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Moto Wrap | Atlanta SX | MXGP | Enduro | AORC

Moto News Wrap
March 5, 2019 – By Darren Smart

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Moto News Latest

  • Webb and Cianciarulo storm Atlanta AMA SX
  • Cairoli and Prado take first blood at Argentina MXGP
  • Evans creates history at Argentina
  • Barcia concussed – misses Atlanta
  • Holcombe kicks off 2019 with win in Italy
  • Price to be honoured at Aussie F1 GP
  • Dacka ready for season 2019
  • The stars of the AORC hit Toowoomba this Weekend
  • Mentoring role brings Matthew Phillips to AORC
  • Cosford wins Coolum 2-Stroke Cup
  • 2020 Aussie Speedway Solo Champs calendar announced
  • 2020 & 2021 Australian Junior and Senior Speedway Sidecar calendar

Webb and Cianciarulo storm Atlanta AMA SX

Atlanta, Georgia hosted the ninth round of the AMA Supercross Championships last weekend and it was an all KTM podium in the 450 class with championship leader Cooper Webb taking the win over Blake Baggett and Marvin Musquin while it was Adam Cianciarulo who won the first of the 250 East/West Shootouts ahead of Dylan Ferrandis and Austin Forkner.

See the full report here:
KTM 1-2-3 in Atlanta as Webb takes fifth victory of season (link)

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb Roczen Tomac Multiple JK SX Atlanta
2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

Unfortunately, Chad stalled his Suzuki late in the race to drop back to a disappointing 13th place but the Aussie still sits seventh in the championship, two spots ahead of Justin Barcia who was forced to sit out the event thanks to suffering a concussion after crashing during the week.

Cooper Webb

“Yeh, it was tough, the track was changing a lot but I knew where I was good but there were also places where Marv would catch me, I knew where he was catching me but I didn’t know what line he was using, it is hard when you are leading so I just hit my marks and they weren’t working as good as I would have liked so I started changing things up, made a few mistakes in front of Blake who I knew would be good through the whoops but towards the end I found some lines so another win, that was sweet.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb JK SX Atlanta
Cooper Webb – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

Blake Baggett

“It was really hard to pass, you could make a run on someone but to get by was another thing, Marv and Cooper were making runs at each other, I could see it going on in front of me then I got into second and could do the same but when they have that horseshoe sand section over the tunnel I will hands down voice my opinion that I am not for it, it is supercross with steep obstacles and no sand.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Baggett JK SX Atlanta
Blake Baggett – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin

“It was tough being the chaser tonight, you had to follow through the sand section and same with the whoops, I didn’t want to chance going to the right, it was a really tough track, I missed the main line in the sand and Blake got me and I would gain some ground then lose some ground, it was tough.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Musquin JK SX Atlanta
Marvin Musquin – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

450SX Main Event Results

  1. Cooper Webb
  2. Blake Baggett
  3. Marvin Musquin
  4. Ken Roczen
  5. Aaron Plessinger
    …13. Chad Reed

    AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb Baggett Musquin Podium JK SX Atlanta

    450SX Main Event Results
    Cooper Webb
    Blake Baggett
    Marvin Musquin

 450SX Points after 9 of 17 Rounds

  1. Cooper Webb – 199
  2. Ken Roczen – 186
  3. Marvin Musquin – 182
  4. Eli Tomac – 177
  5. Blake Baggett – 142
  6. Dean Wilson – 137
  7. Chad Reed – 124

250 East-West Shootout Report

There was no catching Cianciarulo with the East Coast championship leader taking the win by four second over Ferrandis who dropped Forkner by seven seconds while Sexton, Cooper, McElrath, Nichols, Martin Davalos, Michael Mosiman and Brandon Hartraft rounded out the top ten.

Adam Cianciarulo

“After the start I stayed patient behind Chase, made the move to second behind Austin and obviously didn’t want to do anything stupid which came to mind but I had a good race, mistake free and learned a lot throughout the day.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Cianciarulo JK SX Atlanta
Adam Cianciarulo – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

250SX East/West Shootout Results

  1. Adam Cianciarulo
  2. Dylan Ferrandis
  3. Austin Forkner
  4. Chase Sexton
  5. Justin Cooper
  6. Shane McElrath
  7. Colt Nichols
  8. Martin Davalos
  9. Michael Mosiman
  10. Brandon Hartranft

250 East Coast Report

For the current top three riders in the East Coast series the shootout did them no harm with Forkner’s third place earning him a handy 18-point margin back to Cooper, who in turn has a two-point buffer back to Sexton.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Forkner Sexton JK SX Atlanta
Austin Forkner – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

250 East Coast Points after 4 of 9 Rounds

  1. Austin Forkner – 99
  2. Justin Cooper – 81
  3. Chase Sexton – 79
  4. Jordon Smith – 70
  5. Alex Martin – 60

West Coast Report

The shootout couldn’t have gone better for Cianciarulo who now holds a 15-point lead over Ferrandis who moved into second in the championship by two points over McElrath, who in turn has a three-point lead over Nichols.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Ferrandis JK SX Atlanta
Dylan Ferrandis – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld

250 West Coast Points after 6 of 10 Rounds

  1. Adam Cianciarulo – 140
  2. Dylan Ferrandis – 125
  3. Shane McElrath – 123
  4. Colt Nichols – 120
  5. RJ Hampshire – 86
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Cairoli and Prado take first blood at Argentina MXGP

The MXGP of Patagonia, Argentina hosted the opening round of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship and it was the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado who earned double moto victories in the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia prado start qual
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

MXGP Race Report

The only thing Cairoli failed at all weekend was his starts but the Italian managed to use all of his veteran savvy to squeeze his way to the lead before the end of the opening lap in moto 1 but it took 6 laps in the second moto to move into the lead.

While defending champion Jeffrey Herlings is on the sidelines with injury Cairoli is under no illusion as to how important these points are and he was doggedly determined to walk away with maximum points in Argentina.

Antonio Cairoli

“I am happy overall today because after yesterday I wasn’t sure how I will do off the starts. The rhythm was high in the beginning but I was just trying to see where I could gain some time. I managed to have 2 good starts, both were in the top ten…I found some good lines and I had a good race taking the overall which makes me really happy. There are a lot of Argentinian fans who cheer for me all year on social media so it is nice to give them a win especially on this track which I have never had the chance to win at, I was close last year but it is always nice to race where people don’t see us often and make them happy.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia antonio cairoli on the finish line
Antonio Cairoli – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Honda’s Tim Gajser took a hit after crashing on Saturday and was on the sore side on race day but he came through from a poor start in moto one to end the race in second, just 6 seconds back from a cruising Cairoli but in the second moto Tim was right there all race and was just 2 seconds back at the chequered flag – the former champ is showing form that will see him win races in 2019 – Herlings or no Herlings.

Tim Gajser

“It was good, I am really happy, yesterday I had a big crash and today I was a bit sore. In the first race I had a solid start inside the top ten and had to work hard to come through the pack but I finished 2nd which was good. In the second race I was a bit tight and didn’t relax, then Febvre and Tony passed me. I tried to stay with them to see where I was losing time then I passed Romain and with Tony we were about the same times, I tried to push but couldn’t get closer. It was a nice race and I’m looking forward to the next round already.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Gajser shotbybavo
Tim Gajser – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Romain Febvre scored third in the opening moto and was running a solid third in the second moto until a huge crash on lap 14 put the French Yamaha star out of the race and to rub salt into the wound former Yamaha rider Jeremy Van Horebeek put his Honda into third in the moto and third overall in his debut for his new team.

Jeremy Van Horebeek

“It is still unbelievable, until two weeks ago I didn’t know we would be here so it has been a crazy ride since last year. I am so thankful to this team for giving me the chance. I am thankful and I am going to keep on working to make this a great season.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia vanhorebeek action
Jeremy Van Horebeek – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Veterans Clement Desalle and Gautier Paulin earned top five positions with Arminas Jasikonis, Tommy Searle. Shaun Simpson, Jeremy Seewer and Pauls Jonass rounding out the top ten while Romain Febvre ended up 12th, one position ahead of Max Anstie and several ahead of Glenn Coldenhoff who was on deck to score points while recovering from injury.

MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 1

  1. Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:41.270
  2. Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:06.253
  3. Febvre, Romain FRA Yamaha +0:09.838
  4. Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:11.464
  5. Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:02.566
  6. Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:32.226
  7. Lieber, Julien BEL Kawasaki +0:39.435
  8. Jasikonis, Arminas LMSF Husqvarna +0:49.752
  9. Jonass, Pauls LAT Husqvarna +0:50.285
  10. Seewer, Jeremy SUI Yamaha +0:59.164

MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 2

  1. Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:56.475
  2. Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:02.386
  3. Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:37.829
  4. Anstie, Max GBR KTM +0:42.332
  5. Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:43.070
  6. Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:47.509
  7. Searle, Tommy GBR Kawasaki +0:49.602
  8. Jasikonis, Arminas LTU Husqvarna +0:58.810
  9. Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM +1:01.941
  10. Tonus, Arnaud SUI Yamaha +1:03.513
MXGP Rnd Patagonia RA MXGP Podium
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – 1) Tony Cairoli, 2) Tim Gajser, 3) Jeremy Van Horebeek

MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Standings

  1. Cairoli, A. ITA KTM 50
  2. Gajser, Tim SLO HON 44
  3. Van Horebeek, J. BEL HON 35
  4. Desalle, C. BEL KAW 33
  5. Paulin, G. FRA YAM 32
  6. Jasikonis, A. LTU HUS 26
  7. Searle, Tommy GBR KAW 22
  8. Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM 22
  9. Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 21
  10. Jonass, Pauls LAT HUS 21
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MX2 Race Report

The defending champ Prado was expected to be the man to beat in Argentina but the Spaniard led every lap to win the opening moto from Thomas Kjer Olsen, Henry Jacobi, Calvin Vlaanderen and Mitchell Evans before handing down the same punishment in the second moto to take the win from Kjer Olsen, Evans, Vlaanderen and Jacobi.

Jorge Prado

“It was great to be back at the GPs, it is a long season but I have so much fun. Yesterday I had a good day but today I woke up and felt even better. I had 2 good starts which is very important because everyone is going fast and it is hard to make a difference. I am very happy with two firsts, for first overall, and points lead so it is a good start to the season.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia jorge prado
Jorge Prado – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Kjer Olsen and his Husqvarna were working a treat all weekend but his starts on Sunday saw the Dane playing catch up all day.

Thomas Kjer Olsen

“The first race I did slide on the gate…I felt like a came through the pack pretty good but once I got to second Prado was already like 12 seconds ahead so I tried to save some energy for the second race. Again not the greatest of starts but we will go back and work on those for sure to be more consistent. Overall I feel my riding was good and I felt good on the bike so I’m happy about that and it is a great feeling at the start of the season.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia olsen action
Thomas Kjer Olsen – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Mitch Evans sat in seventh place for most of the opening moto before passing Ben Watson and Tom Vialle late in the race to earn fifth place but in the second moto Evans was right on leader Prado’s rear wheel until Kjer Olsen dropped the Aussie to third on lap 5 but Mitch pushed hard to end the moto in third, only 12 seconds behind Prado after 18 laps – impressive!

Mitch Evans

“I couldn’t be any happier, I didn’t really know what to expect being my first GP.  I enjoyed every moment of it, it was awesome being here, the fans were awesome so I really enjoyed it. I knew the work that we put in during the off season and the preseason races that we had if I got good starts I could run with these boys.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

Vlaanderen, Jacobi, Watson, Vialle, Jago Geerts, Adam Sterry and Davy Pootjes rounded out the top ten while New Zealand’s Dylan Walsh ended up in 15th overall, five spots ahead of Evans’ teammate Zach Pichon who would have been hoping for better than 20th overall.

Jed Beaton was unable to compete in Argentina thanks to picking up an injury just a week before the opening GP but the Aussie will definitely be at the second round in the UK in a few week’s time so two Aussies on the podium in the coming rounds is more than possible.

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Race 1

  1. Prado, Jorge ESP RFME KTM 34:50.385
  2. Olsen, Thomas Kjer DEN DMU Husqvarna +0:16.677
  3. Jacobi, Henry GER DMSB Kawasaki +0:23.565
  4. Vlaanderen, Calvin NED KNMV Honda +0:25.535
  5. Evans, Mitchell AUS MA Honda +0:27.289
  6. Watson, Ben GBR ACU Yamaha +0:29.198
  7. Vialle, Tom FRA FFM KTM +0:37.127
  8. Sterry, Adam GBR ACU Kawasaki +0:39.496
  9. Mewse, Conrad GBR ACU KTM +0:41.631
  10. Pootjes, Davy NED KNMV Husqvarna +0:52.057
    …13 Walsh, Dylan NZL Husqvarna +1:07.458
MXGP Rnd Patagonia Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Race 2

  1. Prado, Jorge ESP RFME KTM 33:48.208
  2. Olsen, Thomas Kjer DEN DMU Husqvarna +0:04.825
  3. Evans, Mitchell AUS MA Honda +0:12.437
  4. Vlaanderen, Calvin NED KNMV Honda +0:23.647
  5. Jacobi, Henry GER DMSB Kawasaki +0:30.601
  6. Geerts, Jago BEL FMB Yamaha +0:31.623
  7. Watson, Ben GBR ACU Yamaha +0:34.405
  8. Vialle, Tom FRA FFM KTM +0:46.909
  9. Sterry, Adam GBR ACU Kawasaki +0:51.470
  10. Pootjes, Davy NED KNMV Husqvarna +0:53.754
    …18. Walsh, Dylan NZL Husqvarna +1:26.232
MXGP Rnd Patagonia evans action
Mitch Evans – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Standings

  1. Prado, Jorge ESP KTM 50
  2. Olsen, T. DEN HUS 44
  3. Evans, M. AUS HON 36
  4. Vlaanderen, C. NED HON 36
  5. Jacobi, Henry GER KAW 36
  6. Watson, Ben GBR YAM 29
  7. Vialle, Tom FRA KTM 27
  8. 193 Geerts, Jago BEL YAM 25
  9. Sterry, Adam GBR KAW 25
  10. Pootjes, Davy NED HUS 22
  11. Mewse, Conrad GBR KTM 21
  12. Vaessen, Bas NED KTM 15
  13. Cervellin, M. ITA YAM 13
  14. Östlund, Alvin SWE HUS 13
  15. Walsh, Dylan NZL HUS 11
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Evans creates history at Argentina

Mitch Evans has sensationally created history by becoming the first Aussie to podium on his GP debut, bettering the likes of Robert Scott, Lyndon Heffernan, Jeff Leisk, Craig Dack, Andrew McFarlane, Chad Reed, Hunter Lawrence and Jed Beaton (to name a few) along the way.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Mitch Evans shotbybavo
Mitch Evans – 2019 MXGP Round 1 – Patagonia-Argentina

After his solid performance in tough conditions at the 2018 Motocross of Nations in America, Evans was starting to get calls from teams in Europe and it wasn’t long before Hunter Lawrence’s old team Honda 114 came knocking and the rest is history.

Mitch Evans

“I am grateful for the opportunity that Honda 114 Motorsports has presented me. Racing in the FIM Motocross World Championship has been a goal of mine since I competed in the world junior championship in 2010. There is a lot for me to learn and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead. I am excited to be racing with the best in the world.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Mitch Evans CreditTeamMotorsportsFacebook
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Mitch Evans – Image courtesy of Team 114 Motorsports Facebook Page

Evans will now head to the MXGP of Great Britain at Matterley Basin in three weekend’s time and there is nothing surer that the Aussie has learned a lot in Argentina and will hit the second round with a belly full of confidence.


Barcia concussed – misses Atlanta

Justin Barcia has been evaluated to see if he sustained a concussion and was forced to sit out last weekend’s Atlanta Supercross following a training crash at his riding facility in Florida. Barcia

Below is the Monster Energy Yamaha statement:

“Following a medical check at TOC in Tallahassee, Florida, Barcia is being evaluated for concussion and as a precautionary measure will not take part in this weekend’s Monster Energy Supercross round at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Justin Barcia Pits JK SX Arlington
Justin Barcia

“The news of Justin’s accident this morning is a real pity, but our main concern is Justin’s health and recovery. Following the Concussion Protocol, we hope that Justin will be back to 100% and cleared to participate soon.”

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Holcomba kicks off 2019 with win in Italy

In an effort to get some valuable race miles under his belt ahead of the Enduro World Championships in March, Beta Factory Racing’s Steve Holcombe has started his 2019 racing season with a confidence inspiring result at the opening two rounds of the Italian Enduro Championship in Gioia dei Marsi last weekend.

Steve Holcombe imgCristianoMorello
Steve Holcome – Image by Cristiano Morello

As the reigning Assoluti d’Italia champion, Holcombe was bettered by TM rider Loic Larrieu on the opening day but the World Champ rose to the occasion on day two to take the win from Larrieu and his teammate Daniel McCanney who scored third on both days.

Steve Holcombe

“It’s been a really strong start to the 2019 season for me. I had a good ride on Saturday to finish second and then with some improvements to our setup I was able to take the win on Sunday, which is a real boost. On day one we opted to use a hard compound rear tyre. But with overnight rain that choice didn’t work in our favour and I struggled to find grip on the first lap, especially in the enduro test. As conditions improved, so did my pace and I worked my way back into contention. Fastest on the final extreme test, I got close to topping the results but I wasn’t able to make it happen on the last cross test. However, with a strong end to the day I was able to carry that speed into Sunday. I won the first test to put myself into the lead, before going on to set the fastest time in three more tests and claim victory. I honestly didn’t expect to hold this sort of pace so soon in the year as this race is part of my training plan towards the Enduro World Championship. Overall, it’s been a great result for us as a team and one that will keep us pushing hard as we head towards round one of EnduroGP in Germany at the end of this month.”

Results – Italian Enduro Championship
Round 1

  1. Loic Larrieu (TM) 48:18.93
  2. Steve Holcombe (Beta) 48:25.39
  3. Daniel McCanney (TM) 48:29.79

Round 2

  1. Steve Holcombe (Beta) 47:46.11
  2. Loic Larrieu (TM) 48:01.61
  3. Daniel McCanney (TM) 48:01.98

Price to be honoured at Aussie F1 GP

In an unprecedented move and with global television coverage to boot, 2019 Dakar Rally Champion Toby Price is set to join the Formula One drivers’ parade for a lap of honour ahead of the season opening race of the FIA Formula One World Championship at 2.30pm on Sunday, March 17.

Dakar Rally Toby Price ImgMarcinKin
Toby Price – Image by Marcin Kin

Price will follow the convoy of Formula One drivers during the parade to salute fans while riding aboard the KTM machinery he rode to his second Dakar victory.

Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO, Andrew Westacott, acknowledged that the scheduled lap of honour is a fitting way to allow the fans to celebrate the popular two wheel and four wheel racer’s ackomplishments.

Andrew Westacott – Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO

“Toby Price is the only Australian to have ever conquered the gruelling Dakar Rally, and to have now won it for a second-time in defying circumstances is an incredible achievement. What better way to celebrate Toby’s accomplishment than allowing him to join 20 of his peers that are the best racing drivers in the world in a lap of honour on the world stage. We are thrilled to honour Toby at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2019 and see him receive the global recognition he deserves, when the world’s eyes are on Melbourne for the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.”

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Dack ready for season 2019

It is hard to believe that it was 27 years ago that Craig Dack Racing (CDR Yamaha) was formed but what is not hard to believe that Craig himself, a multiple Australian Motocross and Supercross Champion still has the competitive juices flowing and is pumped for the new season.

Craig Dack

“I love this time of year. All the hard work over the off season from both the riders and the teams comes to the surface now and it’s time to go racing. This is why we do the work – to see how it plays out on the weekends. Having Appin as the opening round this year should make for a great start to the season as the track always turns on great racing and its well supported by the fans. Our team has a good history at the venue and we hope for that to continue this year. Both Luke (Clout) and Kirk (Gibbs) have had a great pre-season, and both are showing good form. Kirk has raced in New Zealand and showed plenty of speed and quickly adapted to the YZ450F while Luke has done a couple of local races and been successful at those, so I feel we are well placed heading into round one.”

mx nationals coolum round mx cdr dacka ImageScottYa
CDR Yamaha’s Craig Dack

“This is our second full season on the current generation YZ450F and it’s a sensational bike with a great chassis and powerful motor. Our time isn’t spent trying to develop the bike a great deal but rather personalise it for the individual rider as the production platform is so good. Brad, Aiden and Gary are able to get the most from it and the riders respect the fact we have such high quality technical staff at CDR. We value the long term partnerships we have with the best companies in the industry. It takes a lot of support to run a team like CDR and I’m proud of the relationships we have built over the years.”

Long term and loyal sponsors like Fox, Pro Circuit, Dunlop, NGK, DID as well as major partner Yamaha have been with CDR Yamaha since the early days and the continued building of relationships with companies like Monster Energy, Kincrome tools and Renthal keep the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team at the front of the pack.

Kirk Gibbs' 2019 CDR Monster Energy YZ450FLook for ‘Dacka’ as he is known, the big blue Yamaha rig and the rest of the team on March 17 at Appin Raceway, south west of Sydney.


The stars of the AORC hit Toowoomba this weekend

This coming weekend Toowoomba will host then opening two rounds of the AORC and all of the heavy hitters will be on hand to have a crack at drawing first blood on their competition – let’s see what is going down in the three main classes.

E1

Reigning 2018 E1 Champion Luke Styke (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) has to go into the series as class favourite but the former motocross star will have to contend with four-time world champion Matthew Phillips (MX Store, KTM) in 2019.

Yamaha Active Yamalube Racing AORC Luke
Luke Styke

The trouble doesn’t end there for Styke, Fraser Higlett (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) will no doubt come into Rounds 1 and 2 with a point to prove as will Lyndon Snodgrass (KTM Enduro Racing Team) and Michael Driscoll (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) make thids class the hottest in the series.

E2

2018 E3 Champion Daniel Milner (KTM Enduro Racing Team) will move across to the E2 class this season and the early money is on Jeremy Carpentier (Yamaha MX Store Ballards Off-Road Team), Joshua Green (Active8 Yamaha Yamalube) and Broc Grabham to be Milner’s biggest competition this season.

Daniel Milner

“The 500cc bike was awesome, no doubt, but for me as a rider I find I suit a smaller bike better. So switching to a 350cc E2 class bike has been a really enjoyable change. I’m finding I’m moving faster and achieving better results with the smaller bike.”

Daniel Milner will be heading to Toowoomba for the opening round of the AORC
Daniel Milner – AORC heads to Toowoomba for 2019 opener

 E3

After taking out the E2 crown in 2018, Daniel Sanders (Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team) has moved to the E3 class and by all accounts Andy Wilksch (Motul Pirelli Sherco Team), Beau Ralston and Western Australian Jesse Lawton will all look to keep Sanders on his toes throughout the series.

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Mentoring role brings Matthew Phillips to AORC

After a couple of tough years overseas and right in the midst of potentially retiring from the sport, four-time World Champion Matthew Phillips has committed to the 2019 AORC on KTM machinery and it is in the role of mentoring young Kyron Bacon who will be competing in the EJ class that will see Phillips riding for the ‘love for the sport’ once again.

Matthew Phillips

“My plan is to compete in all 11 rounds of the AORC 2019 season, beginning in Rounds 1 and 2 in the E1 class. As the season moves on I’ll change things up a bit by moving across the senior classes with different bikes. The main thinking is that I want to maintain the love for the sport and by changing things up each round will definitely help that! Kyron rode at my property already, and he explained his situation back in 2018. I then offered my support to help him grow and climb up the ranks. Since we became a team, Kyron has been putting in an enormous number of hours, working his bike hard to get faster and faster. I definitely see him as a title contender in the EJ class for 2019 and beyond!”

Matthew Phillips
Matthew Phillips

Look for the KTM/MX Store team this weekend at the opening round of the 2019 AORC at Toowoomba.


Cosford wins Coolum 2-Stroke Cup

Young Jayce Cosford has overcome the weight of his three-digit race number to better some of the fastest riders in Australia to win the premier class at the second round of the 2019 2-Stroke Nationals held at Coolum raceway last weekend.

Cosford won all three motos of the YMI All Powers Cup to take the overall ahead of local shot-shot Jai Walker and round one winner Joel Milesevic while Andrew Shacklock (Hallman Retro Cup). Alex Larwood (125 Junior Cup), Hunter Collins (Yamaha 85cc Cup) and Ky Woods (Raceline 65cc Cup) all took out the support class wins.

YMI All Powers Cup

  1. Jayce Cosford
  2. Jai Walker
  3. Joel Milesevic
  4. Jesse Bishop
  5. Ryan Kenney
  6. Nicholas Kefford
  7. Danny Ham
  8. Wilson Greiner-Daish
  9. Cale Harkin
  10. Kobe Barton
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2020 Aussie Speedway Solo Champs calendar announced

On the back of a highly successful 2019 championship, a completely revamped 2020 Australian Speedway Solo Championship calendar has been announced with five rounds running from 2-11 January, commencing first in Kurri Kurri, NSW and moving South through VIC and landing at the iconic Gillman Speedway in SA.

Reflecting on the new calendar, defending champion Max Fricke is wrapped with the new schedule.

Max Fricke

“The new tighter schedule is a really great change! It matches the European style and suits what we’re used to as we compete throughout the year. It’s also a great experience for riders and fans alike, with such a tight window to collect as many points as you can whilst maintaining your fitness and drive. Going up against such strong competition back in January, which seemed to include everyone bar Jason Doyle, and then taking out my first Australian Senior Solo Championship title was such a great feeling! As we prepare for the European season, I am finding myself increasingly comfortable competing against the likes of Tungate and Holder. It’s also great to come back home to Australia and compete against locals that you haven’t experienced before, who may have different tactics and styles. The growth in Australian Speedway talent that competes in the Senior Solo Championship is really impressive and continues to grow the sport” highlighted Fricke.

Max Fricke
Max Fricke

 2020 Australian Senior Solo Speedway Championship

  • 2nd Jan – Qualifying Meeting (If Required) – Kurri Kurri, NSW
  • 3rd Jan – Round One – Kurri Kurri, NSW
  • 6th Jan – Round Two – Albury, VIC
  • 7th Jan – Round Three – Undera, VIC
  • 9th Jan – Round Four – Mildura, VIC
  • 11th Jan – Round Five – Gillman, SA

Stay in the loop with all things Australian Speedway by checking out the Australian Speedway Championships website and Facebook!


2020 & 2021 Australian Junior and Senior Speedway Sidecar calendar

The 2020 and 2021 Australian Junior and Senior Speedway Sidecar Championship calendar has also been announced, and reflecting the ever-increasing Speedway Sidecar talent that resides within the Australia, the Championship will land in Mildura, Victoria for 2020 and then venture across the Nullarbor Plain to Pinjar, Western Australia (WA) in 2021!

The 2020 Championship will run from 27-28 April* (*TBA), following on from the festivities of the Easter long weekend. Across in WA for 2021, the Championship will run over the Easter long weekend from 20-21 April.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

KTM 1-2-3 in Atlanta as Webb takes fifth victory of season

Webb and Cianciarulo storm Atlanta AMA SX

By Darren Smart – Images by Hoppenworld


Atlanta, Georgia hosted the ninth round of the AMA Supercross Championships over the weekend and it was an all KTM podium in the 450 class with championship leader Cooper Webb taking the win over Blake Baggett and Marvin Musquin.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Pits JK SX Atlanta
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta

Adam Cianciarulo who won the first of the 250 East/West Shootouts ahead of Dylan Ferrandis and Austin Forkner.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Pits JK SX Atlanta
Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta

450SX Report

The KTM trio of Webb, Musquin and Baggett led the pack out of the first corner with Aaron Plessinger and Ken Roczen in tow while Chad Reed and Eli Tomac sat in eighth and 11th respectively.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb Starts JK SX Atlanta
450 Main gets underway in Atlanta

As Tomac slowly worked his way up the field it was Webb, Musquin and Baggett no more than a few bike lengths from each other until lap 14 when Musquin made a small mistake in the tricky sand section and lost a spot to Baggett who then reeled in Webb and started making life tough for the championship leader.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb Musquin Baggett Multiple JK SX Atlanta
Cooper Webb, Marvin Musquin and Blake Baggett

Meanwhile, back in the pack, Plessinger was holding off Roczen for fourth as Tomac had brushed aside Reed, Tyler Bowers, Dean Wilson and Justin Brayton to move into sixth place. On the lap 17 Plessinger went down in the sand and Roczen made his way by for fourth, well back from the three KTM riders.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Plessinger Roczen Multiple JK SX Atlanta
Aaron Plessinger leads Ken Roczen

When the chequered flag dropped Webb won his fifth 450 main event of the 2019 season by just 1.1 seconds over Baggett who had a similar gap back to Musquin. We had to wait another 18-seconds before we got to see Roczen cross the line ahead of Plessinger, Tomac, Brayton, Wilson, Joey Savatgy and Cole Seely.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb JK SX Atlanta
Cooper Webb takes fifth victory of the nine AMA SX rounds staged so far this season and extended his championship lead over Roczen to 13-points

Unfortunately, Chad Reed stalled his Suzuki late in the race to drop back to a disappointing 13th place but the Aussie still sits seventh in the championship, two spots ahead of Justin Barcia who was forced to sit out the event due to suffering a concussion after crashing during the week.

Cooper Webb – P1

“Yeh, it was tough, the track was changing a lot but I knew where I was good but there were also places where Marv would catch me, I knew where he was catching me but I didn’t know what line he was using, it is hard when you are leading so I just hit my marks and they weren’t working as good as I would have liked so I started changing things up, made a few mistakes in front of Blake who I knew would be good through the whoops but towards the end I found some lines so another win, that was sweet.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb Podium JK SX Atlanta
Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett – P2

“It was really hard to pass, you could make a run on someone but to get by was another thing, Marv and Cooper were making runs at each other, I could see it going on in front of me then I got into second and could do the same but when they have that horseshoe sand section over the tunnel I will hands down voice my opinion that I am not for it, it is supercross with steep obstacles and no sand.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Baggett JK SX Atlanta
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin – P3

“It felt like it was going to be a better race for me – I had a great start so I was running second, which was good but I was eating a lot of sand in the sand section it was definitely tough. I was pushing really hard – I was better than Cooper in some areas of the track, so I was able to really put pressure on him in some areas but then I would go through the sand and I had to go in the main line because it was the safest and the quickest line but you kind of had to follow. I made a mistake and went off the main line and then Baggett got me. At this point, I just could not make the pass on Blake, even though I showed some really good speed. It’s only a third place tonight and I’m not very happy with the result.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Musquin Baggett Multiple JK SX Atlanta
Marvin Musquin
Aaron Plessinger – P5

“Atlanta supercross was pretty awesome! I was struggling in the first practices a little bit, but we made a little shock change and it was definitely for the better. I qualified thirteenth and went into the heat race with a pretty good gate pick. I came out pretty bad on the start, but I made it work and was able to come back to fifth. Then the main event, I lined up in a pretty good spot and yanked a really good start. I was running fourth for a while and crashed right in the sand, then got up in fifth and stayed there. We made a lot of steps in the right direction. I’m really, really excited about tonight and looking forward to Daytona next weekend!”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Plessinger JK SX Atlanta
Aaron Plessinger
Eli Tomac – P6

“I was feeling great all day, especially with the fastest lap time in qualifying. I made a few errors in my heat race but still felt confident heading into the main, I just wasn’t able to get out in front off the gate and it really cost me. I’m glad we were able to make up some positions and wrap up the first half of the season healthy. I’m really looking forward to Daytona next weekend, it’s definitely one of my favorite tracks and a great one to kick off the second half of the series.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Wilson Tomac Multiple JK SX Atlanta
Eli Tomac chasing Dean Wilson
Dean Wilson – P8

“I think it was a pretty positive day, I qualified third and was riding really well in my heat race. In the Main Event, I kind of didn’t get a great start and just pushed all the way through the checkers. Unfortunately, I only ended up with an eighth and that’s not where I want to be but I’m just going to keep pushing every week and aim for that podium because I know that’s where I can be. I’ve been through a lot, so I’m happy to just be at every race but the big goal for me is the podium because that’s where I really want to be.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Wilson JK SX Atlanta
Dean Wilson
Joey Savatgy – P9

“Another top-10 finish for my rookie year. I’m still learning quite a bit and adjusting to the longer, full season in the 450SX class. Obviously, I would like to be up on that podium but it’s all about progress and I feel that’s exactly what we continue to do each week. I’m looking forward to another round close to home and I’ve always loved racing Daytona, so I feel we have a real shot at a podium next weekend!”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Savatgy JK SX Atlanta
Joey Savatgy

450SX Main Event Results

  1. Cooper Webb
  2. Blake Baggett
  3. Marvin Musquin
  4. Ken Roczen
  5. Aaron Plessinger
  6. Eli Tomac
  7. Justin Brayton
  8. Dean Wilson
  9. Joey Savatgy
  10. Cole Seely
  11. Justin Hill
  12. Tyler Bowers
  13. Chad Reed
AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb Baggett Musquin Podium JK SX Atlanta
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin

 450SX Points after 9 of 17 Rounds

  1. Cooper Webb – 199
  2. Ken Roczen – 186
  3. Marvin Musquin – 182
  4. Eli Tomac – 177
  5. Blake Baggett – 142
  6. Dean Wilson – 137
  7. Chad Reed – 124
  8. Aaron Plessinger – 122
  9. Justin Barcia 120
  10. Justin Brayton – 113

250 East-West Shootout Report

The first of the East West Shootouts in Atlanta was highly anticipated with all of the talk about the thus far undefeated Austin Forkner and the not so consistent Adam Cianciarulo. Both are leading their respective championships, and going head-to-head it was Forkner who quickly shot into the lead at the start of the 15-minute main event while Cianciarulo was just outside the top five.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Forkner Cianciarulo Starts JK SX Atlanta
Austin Forkner leads Adam Cianciarulo

Chase Sexton sat in second place for seven laps until Cianciarulo sliced up the inside in the right hand turn after the whoops and the troubles didn’t end there for Sexton with Dylan Ferrandis clocking the fastest time of the race as he inched closer to the Honda pilot.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Forkner Sexton Multiple JK SX Atlanta
Austin Forkner leads Chase Sexton

Forkner was riding smooth and fast but by lap 10 Cianciarulo had chopped the margin to just one second. A few seconds further back Ferrandis got around Sexton for third with Justin Cooper, Shane McElrath and Colt Nichols all moving into the top seven after poor starts.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Sexton Cianciarulo Multiple JK SX Atlanta
Chase Sexton and Adam Cianciarulo

On lap 11 Cianciarulo made the pass on Forkner, with Ferrandis surprisingly moving around Forkner with four minutes to go but there was no catching Cianciarulo. The East Coast championship leader took the win by four second over Ferrandis, who dropped Forkner by seven seconds while Sexton, Cooper, McElrath, Nichols, Martin Davalos, Michael Mosiman and Brandon Hartraft rounded out the top ten.

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Cianciarulo JK SX Atlanta
Adam Cianciarulo
Adam Cianciarulo – P1

“I learned a lot throughout the day, kept a positive attitude to not let the bad moments of the day get to me. This is the best Pro Circuit bike I’ve ridden and I think it shows with both Austin and I leading laps. My team never stops pushing for the best and I’m very grateful to give them another win. It’s crazy because I never even had two wins in a row and now I have three. It feels great.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Cianciarulo Podium JK SX Atlanta
Adam Cianciarulo
Dylan Ferrandis – P2

“Last year I left here with a broken arm, a busted jaw and broken teeth so it is good to be on the podium tonight, we showed that the West Coast series is strong, AC was fastest tonight but all up I am happy.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Ferrandis JK SX Atlanta
Dylan Ferrandis
Austin Forkner – P3

“I tried to latch on the Adam after he passed me but they were just a little quicker than me, particularly in the whoops, I crashed twice there in practice and didn’t want a repeat of that so I told myself that I was just going to jump through them, then bam, Dylan got me but I had a good gap (to the next rider) so I figured that this is still a win for the East Coast as far as I am concerned and after the day that I have had I am happy to salvage a third.”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Cianciarulo Forkner Podium JK SX Atlanta
Adam Cianciarulo and Austin Forkner
Justin Cooper – P5

“The bike was awesome all day. We didn’t play around with the settings much, I felt pretty comfortable all day with the bike. The track conditions were deteriorating every lap out there so it was pretty tough to hit your marks every lap, but all in all I’m very happy with both of my starts tonight, I just didn’t get aggressive enough through the first turn. I’m still making little steps forward each weekend and am happy with the progress. It was another solid night with positives to take away. It’s time to turn up the heat because we are hungry for more!”

AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Davalos Cooper Multiple JK SX Atlanta
Justin Cooper
Colt Nichols – P7

“I just got a bad start on a night when I didn’t need to get a bad start. The bike was great. I didn’t really make any changes to it all night, but the track conditions were really tough. It was very, very technical and hard to do the same thing lap after lap. It made it really critical to not make any mistakes, and I didn’t do that very well. So I’m a little upset looking back on the night, but it’s all good. I still salvaged some decent points. Now it’s just get ready for Seattle.”

Martin Davalos – P8

“It felt really good to be back in Atlanta, especially since some of my best finishes have been earned here. The bike felt good all night and I felt that my speed was there but with the shootout format and all of the riders in the mix made it a little more difficult. There is a lot of great talent out here so I’m proud of a top-10 position, but I’m always looking to improve. We’ll get back to work and be ready for Daytona.”

250SX East/West Shootout Results

  1. Adam Cianciarulo
  2. Dylan Ferrandis
  3. Austin Forkner
  4. Chase Sexton
  5. Justin Cooper
  6. Shane McElrath
  7. Colt Nichols
  8. Martin Davalos
  9. Michael Mosiman
  10. Brandon Hartranft
  11. Jacob Hayes
  12. RJ Hampshire
  13. Chris Blose
  14. Alex Martin
  15. Kyle Cunningham
  16. Cameron Mcadoo
  17. Jordan Bailey
  18. Jordon Smith
  19. Anthony Rodriguez
  20. Garrett Marchbanks
  21. Kyle Peters
  22. Joshua Osby

250 East Coast Report

For the current top three riders in the East Coast series the shootout did them no harm, with Forkner’s third place earning him a handy 18-point margin back to Cooper who in turn has a two-point buffer back to Sexton.

The big losers on the night were championship contenders Jordan Smith and Alex Martin who came home 18th and 14th respectively to drop them more than a whole round points-wise back from the championship leader.

250 East Coast Points after 4 of 9 Rounds

  1. Austin Forkner – 99
  2. Justin Cooper – 81
  3. Chase Sexton – 79
  4. Jordon Smith – 70
  5. Alex Martin – 60
  6. Martin Davalos – 58
  7. Brandon Hartranft – 54
  8. Kyle Cunningham – 51
  9. Mitchell Oldenburg – 50
  10. Kyle Peters – 46

West Coast Report

The shootout couldn’t have gone better for Cianciarulo who now holds a 15-point lead over Ferrandis who moved into second in the championship by two points over McElrath.

McElrath in turn has a three-point lead over Nichols but the big loser was RJ Hampshire who ended the shootout in 12th which has dropped the Honda rider to 54 points behind Cianciarulo.

Other West Coast riders who had sub-par finishes at the shootout were Chris Blose (13), Cameron Mcadoo (16) and Garrett Marchbanks (20) while Jimmy Decotis didn’t even make it to the main event after finishing ninth in the LCQ.

250 West Coast Points after 6 of 10 Rounds

  1. Adam Cianciarulo – 140
  2. Dylan Ferrandis – 125
  3. Shane McElrath – 123
  4. Colt Nichols – 120
  5. RJ Hampshire – 86
  6. Michael Mosiman – 80
  7. Chris Blose – 80
  8. Cameron Mcadoo – 79
  9. Jacob Hayes – 77
  10. Garrett Marchbanks – 74

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto Wrap | SX | NZ MX | Trials | Beaton fractures vertebrae

Moto News Wrap
February 26, 2019 – By Darren Smart

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Moto News Latest

  • Tomac and Forkner win Detroit Triple Header
  • Jed Beaton injured
  • Cooper, Webster and Harwood win at NZ MX Champs
  • Bou wins Granada X-Trial
  • Todd Waters wins Mountain Man
  • Febvre and Watson win French International MX
  • Beta Test Ride Days across Australia
  • MA calls for EOI to host Australian Championships
  • Enduro & MX Commissioner applications now open
  • FIM Board of Directors enters new era
  • The King of MX Prize Pool Grows to over $53,000

Tomac and Forkner Win Detroit Triple Header

Detroit has hosted the eighth round of the AMA Supercross Championship and it was Kawasaki riders Eli Tomac and Austin Forkner who won the 450SX and 250SX overalls respectively in the second of the season’s ‘Triple Header’ formats.

See the full report and rider quotes here:
Tomac wins Detroit triple header | Chad Reed on the podium (link)

AMA SX Rnd FordField Main Starts JK SX Detroit
2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld

Tomac struggled with his starts in all three motos but the Kawasaki rider was in a league of his own to come from outside the top 10 in the opening two races to earn the wins but in the final race Eli not only scored a poor start but he then dropped several spots after running off the track to be as far back as 14th before climbing to sixth at race end.

AMA SX Rnd FordField Tomac JK SX Detroit
2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld

After his poorest performance in the championship the previous weekend, Eli’s round win has reduced his deficit to 13 points back from championship leader Cooper Webb.

Eli Tomac

“Gosh, we were feeling it (after the two wins) and going into the final race we got a little too comfy and then totally blew the start before another spot where I hit a hay bale while on the pit board I could see Cooper is charging to the front but overall the weekend is so much better for us.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Tomac Podium JK SX Detroit
2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld

Despite struggling throughout the event Cooper Webb was able to put his race-face on to end the night in second overall to retain the red plate with 6-2-1 moto finishes.

Chad Reed showed great form and speed to finish third in the opening moto then backed that up with a fifth and a seventh for third overall on the night which is his 132nd podium finish to now sit eighth in points, just eight points back from Dean Wilson who holds down the fifth position.

Chad Reed

“We had a really successful day of testing last week, which carried into the weekend. My single lap speed wasn’t great, but I felt race ready. I entered the night program feeling quite good, knowing that a good start was what I needed. I almost got a holeshot. Finishing third in the first main was a great step. I was super excited to get back on the podium, which was my 132nd top-three finish. I’ll take the small wins from the weekend. My top priority is to continue improving in those areas, so I can have a shot at winning one of these things!”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Chad Reed JK SX Detroit
2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld

As he has done throughout the season so far, Ken Roczen put together a consistent 5-6-5 moto results to end the night in fourth to sit just six points out of the championship lead and six points ahead of Marvin Musquin while Justin Brayton, Joey Savatgy, Blake Baggett and Justin Barcia all landed on the podium in one of the three main events.

450 Triple Crown Results and Round Points

  1. Eli Tomac 1-1- 6 = 26
  2. Cooper Webb 6-2-1 = 23
  3. Chad Reed 3-5-7 = 21
  4. Ken Roczen 5-6-5 = 19
  5. Blake Baggett 4-11-2 = 18
  6. Marvin Musquin 9-4-4 = 17
  7. Justin Barcia 10-7-3 = 16
  8. Joey Savatgy 8-3-11 = 15
  9. Justin Brayton 2-12-9 = 14
  10. Zach Osborne 11-8-10 = 13
  11. Dean Wilson 7-9-13 = 12

450SX Points Standings after Round 8 of 17

  1. Cooper Webb – 173
  2. Ken Roczen – 167
  3. Marvin Musquin – 161
  4. Eli Tomac – 160
  5. Dean Wilson – 122
  6. Justin Barcia – 120
  7. Blake Baggett – 119
  8. Chad Reed – 114
  9. Aaron Plessinger – 104
  10. Justin Brayton – 97
  11. Cole Seely – 94
  12. Joey Savatgy – 92

250SX East Report

Austin Forkner has continued his win streak in 2019 with three moto wins giving the Kawasaki rider three round wins and a 13 point lead over KTM’s Jordon Smith who fought through the night with a wrist injury to finish second overall with 2-2-4 finishes ahead of Chase Sexton’s 4-4-2 moto results.

AMA SX Rnd FordField Starts JK SX Detroit
250 SX – 2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld

The racing was red hot all night and it was Justin Cooper (3-5-3), Martin Davalos (5-7-5) and Alex Martin (10-3-6) who all put themselves at the pointy end at one stage or another over the three races.

Interestingly, next weekend’s 250 East/West Shootout in Atlanta will see the two Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders, Adam Cianciarulo and Austin Forkner battle for the points and the bragging rights.

AMA SX Rnd FordField Forkner Multiple JK SX Detroit
2019 AMA SX – Round 8, Detroit – Image by Hoppenworld

250 Triple Crown Results and Round Points

  1. Austin Forkner 1-1-1 = 26
  2. Jordon Smith 2-2-4 = 23
  3. Chase Sexton 4-4-2 = 21
  4. Justin Cooper 3-5-3 = 19
  5. Martin Davalos 5-7-5 = 18
  6. Alex Martin 10-3-6 = 17
  7. Mitchell Oldenburg 6-6-8 = 16
  8. Kyle Peters 11-8-7 = 15
  9. Kyle Cunningham 8-11-10 = 14
  10. Blake Wharton 9-10-16 = 13

250SX East Points after Round 3 of 9 Rounds

  1. Austin Forkner – 78
  2. Jordon Smith – 65
  3. Justin Cooper – 63
  4. Chase Sexton – 60
  5. Alex Martin     – 51
  6. Mitchell Oldenburg    – 50
  7. Kyle Peters – 44
  8. Martin Davalos – 43
  9. Kyle Cunningham – 43
  10. Brandon Hartranft – 41
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Jed Beaton Injured

Australian Jed Beaton crashed in practice at the Lacapelle Marival International Motocross in France and elected to sit out the remainder of the event, and while an early team statement confirmed the Tasmanian is healthy and would ride in Argentina, a further update has shown the injuries to be more serious than initially expected, with Beaton forced to sit out Argentina.

Jed Beaton

“So devastated to say I won’t be lining up in Argentina, a crash yesterday at Lacapelle left me with a few fractures in my vertebrae, I will do my best to be back at GPs as fast as possible! Thanks to the whole team for support and all hard work through this season. We will be back soon.”

MX Masters Int Lacapelle FR Jed Beaton
Jed Beaton

Cooper, Webster and Harwood Win at NZ MX Champs

The undulating Harrisville Motocross Track in Pukekohe hosted the third round of the New Zealand Motocross Championship last weekend and it was Cody Cooper who narrowly took out the MX1 class while Aussie Kyle Webster got the MX2 win on countback over championship leader Hamish Harwood before Harwood continued his winning streak in the MX125 class.

New Zealand MX Rnd Pukekohe Kirk Gibbs L Kayne Lamont R
Kirk Gibbs, Cody Cooper, Kayne Lamont

Cooper and defending champion Kirk Gibbs entered the third round tied on points and after the end of three motos at Harrisville the combatants will head to the final round at Taupo only separated by three points after Cooper went 1-1-2 over Gibbs’ 2-2-1 effort.

Behind the Cooper/Gibbs freight-train Kayne Lamont continued his spree of third place finishes to end the round ahead of Brad Groombridge and the flying 250cc 2-stroke of Blake Gillard who is have a championship to remember.

New Zealand MX Rnd Pukekohe Kirk Gibbs
Kirk Gibbs

MX1 – Total Points Round 3 – Top 5

  1. Cody Cooper – 72
  2. Kirk Gibbs – 69
  3. Kayne Lamont – 60
  4. Brad Groombridge – 52
  5. Blake Gillard – 45

MX1 Points after 3 of 4 Rounds

  1. Cody Cooper – 213
  2. Kirk Gibbs – 210
  3. Kayne Lamont – 180
  4. Brad Groombridge – 151
  5. Cohen Chase – 130
  6. Blake Gillard – 122

Wilson Todd got his weekend off to a solid start in the opening MX2 moto with a win over Harwood and Webster but that would be the last we saw of Todd who didn’t score another point on the day after a coming together with Harwood in moto 2 while Webster got better as the day went on to end up with 3-2-1 finishes to tie on 67 points with Harwood’s 2-1-3 finishes.

New Zealand MX Rnd Pukekohe Maximus Purvis
Maximus Purvis

Harwood goes to the final round in Taupo with a healthy 35 point lead over Max Purvis and who in turn has a 10 point lead over Todd.

MX2 – Total Points Round 3

  1. Kyle Webster – 67
  2. Hamish Harwood – 67
  3. Mason Semmens – 54
  4. Wyatt Chase – 54
  5. Maximus Purvis – 47
  6. Morgan Fogarty – 43

MX2 Points after 3 of 4 Rounds

  1. Hamish Harwood – 198
  2. Maximus Purvis – 163
  3. Wilson Todd – 153
  4. Wyatt Chase – 142
  5. Brad Groombridge – 138

Hamish Harwood earned another three moto wins in the MX125 class over Josh Bourke-Palmer and Tommy Watts so heading into the final round in Taupo Harwood is only a few points from wrapping up another title while the chase for second is far from over with 15 year old Ben Broad holding the position ahead of Bourke-Palmer and Tommy Watts who are just a few points in arears.

MX 125 – Total Points Round 3

  1. Hamish Harwood – 75
  2. Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 56
  3. Tommy Watts – 54
  4. Jack Dunlop – 52
  5. Scott Barr-Smith – 47
  6. Benjamin Broad – 42

MX 125 Points after 3 of 4 Rounds

  1. Hamish Harwood – 225
  2. Benjamin Broad – 168
  3. Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 165
  4. Tommy Watts – 159
  5. Scott Barr-Smith – 129

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in the Townley household with Ben’s son Levi convincingly winning the YZ65 Cup event at Harrisville from Charlie Shaw and Teddy Shaw.

YZ 65cc Cup – Total Points

  1. Levi Townley – 50
  2. Charlie Schaw – 44
  3. Teddy Shaw – 40
  4. Jayden McKenzie – 36
  5. Harrison Reichenbach – 32
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Bou Wins Granada X-Trial

Toni Bou was again victorious in last weekend’s X-Trial in Granada and with his third victory of the season Bou has etched out a 13 point lead in the championship over Adam Raga with two rounds remaining.

XTrials Rnd Granada Bou ps
Ton Bou – X-Trials Round 4 – Granada

Bou, aboard the Montesa Cota 4RT, made short work of the first phase to comfortably qualify for the second round, after taking the best score on the first run through sections, collecting just two penalty marks. The second phase turned out to be a tighter, more closely fought group as Bou faced Adam Raga and Miquel Gelabert but the current champ prevailed, guaranteeing a place on the podium before winning the Super-final.

The fifth and penultimate event of the X-Trial World Championship will be held next Saturday, March 9th at the Palais des Sports in Marseille. Prior to this, however, Toni Bou will take part in the opening of the Spanish Trial Championship which will be held on Sunday March 3rd in the town of Arnedillo, La Rioja.

Toni Bou

“I’m super happy. Today was a very hard-fought victory. It was very important to go all out and finally I was able to get the victory after a very difficult semi-final where there was no margin for mistakes. Technically I was very good and I performed well in the final. I will go back home having recovered the good feelings and I want to continue fighting for this championship. We will try to give everything in the two events that we have left.”

XTrials Rnd Granada Bou ps
Ton Bou – X-Trials Round 4 – Granada

Results X-Trial Granada 2019

  1. BOU Toni
  2. BUSTO Jaime
  3. RAGA Adam
  4. BINCAZ Benoit
  5. FAJARDO Jeroni
XTrials Rnd Granada Bou ps
Ton Bou tops the podium from Jaime Busto and Adam Raga – X-Trials Round 4 – Granada

X-Trial 2019 Saturday, February 23rd 2019 – Rider Standings – Top 5

  1. BOU Toni – 75
  2. RAGA Adam – 62
  3. BUSTO Jaimie – 45
  4. BINCAZ Benoit – 33
  5. FAJARDO Jeroni – 31
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Todd Waters Wins Mountain Man

Husqvarna mounted Todd Waters has etched his name in moto history after winning the coveted Mountain Man of Motocross event which was held at the revamped Echo Valley circuit in the country Queensland town of Toowoomba.

Over the four Mountain Man motos Waters took out three wins and a second place to earn the overall ahead of Richie Evans who managed to win the third moto and Aaron Tanti who battle with Jay Wilson and Kaleb Barham all weekend to score the final podium position.

Todd Waters to HRC
Todd Waters won the 2019 Mountain Man

Chris Nichols (Vet 35-44), Chris Lobegeiger (Vets 45 Plus), David Mattock (Sidecar), Kaz Walsh (Pre1995), Connor Lister (Pre 1990), Chelsea Carts (WMX), Campbell O’Donnell (Mini Lites) and Levi Rogers (Junior Mountain Man) all scored wins in the various support classes.

Mountain Man Unlimited

  1. Todd Waters – 137
  2. Richard Evans – 127
  3. Aaron Tanti – 116
  4. Jay Wilson – 116
  5. Kaleb Barham – 108
  6. Mason Rowe – 95
  7. Joel Evans – 92
  8. Isaac Ferguson – 91
  9. Ricky Latimer – 83
  10. Riley Ward – 82

Veterans 35-44

  1. Chris Nichols
  2. Ashley Martin
  3. Bradley McFarlane

Veterans 45 and Over

  1. Chris Lobegeiger
  2. Todd Purdey
  3. Toa Cooper

Sidecars

  1. David Mattock
  2. Darren Ilka
  3. Adam Laman

Pre 95

  1. Kazmond Walsh
  2. Cooper Gierke
  3. Nicholas Leggatt

Pre 90

  1. Connor Lister
  2. Kristian Sprenger
  3. Jarrad Vanderhor

Women

  1. Chelsea Carter
  2. Tahlia Drew
  3. Charlotte Gamble

Mini Lites

  1. Campbell O’Donnell
  2. Kobe Drew
  3. Jake Cannon

Junior Mountain Man

  1. Levi Rogers
  2. Luke Zielinski
  3. Ryan Alexanderson
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Febvre and Watson Win French International MX

Romain Febvre and Ben Watson have won MXGP and MX2 classes respectively at the Lacapelle Marival International Motocross in France last weekend which is also the final race before the start of the MXGP season in Argentina next weekend.

MX Masters Int Lacapelle FR DE WOLF imgHaudiquertP
Lacapelle Marival International Motocross – Image by Haudiquert P.

Febvre went 2-1 to win the MXGP class over Gautier Paulin and Jeremy Seewer to give Yamaha a cean sweep of the podium Watson scored 1-1 results to earn the overall over Thomas Kjer Olsen and Aussie Mitch Evans.

MX Masters Int Lacapelle FR Thomas Kjer Olsen
Lacapelle Marival International Motocross – Image by Haudiquert P.

Febvre also won the Superfinal from Max Anstie, Paulin, Seewer and Watson while Evans pulled out after just a handful of laps.


Beta Announces Test Ride Days across Australia

Beta has announced a series of test ride days throughout Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania where punters can get a chance to test ride the two-stroke, four-stroke and Trials models but spaces are limited so reserve your spot early via the Beta Australia Facebook Events page.

Beta Trials Range CM
Beta’s 2019 Trials range arrives in Australia – Beta Demo Days available!

BETA MY 2019 DEMO Range

  • 2-STROKE – RR 200 / RR 250 / RR 300 / X-TRAINER 300
  • 4-STROKE – RR 350 / RR 390 / RR 430 / RR 480
  • TRIALS – EVO 300 4T

Inverell, NSW – Saturday 2nd March, 2019

  • Vince Strang Motorcycles hosts Beta Motorcycles Australia – MY 2019 Beta Day
  • 9am-4pm

Biddaddaba, QLD – Sunday 10th March, 2019

  • MX Imports hosts Beta Motorcycles Australia – MY 2019 Beta Day

Hobart, TAS – Sunday 17th March, 2019

  • Bike Barn hosts Beta Motorcycles Australia – MY 2019 Beta Day
  • 9am – 4pm

Ulverstone, TAS – Saturday 23rd March, 2019

  • Any Wheels hosts Beta Motorcycles Australia – MY 2019 Beta Day
  • 9am – 5pm

Mansfield, VIC – Saturday 30th March, 2019

  • Mansfield Marine and Motorcycles hosts Beta Motorcycles Australia – MY 2019 Beta Day
  • 9am – 4pm
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MA Calls for EOI to Host Australian Championships

Expressions of interest (EOI) is now being called for from suitably qualified States, Clubs and Promoters who wish to host an Australian Motorcycle Sport Championship for 2020 and 2021.

Australian Dirt Track Championship ImgShereeGriffin
Australian Dirt Track Championship – Image by Sheree Griffin

Australians continue, time and time again, to produce some of the world’s leading motorcycle athletes, and it is through the support of qualified States, Clubs and Promoters that we can continue to support our national talent in reaching their potential. Australia also grabs the attention from overseas competitors and racing teams, due to our high standard of competition and sportsmanship.

EOI’s are now available for the following Championships
Motocross (MX)

  • Australian Classic Motocross Championship
  • Australian Post Classic Motocross Championship
  • Australian ATV Motocross Championship
  • EOI Forms for the above MX Australian Championships are available here.

Please complete and return your EOI Form to Motorcycling Australia’s (MA) Event Manager for Off-Road, Matthew Falvo, via: [email protected].

Track

  • Australian Senior Track Championships
  • Australian Junior Track Championships
  • Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships
  • Australian Junior Dirt Track Championships
  • Australian Classic Dirt Track Championship
  • Australian Post Classic Dirt Track Championship

EOI Forms for the above Track and Dirt Track Australian Championships are available via this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11W5kgBlWK6LzRIGJYsQyeGmao9_zlUZp/view

Please complete and return your EOI Form to MA’s Event Manager for Track, Samantha Redfern via: [email protected].

All forms must be completed and returned to the above Events contacts by Monday 15th April 2019.

Upon the close of EOI’s for the above listed Championships, MA will contact the successful State, Club or Promoter with additional information on the specific Championship and the requirements moving forward.


Enduro & MX Commissioner Applications Now Open

Motorcycling Australia have announced that applications are now open for the Australian Motocross Commission (AMXC) and the Australian Enduro Commission with the closing date for applications set for Monday the 1st of April 2019.

Commissioners shall be appointed post the Joint Commissions Meeting in April 2019 and according to MA current Commissioners may apply for a position in the above commissions.

As four disciplines are being combined to establish the AMXC (Motocross, Supercross, Classic Motocross & Classic Dirt Track), applicants are not required to be a subject matter expert in all areas, but at least one.

Click on this link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Oly8QohXSchWm4d94khwJBukW4T_mOG8/view

To download the Commission Application Pack for AMXC and Enduro – these can be completed electronically once downloaded and saved.


FIM Board of Directors Enters New Era

The second FIM Board of Directors, under the Chairmanship of the FIM President Mr Jorge Viegas, elected in December 2018, took place in Mies (Switzerland) on Thursday 14 and 15 February ahead of the FIM Conference of Commissions held at the weekend in Geneva.

From left - Giovanni COPIOLI (Board Member); Stephan CARAPIET (FIM Asia President); Glen WILLIAMS (FIM Oceania President); Jos DRIESSEN (Board Member); Jacques BOLLE (FIM Vice-President); Jorge Viegas (FIM President); Robert DINGMAN (FIM North America President & CONUs Representative); Marco COMANA (FIM Africa President ); Pedro VENTURO Jr (FIM Latin America President ); Martin DE GRAAFF (FIM Europe President Ad Interim); Jorgen BITSCH (Board Member ); Jan STOVICEK (Board Member). Image - Rebecca Bowring
From left – Giovanni COPIOLI (Board Member); Stephan CARAPIET (FIM Asia President); Glen WILLIAMS (FIM Oceania President); Jos DRIESSEN (Board Member); Jacques BOLLE (FIM Vice-President); Jorge Viegas (FIM President); Robert DINGMAN (FIM North America President & CONUs Representative); Marco COMANA (FIM Africa President ); Pedro VENTURO Jr (FIM Latin America President ); Martin DE GRAAFF (FIM Europe President Ad Interim); Jorgen BITSCH (Board Member ); Jan STOVICEK (Board Member). Image – Rebecca Bowring

The Board of Directors appointed Mr Tony Skillington as FIM Chief Executive Officer and Mr Antonio Alia Portela as new Motocross Director.

The Board Committees reported on ideas to improve the FIM’s Statutes and Sporting Code (Governance Committee, Chair Jacques Bolle), enhance the FIM’s standing and visibility and create a new sense of belonging among the FMNs and CONUs (Strategic Plan Committee, Chair Jorgen Bitsch and Affiliation Committee, Chair Stephan Carapiet).

The Finance Committee (Chair Robert Dingman) stressed the oversight role of the Committee which would keep the Board informed in the interests of greater transparency.

The President informed the Board about several Promoter contracts that have been negotiated since the beginning of the year. A new contract with Eurosport Events for the FIM Endurance World Championship is being finalised and will be signed at the 24 Heures Motos in Le Mans on 20 – 21 April. A contract with ABC Communication for the SuperEnduro World Championship was signed on the Saturday following the Board and Promoter contracts for SuperMoto (Xiem) and FreeStyle Motocross (SportPlus) are to be signed in the coming days. A new Promoter (Martin Beña) has been signed up for Sidecar Motocross from 2020.

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Following termination of the FIM’s contract with Sport7, the FIM Trial Commission will be promoting the FIM Trial World Championship in 2019.

For the first time in a decade, the Commission Directors (in the sports and non-sports sectors) were invited to report in person to the Board of Directors on their Commissions’ most important challenges and key ambitions for the future.

The Board Members and Commission Directors greatly welcomed this opportunity for exchange and the new atmosphere of openness ushered in by the FIM President.

The Enduro Commission (CEN) informed the Board that a FIM E-Bike Enduro World Cup will take place on 1 and 2 June 2019, during the Trophée de France E-VTT ENDURO in Privas with the support of the FFM. Another electric bike project was presented by the Motocross Commission (CMS), which also plans to organise a FIM E-Bike Cross World Cup. Further information will be communicated soon.

The Board approved a proposal by the Cross Country Rallies Commission (CRT) to go ahead with the drafting of regulations for SSVs with a view to creating a World Cup in the near future.

A proposal to change the current structure of the FIM’s judicial bodies that deal with Anti-Doping cases was put before the Board after consultation with the FIM International Medical Commission and the International Commission of Judges. The proposal will be put to the Governance Committee ahead of the next Board meeting in May.

Several changes were made to the composition of the FIM Commissions. The new lists of members will be announced shortly.

The CONU Presidents also presented their reports to the Board. Several of the CONUs have new leadership and all are working closely with the FIM Administration to set up or stabilise permanent headquarters to ensure that they can build on a solid foundation going forward.

The next meeting of the FIM Board will be in Warsaw (Poland) on 17 May 2019.


The King of MX Prize Pool Grows to Over $53,000

On the back of extra support from Unifilter Australia, R&D Husky and UNIT, Motorcycling NSW has confirmed the total prize pool for the 2019 King of MX has risen to well over $53,000 with the winners of both the King and Queen feature races each taking home $10,000, while the top three places of each championship class will receive cash and/or prizes thanks to naming rights sponsor Bikebiz.

Joel McDonald – UNIT General Manager

“UNIT is pleased to expand our support of motocross and supercross in Australia to grassroots racing with the King of MX NSW state titles. The championship is an ideal vehicle for UNIT to connect with racers and their families, of all ages, not only from NSW, but the entire east coast of Australia, further supporting our rapid growth in the dedicated motocross hardware and gear segment.”

NSW King of MX
King of MX 2019

Thanks to R&D Husky, one lucky 50cc racer is going to win an awesome new Husqvarna TC65, valued at $6,795, at the King of MX final.

The TC65 will be won by the highest finishing 50cc rider at the final who did not have a 65cc endorsement at the time of qualification and has not qualified in the 65cc class at a subsequent qualifier event.

For those looking to contribute and support the King of MX, why not purchase some of the event merchandise, with all profits going directly to the King of MX prize pool. Shirts, hoodies, FIST Gloves, drink coolers along with custom KoMX merchandise – all available at the qualifiers or online.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Tomac wins Detroit triple header | Chad Reed on the podium

2019 AMA Supecross
Round Eight – Ford Field, Detroit

By Darren Smart – Images by Hoppenworld


Detroit hosted the eighth round of the AMA Supercross Championship and it was Kawasaki riders Eli Tomac and Austin Forkner who won the 450SX and 250SX overalls respectively in the second of the season’s ‘Triple Header’ formats.

The last time the supercross series stopped in Detroit, it was Tomac who dominated the competition and the Kawasaki rider was in the middle of one of the hottest streaks of his career winning five races in a row. On Saturday, it was no secret early on that he was once again feeling that dominant, proving fastest in every session.

AMA SX Rnd FordField Tomac Podium JK SX Detroit
Eli Tomac

For Chad Reed it was an emotional return to the podium which was well appreciated by the Detroit fans and his fellow competitors.

AMA SX Rnd FordField Reed Pits JK SX Detroit
Chad Reed’s performance was celebrated by himself, the crowd, and his fellow competitors.

450SX Report

Tomac struggled with his starts in all three motos but the Kawasaki rider was in a league of his own to come from outside the top 10 in the opening two races to earn the wins.

AMA SX Rnd FordField Starts JK SX Detroit
Despite poor starts there was no stopping Eli Tomac

In the final race Eli not only scored a poor start but he then dropped several spots after running off the track to be as far back as 14th before climbing to sixth by race end.

AMA SX Rnd FordField Starts JK SX Detroit
Despite poor starts there was no stopping Eli Tomac

After his poorest performance in the championship the previous weekend, Tomac’s round win has reduced his deficit to 13-points back from championship leader Cooper Webb.

Eli Tomac – 1st Overall

“Today was just one of those days where everything clicked. Starting in practice and qualifying with having the fastest times in both sessions. In the main events, I was able to go forward through the pack the whole time which was good. Gosh, we were feeling it (after the two wins) and going into the final race we got a little too comfy and then totally blew the start before another spot where I hit a hay bale while on the pit board I could see Cooper is charging to the front but overall the weekend is so much better for us. I put in a lot of good work this week and it paid off. I am really pleased with how tonight went. We gained some valuable championship points and will continue to keep charging forward.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Tomac Barcia Multiple JK SX Detroit
Eli Tomac

Despite struggling throughout the event Cooper Webb was able to put his race-face on to end the night in second overall to retain the red plate with 6-2-1 moto finishes.

Cooper Webb – 2nd Overall

“It was a struggle for me today (practice and qualifying) and we were messing with the bike which wasn’t helping much so after the first main I went back to what I knew and we got a holeshot but Eli got around me so it was good to ride with him coz he was the best guy today by far then to get better and win the final race shows me I have plenty of work to do to keep it going.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Webb JK SX Detroit
Cooper Webb

Chad Reed showed great form and speed to finish third in the opening moto then backed that up with a fifth and a seventh for third overall on the night, which is his 132nd podium finish to now sit eighth in points, just eight points back from Dean Wilson who holds down fifth position in the standings.

Chad Reed – 3rd Overall

“It was a fun day, despite my 14th qualifying position I felt racy so with a good start I could go (with the top guys), the track was challenging, the pace was fast and the whoops were tough so it suited me tonight, very proud to be up here at this stage of my career.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Chad Reed JK SX Detroit
Chad Reed

As he has done throughout the season so far, Ken Roczen put together a consistent 5-6-5 moto results to end the night in fourth to sit just six-points out of the championship lead and six-points ahead of Marvin Musquin.

Ken Roczen – P4 overall

“Glad tonight is over. Just 1 point away from the podium. I struggled all week with a flu. Still am! My body didn’t feel up to par tonight but i tried to minimize the damage. Glad to be healthy. I hope i m going to have a lot better week this week.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Roczen Barcia Multiple JK SX Detroit
Ken Roczen
Marvin Musquin – P6 Overall

“It was definitely a tough day of not getting very good starts. I wish I would have started a little bit better, at least in the top three. It was hard to pass with a lot of intensity out of everyone in the first few laps of each moto and I made a big mistake and jumped off the track in the first moto and that cost me a lot. The riding was good tonight, I clocked some really good lap times during each of the three motos so I know the speed was there but unfortunately it was hard to get good results. There was a lot going on in those three Main Events and it’s frustrating but we never give up.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Musquin Multiple JK SX Detroit
Marvin Musquin

Justin Brayton, Joey Savatgy, Blake Baggett and Justin Barcia all landed on the podium in one of the three main events.

Justin Barcia – 7th Overall

“It was another crazy night of racing for me in Detroit. The track was really good. It had a lot of option sections and I felt like my bike was working good in the whoops. The first two races for me were not great with the arm pump I dealt with, but the last race was a step in the right direction. I led some laps and put in a pretty good ride with a little bit of arm pump. My starts have definitely been getting better, so things are definitely starting to come around. So all in all, it was a decent weekend. I’m really looking forward to Atlanta.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Barcia Roczen Multiple JK SX Detroit
Justin Barcia
Joey Savatgy – 8th Overall

“Tonight’s overall result doesn’t reflect how great I felt and my riding today. I qualified pretty good and in the first main, I just didn’t get out of the gate quick enough which put me in a hole. I was pleased to bounce back in the second main and get on the podium with a third, and at one point in the third main event I was challenging for an overall podium but a small mistake ended up costing me. We will regroup this week and come out swinging in Atlanta which is kind of like a home-town race for me.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Savatgy JK SX Detroit
Joey Savatgy

Zach Osborne put forth consistent finishes to earn the final top-10 overall position in the 450SX class. Meanwhile, teammate Dean Wilson claimed 11th overall for the night.

Zach Osborne – 10th Overall

“Overall it was a better night for me, I ended up 10th overall, so it’s a step in the right direction and something I can build from. Right now, it’s just getting laps and getting my fitness back, finding some settings that I’m super comfortable with again and finding my race trim. I feel like tonight with the Triple Crown, it’s a lot of racing and a lot of opportunity to be out there on the track and find my feet again. I had some pretty decent battles and was able to make some passes and kind of move around a little bit, which is a nice feeling. So, I’m looking forward to Atlanta, I think we can continue to build and make progress and the results will come soon enough.”

Dean Wilson – 11th Overall

“Today was about mixed emotions, I say that because I qualified second and my riding was really good in both sessions of practice but I struggled in the races tonight. I feel like with my riding I’m a lot more capable than that, so for the third race, I was pretty fired up and came off the start really good. I stayed in fourth the whole race right there and unfortunately, I made a mistake to allow Marvin [Musquin] by me and I went to square him up right before the whoops but I didn’t realize Kenny [Roczen] was right there and I kind of got cleaned out, but that’s racing. Eleventh overall is definitely not where I want to be, I’m very well capable of being on that box but I just need to make it happen.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Wilson Savatgy Multiple JK SX Detroit
Dean Wilson leads Joey Savatgy

Barcia’s rookie teammate Aaron Plessinger continued to make progress in the premier class to end the night 12th overall.

Aaron Plessinger – 12th Overall

“Detroit for me was pretty good, other than the starts. I’m happy with my riding. I’ve just got to get off the gate. My bike was working really well, didn’t change anything on it all day. The track broke down quite a bit tonight, more than I thought it was going to. We came away with 12th overall, I’m not extremely happy with that. I know I can do better, but it’s baby steps. We’re going to do some work this week and get ready for Atlanta.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Plessinger Brayton Multiple JK SX Detroit
Aaron Plessinger

450 Triple Crown Results and Round Points

  1. Eli Tomac 1-1- 6 = 26
  2. Cooper Webb 6-2-1 = 23
  3. Chad Reed 3-5-7 = 21
  4. Ken Roczen 5-6-5 = 19
  5. Blake Baggett 4-11-2 = 18
  6. Marvin Musquin 9-4-4 = 17
  7. Justin Barcia 10-7-3 = 16
  8. Joey Savatgy 8-3-11 = 15
  9. Justin Brayton 2-12-9 = 14
  10. Zach Osborne 11-8-10 = 13
  11. Dean Wilson 7-9-13 = 12
AMA SX Rnd FordField Tomac Webb Reed Podium JK SX Detroit
450 Triple Crown Results and Round Points
Eli Tomac 1-1- 6 = 26
Cooper Webb 6-2-1 = 23
Chad Reed 3-5-7 = 21

450SX Points Standings after Round 8 of 17

  1. Cooper Webb – 173
  2. Ken Roczen – 167
  3. Marvin Musquin – 161
  4. Eli Tomac – 160
  5. Dean Wilson – 122
  6. Justin Barcia – 120
  7. Blake Baggett – 119
  8. Chad Reed – 114
  9. Aaron Plessinger – 104
  10. Justin Brayton – 97
  11. Cole Seely – 94
  12. Joey Savatgy – 92

250SX East Report

Austin Forkner has continued his win streak in 2019 with three moto wins giving the Kawasaki rider three round wins and a 13 point lead over KTM’s Jordon Smith.

AMA SX Rnd FordField Multiple JK SX Detroit
250 SX

Smith fought through the night with a wrist injury to finish second overall with 2-2-4 finishes ahead of Chase Sexton’s 4-4-2 moto results for third.

AMA SX Rnd FordField Starts JK SX Detroit
250 SX
Austin Forkner – 1st Overall

“Everything is just clicking for me this year, I haven’t started a race worse than second this year, I think, and that is huge obviously, if I can get a holeshot, ride my laps and focus on me (and not other riders) is a huge advantage, I want to win next weekend’s East/West shootout but I have to remember that there may be times where I am battling with riders who aren’t part of my championship.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Forkner JK SX Detroit
Austin Forkner
Jordon Smith – 2nd Overall

“We adjusted the bike to get a good feeling for my wrist injury then to get through the night as good as possible and after riding at MTF (Millsaps Training Facility) I wasn’t sure that we would make it through the night but we made it through, scored good points so that is all I can ask for tonight.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Forkner Smith Multiple JK SX Detroit
Forkner slips up the inside of Jordon Smith
Chase Sexton – 3rd Overall

“The first two races I got myself where I needed to be but made mistakes that cost me but in the third race I told myself that I need to go out and try to win because I was back a bit in the points – now looking forward to the East/West shootout.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Chase Sexton Multiple JK SX Detroit
Chase Sexton

The racing was red hot all night and it was Justin Cooper (3-5-3), Martin Davalos (5-7-5) and Alex Martin (10-3-6) who all put themselves at the pointy end at one stage or another over the three races. Michtell Oldenburg took 7th overall with a 6-6-8.

Justin Cooper – 4th Overall

“The bike was really good all night. We didn’t really play around with the setting, we were pretty happy with it. The track was really tough tonight, though. It was breaking down really quick, so it was important to keep on your toes and stay focused out there. I think I managed the races pretty well, besides my starts. I felt really good on the bike, again, I just put myself in bad situations right off the start. So I’m definitely going to work on those this week and be better for next weekend. We’re making improvements, even if the results don’t show every week. I think it’s just a matter of time. We’re on the right track.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Cooper JK SX Detroit
Justin Cooper
Martin Davalos – P5 Overall

“A triple crown format is a lot of racing and the starts are very crucial,” said Davalos. “I’m really happy with the starts we had tonight and it put us in a good position to fight up front. The east/west showdown is going to be a fun race and hopefully our whole team can finish up front.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Oldenburg Davalos Multiple JK SX Detroit
Martin Davalos #73
Mitchell Oldenburg – 7th Overall

“Tonight as a whole was all right. It’s just a little frustrating that my results aren’t showing what I’m capable of and how good I’m feeling and riding. We’re going to work on the starts. Starts are definitely slacking right now. So we’ll go back to the drawing board this week, get some good starts. The track was really fun. I really enjoyed the Triple Crown format, with the three mains. It was a pretty quick night for us and we were go, go, go. Like I said before, results aren’t showing what I’m capable of and how good I’m riding. If we can get a start, we’ll be up there for some wins and some podiums. I know it.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Oldenburg JK SX Detroit
Mitchell Oldenburg

Jordan Bailey had a rough start to the night with a DNF, before improving throughout with a 12th, and ninth place finish for 11th overall.

Jordan Bailey – 11th Overall

“The first race I had an unfortunate two crashes, which resulted in a DNF. The second race, I charged up to 12th and the third moto I finally got inside the top-10 with ninth. Overall, it was a tough weekend and we look forward to the east/west shootout in Atlanta next weekend.”

AMA SX Rnd FordField Starts JK SX Detroit
250 SX

Interestingly, next weekend’s 250 East/West Shootout in Atlanta will see the two Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders, Adam Cianciarulo and Austin Forkner battle for the points and the bragging rights.

250 Triple Crown Results and Round Points

  1. Austin Forkner 1-1-1 = 26
  2. Jordon Smith 2-2-4 = 23
  3. Chase Sexton 4-4-2 = 21
  4. Justin Cooper 3-5-3 = 19
  5. Martin Davalos 5-7-5 = 18
  6. Alex Martin     10-3-6 = 17
  7. Mitchell Oldenburg 6-6-8 = 16
  8. Kyle Peters 11-8-7 = 15
  9. Kyle Cunningham 8-11-10 = 14
  10. Blake Wharton 9-10-16 = 13
AMA SX Rnd FordField Forkner Smith Sexton Podium JK SX Detroit
250 Triple Crown Results and Round Points
Austin Forkner 1-1-1 = 26
Jordon Smith 2-2-4 = 23
Chase Sexton 4-4-2 = 21
Justin Cooper 3-5-3 = 19
Martin Davalos 5-7-5 = 18
Alex Martin     10-3-6 = 17
Mitchell Oldenburg 6-6-8 = 16
Kyle Peters 11-8-7 = 15
Kyle Cunningham 8-11-10 = 14
Blake Wharton 9-10-16 = 13

250SX East Points after Round 3 of 9 Rounds

  1. Austin Forkner – 78
  2. Jordon Smith – 65
  3. Justin Cooper – 63
  4. Chase Sexton – 60
  5. Alex Martin     – 51
  6. Mitchell Oldenburg    – 50
  7. Kyle Peters – 44
  8. Martin Davalos – 43
  9. Kyle Cunningham – 43
  10. Brandon Hartranft – 41

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto Wrap | AMA SX | MX | X-Trial | King of MX

Moto News Wrap for February 19, 2019 by Darren Smart

Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
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Moto News Latest

  • Webb and Faulkner Win Arlington AMA SX
  • Gibbs and Todd Win at Rotorua
  • Anstie, Geerts and Monticelli Win Hawkstone
  • Bou Wins Bilbao X-Trial
  • Waters and Wilson Win Sunshine State Opener
  • Clout and Roberts Win King of MX Opener
  • Yamaha Motor Europe confirm 2019 MXGP team
  • Watson & Geerts remain with Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha MX2 in 2019
  • Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing launch 2019 effort
  • Yamaha Motor New Zealand & Josh Coppins Racing sign Ben & Levi Townley
  • KTM Junior MX Racing Team announced for 2019
  • Benhamiin Herrera joins 2019 Beta Factory Enduro Team

Webb & Faulkner win Arlington AMA SX

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas hosted the seventh round of the AMA Supercross Championship and it was Cooper Webb who sensationally stole the 450SX main event win from Ken Roczen by just half a wheel while Austin Forkner put together a wire-to-wire win in the 250SX East final.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Webb JK SX Arlington
Cooper Webb – Image by Hoppenworld

For the full 450SX & 250SX East Report see –
Cooper Webb wins in Texas and moves into series lead (link)

Cooper Webb – P1

“Tonight was incredible! I just never gave up out there. It was incredible for it to come to the last lap – the last turn even – and to be able to win with such a close finish was absolutely insane. That’s probably the best race ever for me.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Webb Musquin Multiple JK SX Arlington
Cooper Webb and Marvin Musquin – Image by Hoppenworld
Ken Roczen – P2

“The whoops was one of the spots where I struggled all through the an event which really effected my flow so this is something we learn from, I am using it as fuel for the next race  but it was fun, leading the whole race and losing it is not so much fun but we are healthy and still in the championship.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Musquin Roczen Multiple JK SX Arlington
Ken Roczen – Image by Hoppenworld

450SX Main Results

  1. Cooper Webb – 25 Laps
  2. Ken Roczen +00.028
  3. Marvin Musquin +10.784
  4. Blake Baggett +15.401
  5. Joey Savatgy +18.360
    …11. Chad Reed +45.767
AMA SX Rnd Texas Reed Seely Multiple JK SX Arlington
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld

450SX Points Standings after Round 7 of 17

  1. Cooper Webb – 150
  2. Ken Roczen – 148
  3. Marvin Musquin – 144
  4. Eli Tomac – 134
  5. Wilson – 110
    …9. Chad Reed – 93
AMA SX Rnd Texas Webb Roczen Musquin Podium JK SX Arlington
Arlington 450SX Podium – Roczen, Webb & Musquin

250SX East Main Event Results

  1. Austin Forkner – 19 Laps
  2. Justin Cooper +04.261
  3. Chase Sexton +09.964
  4. Jordon Smith +15.330
  5. Martin Davalos +16.091
AMA SX Rnd Texas Forkner Sexton Podium JK SX Arlington
Arlington 250SX East Main Event Results
Austin Forkner – 19 Laps
Justin Cooper +04.261
Chase Sexton +09.964

250SX East Points after Round 2

  1. Austin Forkner – 52
  2. Justin Cooper – 44
  3. Jordon Smith – 42
  4. Chase Sexton – 39
  5. Alex Martin – 34
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Gibbs & Todd win at Rotorua

The undulating circuit at Rotorua hosted the second round of the New Zealand Motocross Championships and it was Kirk Gibbs who came away with the MX1 class overall while fellow Aussie Wilson Todd  won the MX2 and Hamish Harwood the MX 125cc class.

MX1

Australian Gibbs and Cody Cooper battled it out at Rotorua last Sunday with Gold Coast-based Gibbs coming out on top this time around after winning two of the three championship motos while Cooper scored two seconds and a win so after six motos and two rounds the two combatants are tied on 141 points.

Kirk Gibbs

“The day was really good. I got a good start in the first moto then had a good gap and rode to the win, so I was really happy. I made it really tough for myself (in the second moto) I was probably back in about 10th or so, then had to make my way back. I got into second but just couldn’t bridge the gap to Coops [Cody Cooper] and finished there.”

Kirk Gibbs MX Nationals Round
Kirk Gibbs – 2019 MX Nationals Round 2

The third race went the same way as the first and Gibbs pulled away, maintaining the gap to win the race and take the overall round win. “I put a little peg back in for the championship. Coops beat me by three points at the first round and then I beat him by three points yesterday,” added Gibbs.

Kayne Lamont was once again consistent after qualifying third before finishing third three times in the championship motos, after a pre-season knee injury that kept him off the bike during the key preparation months.

Kayne Lamont

“I had two out of the three holeshots, so my starts were there. I managed to run with the boys for a little bit at the start but kind of ran out of puff and managed to circulate to get third. I had enough pace to hang with them but just not through the whole duration of the race. It was just the lack of pre-training and quality bike time. I will catch up with Josh and test some suspension to see if we can improve a little bit for the last two rounds.”

Kayne Lamont MX Nationals Round
Kayne Lamont – 2019 MX Nationals Round 2

MX1 Top 7

  1. Kirk Gibbs – 72
  2. Cody Cooper – 69
  3. Kayne Lamont – 60
  4. Brad Groombridge – 48
  5. Cohen Chase – 48
  6. Mason Wilkie – 38
  7. Blake Gillard – 36

MX1 Points after 2 of 4 Rounds

  1. Kirk Gibbs – 141
  2. Cody Cooper – 141
  3. Kayne Lamont – 120
  4. Brad Groombridge – 99
  5. Cohen Chase – 96
  6. Blake Gillard – 77

MX2

2018 Australian MX2 Champion Wilson Todd got his championship back on track with the overall win at Rotorua with 4-1-1 moto finishes ahead of fellow Aussie Kyle Webster’s 1-3-3 and defending champion Hamish Harwood’s 2-2-4 finishes so Hamish still leads the championship by three points over Todd while Purvis sits in third a further 12 points back.

Maximus Purvis MX Nationals Round
Maximus Purvis – 2019 MX Nationals Round 2

MX2 Top Five

  1. Wilson Todd – 68
  2. Kyle Webster – 65
  3. Hamish Harwood – 62
  4. Maximus Purvis – 56
  5. Morgan Fogarty – 47

MX2 Points after 2 of 4 Rounds

  1. Hamish Harwood – 131
  2. Wilson Todd – 128
  3. Maximus Purvis – 116
  4. Brad Groombridge – 97
  5. Morgan Fogarty – 90

MX 125cc

Harwood continues to dominate the MX125 class with three solid moto wins ahead of 15 year old Ben Broad and Tommy Watts – Harwood obviously leads the championship and with two rounds to go he still has to keep his current pace as Broad sits 28 points back.

MX 125 Top 5

  1. Hamish Harwood – 75
  2. Benjamin Broad – 62
  3. Tommy Watts – 58
  4. Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 57
  5. Clayton Roeske – 46

MX 125 Points after 2 of 5 Rounds

  1. Hamish Harwood – 150
  2. Benjamin Broad – 122
  3. Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 109
  4. Tommy Watts – 105
  5. Clayton Roeske – 87
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Anstie, Geerts & Monticelli win Hawkstone

The annual Hawkstone Park International Motocross is one of the key lead-up races to the MXGP season and this year it was veteran Max Anstie who got the overall win in the MXGP class while young Jago Geerts got the win the in the MX2 class before Ivo Monticelli spectacularly won the MX1 and MX2 combined Superfinal.

Max Anstie won the opening MXGP race ahead of Max Nagl and Shaun Simpson but in the second  MXGP moto Ivo Monticelli won from Shaun Simpson, Harri Kullas and Anstie so Max earns the overall for with 1-4 motos finishes ahead of Simpson (3-2) and Monticelli (5-1).

Thomas Kjer Olsen Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
Thomas Kjer-Olsen

Adam Sterry battled hard in the early laps of the opening MX2 moto to pull a wining lead ahead of Geerts, Henry Jacobi, Alvin Ostlund and Thomas-Kjer Olsen while Jed Beaton came home in tenth but in the second MX2 moto and it was New Zealander Dylan Walsh who pulled off a shock win ahead of Mikkel Haarup, Bas Vaessen, Geerts, Roan Van-De-Moosdijk and Adam Sterry with Beaton back 14th.

Geerts’ 2-4 moto results earned him the overall ahead of Sterry (1-6), and Haarop (7-2).

Ivo Monticelli won the Superfinal from Max Nagl and Arminas Jasikonis with MX2 riders Olsen in fourth, Geerts in sixth and Beaton in 15th.

Dylan Walsh

“It’s been a bit of an up and down day to be fair. In the first race I had a good moto going with some good lap times until they red-flagged it and on the restart someone clipped me in the first turn and I went down. In the second moto I got a good start and was pressuring for the lead for most of the race and was in a position to take the win when Adam Sterry went down. The Super Final was also looking good and I got myself into around sixth but I had a coming together with another rider and thought it would be best to call it a day.”

Alvin Östlund

“I feel good. It’s my first race so a lot of nerves are out of the way now. In the last race I had the best feeling because I was looser and didn’t get arm-pump. Overall it’s been a solid day, I’m feeling healthy and I got some good practice.”

Thomas Kjer-Olsen

“It’s been a long winter of training and it felt good to finally do some racing. My speed is good at the moment and this is very positive heading to the World Championship. I had two good motos here in the UK and managed to secure fifth overall in MX2. In the mixed MX2/MX1 Superfinal I pushed hard to secure fourth and also be the highest ranking MX2 class rider. I feel I am where I need to be and I will continue working hard in order to be 100% ready for Argentina.”

Jed Beaton

“This was my first race after eight months and it felt good to be back behind the gate, I had some good moments here in the UK, but overall I feel I need more time to show what I am capable of. I made some small mistakes and had a crash in the opening moto, but as the day went on I was able to control my pace. The season has just started and I have a good feeling on my bike. It’s onward and upwards from here and I’m looking ahead to the races to come.”

Jed Beaton Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
Jed Beaton

MXGP Moto One

  1. Max Anstie
  2. Max Nagl
  3. Shaun Simpson
  4. Harri Kullas
  5. Ivo Monticelli
  6. Evgeny Bobryshev
  7. Petar Petrov
  8. Mel Pocock
  9. Ryan Houghton
  10. Anton Gole
    …18. Arminas Jasikonis
    …38. Tommy Searle

MXGP Moto Two

  1. Ivo Monticelli
  2. Shaun Simpson
  3. Harri Kullas
  4. Max Anstie
  5. Max Nagl
  6. Petar Petrov
  7. Matiss Karro
  8. Arminas Jasikonis
  9. Tommy Searle
  10. Ryan Houghton
  11. Evgeny Bobryshev

MX2 Moto One

  1. Adam Sterry
  2. Jago Geerts
  3. Henry Jacobi
  4. Alvin Ostlund
  5. Thomas-Kjer Olsen
  6. Conrad Mewse
  7. Mikkel Haarup
  8. Davy Pootjes
  9. Bas Vaessen
  10. Jed Beaton

MX2 Moto Two

  1. Dylan Walsh
  2. Mikkel Haarup
  3. Bas Vaessen
  4. Jago Geerts
  5. Roan Van-De-Moosdijk
  6. Adam Sterry
  7. Thomas-Kjer Olsen
  8. Davy Pootjes
  9. Conrad Mewse
  10. Ben Watson
    …14. Jed Beaton

SuperFinal

  1. Ivo Monticelli
  2. Max Nagl
  3. Arminas Jasikonis
  4. Thomas-Kjer Olsen
  5. Max Anstie
  6. Jago Geerts
  7. Harri Kullas
  8. Evgeny Bobryshev
  9. Mikkel Haarup
  10. Roan Van-De-Moosdijk
  11. Henry Jacobi
  12. Lars Van-Berkel
  13. Bas Vaessen
  14. Alvin Ostlund
  15. Jed Beaton
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Bou wins Bilbao X-Trial

Repsol Montesa Honda rider Toni Bou has restored his 2019 X-Trial Championship lead leaving Bilbao with his 59th career victory over arch rival Adam Raga.

X Trial Rnd Toni Bou ps
Toni Bou – 2019 X-Trial Round 2

Barcelona winner Raga ensured another close-fought night, topping the standings in round one and matched Bou´s efforts in round two but his rival snatched the early lead in the final, making it through the challenging Section Two with a clean after Raga had recorded a five.

The margin was further extended in Section Four, putting Bou within touching distance of victory, although he then failed in his bid to secure the trophy with a section to spare with a Section Five failure. Still two marks clear, Bou was left to hold his nerve to claim the win and with it the Championship lead.

Toni Bou

“This victory is very important and has been hard-won, since Adam rode well throughout the night. As a result of my fall in Barcelona I haven´t been able to train how I might have liked, so that makes this win even more special. It also means I re-take the lead of the Championship, which is very important when things are so close.”

X Trial Rnd Toni Bou ps
Toni Bou – 2019 X-Trial Round 2

Despite not being able to make it two in a row Adam Raga was satisfied with second.

Adam Raga

“I’m happy with second place, but especially with my riding, because I beat Toni in Round One, was tied with him in Round Two and only lost in the Final by two marks. I am riding well, and today is more evidence of it. The spectators were exceptional for this first visit to Bilbao.”

Beta’s Benoit Bincaz put in one of the best rides of his career to date, finishing just two marks from a place in the Grand Final but securing a spot on the podium in the Consolation Final over local hero Jaime Busto.

Benoit Bincaz

“I felt strong right from the beginning and kept a high level. It’s my first podium of the season, and the aim is now to repeat it in the coming Rounds. The bike was perfect and I felt comfortable on it. I’m really happy with my performance here and the upward curve in performance I’m enjoying.”

Round Four of the X-Trial FIM World Championship is X-Trial Granada, scheduled for 23rd February.

X Trial Rnd Toni Bou ps
Toni Bou on the podium with Adam Raga and Benoit Bincaz – 2019 X-Trial Round 2

Results X-Trial Bilbao 2019

  1. BOU Toni SPA Repsol Honda Team
  2. RAGA Adam SPA TRRS Factory Team
  3. BINCAZ Benoit FRA Beta Factory Racing
  4. BUSTO Jaime SPA Gas Gas Factory Team
  5. GELABERT Miquel SPA Sherco Factory Team
  6. FAJARDO Jeroni SPA Gas Gas Factory Team
  7. MARCELLI Gabriel SPA RG Team
  8. PETRELLA Luca ITA Beta Factory Racing
  9. HAGA Sondre NOR TRRS Factory Team

X-Trial Standings after Bilbao 2019

  1. BOU Toni SPA 55
  2. RAGA Adam SPA 50
  3. BUSTO Jaime SPA 30

Waters & Wilson win Sunshine State opener

Coolum MX facility on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hosted the opening round of the Airoh Sunshine State Motocross Championship and it was Todd Waters and Jay Wilson who won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively.

Waters got the win in the MX1 class over Mason Rowe, Kaleb Barham and Joel Rizzo while Wilson won the MX2 class ahead of Aaron Tanti, Ricky Latimer, Joel Evans. Rowe and Barham.


Clout & Roberts win King of MX opener

Appin hosted the opening round of the NSW King of MX series and it was Luke Clout and Jy Roberts who won the star studded MX1 and MX2 classes respectively.

Luke Clout YZF
Luke Clout joins CDR for 2019 alongside Kirk Gibbs

CDR Yamaha’s Clout won the MX1 class ahead of National stars Hayden Mellross, Riley Dukes. Joel Green and Joel Wightman while Roberts worked hard all day to win the MX2 class from Regan Duffy, Rhys Budd, Cooper Pozniak, John Bova and Riley Dukes.

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Yamaha Motor Europe confirm 2019 MXGP team

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP will lead the 2019 challenge with Romain Febvre and Jeremy Seewer at the helm of the advanced YZ450FM. Following a two month break at the end of 2018, Febvre has had an incredible off-season and is feeling fit, fast and strong as he enters his fourth consecutive year inside the premier class with the Michele Rinaldi led team.

Romain Febvre
Romain Febvre

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s newest recruit, Seewer, made a successful team debut back in October last year with a silver-medal finish at the final round of the All Japan Championship in Sugo. The talented Swiss rider looks forward to entering his second season on the 450cc bike with the support of the Factory team.

Jeremy Seewer
Jeremy Seewer

Strengthening Yamaha’s 2019 crusade, Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP has retained Arnaud Tonus for a third season. In addition, the team has welcomed a familiar name back to the Yamaha Family in the form of Gautier Paulin.

Arnaud Tonus Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP
Arnaud Tonus

After a solid off-season where both riders have regularly trained together on the bike and off, the dynamic duo have reaped the benefits of working together and are likely to put their YZ450F motorcycles on the podium this season.

Both teams will travel to Argentina at the end of February where the first round of the nineteen round MXGP series will commence on March 2nd and 3rd.


Ben Watson & Jago Geerts remain with Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha MX2 in 2019

Spearheading the effort and set to take Yamaha’s YZ250F to the top of the MX2 Championship, Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha MX2 has retained Ben Watson and Jago Geerts for another season. Inspired by the ‘quality over quantity’ adage, the team has transitioned from a three-rider line-up to two where they will concentrate on the talent they were awakened to during 2018.

Kemea Yamaha Ben Watson Jago Geerts
Ben Watson and Jago Geerts

Last year, as new recruits to the team both Watson and Geerts exceeded all expectations on what was initially expected to be a ‘learning year’. 21-year-old Watson achieved a career milestone at the MX2 Grand Prix of Russia when he stood on podium for the first time. He also finished inside the top five at 12 Grands Prix and subsequently finished fourth in the final classification after a season-long battle for the MX2 bronze medal.

Kemea Yamaha Ben Watson
Ben Watson

Equally as impressive, Geerts had a superb rookie season complete with a podium appearance of his own at the MXGP of Latvia. The 18 year-old Belgian was awarded Youthstream’s ‘Jan de Groot award’ as the rookie of the year. He finished eighth overall in the 2018 MX2 World Championship despite missing three rounds due to injury.

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Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing launch 2019 effort

Leading national dirt bike racing outfit Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing is all set to fire into the 2019 season, with a two-rider line-up that will contest all major MX Nationals and Australian Supercross Championship events.

Headlining the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team is top gun MX2 championship contender Kyle Webster, who roars into his fourth season with the powerhouse CRF Honda Racing team, which is owned and operated by longtime Honda motocross race team principal Mark Luksich.

Joining Webster in the Penrite Oils and Pirelli tyres sponsored Honda team for 2019 is NSW young gun Rhys Budd, who continues his rise through the Honda ranks and will attack the MXD category this year. Meanwhile Sydney youngster Nick Luksich will enjoy support rider status with the team, as he maintains his push up the ranks of the hotly contested MX2 category.

Kyle Webster

“I’ll be racing selected major NZ events over the next couple of weeks, which will really help me to prepare and be as ready as possible for the start to the Australian season. 2019 is set to be a big year: it will be my fourth season with the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team, and having Craig onboard as my team mechanic will give me added support to chase race wins and championship victories. I want to be as consistent as possible and be there at every race, every weekend, chasing wins all season long.”

Kyle Webster Honda CRFR
Kyle Webster’s Honda CRF250R

New team rider Rhys Budd is one of Australia’s most decorated junior motocross competitors, with a swag of junior championship wins and podiums to his name since he began racing in 2009.

Rhys Budd

“It’s early days yet, but from the very outset the connection with the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team has been really positive and I’m looking forward to the season starting with the MX Nationals at Appin in March. 2019 will be my final year racing in the MXD class, so I want it to be a special one. My goal is always to win and be in the front pack and consistently make the podium, so that’s what I’m aiming for this year.”

Rhys Budd
Rhys Budd

Heading into his second year in the MX2 category, 19-year-old Nick Luksich is hopeful of putting the injury woes that dogged his 2018 campaign behind him.

Nick Luksich

“2018 was tough, I suffered a broken wrist at the start of the season and then had more injuries through the year and that really wrecks your confidence and you’re not as fit as you want to be when you finally get to line up. This year is shaping up a lot better and I’ve had a really good pre-season and have been doing a lot of riding and training with Kyle, which is so beneficial when you can ride with someone faster and who is so into training. I can’t wait for the season to start at Appin next month!”

The March 17 MX Nationals series opener will formally kick off the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team’s 2019 calendar, which will include all ten rounds of the MX Nationals, followed by the Australian Supercross Championship in the second half of the year, along with selected other major race appearances.


Yamaha Motor New Zealand & Josh Coppins Racing sign Ben & Levi Townley

Two former World MXGP rivals will now be firmly on one team, as Yamaha Motor New Zealand, in association with Josh Coppins Racing, are signing up Ben Townley (YZ450) and son Levi Townley (YZ65), who will both be joining bLU cRU effective immediately.

Josh Coppins

“Ben will be a Yamaha ambassador and we will support him across a bunch of racing activities with more to follow and Levi is about supporting the future of the sport. We have decided to re-establish the Yamaha brand in junior racing and off the back of the new YZ65, timing has never been better to look for our new champions.”

Yamaha Motor New Zealand Ben Townley Levi Townley
Ben Townley (YZ450) and son Levi Townley (YZ65)

He and MX2 World Champion Townley are two of New Zealand’s most successful motocross riders and used to live together for three years in Belgium racing in the World MXGP Championships. In 2005 they finished second and third respectively in the MX1 class to ten-time world champ legend Stefan Everts. At one point Ben and Josh won five
GPs in a row between them over Everts – not bad for a couple of Kiwis!

Despite being fiercely competitive on track, off it they were good mates. So, when it came time for Coppins to move away from investing in international racing, he decided to refocus on a junior programme.

Tauranga-based Townley, who retired professionally in 2016, will not only be coaching young riders he will also be riding in select races around New Zealand, including some enduro events.

Being able to share the workload is vital for Coppins, as he is busy running his own Altherm JCR Yamaha motocross race team – made up of senior riders Kirk Gibbs, Kayne Lamont (both MX1) and Maximus Purvis (MX2) at all the major national events.

Coppins will continue with the team and also take on a more managerial position within Yamaha New Zealand, which allows him to be more involved in fostering the country’s young riders.

Eight-year-old Levi’s first race will be the 2019 Ebbett Pukekohe Auckland Motocross Champs in Tuakau on Saturday 23rd February 2019. The following day he will race in the Yamaha Motor New Zealand YZ65 Cup at Harrisville, Pukekohe, which is part of the third round of the Fox New Zealand Motocross Championships.

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KTM Junior MX Racing Team announced for 2019

KTM Australia has confirmed its KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team for the 2019 season, the five-rider line-up to include Blake Fox, Ryan Alexanderson, Jett Burgess-Stevens, Jet Alsop and Kayden Minear this year.

Jet Alsop
Jet Alsop

Fox, Burgess-Stevens and Alsop return to the factory team, while Alexanderson and Minear are new to the roster after achieving remarkable results last season. Together, the KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team will be targeting another strong campaign nationwide.

New South Welshman Fox will pilot a KTM 250 SX-F and KTM 125 SX in what will be his last year of junior competition. Incoming KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team recruit Alexanderson, 14, won the Mini Lites BW 12-U14s title at the 2018 Australian Junior Motocross Championship, now stepping up to the KTM 250 SX-F and KTM 125 SX for the year ahead.

Blake Fox
Blake Fox

Tasmanian talent Burgess-Stevens will return for his second season with the KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team, the 13-year-old riding a KTM 125 SX in addition to the KTM 85 SX BW. Also back for another term, well-credentialed Queenslander Alsop, 12, will focus upon the KTM 85 SX SW this year.

Minear is a current national champion after capturing the 65cc 9-U11s championship last year, earning his place in the factory team to ride a KTM 85 SX SW and KTM 65 SX in 2019.


Benjamin Herrera joins 2019 Beta Factory Enduro Team

Beta has officially signed up Benjamin Herrera to complete the Beta Factory Enduro Team line-up. The 24-year-old Chilean –  pictured with Team Manager Fabrizio Dini, next to a Beta production-model – will indeed support EnduroGP World Champion Steve Holcombe.

Herrera will be busy throughout the whole World Enduro Championship and in some stages of the Assoluti d’Italia on the Beta RR 350 4T.

This is an important promotion that sees the young Chilean move from the Beta Importer Team in his country to being the official rider for the 2019 season.

Benjamin Herrera

“I am very pleased I signed this new contract, it’s a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to become an official rider and now it’s amazing. The aim is to achieve good results both in the World Enduro Championship and in the Assoluti d’Italia in the E2 class. I’m well aware of the value of the Beta brand, since last year I raced with this bike, even if not as an official rider, and I really like the RR.”

Benjamin Herrera Beta Factory Enduro Team
Benjamin Herrera

Riders will be on their bikes very soon – the Assoluti d’Italia will start on 2 March at Gioia dei Marsi, while the first stage of the Enduro World Championship is scheduled for 22 March at Dahlen in Germany.

2019 Assoluti D’Italia Calendar

  • 2-3 Mar – Gioia Dei Marsi Aq
  • 31 Mar – Arma Di Taggia Im 1
  • 4 Mar – Pontremoli Ms
  • 1-2 Jun – Sant’angelo In Vado Pu
  • 14 Jul – Crespano Del Grappa Tv
  • 5-6 Oct – Gaggio Montano Bo

2019 World Enduro Championship Calendar

  • 22-24 Mar – Dahlem Germany
  • 3-5 May – Valpacos Portugal
  • 10-12 May – Santiago De Comp. Spain
  • 14-16 Jun – Ajaccio Corsica
  • 21-23 Jun – Rovetta Italy
  • 13-15 Sep – Uhlirske Janovice Czech Republic
  • 27-29 Sep – Ambert France
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Source: MCNews.com.au

Copper Webb wins in Texas and moves into series lead

Round Seven – Arlington, Texas

AMA SX Rnd Texas Pits JK SX Arlington
AMA Supercross 2019 – Arlington- Texas

Cooper Webb takes fourth win of season

Images by Hoppenworld


AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, hosted the seventh round of the AMA Supercross Championship last weekend. KTM’s Cooper Webb came through the pack to sensationally steal the 450SX main event win from Ken Roczen by just half a wheel at the flag!

AMA SX Rnd Texas Pits JK SX Arlington
AMA Supercross 2019 – Arlington- Texas

450SX Report

Eli Tomac pulled the holeshot ahead of Roczen and Marvin Musquin while Webb managed several key passes to come around the first lap in seventh place, two spots ahead of Zach Osborne who was making his 450SX class debut.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Tomac Starts JK SX Arlington
AMA Supercross 2019 – Arlington- Texas

Tomac was pushing hard to try to get away from the pack but Roczen stalked the Kawasaki rider before moving his way to the lead on lap four, then immediately started to break into the 49-second lap times just as Webb moved into the top five.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Seely Tomac Multiple JK SX Arlington
Eli Tomac chasing Ken Roczen

Tomac dropped his Kawasaki on lap seven but remounted in seventh place allowing Musquin to move into second ahead of Joey Savatgy, Blake Baggett and Webb.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Musquin Webb Multiple JK SX Arlington
Marvin Musquin and Cooper Webb

The race looked to be Roczen’s, the German enjoying a handy six-second lead over Musquin.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Roczen JK SX Arlington Cover
Ken Roczen

Webb soon moved up to second after getting the better of Musquin, then on the back of quad-jumping instead of triple-single jumping at the end of one of the rhythm lanes, he was suddenly on the back wheel of Roczen with a lap to go.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Roczen Webb Multiple JK SX Arlington
Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb

Webb then pulled alongside Roczen in the whoops, which gave him the opportunity to dive up the inside of Roczen and then out-drag the Honda rider to the finish line by a wheel length.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Finish Webb Roczen Multiple JK SX Arlington
AMA SX 2019 – Round Seven – Arlington, Texas

That is Webb’s second victory in succession, and his fourth from the seven rounds staged thus far this season. The Arlington victory earns Webb the red plate with a two-point lead over Roczen. The Honda star is still yet to win a main so far this season.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Cooper Webb Podium JK SX Arlington
Cooper Webb

Webb now has the red plate with a two point lead over Roczen who in turn has a four point advantage over Musquin.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Webb JK SX Arlington
Cooper Webb
Cooper Webb – P1

“Tonight was incredible! I just never gave up out there. It was incredible for it to come to the last lap – the last turn even – and to be able to win with such a close finish was absolutely insane. That’s probably the best race ever for me.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Webb JK SX Arlington
Cooper Webb
Ken Roczen – P2

“The whoops was one of the spots where I struggled all through the an event which really effected my flow so this is something we learn from, I am using it as fuel for the next race  but it was fun, leading the whole race and losing it is not so much fun but we are healthy and still in the championship.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Ken Roczen Podium JK SX Arlington
Ken Roczen
Marvin Musquin – P3

“We are definitely looking for our first win but being on the podium for the last five is super important but to salvage third after such a poor heat race is important for the race and the championship. It’s good, but I was in a good position for better, so I am a little bit disappointed with that but I’m also happy that we were able to turn it around after the heat race.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Musquin JK SX Arlington
Marvin Musquin
Justin Barcia – P7

“Crazy day of racing for me for sure. I felt good, the bike was working well. I had a pretty good practice, was right in the times, but in the heat race, didn’t get off to a good start. I was working my way through the pack and got taken out. In the main event, I was on the far outside and got a really good jump off the gate. I was right in it, but I was just so far outside I got pushed out and went into the hay bales and started last. I went from last to seventh. I was riding well, but again wasn’t able to make things happen that I needed to happen. I need to get a better start and put myself in front of the pack where I belong. We’re moving on from this weekend and will get ready for Detroit.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Justin Barcia Pits JK SX Arlington
Justin Barcia
Dean Wilson – P8

“My night was not amazing but not too bad either, I think the best part of my race was that I came through the pack really well and I passed a lot of good riders. By the time I got to the position I was in, there was really no one in front of me that I could catch so I ended up with an eighth. It’s not what I want but the beginning was promising with the speed I had. I just need to get a better start and get up there and we’ll be good. I’ll take it but we want to get on the podium for sure.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Wilson JK SX Arlington
Dean Wilson
Aaron Plessinger – P9

“We made big steps in the right direction at Dallas. The bike worked pretty good all day, I just need to get my starts dialed in. We’re going to go off to Florida and ride with Justin for a little bit and hopefully can build some intensity. All in all, I’m pretty happy with tonight and taking steps in the right direction. We’ll move forward from here, and on to Detroit.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Savatgy Plessinger Starts JK SX Arlington
Aaron Plessinger #7

After going through the LCQ and then running off the track at the start, Justin Barcia put in a great ride to fight his way back to seventh while Chad Reed finished the night in 11th after passing Tomac.

Arlington 450SX Main Results
  1. Cooper Webb – 25 Laps
  2. Ken Roczen +00.028
  3. Marvin Musquin +10.784
  4. Blake Baggett +15.401
  5. Joey Savatgy +18.360
  6. Cole Seely +23.241
  7. Justin Barcia +26.545
  8. Dean Wilson +29.567
  9. Aaron Plessinger +30.739
  10. Justin Brayton +41.282
  11. Chad Reed +45.767
  12. Eli Tomac +49.446
  13. Justin Hill – 24Laps
  14. Kyle Chisholm +00.453
  15. Ben Lamay +16.975
450SX Points Standings after Round 7 of 17
  1. Cooper Webb – 150
  2. Ken Roczen – 148
  3. Marvin Musquin – 144
  4. Eli Tomac – 134
  5. Dean Wilson – 110
  6. Justin Barcia – 104
  7. Blake Baggett – 101
  8. Cole Seely – 94
  9. Chad Reed – 93
  10. Aaron Plessinger – 93

250SX East Report

Austin Forkner scored the holeshot ahead of Kyle Peters, Chase Sexton and Jordon Smith but it wasn’t long before Peters was passed by Sexton and Smith, while Alex Martin was struggling to recover from his poor start and was back in 14th place.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Peters Starts JK SX Arlington
AMA Supercross 2019 – Arlington- Texas

Sexton managed to hold pace with Forkner for several laps as Justin Cooper jumped into fourth place ahead of Martin Davalos.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Sexton JK SX Arlington
Chase Sexton

At the half way mark of the 15-minute race Forkner had a small gap over Sexton, who in turn had Smith and Cooper closing in on him while Davalos dropped a couple of seconds.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Forkner Starts JK SX Arlington
Austin Forkner

On lap 13 Sexton made a mistake that allowed Smith and Cooper into second and third. Only for Smith to then slide out of a turn which put him back to fifth, and promoted Cooper up into second place ahead of  Sexton and Davalos. Smith got the better of Davalos in the closing stages of the race to claim fourth.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Smith Forkner Multiple JK SX Arlington
Jordon Smith

After the 19 laps it was Forkner that took the flag first, winning his second straight main event. Cooper, Sexton, Smith and Davalos rounded out the top five – Martin made it to back up to eighth place by race end.

AMA SX Rnd Texas Forkner Sexton Podium JK SX Arlington
Arlington 250SX East Main Event Results
Austin Forkner – 19 Laps
Justin Cooper +04.261
Chase Sexton +09.964
Austin Forkner – P1

“At one point Chase and Jordan were reeling me in so I figured I could just push harder and potentially throw it all away or back it down a bit, ride in my comfort zone and if I get caught and passed so be it, luckily that didn’t happen, I caught my breath and pulled off the win. The tough thing for me is to try and ride own my lines, I found my focus about five minutes in, but I have plenty of stuff I can work on this week heading into Round 3. I felt like I struggled a little bit and still won so I’m ecstatic. It’s nice to know what we can go into the week and work on. I can’t wait to get back next week even better.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Forkner JK SX Arlington
Austin Forkner
Justin Cooper – P2

“I feel we rebuilt a little this week and we made one place up the podium from last week so we’ll take it, it is a long series and the tracks are going to challenge us but we will go back, try and fix a few things. It feels great to get two podiums in a row. Compared to last year we were sitting out the second round, so to start the season out like this is pretty cool. The track was pretty tough today, we just had to take what we could get out there. Still, big improvements, and we’re not going to stop here. The bike was great all day again. We’ll just keep searching for new things and keep trying to better our self each time we get out on the track.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Cooper JK SX Arlington
Justin Cooper
Chase Sexton – P3

“I had a pretty good start in the main, where I could make something happen and I felt really good on my bike but with five minutes left I made two mistakes which cost me big time.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Sexton JK SX Arlington
Chase Sexton
Martin Davalos – P5

“This race was one I wanted to get through healthy and I was able to do that. It was great to show that I’m capable of being up with the front runners and bounce back. I would love to get a better start next weekend and really contend for a podium spot.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Davalos JK SX Arlington
Martin Davalos
Mitchell Oldenburg – P6

“The track conditions were tough tonight; it was super soft and rutted. I kind of got off to a slow start in the main again this week, but I was able to regroup fairly well and finish with a decent sixth. I’m really pumped on my heat race and how the practices went this morning. So I’m looking to build on this race and go to Detroit for the Triple Crown next weekend and come out swinging.”

AMA SX Rnd Texas Oldenburg JK SX Arlington
Mitchell Oldenburg
Arlington 250SX East Main Event Results
  1. Austin Forkner – 19 Laps
  2. Justin Cooper +04.261
  3. Chase Sexton +09.964
  4. Jordon Smith +15.330
  5. Martin Davalos +16.091
  6. Mitchell Oldenburg +16.344
  7. Kyle Peters +26.738
  8. Alex Martin +30.167
  9. Brandon Hartranft +36.029
  10. Kyle Cunningham +36.557
250SX East Points after Round 2
  1. Austin Forkner – 52
  2. Justin Cooper – 44
  3. Jordon Smith – 42
  4. Chase Sexton – 39
  5. Alex Martin – 34
  6. Mitchell Oldenburg – 34
  7. Kyle Cunningham – 29
  8. Kyle Peters – 29
  9. Brandon Hartranft – 29
  10. Martin Davalos – 25

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto Wrap | Webb & Faulkner take Minneapolis AMA SX

Moto News Wrap for February 11, 2019 by Darren Smart

Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Smarty's Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

Moto News Latest

  • Webb and Faulkner Take Minneapolis AMA SX
  • Taddy Wins SuperEnduro in Budapest
  • Cairoli and Prado Wrap Up Italian Motocross Championships
  • Dean Wilson to Rockstar Husqvarna
  • Hunter Lawrence Injured
  • Traralgon Hosts Successful 2 Stroke Nationals
  • FIM Speedway of Nations News
  • Applications Open for Australian WJMX Team

Webb and Faulkner take Minneapolis AMA SX

The sixth round of the 2019 AMA Supercross Championship was held in Minneapolis last weekend and the racing has once again held the fans of the sport on the edge of their seats as two of the brightest stars in the sport in Cooper Webb and Austin Forkner took out main event wins the 450SX and 250SX East classes respectively.

AMA SX Rnd Starts JK SX Minneapolis
AMA Supercross kicks off at Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld

450SX Report

Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy scored the holeshot in the main event and for the first half of the race Webb was looking for a way around Savatgy while holding off Ken Roczen, Blake Baggett and Marvin Musquin but when Webb got around Savatgy on lap 15 the flood gates opened allowing Roczen, Baggett and eventually Musquin get around Savatgy.

AMA SX Rnd Starts JK SX Minneapolis
AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld

Webb reeled off the closing laps without any mistakes to score his third win of the year ahead of Roczen who also kept himself tidy for second place ahead of Musquin who was gifted yet another podium after Baggett went over the bars on a tricky seat-bounce double-triple combination.

AMA SX Rnd Musquin JK SX Minneapolis
Marvin Musquin – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld

Eli Tomac was almost dead last after his poorest start of the season but the former championship leader whittled his way to sixth place, one spot ahead of Chad Reed who encountered his own problems during the main event to not only score seventh place but also move into eight in the championship, just 14 points out of the top five.

AMA SX Rnd Tomac JK SX Minneapolis
Eli Tomac – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld

The 2019 season has set a new record with the top four in the Championship standings only separated by two points after six rounds with Roczen on 125, Webb on 124 while Eli Tomac and Marvin Musquin are both tied with 123 points – even more amazingly, Roczen and Musquin are yet to win a round!

AMA SX Rnd Multiple JK SX Minneapolis
AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Cooper Webb

“To get three wins this year is pretty spectacular, especially bouncing back from last week – having that bad race in the mud – but I never lost belief, never lost faith and knew I was still good. I felt good all day today and to be able to apply it in the heat race, win that, and then win the main was pretty special. It’s cool, I have to pinch myself because I’ve come such a long way in a short amount of time. It’s crazy what a year or half a year will do to you. The last two years this place ended my season, so it’s pretty cool to bounce back from that and never give up, never doubt myself, make a change and stick to it. I want to keep doing well and doing what I’m doing. I definitely feel like I have a lot to improve on and a lot to learn but we’ll see if we can keep going.”

AMA SX Rnd Webb JK SX Minneapolis
Cooper Webb – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Ken Roczen

“I felt really good, and early on when Joey was still leading, I had a couple of good spots, and I kind of came up on Cooper a little bit. But I couldn’t pass him. After Cooper passed for the lead, I noticed that Joey was getting tired or whatever, but he was still going enough where we couldn’t pass. I had to pick my battles a little bit. The way these turns are, and the intensity that we brought, I didn’t want to do a silly, aggressive move and bump up on the inside. I just wanted to do it in a smart way, but I waited too long, for sure.”

AMA SX Rnd Roczen JK SX Minneapolis
Ken Roczen – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin

“It was definitely a tough night. I made it really hard on myself going down in the heat race while running in second – I made a little mistake that cost me big time and then again, I hit neutral and went down again. With a really bad gate pick, I knew it was going to be hard to choose either inside or outside on the gate but I chose to go very far inside and I didn’t get the start I wanted. I was tight inside and came out top-ten but on a track like that, it’s super tough to be in that position to make passes. It took me a long time to get into the top-five and I was pushing to get around [Blake] Baggett and unfortunately, he went down hard, hopefully he’s okay. Once I was in third, I tried to give a push for second but there was a gap and physically I gave a lot when I was trying to pass guys for most of the Main Event. Definitely tough, but to be third on the podium tonight is a good result considering where I came from with the heat race and the start, so I’ll definitely take it.”

AMA SX Rnd Musquin JK SX Minneapolis
Marvin Musquin – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Dean Wilson

“The night wasn’t great but not too bad, either, I’m not super pumped on it but I came out healthy. I think the past couple weeks of not getting into my normal schedule, due to the rain and resting the week after Oakland because of my knee, definitely had me feeling it and it was a tough Main Event the whole time. I think just trying to get back to my normal schedule will help a lot. It was awesome to be back with the team this weekend and we’re just going to get better from here.”

Justin Barcia

“Going into the main event I didn’t make any bike changes, or anything like that I was really comfortable. I was right on the main pack of guys in front of me, I just came into the corner pretty quick, pushed my front end and ended up going down pretty hard and rode home to ninth. For me it was a frustrating race to say the least because I felt like I was capable of being on the podium tonight and fighting for the win. It’s definitely frustrating, but I felt like I was back to myself again, comfort wise and stuff, I felt good on the bike. I was happy with my riding, just wish I could’ve done better in the main event. Moving on to next weekend I just want to have good starts and get back up front.”

AMA SX Rnd Barcia JK SX Minneapolis
Justin Barcia – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Aaron Plessinger

“It was a rough one for me. I definitely struggled on my starts. I got a break in the heat race. I got a bad jump, but shot the gap and made it. In the main event I didn’t have that gap and I got shut off; I definitely need to keep working on it. We’re going to go back to California this week, we’ll get some more testing in on the bike and try and dial it in a little more for me. I just need to keep working on it, getting used to it. I’m going to go back and do some more homework and come back ready for Dallas.”

AMA SX Rnd Plessinger JK SX Minneapolis
Aaron Plessinger – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld

450SX Main Event Results

  1. Cooper Webb
  2. Ken Roczen
  3. Marvin Musquin
  4. Joey Savatgy
  5. Justin Brayton
  6. Eli Tomac
  7. Chad Reed
  8. Dean Wilson
  9. Justin Barcia
  10. Aaron Plessinger
  11. Cole Seely
  12. Vince Friese
  13. Justin Bogle
  14. Tyler Bowers
  15. Kyle Chisholm
  16. Alex Ray
  17. Ben Lamay
  18. Daniel Herrlein
  19. Cheyenne Harmon
  20. Casey Brennan
  21. Blake Baggett
  22. Aj Catanzaro
AMA SX Rnd Podium JK SX Minneapolis
450 Podium 1) Cooper Webb, 2) Ken Roczen, 3) Marvin Musquin – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld

450SX Points after 6 of 17

  1. Ken Roczen – 125
  2. Cooper Webb – 124
  3. Eli Tomac – 123
  4. Marvin Musquin – 123
  5. Dean Wilson – 95
  6. Justin Barcia – 88
  7. Blake Baggett – 82
  8. Chad Reed – 81
  9. Aaron Plessinger – 79
  10. Cole Seely – 77
  11. Justin Brayton – 70
  12. Vince Friese – 65
  13. Justin Bogle – 60
  14. Joey Savatgy – 59
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Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

250SX East Report

Austin Forkner was fast all day and it wasn’t good news for his opposition when the Kawasaki pilot grabbed the holeshot and he never looked back to take the win but the action behind was a little more riveting with Jordon Smith surviving a flat tyre change on the start line and a small crash mid race to finish second ahead of Justin Cooper who looked smooth and untroubled on his way to third head of Chase Sexton and Alex Martin.

AMA SX Rnd Starts JK SX Minneapolis
AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Austin Forkner

“Basically, you don’t want to think about not making mistakes because that’s when you make them. I was just trying to click off laps. My starts were killer tonight in the heat and the main. I was just out there trying to maintain it, and I saw, whenever Jordon [Smith] got into to second, I might have to try to turn it up. He was maybe going a little bit faster, but then he went down. But when you get to that settle stage, sometimes that’s when mistakes happen, so I just tried to keep focused forward.”

AMA SX Rnd Forkner JK SX Minneapolis
Austin Forkner – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Jordon Smith

“We got a flat tire and Christian, my mechanic did an amazing job, they started the bikes before he had the nut off the rear wheel, I was afraid the gate was going to drop and we weren’t going to be ready.”

Justin Cooper

“The bike was awesome all day and the team made adjustments to fix anything I was uncomfortable with. I was able to predict exactly what the bike was going to do throughout the race, even with the track conditions getting worse. I had a terrible start, but felt great on the bike the whole main and just had to maintain the race as best I could with all the chaos around me. Everything about the day went smooth except a little first race jitters in the heat race. First podium at my second Supercross race ever… what more is there to say? It’s a great feeling!”

AMA SX Rnd Cooper JK SX Minneapolis
Justin Cooper – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Mitchell Oldenburg

“Today was decent. Practice went well for me, I felt really comfortable and the bike was working awesome. Tonight though, just wasn’t the best night for me. I didn’t feel that great. Not racing for a year was tough, and it showed tonight. I’m looking forward to building off of this and getting ready for the next few races and Dallas next weekend.”

AMA SX Rnd Oldenburg JK SX Minneapolis
Mitchell Oldenburg – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Jordan Bailey

“It was a good start to my first supercross, practice went well and the track was pretty good. I got fourth in the heat race, and in the main my start wasn’t very good but we got ninth. I’m happy with it to start with but we’ve got to keep getting better.”

AMA SX Rnd Bailey JK SX Minneapolis
Jordan Bailey – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld
Thomas Covington

“It was a solid first weekend for me, I was definitely a little bit nervous and tight throughout the whole day but each session got a little bit better and I squeaked into the Main Event in the heat. In the Main Event, I just went out and had as much fun as I could out there and it turned out pretty good. I was happy with how the bike was working and everything, just have to get back to work this week and hopefully progress next weekend.”

AMA SX Rnd Covington JK SX Minneapolis
Thomas Covington – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld

Alex Martin held Justin Cooper at bay for nearly the whole main but he ended up getting bumped off the track by Cooper and missed the transponder line at the finish so his team had to go and request a manual rescoring of that lap for Alex to be credited with fourth place after initial results had him back in 13th.

250SX East Results

  1. Austin Forkner
  2. Jordon Smith
  3. Justin Cooper
  4. Alex Martin
  5. Chase Sexton
  6. Mitchell Oldenburg
  7. Kyle Cunningham
  8. Brandon Hartranft
  9. Jordan Bailey
  10. Kyle Peters
  11. Thomas Covington
  12. Blake Wharton
  13. Martin Davalos
  14. Christian Craig
AMA SX Rnd Podium JK SX Minneapolis
250 Podium 1) Austin Fornker, 2) Jordon Smith, 3) Justin Cooper – AMA Supercross Round 6, Minneapolis – Image by Hoppenworld

250SX East after Round 1 of 9

  1. Austin Forkner – 26
  2. Jordon Smith – 23
  3. Justin Cooper – 21
  4. Alex Martin – 19
  5. Chase Sexton – 18
  6. Mitchell Oldenburg – 17
  7. Kyle Cunningham – 16
  8. Brandon Hartranft – 15
  9. Jordan Bailey – 14
  10. Kyle Peters – 13
  11. Thomas Covington – 12
  12. Blake Wharton – 8
  13. Martin Davalos – 7
  14. Christian Craig – 3
Smarty's Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

Taddy Wins SuperEnduro in Budapest

Budapest hosted round four of the 2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship last weekend and it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Taddy Blazusiak who took the win ahead of teammate Cody Webb and Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker.

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

Superpole went to Webb, with Blazusiak finishing a close second before Webb took the lead in the first of the three finals and set about opening up a good margin over the chasing riders. Although pressured early on by his teammate, Cody went on to claim a flag-to-flag victory with Blazusiak fighting off the challenges from Colton Haaker to finish second.

SuperEnduro Round Hungary Colton Haaker
Colton Haaker – SuperEnduro Round 4 – Hungary 2019

In the reverse-grid race two, it was Blazusiak who got the best start of the championship contenders but Haaker took over the lead and quickly opened a gap that he would maintain to earn the win over Blazusiak and Webb.

SuperEnduro Round Hungary Colton Haaker
Colton Haaker – SuperEnduro Round 4 – Hungary 2019

In the final race, it was Blazusiak who took the holeshot over Haaker with Webb close behind in third and for the first half of the race the three leading riders pushed hard, maintaining a fast pace on the demanding course but Taddy managed to hold his nerve to ultimately take the race three win over Haaker and Webb and with it the overall victory.

Taddy Blazusiak

“To take the win tonight feels great. I’ve been mostly off the bike since I hurt my knee in Madrid, so to come here and claim the overall is amazing. I didn’t quite have the out-and-out speed this evening, so I knew I would have to be clever and use my race craft. I got two second places and then in the last race I got a good start and knew it would be difficult for the others to pass. I rode clean but defensively and it paid off. Budapest has been great – the track was not too technical, but it was physically demanding and tricky to make time on. I’m really looking forward to Bilbao now in April.”

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

Webb edged Haaker by one point in the overall standings in Budapest so going into the final round in Spain on April the 6th, Haaker holds a 12 points lead in the championship.

Cody Webb

“It’s been a good night for me overall – I’m happy with second. I got a really good start in the first race and was just able to run away with it. In the second race, I started off right on the inside from the second row but I got caught up early and had to fight my way through the whole pack back up to third. In the last race it was good fun battling with the guys up front but it was so tricky to make a good pass – we were all pushing so hard and the pace was relentless. I struggled with traffic later on and couldn’t quite close up to the two leaders. We have got a bit of a break now before the last round so I’ll keep training and work on my intensity before Bilbao and hopefully be in a good position to fight for the championship.”

SuperEnduro Round Hungary Cody Webb
Cody Webb – SuperEnduro Round 4 – Hungary 2019

Results — 2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, Round 4
Prestige Race 1

  1. Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 6:44.923
  2. Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 6:50.858 +5.935
  3. Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 6:51.421 +6.498
  4. Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:22.186 +37.263
  5. Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:28.249 +43.326

Prestige Race 2

  1. Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 6:38.691
  2. Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 6:47.256 +8.565
  3. Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 7:00.298 +21.607
  4. Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:10.778 +32.087
  5. Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 6:52.969 +1 lap

Prestige Race 3

  1. Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 6:36.278
  2. Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 6:38.226 +1.948
  3. Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 6:50.587 +14.309
  4. Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 7:13.035 +36.757
  5. Diogo Viera (POR), Yamaha, 6:43.492 +1 lap
SuperEnduro Round Hungary Alfredo Gomez
Alfredo Gomez proves consistent in fourth across the events races- SuperEnduro Round 4 – Hungary 2019

Prestige Class — Overall

  1. Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 56 points
  2. Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 53 pts
  3. Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 52 pts
  4. Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 39 pts
  5. Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 32 pts

Championship Standings (After round 4)

  1. Colton Haaker (USA), Husqvarna, 211 points
  2. Cody Webb (USA), KTM, 199 pts
  3. Taddy Blazusiak (POL), KTM, 184 pts
  4. Pol Tarres (ESP), Husqvarna, 122 pts
  5. Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Husqvarna, 119 pts
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Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

Cairoli and Prado Wrap Up Italian Motocross Championships

Mantova hosted the final round of the three round Italian Motocross Championships last weekend and it was Tim Gajser who scored the MX1 win before Jorge Prado dominated the MX2 race then Antonio Cairoli managed to win a the Superfinal.

Italian MX Mantova Rnd Jorge Prado
Italian Motocross Championship 2019 – Round 3, Mantova

HRC Factory rider Tim Gajser won the MXGP race at Mantova ahead of 2015 World MXGP champion Romain Febvre, Antonio Cairoli, Gautier Paulin and Max Nagl with Cairoli being crowned MX1 champion of Italy for 2019.

Tim Gajser

“It is great to win again, it is just Italian championship, but a great race. I wanted to pass Tonus quickly and I tried to gap Romain, but he was really close. We had a good pace, and I liked the track. I look forward to the second race.”

Gajser hrc hondaproracing shotbybavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Romain Febvre

“It went good, I had a good start, not very good but good start. I was quick to second and battled with Tim, really close to him and I made some mistakes. Sometimes I was faster, sometimes he was faster. I was happy, but I got some arm pump and that is why I slowed down.”

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jorge Prado earned the Italian Championship with the MX2 race win in Mantova over early leader Moreau, Tom Vialle, Jago Geerst and Stephen Rubini while Aussie Mitch Evans ended the race in 11th of the 40 starters.

Italian MX Mantova Rnd Tom Vialle
Tom Vialle – Italian Motocross Championship 2019 – Round 3, Mantova

The Superfinal saw a massive first turn pile-up but out front Cairoli managed to etch out a lead before taking a comfortable win ahead of Nagl who had to fight off a fast finishing Prado who started well outside the top ten to narrowly miss out of second place while Mitch Evans ended the race in a credible ninth place.

Italian MX Mantova Rnd Tony Cairoli
Antonio Cairoli – Italian Motocross Championship 2019 – Round 3, Mantova

Cairoli and Prado ended up 1-2 in the Superfinal Championships.

Antonio Cairoli

“The Italian Championship is always a good series because we have a lot of champions on the line, this year especially, with four different world champions. We had a lot of things to test and the best way to do that was with racing. We had a perfect series, except for that first moto today: I was upset with my start. It was good in one way, and that’s to be able to make some passes and work through the pack and learn about that. This is also good training for the GPs. When we are on the line in the world championship it is a little bit different; everyone is extra motivated and doing their best to keep up with me and Jeffrey. I think since last year people have been working with us in mind. We will improve but they will improve also. We’ll see when the gate drops in MXGP but the championship there is very long and you have to be consistent and don’t make mistakes. This is the key.”

Italian MX Mantova Rnd Tony Cairoli
Antonio Cairoli – Italian Motocross Championship 2019 – Round 3, Mantova
Jorge Prado

“It’s been a really good championship and great pre-season training. Mantova was a different kind of track today: big ruts and with some special demands. I won my MX2 race and then had a good jump [from the gate] against the 450s. I was battling a long time with [Max] Nagl and I couldn’t make the pass, but anyway I’m happy. The bike was working great in these races. We have some weeks of training ahead but we are in the good way and will go to Argentina in the best shape possible.”

Italian MX Mantova Rnd Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – Italian Motocross Championship 2019 – Round 3, Mantova

Final Championship Standings MX1

  1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 320pts
  2. Romain Febvre (Yamaha) 300
  3. Tim Gajser (Honda) 280

Final Championship Standings MX2

  1. Jorge Prado (KTM) 360pts
  2. Mikkel Haarup (Husqvarna) 195
  3. Michele Cervellin (Yamaha) 180

Final Championship Standings Supercampione

  1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 240pts
  2. Tim Gajser (Honda) 200
  3. Jorge Prado (KTM) 160

Dean Wilson to Rockstar Husqvarna

With Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team having no fit 450SX riders, Dean Wilson has been given a seat with the team for the remainder of the AMA Supercross season.

Jason Anderson and Zach Osborne are currently out with Anderson sustaining a season ending broken arm injury, while Osborne (Broken collar bone) is expected to return to the team in the coming weeks.

Wilson started with the team at Minneapolis last weekend where he finished a solid 8th place in the main event to maintain 5th in the championship standings.

Dean Wilson

“I am really excited to be back with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team. They have been a great help with my privateer effort. I am looking forward to putting in good results and making everyone proud.”

Rockstar Husqvarna Dean Wilson
Dean Wilson
Bobby Hewitt

“Dean has been a part of our program for many years. I am very excited to have him back under the truck for the remainder of the 2019 AMA Supercross Championship Series.”

Smarty's Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

Hunter Lawrence Injured

On the eve of making his AMA Supercross debut Australia’s Hunter Lawrence has crashed and aggravated a collarbone injury which he sustained some eight to nine weeks ago.

MXGP Rnd Afyon Turkey MX Lawrence action
Hunter Lawrence

A timetable for Lawrence’s return has not been set but he could be back in time to compete in some supercross rounds or the Geico Honda pilot might be out until the Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Championship which begins in May.

MXGP Rnd Afyon Turkey Lawrence
Hunter Lawrence
Below is his Instagram post.

‘Absolutely heartbroken to say the least guys. I wont be lining up at round 1 this weekend. Some of you know a few months back I had a collarbone injury that I have now re-injured. And it isn’t in a condition where I am not able to plate it. A misfortunate crash and part of the sport. Will do everything i can like always to get back to 100%. I want to thank my amazing @fchonda team and supporting sponsors for all their great support. And a massive shoutout to all of the Aussie fans that were behind me and following along. Super bummed, but with the aussie grit and determination i’ll be back soon.’


Traralgon Hosts Successful 2 Stroke Nationals

Traralgon has hosted the opening round of the Yamaha bLU cRU 2 Stroke Nationals and it was Pro racer Joel Milesevic who won the premier YMI All Powers Cup ahead of Deakin Hellier and Ryan Kenney.

Meanwhile Blake Fox (125cc Junior Cup), James Hanson (Hallman Retro Cup), Hunter Collins (Yamaha 85cc Cup) and Ky Woods (Raceline 65cc Cup) earned the top spots in the support classes.

Coolum will host the second round of the series on March 3, before Canberra get the final round on April 27.

YMI All Powers Cup

  1. Joel Milesevic
  2. Deakin Hellier
  3. Ryan Kenney
  4. Taylor Potter
  5. Jai Walker

Yamaha 125cc Junior Cup

  1. Blake Fox
  2. Alex Larwood
  3. Blake Hollis
  4. Ricky Chalmers
  5. Ryan Alexanderson

Hallman Retro Cup

  1. James Hanson
  2. Steven Bowen
  3. Jake West
  4. Paul Grant
  5. Kade Dunscombe

Yamaha 85cc Cup

  1. Hunter Collins
  2. Cambell Williams
  3. Ryder Kingsford
  4. Jett Burgess-Stevens
  5. Seth Burchell

Raceline 65cc Cup

  1. Ky Woods
  2. Jett Williams
  3. Jack Deveson
  4. Koby Hantis
  5. Kayd Kingsford
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Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

FIM Speedway of Nations News

The start position draw for Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Race Offs 1 and 2 in Landshut and Manchester in May has been confirmed.

Germany host Poland, Sweden, Slovenia, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Italy at Race Off 1, which takes place in Landshut on Saturday, May 4, before the Lions come up against Australia, Denmark, USA, France, Finland and Latvia at Race Off 2 in Manchester on Saturday, May 11.

Start positions for Speedway of Nations drawn

The start position draw sees GB line up in the white and yellow starting gates against fellow 2018 finalists Australia and Denmark, with the Danish clash coming in race six and the Aussie showdown taking place in heat 15.

With gates two and four producing 14 winners compared to the nine that triumphed from gates one and three at Race Off 2 in 2018, the Lions will be hopeful the draw works in their favour at the National Speedway Stadium.

The hosts come up against neighbours France in their opener in heat three, with Australia kicking the night off against Finland in race one and Latvia taking on Denmark in heat two. The USA get their night started against the Aussies in race four.

The Landshut round sees Germany face tough finish to their heats as they come up against Sweden in heat 13, Ukraine in race 17 and Poland in heat 20 to round off the night. They will be keen to pile up the points early on, starting in their opener against Italy in race two.

Their fellow 2018 finalists Poland and Sweden collide in their opening heat – race three – a clash that could have a massive bearing on who tops the podium in Bavaria, with the Poles starting from gates one and three.

The top two teams from both Race Offs are guaranteed a spot at the Monster Energy SON Finals in Togliatti alongside hosts Russia on July 20 and 21, with the teams placed third to fifth competing in two knock-out heats to decide the final qualifier from both meetings.


Applications Open for Australian WJMX Team

Applications are now open for Australian riders who want to compete in the 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship which will take place at Russia’s cosmopolitan capital, Moscow, in July.

MX Juniors Australian team
Australia’s 2018 WJMX team

2018 was a massive year for Team Australia with the event held on home soil and Australia taking out the Team of Nations trophy, and competitors Bailey Malkiewicz and Braden Plath taking out the 125cc WJMX title and 65cc World Cup respectively!

Team Australia will be split out according to the 2019 WJMX classes:

  • FIM Junior 65cc Motocross World Cup: Age Restrictions-minimum 10 years of age and maximum 12 years of age.
  • FIM Junior 85cc Motocross World Championship: Age Restrictions-minimum 12 years of age and maximum 14 years of age.
  • FIM Junior 125cc Motocross World Championship: Age Restrictions- minimum 13 years of age and maximum 17 years of age.

The Australian squad will be supported by the 2019 Team Manager, Mark Willingham who will continue in this role for the third year running.

Applications close in less than a month so click on the link below for more information:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fIs4qLw9k3YLC4uXMIBuC2BBMp_DjRlW/view

Smarty's Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

Source: MCNews.com.au

2019 Suzuki Support Rider Contingency Program

2019 Suzuki Support Rider Contingency Program

Motorcycle Racing is expensive whether pursued as a hobby or professionally. Costs for motorcycles, parts, crash repairs, fees and transportation all add up to a substantial amount. Thankfully Suzuki is offering assistance to riders that choose to compete on their machinery and have extended their support for competing Suzuki riders, with Suzuki Australia just announcing the continuation of its Suzuki Support Rider (SSR) Contingency program for 2019.

ASBK TBG Rnd Winton Josh Waters TBG
Josh Waters – Winton ASBK 2018 – Image by TBG

SSR provides motorcycle racers with results based rewards in national based competitions; including MX Nationals and Australian Supercross championships in MX1, MX2 and MXD categories. In road racing the Australian Superbike Championships (ASBK) and Supersport Championship.  Some state based championship title wins across both road racing and motocross are also eligible for contingency money.

The SSR contingency is also available to Motorcycling Australia recognised state motocross and road racing, premier class championships.

Registration to the SSR Contingency program is free, and riders are welcome to register various machines in different capacity classes.

All in all the 2018 RM-Z450 proves a move in the right direction by Suzuki
Suzuki RM-Z450

Only riders who compete on current generation Suzuki motorcycles are eligible to register for the contingency program Suzuki offer. Registration is restricted to one rider per motorcycle VIN.

Once you have registered for SSR, Suzuki will confirm your acceptance via a letter that will be mailed to you, which includes your SSR Registration Number. One number will be issued per rider, even if the rider competes on several motorcycles in multiple classes. Your Registration Number will be used in all claims for contingency or any other communication with Suzuki.

MotoGP TBG Rnd Phillip Island Alex Phillis TBG
Alex Phillis – TBG Image

Only the nominated M.A. sanctioned events will qualify for contingency. Riders registered  Results will be verified by Suzuki against official M.A. results.

Contingency payments will only be made to riders who satisfy the following criteria:

Suzuki Support Rider Logo

2019 Suzuki Support Rider Contingency Program
Compete on current generation RM-Z250, RM-Z450, GSX-R600 or
GSX-R1000/R.
Registered for SSR and have received acceptance including their Registration Number from Suzuki Australia.
Lodge a claim form within 7 days of the event to Suzuki Australia including their race support number. Suzuki will verify through official race M.A results
Championship/Event Class Roud/Event  Championship
AUSTRALIAN MX NATIONALS MX1 & MX2 1ST – $10,000
2ND – $5,000
3RD – $2,000
4TH – $1,000
5TH-10TH – $250
1ST – $50,000
2ND – $25,000
3RD – $10,000
MXD 1ST – $2,000
2ND – $1,000
3RD – $500
4TH-10TH – $250
1ST – $20,000
2ND – $10,000
3RD – $5,000
AUSTRALIAN SUPERCROSS SX1 & SX2 1ST – $10,000
2ND – $5,000
3RD – $2,000
4TH – $1,000
5TH-10TH – $250
1ST – $50,000
2ND – $25,000
3RD – $10,000
ASBK SBK 1ST – $5,000
2ND – $2,500
3RD – $1,000
4TH – $500
5TH-10TH – $250
1ST – $50,000
2ND – $25,000
3RD – $10,000
SSP 1ST – $1,000
2ND – $750
3RD – $500
1ST – $10,000
2ND – $5,000
3RD – $2,500
STATE
MOTOCROSS
*OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED
BY MOTORCYCLING AUSTRALIA
250CC & 450CC Overall senior
Prem class Ch’ship Placing
N/A 1ST – $3,000
2ND – $1,000
3RD – $500
4TH – $250
5TH – $200
STATE
ROAD RACING
*OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED 
BY MOTORCYCLING AUSTRALIA
SPK and SSP Overall senior
Prem class Ch’ship Placing
N/A 1ST – $1,000
2ND – $500
3RD – $250

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto News | SX | MX | SuperEnduro | EnduroGP | AORC

Moto News Wrap for January 29, 2019 by Darren Smart

Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Smarty's Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

Moto News Latest

  • Cooper and Cianciarulo Win in Oakland AMA SX
  • Cairoli and Prado Win in Italy
  • Haaker Wins SuperEnduro in Madrid
  • Gibbs Second at Woodville GP
  • Herlings Injured
  • Anderson Injured
  • Wil Ruprecht to EnduroGP
  • 2019 Australian FIM Speedway Grand Prix Abandoned
  • 2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2 relocated to Toowoomba

Cooper and Cianciarulo Win in Oakland AMA SX

On a rut infested layout Cooper Webb and Adam Cianciarulo have won 450SX and 250SX classes respectively at the fourth round of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship which was held in Oakland last weekend.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Starts J K
AMA Supercross 2019
Round Four – Oakland Coliseum

450SX Report

KTM started the 450 main event 1-2-3 with Webb leading Marvin Musquin and Justin Bogle and after 20 minutes of action packed racing KTM ended the round with 1-2-3 finishes with Webb taking his second win over a fast finishing Musquin and the tireless Blake Baggett.

Cooper Webb

“Oakland was a great day for me. It was a perfect race – I was able to lead from start to finish. I had some pressure from Marvin at the end but I held on and was able to get a win, so I’m stoked. Two-in-a-row and the first time I’ve had the red plate in my career is pretty amazing, so hopefully we can keep it going. We’ve got a long season ahead but it’s been a great two weekends so we’ll get back to work on Monday. Thank you to the Red Bull KTM Team for believing in me and getting me back here. It was awesome to see KTM dominate tonight with 1-2-3 finishes and 1-2 for me and Marv the last two weekends.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Webb J K Cover
Cooper Webb

With Webb’s win and Roczen back in 5th, Webb jumped to the top of the points standings, with a slender two-point lead over Roczen who now sits on 81 points, followed by Tomac on 80 points and Musquin on 79.

Marvin Musquin

“It was super intense and physically it’s tough out there, I’m definitely getting better. This week I was able to ride all week so I’m getting better and better. That track was definitely difficult for everyone and especially those whoops but I figured it out in the Main and I was able to pass some guys. It’s frustrating, I rode really well, I’m really happy but it could have been mine tonight but it happens, no excuses. I went down but I was the fastest and I was able to pass those guys and be a little more consistent. I’m a little bit bummed, finishing right behind cooper is not fun but it’s good, I’m making progress. Second place is good, it’s a lot of points but I want to win for sure.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Musquin J K
Marvin Musquin

Blake Baggett didn’t get the best start but battled his way around a stack of riders including Roczen and Tomac to earn the final podium spot.

Blake Baggett

“I am wrapped to be on the podium because I was buried off the start, got a really bad start and didn’t think I was even going to get to fifth so I pulled through from that.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Blake Baggett J K
Blake Baggett

Eli Tomac charged into contention after a poor start but the Kawasaki rider struggled to get his rhythm going and had to settle for fourth.

Eli Tomac

“We’re in a good position, not only in the point standings but also for the season. I’m healthy and consistently finishing in the top five. I’ll get back to work with the entire Monster Energy Kawasaki crew and continue to improve each week. It’s all a process and I feel good about this season.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Tomac JK
Eli Tomac

Like Tomac, Roczen was in a prime position to land on the podium but as he admits below that he struggled when the whoops became rutted which forced the Honda start to drop back to 5th and lose the red plate.

Ken Roczen

“Oakland started off pretty good. I felt super good in practice and was super-happy with the bike. I was confident going into the night show and happy to have first gate pick. We had a decent heat race, finishing in second. We had to do some little bike adjustments, just as the track changed. I didn’t have a great start at all but fought my way up to second for a bit. I was struggling in the whoops and started feeling uncomfortable and unfortunately, I went back to fifth. That’s not ideal but we’re leaving healthy. We lost the points lead but only by a couple points; it’s a long season, so if we can take this as our worst race, that’s pretty good. It’s time to regroup and hopefully get back on the podium in San Diego.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Ken Roczen J K
Ken Roczen

Justin Barcia managed a bruised tail bone to bring his Yamaha home in credible seventh place to keep himself in the championship hunt to sit just 11 points behind Webb.

Justin Barcia

“Wow. What a day. I had to be really mentally tough. I rode through a lot of pain, but made the best of it. Coming in I knew it would be difficult, but I was pretty optimistic about what I could handle. It was a crazy race for me. It was a difficult track, pretty rough, and I just had to push through the pain. It could have been a lot worse. After last weekend’s crash, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to race but I salvaged some points tonight. I feel like I just need to keep moving forward. Hopefully this week I can work on my body and keep feeling better. We’ll be back at it next weekend in San Diego.”

AMASX Rnd Glendale Pits Justin Barcia JK SX Glendale
Justin Barcia

Aaron Plessinger crashed out of fifth place in the sand pit and Joey Savatgy’s KX450F simply stopped while the rookie was in a podium position and as for Australia’s Chad Reed his ninth place came on the back of the Aussie working his way through the field after yet another poor start and getting tangled in Plessinger’s downed Yamaha.

Chad Reed

“I really liked the Oakland track layout. There were nice whoops and ruts. Unfortunately, I again struggled with one-lap speed, but I felt like I would be okay for the heat race and main event. I had a decent start in the heat race and finished fourth. I was really enjoying the main event and began to find a rhythm. I was going to try and make some moves forward. Then I landed on Plessinger’s bike when he crashed in a blind spot. I fought back to ninth. I’m entering a new week with confidence. I have the pieces, but I need to start out the day better and carry that into the night show. We’re heading to one of my favourite races of the series this weekend. San Diego has always been a solid hunting ground for me.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Reed Roczen J K
Chad Reed & Ken Roczen
Aaron Plessinger

“Oakland Supercross was a pretty tough one. I was kind of struggling all day. I felt good in the last practice even though the times didn’t really show. In the main, I got a good start but then stalled it on the wall jump. I had to jump off, then someone landed on my bike and bent it all up. I had to pull in twice to straighten it out. I’m still happy with the way I rode and the progress we made on my starts, but stuff happens. We’ll move forward. Now that I know I can run with those guys, just need to keep the pace and keep working.”

Oakland 450 Main Events Results

  1. Cooper Webb
  2. Marvin Musquin
  3. Blake Baggett
  4. Eli Tomac
  5. Ken Roczen
  6. Dean Wilson
  7. Justin Barcia
  8. Justin Brayton
  9. Chad Reed
  10. Justin Bogle
  11. Cole Seely
AMA SX Rnd Oakland Podium KTM Webb Baggett Musquin J K
Oakland AMA SX 450 Podium – Webb, Baggett, Musquin

450SX Points after 4 of 17 Rounds

  1. Cooper Webb – 83
  2. Ken Roczen – 81
  3. Eli Tomac – 80
  4. Marvin Musquin – 79
  5. Justin Barcia – 72
  6. Dean Wilson – 69
  7. Blake Baggett – 66
  8. Cole Seely – 56
  9. Justin Brayton -52
  10. Aaron Plessinger – 49
  11. Chad Reed – 47
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Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

250SX Report

In the 250 West Class Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo became the first repeat winner of the year after he claimed a start to finish win despite getting plenty of attention championship leader Colt Nichols early in the race and Dylan Ferrandis late in the race.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Start Heat J K
Oakland AMA SX 250 Start
Adam Cianciarulo

“We got it done tonight and it feels so good. I wasn’t feeling the best throughout the day, but I was able to turn it around for the main and make it a solid night. I’m so grateful and proud of the entire Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team and we’re all looking forward to keeping this momentum going.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Cianciarulo JK SX Oakland
Adam Cianciarulo

Ferrandis has proved to be one of the fastest riders on the track but the Frenchman can’t get a decent start in the finals to content for the win BUT he is only five points back from his Yamaha teammate Nichols in the championship.

Dylan Ferrandis

“The YZ250F was awesome as always this season. It was also another demanding track this weekend, but I was feeling really good, really comfortable. My speed was great, but for sure with better starts it will be easier to win. I want more than second place, and that has had me frustrated, but I had some issues this week and didn’t train a lot. So, I’m happy to be on the box here in Oakland.”

Nichols keeps the championship points lead for another week albeit a narrow one with only five points separating the top four riders.

Colt Nichols

“The track was just really rutty and really demanding. The heart rate was really high, so that’s what made it tough to do consistent laps. A solid podium though, can’t ever complain about that, but of course always want more. Once you’ve won that’s all you want to do, but I’ll take a third for tonight, that’s all I had and move on to the next weekend.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Colt Nichols J K
Colt Nichols

Cameron McAdoo continues to impress with the Honda pilot battle throughout the final to end up in fifth position.

Cameron McAdoo

“Last night was a great step in the right direction for me, leading the heat race until the last lap, and starting and running up front in the main is exactly what I need. The track was so tough, you had to be on your toes at all times. I tightened up about lap six of the main, but with some more time up front running that pace I’m confident I can stay there!”

AMASX Rnd Glendale Pits Cameron McAdoo CRFR JK SX Glendale COVER
Cameron McAdoo

Australia’s Tomas Ravenhorst finished 10th in his heat race, missing a direct transfer by just one position then in the LCQ the Victorian was once again in contention to qualify through to the main until rear brake problems ended his night.

Oakland 250SX Main Event Results

  1. Adam Cianciarulo
  2. Dylan Ferrandis
  3. Colt Nichols
  4. Shane McElrath
  5. Jacob Hayes
  6. Cameron Mcadoo
  7. Michael Mosiman
  8. Garrett Marchbanks
  9. Chris Blose
  10. Sean Cantrell
AMA SX Rnd Oakland Podium Cianciarulo Ferrandis Nichols J K
250SX Main Event Results
Adam Cianciarulo – Kawasaki 17 Laps
Dylan Ferrandis – Yamaha +02.570
Colt Nichols – Yamaha +04.609

250SX Points after Round 4

  1. Colt Nichols – 91
  2. Adam Cianciarulo – 88
  3. Shane Mcelrath – 87
  4. Dylan Ferrandis – 86
  5. RJ Hampshire – 67
  6. Cameron Mcadoo – 58
  7. Chris Blose – 58
  8. Jacob Hayes – 55
  9. Michael Mosiman – 55
  10. James Decotis – 52
Smarty's Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

Cairoli and Prado Win in Italy

Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado have kicked off their 2019 season with moto wins in the MX1 and MX2 motos respectively before finishing first and third in the Superfinal at the opening round of the Italian Motocross Championship held in Sardina last weekend.

MXGP Rnd Riola Sardo Romain Febvre Antonio Cairoli
Tony Cairoli – Italian MX Championship – Round 1, Riola Sardo

Cairoli won the MX1 moto from Tim Gajser, Romain Febvre, Gautier Paulin and Arminas Jasikonis while Prado earned the MX2 moto win ahead of Mikkel Haarup and Mattia Guadagnin with the Aussie duo of Mitch Evans and Caleb Grothues coming home sixth and seventh.

MXGP Rnd Riola Sardo Prado Gajser action
Tim Gajser & Jorge Prado – Italian MX Championship – Round 1, Riola Sardo

The Superfinal started with Jasikonis going down in the first corner but Cairoli snuck through taking the lead from Prado, Gajser, Paulin, Ivo Monticelli, Alessandro Lupino and Evans.

Italian MX Rnd Riola Sardo Arminas Jasikonis
Arminas Jasikonis – Italian MX Championship – Round 1, Riola Sardo

Cairoli edged away from the field while Gajser finally caught and passed Prado for second place in the final laps of the moto so it was victory for Cairoli well ahead of Gasjer and Prado who finished third and top 250 rider ahead of Paulin, Febvre, Monticelli and Evans who was the second MX2 rider on track. Gothues ended the moto in 36th.

MXGP Rnd Riola Sardo Febvre action
Romain Febvre – Italian MX Championship – Round 1, Riola Sardo
Tony Cairoli

“It is always good to race in Riola. We spend a lot of time testing around here. I’m really happy with how the bike is working at the moment and my feeling with it. This is just the first race of the year and we have another two to prepare ourselves before we are ready. It also means we have three races in the sand so we cannot test too much on hard-pack but overall I think we have a good bike.”

Italian MX Rnd Riola Sardo Tony Cairoli ST
Tony Cairoli – Italian MX Championship – Round 1, Riola Sardo
Jorge Prado

“A very good first race and I felt great from the timed practice. We made a great bike this winter and it worked really well for me all-day; better than we expected. In the first moto I had a decent start and took seven laps to get to the front as a struggled a bit with my rhythm. Coming into the Superfinal I knew the start was super-important. I didn’t have the best jump but I made a good pass into the first corners and was second behind Tony. He was pushing a lot and I tried to keep his rhythm. With three laps to go I made a mistake through the lappers and Tim came past me. I finished third and I’m very happy. This is all good preparation for the world championship.”

MXGP Rnd Riola Sardo Jorge Prado
Jorge Prado – Italian MX Championship – Round 1, Riola Sardo
Arminas Jasikonis

“It feels good to be behind the starting gate again. This weekend in Sardinia I had a good feeling on the bike and I’m happy I showed the speed is there. In the MX1 moto I didn’t manage to get a good start but kept my head down to finish fifth. I struggled a bit with arm pump in the closing part of the race but I tried not to let that slow me down. Going into the Supercampione final I felt ready to show my speed again. Unfortunately, I went down in the first corner and that made it all harder for me. I got up and did a few more laps but I felt some pain in my right leg and had to pull out of the race. I’ll give my body some time to heal and prepare for round two of the series next weekend in Ottobiano.”

Arminas Jasikonis Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
Arminas Jasikonis – Italian MX Championship – Round 1, Riola Sardo

Interestingly, in the deep sand of Riola Sardo in Sardinia, Cairoli, Febvre, Gajser and Prado were all using Pirelli Scorpion MX3 Mid Soft front and the Scorpion MX Soft rear tyres and the second round of the championships at Ottobiano next weekend will have very similar conditions.

MX1 Points after Round 1 of 3

  1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) p.120
  2. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) p.100
  3. GAJSER Tim (SLO) p.80
  4. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) p.65
  5. JASIKONIS Arminas (LTU) p.60

MX2 Points after Round 1 of 3

  1. PRADO Jorge (SPA) p.120
  2. HAARUP Mikkel (DEN) p.100
  3. GUADAGNINI Mattia (ITA) p.80
  4. WATSON Ben (GBR) p.65
  5. CERVELLIN Michele (ITA) p.60
  6. Evans Mitch (AUS) p. 55
  7. Grothues Caleb (AUS) p. 50
MXGP Rnd Riola Sardo Cairoli podium Supercampione
Supercampione Podium – Italian MX Championship – Round 1, Riola Sardo

Supercampione Points after Round 1 of 3

  1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) p.120
  2. GAJSER Tim (SLO) p.100
  3. PRADO Jorge (SPA) p.80
  4. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) p.65
  5. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) p.60
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Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

Haaker Wins SuperEnduro in Madrid

Colton Haaker has earned the overall victory ahead of Cody Webb and Alfredo Gomez to not only win round three of the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship in Madrid, Spain but he also moved to the top of the series standings.

SuperEnduro Rnd Madrid Colton Haaker
Colton Haaker – Image by Future7Media

Haaker dominated the first of three finals to take the win over Taddy Blazusiak and Webb but the reverse order start for the second race caused chaos after Haaker became entangled in a multi-bike collision on the opening lap leaving him in near last place.

Haaker blitzed the technical layout and moved up to second place behind Webb but he becoming stuck on the final rocky corner which resulted in a three-way fight to the finish line where Haaker and Blazusiak tangled as they approached the finish line jump ending with both riders losing control of their machines.

FIM SuperEnduro World Championship Alfredo Gomez
Alfredo Gomez

Haaker was lucky to walk away unscathed in third behind Webb and Pol Tarres while Blazusiak was deemed a non-finisher.

Despite being bruised a battered Haaker refocused for race three and delivered arguably his best performance of the night with a win by 26-seconds over Gomez and David Leonov while a broken chain on lap four forced Webb to stop and make trackside repairs to resolve the issue and despite his best efforts to re-join the race, he wasn’t classified as a finisher but still ended his night as the overall runner-up.

Colton Haaker

“It’s feels great to come away tonight with the overall win and also become the new point’s leader in the championship. I really wanted to push for the victory tonight and race my way back into title contention and I definitely feel like I did that out there, despite what was a very eventful night on the track. We’ve Budapest in two weeks’ time and I’m looking forward to going there with the leader’s red plate.”

SuperEnduro Rnd Madrid Colton Haaker FM
Colton Haaker – Image by Future7Media

For Webb he saw his championship lead vanish on the night but still has not given up by any means and remains in second, only thirteen points off the lead.

Cody Webb

“It was a tough night for me tonight, but I’m happy to take second overall. The first race went well, I struggled to get into a good rhythm but I was pleased with third and knew what I had to do to improve for race two. I got away well in the second race and was able to control the pace from the front and take a clean win. I was probably riding my best of the whole evening in race three. Colton was in front but I was confident I could match his speed and fight for the win. Unfortunately, after a reasonably hard landing, I damaged the bike. I tried my best to fix it in time but it wasn’t quite enough. It’s upsetting but this is SuperEnduro and anything can happen. I’m looking forward to the next race and will try to win back the overall lead.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Webb J K Cover
Cooper Webb

Deciding to return to racing following an elbow injury last time out in Germany, Gomez hoped for a top-five result but thanks to feeling better than expected, the Spaniard raced his way into podium contention as the evening progressed.

Alfredo Gomez

“I can’t honestly believe that I’ve managed to finish third overall tonight, two days ago I wasn’t sure if I would ride because I’m still recovering from an elbow injury that I sustained last time out in Germany. I did some training laps and decided I should try to race. I was aiming for top five at best. But this is my home race and I guess that just makes you want to deliver the best result you can. I rode safe in race one for ninth and then did better in race two for fifth. I got into a good position in race three and with other riders having problems, suddenly I was in second. After that I tried to remain calm and focused and control the position to the finish. Third overall is an amazing result and I have to thank everyone who’s helped me during these last few weeks to get to this position – behind the scenes it’s been a real team effort.”

SuperEnduro Rnd Madrid Alfredo Gomez
Alfredo Gomez – Image by Future7Media

For Taddy Blazusiak, the third stop of the SuperEnduro series was challenging due to a series of crashes that ended with an injury to his knee.

Taddy Blazusiak

“I collided with Colton Haaker and went down hard, I was banged and bruised pretty good, but lucky to walk away from it relatively unscathed and able to focus on the final moto. In race three I got a great start but then stalled in the rocks and accidentally put my left foot down into a hole. As I fell over, with the bike on top of me, my foot became trapped in the hole and twisted my knee. As yet I don’t know how serious things are until I see my doctor to get it checked out but I will do my best to be ready for round four in Budapest.”

SuperEnduro Rnd Madrid Taddy Blazusiak FM
Taddy Blazusiak – Image by Future7Media

The 2019 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship continues with round four in Budapest, Hungary on February 9.

Results: Madris – Round 3
Heat 1

  1. Colton HAAKER
  2. Taddy BLAZUSIAK
  3. Cody WEBB
  4. Diogo VIEIRA
  5. Blake GUTZEIT
  6. Xavi LEON SOLE
  7. Pol TARRES
  8. Kevin GALLAS
  9. Alfredo GOMEZ
  10. Cristobal GUERRERO

Heat 2

  1. Cody WEBB
  2. Pol TARRES
  3. Colton HAAKER
  4. Diogo VIEIRA
  5. Alfredo GOMEZ
  6. Blake GUTZEIT
  7. Xavi LEON SOLE
  8. Cristobal GUERRERO
  9. Kevin GALLAS
  10. Jose Maria JUAN BERNABEU
SuperEnduro Rnd Madrid Colton Haaker FM
Colton Haaker celebrates – Image by Future7Media

Heat 3

  1. Colton HAAKER
  2. Alfredo GOMEZ
  3. David LEONOV
  4. Blake GUTZEIT
  5. Xavi LEON SOLE
  6. Pol TARRES
  7. Cristobal GUERRERO
  8. Diogo VIEIRA
  9. Jose Maria JUAN BERNABEU
  10. Kevin GALLAS

Prestige Class — Overall

  1. Colton Haaker (USA) Husqvarna – 58
  2. Cody Webb (USA) KTM – 37
  3. Alfredo Gomez (ESP) Husqvarna – 34
  4. Pol Tarres (ESP) Husqvarna – 34
  5. Blake Gutzeit (RSA) Husqvarna – 33

Provisional Standings

  1. Colton HAAKER 159pts
  2. Cody WEBB 146pts
  3. Taddy BLAZUSIAK 128pts
  4. Pol TARRES 90pts
  5. Alfredo GOMEZ 80pts
  6. Diogo VIEIRA 76pts
  7. Kevin GALLAS 76pts
  8. Blake GUTZEIT 74pts
  9. Xavi LEON SOLE 59pts
  10. Cristobal GUERRERO 55pts
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Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

Gibbs Second at Woodville GP

The Manawatu-Orion Motorcycle Club Inc. (MOMCC) hosted the 58th annual Woodville GP which was once again recognised as an FIM Oceania event and saw 600 riders converge on the popular North Island venue.

Kirk Gibbs Woodville
Kirk Gibbs – Woodville GP 2019

The 2015 Australian MX1 motocross champion Kirk Gibbs, who joins the Altherm JCR Yamaha team for this prestigious race weekend and also to defend his title in the four-round 2019 New Zealand Motocross Championship, described it as “a very crazy day weather-wise and the worst wind I have ever ridden in.”

Kayne Lamont - Woodville GP 2019`
Kayne Lamont – Woodville GP 2019

Despite the conditions Gibbs managed to score two second place finishes behind Kiwi veteran and multi Woodville winner Cody Cooper. Gibbs says he got a great start in the first race, “which put me second around the first turn and right behind Cody Cooper. I kept him honest most of the race and got a little arm pump just from the lack of racing for me lately.”

He describes the second moto as a full mud race and although he got a great start, the conditions forced him to take it easy.

Maximus Purvis Woodville
Maximus Purvis – Woodville GP 2019
Kirk Gibbs

“I leaned back off down the straight because it was slippery and I wheeled and got sideways, so I had to back it down. I got into second behind Cody Cooper early and it was just trail riding because the track was really deep, one-lined and skatey. Sometimes in those conditions it’s better to play it smart. The aim is to win. Cody Cooper is such a great rider and knows how to win but I think I am in a good spot to do battle with him. It will be a battle every round because I know he wants that number 1 plate back over here and I don’t want to let it go. Also I know Kayne Lamont will be keen to get in the mix.”

The New Zealand Motocross Championship kicks off in Taranaki this weekend and Gibbs believes he is ready to take on Cooper and defend his 2018 crown.

2019 MNZ MX National Championship

  • Round 1 – Sunday 3rd February – Taranaki
  • Round 2 – Sunday 17th February – Rotorua
  • Round 3 – Sunday 24th February – Pukekohe
  • Round 4 – Sunday 10th March – Taupo

Herlings Injured

Red Bull KTM Factory rider Jeffrey Herlings has broken his foot while testing in Spain and according to the team he immediately underwent surgery in an effort to get the injury in shape for the opening round of the 2019 World Motocross Championship in Argentina in 5 weeks’ time.

MXoN Herlings MX JK MXON
Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Jeff Kardas

Below is KTM’s brief official announcement

“Waiting time now for the #mxgp champion. Jeffrey Herlings suffered a crash yesterday (Friday) while training and underwent an operation on his right foot the same evening. Apparently there is no major damage to his ankle but more details and the expected recovery time for the injury will be known in the next 1-2 days. Get well soon #84.”


Anderson Injured

During a routine practice day leading up to the fourth round of the AMA Monster Energy Supercross Championship at Oakland, Jason Anderson has broken his arm in two places, as well as a fractured rib after crashing his Husqvarna.

The injury required surgery and has an expected recovery time of at least eight weeks and at the time of writing his return to racing is yet to be determined.

AMASX Rnd Anaheim Anderson JK SX Anaheim
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson

“I am really bummed to have to say that I am out for an injury, I was struggling to find my groove but had high hopes of pushing forward to the podium in all of the upcoming rounds. I will be back stronger. Thank you for the support.”

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Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

Wil Ruprecht to EnduroGP

Australian Wil Ruprecht will join reigning World E2 Champion Eero Remes in the new look Johansson MPE Yamaha Enduro Team that will contest the 2019 World Enduro Championship (EnduroGP).

With Yamaha Racing officially abandoning their Outsiders Yamaha Team, which had represented the company in World Enduro, the Johansson MPE Yamaha Enduro Team will be Yamaha’s unofficial representative for the 2019 season.

Wil Ruprecht has signed with the Johansson MPE Yamaha Enduro Team for the World Enduro Championship
Wil Ruprecht

The multi-national team will be headlined by Finlands Eero Remes along with Aussie Ruprecht, Brit Alex Walton and Estonian Priit Biene in the Junior category while Swede Marcus Adielsson and Finn Hugo Svärd will make up the Youth team and Swede Patrik Andersson will be the teams World Cup Senior rider.

Joakim Johansson

“We are very happy and incredibly proud to be able to present Finnish triple and reigning world champion Eero Remes as a rider in the GP-class. We have not decided class yet, the tests of the various Yamaha models are on right now. By his side he will have Australian junior rider Wil Ruprecht who is a strong candidate in the junior-class. Wil was with us already at the last race in Germany in 2018, where he took a victory on his first day.”

The 2019 Enduro World Championship begins on 22-24 March in Germany.


2019 Australian FIM Speedway Grand Prix Abandoned

BSI Speedway has announced that the Australian FIM Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) will not be taking place in 2019 after ‘unforeseen circumstances’ forced PSE (Paul Sergeant Events) to pull out of staging the event.

The date and venue for the Australian event, which had been provisionally scheduled as the final round of the 2019 FIM Speedway Grand Prix series, was yet to be confirmed so the 2019 season will now culminate at the Torun FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland on October 5.

BSI Speedway remains committed to bringing the event back to Australia, and is actively seeking a new local promoter to help stage the event in future years.

Torben Olsen – BSI Speedway Managing Director

“While we were eager to run an Australian SGP in 2019, we decided that we should only do so when we are confident we can deliver the quality experience expected by our SGP riders, fans and community. We were in dialogue with multiple venues for the 2019 event, and look to continue further discussions with Ipswich in particular with a view to hopefully bringing a fantastic SGP event back to Australia as soon as possible.”


2019 AORC Rounds 1 & 2 relocated to Toowoomba

Motorcycling Australia (MA) has advised all competitors and teams entered into the 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) racing season that the location of Round 1 and 2 at Gympie, Queensland (QLD) will be relocated.

Due to unforeseen circumstances the opening rounds of the 2019 Championship have been relocated to Toowoomba, QLD and will be held March 9-10. To ensure the least amount of disruption to riders and teams alike, the competition has been amended to continue successfully incorporating the state of QLD into the Championship whilst also making a conscious effort to minimise the necessary distance to travel.

AORC Dungog Juniors start
AORC Dungog

Moving slightly South to Toowoomba, riders will be presented with picturesque backdrops contrasted by the challenges of the Great Dividing Range and its Western slopes. Both days will still feature continuous sprints where riders will race against the clock as they race to come out on top. Further information on the round and accommodation can be found on the competitor information page of the AORC website.

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Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax

Source: MCNews.com.au

Cooper Webb leads KTM 1-2-3 in Oakland

Round Four – Oakland Coliseum

Images by Hoppenworld


Cooper Webb arrived at the Oakland Coliseum fresh from his maiden victory at A2 with two wins in the triple-header format and that round win had promoted Webb up into third in the 2019 AMA Supercross Championship.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Pits JK SX Oakland
AMA Supercross 2019
Round Four – Oakland Coliseum

There were, however, only seven points separating the top five in the series as they readied for battle in Northern California, and the man at the head of that table was Ken Roczen. The Honda man has led the most laps so far this season, but is still yet to win a Main. The German has been consistent enough though to build a tally of 63-points which saw him leading Eli Tomac by two-points as they arrived in Oakland.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Pits JK SX Oakland
AMA Supercross 2019
Round Four – Oakland Coliseum

A rider missing from the gates at this fourth round of the championship was 2018 AMA SX Champion Jason Anderson. A practice crash earlier in the week had seen the 25-year-old break his left arm in two places, the hopes for a successful championship defence now in tatters.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Tomac Heat Win JK SX Oakland
Eli Tomac won his Heat

Eli Tomac and Joey Savatgy were the winners of the heat races ahead of Cole Seely and Ken Roczen respectively. Dean Wilson and Justin Bogle were forced to the LCQ in order to make their way through to the Main.

450 Main

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Main Start Webb JK
AMA Supercross 2019
Round Four – Oakland Coliseum

Cooper Webb scored the clear holeshot when the gates dropped and early on it was a KTM 1-2-3 with Marvin Musquin and Justin Bogle right behind him. Aaron Plessinger, Joey Savatgy and Ken Roczen had also all started well while Eli Tomac and Chad Reed were outside the top ten.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Chad Reed J K
Chad Reed

Savatgy got the better of Plessinger a couple of minutes in to the race to claim fourth. Roczen then pushed Plessinger further back to sixth place as Eli Tomac was marching his way through the field.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Baggett Tomac J K
AMA Supercross 2019
Round Four – Oakland Coliseum

By the four-minute mark Tomac had moved up to seventh place ahead of Dean Wilson and Justin Barcia, while Blake Baggett was rounding out the top ten ahead of Chad Reed.

Savatgy then moved up to third place after squeezing past Bogle. Roczen then pushed Bogle further back to fifth a lap later.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Joey Savatgy J K
Joey Savatgy

Aaron Plessinger then got ejected from his Yamaha over the wall jump and it took more than 30-seconds for the #7 to get up and running again after another rider landed in his machine and damaged it. That promoted Tomac up to fifth place and put Plessinger at the back of the field.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Eli Tomac J K
Eli Tomac

Marvin Musquin then made a small mistake as he was pressured from behind by Savatgy and Roczen which saw both those riders get the better of him and push him back to fourth place. Eli Tomac then pushed him further back to fifth as the race broached the halfway marker. Nothing separated those riders from second through fifth, but Cooper Webb had clear air up front and was enjoing an eight-second lead.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland KTM Webb JK
Cooper Webb

The fire then went out in Joey Savatgy’s KX450F while he was running in second place. Savatgy could not get the Kawasaki running again and thus was out of the race while Roczen moved up into that second place ahead of Tomac and Musquin. Blake Baggett was up to fifth ahead of Dean Wilson and the injured Justin Barcia.

Musquin got the better of Roczen with eight minutes remaining and Blake Baggett then added further insult by pushing the Honda man back to fourth. Eli Tomac had made a mistake through a series of jumps which cost him plenty of time and relegated him back to fifth but he then recovered and was starting to pressure Roczen for fourth.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Musquin J K
Marvin Musquin

With four-minutes remaining it was a KTM 1-2-3 up front but Webb’s lead had been trimmed to three-seconds by Musquin while Baggett was equidistant in third.

At the two-minute mark Tomac got the better of Roczen to push the Honda man back to fifth.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Ken Roczen JK
Ken Roczen

Marvin Musquin pressured Cooper Webb all the way to the flag but they remained in that order while Baggett was a relatively distant third place to secure KTM that 1-2-3 finish ahead of Kawasaki’s Tomac and Honda’s Roczen.

That win saw Cooper Webb move into the overall championship lead with a two-point buffer over Roczen while Eli Tomac slipped to third place ahead of Musquin. There is nothing in it at the top of the table though with only a four-point spread covering that leading quartet with a huge 13-rounds remaining.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Webb J K Cover
Cooper Webb

Cooper Webb – P1

“Oakland was a great day for me. It was a perfect race – I was able to lead from start to finish. I had some pressure from Marvin at the end but I held on and was able to get a win, so I’m stoked. Two-in-a-row and the first time I’ve had the red plate in my career is pretty amazing, so hopefully we can keep it going. We’ve got a long season ahead but it’s been a great two weekends so we’ll get back to work on Monday. Thank you to the Red Bull KTM Team for believing in me and getting me back here. It was awesome to see KTM dominate tonight with 1-2-3 finishes and 1-2 for me and Marv the last two weekends.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Win Cooper WebbJK
Cooper Webb
Marvin Musquin – P2

“It was super intense and physically it’s tough out there, I’m definitely getting better. This week I was able to ride all week so I’m getting better and better. That track was definitely difficult for everyone and especially those whoops but I figured it out in the Main and I was able to pass some guys. It’s frustrating, I rode really well, I’m really happy but it could have been mine tonight but it happens, no excuses. I went down but I was the fastest and I was able to pass those guys and be a little more consistent. I’m a little bit bummed, finishing right behind cooper is not fun but it’s good, I’m making progress. Second place is good, it’s a lot of points but I want to win for sure.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Marvin Musquin J K
Marvin Musquin
Justin Barcia – P7

“Wow. What a day. I had to be really mentally tough. I rode through a lot of pain, but made the best of it. Coming in I knew it would be difficult, but I was pretty optimistic about what I could handle. It was a crazy race for me. It was a difficult track, pretty rough, and I just had to push through the pain. It could have been a lot worse. After last weekend’s crash, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to race but I salvaged some points tonight. I feel like I just need to keep moving forward. Hopefully this week I can work on my body and keep feeling better. We’ll be back at it next weekend in San Diego.”


AMA SX Rnd Oakland Podium Web Musquin Baggett J K
450SX Main Event
Cooper Webb – KTM 23 Laps
Marvin Musquin – KTM +00.760
Blake Baggett – KTM +09.126

450SX Main Event

  1. Cooper Webb – KTM 23 Laps
  2. Marvin Musquin – KTM +00.760
  3. Blake Baggett – KTM +09.126
  4. Eli Tomac – Kawasaki +13.965
  5. Ken Roczen – Honda +20.260
  6. Dean Wilson – Husqvarna +26.783
  7. Justin Barcia – Yamaha +30.630
  8. Justin Brayton – Honda 450 +44.635
  9. Chad Reed – Suzuki +48.592
  10. Justin Bogle – KTM +55.625

450SX Rider Standings

  1. Cooper Webb Newport, NC 83
  2. Ken Roczen Clermont, FL 81
  3. Eli Tomac Cortez, CO 80
  4. Marvin Musquin Corona, CA 79
  5. Justin Barcia Greenville, FL 72
  6. Dean Wilson Clermont, FL 69
  7. Blake Baggett Grand Terrace, CA 66
  8. Cole Seely Sherman Oaks, CA 56
  9. Justin Brayton Mint Hill, NC 52
  10. Aaron Plessinger Hamilton, OH 49

AMA Supercross 2019
250 Western Round Four

Colt Nichols scorched off the line only to be gazumped exiting the first turn by Adam Cianciarulo and Cameron McAdoo. RJ Hampshire was right there too but the #31 Honda went down late on the opening lap as Colt Nichols went past McAdoo and up to second place.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Main Cianciarulo Nichols McElrath J K Cover
Adam Cianciarulo, Colt Nichols, Shane McElrath

Colt Nichols was piling the pressure on Cianciarulo and looked to have enough speed to take the Kawasaki man as soon as a clear and safe opportunity presented itself. Nichols could not afford to bide his time too long though as closing in on him from behind was Shane McElrath and Dylan Ferrandis.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Colt Nichols J K
Colt Nichols

Cianciarulo made a few small mistakes under pressure from Nichols but then the Kawasaki man regathered himself, got smooth again and started to eke away from Nichols a little as the race approached the halfway mark.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Adam Cianciarulo J K
Adam Cianciarulo

It was at that middle stage of the race where they started to encounter a lot of lapped traffic and Dylan Ferrandis moves past Shane McElrath to move up to third place. The track was getting more chopped and the whoop sections were becoming more technical with every lap.

Dylan Ferrandis bushwhacked his team-mate Colt Nichols with five-minutes remaining in the Main and then broke away from the series leader and set out after race leader Cianciarulo. With three-minutes remaining the gap Ferrandis had to close down was 2.3-seconds. As they got the final lap board Ferrandis had the gap down to eight-tenths but Cianciarulo held on to take the win by 2.5-seconds.

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Cianciarulo J K
Adam Cianciarulo

Late in the race Colt Nichols had to fend off a determined challenge from Shane McElrath. There was nothing between them at the last lap board but Nichols got the better run through the lapped traffic to claim the final step on the rostrum.

Victorian racer Tomas Ravenhorst recorded the fastest lap in the LCQ but finished only seventh at the flag and thus missed out on starting the 250 Main.


Dylan Ferrandis – P2

“The YZ250F was awesome as always this season. It was also another demanding track this weekend, but I was feeling really good, really comfortable. My speed was great, but for sure with better starts it will be easier to win. I want more than second place, and that has had me frustrated, but I had some issues this week and didn’t train a lot. So, I’m happy to be on the box here in Oakland.”

Colt Nichols – P3

“The track was just really rutty and really demanding. The heart rate was really high, so that’s what made it tough to do consistent laps. A solid podium though, can’t ever complain about that, but of course always want more. Once you’ve won that’s all you want to do, but I’ll take a third for tonight, that’s all I had and move on to the next weekend.”

AMA SX Rnd Oakland Podium Cianciarulo Ferrandis Nichols J K
250SX Main Event Results
Adam Cianciarulo – Kawasaki 17 Laps
Dylan Ferrandis – Yamaha +02.570
Colt Nichols – Yamaha +04.609

250SX Main Event Results

  1. Adam Cianciarulo – Kawasaki 17 Laps
  2. Dylan Ferrandis – Yamaha +02.570
  3. Colt Nichols – Yamaha +04.609
  4. Shane Mcelrath – KTM +06.271
  5. Jacob Hayes – Yamaha +22.486
  6. Cameron Mcadoo – Honda +27.474
  7. Michael Mosiman – Husqvarna +29.637
  8. Garrett Marchbanks – Kawasaki +39.955
  9. Chris Blose – Husqvarna +43.159
  10. Sean Cantrell – KTM +1:05.526

250SX West Standings

  1. Colt Nichols Muskogee, OK 91
  2. Adam Cianciarulo New Smyrna Beach, FL 88
  3. Shane Mcelrath Canton, NC 87
  4. Dylan Ferrandis Murrieta, CA 86
  5. Rj Hampshire Wesley Chapel, FL 67
  6. Cameron Mcadoo Chesterfield, SC 58
  7. Chris Blose Phoenix, AZ 58
  8. Jacob Hayes Greensboro, NC 55
  9. Michael Mosiman Menifee, CA 55
  10. James Decotis Peabody, MA 52

Source: MCNews.com.au