2022 Silk Way Rally – Astrakhan to Moscow set for July
The online presentation of the 12th edition of the Silk Way Rally route has taken place, revealing to fans and competitors the main details of the upcoming event, previously kept secret.
To celebrate the 350th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Peter the Great, the rally will connect ten regions of the Russian Federation, many of which are connected with his name.
The largest cross-country rally in Eurasia will take place from July 6 to 16, starting in Astrakhan (administrative checks and scrutineering are also planned there) and finishing in Moscow’s Red Square.
The 2022 Silk Way Rally will wrap up in Moscow
The North Caucasus and Grozny – the capital of the Chechen Republic, Elista, Volgograd, Voronezh – connecting these points on the map, you can understand how interesting and diverse will be the geography of the 2022 event. The total length of this unique route will be 4,380 kilometers, including 2,800 kilometers of special stages.
The Silk Way Rally Sports Directorate is always ready to meet the competitors needs and that is why the fees for participation in the 2022 Silk Way Rally will remain the same as in 2021.
The organisers also keep another good tradition alive, crews under the age of 30, as well as all female crews will be able to take part in the rally without paying entry fees.
Competitors in all types of vehicles will be allowed to participate in the competition: motorcycles, quads, SSV, cars and trucks.
Acceptance of applications for participation in the event is scheduled to start on February 15, 2022.
Vladimir Chagin – Head of the International Project Silk Way Rally
“What makes the Silk Way Rally special? The fact that every year the competitors of the event overcome a completely new route, which is never repeated. The 2022 rally will not be an exception – its distance will open up a lot of new things for each driver. Let me warn you right away: it’s going to be interesting, but extremely difficult. Although these are the challenges that attract competitors from all over the world. Our country is proud of its centuries-old history. Coincidentally, next year marks the 350th anniversary of the birth of the person who opened a “window to Europe” for Russia, namely Peter the First. He is called “The Great”, as well as the Silk Way Rally. And our next year event will go through many cities that are connected with the name of this Russian emperor.”
The 2022 Silk Way Rally route
Luc Alphand, Silk Way Rally Sporting Director
“One of the features of the cross-country rally, besides the sports component, is the opportunity to discover new landscapes. And now we are in the Chechen Republic, in the magnificent mountains. Cross-country rallies have never been held in this part of the country before. For us, as well as for the competitors, it is very important to be here and have the opportunity to discover new, previously undiscovered routs of an unprecedented scale and range. The local authorities and population gave us the warmest welcome, demonstrating openness and sincere interest in the development of tourism and motorsport in the region. I especially would like to emphasize the high security of this region. Currently, this part of Russia is highly peaceful and stable, local people would like to show the whole world that the visit will be as safe and comfortable as possible.”
2022 Silk Way Rally Program
February 15, 2022 – Opening of Entries
June 1, 2022 – Closure of Entries
July 6-7, 2022 – Administrative checks & scrutineering (Astrakhan, Russia)
July 7, 2022 – Ceremonial start in Astrakhan
July 16, 2022 – Ceremonial finish in Moscow
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Roan Van De Moosdijk signs with Husqvarna for 2022-2023
Husqvarna Motorcycles have signed of former EMX250 champion Roan Van De Moosdijk for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, joining the Nestaan MX2 run Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team, in the MX2 World Championship alongside fellow Dutchman Kay de Wolf.
Stepping up to the MX2 World Championship for 2020, the now 21-year-old impressed with three overall podium results from the first five rounds. Two further top-three finishes followed later in the year, with the Dutchman securing a maiden race victory and claiming second overall at the MXGP of Lommel. Roan would ultimately place seventh in the final standings.
Bringing everything he learned in his rookie MX2 season into 2021, Roan enjoyed another promising campaign start, claiming three third-place moto finishes to lie fifth in the series standings after the first four rounds. Frustratingly, a broken scaphoid sustained following a crash at the MXGP of Czech Republic prevented him from delivering what was set to be his breakout season in the MX2 World Championship.
Fully healed and excited to begin riding his new FC 250, Roan, alongside new teammate Kay de Wolf, will soon begin testing in readiness for the opening round of the 2022 MX2 World Championship.
Roan Van De Moosdijk
“I’m so pleased to be joining the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 team, it’s really a very special moment in my career. This season has been tough, but I’m putting that behind me and looking forward to working with the team and having Kay as my new teammate. I have a really good feeling about things, and I know that at the start of this season things were going well, and that my speed and fitness was where it needed to be to challenge for the podium. I’ll have the best bike and the best support next year, so I just want to keep working and improving through the winter and get back to where I was and then give 2022 everything I have. Finally, it looks like the season will be back to normal, and I’m really looking forward to that. I want to say thanks to everyone that has made this happen – I can’t wait to get onto my new bike and to start our winter testing and training.”
Roan Van De Moosdijk
Rasmus Jorgensen – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 Team Manager
“We’re thrilled to have Roan in our team and can’t wait to get him settled in, and then start working in preparation for 2022. Overall, this year was a very positive season for our team – we want to keep that momentum rolling into 2022 and with Roan racing alongside Kay we believe we have a very strong line-up. At the start of this year Roan was riding so well, he put in some really impressive motos, and really showed what he is capable of. We really believe he’ll be a great fit for our team and at 21 has the right mix of age and experience to excel in MX2. On our bike, with the full technical support we can offer him, he’ll have all that he needs to develop further as a racer. After a short break to rechange the batteries a little after the long season we’ve had, we’ll soon start building towards 2022. We can’t wait to get started.”
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2021 MXGP of Mantova wraps up season
The 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship wrapped up in Mantova overnight where a big crown witnessed Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings clinch the MXGP World Title, and become a five-time FIM Motocross World Champion.
Jeffrey Herlings wins the 2021 MXGP Championship
It has been a season of highs and lows for all of the title contenders as they have struggled with injuries and bad luck but have managed to power through and provide us with some incredible racing.
In the second half of the season, the title chase between Herlings, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre and Team HRC’s Tim Gajser could not have been any closer, as the race for the championship went down to the final chequered flag of the 2021 season, but it was Herlings who came out on top as Febvre was forced to settle for second, just five points adrift, while Gajser finished his year with a silver medal.
The Aussies
For Jed Beaton, it was a frustrating final round. With high hopes of ending his MX2 career on the overall podium, the Australian didn’t quite secure the starts needed in either moto to challenge for the top three. In placing seventh overall, Beaton secured fifth in the final championship standings.
Jed Beaton – P7 (P5 MX2 Championship)
“It’s been a pretty emotional day to say the least. As I’ve now aged out of MX2 it was my last race for the team which, after three great years, is really tough. It’s safe to say that the season didn’t end how I’d have liked due to a few issues and a crash in race one. That ruled me out of a chance of finishing on the podium but I really tried hard in moto two but it just wasn’t meant to be. I’ve had an incredible three seasons with Rasmus and the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team and they’ve taken me under their wing and really shaped who I am today. I’m disappointed to not end our time together with a podium result but I gave it my best shot and finishing fifth in the series is a pretty decent result.”
Jed Beaton
Bike It MTX Kawasaki’s Wilson Todd rounded out his final season in MX2 with a solid first-moto rides to tenth after qualifying twelfth in the morning. The Australian ended the championship twelfth, just twenty points short of a top-ten series ranking.
Wilson Todd – P17 (P12 Championship)
“It’s been a long season with some ups-and-downs and some rough patches so it was nice to go out with a good result before I get home to Australia for the first time in a while. Racing the GPs has been a great experience you can’t buy, coming to Europe to race bikes against the best in the world.“
Heartbreak for Daniel Sanders in Abu Dhabi final stage
Stage five of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge was the shortest of the event at 216.92 kilometres but offered little in the way of an easy ride to the finish.
Daniel Sanders
Coming into the final day of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Daniel Sanders was lying second in the standings, and enjoyed an advantageous start position to make up time on the leader. Pushing hard, the Aussie star immediately put himself in control of the stage, topping each of the split times on his way through the special.
With all riders having to manage their fuel due to the special not including a refueling zone, Sanders’ pace was such that he ran out first while fighting for the stage, and rally win, like the true warrior he is, the Aussie then pushed his RC 450F to the finish for a 14th place result.
It’s an unfortunate way to finish the event, but Daniel can look back over his FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship season and take many positives, including several stage wins, three at the Silk Way Rally, plus others in Morocco and Abu Dhabi.
Despite the set-back at the final event, Sanders finished a respectable third overall in the final championship standings, not bad for his first full year. Taking positives from the event, Sanders has demonstrated incredible speed and skill throughout the rally, and will look to carry that form onto the Dakar in January.
Daniel Sanders – P14 Stage 5/P12 Overall
“The last day has obviously been a huge disappointment for me and the team, but that’s racing – I guess you have to take the smooth with the rough. I started really well and was making good time through the dunes at the beginning of the stage. I realized about halfway through that with no refueling in the stage, and the type of terrain we were racing through, fuel was going to be a problem. So I tried to ease my pace as much as I could. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, and I eventually ran out. Obviously, it’s not the best way to end the rally, especially after such a strong year but I’m pleased with how I’ve ridden, not just in Abu Dhabi, but over the whole season. My pace here has been really strong, I won a stage and did a good job of leading out after that. Again, it’s not the way I wanted to end the season, but as it’s just my first full year in the championship, I’m definitely pleased with how I’ve progressed and raised my level. Although the result here has knocked me back a little, I’ll just take the positives and look ahead to the Dakar in January. I’ve really gelled with the bike – my navigation is always improving, and my pace is definitely there. We’ve got less than two months till Dakar, and I’m going to be ready!”
Daniel Sanders
As the second rider into the stage, and with a near four-minute advantage over the next best competitor, Matthias Walkner set about chasing down the rider ahead of him, while concentrating on his navigation during the soft sand dunes in the opening part of the special.
Maintaining his place within the top two for the entire stage, the Austrian delivered another calculated and consistent ride to ultimately complete the special as runner-up, just over one minute behind the eventual winner.
In what has been an impressive display of skill, endurance, and speed by the world champion throughout this final event of the year, Walkner secured the win by over four and a half minutes to truly confirm his place at the very top of the world championship standings.
Matthias Walkner – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Champion
“It was really close today! The stage was really long without a refueling point and so towards the end I had to slow down a lot to conserve fuel. It’s part of our sport that you can have four good days and then nearly be caught out in the last few kilometers. Thankfully, I made it to the finish line and am really happy to win the last race before Dakar. The team did a really good job all week and the bike has been perfect. The whole year has been fantastic for me – with the help of the team, we have all worked really closely to bring the success we’ve had. I have ridden well and not made any big mistakes, or suffered any injuries. I’ve learned a lot, even from this week riding in the sand, which is normally not my best terrain to race in. My riding has improved, and we’ve found some good set-ups for the bike, too. Overall, it’s been an incredible season and to top it off by winning the last race really helps my confidence. The big goal is of course now Dakar, it’s not far away, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Matthias Walkner
Bringing to an end a highly rewarding season of racing, Adrien Van Beveren secured second overall at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Winning three of five stages, the Frenchman underlined his impressive form and after almost 18 hours of racing, finished the rally just over four and a half minutes behind the winner, Matthias Walkner.
With Adrien claiming an impressive result at the final round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship he advanced to second in the final series standings.
Adrien Van Beveren – Stage Five Winner
“Winning the last stage after opening, and finishing second in this rally, is a huge moment for me. The final stage was really tricky to begin with, made even more challenging by leading out so I rode a little cautious, but it paid off. No mistakes and knowing I had a nice gap in the overall classification meant that I could ride without risks and to win the stage, it’s just amazing. All year I’ve been consistent and focused on finishing each and every stage and this rally was no different. This result has come just at the right time ahead of Dakar, so from now until January I will maintain my level and aim to fight for the win there.”
Adrien Van Beveren
The ever-positive Ross Branch placed a strong third overall on the fifth and final stage. Opening the rally with a win on stage one showed his impressive speed and he remained in contention for the win until a crash and broken navigational tower during the event’s marathon stage ruled him out of the running. Ultimately, Ross enjoyed a positive debut season in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, which was undoubtedly headlined by his overall win at Rally Kazakhstan.
Ross Branch – P3 Stage 5
“It’s great to finish the final stage here in third place. It’s a shame about my crash on day two, that really messed things up but being able to ride the last two stages and put more time on the bike and continue learning was really positive. It’s awesome for me to have completed my first full season in the world championship and I can’t thank the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team enough for the opportunity. The focus is now on the Dakar, which is not too far away, and it won’t be long until we head out there to get things going.”
The 2021 Silk Way Rally faced its fair share of challenges this year, with Covid-19 preventing the event from crossing into Mongolia, instead being confined to Siberia, with Austria’s Matthias Walkner (KTM) taking top honours.
Daniel Sanders
Walkner was able to claim the victory from Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) and Franco Caimi (Hero), with Australia’s Daniel Sanders (GasGas) proving a strong competitor but finishing fourth after a slow start couldn’t be offset by a number of stage wins.
First into the stage and enjoying a near five-minute advantage over the second-placed rider, Matthias Walkner still pushed hard through the tight forest tracks.
Matthias Walkner
With navigation less of a factor on the timed special, the experienced Austrian was able to maintain a fast, but safe pace over the demanding terrain. In doing so he finished the day as runner-up and increased his lead in the final event standings to six minutes and 20 seconds.
Combined with his second-place finish at round one of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship – Rally Kazakhstan – Walkner moves into the lead of the series standings with a 21.5-point advantage over the second-placed rider.
Matthias Walkner – P1
“The final stage here was really nice to ride. It was the same as day two, but instead of making it rougher, it seems the cars and trucks prepared it quite well for us today. I really tried to push at the beginning, because I know the first part of the stage is good for me over the fast pistes. In the forest I thought I might have to ease off a little, but it rode better today, and I was able to push for the whole stage. It’s a shame the rally had to be shortened, but the organizers did a great job of giving us a full event to race. To win the famous tiger trophy here at the Silk Way feels amazing, and with my win here I’m now also leading the championship. I couldn’t have asked for a better result really.”
Matthias Walkner
Aiming to defend his position, yet not wanting to make a costly mistake on the fast tracks of the special, Howes chose the perfect pace over the 110km timed section to ultimately finish fourth on the stage and claim second overall in the final rally standings.
Despite having a technical issue on the previous round of the series that knocked him down the order, his second-place result from the Silk Way Rally elevates Skyler to second overall in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
Skyler Howes – P2
“To get second place and my first podium at a world championship round is amazing. I was hoping for a slightly longer race, and maybe another step higher on the podium, but I can’t tell you how stoked I am to finish as runner-up. Things went well over the whole race and in the end, it came down to just seconds on the final stage. Thankfully, I had a really good ride and was able to defend my position in the standings. The result here moves me up to second in the championship standings, which after my issues in the first round feels amazing. We’ve got a bit of a break now until the next race, but to be in the fight for the championship only gives me more motivation. I definitely can’t wait to get racing again.”
Skyler Howes
A stellar ride from Franco saw him hold on to his third position in the overall rankings, missing out on the second position by a mere six seconds, after close to 3,100 km of racing over five days.
Franco Caimi – P3
“I don’t have the words to describe how happy I am feeling right now, not just for myself, but also for the team. They have done a fantastic job, and we were able to finish on the podium. We pushed hard during the entire race and in the end, missed the second position by just six seconds. I am really happy with the result, and looking forward to growing with the team. I am sure we can accomplish great things together. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Hero family and the fans for their support and good wishes.”
The fifth and final day of racing at the Silk Way Rally saw riders line-up for a re-run of stage two, the very same stage that Daniel claimed victory on just days ago.
Daniel Sanders
Entering the stage with the sole focus of making up time, Sanders was never headed as he reached each waypoint as the fastest rider, taking his third stage win from five starts at the shortened event. With two rounds of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship now complete, Daniel moves up to third in the provisional standings, although Walkner holds a significant lead.
Daniel Sanders – P4
“I pushed really hard today to try and get onto the overall podium, but it wasn’t quite enough. I left everything out there and did everything I could to make time up on the riders ahead, but it was a short stage and there wasn’t much to separate us all today. I learned a lot this week, I felt great on the bike, and I know I have the speed so it’s all positive. When we get home from here my main focus will be on improving my navigation as this is where I feel I’m lacking a little bit. But overall, a pretty decent week for me and the team.”
Daniel Sanders
Buhler also had a good rally and his consistency got him the fifth position in the overall standings. Joaquim had difficult times and luck during some stages and this cost him time and positions. Yet, he recovered well to complete the rally in the top 10.
Sebastian Buhler – P5
“Today was the same stage as SS2, so it was nice to ride at a good speed without too much navigation. The rally was shorter than what we were expecting, due to the situation in Mongolia, but the organisers did their best and we were able to complete the rally. Overall, it was a positive race and I felt good on the bike. I was gaining confidence to push harder each day and the team also did a good job. Thanks also to our fans all around the world for their support.”
Bringing his time at the Silk Way Rally to a positive end, Adrien Van Beveren finished stage five as the seventh fastest rider through the shortened special.
Adrien Van Beveren
Completing the stage just over one minute adrift of the third-place rider, it was a strong performance from Adrien despite the terrain not quite being to the Frenchman’s liking. Overall, Van Beveren placed sixth in the final classification.
Adrien Van Beveren – P6
“I enjoyed today’s stage, both with the terrain and also my riding. There wasn’t so much navigation today and it was something different to be riding fast through the woods. It was fun and I felt relaxed on the bike, which is something that I’ve been searching for this week. It’s been good to end with a positive ride. Because of the change to the schedule we didn’t go to Mongolia which is unfortunate, however, for me it was good to challenge myself on terrain that I’m not so comfortable on. This will make me a better rally rider so even if the result was not my best, I learned a lot this week with my riding and also the bike. Overall, it has been a positive experience for me at the Silk Way, it was great to be racing again, and I’m happy to have completed this rally.”
2021 Pro Motocross Championship
Round 4 – Twisted Tea RedBud National
Following its second break of the 2021 season the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, returned to action for its Fourth of July tradition with the annual Twisted Tea RedBud National.
The fourth round of the season saw a massive crowd line the fences in their red, white, and blue for America’s Independence Day holiday and were treated to an afternoon of perfect weather.
Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis continued his impressive season by leading the way in the 450 Class for his third victory of the season.
In the 250 Class, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire demonstrated incredible speed all day en route to his third career win.
450 Moto1
As the gate dropped on the opening 450 Class moto, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Aaron Plessinger prevailed with the Motosport.com Holeshot ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb and Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen. A quick pass by Webb in the second turn allowed him to steal the lead from Plessinger who retaliated to retake the lead just turns later. It was Plessinger, Roczen, and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo at the completion of the opening lap. Championship point leader Ferrandis was sixth at the start.
Red Bud AMA Pro Motocross
As the moto surpassed the 10-minute mark, Roczen started to close on Plessinger for the lead, eventually making the pass stick as Plessinger slid back to second. As Cianciarulo continued his charge in third, he would soon find himself under pressure from Ferrandis who was turning the fastest lap times of the race.
Adam Cianciarulo
Ferrandis was relentless in his push to the front and made the move on Cianciarulo just before the halfway point of the moto. The battle for the lead began to tighten up as Plessinger closed in on Roczen while his teammate Ferrandis closed in on them both with 10-minutes remaining. The Star Racing Yamaha teammates pulled alongside each other several times before Ferrandis took possession of second with a pass on Plessinger through the sand rollers.
Ferrandis
Ferrandis’ charge to the front could not be stopped as he struck on his championship rival Roczen to take the lead with just three laps remaining. The Frenchman would hold on to claim his second moto win of the season with 2.9 seconds to spare on Roczen. After leading early, Plessinger would finish third.
450 Moto 2
The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off with Plessinger launching out of the gate to sweep the Motosport.com Holeshots by edging out the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo, followed by Roczen and Ferrandis. Cianciarulo would lose the front end coming downhill on the opening lap and be forced to rejoin near the tail end of the field as Plessinger, Tomac, Roczen, and Ferrandis led the way on the opening lap.
The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off 450 Moto 2with Plessinger launching out of the gate to sweep the Motosport.com Holeshots by edging out the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo, followed by Roczen and Ferrandis. Cianciarulo would lose the front end coming downhill on the opening lap and be forced to rejoin near the tail end of the field as Plessinger, Tomac, Roczen, and Ferrandis led the way on the opening lap.
Ken Roczen
The battle immediately intensified up front as Tomac made quick work of Plessinger to take the number one position from Plessinger. Just behind the leaders, Roczen and Ferrandis matched one another’s pace in an effort for valuable championship points and to keep the leaders in sight. Roczen made a costly mistake that saw him go down hard, but he was able to dust himself off and remount in sixth.
Up front, Tomac and Plessinger were separated by no more than two seconds for the majority of the race as they took turns on clocking the better lap times.
With the race winding down, the battle for second began to heat up as Ferrandis closed in on his teammate Plessinger. He would use an excellent drive through the sand rollers to take second and set his sights on the race leader Tomac. As the crowd cheered them on, Tomac held on to take his second moto win of the season by just 1.5 seconds over Ferrandis. A distant third would go to Plessinger, while Roczen recovered for sixth.
Eli Tomac
It was Ferrandis who’s hard charging and consistency would give him the overall victory (1-2). Tomac earned his second consecutive podium of the season in season (4-1), while Plessinger completed the podium with an impressive 3-3 moto scores on the day. Roczen’s 6-2 was good enough for fourth. A jump during the red cross flag in Moto 1 resulted in Ferrandis being docked a single point and Roczen two points, however, the overall finishes remained the same.
Dylan Ferrandis
“I gave it everything and it was a big fight today, I charged really hard at the end of the motos. I wanted to win the second moto, but Eli [Tomac] was riding really good. I dreamed of winning here at RedBud and thanks to the fans for cheering loud for us all day. It’s been a good start to the season and I’m really looking forward to keep working hard so we can stay up front the rest of the season.”
Ferrandis passes Plessinger
With the win Ferrandis was able to extend his lead in the championship standings to 14-points over Roczen who lost crucial points in the second moto. Plessinger sits third, 36-points out of the lead.
Ken Roczen
“I was excited coming into RedBud for Fourth of July; it’s always a special race and the fans always go wild. We had a pretty decent couple of qualifying sessions. I ended up going fifth to the gate, which was totally fine; I felt pretty good on the track and was ready for the moto. In the first moto, I think I was third after the start and just kind of worked my way up there into second right away and made a move on [Aaron] Plessinger and was leading most of the race until about two laps to go. I kind of lost my rhythm a little bit. The track is really hard-packed underneath and soft on top, so it was really tricky to ride. It just wasn’t really my best performance, but at the same time I was okay with the second place. I got passed there with a couple of laps to go and tried to hang on behind [Dylan] Ferrandis and tried to make a pass back, but it just wasn’t enough. I was looking forward to the second moto. Moto 2 was kind of like when everything came undone. I was battling really hard to get to the front. I was in third and [Eli] Tomac was leading and Plessinger was second. I made my way past Ferrandis and just sat in third for a while trying to see what the race gave me. I had a bad case on [LaRocco’s] Leap, as Plessinger’s roost slowed me down so much. I hurt my wrist a little bit, but then a couple laps later I fell right after the leap. I tucked the front end, had a pretty big get-off, and my bars were a little bent. I’m glad I was able to finish at least in sixth and minimize the points damage. We’re healthy leaving RedBud and I’m just looking forward to prepping for next weekend’s race.”
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250 Moto 1
When the gate dropped for the first 250 Class moto of the day it was Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper who emerged with the Motosport.com holeshot just ahead of the Team Honda HRC duo of Jett and Hunter Lawrence, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Jeremy Martin and Hampshire.
Justin Cooper
As they crossed the finish on the opening lap, Cooper lost traction going up the face of the finish line and crashed out of the lead. Cooper’s mistake allowed a hard charging Hampshire to inherit the lead over the Lawrence brothers and Martin. Cooper would remount in 10th.
Hampshire pushed the pace out front with Jett Lawrence in tow and the duo began to slowly distance themselves from the train of riders behind them. As Jett Lawrence applied the pressure, Hampshire crashed out of the lead, but was able to restart quickly in second. Hunter Lawrence remained a distant third.
Jett Lawrence
With the race closing in on the halfway point of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto, Hampshire started to inch back onto the rear wheel of Jett Lawrence and searched for a way around. Hampshire would once again lose the front end of his motorcycle and find himself on the ground while contending for the race lead. Hunter Lawrence took full advantage of Hampshire’s mistake to move into second, while Hampshire remounted in third.
As Jett Lawrence continued to control the race out front, Hunter Lawrence and Hampshire started to gain momentum and slowly reduce the gap to the race leader. With three laps to go, Hampshire muscled his way around Hunter Lawrence for second and began to set his sights on the race leader Jett Lawrence but Jett held on to take the checkered flag for his third moto win of the season by 2.2 seconds over Hampshire. Hunter Lawrence finished third, just ahead of Cooper who recovered for fourth.
Hunter Lawrence
250 Moto 2
The final 250 Class moto of the afternoon saw Cooper capture his second Motosport.com Holeshot of the day, just ahead of his teammate Martin and first moto runner-up finisher Hampshire. The Lawrence brothers found themselves mired deep in the pack as Hunter was scored 11th and Jett 18th at the completion of the opening lap.
Justin Cooper
As the lead trio went to work with a clear track out front, Jett Lawrence put his head down in an attempt to do damage control, however, a costly mistake would see him make contact with another rider and go down, losing valuable time as he remounted outside the top-30.
Out front, Hampshire began to find his momentum as he moved Cooper to within striking distance for the race lead, using every inch of the track to find a way past. At the 15-minute mark, Hampshire would get a drive and out drag race Cooper to become the new race leader.
Just as Hampshire looked to have the race under control he would yet again find himself picking himself up off the ground as he surrendered the lead to Cooper in the late stages of the moto. Cooper emerged with his second moto win of the season by 12.9 seconds over Hampshire. Martin finished third in an impressive return from injury, followed by Hunter Lawrence in fourth. An inspiring ride by Jett Lawrence netted him sixth.
Hunter Lawrence
By virtue of 2-2 finishes Hampshire prevailed for his first win of the season and won the RedBud National for the second consecutive year. Cooper’s second moto win earned him second overall (4-1) as Jett Lawrence completed the podium in third (1-6), followed by his brother Hunter in fourth (3-4).
Jett Lawrence on the podium but saw his series lead trimmed by three points
RJ Hampshire
“This win just feels so good after everything I’ve gone through lately,” said Hampshire. “As you can hear, I’ve been super sick all week, so to be up here today is a bit emotional. I give it my all everytime I’m on the track, and it would have been great to get those moto wins today, but to win here at RedBud for the second year in a row is an amazing feeling. The speed has been really good lately and I’m looking forward to some of my favorite tracks coming up on the schedule.”
Jett Lawrence maintains his hold of the championship point lead by eight over Cooper who reduced the gap by three on the day. Hunter Lawrence remains third, 44-points out of the championship lead.
Jett Lawrence
“The bike setting in the first moto wasn’t good. I had RJ [Hampshire] charging, and if he got me, I didn’t really have any ammo to fight back. Between motos, my team did a great job making some adjustments that made the bike work better for me, but I just didn’t give myself a very good chance for winning or even getting myself into a good position. I came from 37th to sixth, so I think that’s pretty good. I definitely made a lot of passes, maybe the most passes of the day. I think if you look at the result it sucks because I lost three points, but you have to look at the positives; it was a strong ride, and I felt like there’s not many other people in this class that could do that.”
Jett Lawrence
Hunter Lawrence
“My weekend wasn’t bad; it wasn’t great, but we’ll take it. We went 3-4 moto scores for fourth overall. I missed out on the box by two points. That second moto I was in a ‘do or die’ position to catch J-Mart [Jeremy Martin] and make that pass. I was pushing to make up a lot of ground on him, coming from a pretty bad start, so I was ‘damned if I did, damned if I didn’t’; I had to risk it and push. I ended up laying it down and got back up, managing to finish in a position where I was chasing down fourth. All in all, I’m really happy with how the team worked together to make changes on the bike for the second moto, which benefited us a lot. It maybe wasn’t a moto-score result, but as far as my feeling on the bike, and everything else, we left better than what we started in the first moto, so I’m happy with that. RedBud was awesome. That was my first proper Fourth of July RedBud experience, so it was pretty cool. I also checked something else off my bucket list; I really wanted to scream ‘RedBuuuuud’ into the microphone. I hadn’t been able to do that until today, so that was cool.”
In 2021 Montova, Italy will play host to the year’s edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN). Commencing on 26th September, Motorcycling Australia (MA) has called for all interested competitors to submit their applications to join Team Australia.
Kyle Webster – Team Australia – 2019 MXoN
There are three classes available for riders to nominate for: MX1, MX2 and Open. Riders are advised that they can nominate for more than one class. Applications must be submitted by no later than COB Friday 16th July.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team have confirmed that reigning 450MX Champion Zach Osborne will miss the remainder of the 2021 AMA Pro Motocross Championship in order to fully recover from an ongoing back injury.
Zach Osborne will now be out of action until 2022
Osborne, who sustained the back injury mid-way through the 2021 AMA Supercross Championship, worked hard to get himself ready for the opening round of the outdoor season but he unfortunately re-injured himself at the second round in Colorado. Upon further review with the team, Osborne made the tough decision to sit out the rest of the season to fully recover for 2022.
Zach Osborne
“I’m bummed to say the least. This injury has been a big setback with no clear path to 100% but I feel I’m on a good path now and I just need to give my body the time to heal itself. Myself, along with the team, made the decision to pull the plug and be ready for 2022. It was a tough decision in an already-trying year but I believe I can be back to 2020 form with this time away to heal up. Thanks to my team and fans for the support through this!”
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team will return to racing this Saturday, June 19 in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania.
Sherco hotshot Jonte Reynders has completed an ideal build-up for the 2021 Hattah Desert Race by dominating the latest round of the Tasmanian enduro series at Bakers Beach, north-east of Launceston, on July 19.
The 24-year-old was a class above on his Pirelli Motul Sherco Racing Team 300 SE Factory two-stroke, easily winning the three-hour event ahead of great rivals Kyron Bacon and Seton Broomhall – even after an extra fuel stop!
Jonte Reynders
“I’m rapt with the result on a circuit that was quite difficult, but I made it a little hard for myself – just when I had a decent lead I made a silly mistake of refuelling when I didn’t need to. So I topped up the 300 Factory three times instead of two, which obviously cost me a fair bit of time. But I was able to regroup and take a strong win to extend my lead in the series.”
Jonte Reynders
Five rounds remain in the state title, but Reynders’ focus will now switch to the mainland for the Hattah Desert from July 2-4 where he will be one of the favourites in the open two-stroke class.
He’ll have some exalted guest company in the Pirelli Motul Sherco Racing Team: Ben Grabham – fresh from his two-stroke-winning heroics at the 2021 Finke Desert Race – on a 450 SEF Factory and Justin Carafa on a 500 SEF Factory.
Nathan Trigg, who lives just up the road from the Hattah epicentre at Ouyen, will also be looking to bounce back from his knee-twisting prologue crash at Finke, which put him out of the main game. Trigg rides a Mallee Motorcycles-backed 450 SEF Factory.
The circuit is 37km long, with the senior riders to complete eight laps.
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Daniel Sanders and GasGas ready for Silk Way Rally 2021
The 11th edition of the Silk Way Rally will get underway in less than one month. Setting off from Omsk (Russia), the second town of the Urals, on 1 July, the race will feature 10 varied and technical stages. Crossing Siberia before traversing Mongolia from West to East, the event passes through the famous Gobi Desert before reaching Ulaanbaatar on 11 July.
Silk Way Rally 2019
A total of 5250 km, of which more than 2850 are against the clock, offering the perfect mix of technical difficulty, variety and scenic beauty. From the Altai Mountains to the capital of Mongolia via the Gobi Desert and the endless Mongolian steppes, the 2021 edition of the Silk Way Rally will be quite simply exceptional.
Two years after Sam Sunderland (KTM) in the bikes, who will be the new white tigers to go down in the Silk Way Rally history books at the end of this incredible journey in the land of Genghis Khan?
For its second edition with a bike category, the Silk Way Rally 2021 has once again attracted the major factory teams on what is one of the highlights of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. This second round will benefit from a 1.5 coefficient thanks to its status as a marathon event with over six days of racing.
Sam Sunderland – Silk Way Rally 2019
The titleholder, the British rider Sam Sunderland, Dakar winner in 2017, will defend the colours of Red Bull Ktm Factory Racing alongside his Austrian teammate Matthias Walkner.
Their sister team Rockstar Husqvarna Factory Racing will enter the Argentinian Luciano Benavides and their latest recruit, the American Skyler Howes, one of the revelations of the last Dakar.
Another rider to make a splash in Saudi Arabia with his fourth place, the Australian Daniel Sanders will have the honour of flying the flag for GasGas Factory Racing.
Daniel Sanders
Over at the Monster Yamaha Rallye Team, the Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren will be accompanied by another recent revelation, the Botswanan Ross Branch and ex-Supercross Champion, the American Andrew Short.
The Hero Motorsports team will be pinning their hopes on an eclectic trio of Portuguese rider Joaquim Rodriguez, the Argentinian Franco Caimi and the young German Sebastian Bühler.
The quad category is also back on this 11th Silk Way Rally and promises us a splendid duel between the ever young, five times world champion and ex-Dakar winner, the Pole Rafal Sonic and the Russian Alexander Maksimov, both riding Yamaha Raptor 700s.
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Herlings on form at Arnhem International
Jeffrey Herlings took the two moto wins over the weekend at the Arnhem International in Holland to claim the overall from Brian Bogers and Max Nagle, with Cyril Genot finishing fourth overall, just over the podium.
The event served as training for Herlings, between GP events, who admits he’s still working on his starts, with an aim to do better than in Russia.
Jeffrey Herlings
“I really enjoyed myself and it was a good training for the GP. Starts have to be better, but I can get a podium, and I will try and do better than I did in Russia.”
Herlings brought home 40-championship points in the MXGP opener last weekend, after finishing 4-2, and sits second overall in the standings, behind Tim Gajser, who won both races.
Dylan Ferrandis tops High Point ProMX
Images by Jeff Kardas
Following its first break of the 2021 season the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship returned to action with its East Coast debut from legendary High Point Raceway. The third round of the summer campaign marked the sport’s return to the famed Pennsylvania venue for the first time since 2019 with the GEICO Motorcycle High Point National, where the threat of rain loomed over the afternoon but never really materialised.
High Point 2021
In the 450 Class a hard-fought, consistent afternoon was enough to put Dylan Ferrandis atop the podium for the second time this season. In the 250 Class, Jalek Swoll extended the parity in the division and broke through with his first professional victory as Jett Lawrence increased his lead in the 250 Championship.
450 Moto1
Light precipitation was present when the gate dropped on the opening 450 Class moto, where Adam Cianciarulo prevailed with the MotoSport.com Holeshot ahead of Chase Sexton and Christian Craig, who soon gave up the position to Ken Roczen, the championship leader. As Cianciarulo sprinted out to an early lead the Honda teammates engaged in a battle for second place.
450 Start
As the moto surpassed the 10-minute mark, the lead trio solidified their hold on those positions as Ferrandis gave chase from fourth. As the minutes continued to tick away the distance between the top three continued to shrink. Sexton soon closed in to within a couple bike lengths of Cianciarulo, but a mistake by Sexton not only caused the Honda rider to lose some ground, it forced Roczen into a mistake when he briefly went down and gave up third to Ferrandis.
Ferrandis and Roczen
With the threat defended, Cianciarulo gradually built a multi-second advantage over Sexton, who in turn built a comfortable margin over Ferrandis. As time ran out on the moto clock with just over three laps to go, Sexton tucked the front of his Honda and went down. As he looked to remount, both Ferrandis and Roczen were able to get by, which placed Sexton in fourth when he resumed.
Out front, Cianciarulo looked to close out his first moto win of the season with ease but was dealt with one last obstacle as a slower rider went down exiting the final corner. With nowhere to go, Cianciarulo ran over the downed motorcycle and fell over.
Adam Cianciarulo
He kept his Kawasaki running, got up, and pushed his bike across the finish line to win in unconventional fashion. Ferrandis followed five seconds behind in second as Roczen rounded out the podium in third. Sexton recovered to finish fourth as Aaron Plessinger completed the top five.
450 Moto 2
The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off as Justin Barcia emerged with the MotoSport.com Holeshot out of a gaggle of bikes. He was quickly passed by Plessinger for the early lead, while Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo followed through.
450 Start
Cianciarulo put the hammer down and made an aggressive push that carried him all the way around Plessinger and into the lead. He continued to ramp up the pace and established a multi-second advantage after just two laps. Behind him, Tomac’s first opportunity to run at the front of the field in 2021 saw him surge around Plessinger into second to put the Kawasaki riders at the top of the running order.
As the battle up front took shape the class’ title contenders made moves as well, as Ferrandis worked his way from fourth and Roczen from sixth. Both riders were urgent in their push and successfully moved into third and fourth, respectively. By the time they finished their early charge, the Kawasaki teammates were more than five seconds ahead. From there, Ferrandis and Roczen went head-to-head for third and traded the position before Ferrandis got the upper hand and asserted control of the spot.
Ken Roczen
Up front, Tomac closed onto Cianciarulo’s rear fender and a battle for the lead ensued. Tomac was able to get by, but Cianciarulo fought back and reclaimed the position. However, Tomac didn’t give up and kept the pressure on. The two came together, which pushed Cianciarulo out of a rut and allowed Tomac to move into the lead for the first time this season.
Once out front Tomac started to build an advantage over his teammate and was soon in control of the moto. As the moto surpassed the 20-minute mark Cianciarulo found himself under pressure from Ferrandis and Roczen in third and fourth. All three riders then duked it out for second and used every inch of the track in search of an advantage.
Dylan Ferrandis
As the crowd cheered them on, both Ferrandis and Roczen bullied their way around Cianciarulo, who dropped from second to fourth. That thrilling sequence also changed the battle in the overall classification, as Ferrandis moved into control of the afternoon.
For Tomac it was a dominant ride indicative of his three-year championship run. He stormed to his first moto win of the season by 3.2 seconds over Ferrandis, who was able to fend off Roczen for the entirety of the moto.
Although he missed out on a moto win, Ferrandis’ consistency was enough to vault him to the second overall victory of the season and his career via 2-2 moto finishes. Cianciarulo’s drop off the podium in the final moto relegated him to the runner-up spot by a single point (1-4), while Tomac made his first appearance on the podium this summer in third (6-1), which bumped Roczen (3-3) off the podium via tie-breaker.
Dylan Ferrandis – P1
“What a race. I don’t know (what to say), I got a good start and was able to get by Ken (Roczen), which was good because he was so fast today. It was a war (after that). Ken kept pushing me and we were able to come to Adam (Cianciarulo). It was crazy how competitive it was with them. We were going so fast and the track was so difficult. It’s just amazing to get a win here today and get a hold of the red plate again.”
Dylan Ferrandis
Adam Cianciarulo – P2
“It sure feels good to get that first moto win under my belt. I thought I had a decent sized gap in the second moto, but Eli was flying and caught me a bit off-guard. Fair play to him and the others, they rode amazing. I’m stoked with how awesome my bike has been feeling lately. I honestly believe with a little more endurance, I can be a regular winner this season. Thanks to everyone at Monster Energy Kawasaki for giving me a great bike to ride and always supporting me. We have another break coming up, but I’m ready to build off of this and get back to racing.”
Adam Cianciarulo
Eli Tomac – P3
“This was a big one for us. I’ve been in a bit of slump these last two races, so to get a win and feel like myself on the bike again is huge. After I got off the gate in Moto 2 and saw I had a good jump, I knew it was going to be a good moto. I was able to catch Adam rather quickly and once I was in the clean air, I rode my own race and started pulling away. This was an exciting race, and I can’t wait to keep this momentum rolling into RedBud. Thanks again to the entire Monster Energy Kawasaki squad for all the hard work this weekend.”
Eli Tomac
Ken Roczen – P4
“Today started off really good. I felt comfortable on the track, but we had a slightly different bike setup so in the first moto it really beat me up. I wasn’t that comfortable out there so I really couldn’t do that much. I still rode okay, but it wasn’t the best and I ended up third. In the second moto I was pinched off and had a really bad start. We did some adjustments to the bike that helped me out and I charged forward hard in the first half of the race and ended up having a good battle with Dylan [Ferrandis]. I ended up with another third place for fourth overall, which is kind of weird, but in the end, I’m okay with it because we rode really well and charged hard. That’s all we can do.”
Aaron Plessinger – P6
“This weekend had some ups and downs. I was really happy with my riding in the first moto. I got a really bad start but had a really good flow going and came back to fifth place. I went into the second moto really confident and got an awesome start, but I couldn’t really find that flow that I had in the first moto, and I dropped back to eighth. The track was really tough. There were some spots that were dry and some spots that were soft. So it was definitely weird, but we have a weekend off and will get back to work and get ready for RedBud!”
Justin Barcia – P7
“It was a little bit of a tough day. I just didn’t jive with the track that much and I never felt super comfortable. I think we’ll go back to California and work on a few things and try to be a lot better for RedBud in two weeks. All we can do is keep level-headed and be better for the next race.”
Justin Barcia
Marvin Musquin – P8
“In the first moto, the start was decent but the riding was not good enough and the feeling was not good enough so we decided to go back to some old settings on the shock and it shows, it was definitely better in the second moto. I didn’t get a good start but I was able to fight back, attack and race hard to come back to seventh place, so that was a lot better. Overall, I’m obviously not happy because we’ve been working hard and it didn’t pay off for this weekend, so we need to keep going.”
Cooper Webb – P10
“It was a bit of a struggle today. I felt like I put up a good fight in the first moto and ended up seventh. In the second moto, I got tangled on the start and I ended up crashing three times coming through the pack, so that was pretty unfortunate. Now we’ve got a weekend off and all we can do is try to improve.”
Cooper Webb
Christian Craig – P11
“I didn’t have the best day at High Point. I seemed to struggle to find good lines and had a couple of crashes, but I was able to get through with some points. We’re going to go back to work and look forward to a better RedBud.”
With the win Ferrandis also reclaimed control of the red plate as 450 Class point leader for the second time this season. He currently has a slim three-point advantage over Roczen, while Plessinger, who finished sixth on the afternoon (5-8) maintained his hold on third, 30 points out of the lead.
Honda’s Kevin Benavides might have won the tenth and final stage of the 5000 kilometre 2019 Silk Way Rally but it was a convincing overall victory for KTM’s Sam Sunderland.
Sam Sunderland
Husqvarna’s Andrew Short took second on the overall rostrum ahead of Yamaha’s Adrien Van Beveren in an event that also marked the second round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
The third round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, the Atacama Rally, will be held in Chile in early September.
Silk Way Rally Race Report
The 10th and final stage of the Silk Way Rally proved to be one of the toughest of the event. Winding its way along fast rocky tracks and through the ravines and dry river beds of the Gobi Desert, the 255-kilometre timed special required 100 percent focus right to the finish.
Kevin Benavides
The final day of competition marked a fourth stage win for Honda’s Kevin Benavides but it was still not good enough for the 30-year-old Argentinian to make the overall podium in a ten-stage rally that started in the Russian city Irkutsk, and the latter half in China. After 5000 kilometres and 26 hours of rallying the Honda man was a frustrating 36-seconds short of the podium.
Kevin Benavides – P4
“I had a good stage, I won the special, but it was not enough. I narrowly missed out on the podium and I’m left with a bittersweet taste. On the final balance sheet I come away happy because I won four stages, more than any other participants. I felt fine and showed good speed. I was able to ride fast despite the adversities, even on the day when I had the problem with the brake support. I lost time there and also made a navigation error. Those 40 minutes could have changed things a lot. I was very close to getting on the podium today with this final stage, but in general I am happy because I felt good and have worked very hard. We need to keep working and improve on the final result.”
Kevin Benavides
Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team rider Adrien Van Beveren secured a well-deserved third-place result on his WR450F Rally finishing just 39 seconds from the runner-up position.
The longest and one of the most anticipated events of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, the 2019 Silk Way Rally proved to be every bit as challenging as competitors expected it to be. Allowing motorcycles to compete for the very first time, the ‘unknown’ event and it’s Dakar-mirroring 10-day schedule not only provided a stunning array of landscapes and terrain but also numerous long days in the saddle and day-after-day of demanding navigation.
Looking to build on his winning result from the Merzouga Rally, Adrien Van Beveren, like many, was curious to explore the world championship’s most easterly round and return to competition at a race that would unquestionably deliver multiple challenges. Cautiously working his way through the wet and muddy opening stages in Russia, Van Beveren stuck to his plan of taking no risks and moving onto the Mongolian stages ready to increase his speed.
The fast and flowing open tracks of Mongolia went well for Van Beveren, who improved his position in the overall standings with a fourth-place result on stage four and a fifth-place result on stage five. Completing the final Mongolian stage in eighth, as the competition crossed the border into China he held eighth overall.
Specifically targeting the final three stages of the event as the place where he would increase his pace in a bid to secure a podium result, Van Beveren immediately hit his stride in the sands of the Gobi Desert. Second and just 42 seconds from victory on stage eight he again placed as runner-up on the event’s penultimate stage nine meaning that he sat less than one-minute behind the second-placed rider with all to play for on the final day.
Confident of a strong final day result, Van Beveren attacked the stage and by the refuelling point was leading having moved into a virtual second overall. Frustratingly, with only a handful of kilometres to go he made a small navigational mistake, which handed back time to his closest rival. Although finishing the stage second, Van Beveren wasn’t quite able to do enough to take second overall. Nevertheless, he completed the 5,000km event in a strong third position.
Adrien Van Beveren – P3
“I’m very pleased with the way the Silk Way Rally has finished for me. The last few days, which have been the toughest and most technical of the race with very challenging navigation, have been very good. I pushed hard during the second half of the rally and I’m really happy that I finished on the podium. As always a real team effort. Initially, when today’s stage finished I wasn’t totally pleased because I was pushing for second overall and didn’t quite manage to take that position. I rode a very good stage today, I had almost taken back the time I needed to move ahead of Andrew Short in the overall, but then I made a small navigational error and lost four or five minutes. But finishing on the podium is the most important thing. The race has been very long and difficult for everyone in the team, and also with a very strong entry. So again, to finish on the podium is very pleasing. No one really knew what to expect from this race before the start, but it has been incredible – very difficult but also very enjoyable and interesting.”
Husqvarna’s Andrew Short claimed his best ever result in an FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship event by placing second overall in the 2019 Silk Way Rally.
Andrew Short
Short’s victory on stage nine meant he was given the unenviable task of opening the timed special on the final day of competition. With a narrow advantage of just 51 seconds over his nearest rival going into the closing stage, the American had to push for the entire 255 kilometres to defend his runner-up position, which he did successfully.
Although Short didn’t top the final day’s times, he did however lead the special from start-to-finish and set a time that was just enough to retain his second overall position in the provisional standings, by a slender 39-seconds. Gaining experience and confidence throughout the rally, Andrew was able to put his high-speed skills to good use on the final Chinese stages, going on to claim not only his best ever world championship result but also moving up to second overall in the provisional FIM Cross-Country Rallies championship standings.
Andrew Short
Andrew Short – P2
“I’m really exciting to finish the race how I did. For me, the rally didn’t start so well, it took me a little time to get comfortable with the speed among the trees, rocks and water in Russia. Overall, I kept improving as the rally went on and for me to finish where I did is better than expected. A lot of cool things happened for me in this rally – I got my first ever stage win and then today I was given the opportunity to open a stage for the first time. My navigation has been good for the whole rally, and I definitely think that has enabled my rhythm to improve. I feel more comfortable on the bike and the team have been perfect. From here I hope I can continue to gain confidence and momentum and be even stronger at the next race.”
Andrew Short
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland has won the Silk Way Rally – round two of the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
Sam Sunderland wins the Silk Way Rally ahead of Andrew Short and Adrien Van Beveren
Sam Sunderland, having ridden superbly in terms of speed and navigation through Russia and Mongolia, created a comfortable advantage at the head of the overall motorcycle class when the rally entered China. Using his extensive skill and experience, he put in a champion’s ride to maintain a fast and largely mistake-free pace and carried his lead to the final stage of the event, finally claiming outright victory.
Sam Sunderland
With no fewer than three stage wins – one having opened stage five – Sam’s dominant performance at the Silk Way Rally gives him his second consecutive victory in this year’s FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship to extend his lead with two rounds left to race.
Sam Sunderland
Sam Sunderland – P1
“It’s really cool to take the win here in China. I’m really happy with the job done by myself and the team – it wouldn’t have been possible without this big effort from everyone to come to Russia, Mongolia and now China. It’s been a huge adventure and one that we’ll all remember for a long time, that’s for sure. For me I’m so happy to get the win, it makes it two-out-of-two this championship and it’s a really important one because of the points earned this round. I felt really good at the beginning of the event and was able to create a good gap. I felt a bit sick during the middle stages but was able to manage the race and stay on a good pace right to the end. I’m really pleased for Andrew, who has ridden a great race, and also Luciano and Laia. Now I’m looking forward to a bit of rest.”
Sam Sunderland
2019 Silk Way Rally Results
SUNDERLAND Sam GBR Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team 26:12’47
SHORT Andrew USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing +20’22
VAN BEVEREN Adrien FRA Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team +21’01
BENAVIDES Kevin ARG Monster Energy Honda Team +21’37
BENAVIDES Luciano ARG KTM Factory Racing Team +36’50
MENA Oriol SPA Hero Motorsports Team Rally +51’50
SANZ Laia SPA Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +1:56’26
TOMICZEK Adam POL KTM Orlen Rally Team +2:08’04
BARREDA Joan SPA Monster Energy Honda Team +2:54’25
GIEMZA Maciej POL KTM Orlen Rally Team +3:10’31
Provisional FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship Standings
Australia strong in 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
Team Australia fourth in U21 Speedway World Championship
AORC final Rounds 10 & 11 move to Hedley, Victoria
Briar Bauman dominates New York Short Track
Images by Scott Hunter
Briar Bauman rebounded from his worst result of the 2019 American Flat Track season at the Lima Half-Mile, where a mechanical DNF took a bite out of his championship lead, by scoring a dominant victory at the 2019 New York Short Track held at Weedsport Speedway.
American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
Rather than allow the pressure to cause additional difficulties to escalate following the disappointing previous round, the championship leader responded with perhaps the most convincing performance of his standout ‘19 campaign.
Briar Bauman – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
At the start of the 30-lap Main Event, the recently rejuvenated Jeffrey Carver Jr. squeezed past Bauman and his brother, Bronson Bauman, to lead the opening lap. But before Carver could even contemplate the possibility of completing his career Grand Slam with a maiden Short Track win, Bauman blasted back by and ripped open a gap at the front.
Bronson Bauman – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
Smooth and in control throughout, Bauman took the win with 3.589 seconds in hand. Despite the result representing his eighth podium (and seventh top two) in nine Main Events this season, the victory was Bauman’s first since his triumphant season opener.
Briar Bauman
“I’ve got to thank my team — they bust their butts during the week. The bike was insane… today we showed up and didn’t change a thing and we were good all day. It just feels good. It feels like it’s been a whole season since I got a win. Seconds are really cool… ‘I know there’s nothing’s wrong with silver’ — said the great Ricky Bobby — but I’m just glad to get a win again.”
Briar Bauman – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
Carver backed up his first podium of the year with a second consecutive runner-up result. He was followed to the stripe by Short Track standout Henry Wiles in third. Bronson Bauman extended his streak of top fives to three with a fourth-place finish, while Robert Pearson secured his best result of the season in fifth.
Jeffrey Carver Jr. – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
Meanwhile, multi-time time defending AFT Twins champ Jared Mees could manage just seventh on the night. As a result, Bauman stretched his advantage back out to 26 points (170-144) as the title fight reached its halfway point.
Briar Bauman topped the AFT Twins podium from Carver and Wiles – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
AFT Twins Main Event – New York Short Track 2019
Briar Bauman, 30 Laps, 0:18.795
Jeffrey Carver Jr. +3.589
Henry Wiles +4.983
Bronson Bauman +7.111
Robert Pearson +8.734
Davis Fisher +12.466
Jared Mees +14.310
Brandon Robinson +15.296
Brandon Price +15.498
Bryan Smith +16.911
2019 American Flat Track – AFT Twins Standings
Briar Bauman 170
Jared Mees 144
Brandon Robinson 119
Bronson Bauman 116
Henry Wiles 113
Jeffrey Carver Jr. 110
Jarod Vanderkooi 93
Robert Pearson 92
Sammy Halbert 81
Jake Johnson 79
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Dalton Gauthier claims AFT Singles win
Images by Scott Hunter
Dalton Gauthier took maximum advantage of the opportunity before him in the 20-lap AFT Singles Main Event. Pre-race title leader Mikey Rush was forced to watch from the fences after he failed to make the Main, finishing 0.135 seconds short of a qualifying position in his semi. And since Rush competed in the premier AFT Twins class in 2018, he earned no AFT Singles points and thus had no provisional start to call upon.
American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
As a result, Gauthier fully capitalized. The ‘Comeback Kid’ dropped down the order early despite starting from pole, but he quickly demonstrated the speed he used to earn that starting slot in the first place.
He exploded through a tight, back-and-forth pack contesting the lead and escaped from that early chaos to power to his second victory of the season and reclaim the AFT Singles championship lead in the process.
Dalton Gauthier
“I picked up a lot of confidence tonight, and it’s definitely going to help us with this championship. The day went off so good. I was fast in practice and qualifying and felt really comfortable. I can’t thank Jimmy Wood at Öhlins enough for helping us out with our shock and our suspension. He was a gamesaver, and I felt so much more comfortable than I had before on this bike. And my mom’s here for her first National ever – it’s awesome to win in front of her.”
Dalton Gauthier – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
Morgen Mischler put in a late charge, slashing his way through the same talented pack Gauthier diced through earlier in the race, to work up to second position. Mischler even managed to dramatically close down the gap to Gauthier but ultimately ran out of laps, coming up 0.413 short of the victory at the checkered flag.
He was followed home by reigning class champion Dan Bromley. Just behind, Kevin Stollings finished fourth while Bromley’s teammate, Shayna Texter, completed the top five.
Dan Bromley – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
As a result of Saturday’s pivotal outcome, Gauthier now leads Rush in the AFT Singles championship chase 169-156. Defending champ Bromley remains in close contention at 151 points thanks to his remarkable consistency, despite still seeking the first Main Event victory of his title defense.
AFT Singles Main Event – New York Short Track 2019
Dalton Gauthier, 20 Laps, 0:18.888
Morgen Mischler +0.413
Dan Bromley +1.953
Kevin Stollings +3.593
Shayna Texter +3.706
Andrew Luker +4.431
Cole Zabala +5.548
Tanner Dean +6.026
James Rispoli +7.527
Jesse Janisch +8.616
2019 American Flat Track – AFT Singles Standings
Dalton Gauthier 169
Mikey Rush 156
Dan Bromley 151
Jesse Janisch 138
Ryan Wells 111
Shayna Texter 108
Chad Cose 91
Morgen Mischler 90
Kevin Stollings 79
Max Whale 72
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Andrew Short wins Silk Way Rally Stage 9 Sam Sunderland leads into final
Stage 9 of the 2019 Silk Way Rally has just been won by Andrew Short, while Sam Sunderland heads into the final in the lead, with a 23-minute lead over Short, but it’s been a long journey to get this far.
Sam Sunderland looks like a shoe-in for the win, following strong performance throughout the nine stages so far, while Andrew Short and Adrien Van Beveren are only separated by a minute heading into the final stage. Kevin Benavides is a further two-minutes behind Beveren, ensuring he’s well within reach of a podium position.
Here’s a quick recap of the action so far…
Andrew Short – Silk Way Rally 2019
The Silk Way Rally kicked off in Serbia, where heavy rain ensured challenging conditions for the opening stage, with Honda’s Kevin Benavides claiming the stage win from Luciano Benavides and Xavier de Soultrait.
Stage 2 was held in Russia to the south-east of Lake Baikal, featuring a 212km timed special and saw Sam Sunderland close down the lead on Kevin Benavides with a stage win.
Stage 3 saw the Silk Way Rally cross into Mongolia with the finish close to Ulan Bator, with 691km travelled including a 243km timed special, reaching altitudes of 1500m and mixed terrain of forested foothills and open mountain passes. Kevin Benavides claimed the stage win, from Joan Barreda and Luciano Benavides, with Sam Sunderland fourth.
Luciano Benavides – Silk Way Rally 2019
It proved to be KTM’s stage for the fourth iteration marking the first of a two-part marathon with only riders able to work on their bikes overnight, with Sunderland and Luciano Benavides taking the 1-2, propelling them into the same positions in the standings.
Sunderland opened Stage 5 on the back of his Stage 4 victory, leading riders across the plains of Mongolia to extend his lead to 13-minutes. Luciano Benavides and Kevin Benavides held onto second and third in the standings.
Sam Sunderland – Silk Way Rally 2019
Sam Sunderland further extended his lead in Stage 6, covering 411km across fast, open gravel roads which criss-crossed the stage, with many riders getting caught out by a tricky waypoint. Sunderland had to settle for fourth, with Oriol Mena taking the stage win and moving into second in the standings.
Stage 7 saw the Silk Way Rally arrive in China, with just three more stages to go following Sunderland’s win from Oriol Mena and Luciano Benavides.
Heading into Stage 8 Sunderland was confident in the lead with a 785km distance to travel, including a 326km timed special which included the dunes of the Gobi Desert. It proved Kevin Benavides who would take the stage win however, from Adrien Van Beveren and Paulo Goncalves, with Sam Sunderland settling for eighth despite an early crash, and retaining a 25-minute lead.
Sam Sunderland – Silk Way Rally 2019
It was Andrew Short however, who rode a faultless Stage 9 of the 2019 Silk Way Rally to post the fastest time and elevate himself to second in the provisional overall standings. Mastering the rough and physical timed special while navigating accurately through the stage, Short completed the 290.3-kilometres in less than four hours. The stage covered rough, sandy roads and camel grass covered dunes, with navigation proving a challenge for many riders.
Andrew Short
“Stage nine was really good for me today. I knew it would cover really similar terrain to yesterday so I had a little better idea of what to expect. With my start position I had a lot of tracks laid down ahead of me but at times those tracks would split up. I navigated well and always chose the right direction. My pace to the refuel was really good and then after that I was able to keep to a good speed and again, where other people had made mistakes, I was able to make the right choices and push on to the finish. I’m happy with how the day has gone and really happy with my performance.”
Andrew Short – Silk Way Rally 2019
Enjoying a comfortable motorcycle class lead as the rally entered China due to his dominant performance through Russia and Mongolia, Sam Sunderland knew he had to simply maintain a strong but steady pace to stay ahead. Keeping things safe, the British rider controlled the race from the front, doing exactly what he had to do to defend his lead. Finishing fourth, Sunderland now leads the overall standings by close to 23 minutes.
Sam Sunderland
“I think they definitely saved the toughest till last because the two days in China so far have been super physical. The tracks have been really technical with a lot of broken rivers and washes coming through the piste. It makes it really difficult to find a good rhythm and of course the temperature here is much hotter. For me personally, after a good run through Russia and Mongolia these last few days were about just managing my pace. Obviously yesterday I got caught out which was frustrating, with a lead like I have the goal should be to take things easy and not take any risks, but I clipped a rock and got thrown off. Today I kept a cool head, in fact I saw Andrew just before the refuel and he was riding really well. I tagged onto him for a bit but in the end just decided to keep my own pace and bring it home at the end of the day.”
Sam Sunderland – Silk Way Rally 2019
Benavides, after the Stage 8 win, was forced to open the track. The Argentinean was making swift progress until he was caught by other riders who arrived back at the Jiayuguan bivouac in a group. Barreda, meanwhile, sought to maintain a fast pace in spite of not feeling very much at ease on the terrain, and sits 2.5-minutes off third placed Adrien Van Beveren heading into the final.
Kevin Benavides
“Today was a hard day, more than yesterday. There was a lot of navigation and offroad until kilometre 130. Opening the stage was a tough task in the stage with the most navigation of all. I felt good, I liked the terrain and I pushed hard throughout. The others didn’t catch me up until the end of that navigational phase. I let Van Beveren pass in front of me to be able to push hard again after the refuelling. I think it was good for both of us and we ended up happy with each other after having pushed the whole stage. And for tomorrow? Well, let’s go for it. In rally you never know what could occur. Until the final kilometre everything can happen.”
Kevin Benavides – Silk Way Rally 2019
Provisional Standings After Stage Nine – 2019 Silk Way Rally
Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 23:27:27
Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 23:50:18 +22:51
Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 23:51:09 +23:42
Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 23:53:35 +26:08
Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 24:01:45 +34:18
Provisional Standings After Stage Nine – 2019 Silk Way Rally
Sam Sunderland (KTM) 23:27:27
Andrew Short (Husqvarna) 23:50:18
Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) 23:51:09
Kevin Benavides (Honda) 23:53:35
Luciano Benavides (KTM) 24:01:45
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Toni Bou claims 2019 Portuguese TrialGP victory
Toni Bou has repeated his 2018 efforts, claiming the 2019 Portuguese TrialGP victory, where last year he took his 100th TrialGP World Championship victory. 2019 sees Bou increase that figure to 110, with teammate Takahisa Fujinami coming home in fifth, a point shy of fourth.
Toni Bou – TrialGP 2019 – Portugal, Round 5
The fifth round of the TrialGP world championship, held today in Gouveia, Portugal was marked by roasting temperatures and very demanding sections located amongst the boulders of the Parque de Nostra Senhora los Verdes.
Repsol Honda Team ace Toni Bou suffered considerably in the gruelling Portuguese trial. In spite of a first lap which saw Bou make several mistakes and pick-up a penalty for exceeding the lap time limit, the champion was nevertheless able to stage a comeback on lap two to take his win tally to 110 out of 210 world championship participations. This, the fifth victory of the season increases Bou’s overall lead to 22 points over the nearest second-place rival.
Toni Bou
“Today was a very tough trial. It was a very positive weekend, with the type of terrain that we like a lot. We rode a very good second round through the sections, so we leave here with a very good taste in our mouths. We will try to be fully recovered for France to be able to have a good trial. We know that, if we win, I will be champion, something really impressive, but the important thing is to have a great trial. I am very happy and I want to thank the whole team because this week they have done a great job.”
Toni Bou – TrialGP 2019 – Portugal, Round 5
The next TrialGP world championship outing, the sixth points-paying round, will be held next weekend in Auron, France, July 20-21.
Toni Bou topped the podium from Adam Raga and Jeroni Fajardo – TrialGP 2019 – Portugal, Round 5
TrialGP of Portugal 2019 results
BOU, Toni (SPA) 25
RAGA, Adam (SPA) 32
FAJARDO, Jeroni (SPA) 36
CASALES, Jorge (SPA) 39
FUJINAMI, Takahisa (JPN) 40
2019 TrialGP Standings – Top 5
BOU, Toni 120
RAGA, Adam 98
FAJARDO, Jeroni 82
FUJINAMI, Takahisa 77
DABILL, James 60
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Round 7 of the 2019 MX Nationals kicked off over the weekend, with Luke Clout claiming a double-win in the opening motos, with Brett Metcalfe and Kirk Gibbs completing the top three over the combined results, while the final moto of the weekend for full points saw Kirk Gibbs claim victory. Clout was runner up in the final moto but, secured 67-points for the weekend and the round win, while Gibbs was two points in arrears and Hayden Mellross was third overall on 58-points.
Luke Clout and CDR Yamaha team-mate Kirk Gibbs – Image by Bella Maurer
The result sees Clout leave Round 7 with a nine-point lead from Mellross, who is three-points ahead of Todd Waters. Kirk Gibbs sits in fourth with 312-points, to Clout’s leading 397.
Luke Clout
“The team did a great job today and the bikes were awesome. It showed in the results with Kirk and I winning all three races and going 1-2 for the day that CDR Yamaha really do the work. Looking forward to the next round at Moree in a couple of weeks and want to keep this momentum rolling all the way through to the final corner at Coolum.”
Luke Clout – Image by Bella Maurer
MX1 Round 7 Overall – Top 10
Pos
Rider
Total
R1
R2
1
Luke Clout
67
35
32
2
Kirk Gibbs
65
30
35
3
Hayden Mellross
58
28
30
4
Todd Waters
53
25
28
5
Brett Metcalfe
52
32
20
6
Dylan Long
51
26
25
7
Jayden Rykers
47
24
23
8
Caleb Ward
44
22
22
9
Connor Tierney
44
23
21
10
Richie Evans
41
17
24
MX1 Standings – Top 10
Pos
Name
Total
1
Luke Clout
397
2
Hayden Mellross
388
3
Todd Waters
385
4
Kirk Gibbs
312
5
Jayden Rykers
300
6
Brett Metcalfe
293
7
Justin Rodbell
287
8
Jesse Dobson
258
9
Richie Evans
258
10
Lawson Bopping
215
MX2
In the MX2 class it was Nathan Crawford who claimed the moto 1 win from Kyle Webster and Jay Wilson, while the final moto saw a turn-around as Kyle Webster came out on top, with championship leader Wilson Todd crashing and having to fight his way back to sixth. The result saw Webster and Crawford tied on 67-points for the weekend overall – while Webster took top honours, with Jay Wilson third on 58-points.
Nathan Crawford – Image by Bella Maurer
Wilson Todd continues to lead the standings despite disappointment in moto 2, with 397 championship points. Kyle Webster is just 10-points behind, while third places Jay Wilson likewise has a 10-point decificit.
Kyle Webster
“I’m stoked I got the race win and that gave me the overall round win on a tie-breaker, which is awesome. It’s the best feeling to get another overall win, and the best way to thank everyone on the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team and all the sponsors for their support. With three rounds to go, it’s going to be an exciting finish to the Championship and I’m just going to keep doing what I have been doing. I don’t want to change anything.”
Kyle Webster – Image by Bella Maurer
MX2 Round 7 Overall – Top 10
Pos
Rider
Total
R1
R2
1
Kyle Webster
67
32
35
2
Nathan Crawford
67
35
32
3
Jay Wilson
58
30
28
4
Aaron Tanti
56
26
30
5
Wilson Todd
53
28
25
6
Dylan Wills
48
24
24
7
Morgan Fogarty
45
22
23
8
Cooper Pozniak
43
21
22
9
Ricky Latimer
43
23
20
10
Luke Reardon
41
20
21
MX2 Standings – Top 10
Pos
Name
Total
1
Wilson Todd
397
2
Kyle Webster
387
3
Jay Wilson
377
4
Nathan Crawford
339
5
Aaron Tanti
328
6
Dylan Wills
304
7
Bailey Malkiewicz
280
8
Ricky Latimer
252
9
Cooper Pozniak
249
10
Morgan Fogarty
243
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Tim Gajser won the MXGP of Asia in Indonesia with another perfect performance and 1-1 race results, marking his seventh Grand Prix win in a row, making the red plate owner has become the most successful Honda rider of all time for GP wins in a row. He also extended his points lead to 173 points over Jeremy Seewer who is now second in the points. Second overall was Arnaud Tonus and third place went to Jeremy Seewer.
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Tim Gajser
“Unbelievable, I was enjoying that second race so much and that is the most important thing. I took the FOX Holeshot and I controlled the second race. I had a big crash yesterday and I got a lot of help with that from people around me. After the crash yesterday in time practice I was struggling a little bit, I had a good start in the first race, made a gap and I was enjoying it out there. I am very happy to go home safe, that is the most important thing.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Arnaud Tonus
“We had a tough time last week in Palembang, but we rebounded today with a second place and I didn’t have a good feeling yesterday, so it is amazing for the team and it feels even better when you have struggled. I really like coming to these races, the people are so excited to see us, and we are always welcomed very well.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Jeremy Seewer
“It is safe to say that I am now second in the championship, I saw some sketchy crashes and I didn’t want to take risk and I knew I would have been on the podium and got a lot of point. I told my practice mechanic I would bring back the black plate (holeshot award) and I did that. I look forward to the next Grand Prix’s now.”
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
MXGP – GP Classification Top 10
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 42
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 38
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 32
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 29
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 28
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 26
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 25
Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 23
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 22 …14. Lewis Stewart (AUS) 16 …16. Adam Coles (AUS) 11 …17. Joel Milesevic (AUS) 9
MXGP Championship Standings Top 10
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 538 points
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 365
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 358
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 346
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 343
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 299
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 288
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 271
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 268
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 243 …26. Lewis Stewart (AUS) 29 …29. Adam Coles (AUS) 22 …40. Joel Milesevic (AUS) 9
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MX2
Jorge Prado won the MX2 class overall at the MXGP of Asia in Indonesia, with the Spanish rider scoring 1-1 results and extending his championship points lead over Thomas Kjer Olsen to 78 points. Second overall at Semarang was Tom Vialle and third overall was Calvin Vlaanderen.
MX2 Start – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Jorge Prado
“I am happy about the weekend. I went first in every single session. It is a good feeling to come to Indonesia and win both races. I felt good and I enjoyed today. It is good to be on the podium, on the top step of the box. I had a very good jump out of the gate in the first race, but I braked too much and two guys passed me. I made a pass early on Olsen and I am enjoying the track way more today. I was looking forward to the second race and it was a good one, I pulled away and put it in cruise control. I had some sketchy moments so I took it easy as I felt a little dizzy.”
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Tom Vialle
“It is good for the team and all the hard work. Second again on the podium, it is fantastic, and I am very happy. The first race was good for me following Jorge, but then I made a mistake. The second race I didn’t have a good rhythm and I just tried to control myself to be sure to be on the podium.”
Tom Vialle – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Calvin Vlaanderen
“First podium of the year. It feels good to be back and I didn’t expect it as it is just my second race back. I recovered well during the week. Renaux was riding really well and he was catching me, then I started thinking of the podium and he passed me. I want to thank the team for being behind me and also my girlfriend and everyone back home. We spent some time in Bali between the races and I got to do some surfing and really enjoyed that. I enjoy coming to these races, but am looking forward to heading back to Europe too.”
Calvin Vlaanderen – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
MX2 Grand Prix Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 40
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 36
Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 35
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 28
Mathys Boisrame (FRA, HON), 28
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 28
Brent Van doninck (BEL, HON), 26
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 26
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 23
MX2 – World Championship Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 544 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 466
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 366
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 360
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 335
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 246
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 242
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 228
Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 227
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 220
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2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Champions crowned
The 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Champions were crowned at the Italian track of Il Ciclamino where Italians Mattia Guadagnini and Valerio Lata were the 125cc and 85cc World Champions respectively, while Vitezslav Marek from Czech Republic was the best in the 65cc class. Team Italy dominated the Nations classification, followed by France and UK.
Ky Woods – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
Dutch rider Lotte Van Drunen took the first FOX Holeshot of the day while the Australian Ky Woods dominated the first laps ahead of the Dutch rider Lotte Van Drunen, the Czech Vitezslav Marek, Gyan Doensen, Salvador Perez and home rider Edoardo Martinelli. The young Australian rider dominated the 8 laps of race one and crossed the finish line five-seconds ahead of Marek and Van Drunen. Martinelli was forth and Boughen completed the top five.
Vitezslav Marek – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
It was the British rider Ashton Boughen who was first at the start of race two, closely followed by Perez and Van Drunen. The winner of race one Ky Woods did not have a good start, but was already third by the end of the first lap. The Czech rider Marek had an unfortunate start but gave his best to move from seventh to the lead after five laps, and he kept the first position until the end followed by Minear and Woods.
The huge effort of Vitezslav Marek in race 2 paid off as the Czech rider won the 65cc World Title with Australian Ky Woods on the second step of the podium and Lotte Van Druden from the Netherlands completing the top three.
MX65 Podium 1) Vitezslav Marek, 2) Ky Woods, 3) Lotte Van Drunen – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
65cc Junior World Cup Overall Top Ten
MAREK Vitezslav – CZE KTM – 47
WOODS Ky – AUS KTM – 45
VAN DRUNEN Lotte – NED KTM – 38
MINEAR Kayden – AUS KTM – 35
MARTINELLI Edoardo – ITA Husqvarna – 34
DOENSEN Gyan – NED KTM – 29
PEREZ Salvador – SPA Yamaha – 27
BOUGHEN Ashton – GBR Husqvarna – 26
RYBAKOV Semen – RUS Ktm – 20
MARTORANO Paolo – ITA KTM – 18
MX85 Start – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
Latvian rider Karlis Alberts Reisulis took the FOX holeshot of the first 85cc race, ahead of home riders Matteo Luigi Russi and Valerio Lata, Lucas Bruhn, Maximilian Ernecker, Edvards Bidzans and American Nicholas Romano. After a few turns there was a change of leader and Valerio Lata commanded the 13 laps to win the first 85cc race, followed by his compatriot Matteo Luigi Russi and Karlis Alberts Reisulis.
Valerio Lata – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
A very motivated Lata started at the front in race 2, followed by his compatriot Russi, who crashed in the second turn; Grau was then second and the Bruhn was third. Once again home rider Lata kept the lead with an amazing determination until the end of the race and claimed the 85cc World Title with superb authority. Bidzans was second and Prugnieres third.
Valerio Lata was on the top of the 85cc podium to collect the gold medal, while Edvards Bidzans from Latvia and Matteo Luigi Russi from Italy received the silver and bronze medals respectively.
MX85 Podium 1) Valerio Lata, 2) Edvards Bidzans, Matteo Russi – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
85cc Junior World Championship Overall Top Ten
LATA Valerio – ITA KTM – 50
BIDZANS Edvards – LAT Husqvarna – 40
RUSSI Matteo Luigi – ITA KTM – 38
PRUGNIERES Quentin – FRA KTM – 35
REISULIS Karlis Alberts – LAT KTM – 33
GRAU Maxime – FRA KTM – 32
ROMANO Nicholas – USA KTM – 30
CANET Edgar – SPA KTM – 27
HEYMAN Charlie – GBR Husqvarna – 20
GUILLEMOT SCHEID – David FRA KTM – 19
Race 1 of the 125cc saw Joel Rizzi taking the holeshot followed by Simon Langenfelder, the Meico Vettik, Max Palssson, Mattia Guadagnini and Samuel Nilsson. However, after just one lap the current leader of the EMX125 Championship Mattia Guadagnini took the lead and kept it until the end. Tom Guyon from France did not have a good start but managed to finish second and Mike Gwerder ended third.
Mattia Guadagnini – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
Guadagnini was determined to win the second and final race of the 125cc class and he managed to have a perfect start claiming the FOX holeshot and taking the lead, but Guyon was right after the Italian wheel. Behind them there were Gwerder, Osterhagen, Rizzi and Langenfelder. Half way through the race Guyon succeeded in overtaking Guadagnini, but after a few meters the Italian bounced back taking advantage of an error of the Frenchman and took the lead which he kept until the chequered flag.
Mattia Guadagnini became the 125cc Junior World Champion with a 1-1 result, and Tom Guyon and Mike Gwerder completed the podium.
MX125 Podium 1) Mattia Guadagnini, 2) Tom Guyon, 3) Mike Gwerder – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
125cc Junior World Championship Overall Top 10
GUADAGNINI Mattia – ITA Husqvarna – 50
GUYON Tom – FRA FFM KTM – 44
GWERDER Mike – SUI FMS KTM – 40
LANGENFELDER Simon – GER DMSB KTM – 33
RIZZI Joel – GBR ACU KTM – 29
MC LELLAN Camden – RSA KTM – 28
WADE Eddie Jay – GBR KTM – 28
NILSSON Samuel – SPA KTM – 24
PALSSON Max – SWE KTM – 21
MIOT Florian – FRA Yamaha – 20
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Australia strong in FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
Team Australia put on a strong showing in the World Junior Motocross Championship (WJMX) in 2019, which was held in Pietramurata, Italy over the weekend. The green and gold riders fared particularly well in the 65cc World MX Junior Cup, with KTM riders Ky Woods and Kayden Minear finishing second and fourth respectively.
Team Australia – 2019 World Junior Motocross – Image by Mark Willingham
Boasting some of the world’s best junior motocross riders, the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship saw Aussies represented across all three classes (65, 85, and 125cc). Although they were unable to successfully defend Australia’s Team of Nations trophy won on home soil at Horsham in Victoria, the team that traveled to Italy acquitted themselves brilliantly, finishing ninth overall.
Mark Willingham – Team Australia Team Manager
“Really happy with the effort from all the riders. Similar to some previous years our 65cc class riders were amazing, and then we see the strength of the European racing program really shine through in the 85 and 125 classes. “From my perspective, Team Australia had one of the best set ups we’ve ever provided on site to ensure the riders had everything they needed. With our main section arranged under the Diga Racing truck we had a full catering service for our meals along with their experience and guidance. On top of this our Yamaha riders were provided services from Yamaha Europe’s official race trucks, which was a result of all the effort the Aussies arranged last year welcoming the European riders at Horsham. In the end Team Australia finished up 9th in the standings, and were the first team home that was unable to score points in all three classes.”
Ryder Kingsford (Yamaha) and Campbell Williams (KTM) also made it to the finals, finishing in 13th and 24th places in the 85cc class. Also representing Australia were Alex Larwood (Yamaha,125cc), and Blake Fox (KTM, 125cc).
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Team Australia fourth in U21 Speedway World Championship
Team Australia have claimed fourth in the 2019 FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship final over the weekend, which was held in Manchester, England. The Joeys came in behind Poland, Great Britain and Denmark, with 21-points. Poland was crowned World Champions with 41-points, to take their sixth consecutive gold medal.
Team Australia, the Joeys – 2019 FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship – Image by Ian Charles
Great Britain and Denmark battled it out for the runner-up position, with the UK coming out ahead by two-points, with 33 to Denmark’s 31-points.
The Joey’s lack of international experience turned out to be their ‘chink in their armour’, while a late flurry of points in the closing stages on the meeting came with some relief as Captain Jaimon Lidsey and Jordan Stewart won their remaining races proving they have the abilities to compete with best of their age brackets.
Mark Lemon – Team Australia Team Manager
“A podium place was always going to be big ask for the young speedsters. However, ultimately, they did themselves and their country proud, gaining invaluable experience that will serve them well in the future. They can be very proud of efforts in reaching the final. We would like to thank everyone who sent messages and showed their support, and special mention to CBS Bins from Adelaide for their continued and generous sponsorship the team, our travel partners ATPI, Motorcycling Australia and Sport Australia,”
2019 FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship – Image by Ian Charles
Great Britain 33: Robert Lambert 20, Dan Bewley 11, Drew Kemp 2, Kyle Bickley 0, Leon Flint 0
Denmark 31: Mads Hansen 11, Fredrik Jakobsen 8, Patrick Hansen 6, Jonas Jeppesen 6
Australia 21: Jaimon Lidsey 12, Jordan Stewart 5,Kye Thomson 2,Matthew Gilmore 1, Zach Cook 1
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AORC final Rounds 10 & 11 move to Hedley, Victoria
The Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship has announced that the final rounds originally scheduled to be held in Penshurst, in Victoria have been moved due to council and agricultural restrictions.
Daniel Milner at the AORC 2018 Hedley Round 3
Instead Rounds 10 & 11 will be co-hosted by the Geelong Motocross Club and Corner Inlet Motorcycle Club in Hedley, Victoria over September 14-15 (2019).
Special consideration for the location was made to minimise disruption and ensure minimal additional travel distance, while retaining a Victorian round.
Hedley will feature a Cross Country racing format for Round 10, followed by Sprints for Round 11. Further information on the final rounds and accommodation can be found at the AORC website – www.aorc.org.au (link). Entries will open shortly for Rounds 10 & 11.
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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.”
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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.
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