Coming into round six of the MX2 World Championship, Jed Beaton was in great form following podium appearances and solid results in recent weeks. In Belgium, the Australian’s strong speed continued with an eighth-place finish in race one despite a small crash around the halfway stage of the moto.
Jed Beaton – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
In race two, Beaton started eighth and moved into fifth as the moto reached half distance. The 23-year-old then engaged in a battle for position with Conrad Mewse, ultimately coming out on top to claim fifth in the moto and secure his third consecutive top-five overall finish.
Jed Beaton
“Today was a little bit of a bad day, but if I can take fifth overall on a bad day then it’s not so bad. I was fortunate in race one to miss a big crash just after the start but then while sixth I crashed on my own and fell way down the field. I got back to eighth which was ok though. My start in race two wasn’t so good and by the time I got into fifth the leaders were gone. It was unfortunate but fifth was good and solid points overall so all things considered, I’m happy with today.”
Bike It MTX Kawasaki’s Wilson Todd had a tough introduction to the deep Lommel sand. A respectable thirteenth in Qualifying, the Australian charged from twenty-third to fifteenth during the first half of race one before being forced out.
Wilson Todd – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
A lightning start in race two saw him round turn one in the top six but the joy did not last long as a fall at turn three put him at the back of the field; he bravely persisted to the end to finish twenty-third despite two further falls. He is now thirteenth in the series points standings.
MX2 Race 1
In the first MX2 race, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle who grabbed the Fox Holeshot, though it was Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Maxime Renaux who led the way.
Tom Vialle – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Mattia Guadagnini had an unlucky start to the race as he crashed in the first corner and had to re-join the race way behind the rest of the pack. Eventually the Italian was able to fight back to 14th place.
Hitachi KTM Fuelled by Milwaukee rider Conrad Mewse got off to a great start in the race as he was running behind Renaux, Vialle and Geerts, though by the second lap he crashed and was unable to carry on due to a bike issue.
Kay de Wolf – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kay De Wolf started the race down in around 10th place, while his teammate Jed Beaton was fighting sixth place. By the following lap Beaton dropped to 12th, while De Wolf was able to make a couple of nice passes to get into eighth.
Vialle also crashed in the beginning stages of the race as Renaux continued to lead Geerts who was keeping close.
Jago Geerts – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
De Wolf continued his charge up the field after making passes on F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Mikkel Haarup and Mathys Boisrame, while Vialle took third from Honda 114 Motorsports rider Ruben Fernandez.
At one point, De Wolf and Vialle were the two fastest riders on the track, setting very similar lap times. By lap seven De Wolf caught onto Fernandez to take fourth and then just under three laps later he was also ahead of Vialle as he got himself into third position.
Maxime Renaux – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Renaux continued to lead the race keeping Geerts at bay until lap 10. The Frenchman crashed which allowed Geerts through. Luckily, the pair was so far ahead that Renaux was still able to finish the race second, as Geerts took the win and De Wolf finished third. Jed Beaton finished eighth.
MX2 Race 2
In race two, it was De Wolf who was flying into the first corner and took the second Fox Holeshot of the races. He led the race immediately with Geerts and Thibault Benistant of Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing, Renaux and Mewse just behind.
Maxime Renaux – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Geerts then got Benistant for second as Renaux struggled for a few laps to do the same. Meanwhile, Vialle started the race in sixth place though crashed lap two and dropped down to 10th.
After making several attempts, Renaux was finally able to get Benistant for third at lap five, by which point De Wolf and Geerts were already quite far ahead as the two leaders kept a steady gap, setting very similar lap times.
T Benistant – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
At one point, Mewse started to close in on Renaux and Benistant as it looked like the Brit was going to push for higher positions, though he started to fade a little towards the end of the race to eventually finish in sixth position. Beaton was one of the riders who passed Mewse in the closing stages, as the Aussie made his way from eighth to fifth in the race.
De Wolf’s gap to Geerts remained at around three seconds for most of the race, though with two laps to go Geerts put on a late charge to get onto the back of the Husqvarna rider.
Jago Geerts – MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
The battle for the win was close and continued right until the chequered flag, but it was De Wolf who came out on top to win his first ever MX2 race, while Geerts finished second and Renaux in a distant third.
With a win and a second, Jago Geerts was the overall winner at his home track, while Kay De Wolf stood on the second step of the podium after some very strong races and Maxime Renaux joined the pair, to stand on the third step of the podium and extend his championship lead to 26 points over Mattia Guadagnini who only managed 12th overall today. Fernandez remains third in the standings, while Geerts is fourth just two points from second.
MX2 Podium – de Wolf, Geerts, Renaux – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Jed Beaton finished fifth, to claim fifth overall for the weekend, while Wilson Todd was 23rd.
Jago Geerts
“I’m really happy to win here in Lommel. Last year I think everyone expected that I would win at least one of the three GP’s but it didn’t happen. In the second race Kay was riding really good and at the end I tried to go for the pass, but I couldn’t make it happen. It’s nice to head in the right direction but the season is still long and I’m not really thinking about the championship that much, I just want to go out every weekend, do my best and collect as many points as possible.”
Jago Geerts – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Kay De Wolf – P2
“The fight in race two already started with two laps to go. I enjoyed racing. It’s an amazing feeling to win a race. It’s going really well this season so far, so we’ll keep on fighting and keep up with the hard work.”
Kay de Wolf – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Maxime Renaux – P3
“The first race, I took a good start, well actually the start was better in race two but I went wide in the first corner because Kay was really close, so I went wide. The first race I made a good start and was feeling great on the track and took a little gap to Jago. I was just feeling really good and made a silly mistake passing a lapped rider, I got cross rutted and went down. That was a shame but finishing second was really good for the points for the championship. The second race I had a good start, I didn’t push too hard as the guys were pretty quick and were so far in front that it was almost impossible to get them, so I finished the race third. Third overall is good, good for the championship so I’m happy. I’ve only won one race since the beginning of the year and I’m not happy with that, I want to win more races. When you win races and put 25 points you can get a bigger gap to your opponent, so yeah, I try to be as consistent as I can and will try to win races, take good starts, which I think is very important this year and hopefully it will pay off.”
Maxime Renaux – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Thibault Benistant – P6
“My day was quite good overall because I finished fourth with 34-points. This is only 1-point less than my best ever finish this year, with my best weekend being 35-points. When you look at it like this, it is quite good. I had a bit of bad luck in the first race. Another rider hit my lever and I had no front brake for the whole race, but in the end of the race I was feeling really good and was one of the fastest guys on track at the end of the moto. In the second race, the feeling was not there, so I did not want to go over the limit and make a mistake for nothing; fourth overall in Lommel is not a bad result.”
Tom Vialle – P7
“Seventh is not what we want but after the injury I have not ridden in the sand for a long time. I tried twice this week but it wasn’t going too well with my hand. In another way I’m quite happy because my hand came through the motos well. We can build from here. I was already tired at the start of the second moto and the track was really tough today. If you are not ‘bike fit’ then it is extra difficult here. I think I would have enjoyed today a lot more if I had that fitness. I know from here we will be a bit better every day. We will train hard this week and I know I will be 100% by the time we go to Turkey.”
Simon Langenfelder – P9
“I felt really good on my bike today. I was flowing in the turns and after qualifying I was really confident for some strong results. Unfortunately, in both races I had to come from the back because of avoiding a crash in race one and then in moto two, I had a really good start, but I was pushed wide and off the track. In that one I came from 25th to ninth so my speed is there, I just needed a little bit of luck to get some better results.”
The 2021 MXGP of Belgium, in Lommel, took place over the weekend and witnessed Romain Febvre claiming his first ever GP victory at the circuit, while in the MX2 class it was Jago Geerts who claimed the overall win at his home track.
Romain Febvre – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
The conditions tested even the best sand riders, with heavy rainfall during parts of the day which made the deep sand of Lommel even heavier and harder to manoeuvre around. Though this did not stop the MXGP and MX2 stars from treating the Belgian fans to some intense race action.
Coming into round six of the MX2 World Championship, Jed Beaton was in great form following podium appearances and solid results in recent weeks. In Belgium, the Australian’s strong speed continued with an eighth-place finish in race one despite a small crash around the halfway stage of the moto.
Jed Beaton – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
In race two, Beaton started eighth and moved into fifth as the moto reached half distance. The 23-year-old then engaged in a battle for position with Conrad Mewse, ultimately coming out on top to claim fifth in the moto and secure his third consecutive top-five overall finish.
Jed Beaton
“Today was a little bit of a bad day, but if I can take fifth overall on a bad day then it’s not so bad. I was fortunate in race one to miss a big crash just after the start but then while sixth I crashed on my own and fell way down the field. I got back to eighth which was ok though. My start in race two wasn’t so good and by the time I got into fifth the leaders were gone. It was unfortunate but fifth was good and solid points overall so all things considered, I’m happy with today.”
Bike It MTX Kawasaki’s Wilson Todd had a tough introduction to the deep Lommel sand. A respectable thirteenth in Qualifying, the Australian charged from twenty-third to fifteenth during the first half of race one before being forced out.
Wilson Todd – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
A lightning start in race two saw him round turn one in the top six but the joy did not last long as a fall at turn three put him at the back of the field; he bravely persisted to the end to finish twenty-third despite two further falls. He is now thirteenth in the series points standings.
MXGP Race 1
The first MXGP race saw Febvre secure the first Fox Holeshot as he led the race from early on. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer followed in second, with Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings right there in third and fourth.
MXGP Start – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Seewer dropped a couple of positions as Herlings took second from Jonass. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado got a good start in the race but dropped down to 14th, as Team HRC’s Tim Gajser struggled as he crashed out of fifth place.
Febvre led Herlings by 3.045 seconds, as Gajser got himself back into the top 10 but was then passed by Prado as the pair continued to fight up the order.
Jeffrey Herlings – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
After taking his time, Herlings started to close in on Febvre for the win and it was game on. By lap 11 Herlings was the new race leader with Febvre keen to fight back, though the Kawasaki rider ended up making a costly mistake and crashing. He did however hold on to that second place because both him and Herlings were so far ahead of Jonass who continued to have a fantastic race in third.
Pauls Jonass – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
With two laps to go, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli managed to get around Jonass for third as the Latvian dropped to fourth where he eventually finished the race.
Tony Cairoli – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Meanwhile, Herlings took an impressive race win just a couple of weeks after breaking his shoulder blade while Febvre was second and Cairoli third. Championship leader, Gajser, finished the race seventh.
MXGP Race 2
In race two it was another Kawasaki who took the Fox Holeshot, this time Ivo Monticelli was the rider who led very briefly before Febvre jumped into the lead. Monticelli crashed and looked hurt, while Jonass jumped into second with Prado just behind.
MXGP Start – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
In the second lap of the race, Febvre crashed out, meaning that Jonass was the new race leader with Gajser just 1.590 seconds behind as Febvre re-joined in fourth.
Gajser crashed out of second, while Herlings was making his way back up the order after going down with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff on the opening lap of the race.
Tim Gajser – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Febvre closed in on Prado who was ahead in second and by lap eight, the Kawasaki rider managed to find a way around the Spaniard. Jonass continued to lead by 4.319 at that point.
Herlings went off track as he chased Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Arminas Jasikonis who was having a strong race in fifth place. But by lap 9 Herlings was able to get around the Lithuanian to making an incredible come back from last to fifth where he finished the race.
Arminas Jasikonis – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Meanwhile at the front, Febvre brought the gap down to 1.532 seconds to Jonass who needed to be careful as it was obvious that Febvre only had one thing on his mind – the win.
The Frenchman caught onto the back wheel of the Latvian and by lap 11 was back in the lead. Gajser then put on a late charge of his own as he got around Prado for third and was the looking to get Jonass too but crashed once again. The Honda rider finished fourth.
Jorge Prado – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Febvre was the race winner, with Jonass taking second and Prado crossing the line third. With a 2-1 result, Romain Febvre secured his first GP win in Lommel, while Jeffrey Herlings win and fifth in race two put him on the second step of the podium as Pauls Jonass enjoyed his first podium of 2021 with third overall.
Tim Gajser continues to lead the championship as Febvre moves into second place just five appoints adrift, while Cairoli drops to third.
Romain Febvre – P1
“Good day, good start, I worked to improve the start this week, so that’s a good point. Both races I was leading. First race, I had a bad lap and Jeffrey caught me and passed me. I tried to stay focused and to analyse where he or I was a little faster. I did not let him go, but after two laps I tipped over and crashed. So yeah, I was a little bit alone in second place, so I settled for second. Second race I knew it could be my day. So again, I took a good start. I made a really fast lap at the beginning to be alone. It’s what I did but still made a few mistakes and crashed then I was about 4th or 5th. Took me some laps to regroup and then I passed the guys in front of me. To win here in Lommel means a lot to me. I feel clean and thanks a lot for my team. I don’t think about the championship at the moment. It’s a long season. I mean it’s always good to be in that position for sure. It was a good day for us but yeah still many races to go. So let’s see the future.”
Romain Febvre – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Jeffrey Herlings – P2
“Everything was going good so far. First race, I think I was third at the start and then moved into second. Romain was having a really good race and at one point I just decided to stay behind. Running at a good pace and on good lines. I wanted to save energy, and also for my shoulder. I broke my shoulder blade so it’s not really normal to ride a bike within 13-14 days after. I did not know if I was going to fade with my shoulder because the track was rough and demanding on your body, especially on your shoulders as well. At one point, I felt I could run at a faster pace and I managed to pass Romain and make a gap. Obviously, Romain went down and then it was just a walking part from there. Second race turned out good. At the start I was around 4th or 5th I believe and then me and Glenn came together, he took my rear wheel and we both went down. We were both last, so it was a shame. Then I fought my way back to 5th place within 15 minutes I think but then I just faded. I did not want to make a big error and go down. I think it’s been a good day to go 1-5 because 1 week ago I thought the championship was game over. Now, obviously, I know I need to hunt the boys down but 42 points is not too bad. There is still a lot of races to go, so there’s a lot of options. I think I lost a championship 5 or 6 times due to injuries. It’s pretty frustrating at times, but I think right now I am still in a good place. I don’t want to give up the championship so quick, so I think we’re still in a good place once again. We just have to keep fighting.”
Jeffrey Herlings – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Pauls Jonass – P3
“I am super happy. It’s nice to do it at let’s say Belgium is my second home GP, a home GP for my team… This week, we worked quite a lot for the start. I think we saw at the first GP that the speed was there. Everything was there. I just needed the start because the class is so tough. If you don’t get a good start, it’s really difficult to move forward and to get a podium. I’ve been slowly building, just getting consistent results. Unfortunately, we had some DNFs this season, but so far, I am happy. I think it’s almost been 2 years since my last podium because I missed all of last year due to injury. So, it is nice to be back at the podium and it is especially nice to do it for the whole Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing Team because they’ve believed in me and gave me the opportunity to be back at the top level; everyone is working so hard in the team, that I just give that podium to them. It’s a nice confidence boost going to the home GP (Latvia). I think all of the guys here know that home GP is always tougher than the other GPs, but I am really looking forward to that. I’ve never won there, even in 250’s. I’ve been a few times in the podium there so I hope there will be many fans this year and that I can be at the box next weekend.”
Pauls Jonass – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Tim Gajser – P6
“Yeah, obviously too many mistakes today. I was feeling good in the morning. Also speed in the race was okay. First race I had an early crash, so I was kind of struggling, finishing 7th or something like that. Second race I felt better, also I was behind Pauls, second in the beginning of the race. Then, I made a crash, so I lost places and went back to fourth and again came really close to the guys, had another crash then came again really close, I was third then I crashed again. So too many mistakes, definitely we have to work on it. I need to reset myself and go to Kegums next week.”
Tim Gajser – 2021 MXGP of Flanders-Belgium – Round 6
Bouncing back from a disappointing performance one week ago at the GP of Estonia, 22-year-old Australian Wil Ruprecht (TM) proved himself to be the rider to beat on day one of the Airmousse GP of Sweden, Round Four of the 2021 Borilli FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Skövde.
Wil Ruprecht (TM) took the outright ahead of Josep Garcia (KTM) and Brad Freeman (Beta)
With Wil topping the overall EnduroGP results by a healthy 20 seconds, as well as winning the Enduro2 class, the Australian was joined as a class winner by Davide Guarneri (Fantic) in Enduro1, Brad Freeman (Beta) in Enduro3, Laia Sanz (GASGAS) in Enduro Women, and Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) in Enduro Junior. Albin Norrbin (Fantic) claimed a home win in Enduro Youth.
The outright top seven were all on different brands of motorcycle with Ruprecht putting TM on top.
EnduroGP – Ruprecht bounces back
Taking the win on the Friday night Akrapovic Super Test, Wil Ruprecht made his intentions clear right from the start of the Airmousse GP of Sweden. Although only winning by a slender margin, come the end of the first day’s opening lap, Wil was still pushing hard and battling against both Josep Garcia (KTM) and Brad Freeman.
With Freeman losing time on each of the three AcerbisCross Tests, the battle for the EnduroGP class lead was all about Ruprecht and Garcia.
Wil Ruprecht (TM)
With little to separate the two riders as the day neared its close, the final Champion Enduro Test would prove decisive. For Ruprecht it went well, very well, as the TM mounted rider topped the time sheets to maintain his class advantage and ultimately secure the day’s win. For Garcia, who needed to deliver his best while hoping for a mistake from Ruprecht, things didn’t work out. The Spaniard fell, but still earned a hard-fought runner-up EnduroGP result.
Brad Freeman – Beta
With Freeman rounding out the podium, fourth, fifth, and sixth positions all went to 250F mounted riders – Davide Guarneri, Samuele Bernardini (Honda), and Andrea Verona (GASGAS).
Wil Ruprecht (TM)
“Yeah, today was good,” said Wil. “The tests were nice to ride, but also a little scary in places – you certainly didn’t want to be making any big mistakes. I just rode a strong but steady pace, hit my marks, and tried not to over ride the bike. I think there’s a little more that I can give, but it was a good day.”
Wil Ruprecht (TM)
EnduroGP Stage One Results
Wil Ruprecht – E2 – TM
Josep Garcia – E2 – KTM +20.25s
Brad Freeman – E3 – Beta +37.04s
Davide Guarnoni – E1 – Fantic +1min01.51s
Samuele Bernardini – E1 – Honda +1min14.99s
Andrea Verona – E1 – Gas Gas +1min17.74s
Hamish McDonald – E2 – Sherco +1min18.74s
Jaume Betriu – E3 – KTM +1min31.98s
Jamie McCanney – E3 – Husqvarna +1min51.32s
Antoine Magain – E1 – Sherco +1min52.81s
Josep Garcia
Enduro1 – Guarneri claims day win number two
Although delivering a not-so-great time on the opening Akrapovic Super Test, Davide Guarneri hit the ground running at the start of day one, topping the opening Champion Enduro Test before winning a further three tests before the mid-way point of the day.
Davide Guarneri
“I had a really strong opening lap, which meant that I was able to open up a small advantage,” commented Italian Guarneri from the podium. “I made some mistakes, it wasn’t a perfect day from me, but I think everyone was making some mistakes. For myself and Fantic, it’s great to get this second victory of the championship. I was also a little lucky – I had a big crash in the final enduro test, but I was able to get back on my bike quickly.”
Davide Guarneri
It was a great day for Samuele Bernardini who secured his best result of the season with second. Andrea Verona dropped outside the top two for the first time, taking third. Antoine Magain (Sherco) and Mikael Persson (KTM) were fourth and fifth respectively.
Samuele Bernardini
Enduro2 – Ruprecht and Garcia lead the way
The Enduro2 class boiled down to a battle between Ruprecht and Garcia for the win. With the duo pushing the pace in the overall EnduroGP standings they pulled clear of their classmates. With Ruprecht holding firm, Garcia would be denied his third race win in a row.
Wil Ruprecht
Behind the top two it was another consistent performance from New Zealand’s Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) in third. The reigning Enduro Junior champion is growing stronger with each round and will soon look to bridge the gap to the top two.
New Zealand’s Hamish MacDonald (Sherco)
Delivering a strong performance on home soil, Sweden’s Albin Elowson (Husqvarna) was fourth with Finland’s Eero Remes (TM) fifth.
New Zealand’s Hamish MacDonald (Sherco)
Enduro3 – Seven in a row for Freeman
While admitting to not having the measure of Ruprecht and Garcia in EnduroGP, Freeman continued his win streak in Enduro3 to claim his seventh victory of the season.
Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna)
As ever the battle behind him was a much tighter affair with Jaume Betriu (KTM), Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna) and Daniel McCanney (Sherco) fighting for the remainder of the podium. Betriu placed as runner-up, with Jamie getting the better of his brother Daniel for third. Antoine Basset (Beta) rounded out the top five.
Jaume Betriu
Enduro Women – Laia by a mile
Starting as she meant to continue, Laia Sanz comfortably topped the event opening Akrapovic Super Test before firing out of the blocks early on day one with what would be the first of three wins. Unbeaten on any special test during lap one, and having extended a healthy lead in the process, Laia topped just one of the final lap’s three special tests – the Acerbis Cross Test – yet still ended the day on the top step of the podium and close to 50-seconds ahead of her closest challenger.
Second on day one went to Britain’s Jane Daniels (Fantic) who put together a largely mistake free day, beating Laia on one of the day’s special tests. The only other rider to take a test win off Sanz was Mirea Badia (GASGAS). Like Daniels, Badia wasn’t really able to challenge Laia, placing third overall and 13 seconds down on Daniels. With Britain’s Rosie Rowett (KTM) fourth and Norway’s Marie Vilde Holt (GASGAS) fifth, the best placed home rider was Linnea Akesson (Husqvarna) in sixth.
Mirea Badia (GASGAS)
“I felt like the special tests didn’t really suit me too well, but I’m really happy to have got the win,” explained Sanz at the end of the day. “The day was quite relaxed, no stress, so that was good. I’m sure tomorrow will be tougher, but I hope that I can match this result and not struggle on the second day as I have at some events recently.”
Enduro Junior – Macoritto takes it
As has been the case so far this year, the battle for top honours in Enduro Junior was played out between Lorenzo Macoritto and teammate Matteo Pavoni (TM). Spurred on by his day two win last week in Estonia, Macoritto held off Pavoni by 12 seconds to get the job done. With home support on his side, Sweden’s Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) wasn’t too far away, just 19 seconds behind Pavoni, for third. He’ll look to go better on day two. A strong ride by Fantic’s Jed Etchells saw him beat Ruy Barbosa (Honda) by five seconds for fourth.
Matteo Pavoni (TM)
Enduro Youth – Home win for Norrbin
Following his win in Italy and double in Estonia, Albin Norrbin is now the rider to beat in Enduro Youth having won today in Sweden. The Swede was a class act taking eight test wins from 10. Kevin Cristino and Harry Edmondson made it a Fantic 1-2-3 in Skövde. Samuli Puhakainen (TM) and Albert Fontova (KTM) completed the top five.
Albin Norrbin
After a physically demanding opening day in Skövde, the Airmousse GP of Sweden concludes on Saturday July 24.
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2021 EnduroGP of Estonia – Day 2 Report
Brad Freeman (Beta) has fought back to win day two of the Airmousse GP of Sweden, round four of the Borilli FIM EnduroGP World Championship, in Skövde. After finishing third on day one, a determined effort from the Brit saw him fend off Italy’s Andrea Verona (GASGAS) by four seconds, with Davide Guarneri (Fantic) placing third overall in EnduroGP.
Brad Freeman (Beta) extended his EnduroGP outright and E3 category points lead
It was double delight for Spain’s Laia Sanz as she secured a day two win in the Enduro Women’s category, while Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) and Albin Norrbin (Fantic) also ended their time in Sweden with double wins in the Enduro Junior and Enduro Youth classes respectively.
EnduroGP class – Four-way battle upfront
The fight for top honours in EnduroGP was a hard-fought one on day two of the Airmousse GP of Sweden with the top four riders separated by just 14 seconds after more than one-hour of timed special test racing. Frustrated by his mistakes on day one, Freeman began day two on a mission, sweeping the first three tests to grab an early lead. But the pace was frantic at the top as Verona, Guarneri and Josep Garcia (KTM) all came to the boil early on lap two. Garcia won the second Champion Enduro Test, while Verona topped the Acerbis Cross Test.
Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS
Opening up a slender advantage on lap three, Freeman held some breathing room entering the final test of the weekend, the Acerbis Cross Test. Behind him Guarneri provisionally held second with Garcia one tenth of a second adrift in third. But a blisteringly fast time from Verona leapfrogged him past both riders and into second, finishing just four seconds behind Freeman.
Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM
With second slipping from his grasp on the final test, Guarneri held of Garcia by less than one-second for third. Although starting the day strongly, Will Ruprecht (TM) – day one winner – couldn’t maintain that pace and slipped down the order to fifth.
“It’s amazing to get the win, but for me the biggest thing was to turn things around from yesterday,” said Freeman. “I started strong and was able to lead all day. Hats off to Andrea on that final test though, I’m glad I had some breathing room going into it!”
Brad Freeman (Beta)
Freeman now leads the EnduroGP standings entering the summer break with the final two rounds of the championship remaining in October.
EnduroGP Stage Two Results
Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta,
Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, +4.33s
Davide Guarneri (ITA), Fantic, +13.64s
Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, +14.52s
Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, +45.70s
Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco +1m29.62s
Albin Elowson (SWE), Husqvarna +1min47.08s
Jaime Betriu (ESP), KTM, +1min48.37s
Joe Wootton (GBR), Husqvarna +1min54.41s
Anton Lundgren (SWE), Husqvarna +1min58.27s
Sweden EnduroGP Stage Two Results 1. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 2. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, +4.33s 3. Davide Guarneri (ITA), Fantic, +13.64s
EnduroGP Championship Standings
Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 146 points
Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 124 pts
Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 120 pts
Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 102 pts
Davide Guarneri (ITA), Fantic, 92 pts
Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 74 pts
Steve Holcombe (GBR), Beta, 72 pts
Jaime Betriu (ESP), KTM, 67 pts
Samuele Bernardini (ITA), Honda, 37 pts
Daniel McCanney (GBR), Sherco, 37 pts
Enduro1 – Verona steals the show
Fresh from his Enduro1 clean sweep last weekend in Estonia, Andrea Verona arrived in Sweden focused on delivering more winning rides. Perhaps a little too eager to continue from where he left off, the Italian frustratingly hit the deck multiple times early on during day one. Relying upon his impressive pace to bring him back up to the sharp end of the results by the end of the day, Andrea would ultimately claim third in E1.
Davide Guarneri (Fantic)
Hitting the reset button ahead the second day of racing, Verona was back to his best. On pace with his rivals from the start, more importantly he kept things rubber side down with the 22-year-old engaged in a day-long battle with countryman Davide Guarneri for overall victory. With the outcome of day two coming down to the results of the final test of the weekend, Verona dug deep to take the win and top the Enduro1 class by just over nine seconds. In doing so he also claimed a runner-up EnduroGP result.
Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS
Andrea Verona
“I’m super happy with how my weekend ended. On day one I had too many crashes but despite that, I still wasn’t too far from the win. To turn it around on the second day and take the win, this was really huge for me to bounce back like that. With it going down to the last test, I had nothing to lose and I gave it full gas. I gave it everything and to take the day win after a close battle all day feels amazing. My speed put me on the podium in EnduroGP as well, so for me this second day was really special after a difficult opening day.”
Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS
Behind the top two, Honda’s Samuele Bernardini took third, albeit over two minutes behind the leaders. Sweden’s Mikael Persson (KTM) finished fourth, with Canada’s Kade Tinkler (KTM) fifth.
Samuele Bernardini (Honda)
Enduro1 Stage Two Results
Andrea Verona (GASGAS)
Davide Guarneri (Fantic) +9.31s
Samuele Bernardini (Honda) +2min13.24s
Mikael Persson (KTM) +2min23.51s
Kade Tinkler (KTM) +2min43.57s
Sweden Enduro1 Stage Two Results 1. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 2. Davide Guarneri (Fantic) +9.31s 3. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) +2min13.24s
Enduro1 Championship Standings
Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 152
Davide Guarneri (Fantic) 142
Samuele Bernardini (Honda) 109
Antoine Magan (Sherco) 99
Davide Soreca (Husqvarna) 85
Enduro2 – Garcia ahead of Ruprecht
The second of two back-to-back rounds held in the north of Europe, the EnduroGP of Sweden gave riders very little in terms of rest between events due to its Thursday-to-Saturday schedule. Delivering a mixture of terrain, including forest tracks, open grass tests, and dusty hardpack, one thing that remained constant was the weather – hot, dry conditions punished the riders even further, with fitness and endurance proving key to a strong result, especially on the second day.
Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM
Following an intense two-rider fight for the win that raged throughout day one, Garcia went into the ninth and final test of the day trailing leader Wil Ruprecht by just over 11 seconds. Giving his all, Josep looked like he might be able to claw back the time needed, but a small mistake mid-test cost the Spaniard the seconds he required, and he was forced to settle for second overall on day one behind the Aussie.
Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM
On day two the fight was contested by a number of riders, with the top five separated by just over 20-seconds after eight of the nine special tests. Josep secured the Enduro2 class win, but missed out on the EnduroGP podium by just 0.88 seconds. His results over the two days were enough for him to successfully maintain his second place in the outright EnduroGP standings and close in on Ruprecth for the points lead in Enduro2, where the KTM 350 EXC-F rider now trails TM’s Ruprecht by just five points.
Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco
Another third place for Kiwi Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) on day two, while Albin Elowson (Husqvarna) and Joe Wootton (Husqvarna) were fourth and fifth respectively.
Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco
Josep Garcia
“It’s been an excellent event here in Sweden, but of course another tough one. Day one went well, I was fighting with Wil (Ruprecht) the whole day and in the end, it came down to the final test. I gave it my all, but a small mistake just lost me too much time, but it was good to finish second in EnduroGP. Day two went well for me, I had a crash on the second Cross Test and that cost some seconds, but I was still in the fight for the win. In the last lap we were all together, really close on time. I pushed as always but I just missed out on the EnduroGP podium by a tiny amount. I’m happy with the E2 class result, but in the overall I know it could be better, but this is racing, and I know I did my best.”
Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM
Wil Ruprecht
“That’s a wrap from Sweden! Solid riding both days with some fast company. Happy with the outright speed going into the summer break but it’s clear I’m coming up a little bit short late Sunday. As with all challenges I’ve faced this year I will dedicated all of my energy towards cleaning up this area and hopefully have something to show for it come the back half of the season. A big thanks to the team for a big 2 weeks of support.“
Enduro3 – Freeman extends championship lead with win
While Freeman ran away with proceedings in Enduro3, there was plenty of battles behind him for the podium. Jaume Betriu got the better of the McCanney brothers for second, while Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna) edged out his brother Daniel McCanney (Sherco) for third. Antoine Basset (Beta) took fifth.
It was a weekend of fast and frantic action at round four of the 2021 FIM EnduroGP World Championship, with Laia Sanz topping the Women’s class on both days of racing. In dominant form throughout the entire weekend, the Spanish ace enjoyed a maximum points haul, heading home to Spain with the Women’s class lead.
Jane Daniels (Fantic)
Arriving at the EnduroGP of Sweden tied on points at the top of the Women’s championship standings, Laia Sanz had only one thing on her mind – leave Skovde with a firm hold of the Women’s title chase. After topping the timesheets on Thursday night’s Super Test (the race ran from Thursday to Saturday!), Laia was in full control throughout the opening day of racing, claiming a convincing victory.
For day two, the Spanish ace frustratingly lacked the energy needed to push forward, opting for a consistent pace in order to secure another strong result. Nevertheless, Laia won three of the six tests to claim a second day win in Sweden and now sits on top of the series standings with a comfortable eight-point lead.
Laia Sanz
“It’s been another good weekend for me and overall I’m really happy with my results. I would have liked for some of the tests to be a little slower and more technical, especially the extreme tests, but it was the same for everyone. Like the first round, my fitness isn’t quite where it needed to be in order to be able to push on the second day, so I had to maintain a strong but steady pace. In terms of my championship, it’s been a great weekend and now I have a nice gap at the top of the standings with one round to go in France.”
Laia Sanz (GASGAS)
Fastest on the Acerbis Cross Test, Mireia Badia (GASGAS) claimed the runner-up result with Jane Daniels (Fantic) third. Rosie Rowett (KTM) and Marie Holt (GASGAS) rounded out the top five.
EnduroGP Women Two Results
Laia Sanz (GASGAS)
Mireia Badia (GASGAS) +29.69s
Jane Daniels (Fantic) +42.89s
Rosie Rowett (KTM) +2min47.84s
Marie Vilde Holt (GasGas) +3min36.95s
EnduroGP Women Championship Standings
Laia Sanz (GASGAS) 75
Mireia Badia (GASGAS) 67
Jane Daniels (Fantic) 66
Rosie Rowett (KTM) 45
Joana Goncalves (Husqvarna) 39
Enduro Junior – Last gasp effort for Macoritto pays off
Delivering more great battles, both Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) and Matteo Pavoni (TM) again fought it out for the Enduro Junior victory. Entering the final test it was Pavoni who held the upper hand by nearly two seconds, but a flyer from Macoritto saw him collect his second win of the weekend.
Lorenzo Macoritto (TM)
Never too far away from the TM mounted pairing, Leo le Quere (Sherco) ended his day in third. Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) was fourth with Luc Fargier (GASGAS) fifth.
Matteo Pavoni (TM)
Enduro Junior Stage Two Results
Lorenzo Macoritto (TM)
Matteo Pavoni (TM) +1.71s
Leo Le Quere (Sherco) +37.00s
Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) +48.23s
Luc Fargier (GasGas) +1min28.15s
Enduro Junior Championship Standings
Matteo Pavoni (TM) 148
Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) 142
Leo Le Quere (Sherco) 99
Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) 84
Sergio Huertas Navarro (GasGas) 69
After a busy fortnight of racing, the Borilli FIM EnduroGP World Championship takes a well-earned summer break before returning for the final two rounds of the championship in early October.
Before that many riders in the field will contest the 2021 International Six Days Enduro, held in Italy from August 30 – September 4.
The MXGP of the Czech Republic made its returned in the Motocross World Championship over the weekend, with KTM proving the front-runners, with Jorde Prado and Mattia Guadagnini claiming the class victories in MXGP and MX2 respectively.
Aussie Jed Beaton finished fourth overall in MX2, while Wilson Todd was tenth, both in the MX2 class. The result leaves Beaton sixth in the MX2 standings, with Todd 12th.
MXGP Race 1
In the opening MXGP race, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado who took his fourth Fox Holeshot of the season and led the race ahead of Team HRC’s Tim Gajser, Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Watson and Glenn Coldenhoff, who were ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team’s Romain Febvre.
Jorge Prado
Meanwhile Ivo Monticelli from Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team had a shocker of a start, as he hit the start gate and took a while to get going.
Throughout the race, Prado and Gajser kept things closed and remained within one a half seconds of one another, while Watson was having a great ride in third ahead of his teammates.
Tim Gajser
As the race progressed though, Watson was coming under immense pressure from the guys behind him, as he lost on positions to Coldenhoff, Febvre, Seewer and Antonio Cairoli of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing who passed the Brit on lap nine.
Watson then lost another position to Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing’s Pauls Jonass who was fighting his way well inside the top ten, though a couple of laps later, the Latvian had a bike problem which forced him to DNF the race.
Glenn Coldenhoff
With a couple of laps to go, Gajser was starting to push more to take the win from the #61 of Prado, though it was not enough as the Spaniard secured the race win ahead of the Honda rider, with Febvre finishing third ahead of Coldenhoff and Seewer.
MXGP Race 2
As the gate dropped for race two, it was once again Prado who led the way with another Fox Holeshot under his belt. Though his teammate, Cairoli wasted no time to take away the lead and get himself in front.
Tony Cairoli
The two factory KTM’s were followed by Seewer, Coldenhoff and Gajser, as Monticelli had a much better start in the race and was running in sixth place.
Gajser then muscled past Coldenhoff for fourth position and then started to apply the pressure onto Seewer who managed to catch onto the back of Prado.
Tim Gajser
Three laps later after getting into fourth place, Gajser crashed out and had to head into pitlane to fix the clutch lever that was jammed in his hand guard. The Slovenian re-joined the race way down the order in around 30th and had a long way to go to get back up to 15th where he finished the race.
Seewer then took second from Prado as Cairoli continued to lead, all while SS24 KTM rider Shaun Simpson was having a mega ride in sixth position.
Jeremy Seewer
Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen was searching for a way around Simpson, though made a small mistake which sent him over the bars with just a few laps left to go. He didn’t finish the race.
Febvre was looking good as he got Alessandro Lupino of MRT Racing Team KTM for eighth and set his sights on higher positions, though not long after crashed out and finished the race in 10th.
Romain Febvre
In the end, it was Cairoli who secured his third race win of the season, with Seewer second, Prado third with Coldenhoff and Monticelli rounding out the top five.
In terms of the podium, it was Jorge Prado who won the overall Grand Prix, with Antonio Cairoli second on the box, continuing his podium streak, with Jeremy Seewer getting his first podium finish of the season.
Jorge Prado topped the overall podium
While Gajser lost valuable points today, he still leads the championship by 11 points ahead of Cairoli and Prado, as the pair move up the rankings.
Jorge Prado
“I gave everything I had. So, it was a great weekend. You know I am getting every weekend better and better. This second race was very rough for me, just physically was tough. You know just to hold on to the bike was difficult, so I just did my best, tried to ride it smoothly and not make any mistakes, which was very difficult on a track like this. But you know, first win of the season, first race win of the season as well. I can’t ask for more. It was not the start of the season that I expected, I expected to be better, I had small things that I needed to put together but it’s nothing too crazy and we are working on it, so I think we’re heading in the right direction as you can see this weekend, next one is Lommel, good memories, so let’s go forward.”
Jorge Prado
Antonio Cairoli
“Overall, I am happy about everything, because my goal is to finish on the podium every weekend. I messed up in Russia, this is something I still regret a little bit. I struggled a lot with the track as always in Loket. The start is so important and in the first race I was eighth or ninth in the start, then I tried to make some passes and it was difficult as Jeremy and Glenn were also really fast. I finished sixth which is for sure not what I want, but it’s racing and this year I’m feeling really good and I’m enjoying the racing, looking forward to the next one, looking to keep consistent on the podium. I don’t look at the championship, it’s not my thing at the moment, I just want to take it race by race, and enjoy the training as I changed my schedule a little, in the past I used to ride a lot, now I ride one time a week and race, it’s working well and I’m enjoying it. Of course, Lommel is tough, we will struggle physically but I really enjoy it when it’s rough.”
Antonio Cairoli
Jeremy Seewer
“The start to my season wasn’t at all what I expected, just before we started, I was in good shape and stuff but I tested positive for COVID, so it was tight for Russia to make it and that explains my results. But I am happy to be back, I started to feel better already but last weekend was just a bit off, in the start of the second race, luckily, I wasn’t hurt as a few riders ran me over which is fine. I’m really happy to be back on the podium, especially that second race, good start and made a key pass on Jorge, I just used his small mistake to catch him and rode to second without a problem. Lommel is like a home GP for us all, as most of the GP riders live around there, so I’m looking forward to that, it always gets rough and it’s exciting to race there.”
Jeremy Seewer
Tim Gajser
“I’m okay. The first race was good, I was quite happy with it. The second race, I had a good start and made some quick passes in the beginning and then the third or fourth lap I just landed, and the bike went sideways so I had a big one. Obviously, some bad luck because my clutch lever went into the hand guard so I couldn’t really use the clutch and had to go to pitlane. In the end I re-joined the race but managed to save some points as I came back to fifteenth. Obviously, I’m disappointed but that’s how it is, and it happens so we move forward. Last year changed a lot. Obviously before when we went to Lommel I wasn’t so great there but in the last two years we put in a lot of work in the sand to improve myself a little bit and I’m looking forward to going there. Of course, I don’t train there at all but I like the track and I will do my best.”
2021 Australian Classic and Post Classic MX Championships Cancelled
The 2021 Australian National Classic and Post Classic Motocross Championships hosted by Heaven VMX, originally set for July in Nowra, NSW that had been postponed due to concerns around COVID-19 have now officially been cancelled for 2021.
Due to the ongoing outbreak of Covid-19 across the country and the uncertainty in the current climate the Heaven VMX Club in consultation with Motorcycling Australia made the tough decision to cancel these events.
Kenneth Swan – Heaven VMX President
“The Heaven VMX club is passionate about the great sport of Vintage Motocross. The planned 2021 Australian National Classic and Post Classic Motocross Championships was intended to be an opportunity to extend our arms to, and share our passion with, all VMX racers from around Australia. Bring the whole VMX family together for a VMX Festival of Fun. When the Heaven VMX Club of NSW does run this event, we want to do it at the right time when all VMX racers from around Australia are safe and happy to travel and give it every chance to be the amazing event we have planned.
2021 Australian Classic and Post Classic MX Championships cancelled
“Therefore for 2021 for the Heaven VMX Club, have made the difficult decision to cancel the Australian National Classic and Post Classic Motocross Championships. With this news we are equally as disappointed as everyone is, we hope you understand though as this should be a truly national event for all our competitors.”
The Heaven VMX Club thanked all those riders that had already entered and supported the events. Over the next 2 weeks, all entry fees taken to date will be refunded through Ridernet and refunds will be finalised by July 31.
Australian Speedway Under 16’s 125cc Solo & Teams nominations open
Motorcycling Australia ihave opened nominations for the 2021 Australian Speedway under 16’s 125cc Solo and Teams Championships. The Championships will be held at South Australia’s Sidewinders U16’s Speedway Club, September 23-25.
Two New Zealand Oceania Speedway Sidecar rounds announced for 2022
FIM Oceania, Speedway NZ (SNZ) and Motorcycling NZ (MNZ) have revealed that competitors will be set to battle out the 2022 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship over two rounds on January 29th, 2022, at Moore Park Speedway, Christchurch, New Zealand and Oreti Park Speedway, Invercargill New Zealand on February 5th, 2022.
The FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship heads to New Zealand in 2022
This will be the first time the FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship has been hosted on New Zealand soil, and over two rounds. With both host tracks sporting a rich history in Motorcycle Racing.
Moore Park speedway was founded and named after the late Ronnie Moore, and Oreti Park Speedway, Invercargill has strong ties to Burt Munro.
The final round of this FIM Oceania Championship finishing in Invercargill the week before the annual pilgrimage to the South for the Burt Munro Classic, which is always a talked about two wheel event.
Peter Doyle – FIM Oceania President
“FIM Oceania was very pleased to be working with Speedway NZ and their host tracks, Moore Park & Oreti Park Speedways for what is sure to be an amazing 2022 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship. It is excellent to have this FIM Oceania Championship conducted in New Zealand and we encourage motorcycle racing fans from across New Zealand and Australia to get along and not miss a minute of this speedway action. There is a long history of excellent competition and hard fought battles between the Aussies & Kiwi riders across many motorcycle races over the years. I am sure in January 2022, there will be two rounds of sensational speedway racing.”
Speedway NZ will be seeking Expressions of Interest from New Zealand based riders for the event over the next six weeks before finalising the qualification process for NZ representation.
Motorcycling Australia and ACU have been delegated 8 of the 16 spots in the rider line-up, for what promises to be an action packed international event.
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Maciej Janowski tops Czech Speedway GP Round 1
Polish star Maciej Janowski was elated to end his Prague struggles as he topped the Anlas Czech Republic FIM Speedway Grand Prix round-one podium on Friday evening.
‘Magic’ delivered a dream start to his season when he overhauled Emil Sayfutdinov at the start of lap three to win the final. Great Britain racer Tai Woffinden was third, while Sweden’s Fredrik Lindgren was fourth after hitting the tapes.
Despite Sayfutdinov cruising through to the final after topping the heat score chart on 12 race points, it was Janowski who got the verdict when it mattered most to top the World Championship.
It’s the first time he has qualified for a Prague final since his SGP debut season in 2015, when he finished third. Janowski had reached the semi-finals at Marketa Stadium three times in seven appearances going into Friday night, so he was delighted to triumph at the opening round of SGP 2021.
Maciej Janowski
“For the last couple of years, I have been struggling on this track. But today I felt great and my team was working great. The bike was so quick and I really enjoyed racing. I want to say thanks to my team. I love you guys. We found a good setup from the beginning and that was very fast. I used good lines on the track. I got good points and I rode very well. So I am very happy and that’s a great start to the Grand Prix series. The season is long; we have 11 rounds. We need to be smart and fast like today. Tomorrow is a different day. We will try to focus on the same things as tonight and I hope tomorrow I can show the same speedway.”
Maciej Janowski
Double European champion Emil Sayfutdinov was content with second spot as reached his first SGP podium since 2019.
Emil Sayfutdinov
“It was very good. I felt good from the start and I was happy around the track because I had good speed. I would like to say thanks to my team, who have been working very hard. That’s the next goal, so we will just concentrate on that. It is always a different day and a different track. Today I will try to relax, have a good sleep and then we will see.”
Woffinden was pleased to pick up third place on the Marketa Stadium track where he won three SGP rounds on the bounce between 2013 and 2015.
Tai Woffinden
“We salvaged a third, which was pretty good. I started the night okay with a second and a win. The next two races were really bad and we were just trying to find the setup. We were chasing it all night. I needed to win my last race to make the semi, which I did. I needed to finish first or second to get into the final, which I did. If Freddie hadn’t touched the tapes, I wouldn’t have been on the podium. We learned a lot today for tomorrow.”
Australian Max Fricke finished eighth with nine-points, while Jason Doyle was 12, on five.
Speedway GP World Championship Standings after Round 1
Maciej Janowski 20
Emil Sayfutdinov 18
Tai Woffinden 16
Fredrik Lindgren 14
Artem Laguta 12
Bartosz Zmarzlik 11
Leon Madsen 10
Max Fricke 9
Martin Vaculik 8
Robert Lambert 7
Matej Zagar 6
Jason Doyle 5
Jan Kvech 4
Anders Thomsen 3
Oliver Berntzon 2
Krzysztof Kasprzak 1
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Artem Laguta claims Speedway GP Round 2 victory
Triple FIM Speedway of Nations world champion Artem Laguta admits the Prague rain clouds had a golden lining as he stormed to victory in Anlas Czech Republic FIM Speedway Grand Prix round two on Sunday.
Czech Republic FIM Speedway Grand Prix Round 2
The sport’s biggest stars returned to Marketa Stadium for an early-afternoon start after Saturday’s event was postponed due to heavy downpours in the Czech capital.
A rare afternoon round proved lucky for Laguta as he collected the second SGP victory of his career – following up his triumph at the 2020 season opener in Wroclaw.
Laguta raced past fellow SON winner Emil Sayfutdinov to hit the front, with Friday’s round-one winner Maciej Janowski joining him for second and Sweden’s Fredrik Lindgren rounding Sayfutdinov for third on the final corner.
Heavy rain followed by bright sunshine meant track conditions changed drastically for speedway’s biggest stars. But Laguta made the most of them to move up to second place in the World Championship on 32 points – just six behind leader Janowski.
Artem Laguta
“I am very happy today. It was a good day for me. It was a good meeting and I made good starts today. I am very, very happy with the win. Now I am looking forward to the next meeting. But Speedway Grand Prix is always very hard. There was a lot of rain on Saturday, but it went today and the track was okay. It was very hard with grippy starts, but for me it was no problem. I want to say thank you to my team and thank you to my family – they are my life. I am very happy. Thank you.”
Artem Laguta topped the Round 2 podium
Janowski admits the bike which fired him to victory in Friday’s first round didn’t have the same impact today. But a change of equipment saw him bounce back with a very handy second place – meaning he has dropped just two championship points from a possible 40.
Maciej Janowski
“They were two completely different days. After four heats I changed my bike. My first bike that I used on Friday lost some energy, so we changed and then everything was much, much better. It could have been better, but I am happy with what we got. Second place in the second GP sounds good and I scored good points – that’s the most important thing. We had a very hard day, but I am happy with how it finished.”
Maciej Janowski
Lindgren has made a habit of scraping into semi-finals and taking full advantage of the opportunity. He turned eight race points in the heats into a very useful 16 championship points with third place.
The Swede is now fourth in the World Championship on 30 points and was pleased to make his mark when it mattered once again.
Fredrik Lindgren
“Today was a big battle all the way through. I never really felt I had good speed. I was making decent starts and had good track craft, but I was struggling a bit and really had to scrape through to the semis. In the semi we found a bit more speed in the bike and I was very happy I made it to the final. In the final I just gave it everything I had. It was a big battle and a big blast around the outside on the last corner to make it on to the podium. I am happy with that.”
Round 2 saw Jason Doyle in sixth, claiming 11-points, with Max Fricke in 11th for six. Doyle and Fricke are now ninth and 10th in the standings respectively.
Next up for the FIM Speedway Grand Prix stars is Betard Wroclaw SGP of Poland rounds three and four at the legendary Olympic Stadium on July 30 and 31, as Janowski bids to extend his series lead in his home city, with Laguta and Tai Woffinden also lining up on their Polish home track.
Speedway GP Round 2 Results
Artem Laguta 20
Maciej Janowski 18
Fredrik Lindgren 16
Emil Sayfutdinov 14
Bartosz Zmarzlik 12
Jason Doyle 11
Martin Vaculik 10
Anders Thomsen 9
Tai Woffinden 8
10 Leon Madsen 7
Max Fricke 6
Matej Zagar 5
Krzysztof Kasprzak 4
Jan Kvech 3
Robert Lambert 2
Oliver Berntzon 1
Petr Chlupac 0
Daniel Klima DNR
Speedway GP World Championship Standings after Round 2
Maciej Janowski 38
Artem Laguta 32
Emil Sayfutdinov 32
Fredrik Lindgren 30
Tai Woffinden 24
Bartosz Zmarzlik 23
Martin Vaculik 18
Leon Madsen 17
Jason Doyle 16
Max Fricke 15
Anders Thomsen 12
Matej Zagar 11
Robert Lambert 9
Jan Kvech 7
Krzysztof Kasprzak 5
Oliver Berntzon 3
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
DuQuoin Mile Cancelled Due to Weather
Due to the significant level of rainfall in the area, the 2021 DuQuoin Mile has been cancelled. Progressive AFT will continue its season with the Port Royal Half-Mile on Saturday, July 24 at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Penn.
Fans who have purchased advanced tickets for the DuQuoin Mile will receive information on refunds and ticket credits from Track Enterprises in the coming days.
2021 Capricorn XTreme – Grassroots Enduro Round 3
Round Three of the Australian Hard Enduro Championship has been run and won, despite the challenges to organisers and promotors of the national series, Grassroots Enduro Australia, who spent the week leading up to the race contending with Covid lockdowns and heavy rains.
A brand new venue located at Mount Morgan, eight hours north of Brisbane in Queensland saw 176 Hard Enduro nutters register for the Capricorn X-Treme.
Riders were meant to compete in the prologue in order to determine their starting positions for race day, with Juniors racing a two and a half hour event on the same day as the prologue. However 80 mm of rain preceeded the event, which saw the access road washed out, with the go-ahead only coming through 6 pm the day prior to racing.
2021 Capricorn XTreme – Grassroots Australian Hard Enduro
As such the the prologue was abandoned and Juniors race moved to the morning of race day. Gold, Silver, Bronze and Ladies classes raced on the 45 km track over a six hour time limit, while the Juniors track was eight km in length, with a reduced two hour limit.
The Pro/Gold class was won by Rob Nowak (KTM), a veteran of the Hard Enduro scene in Australia with international race experience such as RBR, Erzberg and Sea to Sky. Runner up went to Wade Ibrahim (KTM), who won round two, leaving him in a strong position on the points chart.
Sherco rider Chris Perry rounded out the top three with a solid performance and backing up his third place at the previous round.
In the Silver class Chris Dark took the win ahead of Trent Tucci, with just a minute separating them, while Frank Fee completed the podium.
Mac Vonthien won the Bronze category by a handy seven-minutes over Robert Brosig, while Adam DeCaria claimed the final podium positon.
Ebony Nielsen won the Ladies, ahead of Cheyenne Jones and Zeena Gadsby, with Amy Davidson a more distant fourth.
In the Junior class, Brody Reed took the win ahead of Toby Page, as the only two riders to complete five laps. Third placed Michael Blake completed four.
The MXGP of the Netherlands saw sunshine and hot weather conditions, while witnessing incredible race action in Oss, in front of a very excited Dutch crowd.
The day began with a special parade lap that featured former FIM Motocross World Championship legends such as Harry Everts, Joel Smets, John van den Berk, Marnicq Bervoets, Jacky Martens, Marc Velkeneers, Peter Herlings, Gerrit Wolsink, Gerard Rond, Gertjan van Doorn, Edwin Evertsen and Johan Boonen.
When the racing kicked off it was Tim Gajser who dominated the MXGP class, going 3-2 for the overall win, while Tony Cairoli had to settle for second after a slow start with an 8-1 result. Romain Febvre was consistent running 4-4 for third.
Jed Beaton – 2021 MXGP of the Netherlands
In MX2 it was Jago Geerts who claimed victory with a 1-1 result, with Australia’s Jed Beaton finishing 2-3 for second overall, while Kay de Wolf was third overall.
The EMX250 class also ran with Australian Bailey Malkiewicz finishing 32-24, while Rick Elzinga took the win.
MXGP Race 1
In MXGP, all eyes were on Jeffrey Herlings and Glenn Coldenhoff who were starting the races from first and second positions. But in race one, it was Romain Febvre who grabbed the Fox Holeshot, though Coldenhoff was not looking to waste any time as he jumped into the lead. He then led Febvre, Tim Gajser, Herlings and Jeremy Seewer.
Febvre and Monticelli – 2021 MXGP of the Netherlands
Herlings then took a hard hit from Ivo Monticelli, though miraculously was able to carry on, while Monticelli crashed. Arminas Jasikonis was having a good ride in 11th place to score his first points of the season.
But the action in front is what had our attention as Febvre was looking for every possible way to get around Coldenhoff. The pair kept the intensity high from the beginning, while Gajser rode smart, taking his time in the background.
Glenn Coldenhoff – 2021 MXGP of the Netherlands
As the gap shrunk to 0.359 it looked like Febvre was finally going to get around the Dutchman, but instead the Frenchman made a mistake which saw him crash, costing him valuable time. He did however re-join pretty quickly and was down in third.
With less than 10 minutes to go, it looked like Coldenhoff was starting to fade a little as Gajser, Febvre and Herlings closed in on him. Febvre then got Gajser for second and got onto the back wheel of Coldenhoff’s Yamaha once again.
Tim Gajser – 2021 MXGP of the Netherlands
Herlings then muscled his way past Gajser and not long after was all over Febvre. With 2 minutes plus two laps to go, Herlings was already in front of Febvre who crashed and within striking distance of Coldenhoff.
The chase was on and with three laps to go, Herlings became the new race leader going on to win the first race with Coldenhoff second and Gajser third.
MXGP Race 2
The second race saw carnage in the start which saw riders like Coldenhoff and Seewer, among others, go down, while Jorge Prado got the Fox Holeshot and led the way. Febvre was second with Gajser third.
Due to the incident in the opening race, Herlings did not line-up for the second heat as he travelled to hospital to confirm his shoulder injury. His return to racing is unknown for the moment.
As Febvre looked to push Prado for the lead, he made a costly mistake which saw him go off track on a side of a jump. He re-joined the race in sixth ahead of Jasikonis.
Romain Febvre – 2021 MXGP of the Netherlands
Prado then led Gajser by 2.342 seconds, with Brian Bogers having a strong ride in third place.
Seewer and Coldenhoff struggled to come back from their crashes, with Seewer managing a top 10 finish in race two, while Coldenhoff placed down in 22nd, missing out on championship points.
Febvre worked his way back up the order as he passed Ben Watson for fifth place, as Gajser closed the gap down to Prado. Cairoli then put a large charge in the race as he got around Bogers for third and set his sights on Gajser and Prado ahead.
Brian Bogers – 2021 MXGP of the Netherlands
Prado did a good job at keeping Gajser at bay until the final three laps of the race, when the Team HRC rider was able to get around the Spaniard. Prado then seemed to have faded as Cairoli was able to get around him too.
The nine-time World Champion then stepped it up another gear and caught out Gajser who maybe did not expect to have him right there. With less than half a lap to go, Cairoli took away the lead and went on to win the second MXGP race in Oss. Gajser was second and Prado third.
In terms of the podium, it was Tim Gajser who took the overall win, with Antonio Cairoli finishing second and Romain Febvre placing third, with two solid fourth place finishes.
Tim Gajser – 2021 MXGP of the Netherlands
Gajser continues to lead the championship with 166 points, with Herlings, Cairoli and Febvre tied on 143 points just behind him.
Tim Gajser – P1
“First race I was quite happy with third place, and I didn’t want to take any risks as the track was sketchy. In the second race I took a good start, I was behind Prado the whole race but he was blocking all the lines but then I managed to pass him with a couple of laps from the end but I lost all my energy before and Tony passed me on the last lap. I was trying to hold him, but he had better lines and anyway I am very happy with the overall.”
Tim Gajser – 2021 MXGP of the Netherlands
Antonio Cairoli – P2
“Yeah I was very disappointed about that first race because I know I have a good condition; I could ride good in this track. I am not the best in the sand for sure, but I felt I could do more. But after that first race, I was losing hope because I had a bad start. I was around 15th in the first corner and then of course Ivo crashed, and I lost a few positions so I was really struggling to find a rhythm; I spent a lot of energy to try to overtake the guys and then I arrived at the back of Jorge and I almost passed him but then I made a small mistake, I crashed and lost positions so I was not really happy about it. But second one I knew I had to stay away from trouble in the first lap. Towards the end of the race the guys in front were a little tired at the end, so after I passed Jorge I said I’ll go for the win. I have to give it everything and try to win because I still had energy and it worked so I am looking forward to another GP. I was not really a hard pack guy but lately, I am really enjoying it more than before. I also found a good setup on the bike. Before I was struggling more. So, I am looking forward to Loket. For sure it is not one of my favourite tracks but I am looking forward to those hard pack races and hopefully we have some public again because it is very nice to ride in front of the public. That’s why we are there, racing.”
Antonio Cairoli – 2021 MXGP of the Netherlands
Romain Febvre – P3
“I felt like that was my GP. I took two good starts, a holeshot and second and in both races I was second for a long time but trying to pass. I learned to take my time and I took my time but didn’t make the pass happen. In race one I crashed two times and still finished fourth but with crashing two times I could not do any better. That second race, the same thing, I was second and I was faster than Prado who was leading but I made a mistake going down the hill and crashed in the fence, but I got up really fast and went back. Not so much to say. I am happy to be on the podium but when it’s your time to take some points you should not crash so I will learn again and try again next weekend.”
Bailey Malkiewicz Stands In for Injured Jeremy Sydow
Yamaha Motor Europe has invited Australian motocross star Bailey Malkiewicz into the Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250 team as a temporary replacement for the injured Jeremy Sydow.
After a positive winter period where he showed signs of great promise aboard his GYTR kitted YZ250F, Sydow was, unfortunately, unable to start his 2021 EMX250 campaign in Matterley Basin, England, on 27th June due to an injury sustained at a Dutch Motocross Championship race in Arnhem, The Netherlands, one-week prior. The 21-year-old German damaged his pancreas in a minor crash, and after spending several days in the hospital under the watchful eye of medical professionals, a decision to operate was made.
Sydow underwent a successful operation on Tuesday 23rd June at Isala Zwolle Hospital in The Netherlands. The injury is expected to take at least 10-weeks to heal; therefore, Yamaha has called upon Malkiewicz to fill the German’s seat for the next four rounds of the EMX250 Championship.
Malkiewicz is a 19-year-old Australian best known for his success at the 2018 Junior Motocross World Championship, where he won the Junior 125cc world title aboard a Yamaha YZ125. He also contested the 2020 FIM MX2 World Championship and finished 14th in the final classification despite sustaining a torn ACL in his right knee.
Looking forward to making a return to Europe, Malkiewicz has recovered from an ACL reconstruction and is relishing the chance to race the highly competitive European Championship with a GYTR kitted YZ250F as a substitute for Sydow. The youngster landed in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on Wednesday 14th July and will make his EMX250 debut this weekend at the MXGP of The Netherlands in Oss, with the second round of the 2021 EMX250 Championship set to take place on Saturday 17th.
Bailey Malkiewicz – Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250 Rider
“I’m excited to reunite with Yamaha as I’ve had great success with them in 2018 as Junior World Champion 125. When preparing for my knee surgery, my personal team and I planned for this return. It’s reassuring that the Hutten Metaal Yamaha Official EMX250 team have demonstrated their professionalism in developing the right strategy for my return to ensure it’s safe and can yield results at the right time. Mentally I’m stronger than ever before. I’d like to thank everyone that made this happen especially Thorsten, the team, my father Steve, and my manager, as there was so much work to do in a short period. Without them, this opportunity wouldn’t have come together.”
Thorsten Lentink – Yamaha Motor Europe MX Racing Co-Ordinator
“Jeremy had a very good off-season where he worked really hard to be at the top of his game for the EMX250 season this year. He was looking good, and we were expecting to celebrate some great achievements, so it is very unfortunate that he has sustained this injury. While we continue to focus on helping Jeremy return to full fitness, we also want to see the GYTR kitted YZ250F represented at a high level. So, with that in mind, I am very happy we were able to reach a deal with Bailey Malkiewicz. Bailey is a talented young rider that caught our attention last year. He is a rider that has a lot of potential, and since he has already had success with Yamaha and the Yamaha Family in the past as the winner of the Junior World Championship on a YZ125, he was the obvious choice to step in for Jeremy. We look forward to working with Bailey, and to give him the chance to return to Europe where he can show his potential on the world stage.”
The ProMX Management Team have postponed Round 5 of the Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores, which was to be held at Wodonga, Victoria.
This decision has been made due to the continued complications of state government COVID-19 restrictions which have resulted from the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks across Australia including South East Queensland and Greater Sydney.
ProMX Round 5 has been postponed due to Covid travel restrictions
The postponement decision has not been made lightly, as enforced border restrictions have affected a number of riders and teams, but more significantly they affect the ability to produce the ProMX Live TV production that is based from Greater Sydney.
ProMX Management has made the decision to provide advance notification to riders and teams during this highly complicated time, after the NSW Government recently extended its Greater Sydney lockdown for a further seven days.
Round 5 of the ProMX Championship was to be held July 25 at Wodonga, VIC. ProMX Management Team and the host club, Albury-Wodonga MCC will now work closely to review a potential new date the Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores.
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2021 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship scheduled for July 15
The 2021 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship is scheduled for July 15-20 in Du Quoin, Ill., promising five days of intense competition among the nation’s elite amateur riders as the Grand Championship returns to the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.
This year’s event features 24 competitive classes, and in addition to racing the Mile on day one, racers will compete on the Half-Mile, TT and Short Track over the five-day event. The full racing schedule, class structure and updated regulations can be viewed at americanmotorcyclist.com.
The Magic Mile has an illustrious history in flat track racing, with races dating back to the 1920s. The return to the Magic Mile for 2021 is the first in over half a decade.
AMA National No. 1 plates will be awarded to the racers in each class who earn the highest point totals. Racers will compete for the Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award, which honors an amateur racer poised for success at the pro level.
Awards will also be given for AMA Youth Flat Track Racer of the Year and AMA Vet/Senior Flat Track Racer of the Year. The Bill Werner Fast Brain Award will also be handed out to racers who are fast and display academic excellence. The award is bestowed upon a racer based upon his or her performance at the event, as well as their performance in school based on official school transcripts supplied at the time of application.
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2021 SGP finale in Torun becomes a double
The FIM and BSI Speedway have revealed that the season-ending 2021 eWinner Torun FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland will now be a double-header event. The action takes place on Friday, October 1 and Saturday, October 2 at the Marian Rose Motoarena.
Bartosz Zmarzlik – 2020 Torun SGP
As with the previously announced double-headers, riders will compete each night for the maximum 20 points per SGP round. The final stop on the 2021 calendar is sure to be an exciting weekend, culminating in a world champion being crowned.
Torun has hosted an FIM Speedway Grand Prix round every year since 2010, with the World Championship trophy being presented six times at the Motoarena.
Tickets for the newly-announced Friday event will be available in due course.
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Honda’s first MXGP champ meets its latest at Matterly Basin
At the second round of the 2021 FIM World Motocross Championship, in Matterley Basin, there was a meeting between two very special riders in Honda’s illustrious history – Graham Noyce and Tim Gajser.
The importance of these two legends cannot be understated as Noyce was Honda’s first ever world motocross champion in 1979, in the 500cc class, leading the way for a whole host of title-winning riders on red machines to follow, including Gajser, who is the reigning 2020 MXGP champion, on board his Honda CRF450RW.
Tim Gajser and Graham Noyce
In the years between, the list of champions riding Honda machines is unmatched by any other manufacturer, with a total of 20 titles by nine different riders in the 41 years, including a streak from 1984-1993 when Honda won every single premier title. And when you add in other world motocross championship classes, that streak extends to 1997 for a total of 14 years when Honda was on the top step of the final podium.
With over double the number of premier class championships, Honda could actually increase their dominance even further after the 2021 season as Gajser looks to win his third MXGP title in a row. He is already the most successful rider in their history with four titles and 30 GP wins and he is currently holding the red-plate in this year’s championship after third round which just took place in Maggiora, Italy.
Number of Premier Class Titles for Honda
3 – Tim Gajser 3 – Georges Jobe 3 – David Thorpe 3 – Andre Malherbe 2 – Frederic Bolley 2 – Stefan Everts 2 – Eric Geboers 1 – Greg Albertyn 1 – Graham Noyce
World Championship Titles for Honda
1979 – Graham Noyce (500cc)* 1980 – Andre Malherbe (500cc)* 1981 – Andre Malherbe (500cc)* 1984 – Andre Malherbe (500cc)* 1985 – David Thorpe (500cc)* 1986 – David Thorpe (500cc)* 1987 – Georges Jobe (500cc)* 1987 – Eric Geboers (250cc) 1988 – Eric Geboers (500cc)* 1988 – Jean-Michel Bayle (125cc) 1989 – David Thorpe (500cc)* 1989 – Jean-Michel Bayle (250cc) 1990 – Eric Geboers (500cc)* 1991 – Georges Jobe (500cc)* 1991 – Trampas Parker (250cc) 1992 – Georges Jobe (500cc)* 1992 – Greg Albertyn (125cc) 1993 – Greg Albertyn (250cc)* 1994 – Marcus Hansson (250cc) 1995 – Alessandro Puzar (125cc) 1996 – Stefan Everts (250cc)* 1997 – Stefan Everts (250cc)* 1999 – Frederic Bolley (250cc)* 2000 – Frederic Bolley (250cc)* 2011 – Julien Bill (MX3) 2013 – Klemen Gercar (MX3) 2015 – Tim Gajser (MX2) 2016 – Tim Gajser (MXGP)* 2019 – Tim Gajser (MXGP)* 2020 – Tim Gajser (MXGP)*
* denotes premier class title
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Bolt claims 2021 Abestone Hard Enduro victory
Britain’s Billy Bolt started off by laid down the gauntlet at round three of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, producing the fastest qualification time at the Abestone Hard Enduro.
Billy Bolt
Already looking at home in the Tuscan mountains, Bolt topped Saturday’s time sheets ahead of Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) and Taddy Blazusiak (GASGAS).
After a nine-week wait between the opening round at Extreme XL Lagares and the Abestone Hard Enduro, this year’s FIM Hard Enduro World Championship has finally roared back into life. Friday’s ELEVEIT Extreme Test gave competitors a chance to stretch their legs over a short but demanding extreme course.
The new Italian event promised much with big mountain riding, gnarly rocky climbs, and true Hard Enduro terrain, and it delivered on every count. After Saturday’s qualification, competitors got down to the business end of the weekend with the LIQUI MOLY Super Final, where two laps of a world-class Hard Enduro awaited them.
Manuel Lettenbichler
Having topped both Friday’s timed practice and Saturday’s qualification, Bolt sat on pole position for Sunday and started as the rider everyone had to beat. However, with just a 12-second cushion over closest rival Lettenbichler, it was still all to play for.
With Bolt opening the course, Lettenbichler patiently took his time and then gave chase. Knowing the early river section would be tough, he worked it hard and immediately caught up to Bolt’s rear wheel. From there the fight for victory was on. Throughout the two laps the duo swapped positions.
Taddy Blazusiak
Lettenbichler appeared to have the edge on the rocky climbs up the mountain, while Bolt held the advantage on the way down. Pulling the pin on the final descents, Bolt put his Husqvarna out front and held Lettenbichler off to win.
Billy Bolt
“It’s awesome to pull off the win – it’s been a dream weekend for me to be honest. I came here wanting to show that my pace at Extreme XL Lagares was no fluke and that I’m ready for the riverbeds and climbs and I got to show that. The race itself was a bit of a blur, it was proper intense. I messed the early river section up and Mani got on my wheel, and we just battled from there. He had me in the Minestrone Rock Garden, but I felt strong in the woods. On the final lap I just went for the pass, made it stick and hung it out for the win!”
Billy Bolt
Manuel Lettenbichler
“I’m a little bummed not to have won, but second is definitely a great start to the season and the pace we had over the rest of the field was very strong. I can’t complain with my riding, I gave it everything and it was a good fight with Billy. I caught him early in the river and we rode back and forth together for most of the race. It came down to the wire, but just didn’t go my way. But it’s good to know where my pace is at now and with what we showed today, there’s going to be a lot more tight battles to come.”
Manuel Lettenbichler
Behind the leading duo – over 13 minutes behind, such was the speed of the top two – Jarvis was another man on a mission. Hampered by a starting position of ninth, he had work to do. Building pace as the race progressed, he began to pull back positions. A gamble not to refuel at the end of lap one leapfrogged him further up the running order. And with a strong run over the mountain, the 46-year-old Hard Enduro legend, took third.
Graham Jarvis
“My qualification wasn’t too good with ninth, so I had a good bit of traffic in front of me most of the way through. I rode too tense on the first lap and struggled to find a decent rhythm – especially with those early riverbed sections. Gradually I got the speed up and lap two was much better. We gambled on not refuelling and it worked out in our favour. I think my speed and fitness was there to get up with the top two, but the early issues didn’t make it possible. But I’m looking forward now for Red Bull Romaniacs.”
Graham Jarvis
Putting in a strong showing throughout the two laps, Jonny Walker (Beta) just didn’t have an answer for Jarvis in the closing stages and had to be content with fourth. Shadowing Jarvis off the line, Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) kept close to his teammate during the opening lap. But with Jarvis finding another gear on lap two, the Spaniard wasn’t able to go with him, ending his race fifth.
Alfredo Gomez
“The first part of the race was good. Riding with Graham I was feeling good. We managed to catch and pass a lot of the other guys on the way up the mountain, but on the descents I wasn’t so comfortable. I’m happy to go top five and finally get the season underway, but today wasn’t my best day.”
Alfredo Gomez
Taddy Blazusiak fought hard, right to the end, to claim a sixth place result, showing great speed throughout the three-day event.
Taddy Blazusiak
“I really enjoyed today – the race was really tough, but good fun, and I think in general I rode really well. I was in the fight for the podium early on and heading through the river section I made a mistake that cost me some time and put me a few minutes behind the guys in front. I tried my best to claw the time back, but I bruised my ribs a little in the crash and decided to aim for a good, safe finish. I’m really happy with sixth place, especially as I was on pace with the others. The event here in Italy has been great, the fans have been amazing too. The race is really intense, the terrain is perfect for hard enduro – I hope it stays on the calendar for a long time to come.”
Taddy Blazusiak
The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship continues with round four at Red Bull Romaniacs in Romania on July 27-31.
2021 Pro Motocross Championship
Round 4 – Twisted Tea RedBud National
Following its second break of the 2021 season the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, returned to action for its Fourth of July tradition with the annual Twisted Tea RedBud National.
The fourth round of the season saw a massive crowd line the fences in their red, white, and blue for America’s Independence Day holiday and were treated to an afternoon of perfect weather.
Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis continued his impressive season by leading the way in the 450 Class for his third victory of the season.
In the 250 Class, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire demonstrated incredible speed all day en route to his third career win.
450 Moto1
As the gate dropped on the opening 450 Class moto, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Aaron Plessinger prevailed with the Motosport.com Holeshot ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb and Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen. A quick pass by Webb in the second turn allowed him to steal the lead from Plessinger who retaliated to retake the lead just turns later. It was Plessinger, Roczen, and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo at the completion of the opening lap. Championship point leader Ferrandis was sixth at the start.
Red Bud AMA Pro Motocross
As the moto surpassed the 10-minute mark, Roczen started to close on Plessinger for the lead, eventually making the pass stick as Plessinger slid back to second. As Cianciarulo continued his charge in third, he would soon find himself under pressure from Ferrandis who was turning the fastest lap times of the race.
Adam Cianciarulo
Ferrandis was relentless in his push to the front and made the move on Cianciarulo just before the halfway point of the moto. The battle for the lead began to tighten up as Plessinger closed in on Roczen while his teammate Ferrandis closed in on them both with 10-minutes remaining. The Star Racing Yamaha teammates pulled alongside each other several times before Ferrandis took possession of second with a pass on Plessinger through the sand rollers.
Ferrandis
Ferrandis’ charge to the front could not be stopped as he struck on his championship rival Roczen to take the lead with just three laps remaining. The Frenchman would hold on to claim his second moto win of the season with 2.9 seconds to spare on Roczen. After leading early, Plessinger would finish third.
450 Moto 2
The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off with Plessinger launching out of the gate to sweep the Motosport.com Holeshots by edging out the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo, followed by Roczen and Ferrandis. Cianciarulo would lose the front end coming downhill on the opening lap and be forced to rejoin near the tail end of the field as Plessinger, Tomac, Roczen, and Ferrandis led the way on the opening lap.
The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off 450 Moto 2with Plessinger launching out of the gate to sweep the Motosport.com Holeshots by edging out the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo, followed by Roczen and Ferrandis. Cianciarulo would lose the front end coming downhill on the opening lap and be forced to rejoin near the tail end of the field as Plessinger, Tomac, Roczen, and Ferrandis led the way on the opening lap.
Ken Roczen
The battle immediately intensified up front as Tomac made quick work of Plessinger to take the number one position from Plessinger. Just behind the leaders, Roczen and Ferrandis matched one another’s pace in an effort for valuable championship points and to keep the leaders in sight. Roczen made a costly mistake that saw him go down hard, but he was able to dust himself off and remount in sixth.
Up front, Tomac and Plessinger were separated by no more than two seconds for the majority of the race as they took turns on clocking the better lap times.
With the race winding down, the battle for second began to heat up as Ferrandis closed in on his teammate Plessinger. He would use an excellent drive through the sand rollers to take second and set his sights on the race leader Tomac. As the crowd cheered them on, Tomac held on to take his second moto win of the season by just 1.5 seconds over Ferrandis. A distant third would go to Plessinger, while Roczen recovered for sixth.
Eli Tomac
It was Ferrandis who’s hard charging and consistency would give him the overall victory (1-2). Tomac earned his second consecutive podium of the season in season (4-1), while Plessinger completed the podium with an impressive 3-3 moto scores on the day. Roczen’s 6-2 was good enough for fourth. A jump during the red cross flag in Moto 1 resulted in Ferrandis being docked a single point and Roczen two points, however, the overall finishes remained the same.
Dylan Ferrandis
“I gave it everything and it was a big fight today, I charged really hard at the end of the motos. I wanted to win the second moto, but Eli [Tomac] was riding really good. I dreamed of winning here at RedBud and thanks to the fans for cheering loud for us all day. It’s been a good start to the season and I’m really looking forward to keep working hard so we can stay up front the rest of the season.”
Ferrandis passes Plessinger
With the win Ferrandis was able to extend his lead in the championship standings to 14-points over Roczen who lost crucial points in the second moto. Plessinger sits third, 36-points out of the lead.
Ken Roczen
“I was excited coming into RedBud for Fourth of July; it’s always a special race and the fans always go wild. We had a pretty decent couple of qualifying sessions. I ended up going fifth to the gate, which was totally fine; I felt pretty good on the track and was ready for the moto. In the first moto, I think I was third after the start and just kind of worked my way up there into second right away and made a move on [Aaron] Plessinger and was leading most of the race until about two laps to go. I kind of lost my rhythm a little bit. The track is really hard-packed underneath and soft on top, so it was really tricky to ride. It just wasn’t really my best performance, but at the same time I was okay with the second place. I got passed there with a couple of laps to go and tried to hang on behind [Dylan] Ferrandis and tried to make a pass back, but it just wasn’t enough. I was looking forward to the second moto. Moto 2 was kind of like when everything came undone. I was battling really hard to get to the front. I was in third and [Eli] Tomac was leading and Plessinger was second. I made my way past Ferrandis and just sat in third for a while trying to see what the race gave me. I had a bad case on [LaRocco’s] Leap, as Plessinger’s roost slowed me down so much. I hurt my wrist a little bit, but then a couple laps later I fell right after the leap. I tucked the front end, had a pretty big get-off, and my bars were a little bent. I’m glad I was able to finish at least in sixth and minimize the points damage. We’re healthy leaving RedBud and I’m just looking forward to prepping for next weekend’s race.”
Moto News Weekly proudly brought to you by Dunlop
250 Moto 1
When the gate dropped for the first 250 Class moto of the day it was Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper who emerged with the Motosport.com holeshot just ahead of the Team Honda HRC duo of Jett and Hunter Lawrence, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Jeremy Martin and Hampshire.
Justin Cooper
As they crossed the finish on the opening lap, Cooper lost traction going up the face of the finish line and crashed out of the lead. Cooper’s mistake allowed a hard charging Hampshire to inherit the lead over the Lawrence brothers and Martin. Cooper would remount in 10th.
Hampshire pushed the pace out front with Jett Lawrence in tow and the duo began to slowly distance themselves from the train of riders behind them. As Jett Lawrence applied the pressure, Hampshire crashed out of the lead, but was able to restart quickly in second. Hunter Lawrence remained a distant third.
Jett Lawrence
With the race closing in on the halfway point of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto, Hampshire started to inch back onto the rear wheel of Jett Lawrence and searched for a way around. Hampshire would once again lose the front end of his motorcycle and find himself on the ground while contending for the race lead. Hunter Lawrence took full advantage of Hampshire’s mistake to move into second, while Hampshire remounted in third.
As Jett Lawrence continued to control the race out front, Hunter Lawrence and Hampshire started to gain momentum and slowly reduce the gap to the race leader. With three laps to go, Hampshire muscled his way around Hunter Lawrence for second and began to set his sights on the race leader Jett Lawrence but Jett held on to take the checkered flag for his third moto win of the season by 2.2 seconds over Hampshire. Hunter Lawrence finished third, just ahead of Cooper who recovered for fourth.
Hunter Lawrence
250 Moto 2
The final 250 Class moto of the afternoon saw Cooper capture his second Motosport.com Holeshot of the day, just ahead of his teammate Martin and first moto runner-up finisher Hampshire. The Lawrence brothers found themselves mired deep in the pack as Hunter was scored 11th and Jett 18th at the completion of the opening lap.
Justin Cooper
As the lead trio went to work with a clear track out front, Jett Lawrence put his head down in an attempt to do damage control, however, a costly mistake would see him make contact with another rider and go down, losing valuable time as he remounted outside the top-30.
Out front, Hampshire began to find his momentum as he moved Cooper to within striking distance for the race lead, using every inch of the track to find a way past. At the 15-minute mark, Hampshire would get a drive and out drag race Cooper to become the new race leader.
Just as Hampshire looked to have the race under control he would yet again find himself picking himself up off the ground as he surrendered the lead to Cooper in the late stages of the moto. Cooper emerged with his second moto win of the season by 12.9 seconds over Hampshire. Martin finished third in an impressive return from injury, followed by Hunter Lawrence in fourth. An inspiring ride by Jett Lawrence netted him sixth.
Hunter Lawrence
By virtue of 2-2 finishes Hampshire prevailed for his first win of the season and won the RedBud National for the second consecutive year. Cooper’s second moto win earned him second overall (4-1) as Jett Lawrence completed the podium in third (1-6), followed by his brother Hunter in fourth (3-4).
Jett Lawrence on the podium but saw his series lead trimmed by three points
RJ Hampshire
“This win just feels so good after everything I’ve gone through lately,” said Hampshire. “As you can hear, I’ve been super sick all week, so to be up here today is a bit emotional. I give it my all everytime I’m on the track, and it would have been great to get those moto wins today, but to win here at RedBud for the second year in a row is an amazing feeling. The speed has been really good lately and I’m looking forward to some of my favorite tracks coming up on the schedule.”
Jett Lawrence maintains his hold of the championship point lead by eight over Cooper who reduced the gap by three on the day. Hunter Lawrence remains third, 44-points out of the championship lead.
Jett Lawrence
“The bike setting in the first moto wasn’t good. I had RJ [Hampshire] charging, and if he got me, I didn’t really have any ammo to fight back. Between motos, my team did a great job making some adjustments that made the bike work better for me, but I just didn’t give myself a very good chance for winning or even getting myself into a good position. I came from 37th to sixth, so I think that’s pretty good. I definitely made a lot of passes, maybe the most passes of the day. I think if you look at the result it sucks because I lost three points, but you have to look at the positives; it was a strong ride, and I felt like there’s not many other people in this class that could do that.”
Jett Lawrence
Hunter Lawrence
“My weekend wasn’t bad; it wasn’t great, but we’ll take it. We went 3-4 moto scores for fourth overall. I missed out on the box by two points. That second moto I was in a ‘do or die’ position to catch J-Mart [Jeremy Martin] and make that pass. I was pushing to make up a lot of ground on him, coming from a pretty bad start, so I was ‘damned if I did, damned if I didn’t’; I had to risk it and push. I ended up laying it down and got back up, managing to finish in a position where I was chasing down fourth. All in all, I’m really happy with how the team worked together to make changes on the bike for the second moto, which benefited us a lot. It maybe wasn’t a moto-score result, but as far as my feeling on the bike, and everything else, we left better than what we started in the first moto, so I’m happy with that. RedBud was awesome. That was my first proper Fourth of July RedBud experience, so it was pretty cool. I also checked something else off my bucket list; I really wanted to scream ‘RedBuuuuud’ into the microphone. I hadn’t been able to do that until today, so that was cool.”
Jeffrey Herlings has taken top honours at the 2021 MXGP of Italy, with Round 3 of the championship held at Maggiora. Herlings, Glenn Coldenhoff and Antonio Cairoli were all tied on 40-points, with Herlings the winner thanks to the final race win.
Jeffrey Herlings
Mattia Guadagnini took the MX2 win, ahead of Maxime Renaux and Jago Geerts, with Australia’s Jed Beaton seventh on the day. Wilson Todd claimed nine-points.
MXGP Race 1
In race one, it was Romain Febvre who grabbed the Fox Holeshot followed by Jorge Prado and Cairoli. Glenn Coldenhoff and Ben Watson got off to a good start and were sitting fourth and fifth, with their teammate Jeremy Seewer inside the top 10 too.
Romain Febvre
Herlings started the race down in sixth and was pushing through the field until a jammed rock in his back break made things difficult, for which he had to pull over to fix and as a result lost valuable positions and time.
Seewer then went after Watson, for seventh place and a couple of laps later so did Herlings, pushing the Brit down to ninth where he eventually finished the race – this was his best result of the season so far.
Jeffrey Herlings
Herlings continued his charge as he went after Seewer and then four laps later managed to get Jonass as well, to finish the race sixth, all while Febvre comfortably led the entire race with Prado, Cairoli and Coldenhoff behind him.
At one stage it did look like Gajser would make a move on Coldenhoff, though the Slovenian was unable to do so and the Dutchman could not edge close enough to get Cairoli and Prado either. Febvre took the race win with Prado second and Cairoli third.
MXGP Race 2
In race two, things were very different thanks to the heavy rain that started to fall just before the gate dropped. As the race got going, it was Coldenhoff who grabbed the second Fox Holeshot of the day. He then led Herlings, Henry Jacobi, Prado, Seewer and Cairoli on the opening lap, as Gajser started down in 11th.
Jorge Prado
Race 1 winner, Febvre started the race in seventh before making several mistakes and eventually finishing the race in 12th position.
Coldenhoff maintained a healthy 3-4 second gap to Herlings, as Jacobi was doing a great job keeping up with the Dutchman, as Cairoli and Prado were both looking to get around the German themselves, but were not able to do so.
By lap 12, Herlings was the new race leader and not long after Cairoli was finally able to get around Jacobi to move up into P3. Jacobi then dropped another position, as Jonass passed him too, with Gajser managing to get back to sixth after a tough race.
Antonio Cairoli
Herlings was the race winner, with Coldenhoff second and Cairoli third. The race top three was exactly how they went up to the podium with all three riders tied on points. Though it was Herlings with the Grand Prix victory.
Despite missing the podium, Tim Gajser continues to lead the MXGP championship and sits just six-points ahead of Jeffrey Herlings, with Romain Febvre a further 11-points back.
Jeffrey Herlings – P1
“After the first race I was 7th or 6th behind Tim and got a stone between my rear brake, at one point I didn’t know what it was so I had to stop. I lost many places and about 20 seconds I think and then I had to come back to 6th. I had to make a really late race charge. Before the second race, I was really bummed and wanted to go for the win. Then just before I gave up it was pouring down rain and came a bit unexpected, so I had to make a last-minute decision regarding the tyre, goggle and whatsoever. Second race I came off really good, I was in third, raced to second then I wanted to save my goggle because in a mud race goggles are pretty important. So I always had a gap to Glenn, once I got into the lapped riders, I tried to attack and managed to pass Glenn, I was already counting and then I was like I will have the advantage for the overall and with a few laps to go I was going to win the overall. I lost a lot of the points into the championship, I started unlucky but it’s good heading into Oss in two week time. I think we are just 6 points behind. Still a lot in the championship so I won’t really look at the points because at the past I was counting, counting, counting, and sometimes I was over 150 points up front, I still didn’t win the championship, so I don’t count anymore, I just look race by race. I look at every race individually and try to be the best I can every single weekend. I want to thank the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, they did a great job. The bike was good and especially in the second race with all the mud.”
Jeffrey Herlings
Glenn Coldenhoff – P2
“Straight from the first lap here in Maggiora, I felt really good. I was really comfortable on the track. First moto I started behind Tony (Cairoli). I was a bit faster, but the track felt really one-lined, which was really difficult to pass, but in the end I spent quite some energy, but still finished fourth. In the second moto I took the holeshot, which was really good. The team has been working so hard and I am very thankful for that. I really owe this one to them. I am really happy to be back on the podium, it’s a really good confidence booster going into Oss in two weeks’ time and I’m really looking forward to my home GP.”
Glenn Coldenhoff
Antonio Cairoli – P3
“I’m really happy about the podium of course but not happy about that second race because I had the speed to ride in front. I started sixth or seventh then managed to pass Jorge Prado and a few other guys and then I arrive at the back of Henry Jacobi but my roll-off’s broke immediately because of a stone. The guys in front pulled away and I couldn’t pass Jacobi, so I really struggled to find a place to pass him but in the end I managed to do so on the last three laps. I’m training a lot on the mud lately and my feeling is good. I’m really looking forward to the sand races now, I’ve not been riding a lot on the sand lately but I love it, it’s my first favourite ground so I’m looking forward to being in Oss in a couple of weeks and hopefully we can continue to build up condition and try to stay in front again.”
Antonio Cairoli
Jorge Prado – P4
“Overall P4 and we are not too far away from 1st place in the championship, so from this perspective the GP was quite OK. I was feeling quite good on the track and it was tough with plenty of bumps and ruts. We had a really high rhythm in the first race but the second was just a mudder. I got pushed a bit wide in the second corner. I was riding in 5th for the whole moto but with two laps to go I made a couple of mistakes that cost me two places and I lost the podium like that. I’m really unhappy with my last three laps. I couldn’t get to the point of making the extra step to force a pass. Instead of holding the position I just lost it.”
Jorge Prado
Romain Febvre – P5
“That was a really good first moto! I got the holeshot, led the entire race, had a good feeling and didn’t make any mistakes. I am so grateful for everything the team and our sponsors have done for me; they have all done a really good job and today I could reward them and show I am the fastest. And I know my wife and our baby were watching me from home and would be equally excited. My second start was not so good but I rode two good laps to come back to seventh; then when I was behind Jonass I got so much mud on my goggles and gloves. I wasn’t comfortable and crashed three times; and after the first crash I got so much mud on my gloves that I could no longer twist the throttle precisely. I was in ‘survival mode’ but I didn’t want to stop as I would have lost too much time. Of course I’m disappointed; it could have been a very good weekend after race one.“
Romain Febvre
Pauls Jonass – P6
“We had quite a fast track today and I feel like I was just missing that last little bit to be with the top guys. I was still consistent with my lap times and race one was ok, but in the mud in race two things went a little bit better. I stayed tight around the first turn to avoid any collisions and it paid off and I moved into sixth. Unfortunately, I had a small issue with my goggles so I had to take them off. But with around four laps to go I just put in a charge. It was risky with the conditions, but it paid off and I finished fourth. I did take a rock or a lump of dirt to the eye, so I have a black eye now, but it was worth it in the end. Now that we’re done with hardpack tracks to start the season I’m looking forward to the next GP when we’re in the sand and all being well I’ll be running with the top guys again.”
Pauls Jonass
Tim Gajser – P7
“It was a difficult day, with the weather and the results but I’m still leading the championship so I have to look at the positives. In the first moto I had a decent start but I couldn’t work my way through the field so I just had to be happy with a fifth place, although I felt I was faster than those in front. Again, I struggled out of the gate in race two and with the heavy rain that made things hard. Then a rock hit my goggles in the first lap and that was really difficult because it meant I was having to work even harder to make passes but I made my way up to sixth and I still keep hold of the red plate. I am excited to go to Oss though as it’s a new track and I’m enjoying riding sand so it should be fun.”
Bringing you the Best Motorcycle News from Around the Web!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
