The speed is still high, the adrenaline still pumping – even protection like airbags remain in place – but 31-year-old Italian Danilo Petrucci will be exchanging a visor for goggles, and knee sliders for knee braces when he converts to a rally bike in Tech3 KTM Factory Racing colors for 2022.
Petrucci, who has accumulated 10 podium finishes and two wins in his 10 seasons on the MotoGP grid, will fulfil a lifetime dream with the transition into the next stage of his elite racing career after the season-closing Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana. ‘Petrux’ is a skilled offroad rider in enduro and motocross but knows the discipline and demands of rally will be a big challenge.
Danilo Petrucci on the KTM 450 Rally
Learning from some of the most successful racers in the sport, and experts from the KTM squad that has previously won an outstanding 18 successive Dakar victories, Danilo has begun his rally preparation as he embarks on the challenge of a switch from MotoGP to the Dakar. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s 2018 Dakar winner and recently crowned FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion Matthias Walkner, two-time Dakar champion Toby Price, and reigning Dakar champion Kevin Benavides will be on-hand in the KTM stable to help the MotoGP star make his transition to the sport.
Danilo has had a taste of desert conditions aboard his KTM 450 RALLY and the incredibly challenging navigation required for rally racing at a recent test under the watchful eye of KTM’s Rally Sport Manager, Jordi Viladoms – a former successful Dakar competitor. Following the MotoGP season, Danilo’s attention will be fully focused on furthering his riding and navigational education ahead of his first attempt at the 14-day and approximately 8,000-kilometer event, which begins on January 1st.
The 2022 edition of the competition will take place in the Middle East for the third year in a row and will allow Petrucci to be thrown into the depths of Dakar to learn and develop with an eye on 2022 FIM competition and a potential future in the sport.
Danilo Petrucci
“For me it is really a dream come true to race the Dakar. It’s an event I’ve always wanted to do since I was a child when I was watching video tapes of the Dakar Rally from the 80s and 90s. Now, thanks to KTM, this dream is coming true. First, I would like to thank KTM for this great opportunity; I think I will be the only rider that in just over one month has competed in MotoGP and then the Dakar Rally – so it is with great pride that I go there. My main target is just to finish the race and enjoy it. The first approach was to have some road book training with Jordi, he competed in the race many times and finished on the podium, so he has been great in helping me learn this special art. I had my first taste of riding the KTM 450 RALLY recently at an initial test in the Dubai dunes, where I was with KTM’s Dakar champions and I was able to learn so much from them – it was great to see them riding, and they were super nice and helpful to me. I hope the training for the next month will be enough; for sure it will be a tough race, but I am excited.”
Danilo Petrucci and the KTM 450 Rally
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director
“Danilo’s talent and his character means he is one of the few elite level guys that we believe can make this radical move from the asphalt to the dunes. It’s a great story for a great guy. We want to thank him for his professionalism and all his efforts as part of the Tech3 team in our MotoGP project and now it’s time for another ‘world’!”
Sanders moves into second outright after stage three win
Go Chucky! Putting in a strong ride through the desert, Daniel Sanders has taken his first day win at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and now lies second overall in the provisional standings – less than one minute behind the leader. Daniel will open Wednesday’s stage four.
Daniel Sanders
“Yeah, happy with that. It was a good stage today, I rode really well this morning and caught up to the guys ahead quicker than I thought I would. From there we just rode in a pack. It wasn’t too tricky after the refueling, we took it in turns to lead and I just made sure I didn’t make any big mistakes or crash. The day went well – I felt comfortable on the bike today and was able to relax a little, which means I could concentrate more on the road book, too. It all came together really well. It was a long day in the dunes and certainly tiring, but I’m still feeling good and looking forward to opening tomorrow. For sure, it’s not going to be easy, but it’s really good experience for me, so hopefully I’ll do a good job and not lose too much time to the others.”
Daniel Sanders
Increasing his experience and continuing to learn the terrain of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Sanders has once again shown he’s right up there with the very best. Setting off third into the 293km special, Daniel immediately set about chasing down his two closest rivals ahead of him. With his GASGAS RC 450F performing perfectly beneath him, the young Aussie was able to catch up and take the stage lead by the second checkpoint.
With the three rally leaders grouped up and riding together, it was difficult to make up any more time, but Daniel was still able to focus on his navigation and ultimately finish the stage just under three minutes ahead of the second-placed rider. His advantage at the end of the day means that Sanders moves up to second overall in the event standings and lies just 57 seconds behind the provisional rally leader.
Placing second on stage three, Matthias Walkner continues to put in fast, consistent performances at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing star is yet to finish outside the top two, and continues to lead the overall standings with the rally now past the halfway point. With navigation proving to be less challenging than on previous days, Matthias chose to keep to a strong but steady pace through the Liwa Desert, not wanting to make any mistakes. Together with the current top racers in the event’s overall standings, Matthias ultimately ended up riding the latter half of the stage as part of a group, with each taking it in turns to lead.
Finishing the stage as second fastest, Walkner successfully defended his advantage in the provisional rankings. Although with a lead of just under one minute, the KTM 450 RALLY rider knows he must still attack the final two stages of the event to ensure he stays on top of the leaderboard.
Matthias Walkner
“I had another solid day today. Finishing second again means I don’t have the best starting position for tomorrow, with not so many lines in the sand ahead of me. There have been the usual changes in the standings with different people leading out, and others have had some issues. Sanders will open tomorrow, and Adrien is looking strong. There are two days left and I’m still leading the overall, so I’ll continue to do my best and take it day-by-day.”
Wednesday’s stage four is the penultimate of the rally and will cover a total of just over 400km. Leading out, Sanders will face a tough timed special of 251.98km.
Daniel Sanders
Results (provisional): Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2021, stage 3
Daniel Sanders sits third after Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Stage 2
Stage Two of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge proved a long one, with riders facing 470 km in total, including a timed special of 333 km, encompassing tough navigation through dunes, alongside faster tracks that required speed and concentration.
Putting in a strong ride through the desert, Aussie Daniel Sanders defended his overall position in the top three to end the day just three-minutes behind leader Matthias Walkner. The result cements that standing for a second day, while third for the stage was an improvement on Stage One’s fourth place finish.
Daniel Sanders claimed third at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Stage Two
Daniel struggled to find his rhythm and speed at times, the RC 450F rider used his ever-growing experience to ease his pace a little to minimise any major mistakes in the vast area of dunes. A couple of crashes slowed his forward momentum a little but by the halfway point, he was back on the gas and able to go for it and attack the tracks to the finish.
Daniel Sanders – P3
“Day two went ok for me, but not as well as I’d hoped. I found it hard to get into a good rhythm early on – I had a couple more scary calls with some drops as I’m still learning how to read the terrain here in the desert. I had a couple of crashes too – one gave me quite a knock and I ended up in a hole in the dunes. I had to dig the bike out a little and that cost me some time. I got to the refuel and managed to get some food and water into me, recharged and felt a lot better after that. For the second half of the stage, I felt a lot better and managed to find a good pace. The terrain suited me better too, with more tracks and plateaus. I finished third-fastest today, which puts me in a good spot for tomorrow.”
Fastest on the day was Adrien Van Beveren, who moved into second in the overall standings with the stage win, having entered the day as the fifth rider out.
Adrien Van Beveren
Following the openers tyre tracks, he was able to focus on his riding and maintain a high pace throughout the special, the Frenchman in his element racing through the endless sand dunes that formed a large part of the stage.
Adrien Van Beveren – P1
“I’ve had a really good day and I’m really happy to have won today. I made up a lot of time before refuelling and with some calculations, I thought it would be possible to catch the leaders on the stage. My speed was good but I came up a little short. Today’s stage had the perfect terrain for me, so I’m really pleased that I could show what I can do when it’s almost all sand dunes like it was today. It’s still early in the rally and tomorrow I will open the stage so it’s likely that I will lose some time, but I will do my best to minimise that and focus on my navigation to ensure another strong result.”
Adrien Van Beveren
Following his ride to second place on day one, KTM’s Matthias Walkner found himself opening stage two, having caught day one winner Ross Branch. The two riders battled it out for the first half of the stage, swapping positions at the front, right up to the refueling station.
In the second half of the special, Walkner continued to push over the mixed terrain, and in doing so, left his rivals behind. The reigning FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion used his skill and experience to maintain his speed and position, despite navigating his own way through the sand.
Matthias Walkner
Bringing his KTM 450 RALLY home safely to the finish as second fastest for the day, Matthias moves up into the provisional lead of the event, over two-and-a-half minutes ahead of his nearest rival.
Matthias Walkner – P2
“Another day done, and it was a tough one! Setting off this morning I thought that by the end of the stage most of the riders behind would have caught up with those opening the special. At the refuelling we could see that wasn’t the case, so Ross and I decided to keep pushing to see if we could stay out front. We took it in turns to open with each rider leading the way for 30 km or so. For the last 100 km I found myself alone out front and just gave it my all. I really was pushing hard and, thankfully, everything went well, and I was able to bring it home for a good, safe finish. The long stage took it out of me, so I’ll try to relax now and recharge before tomorrow.”
Matthias Walkner
Stage one winner, Ross Branch, posted an impressive result on day two of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge despite a small crash, completing the special as the fourth fastest rider. His recent focus on navigational skills paid dividends with the 35-year-old completing the special just over eight minutes behind teammate Van Beveren.
Ross Branch – P4
“It was a bit of an up and down day today. It started off really well and I’m happy with my navigation as I lead the stage all the way to around kilometre 160. This was great for my confidence knowing that I can navigate well through sand dunes where a mistake could cost a lot of time. Unfortunately, at around 290 kilometres I jumped off the top of dune like usual, tucked the front, and crashed. It broke my navigational tower but as it happened near the end I didn’t lose too much time. The focus is now on tomorrow and I’ll be giving it my best shot as always.”
Ross Branch
Sebastian Buhler led the charge for the Hero MotoSports Rally team, managing a fine balance of fast and safe riding, finishing fifth in the stage.
Sebastian Buhler – P5
“Today was a very long and tough stage in the sand, one of the toughest stages I have ridden. Riding in these deserts is very tricky with long fast plateaus and sudden steep descents. Overall, I am happy with my performance and looking forward to the next stage.”
Tuesday’s Stage Three will see the race reach its halfway stage. Totalling 327 km, it will feature a 293 km timed special.
Stage 2 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2021 Results
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Man.
Time/Gap
1
Adrien Van Beveren
FRA
Yamaha
4:24:34
2
Matthias Walkner
AUT
KTM
+2m22s
3
Daniel Sanders
AUS
GASGAS
+3m01s
4
Ross Branch
BWA
Yamaha
+8m02s
5
Aaron Mare
RSA
KTM
+15m42s
Provisional Standings – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2021 (Stage 2)
The 2021 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has kicked off with Stage One a challenging 262-kilometre timed special, which saw Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team’s Ross Branch take an early lead.
Delivering a strong performance on the opening stage of the rally, Branch secured the win following a tantalising battle with Matthias Walkner.
Ross Branch takes early lead at 201 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team’s Branch begun the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in the best way possible with victory. Up to speed and confident in his ability to master the challenging sand dunes that formed a large part of the special, Branch moved into the lead mid-way through the opening stage and now lies at the top of the overall provisional classification.
Ross Branch – P1
“All in all it’s been a great day today for myself and the whole team. I really enjoyed the stage, and the dunes were amazing, so it was a fun day in the desert. The pace at the front was high which was a good experience and certainly helped with my overall speed. I’ll be leading out tomorrow so I’m excited about that as it’ll be a nice challenge and hopefully, I can do a good job and stay up front.”
Although his start position meant he was able to make up time by chasing down the 14 riders ahead of him, it also meant Walkner had to catch and pass those riders to maintain his speed as he navigated through the mixed Abu Dhabi terrain. A strong performance on the opening half of the special saw the Austrian lying second by the refueling point, from where he got his head down to try and make up time on the leader.
Matthias Walkner
Completing the special in second, a mere six seconds down on the stage winner, Matthias lies second overall in the provisional rally standings – just four-seconds back thanks to his Prologue performance.
Matthias Walkner – P2
“I had a good day today – the pace was really high and by the refueling I could see I was about one minute down of the leader. I pushed as hard as I could after that and managed to bring the gap down to just six seconds, which I was happy with. It puts me in a really good position for tomorrow’s stage and hopefully I can make up a little more time. The goal of the rally is to just enjoy my riding, get some more time on the bike, and not make any big mistakes. I’ll give it my best as always, and hopefully keep this momentum up for the rest of the race.”
Franco Caimi led the Hero MotoSports Rally Team efforts and finished the stage in third position. He got into a good rhythm from the start and was within the top three throughout the stage.
Franco Caimi – P3
“It is my first time in this desert yet I found a good rhythm on the bike and was able to deliver a good first stage. The bike is working perfectly, so I am happy and motivated for Stage 2.”
Franco Caimi
Daniel Sanders was looking forward to the racing through the dunes of Abu Dhabi, but with the desert terrain being different to anything he had faced before, the Aussie chose to curb his pace slightly to minimise the chance of making any huge mistakes.
Despite his cautious approach, Sanders still put in an impressive ride to complete the 262 km timed special as fourth quickest – not bad considering he even made a few errors with his navigation. Combined with his prologue result, Daniel lies third overall going into day two, three-minutes down on the provisional rally leader. And with two of his main opponents starting ahead of him tomorrow, Chucky will be fired up to chase down the riders in front and reduce the gap in the overall standings.
Daniel Sanders – P4
“Not a bad day for me, but not the best. As this is my first time in Abu Dhabi, I didn’t really know how the desert was and had a couple of scares early on with some big drops. I eased back a little and tried to stick to a good, solid pace, and other than a couple of navigation mistakes it all went well. I think towards the end I was riding a little bit too cautious, but it was a good day to get my eye in. I start fourth tomorrow so hopefully I can chase down the guys in front.”
Daniel Sanders
Rounding out a highly positive start to the event for the team, Adrien Van Beveren and Andrew Short brought their Yamaha WR450F Rally machines home in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
Adrien Van Beveren – P5
“I’m happy with today. After not such a good time in the prologue yesterday I started down the order but quickly caught up and led the stage from kilometre 100 to kilometre 160. So this was a challenge, but I enjoyed it. To finish just five minutes behind Ross is great after opening a lot of the stage and by finishing fifth, I start tomorrow in a great position to follow the lines and hopefully I can produce another strong result.”
Andrew Short – P6
“It’s good to get the first stage here in Abu Dhabi done and it was a pretty good day for me. The stage had a bit of everything, smaller dunes to start, then some desert tracks, and then towards the end there were a lot of big, rolling dunes. From tomorrow onwards I need to just find a little more speed, but I think I can find it. My bike was working great today so everything’s positive and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Toby Price is not contesting this rally as he prepares to race on four wheels in the Baja 1000 next week.
Monday’s stage two of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is the longest of the event at 470.58 kilometres and will see riders take on a timed special of 333.43 kilometres.
The 24MX GetzenRodeo in Germany wrapped up the 2021 FIM Hard Enduro championship, with Billy Bolt claiming top honours in the closest of title races. As such the record books will forever show the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider as being the first ever FIM Hard Enduro World Champion!
Billy Bolt and team celebrate
Proving to be a sensational season of racing, the outcome of the title featured two riders – Billy Bolt and Manuel Lettenbichler. While Lettenbichler won on the day, it was Billy who ultimately secured the championship. Finishing second, the Brit clinched the title live on Red Bull TV…
Firstly Billy, we have to ask, what time did Saturday night’s world championship celebrations finally end?
Billy Bolt: “The celebrations didn’t go on too late, but that was because they got going once we got back to the truck after the race! It felt like the whole paddock arrived at the Husqvarna truck. The vibes were good, the music was pumping, and we had a good time celebrating – not just my win, but the season in general. I didn’t get out of my race kit until 9.00pm!”
Billy Bolt
When you crossed the finish line to become world champion, we could see the emotion hit home. Can you describe what that moment meant to you?
Bolt: “I’m not sure what the exact emotion was, but there was a lot of it. This was my third world title after WESS and SuperEnduro, but it felt so much more real. I can’t really explain why. With WESS in 2018 I was still young in my career and just went with the flow. SuperEnduro came during lockdown, so I missed that whole final day of nerves and celebration. But with Hard Enduro it was so much more intense because the outcome could have gone either way. There was a sense of relief to reach the finish, but elation that I was champion.”
Billy Bolt – 2021 Hixpania Hard Enduro
We had a couple of weeks to wait between Hixpania Hard Enduro and the finale at GetzenRodeo. How did you manage the time?
Bolt: “In the build up to GetzenRodeo I could feel the enormity of the race and championship building. I was struggling to know what to do with myself. Most days I would think about what I needed to do and if I needed to change anything I was doing. Should I be testing, looking to improve or do more riding? I’d then tell myself to relax, I’d been winning all year, so why change things now at this stage. They were a tough few weeks, just trying to keep chilled and stay focused.”
Billy Bolt – Hero Challenge 2021
You had us on the edge of our seats when you dropped to sixth during the GetzenChamp race. Did you need a mental reset to get back into the race again because you recovered very quickly?
Bolt: “Believe it or not, I wasn’t stressing too bad. I wasn’t riding great because I had hurt my clutch finger in the morning race and was struggling to be smooth on the clutch. There was also a niggle in my left shoulder that was causing me to lean forward, which pushed my head down. I therefore couldn’t weight the rear wheel properly to get traction. I knew I wasn’t riding right due to those issues, but with the track being so intense I couldn’t correct it quickly. But eventually I settled down, allowed my rhythm to return and found the balance point, traction, and feel of the bike. I was sixth at that point, but I had complete faith in myself to get back to where I needed to be. Based on my pace in the morning race I knew I had the speed to do it and time was on my side too, so I didn’t panic. I even opted for a couple of easier lines to avoid wasting energy. My goal at that point was get back to second because I knew that’s what I needed to do to win the title.”
Billy Bolt – Hero Challenge 2021
There was a time when you might have cracked in a high-pressure situation like that. Is it now a combination of experience, maturity, and confidence as a rider that’s helping you rise to the occasion?
Bolt: “One hundred per cent. A few years ago there was a time when the outcome might not have been the same. The head would have boiled! The mental side of my racing was a weakness of mine, but now I feel like I’ve turned it around to be one of my strengths. These days when I’m in an intense racing situation, I can now control my emotions and make better decisions.”
Billy Bolt – 2021 Red Bull TKO Hard Enduro
It must be impossible to top your title winning moment, but what other race or moment stands out to you in this year’s championship, as one of the highlights?
Bolt: “Winning Abestone Hard Enduro is up there. It set the tone for the year and showed the level I was at with Mani. We hadn’t raced in such a long time due to Covid and I wanted to prove myself. Red Bull TKO tops it though. That was a big win for me as a rider. We had a lot of drama during the week due to our bike parts being held up in customs. I wasn’t on my own bike there. The battle was tight and I won it on the final lap. For me it was a turning point in the championship.”
Billy Bolt – 2021 Red Bull TKO Hard Enduro
Of course, you’re the rider out there on track racing, but it feels like for us watching that the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team acts as a really solid unit. Is that the case?
Bolt: “Without doubt I wouldn’t want to be in any other team in the paddock. The environment we’ve built is special. We’re all pulling in the same direction and moral is always high. For GetzenRodeo, even though Graham wasn’t riding, his mechanic Damien Butler came to the race to support me. That shows how close of a team we are. I also feel like I’m allowed to be myself. They let me get on with doing the social media and vlogging side of my career that I enjoy because they see it relaxes me and benefits my riding. To be on a team that supports all the things I enjoy doing is special.”
Billy Bolt – 2021 Abestone Hard Enduro
Both you and Mani have really raised the bar this year and we saw some titanic battles. Did you enjoy those battles, and do races like that make you push the level even further than you thought possible?
Bolt: “I enjoy the battles. We both do. We share a high level of respect for each other and can trust ourselves to go at it hard, but safely too. We get on well and are good friends away from the track too.”
Finally, as the first world champion of Hard Enduro, how do you see the sport growing from here?
Bolt: “I think the sport is in a good place. Everyone involved is young and is going to be around for a long time. The decision making is for the better and for the future, so we’re heading in the right direction. Our ideas are being listened too. We need to be live on TV and in a close proximity so fans can watch and invest in what we do, so I can see some elements evolving and adapting. But right now we’re going in the right direction.”
Wade Young and Billy Bolt – Red Bull Romaniacs
2021 FIM Hard Enduro Final Standings
Pos
Rider
Man
Points
1
Billy Bolt
Husqvarna
104
2
Manuel Lettenbichler
KTM
104
3
Wade Young
Sherco
83
4
Mario Roman
Sherco
76
5
Jonny Walker
Beta
66
6
Alfredo Gomez
Husqvarna
63
7
Michael Walkner
GASGAS
46
8
Teodor Kabakchiev
Husqvarna
36
9
Taddy Blazusiak
GASGAS
29
10
Dominik Olszowy
KTM
24
2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Provisional Schedule
The 2022 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship presented by MXstore (AORC), will blast into action with 12 dirt flying rounds of racing from March to October, across five states and venues.
In 2022 the AORC will continue with the double-header format kicking off in Victoria in March for Rounds 1 and 2.
As recently announced Round 3 and 4 will then be hosted by Mackay Queensland, on April 8 and 9 alongside ProMX on an exciting double header event weekend. See below for more details.
The full 2022 AORC calendar and venue details will be announced in the coming weeks along with new initiatives for the Championship. Stay tuned for the full calendar.
2022 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship cancelled
FIM Oceania, in conjunction with Speedway NZ and Motorcycling New Zealand are postponing the 2022 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship, due to the continued uncertainty around International border and COVID-19 restrictions in New Zealand.
Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship
This FIM Oceania Championship was planned for two rounds on January 29th at Moore Park Speedway in Christchurch, followed by Oreti Park Speedway, Invercargill on February 5th, 2022.
However, the decision has been made to postpone these events until January 2023 when international events can be held without restrictions and the events have the opportunity to welcome competitors and speedway fans from across Oceania and around the world.
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2022 KTM Australian Junior MX Championship scheduled for Sept/Oct
Hundreds of Australia’s best junior motocross talent will descend on Rockhampton and District Motocross Club to battle it out to be crowned Australia’s best during the September/October school holidays in the 2022 KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship (KTM AJMX) next year.
Australian Junior MX Nationals
With the date to be confirmed, the 2022 event will see the best junior talent battle it out over five days of intense Championship racing action.
Peter Doyle – Motorcycling Australia CEO
“The 2022 KTM Australian Junior Motocross Champion at Rockhampton will be one of the biggest junior sporting events in Australia next year, and after a two-year break between Championships because of COVID-19 restrictions, we know our best junior riders will be eagerly awaiting the drop of the start gate. It is fantastic to have partner KTM Australia again support this major Championship, and we know the Rockhampton and District Motocross Club will provide a sensational racing venue.”
The Rockhampton and District Motocross Club had done significant planning to host the 2020 and 2021 KTM AJMX, but due to the global pandemic, these events haven’t been able to proceed.
Mackay set for The Ultimate Offroad Racing Weekend 2022
The 2022 Penrite ProMX Championship presented by AMX Superstores (ProMX), along with Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) presented by MXstore (Rounds 3 and 4) will both head to Mackay in Queensland from April 8th to 10th.
As a show stopper for two wheel race fans across the nation, the ProMX Championship Round 2 will combine forces with AORC at Mackay for the very first time, in what is set to be a massive three day weekend of two wheeled off-road racing action and an unmatched spectacle for race fans, industry and riders alike.
Thousands of combined riders, team personnel and passionate race fans will make their way to Mackay for this highly anticipated stop for both Championships, where many will be excited to witness the magnitude of the riders, racing and the event itself. Spread over three massive days of racing, AORC Rounds 3 and 4 will take place on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th of April, with ProMX taking centre stage for Sunday April 10th.
Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson said it’s fantastic to welcome both the ProMX and AORC Championships to Mackay, “The Council is a proud supporter of events through our Invest Mackay Events and Conference Attraction program, I have no doubt the size and spectacle of these off-road racing Championships will be in good hands with our passionate community and we look forward to welcoming the teams, riders and fans to enjoy and explore our region.”
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Blake Fox and Byron Dennis top Wagga MX Weekend
The Wagga 2-Day MX Champs were held over the weekend, offering two days of racing with an impressive roster of riders, including Matt Moss, Blake Fox, Joben Baldwin, Ryder Kingsford, Byron Dennis to name a few.
When it came to the Senior Feature Race, Blake Fox took top honours, winning from Joben Baldin and Ryder Kingsford. The Lites Feature Race meanwhile saw Byron Dennis the top performer, with Finley Mason and Kayd Kingsford completing the podium.
Byron Dennis Winning Junior Lites and Blake Fox Winning the Senior feature Races
Blake Fox also topped the Open Expert/Clubman results, winning all four races, ahead of Baldin and Matthew Dillon who took second and third respectively in each of the four races.
In the All Powers Expert Xavier Serafin won all four races, with Baldin making another appearance as runner up, while Kingsford was third overall.
In the Expert Senior Lites Blake Fox was the top performer from Riley Arabin and Xavier Serafin. For Clubman Senior Lites in comparison, it was Isaac Lofts winning the overall from Luke Smith and Harry Seaman.
Byron Dennis topped the Junior Lites Championship, winning all four races for a dominating win, with Danielle McDonald, with Isaac Dal Broi completing the top three.
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Michek claims FIM Bajas World Cup title at Baja Portalegre 500
Frenchman Neels Théric (KTM) won the FIM category at the Baja Portalegre 500 and finished ahead of his compatriot Mathieu Doveze (KTM) after running 410 km of competition across two days in difficult weather conditions.
However, Martin Michek (KTM) surprisingly won the FIM Bajas World Cup. Mohammed Balooshi was the favourite, having enjoyed a strong season. Arriving in Portugal 10 points ahead of his Czech opponent, the Emirati, who is more used to riding over desert terrain, failed to find his form over the stages in the Alentejo region and only finished in fourth position in the FIM Bajas World Cup.
Martin Mitchek – Image by Paulo Maria/ACP
There was also bad luck for Sebastian Bühler (Hero), who was on track to win the Baja Portalegre 500 and dominated his opponents before he fell in the third special.
The race was relatively stressful tor the new Junior champion Konrad Dabrowski (KTM) from the first special stage on Friday. After the Qualifying Stage, he experienced electrical setbacks and finished a long way behind.
Fortunately, he was able to start again on Sunday and finished fourth in the first special in the morning and sixth in the afternoon. That allowed the Pole to climb up the general classification and win the Junior FIM Bajas World Cup from Neels Theric and Margot Llobera.
The female category was won by Mirjam Pol (Husqvarna), who finished ahead of Sara Garcia (Yamaha), Margot Llobera (KTM) and the gritty and determined Kuwaiti rider Sarah Khuraibet (KTM).
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Kevin Horgmo tops EMX250s at Garda EMX250 Race 1
In the first EMX250 race, it was Fantic Factory Team Maddii’s Nicholas Lapucci with the holeshot as Andrea Bonacorsi of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing got himself into second ahead of Raf Meuwissen of Riley Racing.
Kevin Horgmo
Lapucci then made a mistake and crashed out of the lead, with Bonacorsi inheriting the top spot. The Yamaha rider then led the way ahead of Meuwissen, Horgmo and Maxime Grau of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing. Lapucci was up in 11th.
Horgmo then made a pass on Meuwissen for second position and shortly after the Dutchman dropped another spot as Grau was able to find a way through as well.
Horgmo then closed in on the rear wheel of Bonacorsi as the pair fought it out for the win. The Norwegian was really pushing to get by the Italian but failed to find the perfect opportunity despite being faster than the leader on several occasions.
Lapucci meanwhile continued his fight back up the order as he got by Liam Everts of Liamski KTM and Jorgen-Matthias Talviku of No Fear/Jumbo BT Racing Team. He then also passed David Braceras from Team VRT Nordpesca Holland for fourth as he set his sights on Grau.
But back at the front, Horgmo was not letting go of Bonacorsi as he stayed within less than a second of the Italian.
Meanwhile further down the field, Haakon Fredriksen of Riley Racing and Everts were both able to get by Grau who dropped to seventh place.
With two laps to go, Horgmo turned up the pressure onto Bonacorsi and despite getting close a few times, the Norwegian could not make a pass stick as Bonacorsi went on to win the race. Horgmo settled for second ahead of Lapucci who eventually came back to third.
EMX250 Race 2
In race two, it was once again Lapucci who got the holeshot ahead of Horgmo, Jeremy Sydow of Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing, Grau and Yago Martinez from Team VRT Nordpesca Holland. Race one winner, Bonacorsi, started in around 13th place.
Cornelius Toendel from Riley Racing had a strong first lap as he went from eigth to fourth, while Horgmo kept close to Lapucci.
Nicholas Lapucci
Bonacorsi then crashed together with Saad Soulimani of TBS Conversions Racing Team and dropped to outside the top 20.
For a brief moment, Horgmo was in the lead, but Lapucci was quick to respond and took back his position. Toendel then passed Sydow for third.
Horgmo made another attempt on Lapucci which was unsuccessful as the battle for the lead raged on. This allowed Toendel to close in on the pair. And as Horgmo tried again, he was pushed offline by Lapucci which allowed Toendel through into second and half a lap later he was in the lead. He led for a brief moment as he crashed in the next corner trying to keep the Italian behind him.
Further behind them, Everts took third from Sydow as Bonacorsi went down again. He eventually came back to 10th place.
Everts close in on the top two riders, as Horgmo took over the lead but made a mistake which allowed Lapucci back onto his rear wheel, fortunately he was able to break free of that as the Italian came under fire from Everts who shortly after took over second place.
Fredriksen was another rider who got past Lapucci who seemed to have lost his rhythm and then we saw an epic battle between Fredriksen and Everts for second. Fredriksen was able to get around the Belgian who immediately struck back, but the Norwegian was able to move quickly to stay ahead. And as Everts tried to retaliate he got it all wrong on the downhill which resulted in a big crash for the #72.
In the end, Horgmo went on to claim the race victory ahead of Fredriksen and Lapucci who was third. And with a 2-1 result, Horgmo took the overall round win for the second time this season, as Lapucci occupied the second step of the podium, while Fredriksen was third.
Haakon Fredriksen
With two rounds left to go, Lapucci leads the EMX250 Championship standings with a 26-point advantage over Horgmo, while Rick Elzinga of TBS Conversions Racing Team remains third.
Kevin Horgmo – P1
“It was not the best start but obviously a lot better than the last round here. The starts were quite okay. I had tough guys in front of me who were difficult to pass. In the first race, I was probably a little bit too cautious. Every time I came close, I backed off. I didn’t send it too hard in the inside. Then in the second race, I went all out because I knew it was for the overall victory. So, I just tried to do my best and find different lines so I can make the pass happen. I think I can’t look too much at the points right now because it’s still quite far. I just need to take it race by race, try to get better starts, be in front and hopefully win both races.”
Nicholas Lapucci – P2
“Today was a tough day for me. In the first race, I pulled the holeshot then I had a tip over due to a technical problem. But I managed to come back almost without making any mistakes. I finished off in the third position. Second race, I got the holeshot as well. I tried my best and gave my 110% to maintain the lead but it wasn’t enough. Let’s think about the championship, we have two rounds to go. I am proud about that because we can always send it. Next races are in Mantova, it’s a little bit softer over there so it will be better for me. Let’s see what it brings.”
Haakon Fredriksen – P3
“I mean I had a good time in time-practice. First race, I struggled a lot to adjust to the track. Also on a personal level, I was not riding at my 100%. Second race, we took a big decision to go with the sand tyres. Actually, I took the decision. I did a mistake, but it worked out in the end, and I was able to have more control over my riding. It was a good day overall; I was able to get the podium as well so I am happy. I had good success in Mantova last year, so I am really confident going there and I am hoping to have two good results.”
2021 EMX250 Garda Results
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
R1
R2
Total
1
Horgmo, Kevin
NOR
GAS
22
25
47
2
Lapucci, Nicholas
ITA
FAN
20
20
40
3
Fredriksen, Hakon
NOR
YAM
16
22
38
4
Bonacorsi, Andrea
ITA
YAM
25
11
36
5
Toendel, Cornelius
NOR
YAM
18
16
34
6
Sydow, Jeremy
GER
YAM
14
18
32
7
Everts, Liam
BEL
KTM
15
15
30
8
Elzinga, Rick
NED
KTM
10
13
23
9
Martinez, Yago
ESP
KTM
8
12
20
10
Braceras, David
ESP
KTM
11
6
17
11
Weckman, Emil
FIN
HON
0
14
14
12
Spies, Maximilian
GER
FAN
7
7
14
13
Soulimani, Saad
FRA
KTM
9
5
14
14
Gerhardsson, Albin
SWE
HUS
3
10
13
15
Grau, Maxime
FRA
HUS
13
0
13
16
Oliver, Oriol
ESP
KTM
12
0
12
17
Gwerder, Mike
SUI
KTM
2
8
10
18
Rathousky, Petr
CZE
KTM
0
9
9
19
Talviku, Jorgen-Matthias
EST
HUS
6
0
6
20
Prugnieres, Quentin Marc
FRA
KAW
4
1
5
21
Olsson, Filip
SWE
HUS
5
0
5
22
Alonso Rodilla, Victor
ESP
YAM
0
4
4
23
Meuwissen, Raf
NED
YAM
0
3
3
24
Crnjanski, Yann
FRA
KTM
0
2
2
25
Piller, Constantin
GER
KTM
1
0
1
EMX250 Standings after Garda (Top 10)
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Lapucci, N.
ITA
FAN
345
2
Horgmo, Kevin
NOR
GAS
319
3
Elzinga, Rick
NED
KTM
257
4
Everts, Liam
BEL
KTM
227
5
Bonacorsi, A.
ITA
YAM
226
6
Toendel, C.
NOR
YAM
202
7
Fredriksen, H.
NOR
YAM
170
8
Martinez, Yago
ESP
KTM
162
9
Weckman, Emil
FIN
HON
120
10
Grau, Maxime
FRA
HUS
113
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Lucas Coenen dominates EMX125 at Garda EMX125 Race 1
In the first EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing heat, it was Coenen with the holeshot ahead of MRT Racing Team KTM’s Valerio Lata and Julius Mikula. A few riders came together in the start which included the likes of Ferruccio Zanchi and Ivano Van Erp of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC.
EMX125 Start
Coenen then led Lata, Cas Valk of Husqvarna SKS Racing NL, ASA United GasGas Racing’s Bobby Bruce and Mikula who dropped a couple of spots after the opening lap.
Mikula then came under more pressure from Karlis Alberts Reisulis of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC and Kay Karssemakers of Husqvarna SKS Racing NL. Reisulis was able to find his way past the Czech rider.
Coenen then stretched his lead to 5.158 seconds as Bruce began to close in on Valk. He launched an attack not long after which at first was unsuccessful. He tried several more times before finally making the pass stick and moving up into third.
Meanwhile Zanchi was making some strong passes after crashing out of the start as he moved into 13th place.
Reisulis then caught and passed Valk, as Valk dropped to fifth, meanwhile Karssemakers had Alexis Fueri of Fantic Factory Team Maddii, Mikula and Scott Smulders of No Fear/Jumbo BT Racing Team closing in for sixth place. Fueri was able to get around Karssemakers to steal his position.
Meanwhile Reisulis was making progress on Bruce as he caught onto the Brit, urging him closer to Lata who was still second. But the Bruce was able to break free of the Latvian and focus on getting closer to Lata.
Lata then got caught out by lapped rider who went down right in front of him, with Bruce doing his best to avoid the situation but riding over Lata’s bike. Lata was able to pick himself up but took time to get going as he inspected the rear of his bike. He eventually finished the race in sixth place.
Coenen though was focused on his own race as he crossed the line to win race one, 16.570 second ahead of Reisulis who ended up second, with Bruce third.
EMX125 Race 2
In race two, it was once again Coenen with a flying start as he led Van Erp who got off to a much better start compared to the first race. Behind him was Andrea Viano, Lata and Smulders. Bruce was down in seventh on the first lap.
Karlis Alberts Reisulis
Lata then passed Viano for third as Bruce and Reisulis fought for fifth. Viano then got passed by both Bruce and Reisulis, as the Italian dropped to fifth. Reisulis was riding very well as he caught up with Lata. The Latvian was able to get around the championship leader to move into third position.
Meanwhile Coenen set the fastest lap of the race as he extended his lead to 3.912 seconds over Van Erp, as Bruce got a glimpse of Lata ahead of him. He started to close in on his title rival, but a couple of mistakes allowed Lata some breathing room.
Fueri then made an aggressive move on Karssemakers for sixth, as Bruce caught onto Lata again. The Italian then made a mistake which allowed the Brit to get close enough to do something about it and he did just that, as he squeezed by the KTM rider.
Van Erp then crashed out of second position, which allowed Coenen to run away with it, as his lead went up to 15.991 seconds. Coenen ended up winning the race, as Van Erp managed to hold on to second while Reisulis crossed the line in second.
With two race wins, Coenen had the perfect score and went on to claim his first ever overall victory, while Reisulis mounted the podium for the first time in second overall, while Bruce finished third.
Despite not finishing on the podium, Lata continues to lead the series with a 22-point advantage over Bruce as we head into the final round in Mantova, for the round of Lombardia.
Lucas Coenen – P1
“Today was a good day for me. Two holeshots and I led every lap of the races. I made gaps and won the races, so that was really good. We managed to get 1-1 and that’s good because I managed to get my first win of the season on Tuesday. Let’s say I am over the bad luck, and I am starting to gain momentum, so that’s good. My goal now is just to ride my own race and make it the easiest possible to finish 1-1 and we will see.”
Lucas Coenen
Karlis Alberts Reisulis – P2
“There’s not much to say. I finally got the podium after a long season filled with injuries. I also finally managed to have some not-so-bad starts. Everything came together and I just got that podium. I also got a little bit lucky in the first race, but I’ll take it.”
Bobby Bruce – P3
“We didn’t get two of the best starts, really. I have been struggling with them. But the first race was good. I came from behind. Valerio got caught with a lapper and I couldn’t avoid them, so I ended up being down as well. But I finished the race second. Second race, I also had a bad start, but the track is tight, and we were nearing the end, so I had to put a good pass on. Overall, it was a good day. Another podium. I haven’t missed it in Arco. Let’s hope for the same in the last round. Hopefully we’ll have another week like this one and get some points under our belt. We’ll see what happens, because anything could happen. One more race to go.”
Valerio Lata – P4
“I had a good start in the first race. I had a good feeling on the track, but I crashed with another rider with two laps to go. I finished the race in sixth position. Second race, I had a good start, but I did not have the same good feeling. I finished in fifth position. Now it’s time to get ready for Mantova. Thank you to my team, family and supporters.”
2021 EMX125 Garda Results
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
R1
R2
Total
1
Coenen, Lucas
BEL
KAW
25
25
50
2
Reisulis, Karlis Alberts
LAT
YAM
22
20
42
3
Bruce, Bobby
GBR
GAS
20
18
38
4
Lata, Valerio
ITA
KTM
15
16
31
5
Fueri, Alexis
FRA
FAN
16
15
31
6
Valk, Cas
NED
HUS
18
12
30
7
Karssemakers, Kay
NED
HUS
14
14
28
8
Van Erp, Ivano
NED
YAM
5
22
27
9
Smulders, Scott
NED
HUS
13
13
26
10
Zanchi, Ferruccio
ITA
YAM
10
11
21
11
Viano, Andrea
ITA
HUS
8
10
18
12
Reisulis, Janis Martins
LAT
KTM
9
9
18
13
Mikula, Julius
CZE
KTM
11
6
17
14
Rossi, Marc-Antoine
FRA
KTM
12
5
17
15
Kees, Valentin
GER
KTM
6
7
13
16
Cazal, Xavier
FRA
KTM
7
3
10
17
Escandell, Elias
ESP
GAS
0
8
8
18
Russi, Matteo Luigi
ITA
KTM
0
4
4
19
Sanchez, Raul
ESP
GAS
4
0
4
20
Brookes, Joe
GBR
YAM
3
0
3
21
Gallego, Antonio
ESP
GAS
0
2
2
22
Haution, Diego
FRA
HUS
2
0
2
23
Karu, Romeo
EST
HUS
0
1
1
24
Hindersson, Kasimir
FIN
YAM
1
0
1
EMX125 Standings after Garda
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Lata, Valerio
ITA
KTM
299
2
Bruce, Bobby
GBR
GAS
277
3
Karssemakers, K.
NED
HUS
241
4
Coenen, Lucas
BEL
KAW
237
5
Van Erp, Ivano
NED
YAM
221
6
Smulders, S.
NED
HUS
194
7
Reisulis, K.
LAT
YAM
170
8
Rossi, M.
FRA
KTM
162
9
Zanchi, F.
ITA
YAM
141
10
Fueri, Alexis
FRA
FAN
126
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Seewer wins 2021 MXGP of Garda MXGP Race 1
In the opening MXGP race of the day, it was Seewer who took the Fox Holeshot as he led his teammate Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Glenn Coldenhoff, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado, MRT Racing Team’s Alessandro Lupino and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli. Meanwhile Gajser, Herlings and Febvre started in sixth, seventh and eighth.
Jeremy Seewer
Prado then quickly made a move on Coldenhoff, as Gajser looked to do the same. The Slovenian was not successful in his attempts which allowed Febvre and Herlings to close in.
Gajser and Febvre then went at it for third, with the pair switching positions a few times before Febvre was able to block pass Gajser to move into third. And while the Honda and Kawasaki riders battled each other, Herlings continued to lurk in the background as he searched for an opportunity to get by both.
Tim Gajser
Seewer stretched out his lead to 3.946 seconds as he was improving upon his lap time almost every lap around. The Swiss was looking in control, up until a slight error put him on the ground. Luckily, he was up quickly and could maintain his position in the lead.
Febvre was eventually able to get past Coldenhoff for third as he set his sights on Prado who was ahead in second position.
Seewer then set another fastest lap time of the race as he stayed ahead of Prado by 4.110 seconds, as Gajser closed in on Coldenhoff again. Herlings kept things close too as both him and Gajser got past the Yamaha rider in the same corner.
Romain Febvre
Herlings then passed Gajser, as Febvre also took second from Prado. While Febvre safely had hold of his position, Herlings did not as Gajser was looking to fight back immediately. The pair made contact on several occasions, but Herlings was able to assert his position as Cairoli also joined the battle.
Cairoli got ahead of Gajser but not for long as the Slovenian fought back. Cairoli then kept a close distance to Gajser until the end of the race as they both made their way through backmarkers.
Tony Cairoli
Herlings then managed to get by Prado, but the Spaniard didn’t go down without a fight. Gajser was next to catch-up to the KTM rider and after a few tries got past him too as Cairoli did the same to move up to fifth.
With three laps to go, it looked like Febvre was slowly closing in on the leader, but then on the last lap he went down hard which cost him a load of time, but he did however hold on to his position.
Jeremy Seewer
In the end Seewer went on to claim his first race win of the season, as Febvre finished second ahead of Herlings in third. Gajser brought it home in fourth ahead of Cairoli who was fifth.
MXGP Race 2
In race two, it was Prado with the second Fox Holeshot, which was his 15th of the season! He led the way ahead of Cairoli and Gajser. Herlings started in sixth while Febvre was down in 13th.
Jorge Prado
Gajser then got around Cairoli for second and not long after made a move on Prado to get into the lead. Meanwhile Herlings was also making moves as he got himself into second.
He then had his teammate, Prado, to deal with who didn’t make things easy but eventually the Dutchman was able to get around the Spaniard and shift his focus onto getting Gajser. Just behind then, Febvre got around Cairoli for fourth and immediately went after Prado, who again was not backing down.
Gajser then led the way by just 1.214 seconds as Herlings remained close. It was looking like Herlings was setting up to make a pass but then the Bullet made a mistake and went flying over the bars. He got going again just behind Coldenhoff in seventh.
Tim Gajser
While that was going on, Seewer managed to get Cairoli for fifth and then followed that up by getting Febvre too. The Frenchman was not going to let the Swiss have the position easy and immediately fought back. The pair then caught onto Prado too, with the trio exchanging positions several times before Seewer was able to get ahead.
Febvre then had Cairoli on his case who passed him for fourth. The Kawasaki rider was again quick to respond and managed to maintain his spot. This then urged him onto Prado, as he took third from the KTM rider.
Romain Febvre
Herlings was also making progress as he got by Coldenhoff and then Prado, as the Spaniard came under more fire from Cairoli and the drop down to sixth. It then looked like Cairoli was going after Herlings and that’s when the Bullet crashed again!
Seewer also went down for a brief moment but was able to get going quickly to stay ahead of Febvre. Febvre did close in at one point, but Seewer was showing great pace and it was no match for Febvre who settled for third.
Herlings got going outside the top 10 and then made some passes on the likes of Mathys Boisrame of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team, Benoit Paturel of Honda SR Motoblouz as well as Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Watson, Glenn Coldenhoff and Prado in the next few laps. He eventually came home in fourth place.
Mathys Boisrame
Gajser went on to win the race 5.961 seconds ahead of Seewer with Febvre third.
A 1-2 result gave Seewer the overall, while Gajser was second and Febvre third overall. With Febvre added 42 points compared to Herlings’ 38, to his title chase, which means that he now leads the MXGP standings by one point over Gajser, with Herlings a further two points behind.
Once again, the top three are within three points of each other as we head into the final two rounds in Mantova.
Jeremy Seewer – P1
“This MXGP win, I did it myself and I deserved it. I was up front, and no one beat me. It feels amazing, especially where I came from this year. A couple of weeks ago I was far off, and I was struggling with my health and mentally. I started to feel good a few weeks ago. I am really happy to sit here now with a first overall. I was very unlucky in my last two races; I just missed the podium both times. But it was worth the wait for this win.”
Jeremy Seewer
Tim Gajser – P2
“It was a good day. We definitely need to work on the first races. I have been struggling with those the last couple of weeks. Anyway, the second one was good. I was feeling good and the start was way better. I made quick passes in the beginning. Then suddenly there was a 10 second gap for me and I was able to control the race from that point on. But anyway, the championship is intense. It’s unbelievable to think that there are just two GPs left and we are all within three points. I will do my best. I am really happy with today. We still have two GPs to go, so game on!”
Tim Gajser
Romain Febvre – P3
“It feels good. We still have two rounds to go to keep the red plate and turn it to gold. I can smell the taste of the championship. I am really happy about my weekend. We worked on the start which worked well in the first race. The second one was not good. In the first one, I made a lot of passes and made my way to second place. I tried to catch Jeremy but he was obviously riding really good. Nothing to say. I tried. I saw that I was catching up to him in the last two laps but unfortunately, I made quite a big mistake and crashed. Luckily, I had a big gap which allowed me to recover and finish second after all. The second race, my start was really bad, but I managed to have a good first lap and pass eight riders. I was still able to finish the race in third place. Jeremy made a mistake, and I closed the gap. I was thinking “should I go for the GP victory, or should I settle for the red plate?”. I felt like I did both. Maybe I was thinking a little bit too much and I could not match Jeremy’s pace. I settled for third and took the red plate. I am really happy.”
Romain Febvre
Jeffrey Herling – P4
“Where can I start?! The day actually began quite good but then went downhill from there! My start was alright in the first moto but I could not get in my rhythm for the first three laps and at one point I was 4th but lost a lot of time passing Jorge. Basically, Romain and Jeremy had then gone. 3rd place was still OK. In the second moto I really wanted to attack and go for the win. I was into 2nd on the second lap and I thought ‘this is going to be my moto’. I went over the finish line jump and wanted to chase Tim because I felt I had the speed but the bike went left-right and I was shot-off. It was my mistake but the bike was then a bit bent and I needed some laps to get used to it. The rhythm was coming back and I was close to Romain but my hand came off the bar over that same jump and I was shot to the moon. That was a big hit with a big crash. The bike was even more bent! I knew then I would need something special today. I was 10th and I needed to keep pushing because every point counts. To go home only 3 points down, I know it is still in my own hands. I didn’t make it easy for myself and the last two GPs here have been tough but it is all still possible. Thanks to Tony. Only the greatest and the biggest champions would do that. To me he not only showed his loyalty to KTM but helped me a lot because those are two very important points. Only a real team player would do that. Jorge as well, I had to pass him three times in that second moto. It was a real team effort and I cannot thank them enough.”
Jeffrey Herling
Tony Cairoli – P5
“Pretty good today. In the first moto I had a good start but made a few mistakes on the first laps and dropped from 5th to 7th. I passed back to 5th but it was difficult to make those moves: sadly I couldn’t make the same excellent start that I had on Wednesday. The guys in front were too far by the time I could get through. I felt a podium was possible, even if a top-five is always good. In the last moto I had the pace to go a bit faster but I did not want to get in the middle of the fight for the championship. Jeffrey made a crash in front of me and again there was a big gap. I had settled for 4th when I saw Jeffrey was coming on the last two laps. For me 4th or 5th was not that important because I knew I wouldn’t have been on the podium so I gave [away] my position. I hope a few points more will help him and KTM for the championship. That’s KTM’s goal for this year.”
2021 MXGP of Garda Results
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
R1
R2
Total
1
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
25
22
47
2
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
18
25
43
3
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
22
20
42
4
Herlings, Jeffrey
NED
KTM
20
18
38
5
Cairoli, Antonio
ITA
KTM
16
16
32
6
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
14
15
29
7
Coldenhoff, Glenn
NED
YAM
15
13
28
8
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
11
14
25
9
Wright, Dylan
CAN
HON
12
11
23
10
Lupino, Alessandro
ITA
KTM
13
8
21
11
Olsen, Thomas Kjer
DEN
HUS
9
9
18
12
Van Horebeek, Jeremy
BEL
BET
10
7
17
13
Paturel, Benoit
FRA
HON
0
12
12
14
Simpson, Shaun
GBR
KTM
7
5
12
15
Guillod, Valentin
SUI
YAM
8
3
11
16
Boisrame, Mathys
FRA
KAW
0
10
10
17
Van doninck, Brent
BEL
YAM
4
6
10
18
Locurcio, Lorenzo
VEN
KTM
6
4
10
19
Jacobi, Henry
GER
HON
5
0
5
20
Koch, Tom
GER
KTM
2
1
3
21
Philippaerts, David
ITA
YAM
3
0
3
22
Butron, Jose
ESP
KTM
0
2
2
23
Brylyakov, Vsevolod
MFR
HON
1
0
1
2021 MXGP Standings – Round 16
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
614
2
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
613
3
Herlings, J.
NED
KTM
611
4
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
502
5
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
498
6
Cairoli, A.
ITA
KTM
496
7
Coldenhoff, G.
NED
YAM
397
8
Jonass, Pauls
LAT
GAS
391
9
Lupino, A.
ITA
KTM
287
10
Olsen, T.
DEN
HUS
284
11
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
269
12
Bogers, Brian
NED
GAS
241
13
Vlaanderen, C.
NED
YAM
203
14
Van Horebeek, J.
BEL
BET
202
15
Jacobi, Henry
GER
HON
172
16
Van doninck, B.
BEL
YAM
133
17
Tonus, Arnaud
SUI
YAM
119
18
Simpson, Shaun
GBR
KTM
113
19
Forato, A.
ITA
GAS
111
20
Paturel, B.
FRA
HON
105
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Wilson Todd top Aussie in MX2 at Garda in P5 – Beaton P9 MX2 Race 1
In the first MX2 race, it was again, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle with the Fox Holeshot but his teammate Rene Hofer was quick to act as he dived into the lead. Vialle dropped to third as Bastian Boegh Damm of WZ Racing Team went into second place.
Tom Vialle
Renaux started the race in around eighth position, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini was 24th.
Then we saw a big moment between Boegh Damm and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts as the pair came together on the downhill and had a huge crash. This allowed Renaux into third and then into second.
Hofer then led Renaux, Vialle, Andrea Adamo of SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery, as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton got onto the rear wheel of Simon Längenfelder of Diga Procross GasGas Factory Racing for sixth and eventually managed to pass him.
Simon Längenfelder
Guadagnini was also making passes as he got himself into 13th, but the Italian would later crash and pull out of the race.
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf were next to catch onto the rear wheel of Längenfelder, with the German not able to keep the pair behind him as he dropped two more positions.
Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez was on a charge as he got by Adamo for fourth and then set his sights on Vialle for third.
Rene Hofer
Hofer was still the race leader as he set the fastest lap time of the race to extend his lead to 5.977 seconds ahead of Renaux. The Austrian pretty much rode a race of his own as he was unchallenged for the entire heat.
Beaton then caught onto Adamo for fifth. He managed to go around the outside of the Italian, but the GasGas rider was quick to fight back. But Beaton managed to stay ahead.
Further ahead, Fernandez was on a mission as he got onto the back of Vialle and went after third place. He was almost a second faster than the Frenchman on that lap and was able to get himself into third.
Maxime Renaux
Benistant was next to catch-up to Adamo. He squeezed past the Italian who responded in the next corner, but Benistant got him back to assert his position in sixth.
In the end, Hofer was victorious as he crossed the finish line 4.966 seconds ahead of Renaux and Fernandez.
MX2 Race 2
In race two, it was Vialle again who got ahead in the start and claimed his 19th Fox Holeshot of the season. Renaux was second ahead of Benistant and Isak Gifting of Diga Procross GasGas Factory Racing, who got a great start in fourth. Geerts was there also in fifth.
Isak Gifting
Geerts then came under fire from de Wolf for fifth. The Belgian could not hold on as he made a mistake and went down. He did not re-join the race due to a technical problem and that was his title fight over.
Renaux then set the fastest lap of the race as he got within 1.094 seconds of Vialle. He waited a couple of laps before launching an attack, but by lap five was the new race leader.
Maxime Renaux
Gifting then came under immense pressure from de Wolf and Fernandez. Both the Husqvarna and the Honda rider were able to get around him to move up into fourth and fifth. Not long after Wilson Todd of Bike it MTX Kawasaki did the same. F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Mikkel Haarup, who had the second fastest lap time in time practice, caught and passed Längenfelder for eighth and then had Gifting in his sights too.
Wilson Todd
Meanwhile, the race one winner, Hofer, didn’t have the best start to the race as he ended up going down. He did however make a decent recovery to get back to eighth by the end of the heat.
Längenfelder then crashed out of eighth, as Benistant lost a few positions too. One of the riders to pass Benistant was Haarup, who also got past de Wolf by the end of the race, as the Husqvarna rider dropped to sixth.
Mikkel Haarup
Renaux went on to win the race 3.105 seconds ahead of Vialle who crossed the line in second position, while Fernandez finished third.
A 2-1 result gave Renaux the overall victory as he also claimed the gold plate to become this year’s MX2 World Champion, meanwhile Vialle was second on the podium and added some solid championship points as he moved into second position. Fernandez was the last rider to mount the podium, keeping a 100% podium record here in Pietramurata this season.
Maxime Renaux – P1
“It means a lot to me. We made it; we are the 2021 MX2 World Champions. That’s a great achievement. As you said, we had to work a lot for that. The past years and past rounds were really tough for me. Lots of ups and downs, and bad starts. But we were able to have a good race today. I am also so happy to get my first world title with a race and GP win. It means a lot to me because it’s grabbing the title with a win feels a bit better. It was an amazing day for me, one that I will never forget for sure.”
Maxime Renaux
Tom Vialle – P2
“It actually was not really a bad day for me. After the crash on Wednesday, I hurt my ankle a lot. So, I was not sure if I could ride today. Riding in the morning was not so bad, but I could feel the pain after every jump. First race was pretty tough. I had a decent start, but I couldn’t follow the leader also due to arm pump. I just tried to finish it off. I finished in 4th place. It wasn’t too bad. I was feeling better in the second one. I just tried to ride the best I could. I am happy today with the podium.”
Tom Vialle
Ruben Fernandez – P3
“It feels good to get three podiums out of three. I feel like I’ve been really solid which is normally not one of my strongest points. I could stay calm during the races and not make mistakes. I had to come from the back and work my way to the front most of the times. I am happy with that, because this is something I want to bring with me into next season. I want to be mistake-free let’s say and try to keep it cool on the track.”
Rene Hofer – P4
“Still a pretty good day I’d say with my second MX2 moto win. I’m pretty overwhelmed by all the things that are going on right now. Two wins from six motos here. Unfortunately, I missed the podium because of a crash in the second moto but my riding was good to come back to 8th. I’m doing well and we’re also performing good in the championship: we are only three points behind 5th, and 4th place is also not far. We’ll give it all in the last two GPs to try and improve my standing.”
Top Australian meanwhile was Bike It MTX Kawasaki’s Wilson Todd who has moved to within three points of a top-ten ranking in the MX2 class with two hard-charging rides to fifth overall. In both motos he showed his talent with smart decisive moves to make passes stick around the switchback raceway in the shadow of the Italian Dolomites. Through the first half of moto one he showed his strength and determination throughout the second half of the race to eventually finish seventh, and maintained that speed in race two – his best result of the campaign.
Wilson Todd – P5
“I felt good. I was inside the top ten all day; Qualifying and both motos. I was coming forward, making passes to get into those positions. It’s an improvement; the more I race anywhere the more comfortable I feel. Two more to go, and I’m feeling confident.“
Wilson Todd
Jed Beaton enjoyed a promising first race at the MXGP of Garda with a strong fifth-place finish. Frustratingly, he had a coming together with another rider in the tight and treacherous second turn after the start of moto two, which resulted in a race-long charge towards the front. With two further crashes adding to the challenge, Beaton secured 14th in the moto for ninth overall. Jed now sits just 10 points adrift of fourth in the MX2 World Championship.
Jed Beaton – P9
“Today wasn’t quite how I wanted to finish this triple header. My first race was pretty solid though, I felt good and made passes all moto to place fifth, which was a good start to the day. Then in race two, it all went wrong really. My jump off the gate wasn’t good and then in turn two I got caught up in someone’s bike and I was dead last. I then crashed twice coming through the pack so that one was tough. I’m now looking forward to Mantova for the final two rounds. I’ve done well there in the past and I really want to end the season with positive results.”
2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship 24MX GetzenRodeo
Britain’s Billy Bolt has won the 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship by the narrowest of margins, ending the season tied on points with Manuel Lettenbichler, but claiming the overall victory nonetheless – the sport’s first FIM Hard Enduro World Champion.
Billy Bolt made it one to remember at the 2021 GetzenRodeo winner runner up enough to claim the Hard Enduro title
Despite giving his all and winning the eighth and final round of the championship, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Lettenbichler ended his season as vice-world champion, while Sherco Factory Racing’s Wade Young joined them on the championship podium for third overall.
It all came down to 24MX GetzenRodeo to decide the sport’s first world champion. The math was simple. If Manuel Lettenbichler won his home race, Billy had to finish in second place to clinch the title on a tiebreaker.
Manuel Lettenbichler just needed to win and Bolt to not be runner up at GetzenRodeo
The two-hour morning GetzenRace offered a taste of what was to come for the afternoon feature GetzenChamp battle. With 60 riders starting to the deafening sound of a cannon, the fight was on to earn one of the top-15 qualifying positions. Bolt and Lettenbichler meant business and after a race-long battle, Lettenbichler just beat Bolt across the line to win.
Heading into the GetzenChamp race, with the Red Bull TV cameras rolling, the history books were waiting to be written following the next 80 minutes and one lap of racing. Lettenbichler was the first rider flagged away, with Bolt hot on his heels, four seconds later. Next came Young, Mario Roman (Sherco), Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna), and Jonny Walker (Beta).
Alfredo Gomez – 2021 GetzenRodeo
Midway through lap one, Bolt caught and passed Lettenbichler and built a gap of 10 seconds. But then things appeared to unravel for the Brit. A mistake on a technical climb sparked a catalogue of errors and as Bolt dropped down as far as sixth, Lettenbichler took the lead and suddenly looked champion elect. Bolt had to regroup.
Needing a moment to reset, Bolt then got to work and picked the riders off. Up to second by mid-distance, he was back in charge of the championship outcome. However, Roman was in close contention in third and not allowing for any more mistakes from Bolt.
Billy Bolt – 2021 GetzenRodeo
Gradually as the race progressed, the top three broke away from the rest of the field. On the final lap, Bolt had the gap to Lettenbichler down to one minute and was now comfortably ahead of Roman in third. The championship was his to lose and Lettenbichler knew it too.
For Mani, it was a near flawless performance as he crossed the finish line to win the 24MX GetzenRodeo for the third time in succession. However, this time around it wasn’t enough to win the title. Dropping out of the final Red Bull X-Loop, Bolt reached the chequered flag in second and with it became Hard Enduro’s first FIM World Champion.
Manuel Lettenbichler – 2021 GetzenRodeo
With the top two championship placings settled, Young held off a late charge from Vision Track Beta’s Jonny Walker to maintain fourth in the race and third overall in the championship. Roman, with a strong ride for third on the day, was unable to leapfrog his teammate in the standings and took fourth overall. Consistent as ever, Walker completed the championship top-five with fifth in Germany.
With the inaugural FIM Hard Enduro World Championship delivered, the wait is now on for the 2022 season, beginning with the Minus 400 in Israel on April 5-7.
Billy Bolt – 2021 Champion
“WORLD CHAMPIONS! What an amazing feeling it is. It’s going to take a while to process this one. I can’t believe I’m the FIM Hard Enduro World Champion. It was a heck of a race today. We all knew what we had to do, and we made it happen. I rode great this morning in the qualifier, but I hurt my finger. I was struggling a little with that in the beginning of the race and made a lot of mistakes early on. But I settled myself, regrouped and recovered. When I got back up to second, I closed the gap to Mani to one minute, but didn’t want to risk anything. Riding into the finish line as the world champion was such an amazing moment. It’s been a great year and I can’t thank all of the team enough for their support. We did it!”
Billy Bolt and team celebrate – 2021 GetzenRodeo
Manuel Lettenbichler – Runner-up (GetzenRodeo P1)
“I’m tired, I’m really tired, but super stoked to get the win. I knew I had to do it here at home in Germany and go all-out for victory in front of the fans. To be tied with Billy on points at the end of such a tough championship just shows how hard we were both pushing all season. I really think we have both raised the bar this year. Obviously, it’s disappointing to have come so close, finish on the same points, and only get second in the championship. But I gave it everything and you can’t ask for more than that. The morning race went really well. It was close with Billy and me, but I managed to get ahead just before the finish. The main race was super tough. At first, I was riding so stiff, and my arms felt really heavy. Then, after a couple of battles with Billy I managed to get out front and find a good rhythm. I built up a good lead and was able to relax right up to the end, where I had to push a little bit more to make sure I stayed ahead. To take three wins in a row here at Getzen feels amazing, and I can’t thank the fans enough for their support. I’m looking forward to some nice winter training now to be ready for next season and try again to go for the title.”
Manuel Lettenbichler won the GetzenRodeo battle, but Billy Bolt won the FIM Hard Enduro war!
Wade Young – P3
“That was a tough race, there was a lot going on. We were constantly battling all of the time. I knew to get third I had a good chance, but I still had to deliver. Mario was riding hard, and I couldn’t bridge it to him. But once I got to fourth, I knew as long as I held it, then I would be on the podium. Overall it’s been good. A win at HERO Challenge was brilliant too.”
Wade Young – 2021 GetzenRodeo
Alfredo Gomez – P6
“Today didn’t quite go to plan. I was riding well, but right from the beginning I had arm pump and wasn’t able to push like I wanted to. I struggled to find a good rhythm and was making too many mistakes everywhere. The whole year has been difficult for me, I wasn’t able to train properly at the start because I had an infection in my knee and was off the bike for about four months. Slowly as the season went on, I was able to find my speed and obviously the highlight was my win at home at Hixpania Hard Enduro. I’m happy for Billy and the team for winning the championship and we’ll look ahead to next year now, get some good training done over the winter and keep fighting.”
Alfredo Gomez – 2021 GetzenRodeo
Taddy Blazusiak – P9
“It’s good to get the championship finished and to be here racing at Getzen. The last few months have been tough for me with the injury to my shoulder and although I haven’t had much time on the bike, I’m glad I was able to come here to Germany and race. Today was ok, this morning went well, and I qualified safely but then I struggled a little this afternoon as things got really slippery out on track. I came in to swap my rear wheel early on and that cost me some time, but I felt better after that. Then, towards the end of the race, I crashed pretty badly. Luckily, I was ok, but the bike wasn’t too good, I flattened the front pipe, and I wasn’t able to continue. It was a good experience and amazing to be a part of this new world championship – the whole year has been great with some really cool races. Congratulations to Billy, he deserved it. I’ll look ahead to the indoors now and focus my training to be ready for the first round in December.”
Taddy Blazusiak – 2021 GetzenRodeo
2021 GetzenRodeo Results
Pos
Rider
Man
Time
1
Manuel Lettenbichler
KTM
1:29:20.433
2
Billy Bolt
Husqvarna
1:30:16.852
3
Mario Roman
Sherco
1:32:05.524
4
Wade Young
Sherco
1:31:29.066
5
Jonny Walker
Beta
1:31:52.822
6
Alfredo Gomez
Husqvarna
1:32:37.808
7
Michael Walkner
GASGAS
1:30:46.348
8
Teodor Kabakchiev
Husqvarna
1:31:42.006
9
Sonny Goggia
GASGAS
1:33:45.546
10
Travis Teasdale
GASGAS
1:35:23.269
11
Dieter Rudolf
KTM
1:34:58.325
12
Kevin Gallas
GASGAS
1:39:36.585
13
Michele Bosi
KTM
1:43:36.081
14
Taddy Blazusiak
GASGAS
1:16:34.115
15
Dominik Olszowy
KTM
DNF
2021 Hard Enduro Standings
Pos
Rider
Man
Points
1
Billy Bolt
Husqvarna
104
2
Manuel Lettenbichler
KTM
104
3
Wade Young
Sherco
83
4
Mario Roman
Sherco
76
5
Jonny Walker
Beta
66
6
Alfredo Gomez
Husqvarna
63
7
Michael Walkner
GASGAS
46
8
Teodor Kabakchiev
Husqvarna
36
9
Taddy Blazusiak
GASGAS
29
10
Dominik Olszowy
KTM
24
2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Provisional Schedule
Ivano Van Erp of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC secured his third overall victory of the season at the round of Trentino after intense battles with the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing championship leader Valerio Lata of MRT Racing Team KTM and ASA United GasGas Racing’s Bobby Bruce.
In race one, it was Bruce who grabbed the holeshot from Lata, Scott Smulders of No Fear / Jumbo BT Racing Team, Andrea Viano and Van Erp. Bruce then pulled a 1.789 second lead over Lata as Van Erp got passed by Janis-Martins Reisulis.
Bobby Bruce and Valerio Lata
Viano then started to push Smulders who was looking to respond but then the Dutchman crashed. He eventually came back to 11th.
On lap four, Van Erp got by Viano for third as he also set the fastest lap of the race. The Yamaha rider was then around five seconds behind Bruce and Lata. But as the race progressed Van Erp caught onto the back of the pair and then we witnessed a three-way battle for the win.
Lata cut Bruce’s gap considerably as he started to apply pressure onto the Brit and Van Erp made the most of this opportunity as he made an attempt to pass them both.
On lap 12 Lata was the new leader and it didn’t take long for Van Erp to get around Bruce also, as the GasGas rider dropped to third. Van Erp then focused on Lata and the pair fought closely until the end of the race.
Van Erp took the lead on several occasions, but Lata was able to respond and steal the victory from Van Erp, while Bruce finished third ahead of Bence Pregel and Kay Karssemakers of Husqvarna SKS Racing NL.
Ivano Van Erp
In race two, it was once again Bruce who got the holeshot, but a mistake from the Brit allowed Lata to quickly take the lead ahead of Van Erp. But by the end of the first lap we saw Van Erp get around Lata as he led the Italian, Bruce and Lucas Coenen of 9MM Energy Drink Bud Racing Kawasaki.
Van Erp then led by 2.291 seconds as Coenen got around Bruce for third. The Belgian then also set the fastest lap of the race. Further down the field a few of the other riders were also making passes as Marc-Antoine Rossi of Tech 32 got by Alexis Fueri of Fantic Factory Team Maddii and Ferruccio Zanchi of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC got around Pregel for 12th.
Van Erp continued to lead, with Lata keeping close and Coenen third, but then with just a few laps to go Lata managed to get onto the rear wheel of the Yamaha rider and it was game on for the race win again.
The gap went down to just 0.817 but Van Erp was able to hold on to it and win the race just 0.610 seconds ahead of Lata as Coenen crossed the line third, while Bruce was fourth ahead of Rossi in fifth.
With a second and a race win, Van Erp finished the day on the top step of the podium while Lata finished second and Bruce was third.
Ivano Van Erp
Lata continues to lead the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing championship standings 20 points over Bruce, while Karssemakers is a further 20 points behind. The European 125cc Championship will continue on Tuesday for the round of Pietramurata.
Ivano Van Erp – P1
“I felt good all day long in free and time practice. In the first race my start was not so great, and I had to come from seventh place, just got my concertation and got to third I think. Then I saw on my pit board eight seconds to Bobby and Valerio. I managed to cut the gap and have a nice battle in the end of the race with Valerio and then in the second race I had a better start and then on the second lap I passed Valerio, had good focus for the rest of the race to take the win so I am very happy.”
Valerio Lata – P2
“Today it was quite difficult in the races but I had a good first race and took the victory and then in the second race I got a good start but Ivano was very fast, so I finished second. Now I’m ready for the next race here in Pietramurata.”
Valerio Lata
Bobby Bruce – P3
“We got two good starts today which was really good. I led a good amount of the race in the first one and just tensed up a bit. We didn’t really have so much time in between the races to get a good bike set-up, but I feel we’re making good progress. In the second race I felt good but the guys in front just had better pace today. I am excited for Tuesday to do it all again.”
EMX125 Trentino 2021 Results
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
R1
R2
Total
1
Van Erp, Ivano
NED
YAM
22
25
47
2
Lata, Valerio
ITA
KTM
25
22
47
3
Bruce, Bobby
GBR
GAS
20
18
38
4
Coenen, Lucas
BEL
KAW
9
20
29
5
Karssemakers, Kay
NED
HUS
16
12
28
6
Fueri, Alexis
FRA
FAN
13
14
27
7
Pergel, Bence
HUN
KTM
18
8
26
8
Smulders, Scott
NED
HUS
10
15
25
9
Puig, Victor
ESP
YAM
12
13
25
10
Reisulis, Karlis Alberts
LAT
YAM
14
11
25
11
Rossi, Marc-Antoine
FRA
KTM
8
16
24
12
Viano, Andrea
ITA
HUS
15
4
19
13
Kees, Valentin
GER
KTM
5
7
12
14
Escandell, Elias
ESP
GAS
7
5
12
15
Reisulis, Janis Martins
LAT
KTM
1
10
11
16
Gallego, Antonio
ESP
GAS
11
0
11
17
Zanchi, Ferruccio
ITA
YAM
0
9
9
18
Cazal, Xavier
FRA
KTM
3
6
9
19
Garcia, Francisco
ESP
HUS
6
1
7
20
Mikula, Julius
CZE
KTM
4
0
4
21
Haution, Diego
FRA
HUS
0
3
3
22
Lusis, Roberts
LAT
KTM
0
2
2
23
Turaglio, Nicolò
ITA
KTM
2
0
2
EMX125 Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Lata, Valerio
ITA
KTM
221
2
Bruce, Bobby
GBR
GAS
201
3
Karssemakers, K.
NED
HUS
186
4
Van Erp, Ivano
NED
YAM
164
5
Coenen, Lucas
BEL
KAW
148
6
Smulders, S.
NED
HUS
140
7
Rossi, M.
FRA
KTM
130
8
Zanchi, F.
ITA
YAM
110
9
Coenen, Sacha
BEL
KAW
110
10
Osterhagen, H.
NOR
FAN
95
11
Sanchez, Raul
ESP
GAS
95
12
Reisulis, K.
LAT
YAM
94
13
Cazal, Xavier
FRA
KTM
91
14
Viano, Andrea
ITA
HUS
81
15
Fueri, Alexis
FRA
FAN
80
16
Puig, Victor
ESP
YAM
78
17
Escandell, E.
ESP
GAS
77
18
Rossi, Andrea
ITA
KTM
51
19
Mikula, Julius
CZE
KTM
46
20
Monne Viles, A.
ESP
KTM
37
21
Pergel, Bence
HUN
KTM
35
22
Ruffini, Luca
ITA
KTM
34
23
Canet, Edgar
ESP
GAS
32
24
Gutierrez, P.
ESP
GAS
29
25
Petit, Adrien
FRA
YAM
26
26
Valk, Cas
NED
HUS
24
27
Duhamel, N.
FRA
KTM
24
28
Nickel, Cato
GER
KTM
23
29
Haution, Diego
FRA
HUS
21
30
Kees, Valentin
GER
KTM
21
31
Bennati, M.
ITA
HUS
20
32
Salvini, N.
ITA
HUS
16
33
Werner, M.
GER
KTM
16
34
Garcia, F.
ESP
HUS
12
35
Gallego, A.
ESP
GAS
11
36
Reisulis, J.
LAT
KTM
11
37
Turaglio, N.
ITA
KTM
10
38
Karu, Romeo
EST
HUS
7
39
Johnston, B.
GBR
GAS
7
40
Aguilo Azorin, U.
ESP
KTM
6
41
Hindersson, K.
FIN
KTM
6
42
Mesters, B.
NED
KAW
5
43
Alonso, Marco
ESP
HUS
4
44
Vantaggiato, M.
ITA
HUS
4
45
Costa, Fabio
PER
GAS
3
46
Lusis, Roberts
LAT
KTM
2
47
Volpicelli, E.
ITA
GAS
2
48
Lobo, Sandro
POR
YAM
2
49
Israel, N.
CHL
KTM
1
50
Beernaert, B.
BEL
GAS
1
51
Stenberg, Nico
FIN
KTM
1
52
Giorgessi, T.
FRA
GAS
1
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Courtney Duncan crowned WMX 2021 Champion
Courtney Duncan has won her third consecutive FIM Motocross World Championship in Trentino, clinching the title in the first race of the day, and ending the season 31-points clear of runner up Nancy Van De Ven.
Courtney Duncan – Bike It MTX Kawasaki
Despite hitting the dirt last weekend, fracturing her finger and left with a nasty cut, nothing could stop Duncan in her final charge to victory, riding calculatingly for a championship winning third in the opening race. As carnage unfolded around her and her main competitor Italian Kiara Fontanesi went down after a collision with another rider, the Kiwi superstar rode through the finish flags with enough points to claim her third WMX winner’s gold plate.
Courtney Duncan
“It comes down to how much it means to you, and how much is on the line and how much you want to win it. I was definitely feeling a little anxious but as soon as I got to the line, the helmet went on and I felt pretty controlled out there. I was able to finish third which was good enough to win the championship in the first one, which was pretty crazy. I wasn’t expecting that. This year’s been really tough. We’ve had ups and downs. Along the way it hasn’t been a smooth run. I’ve made the best out of every situation and got as much points as possible.I got to share the victory with my team and Kawasaki and a couple of friends I have over here. It’s been awesome how there’s not so much Covid over here, so we had the whole team and fans watching this weekend. I wish I could say I was going home to New Zealand soon now that the season’s over but it’s difficult to travel at the moment so I might be a Brit for a few more months.”
Courtney Duncan – Bike It MTX Kawasaki
2021 WMX Final Standings – Top 10
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Duncan, C.
NZL
KAW
268
2
Van De Ven, N.
NED
YAM
237
3
Fontanesi, K.
ITA
GAS
227
4
Papenmeier, L.
GER
YAM
214
5
van der Vlist, S.
NED
KTM
197
6
Verstappen, A.
BEL
KAW
184
7
Valk, Lynn
NED
HUS
174
8
Andersen, Sara
DEN
KTM
159
9
Guillen, D.
ESP
KTM
154
10
O’Hare, T.
AUS
HON
112
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2021 MXGP of Trentino – Round 14 Report
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing dominated the MXGP of Trentino, Jeffrey Herlings topping the MXGP, while Tom Vialle won the MX2, with both riders going 1-1 for the win.
Jeffrey Herlings topped the MXGP in Trentino
Once again, both classes delivered on some intense battles and very close racing, especially in MXGP as the top four battled within just a few seconds of one another in both heats. This was a treat for the huge crowd of fans that lined the hard-pack circuit and who were keen to cheer on their favourites.
Riders will do it all again on Wednesday as the FIM Motocross World championship will continue with the MXGP of Pietramurata for round 15 of the series.
MXGP Race 1
In MXGP race one, it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer who grabbed the Fox Holeshot from his teammate Ben Watson, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings. Meanwhile Tim Gajser from Team HRC started around sixth position.
Tim Gajser
Watson then crashed which allowed Herlings through as Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre followed the Dutchman. Gajser then got around Prado as well for fourth and was the fastest rider out on track in one of the first few laps.
Febvre then looked for a way to launch an attack onto Herlings as the pair pushed on and urged on the leader, Seewer, who set his best lap of the race. Herlings kept it close to Seewer as Febvre and Gajser were also searching for an opportunity to pass.
Romain Febvre
The racing within the top four was extremely close, as the gap was just 2.573 between Herlings in first place and Gajser who was down in fourth.
Further down the field Prado, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff were having a good fight for fifth.
Glenn Coldenhoff
Herlings then close in on Seewer, who had Febvre closing in on him, who had Gajser chasing him down too… In the end Herlings made a nice move on the Swiss on lap 11 to take over the lead.
Prado then crashed but only lost three positions, finishing the race in 8th ahead of Mathys Boisrame who made his debut with Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team in the MXGP class.
In the end Herlings won ahead of Seewer and Febvre, with Gajser fourth after struggling to pass the Frenchman ahead of him. Coldenhoff had a good first heat to end in fifth place ahead of Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass.
MXGP Race 2
In the second heat, the Fox Holeshot went to JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi as a couple of riders got tangled up in the first corner, this included Olsen and Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Brian Bogers.
Herlings and Gajser started the race 12th and 13th, while Jacobi led Febvre, Coldenhoff and Honda SR Motoblouz rider Benoit Paturel. The German’s time in the lead did not last long as Febvre was in the driving seat by the end of the first lap. Coldenhoff went through as well.
Gajser then managed to make up some good positions as he got by Watson for fifth as Herlings followed through. The Slovenian then got around Paturel and set his sights on Jacobi who made it a little bit harder to pass, but by lap four he was ahead of the JM Honda rider. Herlings did the same not too long after.
Tim Gajser
Seewer had to fight through the field in the second race as he got around his teammate Watson for seventh. The Swiss made a couple of more passes and finished the race fifth, but it was not enough for a podium.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli had more bad luck in race two, as he also DNF’d the second race after struggling from his crash in race one.
Brian Bogers
Prado also struggled with Bogers and Jonass ahead of him. The two GasGas riders managed to come back to 12th and 13th, while Prado finished in 17th.
Febvre then started to come under pressure from Coldenhoff who brought the gap down to 1.920. Gajser also caught onto the pair and was looking for the perfect moment to pass. As the battle for the lead went on, it looked like Febvre struggled with arm pump as he started to make mistakes.
Romain Febvre
Herlings then joined the three-way battle for first as he took third from Gajser. Coldenhoff also made a pass as he moved into the lead on lap 12. The Dutchman led for five laps before being caught by his fellow countryman Herlings.
Gajser and Febvre then fought for third as the factory Honda rider was eventually able to secure the position after the pair made contact in one of the corners.
In the end Herlings was the race winner as Coldenhoff was able to fend off Gajser in third, while Febvre and Seewer rounded out the top five.
Tim Gajser
With two race wins, Herlings added a fifth GP victory in Trentino to become the most successful rider at this venue, with Coldenhoff and Gajser tied on points in second and third places. In fact, Coldenhoff, Gajser, Febvre and Seewer all finished with 38 points, while Herlings was on 50.
Herlings now leads the MXGP standings 24 points over Febvre, while Gajser is just three points behind.
Jeffrey Herlings – P1
“It wasn’t an easy one. In the first race Jeremy was leading, riding smooth and at a good pace so it was tough to pass him. But at one point I knew I had to go because the boys behind me started pushing, so I had to pass him. The second race, I was caught up a bit in the start. Tim and I were somewhere around 10th or 12th and we both fought our way back to the front. He was one place ahead of me. At one point we caught up to the leader and I managed to pass him. Then I had to defend and pass Romain. It was a tough run, but I am happy to have won. I feel like I am in a very good shape right now, but I should never underestimate the competition from Tim, Romain or Glen today. It can be anyone’s race. So, I will keep charging till the end. We are only 17 days away and a lot of things may happen during the last four races.”
Jeffrey Herlings
Glenn Coldenhoff – P2
“I have been struggling all year long except in Maggiora, so it’s good to be back on the podium. It’s been a very long and hard road. It’s good to be back here and I also feel like I belong here. I had a good feeling straight away this morning. I finished fifth in the first race. The second one was quite intense to say the least. In the beginning I was behind Febvre. I got so much pressure from behind, so I really had to do something. I managed to pass Romain and lead a few laps. I can tell you it was a great feeling. Definitely looking forward to having more battles like that. Jeffrey as we know is really strong lately. He passed me and I don’t think it’s a shame. It’s good that we have two more rounds here. I started this stretch on a positive note and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Tim Gajser – P3
“I did not have the best start in both races, so I had to fight my way back. Then I came to the top four and we were all riding at a similar pace so it wasn’t easy to make a pass. Overall, the speed was there. I think we have to work on the starts, to get better starts and to be in front and to battle for the win. Really looking forward to Wednesday. The gap in the championship is already quite big. But we know that anything can happen until the end. So definitely we will push hard until the end and try to win some races and GPs if I can and finish the season strong.”
Tim Gajser
Romain Febvre – P4
“Of course I am disappointed to miss the podium as we are four riders with the same number of points for second! The first race was pretty good; my start was not that good but I made some passes during the first lap and my rhythm was good but it was difficult to pass during the rest of the race. Second race I got a great start and took the lead on the first lap; I had good lap times until mid-race, then I started to make little mistakes and I didn’t really know which better lines I could take; Glenn, Jeffrey and Tim passed me and of course I’m disappointed, but that’s how it is and we’ll try to do better on Wednesday.“
Jeremy Seewer – P5
“Today was one of my best days so far this season. The bike seems to work well on this track, which is really positive. I feel good, I feel sharp and I am enjoying riding my bike. I am having a lot of fun; I am quick. I managed to get pole position, which is usually not my strong point. It was cool to get the holeshot and lead in the first moto for a while, and I was close to winning. Going into the second race I felt good, but was I got squeezed off the start and was very lucky not to go down. I clipped Jorge (Prado)’s back wheel and had to go straight. To recover to P.5 was great because I started last. It’s a shame I am not on the podium. We are with four riders on the same points, so let’s look at the positives, good points, and I’m looking forward to going racing here again in a couple of days.”
Mathys Boisrame – P6
“It was a good day for my first experience in the MXGP class! I posted the tenth fastest time in the morning but the first start was not easy and in the fourth corner I crashed with Cairoli! I was twenty-fifth and came back through to ninth which was not bad. The second start was similar but once more I came back to ninth. I am tired but satisfied with my riding and over the moon with a sixth overall at my first MXGP race.”
Mathys Boisrame
Pauls Jonass – P7
“After making some good progress in recent weeks I was a little disappointed with my riding today. Having said that, race one was ok and I moved into sixth with two laps to go so that was a good result despite not feeling my best. Then in race two I had a pretty big crash all on my own on the first lap so I was way down the field. It’s not an easy track to make passes on but I managed to salvage 12th so that wasn’t too bad. I need to work on a few things before Wednesday and my aim is to be back up front again.”
Ben Watson – P10
“I had good starts today and that is a positive point. It always helps. Around here, it’s really difficult to pass. I am still not feeling 100%. My ankle is not perfect, and in general, I’ve not had a lot of time on the bike since I’ve injured it, so I am a bit behind. I felt pretty good out on the track, I just had a couple of crashes in the first race, but in the second one, I was consistent with consistent laps. Overall, not a bad day.”
Jorge Prado – P13
“I gave everything I had. 100%. Even with a broken bone I was fighting for top five in the first moto. It was a pity about the crash with five minutes to go but I still managed to finish. I suffered a lot. I missed the start completely in the second moto and wasn’t happy about 17th but I cannot really fight in my situation at the moment. Hopefully it will be less painful on Wednesday. Starts count for so much here and I also want to make less mistakes like I did in the second moto.”
Jorge Prado
2021 MXGP of Trentino Results
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
R1
R2
Total
1
Herlings, Jeffrey
NED
KTM
25
25
50
2
Coldenhoff, Glenn
NED
YAM
16
22
38
3
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
18
20
38
4
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
20
18
38
5
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
22
16
38
6
Boisrame, Mathys
FRA
KAW
12
12
24
7
Jonass, Pauls
LAT
GAS
15
9
24
8
Koch, Tom
GER
KTM
10
13
23
9
Paturel, Benoit
FRA
HON
7
15
22
10
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
6
14
20
11
Olsen, Thomas Kjer
DEN
HUS
14
5
19
12
Lupino, Alessandro
ITA
KTM
11
6
17
13
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
13
4
17
14
Guillod, Valentin
SUI
YAM
0
11
11
15
Jacobi, Henry
GER
HON
0
10
10
16
Bogers, Brian
NED
GAS
1
8
9
17
Simpson, Shaun
GBR
KTM
2
7
9
18
Van Horebeek, Jeremy
BEL
BET
9
0
9
19
Wright, Dylan
CAN
HON
8
0
8
20
Tonus, Arnaud
SUI
YAM
4
3
7
21
Butron, Jose
ESP
KTM
3
2
5
22
Strijbos, Kevin
BEL
YAM
5
0
5
23
Locurcio, Lorenzo
VEN
KTM
0
1
1
2021 MXGP Standings – Round 14
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Herlings, J.
NED
KTM
555
2
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
531
3
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
528
4
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
457
5
Cairoli, A.
ITA
KTM
419
6
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
411
7
Jonass, Pauls
LAT
GAS
376
8
Coldenhoff, G.
NED
YAM
340
9
Lupino, A.
ITA
KTM
250
10
Olsen, T.
DEN
HUS
239
11
Bogers, Brian
NED
GAS
218
12
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
217
13
Vlaanderen, C.
NED
YAM
203
14
Van Horebeek, J.
BEL
BET
165
15
Jacobi, Henry
GER
HON
145
16
Van doninck, B.
BEL
YAM
120
17
Tonus, Arnaud
SUI
YAM
119
18
Forato, A.
ITA
GAS
108
19
Strijbos, K.
BEL
YAM
103
20
Simpson, Shaun
GBR
KTM
100
21
Jasikonis, A.
LTU
HUS
87
22
Paturel, B.
FRA
HON
86
23
Monticelli, I.
ITA
KAW
54
24
Koch, Tom
GER
KTM
53
25
Östlund, Alvin
SWE
YAM
50
26
Sterry, Adam
GBR
KTM
39
27
Locurcio, L.
VEN
KTM
36
28
Tixier, Jordi
FRA
KTM
33
29
Brylyakov, V.
MFR
HON
30
30
Boisrame, M.
FRA
KAW
24
31
Guillod, V.
SUI
YAM
24
32
Genot, Cyril
BEL
KTM
15
33
Gilbert, Josh
GBR
HUS
10
34
Butron, Jose
ESP
KTM
9
35
Wright, Dylan
CAN
HON
8
36
Bobryshev, E.
MFR
HUS
6
37
van Berkel, L.
NED
HON
5
38
Clochet, Jimmy
FRA
BET
4
39
Watson, Nathan
GBR
HON
4
40
Desprey, M.
FRA
YAM
3
41
Roosiorg, H.
EST
KTM
1
42
Gole, Anton
SWE
HUS
1
43
Lesiardo, M.
ITA
HON
1
44
Kellett, Todd
GBR
YAM
1
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Race 1
In MX2 race one, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle with the Fox Holeshot as he led Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant into the first corner.
Tom Vialle
Benistant then slipped to third as Isak Gifting of Diga Procross GasGas Factory Racing got around the Frenchman. Meanwhile further down the field, the championship leader Maxime Renaux from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing struggled out of the gate as he started the race down in 18th position.
Vialle continued to lead Gifting, Benistant and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts as Renaux climbed his way into 13th in the first few laps. The red plate holder then caught onto Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Rene Hofer and after passing him, shifted his focus on getting around Andrea Adamo of SM Action Racing Team YUSA Battery.
Rene Hofer
As Renaux struggled to pass Adamo, Beaton also joined the battle for eighth as he raced behind Hofer. It took Renaux four laps to pass the Italian, but he was eventually able to get it done on lap six.
Geerts then got by Benistant as he moved into third, while Tom Guyon of Team VHR KTM was having a great ride in 12th. He eventually finished the race in 13th position on what was a wildcard appearance in the MX2 category.
Jago Geerts
Benistant then crashed and struggled for the remainder of the race as it turns out he had an electrical problem with his bike. Meanwhile his teammate Geerts was applying pressure onto Gifting for second as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay de Wolf and Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez fought for fourth place. Fernandez ended up winning that fight.
Vialle then stretched his lead to 12.051 seconds as Gifting worked hard to keep Geerts behind him but as the race progressed, he succumbed to the pressure and let the Yamaha rider through on the last lap.
Tom Vialle
Vialle went on to win the race ahead of Geerts and Gifting, while Renaux managed to come back to sixth as local hero Mattia Guadagnini of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing struggled the entire race and could only manage 18th.
MX2 Race 2
In race two, it was again Vialle with the Fox Holeshot as Renaux went down in the first corner. The KTM rider led his teammate Hofer, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton, Geerts and Mike Gwerder of WZ Racing Team.
Tom Vialle
Fernandez then got by Gwerder, as Gifting started down in 11th position. He only managed to get back to ninth by the end of the race.
Renaux had a big battle on his hands as he started in last but was able to make some nice passes in the first few laps.
At the front of the field though, Hofer crashed out of second which allowed Geerts to move into second. Beaton was right there too as he clocked the best lap of the race as he was closing in on the two leaders.
Mattia Guadagnini
Guadagnini has a much better second race as he got by Guyon for seventh, while Renaux passed Honda Racing Assomotor Team’s Stephen Rubini. Gifting and Gwerder were next in his sights.
Benistant then crashed out of ninth position as he looked a little hurt while getting up. He continued the race to finish in 17th.
Geerts then started to close down the gap to Vialle and began to apply the pressure onto the leader. With two laps to go Geerts was within striking distance but could not find an opportunity for a pass and was forced to settle for second as Vialle went on to win the race. Beaton was third ahead of Fernandez and Hofer.
Jed Beaton
With two race victories, Vialle went on to win the MXGP of Trentino as Geerts got himself back on the box for second overall, while Fernandez celebrated his first GP podium in 12 races to finish third overall.
Renaux was eighth overall this weekend but continues to lead the championship by 92 points over Geerts and Vialle who moves to third in the standings and is just four points behind the Belgian.
Tom Vialle – P1
“It was a tough one. In the second race, Jago started third I think, and I had actually Rene behind me. I know he crashed because I saw him crash. Then Jago was second after 4 or 5 laps and I knew it was going to be a tough one. I tried to stay focused. I think I did a good race overall, not so many mistakes. It was a great weekend and started off really good right from the morning. I felt good on the track and also had two great starts, so everything was fine today. We all know it’s a nice area here. The track is also pretty cool. We still have two more races here, so I will try to have good starts, fight for the top position in the championship and try to close the gap as much as possible. That’s what I did today, and I will try to continue this way.”
Tom Vialle
Jago Geerts – P2
“I am really happy with the day. I felt really good in time practice. I had two solid races with two second places. The riding was really good, but we still need to improve the start a little bit. I think I started off fourth both times, but a really good start is needed on the track to seal the win. I just had a difficult period. Everything went well again since the second race in Spain, where I finished second. That gave me a real confidence boost. Then now two more second places so I am really happy with that.”
Ruben Fernandez – P3
“I did not feel really good at the beginning in practice. The track was slippery, and I did not find a good rhythm. But I had better start in both races where I was in the top 10. The first race was a bit worse. I then made my way into fourth during both heats. I am happy with the riding; it’s been calm and solid I would say. 4-4 for third overall, I’ll take it. I am happy to be back on the podium after the second round of the season. I had an injury in between, with no riding for three weeks. I came back in France and from there I have been improving and getting back on my feet, which I am really happy with.”
Jed Beaton – P4
“Overall, it’s been a good day and it ended with a strong result, but it definitely should have been better. If it wasn’t for a small crash in race one, I’m pretty sure I would have gotten on the overall podium, but I made a small mistake and it cost me big time. In race two I got another great start and I was putting together a strong race for the first half. I then made a few mistakes and lost the tow from the leaders, so I settled down, rode better lines, and secured third for fourth overall. I’m looking forward to Wednesday and my aim is to put together two solid races and get back on the box.”
Isak Gifting – P5
“It’s been a really positive day for me after not qualifying so well this morning. I had a great start in race one and it was awesome to be riding in clean air and up front with the top guys. I was in second for the whole moto and a little mistake on the last lap dropped me to third, but overall I was super-happy with that one. I didn’t get the best of starts in race two but I made it happen, making a lot of passes and ended up ninth for fifth overall. I’ll take a couple of days to rest now and I’m excited to be racing here again in a few days’ time.”
Isak Gifting
Kay de Wolf – P6
“After my big crash and breaking my nose last weekend I’m really happy with my results today. I really didn’t expect to bounce back like this and I made the best of it to finish sixth overall. I had great starts in both races and stayed out of trouble all day. My riding was solid today and I enjoyed myself out there, so I’m excited for Wednesday.”
Rene Hofer – P7
“The day began really well with 3rd place in qualifying but I had a top twelve start in the first moto and around this track you lose quite some time when you’re not at the front. I rode a solid race in P8. I was 2nd after Tom in the second race and could follow his pace for four laps and unfortunately, I made a small crash. I fell back to P5 and finished there. Riding-wise the day was pretty good and I had the speed for the podium. I’m looking forward to another two races here. I like the track, it’s not perfect but I like being here and will search for the podium again.”
Rene Hofer
Maxime Renaux – P8
“It was a tough day for me as you said. Actually, I felt really great in the morning. I had a really good lap time and finished second. Everything was on point and under control but then I really struggled in those two races. First start I was out of the top 20. I think I was 24th and fought as hard as I could. In the second race, I crashed in the first turn. I tried a different technique on the start, cutting a little bit more inside but I just lost the front in the first corner and touched the guys from the outside. Anyways, I just tried to fight my way back to the top and get as many points as I could because that’s all I could do. I finished eighth that race. Eighth overall as well, with 6-8. For sure, it was not the result we were waiting for, but I couldn’t make anything better today with my conditions and the way I started my races. It’s a strange feeling, but we’ll try to move on to better things and come back stronger on Wednesday with two good starts hopefully.”
Mattia Guadagnini – P12
“Probably the worst race of the year! It started with a big crash in Timed Practice and then I wasn’t feeling so great. I had a terrible start in the first moto and was trying to make some passes when I went down again. I lost the rhythm and just tried to get some points. Of course, 18th is not what I want. The second moto start was better and the whole race generally, even if I lost a few too many positions on the second corner for my liking. 7th was just OK and we’ll get better for the next GP.”
2021 AORC won’t crown champions with only two rounds run
Unfortunately, with no clarity provided by State Governments around the timing for the opening of state borders, the AORC Management Team has made the necessary decision to cancel the 2021 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championships.
As only two rounds of the 2021 AORC Championship were conducted and in accordance to the AORC Championship regulations, there will be no Champions awarded for any classes in 2021.
Quintanilla wins Rally du Maroc 2021 – Sanders third
While it was Walkner and KTM winning the war that was the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, the battle victory went to the Monster Energy Honda Team’s new recruit Pablo Quintanilla. On the final day of the rally the Chilean saw off his rivals to claim both stage and race victories.
The 166-kilometre final special stage went quickly for most of the riders still in contention for victory at this Rallye du Maroc. David Castera, race director, had designed a stage with very little navigation. With little movement of wind, the dust hanging in the air accompanied the riders throughout the journey, making it impossible for riders starting from the rear to make up time.
Pablo Quintanilla started in a fine position from which to attack Mathias Walkner’s lead. The Monster Energy Honda Team rider held a sufficiently strong pace to allow him to fulfil this main mission and capture the final stage of the Rallye du Maroc and overall rally victory.
Pablo Quintanilla – P1
“I am very happy with the victory. It was a very difficult week and I want to thank the whole team for the great job they did. It was fantastic for us. Personally, I felt very comfortable, I was riding with great pace, with good navigation and that’s very good for my confidence. I am also very motivated for the next objective, which is the Dakar. We are going to take a short break, rest, recharge our batteries and then we will concentrate on the Dakar.”
Pablo Quintanilla
Of the three championship rounds raced so far, Walkner has shown incredible consistency, finishing as runner-up at the high-speed Rally Kazakhstan, before taking the win in the contrasting conditions of the epic Silk Way Rally, held in Russia less than one month later. Now, with another podium result in Morocco, the experienced 35-year-old has shown he is clearly on form and will now be aiming to carry his winning momentum into the final round of the series in Abu Dhabi before focusing on the 2022 Dakar next January.
Matthias Walkner – P2
“It’s been a super cool rally for me. I set out this morning hoping to take the win, but I made a small mistake about halfway through that only maybe cost me a minute, but it was enough on the shortened stage to lose out. Second place overall is great though and to win the world championship title early is amazing. The team have been great all year, so a big thank you to them. It’s time to relax now and really enjoy the moment.”
Matthias Walkner
Aussie youngster Daniel Sanders secured third overall for his, and GASGAS’, first ever podium result in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. Even with a minor setback on day three, the Aussie turned things around on the final two stages, upping his pace and rapidly closing in on the leader to complete the rally just over five minutes short of the win.
Daniel Sanders – P3
“The last day is done and what a week it’s been! Opening the final stage was pretty cool. After around 80 kilometers the navigation became a bit more tricky so I had to slow my pace to make sure I was on the right path. I actually had a small crash in the dunes but I was up quick and straight back on a decent rhythm. I’m really happy to have finished third on this stage after opening and overall it’s been a great week. To end it with a podium and secure the first podium result for GASGAS in the world championship is really cool. Now I’m looking forward to the next race in Abu Dhabi.”
Daniel Sanders
Returning to competition following injury, KTM’s Toby Price put the all-new 2022 model KTM 450 RALLY through its paces in its competitive debut. Making changes and developing the bike as the event progressed, the experienced Dakar champion was pleased with the performance of the machine and look forwards to continuing at the next round in Abu Dhabi.
Toby Price – P13
“It’s good to get the last day done, and out of Morocco in one piece. I picked up a small penalty for speeding in today’s stage but all-in-all I can’t complain. It’s good to get the first one under the belt after being off the bike for so long and I’m looking forward to Abu Dhabi now to see what we can do there.”
Toby Price
Provisional Results Stage 5 Rally du Maroc 2021
QUINTANILLA Pablo CHI Monster Energy Honda Team 1:39’12
BRABEC Ricky USA Monster Energy Honda Team +0’17
SANDERS Daniel AUS Gas Gas Factory Team +0’18
PRICE Toby AUS Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team 0’37+
BRANCH Ross BWA Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +0’37
BARREDA Joan SPA Monster Energy Honda Team +1’05
HOWES Skyler USA Husqvarna Factory Rally Team +1’58
WALKNER Matthias AUT Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +2’36
VAN BEVEREN Adrien FRA Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +3’45
BÜHLER Sebastian POR Hero Motorsports Team Rally +4’51
Provisional Final Outright Overall Standings Rally du Maroc 2021 after 5 of 5 stages
QUINTANILLA Pablo CHI Monster Energy Honda Team 16:26’51
WALKNER Matthias AUT Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +1’59
SANDERS Daniel AUS Gas Gas Factory Team +5’27
BRABEC Ricky USA Monster Energy Honda Team +7’14
VAN BEVEREN Adrien FRA Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +18’01
BENAVIDES Luciano ARG Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing +34’03
BENAVIDES Kevin ARG Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +39’38
RODRIGUES Joaquim POR Hero Motorsports Team Rally +41’03
SHORT Andrew USA Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +41’53
CORNEJO José Ignacio CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +45’19
BARREDA Joan SPA Monster Energy Honda Team +48’12 13. PRICE Toby AUS Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +55’44
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Great Britain wins 2021 Speedway of Nations
Great Britain hero Robert Lambert dedicated the Lions’ famous Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations world-title triumph to injured star Tai Woffinden as 32 years of hurt ended in Manchester on Sunday.
British duo Lambert and Dan Bewley won the Grand Final 5-4 to send the National Speedway Stadium into raptures. Despite being beaten by Polish icon Bartosz Zmarzlik, the Lions filled second and third place after Maciej Janowski crashed dramatically on the first lap.
The Brits had not won a world team title since England lifted the 1989 World Team Cup at Bradford. Lambert, Bewley and under-21 star Tom Brennan were not alive 32 years ago.
Robert Lambert
“We did it for Woffy and gave him everything we could. Hopefully he is sitting at home proud in front of the TV watching this. Tai was texting our mechanics throughout the meeting and telling us things he could see from his perspective. It was good. We have had a hard weekend with Tai getting injured. But obviously we had a strong guy to come into the team in Dan. I was born in 1998. It’s the first time in my lifetime that I have seen Great Britain as world champions, apart from Woffy being a world champion as an individual. It’s a great feeling and I am going to treasure this gold medal for as long as I live. We did it with such a young team as well. Me and Dan went out and did the business in the last race at such a high level against the two best Poles in the world. It’s such a great feeling for us and also Team GB. I am very, very proud of everyone involved.”
2021 Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations champs Great Britain
Janowski was visibly heartbroken after his Grand Final fall as Poland took a third straight silver medal in the Monster Energy SON. While their wait for a world title goes on, he was still proud of a performance that saw the Poles top the heat score chart over two days, scoring an astonishing 74 points from a possible 84.
Denmark took the bronze medal, with Australia’s Max Fricke, Jason Doyle and Keynan Rew fourth.
Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final One and Two Combined Scores
GREAT BRITAIN 64: Robert Lambert 32, Tai Woffinden 14, Dan Bewley 11, Tom Brennan 7.
POLAND 74: Bartosz Zmarzlik 38, Maciej Janowski 31, Jakub Miskowiak 5.
SWEDEN 30: Philip Hellstrom-Bangs 24, Pontus Aspgren 4, Jacob Thorssell 2.
2021 FIM Oceania Speedway Championship cancelled
FIM Oceania and Motorcycling Australia regret to announce the cancellation of the 2021 FIM Oceania Speedway Championship, due to the continued uncertainly around COVID-19 border restrictions.
The Championship was initially scheduled for January this year and was rescheduled to December 28, at South Australia’s Gillman Speedway due to COVID-19 restrictions faced across Australia earlier in 2021.
However, due to the current border restrictions, and their impact on the event, including the many riders who are based in Europe who are impacted by travel restrictions, the tough decision has been made to cancel the FIM Oceania Speedway Championship.
FIM Oceania and Motorcycling Australia are pleased to announce that the 2022 FIM Oceania Speedway Championship will be held on December 28, 2022, at Gillman Speedway in South Australia.
The FIM Oceania Speedway Championship is one of the key international events for the Oceania region and we look forward to seeing some of world’s best speedway riders and great local talent battling it out to be named the FIM Oceania Champion in 2022.
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Herlings wins MXGP of Spain 2021
KTM’s Jeffrey Herlings topped the MXGP of Spain over the weekend, going 3-1 for the overall, with Jorge Prado runner-up on 42-points. Tim Gajser rounded out the podium on 40-points, just one in front of Romain Febvre.
Herlings now leads the MXGP class by 12-points, from Febvre, with Gajser a further three-points in arrears.
MXGP Race 1
In MXGP race one, it was Prado who grabbed the Fox Holeshot from Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff and Team HRC’s Tim Gajser. Herlings struggled in the start and was down in 11th position.
Romain Febvre
Having a brilliant start though was Honda SR Motoblouz rider Benoit Paturel who was fifth ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli. The 9-time World Champion was keen on getting around Seewer and the two even banged bars, but the Swiss was able to stay ahead.
Gajser then managed to pass Coldenhoff, as Herlings got himself into ninth just behind Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass.
Tim Gajser
Febvre charged his way onto the rear wheel of Prado as Gajser was keen on staying close and we saw something that has probably never happened before… Both Febvre and Gajser set the exact same lap time; a 1:51.692. The Frenchman then had Prado just 0.794 seconds ahead of him and the fight only intensified as the laps went on. Eventually by lap nine there was a change for the lead as the Kawasaki rider got into the driving seat.
Herlings looked stuck for a couple of laps as he couldn’t find a way past Jonass, but once he managed to do so, he quickly got by Cairoli too, but Paturel put of much more of a fight as he looked to defend his sixth place.
Tony Cairoli
Meanwhile Seewer was edging closer to his teammate Coldenhoff as he searched for an opportunity to take fourth. He eventually got it done but by that point Herlings was past Paturel and catching the pair fast.
At the top end of the field though Febvre had just got the lead as Gajser caught onto the rear wheel of Prado too. The Slovenian needed to find way around the Spaniard fast as Herlings was making good progress.
Glenn Coldenhoff
After passing Coldenhoff, Herlings then got by Seewer on lap 13 and then it was game on to get to the top three. This was when Gajser started to get frustrated behind Prado and started to make mistakes as the pair battled closely. The Honda rider went down but managed to pick himself up in third just a few seconds ahead of Herlings.
It didn’t take long for Herlings to fly past Gajser and third was the best he could do as Febvre went on to win his fourth race win of the season, with Prado finishing second, putting the struggles of the French Grand Prix well and truly behind him.
MXGP Race 2
In race two, Prado got the start once again as he led Gajser, Jonass, Herlings and Cairoli. But there was issue for the winner of the opening heat, as Febvre was way down the order.
Jorge Prado
Jonass, Herlings and Cairoli almost collided as they battled for third, but it was Herlings who won that fight. Jonass made a mistake and went off track which cost him two spots as Cairoli and his teammate Brian Bogers from Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing went through.
Herlings was also quick to get by Gajser as he set his sights on Prado who was 3.219 seconds ahead. But Gajser was looking to fight back as he kept it close to the Bullet.
Febvre was also making good progress as he managed to get himself into 13th position.
Herlings then set the fastest lap of the race as he got a little closer to Prado. Gajser was there too but was starting to come under attack from Bogers who was having a great ride.
Tony Cairoli
The battle between Prado and Herlings sent the Spanish crowd wild, as the Dutchman was applying immense pressure onto the young Spaniard. The fight went on for a few laps but eventually by lap 10, Herlings was able to make a nice clean pass on Prado to take over first place.
Jonass then got by Bogers for fifth, as Gajser chased Prado. While his focus was on the KTM rider in front of him, Cairoli managed to sneak up of the Slovenian and join the battle for third.
Tim Gajser
By lap 13, Gajser finally managed to get around Prado for second place and Cairoli was keen on doing the same. Of course we were treated to another battle of the teammates as the two came close on several occasions, but Prado was able to keep Cairoli behind him to secure third in the race.
Herlings went on to win, crossing the line 4.281 seconds in front of Gajser who improved upon his result in race two.
Jeffrey Herlings
Herlings secured his sixth GP win of the 2021 season as he took to the top step of the podium, while Prado celebrated second at his home round, with Gajser finishing third overall for the second weekend in a row.
Heading into the triple-header in Pietramurata, Herlings leads the championship by 12 points over Febvre as Gajser gets within three points of second position.
MXGP of Spain Overall
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
R1
R2
Total
1
Herlings, Jeffrey
NED
KTM
20
25
45
2
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
22
20
42
3
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
18
22
40
4
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
25
14
39
5
Cairoli, Antonio
ITA
KTM
14
18
32
6
Jonass, Pauls
LAT
GAS
15
16
31
7
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
16
13
29
8
Paturel, Benoit
FRA
HON
13
12
25
9
Bogers, Brian
NED
GAS
8
15
23
10
Tonus, Arnaud
SUI
YAM
12
10
22
11
Olsen, Thomas Kjer
DEN
HUS
10
9
19
12
Lupino, Alessandro
ITA
KTM
7
11
18
13
Coldenhoff, Glenn
NED
YAM
11
7
18
14
Vlaanderen, Calvin
NED
YAM
9
5
14
15
Van Horebeek, Jeremy
BEL
BET
5
6
11
16
Jacobi, Henry
GER
HON
0
8
8
17
Locurcio, Lorenzo
VEN
KTM
3
3
6
18
Simpson, Shaun
GBR
KTM
6
0
6
19
Brylyakov, Vsevolod
MFR
HON
1
4
5
20
Guillod, Valentin
SUI
YAM
4
0
4
21
Butron, Jose
ESP
KTM
0
2
2
22
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
2
0
2
23
Koch, Tom
GER
KTM
0
1
1
Jeffrey Herlings – P1
“We started well in time practice, but I don’t what what happened after the gate dropped. I had a bad turn, was around seventh or eighth and then we came back to thirteenth, then to tenth. It took me some time to get going. The first fifteen minutes were awful then the next fifteen were great, especially the last seven or eight laps. I couldn’t get the win, but I came from so far back. The second race was good, I was fourth after the start and then Tim made a mistake which allowed me to pass. Then there was Jorge who was having a great race and riding the best lines, so it was hard to pass him. Anyways, it was a great day after all and I am looking forward to Trentino where I will hopefully have a better start.”
Jeffrey Herlings
Jorge Prado – P2
“I love it. I love the fans. I think it’s the first time that I have so many fans because we couldn’t have a crowd in my previous home GP. They were amazing today and brought so much positive energy. I have never lived something like this my whole life. It makes me a very happy person to have all these guys supporting me. It was incredible, especially after this past week. It was difficult to get back in shape after the surgery. Thankfully I was able to recover quite quickly. I gave my all coming into this weekend like I usually do for every race. I think it was obvious that I was betting on having two good starts to win this GP. The starts went well, and I think it was difficult to pass me, and I will make sure it will be even more difficult in the next races, so I am really looking forward to that one.”
Tim Gajser – P3
“The speed was good today, and I was feeling great on the track, since the morning. I pushed a little bit too much in the first race and went off track and crashed. Then Jeffrey passed me. But for the second one, I managed to get a good start. Riding was good. I made a mistake and Jeffrey passed me. Then I tried to keep up and passed Jorge at the end. I tried to get closer to Jeffrey and we were kind of riding at the same pace, but I finished second. It’s good to finish on the podium and I am also very happy with my improvement at the start, which is what we were struggling with during the past couple of weeks. I am really looking forward to the next race. It’s nice to finally have the fans back. We can see over here for Jorge’s home GP that we had so many fans getting together for him and hopefully it will be the same for the last five rounds in Italy.”
Tim Gajser
Romain Febvre – P4
“I felt amazing on this track; it very well-prepared so the conditions were perfect already in the morning and I was happy with a third gate-pick. I got a good start in the first race, second behind Jorge Prado; I tried several times to pass him without success and I also made a few mistakes in the process but finally I passed him and put in several fast laps to make a gap. I was happy to win this moto but unfortunately my second start wasn’t so good and in the third corner I collided with other riders and crashed; I was under my bike so I lost a lot of time; I came back in the race last but I had good speed and was able to come back to seventh. Everything was OK apart from this crash; I was actually happy to finish seventh as I couldn’t imagine that was possible when I got back on my bike. Now we move to Arco; it is one of my favourite tracks and I expect more great results there to continue our challenge for the title.“
Tony Cairoli – P5
“A tough race today but I’m actually happy about my feeling, and my health is getting better. I didn’t have the same problem as the last few races where I had to ride with painkillers. The starts were important again and in the first moto I messed up. My pace was improving when I had a stone come into my boot; something very strange that has never happened to me before. I had to stop and open the boot because it was hurting a lot. So, I lost a couple of positions that I then fought to regain. I enjoyed riding this weekend and made the most of a good start in the second moto. I caught Jorge but never really had the chance to pass him. 4th was OK and we’ll take the positive thing about my chest and ribs feeling better, which means we’ll hopefully be even more competitive in Arco.”
Pauls Jonass – P6
“Overall it has been a really good weekend in Spain. My riding was good, my bike was good, and I finally found that intensity that I needed in the early part of the races. I had the second fastest lap time in race two, so I know I have the speed and if it wasn’t for a little tip over early on in that second race then I know it could have been better. I feel like everything is really coming together now and I’m going to Italy aiming for the podium.”
Pauls Jonass
Jeremy Seewer – P7
“Things are definitely improving for me. I struggled here in Spain last year on this track, so I feel that we’ve made a big improvement in terms of my riding and feeling on the track. Still, I hoped for more because I felt good and I had good speed and a good time in Timed Practice. I have something to work on in the first two turns because I get good starts, but it just seems that I am at the wrong place at the wrong time, so when I enter the first corner second, somehow in the chaos before turn two, I end up around sixth. After that, I pick it up quickly, but if you’re like me and not in top shape, it’s really hard to move forward to the front again because the racing is so close. You need to be 100%. I got solid points today. I did my best. I need to keep working on myself, keep pushing to improve my condition, and also with the team and the bike, we have some work to do to get back on the podium, so we will keep pushing.”
Brian Bogers – P9
“All day I felt great on my bike, and I had a good feeling on the track from the moment I went out for qualifying. Unfortunately, my start in race one wasn’t the best and I was struggling for around 20 minutes, but in the last 10 I felt really comfortable which gave a me good feeling for race two. My start wasn’t the best in the second moto either, but I managed to pass a lot of riders in the first few corners and rode a solid race to finish sixth. I was really happy with that one and now I’m much closer to the top 10 in the series so overall, it’s been a really positive day for me and the team.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – P11
“It was a tough GP but overall, I’m quite happy with the end result just because of the feeling I had on the bike. In the first race I was able to move forward and felt great, making passes and I found some good lines as well which really helped. I did actually exert myself a little but too much in that one as for race two I felt strong, I just didn’t have that last little bit to push like I did in race one. I would say it was a solid weekend and now it’s onto Arco next weekend. I know that track really well so I’m looking forward to three GPs there.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Glenn Coldenhoff – P13
“This morning we tried a few things and played with the set-up, but it was quite difficult with the limited time to do this. So, we didn’t get quite to where I wanted to be, but I tried my hardest. Every time I go out, I try my hardest. It felt okay in the first moto. I had a really good start. I was third and then moved to second. I had a few guys pass me and then I came together with Jeffrey (Herlings) and went down, so I only managed to finish 10th. My start was not as good in the second race, but still alright, and my riding and feeling was the same as in the first race. I also had another small crash and then was 14th. Honestly, not where I want to be or where we want to be. I am quite disappointed, but we will keep working hard to get back to where we should be.”
MXGP Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Herlings, J.
NED
KTM
505
2
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
493
3
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
490
4
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
440
5
Cairoli, A.
ITA
KTM
419
6
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
373
7
Jonass, Pauls
LAT
GAS
352
8
Coldenhoff, G.
NED
YAM
302
9
Lupino, A.
ITA
KTM
233
10
Olsen, T.
DEN
HUS
220
11
Bogers, Brian
NED
GAS
209
12
Vlaanderen, C.
NED
YAM
203
13
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
197
14
Van Horebeek, J.
BEL
BET
156
15
Jacobi, Henry
GER
HON
135
16
Van doninck, B.
BEL
YAM
120
17
Tonus, Arnaud
SUI
YAM
112
18
Forato, A.
ITA
GAS
108
19
Strijbos, K.
BEL
YAM
98
20
Simpson, Shaun
GBR
KTM
91
21
Jasikonis, A.
LTU
HUS
87
22
Paturel, B.
FRA
HON
64
23
Monticelli, I.
ITA
KAW
54
24
Östlund, Alvin
SWE
YAM
50
25
Sterry, Adam
GBR
KTM
39
26
Locurcio, L.
VEN
KTM
35
27
Tixier, Jordi
FRA
KTM
33
28
Koch, Tom
GER
KTM
30
29
Brylyakov, V.
MFR
HON
30
30
Genot, Cyril
BEL
KTM
15
31
Guillod, V.
SUI
YAM
13
32
Gilbert, Josh
GBR
HUS
10
33
Bobryshev, E.
MFR
HUS
6
34
van Berkel, L.
NED
HON
5
35
Clochet, Jimmy
FRA
BET
4
36
Watson, Nathan
GBR
HON
4
37
Butron, Jose
ESP
KTM
4
38
Desprey, M.
FRA
YAM
3
39
Roosiorg, H.
EST
KTM
1
40
Gole, Anton
SWE
HUS
1
41
Lesiardo, M.
ITA
HON
1
42
Kellett, Todd
GBR
YAM
1
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Maxime Renaux tops MX2 – Beaton on the podium
In MX2, only two-points separated Maxime Renaux and Tom Vialle, 47-45 points, while Australia’s Jed Beaton completing the podium. Wilson Todd also made an appearance inside the top ten, in ninth.
Renaux holds a significant lead on 535-points, with Jago Geerts and Mattia Guadagnini separated by a single point in second and third respectively, 427 to 426.
MX2 Race 1
The first MX2 race of the day saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle secured another Fox Holeshot as he led the way ahead of his teammate Mattia Guadagnini, Renaux and Isak Gifting of DIGA PROCROSS GasGas Factory Racing.
2021 MXGP of Spain
Renaux was quick to get into second, as his teammate Jago Geerts of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing started applying the pressure onto Guadagnini for third but came short.
Home rider Ruben Fernandez of Honda 114 Motorsports started well inside the top 10 and was going after Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton and later Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Rene Hofer. Beaton continued to move up the order as the race went on, getting by Gifting for fifth, who had dropped a few positions by that point.
Jed Beaton
Renaux then caught onto the rear wheel of Vialle, who was able to respond quickly and take the gap back up to 2.275 seconds, as Geerts dropped back to 13th. A couple of laps later, Renaux was back onto Vialle for the win as just 0.882 separated the pair, but again Vialle was able to respond and preserve that lead.
Fernandez was keen on putting on a good performance for the fans as he chased Simon Längenfelder of DIGA PROCROSS GasGas Factory Racing, eventually making the pass for eighth position. He was able to pass one more rider before the chequered flag fell to finish the race seventh.
Jago Geerts
Meanwhile Geerts found himself in trouble again, as he crashed out of 11th position, eventually finishing the race 13th which was costly for the championship.
At the top end of the field Renaux was keeping close to Vialle, but then lost a load of time on the KTM rider as the gap increased to 9.591 seconds. And while Vialle led Renaux, Guadagnini was having a pretty lonely race in third, as Beaton kept it steady in fourth ahead of Hofer.
Mattia Guadagnini
His teammate, Kay de Wolf of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing had a nice battle with Gifting for a few laps, before making a pass stick and finishing the race in sixth.
In the end, Vialle secured the race victory 6.972 seconds in front of Renaux, with Guadagnini third.
MX2 Race 2
In race two, Vialle continued to assert his dominance in the starts as he got another Fox Holeshot with Geerts and Guadagnini just behind. Renaux was there too as he got around Guadagnini for third, while Geerts took the lead from Vialle.
Kay de Wolf
Guadagnini came under more pressure as both Beaton and de Wolf got by the Italian pushing him down to sixth, but the KTM rider was able to retaliate and take back a spot from de Wolf not long after. The Dutchman then crashed and dropped out of sixth.
Renaux set the fastest lap of the race as he caught onto Vialle for second, while Guadagnini went down trying to get around Beaton.
Rene Hofer
Fernandez had another top 10 start in the second heat and was making good progress up the field. He eventually fought his way back up to fifth and that’s where he would also finish the race.
On lap nine, Renaux took second from Vialle and then it was a Yamaha 1-2 as Geerts led Renaux by 2.495 as the Frenchman worked away at the gap to the Belgian. By lap 13 we saw a change for the lead as Renaux jumped into first position.
Maxime Renaux and Jago Geerts
But the race was far from over, as Vialle had both Renaux and Geerts in his sights with four minutes plus two laps on the clock. The top three were then just within 2.401 seconds of each other. Vialle might have pushed too hard as he went down but was lucky to not lose any positions.
In the end, Renaux secured his 7th race win of the season, with Geerts crossing the line in second and Vialle finishing third. With a 2-1 result, Renaux took to the top step of the podium, as Vialle was forced to settle for second ahead of Beaton who had another solid day, going 4-4 for third on the podium.
Tom Vialle
Renaux continues to lead the MX2 standings with a healthy 108-point vantage over Geerts, while Guadagnini is just one point behind in third.
MXGP of Spain – MX2 Overall
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
R1
R2
Total
1
Renaux, Maxime
FRA
YAM
22
25
47
2
Vialle, Tom
FRA
KTM
25
20
45
3
Beaton, Jed
AUS
HUS
18
18
36
4
Guadagnini, Mattia
ITA
KTM
20
13
33
5
Hofer, Rene
AUT
KTM
16
15
31
6
Geerts, Jago
BEL
YAM
8
22
30
7
Fernandez, Ruben
ESP
HON
14
16
30
8
Benistant, Thibault
FRA
YAM
12
14
26
9
Todd, Wilson
AUS
KAW
10
11
21
10
Laengenfelder, Simon
GER
GAS
11
10
21
11
Haarup, Mikkel
DEN
KAW
6
12
18
12
de Wolf, Kay
NED
HUS
15
3
18
13
Mewse, Conrad
GBR
KTM
9
8
17
14
Rubini, Stephen
FRA
HON
7
9
16
15
Gifting, Isak
SWE
GAS
13
0
13
16
Facchetti, Gianluca
ITA
KTM
2
7
9
17
Pancar, Jan
SLO
KTM
1
6
7
18
Boegh Damm, Bastian
DEN
KTM
3
4
7
19
Farres, Guillem
ESP
GAS
4
2
6
20
Horgmo, Kevin
NOR
GAS
0
5
5
21
Adamo, Andrea
ITA
GAS
5
0
5
22
Polak, Petr
CZE
YAM
0
1
1
Maxime Renaux – P1
“It feels really good, and I am really happy with the day. The first race was good. I took a good start and tried to stick with Tom, but he wasn’t making any mistakes. He was riding really good. So, I couldn’t find any gaps and was able to satisfy myself with my position. Second race was really good. Had a good start again. I was third behind Jago and Tom then I could find the spot to make a pass happen and I went for it. As you said, it was a confidence boost. Really happy to be back at the top of the podium. So, everything is going really well, good advantage on the championship as well, getting good points. I just need to stay focused till the end and it will be good.”
Tom Vialle – P2
“It was a special day. The first race was pretty good, I had a great feeling on the bike and everything was fine. Another great start in the second race, but I just did not feel so good. Jago passed me in the first lap, I tried to follow him, then Maxime also passed me in the same place I believe. I felt better at the end and tried to pass Jago, then I crashed, so It was not a good race for me but I am pretty happy with how it finished. It’s not easy to win every race every weekend, you also need to accept coming second but I will try to be back at the top in the next race. I have closed the gap in the championship because Jago and Mattia didn’t have a great race today. So, the goal is to finish second if I can and always do my best.”
Tom Vialle
Jed Beaton – P3
“It was a pretty solid day. Quite happy I did not end up 4th. I have been finishing fourth a lot lately. But that’s on me. I need to be up there right from the start with these guys, because when I miss the start, I don’t put myself in a position to fight with them. They’re already 10 seconds ahead, which makes it impossible. Again, that’s on me and I need to work on that. The start is one of the most important things in Trentino and it won’t be easy to pass. But I will get going and hopefully put myself in a great position with a good start.”
Mattia Guadagnini – P4
“The day started quite badly with a big crash in Free Practice and I had to change the bike and wasn’t feeling too good, especially in Timed Practice. I had a good start in the first race and although I made an error and [Maxime] Renaux past me I ran some decent lines. It was a pretty lonely race in 3rd. I went too wide in the first corner of the second moto but too many mistakes, especially when I was trying to pass [Jed] Beaton for the podium. I jumped too long and lost control of the bike. I then tried not to lose many points and 8th was OK, even though I’m not happy with that second race. I should have been on the podium. We’re close for second in the championship and we’ll have plenty of home races now.”
Rene Hofer – P5
“A solid day: nothing more, nothing less. It was all about the position after the first lap. In both motos I got stuck behind some guys almost stopped in the ruts and lost a few places. My speed was good. I cannot be too disappointed. Perhaps I need to make some better line choices on the first laps. It was difficult to get a flow in the ruts here. Anyway, some decent points for the championship and we’ll try again next weekend.”
Rene Hofer
Jago Geerts – P6
“The first race today was just really difficult. My pace was not too bad, but honestly, I didn’t feel too good on the bike. Then I had two really stupid crashes. I hit a hay bale in one and then crashed on my own. In the second heat I was close to the holeshot and then almost led the whole race, but then Maxime (Renaux) passed me. I tried to pass him back on the last lap but, in the end, couldn’t make it happen. Overall, I felt much better on the bike. My speed was good, so hopefully it stays like this for the next races.”
Thibault Benistant – P8
“My day was not easy, but better than the last one. My riding was good, I felt great on the bike. I struggled a little bit off the start, so I had to work hard and give my all to come back. I made some nice passes today. Physically I felt good, and I also felt good on the bike too. So, I know I just need a good start and then I can stay upfront.”
Thibault Benistant
Simon Langenfelder – P10
“It’s been another good GP for me and I’m happy with my weekend and to be back inside the top 10 overall is where I should always be. I had a strange start in the first race, my jump from the gate was bad but I was able to get the power down and I came out of the first turn around fifth or sixth. I was a little surprised, but I’ll take it! I didn’t quite get the same start in race two and ended up 11th which was ok but overall, but it’s nice to put two motos together and go into the triple header in Arco with this positive result.”
Kay de Wolf – P12
“I was putting together a pretty decent GP but in the second one I had a pretty big crash and broke my nose. It was a struggle for the last two laps, and I ended up 18th for three points which may prove to be really important at the end of the season. After finishing sixth in race one I was confident of doing the same in race two, but crashes happen and it’s frustrating. Overall, I’m ok and I’ll be doing everything I can to be ready for next weekend.”
MX2 Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Renaux, Maxime
FRA
YAM
535
2
Geerts, Jago
BEL
YAM
427
3
Guadagnini, M.
ITA
KTM
426
4
Vialle, Tom
FRA
KTM
417
5
Beaton, Jed
AUS
HUS
395
6
Hofer, Rene
AUT
KTM
364
7
Benistant, T.
FRA
YAM
362
8
de Wolf, Kay
NED
HUS
331
9
Fernandez, R.
ESP
HON
292
10
Laengenfelder, S.
GER
GAS
230
11
Todd, Wilson
AUS
KAW
227
12
Boisrame, M.
FRA
KAW
223
13
Haarup, Mikkel
DEN
KAW
209
14
Van De Moosdijk, R.
NED
KAW
190
15
Gifting, Isak
SWE
GAS
183
16
Adamo, Andrea
ITA
GAS
163
17
Mewse, Conrad
GBR
KTM
129
18
Rubini, S.
FRA
HON
120
19
Pancar, Jan
SLO
KTM
99
20
Boegh Damm, B.
DEN
KTM
97
21
Polak, Petr
CZE
YAM
54
22
Facchetti, G.
ITA
KTM
45
23
Florian, Lion
GER
KTM
29
24
Horgmo, Kevin
NOR
GAS
26
25
Meier, Glen
DEN
KTM
26
26
Teresak, Jakub
CZE
KTM
18
27
Everts, Liam
BEL
KTM
15
28
Sandner, M.
AUT
KTM
15
29
Brumann, Kevin
SUI
YAM
14
30
Dickinson, A.
GBR
KTM
11
31
Hammal, Taylor
GBR
KAW
10
32
Goupillon, P.
FRA
KTM
10
33
Tropepe, G.
ITA
HUS
7
34
Wagenknecht, J.
CZE
KTM
7
35
Farres, G.
ESP
GAS
6
36
Lata, Valerio
ITA
KTM
6
37
Weckman, Emil
FIN
HON
6
38
Olsson, Filip
SWE
HUS
6
39
Scuteri, E.
ITA
TM
4
40
Petrashin, T.
MFR
KTM
4
41
Rizzi, Joel
GBR
HON
2
42
Congost, G.
ESP
YAM
2
43
Renkens, N.
BEL
KTM
2
44
Ludwig, Noah
GER
KTM
1
45
Nordström Graaf, A.
SWE
YAM
1
Ivano Van Erp tops EMX125 in Spain
Round five of the EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing championship has concluded in Arroyomolinos as Ivano Van Erp of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC went on to take the overall victory at the Spanish round of the series.
Ivano Van Erp
EMX Race 1
In the first EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing heat, it was Julius Mikula who got into an early lead ahead of Alexis Fueri of Fantic Factory Team Maddii, Scott Smulders of No Fear / Jumbo BT Racing Team and Karlis Alberts Reisulis of Yamaha Europe EMX125 MJC. Meanwhile the series leader Valerio Lata of MRT Racing Team KTM started in around 23rd position.
Nicolas Duhamel of Team VHR KTM Racing started well in fourth ahead of Kay Karssemakers of Husqvarna SKS Racing NL. Smulders was looking to take over the lead as Duhamel got into second.
Bobby Bruce passing Manuel Carreras Lopez
Mikula then led Duhamle, Smulders and Edgar Canet from RFME GasGas MX Junior Team, as Van Erp got around Bobby Bruce of ASA United GasGas Racing Team for fifth. Lucas Coenen of 9MM Energy Drink Bud Racing Kawasaki also got around Bruce, as the Brit dropped down to sixth.
The action within the top 10 was extremely close, as riders traded positions and battled intensely. Meanwhile further down the field, Lata ran into some troubles just as he was getting back within the top 10 and as a result fell to 32nd.
Duhamel was another rider to crash, which allowed Canet to get all over the back wheel of Mikula and challenge the Czech rider for the lead. As Canet took over first position, Mikula came under more pressure from Van Erp who moved into second and set his sights on the win. It took three laps for Van Erp to make a pass for the lead.
Lucas Coenen picked up his pace as he started to make good passes to move up the order. The Belgian then caught up with Bruce and was able to get around him for third. It took a few laps, but Coenen also caught up with Canet and took second from the Spaniard with four laps remaining.
Van Erp went on to win the race ahead of Coenen and Canet.
EMX Race 2
In race two, it was Pablo Gutierrez who took the holeshot from Nicolo Turaglio, Lata and Smulders. Lata was keen on making up for the 18th place finish in race one as he was quick to get around Turaglio and move into second.
Valerio Lata
Bruce and Karssemakers started the race in ninth and 10th, while Sacha Coenen of 9MM Energy Drink Bud Racing Kawasaki also started well in fourth. His brother Lucas Coenen was inside the top 10 too, but later crashed and dropped way down the order.
Gutierrez continued to lead Lata by 5.153 seconds, as Smulders dropped a few positions and then later made a mistake which allowed Bruce to move up to sixth. The GasGas rider then picked up another position as Van Erp went off track. Xavier Cazal from Team VHR KTM Racing was the next right in his sights, and he was able to also pass him and get into fourth place.
As Lata took the lead, further down the order, Lucas Coenen began his comeback as he got himself into 14th place, while his brother Sacha Coenen was getting in the mix with Lata and Gutierrez, gaining ground on both riders ahead. The Kawasaki rider was on track for his first podium finish, but his day ended in a DNF.
Lata then got ahead by 4.458 seconds over Gutierrez as Bruce picked up his pace and caught up with the Spanish rider. He needed to push hard but ultimately was able to get the job done to finish the race second behind Lata who was the race winner.
With a 1-4 result, Van Erp bagged himself his second overall victory of the season, with Bruce placing second overall and Lucas Coenen securing his third consecutive podium after coming back to eighth place in the second race.
Despite not finishing on the podium, Lata still leads the championship with an 11-point advantage over Bruce. Karssemakers is third just five points behind.
Ivano Van Erp
“It’s unbelievable. Two not-so-good starts. I came from 10th in the first one, I think. I was then able to take the lead after 15 minutes, which was very nice. In the second race, I believe I was 7th or 8th at the start, and I came from behind but also made a small mistake. I had to keep going and I saw on the pit board after 20 minutes that I had the overall, so I kept my focus and won the overall again. I train a lot, so I believe I can do it again. It’s a great feeling. I hope to get three great races in Trentino, we head there, and we’ll see what it brings. Thank you to everyone, my fans, family and sponsors.”
EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing – Overall Top 10 Classification
1. Ivano Van Erp (NED, YAM), 43 points; 2. Bobby Bruce (GBR, GAS), 40 p.; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KAW), 35 p.; 4. Pablo Gutierrez (ESP, GAS), 29 p.; 5. Kay Karssemakers (NED, HUS), 29 p.; 6. Valerio Lata (ITA, KTM), 28 p.; 7. Xavier Cazal (FRA, KTM), 27 p.; 8. Scott Smulders (NED, HUS), 27 p.; 9. Julius Mikula (CZE, KTM), 26 p.; 10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 25 p.;
EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing – Championship Top 10 Classification
Having got to grips with the demands and characteristics of intu-Xanadú Arroyomolinos the previous day for round four, the 25 youngsters contesting the final round of the series were back making laps around a special section of the MXGP layout for their last spin of the season.
Tobias Scharinger tops the Junior eMX podium
Hot sunshine beat down on the venue that was packed full of fans and spectators. The junior e-motocrossers loaded the gate with KTM SX-E 5, Husqvarna Motorcycles EE 5 and the GASGAS MC-E 5 electric machinery and the competition between Tobias Scharinger, Spaniard Eleu Jose and Austrian Elias Eder was particularly close.
In the first race of the day Scharinger, riding a Husqvarna Motorcycles EE 5, was able to defeat French junior Timotei Cez by more than three seconds. Jordan Cadenel was 3rd after the initial 7 minutes and 1 lap chase. In the afternoon and through deeper and bumpier ruts, Austria’s Scharinger had his hands full with rapid Spanish KTM SX-E 5 racer Logan Liberal Rodas. The native rider was able to pull away in the final two laps to stretch a five-second margin over Scharinger who went 2-1 on the day and therefore earned the overall victory as well as ownership of the series.
Scharinger will receive a brand-new motorcycle as his prize, and all participants in the full schedule will have a testing and training opportunity this winter with an MXGP factory team. During the campaign the champion and Eleu Jose split the spoils between them: Scharinger was quickest in Italy and the Spanish double while Jose ruled in Germany and France.
Tobias Scharinger
“My bike is a lot of fun and I really liked being able to ride on the MXGP tracks. It was great to win the series and I am really happy.”
As a showcase for the performance of KTM, Husqvarna Motorcycles and GASGAS electric motocross machinery and a staging point for the raw ability and enthusiasm of junior racers in an elite environment, the European Junior e-Motocross Series has been a notable success.
The first edition was initially oversubscribed and saw a spread of ages, nationalities and riders from both genders take part. Details for the 2022 edition will be released in the coming months.
The 2021 EnduroGP World Championship has wrapped up in France, with Brad Freeman claiming top honours with a 16-point lead and a win on the final day ensuring he couldn’t be toppled.
Cementing her status as one of motorcycling’s greatest competitors, Laia Sanz (GASGAS) won her sixth FIM Enduro Women World Championship with victory on Sunday. She adds this title to her 14th FIM Trial World Championship, won last month. The final world champion crowned for the weekend was TM’s Matteo Pavoni, taking the Enduro Junior title.
EnduroGP
With the majority of the senior enduro titles won on Saturday, the talking point for Sunday was about who would end the day as the FIM EnduroGP World Champion. With a 16-point lead over his closest rival, Brad Freeman held the upper hand and was determined to see things through.
After a steady start on the opening ACERBIS Cross Test to settle his nerves, Freeman pulled the pin thereafter to top the following CHAMPION Enduro Test and NERVE by JUST1 Extreme Test to take up the lead. Clearly focused on clinching the title with a win, he built up a healthy 20-second lead with two tests to go.
Remaining trouble free, Freeman ended his day as the race winner, but more importantly, the new FIM EnduroGP World Champion. Adding to his Enduro3 crown from Saturday, the British rider is now a seven-time FIM Enduro World Champion.
Brad Freeman
“I wanted to go for the win today to take the title. I knew ninth place would be enough to get the job done, but that’s not my style or how I like to ride, so I just went for it. With two tests to go I had a good lead and then rode it home. I’m so happy with this year and how it’s gone. I feel like there’s a massive weight lifted off my shoulders now. I’m the EnduroGP World Champion and that’s an awesome feeling!”
Brad Freeman – 2021 EnduroGP World Champion – Image by Future7Media
While Freeman had control over the race lead, behind him positions were changing. Steve Holcombe (Beta) was on form, winning the opening ACERBIS Cross Test and sitting in second after the fourth test. Also enjoying a great GP of France, Jaume Betriu (KTM) moved up to second after test five. Newly crowned Enduro1 champion Andrea Verona (GASGAS) was next to slot into second at the end of test six, a position he would hold until the end.
After a slow start, day one winner Josep Garcia (KTM) spent his day racing his way into contention to grab the final step of the podium from Betriu on the final special test. Although denied an EnduroGP podium, Betriu could still be pleased with his efforts in fourth, while Holcombe was close behind in fifth.
Josep Garcia
With Freeman crowned the EnduroGP champion, Garcia finished the championship in second, with Verona completing the top three.
2021 EnduroGP Final Standings
Rank
Rider
Nat
Bike
Total
1
FREEMAN Brad
GBR
Beta
217
2
GARCIA Josep
ESP
KTM
199
3
VERONA Andrea
ITA
Gas Gas
157
4
RUPRECHT Wil
AUS
TM
146
5
GUARNERI Davide
ITA
Fantic
125
6
HOLCOMBE Steve
GBR
Beta
119
7
BETRIU ARMENGOL J…
ESP
KTM
111
8
MACDONALD Hamish
NZL
Sherco
96
9
MCCANNEY Daniel
GBR
Sherco
56
10
WATSON Nathan
GBR
Honda
43
11
BERNARDINI Samuele
ITA
Honda
38
12
MAGAIN Antoine
BEL
Sherco
35
13
MCCANNEY Jamie
GBR
Husqvarna
35
14
OLDRATI Thomas
ITA
Honda
33
15
WOOTTON Joe
GBR
Husqvarna
28
16
REMES Eero
FIN
TM
19
17
SORECA Davide
ITA
Husqvarna
18
18
BOLT Billy
GBR
Husqvarna
17
19
CAVALLO Matteo
ITA
TM
17
20
ELOWSON Albin
SWE
Husqvarna
14
21
SANS Marc
ESP
Husqvarna
7
22
ESPINASSE Theophile
FRA
Honda
7
23
LUNDGREN Anton
SWE
Husqvarna
6
24
BLANJOUE Hugo
FRA
KTM
5
25
CHARLIER Christophe
FRA
Beta
5
26
EDMONDSON Jack
GBR
Sherco
5
27
FRANCISCO Enric
ESP
Sherco
4
28
PERSSON Mikael
SWE
KTM
4
29
BENGTSSON Filip
SWE
Husqvarna
2
30
WILKSCH Andrew
AUS
Husqvarna
2
31
R CRIVILIN Bruno
BRA
Honda
1
32
BASSET Antoine
FRA
Beta
1
Enduro1
With the Enduro1 title already wrapped up on Saturday, newly crowned champ Verona convincingly won the category for the 10th time this year. Fantic’s Davide Guarneri took second.
Andrea Verona
Antoine Magain (Sherco) edged out TM’s Matteo Cavallo by six seconds to claim third, while Davide Soreca (Husqvarna) completed the top five.
Andrea Verona
“Today has been a very good day for me. After taking the Enduro1 title yesterday, I was able to relax a little more today and I think it helped my pace. I was fighting with Ruprecht for third position in the EnduroGP overall standings and today I was able to finish second overall, which is an amazing result for me. I was just over 10 seconds from the overall win, so I’m very happy with that. It has been an incredible year, changing teams early on, and getting used to the bike, but I was able to find my pace, and the results have been really good. Thanks to the team for all their work. I’ll get some rest now, but then we’ll soon be preparing for next year.”
Andrea Verona
2021 Enduro1 Final Standings
Rank
Rider
Nat
Bike
Total
1
VERONA Andrea
ITA
Gas Gas
232
2
GUARNERI Davide
ITA
Fantic
206
3
BERNARDINI Samuele
ITA
Honda
148
4
MAGAIN Antoine
BEL
Sherco
144
5
SORECA Davide
ITA
Husqvarna
131
6
R CRIVILIN Bruno
BRA
Honda
96
7
CAVALLO Matteo
ITA
TM
77
8
TINKLER Kade
CAN
KTM
65
9
ESPINASSE Theophile
FRA
Honda
55
10
CHARLIER Christophe
FRA
Beta
53
11
BENGTSSON Filip
SWE
Husqvarna
37
12
BURUD Kevin
NOR
Yamaha
33
13
MIRABET Kirian
ESP
Honda
32
14
OLIVEIRA Luis
PRT
Yamaha
28
15
PERSSON Mikael
SWE
KTM
24
16
SCOTT James
NZL
Honda
23
17
VENTURA Diogo
PRT
Beta
15
18
DE CLERCQ Till
FRA
Husqvarna
13
19
HUEBNER Edward
DEU
KTM
12
20
ROSSE Jonathan
CHE
Yamaha
9
21
SALIN Roni
FIN
Husqvarna
8
22
LOFQUIST Franz
SWE
Yamaha
7
23
CROUZET Quentin
FRA
Sherco
5
24
SANDSTEDT Anton
SWE
Sherco
3
25
MIKKELSEN Mikkel
NOR
KTM
1
Enduro2
The fight for the final Enduro2 victory of the season was a close one. Holcombe started out in a determined mood and led for the majority of the day. After special test six of nine, 2021 Enduro2 champion Garcia had managed to reel Holcombe back in and with momentum growing worked his way into the lead on test seven.
Josep Garcia
With Garcia pulling clear for victory, Holcombe took a strong second. The fight for third was incredibly close, with Honda’s Nathan Watson beating Sherco’s Hamish MacDonald by eight tenths of a second. Will Ruprecht (TM) completed the top five.
Josep Garcia
“After winning the E2 Championship yesterday, I knew I still had a lot of work to do today, and my goal was to try and get the very best result I could. I started off well, but then had a big crash in the first enduro test that cost me a lot of time, and I hurt myself too. I was able to carry on, but then in the next cross test, I had another crash that put me behind even further. After that, I re-focused for the rest of the day and won three of the last tests. After losing time early on, to take third in EnduroGP and win Enduro2 today is really good. It’s frustrating not to take the EnduroGP title this year, but after being away from the series for three years, I’m really pleased that I came back and took these results. The beginning of the year was tough for me – it took me a while to get up to speed and of course the level is very high. After making a few mistakes in the first couple of rounds, I knew I had to change my mindset and the way I raced. It all came together at the ISDE this year, and after winning that, I was a lot more confident coming into the final rounds of the world championship. I’m pleased with second in EnduroGP, and of course to win my second title in Enduro2 is great, but I know I have the speed to win, so I’m looking forward to next year already.”
Josep Garcia
2021 Enduro2 Final Standings
Rank
Rider
Nat
Bike
Total
1
GARCIA Josep
ESP
KTM
221
2
RUPRECHT Wil
AUS
TM
185
3
HOLCOMBE Steve
GBR
Beta
170
4
MACDONALD Hamish
NZL
Sherco
155
5
WOOTTON Joe
GBR
Husqvarna
102
6
REMES Eero
FIN
TM
98
7
OLDRATI Thomas
ITA
Honda
91
8
EDMONDSON Jack
GBR
Sherco
76
9
WATSON Nathan
GBR
Honda
59
10
ELOWSON Albin
SWE
Husqvarna
58
11
LUNDGREN Anton
SWE
Husqvarna
55
12
ABGRALL David
FRA
Husqvarna
45
13
KUTULAS Nicolas
ARG
KTM
44
14
SNOW Alex
GBR
Honda
42
15
GOTTS Josh
GBR
TM
32
16
BLANJOUE Hugo
FRA
KTM
28
17
BOLT Billy
GBR
Husqvarna
26
18
POHJOLA Eemil
FIN
Honda
14
19
LETTENBICHLER Manuel
DEU
KTM
9
20
RAQUIDEL Julien
FRA
Beta
8
21
SPANDRE Mirko
ITA
Gas Gas
6
22
HANSSON Rikard
SWE
Gas Gas
5
23
BEAUD Alexis
FRA
Husqvarna
4
24
MAX Vial
FRA
Beta
4
25
SALVINI Alex
ITA
Honda
3
26
WAHLSTROM Erik
SWE
Gas Gas
3
Enduro3
With his Enduro3 crown safely defended on Saturday, Freeman secured a clean sweep of wins in 2021 with victory on Sunday. Delivering an impressively strong ride in France, Betriu comfortably placed as runner-up to Freeman.
Brad Freeman wrapped up the E3 title on Day 1
Sherco’s Daniel McCanney joined them on the podium with third, while Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna) and Marc Sans (Husqvarna) were fourth and fifth respectively.
2021 Enduro3 Final Standings
Rank
Rider
Nat
Bike
Total
1
FREEMAN Brad
GBR
Beta
240
2
BETRIU ARMENGOL J…
ESP
KTM
202
3
MCCANNEY Daniel
GBR
Sherco
174
4
MCCANNEY Jamie
GBR
Husqvarna
158
5
BASSET Antoine
FRA
Beta
118
6
SANS Marc
ESP
Husqvarna
111
7
WILKSCH Andrew
AUS
Husqvarna
85
8
MARINI Thomas
SMR
TM
56
9
FRANCISCO Enric
ESP
Sherco
48
10
MORONI Rudy
ITA
KTM
31
11
REDONDI Giacomo
ITA
Gas Gas
18
12
GAUTIE Vincent
FRA
Beta
18
13
BLAZUSIAK Tadeusz
POL
Gas Gas
17
14
WICKSELL Jimmy
SWE
Beta
15
15
BRECHETEAU Jean
FRA
Beta
13
Enduro Women
Rewriting the history books once more, Laia Sanz (GASGAS) became the FIM Enduro Women World Champion with a race win on Sunday. Returning to the championship having last won the title in 2016, Sanz was simply outstanding throughout 2021.
Laia Sanz
Claiming her fifth win of the season out of a possible six, Sanz’ sixth Enduro title, added to her FIM Trial and Rally achievements, makes her one of the most decorated motorcycle riders of all time.
With conditions dry and dusty in France, Laia produced a masterclass on day one, increasing her lead in the championship standings to 13 points, and carried her speed into Sunday to again dominate and take the win by an impressive 47 seconds.
Laia Sanz
“It’s been an amazing weekend, I’m really happy. Coming into this final round I had a small advantage at the top of the standings, so I knew that two good days should be enough to take the championship. After winning yesterday, my lead going into today was even greater, so I was able relax – maybe too much on the first test. I felt good and so I pushed a little harder on the second lap. But anyway, to get the title is amazing and of course, this season I have won two, so it has been a fantastic year.”
Laia Sanz
With Sanz crowned champion, the battle for vice-champion went down to the wire between Mireia Badia (GASGAS) and Jane Daniels (Fantic). Daniels held a one-point advantage over Badia starting the day, but with Badia beating Daniels by three seconds she ended the season in second.
2021 Enduro Women Final Standings
Rank
Rider
Nat
Bike
Total
1
SANZ Laia
ESP
Gas Gas
115
2
BADIA Mireia
ESP
Gas Gas
99
3
DANIELS Jane
GBR
Fantic
98
4
ROWETT Rosie
GBR
KTM
67
5
GONCALVES Joana
PRT
Husqvarna
58
6
MARTEL Justine
FRA
KTM
52
7
HOLT Vilde marie
NOR
Gas Gas
50
8
VIEIRA Rita
PRT
Yamaha
47
9
ANTUNES Bruna
PRT
Gas Gas
40
10
BORG NILSSON Emelie
SWE
KTM
29
11
BRISEBARD Mauricette
FRA
Gas Gas
29
12
HOLMES Nieve
GBR
Honda
18
13
AKESSON Linnea
SWE
Husqvarna
18
14
VALL Kate
ESP
Sherco
18
15
LEMOINE Marine
FRA
KTM
15
16
CALVO Julia
ESP
Beta
7
17
WENNBOM Emma
SWE
Husqvarna
6
18
ROSSAT Audrey
FRA
Husqvarna
3
Enduro Junior
The final world title to be played out was in Enduro Junior, with Matteo Pavoni (TM) taking the crown. Pavoni held a comfortable points cushion over closest rival Lorenzo Macoritto (TM), and by ending his day in second to Macoritto did more than enough to clinch the title.
Matteo Pavoni
“It’s an amazing moment. Without the support of my family and team I couldn’t have won this title. I’m so happy with the result and how the year has gone.”
Matteo Pavoni – Image by Future7Media
Day one winner Jed Etchells (Fantic) finished third, with Bernat Cortes (GASGAS) just four seconds behind in fourth. Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) rounded out the top five.
2021 Enduro Junior Final Standings
Rank
Rider
Nat
Bike
Total
1
PAVONI Matteo
ITA
TM
217
2
MACORITTO Lorenzo
ITA
TM
203
3
LE QUERE Leo
FRA
Sherco
147
4
AHLIN Max
SWE
Husqvarna
127
5
ETCHELLS Jed
GBR
Fantic
110
6
NAVARRO HUERTAS Se…
ESP
Gas Gas
110
7
KYTONEN Roni
FIN
Honda
104
8
FARGIER Luc
FRA
Beta
73
9
VAGBERG Lucas
SWE
Yamaha
56
10
SPANU Claudio
ITA
Husqvarna
54
11
CRIQ Antoine
FRA
Beta
53
12
FISCHEDER Luca
DEU
Sherco
53
13
CORTES Bernat
ESP
Gas Gas
51
14
KOUBLE Krystof
CZE
Sherco
37
15
ZILLI Enrico
ITA
Honda
32
16
BARBOSA Ruy
CHL
Honda
31
17
RINALDI Enrico
ITA
Gas Gas
25
18
MORETTINI Manolo
ITA
KTM
19
19
WILLEMS Erik
BEL
Husqvarna
15
20
TOMAS FONT Pau
ESP
Beta
13
21
LJUNGSTROM Oskar
SWE
Husqvarna
10
22
JUUPALUOMA Peetu
FIN
Husqvarna
9
23
ALIX Antoine
FRA
Husqvarna
8
24
HALJALA Hermanni
FIN
TM
7
25
ADIELSSON Marcus
SWE
Beta
5
26
SANCHEZ Adria
ESP
KTM
3
Enduro Youth
Signing off his season in style, Albin Norrbin (Fantic) took his ninth consecutive victory of the season. Behind him the battle for the runner-up result was close.
In the end Harry Edmondson edged out Kevin Cristino by seven tenths of a second, in what proved to be a Fantic clean sweep of the podium. Leo Joyon (Beta) and Thibault Giraudon (Sherco) completed the top five.
