The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship concluded over the weekend at the 2019 Ironman National, where Adam Cianciarulo and Dylan Ferrandis battled it out for the 250 title, with Cianciarulo carrying in a 30-point lead.
Adam Cianciarulo – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
When all was said and done, Cianciarulo made life easy on himself by clinching his first professional title at the conclusion of the opening moto, with Dylan Ferrandis sweeping the round with a 1-1 result for the overall win.
Cianciarulo’s championship campaign was highlighted by his consistency, in which he finished on the overall podium at all 12 rounds. That’s the first time a champion has accomplished such a feat since Eli Tomac won the title during the 2013 season.
Adam Cianciarulo – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
Cianciarulo becomes the 31st different champion in the 250 Class, and also ends a six-year drought for his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki squad, the team with the most wins in class history with 11 championships.
Adam Cianciarulo
“It’s been a journey, for sure. Like I’ve said, when I was a kid I knew I’d be here [winning championships], but then things got taken from me and I didn’t know if I could anymore. I would have rather gone through what I went through to get to this point, because it made me a better human. I’ve learned so much about myself and I’ve had to grow. The [adversity] has catapulted me into doing something I didn’t think I could do, which is win this outdoor title. I’ll hold onto this forever. No one can ever take this from me.”
Adam Cianciarulo – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
Cianciarulo ended the season with a 20-point margin over Ferrandis, while Cooper completed the championship podium in third, 58 points out from the lead.
In the 450s Eli Tomac claimed top honours at the Ironman National with a 3-1 result to Ken Roczen’s 2-3, while Zach Osborne was third (5-2). The final tally saw Eli Tomac on 521-points to Ken Roczen (463), with Marvin Musquin third on 451.
Eli Tomac – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
Aussie Hunter Lawrence injured himself in training, sharing on social media that it appears to be a torn ACL, meniscus and mild sprain to the MCL, with a focus on rehabilitation and getting back to 100 per cent for next season.
His brother Jett Lawrence brought home a 12th place result in Race 1, with a 14th place in Race 2, for 13th overall.
Jett Lawrence – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
450 Race 1
The first 450 Class moto saw Ken Roczen and Joey Savatgy battle side-by-side coming to the holeshot, with Savatgy just narrowly getting the advantage. However, Roczen pushed his Honda into the lead immediately and looked to open a gap on the field. Behind the lead pair, newly crowned champion Eli Tomac slotted into third aboard his Kawasaki, while Marvin Musquin gave chase from fourth.
Ken Roczen – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
The Kawasaki teammates engaged in a battle for second for a couple laps and kept Roczen within reach throughout. Eventually, Tomac made the move around Savatgy, which allowed him to settle into a rhythm to try and close in on the lead. A couple laps later Musquin got by Savatgy for third and began his quest to track down his primary rivals up front.
The leaders found themselves mired in lapped traffic early on, which ultimately played a significant role as the moto continued. Tomac successfully closed in on Roczen and applied heavy pressure for the lead, but lapped riders put some distance between them and also allowed Musquin to close in from third.
Eli Tomac – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
Throughout the second half of the moto the top three sat within mere bike lengths of one another in what became the most competitive moto of the entire season. Lapped traffic continued to alter the pace of all three riders, which saw the distance between each of them fluctuate each and every lap.
With mere minutes left in the moto, Musquin was able to take advantage of Tomac’s pass on a lapper to dive to the inside and steal second. He then chased Roczen for a lap before making another impressive pass as they came to take the 2-lap board. Once by, Musquin was able to establish a bit of a gap on Roczen, but the German battled back on the final lap.
Marvin Musquin – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
He attempted to make a pass on the final turn, but Musquin prevailed with an impressive moto win that saw him move from third to first in a matter of two laps. Roczen finished second, seven tenths back, while Tomac followed in third. Savatgy earned a career-best moto finish in fourth, with Zach Osborne fifth.
450 Race 2
The 24th and final moto for the 450 Class began with Savatgy once again claiming the holeshot, followed closely by Osborne and Musquin. As they battled for the position behind Savatgy, Osborne and Musquin came together which caused Musquin to crash. He was unable to return to the race, ending both his hopes of victory and securing the runner-up spot in the final championship standings.
Joey Savatgy – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
Savatgy carried on out front, and Tomac was able to fight his way up to second. However, all attention was on Roczen as the German stormed his way from fourth to second before the completion of the opening lap.
He continued to push and made the pass on Savatgy on the following lap. Tomac gave chase and was able to pass his teammate for second, while Osborne eventually dropped Savatgy off the podium with a pass for third.
Eli Tomac – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
Much like the first moto, Tomac closed in on Roczen and the two multi-time champions traded fast laps, separated by just a handful of bike lengths. Osborne stayed close to keep the lead duo honest.
With 10 minutes left in the moto Tomac attempted to mount a challenge, trying alternate lines in his search for a way around. After a few laps Tomac’s persistence paid off and he made the move by the German.
Ken Roczen – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
That opened the door for Osborne to apply pressure on Roczen from third. The rookie 450 Class rider made the pass happen and gave chase for the lead. Tomac dropped the hammer in the closing stages of the moto and stormed to his 11th moto win of the season by 8.1 seconds over Osborne. Roczen held on to finish third.
It’s the sixth overall victory of the season for Tomac (3-1), and the 23rd of his career, which gives him sole possession of fourth on the all-time 450 Class wins list.
Eli Tomac – P1
“Even though the title was clinched it was still a fun day. We came in here with the plan to do the same thing. The mindset was to attack. The first lap [in Moto 2] was chaos with Marv [Musquin’s crash] and then Kenny [Roczen] got by. He’s just so good in the early laps. I was able to stay on him and then got by. What a day and what a year.”
Eli Tomac – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
Roczen finished in the runner-up spot overall (2-3), while Osborne’s strong performance in the final moto landed him third (5-2).
Zach Osborne – P3
“It’s super nice to end on a high with the last race of the season and carry some decent momentum into the Motocross of Nations,” Osborne said. “I’m on a bike that I feel really, really good about and I think that Jason [Anderson] and I have a really good plan to go over there and continue our success from the season. All-in-all, a really good rookie 450 season.”
Zach Osborne – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
Tomac ended the season with the largest championship margin of his three titles at 58 points over Roczen, who surpassed Musquin in the final standings. Musquin, who finished ninth (1-40), rounds out the championship podium in third, 70 points behind Tomac.
Justin Barcia – P5
“In the first moto, I got to a pretty good start but struggled a little bit. I just couldn’t get a good flow on the track, so I was a little bit frustrated with my ride. We made some bike changes before the second moto, and it definitely made a positive change. It showed because I charged the whole moto and nearly caught up to the podium position at the end of the race. All in all, it was a good ride. We had a good day. All that hard work started paying off at the end of the season. I’m sad that it’s over now, but we’ll just keep working on getting ready for the Monster Cup and the upcoming Supercross season.”
Justin Barcia – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
Jason Anderson – P6
“I feel like it was a very mediocre day, but all-in-all I’m happy to come out of the season healthy. Now we’ll look ahead to Motocross of Nations. I’m looking forward to going over there and ripping it up!”
Jason Anderson – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
Dean Wilson – P7
“Today was a good effort for me, both races I pushed to the checkered and tried my best. This a track that I struggle with, so to end the season on that note, it’s okay for me. I’m healthy and looking forward to 2020.”
Dean Wilson – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
Marvin Musquin – P9
“In the first moto, I charged hard to get around [Eli] Tomac and the lap after I passed [Ken] Roczen and it was just awesome. To me, it was the best moto of the year. In the second moto, I was maybe charging too hard off the start and I came into that left-hander too hot and couldn’t slow down enough. Zach [Osborne] was ahead of me and I couldn’t avoid him and I basically landed on him in that little turn and I couldn’t avoid that. Unfortunately, I crashed and tweaked my knee so I couldn’t keep going. It was a bummer, I wanted to finish on a high note and also secure my second place in the championship, but unfortunately, I lost that. Right now, there’s nothing we can do for it but we’ve got some time off.”
Marvin Musquin – 2019 AMA Pro Motocross – Ironman National
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What happened this week
Red flagged mud fest at Hattah 2019
Eli Tomac & Dylan Ferrandis top RedBud National
Tim Gajser & Jorge Prado win MXGP of Indonesia
Sam Sunderland wins Silk Way Rally Round 2
Emil Sayfutdinov claims first SGP win for six years in Sweden
2019 Speedway of Nations Finals teams announced
Rockhampton to host 2020 KTM AJMX
Dean Wilson confirmed to join AUS-X Open Melbourne
Red flagged mud fest at Hattah 2019
The 2019 Hattah Desert Race will go down in history as one of the most challenging, yet shortest races since it began. Heavy rain and hail pounded the event shortly after the scheduled eight-lap race commenced. The sheer volume of water restricted emergency vehicle access and the decision was made to cut the event short to four-laps.
Daniel Milner – Image by John Pearson Media
KTM duo Daniel Milner and Lyndon Snodgrass delivered a spectacular 1-2 finish, despite the conditions, with Milner having qualified fastest following Saturday’s Prologue with a blistering 2m45.417s lap-time set in the Top 10 Shootout, while Snodgrass recorded the third-fastest lap overall.
Contested in difficult, muddy conditions after rain arrived on Sunday morning, Milner claimed his second-career Hattah victory and clinching the Over 450cc 4-Stroke class win in the process. Milner’s effort was even more remarkable since he has been recovering from a broken collarbone sustained six weeks prior to Hattah, as well as tendonitis, limiting his seat time in the lead-up to what is recognised as one of the most gruelling races in the sport.
Daniel Milner – P1
“It’s such a good feeling to win Hattah after breaking my collarbone six weeks ago and undergoing surgery before I then had tendon problems in the opposite arm once I was back on the bike. I’d only had four days on the bike and one day of testing, so to bring it home is an unbelievable feeling and the KTM 500 EXC-F is such a weapon to ride! Things went our way in the race and we didn’t miss a beat – the bike was very similar to how I rode it last year in terms of set-up. It really was a matter of making sure we could get through the race and it became a case of survival, so I was being as consistent as possible. The decision to cut the race short was the right one in those conditions and I’m really happy to get another outright win here, that’s for sure.”
Daniel Milner – Image by John Pearson Media
Snodgrass also put forward a phenomenal ride on the KTM 450 EXC-F to not only claim an outright podium, but also comfortably score the 251cc-450cc 4-Stroke class win over eight minutes clear of his closest rival.
Lyndon Snodgrass – P2
“Today was a crazy one with all that rain coming down, making it a really tough mud race in the desert, so to finish second outright and first in class was definitely awesome. The Prologue was important and we did well in that, so today I tried to have the cleanest race possible all the way through to the end – it was a matter of survival in those conditions by the time we got to the last lap and especially towards the end. The KTM 450 EXC-F was faultless all weekend and we managed to get one position better than last year, so I’m rapt with that result.”
Lyndon Snodgrass – Image by John Pearson Media
KTM riders filled four of the top five positions outright, including Lachlan Terry in fourth and Davey Motorsports KTM’s Mason Semmens in fifth. Semmens won the Under 19s division, while KTM-mounted Jess Moore was also victorious in the Ladies Tenacious Women of Hattah category.
Claiming second in his class and an very impressive third outright was Josh Green, who on board the WR450F contested the 251 to 450cc 4 stroke class and was in good form all weekend. Despite a heavy fall on lap two, Green soldiered on for a top result in his typical style.
Josh Green
“This race is always one of the toughest of the year in dry conditions so when you add a heap of rain, it just becomes even tougher,” Green begins. “My first lap was pretty good but then on lap two, with the track getting hammered by the rain, I went over the ‘bars as I tried to plough through a deep, boggy spot. I have done some damage to my wrist and I will need to get hat checked out this week as its really sore now but while I was still warm and had some grip strength, I kept on going. If it had gone the full distance, I’m not sure if the wrist would have held up but I was fortunate to get to the finish line with a good result. Thanks to the team again. They earned their money from this event.”
Josh Green – Image by John Pearson Media
The Motul Pirelli Sherco duo of Andy Wilksch and Nathan Trigg also began the Hattah Desert Race weekend in good form. Trigg posting the sixth fastest qualifying time and Wilksch just missing out on the top ten in eleventh. When the main race began and the heavens opened up, both riders put their 500 SEF Factory models to task while mayhem spread through the field.
At the completion of the fourth lap, Wilksch had powered his way to sixth with Trigg close behind in seventh. It was a solid performance by both riders in incredibly wild conditions.
Andy Wilksch – P6
“Our weekend came together pretty good in the end. The race was short and sharp in comparison to what we prepared for and the 500 Factory definitely played a part in our success. The extra power made it easy and our bikes didn’t wear out. Reliability was key in those conditions. Our bikes are strong and reliable and with the track deteriorating so rapidly each lap, the power of the 500 let me make passes down the straights. The bikes just ate the conditions with ease. I’ve never been able to crack the top ten at Hattah before so to get sixth feels like a bonus.”
Andy Wilksch – Image by John Pearson Media
Nathan Trigg was relishing the challenge and despite suffering a crash while avoiding a lapped rider, Trigg thoroughly enjoyed the experience of a wet Hattah, and took seventh overall.
Nathan Trigg – P7
“I had a couple of stacks in the rain, but somehow I was having fun. It was actually the most fun I’ve had at Hattah. I was hoping to qualify a bit higher up the order for a better starting position, but I still got going okay. The bike was awesome and really strong. It was just unreal, and I had a ball riding it. I didn’t even know what position I was in towards the end, but I rode the best I could and was happy to get a good result.”
Nathan Trigg – Image by John Pearson Media
Jack Simpson was able to take third in the 450cc 4-stroke class, after qualifying seventh outright, while a scary crash in lap one cost him dearly as he lost precious time on the leaders.
Jack Simpson – P8
“I lost it on the first lap. I had one of the biggest crashes in my life, several riders commented on it after the race, one saying it was the biggest crash he had ever seen. I am lucky to have gotten away with only bumps and bruises and I am fortunate that the bike was still rideable. The crash rattled me but once I got going I was riding on adrenalin. The hardest part was racing in the conditions. The track was flooded in some areas, people were creating new lines, and some parts of the track became 50 meters wide. It ended up being a battle of survival.”
Jack Simpson
Michael Driscoll took the win in the up to 250cc 4 stroke class on his WR250F and regardless of the conditions, was well in control of his division after a common sense start saw him soon gain the lead and never let it go, in a strong performance for the 19 year old off road gun, with 13th in the outright result as well.
Michael Driscoll – P13
“I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry after all that. I was so looking forward to this race and I know how much work everyone on the team put in for it, so it was such a shame to have these conditions to race in. The bikes are destroyed and it was sketchy getting around out there as the rain, the mud, the bog holes as well as fallen or stranded riders meant it was like riding through a mine field. It was good to get the class win and tick off another goal for the season but I feel for the guys having to clean all this mess up and get our team bikes back into good condition again. Thank you to them and all our team sponsors for a huge effort that will still be going long after this weekend is over.”
Defending Hattah Desert Race champion Daniel Sanders and the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team had a rough weekend, in contention for victory until encountering difficulties in the closing stages. Sanders had immediately established himself at the front of the field on race-day Sunday, which was greeted with torrential rain-soaked, muddy conditions.
It appeared Sanders was on his way to the win until the prevalent water caused a suspected problem with the electrics, forcing him to stop and rectify the issue with timely assistance from his Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team crew. He went on to claim 14th position outright despite losing 20 minutes and seventh in the Over 450cc 4-Stroke category.
Daniel Sanders – P14
“It’s very disappointing because the team and I put a lot of effort into this one event each year. Obviously the weather today played a part and we started strongly, but unfortunately, the issue meant we gave away the win because I felt as though the race was mine at that point. The track was full of puddles because of the rain falling and we were hitting them at high-speed, so that could have led to the problem. We ended up getting going again and I brought it home to the finish, but it wasn’t to be today.”
Daniel Sanders – Image by John Pearson Media
Penrite Honda Racing’s 250cc rider Mark Grove pushed as hard as he could in the challenging conditions to take second in his class.
Mark Grove – P19
“It was harder to see than explainable, racing the 250cc in these conditions was twice as tough as it be if it was dry, the bigger bikes were creating roost that would fill your goggles in, people were crashing and it was even hard to see fallen riders. I understand why they cut it short. It was the toughest Hattah I have ever done.” Grove commented.
Mark Grove
Emma Milesevic, a Honda Genuine Ride Red rider also excelled on her way to second in the women’s class and 37th outright. This year marked the first time women had finished inside the top 40 outright and the team were very pleased with her commitment to the race.
Emma Milesevic
Honda’s Junior Factory Rider Madi Healey, of team BCP Pro Circuit Honda took first place in the Junior girls class on the CRF250R, and convincingly so, winning by over 20 minutes. This was Healey’s hat trick event at Hattah, having won the last three years in a row.
Madi Healey
The second of the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team entries, Fraser Higlett, encountered difficulties of his own in qualifying and started from 38th, but quickly sliced his way to sixth in the opening laps before the treacherous conditions ultimately ended his day on lap three of the four run.
Fraser Higlett – DNF
“Today was a rough one for me in the end, but I did my best toward the start of the race and we were looking good for a number of laps. I charged through the field in the tough conditions all the way up to sixth, so that was positive and I was feeling good in the mud. To start out of 38th definitely made things harder than they could have been and I’m disappointed with how the race finished for me, but we will be back and I will see what I can do next year.”
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2019 Hattah Desert Race Outright Top 20
Daniel MILNER 2:14:22.051
Lyndon SNODGRASS 2:17:43.210
Joshua GREEN 2:26:02.086
Lachlan TERRY 2:26:03.909
Mason SEMMENS 2:26:17.291
Andrew WILKSCH 2:27:16.808
Nathan TRIGG 2:28:35.600
Jack SIMPSON 2:31:21.448
Jeremy CARPENTIER 2:31:52.831
Alex BOLTON 2:31:55.139
Stefan GRANQUIST 2:32:52.585
Sam DAVIE 2:33:07.569
Michael DRISCOLL 2:33:40.942
Daniel SANDERS 2:34:34.965
William PRICE 2:35:27.517
Lee STEPHENS 2:35:27.958
Geoff BRAICO 2:37:40.882
Broc GRABHAM 2:38:30.951
Mark GROVE 2:38:40.017
Jesse LAWTON 2:39:37.173
Senior Race
Daniel MILNER 2:14:22.051
Lyndon SNODGRASS +3:21.159
Joshua GREEN +11:40.035
Up-to 250cc 4stroke
Michael DRISCOLL 2:33:40.942
Mark GROVE 2:38:40.017
Hunter SEMMENS 2:39:37.576
Up-to 250cc 2stroke
Danielle FOOT 3:00:07.677
Jacob EUSTACE 3:00:23.466
Nathan HOWE 2:14:53.708
251cc & over 2stroke
Sam HANDLEY 2:15:51.541
Michael COLLINS 2:42:29.845
Trent PUDDY 2:45:31.076
251-450cc 4Stroke
Lyndon SNODGRASS 2:17:43.210
Joshua GREEN 2:26:02.086
Jack SIMPSON 2:31:21.448
Ladies Tenacious Women of Hattah
Jessica MOORE 2:46:54.604
Emma MILESEVIC 2:49:28.301
Jessica GARDINER 3:06:28.552
Under 19s
Mason SEMMENS 2:26:17.291
William PRICE 2:35:27.517
Korey MCMAHON 2:41:00.258
Veterans 35-44yrs
Lee STEPHENS 2:35:27.958
David JONGEBLOED 2:53:43.870
Steven POWELL 2:14:47.039
Masters 45yrs & over
Kevin ARCHER 2:58:42.708
Peter TAYLOR 2:16:24.770
Lou STYLIANOU 2:18:12.841
Juniors – Small Wheel
Angus RIORDAN 1:56:50.679
Samuel PRETSCHERER +1:26.648
Blake HOLLIS +3:45.381
Juniors – Big Wheels
Angus RIORDAN 1:56:50.679
Samuel PRETSCHERER +1:26.648
Blake HOLLIS +3:45.381
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Eli Tomac & Dylan Ferrandis top RedBud National
The American motocross Independence Day tradition brought the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship to the seventh round of the 2019 season, with Michigan’s RedBud MX celebrating the 4th of July by kicking off the second half of the racing series with the RedBud National.
The storied track produced heated competition across both classes, with Eli Tomac and Dylan Ferrandis claiming victory. Aussie Hunter Lawrence also went 8-4 for fifth overall.
RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Tomac’s third win of the season further strengthened his hold on the championship lead in the 450 Class. One year after he endured a misfortune-plagued afternoon at RedBud, the reigning champ returned in search of redemption and successfully grabbed his second victory in three years at the track. He’s now more than 30-points clear of Marvin Musquin in the standings.
Eli Tomac
“Overall, it was a really good day for us, I had been feeling good all day. It has been a little bit rough the last couple of weeks, but the first moto was a really good way to start the day and get things turned back around. I think that I had some better lines in the first moto, but I was able to move up and get the job done in the second moto.”
Eli Tomac – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (1-2)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (2-4)
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (7-1)
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (3-5)
Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (6-3)
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM (4-6)
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM (5-9)
Benny, Bloss, Oak Grove, MO., KTM (9-8)
Dean Wilson, United Kingdom, Husqvarna (12-7)
Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Suzuki (8-13)
450 Podium 1) Eli Tomac, 2) Jason Anderson, 3) Marvin Musquin – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
450 Class Championship Standings
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 304
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 270
Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 264
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna – 252
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM – 238
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 227
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 170
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 159
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM – 150
Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha – 136
Ferrandis had been knocking on the door of his first win of the 250 Class season for several weeks, and he finally broke through with a dominant outing at RedBud.
Dylan Ferrandis – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
The Frenchman put forth the first 1-1 outing of the season in the division, which resulted in the third victory of his career. It marked the fifth RedBud victory for Star Yamaha in the past six seasons, and the win also moved Ferrandis into second in the 250 Class standings.
Dylan Ferrandis
Finishing the day with two moto wins and the overall, honestly I couldn’t have expected a better weekend. My bike was really good, and I felt very comfortable on it today. We improved a lot on it with the team, and I want to thank them all for the hard work they put in every day for me to get the best bike possible. Getting ready for the outdoors is tough after a long Supercross season, so it took me time but finally we are where we want. Now we’re going take some rest before getting back to work and get ready for Millville in two weeks.”
Dylan Ferrandis – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (1-1)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (5-2)
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (3-6)
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (2-8)
Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda (8-4)
Ty Masterpool, Paradise, Texas, Yamaha (4-11)
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha (11-5)
Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna (10-7)
Brandon Hartranft, Brick, N.J., Yamaha (6-12)
Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, KTM (9-10)
250 Podium 1) Dylan Ferrandis 2) Adam Cianciarulo, 3) Justin Cooper – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
250 Class Championship Standings
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 307
Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha – 282
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 281
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha – 204
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 200
Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 193
Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna – 173
Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 167
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki – 165
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 129
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will take a weekend break before resuming on Saturday, July 20, from Spring Creek Raceway.
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Tim Gajser & Jorge Prado win MXGP of Indonesia
MXGP rolled into Palembang for the first of two back-to-back rounds in Indonesia, with Tim Gajser claiming the overall win despite tough competition from Romain Febvre, with consistency proving key, and Gajser now sitting on 488 points, with Antonio Cairoli in second place in the standings on 358 but continuing to recover from injury, prematurely ending his title fight.
Race 1 saw Tim Gajser take a clear win from Max Anstie and Jeremy Seewer, while Romain Febvre missed the podium in fourth.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Romain Febvre made his come-back in Race 2 with Tim Gajser taking runner up position, just 3.2-seconds back, with Glenn Coldenhoff taking the final podium position. Jeremy Seewer was just off the podium in fourth and currently sits third in the standings.
Tim Gajser
“I am really happy on how the GP went today, because after yesterday I knew it would bed hard to do two good races. The first race I could extend the lead and the second I had an amazing jump out of the gate and I was leading then I made a mistake and Roman and Jeremy passed me, but I managed to pass Jeremy but I didn’t even push for Roman as he was too far ahead. Eventually I felt really comfortable and I want to say a huge thanks to the team.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Romain Febvre
“It has been too long since I won a race. I knew I had the speed since many GPs but I couldn’t make the start. I was frustrated. I had a good start in the second race, I was third, took the lead and made a gap and it was much easier than the first race. Now I am really looking for an overall win.”
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Jeremy Seewer
“It was a tough race even if my starts were great. This is one of the toughest races of the year for me but I’m happy on how the GP went. Now I just want to relax a bit before the next week in Semarang but it’s good that I could take some breathe on the championship chase. My season didn’t start really well but now that I’m having consistent results I just wish to keep going.”
Romain Febvre & Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
MXGP – GP Classification Top 10
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 47 points
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 43
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 38
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 37
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 36
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 30
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 27
Brian Bogers (NED, HON), 22
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 22
Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 21 …15. Lewis Stewart (AUS, KTM) 13 …16. Adam Coles (AUS, Husqvarna) 11
MXGP – World Championship Classification Top 10
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 488 points
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 358
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 327
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 318
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 304
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 271
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 256
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 246
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 245
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 227
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In MX2 Jorge Prado added another win to his tally, however it wasn’t a clean sweep, with Thomas Kjer Olsen taking the Race 2 win, leaving Prado with 47-points to extend his championship lead, while Tom Vialle was second overall thanks to going 2-2, with Kjer Olsen third overall thanks to a 6-1 result.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Race 1 went to Jorge Prado, with a clear win from Tom Vialle, while Maxime Renaux completed the podium. Aussie Jed Beaton came home in fifth.
In Race 2 Thomas Kjer Olsen took the win from Jorge Prado, with a consistent Tom Vialle third. Jed Beaton likewise remained consistent with another fifth place finish, claiming the same position and 32 championship points for the round.
Jorge Prado
“I was feeling good all weekend, the first race after the crash was quite difficult, but I could make it. I messed up the second race a bit, but I got to second and another GP victory. At the second race I had a good start, got into first, but my teammate was pushing and passed, and I got him at the end. The lap times were short and I struggled a bit. I am just happy with the win for the moment and I’m looking forward for next week.”
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Tom Vialle
“I am really happy to have another fantastic weekend, it was very hot and the last five minutes of the second race were very hard, but I am very happy with this podium.”
Tom Vialle – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“The first race was a struggle and I didn’t feel like myself and I was just trying to keep with my team-mate Jed who was riding good. The second race I think everyone was tired, but I really wanted that win and I made it, keeping my energies until the very end.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
Jed Beaton
“It’s been another good GP for me. I felt like Germany was a really good step in the right direction, and that I was finally managing to put things behind me and deliver the pace I know I can. I kind of kept that momentum going here with two more strong results. It was a tough GP, we all knew the heat wasn’t going to be too much fun, but both races went well for me. I’m pleased things are moving in a good direction now, hopefully next weekend will be another positive weekend, too.”
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Indonesia 2019
MX2 – GP Classification Top 10
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 47 points
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 42
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 40
Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 34
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 32
Brent Van doninck (BEL, HON), 28
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 26
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 24
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 24
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 21
MX2 – World Championship Classification
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 494 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 443
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 334
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 326
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 307
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 246
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 228
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 224
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 209
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 192
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Sunderland wins Silk Way Rally Round 2
Sam Sunderland has taken the win at Stage 2 of the Silk Way Rally in Russia, with 413.63 kilometres covered on similar mixed terrain to the opening stage. A 212km timed special offered an additional challenge, including fast hazardous stony tracks.
Kevin Benavides retains the Rally lead, despite Sam Sunderland taking the Stage 2 win
Sunderland had completed Stage 1 in fifth and had his work cut out for him, in moving towards the series lead, which is still retained by Kevin Benavides, with eight seconds separating the two.
Kevin Benavides was lumped with opening the track for Stage 2 following his Stage 1 win, which he did from start to finish over 212 kilometres of special stage, full of narrow potholed track studded with rocks.
Sam Sunderland
“I’m happy to get stage two finished safely. The day started on similar terrain to yesterday on the forest tracks with lots of trees, vegetation and water splashes. It was extremely important to take note of every single kilometre on your road book and the dangers listed there. It was really important to concentrate on your notes and take in which danger was which. It was hard to get a reference today as there was no refuel, so I wasn’t sure how my pace was all day. It’s always great to win a stage but it wasn’t our strategy for today so we’ll move on an see how the remaining eight days go for us.”
Sam Sunderland – Image by Rally Zone
Kevin Benavides
“I opened the whole stage. We knew it would be hard and very technical with many stones and mud. The narrow tracks were difficult, but I enjoyed it in spite of it being very hard. I think I did it well and I was in a good position. It was technical, fast and with navigation over the final 50 kilometres. I nearly crashed into an animal but luckily he dodged out of my way! You have to be very attentive to everything. The rally is a game of chess, so let’s see how it turns out. I am happy with the result.”
Kevin Benavides
Joan Barreda managed to make it through the tricky stage despite struggling to get the right feel and finished 2’40 adrift of the winner on the day and occupies fifth position in the general standings at a similar distance from the leader.
Joan Barreda
“I felt very good on the slopes today with lots of mud and some potholes with big rocks. I could not find the right feelings and I was looking forward to getting past this section. Then there was a faster part and I felt a lot better there. We finished the day without any problems; I am well placed at a minimum time behind the leader. Everything is going well. I hope that in Mongolia we will find more open stages and I can find places that suit my riding style better.”
Joan Barreda
Stage 1 runner-up Luciano Benavides was second away for Stage 2 and the young Argentinian chose to back off slightly to ensure a safe result in the special. Luciano crossed the line in seventh place, close to three minutes down on Sunderland, and now lies fourth in the overall standings.
Luciano Benavides
“Overall, it was a good day for me. I was able to keep to a solid pace and really enjoyed the first half of the stage. Towards the end I lost my focus a little, the tracks were really fast with some tricky sections and I lost a little time there. After such a challenging stage I’m happy to reach the finish and now look forward to what tomorrow brings.”
Luciano Benavides – Image by Rally ZoneWeekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Emil Sayfutdinov claims first SGP win for six years in Sweden
Russian racer Emil Sayfutdinov has celebrated his first FIM Speedway Grand Prix win for six years in Hallstavik, Sweden. Sayfutdinov had not celebrated an SGP success since topping the podium at the 2013 British SGP in Cardiff in a year which saw him mount a title charge, before his hopes were dashed by injury.
Speedway GP of Sweden 2019
The Salavat-born star heads to the Speedway of Nations finals in Russian on July 20 and 21 as World Championship leader after winning the Norrbil Swedish SGP final ahead of Martin Vaculik, Maciej Janowski and first-time finalist Max Fricke.
After a three-year absence from the series, Sayfutdinov has been battling to get back on top of the SGP rostrum since 2017. But despite achieving that aim in Hallstavik, he’s not going to celebrate this success for long with six riders separated by five points at the top of the standings.
Emil Sayfutdinov
“It feels amazing. I have been working for that for a long time – six years. When I came back to the SGP series in 2017, it was hard for me. I had my goal and a plan, but it didn’t work. Today everything worked very well and my team is also working very well, so I say thank you to them. I’ll just keep going and looking forward. I scored some good points and now I am leader with Dudek and Madsen. I am really happy about that. But to be honest, I have now forgotten about today. I am just concentrating and I know we have a lot more rounds and heats to come. We need to keep scoring the points and it will be good.”
Speedway GP of Sweden 2019
Slovak star Vaculik is firmly in the title hunt as he holds fifth place on 44 points – level with Bartosz Zmarzlik in fourth. While he was unable to take victory in Hallstavik, he was glad to pile up the points.
Third-placed Maciej Janowski – last year’s Hallstavik winner – was delighted to get back on to the SGP podium after a tough start to the season, hampered by the shoulder ligament injury which kept him out of the opening round in Warsaw.
Max Fricke took fourth in Sweden to claim 11-points, while Jason Doyle was 11th, with Doyle currently sitting eighth in the standings, and Fricke 12th.
Speedway GP of Sweden Podium – 1) Sayfutdinov, 2) Vaculik, 3) Janowski
SGP World Championship Standings
Emil Sayfutdinov 47
Patryk Dudek 47
Leon Madsen 47
Bartosz Zmarzlik 44
Martin Vaculik 44
Fredrik Lindgren 42
Niels-Kristian Iversen 32
Jason Doyle 30
Janusz Kolodziej 29
Artem Laguta 27
Matej Zagar 27
Max Fricke 27
Maciej Janowski 24
Robert Lambert 24
Antonio Lindback 23
Tai Woffinden 15
Bartosz Smektala 10
Oliver Berntzon 7
Vaclav Milik 4
Matic Ivacic 2
Norrbil Swedish SGP Scores
Emil Sayfutdinov 17
Martin Vaculik 16
Maciej Janowski 13
Max Fricke 11
Matej Zagar 10
Fredrik Lindgren 10
Bartosz Zmarzlik 8
Niels-Kristian Iversen 8
Leon Madsen 7
Oliver Berntzon 7
Jason Doyle 7
Patryk Dudek 7
Antonio Lindback 6
Artem Laguta 5
Janusz Kolodziej 3
Robert Lambert 3
Pontus Aspgren DNR
Kim Nilsson DNR
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2019 Speedway of Nations Finals teams announced
The FIM Speedway of Nations Finals teams have been confirmed as defending champions Russia name an unchanged team for their title defence in Togliatti on July 20 and 21. With this year’s hosts making history when they won the inaugural SON Finals in Wroclaw last June – Russia’s first senior speedway World Championship of any kind.
Individual World Championship leader Emil Sayfutdinov, Artem Laguta and joint FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship front-runner Gleb Chugunov will bid to win back-to-back titles in front of a passionate home crowd in the biggest shale meeting ever staged in Russia.
2019 Speedway of Nations Finals teams announced
They face stiff competition from Poland, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, Australia and Denmark, who all make the trip east in search of gold.
Poland welcome back Maciej Janowski, who was forced out of Race Off 1 in Landshut on May 4 after suffering shoulder ligament damage in a crash 24 hours before the German showdown. He takes Patryk Dudek’s place in the side, partnering world No.2 Bartosz Zmarzlik, with former World Under-21 champion Maksym Drabik named as their junior ahead of Bartosz Smektala.
Sweden name an unchanged team following their Race Off 1 triumph, with world No.3 Fredrik Lindgren partnering the in-form Peter Ljung and Filip Hjelmland named as their under-21.
Great Britain have been forced into a change since their Race Off 2 win in Manchester on May 11 after world champion and captain Tai Woffinden was sidelined with a fractured TH4 vertebra and a broken shoulder blade.
Former FIM Speedway Grand Prix regular Chris Harris steps in for Woffy, joining stand-in skipper Craig Cook and under-21 man Robert Lambert in a side bidding to build on the silver medal they clinched in Wroclaw.
Australia have drafted in Jason Doyle for the trip to Togliatti. He returns in place of Chris Holder after sitting out Race Off 2 due to injury. Hot on the heels of reaching his first ever SGP final in Hallstavik on Saturday, Max Fricke partners Doyle with national under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey named as their junior.
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Danish boss Hans Nielsen tracks the same three stars who battled their way through Race Off 2 as World Championship frontrunner Leon Madsen links up with seven-time national champion Niels-Kristian Iversen. Frederik Jakobsen is their under-21 rider.
Germany complete the Finals field with Erik Riss replacing Martin Smolinski in the side, with Kai Huckenbeck serving as captain. Lukas Fienhage is selected ahead of Michael Hartel as their under-21 man.
The seven sides will compete over 42 heats – 21 heats on Saturday and 21 on Sunday, with the top scorers progressing automatically into the Grand Final. The second and third-placed countries will then compete in the semi-final for the right to race the leaders for the world title.
Should the semi-final end as a 3-3, the team that scored the most points over 42 heats will progress to the Grand Final. And if the Grand Final ends all square, a run-off featuring one rider from each team will decide the world title.
Speedway of Nations 2019 Preview
2019 Speedway of Nations Final Team Line-Up
RUSSIA: 1 Emil Sayfutdinov (captain), 2 Artem Laguta, 3 Gleb Chugunov (U21). Also in squad: Grigory Laguta, Roman Lakhbaum (U21). Team Manager: Igor Dmitriev.
SWEDEN: 1 Fredrik Lindgren (captain), 2 Peter Ljung, 3 Filip Hjelmland (U21). Also in squad: Antonio Lindback, Alexander Woentin (U21). Team Manager: Morgan Andersson.
POLAND: 1 Maciej Janowski (captain), 2 Bartosz Zmarzlik, 3 Maksym Drabik (U21). Also in squad: Patryk Dudek, Bartosz Smektala (U21). Team Manager: Marek Cieslak.
GERMANY: 1 Erik Riss, 2 Kai Huckenbeck (captain), 3 Lukas Fienhage (U21). Also in squad: Martin Smolinski, Michael Hartel. Team Manager: Herbert Rudolph.
GREAT BRITAIN: 1 Craig Cook (captain), 2 Chris Harris, 3 Robert Lambert (U21). Also in squad: Tai Woffinden, Dan Bewley (U21). Team Manager: Alun Rossiter.
AUSTRALIA: 1 Jason Doyle (captain), 2 Max Fricke, 3 Jaimon Lidsey (U21). Also in squad: Chris Holder, Jordan Stewart (U21). Team Manager: Mark Lemon.
DENMARK: 1 Leon Madsen, 2 Niels-Kristian Iversen (captain), 3 Frederik Jakobsen (U21). Also in squad: Michael Jepsen Jensen, Patrick Hansen. Team Manager: Hans Nielsen.
Speedway of Nations Final Day 1 Draw
A: Germany
B: Denmark
C: Australia
D: Poland
E: Russia
F: Sweden
G: Great Britain
Speedway of Nations Final Day 2 Draw
A: Germany
B: Australia
C: Sweden
D: Poland
E: Russia
F: Great Britain
G: Denmark
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Rockhampton to host 2020 KTM AJMX
With the 2019 running of the KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship (AJMX) to be held in Gillman, South Australia, Motorcycling Australia have now also announced the 2020 location, with Rockhampton, Queensland locked in for July 6-11, 2020.
AJMX 2018 – Penguin, Tasmania
The KTM AJMX attracts competitors from all across Australia, as well as international hopefuls seeking to make their mark in Australia’s highly competitive MX scene.
Peter Dark – Rockhampton and District MX Club President
“It is a complete honour, and a reward for the effort our members have given to the sport for many years. The event will bring approximately 500 of Australia’s best junior racers from across every state in Australia, including a few international racers.”
Motorcycling Queensland General Manager Kim Rowcliffe said that the Rockhampton District Motocross Club was chosen to host the 2020 Australian Junior Motocross Championships due to its very strong credentials in delivering well run, well promoted, and successful motorcycle events.
Dean Wilson confirmed to join AUS-X Open Melbourne
AUS-X Open promoters have confirmed Dean ‘Deano’ Wilson will be back for his third consecutive year to compete at this year’s Monster Energy AUS-X Open at Marvel Stadium on November 30. The Scottish Thunder will return Down Under after fan outcry to bring the world Number #6 back to Australia left event organisers in a spin.
Dean Wilson – Image by Hoppenworld
The 27 year old raced to a career-best sixth overall during this year’s Monster Energy FIM World Supercross Championship as well as a third-place finish at the Houston round, but after an injury forced him out of the last two rounds, Wilson says he’ll be back for redemption in November and hopes to finish the year off with a bang.
Dean Wilson
“I’m super excited to be returning to the AUS-X Open again this year, my 2019 season was up and down, but I’ll be pushing hard for it in Melbourne, I’ll be definitely out there to get my redemption and come out on top. Obviously I’ve had some amazing results the past two years at AUS-X winning the Saturday night in 2017, and coming in second last year, I feel like I have what it takes third time around Down Under. Australia is such a sick place to visit and this time to be in Melbourne for the first time, I think it will make for the best year of AUS-X yet, the line-up is stacked and I can’t wait to take on the world’s best.”
Dean Wilson – Image by Hoppenworld
Wilson will head to Melbourne for the first time ever, and go up against what is shaping up to be the best International Supercross line-up Australia has ever seen, consisting of two-time World Champion Chad Reed and 2018 World Champion Jason Anderson, world number 10 Justin Brayton, world number eight Joey Savatgy and many more local and international stars. Check out the video below to see Dean receiving his invitation.
Round 7 of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship saw the RedBud National celebrate the 4th of July and Independence Day, while Eli Tomac and Dylan Ferrandis claimed top honours in the 450 and 250 classes.
Eli Tomac – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Tomac had to fend off a resurgent Marvin Musquin in the second moto, but leaves RedBud with a 34-point lead. Dylan Ferrandis in the 250s meanwhile took both wins and closed in on Adam Cianciarulo in the standings, with Cianciarulo runner up with a 5-2 result.
Aussie Hunter Lawrence went 8-4 for fifth overall and currently sits sixth in the standings, 7-points behind Hampshire and 11-points behind Colt Nichols in fourth.
Hunter Lawrence – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
450
As the gate dropped on the opening 450 Class moto Cooper Webb emerged with the holeshot over Justin Bogle and Blake Baggett. Bogle quickly went to work as he found his way around Webb to takeover the race lead before the end of the opening lap. Tomac was just behind the leaders in third.
450 Start – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Bogle used a clear track and impressive riding to lead the first several laps as Webb and Tomac gave chase. On Lap 3, Tomac carried speed downhill and around the outside of Webb for the second position, followed by a pass on Bogle for the lead in the same section just one lap later. As Webb set his sights on Bogle, he made a costly mistake by stalling the engine of his bike, which let Jason Anderson slip by.
Tomac instantly took full advantage of having the lead and began opening a gap over his competition, while Anderson began to knock on Bogle’s door and made an aggressive move for second. Webb followed shortly after, bumping Bogle outside of the top three.
Eli Tomac – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
When the checkered flag waved, it was Tomac who remained unchallenged to win by 6.3 seconds, giving him his sixth moto win of the season. Anderson finished strong in second, followed by Webb in third. Ken Roczen and Marvin Musquin finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
When the gate dropped on the 450 Class Moto 2 Baggett was credited with the holeshot, followed by Bogle and Musquin. As Baggett set the pace out front, Roczen muscled his way into second, just ahead of Musquin in third to complete the opening lap. Anderson, Webb and Tomac started the moto just outside of the top five.
Blake Baggett & Cooper Webb – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
On Lap 2, Roczen used his early race speed to charge past Baggett for the race lead, while Musquin followed shortly after, shuffling Baggett back to third. With clear track ahead, Roczen relied on his effortless style to calmly navigate the demanding circuit as Musquin put his head down in an attempt to track down the German.
As the race neared the halfway point, Musquin began to slowly close in on the race lead, eventually making the pass stick on Lap 9. Behind the leaders, the battle for third began to heat up between Anderson and the first moto winner Tomac.
Marvin Musquin – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Every time Tomac searched for a way around, Anderson would wick it up to close the door. On Lap 12, Tomac dove to the inside of Anderson and pushed him against the edge of the track to overtake third.
The defending champion continued his push forward in the final laps of the race as he chased down and made the move around Roczen with two laps remaining.
Ken Roczen – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Musquin managed the moto with his veteran experience to take his third moto win of the season, 6.2 seconds ahead of Tomac. Roczen soldiered home in third.
Tomac’s 1-2 moto scores carried him to his third overall victory of the season, tying him with James Stewart for fifth on the all-time win list with 20 apiece. Anderson finished the day runner-up (2-4), while Musquin completed the podium in third (7-1).
450 Podium 1) Eli Tomac, 2) Jason Anderson, 3) Marvin Musquin – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Eli Tomac – 1-2
“Overall, it was a really good day for us, I had been feeling good all day. It has been a little bit rough the last couple of weeks, but the first moto was a really good way to start the day and get things turned back around. I think that I had some better lines in the first moto, but I was able to move up and get the job done in the second moto.”
Eli Tomac – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Jason Anderson 2-4
“We’re progressing and we’re getting better every weekend. The fans here at RedBud are amazing! This weekend went a lot better than the last. I was able to get second overall, which is another podium, so we’ll take it and just keep climbing.”
Jason Anderson – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Marvin Musquin 7-1
“The riding was really good all day but unfortunately, I didn’t get a great start in the first moto and then ended up going down in the first lap. It was very bad but I came back from dead last to seventh. To be able to win the second moto is just awesome and to salvage a podium was really important today – it’s good for the team and it’s good for me.”
Marvin Musquin – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Cooper Webb 3-5
“RedBud was a step in the right direction for me. Practice went really well, I was able to qualify first for the first-time ever in outdoors. To go 3-5 for fourth overall is alright, I wish I would have been a little bit better in the second moto but so far, it’s the best day yet and we’ll keep plugging away to try and get better for Millville.”
Cooper Webb – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Dean Wilson returned to racing on Saturday after missing the first six rounds of the series due to a shoulder injury sustained at the Denver SX. In Moto 1, he got off to a sixth-place start but he fell in the fourth corner and dropped back to last place on the opening lap. He remounted and began picking off riders but a series of crashes became a yo-yo effect for him as he continued to gain and lose ground.
In the end, Wilson was able to work his way up to 12th. In Moto 2, Wilson began just outside the top-10 and slowly worked his way up to seventh, where he ultimately finished. With 12-7 finishes, Wilson was able to claim a top-10 overall in his first race back with a solid ninth on the day.
Dean Wilson 12-7
“My first race back was a good race to work off of. This was the first time I’ve ridden my outdoor bike all year, so I was just kind of gelling with it. I’m going to work off of this – I know what I need to do and I’ll keep pushing for better results.”
Dean Wilson – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
The weekend proved challenging to Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Team duo Aaron Plessinger and Justin Barcia, who toughed it out to finish 11th and 14th overall at the RedBud MX.
Aaron Plessinger – 11
“RedBud went a lot better than Southwick did. I qualified 13th and then made a lot of improvements to the bike. We got it working pretty good for the motos, but I twisted my ankle pretty bad in the first one. I dropped a couple spots and then made it back up to 11th. I got a great start in the second one and then let a few people by. Justin passed me on the last lap and ended up finishing 11th again. So I went 11-11 for 11th overall. We’re making big improvements. I’m just going to keep pushing forward, build my fitness during this week off, and try to have some fun and enjoy it with the family.”
Aaron Plessinger – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
Justin Barcia 39-10
“It was a tough day. We had our work cut out for us. In the first moto, we ran into a little mechanical and unfortunately it took us out of the race. The boys had to
Justin Barcia – RedBud National 2019 – AMA Motocross
scramble to do a lot of work and get the bike ready. They did a great job handling everything today. In the second moto, I had full outside gate and didn’t come out so well. I started probably in the 20’s and ended up getting hit by someone and flipping over the bars. I came back from near last to 10th. It doesn’t look good on paper, but I rode my heart out.”
The winning effort allowed Tomac to extend his lead in the 450 Class championship standings to 34 points over Musquin. Roczen maintains hold on third in the standings, 40 points out of the championship lead. Zach Osborne was unable to compete due to a shoulder injury sustained in the morning’s practice, dropping him from fourth to sixth.
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Tomac and Cianciarulo Storm Pala AMA Motocross
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.”
Round 2 of the AMA Pro Motocross season head to the Fox Raceway in Southern California, with Eli Tomac claiming top honours with a dominant win from Marvin Musquin and Ken Roczen. Dean Ferris was 11th overall, Todd Waters 13th and Cody Cooper 35th.
Eli Tomac – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
In the 250 class Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo captured back-to-back victories to start the season and extend his point lead, with Justin Cooper second and Dylan Ferrandis third. Hunter Lawrence was ninth overall, claiming second in Moto 2, with Wilson Todd 19th with a 29-14 and Tyler McCoy 36th.
450 Moto 1
The opening 450 Class moto of the day saw Blake Baggett emerge with the holeshot, but he was quickly passed by Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen. The point leader proceeded to set a torrid pace on the opening lap to establish a multi-second margin over the field.
Eli Tomac – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Baggett settled into second on the opening lap but then crashed out of the position, which moved Jason Anderson briefly into second before he lost the position to Marvin Musquin. Just behind them Cooper Webb gave chase from fourth, with Tomac fifth.
At the halfway point of the moto Tomac was able to capitalize on a mistake from Webb to move into fourth and set his sights on Anderson for third. The reigning back-to-back series titleholder faced a five-second deficit to third and successfully overcame that gap to drop Anderson off the podium. He then made a push to track down the top two.
With less than three minutes remaining in the moto Musquin was able to close to within a second of Roczen, while a hard-charging Tomac closed in from third. Soon all three were less than 1.5 seconds apart, and only got closer as the time wound down.
Musquin attempted to make a pass on Roczen, but it didn’t work and instead opened the door for Tomac to take over second. The champ never let up as he stormed around Roczen before the completion of that same lap.
Marvin Musquin – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Tomac pulled away over the final laps to take the moto win by 3.8 seconds over Roczen, while Musquin followed in third. Anderson was fourth, while his rookie teammate Zach Osborne was fifth.
450 Moto 1 Results
Eli Tomac 2:08.161
Ken Roczen +03.836
Marvin Musquin +04.816
Jason Anderson +13.081
Zach Osborne +20.609
Cooper Webb +21.753
Justin Barcia +1:04.418
Justin Hill +1:04.954
Fredrik Noren +1:21.323
Dean Ferris +1:25.541 …16. Todd Waters +2:10.358 …29. Cody Cooper
450 Moto 2
As the riders emerged from the first turn at the start of the final moto it was Justin Bogle who earned the holeshot ahead of Musquin and Tomac. Anderson, Baggett, and Roczen jockeyed for position behind them.
450 Start – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Musquin was aggressive on the opening lap and attacked Bogle for the lead, with the Frenchman successfully making the pass. Tomac followed into second shortly thereafter, while Anderson moved into third right after they started the second lap.
The lead trio was able to settle into their positions, with Musquin establishing about a 1.5-second lead on Tomac. Anderson ran solidly in third, but Roczen kept him honest from fourth. Roczen applied persistent pressure for several laps and eventually made his move into podium position just before the halfway point, but was nearly 10 seconds behind the leaders.
Tomac’s impatience grew as the second half of the moto unfolded and he began to force the issue with Musquin. The Frenchman responded, but Tomac made a determined pass to grab control of the moto with just over 10 minutes to go. The champ was able to inch away from Musquin from there. Behind them, Roczen received heavy pressure from Osborne, but the German withstood the challenge.
Marvin Musquin – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Out front, Tomac ran the closing moments of the moto all by himself and took an emphatic moto win by 11 seconds over Musquin, with Roczen finishing third.
It’s Tomac’s first 1-1 sweep since the ninth round of last season at Washougal, and marks the 18th win of his 450 Class career, tying him for sixth all time with Kent Howerton.
Musquin (3-2) and Roczen (2-3) ended up in a tie for the runner-up spot, but the better second-moto result gave the Frenchman the tiebreaker.
Eli Tomac
“That second moto was really comfortable [on the bike]. It was really clean at the end. Marvin [Musquin] had a really good pace going there, and about halfway I was able to put pressure on him and make a really good pass. Once I got out front I was able to ride loose, picking good lines, and carried on to the win. We’re in a great position now [with the championship], so we’re right where we want to be.”
Eli Tomac – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Tomac entered the day facing a four-point deficit to Roczen, but leaves with a four-point lead over the German. Musquin moved into third, 19 points out of the lead.
Marvin Musquin – P2
“Coming from Hangtown, I had a rough week with only a little bit of riding on Thursday and Friday so I didn’t have much expectation. I just wanted to get back to my full potential and I feel like today I was back to myself. I’m glad to be back on the podium with second overall and happy with my riding.”
Marvin Musquin – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Zach Osborne – P4
“It was a pretty solid day for me with 5-4 finishes and I have to be content leaving California healthy. This track was brutal today. This is the one that I was the most nervous about as far as the schedule goes and I came out with two decent results. I feel good about my position moving forward and I’ll just keep hammering.”
Zach Osborne – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Jason Anderson – P5
“My weekend went pretty good, the first moto, I kind of just hung in there for a fourth place and stayed with the guys. The second moto, I was riding good but I didn’t really have it in me to up the pace comfortably, so I tried to latch onto third and fourth and do my best to finish strong.”
Jason Anderson – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Cooper Webb – P6
“I didn’t the best starts today and just struggled to work my way to the front. I feel like I rode consistently but not at the pace I needed to be at. I’m looking forward to getting back to Florida and getting back into the routine of things this week so we can come out swinging at Thunder Valley.”
Cooper Webb – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Justin Barcia – P8
“I didn’t get a great flow in the morning and didn’t qualify my best, but going into the moto I knew I would do better. Ended up finishing seventh In the second moto, where the track got even more rough. I’m still building up my fitness and getting stronger coming off of my injuries from earlier this year. All in all it was a decent weekend. I’m glad to leave Fox Raceway healthy, but definitely looking to keep improving and getting better. I’m looking forward to Thunder Valley, I usually do good there.”
Justin Barcia – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Dean Ferris – P11
“I feel like I started the weekend solid, making improvements. First moto was pretty solid and had to dig pretty deep for that one. In the second moto, I got more comfortable with the settings and was pushing toward the front. I ended up having a crash but pushed as hard as I could. All in all we are making progress and will keep working toward improving.”
Dean Ferris – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
450 Results – AMA MX Round 2
450 Podium – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
450 Moto 2 Results
Eli Tomac 2:09.070
Marvin Musquin +11.085
Ken Roczen +17.486
Zach Osborne +20.187
Jason Anderson +32.659
Cooper Webb +50.402
Justin Hill +53.797
Cole Seely +1:01.765
Fredrik Noren +1:08.174
Justin Barcia +1:12.309
Todd Waters +1:29.706
Justin Bogle +1:37.358
Dean Ferris +1:43.119 …38. Cody Cooper
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (1-1)
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (3-2)
Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (2-3)
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (5-4)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (4-5)
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (6-6)
Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Suzuki (8-7)
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (7-10)
Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda (9-9)
Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda (11-8) …11. Dean Ferris, Australia, (10 – 13) …13. Todd Waters, Australia, (16 – 11) …35. Cody Cooper, New Zealand, (29 – 38)
450 Class Championship Standings
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 93
Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 89
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 74
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna – 72
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 70
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM – 65
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 52
Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha – 42
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM – 41
Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda – 38 …14. Todd Waters, Australia, 32 …22. Cody Cooper, New Zealand, 6
250 Moto 1
The first 250 Class moto of the afternoon got underway with the fastest qualifier of the day, Justin Cooper, racing to the holeshot aboard his Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing machine, with teammate Colt Nichols in tow.
250 Start – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Cianciarulo took a gamble on his starting position and lined up his Kawasaki on the farthest outside gate, but it didn’t pay off. With his closest championship rival up front, Cianciarulo started outside the top 10 and had his work cut out for him.
The clear track in the early laps gave Cooper a huge advantage and he was able to establish a bit of a gap over Nichols and the rest of the field. Nichols rode in a solid second, while rookie Hunter Lawrence ran third.
Hunter Lawrence – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Nichols was able to keep Cooper within striking distance, but Lawrence soon received pressure from Jordon Smith. The two riders engage in a brief battle for the position and made contact, which ultimately took both riders to the ground. That allowed RJ Hampshire to move into third, with his teammate Chase Sexton fourth and a hard-charging Cianciarulo in fifth.
In the late stages of the moto, Cianciarulo, who moved into fourth, applied heavy pressure on Hampshire, which ultimately carried them to Nichols in second and ignited a three-rider battle for the final podium positions.
Adam Cianciarulo – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Hampshire was able to withstand a brief pass by Cianciarulo to regain third and then make his way around Nichols for second coming to the white flag. Cianciarulo was able to keep the pressure on Nichols and take over third with just a couple turns remaining.
For the second straight weekend Cooper went wire-to-wire in the opening moto, earning the win by 1.8 seconds over Hampshire. Cianciarulo battled back from his bad start to finish third, with Nichols and Chase Sexton rounding out the top five.
Justin Cooper – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
250 Moto 1
Justin Cooper 2:10.743
R.J. Hampshire +01.888
Adam Cianciarulo +02.745
Colt Nichols Colt Nichols +03.642
Chase Sexton +03.872
Christian Craig +34.613
Dylan Ferrandis +36.982
Michael Mosiman +38.229
Garrett Marchbanks +56.359
Alex Martin Alex +57.855 …29. Wilson Todd …32. Tyler McCoy
250 Moto 2
As the field roared into the first turn for its deciding second moto it was Shane McElrath who came away with the holeshot over rookie Ty Masterpool and Alex Martin. Soon Martin moved into second, while Cooper followed into third. Masterpool then lost another spot to Cianciarulo.
250 Start – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Cianciarulo was on a determined march to the front as he made the pass on Cooper for third. As Martin attempted to make a pass on McElrath for the lead, it allowed Cianciarulo to capitalize on a small mistake from the Suzuki rider.
On the following lap Cianciarulo’s forward surge was complete when he got by McElrath to seize control of the lead. Not long after that Lawrence made an impressive climb from fifth to second to drop Martin out of podium position and bump McElrath to third.
Adam Cianciarulo – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Both Martin and McElrath continued to lose positions, as Cooper fought his way up to third and brought his teammate Dylan Ferrandis along with him into fourth. It wasn’t long before Ferrandis passed his teammate for third.
Lawrence stayed within two seconds of Cianciarulo and at the halfway point of the moto he had closed to within a couple bike lengths. A bobble by Lawrence put some distance between them, but the rookie dug deep to closed back in on Cianciarulo.
Hunter Lawrence – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
As they navigated through lapped riders Cianciarulo made an outside line choice that opened up the inside for Lawrence, and the Australian took full advantage of it to make the pass and establish some breathing room between he and Cianciarulo.
That pass tipped the battle for the overall into Cooper’s favor, but Lawrence gave up the lead with less than two minutes remaining when he tipped over. Nearly four seconds separated the lead duo when Lawrence resumed, but the rookie still managed to close to within just over a second as they came to the white flag.
Dylan Ferrandis – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
On the final lap Cianciarulo picked up the pace and successfully went on to take the moto win by 2.9 seconds over Lawrence. Ferrandis followed in a distant third, just ahead of Cooper.
For the second weekend in a row a second-moto victory vaulted Cianciarulo to the top of the overall classification, where his 3-1 finishes were enough to edge out Cooper (1-4) by just a couple points. Ferrandis grabbed the final spot on the overall podium following 7-3 results.
Adam Cianciarulo – P1
“I had no idea what was happening [with the overall standings]. I just tried to put my best foot forward because I used a lot of energy in the first moto. I can’t say enough good things about Hunter Lawrence. He rode so good. When he crashed I thought I as clear of him [through to the finish], but then all of a sudden I could hear him behind me. I’m just so stoked to get two in a row. This is awesome.”
Adam Cianciarulo – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Cianciarulo was able to add to his early lead in the championship standings, which now sits at six points over Cooper. Ferrandis moved into third, 22 points behind Cianciarulo.
Justin Cooper – P2
“Overall it was another solid day. I’m really striving for the win though, so to come close again is disappointing. It’s also fueling the fire. I was looking to be at front [in Moto 2] but I wasn’t riding as aggressive in the middle of the race and it cost me at the end. I couldn’t catch the front guys and had to settle for second. I am really happy with the bike and team, we will keep fighting to be on top. We are so close! I’m blessed to be in this position so far in the season and pleased that all the hard work is paying off. It’s just going to take a little more to get the job done. I’m really looking forward to getting that win this season.”
Justin Cooper – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Dylan Ferrandis – P3
“In the first moto, I had a crash with Adam (Cianciarulo) and I was way back. I had to push really hard to make it up into the top 10. I didn’t really expect to make the podium and wasn’t really worried about it in the second moto. After the start, I tried everything I could but couldn’t make it up to the rest of the guys. It’s really cool to make it back up on the box after missing out last weekend. I’ll try hard next weekend to get back in the championship chase. It’s a long season.”
Dylan Ferrandis – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Colt Nichols – P5
“Overall a little disappointed with how the day ended up after feeling really good, but we get to try again next week. My bike was great and I’m really happy with the progress we made this past week. The track was tough today, mostly because passing seemed to be hard. Everyone was getting jammed up a bit at times. I’m really looking forward to next week and am ready to head back east.”
Colt Nichols – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Michael Mosiman – P8
“My starts were poor today. The first one, I kind of wheelied out of it so we made a little adjustment for the second moto and then the gate flinched and I hit it, so I was dead last. It’s brutal out there when you’re really charging for 30 minutes but I’m pleased with my fitness. 8-11 finishes are not what we work for and not what we wanted but all things considered, I’m happy with how I rode.”
Michael Mosiman – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Thomas Covington
“Today started out pretty good, I got off to a good start and ran in the top-10 for most of the first moto, so that was a step forward for me. In the second race, I ended up hitting the gate with a few guys next to me and I just had a tough time finding my rhythm for the rest of the moto. I’m going to go back to work this week and try to make another step.”
Thomas Covington – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
250 Results – AMA MX Round 2
250 Podium – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
250 Moto 2
Adam Cianciarulo 2:09.590
Hunter Lawrence +02.957
Dylan Ferrandis +12.584
Justin Cooper +13.135
Chase Sexton +28.728
Alex Martin +50.873
Colt Nichols +53.595
Garrett Marchbanks +1:09.123
Martin Davalos +1:09.620
Shane McElrath +1:10.250 …14. Wilson Todd +1:22.403 …35. Tyler McCoy
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (3-1)
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (1-4)
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The LATEST News
Arizona AFT Super TT falls to JD Beach
Webb and Sexton Top the Podium at East Rutherford SX
Upton Wins Gascoyne Dash
Doyle headlines FIM Speedway of Nations Race Off 2
Murray Bridge Double Header This Weekend
Victoria, ACT and WA Host Championship Rounds
Weekly Up-Date on Our Aussies Abroad
Arizona AFT Super TT falls to JD Beach
Yamaha MT-07 rider JD Beach pulled off an improbable come-from-behind victory to claim his first-career American Flat Track premier class win in last Saturday night’s thrilling Super TT at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona.
AFT Twins head to the Arizona Super TT – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Twins Report
Throughout the day it was the points leader Briar Bauman on his Indian who logged the fastest laps around the twisting and undulating Super TT circuit and he appeared well on his way to a seemingly effortless victory deep into the 25-lap Main Event but the determined Beach slowly reeled his quarry in and finally positioned himself to attack with just two laps remaining.
2019 Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
Beach, a multi-time national road racing champion made his move up the inside entering Turn 2 and pulled clear from there to at last complete the long-awaited breakthrough win ahead of Bauman and the defending champion Jared Mees (Indian) whom in turn got the nod over the Jeffrey Carver Jr. (Indian) and Jake Johnson (MT-07).
2019 Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
JD Beach
“It’s amazing. This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. We’ve been close before but never quite got it. To ride the race that I did — to be back from Briar like that and catch him and pass him with two to go — was awesome. I’ve just got to thank the whole team. We’ve definitely had our highs and lows this year so far. They’ve worked so hard. It’s a great feeling, but we’ve still got a lot of rounds to go and a lot of work to do. We’ll have some fun tonight and get back to work tomorrow.”
JD Beach – Image by Scott Hunter
Bauman could take solace in the fact that he continued his perfect podium record on the season and extended his title lead to 18 points after four rounds.
Briar Bauman
“I had nothing for him. He came by me like I was tied to a tree… The bike was great all night. I thought I was in a pretty good position. I got the start and did everything right. The only problem is JD Beach came, so here we are in second.”
2019 Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins Main Event
JD Beach Yamaha MT-07
Briar Bauman Indian FTR750 +2.244
Jared Mees Indian FTR750 +19.026
Jeffrey Carver Jr. Indian FTR750 +23.610
Jake Johnson Yamaha MT-07 +23.907
Bronson Bauman Indian FTR750 +35.266
Kayl Kolkman Yamaha MT-07 +35.896
Brandon Robinson Indian FTR750 +36.052
Sammy Halbert Harley-Davidson XG750R +40.515
Larry Pegram Indian FTR750 +1 Lap
2019 Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Twin Standings
Briar Bauman 82
Jared Mees 64
Brandon Robinson 64
Henry Wiles 51
Jarod Vanderkooi 51
Jeffrey Carver Jr. 44
Sammy Halbert 44
Jake Johnson 43
Larry Pegram 42
Bronson Bauman 37
Jared Mees – 2019 Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Singles Report
TT specialist Jesse Janisch and his Yamaha YZ450 upped his AFT Singles win streak to three with a wire-to-wire victory in Saturday night’s undercard Main Event over Dalton Gauthier and Ryan Wells.
Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
Janisch found himself under heavy pressure throughout the Main Event courtesy of points leader Dalton Gauthier who threw everything he had into one final strike at the chequered flag, pulling alongside Janisch as they two exited the race’s last corner and powered up the decisive jump with Janisch holding on by a scant 0.105 seconds at the line.
Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
Jesse Janisch
“This race was so much about the start. These guys were flying all day… I just tried running clean laps. Roof Systems Dallas TX got me off to a great start, and I was trying to watch the monitor and I saw Dalton right on me. But they kept going to a different battle, and I wanted to see where Dalton was at! He was really coming on that last lap.”
Jesse Janisch – Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
2016 AFT Singles champion Ryan Wells came home third ahead of Mikey Rush and Dan Bromley while Aussie Max Whale who was still feeling the effects of last weekend’s crash struggled home to 16th but he maintains a top ten position in the points.
Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles Main Event
Jesse Janisch Yamaha YZ450F
Dalton Gauthier Husqvarna FC450 +0.105
Ryan Wells Yamaha YZ450F +3.324
Mikey Rush Honda CRF450R +5.822
Dan Bromley KTM 450 SX-F +6.227
Chad Cose Honda CRF450R +10.395
Cole Frederickson Honda CRF450R +10.922
Andrew Luker Kawasaki KX450F +11.236
Ben Lowe Honda CRF450R +13.251
Jacob Lehmann Honda CRF450R +13.829
Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Singles Standings
Dalton Gauthier 79
Jesse Janisch 72
Mikey Rush 63
Dan Bromley 58
Morgen Mischler 40
Oliver Brindley 38
Shayna Texter 35
Chad Cose 34
Ryan Wells 31
Max Whale 25
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Webb and Sexton Top the Podium at East Rutherford SX
On a jump infested and highly technical layout Cooper Webb has managed to win an action packed 450 main event to extend his championship lead, while Chase Sexton took over as the 250 East Coast class championship leader after winning his first main for the year.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Report
While his teammate Marvin Musquin was avoiding being run over after crashing in the first corner, Webb grabbed the holeshot from Zach Osborne and Eli Tomac, but before the opening lap was complete Tomac had moved to second and was right on the rear wheel of Webb.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by HoppenworldAMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
After a few attempts Eli was finally able to get to the lead and reminiscent to his Vegas performance in 2017 Tomac was looking to unsettle Webb as he slowed in several sections before cutting down to a tighter line through some of the corners but the Kawasaki rider finally cleared his thoughts to establish a small lead.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
In fact, it looked like Eli would pull away for the win until he got cross rutted and went down in the whoops to drop back to fourth behind Webb, Osborne and Blake Baggett. Osborne caught up to Webb to make the pass for the lead so it this stage Zach led ahead of Webb, Baggett and a fast closing Tomac but then Baggett crashed and Osborne rode straight up a right hand berm which gave the lead back to Webb.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
The atmosphere was electric as Tomac caught all the way up to Webb but an identical crash in the whoops dropped him back to third and that is the way they stayed to the line with Webb winning over Osborne, Tomac and Baggett.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
With one race left, Web has a 23-point lead over Tomac while Musquin, who came into the race as the only other rider besides Tomac within striking distance of his teammate salvaged a fifth after his crash to now trails Webb by 31 points so he is no longer in championship contention.
Cooper Webb
“The win is a great momentum booster for me. Having another win for me and the team that works so hard is awesome, but anything can happen, as we saw tonight, but it is nice to come in with a bigger lead. I felt like crap all day and all week, so to be out here at all was great, the goal was a top five, so to come away with a win was incredible.”
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
Zach Osborne
“It’s been a long gruelling road to get back, I felt great in the off season, had a really good bike and one tiny mistake took me out of the first six rounds but it is finally coming back to me, we completely changed the bike in the off week and I felt a lot more comfortable in the whoops. In the main event I got off to a good start and after getting beaten up in the past I decided to just send it which I did for a couple of laps then made the pass for the lead – it was a really good race for me.”
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
Eli Tomac
“I had to have a chuckle about it, I mean, I did the exact thing twice (crash twice in the same spot), I mean, how do you even do that? We were going triple into the whoops and I was leaning a little too far to the right, got cross rutted and then went into the same tuff block, the same tip over, it’s like a replay. I could have got away with one of those but the second one really did me in.”
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Zach Osborne
Eli Tomac
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen
Joey Savatgy
Joshua Grant
Cole Seely
Justin Hill
450SX Main Event Podium – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
450SX Points after 16 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 358
Eli Tomac – 335
Marvin Musquin – 327
Ken Roczen – 300
Blake Baggett – 274
Dean Wilson – 223
Joey Savatgy – 208
Cole Seely – 194
Justin Bogle – 158
Justin Barcia – 154
Chad Reed – 151
Justin Brayton – 151
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
250 East Coast Report
After the injured championship leader Austin Forkner made his way to the main event with a far from convincing fourth place in his heat race it was Alex Martin who grabbed the early lead in the main event ahead of Martin Davalos, Sexton and Forkner.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
Austin slammed by Sexton for third but he was soon in second behind his teammate Davalos after Martin slid out so it looked like things were going the way of Forkner BUT a flat landing before the wall jump caused him to re-aggravate his knee and take him out of the race.
When Austin pulled off, Sexton inherited second place and later he took over the lead from a struggling Davalos who would also surrender second and third to the Yamaha duo of Mitchell Oldenburg and Justin Cooper, so the win went to Sexton over Oldenburg, Cooper and Davalos.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
With just the final East/West shootout at Las Vegas to go next weekend Sexton has inherited/earned a nine-point lead over Cooper with Forkner a further 13-points back. The 250 West Coast series is similarly placed with Adam Cianciarulo holding an 8-point lead over Dylan Ferrandis heading into Vegas so the combined final is going to be very interesting indeed.
Chase Sexton
“We have made a lot of bike changes from the beginning of the season, it is pretty crazy when you compare what I was riding back then to now, it has made a big difference and I have just been trying to put in my laps but I felt really good out there tonight, it feels awesome to be fastest qualifier, win my heat then the main, it’s been a long time and it feels great.”
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
Mitchell Oldenburg
“It has been a tough physically and mentally but everyone around me has believed in me so this feels great, I felt awesome tonight, comfortable and it’s been a long couple of years but we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Justin Cooper
“We struggled with suspension but we did our best and I felt really good in the heat where I got into second and started putting in my laps before I ended up jumping into the hay bales and it all went downhill from there because I didn’t feel myself in the main event but not taking any credit from these guys, they are riding awesome.”
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Chase Sexton
Mitchell Oldenburg
Justin Cooper
Martin Davalos
Brandon Hartranft
Kyle Peters
Alex Martin
Jordan Bailey
Lorenzo Locurcio
Anthony Rodriguez …22. Austin Forkner
250SX Main Event Podium – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
250 East Coast Points after 8 of 9 Rounds
Chase Sexton – 174
Justin Cooper – 165
Austin Forkner – 152
Martin Davalos – 134
Mitchell Oldenburg – 128
Alex Martin –121
Brandon Hartranft – 118
Kyle Peters – 115
Kyle Cunningham – 108
Jordon Bailey – 91
250 West Coast Points after 9 of 10 Rounds
Adam Cianciarulo – 208
Dylan Ferrandis – 200
Colt Nichols – 163
RJ Hampshire – 145
James Decotis – 128
Michael Mosiman – 128
Cameron McAdoo – 128
Shane McElrath – 123
Chris Blose – 119
Garrett Marchbanks – 100
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Upton wins Gascoyne Dash
Easter weekend saw defending champion Cody Upton win the Gascoyne Dash which has competitors racing from the WA coastal town of Carnarvon to the outback oasis of Gascoyne Junction and back.
Cody Upton wins the 2019 Gascoyne Dash
Upton lead a field of 32 bikes and 19 quads away for the Prologue but it was KTM rider James McCarthy, stopping the clock some 13 seconds ahead of fellow KTM Rider Thomas O’Connell, with the Yamaha of Alex Moore rounding out the outright podium while the leading quad was ATV MX convert, Luke Gaisford on his Honda.
The first day of the main event saw the field race east approximately 205 kilometres from coastal Carnarvon to the outback oasis of Gascoyne Junction and it was Upton who managed to take the win. The defending champ not only faced stiff opposition from his fellow competitors and the tough terrain on the race home, he would also have to overcome a broken left hand thanks to a rock thrown from a competitor’s bike on the run to Gascoyne Junction.
Luke Gaisford took the Quad win
While not able to match the pace that he set on day one, Upton was able to do just enough to lead the Moto field home ahead of McCarthy, Moore and O’Connell while Jye Schaap, Damon Meyer, Luke Thomson, Cameron Smart, Michael Lough and Andrew Somers rounded out the top ten.
Amongst the hotly contested quad category, ATV MX specialist Luke Gaisford powered home from the Junction to win his first desert enduro. Finishing 15th outright ahead of Blake Croonen and Colin Balshaw.
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Doyle headlines FIM Speedway of Nations Race Off 2
World champions Tai Woffinden and Jason Doyle lead a stellar field for the FIM Speedway of Nations Race Off 2 in Manchester on May 11 as the squads and starting line-ups are confirmed.
2019 FIM Speedway of Nations Race Off 2
Reigning world #1 Woffinden captains the Lions on home shale in his first racing appearance in the UK since becoming the first Brit to win three world titles last October.
Meanwhile, 2017 FIM Speedway Grand Prix winner Doyle leads the Australian challenge. The Brits and Aussies are up against Denmark, USA, Latvia, France and Finland with three places up for grabs in the Monster Energy SON Finals at Russian race track Togliatti on July 20 and 21.
Every nation had the chance to name a squad of up to five riders – three seniors and two under-21s, with two seniors and a junior starting in Manchester. Each under-21 must take at least one ride.
Doyle teams up with Belle Vue skipper Max Fricke, who gets the nod ahead of 2012 world champion Chris Holder to race on his SGB Premiership home track. Aussie Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey serves as their junior rider, with Redcar rider Jordan Stewart the reserve under-21.
Jason Doyle at least year’s Melbourne Speedway GP – Image by Colin Rosewarne
The Finals field will also feature three nations who advance from Race Off 1 in Landshut, Germany on May 4, which sees Germany, Poland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Ukraine and Italy compete.
Race Off 2 Squads & Line-Ups (In Draw Order):
AUSTRALIA:
1 Jason Doyle (captain), 2 Max Fricke, U21 Jaimon Lidsey.
Also in squad: Chris Holder, Jordan Stewart (U21).
FINLAND:
1 Timo Lahti (captain), 2 Tero Aarnio, U21 Timi Salonen.
Also in squad: Jesse Mustonen, Niklas Sayrio (U21).
1 Niels-Kristian Iversen (captain), 2 Leon Madsen, U21 Frederik Jakobsen. Also in squad: Michael Jepsen Jensen, Patrick Hansen (U21).
GREAT BRITAIN:
1 Tai Woffinden (captain), 2 Craig Cook, U21 Robert Lambert.
Also in squad: Chris Harris, Daniel Bewley (U21).
FRANCE:
1 David Bellego (captain), 2 Dimitri Berge, U21 Gaetan Stella.
USA:
1 Austin Novratil, 2 Luke Becer (captain), U21 Broc Nicol.
Also in squad: Ricky Wells.
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Murray Bridge double header this weekend
This weekend will see the first of the two ‘double header’ rounds of the 2019 Australian MX Nationals with Murray Bridge putting together two days of racing that could well see major changes in the MX1, MX2 and MXD championship classes.
MX Nationals head to Murray Bridge for Rounds 4 & 5
MX Nationals Series Promoter Kevin Williams today expressed his gratitude for the Rural City of Murray Bridge and explained that the venue is well equipped to have a full two days racing and the club are ready to welcome thousands of motocross fans.
Kevin Williams
“I’m very thankful to the Rural City of Murray Brdge for there commitment and partnership in making this event happen with Murray Bridge hosting the first of this years double header rounds, the South Coast Club have been working around the clock to make sure everything is up to a double standard and the track is well equipped to handle two days of gruelling racing.”
In the MX1 class Hayden Mellross holds on to the championship points lead by a slender 5-points over Luke Clout who in turn has a 2-point gap to Kirk Gibbs who has the exact same gap back to Todd Waters so that is less than 10 points from first to fourth which means this weekend at Murray Bridge could well shake this championship up…..or will it?
The likes of Jay Wilson, Aaron Tanti, Kyle Webster and Nathan Crawford need to pull their fingers out and stop Wilson Todd from running away with this championship – and that is going to be difficult with Wilson looking to be in a class of his own during the last two rounds to now have a 28 point lead over Wilson.
Wilson Todd – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
MX2 – Championship Standings After Round 3
Wilson Todd – 170
Jay Wilson – 142
Aaron Tanti – 133
Kyle Webster – 126
Nathan Crawford – 122
Cooper Pozniak – 115
Dylan Wills – 113
Jye Dickson – 107
Riley Dukes – 103
Issac Ferguson – 93
The MXD class has been it’s usual action packed adventure for the youngsters and so far it has been Regan Duffy who has been the most consistent but Rhys Budd, Max Purvis and Mason Semmens have been on the winners pace while there are three or four other riders who are currently top ten in the points who have the speed to win motos.
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Victoria, ACT and WA Host Championship Rounds
The Yamaha BluCru 2-Stroke Nationals was held at Fairburn Park last weekend as was the VSMX at Swan Hill in Victoria and the WAMX Championships at the Coastal Motocross facility.
Jai Walker won the premier YMI All-Power class at Fairburn Park over Jake Cobbin and Connor Whitney while Blake Fox (Yamaha 125cc Jnr Cup), Ryder Kingsford (Yamaha 85cc Cup), Ky Woods (Raceline 65cc Cup) and Steven Bowen (Hallman Retro Cup) took out the support classes.
Jayden Rykers (Pictured at MXN) – Image by Scottya
On a day that fielded many national riders Jayden Rykers won the premier All Powers class at Swan Hill over Erki Kahro and Ryan Shadbolt while Mason Semmens got the win over Max Purvis is the MX2 class then we saw Lewis Stewart (MX1A), Justin Carafa (Over 30s), Mike Reefman (Over 40s) and James Graham (Over 50s) win the support classes.
Coastal hosted the opening round of the WAMX championship and it was Regan Duffy who took out the MX1 class over Charlie Creech and Josh Adams before Duffy also took out the MX2 class over Corben Weinert and Dylan Hennessey while Chris Bosnakis (Quads), Hannah Bagnall (Womens) and Jacob Whatley (Amateur) won the support classes.
Over in the junior ranks the class winners were Brock Flynn, Kayden Minear, Seth Manuel, Dylan Walsh, Mason Brown, Jaylee Rimbas and Jodh McQuade.
Weekly Up-Date on Our Aussies Abroad
Jed Beaton – Rockstar Husqvarna
Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship Current Standing: 13th after Round 4 of 17 Notes: Thanks to some niggling injuries Jed sat out the opening round but has scored solid points in the next three rounds while still nursing a few aches and pains – the four week break from rounds 4 to 5 will do him no harm. The next round will be the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy on the 12th of May.
Jed Beaton
Mitch Evans – 114 Honda
Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship Current Standing: 8th after Round 4 of 17 Notes: Mitch sensationally started the season with a podium finish but since then it has been a bit of a roller coaster with great speed let down by two mechanical DNFs. The next round will be the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy on the 12th of May.
Mitch Evans
Tayla Jones – Rockstar/Husqvarna/Moose Racing/Shaw Wines
Championship: GNCC Current Standing: 1st after Round 4 of 13 Notes: Tayla has only lost one round so far this year and is looking as good as ever. Next round will be the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis on May 4 and 5
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 – MXoN 2018
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: 11th after Round 16 of 17 Notes: Chad was part of a multi bike crash at Seattle when he was sitting 7th in the championship and if a few things go his way Chad will be on the line at the final round of the championship at Vegas this weekend.
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld
Wil Ruprecht – Johansson MPE Yamaha
Championship: EnduroGP – Junior Class Current Standing: 2nd after Round 1 of 7. Notes: Wil proved his worth at the opening round in Germany with a solid weekend on the only Yamaha in the field. The next round will be at Valpaços in Portugal on the 3rd and 4th of May.
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 4 of 13 Notes: New team for Josh and he is gaining confidence at every round – Josh sat in second place for the early part of round 4 before dropping to fifth overall. Next round will be the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis on May 4 and 5
Josh Strang – 2019 GNCC – Image by Ken Hill
Mackenzie Tricker – KTM/MEPMX/Fly Racing
Championship: GNCC Current Standing: 3rd after Round 4 of 13 Notes: Mackenzie is not far off cracking a win at the GNCC level but the pace is red hot out front between Jones and Becca Sheets. Next round will be the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis on May 4 and 5.
Mackenzie Tricker (2018 ISDE) – Image by Dario Agrati
Max Whale – Weirbach Racing Kawasaki
Championship: AFT Singles Current Standings: 10th after Round 4 of 18 Notes: Max scored a disappointing 16th at the Super TT in Arizona last weekend thanks to still feeling the effects of the previous weekend’s big crash but he still sits 10th in the points with plenty of rounds left to prove his worth.
Webb and Sexton top the podium at East Rutherford SX
Images by Hoppenworld
On a jump infested and highly technical layout Cooper Webb has managed to win an action packed 450 main event to extend his championship lead in the 450SX championship. Meanwhile Chase Sexton took over as the 250 East Coast class championship leader position after winning his first main for the year.
Cooper Webb topped the 450SX event and carries forward a 23-point advantage- AMA SX Round 16, 2019
450SX Report
While his teammate Marvin Musquin was avoiding being run over after crashing in the first corner, Webb grabbed the holeshot from Zach Osborne and Eli Tomac. But before the opening lap was complete Tomac had moved to second and was right on the rear wheel of Webb.
Cooper Webb grabbed the holeshot from Zach Osborne – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
After a few attempts Eli was finally able to get to the lead and reminiscent to his Vegas performance in 2017 Tomac was looking to unsettle Webb as he slowed in several sections before cutting down to a tighter line through some of the corners, but the Kawasaki rider finally cleared his thoughts to establish a small lead.
Eli Tomac – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
In fact, it looked like Eli would pull away for the win until he got cross rutted and went down in the whoops to drop back to fourth. This left him behind Webb, Osborne and Blake Baggett, before Osborne caught up to Webb to make the pass for the lead. At this stage Zach led ahead of Webb, Baggett and a fast closing Tomac but then Baggett crashed and Osborne rode straight up a right hand berm which gave the lead back to Webb.
Blake Baggett – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
The atmosphere was electric as Tomac caught all the way up to Webb but an identical crash in the whoops dropped him back to third. That is the way they stayed to the line with Webb winning over Osborne, Tomac and Baggett.
With one race left, Web has a 23-point lead over Tomac while Musquin, who came into the race as the only other rider besides Tomac within striking distance of his teammate salvaged a fifth after his crash to now trails Webb by 31 points so he is no longer in championship contention.
Cooper Webb
“Overall, I felt like it was a good race. I felt like I rode in a nice pace that was consistent and I’m not saying that the other guys weren’t, but the mistakes they made were definitely the difference. I’m happy, another win is incredible and we’re inching a little closer to the final goal.”
Cooper Webb – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
Zach Osborne
“It’s been a long gruelling road to get back, I felt great in the off season, had a really good bike and one tiny mistake took me out of the first six rounds but it is finally coming back to me, we completely changed the bike in the off week and I felt a lot more comfortable in the whoops. In the main event I got off to a good start and after getting beaten up in the past I decided to just send it which I did for a couple of laps then made the pass for the lead – it was a really good race for me.”
Zach Osborne – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
Eli Tomac
“I had to have a chuckle about it, I mean, I did the exact thing twice (crash twice in the same spot), I mean, how do you even do that? We were going triple into the whoops and I was leaning a little too far to the right, got cross rutted and then went into the same tuff block, the same tip over, it’s like a replay. I could have got away with one of those but the second one really did me in.”
Eli Tomac – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
Marvin Musquin
“It was a huge bummer to have that crash in the first turn, considering I was feeling great all day today. From dead last I came back to fifth-place, it’s a good race but it didn’t bring me what I wanted points-wise and I wanted to win tonight. But is what it is, it’s racing and things like that obviously happen.”
Marvin Musquin chases down Zach Osborne – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Zach Osborne
Eli Tomac
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen
Joey Savatgy
Joshua Grant
Cole Seely
Justin Hill
450SX Main Event Podium 1) Cooper Webb, 2) Zach Osborne, 3) Eli Tomac – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
450SX Points after 16 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 358
Eli Tomac – 335
Marvin Musquin – 327
Ken Roczen – 300
Blake Baggett – 274
Dean Wilson – 223
Joey Savatgy – 208
Cole Seely – 194
Justin Bogle – 158
Justin Barcia – 154
Chad Reed – 151
Justin Brayton – 151
250 East Coast Report
250SX Start – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
After the injured championship leader Austin Forkner made his way to the main event with a far from convincing fourth-place in his heat race it was Alex Martin who grabbed the early lead in the main event, this was ahead of Martin Davalos, Sexton and Forkner.
Alex Martin took the holeshot with Martin Davalos in pursuit – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
Then Austin slammed by Sexton for third and he was soon in second behind his teammate Davalos after Martin slid out so it looked like things were going the way of Forkner BUT a flat landing before the wall jump caused him to re-aggravate his knee and take him out of the race.
Chase Sexton – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
When Austin pulled off, Sexton inherited second place and later he took over the lead from a struggling Davalos who would also surrender second and third to the Yamaha duo of Mitchell Oldenburg and Justin Cooper so the win went to Sexton over Oldenburg, Cooper and Davalos.
Justin Cooper – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
With just the final East/West shootout at Las Vegas to go next weekend Sexton has inherited/earned a nine-point lead over Cooper, with Forkner a further 13 points back. The 250 West Coast series is similarly placed with Adam Cianciarulo holding an eight-point lead over Dylan Ferrandis heading into Vegas so the combined final is going to be very interesting indeed.
Austin Forkner now sits third in the 250SX East standings – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
Chase Sexton
“We have made a lot of bike changes from the beginning of the season, it is pretty crazy when you compare what I was riding back then to now, it has made a big difference and I have just been trying to put in my laps but I felt really good out there tonight, it feels awesome to be fastest qualifier, win my heat then the main, it’s been a long time and it feels great.”
Chase Sexton – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
Mitchell Oldenburg
“It’s unbelievable. With all the injuries… I just didn’t know if this was for me anymore. My wife has always been behind me and this feels amazing. Everyone in my corner have been so awesome and the people around me have never stopped believing in me. It feels good to finally get this done. It feels like we finally got this monkey off our back.”
Justin Cooper
“I just struggled to find my flow. I didn’t feel good the whole race so to I can’t really complain about a podium finish. It would have been nice to get second, but I’m pumped for Mitchell. We’ll see what we can do in Las Vegas.”
Justin Cooper – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
Josh Grant made the penultimate race of the year count with his best finish of the season in eighth, as a fill-in rider for Aaron Plessinger.
Josh Grant
“I’m really stoked on how my night went. The track conditions were really difficult and made for some tough passing. All in all, I am happy with an eighth-place finish and looking forward to finishing off strong in Las Vegas.”
Josh Grant – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Chase Sexton
Mitchell Oldenburg
Justin Cooper
Martin Davalos
Brandon Hartranft
Kyle Peters
Alex Martin
Jordan Bailey
Lorenzo Locurcio
Anthony Rodriguez …22. Austin Forkner
250SX Main Event Podium 1) Chase Sexton, 2) Mitchell Oldenburg, 3) Justin Cooper – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
250 East Coast Points after 8 of 9 Rounds
Chase Sexton – 174
Justin Cooper – 165
Austin Forkner – 152
Martin Davalos – 134
Mitchell Oldenburg – 128
Alex Martin –121
Brandon Hartranft – 118
Kyle Peters – 115
Kyle Cunningham – 108
Jordon Bailey – 91
Chase Sexton and team celebrate – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
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The LATEST News
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Bauman wins Daytona TT
Janisch wins Daytona TT AFT Singles – Max Whale fifth
Ferris replaces Febvre in MXGP
Ryan brothers shine at Canberra Long Track
Courtney Duncan joins Bike It DRT Kawasaki for WMX
Musquin and Forkner Victorious at Indy SX
Indianapolis has hosted the latest round of the AMA Supercross Championships and on a predominantly one lined, rut infested layout it was KTM’s Marvin Musquin who won the 450 main event for the second year in a row while Austin Forkner slaughtered the 250 East class by winning the main by over six seconds.
Baggett, Tomac, Webb
450SX
Musquin entered Indianapolis 19 points back from his teammate Cooper Webb, and by lap 18 it was a four rider freight train with Musquin, Baggett, Webb and Tomac all within a few seconds of each other but no matter how hard each rider tried.
Cooper Webb
That is how they finished while Justin Barcia’s first ride back from concussion earned the veteran a sensational fifth ahead of Savatgy, Zach Osborne, Ken Roczen, Dean Wilson, Justin Brayton and Chad Reed who passed 11 riders to earn solid points and stay seventh in the championship.
Eli Tomac
As far as the championship goes Webb leads by 14 points over Musquin who in turn has a seven-point gap back to Tomac while the biggest looser on the night was former red plate holder Roczen who just couldn’t get his shit together to end up 27 points back from Webb with six rounds remaining.
Marvin Musquin
“It was a long main event and I knew they were charging behind me so I just wanted to stay smooth, my whoops were pretty clean, I didn’t know if it was the best way but towards the end I was able to get it all clean and it feels good to get it done. Tonight I was very confident on the starting gate and to get a holeshot tonight was super important so yeh, it was time (for the win).”
Marvin Musquin
450SX Main Event Results
Marvin Musquin
Blake Baggett
Cooper Webb
Eli Tomac
Justin Barcia
Joey Savatgy
Zach Osborne
Ken Roczen
Dean Wilson
Justin Brayton
Chad Reed
450SX Main Event Results
Marvin Musquin
Blake Baggett +02.449
Cooper Webb +05.298
450SX Points after 11 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 243
Marvin Musquin – 229
Eli Tomac – 222
Ken Roczen – 216
Blake Baggett – 184
Dean Wilson – 163
Chad Reed – 149
Joey Savatgy – 141
Justin Brayton – 140
Justin Barcia – 138
250 East Coast Report
Unfortunately for the fans of close racing when Austin Forkner gets the holeshot in the East Coast series it is game over, with his Ryan Villopoto like style racking up the best lap times over and over which left long time arch rival Chase Sexton to reluctantly settle for second place all of the way to flag while Justin Cooper had to make his way from tenth to third to land on the podium.
250 Start
Austin Forkner
“Justin (Cooper) was beside me in the heat race and I didn’t want to let off until he did, went in way too deep, jumped into the tuff block and got run over by a couple of guys so that sucked but in the main I ended up with a decent gate two inside the box and got a good start in the main and that helped.”
Austin Forkner
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton
Justin Cooper
Mitchell Oldenburg
Martin Davalos
Kyle Peters
Kyle Cunningham
oshua Osby
Alex Martin
Jordan Bailey
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton +06.289
Justin Cooper +09.098
250 East Coast Points after 6 of 9 Rounds
Austin Forkner – 151
Chase Sexton – 125
Justin Cooper – 123
Alex Martin – 92
Martin Davalos – 89
Mitchell Oldenburg – 88
Brandon Hartranft – 82
Kyle Cunningham – 81
Kyle Peters – 79
Jordon Smith – 70
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Waters and Roberts Win at Appin Mudfest
In what has been a massive disappointment to everyone who is involved with or a fan of the Australian MX Nationals, the opening round of the 2019 championships ended up being a mudfest of the highest calibre and it was Todd Waters and Jy Roberts who won the premier MX1 and MX2 classes respectively while Kiwi Max Purvis won the MXD class.
MX Nationals 2019 – Round 1, Appin
A massive low across a large part of the East Coast of Australia caused torrential rain fall in Sydney and the surrounding areas so due to safety concerns WEM, the series promoter, reduced each championship class to one moto.
MX1 Report
Little known American Justin Rodebell grabbed the holeshot in the lone MX1 moto and led for the best part of the opening lap before Hayden Mellross made his way to the lead. Todd Waters was making his way from dead last after getting tangled with a track side sprinkler going into the first corner.
ISDE winner Daniel Milner was also a victim of multiple first corner incidents while pre-race favourites Kirk Gibbs and Brett Metcalfe also got less than ideal starts but both managed to edge their way through the treacherous conditions to move by Rodebell, Luke Clout and Jesse Dobson to slot into third and fourth.
After six laps that took almost 17 minutes, Hayden Mellross greeted the chequered flag ahead of Waters, Gibbs, Metcalfe and Dobson but thanks to a couple of incidents where it was deemed that Mellross rode outside the track barriers Waters was gifted maximum points ahead of Mellross.
Todd Waters
“It’s kind of strange, I didn’t think I won it. It was quite good for me because when I get excited, I go full gas and make big mistakes. I had no goggles and thought this is a bit of a write off. I just rode smooth and tried my best to just stay on the track.”
Todd Waters
Rodbell, Tomas Ravenhorst, Luke Clout, Joben Baldwin and Cody Dyce rounded out the top 10 while the likes of Richie Evans, Jayden Rykers, Caleb Ward ended the moto far from where they would have like but they fared better than Dylan long and Milner who didn’t get to finish the race.
Richie Evans
“The result today wasn’t what I was after, but the conditions threw up all sorts of challenges. It was hard work out there today. I went all out at the start and got the track position I needed but that crash just made things so hard to ride and grip the bike that I had to swap gloves and goggles to even continue. But despite the result, I know my preparation has been good and I have done the work over the off season so I’m not going to let this affect me. I will learn from todays round and improve myself in these conditions and I’m ready to get things back on track at round two regardless of what we are faced with.”
MX Nationals 2019 – Round 1, Appin
Thor MX1 – Moto Result and Overall
Todd Waters
Hayden Mellross
Kirk Gibbs
Brett Metcalfe
Jesse Dobson
Justin Rodbell
Tomas Ravenhorst
Luke Clout
Joben Baldwin
Cody Dyce
Charlie Creech
Joel Wightman
Levi McManus
Richie Evans
Jayden Rykers
Brandon Gray
John Prutti
Caleb Ward
Zak Small
Izak Maule
MX2 Report
Jay Wilson scored the holeshot and for most of the moto the Yamaha rider looked like a shoe-in for the win until a mistake near the end allowed Jy Roberts to come through to claim the win ahead of Wilson and third placed defending champion Wilson Todd. Todd ended the race ahead of Issac Ferguson, Riley Dukes, Nathan Crawford, Cooper Pozniak, Dylan Wills and Wyatt Chase.
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 1 – Appin Results – Top 15
Jy Roberts
Jay Wilson +15.866
Wilson Todd +1:03.716
Jy Roberts
“It was brutal, every line just crisscrossed and there where holes you couldn’t see. I had to throw my goggles on the second lap, so I was just getting roosted by lappers, but I ended up getting it done by just pulling off consistent laps. I made it work, so I am happy with that.”
Jy Roberts
Jay Wilson
“It was a strange set of circumstances that lead to us finishing second and as a team, everyone was a little disappointed in the outcome given we have such as good lead. But, we will move on from here, learn from what happened and ensure we aren’t in that situation again. We had a chat about it and its no-one’s fault, just the way it played out but from now on, we have decided we are just going to be ruthless if we are ever in the situation again. The team did a great job today on the bike and keeping it running smoothly. It’s tough because the track was so hard on the bikes. They get so hot, you have to keep off the clutch and stay away from the deep water, ruts and mud but the bike was awesome and for me, I’m happy with the start we have made for the championship and ready to go the full ten rounds.”
Aaron Tanti was up front in the early going but thanks to a series of mistakes the hard charger ended up tenth ahead of talented enduro rider Lyndon Snodgrass who in turn got the nod over some of the best MX2 riders in Australia including Morgan Fogarty, Kyle Webster, Bailey Malkiewicz and Joel Evans.
Kyle Webster
“It was a bloody tough day to say the least; the track was so next-level wet to state the obvious. I actually made a good start in the MX2 race and was running fourth or fifth after a couple of laps when I got completely and utterly bogged. I was stuck for almost a lap! Luckily another rider stopped to help me, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten the bike out. That incident dropped me back to about 28th place, and from there I just clawed my way up to 15th by the finish of the race. It certainly wasn’t an ideal day, but I’m just super-lucky and thankfully I managed to keep going and it wasn’t a DNF result.”
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Pirelli MX2 – Moto Result and Overall
Jy Roberts
Jay Wilson
Wilson Todd
Issac Ferguson
Riley Dukes
Nathan Crawford
Cooper Pozniak
Dylan Wills
Wyatt Chase
Aaron Tanti
Lyndon Snodgrass
Jai Constantinou
Morgan Fogarty
Chandler Burns
Kyle Webster
Jye Dickson
Ricky Latimer
Sam Pelz
Riley Stephens
Jesse Bishop
MXD Report
Leading riders Rhys Budd and Regan Duffy were back and forth for several laps before Budd looked to have the race in the bag but a small over on the last lap gave Kiwi flyer Max Purvis the win over Budd, Michael Murphy, Hugh Roach and Caleb Clifton.
Rhys Budd
“What a day! I got out in front in Qualifying and put down one heater lap to get the fastest time, which gave me first gate pick for the race, which just helped make things a little easier. I got a great start in the race and got the holeshot and pretty much tried my best to keep it up on two wheels. I had the lead with one lap to go and unfortunately, I put it down, but I managed to get up in second place and hold it to the end. It was a really challenging race and I have never raced in mud that bad before. But I just tried to make the most of it and tried to have fun, which is all you can really do in situations like that.”
Motul MXD – Moto Result and Overall
Maximus Purvis
Rhys Budd
Micheal Murphy
Hugh Roache
Caleb Clifton
Liam Walsh
Regan Duffy
Jayce Cosford
Dale Lyons
Liam Andrews
Jack Kukas
James Beston
Tye Jones
Lochie Smith
Mason Rowe
Noah Ferguson
Aaron Mason
Jake Barron
Mason Semmens
Denzel Woulfe
Russell Fights back at Georgia GNCC
Washington, Georgia hosted the second round of the 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series with the 15th Annual Specialized General GNCC and it was defending champion Kailub Russell who bounced back from last weekend’s defeat to take the win and garner the championship lead.
Kailub Russell claimed top honours – Image by Ken Hill
XC1 Report
On his new Kawasaki KX450F Josh Strang grabbed the holeshot but it was Kailub Russell who pushed his way to the front of the pack as they came through timing on the opening lap. But it wasn’t a runaway victory for Russell who had Trevor Bollinger and Thad Duvall not only holding pace but also at times looking for a way around the defending champ.
Josh Strang took the holeshot – Image by Ken Hill
Bollinger would in fact make the pass on Russell, holding the lead spot as they came through scoring on the second and fourth laps but when it mattered Russell crossed the finish line in the lead ahead of Bollinger, Duvall and last week’s winner Steward Baylor Jr.
Baylor Jr. found himself running in fourth overall for the majority of the race to now sit second, just seven points behind Russell in the National Championship points standings.
Strang would battle throughout the day to stay inside the top five ahead of Josh Toth, Jordan Ashburn, Andrew Delong, Cory Buttrick and Christopher Venditti.
XC1 Pro Event Results
Kailub Russell (KTM)
Trevor Bollinger (HQV)
Thad Duvall (HQV)
Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM)
Josh Strang (KAW)
Josh Toth (KTM)
Jordan Ashburn (KAW)
Andrew Delong (HON)
Cory Buttrick (YAM)
Christopher Venditti (KAW)
Overall National Championship Standings
Kailub Russell (55)
Steward Baylor Jr. (48)
Thad Duvall (42)
Trevor Bollinger (41)
Ben Kelley (32)
Josh Strang (30)
Josh Toth (30)
Andrew Delong (23)
Jonathan Girroir (23)
Jordan Ashburn (22)
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
XC2 Report
Beta’s Michael Witkowski grabbed the holeshot but it wouldn’t take long for Ben Kelley to take over the lead and proceed to gap the rest of the field by 2 minutes and 23 seconds at the chequered flag while Evan Smith, Jonathan Girroir, Witkowski and KTM’s Ryder Lafferty rounded out the top five.
XC2 250 Pro Event Results
Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
Evan Smith (HQV)
Jonathan Girroir (KTM)
Michael Witkowski (BET)
Ryder Lafferty (KTM)
Tegan Temple (KTM)
Liam Draper (KTM)
Austin Lee (HON)
Zack Hayes (KTM)
Jesse Groemm (KTM)
XC2 250 Pro Series Standings
Benjamin Kelley (60)
Jonathan Girroir (46)
Evan Smith (43)
Michael Witkowski (39)
Tegan Temple (31)
XC3 Report
In the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class, it was Jason Thomas who held the lead position throughout the first lap but Cody Barnes would make the move around Thomas for the lead on the second lap and the Beta rider would not look back after taking the lead. Barnes ultimately finished five minutes ahead of Thomas who was followed by Yamaha’s Jason Raines, while defending Champion Jesse Ansley would find himself only completing four of the six laps after spending a lot of time in his pit area trying to figure out what looks to be a carby issue.
Becca Sheets – Image by Ken Hill
WXC Report
Tayla Jones held the lead in the WXC class but as the women headed out on on lap three Becca Sheets would make her move to take over the lead, with Mackenzie Tricker following her as she moved into the second place. Sheets would hold onto the lead, taking the chequered flag ahead of Tricker, Jones, Rachel Gutish and New Zealand’s Rachael Archer rounding out the top five.
Bauman Wins Daytona TT
AFT Twins prepare at the Daytona TT – Image by Scott Hunter
The annual Daytona TT kicked off the 2019 American Flat Track season and it was Indian factory rider Briar Bauman who kicked off his championship campaign with a 5.149-second margin ahead of fellow Indian rider Henry Wiles and Yamaha’s Jake Johnson.
Briar Bauman – Image by Scott Hunter
Briar Bauman
“To hop out there in the front — it’s all about trying to put in a gap in the beginning. I’ve been training hard this offseason. I tried to throw down as much as I could and get a little bit of a gap and maintain the rest of the race.”
Bryan Smith – Image by Scott Hunter
Bauman’s triumph also brings defending champion Jared Mees’ Daytona TT win streak to a halt at two after Mees retired with a mechanical issue in the Main while running fifth.
AFT Twins – Main Event Daytona – 2019
Briar Bauman
Henry Wiles +5.149
Jake Johnson +16.037
Jarod Vanderkooi +19.248
Bronson Bauman +22.314
Kayl Kolkman +1 Lap
Robert Pearson +0.517
Brandon Robinson +2.161
Donald Mullen II +2.200
Jeffrey Carver Jr. +6.174
2019 AFT Twins Round 1 Podium – 1) Briar Bauman, 2) Henry Wiles, 3) Jake Johnson – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Twins Standings
Briar Bauman 25 points
Henry Wiles 20
Jake Johnson 17
Jarod Vanderkooi 15
Bronson Bauman 14
Kayl Kolkman 13
Robert Pearson 12
Brandon Robinson 11
Donald Mullen II 10
Jeffrey Carver Jr. 9
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Janisch Wins Daytona TT AFT Singles – Max Whale fifth
AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
At the Daytona TT Yamaha’s Jesse Janisch battled hard all day and in particular the AFT Singles main event to take the win ahead of Dalton Gauthier (KTM), Dan Bromley (KTM), Mikey Rush (Honda) and Max Whale (Kawasaki).
Jesse Janisch
“To start off Daytona with a victory… it’s amazing. Last year, we left here with a second, and that was a great way to start off the season. Just putting in all the work over the course of the winter and leaving here with a win is amazing. The Roof Systems team has really made a home for me. We’ve really built a great program.”
Jesse Janisch – Image by Scott Hunter
After earning last year’s crown on the strength of 13 podiums in 18 races, Bromley began his title defence with a solid third-place result while neither Shayna Texter (KTM) nor Jeff Ward (Honda) qualified for the night program. Former ISDE winner Ryan Sipes (KTM) made the program and rounded out the top 10 in the Singles final after competing in the Daytona Supercross and the GNCC during the previous weekend.
Daytona TT Singles Podium – – Image by Scott Hunter
American Flat Track will be back in action for round two of the 2019 season in just over a week’s time as the series travels to Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga., for the Atlanta Short Track presented by Cycle Gear on Saturday, March 23.
Jesse Janisch – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Singles – Main Event Daytona – 2019
Jesse Janisch
Dalton Gauthier +2.577
Dan Bromley +4.665
Mikey Rush +5.179
Max Whale +6.320
Ferran Cardus +7.112
Jacob Lehmann +9.342
Jake Lewis +9.833
Oliver Brindley +10.526
Ryan Sipes +11.022
AFT Singles Standings
Jesse Janisch 25 points
Dalton Gauthier 20
Dan Bromley 17
Mikey Rush 15
Max Whale 14
Ferran Cardus 13
Jacob Lehmann 12
Jake Lewis 11
Oliver Brindley 10
Ryan Sipes 9
Ferris Replaces Febvre in MXGP
Dean Ferris is arguably the fastest Aussie on the planet right now and on the back of a text to the team manager the multiple Australian champ will join Yamaha Motor Europe into the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team as a temporary replacement for the injured Romain Febvre.
Dean Ferris joins the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP team to replace Febvre temporarily
After a crash during the second moto at the opening round of the World MX Champs a few weeks ago in Argentina, Febvre underwent a successful operation on Wednesday March 13 at the University Antwerp Hospital (UZA) and it is expected to take six-weeks to heal. Therefore Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP has called upon Ferris to fill the Frenchman’s seat for the next three rounds of the MXGP World Championship.
The next three World Motocross Championship rounds are back-to-back so Ferris will make his 2019 MXGP debut this weekend at Matterley Basin, England before heading to round three in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands, and round four in Pietramurata, Italy.
Dean Ferris
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity. I know the next GP is close but we still have a few days to get comfortable with the bike. I have ridden these three tracks before so I will be pulling on my experience a lot. It’s great that I can stay with Yamaha as I’ve had a great experience with them in the past few years. It’s a bummer that Romain got hurt, we never want to see that but it can happen. I will be trying my very best for these GP’s and I look forward to the experience and opportunity.”
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Ryan Brothers Shine at Canberra Long Track
Connor and Harrison Ryan have dominated the annual Stay Upright Kings and Queens of Canberra two-day long track meeting last weekend.
Since entering the senior ranks Connor Ryan has not had a problem qualifying for finals, but his victory in the Pro 450 final in Canberra ranks as his biggest success to date.
Connor took the lead early in the 6-lap final and the classy line-up could make no impact on his advantage, with David Smith, Thomas Herrick, Michael Vecchi, Jesse Davies and Kale Galeano chasing him home.
2019 Stay Upright Kings and Queens of Canberra
Earlier in the Pro Open final the same six riders finished in the top half of the field with Herrick an impressive winner ahead of Vecchi, Smith, Galeano, Davies and Ryan.
The Pro 250 class as usual produced a close tussle on points over the five rounds with Jake Farnsworth outpointing Victorian Bradley Burns and Kye Andrews.
Albury rider Jesse Davies scored a double with victory in the Slider class, after having won the exciting IDH Projects Senior Shoot-out on the Saturday afternoon.
The Canberra Motorcycle Centre Junior Shoot-out started the run of success for 15 year old Harrison Ryan who later went on to win the 2-stroke and Lites classes as well as the Feature Race. Harrison had to overcome some good starts by Victorian Max Berry with Callan Butcher always finishing in third place.
Brothers Kai and Lync Frame dominated the Dirt Track Sidecars while Lawrence Fairey was the stand-out in the racing from the old riders and old bikes.
Besides Harrison Ryan in the juniors there were good displays from Hayden Nelson from Taree, Hugh Hope-Hodgetts from Forbes, Kurtis Jackson and Alexander Codey from Sydney.
Courtney Duncan joins Bike It DRT Kawasaki for WMX
New Zealander Courtney Duncan joins the Bike It DRT Kawasaki team to compete in the FIM Women’s World Motocross Championship which kicks off at Valkenswaard in The Netherlands later this month.
With two world titles and a further three medals in the Women’s World Championship, Kawasaki is proud to announce that talented New Zealander Courtney Duncan joins the Green family this season to compete in the high-profile five-round series.
Courtney Duncan joins Bike It DRT Kawasaki for WMX
The fast twenty-three-year-old young lady has been a major protagonist in the series since her debut three years ago, claiming an amazing seven GP victories and fourteen heat wins from just fifteen starts within that short space of time. Twice she was denied the world title through injury and lost the title by just two points on the other occasion.
More determined than ever to finally achieve her goal Courtney has made the conscious decision to join the highly-experienced British Kawasaki squad run by Steve Dixon to race a KX250 alongside male teammates Darian Sanayei from the USA and Brazilian Gustavo Pessoa in a truly international squad. Apart from the GPs Courtney, currently in Europe to prepare for the GP season, will also race in her native country with the support of Kawasaki New Zealand.
Courtney Duncan
“I’m stoked to announce my signing with the Bike It DRT Kawasaki race team. They’ve given me an awesome opportunity and I’m very motivated to put them on top in 2019. A fresh start is what I needed and I couldn’t be more excited than to do that with Kawasaki. Kawasaki New Zealand have also come on board to support me at home, for which I am also very thankful.”
Steve Dixon, DRT team owner
“It’s ten years since our team was involved in the Women’s World Championship with Tarah Gieger, when she even helped Puerto Rico to qualify for the Motocross of Nations, but we have always maintained a keen interest in the series. It was actually a friend who mentioned to me that Courtney was looking around for a competitive ride in this year’s GPs; it took some thinking about but Kawasaki were keen, especially since their previous champion Livia Lancelot retired. I confidently expect Courtney to bring Kawasaki the world title.”
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Indianapolis hosted the latest round of the AMA Supercross Championships and on a predominantly one-lined, rut-infested lay-out, it was KTM’s Marvin Musquin who won the 450 main event for the second year in a row.
Indy 450SX Report
Musquin entered Indianapolis 19-points behind KTM team-mate Cooper Webb but the French star won at Indianapolis last year, and tghe #25 was looking good for a repeat performance after garnering the holeshot in the 20-minute main event ahead of Joey Savatgy, Eli Tomac, Blake Baggett and Webb in tow. Meanwhile Chad Reed started lap two dead last after tangling with another rider.
Indy Supercross kicks off
Marvin was looking as sharp as ever to etch out a small lead, but on lap seven Tomac made his way past Savatgy for second, then Baggett passed Webb who was looking far from comfortable.
Baggett, Webb
It all got very interesting after Savatgy crashed back to sixth before Baggett caught and passed Tomac who in turn lost another place to Webb.
Baggett, Tomac, Webb
On lap 18 it was a four rider freight train with Musquin, Baggett, Webb and Tomac all within a few seconds of each other, but no matter how hard each rider tried that is how they finished.
Marvin Musquin celebrates victory at Indy
Justin Barcia’s first ride back from concussion earned the veteran a sensational fifth ahead of Savatgy, Zach Osborne, Ken Roczen, Dean Wilson and Justin Brayton.
Justin Barcia
Chad Reed passed 11 riders to earn solid points and retain seventh place in the championship.
Chad Reed
As far as the championship goes Webb leads by 14-points over Musquin, who in turn has a seven-point gap back to Tomac.
Cooper Webb
The biggest loser on the night was former red plate holder Ken Roczen, the German just couldn’t seem to get his shit together and is now 27-points behind Webb with six-rounds still remaining.
Ken Roczen
Marvin Musquin – P1
“It was a long main event and I knew they were charging behind me so I just wanted to stay smooth, my whoops were pretty clean. I didn’t know if it was the best way but towards the end I was able to get it all clean and it feels good to get it done. Tonight I was very confident on the starting gate and to get a holeshot tonight was super important so yeh, it was time [for the win].”
Marvin Musquin and Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett – P2
“The track was busy and tight, there was one line in the whoops and there was one main jump line so if someone (a lapped rider) was there you had to go around so you lost time but we are all racing the same guys on the same track. I gotta give it up to Marvin for leading and Cooper who was keeping me honest, ideally I would have liked to be the top KTM but to be in the middle of em’ is cool.”
Blake Baggett
With the 450 main events now 20-minutes long, instead of the old 20-lap format, it means that most of the points paying races go to 25 or 26 laps and championship leader Cooper Webb has introduced an all new aspect to supercross, and that is ‘patience.’
Copper Webb
Webb actually stalled his KTM mid race, looked way out of contention as he dropped back to fifth well behind Musquin, Tomac, Savatgy and Baggett. The championship leader though refocussed, put his head down and ‘slowly’ edged his way to another podium finish.
Cooper Webb – P3
“This is our third KTM sweep of the season which is cool, during the week me and Marv are riding together so it is great so see all of the hard work transfer to race day. After the last two years not going well this year has been great to be in this position and to click off a lot of great results, surpassing my expectation and being up front, obviously the goal has changed regarding the championship so I need to keep strong every weekend and just keep it going.”
Blake Baggett
Justin Barcia – P5
“After having a tough couple of weeks, months really, since winning Anaheim, it’s been difficult. Then my injury was pretty huge to me, actually, so for me I thought it was going to be difficult to come back from it. The basic thing for me was just to get comfortable and get back in the zone and I progressed all day. I don’t like saying I surprised myself, but I kind of surprised myself tonight. I stayed pretty calm all day, patient. I didn’t really let being off the pace a little bit in practice frustrate me, I just stayed focused, used my positive thinking and good mentality and it was a good race. It was a solid race for the first race back. We definitely want to keep progressing from here and get back on the podium. We’ll take a fifth and move on to next weekend.”
Justin Barcia
Zach Osborne – P7
“In the Main Event, I had a really bad gate and made a really good start of it to put myself in a good position to hang in there. I made some mistakes but I have to take the positive of turning a bad day into a good day and a decent result and move forward.”
Zach Osborne
Dean Wilson – P9
“The heat race was awesome! It was really stacked, so it was good for me to win. It was good for my mental side of things to know that I can still be up there. In the Main Event, I didn’t get the best start but I was able to wrestle my way out of it and into ninth. I would say it’s an improvement for sure but I know that getting a good start makes a big difference in staying out of trouble and I’m going to keep working.”
Dean Wilson
450SX Main Event Results
Marvin Musquin
Blake Baggett +02.449
Cooper Webb +05.298
Eli Tomac +20.508
Justin Barcia +27.428
Joey Savatgy +30.484
Zach Osborne +33.661
Ken Roczen +42.993
Dean Wilson +45.557
Justin Brayton +55.957
Chad Reed 25 Laps
Cole Seely 25 Laps
Bowers Lake 25 Laps
Justin Hill 25 Laps
Justin Bogle 25 Laps
Kyle Chisholm 25 Laps
450SX Main Event Results
Marvin Musquin
Blake Baggett +02.449
Cooper Webb +05.298
450SX Points after 11 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 243
Marvin Musquin – 229
Eli Tomac – 222
Ken Roczen – 216
Blake Baggett – 184
Dean Wilson – 163
Chad Reed – 149
Joey Savatgy – 141
Justin Brayton – 140
Justin Barcia – 138
Cole Seely 128
Aaron Plessinger 123
Justin Bogle 96
Justin Hill 96
Tyler Bowers 79
Indy 250 East Coast Report
Unfortunately for the fans of close racing, when Austin Forkner gets the holeshot in the East Coast series it is game over with his Ryan Villopoto like style racking up the best lap times over and over.
Austin Forkner
This left long time arch rival Chase Sexton to reluctantly settle for second place all of the way to flag while Justin Cooper had to make his way from 10th to third to land on the podium ahead of Mitchell Oldenburg, Martin Davalos, Kyle Peters, Kyle Cunningham, Joshua Osby, Alex Martin and Jordan Bailey.
Justin Cooper
Martin actually crashed in the first corner and started the race dead last so the ride to ninth is more credible, while Oldenburg spent the week with his wife who gave birth to a baby boy the day before Indianapolis, so hats off to the new dad.
Austin Forkner – P1
“I am so pumped to be heading into this break with a full race points lead. I got sick this week so I told myself tonight we were going to damage control, and fortunately damage control tonight was good enough for another win. I am going to use this break to let my body rest, do some outdoor testing, and then get a nice base of supercross practice in before we get going again. The only thing on my mind right now is this championship and I would love to wrap it up before Vegas if possible, but regardless I am going to keep doing what I am doing because right now it is working for me.”
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton – P2
“This is my closest race to home in Illinois so it is cool having everyone here so it was good to get the heat win then I wish I could have put on more of a show in the main event but to be on the podium is always good.”
Chase Sexton
Justin Cooper – P3
“It was a hard fight all night, honestly. I had to work for the heat win and then main event time, I got a really good start and was just leaning in to the inside and everyone came in and kind of pushed me wide. I had to go off the track and it put me way back. Honestly, it was a pretty crappy feeling going around the first lap in 19th; looking over and seeing those guys already two straightaways ahead. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me, so I just put my head down and made some quick passes. I think I was up to seventh or eighth… I had raced with so much energy getting to that point and trying to make quick passes that I kind of hit a wall and was like, ‘Wow. I got to breathe a little bit and regroup.’ That’s kind of what did it. I kind of got a second wind towards the end and felt really good. I felt like I was back on pace and just making up a lot of time. I was keeping an eye on third. I didn’t even know if it was going to happen, but was I able to get in position to make a pass last lap for third. It was a good night for me. Good learning, good building, good progress. So I can’t complain. It just would have been nice to get away clean in that firs turn in that top three to see what we could have done towards the end of the race when those guys were getting a little tired.”
AMA SX 2019 – Indy
Mitchell Oldenburg – P4
“It was a crazy week for me. My wife went into labor Thursday morning at 1:00 a.m. a month early, so it has been a pretty stressful and a scary last couple days, but baby and mama are healthy and doing good. It was pretty hard to leave them to come to race this week. It was hard to get my head straight and to get back in race mode and ride my dirt bike. “We had a decent day overall. The main event was good until the last four laps. I had no idea Justin was coming and kind of just checked out mentally and let it go. We live and we learn. I’m not going to let that happen again. We’ll keep working on our progress in the next couple weeks and come into Nashville swinging.”
AMA SX 2019 – Indy
Martin Davalos – P5
“There are a lot of positives for me to take away from tonight’s race. I obviously would have liked to get that heat race win and found the podium in the main event. I went to California this past week and we did a lot of testing that pointed us in the right direction. I am kind of sad we have the break because I feel like we are on to something. I am going to do some outdoor testing during the break with my teammates and then get ready for the last three races to finish the season out strong.”
Martin Davalos
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton +06.289
Justin Cooper +09.098
Mitchell Oldenburg +09.887
Martin Davalos +22.823
Kyle Peters +27.162
Kyle Cunningham +45.965
Joshua Osby +50.939
Alex Martin 19 Laps
Jordan Bailey 19 Laps
Henry Miller 19 Laps
Brandon Hartranft 19 Laps
Fredrik Noren 19 Laps
Chase Marquier 19 Laps
Mitchell Falk 19 Laps
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton +06.289
Justin Cooper +09.098
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Webb and Cianciarulo storm Atlanta AMA SX
Atlanta, Georgia hosted the ninth round of the AMA Supercross Championships last weekend and it was an all KTM podium in the 450 class with championship leader Cooper Webb taking the win over Blake Baggett and Marvin Musquin while it was Adam Cianciarulo who won the first of the 250 East/West Shootouts ahead of Dylan Ferrandis and Austin Forkner.
2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
Unfortunately, Chad stalled his Suzuki late in the race to drop back to a disappointing 13th place but the Aussie still sits seventh in the championship, two spots ahead of Justin Barcia who was forced to sit out the event thanks to suffering a concussion after crashing during the week.
Cooper Webb
“Yeh, it was tough, the track was changing a lot but I knew where I was good but there were also places where Marv would catch me, I knew where he was catching me but I didn’t know what line he was using, it is hard when you are leading so I just hit my marks and they weren’t working as good as I would have liked so I started changing things up, made a few mistakes in front of Blake who I knew would be good through the whoops but towards the end I found some lines so another win, that was sweet.”
Cooper Webb – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
Blake Baggett
“It was really hard to pass, you could make a run on someone but to get by was another thing, Marv and Cooper were making runs at each other, I could see it going on in front of me then I got into second and could do the same but when they have that horseshoe sand section over the tunnel I will hands down voice my opinion that I am not for it, it is supercross with steep obstacles and no sand.”
Blake Baggett – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin
“It was tough being the chaser tonight, you had to follow through the sand section and same with the whoops, I didn’t want to chance going to the right, it was a really tough track, I missed the main line in the sand and Blake got me and I would gain some ground then lose some ground, it was tough.”
Marvin Musquin – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen
Aaron Plessinger
…13. Chad Reed
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin
450SX Points after 9 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 199
Ken Roczen – 186
Marvin Musquin – 182
Eli Tomac – 177
Blake Baggett – 142
Dean Wilson – 137
Chad Reed – 124
250 East-West Shootout Report
There was no catching Cianciarulo with the East Coast championship leader taking the win by four second over Ferrandis who dropped Forkner by seven seconds while Sexton, Cooper, McElrath, Nichols, Martin Davalos, Michael Mosiman and Brandon Hartraft rounded out the top ten.
Adam Cianciarulo
“After the start I stayed patient behind Chase, made the move to second behind Austin and obviously didn’t want to do anything stupid which came to mind but I had a good race, mistake free and learned a lot throughout the day.”
Adam Cianciarulo – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
250SX East/West Shootout Results
Adam Cianciarulo
Dylan Ferrandis
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton
Justin Cooper
Shane McElrath
Colt Nichols
Martin Davalos
Michael Mosiman
Brandon Hartranft
250 East Coast Report
For the current top three riders in the East Coast series the shootout did them no harm with Forkner’s third place earning him a handy 18-point margin back to Cooper, who in turn has a two-point buffer back to Sexton.
Austin Forkner – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
250 East Coast Points after 4 of 9 Rounds
Austin Forkner – 99
Justin Cooper – 81
Chase Sexton – 79
Jordon Smith – 70
Alex Martin – 60
West Coast Report
The shootout couldn’t have gone better for Cianciarulo who now holds a 15-point lead over Ferrandis who moved into second in the championship by two points over McElrath, who in turn has a three-point lead over Nichols.
Dylan Ferrandis – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
250 West Coast Points after 6 of 10 Rounds
Adam Cianciarulo – 140
Dylan Ferrandis – 125
Shane McElrath – 123
Colt Nichols – 120
RJ Hampshire – 86
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Cairoli and Prado take first blood at Argentina MXGP
The MXGP of Patagonia, Argentina hosted the opening round of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship and it was the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado who earned double moto victories in the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina
MXGP Race Report
The only thing Cairoli failed at all weekend was his starts but the Italian managed to use all of his veteran savvy to squeeze his way to the lead before the end of the opening lap in moto 1 but it took 6 laps in the second moto to move into the lead.
While defending champion Jeffrey Herlings is on the sidelines with injury Cairoli is under no illusion as to how important these points are and he was doggedly determined to walk away with maximum points in Argentina.
Antonio Cairoli
“I am happy overall today because after yesterday I wasn’t sure how I will do off the starts. The rhythm was high in the beginning but I was just trying to see where I could gain some time. I managed to have 2 good starts, both were in the top ten…I found some good lines and I had a good race taking the overall which makes me really happy. There are a lot of Argentinian fans who cheer for me all year on social media so it is nice to give them a win especially on this track which I have never had the chance to win at, I was close last year but it is always nice to race where people don’t see us often and make them happy.”
Antonio Cairoli – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina
Honda’s Tim Gajser took a hit after crashing on Saturday and was on the sore side on race day but he came through from a poor start in moto one to end the race in second, just 6 seconds back from a cruising Cairoli but in the second moto Tim was right there all race and was just 2 seconds back at the chequered flag – the former champ is showing form that will see him win races in 2019 – Herlings or no Herlings.
Tim Gajser
“It was good, I am really happy, yesterday I had a big crash and today I was a bit sore. In the first race I had a solid start inside the top ten and had to work hard to come through the pack but I finished 2nd which was good. In the second race I was a bit tight and didn’t relax, then Febvre and Tony passed me. I tried to stay with them to see where I was losing time then I passed Romain and with Tony we were about the same times, I tried to push but couldn’t get closer. It was a nice race and I’m looking forward to the next round already.”
Tim Gajser – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina
Romain Febvre scored third in the opening moto and was running a solid third in the second moto until a huge crash on lap 14 put the French Yamaha star out of the race and to rub salt into the wound former Yamaha rider Jeremy Van Horebeek put his Honda into third in the moto and third overall in his debut for his new team.
Jeremy Van Horebeek
“It is still unbelievable, until two weeks ago I didn’t know we would be here so it has been a crazy ride since last year. I am so thankful to this team for giving me the chance. I am thankful and I am going to keep on working to make this a great season.”
Jeremy Van Horebeek – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina
Veterans Clement Desalle and Gautier Paulin earned top five positions with Arminas Jasikonis, Tommy Searle. Shaun Simpson, Jeremy Seewer and Pauls Jonass rounding out the top ten while Romain Febvre ended up 12th, one position ahead of Max Anstie and several ahead of Glenn Coldenhoff who was on deck to score points while recovering from injury.
MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 1
Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:41.270
Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:06.253
Febvre, Romain FRA Yamaha +0:09.838
Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:11.464
Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:02.566
Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:32.226
Lieber, Julien BEL Kawasaki +0:39.435
Jasikonis, Arminas LMSF Husqvarna +0:49.752
Jonass, Pauls LAT Husqvarna +0:50.285
Seewer, Jeremy SUI Yamaha +0:59.164
MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 2
Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:56.475
Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:02.386
Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:37.829
Anstie, Max GBR KTM +0:42.332
Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:43.070
Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:47.509
Searle, Tommy GBR Kawasaki +0:49.602
Jasikonis, Arminas LTU Husqvarna +0:58.810
Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM +1:01.941
Tonus, Arnaud SUI Yamaha +1:03.513
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – 1) Tony Cairoli, 2) Tim Gajser, 3) Jeremy Van Horebeek
MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Standings
Cairoli, A. ITA KTM 50
Gajser, Tim SLO HON 44
Van Horebeek, J. BEL HON 35
Desalle, C. BEL KAW 33
Paulin, G. FRA YAM 32
Jasikonis, A. LTU HUS 26
Searle, Tommy GBR KAW 22
Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM 22
Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 21
Jonass, Pauls LAT HUS 21
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Race Report
The defending champ Prado was expected to be the man to beat in Argentina but the Spaniard led every lap to win the opening moto from Thomas Kjer Olsen, Henry Jacobi, Calvin Vlaanderen and Mitchell Evans before handing down the same punishment in the second moto to take the win from Kjer Olsen, Evans, Vlaanderen and Jacobi.
Jorge Prado
“It was great to be back at the GPs, it is a long season but I have so much fun. Yesterday I had a good day but today I woke up and felt even better. I had 2 good starts which is very important because everyone is going fast and it is hard to make a difference. I am very happy with two firsts, for first overall, and points lead so it is a good start to the season.”
Kjer Olsen and his Husqvarna were working a treat all weekend but his starts on Sunday saw the Dane playing catch up all day.
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“The first race I did slide on the gate…I felt like a came through the pack pretty good but once I got to second Prado was already like 12 seconds ahead so I tried to save some energy for the second race. Again not the greatest of starts but we will go back and work on those for sure to be more consistent. Overall I feel my riding was good and I felt good on the bike so I’m happy about that and it is a great feeling at the start of the season.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina
Mitch Evans sat in seventh place for most of the opening moto before passing Ben Watson and Tom Vialle late in the race to earn fifth place but in the second moto Evans was right on leader Prado’s rear wheel until Kjer Olsen dropped the Aussie to third on lap 5 but Mitch pushed hard to end the moto in third, only 12 seconds behind Prado after 18 laps – impressive!
Mitch Evans
“I couldn’t be any happier, I didn’t really know what to expect being my first GP. I enjoyed every moment of it, it was awesome being here, the fans were awesome so I really enjoyed it. I knew the work that we put in during the off season and the preseason races that we had if I got good starts I could run with these boys.”
Vlaanderen, Jacobi, Watson, Vialle, Jago Geerts, Adam Sterry and Davy Pootjes rounded out the top ten while New Zealand’s Dylan Walsh ended up in 15th overall, five spots ahead of Evans’ teammate Zach Pichon who would have been hoping for better than 20th overall.
Jed Beaton was unable to compete in Argentina thanks to picking up an injury just a week before the opening GP but the Aussie will definitely be at the second round in the UK in a few week’s time so two Aussies on the podium in the coming rounds is more than possible.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Evans creates history at Argentina
Mitch Evans has sensationally created history by becoming the first Aussie to podium on his GP debut, bettering the likes of Robert Scott, Lyndon Heffernan, Jeff Leisk, Craig Dack, Andrew McFarlane, Chad Reed, Hunter Lawrence and Jed Beaton (to name a few) along the way.
After his solid performance in tough conditions at the 2018 Motocross of Nations in America, Evans was starting to get calls from teams in Europe and it wasn’t long before Hunter Lawrence’s old team Honda 114 came knocking and the rest is history.
Mitch Evans
“I am grateful for the opportunity that Honda 114 Motorsports has presented me. Racing in the FIM Motocross World Championship has been a goal of mine since I competed in the world junior championship in 2010. There is a lot for me to learn and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead. I am excited to be racing with the best in the world.”
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Mitch Evans – Image courtesy of Team 114 Motorsports Facebook Page
Evans will now head to the MXGP of Great Britain at Matterley Basin in three weekend’s time and there is nothing surer that the Aussie has learned a lot in Argentina and will hit the second round with a belly full of confidence.
Barcia concussed – misses Atlanta
Justin Barcia has been evaluated to see if he sustained a concussion and was forced to sit out last weekend’s Atlanta Supercross following a training crash at his riding facility in Florida. Barcia
Below is the Monster Energy Yamaha statement:
“Following a medical check at TOC in Tallahassee, Florida, Barcia is being evaluated for concussion and as a precautionary measure will not take part in this weekend’s Monster Energy Supercross round at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
Justin Barcia
“The news of Justin’s accident this morning is a real pity, but our main concern is Justin’s health and recovery. Following the Concussion Protocol, we hope that Justin will be back to 100% and cleared to participate soon.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Holcomba kicks off 2019 with win in Italy
In an effort to get some valuable race miles under his belt ahead of the Enduro World Championships in March, Beta Factory Racing’s Steve Holcombe has started his 2019 racing season with a confidence inspiring result at the opening two rounds of the Italian Enduro Championship in Gioia dei Marsi last weekend.
Steve Holcome – Image by Cristiano Morello
As the reigning Assoluti d’Italia champion, Holcombe was bettered by TM rider Loic Larrieu on the opening day but the World Champ rose to the occasion on day two to take the win from Larrieu and his teammate Daniel McCanney who scored third on both days.
Steve Holcombe
“It’s been a really strong start to the 2019 season for me. I had a good ride on Saturday to finish second and then with some improvements to our setup I was able to take the win on Sunday, which is a real boost. On day one we opted to use a hard compound rear tyre. But with overnight rain that choice didn’t work in our favour and I struggled to find grip on the first lap, especially in the enduro test. As conditions improved, so did my pace and I worked my way back into contention. Fastest on the final extreme test, I got close to topping the results but I wasn’t able to make it happen on the last cross test. However, with a strong end to the day I was able to carry that speed into Sunday. I won the first test to put myself into the lead, before going on to set the fastest time in three more tests and claim victory. I honestly didn’t expect to hold this sort of pace so soon in the year as this race is part of my training plan towards the Enduro World Championship. Overall, it’s been a great result for us as a team and one that will keep us pushing hard as we head towards round one of EnduroGP in Germany at the end of this month.”
Results – Italian Enduro Championship
Round 1
Loic Larrieu (TM) 48:18.93
Steve Holcombe (Beta) 48:25.39
Daniel McCanney (TM) 48:29.79
Round 2
Steve Holcombe (Beta) 47:46.11
Loic Larrieu (TM) 48:01.61
Daniel McCanney (TM) 48:01.98
Price to be honoured at Aussie F1 GP
In an unprecedented move and with global television coverage to boot, 2019 Dakar Rally Champion Toby Price is set to join the Formula One drivers’ parade for a lap of honour ahead of the season opening race of the FIA Formula One World Championship at 2.30pm on Sunday, March 17.
Toby Price – Image by Marcin Kin
Price will follow the convoy of Formula One drivers during the parade to salute fans while riding aboard the KTM machinery he rode to his second Dakar victory.
Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO, Andrew Westacott, acknowledged that the scheduled lap of honour is a fitting way to allow the fans to celebrate the popular two wheel and four wheel racer’s ackomplishments.
Andrew Westacott – Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO
“Toby Price is the only Australian to have ever conquered the gruelling Dakar Rally, and to have now won it for a second-time in defying circumstances is an incredible achievement. What better way to celebrate Toby’s accomplishment than allowing him to join 20 of his peers that are the best racing drivers in the world in a lap of honour on the world stage. We are thrilled to honour Toby at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2019 and see him receive the global recognition he deserves, when the world’s eyes are on Melbourne for the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Dack ready for season 2019
It is hard to believe that it was 27 years ago that Craig Dack Racing (CDR Yamaha) was formed but what is not hard to believe that Craig himself, a multiple Australian Motocross and Supercross Champion still has the competitive juices flowing and is pumped for the new season.
Craig Dack
“I love this time of year. All the hard work over the off season from both the riders and the teams comes to the surface now and it’s time to go racing. This is why we do the work – to see how it plays out on the weekends. Having Appin as the opening round this year should make for a great start to the season as the track always turns on great racing and its well supported by the fans. Our team has a good history at the venue and we hope for that to continue this year. Both Luke (Clout) and Kirk (Gibbs) have had a great pre-season, and both are showing good form. Kirk has raced in New Zealand and showed plenty of speed and quickly adapted to the YZ450F while Luke has done a couple of local races and been successful at those, so I feel we are well placed heading into round one.”
CDR Yamaha’s Craig Dack
“This is our second full season on the current generation YZ450F and it’s a sensational bike with a great chassis and powerful motor. Our time isn’t spent trying to develop the bike a great deal but rather personalise it for the individual rider as the production platform is so good. Brad, Aiden and Gary are able to get the most from it and the riders respect the fact we have such high quality technical staff at CDR. We value the long term partnerships we have with the best companies in the industry. It takes a lot of support to run a team like CDR and I’m proud of the relationships we have built over the years.”
Long term and loyal sponsors like Fox, Pro Circuit, Dunlop, NGK, DID as well as major partner Yamaha have been with CDR Yamaha since the early days and the continued building of relationships with companies like Monster Energy, Kincrome tools and Renthal keep the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team at the front of the pack.
Look for ‘Dacka’ as he is known, the big blue Yamaha rig and the rest of the team on March 17 at Appin Raceway, south west of Sydney.
The stars of the AORC hit Toowoomba this weekend
This coming weekend Toowoomba will host then opening two rounds of the AORC and all of the heavy hitters will be on hand to have a crack at drawing first blood on their competition – let’s see what is going down in the three main classes.
E1
Reigning 2018 E1 Champion Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) has to go into the series as class favourite but the former motocross star will have to contend with four-time world champion Matthew Phillips (MX Store, KTM) in 2019.
Luke Styke
The trouble doesn’t end there for Styke, Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) will no doubt come into Rounds 1 and 2 with a point to prove as will Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team) and Michael Driscoll (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) make thids class the hottest in the series.
E2
2018 E3 Champion Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) will move across to the E2 class this season and the early money is on Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team), Joshua Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) and Broc Grabham to be Milner’s biggest competition this season.
Daniel Milner
“The 500cc bike was awesome, no doubt, but for me as a rider I find I suit a smaller bike better. So switching to a 350cc E2 class bike has been a really enjoyable change. I’m finding I’m moving faster and achieving better results with the smaller bike.”
Daniel Milner – AORC heads to Toowoomba for 2019 opener
E3
After taking out the E2 crown in 2018, Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) has moved to the E3 class and by all accounts Andy Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Team), Beau Ralston and Western Australian Jesse Lawton will all look to keep Sanders on his toes throughout the series.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Mentoring role brings Matthew Phillips to AORC
After a couple of tough years overseas and right in the midst of potentially retiring from the sport, four-time World Champion Matthew Phillips has committed to the 2019 AORC on KTM machinery and it is in the role of mentoring young Kyron Bacon who will be competing in the EJ class that will see Phillips riding for the ‘love for the sport’ once again.
Matthew Phillips
“My plan is to compete in all 11 rounds of the AORC 2019 season, beginning in Rounds 1 and 2 in the E1 class. As the season moves on I’ll change things up a bit by moving across the senior classes with different bikes. The main thinking is that I want to maintain the love for the sport and by changing things up each round will definitely help that! Kyron rode at my property already, and he explained his situation back in 2018. I then offered my support to help him grow and climb up the ranks. Since we became a team, Kyron has been putting in an enormous number of hours, working his bike hard to get faster and faster. I definitely see him as a title contender in the EJ class for 2019 and beyond!”
Matthew Phillips
Look for the KTM/MX Store team this weekend at the opening round of the 2019 AORC at Toowoomba.
Cosford wins Coolum 2-Stroke Cup
Young Jayce Cosford has overcome the weight of his three-digit race number to better some of the fastest riders in Australia to win the premier class at the second round of the 2019 2-Stroke Nationals held at Coolum raceway last weekend.
Cosford won all three motos of the YMI All Powers Cup to take the overall ahead of local shot-shot Jai Walker and round one winner Joel Milesevic while Andrew Shacklock (Hallman Retro Cup). Alex Larwood (125 Junior Cup), Hunter Collins (Yamaha 85cc Cup) and Ky Woods (Raceline 65cc Cup) all took out the support class wins.
YMI All Powers Cup
Jayce Cosford
Jai Walker
Joel Milesevic
Jesse Bishop
Ryan Kenney
Nicholas Kefford
Danny Ham
Wilson Greiner-Daish
Cale Harkin
Kobe Barton
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2020 Aussie Speedway Solo Champs calendar announced
On the back of a highly successful 2019 championship, a completely revamped 2020 Australian Speedway Solo Championship calendar has been announced with five rounds running from 2-11 January, commencing first in Kurri Kurri, NSW and moving South through VIC and landing at the iconic Gillman Speedway in SA.
Reflecting on the new calendar, defending champion Max Fricke is wrapped with the new schedule.
Max Fricke
“The new tighter schedule is a really great change! It matches the European style and suits what we’re used to as we compete throughout the year. It’s also a great experience for riders and fans alike, with such a tight window to collect as many points as you can whilst maintaining your fitness and drive. Going up against such strong competition back in January, which seemed to include everyone bar Jason Doyle, and then taking out my first Australian Senior Solo Championship title was such a great feeling! As we prepare for the European season, I am finding myself increasingly comfortable competing against the likes of Tungate and Holder. It’s also great to come back home to Australia and compete against locals that you haven’t experienced before, who may have different tactics and styles. The growth in Australian Speedway talent that competes in the Senior Solo Championship is really impressive and continues to grow the sport” highlighted Fricke.
Max Fricke
2020 Australian Senior Solo Speedway Championship
2nd Jan – Qualifying Meeting (If Required) – Kurri Kurri, NSW
3rd Jan – Round One – Kurri Kurri, NSW
6th Jan – Round Two – Albury, VIC
7th Jan – Round Three – Undera, VIC
9th Jan – Round Four – Mildura, VIC
11th Jan – Round Five – Gillman, SA
Stay in the loop with all things Australian Speedway by checking out the Australian Speedway Championships website and Facebook!
2020 & 2021 Australian Junior and Senior Speedway Sidecar calendar
The 2020 and 2021 Australian Junior and Senior Speedway Sidecar Championship calendar has also been announced, and reflecting the ever-increasing Speedway Sidecar talent that resides within the Australia, the Championship will land in Mildura, Victoria for 2020 and then venture across the Nullarbor Plain to Pinjar, Western Australia (WA) in 2021!
The 2020 Championship will run from 27-28 April* (*TBA), following on from the festivities of the Easter long weekend. Across in WA for 2021, the Championship will run over the Easter long weekend from 20-21 April.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Look for ‘Dacka’ as he is known, the big blue Yamaha rig and the rest of the team on March 17 at Appin Raceway, south west of Sydney.
