At the Selection Event, the prospective competitors will be put through their paces to test both their on-track ability and their off-track approach and mindset. The final decision on which riders will join the 2022 ATC grid will then be made, and those selected riders will head into a winter programme of preparation to get ready to race.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Riding a motorcycle is so often a solitary affair that it’s easy to forget most bikes have room for two. Sure, not every street bike is ideal for a passenger but there are a lot of solid options out there for all types of riding. There are the massive touring rigs like the Honda Gold Wing, of course, but there are some great midrange bikes and commuter machines that can easily bear the burden of a pillion. And since not every ride is an epic cross-continent adventure, for this installment of the best bikes for two-up riding we’re going to take a look at a few of those possibly overlooked options.
There’ll be plenty of the big guns, since a rundown of this nature wouldn’t be worth its salt if there weren’t. But there’ll also be some wildcards that you might not have considered worthwhile for riding with a passenger.
Triumph Bonneville T120
To kick things off we’re selecting the 2021 Triumph Bonneville T120. One of the essential features of a decent two-up machine is the ability to pull the extra weight, and Triumph’s torque-rich twin can definitely handle the extra load. The long bench seat is well-padded and comfortable, and Triumph offers an accessory passenger backrest for a few hundred bucks. This bike would be perfect for a date night or a weekend adventure around town. Hell, you could even escape for the weekend if you’re both able to travel light.
Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager 1700
The new Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager 1700 is technically a 2022 model, but will be released in dealerships this summer so we say it counts, especially considering its eye-catching new color scheme. This 1,700cc V-twin-powered machine fits the traditional touring bill, with plenty of power and luggage capacity to get you and your passenger comfortably to your destination. The sizable backrest and pillion area make this a choice option for two-up riding, as does the tall windscreen and front fairing. And among the other large-and-in-charge touring motorcycles on the market, the Voyager 1700 carries a pretty attractive price at $18,099.
Honda NC750X DCT
Like the Triumph, the 2021 Honda NC750X DCT is more of an around-town, short weekend trip suggestion. The kicker with this one is the smooth ride offered by the automatic DCT clutch and the sub-$10,000 price tag. We found it to be a really compliant bike and the under-the-faux-tank storage makes longer weekend trips with go bags for both you and your passenger a real possibility. Built-in grab handles give the pillion rider something to hold on to and the comfortable, upright cockpit will afford both you and your passenger many enjoyable miles.
Harley-Davidson CVO Limited
Now, if you’ve got some money to spend and want a cream-of-the-crop Harley, the $44,099 CVO Limited is the ride for you. It’s packing the most powerful engine in Harley’s arsenal, the Milwaukee-Eight Twin-Cooled 117 V-twin. There’s also a full suite of rider aid systems from cornering ABS to electronically linked braking to hill-hold control and much more. The cockpit amenities are top-notch, including an infotainment system that your neighbors neighbors will be able to hear when you roll out of the garage. It’s an investment, but if you want to keep your passenger comfortable and eager for more miles, the CVO Limited is a great way to go.
BMW C 400 GT
Maxi scooters are great for two-up riding around town, and the BMW C 400 GT is a prime example. The twist-and-go nature of the CVT transmission along with the agile handling let you and your passenger travel easily and comfortably. The step-up seat also lets your passenger get out from directly behind your back and catch a better view of the road ahead, while built-in grab handles give them something to hold. There’s also plenty of storage for a purse or backpack, USB charging ports, and smartphone compatibility. Scooters aren’t always the first ride to come to mind to folks in the States, but the convenience of a ride like this in a congested urban area is hard to argue with.
Yamaha XMAX
We’ll harp on the scooter angle for just one more model, the Yamaha XMAX. It confers most all the same benefits we detailed in the BMW recommendation, but will cost you a few thousand less at $5,699. There are a range of accessories available to personalize your XMAX with all the cash you’ll save, or money left over for some fresh gear for you and your ride-along. The 292cc single isn’t going to win any races, but its snappy character along with the scooter’s nimble handling will turn boring surface roads into something a whole lot more fun. Another general point in favor of scooters is the fact that they are a bit of an easier sell to others who aren’t experienced with riding. So if you’re trying to convince your potential passenger to hop on for the first time, you might find a scooter like the XMAX a more persuasive option.
Honda Gold Wing Tour
Honda’s Gold Wing has long been a gold-standard in the touring game, and in recent years it’s turned into an even more luxurious ride for both pilot and passenger. The 2021 Gold Wing Tour is available in both standard, DCT, and DCT with airbag variations, and the roster of amenities is immense. The massive six-cylinder engine is smooth as butter, the chassis is more responsive than you’d imagine a bike this size to be, and electric conveniences like an adjustable windscreen, heated seats, heated grips are just the tip of the iceberg. This bike was designed with long hauls and two-up riding in mind and is an option you and your passenger will be exceedingly pleased with.
Indian Motorcycles Roadmaster Dark Horse
If you aren’t sold on the smaller options, there’s always the Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse. This stylish cruiser boasts a blacked-out Thunderstroke 116 V-twin, push-button airflow adjustment, heated/cooled seats for you and your passenger, loads of cargo space, a top-notch audio system, and conveniences like cruise control and tire pressure monitors. This machine will gobble up miles and let you and your passenger take in the sights of the open road in total comfort.
Suzuki V-Strom 650
A controversial choice perhaps, especially considering the availability of the more powerful and better outfitted 1000, but the V-Strom 650 shouldn’t be counted out for its two-up ability. This V-twin-powered, do-it-all machine provides a comfortable, upright position in the cockpit, wind protection, and enough power to pass even with two in the saddle. We might steer you in another direction if you’re planning a coast-to-coast adventure, but this reliable bike will definitely be up to any around-town or weekend task you throw at it. The passenger perch is a little small, we’ll admit, so it might not be ideal for all body types. But for those who can make it work, the V-Strom 650 is a fairly affordable option that will provide many enjoyable miles on the road.
Yamaha Star Venture
The Yamaha Star Venture is as good a Gold Wing beater as there ever was, especially if your preference is for v-twin power. This machine is equipped with all the bells and whistles riders have come to expect on a long-range touring bike, and passenger comfort is high on Yamaha’s list. Ergos are adjustable for both rider and passenger, seats are heated for both as well. It’s packing reverse assist, a sophisticated infotainment system, a confidence-inspiring chassis, and fantastic wind protection. Two-up riding rises to a whole new level on a bike like the Yamaha Star Venture.
Yamaha Tracer 9 GT
The Yamaha Tracer 9 GT has some of the same appeal as the V-Strom 650, but adds more power, more amenities, and more technology to the mix. Electronically controlled suspension and a roster of traction control, slide control, and brake control systems help to keep the machine composed while the new 890cc triple provides plenty of power to handle the weight of a passenger. It’s even packing cruise control if you decide to spend some time on the freeway.
Harley-Davidson Electra Glide
If you want a Harley but don’t want to break the bank completely, consider an Electra Glide with a passenger seat upgrade. You get classic H-D styling along with great wind protection thanks to the windscreen and fork-mounted fairing. It’s a stripped-down cockpit compared to some of the other touring boats on the list, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Particularly if you and your passenger are linked-up with a Bluetooth communicator. For right around $20,000 you can have the bike brand new along with a two-up seat and passenger backrest. Standard side bags is just icing on the cake.
BMW K 1600 Grand America
Last but not least, the inline-six-powered BMW K 1600 Grand America has all the hallmarks of a non-V-twin luxury touring motorcycle. A spacious cockpit with creature comforts for both rider and passenger make long days in the saddle a breeze. Electronic suspension, reverse assist, and a bevy of other rider aids help keep the bike smooth and settled. There’s ample storage available, great wind protection, infotainment…the works. A two-up ride on a K 1600 Grand America is about as good as it gets.
Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com
If you like your Sunday afternoons to be packed with pulsating drama and unrelenting action, then it didn’t get any better than the 2021 SHARK Helmets Grand Prix de France. In a rare flag-to-flag race, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – despite two long-lap penalties – became the first Australian since Casey Stoner in 2012 to win back-to-back races in the premier class to lead home a double French podium at Le Mans. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) sprayed the bubbly on the famous rostrum in an unforgettable MotoGP™ encounter.
UNMISSABLE: Full flag-to-flag drama as rain creates chaos
Four long years we’ve waited to see MotoGP™ bike rumble down pitlane halfway through a race and, at long last, that wait came to an end in Le Mans. The rain began to fall and the riders tip-toed their way around the Le Mans circuit before heading down pitlane and swapping bikes. Relive every second of the drama.
Morbidelli climbs off the stretcher to try salvage a point
We’re well aware of the fact that MotoGP™ riders are a different breed by now, but even sometimes their bravery can surprise us still. After struggling with a knee issue for the majority of the weekend, Franco Morbidelli once again had issues during the race. He was forced onto a stretcher before then climbing off it, pushing his bike all the way down pitlane and getting back out on track to salvage a point.
Miller or Ricciardo? Why ‘The Shoey’ made its MotoGP™ return
After taking top spot in Jerez, Jack Miller didn’t treat us to a shoey. Thankfully though, it returned in Le Mans after setting the record straight with Fabio Quartararo and Daniel Ricciardo. Get the full story here.
WATCH: Marc Marquez admits he wasted golden victory chance
In only his third race back, Marc Marquez had hit the front of a MotoGP™ race. The Spaniard took full advantage of the tricky conditions and pulled clear following the bike swaps. Then the unthinkable happened as he crashed out of the lead of the French Grand Prix. Hear his full reaction to a frustrating day.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
The weekend saw the 2021 BORILLI FIM EnduroGP World Championship continue at Round 3, the GP of Estonia, in Saaremaa, with KTM’s Josep Garcia taking his first overall win of the season on Day 1, only to follow up with another win on Day 2. Australia’s Wil Ruprecht settled for second behind Garcia in the E2 class, and ran 5-5 overall.
Conditions at Saaremaa were hot, dry and very physically demanding. A mixture of soft sandy terrain and hard pack trails ensured a thorough test for both riders and their machines.
Confident that the hot and dry conditions would favour him Garcia finally recorded his first win of the season on day one, hitting the ground running with the fastest time in Friday’s Akrapovic Super Test.
Australia’s Wil Ruprecht was quick to fight back. Topping the Nerve by Just1 Extreme Test, he put his TM out front and the battle was on as Freeman also joined in on the action. The trio were pushing hard, with no-one able to make a clean break.
Mistakes by Ruprecht on the Champion Enduro Test saw him lose touch as Garcia found another gear on the final lap to claim an eight-second margin of victory over Freeman. With a flyer of a final lap, Verona raced his way into contention. Fastest on the final Extreme Test he secured third by less than two seconds over Italy’s Davide Guarneri.
The Enduro1 category was once again a battle for victory between the Italian pairing of Verona and Guarneri. With little to separate the duo throughout the day, it all came down to the final test. With the clock stopping in Verona’s favour, he picked up his fourth win of 2021.
France’s Antoine Magain edged out Samuele Bernardini by four seconds for third, with Davide Soreca completing the top five.
The Enduro2 class began as a two-horse race between Garcia and Ruprecht with the duo immediately establishing themselves at the head of the field. However, with mistakes for Ruprecht coming in the second half of the day, it gave Garcia the breathing room he needed. Pulling clear to claim a 79-second winning margin, he ended his day a happy man.
With Ruprecht ending his day in second, the fight for the final step of the podium was played out between Hamish MacDonald and Steve Holcombe, with MacDonald eventually taking it by 10 seconds.
The Enduro3 category was yet again the Brad Freeman show as the Beta rider stamped his authority on the proceedings. With a more-than comfortable one-minute and forty-five second margin of victory, Freeman claimed his fifth win of the year.
It wasn’t all plain sailing however, with Freeman finally losing two special tests. Spain’s Jaume Betriu claimed one to end his day as runner-up, while Sherco’s Danny McCanney took the other to finish third. Husqvarna duo Jamie McCanney and Andrew Wilksch rounded out the top five.
The TM duo of Pavoni and Macoritto ruled the roost in Enduro Junior, with Pavoni holding command over his teammate. Despite some impressively fast times set by Macoritto, Pavoni matched that speed with consistency to claim the top stop for the fourth time.
Macoritto enjoyed the lion’s share of test wins with eight, but will need to eliminate those mistakes to put his TM on top. Sherco’s Leo Le Quere ended his day in third, while Sergio Navarro and Max Ahlin were fourth and fifth respectively.
After ending the opening days in Portugal and Italy as runner-up, Norrbin finally reversed that trend to take victory in Enduro Youth. The young Swede was on fire on familiar terrain, powering clear to a convincing 52-second margin of victory. Finland’s Pyry Juupaluoma made his first appearance of 2021 for second, with Kevin Cristino third.
Day two in Estonia was all about two riders – Freeman and Garcia. From the off the duo positioned themselves at the head of the EnduroGP field, setting a pace out front no other rider could match. Freeman remained in control for the majority of the day and looked to have the Spaniard beaten in the ever-deteriorating conditions.
Freeman was strongest in the Champion Enduro Test, while Garcia proved faster in the Acerbis Cross Test. Entering the final test of the day, the short Akropovic Super Test, Garcia knew he needed to give it everything to overcome his two second deficit to Freeman. Doing exactly that, he emerged victorious and showed himself as a new title threat to point’s leader Freeman ahead of next weekend’s GP of Sweden.
Josep Garcia – EnduroGP Winner
“Finally everything came good for me here in Estonia and I was able to claim the victory in both Enduro2 and EnduroGP. It was hard work, but after winning day one, I knew if I stayed focused, I should be in the fight for day two as well. I made a few mistakes on Saturday and had a couple of crashes, thankfully nothing too serious and it didn’t lose me too much time. On Sunday, I had one crash, but I think Brad did too, and the battle with him stayed really close. We were pushing the limits all day, in every test. Arriving at the last test less than two seconds behind, I knew I had to give it my all – if I crashed, I crashed, but I had to make up those seconds to take the win. Thankfully, the test was perfect, and I was able to claim another victory in EnduroGP. It’s an amazing feeling and I’m really looking forward to going to Sweden now, hopefully for more of the same.”
Finding his way onto the podium for the second day in a row, it was another strong performance from Verona. Clearly enjoying the deep sandy terrain, the GASGAS rider held off his Enduro2 classmate Davide Guarneri for third overall. Still feeling the effects from his crashes on day one, Will Ruprecht had to be content with fifth.
Beginning to show itself as a two-horse race, the Enduro1 honours were again fought out between Verona and Guarneri. With both riders pushing each other in the overall standings, they ended their day over 90 seconds clear of the field.
Verona however got the better of Guarneri again to take the win. In a change of positions, Samuele Bernardini recorded his second podium result of the year with third, while Davide Soreca ensured Italy swept the first four positions in Enduro1. Sweden’s Kilip Bengtsson was fifth and will look to improve on that on home soil next weekend.
Andrea Verona – E1 Winner
“It’s been a very positive weekend for me here in Estonia. After my home GP I really wanted to continue in a positive way, despite the change of terrain, and that has worked out just like I hoped. Everyone knew that with the soft, sandy ground here in Estonia the special tests would change a lot during the GP and they did. Day one was really good. It was another big battle with Davide Guarneri, but that helped me. We were pushing each other so much, it helped me get onto the overall EnduroGP podium as well, which was great. Day two was really tough – the special tests were so, so rough. I had two crashes where I lost some very important seconds, but in the end things were very good for me with another win. I had to work really hard, but to be heading to Sweden after these two Enduro1 class wins is very, very good.”
With the EnduroGP win in one hand, Garcia took home the Enduro2 victory with the other. The Spaniard was nearly all but untouchable in the sandy terrain, claiming 11 of the day’s 12 Enduro2 special test wins.
Admittedly not at his best following his crashes on day one, Ruprecht had to settle for the runner-up result. Gaining momentum in this year’s championship, New Zealand’s Hamish MacDonald carded another third place finish in Enduro2. A tough weekend for Steve Holcombe (Beta) saw the Brit place fourth, while Eero Remes (TM) finished fifth.
Making no mistakes today, Freeman dominated Enduro3 as his battle with Garcia for the overall saw him win in E3 by a massive two minutes and eight seconds. Behind him, Sherco’s Daniel McCanney found an extra turn of speed to leap past Spain’s Jaume Betriu (KTM) and into second place.
Slipping down to third for the first time in 2021, Betriu completed the podium. Again, the Husqvarna duo of Jamie McCanney and Andrew Wilksch rounded out the top five.
Turning the tables on his teammate, Macoritto raced his way onto the top step of the podium in Enduro Junior. Having showed he had the pace on day one to win, he matched it with consistency on day two to get the job done. Despite his best efforts of securing a double victory by winning the final two tests, Pavoni couldn’t bridge the gap to Macoritto and finished second.
Moving up the leaderboard, Sergio Navarro secured his first podium result of the year with third following a close battle with Sherco’s Leo Le Quere. Sweden’s Max Ahlin took fifth.
Another dominant win by Albin Norrbin puts him in the driving seat in Enduro Youth. The Swede was on flying form and will start as the rider to beat in his home race next weekend.
Ensuring an all-Scandinavian affair on the podium, Finland’s Pyry Juupaluoma and Samuli Puhakainen were second and third respectively. Kevin Cristino and Albert Fontova completed the top five.
Source: MCNews.com.au
With Phil Aynsley
The Claiming Rule Team class was introduced in MotoGP for the 2012 season but was dropped with the introduction of standardised ECUs for the 2014 season. The intention was to bolster grid numbers (which had fallen to 17 entries by 2011) and increase the spectacle of the races.
The CRT bikes still had to be “prototypes” but in reality these Honda, BMW, Kawasaki and Aprilia privateer bikes were really just modified WSBK machines.
This is Aleix Espargarò’s Team Aspar Aprilia ART GP13 machine as it appeared in the final round of the 2013 season in Valencia. He placed 11th in the championship and first in the CRT class with six top-ten finishes.
Output is over 230 hp with a dry weight of 165 kg and top speed was over 330 km/h.
Source: MCNews.com.au
The MXGP of the Netherlands saw sunshine and hot weather conditions, while witnessing incredible race action in Oss, in front of a very excited Dutch crowd.
The day began with a special parade lap that featured former FIM Motocross World Championship legends such as Harry Everts, Joel Smets, John van den Berk, Marnicq Bervoets, Jacky Martens, Marc Velkeneers, Peter Herlings, Gerrit Wolsink, Gerard Rond, Gertjan van Doorn, Edwin Evertsen and Johan Boonen.
When the racing kicked off it was Tim Gajser who dominated the MXGP class, going 3-2 for the overall win, while Tony Cairoli had to settle for second after a slow start with an 8-1 result. Romain Febvre was consistent running 4-4 for third.
In MX2 it was Jago Geerts who claimed victory with a 1-1 result, with Australia’s Jed Beaton finishing 2-3 for second overall, while Kay de Wolf was third overall.
The EMX250 class also ran with Australian Bailey Malkiewicz finishing 32-24, while Rick Elzinga took the win.
In MXGP, all eyes were on Jeffrey Herlings and Glenn Coldenhoff who were starting the races from first and second positions. But in race one, it was Romain Febvre who grabbed the Fox Holeshot, though Coldenhoff was not looking to waste any time as he jumped into the lead. He then led Febvre, Tim Gajser, Herlings and Jeremy Seewer.
Herlings then took a hard hit from Ivo Monticelli, though miraculously was able to carry on, while Monticelli crashed. Arminas Jasikonis was having a good ride in 11th place to score his first points of the season.
But the action in front is what had our attention as Febvre was looking for every possible way to get around Coldenhoff. The pair kept the intensity high from the beginning, while Gajser rode smart, taking his time in the background.
As the gap shrunk to 0.359 it looked like Febvre was finally going to get around the Dutchman, but instead the Frenchman made a mistake which saw him crash, costing him valuable time. He did however re-join pretty quickly and was down in third.
With less than 10 minutes to go, it looked like Coldenhoff was starting to fade a little as Gajser, Febvre and Herlings closed in on him. Febvre then got Gajser for second and got onto the back wheel of Coldenhoff’s Yamaha once again.
Herlings then muscled his way past Gajser and not long after was all over Febvre. With 2 minutes plus two laps to go, Herlings was already in front of Febvre who crashed and within striking distance of Coldenhoff.
The chase was on and with three laps to go, Herlings became the new race leader going on to win the first race with Coldenhoff second and Gajser third.
The second race saw carnage in the start which saw riders like Coldenhoff and Seewer, among others, go down, while Jorge Prado got the Fox Holeshot and led the way. Febvre was second with Gajser third.
Due to the incident in the opening race, Herlings did not line-up for the second heat as he travelled to hospital to confirm his shoulder injury. His return to racing is unknown for the moment.
As Febvre looked to push Prado for the lead, he made a costly mistake which saw him go off track on a side of a jump. He re-joined the race in sixth ahead of Jasikonis.
Prado then led Gajser by 2.342 seconds, with Brian Bogers having a strong ride in third place.
Seewer and Coldenhoff struggled to come back from their crashes, with Seewer managing a top 10 finish in race two, while Coldenhoff placed down in 22nd, missing out on championship points.
Febvre worked his way back up the order as he passed Ben Watson for fifth place, as Gajser closed the gap down to Prado. Cairoli then put a large charge in the race as he got around Bogers for third and set his sights on Gajser and Prado ahead.
Prado did a good job at keeping Gajser at bay until the final three laps of the race, when the Team HRC rider was able to get around the Spaniard. Prado then seemed to have faded as Cairoli was able to get around him too.
The nine-time World Champion then stepped it up another gear and caught out Gajser who maybe did not expect to have him right there. With less than half a lap to go, Cairoli took away the lead and went on to win the second MXGP race in Oss. Gajser was second and Prado third.
In terms of the podium, it was Tim Gajser who took the overall win, with Antonio Cairoli finishing second and Romain Febvre placing third, with two solid fourth place finishes.
Gajser continues to lead the championship with 166 points, with Herlings, Cairoli and Febvre tied on 143 points just behind him.
Tim Gajser – P1
“First race I was quite happy with third place, and I didn’t want to take any risks as the track was sketchy. In the second race I took a good start, I was behind Prado the whole race but he was blocking all the lines but then I managed to pass him with a couple of laps from the end but I lost all my energy before and Tony passed me on the last lap. I was trying to hold him, but he had better lines and anyway I am very happy with the overall.”
Antonio Cairoli – P2
“Yeah I was very disappointed about that first race because I know I have a good condition; I could ride good in this track. I am not the best in the sand for sure, but I felt I could do more. But after that first race, I was losing hope because I had a bad start. I was around 15th in the first corner and then of course Ivo crashed, and I lost a few positions so I was really struggling to find a rhythm; I spent a lot of energy to try to overtake the guys and then I arrived at the back of Jorge and I almost passed him but then I made a small mistake, I crashed and lost positions so I was not really happy about it. But second one I knew I had to stay away from trouble in the first lap. Towards the end of the race the guys in front were a little tired at the end, so after I passed Jorge I said I’ll go for the win. I have to give it everything and try to win because I still had energy and it worked so I am looking forward to another GP. I was not really a hard pack guy but lately, I am really enjoying it more than before. I also found a good setup on the bike. Before I was struggling more. So, I am looking forward to Loket. For sure it is not one of my favourite tracks but I am looking forward to those hard pack races and hopefully we have some public again because it is very nice to ride in front of the public. That’s why we are there, racing.”
Romain Febvre – P3
“I felt like that was my GP. I took two good starts, a holeshot and second and in both races I was second for a long time but trying to pass. I learned to take my time and I took my time but didn’t make the pass happen. In race one I crashed two times and still finished fourth but with crashing two times I could not do any better. That second race, the same thing, I was second and I was faster than Prado who was leading but I made a mistake going down the hill and crashed in the fence, but I got up really fast and went back. Not so much to say. I am happy to be on the podium but when it’s your time to take some points you should not crash so I will learn again and try again next weekend.”
Source: MCNews.com.au
Single day passes are still available for the inaugural National Thunder Motorcycle Rally in October 2021 in Australia’s country music capital of Tamworth.
Event Communications Coordinator Brad Moffett confirms the event is still planned to go ahead despite current Covid lockdown restrictions.
“Yes we are planning for the event to go ahead and are monitoring the developing Covid situation and health orders affecting regional NSW,” he says.
“Registrations are good. We are over 1600 registered now for the full four-day event.”
While registrations for the full four days are now closed, single day tickets are still available.
The event, to be held across the October long weekend from Friday 1 to Monday 4 October, is based on the successful 2015 National HOG Rally but open to all “breeds” of motorcycle.
The rally was planned for last year, but was postponed because of the pandemic lockdown.
Brad says that if ticket holders cannot attend the event due to border closures or Public Health Orders that prevent travel, organisers will offer the option of a full refund or a credit to use the ticket at the 2022 rally scheduled for Friday 30 September to Monday 3 October.
“We will update registered riders as this develops,” Brad says.
Their Covid policy is available at https://www.nationalthunder.com.au/
The rally will include bikes, music, food and entertainment and is open to individual riders, club members and organised groups representing all motorcycle manufacturer brands.
The event will feature live music on the Thunder Stage reliving the sights and sounds of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, a National Thunder Horse Spectacular, trade sites, food stalls and licensed bars.
A motorbike parade through the streets and surrounds called the National Thunder Rally Run will close out the event.
The New South Wales Harley Davidson Owners Group (HOG) will also hold their State Rally in conjunction with the National Thunder Rally.
Riders will again take over the Australian Equestrian and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC) which was the successful venue for the 2015 national HOG rally.
There will also be guided rides throughout the Tamworth region including Nundle, Bendemeer, Barraba and Manilla.
Glamping and BYO camping options are available on-site.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Afternoon’s like these with my ❤️ @tatiarea the kids and our friends!
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Didn’t think watching Jake ride would be as stressful as it is. Not sure who is learning the most, him and his bike skills or me learning about myself and father/coaching skills or lack of 😂
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📸 @ronniebeattie
Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Images by Jeff Kardas
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, reached the halfway point of the 2021 season with its sixth round of action from Spring Creek MX Park and the Circle K Spring Creek National, presented by Frescados Tortillas.
Minnesota fans were greeted with perfect weather that saw clear, sunny skies and temperatures in the low 30’s, while racers were challenged by the circuit’s dramatic elevation changes and infamous sand whoops. Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia made his long-awaited return to the top step of the podium and grabbed a moto win en route to his first 450 Class victory of the season. With 2-5 results for third overall Dylan Ferrandis extended his championship lead over Ken Roczen to 32-points.
In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Jeremy Martin continued that division’s historic first half with an emphatic effort in front of the home crowd, in which he swept both motos to become the sixth different winner in as many races. Jett Lawrence went 4-6 while Justin Cooper scored 2-3 finishes which pomoted him past Jett into the championship lead. Hunter Lawrence went 5-5 to retain third place in the championship standings.
As the gate dropped for the opening 450 Class moto of the afternoon it was Barcia who emerged with the Holeshot ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo, FXR/Chaparral Honda Racing’s Coty Schock, and the Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing teammates of Dylan Ferrandis and Christian Craig. At the completion of the opening lap it was Barcia, Cianciarulo, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb inside the top three. Ferrandis, the championship leader, crossed the line fifth, while Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen, second in the standings, was caught up in a frightening first-turn incident that left the German in need of medical assistance and force him to withdraw from the moto.
Out front, Barcia continued to lead the way with Cianciarulo in pursuit and in search of a way around. Craig began to apply heavy pressure on Webb and made the pass for third with 20-minutes remaining. Just laps later, Craig’s Star Racing Yamaha teammates Ferrandis and Aaron Plessinger started to push their way to the front, both overtaking Webb. The march forward didn’t stop there for Ferrandis, as he muscled his way by Craig into third near the halfway point of the moto.
Cianciarulo continued to press Barcia for the lead, however, a costly mistake saw him lose the back end of his Kawasaki and crash out of second place, which moved Ferrandis and Craig into second and third and eventually forced Cianciarulo to retire from the race. With just over eight minutes remaining, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac, who started 14th, entered the battle up front as he clocked the fastest laps of the race and blitzed his way past Craig for third. Tomac’s charge soon led him to the back wheel of Ferrandis as a three-way fight for the lead took shape.
The Frenchman successfully erased his deficit to Barcia and spent the waning laps of the moto in constant search of a way around, which resulted in a near crash between the two, while simultaneously fending off heavy pressure from Tomac for second. Barcia never wavered and was able to fend off numerous pass attempts by Ferrandis to hang on for his first moto victory of the season by just over a second. Ferrandis and Tomac completed the top three, with Craig fourth and Plessinger fifth.
| Pos | Rider…………………… | Bikes………………………. | Interval/Laps |
| 1 | Justin Barcia | GAS MC450F | 16 Laps |
| 2 | Dylan Ferrandis | YAM YZ 450F | +01.062 |
| 3 | Eli Tomac | KAW KX450 | +05.396 |
| 4 | Christian Craig | YAM YZ 450F | +15.174 |
| 5 | Aaron Plessinger | YAM YZ 450F | +18.894 |
| 6 | Cooper Webb | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +20.085 |
| 7 | Chase Sexton | HON CRF450R WE | +29.216 |
| 8 | Marvin Musquin | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +49.916 |
| 9 | Max Anstie | SUZ RMZ 450 | +53.655 |
| 10 | Dean Wilson | HQV FC450 RE | +55.316 |
| 11 | Joseph Savatgy | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +56.975 |
| 12 | Fredrik Noren | KTM 450 SX-F | +1:10.973 |
| 13 | Justin Bogle | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +1:38.843 |
| 14 | Brandon Hartranft | SUZ RMZ 450 | +1:59.652 |
| 15 | Ben LaMay | KTM 450 SX-F | +2:01.945 |
| 16 | Justin Rodbell | KAW KX450 | 15 Laps |
| 17 | Curren Thurman | GAS MC450F | +04.694 |
| 18 | Jacob Runkles | GAS MC450F | +14.803 |
| 19 | Chris Canning | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +24.331 |
| 20 | Jeremy Hand | HON CRF450R | +27.475 |
| 21 | Hunter Schlosser | YAM YZ 450F | +30.586 |
| 22 | Tyler Stepek | KAW KX450 | +32.179 |
| 23 | Ryan Surratt | HQV FC450 | +39.222 |
| 24 | Bryton Carroll | YAM YZ 450F | +47.712 |
| 25 | Bryce Hansen | KAW KX450 | +55.081 |
| 26 | Justin Rando | YAM YZ 450F | +1m16.022 |
| 27 | Dawson Ryker | YAM YZ 450F | +1m17.443 |
| 28 | Nicolas Rolando | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +1m42.523 |
| 29 | Cody Groves | YAM YZ 450F | +1m55.607 |
| 30 | Rody Schroyer | HON CRF450R | +2m03.632 |
| 31 | Nathen LaPorte | KTM 450 SX-F | +2m10.481 |
| 32 | Pierce Knight | YAM YZ 450F | 14 Laps |
| 33 | Wyatt Lyonsmith | KAW KX450 | +58.242 |
| 34 | Adam Cianciarulo | KAW KX450 | 11 Laps |
| 35 | Matthew Hubert | KAW KX450 | 9 Laps |
| 36 | Scott Meshey | HQV FC450 RE | 7 Laps |
| 37 | Coty Schock | HON CRF450R | 4 Laps |
| 38 | Alex Ray | KAW KX450 | DNF |
| 39 | YAM YZ 450F | DNF | |
| 40 | Ken Roczen | HON CRF450R WE | DNS |
The second and deciding 450 Class moto kicked off with Barcia earning a sweep of the Holeshots for the day ahead of Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-WPS-KTM’s Justin Bogle and Roczen, who avoided serious injury and rejoined the fray for Moto 2. Roczen used a pair of quick passes to move out front and lead the field around on the opening lap, ahead of Barcia and Bogle. Tomac came around in 10th, while Ferrandis was mired outside of the top-20 due to a crash coming down one of the hills.
Roczen was on a mission and in search of redemption out front, while Barcia was in hot pursuit to back up his impressive first moto result. As Roczen and Barcia paced each other, Ferrandis went down for a second time, costing him several more spots in the process. Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton closed in on Bogle and found his way around to take over third.
Roczen proved to be unstoppable and carried on to secure his fourth moto win of the season by 5.3 seconds over Barcia. Sexton finished third, followed by Tomac in fourth, while Ferrandis showed his resiliency with an impressive come-from-behind effort to finish fifth.
| Pos | Rider…………………… | Bike……………………………….. | Lapts/Interval |
| 1 | Ken Roczen | HON CRF450R WE | 16 Laps |
| 2 | Justin Barcia | GAS MC450F | +06.092 |
| 3 | Chase Sexton | HON CRF450R WE | +14.517 |
| 4 | Eli Tomac | KAW KX450 | +18.145 |
| 5 | Dylan Ferrandis | YAM YZ 450F | +23.008 |
| 6 | Christian Craig | YAM YZ 450F | +39.197 |
| 7 | Joseph Savatgy | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +45.997 |
| 8 | Marvin Musquin | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +56.650 |
| 9 | Aaron Plessinger | YAM YZ 450F | +59.113 |
| 10 | Dean Wilson | HQV FC450 RE | +1m06.532 |
| 11 | Max Anstie | SUZ RMZ 450 | +1m08.311 |
| 12 | Brandon Hartranft | SUZ RMZ 450 | +1m25.438 |
| 13 | Fredrik Noren | KTM 450 SX-F | +1m28.422 |
| 14 | Justin Bogle | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +2m07.157 |
| 15 | Ben LaMay | KTM 450 SX-F | +2m43.444 |
| 16 | Justin Rodbell | KAW KX450 | 15 Laps |
| 17 | Chris Canning | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +04.849 |
| 18 | Alex Ray | KAW KX450 | +16.217 |
| 19 | Scott Meshey | HQV FC450 RE | +25.378 |
| 20 | Ryan Surratt | HQV FC450 | +35.098 |
| 21 | Curren Thurman | GAS MC450F | +39.013 |
| 22 | Bryce Hansen | KAW KX450 | +43.583 |
| 23 | Cooper Webb | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +46.919 |
| 24 | Jacob Runkles | GAS MC450F | +1m01.845 |
| 25 | Matthew Hubert | KAW KX450 | +1m06.682 |
| 26 | Dawson Ryker | YAM YZ 450F | +1m26.795 |
| 27 | Bryce Backaus | YAM YZ 450F | +1m30.893 |
| 28 | Justin Rando | YAM YZ 450F | +1m51.586 |
| 29 | Tyler Stepek | KAW KX450 | +2m02.037 |
| 30 | Nicolas Rolando | KTM 450 SX-F FE | +2m21.309 |
| 31 | Cody Groves | YAM YZ 450F | 14 Laps |
| 32 | Nathen LaPorte | KTM 450 SX-F | +09.654 |
| 33 | Bryton Carroll | YAM YZ 450F | +10.943 |
| 34 | Cory Carsten | SUZ RMZ 450 | +27.826 |
| 35 | Wyatt Lyonsmith | KAW KX450 | +1m52.178 |
| 36 | Hunter Schlosser | YAM YZ 450F | 10 Laps |
| 37 | Coty Schock | HON CRF450R | 9 Laps |
| 38 | Pierce Knight | YAM YZ 450F | 6 Laps |
| 39 | Nicholas Tomasunas | YAM YZ 450F | 5 Laps |
| 40 | Jeremy Hand | HON CRF450R | 4 Laps |
Barcia’s consistency, anchored by his Moto 1 win, carried him to the overall victory (2-1), which marked his first winning effort since the final round of the 2018 season and signified the first Pro Motocross victory for GASGAS in its debut season as a manufacturer. Tomac finished in the runner-up spot (3-4) for his third podium result in the past four races, while Ferrandis’ relentless charge in the second moto helped land him third overall (2-5), missing out on a second-place tiebreaker with Tomac. Roczen rebounded from a disastrous start to the day to finish ninth overall (40-1).
“It’s a lot to take in,” said Barcia. “I felt great on the bike all day and it’s just such an awesome feeling to be back on the top step of the podium again. The fans were just awesome out there. It’s been a while, but I never gave up and left it all on the track today. The team has been working hard to get me comfortable on the bike and I think today showed that everything is coming together. Hopefully, we can keep this momentum rolling into the rest of the season and click off a few more wins.”
The adversity endured by each of the top two riders in the division resulted in a significant shift in the point standings, as Ferrandis’ podium effort allowed him to gain 13 points and establish a 32-point lead over Roczen, who did all he could to minimize the damage. By virtue of his win, Barcia vaulted from fifth to third in the standings, 55 points from the lead.
“I’m just disappointed in myself today,” said Ferrandis, who entered the day on a three-race win streak and has now finished on the overall podium at all six rounds thus far. “It was a difficult day. I crashed twice in that second moto and didn’t give myself a fighting chance. I’m here to win and that’s really what I want to do. I’ll go back to work and get ready to come out stronger next weekend.”
“It was definitely a hard one in the first moto. I got banged up really good and I need to make sure that my ribs aren’t broken,” explained Roczen. “I’ll be really sore tomorrow but as soon as I checked myself (and didn’t have any serious injury) I knew there was no question in my mind I was going to come back out here (for Moto 2) and give my best. That’s what we were born to do. I knew I didn’t have the best gate pick, but I got pretty lucky and made it work, and then rode a smart race. I’m just glad I could finish, and I did all I could for what it was.”
| Pos | Rider……………………….. | Bike……………………….. | M1 | M2 | Points |
| 1 | Justin Barcia | GAS MC450F | 1 | 2 | 46 |
| 2 | Eli Tomac | KAW KX450 | 3 | 4 | 38 |
| 3 | Dylan Ferrandis | YAM YZ 450F | 2 | 5 | 38 |
| 4 | Chase Sexton | HON CRF450R WE | 7 | 3 | 34 |
| 5 | Christian Craig | YAM YZ 450F | 4 | 6 | 32 |
| 6 | Aaron Plessinger | YAM YZ 450F | 5 | 9 | 28 |
| 7 | Marvin Musquin | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 8 | 8 | 26 |
| 8 | Ken Roczen | HON CRF450R WE | 40 | 1 | 25 |
| 9 | Joseph Savatgy | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 11 | 7 | 24 |
| 10 | Dean Wilson | HQV FC450 RE | 10 | 10 | 22 |
| 11 | Max Anstie | SUZ RMZ 450 | 9 | 11 | 22 |
| 12 | Fredrik Noren | KTM 450 SX-F | 12 | 13 | 17 |
| 13 | Brandon Hartranft | SUZ RMZ 450 | 14 | 12 | 16 |
| 14 | Justin Bogle | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 15 | Cooper Webb | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 6 | 23 | 15 |
| 16 | Ben LaMay | KTM 450 SX-F | 15 | 15 | 12 |
| 17 | Justin Rodbell | KAW KX450 | 16 | 16 | 10 |
| 18 | Chris Canning | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 19 | 17 | 6 |
| 19 | Curren Thurman | GAS MC450F | 17 | 21 | 4 |
| 20 | Alex Ray | KAW KX450 | 38 | 18 | 3 |
| 21 | Jacob Runkles | GAS MC450F | 18 | 24 | 3 |
| 22 | Scott Meshey | HQV FC450 RE | 36 | 19 | 2 |
| 23 | Ryan Surratt | HQV FC450 | 23 | 20 | 1 |
| 24 | Jeremy Hand | HON CRF450R | 20 | 40 | 1 |
| 25 | Bryce Hansen | KAW KX450 | 25 | 22 | 0 |
| 26 | Tyler Stepek | KAW KX450 | 22 | 29 | 0 |
| 27 | Dawson Ryker | YAM YZ 450F | 27 | 26 | 0 |
| 28 | Justin Rando | YAM YZ 450F | 26 | 28 | 0 |
| 29 | Bryton Carroll | YAM YZ 450F | 24 | 33 | 0 |
| 30 | Hunter Schlosser | YAM YZ 450F | 21 | 36 | 0 |
| 31 | Nicolas Rolando | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 28 | 30 | 0 |
| 32 | Matthew Hubert | KAW KX450 | 35 | 25 | 0 |
| 33 | Cody Groves | YAM YZ 450F | 29 | 31 | 0 |
| 34 | Nathen LaPorte | KTM 450 SX-F | 31 | 32 | 0 |
| 35 | Wyatt Lyonsmith | KAW KX450 | 33 | 35 | 0 |
| 36 | Pierce Knight | YAM YZ 450F | 32 | 38 | 0 |
| 37 | Coty Schock | HON CRF450R | 37 | 37 | 0 |
| 38 | Nicholas Tomasunas | YAM YZ 450F | 39 | 39 | 0 |
| 39 | Bryce Backaus | YAM YZ 450F | 27 | 0 | |
| 40 | Rody Schroyer | HON CRF450R | 30 | 0 | |
| 41 | Adam Cianciarulo | KAW KX450 | 34 | 0 | |
| 42 | Cory Carsten | SUZ RMZ 450 | 34 | 0 |
| Pos | Rider………………………….. | Bike…………………………… | Points |
| 1 | Dylan Ferrandis | YAM YZ 450F | 262 |
| 2 | Ken Roczen | HON CRF450R WE | 230 |
| 3 | Justin Barcia | GAS MC450F | 207 |
| 4 | Eli Tomac | KAW KX450 | 205 |
| 5 | Chase Sexton | HON CRF450R WE | 193 |
| 6 | Aaron Plessinger | YAM YZ 450F | 191 |
| 7 | Christian Craig | YAM YZ 450F | 156 |
| 8 | Cooper Webb | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 148 |
| 9 | Adam Cianciarulo | KAW KX450 | 147 |
| 10 | Marvin Musquin | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 141 |
| 11 | Joseph Savatgy | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 121 |
| 12 | Dean Wilson | HQV FC450 RE | 82 |
| 13 | Max Anstie | SUZ RMZ 450 | 80 |
| 14 | Justin Bogle | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 73 |
| 15 | Brandon Hartranft | SUZ RMZ 450 | 71 |
| 16 | Fredrik Noren | KTM 450 SX-F | 58 |
| 17 | Coty Schock | HON CRF450R | 47 |
| 18 | Zachary Osborne | HQV FC450 RE | 33 |
| 19 | Justin Rodbell | KAW KX450 | 33 |
| 20 | Jason Anderson | HQV FC450 RE | 29 |
| 21 | Chris Canning | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 28 |
| 22 | Ryan Surratt | HQV FC450 | 18 |
| 23 | Ben LaMay | KTM 450 SX-F | 16 |
| 24 | Tyler Stepek | KAW KX450 | 10 |
| 25 | Phillip Nicoletti | YAM YZ 450F | 9 |
| 26 | Scott Meshey | HQV FC450 RE | 9 |
| 27 | Alessandro Lupino | KTM 450 SX-F | 8 |
| 28 | Tyler Medaglia | GAS MC450F | 6 |
| 29 | William Clason | KAW KX450 | 5 |
| 30 | Jacob Runkles | GAS MC450F | 5 |
| 31 | Curren Thurman | GAS MC450F | 4 |
| 32 | Alex Ray | KAW KX450 | 4 |
| 33 | Jeremy Hand | HON CRF450R | 4 |
| 34 | Mitchell Falk | GAS MC450F | 3 |
| 35 | Cody Groves | YAM YZ 450F | 3 |
| 36 | Robert Piazza | YAM YZ 450F | 3 |
| 37 | Kyle Chisholm | YAM YZ 450F | 2 |
| 38 | Jacob Hayes | KTM 450 SX-F | 2 |
| 39 | Bryce Backaus | YAM YZ 450F | 1 |
| 40 | Hunter Schlosser | YAM YZ 450F | 0 |
| 41 | Bryce Hansen | KAW KX450 | 0 |
| 42 | Cole Thompson | KTM 450 SX-F | 0 |
| 43 | Nathan Augustin | KTM 450 SX-F | 0 |
| 44 | Brian Borghesani | GAS MC450F | 0 |
| 45 | Nicolas Rolando | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 0 |
| 46 | Ricci Randanella | KAW KX450 | 0 |
| 47 | Bryton Carroll | YAM YZ 450F | 0 |
| 48 | Trevor Schmidt | KTM 450 SX-F FE | 0 |
| 49 | Matthew Hubert | KAW KX450 | 0 |
| 50 | Dawson Ryker | YAM YZ 450F | 0 |
| 51 | Joshua Prior | GAS MC450F | 0 |
| 52 | Justin Rando | YAM YZ 450F | 0 |
| 53 | Cory Carsten | SUZ RMZ 450 | 0 |
The opening 250 Class moto of the day saw Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper capture the Holeshot ahead of his teammates, Nate Thrasher and Martin, along with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Max Vohland. As the 40-rider field came around to complete the opening lap it was Cooper followed by Vohland and Martin. Championship point leader and Team Honda HRC rider Jett Lawrence was credited with 14th to start the race.
Cooper quickly set the pace and opened a comfortable gap over his competition, while Martin took control of second from the rookie Vohland after persistent pressure throughout the opening minutes of the moto. Just moments later, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Michael Mosiman closed in on Vohland and eventually took over third. Back out front, crowd favorite Martin started to find his rhythm and began to chip away at Cooper’s advantage.
Entering the closing minutes of the race, Martin closed quickly on the race leader and started searching for a way around his teammate. After several attempts, Martin grabbed a handful of throttle traversing down the steep “Mount Martin” and dove into the lead with an impressive pass. Once out front he quickly pulled away and went unchallenged in the final laps to take his third moto win of the season by 7.5 seconds over Cooper. Mosiman completed the podium in third, followed by the Team Honda HRC siblings of Jett and Hunter Lawrence in fourth and fifth, respectively.
| Pos | Rider………………………….. | Bike……………………. | Laps/Interval |
| 1 | Jeremy Martin | YAM YZ 250F | 16 Laps |
| 2 | Justin Cooper | YAM YZ 250F | +07.549 |
| 3 | Michael Mosiman | GAS MC250F | +11.288 |
| 4 | Jett Lawrence | HON CRF250R | +17.859 |
| 5 | Hunter Lawrence | HON CRF250R | +22.690 |
| 6 | RJ Hampshire | HQV FC250 | +26.079 |
| 7 | Colt Nichols | YAM YZ 250F | +38.957 |
| 8 | Jo Shimoda | KAW KX 250 | +53.360 |
| 9 | Maximus Vohland | KTM 250 SX-F FE | +56.044 |
| 10 | Jarrett Frye | YAM YZ 250F | +57.483 |
| 11 | Stilez Robertson | HQV FC250 | +1m04.073 |
| 12 | Jalek Swoll | HQV FC250 | +1m08.272 |
| 13 | Dilan Schwartz | SUZ RMZ 250 | +1m18.277 |
| 14 | Carson Mumford | HON CRF250R | +1m22.766 |
| 15 | Pierce Brown | GAS MC250F | +1m42.509 |
| 16 | Ty Masterpool | GAS MC250F | +2m01.999 |
| 17 | Austin Forkner | KAW KX 250 | +2m04.047 |
| 18 | Brandon Scharer | YAM YZ 250F | +2m04.196 |
| 19 | Derek Kelley | GAS MC250F | +2m16.282 |
| 20 | Xylian Ramella | KTM 250 SX-F | +2m22.861 |
| 21 | Zack Williams | GAS MC250F | 15 Laps |
| 22 | Joshua Varize | KTM 250 SX-F | +03.768 |
| 23 | Jerry Robin | GAS MC250F | +12.118 |
| 24 | Ryder Floyd | YAM YZ 250F | +43.025 |
| 25 | Ramyller Alves | GAS MC250F | +46.263 |
| 26 | Gared Steinke | KAW KX 250 | +49.085 |
| 27 | TJ Uselman | GAS MC250F | +56.961 |
| 28 | Kailub Russell | KTM 250 SX-F | +57.847 |
| 29 | Gabe Gutierres | HON CRF250R | +1m10.734 |
| 30 | Garrett Hoffman | YAM YZ 250F | +1m15.326 |
| 31 | Izaih Clark | HON CRF250R | +1m48.693 |
| 32 | Jeffrey Walker | KTM 250 SX-F | +2m10.770 |
| 33 | Blake Ashley | YAM YZ 250F | +2m33.265 |
| 34 | Logan Boye | KTM 250 SX-F | 1 Laps |
| 35 | Wade Brommel | KAW KX 250 | +1:06.499 |
| 36 | Garrett Marchbanks | YAM YZ 250F | 12 Laps |
| 37 | Grant Harlan | HON CRF250R | 9 Laps |
| 38 | Conner Burger | KTM 250 SX-F | 7 Laps |
| 39 | Alex Martin | YAM YZ 250F | DNF |
| 40 | Nathanael Thrasher | YAM YZ 250F | DNS |
The final 250 Class moto of the afternoon saw Martin pick up where he left off in the opening moto with the Holeshot, narrowly edging out Cooper, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner, and Mosiman. As the field came around to complete the opening lap it was Martin, Cooper, and Mosiman leading the way, while Jett and Hunter Lawrence found themselves mired in 10th and 11th, respectively.
With a clear track ahead, Martin easily asserted control on the layout he grew up riding, continuously inching away from Cooper and Mosiman, who started to make a run for second. At the halfway point of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto, Mosiman began showing Cooper a wheel and eventually made an aggressive move to make a pass stick and take control of the runner-up spot.
Martin was calm, cool, and collected for the entirety of the moto and clinched the 1-1 sweep by 9.3 seconds. Mosiman finished strong to earn the best moto result of his career in second, followed by Cooper in third. Jett Lawrence overcame a crash that included multiple riders and left him with a damaged motorcycle to salvage sixth.
| Pos | Rider…………………….. | Bike…………………… | Laps/Interval |
| 1 | Jeremy Martin | YAM YZ 250F | 16 Laps |
| 2 | Michael Mosiman | GAS MC250F | +09.369 |
| 3 | Justin Cooper | YAM YZ 250F | +19.681 |
| 4 | Austin Forkner | KAW KX 250 | +32.498 |
| 5 | Hunter Lawrence | HON CRF250R | +34.308 |
| 6 | Jett Lawrence | HON CRF250R | +40.358 |
| 7 | Colt Nichols | YAM YZ 250F | +49.482 |
| 8 | Carson Mumford | HON CRF250R | +1m07.081 |
| 9 | Jo Shimoda | KAW KX 250 | +1m11.526 |
| 10 | Jalek Swoll | HQV FC250 | +1m14.216 |
| 11 | Dilan Schwartz | SUZ RMZ 250 | +1m26.561 |
| 12 | Garrett Marchbanks | YAM YZ 250F | +1m35.468 |
| 13 | Maximus Vohland | KTM 250 SX-F FE | +1m51.872 |
| 14 | Ramyller Alves | GAS MC250F | +2m14.850 |
| 15 | Joshua Varize | KTM 250 SX-F | +2m15.456 |
| 16 | Brandon Scharer | YAM YZ 250F | 15 Laps |
| 17 | Derek Kelley | GAS MC250F | +01.990 |
| 18 | Xylian Ramella | KTM 250 SX-F | +25.746 |
| 19 | Zack Williams | GAS MC250F | +39.937 |
| 20 | Alex Martin | YAM YZ 250F | +52.189 |
| 21 | Jerry Robin | GAS MC250F | +1m21.427 |
| 22 | TJ Uselman | GAS MC250F | +1m28.090 |
| 23 | Garrett Hoffman | YAM YZ 250F | +1m29.616 |
| 24 | Kyle Greeson | KTM 250 SX-F | +2m10.114 |
| 25 | Logan Boye | KTM 250 SX-F | +2m10.954 |
| 26 | Christopher Prebula | KTM 250 SX-F | +2m34.419 |
| 27 | Ryder Floyd | YAM YZ 250F | 14 Laps |
| 28 | Wade Brommel | KAW KX 250 | +58.584 |
| 29 | Jarrett Frye | YAM YZ 250F | +1m11.471 |
| 30 | James Harrington | YAM YZ 250F | 13 Laps |
| 31 | Gared Steinke | KAW KX 250 | 9 Laps |
| 32 | Blake Ashley | YAM YZ 250F | 8 Laps |
| 33 | Gabe Gutierres | HON CRF250R | 7 Laps |
| 34 | Izaih Clark | HON CRF250R | +39.926 |
| 35 | Stilez Robertson | HQV FC250 | 6 Laps |
| 36 | Ty Masterpool | GAS MC250F | 5 Laps |
| 37 | Jeffrey Walker | KTM 250 SX-F | +19.140 |
| 38 | RJ Hampshire | HQV FC250 | 2 Laps |
| 39 | Pierce Brown | GAS MC250F | DNF |
| 40 | Kailub Russell | KTM 250 SX-F | DNS |
The dominant outing for Martin gave the Minnesota native his third win at Spring Creek and the 18th victory of his career. It also makes Martin the sixth different winner to open the season, continuing a historic level of parity that has carried through the halfway point of the championship. Mosiman earned a career-best finish in second overall (3-2) to edge out Cooper, who finished third (2-3), via tiebreaker. Jett Lawrence finished just off the podium in fourth (4-6) and now has back-to-back finishes outside the top three after beginning the season with four consecutive podiums.
“That one felt good and ranks up there pretty high out of the wins throughout my career,” said Martin, who is battling through a series of injuries and has been forced to miss one race this season. “It’s always special to win in front of the hometown crowd, and doing it by sweeping both motos, that just makes it even sweeter. It’s been a tough season for me, but I needed to get back out here and start racing whether I was 100% or not. A huge thanks to all the fans for the support today, they really kept me going and allowed me to dig deep.”
A consistent day by Cooper, combined with a challenging afternoon for Lawrence, resulted in a new championship leader as the Yamaha rider now leads the young Australian by six-points. Hunter Lawrence maintains his hold on third, 33 points out of the lead.
“That’s what it’s all about. We’re at the halfway point and we’re going after this championship. That’s the mindset,” said Cooper. “I honestly rode pretty mediocre today. I left a lot on the table, I feel. I wasn’t that comfortable (on the bike), so I got to take the blame on this one and do better. I felt like we could have been battling for the overall win today, but we’ll take it. We’ve got the red plate now. We’ll keep grinding, and simply need to be better. I can’t afford to leave anything on the table and that’s what it’s going to take to win this championship.”
“This was definitely a nightmare of a day,” said Jett Lawrence. “My starts have really been putting me down and back in the pack. It’s just not helping me. Cooper’s been getting those starts and that’s what we need to be doing. I was brought up to never give up. We’re only halfway. I don’t know how many points back I am, but we’re going to keep charging.”
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will continue next Saturday, July 24, for Round 7 Washougal National.
| Pos | Rider…………………….. | Bike…………………… | M1 | M2 | POINTS |
| 1 | Jeremy Martin | YAM YZ 250F | 1 | 1 | 50 |
| 2 | Michael Mosiman | GAS MC250F | 3 | 2 | 42 |
| 3 | Justin Cooper | YAM YZ 250F | 2 | 3 | 42 |
| 4 | Jett Lawrence | HON CRF250R | 4 | 6 | 33 |
| 5 | Hunter Lawrence | HON CRF250R | 5 | 5 | 32 |
| 6 | Colt Nichols | YAM YZ 250F | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| 7 | Jo Shimoda | KAW KX 250 | 8 | 9 | 25 |
| 8 | Austin Forkner | KAW KX 250 | 17 | 4 | 22 |
| 9 | Carson Mumford | HON CRF250R | 14 | 8 | 20 |
| 10 | Jalek Swoll | HQV FC250 | 12 | 10 | 20 |
| 11 | Maximus Vohland | KTM 250 SX-F FE | 9 | 13 | 20 |
| 12 | Dilan Schwartz | SUZ RMZ 250 | 13 | 11 | 18 |
| 13 | RJ Hampshire | HQV FC250 | 6 | 38 | 15 |
| 14 | Jarrett Frye | YAM YZ 250F | 10 | 29 | 11 |
| 15 | Stilez Robertson | HQV FC250 | 11 | 35 | 10 |
| 16 | Garrett Marchbanks | YAM YZ 250F | 36 | 12 | 9 |
| 17 | Brandon Scharer | YAM YZ 250F | 18 | 16 | 8 |
| 18 | Ramyller Alves | GAS MC250F | 25 | 14 | 7 |
| 19 | Joshua Varize | KTM 250 SX-F | 22 | 15 | 6 |
| 20 | Derek Kelley | GAS MC250F | 19 | 17 | 6 |
| 21 | Pierce Brown | GAS MC250F | 15 | 39 | 6 |
| 22 | Ty Masterpool | GAS MC250F | 16 | 36 | 5 |
| 23 | Xylian Ramella | KTM 250 SX-F | 20 | 18 | 4 |
| 24 | Zack Williams | GAS MC250F | 21 | 19 | 2 |
| 25 | Alex Martin | YAM YZ 250F | 39 | 20 | 1 |
| 26 | Jerry Robin | GAS MC250F | 23 | 21 | 0 |
| 27 | TJ Uselman | GAS MC250F | 27 | 22 | 0 |
| 28 | Ryder Floyd | YAM YZ 250F | 24 | 27 | 0 |
| 29 | Garrett Hoffman | YAM YZ 250F | 30 | 23 | 0 |
| 30 | Gared Steinke | KAW KX 250 | 26 | 31 | 0 |
| 31 | Logan Boye | KTM 250 SX-F | 34 | 25 | 0 |
| 32 | Gabe Gutierres | HON CRF250R | 29 | 33 | 0 |
| 33 | Wade Brommel | KAW KX 250 | 35 | 28 | 0 |
| 34 | Blake Ashley | YAM YZ 250F | 33 | 32 | 0 |
| 35 | Izaih Clark | HON CRF250R | 31 | 34 | 0 |
| 36 | Kailub Russell | KTM 250 SX-F | 28 | 40 | 0 |
| 37 | Jeffrey Walker | KTM 250 SX-F | 32 | 37 | 0 |
| 38 | Kyle Greeson | KTM 250 SX-F | 24 | 0 | |
| 39 | Christopher Prebula | KTM 250 SX-F | 26 | 0 | |
| 40 | James Harrington | YAM YZ 250F | 30 | 0 | |
| 41 | Grant Harlan | HON CRF250R | 37 | 0 | |
| 42 | Conner Burger | KTM 250 SX-F | 38 | 0 | |
| 43 | Nathanael Thrasher | YAM YZ 250F | 40 | 0 |
| Pos | Rider…………………………. | Bike……………………. | Points |
| 1 | Justin Cooper | YAM YZ 250F | 243 |
| 2 | Jett Lawrence | HON CRF250R | 237 |
| 3 | Hunter Lawrence | HON CRF250R | 210 |
| 4 | Jeremy Martin | YAM YZ 250F | 175 |
| 5 | RJ Hampshire | HQV FC250 | 163 |
| 6 | Jo Shimoda | KAW KX 250 | 162 |
| 7 | Colt Nichols | YAM YZ 250F | 159 |
| 8 | Jalek Swoll | HQV FC250 | 148 |
| 9 | Garrett Marchbanks | YAM YZ 250F | 124 |
| 10 | Michael Mosiman | GAS MC250F | 122 |
| 11 | Austin Forkner | KAW KX 250 | 116 |
| 12 | Maximus Vohland | KTM 250 SX-F FE | 99 |
| 13 | Pierce Brown | GAS MC250F | 93 |
| 14 | Stilez Robertson | HQV FC250 | 86 |
| 15 | Dilan Schwartz | SUZ RMZ 250 | 78 |
| 16 | Carson Mumford | HON CRF250R | 73 |
| 17 | Jarrett Frye | YAM YZ 250F | 73 |
| 18 | Ty Masterpool | GAS MC250F | 67 |
| 19 | Nathanael Thrasher | YAM YZ 250F | 52 |
| 20 | Joshua Varize | KTM 250 SX-F | 37 |
| 21 | Ramyller Alves | GAS MC250F | 21 |
| 22 | Levi Kitchen | YAM YZ 250F | 14 |
| 23 | Brandon Scharer | YAM YZ 250F | 13 |
| 24 | Kailub Russell | KTM 250 SX-F | 11 |
| 25 | Derek Kelley | GAS MC250F | 11 |
| 26 | Seth Hammaker | KAW KX 250 | 10 |
| 27 | Derek Drake | SUZ RMZ 250 | 9 |
| 28 | Alex Martin | YAM YZ 250F | 8 |
| 29 | Cameron Mcadoo | KAW KX 250 | 6 |
| 30 | Grant Harlan | HON CRF250R | 6 |
| 31 | James Harrington | YAM YZ 250F | 5 |
| 32 | Jace Kessler | YAM YZ 250F | 5 |
| 33 | Xylian Ramella | KTM 250 SX-F | 4 |
| 34 | Jesse Flock | HQV FC250 | 3 |
| 35 | Max Miller | KTM 250 SX-F | 3 |
| 36 | Zack Williams | GAS MC250F | 2 |
| 37 | Jake Pinhancos | KTM 250 SX-F | 2 |
| 38 | Dominique Thury | YAM YZ 250F | 2 |
| 39 | Jerry Robin | GAS MC250F | 0 |
| 40 | Joseph Tait | YAM YZ 250F | 0 |
| 41 | Gared Steinke | KAW KX 250 | 0 |
| 42 | TJ Uselman | GAS MC250F | 0 |
| 43 | Tre Fierro | KTM 250 SX-F | 0 |
| 44 | Luke Renzland | HQV TC125 | 0 |
| 45 | Vincent Luhovey | KTM 250 SX-F | 0 |
| 46 | Garrett Hoffman | YAM YZ 250F | 0 |
| 47 | Christopher Prebula | KTM 250 SX-F | 0 |
| 48 | Kyle Greeson | KTM 250 SX-F | 0 |
| 49 | Kaeden Amerine | YAM YZ 250F | 0 |
| 50 | Ryder Floyd | YAM YZ 250F | 0 |
| 51 | Kai Aiello | HQV FC250 | 0 |
| 52 | Noah Willbrandt | YAM YZ 250F | 0 |
| 53 | Logan Boye | KTM 250 SX-F | 0 |
Source: MCNews.com.au