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Moto Wrap | Atlanta SX | MXGP | Enduro | AORC

Moto News Wrap
March 5, 2019 – By Darren Smart

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Moto News Latest

  • Webb and Cianciarulo storm Atlanta AMA SX
  • Cairoli and Prado take first blood at Argentina MXGP
  • Evans creates history at Argentina
  • Barcia concussed – misses Atlanta
  • Holcombe kicks off 2019 with win in Italy
  • Price to be honoured at Aussie F1 GP
  • Dacka ready for season 2019
  • The stars of the AORC hit Toowoomba this Weekend
  • Mentoring role brings Matthew Phillips to AORC
  • Cosford wins Coolum 2-Stroke Cup
  • 2020 Aussie Speedway Solo Champs calendar announced
  • 2020 & 2021 Australian Junior and Senior Speedway Sidecar calendar

Webb and Cianciarulo storm Atlanta AMA SX

Atlanta, Georgia hosted the ninth round of the AMA Supercross Championships last weekend and it was an all KTM podium in the 450 class with championship leader Cooper Webb taking the win over Blake Baggett and Marvin Musquin while it was Adam Cianciarulo who won the first of the 250 East/West Shootouts ahead of Dylan Ferrandis and Austin Forkner.

See the full report here:
KTM 1-2-3 in Atlanta as Webb takes fifth victory of season (link)

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb Roczen Tomac Multiple JK SX Atlanta
2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

Unfortunately, Chad stalled his Suzuki late in the race to drop back to a disappointing 13th place but the Aussie still sits seventh in the championship, two spots ahead of Justin Barcia who was forced to sit out the event thanks to suffering a concussion after crashing during the week.

Cooper Webb

“Yeh, it was tough, the track was changing a lot but I knew where I was good but there were also places where Marv would catch me, I knew where he was catching me but I didn’t know what line he was using, it is hard when you are leading so I just hit my marks and they weren’t working as good as I would have liked so I started changing things up, made a few mistakes in front of Blake who I knew would be good through the whoops but towards the end I found some lines so another win, that was sweet.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb JK SX Atlanta
Cooper Webb – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

Blake Baggett

“It was really hard to pass, you could make a run on someone but to get by was another thing, Marv and Cooper were making runs at each other, I could see it going on in front of me then I got into second and could do the same but when they have that horseshoe sand section over the tunnel I will hands down voice my opinion that I am not for it, it is supercross with steep obstacles and no sand.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Baggett JK SX Atlanta
Blake Baggett – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin

“It was tough being the chaser tonight, you had to follow through the sand section and same with the whoops, I didn’t want to chance going to the right, it was a really tough track, I missed the main line in the sand and Blake got me and I would gain some ground then lose some ground, it was tough.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Musquin JK SX Atlanta
Marvin Musquin – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

450SX Main Event Results

  1. Cooper Webb
  2. Blake Baggett
  3. Marvin Musquin
  4. Ken Roczen
  5. Aaron Plessinger
    …13. Chad Reed

    AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb Baggett Musquin Podium JK SX Atlanta

    450SX Main Event Results
    Cooper Webb
    Blake Baggett
    Marvin Musquin

 450SX Points after 9 of 17 Rounds

  1. Cooper Webb – 199
  2. Ken Roczen – 186
  3. Marvin Musquin – 182
  4. Eli Tomac – 177
  5. Blake Baggett – 142
  6. Dean Wilson – 137
  7. Chad Reed – 124

250 East-West Shootout Report

There was no catching Cianciarulo with the East Coast championship leader taking the win by four second over Ferrandis who dropped Forkner by seven seconds while Sexton, Cooper, McElrath, Nichols, Martin Davalos, Michael Mosiman and Brandon Hartraft rounded out the top ten.

Adam Cianciarulo

“After the start I stayed patient behind Chase, made the move to second behind Austin and obviously didn’t want to do anything stupid which came to mind but I had a good race, mistake free and learned a lot throughout the day.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Cianciarulo JK SX Atlanta
Adam Cianciarulo – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

250SX East/West Shootout Results

  1. Adam Cianciarulo
  2. Dylan Ferrandis
  3. Austin Forkner
  4. Chase Sexton
  5. Justin Cooper
  6. Shane McElrath
  7. Colt Nichols
  8. Martin Davalos
  9. Michael Mosiman
  10. Brandon Hartranft

250 East Coast Report

For the current top three riders in the East Coast series the shootout did them no harm with Forkner’s third place earning him a handy 18-point margin back to Cooper, who in turn has a two-point buffer back to Sexton.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Forkner Sexton JK SX Atlanta
Austin Forkner – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

250 East Coast Points after 4 of 9 Rounds

  1. Austin Forkner – 99
  2. Justin Cooper – 81
  3. Chase Sexton – 79
  4. Jordon Smith – 70
  5. Alex Martin – 60

West Coast Report

The shootout couldn’t have gone better for Cianciarulo who now holds a 15-point lead over Ferrandis who moved into second in the championship by two points over McElrath, who in turn has a three-point lead over Nichols.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Ferrandis JK SX Atlanta
Dylan Ferrandis – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

250 West Coast Points after 6 of 10 Rounds

  1. Adam Cianciarulo – 140
  2. Dylan Ferrandis – 125
  3. Shane McElrath – 123
  4. Colt Nichols – 120
  5. RJ Hampshire – 86
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Cairoli and Prado take first blood at Argentina MXGP

The MXGP of Patagonia, Argentina hosted the opening round of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship and it was the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado who earned double moto victories in the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia prado start qual
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

MXGP Race Report

The only thing Cairoli failed at all weekend was his starts but the Italian managed to use all of his veteran savvy to squeeze his way to the lead before the end of the opening lap in moto 1 but it took 6 laps in the second moto to move into the lead.

While defending champion Jeffrey Herlings is on the sidelines with injury Cairoli is under no illusion as to how important these points are and he was doggedly determined to walk away with maximum points in Argentina.

Antonio Cairoli

“I am happy overall today because after yesterday I wasn’t sure how I will do off the starts. The rhythm was high in the beginning but I was just trying to see where I could gain some time. I managed to have 2 good starts, both were in the top ten…I found some good lines and I had a good race taking the overall which makes me really happy. There are a lot of Argentinian fans who cheer for me all year on social media so it is nice to give them a win especially on this track which I have never had the chance to win at, I was close last year but it is always nice to race where people don’t see us often and make them happy.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia antonio cairoli on the finish line
Antonio Cairoli – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Honda’s Tim Gajser took a hit after crashing on Saturday and was on the sore side on race day but he came through from a poor start in moto one to end the race in second, just 6 seconds back from a cruising Cairoli but in the second moto Tim was right there all race and was just 2 seconds back at the chequered flag – the former champ is showing form that will see him win races in 2019 – Herlings or no Herlings.

Tim Gajser

“It was good, I am really happy, yesterday I had a big crash and today I was a bit sore. In the first race I had a solid start inside the top ten and had to work hard to come through the pack but I finished 2nd which was good. In the second race I was a bit tight and didn’t relax, then Febvre and Tony passed me. I tried to stay with them to see where I was losing time then I passed Romain and with Tony we were about the same times, I tried to push but couldn’t get closer. It was a nice race and I’m looking forward to the next round already.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Gajser shotbybavo
Tim Gajser – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Romain Febvre scored third in the opening moto and was running a solid third in the second moto until a huge crash on lap 14 put the French Yamaha star out of the race and to rub salt into the wound former Yamaha rider Jeremy Van Horebeek put his Honda into third in the moto and third overall in his debut for his new team.

Jeremy Van Horebeek

“It is still unbelievable, until two weeks ago I didn’t know we would be here so it has been a crazy ride since last year. I am so thankful to this team for giving me the chance. I am thankful and I am going to keep on working to make this a great season.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia vanhorebeek action
Jeremy Van Horebeek – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Veterans Clement Desalle and Gautier Paulin earned top five positions with Arminas Jasikonis, Tommy Searle. Shaun Simpson, Jeremy Seewer and Pauls Jonass rounding out the top ten while Romain Febvre ended up 12th, one position ahead of Max Anstie and several ahead of Glenn Coldenhoff who was on deck to score points while recovering from injury.

MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 1

  1. Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:41.270
  2. Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:06.253
  3. Febvre, Romain FRA Yamaha +0:09.838
  4. Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:11.464
  5. Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:02.566
  6. Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:32.226
  7. Lieber, Julien BEL Kawasaki +0:39.435
  8. Jasikonis, Arminas LMSF Husqvarna +0:49.752
  9. Jonass, Pauls LAT Husqvarna +0:50.285
  10. Seewer, Jeremy SUI Yamaha +0:59.164

MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 2

  1. Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:56.475
  2. Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:02.386
  3. Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:37.829
  4. Anstie, Max GBR KTM +0:42.332
  5. Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:43.070
  6. Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:47.509
  7. Searle, Tommy GBR Kawasaki +0:49.602
  8. Jasikonis, Arminas LTU Husqvarna +0:58.810
  9. Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM +1:01.941
  10. Tonus, Arnaud SUI Yamaha +1:03.513
MXGP Rnd Patagonia RA MXGP Podium
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – 1) Tony Cairoli, 2) Tim Gajser, 3) Jeremy Van Horebeek

MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Standings

  1. Cairoli, A. ITA KTM 50
  2. Gajser, Tim SLO HON 44
  3. Van Horebeek, J. BEL HON 35
  4. Desalle, C. BEL KAW 33
  5. Paulin, G. FRA YAM 32
  6. Jasikonis, A. LTU HUS 26
  7. Searle, Tommy GBR KAW 22
  8. Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM 22
  9. Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 21
  10. Jonass, Pauls LAT HUS 21
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MX2 Race Report

The defending champ Prado was expected to be the man to beat in Argentina but the Spaniard led every lap to win the opening moto from Thomas Kjer Olsen, Henry Jacobi, Calvin Vlaanderen and Mitchell Evans before handing down the same punishment in the second moto to take the win from Kjer Olsen, Evans, Vlaanderen and Jacobi.

Jorge Prado

“It was great to be back at the GPs, it is a long season but I have so much fun. Yesterday I had a good day but today I woke up and felt even better. I had 2 good starts which is very important because everyone is going fast and it is hard to make a difference. I am very happy with two firsts, for first overall, and points lead so it is a good start to the season.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia jorge prado
Jorge Prado – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Kjer Olsen and his Husqvarna were working a treat all weekend but his starts on Sunday saw the Dane playing catch up all day.

Thomas Kjer Olsen

“The first race I did slide on the gate…I felt like a came through the pack pretty good but once I got to second Prado was already like 12 seconds ahead so I tried to save some energy for the second race. Again not the greatest of starts but we will go back and work on those for sure to be more consistent. Overall I feel my riding was good and I felt good on the bike so I’m happy about that and it is a great feeling at the start of the season.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia olsen action
Thomas Kjer Olsen – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Mitch Evans sat in seventh place for most of the opening moto before passing Ben Watson and Tom Vialle late in the race to earn fifth place but in the second moto Evans was right on leader Prado’s rear wheel until Kjer Olsen dropped the Aussie to third on lap 5 but Mitch pushed hard to end the moto in third, only 12 seconds behind Prado after 18 laps – impressive!

Mitch Evans

“I couldn’t be any happier, I didn’t really know what to expect being my first GP.  I enjoyed every moment of it, it was awesome being here, the fans were awesome so I really enjoyed it. I knew the work that we put in during the off season and the preseason races that we had if I got good starts I could run with these boys.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Vlaanderen, Jacobi, Watson, Vialle, Jago Geerts, Adam Sterry and Davy Pootjes rounded out the top ten while New Zealand’s Dylan Walsh ended up in 15th overall, five spots ahead of Evans’ teammate Zach Pichon who would have been hoping for better than 20th overall.

Jed Beaton was unable to compete in Argentina thanks to picking up an injury just a week before the opening GP but the Aussie will definitely be at the second round in the UK in a few week’s time so two Aussies on the podium in the coming rounds is more than possible.

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Race 1

  1. Prado, Jorge ESP RFME KTM 34:50.385
  2. Olsen, Thomas Kjer DEN DMU Husqvarna +0:16.677
  3. Jacobi, Henry GER DMSB Kawasaki +0:23.565
  4. Vlaanderen, Calvin NED KNMV Honda +0:25.535
  5. Evans, Mitchell AUS MA Honda +0:27.289
  6. Watson, Ben GBR ACU Yamaha +0:29.198
  7. Vialle, Tom FRA FFM KTM +0:37.127
  8. Sterry, Adam GBR ACU Kawasaki +0:39.496
  9. Mewse, Conrad GBR ACU KTM +0:41.631
  10. Pootjes, Davy NED KNMV Husqvarna +0:52.057
    …13 Walsh, Dylan NZL Husqvarna +1:07.458
MXGP Rnd Patagonia Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Race 2

  1. Prado, Jorge ESP RFME KTM 33:48.208
  2. Olsen, Thomas Kjer DEN DMU Husqvarna +0:04.825
  3. Evans, Mitchell AUS MA Honda +0:12.437
  4. Vlaanderen, Calvin NED KNMV Honda +0:23.647
  5. Jacobi, Henry GER DMSB Kawasaki +0:30.601
  6. Geerts, Jago BEL FMB Yamaha +0:31.623
  7. Watson, Ben GBR ACU Yamaha +0:34.405
  8. Vialle, Tom FRA FFM KTM +0:46.909
  9. Sterry, Adam GBR ACU Kawasaki +0:51.470
  10. Pootjes, Davy NED KNMV Husqvarna +0:53.754
    …18. Walsh, Dylan NZL Husqvarna +1:26.232
MXGP Rnd Patagonia evans action
Mitch Evans – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Standings

  1. Prado, Jorge ESP KTM 50
  2. Olsen, T. DEN HUS 44
  3. Evans, M. AUS HON 36
  4. Vlaanderen, C. NED HON 36
  5. Jacobi, Henry GER KAW 36
  6. Watson, Ben GBR YAM 29
  7. Vialle, Tom FRA KTM 27
  8. 193 Geerts, Jago BEL YAM 25
  9. Sterry, Adam GBR KAW 25
  10. Pootjes, Davy NED HUS 22
  11. Mewse, Conrad GBR KTM 21
  12. Vaessen, Bas NED KTM 15
  13. Cervellin, M. ITA YAM 13
  14. Östlund, Alvin SWE HUS 13
  15. Walsh, Dylan NZL HUS 11
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Evans creates history at Argentina

Mitch Evans has sensationally created history by becoming the first Aussie to podium on his GP debut, bettering the likes of Robert Scott, Lyndon Heffernan, Jeff Leisk, Craig Dack, Andrew McFarlane, Chad Reed, Hunter Lawrence and Jed Beaton (to name a few) along the way.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Mitch Evans shotbybavo
Mitch Evans – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

After his solid performance in tough conditions at the 2018 Motocross of Nations in America, Evans was starting to get calls from teams in Europe and it wasn’t long before Hunter Lawrence’s old team Honda 114 came knocking and the rest is history.

Mitch Evans

“I am grateful for the opportunity that Honda 114 Motorsports has presented me. Racing in the FIM Motocross World Championship has been a goal of mine since I competed in the world junior championship in 2010. There is a lot for me to learn and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead. I am excited to be racing with the best in the world.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Mitch Evans CreditTeamMotorsportsFacebook
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Mitch Evans – Image courtesy of Team 114 Motorsports Facebook Page

Evans will now head to the MXGP of Great Britain at Matterley Basin in three weekend’s time and there is nothing surer that the Aussie has learned a lot in Argentina and will hit the second round with a belly full of confidence.


Barcia concussed – misses Atlanta

Justin Barcia has been evaluated to see if he sustained a concussion and was forced to sit out last weekend’s Atlanta Supercross following a training crash at his riding facility in Florida. Barcia

Below is the Monster Energy Yamaha statement:

“Following a medical check at TOC in Tallahassee, Florida, Barcia is being evaluated for concussion and as a precautionary measure will not take part in this weekend’s Monster Energy Supercross round at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Justin Barcia Pits JK SX Arlington
Justin Barcia

“The news of Justin’s accident this morning is a real pity, but our main concern is Justin’s health and recovery. Following the Concussion Protocol, we hope that Justin will be back to 100% and cleared to participate soon.”

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Holcomba kicks off 2019 with win in Italy

In an effort to get some valuable race miles under his belt ahead of the Enduro World Championships in March, Beta Factory Racing’s Steve Holcombe has started his 2019 racing season with a confidence inspiring result at the opening two rounds of the Italian Enduro Championship in Gioia dei Marsi last weekend.

Steve Holcombe imgCristianoMorello
Steve Holcome – Image by Cristiano Morello

As the reigning Assoluti d’Italia champion, Holcombe was bettered by TM rider Loic Larrieu on the opening day but the World Champ rose to the occasion on day two to take the win from Larrieu and his teammate Daniel McCanney who scored third on both days.

Steve Holcombe

“It’s been a really strong start to the 2019 season for me. I had a good ride on Saturday to finish second and then with some improvements to our setup I was able to take the win on Sunday, which is a real boost. On day one we opted to use a hard compound rear tyre. But with overnight rain that choice didn’t work in our favour and I struggled to find grip on the first lap, especially in the enduro test. As conditions improved, so did my pace and I worked my way back into contention. Fastest on the final extreme test, I got close to topping the results but I wasn’t able to make it happen on the last cross test. However, with a strong end to the day I was able to carry that speed into Sunday. I won the first test to put myself into the lead, before going on to set the fastest time in three more tests and claim victory. I honestly didn’t expect to hold this sort of pace so soon in the year as this race is part of my training plan towards the Enduro World Championship. Overall, it’s been a great result for us as a team and one that will keep us pushing hard as we head towards round one of EnduroGP in Germany at the end of this month.”

Results – Italian Enduro Championship
Round 1

  1. Loic Larrieu (TM) 48:18.93
  2. Steve Holcombe (Beta) 48:25.39
  3. Daniel McCanney (TM) 48:29.79

Round 2

  1. Steve Holcombe (Beta) 47:46.11
  2. Loic Larrieu (TM) 48:01.61
  3. Daniel McCanney (TM) 48:01.98

Price to be honoured at Aussie F1 GP

In an unprecedented move and with global television coverage to boot, 2019 Dakar Rally Champion Toby Price is set to join the Formula One drivers’ parade for a lap of honour ahead of the season opening race of the FIA Formula One World Championship at 2.30pm on Sunday, March 17.

Dakar Rally Toby Price ImgMarcinKin
Toby Price – Image by Marcin Kin

Price will follow the convoy of Formula One drivers during the parade to salute fans while riding aboard the KTM machinery he rode to his second Dakar victory.

Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO, Andrew Westacott, acknowledged that the scheduled lap of honour is a fitting way to allow the fans to celebrate the popular two wheel and four wheel racer’s ackomplishments.

Andrew Westacott – Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO

“Toby Price is the only Australian to have ever conquered the gruelling Dakar Rally, and to have now won it for a second-time in defying circumstances is an incredible achievement. What better way to celebrate Toby’s accomplishment than allowing him to join 20 of his peers that are the best racing drivers in the world in a lap of honour on the world stage. We are thrilled to honour Toby at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2019 and see him receive the global recognition he deserves, when the world’s eyes are on Melbourne for the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.”

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Dack ready for season 2019

It is hard to believe that it was 27 years ago that Craig Dack Racing (CDR Yamaha) was formed but what is not hard to believe that Craig himself, a multiple Australian Motocross and Supercross Champion still has the competitive juices flowing and is pumped for the new season.

Craig Dack

“I love this time of year. All the hard work over the off season from both the riders and the teams comes to the surface now and it’s time to go racing. This is why we do the work – to see how it plays out on the weekends. Having Appin as the opening round this year should make for a great start to the season as the track always turns on great racing and its well supported by the fans. Our team has a good history at the venue and we hope for that to continue this year. Both Luke (Clout) and Kirk (Gibbs) have had a great pre-season, and both are showing good form. Kirk has raced in New Zealand and showed plenty of speed and quickly adapted to the YZ450F while Luke has done a couple of local races and been successful at those, so I feel we are well placed heading into round one.”

mx nationals coolum round mx cdr dacka ImageScottYa
CDR Yamaha’s Craig Dack

“This is our second full season on the current generation YZ450F and it’s a sensational bike with a great chassis and powerful motor. Our time isn’t spent trying to develop the bike a great deal but rather personalise it for the individual rider as the production platform is so good. Brad, Aiden and Gary are able to get the most from it and the riders respect the fact we have such high quality technical staff at CDR. We value the long term partnerships we have with the best companies in the industry. It takes a lot of support to run a team like CDR and I’m proud of the relationships we have built over the years.”

Long term and loyal sponsors like Fox, Pro Circuit, Dunlop, NGK, DID as well as major partner Yamaha have been with CDR Yamaha since the early days and the continued building of relationships with companies like Monster Energy, Kincrome tools and Renthal keep the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team at the front of the pack.

Kirk Gibbs' 2019 CDR Monster Energy YZ450FLook for ‘Dacka’ as he is known, the big blue Yamaha rig and the rest of the team on March 17 at Appin Raceway, south west of Sydney.


The stars of the AORC hit Toowoomba this weekend

This coming weekend Toowoomba will host then opening two rounds of the AORC and all of the heavy hitters will be on hand to have a crack at drawing first blood on their competition – let’s see what is going down in the three main classes.

E1

Reigning 2018 E1 Champion Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) has to go into the series as class favourite but the former motocross star will have to contend with four-time world champion Matthew Phillips (MX Store, KTM) in 2019.

Yamaha Active Yamalube Racing AORC Luke
Luke Styke

The trouble doesn’t end there for Styke, Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) will no doubt come into Rounds 1 and 2 with a point to prove as will Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team) and Michael Driscoll (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) make thids class the hottest in the series.

E2

2018 E3 Champion Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) will move across to the E2 class this season and the early money is on Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team), Joshua Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) and Broc Grabham to be Milner’s biggest competition this season.

Daniel Milner

“The 500cc bike was awesome, no doubt, but for me as a rider I find I suit a smaller bike better. So switching to a 350cc E2 class bike has been a really enjoyable change. I’m finding I’m moving faster and achieving better results with the smaller bike.”

Daniel Milner will be heading to Toowoomba for the opening round of the AORC
Daniel Milner – AORC heads to Toowoomba for 2019 opener

 E3

After taking out the E2 crown in 2018, Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) has moved to the E3 class and by all accounts Andy Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Team), Beau Ralston and Western Australian Jesse Lawton will all look to keep Sanders on his toes throughout the series.

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Mentoring role brings Matthew Phillips to AORC

After a couple of tough years overseas and right in the midst of potentially retiring from the sport, four-time World Champion Matthew Phillips has committed to the 2019 AORC on KTM machinery and it is in the role of mentoring young Kyron Bacon who will be competing in the EJ class that will see Phillips riding for the ‘love for the sport’ once again.

Matthew Phillips

“My plan is to compete in all 11 rounds of the AORC 2019 season, beginning in Rounds 1 and 2 in the E1 class. As the season moves on I’ll change things up a bit by moving across the senior classes with different bikes. The main thinking is that I want to maintain the love for the sport and by changing things up each round will definitely help that! Kyron rode at my property already, and he explained his situation back in 2018. I then offered my support to help him grow and climb up the ranks. Since we became a team, Kyron has been putting in an enormous number of hours, working his bike hard to get faster and faster. I definitely see him as a title contender in the EJ class for 2019 and beyond!”

Matthew Phillips
Matthew Phillips

Look for the KTM/MX Store team this weekend at the opening round of the 2019 AORC at Toowoomba.


Cosford wins Coolum 2-Stroke Cup

Young Jayce Cosford has overcome the weight of his three-digit race number to better some of the fastest riders in Australia to win the premier class at the second round of the 2019 2-Stroke Nationals held at Coolum raceway last weekend.

Cosford won all three motos of the YMI All Powers Cup to take the overall ahead of local shot-shot Jai Walker and round one winner Joel Milesevic while Andrew Shacklock (Hallman Retro Cup). Alex Larwood (125 Junior Cup), Hunter Collins (Yamaha 85cc Cup) and Ky Woods (Raceline 65cc Cup) all took out the support class wins.

YMI All Powers Cup

  1. Jayce Cosford
  2. Jai Walker
  3. Joel Milesevic
  4. Jesse Bishop
  5. Ryan Kenney
  6. Nicholas Kefford
  7. Danny Ham
  8. Wilson Greiner-Daish
  9. Cale Harkin
  10. Kobe Barton
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2020 Aussie Speedway Solo Champs calendar announced

On the back of a highly successful 2019 championship, a completely revamped 2020 Australian Speedway Solo Championship calendar has been announced with five rounds running from 2-11 January, commencing first in Kurri Kurri, NSW and moving South through VIC and landing at the iconic Gillman Speedway in SA.

Reflecting on the new calendar, defending champion Max Fricke is wrapped with the new schedule.

Max Fricke

“The new tighter schedule is a really great change! It matches the European style and suits what we’re used to as we compete throughout the year. It’s also a great experience for riders and fans alike, with such a tight window to collect as many points as you can whilst maintaining your fitness and drive. Going up against such strong competition back in January, which seemed to include everyone bar Jason Doyle, and then taking out my first Australian Senior Solo Championship title was such a great feeling! As we prepare for the European season, I am finding myself increasingly comfortable competing against the likes of Tungate and Holder. It’s also great to come back home to Australia and compete against locals that you haven’t experienced before, who may have different tactics and styles. The growth in Australian Speedway talent that competes in the Senior Solo Championship is really impressive and continues to grow the sport” highlighted Fricke.

Max Fricke
Max Fricke

 2020 Australian Senior Solo Speedway Championship

  • 2nd Jan – Qualifying Meeting (If Required) – Kurri Kurri, NSW
  • 3rd Jan – Round One – Kurri Kurri, NSW
  • 6th Jan – Round Two – Albury, VIC
  • 7th Jan – Round Three – Undera, VIC
  • 9th Jan – Round Four – Mildura, VIC
  • 11th Jan – Round Five – Gillman, SA

Stay in the loop with all things Australian Speedway by checking out the Australian Speedway Championships website and Facebook!


2020 & 2021 Australian Junior and Senior Speedway Sidecar calendar

The 2020 and 2021 Australian Junior and Senior Speedway Sidecar Championship calendar has also been announced, and reflecting the ever-increasing Speedway Sidecar talent that resides within the Australia, the Championship will land in Mildura, Victoria for 2020 and then venture across the Nullarbor Plain to Pinjar, Western Australia (WA) in 2021!

The 2020 Championship will run from 27-28 April* (*TBA), following on from the festivities of the Easter long weekend. Across in WA for 2021, the Championship will run over the Easter long weekend from 20-21 April.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Barcia tops a muddy A1 Supercross from Roczen and Tomac

AMA Supercross 2019
Round One – Anaheim 1

The opening round of AMA Supercross for 2019, the famed Anaheim 1 event, was staged in uncharacteristically muddy conditions at the Californian venue on the weekend.

AMASX Rnd Fireworks
2019 AMA Supercross underway! Image Hoppenworld

Chad Reed took second place in the LCQ in order to move through to the main, but was caught up in a turn one incident in the main event that left the 36-year-old Aussie legend with plenty of work to do.  Reed was down around 16th place after the incident, but steadily plugged his way through the field in the trying conditions to take 14-points from his ninth place finish, ahead of Cole Seely and Justin Brayton.

AMASX Rnd Start
Chad Reed got caught up in a turn one incident on the opening lap – Image Hoppenworld

Reigning AMA Supercross Champion Jason Anderson had conversely started well, but then drifted back through the field, looking increasingly uncomfortable as the race wore on before eventually finishing in 14th place.

Another top runner that failed to fire to his potential was KTM’s Marvin Musquin. The 29-year-old was inside the top ten throughout the event, but never looked likely to threaten the front runners.  The Frenchman still took eighth place to get a good first score on the board and 15 points.

Marvin Musquin

“The riding was not too bad but physically it was not an easy day as I didn’t have much time on the bike this off-season. But we knew it coming in, so the goal was to score some points and I ended up eighth in the Main Event. I had a great start and Cooper did too, but we almost got into each other and he went down. I avoided him but I lost a lot of ground. It would have been a little bit easier on me to get out front – I was right there in second place behind Cooper, it was pretty cool – but almost both of us crashing. My goal, once again, was to be consistent and score points and that’s what I did. Eighth is not too bad considering and now we can move on and get better from there.”

AMASX Rnd Marvin Musquin
Marvin Musquin

Cooper Webb was caught up in the same lap one melee that had troubled Reed but recovered strongly and, at times, was the fastest man on the track as he pushed his way forward all the way to fifth place at the flag. One was left with the impression that if the race went longer, Webb would have made up even more places as the 21-year-old really did look stronger than the others in the late stages of the main and set the fastest lap of the race.

Cooper Webb

“Anaheim I is in the books and overall it was a really good day. We started with free practice just getting the hang of the track and I was able to qualify seventh. In the heat race, I didn’t get off to the greatest of starts and I didn’t ride to my potential, so I had a bad gate pick in the Main Event. I had a pretty outside gate but I nailed the start and I was first in the first turn but unfortunately, I fell over. It was slicker than I thought but I was able to get up and really put my head down and charge really hard to come back to fifth. I guess I had the fastest lap of the race, so that was really cool and I’m feeling confident and good with that result, so I’m ready to go to Phoenix next weekend!”

AMASX Rnd Cooper Webb
Cooper Webb

Dean Wilson was another rider that looked very strong in the trying conditions, but unlike Webb, Wilson started really strongly and looked likely to win the event before he made a mistake, and then seemed to lose his speed. Wilson was eventually chased down by Justin Barcia, Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac but still bagged a highly creditable fourth place in the season opener. That performance from the privateer certainly raised plenty of eyebrows.

AMASX Rnd Dean Wilson
Dean Wilson – Image by Hoppenworld

Malcolm Stewart had started strongly with Wilson, the pair running in close company up front for most of the early laps and it looked as though it would be a battle between the two for a win.

AMASX Rnd Dean Wilson Malcolm Stewart
Dean Wilson and Malcolm Stewart were the early breakaway leaders – Image by Hoppenworld

Stewart though lost the rear on a corner entry and went down, he rejoined the race quickly but did not look like a challenger again as he drifted back to seventh place by the chequered flag, 12-seconds behind sixth place finish behind 450 debutante Aaron Plessinger.

Aaron Plessinger

“Anaheim 1 went pretty well. I got better and better every time I went out on the track. The heat race went awesome. I started out about fifth or sixth, got past some guys and finished third. I was pretty amped on that and I went into the main event pretty happy with myself. I got a great start and just maintained it. There were sometimes where I felt a little winded, but I couldn’t back down and pushed on to the finish and got sixth. I’d say Anaheim I, my first 450 race, was pretty good in my eyes. We’ll keep making improvements and head into Phoenix hot on the ball.”

AMASX Rnd Aaron Plessinger
Aaron Plessinger

It was Plessinger’s team-mate Justin Barcia though that took the major price and the $12,000 USD prize money for the win, let alone his contingency bonuses from a very happy Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team and other sponsors.

Jim Perry – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“Today at Anaheim, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross kick off was a great day for the bLUcRU. Justin Barcia took the main event win which was awesome. The new YZ450F has been a great bike for Justin. The team’s been working hard in the off season. He’s been working hard in the off season; and it showed tonight. He was fast in practice and was fast in his heat race. It kind of came together in the main event. Justin enjoys the mud and it was starting to rain pretty heavy. Definitely a great night for him and awesome to see the YZ450F in the winner’s circle. It was also a great night for Aaron Plessinger, the rookie, as he starts his career in the 450SX class. He got a great Heat race finish in third and went on to the Main Event, started towards the front, put in a solid moto and finished sixth. Great results for both guys and looking forward to next weekend.”

AMASX Rnd Track
2019 AMA Supercross got underway at A1 – Image Hoppenworld

Barcia had also won his heat race to qualify for the main, but was in seemingly no hurry to make his way to the front of the pack in the main event. The 26-year-old just plugged away smoothly as he saw those in front eventually flail, allowing the New Yorker to avoid any incidents and go on to take what in the end was a fairly dominant win.

Justin Barcia

“Anaheim 1 was an awesome day. I had a lot of fun in practice, then going into the heat race it started to sprinkling a little. I didn’t get the best start but made some good passes and got into the lead and won my heat race which was awesome, and it felt really good to get that first one out of the way at the first race. The main event it was really pouring down. It was looking tricky watching the 250 start so I definitely got a little excited and nervous and all those feelings you get at the first race. I got off to a pretty decent start and worked my way up to third by a little over half the race. I played it smart and tried to make no mistakes. One of the guys went down in front of me and then I was able to charge harder and catch the leader, make the pass and ride a smooth race to the win. For me this is incredible, I haven’t won a 450 race in over six years so it’s a pretty awesome feeling. I couldn’t be much happier, I’m really excited to go to Phoenix. I just want to stay, smart, smooth, fast, consistent and focus on the championship plate.”

AMASX Rnd Justin Barcia
Justin Barcia – Image Hoppenworld

Likewise Ken Roczen, rode smart but looked strong and in the final laps closed down markedly on Barcia. The Yamaha man likely had speed left in his toolkit as he buttoned off in the closing laps, but after Roczen’s horrific injuries and considering the very tough conditions, it was heartening to see the German looking strong and confident.

2018 AMA Motocross Champion Eli Tomac also started the season steadily and strong. Racing again for Monster Energy Kawasaki, the 26-year-old (why does it always seem he is so much older than that?), showed that he is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Tomac confidently marched his way through the field after being caught out by the same lap one incident that troubled Reed and Webb.

AMASX Rnd Eli Tomac
Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld

Tomac dominated the latter half of the 2018 Supercross season, and pretty much decimated the competition in the 2018 AMA Pro Motocross Championship. My money is on Tomac for the 2019 AMA SX Title.

AMA Supercross 2019
450 Round One Main Event Results

  1. Justin Barcia – Yamaha
  2. Ken Roczen – Honda +3.053
  3. Eli Tomac – Kawasaki +4.890
  4. Dean Wilson – Husqvarna +9.948
  5. Cooper Webb – KTM +17.107
  6. Aaron Plessinger – Yamaha +24.833
  7. Malcolm Stewart – Honda +36.186
  8. Marvin Musquin – KTM +47.621
  9. Chad Reed – Suzuki +58.144
  10. Cole Seely – Honda +71.386
  11. Justin Brayton – Honda +1 lap
  12. Blake Baggett – KTM +1 lap
  13. Vince Friese – Honda +1 lap
  14. Jason Anderson – Husqvarna +1 lap
  15. Justin Hill – Suzuki +1 lap
  16. Joey Savatgy – Kawasaki +1 lap
  17. Carlen Gardner – Honda +2 laps
  18. Ben Lamay – Honda +2 laps
  19. Justin Bogle – KTM +2 laps
  20. Ryan Breece – Yamaha +3 laps
AMASX Rnd Podium Barcia Roczen Tomac
AMA Supercross 2019
450 Round One Main Event Results
Justin Barcia – Yamaha
Ken Roczen – Honda +3.053
Eli Tomac – Kawasaki +4.890

AMA Supercross 2019 Championship Points

  1. Justin Barcia – Yamaha 26
  2. Ken Roczen – Honda 23
  3. Eli Tomac – Kawasaki 21
  4. Dean Wilson – Husqvarna 19
  5. Cooper Webb – KTM 18
  6. Aaron Plessinger – Yamaha 17
  7. Malcolm Stewart – Honda 16
  8. Marvin Musquin – KTM 15
  9. Chad Reed – Suzuki 14
  10. Cole Seely – Honda 13
  11. Justin Brayton – Honda 12
  12. Blake Baggett – KTM 11
  13. Vince Friese – Honda 10
  14. Jason Anderson – Husqvarna 9
  15. Justin Hill – Suzuki 8
  16. Joey Savatgy – Kawasaki 7
  17. Carlen Gardner – Honda 6
  18. Ben Lamay – Honda 5
  19. Justin Bogle – KTM 4
  20. Ryan Breece – Yamaha 3

250 SX

Colt Nichols got the new year off to a sensational start tonight, taking his first career Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX win at the season opener at Angels Stadium of Anaheim. It was great night for Monster Energy/Star/ Yamaha Racing with teammate Dylan Ferrandis joining the Oklahoma native on the podium in second-place.

AMASX Rnd Dylan Ferrandis
Dylan Ferrandis

Nichols started the night looking poised for a top result with his solid second-place finish in his Heat race. When the gate dropped for the Main Event, he was ready. He got a good start and went on to lead every lap of the race in spite of worsening weather conditions. The result was an impressive win for the 24yr old and a stunning debut for the all-new 2019 Yamaha YZ250F.

AMASX Rnd Colt Nichols
Colt Nichols

Colt Nichols

“It’s really an indescribable feeling to win at A1. The conditions were far from perfect but I was able to stay focused, ride my laps to take the win. That was the longest race of my life, it felt like. My mechanic gave me five to go, four to go, three to go… You’re kind of talking to yourself a little bit to get through it. I just tried to stay consistent. I really didn’t know how big of a lead I had and who was in second at the time, so just tried to keep the focus forward. I knew if I tried to relax a little too much I’d probably make a big mistake and crashed. So I just kind of tried to keep it moving and it ended up working out for me. The off-season was great this year. I was really, really pumped on how everything went. This is really what it was for. You can’t describe the feeling I had jumping that finish line in first. That’s why we all do this. For me to cross that off my list was a really, really big deal. That made all the suffering, all the pain of the past two years completely worth it.”

AMASX Rnd Colt Nichols
Colt Nichols

Victorian privateer Tomas Ravenhorst contested the A1 series opener on his privately entered KTM 250 SX-F.  The 23-year-old finished a creditable 12th place in his Heat Race then went on to finish eighth in the LCQ but missed out on joining the main event this time around.

AMA Supercross 2019
250 Western Round One Main Event Results

  1. Colt Nichols (Yamaha)
  2. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha) +16.398
  3. Shane McElrath (KTM) +20.268
  4. RJ Hampshire (Honda) +42.339
  5. Adam Cianciarulo (Kawasaki) +48.964
  6. Garrett Marchbanks (Kawasaki) +59.254
  7. Jimmy Decotis (Suzuki) +1 lap
  8. Jacob Hayes (Yamaha) +1 lap
  9. Chris Blose (Husqvarna) +1 lap
  10. Jess Pettis (KTM) +1 lap

AMA Supercross 2019 250 Western Championship Points

  1. Colt Nichols (Yamaha), 26
  2. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha), 23
  3. Shane McElrath (KTM), 21
  4. RJ Hampshire (Honda), 19
  5. Adam Cianciarulo (Kawasaki), 18
  6. Garrett Marchbanks (Kawasaki), 17
  7. Jimmy Decotis (Suzuki), 16
  8. Jacob Hayes (Yamaha), 15
  9. Chris Blose (Husqvarna), 14
  10. Jess Pettis (KTM), 13

Monster Energy Supercross next heads to Glendale, Arizona, next Saturday, January 12, for Round 2 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship at State Farm Stadium.

Source: MCNews.com.au