Husqvarna’s Hampshire undergoes timely knee surgery
Section: Competition
Break in the season enables 250SX East challenger to repair injury.
Image: Octopi Media.
250SX East contender RJ Hampshire underwent surgery on an existing knee injury this week, suffered in the pre-season and causing troubles through the opening rounds of 2020.
Currently third in the standings following two podiums in four races, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider will aim to return once racing resumes.
“I didn’t say much about it for many reasons, back in December I dabbed my knee coming into a corner and the handlebar came down right on top,” Hampshire explained. “I completely tore my ACL, multiple tears in my meniscus and a fractured tibia.
“For myself, missing Supercross was not an option after the work and changes we made. I didn’t miss a day of riding and did everything I could to get it where I was happy going into round one.
“The beating it took on race day was much worse than the practice days. I was set on getting it fixed at the end of outdoors, but now with the rest of Supercross getting moved till later in the year and the uncertainty of when motocross is starting, that wasn’t gonna happen.”
Monster Energy Supercross is currently on hold due to coronavirus, now set to be completed in the fall following Lucas Oil Pro Motocross which is pencilled in to begin mid-June through September.
Lengthy recovery time sets JGRMX Suzuki signing for return.
Image: Foremost Media.
JGRMX Yoshimura Suzuki recruit Joey Savatgy has been cleared to return to riding this week, four months on from his incident at the AUS-X Open off-season race in Australia.
Savatgy sustained a serious heel injury in practice at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, sidelined ever since as he works toward a return to competition.
“We got the X-rays this morning, I sent them to my doctor and he has cleared me,” Savatgy explained. “We’re officially cleared to get back into the saddle and start riding.
“It’s ‘only’ taken a little over 16 weeks, so it’s been a long, long journey. I appreciate the support, it means a lot. I’m hungry and excited to get back into the groove, shake the cobwebs off and get back to work.”
With Monster Energy Supercross suspended at this point as a result of COVID-19 and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross scheduled to begin in mid-June, the opportunity for Savatgy to prepare and return for the back-half of the season continues to elevate.
Retirement tour of Reed to potentially extend into 2021
Section: Competition
Part-time campaign on the agenda for retiring former 450SX champion.
Image: Octopi Media.
The retirement tour of Chad Reed could extend into 2021 on a part-time basis as the current Monster Energy Supercross season remains suspended due to the coronavirus crisis.
Reed isn’t convinced that organisers will be able to complete the remaining seven rounds as intended, but indicated that he’s considering lining up at selected rounds next year regardless.
With the pandemic bringing professional sports to a halt globally, the 38-year-old’s ‘One Last Ride’ tour have been disrupted following 10 of a scheduled 17 rounds. He has also been planning further sportscar appearances in an extension of his Mountain Motorsports association.
“My personal opinion, I don’t think we’re going to get back racing this season and, if we do, it’s probably going to be like one race,” Reed told Autoweek in an interview this week. “But I also believe that good things come out of bad things.
“Maybe this puts me in a position to want to come back for more races next season. My professional career is wrapped up, but there is nothing stopping me from coming back for a handful of races. I was going to do that anyway, so maybe I add more now.”
Aboard privately-run Honda machinery, Reed recorded his strongest finish of the season with 13th position at Daytona directly prior to the stoppage, matching his score from Arlington two rounds earlier.
Updated Supercross schedule remains a work in progress
Section: Competition
Challenges mount for Feld Motor Sports to map out final seven rounds.
Image: Octopi Media.
Organisers of Monster Energy Supercross continue to evaluate options in order to complete all seven rounds remaining in the 2020 championship, determined to deliver the full series as planned.
The opening 10 rounds took place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic halting proceedings, with Eli Tomac currently atop the 450SX standings while Dylan Ferrandis and Chase Sexton lead the 250SX regions.
Speaking to the Real Talk 447 Podcast hosted by Jeff Emig alongside Ricky Carmichael (embedded below), Feld Motor Sports director of operations – Supercross Dave Prater outlined the challenges presented as the entertainment business seeks to save the season.
“Right now we’re planning for multiple situations,” Prater stated during the interview. “We’re working on different budget scenarios depending on where we end up racing and what dates we end up racing on, so that’s the biggest challenge.
“The uncertainty of not knowing when things will get back to normal, we’re trying to plan for the best possible scenario to get these seven rounds in and finishing the 2020 season. The goal is to finish rounds 11 through 17 before the end of 2020.”
“With all of the OEMs and teams it was unanimous, everyone wanted to finish the Supercross season, so that’s what we’re working towards,” he continued. “Everyone thought it was important that they get a complete 17-round championship.”
Ongoing teleconferences between Feld Motor Sports and the manufacturers involved continue to take place, gathering every Monday and Thursday to assess the ever-evolving situation. Communication with series sponsors are also continuing.
The added element of the Major League Baseball (MLB) season being delayed, as well as a looming National Football League (NFL) season scheduled to open in September, could complicate the ability for Supercross to secure traditional venues in the fall. Back-to-back double-header rounds aren’t a priority of Feld Motor Sports at this moment.
Postponements to a wide range of sporting events including the Major League Soccer (MLS) will also likely disrupt plans to host the 2020 Monster Energy Cup at the Dignity Health Sports Park – home stadium of the LA Galaxy – in October.
It’s unclear when an updated Supercross schedule will be finalized and announced, with Feld Motor Sports having to work around the revised MLB and NFL schedules when set. Once Supercross does resume, it’s anticipated it will run from mid-September through to the end of October over consecutive weekends in an ideal roster.
Despite widespread speculation that the series wouldn’t be able to be declared 10 rounds in, Prater did state that it could in fact be called now and still warrant a championship, not that Feld Motor Sport is considering that as a genuine option.
Shoulder surgery declared a success for Team HRC’s Evans
Section: Competition
MXGP revelation recovering at home following recent injury.
Image: Supplied.
Team HRC rookie Mitch Evans has undergone a successful operation on the shoulder that he injured at Valkenswaard, Netherlands, at round two of MXGP.
Evans had surgery in Brisbane for an arthroscopic anterior stabilisation, which went to plan and now enables him to begin his recovery.
“I’m glad to have had the surgery and I can now get home and begin my recovery,” Evans said. “It’s a strange situation with the season and all these postponed races, but my aim is to get my shoulder feeling 100 percent and to get back riding and feeling comfortable on the bike again.”
At the moment, the next scheduled event is in Russia on 6 June in just over three months time, but with the nature of the current COVID-19 pandemic causing uncertainty, there is no real timeline for the Australian’s next outing.
Italian edition of ISDE postponed until late next year
Section: Competition
COVID-19 pandemic prompts organisers to delay event by 12 months.
Image: Supplied.
This year’s International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE) has been postponed until 2021, with plans now in place for the Italian event to take place between 30 August to 4 September next year.
With the next ISDE set to be held in Lombardy and Piedmont, considering the coronavirus pandemic it has been decided to move it to next year.
“The FIM along with its stakeholders have had to take many difficult decisions over recent weeks as we adapt to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it is having on various countries around the world,” commented FIM president Jorge Viegas.
“Postponing the ISDE was not a decision that we have taken easily, as we know how important it is to riders from a large number of nations and to the various national federations too.
“However, thanks to the great co-operation of the FMI and the local organising committee we feel we have taken the correct step to be fair to all concerned and to ensure we can celebrate a great 95th edition of the ISDE in Italy in 2021.”
The annual off-road event attracts several hundred competitors from more than 30 countries around the world each year, all of whom which have to commit to extensive travel and logistic plans several months in advance of the ISDE.
In addition, the ISDE demands many months of forward planning and work to prepare many hundred of kilometres of course, all of which rely on the permission of the various local authorities and stakeholders.
Las Vegas and Salt Lake City rounds now officially cancelled for 2020.
Image: Octopi Media.
Organisers of Monster Energy Supercross have confirmed that the 2020 season is intended to continue with rounds 11-17 to be completed in the later months of this year.
This year’s championship has been suspended due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, however, it is anticipated that all rounds will take place.
Rounds 11 through to 15 had already been cancelled, with Feld Entertainment now announcing Las Vegas and Salt Lake City have also been cancelled. Instead, the remaining seven rounds are planned to take place later in the year.
Supercross is expected to resume following the completion of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, which outlined its revised calendar late last week to be held between 13 June in Florida and 5 September at Fox Raceway.
That would likely result in Supercross recommencing mid-September and running through October over seven consecutive weekends. Locations and dates haven’t been finalized yet, according to Feld Entertainment.
Japanese ace Toriyabe joins expanded Yamalube Yamaha team
Section: Competition
Development deal sees All-Japan MX2 number three arrive in Australia.
Image: Greg Smith.
Current All-Japan MX2 number three Kota Toriyabe has been added to an expanded Yamalube Yamaha Racing team as part of a development exercise in the MXstore MX Nationals.
The 21-year-old joins Jay Wilson in MX2, as well as MXD newcomer Levi Rogers, to make the Queensland-based team a three-rider roster outdoors.
“It’s quite an honour to have Yamaha Japan approach us about assisting Kota and work with him to bring out his full potential,” explained Yamaha Racing development supervisor Scott Bishop.
“He finished third in the Japanese national championship last year and he is a rider that we believe has not reached his full speed or potential. Since landing in Australia, he has ridden and trained alongside both Jay and Levi and has fitted in perfectly.
“He is just finding his feet with our tracks and getting acclimatised to Australian conditions. When he left Japan he had been unable to ride as it was snowing and then he walked into a 35-degree heat wave in Brisbane the moment he landed.”
Japanese mechanic Tsuyoshi Watanabe will be alongside Toriyabe for the Australian championship, recently clinching the New Zealand MX2 title with JCR Yamaha and Maximus Purvis prior to arriving in Brisbane at Yamaha Yamalube Racing.
New-look Husqvarna line-up of Waters and Duffy unveiled
Section: Competition
National MX1 champion forms Berry Sweet-backed program.
Image: Josh Stephenson.
Reigning Australian MX1 champion Todd Waters has taken the wraps off of his Berry Sweet Husqvarna team that will include himself and Regan Duffy for the 2020 season.
Following the collapse of the title-winning DPH Motorsport organisation last year, Waters has moved to form his own program with the support of Husqvarna.
“We are pleased to release the official 2020 Berry Sweet Husqvarna Race Team Australia MX/SX/Off-Road,” Waters commented. “The end of 2019 and the start of this year has been filled with excitement, challenges and a lot of phone calls and emails!
“Just when everything had fallen into place, we are now all facing an uncertain future for racing and sports in Australia and across the world. Despite this, we have a team of great people and sponsors ready to support Regan and I to achieve our goals this year, whenever our competitions can resume.”
“The main focus of our team set-up this year is to replicate that family atmosphere, bring it all back to basics and with a limited budget, spend money where it’s actually important.
“I’ve spent way too many hours in previous years travelling in a van from my home to the team workshop to pick up bikes and parts. We are creating a setup that allows as little disruption to the riders’ training programs as possible, something that I think gets lost in a lot of factory teams. I can’t wait to showcase what we’ve created.”
Australian Four-Day Enduro in Erica officially cancelled
Section: Competition
Coronavirus restrictions halt anticipated return of 2020 A4DE event.
Image: Supplied.
The 2020 Australian Four-Day Enduro (A4DE) scheduled to be held in Erica, Victoria, during May has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Motorcycling Australia (MA) confirmed this morning that this year’s A4DE won’t be going ahead as COVID-19 continues to cause chaos in the national calendar.
“Government restrictions imposed have now made it impossible for the event to continue,” a statement from MA announced. “With daily government policy and guideline changes in relation to COID-19, travel, mass gatherings and social distancing, MA and Dandenong Motorcycle Club have agreed to cancel A4DE.
“Following discussions between MA, Trail and Enduro Motorcycle Club of WA and Dandenong Motorcycle Club, Victoria, it has been agreed that the 2021 A4DE will be held in Western Australia as previously announced and the 2022 event will now be held in Erica, Victoria.”
As per today’s announcement from MA, next year’s A4DE will take place in Western Australia, before the 2022 edition is held in Victoria at the Erica venue that was due to host this year’s event.
