MXGP has returned for two back-to-back rounds, the first of which was the MXGP of Indonesia in Palembang, where it was Tim Gajser once again dominating the big bikes, with Jorge Prado likewise taking another round win, as the two continued to dominate, and in the very tough heat of Indonesia both red plate holders also built on their series points leads.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Around the very unique circuit in Palembang, both Gajser and Prado didn’t have it all their own way, both losing a race, Gajser going 1-2 and Prado also 1-2, however the final tally saw the pair do enough to claim the red plates into Semarang, also in Indonesia next weekend with a confident feeling.
Aussie Jed Beaton also had a strong weekend going 5-5 in MX2 for fifth overall for the round and tenth overall, while in MXGP Lewis Stewart went 15-14 and Adam Coles went 16-15 to claim 15th and 16th overall for the round, respectively. Mitch Evans crashed in MX2 Race 1 and sat out the remainder of the weekend.
Jed Beaton was the top Aussie performer at the MXGP of Indonesia
MXGP
On a regular basis Tim Gajser led into the first lap of the opening MXGP race taking the FOX Holeshot, followed by Jeremy Seewer and Glenn Coldenhoff. Also, up front were Max Anstie, Romain Febvre, Arnaud Tonus and Gautier Paulin while Arminas Jasikonis crashed and dropped back to 15th place. Anstie moved past Coldenhoff for third, and Jasikonis was able to get back into 13th.
Tim Gajser & Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Running a little harder Gajser moved to more than five seconds away from Seewer and Anstie started to put pressure on the second placed man. Febvre closed in to Coldenhoff while Anstie was on Seewer but as the French was frustrated as he made a mistake, Anstie passes Seewer for second but he was seven seconds behind Gajser, who seemingly was cruising up front and around the same time Jasikonis was all over Bogersfor 11th.
Five laps to go Febvre was charging in Coldenhoff for a long while managed to go through. Light rain began as the race continued. Gajser though wasn’t having any problems up front, and everyone held their positions. Gajser was victorious at race 1 in Palembang, winning it from Anstie and Seewer.
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
At the start of the second MXGP race it was again Gajser in the early lead taking his fifth FOX Holeshot of the season, followed by Anstie, who crashed in the first lap and dropped back to 10th place. Tonus was also in trouble as he trailed near last and then couldn’t get his bike going again.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Seewer was second, then Febvre, Paulin, Coldenhoff, Bogers and Jonass. Monticelli also crashed and went back in 19th place. After two laps the lead by Gajser was nearly three seconds and Febvre had moved past Seewer and was running hard to catch the leader.
On lap 3 Gajser made a mistake and Febvre and Seewer both went past and dropped the Honda man to third place, but the red plate owner was quickly back past Seewer, although Febvre held a six second lead after eight laps.
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Coldenhoff passed Paulin and Seewer at the last laps to finish Race 2 in third place, and Anstie was onto Paulin to fight for fifth position while Febvre was miles ahead of Gajser. That left Febvre wining his first race of the season and the first after the 2017 MXGP of Sweden, ahead of Gajser and Coldenhoff.
Glenn Coldenhoff – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Tim Gajser took the overall win with his 1-2 results while Romain Febvre took second and his teammate Jeremy Seewer rounded up the podium.
MXGP saw Tim Gajser take the overall win from Febvre and Seewer
Tim Gajser 1-2
“All day I really enjoyed riding the track. In the first moto I grabbed the holeshot and made a little gap and controlled the race. I had a lot of fun out there and managed to win the first moto. In the second race I didn’t have the best jump out of the gate so I got closed off on the straight, but as they ran wide, I was able to cut inside and take another holeshot. On the fourth lap and went off the track, and my rear tyre spun on the dusty ground and I had a little crash. I re-joined the race in third place, but managed to pass Jeremy immediately. I saw that Romain was riding a really good pace out front so I decided to settle for second place and to win another overall. Obviously I’m still happy with how the day went and my standing in the championship.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Romain Febvre 4-1
“It’s been too long since I last won a race. It’s been hard and I have wondered what I am doing, but finally it’s in and I have done it, but still I am second overall, and I would like to win the Grand Prix. It’s always nice to win races, but I want to stand on the top step of the podium. It feels like it has been so close this season, but I miss it by just a little bit. I hope that it is coming, and I look forward to going to Semarang next weekend because I like the track there, it is fast and nice to ride, so I hope for good weather, good starts and then it will be good.”
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Jeremy Seewer 3-4
“I’ve been really consistent this season and this is what I have wanted to do. I have shown at the last GP’s that I am a threat to the podium, just some small mistakes cost me coming into here. I have had many good races this year and I feel good on the bike. I am really happy with my consistency even though I didn’t start the season the way I wanted to. I am happy I got on the podium here in such tough conditions, I managed to post two good results with two good starts. I know that there are places that I can improve, and I will work on these, but for now I am happy that I am here and I am happy with the way things are going.”
Romain Febvre & Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Gautier Paulin 7-5
“The weekend started well. The track was cool and really tacky, I managed to post the fastest time. In the first race I didn’t get the best start and we are all really close in speed on the track, so it was difficult to pass. At one point the guys got away and I secured seventh. The second race was challenging because I had a small issue on the sighting lap, so I started a little bit stressed out. I got a normal start, I was third around the corner and I finished fifth although I had a small issue with the front brake, but no excuse, I felt good on the bike so I am really looking forward to the next round. We will keep our head up and continue to push. I really want to thank the Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP team for all of their hard work and support.”
Pauls Jonass 7-8
“I made a mistake in the qualification race on Saturday and crashed heavily on my shoulder, which made the whole weekend difficult for me. It’s really frustrating as I felt good on the track. I guess I was lucky it wasn’t a serious injury, but I banged my shoulder hard and that made it tough today – I didn’t have the power I needed for the ruts, braking bumps and landings from the jumps. But I did the best I could. I got a decent start in the first race then went a little wide in the second turn. After that I couldn’t push like I wanted to because of my shoulder. I made a few passes but eighth wasn’t what I wanted. Race two was similar – I couldn’t go any faster. It was a little bit of surviving, getting the most championship points possible. I’ll rest now and go again next weekend.”
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Brian Bogers 12-8
“The day didn’t really go as I wanted, especially the first moto. The first five or six laps felt okay and I was riding with the fast guys but then the heat hit me really bad and I couldn’t push anymore. I felt pretty bad about that so I really wanted to try harder for race two. I got out of the gate really well and from the beginning I was pushing even harder than the first moto. I didn’t want to save myself because that isn’t a good mindset and it seemed to work because even when I got a little tired with the heat, I could still keep pushing. I ended up with a twelfth and an eighth for eighth overall so that’s not too bad but I still want to do better.”
Brian Bogers – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Tony Cairoli – Injury Update
“It is sad to finish the championship this way and it hasn’t happened too many times in my career. When I tried to ride last week I knew I had some problems but I wanted to stay positive about the recovery. I had more scans in Belgium and the injury was much worse that we thought so they told me to have surgery right away and it was the best solution to get healthy again in the fastest way. Thanks to the team and to the fans for the support. I hope to visit a few races before the end of the season and will now concentrate on getting better.”
The FIM Motocross World Championship dropped into Kegums, Latvia for Round 9, where Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado put on a repeat performance of the Russian MXGP, to claim the wins in their respective classes. The result sees both red-plate holders continue to build their standings leads, and marked Prado’s 24th GP win, with Gajser bagging his 20th.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Latvia 2019
In the MXGP class, Romain Febvre took runner up, with Arnaud Tonus third. MX2 saw Jago Geert as runner up with Thomas Kjer Olsen filling the final podium spot.
In MX2 Aussie Jed Beaton went 10-13 for 10th overall earning 19 championship points, while Mitch Evans had a rough weekend going 9-22 to finish 15th for the round. Evans sits seventh in the standings as a result, while Beaton is 13th.
With a mix of sunshine and overcast skies, a large crowd and the always beautiful Kegums circuit made sure there was more than enough positives to leave the circuit satisfied with the racing and results. Unpredictable racing combined with electric crowd attendance and incredible weather was the cherry on the cake of an epic MXGP of Latvia.
MXGP
Amazingly the winner of the MXGP qualification race on Saturday, Jeffrey Herlings crashed in the warm-up lap and his injured foot was run over by Arminas Jasikonis, causing the Dutchman a lot of pain prior and during the opening MXGP race. It was later learnt that Herlings had broken his ankle, that injury obviously saw him pull out of the second MXGP race.
Jeffrey Herlings took the FOX Holeshot in the opening MXGP race but got past straight away from Antonio Cairoli. The pair of Red Bull KTM riders were followed by Arnaud Tonus, Romain Febvre and Tim Gajser who got past by Febvre at lap 2.
Jeffrey Herlings leading the MXGP Race 1 start – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Tonus moves past both Herlings and Cairoli and Herlings then also went past Cairoli for second and was looking stronger as the race moved into the second half.
Tonus had extended his lead to more than three seconds over Herlings, but then Herlings started closing ground on Tonus for the lead and it was clear the Dutchman wanted to take the win. Cairoli had also pushed harder to get away from Febvre.
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Latvia 2019
It was a brilliant battle the one Tonus and Herlings put on a show for the Latvian crowd, then he swept up the inside of Tonus and then around the outside for the race lead. Herlings won Race 1 from Tonus and Cairoli.
As the gate dropped at the second MXGP Race Jeremy Seewer led the second MXGP race from Tonus and Gajser, but then the race lost yet another rider with Cairoli crashing out hard and injured his shoulder, he could not continue the race, luckily no major issues are reported for the moment and more details on his injury conditions will be communicated shortly.
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Seewer continued to lead with Tonus and Gajser battling for second just behind and close enough to the leader, the three of them think about the race win. Gajser managed to move into second place and started to push Seewer and look for a way into the lead. It seemed just a matter of time before the HRC rider would take the lead and on lap 12 he did just that. Seewer though was not about to hand the race win to the red plate owner.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Febvre moved past Tonus and the chance for a GP victory for the time being was gone for the Swiss rider. Gajser, Seewer and Febvre were all close together in the final lap of the race, Febvre blasted past Seewer for second, but it was Gajser who won the race and the overall followed by Febvre and Tonus, all of them with 40 points
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Local hero Pauls Jonass experienced a tough Latvian GP as did his teammate Arminas Jasikonis. Jonass fell down in race 1 dropping to 28th but managing to finish 17th while Jasikonis was forced to finish the race earlier due to a technical issue.
Tim Gajser – P1
“I’m really happy because I really didn’t expect this after yesterday’s performance. I had 18th gate pick after a horrible crash and I wasn’t feeling great in that first moto today either. I couldn’t find good lines or a good rhythm so I was only able to finish sixth. In the second race I had an even better start and although it took a few laps, I passed my way into the lead with about 10 minutes remaining. I’m really happy to win another overall and a big thanks to all of the team who work so hard, because that hard work is really paying off so a big thanks to everyone. Still there are a lot of races to go so I will continue to go into each GP trying to have fun, giving my best and hoping to come out on top and remain leading this MXGP championship.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Romain Febvre – P2
“I finished on the same points as the overall winner, so I am happy but disappointed at the same time. This weekend didn’t start so well, I didn’t feel comfortable on the track yesterday, but it was much better today. I made some changes to my bike and I really want to thank my team Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP for the work they are putting in. It has not been long since my injury and I have already been on the podium twice, so I am happy with that.”
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Arnaud Tonus – P3
“I have to be happy with this weekend. It is a bit frustrating to come this close to the win, we fight hard for this so to be on the same points as the winner but miss it, it’s tough. We will keep working. It still feels great to be on the podium, so I need to thank my team and all of the people around me. I will enjoy this podium finish a lot and keep fighting for the win in the future.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Jeremy Seewer – P4
“I had an amazing weekend, probably the best this year even though I was on the podium last weekend but not this weekend. I still finished on the same points and I was able to lead a lot of laps which was really cool. I got passed on the last lap, ‘chapeau’ to my teammate Romain, he was riding really fast on the last and we were able to catch Gajser. It was a great battle and I really enjoyed this weekend podium or not. I am really looking forward to Germany, it is one of my favourite tracks, so it is going well at the moment and I want to keep moving in this direction and fighting for more podiums.”
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Gautier Paulin – P7
“I have had two big impacts at the previous two GP’s and this has affected my physical condition, so I felt this weekend was tough with my energy levels being very low. The Qualifying Race was not good for me with two crashes, but even with a bad gate-pick the team have given me a really good bike, so I managed to get decent starts, but I just didn’t feel 100% today. To take the positives away from the day today, I had two consistent races with no crashes, so I will build on this to get back to the level where I should be.”
Gautier Paulin – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Tony Cairoli – P11
“On Saturday I had the Flu and a fever, and my arm was not as strong as I wanted after the crash in Russia. I could battle with the guys for first position in the first moto but then I got a bit tired and settled for third, which was good for the championship. In the second moto I was fourth and trying to follow [Arnaud] Tonus. I had quite a big crash and when I stood up I felt my shoulder was out. My hope is to be ready to at least start next week in Germany. I don’t want to give up at all and I want to be there as much as possible for the championship.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Latvia 2019
Dirk Gruebel – Red Bull KTM MX2 Team Manager and Technical Co-ordinator
“The MX2 boys did outstanding today but MXGP started very weirdly with Jeffrey’s crash on the Sighting Lap. We had to straighten the bike and he then rode great and won the race: this was also outstanding. Afterwards we found out he had another small fracture in his leg and he was unfit to continue, so we had to call it a day. Tony went down hard in the second race and dislocated his shoulder so it was a hard ending to the day.”
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Gajser and Prado Win MXGP of Russia
The seaside venue of Orlyonok, Russia hosted round eight of the FIM World Motocross Championship last weekend and the drama filled weekend saw not only a heap of sensational racing but we now have a new MXGP championship leader after Tim Gajser dominating the class while Jorge Prado extended his MX2 championship points lead.
MXGP of Russia 2019
MXGP Report
The drama actually started on Saturday when championship leader Antonio Cairoli crashed during the qualifying race and landed hard on a crusty rut only to get up holding his back before retiring from the race but the plucky nine-time World Champion was on the gate for moto one on Sunday morning.
MXGP Start – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
On a fast and slick circuit Gajser not only earned his third MXGP overall in three rounds via double race wins but he now owns the MXGP Championship leader’s red plate while Arnaud Tonus took second overall with his 2-2 finishes ahead of fellow Yamaha rider Jeremy Seewer who scored his career first MXGP podium overall.
Tim Gajser
“I am feeling really good but both races were really tough because Arnaud was really fast and pushing. Overall, I am happy winning again and thanks to everybody at Honda, the bike is just amazing. Three races ago I was more than 40 points behind Tony and now I have the red plate.”
Tim Gajser celebrates the win – MXGP of Russia 2019
Arnaud Tonus
“It wasn’t easy to fight for the lead, but I was super happy that I had quite starts so I could fight from the beginning and come quite close to Tim. I went for it and really wanted to pass him but made a small a mistake, it happens. I am happy I went for it anyway and could recover to finish second which is great, I am super thankful and super happy because 3 podiums in a row is amazing.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jeremy Seewer
“It is amazing to make it on the MXGP podium, it just feels a lot harder than even any of MX2 wins. It is a lot of work and a lot of fast guys so it feels really good. It is amazing to have two Swiss guys on the podium it hasn’t happened in the history of motocross in Switzerland and to do it on two Yamahas is even better.”
Jeremy Seewer
Cairoli battled hard all day to go 13-4 for eighth outright to now be 13 points shy of Gajser as far as the championship goes while Jefferey Herlings was on hand in his first race of the year to end the day with very respectable 4-7 moto results for fourth overall.
Jeffrey Herlings
“I had a serious injury and it has been tough to get back here, mentally and physically, and with a lot of pain for a long time. I did not expect this result here today especially on this track. So to be close to the podium again feels pretty beautiful. I like the track in Latvia but I don’t have any firm expectations and I will not forget where I have come from to get to this point. Having said that we’ll always try to fight for a podium spot when we can!”
Jeffrey Herlings – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
Tony Cairoli
“A very difficult weekend and of course the crash from yesterday did not help as it meant I was totally on the outside for the gate pick. I was riding very stiff and by missing the start it is almost impossible to make a good result on this track; everybody is riding at a similar speed. We lost the red plate but the positive is that I’m not badly injured, and we saw some big crashes today. We walk away a bit banged-up but we will re-group and look to Latvia, which is a nice track, and to regain some points.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
MXGP Overall Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 44
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 36
Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 32
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 32
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 31
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 29
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 27
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 24
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 22
MXGP Championship Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 351 points
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 338
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 231
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 220
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 212
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 208
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 206
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 172
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 170
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 168
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MX2 Report
Despite a poor start Prado won the opening moto narrowly from Thomas Kjer Olsen, Jago Geerts, Tom Vialle and Mitchell Evans while Jed Beaton cake home in 12th after a poor start but in the second moto Prado earned the holeshot and took off like a cut cat to take an easy win over Kjer Olsen, Geerts. Michele Cervellin, Vialle, Ben Watson, Beaton, Henry Jacobi, Maxime Renaux and Evans.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Russia 2019
Prado now leads the championship over Kjer Olsen by a clean 20 points while Evans is 6th in the points, just two behind Vialle while Beaton sits 14th in the points despite missing two of the eight rounds due to injury.
Jorge Prado
“I felt pretty good this weekend, the track was hard but I felt good getting the Saturday Qualifying Race win and today I was in the back of the pack so I had to make my way up to the front, but I had good speed and fought all the way to the end to get the win. I am happy and looking forward to the next round.”
MX2 Podium – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“I felt good all weekend. Yesterday in the Qualifying I felt really good then we made some changes on the bike to make it feel really comfortable on the hard pack. Overall, I am happy I got to lead some laps, felt great on the bike, and everything so I am looking forward to Latvia for sure.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jago Geerts
“It was a really solid weekend for me, I was really happy with the starts, I had three good starts this weekend which is positive for the rest of the season. Next weekend is Latvia, one of my favourite tracks but the goal is the same, to be on the podium, so we’ll see.”
Mitchell Evans
“In the first moto I got off to a good start and just kind of rode my own race, so stayed in fifth the whole race. I tried to follow the leaders, but they just had a little bit more pace. I was struggling with the speeds on the track and just how slippery it was. In moto two I had a really bad start, around twentieth or something, and on a track that was really hard to pass on I made my way to tenth. I was really happy with my riding this weekend. My pace was a little bit off, but we know where we can improve. I have just got to focus on making my starts better. I am looking forward to Latvia.”
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jed Beaton
“I’m really happy with the way the GPs gone. Obviously, I needed a little bit of time off following my crash in Portugal and to come back after being unable to race in France and get two solid results is great. I did three good days of riding before coming to Russia, so I was confident things would go well because I felt good and importantly was pain free. The opening moto didn’t start too well, I got a bad start so had to work really hard. I went from outside the top 20 to 12th and put in a lot of effort. I was feeling the hard work in the second moto but made some good passes. I’m really pleased with seventh. I feel like I’m where I should be and now that the Portugal crash is behind me I want to build on these results starting with the Latvian GP next weekend.”
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Russia 2019
MX2 Overall Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 44
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 40
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 34
Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 30
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 27
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 26
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 26
Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 26
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 23
MX2 Championship Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 347 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 327
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 257
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 236
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 216
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 214
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 210
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 169
Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 157
Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 132
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Moosdijk and Kellett win EMX in Russia
Roan Van de Moosdijk and Todd Kellett have won the EMX250 and EMX2T classes respectively at the Russian round of the FIM Europe Championship at Orlyonok last weekend.
EMX250 Report
Despite Van De Mooslik taking the overall with 2-1 moto results it was Stephan Rubini who rode to 3-1 finishes and subsequently took the red plate from former championship leader Alberto Forato who struggled to 14-4 moto results but it was a solid round for Aussie Caleb Grothues who went 9-9 for ninth overall.
EMX250 Start – MXGP of Russia 2019
Rubini now holds a two-point lead over Forato with four rounds remaining while Grothues sits 14th in the points despite missing the Italian round due to injury.
EMX250 Overall Top Ten
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 47 points
Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 45
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 42
Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 29
Jeremy Sydow (GER, HUS), 29
Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 28
Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 28
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 25
Caleb Grothues (AUS, YAM), 24
Raivo Dankers (NED, YAM), 22
EMX250 Championship Top Ten
Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 165 points
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 163
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 144
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 110
Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 96
Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 88
Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 88
Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), 74
Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 73
Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 70
EMX2T Report
The EMX2T overall win was the first for Kellett with 1-2 moto results while Brad Anderson’s second overall gives him the championship leader’s red plate by eight points over Mike Kras while Kellett sits third some 21 points back from Anderson.
EMX2T Podium – MXGP of Russia 2019
EMX2T Overall Top Ten
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 47 points
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 45
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 42
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 36
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, YAM), 31
Charlie Putnam (GBR, KTM), 29
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 26
Max Buelow (GER, KTM), 26
Robert Holyoake (GBR, HUS), 26
Lurii Lukash (RUS, HON), 23
EMX2T Championship Top Ten
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 163 points
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 155
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 142
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 127
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 124
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 88
Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 86
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, YAM), 70
Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 60
Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 59
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Walsh Blitzes Finke
KTM’s David Walsh has put on a riding clinic at the 2019 Tatt’s Finke Desert Race winning the three-leg event by just under five minutes from Honda’s Jacob Smith who in turn had the best part of a three-minute gap back to third placed Husqvarna rider in Beau Ralston.
KTM celebrated the Finke win with David Walsh
Almost 600 bike and quad competitors slogged their way through the prologue plus the 500km run from Alice Springs to Finke and back but it was Walsh who dominated all three days to claim his maiden win in convincing fashion with an overall time of 3 hours and 56 minutes.
2019 was Walsh’s 12th Finke race recording a best finish of second three-times previously (2018, 2014 and 2012) so the Alice Springs local was visibly emotional when he took the chequered flag, with the crowd erupting in cheer as he crossed the Start/Finish line in first position.
David Walsh
“I’m just completely blown away and I’m over the moon with getting my first win here at Finke. It’s truly a credit to the North Star Pastoral KTM Desert Racing Team, because without those guys, I wouldn’t be here. They work around the clock and it’s like a big family – I can’t thank them enough for their efforts. Getting down to Finke with a five-minute lead made it easier for me, I knew I could probably get through the rough stuff a bit easier coming home, and that’s what I did. I’m so happy to finally get it after the 12 years that I’ve been trying and it’s an amazing feeling.”
David Walsh – 2019 Finke Desert Race
Callum Norton
“A silly crash just two or three minutes out of Finke cost me this weekend and bit me hard, everything was hurting pretty bad, so I just had a breather there before getting going again. Straight away I thought it was over, but once I got to the next stop the boys told me I wasn’t too far behind, so that gave me a boost. I just kept pushing on, started seeing dust and every time I saw dust, I got excited again. I was sore as hell, but I just kept pushing to get it home so I could rest up. I crossed the line fifth, which was good. I’m pretty happy with it, considering what happened.”
Callum Norton – 2019 Finke Desert Race
Jacob Smith
“Six weeks ago, laying in a hospital bed here in Alice Springs with a few injuries, I’m just so happy to be here on the podium. I knew David had a fair gap and five minutes is a long way, so I was trying to just keep my position today and go as hard as I could so the guys behind didn’t catch me. I made some time at the second fuel stop, so I just coasted into town and didn’t do anything silly.”
Jacob Smith – 2019 Finke Desert Race
Beau Ralston
“I’m stoked to finish, let alone get on the podium after my last couple of years being injured. The Schwarz Husqvarna Desert Team has put in a huge effort to get us out here this year and I really appreciate it. I was over two minutes behind Jake and I was fresh, so I thought I was going to have a good crack at reeling him in, but I didn’t anticipate what the cars were going to do to the track. I had some really hairy moments, so I just backed off to get home in one piece for a podium finish.”
Beau Ralston – 2019 Finke Desert Race
2019 Finke Top Ten Outright
Walsh, David – 03:56:01.0
Smith, Jacob – 04:01:00.4 +00:04:59.4
Ralston, Beau – 04:03:57.7 + 00:07:56.7
Simpson, Jack – 04:09:38.7 + 00:13:37.7
Norton, Callum – 04:14:19.5 + 00:18:18.5
Davie, Sam – 04:15:25.4 + 00:19:24.4
Terry, Lachlan – 04:20:52.3 + 00:24:51.3
Grove, Mark – 04:23:23.4 + 00:27:22.4
Jones, Thomas – 04:28:43.2 + 00:32:42.2
Waters, Nicholas – 04:28:45.5 + 00:32:44.5
Husqvarna also put in a strong showing at the 2019 Finke Desert Race
Top 3 – Each Class Class 01 : 251cc and above Two Stroke
Pfitzner, Kyle
Russell, Benjamin
Handley, Samuel
Class 02 : 451cc and above Four Stroke
Walsh, David
Smith, Jacob
Ralston, Beau
Class 03 : Up to 250cc Two Stroke
Simpson, Kyle
Brierley, Mitchell
Foot, Danielle
Class 04 : Up to 250cc Four Stroke
Geale, Thomas
Elliott, Zoran
Wilson, Jarrod
Class 05 : 251cc to 450cc Four Stroke
Simpson, Jack
Norton, Callum
Grove, Mark
Class 06 : Masters 35 to 39 Years (Total 3)
Jones, Thomas
Stephens, Lee
White, Matthew
Class 07 : Seniors 40 to 44 Years
Faggotter, Rodney
Wilkinson, Brad
Stewart, Jason
Class 08 : Veterans 45 Years and Over
Bell, Matthew
Doyle, Neil
Hicks, Darby
Class 09 : Quads up to 40 Years
Van Vliet, Cooper
Bailey, Lachlan
Jackson, Andrew
Class 10 : Quads 40 Years and Over
Spiers, Craig
Beer, Richard
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Bou Wins GP of Japan
The Twin Ring Motego circuit hosted round two of the FIM Trial World Championship last weekend and predictably it was the defending champion in Toni Bou who won both days of competition to extend his early championship lead.
Toni Bou claimed the TrialGP of Japan win from Adam Raga and Takahisa Fujinami
Bou won both days over Adam Raga and teammate Takahisa Fujinami, so heading to the third round Bou has an 11-point lead over Raga who in turn has a nine-point lead over Fujinami.
Toni Bou
“Today we had a perfect trial in a perfect place. I’m very happy with my riding today. Having done this perfect trial here in Japan was really special. Thank all the team who have done a great job. We have prepared a lot for these first events and the results have been incredible, so I can’t be happier this weekend.”
Rider Standings after Round 2
BOU Toni – 60
RAGA Adam – 49
FUJINAMI Takahisa – 40
FAJARDO Jeroni – 35
DABILL James – 33
Brayton set to Defend SX Title
Three-time Australian Supercross Champion Justin Brayton has confirmed that he will be back to defend his 2018 title and once again he will be on the CRF450R with Penrite Honda Racing with the intension of making it four straight victories.
Justin Brayton
“I will be doing my best to bring home a 4th title. Riders learn from one another and we push to improve ourselves in an effort to get to or be at the top. I imagine some younger riders will be faster this year and some older ones will be hungrier as their careers are nearing the end. The championship in Australia goes from strength to strength, the venues continue to improve, as do the riders and teams and I am proud to have been a small part of it all.”
Justin Brayton – Image by Hoppenworld
The 3-time Champion has grown fond of Australia and has toyed with the idea of relocating here to live.
“It really is like a second home and this year will mark my 5th year in Australia. The country, the people and the racing are amazing and I appreciate how welcome my family and I feel when we come.”
Travelling the globe racing for more than 10 years, Brayton affirms retirement isn’t on the horizon just yet confirming there is still plenty left in the tank and his dedication and passion for racing remains.
Justin Brayton – Image by Hoppenworld
“I love racing and riding dirtbikes! Racing at home and around the world is still exciting for me and I get the same butterflies when I line up now as I did when I was younger. So long as it’s fun and I am competitive I aim to keep racing.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Epstein-Barr virus slows Covington
Multiple GP winner Thomas Covington has had a horror start to the 2019 AMA Motocross Championship with the Husqvarna rider logging overall finishes of 26th, 17th and 26th respectively over the first three rounds to sit 22nd in the 250 Class points standings.
In the way of explanation Covington posted this statement on social media:
“Sorry I’ve been silent to everyone as to what’s been going on the last few weeks. After seeing the doctor and having tests done this week, I’ve been diagnosed with Epstein-Barr Virus. I’ve been super tired and lacking strength for around a month now and really hit a wall last weekend in Colorado. That’s when I knew something had to be wrong. Doing everything I can now to be back to myself as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone’s continued support and a huge thank you to @rockstarhusky for helping me through this.”
Thomas Covington – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Musquin stays with KTM till 2021
KTM North America has extended Marvin Musquin’s contract with the French star remaining with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team for the 2020 and 2021 race seasons.
Marvin Musquin has spent the last 10 years of his professional career with the KTM brand and is continually a championship contender in the sport’s premier racing circuits. A true “Ready to Race” athlete and KTM brand ambassador, Musquin’s performance in North America has gained recognition amongst fans as a fierce competitor.
Marvin Musquin
“I am pleased with the extension of my contract with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team for the next two years. KTM and Red Bull have supported me immensely and I believe the product, team and the overall program will contribute to my future success.”
Marvin Musquin extends contract with KTM to 2020
Ian Harrison – Team Manager
“I have had the privilege of working with Marvin for nine years and he is a first-class guy that always gives his best, both on and off the track. The 2019 SX Championship proved what a tough contender Marvin is and I’m sure we will get to witness more of his talent in the years to come. I am so happy he has made the decision to stay with Red Bull KTM for the ’20 and ‘21 race seasons. On behalf of all of us at KTM, thank you Marvin, for continuing your journey with us.”
Roger De Coster – Director of Motorsports, KTM Group
“Marvin came over to the U.S. from the MXGP circuit for the 2011 season, which was the same time Ian Harrison and I joined the team and it is hard to believe that this is our ninth year working with him. During this time, Marvin won a 250SX East title, but more importantly, he has not finished off the podium in either the 450 SX or MX Championships and he is still improving every season. I am truly happy Marvin chose to extend his relationship with Red Bull KTM for two more years.”
The 29-year-old French rider has been with the KTM brand since 2009, where the rising star at the time captured back-to-back MX2 World Championships in ’09 and ‘10. In 2011, Musquin signed with Roger De Coster and the U.S. based Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team and by 2015 he captured the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship.
Since moving to the premier 450cc division in 2016, Musquin has accumulated eight AMA 450SX victories and seven AMA 450MX victories, while consistently maintaining a top-three position in the overall championships.
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Woffendin Injured
Defending World Champion Tai Woffinden has confirmed that he faces a month on the sidelines after an MRI scan revealed he suffered a broken TH4 vertebra and shoulder blade after crashing with Russian star Grigorii Laguta in heat one of Wroclaw’s PGE Ekstraliga trip to Lublin on Friday night,
Woffinden immediately withdrew from the meeting and was taken to Wroclaw to undergo further checks to ascertain the full extent of the damage to the neck vertebra and shoulder.
Tai Woffinden tweeted
“After leaving hospital last night and making a 500km trip to Wroclaw to see the spinal specialists and a MRI scan, it’s actually TH4 that is broken along with my shoulder blade. At this point I’m out for one month and we will see how much my neck has healed in that period.”
Tai Woffinden – Image by Warwick Hemy
It has been officially confirmed he will miss the ANLAS Czech SGP in Prague next Saturday and the Norrbil Swedish SGP in Hallstavik on July 6.
The news comes as a blow to his hopes of retaining the world title with Woffinden currently eighth in the standings on 15 points – 13 behind top two Bartosz Zmarzlik and Patryk Dudek.
SGP second reserve Max Fricke replaces Woffinden in Prague, while the news guarantees that first reserve Robert Lambert will also appear in both Prague and Hallstavik.
Webb injured
Extreme endure star Cody Webb tweaked his knee while dropping off a ledge in a technical rock section just days before heading to the world-famous Erzbergrodeo in Austria. Webb was determined to line up at the infamous event this year only to call it quits early into the race and spent the remaining time helping his KTM teammates through a challenging section of the course.
Cody Webb – 2019 Thunder Valley National MX
Webb has claimed two extreme enduro victories already this season, in addition to a heartbreakingly close runner-up finish in the 2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.
Cody Webb
“Being injured is always unfortunate, but I’m taking it as a positive. I intend to take rehab very seriously post-operation and will come back better and stronger than before. It’s a long road ahead, but I will make the best of it and am already excited about the thought of being back at the races.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
KTM take full ownership of KTM Australia and New Zealand
After 25 years of stable and successful business, Automotive Holdings Group (AHG) has sold the remaining 74 per cent share of its motorcycle importation business to the brands’ parent company KTM.
AHG has been the exclusive importer and distributor of the KTM brand for the Australian and New Zealand market since 1994, with the Husqvarna Motorcycles and WP Suspension brands joining the stable in recent years.
In 2017 KTM, which is Europe’s leading motorcycle manufacturer purchased a 26 per cent share of the AHG motorcycle importation business. It now moves to full ownership of both KTM Group Australia and KTM Group New Zealand.
The move to full ownership will see KTM Group Australia and KTM Group New Zealand become full subsidiaries of the Austrian company. Now selling more than 11,000 KTM and Husqvarna Motorcycle units combined, the Australian and New Zealand business has become the third largest market in the world for KTM and will now become the third largest subsidiary for the company.
Jeff Leisk – General Manager, KTM Group Australia and New Zealand
“What a journey it has been since our first AHG Dealer Conference in 1994 and there have been so many significant milestones along the way. I am extremely proud to have seen the KTM and Husqvarna Motorcycle brands go from strength to strength in both the Australian and New Zealand markets. We have built strong relationships with our dealers and our customers and this has been the key to our success. Becoming a factory owned subsidiary will increase the level of support that we can offer our dealer network, our staff and our customers, so I am excited about the next chapter.”
Jeff Leisk
Hubert Trunkenpolz – Chief Marketing Officer
“We are absolutely delighted with the outcome and our full ownership of KTM Group Australia and KTM Group New Zealand. This transaction once again reinforces our commitment to the Australian and New Zealand markets. This is a very positive development for the KTM dealer network and the KTM customer in both countries.”
The change will take effect from the 1st July 2019. While the change of ownership is a significant development for both the company and the market, there will be no impact on KTM Group staff or the established dealer networks for KTM, Husqvarna Motorcycles and WP Suspension.
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Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup hits Wollongong
November 9 will be a memorable night for 20 young hopefuls as the compete in the Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup during round three of the Australian Supercross Championship at WIN Stadium, Wollongong.
The 20 lucky juniors will be selected for this incredible experience from a mix of current YZ65 owners along with wildcard juniors who don’t currently own the model.
Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup
The junior riders get to experience what it’s like to be a professional rider and become guests of Yamaha’s factory race teams, which event promoter Troy Bayliss says will provide valuable insights into professional racing, including mentoring from CDR Yamaha Monster Energy factory riders and owner Craig Dack.
Troy Bayliss
“We are pleased to be able to provide the opportunity for junior girls and boys to experience Supercross within an incredible venue like WIN Stadium, and for them to do laps in front of thousands of fans will be something they will remember for a lifetime.”
Since releasing the YZ65 in 2018, Yamaha Motor Australia has given many junior riders the opportunity to compete side-by-side within select Australian Supercross Championship events and MX National rounds, including the first-ever YZ65 Cup at Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium during last year’s third round of the Australian Supercross Championship.
Matthew Ferry – YMA National Sales & Marketing Manager
“Our first YZ65 Cup experience at Supercross was in Geelong last year and the parents and kids enjoyed the full bLU cRU treatment, and to see so many happy faces and positive feedback we knew we wanted to offer this experience again this year within the Yamaha presented Round 3 of the Australian Supercross Championship at WIN Stadium. Spots are limited to 20 lucky riders available to YZ65 owners, plus Yamaha will also offer a few wildcard entries for non YZ65 owners to experience what it’s like to be part of the bLU cRU, it’s a money-can’t-buy experience.”
Troy Bayliss Events are committed to ensuring the future looks bright for Supercross in Australia, with further Championship junior classes to be announced in the coming weeks for the 2019 Australian Supercross Series.
Round 3 of the Australian Supercross Championship takes place at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Saturday November 9, with tickets available now via Ticketmaster.com.au
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Action aplenty at Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship
The Broadford circuit in Victoria last weekend hosted the Shannons 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship and by all accounts the racing was close and hard fought all weekend – see results below:
Australian Championship classes
Pre 75 Slider 263+
1st
26 Jody Mason
2nd
30 Brett Glover
3rd
101 Mark Herfoss
Jody Mason – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution Super Seniors 70+ All Powers
1st
13 Greg McLean
2nd
118 Bill Mitchell
Greg McLean – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution 16-29 years All Powers
1st
121 Aaron Stevens
2nd
257 Billy Ricardo
3rd
44 Doug Hayden
Pre 75 up to 125cc
1st
123 Ray Stevens
2nd
18 Jake Mitchell
3rd
2 Grant Dodd
Ray Stevens – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 70 263+
1st
6 David Gras
2nd
71 Adam Constable
3rd
17 Steve Constable
David Gras – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 Solo 263+
1st
101 Mark Herfoss
2nd
16 Damien Bombardiere
3rd
26 Jody Mason
David Herfoss – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution Womens All Powers
1st
89 Tayla Street
2nd
58 Brook Lonie
3rd
38 Janet Kelly
Taylor Street and Brooke Lonie – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 50-59 yearrs All Powers
1st
101 Mark Herfoss
2nd
216 Graeme Judd
3rd
123 Ray Stevens
Mark Herfoss – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution 50-59 years All Powers
1st
123 Ray Stevens
2nd
216 Graeme Judd
3rd
90 Simon Hampton
Pre 75 Solo 250cc
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
667 Luke Wilesmith
3rd
33 Rob Hayden
Brad Burns – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution Solo 263+
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
121 Aaron Stevens
3rd
24 Chas Hern
Evolution Solo 250cc
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
44 Doug Hayden
3rd
2 Grant Dodd
Pre 75 263+
1st
257 Billy Ricardo
2nd
123 Ray Stevens
3rd
216 Graeme Judd
Billy Ricardo – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 78 250 Solo
1st
22 Brendan McCowat
2nd
667 Luke Wilesmith
3rd
90 Simon Hampton
Support Classes
Pre 75 60years + All Powers
1st
33 Rob Hayden
2nd
6 Peter Lee
3rd
9 John Selva
Rob Hayden – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 Slider up to 250cc
1st
7 Reece Crimeen
2nd
30 Brett Glover
3rd
68 Rick Wason
Reece Crimeen – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 60 Solo All Powers
1st
118 Bill Mitchell
2nd
51 Graham Anderson
Bill Mitchell Graham Anderson – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 78 Super Seniors & Evolution 60years + All Powers
1st
33 Rob Hayden
2nd
52 Peter Lee
3rd
171 Kevin Brown
Pre 75 16-39 Years All Powers
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
18 Jake Mitchell
3rd
2 Grant Dodd
Pre 65 Solo 250cc & 263cc+ & Pre 70 Solo 250cc
1st
9 John Selva
2nd
116 Kevin Dunque
3rd
76 Mark Birkett
John Silva – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 40-49 years All Powers
1st
16 Damien Bombardiere
2nd
181 Ross Watson
3rd
36 Paul Neighbour
Damien Bomardiere – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 78 & Evolution Solo up to 125cc
1st
2 Grant Dodd
2nd
258 Nick Smith
3rd
38 James Hayden
Battle of the Twins
1st
6 David Gras
2nd
650 Chas Hern
3rd
66 Dean Ross
Tayla Street creates Classic Dirt Track history
History was made in motorcycle racing at Broadford last weekend with the inaugural Women’s Classic Dirt Track Championship and there were eight hard charging females on hand on a myriad of different machinery.
2019 Australian Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
When the dust settled it was the talented Tayla Street on a fire breathing 1980 Suzuki RM250 who earned the title ahead of Brooke Lonie (DT400) and Janet Kelly (TT500) – see full results below:
Tayla Street – 2019 Australian Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Tayla Street – RM250 – 122p
Brooke Lonie – DT400 – 113p
Janet Kelly – TT500 – 96p
Laura Saxon – IT250 – 94p
Abbey Wason – Bultaco Astro – 70p
Nicole Thompson – DT250 – 62p
Carina Peschel – DT400 – 60p
Denise Widjaja – DT250 – 58p
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
The 2019 MXGP of Russia saw warm Orlyonok weather on a tricky track that demanded the most out of even the world’s best with Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado solidifying their MXGP and MX2 standings, as both now hold the Championship leader’s red plates after another weekend at the top step of the podium.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Russia 2019
In MX2 in Race 1 Mitch Evans led the Aussies with a fifth place result, while Jed Beaton came home 12th, with Dylan Walsh 17th. Race 2 saw a turn-around with Jed Beaton seventh, while Mitch Evans was 10th and Dylan Walsh 13th. This left Mitch Evans fifth overall for the round and Jed Beaton tenth. In the overall standings Evans holds sixth, while Beaton is 14th. Walsh is 17th.
The weekend’s warm weather and blue skies was matched by the blue water of the Black Sea and warm welcome of Russia’s motocross fans. The picturesque location of the venue and the beautiful Russian community of spectators combined with the unexpected results made for an unforgettable weekend of racing.
MXGP
Following yesterday’s qualifying results Romain Febvre lined up to the gate in pole position and when the gate dropped for today’s Race 1 the Frenchman scored his second Fox Holeshot of the year. Team HRC’s Tim Gajser shot past the #461 almost immediately after they crossed the chalk and was into the lead as the opening lap kicked off.
MXGP Start – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
Clement Desalle got into second with a pass on Febvre along with Arnaud Tonus. The #84 KTM Factory Racing machine of Jeffrey Herlings was in fifth while Antonio Cairoli was way back outside the top 15.
Evgeny Bobryshev lost control of his Kawasaki on the main downhill section on the opening lap and crashed hard ending not only the race but his home GP. Tonus gained a spot as Desalle fell in a corner while Tonus’ teammate, Gautier Paulin, crashed out of the top ten damaging his front causing him to fall again before making his way into Pit Lane and eventually the paddock.
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Russia 2019
Herlings then found himself in fourth after the fall of Desalle with Pauls Jonass and Jeremy Seewer applying pressure. Seewer first passed Jonass but then Desalle surged past both Jonass and Seewer to take over fifth.
Alessandro Lupino had a big crash and was unable to continue while fellow Italian and his friend Antonio Cairoli was stuck in 15th for 12 laps before finally making a pass on Jordi Tixier. Desalle was ejected from his bike at the end of pitlane straight with only four laps to go and was unable to rejoin the racing. Seewer took over the fourth spot while Gajser took the race win ahead of Tonus, Febvre, and Herlings. Cairoli gained two more spots in the closing laps to finish 12th.
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
The second and final race of the MXGP weekend started with a season first holeshot for Glenn Coldenhoff with Gajser and Tixier just behind. Tonus was quick to move past Tixier along with Seewer. Seewer’s teammate Febvre fell in the early portion of the race from 7th costing him 6 positions with his former 7th place spot going to Cairoli.
Jonass passed Julien Lieber to get into the top 5 behind his former MX2 rival Seewer. On lap 7 Jonass lost his top five spot to Lieber as Cairoli also went by into 6th before making it past Lieber the next lap, at the same Gajser finally made his way around Coldenhoff for the lead.
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Russia 2019
Coldenhoff lost the 2nd spot to Tonus immediately before losing a handful of other spots in the following laps to Seewer, Cairoli, Lieber, Jonass, Herlings, Paulin, and Febvre. Tonus then closed in right to the back wheel of Gajser and made an attempt to take the lead but clipped a trackside haybale and fell instead.
The fall of Tonus didn’t lose him any positions, only time to Gajser that he could not recover. At the finish Gajser took his 3rd MXGP Overall in 3 rounds via double race wins, the MXGP Championship leader’s red plate, and the first ever Russian Overall GP victory for Honda.
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Russia 2019
Tonus took second overall with his 2-2 finishes and Seewer scored his career first MXGP podium overall, best MXGP race finish, and put not only the second Yamaha on the podium but also joined his Swiss compatriot Tonus to make history as the first time two Swiss riders have stood on the podium in the premier category of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Tim Gajser
“I’m feeling really good about this weekend. It wasn’t easy out there, as both motos were tough because Arnaud (Tonus) was really fast and he was always behind me pushing hard. The first race I held him off all race, and then in the second race it was the same again but with 10 minutes to go he made a mistake and that gave me the gap I needed to control the race and take the victory. The track wasn’t so bumpy but it was still tough because it was so hard and it was easy to make a mistake. Overall I’m happy, and a huge thanks to everyone at Honda, as the CRF450RW is amazing and let’s hope we can continue this run of form. Three races ago I was 40 points behind in the championship and now I have the red plate so I’m really happy about these past few weeks have gone and although it’s still early in the season and there is plenty of races ahead of us, it’s still a great feeling and I can’t wait to see the red plate on my bike in Latvia.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Russia 2019
Arnaud Tonus
“It wasn’t easy to fight for the lead. I was happy I had some good starts so at the beginning I was already close to Tim. There were not too many opportunities to pass on this track, so I came close, and I went for it, but I ended up making a small mistake. I am happy I tried and was able to recover and still finished second. I am still super thankful to be up here on the podium three times in a row.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jeremy Seewer
“It’s amazing to make it onto the MXGP podium. It feels like it is much harder to get here, much harder that even some of my MX2 wins. It is a lot of work to get here, there are a lot of fast guys and especially on a track like we had today where there are a lot of guys riding a similar speed. I feel like it takes time to move from the 250cc to the 450cc and to get comfortable on the bike, but in the past few weeks I have been feeling good. My crew on the Yamaha Factory team have done an amazing job, and I owe a big thanks to them for making it happen. It feels like we are moving in a really good direction.”
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jeffrey Herlings
“I had a serious injury and it has been tough to get back here, mentally and physically, and with a lot of pain for a long time. I did not expect this result here today especially on this track. So to be close to the podium again feels pretty beautiful. I like the track in Latvia but I don’t have any firm expectations and I will not forget where I have come from to get to this point. Having said that we’ll always try to fight for a podium spot when we can!”
Jeffrey Herlings – MXGP of Russia 2019
Romain Febvre
“The weekend was good. Yesterday was really good to win the Qualifying Race. Last week I could not ride because I was really sick. I was lucky to feel better when I got here. In the first race I got the holeshot but I made some mistakes. I got back to third, but I hit my ankle and felt some pain, so I just secured third. In the second race I crashed and then stalled the bike and lost a lot of positions. I came back to nine, so the speed was good, but two mistakes on this type of track, I could not do better.”
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Russia 2019
Pauls Jonass
“I was looking forward to coming here to Russia because I won a couple times in MX2, so I have good memories. I felt good on the track all weekend, my speed was where I wanted it to be. The track is super-fast and slick and hard to make a lot of time up, so when everyone is pushing hard it’s easy for mistakes to happen. I guess I tried to be aggressive but sensible at the start of both races. I didn’t get the best of starts, but they weren’t bad either. I made some good, quick passes and was pleased to be running in fifth for several laps in the opening moto. But I felt like the second moto was better – I kept fighting to finish sixth, which was a great way to end the GP.”
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Russia 2019
Tony Cairoli
“A very difficult weekend and of course the crash from yesterday did not help as it meant I was totally on the outside for the gate pick. I was riding very stiff and by missing the start it is almost impossible to make a good result on this track; everybody is riding at a similar speed. We lost the red plate but the positive is that I’m not badly injured, and we saw some big crashes today. We walk away a bit banged-up but we will re-group and look to Latvia, which is a nice track, and to regain some points.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
Arminas Jasikonis
“Not the GP I was hoping for at all and I wasn’t riding like I can or should have been. I don’t know why but I couldn’t find a good rhythm with the track, which meant that I was riding too hard, being too physical, in both races. Because I was riding too physically, I really felt the heat in the second moto. I gave my all but not at all what I wanted, but racing can be like this sometimes. We move on to the next GP and look to do better.”
Arminas Jasikonis – MXGP of Russia 2019
MXGP of Russia – MXGP Results
Tim Gajser celebrates the win – MXGP of Russia 2019
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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California’s Pala Raceway hosted the second round of the AMA Motocross Championship last Saturday, and under perfect weather conditions it was the Kawasaki riders in Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo who won the 450 and 250 classes respectively on a day where the racing was red hot!
Eli Tomac – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
450 Report
The pace at Pala was hot at the pointy end of the 450 class and half way through the opening moto it looked like Roczen was going to repeat his Hangtown performance with a runaway opening moto win. But as Tomac started pressing forward from his fourth place he brought Marvin Musquin and Jason Anderson closer to the rear wheel of Roczen.
In the end there was no denying Tomac with the defending champion passing Anderson, Musquin then Roczen to take the lead and win ahead of Roczen. Roczen didn’t have much room back to Musquin, Anderson, Zach Osborne and Cooper Webb while Dean Ferris put in a solid tenth place ride, while the ride of the race has to go to Todd Waters who went from 37th to 16th.
Marvin Musquin – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Moto two saw Justin Bogle and Musquin out front ahead of Tomac, Anderson, Roczen and Osborne but it wasn’t long before Musquin and Tomac opened up a small gap over Anderson Roczen and Osborne while Ferris and Waters were well outside the top ten.
Tomac pushed hard around a quickly deteriorating track to finally get by Musquin for the lead just as Anderson lost two positions to Roczen and Osborne. That is how they finish with Webb coming home in sixth once again while Waters got the better of Ferris this time with the Aussies coming home 11th and 13th respectively.
Jason Anderson – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Tomac will take the red plate to Freestone next weekend with a 4-point break over Roczen who in turn has a 15-point gap back to Musquin while Ferris sits a credible eighth in the points and Waters is on 32 points, tied with Justin Hill and Frederik Noren for 12th.
Eli Tomac
“Marvin was laying down a really good pace in the second moto. We were just going but after the half way mark I was on a charge, put the pressure on, got on the outside of him and got some good momentum, I was really happy with my riding, once I got out front I kept riding loose, hit may marks and my lines, all up a solid day.”
Eli Tomac – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Marvin Musquin
“It’s good, I am glad that I am landing on the podium, we had a rough week (Note: Marv was sore after a big crash the week before at Hangtown and only rode once during the week), bit I feel I was back to myself, feeling pretty good with the bike, my turns were good so overall I am happy.”
Marvin Musquin – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Ken Roczen
“It’s all good, I’ll take a third place here, the track was brutal and I just really wanted to get out of here safe. The other guys rode really good but we fought hard all of the way to the end and I am glad we got on the podium, it’s a long season and I’m looking to better myself every weekend.”
The French MXGP saw Honda’s Tim Gajser claim a clean sweep to close the gap on championship leader Antonio Cairoli, down to just 10 points, while KTM’s Jorge Prado continued his domination of the MX2 class, but faced strong competition from Jago Geerts, with Thomas Kjer Olsen just a 1-point off the two.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Aussie Mitch Evans also put in a strong showing in MX2 claiming fourth overall, with a 7-4 result and 32 championship points to his name. This leaves him ranked fifth in the overall MX2 standings. After placing 20th in the MX2 class timed practice Jed Beaton took no further part in the MXGP of France.
Mitch Evans – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
This also marked the second year in a row the MXGP of France in Saint Jean d’Angely, which was filled with the always enthusiastic French fans to create an amazing atmosphere. Warm weather and sunshine lit the hillside circuit with its deep ruts and challenging conditions. Aside from the traditional high speed racing this weekend also provided some unexpected results and championship shake ups.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
MXGP Race 1
MXGP Race 1 started with a Fox Holeshot for Arnaud Tonus just ahead of Antonio Cairoli. The top MXGP Qualifier, Tim Gajser, dove to the inside of Cairoli on the first lap to get into second early.
450 Start – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
A lap after passing Cairoli the Slovenian made it past Tonus for the lead in almost the exact same spot. Romain Febvre was off to a good start of fourth in his home round and watched as Cairoli made it past Tonus for 2nd.
Tonus’s teammate Gautier Paulin struggled off the start and fell from 11th back to 18th in the third lap. Meanwhile Clement Desalle made his way past Alessandro Lupino and Febvre before making an assertive pass on Jeremy Seewer for 4th.
Clement Desalle – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
The pass from Desalle didn’t last though as both Seewer and Febvre were back by before the end of the lap. At the finish it was a dominating win for Gajser ahead of Cairoli who held off the charges of Tonus throughout the race while Seewer, Febvre, and Desalle rounded out the top five.
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:13.037
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:06.617
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:10.299
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:28.701
Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:31.735
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:35.329
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:35.836
Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:48.968
Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:58.570
Tanel Leok (EST, Husqvarna), +0:59.429.
MXGP Race 2
MXGP Race 2 was off to a dramatic start as Cairoli jumped his gate and Febvre took the Fox Holeshot creating a massive roar from the crowd. As Cairoli charged to catch up with the field Febvre led Tonus, Paulin, and Jeremy Van Horebeek.
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Desalle passed both Van Horebeek and Paulin to quickly get into third while Gajser was closing in from 5th position. Meanwhile the bad luck continued for Cairoli as he went down while 14th only to get up and have his bike punted away by Ivo Monticelli.
Cairoli got back on the bike on 25th and got up to 17th before stalling, losing a spot, and then regaining it all over again. At the front Gajser had made his way past Desalle before banging bars with Tonus to take second and eventually the lead from Febvre.
Clement Desalle – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Gajser pulled away to take his second 1-1 victory in two weeks and his first back to back overall GP win since the MXGP’s of Patagonia Argentina and Leon, Mexico in 2017. Febvre took second in the race ahead of Tonus, Desalle, and Paulin. Tonus’ 3-3 finishes gave him his best ever MXGP overall result of 2nd only one week after his long-awaited return to podium form in Portugal while Febvre’s 5-2 result put him on the podium in front of the home fans.
The 17th place result of Cairoli in race 2 put the points leader 7th overall but dropped his championship lead to only 10 points over Gajser as the series heads to the Black Sea bordering venue of Orlyonok in 2 weeks’ time for the 2019 Patron MXGP of Russia.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Tim Gajser
“I’m really happy how both days went. I was having fun on the track and even though it was rough and sketchy in some places, it was still enjoyable to race on. In the first race, I took a little time to pass the guys in front of me before getting the lead and making a gap to control the race. In the second moto I clipped the gate and almost went over the handlebar off the start but I recovered and near the back it felt like. I made some passes to get near the front and then settled for a couple of laps in third before making a strike to get out front. I’m just really happy how things are going at the moment and I hope to continue this momentum into Russia. I am having fun on the bike and I am enjoying putting in the work with the rest of Team HRC. We have a great environment that is helping me this season and it is such a great feeling to win these races and reward the effort that everyone is putting in.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Arnaud Tonus
“To be honest I’m not sure what to expect anymore. I was so happy last week, I felt like I was riding good, making some passes, and had some good starts and I was able to do the same this weekend. I’m just going to try to keep going this way.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Romain Febvre
“It has been a long road, I didn’t have much time on the bike yet and I feel like I can do much better. It is a really good performance for how I feel right now. Coming down to the start line there is so many fans… it is really good, and I am really happy to have my first podium of the year here.”
Romain Febvre – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Clement Desalle
“I was a little bit disappointed with the first race; I had moved into fourth position when I made a small mistake in a fast corner; in fact I hit my leg and my knee a few corners before and I made the mistake because I just wasn’t focused enough. I started the second moto with a painful thumb after a stone hit it during the first race, but I got a good start and was third during the first part of the race until Gajser passed me. But fourth was a decent result, even if I just missed the podium for the third weekend in a row! I hope I can recover from my knee this week and be back on the box very soon.”
Clement Desalle – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Julien Lieber
“It was a much better day after the crash behind Paulin yesterday. My neck was sore this morning as I hit the ground with my head pretty hard and today I had pain all day long; it was not an easy day but I never give up and after the first moto I concentrated on my recuperation. I didn’t have a good gate pick after the crash yesterday but the second start was decent in the top ten; I passed a few guys quickly and rode the entire race behind Paulin. Sixth overall in the GP is not so bad, but I know that without the crash yesterday it would have been even better.”
Julien Lieber – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Antonio Cairoli
“It is not the best day but we take positive and that is some points. It felt like the whole weekend was a struggle right from that crash on the first corners of the Qualification Heat and getting run over by some riders. My ankle is not perfect it was pretty sore; this track is very slick and it is easy to put your foot on the ground. From 14th place I chose a good gate in the first moto but not in the second: some were dropping and some not. It seemed I had the last one of the forty to drop! I tried to come back fast through the group and it was going well actually but I crashed again while 11th and got hit again. I restarted and tried to get as many points as I could. We are looking for the next race now. We need to keep focussed. This was not the best race of the season but we learn from the mistakes – I’m still learning at almost 34 years old – and I will try to be on the podium again at the next race.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:00.904
Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:05.375
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:07.314
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:19.675
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:21.553
Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:24.454
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:26.435
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:27.879
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:53.090
Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Yamaha), +0:54.992
MXGP Overall Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 40
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 38
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 33
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 31
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 27
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 26
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 24
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 24
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 21
Tim Gajser tops the 450 podium – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
MXGP ChampionshipTop Ten
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 311 points
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 301
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 218
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 208
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 190
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 184
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 162
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 156
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 144
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 141
MX2 Race 1
MX2 Racing started off with Jorge Prado taking his eighth Fox Holeshot of 2019 and the lead ahead of Michele Cervellin, Adam Sterry, and Zach Pichon.
Jorge Prado leads – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Brian Moreau was in fifth but crashed out of the spot on the first downhill section. Jago Geerts was quick to move into third past Sterry as Pichon faded back.
Geerts made an aggressive pass for second on Cervellin a few laps later and then set his eyes on the lead of Prado. A few positions further back Thomas Kjer Olsen worked his way forward from a poor start and past Sterry for fourth.
Adam Sterry – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Sterry’s teammate Henry Jacobi passed Tom Vialle in sixth but crashed just after and was run over by the Frenchman before getting back up. Jacobi got back going in ninth while Vialle moved forward to take fourth from Cervellin.
Back at the front Geerts had caught Prado and just as they crossed the line to see the 2 lap board Geerts took the lead away from the points leader. Prado tried to respond but was unable to get the Belgian back for the race win. Geerts’ win was not only Prado’s first defeat of 2019 but it was also Geerts’ career first MX2 race win! Olsen came in third with Vialle and Davy Pootjes in fourth and fifth.
Tom Vialle – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten
Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), 34:36.015
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:01.447
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:33.708
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:45.240
Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:56.679
Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:59.098
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +1:00.865
Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +1:08.778
Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +1:09.938
Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), +1:17.543
MX2 Race 2
Race 2 was another FOX Holeshot from Prado with Vialle alongside him. Sterry was off to another good start in third with the race 1 winner, Geerts, just behind in fourth. Ben Watson got around his teammate on the first lap along with Sterry and Vialle who crashed out of third.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Sterry then had a close call with Geerts as the Belgian jumped past for third. Prado meanwhile grew his lead over Watson before Geerts went around the outside of his teammate and then chipped away at the lead. Tom Vialle fell again to lose even more positions along with Jacobi for the second race in a row.
Geerts also had a small fall which in the end was the advantage Prado needed to comfortably take the tiebreaker race win for the overall. Prado’s win grew his points advantage over Olsen who came in fifth in race 2 for third overall behind Geerts. Honda’s Mitch Evans took fourth overall ahead of Sterry in fifth.
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Jorge Prado
“This was a tough one. I had to push both motos. I relaxed a bit in the last laps but I felt everything was under control until I took the wrong rut over the finish line jump in the first race. I charged hard and tried to make a pass on the last lap. I could not make it happen and was a bit frustrated but I came back in the second one and won. It turned out to be a good weekend with more points for the championship and a bigger gap.”
Jorge Prado – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Jago Geerts
“It was a really good weekend, in the first race I made the pass for the lead with a couple of laps to go and just had good speed all race to finish first, so I was really happy with that. In the second race I was again getting closer at times, but Jorge was also riding really good and I made a little mistake but still it was a really good weekend second overall and now third in the championship.”
Jago Geerts – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“Apart from the fact that I made things difficult for myself in the second moto it’s been a pretty good GP for me. I’m pleased with how I worked my way forward to get on the podium with my second moto result. The track was good – they ripped it less than previous years, so it was pretty consistent everywhere, just with some tricky ruts. I got a decent start in the first moto and rode a strong race. Third was where my pace was – I wasn’t going to catch the two riders ahead, so third was good. I was pleased with that. I guess the gate bobbled a little in the second moto and I got a horrible start, down in 12th or 13th. I pushed hard after that. I wanted to finish on the podium so I just gave it all I had. I’ll keep working now that we have a weekend without a GP. Russia’s a fun track so I’m looking forward to racing there.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Mitchell Evans
“I had a great weekend here in France. I felt really good in timed practice and qualified in third, which is the best this year – and then finished fourth in the qualifying race. I struggled with tyre spin on the start-gate in race one, so I had to come from a long way back. I made my way up to seventh in the first moto, but made a lot of passes on the first lap in race two. I tried to get up to third, but couldn’t get it done, so had to settle for fourth. It felt great to be on a French team in France. Even some of the crowd were cheering for me. It felt like a home GP and that was so cool. I’m happy with fourth overall. It was a good weekend. My speed is good and I’m happy with my riding and looking forward to Russia.”
Mitch Evans – MXGP of France, 2019, Round 7
Adam Sterry
“Finally I got through the first few laps without someone crashing in front of me! To be honest I never felt comfortable on this track but today I got two good starts; the gate had a strange reaction as it moved slightly before finally dropping but I reacted perfectly and nearly got the holeshot in the second race. Two good starts were the key; I pushed during the first few laps each time and then tried to ride two solid races. I’m very happy with my results; the best MX2 GP of my career. Next weekend we have a Dutch championship race, and we’ll keep improving to be ready for Russia.”
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Roczen & Cianciarulo Win AMA Motocross at Hangtown
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship kicked off last weekend with the Bell Helmets Hangtown Motocross Classic and it was Ken Roczen who got the overall in the 450 class while Adam Cianciarulo bounced back from a tough loss in supercross to win the 250 class overall.
Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld
450 Report
The opening moto saw riders taking on a track that was breaking down faster than usual thanks to rain in the lead up to the weekend and there were battles right from the get-go but the real head-turner was Roczen blowing by Eli Tomac, Justin Barcia, Jason Anderson and early leader Cooper Webb to take the lead before the completion of the opening lap.
Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld
Once he had a clear track Roczen quickly put multiple seconds between he and Webb, while Anderson, Zach Osborne and Tomac rounded out the top five but Tomac made his way by Osborne before actually passing Anderson for third but Anderson quickly got back around the defending champ then started his way to the rear wheel of Webb.
With ten minutes to go the rain began to fall and Anderson’s pace increased, while Tomac’s dropped which carried the two riders into different directions with Anderson moving by Webb for second as Tomac lost a spot to Osborne to be in fifth.
Jason Anderson – Image by Hoppenworld
Despite the rain, Roczen continued his flawless ride all the way to the finish where he took the opening moto win by 15 seconds over Anderson, Webb and Tomac who was gifted fourth when Osborne crashed in the slippery conditions.
In muddy conditions Marvin Musquin emerged with the second moto holeshot over Webb, Tomac and Roczen but it wasn’t long before Tomac was in the lead ahead of Roczen and the two soon opened up a gap over Anderson who got by his training partners in Osborne, Webb and Musquin.
Cooper Webb – Image by Hoppenworld
Roczen’s impressive early pace allowed him to jump by Tomac into the lead but the Honda rider couldn’t shake Tomac and as they approached lapped riders just before the halfway point it worked to the benefit of Tomac who seized the moment to dive to the inside the reclaim the lead.
From that point on, he left Roczen and the rest of the field behind taking the chequered flag by 43 seconds over Roczen while a resilient Musquin never backed down in his pursuit of Anderson for third, and successfully got back around, but in the closing laps a hard charge from Osborne ultimately put the rookie onto the moto podium.
Marvin Musquin – Image by Hoppenworld
Roczen’s 1-2 outing provided him with his first win since the final round of his championship-winning 2016 season. Since then he has endured through a pair of career-threatening injuries to each of his arms, in which he was forced to fight his way back from more than 10 total surgeries. It’s been a long and difficult road, but Roczen was able to prevail for the 16th win of his career.
Ken Roczen
“It’s been a very, very long time [since I won a race]. Overall the whole day was good,” said Roczen. “It’s difficult at the first race to know what to expect [from yourself] and to know where everyone else is. I just did my best every time I was on the track and it got us a win. It was really sloppy out there and [when conditions are like that] it can easily go in either direction [bad or good], so it feels good that we ended up on the positive side of it.”
Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld
Tomac’s second-moto win vaulted him to second overall (4-1), while Anderson rounded out the overall podium in third (2-5) so Roczen holds a slim four-point lead over Tomac in the 450 Class standings heading into the second round. Anderson sits nine points back in third.
As for the Aussies and Kiwis, factory Yamaha fill-in rider Dean Ferris came back from two bad starts to end the day with 11-8 moto finishes for ninth overall while Todd Waters took his privateer Husqvarna to 12-13 finishes for a credible 12th outright, but there was a disappointing result for Cody cooper who earned 15th in the opening moto before not finished the second mud moto.
450 Class Overall Results Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (1-2) Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (4-1) Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (2-5) – Image by Hoppenworld
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250 Report
Justin Cooper narrowly grab the holeshot over Chase Sexton and Cianciarulo while Hunter Lawrence started well outside the top ten but that wouldn’t last for long with the Aussie flying his way into the top ten.
Justin Cooper – Image by Hoppenworld
Up front Cooper successfully held on to that advantage and established himself as the early leader, with Cianciarulo slotting into second and Sexton into third but with about eight minutes left the Kawasaki rider was all over Cooper’s rear fender, but the Yamaha rider withstood the charge and used lapped riders to his advantage to extend the lead once more.
Hunter Lawrence had forced his way up to sixth place after passing teammate RJ Hampshire and just as they were closing in on fifth placed Colt Nichols, Hunter high sided over an inside rut and was clipped by Hampshire’s footpeg gouging a wound across Lawrence’s arse.
Hunter Lawrence – Image by Hoppenworld
Cooper went wire-to-wire on to take the second moto win of his career by 1.8 seconds over Cianciarulo, who rode to an uneventful second-place finish but the battle for third came down to the final corner, where a moto-long charge by Dylan Ferrandis, who started sixth, culminated with a stellar last lap in which he stole third from Sexton as they came to the line.
Lawrence dropped all of the way back to 18th but managed to climb back to 11th place, four places ahead of fellow Aussie Wilson Todd who was up to 12th at one point in the moto.
With rain falling, the deciding moto got underway with Nichols earning then holeshot from Cianciarulo who quickly moved to the lead while Cooper and Ferrandis were at the tail end of the top ten as Lawrence and Todd sat just outside the top ten.
Dylan Ferrandis – Image by Hoppenworld
With the track deteriorating to a slippery mess, Cianciarulo easily opened up a considerable margin over the rest of the field but as the moto wore on, Ferrandis and Nichols began to inch closer to second placed Alex Martin but the Suzuki rider was able to hang on to the runner up spot while Nichols and Cooper got around Ferrandis in the dying laps
In the end Cianciarulo took the moto win by 16.3 seconds over Martin, Nichols, Cooper and Ferrandis while Todd finished in a sensational ninth place, three places ahead of a struggling Larence.
Colt Nichols – Image by Hoppenworld
Cianciarulo’s 2-1 effort gave him the second overall win of his career in his first start since the 2017 season, following knee surgery last summer. He becomes the 32nd different rider to earn a 250 Class victory at Hangtown.
Adam Cianciarulo
“It means a lot [to get this win], for all the kids out there that watch us, we go through such peaks and valleys. [This win] is a testament to understanding that the most important shot is your next one. You’ve got to keep fighting. It feels great to get a win at the opening round of the [Pro Motocross] season and start this summer off on a high note.”
Adam Cianciarulo – Image by Hoppenworld
Cooper’s resilient second moto landed him in the runner-up spot (1-4) for the second time in his career. Nichols (5-3) and Ferrandis (3-5) ended up in a tie for third, but by virtue of his better result in the final moto Nichols earned the tiebreaker.
Cianciarulo establishes a four-point lead over Cooper in the 250 Class standings entering the second round, while Nichols and Ferrandis sit 11 points back.
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish) Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (2-1) Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (1-4) Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha (5-3) – Image by Hoppenworld
250 Moto Results and Overall
Adam Cianciarulo 2 -1
Justin Cooper 1-4
Colt Nichols 5-3
Dylan Ferrandis 3-5
Chase Sexton 4-6
RJ Hampshire 6-7
Michael Mosiman 7 -11
Alex Martin 23-2
Shane McElrath 14-8
Christian Craig 13-10
Hunter Lawrence 11-12
Wilson Todd 15-9
250 Class Championship Standings
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 47
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 43
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha – 36
Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha – 36
Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 33
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 29
Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna – 24
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki – 22
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 20
Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda – 19
Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 19
Wilson Todd, Australia, Husqvarna – 18
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Villopoto wins at Hangtown
The Hangtown Motocross Classic fans at Prairie City OHV Park were treated with seeing multi AMA motocross and supercross champion Ryan Villopoto taking on a field of 32 riders and win the first round of the 125cc All-Stars race.
Ryan Villopoto – Image by Hoppenworld
RV piloted his No. 2 Yamaha to victory ahead of fellow YZ rider Robbie Wageman while 16-year-old Brandon Ray rounded out the podium in third aboard a KTM.
125cc All Star Results
Ryan Villopoto, Yamaha
Robbie Wageman, Yamaha
Brandon Ray, KTM
Wyatt Mattson, Husqvarna
Carter Dubach, Yamaha
Tyler DuCray, KTM
Angus Riordan, KTM
Cole Barbieri, Suzuki
Dennis Stapleton, Husqvarna
Ty Freehill, Yamaha
Derik Denzin, Yamaha
John Ayers, Husqvarna
Antonio Calavano, KTM
Bryson Olson, Honda
Conner Degraaf, KTM
Toline Tyler, KTM
Hunter Cross, KTM
Talon Gorman, Honda
Steven Stultz, Yamaha
Jared Lang, Honda
Dylan Simao, Yamaha
Geoff Wills, KTM
Tyler Edmondson, Honda
Aron Martin
Wyatt Bullen, Kawasaki
Brooks, KTM
Blaine Holdsclaw, Yamaha
Derek Cappiello, Yamaha
Chase Forsberg, KTM
Nick Roby, Kawasaki
Jeremy Ryan, KTM
Ryan Eager, Suzuki
Gajser and Prado Win MXGP of Portugal
The Portuguese circuit of Agueda has hosted the sixth round of the 2019 World Motocross Championship and it was Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado who went 1-1 in the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.
MXGP of Portugal 2019
MXGP Report
Antonio Cairoli was in a winning position in both of the MXGP motos but the KTM rider stalled briefly in the opening moto while leading and tipped over in the second moto while in the same position and both times Gajser was right there to take advantage of the situation to claim both moto wins, the overall and to reduce Cairoli’s championship points lead to 34 points
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Cairoli took 2-2 for 2nd overall ahead of Arnaud Tonus who reached the podium with hard fought 3-3 finishes while Clement Desalle, Jeremy Seewer, Pauls Jonass, Julien Lieber, Romain Febvre, Glenn Coldenhoff and Gautier Paulin rounded out the top ten.
Tim Gajser
“Last weekend was tough, so I tried to forget it and just focus on this weekend. I was feeling good yesterday and also today, the riding was good, and I had two good starts. It was great racing and I am really happy to win both races, hopefully we can carry that moment to the next round.”
Tim Gajser
Antonio Cairoli
“On one side I’m happy because this is the goal to be on the podium and always consistent but on the other side I’m disappointed of course. I am happy like I said but focused on the next one where I will try to be consistent and not make these mistakes.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Arnaud Tonus
”It feels amazing, it is hard to find the right words at the moment, I have been through a lot so it is good to be up here. I really had to fight today, in the first race I was battling with Jeremy (Seewer) and he passed me in the beginning of the race so I had to come pass him back, it feels even better knowing that I fought to make it happen. I am super happy and I hope that I can keep it going.”
Arnaud Tonus
MXGP Results
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:00.609
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.197
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:17.885
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:27.240
Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:28.880
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:29.847
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:35.562
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:51.205
Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:52.970
Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:53.969
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:47.988
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:10.604
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:12.909
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:15.819
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:18.856
Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:20.225
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:22.115
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:24.630
Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:27.080
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:30.999
MXGP Overall Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 40
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 33
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 29
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 28
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 28
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 27
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 26
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 22
MXGP ChampionshipTop Ten
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 285 points
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 251
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 197
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 175
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 166
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 153
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 137
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 136
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 122
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 120
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Race Report
Prado took the opening moto holeshot and eased away for an easy win over Thomas Kjer Olsen, Jago Geerts and Mitchell Evans but in the second moto Prado was forced to pass the fast starting Roan Van de Moosdijk for the lead and usually that is where the action stops for the lead but this time Mitch Evans decided he wanted to have a run at the front and soon passed Van de Moosdijk and Prado for the lead.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Evans held the lead for four laps before Prado found his way through to take the lead and the eventual win ahead of Henry Jacobi, Evans and Kjer Olsen.
This was Prado’s 5th 1-1 result of 2019 and despite Kjer Olsen finishing second overall but it was a bitter sweet moment as he also lost the championship lead to Prado while for the second time in his rookie MX2 season Evans reached the podium in 3rd position.
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Portugal 2019
As for Jed Beaton, the Husqvarna pilot was a solid 12th in the opening moto despite a crash and a stall but the second moto went pear shaped with his bike being landed on after an early crash forcing the Aussie to DNF the race. Beaton sits 13th in the championship.
Jorge Prado
“This is the closest race to a home GP for me, we are very close to Spain and there are so many fans that came out and many were cheering for me, I really enjoy it. When I went onto the podium they went crazy so it is great to have a race like this and it was a great weekend. For me it was important to get the red plate because I feel more comfortable with it but it is tough to keep so I try to not make any mistake but in motocross you never know.”
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“I felt like my riding all weekend was really good so that was a huge positive. I felt pretty calm all weekend and I had a lot of confidence in my riding along with my technique on the bike. I am kind of bummed out about the mistake I made on the start of race 2 but it could have been much worse and I got up to 4thwhich was pretty good. I am just going keep working and focus on myself to be the best that I can, not worrying about much else.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Mitch Evans
“It feels great to be back on the podium, we had a few tough weekends with some little injuries and my fitness dropped off because of it. We are finally back to the normal program and I am feeling a lot better which also gives a lot confidence coming into the weekend.”
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Jed Beaton
“It’s been a tough GP for me. I’m pretty beaten up and, yeah, things just didn’t go well despite two good starts. I went down in the second turn in the first moto so I just pushed as hard as I could. I stalled my bike at the end of the wave sections after passing about 10 riders, so I went back to last again. I gave everything to get to 12th, which I think was a good result considering what happened. I was about sixth off the start in the second heat but clashed with another rider over one of the jumps. I got landed on, my bike got landed on and it was pretty messed up and bent. There was no point in continuing so unfortunately I had to retire.”
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Portugal 2019
MX2 Results – Portugal MXGP
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:07.339
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:03.304
Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:27.504
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:28.329
Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +0:34.618
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:35.418
Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:44.519
Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:45.789
Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:51.829
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +0:53.710 …12. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 36:03.407
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Duncan Dominates Portugal WMX
Portugal hosted the second round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and it was Kiwi flyer Courtney Duncan who not only won both motos but also took over the championship lead.
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Duncan won the opening moto by 12 seconds ahead of Larissa Papenmeier and Nancy Van De Ven before dishing out a similar performance in moto two to take the win over Van De Ven and Papenmeier so the championship leaders red plate now belongs to Duncan with 89 points while former championship leader Van de Ven is four points back in second.
Aussie Tahlia TJ O’Hare struggled in the tough conditions to score just 7 points over the two motos for 19th outright to now sit 13th in the championship.
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Duncan will now return to New Zealand to continue her training before taking the red plate into round 3 in Loket, Czech Republic, July 27-28.
Courtney Duncan
“I was really happy with the weekend; the goal was to put two solid races together and I did that. I got blocked in at the first turn in that second race, but I didn’t panic, sorted out a good place to make a clean pass and could race away. I’m just taking it race by race at the moment and not really thinking about the championship, but I’m stoked to get the double win and take the red plate to the next round. We’ve got a nine week break now, so I’ll be going back to New Zealand to keep doing the work and come out swinging at Loket.”
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019
WMX Race 1 Top Ten
Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 25:37.493
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:12.938
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:20.911
Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +0:49.788
Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +0:59.251
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:07.227
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +1:13.030
Line Dam (DEN, Honda), +1:34.821
Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:39.651
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:42.185
WMX Race 2 Top Ten
Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 24:51.296
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:30.514
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:45.003
Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +1:08.450
Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +1:13.670
Line Dam (DEN, Honda), +1:14.835
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:24.616
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +1:25.103
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:28.714
Britt Van Der Werff (NED, Husqvarna), +1:39.760
WMX Overall Top Ten
Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 50 points
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 42
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 42
Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 34
Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 34
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 29
Line Dam (DEN, HON), 28
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 27
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 23
Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 20
WMX ChampionshipTop Ten
Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 89 points
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 85
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 82
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 67
Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 63
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 61
Line Dam (DEN, HON), 54
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 54
Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 49
Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 37
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Kras Wins Portuguese EMX
Portugal hosted the third round of the EMX2t championship and it was Mike Kras who grabbed his second overall in as many rounds to take over the championship points lead by one over Brad Anderson.
Kras won the opening moto from Todd Kellett and Youri van t Ende while Anderson was back in eighth before the second moto also went to Kras with Anderson in second ahead of Andero Lusbo.
Now leading the championship by 1 point over Anderson, Kras, and the rest of the field will head to Russia’s south in 3 weeks’ time for round four at Orlyonok.
EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Result
EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 29:58.291;
Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:06.600;
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:14.879;
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:16.610;
Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:17.066;
Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:23.102;
Emanuele Alberio (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:25.081;
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:27.130;
Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:27.656;
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:28.476.
EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 29:52.732;
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:05.300;
Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:07.202;
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:09.878;
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:11.292;
Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:27.263;
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:28.560;
Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:34.053;
Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:43.325;
Ben Putnam (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:44.770.
EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 50 points;
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 38
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 37
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 36
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 35
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 34
Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 28
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, YAM), 25
Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 24
Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 21 p
EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 119 points
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 118
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 101
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 95
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 88
Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 86
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 82
Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 60
Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 59
Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 59
FIM Junior Motocross World Cup heads to Trentino in 2019
Youthstream have announced the venue and timing of the 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship and FIM Junior Motocross World Cup! On the 13-14th of July 2019 Junior Motocross riders from around the world will head to the famous circuit of Trentino in Italy’s North.
The event will return to Italy eight years after its last visit in 2011. The 2019 edition will take place at the same venue as the MXGP and MX2 World Championship of Pietramurata. The two-day event will host practice and qualifying sessions Saturday followed by racing of the three classes, 125cc, 85cc, and 65cc, on Sunday. Riding for themselves and also their country with the results of nations makes the event one of a kind and always creates a great atmosphere of both comradery and competition.
FIM Junior Motocross World Cup heads to Trentino in 2019
The world class facility has been a long time favorite of riders and fans with its stunning backdrop and amazing surroundings. The venue, aside from being in one of the most passionate motocross countries in the world, is easily accessible from the nearby cities of Milan, Venice, and Verona.
The FIM Junior Motocross World Championship includes the 125cc and 85cc two stroke categories plus the 65cc FIM Junior Motocross World Cup. Along with returning competitors and even previous champions the junior rising talents of motocross will all be going to Trentino from different countries racing at the unique race for the chance to become an FIM Junior Motocross World Champion!
Duvall Wins Ohio GNCC
Thad Duvall has won the sixth round of the 2019 GNCC which was held in Ohio last weekend and in doing so has reduced his points deficit to championship leader Kailub Russell to just 13 points.
Kailub Russell – Image by Ken Hill
Duvall scored his second win of the year at Ohio ahead of Russell and Trevor Bollinger while Steward Baylor Jr and Josh Strang rounded out the top five.
XC1 Open
Kailub K Russell – 165
Thaddeus Duvall – 152
Steward Baylor Jr – 123
Trevor Bollinger – 111
Josh V Strang – 83
Ben Kelly is undefeated the XC2 class and took the Ohio win over Craig Delong and Evan Smith while Austin Lee and Michael Witkowski rounded out the top five.
XC2 250 Pro Result
Benjamin M Kelley – 180
Michael Witkowski – 119
Evan Smith – 107
Austin Lee – 91
Liam Draper – 78
Becca Sheets got her second win of the season in the WXC class over Aussie Mackenzie Tricker and Rachael Archer while defending champion Tayla Jones had a shocker with a rare ninth place finish.
WCX Result
Becca N Sheets – 160
Tayla Jones – 153
Mackenzie Tricker – 125
Rachael Archer – 107
Shyann Phelps – 85
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Madsen Wins SGP of Poland
The much-awaited opening round of the 2019 FIM Speedway World Championship got underway with the Boll Warsaw FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland last weekend and the surprise winner was Danish star Leon Madsen who pounced on a Fredrik Lindgren error to hit the front and win the final.
2019 SGP of Poland
Madsen didn’t win any of his regular heats, but made it into the semis on eight points, before finishing second to Niels-Kristian Iversen in semi-final two to reach his maiden SGP final where he got his first win of the night when it mattered most and the European champion celebrated wildly with a 50,000-plus crowd.
Madsen made no secret of his bold SGP ambitions ahead of the meeting as he targets World Championship gold. But he insists he’s not piling the pressure on himself to land the world title at the first attempt.
Leon Madsen
“I don’t need to be No.1 this year. I am here to gain a lot of experience, especially on tracks like Warsaw. I am not here just to take part. I am here to fight for the championship. It was a good round tonight and I clocked a lot of points. If I can be consistent all season, things could be quite good. But I’m not setting the bar higher. I’m just in this game to fight for the championship. I don’t put it as a goal that I must be No.1 or in the top three. You are obviously here to fight for the championship and I feel I have the quality to do that.”
Despite recovering from a crash and coming third in the final it is Patryk Dudek who topped the World Championship standings with his 16-point haul.
2019 SGP of Poland
Patryk Dudek
“Before the last heat, I heard my name and I was thinking ‘oh, but let’s see what happens after the heat!’ I was third, so that’s not bad. I would like to say a big, big thank you to the fans. This night was tough for me and the season has been tough for me. Today was great. I want to say a big thanks to my team, my family and my sponsors. I hope to stay in the same position at the next round. But we will see.”
It was his third straight Warsaw final and Fredrik Lindgren was delighted to leave the PGE Narodowy cauldron of noise with another podium finish.
Fredrik Lindgren
“Overall I am very happy, I really enjoy racing here in front of this crowd. It is intense and you have to give 100 percent for all four laps. I am disappointed not to win after the start I made in the final. I made a huge mistake on lap two to lose the winning position. But I am also very happy with the way I was racing, the points I scored and the way our team worked together.”
It was far from the prefect start to the championship for the Aussie duo of Jason Doyle and Max Fricke who scored 6 and 5 points respectively after a full night of racing.
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Doyle kicked off in fine form, marking a strong return from injury not even two weeks prior. As the evening progressed, Doyle’s injuries weighed heavy, but the Australian star remained steadfast as he focussed on racking up as many points as possible. Doyle finished Round 1 of the 2019 SGP with five points, landing in 13th place in the World Championship standings.
Jason Doyle
“The bike is good and the crowd is awesome! We’re just trying to get the right set up at the moment because the conditions are different from practice, as we expected. Tonight we’re just trying to get points and stay consistent.”
Newcomer to the SGP line-up, Fricke tackled what was undeniably an intense environment, finishing Saturday night with three points. Now sitting on 16th place in the World Championship standings, Fricke suffered a blow when he crashed out during one of his heats, however the young Australian remained the image of positivity as he reflected on the turn of events.
Max Fricke
“I’m really grateful for this call up! It’s not something I ever expected to happen this year so I’m really grateful for this experience and to be able and come out in front of a huge stadium. I picked up a few points, learnt a lot, and lead a few laps in the end, but I threw it away, which is on me. Hopefully we can come back sometime during the year and do some more rounds of the SGP.”
2019 SGP of Poland Podium
Boll Warsaw SGP Result
Leon Madsen 13
Fredrik Lindgren 15
Patryk Dudek 16
Niels-Kristian Iversen 14
Bartosz Smektala 10
Bartosz Zmarzlik 10
Antonio Lindback 10
Robert Lambert 8
Martin Vaculik 7
Matej Zagar 7
Emil Sayfutdinov 6
Tai Woffinden 6
Jason Doyle 5
Janusz Kolodziej 4
Artem Laguta 4
Max Fricke 3
Dominik Kubera DNR
Rafal Karczmarz DNR
World Championship Standings
Patryk Dudek 16
Fredrik Lindgren 15
Niels-Kristian Iversen 14
Leon Madsen 13
Bartosz Zmarzlik 10
Antonio Lindback 10
Bartosz Smektala 10
Robert Lambert 8
Matej Zagar 7
Martin Vaculik 7
Tai Woffinden 6
Emil Sayfutdinov 6
Jason Doyle 5
Artem Laguta 4
Janusz Kolodziej 4
Max Fricke 3
Garcia Win WESS in France
Spain’s Josep Garcia has won round two of the World Enduro Super Series, storming to victory at France’s Trèfle Lozérien AMV ahead of Jamie McCanney and Nathan Watson.
Josep Garcia – 2019 Trefle Lozerien
For 2019, the second round of the WESS championship proved a challenge for the 600-plus riders competing with continuous rain throughout the three days of racing at France’s most-prestigious Enduro – Trèfle Lozérien AMV – ensured the 719 kilometres of riding were both physically and mentally demanding for all.
Josep Garcia
“To get my first WESS victory of 2019, and also to create a little piece of history by being the first non-French winner here at Trèfle Lozérien, is amazing. The conditions really didn’t suit me – I’m not really a big fan of wet, slippery mud. But I pushed hard on all special tests and, well, everything went perfectly. Coming here straight from Extreme Lagares wasn’t easy but I knew this race was going to be important to my WESS championship.”
Josep Garcia – 2019 Trefle Lozerien
Behind Garcia the battle for the remainder of the podium places was fierce but McCanney held his ground over his rivals to take the runner-up result.
Jaime McCanney
“Right from when I started walking the special tests here in France I knew Josep Garcia would be the rider to watch. When conditions weren’t too wet, or when they suited the 450 more, I managed to win some tests. And I’m really pleased about that. But Garcia was really strong throughout the event. I’ve been away from enduro racing for some time now, firstly getting over a shoulder injury and surgery and then focusing on rally. To come here and get the result I’ve got is really great. Despite the weather it’s been a great event. I can’t say if I’ll be back for more WESS racing, but I’d love to compete at Hawkstone if my schedule allows it.”
Jamie McCanney – 2019 Trefle Lozerien
Entering the final special test it was all to play for between Watson and Julien Gauthier for third with Gauthier holding just one tenth of a second in hand over the KTM rider and with both riders putting it all on the line, Watson edged out Gauthier by just over one second to snatch the final step of the podium in the last few moments of the race.
Nathan Watson
“I’m really happy with third overall, this is the first Classic Enduro I’ve raced since this event 12 months ago, so I came into it a little unsure what to expect but also confident that it would suit me. I had a consistent three days and kept things upright over the 15 special tests, which was really important. I’ve really enjoyed racing the 450 – being able to keep things smooth in these conditions has really helped me. Things were really close coming into the final test, just half a second between third and fourth overall. Thankfully, I managed to jump up one position to third, which was a great way to end the race.”
Nathan Watson – 2019 Trefle Lozerien
For Gauthier it was not to be and with his fourth place result it also marked the first time in the event’s history that a French rider wasn’t present in the top three positions. After a strong ride on day two, Tarroux slipped down to fifth, with teammate Theo Espinasse (FRA) completing the top six.
The eight-round World Enduro Super Series continues with round three at Austria’s Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble on May 30 – June 2.
Results – Round 2: Trèfle Lozérien AMV 2019
Josep Garcia (KTM – ESP) 01:03:07.557
Jaime McCanney (Yamaha – GB) 1:03:49.586 +42.029
Nathan Watson (KTM – GB) 1:03:55.612 +48.055
Julien Gauthier (Yamaha – FR) 1:03:57.013 +49.456
Jeremy Tarroux (Sherco – FR) 1:04:10.136 +1:02.579
Theo Espinasse (Sherco – FR) 1:05:04.311 +1:56.754
Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas – FR) 1:05:10.817 +2:03.260
Joe Wootton (Husqvarna – GB) 1:05:52.828 +2:45.271
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Brayton Set for 2019 Aussie SX Championships
Justin Brayton is the first of the international riders to confirm that he will compete in this year’s Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne on November 30 at Marvel Stadium as part of his attempt to win a fourth straight Australian Supercross Championship.
Justin Brayton
“The AUS-X Open is one of the greatest events outside of the US, and having been so close to winning it before, I’m determined to come back faster and ready to win in November. The racing at Sydney was always incredible but I think moving to Melbourne, into such an awesome stadium, is going to take Supercross racing in Australia to the next level and I can’t wait to put on a show for all the fans in Australia. Marvel Stadium will be the closest thing Australia gets to the World Championship. The track will be full-sized and I have no doubt both the racing and the atmosphere will be electric on November 30.”
Justin Brayton – Image by Hoppenworld
The AUS-X Open Melbourne is the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship and is sanctioned by Motorcycling Australia (MA).
“I’m so pumped to be returning to Australia in 2019 and fighting for the Australian Supercross title for a fourth straight year with Penrite Honda Racing,” Brayton said. “I have the most amazing team when I head down under to race, and it would be awesome to bring home the trophy again, especially in front of the huge Melbourne crowd.”
Chad Reed returns for 2019 AUS-X Open
Two-time World Champion Chad Reed has announced he’ll be back to race on home soil this November 30 at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, as tickets go on sale from for the Monster Energy AUS-X Open.
Chad Reed at the AUS-X Open in Sydney in 2018
The 37-year-old will head to Victoria to race for the first time since 2012 and his first time racing in Melbourne since 2000, where he says he’ll be looking for redemption. The legend sat out the 2017 event due to injury and was unable to complete a fairytale comeback last year, with the 2018 World Champion Jason Anderson (USA), taking the win.
Chad Reed
“I’m definitely looking for redemption, to come out and work hard and just be better prepared on all levels myself, the bike, the team, so I can hopefully take out that AUS-X crown. Getting back to Melbourne to race will be awesome, it’s been a long time since I’ve raced there, I love the city, and I’ve never been to Marvel Stadium before so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld
Tickets for the event will be available exclusively through Ticketmaster.com.au, starting from $39.95, and are expected to sell out fast.
Australia’s largest Supercross event, the AUS-X Open, has proven successful for the Aussie hero since its inception, including back-to-back wins during the first two years in 2015 and 2016, and Reed says he’s proud to have watched the event grow over the past four years and how it has significantly changed the Australian Supercross industry.
Chad Reed
“My favourite thing about AUS-X Open as a rider and an athlete is it’s such a reflection for me, remembering back to when I was eight years old watching all the Australian greats in a Newcastle motordrome, and now seeing it, [AUS-X Open] being held at Marvel Stadium at the highest level makes me real proud to be apart of the sport. I was around for the first ever AUS-X Open in Sydney and I’m really proud to see how it’s grown into Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. It’s so hard to put into words the energy that you get at a stadium like Marvel, a stadium filled with 35-45,000 people, there’s just nothing like it. And really why I still, at 37-years-old, choose to do this as my day-to-day job. I love it, and I can’t replace that feeling and I’m always excited to come back for more.”
Chad Reed after winning the 2016 AUS-X Open
Reed will not have it all his own way in Melbourne, with what will arguably be the most competitive field of international supercross racers, to ever line up on Australian soil. More of the world’s biggest names in Supercross and Freestyle Motocross, including recent World Championship winners, will be announced in the coming days.
Already confirmed to compete on November 30, are current World Number 10 and defending Australian Supercross Champion – Justin Brayton, as well as 2019 World Supercross Championship Rookie of the Year and current World Number 8 – Joey Savatgy.
The 25-year-old American rider had an incredible rookie season in the premier 450SX1 class of the 2019 World Championship and is expected to be hard to beat at the AUS-X Open.
Joey Savatgy
“I can’t wait to head Down Under for the Monster Energy AUS-X Open. The calibre of riders that the event brings each year makes me so pumped to get out there and take it to the world’s best on Aussie soil. Racing Chad Reed at home, is certainly not going to be easy, but a challenge I’m ready for.”
Joey Savatgy competing in the World Supercross Championship
The largest international Supercross and action sports event in the world outside of the USA, the Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne, will feature the world’s best riders going head-to-head on a full-sized World Championship style Supercross track for the first time ever inside Marvel Stadium.
It will also be an engineering feat, arguably unmatched by any Supercross event in the world, as supports imported and constructed in the lower level carpark, prepare to handle the immense pressure of up to 6,000 tonnes of dirt, machinery and infrastructure, all positioned within Australia’s largest indoor stadium.
Featuring live music and entertainment, stunning pyrotechnics and the world’s best freestyle motocross riders battling to win the best-trick and best-whip competitions; the Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne is an incredible entertainment spectacle for all ages.
The AUS-X Open Melbourne is the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship and is sanctioned by Motorcycling Australia (MA). *$39.95 Silver Tickets will incur additional transaction and booking charges.
Wollongong SX to Feature ‘Speed & Style’ Championship
Troy Bayliss Events have announced that the Recover8 Australian Speed & Style Championship will be held on Saturday the 9th of November at Wollongong WIN Stadium – coinciding with Round 3 of the Australian Supercross Championships.
The Australian Speed & Style Championship will also be featured at Wollongong
The exclusive feature for fans attending the Wollongong Supercross, Recover8 Australian Speed & Style Championship will be run and won on the night, in a thrilling elimination style winner takes all format.
Australian and International riders are invited to compete, with the winner crowned the Official Australian Speed & Style Champion by sanctioning body Motorcycling Australia.
Speed and Style is a unique sport that originated at the American X-Games and combines the technical racing skills of Supercross with the incredible talents of Freestyle Motocross, giving fans an unbeatable mix of speed and wow.
Riders will race head-to-head, across whoops, over jumps and around berms with the added obstacle of a steel up-ramp and 75-foot gap for a finish line, allowing riders to perform backflip variations, huge whips and much more. Riders are judged based on a combination of time and the difficulty of tricks performed within the short action-packed race.
Troy Bayliss right – TDJ Images
Troy Bayliss
“If you haven’t planned your trip to Wollongong Supercross yet, I suggest you do. Not only will fans be treated to an incredible night of Bar to Bar Supercross Action they will now be on the edge of their seats watching the best in the business compete for the Recover8 Speed & Style title. Troy Bayliss Events welcomes Recover8 as the official partner to the Australian Speed & Style Championship. Recover8 is a brand new supplement product that is being widely promoted as a go-to product by many elite athletes here in Australia and around the world, and makes for a perfect fit for this exciting feature.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
James Stewart finally announces retirement
James Stewart, the seven-time AMA Motocross and Supercross Champion, who has not raced since July 23, 2016, has finally announced that he is retiring from the sport.
James Stewart
“Where I’m at in my life, I think it’s time to say I’m retiring. I’ve retired, it’s hard for sure, because I love racing and I love the fans, I love the opening ceremonies, I love the autograph lines, but I don’t miss the sweat and tears and training and having to feel like you have to win every race and having to be James Stewart. I don’t love doing that anymore.”
James Stewart retires
Stewart had a controversial career where he at times put other riders at risk with his brash riding style and while he was once known as the “fastest man on the planet,” he was also known as the “fastest soil sampler on the planet” with multiple crashes tainting what was supposed to be a dominating and long career – of which neither materialised.
Stewart retires with 20 career 250/450 Class wins in AMA Pro Motocross (fifth all-time) and 28 career 125/250 Class wins (first all-time) and 50 supercross wins.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MXGP arrived in Agueda, Portugal where it was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser claiming the round win after two dominant performances, that left Tony Cairoli settling for second, helping Gajser close in on the championship lead.
MXGP of Portugal 2019
In MX2 it was a great weekend for Mitch Evans claiming third overall with a 4-3 result, while Jed Beaton had to settle for nine-points with a 12th place in Race 1. Jorge Prado claimed the round win from Thomas Kjer Olsen and the championship lead in the same swoop, with just three-points separating the two.
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Agueda’s clay soil is rich with color but the racing was even more vibrant as thousands of fans filled the trackside hills to take in the action. Graced with blue skies and sunshine the track was prepped to perfection but the riders of MXGP and MX2 still had their hands full as it developed into a challenging circuit as racing progressed.
MXGP
MXGP Racing started with a Fox Holeshot from Antonio Cairoli – his eighth this season – while Cairoli’s main competitor so far this year, Tim Gajser, was in second through the first corner and immediately gave chase to the Sicilian.
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Portugal 2019
The front runners were first followed by Arnaud Tonus, Jeremy Seewer, and Gautier Paulin. Paulin however fell out of the top five on the opening lap which left him to resume the race nearly dead last. His teammate Tonus went from fourth to third with a pass on fellow countryman Jeremy Seewer.
The two Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team riders Clement Desalle and Julien Lieber held down fifth and sixth from the start with Lieber taking the lead role.
Clement Desalle – MXGP of Portugal 2019
About three quarters of the way through the race Gajser’s continual pressure paid off when Cairoli stalled the engine out of corner and although he was able to get back going it was all the #243 needed to take over the lead. Cairoli latched right onto the Slovenian and during the final two laps made a push to pass but the sprinting speed of Gajser got the better of the Italian.
Behind Gajser and Cairoli at the finish was Tonus, Seewer, Lieber, Desalle, and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass. Paulin rode at an incredible pace through the field moving in and out of the race line to come from last to 15th.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Race 2 started with a Fox Holeshot from Tonus for his first time this year but Desalle took the lead and Cairoli slid into second position by the first downhill. Gajser was in fifth behind Seewer but made it into fourth by the end of the first lap. Paulin was off to a much better start in sixth meanwhile, with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre adding to the YZ frenzy in seventh.
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Portugal 2019
As Desalle led Cairoli it was Gajser making passes first on Tonus for third and then both Cairoli and Gajser got by Desalle in the same section. Cairoli was into the lead but within one lap a mistake saw him fall and drop to fifth. With Gajser in the lead Cairoli immediately retook fourth position then after four laps both Tonus and the #222 passed Desalle.
With four laps to go Cairoli passed Tonus to get into second but Gajser was already long gone taking an emphatic overall victory via double race wins for the second time this season. Cairoli took 2-2 for second overall while Tonus reached the podium in his stunning ride and hard fought 3-3 finishes.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Tim Gajser – P1
“It was really great to come away with two wins and the overall here in Portugal. I put last weekend behind me and I knew that if I focused and rode like I know how to ride, I could do well at this Agueda track. Still, to get both moto victories is a great confidence booster and backs up my win in Trentino very nicely. I now have the fastest laps in the last four motos so my speed is good and I know I am feeling strong too. These back to back races are tough but I head to France really happy with my riding and confident that the bike and I are working well together. A big thanks to the team for working so hard to help make this happen, and let’s keep up the effort!”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Antonio Cairoli – P2
“On one side I’m happy because the goal is to always be on the podium but in another way I’m disappointed. In the first moto I made a silly mistake and I stalled the bike but I could get back to Tim. In the second I was swapping lines. Where I crashed was a lottery, there was a lot of mud and I chose another line at the last moment and there was a rock that twisted my front end. I’m happy I didn’t hurt myself.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Arnaud Tonus – P3
“It feels amazing to be back on the podium. It’s hard to put the feeling into words actually. I just feel thankful. Really thankful. Thankful to my team, and to Yamaha, and all of the people who support me for sticking behind me through what was the toughest time in my career. To be back up here after all of that is so cool. I am so happy and especially because I had to fight really hard for this result. I was passed and I had to pass people back and fight really hard, and that just makes a result like this so much sweeter, to know that I fought for it.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Clément Desalle – P4
“It was a decent day if we consider that I couldn’t ride so much during the past weeks and there some positive points. It was great to lead the second moto with a very good rhythm for so many laps and that’s encouraging for the next rounds. I continue to recover from my knee injury and I feel that it’s coming better each week. The other positive point are my starts, and then to score a sixth and a fourth give me good points for the championship. Physically it’s still tough to maintain such a high intensity for the entire race but I know that I will be able to continue to improve my condition in the coming weeks.”
Clement Desalle – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Jeremy Seewer – P5
“I had a positive weekend. I had two good starts from a bad gate pick, especially on this kind of start. I had good speed this weekend. I finished fourth in the first race which was really good because I struggled yesterday, but I felt good today. Second race was really good again, I settled in fifth, but the entry into the wave section here is really tricky. There are rocks, ruts, kickers, no kickers, lots to consider and every lap you get there, the bike handles differently. I got kicked sideways on the last lap and slid it out. I lost five spots. I still reached my goal, so this is positive for the next races.”
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Pauls Jonass – P6
“I’ve really enjoyed the GP of Portugal. It’s a track I’ve always liked and the conditions were pretty much perfect here. I guess I was feeling good after my podium result in Italy last weekend, but it also feels good to get a strong result in more normal conditions. My physical fitness is improving all the time and as it does I’m able to enjoy racing a 450 more and more. I didn’t get the best of starts here, but I made some important passes in the first laps of both races, which really helped me. The track was fast and a lot of riders were really pushing hard, so it wasn’t easy to make passes. I rode consistently during both motos, which was also important. I feel like I’m making some good progress, which gives me extra motivation to keep working hard with the team.”
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Portugal 2019 – Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo
MXGP Results – Portugal MXGP
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:00.609
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.197
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:17.885
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:27.240
Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:28.880
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:29.847
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:35.562
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:51.205
Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:52.970
Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:53.969
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:47.988
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:10.604
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:12.909
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:15.819
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:18.856
Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:20.225
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:22.115
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:24.630
Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:27.080
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:30.999
MXGP Overall Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 40
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 33
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 29
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 28
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 28
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 27
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 26
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 22
MXGP ChampionshipTop Ten
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 285 points
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 251
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 197
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 175
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 166
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 153
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 137
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 136
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 122
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 120
MX2
MX2 racing was also full of action starting with Jorge Prado taking again scoring the Fox Holeshot while behind him a second turn pile up held back several riders. Michele Cervellin was in second on the opening lap, but Henry Jacobi surged past along with Thomas Kjer Olsen a short time later.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Portugal 2019
The race then ended abruptly for Cervellin when he crashed in spectacular fashion during lap 7. Honda 114 Motorsport’s Mitch Evans took over the fourth position Cervellin crashed out of with the Mathys Boisrame getting into the top five as well. Evans then lost fourth to both Boisrame and Jago Geerts. Boisrame was shifted back seven laps later when Geerts and Evans took fourth then fifth away.
Back at the front Olsen made a pass on Jacobi with two laps to go and as Jacobi pushed to reclaim the spot he instead fell and lost four positions on the last lap. Prado took the race win with Olsen 2nd ahead of Geerts, Evans, and Boisrame.
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Portugal 2019
MX2 Race 2’s Fox Holeshot was taken by the wildcard EMX250 entry of Roan Van de Moosdijk, however Prado got the better of Van de Moosdijk into the second corner and took the lead. Van de Moosdijk dropped back to fourth while his teammate Jacobi moved to third.
Prado lost his lead to the Australian Mitch Evans before the end of the first official lap and held it for another four while Prado looked for an opportunity to pass. Cervellin returned to race after his crash earlier in the day and though banged up was in the top five as the race progressed.
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Olsen made a mistake and had a back of the pack start but surprisingly didn’t crash after clipping another rider. By the sixth lap Olsen had worked up to fifth from tenth passing Cervellin and a handful of others in the process. With five laps remaining Jacobi made a pass on Evans to take over second and a lap later Olsen made one more pass to get into fourth past Van de Moosdijk.
All the while Prado continued to lead before taking the checkered flag for his 5th 1-1 result of 2019. Olsen finished 2nd overall but it was a bitter sweet moment as he also lost the championship lead to Prado. For the second time in his rookie MX2 season Evans reached the podium in 3rd position.
Jorge Prado on the MX2 podium – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Jorge Prado – P1
“This is the closest race to a home GP for me, we are very close to Spain and there are so many fans that came out and many were cheering for me, I really enjoy it. When I went onto the podium they went crazy so it is great to have a race like this and it was a great weekend. For me it was important to get the red plate because I feel more comfortable with it but it is tough to keep so I try to not make any mistake but in motocross you never know.”
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Thomas Kjer Olsen – P2
“Generally, I’m very pleased with how I’ve ridden here in Portugal. Losing the red plate isn’t great, I never wanted that, but again my speed has been good and to get second overall after a tough second moto is great. I felt good all weekend, and I’d been looking forward to the GP. Things are heading in a good direction so plenty of positives from the both races in Portugal. I got a good start in the opening race and worked my way from fifth to third. The pace was really strong and we were all pushing really hard and using a lot of energy. Second in that first race was really good. I was pretty lucky in the second race that I didn’t go down entering the first corner – I ended up going right when the corner went left. I had a lot of work to do after that and just rode as hard as I could. Working my way back to fourth was good. Carrying the red plate into more GPs would have been nice, but nothing changes now that I don’t have it. I want it back. I want to be winning races. I just need to keep focused and work on consistent starts.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Mitch Evans – P3
“It feels great to be back on the podium, we had a few tough weekends with some little injuries and my fitness dropped off because of it. We are finally back to the normal program and I am feeling a lot better which also gives a lot confidence coming into the weekend.”
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Henry Jacobi – P4
“Normally with a fourth overall I would be happy, but it’s a little bit disappointing because I was third or second during the first race until I had a big crash in the waves on the last lap. I tried to pass back Olsen but he changed his line and took mine so I had to use a different one too but there was a stone and I saw it too late. It was a big crash; I was even wondering if I would be able to race the second moto as my hand was painful but I decided to have a go, made a good start and didn’t feel any pain! I eventually passed Evans for second and it remains very good for the championship so we can’t be unhappy tonight.”
Henry Jacobi – MXGP of Portugal 2019
MX2 Results – Portugal MXGP
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:07.339
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:03.304
Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:27.504
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:28.329
Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +0:34.618
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:35.418
Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:44.519
Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:45.789
Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:51.829
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +0:53.710 …12. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 36:03.407
MXGP and MX2 weren’t the only world championship classes racing this weekend in Portugal as the fastest riders of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship returned for the WMX round of Portugal.
WMX Start – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Following the opening round in the Netherlands at Valkenswaard it was Belgium’s Amandine Verstappen carrying the red plate into Agueda this weekend. Saturday hosted the first race of the two-day, two race, event and unfortunately for Verstappen her winning ways would not be repeated. Instead it was Bike IT DRT Kawasaki’s Courtney Duncan who dominated the field for his win of the year.
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019
At the start of race 1 Verstappen crashed and by the time she was back up she was buried at the back of the field. Larissa Papenmeier led Duncan down the first downhill with Nancy Van De Ven in third. Before the opening lap was complete Duncan took the lead from Papenmeier on the inside of one of the turns.
JK Racing Yamaha’s Lynn Valk pressured Van de Ven for third but was unable to pass her Dutch compatriot. Meanwhile Verstappen fell again dropping from 16th to 20th forcing her to go back to work all over again. Digging deep Verstappen made her way up to 10th but in the lead it was Duncan, all race, taking the win ahead of Papenmeier, Van de Ven, Valk, and Sara Andersen.
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019
WMX Race two took place this afternoon and Van de Ven rocketed into the first turn taking the holeshot and lead over Duncan and Papenmeier with Line Dam also in the mix. Verstappen’s weekend went from bad to worse getting caught in a pile up with 2 other riders.
Duncan didn’t take long to get past Van de Ven making a pass stick during the second lap and never looking back. Sara Andersen and Line Dam then had a battle but Andersen came out as the faster of the two Danes. Valk also passed Dam for her best ever WMX result while Verstappen never gave up charging through the field for a second day in a row.
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019
At the finish Duncan took the race win making it her second year in a row going 1-1 in Portugal but her first overall victory of 2019. 2ndand 3rdin the race, Van de Ven and Papenmeier were also second and third overall. The top five overall was filled out by Andersen and Valk as Verstappen’s resilience salvaged 9thoverall. The championship leaders red plate now belongs to Duncan with 89 points total which is four ahead of Van de Ven now in second.
Courtney Duncan
“I was really happy with the weekend; the goal was to put two solid races together and I did that. I got blocked in at the first turn in that second race, but I didn’t panic, sorted out a good place to make a clean pass and could race away. I’m just taking it race by race at the moment and not really thinking about the championship, but I’m stoked to get the double win and take the red plate to the next round. We’ve got a nine week break now, so I’ll be going back to New Zealand to keep doing the work and come out swinging at Loket.”
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Duncan will now return to New Zealand to continue her training before taking the red plate into round 3 in Loket, Czech Republic the 27th and 28th of July.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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Cairoli & Prado dominate MXGP of Lombardia
Mantova in Italy hosted the 5th round of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship last weekend with the MXGP of Lombardia being completely dominated by Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado in the MXGP and MX2 categories respectively.
MXGP took to Lombardia for Round 5
MXGP Report
On a track that was full of sloppy mud it was smooth sailing for Cairoli who recorded the perfect weekend leading 42 laps over the weekend to take wins in the qualifying race on Saturday and both points scoring motos on Sunday for his fourth Matova GP win this time ahead if Pauls Jonass, Gautier Paulin, Clement Desalle, and Glen Coldenhoff.
Antonio Cairoli
“It is very nice to be again in Italy, despite the weather there were a lot of people today, so I am very thankful they keep coming and keep cheering. I am really happy of course, thanks to all the team for their hard work again and I am looking forward to next week in Portugal which is another track that I really like.”
Antonio Cairoli – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Pauls Jonass
“It feels really good to be back here and especially with the MXGP guys. It has been a tough winter and a tough few months but it feels really great to be up here. We still need to keep working hard because I’m far off from my best shape but we will keep working and hopefully I can be back on the podium again soon.”
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Gautier Paulin
“When the track is really rough like this you can gain a lot of points but you can also lose them. I am pretty happy, after the break we made a big step with the bike, I really feel good. Today wasn’t the result I expected but I am on the box so it is always a pleasure for my team and myself. There will be good GP’s coming and I can’t wait to get behind the gate again.”
Gautier Paulin – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
MXGP of Mantova 2019 Results
MXGP Race 1
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 36:48.024
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:10.064
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:21.379
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), +0:27.299
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:39.542
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:49.512
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:52.425
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:57.535
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:03.646
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:10.362
MXGP Race 2
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:37.572
Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +0:07.068
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:11.327
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:15.790
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:15.887
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:17.780
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:47.849
Benoit Paturel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:51.229
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:54.290
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:11.509
MXGP Round Overall
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 42
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 33
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 30
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 29
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 26
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 26
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 26
Brian Bogers (NED, HON), 23
Benoit Paturel (FRA, KAW), 19
MXGP Standings
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 241 points
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 201
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 175
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 146
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 142
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 124
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 118
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 109
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 100
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 94
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Report
Prado took his fourth GP win over championship leader Thomas Kjer Olsen, Davey Pootjes and Aussie Mitch Evans but he win from Prado was not enough to take over the red plate from Olsen but the gap now drops from the previous 20 points to only 7.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Evans rode solid in the tough conditions for 8-6 moto results to now sit eighth in the championship points while Jed Beaton scored a sensational third in the opening moto and was running in sixth in the second moto until a crash put him back to an eventual 17th for seventh overall to now be 12th in the championship points.
Jorge Prado
“It is great to come back, get on the podium, and winning the GP was very important for me, especially for my confidence after a month off. Today it was important to get a good start, I failed at that yesterday but today I got really good starts which were key to the race. It is very tough to not make mistakes, get good starts every time, and don’t crash, I just need to keep concentration to lead.”
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“Overall it was a great weekend for me, in the first race I had that problem on the start where I was down for a bit, I was pretty far behind but I was able to make up some spots in the first laps and get into to a good position pretty quick I worked into the top ten and even got into 6th. So, after being down it was pretty good for me, I even stopped to change my goggles. Overall I felt like I was riding good this weekend.
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Davy Pootjes
“It is really good and I am really happy because it has been tough. This podium should have happened maybe 4 years ago but because of crashes, injuries, and some bad luck it didn’t happen. Last winter, together with DIGA Procross, we made a plan, worked really hard, and it payed off. I feel this is the place where I should be and I am not done yet.”
MX2 of Mantova 2019 Results
MX2 Race 1
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:18.651
Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:05.836
Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:26.496
Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:40.315
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +1:05.236
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +1:12.915
Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), +1:37.577
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +1:47.716
Morgan Lesiardo (ITA, KTM), +1:50.638
Richard Sikyna (SVK, KTM), +1:51.878
MX2 Race 2
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 36:52.290
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:08.779
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:36.069
Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:52.541
Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:58.348
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +1:01.889
Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +1:11.299
Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:13.390
Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), +1:17.228
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +1:19.630
MX2 Round Overall
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 37
Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 36
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 28
Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), 26
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 25
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 24
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 22
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 20
Mathys Boisrame (FRA, HON), 20
MX2 Standings
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 207 points
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 200
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 157
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 150
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 145
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 141
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 122
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 117
Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 112
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 105
Kras & Guadagnini Win 2-Stroke Classes in Lombardia
Europe’s Two-Stroke categories of EMX2T and EMX125 were on hand at Lombardia last weekend with two days of racing action won by Mike Kras (EMX2T) and Mattia Guadagnini (EMX125).
EMX125 Report
Guadagnini’s veteran like performance saw him take both race wins and as a result the overall ahead of Simon Laegenefelder (2-7) and Eddie Jay Wade (12-2) results. Guadagnini’s points lead is now 35 as the class takes one week off before returning alongside the MXGP of France at Saint Jean d’Angely.
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EMX2T Report
Kras won the opening moto from the Pommie pairing of Todd Kellett and Brad Todd then in the second moto championship leader Brad Anderson took the win from Kras and Erik Williams so Anderson continues to lead the championship by 14 points over Kras.
Mike Kras
EMX2T Results
EMX2T Race 1 Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 30:20.257
Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:04.771
Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:12.084
Mario Tamai (ITA, KTM), +0:13.931
Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:21.327
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:26.705
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:39.726
Ben Putnam (GBR, Yamaha), +0:43.108
Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), +0:44.718
Erik Hugyecz (HUN, KTM), +0:45.229
EMX2T Race 2 Top Ten
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 30:21.942
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:31.382
Erik Willems (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:36.552
Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:57.783
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +1:05.100
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +1:06.501
Emanuele Alberio (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:09.430
Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), +1:38.804
Marco Paganini (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:47.383
Marco Lolli (ITA, Yamaha), +2:10.543.
EMX2T Overall Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 47 points
Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 38
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 33
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 30
Erik Willems (BEL, HUS), 26
Mario Tamai (ITA, KTM), 26
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 25
Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), 25
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 25
Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 20
EMX2T Championship Top Ten
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 83 points
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 69
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 67
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 58
Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 58
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 50
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 46
Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 42
Ben Putnam (GBR, YAM), 39
Marco Lolli (ITA, YAM), 39
Roman Wins WESS of Portugal
Spain’s Mario Roman has claimed victory over Wade Young and Manuel Lettenbichler at round one of the 2019 World Enduro Super Series – the Toyota Porto Extreme XL Lagares, in Portugal.
Extreme XL Lagares – Saturday Urban Enduro
Following two days of action-packed Endurocross and City Prologue racing, the stage was set for Sunday’s Hard Enduro feature race with 300 competitors taking on the two laps of the demanding course.
Extreme XL Lagares – Sunday
Alfredo Gomez and Taddy Blazusiak led the field away but Lettenbichler soon moved into the lead and opened up a five-minute advantage over Young with Billy Bolt, Jonny Walker, Graham Jarvis and Roman all in tow.
Extreme XL Lagares – Sunday
Heading out for lap two, Lettenbichler was now six minutes clear and looking strong but Roman and Young had other ideas and impressively upped their pace in the deteriorating conditions and it wasn’t long Roman put his Sherco in front and, in charging all the way to the finish, claimed a memorable victory and the opening win of the WESS season. Young finished four minutes behind as runner-up.
Mario Roman
“I feel amazing, it’s so good to get the win, in 2016 I finished about a minute behind Alfredo and then two years in a row I had mechanical issues with my bike, but I always believed in myself and knew I could do it this year. On the first lap I was lying fifth or sixth and I couldn’t see the top two guys, but as the race went on, I started to feel stronger and was able to push 100% and pass the others one-by-one. The track was so much more difficult on the second lap and I knew I would be able to make up time on those tricky sections.”
Mario Roman claims the WESS 2019 Round 1 win at the Extreme XL Lagares
Wade Young
“It feels great to get second today. At one point I was down in sixth and I was lacking some confidence after struggling in one of the rivers – that spent a lot of my energy. I came back strong though and towards the end people were starting to get tired and I was able to dig a little deeper and keep going.”
Extreme XL Lagares – Wade Young
Jarvis initially looked to have snatched third from Lettenbichler on corrected time, but the German was awarded time he lost on lap one due to a track marking error and finished on the podium. With Jarvis content in fourth, Bolt completed the top five, while Walker rounded out the top six.
Manuel Lettenbichler
“I am so happy with my result and overall I had a really good race, I didn’t realise at first the gap to the others was so big. I tried to stick to the same pace on the second lap, but Mario and Wade must have been flying. I think they probably pushed each other on the difficult stuff and were able to maintain a good speed when it got really tough. Graham also caught me at a few places, but I was able to stay ahead. I had to stop to move a bridge on the first lap so that cost me some time, but thankfully they have awarded that back to me and I have come away with third. It would have been nice to get the win, especially after leading for over half of the race. But whatever the result, I am happy with my riding and it’s been a good start to this year’s WESS championship.”
Extreme XL Lagares – Manuel Lettenbichler
The World Enduro Super Series continues with round two, the Trèfle Lozérien AMV in France, next weekend, May 17-19.
Results – Round 1: Toyota Porto Extreme XL Lagares
Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 4:01:43.21
Wade Young (Sherco – RSA) 4:05:59.04 +4:15.83
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 4:07:09.68 +5:26.47
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GB) 4:07:16.12 +5:32.91
Jonathan Richardson (Husqvarna – GB) 5:11:22.83 +1:09:39.70
2019 World Enduro Super Series Standings (after round 1)
Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 1000 points
Wade Young (Sherco – RSA) 850 pts
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 770 pts
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GBR) 690 pts
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB) 610 pts
Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) 570 pts
Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP) 530 pts
Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL) 490 pts
Travis Teasdale (KTM – RSA) 460 pts
Jonathan Richardson (Husqvarna – GB) 430 pts
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Great Britain & Australia bound for Speedway of Nations Final
The Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Race Off 2 was held in Manchester last Saturday night and it was England with 26 points who triumphed over Australia and Denmark so all three teams have secured their places at the Finals in Togliatti, Russia on July 20 and 21.
FIM Speedway of Nations – Image by Haggis Hartman
It was an impressive night for GB as triple world champion Tai Woffinden (12), Craig Cook (8) and Robert Lambert (6) all piled up the points while Australia booked the second automatic qualification berth after finishing level on 22 points with Denmark, but out-ranking their rivals after Chris Holder and Max Fricke finished second and third behind Danish rider Leon Madsen when the teams met in heat 18.
Max Fricke and Chris Holder – Image by Haggis Hartman
Holder scored two points from his opening two rides, but hit back with a win and two seconds.
Chris Holder
“It wasn’t too bad. It was a tough night and it’s a tough place here – everybody can be fast here. It’s a big, wide-open track. The bike setup is pretty much everything. My first couple were terrible, but once we got it working well, it got better. Me and Max had a couple of good races. The name of the game was just to get through in the top two. We didn’t want to be in the knock-out heats. We managed to sneak in, so we’re happy with that.”
Chris Holder – Image by Haggis Hartman
Denmark were forced to beat France in the final knock-out heat to earn their spot in Russia on a night plagued by bad luck.
Niels-Kristian Iversen
“We did it the hard way, it was difficult. We did have some bad luck and it cost us some points. I believe we could have won the meeting if things had gone our way in a few races. But we qualified and that’s the main thing. We really wanted to avoid the knock-out race at the end because you never know what’s going to happen in these races. We felt confident we were going to do it, but it is a little bit nerve-wracking. We had to do it the hard way, but we are through.”
Great Britain, Australia and Denmark are joined in the Finals by hosts Russia as well as Race Off 1 winners Sweden, Poland and Germany.
FIM Speedway of Nations – Image by Haggis Hartman
The next World Championships action sees the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series launch with the Boll Warsaw SGP of Poland this Saturday.
Race-Off 2 Results
GREAT BRITAIN 26
Tai Woffinden 12, Craig Cook 8, Robert Lambert 6.
AUSTRALIA 22
Chris Holder 9, Max Fricke 12, Jaimon Lidsey 1.
DENMARK 22
Niels-Kristian Iversen 15, Leon Madsen 5, Frederik Jakobsen 2.
FRANCE 16
David Bellego 10, Dimitri Berge 6, Gaetan Stella 0.
American Flat Track ace Brandon Robinson put together a flawless performance to win last Saturday night’s Vance & Hines So-Cal Half-Mile at the Southern California Fairgrounds in Perris, Calif.
AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
Robinson controlled the once stopped and restarted Main Event from race’s opening lap and by taking victory he became the first AFT Twins rider to claim more than one victory in 2019.
Brandon Robinson
“They all feel amazing. It’s great to be up here. Any time you’re on the box is good, but winning… this is what it’s all about. This is what we put in all the hard work for. My team busted their butts. My team owner, Jerry Kennedy, gives us everything we need to win. My crew chief, Brent Armbruster — the guy is amazing. We make a lot of decisions together, but there are some times he bails me out and gets the bike right. Man, he hit the nail on the head again tonight. This one is for my team.”
AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
After holding off Sammy Halbert for the first part of the race Robinson took the win by nearly two seconds over championship leader Briar Bauman and Halbert who in turn got the nod over fellow Harley rider Jarod Vanderkooi and defending champion Jared Mees.
AFT Twins Podium 1) Robinson, 2) Bauman, 3) Halbert – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Twins Main Event – So-Cal Half-Mile
Brandon Robinson Indian FTR750 0:21.040
Briar Bauman Indian FTR750 +1.833
Sammy Halbert Harley-Davidson XG750R +3.646
Jarod Vanderkooi Harley-Davidson XG750R +4.031
Jared Mees Indian FTR750 +4.280
Bronson Bauman Indian FTR750 +5.993
Brandon Price Indian FTR750 +9.720
Davis Fisher Indian FTR750 +10.050
Robert Pearson Indian FTR750 +10.622
Larry Pegram Indian FTR750 +12.028
AFT Twins Standings
Briar Bauman 102
Brandon Robinson 89
Jared Mees 78
Jarod Vanderkooi 66
Sammy Halbert 61
Henry Wiles 53
Jeffrey Carver Jr. 51
Larry Pegram 51
Bronson Bauman 50
Robert Pearson 45
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AFT Singles Report
Ryan Wells backed up his first podium of the season at the Arizona Super TT with his first win of the year in a virtual wire-to-wire triumph at the So-Cal Half-Mile ahead of podium first timer Michael Inderbitzin and championship leader Dalton Gauthier
Ryan Wells – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
Ryan Wells
“TTs have never been my super strong suit so I knew getting a podium (at the Arizona Super TT), we had worked out the bugs that needed to be worked out. The Yamaha was awesome. It was huge for me to come in here and get the win. To lead all 15 laps… it was a long race for me mentally. It felt awesome to lead some laps and come out with the win. I can’t say enough about the whole Estenson racing family. That pit over there is literally a family. The camaraderie is awesome and I couldn’t get a win for a better group.”
Ryan Wells topped the AFT Singles podium – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Singles Main Event – So-Cal Half-Mile
Ryan Wells Yamaha YZ450F 0:21.367
Michael Inderbitzin Honda CRF450R +0.406
Dalton Gauthier Husqvarna FC450 +1.315
Dan Bromley KTM 450 SX-F +2.085
Jesse Janisch +Yamaha YZ450F +2.332
AFT Singles Standings
Dalton Gauthier 96
Jesse Janisch 86
Dan Bromley 73
Mikey Rush 71
Ryan Wells 56
Euro Flat Track Kicks Off
The Indian Motorcycle European Flat Track series, presented by the Dirt Track Riders Association (DTRA), kicked off at the Hells Race, Lelystad Stadium on Sunday May 5. Dirttrack Lelystad in Holland hosted the first ever running during the amazingly popular annual Hells Race meeting.
Over 150 riders raced classes including Hooligan, Vintage, Pro, Amateur, Newbie and Minibike. The program was action packed with some fantastic racing around Holland’s premier short track venue.
The Hooligan class battle did not disappoint at Hells Race. Racing was fast and tough on the soft light shale surface. The big bikes were hard to handle on the tight and deep short track, and rain during the afternoon made the racing really tricky.
It was Gary Birtwistle who skilfully lead the final from beginning to end. After a poor start Max Hunt managed to race to a very well deserved second place. Leah Tokelove, who raced superbly in her heats on the Indian Scout took a well-earned third place on the podium, giving the UK first, second and third positions.
Hooligan Class
Gary Birtwistle – UK
Max Hunt – UK
Leah Tokelove – UK
Jonathan Falkman – Sweden
James Smith – UK
All three championship classes provided some amazing action and with riders from nine countries, the event had a truly international feel. The Pro Class was packed with Europe’s top dirt track riders, with a large showing from the UK, coupled with a strong field of other top riders from the Spain, Netherlands, Italy and Poland. The heats provided really tight racing. It was Ferran Sastre who was the only rider to win all his heats and took first pick for the Pro Final.
Sastre had some very strong competition from Maikel Dijkstra who was fresh from training with Moto Anatomy’s Johnny Lewis and was showing some excellent pace on his home track. Both Toby Hales (Greenfield Dirttrack) and Gerard Bailo (Greenfield Dirttrack) flew in from riding Copa Rodi in Spain the day before.
Franc Sala was also racing well and taking heat wins. In the Pro final it was Ferran Sastre who raced with superb skill to win, with Maikel Dijkstra taking a very close second and Sala third giving the Spanish riders a strong presence on the podium.
Pro Class
Ferran Sastre – Spain
Maikel Dijkstra – Netherlands
Franc Sala – Spain
Toby Hales – UK
Gerard Bailo – Spain
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The vintage Class had a massive entry with some really close racing on some of Europe’s most beautiful vintage machines. German rider Martin Huning was on fire in all his heats and won the finaI. In second place was DTRA Race Director Anthony Brown who was very strong in all his heats. And in third place was Swiss rider Michel Colaizzi.
Vintage
Martin Huning – Germany
Anthony Brown – UK
Michel Colaizzi – Switzerland
Sean Kelly – UK
Christophe Canitrot – France
Krazy Horse’s Hooligan Team return to continue their UK DTRA flat track championship attack with the Indian Scout at MCN’s Festival of Motorcycling, Peterborough Arena, on May 18th and 19th – Join the event and experience the spectacle of Flat Track racing alongside live demo ride opportunities, see the entire Indian Motorcycle range on display and enjoy all the festival has to offer.
2019 Hooligan Championship Dates
May 17/19 – MCN Festival, Peterborough Showground, UK
June 15 – El Rollo, Wheels & Waves, ESP – European Championship
August 9/10 – DIRTQUAKE, Arlington Stadium, Sussex, UK
September 21/22 – Greenfield Oval, Alford, UK – European Championship
Sipes Wins Hawaiian Supercross
Aloha Stadium hosted the first Supercross event in Hawaii in several years and it was former ISDE winner and multi-talented Ryan Sipes who came away with a surprise win over multi-Australian Supercross Champion Justin Brayton and multi-Arenacross Champion Tyler Bowers.
Ryan Sipes claims the Hawaiin Supercross win from Justin Brayton and Tyler Bowers
The event used a three-moto format and Sipes dominated the overall standings with 1-1-1 moto finishes ahead of Brayton, who finished second overall with 3-2-2 moto scores while Tyler Bowers rounded out the podium with 4-5-4 moto results.
Hawaiian Supercross Results 2019 450SX
Ryan Sipes: 1-1-1
Justin Brayton: 3-2-2
Tyler Bowers: 4-5-4
Mike Alessi: 7-4-3
Austin Politelli: 2-3-12
Ben LaMay: 6-9-6
Josh Hill: 8-8-7
Alex Ray: 11-6-8
Jimmy Decotis: 5-13-11
Kyle Chisholm: 13-7-5
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Broc Tickle Back in 2020
FIM have finally given their verdict on American racer Broc Tickle, who was suspended from the sport due to a report from the WADA accredited laboratory in Cologne indicating an adverse analytical finding of 5-methylhexan-2-amine, a specified substance under Section 6 (Stimulants) of the 2018 FIM Prohibited List, in a urine sample collected from him at the San Diego round of supercross.
Broc Tickle in 2018
Tickle had this to say on social media: “Finally got official sentencing from CDI panel and FIM, bummed I won’t be railing some corners this summer in Pro Motocross. I’ll be back 2/10/2020.”
Three Aussies Set for Hangtown
There will be three Aussies at the opening round of the AMA Motocross championship which will be held at Hangtown this weekend with Hunter Lawrence in the 250 class for Geico Honda being joined by Dean Ferris on the Factory Yamaha team and Todd Waters running a privateer Husqvarna.
Hunter Lawrence
Moto News reported last week that Waters flew straight to America after winning the 5th round of the Australian MX Nationals at Murray Bridge with friends and family helping to contest the first three rounds of the series on a production FC450 Husqvarna.
Todd Waters
“With a seven-week break in the calendar, I’ve decided the best training I can do is to race, so I’ll head to the US this week with a small entourage of family and friends to line up as a privateer at the first three rounds of the AMA Outdoors.”
Todd Waters
Ferris on the other hand got the call from Yamaha to fill in for the injured Aaron Plessinger with the Monster Energy Yamaha team alongside Justin Barcia.
Dean Ferris
“I’m super excited about this opportunity to race with the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team. I’ve won a lot of races on the YZ450F, so it’s a perfect fit for me to start my campaign in America. I’m looking forward to getting the outdoor season rolling in Hangtown next weekend!”
Dean Ferris
As for Lawrence, the former GP front runner was injured right before the supercross season and has spent the last 17 weeks getting ready for Hangtown to look for the young hard charger to be at the pointy end for the opening round and beyond.
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Manjimup to Welcome Clout and Gibbs
CDR Monster Energy Yamaha Team members Kirk Gibbs and Luke Clout are set to make the trip across the Nullarbor to take on the best in the West at Australia’s most prestigious single motocross event, the Manjimup 15000 on the 1st and 2nd of June. Kirk Gibbs is a past champion of the event and longing to have his name added to the trophy one more time.
Kirk Gibbs
“I have done Manjimup a few times over the years and it is an event that every motocross racer should do. It’s an amazing track to ride that offers challenges in its layout, its terrain and its physical demands. The atmosphere at the venue is also nothing like we experience back on the East Coast. There is always a big crowd on hand that line the entire track and make plenty of noise as they watch the races. They are motocross people who know about the sport and are enthusiastic to cheer on their favourite rider. My shoulder should be good to go and I’m looking forward to heading back to Manjimup and catching up with all the WA fans.”
Kirk Gibbs
For Luke Clout, 2019 will mark his first appearance at the event and the has the current MX Nationals points leader exciting about the prospect of racing on the famous Manjimup circuit and experience the race for the first time.
Luke Clout
“I have heard so many good things about Manjimup and it’s awesome to know I will finally be taking the trip over to contest the event. Dacka has told me so many stories about his time racing Manjimup and I hope my time there is half as exciting as his. And I’m not sure if I can bare another story about riding a 500cc two stroke on a track rough enough to swallow an ocean-liner. I have seen the track on video and watched some races there and it looks like such a fun track to ride. The schedule looks hectic with six motos during the day but that’s fine with me and I can’t wait to get behind the gate and race Kirk as well as all the WA riders.”
Luke Clout
X Trial Australian Championship returns for 2019
The 2019 X Trial Australian Championship contenders will compete in Perth and Wollongong in back-to-back weekends kicking off on WA on the 20th of July.
X Trial Australian Championship returns for 2019
X Trial features the best eight riders that get an invitation to test themselves through 5 difficult sections each weekends which will offer spectators 3 hours of entertainment.
Eight riders start the qualifying round and four progress to the final, to be crowned the X Trial Australian Champion!
X Trial Australian Championship
Round 1
Perth – Saturday July 20th, HBF Stadium, Mount Claremont WA
Gates open at 6pm – Main Event 6:30pm Start
Round 2
Wollongong – Saturday July 27th, WIN Ent Centre, Wollongong, NSW
Gates open at 6pm – Main Event 6:30pm Start
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Weekly Up-Date on Our Aussies Abroad
Jed Beaton – Rockstar Husqvarna
Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship Current Standing: 12th after Round 5 of 17 Notes: Jed was on fire at the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy last weekend with a third in the opening moto before crashing out of 6th late in moto two in horrendously wet conditions to finish 17th for 7th overall – Jed has moved from 13th to 12th in the championship points.
Jed Beaton
Mitch Evans – 114 Honda
Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship Current Standing: 8th after Round 5 of 17 Notes: Mitch had a solid weekend at the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy last weekend with a 3rd in Saturday’s Qualifying race before going 8-6 on Sunday for 6th outright to maintain his 8th in the championship points – Evans was involved in a first corner crash in the opening moto so to claw his way back to 8th in the conditions shows his talent.
Mitch Evans
Tayla Jones – Rockstar/Husqvarna/Moose Racing/Shaw Wines
Championship: GNCC Current Standing: 1st after Round 5 of 13 Notes: Tayla won the latest round in Indianapolis on May 5 and has extended her points lead in the WXC class to 11 over second placed Becca Sheets.
Tayla Jones competing the 2019 GNCC – Image by Ken Hill
Caleb Grothues – SDM Corse Yamaha
Championship: EMX250 Current Standings: 16th after Round 2 of 8 Notes: The former Australian and World Junior Motocross Champion rode well at the opening round but was forced to sit out the second round due to injury but the West Aussie should be back for the next round in France on the 26th of May.
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Hunter Lawrence – Geico Honda
Championship: AMA Motocross Championship Current Standings: TBA Notes: Hunter was looking sharp heading into the supercross championship before he crashed right before the opening round so he is now healed and by all accounts 100% ready for the outdoors which kicks off at Hangtown on May 18.
Hunter Lawrence – Hoppenworld Image
Jett Lawrence – Geico Honda
Championship: TBA Current Standings: TBA Notes: Jett joined the Geico Honda amateur program for 2019 and to date he has raced a handful of events like the Mini-Os etc – as soon as he races and there are results it will be right here.
Jett Lawrence
Tahlia ‘TJ’ O’Hare – KTM DIGA Racing Team
Championship: MXW World Motocross Championship Current Standings: 13th after Round 1 of 5 Notes: Tahlia’s initiation into the world motocross scene was at the toughest track on the circuit in Valkenswaard but she managed to get through with a solid 13th but look for TJ to move up the points standings at the second round in Portugal on May 19.
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Chad Reed – JGR Suzuki
Championship: AMA Supercross Current Standing: 15th after Round 17 of 17 Notes: Chad was part of a multi bike crash at Seattle when he was sitting 7th in the championship and after the series was completed the Aussie still ended up 15th in the points – we now hold out hopes that Chad will line up for the AMA Motocross Championships.
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld
Wil Ruprecht – Johansson MPE Yamaha
Championship: EnduroGP – Junior Class Current Standing: 2nd after Round 2 of 7. Notes: Wil once again proved his world class riding ability at Valpaços in Portugal last weekend with a 2nd and a 4th over the two days of competition where some of the veterans of the sport declared it one of the toughest events in recent history.
Championship: MXW World Motocross Championship Current Standings: 8th after Round 1 of 5 Notes: Meghan sat out the World Championships for four years and her first round was marred with some minor mistakes but there was no mistaking her speed so look for Meghan to have a much better round in Portugal on the 19th of May.
Championship: GNCC / AMA Enduro Current Standing: 6th after Round 5 of 13 Notes: Josh ended the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis in a disappointing 13th outright but he still sits 6th overall in the series with 8 rounds remaining.
Josh Strang
Mackenzie Tricker – KTM/MEPMX/Fly Racing
Championship: GNCC Current Standing: 3rd after Round 5 of 13 Notes: Mackenzie ended the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis in 9th place which is her poorest performance in years but she still sits third in points with 8 rounds remaining and my bet is still for the former motocross champion to pull off a win this season.
Mackenzie Tricker – Image by Dario Agrati
Max Whale – Weirbach Racing Kawasaki
Championship: AFT Singles Current Standings: 14th after Round 5 of 18 Notes: Max narrowly missed out on going to the final at the SoCal Half Mile on the 11th of May after scoring 12th in his Semi final so he has dropped to 14th in points but there are still 13 rounds to go.
Max Whale at TareeSmarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Round 5 of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship arrived in Mantova, Italy over the weekend, with KTM’s domination continuing as Tony Cairoli claimed the MXGP win with a dominant display, leaving Honda and Husqvarna riders Jonass, Jasikonas and Bogers to fight over the remaining podium positions.
In MX2 it was Jorge Prado showing everyone how it’s done claiming both wins and moving to within seven-points of Championship leader Thomas Kjer Olsen. Jed Beaton claimed a podium position in MX2 Race 1, with a consistent Mitch Evans going 8-6 and claiming fourth overall for the round, with Beaton seventh.
The round marked MXGP’s return to the Mantova venue for the first time since the 2016 season, and fans watched on as the world’s best athletes showed their skills on the soggy sand. While the winds of change brought dramatic conditions they also provided epic action in a race where anything was possible.
MXGP
After evening storms the hard and dry surface was nowhere to be found, however Antonio Cairoli let it have no effect on his results starting race one with the Fox Holeshot. Cairoli’s biggest competitor as of late, Tim Gajser had a good jump off the line but lost traction on the front of his Honda heading into turn one which sent him over the bars along with several others.
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
While Cairoli had the lead from the first turn, fellow Italian Ivo Monticelli and his teammate Max Anstie where in second and third. A mistake from Monticelli saw Anstie go past almost taking both down while Cairoli tipped over just a corner later. The bobble from Cairoli put Anstie on the Sicilian’s rear wheel but quick to regroup the #222 pulled back away.
Gajser’s race one went from bad to worse when he was clipped by another rider midair causing the Slovenian to resample the soil. The strong riding of Monticelli in third was all for nothing when his bike gave out just as Pauls Jonass took the spot halfway through the race.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
More crashes from Gajser held him to 10th while both Jonass and his teammate Arminas Jasikonis passed Anstie. The first checkered flag then went out with Cairoli taking the win 10 seconds ahead of Jonass, Jasikonis, Anstie, and Clement Desalle who rounded out the top five just ahead of Gautier Paulin.
Race 2 again saw Cairoli with the FOX Holeshot, his seventh of 2019, while Gajser came away clean but behind Cairoli was Paulin and Brian Bogers. Monticelli again had bad luck crashing in turn 2 and pulling out of the race.
Brian Bogers – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Not long after Monticelli’s mishap his teammate Max Anstie crashed together with Shaun Simpson. With Anstie also pulling out of the race Glenn Coldenhoff was now the lone Standing Construct rider as he ran in fifth position.
Brian Bogers took over second from Paulin early in the race with Jonass also getting past the #21. Jasikonis, unlike Jonass, was unable to match his strong race 1 result as he fought from 23rd on the first lap up to 15th by the finish.
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
At the front it was all smooth sailing for Cairoli who recorded the perfect weekend leading 42 laps of the 42 available via 12 laps in Qualifying, 15 in Race 1, and another 15 in Race 2. The domination and double race win scored him the GP overall at Mantova for the fourth time in his career with two in MX2 (2007 & 2008) and two in MXGP (2010 and now 2019).
Gautier Paulin – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Taking the best single race result in his MXGP career was Bogers in second while Jonass took third, Paulin took fourth, Coldenhoff fifth, and Gajser sixth. The overall top five was filled out by Jonass taking his first MXGP Podium, Paulin, Desalle, and Coldenhoff.
Antonio Cairoli
“It was very nice to be back in Italy and despite the weather there was a lot of people here today. The race itself went perfectly and we knew the start would be important, especially on a track that was so rutted – it was completely different to what it was yesterday. I’m really happy and thanks to all the team for their great work. It is very early to look at the standings so my focus is to stay in front as long as possible and try not to make a mistake. Hopefully we can be on the podium again next week in Portugal. It is important to be consistent and my goal this season is to always be in the top three. We’ll see how it goes.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Pauls Jonass
“This weekend has been really great. I think the qualification race, even if I didn’t get the result I hoped for, was really important for me. Getting a good start and running close to the front really gave me a lot of confidence, which I took into today’s racing. Of course, the track was muddy, but I like the mud, so I felt good. I didn’t get perfect starts, but I managed to make some quick passes and avoid making any big mistakes. Getting the runner-up result in the first moto felt so, so good. The track was a little more one-lined in the second moto but again I felt good. I felt like I was a little quicker than Bogers but I got sideways a few times trying to pass him, so I decided not to take any more chances and just settle down. Getting a good overall result is much more important. To finish second overall, to get my first MXGP podium, to be stood on the box with Cairoli, it’s a very special moment for me. I feel like something has clicked in a positive way now with racing a 450. I’m not at 100% yet but I’m feeling a lot more confident and this result gives me a lot of motivation to keep working hard.”
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Gautier Paulin
“Today we had a difficult track, but we worked really hard over the last five weeks and made a big step forwards with the bike. I didn’t expect this result, but I am happy to be on the box. I am already looking forward to the next GP in Portugal, I really enjoy the track there so I can’t wait to get back behind the gate.”
Gautier Paulin – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Arminas Jasikonis
“This has definitely been a special GP, but it’s not gone like I hoped it would with my result in the second moto. I had one positive race and one where I just focused on survival, if I’m honest. The first race went well, but I was a little too steady possibly. I had a good rhythm going and didn’t make any bad mistakes – it was good to get two Rockstar Energy Husqvarnas inside the top three. Race two was tough. I had to shut off down the start straight and from there things were difficult. I also fell and, well, it was a tough moto. I finished the race, I didn’t pick up any injuries and I’m still fourth in the championship, so things weren’t too bad. My speed in the opening race was good, so I’ll take that into the next GP, in Portugal.”
Arminas Jasikonis – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Clement Desalle
“When I saw the track this morning I wasn’t so confident as at the moment it’s difficult for me to put my leg on the ground if the bike slides. But it didn’t change my plan; the goal was to do the best I could and I think I achieved that. I had a good gate pick and got some decent starts in both motos. Fifth in the first race was a good result; I didn’t want to crash so I didn’t take any risks. The second moto was similar and I finished sixth for fourth overall. It’s a positive result if you consider that I couldn’t train on the bike for one month. I will continue to work this week physically and maybe get in some riding. This evening I feel some pain in my hands and shoulders but that’s normal after so long off the bike and I know that it will be better next week.”
Clement Desalle – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Tim Gajser
“It was a tough day, after a whole night of raining. The track was a bit sketchy and one-lined and it made the start very important. Unfortunately in the first race I crashed right at the beginning and had to go directly into the pit lane to change my goggles and remove my neck brace. During the race I made a few mistakes because I had to leave the main line to make the passes and this was where the track was very tricky. I was really disappointed to finish 10th and it’s not where I wanted to be. I had a slightly better start in race two, rounding the second bend in around 10th or 12th position. I was able to make a number of quick passes but when I got to behind Coldenhoff, I just couldn’t make the pass. I knew I was faster and I posted the fastest lap of the race but I just couldn’t get around him because of how one-lined the track was. Because of all the roost, I had to throw my goggles away and then it was very difficult. It was a horrible day but that’s sometimes how motocross can be. I will move on from here and head to Portugal extremely motivated to get back to winning ways.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Jeremy Seewer
“Tough conditions today, so considering that, my result was okay. A lot of people have bad races in these conditions and I was able to post two solid results. When you look at it like that, you have to be happy. I was 7th overall in the GP which is two places behind where I want to be, and I moved up to 6th in the championship, but it is not about that right now. I want to do better; I just need to learn to get through the first few turns without being bullied.”
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Brian Bogers
“My good day actually started last night when it started raining, so that made the track a bit of a mess but I actually quite like these sort of conditions. Overall it wasn’t too bad and definitely not as bad as something like Russia a couple of years back but I knew that I could do well. In the first heat I got a terrible start because I crashed and got stuck under the bike and I couldn’t move until somebody helped me. After that I had to change my goggles and even with that I ended up 20th. It wasn’t the result I wanted so I was very focused for the second race, especially at the start and that helped me turn the first corner in third place. After a couple of laps, the rider in front of me crashed, so I stayed in second place for the rest of the race. My speed was very good, my fitness was good and I’m just really happy with this result. This whole team do a great job, they support me and keep believing in me and I know with their help I can do this on a normal track too. We are still building and this is great step in the process.”
Brian Bogers – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
MXGP of Mantova 2019 Results
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 36:48.024
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:10.064
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:21.379
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), +0:27.299
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:39.542
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:49.512
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:52.425
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:57.535
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:03.646
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:10.362
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:37.572
Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +0:07.068
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:11.327
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:15.790
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:15.887
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:17.780
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:47.849
Benoit Paturel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:51.229
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:54.290
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:11.509
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 42
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 33
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 30
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 29
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 26
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 26
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 26
Brian Bogers (NED, HON), 23
Benoit Paturel (FRA, KAW), 19
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 241 points
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 201
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 175
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 146
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 142
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 124
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 118
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 109
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 100
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 94
MX2
While Cairoli dominated MXGP his young apprentice Jorge Prado took MX2 by storm. Prado took his sixth Fox Holeshot of 2019 to start race one as fellow Red Bull KTM rider Tom Vialle was second.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Several riders were caught in a first turn pile up however including Calvin Vlaanderen, Henry Jacobi, and Mitch Evans. Michele Cervellin and Jago Geerts were both quick to get past Vialle and take over second and third while Prado led.
Vialle’s race only worsened as he fell and remounted in 18th before losing even more spots. On the contrary it was the red plate holder, Thomas Kjer Olsen, from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing who improved as the race went on. Olsen was around 23rd on the opening lap but by lap 5 had already made his way up to eighth.
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Cervellin then lost his second position to Geerts and to Jed Beaton before the Italian’s bike came to a halt. Olsen decided to take advantage of his gap and use the new Goggle lane for a fresh set of vision before passing both Iker Larranaga and Maxime Renaux for sixth.
With Olsen back in 6th Prado took the race and gained 10 points in the championship standings while Geerts came across the finish 5.8 seconds later in second ahead of Beaton, Davy Pootjes, and Bas Vaessen.
In race 2 Vialle got the better of Prado for the Fox Holeshot with Pootjes in third. Prado made his way past Vialle before the end of the lap however. Olsen then passed Pootjes to get into third along with Jacobi but Pootjes quickly retook fourth from the German.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Olsen and Pootjes went on to pass Vialle while Beaton had a hard crash in sixth place. Jacobi’s bike then gave out just like many others as a result of the demanding conditions while Prado took the win ahead of Olsen, Vialle, Pootjes, and Dylan Walsh.
The undefeated overall winner for the fourth time this season was Jorge Prado while Olsen took second and Pootjes achieved his first career podium finish. The win from Prado was not enough to take over the red plate from Olsen but the gap now drops from the previous 20 points to only 7.
Tom Vialle – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Jorge Prado
“After a month off it was good to come back and get on top of the podium; for the confidence also. I felt really good here from the beginning and it was important to make good starts today: that was the key of the race, as well as staying on two wheels! I enjoyed the second moto a lot. It was really nice to ride that track. It is a place where you need to get the rhythm and let it flow and roll. I could make it happen today. It is very difficult to stay at this level and not make any mistakes and good starts every time: it’s tough. I need to keep concentrating and catch the lead.”
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“That was a tough GP, especially the first moto. Considering I got caught up in the first corner, as well as needing to make a goggle change, I’m pleased that I was able to work my way back to sixth. It’s never ideal to have so much work to do in a race, but I kept my cool and worked my way forward. I’m pleased with the way I rode. The track was tough, but I kind of enjoyed it. It was tricky in places but not too difficult, having some sand in the terrain meant it wasn’t full-on mud. I felt good in the second moto. A good start helped me a lot. I moved forward a few places and ran second for most of the moto, which I’m pleased with. It’s been a positive weekend and I’m looking forward to Portugal now.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Davy Pootjes
“It is really good and I am really happy because it has been tough. This podium should have happened maybe 4 years ago but because of crashes, injuries, and some bad luck it didn’t happen. Last winter, together with DIGA Procross, we made a plan, worked really hard, and it payed off. I feel this is the place where I should be and I am not done yet.”
Tom Vialle
“A much better second race and a good start. Jorge passed me on the first lap so I decided to follow him and I’m pleased with my feeling on the bike. The track was difficult with long ruts and I had some pain after my crash yesterday but to come back with that result in the second moto was good: I’m happy and a big thanks to all the Red Bull KTM team.”
Over 150 riders raced classes including Hooligan, Vintage, Pro, Amateur, Newbie and Minibike. The program was action packed with some fantastic racing around Holland’s premier short track venue.
Sastre had some very strong competition from Maikel Dijkstra who was fresh from training with Moto Anatomy’s Johnny Lewis and was showing some excellent pace on his home track. Both Toby Hales (Greenfield Dirttrack) and Gerard Bailo (Greenfield Dirttrack) flew in from riding Copa Rodi in Spain the day before.
Pro Class
2019 Hooligan Championship Dates
