As the races of the MXGP of Garda Trentino finished for the day, it concluded an intense season of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, which saw Champions decided a round early, when Team HRC’s Tim Gajser claimed his fourth World Title in MXGP and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle secured his very first Championship in MX2.
For the final round this shifted the focus onto who would finish the season off with a medal alongside the two victors, with Tim Gajser also presented with the MXGP Trophy, wrapped with plagues which are engraved with all the world champions’ names from 1957 until now in the main class.
Tim Gajser took the overall round win, narrowly beating Romain Febvre on account of a final race victory, with both riders taking a win and a runner up position a-piece. Gautier Paulin took the final podium position, from Jeremy Seewer, both on 38-points and with identical results, but Paulin the better performer in the final race.
Tim Gajser
“As I’ve said many times, I was super happy to win my fourth world title on Wednesday. Today, my goal was just to go out there and have fun and we did that, winning the last overall of the year and it couldn’t have gone better. I want to say a huge thank you to all my team who have worked so hard and put in so much effort. In March, we did two GPs in Matterley and Valkenswaard and they went well, but then we had a long break and when we returned, I wasn’t feeling good, I was struggling. Now, the second half of the season I found good speed, I was consistent, and I was able to win the title.”
Second and third in the MXGP championship were also still up for grabs, with Jeremy Seewer claiming the silver medal on the day with the addition of 38-championship points to his name. Tony Cairoli had a mixed weekend, with sixth in Race 1, but no points in Race 2. It was enough for the bronze medal however.
Romain Febvre was fourth overall, followed by Gautier Paulin. Jorge Prado was sixth, Clement Desalle seventh, Glenn Coldenhoff eighth, and Jeremy Van Horebeek and Brian Bogers ninth and 10th respectively. Despite still being out injured Mitch Evans finished the season in 14th.
In MX2 Tom Vialle was already crowned champion and Jago Geerts had cemented his place as runner up, with the final championship podium position between Maxime Renaux and Australian Jed Beaton.
While Ben Watson won the MX2 round overall from Tom Vialle and Maxime Renaux, Jed Beaton finished fourth, four-points behind Renaux. Unfortunately for Beaton that left him in fourth overall – an amazing result nevertheless, while Renaux’s 581 championship points was enough to claim the bronze.
Ben Watson
“I really want to congratulate the whole team. They work really hard and it’s really nice for me and Jago to give them a 1-2 on the podium. It is a little bit difficult to pass out there, but I have been feeling really good on the bike. I had a mediocre start in the first race, but I came through good and then in the second one, I took a good start and it’s always a nice race when you can battle with your teammate up front. I finished second, but I am really happy with second overall.”
Overall Beaton enjoyed a highly positive year in 2020. Showing race-winning speed throughout the season, he came agonisingly close to a maiden overall win at the penultimate round. Proving to be a capable racer on any surface, the 22-year-old claimed three overall podium finishes, along with nine moto podiums and was the first rider in the standings to score points in every race. A memorable season with many career milestones reached.
Jed Beaton
“It’s been great to end the year with a runner-up finish in the last moto of the season. I had a great start and challenged for the win, so it’s positive to end the season like this. It’s a shame about the first moto but moto two proved I can be up there with a good start. It’s been a long season. Many ups and downs but all in all it’s been a positive year for me and the team. Having completed a full season I know what it takes now and I know what I need to work on over the winter ahead of 2021. I’m actually really glad that we got a season in as at one point it looked like we weren’t going racing at all. The three GPs in a week, that was different, racing so frequently was different, but it was always a good time and it’s been a lot of work for the team as well as myself. The team has done a phenomenal job with such a tight schedule. It can’t have been easy so credit to them, they’ve done an awesome job.”
Bailey Mailkiewicz finished 15th in Race 1, improving to ninth in Race 2, and was 11th overall for the weekend, claiming 18-championship points. This saw him finish the 2020 season in 14th overall.
MXGP
The MXGP races saw great battles, especially between Gajser and Romain Febvre, who challenged the four-time world Champions in both of the heats, one of which he won. But it was Gajser who finished the 2020 season with his fifth Grand Prix victory at the MXGP of Garda Trentino, with a 2-1 result.
Febvre was forced to settled for second with a win in the opening heat, that saw him chase down Gajser, before passing him on lap 6 and lead the race until the end, to take his second race win of the year. In race two, the Kawasaki rider worked hard to get around a couple of riders before catching up to Gajser once again, though this time he could not make a pass stick and eventually dropped the gap, to finish the race in second.
It was also a special day for Gautier Paulin who lined up for the last MXGP races of his professional racing career. The Frenchman battled well inside the top five in both heats and finished race one in fourth and race two in third position, after a battle with his teammates Jeremy Seewer and Arnaud Tonus. He claimed the third step on the podium, his second podium this season, on his final GP.
Clement Desalle and Tanel Leok also took part in their final MXGP of their careers, with Desalle narrowly missing out on a podium spot, as he was tied on points with Seewer in fifth, and Leok finishing 21st overall.
With Gajser crowned as world champion at the previous round, this left the door open for second and third in the championship standings, which was to be decided between Seewer and Antonio Cairoli.
Seewer had a strong first race, starting well inside the top five and then worked hard to get past his teammate, Tonus, for third. While Seewer finished third, Cairoli placed sixth, giving Seewer a one-point advantage heading into race two. As the gate dropped for the second heat, Seewer was able to get another good start and squeeze into the lead, before being passed by Gajser, Febvre and then eventually Paulin.
Cairoli had a dramatic start to the second race, which saw him pushed out wide in the first corner, as he hit the bank, which as a result caused unrepairable damage to his bike and forced him out of the race, meaning he could not fight for the silver medal. All while Seewer had another strong race to finish fourth and cement himself as this year’s vice world champion, for the second season in a row.
Tim Gajser – 2020 Champion
“I want to say a huge thanks to everyone, to all my team, we were really working hard, and everybody was putting so much effort into preparing the bike, getting better and better. The last couple of GPs I started to find good speed and started to put consistent races together and win the title, so I’m super happy and I want to say congratulations to all the guys here, but also to Gautier [Paulin] for an amazing career, wishing you all the best in the next chapter.”
Jeremy Seewer – 2020 Runner-up
“It was a strange year for us, starting that early and then a big break. But, Valkenswaard was really horrible, I scored seven points and I think that’s one of the worst GPs in many years for me, so it was hard to not race for that long after a GP like that, because you would love to go back the next day and show different. Somehow, I did my homework and put many good races together after that, had some awesome races in Latvia, won my first races in Faenza and stuff like this. I definitely made a step and improved. I could battle with these guys. Overall Tim [Gajser] was the man, he put things together, especially for the last few races and he was just that little better but overall for me, I’m happy, I got second today in the championship, ok the thing I wanted was first but I can’t wait now to get back to work and for next year.”
Antonio Cairoli – 2020 P3 Overall
“I’m really happy. It’s another season that I finish on the podium, my fourteenth season that I finish on the podium, so it’s something amazing, after so many years of racing. Of course, Tim [Gajser] was very difficult to beat this year, especially in the last part of the season, he was very strong. After Latvia, my knee was getting worse every time, so I couldn’t really train, so for me it’s really important and I lost a little bit of fitness and confidence because when the track gets rough and slippery, I need to slow down. In the end, we are all ok and that is the most important thing, ok we lost second place but we try to look forward to the next year, we have another season to see what we can do.”
Romain Febvre – 2020 P4 Overall
“It’s always nice to end the season on the podium and go into the winter feeling confident for next year. I had a nice battle with Tim in the first moto and could catch him for the win; I think he hoped to pick up on my lines when I passed him but I could keep him behind me and I knew it would be all on the second moto for the overall GP win. My start wasn’t bad in the second moto but also not as good as Tim’s; I could see him in front so I knew I needed to pass the other guys quickly. He had a gap of nearly four seconds when I got to second; I was pushing but I couldn’t see anywhere to make up the time and in the end I fell just before the waves with five minutes to go. I was still a safe second but the chance of victory was gone.“
Gautier Paulin – 2020 P5 Overall
“It was a pretty tough day today. In the first moto, the rider next to me anticipated the start too soon, and that made me move too soon for the start, and then right after the gate a rider cut across. I started from really far back after that, but I made my way back to the top-10. The riding was good, but it was difficult to make a good result after a start like that. In the second moto, we had a red flag on the first lap, and hopefully the rider involved is well and the injury is not too bad. After that we had to start with dirty tyres and I had a big spin on the mesh, so I didn’t start so good. On this type of track, it’s hard to pass, everyone forms a train. Here it is really important to have a good start, but on the bright side, the pace is good and physically I feel good.”
Teutschenthal in Germany hosted Round 10 of the FIM World Motocross Championship and it was the two championship leaders in Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado who won all motos in the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.
MXGP Report
The Teutschenthal circuit was incredibly rough this year with deep ruts throughout the hard packed and undulating circuit but Gajser made it all look easy on his factory Honda to take the opening moto win from four Yamaha riders in Arnaud Tonus, Jeremy Seewer, Romain Febvre and Gautier Paulin before blitzing the second moto ahead of Pauls Jonass, Tonus, Paulin and Max Anstie.
With another 1-1 performance, Gajser extended his series points lead over the absent Antonio Cairoli to 83 while second overall went to Tonus with 2-3 moto results ahead of his teammate Gautier Paulin with 5-4 scores.
Tim Gajser
“I am very happy and I had a lot of fun. I made the races easier with the starts, because I took holeshots in both heats and today I couldn’t wait for Indonesia already. What I was missing in the first half of the season was the starts but now they’re better, the start was great in the first race. I took the FOX Holeshot and made a gap but made a mistake and I crashed, but then I managed to make a gap again and I looked forward to the second race. I am enjoying racing very much now. The weekend couldn’t have gone better.”
Arnaud Tonus
“First race was crazier even if I could finish second when I passed Seewer at the last lap, then in the second race I needed to push at the end to keep the third position but then also Gautier made the podium on the last lap passing Anstie, and this is super cool for the team and for the great job they do for us.”
Gautier Paulin
“It has been a long time since my last podium, I had a crash in Portugal, not a lot of luck in France and in Latvia I needed to pick it up, but I was really tired about this crazy period, eventually now I’m back on the box and I am so thankful to be on the podium with Arnaud Tonus. We are back in the game.”
MXGP Championship Top 10
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 441 points
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 358
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 289
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 288
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 288
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 249
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 225
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 220
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 219
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 208
MX2 Report
Like Gajser, Prado proved too strong around the hard pack circuit of Teutschenthal with a win in the opening moto ahead of Tom Vialle, Henry Jacobi, Thomas Kjer Olsen, Bas Vaessen and Jed Beaton before taking a 14 second victory over Mathys Boisrame, Vialle, Kjer Olsen and Beaton in moto two.
So Prado again went 1-1 and took his ninth Grand Prix victory of the year while second overall was Vialle and third was Boisrame on his first MX2 Podium.
Jorge Prado
“I started the weekend a bit weak and didn’t have a good feeling, but today I turned it around and I felt better in the second race. It was a tough track but it was cool to race here. The second race was another great one for me. I felt very good compared to the first race, and I am very happy about it. Another 50 points and I’m very happy with the weekend.”
Tom Vialle
“This second place is good for me and for the whole team. I felt good all weekend. Training with Joel Smets has also helped me a lot.”
Mathys Boisrame
“It was incredible and I am very happy for my first podium. I have a good feeling with my bike. The feeling in the second race was very good and I am happy with my first podium. It is MX2 and not easy.”
Heartbreak for Aussie Mitch Evans who was looking for a way around Kjer Olsen in the opening moto only to crash hard and was forced out of the rest of the weekend while Beaton ended up sixth overall on the day to now sit 11th in the points.
Jed Beaton
“I’m really happy with the way things have gone this weekend. To get sixth overall is another very important step forwards. I felt like both races were pretty similar really, just with a fall in the first moto that cost me some places. I didn’t get the best of jumps from the start in either race, but I held a tight line around the first turn and made up some places. That put me around 10th and I just pushed hard from there. Falling in the first race cost me some places but overall I was pleased with my riding. Fifth in the second race was good – it’s been a while since I’ve been racing with the guys near the front so it’s just good to be back racing there. It’s a really positive way to the end the GP. To be hitting some good form mid-way through the season is great. I’m looking forward to the overseas races now, and hope I can build on today’s results.”
MX2 Championship Classification Top 10
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 447 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 403
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 313
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 284
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 283
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 246
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 226
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 204
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 185
Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 179
German EMX Won by Rubini & Guyon
Teutschenthal in Germany hosted the latest round of the EMX250 and EMX125 Championships and it was Stephan Rubini who won both 250 motos while Tom Guyon went 2-1 to win the 125 class.
In the championship points, it is Rubini who took the Red Plate with 251pts, followed by Alberto Forato with 241pts and Roan Van De Moosdijk with 238pts while the lone Aussie in this series in Caleb Grothues was disqualified from the event after riding his damaged Yamaha into the pit exit during qualifying.
EMX250 Overall Top 10
Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 50 points
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 44
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 40
Jeremy Sydow (GER, HUS), 36
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 29
Raivo Dankers (NED, YAM), 25
Nicholas Lapucci (ITA, KTM), 25
Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 25
Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 25
Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), 23 p.;
EMX250 Championship Top 10
Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 251 points
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 241
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 238
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 167
Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 137
Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 133
Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 111
Jeremy Sydow (GER, HUS), 103
Raivo Dankers (NED, YAM), 91
Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 88
Despite Guyon’s victory it is Mattia Guadagnini who still leads the series points after finishing with 1-13 moto results so heading to the next round Guadagnini holds a 13 point lead over Guyon.
EMX125 Overall Classification
Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 47 points
Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 40
Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 40
Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 33
Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 31
Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 29
Florian Miot (FRA, YAM), 29
Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 27
Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 19
Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, KTM), 16
EMX125 Championship Classification
Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 218 points
Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 205
Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 149
Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 147
Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 146
Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 132
Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 128
Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 93
Guillem Farres Plaza (ESP, KTM), 87
Eddie Jay Wade (GBR, KTM), 76
GNCC of West Virginia Falls to Kailub Russell
The Snowshoe GNCC in West Virginia hosted round eight of the 2019 Grand National Cross Country and it was once again Kailub Russell who came away with the win in the premier XC1 class while Ben Kelley remains undefeated in the XC2 class.
Russell extended his championship points lead to 48 with the XC1 class win over Steward Baylor, Ricky Russell, Jordan Ashburn, Grant Baylor, Cory Buttrick, Andrew Delong and Josh Strang.
Kelly now holds an incredible 92 point lead in the XC2 class with the win over Craig DeLong and Kiwi Liam Draper while in the WMX class championship leader in Aussie Tayla Jones didn’t finish the event handing the win and points lead to Becca Sheets.
XC1 Open Pro – Bike – Class Results
Kailub K Russell
Steward Baylor Jr
Ricky A Russell
Jordan Ashburn
Grant Baylor
Cory Buttrick
Andrew R Delong
Josh V Strang
Thaddeus Duvall
XC1 Open Pro – Bike – Class Points
Kailub K Russell – 225
Thaddeus Duvall – 177
Steward Baylor Jr – 166
Trevor Bollinger – 127
Josh V Strang – 92
XC2 250 Pro – Bike – Class Results
Benjamin M Kelley
Craig B Delong
Liam Draper
Alex Teagarden
Ryder Lafferty
XC2 250 Pro – Bike – Class Points
Ben Kelley – 240
Michael Witkowski – 148
Evan Smith – 125
Austin Lee – 121
Craig B Delong – 113
Liam Draper – 111
WXC – Bike – Class Results
Becca N Sheets
Rachael Archer
Mackenzie Tricker
Tayla Jones
WXC – Bike – Class Points
Becca N Sheets – 215
Tayla Jones – 183
Mackenzie Tricker – 159
Rachael Archer – 153
Korie Steede – 118
Waters and Wilson Storm Gympie MX National
The sprawling Queensland town of Gympie hosted Round 6 of the MX Nationals and it was Todd Waters and Jay Wilson who took the top honours in the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively.
Thor MX1 Report
On a fast and flowing natural terrain circuit the MX1 riders were on fire blitzing their way around a circuit that offered a lot to the riders in the way of passing opportunities, but the opening moto was all Waters despite constant pressure from a fresh looking Brett Metcalfe and the pair hit the chequered flag well ahead of Kirk Gibbs and Luke Clout.
Moto two had a lot of passing early which saw championship leader Clout crashing hard but by mid moto it was a four-way battle with Waters, Gibbs, Hayden Mellross and Metcalfe freight-training through the gum trees that lined the circuit just as Clout slid his way into 10th place.
With a few laps to go Gibbs made the move past Waters into the lead and the two combatants went toe to toe right to the finish with Mellross and Metcalfe not far behind while Jesse Dobson, Dylan Long and Clout rounded out the top seven.
Waters 1-2 was enough to give him the overall round win while Gibbs’ 3-1 was good for second while Brett Metcalfe was third overall but as far as the championship points go Water has taken over the lead by 3 ahead of Clout and 5 ahead of Mellross.
Kirk Gibbs
“It was good to get things back on track and finish up with a good result here. More importantly, the way I rode was what mattered and to be able to pass all the guys at the head of the championship and take the moto win means more to me than finishing on the podium for the day. I just need to focus on the way I ride and doing my best laps and the results will continue to flow for the rest of the season. Thanks to the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team who always put in 100% and its nice to reward everyone on the team and our supporters a podium this weekend.”
Brett Metcalfe
“I am so happy for everyone on the team. Everyone has been working hard and it paid off this weekend, it feels great to be back up there! It’s always reassuring when you get a good start and build a solid momentum as the day goes on. The break between rounds 5 and 6 has allowed my injury to heal so I am riding back to my potential. I battled back from a mediocre start and once I caught the lead group, it was tight and track condition made it difficult to pass anyone, the dust was intense so ultimately I took fourth. We have a couple of weeks to find some more pace and work on setup. I just want to win, simple as that and I can’t wait for Round 7 in Maitland.”
Luke Clout
“It wasn’t a great day and I didn’t ride my best, but I was able to salvage what I could and I’m still only three points from the lead in the championship. There are only five points between three of us in the championship and now it comes down to not making any mistakes and keep putting myself in good position to win races and rounds. Next round is at Maitland, a track that I have raced at a few times and enjoy riding so I will put this one behind me, focus forward for the next round and get things back on track there.”
Securing his first career Superpole and following it with 6-5 finishes for sixth overall, Jesse Dobson has once again shown that he is the fastest privateer in the MX1 (450cc) class.
Jesse Dobson
“I’m really happy to get back to the form I expect after Murray Bridge. I know that I have the speed, and the FC450 is an awesome bike right out of the box, so to take out Superpole was a great start to the day. I spent some time testing suspension with Paul Baericke, and I’ve been riding with Nathan Crawford a lot in the break, and it’s really helped me take another step forward. I didn’t get the starts I needed, especially in the second moto but I felt really good on track, and although it got more technical as the day went on, I was able to move forward in both races. The guys at MX Farm have done a great job, and the track is only going to get better, so thanks to WEM for getting us to such a great venue, and thanks to the crew at MPE Husqvarna, I’ll switch over to a brand new FC450 for the final four rounds of the year!”
MX1 – Raceline Superpole
Jesse Dobson – 1:59.656
Luke Clout +1:59.866
Kirk Gibbs +2:00.924
Brett Metcalfe +2:01.014
Todd Waters +2:21.576
Thor MX1 Moto 1 – Top Ten
Todd Waters 14 Laps Race Time: 29:25.020
Brett Metcalfe +0.773
Kirk Gibbs +23.767
Luke Clout +24.851
Hayden Mellross +37.623
Jesse Dobson +47.614
Caleb Ward +51.167
Jayden Rykers +1:07.289
Richie Evans +1:23.398
Connor Tierney +1:29.192
Fastest Lap: Todd Waters – 2:03.970
Thor MX1 Moto 1 – Top Ten
Kirk Gibbs 14 Laps – Race Time: 29:55.384
Todd Waters +0.679
Hayden Mellross +1.855
Brett Metcalfe +3.307
Jesse Dobson +15.624
Dylan Long +19.231
Luke Clout +31.941
Jayden Rykers +32.080
Caleb Ward +45.700
Richie Evans +1:02.154
Fastest Lap: Todd Waters – 2:05.823
MX1 Round 6 Overall Top Ten
Todd Waters – 67
Kirk Gibbs – 65
Brett Metcalfe – 60
Hayden Mellross – 56
Luke Clout – 52
Jesse Dobson – 51
Jayden Rykers – 46
Caleb Ward – 46
Richie Evans – 43
Dylan Long – 42
MX1 Championship Top Ten After Round 6
Todd Waters – 332 Points
Luke Clout – 329
Hayden Mellross – 327
Jayden Rykers – 253
Justin Rodbell – 24
Kirk Gibbs – 245
Brett Metcalfe – 241
Jesse Dobson – 227
Richie Evans – 217
Erki Kahro – 190
Motul MX2 Report
The MX2 class was looking like a Wilson Todd white-wash after the opening back-to-back motos where Todd won both despite serious attention from Jay Wilson in moto one and Nathan Crawford in moto two.
When the gates dropped on the third and final MX2 race of the day it was Joel Evans who grabbed the holeshot with Luke Reardon and Todd close behind but it all turned to poo early in the lap with Evans going down and taking his fellow Husqvarna rider in Todd down with him.
Jay Wilson soon took over the lead and would go on to take the moto win ahead of Crawford, Aaron Tanti, Kyle Webster and Todd so the overall goes to Wilson over Todd and Crawford but Todd keeps his championship points lead of 24 over Webster and 25 over Wilson.
Jay Wilson
“Wow, its just amazing how things work out, after the first two motos where I was over riding and crashing, I went into race three just looking to ride well and post a result I could be proud of. Winning the round was the last thing on my mind. I didn’t get a great start but made some passes early and managed to hit the lead. I just put down the best laps I could and managed to build a five second lead. It wasn’t until two laps to go that I saw my pitboard that had 1st = 1st that the overall become possible. It was my first moto win of the year. I was a bit fortunate to get the overall win, but I will take it and it just goes to show that you have to keep on plugging away, never give up, and anything can happen. Thanks to my team and my family for another massive effort and we can now look forward to the next round and keep the podium streak going.”
Webster then finished fourth in the afternoon’s final moto to take fifth overall on the day.
Kyle Webster
“Having had a great mid season break with excellent results at Manjimup (third) and the NSW MX titles (first) I was really keen to get back to the Nats. But I never really settled into the track at Gympie on the day and just had to make the most of it. I tried to find my mojo by moto three, and was happy to be able to keep second place in the championship standings. The next round will be important and I will be pushing hard to stay up the front.”
Pirelli MX2 – Timed Qualifying
Wilson Todd 1:58.538
Nathan Crawford 1:59.300
Jay Wilson 1:59.491
Aaron Tanti 2:00.394
Kyle Webster 2:01.055
Bailey Malkiewicz 2:02.047
Isaac Ferguson 2:02.539
Dylan Wills 2:03.321
Tomas Ravenhorst 2:03.336
Morgan Fogarty 2:04.256
Pirelli MX2 – Back to Back Race 1 Top Ten
Wilson Todd 7 Laps – Race Time: 14:42.760
Aaron Tanti +3.244
Kyle Webster +8.533
Nathan Crawford +16.917
Bailey Malkiewicz +21.017
Jay Wilson +21.830
Dylan Wills +33.230
Cooper Pozniak +40.975
Joel Evans +42.885
Isaac Ferguson +43.419
Fastest Lap: Wilson Todd – 2:03.718
Pirelli MX2 – Back to Back Race 1 Top Ten
Wilson Todd 7 Laps – Race Time: 14:49.408
Kyle Webster +4.477
Nathan Crawford +10.396
Aaron Tanti +12.672
Jay Wilson +13.589
Dylan Wills +26.099
Morgan Fogarty +27.054
Isaac Ferguson +34.180
Bailey Malkiewicz +35.273
Cooper Pozniak +51.539
Fastest Lap: Wilson Todd – 2:04.020
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 2 – Top Ten
Jay Wilson 9 Laps – Race Time: 19:20.620
Nathan Crawford +1.057
Aaron Tanti +3.006
Kyle Webster +13.190
Wilson Todd +33.362
Dylan Wills +36.061
Bailey Malkiewicz +40.524
Morgan Fogarty +50.981
Luke Reardon +56.701
Ricky Latimer +1:02.519
Fastest Lap: Nathan Crawford – 2:06.677
MX2 Round 6 Overall Top Ten
Jay Wilson – 61 Points
Wilson Todd – 61
Nathan Crawford – 60
Aaron Tanti – 60
Kyle Webster – 60
Dylan Wills – 50
Bailey Malkiewicz – 48
Morgan Fogarty – 43
Isaac Ferguson – 39
Tomas Ravenhorst – 38
MX2 Championship Top Ten After Round 6
Wilson Todd – 344 Points
Kyle Webster – 320
Jay Wilson – 319
Nathan Crawford – 272
Aaron Tanti – 272
Dylan Wills – 256
Bailey Malkiewicz – 246
Ricky Latimer – 209
Cooper Pozniak – 206
Riley Dukes – 202
Pirelli MXD Report
As per usual the action in the MXD class was fast and furious but it was championship leader in Regan Duffy who came away with the overall ahead of his closest river Max Purvis while Noah Ferguson claimed his maiden MXD podium result finishing in 3rd for the round.
Duffy will take a 17 point lead over Purvis as the whole MX Nationals circus heads to Maitland on July 14.
Motul MXD – Timed Qualifying
Regan Duffy – 2:02.150
Noah Ferguson – 2:02.454
Maximus Purvis – 2:02.454
Rhys Budd – 2:02.951
Mason Semmens – 2:03.794
Brodie Ellis – 2:04.167
Liam Walsh – 2:04.763
Mason Rowe – 2:05.351
Jai Walker – 2:05.455
Jack Kukas – 2:05.848
Motul MXD – Moto 1
Maximus Purvis – 9 Laps – Race Time: 19:13.299
Regan Duffy +6.021
Noah Ferguson +6.202
Mason Semmens +7.232
Jai Walker ++1 Lap
Jayce Cosford +1 Lap
Liam Walsh +1 Lap
Mason Rowe +1 Lap
Tye Jones +1 Lap
Mackenzie O’Bree +1 Lap
Motul MXD – Moto 2
Regan Duffy – 9 Laps – Race time: 19:31.740
Maximus Purvis +3.326
Mason Rowe +33.730
Jayce Cosford +40.893
Noah Ferguson +41.679
Brodie Ellis +1 Lap
Tye Jones +1 Lap
Jai Walker +1 Lap
Rhys Budd +1 Lap
Liam Walsh +1 Lap
MX2 Round 6 Overall Top Ten
Regan Duffy – 67 Points
Maximus Purvis – 67
Noah Ferguson – 56
Mason Rowe – 54
Jayce Cosford – 53
Jai Walker – 49
Tye Jones – 46
Brodie Ellis – 45
Liam Walsh – 44
Mackenzie O’Bree – 41
MX1 Championship Top Ten After Round 6
Regan Duffy – 356 Points
Maximus Purvis – 339
Rhys Budd – 293
Brodie Ellis – 263
Mason Rowe – 261
Noah Ferguson – 253
Jack Kukas – 233
Jayce Cosford – 231
Jai Walker – 230
Liam Walsh – 223
Musquin & Cooper win in Florida
The WW Ranch Motocross Park in Florida hosted the fifth round of the AMA Motocross Championship and on a tough and technical layout it was Marvin Musquin and Justin Cooper who came away with the overall wins in the 450 and 250 classes respectively.
450 Report
Musquin was forced to come from just outside the top five to win the opening moto from Ken Roczen, Jason Anderson, Cooper Webb, Zach Osborne, Justin Barcia, Eli Tomac, Blake Baggett and Dean Ferris but the second moto was all Tomac with a wire-to-wire win ahead of Osborne, Musquin, Anderson, Webb, Barcia and Ferris.
Musquin’s 1-3 scores carried him to the eighth overall win of his career and ends a six-race winless streak and despite his slow start to the afternoon, Tomac’s win in the final moto vaulted him to the runner-up spot in the overall classification (7-1), while Osborne’s late pass on Musquin landed him third (5-2).
Marvin Musquin
“I tried [to catch Tomac]. I knew I had the overall, but winning both motos is the best. I just kind of ran out of energy there at the end. I’m a little disappointed. I didn’t see Zach coming [from third], but it’s still good. I salvaged third place in the moto, and that was good enough to earn the overall.”
Tomac leaves Florida with a six-point lead in the 450 Class standings over Roczen, who finished sixth (2-10). The win allowed Musquin to climb from fifth to third, 31 points out of the lead.
Eli Tomac
“The difference from Moto 1 to Moto 2 was the result of a bad start in the first one. Not sure what happened there. I got a much better Moto 2 start and had a better feel on the bike. I’m happy to get through the heat today. The sand was a serious challenge and it changes things up for us, but overall it was a good day.”
Dean Ferris continues to impress with two solid top-ten rides.
Dean Ferris
“Overall, I’m pretty happy with today, I got two really mediocre starts, which kind of made it hard for me, but I put in a big charge. Made a lot of passes in the first moto and was able to get to 10th. In the second moto, the start was a little better. I felt really strong all moto in spite of the heat. I think my big off-season in Australia training in the heat and getting ready for this outdoor championship really helped me today. So I’m really stoked that I could push through and pick up a couple more positions late in the moto because my fitness was strong. We made some improvements while testing throughout the week, as stuff turns out. I’m looking forward to Southwick; onward and upward.”
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (1-3)
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (7-1)
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (5-2)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (3-4)
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (4-5)
Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (2-10)
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (6-6)
Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha (10-7)
Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda (9-8)
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM (8-9)
450 Class Championship Standings
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 215 points
Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 209 points
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 184 points
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna – 182 points
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 117 points
Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha – 114 points
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM – 99 points
250 Class
The 250 class had plenty of action with Chase Sexton riding the wheels off his Honda to win the opening moto ahead of Justin Cooper, Michael Mossiman, Dylan Ferrandis, Adam Cianciarulo, RJ Hampshire, Alex Martin and Hunter Lawrence before Ferrandis earned the second moto win over Cooper, Cianciarulo, Lawrence, Mossiman and Martin as Sexton sat in the pits with heat exhaustion.
Cooper’s consistent 2-2 results were enough to give him the first professional win of his career, edging out Ferrandis (4-1) who in turn got the nod over Cianciarulo who saw his four-race win streak come to an end in third (5-3) while Lawrence showed plenty of pace to recover from less than stellar star to end up 5th overall.
Justin Cooper
“I won because I got out front, and that felt good. That Moto 2 was the longest moto of my life. I’m just so spent right now. To win in this heat really says something, and it feels great to finally get this the win off my back.”
Despite seeing his win streak come to an end, Cianciarulo still has a firm hold on the championship point lead, where he sits 18 points ahead of Cooper. Ferrandis is third, 35 points out of the lead.
Adam Cianciarulo
“I don’t want to take anything away from these guys. They were ripping all day and were just better than me. I just didn’t feel great today. I didn’t really gel with the track, and my body didn’t really feel great. I’m fortunate to have the start like I had with all those wins, and I’m happy to leave here with a podium when I wasn’t at my best.”
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will reach its halfway point next Saturday, June 29, with the MB Tractor & Equipment Southwick National from New England’s legendary The Wick 338.
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (2-2)
Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (4-1)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (5-3)
Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna (3-5)
Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda (8-4)
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki (7-6)
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha (9-7)
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (6-11)
Jacob Hayes, Greensboro, N.C., Yamaha (13-8)
Jordan Bailey, Orlando, Fla., Husqvarna (10-12)
250 Class Championship Standings
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 222 points
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 204 points
Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna – 148 points
Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 142 points
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 129 points
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki – 116 points
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 79 points
McCanney and Salvini share EnduroGP wins
Rovetta in Italy hosted the fifth round of the Enduro GP Championships and it was Daniel McCanney who scored the overall win on day 1 before Alex Salvini recovered from a poor result to win day two.
The rain drenched opening day seemed not to worry McCanney who easily accounted for defending champion Steve Holcombe and the hard charging Matteo Cavallo but the second day saw sunshine which seemed to favour Salvini who stormed to the win over Loïc Larrieu, Antoine Basset, Holcombe and McCanney.
Championship leader Brad Freeman ended up with 7-10 results so his points lead is down to just 4 ahead of Holcombe but Freeman continues to have a healthy 37 point lead in the E1 class while Salvini and Holcombe continue to lead the E2 and E3 class championships respectively.
EnduroGP of Italy – Saturday
The weather had its say on Day 1 of competition at the fifth round of the FIM Maxxis Enduro World Championship. The legendary ‘Valli Bergamasche’ race is known for being tough and unpredictable, and this was certainly the case on Saturday as very violent storm swept through the Rovetta area all day long. This altered the race conditions drastically and EnduroGP’s competitors spent a hellish day between rain, mud, and thunderstorms.
Four men shared the top spot over the course of the day, taking it in turns to lead. Matteo Cavallo, Thomas Oldrati, Steve Holcombe and Danny McCanney all had their time in the spotlight, but it was the Manxman who took the spoils at the end of the long and punishing day.
The 2018 Junior World Champion, Cavallo took control of the race at the start of the day, leaving Thomas Oldrati in his wake, with the local rider overwhelmed by the presence of his many supporters. The two Italians were followed closely by a rider who loves these kind of conditions: the quadruple World Champion, Holcombe. The Brit seemed on great form despite his health woes.
The four protagonists had an absolutely fantastic battle over the three laps which made up today’s racing. The top position alternated between Cavallo and Oldrati, and then back to Holcombe. But it was Danny McCanney who put an end to this constant switch up when the factory Beta rider pipped his rivals by 6 thousandths of a second. His compatriot Holcombe had to settle for second, while Matteo Cavallo completed the top three overall. Oldrati finished 4th ahead of Loic Larrieu.
Further down the leaderboard was EnduroGP points leader Brad Freeman who had to seriously grit his teeth all day and deal with immense pain. The young Brit limited the damage by finishing an amazing 7th. Also riding injured is Alex Salvini who took a valuable 9th place.
After his victory in last night’s Akrapovic SuperTest, Antoine Meo finished 11th on the day, more than a minute and a half down on the winner.
In the E1 category, Matteo Cavallo took his first ever senior class win in front of his adoring fans. Thomas Oldrati and an ever impressive Brad Freeman rounded out the top three. In E2, Larrieu was able to overthrow Salvini and take an important victory ahead of Christophe Charlier and the ultra-consistent Benjamin Herrera.
Danny McCanney narrowed the gap in E3 title race, winning in front of Holcombe and David Abgrall.
In Junior, TM Racing rider Andrea Verona took his eighth victory out of a possible 9. After a ‘blip’ on Day 2 in Greece where he ‘only’ finished 3rd, the Italian rider was back on top form. The weather conditions and the state of the tests did not prevent Verona from being dominant. He won by more than a minute ahead of Theo Espinasse. Britain’s Jack Edmondson completed the podium.
The J1 category was also taken by Verona, ahead of Espinasse and Roni Kytonen. In J2, we saw an excellent victory from Edmondson. Chile’s Ruy Barbosa and local man Emanuele Facchetti filled out the rest of the podium.
In the 125cc Youth Cup, Matteo Pavoni took his second victory of the season, this time in front of his home fans. Hamish Macdonald, returning from injury made a great comeback with second place despite still suffering physically. Sardinia’s Claudio Spanu gave his all in the final test of the day to take a podium on Italian soil.
One race after David Knight took the Open Senior title, the Champion Lubricants Enduro Open World Cup saw another rider crowned. Portugal’s Goncalo Reis is 2019’s Open 2-Stroke winner. Joining him on the podium were Nico Ranbow and Benet Gomez.
Open 4-Stroke belonged to Robert Riedel’s today as he took a surprise win in front of Pietro Enrico Collovigh and Tom Ellwood, who could only managed third with his Kawasaki.
David Knight kept his pace and took another win in the Senior category. Werner Muller and Duccio Graziani were second and third respectively.
Despite the party atmosphere reverberating around the hills of Rovetta and Clusone, a good night’s sleep will be in order for the exhausted riders. Day 1 at the ‘Valli Bergamasche’ tested everyone to their limits – especially those brave riders who are already injured. Sun is promised for Sunday, but whatever the weather, this Acerbis Grand Prix of Italy 2019 will go down in history.
EnduroGP of Italy – Sunday
After the incredibly violent storms on Day 1, it was a total turn around for Sunday, with hot weather and sunshine the order of the day. However, the race conditions on this second day of the Acerbis Grand Prix of Italy were still very tricky, with waterlogged tests still very slippery and rutted. Physically and emotionally drained after Saturday’s action, the riders still gave us an absolutely unforgettable race day
Alex Salvini proved once again that he is still one of the top guns in Enduro, shrugging off the pain of his dislocated shoulder, ‘Rocky’ won his home GP in front a fervent crowd. This victory meant so much for the Honda rider, as he scored maximum points in E2 and EnduroGP. Feeling emotional at the finish line, Salvini collapsed, leaning on his ‘tifosi’ (home fans) for support. The rider from Bologna took victory by a considerable margin over his opponents – he was more than 42 seconds ahead of runner-up: Loïc Larrieu.
Loic Larrieu
“I’m a guy from the South, I’m not used to so much rain or being cold, especially in the summer! The day was really complicated, I started off badly but I managed to recover and I’m happy to win in E2, when I really thought that I was going to finish a long way down the order.”
The factory TM rider seemed much more comfortable in the sun than in the rain, he won 5 tests today (4 Cross and 1 Enduro). In fact, he has been very consistent on all terrains since the start of the year, and despite losing out to Salvini, these latest good results should give him an extra boost before the final two rounds.
One of the most impressive performances of the day came from Antoine Basset. Riding well and with no real mistakes, Basset took 3rd step on the EnduroGP podium. He was in the Top 5 of every test on Sunday, and the Frenchman may well have turned a corner before the summer break.
Steve Holcombe was the first rider to take the reins on Sunday, leading at the end of the first lap. After relinquishing the lead, he managed to stay on the podium for most of the day, but in the end his virus got the better of him and Holcombe dropped down to fourth at the end of the day. However, he can be very satisfied and proud of his overall performance in recent weeks as his health has suffered.
Danny McCanney had a contrasting Day 2, the overall winner on Saturday lost a full minute on the first test of the day when he hit a rock and the chain came off his TM Racing machine. This unfortunate moment cost him over one minute and he dropped to 21st place! He fought hard all day to finally finish an amazing fifth in the overall standings.
Danny McCanney
“I’m thrilled, this first EnduroGP win means lot to me. The day began badly – my chain came off in the first Extreme test, but when the rain started pouring down I felt very comfortable with the conditions. I am really happy with today’s result!”
By just 4 points, Brad Freeman leaves Italy with the golden plate still affixed on the front of his Beta Boano bike. But without showing extreme courage and putting himself through excruciating pain, he would have certainly lost this lead.
Freeman finished 10th on Day 2, and even won the last run through the Technomousse Extreme Test. The Brit will go to Turin on Tuesday to undergo surgery for the fractured collarbone he has been suffering with since the Grand Prix of Greece. The summer break has come at just the right time for the brave Beta Boano rider.
Brad Freeman
“I feel very bad, I am in such a lot of pain. My condition got worse every turn and the last lap was really hard. I have to really mentally prepare for tomorrow’s race day.”
On this thrilling second day, there was a reshuffle in many of the classes and lots of epic battles too! Let’s take a look at each class…
In E1, Thomas Oldrati won in front of his home crowd. As a long standing regular rider in World Enduro, he has amassed a lot of fans, and they were happy to see him on the top step. Completing the podium were Rudy Moroni and Brad Freeman.
The hero of the day in the Italian crowd’s hearts was Alex Salvini, who took a fantastic win as well as the lead of the E2 category. French duo Loic Larrieu and Antoine Basset rounded off the top three.
Amazingly, Steve Holcombe signed off another win in E3, at the expense of McCanney and Anthony Geslin.
Steve Holcombe
“The GP of Italy is always an incredible event and this year it was one of the best ever – the amount of people who came out to watch the race was incredible. The weather made it an interesting one, with one wet day and one dry day. I enjoyed it as much as I can the way my physical condition is at the moment. Overall, I’m really pleased with my results. Coming so close to winning on day one and then finishing second is a little frustrating, but still a great result all things considered. On Sunday the opening two laps were ok for me, but then I struggled during the third lap – in the rocky cross test and the enduro especially. But that’s what I expected. Being just four points from the lead of the EnduroGP championship is something I really wasn’t expecting, but with just two rounds of the championship remaining it means that everything is to play for. Now it’s all about rest and recovery the best I can. There’s a good break before the next round of the series so I’ll use that time to monitor where I’m at with the virus and do all I can to get back into the best shape.”
The title appeared to belong to Andrea Verona from the start of the season as the flawless Italian rider dominated the first 5 Grand Prix of the year. Winning 9 out of 10 days of racing so far, the youngster kept the competitive Junior class at bay in all conditions and over all terrains. A little like his compatriot, Matteo Cavallo, did in 2018, Verona has proven that he will be a star of the future.
Matteo Cavallo
“What a day! I have not often experienced this type of racing conditions in Italy, it was crazy. But I’m so happy to take my first E1 win, and to have been running at the front of EnduroGP during the day. Now that I have tasted victory I want more! But for now I am very tired, I think i’ll go to bed immediately and only get up again tomorrow morning!”
Theo Espinasse saw the victory pass him by as he crashed in the last Maxxis Cross test of the day. Disappointed to miss out, Espinasse promises to win one by the end of 2019!
Although the Frenchman will have to fight with Enric Francisco, who has only one goal for the remainder of the season: to defeat “The Shark”, Andrea Verona. Third on Day 2, the Spaniard was satisfied to have been able to finish such a difficult GP on the podium.
Naturally, the J1 class was won by Andrea Verona, ahead of Espinasse. Belgium’s impressive Antoine Magain took the 3rd step on the podium. In J2, Enric Francisco took a strong victory, beating Ruy Barbosa and Jack Edmondson.
In the Youth Cup 125cc category Claudio Spanu took his first World victory by just 0.4 of a second over the rider who had beaten him by 0.06 of a second in the Spanish GP: Matteo Pavoni! The podium was 100% Italian since Spanu and Pavoni were joined by an extremely promising Manolo Morettini. Is the future of Enduro going to be Italian?
In the Champion Lubes Enduro Open World Cup, the winners of the day are very similar to those of the day before! David Knight took another top step in the Senior class, ahead of Werner Muller and local man, Andrea Belotti. Goncalo Reis made his mark in Open 2-Stroke by winning both days of the Acerbis GP of Italy, ahead of Benet Gomez and Nico Ranbow. In the Open 4-Stroke class, Robert Riedel did the double. Thomas Elwood and Pietro Enrico Collovigh filled out the podium.
Once again the ‘Valli Bergamasche’ did not disappoint, not only living up to expectations – but exceeding them! This classic Italian event gave us two fantastic days of racing, and a wild party atmosphere! The huge crowds were thrilled by the stars of EnduroGP all weekend long.
Now it’s time for the riders and paddock personnel to have a well deserved rest…. EnduroGP be back in action on 14th and 15th of September for the Czech Republic Grand Prix in the Uhlirske Janovice region.
Enduro GP – DAY 1
Daniel MCCANNEY
Steve HOLCOMBE
Matteo CAVALLO
Thomas OLDRATI
Loïc LARRIEU
Christophe CHARLIER
Brad FREEMAN
Benjamin HERRERA
Alex SALVINI
Antoine BASSET
Antoine MEO
Enduro GP – Day 2
Alex SALVINI
Loïc LARRIEU
Antoine BASSET
Steve HOLCOMBE
Daniel MCCANNEY
Christophe CHARLIER
Thomas OLDRATI
Benjamin HERRERA
Rudy MORONI
Brad FREEMAN
Enduro GP – Championship Points
Brad FREEMAN – 164
Steve HOLCOMBE – 160
Daniel MCCANNEY – 144
Alex SALVINI – 96
Loïc LARRIEU – 93
E1 Class – DAY 1
Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
Kirian MIRABET – Spain
Rudy MORONI – Italy
E1 Class – DAY 2
Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
Rudy MORONI – Italy
Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
Kirian MIRABET – Spain
Gianluca MARTINI – Italy
E1 Class – Championship Points
Brad FREEMAN – 190
Thomas OLDRATI – 153
Matteo CAVALLO – 142
E2 Class – DAY 1
Loïc LARRIEU – France
Christophe CHARLIER – France
Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
Alex SALVINI – Italy
Antoine BASSET – France
Antoine MEO – France
E2 Class – DAY 2
Alex SALVINI – Italy
Loïc LARRIEU – France
Antoine BASSET – France
Christophe CHARLIER – France
Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
E2 Class – Championship Points
Alex SALVINI – 142
Loïc LARRIEU – 141
Christophe CHARLIER – 134
E3 Class – DAY 1
Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
David ABGRALL – France
Anthony GESLIN – France
PHILIPPAERTS – Italy
E3 Class – DAY 2
Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
Anthony GESLIN – France
David ABGRALL – France
Manuel MONNI – Italy
E3 Class – Championship Points
Steve HOLCOMBE – 191
Daniel MCCANNEY -179
Anthony GESLIN – 140
Jarvis Wins Hixpania Hard Enduro
Spain’s Hixpania Hard Enduro was round four of the World Enduro Super Series and it was veteran Graham Jarvis who has claimed the overall win and his podium-topping ride also sees the Brit become the new leader in the race to become this year’s WESS champion.
Graham Jarvis
“What an event and it’s crazy to think I’m leading the WESS now. I’m not going to get too excited just yet though and my plan is to take each race as it comes. Romaniacs is going to be the game changer – hopefully I can at least finish it this year. It was a tough race today I was still tired from yesterday – it was fast but there were still some technical bits. I think everyone was really feeling it and I know I was on the limit today.”
Mario Roman
“It feels amazing to take the win in the final race. I had such a tough time yesterday on the Cross-Country, crashing six times and bending my handlebars. Despite that I still pushed hard and managed to finish fourth. Today, I wasn’t thinking too much about points, I just wanted to take the win. Graham was really strong and all the others were right up there at the beginning. Halfway through I was thinking it’s not possible to keep going for another hour-and-a-half, but I kept going and we did it. I don’t know how many fans came out to watch the race and cheer on the riders, but to hear them all shouting my name made it possible to keep going and finish the race, so thank you very much to them.”
Entering the final day of racing having won the previous two days, Alfredo Gomez was unable to respond to the attack by Jarvis. Admitting to struggling early on, he could only finish fifth for the runner-up result.
Alfredo Gomez
“I tried to push as hard as I could today, but just ran out of strength in the last half of the race – no power at all. All I could do was to keep on going, try not to crash and stay on the bike. It was great fun racing out there with all the home fans cheering. I’m sorry I couldn’t bring home the win for them but overall, I am happy with how the race has gone and I gave it my all. Congratulations to Graham, he did it again.”
Putting in a strong ride on Sunday for fourth, Billy Bolt ended his weekend fourth overall while charging his way to third in Sunday’s Lost Roads, Manuel Lettenbichler completed the overall top five.
The World Enduro Super Series continues with round five at Red Bull Romaniacs in Romania on July 30 – August 3.
Hixpania Hard Enduro Overall
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – ESP) 44 points
Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP) 44
Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 43
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB) 40
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 36
Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) 30
Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL) 29
Pol Tarres (Husqvarna – ESP) 25
Josep Garcia (KTM – ESP) 21
Xavier Leon (Husqvarna – ESP) 19
WESS Championship Standings (After Round 4 of 8)
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GB) 2690 points
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 2570
Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 2540
Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP) 2314
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB) 2155
Josep Garcia (KTM – ESP) 2125
Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) 2090
Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL) 1900
Nathan Watson (KTM – GB) 1631
Travis Teasdale (KTM – RSA) 1610
Toni Bou Continues Win Streak in the Netherlands
Zelhem in the Netherlands hosted the fourth round of the TrialGP World Championship and once again it was Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou who stormed to victory over Adam Raga and Jeroni Fajardo.
The Zelhem course proved to be a demanding one where it was easy to make mistakes in overly-easy sections but Bou took control from the off-set and kept the field in check right until the very end where he earned top spot on the podium with just one penalty picked up on the first lap – five points for time – and an error-free second lap.
Repsol Honda Team get no rest for now, as next weekend, 29th and 30th of June, sees the fifth round of the TrialGP campaign in Belgium.
Toni Bou
“Today we were very clear that it was a day of endurance. At the start of the race, a small mistake would have put you behind, so we knew that it would be tough. We did as well as we could for such a trial. It was a pity about the time penalty on the first lap, since I had a good second lap with zero points. I am in a good moment of riding and physical fitness, so I am very happy. Also thanks to the team for all their work.”
TrialGP of Netherlands 2019 Top 10
BOU Toni
RAGA Adam
FAJARDO Jeroni
FUJINAMI Takahisa
BUSTO Jaime
CASALES Jorge
DABILL James
KADLEC Franz
BINCAZ Benoit
RICE Jack
TrialGP Rider Standings
BOU Toni – 80 – Repsol Honda Team
RAGA Adam – 66 – TRRS Factory Team
FUJINAMI Takahisa – 53 – Repsol Honda Team
FAJARDO Jeroni – 50 – Gas Gas
DABILL James – 42 – Beta Factory Racing
Cairoli and Herlings injured
Red Bull KTM rider Tony Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings were forced to sit out last weekend’s Grand Prix of Germany which was the tenth round of eighteen in the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship.
Herlings re-injured his right leg just prior to winning the first race at Kegums in Latvia last Sunday after which the Dutchman was forced to withdraw from the Grand Prix with a hairline fracture at the base of his tibia bone and underwent minor surgery to insert a small reparatory screw this week. The 24 year old will remain in a cast and airboot for almost two weeks before he can again go through the physio, rehab and training process to be back on his KTM 450 SX-F.
Cairoli fell in the second race last weekend and dislocated his right shoulder and despite initial scans being positive the joint continues to be painful so further examinations will take place in two weeks time to know the exact extent of the damage.
Robert Jonas – VP of Offroad
“We had some amazing success in the last two years in the MXGP class and that has so much to do with our riders, our excellent team and all the support we have in place. Now we are experiencing the hard part of motocross but we know this is part of sport unfortunately. We don’t like it but we have to accept it and do our best to help Jeffrey and Tony get better and soon be in a position to be fighting at the front again.”
Connor Guillot wins R&D Husky TC65
Thanks to R&D Husky, 50cc 7 to under-9 racer Conner Guillot has won a brand-new Husqvarna TC65 at the 2019 The King of MX NSW State Motocross Championships.
Dave Cooke
“When you look at the 50cc seven to under nine class, it’s full of talented young racers learning their craft, with the older kids in the group usually also racing in the 65cc seven to under nine class as they progress. This means that it can be quite tough for the younger riders to win races, so we really wanted to give them something else to race for to reward their hard work, and Jeff (Mackin) from R&D Husky agreed. So, at the 2019 King of MX, any 50cc racer who qualified for the final, that didn’t have a 65cc endorsement, would be in the running to win a brand-new Husqvarna TC65, complete with custom King of MX graphics thanks to Tee N Cee.”
Motorcycling NSW has a relationship with the team at R&D for a long time, through their generous sponsorship of many state and club events. Not only was Connor the highest finishing racer in the 50cc seven to under nine State Championship without a 65cc endorsement, he raced to second overall in the class behind Kyle Harvey after scoring 2-1-3 results across the three championship races.
Australian Supercross kicks off in Brisbane
Troy Bayliss Events have announced that the opening round of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship will return to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on the 12th of October.
Troy Bayliss Events surveyed a number of teams, manufacturers and riders, including three-time Australian Supercross Champion, America’s Justin Brayton in the quest to find an excellent venue for the Queensland round in 2019.
All parties unanimously touting Brisbane Entertainment Centre the best venue for bar-to-bar racing action and edge-of-your-seat entertainment for fans.
Troy Bayliss
“It’s been a great move for the series with many teams congratulating Troy Bayliss Events on its decision to go to such a quality venue. History shows indoor arenas create high levels of exciting and entertaining Supercross racing. Fans are treated to an experience like no other, the tracks are tight and produce incredible racing full of passes.”
Fans will be right on top of the action on October 12 with comfy seating and zero chance of weather issues, the night of action is set to be spectacular. Freestyle Motocross will also feature as one of many additions within the night’s program.
Bayliss suggested the move to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre will draw more international riders to Australian Supercross Championship teams.
Troy Bayliss
“Some manufacturers have already indicated more international talent will be competing in the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship due to the inclusion of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. We want to make sure the series kicks off with a bang in 2019 and this venue will allow us to do that. The Supercross Masters era and more recently in Sydney, Supercross sold out arenas year-on-year and we expect the same in Brisbane. It’s one-night-only, we won’t be announcing another night closer to the event, the stadium holds 9500 fans and we have removed allocation for corporate and hospitality requirements so we expect the night to sell out well in advance.”
Round 1 in Brisbane will run a completely unique ‘Double Header’ format this year, with SX1 & SX2 classes contesting two main event finals, with points from each determining the round champion resulting in more racing for the fans.
Glyn Griffiths – Honda Australia Motorcycles.
“The Australian Supercross Championship reaches new markets and hits a diverse range of people which is what we need, we have been fortunate to win three championships in a row on the Honda CRF450R with Justin Brayton. We are excited with where Supercross is heading in Australia and look forward to Round 1 starting at Brisbane.”
Pre-sale tickets are available from 12 pm Tuesday 25 of June, and fans are urged to sign-up now at troybaylissevents.com to secure the best seats in the house. General Ticket Sales will be available from Wednesday 3 July and begin from as little as $40.00 through Ticketek.
Exclusive VIP packages will also be available to fans that include the full VIP experience, incredible gifts plus track walk, private meet and greets and of course, the closest seats to the action money can buy.
General public arriving between 4 – 5 pm can experience the free Pit Party outside the arena, giving all fans the opportunity to meet and greet the riders and teams. Gates Open at 5 pm and the Main Event is from 6 pm – 9 pm. For all latest Australian Supercross Championship news and updates go to www.australiansupercross.com.au.
RC V BT at New Zealand SX Open
Ricky Carmichael and Ben Townley will go head-to-head for the first time ever on New Zealand soil at this year’s Monster Energy S-X Open at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on November 16.
This will be the first time that Carmichael and Townley have raced side-by-side since 2007 and they will be joining Chad Reed and Jason Anderson at the second NZ SX Open.
Ricky Carmichael
“I couldn’t be more excited to be racing in Auckland this November 16, it will be my first time ever racing there, and I’m excited to put on an epic show for the fans at Mt Smart Stadium. BT and I have raced together many times before, and he’s always been a tough guy to beat, and it’s been a long time since we’ve gone bar-to-bar. We raced plenty back in the day at the GOAT Farm, he was easy to beat then, and I reckon he’s gonna be easy to beat now, so I think I’m going to have to beat him in front of his home crowd in Auckland on November 16.”
Townley put in a fantastic showing at last year’s inaugural S-X Open Auckland, after taking down rival Ronnie Mac and his Internationals Team, to win the International Showdown feature race, capping off a huge win for Team ANZACs over the Internationals and plans to back it up again in 2019.
Ben Townley
“I’ve had plenty of battles with RC back in the day when I based myself out of his training facility in the US in 2006 and ’07. Ricky never let any cameras in the ‘GOAT Farm’ back then and was always so secretive about the place, truth be told he just didn’t want anyone to know how much I was beating him by in his own backyard! It’s going to be awesome to battle head-to-head against Ricky again and it’s a massive win for Kiwi sports fans that the GOAT is coming to New Zealand to put on a show for us at Mt Smart Stadium on November 16. He might be an old boy now but Ricky still has plenty of tricks in the bag so I’ll be training hard to ensure I take home the trophy for the ANZACs again!”
S-X Open Auckland will also form the fourth round of the Australian Supercross Championship, the first time an event in New Zealand will be a part of the Australian series, and will feature the Triple-Crown Final race format, with non-stop, high-intensity action that will have fans on the edge of their seats, for the entire duration of the event.
The S-X Open Auckland database pre-sale commences June 20 from 12pm NZST with public on-sale becoming available from June 26 12pm NZST via Ticketmaster, tickets start from $39.00*. Sign up for pre-sale at www.sxopen.com
Max Fricke gets Norrbil Swedish SGP call up
Max Fricke will bid to put his Hallstavik home-track knowledge to good use after being called up for the Norrbil Swedish SGP on July 6. The SGP second reserve steps into the meeting in place of the absent Greg Hancock, who continues to care for wife Jennie, who is battling breast cancer in California.
The Australian joins Rospiggarna team mate Robert Lambert in the meeting, with the British champion already drafted in to cover for the injured Tai Woffinden.
The opportunity comes as a boost to Fricke after he topped the ANLAS Czech SGP scorechart in Prague on 12 points, before exiting at the semi-final stage.
Lambert has also taken his SGP chance with both hands, reaching the semis in both Warsaw and Krsko, before missing out on six points in Prague.
Both men will be keen to make the most of their local knowledge when they join their Rospiggarna colleague and SGP regular Jason Doyle in the field for one of Sweden’s biggest nights of racing.
For Round 10 of the MXGP 2019 the paddock head to Teutschenthal, Germany, where it was Tim Gajser who once again took victory, marking five round wins in a row as his lead over Tony Cairoli stretches closer to 100-points.
In MX2 a consistent Jorge Prado also took the win once again, with a 44-point lead over Thomas Kjer Olsen in the standings, while Aussie Jed Beaton finished sixth overall for the weekend on the back of a 6-5 result in the two motos. Mitch Evans crashed in Race 1, ending his weekend.
The Talkessel circuit has been on the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar since 1971 and always provides the perfect conditions and atmosphere for a ‘one to remember’ racing weekend.
MXGP
Around the very rough Talkessel circuit Tim Gajser wasn’t slowing up as he moved a little closer to a third motocross world championship title. In the opening MXGP race Gajser took the FOX Holeshot and continued his lead from Jeremy Seewer, Julien Lieber, Arnaud Tonus and Gautier Paulin. After a lap the Slovenian was already leading with four seconds advantge.
Gajser was clocking big lap times as he was five seconds ahead of Seewer on lap two, when the Slovenian crashed and suddenly Seewer was right on him. While going to pass the HRC rider the two collided and Gajser kept his lead. Gajser might have gone down, but he quickly made up a four seconds lead on Seewer. The two Frenchman Paulin and Febvre were in a great battle for fifth place.
Febvre, who was still on the gas, moved past Paulin and set his sights on Tonus, who was looking ahead to Lieber. While Gajser though had an eight-second lead, Febvre closed in and passed Paulin for fifth and Lieber turned it up, caught and passed Seewer for second. After 11 laps the lead was more than eight seconds, with Lieber second, Seewer third, then Tonus, Febvre, Paulin, Anstie, Coldenhoff, Bogers and Van Horebeek.
Later in the race Lieber, while he had one of his season’s best crashed, suffering a fracture on the left elbow, and Seewer managed to take the second position but he made a mistake on the final lap allowing Tonus to go through and finish second. Gajser won after 18-lap lead from Tonus and Seewer.
The gate dropped in race 2 and Gajser took the FOX Holeshot again in an epic MXGP race start while both Yamaha’s Febvre and Seewer crashed in the opening lap. Pauls Jonass was second, followed by Tonus, Anstie and Paulin.
Seewer dropped down in 14th and Febvre in 23rd. After two laps Gajser held a 2.6 second lead over Jonass, with Tonus a further three seconds back in third, and Max Anstie all over the back wheel of the Yamaha rider.
Five laps in Gajser was up front four seconds ahead of Jonass, and Seewer had moved up to 12th and then to 9th position.
In total control Gajser remained in a handy lead over Jonass and Tonus, with the charge by Anstie and Paulin, while Seewer being in 8th place would assure podium finish. The Top 5 lead would never changed during MXGP Race 2 until the very last lap when Gautier Paulin went through Anstie stealing a position and finishing 4th.
With another 1-1 performance, Gajser extended his series points lead over Antonio Cairoli to 83 and is without question the fastest man at this moment. Second overall in the MXGP class was Arnaud Tonus with 2-3 scores and third was his teammate Gautier Paulin with 5-4 scores. The pair of Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP made history being for the first time on the podium together and tied on points.
Tim Gajser – P1
“I was enjoying riding on the track this weekend. It was a really technical circuit with deep ruts which made line selection really important. I’m also really happy to take the holeshot in both races, as well as the qualifier yesterday, because we weren’t able to do that in the early part of the season but now we are getting the perfect jump out of the gate. In the first moto I did make a little mistake but I was still able to pick up the bike and remount as the leader, so that went okay. Then in the second race, I didn’t want to push too hard. I pulled out a lead of about five seconds and then kept it smooth because the track was a little sketchy in that second moto. The shadows and the sun was quite low which caused problems on certain parts of the track. However overall I’m very happy to win another overall and to extend my lead in the MXGP championship. I’m feeling really happy with how I rode and how the whole of Team HRC is working together.”
Arnaud Tonus – P2
“This weekend was a bit more challenging because I had a tough qualifying race yesterday, so I was pretty far out on the start and I had to dig deep going into the first corner, but I managed to be inside the top-five in both races. I had a good battle with the Yamaha riders in the first race, but I managed to pass Jeremy on the last lap when he made a mistake, and then I had another good race in Race 2 and was able to finish on the box for a fifth time. It was also amazing to have Gautier up on the podium with me. We have a great atmosphere inside the team, and this is a very special moment for us and the team. I am super happy for him.”
Gautier Paulin – P3
“I can’t thank the Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP Team enough. For the past few weeks it has been tough for me, I have been off the podium. I had a big crash in Portugal and then was unlucky in France and then met the ground again in Russia. Last weekend in Latvia, I felt more like myself, but I didn’t reach the points I wanted to, but the feeling was there and it was a good training. It was tough, I had to fight hard for this one, but I know and have known my entire career that nothing comes for free, so I fought and now I am here and it feels great.”
Pauls Jonass – P4
“I’m super pleased to finish as runner-up in the second moto, but also a little disappointed for myself and the team that I missed third overall by just one point. It was two very different motos for me this weekend. The first race was tough because I got arm pump. I’m not sure if I pushed too hard after a decent start, but I lost my rhythm and went backwards for most of the race to finish 10th. My speed was good during the last 10 minutes, but it was too late then. The second moto was great, really important for me to show I have the speed to be up front for a full race. I followed Gajser for a while and managed to pull a gap over third and then just stayed consistent and stayed there all race. One point from the podium is frustrating but the result is really important ahead of the fly-away races that are coming up next.”
Jeremy Seewer – P5
“I had a really really good weekend. Now I am starting to pick up the flow right from the Time Practice. I missed the podium by 1-point even with a crash in Race 2, but I felt good all weekend. I was up there in the top-five and top-three all weekend. I fell in Race 2 and I fought really hard to come back through the pack really quick which takes a lot of energy especially on a tough track like this. I am happy with everything; I took good points which is the goal at the end of the day. I just want to keep collecting points and moving forward.”
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