2021 Pro Motocross Championship
Round 4 – Twisted Tea RedBud National
Following its second break of the 2021 season the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, returned to action for its Fourth of July tradition with the annual Twisted Tea RedBud National.
The fourth round of the season saw a massive crowd line the fences in their red, white, and blue for America’s Independence Day holiday and were treated to an afternoon of perfect weather.
Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis continued his impressive season by leading the way in the 450 Class for his third victory of the season.
In the 250 Class, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire demonstrated incredible speed all day en route to his third career win.
450 Moto1
As the gate dropped on the opening 450 Class moto, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Aaron Plessinger prevailed with the Motosport.com Holeshot ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb and Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen. A quick pass by Webb in the second turn allowed him to steal the lead from Plessinger who retaliated to retake the lead just turns later. It was Plessinger, Roczen, and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo at the completion of the opening lap. Championship point leader Ferrandis was sixth at the start.
As the moto surpassed the 10-minute mark, Roczen started to close on Plessinger for the lead, eventually making the pass stick as Plessinger slid back to second. As Cianciarulo continued his charge in third, he would soon find himself under pressure from Ferrandis who was turning the fastest lap times of the race.
Ferrandis was relentless in his push to the front and made the move on Cianciarulo just before the halfway point of the moto. The battle for the lead began to tighten up as Plessinger closed in on Roczen while his teammate Ferrandis closed in on them both with 10-minutes remaining. The Star Racing Yamaha teammates pulled alongside each other several times before Ferrandis took possession of second with a pass on Plessinger through the sand rollers.
Ferrandis’ charge to the front could not be stopped as he struck on his championship rival Roczen to take the lead with just three laps remaining. The Frenchman would hold on to claim his second moto win of the season with 2.9 seconds to spare on Roczen. After leading early, Plessinger would finish third.
450 Moto 2
The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off with Plessinger launching out of the gate to sweep the Motosport.com Holeshots by edging out the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo, followed by Roczen and Ferrandis. Cianciarulo would lose the front end coming downhill on the opening lap and be forced to rejoin near the tail end of the field as Plessinger, Tomac, Roczen, and Ferrandis led the way on the opening lap.
The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off 450 Moto 2with Plessinger launching out of the gate to sweep the Motosport.com Holeshots by edging out the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo, followed by Roczen and Ferrandis. Cianciarulo would lose the front end coming downhill on the opening lap and be forced to rejoin near the tail end of the field as Plessinger, Tomac, Roczen, and Ferrandis led the way on the opening lap.
The battle immediately intensified up front as Tomac made quick work of Plessinger to take the number one position from Plessinger. Just behind the leaders, Roczen and Ferrandis matched one another’s pace in an effort for valuable championship points and to keep the leaders in sight. Roczen made a costly mistake that saw him go down hard, but he was able to dust himself off and remount in sixth.
Up front, Tomac and Plessinger were separated by no more than two seconds for the majority of the race as they took turns on clocking the better lap times.
With the race winding down, the battle for second began to heat up as Ferrandis closed in on his teammate Plessinger. He would use an excellent drive through the sand rollers to take second and set his sights on the race leader Tomac. As the crowd cheered them on, Tomac held on to take his second moto win of the season by just 1.5 seconds over Ferrandis. A distant third would go to Plessinger, while Roczen recovered for sixth.
It was Ferrandis who’s hard charging and consistency would give him the overall victory (1-2). Tomac earned his second consecutive podium of the season in season (4-1), while Plessinger completed the podium with an impressive 3-3 moto scores on the day. Roczen’s 6-2 was good enough for fourth. A jump during the red cross flag in Moto 1 resulted in Ferrandis being docked a single point and Roczen two points, however, the overall finishes remained the same.
Dylan Ferrandis
“I gave it everything and it was a big fight today, I charged really hard at the end of the motos. I wanted to win the second moto, but Eli [Tomac] was riding really good. I dreamed of winning here at RedBud and thanks to the fans for cheering loud for us all day. It’s been a good start to the season and I’m really looking forward to keep working hard so we can stay up front the rest of the season.”
With the win Ferrandis was able to extend his lead in the championship standings to 14-points over Roczen who lost crucial points in the second moto. Plessinger sits third, 36-points out of the lead.
Ken Roczen
“I was excited coming into RedBud for Fourth of July; it’s always a special race and the fans always go wild. We had a pretty decent couple of qualifying sessions. I ended up going fifth to the gate, which was totally fine; I felt pretty good on the track and was ready for the moto. In the first moto, I think I was third after the start and just kind of worked my way up there into second right away and made a move on [Aaron] Plessinger and was leading most of the race until about two laps to go. I kind of lost my rhythm a little bit. The track is really hard-packed underneath and soft on top, so it was really tricky to ride. It just wasn’t really my best performance, but at the same time I was okay with the second place. I got passed there with a couple of laps to go and tried to hang on behind [Dylan] Ferrandis and tried to make a pass back, but it just wasn’t enough. I was looking forward to the second moto. Moto 2 was kind of like when everything came undone. I was battling really hard to get to the front. I was in third and [Eli] Tomac was leading and Plessinger was second. I made my way past Ferrandis and just sat in third for a while trying to see what the race gave me. I had a bad case on [LaRocco’s] Leap, as Plessinger’s roost slowed me down so much. I hurt my wrist a little bit, but then a couple laps later I fell right after the leap. I tucked the front end, had a pretty big get-off, and my bars were a little bent. I’m glad I was able to finish at least in sixth and minimize the points damage. We’re healthy leaving RedBud and I’m just looking forward to prepping for next weekend’s race.”
250 Moto 1
When the gate dropped for the first 250 Class moto of the day it was Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper who emerged with the Motosport.com holeshot just ahead of the Team Honda HRC duo of Jett and Hunter Lawrence, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Jeremy Martin and Hampshire.
As they crossed the finish on the opening lap, Cooper lost traction going up the face of the finish line and crashed out of the lead. Cooper’s mistake allowed a hard charging Hampshire to inherit the lead over the Lawrence brothers and Martin. Cooper would remount in 10th.
Hampshire pushed the pace out front with Jett Lawrence in tow and the duo began to slowly distance themselves from the train of riders behind them. As Jett Lawrence applied the pressure, Hampshire crashed out of the lead, but was able to restart quickly in second. Hunter Lawrence remained a distant third.
With the race closing in on the halfway point of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto, Hampshire started to inch back onto the rear wheel of Jett Lawrence and searched for a way around. Hampshire would once again lose the front end of his motorcycle and find himself on the ground while contending for the race lead. Hunter Lawrence took full advantage of Hampshire’s mistake to move into second, while Hampshire remounted in third.
As Jett Lawrence continued to control the race out front, Hunter Lawrence and Hampshire started to gain momentum and slowly reduce the gap to the race leader. With three laps to go, Hampshire muscled his way around Hunter Lawrence for second and began to set his sights on the race leader Jett Lawrence but Jett held on to take the checkered flag for his third moto win of the season by 2.2 seconds over Hampshire. Hunter Lawrence finished third, just ahead of Cooper who recovered for fourth.
250 Moto 2
The final 250 Class moto of the afternoon saw Cooper capture his second Motosport.com Holeshot of the day, just ahead of his teammate Martin and first moto runner-up finisher Hampshire. The Lawrence brothers found themselves mired deep in the pack as Hunter was scored 11th and Jett 18th at the completion of the opening lap.
As the lead trio went to work with a clear track out front, Jett Lawrence put his head down in an attempt to do damage control, however, a costly mistake would see him make contact with another rider and go down, losing valuable time as he remounted outside the top-30.
Out front, Hampshire began to find his momentum as he moved Cooper to within striking distance for the race lead, using every inch of the track to find a way past. At the 15-minute mark, Hampshire would get a drive and out drag race Cooper to become the new race leader.
Just as Hampshire looked to have the race under control he would yet again find himself picking himself up off the ground as he surrendered the lead to Cooper in the late stages of the moto. Cooper emerged with his second moto win of the season by 12.9 seconds over Hampshire. Martin finished third in an impressive return from injury, followed by Hunter Lawrence in fourth. An inspiring ride by Jett Lawrence netted him sixth.
By virtue of 2-2 finishes Hampshire prevailed for his first win of the season and won the RedBud National for the second consecutive year. Cooper’s second moto win earned him second overall (4-1) as Jett Lawrence completed the podium in third (1-6), followed by his brother Hunter in fourth (3-4).
RJ Hampshire
“This win just feels so good after everything I’ve gone through lately,” said Hampshire. “As you can hear, I’ve been super sick all week, so to be up here today is a bit emotional. I give it my all everytime I’m on the track, and it would have been great to get those moto wins today, but to win here at RedBud for the second year in a row is an amazing feeling. The speed has been really good lately and I’m looking forward to some of my favorite tracks coming up on the schedule.”
Jett Lawrence maintains his hold of the championship point lead by eight over Cooper who reduced the gap by three on the day. Hunter Lawrence remains third, 44-points out of the championship lead.
Jett Lawrence
“The bike setting in the first moto wasn’t good. I had RJ [Hampshire] charging, and if he got me, I didn’t really have any ammo to fight back. Between motos, my team did a great job making some adjustments that made the bike work better for me, but I just didn’t give myself a very good chance for winning or even getting myself into a good position. I came from 37th to sixth, so I think that’s pretty good. I definitely made a lot of passes, maybe the most passes of the day. I think if you look at the result it sucks because I lost three points, but you have to look at the positives; it was a strong ride, and I felt like there’s not many other people in this class that could do that.”
Hunter Lawrence
“My weekend wasn’t bad; it wasn’t great, but we’ll take it. We went 3-4 moto scores for fourth overall. I missed out on the box by two points. That second moto I was in a ‘do or die’ position to catch J-Mart [Jeremy Martin] and make that pass. I was pushing to make up a lot of ground on him, coming from a pretty bad start, so I was ‘damned if I did, damned if I didn’t’; I had to risk it and push. I ended up laying it down and got back up, managing to finish in a position where I was chasing down fourth. All in all, I’m really happy with how the team worked together to make changes on the bike for the second moto, which benefited us a lot. It maybe wasn’t a moto-score result, but as far as my feeling on the bike, and everything else, we left better than what we started in the first moto, so I’m happy with that. RedBud was awesome. That was my first proper Fourth of July RedBud experience, so it was pretty cool. I also checked something else off my bucket list; I really wanted to scream ‘RedBuuuuud’ into the microphone. I hadn’t been able to do that until today, so that was cool.”
Kras & Guadagnini win 2-Stroke classes in Lombardia
Roman wins WESS of Portugal
Great Britain & Australia Bound for Speedway of Nations Final
Robinson wins SoCal AFT Half Mile
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 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.”
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.”
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 of Mantova 2019 Results
MXGP Race 1
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 36:48.024
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:10.064
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:21.379
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), +0:27.299
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:39.542
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:49.512
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:52.425
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:57.535
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:03.646
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:10.362
MXGP Race 2
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:37.572
Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +0:07.068
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:11.327
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:15.790
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:15.887
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:17.780
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:47.849
Benoit Paturel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:51.229
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:54.290
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:11.509
MXGP Round Overall
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 42
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 33
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 30
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 29
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 26
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 26
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 26
Brian Bogers (NED, HON), 23
Benoit Paturel (FRA, KAW), 19
MXGP Standings
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 241 points
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 201
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 175
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 146
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 142
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 124
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 118
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 109
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 100
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 94
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.
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.”
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.
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
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:18.651
Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:05.836
Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:26.496
Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:40.315
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +1:05.236
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +1:12.915
Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), +1:37.577
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +1:47.716
Morgan Lesiardo (ITA, KTM), +1:50.638
Richard Sikyna (SVK, KTM), +1:51.878
MX2 Race 2
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 36:52.290
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:08.779
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:36.069
Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:52.541
Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:58.348
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +1:01.889
Mathys Boisrame (FRA, Honda), +1:11.299
Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +1:13.390
Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), +1:17.228
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +1:19.630
MX2 Round Overall
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 37
Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 36
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 28
Iker Larranaga Olano (ESP, KTM), 26
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 25
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 24
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 22
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 20
Mathys Boisrame (FRA, HON), 20
MX2 Standings
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 207 points
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 200
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 157
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 150
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 145
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 141
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 122
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 117
Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 112
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.
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.
EMX2T Results
EMX2T Race 1 Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 30:20.257
Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:04.771
Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:12.084
Mario Tamai (ITA, KTM), +0:13.931
Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:21.327
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:26.705
Pier Filippo Bertuzzo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:39.726
Ben Putnam (GBR, Yamaha), +0:43.108
Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), +0:44.718
Erik Hugyecz (HUN, KTM), +0:45.229
EMX2T Race 2 Top Ten
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 30:21.942
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:31.382
Erik Willems (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:36.552
Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:57.783
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +1:05.100
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +1:06.501
Emanuele Alberio (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:09.430
Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), +1:38.804
Marco Paganini (ITA, Husqvarna), +1:47.383
Marco Lolli (ITA, Yamaha), +2:10.543.
EMX2T Overall Top Ten
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 47 points
Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 38
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 33
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 30
Erik Willems (BEL, HUS), 26
Mario Tamai (ITA, KTM), 26
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 25
Johannes Klein (AUT, KTM), 25
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 25
Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, YAM), 20
EMX2T Championship Top Ten
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 83 points
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 69
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 67
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 58
Brad Todd (GBR, YAM), 58
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), 50
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 46
Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 42
Ben Putnam (GBR, YAM), 39
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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
Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 4:01:43.21
Wade Young (Sherco – RSA) 4:05:59.04 +4:15.83
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 4:07:09.68 +5:26.47
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GB) 4:07:16.12 +5:32.91
Jonathan Richardson (Husqvarna – GB) 5:11:22.83 +1:09:39.70
2019 World Enduro Super Series Standings (after round 1)
Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 1000 points
Wade Young (Sherco – RSA) 850 pts
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 770 pts
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GBR) 690 pts
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB) 610 pts
Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) 570 pts
Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP) 530 pts
Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL) 490 pts
Travis Teasdale (KTM – RSA) 460 pts
Jonathan Richardson (Husqvarna – GB) 430 pts
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
AFT Twins Main Event – So-Cal Half-Mile
Brandon Robinson Indian FTR750 0:21.040
Briar Bauman Indian FTR750 +1.833
Sammy Halbert Harley-Davidson XG750R +3.646
Jarod Vanderkooi Harley-Davidson XG750R +4.031
Jared Mees Indian FTR750 +4.280
Bronson Bauman Indian FTR750 +5.993
Brandon Price Indian FTR750 +9.720
Davis Fisher Indian FTR750 +10.050
Robert Pearson Indian FTR750 +10.622
Larry Pegram Indian FTR750 +12.028
AFT Twins Standings
Briar Bauman 102
Brandon Robinson 89
Jared Mees 78
Jarod Vanderkooi 66
Sammy Halbert 61
Henry Wiles 53
Jeffrey Carver Jr. 51
Larry Pegram 51
Bronson Bauman 50
Robert Pearson 45
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
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.”
AFT Singles Main Event – So-Cal Half-Mile
Ryan Wells Yamaha YZ450F 0:21.367
Michael Inderbitzin Honda CRF450R +0.406
Dalton Gauthier Husqvarna FC450 +1.315
Dan Bromley KTM 450 SX-F +2.085
Jesse Janisch +Yamaha YZ450F +2.332
AFT Singles Standings
Dalton Gauthier 96
Jesse Janisch 86
Dan Bromley 73
Mikey Rush 71
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.
Over 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.
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
Gary Birtwistle – UK
Max Hunt – UK
Leah Tokelove – UK
Jonathan Falkman – Sweden
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.
Sastre 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.
Pro Class
Ferran Sastre – Spain
Maikel Dijkstra – Netherlands
Franc Sala – Spain
Toby Hales – UK
Gerard Bailo – Spain
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
Martin Huning – Germany
Anthony Brown – UK
Michel Colaizzi – Switzerland
Sean Kelly – UK
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.
2019 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
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.
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
Ryan Sipes: 1-1-1
Justin Brayton: 3-2-2
Tyler Bowers: 4-5-4
Mike Alessi: 7-4-3
Austin Politelli: 2-3-12
Ben LaMay: 6-9-6
Josh Hill: 8-8-7
Alex Ray: 11-6-8
Jimmy Decotis: 5-13-11
Kyle Chisholm: 13-7-5
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.
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.
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.”
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!”
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.
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.”
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.”
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 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!
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
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.
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.
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.
Caleb Grothues – SDM Corse Yamaha
Championship: EMX250 Current Standings: 16th after Round 2 of 8 Notes: The former Australian and World Junior Motocross Champion rode well at the opening round but was forced to sit out the second round due to injury but the West Aussie should be back for the next round in France on the 26th of May.
Hunter Lawrence – Geico Honda
Championship: AMA Motocross Championship Current Standings: TBA Notes: Hunter was looking sharp heading into the supercross championship before he crashed right before the opening round so he is now healed and by all accounts 100% ready for the outdoors which kicks off at Hangtown on May 18.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Meghan Rutledge – Bud Racing Kawasaki
Championship: MXW World Motocross Championship Current Standings: 8th after Round 1 of 5 Notes: Meghan sat out the World Championships for four years and her first round was marred with some minor mistakes but there was no mistaking her speed so look for Meghan to have a much better round in Portugal on the 19th of May.
Championship: GNCC / AMA Enduro Current Standing: 6th after Round 5 of 13 Notes: Josh ended the ‘X Factor Whitetails’ at Peru near Indianapolis in a disappointing 13th outright but he still sits 6th overall in the series with 8 rounds remaining.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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 of Mantova 2019 Results
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 36:48.024
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:10.064
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:21.379
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), +0:27.299
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:39.542
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:49.512
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:52.425
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:57.535
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:03.646
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +1:10.362
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 35:37.572
Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +0:07.068
Pauls Jonass (LAT, Husqvarna), +0:11.327
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:15.790
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +0:15.887
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:17.780
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:47.849
Benoit Paturel (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:51.229
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:54.290
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:11.509
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 42
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 33
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 30
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 29
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 26
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 26
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 26
Brian Bogers (NED, HON), 23
Benoit Paturel (FRA, KAW), 19
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 241 points
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 201
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 175
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 146
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 142
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 124
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 118
Pauls Jonass (LAT, HUS), 109
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 100
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”