Following its inaugural season, the World Enduro Super Series (WESS) is set to return in 2019 with an eight-round championship consisting of classic enduro, hard enduro and cross-country events.

Successfully playing host to the opening round of WESS in 2018, Extreme XL Lagares will open the new season in Portugal on 10-12 May, before heading to France for a classic enduro at the Trefle Lozerien AMV on 17-19 May.

The iconic Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble in Austria will host round three on 30 May-2 June, with Italy provisionally scheduled to hold the fourth stop in late June. The infamous Red Bull Romaniacs will serve up five unforgettable days of hard enduro racing for round five on 30 July-4 August.

On 21-22 September, the championship charges onwards to the Hawkstone Park Cross-Country in the United Kingdom for round six, followed up by the penultimate round called Solsona Enduro in Spain on 5-6 October. The championship will be decided in style at the GetzenRodeo in Germany, pencilled in for 2-3 on November.

2019 World Enduro Super Series calendar:
Rd1 – 10-12 May – Extreme XL Lagares, Portugal
Rd2 – 17-19 May – Trefle Lozerien AMV, France
Rd3 – 30 May-2 June – Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble, Austria
Rd4 – TBA – Classic enduro, Italy
Rd5 – 30 July-4 August – Red Bull Romaniacs, Romania
Rd6 – 21-21 September – Hawkstone Park Cross Country, United Kingdom
Rd7 – 5-6 October – Solsona Enduro, Spain
Rd8 – 2-3 November – GetzenRodeo, Germany

WBR Yamaha has signed Maximus Purvis and Jack Kukas in an all-new line-up for the 2019 Pirelli MX Nationals and Australian Supercross Championship, which will once again see the outfit head up Yamaha’s official MXD efforts.

New Zealander Purvis experienced a standout year this season in the development category, scoring a number of wins before finishing up third in the championship rankings.

“I have done two seasons in Australia now and I feel comfortable racing here now as I know the riders and how the events work,” Purvis explained. “But, it’s also the first time I have had major support over here and its cool to be a part of the WBR Yamaha.

“I had to race against them in 2018 and I know how well prepared and organised they were so it’s exciting to now be on the same side as them. I won plenty of rounds last year, but I just wasn’t consistent enough in the rounds that I didn’t win so that’s an area I need to address this year.

“Championships are won on your bad days, so I need to find a way grind out a good result when things aren’t going my way and be consistent across all 10 rounds. I love racing in Australia and the MX Nationals is a great series. Doing the NZ Nationals, the MX Nationals and the Australian Supercross Championship will be a huge year for me, but I can’t wait to get started.”

Queensland’s Kukas, a former Yamaha Junior Racing rider, has just returned from a season campaigning in America, where he completed a number amateur events.

“It’s awesome to be back here in Australia and on the WBR Yamaha team for the 2019 season,” said Kukas. “I have been a Yamaha rider all my life to so get the opportunity to ride for the official Yamaha MXD team is a bit of a dream come true.

“I have already spent a week down with the team in Echuca just getting settled on the bike and meeting everyone. Travis and Nathan are awesome to deal with and are so helpful in getting me comfortable on and off the bike. I can’t thank them enough for giving me this chance and I hope to repay them with some good results.

“The 2019 YZ250F is such a good bike and we have a great group of sponsors on board for next year so I’m going to give it my all and try and get another championship for Yamaha and the WBR team.”

The opening round of the MX Nationals will be hosted in New South Wales on 17 March, with the series boasting 10 rounds over eight weekends.

Three-time Australian Superbike champion Glenn Allerton believes his future with Next Gen Motorsports in the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) is an exciting prospect following a two-day test in Thailand this week.

The BMW-squad, who are still seeking partners to make the endeavour come to fruition alongside its ASBK commitments, intend on entering the Asian series, which will introduce a 1000cc Superbike category for the first time next year.

Allerton made significant improvements on day two of testing at Chang International Circuit equipped with a Dunlop control tyre, lodging the fifth fastest time.

“It was just good fun to come away and I’m really excited for what the future holds for both myself and the team,” Allerton commented. “I was really amazed by the level of competition of the ASB1000 riders. They were all super-fast and I can’t wait to be able to race against them in 2019.

“The team did a fantastic job to dial out the issues we had on Tuesday, which made my job so much easier. This was proven with the time we were able to yesterday”

Next Gen Motorsports team manager Wayne Hepburn added: “I feel as if we can be a lot more competitive. The effort which both the team and Glenn put in was second none and I’m very proud of all of them. It was nice to meet the ARRC competitors, teams and officials. Everyone in the paddock made us feel right at home and looked after us very well, so I would personally like to thank everyone on behalf of the team.”

The next official ARRC test is set to take place at Sepang International Circuit on 5-6 March, ahead of the season-opener on 8-10 March.

Long-time Australian motocross and supercross privateer Tomas Ravenhorst will enter the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in the 250SX West category as part of privately funded operation.

Ravenhorst will race aboard a Husqvarna FC 250 with the assistance of an American dealership as he tackles the highly-desired series for the first time in his career, with hopes to make each and every main event of the regional championship.

“It’s been one of my personal goals, and I had an offer to go over last year and it fell through at the last minute,” Ravenhorst explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “I had a pretty good supercross season here, I’m feeling fit and I just want to go give it a go. The goal is to make the main events – every main event is the goal.

“I’m not looking to set the world on fire, but I want to make the main events and hopefully get some good results in them. My brother and I will go over, along with one of my friends – my brother is my mechanic. My gear sponsor – Bolt Everywear – has quite a few connections over there, so he’s organised a lot of it for me and will help me out along the way.”

The Victorian wound up 12th in the Australian Supercross Championship SX2 standings this year, being the highest placed privateer in the competitive category.

While selection for the 2019 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup was announced last month, a provisional entry list has now been provided along with the calendar for next year’s championship.

Six countries are represented on the provisional entry list including Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Turkey, Australia and Indonesia. Seven of the youthful talents who rode in the cup last season will return, with 14 new faces joining them on the grid.

Amongst the provisional grid are Australians Harrison Voight, Jacob Roulstone, and Luke Power, who was initially named as a reserve although has now secured a position in the academy.

The first race weekend of the year sees the cup racing alongside MotoGP at the grand prix of Qatar from the 8-10 March, and the season begins with a back-to-back bang as the series then heads for Buriram in Thailand the weekend after.

The next date is the cup’s first visit to Sepang International Circuit as they race as part of the Malaysian Superbike Championship from the 14-16 June, and then there’s a summer break before the second half of the season kicks off at Buriram alongside MotoGP from the 4-6 October.

The cup then heads for the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan two weeks later, before the season finale once again takes place at Sepang and another exciting season concludes in early November.

In 2018, the title fight when down to the wire between Haruki Noguchi and Australian Billy van Eerde, the Aussie ultimately coming out on top after thrilling finale.

2019 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup calendar:
Rd1 – 8-10 March – Losail, Qatar (MotoGP)
Rd2 – 15-17 March – Buriram, Thailand (WorldSBK)
Rd3 – 14-16 June – Sepang, Malaysia
Rd4 – 4-6 October – Buriram, Thailand (MotoGP)
Rd5 – 18-20 October – Motegi, Japan (MotoGP)
Rd6 – 1-3 November – Sepang, Malaysia (MotoGP)

Following the calendar reveal in October, it’s been confirmed Argentina will host the opening round of the 2019 MXGP World Championship on 10 March.

MXGP’s return to Patagonia Argentina’s beautiful Neuquen circuit is exciting for the championship, with incredible racing taken place at the venue since first hosting the MXGP in 2015.

“It is great news to be back in Argentina for the opening grand prix of the season,” said David Luongo, vice president of Youthstream. “The circuit of Neuquen is for most of the riders, the most beautiful track of the championship and its location in the middle of Patagonia is breathtaking.

“We really want to thank David Eli from Mas Eventos along with the local and national authorities making this grand prix possible, we are sure that it will be a great success and will bring a lot of attention and exposure Argentina.”

The 2019 MXGP World Championship will span over 20 rounds, starting in March before winding up in September at Imola in Italy.