Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cody Webb has bumped teammate Taddy Blazusiak from the top of the Maxxis FIM SuperEnduro World Championship after claiming victory at round two in Riesa, Germany, at the weekend.

Webb lodged a 1-1-3 scorecard to earn the number one spot, with Blazusiak recording a pair of second place finishes before completing the round with a win in race three, positioning him second for the weekend.

Just one point shy of runner-up honours was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Colton Haaker, who went 3-3-2 for third overall, followed by Cristobal Guerrero (Yamaha) and Pol Tarres (Husqvarna).

Webb now holds a two-point advantage in the standings over Blazusiak, with Haaker a further six points behind as the championship heads to Madrid in Spain on 26 January.

Detailed results

Justin Barcia (Monster Energy Yamaha) has ended his main event win drought that extends back to 2013 after clinching victory at Saturday night’s opening round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross and FIM World Championship in Anaheim.

Privateer Dean Wilson (Husqvarna) led majority of the 20-minute encounter as he negotiated the rain-filled conditions with class, although with just five minutes left on the clock, the Husqvarna pilot ran into lapped traffic and relinquished the lead to Barcia.

Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen put in a consistent performance to kickstart his campaign with second, while Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) was able to overcome Wilson in the dying stages to lock down the final position on the podium.

Wilson eventually wound up fourth ahead of Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), as Australia’s Chad Reed (JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing) was ninth. Defending champion Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) endured a difficult opener, mustering up a 14th place result.

In the 250SX West main event, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Colt Nichols broke through for his maiden victory ahead of teammate Dylan Ferrandis, with Troy Lee Designs Red Bull KTM’s Shane McElrath closing out the top three. Fourth and fifth were completed by RJ Hampshire (Geico Honda) and Adam Cianciarulo (Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki).

Aussie contender Tomas Ravenhorst (Husqvarna) fell just short of making the main on debut in America, finishing 12th in his heat before recording an eighth in the LCQ. The AMA Supercross series will now head to Glendale this weekend for round two.

Detailed results

North Queenslander Mitch Evans’ move to Team Honda 114 Motorsports has been made official, set to contest the 2019 MX2 World Championship full-time.

Evans, 20, confirmed in November that he had secured a deal to race in Europe as rumours mounted that he had landed a ride in place of US-bound countryman Hunter Lawrence.

“I am grateful for the opportunity that Honda 114 Motorsports has presented me,” Evans commented. “Racing in the FIM Motocross World Championship has been a goal of mine since I competed in the world junior championship in 2010. There is a lot for me to learn and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead. I am excited to be racing with the best in the world.”

It was initially thought that Evans had re-signed with Raceline KTM to remain in Australia, however the pair split prior to last year’s AUS-X Open Sydney when it’s understood Evans’ opportunity with Team Honda 114 Motorsports surfaced.

Evans starred last year by finishing second in the MX Nationals MX1 standings behind Dean Ferris, prior to delivering a glowing performance as part of Team Australia at RedBud’s Motocross of Nations. Alongside Lawrence and Kirk Gibbs, the trio placed fourth overall.

Team Honda 114 Motorsports will field Evans and Zachary Pichon – son of multiple world champion Mickael Pichon – in MX2 this season, set to debut when to season commences in Argentina on 2-3 March.

Laguna Seca in the United States has been included in an updated calendar for the 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), filling the void for round nine scheduled on 12-14 July.

The 2019 championship is set to see the introduction of a three-race format, where race one will remain on the Saturday of each round, while races two and three will be hosted on Sunday, boasting a sprint-length outing on Sunday morning before a traditional-length encounter in the afternoon.

The opening round of WorldSBK will take place at Phillip Island on 22-24 February, before heading to Thailand for round two on 15-17 March. First of the European rounds is Aragon in Spain on 5-7 April, followed by Assen in The Netherlands on 12-14 April and Imola in Italy on 10-12 May.

Spain’s Jerez will host round six on 7-9 June before the series heads to Misano, Italy, on 21-23 June. Round eight is scheduled for 5-7 July Donington Park in the UK, while round nine is set to be hosted at Laguna Seca.

Following the European summer break, racing resumes on 6-8 September in Portugal ahead of round 11 at Magny Cours in France, set for 27-29 September. Argentina will host the penultimate round on 11-13 October, with series wrapping up in Qatar on 24-26 October.

2019 WorldSBK calendar:
Rd1- 22-24 February – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Australia
Rd2 – 15-17 March – Chang International Circuit, Thailand
Rd3 – 5-7 April – MotorLand Aragon, Spain
Rd4 – 12-14 April – TT Circuit Assen, The Netherlands
Rd5 – 10-12 May – Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola, Italy
Rd6 – 7-9 June – Circuito de Jerez, Spain
Rd7 – 21-23 June – Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Italy
Rd8 – 5-7 July – Donington Park, UK
Rd9 – 12-14 July – Laguna Seca, USA
Rd10 – 6-8 September – Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, Portugal
Rd11 – 27-29 September – Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France
Rd12 – 11-13 October – Circuito San Juan Villicum, Argentina
Rd13 – 24-26 October – Losail International Circuit, Qatar

Williams Event Management, promoter of the Pirelli MX Nationals, is set to introduce a three-round series dubbed the Yamaha bLU cRU 2-Stroke Amateur Nationals in 2019.

The series, backed by Yamaha Motor Australia and endorsed by Motorcycling Australia (MA), will be open to both junior and senior competitors, and is designed with the intention of grooming youthful talents for international events, particularly the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship.

“I was fortunate enough to spend a week at Horsham for the Junior Motocross World Championship,” said WEM director Kevin Williams. “During that week I had the opportunity to speak with the people from the FIM and majority of the international riders and their teams about two-stroke racing.”

“I was managing the mechanics area therefore I had the opportunity to gain some valuable knowledge during these conversations and it became very obvious that Australia are behind the rest of the MX world in helping to prepare our junior riders for international events, so I met with MA and we put a program together that would help in this area.”

MA CEO Peter Doyle added: “MA has had a long relationship with WEM, and we are pleased to be able to work alongside them with creating a series that will aid in the development of the junior riders in preparation for international competition. We will be looking at the results of the competitors in this series, along with other event results, during the selection process for the Australian junior world team.”

“The senior two-stroke classes are a great opportunity for the dads and other amateur level riders to put some fun back into their racing as well as encouraging some legends of the sport to pull their boots back on for some healthy competition against prior rivals and team mates. Therefore, as the new two-stroke series unfolds, it will bring out a great camaraderie amongst everyone and help create a family-friendly environment within the sport.”

Round one will take place at Traralgon in Victoria on 10 February, followed by Coolum, Queensland, on 3 March, and Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, on 27 April. Junior classes include 65cc (9-U12 years), 85cc and 125cc, while senior categories will boast two-stroke all powers and retro two-stroke (plus 20 years age of bike frame and engine) divisions.

Reigning Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup champion Billy van Eerde has landed a deal in FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship with the Junior Talent Team (JTT) for 2019.

Van Eerde makes the step to the series as the first Australian Asia Talent Cup race winner and champion, where he’ll be racing alongside the rider he narrowly beat to the crown – Haruki Noguchi from Japan. The two join Yuki Kunii, the veteran of the squad and now a Moto3 Junior World Championship race winner aiming even higher in 2019, in Asia Talent Team colours.

The remainder of the team is made up of Max Cook and Mario Aji, who’ll sport British Talent Team and Astra Honda Racing Team colours respectively.

Promoting and running talents from different paths on the Road to MotoGP, the JTT unifies three team names under the same umbrella and unites the efforts of Dorna talent promotion programs, including the sponsors and partners who provide important backing to young riders and teams.

The Australian will take part in a team winter bootcamp before racing starts on the 7 April at the Circuito do Estoril for the FIM CEV Repsol season-opener.

JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing has officially signed Chad Reed for the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, a welcomed last-minute deal that will see the Australian legend compete for at least one more season.

Reed initially started testing with the squad in August before competing in a number of events aboard the factory RM-Z450, including the Pro Motocross finale, Monster Energy Cup and the Monster Energy S-X Open Supercross FIM Oceania Champion that he won in New Zealand.

The two-time AMA Supecross and world champion remained committed to the outfit despite not having a deal place for extended period of time, the late announcement coming after an extensive search for funding with the team losing title sponsor Autotrader for 2019.

“Chad Reed is a consummate professional, and I see that he has that hunger to win,” said team manager Jeremy Albrecht. “I’m also eager to see Justin Hill race in the 450 class. The kid is an incredible talent.

“He has really ramped up his training program this off-season. I am looking forward to Weston Peick lining up to the gate when he’s healthy. Peick is a tough person and fierce competitor.”

Reed will join Justin Hill in the premier class as Weston Peick is set return once recovered from his injuries, while the team will continue to field a four-rider 250 squad consisting of Alex Martin, Jimmy Decotis, Kyle Peters and Enzo Lopes.