The 2020 Australian event will set a new record being the 30th round to be held at Victoria’s world- acclaimed Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. The first event, held in 1990 was won by two Australians – the opening 1990 race to Peter Goddard and the second race to Robbie Phillis. The WorldSBK championship has returned every year since 1990, bar 1993.
Phillip Island to host 2020 World Superbike round one on March 1
No other circuit on the global tour has hosted as many rounds with riders, teams and fans flocking for three decades to the sweeping turns and thrillingly fast 4.445 km circuit that borders the stunning ocean vista of Bass Strait.
Phillip Island to host 2020 World Superbike round one on March 1
“It is now a tradition for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship to kick-off the new season down-under and we are delighted to return in 2020,” said Gregorio Lavilla, WorldSBK Executive Director, Sporting and Organisation. “The Australian round at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is one of the most awaited rounds of the year, not just because it is the first on the WorldSBK calendar, but for the beautiful venue and the warmth of the Australian crowds. Their true enthusiasm for motorsports makes the entire round an even more unique event. For 2020, the unmissable WorldSBK action at Phillip Island will be held the last weekend of February from February 28 to March 1.”
Phillip Island to host 2020 World Superbike round one on March 1
Race weekend will run from Friday to Sunday, with practice and qualifying Friday dominating the day one schedule and Free Paddock Friday giving everyone close-range access to the riders and the last- minute season preparations.
Phillip Island to host 2020 World Superbike round one on March 1
World superbikes will continue with the three-race format of two 22-lap Phillip Island battles and the ten lap Tissot Superpole Race making both Saturday and Sunday “race” days for WorldSBK. World supersport is back, plus Australian superbikes leads the national classes, with all local categories launching their 2020 national championships and guaranteeing spectacular racing for all three days.
Phillip Island to host 2020 World Superbike round one on March 1
“We know fans love the summer weather of world superbikes. It’s a perfect time for camping at the circuit and enjoying a weekend away with mates or family at Phillip Island,” said David Bennett, General Manager of the Phillip Island Circuit. “And of course, with 30 years of world superbikes, we have plenty to celebrate so it will be a special round. It’s time to put the date in your diary and start planning a getaway.”
Phillip Island to host 2020 World Superbike round one on March 1
For further information and planning go to www.worldsbk.com.au with tickets on sale at Ticketek in September.
Honda’s Kevin Benavides might have won the tenth and final stage of the 5000 kilometre 2019 Silk Way Rally but it was a convincing overall victory for KTM’s Sam Sunderland.
Sam Sunderland
Husqvarna’s Andrew Short took second on the overall rostrum ahead of Yamaha’s Adrien Van Beveren in an event that also marked the second round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
The third round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, the Atacama Rally, will be held in Chile in early September.
Silk Way Rally Race Report
The 10th and final stage of the Silk Way Rally proved to be one of the toughest of the event. Winding its way along fast rocky tracks and through the ravines and dry river beds of the Gobi Desert, the 255-kilometre timed special required 100 percent focus right to the finish.
Kevin Benavides
The final day of competition marked a fourth stage win for Honda’s Kevin Benavides but it was still not good enough for the 30-year-old Argentinian to make the overall podium in a ten-stage rally that started in the Russian city Irkutsk, and the latter half in China. After 5000 kilometres and 26 hours of rallying the Honda man was a frustrating 36-seconds short of the podium.
Kevin Benavides – P4
“I had a good stage, I won the special, but it was not enough. I narrowly missed out on the podium and I’m left with a bittersweet taste. On the final balance sheet I come away happy because I won four stages, more than any other participants. I felt fine and showed good speed. I was able to ride fast despite the adversities, even on the day when I had the problem with the brake support. I lost time there and also made a navigation error. Those 40 minutes could have changed things a lot. I was very close to getting on the podium today with this final stage, but in general I am happy because I felt good and have worked very hard. We need to keep working and improve on the final result.”
Kevin Benavides
Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team rider Adrien Van Beveren secured a well-deserved third-place result on his WR450F Rally finishing just 39 seconds from the runner-up position.
The longest and one of the most anticipated events of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, the 2019 Silk Way Rally proved to be every bit as challenging as competitors expected it to be. Allowing motorcycles to compete for the very first time, the ‘unknown’ event and it’s Dakar-mirroring 10-day schedule not only provided a stunning array of landscapes and terrain but also numerous long days in the saddle and day-after-day of demanding navigation.
Looking to build on his winning result from the Merzouga Rally, Adrien Van Beveren, like many, was curious to explore the world championship’s most easterly round and return to competition at a race that would unquestionably deliver multiple challenges. Cautiously working his way through the wet and muddy opening stages in Russia, Van Beveren stuck to his plan of taking no risks and moving onto the Mongolian stages ready to increase his speed.
The fast and flowing open tracks of Mongolia went well for Van Beveren, who improved his position in the overall standings with a fourth-place result on stage four and a fifth-place result on stage five. Completing the final Mongolian stage in eighth, as the competition crossed the border into China he held eighth overall.
Specifically targeting the final three stages of the event as the place where he would increase his pace in a bid to secure a podium result, Van Beveren immediately hit his stride in the sands of the Gobi Desert. Second and just 42 seconds from victory on stage eight he again placed as runner-up on the event’s penultimate stage nine meaning that he sat less than one-minute behind the second-placed rider with all to play for on the final day.
Confident of a strong final day result, Van Beveren attacked the stage and by the refuelling point was leading having moved into a virtual second overall. Frustratingly, with only a handful of kilometres to go he made a small navigational mistake, which handed back time to his closest rival. Although finishing the stage second, Van Beveren wasn’t quite able to do enough to take second overall. Nevertheless, he completed the 5,000km event in a strong third position.
Adrien Van Beveren – P3
“I’m very pleased with the way the Silk Way Rally has finished for me. The last few days, which have been the toughest and most technical of the race with very challenging navigation, have been very good. I pushed hard during the second half of the rally and I’m really happy that I finished on the podium. As always a real team effort. Initially, when today’s stage finished I wasn’t totally pleased because I was pushing for second overall and didn’t quite manage to take that position. I rode a very good stage today, I had almost taken back the time I needed to move ahead of Andrew Short in the overall, but then I made a small navigational error and lost four or five minutes. But finishing on the podium is the most important thing. The race has been very long and difficult for everyone in the team, and also with a very strong entry. So again, to finish on the podium is very pleasing. No one really knew what to expect from this race before the start, but it has been incredible – very difficult but also very enjoyable and interesting.”
Husqvarna’s Andrew Short claimed his best ever result in an FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship event by placing second overall in the 2019 Silk Way Rally.
Andrew Short
Short’s victory on stage nine meant he was given the unenviable task of opening the timed special on the final day of competition. With a narrow advantage of just 51 seconds over his nearest rival going into the closing stage, the American had to push for the entire 255 kilometres to defend his runner-up position, which he did successfully.
Although Short didn’t top the final day’s times, he did however lead the special from start-to-finish and set a time that was just enough to retain his second overall position in the provisional standings, by a slender 39-seconds. Gaining experience and confidence throughout the rally, Andrew was able to put his high-speed skills to good use on the final Chinese stages, going on to claim not only his best ever world championship result but also moving up to second overall in the provisional FIM Cross-Country Rallies championship standings.
Andrew Short
Andrew Short – P2
“I’m really exciting to finish the race how I did. For me, the rally didn’t start so well, it took me a little time to get comfortable with the speed among the trees, rocks and water in Russia. Overall, I kept improving as the rally went on and for me to finish where I did is better than expected. A lot of cool things happened for me in this rally – I got my first ever stage win and then today I was given the opportunity to open a stage for the first time. My navigation has been good for the whole rally, and I definitely think that has enabled my rhythm to improve. I feel more comfortable on the bike and the team have been perfect. From here I hope I can continue to gain confidence and momentum and be even stronger at the next race.”
Andrew Short
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland has won the Silk Way Rally – round two of the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
Sam Sunderland wins the Silk Way Rally ahead of Andrew Short and Adrien Van Beveren
Sam Sunderland, having ridden superbly in terms of speed and navigation through Russia and Mongolia, created a comfortable advantage at the head of the overall motorcycle class when the rally entered China. Using his extensive skill and experience, he put in a champion’s ride to maintain a fast and largely mistake-free pace and carried his lead to the final stage of the event, finally claiming outright victory.
Sam Sunderland
With no fewer than three stage wins – one having opened stage five – Sam’s dominant performance at the Silk Way Rally gives him his second consecutive victory in this year’s FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship to extend his lead with two rounds left to race.
Sam Sunderland
Sam Sunderland – P1
“It’s really cool to take the win here in China. I’m really happy with the job done by myself and the team – it wouldn’t have been possible without this big effort from everyone to come to Russia, Mongolia and now China. It’s been a huge adventure and one that we’ll all remember for a long time, that’s for sure. For me I’m so happy to get the win, it makes it two-out-of-two this championship and it’s a really important one because of the points earned this round. I felt really good at the beginning of the event and was able to create a good gap. I felt a bit sick during the middle stages but was able to manage the race and stay on a good pace right to the end. I’m really pleased for Andrew, who has ridden a great race, and also Luciano and Laia. Now I’m looking forward to a bit of rest.”
Sam Sunderland
2019 Silk Way Rally Results
SUNDERLAND Sam GBR Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team 26:12’47
SHORT Andrew USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing +20’22
VAN BEVEREN Adrien FRA Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team +21’01
BENAVIDES Kevin ARG Monster Energy Honda Team +21’37
BENAVIDES Luciano ARG KTM Factory Racing Team +36’50
MENA Oriol SPA Hero Motorsports Team Rally +51’50
SANZ Laia SPA Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +1:56’26
TOMICZEK Adam POL KTM Orlen Rally Team +2:08’04
BARREDA Joan SPA Monster Energy Honda Team +2:54’25
GIEMZA Maciej POL KTM Orlen Rally Team +3:10’31
Provisional FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship Standings
The Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) returns from a three-month break this weekend, heading to Kyogle in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, with rounds 5 and 6 to be held over July 20-21.
Daniel Milner – 2019 AORC
Much of the AORC field made the trek to the iconic Hattah Desert Race, which took place on the first weekend of July, but heading into this weekend let’s take a quick gander at everything you need to know in terms of the state of play of the championship across all classes.
With riders like Daniel Sanders, Daniel Milner, Kyron Bacon, Blake Hollis, Lee Stephens and Jessica Gardiner all holding perfect 100-point scores, competitors will be itching to end their streaks and mix up those standings. Here’s a look at how the AORC stands heading into the weekend.
E3
In the E3 category, Daniel Sanders holds a clean 100 per cent scorecard having won all four rounds this year. He sits on top of the championship with 100-points locked away as he continues his march towards a second E3 Championship.
Daniel Sanders – Image by John Pearson Media
Sanders’ victory last time out marked his fifteenth round win in the E3 class and his twenty-eighth podium finish in the category. The last time Sanders raced at Kyogle was back in 2015, when he finished second to his then KTM teammate, Toby Price in both rounds on the Saturday and Sunday.
Fourteen points behind the Victorian rider is Beau Ralston, who has found himself finishing on the podium in four of the rounds with three second positions, at Rounds 1, 3 and 4, while at Round 2 it was third place, when he finished 20.651 seconds behind Andrew Wilksch, who finds himself in fifth place in the championship standings.
In third place and not to be over looked is Jesse Lawton with 72-points, while in fourth place is Matt Murry.
E3 Standings – Top 5
Daniel SANDERS 100
Beau RALSTON 86
Jesse LAWTON 72
Matt MURRY 68
Andrew WILKSCH 62
E2
Just like in E3 class, Daniel Milner has made the E2 class his own in 2019, taking line honours in all four rounds proving he is the man to catch this year. Fresh from his recent Hattah Desert Race win, Milner will be looking to extend his championship lead this weekend.
Daniel Milner
Milner’s closest rival and last year’s E3 champion Josh Green has a question mark on if he will compete this weekend. Green suffered small fractures, a lot of bone bruising and damaged ligaments in his wrist after he fell at the Hattah Desert Race.
With Green potentially out of the game this weekend, Milner will have to focus on keeping Frenchman Jérémy Carpentier at bay, as he sits 22-points behind Milner. A steady start to the year, with three thirds and one fourth, sees the rider eight points ahead of Broc Grabham, while Brad Hardaker completes the top five with 59-points in the bag.
E2 Standings – Top 5
Daniel MILNER 100
Joshua GREEN 88
Jeremy CARPENTIER 78
Broc GRABHAM 70
Brad HARDAKER 59
E1
The E1 championship is boiling up nicely with the top four riders covered by nineteen points. At the top of the charts is Luke Styke. The former motocross and supercross ace has taken out all rounds bar Round 2 when he was defeated by Lyndon Snodgrass.
Luke Styke
While Snodgrass may be doing the attacking when it comes to trying to chip away at Styke’s championship lead, he is also doing some defending as Michael Driscoll is breathing right down his neck just one point behind in third place.
One slip up this weekend from either Snodgrass or Driscoll, and Fraser Higlett could find himself possibly leaving this weekend in second place in the championship as he only sits four points behind Driscoll and a further five points behind Snodgrass.
E1 Standings – Top 5
Luke STYKE 97
Lyndon SNODGRASS 83
Michael DRISCOLL 82
Fraser HIGLETT 78
Jonte REYNDERS 63
EJ
Kyron Bacon has proven that he is the man to hunt down in the EJ division. Bacon has scored four wins four starts in the 2019 season. Playing the second fiddle to Bacon so far has been Joshua Brierley, while Korey McMahon sits in third place in the championship fight after finishing third in all four rounds so far.
Kyron Bacon – 2019 AORC
The fight is on for fourth place in the championship. Three points separate Cooper Sheidow, who sits on 66-points ahead of Nathan Howe on 65, with Riley Nancarrow in sixth place on 63-points.
EJ Standings – Top 5
Kyron BACON 100
Joshua BRIERLEY 88
Korey MCMAHON 80
Cooper SHEIDOW 66
Nathan HOWE 65
Juniors
Moving to the Juniors and first off Blake Hollis has simply crushed his rivals in quest of his J4 championship crown. He heads into this weekend with 100-points to his name after winning all of the first four rounds.
Blake Hollis – 2019 AORC
Twelve points behind is Mackenzie Johnson, who has finished second to Hollis in all of the rounds. If Johnson wants to win this year’s title, he has to come up with some sort of plan to put a stop to Hollis… fast.
Rounding out the top five is Cody Chittick, Zac Perry and Oscar Collins. Leading the championship in the J3 class is Riley McGillivray, while Max Phillips holds a one-point lead over Campbell Hall in the J2 class.
J2 Standings – Top 5
Max PHILLIPS 85
Campbell HALL 84
Billy HARGY 70
Jett YARNOLD 65
Luke CHELLAS 60
J3 Standings – Top 5
Riley MCGILLIVRAY 97
Kodi STEPHENS 82
Will DENNETT 78
Maxwell LIEBEKNECHT 65
Jack BITHELL 61
J4 Standings – Top 5
Blake HOLLIS 100
Mackenzie JOHNSON 88
Cody CHITTICK 70
Zac PERRY 67
Oscar COLLINS 65
Womens
Jess Gardiner leads the charge in the Women’s championship, and while it’s still early days in the season she looks like she is on course to claim her record breaking fifth championship title. Playing the bridesmaid to Gardiner at this current stage of the championship is newcomer Emma Milesevic, while snapping at heels is the 2013 champion in Emelie Karlsson.
Jess Gardiner
Womens Standings – Top 5
Jessica GARDINER 100
Emma MILESEVIC 82
Emelie KARLSSON 80
Ebony NIELSEN 74
Danielle FOOT 68
Veterans & Masters
Lee Stephens will look to continue his winning ways in the Veterans class. Stephens is yet to be defeated in the 2019 season. Chris Thomas and Paul Chadwick round out the top three respectively.
Kirk Hutton – 2019 AORC
Leading the merry way in the Masters Championship is Kirk Hutton, who wrapped up round wins in the opening three rounds, but finished second to Brad Williscroft at the fourth round. Hutton heads into this weekend with a healthy thirty-one-point lead over Peter Rudd, with Ian Jenner in third, two points behind Rudd.
Australia strong in 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
Team Australia fourth in U21 Speedway World Championship
AORC final Rounds 10 & 11 move to Hedley, Victoria
Briar Bauman dominates New York Short Track
Images by Scott Hunter
Briar Bauman rebounded from his worst result of the 2019 American Flat Track season at the Lima Half-Mile, where a mechanical DNF took a bite out of his championship lead, by scoring a dominant victory at the 2019 New York Short Track held at Weedsport Speedway.
American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
Rather than allow the pressure to cause additional difficulties to escalate following the disappointing previous round, the championship leader responded with perhaps the most convincing performance of his standout ‘19 campaign.
Briar Bauman – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
At the start of the 30-lap Main Event, the recently rejuvenated Jeffrey Carver Jr. squeezed past Bauman and his brother, Bronson Bauman, to lead the opening lap. But before Carver could even contemplate the possibility of completing his career Grand Slam with a maiden Short Track win, Bauman blasted back by and ripped open a gap at the front.
Bronson Bauman – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
Smooth and in control throughout, Bauman took the win with 3.589 seconds in hand. Despite the result representing his eighth podium (and seventh top two) in nine Main Events this season, the victory was Bauman’s first since his triumphant season opener.
Briar Bauman
“I’ve got to thank my team — they bust their butts during the week. The bike was insane… today we showed up and didn’t change a thing and we were good all day. It just feels good. It feels like it’s been a whole season since I got a win. Seconds are really cool… ‘I know there’s nothing’s wrong with silver’ — said the great Ricky Bobby — but I’m just glad to get a win again.”
Briar Bauman – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
Carver backed up his first podium of the year with a second consecutive runner-up result. He was followed to the stripe by Short Track standout Henry Wiles in third. Bronson Bauman extended his streak of top fives to three with a fourth-place finish, while Robert Pearson secured his best result of the season in fifth.
Jeffrey Carver Jr. – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
Meanwhile, multi-time time defending AFT Twins champ Jared Mees could manage just seventh on the night. As a result, Bauman stretched his advantage back out to 26 points (170-144) as the title fight reached its halfway point.
Briar Bauman topped the AFT Twins podium from Carver and Wiles – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
AFT Twins Main Event – New York Short Track 2019
Briar Bauman, 30 Laps, 0:18.795
Jeffrey Carver Jr. +3.589
Henry Wiles +4.983
Bronson Bauman +7.111
Robert Pearson +8.734
Davis Fisher +12.466
Jared Mees +14.310
Brandon Robinson +15.296
Brandon Price +15.498
Bryan Smith +16.911
2019 American Flat Track – AFT Twins Standings
Briar Bauman 170
Jared Mees 144
Brandon Robinson 119
Bronson Bauman 116
Henry Wiles 113
Jeffrey Carver Jr. 110
Jarod Vanderkooi 93
Robert Pearson 92
Sammy Halbert 81
Jake Johnson 79
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Dalton Gauthier claims AFT Singles win
Images by Scott Hunter
Dalton Gauthier took maximum advantage of the opportunity before him in the 20-lap AFT Singles Main Event. Pre-race title leader Mikey Rush was forced to watch from the fences after he failed to make the Main, finishing 0.135 seconds short of a qualifying position in his semi. And since Rush competed in the premier AFT Twins class in 2018, he earned no AFT Singles points and thus had no provisional start to call upon.
American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
As a result, Gauthier fully capitalized. The ‘Comeback Kid’ dropped down the order early despite starting from pole, but he quickly demonstrated the speed he used to earn that starting slot in the first place.
He exploded through a tight, back-and-forth pack contesting the lead and escaped from that early chaos to power to his second victory of the season and reclaim the AFT Singles championship lead in the process.
Dalton Gauthier
“I picked up a lot of confidence tonight, and it’s definitely going to help us with this championship. The day went off so good. I was fast in practice and qualifying and felt really comfortable. I can’t thank Jimmy Wood at Öhlins enough for helping us out with our shock and our suspension. He was a gamesaver, and I felt so much more comfortable than I had before on this bike. And my mom’s here for her first National ever – it’s awesome to win in front of her.”
Dalton Gauthier – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
Morgen Mischler put in a late charge, slashing his way through the same talented pack Gauthier diced through earlier in the race, to work up to second position. Mischler even managed to dramatically close down the gap to Gauthier but ultimately ran out of laps, coming up 0.413 short of the victory at the checkered flag.
He was followed home by reigning class champion Dan Bromley. Just behind, Kevin Stollings finished fourth while Bromley’s teammate, Shayna Texter, completed the top five.
Dan Bromley – American Flat Track 2019 – New York Short Track
As a result of Saturday’s pivotal outcome, Gauthier now leads Rush in the AFT Singles championship chase 169-156. Defending champ Bromley remains in close contention at 151 points thanks to his remarkable consistency, despite still seeking the first Main Event victory of his title defense.
AFT Singles Main Event – New York Short Track 2019
Dalton Gauthier, 20 Laps, 0:18.888
Morgen Mischler +0.413
Dan Bromley +1.953
Kevin Stollings +3.593
Shayna Texter +3.706
Andrew Luker +4.431
Cole Zabala +5.548
Tanner Dean +6.026
James Rispoli +7.527
Jesse Janisch +8.616
2019 American Flat Track – AFT Singles Standings
Dalton Gauthier 169
Mikey Rush 156
Dan Bromley 151
Jesse Janisch 138
Ryan Wells 111
Shayna Texter 108
Chad Cose 91
Morgen Mischler 90
Kevin Stollings 79
Max Whale 72
Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Andrew Short wins Silk Way Rally Stage 9 Sam Sunderland leads into final
Stage 9 of the 2019 Silk Way Rally has just been won by Andrew Short, while Sam Sunderland heads into the final in the lead, with a 23-minute lead over Short, but it’s been a long journey to get this far.
Sam Sunderland looks like a shoe-in for the win, following strong performance throughout the nine stages so far, while Andrew Short and Adrien Van Beveren are only separated by a minute heading into the final stage. Kevin Benavides is a further two-minutes behind Beveren, ensuring he’s well within reach of a podium position.
Here’s a quick recap of the action so far…
Andrew Short – Silk Way Rally 2019
The Silk Way Rally kicked off in Serbia, where heavy rain ensured challenging conditions for the opening stage, with Honda’s Kevin Benavides claiming the stage win from Luciano Benavides and Xavier de Soultrait.
Stage 2 was held in Russia to the south-east of Lake Baikal, featuring a 212km timed special and saw Sam Sunderland close down the lead on Kevin Benavides with a stage win.
Stage 3 saw the Silk Way Rally cross into Mongolia with the finish close to Ulan Bator, with 691km travelled including a 243km timed special, reaching altitudes of 1500m and mixed terrain of forested foothills and open mountain passes. Kevin Benavides claimed the stage win, from Joan Barreda and Luciano Benavides, with Sam Sunderland fourth.
Luciano Benavides – Silk Way Rally 2019
It proved to be KTM’s stage for the fourth iteration marking the first of a two-part marathon with only riders able to work on their bikes overnight, with Sunderland and Luciano Benavides taking the 1-2, propelling them into the same positions in the standings.
Sunderland opened Stage 5 on the back of his Stage 4 victory, leading riders across the plains of Mongolia to extend his lead to 13-minutes. Luciano Benavides and Kevin Benavides held onto second and third in the standings.
Sam Sunderland – Silk Way Rally 2019
Sam Sunderland further extended his lead in Stage 6, covering 411km across fast, open gravel roads which criss-crossed the stage, with many riders getting caught out by a tricky waypoint. Sunderland had to settle for fourth, with Oriol Mena taking the stage win and moving into second in the standings.
Stage 7 saw the Silk Way Rally arrive in China, with just three more stages to go following Sunderland’s win from Oriol Mena and Luciano Benavides.
Heading into Stage 8 Sunderland was confident in the lead with a 785km distance to travel, including a 326km timed special which included the dunes of the Gobi Desert. It proved Kevin Benavides who would take the stage win however, from Adrien Van Beveren and Paulo Goncalves, with Sam Sunderland settling for eighth despite an early crash, and retaining a 25-minute lead.
Sam Sunderland – Silk Way Rally 2019
It was Andrew Short however, who rode a faultless Stage 9 of the 2019 Silk Way Rally to post the fastest time and elevate himself to second in the provisional overall standings. Mastering the rough and physical timed special while navigating accurately through the stage, Short completed the 290.3-kilometres in less than four hours. The stage covered rough, sandy roads and camel grass covered dunes, with navigation proving a challenge for many riders.
Andrew Short
“Stage nine was really good for me today. I knew it would cover really similar terrain to yesterday so I had a little better idea of what to expect. With my start position I had a lot of tracks laid down ahead of me but at times those tracks would split up. I navigated well and always chose the right direction. My pace to the refuel was really good and then after that I was able to keep to a good speed and again, where other people had made mistakes, I was able to make the right choices and push on to the finish. I’m happy with how the day has gone and really happy with my performance.”
Andrew Short – Silk Way Rally 2019
Enjoying a comfortable motorcycle class lead as the rally entered China due to his dominant performance through Russia and Mongolia, Sam Sunderland knew he had to simply maintain a strong but steady pace to stay ahead. Keeping things safe, the British rider controlled the race from the front, doing exactly what he had to do to defend his lead. Finishing fourth, Sunderland now leads the overall standings by close to 23 minutes.
Sam Sunderland
“I think they definitely saved the toughest till last because the two days in China so far have been super physical. The tracks have been really technical with a lot of broken rivers and washes coming through the piste. It makes it really difficult to find a good rhythm and of course the temperature here is much hotter. For me personally, after a good run through Russia and Mongolia these last few days were about just managing my pace. Obviously yesterday I got caught out which was frustrating, with a lead like I have the goal should be to take things easy and not take any risks, but I clipped a rock and got thrown off. Today I kept a cool head, in fact I saw Andrew just before the refuel and he was riding really well. I tagged onto him for a bit but in the end just decided to keep my own pace and bring it home at the end of the day.”
Sam Sunderland – Silk Way Rally 2019
Benavides, after the Stage 8 win, was forced to open the track. The Argentinean was making swift progress until he was caught by other riders who arrived back at the Jiayuguan bivouac in a group. Barreda, meanwhile, sought to maintain a fast pace in spite of not feeling very much at ease on the terrain, and sits 2.5-minutes off third placed Adrien Van Beveren heading into the final.
Kevin Benavides
“Today was a hard day, more than yesterday. There was a lot of navigation and offroad until kilometre 130. Opening the stage was a tough task in the stage with the most navigation of all. I felt good, I liked the terrain and I pushed hard throughout. The others didn’t catch me up until the end of that navigational phase. I let Van Beveren pass in front of me to be able to push hard again after the refuelling. I think it was good for both of us and we ended up happy with each other after having pushed the whole stage. And for tomorrow? Well, let’s go for it. In rally you never know what could occur. Until the final kilometre everything can happen.”
Kevin Benavides – Silk Way Rally 2019
Provisional Standings After Stage Nine – 2019 Silk Way Rally
Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 23:27:27
Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 23:50:18 +22:51
Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 23:51:09 +23:42
Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 23:53:35 +26:08
Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 24:01:45 +34:18
Provisional Standings After Stage Nine – 2019 Silk Way Rally
Sam Sunderland (KTM) 23:27:27
Andrew Short (Husqvarna) 23:50:18
Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) 23:51:09
Kevin Benavides (Honda) 23:53:35
Luciano Benavides (KTM) 24:01:45
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Toni Bou claims 2019 Portuguese TrialGP victory
Toni Bou has repeated his 2018 efforts, claiming the 2019 Portuguese TrialGP victory, where last year he took his 100th TrialGP World Championship victory. 2019 sees Bou increase that figure to 110, with teammate Takahisa Fujinami coming home in fifth, a point shy of fourth.
Toni Bou – TrialGP 2019 – Portugal, Round 5
The fifth round of the TrialGP world championship, held today in Gouveia, Portugal was marked by roasting temperatures and very demanding sections located amongst the boulders of the Parque de Nostra Senhora los Verdes.
Repsol Honda Team ace Toni Bou suffered considerably in the gruelling Portuguese trial. In spite of a first lap which saw Bou make several mistakes and pick-up a penalty for exceeding the lap time limit, the champion was nevertheless able to stage a comeback on lap two to take his win tally to 110 out of 210 world championship participations. This, the fifth victory of the season increases Bou’s overall lead to 22 points over the nearest second-place rival.
Toni Bou
“Today was a very tough trial. It was a very positive weekend, with the type of terrain that we like a lot. We rode a very good second round through the sections, so we leave here with a very good taste in our mouths. We will try to be fully recovered for France to be able to have a good trial. We know that, if we win, I will be champion, something really impressive, but the important thing is to have a great trial. I am very happy and I want to thank the whole team because this week they have done a great job.”
Toni Bou – TrialGP 2019 – Portugal, Round 5
The next TrialGP world championship outing, the sixth points-paying round, will be held next weekend in Auron, France, July 20-21.
Toni Bou topped the podium from Adam Raga and Jeroni Fajardo – TrialGP 2019 – Portugal, Round 5
TrialGP of Portugal 2019 results
BOU, Toni (SPA) 25
RAGA, Adam (SPA) 32
FAJARDO, Jeroni (SPA) 36
CASALES, Jorge (SPA) 39
FUJINAMI, Takahisa (JPN) 40
2019 TrialGP Standings – Top 5
BOU, Toni 120
RAGA, Adam 98
FAJARDO, Jeroni 82
FUJINAMI, Takahisa 77
DABILL, James 60
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Round 7 of the 2019 MX Nationals kicked off over the weekend, with Luke Clout claiming a double-win in the opening motos, with Brett Metcalfe and Kirk Gibbs completing the top three over the combined results, while the final moto of the weekend for full points saw Kirk Gibbs claim victory. Clout was runner up in the final moto but, secured 67-points for the weekend and the round win, while Gibbs was two points in arrears and Hayden Mellross was third overall on 58-points.
Luke Clout and CDR Yamaha team-mate Kirk Gibbs – Image by Bella Maurer
The result sees Clout leave Round 7 with a nine-point lead from Mellross, who is three-points ahead of Todd Waters. Kirk Gibbs sits in fourth with 312-points, to Clout’s leading 397.
Luke Clout
“The team did a great job today and the bikes were awesome. It showed in the results with Kirk and I winning all three races and going 1-2 for the day that CDR Yamaha really do the work. Looking forward to the next round at Moree in a couple of weeks and want to keep this momentum rolling all the way through to the final corner at Coolum.”
Luke Clout – Image by Bella Maurer
MX1 Round 7 Overall – Top 10
Pos
Rider
Total
R1
R2
1
Luke Clout
67
35
32
2
Kirk Gibbs
65
30
35
3
Hayden Mellross
58
28
30
4
Todd Waters
53
25
28
5
Brett Metcalfe
52
32
20
6
Dylan Long
51
26
25
7
Jayden Rykers
47
24
23
8
Caleb Ward
44
22
22
9
Connor Tierney
44
23
21
10
Richie Evans
41
17
24
MX1 Standings – Top 10
Pos
Name
Total
1
Luke Clout
397
2
Hayden Mellross
388
3
Todd Waters
385
4
Kirk Gibbs
312
5
Jayden Rykers
300
6
Brett Metcalfe
293
7
Justin Rodbell
287
8
Jesse Dobson
258
9
Richie Evans
258
10
Lawson Bopping
215
MX2
In the MX2 class it was Nathan Crawford who claimed the moto 1 win from Kyle Webster and Jay Wilson, while the final moto saw a turn-around as Kyle Webster came out on top, with championship leader Wilson Todd crashing and having to fight his way back to sixth. The result saw Webster and Crawford tied on 67-points for the weekend overall – while Webster took top honours, with Jay Wilson third on 58-points.
Nathan Crawford – Image by Bella Maurer
Wilson Todd continues to lead the standings despite disappointment in moto 2, with 397 championship points. Kyle Webster is just 10-points behind, while third places Jay Wilson likewise has a 10-point decificit.
Kyle Webster
“I’m stoked I got the race win and that gave me the overall round win on a tie-breaker, which is awesome. It’s the best feeling to get another overall win, and the best way to thank everyone on the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team and all the sponsors for their support. With three rounds to go, it’s going to be an exciting finish to the Championship and I’m just going to keep doing what I have been doing. I don’t want to change anything.”
Kyle Webster – Image by Bella Maurer
MX2 Round 7 Overall – Top 10
Pos
Rider
Total
R1
R2
1
Kyle Webster
67
32
35
2
Nathan Crawford
67
35
32
3
Jay Wilson
58
30
28
4
Aaron Tanti
56
26
30
5
Wilson Todd
53
28
25
6
Dylan Wills
48
24
24
7
Morgan Fogarty
45
22
23
8
Cooper Pozniak
43
21
22
9
Ricky Latimer
43
23
20
10
Luke Reardon
41
20
21
MX2 Standings – Top 10
Pos
Name
Total
1
Wilson Todd
397
2
Kyle Webster
387
3
Jay Wilson
377
4
Nathan Crawford
339
5
Aaron Tanti
328
6
Dylan Wills
304
7
Bailey Malkiewicz
280
8
Ricky Latimer
252
9
Cooper Pozniak
249
10
Morgan Fogarty
243
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Tim Gajser won the MXGP of Asia in Indonesia with another perfect performance and 1-1 race results, marking his seventh Grand Prix win in a row, making the red plate owner has become the most successful Honda rider of all time for GP wins in a row. He also extended his points lead to 173 points over Jeremy Seewer who is now second in the points. Second overall was Arnaud Tonus and third place went to Jeremy Seewer.
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Tim Gajser
“Unbelievable, I was enjoying that second race so much and that is the most important thing. I took the FOX Holeshot and I controlled the second race. I had a big crash yesterday and I got a lot of help with that from people around me. After the crash yesterday in time practice I was struggling a little bit, I had a good start in the first race, made a gap and I was enjoying it out there. I am very happy to go home safe, that is the most important thing.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Arnaud Tonus
“We had a tough time last week in Palembang, but we rebounded today with a second place and I didn’t have a good feeling yesterday, so it is amazing for the team and it feels even better when you have struggled. I really like coming to these races, the people are so excited to see us, and we are always welcomed very well.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Jeremy Seewer
“It is safe to say that I am now second in the championship, I saw some sketchy crashes and I didn’t want to take risk and I knew I would have been on the podium and got a lot of point. I told my practice mechanic I would bring back the black plate (holeshot award) and I did that. I look forward to the next Grand Prix’s now.”
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
MXGP – GP Classification Top 10
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 42
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 38
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 32
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 29
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 28
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 26
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 25
Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 23
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 22 …14. Lewis Stewart (AUS) 16 …16. Adam Coles (AUS) 11 …17. Joel Milesevic (AUS) 9
MXGP Championship Standings Top 10
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 538 points
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 365
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 358
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 346
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 343
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 299
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 288
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 271
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 268
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 243 …26. Lewis Stewart (AUS) 29 …29. Adam Coles (AUS) 22 …40. Joel Milesevic (AUS) 9
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MX2
Jorge Prado won the MX2 class overall at the MXGP of Asia in Indonesia, with the Spanish rider scoring 1-1 results and extending his championship points lead over Thomas Kjer Olsen to 78 points. Second overall at Semarang was Tom Vialle and third overall was Calvin Vlaanderen.
MX2 Start – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Jorge Prado
“I am happy about the weekend. I went first in every single session. It is a good feeling to come to Indonesia and win both races. I felt good and I enjoyed today. It is good to be on the podium, on the top step of the box. I had a very good jump out of the gate in the first race, but I braked too much and two guys passed me. I made a pass early on Olsen and I am enjoying the track way more today. I was looking forward to the second race and it was a good one, I pulled away and put it in cruise control. I had some sketchy moments so I took it easy as I felt a little dizzy.”
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Tom Vialle
“It is good for the team and all the hard work. Second again on the podium, it is fantastic, and I am very happy. The first race was good for me following Jorge, but then I made a mistake. The second race I didn’t have a good rhythm and I just tried to control myself to be sure to be on the podium.”
Tom Vialle – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Calvin Vlaanderen
“First podium of the year. It feels good to be back and I didn’t expect it as it is just my second race back. I recovered well during the week. Renaux was riding really well and he was catching me, then I started thinking of the podium and he passed me. I want to thank the team for being behind me and also my girlfriend and everyone back home. We spent some time in Bali between the races and I got to do some surfing and really enjoyed that. I enjoy coming to these races, but am looking forward to heading back to Europe too.”
Calvin Vlaanderen – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
MX2 Grand Prix Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 40
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 36
Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 35
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 28
Mathys Boisrame (FRA, HON), 28
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 28
Brent Van doninck (BEL, HON), 26
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 26
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 23
MX2 – World Championship Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 544 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 466
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 366
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 360
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 335
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 246
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 242
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 228
Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 227
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 220
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2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Champions crowned
The 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Champions were crowned at the Italian track of Il Ciclamino where Italians Mattia Guadagnini and Valerio Lata were the 125cc and 85cc World Champions respectively, while Vitezslav Marek from Czech Republic was the best in the 65cc class. Team Italy dominated the Nations classification, followed by France and UK.
Ky Woods – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
Dutch rider Lotte Van Drunen took the first FOX Holeshot of the day while the Australian Ky Woods dominated the first laps ahead of the Dutch rider Lotte Van Drunen, the Czech Vitezslav Marek, Gyan Doensen, Salvador Perez and home rider Edoardo Martinelli. The young Australian rider dominated the 8 laps of race one and crossed the finish line five-seconds ahead of Marek and Van Drunen. Martinelli was forth and Boughen completed the top five.
Vitezslav Marek – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
It was the British rider Ashton Boughen who was first at the start of race two, closely followed by Perez and Van Drunen. The winner of race one Ky Woods did not have a good start, but was already third by the end of the first lap. The Czech rider Marek had an unfortunate start but gave his best to move from seventh to the lead after five laps, and he kept the first position until the end followed by Minear and Woods.
The huge effort of Vitezslav Marek in race 2 paid off as the Czech rider won the 65cc World Title with Australian Ky Woods on the second step of the podium and Lotte Van Druden from the Netherlands completing the top three.
MX65 Podium 1) Vitezslav Marek, 2) Ky Woods, 3) Lotte Van Drunen – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
65cc Junior World Cup Overall Top Ten
MAREK Vitezslav – CZE KTM – 47
WOODS Ky – AUS KTM – 45
VAN DRUNEN Lotte – NED KTM – 38
MINEAR Kayden – AUS KTM – 35
MARTINELLI Edoardo – ITA Husqvarna – 34
DOENSEN Gyan – NED KTM – 29
PEREZ Salvador – SPA Yamaha – 27
BOUGHEN Ashton – GBR Husqvarna – 26
RYBAKOV Semen – RUS Ktm – 20
MARTORANO Paolo – ITA KTM – 18
MX85 Start – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
Latvian rider Karlis Alberts Reisulis took the FOX holeshot of the first 85cc race, ahead of home riders Matteo Luigi Russi and Valerio Lata, Lucas Bruhn, Maximilian Ernecker, Edvards Bidzans and American Nicholas Romano. After a few turns there was a change of leader and Valerio Lata commanded the 13 laps to win the first 85cc race, followed by his compatriot Matteo Luigi Russi and Karlis Alberts Reisulis.
Valerio Lata – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
A very motivated Lata started at the front in race 2, followed by his compatriot Russi, who crashed in the second turn; Grau was then second and the Bruhn was third. Once again home rider Lata kept the lead with an amazing determination until the end of the race and claimed the 85cc World Title with superb authority. Bidzans was second and Prugnieres third.
Valerio Lata was on the top of the 85cc podium to collect the gold medal, while Edvards Bidzans from Latvia and Matteo Luigi Russi from Italy received the silver and bronze medals respectively.
MX85 Podium 1) Valerio Lata, 2) Edvards Bidzans, Matteo Russi – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
85cc Junior World Championship Overall Top Ten
LATA Valerio – ITA KTM – 50
BIDZANS Edvards – LAT Husqvarna – 40
RUSSI Matteo Luigi – ITA KTM – 38
PRUGNIERES Quentin – FRA KTM – 35
REISULIS Karlis Alberts – LAT KTM – 33
GRAU Maxime – FRA KTM – 32
ROMANO Nicholas – USA KTM – 30
CANET Edgar – SPA KTM – 27
HEYMAN Charlie – GBR Husqvarna – 20
GUILLEMOT SCHEID – David FRA KTM – 19
Race 1 of the 125cc saw Joel Rizzi taking the holeshot followed by Simon Langenfelder, the Meico Vettik, Max Palssson, Mattia Guadagnini and Samuel Nilsson. However, after just one lap the current leader of the EMX125 Championship Mattia Guadagnini took the lead and kept it until the end. Tom Guyon from France did not have a good start but managed to finish second and Mike Gwerder ended third.
Mattia Guadagnini – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
Guadagnini was determined to win the second and final race of the 125cc class and he managed to have a perfect start claiming the FOX holeshot and taking the lead, but Guyon was right after the Italian wheel. Behind them there were Gwerder, Osterhagen, Rizzi and Langenfelder. Half way through the race Guyon succeeded in overtaking Guadagnini, but after a few meters the Italian bounced back taking advantage of an error of the Frenchman and took the lead which he kept until the chequered flag.
Mattia Guadagnini became the 125cc Junior World Champion with a 1-1 result, and Tom Guyon and Mike Gwerder completed the podium.
MX125 Podium 1) Mattia Guadagnini, 2) Tom Guyon, 3) Mike Gwerder – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
125cc Junior World Championship Overall Top 10
GUADAGNINI Mattia – ITA Husqvarna – 50
GUYON Tom – FRA FFM KTM – 44
GWERDER Mike – SUI FMS KTM – 40
LANGENFELDER Simon – GER DMSB KTM – 33
RIZZI Joel – GBR ACU KTM – 29
MC LELLAN Camden – RSA KTM – 28
WADE Eddie Jay – GBR KTM – 28
NILSSON Samuel – SPA KTM – 24
PALSSON Max – SWE KTM – 21
MIOT Florian – FRA Yamaha – 20
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Australia strong in FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
Team Australia put on a strong showing in the World Junior Motocross Championship (WJMX) in 2019, which was held in Pietramurata, Italy over the weekend. The green and gold riders fared particularly well in the 65cc World MX Junior Cup, with KTM riders Ky Woods and Kayden Minear finishing second and fourth respectively.
Team Australia – 2019 World Junior Motocross – Image by Mark Willingham
Boasting some of the world’s best junior motocross riders, the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship saw Aussies represented across all three classes (65, 85, and 125cc). Although they were unable to successfully defend Australia’s Team of Nations trophy won on home soil at Horsham in Victoria, the team that traveled to Italy acquitted themselves brilliantly, finishing ninth overall.
Mark Willingham – Team Australia Team Manager
“Really happy with the effort from all the riders. Similar to some previous years our 65cc class riders were amazing, and then we see the strength of the European racing program really shine through in the 85 and 125 classes. “From my perspective, Team Australia had one of the best set ups we’ve ever provided on site to ensure the riders had everything they needed. With our main section arranged under the Diga Racing truck we had a full catering service for our meals along with their experience and guidance. On top of this our Yamaha riders were provided services from Yamaha Europe’s official race trucks, which was a result of all the effort the Aussies arranged last year welcoming the European riders at Horsham. In the end Team Australia finished up 9th in the standings, and were the first team home that was unable to score points in all three classes.”
Ryder Kingsford (Yamaha) and Campbell Williams (KTM) also made it to the finals, finishing in 13th and 24th places in the 85cc class. Also representing Australia were Alex Larwood (Yamaha,125cc), and Blake Fox (KTM, 125cc).
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Team Australia fourth in U21 Speedway World Championship
Team Australia have claimed fourth in the 2019 FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship final over the weekend, which was held in Manchester, England. The Joeys came in behind Poland, Great Britain and Denmark, with 21-points. Poland was crowned World Champions with 41-points, to take their sixth consecutive gold medal.
Team Australia, the Joeys – 2019 FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship – Image by Ian Charles
Great Britain and Denmark battled it out for the runner-up position, with the UK coming out ahead by two-points, with 33 to Denmark’s 31-points.
The Joey’s lack of international experience turned out to be their ‘chink in their armour’, while a late flurry of points in the closing stages on the meeting came with some relief as Captain Jaimon Lidsey and Jordan Stewart won their remaining races proving they have the abilities to compete with best of their age brackets.
Mark Lemon – Team Australia Team Manager
“A podium place was always going to be big ask for the young speedsters. However, ultimately, they did themselves and their country proud, gaining invaluable experience that will serve them well in the future. They can be very proud of efforts in reaching the final. We would like to thank everyone who sent messages and showed their support, and special mention to CBS Bins from Adelaide for their continued and generous sponsorship the team, our travel partners ATPI, Motorcycling Australia and Sport Australia,”
2019 FIM Team Speedway Under-21 World Championship – Image by Ian Charles
Great Britain 33: Robert Lambert 20, Dan Bewley 11, Drew Kemp 2, Kyle Bickley 0, Leon Flint 0
Denmark 31: Mads Hansen 11, Fredrik Jakobsen 8, Patrick Hansen 6, Jonas Jeppesen 6
Australia 21: Jaimon Lidsey 12, Jordan Stewart 5,Kye Thomson 2,Matthew Gilmore 1, Zach Cook 1
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AORC final Rounds 10 & 11 move to Hedley, Victoria
The Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship has announced that the final rounds originally scheduled to be held in Penshurst, in Victoria have been moved due to council and agricultural restrictions.
Daniel Milner at the AORC 2018 Hedley Round 3
Instead Rounds 10 & 11 will be co-hosted by the Geelong Motocross Club and Corner Inlet Motorcycle Club in Hedley, Victoria over September 14-15 (2019).
Special consideration for the location was made to minimise disruption and ensure minimal additional travel distance, while retaining a Victorian round.
Hedley will feature a Cross Country racing format for Round 10, followed by Sprints for Round 11. Further information on the final rounds and accommodation can be found at the AORC website – www.aorc.org.au (link). Entries will open shortly for Rounds 10 & 11.
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Toni Elias claimed the Saturday Superbike win at Laguna Seca, with Garrett Gerloff and Cameron Beaubier completing the podium, to kick off the weekend. Sunday would see Gerloff claim the Race 2 win, with a 4.449-second lead over championship leader Elias, with third places Beaubier now has a 39-point deficit to contend with.
Garrett Gerloff and Toni Elias battled it out over the weekend – 2019 MotoAmerica Round 6 – Laguna Seca
Supersport saw a single race for the weekend, run on Sunday, where Bobby Fong took the win from PJ Jacobsen and Richie Escalante, with a crash by standings leader Gillim catapaulting Fong to an 18-point lead.
Andrew Lee claimed the Stock 1000 race win, while Kaleb DeKeyrel came out on top in the Twins Cup. Rocco Landers continued his domination of the Liqui Moly Junior Cup class, with another win.
Superbikes 1
Toni Elias may not have led any of the practice or qualifying sessions at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, but he led the only thing that paid points on Saturday as the Spaniard raced to his sixth EBC Brakes Superbike win of the season in the Championship of Monterey.
Elias won a battle between himself and the Yamaha Factory Racing duo of Garrett Gerloff and Cameron Beaubier, the Texan getting the better of his three-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion teammate Beaubier to finish second, and .778 of a second behind Elias.
With Elias winning and Beaubier finishing third, the points gap has grown to 35 points, 226-191, heading into Sunday’s second of two EBC Brakes Superbike races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Toni Elias
“I’m happy. My team did an amazing job. My family is here. My son is here. It’s his first race ever for him. Thirty-five points now in the lead of the championship, but as you all know, you can’t get too comfortable. Mistakes can happen. You’ve got to stay calm. There’s still many, many races to go. Today has been a really good race but doesn’t mean anything tomorrow. These guys will improve some details. The championship is so long, and many things will happen. My championship lead had some advantage riding in one race in MotoAmerica, and then in the corner of the race I crashed. So, I lost almost everything. But we are increasing it again, so that’s good. Let’s keep doing every race like this, keep going, working like this. We are doing a great job.”
Gerloff finished on the podium for the eighth time this season and for the seventh race in a row. It was also his third runner-up finish of the year as he searches for his first career Superbike win. Beaubier was visibly disappointed with third place and his ninth podium finish of the season.
Toni Elias on the podium with Toni Jr. on Saturday – 2019 MotoAmerica Round 6 – Laguna Seca
Herrin crashed after making contact with Beaubier, the Georgian battling for the lead at the time. Fourth place went to JD Beach, the Kentucky resident in the mix at the front until the closing laps. He finished 7.8 seconds behind Elias but was well clear of Jake Lewis, the Kentuckian racing to fifth all alone.
David Anthony was sixth, narrowly topping Cameron Petersen. Sam Verderico, Jeremy Coffey and Max Flinders rounded out the top 10 finishers. In addition to Herrin, Mathew Scholtz, Jayson Uribe and Kyle Wyman all crashed out of the race. Uribe and Wyman went down together in turn two on the opening lap with Wyman suffering a suspected broken wrist.
Superbikes Race 2
Garrett Gerloff fulfilled a life-long dream in the Championship of Monterey on Sunday, the 23-year-old Texan winning the first MotoAmerica Superbike race of his career in front of a record crowd at Laguna Seca.
In what was his 32nd career Superbike race in his sophomore season in the class, Gerloff was dominant. The two-time Supersport Champion was second off the start behind Toni Elias, made the pass early, and was never headed, pulling away to a 4.449 second win.
With Gerloff, who earned his second career Superbike pole position on Saturday, riding off into the sunset, the battle for second was just that. A battle. The protagonists were Toni Elias and Cameron Beaubier, and the pair exchanged body blows to the bitter end with Elias coming out on top by just .326 of a second after 23 laps of the 2.2-mile track.
“It feels so good, I was telling the TV earlier, I know it’s just a race win and these guys get wins all the time and I used to, but I haven’t for a while. There’s been a lot of emotions the past year and a half, getting used to the Superbike and everything. These guys haul ass everywhere. It’s tough, stiff competition out there. It’s been a long road. There’s been a lot of ups and downs. To finally get it and to do it here even more in front of the World Superbike guys and everything, it’s just something that I’ve wanted for so long, something that’s been on my bucket list forever. When I started racing, I was watching the MotoAmerica guys, AMA guys back in the day. That was one of the things that I wanted to accomplish in my life. To finally say that I got just one win, it just feels awesome. I’m ecstatic, for sure.”
The second-place finish for Elias may not have been a win on the day, but it was as far as the championship goes as he now leads Beaubier by 39 points, 246-207. Gerloff, meanwhile, is third in the series standings with 181 points after his first career Superbike victory. Beaubier was third for the second day in a row after controlling most of practice and qualifying.
Garrett Gerloff leading Toni Elias – 2019 MotoAmerica Round 6 – Laguna Seca
Fourth place went Elias’ Suzuki teammate Josh Herrin, the Georgian in the mix for second place early in the race before fading back to the clutches of JD Beach, the Kentuckian beaten up from a morning crash in the first of two World Superbike races on Sunday. Herrin was able to beat Beach to the line by some two seconds.
Mathew Scholtz rebounded from a race crash yesterday to finish sixth today, the South African holding off Jake Gagne at the finish. Jake Lewis was eighth with Cameron Petersen and Jayson Uribe rounding out the top 10 finishers.
Luke Clout completely dominated the opening back-to-back motos at Matiland but was bettered in the third and final moto by CDR Yamaha team-mate Kirk Gibbs.
Luke Clout and CDR Yamaha team-mate Kirk Gibbs
Brett Metcalfe scored the holeshot in the third moto but was quickly passed by American teenager Justin Rodbell as Kirk Gibbs and Luke Clout gave chase. It did not take long for Gibbs to hit the lead and from thereon the #5 ran away with proceedings, despite determined efforts from Luke Clout and Hayden Mellross who complete the top three in that final moto.
Hayden Mellross
Metcalfe looked on form for another top three result in that moto but a mistake late in the race cost him dearly and left him outside the top ten. The Penrite Honda man though still claimed fifth overall for the round and is currently sixth in the championship standings.
Brett Metcalfe
Luke Clout took the overall for the round with a 67-point haul bettering Gibbs by two-points.
Luke Clout
Hayden Mellross rounded out the overall podium ahead of Todd Waters who, while never really shining as brightly as we have come to expect, still brought home 53-points to better Metcalfe and Long.
Hayden Mellross
Clout leads the Thor MX1 Championship chase by nine-points from Mellross, who moved into second place and is now three-points ahead of Waters.
Todd Waters
“I’m pretty disappointed after that to be honest. Fourth overall is a good result for a bad weekend, but I’ve made no secret of the fact that I want to win races. I was second fastest on-track in qualifying (1m47.112s) and ended up with a slightly slower lap than that in superpole for fourth gate pick. In all three races, I managed to move forward on the FC450 after each race start, so there’s positives to take away, but I’ll head back home with some things to concentrate on before Moree.”
Dylan Long was sixth overall after carding 7-5 results in the opening sprint races and a sixth in the final race of the day.
Dylan Long
“It was a pretty good day for me. I didn’t qualify the best, but it was better than the last round. My starts were really good today – the first race I was running fourth before hitting neutral and crashing. I dropped back to 10th, but managed to finish seventh, so that wasn’t too bad. I was fifth in the second one and, in the last one, I came back from about 10th to finish sixth. I was only one point off of fifth overall, so it was a decent day for me.”
Dylan Long
Jesse Dobson had a weekend to forget with a DNF in the second of the back-to-back motos, but a fifth place finish in the third moto helped the 21-year-old privateer to hold on to his eighth place ranking in the series.
Jesse Dobson
“It was an up-and-down day today. I felt really good in qualifying, setting the third fastest time, but a few small mistakes in my Superpole lap gave me the fifth gate pick. In moto one, I felt good, coming through the pack to fifth but came together with another rider and went down hard. I managed to finish the race, but as I lined up for the second moto in the back-to-back format, it was clear that we couldn’t get the bike straight enough to race in the few minutes we had. Aiden (Porth) fixed up the FC450 as I re-grouped and rested up for the final race of the day where I was able to put a consistent race together to finish fifth. I’m happy to finish on a better note but we will continue to work hard and be ready for the last rounds. I can’t thank everyone enough for making this possible and being behind me, in particular Aiden for being on the ground with me at every race, allowing me to focus on riding while he makes sure the bike is ready to go.”
Jay Wilson scored an overall podium at Maitland
Still battling health issues, Lawson Bopping posted 9-13 finishes in the pair of sprint races, crediting him a race one ranking of 10th. Ongoing fatigue problems hindered him even more harshly in the final bout of the day where an 18th place finish was clearly not representative of the outright speed Bopping exhibits when healthy.
Lawson Bopping
“Today started off good when I qualified in sixth. In the first two races I got an eighth and a 13th, but I was pretty tired in that last moto. I only got a couple of laps down and I was extremely exhausted – my body pretty much shut down. I ended up taking 18th, which is disappointing because I don’t know what’s going on with my body. I’m seeing a doctor in the next week and I’m really excited to see him because he’s an expert on diabetes and the immune system. Overall though, the weekend wasn’t too bad, all things considered.”
Round 12 of the FIM Motocross World Championship took place over the weekend at the MXGP of Asia in Indonesia, heralding the second Indonesian round, this time in Semarang, where Tim Gajser topped the MXGP class for Honda, on the back of a perfect 1-1 result, further extending his considerable championship lead.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
The move makes Tim Gajser the most successful Honda MXGP racer in history for wins in a row, after taking seven consecutive wins in the MXGP class.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
In the MX2 KTM’s Jorge Prado also proved unstoppable, claiming the 1-1 result to clinch yet another round win, from fellow KTM rider Tom Vialle once again. Aussie Jed Beaton closed out the weekend in seventh following a 4-11 result, just falling outside the top 10 in Race 2, and holds 10th overall in the standings.
MXGP
Tim Gajser’s performances were nothing less than amazing – the Slovenian was looking confident as he led the MXGP field into the opening lap of MXGP first race taking his sixth FOX Holeshot of the season. Then came Pauls Jonass, Jeremy Seewer, Romain Febvre, and Arminas Jasikonis in fifth.
Tim Gajser took the Race 1 holeshot – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
After a lap the lead by the HRC rider was more than a second and riders were swapping positions throughout the field. Jeremy Van Horebeek moved into seventh, then back to 11th, and Gautier Paulin dropped from seventh to 10th.
After four laps it was Gajser with a two second lead, then Jonass, Seewer, Jasikonis and Arnaud Tonus fifth. Febvre went down hard while battling with his teammate Seewer and was forced to go out of the race after bending his front end. Jonass closed up on Gajser, but then Gajser quickened his pace and was two seconds up after six laps.
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Gajser continued to control the race up front and on lap nine he was still around two seconds ahead of Jonass, with Seewer third, Jasikonis fourth and Tonus fifth while Max Anstie had moved past his team-mate Ivo Monticelli for eighth position.
Jonass went down hard and dropped out of the top ten with an eventual race 1 disqualification result as he re-joined the race after leaving the track for ‘outside assistance’ while Tonus managed to pass Jasikonis for third.
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
After 13 laps the lead by Gajser was more than six seconds over Seewer, with Tonus third, Jasikonis fourth and Glenn Coldenhoff fifth. Seewer crashed up the hill on lap 14 and handed Tonus the second place. Seewer then found himself in third place while Coldenhoff closed in on Jasikonis, until he succeeded to overtake. Gajser would win the opening MXGP race from Tonus and Seewer.
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
In the second MXGP race, it was Seewer who took the FOX Holeshot out front early ahead of Gajser, Jasikonis, Jonass and Tonus. Gajser was pushing hard to get into the lead and did just that after half a lap of the race.
Jeremy Seewer took the Race 2 holeshot – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
On lap two Jasikonis nearly crashed, but saved it, and Febvre also got sideways, but didn’t lose a position. Coldenhoff went past Jasikonis, and after three laps it was Gajser with more than two seconds over Seewer, with Tonus, Jonass, and Paulin inside the top five.
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Van Horebeek crashed and dropped back to 12th and by four laps in it was Gajser ahead of Seewer, Tonus, Jonass and Paulin. Six laps in and Gajser still held the lead, while Tonus made a mistake and Jonass moved into third place.
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Tonus wasn’t about to hand third place to Jonass and fought back and was right on the back wheel of the Husqvarna rider. Jonass moved forward Seewer and so did Tonus. A great battle for second place became the feature of the last laps of race 2. At the end of Race 2 it was Gajser who won his 15th race of the season followed by Jonass and Tonus.
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Gajser has won the MXGP of Asia with another perfect performance and 1-1 results. With his seventh Grand Prix win in a row the red plate owner has become the most successful Honda rider of all time for GP wins in a row. He also extended his points lead to 173 points over Jeremy Seewer who is now second in the points.
MXGP Podium – 1) Tim Gajser 2) Arnaud Tonus 3) Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Second overall for the round was Arnaud Tonus and third was claimed by Jeremy Seewer.
Tim Gajser – P1
“I was having fun on both days this weekend. Unfortunately yesterday I had a crash in timed practice and I hurt my right ankle a little bit, but other than a bit of pain yesterday, it was certainly a great weekend again. In the first moto I had a great start, taking the holeshot and leading the whole race. In the second one, I started third and made quick pass, and then made another one a bit later in lap one before making a gap to control the race. I was really having fun out there although the track was a little slippery in some places, but I still got two moto wins so I can’t complain! I’m trying not to put pressure on myself on each weekend and I know if I can have fun, I can ride really fast and that seems to be working right now. It is also an honour to have the biggest win-streak for a Honda rider in world motocross, a lot of really talented riders have ridden on this great brand and it is amazing to have achieved this. I hope I can keep it going for as long as possible, and I must also thank Team HRC for helping me out so much and giving me all the support I need in order to do this.”
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Arnaud Tonus – P2
“It feels great to rebound from a tough weekend in Palembang a few days ago, and especially on this track. It was very hard to find the flow and a good feeling. It was very slippery, and it took me a while to feel good out there. I felt better today than yesterday. We changed quite a lot of things on the bike ahead of practice today and I already felt better, which helped a lot. It was important to take your time today. I really went step by step because it was too easy to make a mistake out there. Overall I am super happy.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
Jeremy Seewer – P3
“It was a tough track. Yesterday I struggled a bit. I think the track crew did a good job on the track compared to yesterday because I know how tricky it is to prepare dirt like this. I am really happy on the podium for the second time in a row, it is really good for my confidence. Today I just wanted to go home healthy, I didn’t want to take any risks out there, so I settled for a place on the podium and I am happy with that. “
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Asia – Round 12, Indonesia – 2019
The Californian weekend of the Motul FIM World Superbike Championship, hosted by the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, ended with two wins for Jonathan Rea and one for Chaz Davies.
After winning Race 1 on Saturday, Rea also won the Tissot Superpole Race on Sunday morning, but was unable to defeat Chaz Davies in Race 2.
Laguna Seca Race Two podium
For the other rider representing the manufacturer from Borgo Panigale, the previously dominant Álvaro Bautista, it was a weekend to forget with a crash in Race 1 and a DNF in Race 2 when he was forced to retire on the third lap.
The Spaniard, who was the favourite for the world title in the early part of the year, is now 81-points behind Jonathan Rea and will be forced to make a difficult comeback after the summer break, in the hopes that his rival is unable to finish consistently on the podium, as he has so far.
Toprak Razgatlioglu
Worth a mention is the excellent performance by the talented young Toprak Razgatlioglu with his two third place finishes in Race 1 and Race 2 and his fourth place in the Tissot Superpole Race.
Superpole Race Report
The Tissot Superpole Race lost one of its key players as early as the first lap when Álvaro Bautista tumbled disastrously to the ground just a few metres after the start due to contact with the rear tyre of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) who was overtaking him.
Jonathan Rea leads Chaz Davies through the corkscrew
Then, on the following lap, an accident at the top of the Corkscrew involving Alessandro Delbianco and wild card JD Beach forced race direction to red-flag the race, bringing the action to a halt. The three riders involved in the accidents wound up in the medical centre and were unable to be on the grid for the restart, which anticipated an 8-lap race.
As in Saturday’s Race 1 (Link), in this sprint race, Jonathan Rea once again started well and managed to maintain the race lead from start to finish, winning with a 2.5 second gap ahead of Chaz Davies and 3.6 seconds ahead of Tom Sykes who, unlike in Race 1, this time around succeeded in snatching the final step of the podium from Toprak Razgatlioglu. The Turk finished fourth ahead of the other factory Kawasaki ridden by Leon Haslam.
Laguna Seca Superpole Race podium
Superbike Race Two
In Race 2, the order of the riders on the podium changed, but the faces were the same as those in Race 1.
Laguna Seca – WSBK 2019
Winning this second race was Welshman Chaz Davies who, unlike in Race 1, chose the same tyre used by Jonathan Rea, managing to overtake him on the inside at the first turn after the start and then maintaining the race lead all the way to the chequered flag. With the exception of this pass, throughout the rest of the race, the riders in the front maintained the positions taken at the start, with the reigning World Champion, after winning Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race, finished on the second step of the podium more than three seconds behind Davies.
Chaz Davies got one over Rea in the final race of the weekend
Finishing third was Toprak Razgatlioglu who repeated his performance from Race 1, once again the best independent team rider.
Toprak Razgatlioglu
Alex Lowes, Tom Sykes and Leon Haslam completed the top-six race finishers.
Tom Sykes leading Leon Haslam
No score again for Álvaro Bautista who, after crashing in the Tissot Superpole Race, attempted to partake in Race 2 anyway, but made a bitter return to pit lane to retire on the third lap. The same fate awaited Michael Van Der Mark on the sixth lap.
Chaz Davies
“This means so much to me. It’s been a tough season for me. We’ve been trying so many things and not just really finding my feet. This year has been so so tough for many different reasons, but I want to say thanks to my team because they’ve been behind me the whole way and nobody threw the towel, and they kept trying to get more and more comfortable and this is the result. To win here on the U.S. soil is so amazing. I think it’s my fourth win here and I love Laguna, I love America, I love California and bringing home the victory today is the best way to going into the Summer Break. I am really happy with that, and it is dedicated to all my team”.
Chaz Davies
Jonathan Rea
“I am super satisfied with our weekend. We got two wins, a new lap record and also a second place! It is good for us. The team gave me a great bike and our ZX-10RR was working so good. We just made a small change between the Superpole Race and Race 2 that put my front in crisis a little bit, and I was struggling to finish the corner, but aside from that, I did the best I could so congratulation to Chaz and Ducati. I am looking forward to my Summer Break now”.
Jonathan Rea
Toprak Razgatlioglu
“I am happy to be on the podium again. This morning the Tissot Superpole Race didn’t go well because after the red flag we didn’t change tyres, and we were able to finish just fourth. But for Race 2 I knew that my feeling with the bike was good. I tried to follow the front guys but I couldn’t keep their pace as again, after 10 laps, tyres dropped their performance. Anyway, I am pleased about this second podium, and I now am looking forward to starting my holidays”.
Toprak Razgatlioglu
Álvaro Bautista
“I really feel bad about what happened today. At Turn 1 in the Superpole Race, Razgatlioglu completely closed my line and I couldn’t do anything to prevent his rear wheel from hitting my front. His move ruined both of my races today because I injured my left shoulder in the crash. I was taken to the medical centre and after checks, I was given the OK by the doctors to try and take part in Race 2, seeing as the X-ray showed that nothing was broken. Unfortunately, after just one lap I realized that the pain was too much for me to ride because as I didn’t have any strength in my left arm I wasn’t able to brake in the left-handers, and for this reason I came into the pits. I’m very sorry because we are working really well and always find the way to go fast, but in any case we’re going through a really difficult time at the moment. I’m sure that if we continue to work in this way, we’ll come back stronger than ever and with even more desire to win. As soon as I get back home, I’ll have more detailed checks done on my shoulder ligaments, but luckily two months’ break before the next race will surely allow me to fully recover.”
Alvaro Bautista
Leon Haslam
“I felt we had good pace today and we were there for that podium pace. I could catch Tom Sykes and Alex quite comfortably but in the end I just struggled with myself, not the bike. Especially braking into left hand corners – and there are a fair few of them here. I was disappointed with the crash yesterday and I have suffered all day today with my wrist and the pain transferred into my shoulder because I was not riding as freely. I can’t be too unhappy as it was my mistake when we crashed in Race One, but we have had a fifth and sixth today and were not far off the podium pace.”
Leon Haslam
Tom Sykes
“We’ve come away again with a bag full of top-5 finishes, including a podium in the sprint race. Overall it was a very productive weekend for the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. The bike seems to be not getting the best from the tyres at the moment but we got a lot of information this weekend and having said that it was a complete different story at the end of that race two. We had a lot of pace and I closed the gap to Alex Lowes so that’s certainly positive to take with us. We now have the summer break coming up so it’s just cool that at the right time we got a lot of information at the weekend and hopefully now the guys in the team can put this to good use. There are still areas to work on but overall the whole package is quite promising and having three podiums at the last three rounds is not too bad against these experienced manufacturers. I’m enjoying riding, have a great relationship with the team and BMW and it’s needless to say that we are heading in the right direction. I think everybody has seen that the progress we’ve made from the opening round until now has been quite impressive.”
Tom Sykes
Alex Lowes
“It was a fairly decent weekend, at a track at which we have always struggled a bit and were never really on the pace, but unfortunately it was the same for all the Yamahas. This afternoon I felt that I did the best that I could have – the leading trio were just too far ahead for me to make any inroads into their lead – so I’m fairly happy with fourth. The result means I’ve overtaken Michael in the championship standings and I’m now third, but it was a shame he had a problem with the bike today, as he’s done such a great job here and at Donington so soon after his Misano injury. But that’s racing sometimes and it’s certainly going to make for an interesting final four rounds with both of us determined to finish the season in the top three. I’m now looking forward to the Suzuka 8hr with the Yamaha Factory Racing Team, a little bit of time off and then back to WorldSBK at Portimão, a track that suits the R1 well and at which we will try to fight at the front again.”
Alex Lowes
Michael van der Mark
“We made some changes for the Superpole race that didn’t quite work as we were expecting, which meant I missed out on the top nine by just one place and had to start Race 2 from the fifth row of the grid. I had a really good start, made some early passes and was up to ninth at the end of the first lap. I felt so much better with the bike, a lot more confident and I could see the group ahead weren’t pulling away from me like they did yesterday. Once I managed to get past Loris Baz, I was feeling pretty comfortable and confident of gaining more places, but then we had a technical problem with the bike and I had to retire. It’s a big shame, because I was feeling better on my R1 than I had all weekend and we lost quite a lot of points. Anyway, we have a fairly long break now, of course including the 8hr race which is always a big challenge, and I’m sure we’ll be back really strong in Portimão – I love the track and I want to be fighting again to win.”
Loris Baz
“I was happy with my pace in Race 2 today. We took a bit of a gamble going with the X rear tyre because we didn’t know what to expect, but we had nothing to lose and here it’s really hard to overtake, so I knew that going hard from the start to build a gap could work. I had the best feeling with the bike of the whole weekend; here the Yamahas have struggled a little with the rear on corner entry, but today was better. It wasn’t easy to pass Jordi Torres, but once I was through, I just tried to be really consistent and not make any mistakes for the rest of the race. My pace at the end was a second and a half faster than yesterday, so I was happy to see such a big improvement. Three good races finished here and now we can look forward to testing at Portimão next month.”
Marco Melandri
“The goal was top nine and a decent grid position in the Superpole race, but I made a mistake trying to pass Markus Reiterberger and lost a lot of places. So, I started Race 2 from the sixth row at a track where it’s really difficult to overtake and where I have struggled to get the best from the new tyres. I just didn’t have the pace in the opening laps, but after 14 or 15 laps I was going much better, but by that time the gaps were too big, and it was too late. I would like to feel more comfortable on the bike, but this is the situation we’re in at the moment and I can only continue to do my best.”
Sandro Cortese
“It was a tough day and I was just happy to finish the race and pick up two points. This wasn’t our objective for the weekend, but it was all that was possible. Now I have to concentrate on my recovery during the summer break, to make sure I come back strong in Portimão ready for the last four races of the season. Thanks to the team for all their support this weekend and for doing such a great job. This was a tough race track to learn, especially with the injury, and a difficult weekend overall, but I’ve enjoyed my first visit to Laguna Seca and I’m looking forward to coming back to race here again.”
WorldSBK Laguna Seca Race Results
Superpole Race Results
Pos
No. Rider
Bike
Gap
1
J. Rea
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
0.000
2
C. Davies
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+2.533
3
T. Sykes
BMW S1000 RR
+3.641
4
T. Razgatlioglu
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+4.901
5
L. Haslam
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+5.995
6
A. Lowes
Yamaha YZF R1
+6.207
7
L. Baz
Yamaha YZF R1
+9.597
8
J. Torres
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+9.711
9
L. Mercado
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+13.441
10
M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha YZF R1
+13.633
11
S. Cortese
Yamaha YZF R1
+14.658
12
M. Reiterberger
BMW S1000 RR
+14.865
13
M. Rinaldi
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+17.991
14
E. Laverty
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+18.917
15
R. Kiyonari
Honda CBR1000RR
+19.253
16
M. Melandri
Yamaha YZF R1
+40.443
DNS
NS
A. Delbianco
Honda CBR1000RR
DNS
NS
J. Beach
Yamaha YZF R1
DNS
NS
A. Bautista
Ducati Panigale V4 R
DNS
Race 2 Results
Pos
No. Rider
Bike
Gap
1
C. Davies
Ducati Panigale V4 R
0.000
2
J. Rea
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+3.333
3
T. Razgatlioglu
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+11.658
4
A. Lowes
Yamaha YZF R1
+16.259
5
T. Sykes
BMW S1000 RR
+16.823
6
L. Haslam
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+19.449
7
L. Baz
Yamaha YZF R1
+23.637
8
J. Torres
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+24.572
9
M. Melandri
Yamaha YZF R1
+25.919
10
M. Rinaldi
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+30.742
11
L. Mercado
Kawasaki ZX-10RR
+32.177
12
E. Laverty
Ducati Panigale V4 R
+38.508
13
M. Reiterberger
BMW S1000 RR
+41.862
14
S. Cortese
Yamaha YZF R1
+41.989
15
R. Kiyonari
Honda CBR1000RR
+55.483
16
J. Beach
Yamaha YZF R1
+100.385
17
A. Delbianco
Honda CBR1000RR
+112.973
Not Classified
RET
60 M. Van Der Mark
Yamaha YZF R1
22 Laps
RET
19 A. Bautista
Ducati Panigale V4 R
24 Laps
Chaz Davies got one over Rea in the final race of the weekend
The 2019 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship title race took yet another twist and turn around the undulations of Laguna Seca overnight. In a dramatic opening few laps, Jonathan Rea led the Ducati pairing of Chaz Davies and Alvaro Bautista, before another unthinkable error blew the championship wide open once again.
Jonathan Rea now leads series by 49-points
Laguna Seca Race One Report
Jonathan Rea started strongly to hold the early advantage from Bautista and Davies. Toprak Razgatlioglu also made a blistering start and was fourth by Turn 5 after shuffling Tom Sykes back to fifth. Into the penultimate corner on the opening lap, Davies got ahead of Bautista and went in pursuit of Jonathan Rea.
2019 WorldSBK Round Nine – Laguna Seca
New lap records came thick and fast, with Davies initially setting a new marker on Lap 2 before his team-mate bettered on Lap 3, becoming the first rider to set a 1m22s lap in race trim. One lap later and it was a disaster for Leon Haslam as the British rider hit the deck at the Corkscrew.
2019 WorldSBK Round Nine – Laguna Seca
At the beginning of Lap 5, Davies challenged Rea and through Turns 1 and 2 and the Welshman took the lead but ran wide, with Rea slicing back through and sitting the Ducati rider up.
2019 WorldSBK Round Nine – Laguna Seca
Alvaro Bautista was right in the mix and beginning to get into the swing of things but then tucked the front at Turn 5 and his Ducati Panigale V4 R was in the gravel once again.
2019 WorldSBK Round Nine – Laguna Seca
With Bautista re-joining but out of the leading group, Jonathan Rea edged clear of Chaz Davies, with the top two stabilising until the end of the race, with Rea gradually extending his race lead out to five seconds. Toprak Razgatlioglu fought off a late charge from Tom Sykes to secure the final step on the rostrum.
2019 WorldSBK Round Nine – Laguna Seca
Battles were being waged all the way through the field. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) pipping Jordi Torres for fifth in the final few laps. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Team) put in a strong ride to seventh from 15th on the grid, getting ahead of Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha) late in the race.
2019 WorldSBK Round Nine – Laguna Seca
An eighth win of 2019 for Jonathan Rea, who romped home ahead of Davies and Razgatlioglu.
2019 WorldSBK Round Nine – Laguna Seca
Tom Sykes was fourth ahead of Alex Lowes, whilst Jordi Torres took his best result of the season in sixth. Van der Mark and Baz were next up in seventh and eighth, whilst Marco Melandri and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) completed the top ten.
2019 WorldSBK Round Nine – Laguna Seca
The championship advantage now increases for Rea, with a 49-point lead over rival Alvaro Bautista.
P1 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
“I want to thank all my crew, they gave me such a good bike here, and I felt good. Physically I was just heading my points and I could have ridden the bike all day long because I was having so much fun. The tyre dropped a little towards the end, but I had the job done. As soon as I snapped the cord, I was able to focus on myself and hit the point. It is a massive privilege to be here in the U.S., racing here under the sun, and I love this track, so let’s see tomorrow if we can try to repeat this performance, but it is going to be tough for sure”.
2019 WorldSBK Round Nine – Laguna Seca
P2 – Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati)
“We had a testing few rounds with a lot of difficulties, so it’s great to be back in parc fermé again. I missed this place! It was a tough race actually. I chose the soft rear tyre, which maybe wasn’t the best move, but it was a risk I wanted to take since I don’t have a lot to lose. So, I thought that I’d try to go away and try to use that tyre to the best effect in the early laps, but in the end, Johnny was in front, and I couldn’t see a way around. Then my tyre dropped, and I only had to try staying a little bit more constant. Nother than less, it was a good effort compared to the last few races, and I am really happy to be up here again”.
2019 WorldSBK Round Nine – Laguna Seca
P3 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing)
“I am extremely pleased with this result today. Last year I suffered a big crash here, and this year we are on the podium! I knew that today getting on the rostrum would not be easy to achieve, but we took advantage of Bautista’s mistake. I tried to follow Johnny and Chaz then, but my bike was moving and sliding a lot. Maybe for tomorrow, we will make some changes to the bike setup to improve the tyre consumption, but for today I am really happy”.
Red Bull Honda consistently quickest during testing
HRC’s Japanese squad of Takumi Takahashi, Ryuichi Kiyonari and Stefan Bradl dominated testing at Suzuka this week. Red Bull Honda, as the team is referred to, topped all three days of testing. The fastest overall time of the test was set on day one by Red Bull Honda at 2m05.939, which they then backed up on day two with 2m06.139s before then topping the very wet final day of testing also.
Takumi Takahashi – Red Bull Honda
Takumi Takahashi is in hot form after just scoring four consecutive wins in the All Japan Road Race Championship (JRR) JSB1000 class and was the quickest rider during this week’s test.
The Yamaha Factory Racing Team of Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes and Michael Van der Mark were consistently the second quickest team ahead of two more Honda teams.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga
“Our setup is solid for the dry, but I wanted to have a chance to ride in the wet as well, so today was very important for us. Of course I’d rather the entire race be dry, though. This test has been productive and has given us a lot in preparation for the race. Next up is the race weekend, so I’m looking forward to getting together both of my teammates, and I want us to work together to get the best result we can.”
Katsuyuki Nakasuga – Yamaha Factory Racing Team
The reining World Endurance Championship trio of young Aussie Josh Hook and his French team-mates Freddy Foray and Mike Di Meglio were third quickest on day one but were pipped out of that third spot on day two by MuSashi RT Harc-Pro.
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda
Yoshimura Suzuki were fifth quickest ahead of the YART Yamaha World Endurance squad of Broc Parkes, Marvin Fritz and Niccolo Canepa.
Broc Parkes
“Today we only rode in the morning session. Both for me and my teammates, we all had lap times that were plenty fast. I’ve ridden on Bridgestones in the wet at Suzuka several times before and I know how well they work here, so our fast times were to be expected. For this test, we were consistently quick, and all things considered it was a great three days. But for us, going up against teams with factory bikes, including F.C.C. TSR Honda, with our EWC-spec R1, I know it will be a big challenge. But you never know what can happen in endurance racing. That’s why we have to give it our all and never give up.”
Broc Parkes – Y.A.R.T.
Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli, Suzuki’s MotoGP test rider, partners two Japanese riders, Kasuki Watanabe and veteran Yukio Kagayama in the Yoshimura Suzuki squad.
Sylvain Guintoli – Yoshimura Suzuki
Troy Herfoss had a late call-up to join KYB Moriwaki Racing for Suzuka and the Australian Superbike Champion tested with the squad this week where the team recorded a best of 2m09.275s.
Troy Herfoss testing at Suzuka this week
Josh Waters will contest Suzuka as part of the MotoMap SWAT Suzuki squad alongside his good friend Nobuatsu Aoki and British rider Dan Linfoot. They recorded a best of 2m09.940s during this week’s test.
Mike Di Meglio – F.C.C. TSR Honda
Testing form bodes well for Honda to extend their record as the most successful manufacturer at the Suzuka 8 Hour. In fact, Honda have 27 wins to their name, well ahead of next best Yamaha on eight victories. Suzuki have five wins while Kawasaki has only ever won the prestigious event once, and that was more than 25 years ago when Aaron Slight and Scott Russell piloted a ZXR750R to victory.
Dominique Aegerter – MuSashi RT Harc Pro Honda
Kawasaki have shown form in recent years though with Jonathan Rea setting a 2m05.168s lap record during qualifying for the event last year. The primary strike force for the Kawasaki Racing Team for Suzuka 2019 sees Rea joined by Leon Haslam and young Turk Toprak Razgatlioglu. That trio were otherwise engaged preparing for the Laguna Seca round of the World Superbike Championship this weekend. They are certainly race fit though and there is no question that they have the speed to challenge for Suzuka 8H glory.
Sodo Hamahara – Honda Dream RT Sakurai
The next time we will get to see the true form guide shake out ahead of the July 28th event is on Thursday, July 24th.
Etienne Masson – SERT
The 42nd edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours is also the FIM EWC season finale. Heading to Suzuka SRC Kawasaki currently lead the championship by five-points over SERT while F.C.C. TSR Honda is third a further 18-points adrift. SRC Kawasaki France did not take part in this week’s testing. The FIM EWC season finale sees participants score 150 per cent of the regular points, with 45-points awarded to the winner of the Suzuka 8 Hours.
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