Image: Foremost Media.

The anticipated factory GasGas Racing Team debut will finally go ahead at Canberra’s second round of Penrite ProMX after the highly-rated MX1 rookie was forced to watch from the sidelines at Wonthaggi.

Tanti has now recovered enough from his broken wrist to return at round two, which will also mark the first time that GasGas has fielded a factory team in the Australian Motocross Championship under KTM Group ownership.

Despite spending little time on the bike in the lead-up, the 24-year-old is expected to make his presence felt on Sunday where he will also wear the number nine for the first time at a national level. He has also had to recently overcome an untimely finger injury in the lead-up to his return.

“I’ve got about four or five rides in now, so not a lot of time, but I got cleared to ride and have been managing coming back,” Tanti told MotoOnline. “All in all, I feel good enough to race, so am going to give it a crack. I want to get out there, have a feel for racing my first national on a 450, see how it goes.

“Sitting at round one watching was definitely hard. You see the competition and kind of picture where you’re going to sit and I think I would have been in a pretty good position around Wonthaggi. So that was hard to watch, but it’s good to be back.

“I’m not carrying any real expectations into this weekend, I haven’t been on the bike a lot and had my fingernail removed after an incident this week, which isn’t a problem at all. I just want to get a good start and I do see myself in the top 10, no worries in the world, but that’s where we will leave it at for now.”

The addition of Tanti completes the KTM Group’s expansive inclusion in the premier class, joining defending MX1 champion Todd Waters (Husqvarna Racing Team) and fellow newcomer Regan Duffy (KTM Racing Team) – winner of the opener – as part of the single-rider programs for each brand.

Image: Foremost Media.

Lap one of MX2 practice at Sunday’s second round of Penrite ProMX will be telling for Serco Yamaha’s Jesse Dobson as he attempts to ride less than two weeks after having a broken collarbone plated.

The Queenslander finished fourth at the opening round of the season and is determined to score more points in Canberra, despite being injured at Coolum following Wonthaggi’s season-opener earlier this month.

It would be a remarkable effort if Dobson is to overcome the injury, which he says he has been doing everything that he can to speed-up the healing process between rounds. The real test will come at the beginning of the 8:00am practice, however.

“First lap of practice will be the real test,” Dobson told MotoOnline. “I have been just trying to give it as long as possible to heal before I try go racing. I’ve been doing everything I can all week with my trainer/physio to help promote healing and each day has been better than the last. We won’t know how it will hold up until the day of the race.”

Dobson is regarded as a chance of challenging for the MX2 championship this season, his first at a national level with Serco Yamaha after joining the organisation last year. He narrowly missed out on a podium at round one after lodging 4-3 finishes that weekend.

Image: Foremost Media.

Japanese champion Haruki Yokoyama’s debut in Penrite ProMX has been delayed until round three as the Empire Kawasaki signing continues to complete a compulsory hotel quarantine period.

Yokoyama arrived in Australia last week and is undergoing two weeks of quarantine in Sydney, now due to join the factory-supported team at Gillman on 31 May.

It was initially hoped that the two-time and current All-Japan MX2 Championship winner would be able to debut in Canberra this Sunday, however, Yokoyama’s later arrival into the country will instead see him on-track from round three.

“We are planning to get out of quarantine on the 6th of May, so will start riding after that,” Yokoyama explained. “Luckily I got a bigger room while in quarantine, so I can jump rope, balance ball, core training, little bit of running and other training.”

Yokoyama said it has been a challenging week in the confines of a hotel room upon arrival, but looks forward to experiencing the country once able to: “14 days quarantine is tougher than I thought. I can’t wait to go outside, breathe fresh air and see Australia.”

As part of a program to further develop his craft in the Australian championship riding the new Empire Kawasaki KX250 in MX2, Yokoyama is eager to get down to business late next month.

“I am looking forward to competing with the fastest MX riders in Australia,” he added. “One of the main reasons I came to Australia was to learn more and improve my skills on and off the motocross track.

“I also wanted to give a quick thank you to all my sponsors and Kawasaki Heavy Industries for giving me the opportunity to race in the Australian series.”

Image: Foremost Media.

The postponed Nowra rounds of the 2021 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) have been rescheduled for 28-29 August, becoming rounds seven and eight of the season.

Nowra was initially due to hist this year’s opening rounds between 27-28 March until being cancelled because of flooding in the region, however, a revised date has now been made official.

“The rounds scheduled for Nowra earlier this year were postponed due to severe weather, which impacted the area causing extensive flooding of the track and pit area making it impossible for riders and teams to travel and participate in the event,” according to a statement from Motorcycling Australia (MA).

“The Oyster Bay Motorcycle Club had done significant work in preparing for the original rounds and we know they will leave no stone unturned to ensure a sensational track is provided come August 28 and 29 for what will now be AORC rounds seven and eight.

“The championship has also received significant support from Shoalhaven City Council, which ensures the event can provide a spectacular race weekend for both riders and fans of AORC.”

Instead, the AORC series commenced last weekend at Golden Beach in Victoria, where Daniel Milner (E3), Todd Waters (E2) and Mason Semmens (E1) won the three pro-level categories across both rounds one and two of season 2021.

2021 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) calendar (revised):
Rds 1-2 – 17-18 APR – Golden Beach, VIC
Rds 3-4 – 17-18 JUL – Kyogle, NSW
Rds 5-6 – 6-7 AUG – QMP, QLD
Rds 7-8 – 28-29 AUG – Nowra, NSW
Rds 9-10 – 18-19 SEP – Kingston SE, SA
Rds 11-12 – 16-17 OCT – Omeo, VIC

Image: Octopi Media.

Team Honda HRC’s 250SX West rider Hunter Lawrence had a bittersweet day at Atlanta 3, with pace to compete for the win, his race was stifled by an incident with Cameron McAdoo during the main event.

As the Monster Energy Supercross series kicked off the final race of the Atlanta Motor Speedway residency, it looked to be Lawrence’s race to lose, qualifying fastest on the day and winning his heat race as he looked to grab the second win of his career.

As the gate dropped on the main event, Lawrence found his way into second place just before a red flag put the race on hold. As a dismal restart saw him playing a bit of catch up, he caught the back of McAdoo, eventually crashing in effort to avoid landing on the Kawasaki rider.

“After the restart,” Lawrence explained, “I came through the pack in fifth and then Cameron [McAdoo] nearly fell off his bike going into the sand section. I don’t think he was where he needed to be, mentally or physically.

“He swerved right in front of me, and my only options were to either land on him or try to scrub off the track and miss him, and that’s what I did and ended up landing in the Tuff Block.

“I’m pretty frustrated about that; with that crash, to finish two seconds behind third place, I think I could’ve won, considering how good I was in the whoops and how good I was feeling.”

While disappointed, the 21-year-old Australian is happy with his overall performance and looking forward to getting back on track in Salt Lake City in two weeks time.

“I’m pretty bummed with how the night ended,” he continued, “but stoked with how the team and I operated during the day and how my riding is going, so I can’t wait for Salt Lake City.”