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Moto News Wrap for May 21, 2019 by Darren Smart

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The LATEST News

  • Roczen & Cianciarulo win AMA Motocross at Hangtown
  • Villopoto wins at Hangtown
  • Gajser and Prado win MXGP of Portugal
  • Kras wins Portuguese EMX
  • FIM Junior Motocross World Cup heads to Trentino in 2019
  • Duvall wins Ohio GNCC
  • Madsen wins SGP of Poland
  • Garcia wins WESS in France
  • Brayton set for 2019 Aussie SX Championships
  • Chad Reed returns for 2019 AUS-X Open
  • Wollongong SX to feature ‘Speed & Style’ Championship
  • James Stewart finally announces retirement

Roczen & Cianciarulo Win AMA Motocross at Hangtown

The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship kicked off last weekend with the Bell Helmets Hangtown Motocross Classic and it was Ken Roczen who got the overall in the 450 class while Adam Cianciarulo bounced back from a tough loss in supercross to win the 250 class overall.

AMA MX Rnd Roczen JK MX Hangtown
Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld

450 Report

The opening moto saw riders taking on a track that was breaking down faster than usual thanks to rain in the lead up to the weekend and there were battles right from the get-go but the real head-turner was Roczen blowing by Eli Tomac, Justin Barcia, Jason Anderson and early leader Cooper Webb to take the lead before the completion of the opening lap.

AMA MX Rnd Tomac JK MX Hangtown
Eli Tomac – Image by Hoppenworld

Once he had a clear track Roczen quickly put multiple seconds between he and Webb, while Anderson, Zach Osborne and Tomac rounded out the top five but Tomac made his way by Osborne before actually passing Anderson for third but Anderson quickly got back around the defending champ then started his way to the rear wheel of Webb.

With ten minutes to go the rain began to fall and Anderson’s pace increased, while Tomac’s dropped which carried the two riders into different directions with Anderson moving by Webb for second as Tomac lost a spot to Osborne to be in fifth.

AMA MX Rnd Anderson JK MX Hangtown
Jason Anderson – Image by Hoppenworld

Despite the rain, Roczen continued his flawless ride all the way to the finish where he took the opening moto win by 15 seconds over Anderson, Webb and Tomac who was gifted fourth when Osborne crashed in the slippery conditions.

In muddy conditions Marvin Musquin emerged with the second moto holeshot over Webb, Tomac and Roczen but it wasn’t long before Tomac was in the lead ahead of Roczen and the two soon opened up a gap over Anderson who got by his training partners in Osborne, Webb and Musquin.

AMA MX Rnd Webb JK MX Hangtown
Cooper Webb – Image by Hoppenworld

Roczen’s impressive early pace allowed him to jump by Tomac into the lead but the Honda rider couldn’t shake Tomac and as they approached lapped riders just before the halfway point it worked to the benefit of Tomac who seized the moment to dive to the inside the reclaim the lead.

From that point on, he left Roczen and the rest of the field behind taking the chequered flag by 43 seconds over Roczen while a resilient Musquin never backed down in his pursuit of Anderson for third, and successfully got back around, but in the closing laps a hard charge from Osborne ultimately put the rookie onto the moto podium.

AMA MX Rnd Musquin JK MX Hangtown
Marvin Musquin – Image by Hoppenworld

Roczen’s 1-2 outing provided him with his first win since the final round of his championship-winning 2016 season. Since then he has endured through a pair of career-threatening injuries to each of his arms, in which he was forced to fight his way back from more than 10 total surgeries. It’s been a long and difficult road, but Roczen was able to prevail for the 16th win of his career.

 Ken Roczen

“It’s been a very, very long time [since I won a race]. Overall the whole day was good,” said Roczen. “It’s difficult at the first race to know what to expect [from yourself] and to know where everyone else is. I just did my best every time I was on the track and it got us a win. It was really sloppy out there and [when conditions are like that] it can easily go in either direction [bad or good], so it feels good that we ended up on the positive side of it.”

AMA MX Rnd Roczen JK MX Hangtown
Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld

Tomac’s second-moto win vaulted him to second overall (4-1), while Anderson rounded out the overall podium in third (2-5) so Roczen holds a slim four-point lead over Tomac in the 450 Class standings heading into the second round. Anderson sits nine points back in third.

As for the Aussies and Kiwis, factory Yamaha fill-in rider Dean Ferris came back from two bad starts to end the day with 11-8 moto finishes for ninth overall while Todd Waters took his privateer Husqvarna to 12-13 finishes for a credible 12th outright, but there was a disappointing result for Cody cooper who earned 15th in the opening moto before not finished the second mud moto.

AMA MX Rnd Roczen Tomac Anderson Podium JK MX Hangtown
450 Class Overall Results
Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (1-2)
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (4-1)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (2-5)  – Image by Hoppenworld

450 Moto Results and Overall

  1. Ken Roczen 1-2
  2. Eli Tomac 4-1
  3. Jason Anderson 2-5
  4. Zachary Osborne 5-3
  5. Cooper Webb 3-6
  6. Marvin Musquin 7-4
  7. Justin Barcia 8-7
  8. Blake Baggett 6-10
  9. Dean Ferris 11-8
  10. Justin Bogle 10-9
  11. Jake Masterpool 13-11
  12. Todd Waters 12-13
  13. Ben Lamay 14-12
  14. Cole Seely 9-18
  15. Fredrik Noren 17-17
  16. Toshiki Tomita 36-14
  17. Taiki Koga 23-15
  18. Dylan Merriam 20-16
  19. Cody Cooper 15-40

450 Class Championship Standings

  1. Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 47
  2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 43
  3. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna – 38
  4. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna – 36
  5. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM – 35
  6. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 32
  7. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 27
  8. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 26
  9. Dean Ferris, Australia, Yamaha – 23
  10. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM – 23
    …12. Todd Waters, Australia, Husqvarna – 17
    …19. Cody Cooper, New Zealand, Honda – 6
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250 Report

Justin Cooper narrowly grab the holeshot over Chase Sexton and Cianciarulo while Hunter Lawrence started well outside the top ten but that wouldn’t last for long with the Aussie flying his way into the top ten.

AMA MX Rnd CooperJ JK MX Hangtown
Justin Cooper – Image by Hoppenworld

Up front Cooper successfully held on to that advantage and established himself as the early leader, with Cianciarulo slotting into second and Sexton into third but with about eight minutes left the Kawasaki rider was all over Cooper’s rear fender, but the Yamaha rider withstood the charge and used lapped riders to his advantage to extend the lead once more.

Hunter Lawrence had forced his way up to sixth place after passing teammate RJ Hampshire and just as they were closing in on fifth placed Colt Nichols, Hunter high sided over an inside rut and was clipped by Hampshire’s footpeg gouging a wound across Lawrence’s arse.

AMA MX Rnd Lawrence JK MX Hangtown
Hunter Lawrence – Image by Hoppenworld

Cooper went wire-to-wire on to take the second moto win of his career by 1.8 seconds over Cianciarulo, who rode to an uneventful second-place finish but the battle for third came down to the final corner, where a moto-long charge by Dylan Ferrandis, who started sixth, culminated with a stellar last lap in which he stole third from Sexton as they came to the line.

Lawrence dropped all of the way back to 18th but managed to climb back to 11th place, four places ahead of fellow Aussie Wilson Todd who was up to 12th at one point in the moto.

With rain falling, the deciding moto got underway with Nichols earning then holeshot from Cianciarulo who quickly moved to the lead while Cooper and Ferrandis were at the tail end of the top ten as Lawrence and Todd sat just outside the top ten.

AMA MX Rnd Ferrandis JK MX Hangtown
Dylan Ferrandis – Image by Hoppenworld

With the track deteriorating to a slippery mess, Cianciarulo easily opened up a considerable margin over the rest of the field but as the moto wore on, Ferrandis and Nichols began to inch closer to second placed Alex Martin but the Suzuki rider was able to hang on to the runner up spot while Nichols and Cooper got around Ferrandis in the dying laps

In the end Cianciarulo took the moto win by 16.3 seconds over Martin, Nichols, Cooper and Ferrandis while Todd finished in a sensational ninth place, three places ahead of a struggling Larence.

AMA MX Rnd Nichols JK MX Hangtown
Colt Nichols – Image by Hoppenworld

Cianciarulo’s 2-1 effort gave him the second overall win of his career in his first start since the 2017 season, following knee surgery last summer. He becomes the 32nd different rider to earn a 250 Class victory at      Hangtown.

 Adam Cianciarulo

“It means a lot [to get this win], for all the kids out there that watch us, we go through such peaks and valleys. [This win] is a testament to understanding that the most important shot is your next one. You’ve got to keep fighting. It feels great to get a win at the opening round of the [Pro Motocross] season and start this summer off on a high note.”

AMA MX Rnd Cianciarulo JK SX Vegas
Adam Cianciarulo – Image by Hoppenworld

Cooper’s resilient second moto landed him in the runner-up spot (1-4) for the second time in his career. Nichols (5-3) and Ferrandis (3-5) ended up in a tie for third, but by virtue of his better result in the final moto Nichols earned the tiebreaker.

Cianciarulo establishes a four-point lead over Cooper in the 250 Class standings entering the second round, while Nichols and Ferrandis sit 11 points back.

AMA MX Rnd Cianciarulo Coopr Nichols Podium JK MX Hangtown
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (2-1)
Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (1-4)
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha (5-3) – Image by Hoppenworld

250 Moto Results and Overall

  1. Adam Cianciarulo 2 -1
  2. Justin Cooper 1-4
  3. Colt Nichols 5-3
  4. Dylan Ferrandis 3-5
  5. Chase Sexton 4-6
  6. RJ Hampshire 6-7
  7. Michael Mosiman 7 -11
  8. Alex Martin 23-2
  9. Shane McElrath 14-8
  10. Christian Craig 13-10
  11. Hunter Lawrence 11-12
  12. Wilson Todd 15-9

250 Class Championship Standings

  1. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 47
  2. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 43
  3. Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha – 36
  4. Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha – 36
  5. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 33
  6. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 29
  7. Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna – 24
  8. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Suzuki – 22
  9. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 20
  10. Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda – 19
  11. Hunter Lawrence, Australia, Honda – 19
  12. Wilson Todd, Australia, Husqvarna – 18
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Villopoto wins at Hangtown

The Hangtown Motocross Classic fans at Prairie City OHV Park were treated with seeing multi AMA motocross and supercross champion Ryan Villopoto taking on a field of 32 riders and win the first round of the 125cc All-Stars race.

AMA MX Rnd AS Villopoto JK MX Hangtown
Ryan Villopoto – Image by Hoppenworld

RV piloted his No. 2 Yamaha to victory ahead of fellow YZ rider Robbie Wageman while 16-year-old Brandon Ray rounded out the podium in third aboard a KTM.

125cc All Star Results

  1. Ryan Villopoto, Yamaha
  2. Robbie Wageman, Yamaha
  3. Brandon Ray, KTM
  4. Wyatt Mattson, Husqvarna
  5. Carter Dubach, Yamaha
  6. Tyler DuCray, KTM
  7. Angus Riordan, KTM
  8. Cole Barbieri, Suzuki
  9. Dennis Stapleton, Husqvarna
  10. Ty Freehill, Yamaha
  11. Derik Denzin, Yamaha
  12. John Ayers, Husqvarna
  13. Antonio Calavano, KTM
  14. Bryson Olson, Honda
  15. Conner Degraaf, KTM
  16. Toline Tyler, KTM
  17. Hunter Cross, KTM
  18. Talon Gorman, Honda
  19. Steven Stultz, Yamaha
  20. Jared Lang, Honda
  21. Dylan Simao, Yamaha
  22. Geoff Wills, KTM
  23. Tyler Edmondson, Honda
  24. Aron Martin
  25. Wyatt Bullen, Kawasaki
  26. Brooks, KTM
  27. Blaine Holdsclaw, Yamaha
  28. Derek Cappiello, Yamaha
  29. Chase Forsberg, KTM
  30. Nick Roby, Kawasaki
  31. Jeremy Ryan, KTM
  32. Ryan Eager, Suzuki

Gajser and Prado Win MXGP of Portugal

The Portuguese circuit of Agueda has hosted the sixth round of the 2019 World Motocross Championship and it was Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado who went 1-1 in the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.

MXGP Portugal Rnd MX GP PH
MXGP of Portugal 2019

MXGP Report

Antonio Cairoli was in a winning position in both of the MXGP motos but the KTM rider stalled briefly in the opening moto while leading and tipped over in the second moto while in the same position and both times Gajser was right there to take advantage of the situation to claim both moto wins, the overall and to reduce Cairoli’s championship points lead to 34 points

MXGP Portugal Rnd Antonio Cairoli
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Portugal 2019

Cairoli took 2-2 for 2nd overall ahead of Arnaud Tonus who reached the podium with hard fought 3-3 finishes while Clement Desalle, Jeremy Seewer, Pauls Jonass, Julien Lieber, Romain Febvre, Glenn Coldenhoff and Gautier Paulin rounded out the top ten.

Tim Gajser

“Last weekend was tough, so I tried to forget it and just focus on this weekend. I was feeling good yesterday and also today, the riding was good, and I had two good starts. It was great racing and I am really happy to win both races, hopefully we can carry that moment to the next round.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Gajser bybavo
Tim Gajser
Antonio Cairoli

“On one side I’m happy because this is the goal to be on the podium and always consistent but on the other side I’m disappointed of course. I am happy like I said but focused on the next one where I will try to be consistent and not make these mistakes.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Tony Cairoli
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Arnaud Tonus

”It feels amazing, it is hard to find the right words at the moment, I have been through a lot so it is good to be up here. I really had to fight today, in the first race I was battling with Jeremy (Seewer) and he passed me in the beginning of the race so I had to come pass him back, it feels even better knowing that I fought to make it happen. I am super happy and I hope that I can keep it going.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Arnaud Tonus
Arnaud Tonus

MXGP Results

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:00.609
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.197
  3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:17.885
  4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:27.240
  5. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:28.880
  6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:29.847
  7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:35.562
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:51.205
  9. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:52.970
  10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:53.969

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:47.988
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:10.604
  3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:12.909
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:15.819
  5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:18.856
  6. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:20.225
  7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:22.115
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:24.630
  9. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:27.080
  10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:30.999

MXGP Overall Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44
  3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 40
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 33
  5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 29
  6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 28
  7. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 28
  8. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 27
  9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 26
  10. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 22

MXGP ChampionshipTop Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 285 points
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 251
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 197
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 175
  5. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 166
  6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 153
  7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 137
  8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 136
  9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 122
  10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 120

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MX2 Race Report

Prado took the opening moto holeshot and eased away for an easy win over Thomas Kjer Olsen, Jago Geerts and Mitchell Evans but in the second moto Prado was forced to pass the fast starting Roan Van de Moosdijk for the lead and usually that is where the action stops for the lead but this time Mitch Evans decided he wanted to have a run at the front and soon passed Van de Moosdijk and Prado for the lead.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Portugal 2019

Evans held the lead for four laps before Prado found his way through to take the lead and the eventual win ahead of Henry Jacobi, Evans and Kjer Olsen.

This was Prado’s 5th 1-1 result of 2019 and despite Kjer Olsen finishing second overall but it was a bitter sweet moment as he also lost the championship lead to Prado while for the second time in his rookie MX2 season Evans reached the podium in 3rd position.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Jed Beaton
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Portugal 2019

As for Jed Beaton, the Husqvarna pilot was a solid 12th in the opening moto despite a crash and a stall but the second moto went pear shaped with his bike being landed on after an early crash forcing the Aussie to DNF the race. Beaton sits 13th in the championship.

Jorge Prado

“This is the closest race to a home GP for me, we are very close to Spain and there are so many fans that came out and many were cheering for me, I really enjoy it. When I went onto the podium they went crazy so it is great to have a race like this and it was a great weekend. For me it was important to get the red plate because I feel more comfortable with it but it is tough to keep so I try to not make any mistake but in motocross you never know.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Thomas Kjer Olsen

“I felt like my riding all weekend was really good so that was a huge positive. I felt pretty calm all weekend and I had a lot of confidence in my riding along with my technique on the bike. I am kind of bummed out about the mistake I made on the start of race 2 but it could have been much worse and I got up to 4thwhich was pretty good. I am just going keep working and focus on myself to be the best that I can, not worrying about much else.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Mitch Evans

“It feels great to be back on the podium, we had a few tough weekends with some little injuries and my fitness dropped off because of it. We are finally back to the normal program and I am feeling a lot better which also gives a lot confidence coming into the weekend.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Jed Beaton

“It’s been a tough GP for me. I’m pretty beaten up and, yeah, things just didn’t go well despite two good starts. I went down in the second turn in the first moto so I just pushed as hard as I could. I stalled my bike at the end of the wave sections after passing about 10 riders, so I went back to last again. I gave everything to get to 12th, which I think was a good result considering what happened. I was about sixth off the start in the second heat but clashed with another rider over one of the jumps. I got landed on, my bike got landed on and it was pretty messed up and bent. There was no point in continuing so unfortunately I had to retire.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Jed Beaton
Jed Beaton – MXGP of Portugal 2019

MX2 Results – Portugal MXGP

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:07.339
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:03.304
  3. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:27.504
  4. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:28.329
  5. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +0:34.618
  6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:35.418
  7. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:44.519
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:45.789
  9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:51.829
  10. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +0:53.710
    …12. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 36:03.407

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:47.966
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:03.912
  3. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:05.411
  4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:12.005
  5. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:23.210
  6. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Honda), +0:36.473
  7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:41.227
  8. Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), +0:43.706
  9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:45.287
  10. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:46.503

MX2 Overall Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 40
  3. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 38
  4. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 36
  5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 24
  6. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 23
  7. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 23
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 22
  9. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 20
  10. Mitchell Harrison (USA, KAW), 18
    …21. Jed Beaton (AUS, Hus) 9

MX2 ChampionshipTop Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 250 points
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 247
  3. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 193
  4. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 170
  5. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 164
  6. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 155
  7. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 155
  8. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 128
  9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 127
  10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 122
    …13. Jed Beaton (AUS, Hus) 87

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Duncan Dominates Portugal WMX

Portugal hosted the second round of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and it was Kiwi flyer Courtney Duncan who not only won both motos but also took over the championship lead.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Courtney Duncan GP PH
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019

Duncan won the opening moto by 12 seconds ahead of Larissa Papenmeier and Nancy Van De Ven before dishing out a similar performance in moto two to take the win over Van De Ven and Papenmeier so the championship leaders red plate now belongs to Duncan with 89 points while former championship leader Van de Ven is four points back in second.

Aussie Tahlia TJ O’Hare struggled in the tough conditions to score just 7 points over the two motos for 19th outright to now sit 13th in the championship.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Courtney Duncan GP PH
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019

Duncan will now return to New Zealand to continue her training before taking the red plate into round 3 in Loket, Czech Republic, July 27-28.

Courtney Duncan

“I was really happy with the weekend; the goal was to put two solid races together and I did that.  I got blocked in at the first turn in that second race, but I didn’t panic, sorted out a good place to make a clean pass and could race away. I’m just taking it race by race at the moment and not really thinking about the championship, but I’m stoked to get the double win and take the red plate to the next round. We’ve got a nine week break now, so I’ll be going back to New Zealand to keep doing the work and come out swinging at Loket.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Duncan GP PH
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019

WMX Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 25:37.493
  2. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:12.938
  3. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:20.911
  4. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +0:49.788
  5. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +0:59.251
  6. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:07.227
  7. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +1:13.030
  8. Line Dam (DEN, Honda), +1:34.821
  9. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:39.651
  10. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:42.185

WMX Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 24:51.296
  2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:30.514
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:45.003
  4. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +1:08.450
  5. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +1:13.670
  6. Line Dam (DEN, Honda), +1:14.835
  7. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:24.616
  8. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +1:25.103
  9. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:28.714
  10. Britt Van Der Werff (NED, Husqvarna), +1:39.760

WMX Overall Top Ten

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 50 points
  2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 42
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 42
  4. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 34
  5. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 34
  6. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 29
  7. Line Dam (DEN, HON), 28
  8. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 27
  9. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 23
  10. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 20

WMX ChampionshipTop Ten

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 89 points
  2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 85
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 82
  4. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 67
  5. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 63
  6. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 61
  7. Line Dam (DEN, HON), 54
  8. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 54
  9. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 49
  10. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 37

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Kras Wins Portuguese EMX

Portugal hosted the third round of the EMX2t championship and it was Mike Kras who grabbed his second overall in as many rounds to take over the championship points lead by one over Brad Anderson.

Kras won the opening moto from Todd Kellett and Youri van t Ende while Anderson was back in eighth before the second moto also went to Kras with Anderson in second ahead of Andero Lusbo.

Now leading the championship by 1 point over Anderson, Kras, and the rest of the field will head to Russia’s south in 3 weeks’ time for round four at Orlyonok.

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Result

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 29:58.291;
  2. Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:06.600;
  3. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:14.879;
  4. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:16.610;
  5. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:17.066;
  6. Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:23.102;
  7. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:25.081;
  8. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:27.130;
  9. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:27.656;
  10. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:28.476.

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 29:52.732;
  2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:05.300;
  3. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:07.202;
  4. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:09.878;
  5. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:11.292;
  6. Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:27.263;
  7. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:28.560;
  8. Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:34.053;
  9. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:43.325;
  10. Ben Putnam (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:44.770.

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top Ten

  1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 50 points;
  2. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 38
  3. Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 37
  4. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 36
  5. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 35
  6. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 34
  7. Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 28
  8. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, YAM), 25
  9. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 24
  10. Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 21 p

EMX2T Presented by FMF Racing Championship Top Ten

  1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 119 points
  2. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 118
  3. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 101
  4. Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 95
  5. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 88
  6. Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 86
  7. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 82
  8. Ben Putnam (GBR, HUS), 60
  9. Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 59
  10. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 59


FIM Junior Motocross World Cup heads to Trentino in 2019

Youthstream have announced the venue and timing of the 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship and FIM Junior Motocross World Cup! On the 13-14th of July 2019 Junior Motocross riders from around the world will head to the famous circuit of Trentino in Italy’s North.

The event will return to Italy eight years after its last visit in 2011. The 2019 edition will take place at the same venue as the MXGP and MX2 World Championship of Pietramurata. The two-day event will host practice and qualifying sessions Saturday followed by racing of the three classes, 125cc, 85cc, and 65cc, on Sunday. Riding for themselves and also their country with the results of nations makes the event one of a kind and always creates a great atmosphere of both comradery and competition.

FIM Junior Motocross World Cup
FIM Junior Motocross World Cup heads to Trentino in 2019

The world class facility has been a long time favorite of riders and fans with its stunning backdrop and amazing surroundings. The venue, aside from being in one of the most passionate motocross countries in the world, is easily accessible from the nearby cities of Milan, Venice, and Verona.

The FIM Junior Motocross World Championship includes the 125cc and 85cc two stroke categories plus the 65cc FIM Junior Motocross World Cup. Along with returning competitors and even previous champions the junior rising talents of motocross will all be going to Trentino from different countries racing at the unique race for the chance to become an FIM Junior Motocross World Champion!


Duvall Wins Ohio GNCC

Thad Duvall has won the sixth round of the 2019 GNCC which was held in Ohio last weekend and in doing so has reduced his points deficit to championship leader Kailub Russell to just 13 points.

GNCC John Penton Kailub Russell KH
Kailub Russell – Image by Ken Hill

Duvall scored his second win of the year at Ohio ahead of Russell and Trevor Bollinger while Steward Baylor Jr and Josh Strang rounded out the top five.

XC1 Open

  1. Kailub K Russell – 165
  2. Thaddeus Duvall – 152
  3. Steward Baylor Jr – 123
  4. Trevor Bollinger – 111
  5. Josh V Strang – 83

Ben Kelly is undefeated the XC2 class and took the Ohio win over Craig Delong and Evan Smith while Austin Lee and Michael Witkowski rounded out the top five.

XC2 250 Pro Result

  1. Benjamin M Kelley – 180
  2. Michael Witkowski – 119
  3. Evan Smith – 107
  4. Austin Lee – 91
  5. Liam Draper – 78

Becca Sheets got her second win of the season in the WXC class over Aussie Mackenzie Tricker and Rachael Archer while defending champion Tayla Jones had a shocker with a rare ninth place finish.

WCX Result

  1. Becca N Sheets – 160
  2. Tayla Jones – 153
  3. Mackenzie Tricker – 125
  4. Rachael Archer – 107
  5. Shyann Phelps – 85
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Madsen Wins SGP of Poland

The much-awaited opening round of the 2019 FIM Speedway World Championship got underway with the Boll Warsaw FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland last weekend and the surprise winner was Danish star Leon Madsen who pounced on a Fredrik Lindgren error to hit the front and win the final.

FIM Speedway World Championship Boll Warsaw Poland
2019 SGP of Poland

Madsen didn’t win any of his regular heats, but made it into the semis on eight points, before finishing second to Niels-Kristian Iversen in semi-final two to reach his maiden SGP final where he got his first win of the night when it mattered most and the European champion celebrated wildly with a 50,000-plus crowd.

Madsen made no secret of his bold SGP ambitions ahead of the meeting as he targets World Championship gold. But he insists he’s not piling the pressure on himself to land the world title at the first attempt.

Leon Madsen

“I don’t need to be No.1 this year. I am here to gain a lot of experience, especially on tracks like Warsaw. I am not here just to take part. I am here to fight for the championship. It was a good round tonight and I clocked a lot of points. If I can be consistent all season, things could be quite good. But I’m not setting the bar higher. I’m just in this game to fight for the championship. I don’t put it as a goal that I must be No.1 or in the top three. You are obviously here to fight for the championship and I feel I have the quality to do that.”

Despite recovering from a crash and coming third in the final it is Patryk Dudek who topped the World Championship standings with his 16-point haul.

FIM Speedway World Championship Boll Warsaw Poland
2019 SGP of Poland
Patryk Dudek

“Before the last heat, I heard my name and I was thinking ‘oh, but let’s see what happens after the heat!’ I was third, so that’s not bad. I would like to say a big, big thank you to the fans. This night was tough for me and the season has been tough for me. Today was great. I want to say a big thanks to my team, my family and my sponsors. I hope to stay in the same position at the next round. But we will see.”

It was his third straight Warsaw final and Fredrik Lindgren was delighted to leave the PGE Narodowy cauldron of noise with another podium finish.

Fredrik Lindgren

“Overall I am very happy, I really enjoy racing here in front of this crowd. It is intense and you have to give 100 percent for all four laps. I am disappointed not to win after the start I made in the final. I made a huge mistake on lap two to lose the winning position. But I am also very happy with the way I was racing, the points I scored and the way our team worked together.”

It was far from the prefect start to the championship for the Aussie duo of Jason Doyle and Max Fricke who scored 6 and 5 points respectively after a full night of racing.

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Doyle kicked off in fine form, marking a strong return from injury not even two weeks prior. As the evening progressed, Doyle’s injuries weighed heavy, but the Australian star remained steadfast as he focussed on racking up as many points as possible. Doyle finished Round 1 of the 2019 SGP with five points, landing in 13th place in the World Championship standings.

Jason Doyle

“The bike is good and the crowd is awesome! We’re just trying to get the right set up at the moment because the conditions are different from practice, as we expected. Tonight we’re just trying to get points and stay consistent.”

Newcomer to the SGP line-up, Fricke tackled what was undeniably an intense environment, finishing Saturday night with three points. Now sitting on 16th place in the World Championship standings, Fricke suffered a blow when he crashed out during one of his heats, however the young Australian remained the image of positivity as he reflected on the turn of events.

Max Fricke

“I’m really grateful for this call up! It’s not something I ever expected to happen this year so I’m really grateful for this experience and to be able and come out in front of a huge stadium. I picked up a few points, learnt a lot, and lead a few laps in the end, but I threw it away, which is on me. Hopefully we can come back sometime during the year and do some more rounds of the SGP.”

FIM Speedway World Championship Boll Warsaw Poland
2019 SGP of Poland Podium

Boll Warsaw SGP Result

  1. Leon Madsen 13
  2. Fredrik Lindgren 15
  3. Patryk Dudek 16
  4. Niels-Kristian Iversen 14
  5. Bartosz Smektala 10
  6. Bartosz Zmarzlik 10
  7. Antonio Lindback 10
  8. Robert Lambert 8
  9. Martin Vaculik 7
  10. Matej Zagar 7
  11. Emil Sayfutdinov 6
  12. Tai Woffinden 6
  13. Jason Doyle 5
  14. Janusz Kolodziej 4
  15. Artem Laguta 4
  16. Max Fricke 3
  17. Dominik Kubera DNR
  18. Rafal Karczmarz DNR

World Championship Standings

  1. Patryk Dudek 16
  2. Fredrik Lindgren 15
  3. Niels-Kristian Iversen 14
  4. Leon Madsen 13
  5. Bartosz Zmarzlik 10
  6. Antonio Lindback 10
  7. Bartosz Smektala 10
  8. Robert Lambert 8
  9. Matej Zagar 7
  10. Martin Vaculik 7
  11. Tai Woffinden 6
  12. Emil Sayfutdinov 6
  13. Jason Doyle 5
  14. Artem Laguta 4
  15. Janusz Kolodziej 4
  16. Max Fricke 3

Garcia Win WESS in France

Spain’s Josep Garcia has won round two of the World Enduro Super Series, storming to victory at France’s Trèfle Lozérien AMV ahead of Jamie McCanney and Nathan Watson.

WESS Rnd Trefle Lozerien AMV Josep Garcia FM
Josep Garcia – 2019 Trefle Lozerien

For 2019, the second round of the WESS championship proved a challenge for the 600-plus riders competing with continuous rain throughout the three days of racing at France’s most-prestigious Enduro – Trèfle Lozérien AMV – ensured the 719 kilometres of riding were both physically and mentally demanding for all.

Josep Garcia

“To get my first WESS victory of 2019, and also to create a little piece of history by being the first non-French winner here at Trèfle Lozérien, is amazing. The conditions really didn’t suit me – I’m not really a big fan of wet, slippery mud. But I pushed hard on all special tests and, well, everything went perfectly. Coming here straight from Extreme Lagares wasn’t easy but I knew this race was going to be important to my WESS championship.”

WESS Rnd Trefle Lozerien AMV Josep Garcia FM
Josep Garcia – 2019 Trefle Lozerien

Behind Garcia the battle for the remainder of the podium places was fierce but McCanney held his ground over his rivals to take the runner-up result.

Jaime McCanney

“Right from when I started walking the special tests here in France I knew Josep Garcia would be the rider to watch. When conditions weren’t too wet, or when they suited the 450 more, I managed to win some tests. And I’m really pleased about that. But Garcia was really strong throughout the event. I’ve been away from enduro racing for some time now, firstly getting over a shoulder injury and surgery and then focusing on rally. To come here and get the result I’ve got is really great. Despite the weather it’s been a great event. I can’t say if I’ll be back for more WESS racing, but I’d love to compete at Hawkstone if my schedule allows it.”

WESS Rnd Trefle Lozerien AMV Jamie McCanney FM
Jamie McCanney – 2019 Trefle Lozerien

Entering the final special test it was all to play for between Watson and Julien Gauthier for third with Gauthier holding just one tenth of a second in hand over the KTM rider and with both riders putting it all on the line, Watson edged out Gauthier by just over one second to snatch the final step of the podium in the last few moments of the race.

Nathan Watson

“I’m really happy with third overall, this is the first Classic Enduro I’ve raced since this event 12 months ago, so I came into it a little unsure what to expect but also confident that it would suit me. I had a consistent three days and kept things upright over the 15 special tests, which was really important. I’ve really enjoyed racing the 450 – being able to keep things smooth in these conditions has really helped me. Things were really close coming into the final test, just half a second between third and fourth overall. Thankfully, I managed to jump up one position to third, which was a great way to end the race.”

WESS Rnd Trefle Lozerien AMV Nathan Watson FM
Nathan Watson – 2019 Trefle Lozerien

For Gauthier it was not to be and with his fourth place result it also marked the first time in the event’s history that a French rider wasn’t present in the top three positions. After a strong ride on day two, Tarroux slipped down to fifth, with teammate Theo Espinasse (FRA) completing the top six.

The eight-round World Enduro Super Series continues with round three at Austria’s Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble on May 30 – June 2.

Results – Round 2: Trèfle Lozérien AMV 2019

  1. Josep Garcia (KTM – ESP) 01:03:07.557
  2. Jaime McCanney (Yamaha – GB) 1:03:49.586 +42.029
  3. Nathan Watson (KTM – GB) 1:03:55.612 +48.055
  4. Julien Gauthier (Yamaha – FR) 1:03:57.013 +49.456
  5. Jeremy Tarroux (Sherco – FR) 1:04:10.136 +1:02.579
  6. Theo Espinasse (Sherco – FR) 1:05:04.311 +1:56.754
  7. Christophe Nambotin (Gas Gas – FR) 1:05:10.817 +2:03.260
  8. Emmanuel Albepart (Yamaha – FR) 1:05:21.908 +2:14.351
  9. Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) 1:05:31.888 +2:24.331
  10. Joe Wootton (Husqvarna – GB) 1:05:52.828 +2:45.271
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Brayton Set for 2019 Aussie SX Championships

Justin Brayton is the first of the international riders to confirm that he will compete in this year’s Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne on November 30 at Marvel Stadium as part of his attempt to win a fourth straight Australian Supercross Championship.

Justin Brayton

“The AUS-X Open is one of the greatest events outside of the US, and having been so close to winning it before, I’m determined to come back faster and ready to win in November. The racing at Sydney was always incredible but I think moving to Melbourne, into such an awesome stadium, is going to take Supercross racing in Australia to the next level and I can’t wait to put on a show for all the fans in Australia. Marvel Stadium will be the closest thing Australia gets to the World Championship. The track will be full-sized and I have no doubt both the racing and the atmosphere will be electric on November 30.”

AMA Supercross FInal Brayton JK SX Vegas
Justin Brayton – Image by Hoppenworld

The AUS-X Open Melbourne is the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship and is sanctioned by Motorcycling Australia (MA).

“I’m so pumped to be returning to Australia in 2019 and fighting for the Australian Supercross title for a fourth straight year with Penrite Honda Racing,” Brayton said. “I have the most amazing team when I head down under to race, and it would be awesome to bring home the trophy again, especially in front of the huge Melbourne crowd.”


Chad Reed returns for 2019 AUS-X Open

Two-time World Champion Chad Reed has announced he’ll be back to race on home soil this November 30 at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, as tickets go on sale from for the Monster Energy AUS-X Open.

Chad Reed flying high at the Monster Energy AUS X Open Sydney
Chad Reed at the AUS-X Open in Sydney in 2018

The 37-year-old will head to Victoria to race for the first time since 2012 and his first time racing in Melbourne since 2000, where he says he’ll be looking for redemption. The legend sat out the 2017 event due to injury and was unable to complete a fairytale comeback last year, with the 2018 World Champion Jason Anderson (USA), taking the win.

Chad Reed

“I’m definitely looking for redemption, to come out and work hard and just be better prepared on all levels myself, the bike, the team, so I can hopefully take out that AUS-X crown. Getting back to Melbourne to race will be awesome, it’s been a long time since I’ve raced there, I love the city, and I’ve never been to Marvel Stadium before so I’m really looking forward to it.”

AMA SX Rnd Chad Reed Pits JK SX Seattle
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld

Tickets for the event will be available exclusively through Ticketmaster.com.au, starting from $39.95, and are expected to sell out fast.

Australia’s largest Supercross event, the AUS-X Open, has proven successful for the Aussie hero since its inception, including back-to-back wins during the first two years in 2015 and 2016, and Reed says he’s proud to have watched the event grow over the past four years and how it has significantly changed the Australian Supercross industry.

Chad Reed

“My favourite thing about AUS-X Open as a rider and an athlete is it’s such a reflection for me, remembering back to when I was eight years old watching all the Australian greats in a Newcastle motordrome, and now seeing it, [AUS-X Open] being held at Marvel Stadium at the highest level makes me real proud to be apart of the sport. I was around for the first ever AUS-X Open in Sydney and I’m really proud to see how it’s grown into Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. It’s so hard to put into words the energy that you get at a stadium like Marvel, a stadium filled with 35-45,000 people, there’s just nothing like it. And really why I still, at 37-years-old, choose to do this as my day-to-day job. I love it, and I can’t replace that feeling and I’m always excited to come back for more.”

Reed does a shooey after winning the AUS X Open Sydney
Chad Reed after winning the 2016 AUS-X Open

Reed will not have it all his own way in Melbourne, with what will arguably be the most competitive field of international supercross racers, to ever line up on Australian soil. More of the world’s biggest names in Supercross and Freestyle Motocross, including recent World Championship winners, will be announced in the coming days.

Already confirmed to compete on November 30, are current World Number 10 and defending Australian Supercross Champion – Justin Brayton, as well as 2019 World Supercross Championship Rookie of the Year and current World Number 8 – Joey Savatgy.

The 25-year-old American rider had an incredible rookie season in the premier 450SX1 class of the 2019 World Championship and is expected to be hard to beat at the AUS-X Open.

Joey Savatgy

“I can’t wait to head Down Under for the Monster Energy AUS-X Open. The calibre of riders that the event brings each year makes me so pumped to get out there and take it to the world’s best on Aussie soil. Racing Chad Reed at home, is certainly not going to be easy, but a challenge I’m ready for.”

Rookie of the year Joey Savatgy World Supercross Championship
Joey Savatgy competing in the World Supercross Championship

The largest international Supercross and action sports event in the world outside of the USA, the Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne, will feature the world’s best riders going head-to-head on a full-sized World Championship style Supercross track for the first time ever inside Marvel Stadium.

It will also be an engineering feat, arguably unmatched by any Supercross event in the world, as supports imported and constructed in the lower level carpark, prepare to handle the immense pressure of up to 6,000 tonnes of dirt, machinery and infrastructure, all positioned within Australia’s largest indoor stadium.

Featuring live music and entertainment, stunning pyrotechnics and the world’s best freestyle motocross riders battling to win the best-trick and best-whip competitions; the Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne is an incredible entertainment spectacle for all ages.

The AUS-X Open Melbourne is the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship and is sanctioned by Motorcycling Australia (MA). *$39.95 Silver Tickets will incur additional transaction and booking charges.


Wollongong SX to Feature ‘Speed & Style’ Championship

Troy Bayliss Events have announced that the Recover8 Australian Speed & Style Championship will be held on Saturday the 9th of November at Wollongong WIN Stadium – coinciding with Round 3 of the Australian Supercross Championships.

Recover Australian Speed and Style Championship will feature at Wollongong
The Australian Speed & Style Championship will also be featured at Wollongong

The exclusive feature for fans attending the Wollongong Supercross, Recover8 Australian Speed & Style Championship will be run and won on the night, in a thrilling elimination style winner takes all format.

Australian and International riders are invited to compete, with the winner crowned the Official Australian Speed & Style Champion by sanctioning body Motorcycling Australia.

Speed and Style is a unique sport that originated at the American X-Games and combines the technical racing skills of Supercross with the incredible talents of Freestyle Motocross, giving fans an unbeatable mix of speed and wow.

Riders will race head-to-head, across whoops, over jumps and around berms with the added obstacle of a steel up-ramp and 75-foot gap for a finish line, allowing riders to perform backflip variations, huge whips and much more. Riders are judged based on a combination of time and the difficulty of tricks performed within the short action-packed race.

ASBK Test Wakefield TDJimagesDay Wayne Maxwell Troy Bayliss
Troy Bayliss right – TDJ Images
Troy Bayliss

“If you haven’t planned your trip to Wollongong Supercross yet, I suggest you do. Not only will fans be treated to an incredible night of Bar to Bar Supercross Action they will now be on the edge of their seats watching the best in the business compete for the Recover8 Speed & Style title. Troy Bayliss Events welcomes Recover8 as the official partner to the Australian Speed & Style Championship. Recover8 is a brand new supplement product that is being widely promoted as a go-to product by many elite athletes here in Australia and around the world, and makes for a perfect fit for this exciting feature.”

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James Stewart finally announces retirement

James Stewart, the seven-time AMA Motocross and Supercross Champion, who has not raced since July 23, 2016, has finally announced that he is retiring from the sport.

James Stewart

“Where I’m at in my life, I think it’s time to say I’m retiring. I’ve retired, it’s hard for sure, because I love racing and I love the fans, I love the opening ceremonies, I love the autograph lines, but I don’t miss the sweat and tears and training and having to feel like you have to win every race and having to be James Stewart. I don’t love doing that anymore.”

James Stewart has FINALLY announced his retirement
James Stewart retires

Stewart had a controversial career where he at times put other riders at risk with his brash riding style and while he was once known as the “fastest man on the planet,” he was also known as the “fastest soil sampler on the planet” with multiple crashes tainting what was supposed to be a dominating and long career – of which neither materialised.

Stewart retires with 20 career 250/450 Class wins in AMA Pro Motocross (fifth all-time) and 28 career 125/250 Class wins (first all-time) and 50 supercross wins.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Honda’s Tim Gajser wins in Portugal | Prado tops MX2

MXGP 2019

Round 6 – Agueda, Portugal


MXGP arrived in Agueda, Portugal where it was Team HRC’s Tim Gajser claiming the round win after two dominant performances, that left Tony Cairoli settling for second, helping Gajser close in on the championship lead.

MXGP Portugal Rnd MX GP PH
MXGP of Portugal 2019

In MX2 it was a great weekend for Mitch Evans claiming third overall with a 4-3 result, while Jed Beaton had to settle for nine-points with a 12th place in Race 1. Jorge Prado claimed the round win from Thomas Kjer Olsen and the championship lead in the same swoop, with just three-points separating the two.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Portugal 2019

Agueda’s clay soil is rich with color but the racing was even more vibrant as thousands of fans filled the trackside hills to take in the action. Graced with blue skies and sunshine the track was prepped to perfection but the riders of MXGP and MX2 still had their hands full as it developed into a challenging circuit as racing progressed.


MXGP

MXGP Racing started with a Fox Holeshot from Antonio Cairoli – his eighth this season – while Cairoli’s main competitor so far this year, Tim Gajser, was in second through the first corner and immediately gave chase to the Sicilian.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Tony Cairoli
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Portugal 2019

The front runners were first followed by Arnaud Tonus, Jeremy Seewer, and Gautier Paulin. Paulin however fell out of the top five on the opening lap which left him to resume the race nearly dead last. His teammate Tonus went from fourth to third with a pass on fellow countryman Jeremy Seewer.

The two Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team riders Clement Desalle and Julien Lieber held down fifth and sixth from the start with Lieber taking the lead role.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Desalle GP PH
Clement Desalle – MXGP of Portugal 2019

About three quarters of the way through the race Gajser’s continual pressure paid off when Cairoli stalled the engine out of corner and although he was able to get back going it was all the #243 needed to take over the lead. Cairoli latched right onto the Slovenian and during the final two laps made a push to pass but the sprinting speed of Gajser got the better of the Italian.

Behind Gajser and Cairoli at the finish was Tonus, Seewer, Lieber, Desalle, and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass. Paulin rode at an incredible pace through the field moving in and out of the race line to come from last to 15th.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Tim Gajser
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Portugal 2019

Race 2 started with a Fox Holeshot from Tonus for his first time this year but Desalle took the lead and Cairoli slid into second position by the first downhill. Gajser was in fifth behind Seewer but made it into fourth by the end of the first lap. Paulin was off to a much better start in sixth meanwhile, with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s Romain Febvre adding to the YZ frenzy in seventh.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Romain Febvre
Romain Febvre – MXGP of Portugal 2019

As Desalle led Cairoli it was Gajser making passes first on Tonus for third and then both Cairoli and Gajser got by Desalle in the same section. Cairoli was into the lead but within one lap a mistake saw him fall and drop to fifth. With Gajser in the lead Cairoli immediately retook fourth position then after four laps both Tonus and the #222 passed Desalle.

With four laps to go Cairoli passed Tonus to get into second but Gajser was already long gone taking an emphatic overall victory via double race wins for the second time this season. Cairoli took 2-2 for second overall while Tonus reached the podium in his stunning ride and hard fought 3-3 finishes.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Gajser bybavo
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Tim Gajser – P1

“It was really great to come away with two wins and the overall here in Portugal. I put last weekend behind me and I knew that if I focused and rode like I know how to ride, I could do well at this Agueda track. Still, to get both moto victories is a great confidence booster and backs up my win in Trentino very nicely. I now have the fastest laps in the last four motos so my speed is good and I know I am feeling strong too. These back to back races are tough but I head to France really happy with my riding and confident that the bike and I are working well together. A big thanks to the team for working so hard to help make this happen, and let’s keep up the effort!”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Gajser bybavo
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Antonio Cairoli – P2

“On one side I’m happy because the goal is to always be on the podium but in another way I’m disappointed. In the first moto I made a silly mistake and I stalled the bike but I could get back to Tim. In the second I was swapping lines. Where I crashed was a lottery, there was a lot of mud and I chose another line at the last moment and there was a rock that twisted my front end. I’m happy I didn’t hurt myself.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Tony Cairoli
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Arnaud Tonus – P3

“It feels amazing to be back on the podium. It’s hard to put the feeling into words actually. I just feel thankful. Really thankful. Thankful to my team, and to Yamaha, and all of the people who support me for sticking behind me through what was the toughest time in my career. To be back up here after all of that is so cool. I am so happy and especially because I had to fight really hard for this result. I was passed and I had to pass people back and fight really hard, and that just makes a result like this so much sweeter, to know that I fought for it.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Arnaud Tonus
Arnaud Tonus – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Clément Desalle – P4

“It was a decent day if we consider that I couldn’t ride so much during the past weeks and there some positive points. It was great to lead the second moto with a very good rhythm for so many laps and that’s encouraging for the next rounds. I continue to recover from my knee injury and I feel that it’s coming better each week. The other positive point are my starts, and then to score a sixth and a fourth give me good points for the championship. Physically it’s still tough to maintain such a high intensity for the entire race but I know that I will be able to continue to improve my condition in the coming weeks.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Desalle GP PH
Clement Desalle – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Jeremy Seewer – P5

“I had a positive weekend. I had two good starts from a bad gate pick, especially on this kind of start. I had good speed this weekend. I finished fourth in the first race which was really good because I struggled yesterday, but I felt good today. Second race was really good again, I settled in fifth, but the entry into the wave section here is really tricky. There are rocks, ruts, kickers, no kickers, lots to consider and every lap you get there, the bike handles differently. I got kicked sideways on the last lap and slid it out. I lost five spots. I still reached my goal, so this is positive for the next races.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Jeremy Seewer
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Pauls Jonass – P6

“I’ve really enjoyed the GP of Portugal. It’s a track I’ve always liked and the conditions were pretty much perfect here. I guess I was feeling good after my podium result in Italy last weekend, but it also feels good to get a strong result in more normal conditions. My physical fitness is improving all the time and as it does I’m able to enjoy racing a 450 more and more. I didn’t get the best of starts here, but I made some important passes in the first laps of both races, which really helped me. The track was fast and a lot of riders were really pushing hard, so it wasn’t easy to make passes. I rode consistently during both motos, which was also important. I feel like I’m making some good progress, which gives me extra motivation to keep working hard with the team.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Pauls Jonass
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Portugal 2019 – Image by Juan Pablo Acevedo

MXGP Results – Portugal MXGP

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:00.609
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.197
  3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:17.885
  4. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:27.240
  5. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:28.880
  6. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:29.847
  7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:35.562
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:51.205
  9. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:52.970
  10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +0:53.969

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:47.988
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:10.604
  3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:12.909
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:15.819
  5. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:18.856
  6. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), +0:20.225
  7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:22.115
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:24.630
  9. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:27.080
  10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:30.999

MXGP Overall Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44
  3. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 40
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 33
  5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 29
  6. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 28
  7. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 28
  8. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 27
  9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 26
  10. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 22

MXGP ChampionshipTop Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 285 points
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 251
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 197
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 175
  5. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 166
  6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 153
  7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 137
  8. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 136
  9. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 122
  10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 120


MX2

MX2 racing was also full of action starting with Jorge Prado taking again scoring the Fox Holeshot while behind him a second turn pile up held back several riders. Michele Cervellin was in second on the opening lap, but Henry Jacobi surged past along with Thomas Kjer Olsen a short time later.

MXGP Portugal Rnd MX GP PH
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Portugal 2019

The race then ended abruptly for Cervellin when he crashed in spectacular fashion during lap 7. Honda 114 Motorsport’s Mitch Evans took over the fourth position Cervellin crashed out of with the Mathys Boisrame getting into the top five as well. Evans then lost fourth to both Boisrame and Jago Geerts. Boisrame was shifted back seven laps later when Geerts and Evans took fourth then fifth away.

Back at the front Olsen made a pass on Jacobi with two laps to go and as Jacobi pushed to reclaim the spot he instead fell and lost four positions on the last lap. Prado took the race win with Olsen 2nd ahead of Geerts, Evans, and Boisrame.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Portugal 2019

MX2 Race 2’s Fox Holeshot was taken by the wildcard EMX250 entry of Roan Van de Moosdijk, however Prado got the better of Van de Moosdijk into the second corner and took the lead. Van de Moosdijk dropped back to fourth while his teammate Jacobi moved to third.

Prado lost his lead to the Australian Mitch Evans before the end of the first official lap and held it for another four while Prado looked for an opportunity to pass. Cervellin returned to race after his crash earlier in the day and though banged up was in the top five as the race progressed.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Portugal 2019

Olsen made a mistake and had a back of the pack start but surprisingly didn’t crash after clipping another rider. By the sixth lap Olsen had worked up to fifth from tenth passing Cervellin and a handful of others in the process. With five laps remaining Jacobi made a pass on Evans to take over second and a lap later Olsen made one more pass to get into fourth past Van de Moosdijk.

All the while Prado continued to lead before taking the checkered flag for his 5th 1-1 result of 2019. Olsen finished 2nd overall but it was a bitter sweet moment as he also lost the championship lead to Prado. For the second time in his rookie MX2 season Evans reached the podium in 3rd position.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado on the MX2 podium – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Jorge Prado – P1

“This is the closest race to a home GP for me, we are very close to Spain and there are so many fans that came out and many were cheering for me, I really enjoy it. When I went onto the podium they went crazy so it is great to have a race like this and it was a great weekend. For me it was important to get the red plate because I feel more comfortable with it but it is tough to keep so I try to not make any mistake but in motocross you never know.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Thomas Kjer Olsen – P2

“Generally, I’m very pleased with how I’ve ridden here in Portugal. Losing the red plate isn’t great, I never wanted that, but again my speed has been good and to get second overall after a tough second moto is great. I felt good all weekend, and I’d been looking forward to the GP. Things are heading in a good direction so plenty of positives from the both races in Portugal. I got a good start in the opening race and worked my way from fifth to third. The pace was really strong and we were all pushing really hard and using a lot of energy. Second in that first race was really good. I was pretty lucky in the second race that I didn’t go down entering the first corner – I ended up going right when the corner went left. I had a lot of work to do after that and just rode as hard as I could. Working my way back to fourth was good. Carrying the red plate into more GPs would have been nice, but nothing changes now that I don’t have it. I want it back. I want to be winning races. I just need to keep focused and work on consistent starts.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Mitch Evans – P3

“It feels great to be back on the podium, we had a few tough weekends with some little injuries and my fitness dropped off because of it. We are finally back to the normal program and I am feeling a lot better which also gives a lot confidence coming into the weekend.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Portugal 2019
Henry Jacobi – P4

“Normally with a fourth overall I would be happy, but it’s a little bit disappointing because I was third or second during the first race until I had a big crash in the waves on the last lap. I tried to pass back Olsen but he changed his line and took mine so I had to use a different one too but there was a stone and I saw it too late. It was a big crash; I was even wondering if I would be able to race the second moto as my hand was painful but I decided to have a go, made a good start and didn’t feel any pain! I eventually passed Evans for second and it remains very good for the championship so we can’t be unhappy tonight.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Jacobi GP PH
Henry Jacobi – MXGP of Portugal 2019

MX2 Results – Portugal MXGP

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:07.339
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:03.304
  3. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:27.504
  4. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:28.329
  5. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +0:34.618
  6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:35.418
  7. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:44.519
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:45.789
  9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:51.829
  10. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +0:53.710
    …12. Jed Beaton (Husqvarna) 36:03.407

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:47.966
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:03.912
  3. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:05.411
  4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:12.005
  5. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:23.210
  6. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Honda), +0:36.473
  7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:41.227
  8. Darian Sanayei (USA, Kawasaki), +0:43.706
  9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:45.287
  10. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:46.503

MX2 Overall Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 40
  3. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 38
  4. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 36
  5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 24
  6. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 23
  7. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 23
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 22
  9. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 20
  10. Mitchell Harrison (USA, KAW), 18
    …21. Jed Beaton (AUS, Hus) 9

MX2 ChampionshipTop Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 250 points
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 247
  3. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 193
  4. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 170
  5. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 164
  6. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 155
  7. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 155
  8. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 128
  9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 127
  10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 122
    …13. Jed Beaton (AUS, Hus) 87


WMX

MXGP and MX2 weren’t the only world championship classes racing this weekend in Portugal as the fastest riders of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship returned for the WMX round of Portugal.

MXGP Portugal Rnd WMX Start
WMX Start – MXGP of Portugal 2019

Following the opening round in the Netherlands at Valkenswaard it was Belgium’s Amandine Verstappen carrying the red plate into Agueda this weekend. Saturday hosted the first race of the two-day, two race, event and unfortunately for Verstappen her winning ways would not be repeated. Instead it was Bike IT DRT Kawasaki’s Courtney Duncan who dominated the field for his win of the year.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Courtney Duncan GP PH
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019

At the start of race 1 Verstappen crashed and by the time she was back up she was buried at the back of the field. Larissa Papenmeier led Duncan down the first downhill with Nancy Van De Ven in third. Before the opening lap was complete Duncan took the lead from Papenmeier on the inside of one of the turns.

JK Racing Yamaha’s Lynn Valk pressured Van de Ven for third but was unable to pass her Dutch compatriot. Meanwhile Verstappen fell again dropping from 16th to 20th forcing her to go back to work all over again. Digging deep Verstappen made her way up to 10th but in the lead it was Duncan, all race, taking the win ahead of Papenmeier, Van de Ven, Valk, and Sara Andersen.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Courtney Duncan GP PH
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019

WMX Race two took place this afternoon and Van de Ven rocketed into the first turn taking the holeshot and lead over Duncan and Papenmeier with Line Dam also in the mix. Verstappen’s weekend went from bad to worse getting caught in a pile up with 2 other riders.

Duncan didn’t take long to get past Van de Ven making a pass stick during the second lap and never looking back. Sara Andersen and Line Dam then had a battle but Andersen came out as the faster of the two Danes. Valk also passed Dam for her best ever WMX result while Verstappen never gave up charging through the field for a second day in a row.

MXGP Portugal Rnd Duncan GP PH
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019

At the finish Duncan took the race win making it her second year in a row going 1-1 in Portugal but her first overall victory of 2019. 2ndand 3rdin the race, Van de Ven and Papenmeier were also second and third overall. The top five overall was filled out by Andersen and Valk as Verstappen’s resilience salvaged 9thoverall. The championship leaders red plate now belongs to Duncan with 89 points total which is four ahead of Van de Ven now in second.

Courtney Duncan

“I was really happy with the weekend; the goal was to put two solid races together and I did that.  I got blocked in at the first turn in that second race, but I didn’t panic, sorted out a good place to make a clean pass and could race away. I’m just taking it race by race at the moment and not really thinking about the championship, but I’m stoked to get the double win and take the red plate to the next round. We’ve got a nine week break now, so I’ll be going back to New Zealand to keep doing the work and come out swinging at Loket.”

MXGP Portugal Rnd Courtney Duncan GP PH
Courtney Duncan – MXGP of Portugal 2019

Duncan will now return to New Zealand to continue her training before taking the red plate into round 3 in Loket, Czech Republic the 27th and 28th of July.

MXGP Portugal Rnd WMX Podium
WMX Podium – MXGP of Portugal 2019

WMX Results – MXGP of Portugal

WMX Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 25:37.493
  2. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:12.938
  3. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:20.911
  4. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +0:49.788
  5. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +0:59.251
  6. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:07.227
  7. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +1:13.030
  8. Line Dam (DEN, Honda), +1:34.821
  9. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:39.651
  10. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:42.185

WMX Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 24:51.296
  2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:30.514
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:45.003
  4. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +1:08.450
  5. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +1:13.670
  6. Line Dam (DEN, Honda), +1:14.835
  7. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:24.616
  8. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +1:25.103
  9. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +1:28.714
  10. Britt Van Der Werff (NED, Husqvarna), +1:39.760

WMX Overall Top Ten

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 50 points
  2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 42
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 42
  4. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 34
  5. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 34
  6. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 29
  7. Line Dam (DEN, HON), 28
  8. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 27
  9. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 23
  10. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 20

WMX ChampionshipTop Ten

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 89 points
  2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 85
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 82
  4. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 67
  5. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 63
  6. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 61
  7. Line Dam (DEN, HON), 54
  8. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 54
  9. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), 49
  10. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 37

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto Wrap | MXGP | WESS | Speedway | AFT | SX | X Trial

Moto News Wrap for May 14, 2019 by Darren Smart

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The LATEST News

  • Cairoli & Prado dominate MXGP of Lombardia
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  • Roman wins WESS of Portugal
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  • Euro Flat Track kicks off
  • Sipes wins Hawaiian Supercross
  • Ferris and Waters set for Hangtown
  • Broc Tickle back in 2020
  • Manjimup to welcome Clout and Gibbs
  • X Trial Australian Championship returns for 2019
  • Weekly update on our Aussies abroad

Cairoli & Prado dominate MXGP of Lombardia

Mantova in Italy hosted the 5th round of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship last weekend with the MXGP of Lombardia being completely dominated by Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado in the MXGP and MX2 categories respectively.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd LUPINO GP PH
MXGP took to Lombardia for Round 5

MXGP Report

On a track that was full of sloppy mud it was smooth sailing for Cairoli who recorded the perfect weekend leading 42 laps over the weekend to take wins in the qualifying race on Saturday and both points scoring motos on Sunday for his fourth Matova GP win this time ahead if Pauls Jonass, Gautier Paulin, Clement Desalle, and Glen Coldenhoff.

Antonio Cairoli

“It is very nice to be again in Italy, despite the weather there were a lot of people today, so I am very thankful they keep coming and keep cheering. I am really happy of course, thanks to all the team for their hard work again and I am looking forward to next week in Portugal which is another track that I really like.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Tony Cairoli
Antonio Cairoli – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Pauls Jonass

“It feels really good to be back here and especially with the MXGP guys. It has been a tough winter and a tough few months but it feels really great to be up here. We still need to keep working hard because I’m far off from my best shape but we will keep working and hopefully I can be back on the podium again soon.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Pauls Jonass
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Gautier Paulin

“When the track is really rough like this you can gain a lot of points but you can also lose them. I am pretty happy, after the break we made a big step with the bike, I really feel good. Today wasn’t the result I expected but I am on the box so it is always a pleasure for my team and myself. There will be good GP’s coming and I can’t wait to get behind the gate again.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

MXGP of Mantova 2019 Results

MXGP Race 1

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 36:48.024
  2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:10.064
  3. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:21.379
  4. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), +0:27.299
  5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:39.542
  6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:49.512
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:52.425
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:57.535
  9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:03.646
  10. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:10.362

MXGP Race 2

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:37.572
  2. Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +0:07.068
  3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:11.327
  4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:15.790
  5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:15.887
  6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:17.780
  7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:47.849
  8. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:51.229
  9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:54.290
  10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:11.509

MXGP Round Overall

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points
  2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 42
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 33
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 30
  5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 29
  6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 26
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 26
  8. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 26
  9. Brian Bogers (NED, HON), 23
  10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, KAW), 19

MXGP Standings

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 241 points
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 201
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 175
  4. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 146
  5. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 142
  6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 124
  7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 118
  8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 109
  9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 100
  10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 94

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MX2 Report

Prado took his fourth GP win over championship leader Thomas Kjer Olsen, Davey Pootjes and Aussie Mitch Evans but he win from Prado was not enough to take over the red plate from Olsen but the gap now drops from the previous 20 points to only 7.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

Evans rode solid in the tough conditions for 8-6 moto results to now sit eighth in the championship points while Jed Beaton scored a sensational third in the opening moto and was running in sixth in the second moto until a crash put him back to an eventual 17th for seventh overall to now be 12th in the championship points.

Jorge Prado

“It is great to come back, get on the podium, and winning the GP was very important for me, especially for my confidence after a month off. Today it was important to get a good start, I failed at that yesterday but today I got really good starts which were key to the race. It is very tough to not make mistakes, get good starts every time, and don’t crash, I just need to keep concentration to lead.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Thomas Kjer Olsen

“Overall it was a great weekend for me, in the first race I had that problem on the start where I was down for a bit, I was pretty far behind but I was able to make up some spots in the first laps and get into to a good position pretty quick I worked into the top ten and even got into 6th. So, after being down it was pretty good for me, I even stopped to change my goggles. Overall I felt like I was riding good this weekend.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Davy Pootjes

“It is really good and I am really happy because it has been tough. This podium should have happened maybe 4 years ago but because of crashes, injuries, and some bad luck it didn’t happen. Last winter, together with DIGA Procross, we made a plan, worked really hard, and it payed off. I feel this is the place where I should be and I am not done yet.”

MX2 of Mantova 2019 Results

MX2 Race 1

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:18.651
  2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:05.836
  3. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:26.496
  4. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:40.315
  5. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +1:05.236
  6. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +1:12.915
  7. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), +1:37.577
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +1:47.716
  9. Morgan Lesiardo (ITA, KTM), +1:50.638
  10. Richard Sikyna (SVK, KTM), +1:51.878

MX2 Race 2

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 36:52.290
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:08.779
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:36.069
  4. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:52.541
  5. Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:58.348
  6. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +1:01.889
  7. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +1:11.299
  8. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:13.390
  9. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), +1:17.228
  10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +1:19.630

MX2 Round Overall

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 37
  3. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 36
  4. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 28
  5. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), 26
  6. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 25
  7. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 24
  8. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 22
  9. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 20
  10. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, HON), 20

MX2 Standings

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 207 points
  2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 200
  3. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 157
  4. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 150
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 145
  6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 141
  7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 122
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 117
  9. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 112
  10. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 105


Kras & Guadagnini Win 2-Stroke Classes in Lombardia

Europe’s Two-Stroke categories of EMX2T and EMX125 were on hand at Lombardia last weekend with two days of racing action won by Mike Kras (EMX2T) and Mattia Guadagnini (EMX125).

EMX125 Report

Guadagnini’s veteran like performance saw him take both race wins and as a result the overall ahead of Simon Laegenefelder (2-7) and Eddie Jay Wade (12-2) results. Guadagnini’s points lead is now 35 as the class takes one week off before returning alongside the MXGP of France at Saint Jean d’Angely.

MXGP Lombardia EMX action at Lombardia
EMX125 Start

EMX125 Results

EMX125 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), 30:50.128
  2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:08.683
  3. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:30.702
  4. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), +0:34.854
  5. Alberto Barcella (ITA, KTM), +0:40.152
  6. Kjell Verbruggen (NED, Husqvarna), +0:40.491
  7. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:41.351
  8. Gerard Congost Aguilera (ESP, KTM), +0:42.093
  9. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), +0:54.743
  10. Raffaele Giuzio (ITA, KTM), +0:59.405.

EMX125 Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), 31:07.966
  2. Eddie Jay Wade (GBR, KTM), +0:26.671
  3. Guillem Farres Plaza (ESP, KTM), +0:33.403
  4. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), +0:51.148
  5. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:59.091
  6. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:59.572
  7. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), +1:01.762
  8. Kjell Verbruggen (NED, Husqvarna), +1:06.516
  9. Kay Karssemakers (NED, KTM), +1:26.262
  10. Alessandro Facca (ITA, KTM), +1:32.632.

EMX125 Overall Top Ten

  1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 50 points
  2. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 36
  3. Eddie Jay Wade (GBR, KTM), 31
  4. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 30
  5. Guillem Farres Plaza (ESP, KTM), 28
  6. Kjell Verbruggen (NED, HUS), 28
  7. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 25
  8. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 25
  9. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 22
  10. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 16

EMX125 Championship Top Ten

  1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 143 points
  2. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 108
  3. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 95
  4. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 91
  5. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 90
  6. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 76
  7. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 73
  8. Guillem Farres Plaza (ESP, KTM), 71
  9. Kjell Verbruggen (NED, HUS), 53
  10. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 49

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EMX2T Report

Kras won the opening moto from the Pommie pairing of Todd Kellett and Brad Todd then in the second moto championship leader Brad Anderson took the win from Kras and Erik Williams so Anderson continues to lead the championship by 14 points over Kras.

MXGP Lombardia KRAS takes the win at Lombardia
Mike Kras

EMX2T Results

EMX2T Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 30:20.257
  2. Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:04.771
  3. Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:12.084
  4. Mario Tamai (ITA, KTM), +0:13.931
  5. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:21.327
  6. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:26.705
  7. Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:39.726
  8. Ben Putnam (GBR, Yamaha), +0:43.108
  9. Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), +0:44.718
  10. Erik Hugyecz (HUN, KTM), +0:45.229

EMX2T Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 30:21.942
  2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:31.382
  3. Erik Willems (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:36.552
  4. Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:57.783
  5. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +1:05.100
  6. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +1:06.501
  7. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:09.430
  8. Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), +1:38.804
  9. Marco Paganini (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:47.383
  10. Marco Lolli (ITA, Yamaha), +2:10.543.

EMX2T Overall Top Ten

  1. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 47 points
  2. Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 38
  3. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 33
  4. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 30
  5. Erik Willems (BEL, HUS), 26
  6. Mario Tamai (ITA, KTM), 26
  7. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 25
  8. Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), 25
  9. Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 25
  10. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 20

EMX2T Championship Top Ten

  1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 83 points
  2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 69
  3. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 67
  4. Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 58
  5. Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 58
  6. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 50
  7. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 46
  8. Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 42
  9. Ben Putnam (GBR, YAM), 39
  10. Marco Lolli (ITA, YAM), 39


Roman Wins WESS of Portugal

Spain’s Mario Roman has claimed victory over Wade Young and Manuel Lettenbichler at round one of the 2019 World Enduro Super Series – the Toyota Porto Extreme XL Lagares, in Portugal.

WESS Rnd Extreme XL Lagares Sat Enduro racing in Porto FM
Extreme XL Lagares – Saturday Urban Enduro

Following two days of action-packed Endurocross and City Prologue racing, the stage was set for Sunday’s Hard Enduro feature race with 300 competitors taking on the two laps of the demanding course.

WESS Rnd Extreme XL Lagares Sun River Atmos FM
Extreme XL Lagares – Sunday

Alfredo Gomez and Taddy Blazusiak led the field away but Lettenbichler soon moved into the lead and opened up a five-minute advantage over Young with Billy Bolt, Jonny Walker, Graham Jarvis and Roman all in tow.

WESS Rnd Extreme XL Lagares Sun Atmos FM
Extreme XL Lagares – Sunday

Heading out for lap two, Lettenbichler was now six minutes clear and looking strong but Roman and Young had other ideas and impressively upped their pace in the deteriorating conditions and it wasn’t long Roman put his Sherco in front and, in charging all the way to the finish, claimed a memorable victory and the opening win of the WESS season. Young finished four minutes behind as runner-up.

Mario Roman

“I feel amazing, it’s so good to get the win, in 2016 I finished about a minute behind Alfredo and then two years in a row I had mechanical issues with my bike, but I always believed in myself and knew I could do it this year. On the first lap I was lying fifth or sixth and I couldn’t see the top two guys, but as the race went on, I started to feel stronger and was able to push 100% and pass the others one-by-one. The track was so much more difficult on the second lap and I knew I would be able to make up time on those tricky sections.”

WESS Rnd Extreme XL Lagares SunMario Roman FM
Mario Roman claims the WESS 2019 Round 1 win at the Extreme XL Lagares
Wade Young

“It feels great to get second today. At one point I was down in sixth and I was lacking some confidence after struggling in one of the rivers – that spent a lot of my energy. I came back strong though and towards the end people were starting to get tired and I was able to dig a little deeper and keep going.”

WESS Rnd Extreme XL Lagares Sat Wade Young FM
Extreme XL Lagares – Wade Young

Jarvis initially looked to have snatched third from Lettenbichler on corrected time, but the German was awarded time he lost on lap one due to a track marking error and finished on the podium. With Jarvis content in fourth, Bolt completed the top five, while Walker rounded out the top six.

Manuel Lettenbichler

“I am so happy with my result and overall I had a really good race,  I didn’t realise at first the gap to the others was so big. I tried to stick to the same pace on the second lap, but Mario and Wade must have been flying. I think they probably pushed each other on the difficult stuff and were able to maintain a good speed when it got really tough. Graham also caught me at a few places, but I was able to stay ahead. I had to stop to move a bridge on the first lap so that cost me some time, but thankfully they have awarded that back to me and I have come away with third. It would have been nice to get the win, especially after leading for over half of the race. But whatever the result, I am happy with my riding and it’s been a good start to this year’s WESS championship.”

WESS Rnd Extreme XL Lagares Sun Manuel Lettenbichler FM
Extreme XL Lagares – Manuel Lettenbichler

The World Enduro Super Series continues with round two, the Trèfle Lozérien AMV in France, next weekend, May 17-19.

Results – Round 1: Toyota Porto Extreme XL Lagares

  1. Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 4:01:43.21
  2. Wade Young (Sherco – RSA) 4:05:59.04 +4:15.83
  3. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 4:07:09.68 +5:26.47
  4. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GB) 4:07:16.12 +5:32.91
  5. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB) 4:15:19.68 +13:36.47
  6. Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) 4:29:26.58 +27:43.37
  7. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP) 4:34:51.08 +33:07.87
  8. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL) 4:53:58.02 +52:14.81
  9. Travis Teasdale (KTM – RSA) 5:01:43.91 +1:00:00.70
  10. Jonathan Richardson (Husqvarna – GB) 5:11:22.83 +1:09:39.70

2019 World Enduro Super Series Standings (after round 1)

  1. Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 1000 points
  2. Wade Young (Sherco – RSA) 850 pts
  3. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 770 pts
  4. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GBR) 690 pts
  5. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB) 610 pts
  6. Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) 570 pts
  7. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP) 530 pts
  8. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL) 490 pts
  9. Travis Teasdale (KTM – RSA) 460 pts
  10. Jonathan Richardson (Husqvarna – GB) 430 pts
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Great Britain & Australia bound for Speedway of Nations Final

The Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Race Off 2 was held in Manchester last Saturday night and it was England with 26 points who triumphed over Australia and Denmark so all three teams have secured their places at the Finals in Togliatti, Russia on July 20 and 21.

Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Holder Fricke Lidsey ImageHaggisHartman
FIM Speedway of Nations – Image by Haggis Hartman

It was an impressive night for GB as triple world champion Tai Woffinden (12), Craig Cook (8) and Robert Lambert (6) all piled up the points while Australia booked the second automatic qualification berth after finishing level on 22 points with Denmark, but out-ranking their rivals after Chris Holder and Max Fricke finished second and third behind Danish rider Leon Madsen when the teams met in heat 18.

Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Fricke Holder ImageHaggisHartman
Max Fricke and Chris Holder – Image by Haggis Hartman

Holder scored two points from his opening two rides, but hit back with a win and two seconds.

Chris Holder

“It wasn’t too bad. It was a tough night and it’s a tough place here – everybody can be fast here. It’s a big, wide-open track. The bike setup is pretty much everything. My first couple were terrible, but once we got it working well, it got better. Me and Max had a couple of good races. The name of the game was just to get through in the top two. We didn’t want to be in the knock-out heats. We managed to sneak in, so we’re happy with that.”

Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Holder ImageHaggisHartman
Chris Holder – Image by Haggis Hartman

Denmark were forced to beat France in the final knock-out heat to earn their spot in Russia on a night plagued by bad luck.

Niels-Kristian Iversen

“We did it the hard way, it was difficult. We did have some bad luck and it cost us some points. I believe we could have won the meeting if things had gone our way in a few races. But we qualified and that’s the main thing. We really wanted to avoid the knock-out race at the end because you never know what’s going to happen in these races. We felt confident we were going to do it, but it is a little bit nerve-wracking. We had to do it the hard way, but we are through.”

Great Britain, Australia and Denmark are joined in the Finals by hosts Russia as well as Race Off 1 winners Sweden, Poland and Germany.

Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Fricke Holder ImageHaggisHartman
FIM Speedway of Nations – Image by Haggis Hartman

The next World Championships action sees the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series launch with the Boll Warsaw SGP of Poland this Saturday.

Race-Off 2 Results

  • GREAT BRITAIN 26
    • Tai Woffinden 12, Craig Cook 8, Robert Lambert 6.
  • AUSTRALIA 22
    • Chris Holder 9, Max Fricke 12, Jaimon Lidsey 1.
  • DENMARK 22
    • Niels-Kristian Iversen 15, Leon Madsen 5, Frederik Jakobsen 2.
  • FRANCE 16
    • David Bellego 10, Dimitri Berge 6, Gaetan Stella 0.
  • USA 16
    • Austin Novratil 1, Luke Becker 11, Broc Nicol 4.
  • LATVIA 16
    • Andzejs Lebedevs 14, Jevgenijs Kostigovs 2, Olegs Mihailovs 0.
  • FINLAND 8
    • Jesse Mustonen 0, Tero Aarnio 8, Timo Salonen 0.

Robinson Wins SoCal AFT Half Mile

American Flat Track ace Brandon Robinson put together a flawless performance to win last Saturday night’s Vance & Hines So-Cal Half-Mile at the Southern California Fairgrounds in Perris, Calif.

American Flat Track AFT Rnd Perris AFT Twins AXI
AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter

Robinson controlled the once stopped and restarted Main Event from race’s opening lap and by taking victory he became the first AFT Twins rider to claim more than one victory in 2019.

Brandon Robinson

“They all feel amazing. It’s great to be up here. Any time you’re on the box is good, but winning… this is what it’s all about. This is what we put in all the hard work for. My team busted their butts. My team owner, Jerry Kennedy, gives us everything we need to win. My crew chief, Brent Armbruster — the guy is amazing. We make a lot of decisions together, but there are some times he bails me out and gets the bike right. Man, he hit the nail on the head again tonight. This one is for my team.”

American Flat Track AFT Rnd Perris AFT Twins Perris AXI
AFT Twins – Image by Scott Hunter

After holding off Sammy Halbert for the first part of the race Robinson took the win by nearly two seconds over championship leader Briar Bauman and Halbert who in turn got the nod over fellow Harley rider Jarod Vanderkooi and defending champion Jared Mees.

American Flat Track AFT Rnd Perris AFT Twins Podium ERV
AFT Twins Podium 1) Robinson, 2) Bauman, 3) Halbert – Image by Scott Hunter

AFT Twins Main Event – So-Cal Half-Mile

  1. Brandon Robinson Indian FTR750 0:21.040
  2. Briar Bauman Indian FTR750 +1.833
  3. Sammy Halbert Harley-Davidson XG750R +3.646
  4. Jarod Vanderkooi Harley-Davidson XG750R +4.031
  5. Jared Mees Indian FTR750 +4.280
  6. Bronson Bauman Indian FTR750 +5.993
  7. Brandon Price Indian FTR750 +9.720
  8. Davis Fisher Indian FTR750 +10.050
  9. Robert Pearson Indian FTR750 +10.622
  10. Larry Pegram Indian FTR750 +12.028

AFT Twins Standings

  1. Briar Bauman 102
  2. Brandon Robinson 89
  3. Jared Mees 78
  4. Jarod Vanderkooi 66
  5. Sammy Halbert 61
  6. Henry Wiles 53
  7. Jeffrey Carver Jr. 51
  8. Larry Pegram 51
  9. Bronson Bauman 50
  10. Robert Pearson 45
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AFT Singles Report

Ryan Wells backed up his first podium of the season at the Arizona Super TT with his first win of the year in a virtual wire-to-wire triumph at the So-Cal Half-Mile ahead of podium first timer Michael Inderbitzin and championship leader Dalton Gauthier

American Flat Track AFT Rnd Perris AFT Singles Ryan Wells AXI
Ryan Wells – AFT Singles – Image by Scott Hunter
Ryan Wells

“TTs have never been my super strong suit so I knew getting a podium (at the Arizona Super TT), we had worked out the bugs that needed to be worked out. The Yamaha was awesome. It was huge for me to come in here and get the win. To lead all 15 laps… it was a long race for me mentally. It felt awesome to lead some laps and come out with the win. I can’t say enough about the whole Estenson racing family. That pit over there is literally a family. The camaraderie is awesome and I couldn’t get a win for a better group.”

American Flat Track AFT Rnd Perris AFT Singles Podium ERV
Ryan Wells topped the AFT Singles podium – Image by Scott Hunter

AFT Singles Main Event – So-Cal Half-Mile

  1. Ryan Wells Yamaha YZ450F 0:21.367
  2. Michael Inderbitzin Honda CRF450R +0.406
  3. Dalton Gauthier Husqvarna FC450 +1.315
  4. Dan Bromley KTM 450 SX-F +2.085
  5. Jesse Janisch +Yamaha YZ450F +2.332

AFT Singles Standings

  1. Dalton Gauthier 96
  2. Jesse Janisch 86
  3. Dan Bromley 73
  4. Mikey Rush 71
  5. Ryan Wells 56

Euro Flat Track Kicks Off

The Indian Motorcycle European Flat Track series, presented by the Dirt Track Riders Association (DTRA), kicked off at the Hells Race, Lelystad Stadium on Sunday May 5. Dirttrack Lelystad in Holland hosted the first ever running during the amazingly popular annual Hells Race meeting.

Indian European Flat Track Championship Rnd Hells RaceOver 150 riders raced classes including Hooligan, Vintage, Pro, Amateur, Newbie and Minibike. The program was action packed with some fantastic racing around Holland’s premier short track venue.

The Hooligan class battle did not disappoint at Hells Race. Racing was fast and tough on the soft light shale surface. The big bikes were hard to handle on the tight and deep short track, and rain during the afternoon made the racing really tricky.

Indian European Flat Track Championship Rnd Hells Race

It was Gary Birtwistle who skilfully lead the final from beginning to end. After a poor start Max Hunt managed to race to a very well deserved second place. Leah Tokelove, who raced superbly in her heats on the Indian Scout took a well-earned third place on the podium, giving the UK first, second and third positions.

Hooligan Class

  1. Gary Birtwistle – UK
  2. Max Hunt – UK
  3. Leah Tokelove – UK
  4. Jonathan Falkman – Sweden
  5. James Smith – UK

All three championship classes provided some amazing action and with riders from nine countries, the event had a truly international feel. The Pro Class was packed with Europe’s top dirt track riders, with a large showing from the UK, coupled with a strong field of other top riders from the Spain, Netherlands, Italy and Poland. The heats provided really tight racing. It was Ferran Sastre who was the only rider to win all his heats and took first pick for the Pro Final.

Indian European Flat Track Championship Rnd Hells RaceSastre had some very strong competition from Maikel Dijkstra who was fresh from training with Moto Anatomy’s Johnny Lewis and was showing some excellent pace on his home track. Both Toby Hales (Greenfield Dirttrack) and Gerard Bailo (Greenfield Dirttrack) flew in from riding Copa Rodi in Spain the day before.

Franc Sala was also racing well and taking heat wins. In the Pro final it was Ferran Sastre who raced with superb skill to win, with Maikel Dijkstra taking a very close second and Sala third giving the Spanish riders a strong presence on the podium.

Indian European Flat Track Championship Rnd Hells RacePro Class

  1. Ferran Sastre – Spain
  2. Maikel Dijkstra – Netherlands
  3. Franc Sala – Spain
  4. Toby Hales – UK
  5. Gerard Bailo – Spain
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The vintage Class had a massive entry with some really close racing on some of Europe’s most beautiful vintage machines. German rider Martin Huning was on fire in all his heats and won the finaI. In second place was DTRA Race Director Anthony Brown who was very strong in all his heats. And in third place was Swiss rider Michel Colaizzi.

Vintage

  1. Martin Huning – Germany
  2. Anthony Brown – UK
  3. Michel Colaizzi – Switzerland
  4. Sean Kelly – UK
  5. Christophe Canitrot – France

Krazy Horse’s Hooligan Team return to continue their UK DTRA flat track championship attack with the Indian Scout at MCN’s Festival of Motorcycling, Peterborough Arena, on May 18th and 19th – Join the event and experience the spectacle of Flat Track racing alongside live demo ride opportunities, see the entire Indian Motorcycle range on display and enjoy all the festival has to offer.

Indian European Flat Track Championship Rnd Hells Race2019 Hooligan Championship Dates

  • May 17/19 – MCN Festival, Peterborough Showground, UK
  • June 15 – El Rollo, Wheels & Waves, ESP – European Championship
  • August 9/10 – DIRTQUAKE, Arlington Stadium, Sussex, UK
  • September 21/22 – Greenfield Oval, Alford, UK – European Championship

Indian European Flat Track Championship Rnd Hells Race


Sipes Wins Hawaiian Supercross

Aloha Stadium hosted the first Supercross event in Hawaii in several years and it was former ISDE winner and multi-talented Ryan Sipes who came away with a surprise win over multi-Australian Supercross Champion Justin Brayton and multi-Arenacross Champion Tyler Bowers.

Ryan Sipes Justin Brayton Tyler Bowers top three Hawaiian Supercross
Ryan Sipes claims the Hawaiin Supercross win from Justin Brayton and Tyler Bowers

The event used a three-moto format and Sipes dominated the overall standings with 1-1-1 moto finishes ahead of Brayton, who finished second overall with 3-2-2 moto scores while Tyler Bowers rounded out the podium with 4-5-4 moto results.

Hawaiian Supercross Results 2019 450SX

  1. Ryan Sipes: 1-1-1
  2. Justin Brayton: 3-2-2
  3. Tyler Bowers: 4-5-4
  4. Mike Alessi: 7-4-3
  5. Austin Politelli: 2-3-12
  6. Ben LaMay: 6-9-6
  7. Josh Hill: 8-8-7
  8. Alex Ray: 11-6-8
  9. Jimmy Decotis: 5-13-11
  10. Kyle Chisholm: 13-7-5
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Broc Tickle Back in 2020

FIM have finally given their verdict on American racer Broc Tickle, who was suspended from the sport due to a report from the WADA accredited laboratory in Cologne indicating an adverse analytical finding of 5-methylhexan-2-amine, a specified substance under Section 6 (Stimulants) of the 2018 FIM Prohibited List, in a urine sample collected from him at the San Diego round of supercross.

Broc Tickle
Broc Tickle in 2018

Tickle had this to say on social media: “Finally got official sentencing from CDI panel and FIM, bummed I won’t be railing some corners this summer in Pro Motocross. I’ll be back 2/10/2020.”


Three Aussies Set for Hangtown

There will be three Aussies at the opening round of the AMA Motocross championship which will be held at Hangtown this weekend with Hunter Lawrence in the 250 class for Geico Honda being joined by Dean Ferris on the Factory Yamaha team and Todd Waters running a privateer Husqvarna.

Hunter Lawrence will be racing the SX East Coast Series
Hunter Lawrence

Moto News reported last week that Waters flew straight to America after winning the 5th round of the Australian MX Nationals at Murray Bridge with friends and family helping to contest the first three rounds of the series on a production FC450 Husqvarna.

Todd Waters

“With a seven-week break in the calendar, I’ve decided the best training I can do is to race, so I’ll head to the US this week with a small entourage of family and friends to line up as a privateer at the first three rounds of the AMA Outdoors.”

R Broadford MX Nationals PQ Todd Waters
Todd Waters

Ferris on the other hand got the call from Yamaha to fill in for the injured Aaron Plessinger with the Monster Energy Yamaha team alongside Justin Barcia.

Dean Ferris

“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!”

MXN Rnd Murray Bridge Dean Ferris
Dean Ferris

As for Lawrence, the former GP front runner was injured right before the supercross season and has spent the last 17 weeks getting ready for Hangtown to look for the young hard charger to be at the pointy end for the opening round and beyond.

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Manjimup to Welcome Clout and Gibbs

CDR Monster Energy Yamaha Team members Kirk Gibbs and Luke Clout are set to make the trip across the Nullarbor to take on the best in the West at Australia’s most prestigious single motocross event, the Manjimup 15000 on the 1st and 2nd of June. Kirk Gibbs is a past champion of the event and longing to have his name added to the trophy one more time.

Kirk Gibbs

“I have done Manjimup a few times over the years and it is an event that every motocross racer should do. It’s an amazing track to ride that offers challenges in its layout, its terrain and its physical demands. The atmosphere at the venue is also nothing like we experience back on the East Coast. There is always a big crowd on hand that line the entire track and make plenty of noise as they watch the races. They are motocross people who know about the sport and are enthusiastic to cheer on their favourite rider. My shoulder should be good to go and I’m looking forward to heading back to Manjimup and catching up with all the WA fans.”

R Broadford MX Nationals M Kirk Gibbs
Kirk Gibbs

For Luke Clout, 2019 will mark his first appearance at the event and the has the current MX Nationals points leader exciting about the prospect of racing on the famous Manjimup circuit and experience the race for the first time.

Luke Clout

“I have heard so many good things about Manjimup and it’s awesome to know I will finally be taking the trip over to contest the event. Dacka has told me so many stories about his time racing Manjimup and I hope my time there is half as exciting as his. And I’m not sure if I can bare another story about riding a 500cc two stroke on a track rough enough to swallow an ocean-liner. I have seen the track on video and watched some races there and it looks like such a fun track to ride. The schedule looks hectic with six motos during the day but that’s fine with me and I can’t wait to get behind the gate and race Kirk as well as all the WA riders.”

Luke Clout YZF
Luke Clout

X Trial Australian Championship returns for 2019

The 2019 X Trial Australian Championship contenders will compete in Perth and Wollongong in back-to-back weekends kicking off on WA on the 20th of July.

X Trial Australian Championship Preview
X Trial Australian Championship returns for 2019

X Trial features the best eight riders that get an invitation to test themselves through 5 difficult sections each weekends which will offer spectators 3 hours of entertainment.

Eight riders start the qualifying round and four progress to the final, to be crowned the X Trial Australian Champion!

X Trial Australian Championship Preview
X Trial Australian Championship
  • Round 1
    • Perth – Saturday July 20th, HBF Stadium, Mount Claremont WA
    • Gates open at 6pm – Main Event 6:30pm Start
  • Round 2
    • Wollongong – Saturday July 27th, WIN Ent Centre, Wollongong, NSW
    • Gates open at 6pm – Main Event 6:30pm Start
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Weekly Up-Date on Our Aussies Abroad

Jed Beaton – Rockstar Husqvarna

Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship
Current Standing: 12th after Round 5 of 17
Notes: Jed was on fire at the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy last weekend with a third in the opening moto before crashing out of 6th late in moto two in horrendously wet conditions to finish 17th for 7th overall – Jed has moved from 13th to 12th in the championship points.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Jed Beaton
Jed Beaton

Mitch Evans – 114 Honda

Championship: World MX2 Motocross Championship
Current Standing: 8th after Round 5 of 17
Notes: Mitch had a solid weekend at the MXGP of Lombardi in Italy last weekend with a 3rd in Saturday’s Qualifying race before going 8-6 on Sunday for 6th outright to maintain his 8th in the championship points – Evans was involved in a first corner crash in the opening moto so to claw his way back to 8th in the conditions shows his talent.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Mitch Evans
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.

GNCC Tayla Jones earned her third WXC win season Photo by Ken Hill
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.

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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.

MXoN Lawrence MX JK MXON Cover
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.

ADAC Youngsters Cup Jett Lawrence
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.

AMA SX Rnd Reed JK SX Seattle
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.

EnduroGP Rnd Wil Ruprecht
Wil Ruprecht (Team Yamaha Johansson MPE) – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1

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.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Rutledge
Meghan Rutledge

Josh Strang – Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki

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.

Kawasaki Team Green Babbitts Online Motorsports
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.

FIM ISDE Vina del Mar Day Mackenzie IMGDarioAgrati
Mackenzie Tricker – Image by Dario Agrati

Max Whale – Weirbach Racing Kawasaki

Championship: AFT Singles
Current Standings: 14th after Round 5 of 18
Notes: Max narrowly missed out on going to the final at the SoCal Half Mile on the 11th of May after scoring 12th in his Semi final so he has dropped to 14th in points but there are still 13 rounds to go.

Max Whale Taree
Max Whale at Taree

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Source: MCNews.com.au

KTM men, young and old, dominate Mantova MXGP

MXGP 2019

Round 5 – Lombardia, Mantova


Round 5 of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship arrived in Mantova, Italy over the weekend, with KTM’s domination continuing as Tony Cairoli claimed the MXGP win with a dominant display, leaving Honda and Husqvarna riders Jonass, Jasikonas and Bogers to fight over the remaining podium positions.

In MX2 it was Jorge Prado showing everyone how it’s done claiming both wins and moving to within seven-points of Championship leader Thomas Kjer Olsen. Jed Beaton claimed a podium position in MX2 Race 1, with a consistent Mitch Evans going 8-6 and claiming fourth overall for the round, with Beaton seventh.

The round marked MXGP’s return to the Mantova venue for the first time since the 2016 season, and fans watched on as the world’s best athletes showed their skills on the soggy sand. While the winds of change brought dramatic conditions they also provided epic action in a race where anything was possible.


MXGP

After evening storms the hard and dry surface was nowhere to be found, however Antonio Cairoli let it have no effect on his results starting race one with the Fox Holeshot. Cairoli’s biggest competitor as of late, Tim Gajser had a good jump off the line but lost traction on the front of his Honda heading into turn one which sent him over the bars along with several others.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Tony Cairoli
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

While Cairoli had the lead from the first turn, fellow Italian Ivo Monticelli and his teammate Max Anstie where in second and third. A mistake from Monticelli saw Anstie go past almost taking both down while Cairoli tipped over just a corner later. The bobble from Cairoli put Anstie on the Sicilian’s rear wheel but quick to regroup the #222 pulled back away.

Gajser’s race one went from bad to worse when he was clipped by another rider midair causing the Slovenian to resample the soil. The strong riding of Monticelli in third was all for nothing when his bike gave out just as Pauls Jonass took the spot halfway through the race.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Gajser bybavo
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

More crashes from Gajser held him to 10th while both Jonass and his teammate Arminas Jasikonis passed Anstie. The first checkered flag then went out with Cairoli taking the win 10 seconds ahead of Jonass, Jasikonis, Anstie, and Clement Desalle who rounded out the top five just ahead of Gautier Paulin.

Race 2 again saw Cairoli with the FOX Holeshot, his seventh of 2019, while Gajser came away clean but behind Cairoli was Paulin and Brian Bogers. Monticelli again had bad luck crashing in turn 2 and pulling out of the race.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Bogers bybavo
Brian Bogers – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

Not long after Monticelli’s mishap his teammate Max Anstie crashed together with Shaun Simpson. With Anstie also pulling out of the race Glenn Coldenhoff was now the lone Standing Construct rider as he ran in fifth position.

Brian Bogers took over second from Paulin early in the race with Jonass also getting past the #21. Jasikonis, unlike Jonass, was unable to match his strong race 1 result as he fought from 23rd on the first lap up to 15th by the finish.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Pauls Jonass
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

At the front it was all smooth sailing for Cairoli who recorded the perfect weekend leading 42 laps of the 42 available via 12 laps in Qualifying, 15 in Race 1, and another 15 in Race 2. The domination and double race win scored him the GP overall at Mantova for the fourth time in his career with two in MX2 (2007 & 2008) and two in MXGP (2010 and now 2019).

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

Taking the best single race result in his MXGP career was Bogers in second while Jonass took third, Paulin took fourth, Coldenhoff fifth, and Gajser sixth. The overall top five was filled out by Jonass taking his first MXGP Podium, Paulin, Desalle, and Coldenhoff.

Antonio Cairoli

“It was very nice to be back in Italy and despite the weather there was a lot of people here today. The race itself went perfectly and we knew the start would be important, especially on a track that was so rutted – it was completely different to what it was yesterday. I’m really happy and thanks to all the team for their great work. It is very early to look at the standings so my focus is to stay in front as long as possible and try not to make a mistake. Hopefully we can be on the podium again next week in Portugal. It is important to be consistent and my goal this season is to always be in the top three. We’ll see how it goes.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Tony Cairoli
Tony Cairoli – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Pauls Jonass

“This weekend has been really great. I think the qualification race, even if I didn’t get the result I hoped for, was really important for me. Getting a good start and running close to the front really gave me a lot of confidence, which I took into today’s racing. Of course, the track was muddy, but I like the mud, so I felt good. I didn’t get perfect starts, but I managed to make some quick passes and avoid making any big mistakes. Getting the runner-up result in the first moto felt so, so good. The track was a little more one-lined in the second moto but again I felt good. I felt like I was a little quicker than Bogers but I got sideways a few times trying to pass him, so I decided not to take any more chances and just settle down. Getting a good overall result is much more important. To finish second overall, to get my first MXGP podium, to be stood on the box with Cairoli, it’s a very special moment for me. I feel like something has clicked in a positive way now with racing a 450. I’m not at 100% yet but I’m feeling a lot more confident and this result gives me a lot of motivation to keep working hard.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Pauls Jonass
Pauls Jonass – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Gautier Paulin

“Today we had a difficult track, but we worked really hard over the last five weeks and made a big step forwards with the bike. I didn’t expect this result, but I am happy to be on the box. I am already looking forward to the next GP in Portugal, I really enjoy the track there so I can’t wait to get back behind the gate.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Arminas Jasikonis

“This has definitely been a special GP, but it’s not gone like I hoped it would with my result in the second moto. I had one positive race and one where I just focused on survival, if I’m honest. The first race went well, but I was a little too steady possibly. I had a good rhythm going and didn’t make any bad mistakes – it was good to get two Rockstar Energy Husqvarnas inside the top three. Race two was tough. I had to shut off down the start straight and from there things were difficult. I also fell and, well, it was a tough moto. I finished the race, I didn’t pick up any injuries and I’m still fourth in the championship, so things weren’t too bad. My speed in the opening race was good, so I’ll take that into the next GP, in Portugal.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Arminas Jasikonis
Arminas Jasikonis – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Clement Desalle

“When I saw the track this morning I wasn’t so confident as at the moment it’s difficult for me to put my leg on the ground if the bike slides. But it didn’t change my plan; the goal was to do the best I could and I think I achieved that. I had a good gate pick and got some decent starts in both motos. Fifth in the first race was a good result; I didn’t want to crash so I didn’t take any risks. The second moto was similar and I finished sixth for fourth overall. It’s a positive result if you consider that I couldn’t train on the bike for one month. I will continue to work this week physically and maybe get in some riding. This evening I feel some pain in my hands and shoulders but that’s normal after so long off the bike and I know that it will be better next week.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd DESALLE GP PH
Clement Desalle – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Tim Gajser

“It was a tough day, after a whole night of raining. The track was a bit sketchy and one-lined and it made the start very important. Unfortunately in the first race I crashed right at the beginning and had to go directly into the pit lane to change my goggles and remove my neck brace. During the race I made a few mistakes because I had to leave the main line to make the passes and this was where the track was very tricky. I was really disappointed to finish 10th and it’s not where I wanted to be. I had a slightly better start in race two, rounding the second bend in around 10th or 12th position. I was able to make a number of quick passes but when I got to behind Coldenhoff, I just couldn’t make the pass. I knew I was faster and I posted the fastest lap of the race but I just couldn’t get around him because of how one-lined the track was. Because of all the roost, I had to throw my goggles away and then it was very difficult. It was a horrible day but that’s sometimes how motocross can be. I will move on from here and head to Portugal extremely motivated to get back to winning ways.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Gajser bybavo
Tim Gajser – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Jeremy Seewer

“Tough conditions today, so considering that, my result was okay. A lot of people have bad races in these conditions and I was able to post two solid results. When you look at it like that, you have to be happy. I was 7th overall in the GP which is two places behind where I want to be, and I moved up to 6th in the championship, but it is not about that right now. I want to do better; I just need to learn to get through the first few turns without being bullied.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Jeremy Seewer
Jeremy Seewer – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Brian Bogers

“My good day actually started last night when it started raining, so that made the track a bit of a mess but I actually quite like these sort of conditions. Overall it wasn’t too bad and definitely not as bad as something like Russia a couple of years back but I knew that I could do well. In the first heat I got a terrible start because I crashed and got stuck under the bike and I couldn’t move until somebody helped me. After that I had to change my goggles and even with that I ended up 20th. It wasn’t the result I wanted so I was very focused for the second race, especially at the start and that helped me turn the first corner in third place. After a couple of laps, the rider in front of me crashed, so I stayed in second place for the rest of the race. My speed was very good, my fitness was good and I’m just really happy with this result. This whole team do a great job, they support me and keep believing in me and I know with their help I can do this on a normal track too. We are still building and this is great step in the process.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Bogers bybavo
Brian Bogers – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

MXGP of Mantova 2019 Results

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 36:48.024
  2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:10.064
  3. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:21.379
  4. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), +0:27.299
  5. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:39.542
  6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:49.512
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:52.425
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:57.535
  9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:03.646
  10. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:10.362

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:37.572
  2. Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +0:07.068
  3. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:11.327
  4. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:15.790
  5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:15.887
  6. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:17.780
  7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:47.849
  8. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:51.229
  9. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:54.290
  10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:11.509

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points
  2. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 42
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 33
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 30
  5. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 29
  6. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 26
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 26
  8. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 26
  9. Brian Bogers (NED, HON), 23
  10. Benoit Paturel (FRA, KAW), 19

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 241 points
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 201
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 175
  4. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 146
  5. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 142
  6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 124
  7. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 118
  8. Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 109
  9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 100
  10. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 94


MX2

While Cairoli dominated MXGP his young apprentice Jorge Prado took MX2 by storm. Prado took his sixth Fox Holeshot of 2019 to start race one as fellow Red Bull KTM rider Tom Vialle was second.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

Several riders were caught in a first turn pile up however including Calvin Vlaanderen, Henry Jacobi, and Mitch Evans. Michele Cervellin and Jago Geerts were both quick to get past Vialle and take over second and third while Prado led.

Vialle’s race only worsened as he fell and remounted in 18th before losing even more spots. On the contrary it was the red plate holder, Thomas Kjer Olsen, from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing who improved as the race went on. Olsen was around 23rd on the opening lap but by lap 5 had already made his way up to eighth.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

Cervellin then lost his second position to Geerts and to Jed Beaton before the Italian’s bike came to a halt. Olsen decided to take advantage of his gap and use the new Goggle lane for a fresh set of vision before passing both Iker Larranaga and Maxime Renaux for sixth.

With Olsen back in 6th Prado took the race and gained 10 points in the championship standings while Geerts came across the finish 5.8 seconds later in second ahead of Beaton, Davy Pootjes, and Bas Vaessen.

In race 2 Vialle got the better of Prado for the Fox Holeshot with Pootjes in third. Prado made his way past Vialle before the end of the lap however. Olsen then passed Pootjes to get into third along with Jacobi but Pootjes quickly retook fourth from the German.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

Olsen and Pootjes went on to pass Vialle while Beaton had a hard crash in sixth place. Jacobi’s bike then gave out just like many others as a result of the demanding conditions while Prado took the win ahead of Olsen, Vialle, Pootjes, and Dylan Walsh.

The undefeated overall winner for the fourth time this season was Jorge Prado while Olsen took second and Pootjes achieved his first career podium finish. The win from Prado was not enough to take over the red plate from Olsen but the gap now drops from the previous 20 points to only 7.

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Tom Vialle
Tom Vialle – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Jorge Prado

“After a month off it was good to come back and get on top of the podium; for the confidence also. I felt really good here from the beginning and it was important to make good starts today: that was the key of the race, as well as staying on two wheels! I enjoyed the second moto a lot. It was really nice to ride that track. It is a place where you need to get the rhythm and let it flow and roll. I could make it happen today. It is very difficult to stay at this level and not make any mistakes and good starts every time: it’s tough. I need to keep concentrating and catch the lead.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Thomas Kjer Olsen

“That was a tough GP, especially the first moto. Considering I got caught up in the first corner, as well as needing to make a goggle change, I’m pleased that I was able to work my way back to sixth. It’s never ideal to have so much work to do in a race, but I kept my cool and worked my way forward. I’m pleased with the way I rode. The track was tough, but I kind of enjoyed it. It was tricky in places but not too difficult, having some sand in the terrain meant it wasn’t full-on mud. I felt good in the second moto. A good start helped me a lot. I moved forward a few places and ran second for most of the moto, which I’m pleased with. It’s been a positive weekend and I’m looking forward to Portugal now.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen – MXGP of Lombardia 2019
Davy Pootjes

“It is really good and I am really happy because it has been tough. This podium should have happened maybe 4 years ago but because of crashes, injuries, and some bad luck it didn’t happen. Last winter, together with DIGA Procross, we made a plan, worked really hard, and it payed off. I feel this is the place where I should be and I am not done yet.”

Tom Vialle

“A much better second race and a good start. Jorge passed me on the first lap so I decided to follow him and I’m pleased with my feeling on the bike. The track was difficult with long ruts and I had some pain after my crash yesterday but to come back with that result in the second moto was good: I’m happy and a big thanks to all the Red Bull KTM team.”

MXGP Lombardia Rnd Tom Vialle
Tom Vialle – MXGP of Lombardia 2019

MX2 of Mantova 2019 Results

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:18.651
  2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:05.836
  3. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:26.496
  4. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:40.315
  5. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +1:05.236
  6. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +1:12.915
  7. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), +1:37.577
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +1:47.716
  9. Morgan Lesiardo (ITA, KTM), +1:50.638
  10. Richard Sikyna (SVK, KTM), +1:51.878

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 36:52.290
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:08.779
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:36.069
  4. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:52.541
  5. Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:58.348
  6. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +1:01.889
  7. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +1:11.299
  8. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:13.390
  9. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), +1:17.228
  10. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +1:19.630

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 37
  3. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 36
  4. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 28
  5. Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), 26
  6. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 25
  7. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 24
  8. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 22
  9. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 20
  10. Mathys Boisrame (FRA, HON), 20

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 207 points
  2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 200
  3. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 157
  4. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 150
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 145
  6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 141
  7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 122
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 117
  9. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 112
  10. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 105

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto Wrap | AMA SX | MXGP | EMX | AORC | Enduro

Moto News Wrap for April 9, 2019 by Darren Smart

Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
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The LATEST News

  • Tomac and Davalos win Nashville AMA SX
  • Gasjer and Prado double up at Trentino GP
  • Locals win EMX rounds at Trentino
  • Milner sweeps Dungog AORC – Full Results TBA
  • Smith wins fifth Condo 750
  • Haaker wins SuperEnduro Championship
  • Sam Sunderland wins Abu Dahbi Desert Challenge
  • Adrien Van Beveren wins Merzouga Rally 2019
  • MXGP Calendar Updates
  • AUS-X moves to Melbourne
  • MX Nationals return to Broadford this weekend
  • Metcalfe in doubt for Broadford
  • Monson/Summerhayes earn sidecar double at Gillman

Tomac and Davalos win Nashville AMA SX

Nashville hosted the 14th round of the AMA Supercross Championships last weekend and on a night that saw a series of ups and downs for the green team, it was Kawasaki riders Eli Tomac and Martin Davalos who won the 450SX and 250SX East main events respectively.

AMA Supercross Rnd Tomac Starts JK SX Nashville Cover
Eli Tomac – 2019 AMA Supercross – Nashville Round 14 – Image by Hoppenworld

The first blow for Kawasaki was when 250 East Coast championship leader Austin Faulkner took his traditional practice crash but this time the Pro-Circuit Kawasaki pilot was forced to sit out the night with a knee injury while Eli Tomac was forced to the LCQ after his KX450 ground to a halt while leading his heat race.

Find the full report here: Triumphs and tragedies for Kawasaki men at Nashville SX

450SX Report

Heat race winner Ken Roczen was in a class of his own leading into the main event while championship leader Cooper Webb looked far from convincing during qualifying and his heat.

AMA Supercross Rnd Roczen JK SX Nashville
Ken Roczen – 2019 AMA Supercross – Nashville Round 14 – Image by Hoppenworld

Eli Tomac found his mojo and raced by Wilson, Baggett and Webb to take the lead and just a few laps later Baggett move to second ahead of Webb. Savatgy was carted off the track with what looked like a broken collar bone, while Musquin worked his way through to field in a desperate attempt to salvage points.

It ended up being another 26-lap main event and Tomac took the chequered flag well ahead of Baggett, who had Webb right on his back wheel all of the way to the line.

AMA Supercross Rnd Webb JK SX Nashville
Cooper Webb – 2019 AMA Supercross – Nashville Round 14 – Image by Hoppenworld

Webb now has a 21-point lead over Tomac and Musquin with three rounds remaining so no matter the winners, three top four finishes would hand Webb the championship but there is plenty of mouth-watering racing to come.

Eli Tomac

“It was tough, you can use it (going to the LCQ) to your advantage or not, I actually felt that I kept warm and found some rhythm but it was pretty wild, the truck was a mile away so when we had the mechanical I had to push it all the way back which made it a time crunch (to get back in time for the LCQ) so I just poured it on in the main, got back to our old self and it felt good to do that.”

AMA Supercross Rnd Tomac JK SX Nashville
Eli Tomac – 2019 AMA Supercross – Nashville Round 14 – Image by Hoppenworld

450SX Main Event Results

  1. Eli Tomac
  2. Blake Baggett
  3. Cooper Webb
  4. Dean Wilson
  5. Zach Osborne
  6. Marvin Musquin
  7. Cole Seely
  8. Ken Roczen
  9. Justin Bogle
  10. Tyler Bowers
    …19. Justin Barcia
    …20. Justin Hill
    …21. Joshua Grant
    …22. Joey Savatgy

450SX Points after 14 of 17 Rounds

  1. Cooper Webb – 309
  2. Eli Tomac – 288
  3. Marvin Musquin – 288
  4. Ken Roczen – 267
  5. Blake Baggett – 238
  6. Dean Wilson – 220
  7. Cole Seely – 176
  8. Joey Savatgy – 174
  9. Justin Barcia – 154
  10. Chad Reed – 151
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250 East Coast Report

Chase Sexton and Justin Cooper came into Nashville 26 and 28 points behind Faulkner respectively so this was as good a chance to make up serious ground on the championship leader.

AMA Supercross Rnd Sexton JK SX Nashville
Chase Sexton – 2019 AMA Supercross – Nashville Round 14 – Image by Hoppenworld

Unfortunately for both riders Cooper had a complete brain fade in the second corner to not only dive bomb Sexton but then run the Honda rider so high they locked bikes and fell into each other. While Cooper and Sexton went through the traditional frantic bike pick up scenario Davalos inherited the lead and the eventual win, to do his teammate in Austin Forkner a massive favour.

AMA Supercross Rnd Webb Bogle Tomac Multiple JK SX Nashville
Cooper Webb – 2019 AMA Supercross – Nashville Round 14 – Image by Hoppenworld
Martin Davalos

“I was forced to recover from a myriad of injuries during the off-season and my neck was one of them that I didn’t think would be an issue but I had problems with my arms and hands locking up so I spoke to Mitch and we got a heap of doctors in California to check me out and find solutions, as far as tonight goes the guys made a mistake and I took advantage of it, put myself in the right position and what we did with my neck a week ago definitely calmed my neck a little bit but all up, I am pumped to be here and this is awesome. I am looking for a 450 ride next year, I feel that would suit me better.”

AMA Supercross Rnd Davalos JK SX Nashville
Martin Davalos – 2019 AMA Supercross – Nashville Round 14 – Image by Hoppenworld

250 East Coat Main Event Results

1. Martin Davalos
2. Chase Sexton
3. Justin Cooper
4. Kyle Peters
5. Brandon Hartranft
6. Mitchell Oldenburg
7. Kyle Cunningham
8. Ryan Sipes
9. Mitchell Falk
10. Alex Martin

250 East Coast Points after 7 of 9 Rounds

  1. Austin Forkner – 151
  2. Chase Sexton – 148
  3. Justin Cooper – 144
  4. Martin Davalos – 115
  5. Mitchell Oldenburg – 105
  6. Alex Martin – 105
  7. Brandon Hartranft – 100
  8. Kyle Peters – 98
  9. Kyle Cunningham – 97
  10. Jordon Bailey – 76

250 West Coast Points after 8 of 10 Rounds

  1. Adam Cianciarulo – 182
  2. Dylan Ferrandis – 177
  3. Colt Nichols – 142
  4. RJ Hampshire – 126
  5. Shane Mcelrath – 123
  6. James Decotis – 112
  7. Chris Blose – 111
  8. Cameron Mcadoo – 111
  9. Michael Mosiman – 110
  10. Garrett Marchbanks – 99
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Gasjer and Prado double up at Trentino GP

On one of the most picturesque motocross circuits in the world, Tim Gajser has won a huge battle with championship leader and local Italian hero Antonio Cairoli to win the MXGP of Trentino. Jorge Prado completely dominated the MX2 class to move closer to the championship leader Thomas Kjer Olsen.

MXGP Rnd Trentino SANAYEI
MX2 Start – Trentino MXGP

MXGP Report

Cairoli holeshot the first race with Gajser a few spots back but the Honda rider has definitely found some serious mojo. He moved to the lead a few laps later and over the next 30 minutes he and Cairoli went toe-to-toe with Gajser getting the win by just 1.08 seconds from Cairoli, while third placed Gautier Paulin was almost a minute further back.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Tony Cairoli
Antonio Cairoli

Moto two saw Gajser earn the holeshot but once again it was a war between Cairoli and Gajser with some of the most hard-core racing one will ever see. Finally Cairoli over-committed going into a left hand corner and threw his KTM into the ground allowing Gajser to go through for a well-earned win and GP overall ahead of Cairoli.

Paulin earned another third for third overall and has moved to third in the points while Gajser has narrowed the championship point deficit to Cairoli by six points, to now sit just 16 points with 14 rounds remaining.

Tim Gajser

“It is just unbelievable and it is my first win in more than a year. To be here in Arco is always special, to race in front of so many people, so many fans. Today we had two great races with Tony battling, we were both pushing. I’m just so happy and thankful that we won that overall. The fans, they just push you on because every lap you can hear them cheering for you, it’s just an unbelievable feeling here.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Gajser bybavo
Tim Gajser
Antonio Cairoli

“The level was very, very high, we were on the limit every lap, pushing and pushing. I did my best lap time in the race faster than the time practice even with the track rougher, so it’s not often that you have this. I was trying to win the GP but Tim was better this time and he won so congratulations to him.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Antonio Cairoli
Antonio Cairoli
Gautier Paulin

“It’s always great to be on the podium, I’m actually happy about the riding and being on the box at the end of the day, but definitely, Tim and Antonio were faster today. So, we need to improve, we need to step up to the challenge and ride with them, be in that fight because as a racer when you fight for a win like that is unbelievable, it’s nice, it’s fun. The crowd was awesome here in Italy, the fans were crazy and I wasn’t in the battle but I was hearing the crowd from everywhere, actually every corner, so it was kind of special but congrats to these guys today!”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:13.822
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.081
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:53.919
  4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:00.314
  5. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:03.786
  6. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:05.635
  7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:06.887
  8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +1:07.631
  9. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +1:13.322
  10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +1:20.698.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:11.454
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:24.305
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:53.333
  4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:57.384
  5. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:58.712
  6. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:18.314
  7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:18.657
  8. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:25.075
  9. Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +1:31.843
  10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:36.522.
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MXGP Overall Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 40
  4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 36
  5. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 31
  6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 28
  7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KAW), 26
  8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 24
  9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 21
  10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 20

MXGP Championship Top Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 191 points
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 175
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 142
  4. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 120
  5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 113
  6. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 112
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 98
  8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 88
  9. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 79
  10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 71

MX2 Report

Prado’s domination was impressive with the defending champion scoring three holeshots, the Qualifying race win and the two GP race wins all by substantial margins. The hard charging Jago Geerts put together 2-2 moto results to put him on the podium for the second round in a row while young Tom Vialle’s 3-6 took the French rider to the final podium position, his second this season as well.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado

Red Plate holder Thomas Kjer Olsen seemed to be a little wild on his way to 5-4 moto results for fifth overall and now holds a 20-point lead over Prado and 23 points over Henri Jacobi, who went 4-5 for sixth overall on the day.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Thomas Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen

Mitch Evans battled through the pain of a qualifying race knee injury to finish 7th overall in his first visit to the iconic Italian venue to now sit eighth in the championship and has over a month to heal up before the next round on May the 12th in Mantova for the MXGP of Lombardia.

Jed Beaton is still struggling with the lack of bike time, but battled on to earn 12th and 13th for 12th outright and now sits 13th in the championship.

Jorge Prado

“I love racing here, the fans are just crazy. When you’re on the bike riding just the atmosphere makes you feel comfortable, this is what we like to see. We love to see this atmosphere at the track and when people are cheering during a Grand Prix like this, it is always very nice.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado
Jago Geerts

“It was a really good weekend for me, I had top five starts so that was a really positive and the riding was good, I felt good on track all weekend and ended up second overall. I’m really up with the results…I’ve been working hard at getting better on hard pack tracks.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Jago Geerts
Jago Geerts
Tom Vialle

“It was a really great weekend, the season so far is going very well. Im having fun, everything is going well in both training and the races so far. It’s not easy as a rookie to deal with the pressure but I’ve had good starts so this gives me the opportunity to stay in front. This weekend again I had two good starts and the opportunity to race at the front for a solid result.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino om Vialle
Tom Vialle
Thomas Kjer-Olsen

“It’s not been the perfect weekend here, but I’m still leading the MX2 championship and I think I showed some good speed. Everyone knows this track is really difficult to pass on and I experienced that in the first moto. The second race was better, but after running third for so many laps it’s tough not getting a top three result. But finishing 5-4 gives me good championship points. I’ll keep working hard during the weeks off to be 100% ready for the next GP.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Mitchell Evans

“I’ve not raced at Trentino before but it’s a cool track. It just took me a while to learn it. I tweeked my knee in the qualifying race and that made it a struggle to come through the pack as it was a little one-line out there. But no excuses, I know what I need to do to improve. For the races, I strapped up my knee and pushed through the pain and got good starts. From 24th in the qualifying race to seventh overall today, I couldn’t be any happier and really pleased with how Sunday went.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Mitch Evans
Mitchell Evans
Jed Beaton

“I feel like it’s been an ok weekend for me. Things started off a little slow on Saturday and certainly not how I wanted it to go. But Sunday was much better. Two poor starts held me back in both motos though. I felt like my riding was good, but I have to get out the gate better. We have a good break now in the championship, so it gives me plenty of time to keep working and to focus on improving ahead of the re-start of the series.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Jed Beaton
Jed Beaton

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:17.013;
  2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:12.125;
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:14.130;
  4. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:31.658;
  5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:33.302;
  6. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:38.284;
  7. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:39.054;
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:44.903;
  9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:47.005;
  10. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +0:50.563.
    …12. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS).

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34:49.733;
  2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:02.862;
  3. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:06.293;
  4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:09.387;
  5. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:19.496;
  6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:21.773;
  7. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:33.318;
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:37.485;
  9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Honda), +0:38.333;
  10. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:47.400.
    …13. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS).
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MX2 Overall Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 44
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 35
  4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 34
  5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 34
  6. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 34
  7. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 29
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 26
  9. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 21
  10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 21 p.
    …12. Jed Beaton 17 p

MX2 Championship Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 170 points
  2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 150
  3. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 147
  4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 129
  5. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 125
  6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 121
  7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 107
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 89
  9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 89
  10. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 76
    …13. Jed Beaton 54

Locals win EMX rounds at Trentino

The second rounds of the EMX250 and EMX125 Championship took place at the Trentino circuit where Italy’s own Alberto Forato and Mattia Guadagnini took the respective wins in front of a very vocal crowd.

MXGP Rnd Trentino EMX Start
EMX125 Start – Trentino

Incredibly, last weekend’s two EMX Championships had a combined list of 193 entries so Saturday’s qualifying sessions were split into two groups where only the top 20 of each qualified to line up in the Championship points paying races.

 EMX250 Report

After winning both races at the opening round, Forato carried on his dominant and perfect season to Trentino while Stephen Rubini was next best with two distant second place with Giuseppe  Tropepe taking the final podium spot.

Alberto Forato

“For sure I feel very good because the home GP is always fun. Here there is a lot of fans and a lot of friends came too. I got 1st and 1st so it couldn’t be any better.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Alberto Forato
Alberto Forato

EMX250 Overall Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 50 points
  2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 44
  3. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 36
  4. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, HON), 33
  5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 31
  6. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 31
  7. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), 28
  8. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 28
  9. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 28
  10. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 18
MXGP Rnd Trentino EMX Podium
Alberto Forato topped the EMX250 Overall Podium from Stephen Rubini and Pierre Goupillion

EMX250 Championship Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 100 points
  2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 80
  3. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, HON), 67
  4. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 63
  5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 59
  6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 57
  7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 53
  8. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 51
  9. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), 50
  10. Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 33

EMX125 Report

Guadagnini basically led every lap on the way to the overall with 1-1 finishes and he extended his points lead in front of the home fans while Tom Guyon and Kay De Wolf rounded out the podium going 2-2 and 3-3 respectively.

Mattia Guadagnini

“It was a perfect weekend, I had two good starts and then took the lead in the first lap. I had a good feeling on the bike and the track plus there are a lot of friends here and to win in Italy is something special, it was so good!”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Mattia Guadagnini
Mattia Guadagnini

EMX125 Overall Top Ten

  1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 50 points
  2. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 44
  3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 36
  4. Guillem Farres Plaza (ESP, KTM), 33
  5. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 31
  6. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 27
  7. Alberto Barcella (ITA, KTM), 27
  8. Matias Vesterinen (FIN, KTM), 26
  9. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 24
  10. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 22
MXGP Rnd Trentino EMX Podium
Mattia Guadagnini claimed top EMX125 honours in Trentino, from Tom Guyon and Kay de Wolf

EMX125 Championship Top Ten

  1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 93 points
  2. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 83
  3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 74
  4. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 73
  5. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 61
  6. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 48
  7. Guillem Farres Plaza (ESP, KTM), 43
  8. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 40
  9. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 37
  10. Alessandro Facca (ITA, KTM), 30
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Milner and Sanders shine at Dungog AORC

The NSW country town of Dungog hosted rounds 3 and 4 of the AORC and despite the Sunday results not being official yet nothing is surer that Daniel Milner and Daniel Sanders were the fastest riders over both days with Milner posting the fastest overall time on Saturday before getting pipped my Sanders on Sunday.

AORC Dungog Daniel Milner Spray
Daniel Milner

Milner dominated the E2 class while Luke Styke got the nod in the E1 class and predictably Daniel Sander won the E3 class.

Motorcycling Australia has announced that Sunday’s results are being tallied manually and will be available as soon as possible.

2019 AORC Round 3 E1 Top 10 Provisional Results

  1. Luke STYKE 42:04.943
  2. Michael DRISCOLL 42:35.031
  3. Fraser HIGLETT 42:39.572
  4. Lyndon SNODGRASS 42:52.364
  5. Jonte REYNDERS 44:05.529

2019 AORC Round 3 E2 Top 10 Provisional Results

  1. Daniel MILNER 40:57.420
  2. Joshua GREEN 41:48.814
  3. Scott KEEGAN 43:20.579
  4. Jeremy CARPENTIER 43:30.164
  5. Broc GRABHAM 43:32.914

2019 AORC Round 3 E3 Top 10 Provisional Results

  1. Daniel SANDERS 41:09.640
  2. Beau RALSTON 44:02.716
  3. Jesse LAWTON 45:33.445
  4. Matt MURRY 46:02.060
  5. Timothy LONSDALE 48:46.117
AORC Dungog Daniel Sanders
Daniel Sanders

2019 AORC Round 3 EJ Top 10 Provisional Results

  1. Kyron BACON 1:03:32.667
  2. Joshua BRIERLEY 1:03:47.912
  3. Korey MCMAHON 1:07:10.894
  4. Riley NANCARROW 1:08:08.863
  5. Nathan HOWE 1:08:18.808

2019 AORC Round 3 J4 Provisional Results

  1. Blake HOLLIS 36:29.379
  2. Mackenzie JOHNSON 38:12.209
  3. Oscar COLLINS 39:27.318
  4. Cody CHITTICK 39:33.392
  5. Kobe CONLEY 39:48.993

2019 AORC Round 3 J3 Provisional Results

  1. Riley MCGILLIVRAY 38:14.406
  2. Kodi STEPHENS 38:52.922
  3. Will DENNETT 40:01.809
  4. Jethro CARRIAGE 42:01.306
  5. Maxwell LIEBEKNECHT 42:20.174
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2019 AORC Round 3 J2 Provisional Results

  1. Billy HARGY 39:33.675
  2. Max PHILLIPS 39:51.370
  3. Jett YARNOLD 40:03.587
  4. Cody KILPATRICK 41:15.609
  5. Campbell HALL 41:26.716
AORC Dungog Jess Gardiner
Jess Gardiner

2019 AORC Round 3 Women’s Top 10 Provisional Results

  1. Jessica GARDINER 49:08.717
  2. Emelie KARLSSON 50:23.125
  3. Emma MILESEVIC 53:09.863
  4. Ebony NIELSEN 54:23.041
  5. Danielle FOOT 54:45.531

2019 AORC Round 3 Masters Top 10 Provisional Results

  1. Kirk HUTTON 46:38.371
  2. Brad WILLISCROFT 46:40.374
  3. Timothy MARTIN 47:55.218
  4. Peter RUDD 50:16.811
  5. Michael WIDDISON 51:46.765

2019 AORC Round 3 Veterans Top 10 Provisional Results

  1. Lee STEPHENS 47:46.798
  2. Scott DUNN 48:17.805
  3. Chris THOMAS 49:19.009
  4. Ben LINDSAY 50:31.995
  5. Paul CHADWICK 51:01.346

Smith wins fifth Condo 750

53 riders hit the small country town of Condoblin, NSW for the 31st running of 750km navigational event known as the Condo 750, and for the fifth time in his career Jacob Smith managed to win the event with an overall time of just under nine hours.

Smith didn’t have it his own way and was sitting third after the opening day behind Lachlan Manwarring, and Sam Davie while Rod Faggotter was not far off the pace in fourth. On the second day Smith and his Husqvarna found form to run away with the fastest time to overtake Manwarring and Davie for the win,with Faggotter maintaining fourth.

Smith wrote this on his FB page

“Stoked to come away with my 5th @condo750 win. Had to work for it but got it by a little over 4 minutes. Huge thanks to everyone that supports me and the team, but a special thanks to the best mechanic in the business @youngcobba wouldn’t be doing without him!!”

Jacob Smith Condo FB page
Jacob Smith – Image from his Facebook page

From all accounts the 31st Condo 750 was once again a huge success with the whole town and local land owners getting behind the event. However one has to ask how it came about that two NSW country towns, Condoblin and Dungog, just six hours from each other, both host national off-road events on the same weekend?!?!


Haaker wins SuperEnduro Championship

Bizkaia Arena in Bilbao, Spain hosted a controversial final round of the Maxxis FIM World SuperEnduro Championship. The round saw Cody Webb celebrating the final moto win and what he thought was the championship win before blowing up when Colton Haaker crossed the finish line in a championship winning third place thanks to his teammate Alfredo Gomez’s disqualifiable actions.

SuperEndur Rnd Bilbao Spain colton haaker
Colton Haaker – Image by Future7Media

There were three finals on the night and here is a recap:

SuperEnduro Final 1

While Webb stormed his way to the front in the opening final, Haaker appeared to have crumbled under the pressure and was dropping valuable positions.

SuperEndur Rnd Bilbao Spain Cody Webb
Cody Webb

He was handed a life line when this first race was red-flagged due to track conditions, but in the restart it was Webb who was a fastest to take the win ahead of Taddy Blazusiak and a thankful Haaker so just 6 points separated Haaker from Webb going into race two.

Heat 1

  1. Cody WEBB
  2. Taddy BLAZUSIAK
  3. Colton HAAKER
  4. Alfredo GOMEZ
  5. Pol TARRES

SuperEnduro Final 2

The second ‘reverse grid’ race saw Haaker ruthlessly slice his way to the lead after just three laps then go on to take the win over Webb and Blazusiak. Heading to the final race of the season Haaker had to finish fourth or better to wrap up the title.

SuperEndur Rnd Bilbao Spain colton haaker
Colton Haaker – Image by Future7Media

Heat 2

  1. Colton HAAKER
  2. Cody WEBB
  3. Taddy BLAZUSIAK
  4. Alfredo GOMEZ
  5. Pol TARRES
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SuperEnduro Final 3

Webb was fastest out of the gate, snatching the holeshot from Blazusiak while Haaker momentarily lost his concentration and made a small mistake in the rock garden. The Husqvarna rider nevertheless managed to maintain good pace and he focused on the title to stay in third. Blazusiak dropped out of the early running after quite obviously trying to hinder Haakers progress on one of the log jumps.

SuperEndur Rnd Bilbao Spain Taddy Blazusiak
Taddy Blazusiak – Image by Future7Media

It all turned to poo for Haaker on the last lap with several crashes seeing the Husky rider drop to fifth place and as Webb crossed the line for the win he could actually see Haaker struggling on the previous straight so it seemed that KTM rider would therefore have enough points to win the 2019 title.

But that is when Alfredo Gomez, the teammate of Haaker, stepped in to not only block pass third placed Pol Terres in the final corner, he basically stopped them both long enough to hand Haaker the two positions for third and the Maxxis FIM SuperEnduro World Championship title.

SuperEndur Rnd Bilbao Spain alfredo gomez
Alfredo Gomez – Image by Future7Media

Webb was obviously infuriated with the outcome and it was little consolation that Gomez was later disqualified for this action. In a final shocking twist, Haaker suffered a huge crash over the finish line and knocked himself out.

Heat 3

  1. Cody WEBB
  2. Taddy BLAZUSIAK
  3. Colton HAAKER
  4. Kevin GALLAS
  5. Pol TARRES

Colton Haaker was therefore crowned 2019 Champion by just 4 points in front of Webb and Blazusiak.

Colton Haaker

“I’m a little bit lost for words right now, it’s been an eventful night but to end it as the world champion is an incredible feeling. I can’t thank the guys at Husqvarna enough for the support they’ve given me, not just tonight but throughout the entire series. This title is very much a team effort as it is mine. Tonight was tough. I’m not quite sure yet what it was but it certainly wasn’t my best night on a bike. The track wasn’t good and I had some serious arm pump issues, which is something I never really get. I made so many mistakes in race one and was riding too tight. Then I got it together in race two and felt more like I should.  It was all on the line for the final and I did what I needed to do on the first few laps. But then the arm pump kicked in again and I stalled my bike so many times. With about a lap to go I got things together again and put everything I had left into that lap and won the title. It wasn’t pretty, but it doesn’t matter, we’re world champions and it feels awesome.”

SuperEndur Rnd Bilbao Spain colton haaker
Colton Haaker claims the 2019 SuperEnduro championship title! Image by Future7Media

Webb was obviously disappointed not to retain his title and felt the championship should have been his after the controversial night.

Cody Webb

“Obviously I’m disappointed with the final championship result tonight, I felt I rode really good out there today and deserved the title. The night started off well with a good time in superpole and then in the restarted first final I took my time, rode smooth and took the win by a good margin. I am kicking myself now for the mistakes I made in the second final, I got caught up in traffic a few times, but still got second – I knew then I would have to really go for it in the last one. I got off the line well in the third final and set about catching Colton. After I got past him, I just stayed smooth and could see he was struggling. I’m happy because I did my best, won that third final and believe the championship should have been mine. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but I’ll learn from it, and come back even stronger next time.”

SuperEndur Rnd Bilbao Spain Cody Webb Taddy Blazusiak
Cody Webb – Image by Future7Media

Taddy Blazusiak finished the night in third and also concluded the championship in the same position.

Taddy Blazusiak

“This was always going to be a tough one. I am happy with how I rode today and feel I did a good job. My pace over the whole season has been good, there have just been a few instances where luck simply hasn’t been on our side. I have had some amazing events this year, I obviously still have the speed – overall race wins in Hungary and Poland show that. The track here was tight and I feel the championship should be decided on more of a flowing track that lets us really race. But this is SuperEnduro, I know I can still improve in a couple of areas – Superpole for one is something I need to work on. I’ll come back swinging next year for the title, I would love to get a seventh!”

SuperEnduro Round Hungary Taddy Blazusiak
Taddy Blazusiak – SuperEnduro Round 4 – Hungary 2019

Provisional Standing

  1. Colton HAAKER 263pts
  2. Cody WEBB 259pts
  3. Taddy BLAZUSIAK 234pts
  4. Pol TARRES 155pts
  5. Alfredo GOMEZ 145pts.
  6. Diogo VIEIRA 124pts
  7. Blake GUTZEIT 121pts
  8. Kevin GALLAS 119pts
  9. Xavi LEON SOLE 100pts
  10. David LEONOV 74pts
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Sam Sunderland wins Abu Dahbi Desert Challenge

Sam Sunderland has won the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge which was also round one of the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship while Luciano Benavides and Jose Ignacio Cornejo rounded out the podium.

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Sam Sunderland Luciano Benavides
Sam Sunderland and Luciano Benavides with the KTM Factory Rally Team

Sunderland bookended the event with wins in the first and fifth day to end up with an 8 plus minute gap back to Benavides.

Sam Sunderland

“Things went perfectly today, we knew coming into today’s final stage that we would have to stick to our planned strategy. The stage brought us closer to Abu Dhabi and as such, the tracks towards the end were a lot faster away from the dunes. I knew I would have to push really hard right from the start of the special. I arrived at the refuelling and the team let me know everything was good, so from there it was just a case of bringing it home safely to the finish. I’m really happy with the job done by the team all week and myself in the way I rode. It’s great to get my 2019 championship off to the perfect start with a win.”

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Sam Sunderland
Sam Sunderland

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge marks Benavides’ maiden podium in an FIM Cross-Country Rallies event.

Luciano Benavides

“It’s been an incredible day for me, I knew I had to push a lot to make up the difference to the guys in front, gain some minutes and take second place. I tried my best to go fast, but stay on the bike and not go too crazy. The bike was feeling super-good so I decided to attack and it worked out, I got second place and the team got the first two places. I am really happy and now it’s time to celebrate.”

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Luciano Benavides
Luciano Benavides

Andrew Short placed fifth overall showing impressive speed in the dunes of the Liwa Desert the American overcame several challenges to secure a well-deserved top-five result.

Andrew Short

“This last day has been good for me, I felt really good all day and had a good pace. Just near the end I had a small issue but I was able to quickly get going again and complete the stage. Overall, I have really enjoyed the race here in Abu Dhabi, it’s been a great experience and fun to be here with the crew. I feel my riding has improved here, each rally I do it feels like I move up another level and it’s very important to keep that momentum going. Real race experience is so valuable and it’s good to leave here healthy and even faster. Admittedly, it’s not quite the result I was hoping for but we had to play the cards we were dealt and I think we handled it perfectly. I’m now really looking forward to the next race.”

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Andrew Short
Andrew Short

The second round of the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship – the Silk Way Rally commences on July 6 in Russia.

Provisional Results Stage Five

  1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 2:39:59
  2. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 2:43:25 +3:26
  3. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 2:46:42 +6:43
  4. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 2:49:40 +9:41
  5. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 2:53:34 +13:35

Provisional Overall Results – 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

  1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 17:46:42
  2. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 17:55:02 +8:20
  3. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 17:56:41 +9:59
  4. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 18:21:33 +34:51
  5. Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 18:48:22 +1:01:40
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Adrien Van Beveren wins Merzouga Rally 2019

Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team rider Adrien Van Beveren has won the motorcycle class at the five-day Merzouga Rally 2019 ahead of Ross Branch and Oriol Mena.

Merzouga Rally Adrien Van Beveren
Adrien Van Beveren

Focused on using the 10th running of the Merzouga Rally as the start of his preparation towards the 2020 Dakar Rally, Van Beveren’s winning result was valuable navigational experience thanks to several long and challenging stages.

Adrien Van Beveren

“I’ve had a great feeling with my bike throughout the week and I have to say a huge thanks to all the team, who have worked so hard to support me. The Merzouga Rally was all about improving. Improving my navigational skills, and generally starting our preparations ahead of Dakar 2020. We came here focused on improving and I absolutely feel that we did that. The navigation here is very tricky, so to be opening the tracks as much as I did, that gives me a lot of confidence. This is a great team result. Next, we have the Silk Way Rally, but before then there’s more testing and training to do. We keep working…”

Merzouga Rally Adrien Van Beveren
Adrien Van Beveren

Stage 5 Provisional Classification

  1. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 55:01
  2. Jamie McCanney (GBR), Yamaha, 55:02 +0:01
  3. Joaquim Rodrigues (PRT), Hero, 55:04 +0:03
  4. Jaume Betriu (ESP), KTM, 55:18 +0:17
  5. Ross Branch (BWA), KTM, 56:40 +1:39
  6. Maurizio Gerini (ITA), Husqvarna, 57:36 +2:35

Provisional Overall Final Classification

  1. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 15:28:02
  2. Ross Branch (BWA), KTM, 15:52:39 +24:37
  3. Oriol Mena (ESP), Hero, 16:01:03 +33:01
  4. Joaquim Rodrigues (PRT), Hero, 16:02:23 +34:21
  5. Alessandro Botturi (ITA), Yamaha, 16:15:43 +46:41
  6. Maurizio Gerini (ITA), Husqvarna, 16:23:53 +55:51

MXGP calendar updates

With the 2019 MXGP season well underway Youthstream regretfully announces that the previously anticipated 2019 MXGP of Hong Kong scheduled to take place on the 22nd of September has been cancelled so the revised calendar will now see the MXGP of China in Shanghai as the final stop of the now 18-round FIM Motocross World Championship season.

The cancellation comes as a request by the organizer who is eager to refocus on holding an MXGP in March 2020. Due to the timing of the cancellation no replacement will be made giving riders and teams an additional week prior to racing the final event of 2019, the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations.

The updated 2019 Calendar can be viewed below:

MXGP Calendar Update
Updated 2019 MXGP Calendar
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AUS-X moves to Melbourne

November 30 will see the AUS-X Open and all that it encapsulates run under the roof of Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium in what is set to be the largest international Supercross and action sports event ever seen in Australia, with Supercross, Freestyle Motocross, live music, pyrotechnics and non-stop entertainment.

Melbournes Marvel Stadium will host AUS X
AUS-X moves to Melbourne in 2019

AUS-X Open Chairman – Tony Cochrane (Founder of V8 Supercars), states a move to Melbourne will open up a world of opportunity as this exciting event looks to expand and build on its already popular foundations.

Tony Cochrane

“Since its inception, the AUS-X Open has grown from strength-to-strength to a point where we’ve found ourselves in the fortunate situation of needing to expand to cater for the growing appetite of Supercross racing and more broader sports fans across the country. The AUS-X Open Melbourne will be bigger, faster, louder, featuring more entertainment and greater accessibility to these international megastars than ever before, and I can’t wait for November 30 to showcase this amazing spectacle to the people of Melbourne. It really has to be seen to be believed.”

The AUS-X Open is now part of a partnership with the Victorian Government via its tourism and major events agency, ‘Visit Victoria’ and it has the full support of the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula.

Martin Pakula

“Victoria is unmatched as the sporting and event capital of Australia and we’re so excited to bring the AUS-X Open to a world-class venue like Marvel Stadium,” said Mr Pakula. “Melbourne’s sporting calendar continues to be the envy of cities across Australia and around the world. We’re thrilled to add AUS-X Open to the list, this November.”

As we have come to expect, the Monster Energy AUS-X Open Melbourne will double as the Grand Final round to the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship and Peter Doyle, the CEO for the sanctioning body for Supercross racing, Motorcycling Australia (MA) had this to say of the move.

Peter Doyle

“The Australian Supercross Championship is Australia’s premiere off-road motorcycle racing Championship. To have the grand finale here in Melbourne, at an incredible event like the AUS-X Open, is a huge positive for the sport and fans alike.”

Marvel Stadium will host AUS X on November

Tickets start from $39.99*. For more information and the exclusive opportunity to sign-up to access tickets during the pre-sale before they’re on sale to the public, you must ensure you sign up to an exclusive Pre-Sale ticketing opportunity at www.ausxopen.com.

Pre-Sale tickets will be available from May 15 via Ticketmaster.com.au and stay tuned to @SXOpenSupercross on social media for further announcements.


MX Nationals return to Broadford this weekend

With the Victorian State Motorcycle Complex in Broadford hosting the third round of the Pirelli MX Nationals this weekend the local communities will benefit from an estimated $350,000 coming into the region. A myriad of businesses are set to host and serve not only the hundreds of racers converging on the region but also the thousands of spectators.

mx nationals coolum rnd saturday amateur cup line up ImageScottya
MX Nationals head to Broadford – Image by ScottYa

On top of the MX1, MX2 and MXD championship classes and the Rising Star Rookies, there will also be a demonstration in between races to highlight the new Enduro-X track. This will feature world class riders in Chucky Sanders and Daniel Milner on hand doing double duties as they also race the MX Nationals.

MX Nationals Series Promoter Kevin Williams today explained that the venue is well equipped to welcome thousands of motocross fans and the track will be prepared to a world class standard.

Kevin Williams

“With Broadford again hosting a national event of this size it is sure to keep venue on the radar, and provides the sport in the area with fantastic national exposure, riders and teams alike are excited to see the new revamped track after Josh Proctor from Pro Traxx has rebuilt the track to GP spec,” shared Williams

The Broadford layout is very spectator friendly with a plethora of great viewing areas but if you are unable to make it to the track itself you can watch all the action live for free at http://www.nrgtv.com.au

To stay up to date with all this MX Nationals simply go https://www.mxnationals.com.au or follow the series and the riders on instagram @mxnationals

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Metcalfe in doubt for Broadford

After a tough weekend at the Wonthaggi round of the MX Nationals, Penrite Honda Racing’s Brett Metcalfe has sustained several injuries which has left the veteran battling the clock to be ready to line up at Broadford, Victoria on April 14, which is the third round of the 10-round series.

Brett Metcalfe

“My sole goal is to line up at Broadford, brave the pain and get as many points as we can to stay in the Championship. The biggest concern right now is the spiral fracture I have in my finger. I will head back to the clinic next Monday and we will make a decision following the second round of results.”

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Brett Metcalfe
Brett Metcalfe

Metcalfe felt he was on track for a top three finish at Wonthaggi.

“Qualifying was good, I made a few changes in practice and I knew I could run a strong pace during the races. I felt fast but it was hard to pass, I lost a lot of time throughout the race being stuck behind riders as the track was very one lined. In the end, I settled for 5th and I was able to make up 18 seconds on the winner so we certainly had great pace. I felt the changes we made were perfect for the conditions. The bike felt amazing during the siting lap and I believed we could race for the win, so I am really bummed but that is motocross, anything can and usually does happen. No matter what, we will come back and win races.”

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Brett Metcalfe
Brett Metcalfe

Monson/Summerhayes earn sidecar double at Gillman

After winning all but one race on their local track, Warren Monson and Andrew Summerhayes have spectacularly won the 2019 FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup and 2019 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship over two nights of action at Gillman Speedway.

The FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup final saw the Mark Plaisted/Ben Pitt fly to the fastest lap, but that wasn’t good enough to best Monson/Summerhayes while defending champion Darrin Treloar and Blake Cox earned third ahead of Shane Rudloff and Scott Morris.

On the very next night the final of FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship required six restarts and two exclusions to finally leave Monson/Summerhayes and Cohen/Egan to battle it out, with Monson/Summerhayes on top once again to leave them FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar champions as well as World Cup winners.

Monson was thrilled to add the FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship to his trophy collection from the weekend.

Warren Monson

“Just as happy as last night! It was very hard for us tonight, the track was very hard to read, and we just had to push through it. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a final that had that many restarts! But we came through on top, so we’ve got to be happy with that.”

A double FIM World Cup and FIM Oceania Championship winner (2017 and 2019), Monson remarked after the event that he’d only ever won four events at Gillman Speedway – his two World Cups and two Oceania Championships. “I can’t even win a club night at Gillman!” he laughed.

Defending champion Darrin Treloar had a day to forget, after finishing third, second and first in his first three heats he was struck with mechanical issues and took no further part in the event.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Honda’s Tim Gajser breaks KTM’s unbeaten streak in MXGP

2019 MXGP – Round 4, Trentino

Tim Gajser claims the MXGP win 1-1

Jorge Prado dominates MX2

Mitch Evans goes 6-7 in MX2 – Jed Beaton 12-13


The MXGP of Trentino proved the closest fought racing of the 2019 season thus far, as Tim Gajser claimed the MXGP overall with a duet of wins, while and Jorge Prado took the win in MX2 to close in on class leader Thomas Kjer Olsen.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Gajser bybavo
Tim Gajser celebrated the round win after taking both MXGP race wins

Trentino hosts perhaps the most tranquil and serene circuit in the world, but the action was intense with all out battles. The venue set along Italy’s snowcapped dolomites filled with tens of thousands of fans all cheering with enthusiasm for what are the best motocross racers in the world.

As the first sessions hit the track and the stars of MXGP took to Trentino the crowd came to life. The majority of the fans cheering were for Italian motocross hero Antonio Cairoli but Cairoli’s main competitor, Tim Gajser had his own fans who made the trip from neighboring Slovenia cheering just as passionately.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Gajser bybavo
Tim Gajser

There was also a very strong showing from Australian Mitch Evans in the MX2, where he claimed a consistent 6-7 result and 29 championship points. That moves him into eighth on the overall standings after four rounds.

Mitchell Evans

“I’ve not raced at Trentino before but it’s a cool track. It just took me a while to learn it. I tweeked my knee in the qualifying race and that made it a struggle to come through the pack as it was a little one-line out there. But no excuses, I know what I need to do to improve. For the races, I strapped up my knee and pushed through the pain and got good starts. From 24th in the qualifying race to seventh overall today, I couldn’t be any happier and really pleased with how Sunday went.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Mitch Evans
Mitchell Evans

Fellow Aussie Jed Beaton took a 12-13 result and 17-points, and he now sits 13th in the overall standings.

Jed Beaton – P12

“I feel like it’s been an ok weekend for me. Things started off a little slow on Saturday and certainly not how I wanted it to go. But Sunday was much better. Two poor starts held me back in both motos though. I felt like my riding was good, but I have to get out the gate better. We have a good break now in the championship, so it gives me plenty of time to keep working and to focus on improving ahead of the re-start of the series.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Jed Beaton
Jed Beaton

MXGP

When MXGP Race 1 got underway Cairoli took the Fox Holeshot and lead but Gajser was in around 5th. Cairoli’s fellow Italians, Alessandro Lupino, and Ivo Monticelli were 2nd and 3rd ahead of Gautier Paulin.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Tony Cairoli
Antonio Cairoli

Gajser was quick to make moves taking 4th from Paulin in turn 3 then he took 3rd from Monticelli in the next turn before getting past Lupino for second in the first half of the opening lap. Gajser’s high tempo put him just behind Cairoli where he latched on and eyed the lines of the Sicilian.

Monticelli meanwhile took 3rd from Lupino who dropped another spot to Paulin not along after. Paulin then worked his way past Monticelli to get into 3rd but Cairoli and Gajser were already long gone.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin

Cairoli held the gap to Gajser at about 2 seconds for multiple laps but Gajser closed in as the laps ticked away and dropped the gap to within 1 second to apply pressure to the 9-time world champion.

On the 16th lap of 19 a bobble from Cairoli was all that Gajser need to take the lead away right in front of the Slovenian fans who cheered at the top of their lungs. Cairoli tried to retaliate quickly but a confident scrub and look from Gajser kept the Sicilian at bay.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Tim Gajser
Tim Gajser

In the remaining three laps Cairoli continued to push to get Gajser back but it didn’t work and the Slovenian crossed the line only 1.081 seconds ahead much to the pleasure of not only himself but, also the corner lined with his fans! Paulin took 3rd another 53 seconds further back of the leaders with Arnaud Tonus 4th and Monticelli 5th.

Race 2 was off to a good start for Gajser taking his first Fox Holeshot of the year. Cairoli was close in 2nd with the two Wilvo bikes of Paulin and Tonus again 3rd and 4th. Tommy Searle was in 5th a short moment before losing spots to Max Anstie, who didn’t finish race 1 and Ivo Monticelli.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Antonio Cairoli Tim Gajser
Antonio Cairoli & Tim Gajser

All eyes were on the two at the front with Gajser creating a slight gap only to be taken back away by Cairoli. On the ninth lap a miscue from Gajser saw the #222 of Cairoli go past along Pit Lane and across the finish line.

With the Italian crowd on their feet Cairoli tried to pull away from the Slovenian but Gajser wasn’t having any of it as he took the lead back 5 laps later in the same spot which he had lost the position earlier.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin

With 2 laps to go Cairoli returned the favor again in front of pitlane to the Italian fans roar and the teams nervous yet enthusiastic looks. Two mistakes from Cairoli would however decide the race as the pair pushed the limits of both each other and their factory race machines. Cairoli’s first mistake took him out of the preferred line and the next only a few meters later resulted in him losing the bike and lead.

Cairoli got back up but Gajser was in the clear leading the final two laps to the win, his first since Leon, Mexico in 2017. Gajser’s emotion excitement and pure joy were unmistakable as he dropped his bike and ran thank the Slovenian fans lining the fences for the support. Cairoli finished 24 seconds later and congratulated Gajser as the headed to the podium joined by Paulin in third.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Tim Gajser
Tim Gajser

The amazing racing and perfect weekend capped off by winning at Trentino for only the second time in his career, the first was actually his first ever MX2 win back in 2015, left both Gajser and Team HRC ecstatic.

Tim Gajser

“It is just unbelievable and it is my first win in more than a year. To be here in Arco is always special, to race in front of so many people, so many fans. Today we had two great races with Tony battling, we were both pushing. I’m just so happy and thankful that we won that overall. The fans, they just push you on because every lap you can hear them cheering for you, it’s just an unbelievable feeling here.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Gajser bybavo
Tim Gajser
Antonio Cairoli

“It is a positive weekend overall but I’m not happy with my second moto because I took a risk and crashed when I should have had the GP. A crash is always possible in motocross but we should take care not to get injured and it was close today. I’m disappointed by that but I’m happy to make the podium again: that’s four this season with three wins and a second place so it is difficult to be negative about how it has gone.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Tony Cairoli
Antonio Cairoli
Gautier Paulin

“It’s always great to be on the podium, I’m actually happy about the riding and being on the box at the end of the day, but definitely, Tim and Antonio were faster today. So, we need to improve, we need to step up to the challenge and ride with them, be in that fight because as a racer when you fight for a win like that is unbelievable, it’s nice, it’s fun. The crowd was awesome here in Italy, the fans were crazy and I wasn’t in the battle but I was hearing the crowd from everywhere, actually every corner, so it was kind of special but congrats to these guys today!”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin
Arnaud Tonus – P4

“It’s hard to explain how I feel after the struggle I have been faced with over the last week. It’s pretty unbelievable. I am so happy I was able to fight through it and find some inside strength. I didn’t tell anyone I was unwell because I didn’t want it to affect me mentally. 4 – 4 this weekend is absolutely amazing after the struggle, so I am just very thankful to the team who have stuck behind me through my hardest times, so I can not thank them enough. It has given me a lot of motivation going into the next races.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Arnaud Tonus
Arnaud Tonus

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:13.822
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.081
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:53.919
  4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:00.314
  5. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:03.786
  6. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:05.635
  7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:06.887
  8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +1:07.631
  9. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +1:13.322
  10. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +1:20.698.

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:11.454
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:24.305
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:53.333
  4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:57.384
  5. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:58.712
  6. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:18.314
  7. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:18.657
  8. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:25.075
  9. Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +1:31.843
  10. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:36.522.
MXGP Rnd Trentino HRC Arco bybavo
MXGP Overall Podium – 1) Tim Gajser, 2) Antonio Cairoli, 3) Gautier Paulin

MXGP Overall Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 40
  4. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 36
  5. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 31
  6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 28
  7. Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KAW), 26
  8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 24
  9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 21
  10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 20

MXGP Championship Top Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 191 points
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 175
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 142
  4. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 120
  5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 113
  6. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 112
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 98
  8. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 88
  9. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 79
  10. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 71

MX2

Even though the MXGP class hosted many of the fan favorites the atmosphere for the MX2 races was just as electric. MX2 racing started off with Jorge Prado taking his 4th Fox Holeshot of the year and leading Darian Sanayei. Prado’s rookie teammate Tom Vialle was 3rd followed by Iker Larranaga and Jago Geerts.

MXGP Rnd Trentino SANAYEI
MX2 Start – Trentino MXGP

Thomas Kjer Olsen was in 5th position before he fell on the first laps then and had work his way back into the lead group. Sanayei faded quickly as he continues his battle with Epstein Barr virus.

Henry Jacobi got past Larranaga in the first half of the race and the Spaniard continued to lose spots as the action went on including one to Olsen who then took back the 5th position he fell out of earlier from Mitch Evans.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Mitch Evans
Mitchell Evans

Prado was long gone in the lead and took the race win by over 12 seconds while Geerts made a last lap pass into second for the second weekend in a row. Vialle came across the checkers in 3rd followed by Jacobi, Olsen, and Evans.

MX2 Race 2 was off to another picture-perfect Prado performance with the Fox Holeshot, now his 5th of 2019, and 19 laps in the lead. The racing behind Prado was intense though after a first turn pileup.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado

Vialle again was 2nd at the start of the race and had Jacobi along with BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Brian Moreau right in tow. Geerts was in 6th at the beginning but passed Olsen and got into 4th a few laps in.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Tom Vialle
Tom Vialle

Henry Jacobi made a mistake and dropped from 3rd to 6th which put Geerts in the position to pass Vialle we he did at the halfway point. Olsen also made it by the young Frenchman to get into 3rd. Ben Watson got into 4th then put a last lap pass on Olsen to finish 3rd.

MXGP Rnd Trentino Thomas Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen still retains the MX2 lead

Prado’s domination was impressive taking the Qualifying win yesterday, the two race wins today and the overall, all by substantial margin. Geerts’ 2-2 put him on the podium for the second round in a row while Vialle’s 3-6 took the final podium position, his second this season as well.

Jorge Prado

“Three years racing in MX2 here and three victories: there must be something at this track for me! I felt comfortable and we have been training hard after the time-off with the injury and a bit more riding time. I was happy coming here. The qualification heat gave me confidence and two very good starts today was really important on this track because it is tough to pass. Good riding and a good result. I’ll just try to keep on doing what I’m doing and avoid the mistakes.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Jorge Prado Tom Vialle
Jorde Prado
Jago Geerts

“It was a really good weekend for me, I had top five starts so that was a really positive and the riding was good, I felt good on track all weekend and ended up second overall. I’m really up with the results…I’ve been working hard at getting better on hard pack tracks.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Jago Geerts
Jago Geerts
Tom Vialle

“A second podium in four GPs is unbelievable. When they called me to come in after the finish line I thought they had made a mistake! I was a bit disappointed a few moments before because I thought I’d lost it. I was so happy to learn I was third and was actually happy with my riding the whole weekend considering this was my first visit to this circuit. I love trying new tracks and new ground and it played into my favour today.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Tom Vialle
Tom Vialle
Thomas Kjer-Olsen – P5

“It’s not been the perfect weekend here, but I’m still leading the MX2 championship and I think I showed some good speed. Everyone knows this track is really difficult to pass on and I experienced that in the first moto. The second race was better, but after running third for so many laps it’s tough not getting a top three result. But finishing 5-4 gives me good championship points. I’ll keep working hard during the weeks off to be 100% ready for the next GP.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen

Finishing 12th overall Jed Beaton placed just outside the top 10 in each moto in 12th and 13th following less than perfect starts.

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:17.013
  2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:12.125
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:14.130
  4. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:31.658
  5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:33.302
  6. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:38.284
  7. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:39.054
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:44.903
  9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:47.005
  10. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +0:50.563

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34:49.733
  2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:02.862
  3. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:06.293
  4. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:09.387
  5. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:19.496
  6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:21.773
  7. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:33.318
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:37.485
  9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Honda), +0:38.333
  10. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:47.400.
MXGP Rnd Trentino Jorge Prado
Jorde Prado

MX2 Overall Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  2. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 44
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 35
  4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 34
  5. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 34
  6. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 34
  7. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 29
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 26
  9. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 21
  10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 21 p.
    …12. Jed Beaton 17 p

MX2 Championship Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 170 points
  2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 150
  3. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 147
  4. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 129
  5. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 125
  6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 121
  7. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 107
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 89
  9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 89
  10. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 76
    …13. Jed Beaton 54

EMX250

EMX250 Race 1 on Saturday started in dramatic fashion as riders piled up in both the first and second turn. Kevin Horgmocame away unscathed and held the lead early but Stephen Rubini moved to the premiere positionin the second lap.

MXGP Rnd Trentino EMX Start
EMX250 Start – Trentino

Rubini led the way while the championship leader, Alberto Forato, was back in around 4th. Forato made passes on both Pierre Goupillon and Horgmo to get into 2nd.

Horgmo fought the Italian back and led the next lap across the finish but then returned to 3rd another lap later. Forato was in pursuit of the lead and Rubini until the Frenchman lost the lead on his own accord.

Forato graciously accepted the gifted lead and never looked back taking the win by 11.6 seconds over Rubini. Horgmo took 3rd while Goupillon and Giuseppe Tropepe rounded out the top 5.

Sunday’s race 2 was led by Rubini after the start but he had Forato making quick passes behind him to apply pressure from 2nd. On the 2nd official lap Rubini was passed down the Pit Lane straight parallel to the start by Forato to the home crowd’s cheers but Forato then fell handing Rubini the lead straight back.

Forato got back up and immediately went back to work seemingly unphased taking the lead role back by the next time across the finish. Goupillon was watching the battle for the lead from slightly further behind in before eventually getting passed by Tropepe for 3rd position.

At the finish Forato carried on his dominant and perfect season with his 4th race win in 4 races and second overall. Rubini finish both second in the race and 2nd overall while Tropepe took the final podium spot.

Alberto Forato

“For sure I feel very good because the home GP is always fun. Here there is a lot of fans and a lot of friends came too. I got 1st and 1st so it couldn’t be any better.”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Alberto Forato
Alberto Forato

EMX250 Overall Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 50 points
  2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 44
  3. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 36
  4. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, HON), 33
  5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 31
  6. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 31
  7. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), 28
  8. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 28
  9. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 28
  10. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 18
MXGP Rnd Trentino EMX Podium
Alberto Forato topped the EMX250 Overall Podium from Stephen Rubini and Pierre Goupillion

EMX250 Championship Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 100 points
  2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 80
  3. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, HON), 67
  4. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 63
  5. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 59
  6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 57
  7. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 53
  8. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 51
  9. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), 50
  10. Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 33

EMX125

EMX125 was clear cut with Mattia Guadagnini leading every single one of the 15 laps. Guillem Farres Plaza was the closest to Guadagnini as he ran in 2nd for the first 7 laps.

MXGP Rnd Trentino EMX Start
EMX125 Start – Trentino

Tom Guyon was the man on a mission however as he came from 7th to take over Plaza’s 2nd position at the halfway point. Kay de Wolf was third until Guyon passed him on the way to 2nd.

When the checkered flag went out Guadagnini was the winner followed by Guyon, Plaza, De Wolf, and Jorgen-Matthias Talviku.

Sunday saw the sound of two strokes brought life to the circuit for race 2 as the first event on track. The earlier winner, Guadagnini was off to another dominant performance, leading the first laps of race 2 ahead of De Wolf and Simon Laengenfelder.

Laengenfelder got up to 2nd position with De Wolf dropping to third ahead of Guyon who went past both the next lap. Just as quickly as the #516 WZ-Racing machine slotted into 2nd it was shuffled back to 4th before returning to 3rd another lap later.

For the final 6 laps each of the rider in the top seven held their positions meaning that Guadagnini scored the overall with 1-1 finishes and he extended his points lead in front of the home fans. Guyon and De Wolf meanwhile rounded out the podium going 2-2 and 3-3 respectively.

Mattia Guadagnini

“It was a perfect weekend, I had two good starts and then took the lead in the first lap. I had a good feeling on the bike and the track plus there are a lot of friends here and to win in Italy is something special, it was so good!”

MXGP Rnd Trentino Mattia Guadagnini
Mattia Guadagnini

EMX125 Overall Top Ten

  1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 50 points
  2. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 44
  3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 36
  4. Guillem Farres Plaza (ESP, KTM), 33
  5. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 31
  6. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 27
  7. Alberto Barcella (ITA, KTM), 27
  8. Matias Vesterinen (FIN, KTM), 26
  9. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 24
  10. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 22
MXGP Rnd Trentino EMX Podium
Mattia Guadagnini claimed top EMX125 honours in Trentino, from Tom Guyon and Kay de Wolf

EMX125 Championship Top Ten

  1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 93 points
  2. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 83
  3. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 74
  4. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 73
  5. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 61
  6. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 48
  7. Guillem Farres Plaza (ESP, KTM), 43
  8. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 40
  9. Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 37
  10. Alessandro Facca (ITA, KTM), 30

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto Wrap | SX | MXN | MXGP | GNCC | Enduro

Moto News Wrap for April 2, 2019 by Darren Smart

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The LATEST News

  • Houston AMA SX falls to Webb and Ferrandis
  • Clout and Todd top Wonthaggi MX Nationals
  • Cairoli and Prado blitz Valkenswaard
  • Verstappen takes WMX first blood
  • Guadagnini starts EMX125 championship on top
  • Ferris pulls out of MXGP opportunity
  • Thad Duvall wins Steele Creek GNCC
  • Sunderland leads Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
  • Holcombe continues Italian Enduro Championship domination
  • FIM E-XBike World Cup announced
  • Price commits to four-wheels at Finke 2019
  • 2019 FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup to Gillman
  • FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championships re-scheduled

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.

AMA SX Rnd Seely Musquin Wilson Multiple JK SX Houston
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.

AMA SX Rnd Roczen JK SX Houston
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.

AMA SX Rnd Tomac Webb JK SX Houston
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.”

AMA SX Rnd Webb JK SX Houston
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.”

AMA SX Rnd Musquin JK SX Houston
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.”

AMA SX Rnd Wilson JK SX Houston
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.”

AMA SX Rnd Seely JK SX Houston
2019 AMA Supercross – Round 13 – Houston

450SX Main Event Results

  1. Cooper Webb: 2-1-3 = 26pts
  2. Marvin Musquin: 5-3-1 = 23pts
  3. Dean Wilson: 3-2-5= 21pts
  4. Eli Tomac: 6-7-2 = 19pts
  5. Cole Seely: 4-4-11 = 18pts
  6. Zach Osborne: 10-6-4 = 17pts
  7. Justin Bogle: 8-5-7 = 16pts
  8. Blake Baggett: 9-9-6 = 15pts
  9. Joey Savatgy: 7-11-9 = 14pts
  10. Ken Roczen: 1-21-8 = 13pts
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 450SX Points after 13 of 17 Rounds

  1. Cooper Webb – 288
  2. Marvin Musquin – 271
  3. Eli Tomac – 262
  4. Ken Roczen – 252
  5. Blake Baggett – 215
  6. Dean Wilson – 201
  7. Joey Savatgy – 173
  8. Cole Seely – 160
  9. Chad Reed – 151
  10. 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.

AMA SX Rnd McAdoo CianciaruloStarts JK SX Houston
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.

AMA SX Rnd Nichols JK SX Houston
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.”

AMA SX Rnd Ferrandis JK SX Houston
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.”

AMA SX Rnd Hampshire JK SX Houston
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.”

AMA SX Rnd Nichols JK SX Houston
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.

250 West Coast Main Event Results

  1. Dylan Ferrandis: 2-1-2 = 26pts
  2. RJ Hampshire: 3-2-4 = 23pts
  3. Colt Nichols: 5-4-1 = 21pts
  4. Adam Cianciarulo: 1-10-3 = 19pts
  5. James Decotis: 6-5-6 = 18pts
  6. Cameron Mcadoo: 9-6-5 = 17pts
  7. Justin Starling: 12-8-8 = 16pts
  8. Sean Cantrell: 11-7-13 = 15pts
  9. Garrett Marchbanks: 10-3-19 = 14pts
  10. Chris Blose: 8-19-7 = 13pts
AMA SX Rnd Ferrandis Podium JK SX Houston
250 West Coast Overall Results
Dylan Ferrandis: 2-1-2 = 26pts
RJ Hampshire: 3-2-4 = 23pts
Colt Nichols: 5-4-1 = 21pts

250 West Coast Points after 8 of 10 Rounds

  1. Adam Cianciarulo – 182
  2. Dylan Ferrandis – 177
  3. Colt Nichols – 142
  4. RJ Hampshire – 126
  5. Shane Mcelrath – 123
  6. James Decotis – 112
  7. Chris Blose – 111
  8. Cameron Mcadoo – 111
  9. Michael Mosiman – 110
  10. Garrett Marchbanks – 99

250 East Coast Points after 6 of 9 Rounds

  1. Austin Forkner – 151
  2. Chase Sexton – 125
  3. Justin Cooper – 123
  4. Alex Martin – 92
  5. Martin Davalos – 89
  6. Mitchell Oldenburg – 88
  7. Brandon Hartranft – 82
  8. Kyle Cunningham – 81
  9. Kyle Peters – 79
  10. Jordon Smith – 70
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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.

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Start Waters Bopping Mellross Cover
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.

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Waters Mellross Clout
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.

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Kirk Gibbs
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.

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Todd Waters Luke Clout
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.

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Mellross Prutti
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.”

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Luke Clout
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.”

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Lawson Bopping
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.”

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Jesse Dobson
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.”

MX Nationals Rnd Appin MX Podium Waters Mellross Gibbs
Thor MX1 – Moto 1 – Appin Results – Top 15
Todd Waters
Hayden Mellross +1.449
Kirk Gibbs +23.990

Thor MX1 – Moto 1 Top 10

  1. Erki Kahro
  2. Luke Clout
  3. Hayden Mellross
  4. Jayden Rykers
  5. Brett Metcalfe
  6. Lawson Bopping
  7. Richie Evans
  8. Zak Small
  9. Kirk Gibbs
  10. Charlie Creech

Thor MX1 – Moto 2 Top Ten

  1. Todd Waters
  2. Luke Clout
  3. Hayden Mellross
  4. Justin Rodbell
  5. Jayden Rykers
  6. Erki Kahro
  7. Kirk Gibbs
  8. Jesse Dobson
  9. Charlie Creech
  10. Lawson Bopping

Thor MX1 – Top Ten Overall

  1. Luke Clout – 64
  2. Hayden Mellross – 60
  3. Erki Kahro – 60
  4. Kirk Gibbs – 47
  5. Lawson Bopping – 47
  6. Charlie Creech – 44
  7. Zak Small – 44
  8. Jayden Rykers – 43
  9. Jesse Dobson – 43
  10. Justin Rodbell – 38
    …12. Todd Waters – 35
    …17. Brett Metcalfe – 28
    …18. Caleb Ward – 25

MX1 Points after 3 of 10 Rounds

  1. Hayden Mellross – 92
  2. Luke Clout – 89
  3. Kirk Gibbs – 77
  4. Todd Waters – 73
  5. Jesse Dobson – 69
  6. Charlie Creech – 64
  7. Justin Rodbell – 63
  8. Zak Small – 62
  9. Tomas Ravenhorst – 61
  10. Erki Kahro – 60
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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.

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Wilson Todd
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.”

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Wilson Todd
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.”

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Aaron Tanti
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
Kyle Webster

Pirelli MX2 – Moto 1 Top 10

  1. Wilson Todd
  2. Aaron Tanti
  3. Cooper Pozniak
  4. Jay Wilson
  5. Jye Dickson
  6. Nathan Crawford
  7. Jy Roberts
  8. Sam Pelz
  9. Issac Ferguson
  10. Dylan Wills

Pirelli MX2 – Moto 2 Top 10

  1. Wilson Todd
  2. Jy Roberts
  3. Joel Evans
  4. Cooper Pozniak
  5. Kyle Webster
  6. Bailey Malkiewicz
  7. Sam Pelz
  8. Riley Dukes
  9. Aaron Tanti
  10. Jye Dickson
  11. Jay Wilson
  12. Nathan Crawford

Pirelli MX2 – Moto 3 Top 10

  1. Wilson Todd
  2. Kyle Webster
  3. Jay Wilson
  4. Aaron Tanti
  5. Jy Roberts
  6. Dylan Wills
  7. Jye Dickson
  8. Nathan Crawford
  9. Sam Pelz
  10. Issac Ferguson
MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MX Podium Wilson Todd Aaron Tanti Jy Roberts
MX2 Overall Round Podium – 1) Wilson Todd, 2) Aaron Tanti, 3) Jy Roberts

Pirelli MX2 – Top Ten Overall

  1. Wilson Todd – 70
  2. Aaron Tanti – 56
  3. Jy Roberts – 56
  4. Jay Wilson – 54
  5. Cooper Pozniak – 52
  6. Jye Dickson – 49
  7. Sam Pelz – 48
  8. Kyle Webster – 46
  9. Nathan Crawford – 43
  10. Issac Ferguson – 42

MX2 Points after 3 of 10 Rounds

  1. Wilson Todd – 100
  2. Jy Roberts – 91
  3. Jay Wilson – 86
  4. Aaron Tanti – 77
  5. Cooper Pozniak – 76
  6. Issac Ferguson – 70
  7. Nathan Crawford – 68
  8. Jye Dickson – 64
  9. Dylan Wills – 63
  10. Kyle Webster – 62
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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.

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MXD Rhys Budd
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.”

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MXD Rhys Budd
Rhys Budd

Motul MXD – Moto 1 Top 10

  1. Regan Duffy
  2. Mason Rowe
  3. Rhys Budd
  4. Noah Ferguson
  5. Mason Semmens
  6. Brodie Ellis
  7. Jai Walker
  8. Tye Jones
  9. Jack Kukas
  10. Mackenzie O’Bree

Motul MXD – Moto 2 Top 10

  1. Regan Duffy
  2. Maximus Purvis
  3. Mason Rowe
  4. Rhys Budd
  5. Noah Ferguson
  6. Mason Semmens
  7. Brodie Ellis
  8. Liam Andrews
  9. Jack Kukas
  10. Micheal Murphy
MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi MXD Podium Regan Duffy Mason Rowe Rhys Budd
Regan Duffy claimed the overall win and red plate, with Mason Row and Rhys Budd closing out the podium

Motul MXD – Top Ten Overall

  1. Regan Duffy – 70
  2. Mason Rowe – 62
  3. Rhys Budd – 58
  4. Noah Ferguson – 54
  5. Mason Semmens – 51
  6. Brodie Ellis – 49
  7. Maximus Purvis – 45
  8. Jack Kukas – 44
  9. Jai Walker – 39
  10. Mackenzie O’Bree – 37

MXD Championship Points

  1. Regan Duffy – 94
  2. Rhys Budd – 90
  3. Maximus Purvis – 80
  4. Mason Rowe – 78
  5. Noah Ferguson – 69

125cc Gold Cup Report

MX Nationals Rnd Wonthaggi Podium Yamaha Cup Cam Taylor Winner
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

  1. Cameron Taylor – 70
  2. Joshua Kilvington – 64
  3. Nicholas Murray – 58
  4. Clay Kilvington – 58
  5. Jedidiah Cornthwaite – 51
  6. Lachlan Wilson – 48
  7. Nick Davis – 48
  8. Darcy Cavanagh – 45
  9. Ryan Butler – 44
  10. 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.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Tony Cairoli RA
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.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Desalle GP SL
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.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Tony Cairoli RA
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.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Desalle GP SL
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.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Gajser bavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo

MXGP Valkenswaard Overall Top Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points
  2. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 38
  3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 36
  4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 36
  5. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 36
  6. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 29
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 28
  8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 28
  9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 25
  10. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 17
MXGP Rnd Netherlands Desalle Podium
MXGP Overall Podium – 1) Cairoli, 2) Desalle, 3) Gajser

MXGP Standings following Valkenswaard MXGP

  1. CAIROLI Antonio 147
  2. GAJSER Tim 125
  3. DESALLE Clement 103
  4. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy 102
  5. PAULIN Gautier 102
  6. JASIKONIS Arminas 92
  7. SEEWER Jeremy 78
  8. SIMPSON Shaun 64
  9. LIEBER Julien 62
  10. ANSTIE Max 62
    …24 FERRIS Dean 6
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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.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Jorge Prado RA
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.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Jed Beaton
MXGP 2019 – Round 3 – The Netherlands – Jed Beaton leads

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.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Jorge Prado RA
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.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Thomas Kjer Olsen
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.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Jago Geerts
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.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Jed Beaton
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!”

MX2 Valkenswaard Overall Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 42
  3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 36
  4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 36
  5. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 35
  6. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 32
  7. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 23
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 22
  9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 21
  10. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 21
    …12. Jed Beaton
MXGP Rnd Netherlands MX Podium
MX2 Overall Podium – 1) Prado, 2) Kjer-Olsen, 3) Geerts

MX2 Championship Top Ten after Valkenswaard

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 136 points
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 113
  3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 107
  4. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 100
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 95
  6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 86
  7. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 81
  8. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 65
  9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 63
  10. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 60
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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.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Amandine Verstappen
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,

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Duncan
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.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Rutledge
Meghan Rutledge

WMX Overall Top Ten

  1. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 44 points
  2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 43
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40
  4. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 39
  5. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 34
  6. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 29
  7. Line Dam (DEN, HON), 26
  8. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25
  9. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 25
  10. Virginie Germond (SUI, KTM), 18
MXGP Rnd Netherlands WMX Top
WMX Overall Podium – 1) Verstappen, 2) Van De Ven, 3) Papenmeier

WMX Championship Top Ten

  1. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 44 points
  2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 43
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40
  4. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 39
  5. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 34
  6. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 29
  7. Line Dam (DEN, HON), 26
  8. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25
  9. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 25
  10. 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 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), 29:33.564
  2. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:18.504
  3. Joel Rizzi (GBR, KTM), +0:20.491
  4. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:22.052
  5. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:23.129
  6. Kjell Verbruggen (NED, Husqvarna), +0:24.242
  7. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), +0:29.100
  8. Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), +0:46.761
  9. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), +1:04.343
  10. Florian Miot (FRA, Yamaha), +1:04.942

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 30:08.811
  2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:01.038
  3. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, Husqvarna), +0:03.653
  4. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:05.709
  5. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), +0:08.459
  6. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:19.924
  7. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), +0:38.339
  8. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, KTM), +0:39.467
  9. Rasmus Pedersen (DEN, KTM), +0:47.521
  10. Eddie Jay Wade (GBR, KTM), +0:53.018.

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing Overall Top Ten

  1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 43 points
  2. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 42
  3. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 39
  4. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 38
  5. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 34
  6. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 26
  7. Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), 21
  8. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 20
  9. Joel Rizzi (GBR, KTM), 20
  10. Alessandro Facca (ITA, KTM), 17

EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing ChampionshipTop Ten

  1. Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 43 points
  2. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 42
  3. Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 39
  4. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 38
  5. Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 34
  6. Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 26
  7. Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), 21
  8. Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 20
  9. Joel Rizzi (GBR, KTM), 20
  10. 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.

MXGP UK ferris action
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 KTM RALLY Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
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

  1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 3:13:21
  2. Joan Barreda (SPA), Honda, 3:15:04 +1:43
  3. Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 3:16:19 +2:58
  4. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:16:51 +3:30
  5. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 3:19:16 +5:55

Provisional Overall Standings (after Stage Two)

  1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 6:59:57
  2. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 7:00:48 +0:51
  3. Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 7:04:09 +4:12
  4. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 7:06:39 +6:42
  5. 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.

Steele Creek GNCC Kailub Russell KH
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.

Steele Creek GNCC Thad Duvall KH
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

  1. Thad Duvall (HQV)
  2. Kailub Russell (KTM)
  3. Trevor Bollinger (HQV)
  4. Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM)
  5. Josh Toth (KTM)
  6. Jordan Ashburn (KAW)
  7. Josh Strang (KAW)
  8. Cory Buttrick (YAM)
  9. Andrew Delong (HON)
  10. Layne Michael (HQV)

Overall National Championship Standings

  1. Kailub Russell (80)
  2. Thad Duvall (72)
  3. Steward Baylor Jr. (66)
  4. Trevor Bollinger (62)
  5. Ben Kelley (47)
  6. Josh Toth (46)
  7. Josh Strang (43)
  8. Jordan Ashburm (36)
  9. Jonathan Girroir (35)
  10. Michael Witkowski (32)
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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 Italian Championship Rnd
Steve Holcombe – 2019 Italian Enduro Championship

Championship Standings after Round 3

  1. Steve Holcombe (Beta) 57pts
  2. Alex Salvini (Honda) 40
  3. Danny McCanney (TM) 39
  4. Loic Larrieu (TM) 37
  5. 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 announced
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.

Dakar Stage Toby Price
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.”

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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.

FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship to Gillman
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.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Cairoli & Prado sweep MXGP Valkenswaard for KTM

MXGP 2019

Round 3 – The Netherlands


Three rounds are now complete in the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship after the MXGP of the Netherlands in Valkenswaard, with Tony Cairoli and Jorge Prado claiming the overall wins in dominant fashion across both the MXGP and MX2 classes – the first KTM sweep of 2019!

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Arminas Jasikonis
MXGP Start

The Netherlands was the perfect setting for the action with challenging race conditions and better than expected weather added to by an enthusiastic crowd.

Australian Jed Beaton took a 10-15 result, with Mitch Evans going 37-10, leaving Evans 10th in the overall standings, with Beaton 13th. The opening round of the WMX also saw New Zealands Courtney Duncan go 1-7 to narrowly miss the overall podium after going down in Race 2, with Meghan Rutledge 9-8 to claim 25 championship points, with eighth position in the standings.


MXGP

As Race 1 kicked off it was Antonio Cairoli who scored the Fox Holeshot, however by the end of the first lap it was Max Anstie in the lead! Running the pace early Anstie’s pass on Cairoli was textbook.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Tony Cairoli RA
Tony Cairoli takes the holeshot – Image by Ray Archer

Tim Gajser was third with Gautier Paulin and Italian rider Ivo Monticelli not far behind. Clement Desalle was back in eighth after the first official lap but passed his teammate Julien Lieber one lap later. Continuing his way forward the Belgian made it by Jeremy Seewer before catching Monticelli.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Gajser bavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo

On the fifth lap a mistake sent Gajser flying out of third promoting Paulin to the spot. Three laps after the mistake from Gajser, who rejoined the race in 12th behind Brian Bogers, Anstie fell while leading and was slow to get back going after snagging his gear on the bike.

The fall of Anstie not only gave Paulin another spot but handed the lead back to the always strong Sicilian Antonio Cairoli. Next to fall victim to a mistake was Anstie’s teammate and Cairoli’s compatriot Monticelli. Taking over the Monticelli’s position was Arminas Jasikonis. Jasikonis started his charge from tenth on lap 1 and progressed all the way up to fourth by lap 12.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Clement Desalle
Clement Desalle

At the conclusion of the first race Cairoli took the win by over Desalle by 4.2 seconds with Paulin and Jasikonis less than three seconds further back while Jeremy Van Horebeektook was fifth. Gajser recovered to seventh by the finish while Anstie finished 16th ahead of his two teammates in Glenn Coldenhoff and Ivo Monticelli in 17th and 18th.

MXGP Race 2 gave Cairoli his second Fox Holeshot of the weekend and fourth of the season but this time he held the lead for all of the 17 laps. Gajser had his Works Honda in second with the privateer effort of Van Horebeek just behind.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Tony Cairoli RA
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer

Jasikonis was off to another midfield start and came across the finish lap in ninth after the first complete lap. Shaun Simpson had a remarkable start inside the top five battling with Desalle for fourth during the first 10 laps. Paulin was on a move up the leaderboard along with Jasikonis for several laps before losing control of his Yamaha and sampling the sand.

Similar to Race 1 Jasikonis continued to progress forward taking fourth from Desalle with only two laps remaining. At the finish it was a second race win for Cairoli with Gajser second, Van Horebeek third, Jasikonis fourth, and Desalle fifth.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Gajser bavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo

In the overall classification Cairoli’s double win earned him 50 points while Desalle’s 2-5 scores earned 38 points for second overall. Gajser’s 7-2 tallied 36 points for third overall and his third podium so far this season.

Tony Cairoli – P1

“A very nice weekend. I didn’t really feel great all week. On hard-pack I was OK but this small shoulder problem in the sand made things difficult. Anyway, looking at the bigger picture we took two wins and you cannot get more than fifty points so it was a great weekend. Also no crashes, which was important on this track where we saw a lot of people going down. It will be a busy week now with my home GP but I hope to see a lot of public at Arco and KTM again on top of the podium.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Tony Cairoli RA
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Clement Desalle – P2

“I’m really happy as it’s not my favourite track and I was not expecting such a good result as I couldn’t train as I like during the week after my crash in Great Britain; I had pain in my hand and in my neck. Yesterday I just took it step-by-step and did what I needed to do. Today was different; I got good starts, was feeling good and could come back to second position during the first race. But I hurt my knee during this race; between the motos we had to work with the physio and doctor so I was able to get another top five finish which gave me a first podium this season. We are now third in the championship and I’m really confident for the rest of the season after this podium.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Desalle GP SL
Clement Desalle
Tim Gajser – P3

“I’m quite happy to finish on the podium again. I’m just a little bit disappointed with the first race. I made a mistake and finished seventh, but I’m trying to learn as much as possible from these mistakes so I don’t make them in the future. The second race was good though. My speed was good, my start was good. We were really close to the front and the pace was high so overall I’m quite happy and I’m really looking forward to next weekend in Arco di Trento. A huge thanks to everyone in the team, they did an amazing job with the bike and I felt comfortable on it in both the motos.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Gajser bavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Arminas Jasikonis – P5

“For me it was a really good weekend here in The Netherlands. I felt on top form and kept improving my pace every time I was on track. If my starts were a little bit better in the final motos, my overall result would have been even better. Not getting the best of starts in either race, I had to fight my way through the pack. Despite not getting great starts I ended up sharing the exact same points as third placed Tim Gajser and that gives me the extra motivation to continue pushing hard. I am really happy with where I’m at right now and I am looking forward to the next GP in Italy.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Arminas Jasikonis
Arminas Jasikonis

MXGP Race 1 Top 10 – Valkenswaard 2019

  1. CAIROLI Antonio – ITA – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 34:34.806
  2. DESALLE Clement – BEL – Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing +4.242
  3. PAULIN Gautier – FRA – Wilvo Yamaha MXGP +5.137
  4. JASIKONIS Arminas – LTU – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing +6.759
  5. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy – BEL – Honda SR Motoblouz +12.427
  6. LIEBER Julien – BEL – Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing +13.786
  7. GAJSER Tim – SLO – Team HRC – MXGP +14.058
  8. SEEWER Jeremy – SWI – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team +20.989
  9. SIMPSON Shaun – GBR – RFX KTM Racing +35.999
  10. TIXIER Jordi – FRA – Team VHR KTM Racing +39.272

MXGP Race 2 Top 10 – Valkenswaard 2019

  1. CAIROLI Antonio – ITA – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 34:13.363
  2. GAJSER Tim – SLO – Team HRC – MXGP +1.461
  3. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy – BEL – Honda SR Motoblouz +32.822
  4. JASIKONIS Arminas – LTU – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing +42.905
  5. DESALLE Clement – BEL – Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing +48.123
  6. SEEWER Jeremy – SWI – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team +51.333
  7. LIEBER Julien – BEL – Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing +52.345
  8. SIMPSON Shaun – GBR – RFX KTM Racing +54.021
  9. ANSTIE Max – GBR – Standing Construct KTM +1:00.795
  10. COLDENHOFF Glenn – NDL – Standing Construct KTM +1:01.515
MXGP Rnd Netherlands Desalle Podium
MXGP Overall Podium – 1) Antonio Cairoli, 2) Clement Desalle, 3) Tim Gajser

MXGP Valkenswaard Overall Top Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points
  2. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 38
  3. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 36
  4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 36
  5. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 36
  6. Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 29
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 28
  8. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 28
  9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 25
  10. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 17

MXGP Standings following Valkenswaard MXGP

  1. CAIROLI Antonio 147
  2. GAJSER Tim 125
  3. DESALLE Clement 103
  4. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy 102
  5. PAULIN Gautier 102
  6. JASIKONIS Arminas 92
  7. SEEWER Jeremy 78
  8. SIMPSON Shaun 64
  9. LIEBER Julien 62
  10. ANSTIE Max 62
    …24 FERRIS Dean 6

MX2

The dominance of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing continued in MX2 this weekend as defending MX2 World Champion Jorge Prado returned from his one-week hiatus. Adding to his impressive collection of Fox Holeshot black plates Prado took the Race 1 lead immediately.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen leading the MX2 start

Thomas Kjer Olsen’s red plated Rockstar Energy Husqvarna got him into second early while his newfound antagonist Henry Jacobi ran third. Davy Pootjes was fifth for the first seven laps of the race before Ben Watson flew past at the end of the roller section.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Jorge Prado RA
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer

Watson also passed Tom Vialle but a lap later the Brit crashed making his hard work all for nothing as he lost three spots as a result. Calvin Vlaanderen came from ninth on lap 1 to fourth by the end of lap 12 where he settled in behind Jacobi. Watson meanwhile regrouped from his fall and took fifth away from Pootjes for the second time with two laps to go.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Tom Vialle RA
Tom Vialle – Image by Ray Archer

At the finish Prado scored the win seven and a half seconds ahead of Olsen who had a further six seconds on Jacobi and another 16 seconds on Vlaanderen in fourth.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen

In Race 2 Prado’s perfection continued with another Fox Holeshot over Olsen, Jacobi, Vialle, and Jago Geerts. Prado’s new KTM teammate, Tom Vialle, crashed out of fourth position during lap three and remounted in 11th.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Jorge Prado RA
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer

Vlaanderen moved into the top five due to Vialle’s crash but more noticeably Geerts took the Frenchman’s prior position and ran with it. A native of the neighboring Belgium, Geerts applied pressure to Jacobi for a consistent seven laps and finally made the move to take over third and two laps later Vlaanderen did the same displacing Jacobi another position backwards.

With just two laps to go Jacobi would lose another position to Watson with Alberto Forato, applying pressure from an impressive ride in seventh. The most important pass of the race for Geerts was also the final one. On the last lap, the last section, and last jump Geerts launched his YZ250F past Olsen to take second and also earn the final spot on the podium.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Jorge Prado RA
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer

With Prado taking the win it was a perfect KTM sweep of the weekend in both MXGP and MX2 while Olsen took second overall and maintained the red plate ahead of next weekend’s MXGP of Trentino.

Jorge Prado – P1

“It was a great weekend. Four days ago I could not think about riding. I had too much pain and I didn’t really know how my body was reacting. I had to rest these weeks and take it easy. I wasn’t happy at all to miss Matterley Basin. I don’t think we really expected these results here this weekend: the goal had been just to ride and get some points! On Saturday I had some issues and didn’t feel comfortable but today I woke up and I felt better. So to win both motos was great and to get some points back. I took some painkillers today just to be safe but everything that we did for this weekend turned out well. It is a long championship and my rivals are riding well. We just need to keep going, keep focussed, limit the mistakes and keep trying to improve.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Jorge Prado RA
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Thomas Kjer-Olsen – P2

“We picked up some good points here in The Netherlands and that’s what matters the most for me. Knowing the track would be rough, my goal coming into the weekend was to remain safe and do my best to maintain the lead in the championship. In the first moto I had a decent pace and crossed the line in second. Then in the final moto I got passed by Geerts while running second again, just before the chequered flag, so I ended up third for second overall. This season will be very long and my goal is to remain consistent until the end of it.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Jago Geerts – P3

“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.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Jago Geerts
Jago Geerts

Continuing to build on his speed and stamina following injury, Australia’s Jed Beaton wrapped up the GP of The Netherlands with 10/15 results for 12th overall in the MX2 category.

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. The 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.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Jed Beaton
Jed Beaton

MX2 Valkenswaard Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34:30.560
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:07.459
  3. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:16.197
  4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:32.080
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:41.347
  6. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:46.249
  7. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:46.877
  8. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:54.324
  9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:58.521
  10. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +1:09.100

MX2 Valkenswaard Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34:35.326
  2. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:05.031
  3. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:05.188
  4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:13.061
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:16.499
  6. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:27.070
  7. Alberto Forato (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:37.591
  8. Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +0:48.631
  9. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:06.469
  10. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +1:09.989
    …15. Jed Beaton
MXGP Rnd Netherlands MX Podium
MX2 Overall Podium – 1) Jorge Prado, 2) Thomas Kjer Olsen, 3) Jago Geerts

MX2 Valkenswaard Overall Top Ten

  1. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  2. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 42
  3. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 36
  4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 36
  5. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 35
  6. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 32
  7. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 23
  8. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 22
  9. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 21
  10. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 21
    …12. Jed Beaton

MX2 Championship Top Ten after Valkenswaard

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 136 points
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 113
  3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 107
  4. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 100
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 95
  6. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 86
  7. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 81
  8. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 65
  9. Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 63
  10. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 60

WMX

The first round of the 2019 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship concluded after two days of racing at the Valkenswaard circuit of the Netherlands. It was Amandine Verstappen who took the Valkenswaard victory along with the first overall win and red plate of the new season for the very first time in her career.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands WMX Start
WMX Start

A full entry list left 39 of the world’s best Women Motocross racers to line up on the sandy Dutch circuit. Though early in the year the weekend had nearly perfect weather and track conditions which developed to challenge all by the final checkered flag.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Rutledge
Meghan Rutledge

Alongside the qualifying races of MXGP and MX2, plus the first race of EMX125 presented by FMF Racing, the women started their season. The first race and day of the two day, two race format was a showing of speed by newly signed BIKE IT DRT Kawasaki rider Courtney Duncan.

When WMX Race 1 started off Amandine Verstappen took the holeshot ahead of Larissa Papenmeier and the rest of the field. Duncan was third but made quick moves to get by Papenmeier in lap two to then take the lead from Verstappen one lap later.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Rutledge
Meghan Rutledge

Moving forward throughout the 11 laps were Nancy Van de Ven and Shana Van der Vlist. Moving from eighth to fourth was a strong ride for Van de Ven after a bad start but even more impressive was Van der Vlist’s comeback from 12th up to fifth.

Race 1 was won by Duncan 6.6 seconds ahead of Verstappen who had Papenmeier only a tenth of second further behind in third. Van de Ven and Van der Vlist took the final spots among the top five.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Duncan
Courtney Duncan claimed victory in Race 1

Race 2 was in slightly cooler temperatures and a rougher track but Courtney Duncan was quick to take the Saturday momentum onward and lead from the beginning. A better start from Van de Ven put her in a position to apply pressure to Duncan while Verstappen and Papenmeier gave chase to both.

After 7 laps of the 11 total Duncan made a costly mistake on the lip of the finish jump sending her into a massive endo. Ejected from the bike the Kiwi returned quickly but after struggling to get it started her hope of winning disappeared. The crash left Van de Ven with the lead and a clear track ahead of Verstappen.

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Rutledge
Meghan Rutledge

At the finish it was a race win for Van de Ven but Verstappen’s pair of second place finishes was both too strong and too consistent to be beat in the overall result. Duncan recovered to seventh but finished fourth overall behind Verstappen Van de Ven and Papenmeier.

Courtney Duncan – P4

“It’s a little bit frustrating to miss the win and even the podium as I really felt easy on the bike all weekend; I felt good enough to win and honestly I don’t really know what happened before I crashed on this jump. Anyway I didn’t get injured in this crash; I’m healthy and I feel confident before the next round. Now I need to spend time with the team and on the bike, get some fitness back and we’ve now got six weeks to do that before Portugal.”

MXGP Rnd Netherlands Duncan
Courtney Duncan

The women will now prepare for round 2 of the 2019 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship scheduled for the MXGP of Portugal on the 18th and 19th of May in Agueda.

WMX Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 24:47.429
  2. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +0:06.661
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:06.762
  4. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:40.317
  5. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +0:42.462
  6. Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +0:45.841
  7. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +0:54.902
  8. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +0:58.314
  9. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:59.382
  10. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:27.155

WMX Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), 25:00.931
  2. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +0:08.011
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:13.410
  4. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +0:57.730
  5. Line Dam (DEN, Honda), +1:11.635
  6. Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +1:12.584
  7. Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +1:20.931
  8. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +1:22.971
  9. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:24.765
  10. Mathilde Martinez (FRA, KTM), +1:53.374
MXGP Rnd Netherlands WMX Top
WMX Overall Podium -1) Amandine Verstappen, 2) Nancy Van De Ven, 3) Larissa Papenmeier

WMX Overall Top Ten

  1. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 44 points
  2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 43
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40
  4. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 39
  5. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 34
  6. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 29
  7. Line Dam (DEN, HON), 26
  8. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25
  9. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 25
  10. Virginie Germond (SUI, KTM), 18

WMX Championship Top Ten

  1. Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 44 points
  2. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 43
  3. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40
  4. Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 39
  5. Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 34
  6. Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 29
  7. Line Dam (DEN, HON), 26
  8. Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25
  9. Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 25
  10. Virginie Germond (SUI, KTM), 18

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto News | SX | MXGP | EMX | EnduroGP | Sonora Rally

Moto News Wrap for March 26, 2019 by Darren Smart

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The LATEST News

  • Musquin and Ferrandis win in Seattle SX
  • Chad Reed OUT of 2019 Season
  • 2019 A4DE postponed – Date TBA
  • Cairoli and Kjer Olsen storm Matterley Basin MXGP
  • Forato and Anderson win EMX in Great Britain
  • Prado sits out MXGP of Great Britain
  • Herlings to return to MXGP in May
  • Holcombe dominates EnduroGP
  • HRC’s Ricky Brabec wins the Sonora Rally
  • Ryan brothers shine at Casey Stoner Cup

Musquin and Ferrandis win in Seattle SX

Seattle hosted last weekend’s round of the AMA Supercross Championships and it was French riders Marvin Musquin and Dylan Ferrandis who won the 450SX and 250SX West main events respectively after an action-packed and somewhat controversial night of racing.

AMA SX Rnd Starts JK SX Seattle Cover
AMA Supercross Round 12 – Seattle – Image by Hoppenworld

The race was reasonably stagnant right up to the chequered flag with Musquin, Roczen, and Tomac filling the.  Musquin took his second consecutive win but as far as the points go he was docked seven points for jumping through a medical flag.

Marvin Musquin

“I know what I did wrong, I have no excuses, I was leading and going for it and I saw the yellows (flags) and I did slow down but I did jump, but this doesn’t take away from my win because after that I slowed down and was looking back and Kenny was right behind me but I put in a solid main, I am really happy with my riding and that doesn’t take anything away (from the win), so I am really happy.”

AMA SX Rnd Musquin JK SX Seattle
Marvin Musquin – Image by Hoppenworld

Chad Reed lost traction as the field entered the second jump section at Seattle on the weekend, and sustained a hefty injury list from the clash, with eight broken ribs, a broken scapula and a collapsed lung. But blamed nobody but himself. See below for more details.

450SX Main Event Results

  1. Marvin Musquin
  2. Ken Roczen
  3. Eli Tomac
  4. Cooper Webb
  5. Joey Savatgy
  6. Dean Wilson
  7. Blake Baggett
  8. Zach Osborne
  9. Cole Seely
  10. Tyler Bowers

AMA SX Rnd Musquin Roczen Tomac Podium JK SX Seattle
450SX Main Event Results – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen +02.361
Eli Tomac +07.407

450SX Points after 12 of 17 Rounds

  1. Cooper Webb – 262
  2. Marvin Musquin – 248
  3. Eli Tomac – 243
  4. Ken Roczen – 239
  5. Blake Baggett – 200
  6. Dean Wilson – 180
  7. Joey Savatgy – 159
  8. Chad Reed – 151
  9. Justin Barcia – 144
  10. Cole Seely – 142

250 West Coast Report

Cianciarulo made a mistake in the whoops late in the race, handing Ferrandis a handy lead with one lap remaining but Cianciarulo was able to close right back up on Ferrandis and even went for an unlikely block pass on the final turn. He came up short so it was Ferrandis’ first main win in America while Cianciarulo, Decotis, Mosiman and Chris Blose rounded out the top five ahead of RJ Hampshire who came back to sixth after the start straight crash.

AMA SX Rnd Starts JK SX Seattle
AMA SX Round 12 – 250 Start – Image by Hoppenworld

Cianciarulo now holds a 12-point lead over Ferrandis as they head to Houston next weekend while the big losers at Seattle were Shane McElrath and Nichols with the third and fourth placed riders in the points scoring zero on the night thanks to McElrath pulling out after practice with a back injury and the first lap crash of Nichols.

Dylan Ferrandis

“It has taken me three years in America to get my first win, I have suffered a lot of bad starts but tonight I got a good start then my teammate (Nichols) crashed right in front of me so I took the lead and I was leading the main which is new for me so I just tried to ride with no mistakes, Adam was right on my back and it was really challenging for me but I think for the future this is going to help me a lot.”

AMA SX Rnd Ferrandis JK SX Seattle
Dylan Ferrandis – Image by Hoppenworld

250 West Coast Main Event Results

  1. Dylan Ferrandis
  2. Adam Cianciarulo
  3. Jimmy Decotis
  4. Michael Mosiman
  5. Chris Blose
  6. RJ Hampshire
  7. Mitchell Harrison
  8. Cameron McAdoo
  9. Enzo Lopes
  10. Justin Starling
AMA SX Rnd Podium JK SX Seattle
250 West Coast Main Event Results – Image by Hoppenworld
Dylan Ferrandis
Adam Cianciarulo +00.571
Jimmy Decotis +23.247

250 West Coast Points after 7 of 11 Rounds

  1. Adam Cianciarulo – 163
  2. Dylan Ferrandis – 151
  3. Shane McElrath – 123
  4. Colt Nichols – 121
  5. J. Hampshire – 103
  6. Michael Mosiman – 99
  7. Chris Blose – 98
  8. Cameron McAdoo – 94
  9. Jimmy Decotis – 94
  10. Garrett Marchbanks – 85

250 East Coast Points after 6 of 9 Rounds

  1. Austin Forkner – 151
  2. Chase Sexton – 125
  3. Justin Cooper – 123
  4. Alex Martin – 92
  5. Martin Davalos – 89
  6. Mitchell Oldenburg – 88
  7. Brandon Hartranft – 82
  8. Kyle Cunningham – 81
  9. Kyle Peters – 79
  10. Jordon Smith – 70
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Chad Reed OUT of 2019 Season

Superstar Chad Reed has been forced out of the remainder of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship following injuries received in a multi-rider pile-up at Seattle last weekend.

AMA SX Rnd Crash Reed Multiple JK SX Seattle
Reed has a hefty injury list from the clash, with eight broken ribs, a broken scapula and a collapsed lung. – Image by Hoppenworld

Reed was on the inside of Cooper Webb going through the second right hand corner of the main event but his JGR Suzuki spun up as he was trying to launch into the next rhythm section and with the rest of the field flying down to the left his Suzuki spewed directly into the path of a heap of riders bringing Ryan Breece and Justin Brayton down before Kyle Chisolm was left with no choice but to land right on top of Reed.

Via social media the 32-year-old Reed announced that the crash has resulted in the multi supercross champion having to sit out the remaining five rounds.

Chad Reed – Instagram

“Yesterday was fun. Finally a halfway technical track; The whoops were so freaking awesome loved every pass, unfortunately a mistake in the main was costly. Eight broken ribs, broken scapula and a collapsed lung. I’m bummed my year comes to an end with five to go.”

AMA SX Rnd Chad Reed Pits JK SX Seattle
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld

2019 A4DE postponed – Date TBA

Motorcycling Australia (MA) have advise all competitors and teams entered into the 2019 Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE), that the event has been postponed, with a date to be confirmed in due course, find below further details:

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

Motorcycling Australia (MA) Statement

“Due to government approvals surrounding the environment in which the 2019 A4DE will take place, the date for this prestigious event has been delayed. To ensure that the area spanning the event’s four days are supported and protected to best of the Motorcycling New South Wales Enduro Committee’s and Far South Coast Motorcycle Club’s abilities, this change in date is vital to the success of the A4DE 41st anniversary.

“To ensure the least amount of disruption to riders and teams alike, full refunds due to the date change will be provided, if requested, within 21 days. For a full refund please contact the A4DE secretary via [email protected].

“For further information surrounding the event and how to enter, please head to the A4DE website and Facebook. “MA and A4DE appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter. Further updates regarding the 2019 A4DE official date will be released via MA in due course.”


Cairoli and Kjer Olsen storm Matterley Basin MXGP

Perfect weather and a huge crowd gave Great Britain’s Matterley Basin circuit a boost as it hosted the second round of the FIM World Motocross Championship last weekend and it was Tony Cairoli who clinched his second win of the season while Thomas Kjer Olsen rode the wheels off his Husqvarna in the MX2 class to take his first win of the year.

MXGP UK cairoli start
Tony Cairoli in the lead

MXGP Report

Despite a shoulder injury Cairoli garnered his 87th GP victory with 1-2 moto results but you would have to say ‘the man’ of the GP was Tim Gajser who had a massive high-speed crash while leading the opening moto only to bounce back to finish third THEN get it all together to win the second moto ahead of a determined Cairoli.

Gautier Paulin’s 2-3 gave him third overall ahead of Clement Desalle, Jeremy Van Horebeek, Arnaud Tonus, Max Anstie, Jeremy Seewer, Arminas Jasikonis and Julien Lieber so after two rounds Cairoli leads the championship by just 8 points over Gajser who in turn has a 15-point lead over Paulin.

Tony Cairoli

“It was a great weekend and this track is for sure one of my favourites but, today it was very difficult to push from the beginning. I couldn’t really push because I am stiff on my right shoulder and neck which gave me arm pump right away. Hopefully I can be 100% again for the next race but overall, I’m really happy, of course for the championship everything is going well and this is my goal.”

MXGP UK antonio cairoli
Tony Cairoli

Tim Gajser is proving to be Cairoli’s main competition so far this season.

Tim Gajser

“Today was a special day for me and I’m really happy to finish on the podium. The first race I had a good start I was behind Tony and managed to pass him quickly but made a little gap then I made a mistake … thankfully I could continue. I was really happy to win the second race and I’m looking forward to next weekend. We can see that we are going to the right direction so we will continue pushing hard with the team and everybody I’m just happy that the pace and everything is finally back.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Gajser bavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo

Gautier Paulin’s second round on the Yamaha earned the French star a solid podium.

Gautier Paulin

“Every weekend on the box is a good weekend. I was happy with the first moto. In the second moto I was riding stiff in the beginning, but overall, we had a good weekend and made a big step forward since Argentina. This was always the goal and this is what we are working really hard towards. I am really happy with my team Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP and the work they are putting in.”

Dean Ferris started the opening moto just inside the top 30 but as you would expect our fastest 450 rider made his way to 15th with lap times that were comparable to the like of Max Anstie, Arminas Jasikonis and Glenn Coldenhoff but a fall at the start of the second moto not only put pay to what should have been a great weekend for Ferris and it looks like he has picked up a knee injury.

Dean Ferris

“It was a tough weekend, but I got more comfortable in every session. I thought the last fifteen minutes of the race I found my groove and had some really good lap-times, so I was content with that. In moto two, I went down on the start and I have hurt my knee, so that will need to be assessed.”

MXGP UK ferris action
Dean Ferris

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 36:37.831
  2. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:01.956
  3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:04.473
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:24.293
  5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:26.271
  6. Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:27.618
  7. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), +0:45.107
  8. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:46.683
  9. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:49.675
  10. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:56.271

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 36:01.717
  2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.709
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:54.204
  4. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:57.637
  5. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +1:00.564
  6. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +1:05.984
  7. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:20.385
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:22.071
  9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:26.697
  10. Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:28.257
MXGP UK mxgp podium
2019 MXGP Podium – Matterley Basin, UK – 1) Tony Cairoli, 2) Tim Gajser, 3) Gautier Paulin

MXGP Overall Top Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 points
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 45 points
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 42 points
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 32 points
  5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 31 points
  6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 30 points
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 29 points
  8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 points
  9. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 21 points
  10. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 17 points

MXGP Championship Top Ten

  1. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 97 points
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 89 points
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 74 points
  4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 66 points
  5. Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 65 points
  6. Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 56 points
  7. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 50 points
  8. Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 39 points
  9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 39 points
  10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 38 points
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MX2 Report

Olsen’s dominant weekend ended with a perfect 1-1 score to take the overall ahead of the hard charging Henry Jacobi’s 2-3 and Tom Vialle’s 3-4 which put the second-generation French motocross star on the podium in his second ever MX2 GP.

MXGP UK thomas olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen

Thomas Kjer Olsen’s first win of the season is not only a confidence booster but the Husqvarna rider now has a 16 point lead over second placed Jacobi in the championship and more importantly a 44 point lead over defending champion Jorge Prado who was forced to sit out the GP with a shoulder injury.

Thomas Kjer Olsen

“It was amazing to go 1-1 for the first time and it was even better when I was on the podium and they gave me the red plate because I didn’t realize I would be leading the points. Overall I had a great weekend, I felt really good out on the track, I had great energy and I felt really comfortable, we even made improvements every time I was out so I was really happy with that and how the whole team is working.”

MXGP UK thomas olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen

Jacobi is supported by F&H Kawasaki but it is far from being a factory team.

Henry Jacobi

“I had some special lines that I was seeing and nobody else took. 2nd overall is really good for us, the team, you know we are not a factory team, but we made some really good steps over the winter with F&H Racing.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Jacobi
Henry Jacobi

Australian riders Jed Beaton and Mitch Evans had mixed success with Beaton’s return to racing after an injury kept him out of the opening round earned the Husqvarna rider tenth overall with a 9-13 finishes while Evans finished 15th overall after a DNF in the opening moto and an eighth in moto two.

Jed Beaton

“I had a really good weekend here at Matterley Basin. It was my first GP after many months, and I felt strong on the bike. It was good to get a top-10 in the opening moto. In the second moto I was close to the top-10 again and ended up finishing in 13th place. Getting a top-10 result in the overall is really positive for the rest of the season. There’s still a long way to go in this series. I’m pretty happy with where I am, hopefully I can start building from here.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Jed beaton action
Jed Beaton
Mitchell Evans

“My weekend started well with a fourth in the qualifying race on Saturday, but Sunday I struggled with my starts. After a bad start in the first race I crashed whilst trying to fight my way forward. After a pit stop to fix a damaged clutch, I found myself almost a lap down and unfortunately, due to the track having such a long lap, I was unable to make up any positions. Another bad start in race two left me with a lot of work to do. I was able to fight my way back to eighth. I am happy with my riding and fitness after ten days of sitting on the couch following Argentina, due to an infection in my knee. We will work on my starts this week and be more prepared for next weekend! Thanks to my team and everyone supporting me!”

MXGP UK evans action
Mitch Evans

The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship is this weekend for the MXGP of The Netherlands in Valkenswaard.

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 35:01.449
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:04.278
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:16.160
  4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:28.500
  5. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:30.179
  6. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:35.271
  7. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:36.018
  8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:44.908
  9. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:50.189
  10. Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:54.010

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 37:10.022
  2. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:09.936
  3. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:16.035
  4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:16.935
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:20.044
  6. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:38.635
  7. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:43.577
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:46.268
  9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:54.765
  10. Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:59.920
MXGP UK olsen podium
2019 MX2 Podium – Matterley Basin, UK – 1) Kjer Olsen, 2) Henry Jacobi, 3) Tom Vialle

MX2 Overall Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 50 points
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 42 points
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 38 points
  4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 35 points
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 34 points
  6. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 28 points
  7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 28 points
  8. Dylan Walsh (NZL, HUS), 22 points
  9. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 20 points
  10. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 20 points

MX2 Championship Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 94 points
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 78 points
  3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 71 points
  4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 65 points
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 63 points
  6. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  7. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 50 points
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 49 points
  9. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 45 points
  10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 41 points

Forato and Anderson win EMX in Great Britain

Elberto Forato and Brad Anderson have won the opening rounds of the EMX250 and EMX2T classes respectively at the Matterley Basin round of the FIM World motocross Championships last weekend.

MXGP UK EMX action at Matterley Basin
EMX250 Start – Matterley Basin

EMX250 Report

The EMX250 class is now age limited to 23 years of age and the overall winner was clearly Forato who led every lap on the way to a perfect weekend while Stephan Rubini took second with 3-5 finishes ahead of Roan Van de Moosdijk finished third with 6-3 scores.

Alberto Forato

“For me it was a good weekend, I lead from the first lap of every race, so I was able to focus on myself and I want to do this every weekend. It is a different bike and a different team this year but now I am really comfortable with everyone, the bike, the mechanics, and everything so it is good for me.”

EMX250 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, Husqvarna), 32:04.381
  2. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Yamaha), +0:07.871
  3. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:13.441
  4. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.624
  5. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, Honda), +0:20.202
  6. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:24.296
  7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:25.668
  8. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), +0:29.951
  9. Josh Gilbert (GBR, Honda), +0:31.131
  10. Caleb Grothues (AUS, Yamaha), +0:53.522

EMX250 Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, Husqvarna), 32:24.557
  2. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:09.886
  3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:22.042
  4. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, Honda), +0:23.370
  5. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:26.631
  6. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, Yamaha), +1:01.793
  7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +1:06.422
  8. Michael Ivanov (BUL, KTM), +1:10.730
  9. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:13.653
  10. Josh Gilbert (GBR, Honda), +1:17.062

EMX250 Championship Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 50 points
  2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 36
  3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 35
  4. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, HON), 34
  5. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 30
  6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 29
  7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 28
  8. Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 23
  9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 22
  10. Michael Ivanov (BUL, KTM), 22
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EMX2T Report

The EMX2T class is the newest category of EMX racing and with this weekend being the first round of the championship a long list of riders entered for their chance to become the first winner and in the end it was Brit Brad Anderson who earned the overall with 1-1 moto results ahead of Vaclav Kovar’s 3-2 results while Andrea Gorini battled hard to go 6-4 for third overall.

MXGP UK EMXT action
EMX 2T Start – Matterley Basin

EMX2T Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 32:30.711
  2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:11.823
  3. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:18.398
  4. Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:28.185
  5. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:29.117
  6. Andrea Gorini (SMR, Yamaha), +0:41.229
  7. Jamie Law (GBR, KTM), +0:48.410
  8. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:51.244
  9. Marco Lolli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:53.367
  10. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:54.018

EMX2T Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 31:53.709
  2. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:13.016
  3. Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:23.472
  4. Andrea Gorini (SMR, Yamaha), +0:31.933
  5. Ben Putnam (GBR, Yamaha), +0:39.101
  6. Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:41.262
  7. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:42.289
  8. Matt Burrows (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:53.431
  9. Marco Lolli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:57.771
  10. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:59.480

EMX2T Championship Top Ten

  1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 50 points
  2. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 42
  3. Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 33
  4. Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 33
  5. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 30
  6. Ben Putnam (GBR, YAM), 26
  7. Marco Lolli (ITA, YAM), 24
  8. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 22
  9. Matt Burrows (GBR, HUS), 21
  10. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, HUS), 21

Prado sits out MXGP of Great Britain

Defending MX2 World Champion Jorge Prado did not take part in the second round of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship last weekend in Great Britain after sustaining a shoulder injury thanks to a crash while practicing three weeks ago.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Jorge Prado RA
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer

Prado did complain of a sore left shoulder after the crash but the Spaniard continued to prepare for Matterley Basin but felt the condition of the joint deteriorate and become more painful.

Further detailed medical examination with renowned surgeon and specialist Dr Claes in Belgium revealed a haematoma under the left shoulder blade was causing the discomfort so the best course of recovery involves rest, and Prado will return for another check-up on Tuesday 26th for further evaluation ahead of the Grand Prix of the Netherlands at Valkenswaard.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Jorge Prado RA
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Claudio De Carli – Red Bull KTM Team Manager

“After such a strong start to the season for the team and Jorge it is disappointing for everyone that he and Jeffrey are now missing Matterley Basin and the first European round of 2019. Unfortunately this is part of the sport but, fortunately, it could be worse and we hope Jorge will be back on the bike very quickly. We’re in good shape and we are confident, and we believe this will not be such a big setback for us in what is a long season.”


Herlings to return to MXGP in May

In the wake of a complex operation on his broken right foot, MXGP World Champion Jeffrey Herlings has stepped-up his physical training program with a view to start riding his Red Bull KTM 450 SX-F in late April and return to competition in the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship action sometime in May.

MXGP Rnd Italy Jeffrey Herlings RA
Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Ray Archer

The four-times World Champion was already missed the opening two Grands Prix and he will also miss Holland and Italy but will then hopefully be counting the days until he can again be behind a FIM World Championship gate.

Jeffrey Herlings

“Rehab has been going very well and I cannot wait to be back and to throw a leg over the bike again. I want to be back at the GPs as quick as possible but we cannot say which race yet until I get some riding time. I’m also able to step-up my cycling and swimming now. For sure we’ll miss the next three rounds and we also don’t want to rush things and risk a setback.”

MXoN Herlings MX JK MXON
Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Jeff Kardas
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Australia to host MXGP in 2020?

There was some noise made at the British GP last weekend with Australian GP promoter Willie Thomson on hand to hold talks with Youthstream, but it must be noted that nothing is concrete right now and that Thomson has yet to convince the WA government to foot the bill.


Holcombe dominates opening EnduroGP round

EnduroGP Rnd Bikes Town
2019 EnduroGP Round 1

In almost perfect conditions Germany hosted the opening two rounds of the World EnduroGP Championships and it was defending champion Steve Holcombe who dominated both days but it was Aussie Will Ruprecht who etched his name in history to win Friday night’s Super Test against the best in the world before backing that up with a pair of podiums in the Junior class.

EnduroGP Rnd Germany Steve Holcombe FM
Steve Holcombe celebrates the win in Germany – Image by Future7Media

Holcombe won the overall EnduroGP class as well as the E3 class and Brad Freeman dominated the E1 class while it was Loïc Larrieu and Eero Remes who shared victories in the E2 class.

EnduroGP Rnd Loic Larrieu TM
Loïc Larrieu – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Steve Holcombe

“It’s difficult to sum up how much of a surprise it is to win both days. My goal was to podium and claim strong points, so as you can imagine a double victory in EnduroGP and Enduro 3 is a huge result to take. I didn’t have a great Super Test on Friday – I never really do – but I wanted to push hard from the beginning on Saturday to see where I was at. That strategy paid off and I won by 70 seconds. I went with that tactic again on Sunday and made things count on the opening two laps. I ran out of steam a little on the final lap but knew that with the effort I’d put in earlier on, barring any major mistakes, I could win. We’ve a couple of weeks now until round two in Portugal, so the plan remains unchanged – keep working with the goal of getting stronger. I know there’s room to improve. Finally, a huge thanks to Beta and all the team – a result like this is very much a team effort.”

EnduroGP Rnd Holcombe
Steve Holcombe – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Danny McCanney

“I finish third today, I’m a little disappointed, but overall I’m very happy with my weekend. I can’t wait to continue the season and gain some more good results.”

EnduroGP Rnd David Knight TM
Danny McCanney – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Brad Freeman

“I’m happy because today (day 2) I was able to increase my pace to catch up with Danny. I’m still a long way from Steve, but I’m happy to be on this 100 per cent British podium.”

EnduroGP Rnd Freeman
Brad Freeman – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Eero Remes

“The first day was very disappointing for me and the team, but I told the team that the season is very long and we are going to catch up. I feel good and this victory in E2 is a first great reward.”

Akrapovic Super Test Award Standings

  1. Wil RUPRECHT 10 points
  2. Benjamin HERRERA 9
  3. Thomas OLDRATI 8
  4. Daniel MCCANNEY 7p
  5. Steve HOLCOMBE 6
  6. Kirian MIRABET 5
  7. Hamish MACDONALD 4
  8. Andrea VERONA 3
  9. Loïc LARRIEU 2
  10. Alex SALVINI 1

EnduroGP Day 1 Top 10

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  3. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  4. Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
  5. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  6. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  7. Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
  8. Christophe CHARLIER – France
  9. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  10. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
EnduroGP Rnd Germany Steve Holcombe Podium FM
Steve Holcombe on the podium

EnduroGP Day 2 Top 10

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  3. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  4. Eero REMES – Finland
  5. Alex SALVINI – Italy
  6. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  7. Davide GUARNERI – Italy
  8. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  9. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  10. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
EnduroGP Rnd Freeman
Brad Freeman – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1

E1 Day 1 Results

  1. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  2. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  3. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  4. Davide GUARNERI – Italy
  5. Rudy MORONI – Italy
EnduroGP Rnd Germany E Day podium
E1 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019

E1 Day 2 Results

  1. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  2. Davide GUARNERI – Italy
  3. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  4. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  5. Rudy MORONI – Italy
EnduroGP Rnd Loic Larrieu TM
Loïc Larrieu – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1

E2 Day 1 Results

  1. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  2. Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
  3. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
  4. Giacomo REDONDI – Italy
  5. Antoine BASSET – France
EnduroGP Rnd Germany E Day podium
E2 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019

E2 Day 2 Results

  1. Eero REMES – Finland
  2. Alex SALVINI – Italy
  3. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  4. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
  5. Antoine BASSET – France

E3 Day 1 Results

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  3. Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
  4. David ABGRALL – France
  5. Anthony GESLIN – France
EnduroGP Rnd Germany E Day podium
E3 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019

E3 Day 2 Results

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  3. Anthony GESLIN – France
  4. David ABGRALL – France
  5. Dennis SCHROETER – Germany

EnduroGP Juniors

The Junior classes were as hard fought as the senior division and it was Italian Andrea Verona who came away with victory in both days but Ruprecht kept him honest all weekend in the overall Junior class and the J1 class while Jack Edmondson and Enric Francisco shared victories in the J2 class with Kiwi Hamish Macdonald dominating the J3 class.

Andrea Verona

“This might be the most beautiful victory of my career so far. When I lost so much time this morning after the bike stopped in the Cross Test I knew I had the potential to win. My body hurts because I really attacked all day, but I’m super happy.”

EnduroGP Rnd Germany Andrea Verona
Andrea Verona
Wil Ruprecht

“I don’t know what to say to you, I am so disappointed, I cracked under the pressure, I crashed three times on the last test. Andrea was the better man and he deserves it. I can only try to learn and improve after such a defeat.”

EnduroGP Rnd Wil Ruprecht
Wil Ruprecht (Team Yamaha Johansson MPE) – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1

The next round of the Maxxis FIM EnduroGP World Championship will take place in Portugal in the city of Valpaços from May 3rd to 5th.

Junior – Day 1

  1. Andrea VERONA – Italy
  2. Théophile ESPINASSE – France
  3. Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
  4. Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
  5. Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium

Junior – Day 2

  1. Andrea VERONA Italy
  2. Wil RUPRECHT Australia
  3. Théophile ESPINASSE France
  4. Enric FRANCISCO Spain
  5. Jack EDMONDSON United Kingdom

Junior 1 (J1) – Day 1

  1. Andrea VERONA – Italy
  2. Théophile ESPINASSE – France
  3. Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
  4. Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
  5. Thomas DUBOST – France

Junior 1 (J1) – Day 2

  1. Andrea VERONA – Italy
  2. Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
  3. Théophile ESPINASSE – France
  4. Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
  5. Thomas DUBOST – France

Junior 2 (J2) – Day 1

  1. Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
  2. Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
  3. Leo LE QUERE – France
  4. Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
  5. Till DE CLERCQ – France

Junior 2 (J2) – Day 2

  1. Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
  2. Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
  3. Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
  4. Ruy BARBOSA – Chile
  5. Jimmy WICKSELL – Sweden

Youth Cup – Day 1

  1. Hamish MACDONALD – New Zealand
  2. Claudio SPANU – Italy
  3. Matteo PAVONI – Italy
  4. Alejandro NAVARRO HUERTAS – Spain
  5. Hugo SVARD – Finland

Youth Cup – Day 2

  1. Hamish MACDONALD – New Zealand
  2. Matteo PAVONI – Italy
  3. Claudio SPANU – Italy
  4. Hugo SVARD – Finland
  5. Nathan BERERD – France
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HRC’s Ricky Brabec wins the Sonora Rally

The Sonora Rally takes place in the border region between Mexico and the United States near the Gulf of California and after five day Monster Energy Honda Team’s American rider Ricky Brabec claimed victory for the second time in the five year history of the event.

Sonora Rally Ricky Brabec imgBoydJaynes
Ricky Brabec – Image by Boyd Jaynes

In conditions that varied from high speed arid tracks to 500km of sand dunes, Brabec set the pace of the race from the start, grabbing victories in the first three stages, which opened a significant margin of more than half an hour over rivals before the American masterfully managed the two final days of rallying, before reaching the final finish-line in the Sonora region capital with a 37’15” gap back to his nearest second place rival.

Ricky Brabec

“This rally was the first of the year for me so I was excited to just be able to ride the big bike again with some navigation. This desert to me is like home and very close from my home town so it makes it easy to show up with a small crew to race and as well to train. The terrain is sandy in spots with great dunes and a little more south is rocky hard pack, there’s a little of everything and for this I believe it’s proven training grounds.  Looking forward to the rest of the year racing and training; hungry for more and to top it off Dakar 2020 will be in a good way, I believe. We must stay strong in the fight.”

Sonora Rally Ricky Brabec imgBoydJaynes
Ricky Brabec – Image by Boyd Jaynes

Ryan brothers shine at Casey Stoner Cup

Kurri Kurri hosted the Casey Stoner Cup last weekend and for the second weekend in a row the Ryan brothers have dominated a major dirt track meeting with Harrison Ryan winning the Junior Cup minutes before older brother Connor led the field home in the eight-lap Senior Cup.

While Harrison scored big winning margins in an unbeaten run over the two days of racing in the 13-16 years age class, Connor was made work much harder.

In the Junior Cup Wade O’Keefe and Jayden Rodgers followed Harrison Ryan home to complete a clean-sweep of placegetters from the host club but in the Senior Cup it was Coffs Harbour rider Bailey Spencer who lead for the opening six laps before one mistake was punished as Connor Ryan and then Boyd Hollis took over the front running.

In other senior classes Connor Ryan also won the Pro 450 final over Hollis and North Queensland rider Harry Maxwell before Taree rider Blake Wilby topped the very competitive Pro 250 class ahead of Brisbane rider Ben Montgomery and Taree’s Kye Andrews, while Anthony Farrell was best in the Over 35s.

All junior classes produced plenty of close battles with Bray Bowden (13-16 years) and Noah Grabham (7-10s) both scoring class victories after winning all five rounds, while Gold Coast rider Viv Muddle amassed nine wins and a second placing to win both of his classes.

There was more success for Taree riders with Cody Wilby and Will Bisley finishing 1-2 in the 80cc class, while Hayden Nelson also scored a class win as did Cameron Dunker and Jayden Holder but perhaps the most stirring win came in the 65cc – 9 to 13 years final when diminutive Forbes rider Beau Bailey led home Jayden Holder and Gold Coast rider Riley Nautam less than hour after Bailey had crashed heavily in an earlier race.

The next major dirt track meeting is the 30th staging of the Trackmasters at the Barleigh Ranch track on the weekend on April 13 / 14.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Cairoli tops British MXGP | Kjer-Olsen dominates MX2

2019 MXGP of Britain – Round 2

Tony Cairoli goes 1-2 to claim MXGP round win


MXGP Qualifying may have put Tim Gajser at the top of the standings yet when the gate dropped it was Antonio Cairoli who took the early Fox Holeshot and lead, only for that to be soon taken away by none other than Gajser, who then put in a blistering pace to create a gap.

MXGP Rnd Britain SANAYEI GP
MXGP Start – British MXGP

Behind the former World Champions, it was Jeremy Van Horebeek, but he was passed by Gautier Paulin and then made a mistake which allowed Ivo Monticelli and Clement Desalle through.

Behind Van Horebeek it was Arnaud Tonus and now Jeremy Seewer. Three laps into the race Van Horebeek made it back past Monticelli and into the top 5.

MXGP Rnd Britain Desalle
Clement Desalle

Only a lap later Gajser took a violent high-speed crash while leading Cairoli but miraculously sprung back to his feet and rejoined the action on his damaged Honda in third position barely ahead of Desalle.

Surprisingly Gajser wasted no time putting in more fast laps even as his broken front number plate dangled on the bent bars. Gajser instead of stopping or even slowing won over many fans as he pulled away from Desalle and closed in on Paulin.

MXGP Rnd Britain Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin

Max Anstie made a hard charge to move from 12th into seventh, while Cairoli took the race win and Gajser took third behind Paulin.

Race 2 started in similar fashion when Cairoli took the holeshot and Gajser took the lead but this time Gajser’s gap was bigger. Paulin was the third veteran who found himself at the front but the rider in fourth was new Arminas Jasikonis who had Seewer giving chase.

MXGP Rnd Britain Tony Cairoli RA
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer

Jasikonis’ teammate Jonass was sixth before being passed by Van Horebeek but then held seventh until fading four positions in the last five laps.

The top five never changed positions during the race. Cairoli made a late charge in an attempt to catch Gajser, but it was too late, and the Slovenian claimed the Race 2 win 1.7 seconds ahead of the Sicilian and a massive 54 ahead of Paulin in third.

MXGP Rnd Britain Gajser bavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo

The overall win went to Cairoli for his 87th time and who later revealed a shoulder injury, but Gajser’s ride was remarkable when considering his rebound from the race 1 crash.

Paulin’s 2-3 gave him third overall as Desalle took fourth and Van Horebeek placed fifth leaving the top five riders shuffled but unchanged since Patagonia. The series will now head to Valkenswaard for the MXGP of the Netherlands next weekend.

MXGP Rnd Britain Pauls Jonass
Pauls Jonass
Tony Cairoli

“It was a great weekend and for sure this track is one of my favourites. I had difficulty to push from the beginning because of a problem during the week and I was stiff. It meant I got arm-pump after three-four laps. I had to be careful because on this track if you are tight then you’ll crash because it is tricky and there are a lot of strange ruts and kickers. I was cautious and in the end it paid off. Hopefully I can be better for next week in the sand. For the championship everything is going well and that’s my goal.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Tony Cairoli RA
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Tim Gajser

“We had a great weekend! I was feeling great on the bike and the track both yesterday and today. I’m really happy to finish on the podium on this special day for me. The first race we started well and the beginning was good, but then I made a mistake and I fell down and finished third. The second race was better as I took the same start and worked my way to the front and I’m just so happy to win my first race in more than a year, after all my injury problems so I’m thankful and happy. A huge thanks to all the team because they all put in huge amounts of work and it’s paying off. We will continue working hard and to keep pushing!”

MXGP Rnd Britain Gajser bavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Gautier Paulin

“Every weekend on the box is a good weekend. I was happy with the first moto. In the second moto I was riding stiff in the beginning, but overall we had a good weekend and made a big step forward since Argentina. This was always the goal and this is what we are working really hard towards. I am really happy with my team Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP and the work they are putting in.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin
Clément Desalle

“It was not an easy weekend as yesterday I injured my hand in the crash and when I woke up this morning it was still painful so I knew it would be a tough day with so many big jumps on the track. My first start was ok from the fourteenth gate and I scored a fourth position, not so bad in the circumstances. My second start was much better, but at the end of the first downhill, in the same corner where I had crashed in the qualifying race, another rider hit my front wheel and I crashed with several other riders including my teammate. From there I came back from last to seventh to save important points. Now I will take care of my hand and recover during the week as we have another GP next weekend.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Desalle
Clement Desalle

Filling in for Romain Febvre, Dean Ferris’ return to racing did not go to plan. The Australian got faster with every lap completed throughout the weekend, but did not get a chance to prove his potential with a fall at the start of Race 2 cutting his Grand Prix short. Ferris fears a knee injury and will be examined by medical professionals.

Dean Ferris

“It was a tough weekend, but I got more comfortable in every session. I thought the last fifteen minutes of the race I found my groove and had some really good lap-times, so I was content with that. In moto two, I went down on the start and I have hurt my knee, so that will need to be assessed.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Dean Ferris
Dean Ferris

MXGP of Britain Race 1

  1. CAIROLI Antonio ITA 6:37.831
  2. PAULIN Gautier FRA +1.956
  3. GAJSER Tim SLO +4.473
  4. DESALLE Clement BEL +24.293
  5. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy BEL +26.271
  6. TONUS Arnaud SWI +27.618
  7. ANSTIE Max GBR +45.107
  8. SEEWER Jeremy SWI +46.683
  9. JASIKONIS Arminas LTU +49.675
  10. LIEBER Julien BEL +56.271

MXGP of Britain Race 2

  1. GAJSER Tim SLO 36:01.717
  2. CAIROLI Antonio ITA +1.709
  3. PAULIN Gautier FRA +54.204
  4. JASIKONIS Arminas LTU +57.637
  5. SEEWER Jeremy SWI +1:00.564
  6. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy BEL +1:05.984
  7. DESALLE Clement BEL +1:20.385
  8. COLDENHOFF Glenn NDL +1:22.071
  9. SIMPSON Shaun GBR +1:26.697
  10. MONTICELLI Ivo ITA +1:28.257
MXGP Rnd Britain mxgp podium
MXGP 2019 – Round 2 MXGP Podium

Results MXGP Matterley Basin 2019 Top 5

  1. Tony Cairoli (ITA) Red Bull KTM (1-2)
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO) Honda (3-1)
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA) Yamaha (2-3)
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL) Kawasaki (4-7)
  5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL) Honda (5-6)

MXGP Standings following Round 2

  1. CAIROLI Antonio ITA 97
  2. GAJSER Tim SLO 89
  3. PAULIN Gautier FRA 74
  4. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy BEL 66
  5. DESALLE Clement BEL 65
  6. JASIKONIS Arminas LTU 56
  7. SEEWER Jeremy SWI 50
  8. JONASS Pauls LAT 40
  9. SIMPSON Shaun GBR 39
  10. ANSTIE Max GBR 39
    …23. Dean Ferris AUS 6

MX2

The MX2 class saw battles in both races as the field fought for championship points, with  Race 1 starting with Tom Vialle taking the Fox Holeshot for the second time this season.

MXGP Rnd Britain Tom Vialle RA
Tom Vialle claimed the holeshot – Image by Ray Archer

Vialle led but was under pressure from Thomas Kjer Olsen and Dylan Walsh, while in the thick of the racing was Ben Watson and Henry Jacobi.

Watson made an unfortunate error dropping the bike early in the race dropping him from fourth back to ninth. Watson’s teammate Jago Geerts also suffered from mistakes while running inside the top ten putting the two Kemea Yamaha’s in a difficult position.

MXGP Rnd Britain Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen

By the second lap Olsen took the top spot from Vialle, who then lost out to the moves of Jacobi as well when the German passed him on the outside. Local hero Conrad Mewse moved up to fourth from 11th before a mechanical issue on the last lap.

MXGP Rnd Britain Tom Vialle RA
Tom Vialle – Image by Ray Archer

Olsen’s lead started to be chipped at by Jacobi but the title hopeful kept his cool and held the spot through to take the checkered flag and his first race win this season. Mewse’s fourth position was taken by Watson, but Mewse managed to limp his bike across the finish in sixth just behind Michele Cervellin.

Race 2 proved that KTM and Vialle made the right choice as he took his third 4 Fox Holeshots so far in 2019. Vialle again had Walsh just behind along with Olsen, Jacobi, and Calvin Vlaanderen.

MXGP Rnd Britain Jacobi
Henry Jacobi

Olsen took second from Walsh before the first lap was complete, while Mathys Boisrame fought in the top five on his Honda CRF250. A mistake from Jacobi allowed Vlaanderen to get past who then took third from Walsh.

Jacobi recovered and found his form to get past Walsh as well and his speed allowed him to catch the front runners and Vialle who had dropped a spot to Vlaanderen. With less than two laps to go Jacobi flew past Vialle, moving the German into third in the race but second overall.

MXGP Rnd Britain Jed Beaton
Jed Beaton

Olsen’s dominant weekend continued winning Race 2 by 9.9 seconds over Vlaanderen. In the overall it was Olsen’s 1-1 taking first, Jacobi’s 2-3 took second, and Vialle’s 3-4 put the Frenchman on the podium in his second ever MX2 race.

Thomas Kjer-Olsen

“It’s just awesome to go 1-1 here in the UK. My weekend was really good – I won the qualifying moto and then went on the claim the overall in MX2 with two more wins. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It’s been a long time since I got the overall win and I was happy to do it at this cool track. Matterley Basin has always been a track that I enjoy riding and this weekend I did my best to collect as many points as possible for the championship. I felt comfortable all weekend and my best moto was the last one, where the track was at its roughest. I have so much full confidence in my bike, and so much trust in all the members of my team. It was good to pay them back with this win. I also secured the red plate for the first time. Now the goal is to hold onto it and push hard during the upcoming races.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Henry Jacobi

“My first race was pretty good. I had some special lines and I saw that nobody else was taking them so I thought that maybe I could win this race. I went for it, but I started my attack a little too late; I came up short in some corners and I just missed my opportunity. I had hoped to time it better in the second race; my start was OK in fourth or fifth, but then I got stuck a little bit during the first ten minutes as I wanted this podium so much; I put myself under a little bit of pressure and rode too tight during the first ten minutes. But then in the last fifteen minutes I found a good rhythm to pass Vialle and secure the second position overall, which is good for me and for the team. We made some really good steps during the winter; the team has only been in the world championship for a few years but everyone is doing a fantastic job and we had a very good winter preparation. I never had such a professional winter training and the Kawasaki suits me really well; I like the control in the corners and our trainer is so clever and give me such good advice. We are here now, second in the points, and we are determined to stay there!”

MXGP Rnd Britain Jacobi
Henry Jacobi
Tom Vialle

“It was a really good weekend: I had ridden well during the week and it fed into the practice sessions and both motos. I’m really happy with my starts because being at the front helps me find my rhythm: it is so important. I think a very good winter has helped with my transition from EMX to MX2. My feeling on the bike is another positive thing. Today has been a big step for me.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Tom Vialle RA
Tom Vialle – Image by Ray Archer
Calvin Vlaanderen

“It wasn’t the greatest weekend, to be honest. I’m happy that I could finish off strong with a second place in the second race, but the whole weekend I actually struggled a lot. This was especially the case in the qualifying race and the first moto today, I didn’t really have a good rhythm and I seemed to be fighting the track a bit too much. I’m happy though that I could rebound for the second race and ride like I know how to ride and get that second place. It is good for my confidence and going into the week ahead, it’s good motivation to keep pushing and make sure I come out swinging next weekend.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Vlaanderen bavo
Calvin Vlaanderen – Image by Bavo
Jed Beaton

“I had a really good weekend here at Matterley Basin. It was my first GP after many months, and I felt strong on the bike. It was good to get a top-10 in the opening moto. In the second moto I was close to the top-10 again and ended up finishing in 13th place. Getting a top-10 result in the overall is really positive for the rest of the season. There’s still a long way to go in this series. I’m pretty happy with where I am, hopefully I can start building from here.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Jed beaton action
Jed Beaton

Unfortunately Team Honda 114 Motorsports rider Mitchell Evans suffered early on in moto one, and while he was running a pace that matched the leaders, he was unable to get himself back in points scoring contention. The second moto was much better though as he finished in eighth place after fighting through the field from outside the top 15.

Mitch Evans

“P34 and P8 moto scores today. Bad starts both motos didn’t do me any favours. After a small crash in Moto 1 I had to make a pit stop to fix my clutch to stop it from slipping which left me almost a lap down. Will continue to work on my starts and we should be sweet. Thanks Honda 114 Motorsports.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans

MX2 Race 1

  1. KJER OLSEN Thomas DEN 35:01.449
  2. JACOBI Henry GER +4.278
  3. VIALLE Tom FRA +16.160
  4. WATSON Ben GBR +28.500
  5. CERVELLIN Michele ITA +30.179
  6. MEWSE Conrad GBR +35.271
  7. POOTJES Davy NDL +36.018
  8. VLAANDEREN Calvin NDL +44.908
  9. BEATON Jed AUS +50.189
  10. WALSH Dylan NZL +54.010

MX2 Race 2

  1. KJER OLSEN Thomas DEN 37:10.022
  2. VLAANDEREN Calvin NDL +9.936
  3. JACOBI Henry GER +16.035
  4. VIALLE Tom FRA +16.935
  5. WATSON Ben GBR +20.044
  6. GEERTS Jago BEL +38.635
  7. POOTJES Davy NDL +43.577
  8. EVANS Mitchell AUS +46.268
  9. CERVELLIN Michele ITA +54.765
  10. WALSH Dylan NZL +59.920
  11. BOISRAME Mathys FRA +1:02.388
  12. VAESSEN Bas NDL +1:04.331
  13. BEATON Jed AUS +1:13.298
MXGP Rnd Britain mx olsen podium
MXGP 2019 – Round 2 MX2 Podium

Results MX2 Matterley Basin 2019 Top 5

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN) Husqvarna (1-1)
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER) Kawasaki (2-3)
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA) Red Bull KTM (3-4)
  4. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA) Honda (8-2)
  5. Ben Watson (GBR) Yamaha (4-5)

MX2 Standings after Round 2

  1. KJER OLSEN Thomas DEN 94
  2. JACOBI Henry GER 78
  3. VLAANDEREN Calvin NDL 71
  4. VIALLE Tom FRA 65
  5. WATSON Ben GBR 63
  6. PRADO GARCIA Jorge SPA 50
  7. POOTJES Davy NDL 50
  8. EVANS Mitchell AUS 49
  9. GEERTS Jago BEL 45
  10. CERVELLIN Michele ITA 41
    …16 BEATON Jed AUS 20

Source: MCNews.com.au