News 11 Oct 2020

Sanders, Price go 1-2 in final stage of Andalucia Rally

Image: Supplied.

Australian debutant Daniel Sanders has led countryman Toby Price in a KTM Factory Racing 1-2 within the final stage of the Andalucia Rally.

Sanders has switched from enduro to rally in a shock move with KTM, but has instantly displayed his capabilities and has now qualified for the 2021 Dakar Rally.

Closing out the Andalucia Rally, stage four covered a total of 233 kilometers, 210 of which were timed special held on the now familiar dirt tracks of the region. With much of the stage sharing the same route as used on previous days, navigation was less of an issue and riders were able to push harder on the fast, open terrain.

The debut of Sanders was an impressive one, proving he is more than capable of delivering accurate navigation and the speed required to mix it with the top rally racers just weeks after commencing his road book training. He was 11th overall for the week.

“I really enjoyed today,” Sanders said. “Being more familiar with the navigation, I was able to focus more and start to push. I made a few little mistakes, but all through the day there was nothing in it. I kept my head down and found a nice flow.

“Honestly, I thought I would place around the top-five mark, so to come away with the stage win feels great. I wasn’t aiming for the win and definitely didn’t want to try anything stupid, but to go fastest with most of the top guys here is really encouraging.”

Multiple Dakar winner Price was second in the stage with Red Bull KTM, claiming a provision fourth overall as he sets his sights on next year’s Dakar Rally while using Andalucia to test his latest-spec KTM 450 Rally.

“Today wasn’t too tricky, we followed a lot of the tracks we’d been over earlier in the rally and so navigation wasn’t too much of an issue,” Price said. “I feel good in myself and on the bike and so I was able to push a little harder today.

“Finishing fourth and missing out on the podium is always a little disappointing, but we’re fit and healthy with no issues and that is always the main goal. We’ve learned a lot and have been able to test a few things, so I’m really looking forward to Dakar now.”

Despite the success of KTM riders to cap-off the event, this year’s Andalucia Rally was won by Kevin Benavides (Honda) in a total time of 10h30m51s, which placed him 7m42s ahead of Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) and Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco).

News 9 Oct 2020

Australian Motocross Group launched in revitalisation effort

Four of Australia’s most highly-credentialed industry professionals are joining forces through a newfound Australian Motocross Group (AMG) in an effort to help revitalise the Australian Motocross Championship.

Motocross legend Craig Dack from the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team, Gavin Eales from Serco Motorsport and Yarrive Konsky from Penrite Honda Racing have partnered with longtime Honda team owner and former Motorcycling Australia (MA) motocross commission chairman Mark Luksich to form AMG.

Dack, Eales, Konsky and Luksich bring to the table more than 100 years of combined experience in racing, athlete management, marketing, sponsorship activation, event promotion and sport administration.

The purpose of them forming this group is to develop a stronger and closer connection with MA to better communicate what the group’s thoughts and experience are with regards to any changes and new ideas to improve the sport of motocross and supercross in Australia.

The first goal of AMG is to work with MA to drive a pathway to the next era of the Australian Motocross Championship, by providing a vital line of communication between MA and all Australian Motocross Championship stakeholders.

AMG will welcome input from pro and privateer riders, race teams, manufacturers, promoting clubs and the wider motorcycle industry, giving all parties a channel of communication direct to the sport’s national controlling body.

As a driving force behind the formation of AMG, Dack is excited to see the Australian Motocross Championship break new ground with the inclusion of a representative group that is formally recognised by the sport’s national governing body.

“All of us at AMG are in the business of racing and it goes without saying we want the sport to realise its full potential,” Dack explained. “Developing a partnership between MA and AMG is the best thing moving forward for our sport, as the sport needs greater alignment to ensure we are all moving in the same direction, which will give us strength. We all have a vested interest in the sport’s future and I believe AMG has a significant place in the sport, as riders, racers and teams all need a voice.”

As a longtime race team owner and state and national event promoter, Konsky is equally enthusiastic about the role AMG is set play in Australian motocross racing.

“This will be the single most important development in our sport,” said Konsky. “AMG has come together with the right mindset, as racing rivalries have been put aside in order to improve the sport’s reach and increase participation.

“Everyone in AMG has raced as privateers and all of us have developed business interests in the sport, so it’s in our best interest to see the sport become even more accessible for privateers to participate in, with safety, fun and cost as key points.”

Eales, whose business Serco is one of Australia’s largest motorcycle hard parts and accessory importers, is similarly excited by the future of the sport: “Our sport needs unification to give it greater credibility within the industry, along with local, state and national governments and the wider mainstream community.

“The four of us coming together to form AMG shows our commitment for a unified front. Commercially, the off-road motorcycle industry is doing well at the moment despite the challenges of COVID-19 and we need to leverage the current success we are experiencing and get more people competing in motocross.”

Finally, as a team owner and longtime chairman of Motorcycling Australia’s national motocross commission, Luksich has a broad view of the sport and looks forward to realising the potential the formation of AMG offers. Luksich has stepped back up onto the commission and will be the main point of contact for AMG.

“Having previously chaired MA’s Motocross Commission I can see the importance of having a group like AMG involved at the highest levels of the sport,” Luksich offers.
“AMG is dedicated to racing, riders and the teams, and by working closely with MA, we plan to bring our experience and passion to assist in making the sport a stronger platform for all involved.”

News 8 Oct 2020

Champions crowned as AORC season is cancelled altogether

Image: Foremost Media.

Motorcycling Australia (MA) has officially cancelled the 2020 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship, confirming that series champions have been crowned following three rounds of the scheduled 12-round the season.

The decision comes due to uncertainty surrounding state border closures as a result of COVID-19, however, the location of the revised final round to be held on 14-15 November in a shortened series never was finalised.

KTM Enduro Racing Team’s Daniel Milner clinched the E2 championship and was top point-scorer outright, while Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) defended his E3 title and Luke Styke (Yamaha Active8 Yamalube Racing) made it three-straight E1 crowns.

“We are very excited to be able to crown our 2020 Australian Off-Road Champions in all 14 classes,” said MA CEO Peter Doyle. “The championship wouldn’t be the world-class success it is without our key partners and sponsors Yamaha Motor Australia, MXstore, Ballard’s and Offroad Advantage.

“With record fields, expanded classes, strong competition and tremendous partners, it was shaping up to be fantastic year. We congratulate each of the riders on their amazing success and each becoming MA Australian champions.

“Whilst the 2020 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship, presented by MXstore, was interrupted, we are pleased about the growth of the championship in 2020 and can’t wait to see even bigger thing for AORC in 2021.”

Additional champions crowned following the cancellation include Korey McMahon (EJ), Jessica Gardiner (Women), Brad Hardaker (2-Stroke Cup), Lee Stephens (Veterans), Kirk Hutton (Masters), Jett Yarnold (J2), Billy Hargy (J3), Riley McGillivray (J4), Danielle McDonald (JG), Mason Boucher (J1) and Jack Stevenson (JJ).

Rounds one and two of the 2020 season were contested in Toowoomba, Queensland, before the series travelled to Dungog in New South Wales, however, inclement weather in the region meant that only round three was held that weekend prior to coronavirus spelling an end to the series.

News 7 Oct 2020

Further details on revamped AUS Motocross series surface

Image: iKapture.

Information is beginning to surface regarding the 2021 Australian Motocross Championship, with Motorcycling Australia (MA) declaring that television won’t be introduced unless the wider industry backs such plans.

Now that the 2020 season has been shelved, MA is moving forward on its preparations for next year and that phase is expected to escalate during the final quarter of this year.

Ongoing speculation has suggested that the national governing body will re-introduce television to the series for the first time in a full decade from next season, however, it’s been revealed that it’s in no way a certainty unless industry support generates the required funding to commit to the proposed plan.

Former promoter Williams Event Management (WEM) established its own live-streaming service, NRGTV, that had been free for a number of years, but according to Doyle, streaming is almost as expensive as televising the product under a high-quality arrangement.

“We’re shifting our focus to 2021 now that this season is cancelled,” MA CEO Peter Doyle told MotoOnline.com.au. “TV is definitely something that we’re looking at and it’s very, very clear from the feedback that we’ve got from people within motocross that they want to see the series televised.

“It’s a tough gig and whether it’s achievable here is something that we’re going to work through. Ultimately, it will be decided by if the industry think it’s something that’s worthwhile. It’s not something that MA’s going to take a bunch of member money and spend on TV for motocross, so if the wider industry wants TV, then TV’s achievable.”

“Otherwise, is it something that we park to one side and try to get crowds back? You’re always going to get differing opinions. In regards to live-streaming, there’s not a huge difference in cost to streaming online or having it on TV. You’ve either got to go all in or not do it at all.”

Those comments are in contrast to MA’s broad television and streaming package of the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), which shares a number of its events with other series, such as the Superbike World Championship, Asia Road Racing Championship and – at least scheduled for this year – Supercars.

It’s understood that the 2021 AUS Motocross championship – no longer under the MX Nationals brand – will span nine rounds over seven separate events, which includes a pair of double-headers during the season. As many as 30 different venues have expressed interest in hosting at least one round next year under the series’ new management.

“We put out the announcement that we were seeking expressions of interest to run rounds of the championship and, all in all, there were 30 applications that we received from across the country,” confirmed Doyle. It’s not thought that an independent promoter will takeover the series, leaving MA to operate it internally.

Pending restrictions, the season will span from between March or April through August in a similar time-frame to when WEM was at the helm. The MX1 and MX2 categories will be joined by the newly-introduced MX3 development pathway.

It’s also been exposed that MA is assessing the possibility of hosting a multi-discipline event now that it is the rights-holder of motocross alongside the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) and ASBK – potentially including all three if a suitable venue arises.

Additionally, an announcement could come as soon as tomorrow that CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Craig Dack, Penrite Honda Racing’s Yarrive Konksy, Serco Yamaha’s Gavin Eales and former CRF Honda Racing owner Mark Luksich have partnered to formally launch a collective team’s group, with information remaining limited at this moment.

News 7 Oct 2020

King of Capricorn the benchmark for overall winner Waters

Image: iKapture.

Reigning national MX1 champion Todd Waters was unmatched in the weekend’s inaugural King of Capricorn event in Rockhampton, an event that he believes should set the tone for the future of Australian motocross.

Waters, who formed his own Berry Sweet-backed factory Husqvarna team for 2020, has had limited seat time this year, but won both the MX1 and MX2 categories in Queensland.

With Motorcycling Australia (MA) to bring in a revitalised Australian Motocross Championship from 2021 following the cancellation of this year’s series, Gold Coast-based Waters said it’s an ideal opportunity for the sport to make improvements, including adding the connection between professionals and developmental paths.

“They need to take this time – they’ve got maybe four months until we get going again – and use it to think how they can build a good championship, where they can improve from where it’s been in the past and that will be a good step to take,” Waters said. “One of the highlights for me was to work with the kids, I enjoyed that side of it.

“I know it’s a pro national, but what it’s about is trying to get people involved in the sport and wanting to be like us as professionals at the top of our game. The way it’s gone, a professional rider for a junior is just someone they might see on a poster or at a signing – they haven’t had access to us whatsoever.

“Now that COVID’s hit, it’s kind of been the best thing ever for me – not for my business or racing – but it’s allowed me as a person to get out, do some coaching and be involved in different stuff that I wasn’t able to before. We’ve just been the dudes that sit inside trailers, put our helmets on and come out to race our bikes.”

“It was busy to race MX1 and MX2 while fitting in other commitments over the weekend, but for me, the King of Capricorn event was really good and it’s something that I would like to see Motorcycling Australia take on-board to try and factor those interactions into our nationals.”

The King of Capricorn was hosted by the Rockhampton and Districts Motocross Club with $20,000 in prize money on offer, featuring Waters, Kirk Gibbs (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) and Jay Wilson (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) as ambassadors for the race weekend.

Waters was won MX1 overall ahead of Aaron Tanti (Serco Yamaha) and Gibbs on return from injury, plus impressively topped MX2 over class regulars Jesse Dobson (Serco Yamaha) and Tanti. The King of Capricorn crown went to Waters from Gibbs and Tanti.

“It was super-exciting to get back on the bike because I haven’t done too much, so I guess that showed with my racing that I was really excited to get out there and go racing again,” he explained. “I rode the 250 and 450, so it was cool to get on track with the boys and the highlight for me was probably that 250 race, to be able to win.”