Stiff bike setting restricts Roczen at opening round
Section: Competition
Adjustments to be made at Team Honda HRC prior to St. Louis.
Image: Octopi Media.
Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen has revealed the settings on his factory CRF450R were too stiff for the track conditions at Anaheim 1, especially affecting him in the main event.
Roczen knew entering the weekend that he had opted for a stiff bike setting, however, as the track deteriorated into the evening it became apparent a softer set-up was required.
Despite those difficulties and after finishing second in his heat race behind teammate Justin Brayton, Roczen rode to sixth in the 450SX final to salvage a decent bunch of points at the opening round.
“Anaheim 1 started pretty good, but the main event was definitely not the greatest,” Roczen confirmed. “We were a little off on our bike set-up, with it being way too stiff. That really showed in the main because of the way the track deteriorated so much.
“I didn’t feel like I was able to keep a good flow or attack the track the way I needed to. For sure, this is not the position we wanted for the night, but it’s good to get the first race out of the way and leave healthy.
“We know what we need to work on for the upcoming race and have a plan in mind moving forward to implement those changes. Overall we’re not going to let this first race get us down and I’m looking forward to St. Louis.”
The 2020 Monster Energy Supercross season moves directly across to St. Louis, Missouri, for round two of the season this Saturday night, where Roczen is expected to refine the setting with Honda and move forward.
Toby Price may have won Stage 1 even after a two-minute penalty, but it was Ross Branch who put in the fastest time on Stage 2, becoming the first rider from Botswana to take top honours with a Dakar stage win.
Stage two at the 2020 Dakar Rally also presented riders with several new challenges. The pre-coloured road books used for the first time this year were only given to competitors 25 minutes before the start of the 367-kilometre timed special. Also, with the day marking the first half of the event’s Super Marathon stage, riders were only allowed 10 minutes to work on their bikes at the end of the day, with no outside assistance permitted.
Starting the day from fourteenth, Branch took advantage of the tracks opened by other riders, to ride his own race, with navigation also proving a strong point.
Ross Branch
“Today was really good and I had a lot of fun on the bike. Starting fourteenth this morning helped a lot because there were some tracks that opened the road. I had a lot of fun and tried to ride my own race. I navigated well today which was really good for me and I think it helped a lot. Then I just took it easy…”
Stage 2 runner-up was Sam Sunderland, proving consistency is key and sitting 1min-24s off Branch’s winning time of 3:39’10”. That was enough to claim the overall lead, by 1min-32s from Pablo Quintanilla.
Sam Sunderland – Image by Rally Zone
Quintanilla improved on his Stage 1 result of sixth to claim the final place in the top three on day two, which also earnt him runner-up position in the combined standings.
Rounding out the top five for the day were Kevin Benavides and Luciano Benavides, just 3min-40s and 3min-44s off stage-winning pace respectively.
Luciano Benavides – Image by Rally Zone
Toby Price had to settle for 15th for the day on board his Red Bull KTM Factory Team machine after tackling the challenge of starting first, but held onto a top-ten position in the overall standings in ninth – 7min-34s off Sunderland’s leading pace.
Toby Price
“A very challenging day with our first Super Marathon stage complete, it is all new for everyone and doesn’t really allow us much time to work on the bikes which made things interesting. Navigation today was really difficult and the conditions were tricky with so many lines to choose from! With such heavy navigation, it leaves you feeling like you’re gambling with your decisions all day, but it makes it interesting for all competitors. Starting first is always going to be a disadvantage and today was a day I knew the rest of the field would make time on me, I don’t plan on starting first too many more times after my efforts today but I’m feeling good, the bike is in good shape for tomorrow and I’m looking forward to Stage 3!”
Toby Price – Image by Rally Zone
Fellow Australian Rodney Faggotter proved consistent, following up his Stage 1 19th placing, with a strong 16th in Stage 2, claiming 17th overall.
Rodney Faggotter
“17th quickest today. Saw a couple crashed riders today and some other riders that had started in front of me were with them – so I will possibly slip down from 17th position depending on what time they are given nack for stopping – but all good! Solid day. Had dust for about 200klms then led out in front of my group which means a lot of navigation but no dust! The riding here is so diverse and so far.. fun!”
Fan-favourite Toby Price faced a road book malfunction during the opening stage of the 2020 Dakar Rally, the reigning champion striking luck to follow Red Bull KTM teammate Matthias Walkner for the remainder of the route.
Despite the setback, which Price believes debris jammed the rollers of his scrolling road book, he was still able to post the fastest time to top the opening day.
Acknowledging the result looked strong on paper, the two-time Dakar winner admits it was quite a challenging day to start his title defence.
“I had a really good day today up until about 140 kilometres where my road book started to play up a bit,” said Price. “Something had got in there and jammed the rollers and so I was left without a road book for a while.
“Luckily, I caught Matthias after he lost a little time and I was able to stay with him towards the finish. My result looks good on paper, but it turned out to be quite a tricky day. I’m also opening the stage tomorrow, so hopefully that’ll go well, too.”
Racing resumes on Monday for stage two, where riders will take on 393 kilometres, the stage including a short 26-kilometre liaison and a timed special of 367 kilometres.
Penrite Honda Racing rider crashes out of 250SX West main event.
Image: Supplied.
Australian Luke Clout is remaining upbeat after a largely positive night at Anaheim 1’s opening round of Monster Energy Supercross, where his evening came to a premature end in the 250SX West main event.
The Penrite Honda Racing contender qualified strongly in 11th before transferring directly to the main with a P5 heat race result.
Still adapting to the CRF250R after just a month on the bike, the New South Welshman was positioned inside the top 10 during the opening stages of the 17-lap encounter, however an error at approximately the halfway mark saw him crash out of proceedings.
“My riding was good for most of the day but I am just so bummed,” Clout admitted. “I was sitting in eighth and pushing hard, but I made a mistake and it cost me really big.
“I’m a bit banged up, but there are a lot of positives to take away from the night – it’s been good to see where I’m at over here against some of these guys and I know I will only get better from here.
“I haven’t had too much time on the 250 and the whoops were a challenge for me tonight, but I will keep grinding – I’ve only been back on the 250 for 3-4 weeks and it’s been about four years since I’ve been on one, so its an adjustment.”
The main event was taken out by Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) ahead of reigning champion Dylan Ferrandis (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha), while Austin Forkner (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki), who crossed the line in third, was penalised for cutting the track and ultimately granted fifth.
Monster Energy Supercross heads to St. Louis this Saturday, 11 January, for round two of the series.
First 450SX start a surreal experience for Monster Energy Kawasaki rookie.
Image: Octopi Media.
Finishing runner-up capped off a head-turning debut for Adam Cianciarulo in 450SX at Anaheim, declaring he was ‘good’ with his standout maiden result in the premier class.
The Monster Energy Kawasaki rookie stunned by going quickest in all three afternoon sessions to qualifying quickest, carrying on that form with second in his heat race.
Cianciarulo, 23, went on to put himself in position to challenge for victory in the first Monster Energy Supercross main event of 2020, leading his share of laps to eventually finish second to Justin Barcia – both making instrumental errors during the final.
Despite near winning in his first championship appearance on the factory KX450, Cianciarulo said he was satisfied with the podium and ultimately settled for position in the final laps after Barcia retook the lead.
“I felt really good, I made the mistake and kind of knocked the wind out of myself,” Cianciarulo admitted. “Justin coming by me aggressive as he is, I’m like, dude I really didn’t want the smoke. I was good with second after that to be honest with you.
“I settled a little bit too much and with three or four laps to go I told myself that my trainer Nick Wey, he’s going to be so pissed at me for settling, but Justin rode great and… I made the mistake and he was better, so second it is.”
Cianciaurulo carried measured expectations into the opening round after winning the Monster Energy Cup in October, expressing his need to remain calm in the lead-up to round one and throughout the program.
“Monster Cup was kind of a little bit of a surprise for me, so when I got done with that I was pretty stoked with where I was,” he explained. “I was like, ‘okay, maybe I can be a contender first year’. I wasn’t sure where my head was at going into the season until after that.
“For me, I have to constantly level myself out because this is so sick, I love this stuff! I mean, I would be one of you [media] guys if I didn’t have the talent to race a dirt bike, I’d be there or serving popcorn in the stands so I could catch a free seat. I love supercross.
“Just being up here with these guys and racing them, even early in the race I passed [Justin] Brayton and I was like, ‘dude, that’s Justin Brayton, he’s been around a long time’. I was watching Budds Creek ’03 the other day and he was out there, so even that stuff goes through my mind.
“It’s a constant process of saying ‘chill out, you belong here, you’re one of these guys’. It’s cool and makes the tough times of the sport better when you love it as much as I do.”
Former Honda team owner appointed crew chief of multi-time champion.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Troy Herfoss has been reunited with former team owner Paul Free, who’ll join Penrite Honda Racing as the multi-time champion’s crew chief for the 2020 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK).
Free operated Honda’s factory racing effort for over a decade, signing Herfoss in 2014 before the New South Welshman went onto claim a pair of Australian Superbike titles under his guidance.
Since the closure of both his Superbike and motocross teams in 2017, Free took on a technical role at DesmoSport Ducati that saw him assist Mike Jones to the ASBK crown last year.
The newly-appointed position as Herfoss’ crew chief comes following the departure of former Penrite Honda team manager Shaun Clarke, who had previously worked under Free since the early 2000s.
“I’m very excited to work with Troy and Honda again,” Free stated to CycleOnline.com.au. “There’s a whole lot for me to learn and take on board – there are different structures, parts and components since my time running Honda’s team. There are all sorts of stuff that I’ll need to get my head around.
“I have noticed over the last couple of years while working with the DesmoSport guys, is that having the permission of crew chief is a very different role to what I have played in the past. Generally, I’ve worked with one of the riders as crew chief, but I’ve always had the responsibility of operating and overseeing the team and making sure both riders were being catered for fairly.
“To be able to focus on just the motorbike and the rider, and build strategy around that situation, is a whole lot easier than running the whole program. I think the way Deon has structured his Honda team, I think it will work exceptionally well.”
Penrite Honda Racing team owner Deon Coote is excited to draft in Free as Herfoss’ crew chief, as the team prepares for a transfer to Michelin tyres this season.
“Obviously Paul and Troy have had a good working relationship in the past, and he’s very familiar with the product and the brand,” Coote explained. “There was an opportunity there with Shaun [Clarke) leaving for him to come back into the Honda family.”
The opening round of the 2020 ASBK season is scheduled for 27 February-1 March at Phillip Island, running in conjunction with round one of the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).
A significant haul of points despite struggling with sickness on race-day.
Image: Supplied.
A difficult afternoon at Anaheim 1 wasn’t enough to ruin the opening round for defending Monster Energy Supercross champion Cooper Webb, coming through with an inspired podium in the main event.
It surfaced following qualifying that Webb had been struck with a bout of sickness, only managing to qualify his Red Bull KTM in 15th overall.
The 24-year-old improved to score third in his heat race, adding to his confidence prior to the 450SX final, in which he surged through the field from sixth in the early laps to secure a podium in P3.
“It was a tough day for sure, but sometimes that happens so it was good to go out,” he explained. “Practice wasn’t anything great – I think I was around 15th, so that wasn’t too good – but I feel like when the race started the heat went pretty good.
“In the main event I plugged away, had a decent start and made a few good passes. I found a good little comfort zone there in third, so just kind of rode it on in.
“I’m actually headed back to Florida to ride out there, St. Louis dirt is always pretty good and our dirt is similar, so I’ll head east and recover. I think it’s just a little 24-hour deal, so yeah, it’s a quick week, but we’ll do everything in our power to get back to 100 per cent.”
Webb’s result came as a surprise of sorts following his afternoon form, but will become increasingly important as the season progresses since he finished ahead of multiple title challengers on the night.
Adventure bike receives positive response since EICMA unveiling.
Image: Supplied.
Husqvarna Motorcycles has indicated the Norden 701 concept bike it unveiled at EICMA will go into production following a high level of interest from adventure riders.
Now set to become a key addition to Husqvarna Motorcycles’ street line-up, the dynamic and versatile long-distance traveller will offer the modern motorcycle rider a balance of practical accessibility and comfort.
Forming the brand’s vision of an adventure-touring motorcycle, the Norden 901 is a dynamic, twin-cylinder motorcycle that features advanced rider ergonomics and high performance based on years of rally experience.
Featuring distinct, modern design, it delivers both outstanding street and offroad performance. Class-leading lightness and power delivery is set in a versatile and accessible package, precisely arranged to allow discerning riders uncompromised exploration possibilities.
Delivering effortless rideability and high-end modern equipment the Norden 901 can be used on daily commutes, extended adventures and everything in between. Further details and production schedule are still to be confirmed.
South Australian returning with CAT colours this season.
Image: Russell Colvin.
Words: Russell Colvin
South Australian Daniel Falzon has outlined plans to contest the 2020 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) as a privateer following his departure from Yamaha Racing Team.
The former Supersport champion will saddle up aboard a privately entered CAT Yamaha YZF-R1 machine for the seven-round series in a similar set-up to his 2017 season, where he eventually scored a factory ride with YRT for the following two years.
“It’s great to be back on the CAT Yamaha once again in the same colours which have been synonymous with success in the past,” Falzon told CycleOnline.com.au.
“We have had some good results with our JD Racing prepared Superbike and we are looking to replicate those results next year. Top five would be good, but honestly I’m not sure where we will sit as I was faster on the YRT bike – I am more confident on the CAT bike, so this may even things out, we’ll wait to see.”
Falzon has indicated he’ll receive support from YRT, and will be equipped with Dunlop tyres this season. The three-time race winner will also pilot the 2019 R1 rather than the updated 2020 model.
“We can’t thank Dunlop Australia enough for backing us next year, coupled with support from YRT,” he added. “It’s shaping up to be a good year all round – CAT dealers William Adams and EPSA have stayed on board alongside Mainline dyno, we’ve had great partnerships with all of these in the past, it just feels comfortable.
“We know next year’s competition is looking to be tough, the bar has been raised and we are actually all benefitting from it -Australian racers are fast”
“We have tested at The Bend last weekend and I can honestly say that the 2019 YZF-R1 is a strong machine. I am soon addressing an arm pump problem which plagued me all season, so I’m hoping to be right for the official ASBK test at Phillip Island at the end of January.”
The opening round of the 2020 ASBK season is scheduled for 27 February-1 March at Phillip Island, running in conjunction with round one of the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).
Polish ace steals points lead at the second round.
Image: Supplied.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Taddy Blazusiak has clinched victory at Germany’s second round of the 2020 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.
Race one started well for Blazusiak, completing the first lap in third place. He capitalised on errors from those in front of him, ultimately taking the chequered flag with a huge 34-second advantage over Alfredo Gomez (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) and Jonny Walker (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
The second race, despite the reversed grid, went very much the same way as the first – Blazusiak, riding consistently, made his way to the front leaving his rivals behind. This time it was Billy Bolt (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) in second ahead of Walker.
The third and final race saw Blazusiak take the holeshot and instantly create a comfortable lead. The Polish ace never faltered and completed his hat-trick of first-place results to finish ahead of Gomez and bolt.
Overall it was Blazusiak who captured victory while earning the points lead, as Bolt and Walker were second and third respectively. The next stop on the calendar is scheduled for 18 January in Spain.
