The MXGP of Città di Mantova has concluded with a series of epic races that kept everyone on the edge of our seats as the MXGP, MX2, EMX250 and WMX classes fought it out.
Romain Febvre celebrated an epic MXGP victory, as the Frenchman took his first race win in over a year and a first overall victory of the season so far, ahead of Jorde Prado and Tim Gajser, with Gajser retaining the red plate. Australian Mitch Evans was eighth overall, collecting 29 championship points.
The standings now see Gajser leading Cairoli by a narrow five-points, with Jeremy Seewer third a further 13-points behind on 334. Mitch Evans sits just outside the top 10 in 11th on 197-points.
Mitch Evans
“A better day today which started off with a 10th in qualifying. I didn’t feel the greatest but I knew it was more down to the starts, than the laptimes and in race one I got out of the blocks well. Unfortunately, it was very hard to pass and everyone was just following the leader the whole race and I came away with sixth, which was okay. In the second race I got caught up in the first two turns and lost a couple of positions and played ‘follow the leader’ once again. I stayed in seventh until the chequered flag which made it a much better day than last Sunday and I’ll hope to keep improving for the third round here this Sunday.”
Meanwhile in MX2 Thomas Kjer Olsen put on an incredible performance to go after a back-to-back Grand Prix win ahead of Tom Vialle and Roan Van De Moosdijk, with Jed Beaton settling for sixth overall, going 6-6 across the two races. Bailey Malkiewicz also put in a strong performance going 19-7 to collect 16 championship points.
Tom Vialle leads the standings by 46-points on 431, to Jago Geerts and Maxime Renaux (329). Jed Beaton is fourth on 316-points, with Malkiewicz moving up to 18th. Nathan Crawford currently retains 15th but did not finish race 1, or compete in race 2.
Jed Beaton
“For sure it wasn’t the day I wanted after winning the second moto last weekend, but I’ll take 6-6 on a bad day. I crashed in both motos which wasn’t really ideal and made a few mistakes in the second race. No complaints, my bike’s great, it just wasn’t my day today, so we’ll look forward to Sunday and hope to get back on the box.”
The mid-week special round concluded its first day, with the fourth round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship. Coming into the second WMX event in Mantova, defending world champion Courtney Duncan of DRT Kawasaki Racing was more keen than ever on claiming back some vital championship points to put herself in a better fighting position for the final round in Pietramurata for the round of Trentino.
Duncan did just that with a fantastic overall victory, which now puts her four points down on the championship leader Nancy Van De Ven.
Courtney Duncan
“It was nice to get the second race win and it was nice to bring the points back. I think overall, I was just so proud of how I was able to re-group and turn things around from Saturday after a pretty nasty crash. Yeah looking forward to the next round so I can continue to fight.”
The sixth round of the EMX250 Championship also concluded in Mantova and saw Mattia Guadagnini make the perfect comeback to take the overall win on home soil.
MXGP Race 1
In race one, Jorge Prado continued to show that he is the king of starts as he grabbed yet another FOX Holeshot. He was closely followed by teammate Antonio Cairoli, Jeremy Seewer and Romain Febvre.
Seewer though wasted no time as he quickly moved past Cairoli to move into second and then focused on Prado for the lead. Team HRC’s Mitch Evans had a good start and was sitting fifth ahead of his teammate and the current championship leader Tim Gajser.
Meanwhile Seewer looked to pick up the pace, setting the fastest lap time of the race as he chased down Prado. Though he needed to be careful as Febvre was also on a mission for the race win, which meant that the Swiss could not afford to make a mistake or relax.
The battle then heated up as the top three riders were all separated by a mere 1.6 seconds with still 19 minutes plus 2 laps to go. And Cairoli then looked to be stepping things up as he started to close in on Febvre, Seewer and Prado. Meanwhile further down the field Glenn Coldenhoff squeezed past Clement Desalle, to move into seventh.
With 11 minutes on the clock, the gap between Prado and Seewer was 2.016 seconds as Gajser started to close in on Cairoli for fourth. The fight for the win then intensified as Prado was getting caught by Seewer who was less than a second behind him.
With just a few laps to go, there was no change in the top five, as Prado was able to keep control under pressure to take the opening MXGP race win, while Seewer finished second and Febvre third. Aussie Mitch Evans finished in sixth.
MXGP Race 2
The second MXGP race saw Febvre perfectly time the start as he entered the first corner in the lead taking the FOX Holeshot. Febvre then led Gajser, Gautier Paulin, Seewer, Coldenhoff and Calvin Vlaanderen.
Gajser then put his focus on Febvre as the two were all over each other, while Seewer charged for Prado who was in 4th just ahead of him. Though he may have pushed too hard, as the Yamaha rider made a mistake which saw him crash out of fifth and things only got worse, as the Swiss had another big moment which saw him drop further down the order, outside the top 10.
Vlaanderen then went out of ninth, loosing several positions and dropping down to 15th.
With 10 minutes left, Febvre continued to control the race with Gajser still second and Paulin third. Paulin then passed Gajser, who immediately responded, but a lap later the Team HRC rider slipped the front and crashed out, allowing Paulin to inherit his position. He was however able to re-join just ahead of Cairoli.
As Paulin, Gajser and Cairoli battled it out, Coldenhoff was also looking to join in, on the mix as he edged closer to the top 4. While further down the field, Seewer was sitting in 11th as he looked to make up some positions in order to salvage some points.
Towards the end of the race, Febvre led by 6.978 seconds with Paulin holding on to second and Gajser third. Seewer then passed Dylan Walsh for 10th.
With just a couple of laps to go Gajser put in a last effort to pass Paulin, though Paulin was able to hold on to the position, while Febvre took his first race win of 2020!
With that second race win, Romain Febvre secured his spot on the top step of the podium, while Jorge Prado finished second and Tim Gajser third. Mitch Evans had another strong race in the top ten, finishing seventh.
Romain Febvre
“First win of the year, especially with the new team, it’s been awesome. In the first race I had a good start, I was fourth and passed Tony on the first lap but I couldn’t take the rhythm. I made two mistakes, had a gap after 20 minutes and I closed that gap, but it wasn’t good enough to make that pass. In the second race I took a big holeshot and of course that makes life easier because you can choose your lines and ride smooth. Seewer was pushing for the first 20 minutes I think, and then I think he made a mistake, so I had a comfortable gap on Gautier and after I was just by myself. I tried to stay calm to finish the race and win the GP.”
Jorge Prado
“First race was perfect. Second race I had a good jump out of the gate, I thought I made everything right and in the first corner I was almost with Romain but then some riders came on the inside and into the second corner I think I was around ninth, then I was able to make some passes in the next two corners. I was in a good position with 15 minutes to go, for the overall; then I stalled my bike and had to fight back. I was pushing very hard and still felt like I could make a good race because I was charging all the way to the finish.”
Tim Gajser
“It wasn’t a bad day as I was still able to finish on the podium but still, I wasn’t completely happy with my riding today. I didn’t have the best start in race one and in the first lap I made a couple of passes but then I was just following Antonio and it was difficult to make any passes. We were all riding the same speed and I ended up fifth. In the second moto I got a better start, in second place behind Romain and I was pushing hard trying to pass him. I had a couple of spots where I was faster but I couldn’t make a pass and then I made a mistake which dropped me to third. I tried to regain second place but ran out of tear-offs when I was pushing for the pass with a couple of laps left and instead had to settle for third, ending up third overall. Still, I have the red plate and that is important after every round.”
Reigning American Flat Track Grand National Champion Briar Bauman obliterated the world’s best dirt trackers for the third consecutive race, putting on yet another masterclass at Friday night’s Dallas Half-Mile I in Mesquite, Texas.
Bauman was in control of the AFT SuperTwins Main Event from green light to checkered flag, looking remarkably smooth throughout an unfamiliar circuit that caught many of his rivals out. In some ways, the victory celebration started with more than four minutes remaining when the blue flags started flying in earnest. By the time the race was complete, Bauman had lapped his way all the way up to seventh position.
Sammy Halbert was the only rider that looked to be in Bauman’s league on this evening. The Springfield Mile winner maintained a gap of right around two seconds back deep into the Main before the run through packs of slower riders eventually dropped him to a final margin of 3.445 seconds.
Jared Mees seemed destined to limit the championship damage he would absorb by rounding out the podium. However, he took another hit when he was victimised by an on-form Robert Pearson, who returned to action in Dallas following a couple rounds away with a new team and plenty of motivation.
Pearson powered his way forward from outside the top five to reel in Mees late. He then executed the decisive maneuver after the clocks showed 0:00 to notch up his first podium of the 2020 season.
Dan Bromley – who earlier exploited the high line to win his Semi – ran fourth over the race’s opening half. Unfortunately, his bike was damaged in an incident, and he was forced to retire after losing his seat. Brandon Price completed the top five.
POS
RIDER
BIKE
INTERVAL
1
Briar Bauman
Indian FTR750
36 Laps
2
Sammy Halbert
Indian FTR750
+3.445
3
Robert Pearson
Indian FTR750
+5.212
4
Jared Mees
Indian FTR750
+6.485
5
Brandon Price
Indian FTR750
+14.101
6
Bronson Bauman
Indian FTR750
+16.942
7
Jarod Vanderkooi
Harley-Davidson XG750R
+19.343
8
Jeffrey Carver Jr.
Indian FTR750
+35 Laps
9
Dalton Gauthier
Harley-Davidson XG750R
+0.783
10
Jake Johnson
Indian FTR750
+0.95
AFT SuperTwins – Dallas Half-Mile II
Briar Bauman delivered another devastating performance to up his run of dominance to four in Saturday evening’s Roof Systems Dallas Half-Mile II at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas. Bauman was again untouchable, streaking out to the lead when the lights went green for the AFT SuperTwins presented by Vance & Hines Main Event and piling it on from there.
Friday’s runner-up, Sammy Halbert, got caught up behind Jeffrey Carver Jr. while Bauman escaped at the front during the race’s opening stages. Halbert managed to slip into second with just over nine minutes remaining, providing him plenty of time to track down the leader if he had the pace to do so. And while Halbert did immediately open up some space behind him once through, Bauman in turn just kept running away from him en route to an eventual 4.393-second margin of victory.
Bauman’s monster weekend has the potential to be a turning point in this year’s Grand National Championship fight. Prior to the Dallas doubleheader, Bauman and rival Jared Mees had traded the title lead back and forth at each successive event. Bauman brought that trend to an end in a major way in Texas, turning what was a narrow five-point advantage into a protective 25-point lead.
Mees, meanwhile, got away in fifth and started looking for a way past Friday podium man Robert Pearson in earnest with seven and a half minutes remaining. Mees attempted to go low and then high – and then low and high again – but the most he could ever do was pull alongside the scrappy Pearson. Their battle caught and overhauled Carver, the two storming through into third and fourth, respectively, in one fell swoop with four minutes to go.
Mees threw in several more attempts at the podium but was unable to make a move stick; for the second night in a row, Pearson beat him to the line for third, this time by 0.257 seconds. Carver held on to round out the top five.
POS
RIDER
BIKE
INTERVAL
1
Briar Bauman
Indian FTR750
36 Laps
2
Sammy Halbert
Indian FTR750
+4.393
3
Robert Pearson
Indian FTR750
+5.183
4
Jared Mees
Indian FTR750
+5.44
5
Jeffrey Carver Jr.
Indian FTR750
+11.033
6
Bronson Bauman
Indian FTR750
+13.5
7
Dan Bromley
Indian FTR750
+14.777
8
Brandon Price
Indian FTR750
+15.098
9
Jake Johnson
Indian FTR750
+16.327
10
JD Beach
Yamaha MT-07
+17.587
AFT SuperTwins Standings
Pos.
Rider
Points
1
Briar Bauman
219
2
Jared Mees
194
3
Sammy Halbert
163
4
Bronson Bauman
127
5
Brandon Robinson
117
6
Brandon Price
114
7
Jeffrey Carver Jr.
112
8
Davis Fisher
104
9
Jarod Vanderkooi
85
10
Dan Bromley
84
AFT Singles – Dallas Half-Mile I
It was only natural that the AFT Singles rider to shine the brightest in Dallas was one Dallas Daniels. Of course, Daniels hasn’t required any type of luck to separate himself from the pack in 2020.
The rising star seized control of the race by the end of lap one and never saw an opponent’s wheel from that point forward. In a class where no other rider has more than one win on the year, Daniels already boasts four as he has firmly established himself as the championship favourite with the season heading down the stretch.
Daniels’ primary challenger this season — the hugely experienced and decorated Henry Wiles – chased him as deep into the Main as he could manage. However, by mid-distance he was forced to turn his attention to charging teammate Michael Inderbitzin.
Inderbitzin was the one rider who may have had the pace to beat Daniels. However, the polesitter dropped outside the top five off the line and was forced to use that speed just to put himself on Wiles’ rear wheel as they took the halfway flags. Not surprisingly, Wiles proved a hard target, fending Inderbitzin off until the very final lap.
After being displaced to third, Wiles attempted to square his teammate back up in the short sprint to the flag, but Inderbitzin narrowly held on to earn his first podium of the season by 0.089 seconds.
A couple seconds further back, Williams Grove runner-up Trent Lowe edged Morgen Mischler for fourth by just over a tenth of a second. Daniels’ teammate, Mikey Rush, ran in the lead group early but ultimately crossed the stripe down in eighth. As a result, Daniels now leads the points by 22 over Wiles and 37 over Rush ahead of tomorrow’s rematch.
POS
RIDER
BIKE
INTERVAL
1
Dallas Daniels
Yamaha YZ450F
24 Laps
2
Michael Inderbitzin
Honda CRF450R
+2.421
3
Henry Wiles
Honda CRF450R
+2.511
4
Trent Lowe
Honda CRF450R
+4.409
5
Morgen Mischler
KTM 450 SX-F
+4.547
6
Tanner Dean
Honda CRF450R
+6.579
7
Chad Cose
Suzuki RMZ 450
+8.127
8
Michael Rush
Yamaha YZ450F
+8.835
9
Jesse Janisch
Husqvarna FC450
+10.565
10
Andrew Luker
Yamaha YZ450F
+11.347
AFT Singles – Dallas Half-Mile II
Ten races into the 2020 AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys season, five riders have one win, and one rider has five wins. The five-win rider, Dallas Daniels, doubled up at his namesake event on Saturday night with a Dallas HM performance that accurately represented the superiority he’s demonstrated as of late.
Despite claiming the first pick on the front row, Daniels slipped off the line, allowing Henry Wiles, Mikey Rush, and Morgen Mischler through at the start.
In response, Daniels went to work. He dropped Mischler within a lap. Not long after, Daniels ducked under Rush to move into second, nearly acing Wiles in the same maneuver. Less than a minute later, Daniels drove up alongside Wiles mid-corner and then powered by him on exit in the exact same manner.
With clear air in front of him, Daniels opened up several bike lengths in just a half lap and ultimately sprinted away to a five-plus second margin of victory.
Dallas Daniels
“It’s definitely not easy, especially when you get a terrible start like I did. Me and my crew chief were talking about getting a good start, and I guess I wanted to do the exact opposite. I had a move going out of Turn 2; there was a little bit of a rut those guys were hitting and going wide, and I was able to go underneath them. I was able to do it to Mikey and then Henry too. To be honest, I didn’t know what was going on behind me. I just charged, charged, charged. When I looked back after the checkers, I had a really big gap.”
While Daniels erased all drama in the fight for victory, there was plenty of action behind. Rush and Wiles went at it for second for the majority of the race. However, second-ranked Wiles lost the groove as the clock hit 0:00, and over the race’s final two laps, he’d drop from a potential runner-up to an eventual sixth.
With Wiles out of contention, Rush gave Estenson Racing the 1-2. Less than a half-second back, Tanner Dean just beat Michael Inderbitzin to the line to finish third. Mischler finished a further 1.3 seconds back to complete the top five.
Even after missing the Main in the season opener, Daniels now boasts more than a full race’s advantage in the standings, leading Wiles by 34 points (183-149). Rush is in third at 141.
Max Whale
“Hard week at the office, drove 24 hours solo in the RV to race Dallas Texas. Struggled big time with setup and made a few mistakes. On Friday and ran P12, my worst result this year. Regrouped and ran P7 on Saturday. Gone back to 4th in the championship. A little disappointed but more than ready to Hit the last 3 double headers. Specials thanks this week to Don, from Dons Kawasaki for freshening up the bikes. Also to my helpers on the day Matty, Keith and Barry. Your legends would be lost without you.”
POS
RIDER
BIKE
INTERVAL
1
Dallas Daniels
Yamaha YZ450F
25 Laps
2
Michael Rush
Yamaha YZ450F
+5.029
3
Tanner Dean
Honda CRF450R
+5.436
4
Michael Inderbitzin
Honda CRF450R
+5.529
5
Morgen Mischler
KTM 450 SX-F
+6.859
6
Henry Wiles
Honda CRF450R
+7.168
7
Max Whale
Kawasaki KX450F
+7.552
8
Brandon Kitchen
KTM 450 SX-F
+8.043
9
Trent Lowe
Honda CRF450R
+8.174
10
Andrew Luker
Yamaha YZ450F
+12.398
AFT Singles Standings
Pos.
Rider
Points
1
Dallas Daniels
183
2
Henry Wiles
149
3
Michael Rush
141
4
Max Whale
133
5
Trent Lowe
112
6
Brandon Kitchen
106
7
Tanner Dean
104
8
Morgen Mischler
99
9
Chad Cose
89
10
Michael Inderbitzin
88
AFT Production Twins – Dallas Half-Mile I
James Rispoli continued to operate in another orbit compared to the rest of the AFT Production Twins field, streaking to his fifth win in six races with relative ease. Defending class champion Cory Texter shot into the lead off the light, followed by Chad Cose.
Polesitter Rispoli dropped to third at the start but was already in the lead and shaking free by the end of the opening lap. Cose did all he could to give the title leader a fight, holding onto his draft for about three minutes before Rispoli put an end to his challenge and blasted off to yet another blowout victory.
Title contender Ryan Varnes suffered a huge moment early, dropping from third to seventh in the process. He spent the next half race clawing his way forward. Varnes did well to battle his way back into third and even closed in on runner-up Cose for a spell, but was forced to accept the final spot on the box in the end.
Ben Lowe held down fourth for much of the contest but became embroiled in a scrap for the position with Jeremiah Duffy. Duffy managed to find a way through to take fourth at the flag while Lowe rounded out the top five less than a second back. After getting such a strong start, Texter’s race ended down in seventh, 0.154 seconds back of Danny Eslick. Rispoli now holds a title lead equal to his competition number, up a full 43 points on second-ranked Texter.
POS
RIDER
BIKE
INTERVAL
1
James Rispoli
Harley-Davidson XG750R
24 Laps
2
Chad Cose
Harley-Davidson XG750R
+3.137
3
Ryan Varnes
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+3.527
4
Jeremiah Duffy
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+7.124
5
Ben Lowe
Yamaha MT-07
+8.067
6
Danny Eslick
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+9.929
7
Cory Texter
Yamaha MT-07
+10.083
8
Nick Armstrong
Yamaha MT-07
+14.152
9
Brock Schwarzenbacher
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+18.687
10
Dylan Bell
Harley-Davidson XG750R
+19.435
AFT Production Twins – Dallas Half-Mile II
James Rispoli continued his march toward the 2020 AFT Production Twins title, locking down his sixth win in the season’s last seven races. This victory was not as easily earned as it sounds, however.
Cory Texter rode like a reigning class champ and executed a perfect launch from the inside starting position, successfully translating the holeshot into an extended run at the front. Texter continually fended off a stalking Rispoli, who repeatedly looked for a way up the inside of his rival as the two ripped away from the rest of the pack.
Texter managed to keep the fleet Rispoli corralled behind him until just after the half distance flags flew. At that point, the champ ran slightly wide and that was all the invitation the current title leader required. Rispoli put his XG750R into first and immediately went into super cruise mode, blasting away at the front.
Behind, Ryan Varnes and Chad Cose applied heavy pressure to third-placed Jeremiah Duffy as the three tussled over the final podium position. That pressure transformed into chaos when Varnes’ front wheel contacted Duffy’s rear wheel, sending Varnes over the bars. The incident brought out the red flag with just over two minutes remaining, giving the field another shot at ending Rispoli’s win streak.
Unfortunately for them, Rispoli held on to the lead as they left the staggered start and immediately started throwing in the Main’s fastest laps. Texter did well to keep him honest, but ultimately, it added up to a fifth consecutive AFT Production Twins victory for the two-time AMA Pro SuperSport champion.
James Rispoli
“I’m stoked that Cory was able to put up a massive, massive challenge tonight. He rode really well. This wasn’t easy at all. The track was hard and technical. I’ve got to take my hat off to my team. We weren’t the fastest guy, and we had to come a little bit from behind, and they were able to get it done. Five in a row… This is a dream season.”
Cose beat Duffy off the line at the restart to collect third. Duffy was dropped a couple more positions before it was over, as Rispoli’s fellow former road racing national champion, Danny Eslick slid past claim fourth while Dylan Bell got by as well to round out the top five. Despite his heavy fall, Varnes not only made the restart, he raced his way up from the back of the field to finish seventh.
Rispoli now leads Texter by 48 points with six races remaining, 224 to 176.
POS
RIDER
BIKE
INTERVAL
1
James Rispoli
Harley-Davidson XG750R
23 Laps
2
Cory Texter
Yamaha MT-07
+0.663
3
Chad Cose
Harley-Davidson XG750R
+1.842
4
Danny Eslick
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+3.824
5
Dylan Bell
Harley-Davidson XG750R
+4.379
6
Jeremiah Duffy
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+5.202
7
Ryan Varnes
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+5.553
8
Ben Lowe
Yamaha MT-07
+5.722
9
Michael Inderbitzin
Kawasaki Ninja 650
+5.933
10
Nick Armstrong
Yamaha MT-07
+6.618
AFT Production Twins Standings
Pos.
Rider
Points
1
James Rispoli
224
2
Cory Texter
176
3
Ryan Varnes
163
4
Ben Lowe
160
5
Danny Eslick
135
6
Chad Cose
124
7
Jeremiah Duffy
114
8
Nick Armstrong
95
9
Cody Johncox
74
10
Dylan Bell
53
2020 EnduroGP of Italy – Spoleto
Day 1 – Saturday
The first day of the Italian Grand Prix was contested under bright and warm sunshine. Although heavy rain and thunderstorms late on Friday made slippery special tests seem likely, conditions were actually much drier and more straight forward than expected. The FIM Borilli EnduroGP World Championship competitors attacked all three tests with gusto and a passionate crowd, all respecting Covid-19 restrictions, cheered them through every twist and turn.
Reigning World Champion Brad Freeman delivered a perfect performance on this opening day of the Italian Grand Prix. From the start of the day onwards, the Factory Beta rider took the lead and never relinquished it. Consistent and quick all day, the Brit always kept his opponents at least 30 seconds behind him. He won all 3 special tests on the first lap and remained in the top 3 for all the rest.
Freeman therefore won the day by more than 45 seconds ahead of team-mate and rival Steve Holcombe. Holcombe intelligently built up his day with patience, chipping away on each test. Realising that catching up to his team-mate was hard task, the Englishman chose to settle for a safe second place. This move could pay off come the end of the season.
The fight for 3rd place on the podium was absolutely superb. Three riders fought it out to take a coveted rostrum. Andrea Verona, Thomas Oldrati and Loïc Larrieu, each took it in turns to occupy the spot. In the end it was Italy’s Oldrati to take the honours at his home race. Verona and Larrieu completed the Top 5.
Jaume Betriu confirmed the strong performances he managed in France by taking an impressive 6th place overall. He was ahead of Christophe Charlier, Danny McCanney and Antoine Basset. The disappointment of the day goes to Matteo Cavallo who made too many mistakes and finished 12th. Alex Salvini still suffering with his shoulder did not finish the day.
In E1 it was therefore Thomas Oldrati who won ahead of Andrea Verona and Christophe Charlier.
In E2 Steve Holcombe completes a third success in as many starts, he was in front of Loïc Larrieu and Danny McCanney.
E3 went the way of Brad Freeman who beat Jaume Betriu and a combative Antoine Basset.
In Junior, Theo Espinasse perfectly controlled the assaults of Hamish Macdonald. Macdonald was the initial leader of the day and was looking strong but he lost 40 seconds in a crash on the second lap of the tricky Xtreme. He picked himself up and began to claw back the time he lost, but the victory was out of reach. Matteo Pavoni put his Beta Boano on the podium at home with third.
Finland’s Roni Kytonen finished fourth, while Pau Tomas completed the Top 5. Ruy Barbosa finished 6th. Talented Aussie Wil Rruprecht had a hell of a day, he was vying for the podium but he heavily damaged his Beta in the first Xtreme Test of the day, eventually finishing 16th in the category.
In Youth Cup Jed Etchells kept everyone in suspense until in the last special test. He won the category against an impressive Sergio Navarro, the Fantic rider crucially beat his Spanish rival by 4 seconds. Claudio Spanu accompanied them on the podium.
In the Champion Enduro Open World Cup, Belgian Mathias Van Hoof won in the 4-Stroke class ahead of his compatriot Damiaens Dietger and Jorge Rodriguez Paradelo. In the 2-Stroke category the Portuguese rider Goncalo Reis took another victory ahead of his compatriot Goncalo Sobrosa. Robert Friedrich was third. In Senior, Italian enduro legend Alessio Paoli marked his comeback by winning in front of Duccio Graziani and David Martinez Corbalan.
Day 2 – Sunday
The dreaded heavy rain and chilly weather hit the FIM Borilli EnduroGP World Championship for the entirety of Sunday. As could be expected, the organisers and stewards of the Italian Grand Prix made changes to the course in order to ensure the safety of all competitors, and the cream rose to the top as Steve Holcombe perfectly dominated this day, despite many pitfalls.
The Beta Factory rider felt completely at home with the weather conditions on day two of the Italian GP. Even in the middle of the deluge, Steve Holcombe remained master of his discipline. His bike problems of the day before were forgotten, and the Brit was able to relax into a strong rhythm. He nevertheless had to keep a close eye on his teammate at Beta Factory: Brad Freeman.
Steve Holcombe
“It’s been a weekend of two halves, for the result and how I rode. I’ll hold my hand up and say I rode too smooth on Saturday and any chance of fighting for the win got away from me. When we sorted things, Brad was too far gone to challenge him. On Sunday we turned it around a lot. I attacked from the word go and was able to step my pace up when I needed to throughout the day. I had a strong opening lap and pulled a gap on third. From then on it was down to Brad and me for the win. I really wanted it and seemed to step it up again on the final lap and bring the result home. Conditions were tricky today with the rain, so proving the 350F in the mud with a victory is awesome.”
The 2019 EnduroGP World Champion was very threatening during the first lap, the gap even dropping below half a second at times. But Freeman was forced to let victory slip through his fingers, losing a few seconds in each of the tests on the last laps. However, Freeman and Holcombe can leave Italy satisfied with their domination of the World Enduro field. Third on the day was Loïc Larrieu, more than a minute behind the British duo.
Brad Freeman
“I can’t say I’m happy with my day. I just didn’t know how to get into the right rhythm. I got through the day and I have to take my hat off to Steve who was absolutely on fire. The fight continues, there are 4 days of racing left, anything can happen and I will be ready to battle.”
Larrieu can be happy with this result as he had to push hard to take the coveted final podium spot. 6th at the end of the first lap, Loïc went on the offensive and was extremely impressive as the day went on, even beating local favourites. He held on to the podium from the end of the second lap onwards, setting test times close to the Beta riders.
Thomas Oldrati fell short of third place by just six seconds but his general performance over the weekend satisfied the Honda rider. Andrea Verona never quite managed to get into the groove. However, he still put in a superb performance as a Senior ranks rookie, finishing in the Top 5.
Similarly, Belgian rookie Antoine Magain was the great revelation of the day. He was contesting the top positions throughout day but a fall in the last Enduro test forced him to cool down. However, he will certainly be one to watch in the coming races.
Very disappointed after missing out on victory due to a crash on Day 1, New Zealand’s Hamish Macdonald his revenge on his Sherco team-mate Théo Espinasse on Day 2. The rider from the southern hemisphere played all his cards right in the tricky conditions, winning by more than a minute in only his second race in the Junior class. Last year’s Youth 125cc Cup winner was thrilled with this strong result which keeps him in contention.
Wil Ruprecht made amends for his Day 1 difficulties by taking a fine podium with 2nd place in the category. The Australian was ahead of Théo Espinasse by just under 2 seconds. The Frenchman who was so strong at his home race in Requista is still at the top of the standings however.
Ruy Barbosa upped his game on Saturday. The Chilean still struggled a bit under the downpours, but today’s 4th place should give him the confidence to aim higher next time out.
In Youth Cup, Jed Etchells was completely unfazed by the mud and took victory by more than a minute over Spain’s Sergio Navarro. Etchell’s team-mate Harry Edmondson completed the podium. Fantic will certainly be satisfied as their third rider, Hugo Svard made it three Fantics in the Top 5 with fourth place.
In the Champion Enduro Open World Cup, the 4-Stroke category was again dominated by Mathias Van Hoof ahead of his compatriot Damiaens Dietger. They were once again accompanied on the podium by Jorge Rodriguez Paradelo. In the 2-Stroke category the podium is a copy-paste of the day before, namely Goncalo Reis won ahead of Goncalo Sobrosa and Robert Friedrich. In Senior, Alessio Paoli took another impressive victory in front of Duccio Graziani and David Martinez Corbalan third.
The Italian Grand Prix brought a little bit of everything to the party; enthusiastic fans, unpredictable weather, challenging tests, and great racing! The FIM Borilli EnduroGP World Championship will reconvene in November for two back-to-back in Northern Portugal.
EnduroGP Standings – Top 10
Rank
Rider
Nat
Bike
Total
1
HOLCOMBE Steve
GBR
Beta
77
2
FREEMAN Bradley
GBR
Beta
71
3
LARRIEU Loic
FRA
TM
52
4
VERONA Andrea
ITA
TM
52
5
OLDRATI Thomas
ITA
Honda
46
6
BETRIU AMENGOL Jaume
ESP
KTM
37
7
McCANNEY Daniel
GBR
Honda
30
8
MAGAIN Antoine
BEL
Sherco
26
9
CHARLIER Christophe
FRA
Beta
22
10
CAVALLO Matteo
ITA
Sherco
21
E1 Standings – Top 10
Rank
Rider
Nat
Bike
Total
1
VERONA Andrea
ITA
TM
74
2
OLDRATI Thomas
ITA
Honda
72
3
MAGAIN Antoine
BEL
Sherco
52
4
CHARLIER Christophe
FRA
Beta
41
5
REMES Eero
FIN
Yamaha
41
6
SNOW Alexander
GBR
Honda
37
7
TARROUX Jeremy
FRA
Sherco
30
8
SORECA Davide
ITA
Beta
28
9
BURUD Kevin
NOR
Yamaha
27
10
ALUN Richard
SWE
Sherco
27
E2 Standings – Top 10
Rank
Rider
Nat
Bike
Total
1
HOLCOMBE Steve
GBR
Beta
80
2
LARRIEU Loic
FRA
TM
68
3
McCANNEY Daniel
GBR
Honda
56
4
CAVALLO Matteo
ITA
Sherco
50
5
GESLIN Anthony
FRA
Beta
37
6
WOOTTON Joe
GBR
Husqvarna
34
7
VIAL Max
FRA
Husqvarna
33
8
BLANJOUE Hugo
FRA
Honda
28
9
HUEBNER Edward
DEU
KTM
26
10
SALVINI Alex
ITA
Honda
22
E3 Standings – Top 10
Rank
Rider
Nat
Bike
Total
1
FREEMAN Bradley
GBR
Beta
80
2
BETRIU AMENGOL Jaume
ESP
KTM
66
3
BASSET Antoine
FRA
Beta
50
4
GUARNERI Davide
ITA
TM
46
5
FRANCISCO Enric
ESP
Sherco
40
6
ABGRALL David
FRA
Beta
39
7
GUERRERO RUIZ Cristobal
ESP
Beta
34
8
PASSET Thibaut
FRA
Beta
30
9
SANS SORIA Marc
ESP
KTM
26
10
RECCHIA Nicola
ITA
Beta
24
Junior Standings – Top 10
Rank
Rider
Nat
Bike
Total
1
ESPINASSE Theophile
FRA
Sherco
75
2
MACDONALD Hamish
NZL
Sherco
71
3
KYTONEN Roni
FIN
Honda
48
4
PAVONI Matteo
ITA
Beta
47
5
RUPRECHT Wil
AUS
Beta
40
6
BARBOSA Ruy
CHL
Husqvarna
39
7
MACORITTO Lorenzo
ITA
Beta
30
8
CRIVILIN Bruno
BRA
Honda
28
9
VAN OEVELEN Matthew
BEL
Husqvarna
26
10
CRIQ Antoine
FRA
Sherco
20
2020 Yamaha Burr Oak GNCC
The 2020 Yamaha Burr Oak GNCC saw the world’s fastest off-road motorcycle racers taking to the woods of Ohio. The tenth round of the 2020 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series, took place in Millfield, Ohio at Sunday Creek Raceway, also home to The John Penton GNCC.
Getting the jump off the line first to earn the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot award was Ben Kelley. However, after overshooting the first turn Kelley would lose a couple of positions. Steward Baylor Jr. would capitalise, moving into the early lead as the group of XC1 Open Pro riders made their way into the woods.
As the leaders made their way through the finish line on the opening lap it was Baylor Jr. holding a 7 second lead over Kailub Russell, with Kelley running third just eight-seconds behind him. Russell looked like he was making a charge for the lead, but on the second lap he would find himself on the ground after a mistake in the John Penton section of the track. Russell was able to ride his machine back to his pit area but was unable to return to racing due to a knee injury. Russell will have his knee evaluated this week.
Baylor Jr. would continue to push at the front of the pack with Kelley trying to reel him in as he moved into second overall. Kelley would close the gap to just about nine-seconds, but as the white flag came out Kelley would make a mistake costing him valuable time. Baylor Jr. would come through to take his second-straight win of the season after a grueling three-hour race. Kelley would hold onto second overall, coming through 58 seconds behind the leader.
Grant Baylor got off to a great start coming through timing and scoring in fourth overall on lap one. Baylor would continue to push and would find himself third overall after the second lap. Baylor would try to close the gap between himself and the leaders, but he would be unable to make any passes on the lead duo before the checkered flag came out. Baylor expressed what a great feeling it was to be on the podium, and that it was cool to share the overall podium with his older brother.
Getting off to a top five start was Jordan Ashburn. Ashburn would then make the move up to fourth on lap two, as he tried to gain momentum to challenge for a three position. Ashburn would continue to ride a consistent race, but he would be unable to challenge the top three riders. Ashburn would finish out the day fourth in XC1 and fifth overall.
Andrew Delong had his second best race of the season on Sunday afternoon. Delong came through running sixth in the XC1 class for the first two laps of racing, and as the race wore on, he then found himself making the move up to fifth in his class. Delong finished out the three-hour race with a fifth place finish in class, and eighth overall.
Returning after a small injury sidelined him for the previous round of racing was Josh Strang. As the pack of racers came through on the opening lap Strang made his way around in the eighth place position. Strang would then stop to help his fellow competitor, Russell, out of the track and back to his motorcycle. Even after stopping to help, Strang would make the move up to seventh in the XC1 class. On the last lap of racing Strang would make a late charge and take over sixth in the class, with a 13th overall finishing position on the day.
Layne Michael found himself in a continuous battle throughout the day in Ohio. Michael would swap back-and-forth from sixth to seventh place multiple times throughout the race. As Michael was running in sixth on the final lap of racing, he would be unable to hold off a charging Strang. Michael would check in seventh in class, 18th overall at round 10. Evan Earl would come through to earn eighth in the XC1 Open Pro class after missing round nine of racing.
In the XC2 class it was Jonathan Girroir making his way to the lead on the opening lap. Girroir would maintain his lead for the duration of the race, placing a 22 second gap between himself and second place by the time the checkered flag flew. Girroir earned his fifth win of the season, and now takes over the points lead in the XC2 class by nine.
AmPro Yamaha/St. Lawrence Radiology’s Mike Witkowski had a consistent race as he made his way into second and never looked back. Witkowski was looking to make a charge for the lead, but he would be unable to close the gap between them. Witkowski remains third in the points standings, 20 points behind the leader.
Craig Delong had some work cut out for him as he came through timing and scoring sixth on lap one. Delong would steadily work his way through the pack, making his way into fourth by the second lap and then third by the next. Delong would finish out the day third in his class, and seventh overall.
As the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am competitors came through it was Zack Hayes taking the class win and extending his points lead by 35. Jason Lipscomb would battle from third to second in the class, making his way to the podium for the second time. Michael Delosa rounded out the top three in the FMF XC3 class.
As the 10 a.m. race got underway it was Rachel Gutish grabbing the $100 Trail Jesters WXC Holeshot award. However, Rachael Archer made her way to the lead early on in the race. Archer checked in 18 seconds ahead of Gutish on the opening lap with current points lead Becca Sheets right behind her.
Archer continued to hold her lead position throughout the two-hour race, crossing the finish line with over a minute gap back to second. Sheets made the pass on Gutish for the second, but she was ultimately unable to catch Archer to battle for the lead. Sheets earnt second in the WXC class and remains in control of the points standings. Gutish held onto third in the class, and she currently sits fourth in the WXC class points standings with three more rounds of racing to go.
Racing got underway at 8 a.m. Sunday morning with the youth motorcycle racers taking to the woods first. It would be a three-way battle between the Team Green Kawasaki due of Jack Joy and Grant Davis, and Coastal Racing Husqvarna’s Lane Whitmer. Davis jumped out to the early lead with Whitmer and Joy just seconds behind him.
Joy made a pass on Whitmer for second and set his sights on Davis as the race worse on. As the trio came through after four laps of racing it was Joy out front with Whitmer and Davis running second and third. Joy would hold on and take the youth overall win as well as the YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class win. Davis made the pass on Whitmer stick as they round out the top three youth overall finishers and top three in the YXC1 class.
In the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. class it was Nicholas Defeo taking the class win, with Andrew Segars and Chase Landers rounding out the top three. Colton Shields would earn the 85cc (12-13) class win, and seventh overall. Ryan Amancio came through to take another 85cc (7-11) class win.
XC1 Pro Event Results
Steward Baylor Jr. (YAM)
Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
Grant Baylor (SHR)
Jordan Ashburn (KAW)
Andrew Delong (HON)
Josh Strang (KAW)
Layne Michael (YAM)
Evan Earl (KAW)
Kailub Russell (KTM)
*Overall National Championship Standings
Kailub Russell (256)
Josh Strang (201)
Jordan Ashburn (159)
Craig DeLong (147)
Jonathan Girroir (139)
Michael Witkowski (138)
Grant Baylor (124)
Benjamin Kelley (107)
Steward Baylor Jr. (103)
Cody Barnes (102)
XC2 250 Pro Event Results
Jonathan Girroir (KTM)
Michael Witkowski (YAM)
Craig Delong (HQV)
Lyndon Snodgrass (KAW)
Cody Barnes (BET)
Liam Draper (KTM)
Thorn Devlin (BET)
Jesse Ansley (KTM)
Jonathan Johnson (YAM)
Benjamin Nelko (HQV)
XC2 250 Pro Series Standings
Jonathan Girroir (254)
Craig Delong (245)
Michael Witkowski (234)
Cody Barnes (170)
Liam Draper (158)
Thorn Devlin (135)
Jonathan Johnson (113)
Ryder Lafferty (111)
Benjamin Nelko (93)
Simon Johnson (79)
2020 Sea to Sky Extreme Enduro
Graham Jarvis (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) has secured yet another extreme enduro victory, this time topping the 2020 Sea to Sky. Delivering a winning performance on the final day’s Mountain Race, Graham notched up his sixth victory at the Turkish event. Graham’s teammate Billy Bolt dominated the event’s first three races, but a navigational error on the final day relegated him to third overall.
As always at Sea to Sky, Jarvis made a solid, but cautious start to the event. Claiming an impressive fifth in the hectic Beach Race, the 45-year-old then began to put on the pressure in the Forest Race, taking third and staying within touch of race leader Bolt. Despite a heavy impact with a rock damaging his bike, Graham was able to skilfully bring his Husqvarna TE 300i home in fourth on the technically demanding Sky Race.
Going into Saturday’s Mountain Race, Graham was lying third overall, a minute down on second place and close to four minutes down on his teammate Bolt in first. In typical Jarvis style, the Brit kept his nerve and maintained a strong pace throughout the 55-kilometre course. Making no mistakes, the extreme enduro expert crested the final hill in first place and with enough of an advantage over his rivals to claim the overall win.
Billy Bolt had looked on form throughout the 2020 edition of Sea to Sky. Winning the opening Beach Race, Billy went on to top the proceedings in both the subsequent Forest and Sky Races. Leading much of Saturday’s Mountain Race, the young British rider was first to reach many of the more challenging sections with other riders playing catch up behind.
Unfortunately, in following track marking tape left from a previous running of the event, Bolt was forced to double back on himself, losing a considerable amount of time. Pushing hard for the remainder of the enduro, the reigning FIM SuperEnduro World Champion was able to salvage fourth, earning himself a place on the overall podium, in third.
Graham Jarvis – P1
“It was a great race today and I was lucky if I’m honest, especially after damaging the bike earlier in the event. I went into the Mountain Race about four minutes down on Billy and as all the top guys ended up riding together, I thought there was no chance for me today. Billy took a wrong turn and I managed to get out in front and for that last 20 minutes I just pushed as hard as I could to the finish. It feels nice to get another win here in Turkey, it really is an amazing event.”
Billy Bolt – P3
“Overall, it’s been a really good week here in Turkey. I’m really happy with my riding and know I had the pace to win every day. I had led 80 or 90 percent of the Mountain Race today and was first to reach this tricky hill – it seems they had left some route marking tape up from last year and so I followed it. As it turns out, it wasn’t the right way to go, and by the time I had realised and turned back I had lost too much time to catch up with the leader. Finishing on the podium is good, but I’m disappointed not to have taken the win.”
Overall Results – 2020 Sea to Sky, Kemer, Turkey
Pos
Rider
Man.
Time
1
Graham Jarvis
Husqvarna
4:48:37
2
Wade Young
Sherco
4:51:12
3
Billy Bolt
Husqvarna
4:52:12
4
Mario Roman
Sherco
4:56:23
5
Teodor Kabakchiev
KTM
5:14:59
Speedway of Nations Final moved to mainland Europe
In light of an increase in cases of COVID-19 in the UK, the subsequent tighter restrictions being put in place and ongoing travel and quarantine restrictions, BSI Speedway has announced that the 2020 Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final, scheduled to take place at Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium on October 24 and 25, will be moved to a new venue in mainland Europe.
Paul Bellamy – Senior Vice President of Motorsports Events at IMG
“We’re committed to delivering the thrilling, action-packed final that our speedway community is looking forward to. And to do this, we need to make sure the top riders from all seven competing nations are able to race, which is unfortunately no longer possible in the UK due to changing travel restrictions and quarantine requirements. We’re looking forward to revealing our new venue as soon as possible, and in the meantime, we thank our fans, riders, partners, staff and everyone involved for their ongoing support.”
BSI Speedway is in the process of finalising the new venue for the final in October which will be announced along with additional details in the coming weeks.
The 2021 final will return to Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium over a weekend in October 2021 – date to be confirmed. Fans who have purchased tickets for the event will receive an email with further details.
Jack Holder secures FIM Speedway GP wildcard entry
In-form Australian racer Jack Holder has been handed a dream opportunity on the FIM Speedway Grand Prix stage after being named as wild card for FST Grupa Brokerska Torun SGP rounds seven and eight. The Torun rider dons the famous No.16 race jacket at his Polish home track on October 2 and 3.
Holder made his one and only previous World Championship appearance as a track reserve at the 2016 Australian SGP in Melbourne, scoring two points from as many rides on the night older brother Chris topped the podium in his homeland. Jack was watching from the sidelines on the night Chris clinched the 2012 SGP world title at Torun’s Marian Rose Motoarena.
But the 24-year-old is now very much making his own mark on the sport. After finishing second in this season’s Australian Championship, he has enjoyed a sublime season for Torun in the Polish First Division, topping the average charts comfortably on 2.600 points per race.
He was signed by PGE Ekstraliga side Gorzow as a guest rider and has played a key role in their charge from the bottom of the table to second place inside a month. He’s ninth in the top-flight average charts on 2.091 points per race.
This will be Holder’s first SGP opportunity over five rides, and he will be keen to carry this scintillating form into the final SGP weekend of 2020, where the world champion will be crowned, next year’s qualifiers will be confirmed and riders will have one last chance to impress the SGP Commission before permanent wild cards for 2021 are selected.
The Appin-born racer is joined in the FST Grupa Brokerska Torun SGP rounds by track reserves Wiktor Trofymov and Norbert Krakowiak, with the Polish pair lining up in the No.17 and No.18 race jackets respectively.
Changes to MXD For 2021
Motorcycling Australia (MA) have announced changes to the current MXD class and junior pathway that will support development of motocross in Australia and will assist riders to gain the vital skills to be able to progress to MX2 and MX1 classes through the new MX3 class which replaces MXD.
Currently there is very little overlap in the class structure, and riders must move even if not willing or ready to, or don’t have the skills to do so. In addition, where a Junior rider is ready to move up a class, they can be held back by age group limitations.
By creating a new pathway with an overlap in age group classes, riders will have some flexibility to remain in a class or move up a class if they are ready and eligible to do so. The MX3 class also brings Australian motocross more in line with the FIM age groupings.
Peter Doyle – MA CEO
“This change will provide a clear pathway for Australia’s talented young riders into the senior classes of MX2 and MX1. It also provides talented young riders ready to step up to senior competition a clear pathway through the junior ranks and into the premier categories.”
Currently at 13 years of age a junior can be endorsed to ride a full-sized MX machine of 122cc to 150cc 2-Stroke & 200cc to 250cc 4-Stroke capacity, this has not changed. At 14 years of age competitors with this endorsement can elect to compete in the MX3 class. This will not prevent competitors under the age of 16 competing in any other junior event.
The MX3 class is for 14 to under 18-years-old competitors (as of the January 1 of the year of competition) and allows for less experienced competitors to compete with their peers until the age of 18, and the more accomplished competitors to move into the MX2 class early as the entry age has been lowered to 15 years under strict endorsement procedures. You can enter MX1 or MX2 at 16-years-old.
Once a competitor has chosen to move up to Senior classes MX1 or MX2, they can no longer compete in Junior or MX3 classes. The current endorsement “Off Road 122cc to 150cc 2-Stroke / up to 250cc 4-Stroke” for 13 to Under 16-year-old junior competitors will apply to a 14-year-old junior wishing to compete in MX3.
However, a new endorsement is required for a competitor who at the age of 15 years wishes to compete in the MX2 class. There are no changes to the current Junior categories allowing Juniors between the age of 13 to Under 16 years to compete at National Championship events in their chosen classes.
2020 MXGP of Lombardia, Mantova
Round nine of the FIM Motocross World Championship concluded with the MX2 and MXGP action for the MXGP of Lombardi, with Jeremy Seewer reaching an incredible career milestone as he claimed his first MXGP overall victory and stood on the top step of the MXGP podium
Jeremy Seewer took the overall victory, with Glenn Coldenhoff taking second and Jorge Prado on the third step of the podium. Jeremy Seewer’s last GP win is back in 2017 when he stood at the top step on the podium at the MXGP of Sweden, Uddevalla in MX2 class.
Jeremy Seewer
“I just won my first MXGP. Amazing. It’s in the books and it’s a big milestone in my career. Everybody dreams of winning an MXGP round, especially at the level we are racing right now, so it’s amazing. Especially the first race, I won the start then led every lap to the finish. The second race it didn’t go as planned but still I was lucky today, I was at the right place at the right time and now celebrating an overall.”
With an eighth and a race win, Gajser now leads the MXGP Championship by five-points over Antonio Cairoli and Jeremy Seewer is just a further 11 points behind.
Tim Gajser
“The first race didn’t start very well as I was back in the pack and it was tough to come through the field and pass the riders as everyone is very fast. I managed to come back to eighth but I was a little disappointed because I know that the start makes all the difference. For the second race, I put a lot of focus on the start and I managed to come out of the first corner around fifth and then I made a couple of quick passes which put me into third. I was following Romain and Jorge for around 15 minutes, before I was able to make two passes to get myself into the lead. I pulled a good gap, controlled the race to take the win and I’m super happy with how it turned out. Obviously getting the red plate is a big bonus and I will try my best to hold onto it until the end of the season.”
Australian Mitch Evans had a rough weekend in the MXGP class, with a crash in Race 1 leaving him unable to finish the race, while Race 2 saw him return to claim ninth. He leaves Lombardia in 11th overall in the standings.
Mitch Evans
“It wasn‘t the greatest day, although qualifying went quite well. I wasn’t feeling overly comfortable on the bike as I hadn’t ridden since Tuesday as I’ve been unwell but I was happy with qualifying. Unfortunately in race one I crashed in the first turn and then crashed a couple of laps later and was fighting all moto long to score some points. In moto two I didn’t get the best start either but didn’t crash, so I was still in a position to get a top 10 finish. I fought through to ninth and felt a lot better but I need to work on my starts and then I’ll be able to battle with the guys at the front of the races.”
MXGP Results – 2020 MXGP of Lombardia
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Race 1
Race 2
Total
1
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
25
20
45
2
Coldenhoff, Glenn
NED
GAS
18
22
40
3
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
22
18
40
4
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
13
25
38
5
Desalle, Clement
BEL
KAW
14
14
28
6
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
11
16
27
7
Vlaanderen, Calvin
NED
YAM
16
10
26
8
Cairoli, Antonio
ITA
KTM
20
6
26
9
Paulin, Gautier
FRA
YAM
8
15
23
10
Van Horebeek, Jeremy
BEL
HON
12
11
23
11
Jacobi, Henry
GER
YAM
7
13
20
12
Bogers, Brian
NED
KTM
9
8
17
13
Evans, Mitchell
AUS
HON
3
12
15
14
Tixier, Jordi
FRA
KTM
6
9
15
15
Jasikonis, Arminas
LTU
HUS
15
0
15
2020 MXGP Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
316
2
Cairoli, A.
ITA
KTM
311
3
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
300
4
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
277
5
Coldenhoff, G.
NED
GAS
273
6
Herlings, J.
NED
KTM
263
7
Jasikonis, A.
LTU
HUS
248
8
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
230
9
Paulin, G.
FRA
YAM
224
10
Desalle, C.
BEL
KAW
222
11
Evans, M.
AUS
HON
168
12
Van Horebeek, J.
BEL
HON
164
13
Vlaanderen, C.
NED
YAM
106
14
Tixier, Jordi
FRA
KTM
106
15
Jacobi, Henry
GER
YAM
84
MX2
In MX2, Thomas Kjer Olsen made an epic return to the podium with his first overall victory of the season, with teammate Jed Beaton only a single point off the round overall. Ben Watson was also having a good day, standing on the third step of the box.
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“I’m pretty surprised. I went into the race not really knowing that I was on the podium, it was just a crazy battle out there and I’m really happy about my riding. I wanted to be up there in the front and that’s what we will work on for the next race. I had a rough few races and the confidence was not really there but I felt this week just went better and better. I got my confidence back on the bike that I had last year and the confidence that I should have had from the beginning. I’m just super happy to get this overall as it’s been a long time since I’ve been up there and it’s an amazing feeling.”
Despite missing out on the podium, Tom Vialle continues to lead the championship now by 30-points over Geerts and Renaux, while Beaton sits in fourth, just nine-points off Renaux.
Jed Beaton
“I can’t explain how happy I am to have won the second moto today. I had a great start in race two and got into the lead early on lap three. I then had a clear track and just focussed on my lines. As the race wore on I got a little nervous but kept it together. I did make a few mistakes but held on for the win. It’s been a tough year until this point and it’s all coming together now. The team have been great and I’m so happy and pleased for them, too. I’m looking forward to Wednesday now.”
Bailey Malkiewicz went 10-23 in the weekends races, while Nathan Crawford went 30-16, with the two Aussie riders now 15th and 21st in the standings respectively.
MX2 Results – 2020 MXGP of Lombardia
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Race 1
Race 2
Total
1
Olsen, Thomas Kjer
DEN
HUS
22
18
40
2
Beaton, Jed
AUS
HUS
14
25
39
3
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
15
22
37
4
Renaux, Maxime
FRA
YAM
20
16
36
5
Van De Moosdijk, Roan
NED
KAW
18
15
33
6
Vialle, Tom
FRA
KTM
25
7
32
7
Rubini, Stephen
FRA
HON
13
12
25
8
Mewse, Conrad
GBR
KTM
3
20
23
9
Geerts, Jago
BEL
YAM
10
13
23
10
Gifting, Isak
SWE
GAS
12
11
23
11
Forato, Alberto
ITA
HUS
9
10
19
12
Boisrame, Mathys
FRA
KAW
16
0
16
13
Östlund, Alvin
SWE
HON
1
14
15
14
Haarup, Mikkel
DEN
KAW
4
9
13
15
Malkiewicz, Bailey
AUS
HON
11
0
11
16
Renkens, Nathan
BEL
KTM
7
2
9
17
Horgmo, Kevin
NOR
KTM
0
8
8
18
Fernandez, Ruben
ESP
YAM
8
0
8
19
Vaessen, Bas
NED
KTM
0
6
6
20
Sandner, Michael
AUT
GAS
6
0
6
21
Crawford, Nathan
AUS
HON
0
5
5
2020 MX2 Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Vialle, Tom
FRA
KTM
386
2
Geerts, Jago
BEL
YAM
356
3
Renaux, Maxime
FRA
YAM
295
4
Beaton, Jed
AUS
HUS
286
5
Van De Moosdijk, R.
NED
KAW
243
6
Olsen, T.
DEN
HUS
228
7
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
228
8
Boisrame, M.
FRA
KAW
198
9
Mewse, Conrad
GBR
KTM
185
10
Fernandez, R.
ESP
YAM
164
11
Rubini, S.
FRA
HON
143
12
Östlund, Alvin
SWE
HON
127
13
Haarup, Mikkel
DEN
KAW
118
14
Crawford, N.
AUS
HON
91
15
Forato, A.
ITA
HUS
85
16
Hofer, Rene
AUT
KTM
73
17
Gilbert, Josh
GBR
HUS
72
18
Guadagnini, M.
ITA
HUS
62
19
Pancar, Jan
SLO
KTM
62
20
Laengenfelder, S.
GER
GAS
59
21
Malkiewicz, B.
AUS
HON
54
WMX
In the WMX Courtney Duncan had a mixed weekend, claiming the first race win, before a massive crash in Race 2 snapped her ‘bars, ending what seemed like a dominant performance, that would have handed her another overall win and extended the championship lead.
Courtney Duncan
“It was an up and down day for me, which started off really well as I won the first race and felt pretty good. I had a comfortable lead and maintained it. I’d made some passes on the opening laps and made my way into second. I wasn’t too far off the lead when I had a massive crash. I ran back to the bike but the handlebars were snapped so there was no way of finishing, which resulted in a DNF. “That’s the way life goes sometimes it doesn’t always go to plan. I can dwell on it, or I can go back to work on Tuesday and continue to fight. That’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to show up on Tuesday and give it everything I’ve got.”
Instead Larissa Papenmeier took the overall with consistent second places, while Nancy Van De Ven took the Race 2 win. Papenmeier now leads the standings from Van De Ven by 10-points, with Fontanesi in third, a further three points behind. Duncan is now fourth, with only four-points separating second through fourth, and 14-points to first.
Larissa Papenmeier
“For sure it’s a nice feeling. When I’m riding, I’m not really thinking about the championship and what could happen. I knew that second place was enough to win but I actually didn’t think about the red plate, so I tried to keep it smooth, tried to make no mistakes and it was really good. I had a good feeling and I liked the track, it’s a bit bumpy so I’m looking forward to Tuesday.”
WMX Results – 2020 MXGP of Lombardia
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Race 1
Race 2
Total
1
Papenmeier, Larissa
GER
YAM
22
22
44
2
Van De Ven, Nancy
NED
YAM
16
25
41
3
Fontanesi, Kiara
ITA
KTM
20
16
36
4
Andersen, Sara
DEN
KTM
15
20
35
5
Dam, Line
DEN
YAM
18
15
33
6
Valk, Lynn
NED
YAM
14
18
32
7
van der Vlist, Shana
NED
KTM
11
14
25
8
Duncan, Courtney
NZL
KAW
25
0
25
9
Borchers, Anne
GER
SUZ
9
12
21
10
O’Hare, Tahlia Jade
AUS
KTM
5
13
18
11
Berry, Avrie
USA
KTM
8
10
18
12
Jakobsen, Malou
DEN
KTM
13
4
17
13
Astudillo, Jamie
USA
KTM
12
0
12
14
Keller, Sandra
SUI
KTM
0
11
11
15
Kapsamer , Elena
AUT
KTM
3
8
11
2020 WMX Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Papenmeier, L.
GER
YAM
129
2
Van De Ven, N.
NED
YAM
119
3
Fontanesi, K.
ITA
KTM
116
4
Duncan, C.
NZL
KAW
115
5
Valk, Lynn
NED
YAM
98
6
Dam, Line
DEN
YAM
87
7
van der Vlist, S.
NED
KTM
75
8
Andersen, Sara
DEN
KTM
60
9
Borchers, Anne
GER
SUZ
60
10
O’Hare, T.
AUS
KTM
54
11
Martinez, M.
FRA
KTM
39
12
Jans-Beken, B.
NED
KTM
35
13
Dahl, Emelie
SWE
YAM
32
14
Van Der Werff, B.
NED
SUZ
31
15
Astudillo, J.
USA
KTM
30
EMX250
The first races of the weekend in Mantova for the MXGP of Lombardia, were by the EMX250 riders, andt saw Thibault Benistant have a successful end to his day as he took a fourth consecutive overall victory in the category.
As the gate dropped for the opening EMX250 race of the day, it was Meico Vettik who got off to a flying start and was the early race leader. He was followed by Emilio Scuteri and Tom Guyon.
Bastian Boegh-Damm didn’t have such a good start to the race as he crashed out and seemed to be in discomfort as he hopped towards his bike. He did re-join for a couple of laps though eventually retired from the race.
Meanwhile Mattia Guadagnini and Thibault Benistant didn’t get off to the best start in the race, as both were down the field, with Guadagnini 10th and Benistant 14th. Another rider struggling in the beginning of the race was Kay De Wolf who was further down the order in P17.
Back with the leaders it was Vettik who had already pulled a 5.654 second gap over Guyon, as Scuteri, Oriol Oliver and Hakon Fredriksen, were locked in a battle for third position. Gianluca Facchetti was meanwhile having a great ride in fourth place.
Meanwhile Vettik could not afford to relax as his five-second gap was being cut short rapidly as the group caught up. And things then went downhill for the Estonian who crashed out of the lead, though was able to pick himself up pretty quickly and re-join in fourth position. Guyon then moved into the lead, though this didn’t last long as the KTM rider crashed out and was dropping down the race order fast.
This then allowed Fredriksen to inherit the lead, all while Guadagnini was making good progress and was already up into fifth on lap 5 of the race. Fredriksen continued to lead the race as he opened up a seven-second gap over Facchetti and Vettik, while Guadagnini was catching the pair as he searched for higher positions. The Italian eventually was able to find a way through into third pushing Vettik to fourth in the race.
As the race progressed, Guadagnini then started to go after Facchetti and after several attempts was able to jump into second. At the same time the Husqvarna rider also set the fastest lap time of the race with a 1:56.878 with just 3 laps to go.
Facchetti then was being caught by Vettik for P3, though was able to retain his position as Fredriksen crossed the line to win race 1. Guadagnini finished second.
In the second EMX250 race, it was Guadagnini and Guyon who led the way, though things changed quickly as Guadagnini went down. Guyon then came under fire from Benistant who was eager to get into the lead and finish the day with a solid result. As Guyon tried to hold off Benistant, this allowed Tim Edberg to get closer.
Meanwhile further down the order, Vettik was not having the best start to the race as he was down in 18th on the opening few laps of the race.
Guadagnini then continued to cruise around the circuit, passing pitlane and giving the crew a signal at the bike, which must’ve taken an impact from his crash a lap earlier. He continued to ride around for a few more laps before going out of the race.
By lap 3, Benistant was the new race leader as he led Guyon, Edberg and De Wolf. Though Guyon looks to have made a mistake as he lost two positions and dropped to fourth in the race. Benistant then went on to set a fast lap of the race, with 12 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock.
Just five seconds separated the top three riders, as De Wolf was searching for a way into second place and after several attempts was able to do just that as he moved up a position past Edberg.
As the race progressed, Benistant continued to edge away from the rest of the field as he pulled a 10.441 second gap over De Wolf and Edberg who remained second and third. In the end not much changed in the top 10, as Benistant claimed his first race win of the day, with De Wolf and Edberg crossing the line to finish in the top three.
A fifth and a win was enough to give Thibault Benistant the overall as Hakon Fredriksen claimed his first podium of the season to finish second and Tim Edberg also getting the third spot on the box.
As it stands Benistant now leads the EMX250 Championship by 57 points, with Guadagnini and De Wolf tied on points in second and third.
Thibault Benistant
“The day started not so easy as I finished a little bit far on the lap time. In the first race I tried to start a little bit far from the outside and I needed to push hard for a comeback, but I did quite a good race and finished fifth. In the second race I started better, I was third and there was a crash at the front. I waited for a mistake from Tom and then I was leading. I kept the gap and win the race. I feel good, I like the track when it becomes a little bit bumpy, so I hope to do the same.”
EMX250 Results – 2020 MXGP of Lombardia
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Race 1
Race 2
Total
1
Benistant, Thibault
FRA
YAM
16
25
41
2
Fredriksen, Hakon
NOR
YAM
25
13
38
3
Edberg, Tim
SWE
YAM
15
20
35
4
Facchetti, Gianluca
ITA
YAM
20
14
34
5
de Wolf, Kay
NED
HUS
9
22
31
6
Vettik, Meico
EST
KTM
18
12
30
7
Locurcio, Lorenzo
VEN
KAW
12
16
28
8
Talviku, Jorgen-Matthias
EST
HUS
13
10
23
9
Guadagnini, Mattia
ITA
HUS
22
0
22
10
Spies, Maximilian
GER
HUS
4
15
19
11
Florian, Lion
GER
KTM
10
9
19
12
Guyon, Tom
FRA
KTM
0
18
18
13
Oliver, Oriol
ESP
KTM
14
3
17
14
Cenerelli, Gianmarco
ITA
HUS
0
11
11
15
Scuteri, Emilio
ITA
KTM
11
0
11
EMX250 Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Benistant, T.
FRA
YAM
215
2
Guadagnini, M.
ITA
HUS
158
3
de Wolf, Kay
NED
HUS
158
4
Gifting, Isak
SWE
KTM
128
5
Edberg, Tim
SWE
YAM
126
6
Vettik, Meico
EST
KTM
114
7
Talviku, J.
EST
HUS
112
8
Fredriksen, H.
NOR
YAM
110
9
Florian, Lion
GER
KTM
87
10
Everts, Liam
BEL
KTM
87
11
Boegh Damm, B.
DEN
KTM
79
12
Locurcio, L.
VEN
KAW
78
13
Guyon, Tom
FRA
KTM
76
14
Facchetti, G.
ITA
YAM
74
15
Spies, M.
GER
HUS
73
Arminas Jasikonis in induced coma
Following Arminas Jasikonis’ admittance to hospital on Sunday afternoon, September 27, during the second MXGP race at the MXGP of Lombardia, Mantova, Italy, Husqvarna Motorcycles issued the following update on AJ’s condition:
Taken to hospital in Cremona, Italy, Arminas was diagnosed as having a traumatic brain injury and, as is routine procedure with injuries of this type, placed in a medically induced coma in order to stabilise his situation. Due to the serious nature of injuries of this kind, AJ remains in a coma and is receiving ongoing specialist care. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing would like to thank all medical staff that have assisted Arminas as well as the numerous well-wishers both from within the MXGP paddock and the wider motorcycle community.
Antti Pyrhönen – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MXGP Team Manager
“This is a very serious situation for Arminas and a very difficult time for his family and all involved in the team. After AJ was flown to hospital on Sunday night, he was placed in a medically induced coma because of the trauma he suffered to his brain. Really, there is not much else to say at this time – this is the situation, a situation that is very serious and difficult for everyone, and now we have to wait and stay positive. He has the best medical care around him, and we are in close contact with both the specialists at the hospital here in Italy but also in Innsbruck, Austria. Thank you to everyone who has expressed their concerns and wishes AJ all the best.”
2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Round Seven – GEICO Motorcycle WW Ranch National, Florida September 26, 2020
Images Jeff Kardas
The seventh round of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship featured an action-packed afternoon of racing in both the 450 Class and 250 Class. The sandy conditions of WW Ranch Motocross Park and Florida’s heat provided riders with one of the most challenging rounds of the season.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne showed why he’s the man to beat in the 450 Class this summer, sweeping both motos to capture a class-leading fourth victory of the season and extend his championship point lead to 29-points. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin logged two consistent motos to finish second overall, while Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac gave Osborne a run late in the second moto and ended the day third.
In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis won in dominant fashion by going 1-1 for the second consecutive week and extended his championship lead to 13. Ferrandis’s Star Racing Yamaha teammate Justin Cooper secured a season-best second overall, just edging out GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin.
Jett Lawrence went 2-5 for fourth overall, just missing out on the overall podium but strengthening his seventh place in the 250 Championship standings with 200-points to his name.
Hunter Lawrence started well with a sixth in the opening Moto but failed to finish the second bout after encountering a mechanical gremlin.
The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next weekend on Saturday, October 3 for the penultimate round of the 2020 season in Lakewood, Colorado.
Video Highlights
450MX Moto 1
As the gate dropped on the opening 450 Class Moto, Osborne grabbed the Motosport.com Holeshot, closely followed by Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo and Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton. The premier class rookie duo of Cianciarulo and Sexton quickly sprinted around Osborne on the opening lap, shuffling the championship point leader to third. Following a hard crash in the final qualifying session, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin started just behind the leaders in fourth.
While Cianciarulo and Sexton paced one another at the head of the field, Osborne trailed by just over three seconds, keeping the leaders within sight. At the halfway point of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto, Sexton saw an opening and struck by pulling alongside Cianciarulo and taking second. Cianciarulo instantly retaliated with a move of his own to reclaim the lead.
Entering the final stages of the moto, Osborne inched his way closer to the lead duo and used his aggressive riding style to pass Sexton around the outside of a corner. Just one lap later Osborner dove to the inside of his closest championship rival Cianciarulo and took control of the race lead.
Osborne’s late race charge helped him secure his fifth moto win of the season by 2.7 seconds over Cianciarulo. Musquin took advantage of a late race mistake by Sexton to complete the podium in third, followed by Sexton in fourth.
450MX Moto 1 Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Interval
1
Zachary Osborne
HQV FC450 RE
16 Laps
2
Adam Cianciarulo
KAW KX450
+02.733
3
Marvin Musquin
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+14.333
4
Chase Sexton
HON CRF450R WE
+19.188
5
Justin Barcia
YAM YZ 450F
+22.263
6
Eli Tomac
KAW KX450
+40.597
7
Blake Baggett
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+48.758
8
Joseph Savatgy
SUZ RMZ 450
+1:03.459
9
Fredrik Noren
SUZ RMZ 450
+1:21.711
10
Christian Craig
HON CRF450R
+1:27.313
11
Justin Bogle
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+2:00.818
12
Isaac Teasdale
SUZ RMZ 450
+2:11.164
13
Max Anstie
SUZ RMZ 450
+2:16.874
14
Justin Rodbell
KAW KX 450F
15 Laps
15
Kyle Chisholm
YAM YZ 450F
+29.684
16
Tyler Bowers
KAW KX450
+37.410
17
Alex Ray
KAW KX450
+46.322
18
McClellan Hile
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+50.440
19
Bryce Backaus
YAM YZ 450F
+1:10.787
20
Tristan Lane
KTM 450 SX-F
+1:30.248
21
Jared Lesher
KTM 450 SX-F
+1:35.361
22
Matthew Hubert
KAW KX450
+1:37.238
23
Christopher Prebula
KTM 450 SX-F
+2:14.502
24
Vann Martin
KTM 450 SX-F
+2:23.439
25
Tristan Lewis
YAM YZ 450F
14 Laps
26
Adam Enticknap
SUZ RMZ 450
+1:17.896
27
Scott Meshey
HQV FC450 RE
+1:20.278
28
Nicolas Rolando
KTM 450 SX-F
+1:31.986
29
Joshua Berchem
KTM 450 SX-F
+1:37.277
30
Jerry Lorenz III
YAM YZ 450F
+1:49.156
31
Nick Fratz-Orr
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+2:46.853
32
Bryton Carroll
YAM YZ 450F
+3:20.771
33
Nathen LaPorte
HON CRF450R
13 Laps
34
Carter Stephenson
YAM YZ 450F
10 Laps
35
Richard Taylor
YAM YZ 450F
9 Laps
36
Ben LaMay
KTM 450 SX-F
7 Laps
37
Jeffrey Walker
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+12.858
38
Carson Tickle
HON CRF450R
5 Laps
39
Benny Bloss
HQV FC450
3 Laps
40
Jake Masterpool
HQV FC450
+24.431
450MX Moto 2
The final 450 Class moto of the afternoon saw Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia launch out of the gate to grab the Motosport.com Holeshot, followed by Musquin and Cianciarulo. Exiting the first turn, Cianciarulo grabbed a handful of throttle to blitz his way around Musquin and Barcia to take the race lead. Prior to the completion of the opening lap, Barcia would lose the front end entering a corner, allowing Anstie to take over third, just ahead of Osborne in fourth.
Cianciarulo continued his strong early moto form out front, while Musquin looked to keep the Kawasaki rider in his sight in second. A mistake by Anstie allowed Osborne to sneak by and into third. With just under 20-minutes to go, Musquin saw an opportunity to make the pass for the lead, which saw the two riders collide entering a corner and Cianciarulo hitting the ground. Musquin was able to stay up and take the lead, while Osborne and Sexton moved into second and third. Cianciarulo would remount in seventh.
Osborne made an attack on the Frenchman Musquin and took over the race lead at the halfway point of the moto. Shortly after, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac latched onto the rear fender of Sexton to pass him for third. Tomac continued his charge forward, working his way up to and around Musquin for second.
Entering the final lap, Osborne and Tomac were wheel-to-wheel in the battle for the moto win. Osborne fended off the multi-time reigning champion to take his sixth moto win of the season. Tomac crossed the checkered flag to finish second, followed by Musquin in third.
450MX Moto 2 Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Lapt/Interval
1
Zachary Osborne
HQV FC450 RE
16 Laps
2
Eli Tomac
KAW KX450
+04.201
3
Marvin Musquin
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+23.839
4
Max Anstie
SUZ RMZ 450
+29.490
5
Chase Sexton
HON CRF450R WE
+37.275
6
Blake Baggett
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+49.082
7
Adam Cianciarulo
KAW KX450
+1:10.201
8
Fredrik Noren
SUZ RMZ 450
+1:19.318
9
Joseph Savatgy
SUZ RMZ 450
+1:24.249
10
Christian Craig
HON CRF450R
+1:33.139
11
Jake Masterpool
HQV FC450
+2:11.411
12
Kyle Chisholm
YAM YZ 450F
15 Laps
13
Justin Barcia
YAM YZ 450F
+01.612
14
Isaac Teasdale
SUZ RMZ 450
+09.289
15
Justin Bogle
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+35.423
16
Tyler Bowers
KAW KX450
+39.649
17
Tristan Lane
KTM 450 SX-F
+41.688
18
Alex Ray
KAW KX450
+45.985
19
Justin Rodbell
KAW KX 450F
+52.703
20
Matthew Hubert
KAW KX450
+55.548
21
Jared Lesher
KTM 450 SX-F
+1:17.841
22
McClellan Hile
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+1:26.179
23
Carson Tickle
HON CRF450R
+1:35.195
24
Bryce Backaus
YAM YZ 450F
+1:57.211
25
Vann Martin
KTM 450 SX-F
+2:33.092
26
Cory Carsten
SUZ RMZ 450
14 Laps
27
Nicolas Rolando
KTM 450 SX-F
+04.721
28
Nick Fratz-Orr
KTM 450 SX-F FE
+1:02.905
29
Adam Enticknap
SUZ RMZ 450
+1:05.948
30
Joshua Berchem
KTM 450 SX-F
+1:45.940
31
Brandon Pederson
HQV FC450 FE
+2:07.653
32
Christopher Prebula
KTM 450 SX-F
13 Laps
33
Carter Stephenson
YAM YZ 450F
12 Laps
34
Ben LaMay
KTM 450 SX-F
8 Laps
35
Nathen LaPorte
HON CRF450R
7 Laps
36
Jerry Lorenz III
YAM YZ 450F
5 Laps
37
Bryton Carroll
YAM YZ 450F
+1:36.693
38
Scott Meshey
HQV FC450 RE
3 Laps
39
Benny Bloss
HQV FC450
2 Laps
40
Richard Taylor
YAM YZ 450F
DNF
450MX Overall
Osborne went 1-1 for the second time this season, capturing his fourth overall victory of the season in the premier class. Musquin’s consistency rewarded him with second overall (3-3), edging out Tomac who made his return to the podium in third (6-2).
“It’s an unreal feeling to get back on top” explained Osborne. “A week ago we were faced with some adversity, but we responded with two moto wins today. This is what makes all of the hard work and tough times we face during the week worth it. I had to fight for that second moto win, Eli was on it, but we dug deep and managed to get the job done.”
The overall win helped Osborne extend his championship lead to 29-points over Cianciarulo who finished fourth overall (2-7). Musquin maintains his third position in the standings, just a single point behind Cianciarulo.
450MX Overall
Pos
Rider
M1
M2
Points
1
Zachary Osborne
1
1
50
2
Marvin Musquin
3
3
40
3
Eli Tomac
6
2
37
4
Adam Cianciarulo
2
7
36
5
Chase Sexton
4
5
34
6
Blake Baggett
7
6
29
7
Max Anstie
13
4
26
8
Fredrik Noren
9
8
25
9
Joseph Savatgy
8
9
25
10
Justin Barcia
5
13
24
11
Christian Craig
10
10
22
12
Isaac Teasdale
12
14
16
13
Justin Bogle
11
15
16
14
Kyle Chisholm
15
12
15
15
Jake Masterpool
40
11
10
16
Tyler Bowers
16
16
10
17
Justin Rodbell
14
19
9
18
Alex Ray
17
18
7
19
Tristan Lane
20
17
5
20
McClellan Hile
18
22
3
21
Bryce Backaus
19
24
2
22
Matthew Hubert
22
20
1
23
Jared Lesher
21
21
0
24
Vann Martin
24
25
0
25
Nicolas Rolando
28
27
0
26
Adam Enticknap
26
29
0
27
Christopher Prebula
23
32
0
28
Nick Fratz-Orr
31
28
0
29
Joshua Berchem
29
30
0
30
Carson Tickle
38
23
0
31
Scott Meshey
27
38
0
32
Jerry Lorenz III
30
36
0
33
Carter Stephenson
34
33
0
34
Nathen LaPorte
33
35
0
35
Bryton Carroll
32
37
0
36
Ben LaMay
36
34
0
37
Richard Taylor
35
40
0
38
Benny Bloss
39
39
0
39
Tristan Lewis
25
0
40
Cory Carsten
26
0
41
Brandon Pederson
31
0
42
Jeffrey Walker
37
0
450MX Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Zachary Osborne
285
2
Adam Cianciarulo
256
3
Marvin Musquin
255
4
Eli Tomac
233
5
Blake Baggett
219
6
Justin Barcia
218
7
Chase Sexton
207
8
Christian Craig
163
9
Joseph Savatgy
147
10
Max Anstie
139
11
Broc Tickle
134
12
Fredrik Noren
107
13
Dean Wilson
97
14
Justin Bogle
72
15
Jake Masterpool
63
16
Henry Miller
59
17
Jason Anderson
58
18
Justin Rodbell
58
19
Benny Bloss
47
20
Coty Schock
31
21
Cooper Webb
29
22
Tyler Bowers
23
23
John Short
21
24
Ben LaMay
21
25
Isaac Teasdale
19
26
Grant Harlan
18
27
Jeremy Smith
18
28
Justin Hoeft
17
29
Kyle Chisholm
15
30
Luke Renzland
11
31
Matthew Hubert
10
32
Chase Felong
8
33
Alex Ray
7
34
Tristan Lane
5
35
Felix Lopez
5
36
Robbie Wageman
4
37
Jeffrey Walker
4
38
McClellan Hile
3
39
Cory Carsten
3
40
Jared Lesher
3
41
Bryce Backaus
2
250MX Moto 1
The first 250 Class moto saw Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Shane McElrath emerge with the Motosport.com Holeshot, just edging out his teammate Dylan Ferrandis and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ hampshire. The opening lap saw Hampshire quickly go to work to steal second from Ferrandis, while Ferrandis’ championship rival Jeremy Martin started in fourth on his GEICO Honda.
As McElrath led the 40-rider field around the sandy circuit, Ferrandis managed to regroup and close the gap on Hampshire, reclaiming the second position. Just moments later, Ferrandis would continue his push towards the front as he overtook his teammate McElrath to become the new race leader. The podium battle behind Ferrandis began to heat up as GEICO Honda’s rookie Jett Lawrence found his way by both Hampshire and McElrath to move into second.
With Ferrandis dropping the hammer and looking to breakaway from Lawrence out front, Hampshire put in another charge that allowed him to muscle his way by McElrath for third. With five minutes remaining, the final podium positions tightened up as Lawrence, Hampshire, and Jeremy Martin were separated by just seconds. A huge mistake by Hampshire saw him eject from his motorcycle off of one of the large infield jumps, moving Jeremy Martin into third.
Ferrandis would go on to take a dominating fifth moto win of the season by 9.6 seconds over Lawrence who earned a career-best second. Jeremy Martin crossed the finish line a distant third.
250MX Moto 1 Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Interval
1
Dylan Ferrandis
YAM YZ 250F
16 Laps
2
Jett Lawrence
HON CRF250R
+09.655
3
Jeremy Martin
HON CRF250R
+21.486
4
Justin Cooper
YAM YZ 250F
+30.898
5
Alex Martin
SUZ RMZ 250
+37.359
6
Hunter Lawrence
HON CRF250R
+41.083
7
Shane McElrath
YAM YZ 250F
+44.221
8
Jo Shimoda
HON CRF250R
+1:00.325
9
Cameron Mcadoo
KAW KX 250
+1:12.527
10
Carson Mumford
HON CRF250R
+1:14.966
11
Mitchell Harrison
KAW KX 250
+1:19.400
12
Jarrett Frye
YAM YZ 250F
+1:27.097
13
Brandon Hartranft
KTM 250 SX-F FE
+1:36.295
14
Hardy Munoz
HQV FC250
+1:41.303
15
Nick Gaines
YAM YZ 250F
+1:55.578
16
Joseph Crown
YAM YZ 250F
+2:03.052
17
Jalek Swoll
HQV FC250
+2:07.172
18
Derek Kelley
HQV FC250
+2:07.903
19
Mason Gonzales
YAM YZ 250F
15 Laps
20
Jerry Robin
HQV FC250
+52.972
21
Kevin Moranz
KTM 250 SX-F
+56.026
22
Mathias Jorgensen
KAW KX 250
+57.541
23
Austin Root
HQV FC250
+1:05.074
24
Colton Eigenmann
SUZ RMZ 250
+1:06.246
25
Curren Thurman
KTM 250 SX-F
+1:12.052
26
Jesse Flock
HQV FC250
+1:30.282
27
Joshua Varize
KTM 250 SX-F
+1:55.081
28
Ezra Hastings
HQV FC250
+2:00.185
29
Maxwell Sanford
YAM YZ 250F
+2:26.755
30
Jake Pinhancos
KTM 250 SX-F
+2:43.562
31
Gared Steinke
KAW KX 250
+2:43.562
32
Brett Greenley
YAM YZ 250F
14 Laps
33
Lane Shaw
KTM 250 SX-F
+14.605
34
Matthew Klann
HON CRF250R
+1:05.405
35
RJ Hampshire
HQV FC250
13 Laps
36
Kyle Greeson
KTM 250 SX-F
11 Laps
37
Derek Drake
KTM 250 SX-F FE
10 Laps
38
Conner Burger
KTM 250 SX-F
+2:13.018
39
Gage Schehr
HQV FC250
4 Laps
40
Gabe Gutierres
KTM 250 SX-F
3 Laps
250MX Moto 2
As the gate dropped for 250 Class Moto 2 it was Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper who emerged with the Motosport.com Holeshot ahead of JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Racing’s Alex Martin and Ferrandis. The red plate holder Ferrandis quickly went to the front to lead the opening lap over Cooper, and McElrath. Jeremy Martin started the moto in seventh.
Like we’ve seen many times this season, Ferrandis used the clear track to his advantage by putting in fast laps to open a comfortable lead over his fellow competitors. Behind Ferrandis, Star Racing Yamaha teammates Cooper and McElrath remained steady in second and third. With just under 10-minutes remaining in the moto, Jeremy Martin engaged in a battle with McElrath for the final podium spot.
Ferrandis remained unchallenged en route to his six moto win of the season by 15.3 seconds. Cooper held on to take a season-best second, while Jeremy Martin made a pass on McElrath in the final laps to finish third.
250MX Moto 2 Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Laps/Interval
1
Dylan Ferrandis
YAM YZ 250F
16 Laps
2
Justin Cooper
YAM YZ 250F
+15.304
3
Jeremy Martin
HON CRF250R
+23.706
4
Shane McElrath
YAM YZ 250F
+29.004
5
Jett Lawrence
HON CRF250R
+37.013
6
RJ Hampshire
HQV FC250
+40.888
7
Alex Martin
SUZ RMZ 250
+59.176
8
Cameron Mcadoo
KAW KX 250
+1:23.120
9
Brandon Hartranft
KTM 250 SX-F FE
+1:27.457
10
Jo Shimoda
HON CRF250R
+1:27.925
11
Carson Mumford
HON CRF250R
+2:04.883
12
Jarrett Frye
YAM YZ 250F
+2:15.554
13
Nick Gaines
YAM YZ 250F
+2:19.882
14
Kevin Moranz
KTM 250 SX-F
+2:24.692
15
Joseph Crown
YAM YZ 250F
15 Laps
16
Mitchell Harrison
KAW KX 250
+04.765
17
Jerry Robin
HQV FC250
+07.224
18
Hardy Munoz
HQV FC250
+13.923
19
Curren Thurman
KTM 250 SX-F
+41.068
20
Jesse Flock
HQV FC250
+42.498
21
Colton Eigenmann
SUZ RMZ 250
+50.288
22
Ezra Hastings
HQV FC250
+1:00.193
23
Derek Kelley
HQV FC250
+2:06.176
24
Maxwell Sanford
YAM YZ 250F
+2:33.265
25
Lane Shaw
KTM 250 SX-F
+2:45.694
26
Kyle Greeson
KTM 250 SX-F
14 Laps
27
Austin Root
HQV FC250
+11.352
28
Brett Greenley
YAM YZ 250F
+39.795
29
Jake Pinhancos
KTM 250 SX-F
+44.709
30
Matthew Klann
HON CRF250R
+59.439
31
Joshua Varize
KTM 250 SX-F
+1:07.071
32
Jordan Jarvis
KAW KX 250
+1:11.685
33
Michael Lacore
KTM 250 SX-F
13 Laps
34
Austin Cozadd
YAM YZ 250F
+26.226
35
Hayden Hefner
YAM YZ 250F
+1:35.861
36
Gared Steinke
KAW KX 250
9 Laps
37
Mathias Jorgensen
KAW KX 250
6 Laps
38
Gage Schehr
HQV FC250
4 Laps
39
Hunter Lawrence
HON CRF250R
3 Laps
40
Chad Stonier
YAM YZ 250F
2 Laps
250MX Overall
For the third time this season, Ferrandis swept both motos (1-1) for the overall victory. Cooper landed on the overall podium for the first time this season in second (4-2), edging out Jeremy Martin in third (3-3).
“It’s a great feeling to get another win,” said Ferrandis. “Every race and moto is really important. To go 1-1 today is huge and it’s great to show how strong I am when the conditions are tough. My starts were much better overall, so it’s quite a nice feeling to have it pay off with a good overall result. There are two races left and it’s going to be important to keep this momentum rolling for the championship.”
The win helped Ferrandis extend his championship point lead to 13-points over Jeremy Martin. Jeremy’s brother, Alex Martin, finished sixth overall (5-7) on the day and moved to third in the standings.
Round nine of the FIM Motocross World Championship concluded with the MX2 and MXGP action for the MXGP of Lombardi, with Jeremy Seewer reaching an incredible career milestone as he claimed his first MXGP overall victory and stood on the top step of the MXGP podium
Jeremy Seewer took the overall victory, with Glenn Coldenhoff taking second and Jorge Prado on the third step of the podium. Jeremy Seewer’s last GP win is back in 2017 when he stood at the top step on the podium at the MXGP of Sweden, Uddevalla in MX2 class.
With an eighth and a race win, Gajser now leads the MXGP Championship by five-points over Antonio Cairoli and Jeremy Seewer is just a further 11 points behind.
Australian Mitch Evans had a rough weekend in the MXGP class, with a crash in Race 1 leaving him unable to finish the race, while Race 2 saw him return to claim ninth. He leaves Lombardia in 11th overall in the standings.
In MX2, Thomas Kjer Olsen made an epic return to the podium with his first overall victory of the season, with teammate Jed Beaton only a single point off the round overall. Ben Watson was also having a good day, standing on the third step of the box.
Despite missing out on the podium, Tom Vialle continues to lead the championship now by 30-points over Geerts and Renaux, while Beaton sits in fourth, just nine-points off Renaux.
Jed Beaton
“I can’t explain how happy I am to have won the second moto today. I had a great start in race two and got into the lead early on lap three. I then had a clear track and just focussed on my lines. As the race wore on I got a little nervous but kept it together. I did make a few mistakes but held on for the win. It’s been a tough year until this point and it’s all coming together now. The team have been great and I’m so happy and pleased for them, too. I’m looking forward to Wednesday now.”
Bailey Malkiewicz went 10-23 in the weekends races, while Nathan Crawford went 30-16, with the two Aussie riders now 15th and 21st in the standings respectively.
In the WMX Courtney Duncan had a mixed weekend, claiming the first race win, before a massive crash in Race 2 snapped her ‘bars, ending what seemed like a dominant performance, that would have handed her another overall win and extended the championship lead.
Instead Larissa Papenmeier took the overall with consistent second places, while Nancy Van De Ven took the Race 2 win. Papenmeier now leads the standings from Van De Ven by 10-points, with Fontanesi in third, a further three points behind. Duncan is now fourth, with only four-points separating second through fourth, and 14-points to first.
MXGP Race 1
In the opening MXGP race it was Jeremy Seewer with the first FOX Holeshot of the day, as he led Prado and Brian Bogers. Meanwhile Gautier Paulin and Mitch Evans from Team HRC went down in the first corner, with Paulin riding into the pits. The Frenchman quickly re-joined the race but was quite far down the field with a lot of work to do in order to get back into the points.
Seewer then continued to lead the way, with Prado second and Antonio Cairoli finding a way through into third ahead of Bogers, with Glenn Coldenhoff doing the same to steal fourth on the opening lap.
Prado then set the fastest lap of the race, going 1.6 seconds faster than Seewer who continued to lead the way by just 1.2 seconds. While his teammate, Paulin, was moving fast, as he caught on to the back of the field to begin his fight through the pack.
Arminas Jasikonis got out of the gate in the top 10 and was making his way through as he caught on to the back of Evgeny Bobryshev as the two began to battle. The tall Lithuanian was eventually able to make the pass and then set his sights on Bogers, who had dropped to sixth.
As Gajser struggled to find a way to pass Alessandro Lupino for 12th, the battle at the front was close as just four seconds separated Seewer, Prado and Cairoli, with 16 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock.
Making a good recovery, Paulin moved into the top 20 on lap 6 to get himself back into point scoring positions, as his teammate, Seewer, set the fastest lap of the race – a 1:54.504 and continued to lead the way.
Seewer had clearly found a good rhythm in the race as he followed with another fastest lap and that time extending the gap to Prado, as 2.7 seconds separated the two.
On lap 10 of the race the top 10 was led by Seewer, as Prado, Cairoli, Coldenhoff, Calvin Vlaanderen, Jasikonis, Desalle, Bogers, Van Horebeek and Gajser followed behind. Gajser then put on a late charge, as he passed Febvre for 10th, then stole ninth from Bogers and went after Van Horebeek. With just 3 laps to go, the Slovenian moved himself in eighth where he eventually finished the race.
Things at the front of the field didn’t change in terms of positions, as Jeremy Seewer went on to win the first race of the day, with Prado second and Cairoli third. Mitch Evans struggled to recover from going down in the first corner, finishing 18th.
MXGP Race 2
In race two, it was Prado who claimed his 8th FOX Holeshot of the season, as he led Romain Febvre, Gajser, Paulin and Seewer. Meanwhile Cairoli had a bad start to the race and was showing down in 19th position.
The race began with drama, as Seewer crashed out of fifth while trying to pass Paulin and eventually re-joined around the top 10. Though at the front of the field, Febvre was starting to push for a pass on Prado as he set the fastest lap of the race and the two then pushed each other for the next few laps.
Coldenhoff then showed his intentions for the race as he clocked the fastest lap of the race on lap 3, while behind were Paulin, Gajser and Febvre.
Further down the field and the race 1 winner, Seewer, found a way to get around the number #25 of Clement Desalle for 19th with 17 minutes plus 2 laps to go of the race.
Febvre pushed for the lead, though he got caught out by Gajser who swiftly moved into second before going after Prado for the lead. Seewer was also moving up the field as he passed Lupino for 8th. Jasikonis went down and out of sixth place, with the Husqvarna rider being taken away by the medics to the nearby hospital for further checks.
Gajser then pulled away from the group as he extended the lead to 5.8 seconds, with Prado second and Febvre still third. Paulin were also there with Coldenhoff and Seewer. Cairoli’s bad luck continued as he was forced to come into the goggle lane while in 12th, losing two positions in the process, which was not the race he had hoped for.
Eventually Gajser crossed the line to take the win in the second MXGP race, with Coldenhoff and Seewer inheriting second and third, with Prado, Paulin and Febvre receiving a penalty for not respecting a waved yellow flag which saw them drop some positions changing the final podium standings.
Mitch Evans had a much improved race, finishing ninth, without the dramas of an early crash setting him back, as happened in Race 1.
Jeremy Seewer – P1 (Overall)
“I just won my first MXGP. Amazing. It’s in the books and it’s a big milestone in my career. Everybody dreams of winning an MXGP round, especially at the level we are racing right now, so it’s amazing. Especially the first race, I won the start then led every lap to the finish. The second race it didn’t go as planned but still I was lucky today, I was at the right place at the right time and now celebrating an overall.”
Glenn Coldenhoff – P2
“Second overall is a good result, for sure. I’d have liked to have been at the front of the battle rather than at the back of it, but it is what it is. I had a good feeling today which is important. It’s quite hard to pass on this circuit and everyone is similar in speed but luckily I had decent starts and was able to move forwards, especially in race two. The first moto was ok but once I was into fourth, I fell into a rhythm behind Cairoli and was unable to make a pass. Overall, good points, second overall after a couple of guys jumped on a yellow flag and up to fifth in the championship. I’m looking forward to Wednesday.”
Jorge Prado – P3
“The victory was in my hands today. I feel I deserved it. It was a very good day and to win twice in this very tough class in my first year is something to be happy about. I sweated my shirt in that second moto to stay in second place. My speed wasn’t quite as good as the first moto but I’d made steps in recent weeks with my physical condition and the bike was working so well. I can take confidence from the way we finished.”
Tim Gajser – P4
“The first race didn’t start very well as I was back in the pack and it was tough to come through the field and pass the riders as everyone is very fast. I managed to come back to eighth but I was a little disappointed because I know that the start makes all the difference. For the second race, I put a lot of focus on the start and I managed to come out of the first corner around fifth and then I made a couple of quick passes which put me into third. I was following Romain and Jorge for around 15 minutes, before I was able to make two passes to get myself into the lead. I pulled a good gap, controlled the race to take the win and I’m super happy with how it turned out. Obviously getting the red plate is a big bonus and I will try my best to hold onto it until the end of the season.”
Clement Desalle – P5
“Not a bad weekend for me with fifth overall! My starts were average but in the first moto I made some good early passes; then I lost two positions due to a mistake but I passed a few guys again to finish seventh. I changed my strategy for the second start but that was not such a good idea; I was eleventh, came back seventh and finally was classified fifth overall. The most important aspect of the weekend is that I’m happy with my riding; I have no more pain in my back and the feeling is better so that promises well for the upcoming races.”
Mitch Evans – P13
“It wasn‘t the greatest day, although qualifying went quite well. I wasn’t feeling overly comfortable on the bike as I hadn’t ridden since Tuesday as I’ve been unwell but I was happy with qualifying. Unfortunately in race one I crashed in the first turn and then crashed a couple of laps later and was fighting all moto long to score some points. In moto two I didn’t get the best start either but didn’t crash, so I was still in a position to get a top 10 finish. I fought through to ninth and felt a lot better but I need to work on my starts and then I’ll be able to battle with the guys at the front of the races.”
Racing concluded for round six of the FIM Motocross World Championship, with the MXGP of Italy the first of three events taking place at the Monte Coralli circuit in Faenza, where Jeffrey Herlings took the double MXGP win, with Jeremy Seewer adding two runner up positions to his tally and Tony Cairoli completing the podium across both races. Aussie Mitchell Evans went 9-7.
Herlings now leads the MXGP class by 60-points, from Cairoli and Gajser, with Mitchell Evans in 12th.
In MX2 it was Maxime Renaux who came out on top, thanks to a 2-1 result, with Jago Geerts claiming the first MX2 win of the weekend but having to settle for third in Race 2, for second overall. Tom Vialle took third with a 4-2, while Australian Jed Beaton was consistent with two sixth place finishes.
Vialle now holds the MX2 lead by a narrow three-points, from Jago Geerts, with Renaux a distant third on 196-points, 58-points off second. Jet Beaton sits fourth overall, now 18-points off Renaux.
MXGP Race One
The opening MXGP race saw Ivo Monticelli put his GasGas Factory machine out in front as he led Jorge Prado, Jeffrey Herlings and Clement Desalle. Though Monticelli made a mistake on the opening lap, allowing Prado to take the lead, with Herlings right behind him. At that point Desalle was in third place, though was coming under pressure from the Antonio Cairoli.
It didn’t take long for Jeremy Seewer to get up in the mix, as he started to apply the pressure onto Cairoli early in the race. By the second lap it was a KTM 1-2-3, as Prado led Herlings and Cairoli. Meanwhile further down the field Gautier Paulin moved into fifth as he pushed Desalle down a position and was looking to edge towards his team-mate.
Desalle then lost a position to Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and was coming under fire by Glenn Coldenhoff. The two riders had a close moment as they entered pitlane, though Desalle managed to retain his position.
By lap 8, Herlings was starting to close in on Prado, as 2.7 seconds separated the two. Cairoli was still there in third, trying to fend off Seewer and Paulin. During the same lap, Mitch Evans of Team HRC lost eighth to Romain Febvre who was making his way up the field.
A few laps later saw Gajser crash out of sixth, while the battle at the front heated up. At that point predicting a winner was hard, as Prado, Herlings, Cairoli and Seewer were all bunched up together and pushing hard.
After taking his time, Herlings finally moved into the lead on lap 13, while Prado was coming under fire from Cairoli and Seewer. As Cairoli got alongside the young Spaniard to attempt a pass, he was caught out, thus allowing Seewer through into P3.
Two laps to go and the gap between the top three was just 1.7 seconds, though in the end it was Herlings who took the race win, followed by Seewer and Cairoli, with Prado down in fourth after making a mistake on the final lap.
MXGP Race Two
In the second MXGP race, it was Prado who claimed the Holeshot and once again leading the rest of the field. Behind him was Herlings, Cairoli and Seewer, though the #222 made a mistake and lost about six positions on the opening lap.
As Prado led the race, Paulin who was having a great ride in fourth came under attack by the defending world champion, Gajser, with Cairoli also stepping it up and getting involved in the action.
While the two factory Yamahas of Seewer and Paulin were having a top ride in the top five, the same couldn’t be said for their team-mate Arnaud Tonus who crashed out of the race.
Gajser and Cairoli continued to push Paulin, and the Frenchman caught his leg which sent him flying into the advertising banners and out of a strong fourth place. Meanwhile at the front, just 2 seconds separated the top three riders, as Seewer set his personal fastest lap time of the race, clearly showing his intentions for the rest of the race.
Following the drama of the first race, that saw Jeremy Van Horebeek miss the start due to what looked like a bike issue, he was running 11th in the second MXGP race.
As the battle for the lead continued, there was a good fight going down for fourth, with Cairoli being chased by Gajser. It also didn’t take long for Febvre to join in on the action as he eventually passed Gajser and set his sights on Cairoli.
Lap 10 and Prado continued to lead Herlings and Seewer, though that’s when you could see Herlings stepping up a gear as he pushed for the win. With Herlings focused on Prado, this allowed Seewer to get right on his tail, with the bullet losing a bit of time during that lap.
Lap 13 and Herlings was the new race leader after finally finding a way past Prado. Seewer could not afford to let Herlings run away and was able to pass for second and continue his chase of the number 84.
For the last 3 laps of the race a mere 1.1 seconds separated Herlings and Seewer, with the factory Yamaha using all his energy to try pass Herlings, though in the end he was not able to do so as Herlings made it 1-1 winning the MXGP of Italy. Second on the podium was Seewer following a 2-2 result, with Cairoli filling the third step of the podium with a consistent 3-3 in the races.
Jeffrey Herlings continues to lead the championship by 60 points over Antonio Cairoli, with Tim Gajser in third on 196 points.
Jeffrey Herlings – P1
“I felt good all day. The speed of the top ten is unbelievably fast. Everybody is so close to each other and the starts really were key. It was hard to pass Jorge because he was riding defensive lines. I got the opportunity in both motos when he started to get a bit tired. It will be an exciting week, I think. The track could still get rougher to give more opportunities to pass but they did good with the watering and it was safe, which is the most important thing. I’m looking forward to Wednesday.”
Jeremy Seewer – P2
“I feel super good especially being second on a day like this. I didn’t expect it. I was close to the win. Jeffrey (Herlings) was always there. We did take some time to pass Jorge (Prado) but he was riding well until he got a bit tired. But as I said, it’s a tough time for me and I am happy to do my job, and now I am looking forward to having some rest.”
Antonio Cairoli – P3
“I re-grouped from 8th place in the first moto and I saw Jorge and Jeffrey at the front. The pace was fast but I could come closer and Jeremy was also very fast today. I gained a position when Jorge crashed at the end. My start was better in the second moto and I was in 4th even though I made a big mistake on the first lap and nearly went down. That cost me. I had to recover and keep safe because the track was getting a bit harder. I could find some more speed. I tried to attack in the last laps but, overall, I’m happy with 3rd because this kind of track is not really one of my favourites. We have to do another two races here so I hope to improve.”
Romain Febvre – P4
“There’s a lot of positive points today apart from my mistake in the first race when I crashed twice as my front brake was blocked in the first crash. I lost twelve seconds in that incident and then came back from thirteenth to sixth; it was a good race and it was impossible to achieve more. The second race was OK. My start wasn’t as good but I gave everything and was the fastest man on track; with a better start and without my mistake a lot was possible today, but I made mistakes and just missed the podium with fourth overall.”
Jorge Prado – P5
“I’m pretty happy with my riding. I had a little dip in the first moto and Jeffrey used that to pass me. Seewer and Tony were then attacking very hard but I kept with Jeffrey until the last lap. I entered a rut and when I was able to open the gas the rut fell-in and it popped my front wheel out of place. I crashed because of that. It was a case of bad luck. In the second moto I started well and was riding well until the end when Jeffrey came through again. I made some mistakes and lost some focus. Fifth overall is decent but I’m aiming for more. After being the guy who led most laps today it is a pity not to be on the box, but we will get there. I’m feeling good.”
Tim Gajser – P6
“I was feeling okay at the beginning, the track looked really good in timed practice and even during the races they kept the track in good shape. It’s just that it was really difficult to pass on the track and the start was the key. The start was really important and today I didn’t get two good starts. I was back in the pack, having to work my way through and I even made two crashes in the first race so that didn’t help. I was really disappointed. The second race was better, the pace was there, just a few seconds from first to fifth but I just couldn’t make the moves I needed to. That’s how it is though, and we still have two more rounds to go here in Faenza, so I will try to put this day out of my mind and focus ahead for the rest of the championship. I know the team will help with this, as they continually help me with all the preparations, so bring on Wednesday!”
Glenn Coldenhoff – P7
“Not quite the day that I was looking for. I felt great in practice and qualifying, and I was seventh fastest so this was good. We are all quite similar in in pace so seventh is ok. My start wasn’t great in race one, just my reaction time was just a little slow, which was unfortunate. The start on this track is so important so it was a tough race all the way to the end. My start in race two wasn’t much better unfortunately but I came back to eighth. We’ll go away from here, watch the races to analyze what I’m doing and then practice starts ahead of Wednesday.”
Mitch Evans – P8
“The first Faenza was good. The goal is still to be better each time I go out on track and we achieved that again today starting with ninth in moto one and seventh in moto two, so really happy with that. These first two rounds I was hoping top 10 results and to slowly progress to the top five, but those guys are running a really fast pace at the front so we’ve still got a way to go. However, we’re heading in the right direction and I’m feeling better and better each race and I’m very happy with how today went.”
The MXGP of Kegums was the third and final of round Grand Prix races making up the Latvian triple-header in 2020, concluding in Kegums. Racing proved hard to predict, with Tim Gajser claiming the first MXGP race win, but unable to complete Race 2 due to an electric problem, ending his his weekend.
Jeffrey Herlings claimed the Race 2 win, which combined with this fourth place in Race 1, was enough to clinch the weekend, while extending his lead on Gajser in the standings. Aussie Mitchell Evans went 12-9 to collect 21-points for his championship tally, now sitting 12th overall.
In the MX2 class Tom Vialle and Jago Geerts had to battle it out for the win, with each taking a win and a second place. Tied on 47 points the round win was awarded to Jago Geerts, with Roan Van de Moosidjk third overall. Top Aussie in Race 1 was Nathan Crawford in ninth, with Jed Beaton 11th and Bailey Malkiewicz 16th. Race 2 saw Beaton up to sixth, with Malkiewicz 20th, while Crawford was unable to finish.
Vialle retains his overall MX2 lead by eight-points from Geerts, with van de Moosdijk a distant third. Beaton is fifth, Crawford 15th, and Malkiewicz 25th.
MXGP Race 1
As the gate dropped for the opening MXGP race of the day, it was who took his second FOX Holeshot of the season. Arminas Jasikonis, as well as Tim Gajser were also right there in the top three, with Gajser quickly moving into the lead.
It was bad luck once again for Jeffrey Herlings, who got squeezed on the start straight and had to pick off some riders in order to get back into contention for the race win. Additionally, the start also saw more drama, with Arnaud Tonus and Antonio Cairoli both going down in the first corner.
Things were not looking much better for Jeremy Seewer who went down hard into turn three. Despite looking in pain, he managed to get back on his factory Yamaha and put in a few more laps, before eventually retiring from the race.
We saw Gajser the race leader, with Monticelli holding second and Jorge Prado in third ahead of Jasikonis. Meanwhile Herlings was up to seventh after making a decent recovery in the first lap.
Jasikonis then started to close on Prado as he chased second place, while Herlings was also looking to move up in the race as he passed Clement Desalle, though Desalle fired straight back making it hard for the bullet to get ahead and catch the leaders.
Herlings found himself in a battle with Monticelli for fourth place, with Monticelli doing a great job of protecting his position, as Herlings struggled for six whole laps before he finally passed the GasGas rider.
By the time Herlings passed Monticelli, Jasikonis had also managed to pass Prado for second. Though as Herlings moved into fourth place, Prado was too far ahead to bridge the gap.
With two minutes and two laps to go, Gajser continued to lead, with Jasikonis second and Prado third. Herlings meanwhile was 32 seconds down on the leader so a race win was looking unlikely.
In the end Gajser took the opening race win, Jasikonis finished in second, and Prado was third, while was Herlings fourth and Romain Febvre completed the top five. Australian rider Mitchell Evans brought home 12th.
MXGP Race 2
Race two saw Tim Gajser take the FOX Holeshot, as he led the group around the first corner by pitlane. Herlings was having a much better start to the race and was on Gajser’s tail from the get-go as Prado and Cairoli followed the two leaders.
Herlings wasted no time, quickly making a move on Gajser to become the new race leader. While Cairoli was adding pressure onto his KTM team-mate, he was also coming under fire from Febvre and Jasikonis. Though he managed to catch up to Prado, those two were then locked in a pretty intense battle, that saw Prado block pass Cairoli and Cairoli block pass him back. After several attempts, Cairoli eventually passed the MXGP rookie, Prado, and moved into third.
Gajser had started to catch back up to the #84 of Herlings, though something happened to the Honda rider and he went down, allowing Cairoli through to second.
Meanwhile Jasikonis made some quick passes on Prado and Febvre and was up to fourth, with his energy concentrated on catching Gajser ahead. He then passed Gajser to move into third, though Gajser wasn’t going to let the Lithuanian run away. As he started to catch Jasikonis, his bike suddenly stopped, forcing the defending world champion out of race two due to an electrical issue.
In the end it was Herlings with the race win, followed by Cairoli who had a strong finish in second, with Jasikonis crossing the line in third place. Aussie Mitchell Evans improved on his race 1 result to bring home ninth.
Overall it was Jeffrey Herlings who finally claimed a Grand Prix victory in Latvia, with Jasikonis reaching a career milestone with second overall, and Prado also making his first MXGP podium of his rookie season. Mitchell Evans was 10th overall, claiming 21-points.
As it stands, Herlings continues to lead the MXGP World Championship, with Gajser a further 46 points back, as Jasikonis joins in third just four-points behind the factory Honda rider. Mitchell Evans sits in 12th, with 66-points.
Jeffrey Herlings – P1
“The competition gets higher every year and we are all closer to each other, so the starts are key. I struggled a bit in the first moto, with arm-pump also, but it helped to be 4th and then leading the second moto from the second lap meant the overall. Another GP win, so another good day and I want to thank Red Bull KTM because the bike was awesome. I’m happy with the week here in Latvia. I had a few little ‘gifts’ here and there but it was good for the championship.”
Arminas Jasikonis – P2
“It was a really great day and a great way to end the week in Latvia, with second overall. The progress that the team and I made this week has been fantastic and I leave Latvia with my best ever results, so I’m really happy. As a team we are always learning and improving and we are really going in the right direction as I’m now third in the championship standings, just four points down on second place. Today was my second podium of the MXGP season and I felt strong in both races so I’m really happy with my riding at the moment. My FC 450 is set up perfectly for me so now it’s just a case of continuing the progress we are making ahead of the next GP. Finally, thank you to my team and thanks to all my fans as well who support me, it’s been a great GP for me.”
Jorge Prado – P3
“The road up until the restart of MXGP has been very tough with two injuries. The femur was horrible and the another one with the collarbone: it meant hardly any time on my bike. This year has been crazy and despite the lack of the training and the riding I could still manage a 3rd overall here. It was a very hard day. I felt good in the first moto but at the beginning of the second I was suffering. I went very, very deep. I’m super-happy to keep that position to make the podium and to come away from these races without any crashes. I hope to keep going like this.”
Tony Cairoli – P4
“Another OK weekend but I feel it was possible to win again today. I paid for the mistake and crash at the start of the first moto because I had to come from far back and could only make 9th. It should have been more. The second moto was better even if I was not riding so free because I hit my back on a landing towards the end of the first race. I tried to stay as close as possible to the front. I tried to catch Jeffrey but I was a bit tired from the first moto. Not too good, not too bad. Let’s see what we can do when we race again.”
Romain Febvre – P5
“It was an average day I would say, with two fifth positions for a fifth overall. The first moto was good; my start was not really what I wanted but I was able to come back through to fifth. I used a lot of energy in this race as it was difficult to pass some riders but I was happy with the result. In the second race my start was much better, but I just didn’t have enough energy to do better than fifth. I’m a little bit disappointed, but also happy with the results I got here for the three rounds in Latvia; they were my first GP races of the season and I scored well in each. I know where I was coming from and I’m happy with my speed but I need to improve my rhythm during the races; I go back home pretty happy with a podium and two fifth places.”
Glenn Coldenhoff – P6
“Today was always going to be a challenge with my injury. Fortunately, nothing was broken in my crash on Wednesday, just a hematoma around my ribs which is really painful, especially on a track like this. I had to ride different lines than I would normally to avoid the biggest bumps. It’s not ideal to race like this and I was expecting to be top 15, so to go 7-6 and be sixth overall is something that I’m happy with. In race one I started slowly. I didn’t want to fall down so I was patient and then as the field spread out, I could push and make passes and finished in seventh place, so this was a good ride. Race two was sixth, a little better and it was really just two results that are good for the championship and much better than expected. I’ll now work on further recovery over the next few weeks.”
Tim Gajser – P8
“After such a great first moto, where I led from the very start and just felt really good on the bike, I am very disappointed with how the second moto finished. I was in a position to get my first overall but now I just need to put it out of my mind and concentrate on doing as well as possible when we have the next MXGP. I know my team work extremely hard and I will too in this break to keep improving and I am still in second place in the championship and we still have plenty of racing to complete, so I will definitely keep fighting for every point.”
Mitch Evans – P10
“I had the goal to be better each moto this week so I’m happy to finish off with a top 10 finish in race two, which gave me 10th overall for the day. I felt a lot better today, and like I’ve said previously, the more bike time I get, the better I’ll do. Really happy with how it all went today, I felt a lot better on the CRF450RW and although I didn’t get the greatest of starts, my riding was spot on so I’m looking forward to getting in a bit more bike time in this break and then coming out swinging for the next rounds of the championship where I’ll be aiming for some top fives.”
The MXGP of Latvia saw Glenn Coldenhoff take a historic win for Gas Gas, going 2-1 and taking the overall GP win on 47-points, with Tim Gajser and Romain Febvre separated by just a point in second and third. Aussie Mitchell Evans also added five-points to his championship tally, with a 19-18 result.
Jeffrey Herlings retained his championship lead however, sitting four-points clear of Tim Gajser on 130, while round winner Coldenhoff moved into third with 103 points. Antonio Cairoli and Arminas Jasikonis complete the top five in the championship standings. Mitchel Evans sits 13th in the championship standings following Round 3, now on 39-points.
In the MX2 Tom Vialle came out on top, after a consistent performance finishing 2-1, extending his championship lead. Roan Van De Moosdijk was second overall for the GP, with Mathys Boisrame third. Aussie Jed Beaton had to settle for ninth after a challenging Race 1, with Nathan Crawford 12th, and Bailey Malkiewicz 27th.
The MX2 standings now see Tom Vialle with a strong 22-point lead heading into round four, ahead of Geerts and Jed Beaton, with Maxime Renaux and Ben Watson completing the standings top five.
MXGP Race 1
As MXGP racing commenced in Kegums, Latvia, it was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser who claimed the first FOX Holeshot, closely followed by GasGas Factory rider Glenn Coldenhoff and Yamaha Factory Racing’s Arnaud Tonus.
Lap 2 saw Coldenhoff jump into the lead, while Jeffrey Herlings was down in P9, following a crazy crash in the Time Practice session. Arminas Jasikonis had a pretty good start and in the early stages of the race was Jeremy Seewer and Clement Desalle for P6.
By lap 4, Romain Febvre was all over the back of Jorge Prado and eventually found his way past the Spaniard to move into fourth place.
Gajser meanwhile, managed to clinch the lead from Coldenhoff halfway through the race, while Jasikonis was trying find a way past Desalle and Herlings. He passed the two riders a couple of laps later, then set his sights on fifth.
With 5 minutes and 2 laps to go, Herlings was on a mission passing Prado, Jasikonis and breathing down Seewer’s neck. By the end of the race he managed to pass the Yamaha rider and move into fourth place.
At the finish line it was Tim Gajser who claimed the win from Coldenhoff and Febvre, with Herlings and Seewer completing the top five.
Jasikonis had to settle for sixth, ahead of Cairoli and Prado, with Gautier and Van Horebeek rounding out the top 10. Aussie Mitchell Evans came come in 19th, claiming two-points.
MXGP Race 2
As the gate dropped for the second MXGP race of the day, it was the Coldenhoff who reached the FOX Holeshot line first, followed by Gajser and Seewer who were also quick out of the gate.
The opening lap saw Coldenhoff lead Gajser, Seewer, Prado, Desalle, Febvre and Jasikonis, while Tonus was not having the best of luck coming back from the back of the field.
Jasikonis, with a crowd of Lithuanian fans supporting him, was keen to put on a show as he moved quickly past Desalle for P5 and then Prado for P4.
As the top five continued to battle amongst themselves, Tonus found himself caught in more trouble as he crashed out and was left fighting from dead last.
A couple of laps later and Febvre was chasing down Jasikonis for fourth, and the two had a brief battle changing positions among one another for a couple of corners, though it was Febvre who came out on top.
Antonio Cairoli was having a tough day, as he made his way through the back end of the field, but all eyes were on the three riders out front, with Coldenhoff, Gajser and Seewer all neck and neck, with it proving hard to predict a clear winner.
Gajser may have pushed a little too hard and went down pretty hard in the wave sections, giving Coldenhoff a little bit of breathing room, though not for long as Seewer was straight on the back of him. The last two laps saw the GasGas and Yamaha factory riders locked in battle, though Coldenhoff was able to keep it cool and maintain the lead.
Overall, it was a historic day for GasGas and Glen Coldenhoff as they claimed the first race win and podium for the manufacturer, with Seewer second and Febvre completing the podium. Top KTM rider was Herlings in fourth, ahead of Gajser. Jasikonis was once again sixth, ahead of Prado and Patural, while Tixier and Desalle completed the top 10. Mitchell Evans improved to 18th, taking a further three points for the weekend.
Despite missing out on the podium, Jeffrey Herlings still managed to hold on to his championship lead, heading into round 4 on Wednesday with the MXGP of Riga.
Glenn Coldenhoff – P1
“What can I say? It’s been a great day! After qualifying we made some adjustments to my bike’s suspension and it really paid off in the races. The Standing Construct team have worked hard during lockdown to keep improving our bikes on the starts and it clearly showed today. I started 2nd in race 1, nearly had the holeshot and then I took the lead on the 3rd lap. After a few laps there was a big rock in the rut I was in, which I hit, and it knocked me off balance just before the waves section. I re-joined the race quickly and made another charge towards the end, but it was too late. I finished in 2nd place, which was really good after a not so great qualifying. Race 2, another great start taking the holeshot! It was a tough race though, especially during the final laps, but I’m really happy to have won for myself and the team, especially as it’s only the 3rd MXGP for GASGAS. It’s just awesome. It’s nice to be back in MXGP, I really like the 1-day format and I can’t wait for Wednesday.”
Tim Gajser – P2
“I got a solid start in both motos, getting the holeshot on my Honda CRF450RW in race one and then right behind Glenn in race two, so I’m happy with how that went. My qualification was good too, giving me first gate pick and it was good to see that we were able to adapt to the new format quickly. Unfortunately, after winning the first race, I had a crash in the waves in race two as I tried to change my lines in order to make the pass for the lead. I did my best to re-join the race as quickly as possible but I dropped down to fifth, which is where I finished. Obviously I would have liked to have made that pass but it didn’t quite work and instead I had to settle for second overall. The championship gap has closed to four points so I’m happy with that and I’m excited for the next two rounds here on Wednesday and Sunday. A big thanks to everyone for getting the series running again and for my team who have continued to work hard during this break.”
Romain Febvre – P3
“It was good. This is my first MXGP race of the year, we came far with my injury and not racing the first two GPs, so I’m really happy about that and also for the team even if I want more. At some point I was faster and was catching the leaders at the end but the last few laps were complicated, finished 3rd twice so I’m happy to be on the podium.”
Jeremy Seewer – P4
“Decent start to the week. We need to consider that we have three races this week as well, so it is important we stay healthy. Any crash that could make you feel stiff a few days after will make it tricky. In the first race I started off calm, I dropped back a bit but I was still in safety mode after not racing for such a long time. I didn’t want to make that mistake of going too hard too soon, and I managed to pick up my pace as the race went on and finished fifth. In race two, I felt I knew the track a lot better and that I had to speed to win. I almost got Glenn in the last lap, but just missed out and missed the podium, but I feel good and I look forward to the next two GP’s here.”
Jeffrey Herlings – P5
“Today could have been better. Some bad starts, and in the first moto I was a bit too slow at the beginning. I came back from last to 4th but wasted too much energy pushing through to the front. I’m definitely not satisfied but we’ve started racing again now and I know what to do for when we go again in three days.”
Arminas Jasikonis – P6
“It was nice to be back racing MXGP again today with a slightly different format with everything on one day. I think it was good. I was consistent with my results, so this is a good thing, sixth place in both races, which is a good place to build from. I rode a little tight early in the first race and just eased my way back into racing the MXGP class. About halfway in I went from ninth to fifth in a couple of laps so that was good and then ended the race in sixth. Race two I was a little too eager and hit the start gate, but as I was on the inside I stayed tight around the first corner and missed a big pile up. I then had a battle with Jorge Prado for a few laps before moving into sixth place around halfway through the race. I then stayed here until the finish so two sixths and sixth overall. The bike was great on the track today, it was a tough track but the bike set up was perfect, so it made it much easier for me.”
Mitch Evans – P19
“It’s good to be back racing and it’s good to back at the GPs with everyone, even though there is a few restrictions. I’m just glad to be here racing really because the surgeon told me when I first had my operation that I would be out for six months so to be on the line in four months, I’m pretty happy with it. Unfortunately I got caught up in the first turn pile ups in both motos, and fought my way back to 19th and 18th so it wasn’t great but I’m treating it as a building process and I need to regroup for Wednesday and work on my starts in order to make my life a bit easier. Still, the first race is done and I’m sure I’ll feel better and better as the season progresses.”
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
What happened this week
Ricky Brabec triumphs at the 2020 Sonora Rally
Brad Groombridge claims two NZ MX top 10s
MA to review international team events
2020 AORC Rounds 5 & 6 postponed
2020 Merzouga Rally cancelled
WESS Round 2 Trèfle Lozérien AMV cancelled
2020 Hangtown Motocross Classic cancelled
2020 MXGP Calendar Updated
2020 Motocross of European Nations date change
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship amended schedule
2020 American Flat Track events postponed
2020 Silk Way Rally route updated
2020 Championship Calendars
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross
2020 American Flat Track
2020 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Speedway
2020 FIM Speedway GP Championship
2020 Australian Dirt Track Championship
2020 Australian Track Championship
2020 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC)
2020 FIM SuperEnduro Championship
2020 AMA Extreme Off-Road East/West
2020 FIM Flat Track World Championship
2020 King of MX
2020 Australian Motocross National Championship
2020 Fox New Zealand Motocross Championship
Ricky Brabec triumphs at the 2020 Sonora Rally
Monster Energy Honda Team rider Ricky Brabec took victory in the Sonora Rally, held in the Mexican Sonora Desert on the border of the United States. For Brabec this is a third win in the event, and the second in a row.
Ricky Brabec
The rally featured 1358 km of racing, including some 1078 kms of timed special stage, on some very Dakaresque terrain: high-speed hard ground, sand, dunes and stony terrain.
The Monster Energy Honda Team rider claimed four out of the five stages and even managed to pull back from a 13-minute penalty which had been meted out after the first stage.
Ricky Brabec
The American went on to win the rally with a margin of less than a minute over the nearest rival Skyler Howes, also from USA, with Bill Conger completing the top three, just nine-seconds in front of Wes Van Nieuwenhuise.
Ricky Brabec
“I always look forward to the Sonora Rally in México. It’s the only rally in North America that simulates a Dakar style rally raid. It has all the ingredients; fast pistes, mountains, washes and mountains dunes! This year the organization laid out a route that took us to new places and new faces. I had a set back in stage 1 that left me with large penalty and I had to claw my way back to the top, day by day. It made the final stage interesting when I needed to make up over a minute and only have 142km to do it. Thanks to my Team and my Factory CRF450 RALLY, I was able to overcome and finish on top for the third time in the Sonora Rally. It was an incredible event, well organized and looking forward to coming back in 2021. I wanted to also give my condolences to all the victims of the current Covid-19 virus. Everyone please be safe and stay healthy so we can get back to normal soon.”
Ricky Brabec
2020 Sonora Rally Overall results
Pos.
Rider
Nat.
Class
Time
1
Ricky Brabec
USA
Pro
11:56:09
2
Skyler Howes
USA
Pro
11:56:59
3
Bill Conger
USA
Pro
14:08:05
4
Wes VanNieuwenhuise
USA
ADV
14:08:14
5
Mike Johnson
USA
Pro
14:12:17
6
Colton Udall
USA
Pro
14:23:42
7
Jim Pearson
Canada
Pro
14:48:29
8
Matthew Ransom
USA
Pro
14:58:39
9
Taye Perry
South Africa
Pro
15:17:35
10
Nathan Rafferty
USA
Pro
15:37:14
11
Gavin Ferguson
USA
Enduro
15:46:19
12
Vasile Scurtu
Canada
Pro
16:01:13
13
Radek Burkat
Canada
Pro
16:02:10
14
Kevin Omo
USA
Pro
16:20:13
15
Clint Riviere
Canada
Enduro
16:26:17
16
Jared Kirkland
USA
Enduro
16:47:15
17
Keith Billings
Canada
Enduro
17:42:09
18
Morrison Hart
USA
Enduro
17:53:16
19
John Henson
USA
Pro
18:21:27
20
Matthew Glade
Canada
Pro
18:47:45
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Brad Groombridge claims two NZ MX top 10s
By Andy McGechan
Brad Groombridge raced his RM-Z450 and RM-Z250 in both MX1 and MX2 classes in this years New Zealand Motocross Championships and came away with two top-10 places.
The 29-year-old locksmith was one of just two individuals to tackle more than one class at the just-completed series. Although entered in twice as many races as any other rider in the premier MX1 class, Groombridge still managed a top-six result at the end of the four-round series.
It could have been so much better for the Kea Trailers-sponsored Suzuki RM-Z450 rider if it hadn’t been for a small element of bad luck, a factor well beyond his control, with his bike suffering a flat tyre in the opening MX1 race at the final round in Taupo last weekend.
Brad Groombridge
“I had to stop and change the tyre, which left me a hopelessly long way behind. I managed to get back to 19th, which was worth only two points, but that ruined my chances of finishing fifth for the championship. I had been fifth overall in the standings and with a good points buffer over sixth, but the flat tyre wiped that out. It was a very tough class, with the top two guys at least being full-time professionals. I work 9am until 5pm, five days a week and I don’t get much time left to myself to do training. It was hard too with the recent dry weather meaning there were not many places where it was okay to ride.”
Brad Groombridge – Image by Andy McGechan
Groombridge also raced his Suzuki RM-Z250 bike in the MX2 (250cc) class this year, settling 10th overall in what was arguably the toughest MX2 championship class in many years.
With Kiwi internationals and top racers from Australia too, this season’s MX2 class was a virtual “Who’s Who” of South Pacific talent, the depth of quality so great that any one of a dozen riders could have been expected to win races.
Groombridge achieved his ranking among the nation’s top-10 MX2 riders despite skipping two races at round three of the series at Fernhill, near Hastings.
Brad Groombridge
“I had a few problems at Fernhill. The skin on my hands was rubbed raw, so I opted to sit out two of the day’s three MX2 races, figuring I could jump a couple of positions when racing at the final round at Taupo, my home track. But then I had two crashes early on and then jammed my foot on a trackside sprinkler at Taupo and that all slowed me down a bit. I’m pretty satisfied with my rankings this year. I finished top-10, so I can’t complain. I raced two different classes at the motocross nationals because I was using this as a build-up to the (separate) enduro and cross-country nationals. It all helped me build my fitness.”
Groombridge was New Zealand Enduro Champion twice, in 2016 and again in 2018, and he also three-times consecutively won the New Zealand Cross-country Championships (in 2016, 2017 and 2018).
Groombridge will ride exactly the same RM-Z450 bike in the enduro and cross-country events that he raced at the motocross nationals, perhaps the only alteration being to fit a larger fuel tank or change the tyres.
Brad Groombridge
“The bikes I race are standard, unmodified machines and they’re super reliable. I can’t thank Suzuki enough for all the support they’ve given me.”
2020 NZ Motocross MX1 Standings
Pos.
Rider.
Points
1
Kirk Gibbs
280
2
Cody Cooper
276
3
Hamish Harwood
244
4
Kayne Lamont
203
5
Ethan Martens
176
6
Brad Groombridge
170
7
Roydon White
147
8
Hadleigh Knights
143
9
Richard Horne
119
10
Cody Murphy
114
2020 NZ Motocross MX2 Standings
Pos.
Rider
Points
1
Maximus Purvis
252
2
Josiah Natzke
246
3
James Scott
228
4
Dylan Walsh
224
5
Caleb Ward
188
6
Morgan Fogarty
186
7
Riley Ward
132
8
Broc Martens
131
9
Cobie Bourke
129
10
Brad Groombridge
120
MA to review international team events
With the current activity surrounding COVID-19 (commonly known as Coronavirus) including governmental imposed restrictions on National and International travel and mass gatherings, Motorcycling Australia (MA) have announced they are reconsidering involvement in all domestic and international activity over the next few months, with several events and activities already cancelled.
Australia’s ISDE teams will be one of many effected – Lyndon Snodgrass – Image Dario Agrati
In relation to International teams, ISDE, MXON, WJMX, TDN and Speedway of Nations, MA is in constant communication with the FIM about the status of these events.
Due to the logistics involved in sending these teams to compete in Europe, the timelines required to activate the necessary travel, and the current uncertainty around international travel, MA have set deadlines of Mid-April to confirm our Australian Team’s participation in these international events.
MA’s current position is that they believe it is inevitable that they will have to cancel Australia’s participation in some these team events for 2020, and are waiting further information from both the Australian Government and the FIM.
2020 AORC Rounds 5 & 6 postponed
Motorcycling Australia (MA) and Oyster Bay Motorcycle Club (OBMCC) have made the tough decision to postpone Rounds 5 and 6 at Nowra, NSW, of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship, presented by MXstore, as restrictions ramp up around the coronavirus outbreak.
Luke Styke – 2020 AORC
The further restrictions recommended by the Australian Government and imposed by the NSW Government have now made it impossible for the event to continue. The Yamaha AORC is a significant championship for MA and OBMCC and organisers have worked hard to find solutions to enable the championship to continue.
It has now become very difficult for riders, teams and officials to travel during this time and now many companies have placed restrictions on travel and a number of medical services required for the event have become too limited for the event to operate.
Peter Doyle – MA CEO
“With daily Government policy and guideline changes in relation to COID-19, both MA and OBMCC have made the tough but right decision to postpone rounds 5 and 6 of the AORC. Together with the club we have made this decision to postpone the event now rather than the day before the race.”
Geoff Braico – OBMCC President
“Obviously it’s disappointing to postpone the event but with everything that is going on at the moment it’s the only option we have. We are still committed to running the AORC event at Nowra and we have a great weekend of racing planned for when we are allowed to return.”
Daniel Milner – 2020 Yamaha AORC Round 2 – Toowoomba
These measures are being adopted in response to an unprecedented situation and AORC management have stated the judgment to postpone any MA National event is not taken lightly, apologising for any inconvenience caused by this required decision.
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2020 Merzouga Rally cancelled
Following the decision by the Moroccan authorities to suspend all events until further notice in order to combat the propagation of the Coronavirus (COVID19) epidemic, the organisers of the Merzouga Rally are obliged to cancel the next edition of the rally, which was scheduled to take place from 25 to 29 May 2020, as its organisation could no longer be guaranteed.
Merzouga Rally 2020 cancelled
Still several weeks away from the event dates, the investments made by the competitors in their preparation will be partly lost if the situation does not improve, with organisers not wanting their participants to run this risk.
Bearing in mind the numerous events postponed until September and October, added to existing events on the Moroccan sports calendar, the Merzouga Rally cannot be postponed, in this case. This means the next Merzouga Rally will be held from from 14 to 18 May, in 2021.
Qualifications for Dakar 2021
For those competitors who wish to validate their participation in the next Dakar Rally, an alternative solution is in the works.
WESS Round 2 Trèfle Lozérien AMV cancelled
Round two of the 2020 WESS Enduro World Championship, Trèfle Lozérien AMV in France, is now cancelled due to coronavirus COVID-19. With France one of the many countries dealing with the fallout of COVID-19, event organisers Motor Club Lozère were left with no alternative but to cancel the Trèfle Lozérien AMV for 2020.
2020 Trefle Lozerien AMV cancelled
Long regarded as France’s most-prestigious Classic Enduro, Mende and its surrounding countryside were busily preparing to host what would have been the 34th edition of the race. Exhausting all possibilities of securing an alternative date in September, it was with regret that a suitable option could not be found.
WESS Promotion GmbH are in daily contact with all WESS Enduro World Championship event organisers and are monitoring the situation regards any further possible disruption to the current schedule.
2020 WESS Enduro World Championship calendar
Round 1: Red Bull Erzbergrodeo (Austria) June 10-14
Round 2: Red Bull 111 Megawatt (Poland ) June 27-28
Round 3: Red Bull Romaniacs (Romania) July 21-25
Round 4: Tennessee Knockout (USA) August 15-16
Round 5: Hawkstone Park Cross-Country (UK) September 26-27
Round 6: Extreme XL Lagares (Portugal) October TBC
Round 7: Hixpania Hard Enduro (Spain) October 9-11
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2020 Hangtown Motocross Classic cancelled
California’s Dirt Diggers North Motorcycle Club has announced it is cancelling the 52nd running of the Hangtown Motocross Classic from the Prairie City OHV Park, originally scheduled for May 16, 2020.
MX Sports Pro Racing, organizess of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, have been continuously monitoring the ongoing developments surrounding the coronavirus, both domestically and internationally, and have taken a proactive stance in discussing various amendments to the 2020 event schedule.
Hangtown Motocross Classic
Alongside event promoters, series partners, and race teams, MX Sports Pro Racing is taking a collective approach to determining a practical and effective course of action for each of the remaining Nationals, and the entire series as a whole. As details regarding the future of the 2020 season become available, official announcements will be issued to notify both series partners and the fanbase.
2020 MXGP calendar updated
Infront Moto Racinghave announced further changes made to the 2020 MXGP racing calendar. As a result the MXGP of Italy, taking place at the legendary Maggiora circuit, will now be rescheduled from the 17th of May to the 5th of July.
2019 MXGP of Italy, Imola
The MXGP of Germany in Teutschenthal will move from the 24th of May to the 9th of August.
With the current pandemic of the coronavirus, these changes have been vital in order to ensure the health and safety of the staff, teams, riders and fans. Infront Moto Racing along with the FIM, FIM Europe and the local organisers are working hard in order to preserve the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar as much as possible.
The FIM Motocross World Championship is planning to return with the MXGP of Russia taking place at the impressive Orlyonok venue on the 7th of June 2020.
2020 MXGP Calendar (updated)
March 1 – Great Britain, Matterley Basin (EMX125, WMX)
March 8 – The Netherlands, Valkenswaard – (EMX250, WMX)
June 7 – Russia, Orlyonok – (EMX250, EMX Open)
June 14 – Latvia, Kegums – (EMX250, EMX Open)
July 5 – Italy, Maggiora – (EMX Open, WMX)
July 19 – Trentino, Pietramurata – (EMX250, EMX 2t)
August 23 – Finland, Litti-KymiRing – (EMX125, EMX250, EMX 2t)
September 6 – Turkey, Afyonkarahisar – (EMX Open, WMX)
September 13 – China, (TBA) –
September 20 – Emilia Romagna, Imola – (EMX125, WMX)
October 11 – Spain, intu Xanadu – (EMX125, WMX)
October 18 – Portugal, Agueda – (EMX125, EMX250)
November 1 – Indonesia, Jakarta
November 8 – Indonesia, TBA
November 22 – Patagonia, Argentina, Neuquen
2020 Motocross of European Nations
November 1 – Motocross of Nations, France, Ernee
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2020 Motocross of European Nations date change
Infront Moto Racing have announced that the FIM Europe’s Motocross of European Nations and Women’s Motocross of European Nations has been postponed to November 2020.
Originally scheduled for the 11th of October, the event will now take place on the 1st of November in Sardinia at the popular Riola Sardo venue. There is no change to the track that will host this year’s MXoEN, as the Riola Sardo circuit, situated in the large Italian island of Sardinia close to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, will gather young talents from all over Europe as they compete for their nation.
The change was made in order to accommodate the current changes to the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar, more specifically the rescheduled MXGP of Spain that will see the penultimate round of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing, as well as the final round of the Women’s World Championship.
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship amended schedule
MX Sports Pro Racing has officially announced an amended event schedule for the 2020 season of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Under this revised championship calendar, the 49th season of the off-road motorcycle racing series will commence on Saturday, June 13, beginning with the Florida National from Jacksonville’s WW Ranch Motocross Park.
AMA Pro Motocross – Image by Hoppenworld
Davey Coombs – President of MX Sports Pro Racing
“While the whole world is trying to cope with the ongoing global pandemic that is the COVID-19 coronavirus, we have diligently looked at the impending future of our own championship and the impact this will inevitably have on this annual summer tradition. While the series has unfortunately already been affected by this pandemic with the cancellation of American motocross’ longest running event, the Hangtown Motocross Classic, we have developed a condensed and redesigned schedule for the remainder of the championship that will now start a little less than three months from now. It is our hope that in postponing the start of our season for this additional month, the extended period of time will not only allow for us to obtain a clearer picture of the state of the pandemic, but also provide ample opportunity for our series partners, teams, competitors, and fans to plan accordingly. The updated calendar would allow us to still successfully host a complete season of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross competition, in a quick and concise fashion will leave other parts of the calendar open for other racing activities.”
Under the new schedule, the 11-round series would open with seven consecutive weekends of racing, where the Florida National will be followed by the High Point National (June 20), the Southwick National (June 27), the RedBud National (July 4), the Thunder Valley National (July 11), the Spring Creek National (July 18), and the Washougal National (July 25).
Following a two week break, the championship will return for its stretch run, beginning with the Unadilla National (August 15), followed by the Budds Creek National (August 22), the Ironman National (August 29), and the Fox Raceway National, which will end the season on Labor Day weekend (September 5).
2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
Florida National, June 14 – Jacksonville, FL
High Point National, June 21 – Mt. Morris, PA
Southwick National, June 28 – Southwick, MA
RedBud National, July 5 – Buchanan, MI
Thunder Valley National, July 12 – Lakewood, CO
Spring Creek National, July 19 – Millville, MN
Washougal National, July 26 – Washougal, WA
Unadilla National, August 16 – New Berlin, NY
Budds Creek National, August 23 – Mechanicsville, MD
Ironman National, August 30 – Crawfordsville, IN
Fox Raceway National, September 6 – Pala, CA
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2020 American Flat Track events postponed
Due to the ongoing unprecedented situation regarding COVID-19 and expanding restrictions on domestic and international travel, and in accordance with national, state and local governments prohibiting large group gatherings, American Flat Track has decided to postpone its March 28 Atlanta Short Track and April 4 Charlotte Half-Mile events until further notice.
2019 AFT – Meadowlands Mile
The May 2 Texas Half-Mile at Texas Motor Speedway and the May 9 So-Cal Half-Mile at Southern California Fairgrounds have also joined the list of postponed events, with all pre-purchased tickets to be honoured on the rescheduled date.
Round 13. August 11: Black Hills Half-Mile – Black Hills Speedway, Rapid City, SD
Round 14. August 22: Peoria TT – Peoria Motorcycle Club, Peoria, IL
Round 15. September 5: Springfield Mile I – Illinois Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL
Round 16. September 6: Springfield Mile II – Illinois Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL
Round 17. September 12: Williams Grove Half-Mile – Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA
Round 18. September 26: Meadowlands Mile* – Meadowlands Racetrack, East Rutherford, NJ
2020 Silk Way Rally route updated
To prevent the risks linked to the COVID-19 epidemic (Coronavirus) and to guarantee the organisation of the next edition of the Silk Way Rally, the FIM and the event directors have modified the itinerary of the 2020 edition.
Luciano Benavides – Silk Way Rally 2019
The stages that were planned for the Republic of Kazakhstan and the People’s Republic of China have been cancelled. The rally will be run entirely on Russian Federation territory, with a start from the Red Square in Moscow on 3 July and a finish in Kazan on 11 July.
The new route will offer eight stages and feature all types of terrain: steppes, sandy, rolling and forest tracks. Demanding and packed, the 2020 edition will offer participants 2700 km (approx.) of selective sections for a total distance of 4200 km (approx.) and in so doing will respect the requirements for a marathon round of both the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies and the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship.
Vladimir Chagin – Organisation Director
“We have taken a wise and responsible decision; we have to 100 per cent guarantee that the Silk Way Rally 2020 will be held in good conditions. The media and participants will be able to discover extraordinary places in Russia. The rally will be a very high-level competition and a formidable voyage.”
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2020 Championship Calendars (Updated)
2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Calendar
Jan. 4 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 11 – The Dome at America’s Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Jan. 18 – Angels Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, Calif.
Jan. 25 – State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Feb. 1 – Ringcentral Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
Feb. 8 – Petco Park, San Diego, Calif.
Feb. 15 – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Feb. 22 – AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Feb. 29 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
March 7 – Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Fla.
March 14 – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianpolis, Ind.
March 21 – Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
March 28 – Centurylink Field, Seattle, Wash.
April 4 – Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, Co.
April 18 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
April 25 – Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
May 2 – Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah
2020 AMA Supermoto National Championship Series
April 4-5: Primm, Nev.: Anthony Hart Memorial Race
May 2: Honolulu, Hawaii: Aloha Stadium
May 30: Dacono, Colo.: Colorado National Speedway
June 12-13: Austin, Texas: 25th Annual Republic of Texas Rally
July 31-Aug. 2: Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada: 51st Grand Prix of Trois-Rivières (CMA/FIM North America sanctioned)
Sept. 11-12: Sturgis, S.D.: 8th Annual Streets of Sturgis (AMA/FIM North America sanctioned)
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