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September 15, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Moto News Weekly Wrap
September 15, 2020

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Williams Grove Half-Mile I

Images by Scott Hunter

Briar Bauman showed just what an American Flat Track Grand National Championship at the peak of his powers is capable of in Friday evening’s Williams Grove Half-Mile I. Bauman flat-out crushed the opposition in a AFT SuperTwins Main Event, which the race’s runner-up accurately described as “demoralizing” while accepting his second-place trophy. The result did not come as much of a shock – it was the third year running Bauman proved his superiority at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

Williams Grove Half-Mile I - SuperTwins — Williams Grove Half-Mile I – AFT SuperTwins

Championship rival Jared Mees stole the holeshot and led for about two corners before giving way to Bauman at the front. The race for the win was effectively over at that point; Bauman was more than a second out in front with 11 minutes remaining on the clock and worked that advantage up to more than six seconds before cruising to an easy 4.347-second margin of victory.

The aforementioned runner-up was not Mees, however. It was Brandon Robinson, who picked up his second-consecutive second place. Robinson swapped positions early with Mees, Jake Johnson, and Bronson Bauman before breaking free from that fight with a good nine minutes to go. Bronson put in a late charge, first dispatching of Johnson and then overhauling Mees to earn his first podium result of 2020.

Williams Grove Half-Mile I - AFT SuperTwins — Williams Grove Half-Mile I – AFT SuperTwins

The slowing Mees managed to outlast a charging Dan Bromley, who registered an inspired ride to sixth in front of his home fans. After running in podium contention early, the out-from-retirement Johnson ultimately lost out to Sammy Halbert late but still managed to pick up a strong seventh place in his first ride of the year.

Bauman’s dominant win combined with Mees’ first non-podium of the year tightened up their title fight. Mees continues to lead, but only by three points (147-144) with another race at Williams Grove coming tomorrow. Halbert and Robinson are even in points at 108.

Pos	Rider	Man.	Gap
1	Briar Bauman	Indian FTR750	30 Laps
2	Brandon Robinson	Indian FTR750	4.347
3	Bronson Bauman	Indian FTR750	7.311
4	Jared Mees	Indian FTR750	8.904
5	Dan Bromley	Indian FTR750	9.836
6	Sammy Halbert	Indian FTR750	10.085
7	Jake Johnson	Indian FTR750	11.276
8	Larry Pegram	Indian FTR750	15.932
9	Jarod Vanderkooi	Harley-Davidson XG750R	16.056
10	Bryan Smith	Harley-Davidson XG750R	16.348

AFT Singles

2019 AFT Singles championship runner-up Mikey Rush finally broke through to claim his first Main Event victory of 2020. It didn’t come easily, as he had to defeat his second-ranked teammate, Dallas Daniels and 2016 GNC2 champ Ryan Wells to make it happen.

Rising star Daniels was ahead of the field early, running away at the front as a huge pack ran as many as four-wide while battling over second position. Once some order emerged from the chaos, Wells, Rush, and Morgen Mischler worked together to claw their way back up to Daniels.

By half-distance, Wells was the man on the move and Daniels looked in danger of fading back to the second group. Wells moved into first and promptly ripped open a half-second of padding before Rush stepped up to the challenge and made it a two-way race for the win with one minute to go.

Rush dove under Wells at that point, only to have his opponent square him back up. Undeterred, Rush executed a second overtake and made the position change stick for good as the race went into its final two laps.

Behind, Daniels not only regrouped, he sprinted back up to Wells and powered past him while exiting Turn 2 on the final lap. The Estenson Racing 1-2 marked its second double podium finish of the season. Wells took his first podium of the ‘20 in third, with Mischler taking a close fourth. Volusia Half-Mile winner Max Whale – who was just out of touch of the lead group throughout — completed the top five.

Meanwhile, title leader Henry Wiles suffered through a difficult day. He failed to advance through his Semi and was forced to burn his provisional just to line up for the Main. He then finished 14th, allowing Daniels, Whale, and Rush to gobble up the majority of his hard-earned championship advantage.

Wiles still leads, albeit by just five points over Daniels (113-108). Whale (102) and Rush (99) are in position to strike in third and fourth, respectively.

Pos	Rider	Man.	Gap
1	Michael Rush	Yamaha YZ450F	20 Laps
2	Dallas Daniels	Yamaha YZ450F	0.818
3	Ryan Wells	KTM 450 SX-F	1.166
4	Morgen Mischler	KTM 450 SX-F	1.294
5	Max Whale	Kawasaki KX450F	1.704
6	Kevin Stollings	Honda CRF450R	3.023
7	Trevor Brunner	Honda CRF450R	3.193
8	Trent Lowe	Honda CRF450R	5.726
9	Tanner Dean	Honda CRF450R	7.218
10	Chad Cose	Suzuki RMZ 450	9.129

AFT Production Twins

James Rispoli continued his recent tear, scoring his third AFT Production Twins victory in the class’ most recent four Main Events. “The Rocket” tracked down reigning champion Cory Texter early and the two spent the next several minutes determining who had the superior line around Williams Grove Speedway.

Texter appeared to have the early advantage running down low, but Rispoli’s high line got progressively stronger as the race developed. With around three minutes remaining on the clock, there was no longer a debate concerning who found the fast way around; Rispoli blasted away at the front and furthered his standing as the championship favorite.

Ryan Varnes not only made up for a less-than-ideal start, he managed to overcome a mid-race encounter with the wall to take the final spot on the box.

Varnes reeled in Indy Mile winner Ben Lowe and the two then engaged in a scrap for third position. With around four minutes remaining, Lowe ran up the inside of Varnes and the ‘19 class runner-up actually impacted the fence in the melee. Varnes somehow managed to remain upright, maintained his composure, ran Lowe back down, and beat him to the flag in the end.

Williams Grove Half-Mile I - AFT Production Twins Podium — Williams Grove Half-Mile I – AFT Production Twins Podium – 1. James Rispoli, 2. Core Texter, 3. Ryan Varnes

Rispoli’s fellow multinational championship-winning roadracer, Danny Eslick, rounded out the top five. Also of note was Johnny Lewis, who gave Royal Enfield a flat track debut to be proud of, finishing an impressive sixth in the Twins FT’s maiden AFT Main Event.

Royal Enfield American Flat Track Production Twin

Pos	Rider	Man.	Gap
1	James Rispoli	Harley-Davidson XG750R	20 Laps
2	Cory Texter	Yamaha MT-07	2.794
3	Ryan Varnes	Kawasaki Ninja 650	7.443
4	Ben Lowe	Yamaha MT-07	7.577
5	Danny Eslick	Kawasaki Ninja 650	10.253
6	Johnny Lewis	Royal Enfield 650	10.806
7	Nick Armstrong	Yamaha MT-07	15.096
8	Jeremiah Duffy	Kawasaki Ninja 650	18.474
9	Cody Johncox	Yamaha MT-07	21.492
10	Mitch Harvat	Kawasaki Ninja 650	27.324

Williams Grove Half-Mile II

Images by Scott Hunter

If possible, Briar Bauman was even more dominant on Saturday night as he completed his second double victory of the 2020 American Flat Track season at the Williams Grove Half-Mile II and did so with authority. It took Bauman all of two corners to seize control of Friday’s AFT SuperTwins Main Event; he didn’t even need that many second time around. Bauman translated the holeshot into a one-sided, 5.544-second beatdown.

Sammy Halbert was the only rider who could even hope to cling to Bauman wake in the race’s opening stages. Doing so successfully pulled Halbert clear of the rest of the field but that early advantage only delayed the inevitable. Jeffrey Carver Jr. overhauled Halbert with four minutes remaining before shaking free to take the runner-up position by more than two seconds.

Halbert later found himself under assault by Jared Mees, who chased him down in time for a two-lap podium showdown as the clock showed 0:00. Mees slid into third with a tight pass with just over a lap-and-a-half remaining, but Halbert set him up for a last corner counterattack. Those plans, however, were foiled by the unfortunate positioning of some slower riders, allowing Mees to capture third at the checkered flag by 0.078 seconds.

Home-state hero Dan Bromley rounded out his best weekend yet since rejoining the premier class, backing up Friday’s fifth with an identical result on Saturday night.

Bauman’s win pushes him back ahead of Mees in his quest to repeat as Grand National Champion as the season officially reaches its midpoint. Bauman will carry a slim five-point advantage (169-164) into what promises to be an epic four-weekend, eight-race stretch run to the throne.

Pos	Rider	Man.	Gap
1	Briar Bauman	Indian FTR750	30 Laps
2	Jeffrey Carver Jr.	Indian FTR750	5.544
3	Jared Mees	Indian FTR750	7.895
4	Sammy Halbert	Indian FTR750	7.973
5	Dan Bromley	Indian FTR750	9.618
6	Davis Fisher	Indian FTR750	12.713
7	Brandon Price	Indian FTR750	14.42
8	Jake Johnson	Indian FTR750	15.796
9	Dalton Gauthier	Harley-Davidson XG750R	16.581
10	Larry Pegram	Indian FTR750	17.13

AFT SuperTwins Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Briar Bauman	169
2	Jared Mees	164
3	Sammy Halbert	123
4	Brandon Robinson	116
5	Bronson Bauman	101
6	Davis Fisher	92
7	Brandon Price	89
8	Jeffrey Carver Jr.	87
9	Bryan Smith	73
10	Dan Bromley	69

AFT Singles

The AFT Singles Main Event served as a showcase for the sport’s future stars as Dallas Daniels earned a close victory over fellow second-year pro Trent Lowe. Daniels blasted off to the lead at the start and never saw as much as a wheel from a rival throughout the eight-minute (plus two lap) Main.

However, Lowe was right there throughout, primed to capitalize on any mistake. Unfortunately for Lowe, that mistake never came. Still, it was a breakout performance for Lowe, who boasted a pair of fifth-place finishes as his personal bests prior to Saturday’s runner-up ride. Daniels’ third win of the season not only elevates him into the championship lead, it also hands him a relatively healthy 14-point advantage.

Tanner Dean engaged in an extended scrap for third with Morgen Mischler before breaking loose to claim the final spot on the box all by his lonesome. Mischler dropped a couple more positions before it was all over with Kevin Stollings finishing fourth and highly touted rookie Trevor Brunner rounding out the top five.

Williams Grove Half-Mile II - AFT Singles Podium — Williams Grove Half-Mile II – AFT Singles Podium – 1. Dallas Daniels, 2. Trent Lowe, 3. Tanner Dean

Pos	Rider	Man.	Gap
1	Dallas Daniels	Yamaha YZ450F	21 Laps
2	Trent Lowe	Honda CRF450R	0.52
3	Tanner Dean	Honda CRF450R	3.2
4	Kevin Stollings	Honda CRF450R	3.845
5	Trevor Brunner	Honda CRF450R	5.174
6	Morgen Mischler	KTM 450 SX-F	5.232
7	Max Whale	Kawasaki KX450F	6.375
8	Michael Rush	Yamaha YZ450F	7.097
9	Wyatt Anderson	KTM 450 SX-F	7.387
10	Brandon Kitchen	KTM 450 SX-F	8.71

AFT Singles Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Dallas Daniels	133
2	Henry Wiles	119
3	Max Whale	114
4	Michael Rush	110
5	Brandon Kitchen	90
6	Trent Lowe	87
7	Trevor Brunner	76
8	Tanner Dean	74
9	Shayna Texter	73
10	Chad Cose	71

AFT Production Twins

James Rispoli continued his steamroller act on Saturday night, claiming his fourth win in the last five AFT Production Twins Main Events, and he did so in almost drama-free fashion, going nearly unchallenged in his green light to checkered flag victory.

Rispoli and reigning AFT Production Twins champion Cory Texter briefly reenacted last night’s high-line/low-line comparo, but within a matter of laps, “the Rocket” was working his way out of reach and to a lopsided victory. Rispoli’s 2.642-second victory increases his championship lead to an imposing 30 points at the season’s halfway point.

Other than a mid-race pass for third by Ryan Varnes over Ben Lowe, the race inside the top five was rather processional… until the very final two corners that is. Varnes slowly closed down on Texter over the Main’s final three minutes and worked his way into position to dive underneath his potential prey just as the two entered Turn 3 for the last time. However, they arrived there alongside a pair of lappers who were embroiled in their battle for position, adding another layer of complexity to the attempted maneuver.

Texter got the better of the fray, reclaiming the position as they exited 4 and holding on to grab second in the sprint to the checkered flag by 0.058 seconds. Lowe cruised to fourth a couple seconds back. Chad Cose rode a lonely race in fifth for the bulk of the Main, only to get some unwelcome company late from Jeremiah Duffy. Duffy got the better of Cose in the end, stealing fifth position by 0.111 seconds.

Johnny Lewis continued to demonstrate the potential of the Royal Enfield’s developing new racebike; he raced his way forward to seventh after starting from last position due to being black flagged in his semi.

Pos	Rider	Man.	Gap
1	James Rispoli	Harley-Davidson XG750R	21 Laps
2	Cory Texter	Yamaha MT-07	2.642
3	Ryan Varnes	Kawasaki Ninja 650	2.701
4	Ben Lowe	Yamaha MT-07	4.909
5	Jeremiah Duffy	Kawasaki Ninja 650	9.575
6	Chad Cose	Harley-Davidson XG750R	9.686
7	Johnny Lewis	Royal Enfield 650	13.94
8	Nick Armstrong	Yamaha MT-07	14.131
9	Danny Eslick	Kawasaki Ninja 650	15.879
10	Cody Johncox	Yamaha MT-07	22.358

AFT Production Twins Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	James Rispoli	174
2	Cory Texter	144
3	Ben Lowe	135
4	Ryan Varnes	134
5	Danny Eslick	107
6	Chad Cose	87
7	Jeremiah Duffy	86
8	Nick Armstrong	75
9	Cody Johncox	61
10	Hayden Gillim	45

MXGP

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The FIM Motocross World Championship completed its triple header and Round 8 in Faenza with the MXGP of Emilia Romagna, with Antonio Cairoli riding two consistent races to take his 91st Grand Prix victory in front of a cheering crowd of Italian fans, while claiming the MXGP Red Plate.

Mitchell Evans was the lone Australian rider competing in the MXGP class, fighting his way to fourth in Race 1, but having to settle for eighth in Race 2 after expending so much energy in the first moto. The result sees Evans 11th in the standings, although there’s a 41-point gap to reach the top 10 to overcome at this stage.

Mitch Evans

“I had another good day again and we’re still improving with sixth overall today. It’s been better each time so I’m happy with that. The first moto I didn’t get that great of a start and pushed really hard to come back to fourth so it was a good moto but I pretty much used all of my energy in that one. In the second moto I had a really good start, almost grabbing the holeshot but I had nothing left in the tank so it was just survival mode after that, with me holding on as best I could. I’m happy that I was still able to keep improving and stay healthy and be moving onto the next GP in a couple of weeks at a track I really like.”

Pos	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Race 1	Race 2	Total
1	Cairoli, Antonio	ITA	KTM	22	22	44
2	Gajser, Tim	SLO	HON	16	25	41
3	Prado, Jorge	ESP	KTM	25	15	40
4	Seewer, Jeremy	SUI	YAM	20	18	38
5	Febvre, Romain	FRA	KAW	11	20	31
6	Evans, Mitchell	AUS	HON	18	13	31
7	Coldenhoff, Glenn	NED	GAS	13	16	29
8	Desalle, Clement	BEL	KAW	12	14	26
9	Lupino, Alessandro	ITA	YAM	14	11	25
10	Jasikonis, Arminas	LTU	HUS	15	8	23
11	Paulin, Gautier	FRA	YAM	10	12	22
12	Van Horebeek, Jeremy	BEL	HON	9	10	19
13	Vlaanderen, Calvin	NED	YAM	7	9	16
14	Tixier, Jordi	FRA	KTM	8	7	15
15	Jacobi, Henry	GER	YAM	5	4	9

MXGP Standings

Pos	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Total
1	Cairoli, A.	ITA	KTM	285
2	Gajser, Tim	SLO	HON	278
3	Herlings, J.	NED	KTM	263
4	Seewer, Jeremy	SUI	YAM	255
5	Prado, Jorge	ESP	KTM	237
6	Jasikonis, A.	LTU	HUS	233
7	Coldenhoff, G.	NED	GAS	233
8	Febvre, Romain	FRA	KAW	203
9	Paulin, G.	FRA	YAM	201
10	Desalle, C.	BEL	KAW	194
11	Evans, M.	AUS	HON	153
12	Van Horebeek, J.	BEL	HON	141
13	Tixier, Jordi	FRA	KTM	91
14	Vlaanderen, C.	NED	YAM	80
15	Cervellin, M.	ITA	YAM	73

MX2

In MX2 Tom Vialle secured his second consecutive GP win, while the leading Aussie riders was Jed Beaton, taking fourth in Race 1, just 0.7s off the final podium position, while Race 2 saw Beaton improve to third, for third overall for the MXGP of Emilia Romagna. He now sits fourth overall in the MX2 standings, 12-points off third placed Maxime Renaux.

Jed Beaton

“It feels great. It’s been a long time coming and it’s great to finally get the monkey off my back and have a great first moto. My starts weren’t the best today but I made it work, especially in the second moto. I’m really happy to finally get onto the podium this season for myself and the team. It’s extra special because it’s my first podium result for Husqvarna. I’ve had a few second-place finishes, but the first moto has let me down so it’s great to turn it around and get on the podium with two good results. My riding was good today. My bike was great so thanks to the team and we’ll build on this ahead of Mantova.”

Fellow Aussie Nathan Crawford had a strong weekend, claiming 11th in Race 1, with a challenging Race 2 seeing him settle for 14th, for 11th overall for the round. He now sits 14th in the MX2 standings as a result of the 17-points collected at Round 8.

Bailey Malkiewicz was just off Crawford in Race 1, coming home in 12th, while in Race 2 he claimed 21st, bringing home nine championship points and sitting 17th overall for the GP. Malkiewicz now sits 24th in the MX2 standings.

Pos	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Race 1	Race 2	Total
1	Vialle, Tom	FRA	KTM	22	25	47
2	Geerts, Jago	BEL	YAM	25	22	47
3	Beaton, Jed	AUS	HUS	18	20	38
4	Olsen, Thomas Kjer	DEN	HUS	20	15	35
5	Van De Moosdijk, Roan	NED	KAW	15	18	33
6	Watson, Ben	GBR	YAM	14	16	30
7	Fernandez, Ruben	ESP	YAM	12	14	26
8	Rubini, Stephen	FRA	HON	13	13	26
9	Renaux, Maxime	FRA	YAM	11	12	23
10	Mewse, Conrad	GBR	KTM	16	5	21
11	Crawford, Nathan	AUS	HON	10	7	17
12	Lesiardo, Morgan	ITA	KTM	6	9	15
13	Gilbert, Josh	GBR	HUS	4	10	14
14	Östlund, Alvin	SWE	HON	8	6	14
15	Pancar, Jan	SLO	KTM	5	8	13
16	Horgmo, Kevin	NOR	KTM	0	11	11
17	Malkiewicz, Bailey	AUS	HON	9	0	9

MX2 Standings

Pos	Rider	Nat.	Bike	Total
1	Vialle, Tom	FRA	KTM	354
2	Geerts, Jago	BEL	YAM	333
3	Renaux, Maxime	FRA	YAM	259
4	Beaton, Jed	AUS	HUS	247
5	Van De Moosdijk, R.	NED	KAW	210
6	Watson, Ben	GBR	YAM	191
7	Olsen, T.	DEN	HUS	188
8	Boisrame, M.	FRA	KAW	182
9	Mewse, Conrad	GBR	KTM	162
10	Fernandez, R.	ESP	YAM	156
11	Rubini, S.	FRA	HON	118
12	Östlund, Alvin	SWE	HON	112
13	Haarup, Mikkel	DEN	KAW	105
14	Crawford, N.	AUS	HON	86
15	Hofer, Rene	AUT	KTM	73
16	Gilbert, Josh	GBR	HUS	68
17	Forato, A.	ITA	HUS	66
18	Guadagnini, M.	ITA	HUS	62
19	Pancar, Jan	SLO	KTM	62
20	Laengenfelder, S.	GER	GAS	59
21	Sikyna, R.	SVK	KTM	52
22	Lesiardo, M.	ITA	KTM	46
23	Genot, Cyril	BEL	YAM	43
24	Malkiewicz, B.	AUS	HON	43

2020 TrialGP Rounds 3 & 4 – Spain

Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou claimed the top honours with a fine ride in Pobladura de las Regueras, León, the third round of the TrialGP World Championship. The third round of the elite trial competition proved to be a tough course, not least due to the official observers who were often overly-strict in scoring the ten sections which riders had to complete over the three laps.

Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou, rode a rags-to-riches trial, starting poorly, later dominating and finally finishing to be crowned winner atop the podium. Toni did not get off to the best of starts, picking up seventeen marks on the first lap, but was able to bounce back with eight points on lap two and just three on the third.

Wanting to make a strong start to the opening day, Jorge Casales completed the first lap with the sixth best score and 34 marks lost. Improving to 31 marks lost on lap two, an issue with his bike during lap three resulted in the Spaniard collecting maximum scores of five in each of the 10 sections, ending the day in 10th overall.

Toni Bou once again claimed the top honours on day two of the trial in Pobladura de las Regueras, León, taking his season victory tally to three and increasing his lead in the overall standings to a ten-point advantage.

Differing from yesterday’s trial, the route for the second day of the Spanish TrialGP proved to be much tougher with certain sections virtually impossible to overcome. As a consequence, the trial produced a fairly even result in the final table.

The demanding sections, coupled with the physical issues in the rider’s arms, saw Toni move up and down positions over the first lap, but by the second and third he was able to take command of the trial to eventually claim a third victory of the season. The result allows the current champion to stretch the gap at the top of the championship general standings where the trial star now holds a ten-point advantage over the nearest second place rival.

Despite some impressive riding during the early part of day two, a significant crash held Casales back on the second day of competition. Collecting 27 marks at the end of his first lap to ensure he was well in contention for a strong end-of-day result, on lap two he dropped just 17 marks, only two more than eventual day winner Toni Bou. Frustratingly, it wasn’t to be for Casales who was unable to ride at his best throughout lap three following his lap-two crash. Bravely riding on, he completed the lap for 31 marks lost, ending his day in eighth yet having performed much better than his final result suggests.

The next Trial World Championship event will be held next week in the town of Sant Julià de Lória, in Andorra.

Toni Bou

“Today has been a very positive day as it was very hard and we all made quite a few mistakes. It has been a difficult day, not only because of the discomfort in my arm, but also because I didn’t feel quite right on the bike. The trial was very close, but we struggled to get a very important victory in the championship. We will try to arrive in the best possible shape for the trial in Andorra.”

Jorge Casales

“It’s clear that this wasn’t my best weekend, and certainly not the results we were hoping for. Things started ok on day one – I felt good and things were going ok, but around midday I had some issues with my bike. I tried to fix it, but we couldn’t make the changes we needed to, so the day didn’t end well. Everyone in the team put that behind us for day two and I honestly felt great during the first and second laps. Frustratingly, I had a big crash in section five, which was one of the toughest sections of the event. I hurt my leg when I crashed, which made the next one-and-a-half laps really tough. I had some other misfortune towards the end of the day as well, which added another five marks to my score, so all-in-all not the event I had hoped for. I’ll be working hard to come back strong next weekend in Andorra.”

Round 3 Results

Pos.	Rider	Nation	Team	Constr.	Points
1	BOU Toni	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Montesa	28
2	BUSTO Jaime	SPA	Vertigo Factory Team	Vertigo	49
3	RAGA Adam	SPA	TRRS Factory Team	TRRS	57
4	MARCELLI Gabriel	SPA	RG Team	Montesa	68
5	GELABERT Miquel	SPA	Gas Gas	Gas Gas	69
6	FAJARDO Jeroni	SPA	Sherco Factory Team	Sherco	69
7	DABILL James	GBR	Beta Factory Racing	Beta	70
8	FUJINAMI Takahisa	JPN	Repsol Honda Team	Montesa	86
9	PEACE Dan	GBR	Sherco Factory Team	Sherco	93
10	CASALES Jorge	SPA	Gas Gas Factory Team	Gas Gas	115
11	PRICE Jack	GBR	Vertigo Factory Team	Vertigo	136
12	BINCAZ Benoit	FRA	Beta Factory Racing	Beta	147

Round 4 Results

Pos.	Rider	Nation	Team	Constructor	Points
1	BOU Toni	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Montesa	48
2	RAGA Adam	SPA	TRRS Factory Team	TRRS	56
3	MARCELLI Gabriel	SPA	RG Team	Montesa	62
4	BINCAZ Benoit	FRA	Beta Factory Racing	Beta	66
5	GELABERT Miquel	SPA	Gas Gas	Gas Gas	68
6	BUSTO Jaime	SPA	Vertigo Factory Team	Vertigo	69
7	DABILL James	GBR	Beta Factory Racing	Beta	69
8	CASALES Jorge	SPA	Gas Gas Factory Team	Gas Gas	75
9	FUJINAMI Takahisa	JPN	Repsol Honda Team	Montesa	77
10	PEACE Dan	GBR	Sherco Factory Team	Sherco	78
11	PRICE Jack	GBR	Vertigo Factory Team	Vertigo	150

2020 TrialGP Standings

Pos.	Rider	Nation	Points
1	BOU Toni	SPA	55
2	BUSTO Jaime	SPA	51
3	RAGA Adam	SPA	48
4	FAJARDO Jeroni	SPA	38
5	GELABERT Miquel	SPA	28
6	FUJINAMI Takahisa	JPN	28
7	CASALES Jorge	SPA	28
8	MARCELLI Gabriel	SPA	23
9	DABILL James	GBR	21
10	BINCAZ Benoit	FRA	21

Enea Gorzow FIM Speedway Grand Prix Round 3

World champion Bartosz Zmarzlik admitted “I feel at my best” in Gorzow after celebrating victory in Enea Gorzow FIM Speedway Grand Prix Round 3 on Friday. The 26-year-old saw off an incredible last-lap challenge from Aussie icon Jason Doyle to win his home event for the second time in his career.

Zmarzlik famously topped the 2014 Gorzow SGP podium as a wild card – becoming the youngest-ever SGP winner at 19 years and 140 days old.

Now he’s very much the King of the Edward Jancarz Stadium and won six of his seven races on his way to a maximum 20 World Championship points, which puts him on 48 overall – just one behind series leader Maciej Janowski.

Bartosz Zmarzlik

“This is an unbelievable night. Everything is working so well and a big thank you to my team and all the fans. You are the best! I live in Gorzow and I feel at my best here. I am very happy because it’s the second time I have won a GP in Gorzow. Winning a GP in Gorzow is a little bit different to other rounds because this is my home track and these are my home people. I live my whole life here. It has been really nice and I am really happy with everything today. Everything worked really nicely. It was a very big feeling for four laps in the final with Jason Doyle. He kept going after me all the time – right to the last corner. I am happy I won. But I must go home and get a good sleep. Tomorrow is a new day and everyone starts again.”

Former world champion Jason Doyle piled the pressure on Zmarzlik in a breathtaking last lap in the final, dive-bombing the local hero on the last corner. Zmarzlik held his nerve and maintained his momentum to top the podium, but 18 championship points sees Doyle rocket from 15th place in the standings prior to the meeting up to seventh on 26.

After scoring eight points combined in the opening two rounds and enduring an up-and-down season in Poland’s PGE Ekstraliga, Czestochowa star Doyle paid tribute to those who helped him bounced back.

Jason Doyle

“It has been a tough year, but I have worked really hard – and not just myself. My mechanics and family have done a lot behind the scenes when times have been tough; these are things you don’t always see. There are a lot of good people in my corner and I want to say thanks to them now. This is a step in the right direction and it’s always nice to be on the podium at any GP.”

Third-placed Fredrik Lindgren reached his third SGP final in as many rounds and is determined to keep that run going in a season when the biggest rewards go to riders who make it into the rostrum race.

Enea Gorzow SGP Round 3 Points

Pos.	Rider	Points
1	Bartosz Zmarzlik	20
2	Jason Doyle	18
3	Fredrik Lindgren	16
4	Leon Madsen	14
5	Martin Vaculik	12
6	Tai Woffinden	11
7	Maciej Janowski	10
8	Matej Zagar	9
9	Artem Laguta	8
10	Emil Sayfutdinov	7
11	Niels-Kristian Iversen	6
12	Mikkel Michelsen	5
13	Max Fricke	4
14	Anders Thomsen	3
15	Patryk Dudek	2
16	Antonio Lindback	1
17	Wiktor Jasinski	0
18	Rafal Karczmarz	0

Enea Gorzow FIM Speedway Grand Prix Round 4

New FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship leader Fredrik Lindgren admitted his Enea Gorzow SGP round-four win was, “a burden lifted from my shoulders.”

The Swedish icon topped the podium after overhauling Jason Doyle to win the final with a jaw-dropping opening lap and a half at the Edward Jancarz Stadium. The Aussie was later pipped to second place by Danish star Leon Madsen on the run to the line.

This completed a Czestochowa one-two-three, but the night belonged to Lindgren, who reached his fourth straight final of 2020 to charge into a seven-point lead at the top of the standings. Despite impressing with two third places and a fourth going into tonight’s event, Lindgren admits he was determined to end his wait for a win.

Fredrik Lindgren

“This was a bit of a burden lifted from my shoulders tonight – to be able to finally get a win when I have been in three finals and not been able to execute it. It feels really good. I am super happy – so, so happy! You don’t want to be the guy who makes it to the final and never wins. It’s a relief to be able to do it. I have that burden off my back now and I can keep the focus for next weekend.”

Lindgren was taken wider and wider by Doyle as they battled over the lead going into lap two, before producing a majestic cutback to dive under the Aussie for the lead. Madsen’s second place fires him up to fifth in the World Championship on 50 points – 16 short of leader Lindgren.

Third-placed Doyle produced his second SGP podium finish in 24 hours after also racing to second spot on Friday. Having started the weekend with just eight championship points to his name, Doyle now has 42 and is delighted with a turnaround that has seen him climb from 15th to seventh in just two rounds.

Jason Doyle

“It was an unbelievable weekend for me in Gorzow. Two podiums get me back up into a good position for the next two rounds in Prague and also Torun. We are working hard. It’s a tough year, but we are getting there in the end and we also have some speed, so I’m happy.”

Next up is the third SGP 2020 double-header in Czech capital Prague this weekend. Visit Czech Republic SGP round five takes place on Friday, before Marketa Stadium hosts Aztorin SGP round six on Saturday night.

Enea Gorzow SGP Round 4 Points

Pos.	Rider	Points
1	Fredrik Lindgren	20
2	Leon Madsen	18
3	Jason Doyle	16
4	Emil Sayfutdinov	14
5	Bartosz Zmarzlik	12
6	Martin Vaculik	11
7	Tai Woffinden	10
8	Maciej Janowski	9
9	Max Fricke	8
10	Anders Thomsen	7
11	Matej Zagar	6
12	Artem Laguta	5
13	Niels-Kristian Iversen	4
14	Antonio Lindback	3
15	Mikkel Michelsen	2
16	Patryk Dudek	1
17	Rafal Karczmarz	0
18	Wiktor Jasinski	0

Speedway GP Standings

Pos.	Rider	Points
1	Fredrik Lindgren	66
2	Bartosz Zmarzlik	59
3	Maciej Janowski	57
4	Tai Woffinden	53
5	Leon Madsen	50
6	Artem Laguta	45
7	Jason Doyle	42
8	Emil Sayfutdinov	36
9	Martin Vaculik	35
10	Matej Zagar	27
11	Niels-Kristian Iversen	24
12	Max Fricke	24
13	Mikkel Michelsen	18
14	Patryk Dudek	16
15	Gleb Chugunov	16
16	Anders Thomsen	10
17	Antonio Lindback	6

Women’s World Motocross Champ Duncan returns to Europe to continue title defence

The long wait is over and New Zealand’s Courtney Duncan has packed her bags and returned to Europe this week to continue her Women’s Motocross World Championship (WMX) title defence.

MXGP Rnd Britain Courtney Duncan — Courtney Duncan

She has been home in Dunedin since March, flying back after the second WMX round in The Netherlands, with a five-point lead over her closest rival. Since then the MXGP calendar has been affected by Covid-19 and 24-year old Duncan has been waiting on a green light for the women’s racing to resume.

Her final three rounds are all scheduled to take place in Italy. The first two meetings on September 27 (MXGP Lombardia) and September 30 (MXGP of Città di Mantova), which are both held on the hard sand Mantova track, are following the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship’s new racing format of mid-week races.

Duncan will remain in Europe and train towards the final Italian round – the MXGP of Trentino on November 1 – where she is targeting her name being re-engraved on the winner’s trophy for 2020.

She flew to England to re-join her Kawasaki Dixon Racing Team at their Portsmouth base. Her self-isolation time will be happily spent getting straight onto her new 2021 Kawasaki KX250F and turning out some test laps at the team’s track.

Duncan was even able to enter a national race meeting for the first time in three years, competing at the King of Central in Cromwell in July. Easily winning her four races against both the MX2 men and in the women’s class, the race-pace outings gave her the edge she needed to head back into battle mode.

Courtney Duncan

“I’d be lying if I said I was happy with just one world championship. I want another one and that’s what I’m aiming towards. I want to go over there and ride to the best of my ability. I’ll be putting myself in good positions to score some strong finishes and the rest will come. Kawasaki have bought out a whole new bike. It will be cool to go over there a few weeks early and get comfortable on it. Everything happens for a reason. I’m excited for the new schedule. To be honest, I’ve just enjoyed being home training back in New Zealand and I made the most of the local tracks. There’s nothing like racing itself and getting behind the gate a few times. You learn different things in racing that you don’t pick up in practise. Even though this was a local event, it still got my adrenaline pumping and gave me an appetite for what I’ve got coming up in Italy. Thanks to my supporters and sponsors for everything you do for me. I’ll do my best to bring the world number one title back home to New Zealand for you all again come November.”

2020 Women’s Motocross World Championship points

Pos.	Rider	Nat.	Man.	Points
1	Duncan, Courtney.	NZL	KAW	90
2	Papenmeier, Larissa.	GER	YAM	85
3	Fontanesi, Kiara.	ITA	KTM	80
4	Van De Ven, Nancy.	NED	YAM	78
5	Valk, Lynn	NED	YAM	66

Revised Women’s Motocross World Championship calendar

September 27 – MXGP Lombardia, Mantova circuit, Italy
September 30 – MXGP of Città di Mantova, Mantova circuit, Italy
November 1 – MXGP of Trentino, Pietramurata, Italy

2021 Pilot Air Compressors A4DE Update

The organising committee of the 2021 Pilot Air Australian Four Day Enduro in Harvey, Western Australia are busy with the preparations for the event which is planned to run from May 19 – 22.

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

Despite the impact of the Corona Virus pandemic and its consequences on the motorcycle events calendar, the committee has made great progress towards running a memorable four-day event with planning proceeding with optimism and a positive attitude.

Collin Jennings of the Trail and Enduro Motorcycle Club of WA Inc said excellent cooperation from the Shire of Harvey and the Parks and Wildlife Services, who are the guardians of the land that will be used, has ensured the club can plan interesting and enjoyable trails.

Despite COVID-19 and a number of current State border closures, the 2021 Pilot Air A4DE committee will continue planning for a successful event. The 2021 Pilot Air A4DE committee plan to make a decision in mid-February.

In the meantime, the Committee wishes to advise prospective competitors and supporters to ensure accommodation bookings can be refundable and flights are booked after entries open.

Collin Jennings – Trail and Enduro Motorcycle Club of WA

“Each of the first three days will be held in a different area and the fourth day will have a short one-hour trail section culminating in the spectacular final natural terrain motocross heats. At this time, it is impossible for us to make an informed decision about the effect of COVID-19 restrictions on the viability of the Australian Championship event. We hope to have confirmation of border restrictions being lifted before February when entries will open. We’d like to thank competitors and families for their understanding at this unprecedented time and will ensure that if State Government regulations change, we will keep competitors and fans up to date.”

Matthew Falvo – Motorcycling Australia’s Event Manager

“We are very pleased to see the work that is going on behind the scenes by the committee for the 2021 A4DE as we know the enormous effort it takes to make the event so great. We are very excited that we can build on the successes of previous A4DE events and look forward to 2021.”

The 2021 Pilot Air Compressors committee this week launched the new event website www.pilotaircompressorsa4de.com is now live with all updates. If you require further information please email [email protected]

Clout returns to racing at the East Coast Motocross Championship

Luke Clout returned to Australia following his first full season in America to prepare for the Australian Supercross Championship, unfortunately due to the coronavirus schedules have changed and now Clout has turned his attention to the Australian Motocross Championship which is set to run later in the year.

Luke Clout

“It’s disappointing that Australia Supercross has been postponed but I am looking forward to racing again this weekend in preparation for the motocross championship. “The experience was priceless, and I learnt a lot. Leading some laps was something I will never forget. Everything I learnt will help and I can’t wait to get back behind the gate this weekend.”

Luke Clout had an amazing first season in America with Penrite Honda, he finished as high as fifth and led some of the world’s best supercross racers on his way to eighth overall.

Penrite Honda have now committed to the East Coast Motocross Championship starting with Round 3, which ran this past weekend in Maitland. Team director Yarrive Konksy believes racing locally will help Luke prepare for the Australian Motocross Championships.

Luke Clout’s first outing with the East Coast Motocross Championship saw the Penrite Honda rider claim three race wins over the September 12-13 round, as well as the overall win, marking Clout’s first race on Honda’s CRF450R, after racing a 250 in his overseas competition.

Luke Clout

“It was great, I love racing. I also go to connect with my roots, my parents were there and there were riders of all ages and classes competing. I enjoyed being amongst it. It was also good to use the weekend for testing. Nothing beats racing. The 450 is different and you need to ride it differently. I am glad I am getting some racing in ahead of the nationals. We are really close with bike setup; I learnt a little over the weekend as the track got rougher and we will make some minor changes ahead of the next round.”

GNCC Round Nine

The Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, continued Sunday, September 13, as the motorcycles took to the woods of West Virginia. Round 9, the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mountaineer, took place at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Beckley, WV. Cloudy conditions made for a great weekend of racing, even with some showers taking place on Sunday afternoon’s Pro race.

In the XC1 Open Pro class it was FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Kailub Russell racing off the line first to grab the All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot award. However, as the pack of riders headed into the woods, Russell would make a mistake and be forced to fight through the pack of riders early in the race. Russell’s teammate, FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley would capitalize and move into the lead for the opening lap.

FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Kailub Russell grabbed the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot award. Photo: Ken Hill

Making his return to racing aboard a new team for the event was AmPro Yamaha’s Steward Baylor Jr. As the lead pack of racers came through timing and scoring on lap one, Baylor found himself sitting 5.5 seconds behind Kelley. Throughout the course of lap two, Kelley and Baylor would engage in a battle with Baylor taking over the top spot as they came through just 1.9 seconds apart. Russell had made his way into the number three spot, but found himself 53 second behind the lead duo.

As the race wore on Baylor Jr. would put his head down and push to put a sizeable gap between himself and Kelley. With the fans cheering him on throughout all six laps, Baylor Jr. would come through to take his first overall win of the season with over a minute lead. Kelley, who tangled with some lappers, would manage to hold onto second overall with Russell rounding out the top three overall at this year’s Mountaineer GNCC.

AmPro Yamaha’s Steward Baylor Jr. clinched his first overall win of the season aboard his new team in West Virginia. Photo: Ken Hill

FactoryONE Sherco’s Grant Baylor steadily moved up through the pack after a seventh place start to the day. Baylor found himself running in the third place position at the halfway point in the race, but would be unable to hold off a charging Russell. As the checkered flag flew Baylor would check-in with a fourth overall on the day.

Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Jordan Ashburn found himself sitting just outside the top five as the race began. Ashburn would put his head down and push making the pass for fifth on lap two, however, he would soon find himself back in sixth. As the white flag flew Ashburn knew he only had one more lap to make the pass stick, and he would do just that crossing the finish line fifth overall.

FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley claimed the second overall spot at round nine. Photo: Ken Hill

After missing the last two rounds before GNCC’s summer break, AmPro Yamaha’s Layne Michael made his return to racing in his home state of West Virginia. Michael had a mid-pack start to the day, but would work his way up to fourth for the second and third laps. Michael put up quite a fight for a top five finishing position, only missing out by 20 seconds behind Ashburn.

Phoenix Honda Racing’s Andrew Delong had a great start, and as he came through timing and scoring he would find himself fourth overall. However, as Delong made his way through the second lap and then third laps he would have to take make a long pit stop. Delong’s team worked feverishly to fix the mechanical issue with his bike, and he would head back out into the race still running in that eighth place position. By the time the checkered flag flew Delong had worked his way to seventh in the XC1 Open Pro class.

FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Josh Toth was running a good race as he registered in third on the opening lap. However, a small mistake in the woods happened to reaggravate his knee from a practice incident a couple of weeks ago. With rain showers presenting themselves and the tough conditions, Toth made the difficult decision to pull out of the race after three laps of racing.

In the XC2 250 Pro class it was Trail Jesters KTM’s Jonathan Girroir taking his fourth class win of the season. Girroir was off to a great start and would come through on the opening lap in the first place position. Girroir would find himself up into the third overall position based off of his adjusted time. However, as the race worse on Girroir found a good flow and did not want to make a mistake to jeopardize his XC2 class win. Girroir would come through to take the win with a 13 second gap back to second place.

Tely Energy Racing/KTM’s Liam Draper made his way onto the XC2 class podium with a second place finish in West Virginia. Draper had started off his day running in the fourth place position, but would steadily work his way through the pack. When the white flag came out, Draper would make a last lap charge to ensure his second place finish.

Rounding out the XC2 top three finishers was AmPro Yamaha/St. Lawrence Radiology’s Mike Witkowski. Witkowski would have his work cut out for himself throughout the race, as he would find himself back in the fifth place position at one point in the race. Witkowski found himself third as the white flag was flying, and he would hold onto that position until the checkered flag flew.

Australian Lyndon Snodgrass finished eighth in the XC2 category.

Raines Riding University/Fly Racing/Yamaha’s Jason Raines would battle throughout the duration of the race with Moose Racing/Carolina KTM/XC Gear’s Zack Hayes for the FMF XC3 125cc Pro-Am class win. Raines and Hayes would swap the lead position multiple times throughout the three-hour race; however it would be Raines making a last lap pass to take the win. Hayes would finish out the day with a second in the class, with FXR/KTM’s Jason Lipscomb making his way up to third in the class.

AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer earned her second WXC class win of the season. Photo: Ken Hill

AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer battled throughout the 10 a.m. race to take her second WXC class win of the season. Archer made her way into the lead position early in the race, but would face a battle with Beta USA’s Rachel Gutish on the second lap of racing. Gutish, who grabbed the $100 Trail Jesters WXC Holeshot award, was eager to battle at the front of the pack. Archer would make the pass back around Gutish to retake the lead as the white flag came out. When the checkered flag flew after four laps of racing, Archer would cross the finish line a minute ahead of her competition. Gutish would come through to hold onto second place at round nine. BABS Racing Yamaha/Maxxis’ Becca Sheets maintained her third place position throughout the duration of the two-hour race. Sheets remains in the WXC points lead after nine rounds of racing are complete.

Mountaineer Results and Points Standings – Beckley, West Virginia
GNCC Round 9 of 13 – Sunday, September 13, 2020

XC1 Pro Event Results

Steward Baylor Jr. (YAM)
Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
Kailub Russell (KTM)
Grant Baylor (SHR)
Jordan Ashburn (KAW)
Layne Michael (YAM)
Andrew Delong (HON)
Joshua Toth (KTM)

Overall National Championship Standings

Kailub Russell (256)
Josh Strang (193)
Jordan Ashburn (143)
Craig DeLong (133)
Michael Witkowski (123)
Jonathan Girroir (121)
Grant Baylor (103)
Cody Barnes (91)
Liam Draper (83)
Benjamin Kelley (82)

Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mountaineer GNCC Overall Winner: Steward Baylor.
Photo: Ken Hill

XC2 250 Pro Event Results

Jonathan Girroir (KTM)
Liam Draper (KTM)
Michael Witkowski (YAM)
Craig Delong (HQV)
Ryder Lafferty (HQV)
Cody Barnes (BET)
Thorn Devlin (BET)
Lyndon Snodgrass (KAW)
Jonathan Johnson (HON)
Samuel Evans (KTM)

XC2 250 Pro Series Standings

Craig DeLong (224)
Jonathan Girroir (224)
Michael Witkowski (209)
Cody Barnes (154)
Liam Draper (143)
Thorn Devlin (121)
Ryder Lafferty (105)
Jonathan Johnson (101)
Benjamin Nelko (82)
Simon Johnson (79)

Kirk Gibbs readying for King of Capricorn Cup

It’s been a long break between races for CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team rider Kirk Gibbs, but he is set and ready to compete at The King of Capricorn Cup in Rockhampton at the start of October.

Way back in February, Gibbs won the New Zealand Motocross Championships for the second time and was in good form leading up to the start of the Australian racing season. But with the delays in the season due to the Covid pandemic and then a wrist injury sustained in July, Gibbs hasn’t been behind the gate for over six months.

Racing returned to Queensland in July and as Gibbs prepared for a string of events, he fell and broke his wrist just days prior to the MX Farm round of the Sunshine State Series. After six weeks on the sidelines, he was given the all-clear to resume riding and the Rockhampton event is to be his first race back and first race on Australian soil in 2020.

Kirk Gibbs

“2020 has been a strange year for everyone and to think this will be my first race of the year when its usually the end of our season is odd. It was disappointing that the national season was delayed and then my injury prior to the state races starting just compounded my frustration. I have missed racing and so keen to get back on track and get some racing in. It’s been hard work watching all the Queensland based riders racing up here and not being a part of it as we have been fortunate to keep racing when other states couldn’t. It’s great that Rockhampton have been able to organise this event and it’s given me something to work towards as I regain full speed and fitness. The $20K in prizemoney also means there is a bit on the line and things will be intense on the track, so I can’t wait.”

The King of Capricorn will be held the weekend of October 3- 4 and include a wide range of races catering for everyone from juniors through to professionals. The Six Mile circuit is a popular one with the riders and the local community has relied behind the event and with $20,000 prize money on offer, it will also be one of the biggest events of the season.

Craig Dack – CDR Yamaha

“We are happy to support Kirk at this event and will put things in place around him to ensure he is in good hands. With the team based in Victoria, we are unable to attend due to the border restrictions, but we are desperate to do what we can to get our riders on track and races events like this where the state regulations allow. Kirk has been back on the bike for just over a week and with a couple of weeks before the event, he will be able to increase his fitness base and riding volume in the coming weeks. It will also his first hit out on the 2020 YZ450F race bike, so we are hoping for a positive few weeks and a good result in Rockhampton.”

AORC Events Calendar Update

The Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) presented by MXstore is closely monitoring the health crisis developments and the effects COVID-19 are having on state borders restrictions and the potential impacts this may have on the current 2020 championship remaining date.

The up coming Round 11 & 12 of AORC, scheduled to be held on 14-15 November are currently under review. The final decision regarding this event will be announced no later than 9th of October 2020. Should further information be available at an earlier date, this will be communicated.

Matthew Falvo – Motorcycling Australia’s Event Manager

“We are working together with all our key stakeholders to get the final rounds up and running to have one last shot to go racing. From the outset we have remained committed to racing and this is still our aim. We understand the effects the current situation is having on all parties involved in the championship and we thank them all from our host clubs, riders, officials, in addition to our loyal sponsors for their patience and understanding in this difficult time.”

AORC can confirm that if it becomes clear that the event is not able to go ahead there will no further adjustments made to the remaining date.

AMA Supermoto National Championship scheduled for Nov. 7-8
Two-day competition to determine winners of AMA National No. 1 plates

The 2020 AMA Supermoto National Championship features two days of competition in November in Tucson, Ariz., to determine who receives the coveted AMA National No. 1 plate in five classes.

Originally scheduled as a six-event series, this national championship, sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association, will consist of four points-earning races. The format includes two races per day Nov. 7-8. Each race offers points toward the overall championship. The six scheduled events were cancelled due to restrictions put in place by government officials during the coronavirus pandemic.

The series is run by the AMA promoter, DRT Racing. Classes include Open, Lites, National Amateur, Sportsman MX and Kids.

Baja TT do Pinhal postponed

The Baja TT do Pinhal, scheduled for September 12-13 has had to be cancelled due to the extension of the fire risk alert situation put in place by the local authorities in Portugal. This opening round of the FIM Bajas World Cup was to mark the return to off-road motorcycle competition after the interruption caused by the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

After consultation with the teams, riders and all stakeholders involved and with the agreement of the local authorities, the FIM, the motorcycling federation of Portugal, and the local organiser Escuderia Castelo Branco have decided to postpone the event to September 19-20, 2020.

Source: MCNews.com.au

News

2021 Scott Off-Road Collection revealed

September 15, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Product News Advertorial

2021 Scott Off-Road Collection revealed

Scott’s new off-road collection has arrived! Featuring new innovations, technology and design, this collection will have you fully covered on the track or trail. A brand-new range of D3O protection products help keep you safe, while fully re-designed 450 gear range offers performance that will ensure your style is always on point. As always, a premium goggle line-up guarantees to Defend Your Vision in even the most extreme of conditions!

[embedded content]

Scott Prospect Goggle

Scott’s flagship goggle, the Prospect is back with a wide range of exciting new colorways and styles for the season. Perfected features such as the NoSweat face foam, a maximum field of vision, the innovative Scott Lens Lock System, articulating outriggers and much more sets the Prospect apart from the rest. Also available in WFS and Light Sensitive options.

Scott 450 Series

For this season the Scott 450 gear has been fully re-designed by the Scott engineers and designers. Upgrades include new materials, improved features, overall weight reduction, improved fit and re-designed graphics. With all this and more, the all-new Scott 450 Series represents the latest in off-road moto gear performance.

Scott Prospect Super WFS

Previously exclusive to pro athletes, the Scott Prospect Super WFS is a new addition to our goggle range. It possesses the same great features as the Prospect WFS, but the Super WFS version features a double WORKS lens with the unique addition of premium anti-stick dots and a mudflap with sealing tape for ultimate performance. If you require the best of the best, this is the goggle for you.

Check out the full 2021 Scott catalogue here (link).

Source: MCNews.com.au

News

Suzuki Australia confirm 100th Anniversary plans for entire GSX-R range

September 14, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

100th Anniversary GSX-R pricing revealed

We recently showcased the recent announcement of the pending arrival of a 100th Anniversary limited edition GSX-R1000 but Suzuki Australia have now also confirmed that, unlike most other markets who no longer sell GSX-R600 and GSX-R750 models due to tightened emissions legislation, Australia will get the 100th Anniversary treatment across the entire GSX-R range of models, which for us means GSX-R1000, GSX-R750 and GSX-R600.

The flagship superbike sports the same retro-inspired livery as the GSX-RR MotoGP machine, with the traditional blue and slate silver colour scheme paying homage to Suzuki’s early Grand Prix machines of the 1960s.

Just 30 of the 100th Anniversary Limited Edition Suzuki GSX-R1000 will be available in Australia

The 100th Anniversary Limited Edition GSX-R1000R will be strictly limited to 30 units and will be available from January 2021 for a manufacturer’s recommended retail price of $26,990 Ride Away.

The GSX-R1000R shares more than just paint with the GP racer, and utilises the same variable valve timing system to boost both torque and peak power. It also gets a comprehensive suite of electronics, which includes 10 traction control modes, a quickshifter and auto-blipper, launch control, and lean angle-sensitive ABS.

The 100th Anniversary Limited Edition Suzuki GSX-R1000 will be available for $26,990 Ride Away

The 100th Anniversary Limited Edition GSX-R750 will be strictly limited to 50 units and will be available from January 2021 for a manufacturer’s recommended retail price of $17,490 Ride Away.

The 2021 GSX-R750 runs a 750cc in-line four-cylinder liquid-cooled powerplant, with fully adjustable 41 mm Showa BPF forks fully adjustable Showa shock, Brembo four piston calipers and a generous increase in power over the 600, with only a small weight increase.

The 100th Anniversary Limited Edition GSX-R750 will be available for $17,490 Ride Away

The 100th Anniversary Limited Edition GSX-R600 will be strictly limited to 10 units and will be available from January 2021 for a manufacturer’s recommended retail price of $16,490 Ride Away.

The traditional Suzuki supersport offering, the GSX-R600 runs a 599 cc in-line four-cylinder engine, sharing features with the larger GSX-R750 like Suzuki’s Drive Mode Selector system, dual throttle valves, an exhaust tuning valve, ram-air system and immobiliser for security.

A 100th Anniversary Limited Edition GSX-R600 will also be coming to Oz — A 100th Anniversary Limited Edition GSX-R600 will also be coming to Australia

With high demand and limited supply, Suzuki Australia will take orders for this range exclusively online via the Build Your Bike feature at suzukimotorcycles.com.au (link)

Riders unable to complete the online order themselves should visit their nearest Suzuki motorcycle dealership, who will be able to help guide them through the online ordering process onsite at the dealership.

100th Anniversary Limited Edition GSX-R750

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle Racing, News

Beaubier unstoppable at New Jersey MotoAmerica | Video Highlights

September 14, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 MotoAmerica

Round 6 – New Jesersy

Images by Brian J. Nelson

Cameron Beaubier leaves New Jersey Motorsports Park and heads to Barber Motorsports Park this week with a massive 84-point lead in the 2020 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship after what was another walk-in-the-park victory for the four-time series champion. While it’s too early to hand him the number-one plate with three rounds and eight races remaining the series, it’s about time to fire up the engraver.

Superbikes Race 2 Podium
1. Cameron Beaubier
2. Jake Gagne
3. Mathew Scholtz

After six rounds, Beaubier leads Gagne by 84 points, 275-191, with Scholtz third on 185 points. Fong is fourth with 138, 22 clear of Elias and 26 ahead of Wyman.

The Supersport class saw Richie Escalante take the Race 1 victory from Brandon Paasch and Sean Dylan Kelly, while Kelly claimed the Race 2 win ahead of Paasch and Escalante in an inversion of the first race’s placings.

Escalante now holds the championship lead by 30-points on 261, to Kelly on 231, while Paasch is a more distant third on 172-points.

The single Stock 1000 race saw Cameron Petersen take a clear win from Corey Alexander and Michael Gilbert, mirroring the current standings. Petersen leads on 165, to Alexander’s 148, while Gilbert is third on 96-points.

Cameron Petersen won the single Stock 1000 race from Corey Alexander and Michael Gilbert

In the Twins Cup it was Rocco Landers continuing his domination, winning the first race from Teagg Hobbs and Hayden Schultz, while in the second race Schultz moved up to second, with Dominic Doyle completing the podium.

Landers leads the standings on 177-points to Kaleb De Keyrel on 158, while Hayden Schultz is a distant third on 98-points.

Landers also dominated the Liqui Moly Junior Cup, winning from Samuel Lochoff in Race 1 and Joseph LiMandri Jr in Race 2. Benjamin Gloddy completed the podium in both races.

Rocco Landers now leads the Junior Cup standings by 90-points, to Lochoff on 195, while Dominic Doyle is only a single point behind in third.

Superbike Race 1

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On a sunny Saturday in New Jersey, Beaubier won his 10th race of the 2020 season to extend his championship lead to a yawning 79 points over teammate Jake Gagne. The win was also the 48th of the four-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion’s AMA Superbike career and is closing in on his former teammate Josh Hayes (61 Superbike victories) for second on the all-time win list. The victory, however, didn’t come without a bit of pre-race stress.

As has been the norm so far in 2020, Beaubier’s win was dominant with the Californian taking victory by 9.599 seconds over Mathew Scholtz, who took full advantage of Gagne’s first-lap crash to close in on the Californian for second in the championship point standings. Third place went to a revitalised Toni Elias, the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider ending a podium-less drought that dated back 11 races.

Kyle Wyman bounced back from a disastrous round in the Pacific Northwest two weeks ago to finish fourth on his Ducati Panigale V4 R. Wyman was challenged early on by Bobby Fong but was able to pull clear of the rider to beat him to the flag by almost seven seconds.

Sixth place went to Corey Alexander, the New Yorker matching his previous best HONOS Superbike class result after barely holding off Cameron Petersen in the final laps. Petersen ended up seventh. David Anthony and teammate Bradley Ward finished eighth and ninth with Josh Herrin rounding out the top 10.

Superbike Race 2

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Sunday’s win at NJMP came in a shortened race after a red flag was thrown on the second lap when Bradley Ward crashed his FLY Racing ADR Motorsports Kawasaki, putting debris on the racetrack. As he did on the first start, Beaubier grabbed the holeshot and never looked back, opening up a lead and maintaining it to the finish. At the completion of the 14 laps, Beaubier was 2.884 seconds ahead of his pursuers.

Two of those pursuing Beaubier raced to the bitter end with his teammate Jake Gagne drafting past Mathew Scholtz at the finish line by .014 of a second with the two fighting it out for the duration. In addition to the battle on track, that pairing is also fighting it out for second in the title chase. Gagne now leads Scholtz by just six points.

Soon after Scholtz took over second in the final laps, both he and Gagne were baulked by lapped traffic but Scholtz may have gotten the worst of it which allowed Gagne to claw his way back for his last-lap attack.

Bobby Fong was next, the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider finishing some four seconds ahead of his teammate Toni Elias, the Spaniard failing to match the pace that earned him his first podium of the season on Sunday.

Kyle Wyman was sixth after finishing fourth on Saturday, the New Yorker getting the better of Altus Motorsports’ Cameron Petersen on Sunday. FLY Racing’s David Anthony rode his Suzuki GSX-R1000 to ninth with Travis Wyman rounding out the top 10 on his BMW.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

News

Aussies strong at MXGP of Emilia Romagna

September 13, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 MXGP

Round 8 – MXGP of Emilia Romagna

Mitch Evans

Leading the Aussie riders in MX2 was Jed Beaton, taking fourth in Race 1, just 0.7s off the final podium position, while Race 2 saw Beaton improve to third, for third overall for the MXGP of Emilia Romagna. He now sits fourth overall in the MX2 standings, 12-points off third placed Maxime Renaux.

Jed Beaton

MXGP

In MXGP race one, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado with another FOX Holeshot and he then led his team-mate Antonio Cairoli and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer. Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s riders Calvin Vlaanderen and Alessandro Lupino both got off to a great start in the opening race and were fourth and fifth on the opening lap.

Team HRC’ Tim Gajser then moved into the top four, as he looked for a quick way to pass Cairoli, though that didn’t work as the two touched and Gajser was left on the floor. Prado then continued to lead the way with Seewer, Cairoli and Lupino right there as well.

Despite crashing a lap earlier, Gajser was already making a strong recovery as he broke into the top 10 on lap 2. Back with the leaders the gap between Prado and Seewer was 2 seconds, though as the race progressed Seewer was looking to take another win in the class as he set his fastest lap of the race and closed in on the lead.

Lupino though was coming under pressure from Team HRC’s Mitch Evans for fourth, with the Australian taking the position not long after.

Gajser then continued to make progress as he moved into 6th place, while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Arminas Jasikonis searched for a way past Clement Desalle of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team to move in to 9th.

With 10 minutes plus 2 laps on the clock, the gap between Prado and Seewer was just 0.5 seconds, as the factory Yamaha rider put the hammer down for the win. The gap between first and second remained below half a second for the remainder of the race, until Seewer made a mistake and had a huge crash while trying to pass for first place. Though he was able to quickly re-join the race, only losing one position to Cairoli.

In the end, Prado went on to take his very first MXGP race win of his career, with Cairoli second and Seewer third.

In race two, Prado once again proved himself as the master of starts as he added yet another FOX Holeshot to his ever-growing tally. Evans was right there in second, with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Gautier Paulin and Gajser in the top 4 too. Seewer was down in 6th.

Gajser once again was wasting no time as he moved into second and was then followed by his team-mate, with Cairoli and Seewer right there too. Paulin then came under pressure from Standing Construct GasGas MXGP’s Glenn Coldenhoff and Romain Febvre of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team.

Febvre was then the fastest guy on track as he continued to chase Coldenhoff, meanwhile Seewer was all over the back of Evans for fourth, as Coldenhoff and Febvre were closing in fast as well.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Arminas Jasikonis then crashed out of 10th, to eventually finish the race in 13th position.

As Seewer moved into 4th, Gajser was all over Prado for the lead. The two looked like they almost came together, as Gajser made a risky move, which paid off, of course, and he was then the new race leader.

Prado then started to come under pressure from Cairoli and a lap later the #222 passed the young Spaniard in the exact same spot as Gajser. Seewer then looked to catch Prado for third, though Febvre sneaked up on him and went for the inside to steal fourth from Seewer.

Febvre then went after the race 1 winner, Prado, as he passed him on the same section as did Cairoli and Gajser. Though Prado immediately fought back and was able to move back into 3rd. This didn’t last long as Febvre responded and clinched 3rd once more.

And things didn’t get better for Prado who was passed by Coldenhoff, and it was again on that same part of the track that the #61 lost positions to Gajser, Cairoli and Febvre a few laps earlier. This dropped Prado to 6th in the race.

As Evans and Paulin battled for 8th, the gap between Gajser and Cairoli was coming down, as it looked like the Italian was going to push for that win. And Febvre was also showing great pace in the race as he pushed for second with 3 laps to go.

Towards the end of the race there was no change with the leaders as Gajser secured the second race win. Cairoli finished second, Febvre was third, Seewer fourth and Coldenhoff fifth.

With two consistent rides, Antonio Cairoli took to the top step of the podium and also became the new championship leader. Meanwhile Tim Gajser finished second overall, with Jorge Prado third. Cairoli now has a 7-point advantage over Gajser in the MXGP championship standings, with Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing still there in third.

Antonio Cairoli

“Of course today I am really happy. Every race I’m feeling a little better with the conditions. This morning in time practice I struggled a lot; I was three and a half seconds away from the pace so for sure it was not a good boost in motivation for the race. But still at the beginning of the race I made some mistake, keep twisting my knee, it was difficult but with the experience I have I know how to handle these situations. I wish Jeffrey a quick recovery, it is a pity that he’s not there. I didn’t start so good but now I wanna go for the championship and this is my goal. I’m really happy about the championship, 8 years is a lot of time but for sure I’m super happy to be there still fighting with those guys for the title. Now I’m 35 years old and this is a thing that I’ve never expected to be there at this age, anyway every time I ride, I enjoy riding at the track a lot. For sure I enjoy riding with young guys, every time I try to improve, it is more and more difficult every time but at the end, I’m really really happy and satisfied.”

Tim Gajser

“I didn’t have a good start in either moto, they were solid and I tried to make quick passes in the beginning but I would have liked to have been nearer to the front. The first lap of the first moto I came together with Toni and I fell so I was back in the pack, eventually coming back to fifth. I was a bit disappointed but that was the result so I had to refocus for race two. I got a better start in this race and made a couple of good early passes to get into the lead. I pulled out a gap of a few seconds and controlled the race from there to get myself another moto win. It was a tough week of racing and not everything has gone my way but the championship is really close and we are all working hard in Team HRC to get the best results possible. Now there is a weekend off so I will go home and prepare myself for the next race in Mantova.”

Jorge Prado

“I’m feeling quite good with the bike at the moment. I think speed wise it’s quite good for sure the first twenty-five minutes. But I’m happy that I could get my first race win even if it was a tough day, I’m very happy. I used a lot of energy in the first race, but I really wanted that win. I give my maximum in every single race and that second race I already started with an empty tank. Yesterday was tough for me; I was feeling really bad and stayed in bed pretty much all day so I’m very happy that I can be on the podium. It’s normal that I feel powerless today, so I think I did a very good results in these circumstances.”

Jeremy Seewer

“First moto I had a decent start. I had some bar-banging with Tony (Cairoli), luckily we didn’t crash and I won it. I followed (Jorge) Prado for the whole moto and I struggled to pass. He made it very difficult and I couldn’t make a pass stick. I pushed, but I lost all of my energy doing so, and then I crashed because I hit the limit. I didn’t make a mistake really, it was just something that can happen in racing. I still managed third. In the second race I got stuck behind Prado again, but I could make a pass stick this time but I already lost some ground. Honestly, I felt a bit empty. I used a lot of energy in the first race battling for the win, and it just took it out of me. It’s a bummer to miss the podium, but I have taken good points for the championship, and I have no injuries and stuff so that is positive. Now it’s time to recover and keep pushing.”

Romain Febvre

“It could have been a very good GP but on the second lap of the first race I was surprised to see a big hole in a rut; I tried to avoid it but I went outside the track and crashed. I was nearly last when I got back on the track; I came back to tenth but crashed in a corner as I was still pushing to regain positions. I restarted thirteenth to come back again to finish tenth despite two crashes. It was too much to retain any hope of a podium, but nevertheless I gave everything to come back after a mid-pack start in the second moto; I finished third, close to Cairoli. My speed was again good in both races but we struggle a little with the starts as the chase to turn one is uphill with a different grip between the gate and the first corner! We have some testing planned in our programme next week to prepared for Mantova.”

Glenn Coldenhoff

“The day started good and there were a few track changes to make things different. I was fifth for a long time in qualifying and ended up sixth, but this was ok. I didn’t quite get the best start in race one and then used a lot of energy working my way through the riders towards the front. I had a much better start in race two. Came around the first turn in eighth and then came through to fifth at the finish. I wasted too much time trying to pass Prado, but it was difficult to push as the track was slick and you had to be careful. Overall, I’m not happy with the results, but not devastated either. I’ll continue to work hard and I’m looking forward to Mantova in two weeks.”

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, News

MotoGP riders reflect on #SanMarinoGP

September 13, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 MotoGP Round Seven – Misano

Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini

Franco Morbidelli secured his maiden MotoGP victory in a dramatic Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. Morbidelli took the chequered flag 2.217-seconds ahead of compatriot Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), who celebrated his first premier class podium. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) got the better of home hero Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) on the last lap to claim his second podium finish. Meanwhile, now former Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crashed out – twice – at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Andrea Dovizioso now leads the MotoGP World Championship on 76-points ahead of Misano non-scorer Fabio Quartararo on 70-points. Jack Miller retained third place on the points table after his P8 and is on 64-points, four-points ahead of Joan Mir.

Yamaha is the leading constructor on 113-points to Ducati’s 107-points. KTM is in third on 88-points to Suzuki’s 73-points while Honda is on 53-points and Aprilia 23-points.

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Franco Morbidelli – P1

“I feel like this has been a magical week for me. Everything had been going well, so going into today I was thinking that maybe something good would be possible. Turns out, it was something great! I have never won a World Championship race at home before, so to do it in MotoGP is the greatest achievement in my life. I’m really proud to be able to say that. I want to say thanks to all the people that work with me, it isn’t just me. This win is a result of teamwork. Right now I’m just so proud of what we have achieved, not just today but in general. Seven years ago I was racing here with a stock 600, now I’m winning a MotoGP race. It’s just amazing, especially as it’s the first race with a crowd this year. It felt great to be able to salute the crowd after the race. We do this for them, so to celebrate with them was such a great feeling.”

Pecco Bagnaia – P2

“When I arrived to Misano my goal was only to finish the race. On Saturday during FP3 when I just thought about riding I understood that I could push and my feeling when I rode was the same that I had in Jerez. The start of the race wasn’t very good, I lost some positions so I had to recover the gap with Mir. When I passed him I saw that I could reach the head group. I hadn’t thought about my leg and I thought only about my first podium in MotoGP during my home race with the fans. During the last 4 laps I felt pain but today we deserved this podium. I want to thank my team, Ducati and VR46RidersAcademy for their big support. Today this podium is for them. I’m looking forward to be back on this track.”

Joan Mir – P3

“I’m really happy. I wasn’t as strong here as I was in Austria, but I’m on the podium anyway so that’s good news. I really enjoyed the end of the race, and it was exciting to make that final overtake! I knew I could do it at that corner so I was confident. I was aware that I would struggle a little bit on the first laps with the fresh tyre but my pace with the used tyre was a lot faster, and I felt great with the bike, so I managed to take advantage of that. We’re going to work in the test on Tuesday and be ready for next weekend.”

Valentino Rossi – P4

“It’s a great shame because the podium is always special, here in Misano even more so. Also, to share the podium with Franco and Pecco would have been like a race at the ranch. I made a small mistake and Mir was very strong in that moment, he did very good lap times in the last part of the race. At the end he was able to beat me, which is a shame with just 2km to go. On the other hand, it was still a good race, a good weekend, because I rode well. We had a very good pace and I feel good with the bike. So, even without a podium, I enjoyed it. It was a good weekend for our team and for me, because we were always competitive. This is so important. I think that we can improve three or four things for next week, when we‘ll have another chance. This makes me even more happy, because we can try again.”

Alex Rins – P5

“Today’s race was hard for me. In the first and middle parts of the race I was feeling confident and I had good pace and a good feeling with the bike. When I could see the podium getting closer I really pushed myself a lot and I began to have some problems with strength in my right arm due to my shoulder injury, so it was very tough to continue fighting. In the end, with a couple of laps to go, I was just trying to get through it and get a good position. I’m happy with fifth because the points are good, but for sure I’ll hope for more next time out.”

Maverick Vinales – P6

“I don’t know what happened today. I’m really disappointed. I don’t know why I lost grip in the race. I tried everything I could, but I wasn’t getting enough feedback from the tyre. At the end of the race I did three or four really good laps, but that was too late. We will work on it. We have a test here on Tuesday. We will try to stay relaxed. We need to reset our minds for next weekend. We know we are fast here, so we can start in front again.”

Andrea Dovizioso – P7

“It was a tough race. Since I was starting from the back, I struggled a lot to find the rhythm at the beginning. I still can’t be as competitive as I would like with these tyres and the riding style I’ve always adopted in the past years is not working right now. Fortunately, this Tuesday, we will have a day of testing here in Misano, which will be very important to try to solve this aspect. The championship this year is weird, and now we are leading the standings. We have to see the positive side of the current situation and continue to work, putting all our effort to come back stronger in the next races. I congratulate Pecco on his great performance today.”

Jack Miller – P8

“That was one of those races where you have to look for the silver linings. Got a great start, got up to third, got to halfway … and then it all gradually went a bit downhill. Crossed the line ninth, got a place back after (Takaaki) Nakagami got demoted a spot for track limits, finished eighth. But there were positives. I’m still third in the championship, and actually narrowed to gap by a couple of points to 12. So not a great race for me, but we had a fairly crazy top three that nobody would have predicted again, and we live to fight another day.

“(Alex) Rins passed me for third on lap 14 to boot me off the podium after I’d managed to get the start I wanted from fifth, but I knew much earlier than then that I was probably going to be in some strife the longer the race went. I understood from probably lap five that I was going to struggle later on with the tyres, and on lap seven I switched the mapping to try to conserve to have something left at the end to fight with. Didn’t work, though. I suffered a lot with the rear tyre and then the front tyre on the left-hand side … maybe in hindsight I was using too much angle. I tried to manage as best I could, but by the end I was really having to control the speed in the changes of direction. I used the medium front and the soft rear (tyres), and maybe I need to trust my instincts with what tyres are working for me in the future and listen to myself more when we choose what I race with. So, we live and learn.

“I qualified fifth, and I had to pull a lap out of the bag even to get there and just beat my teammate Pecco (Bagnaia) by two-thousandths of a second … so that made for a good Saturday, but not a great one. Really, we were all fighting to be best of the rest behind the Yamahas because they’re pretty good around Misano, so it probably wasn’t a surprise that they qualified 1-2-3-4. I gave it my best to be as close to them as I could but I was still a couple of tenths off. I knew what my strategy needed to be – get to the front and try to play around with them a bit. On outright pace, they had our measure so I had to come up with another plan. I managed to jump Maverick (Vinales) and Fabio (Quartararo) off the start, but that was probably the highlight. I usually get a pretty good start, like Fabio said the Ducati is like a rocket launcher off the grid, so I was hoping to get out front and dictate what they could do, not the other way around.

“It was another weird race – Franky’s (Franco Morbidelli’s) first win, Pecco on his first podium and (Joan) Mir on his second … I think it will start to become more consistent this season with who is up front, but then I’ve thought that before too. It’s been pretty hard to read, hasn’t it? Six races, 12 different guys on the podium, five different winners, four guys winning races for the first time now Franky won here … there’s never a dull moment this year, that’s for sure. I think it’s 30-odd points covering 12 of us. It feels like a championship anyone can win at the moment because of the inconsistency.

“It was a day of survival, really, and I was missing 11 seconds to Franky at the front, so we need to fix that for next week here. But because we’re back here again next Sunday, at least there is a next week, which is a silver lining. Kinda where I started this … We’ll try to be better next Sunday at a circuit that doesn’t really suit our bike, and we have a week to figure out how we’ll do that.

Takaaki Nakagami – P9

“Today was definitely quite a positive race for us because yesterday and Friday we were losing time and we did not put in a good enough performance in qualifying – 14th on the grid is not good for the race. But with the new holeshot device we are definitely improving at the start, and during the race the lap times were quite consistent around 33.1 or two. But this morning we got the top time which was really, really good for the team and were able to do a 32, but in the race we were not able to do that so we need to understand what the difference was between the warm-up and the race. It’s another top-10 and we need to see how we can improve for the next race, but definitely in the next race we can fight for the podium again. We are really looking forward to another Misano race weekend, we’ll stay positive and keep working hard to get that first podium.”

Pol Espargaro – P10

“Not so much to say today. I had trouble to stop the rear of the bike from the first lap and I was stuck behind Johann for quite a long time. It wasn’t really safe to make it happen cleanly and I could only manage when the pace dropped and then the others caught me. We paid a bit for the mistakes on Saturday and we need to solve our problems before next weekend. I’m confident we can do it and we can have a better race.”

Miguel Oliveira – P11

“It was a tough race. To be honest, it was quite hard to make up positions, especially in the beginning of the race. We had many riders with different tyre choices, so it made our life very difficult, but we had a good pace, where just too far away. Now we are focusing on Tuesday, trying a couple of things during the test in order to have a better weekend and especially a better Qualifying the upcoming weekend.”

Brad Binder – P12

“I didn’t start well and from then I tried my best to recover positions. The first 10-12 laps I didn’t have a good feeling but then it got better and better. I don’t feel I can complain too much. We have to take advantage of this test on Tuesday to make a few improvements. It was cool to be part of that KTM battle and I could see we were all having the same issues. It’s very tight in MotoGP right now but my attitude stays the same: I’m trying to enjoy and take the best of each race.”

Aleix Espargaro – P13

“The final position does not reflect reality. We are doing very well and my feeling is still very good with the new RS-GP. Today I had fun and the numbers confirm our improvements. The only difficulty is in overtaking. We are lacking the acceleration to get past our rivals and that forces us to hang back even when our pace could be better. Our growth is undeniable. We’ll get there, we just need to be patient and keep working.”

Iker Lecuona – P14

“In the Warm Up this morning, I felt really good with the bike. Like in FP3, I felt very fast and constant and my pace for the race was strong. I knew that my grid position was not ideal to fight for the top 10. Finally, in the race, I did that mistake in the Warm Up lap. I stopped the engine and eventually, I needed to do the long lap. I was very nervous, because I knew my potential. In the end, I could manage the situation with the penalty and lap by lap I improved. For many laps, I was the fastest KTM rider on the track, overtook many riders and finished in the points, so finally, I’m really happy. Sorry to my team for that mistake, but at the same time thanks to them for their great work.”

Johann Zarco – P15

“I think the positive part of this race, seeing the result (P15) and 20 seconds away from the winner, far from the top of the race, is that I got a lot of positive things from the start. The step we took this morning in the warm up has helped me a lot in this start of the race to follow Dovizioso and Bagnaia. The start was good for me, but as the laps went by I suffered a lot with the rear tire, especially the last seven laps, I couldn’t keep the pace and I lost a lot”.

Danilo Petrucci – P16

“Today, I struggled a lot in the race. I had several contacts with a few riders at the beginning, and I couldn’t stay hooked to the leading group. As the bike got lighter with the fuel consumption, I was able to find a better pace, but by then, I was too far away to recover on the riders in front. Today’s race has allowed us to understand some aspects, and this is an indication that we will serve us for the future. Hopefully, Tuesday’s test will help us to get the situation clearer. I’m disappointed that today I couldn’t score points: I put it all into it, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”

Alex Marquez – P17

“Our pace today was good, especially towards the end of the race where I was able to lap at a similar speed to the leaders. My fastest lap of the race was my last one. We have made a big step from yesterday with the bike and it felt good today. It was a good race; I had a hard battle with Petrucci and we touched a couple of times. But it was really the grid position that hurt us today, otherwise I think we could have been up with Binder and Oliveira. Compared to where we started this weekend it’s not so bad, but we still need to be more consistent.”

Stefan Bradl – P18

“It was a frustrating race, I had a problem with the nerve in my right elbow that started yesterday but in the race it became worse. It’s not arm pump, but my two small fingers were going numb. Because of this I was about one second off my normal pace. Already it was not in the plan for me to test here Tuesday, so I will use the time to rest the arm. Hopefully we can come back next week stronger.”

Bradley Smith – P19

“Unfortunately, the crash in FP3 compromised our weekend. The sensations were good on Friday, but when I had to switch to the second bike, it wasn’t the same feeling in qualifying or in the race. Today I crashed on a bump and then, despite the bike being damaged, I was able to re-join and finish the race. We’ll use the tests on Tuesday to take a closer look at what is causing our difficulties so we can be better prepared for the next race.”

Fabio Quartararo – DNF

“First of all I want to congratulate Franco, because he really deserved the win today. It was a really tough race for me but it is what it is, I will learn from it. I made a mistake: I was trying too hard to overtake Maverick and it overheated the tyre. I made the move, and was the correct move to make, but Jack was in front and I wanted to catch him as well but too quickly. I braked too late and lost the front end. We are struggling to overtake with our bike, which is something we need to work on. Of course I am disappointed, as we had the speed to fight at the front, but we learn from the experience and I won’t make the same mistake next weekend. We have seen five different winners in six races and it is one of the closest championships we’ve had, so I’m going to continue to give my best and try to make it ours.”

Tito Rabat – DNF

“I think that this weekend I have taken steps forward, in terms of the fastest lap, the race pace and the first laps of this. My fastest lap in the race was similar to that of my teammate, as well as the pace, which was very even for both. Now we have to stay focused, arrive rested for the test on Tuesday and the following weekend and give 100% of myself”.

Razlan Razali – Petronas SRT Yamaha Team Principal

“This weekend was the best so far for Petronas Sepang Racing Team, as a collective. It was a fantastic win for Franco: very well deserved, especially considering his crash in the first Austrian race. Doing it at his home Grand Prix as well is amazing. It was unfortunate for Fabio; he crashed while trying to catch the front-runners. He is still second in the championship, so it’s not too bad and I’m sure he’ll come back stronger next week. In Moto2 we saw another big improvement from Xavi, finishing fourth. He was very close to the podium and we know that he can do well next weekend, when we are here again. It’s been a learning curve for Jake today; it’s only his second time at Misano. I’m sure next weekend will be better for him. In Moto3 John had his first win of 2020 today and after the ups and downs of the last few races this was really nice to see. To get his championship back on track again is great. For KIP, to be coming back from major surgery like he has is incredible. We do expect him to improve further in the second GP at Misano too.”

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“A bit like with Red Bull Ring, I didn’t necessarily expect a good race here but we did a very good job. Both riders were in the Top 5 which was a great result, and Joan made an incredible last lap to get the podium. Alex was fifth which is also a good finish. Both riders will work hard to continue this form next weekend.”

Davide Brivio – Suzuki Team Manager

“We’re very happy to get another podium. It was great to see both our GSX-RRs at the top and keeping really competitive pace, and I think with stronger grid positions we could’ve had even better results. Joan recovered really well and he had a great last lap to earn a deserved podium, and also Alex did a really good race with unbelievable pace until the problem with his arm, so he was also impressive. We’ll try to bring this competitiveness into next weekend. Thanks to all the team for their hard work.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“We knew this race was going to be tough and that the tyres would play a decisive role. We had hoped to fight for the victory today, but unfortunately that wasn‘t possible. Valentino had a good start and his pace was really good throughout the whole race. It‘s a shame he wasn‘t able to get a podium result, because that would have been a real treat for the team and also the fans. But the way he performed is encouraging, so for sure he will try to be fighting at the front again next time. Maverick‘s pre-race experience was a bit unsettling, because we saw smoke coming from his bike when he arrived on the starting grid. We had a thorough check, and it turned out it was fine. However, the race was tough for him, because he didn‘t feel as good with the hard tyre today as he had done earlier this weekend. It‘s really disappointing, because we know how fast he is. But we get another chance next week. We will take today‘s experience on board, and we have the opportunity to test some new parts here on Tuesday, so we will push to come back stronger.”

Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager

“It was not the best results for us and the fact that the boys could not get a fast lap in qualifying made it difficult today to get near the front of the group because the rhythm of the riders is very similar. After the last few races we are not so happy with the results but the race pace today was positive. All four riders did well in their respective battles and brought the bikes home for points, especially Iker who came back from a long-lap penalty. We’ll try everything we can to be better for next weekend.”

Hervé Poncharal – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“Overall this was a quite strong team result for Red Bull KTM Tech3 here in Misano. For sure, we didn’t expect to duplicate the incredible and unforgettable victory from Spielberg here, but it was an interesting circuit for us. We end up 12 seconds to the winner, but we lost six seconds in the first two laps, so it means out of the 25 laps left we lost six seconds, which is showing how close the grid is. We could see that KTM has got a really strong line-up, because the four riders were doing the same lap times and Miguel was in a sandwich between Pol (Espargaro) and Brad (Binder) on the finish line. We got some good points. We need to understand what we can improve on that circuit, but I want to see the glass half full and I think we are not too far and we can improve next weekend. The championship is wide open, which is also very interesting, we are 28 points to the leading guy at the moment, so we need to keep our heads down and keep on believing and pushing. This is for Miguel. It was a bit more eventful race for Iker. He stalled the bike on the grid, which is not happening very often and he didn’t know exactly what to do. He went back to the starting grid, although he should have been starting from the pitlane. Then he was given a long lap penalty, that he did really well. He didn’t waste any time, put his head down and managed to finish 14th, which is really impressive. Most of the race he was the fastest KTM guy, doing the fastest laps. I think we can be proud of our four riders as KTM, we as Tech3 can be proud of Miguel and Iker and we need to keep on working hard and follow the same method, plus always improve and get closer to the leaders. I believe we can do it and this is a story I can tell you in a few days, because we’re staying here.”

Piero Taramasso – Michelin

“We have had a very successful weekend here at Misano in both MotoGP and MotoE. The tyres performed very well and adapted to the new surface, despite us having little information on the asphalt when we had to choose the tyres before the start of the season. This the first time this season that the condition of the track and the weather has afforded the possibility of all MotoGP specifications being a genuine raceable option, as it was five options were used and we saw three different configurations on the podium. Breaking records is not the whole reason we are here, but it is great to do that and to set all-time lap-records in both classes and break the race durations in both is an especially pleasing aspect and demonstrates the performance of the tyres and one that can eventually be translated from the track to the street. It was a very exciting race for all concerned and especially good to see people in the grandstands again, this is a small step in the battle against the pandemic, but from the point of MotoGP an important one. We hope that Michelin contributed in some way to rewarding them with good racing. I want to send congratulations to Franco Morbidelli on his first victory, a feat that gives us four new winners this season and with the way some of the other guys are riding I can see that growing. MotoE produced another good race and the tyres again lived up to their potential following the new materials, compounds and rear construction we introduced for this season. Racing is fast and close and we broke every single record on show, so we have to be happy with that. We will now stay here at Misano for a test on Tuesday, where I am sure different tyre configurations will be tested by the riders to see if that can improve further and get an optimum set-up for their respective machines ahead of next week’s race at the same track.”

MotoGP Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Franco MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	42m02.272
2	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	+2.217
3	Joan MIR	Suzuki	+2.290
4	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	+2.643
5	Alex RINS	Suzuki	+4.044
6	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	+5.383
7	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	+10.358
8	Jack MILLER	Ducati	+11.155
9	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	+10.839
10	Pol ESPARGARO	KTM	+12.030
11	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	+12.376
12	Brad BINDER	KTM	+12.405
13	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	+15.142
14	Iker LECUONA	KTM	+19.914
15	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	+20.152
16	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	+22.094
17	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	+22.473
18	Stefan BRADL	Honda	+37.856
19	Bradley SMITH	Aprilia	+1m18.831
Not Classified
DNF	Tito RABAT	Ducati	5 Laps
DNF	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	9 Laps

MotoGP World Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	76
2	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	70
3	Jack MILLER	Ducati	64
4	Joan MIR	Suzuki	60
5	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	58
6	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	58
7	Franco MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	57
8	Brad BINDER	KTM	53
9	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	53
10	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	48
11	Pol ESPARGARO	KTM	41
12	Alex RINS	Suzuki	40
13	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	31
14	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	29
15	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	25
16	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	18
17	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	15
18	Iker LECUONA	KTM	15
19	Bradley SMITH	Aprilia	8
20	Tito RABAT	Ducati	7
21	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Honda	7
22	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	4
23	Stefan BRADL	Honda	0

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, News

#SanMarinoGP Race Reports | Results | Points | All classes

September 13, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 MotoGP Round Seven – Misano

Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), take a bow! On home soil, the Italian produced 27 inch-perfect laps to secure his maiden MotoGP victory in a dramatic Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. Morbidelli took the chequered flag 2.217 ahead of compatriot Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), who celebrates his first premier class podium, with Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) getting the better of home hero Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) on the last lap to claim his second podium finish. Meanwhile, now former Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crashed out – twice – at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

MotoGP Race Report

From the middle of the front row, Morbidelli out-dragged both Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Quartararo off the line and headed into Turn 1 leading, with fourth place Rossi getting a superb start to slot into second ahead of the equally fast starting Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) from the second row. Viñales slipped to P4, with Quartararo slotting into P5 as Morbidelli and Rossi sent the Italian fans into raptures on the opening lap.

Rossi got a good run down into Turn 8 on Lap 1 and showed a wheel to Morbidelli, but the latter was late on the brakes and closed the door. The numbers 21 and 46 then started to create a bit of a gap to third place Miller, with Viñales holding off both Quartararo and the two Team Suzuki Ecstar machines of Alex Rins and Joan Mir. Viñales was the only rider on the grid to select the hard Michelin rear tyre, and the lap record holder seemed to be taking his time to get it up to speed – with Quartararo looking impatient behind.

The riders then settled into their rhythm, with Miller hauling in the leading duo to sit a couple of tenths behind them and Viñales and co just over half a second back from the Australian. Meanwhile, Miller’s teammate Bagnaia was setting fastest lap after fastest lap, and the injured Italian had soon latched himself onto the back of the Viñales-Quartararo-Rins-Mir train. On Lap 7, Quartararo then made his move past Viñales at Turn 14 – and his eyes were firmly set on the podium trio just a stone’s throw up the road.

However, the Frenchman’s progress took a swift dive only moments later as he went in a little hot at Turn 4, and it would prove costly as the Championship leader tucked the front and crashed out of fourth place in another 2020 MotoGP title twist. Quartararo remounted but was down in P20, over 15 seconds down on Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team). The number 20 would later enter pitlane, suffer a tip off and then retire from the race.

Back up front meanwhile, Morbidelli was still easing round in the lead, although Rossi was able to keep his protégé close – for the time being. Miller was also holding firm in P3 but Pecco was on the move and the Italian was through on Viñales down the back straight into Turn 11, that Ducati grunt being put to good use.

Bit-by-bit, Morbidelli was starting to pull away from ‘The Doctor’. By Lap 12 the gap was creeping up towards a second as Bagnaia and Rins continued to make formidable progress further back, and Miller was clearly starting to struggle. Rins produced the classic Turn 2 Misano move to grab 4th from the number 43 and then, heading down into Turn 8, Pecco was through on the Aussie too. Now, Rins and Pecco had Rossi 1.8 seconds up the road, with ‘The Doctor’, in turn, losing touch with Morbidelli. The gap between the Italians was 1.1 seconds – and rising – but it was Mir who was now the fastest man on track…

With 11 laps to go, the gap was down to below a second as the podium scrap started to bubble up in the San Marino sun, and a lap later Rins and Pecco were just half a second down on the nine-time World Champion. The podium battle was well and truly game on.

Into the last 10 laps the riders went, and Mir had got the better of Miller. The sophomore was 1.9 seconds back from the podium scrap, with Rins and Pecco now right on the back of Rossi. The first move was Pecco slicing underneath Rins into the scintillatingly quick Turn 11 and on the next lap, Bagnaia was at it again. This time his good friend Rossi felt the wrath of the Ducati power and Pecco – who fractured his leg just over a month ago – was up into second and on the way to a maiden podium.

By this point, Mir had closed the gap to the trio ahead of him and was doing so at a significant rate of knots. The gap was 1.4 to his teammate, and it seemed the fight for the podium was going to heat up even more. The fight for victory, however, was between Morbidelli and only Morbidelli. A dream debut premier class win was in sight as the number 21 was 2.8 seconds up the road, and Bagnaia was creeping clear of Rossi. With six to go at Turn 8, things got even closer between Rins and he number 46 too, as the Suzuki rider got the run down the straight and showed a wheel up the inside. Rossi closed the door – no way through for Rins, but Mir was then just one second back.

With five to go, Rossi was still holding strong in third place as he continued to ride an impressive defensive display – especially at Turn 2, where Rins looked superb but couldn’t make it happen. With three to go, Rossi was then suddenly 0.4 faster than Bagnaia too – and what looked like a guaranteed second for the former Moto2 World Champion now became a proper dog fight for second and third.

Coming around the final sector on the penultimate lap, Rins was out the saddle on the exit of Turn 15 and then ran slightly wide at Turn 16, allowing Mir to get the run on him down into Turn 1. Mir was then on a mission as a second podium of the season stood right in front of him… on the last lap, against Rossi, at Misano. Rossi himself was aiming to grab P2 back from Pecco though and it was as you were heading out of Turn 8…

Suddenly, Mir then mugged Rossi. The Spaniard produced an absolutely sublime move up the inside at Turn 10 to climb into third, with the Italian trying to set up a move coming into the Turn 14 hairpin but heading slightly wide at Turn 13… ending his hopes of a dream 200th podium in his backyard.

At the front though, it was pure magic for Morbidelli. The Italian simply didn’t put a foot wrong at Misano and led from start to finish to propel himself right into the 2020 title fight after two disastrous couple of weekends at the Red Bull Ring. In addition, the Italian becomes the fourth rider in six races to win their first MotoGP race this year – how’s that for excitement and unpredictability?

Bagnaia’s return from injury couldn’t have gone much better, the sophomore by far and away the fastest Ducati rider at Misano to claim his first MotoGP podium, going some way to making up for a lost rostrum after a mechanical at Jerez. Mir, meanwhile, produced an astonishing second half of the race to outfox Rossi on the last lap at Misano – and not many riders can say that. With Bagnaia on the rostrum, that’s 12 different podium finishers in the six 2020 races!

For Rossi, there is bound to be some disappointment for missing out on a home Grand Prix podium by just three tenths. Nevertheless, it was a magnificent performance from the 41-year-old, who will now be as determined as ever to pick up his 200th GP podium in seven days’ time. On a positive not though, Rossi is just 18 points from new Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team)…

Rins looked to have the measure of Rossi before making a mistake

Rins’ error on the penultimate lap cost him a chance of a podium that looked nailed on for much of the second half of the race, but P5 is a solid job to put him just 36 points from top spot. After looking so strong throughout Free Practice and qualifying, Viñales’ race just didn’t materialise. The Spaniard eventually found his rhythm at the end of the race on the hard rear tyre and was searing around, but it was far too late and he had to settle for a disappointing P6.

Dovizioso worked his way forward after early tussles with Pol Espargaro

Seventh went the way of Dovizioso who, despite having more muted weekend, now leads the Championship after Quartararo’s misfortunes. The Italian got the better of Miller in the closing stages to take some crucial points from the first or two Misano races, but there’s work to do.

Miller’s early pace didn’t last and the Aussie slipped down the order to cross the line in ninth, but Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was handed a one-place penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap so it’s P8 for Miller, P9 and the leading Honda accolade for Nakagami, and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) winning the KTM battle for P10.

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) rounded out the points.

Aleix Espargaro ahead of Iker Lecuona and Brad Binder

Another little chunk of history made at Misano underlines the stunning unpredictable 2020 season so far, and the Championship has taken another almighty twist. Quartararo’s DNF is his first since the 2019 Australian GP and he loses the title lead for the first time in 2020 after crashing twice on Sunday in a a day to forget for the Frenchman. Dovizioso now takes charge, but it’s so close: 28 points separate the top 10 riders, with Bagnaia’s second place seeing him 47 points off in P14.

Now much of the MotoGP field will be out for a test on Tuesday, and then we go again at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli next weekend.

Franco Morbidelli

“It feels… it don’t know how it feels, I’m still trying to process everything. Definitely it’s good and a good feeling! I’m very happy, I’m enjoying the moment. The only thing I can say is thanks to my team, thanks to my people and all the people who’ve been working with and helping me. On the last laps I was thinking a lot and about how seven years ago I was here racing in the Italian Championship, Superstock, winning that race… this felt just the same but MUCH MORE! So I’m just overwhelmed at the moment, the only thing I can say is thank you to everyone!”

MotoGP Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Franco MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	42m02.272
2	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	+2.217
3	Joan MIR	Suzuki	+2.290
4	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	+2.643
5	Alex RINS	Suzuki	+4.044
6	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	+5.383
7	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	+10.358
8	Jack MILLER	Ducati	+11.155
9	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	+10.839
10	Pol ESPARGARO	KTM	+12.030
11	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	+12.376
12	Brad BINDER	KTM	+12.405
13	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	+15.142
14	Iker LECUONA	KTM	+19.914
15	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	+20.152
16	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	+22.094
17	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	+22.473
18	Stefan BRADL	Honda	+37.856
19	Bradley SMITH	Aprilia	+1m18.831
Not Classified
DNF	Tito RABAT	Ducati	5 Laps
DNF	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	9 Laps

MotoGP World Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	76
2	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	70
3	Jack MILLER	Ducati	64
4	Joan MIR	Suzuki	60
5	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	58
6	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	58
7	Franco MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	57
8	Brad BINDER	KTM	53
9	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	53
10	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	48
11	Pol ESPARGARO	KTM	41
12	Alex RINS	Suzuki	40
13	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	31
14	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	29
15	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	25
16	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	18
17	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	15
18	Iker LECUONA	KTM	15
19	Bradley SMITH	Aprilia	8
20	Tito RABAT	Ducati	7
21	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Honda	7
22	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	4
23	Stefan BRADL	Honda	0

Moto2

Sky Racing Team VR46 put on one hell of a show at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, with teammates Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi duelling it out to give the home fans a rollercoaster of a Moto2 race. In the end though, it was Marini who came out on top as he managed to edge clear in the last few laps, taking his second victory of 2020 and extending his Championship lead. Bezzecchi was forced to settle for – and defend – second place, with second in the standings Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) less than a tenth behind him over the line.

Marini started the race from pole position after Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) was forced out of the race after fracturing both his left hand and foot in a monster Warm Up highside (Link), and when the lights went out Marini took full profit with the holeshot. Team-mate Bezzecchi calmly settled in behind him but behind them, Bastianini wasn’t having the same privilege as a determined Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) edging through to third in the early stages.

There was already a gap starting to form from the rear wheel of Bezzecchi to the front wheel of Schrötter, and Bastianini’s chances at a third win of the year were slipping away before a handful of laps had even been completed. The title challenger obviously knew that too though, diving under Schrötter to reclaim third and setting his sights on the Italian duo ahead.

At the front, Marini was starting to flex his muscles as he slowly but surely moved half a second clear of his teammate. A fastest lap of the race, with five then completed, allowed the Championship leader to move over six tenths clear at the front with Bezzecchi unable to conjure up any type of response at that stage.

Meanwhile, an almighty scrap for the top five was starting to take shape. Schrötter, who had by this time dropped off the back of Bastianini and had Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) burst past him, had teammate Tom Lüthi, Fabio Di Giannantonio (+EGO Speed Up) and Augusto Fernandez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) for close company, with nobody wanting to let up.

Marini’s push towards home glory took another firm step forwards soon after when he was able to open out the gap to over a second on Lap 9, and a small Bezzecchi error in sector one allowed the number 10 to extend his comfort buffer even further…

In the fight for fifth, Schrötter was able to eek out an advantage over Di Giannantonio, who had momentarily got the better of Swiss veteran Lüthi. Jorge Navarro’s (+EGO Speed Up) miserable 2020 run then continued as the Spaniard crashed out, his fifth crash in six races, and in a lap to forget for the factory Speed Up squad, Di Giannantonio then took the car park route through Turn 14 and through went both Lüthi and Fernandez.

Bezzecchi, however, wasn’t throwing the towel in and just as we saw in Styria three weeks ago, the Italian was starting to chip away at Marini’s lead. Further back, Bastianini’s title chances flashed before his eyes as he pulled of a quite remarkable save at Turn 8. The front end folded and in true Marc Marquez style, the 22-year-old picked it up on his knee and held on to the podium place.

Suddenly drama struck and the fight was on with seven laps to go. Marini hit a false neutral into Turn 14, forcing him wide, and his eight-tenth advantage was gone. Bezzecchi swooped through, took the lead and it was role reversal at the front of his intermediate class scrap. A couple of laps later Marini hit back as he smoothly went past under the brakes into Turn 8., but Bezzecchi was having none of it, diving straight back past…

Four to go and Marini tried again through the opening corners but Bezzecchi hit straight back as the pair’s fight really started to heat up, Marini next getting the job done through the ultra-fast Turn 11. All of their squabbling was allowing Bastianini to suddenly creep into contention though, something team boss Pablo Nieto knew too well as he clambered over pit wall to point out the looming 33 to his riders.

Just two laps were remaining with a top three covered by 1.1 seconds, and it really was anyone’s game. Were we going to be treated to an incredible sprint finish? Marini had other ideas and he put together a perfect penultimate lap, before his cause was aided by Bezzecchi incredibly hitting a false neutral of his own at Turn 14. That saw Bastianini move to within four tenths of his compatriot, and it seemed Marini’s to lose.

The number 10 stood firm on the final lap and the victory was his, with teammate Bezzecchi just doing enough to fight off the charging Bastianini by less than a single tenth. That puts Marini19 points clear of Bastianini, with Bezzecchi a further ten back in third.

Vierge came across the line in fourth after having the best seat in Misano throughout the final laps, and Fernandez held off both Lüthi and Di Giannantonio to take the final top five place. They were ahead of arguably one of the rides of the day courtesy of Sam Lowes. The EG 0,0 Marc VDS rider will walk away from Misano with eight points despite starting from pitlane and will no doubt be delighted that the intermediate class is back in just seven days’ time. Completing the top ten were Aron Canet (Oceanica Aspar Team) and Joe Roberts (Tennor American Racing).

Luca Marini

“This is a big one. I think my best race, because I wasn’t as fact as I expected, every time on track in the race it’s different and the track is slower, I couldn’t do it like in practice. But I tried to manage the gap with Bez until I hit a neutral, lost a second, Bez ovetook me, we started to fight… but I was a bit faster so I could overtake him again. When I was at the front I pushed for the last three laps, I had something more for the end. This is great team work, and with my crew, the bike was perfect from the beginning. Now we enjoy this win, a party tonight but not with a lot of people – my house with my girlfriend and maybe some close friends! And then focus on the next one, because this year the first race I’m fast every time and can achieve a good result, but then in the second race at the track track I struggle a bit. The other guys make a big step and me, I stay the same on race pace. So we need to work a bit on this, but let’s enjoy this win and great job to Marco and to Bestia. It’s a great Championship this year with a lot of battles.”

Moto2 Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Luca MARINI	Kalex	40m41.774
2	Marco BEZZECCHI	Kalex	+0.799
3	Enea BASTIANINI	Kalex	+0.897
4	Xavi VIERGE	Kalex	+2.177
5	Augusto FERNANDEZ	Kalex	+8.307
6	Thomas LUTHI	Kalex	+9.046
7	Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO	Speed Up	+9.971
8	Sam LOWES	Kalex	+16.485
9	Aron CANET	Speed Up	+17.036
10	Joe ROBERTS	Kalex	+17.209
11	Lorenzo BALDASSARRI	Kalex	+17.741
12	Marcos RAMIREZ	Kalex	+19.152
13	Lorenzo DALLA PORTA	Kalex	+21.946
14	Simone CORSI	MV Agusta	+22.005
15	Nicolò BULEGA	Kalex	+24.404
16	Jake DIXON	Kalex	+24.663
17	Stefano MANZI	MV Agusta	+27.442
18	Somkiat CHANTRA	Kalex	+32.671
19	Bo BENDSNEYDER	NTS	+35.844
20	Kasma DANIEL	Kalex	+46.463
Not Classified
DNF	Tetsuta NAGASHIMA	Kalex	1 Lap
DNF	Hafizh SYAHRIN	Speed Up	4 Laps
DNF	Marcel SCHROTTER	Kalex	7 Laps
DNF	Andi Farid IZDIHAR	Kalex	9 Laps
DNF	Jesko RAFFIN	NTS	10 Laps
DNF	Edgar PONS	Kalex	13 Laps
DNF	Jorge NAVARRO	Speed Up	15 Laps
DNF	Hector GARZO	Kalex	19 Laps

Moto2 World Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Luca MARINI	Kalex	112
2	Enea BASTIANINI	Kalex	95
3	Marco BEZZECCHI	Kalex	85
4	Jorge MARTIN	Kalex	79
5	Tetsuta NAGASHIMA	Kalex	68
6	Sam LOWES	Kalex	67
7	Xavi VIERGE	Kalex	59
8	Aron CANET	Speed Up	50
9	Joe ROBERTS	Kalex	45
10	Thomas LUTHI	Kalex	45
11	Remy GARDNER	Kalex	41
12	Lorenzo BALDASSARRI	Kalex	39
13	Marcel SCHROTTER	Kalex	37
14	Augusto FERNANDEZ	Kalex	36
15	Jorge NAVARRO	Speed Up	19
16	Hafizh SYAHRIN	Speed Up	17
17	Stefano MANZI	MV Agusta	15
18	Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO	Speed Up	12
19	Jake DIXON	Kalex	12
20	Hector GARZO	Kalex	12
21	Nicolò BULEGA	Kalex	12
22	Bo BENDSNEYDER	NTS	5
23	Marcos RAMIREZ	Kalex	5
24	Dominique AEGERTER	NTS	4
25	Lorenzo DALLA PORTA	Kalex	3
26	Somkiat CHANTRA	Kalex	3
27	Simone CORSI	MV Agusta	3

Moto3

John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) crafted a masterpiece on Sunday at the Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, slicing through from P17 on the grid to take back to the top step and beat fellow Championship contender Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) to the line in the 150th Moto3 race. The 1-2 for the men second and third overall in the standings is even bigger news at Misano too, as Championship leader Albert Arenas (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) crashed out. There was no such drama for 2019 winner Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), however, as he completed the podium to give Paolo Simoncelli’s Moto3 outfit some more hometown glory.

Ogura got the launch he would have been looking for from pole position but Suzuki was clean and aggressive from the start, taking the lead at Turn 2 after starting third. There was big drama from the off in the Moto3 race moments later though as three riders hit the deck at Turn 4: Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) tucked the front and took out Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with Styrian GP winner Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) unable to avoid crashing either as three contenders were out on Lap 1.

Back at the front, Suzuki was holding firm but Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) was making moves in the early stages, the Argentinian taking the lead into Turn 13 and Ogura following him through. Suzuki bit straight back on the polesitter and we had a freight train as ever, with squabbles up and down the field.

Meanwhile, CIP Green Power’s Darryn Binder, having started P19, was producing the goods on race day again. The South African was up the inside of Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) at Turn 4 on Lap 5, and Binder was soon fourth later round the lap. But this was a proper group fight, with three seconds covering the leading 21 riders and the positions changing constantly at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Binder was again getting busy and there was slight contact at Turn 2 with Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) as the Italian tried a move,; just enough to see Arbolino lose a couple of places. Binder then led but Rodrigo, looking mighty in Misano, didn’t let the South African have the baton for long, with the two Leopard Racing machines on Dennis Foggia and Jaume Masia getting the better of Suzuki who felt the wrath of Binder at Turn 5.

After starting from a season’s worst qualifying in P13, Arenas was now rising to the fore. The Championship leader was up to third with nine laps to go…

There was a shot of drama soon after as Binder went down at the exit of Turn 6, but some of the key Championship frontrunners were starting to strut their stuff after quieter races. Arenas, Ogura and McPhee – who started P17 – were into the top six with seven laps to go, although the gaggle of riders that were line astern was still 19, down to Barry Baltus (CarXpert PrüstelGP). Suzuki vs Rodrigo continued at the front.

With five to go though, McPhee was making his move. Squabbling his way to near the front McPhee, made a great move at the final corner to lead – just three laps left on the clock.

Thought you’d seen enough drama in one race? Well, more was about to unfold – and it was the biggest of them all. After being run wide by Arbolino at Turn 2, Arenas crashed at Turn 3… unhurt, but scoring another 0 as second and third in the standings – McPhee and Ogura – marched on at the front.

It was Masia who led onto the last lap, closely followed by McPhee, but Rodrigo was up to second at Turn 2. Suzuki then tried his luck around the outside of McPhee at Turn 4 and 5 – and it worked. Heading down the back straight though, it was elbows out – it couldn’t get much closer. There was contact between Masia and Rodrigo, with McPhee getting a clean run and taking the lead into Turn 8 and Ogura profitting up the inside. The Japanese rider, on the wide line, was then passed by Suzuki heading onto the back straight, with McPhee led the way.

The number 17 held his advantage down the back straight and coming around the last sector, and McPhee made no mistake and despite the best efforts of Ogura, crossing the line in P1 for the first time since Le Mans 2019. Ogura was just 0.037 off as the two title contenders took full advantage of Arenas’ misfortunes, however, as Suzuki takes a SIC58 podium on the track named after the late, great SIC58 – Marco Simoncelli. Ogura and Suzuki also make it two Japanese riders on the lightweight podium together for the first time since Welkom 2001!

Rookie Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) earned his best result of the season with a fantastic P4 result at Misano, getting the better of teammate Rodrigo on the last lap as the Argentinian got shuffled back. Arbolino took a valuable top six on home soil, with Masia having to settle for P7 after getting a little bit beaten up on the last lap. Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) picks up his best result of the season in P8, just ahead of Foggia and Migno, who complete the top 10.

Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Alonso Lopez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) crashed out together at Turn 8 in the lead group – riders ok.

John McPhee

“It was a crazy race, I’m a bit lost for words I’m so so happy! To come from 17th! I knew I had the pace all weekend and I’ve been trying to do as much as a I can on my own so I knew where I was at on the bike, massive thanks to the team because it worked so well today and I was able to have a proper fight! I got shuffled back to 11th or 12th with about eight laps to go and I thought ok, I’m not settling for 12th, I have to just put the hammer down here and charge forward, and it paid off.”

Moto3 Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	John MCPHEE	Honda	39m48.952
2	Ai OGURA	Honda	+0.037
3	Tatsuki SUZUKI	Honda	+0.232
4	Jeremy ALCOBA	Honda	+0.393
5	Gabriel RODRIGO	Honda	+0.490
6	Tony ARBOLINO	Honda	+0.543
7	Jaume MASIA	Honda	+0.833
8	Romano FENATI	Husqvarna	+0.928
9	Dennis FOGGIA	Honda	+0.976
10	Andrea MIGNO	KTM	+1.121
11	Niccolò ANTONELLI	Honda	+1.554
12	Ryusei YAMANAKA	Honda	+1.691
13	Riccardo ROSSI	KTM	+1.921
14	Stefano NEPA	KTM	+1.961
15	Carlos TATAY	KTM	+2.239
16	Deniz ÖNCÜ	KTM	+3.927
17	Kaito TOBA	KTM	+8.517
18	Davide PIZZOLI	KTM	+11.399
19	Jason DUPASQUIER	KTM	+11.679
20	Filip SALAC	Honda	+11.835
21	Khairul Idham PAWI	Honda	+18.331
22	Maximilian KOFLER	KTM	+18.598
23	Yuki KUNII	Honda	+18.891
24	Barry BALTUS	KTM	+41.938
25	Sergio GARCIA	Honda	+1m01.077
Not Classified
DNF	Albert ARENAS	KTM	2 Laps
DNF	Darryn BINDER	KTM	9 Laps
DNF	Ayumu SASAKI	KTM	17 Laps
DNF	Alonso LOPEZ	Husqvarna	17 Laps
DNF	Raul FERNANDEZ	KTM	0 Lap
Not Finished 1st Lap
DNF	Celestino VIETTI	KTM	0 Lap

Moto3 World Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Albert ARENAS	KTM	106
2	Ai OGURA	Honda	101
3	John MCPHEE	Honda	92
4	Tatsuki SUZUKI	Honda	75
5	Tony ARBOLINO	Honda	70
6	Celestino VIETTI	KTM	66
7	Gabriel RODRIGO	Honda	59
8	Raul FERNANDEZ	KTM	51
9	Jaume MASIA	Honda	50
10	Dennis FOGGIA	Honda	44
11	Jeremy ALCOBA	Honda	43
12	Darryn BINDER	KTM	37
13	Andrea MIGNO	KTM	28
14	Niccolò ANTONELLI	Honda	26
15	Romano FENATI	Husqvarna	22
16	Stefano NEPA	KTM	22
17	Sergio GARCIA	Honda	19
18	Deniz ÖNCÜ	KTM	13
19	Filip SALAC	Honda	12
20	Ryusei YAMANAKA	Honda	12
21	Kaito TOBA	KTM	12
22	Ayumu SASAKI	KTM	8
23	Alonso LOPEZ	Husqvarna	5
24	Carlos TATAY	KTM	4
25	Riccardo ROSSI	KTM	3

MotoE

Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) kept his perfect FIM Enel MotoE World Cup record at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli intact on Sunday, taking a flawless victory at the Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. That’s three wins in two years on home soil for the reigning World Cup winner, and it’s also his first win of 2020 to put him right back in the fight for the Cup. Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) and Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) completed the podium in another close fought MotoE encounter.

Polesitter Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) grabbed the holeshot after a great start on home soil and soon got into a good rhythm, with Simeon going around the outside of Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) at Turn 1 and into Turn 2 to grab P2. It was a clean opening sector for everyone, but then Turn 8 saw Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE) run off track, before numerous riders – including Tulovic – got Turn 13 all sorts of wrong. Tulovic dropped to outside the top 10, with leader Casadei left enjoying a half-second advantage on the opening lap.

However, the Italian was soon reeled in by Simeon and the chasing pack. On Lap 2, we had a five-rider battle for the lead. Casadei, Simeon, Ferrari, Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) and standings leader Aegerter were about to get into a phenomenal ding-dong MotoE™ battle. Ferrari was past Simeon into Turn 8 after Aegerter had set the fastest lap on Lap 3, with the swapping and changing then allowing Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) to catch the group to make it a 12-wheel fight for victory.

Di Meglio soon made his move on Aegerter to shove the Swiss rider down to P6 with three laps to go, as Ferrari then started closing in on leader Casadei. Lap 5 saw the number 11 get a great run out of Turn 10 and the Italian dived up the inside of his compatriot into the rapid right-hander of Turn 11, with Simeon then pouncing on Casadei at Turn 2 with two laps to go to boot. At that point, Ferrari had a half-second lead over the chasing five riders…

Heading onto the last lap, Simeon had closed Ferrari down slightly, the gap at three tenths, and Aegerter had got back past Di Meglio. The Andalucia GP winner was also up the inside of Torres for P4 at Turn 10, but Ferrari was holding firm at the front and looked set to gain a chunk of points. Heading into the tight and technical Turn 14 – an overtaking hotspot – Simeon wasn’t close enough to make a clean lunge on the race leader and that seemed that, but Aegerter was at least able to pounce for the podium. The number 77 sliced up the inside of Casadei at Turn 14, with Torres following him through as well…

No one could stop Ferrari from taking the 25-point haul, however, a first win of the campaign coming in style – although Simeon crossed the line just 0.213 behind for his first MotoE™ podium since Austria 2019. Aegerter’s stunning final lap sees him keep a healthy lead in the standings, with Ferrari moving to within 12 of the Swiss rider. Torres’ P4 was another great result for the rookie who is now 14 adrift of Aegerter in the standings, with Casadei dropping to P5 from pole and the early race lead.

Di Meglio crossed the line in P6 to see the top six finish just 0.7 seconds apart in a truly epic MotoE encounter. 3.6 seconds behind the lead battle was another cracking fight, with Alessandro Zaccone (Trentino Gresini MotoE) leading those riders over the line for his first points of the season. Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) recovered well to eighth after starting P16, the Sammarinese star less than a tenth shy of Zaccone. Tommaso Marcon (Tech3 E-Racing) beat Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) to ninth as the duo rounded out the top 10, the latter doing well to climb into that top 10 after starting from the back of the grid. A title favourite, he will be hoping to bounce back and be in the fight for victory at the double-header at Misano next weekend.

Matteo Ferrari

“The feeling of winning here again is incredible. After Jerez it as difficult to try and keep focused on the Championship, on the bike, we worked a lot at home and we arrived here with a lot of pressure because last year we won twice. But we did a great job. On the first lap it was difficult, Mattia went very fast in the first three laps, and after that the tyres went down a bit and I had to manage it… but you know MotoE races are very short; you have to stay focused and not make mistakes. I did that and won, and I’m really happy!”

Josh Hook – P18

“A difficult race, I was off to a good start, I had managed to make some good overtaking, Unfortunately I made a mistake that took me off track, but I managed to complete the race anyway. We have some work to do but we will be ready for next week.”

MotoE Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Matteo FERRARI	Energica	12m14.331
2	Xavier SIMEON	Energica	+0.213
3	Dominique AEGERTER	Energica	+0.372
4	Jordi TORRES	Energica	+0.474
5	Mattia CASADEI	Energica	+0.606
6	Mike DI MEGLIO	Energica	+0.780
7	Alessandro ZACCONE	Energica	+4.393
8	Alex DE ANGELIS	Energica	+4.476
9	Tommaso MARCON	Energica	+4.915
10	Eric GRANADO	Energica	+5.056
11	Niccolo CANEPA	Energica	+5.439
12	Lukas TULOVIC	Energica	+5.705
13	Alejandro MEDINA	Energica	+8.448
14	Xavi CARDELUS	Energica	+8.582
15	Maria HERRERA	Energica	+8.813
16	Jakub KORNFEIL	Energica	+11.795
17	Niki TUULI	Energica	+12.892
18	Josh HOOK	Energica	+36.401

MotoE World Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Dominique AEGERTER	Energica	57
2	Matteo FERRARI	Energica	45
3	Jordi TORRES	Energica	43
4	Mattia CASADEI	Energica	38
5	Xavier SIMEON	Energica	35
6	Eric GRANADO	Energica	34
7	Lukas TULOVIC	Energica	27
8	Mike DI MEGLIO	Energica	25
9	Alex DE ANGELIS	Energica	21
10	Niccolo CANEPA	Energica	19
11	Josh HOOK	Energica	15
12	Alejandro MEDINA	Energica	12
13	Tommaso MARCON	Energica	11
14	Xavi CARDELUS	Energica	10
15	Alessandro ZACCONE	Energica	9
16	Maria HERRERA	Energica	7
17	Niki TUULI	Energica	5
18	Jakub KORNFEIL	Energica	4

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, News

Broken thumb and fractured left foot for Remy Gardner

September 13, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2020 MotoGP Round Seven – Misano

Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini

A spill on Friday didn’t prevent Remy from bouncing back to secure a front row start in Qualifying in the #SanMarinoGP at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Setting the second fastest time in Q2, Gardner was set to start from Pole Position following a penalty for Sam Lowes, but, following a monster high side crash in morning Wam-Up, the Australian was ruled unfit for the race.

Misano 2020 Moto2 front row
1 Sam Lowes – EG0,0 Marc VDS – Kalex – 1:36.170
2 Remy Gardner – ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team – Kalex +0.254
3 Luca Marini – Sky Racing Team VR46 – Kalex +0.332

Further medical checks revealed that Remy suffered a broken thumb and three left foot fractures. Whilst the tough Aussie wanted to ride, he will now fly to Barcelona for an operation.

He remains optimistic and focused on next weekend’s event which is also going to take place in Misano.

Remy Gardner

“The crash on Friday morning didn’t help with the confidence and with the plan for working on the basic setting but the new asphalt really surprised me. I was still sure we would be able to improve when it counted – the focus was always on the race. Saturday was a really great day. We worked really well as a team and were able to come back from a tough Friday. I was extremely happy to be on the front row and with Sam’s penalty, I was P1 on the grid. I knew the Italian riders would be fast here in Misano, so the target was to do a good race and leave with some strong points. We were fast again in Warm-Up and honestly, I have no idea why I went down. It was a big crash, but I escaped relatively unhurt. I am now going to Barcelona to be operated on and I hope to be able to ride next week, but it’s too early to say for sure that I can. Thanks for the support and see you all back on track soon!”

Moto2 Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Luca MARINI	Kalex	40m41.774
2	Marco BEZZECCHI	Kalex	+0.799
3	Enea BASTIANINI	Kalex	+0.897
4	Xavi VIERGE	Kalex	+2.177
5	Augusto FERNANDEZ	Kalex	+8.307
6	Thomas LUTHI	Kalex	+9.046
7	Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO	Speed Up	+9.971
8	Sam LOWES	Kalex	+16.485
9	Aron CANET	Speed Up	+17.036
10	Joe ROBERTS	Kalex	+17.209
11	Lorenzo BALDASSARRI	Kalex	+17.741
12	Marcos RAMIREZ	Kalex	+19.152
13	Lorenzo DALLA PORTA	Kalex	+21.946
14	Simone CORSI	MV Agusta	+22.005
15	Nicolò BULEGA	Kalex	+24.404
16	Jake DIXON	Kalex	+24.663
17	Stefano MANZI	MV Agusta	+27.442
18	Somkiat CHANTRA	Kalex	+32.671
19	Bo BENDSNEYDER	NTS	+35.844
20	Kasma DANIEL	Kalex	+46.463
Not Classified
DNF	Tetsuta NAGASHIMA	Kalex	1 Lap
DNF	Hafizh SYAHRIN	Speed Up	4 Laps
DNF	Marcel SCHROTTER	Kalex	7 Laps
DNF	Andi Farid IZDIHAR	Kalex	9 Laps
DNF	Jesko RAFFIN	NTS	10 Laps
DNF	Edgar PONS	Kalex	13 Laps
DNF	Jorge NAVARRO	Speed Up	15 Laps
DNF	Hector GARZO	Kalex	19 Laps

Moto2 World Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Luca MARINI	Kalex	112
2	Enea BASTIANINI	Kalex	95
3	Marco BEZZECCHI	Kalex	85
4	Jorge MARTIN	Kalex	79
5	Tetsuta NAGASHIMA	Kalex	68
6	Sam LOWES	Kalex	67
7	Xavi VIERGE	Kalex	59
8	Aron CANET	Speed Up	50
9	Joe ROBERTS	Kalex	45
10	Thomas LUTHI	Kalex	45
11	Remy GARDNER	Kalex	41
12	Lorenzo BALDASSARRI	Kalex	39
13	Marcel SCHROTTER	Kalex	37
14	Augusto FERNANDEZ	Kalex	36
15	Jorge NAVARRO	Speed Up	19
16	Hafizh SYAHRIN	Speed Up	17
17	Stefano MANZI	MV Agusta	15
18	Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO	Speed Up	12
19	Jake DIXON	Kalex	12
20	Hector GARZO	Kalex	12
21	Nicolò BULEGA	Kalex	12
22	Bo BENDSNEYDER	NTS	5
23	Marcos RAMIREZ	Kalex	5
24	Dominique AEGERTER	NTS	4
25	Lorenzo DALLA PORTA	Kalex	3
26	Somkiat CHANTRA	Kalex	3
27	Simone CORSI	MV Agusta	3

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, News

Could engine issues cost Yamaha a MotoGP World Championship?

September 13, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

MotoGP engine allocations a hand-brake on Yamaha speed

The need for riders to stay healthy, mechanics to stay sharp and have a reliable supply chain of spare parts, will be crucial as the MotoGP paddock is faced with an unprecedented nine rounds staged over the coming ten weeks.

Yamaha will be more nervous than most due to their ongoing and well publicised engine reliability problems, which will likely see some of their riders starting Grands Prix from pit-lane having exceeded their allocation of five engines before the season is complete.

The original limit of seven engines for the non-concession teams, and nine for the concession teams, was reduced to five and seven respectively when the MotoGP calendar was constrained due to the pandemic. When that lower limit was set it seemed likely that MotoGP would be unable to make up even a 12-race calendar in 2020, down from the originally scheduled 20 rounds, but it now seems likely that we will see 14 rounds run this year. Moto2 and Moto3 are scheduled to complete 15 rounds as they raced at Losail back in March but the premier category only kicked off on July 19 at Jerez. The manufacturers unanimously voted to approve this reduced engine allocation but Yamaha would now be ruing that choice.

Suzuki were the last of the major manufacturers to be in this perilous position in regards to engine reliability when they had major issues in 2010. Back in 2010 the penalty for exceeding an engine allowance was that the rider in question would have to start from pit-lane a full ten-seconds after all the regular starters had passed the pit-lane exit. That penalty was reduced to five-seconds in 2015, but it is still a very serious handicap in an era where MotoGP is closer than it has ever been.

Of further concern is another decision, also made when the pandemic was really smashing Europe, a development freeze on engines. Manufacturers voted to halt engine development, and run the same specification of engine in 2021.

If the rumours that Yamaha’s problems are due to a manufacturing problem in the valves fitted to the their 2020 cylinder head are true, a simple change when producing the next batch for season 2021 will cure those ills. This year though, they are stuck with what they have, and we are realistically faced with the prospect that the 2020 MotoGP World Championship could be decided as a result of penalties applied for exceeding engine allocations.

At the second of the Jerez double-header rounds which started the season it was a Yamaha 1-2-3 and quite possibly would have been a 1-2-3-4 if not for Morbidelli’s engine failure while battling up front during the race.

We do believe championship leader Fabio Quartararo is better placed in regards to engines used than the other three Yamaha riders, and if he is able to snag a maiden MotoGP world championship crown, Yamaha will be glad he is the one with some hope of making it through the season using just his original five engines.

It is obvious that Yamaha have switched to a more conservative tune and reduced engine rpm limits, a rumoured 500 rpm, since those costly failures at Jerez and that largely seems to have put a big enough band-aid on those issues. Reducing RPM is almost always a successful way to ease load on the entire valve train of an engine, however it costs power. And it can create issues around selecting optimal gearing for each circuit, as with less revs available at the top end, there is a narrower window of engine performance. Also of note at Jerez was astonishingly high ambient temperatures, definitely not a help if you have a weak engine. Perhaps cooler weather will play a role in the Yamaha riders finding better reliability over the second half of the 2020 season?.

MotoGP podium at the second of the Jerez rounds earlier this season
1 Fabio Quartararo – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – 41:22.666
2 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +4.495
3 Valentino Rossi – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +5.546

With the tuning and RPM changes made in-season by Yamaha, this has seen the results of their riders negatively impacted, struggling with the reduced performance offered by their machines. During the recent events in Austria at the Red Bull Ring circuit, all four Yamaha riders were clearly on the back foot along that circuits’ long straights. Quartararo came out so strong when the season got underway, however the past couple of rounds have seen the Frenchman struggle for speed. It would be very cruel indeed for his early season promise not to be realised and his potential blunted.

2020 Misano I MotoGP front row
1 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 1:31.411
2 Franco Morbidelli* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.312
3 Fabio Quartararo* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.380

Tonight though we have the Yamaha quartet filling the top four places on the grid for the first of the two rounds to be held at Misano. This is a happy hunting ground for Yamaha, their sublime chassis compliance helping over the bumps in the circuit and the flow of the turns suiting the YZR-M1.

Ahead of tonights 27-lap encounter Dorna released the latest engine allocation data and it does not paint a pretty picture for Yamaha.

Vinales has already had one engine withdrawn from his allocation, as has Rossi and Morbidelli. Thus that trio only have four engines to rotate through for the rest of the championship. Rossi though does have one engine that has not been used, as does Fabio Quartararo, who is the only Yamaha rider to still have his full allocation of five engines to cycle through.

MotoGP Engine allocations prior to Misano I

As you can see the championship leader is by far the best placed Yamaha rider in regards to engine availability to see him through to season end. Here is hoping that the measures taken by Yamaha prevent the 2020 MotoGP World Championship being decided by reliability.

2020 MotoGP Calendar

Rnd	Date	Circuit
1	~~08 March (Moto2/Moto3)~~	~~Losail International Circuit~~
2	~~19 July~~	~~Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto~~
3	~~26 July~~	~~Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto~~
4	~~09 August~~	~~Automotodrom Brno~~
5	~~16 August~~	~~Red Bull Ring-Spielberg~~
6	~~23 August~~	~~Red Bull Ring-Spielberg~~
7	13 September	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
8	20 September	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
9	27 September	Barcelona – Catalunya
10	11 October	Le Mans
11	18 October	MotorLand Aragón
12	25 October	MotorLand Aragón
13	08 November	Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
14	15 November	Comunitat Valenciana-Ricardo Tormo
15	22 November	Autodromo Internacional do Algarve

MotoGP World Championship Points

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	70
2	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	67
3	Jack MILLER	Ducati	56
4	Brad BINDER	KTM	49
5	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	48
6	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	46
7	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	45
8	Joan MIR	Suzuki	44
9	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	43
10	Pol ESPARGARO	KTM	35
11	Franco MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	32
12	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	30
13	Alex RINS	Suzuki	29
14	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	25
15	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	15
16	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	15
17	Iker LECUONA	KTM	13
18	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	9
19	Bradley SMITH	Aprilia	8
20	Tito RABAT	Ducati	7
21	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Honda	7
22	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	4
23	Stefan BRADL	Honda	0

Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini Schedule

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

MotoGP officials attempt to clarify track limits enforcement

September 13, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

A Press Conference with MotoGP Race Director Mike Webb took place overnight at Misano to clarify the rules and regulations regarding track limits. A summary is included below while the full 30-minute interview is included further down the page.

What are track limit violations?

Track limit violations are when a rider exceeds the limits of the track, and possibly gains an advantage. Kerbs (except double kerbs) are part of the track. Double kerbs and any green painted areas connected to and outside of kerbs are both considered outside track limits.

An instance of exceeding track limits is recorded when both tyres are outside of the track at the same time. Similarly to tennis, any contact with the line is considered ‘in’. Only when both tyres are completely outside track limits is it considered an infraction.

Who determines whether a rider has committed an infraction?

Decisions regarding track limits, as well as any other penalties, are the sole responsibility of the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards Panel. Track limits decisions are final with no possibility of protest or appeal. Track limit infractions are confirmed by video, and there must be a clear image available to the Stewards in order to issue a penalty.

Track limits are monitored by dedicated cameras with image recognition software and multiple operators. These are not always the same images used for the international program feed or television broadcasts.

What are the consequences of exceeding track limits?

During a practice or qualifying session: If a rider exceeds track limits during any practice or qualifying session that is not a race, the sector time in question is cancelled. This automatically results in cancellation of that lap.

During a race: If a rider exceeds track limits and loses time or position, the incident is not recorded and no penalty is issued.

If it is not possible to determine whether there has been a loss or gain, the incident is simply recorded. Some mistakes are provided for, but making too many is deemed as an advantage because the rider in question will not be using the same track as their competitors.

After three such infractions, a “Track Limits Warning” dashboard message is sent to the rider. If a rider reaches five track limits violations, a Long Lap Penalty is issued. This is communicated via both a dashboard message to the rider and a signal board by the side of the track.

If the FIM MotoGP Stewards deem a rider to have gained a clear advantage, a penalty will be issued for a single infraction. These incidents are not included in the count of undetermined infractions or mistakes.

For these single infractions where a clear advantage has been gained, the penalties awarded can include Change of Position, a Time Penalty or a Long Lap Penalty.

If the rider voluntarily gives back the advantage immediately after the incident, a penalty may be avoided.

What if a rider is forced wide by another?

Allowances are made for being forced off track by another rider.

This is also why undetermined violations are not recorded on the first lap of a race, when a large number of riders are close together on track. At Turn 1 on the first lap, track limits are not recorded either. This is due to the prevalence of riders being pushed wide at Turn 1 after the start, and is intended to avoid unnecessary crashes by allowing riders to use run off areas if needed.

However, as always, a clear disadvantage must be shown in order to avoid riders taking advantage of the situation. Any clear advantage gained is always penalised – including during the first lap.

There was conjecture about why Pol Espargaro was not penalised for running wide at the final turn at the Styrian MotoGP

What about on the last lap?

For riders closely contesting a position, any track limit infraction that takes place during the last lap, and that the FIM MotoGP Stewards deem to have affected a race result, must be shown to have clearly disadvantaged the rider who makes the infraction. This is true whether there is a change of position or not.

Exceeding track limits during the last lap in a way that is deemed to affect finishing positions, with no clear disadvantage for the rider exceeding track limits, will result in a change of position or a time penalty.

The principle is that a rider exceeding track limits on the last lap must be worse off in doing so than the rider or riders against whom they are directly and closely competing.

The last lap is considered a special case because it may affect the race result.

Mike Webb on Track Limits

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Source: MCNews.com.au

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