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Moto News Weekly Wrap
October 20, 2020

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2020 AFT Finale Daytona I & II

Images by Scott Hunter

AFT SuperTwins – Daytona I

AFT SuperTwins title rivals Briar Bauman and Jared Mees opened the Main Event from first and second on the line. As they went elbow to elbow in an attempt to gain an early advantage over one another, their melee opened the door for Jarod Vanderkooi, Robinson and Robert Pearson to rush past.

AFT SuperTwins - Daytona I
AFT SuperTwins – Daytona I

Vanderkooi enjoyed a short-lived spell out front before giving way to Robinson, who then proved utterly dominant over the race’s final nine minutes despite racing with a broken right foot.

With Robinson long gone, Bauman and Mees frantically fought their way forward to collect as many points as possible ahead of the decisive Daytona II race.

Briar Bauman
Briar Bauman

Reigning champ Bauman ultimately proved more successful in those efforts. He dispatched Pearson for third with a hard pass with six laps remaining, and then spent the remainder of his race chasing down Vanderkooi. That relentless pursuit paid dividends with less than a minute remaining on the clock when he worked his way through to earn second place and the 20 points that came along with it.

Jarod Vanderkooi
Jarod Vanderkooi

Despite being passed by Bauman late, Vanderkooi equaled his best ever premier-class finish in third.

Mees shook free from Davis Fisher to reel in and sail past Pearson, moving into fourth position with four minutes remaining. However, Bauman and Vanderkooi were too far out in front, leaving him one spot off the box at the flag and with a considerably deeper hole to climb out of heading into Saturday’s rematch.

AFT SuperTwins - Daytona I Podium
AFT SuperTwins – Daytona I Podium

With just one race to go, Bauman leads Mees 294-280. That means even if Mees wins his next race, Bauman needs only to finish eighth or better to repeat as AFT SuperTwins Champion.

AFT SuperTwins Result
Pos Rider Bike Gap Points
1 Brandon Robinson Indian FTR750 35 Laps 25
2 Briar Bauman Indian FTR750 +2.36 20
3 Jarod Vanderkooi HD XG750R +3.715 17
4 Jared Mees Indian FTR750 +4.905 15
5 Sammy Halbert Indian FTR750 +10.598 14
6 Davis Fisher Indian FTR750 +10.824 13
7 Robert Pearson Indian FTR750 +11.177 12
8 JD Beach Yamaha MT-07 +12.207 11
9 Bronson Bauman Indian FTR750 +12.477 10
10 Dan Bromley Indian FTR750 +17.186 9

AFT Singles – Daytona I

Chad Cose finally broke through in the season’s finale weekend to claim his first victory of 2020 in a hard-fought AFT Singles Main Event, a huge moment for his Wally Brown Racing effort, backed by factory Suzuki.

AFT Singles - Daytona I
AFT Singles – Daytona I

Cose twice beat Max Whale for the holeshot in the once red-flagged and restarted Main and never once gave up the position. That doesn’t mean he had it easy, however; Cose was pushed throughout with Whale and Henry Wiles both showing him a wheel at different times, including a final-lap attempt to steal away the win on the part of Wiles.

Also in the mix throughout was already crowned 2020 AFT Singles champion Dallas Daniels. Daniels was fighting an uphill battle starting from Row 3 as a result of a crash in the Semi, but he still managed to join the battle for the win. He ultimately finished fourth, falling just 0.749 seconds short of extending his six-race win streak to seven.

Henry Wiles
Henry Wiles

Meanwhile, Daniels’ teammate, Mikey Rush was forced to start from the back of the pack due to an opening-lap incident that saw him go down while running third. Still, he somehow managed to slash his way up from last place to take an impressive fifth on the little bullring circuit.

As a result, Rush retains a slim mathematical shot at a second consecutive championship runner-up finish; he now trails second-ranked Whale by 25 points with the final race left to decide the final order.

AFT Singles - Daytona I
AFT Singles Podium – Daytona I
AFT Singles Results
Pos Rider Bike Gap Points
1 Chad Cose Suzuki RMZ 450 22 Laps 25
2 Henry Wiles Honda CRF450R +0.27 20
3 Max Whale Kawasaki KX450F +0.491 17
4 Dallas Daniels Yamaha YZ450F +0.749 15
5 Michael Rush Yamaha YZ450F +2.968 14
6 Trent Lowe Honda CRF450R +3.244 13
7 Tanner Dean Honda CRF450R +4.253 12
8 Jacob Lehmann Honda CRF450R +5.571 11
9 Michael Inderbitzin Honda CRF450R +5.69 10
10 Jesse Janisch Husqvarna FC450 +7.061 9

AFT Production Twins – Daytona I

An historic AFT Production Twins Main Event saw Johnny Lewis claim Royal Enfield’s first-ever AFT victory and season-long dominator James Rispoli crowned the class’ champion.

AFT Production Twins
AFT Production Twins

Despite his underdog status on the upstart RE effort, DAYTONA Short Track genius Lewis controlled the evening in the AFT Production Twins. He escaped to an easy win in his Semi, qualified on pole and finished things off by going wire-to-wire in the Main Event.

Lewis fought back an early challenge from Ben Lowe, asserted at the front himself mid-race, and then successfully held off a desperate charge from Cory Texter in the race’s waning moments to secure the win.

Johnny Lewis
Johnny Lewis

Rispoli, meanwhile, sat a safe-yet-close fourth behind Lewis, Texter, and Lowe for almost the entire race. Even if Texter had beaten Lewis to the checkered flag, all he needed was a seventh to end the title fight early. Fourth was more than enough.

With the final race still to go, Rispoli has racked up seven wins, four runner-ups, two fourths, and a fifth en route to the 2020 AFT Production Twins throne. This championship marks the first for Harley-Davidson since the introduction of the XG750R, a pivotal moment for one of the iconic manufacturers.

AFT Production Twins Podium - Daytona I
AFT Production Twins Podium – Daytona I
AFT Production Twins Results
Pos Rider Bike Gap Points
1 Johnny Lewis Royal Enfield 650 21 Laps 25
2 Cory Texter Yamaha MT-07 +0.247 20
3 Ben Lowe Yamaha MT-07 +0.956 17
4 James Rispoli Harley-Davidson XG750R +1.21 15
5 Patrick Buchanan Kawasaki Ninja 650 +1.838 14
6 Cody Johncox Yamaha MT-07 +3.347 13
7 Jeremiah Duffy Kawasaki Ninja 650 +3.794 12
8 Shelby Miller Kawasaki Ninja 650 +5.322 11
9 Danny Eslick Kawasaki Ninja 650 +7.512 10
10 Jimmy McAllister Kawasaki Ninja 650 +13.768 9

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AFT SuperTwins – Daytona II

Even with an extended pandemic-imposed pause, the highly anticipated 2020 showdown between Bauman and multi-time series king Jared Mees proved more than worth the wait. The momentum swung back and forth on a nearly weekend-by-weekend basis, leaving both superstars still in control of their destiny heading into the weekend’s Daytona finale.

AFT SuperTwins - Daytona II
AFT SuperTwins – Daytona II

Bauman seized control of the title fight with a clutch runner-up finish on Friday, which seemingly made the final task before him relatively easy by his standards. All he needed to do at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night was score an eighth-place finish to cap off a title defense that saw him rack up six wins, four seconds, three thirds, and one seventh along the way.

However, the level of difficulty was ratcheted up significantly due to weather; rainy conditions forced multiple delays in the program, the Semis were cancelled, and the AFT SuperTwins presented by Vance & Hines Main was pushed to the front of the pack once conditions allowed to ensure the season’s premier-class champ was crowned before the night was out. The changes and unpredictability of the day could have easily thrown an admittedly stressed Bauman out of his rhythm.

Instead he responded like a champion. Starting on the front row with Mees as a result of their qualifying performance, Bauman got away in third and glued himself to the rear wheel of his championship rival.

Brandon Robinson
Brandon Robinson

Meanwhile, Brandon Robinson proved invincible around the Short Track at Daytona for a second consecutive night. He assumed the lead on lap one and held the position through the checkered flag.

Mees did well to keep Robinson in his sights, clinging on in hopes of a win that would give him the best possible shot at the championship should Bauman make a critical mistake.

Jeffrey Carver Jr. ran in fourth deep into the contest, holding back a racy Sammy Halbert for a solid five minutes. Unable to find an opening, Halbert finally made one; he pushed up the inside of Carver to take over fourth, knocking his rival back to seventh in the process.

Halbert then reeled in the leaders, arriving within striking distance of Bauman and a potential podium finish just as the race entered its final two laps. Bauman saw what was happening and understood full well what could happen. Rather than risk getting similarly bumped down the order and out of the points lead, Bauman allowed Halbert by and then cruised to a title-clinching fourth-place finish.

Brandon Robinson

“This is amazing. Through the ups and downs we’ve had this season to come out of here with the DAYTONA double — there’s nothing better. This is insane. We’re going to be able to go into this offseason and get healthy and come out swinging in 2021. I’m ecstatic. Obviously, things went really, really well,” back-to-back champ Bauman said. “I was able to do what we came for and what we set out to do all season for Jess Garcia and the whole Garcia family — win the championship. Jess was with me every step of the way. It means a lot to me to be able to fulfill what I showed up to do. He was one of my best friends. It’s just an honor to win for him, Indian Motorcycle, Progressive Insurance, and everyone else behind the team.”

vAFT SuperTwins - Daytona II
Brandon Robinson topped the AFT SuperTwins podium – Daytona II
AFT SuperTwins Result
Pos Rider Bike Gap Points
1 Brandon Robinson Indian FTR750 28 Laps 25
2 Jared Mees Indian FTR750 +1.658 20
3 Sammy Halbert Indian FTR750 +2.089 17
4 Briar Bauman Indian FTR750 +2.709 15
5 Dan Bromley Indian FTR750 +4.641 14
6 Robert Pearson Indian FTR750 +8.578 13
7 Jeffrey Carver Jr. Indian FTR750 +9.034 12
8 Jarod Vanderkooi Harley-Davidson XG750R +9.354 11
9 Dalton Gauthier Harley-Davidson XG750R +9.616 10
10 Brandon Price Indian FTR750 +11.191 9
SuperTwins Standings
Pos Rider Points Wins
1 Briar Bauman 309 6
2 Jared Mees 300 5
3 Sammy Halbert 239 1
4 Brandon Robinson 209 2
5 Bronson Bauman 181 0
6 Brandon Price 175 0
7 Jeffrey Carver Jr. 174 1
8 Davis Fisher 143 0
9 Jarod Vanderkooi 139 0
10 Robert Pearson 130 0
11 Dan Bromley 128 0
12 Dalton Gauthier 114 0
13 Bryan Smith 104 0
14 JD Beach 93 0
15 Jake Johnson 81 0
16 Jay Maloney 54 0
17 Larry Pegram 53 0
18 Kolby Carlile 50 0
19 Andrew Luker 42 0
20 Ryan Varnes 16 0
21 Morgen Mischler 6 0

AFT Singles – Daytona II

Henry Wiles demonstrated once again why he’s widely considered one of the greatest Short Track riders in the history of the sport, holding off Australian Max Whale (No. 18 Coondoo Cattle Co./Australian Road Services Kawasaki KX450F) and Trent Lowe to win an abbreviated AFT Singles Main Event.

Henry Wiles and Max Whale
Henry Wiles and Max Whale

Shortened to just four minutes plus two laps due to the numerous weather delays, Wiles shot out to the lead from the start, and protected the groove from there. Whale sought any way past Wiles but simply could not find one. Lowe closed in as well, but the experienced ST master ahead of them refused to give way.

Henry Wiles

“I was stoked to get that start. I told myself I can’t not win now. It was my race to win. Max kept me honest, and I could see Trent was in the picture too. I put in smooth, consistent laps. I’d go just a touch easy on some laps, and then I’d pick it up a little bit on some other laps. I tried to ride the best that I could so I didn’t give Max a good shot at poking it up on me. I’m stoked my wife and daughter came out for this – it means a lot to me.”

Despite losing to Wiles on the night, Whale’s runner-up result was enough to beat him for second in their championship fight (215-208).

Max Whale

“2020 AFT Season done and dusted! Stoked to go back to back podiums for the last two rounds at Daytona. I had the speed to win and wanted to win so bad. With experienced guys like Henry Wiles and Chad Cose it made it super hard to pass.  It’s a dream come true to be coming back to Oz with a second place in the national AFT series. This year hasn’t been easy, I didn’t realise how much Dad did for me and how much work went into prepping my bikes, driving, cooking, cleaning, washing and servicing RVs.  I cannot thank so many Americans enough in the flat track family for what they have done for me while I’ve been here solo, I’ll start with my weekend warriors! @bjbcrewdad @mattguenther61 @bjbcrew and Big Keith, they have been amazing wrenching for me on race days, legends. My close friends and families have been amazing @briarbauman @shaynatexter @bronsonbauman37 @jamesrispoli @corytexter @jarodvanderkooi20 Stan, Holly @_ekiss Don, Iris, Keith and Jill, words cannot not describe what these people have done for me. Also a big shout out to all my sponsors: Don’s Kawasaki, SHOWA suspension, @sharkleathers, Australian Road Services, @araiamericas, @sscycle, Coondoo Cattle Co, @spectrooils, Tri-R Distributing, @truturfrollers, @sercomotorsport, @ride100percent, @answeracing, @protaper, J & M Logging, @lskd, @vpfuelsaus, @kawasakiconnection, @engineice, @unifilteraustralia, Garage 36, Marty Blake, @mikebutlerracing, @briarbauman, @shaynatexter, Methanol Moonshine Apparel, Logan coombe, Bob Moir, Des and Rayna Morris.”

Henry Wiles and Max Whale
Henry Wiles and Max Whale

Mikey Rush set the fastest lap of the race en route to fourth with Andrew Luker completing the top five just behind.

2020 AFT Singles champ Dallas Daniels was forced to start from Row 4 with no Semi to improve his starting position. He made up a couple positions to end his title-winning season with a run to ninth. Sandwiched between his opening round failure to qualify for the Main and his ninth-placed finale, Daniels packed in a remarkable eighth wins, nine podiums and twelve top fives.

Henry Wiles topped the singles podium from Max Whale
Henry Wiles topped the singles podium from Max Whale and Trent Lowe
AFT Singles Results
Pos Rider Bike Gap Points
1 Henry Wiles Honda CRF450R 15 Laps 25
2 Max Whale Kawasaki KX450F +0.142 20
3 Trent Lowe Honda CRF450R +0.396 17
4 Michael Rush Yamaha YZ450F +1.282 15
5 Andrew Luker Yamaha YZ450F +3.097 14
6 Morgen Mischler KTM 450 SX-F +3.275 13
7 Jacob Lehmann Honda CRF450R +3.952 12
8 Tanner Dean Honda CRF450R +4.3 11
9 Dallas Daniels Yamaha YZ450F +4.845 10
10 Michael Inderbitzin Honda CRF450R +5.355 9
AFT Singles Standings
Pos Rider Points Wins
1 Dallas Daniels 283 8
2 Max Whale 215 1
3 Henry Wiles 208 2
4 Michael Rush 185 1
5 Trent Lowe 183 0
6 Morgen Mischler 178 0
7 Tanner Dean 160 0
8 Brandon Kitchen 154 1
9 Chad Cose 137 1
10 Michael Inderbitzin 124 0
11 Trevor Brunner 113 1
12 Shayna Texter 102 0
13 Cole Zabala 84 0
14 James Ott 79 0
15 Kevin Stollings 74 0
16 Andrew Luker 74 0
17 Cameron Smith 73 0
18 Aidan RoosEvans 61 0
19 Ryan Wells 58 0
20 Jacob Lehmann 56 0
21 Jesse Janisch 50 0
22 Dylan Bell 18 0
23 Wyatt Anderson 17 0
24 Tyler Raggio 14 0
25 Justin Jones 9 0
26 Blake Lomas 4 0

AFT Production Twins – Daytona II

2019 AFT Production Twins champion Cory Texter made the absolute most of his last chance to run the #1 plate before handing it over to the newly-crowned James Rispoli, logging a blowout victory in the final race of the 2020 Progressive American Flat Track season.

AFT Production Twins - Daytona II
AFT Production Twins – Daytona II

Rispoli crashed and found himself trapped under his motorcycle after coming together with Friday-winner Johnny Lewis in the race’s opening corner. That incident brought out a red flag and moved Rispoli from Row 1 to the back of the field.

Texter ripped into the lead off the line at the restart and proceeded to assemble a massive advantage en route to his fourth triumph of a hard-fought yet ultimately unsuccessful title defense.

Cory Texter

“It feels amazing. I’ve wanted to win in DAYTONA my whole life. I was actually the first rider to ever ride this racetrack back in 2010. I helped test it out for them, but I’ve always sucked here. So this is awesome. I feel competitive everywhere right now. I wish the season could keep going or start over right now.”

Cory Texter
Cory Texter

Lewis backed up Royal Enfield’s maiden Progressive AFT victory with its second-ever podium finish the very next night. Lewis was followed closely to the flag by third-place finisher Ben Lowe, while Ryan Varnes edged Patrick Buchanan as the two completed the top five.

Meanwhile, despite being faced with an extremely difficult track to overtake on and very little time in which to do it, Rispoli made his way up to finish his season with an impressive sixth-place finish. The result was actually the worst of an incredibly consistent campaign, which also included seven wins, four seconds, two fourths, and a fifth.

Cory Texter wins at Daytona II
Cory Texter wins at Daytona II, from Johnny Lewis and Ben Lowe
AFT Production Twins Results
Pos Rider Bike Gap Points
1 Cory Texter Yamaha MT-07 15 Laps 25
2 Johnny Lewis Royal Enfield 650 +3.13 20
3 Ben Lowe Yamaha MT-07 +3.556 17
4 Ryan Varnes Kawasaki Ninja 650 +4.306 15
5 Patrick Buchanan Kawasaki Ninja 650 +4.974 14
6 James Rispoli Harley-Davidson XG750R +5.36 13
7 Jeremiah Duffy Kawasaki Ninja 650 +6.487 12
8 Cody Johncox Yamaha MT-07 +7.359 11
9 Shelby Miller Kawasaki Ninja 650 +15.104 10
10 Jimmy McAllister Kawasaki Ninja 650 +17.243 9
11 Danny Eslick Kawasaki Ninja 650 +14 Laps 8
AFT Production Twins Standings
Pos Rider Points Wins
1 James Rispoli 313 7
2 Cory Texter 292 4
3 Ben Lowe 240 1
4 Ryan Varnes 214 2
5 Danny Eslick 197 0
6 Chad Cose 175 0
7 Jeremiah Duffy 161 0
8 Cody Johncox 133 0
9 Nick Armstrong 95 0
10 Patrick Buchanan 86 0
11 Johnny Lewis 75 1
12 Jimmy McAllister 73 0
13 Dylan Bell 60 0
14 Michael Inderbitzin 58 0
15 Brock Schwarzenbacher 52 0
16 Mitch Harvat 52 0
17 Garret Wilson 49 0
18 Hayden Gillim 45 0
19 Shelby Miller 32 0
20 Morgen Mischler 26 0
21 Scott Barrett 26 0
22 Jacob Lehmann 25 0
23 Ryan Wells 22 0
24 Jeremiah Alexander 22 0
25 Gary Ketchum 19 0
26 Kevin Stollings 9 0
27 Max Whale 9 0
28 Cameron Smith 6 0

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2020 MXGP of Flanders

The 2020 Monster Energy MXGP of Flanders saw epic action over the weekend, as the MXGP and MX2 riders took on the challenge of what is known as one of the toughest sand tracks in the world.

In MXGP Tim Gajser took to honours with a 2-1 result handing him the round win over Gautier Paulin, with Jorge Prado third overall. Antonio Cairoli was down in ninth meanwhile, allowing Gajser to extend his championship lead.

Gajser now sits on 488-points, to Cairoli’s 440, with Jorge Prado closes in on his fellow KTM teammate, with 429-points, the same number held by Jeremy Seewer. Aussie Mitch Evans falls to twelth in the standings with a broken wrist at the previous round requiring surgery during the week, with the rider absent as a result.

Tim Gajser
Tim Gajser
Tim Gajser

“Already from the beginning I was feeling really good on the bike and on the track as well. In the first race I got a really good start, I was second and I managed to catch the leader and pass him. I was able to make a little gap and go ahead but I made a mistake and I lost the front. I crashed, this is when Gautier passed me. In the second race the start was not so good but after the first corner I was able to go second and then pass Prado, make a little gap and go ahead with the win of the race so I’m super happy about today.”

MXGP Results
Pos Rider Nat. Bike R1 R2 Total
1 Gajser, Tim SLO HON 22 25 47
2 Paulin, Gautier FRA YAM 25 16 41
3 Prado, Jorge ESP KTM 20 18 38
4 Febvre, Romain FRA KAW 15 22 37
5 Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 13 20 33
6 Bogers, Brian NED KTM 18 14 32
7 Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL HON 16 11 27
8 Van doninck, Brent BEL HUS 11 13 24
9 Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 8 15 23
10 Tonus, Arnaud SUI YAM 14 6 20
11 Tixier, Jordi FRA KTM 12 7 19
12 Desalle, Clement BEL KAW 10 8 18
13 Bobryshev, Evgeny RUS HUS 7 9 16
14 Vlaanderen, Calvin NED YAM 0 12 12
15 Monticelli, Ivo ITA GAS 0 10 10
16 Leok, Tanel EST HUS 5 5 10
17 Guillod, Valentin SUI HON 6 3 9
18 Petrov, Petar BUL KTM 9 0 9
19 Cervellin, Michele ITA YAM 4 4 8
20 Koch, Tom GER KTM 3 1 4
21 Sterry, Adam GBR KTM 0 2 2
22 Walsh, Dylan GBR HON 2 0 2
23 Rannikko, Rene FIN HUS 1 0 1
24 Toendel, Cornelius NOR HON 0 0 0
25 Kritikos, Manolis GRE KTM 0 0 0
26 Butron, Jose ESP KTM 0 0 0
27 Guryev, Artem RUS HON 0 0 0
28 Geens, Heikki BEL KTM 0 0 0
29 Webster, Kyle AUS HON 0 0 0
MXGP Standings
Pos Rider Nat. Bike Total
1 Gajser, Tim SLO HON 488
2 Cairoli, A. ITA KTM 440
3 Prado, Jorge ESP KTM 429
4 Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 429
5 Febvre, Romain FRA KAW 383
6 Coldenhoff, G. NED GAS 375
7 Paulin, G. FRA YAM 352
8 Desalle, C. BEL KAW 312
9 Herlings, J. NED KTM 263
10 Jasikonis, A. LTU HUS 248
11 Van Horebeek, J. BEL HON 248
12 Evans, M. AUS HON 228
13 Bogers, Brian NED KTM 174
14 Tixier, Jordi FRA KTM 164
15 Vlaanderen, C. NED YAM 163
16 Jacobi, Henry GER YAM 134
17 Monticelli, I. ITA GAS 132
18 Tonus, Arnaud SUI YAM 91
19 Lupino, A. ITA YAM 82
20 Cervellin, M. ITA YAM 81
21 Leok, Tanel EST HUS 51
22 Bobryshev, E. RUS HUS 49
23 Petrov, Petar BUL KTM 48
24 Paturel, B. FRA HON 45
25 Walsh, Dylan GBR HON 43
26 Guillod, V. SUI HON 38
27 Sterry, Adam GBR KTM 36
28 Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM 31
29 Van doninck, B. BEL HUS 29
30 Jonass, Pauls LAT HUS 26
31 Butron, Jose ESP KTM 21
32 Rauchenecker, P. AUT KTM 19
33 Sabulis, K. LAT KTM 18
34 Lapucci, N. ITA KTM 15
35 Covington, T. USA YAM 15
36 Kullas, Harri EST HON 11
37 van Berkel, L. NED HUS 9
38 Bernardini, S. ITA YAM 9
39 Koch, Tom GER KTM 6
40 Valentin, A. ESP HUS 4
41 Pichon, Z. FRA HON 2
42 Guryev, Artem RUS HON 2
43 Gole, Anton SWE HON 2
44 Rannikko, Rene FIN HUS 1

MX2

In MX2 Tom Vialle had a solid day to finish 2-2 in the races with that consistency enough to claim his sixth overall win of the 2020 campaign. Vialle was only a single point ahead of Jago Geerts, who took one of the MX2 wins, while his teammate Ben Watson was third overall and was the other MX2 winner, in a strong result for Yamaha.

Tom Vialle
Tom Vialle

“It has been a really good day for me. In the first race I was riding good, but Ben was pushing on the back and then he passed me. I tried to push but I did a little mistake and I crashed just before the last lap, but I still finished good so at least it was a good race for me. In the second race I was feeling really good on the track better than the first one. I pushed Jago and at the end I finished second. Winning the overall here is something really special for me because three years ago I was riding the European championship here and I finished really at the back. I’m really happy about that. We work a lot with the team, Joel, my family and it’s really nice to win.”

Jed Beaton went 7-7, for seventh overall and 28-championship points, while fellow Australian Bailey Malkiewicz was 18th, finishing 15th in Race 2.

Jed Beaton

“Not the greatest day but we’re here for two more rounds so it’s a solid start to the week. My starts weren’t great in both races, which didn’t help but we’ll be better on Wednesday. It took me a while to get going in race one, by around 20 minutes into the race I found my flow and felt really good, but it was too late to move forwards. Race two I felt good from the start and rode a smart race. I know what to expect for the next two, so we’ll be ready for them and I look forward to Wednesday.”

Jet Beaton
Jet Beaton

Vialle now sits on 569-points to Geerts 516, with Maxime Renaux and Beaton both tied on 407-points. Malkiewicz sits 16th, on 98-points.

MX2 Results
Pos Rider Nat. Bike R1 R2 Total
1 Vialle, Tom FRA KTM 22 22 44
2 Geerts, Jago BEL YAM 18 25 43
3 Watson, Ben GBR YAM 25 16 41
4 Renaux, Maxime FRA YAM 20 15 35
5 Olsen, Thomas Kjer DEN HUS 16 18 34
6 Van De Moosdijk, Roan NED KAW 11 20 31
7 Beaton, Jed AUS HUS 14 14 28
8 Gifting, Isak SWE GAS 15 13 28
9 Fernandez, Ruben ESP YAM 12 11 23
10 Östlund, Alvin SWE HON 13 10 23
11 Rubini, Stephen FRA HON 9 8 17
12 Vaessen, Bas NED KTM 10 7 17
13 Renkens, Nathan BEL KTM 3 12 15
14 Forato, Alberto ITA HUS 4 9 13
15 Gilbert, Josh GBR HUS 5 5 10
16 Mewse, Conrad GBR KTM 8 0 8
17 Genot, Cyril BEL YAM 7 0 7
18 Malkiewicz, Bailey AUS HON 0 6 6
19 Horgmo, Kevin NOR KTM 6 0 6
20 Lesiardo, Morgan ITA HON 2 3 5
21 Pancar, Jan SLO KTM 0 4 4
22 Dickinson, Ashton GBR KTM 0 2 2
23 Polak, Petr CZE YAM 0 1 1
24 Meier, Glen DEN YAM 1 0 1
MX2 Standings
Pos Rider Nat. Bike Total
1 Vialle, Tom FRA KTM 569
2 Geerts, Jago BEL YAM 516
3 Renaux, Maxime FRA YAM 407
4 Beaton, Jed AUS HUS 407
5 Olsen, T. DEN HUS 381
6 Van De Moosdijk, R. NED KAW 357
7 Watson, Ben GBR YAM 355
8 Mewse, Conrad GBR KTM 287
9 Fernandez, R. ESP YAM 249
10 Boisrame, M. FRA KAW 234
11 Rubini, S. FRA HON 193
12 Östlund, Alvin SWE HON 172
13 Forato, A. ITA HUS 150
14 Haarup, Mikkel DEN KAW 118
15 Gifting, Isak SWE GAS 112
16 Malkiewicz, B. AUS HON 98
17 Vaessen, Bas NED KTM 96
18 Crawford, N. AUS HON 91
19 Horgmo, Kevin NOR KTM 91
20 Gilbert, Josh GBR HUS 83
21 Pancar, Jan SLO KTM 82
22 Lesiardo, M. ITA HON 77
23 Hofer, Rene AUT KTM 73
24 Renkens, N. BEL KTM 69
25 Sikyna, R. SVK KTM 67
26 Guadagnini, M. ITA HUS 62
27 Laengenfelder, S. GER GAS 59
28 Genot, Cyril BEL YAM 56
29 Sydow, Jeremy GER GAS 35
30 Roosiorg, H. EST KTM 33
31 Sandner, M. AUT GAS 26
32 Harrison, M. USA KAW 22
33 Cenerelli, G. ITA HUS 21
34 Toriani, Enzo FRA HUS 21
35 Polak, Petr CZE YAM 16
36 Dickinson, A. GBR KTM 13
37 Todd, Wilson AUS KAW 8
38 Nermann, J. EST HUS 8
39 Teresak, Jakub CZE KTM 8
40 Meier, Glen DEN YAM 6
41 Zonta, Filippo ITA KTM 6
42 Edelbacher, R. AUT HUS 5
43 Furbetta, J. ITA KTM 3
44 Spies, M. GER HUS 2
45 Haavisto, Jere FIN YAM 2

EMX250

As the gate dropped for the opening race of the day, all eyes were on the championship rivals Thibault Benistant and Mattia Guadagnini of Husqvarna Maddii Racing Junior, as Benistant grabbed the holeshot and led Marcel Conijn, Jorgen-Matthias Talviku and Gianluca Facchetti of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing.

EMX250 Start
EMX250 Start

Though Facchetti didn’t hold on to the position, as he crashed out and re-joined the race way down the order and eventually did not finish the opening heat.

Kay De Wolf of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing had a good jump out of the gate, but a couple of corners later dropped it and as a result was way down the order in the beginning of the race.

Benistant, Conijn and Talviku led the opening laps, as Guadagnini fought his way up to fifth and set his sights on Tim Edberg who was just ahead. A few laps later and Edberg crashed out of fourth, which allowed Guadagnini and Hakon Fredriksen of Yamaha SM Action MC Migliori J1 Racing through.

Talviku then took second from Conijn, with Guadagnini doing the same not too long after, to move into the top three. Benistant then led the race by 6.560 seconds.

Knowing how vital every point is at this stage in the championship, Guadagnini continued to push forward as he squeezed past Talviku to take second.

Benistant then responded by setting the fastest lap of the race, a 2:06.072 as he extended his lead to 10.625 seconds. Though Guadagnini wasn’t going to give in easy, as he set his personal best lap of the race towards the end, taking three seconds out of the race leader.

The Italian then worked away at the gap, to shrink it even further, but with just 2 laps to go, made a mistake which was the deciding moment of the race. Eventually, Benistant went on to win the opening race, with Guadagnini finishing second and Fredriksen third.

EMX250 Race 1 Result
Pos Rider Nat. Bike Diff. First
1 Benistant, Thibault FRA Yamaha 00:00.0
2 Guadagnini, Mattia ITA Husqvarna +00:11.7
3 Fredriksen, Hakon NOR Yamaha +00:20.4
4 Talviku, Jorgen-Matthias EST Husqvarna +00:29.4
5 de Wolf, Kay NED Husqvarna +00:53.8
6 Boegh Damm, Bastian DEN KTM +00:55.8
7 Conijn, Marcel NED KTM +00:56.7
8 Elzinga, Rick NED KTM +01:18.9
9 Gerhardsson, Albin SWE Husqvarna +01:20.5
10 Goupillon, Pierre FRA Kawasaki +01:26.7

In the second EMX250 race it was Guadagnini who grabbed the holeshot from Talviku and Benistant. He didn’t hold on to the lead for long, as a small mistake cost him valuable positions and saw him drop down to 6th.

Thibault Benistant
Thibault Benistant

Talviku then led the race, with Benistant and Oriol Oliver second and third. Guadagnini though was making quick moves as he passed two riders in a single lap to get into 4th.

On lap 3, Benistant then took the lead from Talviku, with Guadagnini looking to do the same as he set the fastest lap of the race, to bring the gap down to 4 seconds between himself and the pair in front of him. Meanwhile De Wolf was edging closer to Oliver for fourth place.

Guadagnini then caught and passed Talviku, with the Estonian then losing two spots to De Wolf and Oliver. Back at the front though, Benistant had an impressive 14.617 second lead as 9 minutes plus 2 laps remained.

Guadagnini and De Wolf then battled amongst themselves, with the pair coming together at one point, with the factory Husqvarna rider going through on the Italian to steal 2nd place. And he didn’t hold on to it for long, as he crashed a couple of corners after the finish jump, which allowed Guadagnini back into P2.

With 3 laps to go, Benistant was already 32 seconds ahead, so the battle heated up behind him as De Wolf caught onto the rear wheel of Guadagnini once again. In the end, it was Benistant who was victorious, with Guadagnini holding on to second and De Wolf finishing third.

In terms of the podium, Benistant had the perfect day, taking two race wins as well as the overall victory, along with the red plate as he continues to lead the championship by 24 points over Guadagnini, who was second overall and Fredriksen getting his turn on the podium once again, as he took to the third step of the podium.

Thibault Benistant

“I’m really happy to win both races, it was my goal for today. I don’t think of the championship or winning, I took it race by race and give my best every time. I’m really happy to be back on top of the box. I feel really good for the last round, I have the speed and feeling, and everything is here so we will do the same.”

Mattia Guadagnini

“It was not so good. I had good speed but the first race I had a bad start and made my way to the front, then I was closing down the gap and I made a mistake, so I took second. In the second race, I had a great start and took the holeshot and then made a little mistake and tried to start as soon as possible and made my way to second position again and I was a little bit faster. Then I had a little problem with the goggles, and I had another crash. I tried my best and finished with two place races, but it was not what I was hoping for today.”

Mattia Guadagnini
Mattia Guadagnini
Hakon Fredriksen

“The day started pretty good. I had a decent start in the first race, I was like top ten and then worked my way to third and finished there. Then in the second race I got a bad start and crashed on the first lap, so I was dead last and then worked my way up to fourth place and I’m happy with that, just going to charge for the next one and hope for a win.”

EMX250 Race 2 Result
Pos Rider Nat. Bike Diff. First
1 Benistant, Thibault FRA Yamaha 00:00.0
2 Guadagnini, Mattia ITA Husqvarna +00:30.0
3 de Wolf, Kay NED Husqvarna +00:30.5
4 Fredriksen, Hakon NOR Yamaha +00:45.4
5 Talviku, Jorgen-Matthias EST Husqvarna +00:46.8
6 Conijn, Marcel NED KTM +00:55.9
7 Oliver, Oriol ESP KTM +00:57.1
8 Weckman, Emil FIN Honda +01:00.3
9 Guyon, Tom FRA KTM +01:06.7
10 Edberg, Tim SWE Yamaha +01:08.1
EMX250 Standings
Pos Rider Nat. Bike Total
1 Benistant, T. FRA YAM 376
2 Guadagnini, M. ITA HUS 352
3 de Wolf, Kay NED HUS 272
4 Fredriksen, H. NOR YAM 253
5 Talviku, J. EST HUS 235
6 Edberg, Tim SWE YAM 212
7 Locurcio, L. VEN KAW 193
8 Guyon, Tom FRA KTM 173
9 Vettik, Meico EST KTM 137
10 Facchetti, G. ITA YAM 134

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EMX125

The opening race of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing category saw Haakon Osterhagen of Creymert Racing who grab the holeshot, as he led RFME GasGas MX Junior Team’s David Braceras and Radek Vetrovsky from JD Gunnex KTM Racing Team.

David Braceras
David Braceras

It didn’t take long for Braceras to take the lead, as he passed Osterhagen on the opening lap. Meanwhile the championship leader, Andrea Bonacorsi of Fantic Racing was down in 20th.

Vetrovsky then had a big moment as he crashed out of third place. He did not re-join the race. Osterhagen then also crashed out, as he dropped from P2 to P10.

Braceras then held a nice 4 second gap to Florian Miot of KTM DIGA Junior Racing, with Rasmus Pedersen of W-Z Racing just behind in third at the time. Miot then started to close in on the race leader, as he brought the gap down to 1.5 seconds.

The pair needed to be careful as W-Z Racing’s Max Palsson made his way up into third and was all over the back of the two, which meant that there was no room for error. And Palsson continued to apply the pressure for a few laps until he managed to squeeze past Miot for P2.

The battle for second gave Braceras a big more breathing room as he was able to get his head down and focus. Towards the end of the race he had a 6.711 second lead to Miot, who was able to pass Palsson back and that’s how the top 3 remained until the chequered flag dropped.

EMX125 Race 1 Result
Pos Rider Nat. Bike Diff. First
1 Braceras, David ESP GASGAS 00:00.0
2 Miot, Florian FRA KTM +00:05.6
3 Palsson, Max SWE KTM +00:07.4
4 Vettik, Meico EST KTM +00:07.9
5 Farres, Guillem ESP GASGAS +00:13.9
6 Osterhagen, Haakon NOR KTM +00:14.7
7 Bonacorsi, Andrea ITA Fantic +00:15.5
8 Venhoda, Martin CZE KTM +00:21.7
9 Smulders, Scott NED Husqvarna +00:22.2
10 Karssemakers, Kay NED Yamaha +00:35.6

The start of the second race was a repeat of the first one as Osterhagen claimed another holeshot. He led Scott Smulders of No Fear/Jumbo BT Racing Team, Farres and Cas Valk of TBS Conversions Racing Team who got a fantastic start.

Guillem Farres
Guillem Farres

Osterhagen immediately pulled a 4.7 second lead to the group, while race one winner, Braceras, was down in 6th on the opening lap. Bonacorsi got a much better start in the second heat as he was already up in 3rd place within the first few laps, as he passed Smulders and Valk.

Farres then took the lead from Osterhagen, as he set his best lap of the race, a 2:11.321, as Osterhagen made a small mistake but managed to keep it on two wheels. Bonacorsi though needed to work on the large gap between him and the top 2.

Further down the order, Braceras was coming under pressure from Palsson for P4, as Farres extended his lead to 9.539 seconds with 10 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock.

And Palsson was charging, as he passed Braceras, though the Spaniard responded immediately. The two then went at it for a little while longer, before Palsson was able to make the pass stick.

Miot then went after Braceras, though the GasGas rider was able to get back around the Frenchman a few laps later towards the end of the race. Meanwhile, Palsson continued his journey forward as he passed Bonacorsi for third place, which also got him on the podium.

In the end though it was Farres who took his first race win of the year, while Osterhagen crossed the line in second and Palsson finishing third.

The EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing saw Guillem Farres take his first overall win, while his teammate David Braceras finished second and Max Palsson third. In terms of the championship, Andrea Bonacorsi continues to lead the series with a steady 44-point advantage over Braceras, while Meico Vettik is a further 12 points down in third.

EMX125 Podium
EMX125 Podium – 2020 MXGP of Flanders
Guillem Farres

“Right now I still can’t believe it, but we did it, in first race I struggled a little bit because I didn’t get the start that I wanted and after I fought with Hakon. In the second race I was able to take a better start and I was second, I managed to pass Hakon, I went for the first position and I was first for all the whole race. I’m really happy about that. I’m feeling that I’m being more and more consistent race by race and also more confident is strange that Spanish guys are together on the podium here in Lommel.”

David Braceras

“I’m really happy. In the first race I was able to win. I took a good start and after I took the lead and I went until the end. In the second race I didn’t start really good because I was ninth or something like that then I pushed really hard in the first laps to re-group and be back in the first group and I was able to go fourth. After that I had a little bit of arm pump and I got passed by two riders and I was sixth. At the end I managed to be fifth and take the second place in the overall. I’m really happy for me, for the boys and for the team because we worked really hard to be on the top and now is the time.”

Max Palsson

“First race I did not get a good start and I was far away from the front and in addition I did also one mistake and I crashed. In the second race I messed up in the first corner and I had to re-group again, in the last lap I was able to pass David and get the 3rd place in the overall.”

Andrea Bonacorsi

“Yeah today it was a hard day for me but I still think about the championship and now I’m forty-four points in front so in the next races I want to be super focused and I want to win and be back on the podium. Now I’m ready for the next round.”

EMX125 Race 2 Result
Pos Rider Nat. Bike Diff. First
1 Farres, Guillem ESP GASGAS 00:00.0
2 Osterhagen, Haakon NOR KTM +00:08.2
3 Palsson, Max SWE KTM +00:14.6
4 Bonacorsi, Andrea ITA Fantic +00:19.9
5 Braceras, David ESP GASGAS +00:32.8
6 Miot, Florian FRA KTM +00:34.4
7 Valk, Cas NED KTM +00:36.7
8 Prugnieres, Quentin Marc FRA KTM +00:43.4
9 Karssemakers, Kay NED Yamaha +00:51.9
10 Rainio, Sampo FIN Husqvarna +00:52.8
EMX125 Standings
Pos Rider Nat. Bike Total
1 Bonacorsi, A. ITA FAN 262
2 Braceras, D. ESP GAS 218
3 Vettik, Meico EST KTM 206
4 Palsson, Max SWE KTM 188
5 Razzini, P. ITA HUS 186
6 Farres, G. ESP GAS 173
7 Roncoli, A. ITA HUS 164
8 Lata, Valerio ITA KTM 147
9 Prugnieres, Q. FRA KTM 141
10 Soulimani, S. FRA KTM 126

Russia win 2020 Speedway of Nations

Day 1 of the 2020 Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final was cancelled due to heavy rain throughout the afternoon, the track has been deemed unsafe for racing for Friday, and as a result the Monster Energy SON world title was decided in a one-off meeting on Saturday, October 17.

Russian racer Emil Sayfutdinov showed his steel to seal his country’s third straight Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations world title in Lublin on Saturday night. The Salavat-born star skippered Russia to glory in 2018 and 2019, and the world champions retained their title in a rain-curtailed Final in Lublin.

Racing was halted after 15 heats due to track conditions, but the scores were counted at the conclusion of race 14, when all seven countries had contested four heats apiece.

While Russia tied on 23 with hosts Poland, the defending champions got the gold medals after winning their head-to-head battle in heat eight, when Artem Laguta rounded Polish star Szymon Wozniak to seal a Russian 5-4 advantage.

That ride wasn’t the only decisive moment, as Sayfutdinov roared to the front in heat 13 to restrict Australia to a 5-4 race win. The Leszno star breathed in and squeezed through a seemingly impossible gap between Aussie captain Jason Doyle and the fast-approaching fence to take the lead.

It was a golden moment for Sayfutdinov, who scored 15 points, but he admits he didn’t have the best view of the action.

Emil Sayfutdinov

“I couldn’t see where I was going coming into the corner. The rain was coming into my goggles. There was a lot of material on the outside, but I got speed there and I just saw Doyle going straight to the fence. I found a little room and I passed him. I am really happy to have done it, stayed safe and got some good points.”

Emil Sayfutdinov wins 2020 Speedway of Nations
Emil Sayfutdinov, Artem Laguta and Evgenii Saidullin win 2020 Speedway of Nations

Russia hadn’t won a senior speedway world title – individual or team – prior to their 2018 Monster Energy SON win in Wroclaw. Now they are triple world champions and Sayfutdinov is elated to have written more racing history for his country.

Emil Sayfutdinov

“I know we didn’t continue with the whole meeting. But we are world champions, so we are really happy. That’s three times in a row! At the beginning of the meeting, track conditions were bad. But when they said ‘we need to go’, we were ready. We were focused on our points and concentrating on our starts. Everything was working and we are really happy to be world champions again. I hope speedway in Russia will grow up so quickly and we hope our federation and fans will support us, along with all the companies we have in Russia. Hopefully somebody can see us. We deserve that support and for us it is important.”

The Russians won their second world title in front of a passionate home crowd in Togliatti in 2019, but Sayfutdinov has made no secret of his desire for his national side to receive greater backing in their homeland. He hopes another Monster Energy SON win will boost the sport’s profile even further in Russia.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik starred on 15 points from a possible 16 for Poland as they fell agonisingly short of their first Monster Energy SON win.

They were forced to settle for silver for the second straight season in what was legendary coach Marek Cieslak’s last event as national boss following a career that saw him clinch seven FIM Speedway World Cup wins.

Denmark took third place on 19 points for their first world championship medal since they won SWC silver in 2015. They tied with Sweden, but claimed the last spot on the podium after winning their head-to-head battle in race 10.

Australia took fifth spot on 17, with Great Britain sixth on 12 and the Czech Republic seventh on 11.

2020 Monster Energy Speedway of Nations Final Result

  1. RUSSIA 23: 1 Emil Sayfutdinov 15, 2 Artem Laguta 8, 3 Evgenii Saidullin DNR.
  2. POLAND 23: 1 Bartosz Zmarzlik 15, 2 Szymon Wozniak 8, 3 Dominik Kubera DNR.
  3. DENMARK 19: 1 Leon Madsen 10, 2 Anders Thomsen 4, 3 Marcus Birkemose 5.
  4. SWEDEN 19: 1 Fredrik Lindgren 14, 2 Oliver Berntzon 5, 3 Alexander Woentin DNR.
  5. AUSTRALIA 17: 1 Jason Doyle 5, 2 Max Fricke 12, 3 Jaimon Lidsey 0.
  6. GREAT BRITAIN 12: 1 Robert Lambert 6, 2 Drew Kemp DNR, 3 Dan Bewley 6.
  7. CZECH REPUBLIC 11: 1 Vaclav Milik 11, 2 Eduard Krcmar 0, 3 Petr Chlupac 0.

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2020 Full Gas Sprint Enduro – Silver Hawk Plantation Round 6

Kailub Russell claimed the 2020 Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro title with a close victory at this weekend’s Silver Hawk Plantation Sprint Enduro, the series finale, held at the Silver Hawk Plantation in Buffalo, South Carolina. The title was Russell’s third Full Gas Sprint Enduro championship and second in a row.

Layne Michael gave Russell a good battle, and in fact, led the race by two seconds with two tests remaining. However, as he often does, Russell dug deep and made up the distance to take the overall win.

Kailub Russell

“It was good to get the overall win, but it was kind of strange how it worked out. I won one test on Saturday and I won the day, and then I won all but one today and almost lost. It was a tough weekend. I was a little unsure how Saturday was going to go because I was a little bit off and you don’t have to be off by much to be pretty slow here. But I rode better on Sunday, and that was enough.”

Kailub Russell – Image courtesy of sprintenduro.com

In all, Russell won six tests, one on Saturday and five on Sunday. However, two crashes in test four on Sunday cost him dearly as the North Carolina rider finished the test 12 seconds behind Michael, moving him into the lead.

Trailing Michael with two tests remaining, Russell made up 1.2 seconds in the Cross test and entered the final test just .8 seconds behind. The final test would be the decider and Russell finished strong, winning the final test by 3.3 seconds and taking the overall victory by 2.4 seconds.

Kailub Russell

“I came out swinging today and rode good. I had awesome times the first three tests and then test four I kind of threw it away and had a couple falls. My front brake lever fell down and I couldn’t get it back up. It was so far down I was having a hard time getting to it, so my timing was a little bit off. But I was able to pull it together and win the last couple tests. So five out of six on the day.”

Although Michael won five tests over the weekend, the race marked the second round in a row where he was in position to take the overall win, only to lose out in the final test.

Layne Michael

“It’s frustrating because he got me at the last one in the last test and got me on this one in the last test. But it was a good weekend, nonetheless. I fought hard. I was there all weekend and pretty consistent. One little mistake kind of cost me, but like I said, he had a big one that kind of put me back in it. All in all, a good weekend. Any time you’re batting with Kailub it’s good.”

Josh Strang won a Cross test and was rewarded with third overall. The Aussie off-roader only returned to racing the week before after missing several weeks due to a shoulder injury.

Josh Strang – Image courtesy of sprintenduro.com
Josh Strang

“I was a little off the pace. I almost didn’t come this weekend just because of my shoulder. I still have a little bit of pain. To do these things, you have to go at 100% to be competitive, and I just wasn’t comfortable going as hard as I would have liked. There were some sections where I noticed I was just kind of riding around instead of attacking the track. But overall, it was a good day.”

Strang’s teammate Lyndon Snodgrass has improved with each race and finished an impressive fourth overall, which was also good enough for first in the Pro 2 division.

Lyndon Snodgrass

“I haven’t done a Full Gas in a while so it was good to get back to one. I had a good run. I think I won every test but the first one on Saturday in my class. So it was a good run for me. I was mixing it up with the pro guys a little bit in some of the tests, so that was cool. I think they did a good job this weekend and I was happy to be here.”

Lyndon Snodgrass - Image courtesy of sprintenduro.com
Lyndon Snodgrass – Image courtesy of sprintenduro.com

Liam Draper was fourth in the Pro class and fifth overall.

Liam Draper

“On Saturday I started off kind of slow, but I figured out the Cross test a lot better this weekend than I have in previous rounds. It was close racing all weekend with me, Jordan Ashburn and Josh. Then Jordan had some problems. So, it was good. It was a good year. I had fun racing these.”

Jesse Ansley turned in his best finish of the year with a sixth overall and second in the Pro 2 class. The Florida rider has made big strides this year and his finish at the series finale was a good way to cap off the season.

Jesse Ansley

“I feel like I was really tight on Day One, I wasn’t on the bike all week and I think it showed on Saturday. I felt like I really shined in the woods test and I was sitting fifth overall going into the last Enduro test and then I just made a dumb mistake, which dropped me back to seventh overall for the day. I don’t know what I was thinking, I just went for a line that wasn’t there and ended up getting stuck between two trees and it must have cost me about 10 seconds. I gave up a little time on Saturday in the Cross test, so on Sunday, I just concentrated on that test and was able to pick up some time, which put me up into sixth overall and second in the Pro 2 class.”

Pennsylvanian Ben Nelko has been solid all year and finished seventh overall and third in the Pro 2 class this weekend. Nelko is backed by 760 Husqvarna.

Cole Mattison was the top-finishing Pro Am rider in eighth overall on a Husqvarna, and secured the Pro Am class championship with his class win. Ohio’s JoJo Cunningham topped the Lites A division with a solid ninth overall finish and also won the Lites A class series championship.

Dalton Seals was 10th overall on a Yamaha and second Pro Am rider, Brewer Cawley rounded out the Pro Am podium.

Johnny Girroir, who wrapped up the Pro 2 championship at the round before, skipped the race due to a sore knee. Meanwhile, Jordan Ashburn was turning in some solid rides in the Pro class, but suffered an unfortunate DNF on Sunday.

Rachel Archer won every test in the Women’s Pro class to take the overall win ahead of Samantha Fisher and Alli Phillips.

Rachel Archer

“Tayla (Jones) and Kenzie (Tricker) were out with knee injuries, so I didn’t have those two to contend with. All in all, it was a good weekend and I managed to win every test. I made a couple of silly mistakes today, just my suspension was a bit soft. In the last test I wadded my shoulder pretty good, so that’s a bit sore. But other than that, it was a fun track, a good day.”

Rachel Archer - Image courtesy of sprintenduro.com
Rachel Archer – Image courtesy of sprintenduro.com

Round 6 Overall Results

Pos. Rider Class Time
1 Kailub Russell Pro (1) 37:15.8
2 Layne Michael Pro (2) 37:18.2
3 Joshua Strang Pro (3) 38:15.5
4 Lyndon Snodgrass Pro 2 (1) 38:27.1
5 Liam Draper Pro (4) 39:03.0
6 Jesse Ansley Pro 2 (2) 40:06.0
7 Ben Nelko Pro 2 (3) 41:48.2
8 Cole Mattison Pro-Am (1) 42:23.9
9 Joseph Cunningham Lites A (1) 43:10.6
10 Dalton Seals Pro-Am (2) 44:10.7
11 Brewer Cawley Pro-Am (3) 44:14.6
12 Andrew Matusek Open A (1) 44:24.2
13 RJ Cook Pro 2 (4) 44:36.8
14 Michael Delosa Pro-Am (4) 44:40.2
15 Zachary Nash Pro-Am (5) 44:46.8
16 Tyler Palmer Lites A (2) 46:18.8
17 Joshua Guffey Lites A (3) 46:30.0
18 Henry Symanski Pro-Am (6) 46:46.4
19 Garyson Smith Open B (1) 47:03.8
20 Billy Schlag Pro-Am (7) 47:20.0
21 Dylan Dela Cruz Pro-Am (8) 47:35.5
22 Hans Neel Open A (2) 47:37.1
23 Grady Faint Lites A (4) 47:39.6
24 Robby Norwood Vet A 30+ (1) 47:48.8
25 Canon Kuneff Lites A (5) 47:58.9
26 Sam Forrester Pro-Am (9) 48:00.9
27 Cade Henderson Juniors A/B 12-17 (1) 48:06.0
28 Bolton Beroth Lites A (6) 48:42.4
29 Andrew Tsakanikas Vet A 30+ (2) 49:18.7
30 Rachael Archer Women’s Pro (1) 49:36.5

Pro Overall Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Kailub Russell 315
2 Layne Michael 254
3 Joshua Strang 191
4 Liam Draper 191
5 Jordan Ashburn 187
6 Steward Baylor 53
7 Ricky Russell 46
8 Tyler McSwain 44
9 Craig Delong 31
11 Cory Buttrick 30
10 Benjamin Herrera 30

Pro 2 Overall Standings

Pos Rider Points
1 Johnny Girroir 265
2 Jesse Ansley 242
3 Ben Nelko 223
4 RJ Cook 181
5 lyndon snodgrass 149
6 Michael McLean 105
7 Ruy Barbosa 75
8 Samuel Evans 41
9 Ben Parsons 32
10 Will Riordan 32

2021 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Championship postponed

Motorcycling Australia, in conjunction with the MA Track Commission and key stakeholders have advised of the difficult decision to postpone the 2021 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Championship which was schedule for January 3rd – 13th 2021, issuing the following statement:

Whilst we are disappointed that the 2021 Australian Championship has had to be postponed, we believe it is in the best interest of the sport. With so much uncertainty around the national and international borders, and with a lot of our riders currently overseas we had to make a decision as early as possible.

Motorcycling Australia (MA) and the Track Commission are now concentrating on delivering a strong and successful condensed 2021 Championship in the latter part of 2021 pending Government restrictions around Covid-19. MA sincerely thank all stakeholders, clubs, and riders for their support and understanding.

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 Yamaha rake in the State championship titles

The past two weeks and have again proven successful for Yamaha Racing in Australia with multi race and championship wins across two states, as the 2020 continues to unfold.

QLD Women’s and Vets

The central Queensland mining town of Gladstone hosted the 2020 Queensland Women’s and Vets Championship over the weekend and the warm, humid conditions made for a challenging event for the large contingent of riders on hand.

In the junior girls, it was all eyes on Charli Cannon as she was clearly the one to beat having recently finished third racing the boys at the state championship in Hervey Bay. But a hand injury slowed her progress and she had done no riding for a month leading up to the event so there were some questions marks about her fitness in the days prior.

But it mattered little, as she went on to dominate the day and claim the win in the 13-U16 years 85cc and the 13-U16 years Lites class, taking all six race wins. Cannon had not been on an 85 all year, but a last minute call to jump on her brother Jakes’s practice bike, paid dividends and she was able to walk away with the win and add more championships to her already impressive resume.

Charli Cannon

“My lead up to this race wasn’t good as I fell a while ago and the handlebar drove into my hand and caused some internal damage. I wasn’t able to ride but I tried to keep up my off bike training as much as I could and I was able to get through the weekend with no problems. It was fun to get back on the 85 again, although I’m too big for it now. It kept me on the track and Dad busy in the pits all weekend and winning made it worth the effort. Thank you to Mum and Dad for their help again and also to Yamaha as well as the rest of my sponsors. We had a fun weekend in Gladstone and winning the state championship was another goal I wanted to achieve this year.”

Charli Cannon
Charli Cannon

In the Senior Women’s, it was Taylah McCutchen taking the win and like Cannon, dominated her division with three race wins from three starts. McCutchen, not only just turned senior after her 16th birthday but also just swapped over to Yamaha, is loving her YZ250F and it clearly showed on the weekend.

The win at Gladstone comes on the back of her first senior appearance at couple of weeks ago at the King of Capricorn event where she won the MX2 Support class against a field full of men.

Taylah McCutchen

“I put in a lot of effort over the last few weeks to prepare for this race so it’s awesome that it paid off and I was able to win the Queensland championship. The change to Yamaha has been good for me and I feel really comfortable on the YZ250F and its an awesome bike to ride. Thank you to the club and the organisers for running the event, my family who support me 100% as well as the Yamalube Yamaha Team who assisted me with some parts in the lead up to this race.”

Yamaha also won the 55 and Over Vets with YZ450F mounted Mal Dalton taking out the state championship with three race wins.

Queensland Women & Vets Results

12-U16 years 85cc
  1. Charli Cannon – 105 (Yamaha YZ85)
  2. Darci Whalley – 94
  3. Madi Simpson – 92
12-U16 years Lites
  1. Charli Cannon – 105 (Yamaha YZ250F)
  2. Darci Whaley – 96
  3. Holly Van der Boor – 88
Senior Women
  1. Taylah McCutchen – 105 (Yamaha YZ250F)
  2. Tahlia Drew – 96
  3. Alysha Goullet – 84
Men’s 55 and Over Vets
  1. Mal Dalton – 105 (Yamaha YZ450F)
  2. Bruce Lowth – 96
  3. Anthony Clarke – 88

Coffs Harbour Transmoto

An all Yamaha team of Josh Green, Michael Driscoll, Blake Hollis and Dean Wattus took the overall teams’ victory at the Transmoto 8 hour event in Coffs Harbour. The recent dry spell left the course a little dusty, but the fast and free flowing layout kept riders happy and the Off Road Advantage Team dominated the day. Mounted on a range of Yamaha machinery, the awesome foursome enjoyed the weekend and the laid back nature of the event.

Josh Green
Josh Green

In addition to the team winning, Josh Green won individual honours as well as taking fastest lap on the day.

Yamaha Junior Racing

The Hutton brothers made it a 1-2 finish at the recent Queensland Off Road Championships. Competing in the 7-11 years 65, Harley Hutton took the final round victory and in turn secured the state championship while younger brother Drake slotted in behind him for second.

Harley Hutton
Harley Hutton

Sons of enduro royalty, Kirk Hutton, both boys are on their way to emulating Dad’s career and the YZ65 has been the perfect bike to kick kickstart their careers. They are now about 20 state championships behind Dad, but they have plenty of time and talent on their side.

Speaking of brothers, Ryder and Kayd Kingsford were back in action at the Nowra round of the East Coast Motocross Series in New South Wales. Ryder proved ultra-fast on his YZ250F, winning the opening two motos but a flat rear tyre in the final leg kept him from the podium while he battled hard in the 125cc division to finish fourth with 4-3-3 results.

Kayd had just returned from a broken wrist and not yet back up to full speed and fitness. He took 4-8-6 results in the 12-15 years 85cc class to finish fifth on the day but will be better for the hit-out and looking to get back on the podium at the next event.

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Yamaha Announces 2021 Supercross and Motocross Teams

Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (YMUS), has announced a three-year partnership with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team to field their campaign in both the 450 and 250 classes of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships. The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 team will be spearheaded by Aaron Plessinger and newly-crowned 2020 250SX and 250MX champion Dylan Ferrandis, while the 250 team has signed two-time 250 MX Champion Jeremy Martin and Christian Craig to join returning riders Colt Nichols, Justin Cooper and Jarrett Frye.

A long-time partner in the 250 support class and amateur ranks, the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team has had a history of success with 11 titles in the professional championships and multiple Amateur National titles. The team will now add the 450 premier class to its tent to provide a consistent program for riders advancing through the SX/MX racing ranks. Together, Star and Yamaha will continue to work towards the goal of winning championships. Along with key sponsorship from Monster Energy, the team will receive full support from Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA.

Aaron Plessinger – Image by Hoppenworld

Plessinger returns with Yamaha for his third season in the 450 class. Two of the titles added to Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s tally were earned by Plessinger in 2018 – the 250SX West and 250MX Championship. The Ohio native has shown promise in his first two years in the premier class, but unfortunately has had injuries that have sidelined him for a good part of both championships in 2019 and the 2020 Pro Motocross season. As Plessinger returns to the team, he looks to build on his progress and come out swinging in 2021.

Aaron Plessinger – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 Team

“I’m really excited for next season with Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing. I really had a good run with the team in 2018 with the 250 Supercross and Motocross title. I love the team over there. I love the people on the team. I think we work really well together. The last two years haven’t been too good for me with some injuries and bad luck. I’m looking forward to getting back to my winning ways and having a good time doing it. Going into 2021, I couldn’t be more confident. With this team going in behind me I think we can do extraordinary things next year.“

Making his 450-debut next year, Ferrandis looks to keep his momentum rolling with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team as he transitions to the premier class. After a great 2019 season with the 250SX West Championship and runner-up finish in the Pro Motocross 250 class, the Frenchman was on fire in 2020. He won both the 250SX West and 250MX Championship, scoring three supercross wins as well as eight moto wins and three overall victories in motocross. Jeremy Coker will be the team manager for the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 squad.

Dylan Ferrandis – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 Team

“It’s been a dream of mine to fight for a championship in the 450 class in the U.S. I’m so happy to be able to do that with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha team. I feel at home there. I’m still feeling in paradise with two championships this year, but we will get back to work to fight next season.”

Dylan Ferrandis – Image by Jeff Kardy

Fresh off a stellar 2020 season, Martin returns to Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s 250 team to fight for the crown. Earning back-to-back titles in the Pro Motocross 250MX Championship in 2014 and 2015, Martin is eager to seal the deal in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and continue to add to an already accomplished 250 class career.

Jeremy Martin – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity this late in the year to get back on the Yamaha for next year moving forward into 2021 with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team. I’ve won two championships with them in the past so I’m excited to pick up where I left off and end my 250 career with a bang!”

Jeremy Martin moves to Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team – Image by Jeff Kardy

Craig also joins Star Racing’s powerhouse 250 line-up in 2021. The Californian has challenged for top honors on multiple occasions and was in the fight for the 250SX West Championship before being sidelined with an injury early in the season. Craig looks to fight for top honors in 2021 with the Monster Energy Star Racing squad.

Christian Craig – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team

“Moving to the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team is quite a big deal for me. Bobby (Reagan) has talked to me every year the past few years to get me over here but the timing didn’t feel right. Finally this year, I knew I needed to get out of my comfort zone if I wanted to take my career to the next level. Their whole program has a lot of structure, which is something that has always benefited me and helped my confidence. I’m extremely grateful to start the next chapter in my career with these guys and look forward to putting in the results I know I’m capable of.”

Christian Craig
Christian Craig joins the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team

Nichols returns for his fifth season with the team. The Oklahoman hit the ground running in 2019 with his first 250SX win at Anaheim I and went on to score multiple podiums to finish third in the championship. Unfortunately, injuries have kept him out of most of this year, but now that he is close to full fitness, Nichols aims for the crown in 2021.

Cooper also returns with the team for 2021. Since his first full season with the team in 2019, the New Yorker has impressed. He finished second overall in the 250SX East Championship with six podiums and went on to take his first overall win in Florida, ending the year third in the Pro Motocross 250MX Championship. Cooper carried that momentum over to 2020, scoring his first Supercross win at Anaheim I and finishing second in the 250SX West Championship. After coming back from a preseason injury, Cooper made a late season charge in the Pro Motocross Championship returning to the top of the podium at Thunder Valley to finish fifth in the standings.

Stepping up to the professional ranks at Round 6 of the Pro Motocross Championship was one of Star’s top amateur riders, Frye. The 19-year-old impressed with solid results, including a best result of sixth overall at the final race of the season.

Lead by team manager Wil Hahn, the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 team has more top up-and-coming riders lying in wait: Nate Thrasher, Matt LeBlanc and Nick Romano. Thrasher, who recently joined the team had a good showing at the final two rounds of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season. Both LeBlanc and Romano have multiple Amateur Nationals and show a lot of promise for the future. All three riders full-time professional debut is yet to be determined.

Jim Roach – Yamaha Racing Department Manager for YMUS

“The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team has had a tremendous amount of success over the years with both their Amateur and 250 Supercross and Motocross programs. Beginning in 2021, the Yamaha 450 program in both championships will transition to the Monster Energy Star Yamaha team, as well. The overall goal is to continue the success that the team has had, and to work toward winning 450 Championships. Having the Amateur, 250, and 450 Supercross and Motocross programs with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team also ensures a smooth transition for riders stepping through the program. It is an exciting time for Yamaha, and we look forward to the upcoming racing season!”

Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 450 Team Manager

“I have worked for Star Racing for six seasons and will be going on my seventh full season of racing with the team. For the last five years, I was the Engine Technician and have been a part of a total of 10 championships wins. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to step up and manage the 450 program and look to take Dylan and Aaron to the top step of the podium throughout the seasons ahead.”

Wil Hahn – Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team Manager

“Coming off of two championship wins this season, I’m really looking forward to next season with the goal of carrying that success forward into 2021. We have a great lineup with Colt, Justin and Jarret returning, some great additions with Jeremy and Christian, and a bright future with Nate, Matt and Nick. I can’t wait for the new year!”

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Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki Race Team Announces 2021 Roster

The upcoming 2021 racing season marks 28 years of winning for Kawasaki and Pro Circuit. The successful Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki boasts an impressive resume including the most combined supercross/motocross wins in the 125/250 class at 29 championships, including the 2019 AMA Pro Motocross championship achieved by Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Adam Cianciarulo.

Austin Forkner

Returning to the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team for 2021 aboard their all-new 2021 KX250 motorcycles is long-time Team Green racer Austin Forkner along with Jordon Smith and Cameron McAdoo. The trio welcomes, Seth Hammaker, as he graduates from the Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green amateur race program.

Mitch Payton – Pro Circuit Owner

“We have a great team returning for the 2021 season combined with an all-new KX250 motorcycle. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with our solid group of guys and Hammaker joining the crew. There is a lot of talent between our four riders, and we will provide all the necessary tools to help each of them reach their full potential. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team has high expectations to put Kawasaki and Pro Circuit on top of the podium.”

Forkner will enter the new season as the most experienced rider on the team. The 12-time 250 class race winner has high hopes of capturing multiple championships after his successful 2019 and 2020 seasons were cut short due to injury. 2020 brought the fresh face of Smith who earned three top-5 finishes out of the four rounds he competed in before withdrawing early due to injury.

AMA SX Rnd Tampa Smith SX TPA Kardy
Jordon Smith

McAdoo returned in 2020 to the brand that he found great success with throughout his amateur career, achieving career-bests in both supercross and motocross series, and looks to keep that momentum going into next season. Making his professional debut, Hammaker is set to join the team for both series at the beginning of the 2021 season.

The 2021 Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki racing team is positioned for another championship campaign and awaits the announcement of the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM Championship and AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto News | AMA SX | MXGP | EMX | WMX | NZ MX

Moto News Weekly for March 3, 2020

Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

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What happened this week

  • Ken Roczen tops 450SX in Atlanta
  • Chase Sexton claims the Atlanta SX win and lead
  • Strong Aussie showing at MXGP opener in Great Britain
  • Courtney Duncan opens 2020 WMX campaign with double wins
  • Liam Everts tops EMX125 in Great Britain
  • Gibbs and Purvis take NZ MX lead at Hawke’s Bay
  • AMA Supermoto Championship kicks off in April
  • 2020 FIM ISDE pre-registration opens soon
  • Jeffrey Herlings signs new KTM MXGP contract
  • 2020 Championship Calendars
    • 2020 AMA Motocross
    • 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross
    • 2020 MXGP
    • 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

Ken Roczen tops 450SX in Atlanta

For full results see: Roczen wins in Georgia to level points with Tomac (link)

Eli Tomac arrived in Georgia off the back of a fairly dominant performance in Texas. The Kawasaki rider started on the front foot overnight in Atlanta by recording the fastest lap in qualifying and then also won his Heat race ahead of the 450 Main.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Starts SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Starts SX ATL Kardy

Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld

Ken Roczen was second fastest in qualifying and had won the other Heat ahead of Jason Anderson and Justin Brayton. The 450 Main looked likely to be shaping up as a Tomac versus Roczen showdown…

Roczen scored the holeshot aheead of Davalos and Friese while a slow-starting Tomac was in seventh place sandwiched between Wilson and Brayton.

Jason Anderson and Justin Barcia then both demoted Tomac further down the field over the first couple of laps. The move by Barcia seemed to light a fire under Tomac who then upped his aggression in response.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Brayton Barcia Multiple SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Brayton Barcia Multiple SX ATL Kardy

Justin Barcia – Image by Hoppenworld

A lap later though Tomac got caught up with Baggett in a left-hander. The Kawasaki man made a move up the inside that Baggett was not expecting, the two got tangled up and both hit the deck, Tomac rejoining the race way down in 14th place.

As the race approached the half-way mark Roczen was nine-minutes clear of second placed Davalos who in turn had two-seconds on Justin Hill.  Friese was fourth, Barcia fifth and Anderson sixth. Tomac was working his way back up the field and working on taking tenth spot from Justin Brayton.

Tomac got Brayton then pushed past Stewart, Friese and Plessinger to move up to seventh place behind Cooper Webb with four-minutes remaining. Both Webb and Tomac passed Justin Hill to move up to fourth and fifth respectively.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb SX ATL Kardy

Cooper Webb – Image by Hoppenworld

Justin Barcia had worked his way past Tomac earlier on and streaked his way through the field to a hard fought second place finish

Justin Barcia had worked hard to force his way through the field during the middle part of the race and on the run to the flag had a three-second buffer over third placed Davalos. That second place somewhat of a triumph for Barcia.

Up front though it was Ken Roczen all on his lonesome. Taking the chequered flag 13-seconds ahead of Barcia, despite backing off considerably on the last two laps and just cruising home.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Podium SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Podium SX ATL Kardy

Ken Rozcen – Image by Hoppenworld

Webb and Tomac fought hard over fourth place all the way to the flag but it was the Kawasaki man that won that battle to score 19-points that sees Tomac tied with Roczen at the head of the points table ahead of Monster Energy AMA Supercross Round Ten at Daytona Beach next weekend.

Chad Reed scored a 15th place finish to add eight-points to his season tally which now stands at 39-points, and ranks him 17th in the standings.

The win for Roczen made it a double for Honda in Atlanta as Sexton had won the earlier 250 SX East Main.

Ken Roczen – P1

“These wins just keep getting sweeter and more fun each time! I’m so happy with how tonight went and stoked to have the red plate again. The last couple weekends have been tough but I’ve managed to minimize the damage, which was huge for us because it put us in a good position for a situation like today. With all the chaos, we made up seven points in one night and now are tied for the points lead again. The battle continues for the championship.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Podium SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Podium SX ATL Kardy

Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld

Justin Barcia – P2

“What a crazy race. I started middle of the pack and made lots of passes in the beginning. I kind of got into a groove in the middle and was behind a couple guys waiting for some mistakes to capitalize on something. They started falling apart a little and I was able to move into second towards the end and just rode really solid. The track broke down a lot. It was the roughest supercross I’ve ridden in a while, but all in all, I felt really good and the bike was solid. I can’t thank the whole team enough for making good changes on the bike all day and always believing in me.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Barcia SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Barcia SX ATL Kardy

Justin Barcia – Image by Hoppenworld

Cooper Webb – P3

“That was probably the hardest race I’ve ever had. I was way back and just put my head down and tried to do the best I can. I got a few gifts from the guys ahead of me but man, it was painful. I knew it wasn’t going to be fun or easy, but that’s racing. It’s a long way out but the only thing keeping me going is this championship, so we’ll do whatever we can.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb Multiple SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb Multiple SX ATL Kardy

Cooper Webb – Image by Hoppenworld

Eli Tomac – P4

“The main event didn’t go as planned, but the good news is we live to fight another day and line back up next weekend at one of my favorite tracks, Daytona. There are still positives to take away from today; we were fastest qualifier, won our heat race, and we never gave up in the main event, and battled hard all the way to the very end to salvage as many points as possible. We are going to put this race behind us and be ready to rock next week in Daytona!”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Tomac SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Tomac SX ATL Kardy

Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld

450SX Standings

Pos Rider Total
1 Eli Tomac 200
2 Ken Roczen 200
3 Justin Barcia 177
4 Cooper Webb 176
5 Jason Anderson 151
6 Malcolm Stewart 137
7 Adam Cianciarulo 128
8 Justin Hill 127
9 Justin Brayton 116
10 Dean Wilson 113

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Chase Sexton claims the Atlanta SX win and lead

RJ Hampshire scored the holeshot from Chase Sexton and Shane McElrath when the third round of the 250 East AMA Supercross Championship got underway on Saturday night in Atlanta.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Hampshire Sexton Multiple SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Hampshire Sexton Multiple SX ATL Kardy

RJ Hampshire – Image by Hoppenworld

McElrath and Sexton started tussling for position after a few laps and their battle allowed Hampshire a little breathing space. After the first few thrusts from McElrath, Sexton then stepped his pace up a gear to stretch away and close on to the tail of McElrath once again.

Jeremy Martin, Garrett Marchbanks and Jordon Smith were fourth, fifth and sixth with ten-minutes remaining. Sexton finally made a move past Hampshire with eight-minutes left on the shot clock. Hampshire is well known for making hard passes and taking no prisoners, Sexton returned the favour with a very fair but forceful pass for the lead when Hampshire opened the door.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta MartinJ SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta MartinJ SX ATL Kardy

Jeremy Martin – Image by Hoppenworld

The leaders were now encountering a lot of lapped traffic and at this point of the race it was working somewhat in the favour of Sexton. Jeremy Martin went down out of fourth place and was relegated back to tenth place by the time he was up and running again.

Sexton continued to pull away from Hampshire, the Husqvarna man then lost touch with Sexton and was getting pressured by McElrath in the latter stages of the race. Hampshire held on for that second place though with McElrath finishing in third place at the flag.

Sexton the clear victor and extends his 250 SX East Championship lead to five-points over McElrath.

Chase Sexton

“HOTlanta was a good one! Honda Racing US sweep with Ken Roczen and I taking both heat and main wins! I’m super thankful to be apart of a great team and to have the people behind me that I do! Fans were awesome all night as well! You guys are great.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Sexton McElrath Multiple SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Sexton McElrath Multiple SX ATL Kardy

Chase Sexton – Image by Hoppenworld

RJ Hampshire – P2

“Each week we’re going to continue to get better. Getting those holeshots felt good and we had a good flow out there. I want to win but I also want to be in this thing [championship] a few weeks from now, so we’re going to continue to fight week in and week out.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Hampshire SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Hampshire SX ATL Kardy

RJ Hampshire – Image by Hoppenworld

Shane McElrath – P3

“I felt really good during the day, even in the Heat race. We made a few bike changes for the Main that we thought was going to be good, which was kind of my call. I was struggling with the track quite a bit, but I’m learning a lot. It was tough to get third. I felt like I should have been able to win, but I was struggling with a lot of things. So we’ll work on those this week and we won’t make those same mistakes twice.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta McElrath SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta McElrath SX ATL Kardy

Shane McElrath – Image by Hoppenworld

Jordan Smith – P4

“Honestly, I am happy with today’s performance. I would have liked to be closer to those front three guys battling for a podium position at the end, but after last week’s rough ride I am just happy to be back up towards the front of the pack where I belong. I just need to work on cleaning up a few things and we’ll be right where I expect us to be. The last time I raced Daytona was in 2018 and I won at the iconic track, so I am excited to get back down there and try to do it again.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Martin Smith Multiple SX ATL Kardy

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Martin Smith Multiple SX ATL Kardy

Joradn Smith chases Jeremy Martin – Image by Hoppenworld

250SX East Standings

Pos Rider Total
1 Chase Sexton 75
2 Shane McElrath 70
3 RJ Hampshire 61
4 Garrett Marchbanks 53
5 Jordon Smith 47
6 Jeremy Martin 44
7 Jo Shimoda 44
8 Josh Hill 41
9 Enzo Lopes 36
10 Joey Crown 31

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Strong Aussie showing at MXGP opener in Great Britain

The first round of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) season has concluded at Matterley Basin, with Jeffrey Herlings and Jago Geerts taking the overall victories in the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively, as sunny weather on Sunday set the stage for a fantastic day.

For the full report see:
Evans fifth, Beaton fourth at UK MXGP opener (link)

Aussie Mitch Evans kicked off the season on form, claiming third in Race 1, while a more challenging Race 2 still saw him in the top ten, with seventh. This leaves Evans in fifth overall heading to Round 2.

Mitch Evans

“It was a good weekend, excluding the start of that second moto. Everything else went really well. In the first moto I had a good start, avoiding some of the early race carnage and made my way into second for a little bit. Unfortunately, I struggled with my breathing a bit because of my chest infection and finished third. I felt a lot better in the second moto although I had to push throughout the race because of the bad start. I used a lot of energy to get around guys as fast as I could and I hit a bit of a wall with eight minutes to go. Overall it was a good weekend though, I’m happy with my MXGP debut and now I get ready for Valkenswaard next weekend.”

MXGP Rnd Mitch Evans hondaproracing bybavo

MXGP Rnd Mitch Evans hondaproracing bybavo

Mitch Evans – Image by Bavo

In MX2 top Australian was Jed Beaton in fourth overall, with second in Race 1, and sixth in Race 2. Fellow Aussies Nathan Crawford and Wilson Todd took 14th and 17th overall respectively, at the season opener.

Jed Beaton

“It was a good weekend for me. Fourth overall is a great result for the first Grand Prix, although I’m a little disappointed to miss the podium because of a small crash in the second race. In the first moto I had a good start, found some nice lines and came from eighth to second, which was great. I felt good and, yeah, it was good to get that result in the books. Second moto, it took a while to settle into a rhythm and then I just washed the front wheel out in a corner, losing a few places and I finished the race in sixth. For the upcoming rounds I just need to be a little more patient. Overall, it’s been a great day and there are plenty of positives to take into round two next weekend.”

MXGP Rnd Jed Beaton

MXGP Rnd Jed Beaton

Jed Beaton

Nathan Crawford

“Qualifying was a really challenge – especially for me coming from Australia. I’ve never race in condition that cold, windy and rainy. It was definitely something that I hadn’t been through before, so it was quite a shock. We tried to prepare for it and did our best in the tough conditions. In race one I got a mid-pack start, but made some good passes on lap one. I was hovering around 10th position and then had a big crash and after that I was just surviving and trying to get through the race. In race two it was an OK start, but not great – so I set about battling my way through and ended the race in 10th place. The second trace was definitely better for me and that gives me something to build on.”

2020 MXGP Standings after Round 1

Pos Rider Nat. Man. Points
1 Herlings, J. NED KTM 47
2 Gajser, Tim SLO HON 38
3 Cairoli, A. ITA KTM 38
4 Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 35
5 Evans, M. AUS HON 34
6 Paulin, G. FRA YAM 32
7 Desalle, C. BEL KAW 32
8 Coldenhoff, G. NED GAS 30
9 Jacobi, Henry GER YAM 23
10 Prado, Jorge ESP KTM 21
11 Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM 13
12 Jasikonis, A. LTU HUS 13
13 Cervellin, M. ITA YAM 13
14 Tonus, Arnaud SUI YAM 13
15 Bogers, Brian NED KTM 12
16 Paturel, B. FRA HON 11
17 Van Horebeek, J. BEL HON 11
18 Jonass, Pauls LAT HUS 9
19 Lupino, A. ITA YAM 6
20 Guillod, V. SUI HON 5
21 Sterry, Adam GBR KTM 2
22 Petrov, Petar BUL KTM 2
23 Vlaanderen, C. NED YAM 2

MX2 Standings after Round 1

Pos. Rider Nat. Man. Points
1 Geerts, Jago BEL YAM 43
2 Vialle, Tom FRA KTM 40
3 Haarup, Mikkel DEN KAW 40
4 Beaton, Jed AUS HUS 37
5 Hofer, Rene AUT KTM 35
6 Forato, A. ITA HUS 28
7 Olsen, T. DEN HUS 26
8 Van De Moosdijk, R. NED KAW 22
9 Mewse, Conrad GBR KTM 22
10 Boisrame, M. FRA KAW 21
11 Renaux, Maxime FRA YAM 21
12 Guadagnini, M. ITA HUS 15
13 Sydow, Jeremy GER GAS 15
14 Crawford, N. AUS HON 14
15 Watson, Ben GBR YAM 14
16 Fernandez, R. ESP YAM 11
17 Todd, Wilson AUS KAW 8
18 Harrison, M. USA KAW 7
19 Sikyna, R. SVK KTM 6
20 Vaessen, Bas NED KTM 5
21 Östlund, Alvin SWE HON 4
22 Gilbert, Josh GBR HUS 3
23 Horgmo, Kevin NOR KTM 2
24 Rubini, S. FRA HON 2
25 Lesiardo, M. ITA KTM 1

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Courtney Duncan opens 2020 WMX campaign with double wins

Defending Women’s World Motocross Champion (WMX) flying Kiwi Courtney Duncan has begun her 2020 campaign with a double victory this weekend – demonstrating to her rivals that she is a returning force to be reckoned with.

MXGP Rnd Britain Courtney Duncan

MXGP Rnd Britain Courtney Duncan

Courtney Duncan

Battling through deep mud and ruts at the season-opening MXGP Great Britain at the popular British circuit of Matterley Basin, 24-year-old Otago motocross queen Duncan bagged the maximum 50 points on offer over the two races on her 2020 Kawasaki KX250. Riding for the England-based Kawasaki Dixon Race Team, she was the first to admit she took some time to warm into her winning ways.

Courtney Duncan

“I’m happy to go 1-1 here at the opener. I felt a little bit rusty. A little bit off the pace but that’s a given, since I haven’t raced in six months. I’m very happy to walk away with the full 50 points and I think we can be proud of that especially given the conditions – they weren’t easy. They were pretty difficult out there with a lot of mud. I’m stoked to get the first round win, I couldn’t ask for more. I can only go up from here. My goal is to just continue to improve and I think I can do that. The more bike time I get on the race bike with testing, I can up the pace. I look at improving each day and each race as it comes.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Courtney Duncan

MXGP Rnd Britain Courtney Duncan

Courtney Duncan – Image courtesy of MXGP

During the first race, Courtney Duncan took the holeshot closely followed by Nancy Van De Ven who was flying out of the gate. Van De Ven led the race for two laps, before crashing out, allowing Duncan to run her #1 plate out front, followed by Kiara Fontanesi who made some quick moves in the first laps to move into second. Meanwhile Lynn Valk moved up to third.

The top three stayed the same for the entire race, as Van De Ven tried to fight off Larisa Papenmeier. Papenmeier was able to pass the Dutch rider with two laps to go, to secure her spot in the top four of the race, with Van De Ven finishing fifth.

MXGP Rnd Britain Larissa Papenmeier

MXGP Rnd Britain Larissa Papenmeier

Larissa Papenmeier – Image courtesy of MXGP

In race two, Duncan got off to another flyer, leading Van De Ven, Valk, Papenmeier and Amandine Verstappen. By lap 4, Papenmeier passed Van De Ven for second securing herself the second spot on the podium, as she remained in the position for the entire race.

From then on there was not much change with the leaders, as Duncan continued to lead Papenmeier, with Van De Ven, Verstappen and Valk rounding out the top 5.

Kiara Fontanesi was making her way back up the chart, following a start in the top 10 and by lap 5 was up in P6 after gradually passing riders each lap. Also doing the same was Mathilde Martinez who finished the race in seventh behind Fontanesi.

MXGP Rnd Britain Kiara Fontanesi

MXGP Rnd Britain Kiara Fontanesi

Kiara Fontanesi – Image courtesy of MXGP

The top three were Courtney Duncan securing the first overall victory of the season, followed by Larissa Papemnemier and Kiara Fontanesi.

MXGP Rnd Britain Courtney Duncan

MXGP Rnd Britain Courtney Duncan

Courtney Duncan

WMX – Race 1 Top 5

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 28:54.805
  2. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, KTM), +0:11.560
  3. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +0:17.018
  4. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:31.542
  5. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +1:20.495

WMX – Race 2 Top 5

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 28:37.429
  2. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:05.505
  3. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:27.613
  4. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:31.137
  5. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +0:32.200

WMX – Overall Classification Top 5

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 50 points
  2. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40
  3. Kiara Fontanesi (ITA, KTM), 37
  4. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 36
  5. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 36

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Liam Everts tops EMX125 in Great Britain

Liam Everts secured his first overall victory in the EMX125 class over the weekend, at Round 1 of the MXGP championship held at Matterley Basin in Great Britain.

MXGP Rnd Britain EMX Podium

MXGP Rnd Britain EMX Podium

EMX125 Podium – Image courtesy of MXGP

In the opening race Everts got off to a flying start, followed by Kjell Verbruggen and Maxime Grau. By lap two Verbruggen was in second, as Grau went missing, dropping down to 13th position.

By lap 4, Verbruggen was coming under fire from Rasmus Pedersen and a crash saw the Dutch rider drop down to 35th. Pedersen then moved to third as Kevin Brumann passed for second place.

Finding good rhythm around the British circuit, Everts was able to pull away from Brumann, finishing the race with an impressive 24.122 second lead! Pedersen finished third, while Cato Nickel and Meico Vettik placed fourth and fifth. Local riders, Joel Rizzi and Eddie Jay Wade made the Brits proud with a ninth and tenth place finish.

In race two, it was Brumann who took the holeshot and led the race for four laps, before Everts was able to chase him down on lap 5, with Florian Miot and Grau in third and fourth.

MXGP Rnd Britain Kevin Brumann

MXGP Rnd Britain Kevin Brumann

Kevin Brumann – Image courtesy of MXGP

Grau moved up to third, but less than a lap later Miot passed him back to secure third. While the top three stayed the same, Haakon Osterhagen found his way past Andrea Bonacorsi.

It was Liam Everts who took the race win, overall victory and red plate, going into Round 2 as championship leader.

Liam Everts

“I wasn’t expecting when I came here, second race was a bit tough for me but I had good starts during the weekend. I’m super happy to win here after my dad (Stefan Everts) did 14 years ago. This victory is for him.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Liam Everts

MXGP Rnd Britain Liam Everts

Liam Everts – Image courtesy of MXGP

EMX125 Race 1 Top 5

  1. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 33:17.460
  2. Kevin Brumann (SUI, Yamaha), +0:24.122
  3. Rasmus Pedersen (DEN, KTM), +0:34.977
  4. Cato Nickel (GER, KTM), +1:23.920
  5. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +1:36.878

EMX125 Race 2 Top 5

  1. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 30:50.463
  2. Kevin Brumann (SUI, Yamaha), +0:10.584
  3. Florian Miot (FRA, KTM), +0:20.625
  4. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, KTM), +0:25.385
  5. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, KTM), +0:26.749

EMX125 Overall Classification

  1. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 50 points
  2. Kevin Brumann (SUI, YAM), 44
  3. Florian Miot (FRA, KTM), 35
  4. Haakon Osterhagen (NOR, KTM), 32
  5. Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), 31

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Gibbs and Purvis take NZ MX lead at Hawke’s Bay

Altherm JCR Yamaha riders Kirk Gibbs and Maximus Purvis were two men on a mission, storming into the lead of their Fox New Zealand Motocross Championship classes over the weekend in Hawke’s Bay.

Riding their respective Yamahas in the series’ penultimate round at Ngaruroro Raceway, near Fernhill, the two took the upper hand in their title hunts, ahead of the championship wrapping up in Taupo, in a fortnight.

Sunshine Coast-based Gibbs was untouchable in the premier class on his YZ450 – qualifying first and winning three from three races.

Kirk Gibbs took the round win from Cody Cooper and Hamish Harwood, with Kayne Lamont fourth and Brad Groombridge fifth.

The top-notch results give him a five-point lead over defending champion Cody Copper and 29-point buffer over Hamish Harwood in third.

Kirk Gibbs

“It was a really good day for me. I’ll go home and work on some more things that Josh [Coppins – Team Manager] and BT [Ben Townley] gave me to work on. It’s so helpful to have such good people to get information from. I’ll go there with a good mindset and put a couple of good races in and try to bring it home.”

New Zealand MX Rnd Altherm JCR Yamaha Kirk Gibbs MX

New Zealand MX Rnd Altherm JCR Yamaha Kirk Gibbs MX

Kirk Gibbs – Image by Clmintiepix

Maximus Purvis went 2-1-4, with the final race result slightly lower after the 19-year-old Mangakino flyer crashed on the last lap, while in second.

Maximus Purvis and Dylan Walsh were tied on 65-points for the round win, with James Scott third overall, Josiah Natzke fourth and Caleb Ward fifth.

Maximus Purvis

“It definitely feels good to be leading the points going into the last round. I’ve been trying to chip away at it and now I just have to finish it off with some good results at Taupo.”

New Zealand MX Rnd Altherm JCR Yamaha Maximus Purvis MX

New Zealand MX Rnd Altherm JCR Yamaha Maximus Purvis MX

Maximus Purvis – Image by Clmintiepix

Christchurch’s Dylan Walsh displayed some of the form that saw the 22-year-old crowned the British Motocross Championship’s MX2 winner last year, with a 4-2-1 results’ set on his Yamaha YZ250F.

Dylan Walsh

“Round three was a big improvement for me. We made huge changes during the week on the suspension and it paid off. I was able to get the round win and show what I was capable of.”

New Zealand MX Rnd Altherm JCR Yamaha MX Dylan Walsh

New Zealand MX Rnd Altherm JCR Yamaha MX Dylan Walsh

Dylan Walsh – Image by Clmintiepix

Maximus Purvis now holds the MX2 lead on 183-points, with Josia Natzke second on 179-points, with James Scott third overall on 172. Dylan Walsh is currently fourth on 161 points, with Caleb Ward fifth.

MX1 Round Results

  1. Kirk Gibbs (YZ450) – 75
  2. Cody Cooper – 64
  3. Hamish Harwood – 62
  4. Kayne Lamont (YZ450) – 54
  5. Brad Groombridge – 46

MX1 Standings

  1. Kirk Gibbs, 211 points
  2. Cody Cooper, 206
  3. Hamish Harwood, 182
  4. Kayne Lamont, 149
  5. Brad Groombridge, 138

MX2 Round Results

  1. Dylan Walsh (YZ250F) – 65
  2. Maximus Purvis (YZ250F) – 65
  3. James Scott – 58
  4. Josiah Natzke- 53
  5. Caleb Ward – 53

MX2 Standings

  1. Maximus Purvis, 183 points
  2. Josiah Natzke, 179
  3. James Scott, 172
  4. Dylan Walsh 161
  5. Caleb Ward, 143

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AMA Supermoto Championship kicks off in April

The 2020 AMA Supermoto National Championship Series sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association, kicks off 2020 in Primm, Nev., on April 4-5, with the 2020 season to feature two rounds at new venues, including one in Honolulu at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu on May 2. The remainder of the schedule includes four events in the United States and Canada. The other new venue is Colorado National Speedway, which hosts Round 3 on May 30.

AMA Supermoto National Championship Series by Steve Alkyer DRT Racing

AMA Supermoto National Championship Series by Steve Alkyer DRT Racing

2020 AMA Supermoto Championship – Image by Steve Alkyer, courtesy DRT Racing

The Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada, round is sanctioned by the Canadian Motorcycle Association. That round, coupled with the event in Sturgis, S.D., determines the FIM North America Supermoto Championship.

Ken Saillant – AMA Track Racing Manager

“This year’s AMA Supermoto National Championship Series schedule features a great mix of proven venues and new markets for one of motorcycling’s youngest competition disciplines. We’re looking forward to another year of intense supermoto competition.”

Supermoto racing includes a mix of street-style racing and motocross. Riders compete on tracks that feature dirt and pavement sections with jumps and turns. Venues can range from football stadiums to closed-course streets or parking lots. The AMA Supermoto National Championship Series is promoted by DRT Racing.

For more information about the 2020 AMA Supermoto National Championship Series, visit www.drtracinginc.com.

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)

2020 FIM ISDE pre-registration opens

FIM ISDE pre registration opens

FIM ISDE pre registration opens

2020 FIM ISDE pre-registration opens

Preparations are already underway for the 95th edition of the FIM International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE) that will be hosted in Rivanazzano Terme in northern Italy from 31 August to 5 September. The pre-registration phase that closes on 30 March 2020 is now opened on www.fim-isde.com.

PRE-REGISTRATION CLOSES 30 MARCH

All riders (World Trophy, Junior World Trophy, Women’s World Trophy Teams and Club Teams / riders) must contact their National Motorcycling Federation (FMN) to register. Login access will only be given to FMNs. Same procedure apply for riders wishing to compete in the Enduro Vintage Trophy (Teams and Individuals). Federations have to complete the relevant online form before the pre-registration closing date.

CONFIRMATION OF SELECTED TEAMS ON 15 APRIL

At the end of the first phase, depending on the number of pre-registrations, Club Teams will be informed about the selection of their teams by their National Motorcycling Federation. The National Motorcycling Federation must then pay the relevant 25% deposit of registration fee relating to the number of Club Teams confirmed. At this stage, each National Motorcycling Federation will be asked to fill the detailed information about the team(s) and riders as soon as is possible to do so.

FINAL ENTRY PHASE FROM 1 MAY TO 30 JUNE

The National Motorcycling Federation must pay the remaining 75% of the registration fee for all Teams as confirmed on 15 April. The National Motorcycling Federation must have fully completed the entry form and details about team(s) and riders as soon as is possible to do so, and before 30 June.


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Jeffrey Herlings signs new KTM MXGP contract

Four-times FIM Motocross World Champion Jeffrey Herlings has signed a new contract with his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team and will remain ‘in orange’ for a further three years until the end of the 2023 MXGP season.

The 25-year-old Dutchman inked his deal on the eve of the British Grand Prix this weekend and the opening round of twenty in the 2020 MXGP series; his fourth in the premier class and eleventh in the FIM World Championship all with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

Jeffrey Herlings KTM SX F Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Jeffrey Herlings KTM SX F Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Ray Archer

The association began in 2009 when Herlings was signed to make his MX2 GP debut for the 2010 season as a fifteen-year old. He claimed his first top-three race finish in just his second moto at the Grand Prix of Bulgaria at Sevlievo, celebrated his first podium at Mantova in Italy for round two and then started an incredible seven-year unbeaten streak of wins a few weeks later at his home event at Valkenswaard; scene of his very first 1-1 clean sweep.

Since that initial term in 2010 Herlings has gone on to accumulate 86 Grand Prix victories in two classes and ace titles in 2012, 2013, 2016 (all MX2) and then 2018 (MXGP) with KTM 250 SX-F and KTM 450 SX-F machinery. In that time there have been some astonishing performances – such as the first moto chequered flag in Latvia last summer, taken with a broken foot – and also some tough moments when he conceded likely titles in 2014 and 2015 due to injury. His peerless 2018 MXGP campaign saw #84 own 17 from 19 Grands Prix and classify as runner-up in the other two outings.

Jeffrey Herlings KTM SX F Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Jeffrey Herlings KTM SX F Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Ray Archer

Herlings is already the most successful Dutch rider in the history of the sport and is third on the list for all-time Grand Prix triumphs. In 2019 he added the Motocross of Nations Chamberlain trophy to his heaving collection of silverware.

Jeffrey Herlings

“I’m very, very happy. I have been with KTM since 2009 so by the end of this next contract it will be fifteen years together. I’m excited to stay in the orange family and I have been working with Pit [Beirer] and the entire crew since the beginning and I was fourteen. I’m blessed to be able to do it for another three years; four including this one about to start. It is also good to have this done before the weekend and GP1 of 2020. KTM is where my heart is, and they are my family. I’m thankful that they trust in me, and I believe in them, the bike and all the people I work with. I’ll be racing with them until I’m 28 and I’m super-happy, hopefully there many more happy days ahead.”

Jeffrey Herlings KTM SX F Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Jeffrey Herlings KTM SX F Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Ray Archer

Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director

“This contract definitely means a lot to me personally because it was back in 2009 that we gave this young kid and his family our word that we’d take good care of him and he had a great future in front of him: we wanted to be a partner in that. We went through so many ups and downs with Jeffrey and he has collected all of his wins and titles with us – just one brand. It was actually quite emotional to know he could spend his career with just one company. I’m really happy that we could agree everything so early for another three years and I wish him a healthy and strong season and hopefully an even longer association with us when he’s stopped racing.”


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2020 Championship Calendars

2020 AMA Motocross race schedule

  • May 17 – Hangtown Motocross Classic – Rancho Cordova, CA
  • May 24 – Fox Raceway National – Pala, CA
  • May 31 – Thunder Valley National – Lakewood, CO
  • June 7 – Florida National – Jacksonville, FL
  • June 21 – High Point National – Mt. Morris, PA
  • June 28 – Southwick National – Southwick, MA
  • July 5 – RedBud National – Buchanan, MI
  • July 19 – Spring Creek National – Millville, MN
  • July 26 – Washougal National – Washougal, WA
  • August 16 – Unadilla National – New Berlin, NY
  • August 23 – Budds Creek National – Mechanicsville, MD
  • August 30 – Ironman National – Crawfordsville, IN

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 MXGP Calendar

  • March 1 – Great Britain, Matterley Basin (EMX125, WMX)
  • March 8 – The Netherlands, Valkenswaard – (EMX250, WMX)
  • March 22 – Patagonia, Argentina, Neuquen
  • April 5 – Trentino I, Pietramurata – (EMX250, EMX 2t)
  • April 19 – Spain, (TBA) – (EMX125, WMX)
  • April 26 – Portugal, Agueda – (EMX125, EMX250)
  • May 10 – France, Saint Jean d’Angely – (EMX125, EMX Open)
  • May 17 – Italy, Maggiora – (EMX Open, WMX)
  • May 24 – Germany, Teutschenthal – (EMX250, EMX Open)
  • June 7 – Russia, Orlyonok – (EMX250, EMX Open)
  • June 14 – Latvia, Kegums – (EMX250, EMX Open)
  • June 28 – Indonesia, Jakarta
  • July 5 – Indonesia, Palembang
  • July 26 – Czech Republic, Loket – (EMX65, EMX85, EMX 2t)
  • August 2 – Belgium, Lommel – (EMX125, EMX250)
  • August 16 – Sweden, Uddevalla – (EMX125, EMX250)
  • 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)
  • September 27 – Motocross of Nations, France, Ernee

2020 American Flat Track

  • Round 1. March 14: Daytona 200 &  TT – Daytona Speedway, FL
  • Round 2. March 28: Atlanta Short Track – Dixie Speedway, Woodstock, GA
  • Round 3. April 4: Charlotte Half-Mile – Charlotte Speedway, Concord, NC
  • Round 4. May 2: Texas Half-Mile – Texas Speedway, Fort Worth, TX
  • Round 5. May 9: So-Cal Half-Mile – Perris Speedway, Perris, CA
  • Round 6. May 16: Sacramento Mile – Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA
  • Round 7. May 30: Red Mile – Red Mile, Lexington, KY
  • Round 8. June 13: Laconia Short Track – New Hampshire Speedway, Loudon, NH
  • Round 9. June 20: OKC Mile – Remington Park, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Round 10. June 27: Lima Half-Mile – Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, OH
  • Round 11. July 4: New York Short Track – Weedsport Speedway, Weedsport, NY
  • Round 12. August 9: Buffalo Chip TT – Buffalo Chip, Sturgis, SD
  • 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 Australian Speedway Senior Solo Speedway Calendar

  • Round 1, January 3 – Kurri Kurri Speedway, Loxford Park NSW
  • Round 2, January 6 – Diamond Park, Wodonga VIC
  • Round 3, January 7 – Undera Speedway, Echuca Road, Undera VIC
  • Round 4, January 9 – Olympic Park, Regina Street, Mildura VIC
  • Round 5, January 11 – Gillman Speedway, Wilkins Road, Gillman SA

2020 WESS Enduro World Championship Schedule

  • Round 1: Extreme XL Lagares (Portugal) May 8-10
  • Round 2: Trefle Lozerien AMV (France) May 21-23
  • Round 3: Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble (Austria) June 10-14
  • Round 4: Red Bull 111 Megawatt (Poland ) June TBC
  • Round 5: Red Bull Romaniacs (Romania) July 21-25
  • Round 6: Tennessee Knockout (USA) August 15-16
  • Round 7: Hawkstone Park Cross-Country (UK) September TBC
  • Round 8: Hixpania Hard Enduro (Spain) October TBC

2020 FIM Speedway GP Calendar

  • May 16 – PZM Warsaw SGP of Poland – Warsaw
  • May 30 – German SGP – Teterow
  • June 13 – Czech SGP – Prague
  • July 18 – Adrian Flux British SGP – Cardiff
  • July 25 – Swedish SGP – Hallstavik
  • August 1 – Betard Wroclaw SGP of Poland – Wroclaw
  • August 15 – Scandinavian SGP – Malilla, Sweden
  • August 29 – Russian SGP – Togliatti
  • September 12 – Danish SGP sponsored by ECCO – Vojens
  • October 3 – Revline Torun SGP of Poland – Torun

2020 Australian Dirt Track Championship dates

  • April 11-12 Australian Junior Dirt Track Championships
    • Mick Doohan Raceway, QLD, North Brisbane Jnr Motorcycle Club
  • October 17-18 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships
    • Fairburn Park, ACT Motorcycle Club

2020 Australian Track Championship dates

  • May 16-17 Australian Senior Track Championships
    • Qurindi, Tamworth, NSW, Tamworth Motorcycle Club
  • September 26-27 Australian Junior Track Championships
    • Gunnedah, NSW Gunnedah Motorcycle Club

2020 Australian Off-Road Championship Calendar

  • Round 1 & 2: Toowoomba, QLD 22 – 23 February 2020
  • Round 3 & 4: Dungog, NSW 14 – 15 March 2020
  • Round 5 & 6: Nowra, NSW 18 – 19 April 2020
  • Round 7 & 8: Murray Bridge, SA 1 – 2 August 2020
  • Round 9 & 10: Omeo, VIC 19 – 20 September 2020
  • Round 11 & 12: Wynyard, TAS 17 –18 October 2020

2020 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship Calendar

  • Round 1: December 7, 2019 – Krakow, Poland
  • Round 2: January 4 – Riesa, Germany
  • Round 3: January 18 – A Coruna, Spain
  • Round 4: February 1 – Budapest, Hungary
  • Round 5: March 14 – Lodz, Poland

2020 AMA Extreme Off-Road East/West Calendar

  • 2020 AMA Extreme Off-Road East Series
    • March 28-29: RevLimiter Extreme Enduro, Decatur, Texas
    • May 16-17: Madd Moose, Marquette, Mich.
    • July 4-5: Tough Like RORR, Tamaqua, Pa.
    • July 18-19: Fallen Timbers, Little Hocking, Ohio
    • Aug. 1-2: Battle of the Goats, Taylorsville, N.C.
  • 2020 AMA Extreme Off-Road West Series
    • Feb. 8: King of the Motos, Lucerne Valley, Calif.
    • March 28-29: RevLimiter Extreme Enduro, Decatur, Texas
    • May 2-3: EnduroFest, Reno, Nev.
    • June 6-7: Last Dog Standing, Devore, Calif.
    • June 20-21: Stix and Stones, Kellogg, Idaho
  • 2020 AMA Extreme Off-Road Grand Championship
    • Aug. 14-16: Trials Training Center, Sequatchie, Tenn.

2020 FIM Flat Track World Championship Calendar

  • Round 1 – June 13: Diedenbergen DE
  • Round 2 – July 26: Boves-Cuneo IT
  • Round 3 – September 5: Morizès FR
  • Round 4 – October 3: Pardubice CZ

2020 King of MX Calendar

  • Qualifier 1 – February 15-16, Bega – Top 7 qualify for final **Run & Won**
  • Qualifier 2 – February 29-1 March, Narrabri – Top 7 qualify for final
  • Qualifier 3 – March 14-15, Lake Macquarie -Top 7 qualify for final
  • Qualifier 4 – March 28-29, Wagga Wagga – Top 6 qualify for final
  • Qualifier 5 -April 18-19, Bathurst – Top 6 qualify for final
  • Qualifier 6 – May 9-10, Dargle – Top 7 qualify for final
  • Final – June 6-8, Cessnock

2020 Australian Motocross National Championship Calendar

  • Round 1 & 2 Horsham, Victoiria April 4/5
  • Round 3 Newry, Victoria May 3
  • Round 4 Gympie, Qld May 24
  • Round 5 Conondale, QLD June 28
  • Round 6 & 7 Maitland, NSW July 25/26
  • Round 8 & 9 Coolum, QLD August 22/23

2020 Fox New Zealand Motocross Championship

  • Round One – Balclutha, 1st February 2020
  • Round Two – Rotorua, 23rd February 2020
  • Round Three – Hawkes Bay, 1st March 2020
  • Round Four – Taupo, 15th March 2020

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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Moto News | MXGP | EMX | AMA MX | AFT | SGP | Dirt Track

Moto News Wrap for June 18, 2019 by Darren Smart

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The LATEST News

  • Gajser and Prado Win MXGP of Latvia
  • Van De Moosdijk and Bengtson win EMX rounds in Latvia
  • Tomac and Cianciarulo Win High Point AMA Motocross
  • Bauman Brothers Storm Laconia AFT Grand National
  • Kolodziej Wins Czech SGP
  • Clout and Rutledge Crowned Champions at Nowra
  • Duvall Stays with Husqvarna
  • Desalle, Lupino and Bobryshev Injured
  • Seely Injured
  • Entries Open for 2019 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships

Gajser and Prado Win MXGP of Latvia

Kegums in Latvia has hosted an action packed ninth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship and it was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado who have won the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively and in doing so have extended their championships points leads.

MXGP Latvia Rnd Jorge Prado
MXGP of Latvia 2019

MXGP Report

The most successful team in recent GP history has been the Red Bull KTM team but season 2019 went completely pear shaped in Latvia with their brightest hopes in Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings both suffering major set-backs.

MXGP Latvia Rnd Jeffrey Herlings
Jeffrey Herlings leading the MXGP Race 1 start – MXGP of Latvia 2019

Herlings, in his second GP back from injury won the opening moto before it was reported that he has re-broken his previously injured ankle after incredibly crashing during the second moto warm up lap then former 2019 championship dominator in Cairoli crashed hard out of the second moto just an hour after a solid fourth in the opening moto.

All of that aside, there were three riders tied on 40 points at the top of the MXGP points tally for the day but on a count back Gajser scored his 20th GP victory with 6-1 moto finishes but more importantly now holds a 33-points lead in the championship over Cairoli.

Tim Gajser

“I am so happy about today. First race I was struggling, but the second one I found a good rhythm and I had a good battle with Jeremy. I am so happy for the team. Yesterday I had good speed but at the qualification race I had a big crash and I was a little sore today with some pain in my neck, but I got enough for sixth in the first race. Second race I tried to ride my race and I didn’t know I had won the overall. This is everything we work for and I am happy for the team.”

MXGP Latvia Rnd Gajser bybavo
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Latvia 2019

Romain Febvre (4-2) and Arnaud Tonus (2-4) rounded out the podium for the Yamaha fans.

Romain Febvre

“Today was okay, much better than yesterday. I made some mistakes with bike set-up yesterday. We changed it a lot for today and I felt better. My start was not there, and I struggled a bit. I could have finished fourth but I got really bad arm pump. Tony was in front of me and I couldn’t catch him. The second race I had a good first lap and kept my moment. Middle of the race I struggled in the wave but I could catch the guys in front. Maybe I needed two or three extra laps to catch Tim. I thought I won the overall, but I am happy even if a bit disappointed. It isn’t so long after I came back from my injury, so I feel satisfied.”

MXGP Latvia Rnd Febvre action
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Arnaud Tonus

“I had a good feeling, at the beginning I got passed by Jeffrey and I followed him, then I found some good lines and it was great to lead. I had a good lead, but Jeffrey passed me, and he got the win. I will take every race to learn and just get better. I have to be happy. Sure, a bit frustrated, coming so close to the win, I will keep working and it is great to be on the podium, I enjoy this a lot. The way I was riding today, it’s maybe the best I have ridden in these types of conditions. It’s been years that I am trying to work on myself to compete at this level and if you look at the last few GPs, I am super happy. My mechanic told me if I could pass Romain, I could win the GP, but the track was sketchy, and I tried to keep it on two wheels.”

MXGP Latvia Rnd Arnaud Tonus
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Latvia 2019

Cairoli walked off the track after spectacularly crashing out of the second moto holding his right arms and at the time of writing the extent of his injuries are unknown while Herlings is already in hospital to repair the damage he incurred during his warm up lap crash.

Tony Cairoli

“On Saturday I had the Flu and a fever, and my arm was not as strong as I wanted after the crash in Russia. I could battle with the guys for first position in the first moto but then I got a bit tired and settled for third, which was good for the championship. In the second moto I was fourth and trying to follow [Arnaud] Tonus. I had quite a big crash and when I stood up I felt my shoulder was out. My hope is to be ready to at least start next week in Germany. I don’t want to give up at all and I want to be there as much as possible for the championship.”

MXGP Latvia Rnd Tony Cairoli
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Latvia 2019

MXGP Overall Classification Top 10

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 40 p
  2. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 40 p
  3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 40 p
  4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 36 p
  5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 30 p
  6. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 25 p
  7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 23 p
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 p
  9. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 22 p
  10. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 20 p
  11. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 20 p

MXGP – World Championship Classification Top 10

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 391 p
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 358 p
  3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 256 p
  4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 254 p
  5. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 246 p
  6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 226 p
  7. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 208 p
  8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 200 p
  9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 190 p
  10. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 186 p
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MX2 Report

The Kegums track offered plenty of lines and passing opportunities but none of that worried Prado who won the opening moto from Jago Geerts, Thomas Kjer Olsen, Ben Watson and Maxime Renaux before dominating the second moto over Geerts, Kjer Olsen, Watson and Adam Sterry.

MXGP Latvia Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Jorge Prado

“It is my first time to win here, I was fourth two times here. I won the qualification race and two races today, so that makes me happy. Another great weekend going 1-1 and making the gap bigger in the points. I felt comfortable and I want to thank the team, my family and my girlfriend. It is making me stay in the top level like I am doing now.”

MXGP Latvia Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Jago Geerts

“Pretty good start, but the first three corners I messed up a little, I tried everything I could do to pass Thomas and I am really happy with the weekend.”

Thomas Kjer Olsen

“I am finally getting good starts and being up there I learn a lot. The speed is high from the beginning and it is a bummer I couldn’t stay there, but I gave my all and I want to thank everyone behind me.”

MXGP Latvia Rnd Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Latvia 2019

Aussie Jed Beaton went 10-13 for 10th overall on the day while Mitch Evans was forced to sit out the qualifying race after crashing hard during qualifying. This gave him the most outside gate in both GP races but it was looking good after a ninth in Moto 1, before a massive over-the-bars crash in Moto 2 relegated the Honda rider to 22nd for 15th overall.

Evans and Beaton are now 7th and 13th in the MX2 championship points respectively but nothing is surer that these two are cementing themselves as worthy of their factory rides.

Mitchell Evans

“Tough day, finishing ninth and twenty-second. A crash in moto two ruined my chances of achieving my goal of two top-ten finishes today.”

MXGP Latvia Rnd Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Jed Beaton

“It’s been a really tough GP for me, but I’m pleased I came away with points in both motos. I got sick with the flu on Thursday before the race and I really struggled with a fever and low energy. I worked hard during the qualification race and did all that I could during today’s motos.”

MXGP Latvia Rnd Jed Beaton
Jet Beaton – MXGP of Latvia 2019

MX2 Overall Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 44 p
  3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 40 p
  4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 36 p
  5. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 29 p
  6. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 29 p
  7. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 26 p
  8. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 24 p
  9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 22 p
  10. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 19 p.;
    …15. Mitch Evans, 12 p

MX2 Championship Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 397 p
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 367 p
  3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 301 p
  4. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 251 p
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 246 p
  6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 242 p
  7. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 226 p
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 191 p
  9. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 157 p
  10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 156 p.;
    …13. Jed Beaton – 129 p

Van De Moosdijk and Bengtson win EMX rounds in Latvia

The Latvian round for European Championship classes of EMX250 and EMX2T saw Roan Van De Moosdijk and Ken Bengtson score 1-1 moto finishes in their respective classes.

MXGP Latvia Rnd VAN DE MOOSDIJK GP PH
Roan van de Moosdijk – MXGP of Latvia 2019

EMX250

Van De Moosdijk proved to be very strong in the sand of Kegums and also closed up on new series leader Alberto Forato, who finished second overall with 3-4 results while third overall in the EMX250 class was Jeremy Sydow with 2-5 results obtaining his first podium of his career.

Roan van de Moosdijk

“Unbelievable! 1-1 for my first perfect weekend; I was first in every session in practice and in racing. The start was the key and today I was fourth leaving turn one; I soon had the lead so I could ride my own race and check out to control the race. I’m really happy that I didn’t make any mistakes today; I was riding safe in the sketchy section. I didn’t look at the standings but I know that I’ve closed the gap with the leaders again and I’m just focusing on each race. I’ve got a great family behind me at Kawasaki and F&H Racing and we can look forward confidently to Teutschenthal next weekend after taking the last two overall wins and four motos from the last five.”

MXGP Latvia Rnd VAN DE MOOSDIJK GP PH
Roan van de Moosdijk – MXGP of Latvia 2019

EMX250 – Overall Classification Top 10

  1. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 50 points
  2. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 38
  3. Jeremy Sydow (GER, HUS), 38
  4. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 36
  5. Raivo Dankers (NED, YAM), 32
  6. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 29
  7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 28
  8. Bastian Boegh Damm (DEN, KTM), 27
  9. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 24
  10. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 18

EMX250 – Championship Top 10

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 201 points
  2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 201
  3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 194
  4. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 138
  5. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 114
  6. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 112
  7. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 88
  8. Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 86
  9. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), 74
  10. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 73
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EMX2T

Sweden’s Ken Bengtson might have just made his debut in the EMX2T but he looked solid in the sand of Kegums. With second place overall, Team Ecomaxx Fuels team’s Mike Kras scored 2-2 results leading the series points with a two point over Verde Substance KTM team’s Brad Anderson. Third overall was Andero Lusbo with 4-3 scores.

Bengtson held on for both race wins to take the overall victory ahead of Mike Kras, Andero Lusbo, Todd Kellet and former championship leader Brad Anderson so when the dust settled Kras now has the red-plate by just two points over Anderson.

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing – Overall Classification Top 10

  1. Ken Bengtson (SWE, HUS), 50 points
  2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 44
  3. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 38
  4. Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 36
  5. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 34
  6. Mario Tamai (ITA, KTM), 29
  7. Gianluca Deghi (ITA, KTM), 28
  8. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 26
  9. Nick Leerkes (NED, KTM), 23
  10. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 20

EMX2T Championship Classification Top 10

  1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 199 points
  2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 197
  3. Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 178
  4. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 162
  5. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 153
  6. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 88
  7. Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 86
  8. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 79
  9. Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 72
  10. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, YAM), 72

Tomac and Cianciarulo win High Point AMA Motocross

The infamous High point Raceway has hosted the latest round of the AMA Motocross Championships and it was the Kawasaki paring of Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo who have won the 450 and 250 classes respectively.

AMA MX Utah Rnd Starts JK MX HighPoint
AMA MX 2019 – High Point

450 Report

In a day of ups and downs on a brutally rut infest layout Tomac’s 3-2 effort gave him his second overall victory of the season and the 19th of his career. Ken Roczen’s second-moto win vaulted him into the runner-up spot (6-1) ahead of Jason Anderson who finished third overall on the back of 2-5 moto finishes.

AMA MX Utah Rnd Start JK MX HighPoint
AMA MX 2019 – High Point
Eli Tomac

 “Today was a unique situation by winning with 3-2 moto scores. I’m not sure if I’ve ever won a race without winning a moto. We did what we could and battled towards the front, so overall the day was good. The track had a lot of good character today, the ruts were plenty deep and the track was rough.”

AMA MX Utah Rnd Tomac JK MX HighPoint
Eli Tomac – AMA MX 2019 – High Point
Ken Roczen

“I’m glad we left today on a high note. I had a new setup in Florida and unfortunately with the weather, I’ve only been able to put a very short amount of time on it, and that’s what I started with here today. I struggled all morning with it. Going into the first moto, we went back to my Colorado setting, except with some clicker changes I’ve been running at home. However, that didn’t work for me at all. I wasn’t riding well and just went backwards in the first moto. For the second moto, I just went back to our full Colorado setup, and it was nice to see that we have a very solid base that I can go back to. I just knew exactly what the bike was going to do, and we had an incredible moto. I came from far behind after a bad start and came away with a moto win and second on the podium. It was pretty huge.”

AMA MX Utah Rnd Roczen JK MX HighPoint
Ken Roczen – AMA MX 2019 – High Point

With the win, Tomac move to a tiebreaker with Roczen in the championship point standings with 176 points apiece while teammates Zach Osborne and Anderson are tied for third, 32 points out of the lead.

Dean Ferris battled hard all day on his factory Yamaha to come home 11-11 for 11th outright to sit ninth in the championship points chase.

AMA MX Utah Rnd Ferris JK MX HighPoint
Dean Ferris – AMA MX 2019 – High Point

450 Results

  1. Eli Tomac Eli 3 – 2
  2. Ken Roczen 6 – 1
  3. Jason Anderson 2 – 5
  4. Cooper Webb 7 – 3
  5. Zach Osborne 5 – 4
  6. Marvin Musquin 4 – 7
  7. lake Baggett 1 – 15
  8. Joey Savatgy 8 – 6
  9. Justin Bogle 9 – 8
  10. Justin Barcia 10 – 10
  11. Dean Ferris 11 – 11

450 Points Standings

  1. Eli Tomac – 176
  2. Ken Roczen – 176
  3. Zach Osborne – 144
  4. Jason Anderson – 144
  5. Marvin Musquin – 139
  6. Cooper Webb – 132
  7. Justin Barcia – 99
  8. lake Baggett – 92
  9. Dean Ferris – 89
  10. Justin Bogle – 88
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250 Class Report

The opening moto was a slug fest between front runners Justin Cooper, Colt Nichols, Hunter Lawrence, Cianciarulo, Dylan Ferrandis and Chase Sexton with the layout offering a multitude of passing opportunities, but in the end it was Lawrence who got his first win on American soil over Cianciarulo, Ferrandis and Sexton.

AMA MX Utah Rnd Starts JK MX HighPoint
250 Start – AMA MX 2019 – High Point

Moto 2 was pedestrian in comparison with Cianciarulo taking the moto win for his fourth consecutive victory (2-1) of the season. Lawrence’s consistent (1-3) moto scores carried him to a career-best second overall ahead of Sexton who also had the best finish of his career with third (4-2).

AMA MX Utah Rnd Starts JK MX HighPoint
250 Start – AMA MX 2019 – High Point

Wilson Todd recovered from a poor start in the opening moto to score a solid 12th but in the second moto the current Australian MX Nationals Championship leader dropped his TLD KTM into fourth place coming out of the second corner. He then held fifth place for a large part of the early part of the moto before slipping back to 10th for 10th overall – Lawrence and Todd Currently hold down seventh and 12th respectively in the championship.

AMA MX Utah Rnd Lawrence JK MX HighPoint
Hunter Lawrence – AMA MX 2019 – High Point
Adam Cianciarulo

“I’m so grateful for these wins, they’re hard to do and I’m just stoked. The first moto was a battle from the beginning, I had a terrible start. By the time I was able to get into second, I just kind of struggled and that was it. The second moto I obviously put myself in a much better position to get the win and that is what I was able to do. I just want to keep the ball rolling heading into Jacksonville.”

AMA MX Utah Rnd Cianciarulo JK MX HighPoint
Adam Cianciarulo – AMA MX 2019 – High Point

The win helped Cianciarulo extend his championship point lead to 26 points over Cooper who could only muster ninth overall (6-9). Ferrandis remains in third, 42 points out of the lead.

AMA MX Utah Rnd Todd JK MX HighPoint
Wilson Todd – AMA MX 2019 – High Point

250 Results

  1. Adam Cianciarulo 2 – 1
  2. Hunter Lawrence 1 – 3
  3. Chase Sexton 4 – 2
  4. Dylan Ferrandis 3 – 4
  5. Colt Nichols 5 – 5
  6. J. Hampshire 9 – 6
  7. Cameron McAdoo 8 – 7
  8. Michael Mosiman 7 – 8
  9. Justin Cooper 6 – 9
  10. Wilson Todd 12 – 10

250 Points Standings

  1. Adam Cianciarulo – 186
  2. Justin Cooper – 160
  3. Dylan Ferrandis – 144
  4. Chase Sexton – 134
  5. Colt Nichols – 126
  6. Michael Mosiman – 112
  7. Hunter Lawrence – 111
  8. J. Hampshire – 104
  9. Alex Martin – 87
  10. Garrett Marchbanks – 63
    …12. Wilson Todd – 56
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Bauman Brothers Storm Laconia AFT Grand National

In a final that featured no less than three re-starts, Bronson and Briar Bauman have gone 1-2 at the inaugural Laconia AFT Twins Grand National while championship rivals in Jared Meeds, Henry Wiles and Sammy Halbert all suffered from either mechanical issues or crashes.

AFT Twins Laconia Short Track Rnd Twins Start AXI
AFT Twins Start – 2019 Laconia Short Track

Bronson Bauman won his first career Grand National win by a narrow margin over his brother and championship leader Briar who actually took over the lead just as the third red flag came out but because Bronson was leading the lap before he was reinstated as the leader for the restart – a lead he would not relinquish.

AFT Twins Laconia Short Track Rnd Twins Bauman AXI
Bronson Bauman – AFT Twins – 2019 Laconia Short Track

Henry Wiles held down third place for most of the race but crashed just before the third restart and was able to gather several places to earn a credible seventh while Sammy Halbert’s bike stopped during the first restart before Jared Mees mount suffered the sme dilemma during the second restart.

AFT Twins Laconia Short Track Rnd Twins Bauman ERV
Bronson Bauman – AFT Twins – 2019 Laconia Short Track

Points wise Briar has extended his championship lead over Brandon Robinson to 34 points while Mees remains in third, now 35 points behind Briar Bronson.

AFT Twins Laconia Short Track Rnd Twins Podium ERV
AFT Twins Podium – 2019 Laconia Short Track

AFT Twins Main Event (30 Laps)

  1. Bronson Bauman – 25p
  2. Briar Bauman – 20p
  3. Jake Johnson – 17p
  4. Jarod Vanderkooi – 15p
  5. Bryan Smith – 14p
  6. Brandon Robinson – 13p
  7. Henry Wiles – 12p
  8. Roger Hayden – 11p
  9. Jeffrey Carver Jr. – 10p
  10. Robert Pearson – 9p
    …15/DNF. Jared Mees – 4p
    …16/DNF. Sammy Halbert – 3p

AFT Twins Championship points

  1. Briar Bauman – 142
  2. Brandon Robinson – 108
  3. Jared Mees – 107
  4. Bronson Bauman – 87
  5. Jarod Vanderkooi – 85
  6. Henry Wiles – 79
  7. Jake Johnson – 70
  8. Jeffrey Carver Jr. – 70
  9. Sammy Halbert – 66
  10. Robert Pearson – 65

AFT Singles

The 20 lap AFT Singles final was also drama filled with two restarts but it was Dalton Gauthier who dominated the early running. After the first restart he lost the lead to the hard charging Mikey Rush who ran away with the win after keeping himself out of harm’s way after the second restart which saw a five lap dash to the finish.

AFT Twins Laconia Short Track Rnd Singles Start AXI
AFT Singles Start – 2019 Laconia Short Track

Rush got the win over Gauthier just ahead of Aussie hard charger Max Whale, who snuck his way towards the front at every restart from his seventh place starting position.

AFT Twins Laconia Short Track Rnd Singles ERV
AFT Singles – 2019 Laconia Short Track

Rush now has a 10 point lead in the series ahead of Gauthier with former championship leader in Jess Janisch dropping to third after a disappointing ninth at Loconia while Whale has moved to eigth in the championship.

AFT Twins Laconia Short Track Rnd Singles Podium ERV
AFT Singles Podium – 2019 Laconia Short Track

AFT Singles Main Event (20 Laps)

  1. Mikey Rush – 25 points
  2. Dalton Gauthier – 20
  3. Max Whale – 17
  4. Andrew Luker – 15
  5. Dan Bromley – 14
  6. Ryan Wells – 13
  7. James Rispoli – 12
  8. Ben Lowe – 11
  9. Jesse Janisch – 10
  10. Kevin Stollings – 9

AFT Singles Points

  1. Mikey Rush – 141
  2. Dalton Gauthier – 131
  3. Jesse Janisch – 129
  4. Dan Bromley – 114
  5. Ryan Wells – 91
  6. Shayna Texter – 69
  7. Chad Cosem – 67
  8. Max Whale – 66
  9. Morgen Mischler – 65
  10. Michael Inderbitzin – 58
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Kolodziej Wins Czech SGP

Polish racer Janusz Kolodziej admitted becoming an FIM Speedway Grand Prix winner has boosted his belief on the world stage after triumphing at the ANLAS.

Czech SGP Action byJarek Pabijan
2019 Speedway GP of Czech – Image by Jarek Pabijan

Kolodziej raced to the first SGP win of his career at the Czech Republic SGP in Prague last Saturday beating Leon Madsen, Patryk Dudek and Jason Doyle in the final.

Dudek now holds top spot in the World Championship – level on 40 points with Madsen – as the pair maintained their record of reaching every final this year. But the night belonged to an elated Kolodziej – a man competing in his first SGP season since 2011.

Janusz Kolodziej

“Now maybe after this win, I can believe more in myself and I will try to win more. But there is not too much pressure on me. The best situation for me is when I just race. I don’t like too much pressure. We will see what happens. But this is so, so amazing. I am older, but I can still win.”

Madsen was pleased to maintain his sublime start to SGP life as he made it three finals in as many rounds in what is his full-time debut season.

Leon Madsen

“It’s great, now I have a first, second and third place. I’ve been in the final and on the podium in my first three GPs. I am very happy. We are a third of the way into the season and I’m tied for first position. I am very pleased with that.”

Third-placed Dudek – the new World Championship leader by virtue of his superior FIM ranking over Madsen – admitted his ANLAS Czech SGP was no easy night after he battled his way into the semi-finals on nine points, before making it into the final after Emil Sayfutdinov dropped a chain while holding second place.

The Aussie duo of Jason Doyle and Max Fricke had their best results for 2019 with Doyle earning two wins to make his first final for the year while Fricke sensationally won three heats on his way to 13 points. Next up is the Norrbil Swedish SGP in Hallstavik on July 6.

Czech SGP Podium
2019 Speedway GP of Czech

Czech SGP Top Ten

  1. Janusz Kolodziej – 7 Rides 4 Wins = 15 points
  2. Leon Madsen – 7 Rides 2 Wins = 14
  3. Patryk Dudek – 7 Rides 1 Win = 12
  4. Jason Doyle – 6 Rides 2 Wins = 12
  5. Max Fricke – 6 Rides 3 Wins = 13
  6. Fredrik Lindgren – 6 Rides 3 Wins = 12
  7. Emil Sayfutdinov – 6 Rides 2 Wins = 11
  8. Artem Laguta – 6 Rides 2 Wins = 9
  9. Bartosz Zmarzlik – 5 Rides 1 Win = 8
  10. Maciej Janowski – 5 Rides 1 Win = 7

SGP Points Standings

  1. Patryk Dudek – 40
  2. Leon Madsen – 40
  3. Bartosz Zmarzlik – 36
  4. Fredrik Lindgren – 32
  5. Emil Sayfutdinov – 30
  6. Martin Vaculik – 28
  7. Janusz Kolodziej – 26
  8. Niels-Kristian Iversen – 24
  9. Jason Doyle – 23
  10. Artem Laguta – 22
    …14. Max Fricke – 16
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Clout and Rutledge Crowned Champions at Nowra

Nowra has hosted the 2019 King of MX Final and it was Luke Clout and Meghan Rutledge who successfully defended their thrones in Nowra in front of over 4000 spectators who enjoyed the two-day event. The Nowra event included 20 classes, and two action-packed, 10-minute, $10,000 winner-takes-all feature races.

King of MX Nowra Podium
2019 King of MX Final winners

It was a strong weekend for Luke Clout, taking all three MX1 A-grade race wins to seal the State Title before drawing the 40th gate pick. Selecting a yet-to-be-used inside gate, Luke raced to the holeshot and, ultimately, to the King of MX feature-race win.

The reigning Queen of MX, Meghan Rutledge, entered the final under an injury cloud after wrapping up the Australian Women’s Championship the previous weekend. However, two from three race wins and a dominant performance in the Queen of MX feature race saw Rutledge take the win and the $10,000 cheque.

For the newly crowned Prince of MX, Blake Fox, it wasn’t an easy run. A first-turn crash in race one put the 15-year-old in last. However, some strong, smart racing saw the KTM-mounted rider move through the field to finish second. Two impressive race wins later, and the youngster was crowned Prince of MX and the 15 years 250cc State Champion. Up-and-coming racer Taylor Thompson has made it back-to-back Princess of MX crowns after a dominant performance in the 13-u16 ladies’ class.

Luke Clout

“I can’t thank everyone enough for their support. I feel like I’m at the top of my game at the moment and to take home the MX1 State Title, as well as the King of MX race, this year is unreal. For me, the King of MX has worked out perfectly for my pre-season and mid-season Nationals campaign and it’s great to see a state championship with this many people here racing and watching. I’m full of confidence right now and I can’t wait to go racing again.”

Meghan Rutledge

“This time last week, I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to race after hurting my thumb in Manjimup, so to come to Nowra and take home both the Queen of MX race and the WMX State Title wins is unbelievable. It’s been a roller coaster of a year for me so far and, with the support of my family and sponsors, I’ve been able to achieve my goals and keep the #66 KX250F at the front of the pack.”

Dave Cooke – MNSW CEO

“What a weekend! First and foremost, I want to congratulate the Nowra club, and, in particular, Tyson, the manager of Nowra Motoplex, for turning the circuit into a world-class race track that not only provided awesome racing for the elite racers, but to those in all classes throughout the three days of racing. I also want to thank all the competitors that raced a qualifier. We had over 1600 entrants in the King of MX this year, not just from NSW but from across Australia, so to even make it to the final was an achievement in itself. To our 20 new State Motocross Champions, congratulations. NSW has some of the best racers in Australia, and the depth of talent is amazing. We’re dedicated to working hard to grow and improve motorcycle racing and we’re already working on 2020 in the Motorcycling NSW office.”


Duvall Stays with Husqvarna

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Off-Road have announced that they have agreed to terms with Thad Duvall on a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2021 season.

Thad Duvall

“I am excited to continue my relationship with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team. I love being a part of a pioneering brand and I look forward to a successful future with the team!”

Thad Duvall - Image by Simon Cudby
Thad Duvall – Image by Simon Cudby

Through seven rounds of the 2019 Amsoil Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series, Duvall has two wins and sits second in points, 18 behind Kailub Russell. Duvall, who has been with the team since 2017, has finished runner-up in the championship to Russell the last two years.

Tim Weigand – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Off-Road Team Manager

“I have had the privilege to work with and get to know Thad over the last three years. He is class act guy whose determination and grit is infectious. Thad is a constant front runner no matter what race series he lines up for and this is evident by his results over the last few years. I know we have yet to see his true potential and I look forward to seeing his confidence grow in the years to come. We are extremely happy and grateful Thad has chosen to continue his journey with us.”

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Desalle, Lupino and Bobryshev injured

Three prominent MXGP class riders in Clement Desalle, Alessandro Lupino and Evgeny Bobryshev are all recovering from injuries sustained at the MXGP of Russia, two weekends ago.

Alessandro Lupino injured
Alessandro Lupino

The Russian round of the FIM Motocross World Championship has been a success for Kawasaki during the past two seasons with overall GP victories for Desalle but 2019 saw the Kawasaki rider crash hard in the first race and was back on Monday in his homeland to have surgery with Doctor Claes. He underwent successful surgery to his broken left tibia-fibula but he’s also suffering from a right ankle sprain and is now entering a long recovery programme.

MXGP Rnd France Desalle GP SL
Clement Desalle – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7

Lupino and Bobryshev also crashed in the first moto, with Lupino hit by another rider and for several seconds immediately after the incident he didn’t have any feeling in the legs. He was transferred earlier this week to Italy where Doctor Sangiorgi confirmed injury to the D11-D12-L1-L2 vertebrae of transverse processes, and a fracture of the sternum while Bobryshev suffered a broken right tibia.


Seely injured

Team Honda HRC’s Cole Seely will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2019 AMA Pro Motocross series due to a torn labrum and fractured glenoid socket, sustained when he dislocated his right shoulder in a practice crash at the Moto Sandbox in Claremont, Florida, on Tuesday, June 11.

AMA MX Rnd Seely JK MX Hangtown
Cole Seely – Image by Hoppenworld

Seely flew to California on Wednesday for further evaluation, during which it was determined that he would need to undergo surgery. Dr Warren G. Kramer, the same surgeon who operated on Seely’s shoulder in 2015, will conduct the surgery on Tuesday, June 18, at the Newport Surgical Center in Newport Beach. The recovery time is estimated to be three months.

Cole Seely

“I’m extremely sad to have to sit out the remainder of the season. I’ve been working really hard to continue to build myself up after my big injury last year, so to have another setback like this is very disappointing. It seems like I’ve had nothing but challenges. I want to thank all of my fans and my team for their support.”

HRC Contract Extended Cole Seely
Cole Seely
Erik Kehoe – Team Honda HRC Manager

“It’s really unfortunate to see Cole’s season end this way. The beginning of this season has been a challenge for him, but he showed a lot of speed during the first moto at Colorado; it’s a bummer that we won’t be able to see how he progresses. He’s had some tough luck with injuries, but he has kept a good attitude and continued to give his best effort. On behalf of the team and everyone at Honda, I wish him well during his recovery.”

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Entries open for 2019 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships

Entries have now opened for the 2019 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships, hosted by the Hunter Motorcycle Club at Barleigh Ranch Raceway in Eagleton, NSW on October 5-6.

Entries are now open for the Aussie Dirt Track Championships
2019 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships

The event also marks the first time that the new Australian Dirt Track Championship logo will be used, a move that demonstrates Motorcycling Australia’s (MA) commitment to developing a professional image for this renowned event.

Across the two-day event, the 2019 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships will feature the following classes (subject to entries):

Championship Classes 
•    Under 19’s
•    Pro 250
•    Pro 450
•    250cc Slider
•    Pro Open
•    MX Open
•    500cc Slider
•    Pro Open Women’s
•    Sidecars
•    ATV Pro
•    ATV Open
•    ATV Open (Women)
Support Classes
•    Junior (65cc, 8 to under 12 years)
•    Junior (85/150cc, 9 to under 13 years)
•    Junior (150cc 2 stroke, 250cc 4 stroke, 13 to under 16 years)
•    Senior (Unlimited over 35 years)

Further information can be found in the Supplementary Regulations (download).

**Where there are insufficient entries for the Slider Classes, these machines may be combined with the events marked with asterisks in the table above. All machines must have one effective brake where MX and slider classes are combined.

Entries close 23 September 2019. Late entries will not be accepted. Gates open at 7AM (AEST) each day, with racing commencing immediately after the conclusion of practice and parade lap.

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MXGP of Finland back in 2020

Youthstream and Finnish based Lahti Events have announced that the FIM Motocross World Championship will make its return to Finland at the KymiRing motor circuit in 2020.

Motocross has had a great history in Finland with legendary World Champions and the last time MXGP visited Finland was back in 2014 but the 2020 MXGP of Finland has been built at KymiRing motor circuit, which is situated only 50 km from Lahti and 140 km from Helsinki.

Daniele Rizzi – Chief Operating Officer of Youthstream

“We are very happy to have come to an agreement with Lahti Events for the return of MXGP to this beautiful and innovative country. There is indeed a very innovative, ambitious, fan-oriented project behind the Finnish MXGP and we, like all parties involved, are eager to support it: it will definitely do good to the sport. This event will add a bit of Motocross fashion to the outstanding location of KymiRing which, thanks to Lahti Events’ choice of venue, will broaden its horizons to include the sport of Motocross in its program”

MXGP of Finland and Lahti Events Project Director Jesse Kiuru Youthstream COO Daniele Rizzi and FIMCMS Director Antonio Alia Portela
MXGP of Finland back in 2020
Kurt Ljungqvist – Managing Director of Finnish Motorcycling Federation

“World Championship races have always a very special meaning when it comes to awareness of the sport. When the youth gets to see the stars of the motocross world championship ride, it awakes an interest to try the sport and eventually they become our future stars and champions. The return of the race to our home soil also creates good opportunities to make it to the highest level of the sport and serves as a good motivator to believe in success and reaching the World Championship level. Motorcycling federation is very happy that Lahti Events has chosen to bring the highest level of motocross to the future heart of motorsport, the KymiRing circuit,”

Emilia Mäki – Managing Director of Koko Lahti

“The MXGP of Finland in 2020 will be our first ever motocross race for our Lahti Events company at the KymiRing and with this event we will set the standards of this venue. As the event organizer in Lahti region, we can also guarantee that the events will have their presence regionally,”

Finland is also home race of Ice1racing team; Antti Pyrhönen, former motocross rider himself, is one of the internationally known faces of Finnish motocross and he is currently the Team Manager of Team Ice1Racing, now Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing owned by the F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen.

Antti Pyrhönen

“The return of MXGP to Finland after several years is great news for our team, whose origins are in Finland and whose owner is Finnish, too. I’m sure that all the MX community, including teams and riders, will be also very excited to be back to Finland for an MXGP event.”

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto News | SX | MXGP | EMX | EnduroGP | Sonora Rally

Moto News Wrap for March 26, 2019 by Darren Smart

Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
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The LATEST News

  • Musquin and Ferrandis win in Seattle SX
  • Chad Reed OUT of 2019 Season
  • 2019 A4DE postponed – Date TBA
  • Cairoli and Kjer Olsen storm Matterley Basin MXGP
  • Forato and Anderson win EMX in Great Britain
  • Prado sits out MXGP of Great Britain
  • Herlings to return to MXGP in May
  • Holcombe dominates EnduroGP
  • HRC’s Ricky Brabec wins the Sonora Rally
  • Ryan brothers shine at Casey Stoner Cup

Musquin and Ferrandis win in Seattle SX

Seattle hosted last weekend’s round of the AMA Supercross Championships and it was French riders Marvin Musquin and Dylan Ferrandis who won the 450SX and 250SX West main events respectively after an action-packed and somewhat controversial night of racing.

AMA SX Rnd Starts JK SX Seattle Cover
AMA Supercross Round 12 – Seattle – Image by Hoppenworld

The race was reasonably stagnant right up to the chequered flag with Musquin, Roczen, and Tomac filling the.  Musquin took his second consecutive win but as far as the points go he was docked seven points for jumping through a medical flag.

Marvin Musquin

“I know what I did wrong, I have no excuses, I was leading and going for it and I saw the yellows (flags) and I did slow down but I did jump, but this doesn’t take away from my win because after that I slowed down and was looking back and Kenny was right behind me but I put in a solid main, I am really happy with my riding and that doesn’t take anything away (from the win), so I am really happy.”

AMA SX Rnd Musquin JK SX Seattle
Marvin Musquin – Image by Hoppenworld

Chad Reed lost traction as the field entered the second jump section at Seattle on the weekend, and sustained a hefty injury list from the clash, with eight broken ribs, a broken scapula and a collapsed lung. But blamed nobody but himself. See below for more details.

450SX Main Event Results

  1. Marvin Musquin
  2. Ken Roczen
  3. Eli Tomac
  4. Cooper Webb
  5. Joey Savatgy
  6. Dean Wilson
  7. Blake Baggett
  8. Zach Osborne
  9. Cole Seely
  10. Tyler Bowers

AMA SX Rnd Musquin Roczen Tomac Podium JK SX Seattle
450SX Main Event Results – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen +02.361
Eli Tomac +07.407

450SX Points after 12 of 17 Rounds

  1. Cooper Webb – 262
  2. Marvin Musquin – 248
  3. Eli Tomac – 243
  4. Ken Roczen – 239
  5. Blake Baggett – 200
  6. Dean Wilson – 180
  7. Joey Savatgy – 159
  8. Chad Reed – 151
  9. Justin Barcia – 144
  10. Cole Seely – 142

250 West Coast Report

Cianciarulo made a mistake in the whoops late in the race, handing Ferrandis a handy lead with one lap remaining but Cianciarulo was able to close right back up on Ferrandis and even went for an unlikely block pass on the final turn. He came up short so it was Ferrandis’ first main win in America while Cianciarulo, Decotis, Mosiman and Chris Blose rounded out the top five ahead of RJ Hampshire who came back to sixth after the start straight crash.

AMA SX Rnd Starts JK SX Seattle
AMA SX Round 12 – 250 Start – Image by Hoppenworld

Cianciarulo now holds a 12-point lead over Ferrandis as they head to Houston next weekend while the big losers at Seattle were Shane McElrath and Nichols with the third and fourth placed riders in the points scoring zero on the night thanks to McElrath pulling out after practice with a back injury and the first lap crash of Nichols.

Dylan Ferrandis

“It has taken me three years in America to get my first win, I have suffered a lot of bad starts but tonight I got a good start then my teammate (Nichols) crashed right in front of me so I took the lead and I was leading the main which is new for me so I just tried to ride with no mistakes, Adam was right on my back and it was really challenging for me but I think for the future this is going to help me a lot.”

AMA SX Rnd Ferrandis JK SX Seattle
Dylan Ferrandis – Image by Hoppenworld

250 West Coast Main Event Results

  1. Dylan Ferrandis
  2. Adam Cianciarulo
  3. Jimmy Decotis
  4. Michael Mosiman
  5. Chris Blose
  6. RJ Hampshire
  7. Mitchell Harrison
  8. Cameron McAdoo
  9. Enzo Lopes
  10. Justin Starling
AMA SX Rnd Podium JK SX Seattle
250 West Coast Main Event Results – Image by Hoppenworld
Dylan Ferrandis
Adam Cianciarulo +00.571
Jimmy Decotis +23.247

250 West Coast Points after 7 of 11 Rounds

  1. Adam Cianciarulo – 163
  2. Dylan Ferrandis – 151
  3. Shane McElrath – 123
  4. Colt Nichols – 121
  5. J. Hampshire – 103
  6. Michael Mosiman – 99
  7. Chris Blose – 98
  8. Cameron McAdoo – 94
  9. Jimmy Decotis – 94
  10. Garrett Marchbanks – 85

250 East Coast Points after 6 of 9 Rounds

  1. Austin Forkner – 151
  2. Chase Sexton – 125
  3. Justin Cooper – 123
  4. Alex Martin – 92
  5. Martin Davalos – 89
  6. Mitchell Oldenburg – 88
  7. Brandon Hartranft – 82
  8. Kyle Cunningham – 81
  9. Kyle Peters – 79
  10. Jordon Smith – 70
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Chad Reed OUT of 2019 Season

Superstar Chad Reed has been forced out of the remainder of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship following injuries received in a multi-rider pile-up at Seattle last weekend.

AMA SX Rnd Crash Reed Multiple JK SX Seattle
Reed has a hefty injury list from the clash, with eight broken ribs, a broken scapula and a collapsed lung. – Image by Hoppenworld

Reed was on the inside of Cooper Webb going through the second right hand corner of the main event but his JGR Suzuki spun up as he was trying to launch into the next rhythm section and with the rest of the field flying down to the left his Suzuki spewed directly into the path of a heap of riders bringing Ryan Breece and Justin Brayton down before Kyle Chisolm was left with no choice but to land right on top of Reed.

Via social media the 32-year-old Reed announced that the crash has resulted in the multi supercross champion having to sit out the remaining five rounds.

Chad Reed – Instagram

“Yesterday was fun. Finally a halfway technical track; The whoops were so freaking awesome loved every pass, unfortunately a mistake in the main was costly. Eight broken ribs, broken scapula and a collapsed lung. I’m bummed my year comes to an end with five to go.”

AMA SX Rnd Chad Reed Pits JK SX Seattle
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld

2019 A4DE postponed – Date TBA

Motorcycling Australia (MA) have advise all competitors and teams entered into the 2019 Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE), that the event has been postponed, with a date to be confirmed in due course, find below further details:

The top Masters riders about to head off on Day 3
A4DE 2018 – Image by Jeff Mawston

Motorcycling Australia (MA) Statement

“Due to government approvals surrounding the environment in which the 2019 A4DE will take place, the date for this prestigious event has been delayed. To ensure that the area spanning the event’s four days are supported and protected to best of the Motorcycling New South Wales Enduro Committee’s and Far South Coast Motorcycle Club’s abilities, this change in date is vital to the success of the A4DE 41st anniversary.

“To ensure the least amount of disruption to riders and teams alike, full refunds due to the date change will be provided, if requested, within 21 days. For a full refund please contact the A4DE secretary via [email protected].

“For further information surrounding the event and how to enter, please head to the A4DE website and Facebook. “MA and A4DE appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter. Further updates regarding the 2019 A4DE official date will be released via MA in due course.”


Cairoli and Kjer Olsen storm Matterley Basin MXGP

Perfect weather and a huge crowd gave Great Britain’s Matterley Basin circuit a boost as it hosted the second round of the FIM World Motocross Championship last weekend and it was Tony Cairoli who clinched his second win of the season while Thomas Kjer Olsen rode the wheels off his Husqvarna in the MX2 class to take his first win of the year.

MXGP UK cairoli start
Tony Cairoli in the lead

MXGP Report

Despite a shoulder injury Cairoli garnered his 87th GP victory with 1-2 moto results but you would have to say ‘the man’ of the GP was Tim Gajser who had a massive high-speed crash while leading the opening moto only to bounce back to finish third THEN get it all together to win the second moto ahead of a determined Cairoli.

Gautier Paulin’s 2-3 gave him third overall ahead of Clement Desalle, Jeremy Van Horebeek, Arnaud Tonus, Max Anstie, Jeremy Seewer, Arminas Jasikonis and Julien Lieber so after two rounds Cairoli leads the championship by just 8 points over Gajser who in turn has a 15-point lead over Paulin.

Tony Cairoli

“It was a great weekend and this track is for sure one of my favourites but, today it was very difficult to push from the beginning. I couldn’t really push because I am stiff on my right shoulder and neck which gave me arm pump right away. Hopefully I can be 100% again for the next race but overall, I’m really happy, of course for the championship everything is going well and this is my goal.”

MXGP UK antonio cairoli
Tony Cairoli

Tim Gajser is proving to be Cairoli’s main competition so far this season.

Tim Gajser

“Today was a special day for me and I’m really happy to finish on the podium. The first race I had a good start I was behind Tony and managed to pass him quickly but made a little gap then I made a mistake … thankfully I could continue. I was really happy to win the second race and I’m looking forward to next weekend. We can see that we are going to the right direction so we will continue pushing hard with the team and everybody I’m just happy that the pace and everything is finally back.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Gajser bavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo

Gautier Paulin’s second round on the Yamaha earned the French star a solid podium.

Gautier Paulin

“Every weekend on the box is a good weekend. I was happy with the first moto. In the second moto I was riding stiff in the beginning, but overall, we had a good weekend and made a big step forward since Argentina. This was always the goal and this is what we are working really hard towards. I am really happy with my team Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP and the work they are putting in.”

Dean Ferris started the opening moto just inside the top 30 but as you would expect our fastest 450 rider made his way to 15th with lap times that were comparable to the like of Max Anstie, Arminas Jasikonis and Glenn Coldenhoff but a fall at the start of the second moto not only put pay to what should have been a great weekend for Ferris and it looks like he has picked up a knee injury.

Dean Ferris

“It was a tough weekend, but I got more comfortable in every session. I thought the last fifteen minutes of the race I found my groove and had some really good lap-times, so I was content with that. In moto two, I went down on the start and I have hurt my knee, so that will need to be assessed.”

MXGP UK ferris action
Dean Ferris

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 36:37.831
  2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:01.956
  3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:04.473
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:24.293
  5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:26.271
  6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:27.618
  7. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), +0:45.107
  8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:46.683
  9. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:49.675
  10. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:56.271

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 36:01.717
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.709
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:54.204
  4. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:57.637
  5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +1:00.564
  6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +1:05.984
  7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:20.385
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:22.071
  9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:26.697
  10. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:28.257
MXGP UK mxgp podium
2019 MXGP Podium – Matterley Basin, UK – 1) Tony Cairoli, 2) Tim Gajser, 3) Gautier Paulin

MXGP Overall Top Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 points
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 45 points
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 42 points
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 32 points
  5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 31 points
  6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 30 points
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 29 points
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 points
  9. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 21 points
  10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 17 points

MXGP Championship Top Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 97 points
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 89 points
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 74 points
  4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 66 points
  5. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 65 points
  6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 56 points
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 50 points
  8. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 39 points
  9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 39 points
  10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 38 points
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MX2 Report

Olsen’s dominant weekend ended with a perfect 1-1 score to take the overall ahead of the hard charging Henry Jacobi’s 2-3 and Tom Vialle’s 3-4 which put the second-generation French motocross star on the podium in his second ever MX2 GP.

MXGP UK thomas olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen

Thomas Kjer Olsen’s first win of the season is not only a confidence booster but the Husqvarna rider now has a 16 point lead over second placed Jacobi in the championship and more importantly a 44 point lead over defending champion Jorge Prado who was forced to sit out the GP with a shoulder injury.

Thomas Kjer Olsen

“It was amazing to go 1-1 for the first time and it was even better when I was on the podium and they gave me the red plate because I didn’t realize I would be leading the points. Overall I had a great weekend, I felt really good out on the track, I had great energy and I felt really comfortable, we even made improvements every time I was out so I was really happy with that and how the whole team is working.”

MXGP UK thomas olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen

Jacobi is supported by F&H Kawasaki but it is far from being a factory team.

Henry Jacobi

“I had some special lines that I was seeing and nobody else took. 2nd overall is really good for us, the team, you know we are not a factory team, but we made some really good steps over the winter with F&H Racing.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Jacobi
Henry Jacobi

Australian riders Jed Beaton and Mitch Evans had mixed success with Beaton’s return to racing after an injury kept him out of the opening round earned the Husqvarna rider tenth overall with a 9-13 finishes while Evans finished 15th overall after a DNF in the opening moto and an eighth in moto two.

Jed Beaton

“I had a really good weekend here at Matterley Basin. It was my first GP after many months, and I felt strong on the bike. It was good to get a top-10 in the opening moto. In the second moto I was close to the top-10 again and ended up finishing in 13th place. Getting a top-10 result in the overall is really positive for the rest of the season. There’s still a long way to go in this series. I’m pretty happy with where I am, hopefully I can start building from here.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Jed beaton action
Jed Beaton
Mitchell Evans

“My weekend started well with a fourth in the qualifying race on Saturday, but Sunday I struggled with my starts. After a bad start in the first race I crashed whilst trying to fight my way forward. After a pit stop to fix a damaged clutch, I found myself almost a lap down and unfortunately, due to the track having such a long lap, I was unable to make up any positions. Another bad start in race two left me with a lot of work to do. I was able to fight my way back to eighth. I am happy with my riding and fitness after ten days of sitting on the couch following Argentina, due to an infection in my knee. We will work on my starts this week and be more prepared for next weekend! Thanks to my team and everyone supporting me!”

MXGP UK evans action
Mitch Evans

The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship is this weekend for the MXGP of The Netherlands in Valkenswaard.

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 35:01.449
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:04.278
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:16.160
  4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:28.500
  5. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:30.179
  6. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:35.271
  7. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:36.018
  8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:44.908
  9. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:50.189
  10. Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:54.010

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 37:10.022
  2. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:09.936
  3. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:16.035
  4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:16.935
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:20.044
  6. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:38.635
  7. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:43.577
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:46.268
  9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:54.765
  10. Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:59.920
MXGP UK olsen podium
2019 MX2 Podium – Matterley Basin, UK – 1) Kjer Olsen, 2) Henry Jacobi, 3) Tom Vialle

MX2 Overall Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 50 points
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 42 points
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 38 points
  4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 35 points
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 34 points
  6. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 28 points
  7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 28 points
  8. Dylan Walsh (NZL, HUS), 22 points
  9. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 20 points
  10. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 20 points

MX2 Championship Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 94 points
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 78 points
  3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 71 points
  4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 65 points
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 63 points
  6. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  7. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 50 points
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 49 points
  9. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 45 points
  10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 41 points

Forato and Anderson win EMX in Great Britain

Elberto Forato and Brad Anderson have won the opening rounds of the EMX250 and EMX2T classes respectively at the Matterley Basin round of the FIM World motocross Championships last weekend.

MXGP UK EMX action at Matterley Basin
EMX250 Start – Matterley Basin

EMX250 Report

The EMX250 class is now age limited to 23 years of age and the overall winner was clearly Forato who led every lap on the way to a perfect weekend while Stephan Rubini took second with 3-5 finishes ahead of Roan Van de Moosdijk finished third with 6-3 scores.

Alberto Forato

“For me it was a good weekend, I lead from the first lap of every race, so I was able to focus on myself and I want to do this every weekend. It is a different bike and a different team this year but now I am really comfortable with everyone, the bike, the mechanics, and everything so it is good for me.”

EMX250 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, Husqvarna), 32:04.381
  2. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Yamaha), +0:07.871
  3. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:13.441
  4. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.624
  5. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, Honda), +0:20.202
  6. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:24.296
  7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:25.668
  8. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), +0:29.951
  9. Josh Gilbert (GBR, Honda), +0:31.131
  10. Caleb Grothues (AUS, Yamaha), +0:53.522

EMX250 Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, Husqvarna), 32:24.557
  2. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:09.886
  3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:22.042
  4. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, Honda), +0:23.370
  5. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:26.631
  6. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, Yamaha), +1:01.793
  7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +1:06.422
  8. Michael Ivanov (BUL, KTM), +1:10.730
  9. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:13.653
  10. Josh Gilbert (GBR, Honda), +1:17.062

EMX250 Championship Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 50 points
  2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 36
  3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 35
  4. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, HON), 34
  5. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 30
  6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 29
  7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 28
  8. Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 23
  9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 22
  10. Michael Ivanov (BUL, KTM), 22
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EMX2T Report

The EMX2T class is the newest category of EMX racing and with this weekend being the first round of the championship a long list of riders entered for their chance to become the first winner and in the end it was Brit Brad Anderson who earned the overall with 1-1 moto results ahead of Vaclav Kovar’s 3-2 results while Andrea Gorini battled hard to go 6-4 for third overall.

MXGP UK EMXT action
EMX 2T Start – Matterley Basin

EMX2T Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 32:30.711
  2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:11.823
  3. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:18.398
  4. Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:28.185
  5. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:29.117
  6. Andrea Gorini (SMR, Yamaha), +0:41.229
  7. Jamie Law (GBR, KTM), +0:48.410
  8. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:51.244
  9. Marco Lolli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:53.367
  10. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:54.018

EMX2T Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 31:53.709
  2. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:13.016
  3. Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:23.472
  4. Andrea Gorini (SMR, Yamaha), +0:31.933
  5. Ben Putnam (GBR, Yamaha), +0:39.101
  6. Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:41.262
  7. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:42.289
  8. Matt Burrows (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:53.431
  9. Marco Lolli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:57.771
  10. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:59.480

EMX2T Championship Top Ten

  1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 50 points
  2. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 42
  3. Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 33
  4. Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 33
  5. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 30
  6. Ben Putnam (GBR, YAM), 26
  7. Marco Lolli (ITA, YAM), 24
  8. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 22
  9. Matt Burrows (GBR, HUS), 21
  10. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, HUS), 21

Prado sits out MXGP of Great Britain

Defending MX2 World Champion Jorge Prado did not take part in the second round of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship last weekend in Great Britain after sustaining a shoulder injury thanks to a crash while practicing three weeks ago.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Jorge Prado RA
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer

Prado did complain of a sore left shoulder after the crash but the Spaniard continued to prepare for Matterley Basin but felt the condition of the joint deteriorate and become more painful.

Further detailed medical examination with renowned surgeon and specialist Dr Claes in Belgium revealed a haematoma under the left shoulder blade was causing the discomfort so the best course of recovery involves rest, and Prado will return for another check-up on Tuesday 26th for further evaluation ahead of the Grand Prix of the Netherlands at Valkenswaard.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Jorge Prado RA
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Claudio De Carli – Red Bull KTM Team Manager

“After such a strong start to the season for the team and Jorge it is disappointing for everyone that he and Jeffrey are now missing Matterley Basin and the first European round of 2019. Unfortunately this is part of the sport but, fortunately, it could be worse and we hope Jorge will be back on the bike very quickly. We’re in good shape and we are confident, and we believe this will not be such a big setback for us in what is a long season.”


Herlings to return to MXGP in May

In the wake of a complex operation on his broken right foot, MXGP World Champion Jeffrey Herlings has stepped-up his physical training program with a view to start riding his Red Bull KTM 450 SX-F in late April and return to competition in the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship action sometime in May.

MXGP Rnd Italy Jeffrey Herlings RA
Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Ray Archer

The four-times World Champion was already missed the opening two Grands Prix and he will also miss Holland and Italy but will then hopefully be counting the days until he can again be behind a FIM World Championship gate.

Jeffrey Herlings

“Rehab has been going very well and I cannot wait to be back and to throw a leg over the bike again. I want to be back at the GPs as quick as possible but we cannot say which race yet until I get some riding time. I’m also able to step-up my cycling and swimming now. For sure we’ll miss the next three rounds and we also don’t want to rush things and risk a setback.”

MXoN Herlings MX JK MXON
Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Jeff Kardas
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Australia to host MXGP in 2020?

There was some noise made at the British GP last weekend with Australian GP promoter Willie Thomson on hand to hold talks with Youthstream, but it must be noted that nothing is concrete right now and that Thomson has yet to convince the WA government to foot the bill.


Holcombe dominates opening EnduroGP round

EnduroGP Rnd Bikes Town
2019 EnduroGP Round 1

In almost perfect conditions Germany hosted the opening two rounds of the World EnduroGP Championships and it was defending champion Steve Holcombe who dominated both days but it was Aussie Will Ruprecht who etched his name in history to win Friday night’s Super Test against the best in the world before backing that up with a pair of podiums in the Junior class.

EnduroGP Rnd Germany Steve Holcombe FM
Steve Holcombe celebrates the win in Germany – Image by Future7Media

Holcombe won the overall EnduroGP class as well as the E3 class and Brad Freeman dominated the E1 class while it was Loïc Larrieu and Eero Remes who shared victories in the E2 class.

EnduroGP Rnd Loic Larrieu TM
Loïc Larrieu – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Steve Holcombe

“It’s difficult to sum up how much of a surprise it is to win both days. My goal was to podium and claim strong points, so as you can imagine a double victory in EnduroGP and Enduro 3 is a huge result to take. I didn’t have a great Super Test on Friday – I never really do – but I wanted to push hard from the beginning on Saturday to see where I was at. That strategy paid off and I won by 70 seconds. I went with that tactic again on Sunday and made things count on the opening two laps. I ran out of steam a little on the final lap but knew that with the effort I’d put in earlier on, barring any major mistakes, I could win. We’ve a couple of weeks now until round two in Portugal, so the plan remains unchanged – keep working with the goal of getting stronger. I know there’s room to improve. Finally, a huge thanks to Beta and all the team – a result like this is very much a team effort.”

EnduroGP Rnd Holcombe
Steve Holcombe – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Danny McCanney

“I finish third today, I’m a little disappointed, but overall I’m very happy with my weekend. I can’t wait to continue the season and gain some more good results.”

EnduroGP Rnd David Knight TM
Danny McCanney – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Brad Freeman

“I’m happy because today (day 2) I was able to increase my pace to catch up with Danny. I’m still a long way from Steve, but I’m happy to be on this 100 per cent British podium.”

EnduroGP Rnd Freeman
Brad Freeman – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Eero Remes

“The first day was very disappointing for me and the team, but I told the team that the season is very long and we are going to catch up. I feel good and this victory in E2 is a first great reward.”

Akrapovic Super Test Award Standings

  1. Wil RUPRECHT 10 points
  2. Benjamin HERRERA 9
  3. Thomas OLDRATI 8
  4. Daniel MCCANNEY 7p
  5. Steve HOLCOMBE 6
  6. Kirian MIRABET 5
  7. Hamish MACDONALD 4
  8. Andrea VERONA 3
  9. Loïc LARRIEU 2
  10. Alex SALVINI 1

EnduroGP Day 1 Top 10

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  3. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  4. Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
  5. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  6. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  7. Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
  8. Christophe CHARLIER – France
  9. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  10. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
EnduroGP Rnd Germany Steve Holcombe Podium FM
Steve Holcombe on the podium

EnduroGP Day 2 Top 10

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  3. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  4. Eero REMES – Finland
  5. Alex SALVINI – Italy
  6. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  7. Davide GUARNERI – Italy
  8. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  9. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  10. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
EnduroGP Rnd Freeman
Brad Freeman – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1

E1 Day 1 Results

  1. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  2. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  3. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  4. Davide GUARNERI – Italy
  5. Rudy MORONI – Italy
EnduroGP Rnd Germany E Day podium
E1 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019

E1 Day 2 Results

  1. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  2. Davide GUARNERI – Italy
  3. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  4. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  5. Rudy MORONI – Italy
EnduroGP Rnd Loic Larrieu TM
Loïc Larrieu – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1

E2 Day 1 Results

  1. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  2. Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
  3. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
  4. Giacomo REDONDI – Italy
  5. Antoine BASSET – France
EnduroGP Rnd Germany E Day podium
E2 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019

E2 Day 2 Results

  1. Eero REMES – Finland
  2. Alex SALVINI – Italy
  3. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  4. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
  5. Antoine BASSET – France

E3 Day 1 Results

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  3. Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
  4. David ABGRALL – France
  5. Anthony GESLIN – France
EnduroGP Rnd Germany E Day podium
E3 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019

E3 Day 2 Results

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  3. Anthony GESLIN – France
  4. David ABGRALL – France
  5. Dennis SCHROETER – Germany

EnduroGP Juniors

The Junior classes were as hard fought as the senior division and it was Italian Andrea Verona who came away with victory in both days but Ruprecht kept him honest all weekend in the overall Junior class and the J1 class while Jack Edmondson and Enric Francisco shared victories in the J2 class with Kiwi Hamish Macdonald dominating the J3 class.

Andrea Verona

“This might be the most beautiful victory of my career so far. When I lost so much time this morning after the bike stopped in the Cross Test I knew I had the potential to win. My body hurts because I really attacked all day, but I’m super happy.”

EnduroGP Rnd Germany Andrea Verona
Andrea Verona
Wil Ruprecht

“I don’t know what to say to you, I am so disappointed, I cracked under the pressure, I crashed three times on the last test. Andrea was the better man and he deserves it. I can only try to learn and improve after such a defeat.”

EnduroGP Rnd Wil Ruprecht
Wil Ruprecht (Team Yamaha Johansson MPE) – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1

The next round of the Maxxis FIM EnduroGP World Championship will take place in Portugal in the city of Valpaços from May 3rd to 5th.

Junior – Day 1

  1. Andrea VERONA – Italy
  2. Théophile ESPINASSE – France
  3. Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
  4. Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
  5. Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium

Junior – Day 2

  1. Andrea VERONA Italy
  2. Wil RUPRECHT Australia
  3. Théophile ESPINASSE France
  4. Enric FRANCISCO Spain
  5. Jack EDMONDSON United Kingdom

Junior 1 (J1) – Day 1

  1. Andrea VERONA – Italy
  2. Théophile ESPINASSE – France
  3. Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
  4. Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
  5. Thomas DUBOST – France

Junior 1 (J1) – Day 2

  1. Andrea VERONA – Italy
  2. Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
  3. Théophile ESPINASSE – France
  4. Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
  5. Thomas DUBOST – France

Junior 2 (J2) – Day 1

  1. Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
  2. Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
  3. Leo LE QUERE – France
  4. Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
  5. Till DE CLERCQ – France

Junior 2 (J2) – Day 2

  1. Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
  2. Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
  3. Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
  4. Ruy BARBOSA – Chile
  5. Jimmy WICKSELL – Sweden

Youth Cup – Day 1

  1. Hamish MACDONALD – New Zealand
  2. Claudio SPANU – Italy
  3. Matteo PAVONI – Italy
  4. Alejandro NAVARRO HUERTAS – Spain
  5. Hugo SVARD – Finland

Youth Cup – Day 2

  1. Hamish MACDONALD – New Zealand
  2. Matteo PAVONI – Italy
  3. Claudio SPANU – Italy
  4. Hugo SVARD – Finland
  5. Nathan BERERD – France
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HRC’s Ricky Brabec wins the Sonora Rally

The Sonora Rally takes place in the border region between Mexico and the United States near the Gulf of California and after five day Monster Energy Honda Team’s American rider Ricky Brabec claimed victory for the second time in the five year history of the event.

Sonora Rally Ricky Brabec imgBoydJaynes
Ricky Brabec – Image by Boyd Jaynes

In conditions that varied from high speed arid tracks to 500km of sand dunes, Brabec set the pace of the race from the start, grabbing victories in the first three stages, which opened a significant margin of more than half an hour over rivals before the American masterfully managed the two final days of rallying, before reaching the final finish-line in the Sonora region capital with a 37’15” gap back to his nearest second place rival.

Ricky Brabec

“This rally was the first of the year for me so I was excited to just be able to ride the big bike again with some navigation. This desert to me is like home and very close from my home town so it makes it easy to show up with a small crew to race and as well to train. The terrain is sandy in spots with great dunes and a little more south is rocky hard pack, there’s a little of everything and for this I believe it’s proven training grounds.  Looking forward to the rest of the year racing and training; hungry for more and to top it off Dakar 2020 will be in a good way, I believe. We must stay strong in the fight.”

Sonora Rally Ricky Brabec imgBoydJaynes
Ricky Brabec – Image by Boyd Jaynes

Ryan brothers shine at Casey Stoner Cup

Kurri Kurri hosted the Casey Stoner Cup last weekend and for the second weekend in a row the Ryan brothers have dominated a major dirt track meeting with Harrison Ryan winning the Junior Cup minutes before older brother Connor led the field home in the eight-lap Senior Cup.

While Harrison scored big winning margins in an unbeaten run over the two days of racing in the 13-16 years age class, Connor was made work much harder.

In the Junior Cup Wade O’Keefe and Jayden Rodgers followed Harrison Ryan home to complete a clean-sweep of placegetters from the host club but in the Senior Cup it was Coffs Harbour rider Bailey Spencer who lead for the opening six laps before one mistake was punished as Connor Ryan and then Boyd Hollis took over the front running.

In other senior classes Connor Ryan also won the Pro 450 final over Hollis and North Queensland rider Harry Maxwell before Taree rider Blake Wilby topped the very competitive Pro 250 class ahead of Brisbane rider Ben Montgomery and Taree’s Kye Andrews, while Anthony Farrell was best in the Over 35s.

All junior classes produced plenty of close battles with Bray Bowden (13-16 years) and Noah Grabham (7-10s) both scoring class victories after winning all five rounds, while Gold Coast rider Viv Muddle amassed nine wins and a second placing to win both of his classes.

There was more success for Taree riders with Cody Wilby and Will Bisley finishing 1-2 in the 80cc class, while Hayden Nelson also scored a class win as did Cameron Dunker and Jayden Holder but perhaps the most stirring win came in the 65cc – 9 to 13 years final when diminutive Forbes rider Beau Bailey led home Jayden Holder and Gold Coast rider Riley Nautam less than hour after Bailey had crashed heavily in an earlier race.

The next major dirt track meeting is the 30th staging of the Trackmasters at the Barleigh Ranch track on the weekend on April 13 / 14.

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Source: MCNews.com.au