In the seven other races we have had across Europe, it has been a combination of debut winners and seasoned pros earning their place on the top step of the podium, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) coming up trumps in Brno to become the first rookie to win a race since Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in 2014. The South African joins an illustrious list of World Champions, with Marquez, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo the only other riders to have won in their inaugural year of MotoGP™ racing. Following that, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) reminded fans what he is capable of with a masterclass in Austria, before a week later we had another debut victor with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) stealing it on the final corner in the Styrian GP, to become Portugal’s first-ever MotoGP™ race winner.
“I’m really pleased to continue with John in 2021. He has been with us now for nearly two years and we can see that we are growing and progressing very well together. John has been a championship contender from the very start of this year, so to be continuing with him is great news for the team. We still have four races to go in this season and I’m sure we can achieve more successful results and fight until the final lap of the last race.”
“In 2021, we will have a very strong team with him and Darryn [Binder], both of whom are strong riders and will perform on a high level. It is important for the team that we take this step to continue with John and have the strongest Moto3™ line-up that we’ve ever had.”
Not too long ago, I showcased the KTM 890 Adventure R and R Rally at our sister site Web Bike World. These bikes are the true hardcore adventure bikes, but what if you don’t need something quite that extreme? KTM now has an answer for you, the 2021 890 Adventure.
This is the entry-level 890 adventure touring motorcycle. It keeps a lot of the same equipment as the R and R Rally models. Shared equipment includes the 889cc engine, 5.3-gallon fuel tank, and much of the frame (though not orange powder coated) and chassis. The engine uses the same tuning, too. It makes 105 hp and 73.8 lb-ft of torque while meeting Euro 5 emissions standards.
The bike also gets a power assist clutch connected to a six-speed gearbox with an optional Quickshifter upgrade. The bike also has a bit of a chunkier tail section and feature a taller windscreen and a more street-focused front end. The tires, too, look far less off-road ready than the R and R Rally’s do.
The ties on the bike are tubeless Avon Trailrider dual-sport tires. The suspension system is different, too with the 890 Adventure using an APEX 43 fork and an APEX mono-shock. These are a stop down from the WP EPLOR units on the more extreme bike. The Adventure still gets 7.9 inches of travel, though.
When it comes to brakes, you’ll notice the same setup and components as is on the R model—four-piston calipers up front and two in the rear. There’s Bosch 9.1 MP ABS that you can disengage. There’s also a good traction control system as well as some ride modes. Additional features include cruise control and an adjustable handlebar. Pricing for the model has not yet been announced.
A new initiative for 2020, this new talent-spotting programme required young hopefuls around the world to tackle four Online Challenges in which Gamers are divided into three categories, depending on their location. These three are the Americas (North and South), Europe and Africa, and finally Asia and Oceania.
After finishing eighth in his first race on the Repsol Honda at Misano won by Jorge Lorenzo he came to Aragon. In the 23-lap race in his second, and as it turned out final MotoGP™ ride, Rea finished seventh one place in front of Valentino Rossi in the race won by his team-mate, Pedrosa. That was that. Casey returned to finish the season and then retire. A certain Marc Marquez replaced him, and the rest is history for both riders
The cancellation of the rescheduled around two of ASBK at The Bend in South Australia scheduled for November 20-22 has been made official by Motorcycling Australia.
The cancellation comes as a result of continuing delays to the reopening of State borders and State Government restrictions, despite falling virus numbers.
The need to make this decision is very frustrating for both ASBK Management and ASBK riders and teams as only a few weeks ago there were signs that this round might be able to occur. However, circumstances beyond our control will not allow for this event to take place.
ASBK takes this opportunity to thank The Bend Motorsport Park for their support and flexibility during this complicated and interrupted 2020 season. ASBK is very disappointed not to be visiting this outstanding venue this year, and we look forward to being back in 2021 for the International Motofest at The Bend.
The ASBK paddock now turns its attention to finishing off the year with the ASBK Grand Finale double header at Winton Motor Raceway over December 3-6. A four-day extravaganza of ASBK action is planned at the iconic Northern Victoria circuit which always throws up plenty of thrills.
The double header event now represents ASBK Round 2 – Saturday, and Round 3 – Sunday, which will see the 2020 ASBK Champions crowned across all classes. Discussions continue with Victorian Government to finalise COVID-Safe planning requirements for the event.
The Winton double-header round remains subject to further developments in State border restrictions, and a review by ASBK Management will be undertaken in November when further advice will be provided to the ASBK paddock.
ASBK Management further advises that the scheduled ASBK Practice Days at Winton Motor Raceway on October 29 and 30, will no longer be official ASBK practice days controlled by ASBK due to the continued COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria.
Winton Motor Raceway can advise that these dates will now become an open motorcycle ride day welcome to all eligible riders. Winton further wish to advise riders already entered for these dates that this booking can remain or to contact the circuit for further discussions and details.
Throughout 2020, ASBK Management Team have remained committed to communicating openly and regularly with the ASBK paddock during this unprecedented time. Whilst difficult decisions have been reviewed and made throughout this recent period, we thank teams, riders, partners, and fans for their understanding.
A single round of the 2020 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship was staged before the pandemic hit Australia and that Phillip Island opener was dominated by Wayne Maxwell who fended off determined charges from Cru Halliday.
2020 ASBK Calendar
Round
Track/Date
ROUND 1
WSBK – Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC: 27 Feb – 1 March
ROUND 2-3
Winton Motor Raceway, Benalla VIC: December 3-6
2020 mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship Points
AFT SuperTwins title rivals Briar Bauman and Jared Mees opened the Main Event from first and second on the line. As they went elbow to elbow in an attempt to gain an early advantage over one another, their melee opened the door for Jarod Vanderkooi, Robinson and Robert Pearson to rush past.
AFT SuperTwins – Daytona I
Vanderkooi enjoyed a short-lived spell out front before giving way to Robinson, who then proved utterly dominant over the race’s final nine minutes despite racing with a broken right foot.
With Robinson long gone, Bauman and Mees frantically fought their way forward to collect as many points as possible ahead of the decisive Daytona II race.
Briar Bauman
Reigning champ Bauman ultimately proved more successful in those efforts. He dispatched Pearson for third with a hard pass with six laps remaining, and then spent the remainder of his race chasing down Vanderkooi. That relentless pursuit paid dividends with less than a minute remaining on the clock when he worked his way through to earn second place and the 20 points that came along with it.
Jarod Vanderkooi
Despite being passed by Bauman late, Vanderkooi equaled his best ever premier-class finish in third.
Mees shook free from Davis Fisher to reel in and sail past Pearson, moving into fourth position with four minutes remaining. However, Bauman and Vanderkooi were too far out in front, leaving him one spot off the box at the flag and with a considerably deeper hole to climb out of heading into Saturday’s rematch.
AFT SuperTwins – Daytona I Podium
With just one race to go, Bauman leads Mees 294-280. That means even if Mees wins his next race, Bauman needs only to finish eighth or better to repeat as AFT SuperTwins Champion.
AFT SuperTwins Result
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
Points
1
Brandon Robinson
Indian FTR750
35 Laps
25
2
Briar Bauman
Indian FTR750
+2.36
20
3
Jarod Vanderkooi
HD XG750R
+3.715
17
4
Jared Mees
Indian FTR750
+4.905
15
5
Sammy Halbert
Indian FTR750
+10.598
14
6
Davis Fisher
Indian FTR750
+10.824
13
7
Robert Pearson
Indian FTR750
+11.177
12
8
JD Beach
Yamaha MT-07
+12.207
11
9
Bronson Bauman
Indian FTR750
+12.477
10
10
Dan Bromley
Indian FTR750
+17.186
9
AFT Singles – Daytona I
Chad Cose finally broke through in the season’s finale weekend to claim his first victory of 2020 in a hard-fought AFT Singles Main Event, a huge moment for his Wally Brown Racing effort, backed by factory Suzuki.
AFT Singles – Daytona I
Cose twice beat Max Whale for the holeshot in the once red-flagged and restarted Main and never once gave up the position. That doesn’t mean he had it easy, however; Cose was pushed throughout with Whale and Henry Wiles both showing him a wheel at different times, including a final-lap attempt to steal away the win on the part of Wiles.
Also in the mix throughout was already crowned 2020 AFT Singles champion Dallas Daniels. Daniels was fighting an uphill battle starting from Row 3 as a result of a crash in the Semi, but he still managed to join the battle for the win. He ultimately finished fourth, falling just 0.749 seconds short of extending his six-race win streak to seven.
Henry Wiles
Meanwhile, Daniels’ teammate, Mikey Rush was forced to start from the back of the pack due to an opening-lap incident that saw him go down while running third. Still, he somehow managed to slash his way up from last place to take an impressive fifth on the little bullring circuit.
As a result, Rush retains a slim mathematical shot at a second consecutive championship runner-up finish; he now trails second-ranked Whale by 25 points with the final race left to decide the final order.
AFT Singles Podium – Daytona I
AFT Singles Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
Points
1
Chad Cose
Suzuki RMZ 450
22 Laps
25
2
Henry Wiles
Honda CRF450R
+0.27
20
3
Max Whale
Kawasaki KX450F
+0.491
17
4
Dallas Daniels
Yamaha YZ450F
+0.749
15
5
Michael Rush
Yamaha YZ450F
+2.968
14
6
Trent Lowe
Honda CRF450R
+3.244
13
7
Tanner Dean
Honda CRF450R
+4.253
12
8
Jacob Lehmann
Honda CRF450R
+5.571
11
9
Michael Inderbitzin
Honda CRF450R
+5.69
10
10
Jesse Janisch
Husqvarna FC450
+7.061
9
AFT Production Twins – Daytona I
An historic AFT Production Twins Main Event saw Johnny Lewis claim Royal Enfield’s first-ever AFT victory and season-long dominator James Rispoli crowned the class’ champion.
AFT Production Twins
Despite his underdog status on the upstart RE effort, DAYTONA Short Track genius Lewis controlled the evening in the AFT Production Twins. He escaped to an easy win in his Semi, qualified on pole and finished things off by going wire-to-wire in the Main Event.
Lewis fought back an early challenge from Ben Lowe, asserted at the front himself mid-race, and then successfully held off a desperate charge from Cory Texter in the race’s waning moments to secure the win.
Johnny Lewis
Rispoli, meanwhile, sat a safe-yet-close fourth behind Lewis, Texter, and Lowe for almost the entire race. Even if Texter had beaten Lewis to the checkered flag, all he needed was a seventh to end the title fight early. Fourth was more than enough.
With the final race still to go, Rispoli has racked up seven wins, four runner-ups, two fourths, and a fifth en route to the 2020 AFT Production Twins throne. This championship marks the first for Harley-Davidson since the introduction of the XG750R, a pivotal moment for one of the iconic manufacturers.
AFT Production Twins Podium – Daytona I
AFT Production Twins Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
Points
1
Johnny Lewis
Royal Enfield 650
21 Laps
25
2
Cory Texter
Yamaha MT-07
+0.247
20
3
Ben Lowe
Yamaha MT-07
+0.956
17
4
James Rispoli
Harley-Davidson XG750R
+1.21
15
5
Patrick Buchanan
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+1.838
14
6
Cody Johncox
Yamaha MT-07
+3.347
13
7
Jeremiah Duffy
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+3.794
12
8
Shelby Miller
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+5.322
11
9
Danny Eslick
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+7.512
10
10
Jimmy McAllister
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+13.768
9
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
AFT SuperTwins – Daytona II
Even with an extended pandemic-imposed pause, the highly anticipated 2020 showdown between Bauman and multi-time series king Jared Mees proved more than worth the wait. The momentum swung back and forth on a nearly weekend-by-weekend basis, leaving both superstars still in control of their destiny heading into the weekend’s Daytona finale.
AFT SuperTwins – Daytona II
Bauman seized control of the title fight with a clutch runner-up finish on Friday, which seemingly made the final task before him relatively easy by his standards. All he needed to do at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night was score an eighth-place finish to cap off a title defense that saw him rack up six wins, four seconds, three thirds, and one seventh along the way.
However, the level of difficulty was ratcheted up significantly due to weather; rainy conditions forced multiple delays in the program, the Semis were cancelled, and the AFT SuperTwins presented by Vance & Hines Main was pushed to the front of the pack once conditions allowed to ensure the season’s premier-class champ was crowned before the night was out. The changes and unpredictability of the day could have easily thrown an admittedly stressed Bauman out of his rhythm.
Instead he responded like a champion. Starting on the front row with Mees as a result of their qualifying performance, Bauman got away in third and glued himself to the rear wheel of his championship rival.
Brandon Robinson
Meanwhile, Brandon Robinson proved invincible around the Short Track at Daytona for a second consecutive night. He assumed the lead on lap one and held the position through the checkered flag.
Mees did well to keep Robinson in his sights, clinging on in hopes of a win that would give him the best possible shot at the championship should Bauman make a critical mistake.
Jeffrey Carver Jr. ran in fourth deep into the contest, holding back a racy Sammy Halbert for a solid five minutes. Unable to find an opening, Halbert finally made one; he pushed up the inside of Carver to take over fourth, knocking his rival back to seventh in the process.
Halbert then reeled in the leaders, arriving within striking distance of Bauman and a potential podium finish just as the race entered its final two laps. Bauman saw what was happening and understood full well what could happen. Rather than risk getting similarly bumped down the order and out of the points lead, Bauman allowed Halbert by and then cruised to a title-clinching fourth-place finish.
Brandon Robinson
“This is amazing. Through the ups and downs we’ve had this season to come out of here with the DAYTONA double — there’s nothing better. This is insane. We’re going to be able to go into this offseason and get healthy and come out swinging in 2021. I’m ecstatic. Obviously, things went really, really well,” back-to-back champ Bauman said. “I was able to do what we came for and what we set out to do all season for Jess Garcia and the whole Garcia family — win the championship. Jess was with me every step of the way. It means a lot to me to be able to fulfill what I showed up to do. He was one of my best friends. It’s just an honor to win for him, Indian Motorcycle, Progressive Insurance, and everyone else behind the team.”
Brandon Robinson topped the AFT SuperTwins podium – Daytona II
AFT SuperTwins Result
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
Points
1
Brandon Robinson
Indian FTR750
28 Laps
25
2
Jared Mees
Indian FTR750
+1.658
20
3
Sammy Halbert
Indian FTR750
+2.089
17
4
Briar Bauman
Indian FTR750
+2.709
15
5
Dan Bromley
Indian FTR750
+4.641
14
6
Robert Pearson
Indian FTR750
+8.578
13
7
Jeffrey Carver Jr.
Indian FTR750
+9.034
12
8
Jarod Vanderkooi
Harley-Davidson XG750R
+9.354
11
9
Dalton Gauthier
Harley-Davidson XG750R
+9.616
10
10
Brandon Price
Indian FTR750
+11.191
9
SuperTwins Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
Wins
1
Briar Bauman
309
6
2
Jared Mees
300
5
3
Sammy Halbert
239
1
4
Brandon Robinson
209
2
5
Bronson Bauman
181
0
6
Brandon Price
175
0
7
Jeffrey Carver Jr.
174
1
8
Davis Fisher
143
0
9
Jarod Vanderkooi
139
0
10
Robert Pearson
130
0
11
Dan Bromley
128
0
12
Dalton Gauthier
114
0
13
Bryan Smith
104
0
14
JD Beach
93
0
15
Jake Johnson
81
0
16
Jay Maloney
54
0
17
Larry Pegram
53
0
18
Kolby Carlile
50
0
19
Andrew Luker
42
0
20
Ryan Varnes
16
0
21
Morgen Mischler
6
0
AFT Singles – Daytona II
Henry Wiles demonstrated once again why he’s widely considered one of the greatest Short Track riders in the history of the sport, holding off Australian Max Whale (No. 18 Coondoo Cattle Co./Australian Road Services Kawasaki KX450F) and Trent Lowe to win an abbreviated AFT Singles Main Event.
Henry Wiles and Max Whale
Shortened to just four minutes plus two laps due to the numerous weather delays, Wiles shot out to the lead from the start, and protected the groove from there. Whale sought any way past Wiles but simply could not find one. Lowe closed in as well, but the experienced ST master ahead of them refused to give way.
Henry Wiles
“I was stoked to get that start. I told myself I can’t not win now. It was my race to win. Max kept me honest, and I could see Trent was in the picture too. I put in smooth, consistent laps. I’d go just a touch easy on some laps, and then I’d pick it up a little bit on some other laps. I tried to ride the best that I could so I didn’t give Max a good shot at poking it up on me. I’m stoked my wife and daughter came out for this – it means a lot to me.”
Despite losing to Wiles on the night, Whale’s runner-up result was enough to beat him for second in their championship fight (215-208).
Max Whale
“2020 AFT Season done and dusted! Stoked to go back to back podiums for the last two rounds at Daytona. I had the speed to win and wanted to win so bad. With experienced guys like Henry Wiles and Chad Cose it made it super hard to pass. It’s a dream come true to be coming back to Oz with a second place in the national AFT series. This year hasn’t been easy, I didn’t realise how much Dad did for me and how much work went into prepping my bikes, driving, cooking, cleaning, washing and servicing RVs. I cannot thank so many Americans enough in the flat track family for what they have done for me while I’ve been here solo, I’ll start with my weekend warriors! @bjbcrewdad @mattguenther61 @bjbcrew and Big Keith, they have been amazing wrenching for me on race days, legends. My close friends and families have been amazing @briarbauman @shaynatexter @bronsonbauman37 @jamesrispoli @corytexter @jarodvanderkooi20 Stan, Holly @_ekiss Don, Iris, Keith and Jill, words cannot not describe what these people have done for me. Also a big shout out to all my sponsors: Don’s Kawasaki, SHOWA suspension, @sharkleathers, Australian Road Services, @araiamericas, @sscycle, Coondoo Cattle Co, @spectrooils, Tri-R Distributing, @truturfrollers, @sercomotorsport, @ride100percent, @answeracing, @protaper, J & M Logging, @lskd, @vpfuelsaus, @kawasakiconnection, @engineice, @unifilteraustralia, Garage 36, Marty Blake, @mikebutlerracing, @briarbauman, @shaynatexter, Methanol Moonshine Apparel, Logan coombe, Bob Moir, Des and Rayna Morris.”
Henry Wiles and Max Whale
Mikey Rush set the fastest lap of the race en route to fourth with Andrew Luker completing the top five just behind.
2020 AFT Singles champ Dallas Daniels was forced to start from Row 4 with no Semi to improve his starting position. He made up a couple positions to end his title-winning season with a run to ninth. Sandwiched between his opening round failure to qualify for the Main and his ninth-placed finale, Daniels packed in a remarkable eighth wins, nine podiums and twelve top fives.
Henry Wiles topped the singles podium from Max Whale and Trent Lowe
AFT Singles Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
Points
1
Henry Wiles
Honda CRF450R
15 Laps
25
2
Max Whale
Kawasaki KX450F
+0.142
20
3
Trent Lowe
Honda CRF450R
+0.396
17
4
Michael Rush
Yamaha YZ450F
+1.282
15
5
Andrew Luker
Yamaha YZ450F
+3.097
14
6
Morgen Mischler
KTM 450 SX-F
+3.275
13
7
Jacob Lehmann
Honda CRF450R
+3.952
12
8
Tanner Dean
Honda CRF450R
+4.3
11
9
Dallas Daniels
Yamaha YZ450F
+4.845
10
10
Michael Inderbitzin
Honda CRF450R
+5.355
9
AFT Singles Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
Wins
1
Dallas Daniels
283
8
2
Max Whale
215
1
3
Henry Wiles
208
2
4
Michael Rush
185
1
5
Trent Lowe
183
0
6
Morgen Mischler
178
0
7
Tanner Dean
160
0
8
Brandon Kitchen
154
1
9
Chad Cose
137
1
10
Michael Inderbitzin
124
0
11
Trevor Brunner
113
1
12
Shayna Texter
102
0
13
Cole Zabala
84
0
14
James Ott
79
0
15
Kevin Stollings
74
0
16
Andrew Luker
74
0
17
Cameron Smith
73
0
18
Aidan RoosEvans
61
0
19
Ryan Wells
58
0
20
Jacob Lehmann
56
0
21
Jesse Janisch
50
0
22
Dylan Bell
18
0
23
Wyatt Anderson
17
0
24
Tyler Raggio
14
0
25
Justin Jones
9
0
26
Blake Lomas
4
0
AFT Production Twins – Daytona II
2019 AFT Production Twins champion Cory Texter made the absolute most of his last chance to run the #1 plate before handing it over to the newly-crowned James Rispoli, logging a blowout victory in the final race of the 2020 Progressive American Flat Track season.
AFT Production Twins – Daytona II
Rispoli crashed and found himself trapped under his motorcycle after coming together with Friday-winner Johnny Lewis in the race’s opening corner. That incident brought out a red flag and moved Rispoli from Row 1 to the back of the field.
Texter ripped into the lead off the line at the restart and proceeded to assemble a massive advantage en route to his fourth triumph of a hard-fought yet ultimately unsuccessful title defense.
Cory Texter
“It feels amazing. I’ve wanted to win in DAYTONA my whole life. I was actually the first rider to ever ride this racetrack back in 2010. I helped test it out for them, but I’ve always sucked here. So this is awesome. I feel competitive everywhere right now. I wish the season could keep going or start over right now.”
Cory Texter
Lewis backed up Royal Enfield’s maiden Progressive AFT victory with its second-ever podium finish the very next night. Lewis was followed closely to the flag by third-place finisher Ben Lowe, while Ryan Varnes edged Patrick Buchanan as the two completed the top five.
Meanwhile, despite being faced with an extremely difficult track to overtake on and very little time in which to do it, Rispoli made his way up to finish his season with an impressive sixth-place finish. The result was actually the worst of an incredibly consistent campaign, which also included seven wins, four seconds, two fourths, and a fifth.
Cory Texter wins at Daytona II, from Johnny Lewis and Ben Lowe
AFT Production Twins Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Gap
Points
1
Cory Texter
Yamaha MT-07
15 Laps
25
2
Johnny Lewis
Royal Enfield 650
+3.13
20
3
Ben Lowe
Yamaha MT-07
+3.556
17
4
Ryan Varnes
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+4.306
15
5
Patrick Buchanan
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+4.974
14
6
James Rispoli
Harley-Davidson XG750R
+5.36
13
7
Jeremiah Duffy
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+6.487
12
8
Cody Johncox
Yamaha MT-07
+7.359
11
9
Shelby Miller
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+15.104
10
10
Jimmy McAllister
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+17.243
9
11
Danny Eslick
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+14 Laps
8
AFT Production Twins Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
Wins
1
James Rispoli
313
7
2
Cory Texter
292
4
3
Ben Lowe
240
1
4
Ryan Varnes
214
2
5
Danny Eslick
197
0
6
Chad Cose
175
0
7
Jeremiah Duffy
161
0
8
Cody Johncox
133
0
9
Nick Armstrong
95
0
10
Patrick Buchanan
86
0
11
Johnny Lewis
75
1
12
Jimmy McAllister
73
0
13
Dylan Bell
60
0
14
Michael Inderbitzin
58
0
15
Brock Schwarzenbacher
52
0
16
Mitch Harvat
52
0
17
Garret Wilson
49
0
18
Hayden Gillim
45
0
19
Shelby Miller
32
0
20
Morgen Mischler
26
0
21
Scott Barrett
26
0
22
Jacob Lehmann
25
0
23
Ryan Wells
22
0
24
Jeremiah Alexander
22
0
25
Gary Ketchum
19
0
26
Kevin Stollings
9
0
27
Max Whale
9
0
28
Cameron Smith
6
0
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2020 MXGP of Flanders
The 2020 Monster Energy MXGP of Flanders saw epic action over the weekend, as the MXGP and MX2 riders took on the challenge of what is known as one of the toughest sand tracks in the world.
In MXGP Tim Gajser took to honours with a 2-1 result handing him the round win over Gautier Paulin, with Jorge Prado third overall. Antonio Cairoli was down in ninth meanwhile, allowing Gajser to extend his championship lead.
Gajser now sits on 488-points, to Cairoli’s 440, with Jorge Prado closes in on his fellow KTM teammate, with 429-points, the same number held by Jeremy Seewer. Aussie Mitch Evans falls to twelth in the standings with a broken wrist at the previous round requiring surgery during the week, with the rider absent as a result.
Tim Gajser
Tim Gajser
“Already from the beginning I was feeling really good on the bike and on the track as well. In the first race I got a really good start, I was second and I managed to catch the leader and pass him. I was able to make a little gap and go ahead but I made a mistake and I lost the front. I crashed, this is when Gautier passed me. In the second race the start was not so good but after the first corner I was able to go second and then pass Prado, make a little gap and go ahead with the win of the race so I’m super happy about today.”
MXGP Results
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
R1
R2
Total
1
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
22
25
47
2
Paulin, Gautier
FRA
YAM
25
16
41
3
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
20
18
38
4
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
15
22
37
5
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
13
20
33
6
Bogers, Brian
NED
KTM
18
14
32
7
Van Horebeek, Jeremy
BEL
HON
16
11
27
8
Van doninck, Brent
BEL
HUS
11
13
24
9
Cairoli, Antonio
ITA
KTM
8
15
23
10
Tonus, Arnaud
SUI
YAM
14
6
20
11
Tixier, Jordi
FRA
KTM
12
7
19
12
Desalle, Clement
BEL
KAW
10
8
18
13
Bobryshev, Evgeny
RUS
HUS
7
9
16
14
Vlaanderen, Calvin
NED
YAM
0
12
12
15
Monticelli, Ivo
ITA
GAS
0
10
10
16
Leok, Tanel
EST
HUS
5
5
10
17
Guillod, Valentin
SUI
HON
6
3
9
18
Petrov, Petar
BUL
KTM
9
0
9
19
Cervellin, Michele
ITA
YAM
4
4
8
20
Koch, Tom
GER
KTM
3
1
4
21
Sterry, Adam
GBR
KTM
0
2
2
22
Walsh, Dylan
GBR
HON
2
0
2
23
Rannikko, Rene
FIN
HUS
1
0
1
24
Toendel, Cornelius
NOR
HON
0
0
0
25
Kritikos, Manolis
GRE
KTM
0
0
0
26
Butron, Jose
ESP
KTM
0
0
0
27
Guryev, Artem
RUS
HON
0
0
0
28
Geens, Heikki
BEL
KTM
0
0
0
29
Webster, Kyle
AUS
HON
0
0
0
MXGP Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
488
2
Cairoli, A.
ITA
KTM
440
3
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
429
4
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
429
5
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
383
6
Coldenhoff, G.
NED
GAS
375
7
Paulin, G.
FRA
YAM
352
8
Desalle, C.
BEL
KAW
312
9
Herlings, J.
NED
KTM
263
10
Jasikonis, A.
LTU
HUS
248
11
Van Horebeek, J.
BEL
HON
248
12
Evans, M.
AUS
HON
228
13
Bogers, Brian
NED
KTM
174
14
Tixier, Jordi
FRA
KTM
164
15
Vlaanderen, C.
NED
YAM
163
16
Jacobi, Henry
GER
YAM
134
17
Monticelli, I.
ITA
GAS
132
18
Tonus, Arnaud
SUI
YAM
91
19
Lupino, A.
ITA
YAM
82
20
Cervellin, M.
ITA
YAM
81
21
Leok, Tanel
EST
HUS
51
22
Bobryshev, E.
RUS
HUS
49
23
Petrov, Petar
BUL
KTM
48
24
Paturel, B.
FRA
HON
45
25
Walsh, Dylan
GBR
HON
43
26
Guillod, V.
SUI
HON
38
27
Sterry, Adam
GBR
KTM
36
28
Simpson, Shaun
GBR
KTM
31
29
Van doninck, B.
BEL
HUS
29
30
Jonass, Pauls
LAT
HUS
26
31
Butron, Jose
ESP
KTM
21
32
Rauchenecker, P.
AUT
KTM
19
33
Sabulis, K.
LAT
KTM
18
34
Lapucci, N.
ITA
KTM
15
35
Covington, T.
USA
YAM
15
36
Kullas, Harri
EST
HON
11
37
van Berkel, L.
NED
HUS
9
38
Bernardini, S.
ITA
YAM
9
39
Koch, Tom
GER
KTM
6
40
Valentin, A.
ESP
HUS
4
41
Pichon, Z.
FRA
HON
2
42
Guryev, Artem
RUS
HON
2
43
Gole, Anton
SWE
HON
2
44
Rannikko, Rene
FIN
HUS
1
MX2
In MX2 Tom Vialle had a solid day to finish 2-2 in the races with that consistency enough to claim his sixth overall win of the 2020 campaign. Vialle was only a single point ahead of Jago Geerts, who took one of the MX2 wins, while his teammate Ben Watson was third overall and was the other MX2 winner, in a strong result for Yamaha.
Tom Vialle
Tom Vialle
“It has been a really good day for me. In the first race I was riding good, but Ben was pushing on the back and then he passed me. I tried to push but I did a little mistake and I crashed just before the last lap, but I still finished good so at least it was a good race for me. In the second race I was feeling really good on the track better than the first one. I pushed Jago and at the end I finished second. Winning the overall here is something really special for me because three years ago I was riding the European championship here and I finished really at the back. I’m really happy about that. We work a lot with the team, Joel, my family and it’s really nice to win.”
Jed Beaton went 7-7, for seventh overall and 28-championship points, while fellow Australian Bailey Malkiewicz was 18th, finishing 15th in Race 2.
Jed Beaton
“Not the greatest day but we’re here for two more rounds so it’s a solid start to the week. My starts weren’t great in both races, which didn’t help but we’ll be better on Wednesday. It took me a while to get going in race one, by around 20 minutes into the race I found my flow and felt really good, but it was too late to move forwards. Race two I felt good from the start and rode a smart race. I know what to expect for the next two, so we’ll be ready for them and I look forward to Wednesday.”
Jet Beaton
Vialle now sits on 569-points to Geerts 516, with Maxime Renaux and Beaton both tied on 407-points. Malkiewicz sits 16th, on 98-points.
MX2 Results
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
R1
R2
Total
1
Vialle, Tom
FRA
KTM
22
22
44
2
Geerts, Jago
BEL
YAM
18
25
43
3
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
25
16
41
4
Renaux, Maxime
FRA
YAM
20
15
35
5
Olsen, Thomas Kjer
DEN
HUS
16
18
34
6
Van De Moosdijk, Roan
NED
KAW
11
20
31
7
Beaton, Jed
AUS
HUS
14
14
28
8
Gifting, Isak
SWE
GAS
15
13
28
9
Fernandez, Ruben
ESP
YAM
12
11
23
10
Östlund, Alvin
SWE
HON
13
10
23
11
Rubini, Stephen
FRA
HON
9
8
17
12
Vaessen, Bas
NED
KTM
10
7
17
13
Renkens, Nathan
BEL
KTM
3
12
15
14
Forato, Alberto
ITA
HUS
4
9
13
15
Gilbert, Josh
GBR
HUS
5
5
10
16
Mewse, Conrad
GBR
KTM
8
0
8
17
Genot, Cyril
BEL
YAM
7
0
7
18
Malkiewicz, Bailey
AUS
HON
0
6
6
19
Horgmo, Kevin
NOR
KTM
6
0
6
20
Lesiardo, Morgan
ITA
HON
2
3
5
21
Pancar, Jan
SLO
KTM
0
4
4
22
Dickinson, Ashton
GBR
KTM
0
2
2
23
Polak, Petr
CZE
YAM
0
1
1
24
Meier, Glen
DEN
YAM
1
0
1
MX2 Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Vialle, Tom
FRA
KTM
569
2
Geerts, Jago
BEL
YAM
516
3
Renaux, Maxime
FRA
YAM
407
4
Beaton, Jed
AUS
HUS
407
5
Olsen, T.
DEN
HUS
381
6
Van De Moosdijk, R.
NED
KAW
357
7
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
355
8
Mewse, Conrad
GBR
KTM
287
9
Fernandez, R.
ESP
YAM
249
10
Boisrame, M.
FRA
KAW
234
11
Rubini, S.
FRA
HON
193
12
Östlund, Alvin
SWE
HON
172
13
Forato, A.
ITA
HUS
150
14
Haarup, Mikkel
DEN
KAW
118
15
Gifting, Isak
SWE
GAS
112
16
Malkiewicz, B.
AUS
HON
98
17
Vaessen, Bas
NED
KTM
96
18
Crawford, N.
AUS
HON
91
19
Horgmo, Kevin
NOR
KTM
91
20
Gilbert, Josh
GBR
HUS
83
21
Pancar, Jan
SLO
KTM
82
22
Lesiardo, M.
ITA
HON
77
23
Hofer, Rene
AUT
KTM
73
24
Renkens, N.
BEL
KTM
69
25
Sikyna, R.
SVK
KTM
67
26
Guadagnini, M.
ITA
HUS
62
27
Laengenfelder, S.
GER
GAS
59
28
Genot, Cyril
BEL
YAM
56
29
Sydow, Jeremy
GER
GAS
35
30
Roosiorg, H.
EST
KTM
33
31
Sandner, M.
AUT
GAS
26
32
Harrison, M.
USA
KAW
22
33
Cenerelli, G.
ITA
HUS
21
34
Toriani, Enzo
FRA
HUS
21
35
Polak, Petr
CZE
YAM
16
36
Dickinson, A.
GBR
KTM
13
37
Todd, Wilson
AUS
KAW
8
38
Nermann, J.
EST
HUS
8
39
Teresak, Jakub
CZE
KTM
8
40
Meier, Glen
DEN
YAM
6
41
Zonta, Filippo
ITA
KTM
6
42
Edelbacher, R.
AUT
HUS
5
43
Furbetta, J.
ITA
KTM
3
44
Spies, M.
GER
HUS
2
45
Haavisto, Jere
FIN
YAM
2
EMX250
As the gate dropped for the opening race of the day, all eyes were on the championship rivals Thibault Benistant and Mattia Guadagnini of Husqvarna Maddii Racing Junior, as Benistant grabbed the holeshot and led Marcel Conijn, Jorgen-Matthias Talviku and Gianluca Facchetti of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing.
EMX250 Start
Though Facchetti didn’t hold on to the position, as he crashed out and re-joined the race way down the order and eventually did not finish the opening heat.
Kay De Wolf of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing had a good jump out of the gate, but a couple of corners later dropped it and as a result was way down the order in the beginning of the race.
Benistant, Conijn and Talviku led the opening laps, as Guadagnini fought his way up to fifth and set his sights on Tim Edberg who was just ahead. A few laps later and Edberg crashed out of fourth, which allowed Guadagnini and Hakon Fredriksen of Yamaha SM Action MC Migliori J1 Racing through.
Talviku then took second from Conijn, with Guadagnini doing the same not too long after, to move into the top three. Benistant then led the race by 6.560 seconds.
Knowing how vital every point is at this stage in the championship, Guadagnini continued to push forward as he squeezed past Talviku to take second.
Benistant then responded by setting the fastest lap of the race, a 2:06.072 as he extended his lead to 10.625 seconds. Though Guadagnini wasn’t going to give in easy, as he set his personal best lap of the race towards the end, taking three seconds out of the race leader.
The Italian then worked away at the gap, to shrink it even further, but with just 2 laps to go, made a mistake which was the deciding moment of the race. Eventually, Benistant went on to win the opening race, with Guadagnini finishing second and Fredriksen third.
EMX250 Race 1 Result
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Diff. First
1
Benistant, Thibault
FRA
Yamaha
00:00.0
2
Guadagnini, Mattia
ITA
Husqvarna
+00:11.7
3
Fredriksen, Hakon
NOR
Yamaha
+00:20.4
4
Talviku, Jorgen-Matthias
EST
Husqvarna
+00:29.4
5
de Wolf, Kay
NED
Husqvarna
+00:53.8
6
Boegh Damm, Bastian
DEN
KTM
+00:55.8
7
Conijn, Marcel
NED
KTM
+00:56.7
8
Elzinga, Rick
NED
KTM
+01:18.9
9
Gerhardsson, Albin
SWE
Husqvarna
+01:20.5
10
Goupillon, Pierre
FRA
Kawasaki
+01:26.7
In the second EMX250 race it was Guadagnini who grabbed the holeshot from Talviku and Benistant. He didn’t hold on to the lead for long, as a small mistake cost him valuable positions and saw him drop down to 6th.
Thibault Benistant
Talviku then led the race, with Benistant and Oriol Oliver second and third. Guadagnini though was making quick moves as he passed two riders in a single lap to get into 4th.
On lap 3, Benistant then took the lead from Talviku, with Guadagnini looking to do the same as he set the fastest lap of the race, to bring the gap down to 4 seconds between himself and the pair in front of him. Meanwhile De Wolf was edging closer to Oliver for fourth place.
Guadagnini then caught and passed Talviku, with the Estonian then losing two spots to De Wolf and Oliver. Back at the front though, Benistant had an impressive 14.617 second lead as 9 minutes plus 2 laps remained.
Guadagnini and De Wolf then battled amongst themselves, with the pair coming together at one point, with the factory Husqvarna rider going through on the Italian to steal 2nd place. And he didn’t hold on to it for long, as he crashed a couple of corners after the finish jump, which allowed Guadagnini back into P2.
With 3 laps to go, Benistant was already 32 seconds ahead, so the battle heated up behind him as De Wolf caught onto the rear wheel of Guadagnini once again. In the end, it was Benistant who was victorious, with Guadagnini holding on to second and De Wolf finishing third.
In terms of the podium, Benistant had the perfect day, taking two race wins as well as the overall victory, along with the red plate as he continues to lead the championship by 24 points over Guadagnini, who was second overall and Fredriksen getting his turn on the podium once again, as he took to the third step of the podium.
Thibault Benistant
“I’m really happy to win both races, it was my goal for today. I don’t think of the championship or winning, I took it race by race and give my best every time. I’m really happy to be back on top of the box. I feel really good for the last round, I have the speed and feeling, and everything is here so we will do the same.”
Mattia Guadagnini
“It was not so good. I had good speed but the first race I had a bad start and made my way to the front, then I was closing down the gap and I made a mistake, so I took second. In the second race, I had a great start and took the holeshot and then made a little mistake and tried to start as soon as possible and made my way to second position again and I was a little bit faster. Then I had a little problem with the goggles, and I had another crash. I tried my best and finished with two place races, but it was not what I was hoping for today.”
Mattia Guadagnini
Hakon Fredriksen
“The day started pretty good. I had a decent start in the first race, I was like top ten and then worked my way to third and finished there. Then in the second race I got a bad start and crashed on the first lap, so I was dead last and then worked my way up to fourth place and I’m happy with that, just going to charge for the next one and hope for a win.”
EMX250 Race 2 Result
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Diff. First
1
Benistant, Thibault
FRA
Yamaha
00:00.0
2
Guadagnini, Mattia
ITA
Husqvarna
+00:30.0
3
de Wolf, Kay
NED
Husqvarna
+00:30.5
4
Fredriksen, Hakon
NOR
Yamaha
+00:45.4
5
Talviku, Jorgen-Matthias
EST
Husqvarna
+00:46.8
6
Conijn, Marcel
NED
KTM
+00:55.9
7
Oliver, Oriol
ESP
KTM
+00:57.1
8
Weckman, Emil
FIN
Honda
+01:00.3
9
Guyon, Tom
FRA
KTM
+01:06.7
10
Edberg, Tim
SWE
Yamaha
+01:08.1
EMX250 Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Benistant, T.
FRA
YAM
376
2
Guadagnini, M.
ITA
HUS
352
3
de Wolf, Kay
NED
HUS
272
4
Fredriksen, H.
NOR
YAM
253
5
Talviku, J.
EST
HUS
235
6
Edberg, Tim
SWE
YAM
212
7
Locurcio, L.
VEN
KAW
193
8
Guyon, Tom
FRA
KTM
173
9
Vettik, Meico
EST
KTM
137
10
Facchetti, G.
ITA
YAM
134
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
EMX125
The opening race of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing category saw Haakon Osterhagen of Creymert Racing who grab the holeshot, as he led RFME GasGas MX Junior Team’s David Braceras and Radek Vetrovsky from JD Gunnex KTM Racing Team.
David Braceras
It didn’t take long for Braceras to take the lead, as he passed Osterhagen on the opening lap. Meanwhile the championship leader, Andrea Bonacorsi of Fantic Racing was down in 20th.
Vetrovsky then had a big moment as he crashed out of third place. He did not re-join the race. Osterhagen then also crashed out, as he dropped from P2 to P10.
Braceras then held a nice 4 second gap to Florian Miot of KTM DIGA Junior Racing, with Rasmus Pedersen of W-Z Racing just behind in third at the time. Miot then started to close in on the race leader, as he brought the gap down to 1.5 seconds.
The pair needed to be careful as W-Z Racing’s Max Palsson made his way up into third and was all over the back of the two, which meant that there was no room for error. And Palsson continued to apply the pressure for a few laps until he managed to squeeze past Miot for P2.
The battle for second gave Braceras a big more breathing room as he was able to get his head down and focus. Towards the end of the race he had a 6.711 second lead to Miot, who was able to pass Palsson back and that’s how the top 3 remained until the chequered flag dropped.
EMX125 Race 1 Result
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Diff. First
1
Braceras, David
ESP
GASGAS
00:00.0
2
Miot, Florian
FRA
KTM
+00:05.6
3
Palsson, Max
SWE
KTM
+00:07.4
4
Vettik, Meico
EST
KTM
+00:07.9
5
Farres, Guillem
ESP
GASGAS
+00:13.9
6
Osterhagen, Haakon
NOR
KTM
+00:14.7
7
Bonacorsi, Andrea
ITA
Fantic
+00:15.5
8
Venhoda, Martin
CZE
KTM
+00:21.7
9
Smulders, Scott
NED
Husqvarna
+00:22.2
10
Karssemakers, Kay
NED
Yamaha
+00:35.6
The start of the second race was a repeat of the first one as Osterhagen claimed another holeshot. He led Scott Smulders of No Fear/Jumbo BT Racing Team, Farres and Cas Valk of TBS Conversions Racing Team who got a fantastic start.
Guillem Farres
Osterhagen immediately pulled a 4.7 second lead to the group, while race one winner, Braceras, was down in 6th on the opening lap. Bonacorsi got a much better start in the second heat as he was already up in 3rd place within the first few laps, as he passed Smulders and Valk.
Farres then took the lead from Osterhagen, as he set his best lap of the race, a 2:11.321, as Osterhagen made a small mistake but managed to keep it on two wheels. Bonacorsi though needed to work on the large gap between him and the top 2.
Further down the order, Braceras was coming under pressure from Palsson for P4, as Farres extended his lead to 9.539 seconds with 10 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock.
And Palsson was charging, as he passed Braceras, though the Spaniard responded immediately. The two then went at it for a little while longer, before Palsson was able to make the pass stick.
Miot then went after Braceras, though the GasGas rider was able to get back around the Frenchman a few laps later towards the end of the race. Meanwhile, Palsson continued his journey forward as he passed Bonacorsi for third place, which also got him on the podium.
In the end though it was Farres who took his first race win of the year, while Osterhagen crossed the line in second and Palsson finishing third.
The EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing saw Guillem Farres take his first overall win, while his teammate David Braceras finished second and Max Palsson third. In terms of the championship, Andrea Bonacorsi continues to lead the series with a steady 44-point advantage over Braceras, while Meico Vettik is a further 12 points down in third.
EMX125 Podium – 2020 MXGP of Flanders
Guillem Farres
“Right now I still can’t believe it, but we did it, in first race I struggled a little bit because I didn’t get the start that I wanted and after I fought with Hakon. In the second race I was able to take a better start and I was second, I managed to pass Hakon, I went for the first position and I was first for all the whole race. I’m really happy about that. I’m feeling that I’m being more and more consistent race by race and also more confident is strange that Spanish guys are together on the podium here in Lommel.”
David Braceras
“I’m really happy. In the first race I was able to win. I took a good start and after I took the lead and I went until the end. In the second race I didn’t start really good because I was ninth or something like that then I pushed really hard in the first laps to re-group and be back in the first group and I was able to go fourth. After that I had a little bit of arm pump and I got passed by two riders and I was sixth. At the end I managed to be fifth and take the second place in the overall. I’m really happy for me, for the boys and for the team because we worked really hard to be on the top and now is the time.”
Max Palsson
“First race I did not get a good start and I was far away from the front and in addition I did also one mistake and I crashed. In the second race I messed up in the first corner and I had to re-group again, in the last lap I was able to pass David and get the 3rd place in the overall.”
Andrea Bonacorsi
“Yeah today it was a hard day for me but I still think about the championship and now I’m forty-four points in front so in the next races I want to be super focused and I want to win and be back on the podium. Now I’m ready for the next round.”
EMX125 Race 2 Result
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Diff. First
1
Farres, Guillem
ESP
GASGAS
00:00.0
2
Osterhagen, Haakon
NOR
KTM
+00:08.2
3
Palsson, Max
SWE
KTM
+00:14.6
4
Bonacorsi, Andrea
ITA
Fantic
+00:19.9
5
Braceras, David
ESP
GASGAS
+00:32.8
6
Miot, Florian
FRA
KTM
+00:34.4
7
Valk, Cas
NED
KTM
+00:36.7
8
Prugnieres, Quentin Marc
FRA
KTM
+00:43.4
9
Karssemakers, Kay
NED
Yamaha
+00:51.9
10
Rainio, Sampo
FIN
Husqvarna
+00:52.8
EMX125 Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Bonacorsi, A.
ITA
FAN
262
2
Braceras, D.
ESP
GAS
218
3
Vettik, Meico
EST
KTM
206
4
Palsson, Max
SWE
KTM
188
5
Razzini, P.
ITA
HUS
186
6
Farres, G.
ESP
GAS
173
7
Roncoli, A.
ITA
HUS
164
8
Lata, Valerio
ITA
KTM
147
9
Prugnieres, Q.
FRA
KTM
141
10
Soulimani, S.
FRA
KTM
126
Russia win 2020 Speedway of Nations
Day 1 of the 2020 Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final was cancelled due to heavy rain throughout the afternoon, the track has been deemed unsafe for racing for Friday, and as a result the Monster Energy SON world title was decided in a one-off meeting on Saturday, October 17.
Russian racer Emil Sayfutdinov showed his steel to seal his country’s third straight Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations world title in Lublin on Saturday night. The Salavat-born star skippered Russia to glory in 2018 and 2019, and the world champions retained their title in a rain-curtailed Final in Lublin.
Racing was halted after 15 heats due to track conditions, but the scores were counted at the conclusion of race 14, when all seven countries had contested four heats apiece.
While Russia tied on 23 with hosts Poland, the defending champions got the gold medals after winning their head-to-head battle in heat eight, when Artem Laguta rounded Polish star Szymon Wozniak to seal a Russian 5-4 advantage.
That ride wasn’t the only decisive moment, as Sayfutdinov roared to the front in heat 13 to restrict Australia to a 5-4 race win. The Leszno star breathed in and squeezed through a seemingly impossible gap between Aussie captain Jason Doyle and the fast-approaching fence to take the lead.
It was a golden moment for Sayfutdinov, who scored 15 points, but he admits he didn’t have the best view of the action.
Emil Sayfutdinov
“I couldn’t see where I was going coming into the corner. The rain was coming into my goggles. There was a lot of material on the outside, but I got speed there and I just saw Doyle going straight to the fence. I found a little room and I passed him. I am really happy to have done it, stayed safe and got some good points.”
Emil Sayfutdinov, Artem Laguta and Evgenii Saidullin win 2020 Speedway of Nations
Russia hadn’t won a senior speedway world title – individual or team – prior to their 2018 Monster Energy SON win in Wroclaw. Now they are triple world champions and Sayfutdinov is elated to have written more racing history for his country.
Emil Sayfutdinov
“I know we didn’t continue with the whole meeting. But we are world champions, so we are really happy. That’s three times in a row! At the beginning of the meeting, track conditions were bad. But when they said ‘we need to go’, we were ready. We were focused on our points and concentrating on our starts. Everything was working and we are really happy to be world champions again. I hope speedway in Russia will grow up so quickly and we hope our federation and fans will support us, along with all the companies we have in Russia. Hopefully somebody can see us. We deserve that support and for us it is important.”
The Russians won their second world title in front of a passionate home crowd in Togliatti in 2019, but Sayfutdinov has made no secret of his desire for his national side to receive greater backing in their homeland. He hopes another Monster Energy SON win will boost the sport’s profile even further in Russia.
FIM Speedway Grand Prix world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik starred on 15 points from a possible 16 for Poland as they fell agonisingly short of their first Monster Energy SON win.
They were forced to settle for silver for the second straight season in what was legendary coach Marek Cieslak’s last event as national boss following a career that saw him clinch seven FIM Speedway World Cup wins.
Denmark took third place on 19 points for their first world championship medal since they won SWC silver in 2015. They tied with Sweden, but claimed the last spot on the podium after winning their head-to-head battle in race 10.
Australia took fifth spot on 17, with Great Britain sixth on 12 and the Czech Republic seventh on 11.
2020 Monster Energy Speedway of Nations Final Result
RUSSIA 23: 1 Emil Sayfutdinov 15, 2 Artem Laguta 8, 3 Evgenii Saidullin DNR.
DENMARK 19: 1 Leon Madsen 10, 2 Anders Thomsen 4, 3 Marcus Birkemose 5.
SWEDEN 19: 1 Fredrik Lindgren 14, 2 Oliver Berntzon 5, 3 Alexander Woentin DNR.
AUSTRALIA 17: 1 Jason Doyle 5, 2 Max Fricke 12, 3 Jaimon Lidsey 0.
GREAT BRITAIN 12: 1 Robert Lambert 6, 2 Drew Kemp DNR, 3 Dan Bewley 6.
CZECH REPUBLIC 11: 1 Vaclav Milik 11, 2 Eduard Krcmar 0, 3 Petr Chlupac 0.
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2020 Full Gas Sprint Enduro – Silver Hawk Plantation Round 6
Kailub Russell claimed the 2020 Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro title with a close victory at this weekend’s Silver Hawk Plantation Sprint Enduro, the series finale, held at the Silver Hawk Plantation in Buffalo, South Carolina. The title was Russell’s third Full Gas Sprint Enduro championship and second in a row.
Layne Michael gave Russell a good battle, and in fact, led the race by two seconds with two tests remaining. However, as he often does, Russell dug deep and made up the distance to take the overall win.
Kailub Russell
“It was good to get the overall win, but it was kind of strange how it worked out. I won one test on Saturday and I won the day, and then I won all but one today and almost lost. It was a tough weekend. I was a little unsure how Saturday was going to go because I was a little bit off and you don’t have to be off by much to be pretty slow here. But I rode better on Sunday, and that was enough.”
Kailub Russell – Image courtesy of sprintenduro.com
In all, Russell won six tests, one on Saturday and five on Sunday. However, two crashes in test four on Sunday cost him dearly as the North Carolina rider finished the test 12 seconds behind Michael, moving him into the lead.
Trailing Michael with two tests remaining, Russell made up 1.2 seconds in the Cross test and entered the final test just .8 seconds behind. The final test would be the decider and Russell finished strong, winning the final test by 3.3 seconds and taking the overall victory by 2.4 seconds.
Kailub Russell
“I came out swinging today and rode good. I had awesome times the first three tests and then test four I kind of threw it away and had a couple falls. My front brake lever fell down and I couldn’t get it back up. It was so far down I was having a hard time getting to it, so my timing was a little bit off. But I was able to pull it together and win the last couple tests. So five out of six on the day.”
Although Michael won five tests over the weekend, the race marked the second round in a row where he was in position to take the overall win, only to lose out in the final test.
Layne Michael
“It’s frustrating because he got me at the last one in the last test and got me on this one in the last test. But it was a good weekend, nonetheless. I fought hard. I was there all weekend and pretty consistent. One little mistake kind of cost me, but like I said, he had a big one that kind of put me back in it. All in all, a good weekend. Any time you’re batting with Kailub it’s good.”
Josh Strang won a Cross test and was rewarded with third overall. The Aussie off-roader only returned to racing the week before after missing several weeks due to a shoulder injury.
Josh Strang – Image courtesy of sprintenduro.com
Josh Strang
“I was a little off the pace. I almost didn’t come this weekend just because of my shoulder. I still have a little bit of pain. To do these things, you have to go at 100% to be competitive, and I just wasn’t comfortable going as hard as I would have liked. There were some sections where I noticed I was just kind of riding around instead of attacking the track. But overall, it was a good day.”
Strang’s teammate Lyndon Snodgrass has improved with each race and finished an impressive fourth overall, which was also good enough for first in the Pro 2 division.
Lyndon Snodgrass
“I haven’t done a Full Gas in a while so it was good to get back to one. I had a good run. I think I won every test but the first one on Saturday in my class. So it was a good run for me. I was mixing it up with the pro guys a little bit in some of the tests, so that was cool. I think they did a good job this weekend and I was happy to be here.”
Lyndon Snodgrass – Image courtesy of sprintenduro.com
Liam Draper was fourth in the Pro class and fifth overall.
Liam Draper
“On Saturday I started off kind of slow, but I figured out the Cross test a lot better this weekend than I have in previous rounds. It was close racing all weekend with me, Jordan Ashburn and Josh. Then Jordan had some problems. So, it was good. It was a good year. I had fun racing these.”
Jesse Ansley turned in his best finish of the year with a sixth overall and second in the Pro 2 class. The Florida rider has made big strides this year and his finish at the series finale was a good way to cap off the season.
Jesse Ansley
“I feel like I was really tight on Day One, I wasn’t on the bike all week and I think it showed on Saturday. I felt like I really shined in the woods test and I was sitting fifth overall going into the last Enduro test and then I just made a dumb mistake, which dropped me back to seventh overall for the day. I don’t know what I was thinking, I just went for a line that wasn’t there and ended up getting stuck between two trees and it must have cost me about 10 seconds. I gave up a little time on Saturday in the Cross test, so on Sunday, I just concentrated on that test and was able to pick up some time, which put me up into sixth overall and second in the Pro 2 class.”
Pennsylvanian Ben Nelko has been solid all year and finished seventh overall and third in the Pro 2 class this weekend. Nelko is backed by 760 Husqvarna.
Cole Mattison was the top-finishing Pro Am rider in eighth overall on a Husqvarna, and secured the Pro Am class championship with his class win. Ohio’s JoJo Cunningham topped the Lites A division with a solid ninth overall finish and also won the Lites A class series championship.
Dalton Seals was 10th overall on a Yamaha and second Pro Am rider, Brewer Cawley rounded out the Pro Am podium.
Johnny Girroir, who wrapped up the Pro 2 championship at the round before, skipped the race due to a sore knee. Meanwhile, Jordan Ashburn was turning in some solid rides in the Pro class, but suffered an unfortunate DNF on Sunday.
Rachel Archer won every test in the Women’s Pro class to take the overall win ahead of Samantha Fisher and Alli Phillips.
Rachel Archer
“Tayla (Jones) and Kenzie (Tricker) were out with knee injuries, so I didn’t have those two to contend with. All in all, it was a good weekend and I managed to win every test. I made a couple of silly mistakes today, just my suspension was a bit soft. In the last test I wadded my shoulder pretty good, so that’s a bit sore. But other than that, it was a fun track, a good day.”
Rachel Archer – Image courtesy of sprintenduro.com
Round 6 Overall Results
Pos.
Rider
Class
Time
1
Kailub Russell
Pro (1)
37:15.8
2
Layne Michael
Pro (2)
37:18.2
3
Joshua Strang
Pro (3)
38:15.5
4
Lyndon Snodgrass
Pro 2 (1)
38:27.1
5
Liam Draper
Pro (4)
39:03.0
6
Jesse Ansley
Pro 2 (2)
40:06.0
7
Ben Nelko
Pro 2 (3)
41:48.2
8
Cole Mattison
Pro-Am (1)
42:23.9
9
Joseph Cunningham
Lites A (1)
43:10.6
10
Dalton Seals
Pro-Am (2)
44:10.7
11
Brewer Cawley
Pro-Am (3)
44:14.6
12
Andrew Matusek
Open A (1)
44:24.2
13
RJ Cook
Pro 2 (4)
44:36.8
14
Michael Delosa
Pro-Am (4)
44:40.2
15
Zachary Nash
Pro-Am (5)
44:46.8
16
Tyler Palmer
Lites A (2)
46:18.8
17
Joshua Guffey
Lites A (3)
46:30.0
18
Henry Symanski
Pro-Am (6)
46:46.4
19
Garyson Smith
Open B (1)
47:03.8
20
Billy Schlag
Pro-Am (7)
47:20.0
21
Dylan Dela Cruz
Pro-Am (8)
47:35.5
22
Hans Neel
Open A (2)
47:37.1
23
Grady Faint
Lites A (4)
47:39.6
24
Robby Norwood
Vet A 30+ (1)
47:48.8
25
Canon Kuneff
Lites A (5)
47:58.9
26
Sam Forrester
Pro-Am (9)
48:00.9
27
Cade Henderson
Juniors A/B 12-17 (1)
48:06.0
28
Bolton Beroth
Lites A (6)
48:42.4
29
Andrew Tsakanikas
Vet A 30+ (2)
49:18.7
30
Rachael Archer
Women’s Pro (1)
49:36.5
Pro Overall Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Kailub Russell
315
2
Layne Michael
254
3
Joshua Strang
191
4
Liam Draper
191
5
Jordan Ashburn
187
6
Steward Baylor
53
7
Ricky Russell
46
8
Tyler McSwain
44
9
Craig Delong
31
11
Cory Buttrick
30
10
Benjamin Herrera
30
Pro 2 Overall Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Johnny Girroir
265
2
Jesse Ansley
242
3
Ben Nelko
223
4
RJ Cook
181
5
lyndon snodgrass
149
6
Michael McLean
105
7
Ruy Barbosa
75
8
Samuel Evans
41
9
Ben Parsons
32
10
Will Riordan
32
2021 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Championship postponed
Motorcycling Australia, in conjunction with the MA Track Commission and key stakeholders have advised of the difficult decision to postpone the 2021 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Championship which was schedule for January 3rd – 13th 2021, issuing the following statement:
Whilst we are disappointed that the 2021 Australian Championship has had to be postponed, we believe it is in the best interest of the sport. With so much uncertainty around the national and international borders, and with a lot of our riders currently overseas we had to make a decision as early as possible.
Motorcycling Australia (MA) and the Track Commission are now concentrating on delivering a strong and successful condensed 2021 Championship in the latter part of 2021 pending Government restrictions around Covid-19. MA sincerely thank all stakeholders, clubs, and riders for their support and understanding.
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Yamaha rake in the State championship titles
The past two weeks and have again proven successful for Yamaha Racing in Australia with multi race and championship wins across two states, as the 2020 continues to unfold.
QLD Women’s and Vets
The central Queensland mining town of Gladstone hosted the 2020 Queensland Women’s and Vets Championship over the weekend and the warm, humid conditions made for a challenging event for the large contingent of riders on hand.
In the junior girls, it was all eyes on Charli Cannon as she was clearly the one to beat having recently finished third racing the boys at the state championship in Hervey Bay. But a hand injury slowed her progress and she had done no riding for a month leading up to the event so there were some questions marks about her fitness in the days prior.
But it mattered little, as she went on to dominate the day and claim the win in the 13-U16 years 85cc and the 13-U16 years Lites class, taking all six race wins. Cannon had not been on an 85 all year, but a last minute call to jump on her brother Jakes’s practice bike, paid dividends and she was able to walk away with the win and add more championships to her already impressive resume.
Charli Cannon
“My lead up to this race wasn’t good as I fell a while ago and the handlebar drove into my hand and caused some internal damage. I wasn’t able to ride but I tried to keep up my off bike training as much as I could and I was able to get through the weekend with no problems. It was fun to get back on the 85 again, although I’m too big for it now. It kept me on the track and Dad busy in the pits all weekend and winning made it worth the effort. Thank you to Mum and Dad for their help again and also to Yamaha as well as the rest of my sponsors. We had a fun weekend in Gladstone and winning the state championship was another goal I wanted to achieve this year.”
Charli Cannon
In the Senior Women’s, it was Taylah McCutchen taking the win and like Cannon, dominated her division with three race wins from three starts. McCutchen, not only just turned senior after her 16th birthday but also just swapped over to Yamaha, is loving her YZ250F and it clearly showed on the weekend.
The win at Gladstone comes on the back of her first senior appearance at couple of weeks ago at the King of Capricorn event where she won the MX2 Support class against a field full of men.
Taylah McCutchen
“I put in a lot of effort over the last few weeks to prepare for this race so it’s awesome that it paid off and I was able to win the Queensland championship. The change to Yamaha has been good for me and I feel really comfortable on the YZ250F and its an awesome bike to ride. Thank you to the club and the organisers for running the event, my family who support me 100% as well as the Yamalube Yamaha Team who assisted me with some parts in the lead up to this race.”
Yamaha also won the 55 and Over Vets with YZ450F mounted Mal Dalton taking out the state championship with three race wins.
Queensland Women & Vets Results
12-U16 years 85cc
Charli Cannon – 105 (Yamaha YZ85)
Darci Whalley – 94
Madi Simpson – 92
12-U16 years Lites
Charli Cannon – 105 (Yamaha YZ250F)
Darci Whaley – 96
Holly Van der Boor – 88
Senior Women
Taylah McCutchen – 105 (Yamaha YZ250F)
Tahlia Drew – 96
Alysha Goullet – 84
Men’s 55 and Over Vets
Mal Dalton – 105 (Yamaha YZ450F)
Bruce Lowth – 96
Anthony Clarke – 88
Coffs Harbour Transmoto
An all Yamaha team of Josh Green, Michael Driscoll, Blake Hollis and Dean Wattus took the overall teams’ victory at the Transmoto 8 hour event in Coffs Harbour. The recent dry spell left the course a little dusty, but the fast and free flowing layout kept riders happy and the Off Road Advantage Team dominated the day. Mounted on a range of Yamaha machinery, the awesome foursome enjoyed the weekend and the laid back nature of the event.
Josh Green
In addition to the team winning, Josh Green won individual honours as well as taking fastest lap on the day.
Yamaha Junior Racing
The Hutton brothers made it a 1-2 finish at the recent Queensland Off Road Championships. Competing in the 7-11 years 65, Harley Hutton took the final round victory and in turn secured the state championship while younger brother Drake slotted in behind him for second.
Harley Hutton
Sons of enduro royalty, Kirk Hutton, both boys are on their way to emulating Dad’s career and the YZ65 has been the perfect bike to kick kickstart their careers. They are now about 20 state championships behind Dad, but they have plenty of time and talent on their side.
Speaking of brothers, Ryder and Kayd Kingsford were back in action at the Nowra round of the East Coast Motocross Series in New South Wales. Ryder proved ultra-fast on his YZ250F, winning the opening two motos but a flat rear tyre in the final leg kept him from the podium while he battled hard in the 125cc division to finish fourth with 4-3-3 results.
Kayd had just returned from a broken wrist and not yet back up to full speed and fitness. He took 4-8-6 results in the 12-15 years 85cc class to finish fifth on the day but will be better for the hit-out and looking to get back on the podium at the next event.
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Yamaha Announces 2021 Supercross and Motocross Teams
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (YMUS), has announced a three-year partnership with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team to field their campaign in both the 450 and 250 classes of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships. The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 team will be spearheaded by Aaron Plessinger and newly-crowned 2020 250SX and 250MX champion Dylan Ferrandis, while the 250 team has signed two-time 250 MX Champion Jeremy Martin and Christian Craig to join returning riders Colt Nichols, Justin Cooper and Jarrett Frye.
A long-time partner in the 250 support class and amateur ranks, the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team has had a history of success with 11 titles in the professional championships and multiple Amateur National titles. The team will now add the 450 premier class to its tent to provide a consistent program for riders advancing through the SX/MX racing ranks. Together, Star and Yamaha will continue to work towards the goal of winning championships. Along with key sponsorship from Monster Energy, the team will receive full support from Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA.
Aaron Plessinger – Image by Hoppenworld
Plessinger returns with Yamaha for his third season in the 450 class. Two of the titles added to Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s tally were earned by Plessinger in 2018 – the 250SX West and 250MX Championship. The Ohio native has shown promise in his first two years in the premier class, but unfortunately has had injuries that have sidelined him for a good part of both championships in 2019 and the 2020 Pro Motocross season. As Plessinger returns to the team, he looks to build on his progress and come out swinging in 2021.
Aaron Plessinger – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 Team
“I’m really excited for next season with Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing. I really had a good run with the team in 2018 with the 250 Supercross and Motocross title. I love the team over there. I love the people on the team. I think we work really well together. The last two years haven’t been too good for me with some injuries and bad luck. I’m looking forward to getting back to my winning ways and having a good time doing it. Going into 2021, I couldn’t be more confident. With this team going in behind me I think we can do extraordinary things next year.“
Making his 450-debut next year, Ferrandis looks to keep his momentum rolling with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team as he transitions to the premier class. After a great 2019 season with the 250SX West Championship and runner-up finish in the Pro Motocross 250 class, the Frenchman was on fire in 2020. He won both the 250SX West and 250MX Championship, scoring three supercross wins as well as eight moto wins and three overall victories in motocross. Jeremy Coker will be the team manager for the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 squad.
Dylan Ferrandis – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 Team
“It’s been a dream of mine to fight for a championship in the 450 class in the U.S. I’m so happy to be able to do that with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha team. I feel at home there. I’m still feeling in paradise with two championships this year, but we will get back to work to fight next season.”
Dylan Ferrandis – Image by Jeff Kardy
Fresh off a stellar 2020 season, Martin returns to Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s 250 team to fight for the crown. Earning back-to-back titles in the Pro Motocross 250MX Championship in 2014 and 2015, Martin is eager to seal the deal in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and continue to add to an already accomplished 250 class career.
Jeremy Martin – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team
“I’m very excited to have the opportunity this late in the year to get back on the Yamaha for next year moving forward into 2021 with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team. I’ve won two championships with them in the past so I’m excited to pick up where I left off and end my 250 career with a bang!”
Jeremy Martin moves to Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team – Image by Jeff Kardy
Craig also joins Star Racing’s powerhouse 250 line-up in 2021. The Californian has challenged for top honors on multiple occasions and was in the fight for the 250SX West Championship before being sidelined with an injury early in the season. Craig looks to fight for top honors in 2021 with the Monster Energy Star Racing squad.
Christian Craig – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team
“Moving to the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team is quite a big deal for me. Bobby (Reagan) has talked to me every year the past few years to get me over here but the timing didn’t feel right. Finally this year, I knew I needed to get out of my comfort zone if I wanted to take my career to the next level. Their whole program has a lot of structure, which is something that has always benefited me and helped my confidence. I’m extremely grateful to start the next chapter in my career with these guys and look forward to putting in the results I know I’m capable of.”
Christian Craig joins the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team
Nichols returns for his fifth season with the team. The Oklahoman hit the ground running in 2019 with his first 250SX win at Anaheim I and went on to score multiple podiums to finish third in the championship. Unfortunately, injuries have kept him out of most of this year, but now that he is close to full fitness, Nichols aims for the crown in 2021.
Cooper also returns with the team for 2021. Since his first full season with the team in 2019, the New Yorker has impressed. He finished second overall in the 250SX East Championship with six podiums and went on to take his first overall win in Florida, ending the year third in the Pro Motocross 250MX Championship. Cooper carried that momentum over to 2020, scoring his first Supercross win at Anaheim I and finishing second in the 250SX West Championship. After coming back from a preseason injury, Cooper made a late season charge in the Pro Motocross Championship returning to the top of the podium at Thunder Valley to finish fifth in the standings.
Stepping up to the professional ranks at Round 6 of the Pro Motocross Championship was one of Star’s top amateur riders, Frye. The 19-year-old impressed with solid results, including a best result of sixth overall at the final race of the season.
Lead by team manager Wil Hahn, the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 team has more top up-and-coming riders lying in wait: Nate Thrasher, Matt LeBlanc and Nick Romano. Thrasher, who recently joined the team had a good showing at the final two rounds of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season. Both LeBlanc and Romano have multiple Amateur Nationals and show a lot of promise for the future. All three riders full-time professional debut is yet to be determined.
Jim Roach – Yamaha Racing Department Manager for YMUS
“The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team has had a tremendous amount of success over the years with both their Amateur and 250 Supercross and Motocross programs. Beginning in 2021, the Yamaha 450 program in both championships will transition to the Monster Energy Star Yamaha team, as well. The overall goal is to continue the success that the team has had, and to work toward winning 450 Championships. Having the Amateur, 250, and 450 Supercross and Motocross programs with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team also ensures a smooth transition for riders stepping through the program. It is an exciting time for Yamaha, and we look forward to the upcoming racing season!”
Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 Team Manager
“I have worked for Star Racing for six seasons and will be going on my seventh full season of racing with the team. For the last five years, I was the Engine Technician and have been a part of a total of 10 championships wins. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to step up and manage the 450 program and look to take Dylan and Aaron to the top step of the podium throughout the seasons ahead.”
Wil Hahn – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team Manager
“Coming off of two championship wins this season, I’m really looking forward to next season with the goal of carrying that success forward into 2021. We have a great lineup with Colt, Justin and Jarret returning, some great additions with Jeremy and Christian, and a bright future with Nate, Matt and Nick. I can’t wait for the new year!”
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Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki Race Team Announces 2021 Roster
The upcoming 2021 racing season marks 28 years of winning for Kawasaki and Pro Circuit. The successful Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki boasts an impressive resume including the most combined supercross/motocross wins in the 125/250 class at 29 championships, including the 2019 AMA Pro Motocross championship achieved by Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Adam Cianciarulo.
Austin Forkner
Returning to the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team for 2021 aboard their all-new 2021 KX250 motorcycles is long-time Team Green racer Austin Forkner along with Jordon Smith and Cameron McAdoo. The trio welcomes, Seth Hammaker, as he graduates from the Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green amateur race program.
Mitch Payton – Pro Circuit Owner
“We have a great team returning for the 2021 season combined with an all-new KX250 motorcycle. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with our solid group of guys and Hammaker joining the crew. There is a lot of talent between our four riders, and we will provide all the necessary tools to help each of them reach their full potential. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team has high expectations to put Kawasaki and Pro Circuit on top of the podium.”
Forkner will enter the new season as the most experienced rider on the team. The 12-time 250 class race winner has high hopes of capturing multiple championships after his successful 2019 and 2020 seasons were cut short due to injury. 2020 brought the fresh face of Smith who earned three top-5 finishes out of the four rounds he competed in before withdrawing early due to injury.
Jordon Smith
McAdoo returned in 2020 to the brand that he found great success with throughout his amateur career, achieving career-bests in both supercross and motocross series, and looks to keep that momentum going into next season. Making his professional debut, Hammaker is set to join the team for both series at the beginning of the 2021 season.
The 2021 Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki racing team is positioned for another championship campaign and awaits the announcement of the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM Championship and AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
The 2020 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season may have wrapped up, but attention has already turned to the 2021 season with a one-day test at the Circuito Estoril that was cut short by weather. The circuit had hosted the final round of the 2020 season and was being used by a handful of teams to work with new recruits or gain some valuable extra track time.
Scott Redding
Eight riders took to the Portuguese track for the test including Championship runner-up Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati), who topped the times, alongside new teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi; the Italian making the switch from Team GOELEVEN to ARUBA.IT Racing for the 2021 season. Rinaldi finished the day in third place, half a second down on his teammate.
Scott Redding
“We have tried a few things that will be useful next season and the result was positive. Despite the rain that forced us to close the test very early, we were able to gather positive information that Ducati can work on in winter. Now I’m going to take a little break but I’ll start training soon so that I can arrive in ideal conditions at the beginning of next season.”
Michael Rinaldi
“Unfortunately the rain ruined our plan but we still had the chance to complete a few laps to start collecting data to work on. The sensations are extremely positive. I was surprised by the 2020 version of the Ducati Panigale V4 R, especially the braking areas. I can’t wait to get back on track.”
Michael Rinaldi
Michael van der Mark got his first taste of the BMW S 1000 RR machine as he took to the track for the first time with his new team, alongside Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team).
Michael van der Mark joins Tom Sykes at BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
The BMW team had a development plan that included a new engine and a new gearbox, different chassis stiffness, carbon wheels and the aerodynamic package from the M 1000 RR; the package scheduled to come in after the team clarified some data.
Michael van der Mark looked to be testing out the 2021 M 1000 RR, with the wings a notable change
Pictures of Michael van der Mark show him testing out the new M 1000 RR package, notably the inclusion of new M winglets, which we’ve also seen on the recently announced 2021 BMW M 1000 RR. For a full run down on the new model check out – New BMW M RR homologation special (link).
2020 FIM Supersport World Championship title winner Andrea Locatelli made his debut with the PATA YAMAHA WorldSBK Official Team as he used the test to help him get to know his new team and colleagues ahead of the 2021 season. Locatelli posted a time of 1’38.720s during the test before the rain fell in Portugal.
Andrea Locatelli
Andrea Locatelli
“Very nice first impressions, we didn’t do too many laps but the feeling with the Yamaha R1 is incredible immediately. It’s important to use this test to try to understand everything with the bike and now I am more confident, particularly with the braking. It’s the first time riding the R1 for me, and now we have a good base to work on ahead of the next test in Jerez. I’m really excited because the guys at Pata Yamaha are very professional and we are already working well together. I’m happy with the electronics and we need to understand the grip and tyres a little more, but step-by-step we are making some good progress. Before coming here, I talked with Andrew Pitt and Andrea Dosoli to ensure I got some experience within the team and the test was always a good opportunity for me. Today’s not a great day with the conditions but at least I’ve had some time to understand the bike and I’m really looking forward to the next one.”
Andrea Locatelli
Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK were present at the test with Alex Lowes as they aimed to help the British rider optimise the base setup and make preparations for upcoming tests, with the team not trying any new parts at Estoril. Lowes was the second-fastest rider during the test, around three tenths off Redding’s 1’36.581s.
Belgian rider Loris Cresson continued working with the OUTDO Kawasaki TPR team, where he made his WorldSBK debut during the Estoril Round, during the test after making the step up from WorldSSP where he had been competing during 2020, while Axel Bassani got his first taste of WorldSBK action as he tested for the Motocorsa Racing squad.
Loris Cresson
The test had been scheduled to finish at 6pm Local Time but the track action stopped early when the rain started to fall, with riders not taking to the track as the rain got heavier. It meant the day’s running came to a premature end with Redding on top, followed by Lowes, Rinaldi, Sykes, van der Mark, Locatelli, Bassani and Cresson.
KTM introduced their new 890 Adventure R and Rally models earlier this month and overnight the Austrians took the covers off the regular 890 Adventure model.
While the previously announced Adventure R and Rally models have seat heights of 880 and 910 mm the base Adventure has a much more amenable adjustable 830/850 seat.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
The trade off is in less suspension travel but the Adventure still sports a healthy 200 mm of travel at both ends compared to the 240 of the R and massive 270 mm of the Rally variant.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
Retaining a 21-inch rim up front matched to an 18-inch rear indicates that the base Adventure will still offer proper off-road chops via the confidence and stability that only a 21-inch front can provide. The hubs of the rims are now anodised rather than the powder-coated. A much lower front guard is fitted for better weather protection while touring. Ground clearance is still very much off-road capable at 233 mm.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
Apex suspension by WP includes a brand- new rear shock with a hand wheel to alter preload whle the rebound damping response is also adjustable. The damping is valved for a more street based and general adventure touring role than the more off-road tuned set-up found on its R and Rally siblings. Less trail, a slightly steeper head angle and a reduced wheelbase also offers sharper road handling compared to the R and Rally models.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
For 2021, the new 889cc displacement brings 10 hp more than the KTM 790 Adventure and a hike of 12 Nm on the torque graph.
A stronger new clutch comes as part of the compact Euro 5 ready engine package and KTM have added a bit more thump for the new year via a 20 per cent increase in rotational mass that will make low speed running more pleasant.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
Joachim Sauer – KTM Product Manager Travel
“With the development of the new KTM 890 Adventure we hit all our marks by offering an upgraded machine for both road and gravel riding. With the new engine we worked a lot on optimising the overall performance and feeling while out riding. The result is a big improvement in the bike’s rideability, better stability, less gear shifting and added comfort for the long days on the saddle. With the KTM 890 Adventure we wanted a KTM that sets the benchmark through its performance on the tarmac while being able to veer off-road and keep the same high standards. As a true KTM Adventure, this is a great machine to adventure everywhere.”
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
The low under-slung 20-litre tank promises a range of up to 400 kilometres while keeping that weight down low and allowing for a slimmer seat profile which in-turn helps the rider more easily mount or dismount from the machine.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
While a switch is provided for cruise control it is an optional extra for the functionality to be enabled.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
KTM have further honed the precision and response of their lean angle sensitive ABS and traction control systems for the new model.A ‘Rally’ mode with many more customisation options is an optional extra.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
Different pistons in the brake calipers are claimed to offer improved stopping performance via better feel.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
The new 890 Adventure will not arrive in Australia until April 2021.
My tip is we will also see KTM bring back the long discontinued SMT model at some stage with a bike based on the 890 Adventure platform but rolling on 17-inch rims and much sharper geometry.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
KTM 890 Adventure at a glance
New engine with 90 cc added displacement
Improved performance with 105 hp & 100 Nm (Euro5)
Better rideability thanks to 20% increased rotating mass
Stronger clutch adapted to increased performance
Engine knock control system (use of low Octane fuel)
High-quality WP suspension components & new rear shock
Reworked front & rear brakes for added control
Improved ABS & MTC settings
Anodised wheel hubs instead of powder coated
Handlebar switch with Cruise Control button (software additional)
Weight optimisation thanks to compact motor & fuel tank
Slim profile, refined ergonomics & new graphics
Travel-ready with two-part, adjustable seat & low fender
Smartphone connectivity giving access to music, calls
Optional KTM MY RIDE app for turn-by-turn navigation
KTM 890 Adventure in more detail
The KTM 890 Adventure produces 105 horsepower (77 kW) at 8,000 rpm (compared to the KTM 790 Adventure’s 70 kW) and 100 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm (a rise of 12 over the KTM 790 Adventure). The figures are driven out by 90.7 mm of bore and 68.8 mm of stroke with compression hiked to 13.5.1.
Additional changes include new forged box pistons with three rings and a shorter piston pin, and despite the larger bore, a 10 g weight reduction has been possible, with two oil jets compared to one per piston. Two new balancer shafts accompany the larger scale of engine performance; one is located towards the front of the crankshaft and the other in the cylinder head.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
Higher valve spring rates and oval steel springs are part of the unit that delivers 20 per cent more rotating mass than the KTM 790 Adventure but without impacting the overall agility of the bike.
A new v-shape con-rod also contributes to less oscillating mass and the top end bearing contains a bronze conrod instead of one that is DLC coated, while new horizontally split crankcases are made from a high pressure aluminum cast. The weight has been optimised through wall thickness, and the surfaces of the material in order to fabricate the most efficient design. Open deck cylinders have been fully integrated.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
Two Dell’Orto 46mm throttle bodies fitted with new sensors offer effective reading of the manifold pressures. Additionally, any interference between the cylinders at low or partial throttle opening has been eliminated by removal of the connection between the two intake tracts, and a knock sensor on the cylinder head improves the robust nature of the engine for the KTM 890 Adventure range. The sensor helps momentarily delay the ignition to combat knocking combustion and preserves engine life.
A Power Assist Slipper Clutch (PASC) is another upgrade over the 790 Adventure, using new friction plates; constructed for better durability and heat resistance. The architecture also guarantees sufficient oil separation, therefore making it easier to select neutral.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
The new engine has also been given a larger oil cooler as part of the semi-dry sump system. A reduction of friction losses is generated by actively pumping oil out of the crankcase, clutch housing and gearbox. The updated gearbox has also been toughened with glass beading on the fourth, fifth and sixth gear cogs.
A new generation of Cornering Motorcycle Traction Control. The main difference is the combination of the independent controllers – one for wheel slip and another for pitch angle – that informs a wider range of traction control settings. Pitch control can be felt in straight line acceleration with a more constant flow as the power reduction is less abrupt and severe. Advanced riders can also deactivate traction control.
The optional Rally mode adjusts the degree of MTC intervention with up to nine selectable slip levels, tweaked to enable rider actions like front wheel lift on acceleration and rear wheel drifts.
2021 KTM 890 Adventure
KTM have also further refined the Cornering ABS software, tweaks have enhanced braking power while minimising the intrusion of the ABS. Off-road ABS means braking activation on the front wheel is reduced and the lean angle sensor is deactivated. Riders can then use the full locking potential of the rear wheel to steer the back end of the bike.
The KTM 890 Adventure adopt the same chassis found on the 790 Adventure, but with some notable differences, as weight has been saved while not compromising strength or rigidity. This has been reached through lighter steel profiles of the trellis sub-frame structure, and the steering stem has also been re-forged from high-strength aluminum to save more weight, while the triple clamps boast this new material.
The 890 Adventure also sports improved brakes. A stronger piston spring in the front brake’s master cylinder means a better and more sensitive feeling and feedback on the lever and ‘slim seal’ technology for the piston seal provides more accuracy with the pressure point. For the rear brake system new isolated pistons in the caliper work with isolation plates between the pads and piston for more heat stability. A stainless-steel rear brake hose fitting is another measure to keep heat in check.
As on the 790 Adventure brakes are four-piston radially mounted calipers with 320 mm discs on the front, and the revised two-piston rear caliper with 260 mm disc, both backed up by the Bosch 9.1 MP cornering ABS, including off-road mode, and being disengage-able.
