Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) once again sat out the final session of the day, and the Brit is suffering from tendonitis that will also see him miss Day 3 entirely. He crashed in the second session too, as did Ogura, Acosta, Keminth Kubo (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team) and Sean Dylan Kelly (American Racing). Kelly also crashed in session one, as did Schrötter and Aldeguer. The final session saw the most tumbles as Beaubier, Arenas, MV Agusta Forward Racing’s Simone Corsi and Marcos Ramirez, Niccolo Antonelli (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Jorge Navarro (Flexox HP 40) crashed, all riders ok.
There was a bigger gap of a couple of tenths back to Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP), with the Spaniard, in turn, 0.297 ahead of Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse). John McPhee was sixth as the Scot gets to grips with his Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max machine, with Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Aspar Team) 0.003 further back and Alberto Surra (Rivacold Snipers Team) 0.077.
2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Round Seven – US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
Report by Trevor Hedge – Images by Jeff Kardas
450 Heat One
Chase Sexton scored the holeshot ahead of Ken Roczen and Eli Tomac, Justin Brayton and Kyle Chisholm.Tomac squeezed past Roczen after the German made a small mistake.
That order up front never changed for the remainder of the Heat.Sexton taking victory by 1.6-seconds over Tomac and Roczen a further two-seconds back.
Aaron Plessinger and Marvin Musquin worked their way past Justin Brayton to take fourth and fifth respectively.
450 Heat One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Interval
1
Chase Sexton
Honda
9 Laps
2
Eli Tomac
Yamaha
+01.614
3
Ken Roczen
Honda
+03.569
4
Aaron Plessinger
KTM
+11.173
5
Marvin Musquin
KTM
+13.623
6
Justin Brayton
Honda
+20.302
7
Kyle Chisholm
Yamaha
+28.736
8
Justin Bogle
Suzuki
+30.794
9
Cade Clason
Honda
+35.940
10
Alex Martin
Yamaha
+40.121
11
Alex Ray
Honda
+45.382
12
Justin Starling
GASGAS
+51.566
13
Logan Karnow
Kawasaki
8 Laps
14
Joan Cros
Kawasaki
+13.295
15
Alexander Nagy
KTM
+19.328
16
Justin Rodbell
Kawasaki
+21.088
17
Scotty Wennerstrom
Kawasaki
+51.554
18
Deven Raper
Kawasaki
6 Laps
19
Preston Taylor
Kawasaki
+59.384
20
Chad Saultz
KTM
2 Laps
450 Heat Two
Vince Friese celebrated his first 450 race of the season by scoring the holeshot in his 450 Heat ahead of Cooper Webb, Justin Barcia and Malcolm Stewart.
Friese held on to that lead for the first two laps but eventually Malcom Stewart made a great move to take the lead.It took Cooper Webb a little longer to work his way past Friese but he made his way past to take second place.
Dylan Ferrandis and Jason Anderson then pushed Friese further back to fifth on the penultimate lap.
Barcia had been as high as third but a late fall cost the GASGAS man a number of positions, eventually finishing seventh.
Malcolm Stewart the victor for Husqvarna with a clear six-second buffer over Webb.
450 Heat Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Interval/Laps
1
Malcolm Stewart
Husqvarna
9 Laps
2
Cooper Webb
KTM
+06.315
3
Dylan Ferrandis
Yamaha
+09.949
4
Jason Anderson
Kawasaki
+10.499
5
Vince Friese
Honda
+13.787
6
Shane McElrath
KTM
+14.769
7
Justin Barcia
GASGAS
+15.517
8
Dean Wilson
Husqvarna
+16.228
9
Brandon Hartranft
Suzuki
+16.716
10
Max Anstie
KTM
+17.711
11
Fredrik Noren
KTM
+34.343
12
Kevin Moranz
KTM
+41.069
13
Tristan Lane
KTM
+41.747
14
Ryan Breece
Yamaha
+46.231
15
Adam Enticknap
Suzuki
+51.741
16
Theodore Pauli
Kawasaki
8 Laps
17
Mason Kerr
Kawasaki
+05.844
18
Joshua Greco
Kawasaki
+21.991
19
Austin Cozadd
Yamaha
+23.006
20
Jerry Robin
GASGAS
2 Laps
450 Main
Cooper Webb scored the holeshot ahead of Jason Anderson, Chase Sexton and Malcolm Stewart when the gates dropped for round seven of the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
Championship leader Eli Tomac went down on the face of a triple early on the second lap after having to evade his Monster Yamaha Team-mate Dylan Ferrandis.Tomac had been relegated all the way back to 20th place by the time he was back up and running.
Cooper Webb led Chase Sexton by just over a second over most of the opening laps. Sexton was chasing Webb hard and made a few small mistakes but eventually overhauled Webb with just over 14-minutes remaining on the shot clock.
Shortly after losing the lead Webb was then pushed further back to third by Jason Anderson. Malcolm Stewart and Marvin Musquin were not far behind that pair, running fourth and fifth ahead of sixth placed Roczen.
Sexton had steadily built a three-second lead over Anderson by half race distance.
Eli Tomac had worked his way up to tenth by that halfway point of the race. It took quite a few laps for Tomac to get the better of Plessinger but he then made short work of Roczen to move up to seventh.
Malcolm Stewart was looking to have a podium wrapped up but he went down with just under three-minutes left on the clock. That allowed Marvin Musquin to move up and take that third place.
22-year-old Sexton continued to pull away in the second half of the race, maintaining a gap of around three-seconds over Anderson only to falter just as the shot clock his zero!
Sexton went down hard after losing the front on the face of the jump situated just out of a left-hander after the finish line. His bike didn’t make the jump but his body did, slamming into the face of the next jump!Sexton struggled to get up for a long time and never managed to get back on his motorcycle, but was still credited with a 16th place finish and seven-points.
Sexton’s late mistake saw Jason Anderson the victor over Cooper Webb by three-seconds.
Marvin Musquin rounded out the podium ahead of Malcolm Stewart and Justin Barcia.
Eli Tomac came from the back of the field all the way through to sixth place for 17-points which saw him maintain his championship lead, but his buffer trimmed to only three-points over Anderson.
450 Video Highlights
450 Main Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Interval
1
Jason Anderson
Kawasaki
26 Laps
2
Cooper Webb
KTM
+02.833
3
Marvin Musquin
KTM
+15.086
4
Malcolm Stewart
Husqvarna
+17.075
5
Justin Barcia
GASGAS
+28.359
6
Eli Tomac
Yamaha
+32.963
7
Aaron Plessinger
KTM
+37.359
8
Ken Roczen
Honda
+40.418
9
Dylan Ferrandis
Yamaha
+43.731
10
Justin Brayton
Honda
+44.671
11
Dean Wilson
Husqvarna
+47.073
12
Vince Friese
Honda
25 Laps
13
Brandon Hartranft
Suzuki
+11.839
14
Alex Martin
Yamaha
+23.938
15
Kyle Chisholm
Yamaha
+34.370
16
Chase Sexton
Honda
24 Laps
17
Justin Bogle
Suzuki
+2m14.073
18
Cade Clason
Honda
+2m23.063
19
Ryan Breece
Yamaha
+2m46.159
20
Shane McElrath
KTM
23 Laps
21
Justin Starling
GASGAS
+24.856
22
Max Anstie
KTM
6 Laps
450 Post Race Press Conference
450 Championship Standings (Round 7 of 17)
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Eli Tomac
151
2
Jason Anderson
148
3
Malcolm Stewart
131
4
Justin Barcia
128
5
Cooper Webb
126
6
Chase Sexton
123
7
Marvin Musquin
119
8
Ken Roczen
107
9
Dylan Ferrandis
102
10
Aaron Plessinger
97
11
Dean Wilson
84
12
Shane McElrath
62
13
Justin Brayton
59
14
Brandon Hartranft
58
15
Max Anstie
55
16
Kyle Chisholm
39
17
Mitchell Oldenburg
37
18
Justin Bogle
29
19
Alex Martin
29
20
Joey Savatgy
27
21
Adam Cianciarulo
23
22
Josh Hill
13
23
Cade Clason
13
24
Justin Starling
13
25
Ryan Breece
12
26
Vince Friese
11
27
Fredrik Noren
9
28
Kevin Moranz
3
29
Joan Cros
2
30
Adam Enticknap
1
250
250 Heat One
Josh Osby scored the holeshot to kick off his 250 East campaign ahead of Pierce Brown and Kyle Peters and that trio remained up front over the course of the opening lap. Stilez Robertson also started well.
Pierce Brown moved through to the lead on lap two and from there was never headed, the GASGAS rider taking victory.
Jett Lawrence took a steady approach to the start of his season, running seventh in the early laps behind Jeremy Martin and Max Vohland. Jett then worked his way past Martin halfway through the race, then sneaked past Vohland on the following lap to move up to fourth.
With two-minutes remaining Jett Lawrence was 1.5-seconds behind Robertson, and three-seconds behind Peters, but the young Australian then put the hammer down to pass and pull clear both of them to take second place. Jett crossing the line four-seconds behind winner Brown, but setting the fastest lap of the race by more than half-a-second to underline his speed.
250 Heat One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Interval
1
Pierce Brown
GASGAS
9 Laps
2
Jett Lawrence
Honda
+04.082
3
Stilez Robertson
Husqvarna
+07.345
4
Kyle Peters
Honda
+08.052
5
Jeremy Martin
Yamaha
+08.652
6
Cameron Mcadoo
Kawasaki
+12.653
7
Max Vohland
KTM
+13.644
8
Henry Miller
KTM
+28.628
9
Jeremy Hand
Honda
+29.038
10
Devin Simonson
Yamaha
+30.167
11
Josh Osby
Honda
+30.352
12
Tj Albright
Kawasaki
+33.082
13
Jared Lesher
Yamaha
+37.061
14
Izaih Clark
Honda
+39.473
15
Tanner Ward
Kawasaki
+41.166
16
Zack Williams
GASGAS
+42.622
17
Cullin Park
Honda
+46.645
18
Hunter Sayles
Kawasaki
+55.385
19
Jack Rogers
Kawasaki
8 Laps
20
Joshua Cartwright
Kawasaki
DNS
250 Heat Two
Mitch Oldenburg didn’t even get out of the gates in the second 250 Heat, his Honda failing to fire and leaving him to watch on from the sidelines.
Rookie Levi Kitchen stole the holeshot from Jordon Smith with a great move in turn one. RJ Hampshire was quickly up to third ahead of Austin Forkner and Phillip Nicoletti.
Kitchen mate a mistake on the second lap which saw him lose the lead to Smith and RJ Hampshire then pushed him further back to third. Austin Forkner had a huge moment while running fourth but somehow managed to stay on the motorcycle and retain that position. Nicoletti then did squeeze past him but the two had a coming together from which Forkner came out on top.
With two-minutes to run on the shot clock Jordon Smith led Hampshire by just over a second while Kitchen was a further three-seconds back in third. Hampshire closed Smith down though to take the victory. Kitchen held on to third despite a late charge from Forkner.
250 Heat Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Interval
1
Rj Hampshire
Husqvarna
9 Laps
2
Jordon Smith
Honda
+00.600
3
Levi Kitchen
Yamaha
+04.181
4
Austin Forkner
Kawasaki
+06.452
5
Enzo Lopes
Yamaha
+13.069
6
Phillip Nicoletti
Yamaha
+15.244
7
Jace Owen
Yamaha
+17.772
8
Derek Drake
Suzuki
+19.433
9
Joshua Varize
Husqvarna
+20.172
10
Coty Schock
Honda
+21.234
11
Marshal Weltin
Yamaha
+28.300
12
Grant Harlan
Honda
+30.585
13
Max Miller
KTM
+32.987
14
Jarrett Frye
Honda
+33.958
15
Aj Catanzaro
Honda
+34.908
16
Hunter Yoder
Honda
+36.229
17
John Short
Honda
+37.529
18
Joe Clayton
KTM
+38.490
19
Kyle Swanson
KTM
+40.920
20
Mitchell Oldenburg
Honda
DNS
250 Main
Jett Lawrence kicked off his season in fine style with a good gate and the early running saw the 18-year-old Aussie chasing Austin Forkner around the opening lap before making his move early on lap two to take the lead.
From there Jett was never headed.A dominant victory over five-seconds ahead of Forkner and the only rider in the main to record a 48-second lap.
Likewise Cameron McAdoo was soon up to third and then held that position all the way to the flag despite advances from Jeremy Martin and RJ Hampshire.
A perfect start to Jett’s 2022 campaign saw the youngster throw his goggles into the crowd, followed by his gloves.
Jett Lawrence – P1
“The run up into this, since I got here, I have been freezing my butt off, I have to give it to the people that live here, I have mad respect for you guys, I am out there with about 15 layers of clothing on. So excited today, I was so excited, even at the gates I was smiling and so happy to be back, so awesome, you don’t get that adrenaline from anything else.The track is so technical, I cased a couple of times, might have some mud in the back of the pants from those sketchy moments. Can’t wait for next time out in Dallas.”
With just two-weeks until season start in Qatar on March 6, the riders that will form up the grids in the 2022 Moto2 and Moto3 Championships are in Portugal for the Official Portimao Test with the aim to allow riders to get up to speed after the winter break.
Many teams and riders have already held their own private test sessions previously, with testing being conducted at other tracks such as Valencia and Jerez already this month. All riders now have three days at the Algarve International Circuit for the final adjustments before heading to Qatar.
As it would be expected at this time of the year in the south of Portugal, the first session of the day started under very windy conditions.
The opening day of the official Moto2 and Moto3 test at Portimao saw Jake Dixon (GASGAS Aspar Team) make a late lunge to the top in the intermediate class, the Brit ending the day 0.075 ahead of Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40).
Jake Dixon – P1
“Overall I’m very happy with how today went. I have achieved my fastest lap on this circuit. It’s business as usual, when you’re not focused on getting a lap time, it comes alone. I am also very happy with the team; we continue to work hard and we have found small improvements between the second and third sessions that have allowed us to ride better. I have to try to make fewer mistakes to continue improving.”
Almost as close was Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), only another four-thousandths in arrears. Only a few more thousandths behind came his team-mate, reigning Moto3 World Champion Pedro Acosta, with last year’s rookie sensation maintaining that moniker as he moves into the intermediate class…
Then came a small gap back to Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) as the American ended the day 0.265 off Acosta, heading up another group of incredibly tight lap-times.
Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Albert Arenas (GASGAS Aspar Team) were up next, with Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) just 0.002 off Arenas. Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) took P9, with Fermin Aldeguer (Speed Up Racing) taking tenth.
The likes of Fernandez, Acosta, Ogura, Beaubier and Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing) didn’t head out in the final session and with lap-times only a second off the pole record already, it will be interesting to see how the pace progresses on Sunday.
Portimao Moto2 Test Day One Times
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
J.Dixon
KALEX
1m43.169
2
A.Canet
KALEX
+0.075
3
A.Fernandez
KALEX
+0.089
4
P.Acosta
KALEX
+0.095
5
C.Beaubier
KALEX
+0.360
6
A.Ogura
KALEX
+0.386
7
A.Arenas
KALEX
+0.412
8
M.Schrotter
KALEX
+0.414
9
J.Roberts
KALEX
+0.451
10
F.Aldeguer
BOSCOSCURO
+0.486
11
C.Vietti
KALEX
+0.585
12
J.Navarro
KALEX
+0.702
13
T.Arbolino
KALEX
+0.770
14
B.Bendsneyde
KALEX
+0.968
15
M.Ramirez
MV AGUSTA
+1.067
16
A.Zaccone
KALEX
+1.528
17
L.Dalla Porta
KALEX
+1.553
18
M.Gonzalez
KALEX
+1.577
19
R.Fenati
BOSCOSCURO
+1.667
20
F.Salac
KALEX
+1.668
21
J.Alcoba
KALEX
+1.727
22
S.Lowes
KALEX
+1.810
23
B.Baltus
KALEX
+1.850
24
S.Chantra
KALEX
+1.865
25
S.Corsi
MV AGUSTA
+1.888
26
S.Kelly
KALEX
+2.259
27
K.Kubo
KALEX
+2.530
28
N.Antonelli
KALEX
+2.582
29
Z.Van Den Goo
KALEX
+2.721
30
G.Rodrigo
KALEX
+2.905
Moto3
In Moto3 Tatsuki Suzuki began his tenure with Leopard Racing by topping the timesheets on Day 1, the Japanese rider putting in a 1’48.575 to pull nearly a tenth and a half clear of Izan Guevara (GASGAS Aspar Team), who is gearing up for his second season in Moto3. It was a rookie completing the top three though, with David Muñoz (BOE SKX) 0.283 off the top.
That denied Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) as the Turk was an apt 0.053 further back, with another rookie standout in fifth: Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI). The Brazilian debutant was even closer in the tight field, 0.017 off Öncü.
Deniz Öncü – P4
“We finished the first day of the Portimao Test, which is also the fifth test day for me this month. Everything has been positive so far because I have a very good rythm, I register good lap times and my pace is strong. Today we have been working a lot on the bike and we tried different set-ups to see which ones suit best to my riding style. I got some fast laps so we definitively have a great potential and good ideas. Tomorrow, we will continue the work in this direction.”
Adrian Fernandez seems to be settling in at Red Bull KTM Tech 3 as he ended Day 1 in P6, just ahead of Sergio Garcia (GASGAS Aspar Team).
Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing PrüstelGP) put CFMoto into the top ten on their debut in P8, ahead of another impressive rookie in Ivan Ortola (Team MTA).
Ayumu Sasaki’s first official day in Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max colours saw the Japanese rider complete the top ten.
The likes of Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) were outside the top ten, but it is, after all, only the first day.
Aussie rookie Joel Kelso finished day one P21 on the time-sheets despite a small tumble without consequences.
Ana Carrasco continued her adaption to Moto3 and brought up the tail end of the time-sheets at this early juncture with plenty more speed still to come from the tough Spaniard no doubt.
Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing), runner up last season, was sidelined due to illness. Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) is also sidelined after breaking his ankle.
Day 1 of the official Moto2™ and Moto3™ test at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve saw Jake Dixon (GASGAS Aspar Team) make a late lunge to the top in the intermediate class, the Brit ending the day 0.075 ahead of Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40). Almost as close was Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), only another four thousandths in arrears. Only a few more thousandths behind came his teammate, reigning Moto3™ World Champion Pedro Acosta, with last year’s rookie sensation maintaining that moniker as he moves into the intermediate class…
That leaves the likes of Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) outside the top ten, but it is, after all, only the first day. And Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing), the runner up last season, will be glad of that too as he was sidelined due to illness.
2022 Honda CBR500R in Sword Silver Metallic. (Honda/)
As with the CB500X and CB500F, Honda’s 2022 CBR500R sportbike receives fresh chassis components to help improve handling and feel at the bars. The midsize sportbike will be available this month in Honda dealerships in either Grand Prix Red or Sword Silver Metallic with a $7,199 MSRP.
The 2022 Honda CBR500R returns with better suspension and braking components. (Honda/)
If you’ve peeked at the previous two model write-ups, you’ll have a pretty good idea what’s in store for the CBR500R: a new inverted 41mm Showa SFF-BP fork, a lighter swingarm, and new cast aluminum wheels. Honda intends to improve handling of all its 500-level machines and give them a more intuitive feel, and the changes certainly show promise.
2022 Honda CBR500R in Grand Prix Red. (Honda/)
The entry-level sportbike also gets the brake package upgrade and now sports dual 296mm discs at the front with twin four-piston radial-mount calipers.
New cast aluminum wheels help reduce weight. (Honda/)
Other than that, the CBR500R is mostly still standard 2021 issue, from its 471cc parallel-twin engine to its Pro-Link rear suspension setup, slip and assist clutch, buttery-smooth transmission, LED headlights, and standard ABS.
View from the CBR500R cockpit. (Honda/)
If you want to see how the CBR500R fared against the Ninja 300 back when the Honda was fresh from the design room, be sure to check out this head-to-head comparison. There’s been an update to the CBR500R since then, in 2016, but many of those changes were aimed at improving the cosmetic and creature-comfort appeal of the machine.
The 2022 Honda CBR500R starts at $7,199. (Honda/)
2022 Honda CBR500R ABS Technical Specifications and Price
Due to a software issue related to the internal temperature of the instrument cluster, if the temperature of the instrument cluster is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), the speedometer and neutral indicator may not display as intended. If this occurs an error warning message will appear to warn the rider.
What are the hazards?
If the speedometer or neutral indicator is not displayed as intended the rider will be unable to correctly determine the operating speed. This may increase the risk of an accident, causing injury or death to the rider, passenger or other road users.
What should consumers do?
Owners can contact their nearest Harley-Davidson dealer immediately to schedule an appointment to have the software updated in the instrument cluster module at no charge.
Kymco are getting adventurous in 2022, with the introduction of their DT X360 adventure crossover scooter to Australia.
Based on the Downtown 350i platform, Kymco say the DT X360 is capable of light off-road terrain thanks to its dual-purpose tyres. Other features on the DT X360 include the wider handlebar to assist in maximising leverage while the higher seating position (800mm) maximises rider visibility.
Compared to the Downtown 350i, the DT X360 also has a shorter wheelbase and isn’t as high or long. Other noteworthy features include traction control, keyless ignition, all-LED lighting, a full-colour LCD digital screen and two USB ports.
Underseat storage is roomy as well: enough to accommodate at least two helmets, and the retail price for the DT X360 is $8790 plus on-road costs, available in an orange and black livery.
The DT X360 produces power and torque figures of 28.4 hp (21.2 kW) and 30 Nm from the punchy 321 cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, four-valve single-cylinder engine. There’s an effective range of about 300km between fuel stops, care of a 12.5 litre tank.
Michael Poynton – Director of Kymco Australia
“There’s been plenty of interest around the DT X360, and for good reason with its wider remit than your normal scooter, and with all that outstanding Downtown DNA, the foundations for an excellent scooter are already there – but this time with the ability to take on a wider variety of terrain. Kymco’s engineering prowess is exceptional – and recently endorsed by Harley-Davidson’s electric motorcycle arm choosing the Taiwanese manufacturer as a strategic partner – and the DT X360 is yet another shining example of its ingenuity.”
The DT X360 is now on sale at Kymco scooter dealers nationally. To find your local Kymco dealer, visit www.kymco.com.au/dealers-scooter.
Kymco DT X360 adventure scooter specifications
Kymco DT X360
Engine
Liquid-cooled, four-valve, SOHC single-cylinder
Capacity
321 cc
Bore x stroke
75.3 mm x 72 mm
Compression ratio
10.7:1
Fuel system
EFI
Power
28.4 hp (21.2 kW) at 7250 rpm
Torque
30 Nm at 5750 rpm
Transmission
Continuously Variable Transmission
Clutch
Automatic
Frame
Steel tube
Front suspension
37mm fork, 110mm travel
Rear suspension
Twin shocks with preload adjustment, 108mm travel
Front brakes
260mm discs with three-piston floating calipers, Bosch ABS
Rear brake
240mm rear disc with twin-piston caliper, Bosch ABS