Australia’s Wil Ruprecht was won the 2021 Absolute Italian Enduro Championship, or Assoluti d’Italia as it is also known, in Maniago, with a hard charging Brad Freeman’s efforts not enough to close the gap.
Ruprecht finished the season on 141-points, to Freeman’s 135, while Matteo Cavallo was a more distant third on 112-points. A 4-5 scorecard over the weekend was enough for Ruprecht to wrap up the season, with Freeman in comparison running 1-1.
Wil Ruprecht
“What a year it has been in Italian Enduro. TM Boana Factory and I have persevered and improved in a way that has allowed us to take home and Italian title! If you told us we would be here a year ago we would find it hard to believe… So here’s to everyone in this photo and behind the scenes that makes the wheels turn. Two weeks out from the final two rounds of EnduroGP we’re hungry!”
2021 Assoluti d’Italia Enduro Standings
Pos
Rider
Class
Bike
Total
1
RUPRECHT Will Paul
ST
TM 250 4T
141
2
FREEMAN Brad
ST
BETA 300 2T
135
3
HORSE Matthew
D.
TM 250 4T
112
4
VERONA Andrea
D.
GAS GAS 250 4T
109
5
OLDRATI Thomas
AND
HONDA 450 4T
89
6
MAGAIN Antoine
ST
SHERCO 250 2T
75
7
MCCANNEY Daniel
ST
SHERCO 300 2T
65
8
HOLCOMBE Steve
ST
BETA 350 4T
64
9
MACORITTO Lorenzo
B.
TM 250 2T
61
10
ESPINASSE Theophile
ST
HONDA 250 4T
54
11
PAVONI Matteo
JU
TM 300 2T
51
12
GUARNERI Davide
TO
FANTIC 125 2T
48
13
MACDONALD Hamish
ST
SHERCO 300 4T
45
14
MC CANNEY Jamie
ST
HUSQ 300 2T
30
Italy claim the 2021 MXoN victory in Mantova
Team Italy has taken a narrow victory at the 2021 Motocross of Nations held in Mantova, with the all-KTM team winning from a hard-charging Team Netherlands led by Jeffrey Herlings by a single-point, while third placed Britain was just a single point behind in turn. The result marked Britain’s fourth consecutive podium.
Team Italy wins the 2021 Motocross of Nations held in Mantova
Despite the heavy downpour and the thunderstorm that rocked the day from the first warm up session until the final race of the day, this didn’t hinder Team Italy’s fighting spirit, or the support of the crowd of fans that turned out to support their nations. The trio of Cairoli, Guadagnini and Lupino put together some strong races to secure Italy’s third ever victory at the Monster Energy FIM MXoN, the first since 2002.
Race 1 – MXP/MX2
As the gate dropped for the first race of the day, it was Team Switzerland’s Arnaud Tonus who took the first Fox Holeshot of the day, though Team Latvia’s Karlis Sabulis was quick to take over the lead by the second corner ahead of Jose Burton of Team Spain and Tom Vialle of Team France.
Disaster struck Team Italy’s Antonio Cairoli and Team Netherlands’ Glenn Coldenhoff as the pair went down on the first corner, which meant that they had a long race ahead of them if they wanted to minimise the scores for their nation.
Thomas Kjer Olsen
While Sabulis continued to lead, Vialle fought his way into second as he started to close in on the Latvian for the win. The Frenchman then fell to fifth place, as Team Denmark’s Thomas Kjer Olsen continued his charge towards the top end of the field after getting around Butron for second.
While Olsen was battling for the win, his fellow countryman Mikkel Haarup was unlucky as he crashed out of 15th place. He eventually finished the race in 26th position.
Struggling further down the field were Cairoli and Coldenhoff who were looking for a way inside the top 20, as Team Germany’s Max Nagl retired from the race.
At the top end of the field though Olsen was all over Sabulis and moments later he took over the lead on lap five.
Cairoli eventually found his way inside the top 20, but moments later made use of the goggle lane which meant he dropped positions as a result. But with clearer vision, the Italian was able to fight back to 21st.
Tony Cairoli
His younger countryman, Mattia Guadagnini was having a strong race inside the top 10 and he only climbed further up as the race progressed. The MX2 rookie was able to find his way around Team Sweden’s Isak Gifting, who crashed, and then later Tonus and Sabulis.
With three laps to go, it was Olsen who led Vialle, with Watson still in third, followed by Tonus and Guadagnini. In the end, Olsen was able to hold off both Vialle and Watson to win the first heat for Team Denmark.
Race 2 – MX2/Open
In the second heat, we saw Team Switzerland’s Valentin Guillod with the Fox Holeshot, though it was Jeffrey Herlings of Team Netherlands who was quick to take over the lead with Guillod dropping to second and Team Austria’s Rene Hofer starting well in third.
Jeffrey Herlings
Meanwhile Vialle had a nightmare start and was down in 15th position, while Team Italy’s Guadagnini and Alessandro Lupino started strong in fifth and sixth respectively.
Hofer then set the fastest lap of the race as he was just 1.017 seconds down on Herlings after taking second from Guillod. The Austrian was having a great rider for Team Austria.
Things then went from bad to worse for Team France and Vialle who struggled with his bike and was eventually forced to retire from the race.
Team Germany’s Henry Jacobi then started to apply the pressure onto Lupino, while Guadagnini made a mistake and ended up on the ground loosing four positions as a result. He dropped to seventh.
There was more drama for Team France and Team Netherlands as Mathys Boisrame and Roan van de Moosdijk both crashed with the pair eventually finishing 19th and 20th, which was a blow for both teams.
Herlings then continued to edge out as he led by 23.951 seconds, with Guillod managing to get back past Hofer. Jacobi also found his way around Lupino and was up in fifth place, with Team Belgium’s Brent van Doninck just ahead.
Mattia Guadagnini
Guadagnini then too got around his fellow countryman Lupino but was unable to catch Jacobi and was forced to settle for sixth as the chequered flag fell.
Herlings went on to win the race by an impressive 49.117 seconds, with Guillod securing second for Team Switzerland and Hofer finishing third for Team Austria.
Race 3 – Open/MXGP
The third and final race, like always, was the most important. It was the decider for the team who will take victory, as well as the teams who were going to join the victors on the podium. Team Italy entered the final race with a solid 19-point lead over Team Belgium who were second at the time, with Team Great Britain third and looking to stay in the fight for the podium.
Jeffrey Herlings
And as the gate dropped, there was plenty of drama that unfolded which saw the nations classifications change for the final time, keeping the final order in question until the end of the race.
In the final heat of the day, it was Team Great Britain’s Ben Watson with the Fox Holeshot, but once again it was Herlings who muscled his way to the front, with Cairoli managing to squeeze past Watson also. While race one winner, Olsen was one of the unlucky riders who crashed in the start.
Herlings then set the fastest lap of the race as he looked to check out, like he did in race one. Cairoli kept things close for a few laps with Watson remaining third behind the pair.
While Team Belgium were looking to fight for a potential podium finish, they were dealt their first blow with their rider Cyrcil Genot forced to retire from the race early on. Later in the race, Van doninck was forced to do the same. This put the team out of the run for a medal this time around.
In the early stages of the race, the top 10 consisted of Herlings, Cairoli, Watson, Coldenhoff, Sabulis, Lupino, Team MFR’s Evgeny Bobryshev, Team Great Britain’s Shaun Simpson, Boisrame and Ken Bengston of Team Sweden.
Benoit Paturel of Team France dropped to 16th place which allowed Olsen and Jasikonis through, while Lupino had a huge crash and dropped down to 9th place.
Arminas Jasikonis
Not long after, Watson was another rider to get caught out with the Brit going down big. Luckily, he was able to get going quickly and only lost a position to Coldenhoff who was having a much better race that time around.
With five minutes to go before the end of the race, there was drama as a pending penalty put into question Italy’s fate. By that point Herlings had once again checked out of the race as Cairoli was keeping it steady in second.
It was all down to Lupino to make up another position in order to keep the hope of a victory alive, despite that pending penalty for course cutting. It was game on for Lupino who was keen on getting around Sabulis and eventually managed to do so which put him seventh. In the end, the Italian was given a 10-place penalty and was classified as 17th.
In the end it was Herlings who won the race and went 1-1 for the first time at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, though it was not enough for Netherlands to win, as a 2-17 score in race three from Cairoli and Lupino was enough for Team Italy to secure the victory on home soil. In terms of the race, Cairoli was second with Coldenhoff finishing third.
MXoN Overall
Following the day’s races, it was time for the usual team press conference of the top three nations, including the overall winners of each category and the winner of the Ricky Carmichael Award.
Cairoli, Guadagnini and Lupino – Team Italy
Team Great Britain’s Ben Watson was the overall winner in the MXGP category, while in MX2 it was Austria’s Rene Hofer and finally in open it was Jeffrey Herlings of The Netherlands’s who was victorious after his 1-1 result.
Also receiving an award this weekend was Team Belgium’s Liam Everts who was the recipient of the Ricky Carmichael MXoN youngest talent Award. Everts, who was making his Monster Energy FIM MXoN debut, had a solid day finishing fourth overall in the MX2 category.
Following the words of each rider, the top three teams were presented with their FIM medals by FIM President Jorge Viegas and FIM/CMS Director Antonio Alia Portela, followed by the presentation of the Champions Rings by Infront Moto Racing CEO David Luongo.
Tony Cairoli – Team Italy P1
“This was the one missing in my career and I’m really happy to get it. For sure it was a bit risky to come here and ride after last week’s crash. I didn’t feel 100%. On the dry track I could handle it better but on the wet track I was really struggling. The first moto crash didn’t help and I didn’t have the best feeling. I knew I needed just one decent moto and start and managed to do that. The other two guys did an amazing job, especially Mattia for his first time.”
Jeffrey Herlings – Team Netherlands P2 (Open Winner)
“I did what I could today and going 1-1 was the maximum. The team did all they could, and we had some bad luck. Since 2016 we have been on the box at every Nations and you cannot always win. Sometimes you have to lose to get better. I super-proud of Team Netherlands and also my results; I’ve never been 1-1 at this event before so it is good to add that to the collection. I’m looking forward to the German GP now.”
Jeffrey Herlings – Team Netherlands
Ben Watson – Team Britain P3 (MXGP Winner)
“When you come to this race you never know what to expect. I knew that this weekend there were a few of the top guys missing, so I came in here with my teammates, two really good mates of mine, and we managed to come within two-points of winning. It’s amazing. To win the MXGP overall was just the cherry on the top. I am feeling really happy with myself. It is a little confidence booster going into the rest of the season.”
Ben Watson – Team Britain
Rene Hofer – Team Austria P9 (MX2 Winner)
“It was a really great day for me. Coming as an underdog team meant there was not much pressure. It’s an achievement that I can certainly check-off for my career and it was also great for Team Austria because 9th overall meant our first top ten for a long time. I hope – and I will try – to ride like that in the last GPs and aim for my first podium finish.”
Rene Hofer – Team Austria
Thomas Kjer Olsen – Team Denmark P10
“It was an amazing feeling to win the first moto today. I had a great start then I found some good lines and I began to work my way forwards. A few times Tom Vialle would get close but I just felt really strong on the bike today and held him off for the win. I was really confident for another strong result in my second race, but a couple of crashes put me down the field and in these conditions at the back of the pack, it makes it really difficult. I came through quite well though to finish third overall in my class and this weekend has given me a lot of confidence for the remaining rounds of the world championship.”
The 95th running of the International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE) has come to an end, after the sixth day of competition saw Italy claim top honours after a week of dominant performances, that never saw them headed, despite tough competition from Team Spain.
Rider’s setting of for the final Cross Test of the 2021 ISDE
Making it a memorable double for Italy, the host nation also topped the Junior World Trophy category, while the USA put the finishing touches to their incredible week-long performance to win in the Women’s World Trophy category.
Those results saw the three teams that have dominated this year’s event claim their respective class winning results.
Not needing to take any unneeded risks, Italy’s Andrea Verona (GASGAS), Davide Guarneri (Fantic), Thomas Oldrati (Honda), and Matteo Cavallo (TM) finally finished four minutes and forty-one seconds ahead of second placed Spain after the final day of competition.
Andrea Verona
“I’m really happy with my week here at the Six Days, to take the win in E1, and the World Trophy title for my country feels amazing! I had a big fight all week with Josep (Garcia) for the overall, and although I only beat him overall on one day, we both pushed each other really hard, and I think that definitely increased our pace over the whole event and improved our skills. My bike has been perfect, so much fun to race. It’s been an incredible event for the Italian teams, claiming both the World Trophy and the Junior Trophy shows the level that we’re at right now as a country, in enduro. It was so good to race at home in front of all the fans, they have been so supportive all through the event and to reward them with a result like this feels great.”
Andrea Verona celebrates Italy’s win
With strong final day results from Josep Garcia (KTM) and Jaume Betriu (KTM), Spain, like Italy ahead of them, put the finishing touches to a solid week-long performance.
Entering the event with hopes of claiming another World Trophy team win, the USA completed their week as the third fastest team, having not quite had the pace to challenge the two European squads ahead of them.
World Trophy Team Overall Results – Top 10 Teams
POS
TEAM
TOT
GAP
1
TEAM ITALY
12:55′ 23.02
–
2
TEAM SPAIN
13:00′ 04.48
4′ 41. 46
3
TEAM UNITED STATES
13:03′ 22.27
7′ 59. 25
4
TEAM SWEDEN
13:08′ 01.23
12′ 38. 21
5
TEAM PORTUGAL
13:32′ 03.62
36′ 40. 60
6
TEAM CZECH REPUBLIC
13:33′ 05.30
37′ 42. 28
7
TEAM CANADA
13:38′ 06.96
42′ 43. 94
8
TEAM BRAZIL
13:45′ 42.85
50′ 19. 83
9
TEAM BELGIUM
13:46′ 05.00
50′ 41. 98
10
TEAM GERMANY
13:47′ 01.41
51′ 38. 39
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Junior World Trophy
Ending their winning Junior World Trophy campaign eight minutes and thirty-one seconds ahead of second-placed France, Italy’s Lorenzo Macoritto (TM), Manolo Morettini (KTM), and Matteo Pavoni (TM) delivered a dominant team performance.
Italy also took the win with their Junior World Trophy team of Lorenzo Macoritto, Manolo Morettini and Matteo Pavoni
Fast from the start of the event, and remaining that way day after day, despite the best efforts of France and Sweden, Italy did what they needed to do on day six and completed their amazing week.
Matteo Pavoni
“This week has been very good for me, and of course the team. I was able to start fast, which was very important. I like this terrain and that has helped me a lot. After the first few days I was more calm with my riding, no big risks. As a team we knew that we could produce a good result, and we have. We’ve had a lot of dust on some special tests this week, so taking no risks has been very important to our team the last few days. Today, we knew what we needed to do, and, well, it’s fantastic to win.”
Matteo Pavoni
With their World Trophy teammates enduring a rough week, France’s Junior World Trophy team kept themselves ahead of Sweden to secure a deserved runner-up result. With Italy, France, and Sweden, separated by less than ten minutes after more than thirteen hours of special test action, the three nations all did themselves proud.
Junior World Trophy Team Overall Results
POS
TEAM
TOT
GAP
1
TEAM ITALY
13:09′ 35.91
–
2
TEAM FRANCE
13:18′ 07.12
8′ 31. 21
3
TEAM SWEDEN
13:19′ 29.36
9′ 53. 45
4
TEAM CHILE
14:01′ 04.04
51′ 28. 13
5
TEAM CZECH REPUBLIC
14:07′ 28.73
57′ 52. 82
6
TEAM NORWAY
14:13′ 26.48
1: 03′ 50. 57
7
TEAM NETHERLANDS
14:26′ 57.41
1: 17′ 21. 50
8
TEAM GERMANY
14:30′ 12.58
1: 20′ 36. 67
9
TEAM BELGIUM
14:33′ 29.44
1: 23′ 53. 53
10
TEAM PORTUGAL
14:33′ 40.31
1: 24′ 04. 40
11
TEAM UNITED STATES
18:20′ 30.84
5: 10′ 54. 93
12
TEAM SPAIN
20:29′ 23.46
7: 19′ 47. 55
13
TEAM SWITZERLAND
21:55′ 46.30
8: 46′ 10. 39
14
TEAM FINLAND
22:48′ 35.47
9: 38′ 59. 56
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Women’s World Trophy
In the Women’s Trophy, Team USA put the finishing touches to their dominant week-long performance to complete the 2021 ISDE just over fifteen minutes ahead of second-placed Great Britain.
Once again it was Brandy Richards (KTM) who stole the show, winning the women’s day six motocross race ahead of Spain’s Mireia Badia (GASGAS) and Rachel Gutish (Husqvarna) and in doing so completing her amazing week with a dominant victory.
Brandy Richards
“I’m absolutely stoked for myself and the team here in Italy. My goals coming here were to take the overall in the Women’s class and keep Team USA at the top of the Women’s World Trophy competition and I’ve done both. There are so many fast, skillful riders here so to be inside the top 100 overall is a massive achievement for me, also. It’s been a tough week, but with the tests not being too technical, the riding has suited me perfectly.”
Brandy Richards
With no World Trophy or Junior World Trophy teams representing Great Britain, GB’s women upheld national pride and did exactly what they needed to do during the final day’s motocross races and secured a deserved runner-up overall Women’s World Trophy result.
Despite eventual third place finishers Spain closing to within less than one minute of Nieve Holmes (GASGAS), Jane Daniels (Fantic), and Rosie Rowett (KTM), GB’s women held firm and took the runner-up spot.
Women’s World Trophy Overall Results
POS
TEAM
TOT
GAP
1
TEAM UNITED STATES
9:31′ 16.84
–
2
TEAM GREAT BRITAIN
9:46′ 19.47
15′ 02. 63
3
TEAM SPAIN
9:47′ 12.29
15′ 55. 45
4
TEAM PORTUGAL
10:03′ 38.49
32′ 21. 65
5
TEAM SWEDEN
10:26′ 47.23
55′ 30. 39
6
TEAM GERMANY
11:00′ 43.74
1: 29′ 26. 90
7
TEAM ITALY
11:15′ 36.73
1: 44′ 19. 89
8
TEAM FRANCE
12:55′ 22.09
3: 24′ 05. 25
Herlings and Vialle top MXGP of Turkey
The 2021 MXGP of Turkey ran over the weekend in Afyonkarahisar and saw Jeffrey Herlings take the overall win in the MXGP class, leaving Jorge Prado and Tim Gajser to battle over the remaining podium positions.
In MX2 it was Tom Vialle taking top honours, with Australia’s Jed Beaton finishing third after consistent 3-3 results, behind Maxime Renaux. Fellow Australian Todd Wilson was eighth, with an 11-7 result.
MXGP Race 1
After posting the fastest lap time in Time Practice, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado started the first race with the Fox Holeshot, as he led Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Glenn Coldenhoff, Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre and Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass.
MXGP Start – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were side by side on the opening lap and moments later both got around Jonass who dropped to sixth.
Herlings then caught onto the back of Coldenhoff and passed his fellow Dutchman as Gajser set out to do the same. But the Slovenian struggled for 10 laps behind Coldenhoff always coming short of making a pass.
Tim Gajser – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Febvre remained all over Prado for the lead, as Gajser came under fire from Cairoli who got around the Honda rider to move into sixth. He then got around Coldenhoff too and was pushing to get closer to Jonass.
Gajser then caught back up with the 259 of Coldenhoff and passed him on lap 11, as JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi got Brian Bogers of Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing for eighth to solidify a top 10 result.
Glenn Coldenhoff – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
After spending the majority of the race in third, Herlings switched it up a gear and was on a charge to close in on Febvre and Prado. It did not take him long as he got Febvre on lap 13 and then just two laps later was in front of Prado.
Jeffrey Herlings – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Jonass started to challenge Febvre too and with three laps from the end of the race was able to get the job done. Herlings was the race winner, with Prado finishing second and Jonass third.
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MXGP Race 2
In the second heat it was once again Prado with the Fox Holeshot as he led the race once again while Febvre, Gajser, Jonass and Cairoli followed behind. Herlings struggled further down the field as he passed Kevin Strijbos of Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing for seventh position.
Romain Febvre – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Herlings then continued to make progress as he got around Coldenhoff and set his sights on Cairoli, while Gajser charged past Febvre to move into second place.
The gap was then 1.366 seconds between Prado and Gajser, as the Slovenian was clear with his intentions of going for the win.
Jorge Prado – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Jonass then had a big crash as he went off the track while battling with Cairoli for fourth, with the Latvian not finishing the race. Cairoli inherited his position as Herlings started to close in too.
Gajser then made another attempt to pass Prado and was able to secure the position and take over the lead on lap nine. Cairoli then caught onto the back wheel of Febvre as the pair traded positions a couple of times before the Italian was able to make it stick and take away third from the Kawasaki rider, as Herlings did the same.
Romain Febvre – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Gajser then led by 2.877 seconds, as Prado was starting to feel the force of Cairoli and Herlings who were catching up fast. Cairoli and Prado had a couple of close calls before making contact, but both remained on the bikes. Eventually Cairoli crashed after, which allowed Herlings through.
With one lap to go, Herlings got his head down and got to work as he was able to pass Prado and secure the top step of the podium. Gajser was the race winner, with Herlings second and Prado third.
Jeffrey Herlings – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
With a 1-2 result, Jeffrey Herlings was back on the top step, while Jorge Prado was forced to settle for second and Tim Gajser joining the pair in third. In terms of the championship standings, Gajser leads Prado by 13 points, while Febvre remains third a further four points behind.
Jeffrey Herlings – P1
“Definitely the first race was much easier because I was around fourth of fifth in the start and only had to pass a few guys. Both starts were off today and with the high altitude here we changed some things with the bike, but I think maybe we should go in a different direction. The start was pretty bad in the first race but then I managed to pass Glenn, Romain and Jorge and then it went pretty easy. Second race I was around tenth or twelfth, it was harder to get around the other guys, the last few laps were sketchy between Jorge and Tony as they were fighting for second position. Then Tony crashed right in front of me and then I managed to sneak past Jorge, but Tim was too far away for me to do anything about it. A 1-2 is good, we have some good racing and I look forward to it, I like the track but will definitely work on the starts and try some things. The arm is fine now, in Lommel it was very painful but in Latvia it was already much better, I still had a bit of pain but nothing crazy. I don’t know if you can ever be 100% but I am trying to be the best as I can because the competition is strong. If you look at the championship, the top five guys are really close.”
Jeffrey Herlings – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Jorge Prado – P2
“I think it was a great day. I got two good starts which makes things a lot easier. I led the most laps today so this gives me a confidence boost for Wednesday, the only thing is I was riding the same lines but when Jeffrey passed me in race one and Tim in the second one, I could see where I could improve. Physically I am feeling ok and I am getting better, the bike is working good. It was a pity on the last lap to be passed by Jeffrey, but hopefully on Wednesday we get some good results. There is still a lot of racing left, I need to take it race by race and stay within the top three, that is my goal, and get some race wins if I can. You don’t always get such a good field of riders because of injuries and other reasons but now everybody is ready to go racing so it is nice to race when everybody is fit.”
Tim Gajser – P3
“That was definitely two completely different races today, but I’m glad to have finished on a high note with that victory. In the first race I just got stuck behind another rider for too long and couldn’t find a rhythm. When I did get past, the front guys were too far in front so I couldn’t catch them. In race two, I got a better start and was in third early on. I quickly moved into second and then a few laps later I moved into first. Once I was there, I was able to pull away a bit and control the race until the chequered flag. Overall, it was good and I’m excited to come back on Wednesday and try and get the win here.”
Tim Gajser – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Romain Febvre – P4
“This morning I had a good feeling on the track and I was happy with my third position behind the gate. The first moto I had a good start and tried several times to pass Prado but there were not so many lines to make the difference and I couldn’t really attack him. That helped Jeffrey to come back at me; when he passed me I looked at his lines but three laps from the end I made a small mistake and lost one position to finish fourth. My second start was again a good one; I was behind Prado but my feeling was not so good. I didn’t feel well and I was not at my best physically so I had to be content to secure another fourth position. It could have been better, but if we consider how I felt in the second race it could have been worse. Now I will rest to be ready for the next GP on Wednesday.”
Tony Cairoli – P5
“Overall I’m quite happy because the speed was good. I came back to 5th in the first moto after a bad start. We know that the start is so important on a track like this where it can be difficult to pass. I had good pace but couldn’t get higher than 5th. I was better at the beginning of the second moto and caught the leaders with Jorge and Tim. I was trying hard to overtake Jorge but it was pretty tough. At one moment I was really close but unfortunately when I jumped I saw someone had knocked some haybales into the track and there were in the middle of the way. I crashed pretty hard and lost two places, back to 5th. Not the best day but I’m not hurt and there is still a lot of racing ahead.”
Tony Cairoli – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Jeremy Seewer – P6
“As I mentioned in the preview, I am not where I want to be, so I just need to turn up and try and that’s all I can do. If I was better in Timed Practice, I would have had a better day because my starts were amazing today. I was just far outside. I think in both motos, I could have got for the holeshot if I would be on the inside. I lacked energy in the morning, and that was my disadvantage today, going to the gate in P.14. I made the most out of the situation, but in the second moto, the track was one-lined and super hard to pass. Under the circumstances, I collected good points, and I am still here and racing and not feeling too bad, so now I will take a couple of days rest, do some recovery and see where I can improve for Wednesday.”
Glenn Coldenhoff – P8
“My day started good. I got second in Timed Practice and felt good. The track was still very wet and I like those conditions. In the first moto, I got arm-pump on lap-2 and rode tight. It went from bad to worse. I started in third and ended up finishing eighth, which was not good. We tried to work on some things before the second moto. It definitely worked out better, and in the second race, I was feeling quite okay; I could keep the pace with the front guys, but then I made a small crash and I pushed really hard in the end, but the track is very one-lined. Everyone was taking this line which made it very difficult to make some passes.”
Glenn Coldenhoff – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Pauls Jonass – P9
“It was a frustrating end to the day after such a good first moto. During the break in the calendar I improved my fitness even more as well as my speed on the bike and I really felt like that showed in race one. Fortunately, I’m ok after my big crash in race two. It was a wild one and I landed on asphalt, which is never good. Luckily, I just have some really bad bruising, so I’ll be back for more on Wednesday. I’ve no doubts about what I can do and I’m excited to be racing again in a few days.”
Brian Bogers – P10
“I have mixed feelings about today. I felt good on the bike and I had a good start in race one in seventh, but I was riding too stiff and making mistakes, so I dropped back to 11th. I had another good start in the second moto but in the first few corners I lost a lot of positions. After that though, my riding was much better and I moved up from 18th to 12th, so I was happy with that one. I think for Wednesday, if I can put the good starts and smooth riding together then I can be much higher in the results.”
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MX2 Race 1
In the first MX2 race of the day, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle who grabbed the Fox Holeshot ahead of his fellow teammate Rene Hofer as well as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton and Kay De Wolf, as well as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini. While Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2’s Maxime Renaux was further down the field in around eighth position.
MX2 Start – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Hofer then took over the lead from Vialle, as Renaux managed to find a way through on De Wolf to move into fifth. Vialle then got to work as he caught back up with his teammate and by lap four was back in the driving seat and leading the race.
Renaux then lost a spot to Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez for a brief moment before getting back around the Spaniard, while Hofer was starting to come under pressure from Beaton and Guadagnini.
Though at the front of the field, Vialle continued to clock the fastest lap times of the race, as Thibault Benistant of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2 and F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Mathys Boisrame battled for eighth.
Jed Beaton – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Guadagnini finally managed to get around Beaton on lap eight and then five or six laps later was able to get Hofer to get into second. Hofer then faded off as both Beaton and Renaux got around the Austrian, while Fernandez dived down the inside of De Wolf for sixth.
In the end it was Vialle who won the race 5.988 seconds ahead of Guadagnini and Beaton who crossed the line in third.
Tom Vialle – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Australia’s Wilson Todd finished 11th.
MX2 Race 2
In race two it was Renaux with a flying start, as he took the second Fox Holeshot of the day and led the way with Beaton second and Vialle third. Guadagnini got another strong start and so did Gianluca Facchetti of Team Beddini Racing KTM on his first outing with the new team.
Renaux grabs the holeshot – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Hofer then got around Fernandez for fifth as Vialle tried to get around Beaton, with the Australian quick to respond and claim back his second-place spot.
As Renaux stretched out his lead to 2.490 seconds, Beaton came under fire from Vialle once again, with the KTM rider finally making a pass stick on lap five. Vialle then set the fastest lap of the race as he began to close in on the race leader, Renaux. But Renaux stepped it up a gear himself to set the fastest lap of the race himself, with the two Frenchman clock fast times lap after lap.
Maxime Renaux – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
While the battle for the win was well and truly on between Renaux and Vialle, Guadagnini was also not letting go of Beaton for third as he started to apply the pressure.
With just a couple of laps from the finish, Vialle went down as he was focused on passing Renaux which handed the Yamaha rider a victory, while Vialle was able to get back on his bike quickly and hold on to second as Beaton was able to keep Guadagnini at bay and finish the day with another third-place finish.
Mattia Guadagnini – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
With a 1-2 result, Tom Vialle was on the top step of the podium while Maxime Renaux was forced to settle for second ahead of Jed Beaton in third, as he secured his second podium of 2021.
Wilson Todd moved into the top-10 in Race 2 to claim 7th.
Wilson Todd – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Renaux continues to lead the MX2 championship, maintaining a healthy 37-point lead over Guadagnini who has gained a bit of breathing room to Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2’s Jago Geerts who is a further 15 points adrift.
Maxime Renaux – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Tom Vialle – P1
“It’s really good to be back on top after the injury. The summer break was good because I could train and work on the bike also and now to be back is really good. I was happy in the morning to take pole position because it’s not a lot of times that I’ve taken the pole position which was pretty nice. I took two good starts and in the second race I pushed to come back but it was difficult to pass as there were not so many lines and Maxime was riding pretty good. I tried to give my best. For sure to win here is good and to stay here in Turkey is nice, I like the track and it will be a good race on Wednesday.”
Tom Vialle – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Maxime Renaux – P2
“Was two completely different races today. I took two good stars, but in the first race I went too wide which allowed the other riders on the inside, so I had to fight my way through the pack and come back from eighth to fourth. I was riding a little bit stiff and was not happy with the riding. For the second race we changed some things on the bike, I was feeling much more comfortable and took the holeshot and then had the perfect race. For Wednesday I will look to improve on my lap times because it’s important to be on the inside here. I take it race by race, I want to win all the races if I can but it’s pretty hard and I need to think about the championship. I’m also trying to be more clever than before and avoid making stupid mistakes and keep control of the championship.”
Jed Beaton – P3
“It feels really good to be back on the podium. It had been a bit of an up and down year heading into the break so to get this podium and put together two strong races, it’s the perfect start to the second half of the season. I had to really dig deep in that second moto, withstanding pressure for pretty much the whole race, so that one felt really good. The team has been amazing as always and this result sets us up really well for Wednesday. My bike was awesome, my starts were perfect and now we can just focus on the motos in a few days’ time and get back up on the box again.”
Jed Beaton – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Mattia Guadagnini – P4
“I was feeling really good today and my riding was strong because of my rhythm and the line choices. I was happy to finish 2nd in the first moto. My start wasn’t great in the second and I lost time at the beginning but then I spent so much time trying to pass Jed for 3rd. I couldn’t make it and was a bit disappointed to miss the podium but the important thing is that I felt fast and we’ll try to keep this for Wednesday where we’ll hope for even better results.”
Rene Hofer – P5
“In general it was a really good day. It was nice to finally lead some laps again. Unfortunately I suffered some arm-pump in the first moto but I came away with 5th which wasn’t that bad. My start wasn’t too hot in the second moto but I passed some riders right away and I stayed in 5th. My riding was actually really good in that second race so we can build from that for Wednesday.”
Jago Geerts – P6
“I had a difficult timed practice this morning. I felt much better in the races, but with the 18th gate-pick, it was difficult to get off the start. I had to come back from 15th or 16th to finish ninth in race one. That was already a big step in the right direction. I actually got a really good start in the second heat but got cross-rutted and nearly crashed, so I lost around four places there. I made some passes after that, which was better, but I definitely want to try to do better on Wednesday.”
Jago Geerts – 2021 MXGP of Turkey
Kay de Wolf – P7
“I’m really happy with today. Seventh overall is another solid result for me and despite making a few mistakes, I felt like I was riding really well and with a good flow. I actually twisted my ankle in race one so that was pretty painful, but we strapped it up for moto two and it was ok once the adrenaline took over. It was a pretty fun track today and I’m looking forward to Wednesday.”
Wilson Todd – P8
“The day wasn’t too bad. The track was OK with some good ruts but you needed a good start to run up front. I spun at the gate the first moto which left me just outside the top ten. The second start was better but I was just a little too far outside from my gate-pick at turn one and got pushed out so had to chase again.“
Wilson Todd – 2021 MXGP of TurkeyMoto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Coming into round six of the MX2 World Championship, Jed Beaton was in great form following podium appearances and solid results in recent weeks. In Belgium, the Australian’s strong speed continued with an eighth-place finish in race one despite a small crash around the halfway stage of the moto.
Jed Beaton – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
In race two, Beaton started eighth and moved into fifth as the moto reached half distance. The 23-year-old then engaged in a battle for position with Conrad Mewse, ultimately coming out on top to claim fifth in the moto and secure his third consecutive top-five overall finish.
Jed Beaton
“Today was a little bit of a bad day, but if I can take fifth overall on a bad day then it’s not so bad. I was fortunate in race one to miss a big crash just after the start but then while sixth I crashed on my own and fell way down the field. I got back to eighth which was ok though. My start in race two wasn’t so good and by the time I got into fifth the leaders were gone. It was unfortunate but fifth was good and solid points overall so all things considered, I’m happy with today.”
Bike It MTX Kawasaki’s Wilson Todd had a tough introduction to the deep Lommel sand. A respectable thirteenth in Qualifying, the Australian charged from twenty-third to fifteenth during the first half of race one before being forced out.
Wilson Todd – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
A lightning start in race two saw him round turn one in the top six but the joy did not last long as a fall at turn three put him at the back of the field; he bravely persisted to the end to finish twenty-third despite two further falls. He is now thirteenth in the series points standings.
MX2 Race 1
In the first MX2 race, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle who grabbed the Fox Holeshot, though it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux who led the way.
Tom Vialle – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Mattia Guadagnini had an unlucky start to the race as he crashed in the first corner and had to re-join the race way behind the rest of the pack. Eventually the Italian was able to fight back to 14th place.
Hitachi KTM Fuelled by Milwaukee rider Conrad Mewse got off to a great start in the race as he was running behind Renaux, Vialle and Geerts, though by the second lap he crashed and was unable to carry on due to a bike issue.
Kay de Wolf – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay De Wolf started the race down in around 10th place, while his teammate Jed Beaton was fighting sixth place. By the following lap Beaton dropped to 12th, while De Wolf was able to make a couple of nice passes to get into eighth.
Vialle also crashed in the beginning stages of the race as Renaux continued to lead Geerts who was keeping close.
Jago Geerts – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
De Wolf continued his charge up the field after making passes on F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Mikkel Haarup and Mathys Boisrame, while Vialle took third from Honda 114 Motorsports rider Ruben Fernandez.
At one point, De Wolf and Vialle were the two fastest riders on the track, setting very similar lap times. By lap seven De Wolf caught onto Fernandez to take fourth and then just under three laps later he was also ahead of Vialle as he got himself into third position.
Maxime Renaux – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Renaux continued to lead the race keeping Geerts at bay until lap 10. The Frenchman crashed which allowed Geerts through. Luckily, the pair was so far ahead that Renaux was still able to finish the race second, as Geerts took the win and De Wolf finished third. Jed Beaton finished eighth.
MX2 Race 2
In race two, it was De Wolf who was flying into the first corner and took the second Fox Holeshot of the races. He led the race immediately with Geerts and Thibault Benistant of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing, Renaux and Mewse just behind.
Maxime Renaux – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Geerts then got Benistant for second as Renaux struggled for a few laps to do the same. Meanwhile, Vialle started the race in sixth place though crashed lap two and dropped down to 10th.
After making several attempts, Renaux was finally able to get Benistant for third at lap five, by which point De Wolf and Geerts were already quite far ahead as the two leaders kept a steady gap, setting very similar lap times.
T Benistant – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
At one point, Mewse started to close in on Renaux and Benistant as it looked like the Brit was going to push for higher positions, though he started to fade a little towards the end of the race to eventually finish in sixth position. Beaton was one of the riders who passed Mewse in the closing stages, as the Aussie made his way from eighth to fifth in the race.
De Wolf’s gap to Geerts remained at around three seconds for most of the race, though with two laps to go Geerts put on a late charge to get onto the back of the Husqvarna rider.
Jago Geerts – MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
The battle for the win was close and continued right until the chequered flag, but it was De Wolf who came out on top to win his first ever MX2 race, while Geerts finished second and Renaux in a distant third.
With a win and a second, Jago Geerts was the overall winner at his home track, while Kay De Wolf stood on the second step of the podium after some very strong races and Maxime Renaux joined the pair, to stand on the third step of the podium and extend his championship lead to 26 points over Mattia Guadagnini who only managed 12th overall today. Fernandez remains third in the standings, while Geerts is fourth just two points from second.
MX2 Podium – de Wolf, Geerts, Renaux – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Jed Beaton finished fifth, to claim fifth overall for the weekend, while Wilson Todd was 23rd.
Jago Geerts
“I’m really happy to win here in Lommel. Last year I think everyone expected that I would win at least one of the three GP’s but it didn’t happen. In the second race Kay was riding really good and at the end I tried to go for the pass, but I couldn’t make it happen. It’s nice to head in the right direction but the season is still long and I’m not really thinking about the championship that much, I just want to go out every weekend, do my best and collect as many points as possible.”
Jago Geerts – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Kay De Wolf – P2
“The fight in race two already started with two laps to go. I enjoyed racing. It’s an amazing feeling to win a race. It’s going really well this season so far, so we’ll keep on fighting and keep up with the hard work.”
Kay de Wolf – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Maxime Renaux – P3
“The first race, I took a good start, well actually the start was better in race two but I went wide in the first corner because Kay was really close, so I went wide. The first race I made a good start and was feeling great on the track and took a little gap to Jago. I was just feeling really good and made a silly mistake passing a lapped rider, I got cross rutted and went down. That was a shame but finishing second was really good for the points for the championship. The second race I had a good start, I didn’t push too hard as the guys were pretty quick and were so far in front that it was almost impossible to get them, so I finished the race third. Third overall is good, good for the championship so I’m happy. I’ve only won one race since the beginning of the year and I’m not happy with that, I want to win more races. When you win races and put 25 points you can get a bigger gap to your opponent, so yeah, I try to be as consistent as I can and will try to win races, take good starts, which I think is very important this year and hopefully it will pay off.”
Maxime Renaux – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Thibault Benistant – P6
“My day was quite good overall because I finished fourth with 34-points. This is only 1-point less than my best ever finish this year, with my best weekend being 35-points. When you look at it like this, it is quite good. I had a bit of bad luck in the first race. Another rider hit my lever and I had no front brake for the whole race, but in the end of the race I was feeling really good and was one of the fastest guys on track at the end of the moto. In the second race, the feeling was not there, so I did not want to go over the limit and make a mistake for nothing; fourth overall in Lommel is not a bad result.”
Tom Vialle – P7
“Seventh is not what we want but after the injury I have not ridden in the sand for a long time. I tried twice this week but it wasn’t going too well with my hand. In another way I’m quite happy because my hand came through the motos well. We can build from here. I was already tired at the start of the second moto and the track was really tough today. If you are not ‘bike fit’ then it is extra difficult here. I think I would have enjoyed today a lot more if I had that fitness. I know from here we will be a bit better every day. We will train hard this week and I know I will be 100% by the time we go to Turkey.”
Simon Langenfelder – P9
“I felt really good on my bike today. I was flowing in the turns and after qualifying I was really confident for some strong results. Unfortunately, in both races I had to come from the back because of avoiding a crash in race one and then in moto two, I had a really good start, but I was pushed wide and off the track. In that one I came from 25th to ninth so my speed is there, I just needed a little bit of luck to get some better results.”
Bouncing back from a disappointing performance one week ago at the GP of Estonia, 22-year-old Australian Wil Ruprecht (TM) proved himself to be the rider to beat on day one of the Airmousse GP of Sweden, Round Four of the 2021 Borilli FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Skövde.
Wil Ruprecht (TM) took the outright ahead of Josep Garcia (KTM) and Brad Freeman (Beta)
With Wil topping the overall EnduroGP results by a healthy 20 seconds, as well as winning the Enduro2 class, the Australian was joined as a class winner by Davide Guarneri (Fantic) in Enduro1, Brad Freeman (Beta) in Enduro3, Laia Sanz (GASGAS) in Enduro Women, and Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) in Enduro Junior. Albin Norrbin (Fantic) claimed a home win in Enduro Youth.
The outright top seven were all on different brands of motorcycle with Ruprecht putting TM on top.
EnduroGP – Ruprecht bounces back
Taking the win on the Friday night Akrapovic Super Test, Wil Ruprecht made his intentions clear right from the start of the Airmousse GP of Sweden. Although only winning by a slender margin, come the end of the first day’s opening lap, Wil was still pushing hard and battling against both Josep Garcia (KTM) and Brad Freeman.
With Freeman losing time on each of the three AcerbisCross Tests, the battle for the EnduroGP class lead was all about Ruprecht and Garcia.
Wil Ruprecht (TM)
With little to separate the two riders as the day neared its close, the final Champion Enduro Test would prove decisive. For Ruprecht it went well, very well, as the TM mounted rider topped the time sheets to maintain his class advantage and ultimately secure the day’s win. For Garcia, who needed to deliver his best while hoping for a mistake from Ruprecht, things didn’t work out. The Spaniard fell, but still earned a hard-fought runner-up EnduroGP result.
Brad Freeman – Beta
With Freeman rounding out the podium, fourth, fifth, and sixth positions all went to 250F mounted riders – Davide Guarneri, Samuele Bernardini (Honda), and Andrea Verona (GASGAS).
Wil Ruprecht (TM)
“Yeah, today was good,” said Wil. “The tests were nice to ride, but also a little scary in places – you certainly didn’t want to be making any big mistakes. I just rode a strong but steady pace, hit my marks, and tried not to over ride the bike. I think there’s a little more that I can give, but it was a good day.”
Wil Ruprecht (TM)
EnduroGP Stage One Results
Wil Ruprecht – E2 – TM
Josep Garcia – E2 – KTM +20.25s
Brad Freeman – E3 – Beta +37.04s
Davide Guarnoni – E1 – Fantic +1min01.51s
Samuele Bernardini – E1 – Honda +1min14.99s
Andrea Verona – E1 – Gas Gas +1min17.74s
Hamish McDonald – E2 – Sherco +1min18.74s
Jaume Betriu – E3 – KTM +1min31.98s
Jamie McCanney – E3 – Husqvarna +1min51.32s
Antoine Magain – E1 – Sherco +1min52.81s
Josep Garcia
Enduro1 – Guarneri claims day win number two
Although delivering a not-so-great time on the opening Akrapovic Super Test, Davide Guarneri hit the ground running at the start of day one, topping the opening Champion Enduro Test before winning a further three tests before the mid-way point of the day.
Davide Guarneri
“I had a really strong opening lap, which meant that I was able to open up a small advantage,” commented Italian Guarneri from the podium. “I made some mistakes, it wasn’t a perfect day from me, but I think everyone was making some mistakes. For myself and Fantic, it’s great to get this second victory of the championship. I was also a little lucky – I had a big crash in the final enduro test, but I was able to get back on my bike quickly.”
Davide Guarneri
It was a great day for Samuele Bernardini who secured his best result of the season with second. Andrea Verona dropped outside the top two for the first time, taking third. Antoine Magain (Sherco) and Mikael Persson (KTM) were fourth and fifth respectively.
Samuele Bernardini
Enduro2 – Ruprecht and Garcia lead the way
The Enduro2 class boiled down to a battle between Ruprecht and Garcia for the win. With the duo pushing the pace in the overall EnduroGP standings they pulled clear of their classmates. With Ruprecht holding firm, Garcia would be denied his third race win in a row.
Wil Ruprecht
Behind the top two it was another consistent performance from New Zealand’s Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) in third. The reigning Enduro Junior champion is growing stronger with each round and will soon look to bridge the gap to the top two.
New Zealand’s Hamish MacDonald (Sherco)
Delivering a strong performance on home soil, Sweden’s Albin Elowson (Husqvarna) was fourth with Finland’s Eero Remes (TM) fifth.
New Zealand’s Hamish MacDonald (Sherco)
Enduro3 – Seven in a row for Freeman
While admitting to not having the measure of Ruprecht and Garcia in EnduroGP, Freeman continued his win streak in Enduro3 to claim his seventh victory of the season.
Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna)
As ever the battle behind him was a much tighter affair with Jaume Betriu (KTM), Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna) and Daniel McCanney (Sherco) fighting for the remainder of the podium. Betriu placed as runner-up, with Jamie getting the better of his brother Daniel for third. Antoine Basset (Beta) rounded out the top five.
Jaume Betriu
Enduro Women – Laia by a mile
Starting as she meant to continue, Laia Sanz comfortably topped the event opening Akrapovic Super Test before firing out of the blocks early on day one with what would be the first of three wins. Unbeaten on any special test during lap one, and having extended a healthy lead in the process, Laia topped just one of the final lap’s three special tests – the Acerbis Cross Test – yet still ended the day on the top step of the podium and close to 50-seconds ahead of her closest challenger.
Second on day one went to Britain’s Jane Daniels (Fantic) who put together a largely mistake free day, beating Laia on one of the day’s special tests. The only other rider to take a test win off Sanz was Mirea Badia (GASGAS). Like Daniels, Badia wasn’t really able to challenge Laia, placing third overall and 13 seconds down on Daniels. With Britain’s Rosie Rowett (KTM) fourth and Norway’s Marie Vilde Holt (GASGAS) fifth, the best placed home rider was Linnea Akesson (Husqvarna) in sixth.
Mirea Badia (GASGAS)
“I felt like the special tests didn’t really suit me too well, but I’m really happy to have got the win,” explained Sanz at the end of the day. “The day was quite relaxed, no stress, so that was good. I’m sure tomorrow will be tougher, but I hope that I can match this result and not struggle on the second day as I have at some events recently.”
Enduro Junior – Macoritto takes it
As has been the case so far this year, the battle for top honours in Enduro Junior was played out between Lorenzo Macoritto and teammate Matteo Pavoni (TM). Spurred on by his day two win last week in Estonia, Macoritto held off Pavoni by 12 seconds to get the job done. With home support on his side, Sweden’s Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) wasn’t too far away, just 19 seconds behind Pavoni, for third. He’ll look to go better on day two. A strong ride by Fantic’s Jed Etchells saw him beat Ruy Barbosa (Honda) by five seconds for fourth.
Matteo Pavoni (TM)
Enduro Youth – Home win for Norrbin
Following his win in Italy and double in Estonia, Albin Norrbin is now the rider to beat in Enduro Youth having won today in Sweden. The Swede was a class act taking eight test wins from 10. Kevin Cristino and Harry Edmondson made it a Fantic 1-2-3 in Skövde. Samuli Puhakainen (TM) and Albert Fontova (KTM) completed the top five.
Albin Norrbin
After a physically demanding opening day in Skövde, the Airmousse GP of Sweden concludes on Saturday July 24.
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2021 EnduroGP of Estonia – Day 2 Report
Brad Freeman (Beta) has fought back to win day two of the Airmousse GP of Sweden, round four of the Borilli FIM EnduroGP World Championship, in Skövde. After finishing third on day one, a determined effort from the Brit saw him fend off Italy’s Andrea Verona (GASGAS) by four seconds, with Davide Guarneri (Fantic) placing third overall in EnduroGP.
Brad Freeman (Beta) extended his EnduroGP outright and E3 category points lead
It was double delight for Spain’s Laia Sanz as she secured a day two win in the Enduro Women’s category, while Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) and Albin Norrbin (Fantic) also ended their time in Sweden with double wins in the Enduro Junior and Enduro Youth classes respectively.
EnduroGP class – Four-way battle upfront
The fight for top honours in EnduroGP was a hard-fought one on day two of the Airmousse GP of Sweden with the top four riders separated by just 14 seconds after more than one-hour of timed special test racing. Frustrated by his mistakes on day one, Freeman began day two on a mission, sweeping the first three tests to grab an early lead. But the pace was frantic at the top as Verona, Guarneri and Josep Garcia (KTM) all came to the boil early on lap two. Garcia won the second Champion Enduro Test, while Verona topped the Acerbis Cross Test.
Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS
Opening up a slender advantage on lap three, Freeman held some breathing room entering the final test of the weekend, the Acerbis Cross Test. Behind him Guarneri provisionally held second with Garcia one tenth of a second adrift in third. But a blisteringly fast time from Verona leapfrogged him past both riders and into second, finishing just four seconds behind Freeman.
Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM
With second slipping from his grasp on the final test, Guarneri held of Garcia by less than one-second for third. Although starting the day strongly, Will Ruprecht (TM) – day one winner – couldn’t maintain that pace and slipped down the order to fifth.
“It’s amazing to get the win, but for me the biggest thing was to turn things around from yesterday,” said Freeman. “I started strong and was able to lead all day. Hats off to Andrea on that final test though, I’m glad I had some breathing room going into it!”
Brad Freeman (Beta)
Freeman now leads the EnduroGP standings entering the summer break with the final two rounds of the championship remaining in October.
EnduroGP Stage Two Results
Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta,
Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, +4.33s
Davide Guarneri (ITA), Fantic, +13.64s
Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, +14.52s
Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, +45.70s
Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco +1m29.62s
Albin Elowson (SWE), Husqvarna +1min47.08s
Jaime Betriu (ESP), KTM, +1min48.37s
Joe Wootton (GBR), Husqvarna +1min54.41s
Anton Lundgren (SWE), Husqvarna +1min58.27s
Sweden EnduroGP Stage Two Results 1. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 2. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, +4.33s 3. Davide Guarneri (ITA), Fantic, +13.64s
EnduroGP Championship Standings
Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 146 points
Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 124 pts
Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 120 pts
Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 102 pts
Davide Guarneri (ITA), Fantic, 92 pts
Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 74 pts
Steve Holcombe (GBR), Beta, 72 pts
Jaime Betriu (ESP), KTM, 67 pts
Samuele Bernardini (ITA), Honda, 37 pts
Daniel McCanney (GBR), Sherco, 37 pts
Enduro1 – Verona steals the show
Fresh from his Enduro1 clean sweep last weekend in Estonia, Andrea Verona arrived in Sweden focused on delivering more winning rides. Perhaps a little too eager to continue from where he left off, the Italian frustratingly hit the deck multiple times early on during day one. Relying upon his impressive pace to bring him back up to the sharp end of the results by the end of the day, Andrea would ultimately claim third in E1.
Davide Guarneri (Fantic)
Hitting the reset button ahead the second day of racing, Verona was back to his best. On pace with his rivals from the start, more importantly he kept things rubber side down with the 22-year-old engaged in a day-long battle with countryman Davide Guarneri for overall victory. With the outcome of day two coming down to the results of the final test of the weekend, Verona dug deep to take the win and top the Enduro1 class by just over nine seconds. In doing so he also claimed a runner-up EnduroGP result.
Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS
Andrea Verona
“I’m super happy with how my weekend ended. On day one I had too many crashes but despite that, I still wasn’t too far from the win. To turn it around on the second day and take the win, this was really huge for me to bounce back like that. With it going down to the last test, I had nothing to lose and I gave it full gas. I gave it everything and to take the day win after a close battle all day feels amazing. My speed put me on the podium in EnduroGP as well, so for me this second day was really special after a difficult opening day.”
Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS
Behind the top two, Honda’s Samuele Bernardini took third, albeit over two minutes behind the leaders. Sweden’s Mikael Persson (KTM) finished fourth, with Canada’s Kade Tinkler (KTM) fifth.
Samuele Bernardini (Honda)
Enduro1 Stage Two Results
Andrea Verona (GASGAS)
Davide Guarneri (Fantic) +9.31s
Samuele Bernardini (Honda) +2min13.24s
Mikael Persson (KTM) +2min23.51s
Kade Tinkler (KTM) +2min43.57s
Sweden Enduro1 Stage Two Results 1. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 2. Davide Guarneri (Fantic) +9.31s 3. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) +2min13.24s
Enduro1 Championship Standings
Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 152
Davide Guarneri (Fantic) 142
Samuele Bernardini (Honda) 109
Antoine Magan (Sherco) 99
Davide Soreca (Husqvarna) 85
Enduro2 – Garcia ahead of Ruprecht
The second of two back-to-back rounds held in the north of Europe, the EnduroGP of Sweden gave riders very little in terms of rest between events due to its Thursday-to-Saturday schedule. Delivering a mixture of terrain, including forest tracks, open grass tests, and dusty hardpack, one thing that remained constant was the weather – hot, dry conditions punished the riders even further, with fitness and endurance proving key to a strong result, especially on the second day.
Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM
Following an intense two-rider fight for the win that raged throughout day one, Garcia went into the ninth and final test of the day trailing leader Wil Ruprecht by just over 11 seconds. Giving his all, Josep looked like he might be able to claw back the time needed, but a small mistake mid-test cost the Spaniard the seconds he required, and he was forced to settle for second overall on day one behind the Aussie.
Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM
On day two the fight was contested by a number of riders, with the top five separated by just over 20-seconds after eight of the nine special tests. Josep secured the Enduro2 class win, but missed out on the EnduroGP podium by just 0.88 seconds. His results over the two days were enough for him to successfully maintain his second place in the outright EnduroGP standings and close in on Ruprecth for the points lead in Enduro2, where the KTM 350 EXC-F rider now trails TM’s Ruprecht by just five points.
Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco
Another third place for Kiwi Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) on day two, while Albin Elowson (Husqvarna) and Joe Wootton (Husqvarna) were fourth and fifth respectively.
Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco
Josep Garcia
“It’s been an excellent event here in Sweden, but of course another tough one. Day one went well, I was fighting with Wil (Ruprecht) the whole day and in the end, it came down to the final test. I gave it my all, but a small mistake just lost me too much time, but it was good to finish second in EnduroGP. Day two went well for me, I had a crash on the second Cross Test and that cost some seconds, but I was still in the fight for the win. In the last lap we were all together, really close on time. I pushed as always but I just missed out on the EnduroGP podium by a tiny amount. I’m happy with the E2 class result, but in the overall I know it could be better, but this is racing, and I know I did my best.”
Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM
Wil Ruprecht
“That’s a wrap from Sweden! Solid riding both days with some fast company. Happy with the outright speed going into the summer break but it’s clear I’m coming up a little bit short late Sunday. As with all challenges I’ve faced this year I will dedicated all of my energy towards cleaning up this area and hopefully have something to show for it come the back half of the season. A big thanks to the team for a big 2 weeks of support.“
Enduro3 – Freeman extends championship lead with win
While Freeman ran away with proceedings in Enduro3, there was plenty of battles behind him for the podium. Jaume Betriu got the better of the McCanney brothers for second, while Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna) edged out his brother Daniel McCanney (Sherco) for third. Antoine Basset (Beta) took fifth.
It was a weekend of fast and frantic action at round four of the 2021 FIM EnduroGP World Championship, with Laia Sanz topping the Women’s class on both days of racing. In dominant form throughout the entire weekend, the Spanish ace enjoyed a maximum points haul, heading home to Spain with the Women’s class lead.
Jane Daniels (Fantic)
Arriving at the EnduroGP of Sweden tied on points at the top of the Women’s championship standings, Laia Sanz had only one thing on her mind – leave Skovde with a firm hold of the Women’s title chase. After topping the timesheets on Thursday night’s Super Test (the race ran from Thursday to Saturday!), Laia was in full control throughout the opening day of racing, claiming a convincing victory.
For day two, the Spanish ace frustratingly lacked the energy needed to push forward, opting for a consistent pace in order to secure another strong result. Nevertheless, Laia won three of the six tests to claim a second day win in Sweden and now sits on top of the series standings with a comfortable eight-point lead.
Laia Sanz
“It’s been another good weekend for me and overall I’m really happy with my results. I would have liked for some of the tests to be a little slower and more technical, especially the extreme tests, but it was the same for everyone. Like the first round, my fitness isn’t quite where it needed to be in order to be able to push on the second day, so I had to maintain a strong but steady pace. In terms of my championship, it’s been a great weekend and now I have a nice gap at the top of the standings with one round to go in France.”
Laia Sanz (GASGAS)
Fastest on the Acerbis Cross Test, Mireia Badia (GASGAS) claimed the runner-up result with Jane Daniels (Fantic) third. Rosie Rowett (KTM) and Marie Holt (GASGAS) rounded out the top five.
EnduroGP Women Two Results
Laia Sanz (GASGAS)
Mireia Badia (GASGAS) +29.69s
Jane Daniels (Fantic) +42.89s
Rosie Rowett (KTM) +2min47.84s
Marie Vilde Holt (GasGas) +3min36.95s
EnduroGP Women Championship Standings
Laia Sanz (GASGAS) 75
Mireia Badia (GASGAS) 67
Jane Daniels (Fantic) 66
Rosie Rowett (KTM) 45
Joana Goncalves (Husqvarna) 39
Enduro Junior – Last gasp effort for Macoritto pays off
Delivering more great battles, both Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) and Matteo Pavoni (TM) again fought it out for the Enduro Junior victory. Entering the final test it was Pavoni who held the upper hand by nearly two seconds, but a flyer from Macoritto saw him collect his second win of the weekend.
Lorenzo Macoritto (TM)
Never too far away from the TM mounted pairing, Leo le Quere (Sherco) ended his day in third. Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) was fourth with Luc Fargier (GASGAS) fifth.
Matteo Pavoni (TM)
Enduro Junior Stage Two Results
Lorenzo Macoritto (TM)
Matteo Pavoni (TM) +1.71s
Leo Le Quere (Sherco) +37.00s
Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) +48.23s
Luc Fargier (GasGas) +1min28.15s
Enduro Junior Championship Standings
Matteo Pavoni (TM) 148
Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) 142
Leo Le Quere (Sherco) 99
Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) 84
Sergio Huertas Navarro (GasGas) 69
After a busy fortnight of racing, the Borilli FIM EnduroGP World Championship takes a well-earned summer break before returning for the final two rounds of the championship in early October.
Before that many riders in the field will contest the 2021 International Six Days Enduro, held in Italy from August 30 – September 4.
Following a serious incident in European Talent Cup Race One at the MotorLand Aragón Round of the FIM CEV Repsol, it is with great sadness that we report the passing of rider Hugo Millán.
Millán was involved in a multi-rider incident at Turn 5, with the session immediately red flagged. The Medical Intervention Vehicles arrived at the site immediately and the rider was attended to on track before being transferred to the Medical Centre at the Circuit.
Despite the best efforts of the circuit medical staff, the Medical Centre has announced that Millán has sadly succumbed to his injuries.
Millán was enjoying his most successful season so far in the FIM CEV Repsol, claiming several podiums to demonstrate his consistency as he competed at the front of the class.
2021 Australian Classic and Post Classic MX Championships Cancelled
The 2021 Australian National Classic and Post Classic Motocross Championships hosted by Heaven VMX, originally set for July in Nowra, NSW that had been postponed due to concerns around COVID-19 have now officially been cancelled for 2021.
Due to the ongoing outbreak of Covid-19 across the country and the uncertainty in the current climate the Heaven VMX Club in consultation with Motorcycling Australia made the tough decision to cancel these events.
Kenneth Swan – Heaven VMX President
“The Heaven VMX club is passionate about the great sport of Vintage Motocross. The planned 2021 Australian National Classic and Post Classic Motocross Championships was intended to be an opportunity to extend our arms to, and share our passion with, all VMX racers from around Australia. Bring the whole VMX family together for a VMX Festival of Fun. When the Heaven VMX Club of NSW does run this event, we want to do it at the right time when all VMX racers from around Australia are safe and happy to travel and give it every chance to be the amazing event we have planned.
2021 Australian Classic and Post Classic MX Championships cancelled
“Therefore for 2021 for the Heaven VMX Club, have made the difficult decision to cancel the Australian National Classic and Post Classic Motocross Championships. With this news we are equally as disappointed as everyone is, we hope you understand though as this should be a truly national event for all our competitors.”
The Heaven VMX Club thanked all those riders that had already entered and supported the events. Over the next 2 weeks, all entry fees taken to date will be refunded through Ridernet and refunds will be finalised by July 31.
Australian Speedway Under 16’s 125cc Solo & Teams nominations open
Motorcycling Australia ihave opened nominations for the 2021 Australian Speedway under 16’s 125cc Solo and Teams Championships. The Championships will be held at South Australia’s Sidewinders U16’s Speedway Club, September 23-25.
Two New Zealand Oceania Speedway Sidecar rounds announced for 2022
FIM Oceania, Speedway NZ (SNZ) and Motorcycling NZ (MNZ) have revealed that competitors will be set to battle out the 2022 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship over two rounds on January 29th, 2022, at Moore Park Speedway, Christchurch, New Zealand and Oreti Park Speedway, Invercargill New Zealand on February 5th, 2022.
The FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship heads to New Zealand in 2022
This will be the first time the FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship has been hosted on New Zealand soil, and over two rounds. With both host tracks sporting a rich history in Motorcycle Racing.
Moore Park speedway was founded and named after the late Ronnie Moore, and Oreti Park Speedway, Invercargill has strong ties to Burt Munro.
The final round of this FIM Oceania Championship finishing in Invercargill the week before the annual pilgrimage to the South for the Burt Munro Classic, which is always a talked about two wheel event.
Peter Doyle – FIM Oceania President
“FIM Oceania was very pleased to be working with Speedway NZ and their host tracks, Moore Park & Oreti Park Speedways for what is sure to be an amazing 2022 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship. It is excellent to have this FIM Oceania Championship conducted in New Zealand and we encourage motorcycle racing fans from across New Zealand and Australia to get along and not miss a minute of this speedway action. There is a long history of excellent competition and hard fought battles between the Aussies & Kiwi riders across many motorcycle races over the years. I am sure in January 2022, there will be two rounds of sensational speedway racing.”
Speedway NZ will be seeking Expressions of Interest from New Zealand based riders for the event over the next six weeks before finalising the qualification process for NZ representation.
Motorcycling Australia and ACU have been delegated 8 of the 16 spots in the rider line-up, for what promises to be an action packed international event.
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Maciej Janowski tops Czech Speedway GP Round 1
Polish star Maciej Janowski was elated to end his Prague struggles as he topped the Anlas Czech Republic FIM Speedway Grand Prix round-one podium on Friday evening.
‘Magic’ delivered a dream start to his season when he overhauled Emil Sayfutdinov at the start of lap three to win the final. Great Britain racer Tai Woffinden was third, while Sweden’s Fredrik Lindgren was fourth after hitting the tapes.
Despite Sayfutdinov cruising through to the final after topping the heat score chart on 12 race points, it was Janowski who got the verdict when it mattered most to top the World Championship.
It’s the first time he has qualified for a Prague final since his SGP debut season in 2015, when he finished third. Janowski had reached the semi-finals at Marketa Stadium three times in seven appearances going into Friday night, so he was delighted to triumph at the opening round of SGP 2021.
Maciej Janowski
“For the last couple of years, I have been struggling on this track. But today I felt great and my team was working great. The bike was so quick and I really enjoyed racing. I want to say thanks to my team. I love you guys. We found a good setup from the beginning and that was very fast. I used good lines on the track. I got good points and I rode very well. So I am very happy and that’s a great start to the Grand Prix series. The season is long; we have 11 rounds. We need to be smart and fast like today. Tomorrow is a different day. We will try to focus on the same things as tonight and I hope tomorrow I can show the same speedway.”
Maciej Janowski
Double European champion Emil Sayfutdinov was content with second spot as reached his first SGP podium since 2019.
Emil Sayfutdinov
“It was very good. I felt good from the start and I was happy around the track because I had good speed. I would like to say thanks to my team, who have been working very hard. That’s the next goal, so we will just concentrate on that. It is always a different day and a different track. Today I will try to relax, have a good sleep and then we will see.”
Woffinden was pleased to pick up third place on the Marketa Stadium track where he won three SGP rounds on the bounce between 2013 and 2015.
Tai Woffinden
“We salvaged a third, which was pretty good. I started the night okay with a second and a win. The next two races were really bad and we were just trying to find the setup. We were chasing it all night. I needed to win my last race to make the semi, which I did. I needed to finish first or second to get into the final, which I did. If Freddie hadn’t touched the tapes, I wouldn’t have been on the podium. We learned a lot today for tomorrow.”
Australian Max Fricke finished eighth with nine-points, while Jason Doyle was 12, on five.
Speedway GP World Championship Standings after Round 1
Maciej Janowski 20
Emil Sayfutdinov 18
Tai Woffinden 16
Fredrik Lindgren 14
Artem Laguta 12
Bartosz Zmarzlik 11
Leon Madsen 10
Max Fricke 9
Martin Vaculik 8
Robert Lambert 7
Matej Zagar 6
Jason Doyle 5
Jan Kvech 4
Anders Thomsen 3
Oliver Berntzon 2
Krzysztof Kasprzak 1
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Artem Laguta claims Speedway GP Round 2 victory
Triple FIM Speedway of Nations world champion Artem Laguta admits the Prague rain clouds had a golden lining as he stormed to victory in Anlas Czech Republic FIM Speedway Grand Prix round two on Sunday.
Czech Republic FIM Speedway Grand Prix Round 2
The sport’s biggest stars returned to Marketa Stadium for an early-afternoon start after Saturday’s event was postponed due to heavy downpours in the Czech capital.
A rare afternoon round proved lucky for Laguta as he collected the second SGP victory of his career – following up his triumph at the 2020 season opener in Wroclaw.
Laguta raced past fellow SON winner Emil Sayfutdinov to hit the front, with Friday’s round-one winner Maciej Janowski joining him for second and Sweden’s Fredrik Lindgren rounding Sayfutdinov for third on the final corner.
Heavy rain followed by bright sunshine meant track conditions changed drastically for speedway’s biggest stars. But Laguta made the most of them to move up to second place in the World Championship on 32 points – just six behind leader Janowski.
Artem Laguta
“I am very happy today. It was a good day for me. It was a good meeting and I made good starts today. I am very, very happy with the win. Now I am looking forward to the next meeting. But Speedway Grand Prix is always very hard. There was a lot of rain on Saturday, but it went today and the track was okay. It was very hard with grippy starts, but for me it was no problem. I want to say thank you to my team and thank you to my family – they are my life. I am very happy. Thank you.”
Artem Laguta topped the Round 2 podium
Janowski admits the bike which fired him to victory in Friday’s first round didn’t have the same impact today. But a change of equipment saw him bounce back with a very handy second place – meaning he has dropped just two championship points from a possible 40.
Maciej Janowski
“They were two completely different days. After four heats I changed my bike. My first bike that I used on Friday lost some energy, so we changed and then everything was much, much better. It could have been better, but I am happy with what we got. Second place in the second GP sounds good and I scored good points – that’s the most important thing. We had a very hard day, but I am happy with how it finished.”
Maciej Janowski
Lindgren has made a habit of scraping into semi-finals and taking full advantage of the opportunity. He turned eight race points in the heats into a very useful 16 championship points with third place.
The Swede is now fourth in the World Championship on 30 points and was pleased to make his mark when it mattered once again.
Fredrik Lindgren
“Today was a big battle all the way through. I never really felt I had good speed. I was making decent starts and had good track craft, but I was struggling a bit and really had to scrape through to the semis. In the semi we found a bit more speed in the bike and I was very happy I made it to the final. In the final I just gave it everything I had. It was a big battle and a big blast around the outside on the last corner to make it on to the podium. I am happy with that.”
Round 2 saw Jason Doyle in sixth, claiming 11-points, with Max Fricke in 11th for six. Doyle and Fricke are now ninth and 10th in the standings respectively.
Next up for the FIM Speedway Grand Prix stars is Betard Wroclaw SGP of Poland rounds three and four at the legendary Olympic Stadium on July 30 and 31, as Janowski bids to extend his series lead in his home city, with Laguta and Tai Woffinden also lining up on their Polish home track.
Speedway GP Round 2 Results
Artem Laguta 20
Maciej Janowski 18
Fredrik Lindgren 16
Emil Sayfutdinov 14
Bartosz Zmarzlik 12
Jason Doyle 11
Martin Vaculik 10
Anders Thomsen 9
Tai Woffinden 8
10 Leon Madsen 7
Max Fricke 6
Matej Zagar 5
Krzysztof Kasprzak 4
Jan Kvech 3
Robert Lambert 2
Oliver Berntzon 1
Petr Chlupac 0
Daniel Klima DNR
Speedway GP World Championship Standings after Round 2
Maciej Janowski 38
Artem Laguta 32
Emil Sayfutdinov 32
Fredrik Lindgren 30
Tai Woffinden 24
Bartosz Zmarzlik 23
Martin Vaculik 18
Leon Madsen 17
Jason Doyle 16
Max Fricke 15
Anders Thomsen 12
Matej Zagar 11
Robert Lambert 9
Jan Kvech 7
Krzysztof Kasprzak 5
Oliver Berntzon 3
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DuQuoin Mile Cancelled Due to Weather
Due to the significant level of rainfall in the area, the 2021 DuQuoin Mile has been cancelled. Progressive AFT will continue its season with the Port Royal Half-Mile on Saturday, July 24 at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Penn.
Fans who have purchased advanced tickets for the DuQuoin Mile will receive information on refunds and ticket credits from Track Enterprises in the coming days.
2021 Capricorn XTreme – Grassroots Enduro Round 3
Round Three of the Australian Hard Enduro Championship has been run and won, despite the challenges to organisers and promotors of the national series, Grassroots Enduro Australia, who spent the week leading up to the race contending with Covid lockdowns and heavy rains.
A brand new venue located at Mount Morgan, eight hours north of Brisbane in Queensland saw 176 Hard Enduro nutters register for the Capricorn X-Treme.
Riders were meant to compete in the prologue in order to determine their starting positions for race day, with Juniors racing a two and a half hour event on the same day as the prologue. However 80 mm of rain preceeded the event, which saw the access road washed out, with the go-ahead only coming through 6 pm the day prior to racing.
2021 Capricorn XTreme – Grassroots Australian Hard Enduro
As such the the prologue was abandoned and Juniors race moved to the morning of race day. Gold, Silver, Bronze and Ladies classes raced on the 45 km track over a six hour time limit, while the Juniors track was eight km in length, with a reduced two hour limit.
The Pro/Gold class was won by Rob Nowak (KTM), a veteran of the Hard Enduro scene in Australia with international race experience such as RBR, Erzberg and Sea to Sky. Runner up went to Wade Ibrahim (KTM), who won round two, leaving him in a strong position on the points chart.
Sherco rider Chris Perry rounded out the top three with a solid performance and backing up his third place at the previous round.
In the Silver class Chris Dark took the win ahead of Trent Tucci, with just a minute separating them, while Frank Fee completed the podium.
Mac Vonthien won the Bronze category by a handy seven-minutes over Robert Brosig, while Adam DeCaria claimed the final podium positon.
Ebony Nielsen won the Ladies, ahead of Cheyenne Jones and Zeena Gadsby, with Amy Davidson a more distant fourth.
In the Junior class, Brody Reed took the win ahead of Toby Page, as the only two riders to complete five laps. Third placed Michael Blake completed four.
The ProMX Management Team have postponed Round 5 of the Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores, which was to be held at Wodonga, Victoria.
This decision has been made due to the continued complications of state government COVID-19 restrictions which have resulted from the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks across Australia including South East Queensland and Greater Sydney.
ProMX Round 5 has been postponed due to Covid travel restrictions
The postponement decision has not been made lightly, as enforced border restrictions have affected a number of riders and teams, but more significantly they affect the ability to produce the ProMX Live TV production that is based from Greater Sydney.
ProMX Management has made the decision to provide advance notification to riders and teams during this highly complicated time, after the NSW Government recently extended its Greater Sydney lockdown for a further seven days.
Round 5 of the ProMX Championship was to be held July 25 at Wodonga, VIC. ProMX Management Team and the host club, Albury-Wodonga MCC will now work closely to review a potential new date the Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores.
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2021 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship scheduled for July 15
The 2021 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship is scheduled for July 15-20 in Du Quoin, Ill., promising five days of intense competition among the nation’s elite amateur riders as the Grand Championship returns to the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.
This year’s event features 24 competitive classes, and in addition to racing the Mile on day one, racers will compete on the Half-Mile, TT and Short Track over the five-day event. The full racing schedule, class structure and updated regulations can be viewed at americanmotorcyclist.com.
The Magic Mile has an illustrious history in flat track racing, with races dating back to the 1920s. The return to the Magic Mile for 2021 is the first in over half a decade.
AMA National No. 1 plates will be awarded to the racers in each class who earn the highest point totals. Racers will compete for the Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award, which honors an amateur racer poised for success at the pro level.
Awards will also be given for AMA Youth Flat Track Racer of the Year and AMA Vet/Senior Flat Track Racer of the Year. The Bill Werner Fast Brain Award will also be handed out to racers who are fast and display academic excellence. The award is bestowed upon a racer based upon his or her performance at the event, as well as their performance in school based on official school transcripts supplied at the time of application.
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2021 SGP finale in Torun becomes a double
The FIM and BSI Speedway have revealed that the season-ending 2021 eWinner Torun FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland will now be a double-header event. The action takes place on Friday, October 1 and Saturday, October 2 at the Marian Rose Motoarena.
Bartosz Zmarzlik – 2020 Torun SGP
As with the previously announced double-headers, riders will compete each night for the maximum 20 points per SGP round. The final stop on the 2021 calendar is sure to be an exciting weekend, culminating in a world champion being crowned.
Torun has hosted an FIM Speedway Grand Prix round every year since 2010, with the World Championship trophy being presented six times at the Motoarena.
Tickets for the newly-announced Friday event will be available in due course.
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Honda’s first MXGP champ meets its latest at Matterly Basin
At the second round of the 2021 FIM World Motocross Championship, in Matterley Basin, there was a meeting between two very special riders in Honda’s illustrious history – Graham Noyce and Tim Gajser.
The importance of these two legends cannot be understated as Noyce was Honda’s first ever world motocross champion in 1979, in the 500cc class, leading the way for a whole host of title-winning riders on red machines to follow, including Gajser, who is the reigning 2020 MXGP champion, on board his Honda CRF450RW.
Tim Gajser and Graham Noyce
In the years between, the list of champions riding Honda machines is unmatched by any other manufacturer, with a total of 20 titles by nine different riders in the 41 years, including a streak from 1984-1993 when Honda won every single premier title. And when you add in other world motocross championship classes, that streak extends to 1997 for a total of 14 years when Honda was on the top step of the final podium.
With over double the number of premier class championships, Honda could actually increase their dominance even further after the 2021 season as Gajser looks to win his third MXGP title in a row. He is already the most successful rider in their history with four titles and 30 GP wins and he is currently holding the red-plate in this year’s championship after third round which just took place in Maggiora, Italy.
Number of Premier Class Titles for Honda
3 – Tim Gajser 3 – Georges Jobe 3 – David Thorpe 3 – Andre Malherbe 2 – Frederic Bolley 2 – Stefan Everts 2 – Eric Geboers 1 – Greg Albertyn 1 – Graham Noyce
World Championship Titles for Honda
1979 – Graham Noyce (500cc)* 1980 – Andre Malherbe (500cc)* 1981 – Andre Malherbe (500cc)* 1984 – Andre Malherbe (500cc)* 1985 – David Thorpe (500cc)* 1986 – David Thorpe (500cc)* 1987 – Georges Jobe (500cc)* 1987 – Eric Geboers (250cc) 1988 – Eric Geboers (500cc)* 1988 – Jean-Michel Bayle (125cc) 1989 – David Thorpe (500cc)* 1989 – Jean-Michel Bayle (250cc) 1990 – Eric Geboers (500cc)* 1991 – Georges Jobe (500cc)* 1991 – Trampas Parker (250cc) 1992 – Georges Jobe (500cc)* 1992 – Greg Albertyn (125cc) 1993 – Greg Albertyn (250cc)* 1994 – Marcus Hansson (250cc) 1995 – Alessandro Puzar (125cc) 1996 – Stefan Everts (250cc)* 1997 – Stefan Everts (250cc)* 1999 – Frederic Bolley (250cc)* 2000 – Frederic Bolley (250cc)* 2011 – Julien Bill (MX3) 2013 – Klemen Gercar (MX3) 2015 – Tim Gajser (MX2) 2016 – Tim Gajser (MXGP)* 2019 – Tim Gajser (MXGP)* 2020 – Tim Gajser (MXGP)*
* denotes premier class title
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Bolt claims 2021 Abestone Hard Enduro victory
Britain’s Billy Bolt started off by laid down the gauntlet at round three of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, producing the fastest qualification time at the Abestone Hard Enduro.
Billy Bolt
Already looking at home in the Tuscan mountains, Bolt topped Saturday’s time sheets ahead of Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) and Taddy Blazusiak (GASGAS).
After a nine-week wait between the opening round at Extreme XL Lagares and the Abestone Hard Enduro, this year’s FIM Hard Enduro World Championship has finally roared back into life. Friday’s ELEVEIT Extreme Test gave competitors a chance to stretch their legs over a short but demanding extreme course.
The new Italian event promised much with big mountain riding, gnarly rocky climbs, and true Hard Enduro terrain, and it delivered on every count. After Saturday’s qualification, competitors got down to the business end of the weekend with the LIQUI MOLY Super Final, where two laps of a world-class Hard Enduro awaited them.
Manuel Lettenbichler
Having topped both Friday’s timed practice and Saturday’s qualification, Bolt sat on pole position for Sunday and started as the rider everyone had to beat. However, with just a 12-second cushion over closest rival Lettenbichler, it was still all to play for.
With Bolt opening the course, Lettenbichler patiently took his time and then gave chase. Knowing the early river section would be tough, he worked it hard and immediately caught up to Bolt’s rear wheel. From there the fight for victory was on. Throughout the two laps the duo swapped positions.
Taddy Blazusiak
Lettenbichler appeared to have the edge on the rocky climbs up the mountain, while Bolt held the advantage on the way down. Pulling the pin on the final descents, Bolt put his Husqvarna out front and held Lettenbichler off to win.
Billy Bolt
“It’s awesome to pull off the win – it’s been a dream weekend for me to be honest. I came here wanting to show that my pace at Extreme XL Lagares was no fluke and that I’m ready for the riverbeds and climbs and I got to show that. The race itself was a bit of a blur, it was proper intense. I messed the early river section up and Mani got on my wheel, and we just battled from there. He had me in the Minestrone Rock Garden, but I felt strong in the woods. On the final lap I just went for the pass, made it stick and hung it out for the win!”
Billy Bolt
Manuel Lettenbichler
“I’m a little bummed not to have won, but second is definitely a great start to the season and the pace we had over the rest of the field was very strong. I can’t complain with my riding, I gave it everything and it was a good fight with Billy. I caught him early in the river and we rode back and forth together for most of the race. It came down to the wire, but just didn’t go my way. But it’s good to know where my pace is at now and with what we showed today, there’s going to be a lot more tight battles to come.”
Manuel Lettenbichler
Behind the leading duo – over 13 minutes behind, such was the speed of the top two – Jarvis was another man on a mission. Hampered by a starting position of ninth, he had work to do. Building pace as the race progressed, he began to pull back positions. A gamble not to refuel at the end of lap one leapfrogged him further up the running order. And with a strong run over the mountain, the 46-year-old Hard Enduro legend, took third.
Graham Jarvis
“My qualification wasn’t too good with ninth, so I had a good bit of traffic in front of me most of the way through. I rode too tense on the first lap and struggled to find a decent rhythm – especially with those early riverbed sections. Gradually I got the speed up and lap two was much better. We gambled on not refuelling and it worked out in our favour. I think my speed and fitness was there to get up with the top two, but the early issues didn’t make it possible. But I’m looking forward now for Red Bull Romaniacs.”
Graham Jarvis
Putting in a strong showing throughout the two laps, Jonny Walker (Beta) just didn’t have an answer for Jarvis in the closing stages and had to be content with fourth. Shadowing Jarvis off the line, Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) kept close to his teammate during the opening lap. But with Jarvis finding another gear on lap two, the Spaniard wasn’t able to go with him, ending his race fifth.
Alfredo Gomez
“The first part of the race was good. Riding with Graham I was feeling good. We managed to catch and pass a lot of the other guys on the way up the mountain, but on the descents I wasn’t so comfortable. I’m happy to go top five and finally get the season underway, but today wasn’t my best day.”
Alfredo Gomez
Taddy Blazusiak fought hard, right to the end, to claim a sixth place result, showing great speed throughout the three-day event.
Taddy Blazusiak
“I really enjoyed today – the race was really tough, but good fun, and I think in general I rode really well. I was in the fight for the podium early on and heading through the river section I made a mistake that cost me some time and put me a few minutes behind the guys in front. I tried my best to claw the time back, but I bruised my ribs a little in the crash and decided to aim for a good, safe finish. I’m really happy with sixth place, especially as I was on pace with the others. The event here in Italy has been great, the fans have been amazing too. The race is really intense, the terrain is perfect for hard enduro – I hope it stays on the calendar for a long time to come.”
Taddy Blazusiak
The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship continues with round four at Red Bull Romaniacs in Romania on July 27-31.
2021 Pro Motocross Championship
Round 4 – Twisted Tea RedBud National
Following its second break of the 2021 season the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, returned to action for its Fourth of July tradition with the annual Twisted Tea RedBud National.
The fourth round of the season saw a massive crowd line the fences in their red, white, and blue for America’s Independence Day holiday and were treated to an afternoon of perfect weather.
Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis continued his impressive season by leading the way in the 450 Class for his third victory of the season.
In the 250 Class, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire demonstrated incredible speed all day en route to his third career win.
450 Moto1
As the gate dropped on the opening 450 Class moto, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Aaron Plessinger prevailed with the Motosport.com Holeshot ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb and Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen. A quick pass by Webb in the second turn allowed him to steal the lead from Plessinger who retaliated to retake the lead just turns later. It was Plessinger, Roczen, and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo at the completion of the opening lap. Championship point leader Ferrandis was sixth at the start.
Red Bud AMA Pro Motocross
As the moto surpassed the 10-minute mark, Roczen started to close on Plessinger for the lead, eventually making the pass stick as Plessinger slid back to second. As Cianciarulo continued his charge in third, he would soon find himself under pressure from Ferrandis who was turning the fastest lap times of the race.
Adam Cianciarulo
Ferrandis was relentless in his push to the front and made the move on Cianciarulo just before the halfway point of the moto. The battle for the lead began to tighten up as Plessinger closed in on Roczen while his teammate Ferrandis closed in on them both with 10-minutes remaining. The Star Racing Yamaha teammates pulled alongside each other several times before Ferrandis took possession of second with a pass on Plessinger through the sand rollers.
Ferrandis
Ferrandis’ charge to the front could not be stopped as he struck on his championship rival Roczen to take the lead with just three laps remaining. The Frenchman would hold on to claim his second moto win of the season with 2.9 seconds to spare on Roczen. After leading early, Plessinger would finish third.
450 Moto 2
The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off with Plessinger launching out of the gate to sweep the Motosport.com Holeshots by edging out the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo, followed by Roczen and Ferrandis. Cianciarulo would lose the front end coming downhill on the opening lap and be forced to rejoin near the tail end of the field as Plessinger, Tomac, Roczen, and Ferrandis led the way on the opening lap.
The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off 450 Moto 2with Plessinger launching out of the gate to sweep the Motosport.com Holeshots by edging out the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo, followed by Roczen and Ferrandis. Cianciarulo would lose the front end coming downhill on the opening lap and be forced to rejoin near the tail end of the field as Plessinger, Tomac, Roczen, and Ferrandis led the way on the opening lap.
Ken Roczen
The battle immediately intensified up front as Tomac made quick work of Plessinger to take the number one position from Plessinger. Just behind the leaders, Roczen and Ferrandis matched one another’s pace in an effort for valuable championship points and to keep the leaders in sight. Roczen made a costly mistake that saw him go down hard, but he was able to dust himself off and remount in sixth.
Up front, Tomac and Plessinger were separated by no more than two seconds for the majority of the race as they took turns on clocking the better lap times.
With the race winding down, the battle for second began to heat up as Ferrandis closed in on his teammate Plessinger. He would use an excellent drive through the sand rollers to take second and set his sights on the race leader Tomac. As the crowd cheered them on, Tomac held on to take his second moto win of the season by just 1.5 seconds over Ferrandis. A distant third would go to Plessinger, while Roczen recovered for sixth.
Eli Tomac
It was Ferrandis who’s hard charging and consistency would give him the overall victory (1-2). Tomac earned his second consecutive podium of the season in season (4-1), while Plessinger completed the podium with an impressive 3-3 moto scores on the day. Roczen’s 6-2 was good enough for fourth. A jump during the red cross flag in Moto 1 resulted in Ferrandis being docked a single point and Roczen two points, however, the overall finishes remained the same.
Dylan Ferrandis
“I gave it everything and it was a big fight today, I charged really hard at the end of the motos. I wanted to win the second moto, but Eli [Tomac] was riding really good. I dreamed of winning here at RedBud and thanks to the fans for cheering loud for us all day. It’s been a good start to the season and I’m really looking forward to keep working hard so we can stay up front the rest of the season.”
Ferrandis passes Plessinger
With the win Ferrandis was able to extend his lead in the championship standings to 14-points over Roczen who lost crucial points in the second moto. Plessinger sits third, 36-points out of the lead.
Ken Roczen
“I was excited coming into RedBud for Fourth of July; it’s always a special race and the fans always go wild. We had a pretty decent couple of qualifying sessions. I ended up going fifth to the gate, which was totally fine; I felt pretty good on the track and was ready for the moto. In the first moto, I think I was third after the start and just kind of worked my way up there into second right away and made a move on [Aaron] Plessinger and was leading most of the race until about two laps to go. I kind of lost my rhythm a little bit. The track is really hard-packed underneath and soft on top, so it was really tricky to ride. It just wasn’t really my best performance, but at the same time I was okay with the second place. I got passed there with a couple of laps to go and tried to hang on behind [Dylan] Ferrandis and tried to make a pass back, but it just wasn’t enough. I was looking forward to the second moto. Moto 2 was kind of like when everything came undone. I was battling really hard to get to the front. I was in third and [Eli] Tomac was leading and Plessinger was second. I made my way past Ferrandis and just sat in third for a while trying to see what the race gave me. I had a bad case on [LaRocco’s] Leap, as Plessinger’s roost slowed me down so much. I hurt my wrist a little bit, but then a couple laps later I fell right after the leap. I tucked the front end, had a pretty big get-off, and my bars were a little bent. I’m glad I was able to finish at least in sixth and minimize the points damage. We’re healthy leaving RedBud and I’m just looking forward to prepping for next weekend’s race.”
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250 Moto 1
When the gate dropped for the first 250 Class moto of the day it was Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper who emerged with the Motosport.com holeshot just ahead of the Team Honda HRC duo of Jett and Hunter Lawrence, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Jeremy Martin and Hampshire.
Justin Cooper
As they crossed the finish on the opening lap, Cooper lost traction going up the face of the finish line and crashed out of the lead. Cooper’s mistake allowed a hard charging Hampshire to inherit the lead over the Lawrence brothers and Martin. Cooper would remount in 10th.
Hampshire pushed the pace out front with Jett Lawrence in tow and the duo began to slowly distance themselves from the train of riders behind them. As Jett Lawrence applied the pressure, Hampshire crashed out of the lead, but was able to restart quickly in second. Hunter Lawrence remained a distant third.
Jett Lawrence
With the race closing in on the halfway point of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto, Hampshire started to inch back onto the rear wheel of Jett Lawrence and searched for a way around. Hampshire would once again lose the front end of his motorcycle and find himself on the ground while contending for the race lead. Hunter Lawrence took full advantage of Hampshire’s mistake to move into second, while Hampshire remounted in third.
As Jett Lawrence continued to control the race out front, Hunter Lawrence and Hampshire started to gain momentum and slowly reduce the gap to the race leader. With three laps to go, Hampshire muscled his way around Hunter Lawrence for second and began to set his sights on the race leader Jett Lawrence but Jett held on to take the checkered flag for his third moto win of the season by 2.2 seconds over Hampshire. Hunter Lawrence finished third, just ahead of Cooper who recovered for fourth.
Hunter Lawrence
250 Moto 2
The final 250 Class moto of the afternoon saw Cooper capture his second Motosport.com Holeshot of the day, just ahead of his teammate Martin and first moto runner-up finisher Hampshire. The Lawrence brothers found themselves mired deep in the pack as Hunter was scored 11th and Jett 18th at the completion of the opening lap.
Justin Cooper
As the lead trio went to work with a clear track out front, Jett Lawrence put his head down in an attempt to do damage control, however, a costly mistake would see him make contact with another rider and go down, losing valuable time as he remounted outside the top-30.
Out front, Hampshire began to find his momentum as he moved Cooper to within striking distance for the race lead, using every inch of the track to find a way past. At the 15-minute mark, Hampshire would get a drive and out drag race Cooper to become the new race leader.
Just as Hampshire looked to have the race under control he would yet again find himself picking himself up off the ground as he surrendered the lead to Cooper in the late stages of the moto. Cooper emerged with his second moto win of the season by 12.9 seconds over Hampshire. Martin finished third in an impressive return from injury, followed by Hunter Lawrence in fourth. An inspiring ride by Jett Lawrence netted him sixth.
Hunter Lawrence
By virtue of 2-2 finishes Hampshire prevailed for his first win of the season and won the RedBud National for the second consecutive year. Cooper’s second moto win earned him second overall (4-1) as Jett Lawrence completed the podium in third (1-6), followed by his brother Hunter in fourth (3-4).
Jett Lawrence on the podium but saw his series lead trimmed by three points
RJ Hampshire
“This win just feels so good after everything I’ve gone through lately,” said Hampshire. “As you can hear, I’ve been super sick all week, so to be up here today is a bit emotional. I give it my all everytime I’m on the track, and it would have been great to get those moto wins today, but to win here at RedBud for the second year in a row is an amazing feeling. The speed has been really good lately and I’m looking forward to some of my favorite tracks coming up on the schedule.”
Jett Lawrence maintains his hold of the championship point lead by eight over Cooper who reduced the gap by three on the day. Hunter Lawrence remains third, 44-points out of the championship lead.
Jett Lawrence
“The bike setting in the first moto wasn’t good. I had RJ [Hampshire] charging, and if he got me, I didn’t really have any ammo to fight back. Between motos, my team did a great job making some adjustments that made the bike work better for me, but I just didn’t give myself a very good chance for winning or even getting myself into a good position. I came from 37th to sixth, so I think that’s pretty good. I definitely made a lot of passes, maybe the most passes of the day. I think if you look at the result it sucks because I lost three points, but you have to look at the positives; it was a strong ride, and I felt like there’s not many other people in this class that could do that.”
Jett Lawrence
Hunter Lawrence
“My weekend wasn’t bad; it wasn’t great, but we’ll take it. We went 3-4 moto scores for fourth overall. I missed out on the box by two points. That second moto I was in a ‘do or die’ position to catch J-Mart [Jeremy Martin] and make that pass. I was pushing to make up a lot of ground on him, coming from a pretty bad start, so I was ‘damned if I did, damned if I didn’t’; I had to risk it and push. I ended up laying it down and got back up, managing to finish in a position where I was chasing down fourth. All in all, I’m really happy with how the team worked together to make changes on the bike for the second moto, which benefited us a lot. It maybe wasn’t a moto-score result, but as far as my feeling on the bike, and everything else, we left better than what we started in the first moto, so I’m happy with that. RedBud was awesome. That was my first proper Fourth of July RedBud experience, so it was pretty cool. I also checked something else off my bucket list; I really wanted to scream ‘RedBuuuuud’ into the microphone. I hadn’t been able to do that until today, so that was cool.”
Webster to move up to MX1 with Honda Racing Australia in 2022
Kyle Webster has signed a long-term contract with Honda Racing Australia, which will see the current MX2 points leader move up to the MX1 class from 2022.
Kyle Webster
“It’s a dream to race for Factory Honda and I am proud to extend my relationship with them long-term. Honda continues to prove they have race and championship winning bikes, the new CRF450R has already won a World Championship so I am pumped to move into the MX1. We have come close, but I haven’t won it. This is my first full season of racing with Factory Honda and so far, things are going to plan. We will keep our heads down and maintain our focus for the rest of the season. We have a great program this year, we are winning races and I am working hard to keep that momentum going. There are 10 moto’s to go so I am focusing on each race as it comes, as moto two on the weekend was certainly a reminder of the unpredictability of the sport.”
Kyle Webster – Image by RBMotoLens
Webster has endured his fair share of ups and downs throughout his career, where an overall National MX2 Championship has eluded him thus far. With a 34 point lead in the current MX2 Championship after three rounds, Webster isn’t ready to let his guard down just yet.
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Capricorn X-Treme takes over as AHEC Round 3
Grassroots Enduro Australia has replaced the postponed Tasmanian Insane Ride Event with the Capricorn X-Treme as Round 3 of the Australian Hard Enduro Championship, after Covid restrictions prevented almost half of the 220-rider line-up from attending the event.
The Capricorn X-Treme is located in Mount Morgan, just 30 kms from the city of Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia and will be held this weekend, July 3-4.
Day One will feature an eight-kilometre track for the prologue for all classes, with the Juniors racing a two and a half hour hard enduro to complete the day. Day Two will feature a 45 km track, where the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Ladies classes will battle the terrain and elements during a four-hour hard enduro event. A pony express format means riders can do as many laps as they like with the allocated time, with completing a third lap seen as a pretty big challenge.
Victorian-based Wade Ibraham and Chris Perry are travelling 3800 km to defend their first and third places respectively, while Queensland’s Ruben Chadwick will be defending his second place in the championship.
Australian National Classic & Post Classic MX Championships postponed
The Heaven VMX hosted 2021 Australian National Classic and Post Classic Motocross Championships, set for July has been postponed due to concerns around COVID-19 in NSW and the ensuing lockdown.
Post Classic Motocross
New Championship dates will be announced shortly. All current entries will carry forward to the new dates. If once the new dates are announced, if any entrant is unable to attend, a full refund will be provided.
Gillman to host ProMX Final in September
The ProMX Round 3 at Gillman which was postponed from May 30 due to the SA Government border restrictions will not be possible on the tentative rescheduled date due to the current COVID-19 outbreak in Greater Sydney.
ProMX in consultation with host club – Motocross Riders Association (MRA), have revealed a new date of Sunday September 5, for this round of ProMX in South Australia. Further communication to advise teams and riders about Gillman round entries will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Silk Way Rally 2021 at a glance
After the opening round in Kazakhstan, the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship moves east with the second round starting in the Siberian city of Omsk. The route crosses Mongolia from west to east over a course of 5,000km, including more than 3,000km in special stages through Siberian forests, across mountainous plateaux, steppes and the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, before reaching Ulan Bator on July 11.
Silk Way Rally
This is the first day of the traditional Mongolian festival of Naadam and a national holiday in the ‘Land of the Blue Sky’. Twenty-four riders, including 10 in RallyGP are scheduled to attend administration and technical checks in Omsk on June 30 and July 1.
Amongst them is the Yamaha team of recent Kazakhstan Rally winner Ross Branch, from Botswana, and his team-mates Adrien van Beveren and Andrew Short.
Sam Sunderland (KTM) was injured after a violent crash on the last day in Kazakhstan and he misses out on this occasion, with KTM fielding only one motorcycle for the Austrian rider Matthias Walkner.
Team Husqvarna has entered both Luciano Benavides and Skyler Howes, while Daniel Sanders will ride in the colours of the GasGas team.
Sanders will be jumping in at the deep end of rally competition, the Silk Way represents just his fourth competitive rally outing. Signing for GASGAS Factory Racing earlier this year following a stand-out ride at the Dakar, the 26-year-old will be looking to continue gaining more experience, and work on his speed and navigation skills as he takes on the grueling 10-day event.
Daniel Sanders
“I’m really looking forward to the Silk Way Rally, it’s definitely looking like it’s going to be hard, both physically and mentally. I’ve been getting in the miles since Kazakhstan, so I’m really happy with how the bike feels and I think we’re in a good place with the settings heading into this second round of the championship. Looking at the terrain it really does look like a real mixture, and the stages are long – even when the specials aren’t too bad, there is often some lengthy liaisons to cover, and that can really prove tiring. My strength is definitely racing in sand, so I hope we see plenty of that when we hit Mongolia. Up to then, my plan is to get through the first week safely and then push on towards the end. With the added points awarded at this race, it’s important to get a good safe finish, so that’s my number one goal.”
Daniel Sanders
Hero continues with the three-rider line-up of Franco Caimi, Joachim Rodrigues and the young Sebastian Bühler.
Among the 14 Rally2 riders are Carlo Cabini (Honda) and the returning Aldo Wrinkler (KTM), who has been absent from the rally scene for many years and will accompany his son Andrea on the Silk Way Rally adventure.
Cairoli bounces back to MXGP of Great Britain win
The MXGP of Great Britain saw rain forecasted for the entire day, but this did not stop a healthy crowd of British fans from making the trip to Matterley Basin to enjoy some of the most exciting racing of the season so far.
In MXGP all eyes were on Antonio Cairoli who bounced back in incredible fashion, following an unlucky GP in Orlyonok, going 1-3 in the races to secure his sixth GP win in Matterley Basin. Joining him on the podium was Tim Gajser and Jeffrey Herlings who put together another solid day to get himself on the podium.
Antonio Cairoli
MXGP
In the opening heat it was Jorge Prado who grabbed the Fox Holeshot with Jeremy Seewer and Cairoli closely behind. Though Cairoli wasted no time as he jumped into the lead, while Gajser was fighting further down the order.
Jorge Prado
On the opening lap it was Cairoli, Prado, Glenn Coldenhoff of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing and Herlings, with Seewer, Gajser and Pauls Jonass just behind.
A few laps later, Gajser had managed to get around Seewer and was closing in on the back of Herlings, while Seewer was coming under more pressure from Jonass. And so was his teammate Coldenhoff, who lost two positions in one lap to Herlings and Gajser as the pair went after Cairoli and Prado.
Arminas Jasikonis
On his return to MXGP racing, Arminas Jasikonis had a tough opening heat, as he eventually pulled into the pits to retire from the race.
With 2 laps to go Cairoli stretched out his lead to 8.731 seconds over Prado, with Herlings, Gajser and Coldenhoff completing the top 5, as Romain Febvre from Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team chased down Jonass.
Romain Febvre
In the end it was Cairoli who secured his first race win of 2021, with Prado second and Herlings third.
In race two it was Febvre who grabbed the second Fox Holeshot, though much like in the opening heat, Cairoli was quick to get out in front.
The opening lap was exciting, with Prado taking the lead from Cairoli and then Febvre doing the same as Gajser got himself up into third.
Antonio Cairoli
Seewer then lost a position to Herlings who took 5th from the Swiss. Prado also lost another position, this time to Gajser as he got up into second and then it was game on as the Slovenian rode patiently behind Febvre for most of the race.
Gajser worked away at the gap lap by lap and towards the end of the race he was right on Febvre’s tail. Cairoli kept up with the leaders and at one point it looked like both Gajser and Cairoli were in for the chance of stealing the race win from Febvre.
Romain Febvre
The last two laps of the heat were intense, as Gajser and Febvre traded positions, with Gajser eventually able to make a pass on the Frenchman stick, on the final lap, and edge out slightly to take the chequered flag.
Cairoli topped the podium, with Gajser second and Herlings third. Febvre ended up fourth overall just 2 points off the podium.
Jeffrey Herlings
Heading into the third round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, Tim Gajser continues to lead with 93 points, as Jeffrey Herlings sits second in the championship standings just 15 points behind and Romain Febvre is third a further 5 points back.
Antonio Cairoli – P1
“Actually, I enjoyed race two more because it was nice with all the passing, and it was nice to be back battling. In the first race I had a really good start and immediately after a few corners I made my way into first place and then pushed as fast as I can. Of course, I was disappointed with last week. I was really not happy about this mistake; we lost a lot of points but of course today was very good and I really enjoyed the track. I ran short of breath during the second race in the last 4 laps, the guys were pushing hard. It was easy to make a mistake, so I thought let’s bring it home and make this 93rd GP victory happen.”
Antonio Cairoli
Tim Gajser – P2
“I always enjoy coming to England and racing here at Matterley Basin. The weather meant that they didn’t rip the track so much, so in the first moto there weren’t many lines and it wasn’t easy to pass on so I just had to settle for a fourth place. I felt I could have challenged for the lead but I didn’t want to push too hard and I thought that in race two it would be easier. I got a better start in second race and although there was a lot of passing and action going on, I stayed calm and focused on finding good lines and working my way to the front. When I was in second place, I couldn’t stay too close to the leader for a long time because the roost was hard and I wanted to make sure I had clear vision for near the end of the race. When I saw the two-lap board come out, I knew a couple of places where I could make my move and on the last lap I used a really good outside line and took the lead. I’m really happy with how I’m riding and how everyone in the team is working together to improve each weekend. I can’t wait for Maggiora and I hope to continue this run of results. A big thank you to everyone!”
Jeffrey Herlings – P3
“It’s our goal this year. We used to go out and try to win but I just want to be on the podium, and it has shown in the past that when you are on the podium almost every weekend you can keep close to the championship. First race was alright, the second race same, nothing impressive, I just don’t have the speed yet, I can do a good lap, but I still struggle with race speed. I’m not far off but I don’t want to throw it away in the beginning. I just want to keep racing and get better and improve week by week.”
Jeffrey Herlings
Romain Febvre – P4
“A lot of guys were fast today and with a bad start in the first race it was not so easy to come back through the pack; my jump out of the gate was good but I was maybe too far inside and after the first corner I was outside the top ten. I came back strongly to seventh, but then the speed was similar with my rivals and it wasn’t possible to make the difference. I changed my gate pick for the second race and my start was much better as I got the holeshot and for sure that made life much easier! There was one section on the track where I didn’t find the best line; that is where Tim passed me as I didn’t know which one he would choose. We exchanged the lead several times during the last two laps and in the end he won; it’s always frustrating to lead all the race apart from the last two laps but that’s it; we’ll continue to work before Maggiora next weekend.”
Jorge Prado – P5
“Today was good in some ways but a bit negative with that second moto. I was struggling with the track from the morning and how flat it was. I knew the start would be important for me. I had the holeshot but made a small mistake and Tony came past. That was actually pretty good because he was riding really well: I could stay behind him and he pulled me along. Physically I felt strong in the second moto, which is positive for the next few races, but I didn’t have the feeling with the bike or the set-up. It was too difficult for me to turn, open the gas and go with the others when they were full-on. I was too slow, even taking some risks. So, we need to look at that. We will keep working. It will come. I’m in the right place.”
Jorge Prado
MXGP of Great Britain Overall Results
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
R1
R2
Total
1
Cairoli, Antonio
ITA
KTM
25
20
45
2
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
18
25
43
3
Herlings, Jeffrey
NED
KTM
20
18
38
4
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
14
22
36
5
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
22
14
36
6
Jonass, Pauls
LAT
GAS
15
15
30
7
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
13
16
29
8
Coldenhoff, Glenn
NED
YAM
16
12
28
9
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
10
11
21
10
Lupino, Alessandro
ITA
KTM
12
8
20
11
Van Horebeek, Jeremy
BEL
BET
6
13
19
12
Olsen, Thomas Kjer
DEN
HUS
7
9
16
13
Vlaanderen, Calvin
NED
YAM
4
10
14
14
Strijbos, Kevin
BEL
YAM
9
5
14
15
Tonus, Arnaud
SUI
YAM
11
2
13
16
Bogers, Brian
NED
GAS
8
4
12
17
Sterry, Adam
GBR
KTM
3
6
9
18
Jacobi, Henry
GER
HON
0
7
7
19
Simpson, Shaun
GBR
KTM
5
0
5
20
Van doninck, Brent
BEL
YAM
0
3
3
21
Östlund, Alvin
SWE
YAM
2
0
2
22
Locurcio, Lorenzo
VEN
KTM
0
1
1
23
Guillod, Valentin
SUI
YAM
1
0
1
MXGP Standings
Pos
Rider
Nat.
Bike
Total
1
Gajser, Tim
SLO
HON
93
2
Herlings, J.
NED
KTM
78
3
Febvre, Romain
FRA
KAW
73
4
Cairoli, A.
ITA
KTM
65
5
Prado, Jorge
ESP
KTM
61
6
Seewer, Jeremy
SUI
YAM
60
7
Lupino, A.
ITA
KTM
54
8
Jonass, Pauls
LAT
GAS
50
9
Olsen, T.
DEN
HUS
43
10
Coldenhoff, G.
NED
YAM
42
11
Van Horebeek, J.
BEL
BET
39
12
Tonus, Arnaud
SUI
YAM
31
13
Vlaanderen, C.
NED
YAM
29
14
Strijbos, K.
BEL
YAM
28
15
Watson, Ben
GBR
YAM
22
16
Van doninck, B.
BEL
YAM
21
17
Tixier, Jordi
FRA
KTM
19
18
Sterry, Adam
GBR
KTM
17
19
Östlund, Alvin
SWE
YAM
16
20
Simpson, Shaun
GBR
KTM
14
21
Bogers, Brian
NED
GAS
12
22
Jacobi, Henry
GER
HON
7
23
Watson, Nathan
GBR
HON
4
24
Locurcio, L.
VEN
KTM
3
25
Brylyakov, V.
MFR
HON
2
26
Guillod, V.
SUI
YAM
1
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Todd Wilson eighth in British MXGP – Beaton 12th
In MX2, Maxime Renaux was determined to make up for lost ground in Orlyonok and he did just that with a win and a second to secure his career second overall victory.
Mattia Guadagnini placed second overall during what was his second Grand Prix as a factory KTM rider and Ruben Fernandez continued his podium streak to finish third.
MX2
In race one, it was Renaux who took the Fox Holeshot as he edged out ahead of Isak Gifting and Mathys Boisrame. Thibault Benistant was keen to move forward as he got himself into third, with Jed Beaton getting off to a fantastic start in fourth as he pushed Benistant.
Maxime Renaux
Meanwhile Geerts struggled down the order as he was 12th, though he managed to get back up into 7th by the end of the race.
Benistant remained one of the fastest riders out on track as he was pushing to catch Boisrame and Renaux, while also fending off Beaton. Beaton then crashed out of 4th and eventually came into pitlane before retiring from the heat.
Mattia Guadagnini
Benistant then crashed also, dropping from 3rd to 5th. At that point Renaux had pretty much controlled the race but things got interesting behind him as Fernandez and Guadagnini were having a strong fight for third.
Guadagnini was applying the pressure as he clocked fast laps, lap after lap, though Fernandez was able to respond and that’s when the pair caught up with Boisrame who was second. Fernandez went after Boisrame and was able to make a pass on the corner before the finish line, for the perfect photo finish.
Mathys Boisrame
Renaux was the race winner, with Fernandez and Boisrame 2nd and 3rd.
In race 2, it was Simon Laengenfelder who secured the Fox Holeshot. Though he didn’t hold the lead for long as Guadagnini and Rene Hofer were quick to jump into P1 and P2. Fernandez didn’t have the best start as he began the race in 11th.
Mattia Guadagnini
Guadagnini then edged out from the rest of the field as Boisrame went after Hofer with the pair having a close battle. Hofer did a great job of fending off the Frenchman, though some laps later Boisrame was able to find a way through into P2, before making a mistake and crashing. He re-joined to eventually finish in 7th.
Jago Geerts was another rider to crash and had to restart from the back.
Race 1 winner, Renaux was keen on getting back in the action and chase a podium spot as he worked his way up the order as he caught up with Roan Van De Moosdijk and then Hofer.
Roan van de Moosdijk
5.929 seconds separated Renaux from Guadagnini, as Geerts finally found his way up into the points. And as Renaux was looking like he was working away at the gap to the race leader, Guadagnini responded quickly to keep the gap healthy.
In the end it was the #101 of Guadagnini who won his first ever MX2 race, while Renaux was second and Hofer third.
Maxime Renaux
A 1-2 result gave Renaux the overall win, while Guadagnini got his first taste of a World Championship Podium and Fernandez made it two in a row with a 3rd overall.
With Tom Vialle not lining up for today’s races due to injury sustained during the week, Ruben Fernandez has taken the championship lead, five-points ahead of Maxime Renaux who is second and Mathys Boisrame who sits third on the same points (74).
Maxime Renaux – P1
“I had really good races, we worked with the team to make progress on the starts, and I actually took the Fox Holeshot in race one so I’m happy about that. I had some consistent races, so I’m very happy about the weekend.”
Maxime Renaux
Mattia Guadagnini – P2
“It’s amazing. I just felt really good and really enjoyed racing here, really like the track and also good feeling on the bike, didn’t’ get the best time this morning but I did a good start and first race. I know the start is important and I took a good start, I was second and passed for the lead in the first lap. I just enjoyed the racing, I made my race, and I got the win, so I’m really happy about that. It was an amazing weekend.”
Mattia Guadagnini
Ruben Fernandez – P3
“I’m happy. To get the red plate is just awesome. I didn’t expect it so just to have it is unbelievable. The day started well with pole position, but I made my races really difficult with two bad starts. In the first race I was able to get second place after a last corner pass on Mathys Boisrame and also, I had a good battle with Mattia Guadagnini and I felt the pressure from behind so I knew I had to push. In race two, was difficult with the start and then I made a mistake on the first lap. I got sixth in the second race, and I was expecting more. It was a tough day but I am on the podium and with the red plate so just have to keep working.”
Mathys Boisrame – P4
“I took a great start in the first moto and rode a strong race but at the end I lost a position in the last corner. I had a good start in the second race too but I made a small mistake which cost me several positions and a podium result. I tried to pass Hofer for many laps but there were not so many ruts as usual so it was difficult to pass him quickly and then I made that mistake after passing him. My riding was good but I am still making little mistakes; I learnt that again today but the final result is not so bad. I got good starts and the bike is really strong so now I must avoid those mistakes and continue to work.”
Mathys Boisrame
Roan van de Moosdijk – P5
“My reaction at the gate was not good in the first race so I got closed down and I didn’t really find my rhythm all moto. I went a bit more outside on the gate for race two, got a better start and could turn better at the first corner. I could follow the leaders but it’s never easy to pass here so I’m satisfied with my result in the end. I was involved in a crash with another rider during the week but luckily I only had a little muscle pain from it and the physio confirmed everything is OK. I never raced Maggiora where we race next weekend but of course I know my home GP track at Oss where we go two weeks later; I raced many times there in the Dutch championship and I did some tests there earlier this year so I’m really excited about that GP.”
Wilson Todd – P8
“Eighth overall for the British GP, slowly getting back up to speed and fitness. Hopefully start a little further up the field in coming weeks!
Wilson Todd
Jed Beaton – P12
“As soon as I went out for the first lap in practice I felt great on my bike. I loved the track and then in race one things were going really good. I got into fourth and was just biding my time, finding some good lines and letting the track dry out before making a charge. Unfortunately, I caught a bump wrong and had a pretty big crash. I hit my head and my bike was too bent up to continue. It’s a real shame as up until that point I felt awesome out there. In race two I lined up to give it a good go and finished eighth. Not where we want to be but it’s early in the season and there’s a long way to go. My starts were good so despite the crash there are some positives to take away from this weekend.”
In 2021 Montova, Italy will play host to the year’s edition of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN). Commencing on 26th September, Motorcycling Australia (MA) has called for all interested competitors to submit their applications to join Team Australia.
Kyle Webster – Team Australia – 2019 MXoN
There are three classes available for riders to nominate for: MX1, MX2 and Open. Riders are advised that they can nominate for more than one class. Applications must be submitted by no later than COB Friday 16th July.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team have confirmed that reigning 450MX Champion Zach Osborne will miss the remainder of the 2021 AMA Pro Motocross Championship in order to fully recover from an ongoing back injury.
Zach Osborne will now be out of action until 2022
Osborne, who sustained the back injury mid-way through the 2021 AMA Supercross Championship, worked hard to get himself ready for the opening round of the outdoor season but he unfortunately re-injured himself at the second round in Colorado. Upon further review with the team, Osborne made the tough decision to sit out the rest of the season to fully recover for 2022.
Zach Osborne
“I’m bummed to say the least. This injury has been a big setback with no clear path to 100% but I feel I’m on a good path now and I just need to give my body the time to heal itself. Myself, along with the team, made the decision to pull the plug and be ready for 2022. It was a tough decision in an already-trying year but I believe I can be back to 2020 form with this time away to heal up. Thanks to my team and fans for the support through this!”
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team will return to racing this Saturday, June 19 in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania.
Sherco hotshot Jonte Reynders has completed an ideal build-up for the 2021 Hattah Desert Race by dominating the latest round of the Tasmanian enduro series at Bakers Beach, north-east of Launceston, on July 19.
The 24-year-old was a class above on his Pirelli Motul Sherco Racing Team 300 SE Factory two-stroke, easily winning the three-hour event ahead of great rivals Kyron Bacon and Seton Broomhall – even after an extra fuel stop!
Jonte Reynders
“I’m rapt with the result on a circuit that was quite difficult, but I made it a little hard for myself – just when I had a decent lead I made a silly mistake of refuelling when I didn’t need to. So I topped up the 300 Factory three times instead of two, which obviously cost me a fair bit of time. But I was able to regroup and take a strong win to extend my lead in the series.”
Jonte Reynders
Five rounds remain in the state title, but Reynders’ focus will now switch to the mainland for the Hattah Desert from July 2-4 where he will be one of the favourites in the open two-stroke class.
He’ll have some exalted guest company in the Pirelli Motul Sherco Racing Team: Ben Grabham – fresh from his two-stroke-winning heroics at the 2021 Finke Desert Race – on a 450 SEF Factory and Justin Carafa on a 500 SEF Factory.
Nathan Trigg, who lives just up the road from the Hattah epicentre at Ouyen, will also be looking to bounce back from his knee-twisting prologue crash at Finke, which put him out of the main game. Trigg rides a Mallee Motorcycles-backed 450 SEF Factory.
The circuit is 37km long, with the senior riders to complete eight laps.
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Daniel Sanders and GasGas ready for Silk Way Rally 2021
The 11th edition of the Silk Way Rally will get underway in less than one month. Setting off from Omsk (Russia), the second town of the Urals, on 1 July, the race will feature 10 varied and technical stages. Crossing Siberia before traversing Mongolia from West to East, the event passes through the famous Gobi Desert before reaching Ulaanbaatar on 11 July.
Silk Way Rally 2019
A total of 5250 km, of which more than 2850 are against the clock, offering the perfect mix of technical difficulty, variety and scenic beauty. From the Altai Mountains to the capital of Mongolia via the Gobi Desert and the endless Mongolian steppes, the 2021 edition of the Silk Way Rally will be quite simply exceptional.
Two years after Sam Sunderland (KTM) in the bikes, who will be the new white tigers to go down in the Silk Way Rally history books at the end of this incredible journey in the land of Genghis Khan?
For its second edition with a bike category, the Silk Way Rally 2021 has once again attracted the major factory teams on what is one of the highlights of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. This second round will benefit from a 1.5 coefficient thanks to its status as a marathon event with over six days of racing.
Sam Sunderland – Silk Way Rally 2019
The titleholder, the British rider Sam Sunderland, Dakar winner in 2017, will defend the colours of Red Bull Ktm Factory Racing alongside his Austrian teammate Matthias Walkner.
Their sister team Rockstar Husqvarna Factory Racing will enter the Argentinian Luciano Benavides and their latest recruit, the American Skyler Howes, one of the revelations of the last Dakar.
Another rider to make a splash in Saudi Arabia with his fourth place, the Australian Daniel Sanders will have the honour of flying the flag for GasGas Factory Racing.
Daniel Sanders
Over at the Monster Yamaha Rallye Team, the Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren will be accompanied by another recent revelation, the Botswanan Ross Branch and ex-Supercross Champion, the American Andrew Short.
The Hero Motorsports team will be pinning their hopes on an eclectic trio of Portuguese rider Joaquim Rodriguez, the Argentinian Franco Caimi and the young German Sebastian Bühler.
The quad category is also back on this 11th Silk Way Rally and promises us a splendid duel between the ever young, five times world champion and ex-Dakar winner, the Pole Rafal Sonic and the Russian Alexander Maksimov, both riding Yamaha Raptor 700s.
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Herlings on form at Arnhem International
Jeffrey Herlings took the two moto wins over the weekend at the Arnhem International in Holland to claim the overall from Brian Bogers and Max Nagle, with Cyril Genot finishing fourth overall, just over the podium.
The event served as training for Herlings, between GP events, who admits he’s still working on his starts, with an aim to do better than in Russia.
Jeffrey Herlings
“I really enjoyed myself and it was a good training for the GP. Starts have to be better, but I can get a podium, and I will try and do better than I did in Russia.”
Herlings brought home 40-championship points in the MXGP opener last weekend, after finishing 4-2, and sits second overall in the standings, behind Tim Gajser, who won both races.
Dylan Ferrandis tops High Point ProMX
Images by Jeff Kardas
Following its first break of the 2021 season the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship returned to action with its East Coast debut from legendary High Point Raceway. The third round of the summer campaign marked the sport’s return to the famed Pennsylvania venue for the first time since 2019 with the GEICO Motorcycle High Point National, where the threat of rain loomed over the afternoon but never really materialised.
High Point 2021
In the 450 Class a hard-fought, consistent afternoon was enough to put Dylan Ferrandis atop the podium for the second time this season. In the 250 Class, Jalek Swoll extended the parity in the division and broke through with his first professional victory as Jett Lawrence increased his lead in the 250 Championship.
450 Moto1
Light precipitation was present when the gate dropped on the opening 450 Class moto, where Adam Cianciarulo prevailed with the MotoSport.com Holeshot ahead of Chase Sexton and Christian Craig, who soon gave up the position to Ken Roczen, the championship leader. As Cianciarulo sprinted out to an early lead the Honda teammates engaged in a battle for second place.
450 Start
As the moto surpassed the 10-minute mark, the lead trio solidified their hold on those positions as Ferrandis gave chase from fourth. As the minutes continued to tick away the distance between the top three continued to shrink. Sexton soon closed in to within a couple bike lengths of Cianciarulo, but a mistake by Sexton not only caused the Honda rider to lose some ground, it forced Roczen into a mistake when he briefly went down and gave up third to Ferrandis.
Ferrandis and Roczen
With the threat defended, Cianciarulo gradually built a multi-second advantage over Sexton, who in turn built a comfortable margin over Ferrandis. As time ran out on the moto clock with just over three laps to go, Sexton tucked the front of his Honda and went down. As he looked to remount, both Ferrandis and Roczen were able to get by, which placed Sexton in fourth when he resumed.
Out front, Cianciarulo looked to close out his first moto win of the season with ease but was dealt with one last obstacle as a slower rider went down exiting the final corner. With nowhere to go, Cianciarulo ran over the downed motorcycle and fell over.
Adam Cianciarulo
He kept his Kawasaki running, got up, and pushed his bike across the finish line to win in unconventional fashion. Ferrandis followed five seconds behind in second as Roczen rounded out the podium in third. Sexton recovered to finish fourth as Aaron Plessinger completed the top five.
450 Moto 2
The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off as Justin Barcia emerged with the MotoSport.com Holeshot out of a gaggle of bikes. He was quickly passed by Plessinger for the early lead, while Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo followed through.
450 Start
Cianciarulo put the hammer down and made an aggressive push that carried him all the way around Plessinger and into the lead. He continued to ramp up the pace and established a multi-second advantage after just two laps. Behind him, Tomac’s first opportunity to run at the front of the field in 2021 saw him surge around Plessinger into second to put the Kawasaki riders at the top of the running order.
As the battle up front took shape the class’ title contenders made moves as well, as Ferrandis worked his way from fourth and Roczen from sixth. Both riders were urgent in their push and successfully moved into third and fourth, respectively. By the time they finished their early charge, the Kawasaki teammates were more than five seconds ahead. From there, Ferrandis and Roczen went head-to-head for third and traded the position before Ferrandis got the upper hand and asserted control of the spot.
Ken Roczen
Up front, Tomac closed onto Cianciarulo’s rear fender and a battle for the lead ensued. Tomac was able to get by, but Cianciarulo fought back and reclaimed the position. However, Tomac didn’t give up and kept the pressure on. The two came together, which pushed Cianciarulo out of a rut and allowed Tomac to move into the lead for the first time this season.
Once out front Tomac started to build an advantage over his teammate and was soon in control of the moto. As the moto surpassed the 20-minute mark Cianciarulo found himself under pressure from Ferrandis and Roczen in third and fourth. All three riders then duked it out for second and used every inch of the track in search of an advantage.
Dylan Ferrandis
As the crowd cheered them on, both Ferrandis and Roczen bullied their way around Cianciarulo, who dropped from second to fourth. That thrilling sequence also changed the battle in the overall classification, as Ferrandis moved into control of the afternoon.
For Tomac it was a dominant ride indicative of his three-year championship run. He stormed to his first moto win of the season by 3.2 seconds over Ferrandis, who was able to fend off Roczen for the entirety of the moto.
Although he missed out on a moto win, Ferrandis’ consistency was enough to vault him to the second overall victory of the season and his career via 2-2 moto finishes. Cianciarulo’s drop off the podium in the final moto relegated him to the runner-up spot by a single point (1-4), while Tomac made his first appearance on the podium this summer in third (6-1), which bumped Roczen (3-3) off the podium via tie-breaker.
Dylan Ferrandis – P1
“What a race. I don’t know (what to say), I got a good start and was able to get by Ken (Roczen), which was good because he was so fast today. It was a war (after that). Ken kept pushing me and we were able to come to Adam (Cianciarulo). It was crazy how competitive it was with them. We were going so fast and the track was so difficult. It’s just amazing to get a win here today and get a hold of the red plate again.”
Dylan Ferrandis
Adam Cianciarulo – P2
“It sure feels good to get that first moto win under my belt. I thought I had a decent sized gap in the second moto, but Eli was flying and caught me a bit off-guard. Fair play to him and the others, they rode amazing. I’m stoked with how awesome my bike has been feeling lately. I honestly believe with a little more endurance, I can be a regular winner this season. Thanks to everyone at Monster Energy Kawasaki for giving me a great bike to ride and always supporting me. We have another break coming up, but I’m ready to build off of this and get back to racing.”
Adam Cianciarulo
Eli Tomac – P3
“This was a big one for us. I’ve been in a bit of slump these last two races, so to get a win and feel like myself on the bike again is huge. After I got off the gate in Moto 2 and saw I had a good jump, I knew it was going to be a good moto. I was able to catch Adam rather quickly and once I was in the clean air, I rode my own race and started pulling away. This was an exciting race, and I can’t wait to keep this momentum rolling into RedBud. Thanks again to the entire Monster Energy Kawasaki squad for all the hard work this weekend.”
Eli Tomac
Ken Roczen – P4
“Today started off really good. I felt comfortable on the track, but we had a slightly different bike setup so in the first moto it really beat me up. I wasn’t that comfortable out there so I really couldn’t do that much. I still rode okay, but it wasn’t the best and I ended up third. In the second moto I was pinched off and had a really bad start. We did some adjustments to the bike that helped me out and I charged forward hard in the first half of the race and ended up having a good battle with Dylan [Ferrandis]. I ended up with another third place for fourth overall, which is kind of weird, but in the end, I’m okay with it because we rode really well and charged hard. That’s all we can do.”
Aaron Plessinger – P6
“This weekend had some ups and downs. I was really happy with my riding in the first moto. I got a really bad start but had a really good flow going and came back to fifth place. I went into the second moto really confident and got an awesome start, but I couldn’t really find that flow that I had in the first moto, and I dropped back to eighth. The track was really tough. There were some spots that were dry and some spots that were soft. So it was definitely weird, but we have a weekend off and will get back to work and get ready for RedBud!”
Justin Barcia – P7
“It was a little bit of a tough day. I just didn’t jive with the track that much and I never felt super comfortable. I think we’ll go back to California and work on a few things and try to be a lot better for RedBud in two weeks. All we can do is keep level-headed and be better for the next race.”
Justin Barcia
Marvin Musquin – P8
“In the first moto, the start was decent but the riding was not good enough and the feeling was not good enough so we decided to go back to some old settings on the shock and it shows, it was definitely better in the second moto. I didn’t get a good start but I was able to fight back, attack and race hard to come back to seventh place, so that was a lot better. Overall, I’m obviously not happy because we’ve been working hard and it didn’t pay off for this weekend, so we need to keep going.”
Cooper Webb – P10
“It was a bit of a struggle today. I felt like I put up a good fight in the first moto and ended up seventh. In the second moto, I got tangled on the start and I ended up crashing three times coming through the pack, so that was pretty unfortunate. Now we’ve got a weekend off and all we can do is try to improve.”
Cooper Webb
Christian Craig – P11
“I didn’t have the best day at High Point. I seemed to struggle to find good lines and had a couple of crashes, but I was able to get through with some points. We’re going to go back to work and look forward to a better RedBud.”
With the win Ferrandis also reclaimed control of the red plate as 450 Class point leader for the second time this season. He currently has a slim three-point advantage over Roczen, while Plessinger, who finished sixth on the afternoon (5-8) maintained his hold on third, 30 points out of the lead.
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