Moto News Wrap for June 18, 2019 by Darren Smart

Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

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The LATEST News

• Gajser and Prado Win MXGP of Latvia
• Van De Moosdijk and Bengtson win EMX rounds in Latvia
• Tomac and Cianciarulo Win High Point AMA Motocross
• Bauman Brothers Storm Laconia AFT Grand National
• Kolodziej Wins Czech SGP
• Clout and Rutledge Crowned Champions at Nowra
• Duvall Stays with Husqvarna
• Desalle, Lupino and Bobryshev Injured
• Seely Injured
• Entries Open for 2019 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships

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Gajser and Prado Win MXGP of Latvia

Kegums in Latvia has hosted an action packed ninth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship and it was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado who have won the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively and in doing so have extended their championships points leads.

MXGP Report

The most successful team in recent GP history has been the Red Bull KTM team but season 2019 went completely pear shaped in Latvia with their brightest hopes in Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings both suffering major set-backs.

Herlings, in his second GP back from injury won the opening moto before it was reported that he has re-broken his previously injured ankle after incredibly crashing during the second moto warm up lap then former 2019 championship dominator in Cairoli crashed hard out of the second moto just an hour after a solid fourth in the opening moto.

All of that aside, there were three riders tied on 40 points at the top of the MXGP points tally for the day but on a count back Gajser scored his 20th GP victory with 6-1 moto finishes but more importantly now holds a 33-points lead in the championship over Cairoli.

Tim Gajser

“I am so happy about today. First race I was struggling, but the second one I found a good rhythm and I had a good battle with Jeremy. I am so happy for the team. Yesterday I had good speed but at the qualification race I had a big crash and I was a little sore today with some pain in my neck, but I got enough for sixth in the first race. Second race I tried to ride my race and I didn’t know I had won the overall. This is everything we work for and I am happy for the team.”

Romain Febvre (4-2) and Arnaud Tonus (2-4) rounded out the podium for the Yamaha fans.

Romain Febvre

“Today was okay, much better than yesterday. I made some mistakes with bike set-up yesterday. We changed it a lot for today and I felt better. My start was not there, and I struggled a bit. I could have finished fourth but I got really bad arm pump. Tony was in front of me and I couldn’t catch him. The second race I had a good first lap and kept my moment. Middle of the race I struggled in the wave but I could catch the guys in front. Maybe I needed two or three extra laps to catch Tim. I thought I won the overall, but I am happy even if a bit disappointed. It isn’t so long after I came back from my injury, so I feel satisfied.”

Arnaud Tonus

“I had a good feeling, at the beginning I got passed by Jeffrey and I followed him, then I found some good lines and it was great to lead. I had a good lead, but Jeffrey passed me, and he got the win. I will take every race to learn and just get better. I have to be happy. Sure, a bit frustrated, coming so close to the win, I will keep working and it is great to be on the podium, I enjoy this a lot. The way I was riding today, it’s maybe the best I have ridden in these types of conditions. It’s been years that I am trying to work on myself to compete at this level and if you look at the last few GPs, I am super happy. My mechanic told me if I could pass Romain, I could win the GP, but the track was sketchy, and I tried to keep it on two wheels.”

Cairoli walked off the track after spectacularly crashing out of the second moto holding his right arms and at the time of writing the extent of his injuries are unknown while Herlings is already in hospital to repair the damage he incurred during his warm up lap crash.

Tony Cairoli

“On Saturday I had the Flu and a fever, and my arm was not as strong as I wanted after the crash in Russia. I could battle with the guys for first position in the first moto but then I got a bit tired and settled for third, which was good for the championship. In the second moto I was fourth and trying to follow [Arnaud] Tonus. I had quite a big crash and when I stood up I felt my shoulder was out. My hope is to be ready to at least start next week in Germany. I don’t want to give up at all and I want to be there as much as possible for the championship.”

MXGP Overall Classification Top 10

1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 40 p
2. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 40 p
3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 40 p
4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 36 p
5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 30 p
6. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 25 p
7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 23 p
8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 p
9. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 22 p
10. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 20 p
11. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 20 p

MXGP – World Championship Classification Top 10

1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 391 p
2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 358 p
3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 256 p
4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 254 p
5. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 246 p
6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 226 p
7. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 208 p
8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 200 p
9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 190 p
10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 186 p

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MX2 Report

The Kegums track offered plenty of lines and passing opportunities but none of that worried Prado who won the opening moto from Jago Geerts, Thomas Kjer Olsen, Ben Watson and Maxime Renaux before dominating the second moto over Geerts, Kjer Olsen, Watson and Adam Sterry.

Jorge Prado

“It is my first time to win here, I was fourth two times here. I won the qualification race and two races today, so that makes me happy. Another great weekend going 1-1 and making the gap bigger in the points. I felt comfortable and I want to thank the team, my family and my girlfriend. It is making me stay in the top level like I am doing now.”

Jago Geerts

“Pretty good start, but the first three corners I messed up a little, I tried everything I could do to pass Thomas and I am really happy with the weekend.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen

“I am finally getting good starts and being up there I learn a lot. The speed is high from the beginning and it is a bummer I couldn’t stay there, but I gave my all and I want to thank everyone behind me.”

Aussie Jed Beaton went 10-13 for 10th overall on the day while Mitch Evans was forced to sit out the qualifying race after crashing hard during qualifying. This gave him the most outside gate in both GP races but it was looking good after a ninth in Moto 1, before a massive over-the-bars crash in Moto 2 relegated the Honda rider to 22nd for 15th overall.

Evans and Beaton are now 7th and 13th in the MX2 championship points respectively but nothing is surer that these two are cementing themselves as worthy of their factory rides.

Mitchell Evans

“Tough day, finishing ninth and twenty-second. A crash in moto two ruined my chances of achieving my goal of two top-ten finishes today.”

Jed Beaton

“It’s been a really tough GP for me, but I’m pleased I came away with points in both motos. I got sick with the flu on Thursday before the race and I really struggled with a fever and low energy. I worked hard during the qualification race and did all that I could during today’s motos.”

MX2 Overall Top Ten

1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 44 p
3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 40 p
4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 36 p
5. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 29 p
6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 29 p
7. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 26 p
8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 24 p
9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 22 p
10. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 19 p.;
    …15. Mitch Evans, 12 p

MX2 Championship Top Ten

1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 397 p
2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 367 p
3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 301 p
4. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 251 p
5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 246 p
6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 242 p
7. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 226 p
8. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 191 p
9. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 157 p
10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 156 p.;
    …13. Jed Beaton – 129 p

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Van De Moosdijk and Bengtson win EMX rounds in Latvia

The Latvian round for European Championship classes of EMX250 and EMX2T saw Roan Van De Moosdijk and Ken Bengtson score 1-1 moto finishes in their respective classes.

EMX250

Van De Moosdijk proved to be very strong in the sand of Kegums and also closed up on new series leader Alberto Forato, who finished second overall with 3-4 results while third overall in the EMX250 class was Jeremy Sydow with 2-5 results obtaining his first podium of his career.

Roan van de Moosdijk

“Unbelievable! 1-1 for my first perfect weekend; I was first in every session in practice and in racing. The start was the key and today I was fourth leaving turn one; I soon had the lead so I could ride my own race and check out to control the race. I’m really happy that I didn’t make any mistakes today; I was riding safe in the sketchy section. I didn’t look at the standings but I know that I’ve closed the gap with the leaders again and I’m just focusing on each race. I’ve got a great family behind me at Kawasaki and F&H Racing and we can look forward confidently to Teutschenthal next weekend after taking the last two overall wins and four motos from the last five.”

EMX250 – Overall Classification Top 10

1. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 50 points
2. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 38
3. Jeremy Sydow (GER, HUS), 38
4. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 36
5. Raivo Dankers (NED, YAM), 32
6. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 29
7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 28
8. Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), 27
9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 24
10. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 18

EMX250 – Championship Top 10

1. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 201 points
2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 201
3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 194
4. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 138
5. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 114
6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 112
7. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 88
8. Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 86
9. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), 74
10. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 73

EMX2T

Sweden’s Ken Bengtson might have just made his debut in the EMX2T but he looked solid in the sand of Kegums. With second place overall, Team Ecomaxx Fuels team’s Mike Kras scored 2-2 results leading the series points with a two point over Verde Substance KTM team’s Brad Anderson. Third overall was Andero Lusbo with 4-3 scores.

Bengtson held on for both race wins to take the overall victory ahead of Mike Kras, Andero Lusbo, Todd Kellet and former championship leader Brad Anderson so when the dust settled Kras now has the red-plate by just two points over Anderson.

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing – Overall Classification Top 10

1. Ken Bengtson (SWE, HUS), 50 points
2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 44
3. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 38
4. Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 36
5. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 34
6. Mario Tamai (ITA, KTM), 29
7. Gianluca Deghi (ITA, KTM), 28
8. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 26
9. Nick Leerkes (NED, KTM), 23
10. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 20

EMX2T Championship Classification Top 10

1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 199 points
2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 197
3. Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 178
4. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 162
5. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 153
6. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 88
7. Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 86
8. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 79
9. Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 72
10. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, YAM), 72

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Tomac and Cianciarulo win High Point AMA Motocross

The infamous High point Raceway has hosted the latest round of the AMA Motocross Championships and it was the Kawasaki paring of Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo who have won the 450 and 250 classes respectively.

450 Report

In a day of ups and downs on a brutally rut infest layout Tomac’s 3-2 effort gave him his second overall victory of the season and the 19th of his career. Ken Roczen’s second-moto win vaulted him into the runner-up spot (6-1) ahead of Jason Anderson who finished third overall on the back of 2-5 moto finishes.

Eli Tomac

 “Today was a unique situation by winning with 3-2 moto scores. I’m not sure if I’ve ever won a race without winning a moto. We did what we could and battled towards the front, so overall the day was good. The track had a lot of good character today, the ruts were plenty deep and the track was rough.”

Ken Roczen

“I’m glad we left today on a high note. I had a new setup in Florida and unfortunately with the weather, I’ve only been able to put a very short amount of time on it, and that’s what I started with here today. I struggled all morning with it. Going into the first moto, we went back to my Colorado setting, except with some clicker changes I’ve been running at home. However, that didn’t work for me at all. I wasn’t riding well and just went backwards in the first moto. For the second moto, I just went back to our full Colorado setup, and it was nice to see that we have a very solid base that I can go back to. I just knew exactly what the bike was going to do, and we had an incredible moto. I came from far behind after a bad start and came away with a moto win and second on the podium. It was pretty huge.”

With the win, Tomac move to a tiebreaker with Roczen in the championship point standings with 176 points apiece while teammates Zach Osborne and Anderson are tied for third, 32 points out of the lead.

Dean Ferris battled hard all day on his factory Yamaha to come home 11-11 for 11th outright to sit ninth in the championship points chase.

450 Results

1. Eli Tomac Eli 3 – 2
2. Ken Roczen 6 – 1
3. Jason Anderson 2 – 5
4. Cooper Webb 7 – 3
5. Zach Osborne 5 – 4
6. Marvin Musquin 4 – 7
7. lake Baggett 1 – 15
8. Joey Savatgy 8 – 6
9. Justin Bogle 9 – 8
10. Justin Barcia 10 – 10
11. Dean Ferris 11 – 11

450 Points Standings

1. Eli Tomac – 176
2. Ken Roczen – 176
3. Zach Osborne – 144
4. Jason Anderson – 144
5. Marvin Musquin – 139
6. Cooper Webb – 132
7. Justin Barcia – 99
8. lake Baggett – 92
9. Dean Ferris – 89
10. Justin Bogle – 88

250 Class Report

The opening moto was a slug fest between front runners Justin Cooper, Colt Nichols, Hunter Lawrence, Cianciarulo, Dylan Ferrandis and Chase Sexton with the layout offering a multitude of passing opportunities, but in the end it was Lawrence who got his first win on American soil over Cianciarulo, Ferrandis and Sexton.

Moto 2 was pedestrian in comparison with Cianciarulo taking the moto win for his fourth consecutive victory (2-1) of the season. Lawrence’s consistent (1-3) moto scores carried him to a career-best second overall ahead of Sexton who also had the best finish of his career with third (4-2).

Wilson Todd recovered from a poor start in the opening moto to score a solid 12th but in the second moto the current Australian MX Nationals Championship leader dropped his TLD KTM into fourth place coming out of the second corner. He then held fifth place for a large part of the early part of the moto before slipping back to 10th for 10th overall – Lawrence and Todd Currently hold down seventh and 12th respectively in the championship.

Adam Cianciarulo

“I’m so grateful for these wins, they’re hard to do and I’m just stoked. The first moto was a battle from the beginning, I had a terrible start. By the time I was able to get into second, I just kind of struggled and that was it. The second moto I obviously put myself in a much better position to get the win and that is what I was able to do. I just want to keep the ball rolling heading into Jacksonville.”

The win helped Cianciarulo extend his championship point lead to 26 points over Cooper who could only muster ninth overall (6-9). Ferrandis remains in third, 42 points out of the lead.

250 Results

1. Adam Cianciarulo 2 – 1
2. Hunter Lawrence 1 – 3
3. Chase Sexton 4 – 2
4. Dylan Ferrandis 3 – 4
5. Colt Nichols 5 – 5
6. J. Hampshire 9 – 6
7. Cameron McAdoo 8 – 7
8. Michael Mosiman 7 – 8
9. Justin Cooper 6 – 9
10. Wilson Todd 12 – 10

250 Points Standings

1. Adam Cianciarulo – 186
2. Justin Cooper – 160
3. Dylan Ferrandis – 144
4. Chase Sexton – 134
5. Colt Nichols – 126
6. Michael Mosiman – 112
7. Hunter Lawrence – 111
8. J. Hampshire – 104
9. Alex Martin – 87
10. Garrett Marchbanks – 63
    …12. Wilson Todd – 56

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Bauman Brothers Storm Laconia AFT Grand National

In a final that featured no less than three re-starts, Bronson and Briar Bauman have gone 1-2 at the inaugural Laconia AFT Twins Grand National while championship rivals in Jared Meeds, Henry Wiles and Sammy Halbert all suffered from either mechanical issues or crashes.

Bronson Bauman won his first career Grand National win by a narrow margin over his brother and championship leader Briar who actually took over the lead just as the third red flag came out but because Bronson was leading the lap before he was reinstated as the leader for the restart – a lead he would not relinquish.

Henry Wiles held down third place for most of the race but crashed just before the third restart and was able to gather several places to earn a credible seventh while Sammy Halbert’s bike stopped during the first restart before Jared Mees mount suffered the sme dilemma during the second restart.

Points wise Briar has extended his championship lead over Brandon Robinson to 34 points while Mees remains in third, now 35 points behind Briar Bronson.

AFT Twins Main Event (30 Laps)

1. Bronson Bauman – 25p
2. Briar Bauman – 20p
3. Jake Johnson – 17p
4. Jarod Vanderkooi – 15p
5. Bryan Smith – 14p
6. Brandon Robinson – 13p
7. Henry Wiles – 12p
8. Roger Hayden – 11p
9. Jeffrey Carver Jr. – 10p
10. Robert Pearson – 9p
    …15/DNF. Jared Mees – 4p
    …16/DNF. Sammy Halbert – 3p

AFT Twins Championship points

1. Briar Bauman – 142
2. Brandon Robinson – 108
3. Jared Mees – 107
4. Bronson Bauman – 87
5. Jarod Vanderkooi – 85
6. Henry Wiles – 79
7. Jake Johnson – 70
8. Jeffrey Carver Jr. – 70
9. Sammy Halbert – 66
10. Robert Pearson – 65

AFT Singles

The 20 lap AFT Singles final was also drama filled with two restarts but it was Dalton Gauthier who dominated the early running. After the first restart he lost the lead to the hard charging Mikey Rush who ran away with the win after keeping himself out of harm’s way after the second restart which saw a five lap dash to the finish.

Rush got the win over Gauthier just ahead of Aussie hard charger Max Whale, who snuck his way towards the front at every restart from his seventh place starting position.

Rush now has a 10 point lead in the series ahead of Gauthier with former championship leader in Jess Janisch dropping to third after a disappointing ninth at Loconia while Whale has moved to eigth in the championship.

AFT Singles Main Event (20 Laps)

1. Mikey Rush – 25 points
2. Dalton Gauthier – 20
3. Max Whale – 17
4. Andrew Luker – 15
5. Dan Bromley – 14
6. Ryan Wells – 13
7. James Rispoli – 12
8. Ben Lowe – 11
9. Jesse Janisch – 10
10. Kevin Stollings – 9

AFT Singles Points

1. Mikey Rush – 141
2. Dalton Gauthier – 131
3. Jesse Janisch – 129
4. Dan Bromley – 114
5. Ryan Wells – 91
6. Shayna Texter – 69
7. Chad Cosem – 67
8. Max Whale – 66
9. Morgen Mischler – 65
10. Michael Inderbitzin – 58

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Kolodziej Wins Czech SGP

Polish racer Janusz Kolodziej admitted becoming an FIM Speedway Grand Prix winner has boosted his belief on the world stage after triumphing at the ANLAS.

Kolodziej raced to the first SGP win of his career at the Czech Republic SGP in Prague last Saturday beating Leon Madsen, Patryk Dudek and Jason Doyle in the final.

Dudek now holds top spot in the World Championship – level on 40 points with Madsen – as the pair maintained their record of reaching every final this year. But the night belonged to an elated Kolodziej – a man competing in his first SGP season since 2011.

Janusz Kolodziej

“Now maybe after this win, I can believe more in myself and I will try to win more. But there is not too much pressure on me. The best situation for me is when I just race. I don’t like too much pressure. We will see what happens. But this is so, so amazing. I am older, but I can still win.”

Madsen was pleased to maintain his sublime start to SGP life as he made it three finals in as many rounds in what is his full-time debut season.

Leon Madsen

“It’s great, now I have a first, second and third place. I’ve been in the final and on the podium in my first three GPs. I am very happy. We are a third of the way into the season and I’m tied for first position. I am very pleased with that.”

Third-placed Dudek – the new World Championship leader by virtue of his superior FIM ranking over Madsen – admitted his ANLAS Czech SGP was no easy night after he battled his way into the semi-finals on nine points, before making it into the final after Emil Sayfutdinov dropped a chain while holding second place.

The Aussie duo of Jason Doyle and Max Fricke had their best results for 2019 with Doyle earning two wins to make his first final for the year while Fricke sensationally won three heats on his way to 13 points. Next up is the Norrbil Swedish SGP in Hallstavik on July 6.

Czech SGP Top Ten

1. Janusz Kolodziej – 7 Rides 4 Wins = 15 points
2. Leon Madsen – 7 Rides 2 Wins = 14
3. Patryk Dudek – 7 Rides 1 Win = 12
4. Jason Doyle – 6 Rides 2 Wins = 12
5. Max Fricke – 6 Rides 3 Wins = 13
6. Fredrik Lindgren – 6 Rides 3 Wins = 12
7. Emil Sayfutdinov – 6 Rides 2 Wins = 11
8. Artem Laguta – 6 Rides 2 Wins = 9
9. Bartosz Zmarzlik – 5 Rides 1 Win = 8
10. Maciej Janowski – 5 Rides 1 Win = 7

SGP Points Standings

1. Patryk Dudek – 40
2. Leon Madsen – 40
3. Bartosz Zmarzlik – 36
4. Fredrik Lindgren – 32
5. Emil Sayfutdinov – 30
6. Martin Vaculik – 28
7. Janusz Kolodziej – 26
8. Niels-Kristian Iversen – 24
9. Jason Doyle – 23
10. Artem Laguta – 22
    …14. Max Fricke – 16

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Clout and Rutledge Crowned Champions at Nowra

Nowra has hosted the 2019 King of MX Final and it was Luke Clout and Meghan Rutledge who successfully defended their thrones in Nowra in front of over 4000 spectators who enjoyed the two-day event. The Nowra event included 20 classes, and two action-packed, 10-minute, $10,000 winner-takes-all feature races.

It was a strong weekend for Luke Clout, taking all three MX1 A-grade race wins to seal the State Title before drawing the 40th gate pick. Selecting a yet-to-be-used inside gate, Luke raced to the holeshot and, ultimately, to the King of MX feature-race win.

The reigning Queen of MX, Meghan Rutledge, entered the final under an injury cloud after wrapping up the Australian Women’s Championship the previous weekend. However, two from three race wins and a dominant performance in the Queen of MX feature race saw Rutledge take the win and the $10,000 cheque.

For the newly crowned Prince of MX, Blake Fox, it wasn’t an easy run. A first-turn crash in race one put the 15-year-old in last. However, some strong, smart racing saw the KTM-mounted rider move through the field to finish second. Two impressive race wins later, and the youngster was crowned Prince of MX and the 15 years 250cc State Champion. Up-and-coming racer Taylor Thompson has made it back-to-back Princess of MX crowns after a dominant performance in the 13-u16 ladies’ class.

Luke Clout

“I can’t thank everyone enough for their support. I feel like I’m at the top of my game at the moment and to take home the MX1 State Title, as well as the King of MX race, this year is unreal. For me, the King of MX has worked out perfectly for my pre-season and mid-season Nationals campaign and it’s great to see a state championship with this many people here racing and watching. I’m full of confidence right now and I can’t wait to go racing again.”

Meghan Rutledge

“This time last week, I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to race after hurting my thumb in Manjimup, so to come to Nowra and take home both the Queen of MX race and the WMX State Title wins is unbelievable. It’s been a roller coaster of a year for me so far and, with the support of my family and sponsors, I’ve been able to achieve my goals and keep the #66 KX250F at the front of the pack.”

Dave Cooke – MNSW CEO

“What a weekend! First and foremost, I want to congratulate the Nowra club, and, in particular, Tyson, the manager of Nowra Motoplex, for turning the circuit into a world-class race track that not only provided awesome racing for the elite racers, but to those in all classes throughout the three days of racing. I also want to thank all the competitors that raced a qualifier. We had over 1600 entrants in the King of MX this year, not just from NSW but from across Australia, so to even make it to the final was an achievement in itself. To our 20 new State Motocross Champions, congratulations. NSW has some of the best racers in Australia, and the depth of talent is amazing. We’re dedicated to working hard to grow and improve motorcycle racing and we’re already working on 2020 in the Motorcycling NSW office.”

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Duvall Stays with Husqvarna

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Off-Road have announced that they have agreed to terms with Thad Duvall on a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2021 season.

Thad Duvall

“I am excited to continue my relationship with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team. I love being a part of a pioneering brand and I look forward to a successful future with the team!”

Through seven rounds of the 2019 Amsoil Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series, Duvall has two wins and sits second in points, 18 behind Kailub Russell. Duvall, who has been with the team since 2017, has finished runner-up in the championship to Russell the last two years.

Tim Weigand – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Off-Road Team Manager

“I have had the privilege to work with and get to know Thad over the last three years. He is class act guy whose determination and grit is infectious. Thad is a constant front runner no matter what race series he lines up for and this is evident by his results over the last few years. I know we have yet to see his true potential and I look forward to seeing his confidence grow in the years to come. We are extremely happy and grateful Thad has chosen to continue his journey with us.”

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Desalle, Lupino and Bobryshev injured

Three prominent MXGP class riders in Clement Desalle, Alessandro Lupino and Evgeny Bobryshev are all recovering from injuries sustained at the MXGP of Russia, two weekends ago.

The Russian round of the FIM Motocross World Championship has been a success for Kawasaki during the past two seasons with overall GP victories for Desalle but 2019 saw the Kawasaki rider crash hard in the first race and was back on Monday in his homeland to have surgery with Doctor Claes. He underwent successful surgery to his broken left tibia-fibula but he’s also suffering from a right ankle sprain and is now entering a long recovery programme.

Lupino and Bobryshev also crashed in the first moto, with Lupino hit by another rider and for several seconds immediately after the incident he didn’t have any feeling in the legs. He was transferred earlier this week to Italy where Doctor Sangiorgi confirmed injury to the D11-D12-L1-L2 vertebrae of transverse processes, and a fracture of the sternum while Bobryshev suffered a broken right tibia.

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Seely injured

Team Honda HRC’s Cole Seely will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2019 AMA Pro Motocross series due to a torn labrum and fractured glenoid socket, sustained when he dislocated his right shoulder in a practice crash at the Moto Sandbox in Claremont, Florida, on Tuesday, June 11.

Seely flew to California on Wednesday for further evaluation, during which it was determined that he would need to undergo surgery. Dr Warren G. Kramer, the same surgeon who operated on Seely’s shoulder in 2015, will conduct the surgery on Tuesday, June 18, at the Newport Surgical Center in Newport Beach. The recovery time is estimated to be three months.

Cole Seely

“I’m extremely sad to have to sit out the remainder of the season. I’ve been working really hard to continue to build myself up after my big injury last year, so to have another setback like this is very disappointing. It seems like I’ve had nothing but challenges. I want to thank all of my fans and my team for their support.”

Erik Kehoe – Team Honda HRC Manager

“It’s really unfortunate to see Cole’s season end this way. The beginning of this season has been a challenge for him, but he showed a lot of speed during the first moto at Colorado; it’s a bummer that we won’t be able to see how he progresses. He’s had some tough luck with injuries, but he has kept a good attitude and continued to give his best effort. On behalf of the team and everyone at Honda, I wish him well during his recovery.”

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Entries open for 2019 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships

Entries have now opened for the 2019 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships, hosted by the Hunter Motorcycle Club at Barleigh Ranch Raceway in Eagleton, NSW on October 5-6.

The event also marks the first time that the new Australian Dirt Track Championship logo will be used, a move that demonstrates Motorcycling Australia’s (MA) commitment to developing a professional image for this renowned event.

Across the two-day event, the 2019 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships will feature the following classes (subject to entries):

Championship Classes 
•    Under 19’s
•    Pro 250
•    Pro 450
•    250cc Slider
•    Pro Open
•    MX Open
•    500cc Slider
•    Pro Open Women’s
•    Sidecars
•    ATV Pro
•    ATV Open
•    ATV Open (Women)
Support Classes
•    Junior (65cc, 8 to under 12 years)
•    Junior (85/150cc, 9 to under 13 years)
•    Junior (150cc 2 stroke, 250cc 4 stroke, 13 to under 16 years)
•    Senior (Unlimited over 35 years)

Further information can be found in the Supplementary Regulations (download).

**Where there are insufficient entries for the Slider Classes, these machines may be combined with the events marked with asterisks in the table above. All machines must have one effective brake where MX and slider classes are combined.

Entries close 23 September 2019. Late entries will not be accepted. Gates open at 7AM (AEST) each day, with racing commencing immediately after the conclusion of practice and parade lap.

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MXGP of Finland back in 2020

Youthstream and Finnish based Lahti Events have announced that the FIM Motocross World Championship will make its return to Finland at the KymiRing motor circuit in 2020.

Motocross has had a great history in Finland with legendary World Champions and the last time MXGP visited Finland was back in 2014 but the 2020 MXGP of Finland has been built at KymiRing motor circuit, which is situated only 50 km from Lahti and 140 km from Helsinki.

Daniele Rizzi – Chief Operating Officer of Youthstream

“We are very happy to have come to an agreement with Lahti Events for the return of MXGP to this beautiful and innovative country. There is indeed a very innovative, ambitious, fan-oriented project behind the Finnish MXGP and we, like all parties involved, are eager to support it: it will definitely do good to the sport. This event will add a bit of Motocross fashion to the outstanding location of KymiRing which, thanks to Lahti Events’ choice of venue, will broaden its horizons to include the sport of Motocross in its program”

Kurt Ljungqvist – Managing Director of Finnish Motorcycling Federation

“World Championship races have always a very special meaning when it comes to awareness of the sport. When the youth gets to see the stars of the motocross world championship ride, it awakes an interest to try the sport and eventually they become our future stars and champions. The return of the race to our home soil also creates good opportunities to make it to the highest level of the sport and serves as a good motivator to believe in success and reaching the World Championship level. Motorcycling federation is very happy that Lahti Events has chosen to bring the highest level of motocross to the future heart of motorsport, the KymiRing circuit,”

Emilia Mäki – Managing Director of Koko Lahti

“The MXGP of Finland in 2020 will be our first ever motocross race for our Lahti Events company at the KymiRing and with this event we will set the standards of this venue. As the event organizer in Lahti region, we can also guarantee that the events will have their presence regionally,”

Finland is also home race of Ice1racing team; Antti Pyrhönen, former motocross rider himself, is one of the internationally known faces of Finnish motocross and he is currently the Team Manager of Team Ice1Racing, now Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing owned by the F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen.

Antti Pyrhönen

“The return of MXGP to Finland after several years is great news for our team, whose origins are in Finland and whose owner is Finnish, too. I’m sure that all the MX community, including teams and riders, will be also very excited to be back to Finland for an MXGP event.”

Source: MCNews.com.au