Category Archives: Competition

Competition, Motocross, News

Crawford ‘just surviving’ after heavy race one crash at Matterley Basin

Leave a comment

News 3 Mar 2020

Crawford ‘just surviving’ after heavy race one crash at Matterley Basin

Section: Competition

MX2 World Championship rookie 14th overall on debut.

Image: Supplied.

Nathan Crawford says he was ‘just surviving’ after suffering a heavy fall in moto one at Matterley Basin’s opening round, the Queenslander still making a respectable debut in the MX2 World Championship.

The Team Honda 114 Motorsports rider was running near the top 10 during the first outing on Sunday before coming up short on the uphill triple, forcing him to the ground heavily.

He remounted and bounced back for a P18 result, while he managed a strong 10th place finish in the final moto to wind up 14th in his first appearance on the world stage.

“In race one I got a mid-pack start, but made some good passes on lap one,” Crawford explained. “I was hovering around 10th position and then had a big crash and after that I was just surviving and trying to get through the race.

“In race two it was an okay start, but not great – so I set about battling my way through and ended the race in 10th place. The second race was definitely better for me and that gives me something to build on.”

The MXGP World Championship heads to Valkenswaard in the Netherlands this weekend for round two of the series.

Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Competition, Motocross, News

Barcia disgruntled by Tomac’s early Atlanta pass

Leave a comment

News 3 Mar 2020

Barcia disgruntled by Tomac’s early Atlanta pass

Section: Competition

Title contender emerges with second at the ninth round of Supercross.

Image: Octopi Media.

Justin Barcia has expressed his displeasure with points leader Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) after the pair came together in the early stages of Atlanta’s ninth round of Monster Energy Supercross.

The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing rider believes he made a clean pass on Tomac, before the number three returned the favour moments later in a hard-pass manoeuvre.

Barcia later progressed through the field to finish an impressive second, moving him to just 23 points of the leader in the championship standings.

“I made a good clean pass, and he just pounded it into me,” Barcia stated on the podium. “He got me pretty good, and I was little not happy about that racing. All in all, putting that aside, what a great race – I tried to charge through the pack, I didn’t have the best start – I had a decent one in the heat race, the main event was a struggle.

“It was crazy racing and brutal track tonight – it was hard to pass, but I obviously made a lot of passes, and I had a good time. I made up some points probably too, so that’s cool.”

Tomac also made a strong charge after he crashed in a clash with Blake Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM), bouncing back to score fourth with last-lap pass on Martin Davalos (Team Tedder KTM).

Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Competition, Motocross, News

Gibbs earns New Zealand MX1 points lead at Hawkes Bay

Leave a comment

News 2 Mar 2020

Gibbs earns New Zealand MX1 points lead at Hawkes Bay

Section: Competition

South Australian claims trio of race win at the third round.

Image: Supplied.

A dominant performance at Hawkes Bay’s penultimate round of the 2020 New Zealand Motocross Championship has promoted Kirk Gibbs into the points lead, the 2018 champion storming to a trio of race victories.

The Altherm JCR Yamaha rider was unstoppable at the third round over the weekend, moving by former leader and reigning champion Cody Cooper (Honda Racing) to grant himself a five-point advantage ahead of the season-finale.

“It was a really good day for me,” Gibbs stated. “I’ll go home and work on some more things that Josh [Coppins] and BT [Ben Townley] gave me to work on. It’s so helpful to have such good people to get information from. I’ll go there with a good mindset and put a couple of good races in and try to bring it home.”

Australians Caleb Ward (CML KTM), Morgan Fogarty (Husqvarna), Kyle Webster (Penrite Honda Racing) and Riley Ward (KTM) finished in positions five, six, eight and 10 in the MX2 category.

Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Competition, Motocross, News

British MXGP top 10 a ‘very good start’ for Coldenhoff in GasGas debut

Leave a comment

News 2 Mar 2020

British MXGP top 10 a ‘very good start’ for Coldenhoff in GasGas debut

Section: Competition

Dutchman records a pair of sixth place results at Matterley Basin.

Image: Supplied.

Glenn Coldenhoff has declared his top 10 finish at Britain’s opening round of the 2020 MXGP World Championship was a ‘very good start’, the weekend’s event marking his debut with the all-new GasGas MC 450F.

Coldenhoff charged to a pair of sixth-place finishes for eighth overall, the Dutchman proving to be highly-competitive after crossing the line just over 30 seconds behind the leaders in both outings.

The 29-year-old is adamant improved starts will enable him to challenge for wins and podiums, which he’s eager to rectify as the series heads to his home country, the Netherlands, next weekend at Valkenswaard.

“It was a solid weekend for me, two sixth-place finishes is a very good start to the championship,” Coldenhoff explained. “Qualifying yesterday wasn’t great, which didn’t give me the greatest gate pick for today’s races.

“But it was what is was and this morning in warm-up I felt great and posted the third fastest time. That gave me some confidence heading into the races. My first moto start wasn’t great, but I pulled through from around 10th to sixth, so it was good to get the championship started with a positive result.

“The second moto was very similar to the first. I felt good, felt like my speed was there and had some good battles. I know that if my starts are better I can fight with the guys that were ahead of me this weekend. I’m looking forward to the next GP, it’s one of my favourites and I hope to get some solid results there too.”

Despite sitting eighth in the standings, Coldenhoff is just eight points behind second’s Tim Gajser (Team HRC),

Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Competition, Motocross, News

Patience key for Beaton after falling shy of Matterley Basin podium

Leave a comment

News 2 Mar 2020

Patience key for Beaton after falling shy of Matterley Basin podium

Section: Competition

Factory Husqvarna rider scores runner-up result in the opening race.

Image: Supplied.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton admits he needs to be more patient moving forward in the MX2 World Championship after a moto two error ultimately cost him a podium finish in what was still a strong opening performance at Matterley Basin.

The Tasmanian was in fine form at the British venue, storming to runner-up honours in the opening encounter to set himself up for a respectable overall result.

Beaton, who missed much of the 2019 season with a number of injuries, washed his front-end while in podium contention during race two, rebounding to salvage sixth for fourth overall, missing out on the box by just three points.

“It was a good weekend for me,” Beaton stated. “Fourth overall is a great result for the first grand prix, although I’m a little disappointed to miss the podium because of a small crash in the second race.

“In the first moto I had a good start, found some nice lines and came from eighth to second, which was great. I felt good and, yeah, it was good to get that result in the books. Second moto, it took a while to settle into a rhythm and then I just washed the front wheel out in a corner, losing a few places and I finished the race in sixth.

“For the upcoming rounds I just need to be a little more patient. Overall, it’s been a great day and there are plenty of positives to take into round two next weekend.”

Beaton was the top of a list of Australians in the MX2 category, as compatriots Nathan Crawford (Team Honda 114 Motorsports), Wilson Todd (DRT Kawasaki) and Bailey Malkiewicz (Team Honda 114 Motorsports) were 14th, 17th and 32nd.

Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Competition, Motocross, News

Evans battles illness in impressive MXGP debut

Leave a comment

News 2 Mar 2020

Evans battles illness in impressive MXGP debut

Section: Competition

Team HRC rookie claims third in moto one at Matterley Basin.

Image: Supplied.

Australian Mitch Evans has revealed he battled an illness on his premier class debut in the 2020 MXGP World Championship at Matterley Basin, where he still managed to land a third in moto one.

The Team HRC newcomer admits he struggled with breathing due to a chest infection that hindered him over the weekend, while the second moto saw the number 43 forced to battle his way back from a less than stellar start.

He pressed on to cross the line in seventh, which paired with his opening podium, granted the Queenslander with fifth overall – just four points of shy of second’s Tim Gajser (Team HRC).

“It was a good weekend, excluding the start of that second moto,” Evans commented. “Everything else went really well. In the first race I had a good start, avoiding some of the early race carnage and made my way into second.

“Unfortunately, I struggled with my breathing a bit because of my chest infection and finished third. I felt a lot better in the second moto although I had to push throughout the race because of the bad start.

“I used a lot of energy to get around guys as fast as I could and I hit a bit of a wall with eight minutes to go. Overall it was a good weekend though, I’m happy with my MXGP debut and now I get ready for Valkenswaard next weekend.”

The MXGP World Championship heads to Valkenswaard this weekend in the Netherlands for round two of the 20-stop series.

Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Competition, Motocross, News

Herlings opens MXGP with Matterley Basin victory

Leave a comment

News 2 Mar 2020

Herlings opens MXGP with Matterley Basin victory

Section: Competition

Australians Evans and Beaton earn race podiums in Great Britain.

Image: Supplied.

Former champion Jeffrey Herlings has opened the 2020 MXGP World Championship by securing victory at Matterley Basin’s first round in Great Britain.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider won the day convincingly after recording a 1-2 scorecard, defeating reigning world champion Tim Gajser (Team HRC), who was forced to salvage eighth in race one before winning moto two.

Antonio Cairoli (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was third with 4-3 race results, followed by Jeremy Seewer (Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing) and premier class rookie Mitch Evans (Team HRC), the Australian making an impressive debut with 3-7 moto finishes.

In the MX2 category, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts emerged victorious after lodging 1-4 race results, defeating race two winner Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who was sixth in moto one.

Third was credited to Mikkel Haarup (F&H Racing Kawasaki), while Australian Jed Beaton (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) was just shy of the podium with a strong 2-6 scorecard.

Rene Hoffer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was fifth, as Australians Nathan Crawford (Team Honda 114 Motorsports), Wilson Todd (DRT Kawasaki) and Bailey Malkiewicz (Team Honda 114 Motorsports) were 14th, 17th and 32nd.

Defending MXW champion Courtney Duncan (Kawasaki) dominated the women’s category over Larissa Papenmeier (Yamaha) and Kiara Fontanesi (KTM), as Australian Tahlia O’Hare (KTM) wound up 12th overall. Compatriot Hannah Bagnall (Honda) went 35-39.

Detailed results

Source: MotoOnline.com.au

Competition, Motorcycle News, News

Narrow race three win grants Bayliss maiden Supersport overall victory

Leave a comment

News 1 Mar 2020

Narrow race three win grants Bayliss maiden Supersport overall victory

Section: Competition

Khouri dominates Supersport 300 class at Phillip Island.

Image: Russell Colvin.

As slender victory in the final Supersport encounter of Phillip Island’s Mi-Bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) opener has granted Oli Bayliss is first-ever overall win in the category.

The Cube Racing rider managed to fend off a charge from reigning champion Tom Toparis (Yamaha), as just 0.017s separated across the chequered flag in what was an incredible photo finish.

WorldSSP300 regular Tom Edwards (Yamaha) rounded out the podium in the race three, just a fraction off the leaders, as the top five was completed by Jack Passfield (Yamaha) and Nic Liminton (Yamaha).

Pole position, a pair of race wins and a runner-up result is what it took for Bayliss to stand atop the podium, joined by Toparis and Liminton.

Image: Russell Colvin.

In the Supersport 300 category, Kawasaki-mounted Harry Khouri stormed to another dominant win in race three to secure the overall victory, edging out Archie McDonald (Yamaha) and Luke Johnston (Kawasaki) in the final outing. The pair joined Khouri on the overall podium, with Jhonston securing second over McDonald.

The Oceania Junior Cup saw Lucas Quinn storm to victory in race three over Marianos Nikolis (Yamaha) and Tom Drane (Yamaha), the overall top three completed by Quinn, Nikolis and Cameron Dunker (Yamaha).

The ASBK now heads to Wakefield Park in New South Wales on 27-29 March for round two.

Detailed results

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Competition, Motorcycle News, News

Lowes fends off Rea in close race two WorldSBK encounter

Leave a comment

News 1 Mar 2020

Lowes fends off Rea in close race two WorldSBK encounter

Section: Competition

Redding completes WorldSBK debut with trio of podiums in Australia.

Image: Supplied.

Race two of Phillip Island’s Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) opener served up another thriller, as Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) fended off teammate Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) to secure victory.

The British ace rode strongly throughout the 22-lap outing, ultimately edging out the five-time champion by a slender 0.037s as they crossed the chequered flag.

Runner-up honours for Rea capped off a positive Sunday, the number winning the Superpole race after enduring a disastrous at the Yamaha Financial Services round.

WorldSBK rookie Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) locked out the podium, while it was Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) completed the top five.

Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) was sixth, followed by Maximilian Scheib (Oorelac Racing Verdnatura), Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing), Sandro Cortese (Ooutdo Kawasaki TPR), and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK).

Leon Haslam (Team HRC) crashed at the beginning of the race before recovering for 12th, while race one winner Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) experienced a technical issue and was forced out of the race.

WorldSBK now heads to Qatar on 13-15 March for round two of the series.

Detailed results

Source: CycleOnline.com.au

Competition, Motorcycle News, News

Debut Phillip Island victory for Locatelli in WorldSSP affair

Leave a comment

News 1 Mar 2020

Debut Phillip Island victory for Locatelli in WorldSSP affair

Section: Competition

First-ever world championship race win for series newcomer.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Rookie Andrea Locatelli took a convincing win by almost six seconds at Phillip Island on debut in round one of the 2020 Supersport World Championship (WorldSSP).

The WorldSSP race featured a mandatory pit stop with stints not allowed to last more than 10 laps of the 16-lap race distance.

Bardahl Evans Bros. Yamaha rider Locatelli started from pole position and he led WorldSSP championship winners Randy Krummenacher (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) from the front row.

Krummenacher had a poor start and crashed in the opening sequence of corners as his title defence got off to the worst possible start. Mahias briefly led Locatelli into turn one, but the Italian rookie was able to re-pass the French rider into two. Mahias would eventually finish in fifth place.

Once Locatelli had re-taken the lead, he didn’t look back as he pulled out a six second lead over the course of 16 laps and was also the last of the front runners to make the mandatory pit stop as he pitted at the end of lap nine.

Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) finished behind Locatelli as Italian riders finished 1-2. De Rosa was one of the first riders to pit in the race when the pit window opened, as he dived into the pit-lane on lap seven along with Patryk Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) and GMT94 Yamaha duo Jules Cluzel and Corentin Perolari.

It was a different strategy to the one race winner Locatelli took as he was the second last to pit – only Jaimie van Sikkelerus (MPM Routz Racing Team) pitting later.

Cluzel finished in third place despite picking up a time penalty for not adhering to the pit stop minimum time during his pit stop, but the 0.080s was not enough to affect his result as he finished five seconds clear of GMT94 teammate Perolari in fourth place.

Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) finished in sixth place, with 3.545s added on to his race time for an infringement of pit time not enough to move him down the order. This was partially due to Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing) also receiving a time penalty for the same reason. Soomer’s teammate Isaac Vinales finished in P10.

Australian wildcard Oli Bayliss was a non-starter this afternoon after his Cube Racing team was unable to rectify an issue with the WorldSSP-spec Yamaha that the team had built for Phillip Island.

Detailed results

Source: CycleOnline.com.au