Tomac extends advantage with Salt Lake City win

News 1 Jun 2020

Tomac extends advantage with Salt Lake City win

Controlled victory for McElrath as 250SX East series resumes.

Image: Octopi Media.

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac stretched an eight-point lead in Monster Energy Supercross 2020 at Salt Lake City, winning in the sport’s return to competition today.

Tomac was all class in the 450SX main event, remaining patient in difficult, dry conditions to win by 3.771s over Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM).

It was Blake Baggett (Team Rocky Mountain WPS KTM) led an action-packed first half of the race, before Tomac – who had to overcome both Webb and Ken Roczen (Team Honda HRC) in a scrap for position – ultimately made his way by.

Both Webb and Roczen soon followed, however, they weren’t able to mount another true challenge to Tomac from that point. Roczen saved a major mishap on the penultimate lap to salvage the final place on the podium.

Behind the leading trio, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson and Zach Osborne were fourth and fifth respectively, with Martin Davalos (Monster Energy Team Tedder KTM) climbing to sixth. Baggett, meanwhile, faded to seventh.

Rounding out the top 10 this afternoon were Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha), a fast-starting Justin Brayton (Team Honda HRC) and Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna).

The return to racing of Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) was short-lived, going down heavily while in P2 on lap two. Both Tomac and Webb were momentarily caught up in the incident.

In addition, Chad Reed (Mountain Motorsports cbdMD CR22 KTM) was one of multiple riders to pit during the final, going out of the race but eventually credited with 19th.

Image: Octopi Media.

The first Salt Lake City round of 250SX East saw Monster Energy Star Yamaha’s Shane McElrath race to a pivotal victory to recommence the 2020 season.

The result has enabled McElrath to close to within seven points of defending champion Chase Sexton (Geico Honda), both now having two wins apiece so far.

Behind them to complete the podium was Daytona winner Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki), who managed to make his way by Jeremy Martin (Geico Honda) in the early laps and that’s where they would remain.

Despite going down on the opening lap, Pierce Brown (TLD Red Bull KTM) charged back to fifth, followed by Kyle Peters (Phoenix Racing Honda), Jalek Swoll (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna), Enzo Lopes (ClubMX Yamaha), Jace Owen (Phoenix Racing Honda) and John Short (Manluk Racing Honda).

There was trouble on the opening lap for the returning Colt Nichols (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) and he was forced to pit, before working his way back to 15th position. Geico Honda rookie Jo Shimoda was involved, also required to stop.

Round 12 of the Monster Energy Supercross championship will take place this Wednesday, again at Rice-Eccles Stadium, where each of the final seven rounds have been scheduled to round out the series.

Detailed results

Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Lorenzo wins Virtual British MotoGP as wildcard

Jorge Lorenzo is a virtual MotoGP race winner


Five-time Champion Lorenzo racing as a wildcard got the better of Reale Avintia Racing’s Tito Rabat in the closing stages of Sunday’s Michelin Virtual British Grand Prix, making the most of his only wildcard appearance in 2020 by taking pole position and the win. Despite another fairly dramatic encounter in the virtual world, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completed the podium behind Rabat.

Lorenzo wins British Virtual GP

Virtual Race Report

As ever in virtual races, the opening lap wasn’t short of drama with the first incident coming when LCR Honda Idemitsu ‘s Takaaki Nakagami wiped out Lorenzo through Turns 2 and 3, leaving Quartararo with the holeshot. He was quickly dropped to second when Nakagami slipped through, however, with the group powering down the Hangar Straight for the first time.

British Virtual GP

Quartararo was keen to make up for his earlier mistake, and possibly in the end he proved too keen. Lorenzo headed into the gravel trap to put a dint in his progress and the Frenchman followed when the front end of his Yamaha folded. Quartararo’s crash elevated Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia to second place, but it wasn’t long until the Italian also tucked the front; a surprising mistake from the Red Bull Ring victor and consistent performer in virtual races…

Nakagami leading the way early on

As we completed the opening lap, Nakagami led Rabat and Ducati Team’s Michelle Pirro in an slightly unlikely opening trio given track records – but Quartararo was starting to make some progress back through the field after his first lap crash. He had another setback when crashing after contact with Rabat, however, and by four laps completed Lorenzo was starting to find his feet, squeezing past Pirro and up into third.

Quartararo v Rabat

Nakagami hit half race distance without making a single mistake, but that was soon to change as the Japanese rider’s hopes of a debut MotoGP win evaporated in a crash at The Loop – handing the lead to Rabat, much to the Spaniard’s excitement. But five-time World Champion Lorenzo was on a charge, up to second and with his eyes firmly set on the race lead.

Pirro v Lorenzo

Slowly but surely, the lead came down. Ultimately it took the Yamaha rider two laps to close in on the rear wheel of Rabat’s Ducati, and a further lap to properly dispatch him. Then, Lorenzo began to break clear and by the time he reached the flag, came across the line two seconds ahead to clinch his first virtual victory in MotoGP.

Quartararo v Lorenzo

Quartararo clinched the final place on the virtual podium after diving past Nakagami on the last lap to take a debut virtual podium and finally overcome his bad luck and trouble with crashes, leaving early leader Nakagami in fourth. Pirro completed the top five, ahead of Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori and a disappointed Bagnaia in seventh after an adventurous event. Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan Mir was the final finisher, his race starting to go wrong at Turn 1 on Lap 1 and the Suzuki rider not able to pull it back.

Quartararo beats Pirro to the line

Jorge Lorenzo

“Like some Roman Emperor said, ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici’! So I arrived, I took the pole position and I won. But I have to say that Fabio today was much faster than me but to win the race you have to finish. We did it, even if I crashed at the second corner. I was consistent, I was quite fast. I overheated the rear tyre a little bit so It wasn’t easy to catch Tito but finally I overtook him and won the race. It was a lot of fun and I’m very happy. During these days I have tried all of the tyre options and I went with the hard rear. I was clear with the soft front, it didn’t overheat, but the medium rear overheated a little and was tough to manage; it was on the limit. So the hard option for the final laps was better and I was lucky Fabio crashed as many times as he did, otherwise, it would’ve been hard to beat him.”


Video Replay Here


British Virtual GP Results

  1. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) – Yamaha
  2. Tito Rabat (SPA) – Ducati +1.501
  3. Fabio Quartararo (FRA) – Yamaha +4.178
  4. Takaaki Nakagami (JPN) – Honda +5.432
  5. Michele Pirro (SPA) – Ducati +11.291
  6. Lorenzo Savadori (ITA) – Aprilia +29.197
  7. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) – Ducati +31.951
  8. Joan Mir (SPA) – Suzuki NC

Source: MCNews.com.au

Bendsneyder comes out on top in a British Moto2™ battle

The final podium place had seemingly been handed to Liqui Moly Intact GP’s Marcel Schrötter, however, the German threw away a rostrum finish on the penultimate lap after touching the grass and crashing whilst entering the Wellington Straight. No such mistakes were made by Bendsneyder, who eased over the line eight seconds clear of Daniel in second. Garzo stole the final podium place, with Schrötter’s disastrous final two laps compounded by Fernadez beating him to fourth in the last sector.

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

Nepa cruises to virtual Moto3™ win at Silverstone

In a frantic opening lap, CarXpert PruestelGP’s Barry Baltus and Alcoba swapped paint on a regular basis whilst fighting for second place. Behind, British hopeful John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) saw his home hopes scuppered after a coming together with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Kaito Toba. Despite Batlus and Alcoba’s antics, the pair were able to escape from the clutches of those behind and looked like taking the final two podium spots. That was until Baltus clipped the rear-end of Alcoba and crashed out of third place on lap three.

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

“Veni, vidi, vici” – Silverstone is Lorenzo’s Land again

“Like some Roman Emperor said: ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici’,” said the five-time World Champion after clinching victory. “So I arrived, I took the pole position and I won. But I have to say that Fabio today was much faster than me but to win the race you have to finish. We did it, even if I crashed at the second corner. I was consistent, I was quite fast. I overheated the rear tyre a little bit so It wasn’t easy to catch Tito but finally I overtook him and won the race. It was a lot of fun and I’m very happy.

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

Lorenzo takes wildcard win at Virtual British Grand Prix

Quartararo was keen to make up for his earlier mistake, possibly in the end too keen, as he then joined Lorenzo in the gravel trap when the front end of his Yamaha M1 folded. The Frenchman’s crash elevated Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia to second place, with the Italian needing a rostrum finish to move to the top of the virtual standings. However, that target slipped further into the distance when the Italian also tucked the front; a surprising mistake from the Red Bull Ring victor.

Source: MotoGP.comRead Full Article Here

Two charged after stolen bike crash

Two men riding a stolen motorcycle and not wearing helmets have been arrested and charged after a police pursuit on the NSW Central Coast today (31 May 2020).

Just after 10.30am, a motorcycle, allegedly stolen from an Erina shopping centre, was seen travelling on Hely Street at Wyong.

At the time, the rider and pillion passenger were not wearing helmets.

Officers from NSW Police Brisbane Water Police Area Command attempted to stop the motorcycle on Enterprise Drive.

When it allegedly failed to stop, a pursuit was initiated before being terminated shortly after due to safety concerns.

Stolen bike

The stolen motorcycle continued through the Central Coast area and was monitored by PolAir.

At the intersection of Erina Street and Henry Parry Drive, Gosford, the rider and another vehicle crashed.

The rider and passenger were thrown from the motorcycle and fled.

Shortly after, a 30-year-old man was arrested nearby.

The second man ran to the rooftop car park of a nearby abandoned shopping centre. Police followed on foot, before the man jumped a barrier, landing on a window ledge below.

With the assistance from Fire & Rescue NSW, Police Rescue and other specialist resources, the 23-year-old man was rescued and arrested.

Both men were taken to Gosford Hospital, under police guard, suffering injuries sustained in the crash.

The younger man has been charged with:

  • Larceny (two counts);
  • Shoplifting;
  • Take and drive conveyance;
  • Police pursuit – not stop – drive recklessly;
  • Drive recklessly/furiously or speed manner dangerous;
  • Unlicensed rider; and
  • Rider without helmet with passenger.

He has also been charged with a revocation warrant.

The older man has been charged with:

  • Motorbike passenger no helmet;
  • Be carried in conveyance;
  • Possess a prohibited drug (two counts); and
  • Breach of bail.

They have been bail refused to appear in Newcastle Local Court on Monday (1 June 2020).

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Ricky Carmichael Interview

Ricky Carmichael on the return of SX

By Eric Johnson


From the August 27, 1997 issue of Cycle News.

“This is like a dream come true,” said 17 year-old Ricky Carmichael into my tape recorder a mere 20 minutes after clinching his first-ever AMA National Championship. “This was my first year, and there was a lot of pressure on me for being a rookie. All of the hard training was worth it. The whole years has been a team effort, and it has been unbelievable.”

Ricky Carmichael pictured here in 2006Ricky Carmichael pictured here in 2006


That was 23 years and 16 AMA titles and 162 combined wins in AMA SX/MX ago for Carmichael who is now simply referred to as the GOAT – THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME. Having called time on his unbelievable racing career after leading Team USA to victory at the 2007 Motocross of Nations at Budds Creek, Maryland, Carmichael took a big swing at the NASCAR Truck Series, faring well at it before finding his way into his current lot in life: Supercross TV analyst for NBC Sports. And that’s the hot seat (if you will) RC will be in come Sunday afternoon inside Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. The very first of what will be seven races to decide the interrupted 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Series Championship. Already in Utah and working on his homework for Sunday’s broadcast, RC took a quick breather to check in with all of us racing fans. Take it away RC!

How long have you been in the racing-friendly metropolis of Salt Lake City?

“Oh, I just got here yesterday and got all situated. My girlfriend’s best friend has a place in Park City, so I’m staying there, so that’s nice. I went and got all my COVID testing done, so I’m waiting to get the results back from that. If that comes back negative, we’re ready to rip, man! I’m just hanging out and waiting for results, so that’s why I had to get here early. With the flights and all that stuff yesterday, we didn’t know if they would be delayed or whatever, so I didn’t want to chance it.”

What in the world do you make of all this? Seven races and the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Series title to be decided in an NCAA college football stadium in Utah?

“Well, it’s not charted waters. First and foremost of what I can say is that whoever wins this championship, in my mind, will be and should be crowned as the winner of the hardest Monster Energy Supercross Series Championship in history because of what we’ve been faced with as far as the pandemic. Being in championship form and then having to be forced into a 12-week shutoff and then to now be forced to get right back into it, both mentally and physically, I feel, is going to be a really tough challenge. The guy that is able to do that the best and continue the consistency and the good race craft and being up front when he needs to be up front, is going to be the guy who is going to be victorious. And I’ve been in some great championship battles throughout my career. 2006 comes to mind where it was basically winner take all at Vegas for the title and I still think this is going to supersede that season as the greatest championship in supercross history. I’m excited, but at the same time, it’s uncharted waters for everybody.”

You won a few of these things. If you were standing in, say, Tomac or Roczen’s boots, what in the world would you be thinking? Such a profoundly odd set of circumstances, eh?

“Yeah, I mean those guys are back-and-forth each weekend. There are three points separating them and you can pose situations on both riders of why they have a better chance than the other. Eli, you know, you think he has an advantage as he lives at elevation and the Sat Lake City race is going to be at elevation. Then you go to Ken Roczen, and he’s led more laps than anybody this year. He doesn’t have as many wins, but he’s upfront a lot more often. His chance of winning are just as good as Eli’s, so they both have their strengths. There is no doubt that these two have very few weaknesses. And there is one guy still looming and that’s defending champion Cooper Webb. I feel he has a chance, but he’s going to need a lot of help. I mean it’s far-fetched, but mathematically, it’s still possible. He’s capable of it, but he’s in a must-win situation and that’s a bad spot to be in.”

AMA SX Rnd Tomac SX BDW DaytonaEli Tomac winning round ten at Daytona

Yeah, and there are more a few other guys that can throw a spanner in the works, as well, huh? I mean, Barcia, AC, Anderson…

“Yeah, well, certainly so. We just switched gears from talking about championships to winning races. Like AC, I feel like this is a second season for him. He got his rookie season out of the way ` going to be up in the mix. That can really work, whether it’s to Eli Tomac’ or Ken Roczen’s benefit, that can really get in-between one another, so it’s going to be exciting to see just what guys are going to take advantage of everything that has went down and the opportunity to come out and excel. For instance, AC can win his first premiere win in supercross? Can Barcia come out and get another win and his second win of the season?”

Exactly! I can also see a Malcolm Stewart or a Justin Brayton coming out of the woodwork and winning one of these things.

“Yeah, certainly this is a time of… I don’t know… It’s a different time, for sure. Crazy things have happened. Yeah, at the end of the day I think it’s going to be tough because I feel like what we’re going to see and find is that the championship contenders are going to somehow find their way up front. It’s crunch time. We only have seven rounds left and these things are going to fly by in three weeks – seven races in three weeks! We’re going to finish one race and before we know it, we’re going to be back at the stadium and these guys are going to be getting it on. As it’s an opportunity for guys like the Braytons of the world and the Malcolm Stewarts and the Adam Cianciarulos of the world to excel. Having said all that, just feel like the championship contenders are going to find their way up front.

“I think that we need to do the best that we can from a television standpoint with us guys up in the booth explaining it to the viewers. I think all of this is going to be an opportunity to catch some new eyeballs because we’re going to be one of the only live sports being televised and I look forward to the opportunity. I relish that moment and I’m going to try and be on my A Game to really portray the sport in the best way that I can and show the general public that these guys are some of the best athletes in the world. We want to represent our sport well right now because our athletes deserve it for the risks that they take.

“And the cool thing is that the championships – the 450 class AND the 250 classes – have just been so close. Anything can happen. We’re going to be crowning three champions at the end of this seven race stretch and it’s a great time for people to be watching and tuning-in.”

As you just pointed out, seven races inside the same stadium. To your way of seeing things, what’s that going to be like?

You know, people have asked me what I think it’s going to be like racing the same venue for seven rounds and I can tell you that if you like racing in Salt Lake City at Rice-Eccles Stadium, well, you’ve got a hell of an advantage. It’s different. I think everything is going to be different. There are only going to be a certain number of people allowed in the stadium – that’s riders, mechanics, officials, safety crew and guys like myself with the television people. It’s a skeleton crew for social distancing purposes and it’s uncharted waters. It’s going to be different for everybody, but I think once the rag drops, everyone is going to be focused and focused on the battles on the track because there is so much on the line. Like I said, if you like Rice-Eccles Stadium, you’re happy as hell that you get to race here seven times in-a-row.

Okay, I’m going to put you on the spot here. What’s it going to take Eli Tomac to win the championship and what’s it going to take for Ken Roczen to win the championship?

Well, Eli certainly has the speed to do it. There’s no doubt about it. I think he’s a tick better than everyone else in the field as far as speed goes. He has to continue what he’s been able to do all season long and not have that throwaway race. He’s been running up front and I feel like he has overcome his demons from years past that have plagued him for having that throwaway race. If he can continue to do what he has done all season, I think he comes out victorious. What does Ken Roczen have to do? He is going to have to really be there and continue to be consistent on the starts and to be up front early and to have himself in a good position like he’s done. He just can’t let Eli Tomac get the best of him. He can’t count on Eli to have that throwaway race because it doesn’t look like Eli is going to do that, ken has got to be able to match Eli on speed.”

Extraordinary races for extraordinary times, eh?

Yeah, yeah, it is. It’s different for everybody and I hope we never have to experience it again, but everybody that I know is doing the best that they can and if everyone keeps doing their part, we will al get through this and we’ll get through it together and we just have to buckle down and ride it out together. Hey, check this out. When I got the call saying, ‘Hey, we’re going back racing!” I felt like I has a purpose. I’m going to do it and I’m going to make the best of it.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Ricky Carmichael Chad Reed Pits JK SX ArlingtonRicky Carmichael on the ground with Chad Reed and Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld
Source: MCNews.com.au

Deus sues movie over fake jacket

Australian motorcycle apparel, accessories and custom company Deus Ex Machina is suing two movie studios over a fake jacket used in the “schamltzy” teen romance film The Sun is Also a Star.

The green and yellow bomber-style jacket worn by the film’s female star Yara Shahidi features the brand name on the back.

However, it is not a genuine product of the company. In fact, it is nothing like any of their hipster-style motorcycle gear.

Deus filed the lawsuit for unspecified damages in Los Angeles, alleging trademark infringement by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Fake jacket

They claim the jacket is “gaudy and inferior” and “not consistent with and/or is inferior in quality” to their products.

“The jacket is not a product of Deus Ex Machina,” the plaintiffs allege.

“Deus Ex Machina is informed and believes that the jacket was created by defendants for the movie.”

The company has objected to being associated “with a schmaltzy teen-style love story” and “a flop”.

The movie certainly was a flop, costing $US9 million to make and grossing just $US6 million at the box office.

Deus also alleges the male lead, Charles Melton, posed for promotional photos on social media wearing genuine Deus Ex Machina gear.

They claim this creates the impression that Deus Ex Machina was “involved in promoting the movie and that the use of inferior infringing products and references in the movie to Deus Ex Machina were authorised”.

Yamaha SR400Yamaha SR400 by Deus

 

Deus ex Machina means “god from the machine”.

The company started in 2006 with customised motorcycles and has branched out int a worldwide hipster fashion phenomenon.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com