The first round of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) season has concluded at Matterley Basin, with Jeffrey Herlings and Jago Geerts taking the overall victories in the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively, as sunny weather on Sunday set the stage for a fantastic day.
Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
Aussie Mitch Evans kicked off the season on form, claiming third in Race 1, while a more challenging Race 2 still saw him in the top ten, with seventh. This leaves Evans in fifth overall heading to Round 2.
In MX2 top Australian was Jed Beaton in fourth overall, with second in Race 1, and sixth in Race 2. Fellow Aussies Nathan Crawford and Wilson Todd took 14th and 17th overall respectively, at the season opener.
MXGP
Going into the weekend, the overall winner for the MXGP class was hard to predict. With a full line-up of extremely strong riders, who have been training hard this winter, the list of favourites was never ending.
Tim Gajser
Following Saturday’s practice session, Tim Gajser was among the top favourites as he clocked in the fastest lap-time during the session. Second was Arminas Jasikonis, followed by Antonio Cairoli.
In the opening race of the weekend, it was Jeremy Seewer who claimed the first FOX Holeshot of the season, closely followed by Herlings and Gajser. Team HRC’s newest recruit and MXGP rookie, Mitch Evans, also got off to a flying start in fifth. But on the downhill corner after pitlane Gajser found himself in trouble as he banged bars with Jeremy Van Horebeek, which left him having to fight back from 13th position.
Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
On the opening lap, Evans was moving quick as he made a move on Jeremy Seewer. The 2013 MXGP of Great Britain winner, Clement Desalle also got a good start in fourth, before getting cross-rutted in the second lap and falling to seventh.
As Herlings continued to lead, Seewer found his way back past Evans, knocking the factory Honda rider down to P3. Meanwhile the battle for fourth, fifth and sixth was on between Cairoli, Desalle and Glenn Coldenhoff. Desalle did muscle his way past the GasGas Factory rider, while Cairoli was able to maintain his fourth place position.
Antonio Cairoli
Towards the end of the race, Gajser found himself battling the 2019 MX2 World Champion Jorge Prado, with the Honda rider able to pass the MXGP rookie. He then set his sights for higher positions, but a crash on the last corner before the finish line of the last lap left him having to settle for P8 in the race, allowing Gautier Paulin to move up a position to P7.
In the end it was Herlings who took the race win with a 11.879-second lead over Seewer in second. Having a fantastic ride and making an impressive debut to his MXGP rookie campaign was Mitch Evans who placed third in the race.
Tim Gajser
In race two, it was Henry Jacobi who took the FOX Holeshot, but Gajser moved swiftly into the lead, with Cairoli following him to also pass Jacobi. Meanwhile Herlings was behind in fourth and Paulin in fifth. Bad luck for Evans, who came around the first turn virtually last, left him with a lot of work to do in the second MXGP race.
By lap 4, Herlings was already charging, making a pass on Cairoli for second position. Gautier Paulin was sitting in third, where he remained throughout the race, also keeping Desalle at bay in fourth. From then onward the top five remained the same until the race concluded, while the battles heated up behind.
Jeffrey Herlings
Mitch Evans found himself moving quickly through the ranks, and by lap 5 was already in sixth position as he passed both Seewer and Jacobi. Seewer then came under threat by Coldenhoff, with the Dutch rider able to make the pass stick on lap 11.
With two laps to go, Desalle and Coldenhoff found themselves in an intense battle, with the two riders getting close to each other on several occasions, but the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider stayed strong to finish fifth. Desalle team-mate Romain Febvre did not line up at Sunday’s races as for an injury to his knee during the past week, he’ll be back racing in Valkenswaard next week.
Jeremy Seewer
Gajser claimed the race win and with it a second overall, while Herlings made a strong come-back as the overall Grand Prix winner. Cairoli finished third both in the race and the podium. Mitch Evans finished seventh in Race 2 and took home 34 championship points in fifth overall.
Jeffrey Herlings – P1
“The first race out of twenty and I was consistent: two good starts, led the whole first moto, got into third pretty quick behind Tony and took second. The track was sketchy and the sun was really low. It is still that time of the year where it gets dark quite early, so it was hard with the shadows. I didn’t want to take any risks and I was happy with second. It was a good weekend and I think we improved the bike over the winter because this was the first real test, let’s say. I am looking forward to Valkenswaard now and my home GP.”
Jeffrey Herlings
Tim Gajser – P2
“I’m happy with how this first round of the season went. Just I had a couple of crashes in the first moto, with one right at the beginning of the race which meant I started from dead last. I worked my way through the field to finish eighth, after the second crash right at the end dropping me one spot. In the second race I was hoping to get a good start and show my riding a bit better and that’s what happened. With the low sun and the ruts, the track was really quite tricky but I felt good and the moto felt comfortable. Second overall isn’t too bad after my first moto so now we move onto Valkenswaard for a new challenge.”
Tim Gajser
Antonio Cairoli – P3
“It is nice to be back on the podium after so many months without racing. My shoulder has improved a lot in recent weeks but last week in Belgium I twisted my right knee and heard a crack. I thought ‘the season is finished already’. I went to the doctor and he confirmed a second-degree PCL tear. I taped the knee very hard yesterday and today and all the ruts out there were not helping. I just need to work as much as possible on the muscle to make it as stable as possible. So to be on the podium at this track and these conditions is amazing and I’m motivated again to work really hard and try to build it up. We will see what we can do next.”
Antonio Cairoli
Jeremy Seewer – P4
“It was a strange weekend because of the time schedule, so we lined up with no time on the track, but it was the same for everyone. I started off with an epic holeshot, like a whole bike length ahead of everyone, so that was super cool. I finished second, so that was a really positive start to the season, and it proved we did a good job in the winter because the track was really technical and tricky. In the second race, I had contact with another rider and he damaged my brake. So, I had to ride without my brake for the whole race which made it super tough. I think I still took good points, so I am happy with this and my speed is good. It is just a shame I couldn’t stand on the podium today, but we will keep working and be back next weekend.”
Jeremy Seewer
Mitch Evans – P5
“It was a good weekend, excluding the start of that second moto. Everything else went really well. In the first moto I had a good start, avoiding some of the early race carnage and made my way into second for a little bit. Unfortunately, I struggled with my breathing a bit because of my chest infection and finished third. I felt a lot better in the second moto although I had to push throughout the race because of the bad start. I used a lot of energy to get around guys as fast as I could and I hit a bit of a wall with eight minutes to go. Overall it was a good weekend though, I’m happy with my MXGP debut and now I get ready for Valkenswaard next weekend.”
Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
Gautier Paulin – P6
“I’m in the game. I felt good all weekend long, it was just a strange weekend. Riding a new bike on such a tough track, with not a lot of time on the track, and then with the weather being off and on, rain and then sunshine and then rain. I got sideways out of the gate and then it was tough to come back through the pack. I crashed but got back to seventh. In the second race I got to fourth pretty quickly, but I really struggled with the sun. I didn’t want to pull my laminates off because I didn’t know if it was going to rain or not. I am really happy with the team; they are all working really hard. The feeling is good, and the season is long.”
Gautier Paulin
Clément Desalle – P7
“It was my first GP since June last year; that’s a long time but I immediately had a good feeling. The schedule was much lighter yesterday because of the weather; we had only one session to learn the track and work on the settings. I got a good start in the first race and was fourth, close to the third guy, when I made a mistake coming into a corner as a rut was soft; I crashed but I came back, made another little mistake but still finished fifth. I used a lot of energy in this race, and in the second one I was fifth after the first corners and kept this position to the finish; it’s been a pretty good weekend and my speed was good but we’ll continue to work to do even better.”
Glenn Coldenhoff – P8
“It was a solid weekend for me, two sixth-place finishes is a very good start to the championship. Qualifying yesterday wasn’t great, which didn’t give me the greatest gate pick for today’s races. But it was what is was and this morning in warm-up I felt great and posted the third fastest time. That gave me some confidence heading into the races. My first moto start wasn’t great, but I pulled through from around 10th to sixth, so it was good to get the championship started with a positive result. The second moto was very similar to the first. I felt good, felt like my speed was there and had some good battles. I know that if my starts are better I can fight with the guys that were ahead of me this weekend. I’m looking forward to the next GP, it’s one of my favourites and I hope to get some solid results there too.”
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What happened this week
Eli Tomac wins 450SX from Ken Roczen in Texas
Chase Sexton claims 250SX triple-header win from McElrath
2020 AORC kicks off in Toowoomba with Rounds 1 & 2
GNCC season kicks off in South Carolina with Round 1
Gibbs closes in on New Zealand MX1 lead at Round 2
Charles Le Francois wins 2020 Pro 450 Arenacross Championship
Tim Gajser & Mitch Evans talk 2020 with HRC
KTM Ultimate Race 2020 entrants announced
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 AMA Motocross
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross
2020 MXGP
2020 American Flat Track
2020 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Speedway
2020 FIM Speedway GP Championship
2020 Australian Dirt Track Championship
2020 Australian Track Championship
2020 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC)
2020 FIM SuperEnduro Championship
2020 AMA Extreme Off-Road East/West
2020 FIM Flat Track World Championship
2020 King of MX
2020 Australian Motocross National Championship
2020 Fox New Zealand Motocross Championship
Eli Tomac wins 450SX from Ken Roczen in Texas
Ken Roczen took first blood in the 450SX class at the Round 8 triple-header, with victory over Cooper Webb while Jason Anderson rounded out that first podium. Barcia was fourth, while the slow-starting Tomac had worked his way up to fifth place by the flag.
Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld
In Moto2 Blake Baggett scored the hole-shot but this time Eli Tomac was quick out of the blocks and Tomac cruised to a clear victory, despite backing off in the latter half of the race, by more than three-seconds over Anderson, with Hill rounding out the podium ahead of Zach Osborne. Roczen was a disappointing seventh, behind Justin Barcia and Malcolm Stewart.
When the gates dropped for the final 450 Moto of the night it was Zach Osborne with the best clutch hand to get the jump ahead of Blake Baggett, Jason Anderson and Ken Roczen. Late race a beautiful move by Tomac saw him go past Anderson, the Husky rider came back at him but Tomac had more speed up his sleeve and just pulled away to take his best supercross victory for some time, and the overall round win.
Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld
Roczen got Osborne, then made some attempts on Anderson before letting caution call the shots. The German was very careful in this moto with his eye more on the championship points standings and not really up for any hard on-track fights that could bring him undone.
Anderson succumbed to the pressure late in the moto and went down in the whoops, allowing Roczen through for second place. Jason Anderson rounded out the podium ahead of Barcia while Osborne salvaged fifth.
Eli Tomac – P1
“We showed that we could fight and overcome adversity tonight. To be completely honest, I just got a bad start and struggled to find any rhythm in the first main event. Once I got into fifth place I kind of just got tight and couldn’t go forward after that. But I was able to quickly regroup with the team, and in the next two main events, we had a much better gate pick each time and were able to control the races from there. I am just happy to be leaving here healthy. We raced something like 50 laps tonight and as you saw, the track took out a lot of key dudes. I am glad we’re through it and looking forward to Atlanta next weekend.”
Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld
Ken Roczen – P2
“The first main was really good. I made some moves early and while I wouldn’t say I checked out, I rode up front the whole race. It was good to get that first win and start with a low number for the night’s overall points. I think the second race is the most important and we wanted to go out there and get a good finish, but it just wasn’t our race at all. I didn’t get the start I wanted and then couldn’t find the same momentum. I’m happy with how we executed the last race though. I battled hard and went back and forth with Eli [Tomac] a couple times and just rode much better in traffic, having people in front of me and making some passes. All in all, with how many crashes there were throughout the whole day and night, and how I struggled with the track overall, I’m really happy to come away healthy and with second overall.”
Ken Roczen & Cooper Webb – Image by Hoppenworld
Jason Anderson – P3
“My weekend went pretty good, it’s hectic out there with the Triple Crown format. My riding seemed to be pretty good all night but I think the most eventful part for me was the whoops. Other than that, I rode good, put myself in good positions and was able to come out with a podium. I’m having a good time and I’m excited to keep going!”
Jason Anderson – Image by Hoppenworld
Justin Barcia – P4
“It was strong racing tonight in Dallas. We got a little bit better on the starts, but still needed something there to get us on the podium. The track was not super technical, but took a few guys out of the race. All in all, my race was really good. I made charges and made passes. I felt really strong and stayed in the hunt. My starts are going to keep getting better, I just need to stay consistent and keep trying my hardest. I’m ready for next week for sure.”
Justin Barcia – Image by Hoppenworld
Zach Osborne – P5
“It’s nice to finally have a good result for the team and also for me, it just makes the workload a lot easier when you have a decent weekend. To lead some laps in the last Main and finish 7-4-3 with a consistent night, I feel pretty good about it, so we’ll just continue to work and keep this momentum rolling in the right direction for the rest of the season.”
Zach Osborne – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Round Overall Results
Pos
Rider
M1
M2
M3
Total
1
Eli Tomac
5
1
1
26
2
Ken Roczen
1
7
2
23
3
Jason Anderson
3
2
5
21
4
Justin Barcia
4
5
4
19
5
Zach Osborne
7
4
3
18
6
Justin Hill
6
3
8
17
7
Malcolm Stewart
8
6
9
16
8
Aaron Plessinger
9
10
7
15
9
Dean Wilson
13
9
6
14
10
Blake Baggett
10
8
13
13
11
Vince Friese
12
11
10
12
12
Cooper Webb
2
17
20
11
13
Chad Reed
14
12
16
10
14
Ryan Breece
18
15
11
9
15
Kyle Chisholm
19
13
12
8
16
Tyler Bowers
16
14
14
7
17
Martin Davalos
11
20
19
6
18
Kyle Cunningham
17
19
15
5
19
James Weeks
20
16
17
4
20
Ronnie Stewart
21
18
18
3
21
Justin Brayton
15
21
21
2
22
Broc Tickle
22
22
22
1
450SX Standings
Pos
Rider
Total
1
Eli Tomac
181
2
Ken Roczen
174
3
Cooper Webb
155
4
Justin Barcia
154
5
Jason Anderson
139
6
Adam Cianciarulo
128
7
Malcolm Stewart
122
8
Justin Hill
110
9
Zach Osborne
105
10
Justin Brayton
105
11
Blake Baggett
104
12
Dean Wilson
100
13
Aaron Plessinger
92
14
Vince Friese
82
15
Martin Davalos
65
16
Tyler Bowers
49
17
Chad Reed
31
18
Kyle Chisholm
29
19
Ryan Breece
25
20
Justin Bogle
24
21
Kyle Cunningham
21
22
Alex Ray
19
23
Chris Blose
18
24
Benny Bloss
13
25
Broc Tickle
12
26
James Weeks
4
27
James Decotis
4
28
Jason Clermont
3
29
Cade Autenrieth
3
30
Ronnie Stewart
3
31
Adam Enticknap
2
32
Fredrik Noren
2
33
Jerry Robin
1
34
Joshua Cartwright
1
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Chase Sexton claims 250SX triple-header win from McElrath
In Moto 1 it took Sexton a few minutes to get the better of Smith but Hampshire had cleared off and he capitalised on that to take a clear victory over Sexton. Shane McElrath recovered from a poor start to work his way through the field and claim the final step on the rostrum.
Chase Sexton – Image by Hoppenworld
Josh Hill narrowly scored the hole-shot over Chase Sexton in Moto 2, and as the race passed the mid-way point McElrath and then Jeremy Martin moved past Crown while a couple of laps later Garrett Marchbanks pushed Crown further back to fifth place.
And that was the order the finished, Sexton getting the flag over nine-seconds ahead of McElrath while Martin rounded out the podium ahead of Marchbanks.
Josh Hill – Image by Hoppenworld
In Moto 3, Shane McElrath scored the hole-shot in the final 250 Main ahead of Chase Sexton, however McElrath proved to have the measure of Sexton as the #1 Honda never got close enough to the Yamaha to try and make a pass. McElrath was the clear victor over Sexton while the super aggressive Hampshire rounded out the podium.
Chase Sexton – P1
“What a night in Arlington. Happy with how everything went last night and how we bounced back after the chaos in the first main! I’m really just having fun out there racing with these guys and stoked to get a win for the team to reward all their hard work this off season. Thank you Texas!”
Chase Sexton – Image by Hoppenworld
Shane McElrath – P2
“I felt awesome all day. I didn’t put myself in a good position tonight with the first two starts. It really tough to catch the leaders, but I fought hard all night and at times maybe a little too hard. I’m happy with my last race and motivated to get behind the gate again next weekend!”
Shane McElrath – Image by Hoppenworld
RJ Hampshire – P3
“In the first race, I got up front and won my first Main Event and I was stoked on that, I fought hard for it,” Hampshire said. “I felt like we got a good start to the year now. Last weekend was a bit rough but I’m confident that we’re just going to keep getting better now.”
RJ Hampshire – Image by Hoppenworld
Garrett Marchbanks – P5
“I am happy with today’s result. I honestly didn’t feel like myself all day today and struggled in sections of the track. I had tweaked my ankle during practice which really bugged me all night long, so to finish with another top-5, I’ll take it. We will continue to work throughout the week to find an even more comfortable flow so that we are ready to go in Atlanta next weekend.”
Garrett Marchbanks – Image by Hoppenworld
250SX Round Overall Results
Pos
Rider
M1
M2
M3
Total
1
Chase Sexton
2
1
2
26
2
Shane Mcelrath
3
2
1
23
3
RJ Hampshire
1
6
3
21
4
Jeremy Martin
5
3
4
19
5
Garrett Marchbanks
6
4
5
18
6
Joshua Hill
9
7
6
17
7
Joey Crown
7
5
10
16
8
Enzo Lopes
8
8
7
15
9
Jalek Swoll
10
12
9
14
10
Jo Shimoda
14
10
8
13
11
Jordan Bailey
13
11
12
12
12
John Short
12
9
15
11
13
Jordon Smith
4
20
14
10
14
Lorenzo Locurcio
16
17
11
9
15
Curren Thurman
17
15
13
8
16
Dustin Winter
15
13
18
7
17
Richard Jackson
18
16
16
6
18
Jace Owen
11
21
21
5
19
Kevin Moranz
21
14
19
4
20
Isaac Teasdale
20
18
17
3
21
Wilson Fleming
19
19
20
2
22
Kyle Peters
22
22
22
1
250SX Standings
Pos
Rider
Total
1
Dylan Ferrandis
135
2
Justin Cooper
128
3
Austin Forkner
122
4
Brandon Hartranft
110
5
Alex Martin
98
6
Jacob Hayes
89
7
Luke Clout
83
8
Michael Mosiman
82
9
Derek Drake
78
10
Mitchell Oldenburg
72
11
Carson Brown
72
12
Martin Castelo
53
13
Killian Auberson
51
14
Aaron Tanti
50
15
Chase Sexton
49
16
Shane Mcelrath
49
17
Jett Lawrence
46
18
Jay Wilson
45
19
Robbie Wageman
43
20
Jeremy Martin
40
21
Rj Hampshire
38
22
Garrett Marchbanks
37
23
Michael Leib
32
24
Joey Crown
31
25
Christian Craig
29
26
Jordon Smith
28
27
Joshua Hill
28
28
Cameron Mcadoo
27
29
Logan Karnow
27
30
Jo Shimoda
26
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2020 AORC kicks off in Toowoomba with Rounds 1 & 2
KTM Enduro Racing Team duo Daniel Milner and Mason Semmens lead the E2 and E1 categories respectively after riding to victory in the opening rounds of the 2020 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) at Toowoomba over the weekend.
Daniel Milner
Defending E2 champion Milner reigned supreme aboard the KTM 450 EXC-F to dominate both days in Queensland, setting the benchmark outright throughout the weekend.
Daniel Milner
“To win the opening rounds of the year is always a good way to start a championship. I made sure I got through it all clean and had good runs over both days, because it was important to maintain consistency and carry the best pace that I could without making mistakes. I felt like I was well-prepared for the season, but you’re never 100 percent sure, so to have such a strong weekend shows that all the hard work has paid off. I’m really happy with the KTM Enduro Racing Team 450 EXC-F, it’s honestly been unbelievable – especially in the conditions that we had on the weekend. We’ve done a lot of work in the off-season and I’m really happy.”
Daniel Milner
It was a spectacular start to the season for Milner, who became a father for the first time during the off-season, and he began his campaign for the new year in remarkable form. He now has a six-point lead in the standings.
Josh Green led the charge for the Yamaha team and battled on determinedly all weekend despite coming into the season opener under-prepared due to a heavy fall just two weeks prior. But the veteran came out all guns blazing on Saturday and posted times near the top of the outright list and took it up to the major players in off road. He finished the day in third-place in the highly competitive E2 division and shadowed Milner and Australian MX Champ, Todd Waters all weekend.
Josh Green
“Two weeks ago it was doubtful I would even be racing, so to not only be competing but also very competitive is a real bonus and I’m satisfied with the result from the weekend. As each day went on, I could feel my strength draining but on Saturday night, I was able to freshen up and tackle Sunday feeling pretty good. The bike was good all weekend, the team worked hard behind the scenes to ensure I had everything I needed and the interest in off road was as good as I have seen it so it’s awesome to see the promotion and energy in racing at the moment. We have a month until rounds three and four so hopefully I can continue to recover and hit them at 100%. But, glad to get through the weekend unscathed, land on the podium both days and get off to a good start in the 2020 championship.”
Josh Green
The weekend also marked the debut of teenage signing Semmens in the KTM Enduro Racing Team and he didn’t disappoint on-board the KTM 250 SX-F, finishing second in E1 on day one and first on day two for the points-lead.
Semmens is the newest member of the factory KTM off-road program after transitioning from motocross full-time for this season. He’d previously won multiple junior national titles as part of the KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team during his career.
Mason Semmens
“To get 2-1 results and take the points-lead over the weekend in my first race with the KTM Enduro Racing Team is a really good feeling. I wasn’t sure where I was going to be at coming into the first round, but the hard work that we did in the off-season showed and I surprised myself a little bit. I’m learning every time I go out and really tried to minimise mistakes, so it was good and I’m really fortunate to be teammates with Milner. Everything has been awesome and I’m definitely feeling comfortable on the KTM 250 SX-F.”
Mason Semmens
Luke Styke took a convincing victory on Saturday, but the juggernaut was slowed on Sunday when he crashed heavily on the second sprint lap that left him sore, sorry and battered. Nursing a banged up elbow and reaggravating an ankle injury, Styke soldiered on for the remainder of the day. He clawed his way to third place in E1 on the day and his combined 1-3 results saw him sitting second after the opening two rounds.
Luke Styke
“Saturday was good and everything was on track but I got it all wrong in a rocky area of the course and fell onto my elbow and also got my ankle stuck under the bike. And I’m not sure what hurts most. I will have to get them both checked out as the pain in both is pretty high. I managed to finish and actually got better as the day went on, but I was no where near 100%. Thankfully the team had my back and encouraged me to keep plugging away and salvage what I could after the crash. My first priority will be to get both my elbow and ankle checked out and make a plan after that.”
Luke Styke
Daniel Sanders and the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team meanwhile claimed assertive E3 class victories in Toowoomba, QLD. Sanders is not yet back at 100 percent following a wrist injury sustained in the pre-season, but put in a fine performance to open his campaign with commanding results aboard the Husqvarna FE 501.
Despite a difficult start on Saturday morning, the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team rider rebounded to land the E3 overall. He continued that form on Sunday, recording the second-fastest times outright in both rounds of racing.
Daniel Sanders
“The results in class were good this weekend in Toowoomba. It’s definitely positive to start the season on top, especially after the way Saturday started and after spending minimal time on the bike in the lead-up. We have the base to build from now in terms of results and will keep working hard, so thanks to everyone at the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team, the FE 501 was really solid as it always is. I’m excited to keep going and look forward to the Dungog rounds coming up.”
Daniel Sanders
Round One Results
Pos
Rider
Time
1
Daniel MILNER
54m39.5
2
Daniel SANDERS
55m21.3
3
Todd WATERS
55m27.3
4
Joshua GREEN
55m36.4
5
Luke STYKE
55m47.2
6
Mason SEMMENS
55m55.5
7
Michael DRISCOLL
56m19.5
8
Beau RALSTON
56m34.5
9
Jonte REYNDERS
56m59.3
10
Cooper SHEIDOW
57m01.6
11
Stefan GRANQUIST
57m05.3
12
Jeremy CARPENTIER
57m07.0
13
Callum NORTON
57m09.3
14
Kyron BACON
57m38.5
15
Korey MCMAHON
58m05.1
16
Fraser HIGLETT
58m14.9
17
Corey HAMMOND
58m27.0
18
Jesse LAWTON
58m38.4
19
Blake HOLLIS
58m44.1
20
William PRICE
58m54.1
21
Harrison TEED
59m10.4
22
Hayden KEELEY
59m22.9
23
Joshua KILVINGTON
59m26.9
24
Brad HARDAKER
59m34.0
25
Brent DEAN
59m40.3
Round Two Results – Top 25
Pos
Rider
Time
1
Daniel MILNER
59m40.0
2
Daniel SANDERS
00m34.4
3
Todd WATERS
01m23.8
4
Joshua GREEN
01m32.3
5
Michael DRISCOLL
1h02m07.2
6
Mason SEMMENS
1h02m17.8
7
Jonte REYNDERS
1h02m39.4
8
Stefan GRANQUIST
1h02m55.1
9
Callum NORTON
1h03m05.1
10
Jeremy CARPENTIER
1h03m44.2
11
Fraser HIGLETT
1h04m02.8
12
Kyron BACON
1h04m04.4
13
Beau RALSTON
1h04m06.3
14
Luke STYKE
1h04m31.4
15
Korey MCMAHON
1h04m44.6
16
Blake HOLLIS
1h04m50.7
17
Jesse LAWTON
1h04m56.7
18
Cooper SHEIDOW
1h05m01.1
19
Corey HAMMOND
1h05m24.6
20
William PRICE
1h06m00.8
21
Brock NICHOLS
1h06m06.9
22
Brad HARDAKER
1h06m11.9
23
Hayden KEELEY
1h06m28.2
24
Harrison TEED
1h06m42.3
25
Samuel PRETSCHERER
1h06m54.3
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
GNCC season kicks off in South Carolina with Round 1
The first round of the 2020 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series concluded on Sunday in Union, South Carolina with the 23rd Annual Big Buck GNCC. Cool and partly sunny conditions greeted the final day of racing at Round 1, making for almost perfect racing conditions.
Kailub Russell – 2020 GNCC Round 1 – Image by Ken Hill
As racing got underway it was Kailub Russell jumping off the line first to grab the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 holeshot award. Russell would lead the race from start to finish, after gaining a lead of over one-and-a-half minutes by the time they completed lap four out of six. Russell would continue to turn the pace up, and by the time the checkered flag flew, Russell would hold a lead of one minute and 51 seconds. Russell earned his 61st career victory, and his last “first-race” win ever.
Coming through in the second place position was Coastal Bi-Con Racing’s Ricky Russell. After completing the first lap of racing Russell was just 1.9 seconds behind the leader, however as the race wore on Russell would fall back to over a minute-gap. Russell remained focused and pushed through the three-hours of racing to earn second overall and a podium finish to start off the season.
Ricky Russell – 2020 GNCC Round 1 – Image by Ken Hill
Josh Strang had a strong performance at round one of the 2020 GNCC season. Strang would come through sixth on the opening lap, but by the time the race reached the halfway point he had worked his way into the final podium position. Strang would continue to push, and hold off his fellow XC1 Open Pro competitors, taking home a third overall at the season opener.
Earning fourth overall aboard his new team, and in his home state was Steward Baylor Jr. Baylor, who would work his way through the pack after a seventh place start to the day. Baylor looked to be making a late race push, as he came through timing and scoring just five-seconds behind Strang at the completion of the three-hours.
Taking fifth in XC1 Open Pro and sixth overall was Jordan Ashburn. After starting the day up in third, Ashburn would battle with his fellow XC1 competitors throughout the entire three-hour race. Ultimately, Ashburn would cross the line three minutes behind fourth place to finish out round one of the 2020 season.
Mike Witkowski – 2020 GNCC Round 1 – Image by Ken Hill
Earning his first-ever XC2 250 Pro class win was Mike Witkowski. After starting the day off in third, Witkowski would put his head down and go to work on picking off the competition. Coming through timing and scoring on the fourth lap, Witkowski had gained the lead, and would not look back. Witkowski came through one minute and 23 seconds ahead of second, while also finishing fifth in the overall standings.
Making his comeback to GNCC Racing was Johnny Girroir. After missing all but three rounds of racing last year due to health concerns, Girroir proved that he has been hard at work to get back to where he was. Girroir held the lead for the first three laps of XC2 racing in South Carolina, and would then engage in a battle for the lead with Witkowski. Girroir would hold onto second all the way to the checkers.
After battling his way through the pack XC2 class it was Coastal Bi-Con Racing’s Craig DeLong coming through the finish line third in the class. DeLong was not satisfied with his third place finish, and expressed that in his podium interview. However, DeLong continued to close the gap throughout the entire race, crossing the finish line just five seconds behind second.
Zack Hayes – 2020 GNCC Round 1 – Image by Ken Hill
Taking the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class win was Zack Hayes. After making the decision to race the 125 class, Hayes would have his work cut out for him. After grabbing the holeshot Jason Raines made his way to the lead on the second lap. Raines would hold the lead, but when the white flag came out Hayes would make the pass for the lead and hold it until the checkered flag came out. Cole Mattison would come through in the third place position after a consistent day of racing in South Carolina.
Brody Johnson took home the Top Amateur honors at Big Buck on Sunday afternoon. Johnson finished 20th overall, and first in 250 A. Tristan Landrum came through second in 250 A and 25th overall earning second on the top amateur podium. Chase Hayes came through 31st overall, and first in the Open A class earning himself a spot on the top amateur podium.
As the 10 a.m. race started Tayla Jones got the jump off the line first and earning the Trail Jesters $100 WXC holeshot award. Jones would hold the lead on the opening lap, but as the WXC riders came through timing and scoring on lap two it was Becca Sheets with the lead.
Becca Sheets – 2020 GNCC Round 1 – Image by Ken Hill
Sheets would hold onto the lead for the remainder of the race, earning the first WXC and overall win of the season. Jones would cross the line second in South Carolina followed by Rachael Archer rounding out the WXC class and overall podium.
At the conclusion of the youth race it was Grant Davis taking the overall win and YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class win at Big Buck. Noah Cooper came through to take second in YXC1 and in the youth overall. Crossing the line third overall was YXC2 Super Mini Jr. rider, Nick Defeo. Jack Joy captured the final podium position in YXC1, while Cole Forbes and Matthew Hallenbeck rounded out the YXC2 class podium.
The first Moto Hero of 2020 was awarded to Travis Snelson. Snelson comes from Asheville, North Carolina and has been in the Army for 15 years, serving his country in Iraq in 2010 as an engineer.
The 2020 GNCC Season continues in two weeks with the Moose Racing Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka, Florida.
Overall National Championship Standings
Kailub Russell (30)
Ricky Russell (25)
Josh Strang (21)
Steward Baylor Jr. (18)
Michael Witkowski (16)
Jordan Ashburn (15)
Grant Baylor (14)
Layne Michael (13)
Jonathan Girroir (12)
Craig DeLong (11)
XC2 250 Pro Series Standings
Mike Witkowski (30)
Jonathan Girroir (25)
Craig DeLong (21)
Jonathan Johnson (18)
Lyndon Snodgrass (16)
Cody Barnes (15)
Liam Draper (14)
Ryder LeBlond (13)
Thorn Devlin (12)
Simon Johnson (11)
Gibbs closes in on New Zealand MX1 lead at Round 2
Kirk Gibbs topped the podium – Image by Clmintiepix
Cody Cooper took the win in the first MX1 Moto of the weekend at Round 2 of the Fox New Zealand Motocross Championship, with Kirk Gibbs having to settle for second, while Hamish Harwood completed the podium. Kayne Lamont was fourth and Brad Groombridge completed the top five.
The second MX1 Moto was an underdog story for Kirk Gibbs however, who had to recover from a crash and ending up down in 17th, all the way up to claiming the race win and 25-points, ensuring he hung onto his championship lead as they head towards Round 3.
Gibbs followed up in Moto 3 with a dominant win, almost 20-seconds ahead of second-placed Kayne Lamont, with Cody Cooper back in third a further 10-seconds behind. Hamish Hardwood and Hadleigh Knight completed the top five in the final race of the weekend.
Kirk Gibbs won the Round Overall in MX1 on 72-points, with Cody Cooper just five-points in arrears, while Hamish Hardwood is a further nine-points behind. Kayne Lamont was just two-points off Harwood on 56-points, while Brad Groombridge was fifth overall.
The result leaves Kirk Gibbs trailing MX1 leader Cody Cooper by just six-points heading into Round 3, with Hamish Harwood a further 16-points off second-place. Kayne Lamont if fourth in the overall standings, with Brad Groombridge fifth.
Kirk Gibbs
“I was frustrated with myself and just wanted to be in the fight, so I pushed really hard and caught all the way back up to Hamish [Harwood] and Coops [Cooper] and was able to pass both of them and get the win, so I was really happy with that one. I’m really happy with the Altherm JCR Yamaha team and my team at home [in the Sunshine Coast], who are working hard in between rounds. I’m stoked with how today ended up.”
MX1 Round Overall
Pos.
Rider
R1
R2
R3
Overall
1
Kirk Gibbs
22
25
25
72
2
Cody Cooper
25
22
20
67
3
Hamish Harwood
20
20
18
58
4
Kayne Lamont
18
16
22
56
5
Brad Groombridge
16
18
15
49
6
Ethan Martens
15
15
11
41
7
Tyler Steiner
14
14
13
41
8
Cody Murphy
13
13
14
40
9
Hadleigh Knight
12
11
16
39
10
Roydon White
11
12
12
35
MX1 Standings
Pos.
Rider
Points
1
Cody Cooper
142
2
Kirk Gibbs
136
3
Hamish Harwood
120
4
Kayne Lamont
95
5
Brad Groombridge
92
6
Ethan Martens
87
7
Tyler Steiner
82
8
Hadleigh Knight
81
9
Cody Murphy
73
10
Roydon White
70
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2
In MX2 Josia Natzke claimed the opening Moto win, ahead of James Scott and Maximus Purvis, with Caleb Ward and Dylan Walsh completing the top five.
Maximus Purvis – Image by Clmintiepix
Kyle Webster came with with a vengeance in the second Moto, after a DNS in Moto 1, claiming the win from Josia Natzke, while Maximus Purvis was once against third. Dylan Walsh and Morgan Fogarty completed the top five.
Kyle Webster again took the win in the third and final Moto of the weekend in the MX2 class, from Maximus Purvis and James Scott, while Dylan Walsh and Josia Natzke completed the top five.
Josia Natzke concluded the the weekend on 63-points for the round, one ahead of Maximus Purvis, while James Scott was third overall on 57-points. Dylan Walsh was fourth, while Kyle Webster was fifth on 50-points, with the DNS in Moto 1 the limiting factor after two Moto wins.
MX2 Round Overall
Pos
Rider
R1
R2
R3
Overall
1
Josiah Natzke
25
22
16
63
2
Maximus Purvis
20
20
22
62
3
James Scott
22
15
20
57
4
Dylan Walsh
16
18
18
52
5
Kyle Webster
0
25
25
50
6
Caleb Ward
18
14
15
47
7
Morgan Fogarty
15
16
14
45
8
Brad Groombridge
14
13
13
40
9
Cobie Bourke
13
12
8
33
10
Broc Martens
12
9
12
33
MX2 Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Josiah Natzke
126
2
Maximus Purvis
118
3
James Scott
114
4
Dylan Walsh
96
5
Morgan Fogarty
92
6
Caleb Ward
90
7
Brad Groombridge
82
8
Riley Ward
70
9
Broc Martens
62
10
Cobie Bourke
58
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Charles Le Francois wins 2020 Pro 450 Arenacross Championship
Suzuki’s RM-Z450 claimed a fifth Arenacross championship title in the hands of SR75 Suzuki’s Charles Le Francois, who won the 2020 Pro 450 Championship at the SSE Arena in London, UK over the weekend.
Charles Le Francois (SR75 Suzuki) – 2020 Pro 450 Arenacross Champion
Frenchman Le Francois sealed this year’s championship with five main event and super final wins, plus another seven podiums. Suzuki’s previous titles were in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Geoff Walker – SR75 Suzuki Team Owner
“This Arenacross tour and championship win is incredible and another big landmark for the team. Charles and everyone involved in what we do deserve this title as we have never stopped pushing. It is unreal to take Charles and give him the opportunity to capture his first pro championship and to do it with a dominant performance at the final round shows how far he has come and we are incredibly proud of him, and the strength of the RM-Z450 package. I would like to thank Ian and everyone at Suzuki GB, all our team partners, our amazing staff, and our incredible riders and supporters for making this all possible.”
Tim Gajser & Mitch Evans talk 2020 with HRC
Three-time world champion Tim Gajser of Team HRC took the MXGP crown by over 200 points in 2019, including a record-breaking seven overall GPs in a row, then rounding off the year with one-two moto results at the Motocross of Nations in Assen, making him the first Slovenian to win his class at the historic event.
Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
In the meantime, Australian Mitch Evans was competing in his first season in the FIM world motocross championship in the MX2 class, getting off to a good start at the MXGP of Patagonia, before settling into a year that was filled with some ups and downs, as he got used to life in the series.
Now with just a few weeks to go until the start of the 2020 FIM World Motocross Championship, Gajser’s focus is fully on defending that title, while Evans hopes to continue his excellent Internazionali d’Italia form into the MXGP championship and prove to everyone he has what it takes to run up front in the toughest motocross series in the world. We caught up with the duo to find out their thoughts heading into this new season…
Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
Question: Just talk briefly about what that 2019 season was like for you.
Tim Gajser: “2019 was an amazing season. Already coming into the season, I was already feeling good, the bike was really great. I was hoping for a great season, and I was struggling a bit early in the season, making too many mistakes in the first races, but then after Valkenswaard we went to Arco and then everything started going in the right direction and I started winning races, Grand Prix’s and eventually the title.”
Mitch Evans: “I got off to a great start by getting on the podium in Argentina, but things didn’t quite go to plan from then on. I struggled a little bit just with everything being new and perhaps trying to push myself too much in order to over-compensate for the results. It was a learning curve though and I’m glad I was able to come over here and do it. Obviously after that I got the call to join Team HRC, it was a dream come true for me, I’ve always grown up looking at the scene over here and HRC is one of the best rides you can have. I was a little bit speechless when it happened but I knew it was going to be a big challenge and I couldn’t wait to get started.”
Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
Q: What has this off-season been like and what can you tell us about the new bike?
Gajser: “It was very busy, I didn’t have a lot of time off, and had a lot to do. I am thankful I could spend a couple of days at home in my own bed, and then beginning of December I started preparation for 2020. Obviously I had Monster Cup right after Assen and then we had a few days with the new bike. I’ve ridden it a lot more this year of course but as soon as I sat on the bike, I felt really good and comfortable. Everything goes in a good way and we can have great races with that bike and a great season. I never try to stop progressing and Honda are the same, they always come with new things and together we can do big things.”
Evans: “I went over to Japan just for one race at the end of last year and that was a really cool experience. It was great to see what HRC is all about and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience there. Then I went back to Australia for a little bit over the holidays before coming back to Europe this year to ride the new bike and to just work with the team in preparation for the MXGPs. The first time I rode it was in Sardinia and right away I was impressed with what they had done. I was coming from a different place than Tim but I knew that it was a machine capable of winning races and that they’d put in a lot of time and effort to getting it ready for this year.”
Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
Q: What about your preparations for this coming season and how you plan to approach it?
Gajser: “Last year I changed many things and I was super happy with that, so basically we try and stay with the same program, but you can always improve and I tried to improve some things and we try and do that every year, that is the goal. Every year, some riders from MX2 come to MXGP and it makes it bigger and there are more good riders. Already we have the great names, but this year even more good guys and the motivation is that you need to improve, and I always say it could be better. Even winning the races and the titles, I always feel I can do better.”
Evans: “I’ve done a lot of gym work to make sure I’m ready for the extra size and power of the 450 machine. I started a little bit earlier, which meant that I could go to Australia and I think that was important as it refreshed me a bit. Last year I wasn’t able to go home and I felt a bit homesick so just those couple of weeks I think have made a big difference mentally and physically. I’ve tried to work smarter and not just harder, but now I’m back working with the team to get everything ready for this season and it’s all going well.”
Q: Things went very well in Italy, with the pair of you going one-two in the Internazionali d’Italia and winning all the races. Talk about that championship.
Gajser: “It was a great way to start off the season. Of course it isn’t the MXGPs but it was important to see where the new bike was and straight away we can tell it doing very well. We got almost all the holeshots and led all the laps and I felt comfortable right from the beginning. I am very happy with how those three races went and it sets us up nicely for Matterley Basin.”
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Evans: “Like Tim said, those three races went very well. I was very happy with my results and my racing, and my fitness was good too. Winning the last race was also a great feeling for me as it had been a little while since my last victory and it was just a great way to head into the world championships. Things will definitely be tougher there but I’m feeling strong and the Honda CRF450RW is riding well and is fast out of the gate and that is going to be very important when the season begins.”
Q: What are you hoping to achieve in the MXGP class this year?
Gajser: “Defending my title is definitely the goal, but of course, I want to have fun, enjoy the races and stay healthy. I just want to enjoy and if I am having fun riding my dirt bike, I can go really fast. A happy Tim is a fast Tim, so I hope we have good races this year.”
Evans: “I would like to be one of the three or four guys at the front of the field by the end of the season. I know it will be a massive challenge, and I know that the class is extremely competitive with a lot of fast guys in it but I believe that is what I am capable of eventually. To start with, I just want to be consistent and make sure I am in the top 10 each weekend. I want to build my fitness and just work from there towards the front of the field. I’d love to get a couple of podiums and perhaps even a win before the year is out but I’d be happy with a couple of podiums.”
Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
Q: What’s it like having Tim / Mitch as your team-mate?
Gajser: “Mitch is a funny guy and he is a good team-mate. We spent a couple of days in November together and we stayed a couple of weeks in Sardinia and riding and having some meals together. He is a good guy, fast, young. I am getting older, but it is nice having Mitch beside me and he is younger and hungry, and he wants to show he is fast. He already proved in Mantova that he can win races so I think he has a chance to have a very good season this year.”
Evans: “Having Tim as three-time world champion as my team-mate is pretty cool. To be on the same team that he did it on is awesome because they know how to win as well. I couldn’t have anyone better to learn from, so I’m looking forward to improving from him and he’s a great guy, we get along really well so I’ve really enjoyed my time riding with him. We have a bit of banter when we can but when we need to be serious, we are, and its just a good dynamic between us both.”
Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo
So with three highly successful Italian races under their belts, the Team HRC duo of Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans will head to Matterley Basin, Great Britain for the opening round of the 2020 MXGP series full of confidence and ready to show that both the brand new Honda CRF450RW and themselves are ready to take on world motocross championship.
See below for the 2020 MXGP calendar.
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
KTM Ultimate Race 2020 entrants announced
Following special qualifying events held within each of the six KTM Adventure Rallies across the world in 2019, KTM has announced the names of those 12 finalists who will be given the once in a lifetime opportunity to race a rally-prepared KTM 790 Adventure R Rally machine at the KTM Ultimate Race 2020.
KTM Ultimate Race
Held within the upcoming Merzouga Rally on May 24 to 29, the second edition of the KTM Ultimate Race will see 12 KTM Adventure riders from Europe, South Africa, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand race aboard equally prepared KTM 790 Adventure R Rally machines. A six-day-long challenge of more than 1,000km, the KTM Ultimate Race 2020 will be a true test for each participant’s riding skills as well as their ability to navigate their way across the Moroccan dunes.
The members of the global KTM Adventure community who have topped their respective KTM Adventure Rally qualifiers to secure their spot at the KTM ULTIMATE RACE 2020 are:
KTM Australia Adventure Rally
Simon Arthur
Graham Cheney
European KTM Adventure Rally
Iker Iturregi
Andrej Crnkovic
KTM South Africa Adventure Rally
Cayle Dormehl
Keegan Eich
KTM North America Adventure Rally
Wes Van Nieuwenhuise
Brendan Crow
KTM Canada Adventure Rally
Wayne Hodder
Wendell Maki
KTM New Zealand Adventure Rally
Mark Dando
Matthew Kneesch
The KTM Ultimate Race is a special category at the Merzouga Rally, very similar to the main event and ridden mostly on the same routes. All participants will face a grueling six-day-long race from the dusty trails to the dunes of Morocco.
KTM Ultimate Race
Each competitor will have access to a specially prepared KTM 790 Adventure R Rally machine, which will be equipped with a host of KTM PowerParts along with a roadbook to help them navigate through the desert. All KTM Ultimate Race participants will be treated like KTM Factory riders, supported on site with a truck and a team of mechanics to help out with parts and tools or with maintaining the bike after a tough race day.
Along with this unique and exclusive prize, competitors will be given a fantastic opportunity to be coached by some of the world’s finest offroad riders. Chris Birch and Quinn Cody will be present to provide their close guidance and tutelage, while actively supporting these riders in every aspect of how to manage this challenge.
KTM Ultimate Race
Featuring more than 1,000km of offroad riding and navigating in the heart of Morocco, the upcoming Merzouga Rally will take place on May 24/29, 2020.
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 AMA Motocross race schedule
May 17 – Hangtown Motocross Classic – Rancho Cordova, CA
May 24 – Fox Raceway National – Pala, CA
May 31 – Thunder Valley National – Lakewood, CO
June 7 – Florida National – Jacksonville, FL
June 21 – High Point National – Mt. Morris, PA
June 28 – Southwick National – Southwick, MA
July 5 – RedBud National – Buchanan, MI
July 19 – Spring Creek National – Millville, MN
July 26 – Washougal National – Washougal, WA
August 16 – Unadilla National – New Berlin, NY
August 23 – Budds Creek National – Mechanicsville, MD
August 30 – Ironman National – Crawfordsville, IN
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Calendar
Jan. 4 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 11 – The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Jan. 18 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 25 – State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Feb. 1 – Ringcentral Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
Feb. 8 – Petco Park, San Diego, Calif.
Feb. 15 – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Feb. 22 – AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Feb. 29 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
March 7 – Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Fla.
March 14 – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianpolis, Ind.
March 21 – Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
March 28 – Centurylink Field, Seattle, Wash.
April 4 – Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, Co.
April 18 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
April 25 – Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
May 2 – Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah
2020 MXGP Calendar
March 1 – Great Britain, Matterley Basin (EMX125, WMX)
March 8 – The Netherlands, Valkenswaard – (EMX250, WMX)
March 22 – Patagonia, Argentina, Neuquen
April 5 – Trentino I, Pietramurata – (EMX250, EMX 2t)
April 19 – Spain, (TBA) – (EMX125, WMX)
April 26 – Portugal, Agueda – (EMX125, EMX250)
May 10 – France, Saint Jean d’Angely – (EMX125, EMX Open)
May 17 – Italy, Maggiora – (EMX Open, WMX)
May 24 – Germany, Teutschenthal – (EMX250, EMX Open)
The MXGP of Turkey proved a brilliant return to form for KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings, under perfect weather conditions and in front of large crowds. The penultimate round of the FIM Motocross World Championship marked the 85th GP win for Herlings, his first GP win of the season on a hard park track he fitted well.
Jeffrey Herlings – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
Herlings won the MXGP of Turkey in the MXGP class with 1-1 results, while second was fellow Dutchman Glenn Coldenhoff with 3-2 and third Pauls Jonass with 2-5. Herlings came to Turkey with further mileage under his belt after a domestic race appearance in Germany the previous weekend, with the 2018 world champion rapidly gaining shape and form at the highest level.
Jorge Prado – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
In the MX2 class it was Jorge Prado who once again went 1-1 for his 30th GP win of his career, while Jago Geerts was second overall with 2-5 and third was Roan Van De Moosdijk who went 5-3. Aussie Mitch Evans went 14-9 for 11th overall.
MXGP Race 1
In the first MXGP race, it was Pauls Jonass who took his first FOX Holeshot of the season and led from Glenn Coldenhoff, Jeffrey Herlings, Jeremy Seewer and Tim Gajser. Further back was Arnaud Tonus, Brian Bogers, Alessandro Lupino, Kevin Strijbos and Jeremy Van Horebeek.
2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
Herlings quickly moved into second place, and Gautier Paulin entered the top ten in ninth position. Herlings took the lead as the riders entered the second lap while Gajser moved into fourth place, then went down hard and dropped well back in 14th position.
Three laps in and the lead by Herlings was two seconds from Jonass, followed by Coldenhoff. Seewer was fourth and Bogers in fifth place. While Herlings led, Jonass, Coldenhoff and Seewer were not letting the KTM rider get too far ahead with just three seconds separating the top four.
Glenn Coldenhoff – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
After seven laps Herlings had opened the lead up to two seconds over Jonass, and Gajser moved back into the top ten as he rounded in 10th place, while Tonus moved past Bogers for fifth, and Gajser did the same to move into ninth position. Paulin and Van Horebeek also both passed Bogers.
After 10 laps the lead by Herlings was three seconds over Jonass but Herlings made a mistake and slipped over while Jonass caught right up to his back wheel.
Pauls Jonass – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
Gajser moved back into seventh place as he passed both Bogers and Van Horebeek and he managed to finish in sixth position while Paulin moved into fifth place. Herlings meanwhile won his second race of the season from Jonass and Coldenhoff.
MXGP Race 2
When the second MXGP gate dropped and Coldenhoff led from Seewer and Herlings, with Gajser in fourth and Bogers in fifth place. Herlings was quickly past Seewer, who dropped to sixth place, and Gajser moved to third on the first lap.
Jeremy Seewer – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
Seewer crashed hard and dropped to 16th position and after three laps it was Coldenhoff, Herlings, Gajser, Monticelli, and Bogers rounding up the top five. Ivo Monticelli passed Gajser for third place, as the World MXGP champion crashed and dropped to fifth position.
Herlings was all over the leader Coldenhoff for the lead on lap seven, as the two Dutch riders showed they are in great form for the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in three-week’s time. Bogers and Jonass had battled with Jonass moving into fifth and Bogers dropped back to sixth.
Tim Gajser – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
Herlings started reeling in Coldenhoff for the lead and on lap 10 they were locked together while Gajser moved into third place followed by Monticelli and Jonass. Coldenhoff continued to lead, but Herlings was hounding him, and Gajser was 23 seconds further back in third place.
A few seconds before the end of the race a sensational pass was made by Herlings as he took the lead on the final lap and took the third race win of the season and the GP overall for the first time in 2019.
Tommy Searle after a crash during the warm up on Sunday morning wasn’t able to race this 17th round of the FIM Motocross World Championship and he was forced to withdraw from the race.
Tommy Searle posted the twelfth fastest lap in both practice sessions on Saturday and later qualified in eleventh position for the GP. But during the warm up on Sunday morning Tommy crashed and suffered a shoulder contusion which forced him to withdraws from the GP. Tommy Searle normally will be back on track next weekend in China for the final round of the 2019 championship.
Jeffrey Herlings – P1
“It is getting better and better, in Sweden I wasn’t that prepared, but now just after three weeks on the bike, it is amazing what I can do. It has been a crazy weekend and I am super happy with my win. I had that line and I knew I had to make it perfect. I want to thank my mum the team and everyone who supported me and I wish to congratulate Glenn, he rode amazingly.”
Jeffrey Herlings – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
Glenn Coldenhoff – P2
“We are close to the end of the Championship and I really need those points as I still have a chance for third in the standings. I’m pushing hard for that. I don’t like to get passed on the last lap but it’s really amazing to see two Dutch flags on the box so I am really happy.”
Glenn Coldenhoff – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
Pauls Jonass – P3
“It’s been a really good GP, but it didn’t start the best way. I had to work really hard to come back from my start crash in my qualifying race on Saturday, but it also gave me some good confidence coming into today’s motos as I knew I had good speed and I also liked the track. Getting the holeshot in the first moto today was awesome – I’ve been working hard on my starts and to get a first MXGP holeshot is really positive. I felt good the whole race. After Herlings passed me I rode well and, yeah, second place was great. The second race was also good – a good start but then I made a few small mistakes and dropped a few positions. I kept a good pace and managed to move into a position to get on the overall podium, which is a great way to finish the GP. I’m looking forward to China now.”
Pauls Jonass – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
Tim Gajser – P4
“It was a tough weekend, but yesterday I felt okay. My speed was good, I just had that crash in the qualification race which meant I wasn’t completely 100% today. I got a good start in the first race, but crashed in the wave section and managed to climb back to sixth place after remounting in around 15th. I still knew I could better and I wanted to prove that in race two and again I got a good start, in the top three where again I felt I could I run with the leaders. However I made a small mistake in a corner, tipped over and dropped to fifth. By the time I got back to third they were gone so that’s where I finished. I am disappointed but I will try to take some positive things from this GP and do better next weekend in China. A big thanks to the whole team for their work again and helping me feel comfortable out on the track, and thanks for all the birthday wishes from everyone.”
Tim Gajser – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
Gautier Paulin – P6
“Actually my starts cost me a good result this weekend. A good start was important today with the track being so rutty it was difficult to change your line to make a pass. Everything else was there. The track was really rough, but I enjoyed it and I felt good. My YZ450F was really good too, both suspension and engine. Physically I felt awesome, so I am looking forward to China.”
Gautier Paulin – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
Jeremy Seewer – P7
“Overall today I had the speed to be on the podium. Fourth in the first moto with a gap to the riders behind me and I could control the position. In the second moto, I took the holeshot and for some reason it felt like I was standing still, and a lot of riders passed me. I made a small mistake, and I tried to keep Pauls Jonass behind me, but neither of us closed the throttle and I got put over the berm. After that I had a good pace and came back to eighth. I am sad because I could have been on the podium today, but happy because my second place in the championship is pretty safe now.”
Jeremy Seewer – 2019 MXGP of Turkey – Round 17
Arnaud Tonus – P11
“Race 1 was alright considering I had a bad feeling on the track yesterday. In the second moto, I was completely ‘off’ and tired for some reason. I don’t even know how I ended up, but I was completely drained of energy. So, I will try to recover and regain some energy for China next week.”
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What happened this week
Mees tops Springfield Mile I shootout
Mees does the double with Springfield Mile II victory
Gauthier dominates Springfield Short Track in AFT Singles
Gauthier tops Production Twins at Springfield Mile I
Luke Styke leads Yamaha AORC efforts at Coonalpyn
Janowski claims Teterow SGP win in Germany
Australian MXoN Team announced for Assen
Sultans Of Slide NSW Flat Track Cup classes announced
Australian Supercross Vic & Qld coaching days
KTM Junior Supercross joins S-X Open events
Mitchell Harrison to Bud Racing Kawasaki in 2020
Josh Hill to join CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team
Hutten Metaal Yamaha to run official EMX250 team until 2023
Empire Kawasaki announce 2019 Australian SX line-up
Jared Mees tops Springfield Mile I shootout
Defending AFT Twins Champion Jared Mees made it three for three in Mile competition in the 2019 American Flat Track competition with a last-corner victory in Saturday’s Springfield Mile I. Mees and 2018 Springfield Mile I winner Jeffrey Carver Jr. transformed the race into a two-rider duel for the win from the start.
Jared Mees – 2019 AFT Twins, Springfield Mile – Image by Scott Hunter
Carver seemed content to plant himself on the rear wheel of Mees over the opening half of the AFT Twins Main Event. However, the home-state hero brought the fans lining the grandstands to their feet by driving underneath the defending champ on lap 13.
Mees regrouped and re-assumed his position at the front in short order. Carver made two more attempts to wrestle away the lead, and it appeared he finally succeeded for good when he powered by with three laps remaining. However, Mees ducked under Carver entering Turn 3 on the final lap, only to see Carver slide back up the inside as they worked through Turn 4.
Jeffrey Carver Jr – 2019 AFT Twins, Springfield Mile – Image by Scott Hunter
Mees was ready for the move, and perfectly positioned himself for the decisive sprint to the flag; he stole the advantage back on exit and held it to the flag by 0.239 seconds.
Championship leader Briar Bauman was forced to use a provisional start to advance into the Main Event after suffering a mechanical issue in his Semi. Despite starting from dead last, Bauman somehow carved his way into seventh by the conclusion of lap 1 and established himself as one of five riders embroiled in a race-long battle for the final spot on the podium. Bauman ultimately won that battle, finishing in third 0.122 seconds ahead of brother/teammate Bronson Bauman. Bauman now holds a 30-point advantage over Mees (260-230) with four races remaining.
AFT Twins 2019 Springfield Mile I – Top 10
Jared Mees Indian – FTR750 0:35.746
Jeffrey Carver – Jr. Indian FTR750 +0.239
Briar Bauman – Indian FTR750 +1.878
Bronson Bauman – Indian FTR750 +2.000
Bryan Smith – Kawasaki Ninja 650 +2.016
Stephen Vanderkuur – Indian FTR750 +2.109
Brandon Robinson – Indian FTR750 +2.293
Davis Fisher – Indian FTR750 +2.455
Brandon Price – Indian FTR750 +2.709
Jarod Vanderkooi – HD XG750R Rev X +3.068
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Mees does the double with Springfield Mile II victory
Monday’s Springfield Mile II at the Illinois State Fairgrounds proved worth the wait, delivering the most jaw-dropping AFT Twins Main Event of the 2019 American Flat Track season. Following an epic 25 miles that saw ten riders in contention for the victory even as they dove into the race’s final corner, multi-time defending AFT Twins Champion Jared Mees worked his magic yet again to win out in the last-lap dash to the checkered flag. Making the achievement all the more impressive, Mees did so after starting in last position from Row 4.
Jared Mees – 2019 AFT Twins – Springfield Mile II – Image by Scott Hunter
The champ turned in his one provisional start card of the season to advance to the Main after encountering bike issues in his Semi. However, he managed to slipstream his way forward over the race’s opening third, joining the mammoth front group by lap 10. He was dueling for the lead a lap later – a duel that wouldn’t end until the final stripe. In the end, Mees outlasted title rival Briar Bauman by a scant 0.083 seconds.
Bronson Bauman – 2019 AFT Twins – Springfield Mile II – Image by Scott Hunter
The triumph was the 14th Mile win of Mees’ illustrious career, tying him with the legendary Jay Springsteen for sixth all-time on the big tracks. It also brought him within a single race of Bauman in the evolving 2019 AFT Twins championship race, as he’s now just 25 points back (280-255) heading into the season’s final three races.
Jared Mees
“It was good to come off the back row and put my name on the list with the guys who have done that. It’s more emotional doing it this way on the back-up bike and working my way up. The Indian Motorcycle ran so phenomenal for me. My whole crew worked so hard; when that bike broke we were switching wheels, and shocks, and offsets to try to duplicate what we were running on the main bike. We got it done, and it feels amazing.”
Jared Mees – 2019 AFT Twins – Springfield Mile II – Image by Scott Hunter
Bronson Bauman came through in third to lock out the podium for the Indian Wrecking Crew for the first time in 2019. While the day ultimately belonged to Mees and Indian, a huge number of riders played starring roles with the entire top ten finishing within 0.653 seconds of the win.
Rookie Brandon Price made a late-bid for the victory, and was one of five riders who slid into Turn 3 on lap 25, side-by-side, vying for the lead. He ended up an impressive fourth, fractionally ahead of Brandon Robinson.
AFT Twins Podium – 2019 AFT Twins – Springfield Mile II – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Twins 2019 Springfield Mile II – Top 10
Jared Mees – Indian FTR750 0:35.263
Briar Bauman – Indian FTR750 +0.083
Bronson Bauman – Indian FTR750 +0.149
Brandon Price – Indian FTR750 +0.169
Brandon Robinson – Indian FTR750 +0.254
Sammy Halbert – HD XG750R Rev X +0.275
Henry Wiles – Indian FTR750 +0.398
Jarod Vanderkooi – HD XG750R Rev X +0.443
Davis Fisher – Indian FTR750 +0.516
Jeffrey Carver Jr. – Indian FTR750 +0.653
AFT Twins Standings
Briar Bauman 280
Jared Mees 255
Bronson Bauman 215
Jeffrey Carver Jr. 184
Brandon Robinson 170
Jarod Vanderkooi 166
Henry Wiles 145
Robert Pearson 135
Sammy Halbert 133
Jake Johnson 128
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Gauthier dominates Springfield Short Track in AFT Singles
Championship hopeful Dalton Gauthier scored a critical victory in Friday night’s Springfield Short Track to claim sole possession of the AFT Singles points lead. The action at the Illinois State Fairgrounds was every bit as tense and frenetic as one would expect an Roof Systems AFT Singles Short Track showdown to be.
2019 AFT Singles, Springfield Single Track – Image by Scott Hunter
In the midst of a tight title fight with just three additional races remaining on the 2019 American Flat Track calendar, and serving as a microcosm of the season to date, while a handful of riders enjoyed their moments in the spotlight. Ultimately it all came down to Gauthier and reigning class champion Dan Bromley.
Former AFT Twins standout Chad Cose stormed to the holeshot and threatened to break free of the chaos before anyone else had an opportunity to react. However, Gauthier rolled forward on the momentum he had built up all day long when he ran quickest in both qualifying sessions and ripped to heat and semi victories.
Dalton Gauthier – 2019 AFT Singles, Springfield Single Track – Image by Scott Hunter
Gauthier first slashed ahead of Spanish dirt track hero Ferran Cardús to move into third and then ran up the inside of Bromley to take over second on lap 7. By lap 10, he was hounding Cose inside and outside, applying heavy pressure wherever possible in hopes of prompting a mistake.
That mistake came on lap 13. Gauthier squared up Cose and the two very nearly came together on the short straight as Gauthier slid ahead into first. Once clear, the new leader was able to call on his superior pace to pull open just enough of a gap to negate the possibility of a potential last-lap Hail Mary.
Dallas Daniels – 2019 AFT Singles, Springfield Single Track – Image by Scott Hunter
Title rival Bromley was going in the opposite direction, dropping down to fourth after he was also overhauled by Peoria TT winner Dallas Daniels. 16-year-old prodigy Daniels had earned the pole but was shuffled back to seventh early. Undeterred, he clawed his way through the fray, not only edging ahead of Bromley but lining up Cose for the runner-up position.
Desperate to minimize the championship damage done by another Gauthier victory, Bromley turned in a clutch sequence of his own. With time running out, the defending champ dove up the inside of Daniels and Cose in two consecutive corners to leap up from fourth to second in one short lap. From there he held on to the checkered flag to remain within five points of Gauthier for the Singles championship lead (241-236).
Dalton Gauthier
“It’s huge. Coming into these last few races, it’s anyone’s game. I’m trying to get in front of Dan as much as I can, but he’s running strong. We’re having fun. Chad rode a really great race. It took me a few laps to catch him, but he was riding defensively. I just waited. I knew I had a few laps to go so I just waited for the mistake. He made one, and we got pretty close, but it was clean racing.”
Dalton Gauthier – 2019 AFT Singles, Springfield Single Track – Image by Scott Hunter
Dan Bromley
“I just used my size to my advantage. It was a heck of a race. Chad got out front, and whether he’s behind you or you’re behind him, you never know what he’s going to do. He ran a good race. He, Dalton, and Dallas were out front for most of the race. It’s a little bittersweet to be in second, but I’m happy to be back up here on the podium.”
Daniels secured his second consecutive podium, in third, in what was just his sixth-career AFT outing, while Cose ended up one spot off the box after leading the majority of the laps. Meanwhile, Mikey Rush kept his championship aspirations alive in fifth. While the bulk of the focus is understandably on Gauthier and Bromley, Rush remains very much in contention. He’s within striking distance – just 25 points back of the lead (216) – with a Half-Mile and two Miles left to decide the 2019 crown.
AFT Singles Podium – 2019 AFT Singles, Springfield Single Track – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Singles 2019 Springfield ST Top 10
Dalton Gauthier – Husqvarna FC450 0:13.447
Dan Bromley – KTM 450 SX-F +0.857
Dallas Daniels – Yamaha YZ450F +1.475
Chad Cose – Suzuki RMZ 450 +2.304
Mikey Rush – Honda CRF450R +3.395
Brandon Kitchen – Honda CRF450R +4.009
Ryan Wells – Yamaha YZ450F +5.744
Oliver Brindley – Yamaha YZ450F +5.833
Ferran Cardus – Honda CRF450R +6.219
Jacob Lehmann – Honda CRF450R +7.548
2019 AFT Singles Standings
Dalton Gauthier 241
Dan Bromley 236
Mikey Rush 216
Jesse Janisch 180
Chad Cose 166
Shayna Texter 155
Ryan Wells 155
Morgen Mischler 125
Max Whale 107
Kevin Stollings 93
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Gauthier tops Production Twins at Springfield Mile I
Fresh off his clutch victory in Friday night’s Springfield Short Track, Dalton Gauthier steamrolled the competition in Saturday’s AFT Production Twins Main Event at the Springfield Mile I. Gauthier’s arcing high lines may have allowed his rivals to keep him relatively contained during the opening stages of the 15-lap Main Event, but once he finally stretched open enough of an advantage to prevent his opponents from blocking his preferred path, those same lines made him simply unstoppable.
Carlile & Rispoli – 2019 AFT Production Twins, Springfield Mile – Image by Scott Hunter
The triumph was not just his second of the weekend, it was also his second in succession in the AFT Production Twins class; he delivered the XG750R a second win in the first possible opportunity after scoring its historic maiden win last time out in the Sacramento Mile.
Dalton Gauthier
“I have to thank Jarod Vanderkooi for telling me to go there (to the high line) after the Semi, so shout out to him. After the second or third lap I went up there and I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s hooking up. So I stayed up there and tried to ride consistent laps and break away and that’s what happened. I have to thank everybody at Harley-Davidson, Black Hills Harley-Davidson, Vance & Hines and everyone else who has gotten this bike working this great. It’s been awesome, and I’m having a lot of fun.”
Dalton Gauthier – 2019 AFT Production Twins, Springfield Mile – Image by Scott Hunter
Kolby Carlile, who scored tonight’s holeshot, and Lima HM winner Chad Cose emerged from a multi-rider pack to battle for second place. The two actually managed to cut into Gauthier’s lead while waging their duel, which came down to the race’s final corner.
Carlile sailed past Cose to open the last lap, but Cose switched-up his opponent driving through Turns 3 and 4. However, the Estenson pilot managed a counter of his own while they streaked down the start/finish straight, nipping Cose by 0.101 seconds at the flag to finish as the race’s runner-up.
Second-ranked Ryan Varnes continued his consistent AFT Production Twins title campaign with his fifth top-five result of the year by taking fourth. Kevin Stollings was just 0.002 seconds back of Varnes to round out the top five.
Championship leader Cory Texter took the checkered flag in ninth. As a result, he now leads Varnes by just 22 points (133-111) with Carlile (100) and Gauthier (96) looking increasingly threatening in third and fourth, respectively.
AFT Production Twins 2019 Springfield Mile I – Top 10
Dalton Gauthier – HD XG750R 0:36.491
Kolby Carlile – Yamaha MT-07 +0.866
Chad Cose – Kawasaki Ninja 650 0.968
Ryan Varnes – Kawasaki Ninja 650 +2.584
Kevin Stollings – Kawasaki Ninja 650 +2.587
J.R. Addison – Kawasaki Ninja 650 +2.644
James Rispoli – HD XG750R Rev X +2.671
Cody Johncox – Yamaha MT-07 +6.769
Cory Texter – Yamaha MT-07 +8.399
Ryan Wells – Yamaha MT-07 +8.468
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Carlile claims Production Twins Springfield Mile II win
Kolby Carlile materialised from the pack late to claim his first-career AFT Production Twins Main Event victory in dramatic fashion. All eyes had been on Dalton Gauthier, who was chasing a unique dual-class triple win on the weekend.
2019 AFT Production Twins, Springfield Mile – Image by Scott Hunter
Like Mees in the premier class, Gauthier had to start on the back row, being forced to use a provisional start when his bike expired in his Semi. However, his form and momentum still made him feel all but unstoppable, as he powered from dead last to first place by the time the pack dove into Turn 1 for the second time.
He didn’t slow from there, opening up a 1.5-second advantage by the time the race was red flagged while working lap 10 of 15. On the restart, Gauthier went right back to work, steadily building another advantage on the pack. The only difference this time around was that teammate James Rispoli managed to hang onto the slipstream and use it to escape along with Gauthier.
James Rispoli – 2019 AFT Production Twins, Springfield Mile – Image by Scott Hunter
With a 1-2 Black Hills Harley-Davidson seeming nearly assured, Gauthier raised his hand in disappointment with 3 laps to go, signaling another mechanical issue that spoiled his bid for the triple Springfield victory. Without the benefit of Gauthier’s draft, Rispoli found himself reeled back to the pack. Carlile caught him just in time to thunder by as they drove down the back straight for the final time.
Carlile tucked his head down and outpaced any potential counter moves, beating Rispoli to the line by 0.111 seconds.
Kolby Carlile
“I was confident the whole race; there was just so much traffic and I got sucked into it a little bit. I was letting those guys shake it out, but I knew I had the bike to win this thing. Dalton and James took off after the restart and I fell back again, but I knew my bike was strong enough to catch them. And that’s what we did. I just can’t thank my Estenson Racing crew enough… I broke my leg early in the year and I lost a round. I’m at a huge points deficit, but we’re trying to make it back. I’m finally feeling like myself again.”
Kolby Carlile – 2019 AFT Production Twins, Springfield Mile – Image by Scott Hunter
Cody Johncox was next in line in a pack of riders that saw five men take the checkered flag within 0.554 seconds of the win. He finished 0.082 seconds back of Rispoli to complete the podium. Cory Texter did well to limit the damage done by Carlile’s victory by finishing a strong fourth. Still, Texter’s advantage has now been reduced to 23 points (148-125) over Carlile with three races remaining.
Production Twins podium – 2019 AFT Twins, Springfield Mile II – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Production Twins 2019 Springfield Mile II – Top 10
Kolby Carlile – Yamaha MT-07 0:35.993
James Rispoli – Harley-Davidson XG750R Rev X +0.111
Cody Johncox – Yamaha MT-07 +0.194
Cory Texter – Yamaha MT-07 +0.332
Morgen Mischler – Kawasaki Ninja 650 +0.554
Ryan Varnes – Kawasaki Ninja 650 +1.205
Jordan Harris – Kawasaki Ninja 650 +1.818
Ben Lowe – Kawasaki Ninja 650 +5.587
Oliver Brindley – Kawasaki Ninja 650 +16.401
Chad Cose – Kawasaki Ninja 650 +1 Lap
2019 AFT Production Twins Standings
Cory Texter 148
Kolby Carlile 125
Ryan Varnes 124
Dalton Gauthier 102
J.R. Addison 96
James Rispoli 95
Chad Cose 94
Ben Lowe 81
Cody Johncox 80
Kevin Stollings 72
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Luke Styke leads Yamaha AORC efforts at Coonalpyn
Perfect conditions greeted rider for Rounds 8 & 9 of the AORC Championship in Coonalpyn, while the layout provided challenges on both days. Saturday saw a sandy based loop that had competitors excited about the terrain while Sunday saw some rock beds and hard pack thrown into the mix to keep everyone on their toes.
Luke Styke increased his lead in the E1 (250cc) class after dominating the weekend in South Australia. Styke, who enjoys racing the softer terrain, won 10 out of the 13 special tests conducted over both days and was able to stretch his lead out to 16 points with two rounds remaining.
Luke Styke – Round 7, Broken Hill – 2019 AORC – Image by John Pearson
Styke and rival Lyndon Snodgrass traded wins on Saturday, but Styke came out all guns blazing on Sunday to win six of the seven tests and cement his place at the top of the E1 table. His raw speed captured him fourth outright on Saturday and one position better on Sunday in third.
Luke Styke
“After a couple of ordinary rounds for me, it was good to get back on top of things and ride the way I should. I struggled a bit at Kyogle and Broken Hill, but I felt good all weekend and I love riding in these kinds of conditions. The bike was strong all weekend and I had a clean run with no major issues, so I leave here healthy, fit and confident to keep the momentum going into the final two rounds. Thanks to the team for all the hard work and we will keep it going all the way to the end as anything can happen in this sport.”
Luke Styke
Josh Green maintains second place in the E2 (450cc) class after another consistent performance on the weekend in South Australia. Green finished second on both days behind class leader, Daniel Milner, and sits comfortably in second place in the series.
Josh Green – Round 7, Broken Hill – 2019 AORC – Image by John Pearson
Green raced well on Saturday and was third outright but a few crashes on Sunday cost him valuable time on Sunday and while it dropped him a couple of positions in outright honours, it had no effect on the E2 class results.
Josh Green
“Nothing real exciting to report from me on the weekend. I felt I was riding pretty well all weekend, but not quite at the pace that Sanders and Milner were setting. I made a couple of mistakes on Sunday and fell off in two tests but fortunately both myself and the bike were unscathed. But I really liked the course layout and it was good to ride in dirt that offered plenty of traction and a good variety of high and low speed challenges. The team was on point again and we can now look forward to the final rounds in a couple of weekends.”
Josh Green
It was a case of the good and the almost good for Michael Driscoll. Driscoll charged to an impressive third in class (E1) and sixth outright on Saturday as he kept his 250F on song through the day on the sandy course. He wasn’t quite able to recapture the same form on Sunday, dropping one spot to fourth in E1 and ninth in outright honours.
Michael Driscoll
“Saturday was good, and it was like riding the conditions I have around home with soft dirt and plenty of traction. I pushed hard all day and wanted to mix it with Luke and Lyndon as best I could in as many tests as I could. Sunday I was a bit off and didn’t flow as well. I made a few errors out there and cost me some time and just didn’t ride as well as what I did yesterday. I still sit fourth in class and just five points away from a series podium, so I will need a big finish at the final two rounds to get onto the championship podium.”
Michael Driscoll
Yamaha also had success in other classes with Kirk Hutton winning the Masters’ class on both days and also the series win as he now holds a 58 point lead going into the final two rounds. With only 50 points available, the former AORC champ can add another title to his belt after a successful year.
Kirk Hutton
Jess Gardiner continues to lead the Women’s division after an up and down weekend in South Australia. Gardiner won on Saturday but was forced to settle for third place on Sunday in a rare off day. Gardiner still holds a comfortable 20 point lead going into the final weekend of the championship.
Jess Gardiner
The last two rounds of the AORC are set down for September 14 and 15 in Penshurst in Victoria. With class honours and podium positions still up for grabs, Yamaha riders will keep the pressure right until the final test has concluded.
AORC Round 8 – Outright
#
Rider
Time – Total
1
Daniel SANDERS
58:40.514
2
Daniel MILNER
59:30.788
3
Joshua GREEN
1:00:50.038
4
Luke STYKE
1:00:52.231
5
Lyndon SNODGRASS
1:01:00.940
6
Michael DRISCOLL
1:02:17.640
7
Riley GRAHAM
1:02:33.987
8
Fraser HIGLETT
1:02:55.789
9
Andrew WILKSCH
1:02:56.028
10
Jeremy CARPENTIER
1:03:40.107
AORC Round 9 – Outright
#
Rider
Time – Total
1
Daniel SANDERS
1:09:31.089
2
Daniel MILNER
1:10:59.206
3
Luke STYKE
1:12:31.488
4
Lyndon SNODGRASS
1:12:56.788
5
Joshua GREEN
1:13:21.455
6
Fraser HIGLETT
1:13:44.746
7
Jeremy CARPENTIER
1:14:50.294
8
Matthew PHILLIPS
1:14:51.763
9
Michael DRISCOLL
1:15:14.966
10
Andrew WILKSCH
1:15:33.329
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E3 Standings – Top 5
#
Rider
Points
1
Daniel SANDERS
225
2
Andrew WILKSCH
168
3
Jesse LAWTON
162
4
Beau RALSTON
148
5
Matt MURRY
145
E2 Standings – Top 5
#
Rider
Points
1
Daniel MILNER
225
2
Joshua GREEN
198
3
Jeremy CARPENTIER
167
4
Brad HARDAKER
119
5
Harrison TEED
91
E1 Standings – Top 5
#
Rider
Points
1
Luke STYKE
212
2
Lyndon SNODGRASS
196
3
Fraser HIGLETT
181
4
Michael DRISCOLL
176
5
Lachlan ALLAN
137
EJ Standings – Top 5
#
Rider
Points
1
Kyron BACON
215
2
Joshua BRIERLEY
198
3
Korey MCMAHON
181
4
Cooper SHEIDOW
158
5
Nathan HOWE
147
Veterans Standings – Top 10
#
Rider
Total
1
Lee STEPHENS
215
2
Christopher THOMAS
172
3
Jason PEARCE
148
4
Luke ABLITT
127
5
Paul CHADWICK
114
Masters Standings – Top 10
#
Rider
Total
1
Kirk HUTTON
222
2
Peter RUDD
164
3
Craig TREASURE
144
4
Timothy MARTIN
128
5
Ian MCGILLIVRAY
110
Womens Standings – Top 10
#
Rider
Total
1
Jessica GARDINER
217
2
Emma MILESEVIC
192
3
Emelie KARLSSON
186
4
Danielle FOOT
154
5
Ebony NIELSEN
112
Janowski claims Teterow SGP win in Germany
Maciej Janowski launched his bid for a FIM World Speedway Championship medal on Saturday night winning the German FIM Speedway Grand Prix in Teterow.
Janowski, who was without a Grand Prix win in 13 months prior to round seven of the 2019 World Championship, made a jet-propelled start from gate two in the grand final to defeat Polish compatriot Bartosz Zmarzlik, Slovenian favourite Matej Zagar and in-form Dane Niels-Kristian Iversen.
Despite missing the opening round of this year’s series through injury, Janowski is only 11-points short of third placed Emil Sayfutdinov – and stands every chance of picking up his first World Championship medal in Torun, Poland, on October 5.
The 28-year-old Wroclaw star said hard work in the pits from his top team of mechanics inspired his lightning-fast start in the grand final, which ultimately saw him step to the top of the podium.
Maciej Janowski
“This is amazing, it’s always an amazing feeling when you win a Grand Prix. The whole meeting was very tough, we worked very hard during the meeting and I knew the final would be very hard with Bartosz Zmarzlik, Matej Zagar and Niels-Kristian Iversen involved. I felt very good from the start in the final, I made a perfect start and that helped me to win.”
Maciej Janowski – 2019 German FIM Speedway Grand Prix, Teterow
World Championship contender Bartosz Zmarzlik was again in blistering form, registering 16-points on the night to join Leon Madsen at the top of the standings on 85-points with three rounds remaining.
After dropping only three points throughout his five qualifying rides, the Gorzow star finished second to Janowski in semi-final one before repeating that effort in the grand final.
Like Janowski, Zmarzlik paid tribute to his mechanics following round seven, and vowed to maintain his high levels of performance at next weekend’s ECCO Danish FIM Speedway Grand Prix in Vojens.
For Matej Zagar, a podium finish came as a welcome relief following a logistically challenging start to his weekend. A delayed flight forced the GP Challenge winner to start his journey to Teterow on a different plane, before arriving on the stroke of the start of free practice.
He topped the qualifying time sheet, before registering 15 points from his seven rides – placing him five points short of the top eight frame.
Following tonight’s result, Dane Leon Madsen surrendered his position as clear leader at the top of the World Championship standings. The Danish favourite finished behind Janowski and Zmarzlik in semi-final one, and dropped six points to his championship rival.
Elsewhere in the table, title hopefuls Emil Sayfutdinov and Fredrik Lindgren returned with a mixed bag of results from their qualifying rides – scoring 10 and nine points respectively.
But Martin Vaculik endured the most frustrating evening, registering just four points from five qualifying rides as the Slovak star dropped to fifth in the standings and is now 13 points short of the top pair. The series now moves to Vojens, Denmark, for Round 8 on Saturday, September 7.
SGP World Championship Standings
Bartosz Zmarzlik 85
Leon Madsen 85
Emil Sayfutdinov 78
Fredrik Lindgren 72
Martin Vaculik 72
Patryk Dudek 69
Maciej Janowski 67
Artem Laguta 58
Niels-Kristian Iversen 54
Matej Zagar 52
Janusz Kolodziej 50
Jason Doyle 48
Aztorin German SGP Scores
Maciej Janowski 16
Bartosz Zmarzlik 16
Matej Zagar 15
Niels-Kristian Iversen 13
Emil Sayfutdinov 10
Leon Madsen 10
Fredrik Lindgren 9
Patryk Dudek 8
Antonio Lindback 8
Artem Laguta 8
Tai Woffinden 8
Jason Doyle 6
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Australian MXoN Team announced for Assen
Motorcycling Australia have announced the 2019 FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) team selected to represent Australia at Assen, in the Netherlands on 28-29 of September. Known as the ‘Olympics of Motocross’, the prestigious event will host 31 teams from around the world.
MXoN 2018
After a tough selection process, the MXoN Australian Team will be proudly represented by Mitch Evans (Honda), Dean Ferris (KTM) and Kyle Webster (Honda), with the trio earning the right to don the green and gold against the best motocross riders on the planet, with the MXstore coming on board as a naming-rights sponsor.
Amid a strong campaign on the elite MXGP circuit, Evans, a Cairns native, is confident the team will be hard to beat.
Mitch Evans
“I’m excited to get out there, represent my country and race the best in the world. I’m looking forward to everyone getting behind us and hopefully we can get a spot on the box because we’ve got a really strong team this year.”
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Germany 2019
Ferris, who is a three-time Australian Motocross champion and recently competed in the U.S, said representing his country was a highlight of his highly successful career.
Dean Ferris
“I’m super excited to be representing Australia at the Motocross of Nations this year in Assen. I’m really looking forward to racing alongside Mitch Evans and Kyle Webster, so it will be great to catch up with the boys.”
Dean Ferris – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Round Six – Southwick
Webster, who was the runner up in the 2019 MX Nationals Motul MX2 class, was shocked when told he’ll be heading to the Netherlands.
Kyle Webster
“Honestly, I’m stoked. I didn’t really expect to be picked for the team, but I’m wrapped to be able to head over to Assen. It’s my first time heading over to the MXoN, so I’m not sure what to really expect. Being the biggest motocross event in the world, I just can’t wait to be a part of it. Without a doubt, it’s the biggest thing in my career for sure, so I’m really excited. It’s awesome to have both Dean [Ferris] and Mitch [Evans] as my teammates.”
Kyle Webster leads Wilson Todd at Coolum
Sultans Of Slide NSW Flat Track Cup classes announced
The question everyone has been asking is, “what classes are running at Sultans Of Slide?” And the answer is, there’s only eight. Four junior classes and four senior classes, and for the most part riders will choose one class, and they will bring one bike.
So you get the advantage of only having one bike to look after for the whole day. And as a bonus, you will get 56 laps of racing. You don’t normally get that even if you bring four bikes and ride multiple classes!
Sultans Of Slide – NSW Flat Track Cup
At each Sultans Of Slide event each class will get seven races, ranging in length from 4 to 15 laps, on two different track layouts, running a point score across the day to determine winners. No finals, no semis. Lots of ride time.
Juniors will choose between 50, 65, 85 and a Junior Lites class. Seniors will choose between an MX250 (2- and 4-strokes together), MX450, and up to 450 clubman class.
Seniors will also be able to cross-enter into the new “Open Multi” class if they have a bike to suit it, or they can ride the Open Multi class by itself if they prefer. They just need a multi-cylinder bike of any capacity, running on suitable wheels and tyres.
There’s only 18 entries per class, so when things up and the Supp regs are released, you will have to get in quick. Riders will also be starting on a grid with three rows. And sometimes there’ll be reverse grid races, just to mess with you.
With the classes now confirmed, stay tuned for details on when entries will open, exciting new partnerships and in excess of $10,000 plus a host of prizes.
2019 Sultans of Slide Classes JUNIORS (riders to choose one class only)
50cc Div 2 (7 to under 9)
65cc (8 to under 11)
85cc 2t & 150cc 4t (10 to under 14)
JUNIOR LITES up to 150cc 2t & 250cc 4t (13 to under 16)
SENIORS (riders to choose one class only, unless riding in Open Multi, which may be entered in addition to any other class)
Clubman (MX Frame Up to 450cc 4T)
MX 250 (2 or 4 stroke up to 250cc)
MX 450 (4T 450cc or 2T 350cc)
Open Multi (Multi cylinder any capacity)
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Australian Supercross Qld & Vic Coaching Days
Amateur and professional Supercross riders will have the chance to take part in several Supercross coaching and training days starting next week in both Victoria and Queensland.
Krusics Ride Park – Victoria
Kicking off next weekend (September 7-8) at Krusics Ride Park in Victoria, the venue will open the gates to their private Supercross tracks allowing riders of all skill levels the opportunity to attempt Supercross for the first time, or hone their skills in preparation for the upcoming Australian Supercross Championship season.
Krusics Ride Park – Victoria
Krusics has two tracks on offer, one for intermediate riders with tamed down jumps and tabletops and another full-blown pro-level track, both professionally prepared for the weekend. Saturday will be dedicated to training on the intermediate track with Sunday’s riding focussed on the pro track.
Ex-professional Supercross athlete Cameron Taylor (Y-AIM) will be offering tutelage to all skill levels over the weekend and on both tracks, to ensure there’s the opportunity to learn regardless of current skill level. Taylor says the opportunity for riders to access an intermediate track, learn Supercross skills and build confidence before progressing to the full-scale track all in one weekend, is the perfect way to make the transition from Motocross to Supercross.
Cameron Taylor
“This is the first time in Australian Supercross history that I’m aware of, that riders have been given the opportunity to learn Supercross in a safe and controlled environment, by starting on a scaled-down track, positioned right next to a full-scale professional one. This will really give us the chance to ensure riders are feeling comfortable before transitioning to Supercross. There’s no better feeling than racing on a Supercross track in front of thousands of people. I really look forward to sharing my experiences with riders, to help them build their confidence and hopefully lead them to a career in Supercross racing in the future, or simply help them prepare for this year’s Australian Supercross Championship.”
Cameron Taylor
Practice Day costs are $100 p/day and riders are required to have an AMA licence. Click here to join secure.motocross.asn.au/join-motocross (link). For coaching enquiries and bookings, contact Cam Taylor on 0417 332 457 or email [email protected].
For riders in the South East Queensland region, Nathan Crawford (00 Standards Elite Rider Training) is holding a coaching and endorsement clinic also on Saturday September 7, on a private Supercross track near Toowoomba. For more details call or message Nathan on 0401 812 125.
00 Standars Elite Rider Training Facility – Toowoomba – Queensland
Practice day costs are $220 p/day and riders will need SX suspension and previous riding experience.
Increasing access to practice tracks and professional Supercross coaching has been a major focus for the revamped Australian Supercross Championship and series organisers say this is a crucial step towards the overall goal of increased participation and the development of young riders in the future.
Adam Bailey
“Access to safe practice facilities and professional coaching has been the number one limiting factor for Australian Supercross riders and their development, for as long as I can remember. In the past, riders that do not have their own private track and property or access to one, have often either tried to compete underprepared or just decided not to take the risk to do Supercross competition. We’re committed to making that transition to competing in the Australian Supercross Championship, more accessible and safer, for all Aussie riders now and into the future.”
Both coaches will be able available for Motorcycling Australia Supercross Endorsements over the weekend. More information on other locations including more tracks in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales will be announced in the near future.
00 Standards Elite Rider Training Facility open for coaching and endorsement September 7.
Where: Toowoomba (Kaleb Barham personal track) *Further details via upon request.
When: 7th September 9am – 4pm
Cost: $220 p/day
Book now: 0401 812 125
*Riders will need SX suspension and previous riding experience.
*All other Ride Park Rules & Regulations apply.
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KTM Junior Supercross joins S-X Open events
The KTM Junior Supercross initiative will once again take centre-stage at the high-profile 2019 S-X Open International FIM Oceania Supercross Championship, set to be contested in Auckland, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia this November.
KTM Junior Supercross joins S-X Open in 2019
KTM Junior Supercross provides the opportunity of a lifetime for an incredibly fortunate group of youthful racers and their families. There will be 10 positions available for the S-X Open event to be held at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland on 16 November, while 20 places will be available for the AUS-X Open Melbourne event on 30 November for the first time ever.
Successful applicants will be treated to a full factory VIP experience, including a KTM 50 SX built by factory technicians to ride during the event. A KTM gift pack provided to each young rider will feature a full set of riding gear to keep, plus trophies will be awarded to podium finishers.
Aside from extensive off-track activities and enjoyment that will include mentorship from KTM’s professional racers and a special rider signing where kids can meet their heroes, the KTM Junior Supercross entrants will take a dedicated track walk, two practice sessions and a fun-filled exhibition event during the S-X Open program.
Entry criteria will apply, with both events open to KTM customers only with 12 months of racing results being taken into consideration. Every applicant’s latest school report card, weight and height requirements must also be met. Registrations for the 2019 KTM Junior Supercross events are open now, exclusively at www.ridektm.com.au (link).
KTM Junior Supercross joins S-X Open in 2019
Jeff Leisk – General Manager KTM Australia
“To be involved in the sport at this level, young aspiring riders and their parents, will certainly enjoy the KTM Junior Supercross experience. We aim to make them virtually feel like factory riders for the event, to give them that experience on a real supercross track in front of huge crowds. It’s an incredible opportunity and inspires riders to go onto bigger things in the sport, much like Ryan Dungey and others who at one stage took part in the challenge. It’s a really inspirational experience and these events are genuinely world-class, so it’s a pleasure to continue our relationship with the event organisers, AME Management, because we really love what they are doing for supercross in the region. The fact that they even consider the KTM Junior Supercross to be one of the highlights of their events just goes to show that they have the right vision that’s inclusive of tomorrow’s superstars and, from my own perspective, I know what it was like to be a young kid and an aspiring racer. So, while I never got to do anything like this, I know how impressionable you are at that age and that’s why it’s really special to be involved and to be providing families with this type of opportunity.”
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Mitchell Harrison to Bud Racing Kawasaki in 2020
Team Bud Racing Kawasaki have confirmed Mitchell Harrison for the 2020 MX2 FIM Motocross World Championship, after joining the team in April and starting to score regularly with top ten results since Germany.
Mitchell Harrison to remain with Bud Racing Kawasaki in 2020
Dedicated to his sport, the 21 years old American rider is currently seventeenth in the series and with a few more months of European experience will be a strong contender when the 2020 World Championship kicks off in of February 2020. He will also race the French Elite series.
Mitchell Harrison
“It’s been an amazing experience racing here, I came over here in April not knowing what to expect and the Bud Racing Team treated me like a family member and it’s cool to have another year with them and a chance to fill in on the podium with them, so very exited! Next year I will know most of the tracks and I will be more adapted to the bike, we already work on that between the races but now we’ll have a full winter to do that. The racing is amazing here, the tracks are unique, different than in the US but I like that.”
Mitchell Harrison
For team owner Stephane Dassé, giving another chance to Mitchell was one of his goal as everyone in the team enjoy working with him.
Stephane Dassé – Team Owner
“We’re happy to work with him next season, he came late in Europe and had to discover everything. He improves a lot through the season, has a good mentality and we think that after a good preparation during winter and some more European experience he will be able to get strong results. We’re happy to enter again the MX2 World Championship with him, and he will have two top level young team mates to compete and fight in front of the European EMX 250 & EMX 125 series and French championship; who will be announced very soon.”
Josh Hill to join CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team
Former AMA Supercross race winner, factory rider and freeride pioneer Josh Hill, will travel down under to contest the final three rounds of the Australian Supercross Championship for the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team, commencing November 9.
Hill will join Dan Reardon and Luke Clout on the team with his first engagement being round three of the of the Australian Supercross Championship in Wollongong.
Josh Hill, Alta electric motorcycle
Hill will be working double time at Wollongong as he not only chases success in the SX1 final alongside competing the ‘Speed and Style’ event where he can combine his world class speed with his aerial acrobatics against names like Cam Sinclair and a host of others in a spectacular night of action.
Then its onto rounds four and five of the championship where Hill will really be put to the test at the S-X Open in Auckland and in the final round, the Aus-X Open at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
Josh Hill
“I cant wait to get down to Australia and line up at the final three rounds of the Australian Supercross Championship. I have always wanted to return to Australia after racing there a few years ago and when the opportunity came about through CDR Yamaha, Monster Energy and Fox Racing, I had to make it happen. And this isn’t a holiday for me as I know the level of racing in Australia is high and it’s my goal to come down there and bring home plenty of prizemoney with me. I have been working hard to get myself in shape and ready to go come November 9 at Wollongong. I’m still competitive and would like nothing more than to kick a little ass down there and beat not only the Aussies but also the other international riders competing.”
Josh Hill
The CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team will be bursting at the seems at the final three rounds with a star studded line up of the two best domestic supercross racers in Dan Reardon and Luke Clout and now with Josh Hill confirmed for the final three rounds, making for a huge month for team owner Craig Dack.
Craig Dack – CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team Owner
“Having Josh Hill join us for the final three rounds is a real coupe for the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team as he is not only one of the most popular riders in the world but still fast and talented enough to make the championship exciting. His alignment with Yamaha in the US, Monster Energy and Fox Racing makes it a simple transition into the team and I’m sure he will be on the pace when the gates drop at round three. He has been super easy to deal with and his enthusiasm to come to Australia and race with us is over flowing down the phone with every conversation. Having Dan and Luke as the main stays of our team and the X factor in Josh Hill gives us a very strong team for this years Supercross Championship. All three riders will be mounted on the new 2020 YZ450F and our preparations have already begun. We look forward to a great championship and working with three talented and skilled riders.”
CDR Yamaha’s Craig Dack
The five round Australian Supercross Championship starts on October 12 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
2019 ASX Calendar
Round 1 – October 12 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre (QLD)
Round 2 – October 19 – Gillman Speedway (SA)
Round 3 – November 9 – Wollongong (NSW)
Round 4 – November 16- Mt Smart Stadium Auckland (NZ / S-X Open Auckland)
Round 5 – November 30- Marvel Stadium Melbourne (VIC / AUS-X Open Melbourne)
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Hutten Metaal Yamaha to run official EMX250 team until 2023
Yamaha Motor Europehave announced that Hutten Metaal Yamaha will operate as the official Yamaha EMX250 team for the next three years through 2023. The team based in Beerzerveld, The Netherlands, have already established themselves inside the MXGP and EMX250 paddocks as a Yamaha supported team this year.
Hutten Metaal Yamaha to run official EMX250 team until 2023
Heading into 2020, Hutten Metaal Yamaha will focus solely on the European EMX250 Championship as the official EMX250 team with riders Thibault Benistant, Raivo Dankers and Gianluca Facchetti, equipped with Yamaha’s GYTR kitted YZ250F machines.
Between the three riders that will make up the Hutten Metaal Yamaha EMX250 team in 2020, there are two Junior Motocross World Champions and an EMX125 Champion. Raivo Dankers was the Junior 85cc World Champion back in 2015, Gianluca Facchetti was the Junior 125cc World Champion in 2017, while Thibault Benistant was the first Official Yamaha rider to claim the coveted EMX125 crown onboard a GYTR kitted YZ125 back in 2018.
Yamaha Motor Europe also thanked the SDM Corse Yamaha team for their efforts over the past few years. The SDM Corse Yamaha team will remain inside the Yamaha family for the 2020 season, receiving support for an EMX250 rider and Ruben Fernandez who will contest the 2020 MX2 World Championship.
Empire Kawasaki announce 2019 Australian SX line-up
Empire Kawasaki are fuelled-up and ready to launch into the 2019 Australia Supercross Championship season, and have announced they will run a team of three riders across the two classes, with two SX1 riders on 2020 Kawasaki KX450 and one SX2 Rider on the 2020 Kawasaki KX250.
Dylan Long will ride the new 2020 Kawasaki KX450
Dylan Long and Lawson Bopping will be piloting the SX1 machinery, while in SX2 American Supercross specialist Bradley Taft joins the team.
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
What happened this week
Red flagged mud fest at Hattah 2019
Eli Tomac & Dylan Ferrandis top RedBud National
Tim Gajser & Jorge Prado win MXGP of Indonesia
Sam Sunderland wins Silk Way Rally Round 2
Emil Sayfutdinov claims first SGP win for six years in Sweden
2019 Speedway of Nations Finals teams announced
Rockhampton to host 2020 KTM AJMX
Dean Wilson confirmed to join AUS-X Open Melbourne
Red flagged mud fest at Hattah 2019
The 2019 Hattah Desert Race will go down in history as one of the most challenging, yet shortest races since it began. Heavy rain and hail pounded the event shortly after the scheduled eight-lap race commenced. The sheer volume of water restricted emergency vehicle access and the decision was made to cut the event short to four-laps.
Daniel Milner – Image by John Pearson Media
KTM duo Daniel Milner and Lyndon Snodgrass delivered a spectacular 1-2 finish, despite the conditions, with Milner having qualified fastest following Saturday’s Prologue with a blistering 2m45.417s lap-time set in the Top 10 Shootout, while Snodgrass recorded the third-fastest lap overall.
Contested in difficult, muddy conditions after rain arrived on Sunday morning, Milner claimed his second-career Hattah victory and clinching the Over 450cc 4-Stroke class win in the process. Milner’s effort was even more remarkable since he has been recovering from a broken collarbone sustained six weeks prior to Hattah, as well as tendonitis, limiting his seat time in the lead-up to what is recognised as one of the most gruelling races in the sport.
Daniel Milner – P1
“It’s such a good feeling to win Hattah after breaking my collarbone six weeks ago and undergoing surgery before I then had tendon problems in the opposite arm once I was back on the bike. I’d only had four days on the bike and one day of testing, so to bring it home is an unbelievable feeling and the KTM 500 EXC-F is such a weapon to ride! Things went our way in the race and we didn’t miss a beat – the bike was very similar to how I rode it last year in terms of set-up. It really was a matter of making sure we could get through the race and it became a case of survival, so I was being as consistent as possible. The decision to cut the race short was the right one in those conditions and I’m really happy to get another outright win here, that’s for sure.”
Daniel Milner – Image by John Pearson Media
Snodgrass also put forward a phenomenal ride on the KTM 450 EXC-F to not only claim an outright podium, but also comfortably score the 251cc-450cc 4-Stroke class win over eight minutes clear of his closest rival.
Lyndon Snodgrass – P2
“Today was a crazy one with all that rain coming down, making it a really tough mud race in the desert, so to finish second outright and first in class was definitely awesome. The Prologue was important and we did well in that, so today I tried to have the cleanest race possible all the way through to the end – it was a matter of survival in those conditions by the time we got to the last lap and especially towards the end. The KTM 450 EXC-F was faultless all weekend and we managed to get one position better than last year, so I’m rapt with that result.”
Lyndon Snodgrass – Image by John Pearson Media
KTM riders filled four of the top five positions outright, including Lachlan Terry in fourth and Davey Motorsports KTM’s Mason Semmens in fifth. Semmens won the Under 19s division, while KTM-mounted Jess Moore was also victorious in the Ladies Tenacious Women of Hattah category.
Claiming second in his class and an very impressive third outright was Josh Green, who on board the WR450F contested the 251 to 450cc 4 stroke class and was in good form all weekend. Despite a heavy fall on lap two, Green soldiered on for a top result in his typical style.
Josh Green
“This race is always one of the toughest of the year in dry conditions so when you add a heap of rain, it just becomes even tougher,” Green begins. “My first lap was pretty good but then on lap two, with the track getting hammered by the rain, I went over the ‘bars as I tried to plough through a deep, boggy spot. I have done some damage to my wrist and I will need to get hat checked out this week as its really sore now but while I was still warm and had some grip strength, I kept on going. If it had gone the full distance, I’m not sure if the wrist would have held up but I was fortunate to get to the finish line with a good result. Thanks to the team again. They earned their money from this event.”
Josh Green – Image by John Pearson Media
The Motul Pirelli Sherco duo of Andy Wilksch and Nathan Trigg also began the Hattah Desert Race weekend in good form. Trigg posting the sixth fastest qualifying time and Wilksch just missing out on the top ten in eleventh. When the main race began and the heavens opened up, both riders put their 500 SEF Factory models to task while mayhem spread through the field.
At the completion of the fourth lap, Wilksch had powered his way to sixth with Trigg close behind in seventh. It was a solid performance by both riders in incredibly wild conditions.
Andy Wilksch – P6
“Our weekend came together pretty good in the end. The race was short and sharp in comparison to what we prepared for and the 500 Factory definitely played a part in our success. The extra power made it easy and our bikes didn’t wear out. Reliability was key in those conditions. Our bikes are strong and reliable and with the track deteriorating so rapidly each lap, the power of the 500 let me make passes down the straights. The bikes just ate the conditions with ease. I’ve never been able to crack the top ten at Hattah before so to get sixth feels like a bonus.”
Andy Wilksch – Image by John Pearson Media
Nathan Trigg was relishing the challenge and despite suffering a crash while avoiding a lapped rider, Trigg thoroughly enjoyed the experience of a wet Hattah, and took seventh overall.
Nathan Trigg – P7
“I had a couple of stacks in the rain, but somehow I was having fun. It was actually the most fun I’ve had at Hattah. I was hoping to qualify a bit higher up the order for a better starting position, but I still got going okay. The bike was awesome and really strong. It was just unreal, and I had a ball riding it. I didn’t even know what position I was in towards the end, but I rode the best I could and was happy to get a good result.”
Nathan Trigg – Image by John Pearson Media
Jack Simpson was able to take third in the 450cc 4-stroke class, after qualifying seventh outright, while a scary crash in lap one cost him dearly as he lost precious time on the leaders.
Jack Simpson – P8
“I lost it on the first lap. I had one of the biggest crashes in my life, several riders commented on it after the race, one saying it was the biggest crash he had ever seen. I am lucky to have gotten away with only bumps and bruises and I am fortunate that the bike was still rideable. The crash rattled me but once I got going I was riding on adrenalin. The hardest part was racing in the conditions. The track was flooded in some areas, people were creating new lines, and some parts of the track became 50 meters wide. It ended up being a battle of survival.”
Jack Simpson
Michael Driscoll took the win in the up to 250cc 4 stroke class on his WR250F and regardless of the conditions, was well in control of his division after a common sense start saw him soon gain the lead and never let it go, in a strong performance for the 19 year old off road gun, with 13th in the outright result as well.
Michael Driscoll – P13
“I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry after all that. I was so looking forward to this race and I know how much work everyone on the team put in for it, so it was such a shame to have these conditions to race in. The bikes are destroyed and it was sketchy getting around out there as the rain, the mud, the bog holes as well as fallen or stranded riders meant it was like riding through a mine field. It was good to get the class win and tick off another goal for the season but I feel for the guys having to clean all this mess up and get our team bikes back into good condition again. Thank you to them and all our team sponsors for a huge effort that will still be going long after this weekend is over.”
Defending Hattah Desert Race champion Daniel Sanders and the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team had a rough weekend, in contention for victory until encountering difficulties in the closing stages. Sanders had immediately established himself at the front of the field on race-day Sunday, which was greeted with torrential rain-soaked, muddy conditions.
It appeared Sanders was on his way to the win until the prevalent water caused a suspected problem with the electrics, forcing him to stop and rectify the issue with timely assistance from his Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team crew. He went on to claim 14th position outright despite losing 20 minutes and seventh in the Over 450cc 4-Stroke category.
Daniel Sanders – P14
“It’s very disappointing because the team and I put a lot of effort into this one event each year. Obviously the weather today played a part and we started strongly, but unfortunately, the issue meant we gave away the win because I felt as though the race was mine at that point. The track was full of puddles because of the rain falling and we were hitting them at high-speed, so that could have led to the problem. We ended up getting going again and I brought it home to the finish, but it wasn’t to be today.”
Daniel Sanders – Image by John Pearson Media
Penrite Honda Racing’s 250cc rider Mark Grove pushed as hard as he could in the challenging conditions to take second in his class.
Mark Grove – P19
“It was harder to see than explainable, racing the 250cc in these conditions was twice as tough as it be if it was dry, the bigger bikes were creating roost that would fill your goggles in, people were crashing and it was even hard to see fallen riders. I understand why they cut it short. It was the toughest Hattah I have ever done.” Grove commented.
Mark Grove
Emma Milesevic, a Honda Genuine Ride Red rider also excelled on her way to second in the women’s class and 37th outright. This year marked the first time women had finished inside the top 40 outright and the team were very pleased with her commitment to the race.
Emma Milesevic
Honda’s Junior Factory Rider Madi Healey, of team BCP Pro Circuit Honda took first place in the Junior girls class on the CRF250R, and convincingly so, winning by over 20 minutes. This was Healey’s hat trick event at Hattah, having won the last three years in a row.
Madi Healey
The second of the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team entries, Fraser Higlett, encountered difficulties of his own in qualifying and started from 38th, but quickly sliced his way to sixth in the opening laps before the treacherous conditions ultimately ended his day on lap three of the four run.
Fraser Higlett – DNF
“Today was a rough one for me in the end, but I did my best toward the start of the race and we were looking good for a number of laps. I charged through the field in the tough conditions all the way up to sixth, so that was positive and I was feeling good in the mud. To start out of 38th definitely made things harder than they could have been and I’m disappointed with how the race finished for me, but we will be back and I will see what I can do next year.”
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2019 Hattah Desert Race Outright Top 20
Daniel MILNER 2:14:22.051
Lyndon SNODGRASS 2:17:43.210
Joshua GREEN 2:26:02.086
Lachlan TERRY 2:26:03.909
Mason SEMMENS 2:26:17.291
Andrew WILKSCH 2:27:16.808
Nathan TRIGG 2:28:35.600
Jack SIMPSON 2:31:21.448
Jeremy CARPENTIER 2:31:52.831
Alex BOLTON 2:31:55.139
Stefan GRANQUIST 2:32:52.585
Sam DAVIE 2:33:07.569
Michael DRISCOLL 2:33:40.942
Daniel SANDERS 2:34:34.965
William PRICE 2:35:27.517
Lee STEPHENS 2:35:27.958
Geoff BRAICO 2:37:40.882
Broc GRABHAM 2:38:30.951
Mark GROVE 2:38:40.017
Jesse LAWTON 2:39:37.173
Senior Race
Daniel MILNER 2:14:22.051
Lyndon SNODGRASS +3:21.159
Joshua GREEN +11:40.035
Up-to 250cc 4stroke
Michael DRISCOLL 2:33:40.942
Mark GROVE 2:38:40.017
Hunter SEMMENS 2:39:37.576
Up-to 250cc 2stroke
Danielle FOOT 3:00:07.677
Jacob EUSTACE 3:00:23.466
Nathan HOWE 2:14:53.708
251cc & over 2stroke
Sam HANDLEY 2:15:51.541
Michael COLLINS 2:42:29.845
Trent PUDDY 2:45:31.076
251-450cc 4Stroke
Lyndon SNODGRASS 2:17:43.210
Joshua GREEN 2:26:02.086
Jack SIMPSON 2:31:21.448
Ladies Tenacious Women of Hattah
Jessica MOORE 2:46:54.604
Emma MILESEVIC 2:49:28.301
Jessica GARDINER 3:06:28.552
Under 19s
Mason SEMMENS 2:26:17.291
William PRICE 2:35:27.517
Korey MCMAHON 2:41:00.258
Veterans 35-44yrs
Lee STEPHENS 2:35:27.958
David JONGEBLOED 2:53:43.870
Steven POWELL 2:14:47.039
Masters 45yrs & over
Kevin ARCHER 2:58:42.708
Peter TAYLOR 2:16:24.770
Lou STYLIANOU 2:18:12.841
Juniors – Small Wheel
Angus RIORDAN 1:56:50.679
Samuel PRETSCHERER +1:26.648
Blake HOLLIS +3:45.381
Juniors – Big Wheels
Angus RIORDAN 1:56:50.679
Samuel PRETSCHERER +1:26.648
Blake HOLLIS +3:45.381
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Eli Tomac & Dylan Ferrandis top RedBud National
The American motocross Independence Day tradition brought the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship to the seventh round of the 2019 season, with Michigan’s RedBud MX celebrating the 4th of July by kicking off the second half of the racing series with the RedBud National.
The storied track produced heated competition across both classes, with Eli Tomac and Dylan Ferrandis claiming victory. Aussie Hunter Lawrence also went 8-4 for fifth overall.
RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Tomac’s third win of the season further strengthened his hold on the championship lead in the 450 Class. One year after he endured a misfortune-plagued afternoon at RedBud, the reigning champ returned in search of redemption and successfully grabbed his second victory in three years at the track. He’s now more than 30-points clear of Marvin Musquin in the standings.
Eli Tomac
“Overall, it was a really good day for us, I had been feeling good all day. It has been a little bit rough the last couple of weeks, but the first moto was a really good way to start the day and get things turned back around. I think that I had some better lines in the first moto, but I was able to move up and get the job done in the second moto.”
Eli Tomac – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (1-2)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (2-4)
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (7-1)
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (3-5)
Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (6-3)
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM (4-6)
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM (5-9)
Benny, Bloss, Oak Grove, MO., KTM (9-8)
Dean Wilson, United Kingdom, Husqvarna (12-7)
Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Suzuki (8-13)
450 Podium 1) Eli Tomac, 2) Jason Anderson, 3) Marvin Musquin – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
450 Class Championship Standings
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 304
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 270
Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 264
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna – 252
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM – 238
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 227
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 170
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 159
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM – 150
Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha – 136
Ferrandis had been knocking on the door of his first win of the 250 Class season for several weeks, and he finally broke through with a dominant outing at RedBud.
Dylan Ferrandis – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
The Frenchman put forth the first 1-1 outing of the season in the division, which resulted in the third victory of his career. It marked the fifth RedBud victory for Star Yamaha in the past six seasons, and the win also moved Ferrandis into second in the 250 Class standings.
Dylan Ferrandis
Finishing the day with two moto wins and the overall, honestly I couldn’t have expected a better weekend. My bike was really good, and I felt very comfortable on it today. We improved a lot on it with the team, and I want to thank them all for the hard work they put in every day for me to get the best bike possible. Getting ready for the outdoors is tough after a long Supercross season, so it took me time but finally we are where we want. Now we’re going take some rest before getting back to work and get ready for Millville in two weeks.”
Dylan Ferrandis – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (1-1)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (5-2)
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (3-6)
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (2-8)
Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda (8-4)
Ty Masterpool, Paradise, Texas, Yamaha (4-11)
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha (11-5)
Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna (10-7)
Brandon Hartranft, Brick, N.J., Yamaha (6-12)
Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, KTM (9-10)
250 Podium 1) Dylan Ferrandis 2) Adam Cianciarulo, 3) Justin Cooper – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
250 Class Championship Standings
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 307
Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha – 282
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 281
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha – 204
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 200
Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 193
Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna – 173
Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 167
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki – 165
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 129
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will take a weekend break before resuming on Saturday, July 20, from Spring Creek Raceway.
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Tim Gajser & Jorge Prado win MXGP of Indonesia
MXGP rolled into Palembang for the first of two back-to-back rounds in Indonesia, with Tim Gajser claiming the overall win despite tough competition from Romain Febvre, with consistency proving key, and Gajser now sitting on 488 points, with Antonio Cairoli in second place in the standings on 358 but continuing to recover from injury, prematurely ending his title fight.
Race 1 saw Tim Gajser take a clear win from Max Anstie and Jeremy Seewer, while Romain Febvre missed the podium in fourth.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Romain Febvre made his come-back in Race 2 with Tim Gajser taking runner up position, just 3.2-seconds back, with Glenn Coldenhoff taking the final podium position. Jeremy Seewer was just off the podium in fourth and currently sits third in the standings.
Tim Gajser
“I am really happy on how the GP went today, because after yesterday I knew it would bed hard to do two good races. The first race I could extend the lead and the second I had an amazing jump out of the gate and I was leading then I made a mistake and Roman and Jeremy passed me, but I managed to pass Jeremy but I didn’t even push for Roman as he was too far ahead. Eventually I felt really comfortable and I want to say a huge thanks to the team.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Romain Febvre
“It has been too long since I won a race. I knew I had the speed since many GPs but I couldn’t make the start. I was frustrated. I had a good start in the second race, I was third, took the lead and made a gap and it was much easier than the first race. Now I am really looking for an overall win.”
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Jeremy Seewer
“It was a tough race even if my starts were great. This is one of the toughest races of the year for me but I’m happy on how the GP went. Now I just want to relax a bit before the next week in Semarang but it’s good that I could take some breathe on the championship chase. My season didn’t start really well but now that I’m having consistent results I just wish to keep going.”
Romain Febvre & Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
MXGP – GP Classification Top 10
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 47 points
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 43
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 38
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 37
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 36
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 30
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 27
Brian Bogers (NED, HON), 22
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 22
Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 21 …15. Lewis Stewart (AUS, KTM) 13 …16. Adam Coles (AUS, Husqvarna) 11
MXGP – World Championship Classification Top 10
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 488 points
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 358
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 327
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 318
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 304
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 271
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 256
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 246
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 245
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 227
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In MX2 Jorge Prado added another win to his tally, however it wasn’t a clean sweep, with Thomas Kjer Olsen taking the Race 2 win, leaving Prado with 47-points to extend his championship lead, while Tom Vialle was second overall thanks to going 2-2, with Kjer Olsen third overall thanks to a 6-1 result.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Race 1 went to Jorge Prado, with a clear win from Tom Vialle, while Maxime Renaux completed the podium. Aussie Jed Beaton came home in fifth.
In Race 2 Thomas Kjer Olsen took the win from Jorge Prado, with a consistent Tom Vialle third. Jed Beaton likewise remained consistent with another fifth place finish, claiming the same position and 32 championship points for the round.
Jorge Prado
“I was feeling good all weekend, the first race after the crash was quite difficult, but I could make it. I messed up the second race a bit, but I got to second and another GP victory. At the second race I had a good start, got into first, but my teammate was pushing and passed, and I got him at the end. The lap times were short and I struggled a bit. I am just happy with the win for the moment and I’m looking forward for next week.”
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Tom Vialle
“I am really happy to have another fantastic weekend, it was very hot and the last five minutes of the second race were very hard, but I am very happy with this podium.”
Tom Vialle – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“The first race was a struggle and I didn’t feel like myself and I was just trying to keep with my team-mate Jed who was riding good. The second race I think everyone was tired, but I really wanted that win and I made it, keeping my energies until the very end.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Jed Beaton
“It’s been another good GP for me. I felt like Germany was a really good step in the right direction, and that I was finally managing to put things behind me and deliver the pace I know I can. I kind of kept that momentum going here with two more strong results. It was a tough GP, we all knew the heat wasn’t going to be too much fun, but both races went well for me. I’m pleased things are moving in a good direction now, hopefully next weekend will be another positive weekend, too.”
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
MX2 – GP Classification Top 10
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 47 points
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 42
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 40
Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 34
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 32
Brent Van doninck (BEL, HON), 28
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 26
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 24
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 24
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 21
MX2 – World Championship Classification
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 494 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 443
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 334
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 326
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 307
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 246
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 228
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 224
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 209
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 192
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Sunderland wins Silk Way Rally Round 2
Sam Sunderland has taken the win at Stage 2 of the Silk Way Rally in Russia, with 413.63 kilometres covered on similar mixed terrain to the opening stage. A 212km timed special offered an additional challenge, including fast hazardous stony tracks.
Kevin Benavides retains the Rally lead, despite Sam Sunderland taking the Stage 2 win
Sunderland had completed Stage 1 in fifth and had his work cut out for him, in moving towards the series lead, which is still retained by Kevin Benavides, with eight seconds separating the two.
Kevin Benavides was lumped with opening the track for Stage 2 following his Stage 1 win, which he did from start to finish over 212 kilometres of special stage, full of narrow potholed track studded with rocks.
Sam Sunderland
“I’m happy to get stage two finished safely. The day started on similar terrain to yesterday on the forest tracks with lots of trees, vegetation and water splashes. It was extremely important to take note of every single kilometre on your road book and the dangers listed there. It was really important to concentrate on your notes and take in which danger was which. It was hard to get a reference today as there was no refuel, so I wasn’t sure how my pace was all day. It’s always great to win a stage but it wasn’t our strategy for today so we’ll move on an see how the remaining eight days go for us.”
Sam Sunderland – Image by Rally Zone
Kevin Benavides
“I opened the whole stage. We knew it would be hard and very technical with many stones and mud. The narrow tracks were difficult, but I enjoyed it in spite of it being very hard. I think I did it well and I was in a good position. It was technical, fast and with navigation over the final 50 kilometres. I nearly crashed into an animal but luckily he dodged out of my way! You have to be very attentive to everything. The rally is a game of chess, so let’s see how it turns out. I am happy with the result.”
Kevin Benavides
Joan Barreda managed to make it through the tricky stage despite struggling to get the right feel and finished 2’40 adrift of the winner on the day and occupies fifth position in the general standings at a similar distance from the leader.
Joan Barreda
“I felt very good on the slopes today with lots of mud and some potholes with big rocks. I could not find the right feelings and I was looking forward to getting past this section. Then there was a faster part and I felt a lot better there. We finished the day without any problems; I am well placed at a minimum time behind the leader. Everything is going well. I hope that in Mongolia we will find more open stages and I can find places that suit my riding style better.”
Joan Barreda
Stage 1 runner-up Luciano Benavides was second away for Stage 2 and the young Argentinian chose to back off slightly to ensure a safe result in the special. Luciano crossed the line in seventh place, close to three minutes down on Sunderland, and now lies fourth in the overall standings.
Luciano Benavides
“Overall, it was a good day for me. I was able to keep to a solid pace and really enjoyed the first half of the stage. Towards the end I lost my focus a little, the tracks were really fast with some tricky sections and I lost a little time there. After such a challenging stage I’m happy to reach the finish and now look forward to what tomorrow brings.”
Luciano Benavides – Image by Rally ZoneWeekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Emil Sayfutdinov claims first SGP win for six years in Sweden
Russian racer Emil Sayfutdinov has celebrated his first FIM Speedway Grand Prix win for six years in Hallstavik, Sweden. Sayfutdinov had not celebrated an SGP success since topping the podium at the 2013 British SGP in Cardiff in a year which saw him mount a title charge, before his hopes were dashed by injury.
Speedway GP of Sweden 2019
The Salavat-born star heads to the Speedway of Nations finals in Russian on July 20 and 21 as World Championship leader after winning the Norrbil Swedish SGP final ahead of Martin Vaculik, Maciej Janowski and first-time finalist Max Fricke.
After a three-year absence from the series, Sayfutdinov has been battling to get back on top of the SGP rostrum since 2017. But despite achieving that aim in Hallstavik, he’s not going to celebrate this success for long with six riders separated by five points at the top of the standings.
Emil Sayfutdinov
“It feels amazing. I have been working for that for a long time – six years. When I came back to the SGP series in 2017, it was hard for me. I had my goal and a plan, but it didn’t work. Today everything worked very well and my team is also working very well, so I say thank you to them. I’ll just keep going and looking forward. I scored some good points and now I am leader with Dudek and Madsen. I am really happy about that. But to be honest, I have now forgotten about today. I am just concentrating and I know we have a lot more rounds and heats to come. We need to keep scoring the points and it will be good.”
Speedway GP of Sweden 2019
Slovak star Vaculik is firmly in the title hunt as he holds fifth place on 44 points – level with Bartosz Zmarzlik in fourth. While he was unable to take victory in Hallstavik, he was glad to pile up the points.
Third-placed Maciej Janowski – last year’s Hallstavik winner – was delighted to get back on to the SGP podium after a tough start to the season, hampered by the shoulder ligament injury which kept him out of the opening round in Warsaw.
Max Fricke took fourth in Sweden to claim 11-points, while Jason Doyle was 11th, with Doyle currently sitting eighth in the standings, and Fricke 12th.
Speedway GP of Sweden Podium – 1) Sayfutdinov, 2) Vaculik, 3) Janowski
SGP World Championship Standings
Emil Sayfutdinov 47
Patryk Dudek 47
Leon Madsen 47
Bartosz Zmarzlik 44
Martin Vaculik 44
Fredrik Lindgren 42
Niels-Kristian Iversen 32
Jason Doyle 30
Janusz Kolodziej 29
Artem Laguta 27
Matej Zagar 27
Max Fricke 27
Maciej Janowski 24
Robert Lambert 24
Antonio Lindback 23
Tai Woffinden 15
Bartosz Smektala 10
Oliver Berntzon 7
Vaclav Milik 4
Matic Ivacic 2
Norrbil Swedish SGP Scores
Emil Sayfutdinov 17
Martin Vaculik 16
Maciej Janowski 13
Max Fricke 11
Matej Zagar 10
Fredrik Lindgren 10
Bartosz Zmarzlik 8
Niels-Kristian Iversen 8
Leon Madsen 7
Oliver Berntzon 7
Jason Doyle 7
Patryk Dudek 7
Antonio Lindback 6
Artem Laguta 5
Janusz Kolodziej 3
Robert Lambert 3
Pontus Aspgren DNR
Kim Nilsson DNR
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2019 Speedway of Nations Finals teams announced
The FIM Speedway of Nations Finals teams have been confirmed as defending champions Russia name an unchanged team for their title defence in Togliatti on July 20 and 21. With this year’s hosts making history when they won the inaugural SON Finals in Wroclaw last June – Russia’s first senior speedway World Championship of any kind.
Individual World Championship leader Emil Sayfutdinov, Artem Laguta and joint FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship front-runner Gleb Chugunov will bid to win back-to-back titles in front of a passionate home crowd in the biggest shale meeting ever staged in Russia.
2019 Speedway of Nations Finals teams announced
They face stiff competition from Poland, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, Australia and Denmark, who all make the trip east in search of gold.
Poland welcome back Maciej Janowski, who was forced out of Race Off 1 in Landshut on May 4 after suffering shoulder ligament damage in a crash 24 hours before the German showdown. He takes Patryk Dudek’s place in the side, partnering world No.2 Bartosz Zmarzlik, with former World Under-21 champion Maksym Drabik named as their junior ahead of Bartosz Smektala.
Sweden name an unchanged team following their Race Off 1 triumph, with world No.3 Fredrik Lindgren partnering the in-form Peter Ljung and Filip Hjelmland named as their under-21.
Great Britain have been forced into a change since their Race Off 2 win in Manchester on May 11 after world champion and captain Tai Woffinden was sidelined with a fractured TH4 vertebra and a broken shoulder blade.
Former FIM Speedway Grand Prix regular Chris Harris steps in for Woffy, joining stand-in skipper Craig Cook and under-21 man Robert Lambert in a side bidding to build on the silver medal they clinched in Wroclaw.
Australia have drafted in Jason Doyle for the trip to Togliatti. He returns in place of Chris Holder after sitting out Race Off 2 due to injury. Hot on the heels of reaching his first ever SGP final in Hallstavik on Saturday, Max Fricke partners Doyle with national under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey named as their junior.
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Danish boss Hans Nielsen tracks the same three stars who battled their way through Race Off 2 as World Championship frontrunner Leon Madsen links up with seven-time national champion Niels-Kristian Iversen. Frederik Jakobsen is their under-21 rider.
Germany complete the Finals field with Erik Riss replacing Martin Smolinski in the side, with Kai Huckenbeck serving as captain. Lukas Fienhage is selected ahead of Michael Hartel as their under-21 man.
The seven sides will compete over 42 heats – 21 heats on Saturday and 21 on Sunday, with the top scorers progressing automatically into the Grand Final. The second and third-placed countries will then compete in the semi-final for the right to race the leaders for the world title.
Should the semi-final end as a 3-3, the team that scored the most points over 42 heats will progress to the Grand Final. And if the Grand Final ends all square, a run-off featuring one rider from each team will decide the world title.
Speedway of Nations 2019 Preview
2019 Speedway of Nations Final Team Line-Up
RUSSIA: 1 Emil Sayfutdinov (captain), 2 Artem Laguta, 3 Gleb Chugunov (U21). Also in squad: Grigory Laguta, Roman Lakhbaum (U21). Team Manager: Igor Dmitriev.
SWEDEN: 1 Fredrik Lindgren (captain), 2 Peter Ljung, 3 Filip Hjelmland (U21). Also in squad: Antonio Lindback, Alexander Woentin (U21). Team Manager: Morgan Andersson.
POLAND: 1 Maciej Janowski (captain), 2 Bartosz Zmarzlik, 3 Maksym Drabik (U21). Also in squad: Patryk Dudek, Bartosz Smektala (U21). Team Manager: Marek Cieslak.
GERMANY: 1 Erik Riss, 2 Kai Huckenbeck (captain), 3 Lukas Fienhage (U21). Also in squad: Martin Smolinski, Michael Hartel. Team Manager: Herbert Rudolph.
GREAT BRITAIN: 1 Craig Cook (captain), 2 Chris Harris, 3 Robert Lambert (U21). Also in squad: Tai Woffinden, Dan Bewley (U21). Team Manager: Alun Rossiter.
AUSTRALIA: 1 Jason Doyle (captain), 2 Max Fricke, 3 Jaimon Lidsey (U21). Also in squad: Chris Holder, Jordan Stewart (U21). Team Manager: Mark Lemon.
DENMARK: 1 Leon Madsen, 2 Niels-Kristian Iversen (captain), 3 Frederik Jakobsen (U21). Also in squad: Michael Jepsen Jensen, Patrick Hansen. Team Manager: Hans Nielsen.
Speedway of Nations Final Day 1 Draw
A: Germany
B: Denmark
C: Australia
D: Poland
E: Russia
F: Sweden
G: Great Britain
Speedway of Nations Final Day 2 Draw
A: Germany
B: Australia
C: Sweden
D: Poland
E: Russia
F: Great Britain
G: Denmark
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Rockhampton to host 2020 KTM AJMX
With the 2019 running of the KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship (AJMX) to be held in Gillman, South Australia, Motorcycling Australia have now also announced the 2020 location, with Rockhampton, Queensland locked in for July 6-11, 2020.
AJMX 2018 – Penguin, Tasmania
The KTM AJMX attracts competitors from all across Australia, as well as international hopefuls seeking to make their mark in Australia’s highly competitive MX scene.
Peter Dark – Rockhampton and District MX Club President
“It is a complete honour, and a reward for the effort our members have given to the sport for many years. The event will bring approximately 500 of Australia’s best junior racers from across every state in Australia, including a few international racers.”
Motorcycling Queensland General Manager Kim Rowcliffe said that the Rockhampton District Motocross Club was chosen to host the 2020 Australian Junior Motocross Championships due to its very strong credentials in delivering well run, well promoted, and successful motorcycle events.
Dean Wilson confirmed to join AUS-X Open Melbourne
AUS-X Open promoters have confirmed Dean ‘Deano’ Wilson will be back for his third consecutive year to compete at this year’s Monster Energy AUS-X Open at Marvel Stadium on November 30. The Scottish Thunder will return Down Under after fan outcry to bring the world Number #6 back to Australia left event organisers in a spin.
Dean Wilson – Image by Hoppenworld
The 27 year old raced to a career-best sixth overall during this year’s Monster Energy FIM World Supercross Championship as well as a third-place finish at the Houston round, but after an injury forced him out of the last two rounds, Wilson says he’ll be back for redemption in November and hopes to finish the year off with a bang.
Dean Wilson
“I’m super excited to be returning to the AUS-X Open again this year, my 2019 season was up and down, but I’ll be pushing hard for it in Melbourne, I’ll be definitely out there to get my redemption and come out on top. Obviously I’ve had some amazing results the past two years at AUS-X winning the Saturday night in 2017, and coming in second last year, I feel like I have what it takes third time around Down Under. Australia is such a sick place to visit and this time to be in Melbourne for the first time, I think it will make for the best year of AUS-X yet, the line-up is stacked and I can’t wait to take on the world’s best.”
Dean Wilson – Image by Hoppenworld
Wilson will head to Melbourne for the first time ever, and go up against what is shaping up to be the best International Supercross line-up Australia has ever seen, consisting of two-time World Champion Chad Reed and 2018 World Champion Jason Anderson, world number 10 Justin Brayton, world number eight Joey Savatgy and many more local and international stars. Check out the video below to see Dean receiving his invitation.
MXGP has returned for two back-to-back rounds, the first of which was the MXGP of Indonesia in Palembang, where it was Tim Gajser once again dominating the big bikes, with Jorge Prado likewise taking another round win, as the two continued to dominate, and in the very tough heat of Indonesia both red plate holders also built on their series points leads.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Around the very unique circuit in Palembang, both Gajser and Prado didn’t have it all their own way, both losing a race, Gajser going 1-2 and Prado also 1-2, however the final tally saw the pair do enough to claim the red plates into Semarang, also in Indonesia next weekend with a confident feeling.
Aussie Jed Beaton also had a strong weekend going 5-5 in MX2 for fifth overall for the round and tenth overall, while in MXGP Lewis Stewart went 15-14 and Adam Coles went 16-15 to claim 15th and 16th overall for the round, respectively. Mitch Evans crashed in MX2 Race 1 and sat out the remainder of the weekend.
Jed Beaton was the top Aussie performer at the MXGP of Indonesia
MXGP
On a regular basis Tim Gajser led into the first lap of the opening MXGP race taking the FOX Holeshot, followed by Jeremy Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff. Also, up front were Max Anstie, Romain Febvre, Arnaud Tonus and Gautier Paulin while Arminas Jasikonis crashed and dropped back to 15th place. Anstie moved past Coldenhoff for third, and Jasikonis was able to get back into 13th.
Tim Gajser & Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Running a little harder Gajser moved to more than five seconds away from Seewer and Anstie started to put pressure on the second placed man. Febvre closed in to Coldenhoff while Anstie was on Seewer but as the French was frustrated as he made a mistake, Anstie passes Seewer for second but he was seven seconds behind Gajser, who seemingly was cruising up front and around the same time Jasikonis was all over Bogersfor 11th.
Five laps to go Febvre was charging in Coldenhoff for a long while managed to go through. Light rain began as the race continued. Gajser though wasn’t having any problems up front, and everyone held their positions. Gajser was victorious at race 1 in Palembang, winning it from Anstie and Seewer.
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
At the start of the second MXGP race it was again Gajser in the early lead taking his fifth FOX Holeshot of the season, followed by Anstie, who crashed in the first lap and dropped back to 10th place. Tonus was also in trouble as he trailed near last and then couldn’t get his bike going again.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Seewer was second, then Febvre, Paulin, Coldenhoff, Bogers and Jonass. Monticelli also crashed and went back in 19th place. After two laps the lead by Gajser was nearly three seconds and Febvre had moved past Seewer and was running hard to catch the leader.
On lap 3 Gajser made a mistake and Febvre and Seewer both went past and dropped the Honda man to third place, but the red plate owner was quickly back past Seewer, although Febvre held a six second lead after eight laps.
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Coldenhoff passed Paulin and Seewer at the last laps to finish Race 2 in third place, and Anstie was onto Paulin to fight for fifth position while Febvre was miles ahead of Gajser. That left Febvre wining his first race of the season and the first after the 2017 MXGP of Sweden, ahead of Gajser and Coldenhoff.
Glenn Coldenhoff – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Tim Gajser took the overall win with his 1-2 results while Romain Febvre took second and his teammate Jeremy Seewer rounded up the podium.
MXGP saw Tim Gajser take the overall win from Febvre and Seewer
Tim Gajser 1-2
“All day I really enjoyed riding the track. In the first moto I grabbed the holeshot and made a little gap and controlled the race. I had a lot of fun out there and managed to win the first moto. In the second race I didn’t have the best jump out of the gate so I got closed off on the straight, but as they ran wide, I was able to cut inside and take another holeshot. On the fourth lap and went off the track, and my rear tyre spun on the dusty ground and I had a little crash. I re-joined the race in third place, but managed to pass Jeremy immediately. I saw that Romain was riding a really good pace out front so I decided to settle for second place and to win another overall. Obviously I’m still happy with how the day went and my standing in the championship.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Romain Febvre 4-1
“It’s been too long since I last won a race. It’s been hard and I have wondered what I am doing, but finally it’s in and I have done it, but still I am second overall, and I would like to win the Grand Prix. It’s always nice to win races, but I want to stand on the top step of the podium. It feels like it has been so close this season, but I miss it by just a little bit. I hope that it is coming, and I look forward to going to Semarang next weekend because I like the track there, it is fast and nice to ride, so I hope for good weather, good starts and then it will be good.”
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Jeremy Seewer 3-4
“I’ve been really consistent this season and this is what I have wanted to do. I have shown at the last GP’s that I am a threat to the podium, just some small mistakes cost me coming into here. I have had many good races this year and I feel good on the bike. I am really happy with my consistency even though I didn’t start the season the way I wanted to. I am happy I got on the podium here in such tough conditions, I managed to post two good results with two good starts. I know that there are places that I can improve, and I will work on these, but for now I am happy that I am here and I am happy with the way things are going.”
Romain Febvre & Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Gautier Paulin 7-5
“The weekend started well. The track was cool and really tacky, I managed to post the fastest time. In the first race I didn’t get the best start and we are all really close in speed on the track, so it was difficult to pass. At one point the guys got away and I secured seventh. The second race was challenging because I had a small issue on the sighting lap, so I started a little bit stressed out. I got a normal start, I was third around the corner and I finished fifth although I had a small issue with the front brake, but no excuse, I felt good on the bike so I am really looking forward to the next round. We will keep our head up and continue to push. I really want to thank the Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP team for all of their hard work and support.”
Pauls Jonass 7-8
“I made a mistake in the qualification race on Saturday and crashed heavily on my shoulder, which made the whole weekend difficult for me. It’s really frustrating as I felt good on the track. I guess I was lucky it wasn’t a serious injury, but I banged my shoulder hard and that made it tough today – I didn’t have the power I needed for the ruts, braking bumps and landings from the jumps. But I did the best I could. I got a decent start in the first race then went a little wide in the second turn. After that I couldn’t push like I wanted to because of my shoulder. I made a few passes but eighth wasn’t what I wanted. Race two was similar – I couldn’t go any faster. It was a little bit of surviving, getting the most championship points possible. I’ll rest now and go again next weekend.”
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Brian Bogers 12-8
“The day didn’t really go as I wanted, especially the first moto. The first five or six laps felt okay and I was riding with the fast guys but then the heat hit me really bad and I couldn’t push anymore. I felt pretty bad about that so I really wanted to try harder for race two. I got out of the gate really well and from the beginning I was pushing even harder than the first moto. I didn’t want to save myself because that isn’t a good mindset and it seemed to work because even when I got a little tired with the heat, I could still keep pushing. I ended up with a twelfth and an eighth for eighth overall so that’s not too bad but I still want to do better.”
Brian Bogers – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Tony Cairoli – Injury Update
“It is sad to finish the championship this way and it hasn’t happened too many times in my career. When I tried to ride last week I knew I had some problems but I wanted to stay positive about the recovery. I had more scans in Belgium and the injury was much worse that we thought so they told me to have surgery right away and it was the best solution to get healthy again in the fastest way. Thanks to the team and to the fans for the support. I hope to visit a few races before the end of the season and will now concentrate on getting better.”
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 of Germany 2019 – Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo
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.
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.”
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.”
Arnaud Tonus & Gautier Paulin – MXGP of Germany 2019
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
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.
MXGP of Germany 2019 – Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo
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.”
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Germany 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
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.”
Tom Vialle – MXGP of Germany 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
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.”
Mathys Boisrame – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.
A crash ended Mitch Evans’ weekend – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.”
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Germany 2019 – Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo
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
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.
Roan Van de Moosdijk – MXGP of Germany 2019
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
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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.
Kailub Russell – Image by Ken Hill
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
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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.
Todd Waters being chased by Kirk Gibbs and Hayden Mellross
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.
Todd Waters
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.”
“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!”
Jesse Dobson
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
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.
Wilson Todd
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.”
Gympie MX2 Round Points
Jay Wilson 61
Wilson Todd 61
Nathan Crawford 60
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
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.
AMA Motocross Championship 2019 – Round 5 Florida
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.
Marvin Musquin
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.”
Marvin Musquin
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.”
Eli Tomac
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.”
Dean Ferris
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
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.
Justin Cooper
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.”
Justin Cooper
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.”
Adam Cianciarulo
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
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.
Danny McCanney – EnduroGP 2019
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.
Steve Holcombe – EnduroGP 2019
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.
Loic Larrieu – EnduroGP 2019
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.
Antoine Meo – EnduroGP 2019
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.
Danny McCanney – EnduroGP 2019
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.
Junior 1 – Day 1 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.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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 – EnduroGP 2019
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.”
Loic Larrieu – EnduroGP 2019
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.
Steve Holcombe – EnduroGP 2019
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!”
Danny McCanney – EnduroGP 2019
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.
Alex Salvini – EnduroGP 2019
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.”
Steve Holcombe – EnduroGP of Italy 2019
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.
Andrea Verona – EnduroGP 2019
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.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.
EnduroGP Podium – EnduroGP of Italy 2019
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 – Day 2 Podium
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 – Day 2 Podium
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 – Day 2 Podium
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 – Day 2 Podium
E3 Class – Championship Points
Steve HOLCOMBE – 191
Daniel MCCANNEY -179
Anthony GESLIN – 140
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.”
Graham Jarvis – Hixpania Hard Enduro 2019
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.”
Mario Roman – Hixpania Hard Enduro 2019
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.”
Alfredo Gomez – Hixpania Hard Enduro 2019
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
Top 3 1) Jarvis, 2) Gomez, 3) Roman – Hixpania Hard Enduro 2019
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
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.
Toni Bou
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.”
Toni Bou
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 of Netherlands 2019 Podium – 1) Toni Bou, 2) Adam Raga, 3) Jeroni Fajardo
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
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.
Tony Cairoli
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.
Jeffrey Herlings – MXGP of Latvia 2019
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.
Australian Supercross Championship
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.”
Troy Bayliss
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.
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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.”
Ricky Carmichael
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!”
Ben Townley #8
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
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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.
Max Fricke – Image by Haggis Hartman
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.
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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.
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.
A crash ended Mitch Evans’ weekend – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.
Gautier Paulin – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.
Arnaud Tonus & Romain Febvre- MXGP of Germany 2019
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.
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.
Brian Bogers – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.”
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.”
Arnaud Tonus & Gautier Paulin – MXGP of Germany 2019
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.”
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Germany 2019 – Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo
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.”
The FIM Motocross World Championship dropped into Kegums, Latvia for Round 9, where Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado put on a repeat performance of the Russian MXGP, to claim the wins in their respective classes. The result sees both red-plate holders continue to build their standings leads, and marked Prado’s 24th GP win, with Gajser bagging his 20th.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Latvia 2019
In the MXGP class, Romain Febvre took runner up, with Arnaud Tonus third. MX2 saw Jago Geert as runner up with Thomas Kjer Olsen filling the final podium spot.
In MX2 Aussie Jed Beaton went 10-13 for 10th overall earning 19 championship points, while Mitch Evans had a rough weekend going 9-22 to finish 15th for the round. Evans sits seventh in the standings as a result, while Beaton is 13th.
With a mix of sunshine and overcast skies, a large crowd and the always beautiful Kegums circuit made sure there was more than enough positives to leave the circuit satisfied with the racing and results. Unpredictable racing combined with electric crowd attendance and incredible weather was the cherry on the cake of an epic MXGP of Latvia.
MXGP
Amazingly the winner of the MXGP qualification race on Saturday, Jeffrey Herlings crashed in the warm-up lap and his injured foot was run over by Arminas Jasikonis, causing the Dutchman a lot of pain prior and during the opening MXGP race. It was later learnt that Herlings had broken his ankle, that injury obviously saw him pull out of the second MXGP race.
Jeffrey Herlings took the FOX Holeshot in the opening MXGP race but got past straight away from Antonio Cairoli. The pair of Red Bull KTM riders were followed by Arnaud Tonus, Romain Febvre and Tim Gajser who got past by Febvre at lap 2.
Jeffrey Herlings leading the MXGP Race 1 start – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Tonus moves past both Herlings and Cairoli and Herlings then also went past Cairoli for second and was looking stronger as the race moved into the second half.
Tonus had extended his lead to more than three seconds over Herlings, but then Herlings started closing ground on Tonus for the lead and it was clear the Dutchman wanted to take the win. Cairoli had also pushed harder to get away from Febvre.
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Latvia 2019
It was a brilliant battle the one Tonus and Herlings put on a show for the Latvian crowd, then he swept up the inside of Tonus and then around the outside for the race lead. Herlings won Race 1 from Tonus and Cairoli.
As the gate dropped at the second MXGP Race Jeremy Seewer led the second MXGP race from Tonus and Gajser, but then the race lost yet another rider with Cairoli crashing out hard and injured his shoulder, he could not continue the race, luckily no major issues are reported for the moment and more details on his injury conditions will be communicated shortly.
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Seewer continued to lead with Tonus and Gajser battling for second just behind and close enough to the leader, the three of them think about the race win. Gajser managed to move into second place and started to push Seewer and look for a way into the lead. It seemed just a matter of time before the HRC rider would take the lead and on lap 12 he did just that. Seewer though was not about to hand the race win to the red plate owner.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Febvre moved past Tonus and the chance for a GP victory for the time being was gone for the Swiss rider. Gajser, Seewer and Febvre were all close together in the final lap of the race, Febvre blasted past Seewer for second, but it was Gajser who won the race and the overall followed by Febvre and Tonus, all of them with 40 points
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Local hero Pauls Jonass experienced a tough Latvian GP as did his teammate Arminas Jasikonis. Jonass fell down in race 1 dropping to 28th but managing to finish 17th while Jasikonis was forced to finish the race earlier due to a technical issue.
Tim Gajser – P1
“I’m really happy because I really didn’t expect this after yesterday’s performance. I had 18th gate pick after a horrible crash and I wasn’t feeling great in that first moto today either. I couldn’t find good lines or a good rhythm so I was only able to finish sixth. In the second race I had an even better start and although it took a few laps, I passed my way into the lead with about 10 minutes remaining. I’m really happy to win another overall and a big thanks to all of the team who work so hard, because that hard work is really paying off so a big thanks to everyone. Still there are a lot of races to go so I will continue to go into each GP trying to have fun, giving my best and hoping to come out on top and remain leading this MXGP championship.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Romain Febvre – P2
“I finished on the same points as the overall winner, so I am happy but disappointed at the same time. This weekend didn’t start so well, I didn’t feel comfortable on the track yesterday, but it was much better today. I made some changes to my bike and I really want to thank my team Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP for the work they are putting in. It has not been long since my injury and I have already been on the podium twice, so I am happy with that.”
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Arnaud Tonus – P3
“I have to be happy with this weekend. It is a bit frustrating to come this close to the win, we fight hard for this so to be on the same points as the winner but miss it, it’s tough. We will keep working. It still feels great to be on the podium, so I need to thank my team and all of the people around me. I will enjoy this podium finish a lot and keep fighting for the win in the future.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Jeremy Seewer – P4
“I had an amazing weekend, probably the best this year even though I was on the podium last weekend but not this weekend. I still finished on the same points and I was able to lead a lot of laps which was really cool. I got passed on the last lap, ‘chapeau’ to my teammate Romain, he was riding really fast on the last and we were able to catch Gajser. It was a great battle and I really enjoyed this weekend podium or not. I am really looking forward to Germany, it is one of my favourite tracks, so it is going well at the moment and I want to keep moving in this direction and fighting for more podiums.”
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Gautier Paulin – P7
“I have had two big impacts at the previous two GP’s and this has affected my physical condition, so I felt this weekend was tough with my energy levels being very low. The Qualifying Race was not good for me with two crashes, but even with a bad gate-pick the team have given me a really good bike, so I managed to get decent starts, but I just didn’t feel 100% today. To take the positives away from the day today, I had two consistent races with no crashes, so I will build on this to get back to the level where I should be.”
Gautier Paulin – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Tony Cairoli – P11
“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.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Dirk Gruebel – Red Bull KTM MX2 Team Manager and Technical Co-ordinator
“The MX2 boys did outstanding today but MXGP started very weirdly with Jeffrey’s crash on the Sighting Lap. We had to straighten the bike and he then rode great and won the race: this was also outstanding. Afterwards we found out he had another small fracture in his leg and he was unfit to continue, so we had to call it a day. Tony went down hard in the second race and dislocated his shoulder so it was a hard ending to the day.”
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Gajser and Prado Win MXGP of Russia
The seaside venue of Orlyonok, Russia hosted round eight of the FIM World Motocross Championship last weekend and the drama filled weekend saw not only a heap of sensational racing but we now have a new MXGP championship leader after Tim Gajser dominating the class while Jorge Prado extended his MX2 championship points lead.
MXGP of Russia 2019
MXGP Report
The drama actually started on Saturday when championship leader Antonio Cairoli crashed during the qualifying race and landed hard on a crusty rut only to get up holding his back before retiring from the race but the plucky nine-time World Champion was on the gate for moto one on Sunday morning.
MXGP Start – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
On a fast and slick circuit Gajser not only earned his third MXGP overall in three rounds via double race wins but he now owns the MXGP Championship leader’s red plate while Arnaud Tonus took second overall with his 2-2 finishes ahead of fellow Yamaha rider Jeremy Seewer who scored his career first MXGP podium overall.
Tim Gajser
“I am feeling really good but both races were really tough because Arnaud was really fast and pushing. Overall, I am happy winning again and thanks to everybody at Honda, the bike is just amazing. Three races ago I was more than 40 points behind Tony and now I have the red plate.”
Tim Gajser celebrates the win – MXGP of Russia 2019
Arnaud Tonus
“It wasn’t easy to fight for the lead, but I was super happy that I had quite starts so I could fight from the beginning and come quite close to Tim. I went for it and really wanted to pass him but made a small a mistake, it happens. I am happy I went for it anyway and could recover to finish second which is great, I am super thankful and super happy because 3 podiums in a row is amazing.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jeremy Seewer
“It is amazing to make it on the MXGP podium, it just feels a lot harder than even any of MX2 wins. It is a lot of work and a lot of fast guys so it feels really good. It is amazing to have two Swiss guys on the podium it hasn’t happened in the history of motocross in Switzerland and to do it on two Yamahas is even better.”
Jeremy Seewer
Cairoli battled hard all day to go 13-4 for eighth outright to now be 13 points shy of Gajser as far as the championship goes while Jefferey Herlings was on hand in his first race of the year to end the day with very respectable 4-7 moto results for fourth overall.
Jeffrey Herlings
“I had a serious injury and it has been tough to get back here, mentally and physically, and with a lot of pain for a long time. I did not expect this result here today especially on this track. So to be close to the podium again feels pretty beautiful. I like the track in Latvia but I don’t have any firm expectations and I will not forget where I have come from to get to this point. Having said that we’ll always try to fight for a podium spot when we can!”
Jeffrey Herlings – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
Tony Cairoli
“A very difficult weekend and of course the crash from yesterday did not help as it meant I was totally on the outside for the gate pick. I was riding very stiff and by missing the start it is almost impossible to make a good result on this track; everybody is riding at a similar speed. We lost the red plate but the positive is that I’m not badly injured, and we saw some big crashes today. We walk away a bit banged-up but we will re-group and look to Latvia, which is a nice track, and to regain some points.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
MXGP Overall Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 44
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 36
Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 32
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 32
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 31
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 29
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 27
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 24
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 22
MXGP Championship Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 351 points
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 338
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 231
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 220
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 212
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 208
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 206
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 172
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 170
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 168
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MX2 Report
Despite a poor start Prado won the opening moto narrowly from Thomas Kjer Olsen, Jago Geerts, Tom Vialle and Mitchell Evans while Jed Beaton cake home in 12th after a poor start but in the second moto Prado earned the holeshot and took off like a cut cat to take an easy win over Kjer Olsen, Geerts. Michele Cervellin, Vialle, Ben Watson, Beaton, Henry Jacobi, Maxime Renaux and Evans.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Russia 2019
Prado now leads the championship over Kjer Olsen by a clean 20 points while Evans is 6th in the points, just two behind Vialle while Beaton sits 14th in the points despite missing two of the eight rounds due to injury.
Jorge Prado
“I felt pretty good this weekend, the track was hard but I felt good getting the Saturday Qualifying Race win and today I was in the back of the pack so I had to make my way up to the front, but I had good speed and fought all the way to the end to get the win. I am happy and looking forward to the next round.”
MX2 Podium – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“I felt good all weekend. Yesterday in the Qualifying I felt really good then we made some changes on the bike to make it feel really comfortable on the hard pack. Overall, I am happy I got to lead some laps, felt great on the bike, and everything so I am looking forward to Latvia for sure.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jago Geerts
“It was a really solid weekend for me, I was really happy with the starts, I had three good starts this weekend which is positive for the rest of the season. Next weekend is Latvia, one of my favourite tracks but the goal is the same, to be on the podium, so we’ll see.”
Mitchell Evans
“In the first moto I got off to a good start and just kind of rode my own race, so stayed in fifth the whole race. I tried to follow the leaders, but they just had a little bit more pace. I was struggling with the speeds on the track and just how slippery it was. In moto two I had a really bad start, around twentieth or something, and on a track that was really hard to pass on I made my way to tenth. I was really happy with my riding this weekend. My pace was a little bit off, but we know where we can improve. I have just got to focus on making my starts better. I am looking forward to Latvia.”
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jed Beaton
“I’m really happy with the way the GPs gone. Obviously, I needed a little bit of time off following my crash in Portugal and to come back after being unable to race in France and get two solid results is great. I did three good days of riding before coming to Russia, so I was confident things would go well because I felt good and importantly was pain free. The opening moto didn’t start too well, I got a bad start so had to work really hard. I went from outside the top 20 to 12th and put in a lot of effort. I was feeling the hard work in the second moto but made some good passes. I’m really pleased with seventh. I feel like I’m where I should be and now that the Portugal crash is behind me I want to build on these results starting with the Latvian GP next weekend.”
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Russia 2019
MX2 Overall Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 44
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 40
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 34
Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 30
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 27
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 26
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 26
Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 26
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 23
MX2 Championship Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 347 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 327
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 257
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 236
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 216
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 214
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 210
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 169
Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 157
Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 132
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Moosdijk and Kellett win EMX in Russia
Roan Van de Moosdijk and Todd Kellett have won the EMX250 and EMX2T classes respectively at the Russian round of the FIM Europe Championship at Orlyonok last weekend.
EMX250 Report
Despite Van De Mooslik taking the overall with 2-1 moto results it was Stephan Rubini who rode to 3-1 finishes and subsequently took the red plate from former championship leader Alberto Forato who struggled to 14-4 moto results but it was a solid round for Aussie Caleb Grothues who went 9-9 for ninth overall.
EMX250 Start – MXGP of Russia 2019
Rubini now holds a two-point lead over Forato with four rounds remaining while Grothues sits 14th in the points despite missing the Italian round due to injury.
EMX250 Overall Top Ten
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 47 points
Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 45
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 42
Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 29
Jeremy Sydow (GER, HUS), 29
Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 28
Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 28
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 25
Caleb Grothues (AUS, YAM), 24
Raivo Dankers (NED, YAM), 22
EMX250 Championship Top Ten
Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 165 points
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 163
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 144
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 110
Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 96
Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 88
Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 88
Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), 74
Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 73
Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 70
EMX2T Report
The EMX2T overall win was the first for Kellett with 1-2 moto results while Brad Anderson’s second overall gives him the championship leader’s red plate by eight points over Mike Kras while Kellett sits third some 21 points back from Anderson.
EMX2T Podium – MXGP of Russia 2019
EMX2T Overall Top Ten
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 47 points
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 45
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 42
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 36
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, YAM), 31
Charlie Putnam (GBR, KTM), 29
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 26
Max Buelow (GER, KTM), 26
Robert Holyoake (GBR, HUS), 26
Lurii Lukash (RUS, HON), 23
EMX2T Championship Top Ten
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 163 points
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 155
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 142
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 127
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 124
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 88
Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 86
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, YAM), 70
Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 60
Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 59
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Walsh Blitzes Finke
KTM’s David Walsh has put on a riding clinic at the 2019 Tatt’s Finke Desert Race winning the three-leg event by just under five minutes from Honda’s Jacob Smith who in turn had the best part of a three-minute gap back to third placed Husqvarna rider in Beau Ralston.
KTM celebrated the Finke win with David Walsh
Almost 600 bike and quad competitors slogged their way through the prologue plus the 500km run from Alice Springs to Finke and back but it was Walsh who dominated all three days to claim his maiden win in convincing fashion with an overall time of 3 hours and 56 minutes.
2019 was Walsh’s 12th Finke race recording a best finish of second three-times previously (2018, 2014 and 2012) so the Alice Springs local was visibly emotional when he took the chequered flag, with the crowd erupting in cheer as he crossed the Start/Finish line in first position.
David Walsh
“I’m just completely blown away and I’m over the moon with getting my first win here at Finke. It’s truly a credit to the North Star Pastoral KTM Desert Racing Team, because without those guys, I wouldn’t be here. They work around the clock and it’s like a big family – I can’t thank them enough for their efforts. Getting down to Finke with a five-minute lead made it easier for me, I knew I could probably get through the rough stuff a bit easier coming home, and that’s what I did. I’m so happy to finally get it after the 12 years that I’ve been trying and it’s an amazing feeling.”
David Walsh – 2019 Finke Desert Race
Callum Norton
“A silly crash just two or three minutes out of Finke cost me this weekend and bit me hard, everything was hurting pretty bad, so I just had a breather there before getting going again. Straight away I thought it was over, but once I got to the next stop the boys told me I wasn’t too far behind, so that gave me a boost. I just kept pushing on, started seeing dust and every time I saw dust, I got excited again. I was sore as hell, but I just kept pushing to get it home so I could rest up. I crossed the line fifth, which was good. I’m pretty happy with it, considering what happened.”
Callum Norton – 2019 Finke Desert Race
Jacob Smith
“Six weeks ago, laying in a hospital bed here in Alice Springs with a few injuries, I’m just so happy to be here on the podium. I knew David had a fair gap and five minutes is a long way, so I was trying to just keep my position today and go as hard as I could so the guys behind didn’t catch me. I made some time at the second fuel stop, so I just coasted into town and didn’t do anything silly.”
Jacob Smith – 2019 Finke Desert Race
Beau Ralston
“I’m stoked to finish, let alone get on the podium after my last couple of years being injured. The Schwarz Husqvarna Desert Team has put in a huge effort to get us out here this year and I really appreciate it. I was over two minutes behind Jake and I was fresh, so I thought I was going to have a good crack at reeling him in, but I didn’t anticipate what the cars were going to do to the track. I had some really hairy moments, so I just backed off to get home in one piece for a podium finish.”
Beau Ralston – 2019 Finke Desert Race
2019 Finke Top Ten Outright
Walsh, David – 03:56:01.0
Smith, Jacob – 04:01:00.4 +00:04:59.4
Ralston, Beau – 04:03:57.7 + 00:07:56.7
Simpson, Jack – 04:09:38.7 + 00:13:37.7
Norton, Callum – 04:14:19.5 + 00:18:18.5
Davie, Sam – 04:15:25.4 + 00:19:24.4
Terry, Lachlan – 04:20:52.3 + 00:24:51.3
Grove, Mark – 04:23:23.4 + 00:27:22.4
Jones, Thomas – 04:28:43.2 + 00:32:42.2
Waters, Nicholas – 04:28:45.5 + 00:32:44.5
Husqvarna also put in a strong showing at the 2019 Finke Desert Race
Top 3 – Each Class Class 01 : 251cc and above Two Stroke
Pfitzner, Kyle
Russell, Benjamin
Handley, Samuel
Class 02 : 451cc and above Four Stroke
Walsh, David
Smith, Jacob
Ralston, Beau
Class 03 : Up to 250cc Two Stroke
Simpson, Kyle
Brierley, Mitchell
Foot, Danielle
Class 04 : Up to 250cc Four Stroke
Geale, Thomas
Elliott, Zoran
Wilson, Jarrod
Class 05 : 251cc to 450cc Four Stroke
Simpson, Jack
Norton, Callum
Grove, Mark
Class 06 : Masters 35 to 39 Years (Total 3)
Jones, Thomas
Stephens, Lee
White, Matthew
Class 07 : Seniors 40 to 44 Years
Faggotter, Rodney
Wilkinson, Brad
Stewart, Jason
Class 08 : Veterans 45 Years and Over
Bell, Matthew
Doyle, Neil
Hicks, Darby
Class 09 : Quads up to 40 Years
Van Vliet, Cooper
Bailey, Lachlan
Jackson, Andrew
Class 10 : Quads 40 Years and Over
Spiers, Craig
Beer, Richard
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Bou Wins GP of Japan
The Twin Ring Motego circuit hosted round two of the FIM Trial World Championship last weekend and predictably it was the defending champion in Toni Bou who won both days of competition to extend his early championship lead.
Toni Bou claimed the TrialGP of Japan win from Adam Raga and Takahisa Fujinami
Bou won both days over Adam Raga and teammate Takahisa Fujinami, so heading to the third round Bou has an 11-point lead over Raga who in turn has a nine-point lead over Fujinami.
Toni Bou
“Today we had a perfect trial in a perfect place. I’m very happy with my riding today. Having done this perfect trial here in Japan was really special. Thank all the team who have done a great job. We have prepared a lot for these first events and the results have been incredible, so I can’t be happier this weekend.”
Rider Standings after Round 2
BOU Toni – 60
RAGA Adam – 49
FUJINAMI Takahisa – 40
FAJARDO Jeroni – 35
DABILL James – 33
Brayton set to Defend SX Title
Three-time Australian Supercross Champion Justin Brayton has confirmed that he will be back to defend his 2018 title and once again he will be on the CRF450R with Penrite Honda Racing with the intension of making it four straight victories.
Justin Brayton
“I will be doing my best to bring home a 4th title. Riders learn from one another and we push to improve ourselves in an effort to get to or be at the top. I imagine some younger riders will be faster this year and some older ones will be hungrier as their careers are nearing the end. The championship in Australia goes from strength to strength, the venues continue to improve, as do the riders and teams and I am proud to have been a small part of it all.”
Justin Brayton – Image by Hoppenworld
The 3-time Champion has grown fond of Australia and has toyed with the idea of relocating here to live.
“It really is like a second home and this year will mark my 5th year in Australia. The country, the people and the racing are amazing and I appreciate how welcome my family and I feel when we come.”
Travelling the globe racing for more than 10 years, Brayton affirms retirement isn’t on the horizon just yet confirming there is still plenty left in the tank and his dedication and passion for racing remains.
Justin Brayton – Image by Hoppenworld
“I love racing and riding dirtbikes! Racing at home and around the world is still exciting for me and I get the same butterflies when I line up now as I did when I was younger. So long as it’s fun and I am competitive I aim to keep racing.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Epstein-Barr virus slows Covington
Multiple GP winner Thomas Covington has had a horror start to the 2019 AMA Motocross Championship with the Husqvarna rider logging overall finishes of 26th, 17th and 26th respectively over the first three rounds to sit 22nd in the 250 Class points standings.
In the way of explanation Covington posted this statement on social media:
“Sorry I’ve been silent to everyone as to what’s been going on the last few weeks. After seeing the doctor and having tests done this week, I’ve been diagnosed with Epstein-Barr Virus. I’ve been super tired and lacking strength for around a month now and really hit a wall last weekend in Colorado. That’s when I knew something had to be wrong. Doing everything I can now to be back to myself as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone’s continued support and a huge thank you to @rockstarhusky for helping me through this.”
Thomas Covington – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Musquin stays with KTM till 2021
KTM North America has extended Marvin Musquin’s contract with the French star remaining with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team for the 2020 and 2021 race seasons.
Marvin Musquin has spent the last 10 years of his professional career with the KTM brand and is continually a championship contender in the sport’s premier racing circuits. A true “Ready to Race” athlete and KTM brand ambassador, Musquin’s performance in North America has gained recognition amongst fans as a fierce competitor.
Marvin Musquin
“I am pleased with the extension of my contract with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team for the next two years. KTM and Red Bull have supported me immensely and I believe the product, team and the overall program will contribute to my future success.”
Marvin Musquin extends contract with KTM to 2020
Ian Harrison – Team Manager
“I have had the privilege of working with Marvin for nine years and he is a first-class guy that always gives his best, both on and off the track. The 2019 SX Championship proved what a tough contender Marvin is and I’m sure we will get to witness more of his talent in the years to come. I am so happy he has made the decision to stay with Red Bull KTM for the ’20 and ‘21 race seasons. On behalf of all of us at KTM, thank you Marvin, for continuing your journey with us.”
Roger De Coster – Director of Motorsports, KTM Group
“Marvin came over to the U.S. from the MXGP circuit for the 2011 season, which was the same time Ian Harrison and I joined the team and it is hard to believe that this is our ninth year working with him. During this time, Marvin won a 250SX East title, but more importantly, he has not finished off the podium in either the 450 SX or MX Championships and he is still improving every season. I am truly happy Marvin chose to extend his relationship with Red Bull KTM for two more years.”
The 29-year-old French rider has been with the KTM brand since 2009, where the rising star at the time captured back-to-back MX2 World Championships in ’09 and ‘10. In 2011, Musquin signed with Roger De Coster and the U.S. based Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team and by 2015 he captured the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship.
Since moving to the premier 450cc division in 2016, Musquin has accumulated eight AMA 450SX victories and seven AMA 450MX victories, while consistently maintaining a top-three position in the overall championships.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Woffendin Injured
Defending World Champion Tai Woffinden has confirmed that he faces a month on the sidelines after an MRI scan revealed he suffered a broken TH4 vertebra and shoulder blade after crashing with Russian star Grigorii Laguta in heat one of Wroclaw’s PGE Ekstraliga trip to Lublin on Friday night,
Woffinden immediately withdrew from the meeting and was taken to Wroclaw to undergo further checks to ascertain the full extent of the damage to the neck vertebra and shoulder.
Tai Woffinden tweeted
“After leaving hospital last night and making a 500km trip to Wroclaw to see the spinal specialists and a MRI scan, it’s actually TH4 that is broken along with my shoulder blade. At this point I’m out for one month and we will see how much my neck has healed in that period.”
Tai Woffinden – Image by Warwick Hemy
It has been officially confirmed he will miss the ANLAS Czech SGP in Prague next Saturday and the Norrbil Swedish SGP in Hallstavik on July 6.
The news comes as a blow to his hopes of retaining the world title with Woffinden currently eighth in the standings on 15 points – 13 behind top two Bartosz Zmarzlik and Patryk Dudek.
SGP second reserve Max Fricke replaces Woffinden in Prague, while the news guarantees that first reserve Robert Lambert will also appear in both Prague and Hallstavik.
Webb injured
Extreme endure star Cody Webb tweaked his knee while dropping off a ledge in a technical rock section just days before heading to the world-famous Erzbergrodeo in Austria. Webb was determined to line up at the infamous event this year only to call it quits early into the race and spent the remaining time helping his KTM teammates through a challenging section of the course.
Cody Webb – 2019 Thunder Valley National MX
Webb has claimed two extreme enduro victories already this season, in addition to a heartbreakingly close runner-up finish in the 2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.
Cody Webb
“Being injured is always unfortunate, but I’m taking it as a positive. I intend to take rehab very seriously post-operation and will come back better and stronger than before. It’s a long road ahead, but I will make the best of it and am already excited about the thought of being back at the races.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
KTM take full ownership of KTM Australia and New Zealand
After 25 years of stable and successful business, Automotive Holdings Group (AHG) has sold the remaining 74 per cent share of its motorcycle importation business to the brands’ parent company KTM.
AHG has been the exclusive importer and distributor of the KTM brand for the Australian and New Zealand market since 1994, with the Husqvarna Motorcycles and WP Suspension brands joining the stable in recent years.
In 2017 KTM, which is Europe’s leading motorcycle manufacturer purchased a 26 per cent share of the AHG motorcycle importation business. It now moves to full ownership of both KTM Group Australia and KTM Group New Zealand.
The move to full ownership will see KTM Group Australia and KTM Group New Zealand become full subsidiaries of the Austrian company. Now selling more than 11,000 KTM and Husqvarna Motorcycle units combined, the Australian and New Zealand business has become the third largest market in the world for KTM and will now become the third largest subsidiary for the company.
Jeff Leisk – General Manager, KTM Group Australia and New Zealand
“What a journey it has been since our first AHG Dealer Conference in 1994 and there have been so many significant milestones along the way. I am extremely proud to have seen the KTM and Husqvarna Motorcycle brands go from strength to strength in both the Australian and New Zealand markets. We have built strong relationships with our dealers and our customers and this has been the key to our success. Becoming a factory owned subsidiary will increase the level of support that we can offer our dealer network, our staff and our customers, so I am excited about the next chapter.”
Jeff Leisk
Hubert Trunkenpolz – Chief Marketing Officer
“We are absolutely delighted with the outcome and our full ownership of KTM Group Australia and KTM Group New Zealand. This transaction once again reinforces our commitment to the Australian and New Zealand markets. This is a very positive development for the KTM dealer network and the KTM customer in both countries.”
The change will take effect from the 1st July 2019. While the change of ownership is a significant development for both the company and the market, there will be no impact on KTM Group staff or the established dealer networks for KTM, Husqvarna Motorcycles and WP Suspension.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup hits Wollongong
November 9 will be a memorable night for 20 young hopefuls as the compete in the Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup during round three of the Australian Supercross Championship at WIN Stadium, Wollongong.
The 20 lucky juniors will be selected for this incredible experience from a mix of current YZ65 owners along with wildcard juniors who don’t currently own the model.
Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup
The junior riders get to experience what it’s like to be a professional rider and become guests of Yamaha’s factory race teams, which event promoter Troy Bayliss says will provide valuable insights into professional racing, including mentoring from CDR Yamaha Monster Energy factory riders and owner Craig Dack.
Troy Bayliss
“We are pleased to be able to provide the opportunity for junior girls and boys to experience Supercross within an incredible venue like WIN Stadium, and for them to do laps in front of thousands of fans will be something they will remember for a lifetime.”
Since releasing the YZ65 in 2018, Yamaha Motor Australia has given many junior riders the opportunity to compete side-by-side within select Australian Supercross Championship events and MX National rounds, including the first-ever YZ65 Cup at Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium during last year’s third round of the Australian Supercross Championship.
Matthew Ferry – YMA National Sales & Marketing Manager
“Our first YZ65 Cup experience at Supercross was in Geelong last year and the parents and kids enjoyed the full bLU cRU treatment, and to see so many happy faces and positive feedback we knew we wanted to offer this experience again this year within the Yamaha presented Round 3 of the Australian Supercross Championship at WIN Stadium. Spots are limited to 20 lucky riders available to YZ65 owners, plus Yamaha will also offer a few wildcard entries for non YZ65 owners to experience what it’s like to be part of the bLU cRU, it’s a money-can’t-buy experience.”
Troy Bayliss Events are committed to ensuring the future looks bright for Supercross in Australia, with further Championship junior classes to be announced in the coming weeks for the 2019 Australian Supercross Series.
Round 3 of the Australian Supercross Championship takes place at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Saturday November 9, with tickets available now via Ticketmaster.com.au
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Action aplenty at Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship
The Broadford circuit in Victoria last weekend hosted the Shannons 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship and by all accounts the racing was close and hard fought all weekend – see results below:
Australian Championship classes
Pre 75 Slider 263+
1st
26 Jody Mason
2nd
30 Brett Glover
3rd
101 Mark Herfoss
Jody Mason – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution Super Seniors 70+ All Powers
1st
13 Greg McLean
2nd
118 Bill Mitchell
Greg McLean – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution 16-29 years All Powers
1st
121 Aaron Stevens
2nd
257 Billy Ricardo
3rd
44 Doug Hayden
Pre 75 up to 125cc
1st
123 Ray Stevens
2nd
18 Jake Mitchell
3rd
2 Grant Dodd
Ray Stevens – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 70 263+
1st
6 David Gras
2nd
71 Adam Constable
3rd
17 Steve Constable
David Gras – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 Solo 263+
1st
101 Mark Herfoss
2nd
16 Damien Bombardiere
3rd
26 Jody Mason
David Herfoss – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution Womens All Powers
1st
89 Tayla Street
2nd
58 Brook Lonie
3rd
38 Janet Kelly
Taylor Street and Brooke Lonie – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 50-59 yearrs All Powers
1st
101 Mark Herfoss
2nd
216 Graeme Judd
3rd
123 Ray Stevens
Mark Herfoss – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution 50-59 years All Powers
1st
123 Ray Stevens
2nd
216 Graeme Judd
3rd
90 Simon Hampton
Pre 75 Solo 250cc
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
667 Luke Wilesmith
3rd
33 Rob Hayden
Brad Burns – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution Solo 263+
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
121 Aaron Stevens
3rd
24 Chas Hern
Evolution Solo 250cc
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
44 Doug Hayden
3rd
2 Grant Dodd
Pre 75 263+
1st
257 Billy Ricardo
2nd
123 Ray Stevens
3rd
216 Graeme Judd
Billy Ricardo – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 78 250 Solo
1st
22 Brendan McCowat
2nd
667 Luke Wilesmith
3rd
90 Simon Hampton
Support Classes
Pre 75 60years + All Powers
1st
33 Rob Hayden
2nd
6 Peter Lee
3rd
9 John Selva
Rob Hayden – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 Slider up to 250cc
1st
7 Reece Crimeen
2nd
30 Brett Glover
3rd
68 Rick Wason
Reece Crimeen – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 60 Solo All Powers
1st
118 Bill Mitchell
2nd
51 Graham Anderson
Bill Mitchell Graham Anderson – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 78 Super Seniors & Evolution 60years + All Powers
1st
33 Rob Hayden
2nd
52 Peter Lee
3rd
171 Kevin Brown
Pre 75 16-39 Years All Powers
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
18 Jake Mitchell
3rd
2 Grant Dodd
Pre 65 Solo 250cc & 263cc+ & Pre 70 Solo 250cc
1st
9 John Selva
2nd
116 Kevin Dunque
3rd
76 Mark Birkett
John Silva – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 40-49 years All Powers
1st
16 Damien Bombardiere
2nd
181 Ross Watson
3rd
36 Paul Neighbour
Damien Bomardiere – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 78 & Evolution Solo up to 125cc
1st
2 Grant Dodd
2nd
258 Nick Smith
3rd
38 James Hayden
Battle of the Twins
1st
6 David Gras
2nd
650 Chas Hern
3rd
66 Dean Ross
Tayla Street creates Classic Dirt Track history
History was made in motorcycle racing at Broadford last weekend with the inaugural Women’s Classic Dirt Track Championship and there were eight hard charging females on hand on a myriad of different machinery.
2019 Australian Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
When the dust settled it was the talented Tayla Street on a fire breathing 1980 Suzuki RM250 who earned the title ahead of Brooke Lonie (DT400) and Janet Kelly (TT500) – see full results below:
Tayla Street – 2019 Australian Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Tayla Street – RM250 – 122p
Brooke Lonie – DT400 – 113p
Janet Kelly – TT500 – 96p
Laura Saxon – IT250 – 94p
Abbey Wason – Bultaco Astro – 70p
Nicole Thompson – DT250 – 62p
Carina Peschel – DT400 – 60p
Denise Widjaja – DT250 – 58p
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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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.
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.
