Reigning champion Jay Wilson isn’t willing to concede his SX2 title defence is over ahead of this weekend’s Australian Supercross Championship decider at the Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne, the Yamalube Yamaha Racing rider currently ranked fifth in the standings while 20 points behind leader Josh Osby (Raceline KTM Thor).
Wilson has demonstrated his championship-winning speed throughout the four rounds hosted so far, however a share of unfortunate circumstances in the multi-race formats is what has ultimately denied him of landing on the box. The popular Queenslander has scored race wins at Wollongong and Auckland.
This Saturday’s event inside Marvel Stadium serves as Wilson’s final opportunity to earn an overall win or podium, and the chance of still being crowned champion is prompting him to bring a nothing to lose mentality.
“Anything can happen,” Wilson declared to MotoOnline.com.au. “It’s not over, and with these three back-to-back races, it’s going to be quite intense, especially when the title is on the line – these boys can get into it.
“I’m just going to do what I can do – if I leave there in fifth or leave there winning, I’ve done all I can do and is what it is. For me, I’m going to put up a fight and see where that puts me.
“I feel like my riding, my bike, the team and everything is going well, I’ve just got to put it all together. That’s the aim for this weekend – I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. I’ll do what I can do – all the other boys, their points are pretty close, so they’re going to be banging bars and going at it, and hopefully it’s my night to capitalise.”
Osby currently leads fellow American Chris Blose (Penrite Honda Racing) by four points, while Aaron Tanti sits further three points behind in third. Mitchell Oldenburg (Penrite Honda Racing) holds down fourth, 13 points off the leader.
Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins admits poor weather in the later stages of testing at Jerez hindered his progress, as rain prevented him from attempting a fast lap with the new Michelin tyre offering aboard the latest-spec GSX-RR.
The Spaniard was fourth fastest – one position behind teammate Joan Mir – as he continued to sample components in an effort to form his 2020 package.
“Today’s test session went quite well,” said Rins. “We tried the same things as in Valencia, like the 2020 engine spec, and we confirmed our initial findings.
“Tomorrow we’ll try a few more things regarding the set-up. We had some more plans for today, such as trying a fast lap with the new tyre, but unfortunately the rain arrived this afternoon and that hampered our progress.”
Suzuki test rider Sylvain Guintoli was also on deck alongside Rins and Mir, where he progressed in developing the new engine as well as a new swingarm.
Justice seems to move slowly, especially when it involves drivers charged over a crash with a motorcycle or scooter rider.
In the past week, three drivers have faced NSW courts over crashes with riders stretching back almost four months, yet there are no results so far.
While some may be sceptical that the courts are dragging out these matters and will not deliver justice for the dead and injured riders, it is not uncommon that the legal system moves slowly.
Prosecutors have to develop a water-tight case to ensure that the matter is not thrown out on a technicality. This can take time.
Courts are also overloaded and it can be difficult to fit in a matter that could take days to resolve.
We can’t comment on matters that are before the courts, but we can keep you updated with how the matters are progressing to ensure that justice is not only done, but seen to be done.
Slow justice
These matters are among a raft of others we have been following. Here is the latest on these.
Fail to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing grievous bodily harm;
Fail to stop and assist after impact cause injury;
Drive when visiting privileges withdrawn – first offence; and
Not give particulars to injured person.
He has appeared twice in the past week for mentions and a bail variation as well as a change of venue for his next appearance from Blacktown Local Court to Parramatta on December 18.
Case 3
P-plate driver Matthew Giusa, 19, of Kellyville, will next appear in court on 20 January 2020.
A dramatic video showing Africa Twin rider Ben Hannan (inset in photo above) escape bushfires that claimed his home in Wingham, near Taree, NSW, has gone viral.
Ben lost everything in the fires, except his new bike. Several other bikes became molten plastic and metal.
“Wondered if I’d gone overboard buying that bike … never been more glad than now. It saved my life,” he says.
At one stage in the video he points to a hill and says “my house is up there … used to be”. He takes his hand off the handlebars and almost loses it on soft gravel by the roadside.
Great escape
“The vid doesn’t show how bad the smoke was … and had no idea what we were going into,” Ben says.
That’s his mother in the car in front, escaping with what they could fit in the car.
“Needed mum to go cause I figured I could get round shit easier on the bike, trees falling everywhere. Reckon 15 minutes later we would have been trapped.”
The escape video has been picked up by news channels around the world.
However, the fame hasn’t helped Ben and his mother recover from the fire earlier this month.
While his mother was fully insured for home and contents, Ben had no insurance except for the Honda and his father’s Kawasaki H2.
“Stupid of me,” he admits.
“I lived in a converted shed and the insurance agency isn’t recognising it as a dwelling.
“We honestly thought we’d be all right. Lived there 35 years, had fought fires before, even had our own tanker.
“But this just came from all sides, took everyone by surprise. We’ve been told fire trucks couldn’t reach us, but we got out.”
Meanwhile, here are parts two and three of Ben’s escape video that show the full extent of his loss as he stops and looks back. (Language warning)
A few days later, Ben returned to examine the remains of his property and cry at the sight of his molten motorbikes.
Ben says he needed people to see the devastation and “feel it”.
“See this and learn. Never let this happen to you.”
Ben’s list of lost bikes include a 1948 Harley Sportster, 2003 KTM 400SX, 50th anniversary Yamaha YZ450, Honda CRF250 Rally and his late father’s Kawasaki H2 750 triple he had planned to restore.
Ben’s shed full of bikes before the fire.
“I only bought the SX in the last month,” he says.
“The Harley was supposed to be in town but my mechanic got cancer … a lot of bad timing.”
The best survival tip for a bushfire is to avoid it.
You can check the various state fire services websites by going to this central MYFIREWATCH service, then click on the state/territory.
Also check the automobile clubs’ websites for the relevant state, as well as transport department traffic sites or apps such as the NSW Live Traffic App.
Try searching the Facebook pages of local fire and police pages.
Of course, you can use your eyes to see where the smoke is and use your commonsense to gauge wind direction and potential fire direction.
However, don’t think you can outrun a bushfire. They can spread faster than any motorcycle can go, often jumping roadways, reducing your chance of survival.
Follow directions
It is not only stupid, but also unlawful to disobey a police or emergency services direction.
If you are told not to go down a road or there is a roadblock, you must not got that way.
The same goes for flood situations.
Don’t start a bushfire
Take notice of total fire ban signs and warnings as you don’t want to start a bushfire.
Fines are hefty and police have been severe in punishing offenders. Don’t expect a good-natured warning!
Riders should also be aware they can accidentally start a fire by parking their bike on dry grass or leaves.
Firefighters say about 40% of all bushfires are accidentally started by humans dropping cigarette butts, campfires, discarding bottles, sparks from machinery and motorcycles.
The catalytic convertor, which is often underneath, is the hottest part of your bike and can easily spark a fire.
Adventure riders who travel off road should take special care.
Caught in a bushfire
If you are caught in a bushfire, your phone (or EPIRB, beacon, etc) will be your best friend.
Work out where you are exactly and then contact police and emergency services to give them your location.
Park your bike behind a solid structure to block as much heat as you can.
Turn off your bike’s engine, but leave the lights and/or hazard lights on.
Stay near your bike, but not too close in case it goes up in flames.
Try to get down low, near a water source or below the level of the fire as they move faster uphill.
Also try to get upwind from a fire.
Dangers of bushfires
Riders are more vulnerable than motorists in cars because they have no air conditioning to regulate air and temperature.
The biggest dangers for riders are from smoke inhalation, low visibility and eye irritation from smoke.
Carry water with you to flush out sore eyes and to ensure you stay hydrated.
Tips to avoid dehydration in a heatwave:
Don’t drink too much alcohol the night before a ride. It has a diuretic effect which means it causes you to urinate more water than you take in which means you are losing fluid. And you can’t counteract that by drinking lots of water because most of it will go out in your urine. Obviously, don’t drink alcohol while you are riding!
Start drinking water as soon as you wake and keep sipping water right up until you get on your bike. It takes about half an hour for water to reach your muscles. Guzzling water just before a ride is not good as it can make your stomach to cramp. The Royal Flying Doctor Service which has attended dehydrated riders in the Outback, recommends carrying 10 litres of water per day! Read their Outback riding tips here.
Wear ventilated motorcycle clothing. Leathers may protect you better in a crash, but they create a “microclimate” which impairs your ability to lose heat. As a result you will produce more sweat to decrease your core temp. Instead, wear a flow-through jacket. There are heaps of options on the market. Make sure they have vents in the back so the air flows through. Also, loosen the sleeves so you get plenty of air on your wrists which have a lot of blood vessels close to the skin to effectively cool you down. However, be aware that a flow-through jacket cools you down because it is drying the sweat off your skin which can lead to dehydration. A set of Ventz up your sleeve will also keep you cool as air flows up your arms.However, don’t be fooled by your level of coolness as ventilation can also cause you to loose more water through evaporation. So you still need to keep drinking plenty of water.
Don’t be tempted to remove your jacket in the heat! Exposed skin may feel cooler, but that’s because the sweat is evaporating quicker, but that is just making you more dehydrated. And while your skin feels cool, you’ll be tricked into staying in the sun longer which leads to sunburn. That also leads to dehydration because your body needs water to repair and renew damaged skin.
Get a Camelbak or other brand of water-dispensing unit so you can continue to take small sips of water while you are riding. I’ve seen riders on GoldWings and other big tourers with cup holders so they can take slurps from a water bottle. That’s obviously not as safe as the hands-free Camelback option, but anything is better than nothing. Some people don’t like Camelbaks because the water gets hot, but the temperature of the water doesn’t affect dehydration.
Stop more often than usual and hang out in the shade or in an air-conditioned cafe. Since you are drinking lots of fluids, you will probably need to stop anyway!
While you’re stopped, have a coffee, but take it easy. No need to swear off your favourite caramel latte, but avoid excess coffee. That also goes for caffeinated drinks such as Red Bull. High levels of caffeine have a diuretic effect just like alcohol.
While having a coffee break, avoid having too many sweet cakes, donuts and muffins. Sugar can dehydrate you if it gets to very high levels in your blood. This can happen if you are a diabetic, take certain medications or have an infection or some organ diseases. Sugar causes your kidneys to produce more urine to eliminate the sugar, leading to dehydration. Likewise, don’t drink too many sugary drinks. Best to stick to plain water, real fruit juices with no added sugar or drinks such as Gatorade that replace salts and minerals lost in sweat.
We’ve talked a lot about urine and it’s important that you monitor the colour. It should be a straw colour. If it’s too dark, you are dehydrated.
Sweat also depletes your body of sodium and if it becomes too low, it can cause many of the same symptoms as dehydration. The average diet probably has enough sodium, but it’s good to have a little bit of salt on your meals or drink sports drinks that have a sodium supplement. However, beware of sports drinks with caffeine and sugar.
Petronas Yamaha SRT riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli sampled a new prototype engine on day one of the Jerez MotoGP test, however the latest chassis and updated airbox as seen on the factory Yamahas of Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi were notably absent from their bikes.
Quartaro admitted it was difficult to understand all the benefits of the new engine following just one day of testing, where he posted the second fastest lap-time – 0.754s off pace-setter Vinales.
“It was a long day despite having great pace on the bike and we were able to try new things,” said Quartararo. “The tyres were working really well, but unfortunately, it seems like every time we put a new set on the bike there was a red flag or it started to rain a little!
“Maverick Vinales is really fast, but we’re not far behind him and I’m feeling really good. We used a new prototype engine from Yamaha for most of the day, but it was difficult to understand all the benefits from just one day, so there’s plenty to continue with tomorrow.”
Morbidelli, who was fifth fastest, says his first impression of the new engine is positive after quickly getting up to speed with it.
“I tried a new prototype engine specification today, and we were up to speed quite quickly with it,” Morbidelli declared. “I had a good feeling from the bike straight away, which is very positive. We’ve still got to collect data and work on our settings, but as a first impression, it was pretty great!
“The plan for tomorrow is to maintain the working routine from today and aim to reconfirm the items we tried in Valencia with the new engine, but for that to happen we need the weather to play ball!”
Karel Abraham has confirmed his departure from Reale Avintia Racing, ruling him out of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship while making way for a potential spot on the grid for Johann Zarco.
The Czech rider, who completed last week’s two-day test at Valencia, initially had a deal in place for next season, however reportedly had his contract terminated in the days following testing in Spain.
“You might know already, but I am not going to compete in MotoGP in 2020,” Abraham said in a statement. “I am very sad and disappointed, but need to move on and focus on what’s coming next.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to all my supporters, all my teams, fans, sponsors and especially my family that supported me through the good and bad times. It was a beautiful 15 years in the world championship, we had some great times and great memories will remain in my heart.”
Zarco is tipped as the favourite to join the squad for next season despite initially showing disinterest in the opportunity, however it’s understood additional support and reassurances from Ducati have swayed him.
The Frenchman cut his two-year deal short with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in August and was later benched altogether in September, although he returned to the grid with LCR Honda for the final three rounds replacing Takaaki Nakagami.
An opening arose at Repsol Honda following Jorge Lorenzo’s retirement, but he was overlooked in favour of reigning Moto2 world champion Alex Marquez.
Monster Energy S-X Open International FIM Oceania Supercross Championship points leader Jason Anderson believes the series is a ‘breath of fresh air’ as it adds motivation to his preparations for the upcoming Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
This weekend’s AUS-X Open Melbourne will mark Anderson’s third successive appearance in Australia, the popular American coming off a commanding victory at the S-X Open Auckland in New Zealand less than two weeks ago.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider has been a regular at off-season international events over recent years, and in 2019 he’s made the S-X Open series the only two races on his schedule leading up to Anaheim 1.
“This is my sixth year racing the 450 class, and I’m only 26, and I want to keep racing for a lot more years,” Anderson explained. “So coming over here and doing these races, it gives me a little bit of a breath of fresh air with scenery and everything like that.
“I think it’s good for me just to stay positive and motivated for the season. It’s something for me to work towards in the off-season, and at the same time, AME and this whole organisation, they do such a good job. It’s a good time too when we come over here, it’s what it’s all about.”
Anderson holds a three-point advantage over Luke Clout in the Oceania standings, while the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy rider leads the Australian Supercross Championship SX1 rankings ahead of Melbourne’s finale inside Marvel Stadium.
Reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez insists a visit to the medical centre at the Jerez test was for a precautionary check after crashing at turn 13, the Spaniard later resuming testing.
The Repsol Honda rider is understood to have a suffered a partially dislocated right shoulder – the opposite side to the one he had surgery on this time last year.
Marquez was still sixth on the timesheets as he continued to make comparisons with a selection of 2020 components, where three RC213Vs were set-up in his garage.
“Again today we tried some different things for 2020, assessing two different directions,” Marquez explained. “It looks like tomorrow the weather could be a little bit tricky, so we had to alter our plan a little bit to make sure we got the most out of today.
“This part of the season is very important, so we have to stay very focused here and keep working. The crash today was my mistake, I ran wide and at that time the outside of the track was a little damp so I lost the front. Fortunately I am okay, I just went to the medical centre for a precautionary check.”
Testing recommences on Tuesday for the second and final day at the Spanish venue.
Penrite Honda Racing’s Chris Blose will sport an all-new livery with increased Mongrel Boots branding at this weekend’s Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne, marking the final round of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship.
Mongrel Boots has been a long-time supporter of the factory Honda squad, and will take up a primary position on Blose’s CRF250R for the international event, which is set to attract a mega crowd inside Marvel Stadium.
“We make a broad range of purpose-built boots, so promoting this through one of Australia’s favourite pastimes made perfect sense to us,” said Mongrel Boots’ marketing manager Philip Cloros. “Penrite Honda have been great ambassadors of the product.”
Penrite Honda Racing team owner Yarrive Konsky added: “We felt work boots should be made mandatory at the race track, and that’s where the partnership began – we reached out to Mongrel and have a relationship which now spans three championships.
“The team competes 21 times a year across several disciplines – they’re on their feet for hours on end and on all types of terrain so it’s important we have the right protective footwear. Mongrel is the best choice for Penrite Honda.”
Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) topped day one of the Jerez test by quite a margin on Monday, the Spaniard ending the session over seven-tenths clear of the next fastest Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT).
Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was third and continued his impressive run on the testing timesheets, pipping teammate Alex Rins as the Hamamatsu factory locked out third and fourth. The day was punctuated by some drizzle and red flags, although the majority managed nearly or over 50 laps.
Yamaha have now topped all three days of ‘2020’ so far, once with Quartararo and twice with Vinales. At Jerez, both the former and latter did 68 laps, with Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) in fifth adding another 75.
Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), meanwhile, did 64 laps and was 14th. He and teammate Vinales had one ‘new’ and one ‘old’ Yamaha in the garage to compare, with Rossi’s 2020 machine fitted with the carbon swingarm but Vinales content without it, working on the engine. Neither Petronas Yamaha SRT rider had the carbon swingarm on Monday, although they had ‘some new things’ to test.
At Suzuki, meanwhile, work continued on the new engine. Mir had the upper hand on the timsheets in third after 56 laps, with teammate Rins putting in 69 in fourth. Test rider Sylvain Guintoli was also on track for the Hamamatsu factory, and he put 63 laps to pip his fellow test riders and end the day in 16th. It wasn’t all engine for Suzuki, but that was the key focus.
Honda were the next factory up, with reigning champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in sixth despite a crash at turn 13. It was a slow lowside but in the gravel trap he hit his shoulder, heading to the medical centre for a check up. He’d suffered a partially dislocated right shoulder – not the one on which he had surgery this time last year – and did get back out on track but said he slowed up slightly.
He had three bikes in the garage. And where Marquez was focusing on 2020 comparisons, Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was more on 2019 machinery on Monday. He was just 0.026s behind Marquez and put in 66 laps.
Rookie Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), meanwhile, was out in HRC and Repsol colours, and he seemed to take a step forward. The number 73 was 17th and did 70 laps, saying he found Jerez a bigger step on a MotoGP bike – but also an easier one.
KTM were the fourth fastest factory on Monday with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), the number 44 slotting in behind Marquez and Crutchlow on the timesheets. He did 56 laps and although he took a tumble – rider ok. He had three bikes in the garage, one ‘old’ and two ‘new’, although he spent his time out on the new.
He did 56 laps and was within a tenth of Crutchlow. Rookie teammate Brad Binder, meanwhile, remained on 2019 machinery and did 67 laps. Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rookie Iker Lecuona had a huge crash on Monday, but rider ok, and he did 38 laps. Test rider Dani Pedrosa was absent due to illness.
Ducati’s onslaught on the timesheets was led by Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team), back in action after missing some of Valencia due to shoulder pain, who narrowly headed teammate Andrea Dovizioso as they took P9 and P10.
The former did 48 laps and the latter 45. Dovizioso had the new, bigger ‘salad box’ and work continued on what the duo had worked on at Valencia. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) was only 0.018s off Dovi in 11th. Test rider Michele Pirro had a technical issue and that caused ared flag, and a sensor was spotted on top of the tail unit on his machine.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini were 12th and 13th, and nothing big was seen from the Noale factory although both Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone had the swingarm with a hole in it fitted. Espargaro did 53 laps and Iannone 49. Test rider Bradley Smith had the ‘solid’ version of the swingarm and did 67 laps. Riders return to the track on Tuesday for day two.
