds over Cianciarulo, who rode to an uneventful second-place finish but the battle for third came down to the final corner, where a moto-long charge by Dylan Ferrandis, who started sixth, culminated with a stellar last lap in which he stole third from Sexton as they came to the line.
Lawrence dropped all of the way back to 18th but managed to climb back to 11th place, four places ahead of fellow Aussie Wilson Todd who was up to 12th at one point in the moto.
With rain falling, the deciding moto got underway with Nichols earning then holeshot from Cianciarulo who quickly moved to the lead while Cooper and Ferrandis were at the tail end of the top ten as Lawrence and Todd sat just outside the top ten.
Dylan Ferrandis – Image by Hoppenworld
With the track deteriorating to a slippery mess, Cianciarulo easily opened up a considerable margin over the rest of the field but as the moto wore on, Ferrandis and Nichols began to inch closer to second placed Alex Martin but the Suzuki rider was able to hang on to the runner up spot while Nichols and Cooper got around Ferrandis in the dying laps
In the end Cianciarulo took the moto win by 16.3 seconds over Martin, Nichols, Cooper and Ferrandis while Todd finished in a sensational ninth place, three places ahead of a struggling Larence.
Colt Nichols – Image by Hoppenworld
Cianciarulo’s 2-1 effort gave him the second overall win of his career in his first start since the 2017 season, following knee surgery last summer. He becomes the 32nd different rider to earn a 250 Class victory at Hangtown.
Adam Cianciarulo
“It means a lot [to get this win], for all the kids out there that watch us, we go through such peaks and valleys. [This win] is a testament to understanding that the most important shot is your next one. You’ve got to keep fighting. It feels great to get a win at the opening round of the [Pro Motocross] season and start this summer off on a high note.”
Adam Cianciarulo – Image by Hoppenworld
Cooper’s resilient second moto landed him in the runner-up spot (1-4) for the second time in his career. Nichols (5-3) and Ferrandis (3-5) ended up in a tie for third, but by virtue of his better result in the final moto Nichols earned the tiebreaker.
Cianciarulo establishes a four-point lead over Cooper in the 250 Class standings entering the second round, while Nichols and Ferrandis sit 11 points back.
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish) Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (2-1) Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (1-4) Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha (5-3) – Image by Hoppenworld
250 Moto Results and Overall
Adam Cianciarulo 2 -1
Justin Cooper 1-4
Colt Nichols 5-3
Dylan Ferrandis 3-5
Chase Sexton 4-6
RJ Hampshire 6-7
Michael Mosiman 7 -11
Alex Martin 23-2
Shane McElrath 14-8
Christian Craig 13-10
Hunter Lawrence 11-12
Wilson Todd 15-9
250 Class Championship Standings
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 47
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 43
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha – 36
Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha – 36
Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 33
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 29
Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna – 24
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki – 22
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 20
Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda – 19
Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 19
Wilson Todd, Australia, Husqvarna – 18
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Villopoto wins at Hangtown
The Hangtown Motocross Classic fans at Prairie City OHV Park were treated with seeing multi AMA motocross and supercross champion Ryan Villopoto taking on a field of 32 riders and win the first round of the 125cc All-Stars race.
Ryan Villopoto – Image by Hoppenworld
RV piloted his No. 2 Yamaha to victory ahead of fellow YZ rider Robbie Wageman while 16-year-old Brandon Ray rounded out the podium in third aboard a KTM.
125cc All Star Results
Ryan Villopoto, Yamaha
Robbie Wageman, Yamaha
Brandon Ray, KTM
Wyatt Mattson, Husqvarna
Carter Dubach, Yamaha
Tyler DuCray, KTM
Angus Riordan, KTM
Cole Barbieri, Suzuki
Dennis Stapleton, Husqvarna
Ty Freehill, Yamaha
Derik Denzin, Yamaha
John Ayers, Husqvarna
Antonio Calavano, KTM
Bryson Olson, Honda
Conner Degraaf, KTM
Toline Tyler, KTM
Hunter Cross, KTM
Talon Gorman, Honda
Steven Stultz, Yamaha
Jared Lang, Honda
Dylan Simao, Yamaha
Geoff Wills, KTM
Tyler Edmondson, Honda
Aron Martin
Wyatt Bullen, Kawasaki
Brooks, KTM
Blaine Holdsclaw, Yamaha
Derek Cappiello, Yamaha
Chase Forsberg, KTM
Nick Roby, Kawasaki
Jeremy Ryan, KTM
Ryan Eager, Suzuki
Gajser and Prado Win MXGP of Portugal
The Portuguese circuit of Agueda has hosted the sixth round of the 2019 World Motocross Championship and it was Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado who went 1-1 in the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.
MXGP of Portugal 2019
MXGP Report
Antonio Cairoli was in a winning position in both of the MXGP motos but the KTM rider stalled briefly in the opening moto while leading and tipped over in the second moto while in the same position and both times Gajser was right there to take advantage of the situation to claim both moto wins, the overall and to reduce Cairoli’s championship points lead to 34 points
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Cairoli took 2-2 for 2nd overall ahead of Arnaud Tonus who reached the podium with hard fought 3-3 finishes while Clement Desalle, Jeremy Seewer, Pauls Jonass, Julien Lieber, Romain Febvre, Glenn Coldenhoff and Gautier Paulin rounded out the top ten.
Tim Gajser
“Last weekend was tough, so I tried to forget it and just focus on this weekend. I was feeling good yesterday and also today, the riding was good, and I had two good starts. It was great racing and I am really happy to win both races, hopefully we can carry that moment to the next round.”
Tim Gajser
Antonio Cairoli
“On one side I’m happy because this is the goal to be on the podium and always consistent but on the other side I’m disappointed of course. I am happy like I said but focused on the next one where I will try to be consistent and not make these mistakes.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Arnaud Tonus
”It feels amazing, it is hard to find the right words at the moment, I have been through a lot so it is good to be up here. I really had to fight today, in the first race I was battling with Jeremy (Seewer) and he passed me in the beginning of the race so I had to come pass him back, it feels even better knowing that I fought to make it happen. I am super happy and I hope that I can keep it going.”
Arnaud Tonus
MXGP Results
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:00.609
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.197
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:17.885
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:27.240
Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:28.880
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:29.847
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:35.562
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:51.205
Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:52.970
Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:53.969
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:47.988
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:10.604
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:12.909
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:15.819
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:18.856
Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:20.225
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:22.115
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:24.630
Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:27.080
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:30.999
MXGP Overall Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 40
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 33
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 29
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 28
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 28
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 27
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 26
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 22
MXGP ChampionshipTop Ten
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 285 points
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 251
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 197
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 175
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 166
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 153
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 137
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 136
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 122
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 120
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Race Report
Prado took the opening moto holeshot and eased away for an easy win over Thomas Kjer Olsen, Jago Geerts and Mitchell Evans but in the second moto Prado was forced to pass the fast starting Roan Van de Moosdijk for the lead and usually that is where the action stops for the lead but this time Mitch Evans decided he wanted to have a run at the front and soon passed Van de Moosdijk and Prado for the lead.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Evans held the lead for four laps before Prado found his way through to take the lead and the eventual win ahead of Henry Jacobi, Evans and Kjer Olsen.
This was Prado’s 5th 1-1 result of 2019 and despite Kjer Olsen finishing second overall but it was a bitter sweet moment as he also lost the championship lead to Prado while for the second time in his rookie MX2 season Evans reached the podium in 3rd position.
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Portugal 2019
As for Jed Beaton, the Husqvarna pilot was a solid 12th in the opening moto despite a crash and a stall but the second moto went pear shaped with his bike being landed on after an early crash forcing the Aussie to DNF the race. Beaton sits 13th in the championship.
Jorge Prado
“This is the closest race to a home GP for me, we are very close to Spain and there are so many fans that came out and many were cheering for me, I really enjoy it. When I went onto the podium they went crazy so it is great to have a race like this and it was a great weekend. For me it was important to get the red plate because I feel more comfortable with it but it is tough to keep so I try to not make any mistake but in motocross you never know.”
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“I felt like my riding all weekend was really good so that was a huge positive. I felt pretty calm all weekend and I had a lot of confidence in my riding along with my technique on the bike. I am kind of bummed out about the mistake I made on the start of race 2 but it could have been much worse and I got up to 4thwhich was pretty good. I am just going keep working and focus on myself to be the best that I can, not worrying about much else.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Mitch Evans
“It feels great to be back on the podium, we had a few tough weekends with some little injuries and my fitness dropped off because of it. We are finally back to the normal program and I am feeling a lot better which also gives a lot confidence coming into the weekend.”
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Jed Beaton
“It’s been a tough GP for me. I’m pretty beaten up and, yeah, things just didn’t go well despite two good starts. I went down in the second turn in the first moto so I just pushed as hard as I could. I stalled my bike at the end of the wave sections after passing about 10 riders, so I went back to last again. I gave everything to get to 12th, which I think was a good result considering what happened. I was about sixth off the start in the second heat but clashed with another rider over one of the jumps. I got landed on, my bike got landed on and it was pretty messed up and bent. There was no point in continuing so unfortunately I had to retire.”
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Portugal 2019
MX2 Results – Portugal MXGP
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:07.339
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:03.304
Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:27.504
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:28.329
Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +0:34.618
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:35.418
Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:44.519
Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:45.789
Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:51.829
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +0:53.710 …12. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 36:03.407
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Duncan Dominates Portugal WMX
Portugal hosted the second round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and it was Kiwi flyer Courtney Duncan who not only won both motos but also took over the championship lead.
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Duncan won the opening moto by 12 seconds ahead of Larissa Papenmeier and Nancy Van De Ven before dishing out a similar performance in moto two to take the win over Van De Ven and Papenmeier so the championship leaders red plate now belongs to Duncan with 89 points while former championship leader Van de Ven is four points back in second.
Aussie Tahlia TJ O’Hare struggled in the tough conditions to score just 7 points over the two motos for 19th outright to now sit 13th in the championship.
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Duncan will now return to New Zealand to continue her training before taking the red plate into round 3 in Loket, Czech Republic, July 27-28.
Courtney Duncan
“I was really happy with the weekend; the goal was to put two solid races together and I did that. I got blocked in at the first turn in that second race, but I didn’t panic, sorted out a good place to make a clean pass and could race away. I’m just taking it race by race at the moment and not really thinking about the championship, but I’m stoked to get the double win and take the red plate to the next round. We’ve got a nine week break now, so I’ll be going back to New Zealand to keep doing the work and come out swinging at Loket.”
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019
WMX Race 1 Top Ten
Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 25:37.493
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:12.938
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:20.911
Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +0:49.788
Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +0:59.251
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:07.227
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +1:13.030
Line Dam (DEN, Honda), +1:34.821
Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:39.651
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:42.185
WMX Race 2 Top Ten
Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 24:51.296
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:30.514
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:45.003
Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +1:08.450
Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +1:13.670
Line Dam (DEN, Honda), +1:14.835
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:24.616
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +1:25.103
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:28.714
Britt Van Der Werff (NED, Husqvarna), +1:39.760
WMX Overall Top Ten
Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 50 points
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 42
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 42
Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 34
Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 34
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 29
Line Dam (DEN, HON), 28
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 27
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 23
Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 20
WMX ChampionshipTop Ten
Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 89 points
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 85
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 82
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 67
Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 63
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 61
Line Dam (DEN, HON), 54
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 54
Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 49
Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 37
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Kras Wins Portuguese EMX
Portugal hosted the third round of the EMX2t championship and it was Mike Kras who grabbed his second overall in as many rounds to take over the championship points lead by one over Brad Anderson.
Kras won the opening moto from Todd Kellett and Youri van t Ende while Anderson was back in eighth before the second moto also went to Kras with Anderson in second ahead of Andero Lusbo.
Now leading the championship by 1 point over Anderson, Kras, and the rest of the field will head to Russia’s south in 3 weeks’ time for round four at Orlyonok.
EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Result
EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 29:58.291;
Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:06.600;
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:14.879;
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:16.610;
Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:17.066;
Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:23.102;
Emanuele Alberio (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:25.081;
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:27.130;
Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:27.656;
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:28.476.
EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 29:52.732;
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:05.300;
Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:07.202;
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:09.878;
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:11.292;
Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:27.263;
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:28.560;
Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:34.053;
Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:43.325;
Ben Putnam (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:44.770.
EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 50 points;
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 38
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 37
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 36
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 35
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 34
Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 28
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, YAM), 25
Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 24
Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 21 p
EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 119 points
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 118
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 101
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 95
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 88
Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 86
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 82
Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 60
Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 59
Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 59
FIM Junior Motocross World Cup heads to Trentino in 2019
Youthstream have announced the venue and timing of the 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship and FIM Junior Motocross World Cup! On the 13-14th of July 2019 Junior Motocross riders from around the world will head to the famous circuit of Trentino in Italy’s North.
The event will return to Italy eight years after its last visit in 2011. The 2019 edition will take place at the same venue as the MXGP and MX2 World Championship of Pietramurata. The two-day event will host practice and qualifying sessions Saturday followed by racing of the three classes, 125cc, 85cc, and 65cc, on Sunday. Riding for themselves and also their country with the results of nations makes the event one of a kind and always creates a great atmosphere of both comradery and competition.
FIM Junior Motocross World Cup heads to Trentino in 2019
The world class facility has been a long time favorite of riders and fans with its stunning backdrop and amazing surroundings. The venue, aside from being in one of the most passionate motocross countries in the world, is easily accessible from the nearby cities of Milan, Venice, and Verona.
The FIM Junior Motocross World Championship includes the 125cc and 85cc two stroke categories plus the 65cc FIM Junior Motocross World Cup. Along with returning competitors and even previous champions the junior rising talents of motocross will all be going to Trentino from different countries racing at the unique race for the chance to become an FIM Junior Motocross World Champion!
Duvall Wins Ohio GNCC
Thad Duvall has won the sixth round of the 2019 GNCC which was held in Ohio last weekend and in doing so has reduced his points deficit to championship leader Kailub Russell to just 13 points.
Kailub Russell – Image by Ken Hill
Duvall scored his second win of the year at Ohio ahead of Russell and Trevor Bollinger while Steward Baylor Jr and Josh Strang rounded out the top five.
XC1 Open
Kailub K Russell – 165
Thaddeus Duvall – 152
Steward Baylor Jr – 123
Trevor Bollinger – 111
Josh V Strang – 83
Ben Kelly is undefeated the XC2 class and took the Ohio win over Craig Delong and Evan Smith while Austin Lee and Michael Witkowski rounded out the top five.
XC2 250 Pro Result
Benjamin M Kelley – 180
Michael Witkowski – 119
Evan Smith – 107
Austin Lee – 91
Liam Draper – 78
Becca Sheets got her second win of the season in the WXC class over Aussie Mackenzie Tricker and Rachael Archer while defending champion Tayla Jones had a shocker with a rare ninth place finish.
WCX Result
Becca N Sheets – 160
Tayla Jones – 153
Mackenzie Tricker – 125
Rachael Archer – 107
Shyann Phelps – 85
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Madsen Wins SGP of Poland
The much-awaited opening round of the 2019 FIM Speedway World Championship got underway with the Boll Warsaw FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland last weekend and the surprise winner was Danish star Leon Madsen who pounced on a Fredrik Lindgren error to hit the front and win the final.
2019 SGP of Poland
Madsen didn’t win any of his regular heats, but made it into the semis on eight points, before finishing second to Niels-Kristian Iversen in semi-final two to reach his maiden SGP final where he got his first win of the night when it mattered most and the European champion celebrated wildly with a 50,000-plus crowd.
Madsen made no secret of his bold SGP ambitions ahead of the meeting as he targets World Championship gold. But he insists he’s not piling the pressure on himself to land the world title at the first attempt.
Leon Madsen
“I don’t need to be No.1 this year. I am here to gain a lot of experience, especially on tracks like Warsaw. I am not here just to take part. I am here to fight for the championship. It was a good round tonight and I clocked a lot of points. If I can be consistent all season, things could be quite good. But I’m not setting the bar higher. I’m just in this game to fight for the championship. I don’t put it as a goal that I must be No.1 or in the top three. You are obviously here to fight for the championship and I feel I have the quality to do that.”
Despite recovering from a crash and coming third in the final it is Patryk Dudek who topped the World Championship standings with his 16-point haul.
2019 SGP of Poland
Patryk Dudek
“Before the last heat, I heard my name and I was thinking ‘oh, but let’s see what happens after the heat!’ I was third, so that’s not bad. I would like to say a big, big thank you to the fans. This night was tough for me and the season has been tough for me. Today was great. I want to say a big thanks to my team, my family and my sponsors. I hope to stay in the same position at the next round. But we will see.”
It was his third straight Warsaw final and Fredrik Lindgren was delighted to leave the PGE Narodowy cauldron of noise with another podium finish.
Fredrik Lindgren
“Overall I am very happy, I really enjoy racing here in front of this crowd. It is intense and you have to give 100 percent for all four laps. I am disappointed not to win after the start I made in the final. I made a huge mistake on lap two to lose the winning position. But I am also very happy with the way I was racing, the points I scored and the way our team worked together.”
It was far from the prefect start to the championship for the Aussie duo of Jason Doyle and Max Fricke who scored 6 and 5 points respectively after a full night of racing.
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Doyle kicked off in fine form, marking a strong return from injury not even two weeks prior. As the evening progressed, Doyle’s injuries weighed heavy, but the Australian star remained steadfast as he focussed on racking up as many points as possible. Doyle finished Round 1 of the 2019 SGP with five points, landing in 13th place in the World Championship standings.
Jason Doyle
“The bike is good and the crowd is awesome! We’re just trying to get the right set up at the moment because the conditions are different from practice, as we expected. Tonight we’re just trying to get points and stay consistent.”
Newcomer to the SGP line-up, Fricke tackled what was undeniably an intense environment, finishing Saturday night with three points. Now sitting on 16th place in the World Championship standings, Fricke suffered a blow when he crashed out during one of his heats, however the young Australian remained the image of positivity as he reflected on the turn of events.
Max Fricke
“I’m really grateful for this call up! It’s not something I ever expected to happen this year so I’m really grateful for this experience and to be able and come out in front of a huge stadium. I picked up a few points, learnt a lot, and lead a few laps in the end, but I threw it away, which is on me. Hopefully we can come back sometime during the year and do some more rounds of the SGP.”
2019 SGP of Poland Podium
Boll Warsaw SGP Result
Leon Madsen 13
Fredrik Lindgren 15
Patryk Dudek 16
Niels-Kristian Iversen 14
Bartosz Smektala 10
Bartosz Zmarzlik 10
Antonio Lindback 10
Robert Lambert 8
Martin Vaculik 7
Matej Zagar 7
Emil Sayfutdinov 6
Tai Woffinden 6
Jason Doyle 5
Janusz Kolodziej 4
Artem Laguta 4
Max Fricke 3
Dominik Kubera DNR
Rafal Karczmarz DNR
World Championship Standings
Patryk Dudek 16
Fredrik Lindgren 15
Niels-Kristian Iversen 14
Leon Madsen 13
Bartosz Zmarzlik 10
Antonio Lindback 10
Bartosz Smektala 10
Robert Lambert 8
Matej Zagar 7
Martin Vaculik 7
Tai Woffinden 6
Emil Sayfutdinov 6
Jason Doyle 5
Artem Laguta 4
Janusz Kolodziej 4
Max Fricke 3
Garcia Win WESS in France
Spain’s Josep Garcia has won round two of the World Enduro Super Series, storming to victory at France’s Trèfle Lozérien AMV ahead of Jamie McCanney and Nathan Watson.
Josep Garcia – 2019 Trefle Lozerien
For 2019, the second round of the WESS championship proved a challenge for the 600-plus riders competing with continuous rain throughout the three days of racing at France’s most-prestigious Enduro – Trèfle Lozérien AMV – ensured the 719 kilometres of riding were both physically and mentally demanding for all.
Josep Garcia
“To get my first WESS victory of 2019, and also to create a little piece of history by being the first non-French winner here at Trèfle Lozérien, is amazing. The conditions really didn’t suit me – I’m not really a big fan of wet, slippery mud. But I pushed hard on all special tests and, well, everything went perfectly. Coming here straight from Extreme Lagares wasn’t easy but I knew this race was going to be important to my WESS championship.”
Josep Garcia – 2019 Trefle Lozerien
Behind Garcia the battle for the remainder of the podium places was fierce but McCanney held his ground over his rivals to take the runner-up result.
Jaime McCanney
“Right from when I started walking the special tests here in France I knew Josep Garcia would be the rider to watch. When conditions weren’t too wet, or when they suited the 450 more, I managed to win some tests. And I’m really pleased about that. But Garcia was really strong throughout the event. I’ve been away from enduro racing for some time now, firstly getting over a shoulder injury and surgery and then focusing on rally. To come here and get the result I’ve got is really great. Despite the weather it’s been a great event. I can’t say if I’ll be back for more WESS racing, but I’d love to compete at Hawkstone if my schedule allows it.”
Jamie McCanney – 2019 Trefle Lozerien
Entering the final special test it was all to play for between Watson and Julien Gauthier for third with Gauthier holding just one tenth of a second in hand over the KTM rider and with both riders putting it all on the line, Watson edged out Gauthier by just over one second to snatch the final step of the podium in the last few moments of the race.
Nathan Watson
“I’m really happy with third overall, this is the first Classic Enduro I’ve raced since this event 12 months ago, so I came into it a little unsure what to expect but also confident that it would suit me. I had a consistent three days and kept things upright over the 15 special tests, which was really important. I’ve really enjoyed racing the 450 – being able to keep things smooth in these conditions has really helped me. Things were really close coming into the final test, just half a second between third and fourth overall. Thankfully, I managed to jump up one position to third, which was a great way to end the race.”
Nathan Watson – 2019 Trefle Lozerien
For Gauthier it was not to be and with his fourth place result it also marked the first time in the event’s history that a French rider wasn’t present in the top three positions. After a strong ride on day two, Tarroux slipped down to fifth, with teammate Theo Espinasse (FRA) completing the top six.
The eight-round World Enduro Super Series continues with round three at Austria’s Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble on May 30 – June 2.
Results – Round 2: Trèfle Lozérien AMV 2019
Josep Garcia (KTM – ESP) 01:03:07.557
Jaime McCanney (Yamaha – GB) 1:03:49.586 +42.029
Nathan Watson (KTM – GB) 1:03:55.612 +48.055
Julien Gauthier (Yamaha – FR) 1:03:57.013 +49.456
Jeremy Tarroux (Sherco – FR) 1:04:10.136 +1:02.579
Theo Espinasse (Sherco – FR) 1:05:04.311 +1:56.754
Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas – FR) 1:05:10.817 +2:03.260
Joe Wootton (Husqvarna – GB) 1:05:52.828 +2:45.271
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Brayton Set for 2019 Aussie SX Championships
Justin Brayton is the first of the international riders to confirm that he will compete in this year’s Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne on November 30 at Marvel Stadium as part of his attempt to win a fourth straight Australian Supercross Championship.
Justin Brayton
“The AUS-X Open is one of the greatest events outside of the US, and having been so close to winning it before, I’m determined to come back faster and ready to win in November. The racing at Sydney was always incredible but I think moving to Melbourne, into such an awesome stadium, is going to take Supercross racing in Australia to the next level and I can’t wait to put on a show for all the fans in Australia. Marvel Stadium will be the closest thing Australia gets to the World Championship. The track will be full-sized and I have no doubt both the racing and the atmosphere will be electric on November 30.”
Justin Brayton – Image by Hoppenworld
The AUS-X Open Melbourne is the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship and is sanctioned by Motorcycling Australia (MA).
“I’m so pumped to be returning to Australia in 2019 and fighting for the Australian Supercross title for a fourth straight year with Penrite Honda Racing,” Brayton said. “I have the most amazing team when I head down under to race, and it would be awesome to bring home the trophy again, especially in front of the huge Melbourne crowd.”
Chad Reed returns for 2019 AUS-X Open
Two-time World Champion Chad Reed has announced he’ll be back to race on home soil this November 30 at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, as tickets go on sale from for the Monster Energy AUS-X Open.
Chad Reed at the AUS-X Open in Sydney in 2018
The 37-year-old will head to Victoria to race for the first time since 2012 and his first time racing in Melbourne since 2000, where he says he’ll be looking for redemption. The legend sat out the 2017 event due to injury and was unable to complete a fairytale comeback last year, with the 2018 World Champion Jason Anderson (USA), taking the win.
Chad Reed
“I’m definitely looking for redemption, to come out and work hard and just be better prepared on all levels myself, the bike, the team, so I can hopefully take out that AUS-X crown. Getting back to Melbourne to race will be awesome, it’s been a long time since I’ve raced there, I love the city, and I’ve never been to Marvel Stadium before so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld
Tickets for the event will be available exclusively through Ticketmaster.com.au, starting from $39.95, and are expected to sell out fast.
Australia’s largest Supercross event, the AUS-X Open, has proven successful for the Aussie hero since its inception, including back-to-back wins during the first two years in 2015 and 2016, and Reed says he’s proud to have watched the event grow over the past four years and how it has significantly changed the Australian Supercross industry.
Chad Reed
“My favourite thing about AUS-X Open as a rider and an athlete is it’s such a reflection for me, remembering back to when I was eight years old watching all the Australian greats in a Newcastle motordrome, and now seeing it, [AUS-X Open] being held at Marvel Stadium at the highest level makes me real proud to be apart of the sport. I was around for the first ever AUS-X Open in Sydney and I’m really proud to see how it’s grown into Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. It’s so hard to put into words the energy that you get at a stadium like Marvel, a stadium filled with 35-45,000 people, there’s just nothing like it. And really why I still, at 37-years-old, choose to do this as my day-to-day job. I love it, and I can’t replace that feeling and I’m always excited to come back for more.”
Chad Reed after winning the 2016 AUS-X Open
Reed will not have it all his own way in Melbourne, with what will arguably be the most competitive field of international supercross racers, to ever line up on Australian soil. More of the world’s biggest names in Supercross and Freestyle Motocross, including recent World Championship winners, will be announced in the coming days.
Already confirmed to compete on November 30, are current World Number 10 and defending Australian Supercross Champion – Justin Brayton, as well as 2019 World Supercross Championship Rookie of the Year and current World Number 8 – Joey Savatgy.
The 25-year-old American rider had an incredible rookie season in the premier 450SX1 class of the 2019 World Championship and is expected to be hard to beat at the AUS-X Open.
Joey Savatgy
“I can’t wait to head Down Under for the Monster Energy AUS-X Open. The calibre of riders that the event brings each year makes me so pumped to get out there and take it to the world’s best on Aussie soil. Racing Chad Reed at home, is certainly not going to be easy, but a challenge I’m ready for.”
Joey Savatgy competing in the World Supercross Championship
The largest international Supercross and action sports event in the world outside of the USA, the Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne, will feature the world’s best riders going head-to-head on a full-sized World Championship style Supercross track for the first time ever inside Marvel Stadium.
It will also be an engineering feat, arguably unmatched by any Supercross event in the world, as supports imported and constructed in the lower level carpark, prepare to handle the immense pressure of up to 6,000 tonnes of dirt, machinery and infrastructure, all positioned within Australia’s largest indoor stadium.
Featuring live music and entertainment, stunning pyrotechnics and the world’s best freestyle motocross riders battling to win the best-trick and best-whip competitions; the Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne is an incredible entertainment spectacle for all ages.
The AUS-X Open Melbourne is the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship and is sanctioned by Motorcycling Australia (MA). *$39.95 Silver Tickets will incur additional transaction and booking charges.
Wollongong SX to Feature ‘Speed & Style’ Championship
Troy Bayliss Events have announced that the Recover8 Australian Speed & Style Championship will be held on Saturday the 9th of November at Wollongong WIN Stadium – coinciding with Round 3 of the Australian Supercross Championships.
The Australian Speed & Style Championship will also be featured at Wollongong
The exclusive feature for fans attending the Wollongong Supercross, Recover8 Australian Speed & Style Championship will be run and won on the night, in a thrilling elimination style winner takes all format.
Australian and International riders are invited to compete, with the winner crowned the Official Australian Speed & Style Champion by sanctioning body Motorcycling Australia.
Speed and Style is a unique sport that originated at the American X-Games and combines the technical racing skills of Supercross with the incredible talents of Freestyle Motocross, giving fans an unbeatable mix of speed and wow.
Riders will race head-to-head, across whoops, over jumps and around berms with the added obstacle of a steel up-ramp and 75-foot gap for a finish line, allowing riders to perform backflip variations, huge whips and much more. Riders are judged based on a combination of time and the difficulty of tricks performed within the short action-packed race.
Troy Bayliss right – TDJ Images
Troy Bayliss
“If you haven’t planned your trip to Wollongong Supercross yet, I suggest you do. Not only will fans be treated to an incredible night of Bar to Bar Supercross Action they will now be on the edge of their seats watching the best in the business compete for the Recover8 Speed & Style title. Troy Bayliss Events welcomes Recover8 as the official partner to the Australian Speed & Style Championship. Recover8 is a brand new supplement product that is being widely promoted as a go-to product by many elite athletes here in Australia and around the world, and makes for a perfect fit for this exciting feature.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
James Stewart finally announces retirement
James Stewart, the seven-time AMA Motocross and Supercross Champion, who has not raced since July 23, 2016, has finally announced that he is retiring from the sport.
James Stewart
“Where I’m at in my life, I think it’s time to say I’m retiring. I’ve retired, it’s hard for sure, because I love racing and I love the fans, I love the opening ceremonies, I love the autograph lines, but I don’t miss the sweat and tears and training and having to feel like you have to win every race and having to be James Stewart. I don’t love doing that anymore.”
James Stewart retires
Stewart had a controversial career where he at times put other riders at risk with his brash riding style and while he was once known as the “fastest man on the planet,” he was also known as the “fastest soil sampler on the planet” with multiple crashes tainting what was supposed to be a dominating and long career – of which neither materialised.
Stewart retires with 20 career 250/450 Class wins in AMA Pro Motocross (fifth all-time) and 28 career 125/250 Class wins (first all-time) and 50 supercross wins.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship has kicked off with the Hangtown Motocross Classic, giving riders and spectators alike a taste of the full season to come. While rain ultimately made for some extremely challenging conditions, it resulted in an afternoon of redemption for its two winners.
2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Round 1 – Hangtown Motocross Classic
After three years of a long and tough comeback from injury, Ken Roczen made his long-awaited return to the top step of the podium in the 450 Class. In the 250 Class, Adam Cianciarulo rebounded from his heartbreaking end to the recent AMA Supercross season with a hard-fought win.
Ken Roczen
The Anzacs
Moto 1 in the 450 class saw Aussies Dean Ferris and Todd Waters claiming 11th and 12th respectively, while New Zealand’s Cody Cooper came home 15th.
Dean Ferris
Ferris improved to finish in eighth in Moto 2, for ninth overall. Todd Waters was 13th in the second moto which gave him 12th overall. Cody Cooper had to rely on his Moto 1 results, giving him 19th overall.
Todd Waters
In the 250 class Hunter Lawrence finished 11th in Moto 1, with Wilson Todd 15th.
Hunter Lawrence
Todd improved in Moto 2 to claim ninth, while Lawrence was 12th. Hunter Lawrence 11th overall just ahead of Todd who claimed 12th overall.
Wilson Todd
450 – Moto 1
The first 450 Class moto of the afternoon began with Cooper Webb capturing the holeshot over Justin Barcia. As they duked it out for the top spot it allowed Jason Anderson and Roczen to jump into the fray. Webb established control of the lead, with Anderson slotting into second and Roczen third.
2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Round 1 – Hangtown Motocross Classic
An aggressive Roczen then found his way around Anderson for second and set his sights on Webb for the lead. The German continued to push and successfully took over control of the race before the conclusion of the opening lap.
Ken Roczen
Once he had a clear track Roczen quickly put multiple seconds between he and Webb, while Anderson settled into third. Reigning 450 Class Champion Eli Tomac had his work cut out for himself after starting seventh, but the rider successfully worked his way forward and was soon in the top five, right behind rookie Zach Osborne. It wasn’t long before the champ found his way around to take over fourth and set his sights on the podium.
Eli Tomac
With Roczen checking out on the field and Webb running a strong second, the focus shifted to Tomac’s determined charge on Anderson. The Husqvarna rider was impressively consistent and it took an extended amount of time for Tomac to close in enough to mount a challenge for the position. With about 10 minutes left in the moto Tomac made his move.
Tomac chasing Anderson
He made the pass on Anderson, but a counter attack put Anderson right back in third. Tomac appeared to have no answer, and then the rain began to fall. As the skies opened up, Anderson’s pace increased, while Tomac’s dropped. That carried the two riders into different directions. Anderson started to close his deficit to Webb for second, while Tomac lost a spot to Osborne and fell to fifth.
Cooper Webb
As the clock approached 30 minutes Webb and Anderson found themselves in a captivating battle for the runner-up spot. Webb was able to fend off the pressure for a while, but Anderson’s persistence paid off as they came to take the two-lap board. As this unfolded Osborne fell, which allowed Tomac to reclaim fourth.
Despite the rain, Roczen continued his flawless ride all the way to the finish. He took the opening moto win by 15 seconds over Anderson. Webb was third, while Tomac salvaged fourth.
Ken Roczen
Moto 1 Result
Ken Roczen 2:20.289
Jason Anderson +15.045
Cooper Webb +19.485
Eli Tomac +30.919
Zach Osborne +52.974
Blake Baggett +1:10.223
Marvin Musquin +1:15.489
Justin Barcia +1:18.415
Cole Seely +1:31.332
Justin Bogle +1:39.453
Dean Ferris +1:42.328
Todd Waters +2:01.499
Jake Masterpool +2:06.318
Ben LaMay +2:15.034
Cody Cooper +2:28.122
450 – Moto 2
Much more difficult track conditions awaited the riders for the second moto and as the field stormed out the gate it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin who emerged with the holeshot over Webb and Tomac.
Zach Osborne
Musquin was able to maintain his hold on the top spot, but it was short lived as Tomac was determined to get to the front, and did so. Behind them, Roczen moved his way into third and surged past Musquin to take second right behind Tomac.
Marvin Musquin
The lead duo were able to pull away from the rest of the field almost immediately, and Roczen’s impressive early pace literally allowed him to jump over Tomac into the lead. Behind them, Anderson was making a charge of his own and passed Musquin for third.
Eli Tomac
The battle up front saw Tomac keep Roczen within reach, with both riders patiently working their way through the rough and muddy conditions. Tomac kept Roczen honest, and as they approached lapped riders just before the halfway point it worked to the benefit of the champ.
Ken Roczen
As Roczen slowed briefly, Tomac seized the moment to dive to the inside the reclaim the lead. From that point on, he left Roczen and the rest of the field behind.
Tomac’s path to the second moto win wasn’t without its moments, but he took the checkered flag by 43 seconds over Roczen, who ultimately chose to protect the win and ride all by himself in second. A resilient Musquin never backed down in his pursuit of Anderson for third, and successfully got back around, but in the closing laps a hard charge from Osborne ultimately put the rookie onto the moto podium.
Eli Tomac and Ken Rozen after a muddy race two
Roczen’s 1-2 outing provided him with his first win since the final round of his championship-winning 2016 season. Since then he has endured through a pair of career-threatening injuries to each of his arms, in which he was forced to fight his way back from more than 10 total surgeries. It’s been a long and difficult road, but Roczen was able to prevail for the 16th win of his career.
For the past six seasons at Hangtown the 450 Class win has gone to either Roczen or Tomac, with Saturday’s victory being the third for the German at the iconic venue. Tomac’s second-moto win vaulted him to second overall (4-1), while Anderson rounded out the overall podium in third (2-5).
Roczen holds a slim four-point lead over Tomac in the 450 Class standings heading into the second round. Anderson sits nine points back in third.
Ken Roczen
Moto 2 Result
Eli Tomac 2:53.875
Ken Roczen +43.041
Zach Osborne +52.429
Marvin Musquin +54.340
Jason Anderson +1:26.412
Cooper Webb +1:41.527
Justin Barcia +1:50.775
Dean Ferris +3:10.964
Justin Bogle +3:26.451
Blake Baggett +12 Laps
Jake Masterpool +12 Laps
Ben LaMay +12 Laps
Todd Waters +12 Laps
AMA Pro Motocross Round One Hangtown 450 Class Overall Results 1. Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (1-2) 2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (4-1) 3. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (2-5)
“It’s been a very, very long time [since I won a race]. Overall the whole day was good. It’s difficult at the first race to know what to expect [from yourself] and to know where everyone else is. I just did my best every time I was on the track and it got us a win. It was really sloppy out there and [when conditions are like that] it can easily go in either direction [bad or good], so it feels good that we ended up on the positive side of it.”
Ken Roczen
Jason Anderson – P3
“My weekend went pretty well, in the first moto, I just tried to figure out my groove since I haven’t been racing. At the beginning, I was a little tight and I ended up stalling the bike one time but all-in-all I was able to come back and make some good progress. Finishing 2-5 for third overall is not bad for the first round.”
Jason Anderson
Zach Osborne – P4
“Overall, it was a good start to my 450 outdoor career, I had a silly mistake in the first moto that cost me an overall podium but it was still a good weekend. I started off solid in the motos and I had an epic second moto from basically last to third, so I’m really happy with that and I’m pumped for next weekend and the rest of the series.”
Zach Osborne
Cooper Webb – P5
“The opening round went pretty well considering the conditions at the end of the day. In the second moto, I struggled in the mud to get a flow going and I fell a few times. Overall, it’s not what I wanted but it’s a good start to the season and we’re in a good position, so we’ll get better from here.”
Cooper Webb
Marvin Musquin – P6
“I was super sore after my crash in practice but I tried to regroup and get as better as I could before the motos but the first moto was tough. The feeling was not good and the start was not there, so I was battling with myself, basically, and then the track – I couldn’t find a good flow or rhythm. The second moto was better but it was a very disappointing outcome for me as I’ve gotten second the last two years here. Hangtown is always tough, so we know where we are now and it can only get better.”
Marvin Musquin
Justin Barcia – P7
“I haven’t been able to ride too much and this was the first day doing a 30-minute moto so I think it was a good day. I just wanted to get through it, let alone be in the top 10 all day, so that was nice. In the first moto I got a good start but got shuffled back to eighth. The second moto it was really coming down. It was difficult on my wrists for sure. We have some work to do but I’m glad to get through the first one and wasn’t even expecting a top 10. I obviously want to be up there, I just know it will take some time. We’ll put in the work.”
Justin Barcia
Dean Ferris – P9
“I’d say the day started really slow but we reverted back a bit to what we knew. I messed up my start a little in the first moto and had to come through the pack. Toward the end I found my pace. I had a better start in the second moto but it was chaotic with the mud and rain. The track was treacherous with the rain, but I think eighth (from Moto 2) was where I should have been today. I’m sure round by round we’ll keep improving.”
The opening 250 Class moto saw Justin Cooper narrowly grab the holeshot over Chase Sexton and Cianciarulo. Cooper successfully held on to that advantage and established himself as the early leader, with Cianciarulo slotting into second and Sexton into third.
2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Round 1 – Hangtown Motocross Classic
Cooper rode a consistent pace to maintain a lead over Cianciarulo, and the two gradually began to distance themselves from Sexton. As the field settled into the 30-minutes-plus-two-laps moto, Cooper was well in control, with Cianciarulo holding on to an assertive second place.
As the moto counted down to under 10 minutes to go, Cianciarulo began to pick up the pace and chip away at the deficit. With about eight minutes left the Kawasaki rider was all over Cooper’s rear fender, but the Yamaha rider withstood the charge and used lapped riders to his advantage to extend the lead once more.
When time ran out on the clock and the two-lap board was shown Cianciarulo wicked up the pace again, but Cooper responded to stop the threat before it even began.
Cooper went wire-to-wire on to take the second moto win of his career by 1.8 seconds over Cianciarulo, who rode to an uneventful second-place finish. The battle for third came down to the final corner, where a moto-long charge by Dylan Ferrandis, who started sixth, culminated with a stellar last lap in which he stole third from Sexton as they came to the line.
Moto 1 Result
Justin Cooper 2:19.850
Adam Cianciarulo +01.891
Dylan Ferrandis +03.504
Chase Sexton +04.320
Colt Nichols +25.115
R.J. Hampshire +39.024
Michael Mosiman +44.598
Garrett Marchbanks +1:10.455
Martin Davalos +1:17.375
Derek Drake +1:19.299
Hunter Lawrence +1:24.858
Ty Masterpool +1:31.286
Christian Craig +1:40.946
Shane McElrath +1:46.896
Wilson Todd +1:49.892
250 – Moto 2
With rain falling, the deciding moto got underway with Colt Nichols easily racing to the holeshot. Cianciarulo followed into second, but seized the moment to take the lead, getting much-needed clear track in the wet conditions.
2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Round 1 – Hangtown Motocross Classic
Nichols settled into second, with Michael Mosiman in third. Behind the lead pack, Cooper and Ferrandis were at the tail end of the top 10. A chaotic early portion of the race saw several different riders occupy third, as Mosiman gave way to Martin Davalos, who then lost the spot to Sexton.
As he looked to assert himself Sexton went down, which handed third to Alex Martin. This jostling of position also benefitted the Yamaha duo of Ferrandis and Cooper, who were able to close in on the top five.
Cianciarulo easily opened up a considerable margin over the rest of the field, which allowed him to manage his way through the ever-changing conditions. As the moto wore on, Ferrandis began to inch closer and closer to Martin to challenge him for third.
The Frenchman got alongside his veteran counterpart, but Martin resisted and pulled away. This battle helped bring the duo closer to Nichols in second, and when a downed rider caused Nichols to come to a stop on the track, both Martin and Ferrandis got around him to take over second and third, respectively.
Ferrandis’ pursuit of Martin never ceased, but it soon resulted in misfortune that caused him to give up a spot to Nichols and fall into the clutches of Cooper, who was running fifth. Cooper would get the better of Ferrandis in the late stages of the moto to drop the Frenchman to fifth.
Although he had to ride without goggles for the final few laps, Cianciarulo rode as perfect a race as one could in such difficult conditions to take the moto win and the overall victory by 16.3 seconds over Martin. Nichols followed in third, with Cooper and Ferrandis rounding out the top five.
Cianciarulo’s 2-1 effort gave him the second overall win of his career in his first start since the 2017 season, following knee surgery last summer. He becomes the 32nd different rider to earn a 250 Class victory at Hangtown.
Cooper’s resilient second moto landed him in the runner-up spot (1-4) for the second time in his career. Nichols (5-3) and Ferrandis (3-5) ended up in a tie for third, but by virtue of his better result in the final moto Nichols earned the tiebreaker.
Cianciarulo establishes a four-point lead over Cooper in the 250 Class standings entering the second round, while Nichols and Ferrandis sit 11 points back.
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next Saturday, May 25, with American motocross’ anticipated return to Fox Raceway in Pala, California, for the first time since the 2011 season.
Moto 2 Result
Adam Cianciarulo 2:37.166
Alex Martin +16.382
Colt Nichols +17.424
Justin Cooper +38.851
Dylan Ferrandis +44.130
Chase Sexton +47.142
R.J. Hampshire +1:03.634
Shane McElrath +1:19.100
Wilson Todd +1:24.117
Christian Craig +1:28.904
Michael Mosiman +1:48.833
Hunter Lawrence +1:49.910
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (2-1)
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (1-4)
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha (5-3)
Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (3-5)
Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda (4-6)
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (6-7)
Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna (7-11)
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki (23-2)
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM (14-8)
Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda (13-10)
Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda, (11-12)
Wilson Todd, Austrailia, Husqvarna, (15-9)
AMA Pro Motocross Round One Hangtown 250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish) 1. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (2-1) 2. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (1-4) 3. Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha (5-3)
250 Quotes
Adam Cianciarulo – P1
“It means a lot [to get this win]. For all the kids out there that watch us, we go through such peaks and valleys. [This win] is a testament to understanding that the most important shot is your next one. You’ve got to keep fighting. It feels great to get a win at the opening round of the [Pro Motocross] season and start this summer off on a high note.”
Adam Cianciarulo
Justin Cooper – P2
“Great start to the season with the first moto win and a good day overall. I was able to salvage a decent amount of points in the second moto considering the conditions. It was gnarly out there, so I can’t complain too much on the result, but we want more. I’m looking to take this momentum into next week!”
Justin Cooper
Colt Nichols – P3
“Starting off the season is always a challenge to see how you stack up, so I just wanted to see where we were. I’ve felt like I’ve been good at outdoors but have been underprepared the last few seasons so this is a great start on the podium. The track was brutal and the Yamaha felt great today. Everyone who has been helping me out has been awesome and it feels great to get third overall.”
Colt Nichols
Dylan Ferrandis – P4
“The day started out well. I felt very comfortable physically and on the bike during practice. In the first moto I made a late charge to the front to finally finished third. In the second moto I was feeling good. The speed was really good too until I fried my clutch and had to slow down to save the bike to finish the moto. It was really frustrating for me and now I’m really disappointed but we’re onto the next one in Pala next weekend and hoping to get back on top.”
Dylan Ferrandis
250 Class Championship Standings
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 47
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 43
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha – 36
Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha – 36
Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 33
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 29
Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna – 24
On the back of a successful winning return to the Australian MX Nationals Championship, proving his fitness and race pace, reigning Australian Motocross Champion Dean Ferris has been selected to fill in for the injured Aaron Plessinger in the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team at the opening round of the 2019 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Hangtown Classic on May 18.
“I’m super excited about this opportunity to race with the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team. I’ve won a lot of races on the YZ450F, so it’s a perfect fit for me to start my campaign in America. I’m looking forward to getting the outdoor season rolling in Hangtown next weekend!”
Dean Ferris
Ferris added his name to the history books in 2018 as the first rider to win all 10-rounds of the series. The Australian has also gone undefeated in the title chase for the last three years aboard Yamaha’s popular YZ450F.
Hangtown will host the 2019 AMA Motocross season opener
Earlier this season, the 28-year-old filled in for the injured Romain Febvre in the MXGP World Championship. Having achieved his current goals in the national Australian championship, Ferris has been eagerly looking for new opportunities abroad to further hone his skills as a top motocross rider.
Dean Ferris in action in the UK earlier this year
Aaron Plessinger continues to recover from his broken heel injury sustained earlier this year in Supercross and an update on Plessinger’s return will be made when available.
Jim Perry Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“Dean is a multi-time Australian Motocross Champion with a goal to race in the U.S. Timing is everything and he will get a great opportunity to do so in the Lucas Oil Motocross Championship as Aaron continues to make progress in his recovery.”
Jeremy Martin and Aaron Plessinger leading the 250MX field at Hangtown in 2018
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
The LATEST News
Kulas and Barr rip Hawkstone MX Nationals
Wageman wins World Two-Stroke Championships
Mees rebounds to win Texas Half Mile
Aussies abroad – weekly update
Ferris to Raceline KTM
Clement Desalle injury update
Dean Wilson joins the injured list
Supercross returns to Wollongong
Australian Motorcycle Festival also set for Wollongong
Smektala Scores Warsaw Wildcard
Paulo Goncalves joins Hero Motorsports
Dakar Rally moves to Saudi Arabia
Treloar crowned 11-time Australian Speedway Sidecar Champion
Kulas and Barr Rip Hawkstone MX Nationals
Hawkstone Park hosted the second round of the British MX Nationals and it was Harri Kulas who earned maximum points in the MX1 class while Martin Barr put in an identical performance in the MX2 class.
Hawkstone MX Nationals Podium – Image from MX Nationals UK FB page
Kulas won the opening MX1 moto from Gert Krestinov and Mel Pocock then Pocock and Lewis Tombs finished behind Kulas in the second moto so Kulas has opened up an 18-point lead over Pocock in the championship points.
MX1 – Hawkstone Round Top 10
Harri Kulas
Mel Pocock
Lewis Tombs
Gert Krestinov
Nathan Watson
Jake Shipton
Robbie Dowson
Ryan Houghton
Nathan Dixon
Stuart Edmonds
MX1 Points after Round 2
Harri Kulas – 100
Mel Pocock – 72
Gert Krestinov – 70
Ryan Houghton – 64
Lewis Tombs – 59
Barr comfortably won the opening MX2 moto from Josh Gilbert and Ashton Dickinson then backed that up with another win over Gilbert and Todd Kellet so after two rounds Barr has a six-point lead over Gilbert while the rest of the field are almost two motos in points behind.
MX12– Hawkestone Round Top 10
Martin Barr
Josh Gilbert
Todd Kellet
Ashton Dickinson
Glenn McCormick
Brad Anderson
Taylor Hammal
Liam Knight
Ben Franklin
Lewis Hall
MX2 Points after Round 2
Martin Barr – 97
Josh Gilbert – 91
Ben Franklin – 55
Glenn McCormick – 52
Carlton Husband – 49
Wageman Wins World Two-Stroke Championships
It is one of the most sought after ‘sub culture’ championships in the American motocross scene and this year is was second generation motocross rider and Glen Helen regular in Robbie Wageman who has taken out the premier Open Class at the annual World Two-Stroke Championships at Glen Helen Raceway.
Wageman overcame pre-race favourites and former champions in Mike Alessi, Zach Bell, Ryan Surrat, Carlen Gardner, Mike Brown and Tyler Bowers to take both moto wins
Open 2-Stroke Championship
Robbie Wageman 1-1
Carlen Gardner 3-1
Coty Schock 4-3
Mike Brown 5-5
Deegan Vonlossberg 7-8
Ryan Surratt 12-4
Josh Mosiman 6-12
Justin Hoeft 9-11
Dominic Desimone 11-10
Blayne Thompsom 16-6
RJ Wageman 10-14
Ricky Dietrich 20-7
Dennis Stapleton 17-13
Kai Aiello 15-15
Carson Carr 14-16
Tallon Lafountaine 22-9
Willy Simons 13-18
Keaton Ward 21-17
Tyler Bowers 2-DNF
Jakob Alvarez 23-DNF
125cc Pro Top 10
Justin Hoeft 1-1
Chis Plouffe 4-3
Colton Aeck 6-2
Alex Ray 7-4
Tyler Nicholson 8-5
Tim Weigand 9-6
Matt Cerami 10-8
Brian Begin 12-7
Ryan Wilson 13-10
Michael Blose 11-12
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Mees Rebounds to Win Texas Half Mile
Defending AFT Twins champion Jared Mees has bounced back from a difficult start to the 2019 season to deliver a vintage performance at the Texas Half-Mile at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, to score his first victory of the season.
Jared Mees
AFT Twins Report
Right from the start Mees found himself embroiled in a one-on-one shootout with his fellow Indian rider and championship leader Briar Bauman and the two immediately broke free from the pack and traded the lead back and forth multiple times with a series of slick overtaking moves.
#14 Briar Bauman leads the standings – #17 Henry Wiles is fourth
On lap 22 of 25 Mees pushed out just enough of a gap to breathe a bit easier over the race’s final circulations, claiming his 27th Half-Mile victory by 1.316-seconds over Bauman and Brandon Robinson to complete an all Indian podium while Sammy Halbert (HD) and Larry Pegram (Indian) rounded out the top five.
When asked if he expects Saturday’s win to reopen the floodgates Mees said:
“That would be the goal — that is the goal — and we’d love to do that, but this year is tougher. The guys are better, and they’ve got their machines figured out better. I’ve got to dig down deeper. Last year, I basically got a good start, went by Briar when he was on the Kawasaki, and took off. This time, I had to wear the boy out. He rode so good. He was better than me in Turns 3 and 4 early in the race. I saw what he was doing and moved down to his line, and that allowed me to maintain a little bit of a gap.”
AFT Twins Round 3 Podium
AFT Twins Points after 3 of 18 Rounds
Briar Bauman – 62
Brandon Robinson – 53
Jared Mees – 47
Henry Wiles – 46.
Jarod Vanderkooi – 43
Sammy Halbert – 34
Larry Pegram – 33
Robert Pearson – 32
Jake Johnson – 29
Jeffrey Carver Jr. – 29
AFT Singles Report
KTM’s Shayna Texter has the most wins in the history of the AFT Singles and she added to the tally in Texas with a hard fought ride to victory over Mikey Rush and 16-year-old phenom James Ott who was making his professional debut.
The battle at the front went right to the final lap where Ott made one final lunge to overtake Rush as Rush did the same to Texter on the race’s final corner but in the end, their positions remained unchanged with Texter winning by a scant 0.129 seconds over Rush with Ott another 0.125 seconds back in third.
Shayna Texter
“It’s awesome to get the first win behind us. To give Red Bull KTM its first win in American Flat Track is awesome. Hats off to my partners… To be able to win in Roof Systems’ backyard is incredible.”
Last year’s Texas Half-Mile winner, Morgen Mischler finished fourth, followed by championship leader Dalton Gauthier in fifth while Aussie Max Whale went down hard in the first corner but is fit and ready for next weekend’s Super TT in Arizona.
AFT Singles Points after 3 of 18 Rounds
Dalton Gauthier – 59
Mikey Rush – 48
Jesse Janisch – 47
Dan Bromley – 44
Morgen Mischler – 40
Shayna Texter – 35
Oliver Brindley – 30
Max Whale – 22
Tristan Avery – 22
Michael Inderbitzin – 21
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Weekly Up-Date on Our Aussies Abroad
Jed Beaton – Rockstar Husqvarna
Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship Current Standing: 13th after Round 4 of 17 Notes: Thanks to some niggling injuries Jed sat out the opening round but has scored solid points in the next three rounds while still nursing a few aches and pains – the four week break from rounds 4 to 5 will do him no harm. The next round will be the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy on the 12th of May.
Mitch Evans – 114 Honda
Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship Current Standing: 8th after Round 4 of 17 Notes: Mitch sensationally started the season with a podium finish but since then it has been a bit of a roller coaster with great speed let down by two mechanical DNFs. The next round will be the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy on the 12th of May.
Mitch Evans
Tayla Jones – Rockstar/Husqvarna/Moose Racing/Shaw Wines
Championship: GNCC Current Standing: 1st after Round 4 of 13 Notes: Tayla has only lost one round so far this year and is looking as good as ever. Next round will be the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis on May 4 and 5
Caleb Grothues – SDM Corse Yamaha
Championship: EMX250 Current Standings: 16th after Round 2 of 8 Notes: The former Australian and World Junior Motocross Champion rode well at the opening round but was forced to sit out the second round due to injury but the West Aussie should be back for the next round in France on the 26th of May.
Hunter Lawrence – Geico Honda
Championship: AMA Motocross Championship Current Standings: TBA Notes: Hunter was looking sharp heading into the supercross championship before he crashed right before the opening round so he is now healed and by all accounts 100 per cent ready for the outdoors which kicks off at Hangtown on May 18.
Hunter Lawrence
Jett Lawrence – Geico Honda
Championship: TBA Current Standings: TBA Notes: Jett joined the Geico Honda amateur program for 2019 and to date he has raced a handful of events like the Mini-Os etc – as soon as he races and there are results it will be right here.
Tahlia ‘TJ’ O’Hare – KTM DIGA Racing Team
Championship: MXW World Motocross Championship Current Standings: 13th after Round 1 of 5 Notes: Tahlia’s initiation into the world motocross scene was at the toughest track on the circuit in Valkenswaard but she managed to get through with a solid 13th but look for TJ to move up the points standings at the second round in Portugal on May 19.
Chad Reed – JGR Suzuki
Championship: AMA Supercross Current Standing: 11th after Round 15 of 17 Notes: Chad was part of a multi bike crash at Seattle when he was sitting seventh in the championship and if a few things go his way Chad will be on the line at the final round of the championship at Vegas in two weekend’s time.
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld
Wil Ruprecht – Johansson MPE Yamaha
Championship: EnduroGP – Junior Class Current Standing: 2nd after Round 1 of 7 Notes: Wil proved his worth at the opening round in Germany with a solid weekend on the only Yamaha in the field. The next round will be at Valpaços in Portugal on May 3-4.
Meghan Rutledge – Bud Racing Kawasaki
Championship: MXW World Motocross Championship Current Standings: 8th after Round 1 of 5 Notes: Meghan sat out the World Championships for four years and her first round was marred with some minor mistakes but there was no mistaking her speed so look for Meghan to have a much better round in Portugal on the 19th of May.
Championship: GNCC / AMA Enduro Current Standing: 6th after Round 4 of 13 Notes: New team for Josh and he is gaining confidence at every round – Josh sat in second place for the early part of round 4 before dropping to fifth overall. Next round will be the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis on May 4 and 5
Mackenzie Tricker – KTM/MEPMX/Fly Racing
Championship: GNCC Current Standing: 3rd after Round 4 of 13 Notes: Mackenzie is not far off cracking a win at the GNCC level but the pace is red hot out front between Jones and Becca Sheets. Next round will be the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis on May 4 and 5
Max Whale – Weirbach Racing Kawasaki
Championship: AFT Singles Current Standings: 8th after Round 3 of 18 Notes: Max scored 5th at the opening round before struggling to an 11th at round two but it got worse at the 3rd round with a crash in the first corner that could have ended with a season ending injury but the plucky Queenslander has already stated on Facebook that he made a mistake but will be back next weekend’s Super TT in Arizona.
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Ferris to Raceline KTM
Dean Ferris has signed to ride for Raceline KTM and will potentially line-up for the Murray Bridge double-header in two weekend’s time – this is what Dean wrote on his Facebook page:
‘Stoked to announce my partnership with RaceLine Performance and Recover8. Massive thanks to everyone involved in getting me hooked up, all Raceline partners included. If you are wondering what Recover8 is, it’s a sport supplement about to hit the Market. TOP STUFF! Looking forward to ripping on this KTM 450.’
Dean Ferris to Raceline KTM
As far as Dean’s aspirations to race in America go it appears that the Raceline KTM/Recovery8 relationship may play a part in achieving that goal – more news to come.
Clement Desalle Injury Up-Date
Just a few weeks after celebrating his first podium of the season at the Dutch GP, Kawasaki’s Clément Desalle is recovering well at home from a minor surgery on his right knee after barely surviving a tough GP of Trentino.
During his charge to second place in the opening moto at Valkenswaard the Belgian felt pain in his leg and after several examinations between the GPs of Valkenswaard and Pietramurata, Clément knew that the Italian race would be difficult as he was unable to train during the week and had some pain in his knee.
Clément Desalle
“The examinations revealed that the meniscus was affected, and that some little pieces of bones were broken so we scheduled surgery for Monday after the race. This round was really difficult due to the pain and the crash in the second race; immediately after I retired I left with my father for Dr Claes’ clinic where I had surgery early last Monday (April 9). As soon as my knee had deflated after surgery I could start this week to work on a daily basis with my physiotherapist, mainly in the swimming pool at the moment but I have also started some bicycle exercises. We expect to do even more later this week, and for sure I’m pretty lucky that there is a break in the championship at the moment. The plan is to spend a few hours on the bike before Mantova, and so far everything has gone as we could expect.”
Clement Desalle
One week after surgery, Clément has already started the recuperation process and has a further three weeks to recover before Mantova on May 11th and 12th.
Currently sixth in the MXGP standing after his DNF in the second race in Trentino, Clément will be back racing in Italy, while teammate Julien Lieber will enter a French championship round during this spring break of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
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Dean Wilson joins the injured list
Like many before him, Dean Wilson’s 2019 AMA Supercross Champion has ended prematurely after crashing out of the main event at Denver last weekend – here is what Dean wrote on Instagram:
Dean Wilson
“Such a massive gut punch on Saturday. Just as I was gaining good momentum riding well, feeling good and chasing my first win things turned in the blink of an eye. Started off Denver topping free practice then went on to qualify P1 in qualifier 1. Qualifier 2 didn’t get the cleanest laps but ended with a 4th. On to the main event I was running around 7th on lap 7 moving forward and as I came around for the rhythm section I tripled in and something freak happened causing the bike to nose dive after I tripled in and pile driving me into the ground. The tough part of this is I have been trying so hard this year to be back where I need to be trying to get a job for next year. It’s tough just hoping to have a ride each year. 2nd part is people saying, ‘Wilson’s hurt again, big surprise there’ when it was something that wasn’t my fault. It’s a tough pill to swallow. I injured my shoulder and got a contusion on my kidneys. Got MRI and good news is I dodged a bullet on my shoulder and I am just going to give it a few weeks of rest and therapy and see where we are at. Huge disappointment to end my SX season like this. Thanks to my whole team for everything and everybody checking in on me. I really appreciate it. I will be back.”
Dean Wilson
In just the 450-class alone Chad Reed, Justin Brayton, Malcolm Stewart, Justin Barcia, Aaron Plessinger, Vince Friese, Benny Bloss, AJ Catanzaro, Tyler Enticknap, Cole Martinez and Ronnie Stewart all missed rounds or were forced out of the series with crashes at the races while Justin Hill and Joey Savatgy are riding injured and hanging in there.
Supercross returns to Wollongong in 2019
Troy Bayliss Events have confirmed that the third round of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship will be held at Wollongong’s WIN Stadium on Saturday the 9th of November giving fans the opportunity to see Australia’s best racers take on some international riders on a full-size track while racing the exciting Triple Crown Format in both SX1 and SX2 premiere classes.
Three-time Superbike World Champion and Event Organiser Troy Bayliss said the stadium layout will be unique with a section of the track heading up onto the iconic hill.
Troy Bayliss
“In 2018, Troy Bayliss Events took the big step to put Supercross back into a stadium in Australia with Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium round, now Troy Bayliss Events is thrilled to be taking the NSW event back to an outdoor stadium. WIN Stadium is the perfect size with the crowd so close to the action and the location is second to none. I am really excited about the track layout. This event will be like no other with the track winding up onto the iconic hill. We would like to thank Destination Wollongong, Wollongong City Council, WIN Stadium and Yamaha for the support to allow Supercross to take place In Wollongong and within WIN Stadium. The Illawarra is rich with motorcycle champions and fans and we can’t wait until the gates drop on November 9.”
Troy Bayliss
Yamaha Motor Australia will be a major sponsor to Round 3 of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship. Wollongong’s WIN Stadium is the perfect venue to showcase our race teams as they battle for supremacy in the VictorYZone.
In addition, this round will host another YZ65 Cup event – the grassroots race series designed to give young guns their first taste of the big time by racing in front of their Supercross heroes and up to 20,000 fans.
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Australian Motorcycle Festival Also set for Wollongong
Troy Bayliss Events have also confirmed that the Australian Motorcycle Festival will take place right next door to WIN Stadium at Lang Park on the same weekend as the Australian Supercross Championship over the weekend of November 9 and 10.
Formally known as the Sydney Motorcycle Show, Australia’s largest Motorcycle Show is also set to expand with massive trade displays featuring motorcycles, scooters, ATV’s, SxS’s, trikes and jet skis as well as related products and services while visitors to the event will have the opportunity to test a huge range of motorcycles and jet-skis.
Mark Sleigh, General Manager, Destination Wollongong said the city is excited to host the Australian Supercross Championship and Motorcycle Festival in November.
Mark Sleigh – Destination Wollongong
“Wollongong makes for the perfect road trip with stunning coastline taking in Sea Cliff Bridge as well as the winding escarpment which will put all your motorcycle skills to the test. The combination of the Championship and the Motorcycle Festival make for the perfect weekend away so we encourage everyone to stay a little longer and enjoy the attractions, natural assets and cafes and bars on offer in Wollongong.”
Tickets will go on sale Monday 29th April via Ticketmaster with tickets starting from $30.00. A full line up of support classes and live entertainment will be released in the coming weeks.
Smektala Scores Warsaw Wildcard
FIM Speedway Under-21 world champion Bartosz Smektala is set to done the famous #16 race jacket for his full FIM Speedway Grand Prix debut after earning a wildcard for the opening round of the FIM Speedway World Championship at PGE Narodowy on May 18.
The 20-year-old was crowned World Under-21 champion last season after seeing off a huge challenge from 2017 champion Maksym Drabik before winning a second straight PGE Ekstraliga title with Leszno.
Bartosz Smektala
Smektala rode in his first SGP heat as a track reserve at the 2017 Nice Torun SGP of Poland, before serving as a stand-in rider again in Warsaw last year where he raced in heat 14 that night, finishing second to Chris Holder and beating eventual World Championship bronze medallist Fredrik Lindgren and Craig Cook.
The Srem-born racer represents Leszno once again in this year’s PGE Ekstraliga as well as Swedish Elitserien club Vastervik.
He’s joined in Warsaw by track reserves Dominik Kubera and Rafal Karczmarz, who line up at No.17 and No.18 respectively. Kubera races alongside Smektala with Leszno, while Karczmarz rides for Gorzow.
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Paulo Goncalves Joins Hero Motorsports
The Indian off-road team Hero Motorsports have confirmed that former Dakar runner up and 2015 FIM Cross-Country Champion Paulo Gonçalves will be joining the team as they continue their quest for Dakar glory.
Paulo Goncalves joins Hero Motorsports
Created in 2016, Hero Motorsport Rally Team has been gaining experience competing in some of the most demanding off-road races, especially the Dakar Rally where Hero Motorsports have finished inside the top-10 twice, and the best result came at the Merzouga Rally where they won.
Paulo Gonçalves has been racing for the factory Honda Dakar team but decided it was time to change and try new challenges.
Paulo Gonçalves
“From my side, I promise to give my everything to be ready and fit to be able to fight for the top positions for my team. Hero MotoSports has been doing a really good job in the last couple of seasons and this young team has shown, that it has the potential to win big. I would like to play my part in bringing these wins to the team. With lots of passion and emotions, my thanks again to the team and I am excited to begin.”
Paulo Goncalves
Wolfgang Fischer – Head of Hero MotoSports Team Rally
“We are very motivated by the entry of Paulo Gonçalves into our young set-up. To attract one of the most decorated and respected top rally athletes is a big boost for our team and an endorsement that we are being looked upon as one of the top teams in rally sport. His experience of numerous race victories and Dakar participation into our line-up will enable us to achieve the next level of competitiveness. We extend Paulo a very warm welcome and wish him a successful stint with Hero MotoSports Team Rally.”
The new Hero Motorsports Rally Team is now completed with Paulo Gonçalves joins his Portuguese compatriot Joaquim Rodrigues as well as CS Santosh and Oriol Mena.
The Hero Motorsports Rally Team is getting ready for the next race, the Silkway Rally, that will happen in July, covering some spectacular trails in Russia, Mongolia and China.
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Dakar Rally Moves to Saudi Arabia
After 11 years of being based in South America, Dakar Rally organizers ASO have confirmed that the event will take place in Saudi Arabia beginning in 2020 and beyond.
The event was held solely in Peru earlier this year after the ASO was forced to hastily assemble a route in 2019 after the late withdrawal of Bolivia and Chile.
Dakar Rally Director – David Castera
“Looking back at my first memories of the Dakar and my first experiences as a competitor, I’ve always considered that this rally like no other carried a concept of discovery, a voyage into the unknown. By going to Saudi Arabia, it is, of course, that aspect that fascinates me. I’m convinced that such a feeling will be shared by all the riders, drivers and co-pilots. As the director of the event, it’s a massive challenge to be faced with a blank page with limitless possibilities. I’m already inspired and delighted to have to design a course in such a monumental geography, made for the most audacious itineraries. We are spoilt for choice. Sports, navigation, a will to surpass oneself: all these aspects will naturally be glorified on this territory made for rally-raids.”
More details regarding the event will be announced at a press conference on April 25 in Al-Qiddiya, near the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
As a point of interest, the Arabian desert is an area of 2,330,000 square kilometres, the fifth largest desert in the world, and the largest in Asia. At its centre is Ar-Rub’al-Khali (The Empty Quarter), one of the largest continuous bodies of sand in the world – GULP!
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Treloar crowned 11-time Australian Speedway Sidecar Champion
Treloar Pioneer Park Speedway, Queensland played host to a momentous occasion in Australian Speedway Sidecar history, with spectators and riders alike witnessing Darrin Treloar’s 11th claim to the Australian Senior Speedway Sidecar Championship and the retirement of Andrew Buchanan.
Australian Speedway Sidecar
Featuring in the Final was Monson/Summerhayes, Plaisted/Pitt, Harrison/McGrath and Treloar/Cox. With consecutive wins in the FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship and FIM 1000cc Speedway Sidecar World Cup under their belt, the dynamic duo that is Monson and Summerhayes were locked and loaded to blaze a trail into first place. After four exhilarating laps though, it was Treloar and Cox who stole the win, marking Treloar’s 11th Australian Speedway Sidecar title!
Darrin Treloar
“2019 marks my 11th Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship and honestly it hasn’t sunk in yet. Nothing beats my first Championship win back in 1993 up in Darwin of course, but this win is definitely something else. Coming into this weekend I try and keep fit with 3-4 days spent in the gym, plus heaps of work in the garage developing the bike. As the Championship marks the end of the season, we as competitors were well into the swing of things [keeping fit and staying motivated] with most of us having already competed in 10-15 events prior. Andrew is a great bloke who is a fantastic addition to the sport. This weekend was emotional of course as he announced he was hanging up the boots, but as always Andrew was extremely competitive and didn’t give an inch. So you had to fight hard to push ahead of him.”
2019 Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship Podium
Running in conjunction with the Seniors at Pioneer Park across the Easter long weekend was the 2019 Australian Junior Speedway Sidecar Championship.
Arriving at the Final, fans had the privilege of witnessing the clear emergence of superb Australian Speedway Sidecar talent, as all three squads became demons behind the handlebars. Coming out on top to claim the 2019 Australian Junior Speedway Sidecar Championship was the Fewster team, ahead of Curran/Kerss and Milner/Niesche in second and third place, respectively.
Australian Junior Speedway Sidecar Championship Podium
Western Australia (WA) locals, Jack and Adam Fewster have taken out their second Australian Junior Speedway Sidecar Championship title. As they land back on WA soil, Jack explained that “The weekend’s racing was really great! The racing was super tough which really pushed us to try as hard as we could to win. The practice day prior to racing really helped us keep cool and collected.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
The LATEST News
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Ferris pulls out of MXGP opportunity
Thad Duvall wins Steele Creek GNCC
Sunderland leads Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
Holcombe continues Italian Enduro Championship domination
FIM E-XBike World Cup announced
Price commits to four-wheels at Finke 2019
2019 FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup to Gillman
FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championships re-scheduled
Houston AMA SX Falls to Webb and Ferrandis
Houston hosted the 13th round of the AMA Supercross Championships last weekend and it was Cooper Webb and Dylan Ferrandis who took maximum points in the 450SX and 250SX West respectively in the third and final ‘triple crown’ main event format for the year.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Report
The triple crown program features three x 12 minute main events and Ken Roczen not only pulled the holeshot in the first of the three but the German also went on to win by a staggering 10 seconds. The action behind changed the status within team KTM and this championship after Marvin Musquin and Webb ‘drive bombed’ each other at almost every turn for the first few laps until Musquin got pushed off the track by Webb as they entered ‘the wall jump’ that preceded the sand section.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Oblivious to the drama behind, Roczen took the win ahead of Webb and Wilson and while the second main didn’t see the same ‘bar banging’ action it did see Roczen go down in the first corner before leaving the stadium with what seemed to be a damaged knee or ankle while Webb rallied to score the win over Dean Wilson and Musquin then in the third main Musquin squirted away for the win ahead of Eli Tomac and a cruising Webb who was fully aware that a third would give him the overall ahead of Musquin and Wilson.
Eli Tomac (6-7-2), Cole Seely (4-4-11), Zach Osborne (10-6-4), Justin Bogle (8-5-7), Blake Baggett (9-9-6), Joey Savatgy (7-11-9) and Ken Roczen (1-21-8) rounded out the top ten.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Webb now has a 17-point lead with four rounds remaining and admitted that he got a little frustrated during the opening moto and will learn from the experience while the good news for Roczen fans is that the Honda rider came back out for the final race and finished 8th – news of his injury status will be confirmed in the coming days.
Cooper Webb
“It is intense racing. I got frustrated and let it show, that is not the way to do it for sure because we let Ken (Roczen) get away, I will learn from it and try to contain the emotions a bit better and like Marv said, we are team mates but we are one and two in the championships so it’s a tough line but I will be better moving forward.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin
“Triple crown is always intense with only 12 minute races so everyone is pushing really hard and I made the pass (on Webb) in the first left hander but then got passed in the whoops before making a good pass on Cooper, everyone was pushing hard and Cooper made an aggressive pass on me which pushed me off the track but this is triple crown and you have to be consistent so sometimes it is not the fastest guy who wins the overall.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Dean Wilson
“Getting back on the podium feels great, it’s been over a year but it is a tough class, I put myself in good positions in the first two races with top three off the start which helps so much, overall my riding has been good but it is a mental game for me because I have been bucked off the horse quite a few times so sometimes I don’t believe in myself like I should, I want to thank my support group for getting me through this.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Cole Seely
“Tonight was pretty good. I finally finished in the top five, which is where I feel like I should’ve been all year. The way things have been going so far have been frustrating, and it’s hard to explain; the toll the injury took on me last year was a lot more intense and in-depth than I thought it was. It’s been a long road to get back to here but I feel like I’ve had speed all year, I just haven’t been able to put it all together. The results haven’t been translating into how well I think I really have ridden most of the year. It feels good to finally break into that top five and run up front with those guys in the first two mains, relatively easy, too. I know it’s not a traditional 20-minute main but it felt like it was coming to me pretty easy, so that’s definitely a confidence booster heading into the final rounds. It’s a bummer it’s taken this long to come around, but I’m happy it did and we’re going to keep working forward.”
2019 AMA Supercross – Round 13 – Houston
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb: 2-1-3 = 26pts
Marvin Musquin: 5-3-1 = 23pts
Dean Wilson: 3-2-5= 21pts
Eli Tomac: 6-7-2 = 19pts
Cole Seely: 4-4-11 = 18pts
Zach Osborne: 10-6-4 = 17pts
Justin Bogle: 8-5-7 = 16pts
Blake Baggett: 9-9-6 = 15pts
Joey Savatgy: 7-11-9 = 14pts
Ken Roczen: 1-21-8 = 13pts
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450SX Points after 13 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 288
Marvin Musquin – 271
Eli Tomac – 262
Ken Roczen – 252
Blake Baggett – 215
Dean Wilson – 201
Joey Savatgy – 173
Cole Seely – 160
Chad Reed – 151
Justin Barcia – 150
250 West Coast Report
It looked like Adam Cianciarulo was set to extend his 15 point lead over Ferrandis in the championship after the Kawasaki rider won the opening main well ahead of Ferrandis and RJ Hampshire. However the second moto turned sour when Adam spewed through the tuff boxes on the exit of the first corner and then as he was coming back through the field he clipped another rider mid-air and crashed his way to a 10th place finish as Ferrandis cruised to a win ahead of Hampshire, Garrett Marchbanks and Nichols.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
The final main saw Nichols out front ahead of Ferrandis while Cianciarulo was once again on the ground but Adam quickly made his way through the pack to end the race in third behind Nichols and his teammate Ferrandis who scored his second overall win in two weeks to be just five points behind championship leader Cianciarulo with two rounds remaining.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Ferrandis, Hampshire and Nichols got to enjoy the podium accolades while Cianciarulo (1-10-3), James Decotis (6-5-6), Cameron Mcadoo (9-6-5), Justin Starling (12-8-8), Sean Cantrell (11-7-13), Garrett Marchbanks (10-3-19) and Chris Blose (8-19-7) rounded out the top ten.
Dylan Ferrandis
“It is good to be back in the championship, it is exciting for the end of the season, I will not change anything (leading up to the final two rounds), I will keep working with my trainer and do everything I can to challenge AC (Cianciarulo) for this championship.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
RJ Hampshire
“I haven’t cracked to top five in the recent races so we made huge improvements this week with the bike so I had good starts all night that lead into good finishes, I didn’t do anything special all day, I just rode so stocked to be up here in second place.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Colt Nichols
“I really wanted to race and didn’t want to miss a weekend after last weekend’s DNF so we just dealt with the soreness to manage decent results in the first two mains then win the last which is exactly what I wanted to do, it’s just good to win something again, it’s been a while.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
The West Coast riders have a break next weekend as the East Coast riders head to Nashville for their 7th round.
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Clout and Todd Top Wonthaggi MX Nationals
Under stormy skies and intermittent rain, the second round of the MX Nationals was held in Wonthaggi last weekend and it was Luke Clout who earned the MX1 overall while defending champion Wilson Todd was in a class of his own on the way to victory in the MX2 class.
2019 MX Nationals Round 2 – Wonthaggi
MX1 Report
With rain soaking the track it was tough going throughout the day but the surprise of the opening moto was Lawson Bopping leading by the field ahead of foreign imports Erki Kahro (Estonia) and Justin Rodbell (USA) while Luke Clout was back in 6th, Hayden Mellross 8th, Brett Metcalfe 12th, Kirk Gibbs 14th and championship leader Todd Waters 28th after opening lap crash that ended up resulting in a DNF.
Luke Clout chases down Waters and Mellross
Bopping was impressive out front but with five laps to go the Kawasaki rider was obviously showing signs of a lack of race fitness so it was Kahro who made his move to take the lead then it wasn’t long before a hard charging Clout also made his way to second place.
With lapped riders causing all sorts of chaos Clout closed in on Kahro and with five corners left Clout sliced his way to the lead and the win but Clout’s celebrations where cut short after he was dropped back to second thanks to a 10 second penalty for exceeding track boundaries.
Kirk Gibbs
In much better conditions Rodbell pulled the holeshot in the second moto ahead of Waters and Karo but Richie Evans, Kirk Gibbs and Brett Metcalfe all went down in the first corner.
18-year-old Rodbell couldn’t hold Waters back for long so the early running saw Waters leading Rodbell, Clout, Karo and Mellross until Karo took a heavy fall and dropped out of contention allowing privateer Charlie Creech to move into the top five.
Todd Waters & Luke Clout
In the second half of the moto Clout received a 20 second race penalty for exceeding track limits again and Mellross high-sided his KTM but was sharp enough to get back and rejoin the race behind Clout so at the chequered flag it was Waters who took the win ahead of Clout who had etched out enough time to earn second ahead of Mellross despite the 20-second penalty while Rodbell and Rykers finished fourth, and fifth – Kahro clawed his way back to sixth.
Hayden Mellross
Despite being penalised in both races Clout’s 2-2 earned the CDR Yamaha rider the overall win ahead of Mellross and Karo and more importantly Mellross has earned the red plate as the points leader ahead of Clout, Gibbs and Waters as they head towards round three of the championship at Broadford, Vic, on April 14th.
Luke Clout
“I don’t know what happened, If I end up getting the win, or I end up getting second I don’t really care, it’s a good ride for me. I was really mature in my riding.”
Luke Clout
Erki Kahro
“It was just a really tough moto, it was a really good track, a really hard track. A proper motocross track.”
Lawson Bopping
“It was a great weekend, and I had a lot of fun with the team, I struggled a little in practice and got arm pump straight up – that was to be expected – I haven’t done a national in three years. I qualified in 12th, which wasn’t real great, but I ripped an awesome start in the first moto and led for maybe 20 minutes – that was awesome! I put the fade on in the last 10 minutes and a few guys got around me. Leading those few laps at the start made my whole weekend and it was a good time! The second moto was pretty miserable, to be honest. I think I went pretty hard in the first race and I was pretty flat for the second one, but overall we’re happy.”
Lawson Bopping
Jesse Dobson
“Today was tough, but overall really positive, I didn’t realise I made Superpole at the time and rode back to my pit and started getting undressed! I had to rush to get back on the track and I ended up with arm-pump. I had a good start in race one and pushed forward to fifth, but I only have the one bike, so when it started to get hot, I pulled over and my mechanic Aiden helped me clear the radiators rather than wreck it with a race to go, before pushing hard again to finish 12th, I was confident lining up for race two but ended up caught in the first turn pile up after the FC450 jumped out of gear at the start and put me behind. I charged hard to 6th, 20-minutes into the race, but in the last few laps the rear wheel bearings collapsed and I had to work hard to stay on track and make sure I got to finish line. I finished 7th on track, but I was penalised 10-seconds for overtaking a lapped rider outside the track markers, when I was working hard to just keep the bike on track and moving forward, I’ve put my case to the officials for review, so we’ll see what happens there.”
Jesse Dobson
Kirk Gibbs
“It wasn’t a great day for me and I leave here pretty frustrated and angry, I was way back in moto one and was moving forward when another rider went down and took me with them and I lost plenty of time there and then in the second one I went down at the start, had to stop into the mechanics area to get the bike straightened out and was a long way behind the field when I re-joined the race. I kept on chipping away and managed to get myself back to seventh and felt I rode alright but seventh isn’t where I belong and makes my determined to bounce back at round three in a couple of weeks’ time.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Report
The Pirelli MX2 class ran three motos on the day starting with two back to back 8-lap motos followed by a traditional 15-minute moto and Wilson Todd was completely dominant in all three to earn the overall ahead of Aaron Tanti and former red plate holder Jye Roberts.
Wilson Todd
Wilson now has a 9-point lead over Roberts who in turn has a 5-point lead over former champion Jay Wilson – thankfully there were no course cutting penalties to report on in the MX2 class.
Wilson Todd
“I felt good coming into this weekend, the FC250 is working unreal for me, and I’m really comfortable being back with DPH, I wanted to really race this weekend after Appin, and I’m super stoked to have first gate pick and then take all three race wins. As the track dried, it got faster, and I was able to put in some really strong, consistent laps and the hard work I’ve been putting in is really starting to show.”
Wilson Todd
Aaron Tanti
“I had race one under control and didn’t really feel much pressure from behind me but as I came down the pit board straight, I felt the front wheel aquaplane in the mud and by the time it grabbed traction again, I was already heading off track. But second was still a good finish, race two was pretty average but I was able to rebound well in the final one and get on the podium. Thanks to everyone in the Serco Yamaha team. The first two rounds have been a nightmare for the mechanics and they have done a good job of keeping the bikes in great shape. Next up is Broadford and I’m looking forward to that and hopefully keep this momentum going.”
Aaron Tanti
Kyle Webster
“The first race in the morning was pretty wet and the mud was tough, but nevertheless I was running top four for most of the moto and was feeling good, until the last lap when my bike stopped due to overheating. With the back-to-back format I had to get back to the start and get straight on my practice bike for the second moto, which meant I didn’t get a chance to prep my gate which in turn meant I got a bad start and it was all I could do to work my way up to fifth by the finish of the moto. That final moto was a much better way to end a day that definitely didn’t start the way I was hoping,”
Kyle Webster
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 1 Top 10
Wilson Todd
Aaron Tanti
Cooper Pozniak
Jay Wilson
Jye Dickson
Nathan Crawford
Jy Roberts
Sam Pelz
Issac Ferguson
Dylan Wills
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 2 Top 10
Wilson Todd
Jy Roberts
Joel Evans
Cooper Pozniak
Kyle Webster
Bailey Malkiewicz
Sam Pelz
Riley Dukes
Aaron Tanti
Jye Dickson
Jay Wilson
Nathan Crawford
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 3 Top 10
Wilson Todd
Kyle Webster
Jay Wilson
Aaron Tanti
Jy Roberts
Dylan Wills
Jye Dickson
Nathan Crawford
Sam Pelz
Issac Ferguson
MX2 Overall Round Podium – 1) Wilson Todd, 2) Aaron Tanti, 3) Jy Roberts
Pirelli MX2 – Top Ten Overall
Wilson Todd – 70
Aaron Tanti – 56
Jy Roberts – 56
Jay Wilson – 54
Cooper Pozniak – 52
Jye Dickson – 49
Sam Pelz – 48
Kyle Webster – 46
Nathan Crawford – 43
Issac Ferguson – 42
MX2 Points after 3 of 10 Rounds
Wilson Todd – 100
Jy Roberts – 91
Jay Wilson – 86
Aaron Tanti – 77
Cooper Pozniak – 76
Issac Ferguson – 70
Nathan Crawford – 68
Jye Dickson – 64
Dylan Wills – 63
Kyle Webster – 62
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MXD Report
Of the young guns of the sport Regan Duffy dominated the MXD class with a pair of wins to take the round overall and more importantly the championship points lead by 4 points ahead of Rhys Buss while former championship leader Max Purvis went 18-2 for 7th on the day and now sits 3rd in the points.
Rhys Budd
Rhys Budd
“Wonthaggi is known as a really tough sand track, and truth be told I am not much of a sand rider but I actually felt really strong at Wonthaggi. Third overall for the round is good and it means I am a solid second in the championship standings after two rounds, which I’m really pleased about, I can’t wait to get back home to Sydney and just keep working hard toward the next round. The MX Nationals is a long series, for sure, but my plan is to keep hitting my targets and to be right there at the end of the championship.”
Rhys Budd
Motul MXD – Moto 1 Top 10
Regan Duffy
Mason Rowe
Rhys Budd
Noah Ferguson
Mason Semmens
Brodie Ellis
Jai Walker
Tye Jones
Jack Kukas
Mackenzie O’Bree
Motul MXD – Moto 2 Top 10
Regan Duffy
Maximus Purvis
Mason Rowe
Rhys Budd
Noah Ferguson
Mason Semmens
Brodie Ellis
Liam Andrews
Jack Kukas
Micheal Murphy
Regan Duffy claimed the overall win and red plate, with Mason Row and Rhys Budd closing out the podium
Motul MXD – Top Ten Overall
Regan Duffy – 70
Mason Rowe – 62
Rhys Budd – 58
Noah Ferguson – 54
Mason Semmens – 51
Brodie Ellis – 49
Maximus Purvis – 45
Jack Kukas – 44
Jai Walker – 39
Mackenzie O’Bree – 37
MXD Championship Points
Regan Duffy – 94
Rhys Budd – 90
Maximus Purvis – 80
Mason Rowe – 78
Noah Ferguson – 69
125cc Gold Cup Report
Cameron Taylor tops the 125 podium at Wonthaggi from Joshua Kilvington and Nicholas Murray
Multi Australian Champion Cameron Taylor put his experience to good use to win both of the 125cc Gold Cup motos in tough conditions at Wonthaggi while Queenslander Josh Kilvington earned second with 2-2 moto results ahead of Nicholas Murray (4-3) and the hard charging Clay Kilvington (3-4), Josh’s younger brother.
Yamaha 125cc Gold Cup – Rd 2 Overall
Cameron Taylor – 70
Joshua Kilvington – 64
Nicholas Murray – 58
Clay Kilvington – 58
Jedidiah Cornthwaite – 51
Lachlan Wilson – 48
Nick Davis – 48
Darcy Cavanagh – 45
Ryan Butler – 44
Baylee Davies – 42
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Cairoli and Prado Blitz Valkenswaard
Round three of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship was held at Valkenswaard in the Netherlands last weekend and it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado who won the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.
Tony Cairoli takes the holeshot – Image by Ray Archer
MXGP Report
Valkenswaard is one of the toughest tracks on MXGP calendar with the undulating, sand infested layout chopping out into a rut infested torture test but that didn’t stop Cairoli earning two holeshots, two wins and the maximum 50 points.
Clement Desalle
Clement Desalle’s 2-5 scores earned 38 points for second overall and Tim Gajser’s crash in the opening moto saw the Honda pilot end the weekend with 7-2 moto finishes for 36 points and third overall.
Cairoli already has more than a moto up his sleeve in the championship points with the 9-time World Champion storming to his 88th GP win and heads to his home GP in Trentino with a 27-point lead over Gajser.
Antonio Cairoli
“Overall I’m happy going into Trentino next week. Having the first three GP wins this year it’s nice. Of course, it’s not easy, Tim is very fast at the moment and it’s nice to have such a high rhythm in the race for us, for the fans, and for everybody.”
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Clement Desalle
“I’m happy going into Trentino next week. Having the first three GP wins this year it’s nice. Of course, it’s not easy, Tim is very fast at the moment and it’s nice to have such a high rhythm in the race for us, for the fans, and for everybody.”
Clement Desalle
Tim Gajser
“I’m happy to finish on the podium again. But yeah I’m a little bit disappointed. In the first race I had a good start and I was in third place behind Tony and Max, then I make a mistake and I fell so I had to came through the pack. Anyway we’re looking forward to next weekend in Arco, definitely many fans from Slovenia are going to be there and I’m excited.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Report
Prado won the opening moto by seven seconds over Thomas Kjer Olsen, Henry Jacobi, Calvin Vlaanderen and Ben Watson while Jed Beaton finished a solid 10th but fellow Aussie Mitch Evans was storming his way forward from a poor start only to have to retire with a mechanical issue.
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Prado won the second moto by five seconds ahead of Jago Geerts, Kjer Olsen, Vlaanderen and Watson with Evan bouncing back to finish in 10th while Beaton finished in a credible 15th despite still recovering from injury.
Prado earned the overall while Olsen took second to maintain the red plate and a 36 point lead over Prado ahead of next weekend’s MXGP of Trentino.
Jorge Prado
“I had a good feeling both days, It’s still not where I want because we still need to work but I’m going in the right direction. Trentino should be a great weekend hopefully. I have good memories from there and I have good races there every year. Hopefully we can make another good one next week.”
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“I feel pretty good with my performance. I got two good starts in the races, which I was pretty happy about. It made it a little bit easier for me to not have to battle all the way through the field. Prado was riding really good, I didn’t feel like I was riding bad or anything myself, I had a pretty good flow it just wasn’t quite enough.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Jago Geerts
“It was a really good week for me, the first race didn’t go as planned but in the second race I was pretty fired up, in the last lap I got second place and took third on the podium so I was pretty happy with that.”
Jago Geerts
Jed Beaton
“I had an OK GP and felt good on my bike, in the opening moto my pace was good so I managed to secure a top-10 result. Then in the second moto, I pushed a bit more than I needed to early on and ended up getting a little fatigued. Then injury I picked up during the pre-season hasn’t allowed me to spend as much time as I would have liked on a bike. Around a tough track like Valkenswaard it is always important to be on top of your game. At the moment I’m taking one step at a time and I’m trying to get better every time I race.”
Jed Beaton
Mitch Evans
“Tough day in the office riding with a lot of pain from yesterday’s crash. Moto 1 I made my way up to 13th before having to make a pit stop due to a mechanical but happy with my 10th place in moto 2! Thanks to my Honda114 Motorsports Team! Keeping a smile on my face and enjoying every day, good or bad!”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Verstappen Takes WMX First Blood
Valkenswaard hosted the first round of the 2019 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and despite Kiwi Courtney Duncan being the fastest on the track it was Amandine Verstappen who took the overall win and red plate for the very first time in her career.
Amandine Verstappen
39 women stormed into the first corner of the opening moto and it was all Duncan with the Kawasaki pilot taking the win by 6.6 seconds ahead of Verstappen, Larissa Papenmeier, Nancy Van De Ven and Shana van der Vlist while Aussie Meghan Rutledge managed to get back to 9th after a poor start.
The second moto was looking to be the same outcome but on lap seven Duncan crashed heavily over the rut infested finish line jump but in a crash that would have left mere mortals laying around in pain, Duncan ran back to her bike, remounted and despite it taking ages to get her bike going managed to get back to a credible 7th,
Courtney Duncan
At the finish it was a race win for Van de Ven who had an eight second gap back to Verstappen while Papenmeier, Shana van der Vlist and Line Dam rounded out the top five with Duncan and Rutledge coming home 7th and 8th.
Verstappen’s 2-2 moto results earned her the overall ahead of Van De Ven, Papenmeier, Duncan, van der Vlist, Lynn Valk, Dam and Rutledge as the Women head to the MXGP of Portugal on the 18th and 19th of May in Agueda.
Meghan Rutledge
WMX Overall Top Ten
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 44 points
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 43
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40
Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 39
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 34
Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 29
Line Dam (DEN, HON), 26
Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 25
Virginie Germond (SUI, KTM), 18
WMX Overall Podium – 1) Verstappen, 2) Van De Ven, 3) Papenmeier
WMX Championship Top Ten
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 44 points
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 43
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40
Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 39
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 34
Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 29
Line Dam (DEN, HON), 26
Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 25
Virginie Germond (SUI, KTM), 18
Guadagnini starts EMX125 championship on top
Maddii Racing Husqvarna’s Mattia Guadagnini has won the opening round of the EMX125 Championship which was held at the Dutch circuit of Valkenswaard last weekend.
100 riders tried to qualify for the 40 championship gate positions and after a very tough weekend of racing it was Guadagnini’s 1-4 moto results that earned the overall win while Jorgen-Matthias Talviku and second moto winner Tom Guyon rounded out the podium.
EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing ChampionshipTop Ten
Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 43 points
Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 42
Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 39
Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 38
Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 34
Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 26
Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), 21
Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 20
Joel Rizzi (GBR, KTM), 20
Alessandro Facca (ITA, KTM), 17
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Ferris pulls out of MXGP opportunity
Dean Ferris has pulled out of filling in for Romain Febvre at the Monster Energy Yamaha team and is back in Australia to recuperate from of a minor knee injury he sustained at the MXGP of Great Britain two weekends ago.
Dean Ferris sustained a knee injury in Britain
Ferris was expected to compete in three GPs in Great Britain, The Netherlands and Trentino, but has been forced to withdraw due to complications with his knee and to keep his options open for a ride in America for the AMA Motocross Nationals that kick off in May.
Massimo Raspanti – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team Manager
“It’s a shame that Dean’s opportunity has been cut short. He was improving every time he rode the bike and was a pleasure to have around the team. Luck is a factor in top-level motocross and both Dean and Romain have been unlucky this season. I hope he makes a quick recovery, and I wish him the best for the rest of the year.”
Sunderland leads Abu Dhabi Desert challenge
After just two stages KTM rider Sam Sunderland leads the six stage Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in the back of winning the opening stage then backing that up with a solid fifth on a tough stage two.
Thanks to winning the first stage, Sunderland was the first to enter stage two navigating through the looped timed special that took riders around the Liwa oasis area, Sunderland led the majority of the route, only to be passed late in the day by Jose Ignacio Cornejo, Joan Barreda, Andrew Short and Luciano Benavides.
Sam Sunderland
“Starting first on the route is always going to be a disadvantage obviously, but I’m pleased with how I rode and believe I did a good job of opening the stage. I set a good pace all day and only got caught by Andrew at around kilometre 200, which is really good for leading out here in Abu Dhabi as it’s always quite tricky to navigate and easy to lose time when riding at the front. I am very pleased with how everything is going at the moment – the bike is perfect and the team are doing great. Hopefully the wind eases off a little as it makes everyone’s job a little harder, but it’s the desert and it can be expected. Looking forward to getting going again tomorrow.”
Sam Sunderland – 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
The 434km third stage marks the rally’s halfway point and will feature a 300km special stage.
Provisional Results Stage Two – 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 3:13:21
Joan Barreda (SPA), Honda, 3:15:04 +1:43
Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 3:16:19 +2:58
Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:16:51 +3:30
Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 3:19:16 +5:55
Provisional Overall Standings (after Stage Two)
Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 6:59:57
Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 7:00:48 +0:51
Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 7:04:09 +4:12
Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 7:06:39 +6:42
Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 7:20:17 +20:20
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Thad Duvall wins Steele Creek GNCC
Steele City, Morganton hosted round three of the 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) last weekend it was Thad Duvall who became the third winner of the season at the 20th Annual FMF Steele Creek GNCC.
Kailub Russell grabbed the holeshot – Image by Ken Hill
Defending champion Kailub Russell grabbed the holeshot and led Duvall and Trevor Bollinger into the woods of North Carolina and over the next two plus hours Duvall battled with Russell and Bollinger, going from first to third multiple times but Duvall made his way to the front of the pack on the last lap after Russell became stuck in a rut behind lapped riders.
With the finish line in sight Duvall and Russell engaged in a heated battle, but as the chequered flag flew it was Duvall coming through first, just two seconds ahead of Russell while Bollinger fell of the pace thanks to getting stuck on one of the famous uphills twice but still managed third.
Thad Duvall – Image by Ken Hill
Steward Baylor Jr, Josh Toth, Jordan Ashburn, Josh Strang, Cory Buttrick, Andrew Delong and Layne Michael rounded out the top ten.
After suffering a rare defeat at the second round, Aussie Tayla Jones took out the WXC class ahead of Becca Sheets and fellow Aussie Mackenzie Tricker – Jones now leads the championship by just three points over Sheets.
The 2019 GNCC Series returns in two weeks, April 13-14, with the CST Tires Camp Coker Bullet in Society Hill, South Carolina.
XC1 Pro Event Results
Thad Duvall (HQV)
Kailub Russell (KTM)
Trevor Bollinger (HQV)
Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM)
Josh Toth (KTM)
Jordan Ashburn (KAW)
Josh Strang (KAW)
Cory Buttrick (YAM)
Andrew Delong (HON)
Layne Michael (HQV)
Overall National Championship Standings
Kailub Russell (80)
Thad Duvall (72)
Steward Baylor Jr. (66)
Trevor Bollinger (62)
Ben Kelley (47)
Josh Toth (46)
Josh Strang (43)
Jordan Ashburm (36)
Jonathan Girroir (35)
Michael Witkowski (32)
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Holcombe continues Italian Enduro Championship domination
Beta Factory Racing’s Steve Holcombe has secured his second victory in the Italian Enduro Championship with an overall win at round three. Fresh from his winning ride at last weekend’s Enduro World Championship, the defending Italian Enduro Champion continued his impressive form into the Arma di Taggia event to secure his second win in as many races and extend his lead at the top of the Italian championship series.
Faced with a varied set of special tests – ranging from a cross test on the beach to a rocky and technical extreme test in the mountains – the third stop of the series proved a challenging one from the off. Steve secured the overall victory and with it he extends his lead in the championship standings to 17 points. The Italian Enduro Championship continues with round four in Pontremoli on April 14.
Steve Holcombe
“I’m chuffed to have come away with the win today after making it hard on myself this morning. I’m not really sure what was up, but I just didn’t have a great opening lap and struggled to find my rhythm. I got it together on lap two and three and when I won the second extreme test that motivated me to push hard and close the gap. I think the extreme test is where the race came back to me because I managed to win that test on the final two laps as well, which put me back in contention. All told, I’m delighted to have got another victory – that’s two wins from three starts in the Italian championship, which is cool. We’ve got about two weeks off now until round four, which I’m looking forward too – it’ll give me a chance to recover from what’s been a busy couple of weeks racing and allow me time to work on a few areas I need to improve on, too.”
Steve Holcombe – 2019 Italian Enduro Championship
Championship Standings after Round 3
Steve Holcombe (Beta) 57pts
Alex Salvini (Honda) 40
Danny McCanney (TM) 39
Loic Larrieu (TM) 37
Matteo Cavallo (Sherco) 33pts…
FIM E-XBike World Cup
Youthstream have announced that the first ever FIM E-XBike World Cup will be a feature event at the 2019 MXGP of Italy in Imola this August.
Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo stated, “We are very excited to start this new project with the FIM, we thank FIM and in particular their President, Mr. Jorge Viegas, for the trust and for this opportunity to develop this new sport, it will be both challenging and very interesting. Our goal is to develop the FIM E-X Bike World Cup for all customers and riders who want to enjoy racing on an extreme circuit in front of a massive crowd and with a great media coverage.”
FIM E-XBike World Cup
The one race format will include a mass start with combined categories of both male and female riders racing for 30 minutes plus 1 lap but scored separately. The racing will be opened to anyone with an electric bicycle.
The event is being developed with the full support of Youthstream as CEO Mr. David Luongo explains, “Youthstream will put all its TV and Media resources to promote as much as possible this new competition. The first FIM E-XBike World Cup will be broadcasted live on our OTT Platforms, MXGP-TV.com, and our Facebook MXGP Page that has more than 2.5 Million followers.”
Jorge Viegas, the new elected President of the FIM took part in the conference as well during his first MXGP visit and enthusiastically said, “I am very happy that the FIM is starting to provide competitions for electric bikes. The first ever FIM E-XBike World Cup will allow a new generation of riders to take part in these exciting races. Thanks to the support of our promoters Youthstream and Infront, the Italian Federation and the Imola circuit, the FIM will be able to offer the public who come to the MXGP in Italy the opportunity to discover a new type of competition. For the FIM it is a reoccurring story because the first motorcycles were based on a bike frame, with the addition of a motor. In recent years the electric technology has evolved considerably, and we are convinced that the FIM E-X Bike World Cup will offer the manufacturers a great platform for further development. An E-bike round table meeting will also be organized in Belgium at Metet MX circuit the 9thof June in conjunction with another E-Bike / Pedelec race organized under the authority of the FMB.”
Price commits to four-wheels at Finke 2019
Toby Price has made the decision to sit out the bike category at the 2019 Finke Desert Race to concentrate on winning the truck class.
Toby Price
Toby Price
“I’ll be sitting out the bike category at Finke this year, racing only the truck is the safer option to know that I’ll be ready for Dakar 2020! After the injury I’d like to focus on one category, and it’s the one I haven’t won yet.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2019 FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup to Gillman
An action-packed night is promised at Gillman Speedway, South Australia (SA) this Saturday night (6 April) for the 2019 running of the FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup. The world’s most prestigious Speedway Sidecar event sees 16 crews battle it out for the most prestigious Speedway Sidecar trophy in the world.
Sixteen heats of quick-fire racing action will be sure to keep the crowds entertained all night, and a field full of world-class riders and passengers will ensure the standard of racing is second to none.
For those wanting to get a try-before-you-buy experience of Speedway Sidecar racing, entry to the practice day will be free for spectators. Gates open at 3:00pm with practice to commence at 6:00pm.
For those who can’t get enough Speedway Sidecar action, the weekend continues with the re-running of the 2019 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship taking place the very next night (Sunday 7 April). After being called off due to rain last weekend, the crews will have unfinished business as the slates are wiped clean and the event re-starts from Heat 1.
FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championships scheduled
Rain forced the cancellation of the 2019 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship last Saturday night (30 March) but Motorcycling Australia is pleased to announce that the event has been re-scheduled for next Sunday, 7th of April, to run alongside the FIM Speedway Sidecar World Cup at Gillman Speedway, South Australia.
Gillman to host 2019
The entry list will remain the same as the one planned for the original event, which means that Damien Niesche will not be running due to having withdrawn from the original event, instead Rick Stephens will once again take his place as reserve.
Tickets for the re-run of the 2019 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship (Sunday, 7 April) are available at the gate, with entry available from $15 for adults, $10 for concession, and children under 10 free.
Entry to Practice will be free on the Friday night (5 April), gates to open at 3:00pm and practice will commence at 6:00pm.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
The LATEST News
Musquin and Forkner victorious in Indianapolis SX
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Russell fights back at Georgia GNCC
Bauman wins Daytona TT
Janisch wins Daytona TT AFT Singles – Max Whale fifth
Ferris replaces Febvre in MXGP
Ryan brothers shine at Canberra Long Track
Courtney Duncan joins Bike It DRT Kawasaki for WMX
Musquin and Forkner Victorious at Indy SX
Indianapolis has hosted the latest round of the AMA Supercross Championships and on a predominantly one lined, rut infested layout it was KTM’s Marvin Musquin who won the 450 main event for the second year in a row while Austin Forkner slaughtered the 250 East class by winning the main by over six seconds.
Baggett, Tomac, Webb
450SX
Musquin entered Indianapolis 19 points back from his teammate Cooper Webb, and by lap 18 it was a four rider freight train with Musquin, Baggett, Webb and Tomac all within a few seconds of each other but no matter how hard each rider tried.
Cooper Webb
That is how they finished while Justin Barcia’s first ride back from concussion earned the veteran a sensational fifth ahead of Savatgy, Zach Osborne, Ken Roczen, Dean Wilson, Justin Brayton and Chad Reed who passed 11 riders to earn solid points and stay seventh in the championship.
Eli Tomac
As far as the championship goes Webb leads by 14 points over Musquin who in turn has a seven-point gap back to Tomac while the biggest looser on the night was former red plate holder Roczen who just couldn’t get his shit together to end up 27 points back from Webb with six rounds remaining.
Marvin Musquin
“It was a long main event and I knew they were charging behind me so I just wanted to stay smooth, my whoops were pretty clean, I didn’t know if it was the best way but towards the end I was able to get it all clean and it feels good to get it done. Tonight I was very confident on the starting gate and to get a holeshot tonight was super important so yeh, it was time (for the win).”
Marvin Musquin
450SX Main Event Results
Marvin Musquin
Blake Baggett
Cooper Webb
Eli Tomac
Justin Barcia
Joey Savatgy
Zach Osborne
Ken Roczen
Dean Wilson
Justin Brayton
Chad Reed
450SX Main Event Results
Marvin Musquin
Blake Baggett +02.449
Cooper Webb +05.298
450SX Points after 11 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 243
Marvin Musquin – 229
Eli Tomac – 222
Ken Roczen – 216
Blake Baggett – 184
Dean Wilson – 163
Chad Reed – 149
Joey Savatgy – 141
Justin Brayton – 140
Justin Barcia – 138
250 East Coast Report
Unfortunately for the fans of close racing when Austin Forkner gets the holeshot in the East Coast series it is game over, with his Ryan Villopoto like style racking up the best lap times over and over which left long time arch rival Chase Sexton to reluctantly settle for second place all of the way to flag while Justin Cooper had to make his way from tenth to third to land on the podium.
250 Start
Austin Forkner
“Justin (Cooper) was beside me in the heat race and I didn’t want to let off until he did, went in way too deep, jumped into the tuff block and got run over by a couple of guys so that sucked but in the main I ended up with a decent gate two inside the box and got a good start in the main and that helped.”
Austin Forkner
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton
Justin Cooper
Mitchell Oldenburg
Martin Davalos
Kyle Peters
Kyle Cunningham
oshua Osby
Alex Martin
Jordan Bailey
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton +06.289
Justin Cooper +09.098
250 East Coast Points after 6 of 9 Rounds
Austin Forkner – 151
Chase Sexton – 125
Justin Cooper – 123
Alex Martin – 92
Martin Davalos – 89
Mitchell Oldenburg – 88
Brandon Hartranft – 82
Kyle Cunningham – 81
Kyle Peters – 79
Jordon Smith – 70
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Waters and Roberts Win at Appin Mudfest
In what has been a massive disappointment to everyone who is involved with or a fan of the Australian MX Nationals, the opening round of the 2019 championships ended up being a mudfest of the highest calibre and it was Todd Waters and Jy Roberts who won the premier MX1 and MX2 classes respectively while Kiwi Max Purvis won the MXD class.
MX Nationals 2019 – Round 1, Appin
A massive low across a large part of the East Coast of Australia caused torrential rain fall in Sydney and the surrounding areas so due to safety concerns WEM, the series promoter, reduced each championship class to one moto.
MX1 Report
Little known American Justin Rodebell grabbed the holeshot in the lone MX1 moto and led for the best part of the opening lap before Hayden Mellross made his way to the lead. Todd Waters was making his way from dead last after getting tangled with a track side sprinkler going into the first corner.
ISDE winner Daniel Milner was also a victim of multiple first corner incidents while pre-race favourites Kirk Gibbs and Brett Metcalfe also got less than ideal starts but both managed to edge their way through the treacherous conditions to move by Rodebell, Luke Clout and Jesse Dobson to slot into third and fourth.
After six laps that took almost 17 minutes, Hayden Mellross greeted the chequered flag ahead of Waters, Gibbs, Metcalfe and Dobson but thanks to a couple of incidents where it was deemed that Mellross rode outside the track barriers Waters was gifted maximum points ahead of Mellross.
Todd Waters
“It’s kind of strange, I didn’t think I won it. It was quite good for me because when I get excited, I go full gas and make big mistakes. I had no goggles and thought this is a bit of a write off. I just rode smooth and tried my best to just stay on the track.”
Todd Waters
Rodbell, Tomas Ravenhorst, Luke Clout, Joben Baldwin and Cody Dyce rounded out the top 10 while the likes of Richie Evans, Jayden Rykers, Caleb Ward ended the moto far from where they would have like but they fared better than Dylan long and Milner who didn’t get to finish the race.
Richie Evans
“The result today wasn’t what I was after, but the conditions threw up all sorts of challenges. It was hard work out there today. I went all out at the start and got the track position I needed but that crash just made things so hard to ride and grip the bike that I had to swap gloves and goggles to even continue. But despite the result, I know my preparation has been good and I have done the work over the off season so I’m not going to let this affect me. I will learn from todays round and improve myself in these conditions and I’m ready to get things back on track at round two regardless of what we are faced with.”
MX Nationals 2019 – Round 1, Appin
Thor MX1 – Moto Result and Overall
Todd Waters
Hayden Mellross
Kirk Gibbs
Brett Metcalfe
Jesse Dobson
Justin Rodbell
Tomas Ravenhorst
Luke Clout
Joben Baldwin
Cody Dyce
Charlie Creech
Joel Wightman
Levi McManus
Richie Evans
Jayden Rykers
Brandon Gray
John Prutti
Caleb Ward
Zak Small
Izak Maule
MX2 Report
Jay Wilson scored the holeshot and for most of the moto the Yamaha rider looked like a shoe-in for the win until a mistake near the end allowed Jy Roberts to come through to claim the win ahead of Wilson and third placed defending champion Wilson Todd. Todd ended the race ahead of Issac Ferguson, Riley Dukes, Nathan Crawford, Cooper Pozniak, Dylan Wills and Wyatt Chase.
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 1 – Appin Results – Top 15
Jy Roberts
Jay Wilson +15.866
Wilson Todd +1:03.716
Jy Roberts
“It was brutal, every line just crisscrossed and there where holes you couldn’t see. I had to throw my goggles on the second lap, so I was just getting roosted by lappers, but I ended up getting it done by just pulling off consistent laps. I made it work, so I am happy with that.”
Jy Roberts
Jay Wilson
“It was a strange set of circumstances that lead to us finishing second and as a team, everyone was a little disappointed in the outcome given we have such as good lead. But, we will move on from here, learn from what happened and ensure we aren’t in that situation again. We had a chat about it and its no-one’s fault, just the way it played out but from now on, we have decided we are just going to be ruthless if we are ever in the situation again. The team did a great job today on the bike and keeping it running smoothly. It’s tough because the track was so hard on the bikes. They get so hot, you have to keep off the clutch and stay away from the deep water, ruts and mud but the bike was awesome and for me, I’m happy with the start we have made for the championship and ready to go the full ten rounds.”
Aaron Tanti was up front in the early going but thanks to a series of mistakes the hard charger ended up tenth ahead of talented enduro rider Lyndon Snodgrass who in turn got the nod over some of the best MX2 riders in Australia including Morgan Fogarty, Kyle Webster, Bailey Malkiewicz and Joel Evans.
Kyle Webster
“It was a bloody tough day to say the least; the track was so next-level wet to state the obvious. I actually made a good start in the MX2 race and was running fourth or fifth after a couple of laps when I got completely and utterly bogged. I was stuck for almost a lap! Luckily another rider stopped to help me, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten the bike out. That incident dropped me back to about 28th place, and from there I just clawed my way up to 15th by the finish of the race. It certainly wasn’t an ideal day, but I’m just super-lucky and thankfully I managed to keep going and it wasn’t a DNF result.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Pirelli MX2 – Moto Result and Overall
Jy Roberts
Jay Wilson
Wilson Todd
Issac Ferguson
Riley Dukes
Nathan Crawford
Cooper Pozniak
Dylan Wills
Wyatt Chase
Aaron Tanti
Lyndon Snodgrass
Jai Constantinou
Morgan Fogarty
Chandler Burns
Kyle Webster
Jye Dickson
Ricky Latimer
Sam Pelz
Riley Stephens
Jesse Bishop
MXD Report
Leading riders Rhys Budd and Regan Duffy were back and forth for several laps before Budd looked to have the race in the bag but a small over on the last lap gave Kiwi flyer Max Purvis the win over Budd, Michael Murphy, Hugh Roach and Caleb Clifton.
Rhys Budd
“What a day! I got out in front in Qualifying and put down one heater lap to get the fastest time, which gave me first gate pick for the race, which just helped make things a little easier. I got a great start in the race and got the holeshot and pretty much tried my best to keep it up on two wheels. I had the lead with one lap to go and unfortunately, I put it down, but I managed to get up in second place and hold it to the end. It was a really challenging race and I have never raced in mud that bad before. But I just tried to make the most of it and tried to have fun, which is all you can really do in situations like that.”
Motul MXD – Moto Result and Overall
Maximus Purvis
Rhys Budd
Micheal Murphy
Hugh Roache
Caleb Clifton
Liam Walsh
Regan Duffy
Jayce Cosford
Dale Lyons
Liam Andrews
Jack Kukas
James Beston
Tye Jones
Lochie Smith
Mason Rowe
Noah Ferguson
Aaron Mason
Jake Barron
Mason Semmens
Denzel Woulfe
Russell Fights back at Georgia GNCC
Washington, Georgia hosted the second round of the 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series with the 15th Annual Specialized General GNCC and it was defending champion Kailub Russell who bounced back from last weekend’s defeat to take the win and garner the championship lead.
Kailub Russell claimed top honours – Image by Ken Hill
XC1 Report
On his new Kawasaki KX450F Josh Strang grabbed the holeshot but it was Kailub Russell who pushed his way to the front of the pack as they came through timing on the opening lap. But it wasn’t a runaway victory for Russell who had Trevor Bollinger and Thad Duvall not only holding pace but also at times looking for a way around the defending champ.
Josh Strang took the holeshot – Image by Ken Hill
Bollinger would in fact make the pass on Russell, holding the lead spot as they came through scoring on the second and fourth laps but when it mattered Russell crossed the finish line in the lead ahead of Bollinger, Duvall and last week’s winner Steward Baylor Jr.
Baylor Jr. found himself running in fourth overall for the majority of the race to now sit second, just seven points behind Russell in the National Championship points standings.
Strang would battle throughout the day to stay inside the top five ahead of Josh Toth, Jordan Ashburn, Andrew Delong, Cory Buttrick and Christopher Venditti.
XC1 Pro Event Results
Kailub Russell (KTM)
Trevor Bollinger (HQV)
Thad Duvall (HQV)
Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM)
Josh Strang (KAW)
Josh Toth (KTM)
Jordan Ashburn (KAW)
Andrew Delong (HON)
Cory Buttrick (YAM)
Christopher Venditti (KAW)
Overall National Championship Standings
Kailub Russell (55)
Steward Baylor Jr. (48)
Thad Duvall (42)
Trevor Bollinger (41)
Ben Kelley (32)
Josh Strang (30)
Josh Toth (30)
Andrew Delong (23)
Jonathan Girroir (23)
Jordan Ashburn (22)
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
XC2 Report
Beta’s Michael Witkowski grabbed the holeshot but it wouldn’t take long for Ben Kelley to take over the lead and proceed to gap the rest of the field by 2 minutes and 23 seconds at the chequered flag while Evan Smith, Jonathan Girroir, Witkowski and KTM’s Ryder Lafferty rounded out the top five.
XC2 250 Pro Event Results
Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
Evan Smith (HQV)
Jonathan Girroir (KTM)
Michael Witkowski (BET)
Ryder Lafferty (KTM)
Tegan Temple (KTM)
Liam Draper (KTM)
Austin Lee (HON)
Zack Hayes (KTM)
Jesse Groemm (KTM)
XC2 250 Pro Series Standings
Benjamin Kelley (60)
Jonathan Girroir (46)
Evan Smith (43)
Michael Witkowski (39)
Tegan Temple (31)
XC3 Report
In the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class, it was Jason Thomas who held the lead position throughout the first lap but Cody Barnes would make the move around Thomas for the lead on the second lap and the Beta rider would not look back after taking the lead. Barnes ultimately finished five minutes ahead of Thomas who was followed by Yamaha’s Jason Raines, while defending Champion Jesse Ansley would find himself only completing four of the six laps after spending a lot of time in his pit area trying to figure out what looks to be a carby issue.
Becca Sheets – Image by Ken Hill
WXC Report
Tayla Jones held the lead in the WXC class but as the women headed out on on lap three Becca Sheets would make her move to take over the lead, with Mackenzie Tricker following her as she moved into the second place. Sheets would hold onto the lead, taking the chequered flag ahead of Tricker, Jones, Rachel Gutish and New Zealand’s Rachael Archer rounding out the top five.
Bauman Wins Daytona TT
AFT Twins prepare at the Daytona TT – Image by Scott Hunter
The annual Daytona TT kicked off the 2019 American Flat Track season and it was Indian factory rider Briar Bauman who kicked off his championship campaign with a 5.149-second margin ahead of fellow Indian rider Henry Wiles and Yamaha’s Jake Johnson.
Briar Bauman – Image by Scott Hunter
Briar Bauman
“To hop out there in the front — it’s all about trying to put in a gap in the beginning. I’ve been training hard this offseason. I tried to throw down as much as I could and get a little bit of a gap and maintain the rest of the race.”
Bryan Smith – Image by Scott Hunter
Bauman’s triumph also brings defending champion Jared Mees’ Daytona TT win streak to a halt at two after Mees retired with a mechanical issue in the Main while running fifth.
AFT Twins – Main Event Daytona – 2019
Briar Bauman
Henry Wiles +5.149
Jake Johnson +16.037
Jarod Vanderkooi +19.248
Bronson Bauman +22.314
Kayl Kolkman +1 Lap
Robert Pearson +0.517
Brandon Robinson +2.161
Donald Mullen II +2.200
Jeffrey Carver Jr. +6.174
2019 AFT Twins Round 1 Podium – 1) Briar Bauman, 2) Henry Wiles, 3) Jake Johnson – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Twins Standings
Briar Bauman 25 points
Henry Wiles 20
Jake Johnson 17
Jarod Vanderkooi 15
Bronson Bauman 14
Kayl Kolkman 13
Robert Pearson 12
Brandon Robinson 11
Donald Mullen II 10
Jeffrey Carver Jr. 9
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Janisch Wins Daytona TT AFT Singles – Max Whale fifth
AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
At the Daytona TT Yamaha’s Jesse Janisch battled hard all day and in particular the AFT Singles main event to take the win ahead of Dalton Gauthier (KTM), Dan Bromley (KTM), Mikey Rush (Honda) and Max Whale (Kawasaki).
Jesse Janisch
“To start off Daytona with a victory… it’s amazing. Last year, we left here with a second, and that was a great way to start off the season. Just putting in all the work over the course of the winter and leaving here with a win is amazing. The Roof Systems team has really made a home for me. We’ve really built a great program.”
Jesse Janisch – Image by Scott Hunter
After earning last year’s crown on the strength of 13 podiums in 18 races, Bromley began his title defence with a solid third-place result while neither Shayna Texter (KTM) nor Jeff Ward (Honda) qualified for the night program. Former ISDE winner Ryan Sipes (KTM) made the program and rounded out the top 10 in the Singles final after competing in the Daytona Supercross and the GNCC during the previous weekend.
Daytona TT Singles Podium – – Image by Scott Hunter
American Flat Track will be back in action for round two of the 2019 season in just over a week’s time as the series travels to Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga., for the Atlanta Short Track presented by Cycle Gear on Saturday, March 23.
Jesse Janisch – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Singles – Main Event Daytona – 2019
Jesse Janisch
Dalton Gauthier +2.577
Dan Bromley +4.665
Mikey Rush +5.179
Max Whale +6.320
Ferran Cardus +7.112
Jacob Lehmann +9.342
Jake Lewis +9.833
Oliver Brindley +10.526
Ryan Sipes +11.022
AFT Singles Standings
Jesse Janisch 25 points
Dalton Gauthier 20
Dan Bromley 17
Mikey Rush 15
Max Whale 14
Ferran Cardus 13
Jacob Lehmann 12
Jake Lewis 11
Oliver Brindley 10
Ryan Sipes 9
Ferris Replaces Febvre in MXGP
Dean Ferris is arguably the fastest Aussie on the planet right now and on the back of a text to the team manager the multiple Australian champ will join Yamaha Motor Europe into the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team as a temporary replacement for the injured Romain Febvre.
Dean Ferris joins the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team to replace Febvre temporarily
After a crash during the second moto at the opening round of the World MX Champs a few weeks ago in Argentina, Febvre underwent a successful operation on Wednesday March 13 at the University Antwerp Hospital (UZA) and it is expected to take six-weeks to heal. Therefore Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP has called upon Ferris to fill the Frenchman’s seat for the next three rounds of the MXGP World Championship.
The next three World Motocross Championship rounds are back-to-back so Ferris will make his 2019 MXGP debut this weekend at Matterley Basin, England before heading to round three in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, and round four in Pietramurata, Italy.
Dean Ferris
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity. I know the next GP is close but we still have a few days to get comfortable with the bike. I have ridden these three tracks before so I will be pulling on my experience a lot. It’s great that I can stay with Yamaha as I’ve had a great experience with them in the past few years. It’s a bummer that Romain got hurt, we never want to see that but it can happen. I will be trying my very best for these GP’s and I look forward to the experience and opportunity.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Ryan Brothers Shine at Canberra Long Track
Connor and Harrison Ryan have dominated the annual Stay Upright Kings and Queens of Canberra two-day long track meeting last weekend.
Since entering the senior ranks Connor Ryan has not had a problem qualifying for finals, but his victory in the Pro 450 final in Canberra ranks as his biggest success to date.
Connor took the lead early in the 6-lap final and the classy line-up could make no impact on his advantage, with David Smith, Thomas Herrick, Michael Vecchi, Jesse Davies and Kale Galeano chasing him home.
2019 Stay Upright Kings and Queens of Canberra
Earlier in the Pro Open final the same six riders finished in the top half of the field with Herrick an impressive winner ahead of Vecchi, Smith, Galeano, Davies and Ryan.
The Pro 250 class as usual produced a close tussle on points over the five rounds with Jake Farnsworth outpointing Victorian Bradley Burns and Kye Andrews.
Albury rider Jesse Davies scored a double with victory in the Slider class, after having won the exciting IDH Projects Senior Shoot-out on the Saturday afternoon.
The Canberra Motorcycle Centre Junior Shoot-out started the run of success for 15 year old Harrison Ryan who later went on to win the 2-stroke and Lites classes as well as the Feature Race. Harrison had to overcome some good starts by Victorian Max Berry with Callan Butcher always finishing in third place.
Brothers Kai and Lync Frame dominated the Dirt Track Sidecars while Lawrence Fairey was the stand-out in the racing from the old riders and old bikes.
Besides Harrison Ryan in the juniors there were good displays from Hayden Nelson from Taree, Hugh Hope-Hodgetts from Forbes, Kurtis Jackson and Alexander Codey from Sydney.
Courtney Duncan joins Bike It DRT Kawasaki for WMX
New Zealander Courtney Duncan joins the Bike It DRT Kawasaki team to compete in the FIM Women’s World Motocross Championship which kicks off at Valkenswaard in The Netherlands later this month.
With two world titles and a further three medals in the Women’s World Championship, Kawasaki is proud to announce that talented New Zealander Courtney Duncan joins the Green family this season to compete in the high-profile five-round series.
Courtney Duncan joins Bike It DRT Kawasaki for WMX
The fast twenty-three-year-old young lady has been a major protagonist in the series since her debut three years ago, claiming an amazing seven GP victories and fourteen heat wins from just fifteen starts within that short space of time. Twice she was denied the world title through injury and lost the title by just two points on the other occasion.
More determined than ever to finally achieve her goal Courtney has made the conscious decision to join the highly-experienced British Kawasaki squad run by Steve Dixon to race a KX250 alongside male teammates Darian Sanayei from the USA and Brazilian Gustavo Pessoa in a truly international squad. Apart from the GPs Courtney, currently in Europe to prepare for the GP season, will also race in her native country with the support of Kawasaki New Zealand.
Courtney Duncan
“I’m stoked to announce my signing with the Bike It DRT Kawasaki race team. They’ve given me an awesome opportunity and I’m very motivated to put them on top in 2019. A fresh start is what I needed and I couldn’t be more excited than to do that with Kawasaki. Kawasaki New Zealand have also come on board to support me at home, for which I am also very thankful.”
Steve Dixon, DRT team owner
“It’s ten years since our team was involved in the Women’s World Championship with Tarah Gieger, when she even helped Puerto Rico to qualify for the Motocross of Nations, but we have always maintained a keen interest in the series. It was actually a friend who mentioned to me that Courtney was looking around for a competitive ride in this year’s GPs; it took some thinking about but Kawasaki were keen, especially since their previous champion Livia Lancelot retired. I confidently expect Courtney to bring Kawasaki the world title.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Yamaha have confirmed that Australian MXGP star Dean Ferris will stand-in temporarily for three rounds replacing the injured Romain Febvre.
Romain Febvre was unfortunately unable to finish the first MXGP of the year after a heavy fall in the second race while on the 14th lap of 18. Febvre crashed out of the race in the roller section and sustained a break to his Talus, which is the bone that makes up the lower part of the ankle joint. Febvre was later informed that the injury required surgical intervention.
Romain Febvre celebrating a recent podium finish
Febvre underwent a successful operation on Wednesday 13th of March at the University Antwerp Hospital (UZA). The injury is expected to take six-weeks to heal therefore Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP has called upon Ferris to fill the Frenchman’s seat for the next three rounds of the MXGP World Championship.
Ferris is the current Australian Motocross Champion in the premier class and has been undefeated in the title chase for the last three years. All three titles were won on Yamaha’s popular YZ450F, and in 2018 he put his name in the history books as the first rider to win all 10-rounds of the series.
Dean Ferris
No stranger to the podium or the tracks and venues in Europe, the 28-year-old is relishing the chance to race three rounds of the MXGP World Championship with a Factory YZ450FM as a substitute for Febvre. Having achieved his current goals in Australia, he is now looking for opportunities to compete in other areas of the world and new challenges that will allow him to further hone his skills as a top motocross rider.
Ferris will make his 2019 MXGP debut on the weekend of March 24th at Matterley Basin, in Winchester, England, where he will line up on a Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP YZ450FM for the second round of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Matterley Basin is the first of three back-to-back MXGP rounds. Ferris will also contest the two rounds that follow. Round three in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, and round four in Pietramurata, Italy.
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