The title race takes another twist at the Red Bull Ring as Gardner suffers his worst finish of the season
For the fourth time in 2021, Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is a Moto2™ race winner after producing a faultless ride at the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich. The Spaniard fended off race-long pressure from Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) as two rookies stand on the top two steps, that’s Ogura’s first podium in the class, while Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) picks up a third consecutive podium in P3.
The title race takes a twist in Austria
All three riders on the front row launched away well from the line and it was line astern into Turn 1, Lowes leading Raul Fernandez and Ogura on the opening lap. Drama unfolded further down the pack at the tight Turn 1, which saw Jorge Navarro (Lightech Speed Up) and Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP40) crash. It also saw Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2) come into pitlane at the end of Lap 1 to retire, with World Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) forced down to P10 in the early stages after contact at Turn 1.
Lap 3 saw Raul Fernandez slot up the inside of Lowes at Turn 3 to take the lead, as Ogura and Augusto Fernandez tagged onto the back of the top two. In two consecutive laps at Turn 3, Ogura and Augusto Fernandez carved past Lowes as the polesitter slipped to P4. The race then settled with Ogura chasing race leader Raul Fernandez, as Augusto Fernandez sat at around a second adrift of top spot. Lowes was keeping his teammate within touching distance, with both Gardner and Marco Bezzecchi (SKY Racing Team VR46) struggling to make progress in P8 and P9.
Heading into the final 10 laps, it was still as you were between the leading quartet. Lap times between them were almost identical, with no one looking like putting a foot wrong. With four laps to go though, Ogura was starting to make Raul Fernandez sweat a little more. Three tenths split the rapid rookies, with third place Augusto Fernandez and fourth place Lowes watching on from a couple of seconds back. Raul Fernandez then responded to the pressure, the gap was back up to half a second with two laps to go.
Two 1:29.2s saw Raul Fernandez get the gap up to 0.8s heading onto the final lap, and the Spaniard made no mistakes to return to the top step, his fourth win of the season. Ogura produced a phenomenal ride to keep Fernandez honest for a dream debut Moto2™ rostrum, Augusto Fernandez held on to take P3 ahead of teammate Lowes.
Mixed emotions for the points scorers
Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) went toe-to-toe with Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) as both riders claim their best intermediate class finishes in P5 and P6. That’s the order they crossed the line in, but Vietti was demoted one place for exceeding track limits – P5 for Chantra, an equal best P6 for Vietti.
After being beaten up at the opening corner, Gardner had to settle for P7 to see his title advantage slip to 19 points. The Australian eventually got the better of Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2), the Styrian GP podium finisher picks up P8 ahead of Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team). 2.4s adrift of ninth place Lüthi was Bezzecchi in P10, a crash in qualifying ultimately costing the Italian another shot at victory at the Red Bull Ring.
Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) edged out Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and Tony Arbolino (Liqui Moly Intact GP) in the battle for P11, Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Hector Garzo (Flexbox HP40) completed the point scorers in P14 and P15 respectively.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team), Barry Baltus (NTS RW Racing GP), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) and Yari Montella (Lightech Speed Up) crashed out of contention.
19 points separate the teammates heading to Silverstone, can Gardner bounce back at the British GP? We’ll find out in a couple of weeks’ time.
Top 10: 1. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) 2. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) + 0.845 3. Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) + 2.747 4. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) + 4.412 5. Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 8.782 6. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) + 8.850 7. Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 13.657 8. Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) + 16.499 9. Thomas Luthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) + 17.108 10. Marco Bezzecchi (SKY Racing Team VR46) + 19.588
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It’s a third victory of 2021 for the GASGAS star as Championship leader Acosta finishes off the podium
An exhilarating last lap from Sergio Garcia (Santander Consumer GASGAS) handed the Aspar star a third Moto3™ victory of the season in a classic lightweight class fight at the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) lost out at the penultimate corner but takes his second Grand Prix podium, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) taking a fantastic P3.
Garcia triumphs in another Moto3™ stunner
Polesitter Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) got an inch-perfect getaway as the lights went out and comfortably held P1 into Turn 1, with Öncü making a great start from the second row to grab P2. The Turkish rider didn’t take long to turn P2 into P1, Turn 4 the chosen passing place as Öncü took the lead on Lap 1. Acosta wasted no time in making his way to the front, the Spaniard taking the lead at the start of Lap 3, with second in the Championship Garcia also climbing his way through the pack expertly from 14th on the grid to the top five.
Öncü, Fenati and Acosta stood as the top three for a number of laps in the opening exchanges, as we saw top 10 competitors Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) tagging Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) at the final corner on Lap 6, the latter crashing out of contention unhurt. A lead group of six then formed, Garcia, Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Foggia joining the aforementioned trio, with Petronas Sprinta Racing’s Binder and John McPhee sat a second adrift.
The Petronas duo breached the gap with 10 laps to go, which meant we had a lead group of eight fighting for victory in Austria. Öncü was a mainstay in the lad of the race and with eight laps to go, the Turkish rider had eked a slight lead. Typically, though, Acosta and co. reeled Öncü back in, and it was starting to get busy. Acosta and Fenati made slight on the exit of Turn 4 with six laps to go, as Binder and McPhee lost touch.
At Turn 3 with three to go, Garcia got two for the price of one. The Spaniard took the lead as Acosta followed him through on Öncü, with Acosta then taking the lead at Turn 4. However, a stunning run out of Turn 8 saw Öncü return to P1 heading onto Lap 22 of 23. Last lap, Öncü led onto it with Acosta right behind him. The latter was up the inside at Turn 3 but Öncü got the cutback, as Garcia then passed title rival Acosta at Turn 4, which cost the Championship leader dearly.
Garcia then locked his radar onto race leader Öncü and chose Turn 9 as the place to pounce. Up the inside went Garcia, Öncü could do nothing to fight back as Garcia held the defensive line into the final corner. The GASGAS rider managed to hold his advantage to the line and claim victory at the Red Bull Ring by 0.027s, with Foggia getting the better of Acosta on the last lap to demote the number 37 to P4.
The points finishers
Fenati finished less than half a second from the win and takes home a P5 for his efforts, another great race from the experienced Italian, who edged out Masia on the last lap. McPhee claimed a commendable P7 ahead of a late charging Izan Guevara (Santander Consumer GASGAS). Binder faded in the latter stages to claim P9, as Japan’s Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) rounded out the top 10.
Compatriot Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was less than a second away from Toba in P11, with Filip Salac (CarXpert PrüstelGP) beating Stefano Nepa (BOE Owlride) to P12. Six seconds behind 13th place Nepa was Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3), the Spaniard leading home Andi Farid Izdihar (Honda Team Asia) in 15th.
Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) crashed out at the final corner on the opening lap after contact with teammate David Salvador, Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) retired from the Austrian GP.
A third win of the season and a third podium on the bounce sees Garcia close the gap to Acosta down to 41 points ahead of Silverstone, the battle between the two Spaniards is well and truly on in 2021. A weekend off now awaits for the Moto3™ field as they recover from a Red Bull Ring double header, while setting sights on Silverstone. What does the legendary layout have in store at the end of the month?
Top 10: 1. Sergio Garcia (Santander Consumer GASGAS) 2. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) + 0.027 3. Denis Foggia (Leopard Racing) + 0.319 4. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.394 5. Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) + 0.462 6. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.794 7. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 1.331 8. Izan Guevara (Santander Consumer GASGAS) + 1.440 9. Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 2.339 10. Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) + 6.135
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World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) set the pace in MotoGP™ Warm Up to kickstart his Sunday in perfect fashion at the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich. The Frenchman’s 1:23.629 was enough to beat compatriot Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) by 0.382s, but the man second in the title race suffered a fast crash at Turn 9. Thankfully Zarco was unhurt, as fellow Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed the top three.
Moto2™ Warm Up has gone the way of Augusto Fernandez as the Elf Marc VDS rider’s 1:28.153 gave him a narrow 0.007s margin over Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) at the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix of Austria. It’s the perfect start to the day for the Spaniard as he chases down a third consecutive podium for the first time in the intermediate class, while he was only one of three riders to dip into the 1.29s, with rookies Ogura and Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) the others.
Deniz Öncü recorded a 1:36.181 to end Moto3™ Warm Up quickest at the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix of Austria. The Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rider put in some impressively quick laps as the lightweight class made some final tweaks ahead of lights out, with the Turk having 0.228s to spare over Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing), while teammate Ayumu Sasaki completes the top three.
2021 Pro Motocross Championship Round 8 – Unadilla
Images by Jeff Kardas
The final, five-round run to crown a pair of champions kicked off with Round 8 and the Circle K Unadilla National, which signified the anticipated return of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship to Central New York’s iconic Unadilla MX. The world’s best racers were challenged all afternoon long on the legendary circuit, which was regarded as the toughest track of the 2021 season thus far. In the end, Team Honda HRC left the field seeing red as they swept the overall victories across both the 450 Class and 250 Class.
After a bit of a rough stretch to open the second half of the summer season, Ken Roczen bounced back in a big way with perhaps the most dominant outing of 2021 thus far. The German rider was in a class of his own in both 450 Class motos and cruised to a 1-1 sweep for his second win of the season, which also helped him gain valuable points in the ongoing title fight.
In the 250 Class, Jett Lawrence rose to the occasion in Moto 2 with one of the best rides of his young career, where an overdue moto win allowed him to prevail with his second victory of the season. The triumphant effort also paid dividends in the championship standings, as Lawrence closed to within just a handful of points of recapturing the red plate.
2021 AMA Pro Motocross Video Highlights
450 Moto 1
As the gate dropped on the opening 450 Class moto it was Roczen clear ahead of the field exiting the first turn to easily capture the MotoSport.com Holeshot. As the rest of the field jockeyed for position behind him, it was the Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing duo of Aaron Plessinger and Dylan Ferrandis who slotted into second and third. Roczen was able to drop the hammer on the opening lap and took full advantage of the clear track to establish a multi-second lead over Plessinger and Ferrandis, as the lead trio surged out to a significant margin over the remainder of the 40-rider field.
Soon the race became a two-rider affair as both Roczen and Plessinger continued to pull away from Ferrandis. Roczen was comfortable in control of the moto, but Plessinger continually kept him honest by mirroring the lap times. No more than two seconds separated the lead pair through the first half of the moto. Plessinger looked to be faster than Roczen in some places and even showed a wheel a couple times, but the Honda kept him at bay and put a few bike lengths between them.
With 10 minutes remaining in the moto, as he gave chase to Roczen, Plessinger suffered a frightening crash that saw his Yamaha loop out and resulted in heavy impact with the ground. Fortunately, Plessinger was able to get up and walk away under his own power, but it brought what began as a strong start to the afternoon to an abrupt and heartbreaking conclusion.
With the pressure no longer a factor, Roczen rode alone out front and managed a double-digit lead through the remainder of the moto to earn an impressive wire-to-wire win. He took the checkered flag 10.6 seconds ahead of Ferrandis, while Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac followed in a distant third. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin was fourth, with his teammate Cooper Webb fifth.
450 Moto 1 Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Gap
1
Ken Roczen
HON CRF450R WE
15 Laps
2
Dylan Ferrandis
YAM YZ 450F
+10.653
3
Eli Tomac
KAW KX450
+27.755
4
Marvin Musquin
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+43.307
5
Cooper Webb
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+48.171
6
Joseph Savatgy
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+52.340
7
Christian Craig
YAM YZ 450F
+1m05.802
8
Max Anstie
SUZ RMZ 450
+1m12.099
9
Justin Bogle
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+1m20.902
10
Brandon Hartranft
SUZ RMZ 450
+1m24.494
11
Chase Sexton
HON CRF450R WE
+1m25.081
12
Coty Schock
HON CRF450R
+1m27.604
13
Jace Kessler
YAM YZ 450F
+1m45.929
14
Ryan Surratt
HQV FC450
+1m50.598
15
Dean Wilson
HQV FC450 RE
+1m53.644
16
Jeremy Hand
HON CRF450R
+2m15.754
17
Chris Canning
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+2m26.575
18
Justin Rodbell
KAW KX450
+2m31.024
19
Jacob Runkles
GAS MC450F
+2m31.955
20
Scott Meshey
HQV FC450 RE
+2m41.159
21
Tyler Stepek
KAW KX450
14 Laps
22
Ben LaMay
KTM 450 SX-F
+17.690
23
William Clason
KAW KX450
+29.706
24
Jeremy Smith
KAW KX450
+54.815
25
Cody Groves
YAM YZ 450F
+1m00.213
26
Nathen LaPorte
KTM 450 SX-F
+1m05.346
27
Ricci Randanella
KAW KX450
+1m06.897
28
Matthew Hubert
KAW KX450
+1m08.459
29
Bryce Backaus
YAM YZ 450F
+1m10.444
30
Dominique Thury
YAM YZ 450F
+1m28.674
31
Bryce Hansen
KAW KX450
+1m42.001
32
Trevor Schmidt
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+1m44.320
33
Bryton Carroll
YAM YZ 450F
+1m57.356
34
Nicolas Rolando
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+2m01.727
35
Robert Piazza
YAM YZ 450F
13 Laps
36
Brandon Gregoire
YAM YZ 450F
+1m20.843
37
Rody Schroyer
HON CRF450R
+2m09.990
38
Aaron Plessinger
YAM YZ 450F
8 Laps
39
Brock Papi
KAW KX450
4 Laps
40
Felix Lopez
KAW KX450
2 Laps
450 Moto 2
The second and deciding moto began with Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton out front with the MotoSport.com Holeshot, followed by Webb, Ferrandis and Roczen. As Sexton looked to take advantage of his position at the front of the field Roczen was incredibly aggressive and made passes on both Ferrandis and Webb to surge up into second behind his teammate. Shortly thereafter Ferrandis put the pressure on Webb for third and successfully moved into podium position.
As the points leader took over control of third, the Hondas out front had built a lead of more than five seconds. Sexton showed impressive pace to maintain a lead of about a second over Roczen, but the German bided his time and waited for the race to come to him. As the moto reached its opening 10 minutes Roczen pulled the trigger and went on the attack. An impressive outside move allowed Roczen to make quick, easy work of his teammate. From there he cemented his control of the moto with one of his fastest laps of the race.
Sexton kept Roczen honest and was within reach as the moto reached its halfway point, but Roczen responded to open up his biggest lead of the moto. The German never looked back and put the finishing touches on one of the most dominant outings of his career. He wrapped up a sweep of the motos by six seconds over Sexton, while Ferrandis withstood a persistent threat from his fellow Frenchman Musquin to finish third.
450 Moto 2 Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Gap
1
Ken Roczen
HON CRF450R WE
15 Laps
2
Chase Sexton
HON CRF450R WE
+06.063
3
Dylan Ferrandis
YAM YZ 450F
+26.121
4
Marvin Musquin
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+35.498
5
Cooper Webb
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+44.653
6
Christian Craig
YAM YZ 450F
+50.795
7
Eli Tomac
KAW KX450
+1m03.934
8
Dean Wilson
HQV FC450 RE
+1m23.157
9
Max Anstie
SUZ RMZ 450
+1m33.668
10
Coty Schock
HON CRF450R
+1m42.458
11
Ryan Surratt
HQV FC450
+2m11.718
12
Justin Bogle
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+2m24.302
13
Chris Canning
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+2m29.310
14
Tyler Stepek
KAW KX450
+2m31.721
15
Ben LaMay
KTM 450 SX-F
14 Laps
16
Jeremy Hand
HON CRF450R
+04.247
17
Justin Rodbell
KAW KX450
+08.083
18
Jacob Runkles
GAS MC450F
+11.036
19
Jeremy Smith
KAW KX450
+16.336
20
Joseph Savatgy
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+31.085
21
William Clason
KAW KX450
+35.747
22
Jace Kessler
YAM YZ 450F
+37.752
23
Bryce Backaus
YAM YZ 450F
+1m21.045
24
Ricci Randanella
KAW KX450
+1m37.011
25
Scott Meshey
HQV FC450 RE
+1m54.031
26
Nathen LaPorte
KTM 450 SX-F
+1m54.178
27
Matthew Hubert
KAW KX450
+1m57.160
28
Nicolas Rolando
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+2m09.374
29
Brandon Gregoire
YAM YZ 450F
+2m16.660
30
Felix Lopez
KAW KX450
13 Laps
31
Cory Carsten
SUZ RMZ 450
+2m20.516
32
Bryce Hansen
KAW KX450
+2m52.343
33
Jonah Geistler
KTM 450 SX-F
+3m01.117
34
Thomas Lanphear
HQV FC450
+4m46.134
35
Cody Groves
YAM YZ 450F
6 Laps
36
Bryton Carroll
YAM YZ 450F
3 Laps
37
Brandon Hartranft
SUZ RMZ 450
2 Laps
38
Trevor Schmidt
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+33.027
39
Brock Papi
KAW KX450
+1m12.750
40
Rody Schroyer
HON CRF450R
DNF
450 Overall
It’s the second 1-1 effort for Roczen this season and signifies the 20th victory of his career, which moves him into a tie with James Stewart for sixth on the all-time wins list. It’s also the second straight victory for Roczen at Unadilla, where he won the last time the championship visited during the 2019 season.
“This was unreal,” exclaimed Roczen, who won earlier this season at Thunder Valley. “I just felt like I got into the zone today. The track was brutal, and it was easy to make a mistake, but I was able to find great lines and ride really consistent. The crowd was awesome today. They were so passionate and really kept me going. I just want to thank everyone for their support and my team for all the hard work.”
Ferrandis finished in the runner-up spot (2-3) for his eighth podium result this season, which effectively minimized the damage done in the championship standings. Musquin captured his first podium result of the season in third (4-4) to complete an overall podium composed entirely of international competitors.
“I came here to win, but Ken (Roczen) was way too strong today,” said Ferrandis. “It’s fine. Second overall is still good. I lost some points in the championship, but there’s four rounds to go. We’ll see. I think we got the maximum today out of myself and the bike. Ken was just better. We’ll come back and try to be on the top step (of the podium).”
Roczen gained eight points on Ferrandis in the 450 Class standings, and now 39 points sit between them with four rounds remaining. Tomac, who finished fourth (3-7), is third, 62 points out of the lead.
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Pos
Rider
M1
M2
Points
1
Ken Roczen
1
1
50
2
Dylan Ferrandis
2
3
42
3
Marvin Musquin
4
4
36
4
Eli Tomac
3
7
34
5
Chase Sexton
11
2
32
6
Cooper Webb
5
5
32
7
Christian Craig
7
6
29
8
Max Anstie
8
9
25
9
Justin Bogle
9
12
21
10
Coty Schock
12
10
20
11
Dean Wilson
15
8
19
12
Ryan Surratt
14
11
17
13
Joseph Savatgy
6
20
16
14
Chris Canning
17
13
12
15
Brandon Hartranft
10
37
11
16
Jeremy Hand
16
16
10
17
Jace Kessler
13
22
8
18
Tyler Stepek
21
14
7
19
Justin Rodbell
18
17
7
20
Ben LaMay
22
15
6
21
Jacob Runkles
19
18
5
22
Jeremy Smith
24
19
2
23
Scott Meshey
20
25
1
24
William Clason
23
21
0
25
Ricci Randanella
27
24
0
26
Bryce Backaus
29
23
0
27
Nathen LaPorte
26
26
0
28
Matthew Hubert
28
27
0
29
Cody Groves
25
35
0
30
Nicolas Rolando
34
28
0
31
Bryce Hansen
31
32
0
32
Brandon Gregoire
36
29
0
33
Bryton Carroll
33
36
0
34
Felix Lopez
40
30
0
35
Trevor Schmidt
32
38
0
36
Rody Schroyer
37
40
0
37
Brock Papi
39
39
0
38
Dominique Thury
30
0
39
Cory Carsten
31
0
40
Jonah Geistler
33
0
41
Thomas Lanphear
34
0
42
Robert Piazza
35
0
43
Aaron Plessinger
38
0
450 Class Championship Standings (Round 8 of 12)
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Dylan Ferrandis
345
2
Ken Roczen
306
3
Eli Tomac
283
4
Chase Sexton
270
5
Justin Barcia
239
6
Aaron Plessinger
217
7
Marvin Musquin
213
8
Christian Craig
211
9
Cooper Webb
209
10
Joseph Savatgy
160
11
Adam Cianciarulo
147
12
Max Anstie
126
13
Dean Wilson
121
14
Justin Bogle
107
15
Brandon Hartranft
96
16
Coty Schock
78
17
Fredrik Noren
58
18
Chris Canning
40
19
Justin Rodbell
40
20
Ryan Surratt
39
21
Zachary Osborne
33
22
Ben LaMay
33
23
Jason Anderson
29
24
Jeremy Hand
19
25
Tyler Stepek
18
26
Scott Meshey
12
27
Jacob Runkles
10
28
Phillip Nicoletti
9
29
Jace Kessler
8
30
Alessandro Lupino
8
31
Ryan Sipes
8
32
Tyler Medaglia
6
33
William Clason
5
34
Curren Thurman
4
35
Alex Ray
4
36
Carson Brown
3
37
Mitchell Falk
3
38
Cody Groves
3
39
Robert Piazza
3
40
Kyle Chisholm
2
41
Jeremy Smith
2
42
Jacob Hayes
2
43
Bryce Backaus
1
44
Hunter Schlosser
0
45
Bryce Hansen
0
46
Cole Thompson
0
47
Nathan Augustin
0
48
Matthew Hubert
0
49
Brian Borghesani
0
50
Ricci Randanella
0
51
Nicolas Rolando
0
52
Bryson Gardner
0
53
Bryton Carroll
0
250 Moto 1
The opening 250 Class moto saw championship point leader Justin Cooper emerge with the MotoSport.com Holeshot aboard his Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing machine just ahead of Lawrence, Cooper’s championship rival, and Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Jeremy Martin, who brought a two-race win streak into Unadilla. Lawrence applied heavy pressure on Cooper on the opening lap and looked for a way around, but to no avail. Instead, Cooper withstood the challenge and put a few bike lengths on the field, as Martin looked to close in from third.
The field stabilized about 10 minutes into the moto, but the lead trio were closer than ever with less than two seconds between them. Lawrence appeared to be the fastest of the leaders and once again went on the attack. The top two riders in the championship put on a show as they went to battle for control of the race, which allowed them to drop Martin in third, but Cooper was able to respond to the challenge again. As they reached the halfway point of the moto the leaders settled into their positions, where Cooper managed a multi-second advantage over Lawrence as Martin continued to give chase from third.
Cooper was able to pick up the pace over the second half of the moto and pulled away from Lawrence to establish a lead of more than five seconds. He continued to charge through to the finish and capped off a wire-to-wire victory by 3.3 seconds over Lawrence, with Martin third, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire fourth, and Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence fifth.
250 Moto 1 Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Interval
1
Justin Cooper
YAM YZ 250F
15 Laps
2
Jett Lawrence
HON CRF250R
+03.306
3
Jeremy Martin
YAM YZ 250F
+11.756
4
RJ Hampshire
HQV FC250
+34.549
5
Hunter Lawrence
HON CRF250R
+37.176
6
Maximus Vohland
KTM 250 SX-F FE
+44.201
7
Jo Shimoda
KAW KX 250
+44.345
8
Jalek Swoll
HQV FC250
+59.693
9
Seth Hammaker
KAW KX 250
+1m00.787
10
Carson Mumford
HON CRF250R
+1m06.769
11
Ty Masterpool
GAS MC250F
+1m16.027
12
Levi Kitchen
YAM YZ 250F
+1m17.672
13
Jarrett Frye
YAM YZ 250F
+1m25.761
14
Joshua Varize
KTM 250 SX-F
+1m29.489
15
Dilan Schwartz
SUZ RMZ 250
+1m30.068
16
Preston Kilroy
SUZ RMZ 250
+1m54.320
17
Stilez Robertson
HQV FC250
+2m05.210
18
Alex Martin
YAM YZ 250F
+2m17.726
19
Jerry Robin
HQV FC250
+2m41.673
20
TJ Uselman
GAS MC250F
14 Laps
21
James Harrington
YAM YZ 250F
+07.026
22
Christopher Prebula
KTM 250 SX-F
+21.969
23
Vincent Luhovey
KTM 250 SX-F
+26.100
24
Xylian Ramella
KTM 250 SX-F
+29.911
25
Zack Williams
GAS MC250F
+37.653
26
Garrett Hoffman
YAM YZ 250F
+38.034
27
Tommy Rios
YAM YZ 250F
+59.334
28
Luke Renzland
HQV TC125
+1m00.988
29
Pierce Brown
GAS MC250F
+1m05.658
30
Blake Ashley
YAM YZ 250F
+1m19.490
31
Jared Lesher
YAM YZ 250F
+1m26.123
32
Joseph Tait
YAM YZ 250F
+2m30.863
33
Maxwell Sanford
HON CRF250R
13 Laps
34
Noah Willbrandt
YAM YZ 250F
+12.298
35
Stephen Hooker
KTM 250 SX-F
+37.562
36
Derek Kelley
GAS MC250F
10 Laps
37
Ramyller Alves
GAS MC250F
8 Laps
38
Hunter Calle
YAM YZ 250F
+5m12.687
39
Austin Forkner
KAW KX 250
3 Laps
40
Garrett Marchbanks
YAM YZ 250F
+21.938
250 Moto 2
As they field charged through the first turn to start Moto 2 it was Cooper who wrapped up each of the day’s MotoSport.com Holeshots, with Martin in tow. Behind them, Jett Lawrence and Hampshire duked it out for third. Martin didn’t waste any time trying to put the pressure on his teammate as the Yamaha-mounted riders went bar-to-bar on multiple occasions on the opening lap. Cooper held him off as Lawrence closed in to make it a three-way fight.
Martin’s persistence paid off five minutes into the moto when he took advantage of a slight bobble by Cooper to take over the lead. Lawrence then proceeded to follow his way into second, but only briefly, as Cooper responded and reclaimed second. Meanwhile, Martin moved out to a lead of nearly two seconds. A lap later Lawrence found his way back onto Cooper’s rear fender and seized the moment to make the pass once again for second. The Australian then set his sights on Martin for the lead.
As Lawrence continued his pursuit of Martin out front, Cooper was facing additional pressure from behind, this time from Hampshire. The Husqvarna rider needed a couple tries, but soon dropped Cooper outside the top three. Not long after that, Lawrence’s path to the front was complete with a decisive pass on Martin just before the halfway point of the moto.
Once out front, Lawrence was able to sprint away from his rivals and quickly built a lead of more than five seconds. He maintained that advantage through to the finish to earn his first moto win since RedBud, taking the checkered flag 3.6 seconds ahead of Martin, with Hampshire in third and Cooper a distant fourth.
250 Moto 2 Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Interval
1
Jett Lawrence
HON CRF250R
15 Laps
2
Jeremy Martin
YAM YZ 250F
+03.607
3
RJ Hampshire
HQV FC250
+49.005
4
Justin Cooper
YAM YZ 250F
+1m11.190
5
Maximus Vohland
KTM 250 SX-F FE
+1m19.107
6
Austin Forkner
KAW KX 250
+1m23.931
7
Levi Kitchen
YAM YZ 250F
+1m26.681
8
Jarrett Frye
YAM YZ 250F
+1m35.334
9
Jalek Swoll
HQV FC250
+1m47.001
10
Preston Kilroy
SUZ RMZ 250
+1m47.336
11
Hunter Lawrence
HON CRF250R
+2m00.583
12
Dilan Schwartz
SUZ RMZ 250
+2m10.123
13
Joshua Varize
KTM 250 SX-F
+2m15.491
14
Ty Masterpool
GAS MC250F
+2m23.075
15
Carson Mumford
HON CRF250R
+2m23.722
16
Garrett Marchbanks
YAM YZ 250F
+2m38.266
17
Xylian Ramella
KTM 250 SX-F
14 Laps
18
Christopher Prebula
KTM 250 SX-F
+02.305
19
James Harrington
YAM YZ 250F
+02.549
20
Luke Renzland
HQV TC125
+16.751
21
Seth Hammaker
KAW KX 250
+19.565
22
Vincent Luhovey
KTM 250 SX-F
+41.225
23
Garrett Hoffman
YAM YZ 250F
+43.759
24
Gabe Gutierres
YAM YZ 250F
+50.178
25
Maxwell Sanford
HON CRF250R
+1m25.102
26
TJ Uselman
GAS MC250F
+1m33.666
27
Jared Lesher
YAM YZ 250F
+1m44.894
28
Tommy Rios
YAM YZ 250F
+1m52.814
29
Blaze Cremaldi
YAM YZ 250F
+2m08.791
30
Joseph Tait
YAM YZ 250F
13 Laps
31
Noah Willbrandt
YAM YZ 250F
+17.039
32
Hunter Calle
YAM YZ 250F
+35.590
33
Dennis Gritzmacher
KTM 250 SX-F
+51.398
34
Blake Ashley
YAM YZ 250F
+1m03.348
35
Stephen Hooker
KTM 250 SX-F
+1m34.325
36
Jo Shimoda
KAW KX 250
11 Laps
37
Jerry Robin
HQV FC250
8 Laps
38
Alex Martin
YAM YZ 250F
5 Laps
39
Zack Williams
GAS MC250F
3 Laps
40
Pierce Brown
GAS MC250F
1 Laps
250 Overall
The triumph in the second moto vaulted Lawrence to the overall win (2-1), the third of his young career. It ended a three-race drought from the podium and follows up his season-opening victory at Fox Raceway in May.
“I finally got my starts sorted and that helps a lot,” said Lawrence. “The boys (fellow competitors) were hooking, but I got some lines, and they were working. I just felt really good there. It felt like home. I got into a groove and felt so fast. It’s just awesome. My mentality isn’t going to change (for the rest of the season). I’m going to come into these last four rounds trying to do everything I can, because Justin (Cooper) is riding well.”
Cooper finished in the runner-up spot (1-4) to miss out on a win in his home state but has still finished on the overall podium in all eight rounds this season. Martin rounded out the podium in third (3-2).
“I just felt really good in the first moto, but I think we needed to make a bike change for the second moto,” explained Cooper. “The track was a lot rougher than I expected. I just lost my rhythm out there. It was still a positive day. We’ll come out swinging (for the final four rounds) and try to wrap up this championship.”
After eight rounds, just four points separate Cooper and Lawrence in the 250 Class standings. Hunter Lawrence, who finished sixth (5-11), is third, 61 points out of the lead, while Martin sits an additional point back in fourth.
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Pos
Rider
M1
M2
Points
1
Jett Lawrence
2
1
47
2
Justin Cooper
1
4
43
3
Jeremy Martin
3
2
42
4
RJ Hampshire
4
3
38
5
Maximus Vohland
6
5
31
6
Hunter Lawrence
5
11
26
7
Jalek Swoll
8
9
25
8
Levi Kitchen
12
7
23
9
Jarrett Frye
13
8
21
10
Ty Masterpool
11
14
17
11
Carson Mumford
10
15
17
12
Preston Kilroy
16
10
16
13
Austin Forkner
39
6
15
14
Dilan Schwartz
15
12
15
15
Joshua Varize
14
13
15
16
Jo Shimoda
7
36
14
17
Seth Hammaker
9
21
12
18
Garrett Marchbanks
40
16
5
19
Stilez Robertson
17
4
20
Xylian Ramella
24
17
4
21
Christopher Prebula
22
18
3
22
Alex Martin
18
38
3
23
James Harrington
21
19
2
24
Jerry Robin
19
37
2
25
Luke Renzland
28
20
1
26
Vincent Luhovey
23
22
0
27
TJ Uselman
20
26
1
28
Garrett Hoffman
26
23
0
29
Tommy Rios
27
28
0
30
Maxwell Sanford
33
25
0
31
Jared Lesher
31
27
0
32
Joseph Tait
32
30
0
33
Blake Ashley
30
34
0
34
Zack Williams
25
39
0
35
Noah Willbrandt
34
31
0
36
Pierce Brown
29
40
0
37
Hunter Calle
38
32
0
38
Stephen Hooker
35
35
0
39
Gabe Gutierres
24
0
40
Blaze Cremaldi
29
0
41
Dennis Gritzmacher
33
0
42
Derek Kelley
36
0
43
Ramyller Alves
37
0
250 Class Championship Standings (Round 8 of 12)
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Justin Cooper
324
2
Jett Lawrence
320
3
Hunter Lawrence
263
4
Jeremy Martin
262
5
RJ Hampshire
243
6
Jo Shimoda
192
7
Jalek Swoll
173
8
Colt Nichols
172
9
Michael Mosiman
154
10
Austin Forkner
152
11
Maximus Vohland
151
12
Garrett Marchbanks
146
13
Pierce Brown
126
14
Dilan Schwartz
116
15
Carson Mumford
110
16
Jarrett Frye
105
17
Stilez Robertson
90
18
Ty Masterpool
84
19
Joshua Varize
56
20
Nathanael Thrasher
52
21
Levi Kitchen
37
22
Ramyller Alves
31
23
Derek Kelley
25
24
Seth Hammaker
22
25
Alex Martin
19
26
Preston Kilroy
16
27
Brandon Scharer
13
28
Kailub Russell
11
29
Derek Drake
9
30
Xylian Ramella
8
31
Christopher Prebula
7
32
James Harrington
7
33
Cameron Mcadoo
6
34
Grant Harlan
6
35
Zack Williams
5
36
Jace Kessler
5
37
Jerry Robin
4
38
Jesse Flock
3
39
Max Miller
3
40
Jake Pinhancos
2
41
Dominique Thury
2
42
Gared Steinke
1
43
TJ Uselman
1
44
Garrett Hoffman
1
45
Luke Renzland
1
46
Joseph Tait
0
47
Gabe Gutierres
0
48
Vincent Luhovey
0
49
Levi Newby
0
50
Tre Fierro
0
51
Kaeden Amerine
0
52
Ryder Floyd
0
53
Kyle Greeson
0
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will continue next weekend with a visit to Southern Maryland, in the shadow of the nation’s capital of Washington D.C., where Mechanicsville’s famed Budds Creek Motocross Park will host Round 9 of the championship and the Circle K Budds Creek National.
Johnny Garness (City Lifting by RS Racing) is now a race winner in 2021, the number 57 shooting away from pole in Race 1 at Donington to chip away at a gap and cross the line in some clear air. The fight for second went down to the wire, with the returning Casey O’Gorman (Microlise Creswell Racing) just pipping James Cook (Wilson Racing) at the line.
Classic TT & Manx GP facing post-Covid sustainability review
With Covid continuing to wreak havoc around the world on various events, the Manx Motor Cycle Club and the Isle of Man Government Department for Enterprise have revealed that they are conducting a collaborative root and branch review of the Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT events.
The Manx Grand Prix has offered amateur riders the opportunity to compete on the famous TT Mountain Course for almost a hundred years, and is set to celebrate its centenary in 2023. Many former Manx Grand Prix competitors have gone on to enjoy success at the TT and in world championships.
The Classic TT meanwhile has run since 2013, quickly establishing itself as the world’s premier road racing event for classic racing motorcycles, attracting a host of star riders and exotic machinery since its inception.
The review will consider a number of factors linked to the successful delivery of the events including the organisational structure, operational resource and safety risk management, as well as scheduling, event duration, race classes, marketing and communications. The review will also assess the impact that staging these events has on the local community.
The Manx Motor Cycle Club and the Isle of Man Department for Enterprise are committed to delivering sustainable events that are viable in a post pandemic world. It is anticipated that if there are any changes made that would impact on the 2022 events, these will be communicated by the end of the current calendar year.
Contributions have also been welcomed, with those wishing to do so able to visit the following link – https://bit.ly/MGP_CTT_Survey.
Peter Maddocks – Chairman of the Manx Motor Cycle Club
“The world has changed and continues to change in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and we need to be prepared to adapt as we bring these events back in 2022 after a two-year hiatus to ensure their future success and sustainability.”
Teams have taken part in the two-day Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona test ahead of round six of the WorldSBK championship, with hot weather offering a taste of the conditions expected for the summer races.
Kawasaki’s official WorldSBK team took the opportunity without the pressures of a regular race weekend to allow Alex Lowes and Jonathan Rea to try out some alternative race set-ups on their 2021 Ninja ZX-10RRs.
The hot conditions of this test were particularly valuable as the next run of races will take place in Spain, France and Portugal, in what are likely to be much warmer conditions than those experienced in winter testing, and during the first few rounds of the 2021 season so far.
Barcelona-Catalunya’s 4.627km long track surface proved hot for both days of the test but Lowes took part only on day one, to give his niggling shoulder injury a rest before he takes on the challenge of the next championship round at Navarra.
Alex Lowes
“It was a productive test for us on day one. Track temperatures where high and that allowed to us to try a few things. We managed to tick everything off the list we had planned and my feeling with the bike was good. Because of this we decided to skip the second day of testing to allow me more time to rest a shoulder injury that has been niggling me recently. Now our focus turns to the next race weekend in Navarra.”
Marcel Duinker – Crew Chief for Alex Lowes
“Halfway through the season it is always nice to have a test because you realise after a couple of rounds where your strong points are and where your weak points are. So to have this test now is very useful. We shortened it to only one day because when the afternoon session was finished on day one we had done most of the things we had wanted to do. So we decided to give Alex some rest and not continue into the second day. We tried some new parts but the main focus was to improve our set-up, our base bike set-up, in hot conditions. We got a clear result from this.”
Rea rode on both days, starting off during the afternoon of the first day and finding enhanced feedback from his machine while learning more about riding in hot track conditions with what is a new machine in several areas this season.
Jonathan Rea
“It has been a very positive test and it is always nice to test in the middle of the season to try out some ideas. We worked on many different items and we have already found a couple that improved the base package of the bike. We will continue working in that direction at the next round in Navarra, to confirm what we found here at a different track layout. I want to thank all the team, all the staff, because it has been very busy in the last few weeks and they gave 100% all through the test, working in very hot conditions. This test also gives us lots of information to start the Barcelona race weekend in a good way. I am looking forward to a couple of days relaxing before we get back on track soon to race at Navarra.”
Pere Riba – Crew Chief for Jonathan Rea
“Our two-day test has been good. Yesterday we started just in the afternoon and to be working with 55°C on the track surface is not the best scenario in some ways – depending on which items you are testing. The second morning was more useful to test the items we had already evaluated in the hot conditions of the first afternoon. In the afternoon today we focused on other items like launch control, starting, because we were not looking for a lap time. I feel positive because Johnny had been pointing to a couple of areas, really deeply, where he was not very happy recently. Even in Assen when he won the races, but especially in Most. This was about suspension balance so we worked together with Showa and I think we made a good step forward. Not in terms of speed, but in terms of understanding feedback for the rider. Jonathan is happier in these areas after this test. The championship is more competitive this season so I think we have to use any small help, from any detail, everywhere on the bike. We have focused on these small things and I have to say I am positive to look towards Navarra.”
Stepping into the frame to help the KRT team run-in and check new braking systems before they are used in anger, 2002 WorldSSP Champion and former official Kawasaki WorldSSP rider Fabien Foret took over Lowes’ machine for a time on the final day. Fabien has been a race winner on large capacity Kawasaki machinery in the Endurance World Championship category in the mid 2010s and was a happy opportunity to ride and understand the latest official Ninja ZX-10RR.
Usually the on-track ‘spotter’ for six-times champion Jonathan Rea at WorldSBK races, Foret was asked to help out and enjoyed his track-time on the latest Ninja ZX-10RR alongside Lowes’ technical staff, gleaning more insight into the bike’s nature and capabilities than he would normally do from only watching on trackside.
Fabien Foret
“I had a ‘mission’ to try to run-in some brake systems and it was a pleasure for me to sit on the bike. Also to feel the bike a little bit – and it was very interesting to see the character of the Ninja ZX-10RR to help me with my regular job. Maybe I will understand things even more. It was great today and such a good feeling to ride the bike, so I would like to thank everyone for the opportunity and I am happy to help the team have a better brake system on the bike.”
Team HRC testing geometry & engine set-ups
While continuing the relentless work involved in developing the bike, factory riders Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam have also worked with their respective technicians to identify a good base set-up for use during the Catalunya race weekend. The factory squad worked all day Thursday, breaking briefly for lunch, and completed a morning session on Friday, making full use of the track time and taking advantage of the summer conditions, the weather remaining sunny and quite warm throughout the tests.
As well as testing a series of new elements that the team made available for this test, the two riders worked more generally with their technicians to refine the overall set-up and geometries of their CBR1000RR-R Fireblades and also the engine set-up.
Both Bautista and Haslam were satisfied with the work completed and felt optimistic ahead of the round set to take place at the Catalunya track on 17-19 September. But the Superbikes have two more tracks to visit before landing in Barcelona, starting with the Navarra circuit in Spain, which will host the seventh championship round already on 18-20 August.
Alvaro Bautista
“A very constructive test. The track conditions were tough early on yesterday, slippery due to the dust, but this improved throughout the first day. Temperatures have been high too, but we’ve got through our work schedule and tried many interesting things, especially with the frame, geometries, and overall set-up. On day two we worked more on the engine, focusing on the engine brake and acceleration, and looking at different set-ups that can help us. I’m pleased because we’ve been able to provide feedback about the new elements we’ve tried here and now have more information as we move forward with development. I want to thank HRC for having brought these items for the test, as this can help us in the future. We’ve found many positive things and overall, I’d say it’s been a very important test.”
Leon Haslam
“This has been the most positive session of the year so far for me, both in terms of what we’ve tried and how we’ve improved, and also my feeling with the bike. The track temperature has been high, and we normally struggle in these conditions, so to have this constructive feedback this week leaves me feeling happy. Yesterday, we found some good pace and were the fastest on track, and we’ve done well again today, despite the hot conditions. The feeling with the chassis is better as we’ve had time to work on various mechanical parts, and we’ve taken a good step in terms of lap times. The team’s worked hard and it’s all gone well, and now we can look ahead to Navarra with more of a smile on our face.”
With another successful test session completed the real racing will start again soon. The new WorldSBK venue of the Circuito de Navarra hosts the seventh round of the championship between 20-22 August.
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