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Moto News Weekly Wrap
November 10, 2020

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Tim Gajser wins 2020 MXGP World Championship

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser has won his fourth world motocross championship in just six years, after winning this year’s 2020 MXGP title. Crowned at the Trentino circuit in Italy, home to many great memories for the Slovenian rider, Gajser wrapped up the title with three motos left to go in another season of fast, controlled riding. This title now moves him to the top of the list of HRC world champions, one clear of greats like Dave Thorpe, Eric Geboers, Georges Jobe and Andre Malherbe and it confirms his place as one of the best ever riders in motocross history.

Tim Gajser and team celebrate the world title win
Tim Gajser

“It feels unbelievable to be world champion for a fourth time. Winning one time is amazing, but four times, I’m just speechless. It was a weird season with the COVID-19 and then the break between the rounds two and three, but in the end, everything came together and we won another title! Racing today was very nice, in the first race, I didn’t have the best start but I was still able to come through the field and finish second and that meant that if I could win race two, I would take the overall. In the second moto I grabbed the holeshot and then had a really good battle with Romain all the way to the chequered flag. We were pushing the whole time so I’m super happy to win this title and the overall on the same day. A big thanks to the whole of Team HRC, there are a lot of people who are involved who couldn’t be here today so a big thank you to all of them and to everyone who has supported me all year long. It is a privilege to ride for this team and I appreciate every single person who has helped me. Thank you!”

Tim Gajser clinches the 2020 MXGP Championship a round early

In what has been a difficult season due to the global pandemic, the #243 has consistently shown he is the fastest rider on the track, winning 13 races and 4 overalls (before the MXGP of Pietramurata) on his way to this historic moment. Starting off the year back in March with moto wins at Matterley Basin, UK and Valkenswaard, Netherlands, Gajser immediately showed that he was a threat for victories on whatever surface they rode on, and that form continued when he won the first race back after the restart in Kegums, Latvia.

With the new one-day format in place, qualification was just a 25-minute timed session after 20 minutes of free practice and while other riders struggled to adapt, Gajser again showed the speed of the new Honda CRF450RW by getting first gate pick at six out of the next 10 rounds, and inside the top three in nine of them. Good gate picks led to good starts and holeshots and it also meant the Honda rider has led more laps, and has led in more races than any other rider in the field.

Tim Gajser

While race wins were coming often, an overall remained elusive and it wasn’t until round 11 when Gajser was able to put in two strong motos and get onto the top step of the podium at the MXGP of Europe in Mantova, Italy. It was nothing more than he deserved and it allowed him to cement his position at the top of the class, after first getting the red plate at round nine. Since that moment, he has gone from strength to strength, podiuming in 12 straight races and extending his lead to over 70 points. This was highlighted at the triple-header in Belgium where Gajser won two of the three overalls, picking up an incredible 142 out of 150 points in the deep sand of Lommel, known as the toughest race on the motocross calendar.

Tim Gajser

From Lommel, it was back to Italy for the season-finale three rounds in Trentino, the venue where Gajser won his first ever world championship overall in 2015 and also where his 2019 campaign was kick-started after an epic encounter that ended with him going one-one, sparking amazing scenes of celebration. Unfortunately, fans weren’t allowed to witness this years’ success but the outpouring of support from the around the world has been immense and shows just what a popular figure ‘Tiga243’ is within the motocross community and beyond. With one round left, there is still chance for him to add to his amazing statistics but for now, Gajser is celebrating his amazing achievement of winning his fourth world championship title.

See below for the final MXGP report and standings.

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Tom Vialle clinches MX2 title at mid-week MXGP

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle was crowned 2020 FIM MX2 Motocross World Champion after winning the first moto aboard his KTM 250 SX-F at the MXGP of Pietramurata in Arco di Trento, Italy today, Wednesday November 4, with three races remaining for the season.

Tom Vialle – FIM MX2 Motocross World Champion

“I’m so happy but there have been a lot of emotions today. I was a bit angry with the verdict (in qualifying) this morning but to make the holeshot and lead the first moto was fantastic. I was almost crying on the last lap. There was so much emotion. It was really special. Crazy. In the second moto we had some bad luck, but the important thing is that we achieved our goal. I want to say a big thanks to the whole team and everybody who worked together to make this happen. It was tiring to have a lot of races so close together and also keep the concentration through the training. I think we did it pretty good.”

Tom Vialle

Vialle continues a rich MX2 history for KTM as the ninth rider to win a championship title in the lower capacity class aboard a KTM 250 SX-F. The Frenchman, who came into the penultimate round of 2020 with a sizeable points lead, took a dominant win in the opening moto at the picturesque Italian track to secure an emotional first world title.

In only his second term racing at Grand Prix level, 20-year-old Vialle has demonstrated incredible talent and maturity in his approach throughout the 18-round championship. In a year of difficulties due to the global pandemic, Vialle’s strong start to 2020 was halted when MXGP racing was abruptly paused after just two rounds back in early March.

Tom Vialle

The Frenchman returned for round three in Kegums, Latvia in August to win his second Grand Prix of the season, ahead of an intense schedule of races in the weeks following. The KTM star battled hard with the MX2 competition, scoring consistently strong results to earn a comfortable lead thanks to his seven Grand Prix overall victories heading into the final triple-header of the year.

With 13 moto wins and 13 podiums so far this season, Vialle sensationally put his name in the history books by clinching the 2020 MX2 World Championship title to add to KTM’s outstanding success tally. The Frenchman’s victory confirms KTM’s fifth consecutive title in the category, with 13 championship victories in 17 years of MX2 competition for the Austrian manufacturer.

Tom Vialle
Dirk Gruebel – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“Tom showed his potential in his first year with us in 2019. There was real progression, but then over the winter he made another big step to be a title contender and world champion. He didn’t look back. He doesn’t get nervous. He had real competition, but Tom finished every race in a good spot, mainly in the top five, mostly in the top three. That’s the key to being world champion and now we are here celebrating. Hats-off to him and his family, it’s unbelievable. We are known for having a fast 250 – also a 450! – but I still think we have the benchmark in MX2 for everybody and Tom is another rider who knows how to make starts with it. It’s a really good motorcycle and we’ve been winning since 2004 with that concept. Tom being the ninth world champion shows its quality.”


2020 MXGP Awards


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2020 MXGP of Garda Trentino – Round 18

As the races of the MXGP of Garda Trentino finished for the day, it concluded an intense season of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, which saw Champions decided a round early, when Team HRC’s Tim Gajser claimed his fourth World Title in MXGP and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle secured his very first Championship in MX2.

Tim Gajser

For the final round this shifted the focus onto who would finish the season off with a medal alongside the two victors, with Tim Gajser also presented with the MXGP Trophy, wrapped with plagues which are engraved with all the world champions’ names from 1957 until now in the main class.

Tim Gajser took the overall round win, narrowly beating Romain Febvre on account of a final race victory, with both riders taking a win and a runner up position a-piece. Gautier Paulin took the final podium position, from Jeremy Seewer, both on 38-points and with identical results, but Paulin the better performer in the final race.

Tim Gajser

“Today, my goal was just to go out there and have fun and we did that, winning the last overall of the year and it couldn’t have gone better. I want to say a huge thank you to all my team who have worked so hard and put in so much effort. In March, we did two GPs in Matterley and Valkenswaard and they went well, but then we had a long break and when we returned, I wasn’t feeling good, I was struggling. Now, the second half of the season I found good speed, I was consistent, and I was able to win the title.”

Tim Gajser too another round win at the season final

Second and third in the MXGP championship were also still up for grabs, with Jeremy Seewer claiming the silver medal on the day with the addition of 38-championship points to his name. Tony Cairoli had a mixed weekend, with sixth in Race 1, but no points in Race 2. It was enough for the bronze medal however.

Romain Febvre was fourth overall, followed by Gautier Paulin. Jorge Prado was sixth, Clement Desalle seventh, Glenn Coldenhoff eighth, and Jeremy Van Horebeek and Brian Bogers ninth and 10th respectively. Despite still being out injured Mitch Evans finished the season in 14th.


Clément Desalle retires

Clement Desalle has been a benchmark in MXGP for the last fifteen years but the GP of Garda-Trentino this weekend will mark the end of his outstanding career. With twenty-three GP wins, thirty-five moto wins and eighty-two GP podiums, the thirty-one-year-old has been one of the most successful riders of his era. He never claimed the ultimate prize of an individual world title but he ended in the top three of the premier off-road world series no less than six times and won Gold with Team Belgium at the 2013 Motocross of Nations.

Clement Desalle

When Clement joined the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team in 2016 he was one of the elite riders capable of winning GPs and challenging for the title. For five full seasons he put all his energy to help the team to perform to the highest level and provided the best advice to the factory in order to be ever more competitive.

Despite several injuries during these five seasons Clément gave the team excellent results with four GP wins, eighteen podiums and an MXGP world championship bronze medal in 2018. The thirty-one-year-old Belgian from La Louvière, between Mons and Charleroi near the French frontier in the south of the country, officially announced last month that he would retire following the final GP of the current season, his fifteenth as a professional rider; that moment arrives this weekend with the MXGP of Garda Trentino at the dramatic Pietramurata track where he celebrated victory in 2014 and has already recorded his most recent GP moto victory just one week ago. Kawasaki thanks Clément for his commitment to the Green family throughout the past five seasons and wishes him all the best for the future in both his professional career and private life.

Clement Desalle
Clément Desalle

”I always had a good relationship with François (Lemariey) who was my mechanic earlier in my career; when I signed for Kawasaki I was delighted to work with him again. It has always been really important for me to be happy in my working environment and to have a good feeling with the people around me. I’m really proud with the job we’ve done together. Of course I would have liked to have offered Kawasaki yet more race wins, more podiums, more GP wins and even a world title as I’ve been working for this all my life. After Latvia I started to ask myself questions about my future and made a decision; just before Spain I was sure of my decision and announced that I would retire at the end of this season. I will miss racing of course, but I have a big passion for motocross and for sure I will still ride bikes.”

Clement Desalle at Trentino Round 16

2020 MXGP of Garda Trentino

Pos Rider Nat. Bike R1 R2 Total
1 Gajser, Tim SLO HON 22 25 47
2 Febvre, Romain FRA KAW 25 22 47
3 Paulin, Gautier FRA YAM 18 20 38
4 Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 20 18 38
5 Desalle, Clement BEL KAW 14 14 28
6 Tonus, Arnaud SUI YAM 16 12 28
7 Tixier, Jordi FRA KTM 10 13 23
8 Bobryshev, Evgeny RUS HUS 12 11 23
9 Bogers, Brian NED KTM 0 16 16
10 Van doninck, Brent BEL YAM 0 15 15
11 Cervellin, Michele ITA YAM 8 7 15
12 Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 15 0 15
13 Monticelli, Ivo ITA GAS 4 9 13
14 Bernardini, Samuele ITA YAM 7 6 13
15 Paturel, Benoit FRA HON 13 0 13
16 Butron, Jose ESP KTM 6 5 11
17 Sterry, Adam GBR KTM 9 2 11
18 Guillod, Valentin SUI HON 11 0 11
19 Lupino, Alessandro ITA YAM 0 10 10
20 Walsh, Dylan GBR HON 2 8 10
21 Leok, Tanel EST HUS 3 3 6
22 Koch, Tom GER KTM 1 4 5
23 Valentin, Ander ESP HUS 5 0 5
24 Petrov, Petar BUL KTM 0 1 1

2020 MXGP Final Standings

Pos Rider Nat. Bike Total
1 Gajser, Tim SLO HON 720
2 Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 618
3 Cairoli, A. ITA KTM 599
4 Febvre, Romain FRA KAW 572
5 Paulin, G. FRA YAM 505
6 Prado, Jorge ESP KTM 476
7 Desalle, C. BEL KAW 466
8 Coldenhoff, G. NED GAS 375
9 Van Horebeek, J. BEL HON 316
10 Bogers, Brian NED KTM 298
11 Tixier, Jordi FRA KTM 271
12 Herlings, J. NED KTM 263
13 Jasikonis, A. LTU HUS 248
14 Evans, M. AUS HON 228
15 Monticelli, I. ITA GAS 219
16 Vlaanderen, C. NED YAM 206
17 Tonus, Arnaud SUI YAM 184
18 Lupino, A. ITA YAM 150
19 Jacobi, Henry GER YAM 134
20 Cervellin, M. ITA YAM 130
21 Van doninck, B. BEL YAM 110
22 Bobryshev, E. RUS HUS 107
23 Leok, Tanel EST HUS 94
24 Guillod, V. SUI HON 88
25 Walsh, Dylan GBR HON 82
26 Petrov, Petar BUL KTM 81
27 Sterry, Adam GBR KTM 76
28 Paturel, B. FRA HON 67
29 Butron, Jose ESP KTM 36
30 Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM 31

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MX2

In MX2 Tom Vialle was already crowned champion and Jago Geerts had cemented his place as runner up, with the final championship podium position between Maxime Renaux and Australian Jed Beaton.

Ben Watson

While Ben Watson won the MX2 round overall from Tom Vialle and Maxime Renaux, Jed Beaton finished fourth, four-points behind Renaux. Unfortunately for Beaton that left him in fourth overall – an amazing result nevertheless, while Renaux’s 581 championship points was enough to claim the bronze.

Ben Watson

“I really want to congratulate the whole team. They work really hard and it’s really nice for me and Jago to give them a 1-2 on the podium. It is a little bit difficult to pass out there, but I have been feeling really good on the bike. I had a mediocre start in the first race, but I came through good and then in the second one, I took a good start and it’s always a nice race when you can battle with your teammate up front. I finished second, but I am really happy with second overall.”

Overall Beaton enjoyed a highly positive year in 2020. Showing race-winning speed throughout the season, he came agonisingly close to a maiden overall win at the penultimate round. Proving to be a capable racer on any surface, the 22-year-old claimed three overall podium finishes, along with nine moto podiums and was the first rider in the standings to score points in every race. A memorable season with many career milestones reached.

Jet Beaton
Jed Beaton

“Well that’s a wrap for this season, been a pretty good year, had some up’s and down’s but out of anything we can pull all the positives out of this season and work on the important things for next season, just want to start by saying a huge thank you to all the team and sponsors that are apart of the team @nestaan_mx, my girlfriend @holly_forsyth for bending over backwards for me and helping out always! Everyone from back at the factory for providing us with the best equipment! Everyone definitely plays their own part and if I was to thank everyone I’d have to write a novel… but you know who you are.. Ending up fourth in the championship which was a little disappointing for me, but it is what it is, we are healthy and got through the season. Thanks so much, we will be back next year for more. Also to Thomas thanks for being a great team mate, was an awesome few years, best of luck with the big boys.”

Bailey Mailkiewicz finished 15th in Race 1, improving to ninth in Race 2, and was 11th overall for the weekend, claiming 18-championship points. This saw him finish the 2020 season in 14th overall.

MX2 MXGP of Garda Trentino 2020 results

Pos Rider Nat. Bike R1 R2 Total
1 Watson, Ben GBR YAM 20 25 45
2 Vialle, Tom FRA KTM 25 16 41
3 Renaux, Maxime FRA YAM 22 18 40
4 Beaton, Jed AUS HUS 14 22 36
5 Gifting, Isak SWE GAS 15 20 35
6 Mewse, Conrad GBR KTM 13 14 27
7 Olsen, Thomas Kjer DEN HUS 8 15 23
8 Östlund, Alvin SWE HON 9 13 22
9 Lesiardo, Morgan ITA HON 10 11 21
10 Rubini, Stephen FRA HON 16 4 20
11 Malkiewicz, Bailey AUS HON 6 12 18
12 Geerts, Jago BEL YAM 18 0 18
13 Pancar, Jan SLO KTM 7 7 14
14 Van De Moosdijk, Roan NED KAW 12 0 12
15 Fernandez, Ruben ESP YAM 11 0 11
16 Horgmo, Kevin NOR KTM 0 10 10
17 Gilbert, Josh GBR HUS 1 9 10
18 Polak, Petr CZE YAM 4 6 10
19 Todd, Wilson AUS KAW 0 8 8
20 Sandner, Michael AUT GAS 2 5 7
21 Teresak, Jakub CZE KTM 3 2 5
22 Renkens, Nathan BEL KTM 5 0 5
23 Meier, Glen DEN YAM 0 3 3
24 Nermann, Johannes EST HUS 0 1 1

2020 MX2 Final Standings

Pos Rider Nat. Bike Total
1 Vialle, Tom FRA KTM 759
2 Geerts, Jago BEL YAM 679
3 Renaux, Maxime FRA YAM 581
4 Beaton, Jed AUS HUS 564
5 Watson, Ben GBR YAM 551
6 Olsen, T. DEN HUS 540
7 Van De Moosdijk, R. NED KAW 466
8 Mewse, Conrad GBR KTM 365
9 Fernandez, R. ESP YAM 343
10 Rubini, S. FRA HON 279
11 Östlund, Alvin SWE HON 263
12 Gifting, Isak SWE GAS 248
13 Boisrame, M. FRA KAW 234
14 Malkiewicz, B. AUS HON 164
15 Vaessen, Bas NED KTM 163
16 Forato, A. ITA HUS 156
17 Lesiardo, M. ITA HON 143
18 Horgmo, Kevin NOR KTM 137
19 Haarup, Mikkel DEN KAW 118
20 Pancar, Jan SLO KTM 115
21 Gilbert, Josh GBR HUS 112
22 Renkens, N. BEL KTM 103
23 Crawford, N. AUS HON 91
24 Benistant, T. FRA YAM 90
25 Genot, Cyril BEL YAM 85
26 Hofer, Rene AUT KTM 73
27 Sikyna, R. SVK KTM 72
28 Sandner, M. AUT GAS 67
29 Guadagnini, M. ITA HUS 62
30 Laengenfelder, S. GER GAS 59

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EMX Open

EMX Open action saw Karel Kutsar become the very first European Champion in the brand-new category, as he claimed his maiden EMX title. It was a tough day for the Estonian, who rode tight all day to place 5th and 10th in the races, to miss out on the podium. Though this didn’t matter, as he took to the podium anyways, to pick up his championship winning gold plate and medal.

EMX Open Start
Karel Kutsar

“It felt a bit impossible and now, I am a champion. Maybe when I get home, I will understand what this means but it feels really good to be a champion. I felt the pressure a little bit today, I tried to not to make mistakes and finally I did it and I get the title.”

Entering today’s races, Kim Savaste was the main championship rival, but unfortunately, we did not see the rider from Finland line-up for the races, due to an injury this morning. With no points scored, this pushed Savaste down to third in the standings, while Toms Macuks moved into the silver medal scoring position.

Macuks had two strong races, finishing second and third, despite a small get-off in the second heat that lost him a position or two. These results also handed the Latvian his fifth podium of the season, which was a positive way to end the season.

While Kutsar claimed the title, it was Jimmy Clochet who stood on the top step of the podium, after a race win in the opening heat and a second in race two. Clochet had a much tougher second heat, after getting another good start, the Frenchman had an off on one of the corners, then fought back to second, to crash in the same spot once again. He could only manage to fight back to P2, while Cornelius Tøndel of JWR Honda took the race win in the second heat.

Karel Kutsar
Jimmy Clochet

“I had good feeling all day. In the second race I took the holeshot and crashed two times in the same corner, so yeah that was a difficult race, but I pushed really hard to come back to second for another overall. It was a difficult second race but I’m happy about it and happy about the overall.”

Finishing the day second overall was Macuks, while Martin Michek was the third rider to make it onto the box. It was Michek’s first visit to the EMX Open podium this season, and it was a 4th in race one and a 5th in race two that helped him on his way to a trophy scoring overall.

Looking back on the first season of the all-new EMX Open, things started in Latvia, for the first triple header of the season. That time around it was Macuks who was victorious on home soil, as he won both races and became the early championship leader. Though this didn’t last long, as during the second round he didn’t score any points, as Savaste and Kutsar took a race win each, though it was Kutsar who was the overall winner.

The Estonian then became the new series leader by the second round, and he held on to the red plate until today’s final round when he swapped the red plate for a gold one. He held on to the red plate through his consistent results, as the champion ended the season with 4 podiums, 2 race wins and one overall victory. In terms of overall victories, Macuks and Clochet were the most successful riders, with two overall victories each, while Kutsar and Savaste were on one each, as they took to the top of the box during the round of Riga and Kegums.

EMX Open Champions

EMX Open Overall

Pos Rider Nat. Bike R1 R2 Total
1 Clochet, Jimmy FRA KAW 25 22 47
2 Macuks, Toms LAT KTM 22 20 42
3 Michek, Martin CZE KTM 18 16 34
4 De Bortoli, Davide ITA HON 12 18 30
5 Thornhill , Dan GBR HON 15 15 30
6 Ekerold, Stefan GER SUZ 13 14 27
7 Kutsar, Karel EST KTM 16 11 27
8 Toendel, Cornelius NOR HON 0 25 25
9 Michalec, Petr CZE HON 11 10 21
10 Jazdauskas, Domantas LTU HUS 7 13 20
11 Adamson, John GBR KTM 20 0 20
12 Bartos, Petr CZE KTM 8 9 17
13 Maylin, Brice FRA KAW 9 7 16
14 Rathousky, Petr CZE KTM 14 1 15
15 Bolink, Mike NED KTM 6 8 14
16 Windt, Rob NED KTM 10 4 14
17 Gryning, Mathias DEN YAM 0 12 12
18 Malin, Wiljam FIN HUS 4 5 9
19 Tornau, Fynn-Niklas GER KTM 5 3 8
20 Haberland, Paul GER HON 0 6 6
21 Wedage, Damian NED KTM 3 2 5
22 Vetrovsky, Radek CZE KTM 2 0 2
23 Pletka, Libor CZE KTM 1 0 1

EMX Open Standings

Pos Rider Nat. Bike Total
1 Kutsar, Karel EST KTM 230
2 Macuks, Toms LAT KTM 216
3 Savaste, Kim FIN KTM 192
4 Ekerold, S. GER SUZ 161
5 Toendel, C. NOR HON 134
6 Clochet, Jimmy FRA KAW 130
7 Jazdauskas, D. LTU HUS 113
8 De Bortoli, D. ITA HON 101
9 Sihvonen, Miro FIN HUS 101
10 Lusbo, Andero EST HUS 93
11 Michek, Martin CZE KTM 87
12 Matikainen, J. FIN HUS 83
13 Thornhill , D. GBR HON 77
14 Kalejs, Karlis LAT HUS 75
15 Smets, Greg BEL KTM 67
16 Adamson, John GBR KTM 64
17 Ubach, Simeo ESP HUS 60
18 Gryning, M. DEN YAM 58
19 Bolink, Mike NED KTM 58
20 Sjoholm, Mads DEN KTM 57

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EMX2T

The EMX2t races saw Nicholas Lapucci of Fantic Racing dominated the races once again, as he was victorious in both heats with quite an impressive margin, over the newly crowned 2020 EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing Champion, Brad Anderson.

EMX2t Champions 2020
Nicholas Lapucci

“It was another perfect day for me, I’m really happy about my riding and the bike. The team did an incredible job. We came here without knowing anything and at the end we got the best results for me and for Fantic as well. We took four victories and for that I want to say thanks to everybody that helped me getting these incredible results.”

With two second place finishes, Anderson ended the season with his fifth podium of the series. While, JK Yamaha Racing’s Manuel Iacopi was the third rider on the podium today, with some nice battles in the races with Anderson, which saw him finish 4th and 3rd in heats one and two.

Brad Anderson

“It’s been great. The worst position this season was second place and I’ve been really consistent, I’ve had a good fight behind me. As I said, I struggled a little bit on this track, but Nicholas [Lapucci] was going really well, but I was happy to finish with two second places and finish the season off. The races were pretty tough. I didn’t get the best starts, I struggled to get past one rider and then me and Manuel had a good battle, then I made a move and he caught back up, it was a good little battle, but as I said I’m just please to finish second overall and take this championship.”

Brad Anderson

With Anderson securing his third EMX title at the previous round of Pietramurata, this shifted the focus onto who would occupy second and third in the championship standings. Two fifth place finishes, were enough for Federico Tuani to claim the silver medal, after races that saw him battle with Kade Tinkler-Walker and his teammate, Eugenio Barbaglia. Tuani completed the season with three podiums, with his best result in Faenza during the opening round of the championship, where he finished second overall.

Though it was the fight for the third spot that was the main focus in the second race, as there was nothing in between Walker and Loris Freidig. Walker rode a strong race and had some nice battles to claim 5th, while Freidig had a much tougher time and only finished the race in 13th. Eventually, Walker secured third in the standings with a seven-point advantage over the Swiss.

Nicholas Lapucci

Looking back on the season, Anderson dominated the first three rounds in Faenza, as he took 5 race wins and 3 overall victories. His lowest point scoring results came here in Pietramurata, as he finished the two rounds second overall, behind Lapucci, who dominated the last two stages of the championship, winning all 4 races. Apart from Anderson and Lapucci, the only other rider, to win a race, during the 2020 campaign, was Freidig, who was victorious during the first race at the round of Italy.

EMX2T Overall

Pos Rider Nat. Bike R1 R2 Total
1 Lapucci, Nicholas ITA FAN 25 25 50
2 Anderson, Brad GBR KTM 22 22 44
3 Iacopi, Manuel ITA YAM 18 20 38
4 Tinkler-Walker, Kade CAN SUZ 20 15 35
5 Barbaglia, Eugenio ITA HUS 14 18 32
6 Tuani, Federico ITA HUS 16 16 32
7 Alberio, Emanuele ITA KTM 13 14 27
8 Ermini, Paolo ITA HUS 11 13 24
9 Michelis, Martin EST KTM 12 11 23
10 Freidig, Loris SUI YAM 15 8 23
11 Tamai, Mario ITA KTM 10 12 22
12 Christensen, Nikolaj Skovgaard DEN KTM 6 10 16
13 Lolli, Marco ITA YAM 7 7 14
14 Zenato, Sebastian ITA HUS 8 6 14
15 Bicalho, Rodolfo BRA KTM 4 9 13
16 Salina, Pietro ITA HUS 5 4 9
17 Nedved, Jonas CZE KTM 9 0 9
18 Putnam, Charlie GBR HUS 3 5 8
19 Ongley, Aaron GBR KTM 2 3 5
20 Haas, Thomas GER HUS 0 2 2
21 Aabroe, Mikkel DEN YAM 0 1 1
22 Williams, Aidan GBR KTM 1 0 1

EMX2T Standings

Pos Rider Nat. Bike Total
1 Anderson, Brad GBR KTM 235
2 Tuani, F. ITA HUS 167
3 Tinkler-Walker, K. CAN SUZ 154
4 Freidig, Loris SUI YAM 147
5 Barbaglia, E. ITA HUS 143
6 Iacopi, Manuel ITA YAM 140
7 Tamai, Mario ITA KTM 131
8 Alberio, E. ITA KTM 131
9 Lolli, Marco ITA YAM 117
10 Michelis, M. EST KTM 105
11 Lapucci, N. ITA FAN 100
12 Christensen, N. DEN KTM 90
13 Nedved, Jonas CZE KTM 84
14 Ermini, Paolo ITA HUS 73
15 Zenato, S. ITA HUS 70
16 Deghi, G. ITA KTM 56
17 Haas, Thomas GER HUS 47
18 Williams, A. GBR KTM 44
19 Bicalho, R. BRA KTM 26
20 Rampoldi, J. ITA KTM 26
21 Maiolani, G. ITA HUS 17
22 Putnam, C. GBR HUS 17
23 Salina, Pietro ITA HUS 16
24 Piazza, M. ITA KTM 16
25 Marques, A. POR HUS 11
26 Bonetta, A. ITA YAM 8
27 Gwyther, K. GBR KTM 7
28 Ongley, Aaron GBR KTM 7
29 Aabroe, Mikkel DEN YAM 1

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2020 EnduroGP of Portugal

Day 1

The first day of the Acerbis GP of Portugal saw three special tests perfectly carved out by Moto Clube Marco, drier weather than expected, and riders all keen to do battle after more than a month and a half of break – everything was in place to have a hell of a day of racing!

While Brad Freeman started out very strong and took the lead on the first lap his great rival Steve Holcombe was closing in. The dark horse of weekend, the returning Josep Garcia was also pushing hard, ready to jump on the slightest mistake from the defending champion. The second lap went in favour of Holcombe who took the lead in the category by 2.96 seconds from Freeman.

Brad Freeman

The third lap got extremely intense as the result came down to the very last special test! Indeed Freeman had dominated the morning head and shoulders over his rivals, but he set off into the last Technomousse Xtreme Test with just a 2.17 second advantage. However, his Factory Beta team-mate and compatriot threw everything into this final special and finally won the day by 1.76 seconds, to the detriment and disappointment of Freeman.

For his part, Garcia made some mistakes on the second lap, and the Spaniard had to settle for an excellent podium finish on his return to EGP after three years of absence. In any case, there is no doubt that the 2017 E2 World Champion has everything he needs to come and fight for victory with the two Brits.

Andrea Verona never really had to worry about defending his comfortable fourth position overall and he was able to continue gaining valuable experience in first season in Senior, while keeping an eye on the top three. Finally, Antoine Magain is certainly one of the riders of the day as he came up from 14th on the first special, and headed straight for the top five with test times at the same level as Freeman and Holcombe.

Josep Garcia

As for Enduro 1, with his new victory coupled with the third place of his rival Thomas Oldrati, Verona now has a seven-point lead overall. The Factory TM rider, in addition to his own excellent performance, can also thank the good pace of Antoine Magain who got between the two Italians. Eero Remes and the local Diogo Ventura completed the top five.

In Enduro 2, Steve Holcombe therefore remains undefeated despite the presence of Josep Garcia who finished second on his EnduroGP comeback. Danny McCanney completed the top three, to the detriment of reigning E2 Champion Loïc Larrieu and Matteo Cavallo.

Like Holcombe in E2, Freeman also remains at the top of his E3 class. He dominated his category, more than one and half minutes ahead of runner-up Jaume Betriu. Antoine Basset completed the podium ahead of his compatriot David Abgrall, and Rudy Moroni closed the day in fifth.

Steve Holcombe

In the often hotly-contested Junior class, we didn’t have to wait long for the first moment of drama. Provisional title leader Théo Espinasse was forced to retire from the start due to a spark plug problem. The task of regaining control of the standings will be very difficult even if the Frenchman will be able to start tomorrow morning. Even more so due to the fact that his teammate at Sherco Factory and title rival, Hamish Macdonald won the day after a magnificent Southern Hemisphere duel with Wil Ruprecht.

The Kiwi has therefore seized the title leadership in Junior with only three days of racing to go. Behind him, it was Finland’s Roni Kytonen who snatched the last step of the podium after a nice comeback following a big mistake in the first Technomousse Xtreme Test of the day. Chile’s Ruy Barbosa took fourth place by 7 seconds ahead of the Czech Republic’s Krystof Kouble!

Roni Kytonen

In J1, Roni Kytonen won once again, and consolidates his position as leader, ahead of Ruy Barbosa and Antoine Criq, who took a great podium. While in J2 Macdonald naturally takes the lead while winning the day ahead of Ruprecht and Kouble.

As for the exciting Youth 125cc class, for a long time it seemed Sergio Navarro could win the day but that was without counting on the sensation of the season, Jed Etchells. The Fantic D’Arpa Racing rider took his fourth victory of the season, more than 30 seconds ahead of his Spanish rival. Italy’s Claudio Spanu completed the podium ahead of Harry Edmondson. Hermanni Haljala completed the top five.

Finally, in the Champion Lubricants Enduro Open World Cup, Gonçalo Reis remains undefeated in Open 2-Stroke class as he wins the day ahead of compatriot Gonçalo Sobrosa and the Czech rider Robert Friedrich. In battle of the Belgians, Damiaens Diegter got the better of Mathias Van Hoof in Open 4-Stroke. They were joined on the podium by Jorge Paradelo. Alessio Paoli meanwhile took a third straight victory in the Open Senior class ahead of David Martinez and Duccio Graziani.

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Day 2

‘The toughest weekend of the season…’ This is how many riders summed up the second day at the Acerbis Grand Prix of Portugal. Pouring rain was the theme of Sunday in Marco de Canaveses, but we still saw 99 protagonists take to the start line, ensuring a spectacular day of racing which saw a new winner in the EnduroGP class…

Steve Holcombe

After three years of absence Josep Garcia made a great comeback on Saturday when he took 3rd overall, but on Sunday he brilliantly won the EnduroGP category by more than 15 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, Brad Freeman! Matching the pace of the British duo of Freeman – Holcombe from the first lap, the Spaniard increased his speed on the second lap, which allowed him to take advantage of the various errors of the two Beta Factory riders to build a gap of more than 20 seconds! Determined to give everything to get back to the top step of the EnduroGP podium, Garcia then managed his lead to secure an excellent victory!

Josep Garcia

“It’s been three years since I last raced in EnduroGP, so I was really motivated to do well this weekend. It has been a really difficult GP, but also great to be back racing and of course to come away with good results. Day one was going really well, it was very close between myself, Brad and Steve, but I took myself out of the battle with a big mistake on the final extreme test. Even with the mistake I was pleased with my results and riding during the day. Today, day two, my plan was to push hard like I did on day one, but to not make any mistakes. I fell on the first enduro test, so things didn’t go exactly to plan, but I kept pushing. In the second lap I managed to open up a small advantage so in the final few special tests I didn’t push too hard. This was a difficult race, but my experience in extreme races really helped me. I’m looking forward to the next GP now, next weekend.”

Josep Garcia

Demoted by the Factory KTM rider, Freeman had to accept the 17 points given for second place and therefore take two points over his season-long rival, Steve Holcombe. There’s still all to play for between the two British team-mates. Behind the ‘untouchable’ trio, Thomas Oldrati got the better of his great rival for the E1 title, Andrea Verona who brings up the rear of the top five in EnduroGP.

Brad Freeman

“I’m so disillusioned again today! Really disappointed! I felt good here and I think I’m setting good test times but unfortunately each time I am beaten… I still took a few points from Steve and everything is still under control, but it’s annoying not to win!”

Brad Freeman

In Enduro 1, after dropping five-points yesterday in the race for the title, Thomas Oldrati gains three points back today from his compatriot Andrea Verona, with the TM rider placing second on the day. The Honda RedMoto rider is now only four points behind in the standing and everything remains very uncertain in the small-displacement category. Antoine Magain takes a third podium this season ahead of Davide Soreca and the local man Diogo Ventura.

Thomas Oldrati

“I never really managed to keep in touch with Andrea yesterday and lost a lot of points there so I was keen to make up for it today. Not easy when Andrea was very fast all weekend! I’m 4 points behind, and that’s okay! The goal is just for next weekend, always finishing ahead of my rival.”

Thomas Oldrati

In E2, Steve Holcombe was toppled! It was the man of the day, Josep Garcia, who brought the Brit down from the top step of the podium. The Beta Factory rider had to settle for the runner-up position this time around. As on the previous day, it was Danny McCanney who completed the podium ahead of Joe Wootton and Loïc Larrieu.

Steve Holcombe

“It’s been a big fight this weekend, so to come away with a win and keep the championship alive with one round to go is great. Weather conditions played a big part with a lot of heavy rain chewing up the course. You really needed to nail your line choices as things seemed to change each lap. On Saturday I started too safe but got into the swing of things after lap one. It was down to the wire on the final lap and with a strong extreme test I got the win. I started out today fastest in the first special test but opening some of the later tests as conditions worsened worked against me. But that’s how racing goes sometimes. With one round left I’m in a strong position with a seven-point lead in EnduroGP and 25 in Enduro 2. Fingers crossed things will work out well next weekend and I can end the year with a world title.”

Steve Holcombe

Over in the big class, E3, we saw the sixth win in a row for Brad Freeman who remains on stunning form. To give you an idea of his E3 domination, he relegated today’s second place finish, Jaume Betriu by 1 minute and 54 seconds. Third place, Antoine Basset, was more than 3 minutes back! Rudy Moroni and David Abrall completed the top five.

In the under 23 category, we thought we were on course to see a new winner in the class that has so far been ruled by Sherco Factory duo Espinasse – Macdonald this season. Indeed, flying Finn Roni Kytonen was on fire from the start of the day onwards, building a huge lead over his rivals. Unfortunately, on the penultimate test of the day, his bike was playing up and the Finn lost more than 11 minutes, waving goodbye to his victory chance.

Roni Kytonen

But one man’s loss is another man’s gain, and it was Hamish Macdonald who took full advantage of the Finn’s misfortune by taking his third victory in a row. The New Zealander now has a 19 point lead in the standings, over his team-mate Théo Espinasse who finished second today. Wil Ruprecht had to settle for third position while Bruno Crivilin took a nice fourth place in Junior overall. Beta Boano rider Matteo Pavoni completed the top five.

Hamish Macdonald

“I was clearly not the fastest rider today. Roni was impressive and I’m disappointed for him that he had this mechanical problem. But that’s part of the racing and I won’t regret having the win. I’m now 19 points ahead, which is really good. Now I have to give everything without panicking to get the title next Saturday!”

In J1, Kutonen’s setbacks benefitted the Bruno Crivilin who enters the history books of the FIM Borilli Enduro World Championship by becoming the first Brazilian rider to win! He won ahead of Ruy Barbosa and Lorenzo Macoritto while in J2, Macdonald won ahead of Espinasse and Ruprecht.

In the Youth 125cc class, there was a fifth consecutive victory for Fantic D’Arpa Racing rider Jed Etchells. This time around, the Manxman had to work hard to see off the attacks from Sergio Navarro. The Spaniard finished just 16 seconds behind the big favourite for the title. Once again, it was Claudio Spanu who took third position and once again, it was Harry Edmondson who finished just off the podium in fourth. Another Fantic rider, Hugo Svard was fifth.

Jed Etchells

Finally, in the Champion Lubricants Enduro Open World Cup, Gonçalo Reis remains undefeated in Open 2-Stroke. He won the day with an advantage of 1 minute and 38 seconds over Arvid Modin and 2 minutes over Robert Friedrich. As for Open 4-Stroke, Damiaens Diegter was given a penalty on Saturday and had to hand the victory over to his rival and compatriot, Mathias Van Hoff. But the KTM rider made up for it on Sunday and the two men are now tied on points again. Jorge Paradelo, once again completes the podium. In Open Senior Enduro legend Alessio Paoli won again ahead of David Martinez and Duccio Graziani.

What a tough weekend for the riders! And to think that we have to do it all again next weekend, once again in Marco de Canaveses for the season finale of the FIM Borilli Enduro World Championship!

EnduroGP Standings

Rank Rider Nat Bike Total
1 HOLCOMBE Steve GBR Beta 112
2 FREEMAN Bradley GBR Beta 105
3 VERONA Andrea ITA TM 76
4 OLDRATI Thomas ITA Honda 69
5 LARRIEU Loic FRA TM 66
6 BETRIU AMENGOL Jaume ESP KTM 52
7 McCANNEY Daniel GBR Honda 49
8 MAGAIN Antoine BEL Sherco 39
9 GARCIA Josep ESP KTM 35
10 CAVALLO Matteo ITA Sherco 32

E1

Rank Rider Nat Bike Total
1 VERONA Andrea ITA TM 111
2 OLDRATI Thomas ITA Honda 107
3 MAGAIN Antoine BEL Sherco 84
4 REMES Eero FIN Yamaha 54
5 SORECA Davide ITA Beta 50
6 CHARLIER Christophe FRA Beta 41
7 SNOW Alexander GBR Honda 37
8 BURUD Kevin NOR Yamaha 35
9 TARROUX Jeremy FRA Sherco 30
10 ALUN Richard SWE Sherco 27

E2

Rank Rider Nat Bike Total
1 HOLCOMBE Steve GBR Beta 117
2 LARRIEU Loic FRA TM 92
3 McCANNEY Daniel GBR Honda 86
4 CAVALLO Matteo ITA Sherco 71
5 WOOTTON Joe GBR Husqvarna 57
6 VIAL Max FRA Husqvarna 48
7 GESLIN Anthony FRA Beta 46
8 GARCIA Josep ESP KTM 37
9 BLANJOUE Hugo FRA Honda 28
10 HUEBNER Edward DEU KTM 26

E3

Rank Rider Nat Bike Total
1 FREEMAN Bradley GBR Beta 120
2 BETRIU AMENGOL Jaume ESP KTM 100
3 BASSET Antoine FRA Beta 80
4 ABGRALL David FRA Beta 63
5 GUERRERO RUIZ Cristobal ESP Beta 53
6 GUARNERI Davide ITA TM 46
7 SANS SORIA Marc ESP KTM 45
8 MORONI Rudy ITA KTM 45
9 FRANCISCO Enric ESP Sherco 40
10 PASSET Thibaut FRA Beta 30

Junior

Rank Rider Nat Bike Total
1 MACDONALD Hamish NZL Sherco 111
2 ESPINASSE Theophile FRA Sherco 92
3 RUPRECHT Wil AUS Beta 72
4 PAVONI Matteo ITA Beta 68
5 KYTONEN Roni FIN Honda 65
6 BARBOSA Ruy CHL Husqvarna 62
7 CRIVILIN Bruno BRA Honda 49
8 MACORITTO Lorenzo ITA Beta 41
9 CORTES Bernat ESP KTM 30
10 CRIQ Antoine FRA Sherco 29

Cheyne Boyd GoFundMe raises $25K in 24 hours

A fundraiser has been launched by motocross rider Mick Sinclair for the injured Cheyne Boyd, and raised $25k in the first 24 hours. Boyd has a long road to recovery ahead of him, with Sinclair also sharing that Park4 MX has been heavily impacted by coronavirus restrictions in Victoria.

Cheyne Boyd shared a picture of the aftermath of his surgery on Instagram
Mick Sinclair

“The accident will require Cheyne to remain in hospital for several weeks, possibly up to eight and the road to recovery will be long and arduous, to make things worse his business, Park4 MX has been plagued by the coronavirus restrictions in Melbourne, Victoria. Cheyne and his wife have three loving young children and have patiently been waiting for restrictions to be lifted. Unfortunately, Cheyne will not be able to work or operate machines for months and is already under enormous duress because of his business being uncontrollably closed.”

If you’d like to donate you can find the GoFundMe here – www.gofundme.com/f/4-boydy-road-to-recovery

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Sebastien Bühler wins 2020 Baja Portalegre 500

Portalegre brought good fortune to Sebastian Bühler (Hero) for the third successive season, as he claimed victory over team-mate Joachim Rodrigues and third-placed Micael Simão (KTM). Unfortunately, incessant rain and intense flooding hit the Portuguese region and forced the organisation to shorten the third stage from 300km to 79km.

Sebastien Bühler

The Baja Portalegre 500 rounded off a very unusual 2020 season decimated by Covid-19. With German rider Bühler (Hero) winning the race and also claiming the FIM Cross-Country Bajas World Cup title from Micael Simão ( KTM) and Maciej Giemza (Husqvarna).

Sebastien Bühler

“Yesterday, it was a difficult stage because we crossed it in the rain. Having said that, I was able to increase the gap to my rivals, so it was a positive day. Unfortunately, today, we were only able to run a very small special of 79km instead of the planned 300km. It is frustrating but the organisation made this decision for our safety. I am obviously happy to win this event once again and it is a great satisfaction to win the FIM Baja World Cup title with Hero.”

Sebastien Bühler – Image by Nuno Laranjeira

Victory fell to Janaina Souza (Honda) in the women’s category. She finished ahead of Rosa Romero (KTM) and Sara Garcia (Yamaha).

In Juniors, Maciej Giemza (Husqvarna) secured victory laurels and the title, the Polish rider finishing in front of the Chilean Tomas de Gavardo (KTM) – who has learned a lot in the last two Baja seasons – and Konrad Dabrowski (KTM), who has also been learning Baja basics.

Pedro Bianchi Prata (Honda) won the Veteran Trophy in the FIM Bajas World Cup.

2020 Baja Portalegre 500 Results

Overall Rankings after Stage 2

  1. Sebastian Buhler, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, 1h 55m 16s
  2. Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, +1m 14s
  3. Bruno Santos, Team Can-Am Off Road, +5m 16s
  4. Salvador Vargas, JB Racing, +8m 47s
  5. David Megre, Vitoria Fc, +9m 27s

2020 FIM Cross-Country BAJAs World Cup Standings

  1. Sebastian Buhler, Hero MotoSports Team Rally – 50 Points
  2. Micael Simao, KTM Exc F 450 – 29 Points
  3. Maciek Giemza, Husqvarna Fe 450 – 29 Points
  4. Tomas De Gavardo, KTM Exc F – 22 Points
  5. Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero MotoSports Team Rally – 20 Points

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Silk Way Rally scheduled for 2021

The 11th edition of the Silk Way Rally (from 1 to 11 July 2021) offers a brand-new route across three countries and a return to Mongolia, with 10 stages covering approximately 5,000 kilometres in total. Mongolia is back in the route for 2021 and competitors will cross Russian and Mongolian Altai, before finishing in China and the crossing of the Gobi Desert.

The start will be held in Omsk (Russia, Siberia) on 1 July 2021. The rally will take the competitors across the countryside of the South-West of Siberia then West to East across the Russian and Mongolian Altai region, before a Chinese final in the Gobi Desert, with a finish in Urumqi on 11 July, after covering 5000 kilometres, of which approximately half will be selective sector.

Vladimir Chagin – Director of the Silk Way Rally

“The events of the last months have had a profound effect on the world, that of sport and motorsport in particular. Nevertheless, the Silk Way Rally team has been active throughout this difficult year and continue to be so, in order to be ready for the coming edition. Next July, the Silk Way Rally competitors will discover completely new regions over a route that has never been used before: The South-West of Siberia, the Altai region with its untouched nature and it’s breath-taking scenery, Mongolia once again but in a different area to that of the previous edition, and of course the Gobi Desert – an indispensable part of the Silk Way Rally, eagerly anticipated by every competitor.”

2021 Silk Way Rally

2021 Silk Way Rally Programme

  • October, 2020 presentation of the host regions and race categories
  • 15 of February, 2021 opening of registration for competitors
  • 01 of April, 2021 opening of accreditation for media
  • April – May general reconnaissance – preparation of the final route
  • 01 of June, 2021 closure of the entries
  • 30 of June _ 01 of July, 2021 administrative checks and scrutineering, Omsk, Russia
  • 01 of July, 2021 start ceremony, Omsk, Russia
  • 02-11 of July, 2021 race: 10 legs in Russia, Mongolia, China
  • 11 of July, 2021 finish podium in Urumqi, China

2020 GNCC Buckwheat 100

The 2020 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series, finished out its season on Sunday, November 8, 2020 with the inaugural AMSOIL Buckwheat 100 event in Newburg, West Virginia. With unseasonal weather throughout the entire weekend, temperatures in the high 70’s helped heat up the season finale of racing.

After three-hours of intense racing at the GNCC season finale it would be AmPro Yamaha’s Steward Baylor Jr. standing atop the podium for his fourth overall win of the season. Baylor would battle throughout the day and he would ultimately cross the finish line second, however, Ben Kelley, who crossed the finish line first, was given a one position penalty placing him second overall.

Steward Baylor Jr – Image by Ken Hill

Kelley would work his way back from a fourth place start on the opening lap, moving into third and then second before battling for the lead position. Baylor and Kelley would continue to engage in a heated battle all the way to the checkered flag.

Jordan Ashburn got a great jump off the line grabbing the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 holeshot award. Ashburn would lead the pack of XC1 Open Pro riders into the woods, and he would continue to lead the race for the first two laps of racing. Ashburn would then fall back to third overall, but he would push for the remainder of the race to hold onto that final podium position.

Earning fourth overall on the day was Grant Baylor. When the green flag flew, Baylor found himself towards the back of the pack but would battle throughout the day to make his way up front. Baylor physically crossed the finish line in fifth, but after a penalty to a fellow XC1 competitor he would be credited with fourth at the final race of the 2020 GNCC season.

Jordan Ashburn – Image by Ken Hill

Rounding out the top five overall finishers was Layne Michael. After working his way up to fourth from a seventh place start to the day, an on track incident would move him back to fifth overall. This is Michael’s third-straight fifth place finish overall. Michael remains seventh in the points standings for the XC1 Open Pro class.

Three riders will be credited with eighth place finishes after reviewing and assessing penalties on the day. Andrew Delong was having a good race running sixth as the checkered flag flew, however Delong was penalized two positions for two separate on-track occurrences. Thad Duvall found himself running in second during the first part of the race, though as he came around on lap four, he would find himself running ninth. Duvall put his head down and pushed making some necessary passes but would ultimately be one of the three riders credited with an eighth place finish after crossing the line in seventh.

As the checkered flag waved, Josh Strang physically crossed the finish line ninth overall but would be credited with an eighth place finish on the day. As the two lap board came out Strang found himself running fourth, but on that lap, he would have to make a longer-than-normal pit stop as he had found that his rear brake line had burst.

Josh Strang

“Not all to plan yesterday, I had a rock come up with 2 laps to go and bust my rear brake line. I enjoyed the new track, a little slippery and rocky but enjoyable! Thanks to the boys for getting me back out to finish off the year! At the beginning of the GNCC season I felt ready but was unsure of where I stood. I’m getting older and the guys are getting faster. I ended up second in the series with nine podiums that included two wins. I had an absolute blast racing this year, maybe the most enjoyable to date, and I was more competitive than I had been in the past. A massive shoutout to @teambabbitts & @racekawasaki for the support they have thrown into this program! The bikes truly are awesome and I believe we have shown that they are super competitive in off-road racing! Thanks to @maurer44 for having my bikes ready every weekend and @faroffroad & @dennybartz making the show run effortlessly… @mrs.cameronstrang and Maverick also for the endless support! I’m excited for a break but will be excited for the 2021 season when it’s time thanks to everyone for the support it’s been a good one.”

Trevor Bollinger made his return to the GNCC Racing circuit after missing the season due to a knee injury. Bollinger was off to a good start as he ran inside the top five for the first part of the race. As the checkered flag flew Bollinger would be credited with a ninth place finish on the day, after a one position penalty was assessed. Rounding out the top 10 in the XC1 Open Pro class was Evan Earl. Earl had a consistent race running inside the XC1 top 10 for the duration of the three-hour race.

Craig Delong won the XC2 – Image by Ken Hill

Coming into the final round the XC2 250 Pro National Championship was still up for grabs. The battle for the championship was between Craig Delong and Michael Witkowski, with 11 points separating them. As the race got underway it was Sam Evans grabbing the $100 Hot Cams XC2 holeshot award, but it would soon be Witkowski taking over the lead.

Delong would work his way back from a fourth place start to the day to overtake second place with three laps remaining the in the race. As the checkered flag came out it would be Witkowski physically crossing the finish line first, but after a one position penalty he would officially place second in the XC2 class for the day. Delong would come through physically second, enough to earn the XC2 National Championship, but after Witkowski’s penalty he would be credited with the XC2 class win as well as earning his first-ever XC2 National Championship.

Cody Barnes came through to round out the XC2 class podium after falling back to fifth at one point in the race. Barnes would make the necessary moves through the pack to make his way back to the podium as the checkered flag waved. Barnes finishes out the year fourth in the points standings.

In the FMF XC3 125cc Pro-Am class it was National Champion, Zack Hayes taking his seventh win of the season after leading all seven laps of racing at the AMSOIL Buckwheat 100 GNCC. Max Fernandez came through to take second in the FMF XC3 class, followed by Michael Delosa rounding out the top three. Fernandez made the jump to the XC3 class after securing second overall in the 150 A points standings.

Coming through to clinch her first-ever WXC win was Rachel Gutish. After grabbing the $100 Trail Jesters WXC holeshot award, Gutish put her head down to place a gap over the rest of the WXC field. Gutish would come through timing and scoring with the lead position on all four laps, taking the win by 39 seconds.

Rachel Gutish – Image by Ken Hill

After starting out the day third in WXC, Becca Sheets made the pass for second and set her sights on Gutish. Sheets would ultimately run out of time and cross the line second on the day at the 2020 GNCC season finale. Korie Steede battled back after falling to fourth at one point in the race to round out the WXC top three in West Virginia.

In the 8 a.m. youth race it was Cole Forbes taking his second-straight youth overall win and YXC1 class win of the season. Chase Landers and Nicholas Defeo rounded out the top three overall finishers, and the top two in the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. class. Wyatt Marshall and Dylan Sharpe finished second and third in the YXC1 class, with Matthew Hallenbeck taking third in the YXC2 class. Peyton Feather came through to take seventh overall and the 85cc (12-13) class win, with Rivers Morris and Colton Shields rounding out the top three in the class.

Cole Forbes – Image Ken Hill

Due to health concerns arising from the COVID crisis, series organiser Racer Productions cancelled the traditional season-ending awards banquets set for December 12th (ATV) and 13th (Bikes), which hosts well over 700 guests each night. In their stead, the first-ever online GNCC Virtual Awards Ceremonies was announced.

Buckwheat 100 Bike PM Results – Top 25

Place Racer Class Brand Elapsed
1 STEWARD BAYLOR JR 01. XC1 Open Pro – Bike YAM 03:01:21.298
2 BENJAMIN M KELLEY 01. XC1 Open Pro – Bike KTM 03:01:21.810
3 JORDAN ASHBURN 01. XC1 Open Pro – Bike KAW 03:04:30.291
4 GRANT BAYLOR 01. XC1 Open Pro – Bike SHR 03:07:44.977
5 LAYNE MICHAEL 01. XC1 Open Pro – Bike YAM 03:07:45.719
6 CRAIG B DELONG 02. XC2 250 Pro – Bike HQV 03:10:45.491
7 MICHAEL WITKOWSKI 02. XC2 250 Pro – Bike YAM 03:10:46.350
8 ANDREW R DELONG 01. XC1 Open Pro – Bike HON 03:11:46.511
9 CODY J BARNES 02. XC2 250 Pro – Bike BET 03:10:49.458
10 JONATHAN T JOHNSON 02. XC2 250 Pro – Bike HON 03:10:55.750
12 THADDEUS DUVALL 01. XC1 Open Pro – Bike HQV 03:11:42.998
12 RYDER LAFFERTY 02. XC2 250 Pro – Bike HQV 03:14:06.640
13 TREVOR BOLLINGER 01. XC1 Open Pro – Bike HQV 03:14:59.450
14 JOSH V STRANG 01. XC1 Open Pro – Bike KAW 03:14:58.257
15 JESSE ANSLEY 02. XC2 250 Pro – Bike KTM 03:16:33.539
16 TRISTON LANDRUM 05. 250 A – Bike YAM 03:19:01.817
17 BENJAMIN NELKO 02. XC2 250 Pro – Bike HQV 03:19:09.235
18 SAMUEL EVANS 02. XC2 250 Pro – Bike KTM 03:20:14.979
19 BRAYDEN NOLETTE 05. 250 A – Bike KTM 03:21:10.036
20 WILL SIEVENPIPER 04. Open A – Bike KTM 03:21:12.617
21 CHASE HAYES 04. Open A – Bike KTM 03:22:17.059
22 ZACK HAYES 03. FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am – Bike KTM 03:22:32.099
23 DAKODA DEVORE 05. 250 A – Bike KTM 03:23:57.492
24 COLE WHITMER 07. 4-Stroke A Lites – Bike HQV 03:24:01.319
25 MAX FERNANDEZ 03. FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am – Bike BET 03:24:56.19625

XC1 Pro Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Kailub Russell 295
2 Josh Strang 253
3 Jordan Ashburn 206
4 Steward Baylor Jr. 188
5 Craig Delong 186
6 Benjamin Kelley 178
7 Michael Witkowski 175
8 Grant Baylor 170
9 Jonathan Girroir 146
10 Cody Barnes 134

XC2 250 Pro Championship Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Craig Delong 316
2 Michael Witkowski 304
3 Jonathan Girroir 280
4 Cody Barnes 229
5 Liam Draper 204
6 Jonathan Johnson 158
7 Ryder Lafferty 150
8 Thorn Devlin 145
9 Benjamin Nelko 125
10 Jesse Ansley 118

Buckwheat 100 Bike AM Results – Top 25

Place Racer Class Brand Elapsed
1 CAMERON SISK 43. Sportsman A – Bike HQV 01:56:14.930
2 TYLER J SORIANO 43. Sportsman A – Bike HON 01:57:16.879
3 DESHAUN HORTON 43. Sportsman A – Bike KTM 01:59:03.619
4 RACHEL GUTISH 17. WXC – Bike BET 01:59:16.759
5 BECCA N SHEETS 17. WXC – Bike YAM 01:59:56.339
6 GREGORY V FUNK 43. Sportsman A – Bike KAW 02:00:22.350
7 NICK SMITH 43. Sportsman A – Bike YAM 02:01:43.316
8 CONNER KEEGAN 43. Sportsman A – Bike HQV 02:02:41.179
9 KORIE STEEDE 17. WXC – Bike TM 02:03:34.658
10 GARY FRIDLEY 43. Sportsman A – Bike YAM 02:04:26.130
11 BILL J ATKINSON 18. Super Senior A (45+) – Bike KTM 02:04:53.299
12 DACOTA J ABBOTT 43. Sportsman A – Bike BET 02:04:55.377
13 BROOKE COSNER 17. WXC – Bike SHR 02:05:42.330
14 ZACHARY KROPP 43. Sportsman A – Bike KTM 02:05:52.398
15 COLE ROBBINS 43. Sportsman A – Bike YAM 02:05:54.413
16 PAYDON E SIMMONS 44. Sportsman B – Bike KTM 02:06:20.459
17 AARON STUTER 43. Sportsman A – Bike KTM 02:06:33.015
18 ANTHONY OPLINGER 44. Sportsman B – Bike HQV 02:06:43.490
19 SCOTT PHELPS 18. Super Senior A (45+) – Bike YAM 02:06:43.540
20 JOHN HAWKINS 44. Sportsman B – Bike KTM 02:07:19.318
21 AUSTIN P ZINK 43. Sportsman A – Bike KAW 02:07:44.331
22 JASON KEY 43. Sportsman A – Bike YAM 02:08:09.138
23 JUSTIN L MURPHY 43. Sportsman A – Bike HQV 02:08:11.219
24 RANDALL ERVIN 43. Sportsman A – Bike YAM 02:08:52.558
25 DJ WOLFORD 44. Sportsman B – Bike HON 02:09:04.570

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2020 WX MX State Championship – Round 3

Regan Duffy swept the MX1 and MX2 championships at Bunbury over the weekend, winning all three races in each classes in perfect form.

In MX1, Duffy won the round from Charlie Creech and Josh Adams, while the championship standings saw him win with 315-points, to John Darroch on 259, while Creech was third overall on 257, three-points ahead of Josh Adams.

In MX2 Duffy took the win from Brock Flynn and Josh Adams, with only two-points separating Flynn and Adams. Duffy won the MX2 title on 315-points, with Adams second overall on 274. Conan Forrester completed the podium on 243 points.

MX1 Results – Round 3

Pos Racer Total R1 R2 R3
1 REGAN DUFFY 105 35 35 35
2 CHARLIE CREECH 90 30 32 28
3 JOSH ADAMS 88 32 30 26
4 JOHN DARROCH 83 26 25 32
5 STUART EARDLEY-WILMOT 81 25 26 30
6 CONNOR TIERNEY 81 28 28 25
7 LUKE FEW 71 24 24 23
8 MICHAEL KENNEDY 68 22 22 24
9 STEVEN POCOCK 65 23 21 21
10 JAKE WATLING 60 21 19 20
11 BRYNN CUTTS 59 20 20 19
12 DANE CUTTS 55 19 18 18
13 BENJIMAN GIBBS 50 17 16 17
14 GAVIN HEGGS 48 18 14 16
15 BLAIR OUTRAM 46 15 17 14
16 DYLAN HEARD 45 23 22
17 MITCHELL WILHELM 40 16 9 15
18 DANNY MAYES 39 14 13 12
19 RUSSELL WORBOYES 35 13 11 11
20 ZACH SANDOW 28 15 13
21 REECE LAWRENCE 22 12 10
22 BRAYDON WILSON 12 12

MX1 Standings – Top 20

Pos Name Total
1 REGAN DUFFY 315
2 JOHN DARROCH 259
3 CHARLIE CREECH 257
4 JOSH ADAMS 254
5 STUEY WILMOT 222
6 STEVEN POCOCK 184
7 LUKE FEW 182
8 CONNOR TIERNEY 164
9 BRYNN CUTTS 164
10 DYLAN HEARD 145
11 DANE CUTTS 136
12 CORBEN WEINERT 129
13 ANTHONY HICKS 116
14 BLAIR OUTRAM 93
15 DEAN PORTER 90
16 MITCHELL WILHELM 82
17 CHRISTIAN SILVESTRO 81
18 DANNY MAYES 76
19 CODY CHITTICK 70
20 MICHAEL KENNEDY 68

MX2 Results – Round 3

Pos Racer Total R1 R2 R3
1 REGAN DUFFY 105 35 35 35
2 BROCK FLYNN 92 28 32 32
3 JOSH ADAMS 90 32 30 28
4 CONAN FORRESTER 78 24 28 26
5 JAKE TURNER 76 30 16 30
6 SETH MANUEL 74 25 24 25
7 ANTHONY HICKS 70 21 26 23
8 CODY CHITTICK 67 23 20 24
9 EVAN BROWNE 66 22 25 19
10 REVONN NIEUWOUDT 65 20 23 22
11 BRENDON BAYLISS 61 18 22 21
12 BEN COOK 60 19 21 20
13 SHANE MURRAY 54 17 19 18
14 TOM LILLY 50 16 17 17
15 SHAUN SNOW 45 15 14 16
16 DYLAN HENNESSEY 44 26 18
17 ZAC SAFFIOTI 42 13 15 14
18 MASON PAYNE 29 14 15
19 HANNAH BAGNALL 25 12 13

MX2 Standings – Top 20

Pos Rider Total
1 REGAN DUFFY 315
2 JOSH ADAMS 274
3 CONAN FORRESTER 243
4 CODY CHITTICK 220
5 SETH MANUEL 216
6 EVAN BROWNE 197
7 BRENDON BAYLISS 190
8 DANIEL PAJEWSKI 186
9 REVONN NIEUWOUDT 161
10 TOM LILLY 158
11 SHANE MURRAY 155
12 BEN COOK 148
13 SHAUN SNOW 130
14 CHRISTIAN SILVESTRO 107
15 BROCK FLYNN 92
16 JAYDEN MCFERRAN 85
17 BRAYDON BAYNES 79
18 MITCHELL KILLEEN 79
19 JAKE TURNER 76
20 ROBERT LOVETT 71

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Beaton wraps up 2020 in fourth at MXGP of Garda Trentino

2020 MXGP

MXGP of Garda Trentino – Round 18


As the races of the MXGP of Garda Trentino finished for the day, it concluded an intense season of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, which saw Champions decided a round early, when Team HRC’s Tim Gajser claimed his fourth World Title in MXGP and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle secured his very first Championship in MX2.

Tim Gajser claimed another round win to close out the season

For the final round this shifted the focus onto who would finish the season off with a medal alongside the two victors, with Tim Gajser also presented with the MXGP Trophy, wrapped with plagues which are engraved with all the world champions’ names from 1957 until now in the main class.

Tim Gajser took the overall round win, narrowly beating Romain Febvre on account of a final race victory, with both riders taking a win and a runner up position a-piece. Gautier Paulin took the final podium position, from Jeremy Seewer, both on 38-points and with identical results, but Paulin the better performer in the final race.

Tim Gajser

“As I’ve said many times, I was super happy to win my fourth world title on Wednesday. Today, my goal was just to go out there and have fun and we did that, winning the last overall of the year and it couldn’t have gone better. I want to say a huge thank you to all my team who have worked so hard and put in so much effort. In March, we did two GPs in Matterley and Valkenswaard and they went well, but then we had a long break and when we returned, I wasn’t feeling good, I was struggling. Now, the second half of the season I found good speed, I was consistent, and I was able to win the title.”

Tim Gajser

Second and third in the MXGP championship were also still up for grabs, with Jeremy Seewer claiming the silver medal on the day with the addition of 38-championship points to his name. Tony Cairoli had a mixed weekend, with sixth in Race 1, but no points in Race 2. It was enough for the bronze medal however.

Romain Febvre was fourth overall, followed by Gautier Paulin. Jorge Prado was sixth, Clement Desalle seventh, Glenn Coldenhoff eighth, and Jeremy Van Horebeek and Brian Bogers ninth and 10th respectively. Despite still being out injured Mitch Evans finished the season in 14th.

In MX2 Tom Vialle was already crowned champion and Jago Geerts had cemented his place as runner up, with the final championship podium position between Maxime Renaux and Australian Jed Beaton.

While Ben Watson won the MX2 round overall from Tom Vialle and Maxime Renaux, Jed Beaton finished fourth, four-points behind Renaux. Unfortunately for Beaton that left him in fourth overall – an amazing result nevertheless, while Renaux’s 581 championship points was enough to claim the bronze.

Ben Watson

“I really want to congratulate the whole team. They work really hard and it’s really nice for me and Jago to give them a 1-2 on the podium. It is a little bit difficult to pass out there, but I have been feeling really good on the bike. I had a mediocre start in the first race, but I came through good and then in the second one, I took a good start and it’s always a nice race when you can battle with your teammate up front. I finished second, but I am really happy with second overall.”

Ben Watson

Overall Beaton enjoyed a highly positive year in 2020. Showing race-winning speed throughout the season, he came agonisingly close to a maiden overall win at the penultimate round. Proving to be a capable racer on any surface, the 22-year-old claimed three overall podium finishes, along with nine moto podiums and was the first rider in the standings to score points in every race. A memorable season with many career milestones reached.

Jed Beaton

“It’s been great to end the year with a runner-up finish in the last moto of the season. I had a great start and challenged for the win, so it’s positive to end the season like this. It’s a shame about the first moto but moto two proved I can be up there with a good start. It’s been a long season. Many ups and downs but all in all it’s been a positive year for me and the team. Having completed a full season I know what it takes now and I know what I need to work on over the winter ahead of 2021. I’m actually really glad that we got a season in as at one point it looked like we weren’t going racing at all. The three GPs in a week, that was different, racing so frequently was different, but it was always a good time and it’s been a lot of work for the team as well as myself. The team has done a phenomenal job with such a tight schedule. It can’t have been easy so credit to them, they’ve done an awesome job.”

Jet Beaton

Bailey Mailkiewicz finished 15th in Race 1, improving to ninth in Race 2, and was 11th overall for the weekend, claiming 18-championship points. This saw him finish the 2020 season in 14th overall.


MXGP

The MXGP races saw great battles, especially between Gajser and Romain Febvre, who challenged the four-time world Champions in both of the heats, one of which he won. But it was Gajser who finished the 2020 season with his fifth Grand Prix victory at the MXGP of Garda Trentino, with a 2-1 result.

Tim Gajser

Febvre was forced to settled for second with a win in the opening heat, that saw him chase down Gajser, before passing him on lap 6 and lead the race until the end, to take his second race win of the year. In race two, the Kawasaki rider worked hard to get around a couple of riders before catching up to Gajser once again, though this time he could not make a pass stick and eventually dropped the gap, to finish the race in second.

Romain Febvre

It was also a special day for Gautier Paulin who lined up for the last MXGP races of his professional racing career. The Frenchman battled well inside the top five in both heats and finished race one in fourth and race two in third position, after a battle with his teammates Jeremy Seewer and Arnaud Tonus. He claimed the third step on the podium, his second podium this season, on his final GP.

Gautier Paulin

Clement Desalle and Tanel Leok also took part in their final MXGP of their careers, with Desalle narrowly missing out on a podium spot, as he was tied on points with Seewer in fifth, and Leok finishing 21st overall.

With Gajser crowned as world champion at the previous round, this left the door open for second and third in the championship standings, which was to be decided between Seewer and Antonio Cairoli.

Jeremy Seewer

Seewer had a strong first race, starting well inside the top five and then worked hard to get past his teammate, Tonus, for third. While Seewer finished third, Cairoli placed sixth, giving Seewer a one-point advantage heading into race two. As the gate dropped for the second heat, Seewer was able to get another good start and squeeze into the lead, before being passed by Gajser, Febvre and then eventually Paulin.

Romain Febvre

Cairoli had a dramatic start to the second race, which saw him pushed out wide in the first corner, as he hit the bank, which as a result caused unrepairable damage to his bike and forced him out of the race, meaning he could not fight for the silver medal. All while Seewer had another strong race to finish fourth and cement himself as this year’s vice world champion, for the second season in a row.

Tim Gajser – 2020 Champion

“I want to say a huge thanks to everyone, to all my team, we were really working hard, and everybody was putting so much effort into preparing the bike, getting better and better. The last couple of GPs I started to find good speed and started to put consistent races together and win the title, so I’m super happy and I want to say congratulations to all the guys here, but also to Gautier [Paulin] for an amazing career, wishing you all the best in the next chapter.”

Tim Gajser
Jeremy Seewer – 2020 Runner-up

“It was a strange year for us, starting that early and then a big break. But, Valkenswaard was really horrible, I scored seven points and I think that’s one of the worst GPs in many years for me, so it was hard to not race for that long after a GP like that, because you would love to go back the next day and show different. Somehow, I did my homework and put many good races together after that, had some awesome races in Latvia, won my first races in Faenza and stuff like this. I definitely made a step and improved. I could battle with these guys. Overall Tim [Gajser] was the man, he put things together, especially for the last few races and he was just that little better but overall for me, I’m happy, I got second today in the championship, ok the thing I wanted was first but I can’t wait now to get back to work and for next year.”

Jeremy Seewer
Antonio Cairoli – 2020 P3 Overall

“I’m really happy. It’s another season that I finish on the podium, my fourteenth season that I finish on the podium, so it’s something amazing, after so many years of racing. Of course, Tim [Gajser] was very difficult to beat this year, especially in the last part of the season, he was very strong. After Latvia, my knee was getting worse every time, so I couldn’t really train, so for me it’s really important and I lost a little bit of fitness and confidence because when the track gets rough and slippery, I need to slow down. In the end, we are all ok and that is the most important thing, ok we lost second place but we try to look forward to the next year, we have another season to see what we can do.”

Antonio Cairoli
Romain Febvre – 2020 P4 Overall

“It’s always nice to end the season on the podium and go into the winter feeling confident for next year. I had a nice battle with Tim in the first moto and could catch him for the win; I think he hoped to pick up on my lines when I passed him but I could keep him behind me and I knew it would be all on the second moto for the overall GP win. My start wasn’t bad in the second moto but also not as good as Tim’s; I could see him in front so I knew I needed to pass the other guys quickly. He had a gap of nearly four seconds when I got to second; I was pushing but I couldn’t see anywhere to make up the time and in the end I fell just before the waves with five minutes to go. I was still a safe second but the chance of victory was gone.“

Romain Febvre
Gautier Paulin – 2020 P5 Overall

“It was a pretty tough day today. In the first moto, the rider next to me anticipated the start too soon, and that made me move too soon for the start, and then right after the gate a rider cut across. I started from really far back after that, but I made my way back to the top-10. The riding was good, but it was difficult to make a good result after a start like that. In the second moto, we had a red flag on the first lap, and hopefully the rider involved is well and the injury is not too bad. After that we had to start with dirty tyres and I had a big spin on the mesh, so I didn’t start so good. On this type of track, it’s hard to pass, everyone forms a train. Here it is really important to have a good start, but on the bright side, the pace is good and physically I feel good.”

Gautier Paulin

MXGP Results

Source: MCNews.com.au

Gajser & Vialle crowned 2020 Champions at Pietramurata

2020 MXGP

MXGP of Pietramurata – Round 17


The 2020 MXGP of Pietramurata in Italy proved to be a day of champions as Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle claimed the MXGP and MX2 World titles, both in the opening races of the GP and with a round to spare.

Tim Gajser and team celebrate the world title win

Tim Gajser 2020 MXGP Champion

For Gajser, the 2020 season came with ups and downs. The Slovenian looked strong in the first two rounds in Matterley Basin and Valkenswaard, where he finished second both times. But then we saw him struggle in Latvia, as the season resumed, before he turned things around for the MXGP of Lombardia where he finally got his hands on the red plate. He then got his first overall victory two rounds later during the MXGP of Europe in Mantova, before following that up with a string of podiums and race wins.

The Slovenian turned the red plate gold, as he claimed his fourth world title with a fourth overall Grand Prix victory of the season, along with a 14th heat win in race two. The stats for Gajser are pretty impressive in 2020, he has 13 podiums to his name, has led a total of 205 laps along with eight pole positions this season, more than any other rider in the category.

Tim Gajser

Trentino is a circuit that Gajser knows how to win at, as he secured his first ever Grand Prix victory in Pietramurata back in 2015, the same year he asserted his first world title in MX2 and then followed it up with an MXGP world title in Charlotte, USA, during his rookie season in the 450cc class. Title number three came last season in Imola, as he wrapped things up three rounds early and now his fourth at the MXGP of Pietramurata during the penultimate round of the year.

Tim Gajser – 2020 MXGP Champion

“It feels unbelievable to be world champion for a fourth time. Winning one time is amazing, but four times, I’m just speechless. It was a weird season with the COVID-19 and then the break between the rounds two and three, but in the end, everything came together and we won another title! Racing today was very nice, in the first race, I didn’t have the best start but I was still able to come through the field and finish second and that meant that if I could win race two, I would take the overall. In the second moto I grabbed the holeshot and then had a really good battle with Romain all the way to the chequered flag. We were pushing the whole time so I’m super happy to win this title and the overall on the same day. A big thanks to the whole of Team HRC, there are a lot of people who are involved who couldn’t be here today so a big thank you to all of them and to everyone who has supported me all year long. It is a privilege to ride for this team and I appreciate every single person who has helped me. Thank you!”

Tim Gajser

MX2 crowns Tom Vialle Champion a round early

Meanwhile in MX2, Vialle had a close battle with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts all season long. Geerts was the early championship leader, though by the second round Vialle was able to take over the spot and retain that position, as he swapped the red plate for a gold one. He confirmed his first world title with a confident race win, which saw him take the Fox Holeshot from the outside. This was his 13th heat win of the season and while the Frenchman missed out on a spot on the podium, the only thing that mattered was the championship.

Tom Vialle

Last year, Vialle joined the Red Bull KTM Factory squad and was already a key player in the championship. His first podium in MX2 came in Uddevalla during the MXGP of Sweden, last season and he ended the season fourth, just 5 points down on Geerts. This season, the Frenchman entered as the leading factory KTM rider and he took on the role with confidence as he racked up a total of seven GP wins, his first at the MXGP of the Netherlands, 13 podiums and led a total of 309 laps. He is also this year’s winner of the Fox Holeshot Awards with a total of 20 points, with one round remaining.

Tom Vialle – 2020 MX2 Champion

“I’m so happy but there have been a lot of emotions today. I was a bit angry with the verdict this morning but to make the holeshot and lead the first moto was fantastic. I was almost crying on the last lap. There was so much emotion. It was really special. Crazy. In the second moto I was around sixth position and someone hit me and bent the gear shifter under the bike. I was stuck in second gear. I tried hard to get the bike into third but it was not possible, so I had to come into the pits. I still finished the moto. It was a bit of a shame because I was feeling so good today. Sometimes bad luck happens though. The important thing is that we achieved our goal. I want to say a big thanks to the whole team and everybody who worked together to make this happen. It was tiring to have a lot of races so close together and also keep the concentration through the training. I think we did it pretty good.”

Tom Vialle

Jed Beaton claimed third overall in MX2, with a second-place finish in race one followed up with a solid fourth in moto two, earning the Australian a well-deserved place on the final step of the podium, just one-point away from the eventual GP winner Jago Geerts who cemented his MX2 championship runner up position, and tied on points with Ben Watson. Beaton currently sits 13-points off Maxime Renaux in the standings, a gap he’ll need to close in the final round this weekend to end the season on the overall podium in third.

Jed Beaton

“I gave everything I had in that second moto. I knew the overall was there and I just rode as hard as I could, but it wasn’t to be. It’s disappointing that I couldn’t get it done but at the same time I’m happy to be back on the podium. It’s great for the team too. They’ve been working really hard and it’s nice to pay them back with a solid result. One more round to go so I’m looking to end the season with another podium.”

Jed Beaton

Bailey Malkiewicz had a consistent weekend with two 12th place results, to claim 11th overall for the round. He now sits 16th in the MX2 standings.


MXGP

Team HRC’s Tim Gajser sealed his fourth world title in style, with a 2-1 result that saw him take to the top step of the box. Following a tough start to the first race, Gajser was able to make a good recovery, passing Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Alessandro Lupino and Brent Van Doninck. The Slovenian caught up to the race leader, Jeremy Seewer of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing, who he pushed until the end, though could not manage to get around the Swiss. But a second-place finish was enough for him to secure the gold plate.

Tim Gajser

In race two (the re-run), Gajser was able to get a good jump out of the gate and grab the Fox Holeshot to then lead every lap of the race, despite immense pressure from Romain Febvre of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team, to claim his 14th race win of 2020.

There was a re-start of the second MXGP race, due to a red flag which was caused by an incident involving Gajser and Honda SR Motoblouz rider Jeremy Van Horebeek, who was taken off track, but luckily walked back to the camper in decent conditions.

MXGP Start

Seewer finished second overall, the Swiss was looking strong all day, as he took his first pole position in time practice, then managed to grab the Fox Holeshot in race one and lead the race from gate drop to chequered flag. This was his 3rd heat win of the year. Then in the second race, the factory Yamaha rider was able to grab another good start, though was quickly passed by Febvre for P2 and eventually finished the race in 3rd, which gave him a solid overall result, to keep third position in the championship standings, just 4 points behind Cairoli.

Jeremy Seewer

Febvre was the last rider to claim a podium spot, as he worked hard in race one to get up to 5th and then in race two had a much better start, inside the top 5 and made some quick passes on the opening lap to get behind Gajser, where he kept him tight all race long. The Frenchman really applied the pressure onto the 4-time world champion, though in the end was forced to settle for 2nd, which put him third overall.

Romain Febvre

With Gajser crowned champion, the door is now wide open for the vice-champion position. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli had not such a bad day, though may not have been what he had expected, following an overall victory last time around. The Italian finished the first race 6th after a crash while pushing Seewer for the lead, though he did try to re-group and had some nice battles with Lupino and Febvre. While in the second race we saw the 9-time world champion battle with Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing’s Clement Desalle though he could not get around the Belgian and had to settle for 5th. This has allowed Seewer to close in, in terms of championship points, as there’s only 4 points in it, heading into the final round.

It was a good day for Alessandro Lupino who took a season best result in race one as he crossed the line in 3rd. Race two was a bit tougher for the local rider, who finished 11th which gave him 6th overall.

Tim Gajser – 2020 MXGP Champion

“It feels just unbelievable. Like I said many times, winning one is incredible but now four is just…speechless. I’m really happy. It was a weird season, but anyway in the end everything came together, and we won another title. In the first race, I was already struggling with the clutch and was riding without the clutch the whole race, finishing second. Then in the second race, I had a nice battle with Romain [Febvre] who was really pushing and I’m super happy to win the title and the overall on the same day.”

Tim Gajser
Jeremy Seewer – P2

“First pole position and then got a great start…I’ve been second many times in qualifying this year so it didn’t really matter for the start, it is just a good feeling to be on pole and then after an amazing first race, Tim [Gajser] had some technical problems, so hats off to him for riding that fast without a clutch and also congratulations on the world championship, he’s done great this year. Anyway, I’m really happy, solid results, second overall and good points for the championship, especially on this kind of track, where I kind of struggled the last few years and not got a podium here, not even in my MX2 days, so it felt great. I know it’s going to go between me and Tony [Cairoli] for the vice world championship, but honestly I hope for some more races like today. I mean my goal was to be up front and win, to be on the podium and I will hope to do the same on Sunday.”

Jeremy Seewer
Romain Febvre – P3

“Last Sunday, I had a really bad first race, crashed at the start so I was last and then crashed two more times after that. Anyway, today in the first race, I didn’t really get the start and came back to 5th, so I was really happy about my riding, but I knew they key was the start. We focused for the second start and I had a really good start, maybe third or something, and moved to second quick and battled with Tim [Gajser] for the whole race, congrats to him on the championship of course and today’s win, he was the best this year.”

Romain Febvre

Gajsers injured teammate, Australian Mitch Evans congratulated him on a great season.

Mitch Evans

“It has been a great season for Tim, and he thoroughly deserves to win this title. He works extremely hard and I couldn’t be happier for him and the whole team. It is a great group of people here and having now experienced the atmosphere this year, I am really happy to be here again next year. The injury is progressing really well and I’m aiming to come into 2021 just how I started this year, knowing that I’ll be riding a championship-winning bike.”

MXGP Results


Source: MCNews.com.au

Cairoli wins MXGP of Trentino | Beaton P4 in MX2

2020 MXGP

Grand Prix of Trentino – Round 16


MXGP rolled into Pietramurata over the weekend for the 2020 MXGP of Trentino, the first of the final three rounds to be held in Italy, with plenty of surprises in store, including a new race winner of 2020 in MXGP.

Tony Cairoli celebrates with his team

Antonio Cairoli claimed his 92nd GP victory on home soil, while championship rival, Tim Gajser, was forced to settle for second, after taking a comfortable race win in the first heat but struggling to get a good start in the second race which made things tough. But it was Clement Desalle of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team who was the man of the day, as he made his first podium appearance since the MXGP of the Netherlands in 2019. The Belgian took an incredible race win in the second race, to confirm his spot in third on the box.

Cairoli topped the podium from Gajser and Desalle

Gajser (626) currently leads the MXGP standings from Cairoli (553) and Jeremy Seewer (535), with Romain Febvre fourth on 487, and Jorge Prado fifth on 476.

In MX2, Jago Geerts made his return to the top step of the podium, following some tough races during his home rounds in Lommel. Geerts took a fourth in race one, and a race win in the second heat which gave him the advantage for the overall.

Jago Geerts

Joining him was Thomas Kjer Olsen, who proved that he has the speed to win races in Pietramurata, as he claimed the victory in the opening heat and then a fourth in race two, for second overall on the day. The last rider to take to the podium was the championship leader, Tom Vialle who finished the races second and third, after a couple of small mistakes, including the crash in the second heat, which cost him the race win.

Australian Beaton held strong to claim a solid third place in moto one after an impressive turn of speed during the early stages of the race. Coming together with another rider in the first turn resulted in a poor start for Beaton in race two, and he had to fight back into 10th by the end of lap two, before advancing to eighth by the halfway stage of the race. Unfortunate to lose a position in the closing stages of the moto, Jed’s ninth-place finish rewarded him with fourth overall.

Jed Beaton – P4

“It’s been a decent day for me. Overall, I feel really good on the bike, it was just a shame that I clipped someone at the start of race two. I felt great in race one, really comfortable and was on the pace, but third was the best that I could do in that one. I was looking forward to another good result in race two but it wasn’t to be. Two more rounds here though and I’m ready to get in the battle again.”

Jed Beaton

Fellow Australian Bailey Malkiewicz had a mixed weekend, with a strong Race 1 result, finishing in 12th for nine championship points, however 24th in Race 2 meant he had to settle for 18th overall.

Vialle now leads the MX2 standings on 693, with Geerts on 620 and Maxime Renaux third on 505. Thomas Kjer Olsen is fourth, a point ahead of teammate Jed Beaton, the duo on 489 and 488 respectively. Malkiewicz now holds 16th.


MXGP Race 1

In the opening MXGP race it was Gajser who claimed the first Fox Holeshot of the day, as he led Cairoli, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Arnaud Tonus and Jeremy Seewer, and Alessandro Lupino of Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing.

Tim Gajser claimed the Race 1 holeshot

Meanwhile, Brian Bogers of Marchetti Racing KTM, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre and Evgeny Bobryshev of PAR Homes RFX Husqvarna, were among the riders who went down in the first turn.

As Gajser and Cairoli checked out of the race, Seewer was working away at his teammate, Tonus for third. It took six laps to get around him, by which point the top two were too far ahead for him to have a chance to go for higher positions, which meant Seewer had to settle for third.

Jeremy Seewer

Febvre was making good progress as he got himself back into points after the first corner crash, though he went down once again which meant he had to re-group again. Eventually he finished the race in 14th.

Gajser though edged out lap after lap, to eventually win the race by 7.891 seconds over Cairoli, with Seewer crossing the line in third, a further 22.214 seconds down.

Tim Gajser

Things got interesting towards the end of the race, as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin put on a late charge to pass Lupino for 5th on lap 14 and then he also got Tonus for 4th with two laps to go.

MXGP Race 2

In the second heat, it was Cairoli who claimed his first Fox Holeshot of the season, though the Italian lost a bit of ground in the second corner, which allowed Seewer to sneak through into the lead.

Tony Cairoli took his first holeshot of the season in Race 2

Seewer didn’t lead for long, as he crashed out, which allowed Desalle to take first place. The Swiss was able to quickly pick himself up to re-join the race in 5th.

Gajser had a tough start to the race and was down in 7th on the opening laps, though made a couple of good passes on Lupino and JM Honda Racing’s Dylan Walsh, to get onto the rear wheel of Seewer and Paulin.

Gautier Paulin

Paulin, Seewer and Gajser then had a nice three-way fight for 3rd and after 9 laps of trying, the Slovenian was eventually able to pass Seewer to move into 4th, though he couldn’t quite get Paulin, who managed to hold on to a solid 3rd place.

But all eyes were on the two leaders, Desalle and Cairoli. The pair held a nice tight gap throughout the race, with the close battle giving us all flashback moments to the days when the Belgian and the Italian fought one another for world titles. Though Desalle was able to ride a calm and controlled race to take his first race win since MXGP of Russia in 2018.

Clement Desalle

With two GP’s remaining, Gajser continues to lead the MXGP Championship by 73 points, over Cairoli and Seewer, who is a further 18 points down in third.

Antonio Cairoli – P1

“I’m really happy to win the overall and to ride with Clement in the second moto; it was like a few years ago when we used to fight for the title! We were riding fast today. It’s always good to win in Italy but it’s not the same without any public so thanks to all those who were supporting from home. We’ll try to do our best for the rest of the championship. Tim is far ahead but we’ll try to enjoy the last two races and see what happens.”

Antonio Cairoli
Tim Gajser – P2

“Overall I am quite happy with how things went. The first race was almost perfect, getting the holeshot and then making a gap at the beginning. Tony was pushing to start with but I managed to increase the gap every lap and controlled the race to take the win. In the second race I messed up the jump out of the gate and had a couple of difficult moments in the first lap as I battled through the field. I tried to take it easy at the beginning, not rush things and not make a mistake. In the end I came back to fourth place which was good enough for second overall. I did try everything to make the pass for third, which would have been good enough for first but I couldn’t quite make it happen. It was still a good result though and there are four motos left to go, so I will keep focused and try do my best.”

Tim Gajser
Clement Desalle – P3

“It’s a really nice moment. I have continued to believe in myself and back at the truck after the first moto I even said to my team that I felt I could be fourth or fifth; mathematically even perhaps the podium was possible. That second moto will stay in my memory for a long time. I got a good start in third; I could pass Toni in a corner and then Jeremy made a mistake and I was leading. It’s a feeling I didn’t have for a long time; it was so nice and I appreciate it. I took it lap-by-lap. In the beginning I was making some mistakes in one sector; I didn’t have a good line there at first but I found a better one. After that I was really happy with my riding; I found a good rhythm and stayed focused. Toni came back at me some laps but I went again and with a few laps to go I realised that perhaps I could do it to the end. I gave what I had and I did it ! I’m super happy; such a nice feeling. I will take the next two GPs race-by-race but for sure I know what I can do and I would like another podium and another race win.“

Clement Desalle
Gautier Paulin – P4

“We are in good shape, with the bike, and myself too. No regrets today, I had really good rhythm, it was really tough to pass. I woke up a little bit too late in first moto to get back to third place. I came really close to Jeremy (Seewer) but it was too late to attack. In the second race I had quite a good start. I came close to the podium and I did everything I could to make the box, unfortunately it didn’t work out, but I still feel really good. It was a really good race. I know we can’t always make the podium, but the riding was strong, and I leave here happy today. We still have two more times to enjoy Trentino so there is still a lot to look forward to.”

Gautier Paulin
Jeremy Seewer – P5

“I threw away a podium or a really good result in the second moto when I crashed out of the lead, but overall it was a super solid day. I had good results with no big mistakes, it’s a fast track and everyone is running quite a similar pace. Fourth or fifth overall is not where I want to be, I want to be on the podium and battling up front, but still some solid points.”

Jeremy Seewer

MXGP Results

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto Wrap | GNCC | MXGP | EMX | MX Fest | Romaniacs

Moto News Weekly Wrap
October 27, 2020

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Jett Lawrence awarded 2020 Marty Smith Rookie of the Year

The first honoree of the newly named “Marty Smith Rookie of the Year” was GEICO Honda’s Jett Lawrence. On a bittersweet afternoon for the influential race team at the Fox Raceway National, the Australian capped off a stellar first full season of Pro Motocross competition by breaking through with the first win of what looks to be a promising career, which also helped him earn fourth in the final standings.

Jett Lawrence – Image by Align Media

The 17-year-old is the first Australian to earn the award and his victory, combined with the first career win for Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton in the 450 Class that same day, helped vault American Honda Motor Company to “Manufacturer of the Year”. The “Red Riders” amassed more points across both the 450 Class and 250 Class than any other OEM, wrapping up a banner afternoon and memorable season for the iconic Japanese brand.


2020 GNCC Yamaha Racing Ironman – Indiana

Round 12 of the 2020 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series concluded at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana on Sunday and coming through to take his second overall win of the season was Josh Strang.

Josh Strang – Image by Ken Hill

Strang steadily made his way through the pack after starting in the third place position. After moving into second Strang would set his sights on the lead position, and he would battle throughout the fourth lap to take over the number one spot. Strang would continue to lead the last four laps of racing, but not without pressure from AmPro Yamaha’s Steward Baylor Jr.

Strang and Baylor Jr. continued to battle on the last lap, but after an incident on Ironman hill Baylor Jr. would find himself falling behind Strang as they came through the motocross track to take the checkered flag. Baylor Jr. held the lead for the first three laps of racing before Strang made the stick, but even after a crash on the hill he would remain 1.5 seconds ahead of third overall.

Ben Kelley worked his way up after running seventh on the opening laps

Josh Strang – Image by Ken Hill

of racing. Kelley make the necessary passes to move up through the pack, and he would close the gap between him and Baylor Jr. as the white flag flew. Kelley moves into seventh overall in the points standings after missing the first half of the season.

Coming through to take fourth overall on the day was Kailub Russell. Russell found himself towards the front of the XC1 Open Pro riders at the beginning of the race but would make a mistake halfway through losing some valuable time with the leaders. Russell would continue to push on, ultimately coming through 7 seconds behind his teammate Kelley.

Steward Baylor Jr. – Image by Ken Hill

Another rider that found himself towards the front early on in the race was Layne Michael. On lap four, Michael came through timing and scoring holding onto third overall but as the race worse on he would find himself falling back two positions to take fifth overall on the day.

Grant Baylor was making moves throughout the duration of the race after coming through timing and scoring in eighth on the opening lap. Baylor would continue to push, as he made his way up to sixth overall after a hard-fought battle at this year’s Ironman event. Baylor continues to hold onto sixth in the XC1 Open Pro class standings.

Earning seventh on the day was Jordan Ashburn. After coming through fifth on lap one, Ashburn would have his work cut out for him as a hungry pack of riders were right behind him. Ashburn found himself as far back as eighth at one point in the race and would then move into seventh on the day continuing to stay in that position until the checkered flag flew.

Phoenix Honda Racing’s Andrew Delong made a last lap pass to move into eighth after running ninth for majority of the race. While Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thad Duvall suffered a crash on the fifth lap and found himself back to eighth after running up in fifth for the first half of the race. KLM Kawasaki’s Evan Earl rounded out the top 10 in the XC1 class after steadily holding onto that position throughout the race.

Andrew Delong – Image by Ken Hill

In the XC2 250 Pro class, it was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig Delong jumping out to grab the $100 Hot Cams XC2 Holeshot Award. Delong would then fall back to fifth in the class but would soon find himself picking off riders to make the pass for the lead on lap five. Delong would hold onto lead taking his fourth win of the season and regaining the class points lead as the series heads into its last round of racing.

Lyndon Snodgrass held the early lead but would soon face a battle with Jonathan Girroir. As the duo battle, Girroir would make the pass for the lead and hold onto it for one lap. Unfortunately, Girroir would crash towards the end of race and end up eleventh in his class. Snodgrass would regroup and continue to battle for a podium finish. Snodgrass would again make a last lap pass to regain second, landing himself his first podium finish in the XC2 class.

Rounding out the XC2 class podium in third was Mike Witkowski. Witkowski would battle throughout the three-hour race at the front of the pack, but he would be unable to hold the lead. Witkowski moved into second on the last lap, but with Snodgrass hot on his heels he would be unable to hold him off. Witkowski came through to take third in his class, and now sits second in the points standings.

Taking the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class win was Jason Raines. Coming through to earn second was the newly-crowned XC3 National Champion, Zack Hayes. Rounding out the podium in third was Jason Lipscomb.

Earning the top amateur honors was Joseph Cunningham after finishing 18th overall and first in the 250 A class. Dakoda Devore and Nathan Rector rounded out the top amateur podium with their 20th and 21st overall finishes.

Joseph Cunningham – Image by Ken Hill

In the 10 a.m. race it was Rachael Archer coming through to earn her fifth overall win of the season. Archer would take the win, even after an incident with a lapper left her with a possible broken ankle. Rachel Gutish came through to take second in the WXC class followed by Becca Sheets, who rounded out the WXC podium.

A new winner emerged in the youth ranks with Cole Forbes taking the youth overall win and the YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class win. Davis came through to earn second overall and in the YXC1 class, with Lane Whitmer crossing the line third overall in the 8 a.m. youth morning race.

$5,000 was awarded to the Montgomery County Community Foundation with donations coming from Yamaha Racing, KTM North America, HBD Moto Grafix, and the GNCC Racing Nation as they contributed in purchasing Pink Ironman stickers and partaking in the Mullets for Mammies by Bottleneck Live contest.

XC1 Pro Event Results

  1. Josh Strang (KAW)
  2. Steward Baylor Jr. (YAM)
  3. Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
  4. Kailub Russell (KTM)
  5. Layne Michael (YAM)
  6. Grant Baylor (SHR)
  7. Jordan Ashburn (KAW)
  8. Andrew Delong (HON)
  9. Thad Duvall (HQV)
  10. Evan Earl (KAW)

Overall National Championship Standings

  1. Kailub Russell (295)
  2. Josh Strang (246)
  3. Jordan Ashburn (185)
  4. Craig Delong (171)
  5. Michael Witkowski (161)
  6. Steward Baylor Jr. (158)
  7. Benjamin Kelley (153)
  8. Grant Baylor (152)
  9. Jonathan Girroir (146)
  10. Cody Barnes (122)

XC2 250 Pro Event Results

  1. Craig Delong (HQV)
  2. Lyndon Snodgrass (KAW)
  3. Michael Witkowski (YAM)
  4. Liam Draper (KTM)
  5. Cody Barnes (BET)
  6. Ryder Lafferty (HQV)
  7. Jonathan Johnson (HON)
  8. Jesse Ansley (KTM)
  9. Ben Parsons (HQV)
  10. Samuel Evans (KTM)

XC2 250 Pro Series Standings

  1. Craig Delong (296)
  2. Michael Witkowski (285)
  3. Jonathan Girroir (280)
  4. Cody Barnes (211)
  5. Liam Draper (194)
  6. Thorn Devlin (145)
  7. Jonathan Johnson (141)
  8. Ryder Lafferty (134)
  9. Benjamin Nelko (111)
  10. Jesse Ansley (103)

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2020 MXGP of Lommel – Round 15

The weekend saw the running of the 2020 MXGP of Lommel, as the final round of the Belgian triple-header, with a new track layout introduced to up the ante in sectors three and four, upping the tempo of the races, while adding an additional challenge for riders.

In MXGP it was Tim Gajser claiming top honours, winning both races, with Romain Febvre runner up in both races for second overall. Jeremy Seewer completed the overall podium, going 4-3.

Tim Gajser

Tim Gajser extended his standings lead as a result, now leading Tony Cairoli by 74-points, 583 to 509. Jeremy Seewer sits third on 499-points, while Jorge Prado was unable to compete in MX2 after testing positive for COVID-19 and was in self-isolation. The rest of his Red Bull KTM team had returned negative test results, however he dropped to fourth. Mitch Evans, still out with injury, sits 13th in the standings as the top Aussie.

MXGP Overall Results

Pos Rider Nat. Bike R1 R2 Total
1 Gajser, Tim SLO HON 25 25 50
2 Febvre, Romain FRA KAW 22 22 44
3 Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 18 20 38
4 Paulin, Gautier FRA YAM 16 18 34
5 Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 20 11 31
6 Tonus, Arnaud SUI YAM 13 16 29
7 Bogers, Brian NED KTM 15 14 29
8 Desalle, Clement BEL KAW 11 15 26
9 Tixier, Jordi FRA KTM 14 12 26
10 Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL HON 12 6 18
11 Vlaanderen, Calvin NED YAM 8 8 16
12 Van doninck, Brent BEL HUS 0 13 13
13 Bobryshev, Evgeny RUS HUS 3 10 13
14 Walsh, Dylan GBR HON 4 9 13
15 Monticelli, Ivo ITA GAS 7 4 11
16 Leok, Tanel EST HUS 5 5 10
17 Petrov, Petar BUL KTM 9 1 10
18 Watson, Nathan GBR HON 10 0 10
19 van der Vlist, Freek NED KTM 0 7 7
20 Potisek, Milko FRA YAM 6 0 6
21 Guillod, Valentin SUI HON 0 3 3
22 Sterry, Adam GBR KTM 0 2 2
23 Ebben, Kay NED KTM 2 0 2
24 Rannikko, Rene FIN HUS 1 0 1

MXGP Standings –  Top 30

Pos Rider Nat. Bike Total
1 Gajser, Tim SLO HON 583
2 Cairoli, A. ITA KTM 509
3 Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 499
4 Prado, Jorge ESP KTM 476
5 Febvre, Romain FRA KAW 465
6 Paulin, G. FRA YAM 403
7 Coldenhoff, G. NED GAS 375
8 Desalle, C. BEL KAW 362
9 Van Horebeek, J. BEL HON 289
10 Herlings, J. NED KTM 263
11 Jasikonis, A. LTU HUS 248
12 Bogers, Brian NED KTM 233
13 Evans, M. AUS HON 228
14 Tixier, Jordi FRA KTM 212
15 Vlaanderen, C. NED YAM 206
16 Monticelli, I. ITA GAS 161
17 Jacobi, Henry GER YAM 134
18 Tonus, Arnaud SUI YAM 122
19 Cervellin, M. ITA YAM 84
20 Lupino, A. ITA YAM 82
21 Bobryshev, E. RUS HUS 75
22 Leok, Tanel EST HUS 72
23 Walsh, Dylan GBR HON 67
24 Petrov, Petar BUL KTM 66
25 Van doninck, B. BEL HUS 53
26 Guillod, V. SUI HON 52
27 Paturel, B. FRA HON 45
28 Sterry, Adam GBR KTM 44
29 Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM 31
30 Jonass, Pauls LAT HUS 26

MX2

The MX2 class was hard fought with Ben Watson and Roan Van De Moosdijk sharing the wins, with just eight-points separating the top six. Watson came out on top adding a fourth place result to his win for the overall on 43-points. Van De Moosdijk had to settle for second on 40-points, with Maxime Renaux third, ahead of Thomas Kjer Olsen, GasGas’s Isak Gifting and Tom Vialle.

Roan Van De Moosdijk

Jed Beaton was inside the top-10 in eighth, claiming 27 championship points. He had a consistent day, not getting the best jump from the start in race one, and moving up through the ranks throughout the race, before making the pass for seventh on lap 13, Jed then chased Roan Van De Moosdijk to the chequered flag to end his race in seventh.

Moto two saw a much better start for the FC 250 rider. Moving into ninth early in the race, Jed progressed into seventh at the halfway stage of the race as he found his rhythm around the demanding Lommel track. Losing just one position as the moto neared the end, he finished eighth.

Jed Beaton

“A disappointing day today. Not my greatest day of racing but I’m healthy, which is important with three rounds to go. I found my flow in both races but not until towards the end, which was frustrating. By then there was a big gap ahead of me in each race. Overall, I felt like my riding was good, it just took me a little while to get going. Looking forward to some hardpack next weekend in Italy.”

Jed Beaton

Bailey Malkiewicz took 13th overall for 12-points, racing to 16th in Race 1, and improving that result to 14th in Race 2.

In terms of the championship, Geerts has lost some ground on Vialle who now heads into the final three rounds with a 74-point advantage, with Renaux down in third with 476 points. Beaton now sits fourth on 456-points, with fellow Australian Bailey Malkiewicz 16th on 119.

The world series now heads to Pietramurata in the north Italian province of Trentino next weekend for the last of five triple-header GPs which will complete the eighteen-round series.

MX2 Overall Results

Pos Rider Nat. Bike R1 R2 Total
1 Watson, Ben GBR YAM 25 18 43
2 Van De Moosdijk, Roan NED KAW 15 25 40
3 Renaux, Maxime FRA YAM 22 16 38
4 Olsen, Thomas Kjer DEN HUS 16 20 36
5 Gifting, Isak SWE GAS 13 22 35
6 Vialle, Tom FRA KTM 20 15 35
7 Benistant, Thibault FRA YAM 18 10 28
8 Beaton, Jed AUS HUS 14 13 27
9 Geerts, Jago BEL YAM 8 14 22
10 Östlund, Alvin SWE HON 9 12 21
11 Mewse, Conrad GBR KTM 12 8 20
12 Vaessen, Bas NED KTM 10 9 19
13 Malkiewicz, Bailey AUS HON 5 7 12
14 Renkens, Nathan BEL KTM 6 6 12
15 Horgmo, Kevin NOR KTM 7 5 12
16 Rubini, Stephen FRA HON 0 11 11
17 Genot, Cyril BEL YAM 11 0 11
18 Lesiardo, Morgan ITA HON 4 4 8
19 Polak, Petr CZE YAM 2 3 5
20 Nermann, Johannes EST HUS 3 2 5
21 Meier, Glen DEN YAM 1 1 2

MX2 Standings – Top 30

Pos Rider Nat. Bike Total
1 Vialle, Tom FRA KTM 651
2 Geerts, Jago BEL YAM 577
3 Renaux, Maxime FRA YAM 476
4 Beaton, Jed AUS HUS 456
5 Olsen, T. DEN HUS 446
6 Watson, Ben GBR YAM 440
7 Van De Moosdijk, R. NED KAW 417
8 Mewse, Conrad GBR KTM 307
9 Fernandez, R. ESP YAM 279
10 Boisrame, M. FRA KAW 234
11 Rubini, S. FRA HON 228
12 Östlund, Alvin SWE HON 215
13 Gifting, Isak SWE GAS 179
14 Forato, A. ITA HUS 156
15 Vaessen, Bas NED KTM 136
16 Malkiewicz, B. AUS HON 119
17 Haarup, Mikkel DEN KAW 118
18 Horgmo, Kevin NOR KTM 104
19 Renkens, N. BEL KTM 97
20 Crawford, N. AUS HON 91
21 Lesiardo, M. ITA HON 90
22 Pancar, Jan SLO KTM 88
23 Gilbert, Josh GBR HUS 87
24 Genot, Cyril BEL YAM 85
25 Hofer, Rene AUT KTM 73
26 Sikyna, R. SVK KTM 67
27 Guadagnini, M. ITA HUS 62
28 Laengenfelder, S. GER GAS 59
29 Sydow, Jeremy GER GAS 35
30 Roosiorg, H. EST KTM 33

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EMX125

Fantic Racing’s Andrea Bonacorsi secured the crown in the EMX125 class at the final round of the series in Lommel, as he became this year’s European Champion! The Italian entered today’s races with a 38-point advantage over David Braceras of RFME GasGas MX Junior Team and only needed to finish the races with a solid result in order to seal the deal. Bonacorsi finished the opening race of the day third, which was enough for him to claim the title in race one.

Andrea Bonacorsi

“It’s just amazing. I worked really hard for it [the title], with the team, with my family, with my trainer, the gold plate and European champion, so it’s amazing. For sure in Faenza, after the first win, then I had 6 race wins and I realised I could be champion.”

Andrea Bonacorsi claimed the EMX125 Championship

The Fantic Racing rider then had a much tougher second race after getting caught out in a first turn crash, which meant he had to start from way back and 11th was the best he could do. Unfortunately, he missed out on the podium, though the main focus was that he took home that all-important championship gold plate.

Despite a tough day, Braceras held enough of a gap to finish second in the championship with 282 points, ahead of Meico Vettik of TBS Conversions Racing Team who claimed the bronze medal after a solid day, which saw him also second overall on the podium.

EMX125 Race 1

The first race of the day saw WZ Racing’s Max Palsson lead the way as he was closely followed by Vettik and Scott Smulders of No Fear/Jumbo BT Racing Team on the opening lap. Meanwhile, the then championship leader, Bonacorsi, was down in 9th.

EMX125 Start

Guillem Farres of RFME GasGas MX Junior Team then crashed out of 6th and was down outside the top 20, as Smulders dropped out of 3rd as well and re-joined the race in 12th.

Bonacorsi though was wasting no time as by the first full lap he was already in 4th, looking to charge for the leaders as he was keen to wrap up the title in the first heat.

Palsson then extended his race lead over Vettik to 2.002 in the early stages of the race, and the gap remained pretty tight until the end of the race, as the two battled closely together.

Bonacorsi came under fire from the Creymert Racing pilot Haakon Osterhagen for 4th, though he was able to defend his position, before going after Pietro Razzini for third a few laps later.

It was a tough race for Braceras who had to start the race from outside the top 30 and fight his way through. Eventually the Spaniard finished the race in 16th, not a result he would have wanted after his previous success here in Lommel over the last couple of rounds.

Osterhagen then lost a bit of ground as he was getting caught by Romeo Karu and Ivano Van Erp of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC team, though he was able to maintain his position until the end of the race, while Karu made a mistake and finished in 15th.

On lap 9, Bonacorsi moved himself in 3rd, as Vettik gave it another go at passing Palsson though was not successful. He then gave it one last push on the final 3 laps as the gap was just 0.666 seconds, but Palsson was able to keep control and claim his first race win of the season.

EMX125 Race 2

The second race started with a little bit of drama in the first turn, which caught out a couple of riders including Karu and the new EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing champion, Bonacorsi. Though it was Van Erp who led the way, with Palsson in second and Valerio Lata of Marchetti Racing Team KTM in third.

Andrea Bonacorsi

Vettik started the second heat outside the top 5, though he was on a charge and quickly caught out to the group as he passed Braceras for 5th on lap two.

By lap 5 there was a change in the lead, as Van Erp crashed out, which allowed Palsson to make the most of this opportunity to go after another race win.

Farres was then on a charge as he had a nice battle with Quentin Prugnieres of BUD Racing Kawasaki. Eventually, the GasGas rider was able to find a way through into fourth on lap 7.

With 5 minutes and 2 laps to go, Palsson led the way by an impressive 11.960 seconds, as Osterhagen passed Nikita Kucherov for 7th and then went after Braceras. Not long after, the Norwegian burst down the inside of Braceras for 6th, as Kucherov was able to do the same, with the Spaniard getting pushed down to 8th and then 9th where he would eventually finish.

With 2 of laps to go, Florian Miot of KTM Diga Junior Racing was pushing hard to pass Farres for third, though got caught out in a crash and did not finish the race.

In the end it was Palsson who was the race winner, with Vettik second once again and Farres having a much stronger ride that time around to cross the line third.

With two race wins, Palsson claimed his first overall victory of the season as he took to the top step of the podium, while Vettik occupied second with two solid second place finishes in the races and Guillem Farres of RFME GasGas MX Junior Team made his 5th podium of the 2020 season as he took to third.

David Braceras

“Today I had a crash in the first race and then I was last, and then managed to get to seventeenth. In the second race, I started well but then wanted to stay safe because in the first race I lost a lot of points. I had a little problem with the goggles and wanted to stay safe and finish second in the championship. I’m happy with my position as I worked really hard with my team and my family and trainer, so I’m really happy and would like to thank everyone for all the support and now it’s time to prepare for the 250s”

Meico Vettik

“I’m really happy about the third place in the championship. I had some bad races and some good races, but I’m still happy about my season. Today I had good speed, in the second race I had a small problem with my goggles but still second, so I am happy. Thanks to all my supporters and friends.”

Max Palsson

“I’m super happy for the team and for myself as well. We work really hard. My starts were on point today and it made it a lot easier. The season as a whole though could have been a bit better, at the start of the year I wasn’t fully prepared, but I came back strong.”

Guillem Farres

“Overall it was a good day. In the first race I was around fourth in the first lap then I had a little crash and had to come from the back and finished sixth. In the second race, I had to start from ninth, made my way to third and in the last lap I was battling with Meico [Vettik] for second place but finally I could finish third.”

EMX125 Overall

Pos Rider Nat. Bike R1 R2 Total
1 Palsson, Max SWE KTM 25 25 50
2 Vettik, Meico EST KTM 22 22 44
3 Farres, Guillem ESP GAS 15 20 35
4 Osterhagen, Haakon NOR KTM 16 16 32
5 Bonacorsi, Andrea ITA FAN 20 10 30
6 Van Erp, Ivano NED YAM 14 15 29
7 Prugnieres, Quentin Marc FRA KTM 7 18 25
8 Razzini, Pietro ITA HUS 18 6 24
9 Kucherov, Nikita RUS KTM 8 14 22
10 Reisulis, Karlis Alberts LAT KTM 4 13 17
11 Braceras, David ESP GAS 5 12 17
12 Karu, Romeo EST HUS 9 7 16
13 Lata, Valerio ITA KTM 6 9 15
14 Rainio, Sampo FIN HUS 10 5 15
15 Miot, Florian FRA KTM 13 0 13
16 Smulders, Scott NED HUS 11 1 12
17 Soulimani, Saad FRA KTM 12 0 12
18 Cazal, Xavier FRA KTM 0 11 11
19 Valk, Cas NED KTM 2 8 10
20 Karssemakers, Kay NED YAM 0 4 4
21 Vetrovsky, Radek CZE KTM 0 3 3
22 Voxen Kleemann, William DEN HUS 3 0 3
23 Pedersen, Rasmus DEN KTM 0 2 2
24 Alonso Rodilla, Victor ESP YAM 1 0 1

EMX125 Standings

Pos Rider Nat. Bike Total
1 Bonacorsi, A. ITA FAN 333
2 Braceras, D. ESP GAS 282
3 Vettik, Meico EST KTM 268
4 Palsson, Max SWE KTM 263
5 Razzini, P. ITA HUS 240
6 Farres, G. ESP GAS 211
7 Roncoli, A. ITA HUS 194
8 Prugnieres, Q. FRA KTM 186
9 Lata, Valerio ITA KTM 171
10 Osterhagen, H. NOR KTM 167
11 Soulimani, S. FRA KTM 152
12 Miot, Florian FRA KTM 124
13 Brumann, Kevin SUI YAM 117
14 Smulders, S. NED HUS 92
15 Kucherov, N. RUS KTM 86
16 Reisulis, K. LAT KTM 81
17 Congost, G. ESP GAS 73
18 Everts, Liam BEL KTM 66
19 Valk, Cas NED KTM 66
20 Piller, C. GER KTM 64
21 Venhoda, M. CZE KTM 64
22 Van Erp, Ivano NED YAM 57
23 Pedersen, R. DEN KTM 56
24 Cazal, Xavier FRA KTM 53
25 Rossi, Andrea ITA KTM 51
26 Karssemakers, K. NED YAM 41
27 Rainio, Sampo FIN HUS 36
28 Russi, M. ITA KTM 34
29 Karu, Romeo EST HUS 33
30 Sanchez, Raul ESP YAM 30

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2020 MX Fest – Digger McEwen Motocross Park.

It was a jam-packed schedule of three days racing in Taupo, as the country’s riders had their first competitive hit-out for the season at Digger McEwen Motocross Park for MX Fest 2020.

In the MX1 class Cody Cooper took the overall win, despite tying on points with Hamish Harwood, both on 91-points. Kayne Lamont was third on 78-points, with Rhys Carter fourth, and Campbell King fifth.

Kayne Lamont – P3

“The weekend’s racing was a great time for me. I rode very calm and in control, which I was happy with. I have two months of prep now before SummerCross, so I will try do as much as possible with bike time and continue testing parts to finalise my set-up for the summer.”

Kayne Lamont – Image by CLMINTIEPIX

MX2 saw Josiah Natzke (93-points) take the overall win from Maximus Purvis (78), while Brodie Connolly was third (71). Seton Head and Jack Treloar completed the top five.

20-year-old defending MX2 national champion Maximus Purvis believed he “just lacked the fitness” to ride for the victories but vowed, “I’ll definitely be ready for SummerCross at the end of December.”

Maximus Purvis – Image by CLMINTIEPIX

Darren Capill took the MX3 overall from Keleb Livesey and Ryan Denby, while Jayden McAloon and Caleb Franklin completed the top five.

2020 Taupo MX Fest Results
MX1 Overall Top 10

Pos Rider Points
1 Cody Cooper 91
2 Hamish Harwood 91
3 Kayne Lamont 78
4 Rhys Carter 73
5 Campbell King 52
6 Hayden Smith 45
7 Brad Groombridge 45
8 Hadleigh Knight 44
9 Tommy Watts 39
10 Richard Horne 37

MX2 Overall Top 10

Pos Rider Points
1 Josiah Natzke 93
2 Maximus Purvis 78
3 Brodie Connolly 71
4 Seton Head 54
5 Jack Treloar 46
6 James Scott 42
7 Donovan Ward 39
8 Oliver Ayre 38
9 Logan Kerrisk 34
10 James Rountree 33

MX3 Overall Top 10

Pos Rider Points
1 Darren Capill 72
2 Kaleb Livesey 65
3 Ryan Denby 55
4 Jayden McAloon 54
5 Caleb Franklin 49
6 Marty Axtens 45
7 Ben Lawson 39
8 Tristan Hall 38
9 Shane Robinson 37
10 Ben Wright 29

Bereman wins inaugural Red Bull Imagination

American Tyler Bereman added another big win to his freeride motocross résumé when he edged out compatriot Colby Raha to claim the inaugural Red Bull Imagination competition around the rolling hills of Kansas.

Tyler Bereman

“Everyone keeps saying it was the most fun stuff that they’ve ever ridden, so this is a good place to start. Hopefully we can build on it and bring it back, inviting more people and showcasing what we do and why we do it. I’m just stoked to see where this thing takes us. Everyone keeps saying it was the most fun stuff that they’ve ever ridden, so this is a good place to start. Hopefully we can build on it and bring it back, inviting more people and showcasing what we do and why we do it. I’m just stoked to see where this thing takes us.”

Tyler Bereman – Image by Chris Tedesco/Red Bull Content Pool

The new event, from the mind of Bereman himself and brought to life by course designer Jason Baker of Dream Traxx, marked a major step forward for the sport. A host of the sport’s top riders – including Cole Seely, Tom Parsons, Vicki Golden, Ryan Sipes and Darryn Durham – braved the massive jumps to showcase their own personal riding style on the innovative course.

Colby Raha – Image by Chris Tedesco/Red Bull Content Pool

Carved into the Midwestern landscape just outside Fort Scott, the 18-acre course took a crew of five moving 50,000 cubic yards of dirt just 19 days to build, including 5 features such as berms, a shipping container and a quarterpipe with some jumps launching the riders 140 feet across and 55 feet up into the air.

Three days of session riding led to a competition, where each rider had two five-minute windows to showcase their talent in crafting the perfect line.

Ryan Sipes, Colby Raha, Tyler Bereman – Image by Chris Tedesco/Red Bull Content Pool

Legends of the sport Ronnie Renner, Jeremy ‘Twitch’ Stenberg, Robbie Maddison and Steve Haughelstine judged the contest from a tower overlooking the entire course and scored riders on creativity, technical ability and adapting features to showcase personal style.

Red Bull Imagination 2020 result

  1. Tyler Bereman USA 97.0
  2. Colby Raha USA 96.0
  3. Cole Seely USA 90.5
  4. Ryan Sipes USA 85.0
Tyler Bereman – Image by Chris Tedesco/Red Bull Content Pool

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WORCS Round 7 – Blythe, CA

FMF KTM Factory Racing Team’s Taylor Robert extended his points lead in the 2020 World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) with a pair of solid 1-2 finishes at this weekend’s double-header serving as rounds six and seven of the nine-race series.

Austin Walton took the overall win for Round 7, with Taylor Robert runner up and Dante Oliveira claiming the final Pro MC podium position. Tyler Lynn led the Pro 2 Lights, in fifth overall, while Tallon Lafountaine was top Pro 2 rider in sixth.

Taylor Robert leads the Pro MC standings on 169-points, with closest competitor Oliveira on 142, while Austin Walton is third overall on 131.

WORCS Round 6 Pro MC Results

Place Name Overall Fin. Elap. Time
1 TAYLOR ROBERT – KTM 1 01:22:45.647
2 DANTE OLIVEIRA – KTM 2 01:24:19.435
3 TREVOR STEWART – HON 3 01:26:07.313
4 JUSTIN SEEDS – YAM 4 1:26:56.248
5 ZACH BELL – KAW 5 01:27:42.882
6 TRAVIS DAMON – HON 9 01:30:13.596
7 COLE MARTINEZ – HON 10 01:31:36.940
8 GIACOMO REDONDI – HQV 12 01:22:55.532
9 AUSTIN WALTON – HQV 17 01:25:06.297
10 RYAN SURRATT – HQV 20 01:26:32.702

WORCS Round 7 MC Results

Pos Name Class Cls Pos Brand Last Scan
1 AUSTIN WALTON Pro (MC) 1st HQV 21:16.5
2 TAYLOR ROBERT Pro (MC) 2nd KTM 21:58.2
3 DANTE OLIVEIRA Pro (MC) 3rd KTM 24:36.6
4 COLE MARTINEZ Pro (MC) 4th HON 24:42.4
5 TYLER LYNN Pro 2 Lights (MC) 1st YAM 28:31.0
6 TALLON LAFOUNTAINE Pro 2 (MC) 1st HON 28:08.2
7 TREVOR STEWART Pro (MC) 5th HON 27:41.9
8 TODD SIBELL Pro 2 (MC) 2nd KAW 29:10.3
9 TRAVIS DAMON Pro (MC) 6th HON 28:47.6
10 KAI AIELLO Pro 2 (MC) 3rd HQV 29:24.6
11 MASON A OTTERSBERG Pro 2 (MC) 4th YAM 29:33.8
12 ANGUS RIORDAN Pro 2 Lights (MC) 2nd KTM 21:18.7
13 JUSTIN SEEDS Pro (MC) 7th YAM 21:26.1
14 JAKE ALVAREZ Pro 2 Lights (MC) 3rd KAW 22:55.8
15 RYAN SURRATT Pro (MC) 8th HQV 22:06.3
16 MASON OLSON Pro 2 (MC) 5th KTM 24:33.9
17 PALMER KING Pro 2 (MC) 6th KTM 25:35.4
18 MATEO OLIVEIRA Pro 2 (MC) 7th KTM 26:11.9
19 JT BAKER Pro 2 (MC) 8th SHR 26:15.5
20 BRANDY RICHARDS Pro 2 Lights (MC) 4th KTM 27:55.3
21 CLAYTON HENGEVELD Pro 2 (MC) 9th KAW 29:49.9
22 MATT MAPLE Pro 2 (MC) 10th HON 21:33.2
23 HAYDEN FLOREZ Pro 2 (MC) 11th YAM 22:42.4
24 ZACHARY CRAMER Pro 2 (MC) 12th KTM 31:30.7
25 GIACOMO REDONDI Pro (MC) 9th HQV 21:39.4
26 KAITLYN JACOBS Pro 2 Lights (MC) 5th KTM 25:28.9
27 ZACH BELL Pro (MC) 10th KAW 39:17.7
28 THOMAS DUNN Pro 2 Lights (MC) 6th YAM 16:10.7
29 COLTON AECK Pro 2 (MC) 13th HQV 08:18.9

WORCS PRO MC Standings

Pos Rider Rnd6 Fin. Rnd7 Fin. Total
1 TAYLOR  ROBERT 1 2 169
2 DANTE  OLIVEIRA 2 3 142
3 AUSTIN  WALTON 9 1 131
4 COLE  MARTINEZ 7 4 117
5 TREVOR  STEWART 3 5 109
6 JUSTIN  SEEDS 4 7 102
7 RYAN  SURRATT 10 8 94
8 TRAVIS  DAMON 6 6 92
9 ZACH  BELL 5 10 61
10 GIACOMO  REDONDI 8 9 45
11 DALTON  SHIREY 29
12 MITCH  ANDERSON 23
13 BLAYNE  THOMPSON 19
14 GARY  SUTHERLIN 18
15 BROC  SHOEMAKER 13
16 MIKE  ALESSI 13
17 BRYCE  SHONDECK 8
18 JACOB  SMITH 7
19 CHRIS  CONWAY 6

Riders prepared for 2020 Red Bull Romaniacs

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler is ready to race the 2020 edition of Red Bull Romaniacs. The grueling five-day event consists of a time trial qualification, followed by four long days of racing in the Romanian Hills. Based once again around the town of Sibiu, the hard enduro takes place from October 27 to 31.

Manuel Lettenbichler

“I’m feeling pretty good right now. I’ve been trying to get as much riding in as possible over the last couple of weeks as I wasn’t able to do too much after injuring my thumb, back in August. I’m really excited to just go back racing again, this year has been so mixed up, just the fact that we can do an event like Romaniacs is great. I won it last year and I want to do well this year, it’s just so difficult to know what to expect. Having not raced so much, it’s not easy to gauge where you are in terms of form compared to the other riders. The move to October hopefully won’t change things too much – it looks like it will stay dry and it will be cold early in the mornings, but it’s the same for everyone. I think we’re going to have a good race and I can’t wait to get into battle with the boys once again.”

Manuel Lettenbichler

Two-time winner of the event Jonny Walker will be unable to compete at the 2020 Red Bull Romaniacs due to an injury sustained to his elbow at a recent round of the British Extreme Enduro Championship. Although Jonny received surgery for the break, doctors have advised the 29-year-old not to return to competition as yet in order for the injury to heal. Also absent from this year’s Romaniacs, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia will instead contest the final two rounds of the Italian Enduro Championship.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team members Billy Bolt, Alfredo Gomez and Graham Jarvis have also safely arrived in Romania and are ready to contest the 2020 Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rallye, and the man undoubtedly looking to claim his first Romaniacs victory is Billy Bolt.

The reigning Superenduro World Champion has shown impressive form over the season, despite the pandemic-induced lack of events. Bolt won the first three races of the recent Sea to Sky extreme enduro in Turkey, only to lose out on the final day when a navigation error saw him lose valuable minutes to his rivals. The young Brit finished sixth at the 2019 running of Romaniacs, despite being less than 100 per cent fit.

Billy Bolt

Runner-up at the 2019 Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rallye, Alfredo Gomez will be looking to go one better in 2020 and claim his first ever win at the event. Showing incredible pace and stamina last year, Gomez became stronger as the enduro evolved to take his fight for the win right down to the final section – the infamous Gusterita Hillclimb. Frustratingly, losing out by just minutes, the experienced Spaniard knows what is required this year as he chases success at the world’s toughest hard enduro rallye.

Graham Jarvis comes into the 17th running of Romaniacs as a six-time winner of the race, hoping to make it seven victories in 2020. With the event moved to the autumn, the climate in the mountains will be tougher than ever – the early morning starts will be cold for all riders and with the possibility of extended rain, the steep tracks could prove to be hugely challenging. Jarvis hopes the demanding conditions will be in his favour as the Brit aims to climb onto the top step of the podium once again next Saturday.

Taddy Blazusiak meanwhile will make his first official outing as a GASGAS Factory Racing rider tomorrow, when the Polish star takes to the start of the Red Bull Romaniacs extreme enduro. Despite the multiple world champion signing for GASGAS Motorcycles back in July, the rescheduled running of the infamous hard enduro rallye marks Taddy’s first outdoor competition of 2020, and his first for GASGAS.

Taddy Blazusiak

“It’s really weird to have the first race of the year in October, it also looks like it might be the only one we’re doing, so we’re lucky in that respect. My plan is to go as hard as I can and get a good result. I’m really motivated to start with GASGAS – it’s my first race in the new colors and I’m definitely looking forward to it. The bike is working well, we’ve done a lot of work over the year and I’m happy with the whole package. Hopefully qualifying will go well tomorrow and I’ll earn a good start position, after that, we head into the hills and it’s already looking like it’s going to be a tough four days of racing.”

Taddy Blazusiak
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MX Sports Pro Racing Recognizes Contributions to 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

In the midst of a year filled with unpredictable challenges, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, completed a successful campaign, personifying the notion that great things can happen when the motocross industry rallies together, In celebration of the many individuals and organizations that helped make the 2020 season a reality MX Sports Pro Racing recognized several of the most significant contributions with a season-ending awards presentation after the Fox Raceway National.

Arguably the most important awards were handed out to the pair of newly crowned AMA National Champions, both of whom captured their first respective class titles. In the 450 Class, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne hoisted the Edison Dye Cup on the heels of four wins and six podium finishes. The Virginia native became the 25th different rider to earn a 450 Class title, and the 12th rider to earn championships across both of Pro Motocross’ competitive divisions. In addition to giving Husqvarna its first premier class title in the series, Osborne also cemented his own unique place in the record books as the oldest champion in the history of the sport at 31 years of age.

Zach Osborne – Image by Jeff Kardas

By virtue of Osborne’s exceptional season veteran technician Dave Feeney earned the “450 Class Champion Mechanic Wrench” while newly appointed team manager “Scuba” Steve Westfall commemorated his debut at the helm of the program with “Team Manager of the Year” accolades. The team’s semi driver, industry veteran Paul Delaurier, added to Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s award haul as “Transport Driver of the Year.”

In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis erased decades of heartbreak for French riders by becoming the first racer from the nation to raise the Gary Jones Cup. Ferrandis’ journey to become a champion on U.S. soil had been steadily building since he made the move to compete in American motocross for the 2017 season. His championship-winning run was a result of unparalleled consistency in which he captured three wins and eight podium finishes in nine rounds. Ferrandis is the 32nd different rider to win the 250 Class title and ended his stay in the division by providing Star Racing with its fifth championship in seven seasons.

Dylan Ferrandis 250 Champ – Image by Jeff Kardas

Ferrandis’ title meant his mechanic, Alex Campbell, was the recipient of the “250 Class Champion Mechanic Wrench.” Additionally, after yet another impressive season by the Bobby Regan owned team, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing was also named “Team of the Year.” With Ferrandis leading the way, a trio of Star riders earned a top-five finish in the final 250 Class standings as Shane McElrath secured a pair of podium finishes en route to third in points and Justin Cooper grabbed a win and two podiums to finish fifth. The team also welcomed a pair of promising young talents to the professional ranks with Jarrett Frye and Nate Thrasher.

In addition to celebrating the season’s most notable contributors, MX Sports Pro Racing also paid tribute to members of the motocross family that passed away this year. Marty Smith, the sport’s first true superstar, and his wife, Nancy, tragically lost their lives in April, which sent shockwaves through the racing community. As a tribute to Smith, and a testament to his impact on American motocross, the aforementioned yearly rookie award was renamed in his honor. The community was also hit hard with the passing of longtime flagger and Dirt Diggers North Motorcycle Club member Mike Mars, who succumbed to COVID-19 just prior to the start of the 2020 season in August.

MX Sports Pro Racing also recognized the collection of race teams, manufacturers, and the hundreds of participants who committed to embark on the 2020 season, no matter what obstacles arose. Additionally, the championship would not have been possible without the unwavering support from the group of series partners and sponsors that made hosting a nine-round series feasible, notably the broadcast partners at NBC Sports Group and championship title sponsor Lucas Oil. Crucial support also came from Red Bull, WPS, FLY Racing, GEICO Motorcycle, MotoSport.com, FMF Racing, Thor, Parts Unlimited, KTM, Deltran Battery Tender, MX vs ATV All Out, 100%, Husqvarna, Dunlop, Guaranteed Rate, KMC Wheels, VP Racing Fuels, Alpinestars, GoPro, Vertex Pistons, Acerbis, and Road 2 Recovery.

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2021 AMA Supercross and Motocross numbers announced

The American Motorcyclist Association has announced the professional competition numbers for pro-licensed riders competing in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, and the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship for the 2021 season.

Each rider uses the assigned professional number for competition. In addition, the current champion runs the No. 1 plate, instead of an assigned professional number, when competing in the class or region in which the No. 1 plate was earned.

When competing in a class other than the class in which the championship was earned, the rider must use the professional number assigned.

2021 Top 100 and Career Pro Numbers for AMA Supercross and Motocross
* Career Numbers

1 — 450SX Eli Tomac
1 — 450MX Zach Osborne
1 — 250MX Dylan Ferrandis
1W Dylan Ferrandis
1E Chase Sexton
2* Cooper Webb
3* Eli Tomac
4* Blake Baggett
6* Jeremy Martin
7* Aaron Plessinger
9* Adam Cianciarulo
10* Justin Brayton
11* Kyle Chisholm
12* Shane McElrath
14* Dylan Ferrandis
15* Dean Wilson
16* Zach Osborne
17* Joey Savatgy
18 Jett Lawrence
19* Justin Bogle
20* Broc Tickle
21* Jason Anderson
22* Chad Reed
23* Chase Sexton
24* RJ Hampshire
25* Marvin Musquin
26* Alex Martin
27* Malcolm Stewart
28 Brandon Hartranft
29 Christian Craig
30 Jo Shimoda
31 Cameron McAdoo
32* Justin Cooper
33 Derek Drake
34 Max Anstie
35 Mitchell Harrison
36 Martin Davalos
37 Benny Bloss
38 Austin Forkner
39 Carson Mumford
40 Vince Friese
41 Hunter Lawrence
42 Michael Mosiman
43 Fredrik Noren
44 Tyler Bowers
45 Pierce Brown
46* Justin Hill
47 Jalek Swoll
48 Garrett Marchbanks
49 Mitchell Oldenburg
50 Enzo Lopes
51* Justin Barcia
52 Luke Clout
53 Jake Masterpool
54 Nick Gaines
55 John Short
56 Kyle Peters
57 Justin Rodbell
58 Jacob Hayes
59 Jarrett Frye
60 Chris Blose
61 Joey Crown
62 Mason Gonzales
63 Martin Castelo
64 Colt Nichols
65 Carson Brown
66 Jordan Bailey
67 Stilez Robertson
68 Jace Owen
69 Robbie Wageman
70 Henry Miller
71 Killian Auberson
72 Coty Schock
73 Derek Kelley
74 Mitchell Falk
75 Ty Masterpool
76 Grant Harlan
77 Jerry Robin
78 Kyle Cunningham
79 Isaac Teasdale
80 Jordon Smith
81 Justin Starling
82 Lorenzo Locurcio
83 Alex Ray
84 Josh Hill
85 Kevin Moranz
86 Darian Sanayei
87 Curren Thurman
88 Logan Karnow
89 Ryan Breece
90 Dilan Schwartz
91 Nate Thrasher
92 Chase Marquier
93 Hardy Munoz
94* Ken Roczen
95 Joshua Osby
96 Michael Leib
97 Ben LaMay
98 Justin Hoeft
99 Hunter Sayles

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Ben Townley re-imagines motorsport with SX4

“I want fans to love our sport, I want our industry to grow, but most importantly I want our sport to be mainstream. SX4 will give us the platform to achieve this,” says motocross superstar Ben Townley as he launches

SX4 starting blocks

.

Inspired by Ben’s innovative knowledge of the sport, SX4 combines four riders, four laps, four corners and four obstacles into two-minutes of action-packed racing. The best of the best will compete under immense pressure and fans will witness more crashes and more high-octane action than in the traditional formats familiar to motocross fans.

“I am super stoked with how things are starting to come together for our first ever SX4 event. The industry have been super supportive of my ideas and I’m looking forward to seeing spectators share the love as we build towards 9 January,” said Ben Townley as he prepares the track for this weekend’s demonstration event.

Ben Townley

Over the last few years a site at the Taupo Motorcycle Club has been a labour of love for Townley who has played an integral part in the development. The new track will be tested at a demonstration event this coming Labour Weekend as part of MXFest. The first standalone SX4 event is set to be staged at Digger McEwan Motocross Park, Taupo on 9 January 2021.

Nick Rowland, SX4’s Fan Engagement Director has enjoyed jumping into a sport that is followed with such passion sharing, “Putting fans first is our goal as we create a thrilling new spectacle. Whether it be at the event, through the innovative broadcast elements or the sheer intensity of the racing, SX4 is set to change the game globally for motorsport for years to come.”

The inaugural event will see 12 of NZ’s top riders compete of 15 races in a two-hour window on 9 January 2021 at Digger McEwan Motorsport Park, Taupo. Individuals will compete for prize money. A Manufacturers Championship is also in development and will be another NZ first in the sport of motocross.

For more information and to buy tickets head to www.sx4.co.nz.

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Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team welcome Ben Watson for 2021

Yamaha Motor Europe have announced that Ben Watson will take an exciting step up the Yamaha Racing pyramid and will join the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team for the 2021 MXGP season. The 23-year-old from Nottinghamshire, England joined Yamaha and the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team in 2018, where he celebrated his first podium finish and ranked fourth in the FIM MX2 World Championship in his first term on the YZ250F, the British rider has made great progress.

Ben Watson moves up to the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team in 2021

Proving his potential, Watson bounced back from an injury struck 2019 season to add five more podium successes to his credit, including a first-ever Grand Prix win at this weekend’s MXGP of Lommel. Immediately after celebrating his victory on the podium, the young Brit was delighted to learn that he would be drafted in the Factory MXGP team, where he will campaign a YZ450FM in his rookie MXGP season.

Part of a strong strategy to develop the next generation of MXGP champions, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team will remain a three-rider line-up in 2021. Watson will join Jeremy Seewer as the Swiss rider enters his fourth year with Yamaha and third year as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory rider, while the rider who will fill the third and final slot in the team will be announced in the very near future.

Ben Watson – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP

“Firstly, I want to thank each and every member of staff in Kemea. The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team gave me everything and more every day for three years. I am so grateful to join the Factory MXGP team and stay with my Yamaha Family. It means so much to me and I cannot wait for this new challenge. I have been lucky enough to work closely and get to know Louis Vosters, Vitaliy Tonkov and some of the other Wilvo team members and I know I will be welcomed with open arms. I truly believe the YZ450FM will be a great bike for my riding style and I am really motivated to show everyone what I can do in MXGP. I know the category is at such a high level, so I am fortunate to join a team with a lot of experience, success and motivation. I really want to learn and show progression, it’s what I work towards every year and with the experience of my teammates in MXGP, I know I will be able to gain a lot of knowledge and continue my development. I am so excited to get started now and jump on this amazing bike to prepare for the new season.”


Thibault Benistant joins Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team for 2021

Yamaha Motor Europe have announced that Thibault Benistant will join the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team for the 2021 season. The recently crowned EMX250 Champion will race a YZ250FM in the FIM MX2 World Championship alongside Jago Geerts and Maxime Renaux.

Thibault Benistant

“I am really proud to move into the Yamaha Factory team. I have to thank Yamaha and Hans (Corvers) for making it happen, they have made it possible for me to enter my first year in MX2 with the best bike in the paddock. This is something I really look forward to and something I am really proud of.”

Thibault Benistant joins the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team in 2021

Working his way up the Yamaha Racing pyramid, Benistant has paved his way to the MX2 World Championship with titles in both EMX125 and EMX250. He won the EMX125 Championship in 2018 aboard a GYTR kitted YZ125 and was a contender for the EMX250 title the following year at his first attempt. During his rookie season, Benistant celebrated a podium finish at his home round in France and took his YZ250F to fifth overall.

Remaining on a GYTR kitted YZ250F in 2020, the 18-year-old from Avignon was drafted into the Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250 team and moved to Holland in order to train close to the team’s base. Realising his obvious potential and proving that hard work pays dividends, Benistant celebrated eight EMX250 race wins, six round wins and seven podium finishes on his way to securing the 2020 EMX250 title.

As the freshly crowned European EMX250 Champion, Benistant will make his MX2 debut with the support of the Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250 team in Lommel, Belgium on Sunday 25th October.

Alexandre Kowalski – Yamaha Motor Europe Off-Road Racing Manager

“Yamaha is really happy to have Thibault join the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 team. Thibault is a pure product of Yamaha’s program and has a lot of potential. He has been with Yamaha for many years, since 2010. He entered the EMX125 class with Yamaha and our Official team, MJC Yamaha Official EMX125, where they nurtured him and helped him develop the foundation of a true champion. We have to thank MJC for that, and then he moved into the Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250 team where they also did an incredible job in improving his strength and race craft on a GYTR kitted YZ250F. Yesterday Thibault took another step up the Yamaha Racing pyramid and was crowned European Champion in the EMX250 class, and now he has been signed to the Factory team. For us, Thibault is a perfect example of how a rider can develop and progress within the Yamaha Family, and we look forward to celebrating even more championships with him.”

Hans Corvers – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 Team Owner

“I am really happy to sign an 18-year-old talent like Thibault. He is still really young and is an exciting rider. We have had some good experience with French kids in the past, so it’s nice to another one along with Maxime (Renaux). We’ve been following Thibault for many years, even before he was EMX125 Champion and now he is EMX250 Champion, it is our goal to try to make him an MX2 Champion.”

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2021 Under-21 And Junior Speedway Date Changes

Gillman Speedway, South Australia, will kick off two nights of action with the Australian Speedway Under 21 Championship and the FIM Oceania Speedway Championship to be held January 29 and 30, 2021, respectively.

Originally scheduled for January 16, The Australian Speedway Under 21 Championship now moves to January 29, giving speedway fans two sensational nights of back to back racing action at Gillman Speedway.

The Australian Under-21 Speedway Championship has been held since 1986, with Australian speedway stars Leigh Adams, Chris Holder and Max Fricke, jointly holding the record for most wins in the Australian Under-21 Championship with four wins each, and current Champion Jaimon Lidsey a three-time winner.

The FIM Oceania Speedway Championship brings the best of the best in the region to Gillman Speedway on January 30.

Due to COVID-19 the Australian Under 16s 125cc Solo and Teams Championship will be moved from the traditional January date and will now be held at Sidewinders, South Australia on September 25 and 26, 2021 to ensure all riders from each State are able to attend.

The Under 16s 125cc Solo and Teams Championship showcases our up and coming talent which usually delivers nail biting race action on track.

Dates for the Australian Under 16s 250cc Championship to be held at Gillman Speedway is yet to be confirmed due to current State border restrictions and further information will be provided as soon as possible.

All events are subject to State Government COVID-19 restrictions.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Jed Beaton P8 at MXGP of Lommel | Gajser sweeps MXGP

2020 MXGP

Round 15 – MXGP of Lommel – Belgium


The weekend saw the running of the 2020 MXGP of Lommel, as the final round of the Belgian triple-header, with a new track layout introduced to up the ante in sectors three and four, upping the tempo of the races, while adding an additional challenge for riders.

In MXGP it was Tim Gajser claiming top honours, winning both races, with Romain Febvre runner up in both races for second overall. Jeremy Seewer completed the overall podium, going 4-3.

Tim Gajser

Tim Gajser extended his standings lead as a result, now leading Tony Cairoli by 74-points, 583 to 509. Jeremy Seewer sits third on 499-points, while Jorge Prado was unable to compete in MX2 after testing positive for COVID-19 and was in self-isolation. The rest of his Red Bull KTM team had returned negative test results, however he dropped to fourth. Mitch Evans, still out with injury, sits 13th in the standings as the top Aussie.

The MX2 class was hard fought with Ben Watson and Roan Van De Moosdijk sharing the wins, with just eight-points separating the top six. Watson came out on top adding a fourth place result to his win for the overall on 43-points. Van De Moosdijk had to settle for second on 40-points, with Maxime Renaux third, ahead of Thomas Kjer Olsen, GasGas’s Isak Gifting and Tom Vialle.

Roan Van De Moosdijk took one of the MX2 race wins

Jed Beaton was inside the top-10 in eighth, claiming 27 championship points. He had a consistent day, not getting the best jump from the start in race one, and moving up through the ranks throughout the race, before making the pass for seventh on lap 13, Jed then chased Roan Van De Moosdijk to the chequered flag to end his race in seventh.

Moto two saw a much better start for the FC 250 rider. Moving into ninth early in the race, Jed progressed into seventh at the halfway stage of the race as he found his rhythm around the demanding Lommel track. Losing just one position as the moto neared the end, he finished eighth.

Jed Beaton

“A disappointing day today. Not my greatest day of racing but I’m healthy, which is important with three rounds to go. I found my flow in both races but not until towards the end, which was frustrating. By then there was a big gap ahead of me in each race. Overall, I felt like my riding was good, it just took me a little while to get going. Looking forward to some hardpack next weekend in Italy.”

Jed Beaton

Bailey Malkiewicz took 13th overall for 12-points, racing to 16th in Race 1, and improving that result to 14th in Race 2.

In terms of the championship, Geerts has lost some ground on Vialle who now heads into the final three rounds with a 74-point advantage, with Renaux down in third with 476 points. Beaton now sits fourth on 456-points, with fellow Australian Bailey Malkiewicz 16th on 119.

The world series now heads to Pietramurata in the north Italian province of Trentino next weekend for the last of five triple-header GPs which will complete the eighteen-round series.


MXGP Race 1

In the opening race, it was Gajser who claimed the Fox Holeshot. He was closely followed by Seewer and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli, who wasted no time to pass into second by the end of the opening lap. Febvre also went through on Seewer on the opening lap, pushing him down to fourth.

Romain Febvre

Febvre then passed Cairoli and put in some solid laps, as he worked away at the 3.906 second gap between himself and the race leader. A lap later the gap was halved as just 1.716 was in it between the Honda and Kawasaki rider.

Seewer was pushing to go after Cairoli, in the early stages of the race, to claim back third, though eventually lost a bit of ground on the 9-time world champion.

Tony Cairoli

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Arnaud Tonus was having a really solid ride in the opening race, as he went after Jordi Tixier of JT911 for fifth. At one point in the race the factory Yamaha riders, Seewer, Tonus and Gautier Paulin were fourth, fifth and sixth in the race, before Paulin found a way through on his teammate, who came into the goggle lane towards the end of the race and lost a couple of more spots.

Gajser and Febvre kept things close for the first half of the race, though towards the latter stages, the HRC rider showed that he was on another level as he edged out further and by the end finishing the race with a 22.638 second gap. Febvre was second and Cairoli in a solid third. Seewer settled for fourth, while his teammate Paulin finished behind him in fifth.

Tim Gajser

Marchetti Racing Team KTM’s Brian Bogers and Tixier both had a solid race to finish sixth and seventh.

MXGP Race 2

Race two saw Gajser out in the lead once again, with Tonus, Febvre, Seewer and SR Honda Motoblouz rider Jeremy Van Horebeek also getting a good start. Meanwhile Cairoli had an unlucky beginning to the heat, as he picked himself up in last after crashing in the first couple of corners.

Tony Cairoli

There was also drama for Gajser on the opening lap, as he went down while in first, which allowed Seewer to quickly sneak into the lead. The Swiss led briefly as Febvre pushed hard to get around him and eventually moved into first.

Tim Gajser

Febvre then edged away from Seewer, while Gajser was making his way back up the order as he caught onto the back of Van Horebeek. It took a couple of laps for Gajser to get around the #89 and when he was eventually able to do so he then went after Tonus who was third at the time.

By lap 5 Gajser was already ahead of Tonus, as he set his sights on Seewer. The Slovenian carved his way around the deep sand in impressive fashion, and two laps later was up in second, as Seewer dropped to third.

Arnaud Tonus

With 10 minutes on the clock the gap was 6.168 between Febvre and Gajser, though Gajser was able to take almost two seconds out of the Frenchman by the next lap and then worked away at the gap even further and by lap 11, the Honda rider, was the new race leader.

With three laps to go, Tonus came under fire from Paulin and Van Horebeek, though Van Horebeek did not finish the race due to what looked like a bike issue.

Romain Febvre

In the end it was Gajser who claimed a double race win, with Febvre second and Seewer third.


Tim Gajser – P1

“I’m very happy with how the whole week went. All three rounds my speed was good and I was enjoying the riding. In the first moto I took a really important holeshot because it was raining and the track was wet so it was a lot easier to ride in front rather than get roosted. At the beginning Romain was pushing but I managed to get a good gap and control the race. The second race I got the holeshot again but on the first lap I fell after getting sideways. I went back to seventh or so and it took me a couple of laps to regroup a bit. Then I found some good lines, made some passes and worked all the way back into the lead. I was riding really well and I’m super happy to go one-one here and finish off this week with such a good performance. A big thanks to everyone in the team who continues to work so hard in these difficult times, and I’m really looking forward to getting to Trentino!”

Tim Gajser
Romain Febvre – P2

“In the second heat I was really comfortable in the lead and doing some good things so I just tried to keep my rhythm but I knew I could be better on two particular sections of the track and could see Tim coming back at me. I knew for sure he must have better lines than me in those parts of the track so I hoped to see his lines but two corners after he passed me I crashed so I could not follow him. It’s not really what I would have hoped but at least we are back on the box after just missing it on the same points in the first two races here. I’m looking forward to Arco; maybe it will be cold, maybe not, but we feel good and will be looking for more podiums there.”

Romain Febvre
Jeremy Seewer – P3

“It’s nice to be back on the podium after a tough week here in Lommel. It was really brutal out there, the rain, the weather, the track, three GP’s in a row, Lommel, it was just really tricky. I am happy to be back on the podium with two solid motos and no big mistakes. I’m looking forward to the next three GP’s in Arco di Trento because this is more my type of track so there are still some positive races left.”

Jeremy Seewer
Gautier Paulin – P4

“I feel strong. I missed the podium by 1 or 2 points. I am disappointed about this. I am happy with my riding. I had an okay start in Race 1, but I hit the rear wheel of Cairoli and had to make my way back to the front. This was not easy because I had a lot of roost on the goggles and stuff. In the second race, I started better with three or four strong corners to get close to the front, but I stalled the bike. I was passed by many riders because of this mistake and in the end, it cost me the podium. I missed something a little bit today, but the feeling was there, and the riding was strong.”

Gautier Paulin
Arnaud Tonus – P6

“Lommel is already a tough track even before we had to come here and do three GP’s in a row. It was super challenging mentally. Honestly, I was really tired after the first race. It was a real mental challenge to overcome. I am super happy to finish strong like I did. I made a couple of mistakes at the end and crashed but it is how it is, I think everyone did. The rain made it super tough today.”

Arnaud Tonus

MXGP Results

Source: MCNews.com.au

Beaton 10th despite crashes at MXGP of Limburg

2020 MXGP

MXGP of Limburg – Belgium


Riders rolled back into Lommel for Round 14 of the 2020 MXGP Championship, with the MXGP of Limburg run mid-week and witnessing a KTM double as Jorge Prado and Tom Vialle took the MXGP and MX2 round overalls respectively. Racing saw mixed conditions, with rain, sunshine and wind adding to the challenge of the deep sand of the Lommel course.

KTM celebrated the double win at the MXGP of Limburg

In MXGP Jorge Prado took the round overall over Tim Gajser by just two-points, with a 2-1 result clinching the deal, to Gajser’s 1-3. Antonio Cairoli was third overall, going 2-5, tied on points with Romain Febvre who missed out due to his 3-4 result. Jeremy Seewer completed the top five overall.

Tim Gajser still holds a generous lead in the standings on 533-points, with Cairoli on 478, while Prado is just two points further back on 476, as he closes down that gap. Aussie Mitch Evans sits 12th, on 228-points despite still being out recovering from injury.

Tom Vialle took the MX2 win with a 2-1 result, with Yamaha’s Ben Watson and Jago Geerts second and third overall. Watson posting a 3-2 result and Geerts claiming the win in Race 1, but back in seventh in Race 2. Gas Gas’s Isak Gifting was fourth overall, Maxime Renaux fifth and Jed Beaton was top Australian with two tenth places for ninth overall. Fellow Aussie Bailey Malkiewicz was 15th, going 14-19.

Tom Vialle

The MX2 standings now see Vialle in the lead on 616-points, to Geerts’ 555. Maxime Renaux is third on 438, with Jed Beaton now fourth on 429-points. Malkiewicz sits in 17th, on 107 points.

Jed Beaton was lucky to escape unscathed following a high-speed start straight crash in the opening MX2 moto. Re-joining the race, he caught up to the pack moving past eight riders to regain 19th, before forging his way back to 10th. A fall in Race 2 also saw Beaton drop down the order, before fighting for another 10th place.

Jed Beaton

“Not good. I had a big crash going down the start straight in race one. It was a bit of a chain reaction and I didn’t see it coming so that was a big one. Something hit my arm pretty hard because it was numb for a little bit. Feeling started to come back as I got going and I then put my head down. Getting run over before two motos around Lommel isn’t the one but we’re back for more on Sunday so I’m hoping to end this week on a positive note.”

Jed Beaton

MXGP Race 1

Jorge Prado made his eight-podium appearance during the MXGP of Limburg today after some close battles in both races, where he finished second and third to secure his first GP overall in Lommel, in the premier class.

Jorge Prado

After running off track and taking some time to get going again in race two, Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, had to settle for third in the second heat, after a race win in the opening race, which gave him second overall today, as the Slovenian continued to show impressive form in the sand.

While, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli made his return to the podium, since Mantova, as a fifth and a second in the races was enough to put him on the third step of the podium, an improvement from the previous round here in Belgium.

Toni Cairoli

In the first race, it was Prado who claimed the Fox Holeshot, as he led Gajser, Romain Febvre of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team, then followed by Jeremy Seewer from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing and Marchetti Racing Team KTM’s Brian Bogers, who continue his impressive form, after setting the fastest lap in timed practice.

Prado then continued to lead Gajser and Febvre, with the Frenchman looking to close in on the pair ahead. Gajser then made a mistake and was lucky to keep it on two wheels, though in the process lost second place to Febvre.

Febvre then bettered his previously set fastest lap of the race, as he got within 1.980 seconds to Prado and continued to work away at the gap as he closed in on the leader.

Romain Febvre

Home rider, Jeremy Van Horebeek of Honda SR Motoblouz then crashed out of sixth place, and was able to re-group in 16th, though he eventually came home in 11th position.

Febvre then lost second to Gajser on lap five, as Seewer continued to fend off a hard charging Bogers. The Swiss then managed to break free of the Marchetti KTM rider, and even had Febvre in his sights for a top three finish.

Jeremy Seewer

Prado then led the way by 3.399, though by the following lap the gap was down to 2.028 and then he was on the rear wheel of the Spaniard. All while, Bogers lost fifth to Cairoli.

And with a few laps to go, Gajser took the lead away from Prado and opened up a 2.129 second gap. At the same time Seewer had caught onto the back of Febvre, though was not able to find a way through and in the end had to settle for fourth.

Tim Gajser

With a lap to go, the gap was just 1.376 between the factory Honda and KTM riders, though in the end it was Gajser who claimed the opening race win, while Prado crossed the line in second and Febvre third.

MXGP Race 2

In race two, Prado got another flying start, behind him though was Cairoli, Gajser and Seewer. And Gajser wasted no time to get himself up into second and then into the lead on lap 5. Cairoli was also looking to do the same, as he pushed to get around his teammate.

Jorge Prado

Seewer then made a mistake and fell down to sixth in the race, as Febvre charged to get around Bogers for P4.

Gajser didn’t lead for long as by the next lap, the Team HRC rider found himself off track, and took some time to get going again. The Slovenian re-joined the race in 7th.

Prado was the new race leader, as he led the 9-time world champion, Cairoli, by 1.065 seconds with 11 minutes on the clock. The two then battled closely together with one another until the end of the race, as Cairoli briefly was able to pass into the lead, though the Spaniard was able to respond quickly on each occasion.

Toni Cairoli

Febvre then started to close in on the pair, and while pushing to get closer, made a small mistake and went down. Meanwhile, Gajser was down in 6th and closing in on Seewer, who made a small error, which allowed the championship leader inside the top 5.

In the end it was Prado who was the winner, with Cairoli second and Gajser third.

Tim Gajser

Gajser now leads the championship by 55 points, as we head into round 15 of the FIM Motocross World Championship this weekend, for the final race here in Lommel.


Jorge Prado – P1

“It was a tough day and I didn’t feel 100% but I fought as much as I could. Tony and I had a good race in the second moto and I gave my ‘all’ for that victory; I’m really happy to have made it. The injuries at the start of the season meant that I missed bike time and I was racing without preparation. Now I am starting to feel better and I think it’s normal that it takes some time to get to a good level. Now we have to recover and get ready to go again on Sunday.”

Jorge Prado
Tim Gajser – P2

“Overall, I’m quite happy with the day. My riding was good and my speed was good in both motos, I just made that small mistake after I passed Prado to go into the lead in race two. I didn’t even crash, I just went off the track into the banners and lost 20 seconds. After that, I regrouped for a lap before picking up the speed and passing guys in front of me. My laptimes were a lot faster than the leaders and I closed right up, it’s just a shame I ran out of laps. So yes, it was a good day, winning a race and showing speed again in race two. I am very much looking forward for Sunday as I’m really enjoying riding in the sand and hopefully I can continue to get up onto the podium again.”

Antonio Cairoli  – P3

“I liked today. Last weekend was an ‘ugly copy’ of me because everyone knows I can ride the sand. Today was still not my best day on this surface but the second moto was good, and I had a nice feeling on the bike. I made some mistakes but got closer to the front. I was a little bit faster than Jorge in some places but was already out of roll-off so I didn’t get the chance to overtake him again and [Romain] Febvre was closing in. I was trying to go for the win but Jorge was strong. He deserved the overall. We’ll try to be better on Sunday and go for the win, for sure.”

Toni Cairoli
Romain Febvre – P4

“I can’t really say that the day went as I planned! In the first race I passed Gajser when he made a mistake but then he passed me back when I also made a mistake; then I had some arm pump and lost contact with him but I could secure my third position. My second start wasn’t so good. The first corner was quite unpredictable but I came back to third; then I had a crash which cost one position but I came back third behind Cairoli again and on the last lap I saw him make a mistake before the waves section. I tried to pass him but I crashed, losing one position and the podium; too bad but I have no regrets as I had to take the chance. That’s racing; let’s hope that I will be able to put all the pieces together on Sunday.”

Romain Febvre
Jeremy Seewer – P5

“Even though it rained quite a bit this morning, the track had quite a bit of flow because they made some changes that took a lot of little obstacles away. I felt better on the track this morning, I had quite a decent first moto, I had two good starts. I battled for third in the first race but decided to settle for fourth and go for the second race. This strategy didn’t work at all because I made some bike changes between in the break between races but somehow went completely the wrong way, so I struggled with that and then I couldn’t find my flow and I felt empty in terms of energy. The season is getting long so it’s getting really tough to stay mentally and physically 100%. I gave it my all, I can’t blame myself and now up to the last one on Sunday.”

Jeremy Seewer
Jeremy Seewer

MXGP Results

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto Wrap | AFT | MXGP | EMX | MX | SoN

Moto News Weekly Wrap
October 20, 2020

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2020 AFT Finale Daytona I & II

Images by Scott Hunter

AFT SuperTwins – Daytona I

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
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
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
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
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
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
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 - Daytona I
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
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
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 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

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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
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
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.”

vAFT SuperTwins - Daytona II
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

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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
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
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
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
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
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

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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
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
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
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 wins 2020 Speedway of Nations
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

  1. RUSSIA 23: 1 Emil Sayfutdinov 15, 2 Artem Laguta 8, 3 Evgenii Saidullin DNR.
  2. POLAND 23: 1 Bartosz Zmarzlik 15, 2 Szymon Wozniak 8, 3 Dominik Kubera DNR.
  3. DENMARK 19: 1 Leon Madsen 10, 2 Anders Thomsen 4, 3 Marcus Birkemose 5.
  4. SWEDEN 19: 1 Fredrik Lindgren 14, 2 Oliver Berntzon 5, 3 Alexander Woentin DNR.
  5. AUSTRALIA 17: 1 Jason Doyle 5, 2 Max Fricke 12, 3 Jaimon Lidsey 0.
  6. GREAT BRITAIN 12: 1 Robert Lambert 6, 2 Drew Kemp DNR, 3 Dan Bewley 6.
  7. 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
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
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
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
  1. Charli Cannon – 105 (Yamaha YZ85)
  2. Darci Whalley – 94
  3. Madi Simpson – 92
12-U16 years Lites
  1. Charli Cannon – 105 (Yamaha YZ250F)
  2. Darci Whaley – 96
  3. Holly Van der Boor – 88
Senior Women
  1. Taylah McCutchen – 105 (Yamaha YZ250F)
  2. Tahlia Drew – 96
  3. Alysha Goullet – 84
Men’s 55 and Over Vets
  1. Mal Dalton – 105 (Yamaha YZ450F)
  2. Bruce Lowth – 96
  3. 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
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
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
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.

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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.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Jed Beaton seventh at MXGP of Flanders

2020 MXGP

Round 13 – MXGP of Flanders, Belgium


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.

Tim Gajser
Tim Gajser

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.

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

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
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.


MXGP Race 1

In the opening MXGP race of the day, it was Dylan Walsh who grabbed the Fox Holeshot, as he led Tim Gajser, Arnaud Tonus and Gautier Paulin. There were a few riders caught up in a crash on the first turn, two of them being Adam Sterry and Calvin Vlaanderen.

MXGP Start
MXGP Start

It didn’t take long for Gajser to take the lead, as Walsh crashed, Prado and Paulin also followed through and those were the top three for the next few laps. Brian Bogers had a great start to the race, sitting in fourth.

Both Romain Febvre and Jeremy Seewer didn’t have the best start to the race as they were down in 16th and 17th in the opening laps. Though Seewer was able to quickly pull through, he passed six riders in a single lap to get himself into the top 10.

Paulin went after the #61 of Prado and was able to pass him by the second lap, to get himself into P2. The Frenchman then set his best lap of the race and was 2.808 seconds down on Gajser who led the way. But Gajser was quick to respond with a flying lap, which put the gap back up to 4.383.

Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin

Championship rival, Antonio Cairoli had a tough first race after starting outside the top 15. He managed to finish the race in 13th, not where the nine-time world champion would have hoped to be.

Paulin, Prado and Bogers then clocked their best laps of the race at the same time, as Paulin got the gap down to 2.386. Further down the field, Seewer was applying the pressure to Jeremy Van Horebeek for P6. The pair then caught up to Tonus, as Seewer passed the two riders within a couple of laps.

Jorge Prado

On lap 11 we saw a change of lead, as Gajser crashed out of first place, which allowed Paulin to make of this opportunity to go after his first race win since Valkenswaard 2017.

Seewer was the next rider to go down, as he lost the two spots he worked hard to gain, to Van Horebeek and Tonus. And despite his best efforts he had a small issue with the bike, which he needed to pull over to fix, that also lost him two more spots – he eventually finished the race in eighth.

In the end it was Paulin who claimed the first race victory in Lommel, while Gajser finished second and Prado third.

Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin

Coming into the day’s races, Glenn Coldenhoff was among the favourites for the podium. Unfortunately, the Dutchman did not line up for the races, as a crash in the MXGP timed practice session forced him out of today’s action.

MXGP Race 2

As the gate dropped for the second MXGP race of the day, it was Prado who grabbed the Fox Holeshot, with Gajser, Seewer, Tonus and Bogers right behind him. Gajser then started to go after Prado for the top spot, as just 0.5 seconds separated the pair, and he was able to make the pass stick by the second lap, as Prado made a mistake.

Jeremy Seewer
Jeremy Seewer

Seewer then started to come under pressure from Bogers who was keen to put on a good performance. Cairoli was also having a much better start to the race as he was sitting in seventh just behind Paulin.

Gajser continued to lead the way as he gradually stretched out his lead, while Seewer started to catch up to Prado, as Febvre joined in on the battle too.

Romain Febvre
Romain Febvre

Bogers crashed out of fifth, which allowed Paulin and Cairoli through, as the two continued their race long battle.

With six-minutes plus 2 laps to go, Seewer and Prado were having a close battle. The pair made contact in one of the corners, after Prado lost a bit of ground, which also saw the Spaniard go down as a result. Febvre benefited from this as well, as Prado re-joined in fourth.

Three laps to go saw Gajser had a comfortable 10.447 second lead to Seewer, who made a mistake on the final lap and went off the circuit. As a result, he lost a position to Febvre.

Tim Gajser

In the end it was Gajser who was victorious, as Febvre crossed the line in second and Seewer holding on to third.


Tim Gajser – P1

“From the beginning of the day, I felt great on the track and on the bike. In the first moto, I got a good start, in second place around the first corner and then I moved quickly into the lead, pulling out a little gap. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake and fell, which allowed Gautier to pass me and I finished second. In the second moto, I had a good first corner and came out second again. I passed Jorge in the second lap and then pulled out a decent gap to control the race and take the overall. I’m really happy to take the victory here because we have worked so hard to get better in the sand and this is toughest race to win. Everyone in the team has been great and we just keep on pushing to get better and better and I can’t thank everyone enough!”

Tim Gajser
Tim Gajser
Gautier Paulin – P2

“This is an emotional high. I am really happy to be back on the podium especially for myself and for my team. It has been a tough road, it has been a long time since I had a win, so in the first moto I could have it, I was really pushing hard on a good rhythm. I didn’t really talk about it, but at the end of May I broke my back and knocked myself hard, so to be back at this level I am really happy because from the ground, in hospital where I broke two vertebra, it was a really hard time and then I crashed again in Faenza (Italy) and hurt myself again. Now I am feeling 100% and I am really happy to be back again.”

Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin
Jorge Prado – P3

“It was a positive day. The track was very rough and it was good to get used to the conditions because we still have another two rounds to go here. We also made some improvements to the bike, so that was useful. I had a perfect start in the second moto and was block-passed by Seewer while holding a good position. I rode strongly to make sure of 4th though and 3rd overall was pretty decent. I’m very happy to be 3rd in the championship after the way the year started. We are still charging.”

Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado
Romain Febvre – P4

“It was a good GP with a great second moto! My start was good and as always there was confusion in the first corner but I made my way through and rode a good opening lap. I found a good rhythm and came back to second; I was very happy with that! The first moto was not so good. I was fourth at the start but during the first lap I made a mistake in a corner and crashed; that’s never good as everyone is so close together during the first laps of a race and you lose so many places. I was seventeenth and came back to sixth, which is not so bad, but that cost me the podium. I was happy with my speed and my physical shape; the track was difficult but I found a good feeling and overall it was a good day. Now my goal is to win a GP here in Lommel; I have two more opportunities on Wednesday and Sunday!”

Romain Febvre
Romain Febvre
Jeremy Seewer – P5

“Lommel is always tough except when you are winning, and then I think you enjoy it. I felt okay today. I had a tip over on the first lap and was caught in the pack, almost last, but I had good speed and rhythm and I came back to fifth but then I made another small mistake and had a technical problem which cost me another three positions. I had a good start in the second race which paid off. I felt solid in second position but I threw it away with a stupid crash, but this is how it is in Lommel. If you’re on the limit it’s really sketchy, but I am still happy with third in that race but a little bit disappointed. At least we have another two rounds to make up.”

Jeremy Seewer
Jeremy Seewer

MXGP Results

Source: MCNews.com.au

Beaton sixth at MXGP of Spain | Evans out with injury

2020 MXGP

Round 12 – MXGP of Spain


The weekend was the very first time the MXGP and MX2 riders got their chance to test out the hard-pack circuit in Arroyomolinos, which shaped up well and created some exciting races. The return of the Spanish Grand Prix saw Jorge Prado take a clear win from Tim Gajser and Romain Febvre in MXGP, claiming 50-points, while the runner ups had to settle for 42-a-piece.

Jorge Prado proved unstoppable in Spain
Jorge Prado proved unstoppable in Spain

As a result Prado closes in on Gajser, who still holds the championship lead on 441-points. Tony Cairoli is second overall on 417, while Jeremy Seewer is third on 396. Prado is fourth on 391, with injured Aussie Mitch Evans sitting in 11th with 228 points, despite being knocked out for the weekend.

Mitch Evans had to retire from the first race at the MXGP of Spain due to a left wrist injury, which he sustained whilst running in fourth position. The Australian misjudged a landing and came down in an awkward position causing him to immediately pull off the race track. The Honda CRF450RW rider will now get further medical assessment in order to know the extent of the damage, which will then decide his plan for the rest of the season.

Mitch Evans

“Shitty day! Over jumped a double and the landing was so hard it blew both hands off the handle bars and broke my left wrist in the process. Gutted but that’s the way she goes sometimes. Looking at the positives, we came back once and we will do it again!”

A crash and injured wrist ended Mitch Evans weekend
A crash and injured wrist ended Mitch Evans weekend

MX2 also saw a KTM rider claim the win, with Tom Vialle the front-runner, but not without a race 2 challenge from Jago Geerts, who was second overall. Vialle went 1-2, while Geert’s 5-1 result was enough for second overall. Thomas Kjer Olsen was third, while a strong first race in third for Jed Beaton, was followed by a Race 2 10th, for sixth overall. Bailey Malkiewicz finished 15th in Race 2 to collect six championship points.

Vialle currently holds a significant championship lead with 525-points, with Geerts second on 473. Jed Beaton is third overal on 379-points, with Maxime Renaux nipping at his heels on 372.

Jed Beaton

“The day started off really well. I felt great in the first moto, track was fast, but it was coming around. I was in second and briefly led the race, which was good but I just wasn’t able to make another pass. I was confident going into race two. My speed and fitness are on point but going into the first turn a few of us came together and I had a pretty big crash… and smacked my head pretty hard, 15 mins into the race my vision started going all funny and the last four laps were just survival had a lot of sketchy moments not being able to see exactly where I was going… I was lucky to not be injured and it was disappointing, but I came back to 10th for sixth overall so, not bad for the championship. I’m still third so I’m hoping for two strong races next weekend.”

Third in Race 1 was a good start to the weekend for Beaton
Third in Race 1 was a good start to the weekend for Beaton

MXGP Race 1

Jorge Prado started the opening MXGP race with a FOX Holeshot, as he led Romain Febvre of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team, Team HRC’s Mitch Evans. JM Honda Racing’s Dylan Walsh and Gautier Paulin of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing also got a good start as they were running fourth and fifth on the opening lap.

MXGP Race Start
MXGP Race Start

Tim Gajser of Team HRC then pushed his way into the top four, while his teammate passed Febvre for second. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer didn’t have the best start to the race and was down in 9th after the first few laps.

Febvre then eventually passed Evans back for second, with Gajser managing to get around his teammate as well, before the Australian crashed out of the race, sustaining a left wrist injury.

Prado then continued to lead the way by 2.361 seconds over Febvre, Gajser and Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Clement Desalle, while further down the order, Walsh dropped a few more positions and was down in 11th.

Tim Gajser
Tim Gajser

Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing Team’s Glenn Coldenhoff was having a good ride in 6th as he applied the pressure onto Paulin. This battle carried on for a couple of laps before Coldenhoff forced his way past the Factory Yamaha rider. Meanwhile Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli and Seewer were also there in 7th and 8th having a fight of their own.

A few laps later, Cairoli made a little mistake which allowed Seewer to close in, though as the Swiss pushed for the pass, a small mistake turned into a big crash. He was able to quickly re-join in 10th just behind Jeremy Van Horebeek of Honda SR Motoblouz.

Glenn Coldenhoff
Glenn Coldenhoff

Walsh then went out of the race with what looked like a broken chain, all while Coldenhoff was looking for another position, as he got onto the rear wheel of Desalle.

After leading every single lap of the race, Jorge Prado went on to take the first race win, with Febvre finishing second and Gajser third.


MXGP Race 2

In race two, Prado repeated his start success from the first race, as he took another FOX Holeshot and led the way with Seewer and Febvre closely behind him. Gajser though was able to quickly move up into second on the opening lap as he started to push for the win.

Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado

Walsh had another good start inside the top 10, though had a big crash which saw him pull out of the second race too, which meant that the JM Honda Racing pilot scored no points this time around.

Coldenhoff then started to push Seewer for fourth, though Seewer was able to respond by setting his fastest lap of the race on the fourth lap. By lap 5, the top 10 included Prado, Gajser, Febvre, Seewer, Coldenhoff, Cairoli, Desalle, Brian Bogers of Marchetti Racing Team KTM, Van Horebeek and Henry Jacobi of Yamaha SM Action MC Migliori J1 Racing.

Prado then continued to put in lap after lap as he led the way by just over 5 seconds, as Gajser looked to have settled for P2 in the race, while the battle was heating up between Coldenhoff and Seewer. The factory GasGas rider, eventually took 4th from the Swiss rider on lap 13.

There were no changes in positions for the next few laps, and in the end, Jorge Prado went to take his first ever 1-1, to end the day in a perfect way, as he took the overall on home soil. Gajser crossed the line in 2nd, while Febvre finished third.

Romain Febvre
Romain Febvre

The podium looked exactly the same as the second race, as Prado took his second GP victory of the season, while Gajser made it his 8th podium, with Febvre making his 3rd podium of the year.

As it stands, Tim Gajser will now head to Belgium with a 24-point advantage to Antonio Cairoli, while Jeremy Seewer is a further 21 points behind.


Jorge Prado – P1

“Exactly what I wanted to do today. This was my goal here in Spain. My first 1-1 in MXGP! I felt I was the best out there and I was really excited when I crossed the finish line. The second race was really good. The first laps were intense with Tim and the track was very technical and a lot of ruts. You had to be very precise and smooth, no mistakes. It was an amazing day.”

Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado
Tim Gajser – P2

“It was a good day today, and I really liked the track here in Spain. I didn’t have a good start in either race but I was still able to finish third in race one and second in race two. The second moto, I was especially happy with the line I chose for the second corner as I swept all the way from seventh into second. I then tried to push, had some nice lines, and briefly passed Jorge before he passed me back. We stayed together for quite a lot of the moto but then I saw that Romain wasn’t so close behind me so I finished second, for second overall. The championship gap has increased but my focus for Lommel is to go out there and have fun. A big thanks to the team who have worked hard, and I hope that Mitch will recover quickly because he was riding really well.”

Tim Gajser
Tim Gajser
Romain Febvre – P3

“It was a good GP for me with two top-three moto finishes and an overall podium; that’s important for both the team and myself. I was very happy with my starts today; we have worked hard with the team to find the solution and when you start twice in second position it makes life so much easier! In the first moto I felt good; I was not far from Prado and I thought that it would be possible to go for the win in moto two when I got another good start but in the first few corners Gajser passed me and after ten minutes I saw that he and Prado were a little faster than me. I tried new lines but that didn’t change anything; I had a very good feeling but they were simply faster than me so I had to be satisfied with third.”

Romain Febvre
Romain Febvre
Glenn Coldenhoff – P4

“I’m happy with today. I felt really good on my bike all day, which really helped. The level in MXGP is really high so starts are important and in race one I was able to start in third. In turn three though, everyone bunched up and I had to stop to avoid crashing. It was frustrating as I went back to ninth. I found some good lines and I moved up to fifth so, this was ok before race two. My jump in race two wasn’t great, but I stayed out wide, missing all the ruts and chaos and was fifth after a few corners. I passed Seewer when he made a mistake and finished fourth. Not bad. Good points and onto Lommel for three in a row so I know I’ll be better there.”

Clement Desalle – P5

“It was another good day for me, starting with a fifth in the timed practice session. My first start was not good at all but I made many passes in the first few corners to come to eighth and I was sixth by the end of the first lap; I passed two more riders during the next three laps to finish fourth; that was positive. My second start was better but I made a mistake at the third corner and that dropped me to eighth; I was soon seventh and came close to Cairoli but it was very difficult to make the difference as there was mainly one line on this track. I’m getting better results each weekend; that’s encouraging.”

Clement Desalle
Clement Desalle
Tony Cairoli – P6

“A bad start in the first moto and I managed to make it back to 7th place. It wasn’t so easy to pass here but I didn’t want to lose many points so I had to make it happen. I wasn’t too happy, but the second moto start was better. I tried to do the second corner aggressively but caught my knee and it felt painful for a while. I pushed again. I lost some positions and won some but finished 6th. Not really a good weekend but we can re-group to make a push in the last six races. There are still plenty more points on the plate. We go to Lommel now and a lot can happen in the sand.”

Jeremy Seewer – P7

“Result wise, of course this is not what I want, 10-5 is one of the worst results I’ve had this year. I feel like I still made the most out of this day with my second race. We came from some tough times and struggling but luckily the team, especially the mechanics, and myself, we were able to make some positive changes. It’s always tricky on race-day to adapt the bike but it worked out well and I could finish fifth in the second moto which is solid. Although, top-three is my goal but there are 18 GP’s and this is racing. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. Now we put this one behind us and move to the next one.”


2020 MXGP of Spain Results

Source: MCNews.com.au