The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship made its first east coast stop of the 2019 at the High Point National for Round 4, with High Point having become a Father’s Day tradition, and saw Eli Tomac come-from-behind in both motos to take his second 450 victory of the season.
In the 250s Adam Cianciarulo kept his winning streak alive by capturing his fourth consecutive victory, taking the win with a 2-1 result from Hunter Lawrence with a 1-3.
450 Moto 1
As the gate dropped for the opening 450 moto, it was Blake Baggett who emerged with the holeshot ahead of Cooper Webb, Joey Savatgy and Eli Tomac. With Baggett out front, the defending champion Tomac quickly went to work and managed to cross the opening lap second, followed by Webb in third.
Baggett set a blistering pace early in the race as he attempted to breakaway from the field, but Tomac matched his pace and started to inch his way up to the KTM riders rear fender. As Tomac looked to make a move on Lap 4, he made a costly mistake that shuffled him back into the fourth position, allowing Webb and Jason Anderson to slip by.
On Lap 6, Baggett continued upping his pace by breaking into the 2:02 lap times, which allowed him to build a comfortable lead over his championship rivals. Webb began to fall under heavy pressure from both Anderson and Tomac, losing second to Anderson on Lap 7 and third to a hard charging Tomac just one lap later.
Baggett was dominant as he took his first moto victory since the 2017 High Point National, winning by 9.8 seconds. Anderson rode to an impressive runner-up finish, giving him his best moto result of the season. Tomac rebounded to finish third.
450 Moto 2
The deciding 450 Class moto saw Savatgy take his first holeshot of the season ahead of Webb and Justin Barcia. Webb immediately attacked Savatgy heading into turn two, taking over the race lead. At the completion of the opening lap it was Webb, Savatgy and Anderson out front, while first moto winner Baggett found himself buried deep in the pack.
Webb put his head down and went to work as he looked to rebound from a challenging first moto, however, Savatgy had other plans as he matched the leaders pace and kept the gap to within a couple of seconds.
Championship point leader Ken Roczen began to find his stride and blitzed his HRC Honda around Anderson for third on Lap 6. Roczen was relentless in his push to the front, muscling his way by Savatgy and eventually around Webb with an inside pass for the lead on Lap 9.
As Roczen quickly opened a lead over Webb, both Savatgy and Anderson engaged in the battle for third, with Anderson getting the upper hand, followed by Tomac in hot pursuit. On Lap 13, Tomac moved himself into a podium position by overtaking Anderson. The final stages of the moto saw Tomac and Webb pull alongside each other several times before Tomac took control of second on Lap 15.
Roczen carried on to his third moto win of the season, by 4.9 seconds ahead of Tomac. Webb followed in third, matching a career-best moto finish.
Tomac’s 3-2 effort gave him his second overall victory of the season and the 19th of his career, which puts him into sixth on the all-time list. Roczen’s second-moto win vaulted him into the runner-up spot (6-1), while Anderson finished third overall (2-5).
Eli Tomac – P1
“Today was a unique situation by winning with 3-2 moto scores, I’m not sure if I’ve ever won a race without winning a moto. We did what we could and battled towards the front, so overall the day was good. The track had a lot of good character today, the ruts were plenty deep and the track was rough.”
With the win, Tomac move to a tiebreaker with Roczen in the championship point standings with 176 points apiece. Teammates Osborne and Anderson are tied for third, 32 points out of the lead.
Jason Anderson – P3
“My weekend was good, I came really close to winning my first overall, I got pretty good starts today and I’m happy with the way I rode. I’m getting better every weekend and getting closer to the win.”
Cooper Webb – P4
“Today at High Point was a much better day and a huge turnaround for me. My starts were great all day and I made a few mistakes but I was happy to battle up front like I did. I even lead the second moto for about 20 minutes – I haven’t been able to do that so far this season, so that was awesome. Fourth is my best overall, so it was a good weekend and I’ll keep building from here.”
Zach Osborne – P5
“Overall, it was a pretty positive day, we made some good changes to the bike during the week off and they translated to be good today. I just need to improve on my first couple of laps, I have the fitness down on the final stretch, so I feel like I’m in a good position moving forward. I have some good tracks coming up – this was a good track for me but I just didn’t make it happen, I was only able to muster up a 5-4 so overall a good a good day, strong points and we’ll just keep trucking.”
Marvin Musquin – P6
“It was a tough day. I was feeling great but unfortunately, I didn’t have a good start in the first moto and I couldn’t make good passes right away, so I lost a bunch of time in the first few laps. In the second moto, I went around the outside off the start and was really aggressive and ran into the back of another guy. I was dead last and came back to seventh, so it’s very disappointing because I love that track and I felt pretty good but when you crash on the start there’s nothing you can do. The top six riders were up front and the gap was just too big to catch them.”
Justin Barcia – P10
“Not the day we wanted, obviously. I struggled a bit getting comfortable with the setup and things like that. We definitely are going to work hard and try to figure it out to be really good for Jacksonville. On a positive note, I had a really good start in the second moto I. I just didn’t have a good, comfortable feeling today overall. We’ve got to regroup and put the not-so-great finishes behind us and move forward into next weekend. I believe that we’ll figure out how to get that comfort and when the time is right, we’ll be right there. All in all, not the best day, but a few positives to take out of it. We have to do a lot of work to get where we want to be.”
Dean Ferris – P11
“Today I qualified twelfth and went 11-11, so I guess that’s where I belonged at the moment. I really struggled to go with the faster guys, which was kind of disappointing for me as I went so well here three years ago. We’ll keep trucking forward and keep trying to improve.”
“Road maintenancewas mostly associated with motorcycle rider safety,” he says.
“Nearly half (47%) of the mentions of this road safety strategy were associated with motorcycle rider safety.
“Likewise, advertising of safety drivingwas more associated with motorcycle rider than any other road user group. In fact, 57% of the mentions of this strategy were linked with motorcycle rider safety.”
He is seeking three volunteers to help him go through the results to rate the road safety options.
“We have collected over 800 safety strategy responses, divided into five categories (motorcycle rider safety, scooter rider safety, cyclist safety, pedestrian safety and car occupant safety),” Joao says.
“For a journal publication, I need to have the safety responses rated by at least two more people.”
João explains that rating involves placing the 800+ responses into categories such as education, training, enforcement etc.
Volunteers will need some patience, commitment and Excel software to fill in the ratings.
While the results are yet to be properly rated, an early reading of the results show that a clear majority of road users believe education is the most important road safety strategy.
Former Australian MX2 champion Jed Beaton pushed through illness at yesterday’s ninth round of the 2019 MX2 World Championship in Latvia, salvaging a top 10 overall placing in an admittedly tough weekend.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider said he did all he could in the pair of motos, ultimately lodging a 10-13 results sheet for 10th overall.
The Tasmanian, who missed the season-opener with injury and has since played catch up in the following rounds, is ranked 13th in the championship standings.
“It’s been a really tough GP for me, but I’m pleased I came away with points in both motos,” said Beaton. “I got sick with the flu on Thursday before the race and I really struggled with a fever and low energy. I worked hard during the qualification race and did all that I could during today’s motos.”
The world championship now heads to Teutschenthal in Germany, which marks the end of a three-week stint with consecutive rounds.
KTM New Zealand has announced its fourth annual ‘Adventure Rallye: Top of the South’ edition that will explore the South Island on 9-14 November this year, where riders will be treated to five days of stunning landscapes and epic routes mapped out by local experts.
Set to tour the famous Top of the South regions of Nelson Tasman, Marlborough and Canterbury, ‘Sunny Nelson’ provides the ideal location to start and finish the Rallye.
Kickstarting the action is a loop day out Nelson, with riders straight into dirt mere kms from downtown, with a fun rocky climb followed by breathtaking views – and that is just the first 50km.
The route will then see riders head to the riverside mountain town of Murchison along some of the local experts favourite tracks, as well as some of the South Islands most famous adventure roads – Rainbow and Molesworth Stations – with further overnights at the charismatic town of Hanmer Springs and the coastal port of Picton before returning to Nelson to cap off an epic week.
Open to orange adventure riders with the following eligible KTM bikes: 640, 690, 790, 790R, 950, 990, 1050, 1090, 1090R, 1190, 1190R, 1290 and 1290R models. The Rallye is tailored to suit a wide range of rider abilities, from those in their first years of adventure riding up to seasoned Adventure pros.
The aim on the KTM New Zealand Adventure Rallye is to be suitable for all KTM adventure riders – therefore two route options are offered daily for riders: Main Route and Breakout Route. The Main Route will be shorter and less technically challenging, with the Breakout Routes offering advanced riders more challenging terrain.
The Main Route will be made up of winding back country roads, metal roads and well formed off road tracks. Riders on the Breakout routes can expect rocks, mud, hills, mountains, farm land and some real challenges.
And taking the adventure to another level, back for 2019 is the KTM Ultimate Race Qualifiers, which will see two lucky Rallye riders win the chance to participate in the 2020 Merzouga Rally in Morocco.
The KTM New Zealand Adventure Rallye is about offering a great experience to our orange adventure riders by taking all the hard work of planning a ride so you can truly enjoy your adventure. With lead riders, sweep riders, GPS routes, luggage support, technical support, medical support, a backup vehicle, dinner every night and a photographer and videographer to capture the memories.
Australian moves to third in the British Superbike standings.
Image: Supplied.
A pair of race wins at Brands Hatch’s fourth round of the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) has offered a major boost to Josh Brookes’ title campaign, the Australian jumping to third in the standings despite recording three non-finishes this season.
The win gives Brookes the first of the six race wins in the Integro Triple Crown and the chance to bag a potential £75,000 prize, however the Australian adamant his focus remains on the championship as he moves to within 21 points of series leader Tommy Bridwell (Oxford Racing Ducati).
“It’s great to get a couple of wins towards that big cash prize but I’ve got to be focused on the championship – that’s my main concern, main goal, my main focus, I’m championship orientated so that’s why I’m most pleased with today’s results,” Brookes explained.
“It’s been a tough weekend. Fortunately I’ve been able to be at the front for most of the weekend, most of the sessions, and that final race I got away to a good start [and] pulled a small gap for a few laps. Fortunate to get the win and bring it home, it was really a tough race and he pushed me to the end and to get the King of Brands trophy again is great.”
Compatriot Jason O’Halloran (McAms Yamaha) endured a difficult weekend, recording 8-9 race results.
Toni Elias claimed the round win at the MotoAmerica Championship of Utah, with Cameron Beaubier having to settle for second in Race 2 after a red flag saw the race restarted as a sprint. In Supersport Hayden Gillim and Bobby Fong shared the wins, with each taking to the top spot on the podium as well as claiming a runner up position.
Rocco Landers took the Race 1 win in the Liqui Moly Junior Cup, but in Race 2 it was Dallas Daniels on the top step, with his first win of the season. In the Stock 1000 class it was defending champ Andrew Lee who took the win, while in the Twins Cup – which also only ran a single race on Sunday – Alex Dumas, who recently moved up from the Junior Cup, took the win.
EBC Brakes Superbike Race 1 (Saturday)
Toni Elias lost a boatload of points when he crashed out of race two at Road America two weeks ago, but he almost made all of those back with a thrilling victory in Race 1 of the Championship of Utah at the Utah Motorsports Campus.
In a race that featured as many as eight riders in the lead pack for nearly the duration, Elias emerged from the pack to win by 1.9 seconds after dropping as far back as seventh early in the race. But his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 got better as the race wore on and he was where he needed to be when it counted, earning the 29th victory of his MotoAmerica Superbike career – a mark that moves him to fifth on the all-time win list.
Once he worked his way to the front, he was able to pull a slight gap over the rest fighting behind him. In the end, the battle for the final podium positions went to Mathew Scholtz and Garrett Gerloff.
Scholtz’s race was a lot like Elias’ in that he also was back in the pack early in the race but was able to move his way forward. Both Scholtz and Elias were also helped a bit by Gerloff’s pass on JD Beach, with Gerloff forcing Beach and himself wide which allowed Elias and Scholtz to pass. Scholtz also had a come-together with Josh Herrin on his way through the pack.
Gerloff was having issues with his bike midrace and it cost him. Still, he ended up on the podium after passing his teammate Cameron Beaubier late in the race. Defending three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and pole-sitter Beaubier ended up fourth after leading the early laps.
Elias now leads the title chase by 21 points over Beaubier, 176-155. He came into the weekend just nine points ahead of Beaubier after his Road America race-two debacle.
EBC Brakes Superbike Race 1
Toni Elias (Suzuki) 35:10.727
Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) +1.969
Garrett Gerloff (Yamaha) +2.463
Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha) +5.473
Jake Lewis (Suzuki) +22.984
EBC Brakes Superbike Race 2 (Sunday)
Toni Elias knew he was beaten by Cameron Beaubier in the first half of the EBC Brakes Superbike race and he was just about to do the unheard of – settle for second place. But things changed when the red flag came out on the 13th lap, giving new life to the Spaniard who took full advantage to hold off Beaubier in a thrilling 10-lap sprint race to the finish.
The win gave Elias a clean sweep of the two EBC Brakes Superbike races at UMC, the 2017 MotoAmerica Superbike Champion extending his championship points lead to 26 points on Beaubier, 201-175.
Elias ended up just .303 of a second ahead of Beaubier at the finish with Beaubier’s teammate Garrett Gerloff just as close in third – .502 of a second behind Elias after those three scrapped for the entire 10-lap restart.
Toni Elias
“Of course, it’s been a big help,” Elias said of the restart. “I don’t want to see that, but unfortunately it happened. When we saw the red flag, I start to be more comfortable like yesterday. Same thing I had to wait 12, 13 laps, 14 laps to start to be there. When I enter in my feeling, in my place, we could start to produce something every lap. I didn’t know if I was able to catch him or not because he was so strong. He did an amazing job from yesterday. The flag helped us. Then we played our cards. Luck fell on my side with increasing the gap in the championship. But it is long. Anything can happen. Thanks to my team.”
Cameron Beaubier
“I felt great as soon as the lights went out, I just put my head down and pushed there at the beginning. I had a two and a half second gap and I was pretty comfortable at that pace. I was really comfortable. My R1 was just hooking up everywhere. So that was pretty frustrating to see the red flag come out. I knew it was just going to be a dog fight until the end with these two guys, and I knew (Josh) Herrin was back there too. Like I said, it’s frustrating coming in second, but that was an amazing battle. Obviously, I wanted to win, but that was one I’ll definitely look back on. I’m just happy that we were in contention today and we had good pace. I think we had a little pace on everyone. Today we were going in the right direction, and onto Laguna.”
Herrin held on to finish fourth, dropping over nine seconds off the pace after an off-track excursion. He finished a second clear of JD Beach, who in turn was just a tick in front of his Kentucky neighbor Jake Lewis.
EBC Brakes Superbike Race 2
Toni Elias (Suzuki) 15:12.714
Cameron Beaubier (Yamaha) +0.303
Garrett Gerloff (Yamaha) +0.502
Josh Herrin (Suzuki) +9.582
JD Beach (Yamaha) +10.515
EBC Brakes Superbike Standings
Toni Elias 201
Cameron Beaubier 175
Garrett Gerloff 136
Josh Herrin 119
JD Beach 111
Mathew Scholtz 100
Jake Lewis 97
David Anthony 66
Cameron Petersen 65
Kyle Wyman 55
Supersport Race 1 (Saturday)
Hayden Gillim came away with his fourth Supersport win of the year in Race 1 at the Utah Motorsports Campus on Saturday, the Kentuckian coming out on top of a race-long battle with his championship rival Bobby Fong.
Fong, on the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki, gave Gillim all he could for the 14 laps of the 2.2-mile East Course but came up .101 of a second short. Gillim now leads Fong by 12 points in the championship point standings, 122-110.
Third place went to the man who sits in third in the championship – Richie Escalante. Like Gillim, Escalante also had his hands full with an M4 ECSTAR Suzuki – with this one ridden by rookie Sean Dylan Kelly. Escalante beat the 17-year-old Kelly to the line by 0.628 of a second.
Supersport Race 1
Hayden Gillim (Yamaha) 21:46.777
Bobby Fong (Suzuki) +0.101
Richie Escalante (Yamaha) +10.925
Sean Dylan Kelly (Suzuki) +11.553
PJ Jacobsen (Yamaha) +19.967
Supersport – Race 2 Sunday
Sunday’s race was a story of the hunter and the hunted. Bobby Fong got the jump on polesitter Hayden Gillim in the beginning of the 19-lap race, but Gillim managed to get past Fong in fairly short fashion. Fong stalked Gillim until the final turn on the final lap and drafted past him to snatch the victory by .003 of second.
It was Fong’s third Supersport race win of the season. PJ Jacobsen finished third when Fong’s teammate Sean Dylan Kelly, who looked to have the final spot on the podium clinched, experienced a mechanical issue on the final lap.
Bobby Fong
“I knew for sure I did not want to lead. I knew he hasn’t seen my cards yet. I did not want to lead. I knew where he was a lot faster than me and I knew where I was strong. I knew for sure that I was going to show him a wheel and stuff, but I definitely didn’t want to lead. I could tell that his pace was dropping at the end of the race. We definitely had a little bit more pace, but I just wanted to stick to the game plan. I knew as soon as I passed him, he’s such a demon on the brakes. We have been figuring stuff out on the Suzuki to brake a little bit deeper out there. I knew for sure if I would have passed him, he would have countered and taken me on the inside on the hard brakes. The plan, it did definitely change but I was sizing it up at least going out of the corner onto the start/finish line. That’s kind of all she wrote. But I’m definitely thankful to put the Suzuki on top of the box. I didn’t know how the last lap was going to go. I kind of just winged it on the last lap. If there was nobody, I was going to take it. I knew for sure that if I could get a good drive, I could get him closer to the start/finish line. Thank God it paid off, but it’s going to be a long season.”
Supersport Race 2
Bobby Fong (Suzuki) 29:32.860
Hayden Gillim (Yamaha) +0.003
PJ Jacobsen (Yamaha) +10.264
Bryce Prince (Yamaha) +10.809
Sean Dylan Kelly (Suzuki) +12.319
Supersport Standings
Hayden Gillim 142
Bobby Fong 135
Richie Escalante 107
P.J. Jacobsen 103
Sean Dylan Kelly 102
Bryce Prince 78
Joshua Hayes 72
Nick McFadden 59
Jason Aguilar 56
Braeden Ortt 47
Liqui Moly Junior Cup Race 1 (Saturday)
Rocco Landers won his sixth race in seven starts in the Liqui Moly Junior Cup race on Saturday at UMC, the Oregonian fighting through from a poor start to beat Dallas Daniels by just .142 of a second.
For Daniels it was sixth podium of the year and his fifth runner-up finish to his rival Landers. The pair are now separated by 26 points, 155-129.
Kevin Olmedo earned his fourth podium of the season and his third in a row with a close third-place finish over Isaiah Burleson, his best-ever MotoAmerica finish.
Liqui Moly Junior Cup Race 1
Rocco Landers (Kawasaki) 13:46.193
Dallas Daniels (Kawasaki) +0.142
Kevin Olmedo (Kawasaki) +8.382
Isaiah Burleson (Kawasaki) +8.455
Gauge Rees (Kawasaki) +17.022
Liqui Moly Junior Cup Race 2 (Sunday)
Sunday’s Liqui Moly Junior Cup race featured the same riders at the front who have been consistent protagonists throughout the season, but Dallas Daniels, who started from the pole, successfully held off Rocco Landers and notched his first win of the season.
Landers, who was Saturday’s winner and the victor in six of the seven races prior to Sunday, finished second after nearly beating Daniels to the finish line. Meanwhile, Kevin Olmedo matched his Saturday third-place finish with another third-place finish on Sunday.
Dallas Daniels
“The last section was definitely, I think, where I was the best. I was just kind of watching all race because I knew right from really the first sector, I was really losing time. He would get away from me just enough to where once we’d get to where I was good, I was just too far back to make something happen. So, I kind of dialed in where I was slow. Once I got in the lead, I didn’t really care what was going on. I just wanted to stay up there. I led the last four laps and when we got to the last lap, I knew he was right there because on the Jumbotron you could see him going into the left before the last two corners. So, I just tried to cut the best last two corners of the whole race. I was actually having some tire issues, kind of slipping a little bit. I was able to get the win and ‘finally’ is pretty much the way to put it. It feels really good.”
Liqui Moly Junior Cup Race 2
Dallas Daniels (Kawasaki) 16:57.419
Rocco Landers (Kawasaki) +0.044
Kevin Olmedo (Kawasaki) +9.674
Marc Edwards (Kawasaki) +17.495
Benjamin Goody (Kawasaki) +17.787
Liqui Moly Junior Cup Standings
Rocco Landers 175
Dallas Daniels 154
Kevin Olmedo 97
Gauge Rees 72
Dominic Doyle 71
Damian Jigalov 63
Samuel Lochoff 62
Jackson Blackmon 54
Isaiah Burleson 51
Toby Khamsouk 39
Stock 1000 Race 1 (Sunday)
Defending Stock 1000 Champion Andrew Lee showed why he has the big number one as he bided his time after the start of Sunday’s race, passed polesitter Geoff May aboard his Ameris Bank Kawasaki and pulled a healthy gap at the front, which he was able to maintain all the way to the finish line.
May finished second and Stefano Mesa was third. The win vaulted Lee into the points lead, and Mesa is now two points adrift in second place.
Andrew Lee
“I kind of knew where (May) was a little bit stronger. He had my number on the last part of the track, so I knew if I was going to make a move that would stick, I had to do it in the first four corners. That first section, it’s a pretty hairy section. It’s pretty quick. After some qualifying issues I’m just happy that my team got us back together. The Franklin Armory/Graves Kawasaki was really handling really well in the race. So, I’m just happy to be back in that first spot. Hopefully, we can continue the momentum.”
Stock 1000 Race 1
Andrew Lee (Kawasaki) 21:50.278
Geoff May (Kawasaki) +2.958
Stefano Mesa (Kawasaki) +6.922
Travis Wyman (BMW) +12.021
Michael Gilbert (Kawasaki) +16.369
Stock 1000 Standings
N/A
Twins Cup Race 1 (Sunday)
The MotoAmerica Championship of Utah proved to be a pivotal round for Alex Dumas, who moved up to the Twins Cup class after winning the 2018 Liqui Moly Junior Cup Championship.
The Roadracing World Young Guns Suzuki rider not only earned both the provisional and final pole position, but he made the most of his number-one starting position, got a great start of the line, and pulled a gap, which he stretched out to more than 14 seconds by the time he crossed the finish line.
Michael Barnes finished second, which enabled him to take over the lead in the championship, and Cooper McDonald notched a breakthrough third-place finish aboard his Team AP MotoArts Yamaha in only his fourth professional motorcycle road race.
Alex Dumas
“The M4 guys put me on a nice bike. We’ve been improving the bike a lot since the last couple of weekends. I had a lot of fun at this race to just be in front. I’m excited for the next race and the rest of the season. I really want to thank everybody from M4 and Roadracing World. I’m really excited.”
It was announced at the weekend that Cole Seely will sit out the remainder of the 2019 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship after sustaining a shoulder injury in a practice crash.
The Team Honda HRC rider suffered a torn labrum and fractured glenoid socket after dislocating his right shoulder, prompting him to return to California where it was determined that surgery is required.
“I’m extremely sad to have to sit out the remainder of the season,” Seely said. “I’ve been working really hard to continue to build myself up after my big injury last year, so to have another setback like this is very disappointing. It seems like I’ve had nothing but challenges. I want to thank all of my fans and my team for their support.”
Team Honda HRC manager Erik Kehoe added: “It’s really unfortunate to see Cole’s season end this way. The beginning of this season has been a challenge for him, but he showed a lot of speed during the first moto at Colorado – it’s a bummer that we won’t be able to see how he progresses.
“He’s had some tough luck with injuries, but he has kept a good attitude and continued to give his best effort. On behalf of the team and everyone at Honda, I wish him well during his recovery.”
Seely’s recovery is anticipated to take three months. It’s not yet clear if the team will draft in a replacement rider for the remainder of the series to join Ken Roczen.
SAG Racing Team rider registers DNF at Spanish round.
Image: Supplied.
Australian Remy Gardner has escaped injury following an opening lap crash at the Catalan grand prix for round seven of the 2019 Moto2 World Championship.
Former points leader Lorenzo Baldassarri (FlexBox HP40) made contact with the SAG Racing Team challenger on lap one, tagging Gardner’s front brake and subsequently sending him over the bars.
“It should have been a good race for us today but that’s racing,” Gardner reflected. “We qualified eleventh but honestly, I think we had the pace for the top six but I had a little front tuck and then dropped it in the gravel so was unable to improve.
“In the race I made a good start, got up to ninth and then someone train wrecked it into turn four, tagged my front brake and that was that. Nothing else to say about the incident but I move on to Assen where I am sure we will show once again that we have the pace to run at the front. Thanks for all the support on social media and thanks to the team and all my sponsors.”
Baldassarri later crashed in the 22-lap encounter and was forced to register a DNF while dropping to fourth in the standings. Gardner is now ranked 10th in the championship.
Herlings captures moto one victory despite fractured leg.
Image: Supplied.
Sunday’s MXGP of Latvia proved to be a damaging one for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Jeffrey Herlings and Antonio Cairoli, as the pair had their weekend cut short due to sustaining injuries.
Reigning champion Herlings, who was making just his second MXGP of the year after a severe ankle injury, suffered a bizarre sighting lap crash that saw his fragile right foot landed on by another rider.
Despite experiencing discomfort, Herlings went onto record his first win of the year in the opening moto, however it was later determined he endured a hairline fracture of the lower tibia, prompting the Dutchman to depart the circuit for further medical attention and not line-up for race two.
Cairoli, entering the event under the weather, crashed heavily in race two after claiming third in the opening moto, dislocating his already injured right shoulder.
“On Saturday I had the Flu and a fever, and my arm was not as strong as I wanted after the crash in Russia,” Cairoli explained. “I could battle with the guys for first position in the first moto but then I got a bit tired and settled for third, which was good for the championship.
“In the second moto I was fourth and trying to follow [Arnaud] Tonus. I had quite a big crash and when I stood up I felt my shoulder was out. My hope is to be ready to at least start next week in Germany. I don’t want to give up at all and I want to be there as much as possible for the championship.”
It’s unclear at this stage if the duo will miss this weekend’s 10th round of the MXGP World Championship at Teutschenthal in Germany.
Just 13 finishers in incident packed encounter at Spanish venue.
Image: Supplied.
Multi-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo has spoken out on his error at the Catalan grand prix that took out a host of front runners in the incident packed event, which saw just 13 riders complete the 24-lap encounter.
The Repsol Honda rider braked late heading into turn 10, losing his front end before collecting Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati), as Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP duo Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi also fell victim to the carnage that ensued.
“You don’t have any options if you brake a little bit too late here, like happened with me,” Lorenzo explained. “It was my fault, my mistake and I apologise. It was really unfortunate to take out Dovi, Maverick and Valentino – it wasn’t their fault obviously, it was mine.
“The only thing that matters today is the crash, I took out three riders unfortunately but if we think aside from this it was a weekend where we were able to make a step forward and I was consistent throughout.”
The chaotic outing saw an earlier incident between Aprilia Racing Team’s Aleix Espargaro and test rider Bradley Smith, while Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) all crashed out of the event.
Reigning champion and points leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) escaped the carnage to register yet another victory, joined on the podium by Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati).
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