Kirk Gibbs scored the hole-shot ahead of Brett Metcalfe and Todd Waters on a very technical new lay-out at Gympie as Round Six of the Pirelli MX Nationals got underway just before lunchtime on Sunday.
Waters quickly established his dominance, passing Metty and Gibbs before immediately starting to pull away from his pursuers. Luke Clout was in fourth place and two laps into the race Clout moved up on to the back of Metcalfe and started piling on the pressure in his quest for a podium finish.
Gibbs then made a mistake and ran off the circuit which allowed both Metcalfe and Clout to move past him.
It looked very likely that Waters would have the race to himself but Brett Metcalfe got faster as the race progressed and managed to chase down the #47 Husqvarna. By half race distance Metcalfe was only a few bike lengths behind Waters as the pair started to negotiate lapped traffic. A mistake on lap 11 though cost the Penrite Honda man a lot of ground, pushing the gap to Waters back out to around five-seconds.
Metty put in a big effort to try and bridge the gap once again but Waters held on to take the chequered flag. Second place still a great result for Metty on his return from injury. Waters and Metcalfe the only two riders to card 2m03s lap-times in the 14-lap bout.
Kirk Gibbs got the better of Luke Clout on the final lap to score the final step on the rostrum. Gibbs came on stronger as the race progressed as he got back into the groove.
Hayden Mellross was fifth ahead of Jesse Dobson and Caleb Ward.
Gympie MX1 Race One Results
Todd Waters – Husqvarna
Brett Metcalfe – Honda +0.773s
Kirk Gibbs – Yamaha +23.767s
Luke Clout – Yamaha +24.851
Hayden Mellross – KTM +37.623s
Jesse Dobson – Husqvarna +47.614s
Caleb Ward – KTM +51.167s
Jayden Rykers – Suzuki +67.289s
Richie Evans – Yamaha +83.398s
Connor Tierney – Yamaha +89.192s
Justin Rodbell – Suzuki +94.559s
Joben Baldwin – Yamaha +95.933s
Joel Wightman – Honda +97.886s
Dylan Long – Kawasaki +99.211s
Zak Small – Husqvarna +124.133s
Thor MX1 Race Two
Dylan Long scored the holeshot ahead of Hayden Mellross but both riders were soon passed by Todd Waters. Luke Clout went down in the pack behind them and at the end of the opening lap was languishing in 20th position.
Kirk Gibbs and Brett Metcalfe were fourth and fifth respectively and Metty didn’t look to have the speed he displayed in the opening moto, where he had managed to chase down and almost challenge Waters late in the opening race.
Hayden Mellross started closing in on Waters but the Husqvarna man responded and stretched his lead out to over two-seconds again on lap five. Kirk Gibbs managed to close in on Mellross to challenge for that second place while Brett Metcalfe was chasing Dylan Long for fourth.
Todd Waters being chased by Kirk Gibbs and Hayden Mellross
Kirk Gibbs got the better of Mellross with six laps to run and immediately closed on Waters, the gap down to only a second, then he was on him!Waters was seemingly caught unawares by the charging Gibbs as the Yamaha man jumped past him with three laps to run after the DPH Husqvarna man made a small mistake.
Then with three laps to run the battle up front became a four-way affair as Mellross came back into the game and a fast finishing Metcalfe also put himself in the mix. The top four separated only by bike lengths as they negotiated the tricky lay-out.
The pack stretched apart again though on the penultimate lap and Gibbs found enough speed to hold Waters at bay for the run to the flag in what was an inspiring victory for the still injured #5.
Hayden Mellross rounded out the podium just ahead of Brett Metcalfe.A lot further behind in fifth was Jess Dobson ahead of Dylan Long while Luke Clout recovered from that first lap fall to battle through to seventh place ahead of Jayden Rykers and Caleb Ward while Richie Evans rounded out the top ten.
The overall round win though went to Todd Waters thanks to his 1-2 results for the day. Kirk Gibbs second while Brett Metcalfe completed the overall rostrum for the Gympie round of the MX Nationals.
The round victory also promoted Waters in to the championship lead with a five-point buffer over previous red plate holder Luke Clout who has been demoted to joint second place with Hayden Mellross, the pair on 327-points apiece.
Gympie MX1 Race Two Results
Kirk Gibbs
Todd Waters +0.679s
Hayden Mellross +1.855s
Brett Metcalfe +3.307s
Jesse Dobson +15.624s
Dylan Long +19.231s
Luke Clout +31.941s
Jayden Rykers +32.080s
Caleb Ward +45.700s
Richie Evans +62.154s
Connor Tierney +69.590s
Lawson Bopping +72.807s
Justin Rodbell +79.896s
Zak Small +82.653s
Joben Baldwin +84.3322
MX1 Round Points
Todd Waters 67
Kirk Gibbs 65
Brett Metcalfe 60
Hayden Mellross 56
Luke Clout 52
Jesse Dobson 51
Jayden Rykers 46
Caleb Ward 46
Richie Evans 43
Dylan Long 42
Connor Tierney 41
Justin Rodbell 38
Joben Baldwin 35
Zak Small 33
Joel Wightman 33
MX1 Championship Points
Todd Waters 332
Luke Clout 327
Hayden Mellross 327
Jayden Rykers 253
Justin Rodbell 248
Brett Metcalfe 241
Kirk Gibbs 244
Richie Evans 217
Jesse Dobson 224
Erki Kahro 190
MX2 Race Start – Gympie
Wilson Todd won both the opening MX2 Motos but the championship leader went down early in the final moto which handed the lead to Luke Reardon.
Jay Wilson quickly chased down Reardon though and immediately started to pull away from the Queenslander.
Kyle Webster made his way past Reardon as did Nathan Crawford and Aaron Tanti, pushing Reardon back to fifth. Dylan Wills then pushed Reardon back a further place as he promoted himself into fifth position.
With three laps to run the gap between race leader Wilson and the chasing Crawford, who was getting faster as the race progressed, was rapidly diminishing. Aaron Tanti was engaged in a hectic battle for third place with Kyle Webster.
Wilson Todd
Wilson Todd had worked his way from the back of the field after that first lap fall to be up fifth place after getting the better of Bailey Malkiewicz and Dylan Wills with two laps to go.
At the last lap board Wilson still had almost five-seconds on Crawford and went on to take a dominant win, his first of the year.
A late charge from Aaron Tanti almost saw him get on terms with Crawford on the final lap but Crawford managed to hang on for second. Tanti set a new fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap, only for that to be bettered on the final lap by Crawford who on that final circuit put in the only 2m06s lap of the race by any rider.
Gympie MX2 Round Points Jay Wilson 61 Wilson Todd 61 Nathan Crawford 60
Jay Wilson and Wilson Todd both scored 61-points for the round while Nathan Crawford, Aaron Tanti and Kyle Webster all carded a 60-point tally at Gympie.
Wilson Todd leads the series on 344-points ahead of Kyle Webster on 320-points and Jay Wilson on 319.
After a long six week mid-season break the 2019 Pirelli MX Nationals championship is back in full swing this weekend at round six of the Pirelli MX Nationals in Gympie QLD.
MX Nationals were in South Australian for rounds four and five some six weeks ago
Luke Clout, snatched the points leaders red plate in the MX1 division at round five after a consistent performance throughout the first half of the year. Clout holds a small four-point gap over his nearest rivals but acknowledges now is the time to really knuckle down as the championship heads towards the business end of the season.
Luke Clout
“The first half of the MX Nationals has gone well, and the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team have worked hard to ensure we have all the tools required to win. Apart form the first round in the mud, I have been consistent at the other four rounds and that will need to continue if I’m any chance to win the championship this year. Apart from a week off straight after Murray bridge, I have kept my head down and feel like I’m riding as well as ever, so I look forward to getting back on the start line again and hunting down a championship with Yamaha.”
Luke Clout – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Hayden Mellross had a solid mid-season break competing in the Manjimup 15,000 and the King of MX, taking positives away from both weekends that he is going to be putting into action this weekend to try and close the points gap between him and current series points leader Luke Clout.
Hayden Mellross
DPH Husqvarna’s Todd Waters is currently holding down third place in MX1 and has had a busy mid-season that saw him head over to the USA to contest the opening rounds of the AMA Motocross Championship.
Todd Waters
“My USA trip really was unbelievable. It’s extremely rare to be able to spend 3 weeks living in a RV with your family and racing professional motocross on the opposite side of the world. It really has been a dream come true! My FC450 didn’t miss a beat, and although I’m always working to move forward and improve, I’m happy that I got to show that I have the pace to run with the best in the world, and even better, we did it as a family on a shoe-string budget. Heading into round six, my confidence is high, and I know that I can put the DPH Husqvarna at the front of field.”
Todd Waters contested AMA Motocross rounds in the mid-season break. Here he is in action at Thunder Valley – Image by Hoppenworld
Kirk Gibbs has recovered from his shoulder injury sustained at round five of the MX Nationals in Murray Bridge and charged on to a second place finish at Manjimup in a confidence boosting ride. With an additional couple of weeks training, Gibbs will hit round six at close to 100 per cent and is out to claw back the vital points lost.
Kirk Gibbs
“The break came at a good time with my injury and I was able to take some time off and allow it to heal before getting back on the bike. Since Manjimup, I pulled up pretty well and have been able to resume my regular program so its full steam ahead for the final five rounds with the goal to win as many races and rounds as possible.”
Kirk Gibbs
Thor MX1 Standings
Luke Clout 275
Hayden Mellross 271
Todd Waters 265
Justin Rodbell 210
Jayden Rykers 207
Erki Kahro 190
Brett Metcalfe 181
Kirk Gibbs 179
Richie Evans 174
Jesse Dobson 173
Pirelli MX2
The MX2 class will see the ever consistent and 2017 MX2 champion Wilson Todd head into round six with the red plate aboard his Factory DPH Husquvarna .
After competing in the AMA Pro Motocross in his mid-season break and walking away with a top 10 finish last weekend at High Point, he is sure to bring the speed and lessons he has learnt in the USA back home with him.
Wilson Todd
“What a season break! Thanks to some of our team partners, I was able to get a last-minute ride in the US and that really keep my momentum going from the first half of the season. Now I’m back, and turning my attention straight back to racing the FC250 this weekend. I feel good, and I feel fast. I really love racing my bike and just want to get back on the DPH Husqvarna and get to work.”
Wilson Todd – 2019 Thunder Valley AMA Motoross – Image by Hoppenworld
Jay Wilson sits in third place on his YZ250F in the MX2 class, just two points from second and 25 from the championship lead. Wilson has finished 2-4-3-2-4 in the first five rounds to be well placed in the championship. But the competition is fierce in MX2 and Wilson is aware that he will need to pour on the pressure in the next five rounds.
Jay Wilson
“Its been my best start to a motocross championship and considering some of the issues we have faced, things are looking pretty good. During the break, I did some of my coaching schools which is something that I really enjoy, but now its back down to business and going all out for this championship.”
Jay Wilson – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
It has been an up and down start to the year for the Serco Yamaha team but despite some challenging rounds, team riders Nathan Crawford and Aaron Tanti, sit fourth and fifth respectively in the highly competitive MX2 (250cc) class but at the same time, desperate to improve their position by series end.
Crawford came into the season under an injury cloud that saw him sidelined for over eight months in 2018. He has worked hard to over come these issues and now feels he is back to where he needs to be and ready to charge home in the championship.
Nathan Crawford
“Being off the bike for so long has so many effects on your racing, that you don’t even realise it at the time. From the lack of fitness, to race hardened intensity, to simple things as missing out on valuable testing time to ensure everything is sorted. We have continued to work during the break to make up for the lost time and I feel a lot more confident approaching the second half of the series knowing that the back ground work has been done.”
For Aaron Tanti, he needed to take a week or two off to recover from a finger injury prior to rounds four and five but is now back to full fitness and ready to go. Tanti raced some local events to get back into race shape and placed well so his goals for the final half of the championship are nothing short of podiums.
Aaron Tanti
“My goal every time I race is to try and win or at the very least, end up on the podium at each round and nothing has changed. I was able to do that a few times in the first year of the year, but I want to be much more consistent in the back half and pull of as many race wins as possible.”
Aaron Tanti
Pirelli MX2 Standings
Wilson Todd 283
Kyle Webster 260
Jay Wilson 258
Nathan Crawford 212
Aaron Tanti 212
Dylan Wills 206
Riley Dukes 202
Bailey Malkiewicz 198
Jye Dickson 188
Cooper Pozniak 184
Motul MXD
Raceline KTM’s Regan Duffy has maintained the red plate for majority of the first half of the season in the MXD class, and is coming off a huge win at the Manjimup 15,000, becoming the youngest rider to ever take out the historic event, boosting his confidence heading into the remainder of the season.
Regan Duffy
“I’m feeling better then ever, I’ve had Josh Adams as my training partner this off season so it’s been unreal. Also I’m feeling more confident coming off the Manjimup win.”
Regan Duffy
Max Purvis currently sits in second place in the championship, just 17 points from the series lead but needs to clean up his consistency in the final five rounds.
Max Purvis
“It’s been a little up and down for me in the first half so my goal is to make my good races a win, and my not so good races a top three as every point is going to matter in the run home. I have worked hard on my starts as putting myself in a good position early in the race is so important in MXD this year.”
Max Purvis in action at Wonthaggi earlier in the year
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Gajser and Prado Win MXGP of Russia
The seaside venue of Orlyonok, Russia hosted round eight of the FIM World Motocross Championship last weekend and the drama filled weekend saw not only a heap of sensational racing but we now have a new MXGP championship leader after Tim Gajser dominating the class while Jorge Prado extended his MX2 championship points lead.
MXGP of Russia 2019
MXGP Report
The drama actually started on Saturday when championship leader Antonio Cairoli crashed during the qualifying race and landed hard on a crusty rut only to get up holding his back before retiring from the race but the plucky nine-time World Champion was on the gate for moto one on Sunday morning.
MXGP Start – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
On a fast and slick circuit Gajser not only earned his third MXGP overall in three rounds via double race wins but he now owns the MXGP Championship leader’s red plate while Arnaud Tonus took second overall with his 2-2 finishes ahead of fellow Yamaha rider Jeremy Seewer who scored his career first MXGP podium overall.
Tim Gajser
“I am feeling really good but both races were really tough because Arnaud was really fast and pushing. Overall, I am happy winning again and thanks to everybody at Honda, the bike is just amazing. Three races ago I was more than 40 points behind Tony and now I have the red plate.”
Tim Gajser celebrates the win – MXGP of Russia 2019
Arnaud Tonus
“It wasn’t easy to fight for the lead, but I was super happy that I had quite starts so I could fight from the beginning and come quite close to Tim. I went for it and really wanted to pass him but made a small a mistake, it happens. I am happy I went for it anyway and could recover to finish second which is great, I am super thankful and super happy because 3 podiums in a row is amazing.”
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jeremy Seewer
“It is amazing to make it on the MXGP podium, it just feels a lot harder than even any of MX2 wins. It is a lot of work and a lot of fast guys so it feels really good. It is amazing to have two Swiss guys on the podium it hasn’t happened in the history of motocross in Switzerland and to do it on two Yamahas is even better.”
Jeremy Seewer
Cairoli battled hard all day to go 13-4 for eighth outright to now be 13 points shy of Gajser as far as the championship goes while Jefferey Herlings was on hand in his first race of the year to end the day with very respectable 4-7 moto results for fourth overall.
Jeffrey Herlings
“I had a serious injury and it has been tough to get back here, mentally and physically, and with a lot of pain for a long time. I did not expect this result here today especially on this track. So to be close to the podium again feels pretty beautiful. I like the track in Latvia but I don’t have any firm expectations and I will not forget where I have come from to get to this point. Having said that we’ll always try to fight for a podium spot when we can!”
Jeffrey Herlings – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
Tony Cairoli
“A very difficult weekend and of course the crash from yesterday did not help as it meant I was totally on the outside for the gate pick. I was riding very stiff and by missing the start it is almost impossible to make a good result on this track; everybody is riding at a similar speed. We lost the red plate but the positive is that I’m not badly injured, and we saw some big crashes today. We walk away a bit banged-up but we will re-group and look to Latvia, which is a nice track, and to regain some points.”
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
MXGP Overall Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 44
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 36
Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 32
Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 32
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 31
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 29
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 27
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 24
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 22
MXGP Championship Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 351 points
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 338
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 231
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 220
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 212
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 208
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 206
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 172
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 170
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 168
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MX2 Report
Despite a poor start Prado won the opening moto narrowly from Thomas Kjer Olsen, Jago Geerts, Tom Vialle and Mitchell Evans while Jed Beaton cake home in 12th after a poor start but in the second moto Prado earned the holeshot and took off like a cut cat to take an easy win over Kjer Olsen, Geerts. Michele Cervellin, Vialle, Ben Watson, Beaton, Henry Jacobi, Maxime Renaux and Evans.
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Russia 2019
Prado now leads the championship over Kjer Olsen by a clean 20 points while Evans is 6th in the points, just two behind Vialle while Beaton sits 14th in the points despite missing two of the eight rounds due to injury.
Jorge Prado
“I felt pretty good this weekend, the track was hard but I felt good getting the Saturday Qualifying Race win and today I was in the back of the pack so I had to make my way up to the front, but I had good speed and fought all the way to the end to get the win. I am happy and looking forward to the next round.”
MX2 Podium – MXGP of Russia 2019 – Image by Ray Archer
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“I felt good all weekend. Yesterday in the Qualifying I felt really good then we made some changes on the bike to make it feel really comfortable on the hard pack. Overall, I am happy I got to lead some laps, felt great on the bike, and everything so I am looking forward to Latvia for sure.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jago Geerts
“It was a really solid weekend for me, I was really happy with the starts, I had three good starts this weekend which is positive for the rest of the season. Next weekend is Latvia, one of my favourite tracks but the goal is the same, to be on the podium, so we’ll see.”
Mitchell Evans
“In the first moto I got off to a good start and just kind of rode my own race, so stayed in fifth the whole race. I tried to follow the leaders, but they just had a little bit more pace. I was struggling with the speeds on the track and just how slippery it was. In moto two I had a really bad start, around twentieth or something, and on a track that was really hard to pass on I made my way to tenth. I was really happy with my riding this weekend. My pace was a little bit off, but we know where we can improve. I have just got to focus on making my starts better. I am looking forward to Latvia.”
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Russia 2019
Jed Beaton
“I’m really happy with the way the GPs gone. Obviously, I needed a little bit of time off following my crash in Portugal and to come back after being unable to race in France and get two solid results is great. I did three good days of riding before coming to Russia, so I was confident things would go well because I felt good and importantly was pain free. The opening moto didn’t start too well, I got a bad start so had to work really hard. I went from outside the top 20 to 12th and put in a lot of effort. I was feeling the hard work in the second moto but made some good passes. I’m really pleased with seventh. I feel like I’m where I should be and now that the Portugal crash is behind me I want to build on these results starting with the Latvian GP next weekend.”
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Russia 2019
MX2 Overall Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 44
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 40
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 34
Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 30
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 27
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 26
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 26
Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 26
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 23
MX2 Championship Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 347 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 327
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 257
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 236
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 216
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 214
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 210
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 169
Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 157
Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 132
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Moosdijk and Kellett win EMX in Russia
Roan Van de Moosdijk and Todd Kellett have won the EMX250 and EMX2T classes respectively at the Russian round of the FIM Europe Championship at Orlyonok last weekend.
EMX250 Report
Despite Van De Mooslik taking the overall with 2-1 moto results it was Stephan Rubini who rode to 3-1 finishes and subsequently took the red plate from former championship leader Alberto Forato who struggled to 14-4 moto results but it was a solid round for Aussie Caleb Grothues who went 9-9 for ninth overall.
EMX250 Start – MXGP of Russia 2019
Rubini now holds a two-point lead over Forato with four rounds remaining while Grothues sits 14th in the points despite missing the Italian round due to injury.
EMX250 Overall Top Ten
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 47 points
Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 45
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 42
Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 29
Jeremy Sydow (GER, HUS), 29
Rick Elzinga (NED, YAM), 28
Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 28
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 25
Caleb Grothues (AUS, YAM), 24
Raivo Dankers (NED, YAM), 22
EMX250 Championship Top Ten
Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 165 points
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 163
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 144
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 110
Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 96
Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 88
Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 88
Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), 74
Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 73
Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 70
EMX2T Report
The EMX2T overall win was the first for Kellett with 1-2 moto results while Brad Anderson’s second overall gives him the championship leader’s red plate by eight points over Mike Kras while Kellett sits third some 21 points back from Anderson.
EMX2T Podium – MXGP of Russia 2019
EMX2T Overall Top Ten
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 47 points
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 45
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 42
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 36
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, YAM), 31
Charlie Putnam (GBR, KTM), 29
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 26
Max Buelow (GER, KTM), 26
Robert Holyoake (GBR, HUS), 26
Lurii Lukash (RUS, HON), 23
EMX2T Championship Top Ten
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 163 points
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 155
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 142
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 127
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 124
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 88
Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 86
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, YAM), 70
Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 60
Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 59
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Walsh Blitzes Finke
KTM’s David Walsh has put on a riding clinic at the 2019 Tatt’s Finke Desert Race winning the three-leg event by just under five minutes from Honda’s Jacob Smith who in turn had the best part of a three-minute gap back to third placed Husqvarna rider in Beau Ralston.
KTM celebrated the Finke win with David Walsh
Almost 600 bike and quad competitors slogged their way through the prologue plus the 500km run from Alice Springs to Finke and back but it was Walsh who dominated all three days to claim his maiden win in convincing fashion with an overall time of 3 hours and 56 minutes.
2019 was Walsh’s 12th Finke race recording a best finish of second three-times previously (2018, 2014 and 2012) so the Alice Springs local was visibly emotional when he took the chequered flag, with the crowd erupting in cheer as he crossed the Start/Finish line in first position.
David Walsh
“I’m just completely blown away and I’m over the moon with getting my first win here at Finke. It’s truly a credit to the North Star Pastoral KTM Desert Racing Team, because without those guys, I wouldn’t be here. They work around the clock and it’s like a big family – I can’t thank them enough for their efforts. Getting down to Finke with a five-minute lead made it easier for me, I knew I could probably get through the rough stuff a bit easier coming home, and that’s what I did. I’m so happy to finally get it after the 12 years that I’ve been trying and it’s an amazing feeling.”
David Walsh – 2019 Finke Desert Race
Callum Norton
“A silly crash just two or three minutes out of Finke cost me this weekend and bit me hard, everything was hurting pretty bad, so I just had a breather there before getting going again. Straight away I thought it was over, but once I got to the next stop the boys told me I wasn’t too far behind, so that gave me a boost. I just kept pushing on, started seeing dust and every time I saw dust, I got excited again. I was sore as hell, but I just kept pushing to get it home so I could rest up. I crossed the line fifth, which was good. I’m pretty happy with it, considering what happened.”
Callum Norton – 2019 Finke Desert Race
Jacob Smith
“Six weeks ago, laying in a hospital bed here in Alice Springs with a few injuries, I’m just so happy to be here on the podium. I knew David had a fair gap and five minutes is a long way, so I was trying to just keep my position today and go as hard as I could so the guys behind didn’t catch me. I made some time at the second fuel stop, so I just coasted into town and didn’t do anything silly.”
Jacob Smith – 2019 Finke Desert Race
Beau Ralston
“I’m stoked to finish, let alone get on the podium after my last couple of years being injured. The Schwarz Husqvarna Desert Team has put in a huge effort to get us out here this year and I really appreciate it. I was over two minutes behind Jake and I was fresh, so I thought I was going to have a good crack at reeling him in, but I didn’t anticipate what the cars were going to do to the track. I had some really hairy moments, so I just backed off to get home in one piece for a podium finish.”
Beau Ralston – 2019 Finke Desert Race
2019 Finke Top Ten Outright
Walsh, David – 03:56:01.0
Smith, Jacob – 04:01:00.4 +00:04:59.4
Ralston, Beau – 04:03:57.7 + 00:07:56.7
Simpson, Jack – 04:09:38.7 + 00:13:37.7
Norton, Callum – 04:14:19.5 + 00:18:18.5
Davie, Sam – 04:15:25.4 + 00:19:24.4
Terry, Lachlan – 04:20:52.3 + 00:24:51.3
Grove, Mark – 04:23:23.4 + 00:27:22.4
Jones, Thomas – 04:28:43.2 + 00:32:42.2
Waters, Nicholas – 04:28:45.5 + 00:32:44.5
Husqvarna also put in a strong showing at the 2019 Finke Desert Race
Top 3 – Each Class Class 01 : 251cc and above Two Stroke
Pfitzner, Kyle
Russell, Benjamin
Handley, Samuel
Class 02 : 451cc and above Four Stroke
Walsh, David
Smith, Jacob
Ralston, Beau
Class 03 : Up to 250cc Two Stroke
Simpson, Kyle
Brierley, Mitchell
Foot, Danielle
Class 04 : Up to 250cc Four Stroke
Geale, Thomas
Elliott, Zoran
Wilson, Jarrod
Class 05 : 251cc to 450cc Four Stroke
Simpson, Jack
Norton, Callum
Grove, Mark
Class 06 : Masters 35 to 39 Years (Total 3)
Jones, Thomas
Stephens, Lee
White, Matthew
Class 07 : Seniors 40 to 44 Years
Faggotter, Rodney
Wilkinson, Brad
Stewart, Jason
Class 08 : Veterans 45 Years and Over
Bell, Matthew
Doyle, Neil
Hicks, Darby
Class 09 : Quads up to 40 Years
Van Vliet, Cooper
Bailey, Lachlan
Jackson, Andrew
Class 10 : Quads 40 Years and Over
Spiers, Craig
Beer, Richard
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Bou Wins GP of Japan
The Twin Ring Motego circuit hosted round two of the FIM Trial World Championship last weekend and predictably it was the defending champion in Toni Bou who won both days of competition to extend his early championship lead.
Toni Bou claimed the TrialGP of Japan win from Adam Raga and Takahisa Fujinami
Bou won both days over Adam Raga and teammate Takahisa Fujinami, so heading to the third round Bou has an 11-point lead over Raga who in turn has a nine-point lead over Fujinami.
Toni Bou
“Today we had a perfect trial in a perfect place. I’m very happy with my riding today. Having done this perfect trial here in Japan was really special. Thank all the team who have done a great job. We have prepared a lot for these first events and the results have been incredible, so I can’t be happier this weekend.”
Rider Standings after Round 2
BOU Toni – 60
RAGA Adam – 49
FUJINAMI Takahisa – 40
FAJARDO Jeroni – 35
DABILL James – 33
Brayton set to Defend SX Title
Three-time Australian Supercross Champion Justin Brayton has confirmed that he will be back to defend his 2018 title and once again he will be on the CRF450R with Penrite Honda Racing with the intension of making it four straight victories.
Justin Brayton
“I will be doing my best to bring home a 4th title. Riders learn from one another and we push to improve ourselves in an effort to get to or be at the top. I imagine some younger riders will be faster this year and some older ones will be hungrier as their careers are nearing the end. The championship in Australia goes from strength to strength, the venues continue to improve, as do the riders and teams and I am proud to have been a small part of it all.”
Justin Brayton – Image by Hoppenworld
The 3-time Champion has grown fond of Australia and has toyed with the idea of relocating here to live.
“It really is like a second home and this year will mark my 5th year in Australia. The country, the people and the racing are amazing and I appreciate how welcome my family and I feel when we come.”
Travelling the globe racing for more than 10 years, Brayton affirms retirement isn’t on the horizon just yet confirming there is still plenty left in the tank and his dedication and passion for racing remains.
Justin Brayton – Image by Hoppenworld
“I love racing and riding dirtbikes! Racing at home and around the world is still exciting for me and I get the same butterflies when I line up now as I did when I was younger. So long as it’s fun and I am competitive I aim to keep racing.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Epstein-Barr virus slows Covington
Multiple GP winner Thomas Covington has had a horror start to the 2019 AMA Motocross Championship with the Husqvarna rider logging overall finishes of 26th, 17th and 26th respectively over the first three rounds to sit 22nd in the 250 Class points standings.
In the way of explanation Covington posted this statement on social media:
“Sorry I’ve been silent to everyone as to what’s been going on the last few weeks. After seeing the doctor and having tests done this week, I’ve been diagnosed with Epstein-Barr Virus. I’ve been super tired and lacking strength for around a month now and really hit a wall last weekend in Colorado. That’s when I knew something had to be wrong. Doing everything I can now to be back to myself as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone’s continued support and a huge thank you to @rockstarhusky for helping me through this.”
Thomas Covington – AMA MX 2019 Round 2 – Fox Raceway
Musquin stays with KTM till 2021
KTM North America has extended Marvin Musquin’s contract with the French star remaining with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team for the 2020 and 2021 race seasons.
Marvin Musquin has spent the last 10 years of his professional career with the KTM brand and is continually a championship contender in the sport’s premier racing circuits. A true “Ready to Race” athlete and KTM brand ambassador, Musquin’s performance in North America has gained recognition amongst fans as a fierce competitor.
Marvin Musquin
“I am pleased with the extension of my contract with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team for the next two years. KTM and Red Bull have supported me immensely and I believe the product, team and the overall program will contribute to my future success.”
Marvin Musquin extends contract with KTM to 2020
Ian Harrison – Team Manager
“I have had the privilege of working with Marvin for nine years and he is a first-class guy that always gives his best, both on and off the track. The 2019 SX Championship proved what a tough contender Marvin is and I’m sure we will get to witness more of his talent in the years to come. I am so happy he has made the decision to stay with Red Bull KTM for the ’20 and ‘21 race seasons. On behalf of all of us at KTM, thank you Marvin, for continuing your journey with us.”
Roger De Coster – Director of Motorsports, KTM Group
“Marvin came over to the U.S. from the MXGP circuit for the 2011 season, which was the same time Ian Harrison and I joined the team and it is hard to believe that this is our ninth year working with him. During this time, Marvin won a 250SX East title, but more importantly, he has not finished off the podium in either the 450 SX or MX Championships and he is still improving every season. I am truly happy Marvin chose to extend his relationship with Red Bull KTM for two more years.”
The 29-year-old French rider has been with the KTM brand since 2009, where the rising star at the time captured back-to-back MX2 World Championships in ’09 and ‘10. In 2011, Musquin signed with Roger De Coster and the U.S. based Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team and by 2015 he captured the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship.
Since moving to the premier 450cc division in 2016, Musquin has accumulated eight AMA 450SX victories and seven AMA 450MX victories, while consistently maintaining a top-three position in the overall championships.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Woffendin Injured
Defending World Champion Tai Woffinden has confirmed that he faces a month on the sidelines after an MRI scan revealed he suffered a broken TH4 vertebra and shoulder blade after crashing with Russian star Grigorii Laguta in heat one of Wroclaw’s PGE Ekstraliga trip to Lublin on Friday night,
Woffinden immediately withdrew from the meeting and was taken to Wroclaw to undergo further checks to ascertain the full extent of the damage to the neck vertebra and shoulder.
Tai Woffinden tweeted
“After leaving hospital last night and making a 500km trip to Wroclaw to see the spinal specialists and a MRI scan, it’s actually TH4 that is broken along with my shoulder blade. At this point I’m out for one month and we will see how much my neck has healed in that period.”
Tai Woffinden – Image by Warwick Hemy
It has been officially confirmed he will miss the ANLAS Czech SGP in Prague next Saturday and the Norrbil Swedish SGP in Hallstavik on July 6.
The news comes as a blow to his hopes of retaining the world title with Woffinden currently eighth in the standings on 15 points – 13 behind top two Bartosz Zmarzlik and Patryk Dudek.
SGP second reserve Max Fricke replaces Woffinden in Prague, while the news guarantees that first reserve Robert Lambert will also appear in both Prague and Hallstavik.
Webb injured
Extreme endure star Cody Webb tweaked his knee while dropping off a ledge in a technical rock section just days before heading to the world-famous Erzbergrodeo in Austria. Webb was determined to line up at the infamous event this year only to call it quits early into the race and spent the remaining time helping his KTM teammates through a challenging section of the course.
Cody Webb – 2019 Thunder Valley National MX
Webb has claimed two extreme enduro victories already this season, in addition to a heartbreakingly close runner-up finish in the 2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.
Cody Webb
“Being injured is always unfortunate, but I’m taking it as a positive. I intend to take rehab very seriously post-operation and will come back better and stronger than before. It’s a long road ahead, but I will make the best of it and am already excited about the thought of being back at the races.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
KTM take full ownership of KTM Australia and New Zealand
After 25 years of stable and successful business, Automotive Holdings Group (AHG) has sold the remaining 74 per cent share of its motorcycle importation business to the brands’ parent company KTM.
AHG has been the exclusive importer and distributor of the KTM brand for the Australian and New Zealand market since 1994, with the Husqvarna Motorcycles and WP Suspension brands joining the stable in recent years.
In 2017 KTM, which is Europe’s leading motorcycle manufacturer purchased a 26 per cent share of the AHG motorcycle importation business. It now moves to full ownership of both KTM Group Australia and KTM Group New Zealand.
The move to full ownership will see KTM Group Australia and KTM Group New Zealand become full subsidiaries of the Austrian company. Now selling more than 11,000 KTM and Husqvarna Motorcycle units combined, the Australian and New Zealand business has become the third largest market in the world for KTM and will now become the third largest subsidiary for the company.
Jeff Leisk – General Manager, KTM Group Australia and New Zealand
“What a journey it has been since our first AHG Dealer Conference in 1994 and there have been so many significant milestones along the way. I am extremely proud to have seen the KTM and Husqvarna Motorcycle brands go from strength to strength in both the Australian and New Zealand markets. We have built strong relationships with our dealers and our customers and this has been the key to our success. Becoming a factory owned subsidiary will increase the level of support that we can offer our dealer network, our staff and our customers, so I am excited about the next chapter.”
Jeff Leisk
Hubert Trunkenpolz – Chief Marketing Officer
“We are absolutely delighted with the outcome and our full ownership of KTM Group Australia and KTM Group New Zealand. This transaction once again reinforces our commitment to the Australian and New Zealand markets. This is a very positive development for the KTM dealer network and the KTM customer in both countries.”
The change will take effect from the 1st July 2019. While the change of ownership is a significant development for both the company and the market, there will be no impact on KTM Group staff or the established dealer networks for KTM, Husqvarna Motorcycles and WP Suspension.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup hits Wollongong
November 9 will be a memorable night for 20 young hopefuls as the compete in the Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup during round three of the Australian Supercross Championship at WIN Stadium, Wollongong.
The 20 lucky juniors will be selected for this incredible experience from a mix of current YZ65 owners along with wildcard juniors who don’t currently own the model.
Yamaha bLU cRU YZ65 Cup
The junior riders get to experience what it’s like to be a professional rider and become guests of Yamaha’s factory race teams, which event promoter Troy Bayliss says will provide valuable insights into professional racing, including mentoring from CDR Yamaha Monster Energy factory riders and owner Craig Dack.
Troy Bayliss
“We are pleased to be able to provide the opportunity for junior girls and boys to experience Supercross within an incredible venue like WIN Stadium, and for them to do laps in front of thousands of fans will be something they will remember for a lifetime.”
Since releasing the YZ65 in 2018, Yamaha Motor Australia has given many junior riders the opportunity to compete side-by-side within select Australian Supercross Championship events and MX National rounds, including the first-ever YZ65 Cup at Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium during last year’s third round of the Australian Supercross Championship.
Matthew Ferry – YMA National Sales & Marketing Manager
“Our first YZ65 Cup experience at Supercross was in Geelong last year and the parents and kids enjoyed the full bLU cRU treatment, and to see so many happy faces and positive feedback we knew we wanted to offer this experience again this year within the Yamaha presented Round 3 of the Australian Supercross Championship at WIN Stadium. Spots are limited to 20 lucky riders available to YZ65 owners, plus Yamaha will also offer a few wildcard entries for non YZ65 owners to experience what it’s like to be part of the bLU cRU, it’s a money-can’t-buy experience.”
Troy Bayliss Events are committed to ensuring the future looks bright for Supercross in Australia, with further Championship junior classes to be announced in the coming weeks for the 2019 Australian Supercross Series.
Round 3 of the Australian Supercross Championship takes place at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Saturday November 9, with tickets available now via Ticketmaster.com.au
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Action aplenty at Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship
The Broadford circuit in Victoria last weekend hosted the Shannons 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship and by all accounts the racing was close and hard fought all weekend – see results below:
Australian Championship classes
Pre 75 Slider 263+
1st
26 Jody Mason
2nd
30 Brett Glover
3rd
101 Mark Herfoss
Jody Mason – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution Super Seniors 70+ All Powers
1st
13 Greg McLean
2nd
118 Bill Mitchell
Greg McLean – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution 16-29 years All Powers
1st
121 Aaron Stevens
2nd
257 Billy Ricardo
3rd
44 Doug Hayden
Pre 75 up to 125cc
1st
123 Ray Stevens
2nd
18 Jake Mitchell
3rd
2 Grant Dodd
Ray Stevens – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 70 263+
1st
6 David Gras
2nd
71 Adam Constable
3rd
17 Steve Constable
David Gras – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 Solo 263+
1st
101 Mark Herfoss
2nd
16 Damien Bombardiere
3rd
26 Jody Mason
David Herfoss – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution Womens All Powers
1st
89 Tayla Street
2nd
58 Brook Lonie
3rd
38 Janet Kelly
Taylor Street and Brooke Lonie – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 50-59 yearrs All Powers
1st
101 Mark Herfoss
2nd
216 Graeme Judd
3rd
123 Ray Stevens
Mark Herfoss – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution 50-59 years All Powers
1st
123 Ray Stevens
2nd
216 Graeme Judd
3rd
90 Simon Hampton
Pre 75 Solo 250cc
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
667 Luke Wilesmith
3rd
33 Rob Hayden
Brad Burns – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Evolution Solo 263+
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
121 Aaron Stevens
3rd
24 Chas Hern
Evolution Solo 250cc
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
44 Doug Hayden
3rd
2 Grant Dodd
Pre 75 263+
1st
257 Billy Ricardo
2nd
123 Ray Stevens
3rd
216 Graeme Judd
Billy Ricardo – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 78 250 Solo
1st
22 Brendan McCowat
2nd
667 Luke Wilesmith
3rd
90 Simon Hampton
Support Classes
Pre 75 60years + All Powers
1st
33 Rob Hayden
2nd
6 Peter Lee
3rd
9 John Selva
Rob Hayden – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 Slider up to 250cc
1st
7 Reece Crimeen
2nd
30 Brett Glover
3rd
68 Rick Wason
Reece Crimeen – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 60 Solo All Powers
1st
118 Bill Mitchell
2nd
51 Graham Anderson
Bill Mitchell Graham Anderson – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 78 Super Seniors & Evolution 60years + All Powers
1st
33 Rob Hayden
2nd
52 Peter Lee
3rd
171 Kevin Brown
Pre 75 16-39 Years All Powers
1st
382 Brad Burns
2nd
18 Jake Mitchell
3rd
2 Grant Dodd
Pre 65 Solo 250cc & 263cc+ & Pre 70 Solo 250cc
1st
9 John Selva
2nd
116 Kevin Dunque
3rd
76 Mark Birkett
John Silva – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 75 40-49 years All Powers
1st
16 Damien Bombardiere
2nd
181 Ross Watson
3rd
36 Paul Neighbour
Damien Bomardiere – 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Pre 78 & Evolution Solo up to 125cc
1st
2 Grant Dodd
2nd
258 Nick Smith
3rd
38 James Hayden
Battle of the Twins
1st
6 David Gras
2nd
650 Chas Hern
3rd
66 Dean Ross
Tayla Street creates Classic Dirt Track history
History was made in motorcycle racing at Broadford last weekend with the inaugural Women’s Classic Dirt Track Championship and there were eight hard charging females on hand on a myriad of different machinery.
2019 Australian Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
When the dust settled it was the talented Tayla Street on a fire breathing 1980 Suzuki RM250 who earned the title ahead of Brooke Lonie (DT400) and Janet Kelly (TT500) – see full results below:
Tayla Street – 2019 Australian Dirt Track Championship – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Tayla Street – RM250 – 122p
Brooke Lonie – DT400 – 113p
Janet Kelly – TT500 – 96p
Laura Saxon – IT250 – 94p
Abbey Wason – Bultaco Astro – 70p
Nicole Thompson – DT250 – 62p
Carina Peschel – DT400 – 60p
Denise Widjaja – DT250 – 58p
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
On the back of a successful winning return to the Australian MX Nationals Championship, proving his fitness and race pace, reigning Australian Motocross Champion Dean Ferris has been selected to fill in for the injured Aaron Plessinger in the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team at the opening round of the 2019 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Hangtown Classic on May 18.
“I’m super excited about this opportunity to race with the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team. I’ve won a lot of races on the YZ450F, so it’s a perfect fit for me to start my campaign in America. I’m looking forward to getting the outdoor season rolling in Hangtown next weekend!”
Dean Ferris
Ferris added his name to the history books in 2018 as the first rider to win all 10-rounds of the series. The Australian has also gone undefeated in the title chase for the last three years aboard Yamaha’s popular YZ450F.
Hangtown will host the 2019 AMA Motocross season opener
Earlier this season, the 28-year-old filled in for the injured Romain Febvre in the MXGP World Championship. Having achieved his current goals in the national Australian championship, Ferris has been eagerly looking for new opportunities abroad to further hone his skills as a top motocross rider.
Dean Ferris in action in the UK earlier this year
Aaron Plessinger continues to recover from his broken heel injury sustained earlier this year in Supercross and an update on Plessinger’s return will be made when available.
Jim Perry Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“Dean is a multi-time Australian Motocross Champion with a goal to race in the U.S. Timing is everything and he will get a great opportunity to do so in the Lucas Oil Motocross Championship as Aaron continues to make progress in his recovery.”
Jeremy Martin and Aaron Plessinger leading the 250MX field at Hangtown in 2018
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
The LATEST News
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Todd Waters to USA
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Woffinden & Doyle to clash this weekend
WESS kicks off this weekend
Weekly update on our Aussies abroad
Full Las Vegas SX report
Las Vegas hosted the final round of the 2019 AMA Supercross Championship and despite Eli Tomac dominating the 450 main event it was Cooper Webb who came away with the championship. Dylan Ferrandis and Chase Sexton won the West and East Coast 250 championships respectively.
Cooper Webb – 2019 AMA Supercross Champion – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Report
The tension around the stadium was once again palpable as the 450 main event got underway and it was Tomac who earned a very rare holeshot. It was obvious from the outset that Eli was not interested in playing games with the Kawasaki rider putting down incredibly fast lap times to pull away from the KTM duo of Marvin Musquin and Webb.
Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld
While maintaining a few bike lengths back from Musquin, Webb was initially under pressure from Zach Osborne but he was able to slowly pull away from the Husqvarna rider. Ken Roczen made his way to the rear wheel of the championship leader put the plucky Webb stuck to hitting his marks around the slippery, hard packed Vegas layout.
As the track deteriorated Tomac continued to push and despite surviving a few ‘moments’ the Kawasaki rider crossed the line some 12 seconds ahead of Musquin while Webb rounded out the podium. Webb led by a narrow margin over Roczen and Osborne with Cole Seely, Blake Baggett, Tyler Bowers, Justin Hill and Justin Bogle rounded out the top ten.
Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld
Webb, a two-time Western Regional 250SX Champion and a former 250 AMA National Motocross Champion can now add the 2019 AMA 450 Supercross Championship to his resume on the back of 5-10-1-1-8-1-1-2-1-2-3-4-1-3-2-1-3 finishes over the 17 rounds.
Cooper Webb
“It’s been an incredible journey. This KTM team believed in me, they took me in and transformed me back to where I always knew I could be. This year was not expected at all, and I can’t thank them enough for giving me this opportunity to get back into this level and to do it this way is unreal. It’s a dream come true, I’ve had it since I was a little kid. It’s an incredible feeling, I am in shock.”
Cooper Webb – Image by Hoppenworld
Eli Tomac
“It’s all about putting the whole season together, we need to fill in the gaps which and we haven’t done that yet. I felt like in the beginning we were playing catch up then we kind of found our stride here in the last few races so that is the positive outlook on the season.”
Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin
“After being second last year I was looking to go one step better and get the championship but I started the year with no training through November and December (thanks to a knee injury) which is where you build up for the season but we had a solid program where the goal was to get better each weekend, which I did, we were close to winning some main events then we won a couple. I would have liked to have been fighting for the championship all of the way to the end but that didn’t happen.”
Marvin Musquin & Zach Osborne – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Results
Eli Tomac – 22 Laps
Marvin Musquin +12.061
Cooper Webb +17.466
Ken Roczen +18.216
Zach Osborne +29.872
Cole Seely +42.680
Blake Baggett +48.397
Tyler Bowers +55.636
Justin Hill +1:00.694
Justin Bogle – 21Laps
Justin Brayton +02.960
Ben Lamay +05.575
Kyle Chisholm +13.365
Ryan Breece +36.547
Alex Ray +49.372
Henry Miller +1:01.671
Carlen Gardner – 20Laps
Adam Enticknap +09.480
Charles Lefrancois +13.010
Tevin Tapia – 19Laps
Austin Politelli – 15Laps
Scott Champion – 7Laps
Cooper Webb – 379
Eli Tomac – 361
Marvin Musquin – 350
Ken Roczen – 319
Blake Baggett – 290
Dean Wilson – 223
Cole Seely – 211
Joey Savatgy – 208
Justin Bogle – 171
Justin Brayton – 163
Justin Hill – 162
Tyler Bowers – 155
Justin Barcia – 154
Zach Osborne – 154
Chad Reed – 151
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
250 East/West Shootout Report
In the 250 East/West Coast shootout both titles were on the line with Chase Sexton holding an 8-point lead over Justin Cooper for the East title. Adam Cianciarulo held a 9-point lead over Dylan Ferrandis in the West and with all four riders easily qualifying into the 15 minute main event the stage was set.
Chase Sexton – Image by Hoppenworld
In the battle for the East, Sexton was running near the front of the field from the start of the race while Cooper battled mid-pack so at the line Sexton cruised through for a fourth-place finish, securing his first 250 championship for Geico Honda.
As for the West Coast title there was a fair bit of drama with Ferrandis taking the holeshot on his Monster Energy Yamaha while Cianciarulo was outside the top five. Cianciarulo was then able to move up to third behind Ferrandis and Cameron McAdoo, which would have secured Adam his first title and for several laps it was looking like Cianciarulo was riding smart and had the title in his grasp.
Adam Cianciarulo – Image by Hoppenworld
Unfortunately for Cianciarulo fans and Mitch Payton, the Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider came up short in a rhythm section, clipped a tuff box and crashed heavily leaving his handlebars bent beyond raceable and despite quickly going into the pits for repairs the championship was over for Cianciarulo……again.
Up front Ferrandis took a comfortable race win from RJ Hampshire, McAdoo and Sexton. Alex Martin, Colt Nichols, Michael Mosiman, Cooper, Martin Davalos and Garrett Marchbanks rounded out the top ten, well ahead of Cianciarulo who ended the main in 20th, handing Ferrandis his first championship on American soil.
Dylan Ferrandis
“Coming into the main, I just asked my mechanic to tell me what Adam was doing and when I saw it at P-10 and P-12, I couldn’t believe it.” Ferrandis said. “We trained so hard coming into this weekend. It’s more than a dream come true. It’s hard to put into words. I’m just thinking about all the people that have been with me and supporting me. The team has been behind me the past few years, and I’m very grateful to them for believing in me. This is incredible.”
Dylan Ferrandis – Image by Hoppenworld
Chase Sexton
“It feels super-good, it really hasn’t sunk in yet but being only 19 and winning my first championship is unbelievable. Man, it was the longest 15 plus one I have ever done, the track was gnarly, to do this for myself and the team is awesome, couldn’t have asked for any better.”
Chase Sexton – Image by Hoppenworld
250 East/West Coast Results
Dylan Ferrandis – 16 Laps
RJ Hampshire +01.805
Cameron McAdoo +02.858
Chase Sexton +03.365
Alex Martin +04.625
Colt Nichols +05.871
Michael Mosiman +09.340
Justin Cooper +11.993
Martin Davalos +18.488
Garrett Marchbanks +22.901
Brandon Hartranft +26.177
Kyle Peters +35.205
Jordan Bailey +42.976
John Short +46.740
Lorenzo Locurcio +52.624
Justin Starling +1:06.503
Chase Marquier – 15Laps
James Decotis +17.645
Mitchell Falk +23.856
Adam Cianciarulo +44.305
Kyle Cunningham – 13Laps
Chris Blose – 4Laps
Chase Sexton – 193
Justin Cooper – 180
Austin Forkner – 152
Martin Davalos – 148
Alex Martin – 139
Brandon Hartranft – 130
Mitchell Oldenburg – 128
Kyle Peters – 126
Kyle Cunningham – 110
Jordan Bailey – 101
Dylan Ferrandis – 226
Adam Cianciarulo – 211
Colt Nichols – 180
RJ Hampshire – 168
Cameron McAdoo – 149
Michael Mosiman – 144
James Decotis – 133
Shane McElrath – 123
Chris Blose – 120
Garrett Marchbanks – 113
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Murray Bridge hosts MX Nationals double header
South Australia’s historic town of Murray Bridge hosted the fourth and fifth rounds of the 2019 Australian MX Nationals last weekend with the first of the two ‘double-headers’ for the series with four championship classes on show over the two days of action.
MX1 Report
The big drawcard at Murray Bridge was the return of Dean Ferris to the series, albeit a brief one, on the Raceline KTM and it didn’t take long for Dean to start where he left off last year with two wins on Saturday though moto two did see Luke Clout hold pace with the 2018 champion.
Dean Ferris
Kirk Gibbs was second in the opening moto but well back from Ferris then it all went sour for Gibbs in the second moto with the CDR Yamaha rider crashing twice to earn a DNF before not being able to race on Sunday so Gibbs’ title chance is all but gone.
So it was Ferris taking the overall on Saturday with Clout, Hayden Mellross, Jayden Rykers and Todd Waters round out the top five so heading to Sunday Mellross still has the red plate by two points over Clout.
Kirk Gibbs
Sunday dawned with the MX1 riders tackling two back-to-back sprint races and it was looking to be more of the same with Ferris out front. Just as the NRGTV commentators were regaling how Ferris rarely makes mistakes the number 1 KTM was on the ground handing the lead and win to Clout with Waters, Mellross, Ferris and Justin Rodbell rounding out the top five.
Moto two saw Clout take another win once again over Waters and Mellross with Rodbell holding off Ferris for fourth so the overall for the combined sprint races went to Clout over Waters, Mellross, Rodbell and Ferris.
Luke Clout
The final 30 minute moto saw Waters take the win by just 1.4 seconds over Clout who had Mellross all over him right to the line while Ferris once again struggled with a poor start to finish a distant fourth.
The overall goes to Waters over Clout and Mellross and as far as the points go Clout now has the red plate by 4-points over Mellross who in turn has a 6-point lead over Waters – with 5 rounds remaining this championship is well and truly alive.
MX1 Round 4 & 5 Results
Dean Ferris – 70 points
Luke Clout – 58
Hayden Mellross – 58
Jayden Rykers – 56
Todd Waters – 53
Richie Evans – 48
Justin Rodbell – 47
Dylan Long – 43
Erki Kahro – 42
Brett Metcalfe – 39
Todd Waters – 67 points
Luke Clout – 67
Hayden Mellross – 60
Dean Ferris – 54
Justin Rodbell – 53
Richie Evans – 50
Jayden Rykers – 49
Brett Metcalfe – 45
Lawson Bopping – 45
Erki Kahro – 41
Luke Clout- 275 points
Hayden Mellross – 271
Todd Waters – 265
Justin Rodbell – 210
Jayden Rykers – 207
Erki Kahro – 190
Brett Metcalfe – 181
Kirk Gibbs – 179
Richie Evans – 174
Jesse Dobson – 173
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Report
Saturday saw the back-to-back sprint races start the weekend off for the MX2 riders and surprisingly it was Kyle Webster who stamped his dominance by taking the win in the first moto over Jay Wilson, Bailey Malkiewicz, Kaleb Barham and Wilson Todd. He then back that up with another win in the second moto this time over Wilson, Barham, Dylan Wills and Todd.
Kyle Webster
So heading to the final 30-minute moto Webster held the overall so far ahead of Wilson, Barham, Malkiewicz and Todd. However the longer moto allowed Todd to redeem himself with a narrow win over the in-form Webster who had a fair gap back to third place Wilson while Wills and Riley Dukes rounded out the top five.
So the overall for Saturday goes to Webster over Wilson and Todd but with Sunday looming with two 30-minute motos all eyes were on Todd to extend his championship lead.
On the day it was Webster who once again put together a great race with a win in the opening moto over Malkiewicz, Wilson, Aaron Tanti and Dukes while Todd suffered a flat tyre while leading and was forced to dive into the mechanics area to change the wheel and finish in 14th place.
Moto two saw Todd take the win by four seconds ahead of Webster with the Serco Yamaha pairing of Nathan Crawford and Tanti putting together their best finishes after a tough weekend for the team. Heading to the seven week break in the series Todd now had a 23 point lead over Webster who in turn has a 2 point gap back to Wilson.
Kyle Webster
“Things couldn’t have gone much better! Everything clicked from the moment we rolled onto the track and I’m absolutely stoked on how the day went. I can’t ask for much more, with two round wins in two days. It feels like it’s been a while coming this year to get a few wins on the go, but now that they’re here, it’s awesome. Everyone in the MX2 class has been having a real go and the competition is fierce, so getting two round wins now at the double-header rounds is the perfect way to go into the mid-season break. I can’t thank everyone on the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team enough, and all the team sponsors and supporters, and my family and everyone who helps make this happen; like I said, getting back-to-back round wins feels just awesome!”
Kyle Webster
MX2 Round 4 & 5 Results
Kyle Webster – 67 points
Jay Wilson – 62
Wilson Todd – 61
Dylan Wills – 53
Kaleb Barham – 53
Bailey Malkiewicz – 52
Riley Dukes – 50
Jai Constantinou – 44
Ricky Latimer – 41
Nathan Crawford – 38
Kyle Webster – 67 points
Bailey Malkiewicz – 58
Aaron Tanti – 56
Jay Wilson – 54
Wilson Todd – 52
Nathan Crawford – 52
Riley Dukes – 49
Ricky Latimer – 45
Jye Dickson – 43
Jai Constantinou – 42
Wilson Todd – 283 points
Kyle Webster – 260
Jay Wilson – 258
Nathan Crawford – 212
Aaron Tanti – 212
Dylan Wills – 206
Riley Dukes – 202
Bailey Malkiewicz – 198
Jye Dickson – 188
Cooper Pozniak – 184
MXD Report
The MXD riders once again put on a great show all weekend with lap times that matched the top MX2 riders and most of the MX1 field but in the end it was Kiwi Max Purvis who won the overall on Saturday over Brodie Ellis and championship leader Regan Duffy but on Sunday Duffy narrowly got the overall ahead of Purvis and Mason Rowe.
Regan Duffy
At the halfway point of the series Duffy has a 17 point lead over Purvis while Rhys Budd sits a further 15 points back.
MXD Rounds 4 & 5 Results
Maximus Purvis – 67 points
Regan Duffy – 65
Rhys Budd – 58
Brodie Ellis – 57
Jack Kukas – 52
Mason Rowe – 49
Jai Walker – 44
Tye Jones – 44
Jayce Cosford – 44
Mackenzie O’Bree – 41
Regan Duffy – 67 points
Maximus Purvis – 65
Mason Rowe – 60
Brodie Ellis – 51
Noah Ferguson – 49
Rhys Budd – 47
Tye Jones – 46
Mackenzie O’Bree – 45
Jai Walker – 44
Liam Walsh – 43
Regan Duffy – 289 points
Maximus Purvis – 272
Rhys Budd – 257
Brodie Ellis – 218
Mason Rowe – 207
Jack Kukas – 200
Noah Ferguson – 197
Jai Walker – 181
Liam Walsh – 179
Jayce Cosford – 178
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YMF Australian MXW Report
Meghan Rutledge was in a class of her own to win all four MXW motos while running lap times within 10 seconds per lap of the top MX2 riders while Maddy Brown and Jessica Moore battle over the minor podium positions all weekend.
MXW – Round 1 Overall (Top 10)
Meghan Rutledge – 70 points
Maddy Brown – 62
Jessica Moore – 62
Emma Milesevic – 56
Kara Cats – 51
Roma Edwards – 50
Tanesha Harnett – 49
Amy Bartsch – 45
Ebony Harris – 43
Britney Boyce – 42
Meghan Rutledge – 70 points
Jessica Moore – 60
Maddy Brown – 60
Emma Milesevic – 60
Roma Edwards – 51
Kara Cats – 51
Ebony Harris – 47
Amy Bartsch – 47
Steph Cutler – 43
Tanesha Harnett – 43
Meghan Rutledge – 140 points
Jessica Moore – 122
Maddy Brown – 122
Emma Milesevic – 116
Kara Cats – 102
Roma Edwards – 101
Amy Bartsch – 92
Tanesha Harnett – 92
Ebony Harris – 90
Britney Boyce – 81
Russell Lands Win at Indianapolis GNCC
The X-Factor Whitetails GNCC at Indianapolis has been won by defending champion and current points leader Kailub Russell by just under 8-seconds over Thad Duval while Ben Kelly won the XC2 class with a fifth overall result.
Kailub Russell captured the X-Factor Whitetails GNCC trophy with his overall win – Image by Ken Hill
Russell got the win over arch rival Thad Ducal and Josh Toth while Aussie Josh Strang struggled to a distant 13th overall but in the XC2 class Ben Kelley continues to be the man to beat with another win this time over Craig Delong and Alex Lee.
Jordan Ansley easily won the XC3 class with an incredible 16th outright while in the WXC class Tayla Jones continues to build the points lead as she defends her 2018 title with another win over Becca Sheets but fellow Aussie Mackenzie Tricker had a shocker with an unusual ninth but the former AMA Motocross Champion still hold third in the points.
GNCC Overall
K. Russell – XC1 Open Pro – Overall Leader 2. T. Duvall – XC1 Open Pro 3. J. Toth – XC1 Open Pro 4. S. Baylor JR – XC1 Open Pro 5. B. Kelley – XC2 250 Pro – Class Leader 6. R. Russell – XC1 Open Pro 7. G. Baylor – XC1 Open Pro 8. C. Delong – XC2 250 Pro 9. A. Delong – XC1 Open Pro 10. A. Lee – XC2 250 Pro 11. T. Bollinger – XC1 Open Pro 12. J. Ashburn – XC1 Open Pro 13. J. Strang – XC1 Open Pro 14. C. Buttrick – XC1 Open Pro 15. M. Witkowski – XC2 250 Pro 16. J. Ansley – XC3 125 Pro-Am – Class Leader
Overall Top 10 Points after Round 5
Kailub Russell – 140
Thaddeus Duvall – 122
Steward Baylor Jr – 105
Trevor Bollinger – 90
Benjamin Kelley – 78
Josh Strang – 67
Joshua Toth – 67
Jordan Ashburn – 58
Andrew Delong – 55
Michael Witkowski – 49
WXC Results
Tayla Jones
Becca N Sheets
Rachael Archer
Korie Steede
Shelby Rolen
Shyann Phelps
Elizabeth Perez
Brooke Cosner
Mackenzie Tricker
WXC Points after 5 Rounds
Tayla Jones – 141
Becca N Sheets – 130
Mackenzie Tricker – 100
Rachael Archer – 86
Brooke Cosner – 73
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Holcombe & Freeman share EnduroGP wins
The small town of Valpaços, about two-hours from Porto, hosted the second round of the FIM Enduro World Championship on mostly hard ground characterised with enormous rocks, as is typical for Portugal. Four rounds took place on Day 1, for a total of twelve special trials, while the following day three rounds took place.
Steve Holcombe
Steve Holcombe (Team Beta Factory Enduro), Alex Salvini (S2 Motorsport Honda RedMoto Sembenini Team) and Andrea Verona (TM Racing Factory Team) were the undisputed leaders in Portugal on the occasion of the second GP of the 2019 FIM Enduro World Championship, in their respective Enduro GP, E3, E2 and Junior classes.
In the EnduroGP, Steve Holcombe (Team Beta Factory Enduro) dominated the opening day in a fight to the end with his compatriot Brad Freeman, the following day winning second place. An excellent performance was also seen from Alex Salvini (S2 Motorsport Honda RedMoto Sembenini Team) who won two third places.
Alex Salvini
It was also a positive weekend for Davide Guarneri (Team Honda RedMoto) who in the E1 class gained two excellent second places.
The E2 class was dominated by Alex Salvini (S2 Motorsport Honda RedMoto Sembenini Team). The Bologna-born rider won both days of racing and fought to the end against Christophe Charlier (Team Honda RedMoto) who gave an outstanding performance. Alex Salvini thus jumps to the head of the provisional rankings.
A double win in the E3 class for the Metzeler-supported rider Steve Holcombe, saw the rider from the Team Beta Factory Enduro also dominate the second GP of the season. Two second places were claimed by Daniel McCanney (TM Racing Factory Team).
Daniel McCanney
It was also an excellent weekend of racing for the rider from the TM Racing Factory Team Andrea Verona who, also equipped with Metzeler MCE 6 Days Extreme tyres, on both days in the Junior class and is currently the leader in the class.
The FIM Enduro World Championship continues, and next weekend the racing will take place in Santiago de Compostela for the Spanish GP.
EnduroGP standings
Holcombe, Steve – 77
Freeman, Brad – 69
Mccanney, Daniel – 58
E1 Class standings
Freeman, Brad – 80
Guarneri, Davide – 62
Cavallo, Matteo – 62
E2 Class standings
Salvini, Alex – 64
Charlier, Christophe – 58
Herrera, Benjamin – 50
Christophe Charlier
E3 Class standings
Holcombe, Steve – 80
Mccanney, Daniel – 68
Geslin, Anthony – 56
Junior Class standings
Verona, Andrea – 80
Francisco, Enric – 55
Espinasse, Thèophile – 54
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Simpson and Ostlund Win British MX Nationals
Canada Heights hosted the third round of the Maxxis British Motocross Championship and it was Shaun Simpson and Alvin Ostlund who won the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.
Simpson put his RFX KTM at the front of the pack in both motos to take two wins ahead of Tommy Searle (2-2) and Jake Millward (3-5) while Ostlund went 2-1 to earn the overall ahead of Dylan Walsh and Josh Gilbert but it was bad news for the defending champion in Conrad Mewse who won the opening moto before failing to finish the second moto.
Simpson now sits on 144pts and Searle on 136pts so the championship is still well and truly alive and they head to round four at the Blaxhall circuit on June 2.
MXGP Overall
Shaun Simpson – 50
Tommy Searle – 44
Jake Millward – 36
Harri Kullas – 33
Gert Krestinov – 33
Brad Anderson – 30
John Adamson – 25
Lewis Tombs – 24
Stuart Edmonds – 24
Robbie Dowson – 20
MX2 Overall
Alvin Ostlund – 47
Dylan Walsh – 40
Josh Gilbert – 38
Martin Barr – 36
Alexander Brown – 30
Taylor Hammal – 29
Michael Ellis – 27
Conrad Mewse – 25
Glen McCormick – 18
Ashton Dickinson – 18
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Jasikonis and Jacobi with Dutch Masters
The small town of Axel in Holland hosted the latest round of the Dutch Masters of Motocross and it was GP regulars in Arminas Jasikonis and Henri Jacobi who won the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.
Arminas Jasikonis
Jasikonis’ 1-2 moto finishes gave the Husqvana rider the overall ahead of Glenn Coldenhoff and Jeremy Seewer while Jacobi (2-2) won the overall from Ben Watson (3-3) and Davey Pootjes (4-4) with Aussie Jed Beaton coming home in sixth overall well ahead of Jargo Geerts and Roan Van de Moosdijk both won a moto but DNF’d the other.
Ben Watson
Dutch MX Masters – MXGP Overall
Arminas Jasikonis – 47
Glenn Coldenhoff – 41
Jeremy Seewer – 36
Arnaud Tonus – 36
Pauls Jonass – 35
Petar Petrov – 27
Yentel Martens – 25
Benoit Paturel – 25
Lars Van Berkel – 23
Max Anstie – 22
MX2 Overall:
Henri Jacobi – 44
Ben Watson – 40
Davy Pootjes – 36
Mikkel Haarup – 30
Tom Vialle – 28
Jed Beaton – 27
Roan Van De Moosdijk – 25
Brent Vandonick – 25
Adam Sterry – 25
Jago Geerts – 25
Honda Signs Roczen for Three Years
American Honda have announced that Ken Roczen has renewed his contract with Team Honda HRC where the popular German will campaign the CRF450R in AMA Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross for the next three years.
Ken Roczen
Ken Roczen
“Re-signing with Honda was a no-brainer for me, I owe the team a lot and I feel like we have a lot of good days ahead of us. Three years is a long time, so when I signed, I was beyond stoked and it was a big pressure relief for me. The guys that I work with on this team are like a big family. Over the last two and a half years, the team and I have been through a lot. We’ve had some incredible highs but we’ve also hit rock bottom, and one thing that Honda always did—no matter what—was believe in me. They never gave up. The team also does whatever it takes to make a rider happy, which is huge because it brings comfort, and I want to win just as bad as they do. I know we haven’t done that in a while, but our work and what we do together isn’t done. Them standing behind me through thick and thin, the good times and the bad times, is what makes a great team, so I’m excited to continue our relationship.”
Ken Roczen
Lee Edmunds – American Honda’s Manager of Powersports Marketing Communications
“During his time with Honda so far, Ken’s dedication has been exemplary, the tenacity with which he pursues success is exceeded only by the resolve with which he approaches challenges. We firmly believe that attitude will help him—and us—get back on top. Ken is our guy, and we’re thrilled to continue together.”
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No Yamaha 450 riders at Vegas
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team was left without any riders at the final round of the AMA Supercross Championships after fill-in rider Josh Grant was forced to sit out the event after injuring his leg and ribs in a training crash Wednesday at the test track in Southern California.
Josh Grant – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
The veteran Supercross racer was brought on board to fill in for Aaron Plessinger who was injured around the halfway mark of the season in Daytona while Justin Barcia decided to sit out the final four rounds to recover from several injuries in a bid to be fot the motocross season.
Jim Perry, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“This was not the phone call you want to get, however, it is the sad part of the game. What a bummer for Josh Grant and the whole team. Josh has been making improvements each week with two strong top-10 finishes in the previous events. He has been working hard to finish the Supercross series on a high note and it’s a shame that he will be sidelined for the finale.”
Todd Waters to USA
With the Australian MX Nationals on a seven-week break Todd Waters is heading to America to compete in the opening three rounds of the AMA Motocross Championships and here is what he wrote on social media:
Todd Waters – Social Media
“On Thursday we jump on the plane to the United States. The Australian MX Nationals calendar has a seven week break, which we realised lines up perfectly with the opening 3 rounds of the AMA Outdoors. In 2018 I had planned to do the AMA outdoors but found myself back competing in the MXGP’s. I’m excited to live out a lifelong dream. I’m looking forward to keeping the ball rolling. I’m anticipating that continuing to race and to race against some of the world’s fastest riders will up my intensity for the second half of the Australian MX Nationals season.
Todd Water
“The trip will be a journey of epic proportions. 3000+ miles in a hired RV, an entourage (including but not limited to, my girlfriend, mum & little sister plus New Zealand buddies Cody Cooper and mechanic Lee), a couple of albek.co suitcases filled with parts, 2 mechanics (my Dad & cousin Jason), one borrowed, stock FC 450 and one pipe dream!”
Sweden, Poland and Germany Advance to SoN Finals
Sweden, Poland and Germany have qualified for the Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Finals in Togliatti on July 20 and 21 after top Swede Fredrik Lindgren scored 18 points to lead his team to an emphatic win.
The Swedish team of Lindgren (18p), Peter Ljung (6p) and Peter Hjelmland (1p) topped the teams event on 25 points at Race Off 1 in Landshut last Saturday night, with Poland scoring 24 and Germany 20 to join them in the Finals.
Speedway of Nations 2019
Lindgren may have been in red-hot form, but he admits Ljung’s decision to let him start every race from gate one or two made a huge difference as the Vastervik man bagged his points the hard way.
Fredrik Lindgren
“We are very satisfied with this performance. We are happy to go straight through to Russia for the Finals. It’s a tough meeting. You can’t afford to make any mistakes. That was a job well done. It’s a team effort because Peter gave me the inside gates. He didn’t really feel comfortable in the beginning and I said to him he should maybe try the inside gates to get going. But he wanted us to at least get the heat win and I have to give it up to him. It’s a team effort and we did a good job together.”
Speedway of Nations 2019
Polish star Bartosz Zmarzlik was delighted to power his side through to Togliatti as he joined forces with Patryk Dudek, who was only drafted in the 11th hour when Maciej Janowski withdrew due to a shoulder ligament injury.
Bartosz Zmarzlik
“I am very happy because Poland took the next step and we’re through to the Finals in Togliatti. Second place is not so bad and we were very close to the win against Sweden. Patryk did a very good job for the Poland team, but I’d like to say hello to Magic and we keep our fingers crossed he will come back to the track soon. This meeting wasn’t bad for me and I am happy. But in Togliatti we have two days and we will see what happens. There are two months to go.”
German ace Martin Smolinski was delighted to see his side reach their second straight world final in front of a passionate home crowd in Landshut.
Martin Smolinski
“It’s job done – it’s very nice. It’s always nice to get to the next round in front of the home crowd. We had a very good team performance, I think. Every one of us scored some good points. We showed how good German speedway is at a very good venue. We had a lot of rain in the afternoon, but the track guys worked very well and I think we saw some very nice racing out there.”
Speedway of Nations 2019
The Monster Energy SON now moves to Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium for Race Off 2 next Saturday, as Great Britain tackle Australia, Denmark, USA, France, Finland and Latvia.
Monster Energy Son Race Off 1 Scores
SWEDEN 25:
1 Fredrik Lindgren 18, 2 Peter Ljung 6, 3 Peter Hjelmland 1.
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Woffinden and Doyle to Clash his Weekend
World Champions Tai Woffinden and Jason Doyle will go head-to-head this weekend at the Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Race Off 2 in Manchester where the Brits and Aussies are up against Denmark, USA, Latvia, France and Finland with three places up for grabs for the SON Finals at the Russian race track Togliatti on July 20 and 21.
Jason Doyle Speedway GP – Image by Colin Rosewarne
Reigning world No.1 Woffinden captains the Lions on home shale in his first racing appearance in the UK since becoming the first Brit to win three world titles last October while 2017 World Champion Doyle leads the Australian challenge.
The top three teams in Manchester join last weekend’s SON Race Off 1 qualifiers Sweden, Poland and Germany along with hosts and defending champions Russia at the Finals in Togliatti.
Race Off 2 Squads & Line-Ups (In Draw Order):
AUSTRALIA:
1 Jason Doyle (captain), 2 Max Fricke, U21 Jaimon Lidsey.
Also in squad: Chris Holder, Jordan Stewart (U21).
FINLAND:
1 Timo Lahti (captain), 2 Tero Aarnio, U21 Timi Salonen.
Also in squad: Jesse Mustonen, Niklas Sayrio (U21).
1 Niels-Kristian Iversen (captain), 2 Leon Madsen, U21 Frederik Jakobsen. Also in squad: Michael Jepsen Jensen, Patrick Hansen (U21).
GREAT BRITAIN:
1 Tai Woffinden (captain), 2 Craig Cook, U21 Robert Lambert.
Also in squad: Chris Harris, Daniel Bewley (U21).
FRANCE:
1 David Bellego (captain), 2 Dimitri Berge, U21 Gaetan Stella.
USA:
1 Austin Novratil, 2 Luke Becer (captain), U21 Broc Nicol.
Also in squad: Ricky Wells.
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WESS Kicks off this Weekend
After a successful debut as a series in 2018, the opening round of the 8-round World Enduro Super Series (WESS) kicks off in Portugal this weekend with the Toyota Porto Extreme XL Lagares which is now in its 15th edition where the three-day race showcases Superenduro, Urban and Hard Enduro.
WESS returns this weekend!
Defining its parameters for 2019, WESS will feature Classic Enduro, Hard Enduro and Cross-Country racing, while mixing a variety of iconic events and new venues together to create the perfect blend of Enduro racing.
From Portugal defending champion Billy Bolt and the rest of the WESS contenders will criss-cross Europe to take on some of the most iconic and challenging off-road events in France, Austria, Italy, Romania, UK, Spain and Germany – below is the official calendar.
World Enduro Super Series – 2019 Calendar
Round 1: Extreme XL Lagares (Portugal) May 10-12
Round 2: Trèfle Lozérien AMV (France) May 17-19
Round 3: Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble (Austria) May 30-June 2
Round 4: Classic Enduro (Italy) TBA
Round 5: Red Bull Romaniacs (Romania) July 30-August 4
Round 6: Hawkstone Park Cross Country (United Kingdom) September 21-22
Round 7: Solsona Enduro (Spain) October 5-6
Round 8: GetzenRodeo (Germany) November 2-3
Weekly update on our Aussies abroad
Jed Beaton – Rockstar Husqvarna
Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship Current Standing: 13th after Round 4 of 17 Notes: Jed rode the Dutch Masters of Motocross last weekend and came away with a solid 6th so he is primed and ready for the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy this weekend.
Jed Beaton
Mitch Evans – 114 Honda
Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship Current Standing: 8th after Round 4 of 17 Notes: Mitch sensationally started the season with a podium finish but since then it has been a bit of a roller coaster with great speed let down by two mechanical DNFs. The next round will be the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy this coming weekend.
Mitch Evans
Tayla Jones – Rockstar/Husqvarna/Moose Racing/Shaw Wines
Championship: GNCC Current Standing: 1st after Round 5 of 13 Notes: Tayla won the latest round in Indianapolis on May 5 and has extended her points lead in the WXC class to 11 over second placed Becca Sheets.
Tayla Jones – Image by Sarah Kinrade
Caleb Grothues – SDM Corse Yamaha
Championship: EMX250 Current Standings: 16th after Round 2 of 8 Notes: The former Australian and World Junior Motocross Champion rode well at the opening round but was forced to sit out the second round due to injury but the West Aussie should be back for the next round in France on the 26th of May.
Hunter Lawrence – Geico Honda
Championship: AMA Motocross Championship Current Standings: TBA Notes: Hunter was looking sharp heading into the supercross championship before he crashed right before the opening round so he is now healed and by all accounts 100% ready for the outdoors which kicks off at Hangtown on May 18.
Hunter Lawrence – Hoppenworld Image
Jett Lawrence – Geico Honda
Championship: TBA Current Standings: TBA Notes: Jett joined the Geico Honda amateur program for 2019 and to date he has raced a handful of events like the Mini-Os etc – as soon as he races and there are results it will be right here.
Jett Lawrence
Tahlia ‘TJ’ O’Hare – KTM DIGA Racing Team
Championship: MXW World Motocross Championship Current Standings: 13th after Round 1 of 5 Notes: Tahlia’s initiation into the world motocross scene was at the toughest track on the circuit in Valkenswaard but she managed to get through with a solid 13th but look for TJ to move up the points standings at the second round in Portugal on May 19.
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Chad Reed – JGR Suzuki
Championship: AMA Supercross Current Standing: 15th after Round 17 of 17 Notes: Chad was part of a multi bike crash at Seattle when he was sitting 7th in the championship and after the series was completed the Aussie still ended up 15th in the points – we now hold out hopes that Chad will line up for the AMA Motocross Championships.
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld
Wil Ruprecht – Johansson MPE Yamaha
Championship: EnduroGP – Junior Class Current Standing: 2nd after Round 2 of 7. Notes: Wil once again proved his world class riding ability at Valpaços in Portugal last weekend with a 2nd and a 4th over the two days of competition where some of the veterans of the sport declared it one of the toughest events in recent history.
Wil Ruprecht – Image by Caroline Joelsson
Meghan Rutledge – Bud Racing Kawasaki
Championship: MXW World Motocross Championship Current Standings: 8th after Round 1 of 5 Notes: Meghan sat out the World Championships for four years and her first round was marred with some minor mistakes but there was no mistaking her speed so look for Meghan to have a much better round in Portugal on the 19th of May.
Championship: GNCC / AMA Enduro Current Standing: 6th after Round 5 of 13 Notes: Josh ended the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis in a disappointing 13th outright but he still sits 6th overall in the series with 8 rounds remaining.
Josh Strang
Mackenzie Tricker – KTM/MEPMX/Fly Racing
Championship: GNCC Current Standing: 3rd after Round 5 of 13 Notes: Mackenzie ended the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis in 9th place which is her poorest performance in years but she still sits third in points with 8 rounds remaining and my bet is still for the former motocross champion to pull off a win this season.
Mackenzie Tricker – Image by Dario Agrati
Max Whale – Weirbach Racing Kawasaki
Championship: AFT Singles Current Standings: 10th after Round 4 of 18 Notes: Max scored a disappointing 16th at the Super TT in Arizona last weekend thanks to still feeling the effects of the previous weekend’s big crash but he still sits 10th in the points with plenty of rounds left to prove his worth.
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In 2018 Dean Ferris won all ten rounds on his way to his third Australian Motocross Championship, his third in as many years, but it hasn’t been without challenges.
Over the summer Ferris had been concentrating on regaining his fitness after a big crash at the Jimboomba Supercross last September, ahead of what was to be a big 2019 among the ranks of the American AMA Motocross Championships but that now seems to be up in the air somewhat.
Dean Ferris
The 28-year-old professional motocross rider was recently called up to replace the injured Romain Febvre in the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team, but Ferris also picked up an injury while in Europe standing in for Febvre.
After not contesting the opening three rounds of the Australian MX Nationals, Ferris recently teamed up with Raceline KTM and fronted the start gates at the Murray Bridge double-header weekend. Obviously all eyes were on the kid from Kyogle to see if the magic was still there…
As it turned out, it was, with Dean Ferris dominating the opening proceedings on Saturday’s Round 4, before Luke Clout and Todd Waters took his measure and took the Round 5 wins, with Ferris coming home fourth.
In MX2 Kyle Webster dominated, with only Wilson Todd snatching a-piece win a-piece on Saturday and Sunday, and retaining his championship lead by 23-points. Webster meanwhile closed the gap by 22-points.
Regan Duffy and Maximum Purvis fought it out to take a round win a-piece in MXD, while no one came close to Meghan Rutledge in the MXW class.
Thor MX1
The Thor MX1 class roared into life Saturday morning, with the day’s competition consisting of practise/qualifying and a two moto format, where Ferris answered that question resoundingly on after winning both Motos.
Kirk Gibbs
Sunday would see the Thor MX1 class challenged with the three moto format, consisting of practice/qualifying in the morning followed by two back to back gruelling motos then a traditional moto in the afternoon, with Sunday proving not quite as fruitful for Ferris, as Luke Clout and Todd Waters got the better of him to take the round five race victories.
Waters was disappointed in himself after only managing 6-4 results on Saturday but came good on Sunday to take victory in the final moto of the weekend.
Jayden Rykers and Hayden Mellross also scored podium finishes across the weekend.
Hayden Mellross
Lawson Bopping took 11th overall on Saturday, qualifying for Super Pole in fifth position, then recording 8-15 finishes, and improved on Sunday to take eighth in the combined sprints, with ninth in moto 3 for ninth overall.
Lawson Bopping
“It was a big weekend with two rounds of racing. I’d worked hard coming into here and was happy to put it into Super Pole on Saturday, but the motos were difficult – my arms couldn’t hang onto the handlebars and it caused me to fade. It was frustrating because the team and KX450 are so good. I didn’t qualify as strongly on Sunday, but the sprint motos were decent and I felt as though I had a bit of fight in me. The last moto was great as well for the most part, although I slowed up right at the end and a few guys got me. Anyway, it was great and I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”
Dylan Long also returned to the MX1 class, with a 10-9 result on Saturday for eighth overall, while taking 11th on Sunday thanks to a 8-11-12 scorecard.
Dylan Long
“I wasn’t super-happy with my riding on either day, but I got into a bit of a flow at stages. I just haven’t had enough bike time, so I tightened up in almost every single race. It’s good to have a break now, but we’ll come back strong and ready. The KX450 was good, I’m happy enough and can work from this.”
Luke Clout leaves South Australia with the Thor MX1 Championship lead and red plate but things are very tight at the top with only ten-points covering the top three in the series. Yamaha’s Clout on 275-points, Hayden Mellross on 271-points and Todd Waters on 265-points.
Dean Ferris also rocketed up through the standings to 124-points after a single race meet, taking a win on Saturday’s Round 4, and fourth overall in Sunday’s Round 5.
Thor MX1 Round 4 Results
Moto 1
Dean Ferris 29:27.360
Kirk Gibbs +13.226
Jayden Rykers +22.125
Hayden Mellross +41.122
Luke Clout +44.550
Moto 2
Dean Ferris 29:27.621
Luke Clout +3.573
Hayden Mellross +8.187
Todd Waters +15.901
Jayden Rykers +44.930 18
MX1 Round 4 Overall
Dean Ferris 70
Luke Clout 58
Hayden Mellross 58
Jayden Rykers 56
Todd Waters 53
Thor MX1 Round 5
Moto 1
Luke Clout 14:27.461
Todd Waters +0.950
Hayden Mellross +0.984
Dean Ferris +14.501
Justin Rodbell +16.397
Moto 2
Luke Clout 14:29.471
Todd Waters +0.803
Hayden Mellross +6.251
Justin Rodbell +14.688
Dean Ferris +15.735
Moto 3
Todd Waters 29:53.257
Luke Clout +1.485
Hayden Mellross +2.118
Dean Ferris +26.236
Richie Evans +36.303 18
Round 5 Overall
Todd Waters 67
Luke Clout 67
Hayden Mellross 60
Dean Ferris 54
Justin Rodbell 53
Thor MX1 Standings
Luke Clout 275
Hayden Mellross 271
Todd Waters 265
Justin Rodbell 210
Jayden Rykers 207
Erki Kahro 190
Brett Metcalfe 181
Kirk Gibbs 179
Richie Evans 174
Jesse Dobson 173
Pirelli MX2
The Pirelli MX2 class was also put to work across Saturday with the three moto format, consisting of two back to back gruelling motos then a traditional moto in the afternoon.
Pirelli MX2
Sunday in contrast went back to the more traditional format with practice/qualifying in the morning and a two moto format throughout the day.
Kyle Webster won the opening bouts on Saturday before Wilson Todd managed to get the better of him in the third moto.
The pair also shared the wins on Sunday and are 1-2 in the championship chase, Todd on 283-points while Webster moved up to second place on 260-points which pushed Jay Wilson back to third on 258-points.
The Motul MXD class again was one not to be missed with plenty of action across both days and all four motos, where Max Purvis and Regan Duffy shared the winners spoils.
Regan Duffy
Regan Duffy leads the series on 289-points while good points hauls across both on Saturday, and Sunday saw Purvis move past Rhys Budd to take second place in the Motul sponsored championship.
MXD Round 5 Overall Podium – 1) Maximus Purvis, 2) Regan Duffy, 3) Rhys Budd
Riding in MXD on-board the KX250, Deakin Hellier put in a major effort for 24th overall on Saturday and a much-improved 15th on Sunday. Hellier’s best ride came in moto one on Sunday, charging to a confidence-boosting ninth-place.
Deakin Hellier
“I’ve showed my best sides and also my worst sides this weekend, so it was a bit of an up and down one. That first moto on Sunday was where I feel I should be, so I’m ready to keep trying and look forward to round six already! I just need to find some consistency from here.”
Motul MXD Round 4 Results
Moto 1
Maximus Purvis 18:02.394
Brodie Ellis +6.161
Regan Duffy +6.769
Rhys Budd +7.740
Jack Kukas +29.674
Moto 2
Regan Duffy 18:08.279
Maximus Purvis +5.044
Rhys Budd +15.883
Mason Semmens +20.659
Jack Kukas +30.096
MXD Round 4 Overall
Maximus Purvis 67
Regan Duffy 65
Rhys Budd 58
Brodie Ellis 57
Jack Kukas 52
Motul MXD Round 5 Results
Moto 1
Maximus Purvis 18:17.157
Regan Duffy +2.078
Jack Kukas +28.443
Mason Rowe +28.950
Brodie Ellis +42.715
Moto 2
Regan Duffy 18:32.296
Mason Rowe +3.568
Maximus Purvis +3.883
Rhys Budd +9.635
Tye Jones +12.277
Round 5 Overall
Regan Duffy 67
Maximus Purvis 65
Mason Rowe 60
Brodie Ellis 51
Noah Ferguson 49
Motul MXD Standings
Regan Duffy 289
Maximus Purvis 272
Rhys Budd 257
Brodie Ellis 218
Mason Rowe 207
Jack Kukas 200
Noah Ferguson 197
Jai Walker 181
Liam Walsh 179
Jayce Cosford 178
WMX
Murray Bridge marked Rounds 1 & 2 of the 2019 Australian MXW championship for women racers, in which Kawasaki Motors Australia-supported Meghan Rutledge dominated to win all four motos contested. Rutledge’s perfect score sees her build an 18-point advantage in the series.
Meghan Rutledge dominated ahead of Maddy Brown and Jessica Moore also scoring podium positions. Emma Melisevich joining the podium on Sunday morning.
Rutledge leads the YMF Australian MXW Championship on 140-points while Jessica Moore and Maddy Brown are equal second on 122-points.
MX Womens Round 4 Results
Moto 1
Meghan Rutledge 14:15.138
Jessica Moore +9.023
Maddy Brown +22.068
Emma Milesevic +33.206
Kara Cats +1:02.309
Moto 2
Meghan Rutledge 14:18.572
Maddy Brown +11.431
Jessica Moore +19.524
Emma Milesevic +59.361
Roma Edwards +1:06.170
WMX Round 4 Overall
Meghan Rutledge 70
Maddy Brown 62
Jessica Moore 62
Emma Milesevic 56
Kara Cats 51
MX Womens Round 5 Results
Moto 1
Meghan Rutledge 14:19.659
Emma Milesevic +9.321
Maddy Brown +12.495
Jessica Moore +17.876
Kara Cats +1:10.759
Moto 2
Meghan Rutledge 14:40.279
Jessica Moore +7.948
Maddy Brown +9.782
Emma Milesevic +11.829
Roma Edwards +58.677
WMX Round 5 Overall
Meghan Rutledge 70
Jessica Moore 60
Maddy Brown 60
Emma Milesevic 60
Roma Edwards 51
WMX Standings
Meghan Rutledge 140
Jessica Moore 122
Maddy Brown 122
Emma Milesevic 116
Kara Cats 102
The 2019 MX Nationals championship will take its annual mid-season break now, with round six set for Gympie, Queensland, on 23 June.
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The LATEST News
Arizona AFT Super TT falls to JD Beach
Webb and Sexton Top the Podium at East Rutherford SX
Upton Wins Gascoyne Dash
Doyle headlines FIM Speedway of Nations Race Off 2
Murray Bridge Double Header This Weekend
Victoria, ACT and WA Host Championship Rounds
Weekly Up-Date on Our Aussies Abroad
Arizona AFT Super TT falls to JD Beach
Yamaha MT-07 rider JD Beach pulled off an improbable come-from-behind victory to claim his first-career American Flat Track premier class win in last Saturday night’s thrilling Super TT at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona.
AFT Twins head to the Arizona Super TT – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Twins Report
Throughout the day it was the points leader Briar Bauman on his Indian who logged the fastest laps around the twisting and undulating Super TT circuit and he appeared well on his way to a seemingly effortless victory deep into the 25-lap Main Event but the determined Beach slowly reeled his quarry in and finally positioned himself to attack with just two laps remaining.
2019 Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
Beach, a multi-time national road racing champion made his move up the inside entering Turn 2 and pulled clear from there to at last complete the long-awaited breakthrough win ahead of Bauman and the defending champion Jared Mees (Indian) whom in turn got the nod over the Jeffrey Carver Jr. (Indian) and Jake Johnson (MT-07).
2019 Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
JD Beach
“It’s amazing. This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. We’ve been close before but never quite got it. To ride the race that I did — to be back from Briar like that and catch him and pass him with two to go — was awesome. I’ve just got to thank the whole team. We’ve definitely had our highs and lows this year so far. They’ve worked so hard. It’s a great feeling, but we’ve still got a lot of rounds to go and a lot of work to do. We’ll have some fun tonight and get back to work tomorrow.”
JD Beach – Image by Scott Hunter
Bauman could take solace in the fact that he continued his perfect podium record on the season and extended his title lead to 18 points after four rounds.
Briar Bauman
“I had nothing for him. He came by me like I was tied to a tree… The bike was great all night. I thought I was in a pretty good position. I got the start and did everything right. The only problem is JD Beach came, so here we are in second.”
2019 Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins Main Event
JD Beach Yamaha MT-07
Briar Bauman Indian FTR750 +2.244
Jared Mees Indian FTR750 +19.026
Jeffrey Carver Jr. Indian FTR750 +23.610
Jake Johnson Yamaha MT-07 +23.907
Bronson Bauman Indian FTR750 +35.266
Kayl Kolkman Yamaha MT-07 +35.896
Brandon Robinson Indian FTR750 +36.052
Sammy Halbert Harley-Davidson XG750R +40.515
Larry Pegram Indian FTR750 +1 Lap
2019 Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Twin Standings
Briar Bauman 82
Jared Mees 64
Brandon Robinson 64
Henry Wiles 51
Jarod Vanderkooi 51
Jeffrey Carver Jr. 44
Sammy Halbert 44
Jake Johnson 43
Larry Pegram 42
Bronson Bauman 37
Jared Mees – 2019 Arizona Super TT – AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Singles Report
TT specialist Jesse Janisch and his Yamaha YZ450 upped his AFT Singles win streak to three with a wire-to-wire victory in Saturday night’s undercard Main Event over Dalton Gauthier and Ryan Wells.
Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
Janisch found himself under heavy pressure throughout the Main Event courtesy of points leader Dalton Gauthier who threw everything he had into one final strike at the chequered flag, pulling alongside Janisch as they two exited the race’s last corner and powered up the decisive jump with Janisch holding on by a scant 0.105 seconds at the line.
Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
Jesse Janisch
“This race was so much about the start. These guys were flying all day… I just tried running clean laps. Roof Systems Dallas TX got me off to a great start, and I was trying to watch the monitor and I saw Dalton right on me. But they kept going to a different battle, and I wanted to see where Dalton was at! He was really coming on that last lap.”
Jesse Janisch – Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
2016 AFT Singles champion Ryan Wells came home third ahead of Mikey Rush and Dan Bromley while Aussie Max Whale who was still feeling the effects of last weekend’s crash struggled home to 16th but he maintains a top ten position in the points.
Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles Main Event
Jesse Janisch Yamaha YZ450F
Dalton Gauthier Husqvarna FC450 +0.105
Ryan Wells Yamaha YZ450F +3.324
Mikey Rush Honda CRF450R +5.822
Dan Bromley KTM 450 SX-F +6.227
Chad Cose Honda CRF450R +10.395
Cole Frederickson Honda CRF450R +10.922
Andrew Luker Kawasaki KX450F +11.236
Ben Lowe Honda CRF450R +13.251
Jacob Lehmann Honda CRF450R +13.829
Arizona Super TT – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
AFT Singles Standings
Dalton Gauthier 79
Jesse Janisch 72
Mikey Rush 63
Dan Bromley 58
Morgen Mischler 40
Oliver Brindley 38
Shayna Texter 35
Chad Cose 34
Ryan Wells 31
Max Whale 25
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Webb and Sexton Top the Podium at East Rutherford SX
On a jump infested and highly technical layout Cooper Webb has managed to win an action packed 450 main event to extend his championship lead, while Chase Sexton took over as the 250 East Coast class championship leader after winning his first main for the year.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Report
While his teammate Marvin Musquin was avoiding being run over after crashing in the first corner, Webb grabbed the holeshot from Zach Osborne and Eli Tomac, but before the opening lap was complete Tomac had moved to second and was right on the rear wheel of Webb.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by HoppenworldAMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
After a few attempts Eli was finally able to get to the lead and reminiscent to his Vegas performance in 2017 Tomac was looking to unsettle Webb as he slowed in several sections before cutting down to a tighter line through some of the corners but the Kawasaki rider finally cleared his thoughts to establish a small lead.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
In fact, it looked like Eli would pull away for the win until he got cross rutted and went down in the whoops to drop back to fourth behind Webb, Osborne and Blake Baggett. Osborne caught up to Webb to make the pass for the lead so it this stage Zach led ahead of Webb, Baggett and a fast closing Tomac but then Baggett crashed and Osborne rode straight up a right hand berm which gave the lead back to Webb.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
The atmosphere was electric as Tomac caught all the way up to Webb but an identical crash in the whoops dropped him back to third and that is the way they stayed to the line with Webb winning over Osborne, Tomac and Baggett.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
With one race left, Web has a 23-point lead over Tomac while Musquin, who came into the race as the only other rider besides Tomac within striking distance of his teammate salvaged a fifth after his crash to now trails Webb by 31 points so he is no longer in championship contention.
Cooper Webb
“The win is a great momentum booster for me. Having another win for me and the team that works so hard is awesome, but anything can happen, as we saw tonight, but it is nice to come in with a bigger lead. I felt like crap all day and all week, so to be out here at all was great, the goal was a top five, so to come away with a win was incredible.”
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
Zach Osborne
“It’s been a long gruelling road to get back, I felt great in the off season, had a really good bike and one tiny mistake took me out of the first six rounds but it is finally coming back to me, we completely changed the bike in the off week and I felt a lot more comfortable in the whoops. In the main event I got off to a good start and after getting beaten up in the past I decided to just send it which I did for a couple of laps then made the pass for the lead – it was a really good race for me.”
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
Eli Tomac
“I had to have a chuckle about it, I mean, I did the exact thing twice (crash twice in the same spot), I mean, how do you even do that? We were going triple into the whoops and I was leaning a little too far to the right, got cross rutted and then went into the same tuff block, the same tip over, it’s like a replay. I could have got away with one of those but the second one really did me in.”
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Zach Osborne
Eli Tomac
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen
Joey Savatgy
Joshua Grant
Cole Seely
Justin Hill
450SX Main Event Podium – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
450SX Points after 16 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 358
Eli Tomac – 335
Marvin Musquin – 327
Ken Roczen – 300
Blake Baggett – 274
Dean Wilson – 223
Joey Savatgy – 208
Cole Seely – 194
Justin Bogle – 158
Justin Barcia – 154
Chad Reed – 151
Justin Brayton – 151
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250 East Coast Report
After the injured championship leader Austin Forkner made his way to the main event with a far from convincing fourth place in his heat race it was Alex Martin who grabbed the early lead in the main event ahead of Martin Davalos, Sexton and Forkner.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
Austin slammed by Sexton for third but he was soon in second behind his teammate Davalos after Martin slid out so it looked like things were going the way of Forkner BUT a flat landing before the wall jump caused him to re-aggravate his knee and take him out of the race.
When Austin pulled off, Sexton inherited second place and later he took over the lead from a struggling Davalos who would also surrender second and third to the Yamaha duo of Mitchell Oldenburg and Justin Cooper, so the win went to Sexton over Oldenburg, Cooper and Davalos.
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
With just the final East/West shootout at Las Vegas to go next weekend Sexton has inherited/earned a nine-point lead over Cooper with Forkner a further 13-points back. The 250 West Coast series is similarly placed with Adam Cianciarulo holding an 8-point lead over Dylan Ferrandis heading into Vegas so the combined final is going to be very interesting indeed.
Chase Sexton
“We have made a lot of bike changes from the beginning of the season, it is pretty crazy when you compare what I was riding back then to now, it has made a big difference and I have just been trying to put in my laps but I felt really good out there tonight, it feels awesome to be fastest qualifier, win my heat then the main, it’s been a long time and it feels great.”
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
Mitchell Oldenburg
“It has been a tough physically and mentally but everyone around me has believed in me so this feels great, I felt awesome tonight, comfortable and it’s been a long couple of years but we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Justin Cooper
“We struggled with suspension but we did our best and I felt really good in the heat where I got into second and started putting in my laps before I ended up jumping into the hay bales and it all went downhill from there because I didn’t feel myself in the main event but not taking any credit from these guys, they are riding awesome.”
AMA Supercross Round 16 – East Rutherford – Image by Hoppenworld
250 East Coast Main Event Results
Chase Sexton
Mitchell Oldenburg
Justin Cooper
Martin Davalos
Brandon Hartranft
Kyle Peters
Alex Martin
Jordan Bailey
Lorenzo Locurcio
Anthony Rodriguez …22. Austin Forkner
250SX Main Event Podium – AMA SX Round 16, 2019
250 East Coast Points after 8 of 9 Rounds
Chase Sexton – 174
Justin Cooper – 165
Austin Forkner – 152
Martin Davalos – 134
Mitchell Oldenburg – 128
Alex Martin –121
Brandon Hartranft – 118
Kyle Peters – 115
Kyle Cunningham – 108
Jordon Bailey – 91
250 West Coast Points after 9 of 10 Rounds
Adam Cianciarulo – 208
Dylan Ferrandis – 200
Colt Nichols – 163
RJ Hampshire – 145
James Decotis – 128
Michael Mosiman – 128
Cameron McAdoo – 128
Shane McElrath – 123
Chris Blose – 119
Garrett Marchbanks – 100
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Upton wins Gascoyne Dash
Easter weekend saw defending champion Cody Upton win the Gascoyne Dash which has competitors racing from the WA coastal town of Carnarvon to the outback oasis of Gascoyne Junction and back.
Cody Upton wins the 2019 Gascoyne Dash
Upton lead a field of 32 bikes and 19 quads away for the Prologue but it was KTM rider James McCarthy, stopping the clock some 13 seconds ahead of fellow KTM Rider Thomas O’Connell, with the Yamaha of Alex Moore rounding out the outright podium while the leading quad was ATV MX convert, Luke Gaisford on his Honda.
The first day of the main event saw the field race east approximately 205 kilometres from coastal Carnarvon to the outback oasis of Gascoyne Junction and it was Upton who managed to take the win. The defending champ not only faced stiff opposition from his fellow competitors and the tough terrain on the race home, he would also have to overcome a broken left hand thanks to a rock thrown from a competitor’s bike on the run to Gascoyne Junction.
Luke Gaisford took the Quad win
While not able to match the pace that he set on day one, Upton was able to do just enough to lead the Moto field home ahead of McCarthy, Moore and O’Connell while Jye Schaap, Damon Meyer, Luke Thomson, Cameron Smart, Michael Lough and Andrew Somers rounded out the top ten.
Amongst the hotly contested quad category, ATV MX specialist Luke Gaisford powered home from the Junction to win his first desert enduro. Finishing 15th outright ahead of Blake Croonen and Colin Balshaw.
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Doyle headlines FIM Speedway of Nations Race Off 2
World champions Tai Woffinden and Jason Doyle lead a stellar field for the FIM Speedway of Nations Race Off 2 in Manchester on May 11 as the squads and starting line-ups are confirmed.
2019 FIM Speedway of Nations Race Off 2
Reigning world #1 Woffinden captains the Lions on home shale in his first racing appearance in the UK since becoming the first Brit to win three world titles last October.
Meanwhile, 2017 FIM Speedway Grand Prix winner Doyle leads the Australian challenge. The Brits and Aussies are up against Denmark, USA, Latvia, France and Finland with three places up for grabs in the Monster Energy SON Finals at Russian race track Togliatti on July 20 and 21.
Every nation had the chance to name a squad of up to five riders – three seniors and two under-21s, with two seniors and a junior starting in Manchester. Each under-21 must take at least one ride.
Doyle teams up with Belle Vue skipper Max Fricke, who gets the nod ahead of 2012 world champion Chris Holder to race on his SGB Premiership home track. Aussie Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey serves as their junior rider, with Redcar rider Jordan Stewart the reserve under-21.
Jason Doyle at least year’s Melbourne Speedway GP – Image by Colin Rosewarne
The Finals field will also feature three nations who advance from Race Off 1 in Landshut, Germany on May 4, which sees Germany, Poland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Ukraine and Italy compete.
Race Off 2 Squads & Line-Ups (In Draw Order):
AUSTRALIA:
1 Jason Doyle (captain), 2 Max Fricke, U21 Jaimon Lidsey.
Also in squad: Chris Holder, Jordan Stewart (U21).
FINLAND:
1 Timo Lahti (captain), 2 Tero Aarnio, U21 Timi Salonen.
Also in squad: Jesse Mustonen, Niklas Sayrio (U21).
1 Niels-Kristian Iversen (captain), 2 Leon Madsen, U21 Frederik Jakobsen. Also in squad: Michael Jepsen Jensen, Patrick Hansen (U21).
GREAT BRITAIN:
1 Tai Woffinden (captain), 2 Craig Cook, U21 Robert Lambert.
Also in squad: Chris Harris, Daniel Bewley (U21).
FRANCE:
1 David Bellego (captain), 2 Dimitri Berge, U21 Gaetan Stella.
USA:
1 Austin Novratil, 2 Luke Becer (captain), U21 Broc Nicol.
Also in squad: Ricky Wells.
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Murray Bridge double header this weekend
This weekend will see the first of the two ‘double header’ rounds of the 2019 Australian MX Nationals with Murray Bridge putting together two days of racing that could well see major changes in the MX1, MX2 and MXD championship classes.
MX Nationals head to Murray Bridge for Rounds 4 & 5
MX Nationals Series Promoter Kevin Williams today expressed his gratitude for the Rural City of Murray Bridge and explained that the venue is well equipped to have a full two days racing and the club are ready to welcome thousands of motocross fans.
Kevin Williams
“I’m very thankful to the Rural City of Murray Brdge for there commitment and partnership in making this event happen with Murray Bridge hosting the first of this years double header rounds, the South Coast Club have been working around the clock to make sure everything is up to a double standard and the track is well equipped to handle two days of gruelling racing.”
In the MX1 class Hayden Mellross holds on to the championship points lead by a slender 5-points over Luke Clout who in turn has a 2-point gap to Kirk Gibbs who has the exact same gap back to Todd Waters so that is less than 10 points from first to fourth which means this weekend at Murray Bridge could well shake this championship up…..or will it?
The likes of Jay Wilson, Aaron Tanti, Kyle Webster and Nathan Crawford need to pull their fingers out and stop Wilson Todd from running away with this championship – and that is going to be difficult with Wilson looking to be in a class of his own during the last two rounds to now have a 28 point lead over Wilson.
Wilson Todd – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
MX2 – Championship Standings After Round 3
Wilson Todd – 170
Jay Wilson – 142
Aaron Tanti – 133
Kyle Webster – 126
Nathan Crawford – 122
Cooper Pozniak – 115
Dylan Wills – 113
Jye Dickson – 107
Riley Dukes – 103
Issac Ferguson – 93
The MXD class has been it’s usual action packed adventure for the youngsters and so far it has been Regan Duffy who has been the most consistent but Rhys Budd, Max Purvis and Mason Semmens have been on the winners pace while there are three or four other riders who are currently top ten in the points who have the speed to win motos.
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Victoria, ACT and WA Host Championship Rounds
The Yamaha BluCru 2-Stroke Nationals was held at Fairburn Park last weekend as was the VSMX at Swan Hill in Victoria and the WAMX Championships at the Coastal Motocross facility.
Jai Walker won the premier YMI All-Power class at Fairburn Park over Jake Cobbin and Connor Whitney while Blake Fox (Yamaha 125cc Jnr Cup), Ryder Kingsford (Yamaha 85cc Cup), Ky Woods (Raceline 65cc Cup) and Steven Bowen (Hallman Retro Cup) took out the support classes.
Jayden Rykers (Pictured at MXN) – Image by Scottya
On a day that fielded many national riders Jayden Rykers won the premier All Powers class at Swan Hill over Erki Kahro and Ryan Shadbolt while Mason Semmens got the win over Max Purvis is the MX2 class then we saw Lewis Stewart (MX1A), Justin Carafa (Over 30s), Mike Reefman (Over 40s) and James Graham (Over 50s) win the support classes.
Coastal hosted the opening round of the WAMX championship and it was Regan Duffy who took out the MX1 class over Charlie Creech and Josh Adams before Duffy also took out the MX2 class over Corben Weinert and Dylan Hennessey while Chris Bosnakis (Quads), Hannah Bagnall (Womens) and Jacob Whatley (Amateur) won the support classes.
Over in the junior ranks the class winners were Brock Flynn, Kayden Minear, Seth Manuel, Dylan Walsh, Mason Brown, Jaylee Rimbas and Jodh McQuade.
Weekly Up-Date on Our Aussies Abroad
Jed Beaton – Rockstar Husqvarna
Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship Current Standing: 13th after Round 4 of 17 Notes: Thanks to some niggling injuries Jed sat out the opening round but has scored solid points in the next three rounds while still nursing a few aches and pains – the four week break from rounds 4 to 5 will do him no harm. The next round will be the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy on the 12th of May.
Jed Beaton
Mitch Evans – 114 Honda
Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship Current Standing: 8th after Round 4 of 17 Notes: Mitch sensationally started the season with a podium finish but since then it has been a bit of a roller coaster with great speed let down by two mechanical DNFs. The next round will be the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy on the 12th of May.
Mitch Evans
Tayla Jones – Rockstar/Husqvarna/Moose Racing/Shaw Wines
Championship: GNCC Current Standing: 1st after Round 4 of 13 Notes: Tayla has only lost one round so far this year and is looking as good as ever. Next round will be the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis on May 4 and 5
Tayla Jones competing the 2019 GNCC – Image by Ken Hill
Caleb Grothues – SDM Corse Yamaha
Championship: EMX250 Current Standings: 16th after Round 2 of 8 Notes: The former Australian and World Junior Motocross Champion rode well at the opening round but was forced to sit out the second round due to injury but the West Aussie should be back for the next round in France on the 26th of May.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Hunter Lawrence – Geico Honda
Championship: AMA Motocross Championship Current Standings: TBA Notes: Hunter was looking sharp heading into the supercross championship before he crashed right before the opening round so he is now healed and by all accounts 100% ready for the outdoors which kicks off at Hangtown on May 18.
Hunter Lawrence – MXoN 2018
Jett Lawrence – Geico Honda
Championship: TBA Current Standings: TBA Notes: Jett joined the Geico Honda amateur program for 2019 and to date he has raced a handful of events like the Mini-Os etc – as soon as he races and there are results it will be right here.
Jett Lawrence
Tahlia ‘TJ’ O’Hare – KTM DIGA Racing Team
Championship: MXW World Motocross Championship Current Standings: 13th after Round 1 of 5 Notes: Tahlia’s initiation into the world motocross scene was at the toughest track on the circuit in Valkenswaard but she managed to get through with a solid 13th but look for TJ to move up the points standings at the second round in Portugal on May 19.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Chad Reed – JGR Suzuki
Championship: AMA Supercross Current Standing: 11th after Round 16 of 17 Notes: Chad was part of a multi bike crash at Seattle when he was sitting 7th in the championship and if a few things go his way Chad will be on the line at the final round of the championship at Vegas this weekend.
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld
Wil Ruprecht – Johansson MPE Yamaha
Championship: EnduroGP – Junior Class Current Standing: 2nd after Round 1 of 7. Notes: Wil proved his worth at the opening round in Germany with a solid weekend on the only Yamaha in the field. The next round will be at Valpaços in Portugal on the 3rd and 4th of May.
Championship: MXW World Motocross Championship Current Standings: 8th after Round 1 of 5 Notes: Meghan sat out the World Championships for four years and her first round was marred with some minor mistakes but there was no mistaking her speed so look for Meghan to have a much better round in Portugal on the 19th of May.
Championship: GNCC / AMA Enduro Current Standing: 6th after Round 4 of 13 Notes: New team for Josh and he is gaining confidence at every round – Josh sat in second place for the early part of round 4 before dropping to fifth overall. Next round will be the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis on May 4 and 5
Josh Strang – 2019 GNCC – Image by Ken Hill
Mackenzie Tricker – KTM/MEPMX/Fly Racing
Championship: GNCC Current Standing: 3rd after Round 4 of 13 Notes: Mackenzie is not far off cracking a win at the GNCC level but the pace is red hot out front between Jones and Becca Sheets. Next round will be the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis on May 4 and 5.
Mackenzie Tricker (2018 ISDE) – Image by Dario Agrati
Max Whale – Weirbach Racing Kawasaki
Championship: AFT Singles Current Standings: 10th after Round 4 of 18 Notes: Max scored a disappointing 16th at the Super TT in Arizona last weekend thanks to still feeling the effects of the previous weekend’s big crash but he still sits 10th in the points with plenty of rounds left to prove his worth.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
The LATEST News
Another Kawasaki sweep at Denver AMA SX
Gibbs, Todd and Duffy win at Broadford MX Nationals
Jasikonis and Jacobi win in Holland
Searle and Mewse win in UK
Spain wins X-Trial of Nations
Barcia OUT!
2019 A4DE cancelled
Team Australia sorted for 2019 WJMX
Brook and Koppe Shine at Trackmasters
Ultimate Motocross Coaching wins Australian Small Business Award
Entries open for 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship
Another Kawasaki sweep at Denver AMA SX
Denver was the 15th straight weekend of the AMA Supercross Championship and it was Eli Tomac who kept his slim 450SX championship hopes alive with a win over Cooper Webb. Meanwhile Adam Cianciarulo extended his narrow championship lead in the penultimate 250 West Coast main with a win over his closest rival Dylan Ferrandis.
Tomac, Savatgy, Webb – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
There were several extra challenges for the riders at Denver, the first being the freezing cold, in fact, the first practice session was cancelled because of the snow all over the circuit. Horse-power sucking altitude also caused issues as the riders stretched their way over some of the trickier jump combinations, and finally the cold soil became hard and slippery leaving the riders fighting for traction on what ended up being a relatively one-lined layout.
450SX Report
Marvin Musquin grabbed the holeshot over Joey Savatgy, Ryan Breece, Justin Bogle, Webb, Tomac and Zach Osborne and as Breece dropped outside the top ten, Tomac was storming forward to pass Webb, Bogle, Savatgy and finally Musquin to take the lead by the end of lap four.
Justin Bogle – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
All eyes were on Webb who looked patient in fifth but steadily, and I mean steadily, the championship leader moved by Bogle and Savatgy to take the final podium position but Cooper was not done and methodically closed in to pass teammate Musquin for second and that is where they all stayed to the line with Tomac taking the win from Webb, Musquin, Bogle and Savatgy.
Joey Savatgy – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
Behind the front runners we saw Blake Baggett, Ken Roczen, Osborne, Josh Grant and Justin Hill rounding out the top ten while Cole Seely and Dean Wilson were both involved in separate crashes that ended with neither rider crossing the finish line.
Ken Roczen, Zach Osborne – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
With just the East Rutherford and Las Vegas rounds remaining, Webb holds an 18-point lead over Tomac while Musquin sits a further 5 points back.
Eli Tomac
“That was the loudest race I have ever been in with the crowd noise, it was so much fun, gosh, it wouldn’t be Denver without some snow, we even rode in hail on Wednesday, but what a cool day for us, luckily the track stayed good so overall a pretty good weekend.”
Eli Tomac – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
Cooper Webb
“We were hitting first gear in a couple of places (because of the horsepower loss) and then when it started snowing you almost had to laugh it off, in the end the track was dry and slick, you had to have good throttle control but overall the crowd was really into it which was cool and there was some good racing so it was a good weekend for me.”
Cooper Webb – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin
“Coming into this weekend we knew it was going to be tough on the bikes (horsepower wise), the track was super slick but I did my best, I am glad I got a good start and had a better feeling in the main to land on the podium.”
Marvin Musquin – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Main Event Results
Eli Tomac
Cooper Webb
Marvin Musquin
Justin Bogle
Joey Savatgy
Blake Baggett
Ken Roczen
Zach Osborne
Joshua Grant
Justin Hill …19. Cole Seely …20. Dean Wilson
450SX Podium – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Points after 15 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 332
Eli Tomac – 314
Marvin Musquin – 309
Ken Roczen – 283
Blake Baggett – 255
Dean Wilson – 223
Joey Savatgy – 192
Cole Seely – 180
Justin Bogle – 157
Justin Barcia – 154
Chad Reed – 151
250 West Coast Report
Rookie Michael Mosiman earned the holeshot from Cianciarulo, Gareth Marchbanks, Jimmy Decotis, RJ Hampshire and Dylan Ferrandis so the expectation was that Cianciarulo would move to the lead and check out. But Mosiman was enjoying his time at the front to keep the championship leader at bay for a full six laps.
AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Start – Image by Hoppenworld
Just as Cianciarulo moved into the lead, Ferrandis slotted into third with a move on Decotis and it wasn’t long before both Ferrandis and is teammate Colt Nichols sliced by Mosiman for second and third.
Dylan Ferrandis – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
That was where the main players remained to the flag with Cianciarulo taking maximum points over Ferrandis, Nichols, Hampshire, Mosiman and Cameron McAdoo.
Michael Mosiman – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
Cianciarulo takes an eight-point lead over Ferrandis as they head to Vegas for the East/West Shootout in two weeks’ time so nothing is in stone as far as this championship goes.
Adam Cianciarulo
“I, like most was struggling with the lack of horsepower and the dirt got really hard and slick but luckily I had a good night, I felt pretty good in those conditions, I can’t say enough about the crowd, they were unreal so a shout out to those guys.”
Adam Cianciarulo & Michael Mosiman – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
Dylan Ferrandis
“It wasn’t a great weekend, the temperature made it not so much fun to ride for me in particular, I struggled to get warm, I know it is the same for everyone but for me it was difficult so to be second is good.”
Dylan Ferrandis & Colt Nichols – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
Colt Nichols
“It was definitely different with the snow during practice but the track was pretty simple but became technical with the way the soil was so you had to be on your toes, overall we are happy, third is good, we needed to start a little better but all good.”
Colt Nichols – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
250 West Coast Main Event Results
Adam Cianciarulo
Dylan Ferrandis
Colt Nichols
RJ Hampshire
Michael Mosiman
Cameron McAdoo
James Decotis
Justin Starling
Dylan Merriam
Enzo Lopes
250SX West Podium – AMA Supercross Round 15 Denver – Image by Hoppenworld
250 West Coast Points after 9 of 10 Rounds
Adam Cianciarulo – 208
Dylan Ferrandis – 200
Colt Nichols – 163
RJ Hampshire – 145
James Decotis – 128
Michael Mosiman – 128
Cameron McAdoo – 128
Shane McElrath – 123
Chris Blose – 119
Garrett Marchbanks – 100
250 East Coast Points after 7 of 9 Rounds
Austin Forkner – 151
Chase Sexton – 148
Justin Cooper – 144
Martin Davalos – 115
Mitchell Oldenburg – 105
Alex Martin – 105
Brandon Hartranft – 100
Kyle Peters – 98
Kyle Cunningham – 97
Jordon Bailey – 76
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Gibbs, Todd and Duffy Win at Broadford MX Nationals
Victoria’s Broadford circuit hosted the third round of the 2019 Pirelli MX Nationals and after a hard days racing on a technically demanding layout Kirk Gibbs, Wilson Todd and Regan Duffy came away with the overall victories in the MX1, MX2 and MXD classes respectively.
The Broadford motocross track always has been and always will be a hard packed, rock infested layout which demands huge amounts of watering to keep the dust down.
This translates into everything from deep boggy ruts in patches of the track coupled with slippery blue groove, square edged acceleration and braking bumps as well as loose powdery berms on the outside of some corners but all up it is a test of man and machine which is what motocross is all about.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
THOR MX1 Report
The MX1 class riders were faced with two back-to-back 8 lap motos which when the points were tallied accounted for one moto result with the third 17 lap moto being the second points paying moto.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Todd Waters led all eight laps of the first moto with fellow Husqvarna rider Daniel Sanders of enduro racing fame convincingly holding down second place for the first four laps before Gibbs got past to claim second.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Sanders finished a solid third ahead of Hayden Mellross, Luke Clout and Jesse Dobson who was once again fastest privateer with sixth. Interestingly, another enduro ace in Daniel Milner earned ninth place ahead of Brett Metcalfe.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Moto two saw Mellross take the holeshot with Sanders in second once again, this time ahead of Waters, Lawson Bopping, Gibbs and Clout but it wasn’t long before Water got around Sanders and Mellross for first.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Clout and Sanders then went toe to toe before Sanders got crossed up on the face of the triple at the top of the hill and came off second best with a huge crash.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
This left Clout and Gibbs to battle over the final podium spot but Gibbs sliced by his CDR teammate before mowing down Mellross for second place with a lap to go. Waters took the win from Gibbs, Mellross, Clout and Dobson while Milner ended the race in seventh. On a very bent bike Sanders was forced to retire from the race.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
MX1 – Raceline Superpole
Todd Waters – 1:30.125
Hayden Mellross – 1:30.630
Kirk Gibbs – 1:31.643
Jesse Dobson – 1:31.686
Justin Rodbell – 1:32.106
MX1 – Moto 1 – Race Time: 14:35.210
Todd Waters
Kirk Gibbs
Daniel Sanders
Hayden Mellross
Luke Clout
Jesse Dobson
Justin Rodbell
Erki Kahro
Daniel Milner
Brett Metcalfe
MX1 – Moto 2 – Race Time: 14:40.220
Todd Waters
Kirk Gibbs
Hayden Mellross
Luke Clout
Jesse Dobson
Justin Rodbell
Daniel Milner
Richie Evans
Ryan Shadbolt
Erki Kahro
MX1 – Moto 1 and 2 Combined
Todd Waters
Kirk Gibbs
Hayden Mellross
Luke Clout
Jesse Dobson
Justin Rodbell
Daniel Milner
Erki Kahro
Richie Evans
Jayden Rykers
In the third moto Richie Evans led the first of the 17 laps with a solid holeshot over Sanders, Mellross, Waters, Gibbs and Clout.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
After the dust settled (literally) it was Mellross over Bopping, Waters, Gibbs and Clout while the gutsy Sanders, feeling the effects of the earlier crash as well as racing Enduro-X during the lunch break dropped back to sixth.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Bopping soon dropped out of the front running leaving a fast freight train of Mellross, Gibbs, Waters and Clout trading fastest lap times. With three laps to go Gibbs needed to pass Mellross for the round win and just when it looked like Mellross had everything in hand the KTM rider crashed on one of the downhill sections with a lap to go.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
This allowed Gibbs into the lead and he went on to take the race win over Waters, Clout, Mellross, Dobson and Sanders while Milner bounced back from a poor start to finish 12th.
Gibbs took his first round win for the year over Waters and Clout while Mellross keeps the red plate for another round as he leads the championship by five-points over Gibbs, seven-points over Clout and nine-points over Waters.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Kirk Gibbs
“The weekend was much better for me and it’s nice to finally get a win under my belt for the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team. It was also good to have a dry round and actually get a gauge of how things are progressing and what our strengths and weaknesses are as the first two rounds were extremely wet and difficult to get a handle on the opposition as well as our own riding. But, really pleased to get the win and get my season back on track. The team did a great job again today and my bike was working well on a pretty technical race track. We now have a couple of weeks off before Murray Bridge so lots of riding and training still to be done and lots of laps still left in this championship.”
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Luke Clout
“I felt pretty good all day and the track was good to ride but I was probably just a bit off in my starts. With the track watered heavily and multiple ruts around every corner, it was difficult to move forward at times so getting a good start and being up the front early was the key here. Everything else was good and its always nice to be on the podium and be right in contention for the championship. It’s a long haul, especially with these back to back races so it’s important to keep logging good results in every race and be there at the end of round 10.”
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Australia’s two best enduro riders were far from outclassed by our best motocross riders with Milner ending the day in ninth overall. That was one place ahead of the hard charging Sanders despite not finishing the second moto and let’s not forget, both of these riders did three 10-minute EnduroX races during the lunch break while the rest of the MX1 riders were resting in the pits.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
MX1 – Moto 3 – Race Time: 27:33.009
Kirk Gibbs
Todd Waters
Luke Clout
Hayden Mellross
Jesse Dobson
Daniel Sanders
Erki Kahro
Jayden Rykers
Justin Rodbell
Brett Metcalfe
Daniel Milner
MX1 – Round 3 Overall
Kirk Gibbs – 67
Todd Waters – 67
Luke Clout – 58
Hayden Mellross – 58
Jesse Dobson – 52
Erki Kahro – 47
Justin Rodbell – 47
Jayden Rykers – 44
Daniel Milner – 43
Daniel Sanders – 40
MX1 – Championship Standings After Round 3
Hayden Mellross – 152
Luke Clout – 147
Kirk Gibbs – 145
Todd Waters – 143
Jesse Dobson – 121
Justin Rodbell – 110
Erki Kahro – 107
Jayden Rykers – 102
Brett Metcalfe – 97
Charlie Creech – 94
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Pirelli MX2 Report
Wilson Todd scored the opening moto holeshot and the eventual win but it was only by a few meters after a late moto charge by Kyle Webster with Nathan in tow throughout the last couple of laps making for the by far most exciting MX2 race this season.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Moto two was less exciting with Todd blitzing his way through the first corner to earn another holeshot. This time the DPH Husqvarna pilot cleared out from the fast-starting duo of Isaac Ferguson and Cooper Pozniak while Crawford was way down in 18th place.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Webster was once again in good flow around the rough and technical layout and soon broke free from Ferguson, Riley Dukes, Aaron Tanti and Jay Wilson. As the race wore on Wilson also found some lines to make his way to third place before make a late charge at second placed Webster.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
As Todd was cruising his way to another win, Jay Wilson had worked his way up to the back of Webster and was looking to take second place but ultimately fell a few seconds short and had to settle for third, ahead of Tanti, Dukes, Dylan Wills and Crawford.
Todd once again scored maximum points for the round to extend his lead in the championship to 28 over Wilson with Tanti, Webster and Crawford rounding out the top five in the championship chase.
Kyle Webster
“I was definitely under the weather on Friday but thankfully that cleared by race day and it turned out to be a solid weekend. The first moto was good, right away I was able to make a bunch of passes and got myself up into second behind Wilson Todd and in the closing stages of the race I made a charge at Wilson, but just couldn’t get him. Then in the second moto I got an okay start but Wilson got away from me a bit, and we just stayed the same gap through the rest of the race and I finished second, with a 2-2 score giving me second overall on the day.”
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Jay Wilson
“Today was the best I have felt on the bike in motocross so far this year. The first race I was covered in mud and just did what I had to do to get back to fifth as the first four were long gone but in the second moto I really began to gel with the bike and attack the track. I felt awesome and just wished it was the 30 minute race and not the 20. So, happy with today and happy to come out with some good points. It wasn’t looking real good after Wonthaggi but thanks to the RACESAFE team we were able get on track and keep the championship alive.”
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Aaron Tanti
“A lot of good to come from today but also a few things I need to improve on to get some round wins. My starts were good, and I had excellent track position in both races but just didn’t keep pace later in the race, so that’s something we will need to look at. But the racing is tight in the MX2 class and I was never further than 10 seconds out of the lead all day but didn’t make the podium. No one can afford to take their foot off the peddle at the moment as there are five guys who ride at a similar pace and the intensity is there all the way to the end. I’m now third in the championship after three rounds which considering a couple of races I have had, isn’t too bad but there is always room for improvement.”
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Nathan Crawford
“It feels good to finally be back in the battle again. It’s been a long eight months off the bike and I have worked so hard to get, not just my fitness and speed back, but also my health in general. My one was awesome and just after half way I felt things begin to come easier for me, like a little barrier was broken. I was able to ride my turns better, flow on the track better and ride with some speed. While I didn’t win it, it was a little victory to me as I come back. Race two and I did all I could to salvage the best result I could. First turn crashes are tough as the whole field goes past and it’s a long way back but I fought hard and feel like things are on the right track. The weekend gives me more motivation to keep working hard.”
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Pirelli MX2 Results
MX2 – Moto 1 – Race Time: 28:11.686
Wilson Todd
Kyle Webster
Nathan Crawford
Aaron Tanti
Jay Wilson
Dylan Wills
Jye Dickson
Bailey Malkiewicz
Ricky Latimer
Joel Evans
MX2 – Moto 2 – Race Time: 18:32.870
Wilson Todd
Kyle Webster
Jay Wilson
Aaron Tanti
Riley Dukes
Dylan Wills
Nathan Crawford
Isaac Ferguson
Cooper Pozniak
Bailey Malkiewicz
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
MX2 – Round 3 Overall
Wilson Todd – 70
Kyle Webster – 64
Jay Wilson – 56
Aaron Tanti – 56
Nathan Crawford – 54
Dylan Wills – 50
Bailey Malkiewicz – 44
Jye Dickson – 43
Riley Dukes – 42
Ricky Latimer – 42
MX2 – Championship Standings After Round 3
Wilson Todd – 170
Jay Wilson – 142
Aaron Tanti – 133
Kyle Webster – 126
Nathan Crawford – 122
Cooper Pozniak – 115
Dylan Wills – 113
Jye Dickson – 107
Riley Dukes – 103
Issac Ferguson – 93
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Motul MXD Report
Rhys Budd led the early running in the first moto ahead of Max Purvis, Regan Duffy, Jack Kukis and Mason Semmens. The pace was hot in the early going but after just over 18 minutes of racing it was Kiwi Purvis who got the win from Budd, Semmens and Duffy.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Duffy scored the holeshot in the second moto but he had to contend with the determined duo of Budd and Semmens in the early laps. He eventually broke away while first moto winner Purvis was making his way through the pack after a poor start.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Duffy got the win ahead of Semmens and Budd who rode unchallenged to second and third while Purvis was only able to make it back to sixth by race end. Duffy’s 4-1 moto results was good enough for the round overall while Semmens and Budd tied on points for second and third, with Semmens getting the nod for second on account of his better second moto result.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Duffy now has a five-point lead over Budd who in turn has a 12-point gap back to Purvis.
Rhys Budd
“P1 in Qualifying is always a great start to the day! I then made a good start in the first moto and made my way into the lead on lap one and held the lead until two laps to go and eventually finished second just 4.6 seconds behind Maximus Purvis (Yamaha). I made another great start in race two and made my way into the lead early but unfortunately I didn’t have the pace to hold it, as the track was pretty brutal by the end of the day. So I was happy to eventually finish third behind Regan Duffy and Mason Semmens and take third overall for the round with 2-3 placings.”
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Motul MXD Results
MXD – Moto 1 – Race Time: 18:15.696
Maximus Purvis
Rhys Budd
Mason Semmens
Regan Duffy
Jayce Cosford
Noah Ferguson
Brodie Ellis
Jack Kukas
Liam Walsh
Jai Walker
MXD – Moto 2 – Race Time: 18:39.787
Regan Duffy
Mason Semmens
Rhys Budd
Brodie Ellis
Jack Kukas
Maximus Purvis
Liam Walsh
Korey McMahon
Jai Walker
Mackenzie O’Bree
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
MXD – Round 3 Overall
Regan Duffy – 63
Mason Semmens – 62
Rhys Budd – 62
Maximus Purvis – 60
Brodie Ellis – 52
Jack Kukas – 49
Liam Walsh – 46
Jayce Cosford – 45
Jai Walker – 43
Noah Ferguson – 42
MXD – Championship Standings After Round 3
Regan Duffy – 157
Rhys Budd – 152
Maximus Purvis – 140
Mason Semmens – 125
Jack Kukas – 113
Noah Ferguson – 111
Brodie Ellis – 110
Jayce Cosford – 99
Mason Rowe – 98
Liam Walsh – 98
Yamaha Rising Star Rookies Report
The opening round of the Yamaha Rising Star Rookies was held at Broadford and it was Yamaha’s Levi Rogers who took both wins. Alex Larwood and Brad West rounded out the podium on 56 points but front runners Blake Hollis (2-dnf) and Blake Fox (4-dnf) will look for better results in future rounds.
2019 MX Nationals – Broadford Round 3
Yamaha Rising Star Rookies Overall and Championship Points
The championship now moves to Murray Bridge in South Australia for the first of the double round weekends in two weeks’ time.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Jasikonis and Jacobi win in Holland
Despite each class being riddled with GP regulars Arminas Jasikonis and Henry Jacobi have won the MXGP and MX2 class respectively at the opening round of the Dutch Masters of Motocross which was held at Oss in Holland last weekend.
Jasikonis rode hard to score two wins to better Gautier Paulin and Max Anstie while Jacobi got the nod over Jago Geerts and Adam Sterry while Jed Beaton went 10-5 for sixth overall.
MXGP Moto 1
Arminas Jasikonis
Gautier Paulin
Glenn Coldenhoff
Max Anstie
Pauls Jonass
Brian Bogers
Benoit Paturel
Petar Petrov
Lars Van Berkel
Yentel Martens
MXGP Moto 2
Arminas Jasikonis
Gautier Paulin
Max Anstie
Brian Bogers
Pauls Jonass
Petar Petrov
Lars van Berkel
Yentel Martens
Benoit Paturel
Alfie Albers
MX2 Moto 1
Henry Jacobi
Ben Watson
Tom Vialle
Jago Geerts
Adam Sterry
Mike Kras
Eric Leijtens
Davey Pootjes
Kade Walker
Jed Beaton
MX2 Moto 2
Henry Jacobi
Jago Geerts
Rohen vd Moosdijk
Horgmo
Jed Beaton
Adam Sterry
Kade Walker
Dankers
Freek vd Vlist
Eric Conijn
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Searle and Mewse win in UK
The old-school sand circuit at Cadders Hill in Norfolk hosted the second round of the British Motocross Championship last weekend and it was Tommy Searle who came away with the MXGP class overall. Searle swapped moto wins with arch rival Shaun Simpson while Conrad Mewse won both of the MX2 motos.
Tommy Searle – Image www.mxgb.co.uk
Searle went 2-1 on the day to earn the overall ahead of Simpson’s 1-2 moto results with Harri Kullas scoring third with 5-3 finishes so in the championship chase Simpson has 94 points and Searle 92 points.
MXGP Overall
Tommy Searle – 47
Shaun Simpson – 47
Harri Kullas – 36
Lewis Tombs – 36
Mel Pocock – 34
Gert Krestinov – 29
Ryan Houghton – 28
Jake Millward – 28
Brad Todd – 21
Brad Anderson – 21
MXGP Championship Points
Shaun Simpson – 94
Tommy Searle – 92
Lewis Tombs – 70
Harri Kullas – 58
Jake Millward – 57
Ryan Houghton – 55
Gert Krestinov – 53
Mel Pocock – 52
Brad Todd – 48
Brad Anderson – 43
Conrad Mewse won the opening moto by 18 seconds over Josh Gilbert, Alvin Ostlund, Bas Vaessen and Martin Barr. The second moto saw Kiwi Dylan Walsh come home second ahead of Vaessen, Gilbert, Ostlund and Barr.
Mewse now has a 12-point lead over Vaessen who in turn has a nine-point lead over Ostlund.
MX2 Overall
Conrad Mewse – 50
Josh Gilbert – 40
Bas Vaessen – 38
Dylan Walsh – 36
Alvin Ostlund – 36
Martin Barr – 31
MX2 Championship Points
Conrad Mewse – 97
Bas Vaessen – 85
Alvin Ostlund – 76
Josh Gilbert – 70
Dylan Walsh – 70
Martin Barr – 64
Spain Wins X-Trial of Nations
Toni Bou and Jaime Busto set the record for the biggest margin of victory in the history of the FIM X-Trial of Nations as Spain continued its X-Trial of Nations domination at Vendéspace, France last weekend.
Toni Bou – 2019 X-Trial of Nations
Behind the dominating Spanish duo the French pairing of Benoit Bincaz and Alexandre Ferrer earned second ahead of British youngsters Jack Price and Toby Martyn who performed superbly to take third for the second year in a row.
Toni Bou – 2019 X-Trial of Nations
The Italian team of Luca Petrella and Matteo Grattarola finished fourth ahead of Norway’s Sondre Haga and Hakon Pedersen who had a pdium in their sights after the first round but struggled badly on their second lap to finish in fifth place.
Toni Bou
“It has been an extraordinary triumph because we had two superb rounds to start and the Final was more demanding. We endured the pressure of competing against France well, largely because we had an important points advantage starting the Final. Jaime rode to a great level and I think we have done a great job as a team.”
Toni Bou – 2019 X-Trial of Nations
Jaime Busto
“Competing with Toni is always exceptional and it possibly makes you feel less pressure. I think we have ridden to a high standard right from the start and have not left anything to chance. The atmosphere and the spectators have been extraordinary and they really recognised our great performance.”
Toni Bou and Jaime Busto – 2019 X-Trial of Nations
The FIM X-Trial World Championship season comes to an end at X-Trial Andorra la Vella on April 27th.
2019 X-Trial of Nations podium
X-Trial des Nations 2019 Vendée Final Tally
Spain – Toni Bou (Montesa); Jaime Busto (Gas Gas) 12
France – Benoit Bincaz (Beta); Alex Ferrer (Sherco) 34
Great Britain – Jack Price (Gas Gas); Toby Martyn (Beta) 13
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Barcia OUT!
Yamaha’s Justin Barcia will sit out the remaining rounds of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship to spend the time needed to return to full fitness in time for the start of the AMA Motocross Championships which kicks off on May 18 at Hangtown.
Justin Barcia
“At this point it seems that the best thing to do is to let my body recover. I’m just going to keep on training, skip the last few Supercross races and let my body heal up. Thinking about that now, I probably should have done that a few weeks ago because I was injured already but I really wanted to be at the Supercross race with my team and fans, and put on a good showing. For right now, I’m going to regroup and be ready for the first Outdoor.”
Justin Barcia
2019 A4DE Cancelled
Motorcycling Australia (MA) has advised that government red tape has forced the cancellation of the 41st Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE) which was set for Moruya, NSW in late April.
The Motorcycling New South Wales (MNSW) Enduro Committee and Far South Coast Motorcycle Club have confirmed that due to government approval delays surrounding the environment in which the event was to be held, the postponement of the event has officially been changed to cancellation.
A4DE 2019 cancelled! 2020 event in the making – Image by Jeff Mawston
Ensuring that Moruya, NSW has the opportunity to host a National Enduro event, MA can confirm that 2020 will feature a two-day, two round Enduro format in Moruya for the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC).
This new two-day Enduro event will provide both club and competitor to experience a multi-day Enduro competition in preparation for the 2020 A4DE and FIM International Six Day Enduro (ISDE).
Following the same format as the A4DE and ISDE, this two-day two-round AORC event will feature a parc ferme, overnight lock-up, plus the opportunity for competitors who dropped out on day one to return for day two with a new, scrutineered bike.
Upholding Australia’s undisputed Enduro talent internationally, this new two-day AORC event will support in fostering the growth of Off-Road competitors across the nation.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Team Australia Sorted for 2019 WJMX
Motorcycling Australia has officially announced the selected competitors chosen for Team Australia in the 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship (WJMX) which will be held in Moscow, Russia in July.
With over 20 nations expected to take part in the internationally renowned event, Team Australia will land in Russia with a large target on their back as the nation to beat this year!
Australia’s 2018 WJMX team
2018 was the year of Australian domination in WJMX, with our own Bailey Malkiewicz taking out the WJMX 125cc Championship, Braden Plath taking out the WJMX 65cc World Cup and Australia being awarded the 2019 Team of Nations trophy!
The 2019 WJMX classes Team Australia riders have been selected for include:
FIM Junior 65cc Motocross World Cup – Age Restrictions-minimum 10 years of age and maximum 12 years of age:
Kayden Minear
Ky Woods
FIM Junior 85cc Motocross World Championship – Age Restrictions-minimum 12 years of age and maximum 14 years of age:
Cambell Williams
Ryder Kingsford
FIM Junior 125cc Motocross World Championship – Age Restrictions- minimum 13 years of age and maximum 17 years of age:
Alex Larwood
Blake Fox
Mark Willingham – Team Manager
“I’m looking forward to this year’s trip to Russia! We have a fantastic group of riders this year that brings a variety of experienced and first-timers to the table, as far as overseas trips go. This collection of riders are all products from our successful 2018 event in Horsham, so they understand what it takes to win but also how to work together as a team who represents their nation.”
MA thanked all applicants for their submissions during the application period and said all queries regarding team selection should be forwarded to Willingham, via [email protected]. You can get updated on all news and updates via the MA website, Facebook and Instagram.
Brook and Koppe Shine at Trackmasters
The Barleigh Ranch dirt track facility near Raymond Terrace (NSW) hosted the 30th annual Trackmasters event and despite several of the finals being cancelled due to rain, it was Jarred Brook and Damien Koppe who battled tooth and nail in the premier Pro-Open and Pro 450 classes while James Chapman won the Pro 250 class.
With most of the heats done and dusted a heavy downpour put pay to any chance of the Pro 250, Pro 450 and Pro Open class finals being run so it was the heat scores that the final results were declared on.
Trackmasters 2019 – Koppe (560) leading Vecchi (329) and Davies (65) – Image by Sheree Griffin
In the Pro 450 class Jarred Brook won all three of his heats so he edged out Damien Koppe who earned two wins and a loss to Brook with Connor Ryan coming home third. In the Pro Open class Brook and Koppe were declared joint winners after both were unbeaten in the heats, obviously not having met, with Jordan Dall taking third.
After a string of impressive performances on the oiled tracks, James Chapman was able to transfer that form to the Barleigh Ranch track to take the honours in the Pro 250 class ahead of Jake Farnsworth and Kye Andrews.
Briony Hendrickson continued her domination of the women’s class while Jim Jobling / Ben Gardner got the better of Kai Frame / Lync Frame in the Dirt Track Sidecars class.
Kevin Griffith took the overall victory in the ATVs before Anthony Farrell (Over 35s) and Jake Farnsworth (Pre 90s) won their respective classes.
Harrison Ryan added two more class wins to his record in the 13 to Under 16s ahead of Forbes rider Tom Drane who also cleaned up in the 2-stroke class, while his brother Sam earned two class victories as did Jayden Holder.
Other class winners were Luke Bush, Thomas Bullen, Anika Loftus, Lachlan Russell and Chayse Trappel.
Despite the rain, Hunter Motor Cycle Club President Keith Davies was well pleased with the weekend. With the track again widely praised by riders it augers well for the 2019 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championship which will be held at the Barleigh Ranch track on the weekend of October 5-6.
PRO OPEN
Jarred Brook (North Brisbane)
Damien Koppe (Townsville)
Jordan Dall (Gunnedah)
PRO 450
Jarred Brook (North Brisbane)
Damien Koppe (Townsville)
Connor Ryan (Kurri Kurri)
PRO 250
James Chapman (Kempsey)
Jake Farnsworth (Hunter)
Kye Andrews (Taree)
OVER 35s
Anthony Farrell (Central Coast)
Jason Griffin (Hunter)
Peter Knight (Central Coast)
PRE 90s
Jake Farnsworth (Hunter)
Darren Saxon (Hunter)
Angus Maslin (Forbes)
WOMENS PRO OPEN
Briony Hendrickson (North Brisbane)
Laura Saxon (Hunter)
Shannon Fyfe (Tamworth)
DIRT TRACK SIDECAR
Jim Jobling / Ben Gardner (Gunnedah)
Lync Frame / Kai Frame (Cowra)
ATV OPEN
Kevin Griffith (Hunter)
Josh White (Hunter)
Shay Walker (Hunter)
50cc Auto Div.2 7 – U/9
Chayse Trappel (Kempsey)
Bailey Carpenter (Central Coast)
Jaxon Ekert(Maitland)
65cc 7 – U/9
Sam Drane (Forbes)
Brendan Eklund (Central Coast)
Ruby James (Kurri Kurri)
65cc 9 – U/13
Jayden Holder (Kempsey)
Jordy Loftus ((North Brisbane)
Lachlan Russell (Central Coast)
85cc 4-str Modified 7- U/10
Sam Drane (Forbes)
Jordy Loftus ((North Brisbane)
Ruby James (Kurri Kurri)
85cc 4-str Modified 10- U/14
Lachlan Russell (Central Coast)
Varis Fleming (Harley, Vic)
Cody Wilby (Taree)
85cc 2str / 150cc 4str 9 – U/12
Jayden Holder (Kempsey)
Cody Wilby (Taree)
Lachlan Russell (Central Coast)
85cc 2str / 150cc 4str 12 – /16
Thomas Bullen (Kurri Kurri)
Lincoln Knight (Central Coast)
Caleb Wilkes (Hunter)
85cc 2str / 150cc 4str 11 – /16 Girls
Anika Loftus (North Brisbane)
Kirby Maslin (Forbes)
100-150 2-str 13 – U/16
Tom Drane (Forbes)
Luke Bush ((Kurri Kurri)
Jarred Loveday (Kempsey)
200-250 4-str 13 – U/16
Harrison Ryan (Kurri Kurri)
Tom Drane (Forbes)
Jayden Rogers (Kurri Kurri)
2str & 4str. 13 – U/16
Harrison Ryan (Kurri Kurri)
Tom Drane (Forbes)
Jayden Rogers (Kurri Kurri)
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Ultimate Motocross Coaching wins Small Business Award
Ultimate Motocross Coaching from Alexandra Hills, Brisbane has been named ‘Champion Sport and Recreation’ at the Australian Small Business Champion Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony held on Saturday 6th April at The Star – Sydney, with over 1,100 guests in attendance.
Ultimate Motocross Coaching awarded
The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is the only national recognition program for Australian small businesses and the program aims to recognise outstanding Australian small businesses and encourage high standards of excellence in small business practice.
Steve Loe – Managing Director of Precedent Productions
“The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is a way to recognise the efforts of small business people whose efforts contribute to the prosperity and vitality of communities across Australia. As a small business owner myself, I know the vision and dedication to excellence required to succeed. These traits have been displayed in abundance by all of our 2019 Small Business Champions.”
Small businesses from across Australia delivered an impressive array of entries, with winners representing a broad range of industries from all states and territories and Jodie Herson and his wife (pictured), of Ultimate Motocross Coaching received an award statuette, certificate and gained national recognition as an industry leader for their on-going coaching and support of junior dirt bike riders in Brisbane.
Ultimate Motocross Coaching awarded
The Awards are proudly presented by Precedent Productions, a small business in its own right, and supported by Major Sponsors, NOVA Employment and Castaway Forecasting.
Entries open for 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship
As the countdown begins for the 2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship, Motorcycling Australia have announced that entries are now open, ahead of the massive weekend from 8-9 June at Broadford State Motorcycle Complex, Victoria.
2019 Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship heads to town
Entries are open until last mail on Friday 10th May. All late entries received between 10-17 May will incur an additional fee of $30.00. Racing will commence after practice on Saturday 8th June, followed on Sunday 9th June at 9AM.
The revamped Victorian State Motorcycle Complex Broadford roared into life on Sunday for the third round of the Pirelli MX Nationals. After being plagued by trying weather conditions at previous rounds Broadford turned the sun on for competitors, allowing riders put on a show that didn’t disappoint.
In the Thor MX1 class it was Kirk Gibbs who took the win from Todd Waters and teammate Luke Clout. Hayden Mellross ranked fourth, retaining his overall lead the overall standings.
The Pirelli MX2 class saw a consistent Wilson Todd claim victory from Kyle Webster and Jay Wilson. In Motul MXD it was Regan Duffy victorious by a single point from Seemens and Budd.
The first round of the Yamaha Rising Star Rookies class saw Levi Rogers take both moto wins, with Alex Larwood and Brad West in second and third respectively, both on 56-points.
Thor MX1
Kirk Gibbs broke through for his first win in CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team colours when he claimed victory at round three of the MX Nationals at Broadford over the weekend, and to make it an even more memorable day for CDR, Luke Clout made it a team 1-3.
Now both riders sit inside the top three in the MX1 division, with strong competition coming from Todd Waters who had to settle for second for the weekend with equal points to Kirk Gibbs, and who now trails Clout and Gibbs in the standings by a handful of points. Hayden Mellross retains the MX1 lead on 152 points, despite finishing the weekend in fourth on equal points to Clout..
Round three marked the first weekend for the sprint format for the MX1 class where the riders competed in two nine-lap back-to-back races as well as the more traditional thirty-minute moto later in the day, making for a gruelling day at the track.
With three motos all contributing to the round overall, consistency becomes a major player in the final results and Gibbs did what he does best and put his YZ450F at or near the front in each and every moto.
For Gibbs, it was a good recovery from a tough opening two rounds where he dealt with crashes and bad luck but he now has the train back on the tracks and heading into his favourite track of the season, Murray Bridge, Gibbs is well-placed to continue building momentum in the championship.
Kirk Gibbs
“The weekend was much better for me and it’s nice to finally get a win under my belt for the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team. It was also good to have a dry round and actually get a gauge of how things are progressing and what our strengths and weaknesses are as the first two rounds were extremely wet and difficult to get a handle on the opposition as well as our own riding. But, really pleased to get the win and get my season back on track. The team did a great job again today and my bike was working well on a pretty technical race track. We now have a couple of weeks off before Murray Bridge so lots of riding and training still to be done and lots of laps still left in this championship.”
Luke Clout backed up his round two victory with a third place overall at Broadford in another fine performance. Clout improved as the day went on taking 5-4-3 results in each of the motos to claim the final spot of the podium and has now moved into second in the championship, just a handful of points away from the series leader.
Luke Clout – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Clout proved consistent all day but needed better track position early in the race if he was to pick up a moto win.
Luke Clout
“I felt pretty good all day and the track was good to ride but I was probably just a bit off in my starts. With the track watered heavily and multiple ruts around every corner, it was difficult to move forward at times so getting a good start and being up the front early was the key here. Everything else was good and its always nice to be on the podium and be right in contention for the championship. It’s a long haul, especially with these back to back races so it’s important to keep logging good results in every race and be there at the end of round 10.”
Luke Clout – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Thor MX1 Moto 1
Todd Waters 14:31.910
Kirk Gibbs +5.666
Daniel Sanders +7.340
Hayden Mellross +10.584
Luke Clout +19.921
Jesse Dobson +25.769
Justin Rodbell +30.303
Erki Kahro +31.448
Daniel Milner +45.774
Brett Metcalfe +46.654
Todd Waters took the Moto 1 win – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
The Pirelli MX2 class was again dominated by the current red plate holder Wilson Todd qualifying first and going on to win both motos, however Kyle Webster wasn’t letting Wilson out of his sights with a battle in the first moto keeping all the cheering fans on the side lines on the edge of their seats until the chequered flag.
The second moto saw a similar result, with Todd claiming the win by 4.249 seconds from Webster, while this time Jay Wilson laid claim to the final podium position in a result that clinched him third overall.
Wilson Todd – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Wilson Todd took home the perfect 70-points, while Kyle Webster settled for 64 and now sits fourth in the standings. Jay Wilson took third overall from Aaron Tanti, both on 56-points, while the duo currently hold second and third placings in the overall standings, with only nine-points between them.
Aaron Tanti – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Jay Wilson entered the round with minimal bike time following finger surgery after round two. While attempting to held load the team truck, Wilson crushed his finger in the stairs of the rig bad enough to require surgery the following day. He was unable to ride until the day of the event and the podium position was a pleasant surprise.
Jay Wilson – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Jay Wilson
“Today was the best I have felt on the bike in motocross so far this year. The first race I was covered in mud and just did what I had to do to get back to fifth as the first four were long gone but in the second moto I really began to gel with the bike and attack the track. I felt awesome and just wished it was the 30 minute race and not the 20. So, happy with today and happy to come out with some good points. It wasn’t looking real good after Wonthaggi but thanks to the RACESAFE team we were able get on track and keep the championship alive.”
Jay Wilson – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
The Serco Yamaha duo of Aaron Tanti and Nathan Crawford will both look at round three as a positive outing and take plenty of encouragement from the day that had both riders battling for race wins. On the undulating and rutted Broadford Circuit, the Serco Yamaha MX2 team finished the day in fourth and fifth place but showed plenty of speed and skill and will build on the results delivered over the weekend.
Aaron Tanti finished the day in fourth spot, just missing the podium on a count back from Jay Wilson. Tanti racked up an ultra-consistent 4-4 results in the two motos but left Broadford a little frustrated as he feels he let a podium finish slip through his fingers.
Aaron Tanti
“A lot of good to come from today but also a few things I need to improve on to get some round wins. My starts were good, and I had excellent track position in both races but just didn’t keep pace later in the race, so that’s something we will need to look at. But the racing is tight in the MX2 class and I was never further than 10 seconds out of the lead all day but didn’t make the podium. No one can afford to take their foot off the peddle at the moment as there are five guys who ride at a similar pace and the intensity is there all the way to the end. I’m now third in the championship after three rounds which considering a couple of races I have had, isn’t too bad but there is always room for improvement.”
Aaron Tanti – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
It was a welcome return to form for Nathan Crawford who showed things are on the up swing after some spirited racing on the weekend. Crawford returned to some good form finishing fifth for the day with 3-7 results but the pleasing thing for him and the team was the return of his sprint speed.
Nathan Crawford
“It feels good to finally be back in the battle again. It’s been a long eight months off the bike and I have worked so hard to get, not just my fitness and speed back, but also my health in general. My one was awesome and just after half way I felt things begin to come easier for me, like a little barrier was broken. I was able to ride my turns better, flow on the track better and ride with some speed. While I didn’t win it, it was a little victory to me as I come back. Race two and I did all I could to salvage the best result I could. First turn crashes are tough as the whole field goes past and it’s a long way back but I fought hard and feel like things are on the right track. The weekend gives me more motivation to keep working hard.”
Wilson Todd – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Pirelli MX2 Moto 2
Wilson Todd 18:32.870
Kyle Webster +4.249
Jay Wilson +5.070
Aaron Tanti +9.789
Riley Dukes +21.187
Dylan Wills +34.994
Nathan Crawford +35.501
Isaac Ferguson +36.220
Cooper Pozniak +37.737
Bailey Malkiewicz +39.335
Pirelli MX2 Round 3 Overall
Wilson Todd 70
Kyle Webster 64
Jay Wilson 56
Aaron Tanti 56
Nathan Crawford 54
Dylan Wills 50
Bailey Malkiewicz 44
Jye Dickson 43
Riley Dukes 42
Ricky Latimer 42
Wilson Todd – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Pirelli MX2 Standings
Wilson Todd 170
Jay Wilson 142
Aaron Tanti 133
Kyle Webster 126
Nathan Crawford 122
Cooper Pozniak 115
Dylan Wills 113
Jye Dickson 107
Riley Dukes 103
Issac Ferguson 93
Motul MXD Round 3
The Motul MXD class put on a show to remember with red plate holder Regan Duffy maintaining the championship points lead and Rhys Budd and Mason Semmens both proving they aren’t to be counted out of the chase yet.
Maximus Purvis actually won the first Motul MXD Moto, with a 4.631-second lead over Rhys Budd, with Mason Semmens third and Regan Duffy fourth.
Maximus Purvis – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Consistency proved key however, with Purvis finishing sixth in Moto 2, while Regan Duffy claimed the win from Semmens by 2.366 seconds, with Rhys Budd taking third 13.645 seconds behind the winner.
In fact only a single point separated the top trio comes weekend end – for the round results – while Duffy leads Budd in the MXD standings by five-points. Maximus Purvis sits third in the standings a further 12-points in arrears and missed the podium by two-points over the weekend. Mason Semens meanwhile is a further 15-points behind Purvis in fourth.
Rhys Budd – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Motul MXD Moto 1
Maximus Purvis 18:15.696
Rhys Budd +4.631
Mason Semmens +6.242
Regan Duffy +10.400
Jayce Cosford +37.539
Noah Ferguson +45.095
Brodie Ellis +47.672
Jack Kukas +48.448
Liam Walsh +49.764
Jai Walker +50.223
Maximus Purvis – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
The Yamaha Rising Star Rookies would round out the day with some amazing young talent showcased, with Levi Rogers taking both Moto wins by a strong margin.
Levi Rogers – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
In Moto 1 it was Rogers with a 14.617s lead from Blake Hollis with Brad West completing the top three. Moto 2 saw Rogers once again claim victory, this time from Alex Larwood and Jake Kowal.
Levi Rogers left Round 3 of the MX Nationals leading the Yamaha Rising Star Rookies championship, with 70 points to his name. Alex Larwood took second overall from Brad West, both on 56 points.
Alex Larwood – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Yamaha Rising Star Rookies Moto 1
Levi Rogers 12:33.421
Blake Hollis +14.617
Brad West +19.319
Blake Fox +32.189
Benny Novak +33.855
Kipp adams +36.934
Alex Larwood +40.181
Ryan Alexanderson +56.143
Joe O’Donnell +57.066
Cameron Torpy +1:00.733
Levi Rogers – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Yamaha Rising Star Rookies Moto 2
Levi Rogers 12:16.018
Alex Larwood +5.263
Jake Kowal +24.964
Joe O’Donnell +36.858
Brad West +40.395
Cameron Torpy +48.281
Brock Ninness +51.713
Benny Novak +55.272
Dominic Walker +58.654
Ryan Alexanderson +59.349
Yamaha Rising Star Rookies Round 3 Overall
Levi Rogers 70
Alex Larwood 56
Brad West 56
Joe O’Donnell 50
Benny Novak 49
Jake Kowal 47
Cameron Torpy 46
Brock Ninness 44
Ryan Alexanderson
Kipp adams 43
Rising Star Rookies Overall Podium 1) Levi Rogers, 2) Alex Larwood, 3) Brad West – MX Nationals Round 3, Broadford, 2019
Yamaha Rising Star Rookies Standings
Levi Rogers 70
Alex Larwood 56
Brad West 56
Joe O’Donnell 50
Benny Novak 49
Jake Kowal 47
Cameron Torpy 46
Brock Ninness 44
Ryan Alexanderson
Kipp adams 43
Murray Bridge in South Australia will have a huge impact determining the winner of this years’ championship as the double header weekend that will see two points scoring rounds on the Saturday and the Sunday that will shape the series, racing on May 4 and 5.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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Houston AMA SX Falls to Webb and Ferrandis
Houston hosted the 13th round of the AMA Supercross Championships last weekend and it was Cooper Webb and Dylan Ferrandis who took maximum points in the 450SX and 250SX West respectively in the third and final ‘triple crown’ main event format for the year.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Report
The triple crown program features three x 12 minute main events and Ken Roczen not only pulled the holeshot in the first of the three but the German also went on to win by a staggering 10 seconds. The action behind changed the status within team KTM and this championship after Marvin Musquin and Webb ‘drive bombed’ each other at almost every turn for the first few laps until Musquin got pushed off the track by Webb as they entered ‘the wall jump’ that preceded the sand section.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Oblivious to the drama behind, Roczen took the win ahead of Webb and Wilson and while the second main didn’t see the same ‘bar banging’ action it did see Roczen go down in the first corner before leaving the stadium with what seemed to be a damaged knee or ankle while Webb rallied to score the win over Dean Wilson and Musquin then in the third main Musquin squirted away for the win ahead of Eli Tomac and a cruising Webb who was fully aware that a third would give him the overall ahead of Musquin and Wilson.
Eli Tomac (6-7-2), Cole Seely (4-4-11), Zach Osborne (10-6-4), Justin Bogle (8-5-7), Blake Baggett (9-9-6), Joey Savatgy (7-11-9) and Ken Roczen (1-21-8) rounded out the top ten.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Webb now has a 17-point lead with four rounds remaining and admitted that he got a little frustrated during the opening moto and will learn from the experience while the good news for Roczen fans is that the Honda rider came back out for the final race and finished 8th – news of his injury status will be confirmed in the coming days.
Cooper Webb
“It is intense racing. I got frustrated and let it show, that is not the way to do it for sure because we let Ken (Roczen) get away, I will learn from it and try to contain the emotions a bit better and like Marv said, we are team mates but we are one and two in the championships so it’s a tough line but I will be better moving forward.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin
“Triple crown is always intense with only 12 minute races so everyone is pushing really hard and I made the pass (on Webb) in the first left hander but then got passed in the whoops before making a good pass on Cooper, everyone was pushing hard and Cooper made an aggressive pass on me which pushed me off the track but this is triple crown and you have to be consistent so sometimes it is not the fastest guy who wins the overall.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Dean Wilson
“Getting back on the podium feels great, it’s been over a year but it is a tough class, I put myself in good positions in the first two races with top three off the start which helps so much, overall my riding has been good but it is a mental game for me because I have been bucked off the horse quite a few times so sometimes I don’t believe in myself like I should, I want to thank my support group for getting me through this.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Cole Seely
“Tonight was pretty good. I finally finished in the top five, which is where I feel like I should’ve been all year. The way things have been going so far have been frustrating, and it’s hard to explain; the toll the injury took on me last year was a lot more intense and in-depth than I thought it was. It’s been a long road to get back to here but I feel like I’ve had speed all year, I just haven’t been able to put it all together. The results haven’t been translating into how well I think I really have ridden most of the year. It feels good to finally break into that top five and run up front with those guys in the first two mains, relatively easy, too. I know it’s not a traditional 20-minute main but it felt like it was coming to me pretty easy, so that’s definitely a confidence booster heading into the final rounds. It’s a bummer it’s taken this long to come around, but I’m happy it did and we’re going to keep working forward.”
2019 AMA Supercross – Round 13 – Houston
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb: 2-1-3 = 26pts
Marvin Musquin: 5-3-1 = 23pts
Dean Wilson: 3-2-5= 21pts
Eli Tomac: 6-7-2 = 19pts
Cole Seely: 4-4-11 = 18pts
Zach Osborne: 10-6-4 = 17pts
Justin Bogle: 8-5-7 = 16pts
Blake Baggett: 9-9-6 = 15pts
Joey Savatgy: 7-11-9 = 14pts
Ken Roczen: 1-21-8 = 13pts
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
450SX Points after 13 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 288
Marvin Musquin – 271
Eli Tomac – 262
Ken Roczen – 252
Blake Baggett – 215
Dean Wilson – 201
Joey Savatgy – 173
Cole Seely – 160
Chad Reed – 151
Justin Barcia – 150
250 West Coast Report
It looked like Adam Cianciarulo was set to extend his 15 point lead over Ferrandis in the championship after the Kawasaki rider won the opening main well ahead of Ferrandis and RJ Hampshire. However the second moto turned sour when Adam spewed through the tuff boxes on the exit of the first corner and then as he was coming back through the field he clipped another rider mid-air and crashed his way to a 10th place finish as Ferrandis cruised to a win ahead of Hampshire, Garrett Marchbanks and Nichols.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
The final main saw Nichols out front ahead of Ferrandis while Cianciarulo was once again on the ground but Adam quickly made his way through the pack to end the race in third behind Nichols and his teammate Ferrandis who scored his second overall win in two weeks to be just five points behind championship leader Cianciarulo with two rounds remaining.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Ferrandis, Hampshire and Nichols got to enjoy the podium accolades while Cianciarulo (1-10-3), James Decotis (6-5-6), Cameron Mcadoo (9-6-5), Justin Starling (12-8-8), Sean Cantrell (11-7-13), Garrett Marchbanks (10-3-19) and Chris Blose (8-19-7) rounded out the top ten.
Dylan Ferrandis
“It is good to be back in the championship, it is exciting for the end of the season, I will not change anything (leading up to the final two rounds), I will keep working with my trainer and do everything I can to challenge AC (Cianciarulo) for this championship.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
RJ Hampshire
“I haven’t cracked to top five in the recent races so we made huge improvements this week with the bike so I had good starts all night that lead into good finishes, I didn’t do anything special all day, I just rode so stocked to be up here in second place.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Colt Nichols
“I really wanted to race and didn’t want to miss a weekend after last weekend’s DNF so we just dealt with the soreness to manage decent results in the first two mains then win the last which is exactly what I wanted to do, it’s just good to win something again, it’s been a while.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
The West Coast riders have a break next weekend as the East Coast riders head to Nashville for their 7th round.
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Clout and Todd Top Wonthaggi MX Nationals
Under stormy skies and intermittent rain, the second round of the MX Nationals was held in Wonthaggi last weekend and it was Luke Clout who earned the MX1 overall while defending champion Wilson Todd was in a class of his own on the way to victory in the MX2 class.
2019 MX Nationals Round 2 – Wonthaggi
MX1 Report
With rain soaking the track it was tough going throughout the day but the surprise of the opening moto was Lawson Bopping leading by the field ahead of foreign imports Erki Kahro (Estonia) and Justin Rodbell (USA) while Luke Clout was back in 6th, Hayden Mellross 8th, Brett Metcalfe 12th, Kirk Gibbs 14th and championship leader Todd Waters 28th after opening lap crash that ended up resulting in a DNF.
Luke Clout chases down Waters and Mellross
Bopping was impressive out front but with five laps to go the Kawasaki rider was obviously showing signs of a lack of race fitness so it was Kahro who made his move to take the lead then it wasn’t long before a hard charging Clout also made his way to second place.
With lapped riders causing all sorts of chaos Clout closed in on Kahro and with five corners left Clout sliced his way to the lead and the win but Clout’s celebrations where cut short after he was dropped back to second thanks to a 10 second penalty for exceeding track boundaries.
Kirk Gibbs
In much better conditions Rodbell pulled the holeshot in the second moto ahead of Waters and Karo but Richie Evans, Kirk Gibbs and Brett Metcalfe all went down in the first corner.
18-year-old Rodbell couldn’t hold Waters back for long so the early running saw Waters leading Rodbell, Clout, Karo and Mellross until Karo took a heavy fall and dropped out of contention allowing privateer Charlie Creech to move into the top five.
Todd Waters & Luke Clout
In the second half of the moto Clout received a 20 second race penalty for exceeding track limits again and Mellross high-sided his KTM but was sharp enough to get back and rejoin the race behind Clout so at the chequered flag it was Waters who took the win ahead of Clout who had etched out enough time to earn second ahead of Mellross despite the 20-second penalty while Rodbell and Rykers finished fourth, and fifth – Kahro clawed his way back to sixth.
Hayden Mellross
Despite being penalised in both races Clout’s 2-2 earned the CDR Yamaha rider the overall win ahead of Mellross and Karo and more importantly Mellross has earned the red plate as the points leader ahead of Clout, Gibbs and Waters as they head towards round three of the championship at Broadford, Vic, on April 14th.
Luke Clout
“I don’t know what happened, If I end up getting the win, or I end up getting second I don’t really care, it’s a good ride for me. I was really mature in my riding.”
Luke Clout
Erki Kahro
“It was just a really tough moto, it was a really good track, a really hard track. A proper motocross track.”
Lawson Bopping
“It was a great weekend, and I had a lot of fun with the team, I struggled a little in practice and got arm pump straight up – that was to be expected – I haven’t done a national in three years. I qualified in 12th, which wasn’t real great, but I ripped an awesome start in the first moto and led for maybe 20 minutes – that was awesome! I put the fade on in the last 10 minutes and a few guys got around me. Leading those few laps at the start made my whole weekend and it was a good time! The second moto was pretty miserable, to be honest. I think I went pretty hard in the first race and I was pretty flat for the second one, but overall we’re happy.”
Lawson Bopping
Jesse Dobson
“Today was tough, but overall really positive, I didn’t realise I made Superpole at the time and rode back to my pit and started getting undressed! I had to rush to get back on the track and I ended up with arm-pump. I had a good start in race one and pushed forward to fifth, but I only have the one bike, so when it started to get hot, I pulled over and my mechanic Aiden helped me clear the radiators rather than wreck it with a race to go, before pushing hard again to finish 12th, I was confident lining up for race two but ended up caught in the first turn pile up after the FC450 jumped out of gear at the start and put me behind. I charged hard to 6th, 20-minutes into the race, but in the last few laps the rear wheel bearings collapsed and I had to work hard to stay on track and make sure I got to finish line. I finished 7th on track, but I was penalised 10-seconds for overtaking a lapped rider outside the track markers, when I was working hard to just keep the bike on track and moving forward, I’ve put my case to the officials for review, so we’ll see what happens there.”
Jesse Dobson
Kirk Gibbs
“It wasn’t a great day for me and I leave here pretty frustrated and angry, I was way back in moto one and was moving forward when another rider went down and took me with them and I lost plenty of time there and then in the second one I went down at the start, had to stop into the mechanics area to get the bike straightened out and was a long way behind the field when I re-joined the race. I kept on chipping away and managed to get myself back to seventh and felt I rode alright but seventh isn’t where I belong and makes my determined to bounce back at round three in a couple of weeks’ time.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Report
The Pirelli MX2 class ran three motos on the day starting with two back to back 8-lap motos followed by a traditional 15-minute moto and Wilson Todd was completely dominant in all three to earn the overall ahead of Aaron Tanti and former red plate holder Jye Roberts.
Wilson Todd
Wilson now has a 9-point lead over Roberts who in turn has a 5-point lead over former champion Jay Wilson – thankfully there were no course cutting penalties to report on in the MX2 class.
Wilson Todd
“I felt good coming into this weekend, the FC250 is working unreal for me, and I’m really comfortable being back with DPH, I wanted to really race this weekend after Appin, and I’m super stoked to have first gate pick and then take all three race wins. As the track dried, it got faster, and I was able to put in some really strong, consistent laps and the hard work I’ve been putting in is really starting to show.”
Wilson Todd
Aaron Tanti
“I had race one under control and didn’t really feel much pressure from behind me but as I came down the pit board straight, I felt the front wheel aquaplane in the mud and by the time it grabbed traction again, I was already heading off track. But second was still a good finish, race two was pretty average but I was able to rebound well in the final one and get on the podium. Thanks to everyone in the Serco Yamaha team. The first two rounds have been a nightmare for the mechanics and they have done a good job of keeping the bikes in great shape. Next up is Broadford and I’m looking forward to that and hopefully keep this momentum going.”
Aaron Tanti
Kyle Webster
“The first race in the morning was pretty wet and the mud was tough, but nevertheless I was running top four for most of the moto and was feeling good, until the last lap when my bike stopped due to overheating. With the back-to-back format I had to get back to the start and get straight on my practice bike for the second moto, which meant I didn’t get a chance to prep my gate which in turn meant I got a bad start and it was all I could do to work my way up to fifth by the finish of the moto. That final moto was a much better way to end a day that definitely didn’t start the way I was hoping,”
Kyle Webster
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 1 Top 10
Wilson Todd
Aaron Tanti
Cooper Pozniak
Jay Wilson
Jye Dickson
Nathan Crawford
Jy Roberts
Sam Pelz
Issac Ferguson
Dylan Wills
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 2 Top 10
Wilson Todd
Jy Roberts
Joel Evans
Cooper Pozniak
Kyle Webster
Bailey Malkiewicz
Sam Pelz
Riley Dukes
Aaron Tanti
Jye Dickson
Jay Wilson
Nathan Crawford
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 3 Top 10
Wilson Todd
Kyle Webster
Jay Wilson
Aaron Tanti
Jy Roberts
Dylan Wills
Jye Dickson
Nathan Crawford
Sam Pelz
Issac Ferguson
MX2 Overall Round Podium – 1) Wilson Todd, 2) Aaron Tanti, 3) Jy Roberts
Pirelli MX2 – Top Ten Overall
Wilson Todd – 70
Aaron Tanti – 56
Jy Roberts – 56
Jay Wilson – 54
Cooper Pozniak – 52
Jye Dickson – 49
Sam Pelz – 48
Kyle Webster – 46
Nathan Crawford – 43
Issac Ferguson – 42
MX2 Points after 3 of 10 Rounds
Wilson Todd – 100
Jy Roberts – 91
Jay Wilson – 86
Aaron Tanti – 77
Cooper Pozniak – 76
Issac Ferguson – 70
Nathan Crawford – 68
Jye Dickson – 64
Dylan Wills – 63
Kyle Webster – 62
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MXD Report
Of the young guns of the sport Regan Duffy dominated the MXD class with a pair of wins to take the round overall and more importantly the championship points lead by 4 points ahead of Rhys Buss while former championship leader Max Purvis went 18-2 for 7th on the day and now sits 3rd in the points.
Rhys Budd
Rhys Budd
“Wonthaggi is known as a really tough sand track, and truth be told I am not much of a sand rider but I actually felt really strong at Wonthaggi. Third overall for the round is good and it means I am a solid second in the championship standings after two rounds, which I’m really pleased about, I can’t wait to get back home to Sydney and just keep working hard toward the next round. The MX Nationals is a long series, for sure, but my plan is to keep hitting my targets and to be right there at the end of the championship.”
Rhys Budd
Motul MXD – Moto 1 Top 10
Regan Duffy
Mason Rowe
Rhys Budd
Noah Ferguson
Mason Semmens
Brodie Ellis
Jai Walker
Tye Jones
Jack Kukas
Mackenzie O’Bree
Motul MXD – Moto 2 Top 10
Regan Duffy
Maximus Purvis
Mason Rowe
Rhys Budd
Noah Ferguson
Mason Semmens
Brodie Ellis
Liam Andrews
Jack Kukas
Micheal Murphy
Regan Duffy claimed the overall win and red plate, with Mason Row and Rhys Budd closing out the podium
Motul MXD – Top Ten Overall
Regan Duffy – 70
Mason Rowe – 62
Rhys Budd – 58
Noah Ferguson – 54
Mason Semmens – 51
Brodie Ellis – 49
Maximus Purvis – 45
Jack Kukas – 44
Jai Walker – 39
Mackenzie O’Bree – 37
MXD Championship Points
Regan Duffy – 94
Rhys Budd – 90
Maximus Purvis – 80
Mason Rowe – 78
Noah Ferguson – 69
125cc Gold Cup Report
Cameron Taylor tops the 125 podium at Wonthaggi from Joshua Kilvington and Nicholas Murray
Multi Australian Champion Cameron Taylor put his experience to good use to win both of the 125cc Gold Cup motos in tough conditions at Wonthaggi while Queenslander Josh Kilvington earned second with 2-2 moto results ahead of Nicholas Murray (4-3) and the hard charging Clay Kilvington (3-4), Josh’s younger brother.
Yamaha 125cc Gold Cup – Rd 2 Overall
Cameron Taylor – 70
Joshua Kilvington – 64
Nicholas Murray – 58
Clay Kilvington – 58
Jedidiah Cornthwaite – 51
Lachlan Wilson – 48
Nick Davis – 48
Darcy Cavanagh – 45
Ryan Butler – 44
Baylee Davies – 42
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Cairoli and Prado Blitz Valkenswaard
Round three of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship was held at Valkenswaard in the Netherlands last weekend and it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado who won the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.
Tony Cairoli takes the holeshot – Image by Ray Archer
MXGP Report
Valkenswaard is one of the toughest tracks on MXGP calendar with the undulating, sand infested layout chopping out into a rut infested torture test but that didn’t stop Cairoli earning two holeshots, two wins and the maximum 50 points.
Clement Desalle
Clement Desalle’s 2-5 scores earned 38 points for second overall and Tim Gajser’s crash in the opening moto saw the Honda pilot end the weekend with 7-2 moto finishes for 36 points and third overall.
Cairoli already has more than a moto up his sleeve in the championship points with the 9-time World Champion storming to his 88th GP win and heads to his home GP in Trentino with a 27-point lead over Gajser.
Antonio Cairoli
“Overall I’m happy going into Trentino next week. Having the first three GP wins this year it’s nice. Of course, it’s not easy, Tim is very fast at the moment and it’s nice to have such a high rhythm in the race for us, for the fans, and for everybody.”
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Clement Desalle
“I’m happy going into Trentino next week. Having the first three GP wins this year it’s nice. Of course, it’s not easy, Tim is very fast at the moment and it’s nice to have such a high rhythm in the race for us, for the fans, and for everybody.”
Clement Desalle
Tim Gajser
“I’m happy to finish on the podium again. But yeah I’m a little bit disappointed. In the first race I had a good start and I was in third place behind Tony and Max, then I make a mistake and I fell so I had to came through the pack. Anyway we’re looking forward to next weekend in Arco, definitely many fans from Slovenia are going to be there and I’m excited.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Report
Prado won the opening moto by seven seconds over Thomas Kjer Olsen, Henry Jacobi, Calvin Vlaanderen and Ben Watson while Jed Beaton finished a solid 10th but fellow Aussie Mitch Evans was storming his way forward from a poor start only to have to retire with a mechanical issue.
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Prado won the second moto by five seconds ahead of Jago Geerts, Kjer Olsen, Vlaanderen and Watson with Evan bouncing back to finish in 10th while Beaton finished in a credible 15th despite still recovering from injury.
Prado earned the overall while Olsen took second to maintain the red plate and a 36 point lead over Prado ahead of next weekend’s MXGP of Trentino.
Jorge Prado
“I had a good feeling both days, It’s still not where I want because we still need to work but I’m going in the right direction. Trentino should be a great weekend hopefully. I have good memories from there and I have good races there every year. Hopefully we can make another good one next week.”
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“I feel pretty good with my performance. I got two good starts in the races, which I was pretty happy about. It made it a little bit easier for me to not have to battle all the way through the field. Prado was riding really good, I didn’t feel like I was riding bad or anything myself, I had a pretty good flow it just wasn’t quite enough.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Jago Geerts
“It was a really good week for me, the first race didn’t go as planned but in the second race I was pretty fired up, in the last lap I got second place and took third on the podium so I was pretty happy with that.”
Jago Geerts
Jed Beaton
“I had an OK GP and felt good on my bike, in the opening moto my pace was good so I managed to secure a top-10 result. Then in the second moto, I pushed a bit more than I needed to early on and ended up getting a little fatigued. Then injury I picked up during the pre-season hasn’t allowed me to spend as much time as I would have liked on a bike. Around a tough track like Valkenswaard it is always important to be on top of your game. At the moment I’m taking one step at a time and I’m trying to get better every time I race.”
Jed Beaton
Mitch Evans
“Tough day in the office riding with a lot of pain from yesterday’s crash. Moto 1 I made my way up to 13th before having to make a pit stop due to a mechanical but happy with my 10th place in moto 2! Thanks to my Honda114 Motorsports Team! Keeping a smile on my face and enjoying every day, good or bad!”
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Verstappen Takes WMX First Blood
Valkenswaard hosted the first round of the 2019 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and despite Kiwi Courtney Duncan being the fastest on the track it was Amandine Verstappen who took the overall win and red plate for the very first time in her career.
Amandine Verstappen
39 women stormed into the first corner of the opening moto and it was all Duncan with the Kawasaki pilot taking the win by 6.6 seconds ahead of Verstappen, Larissa Papenmeier, Nancy Van De Ven and Shana van der Vlist while Aussie Meghan Rutledge managed to get back to 9th after a poor start.
The second moto was looking to be the same outcome but on lap seven Duncan crashed heavily over the rut infested finish line jump but in a crash that would have left mere mortals laying around in pain, Duncan ran back to her bike, remounted and despite it taking ages to get her bike going managed to get back to a credible 7th,
Courtney Duncan
At the finish it was a race win for Van de Ven who had an eight second gap back to Verstappen while Papenmeier, Shana van der Vlist and Line Dam rounded out the top five with Duncan and Rutledge coming home 7th and 8th.
Verstappen’s 2-2 moto results earned her the overall ahead of Van De Ven, Papenmeier, Duncan, van der Vlist, Lynn Valk, Dam and Rutledge as the Women head to the MXGP of Portugal on the 18th and 19th of May in Agueda.
Meghan Rutledge
WMX Overall Top Ten
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 44 points
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 43
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40
Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 39
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 34
Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 29
Line Dam (DEN, HON), 26
Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 25
Virginie Germond (SUI, KTM), 18
WMX Overall Podium – 1) Verstappen, 2) Van De Ven, 3) Papenmeier
WMX Championship Top Ten
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 44 points
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 43
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40
Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 39
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 34
Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 29
Line Dam (DEN, HON), 26
Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 25
Virginie Germond (SUI, KTM), 18
Guadagnini starts EMX125 championship on top
Maddii Racing Husqvarna’s Mattia Guadagnini has won the opening round of the EMX125 Championship which was held at the Dutch circuit of Valkenswaard last weekend.
100 riders tried to qualify for the 40 championship gate positions and after a very tough weekend of racing it was Guadagnini’s 1-4 moto results that earned the overall win while Jorgen-Matthias Talviku and second moto winner Tom Guyon rounded out the podium.
EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing ChampionshipTop Ten
Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 43 points
Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 42
Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 39
Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 38
Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 34
Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 26
Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), 21
Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 20
Joel Rizzi (GBR, KTM), 20
Alessandro Facca (ITA, KTM), 17
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Ferris pulls out of MXGP opportunity
Dean Ferris has pulled out of filling in for Romain Febvre at the Monster Energy Yamaha team and is back in Australia to recuperate from of a minor knee injury he sustained at the MXGP of Great Britain two weekends ago.
Dean Ferris sustained a knee injury in Britain
Ferris was expected to compete in three GPs in Great Britain, The Netherlands and Trentino, but has been forced to withdraw due to complications with his knee and to keep his options open for a ride in America for the AMA Motocross Nationals that kick off in May.
Massimo Raspanti – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team Manager
“It’s a shame that Dean’s opportunity has been cut short. He was improving every time he rode the bike and was a pleasure to have around the team. Luck is a factor in top-level motocross and both Dean and Romain have been unlucky this season. I hope he makes a quick recovery, and I wish him the best for the rest of the year.”
Sunderland leads Abu Dhabi Desert challenge
After just two stages KTM rider Sam Sunderland leads the six stage Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in the back of winning the opening stage then backing that up with a solid fifth on a tough stage two.
Thanks to winning the first stage, Sunderland was the first to enter stage two navigating through the looped timed special that took riders around the Liwa oasis area, Sunderland led the majority of the route, only to be passed late in the day by Jose Ignacio Cornejo, Joan Barreda, Andrew Short and Luciano Benavides.
Sam Sunderland
“Starting first on the route is always going to be a disadvantage obviously, but I’m pleased with how I rode and believe I did a good job of opening the stage. I set a good pace all day and only got caught by Andrew at around kilometre 200, which is really good for leading out here in Abu Dhabi as it’s always quite tricky to navigate and easy to lose time when riding at the front. I am very pleased with how everything is going at the moment – the bike is perfect and the team are doing great. Hopefully the wind eases off a little as it makes everyone’s job a little harder, but it’s the desert and it can be expected. Looking forward to getting going again tomorrow.”
Sam Sunderland – 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
The 434km third stage marks the rally’s halfway point and will feature a 300km special stage.
Provisional Results Stage Two – 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 3:13:21
Joan Barreda (SPA), Honda, 3:15:04 +1:43
Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 3:16:19 +2:58
Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:16:51 +3:30
Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 3:19:16 +5:55
Provisional Overall Standings (after Stage Two)
Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 6:59:57
Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 7:00:48 +0:51
Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 7:04:09 +4:12
Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 7:06:39 +6:42
Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 7:20:17 +20:20
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Thad Duvall wins Steele Creek GNCC
Steele City, Morganton hosted round three of the 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) last weekend it was Thad Duvall who became the third winner of the season at the 20th Annual FMF Steele Creek GNCC.
Kailub Russell grabbed the holeshot – Image by Ken Hill
Defending champion Kailub Russell grabbed the holeshot and led Duvall and Trevor Bollinger into the woods of North Carolina and over the next two plus hours Duvall battled with Russell and Bollinger, going from first to third multiple times but Duvall made his way to the front of the pack on the last lap after Russell became stuck in a rut behind lapped riders.
With the finish line in sight Duvall and Russell engaged in a heated battle, but as the chequered flag flew it was Duvall coming through first, just two seconds ahead of Russell while Bollinger fell of the pace thanks to getting stuck on one of the famous uphills twice but still managed third.
Thad Duvall – Image by Ken Hill
Steward Baylor Jr, Josh Toth, Jordan Ashburn, Josh Strang, Cory Buttrick, Andrew Delong and Layne Michael rounded out the top ten.
After suffering a rare defeat at the second round, Aussie Tayla Jones took out the WXC class ahead of Becca Sheets and fellow Aussie Mackenzie Tricker – Jones now leads the championship by just three points over Sheets.
The 2019 GNCC Series returns in two weeks, April 13-14, with the CST Tires Camp Coker Bullet in Society Hill, South Carolina.
XC1 Pro Event Results
Thad Duvall (HQV)
Kailub Russell (KTM)
Trevor Bollinger (HQV)
Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM)
Josh Toth (KTM)
Jordan Ashburn (KAW)
Josh Strang (KAW)
Cory Buttrick (YAM)
Andrew Delong (HON)
Layne Michael (HQV)
Overall National Championship Standings
Kailub Russell (80)
Thad Duvall (72)
Steward Baylor Jr. (66)
Trevor Bollinger (62)
Ben Kelley (47)
Josh Toth (46)
Josh Strang (43)
Jordan Ashburm (36)
Jonathan Girroir (35)
Michael Witkowski (32)
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Holcombe continues Italian Enduro Championship domination
Beta Factory Racing’s Steve Holcombe has secured his second victory in the Italian Enduro Championship with an overall win at round three. Fresh from his winning ride at last weekend’s Enduro World Championship, the defending Italian Enduro Champion continued his impressive form into the Arma di Taggia event to secure his second win in as many races and extend his lead at the top of the Italian championship series.
Faced with a varied set of special tests – ranging from a cross test on the beach to a rocky and technical extreme test in the mountains – the third stop of the series proved a challenging one from the off. Steve secured the overall victory and with it he extends his lead in the championship standings to 17 points. The Italian Enduro Championship continues with round four in Pontremoli on April 14.
Steve Holcombe
“I’m chuffed to have come away with the win today after making it hard on myself this morning. I’m not really sure what was up, but I just didn’t have a great opening lap and struggled to find my rhythm. I got it together on lap two and three and when I won the second extreme test that motivated me to push hard and close the gap. I think the extreme test is where the race came back to me because I managed to win that test on the final two laps as well, which put me back in contention. All told, I’m delighted to have got another victory – that’s two wins from three starts in the Italian championship, which is cool. We’ve got about two weeks off now until round four, which I’m looking forward too – it’ll give me a chance to recover from what’s been a busy couple of weeks racing and allow me time to work on a few areas I need to improve on, too.”
Steve Holcombe – 2019 Italian Enduro Championship
Championship Standings after Round 3
Steve Holcombe (Beta) 57pts
Alex Salvini (Honda) 40
Danny McCanney (TM) 39
Loic Larrieu (TM) 37
Matteo Cavallo (Sherco) 33pts…
FIM E-XBike World Cup
Youthstream have announced that the first ever FIM E-XBike World Cup will be a feature event at the 2019 MXGP of Italy in Imola this August.
Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo stated, “We are very excited to start this new project with the FIM, we thank FIM and in particular their President, Mr. Jorge Viegas, for the trust and for this opportunity to develop this new sport, it will be both challenging and very interesting. Our goal is to develop the FIM E-X Bike World Cup for all customers and riders who want to enjoy racing on an extreme circuit in front of a massive crowd and with a great media coverage.”
FIM E-XBike World Cup
The one race format will include a mass start with combined categories of both male and female riders racing for 30 minutes plus 1 lap but scored separately. The racing will be opened to anyone with an electric bicycle.
The event is being developed with the full support of Youthstream as CEO Mr. David Luongo explains, “Youthstream will put all its TV and Media resources to promote as much as possible this new competition. The first FIM E-XBike World Cup will be broadcasted live on our OTT Platforms, MXGP-TV.com, and our Facebook MXGP Page that has more than 2.5 Million followers.”
Jorge Viegas, the new elected President of the FIM took part in the conference as well during his first MXGP visit and enthusiastically said, “I am very happy that the FIM is starting to provide competitions for electric bikes. The first ever FIM E-XBike World Cup will allow a new generation of riders to take part in these exciting races. Thanks to the support of our promoters Youthstream and Infront, the Italian Federation and the Imola circuit, the FIM will be able to offer the public who come to the MXGP in Italy the opportunity to discover a new type of competition. For the FIM it is a reoccurring story because the first motorcycles were based on a bike frame, with the addition of a motor. In recent years the electric technology has evolved considerably, and we are convinced that the FIM E-X Bike World Cup will offer the manufacturers a great platform for further development. An E-bike round table meeting will also be organized in Belgium at Metet MX circuit the 9thof June in conjunction with another E-Bike / Pedelec race organized under the authority of the FMB.”
Price commits to four-wheels at Finke 2019
Toby Price has made the decision to sit out the bike category at the 2019 Finke Desert Race to concentrate on winning the truck class.
Toby Price
Toby Price
“I’ll be sitting out the bike category at Finke this year, racing only the truck is the safer option to know that I’ll be ready for Dakar 2020! After the injury I’d like to focus on one category, and it’s the one I haven’t won yet.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2019 FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup to Gillman
An action-packed night is promised at Gillman Speedway, South Australia (SA) this Saturday night (6 April) for the 2019 running of the FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup. The world’s most prestigious Speedway Sidecar event sees 16 crews battle it out for the most prestigious Speedway Sidecar trophy in the world.
Sixteen heats of quick-fire racing action will be sure to keep the crowds entertained all night, and a field full of world-class riders and passengers will ensure the standard of racing is second to none.
For those wanting to get a try-before-you-buy experience of Speedway Sidecar racing, entry to the practice day will be free for spectators. Gates open at 3:00pm with practice to commence at 6:00pm.
For those who can’t get enough Speedway Sidecar action, the weekend continues with the re-running of the 2019 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship taking place the very next night (Sunday 7 April). After being called off due to rain last weekend, the crews will have unfinished business as the slates are wiped clean and the event re-starts from Heat 1.
FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championships scheduled
Rain forced the cancellation of the 2019 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship last Saturday night (30 March) but Motorcycling Australia is pleased to announce that the event has been re-scheduled for next Sunday, 7th of April, to run alongside the FIM Speedway Sidecar World Cup at Gillman Speedway, South Australia.
Gillman to host 2019
The entry list will remain the same as the one planned for the original event, which means that Damien Niesche will not be running due to having withdrawn from the original event, instead Rick Stephens will once again take his place as reserve.
Tickets for the re-run of the 2019 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship (Sunday, 7 April) are available at the gate, with entry available from $15 for adults, $10 for concession, and children under 10 free.
Entry to Practice will be free on the Friday night (5 April), gates to open at 3:00pm and practice will commence at 6:00pm.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Sixteen heats of quick-fire racing action will be sure to keep the crowds entertained all night, and a field full of world-class riders and passengers will ensure the standard of racing is second to none.