The MXGP of Trentino proved the closest fought racing of the 2019 season thus far, as Tim Gajser claimed the MXGP overall with a duet of wins, while and Jorge Prado took the win in MX2 to close in on class leader Thomas Kjer Olsen.
Tim Gajser celebrated the round win after taking both MXGP race wins
Trentino hosts perhaps the most tranquil and serene circuit in the world, but the action was intense with all out battles. The venue set along Italy’s snowcapped dolomites filled with tens of thousands of fans all cheering with enthusiasm for what are the best motocross racers in the world.
As the first sessions hit the track and the stars of MXGP took to Trentino the crowd came to life. The majority of the fans cheering were for Italian motocross hero Antonio Cairoli but Cairoli’s main competitor, Tim Gajser had his own fans who made the trip from neighboring Slovenia cheering just as passionately.
Tim Gajser
There was also a very strong showing from Australian Mitch Evans in the MX2, where he claimed a consistent 6-7 result and 29 championship points. That moves him into eighth on the overall standings after four rounds.
Mitchell Evans
“I’ve not raced at Trentino before but it’s a cool track. It just took me a while to learn it. I tweeked my knee in the qualifying race and that made it a struggle to come through the pack as it was a little one-line out there. But no excuses, I know what I need to do to improve. For the races, I strapped up my knee and pushed through the pain and got good starts. From 24th in the qualifying race to seventh overall today, I couldn’t be any happier and really pleased with how Sunday went.”
Mitchell Evans
Fellow Aussie Jed Beaton took a 12-13 result and 17-points, and he now sits 13th in the overall standings.
Jed Beaton – P12
“I feel like it’s been an ok weekend for me. Things started off a little slow on Saturday and certainly not how I wanted it to go. But Sunday was much better. Two poor starts held me back in both motos though. I felt like my riding was good, but I have to get out the gate better. We have a good break now in the championship, so it gives me plenty of time to keep working and to focus on improving ahead of the re-start of the series.
Jed Beaton
MXGP
When MXGP Race 1 got underway Cairoli took the Fox Holeshot and lead but Gajser was in around 5th. Cairoli’s fellow Italians, Alessandro Lupino, and Ivo Monticelli were 2nd and 3rd ahead of Gautier Paulin.
Antonio Cairoli
Gajser was quick to make moves taking 4th from Paulin in turn 3 then he took 3rd from Monticelli in the next turn before getting past Lupino for second in the first half of the opening lap. Gajser’s high tempo put him just behind Cairoli where he latched on and eyed the lines of the Sicilian.
Monticelli meanwhile took 3rd from Lupino who dropped another spot to Paulin not along after. Paulin then worked his way past Monticelli to get into 3rd but Cairoli and Gajser were already long gone.
Gautier Paulin
Cairoli held the gap to Gajser at about 2 seconds for multiple laps but Gajser closed in as the laps ticked away and dropped the gap to within 1 second to apply pressure to the 9-time world champion.
On the 16th lap of 19 a bobble from Cairoli was all that Gajser need to take the lead away right in front of the Slovenian fans who cheered at the top of their lungs. Cairoli tried to retaliate quickly but a confident scrub and look from Gajser kept the Sicilian at bay.
Tim Gajser
In the remaining three laps Cairoli continued to push to get Gajser back but it didn’t work and the Slovenian crossed the line only 1.081 seconds ahead much to the pleasure of not only himself but, also the corner lined with his fans! Paulin took 3rd another 53 seconds further back of the leaders with Arnaud Tonus 4th and Monticelli 5th.
Race 2 was off to a good start for Gajser taking his first Fox Holeshot of the year. Cairoli was close in 2nd with the two Wilvo bikes of Paulin and Tonus again 3rd and 4th. Tommy Searle was in 5th a short moment before losing spots to Max Anstie, who didn’t finish race 1 and Ivo Monticelli.
Antonio Cairoli & Tim Gajser
All eyes were on the two at the front with Gajser creating a slight gap only to be taken back away by Cairoli. On the ninth lap a miscue from Gajser saw the #222 of Cairoli go past along Pit Lane and across the finish line.
With the Italian crowd on their feet Cairoli tried to pull away from the Slovenian but Gajser wasn’t having any of it as he took the lead back 5 laps later in the same spot which he had lost the position earlier.
Gautier Paulin
With 2 laps to go Cairoli returned the favor again in front of pitlane to the Italian fans roar and the teams nervous yet enthusiastic looks. Two mistakes from Cairoli would however decide the race as the pair pushed the limits of both each other and their factory race machines. Cairoli’s first mistake took him out of the preferred line and the next only a few meters later resulted in him losing the bike and lead.
Cairoli got back up but Gajser was in the clear leading the final two laps to the win, his first since Leon, Mexico in 2017. Gajser’s emotion excitement and pure joy were unmistakable as he dropped his bike and ran thank the Slovenian fans lining the fences for the support. Cairoli finished 24 seconds later and congratulated Gajser as the headed to the podium joined by Paulin in third.
Tim Gajser
The amazing racing and perfect weekend capped off by winning at Trentino for only the second time in his career, the first was actually his first ever MX2 win back in 2015, left both Gajser and Team HRC ecstatic.
Tim Gajser
“It is just unbelievable and it is my first win in more than a year. To be here in Arco is always special, to race in front of so many people, so many fans. Today we had two great races with Tony battling, we were both pushing. I’m just so happy and thankful that we won that overall. The fans, they just push you on because every lap you can hear them cheering for you, it’s just an unbelievable feeling here.”
Tim Gajser
Antonio Cairoli
“It is a positive weekend overall but I’m not happy with my second moto because I took a risk and crashed when I should have had the GP. A crash is always possible in motocross but we should take care not to get injured and it was close today. I’m disappointed by that but I’m happy to make the podium again: that’s four this season with three wins and a second place so it is difficult to be negative about how it has gone.”
Antonio Cairoli
Gautier Paulin
“It’s always great to be on the podium, I’m actually happy about the riding and being on the box at the end of the day, but definitely, Tim and Antonio were faster today. So, we need to improve, we need to step up to the challenge and ride with them, be in that fight because as a racer when you fight for a win like that is unbelievable, it’s nice, it’s fun. The crowd was awesome here in Italy, the fans were crazy and I wasn’t in the battle but I was hearing the crowd from everywhere, actually every corner, so it was kind of special but congrats to these guys today!”
Gautier Paulin
Arnaud Tonus – P4
“It’s hard to explain how I feel after the struggle I have been faced with over the last week. It’s pretty unbelievable. I am so happy I was able to fight through it and find some inside strength. I didn’t tell anyone I was unwell because I didn’t want it to affect me mentally. 4 – 4 this weekend is absolutely amazing after the struggle, so I am just very thankful to the team who have stuck behind me through my hardest times, so I can not thank them enough. It has given me a lot of motivation going into the next races.”
Arnaud Tonus
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:13.822
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.081
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:53.919
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +1:00.314
Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:03.786
Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:05.635
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:06.887
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +1:07.631
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +1:13.322
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +1:20.698.
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 34:11.454
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:24.305
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:53.333
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:57.384
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:58.712
Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:18.314
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:18.657
Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +1:25.075
Brian Bogers (NED, Honda), +1:31.843
Alessandro Lupino (ITA, Kawasaki), +1:36.522.
MXGP Overall Podium – 1) Tim Gajser, 2) Antonio Cairoli, 3) Gautier Paulin
MXGP Overall Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 50 points
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 44
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 40
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 36
Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), 31
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 28
Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KAW), 26
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 24
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 21
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 20
MXGP Championship Top Ten
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 191 points
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 175
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 142
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 120
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 113
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 112
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 98
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 88
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 79
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, YAM), 71
MX2
Even though the MXGP class hosted many of the fan favorites the atmosphere for the MX2 races was just as electric. MX2 racing started off with Jorge Prado taking his 4th Fox Holeshot of the year and leading Darian Sanayei. Prado’s rookie teammate Tom Vialle was 3rd followed by Iker Larranaga and Jago Geerts.
MX2 Start – Trentino MXGP
Thomas Kjer Olsen was in 5th position before he fell on the first laps then and had work his way back into the lead group. Sanayei faded quickly as he continues his battle with Epstein Barr virus.
Henry Jacobi got past Larranaga in the first half of the race and the Spaniard continued to lose spots as the action went on including one to Olsen who then took back the 5th position he fell out of earlier from Mitch Evans.
Mitchell Evans
Prado was long gone in the lead and took the race win by over 12 seconds while Geerts made a last lap pass into second for the second weekend in a row. Vialle came across the checkers in 3rd followed by Jacobi, Olsen, and Evans.
MX2 Race 2 was off to another picture-perfect Prado performance with the Fox Holeshot, now his 5th of 2019, and 19 laps in the lead. The racing behind Prado was intense though after a first turn pileup.
Jorge Prado
Vialle again was 2nd at the start of the race and had Jacobi along with BUD Racing Kawasaki’s Brian Moreau right in tow. Geerts was in 6th at the beginning but passed Olsen and got into 4th a few laps in.
Tom Vialle
Henry Jacobi made a mistake and dropped from 3rd to 6th which put Geerts in the position to pass Vialle we he did at the halfway point. Olsen also made it by the young Frenchman to get into 3rd. Ben Watson got into 4th then put a last lap pass on Olsen to finish 3rd.
Thomas Kjer Olsen still retains the MX2 lead
Prado’s domination was impressive taking the Qualifying win yesterday, the two race wins today and the overall, all by substantial margin. Geerts’ 2-2 put him on the podium for the second round in a row while Vialle’s 3-6 took the final podium position, his second this season as well.
Jorge Prado
“Three years racing in MX2 here and three victories: there must be something at this track for me! I felt comfortable and we have been training hard after the time-off with the injury and a bit more riding time. I was happy coming here. The qualification heat gave me confidence and two very good starts today was really important on this track because it is tough to pass. Good riding and a good result. I’ll just try to keep on doing what I’m doing and avoid the mistakes.”
Jorde Prado
Jago Geerts
“It was a really good weekend for me, I had top five starts so that was a really positive and the riding was good, I felt good on track all weekend and ended up second overall. I’m really up with the results…I’ve been working hard at getting better on hard pack tracks.”
Jago Geerts
Tom Vialle
“A second podium in four GPs is unbelievable. When they called me to come in after the finish line I thought they had made a mistake! I was a bit disappointed a few moments before because I thought I’d lost it. I was so happy to learn I was third and was actually happy with my riding the whole weekend considering this was my first visit to this circuit. I love trying new tracks and new ground and it played into my favour today.”
Tom Vialle
Thomas Kjer-Olsen – P5
“It’s not been the perfect weekend here, but I’m still leading the MX2 championship and I think I showed some good speed. Everyone knows this track is really difficult to pass on and I experienced that in the first moto. The second race was better, but after running third for so many laps it’s tough not getting a top three result. But finishing 5-4 gives me good championship points. I’ll keep working hard during the weeks off to be 100% ready for the next GP.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Finishing 12th overall Jed Beaton placed just outside the top 10 in each moto in 12th and 13th following less than perfect starts.
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 35:17.013
Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:12.125
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:14.130
Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:31.658
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:33.302
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:38.284
Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:39.054
Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:44.903
Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:47.005
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), +0:50.563
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 34:49.733
Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:02.862
Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:06.293
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), +0:09.387
Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:19.496
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:21.773
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:33.318
Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:37.485
Brent Van doninck (BEL, Honda), +0:38.333
Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:47.400.
Jorde Prado
MX2 Overall Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 44
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 35
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 34
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 34
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 34
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 29
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 26
Bas Vaessen (NED, KTM), 21
Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 21 p. …12. Jed Beaton 17 p
MX2 Championship Top Ten
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 170 points
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 150
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 147
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 129
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 125
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 121
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 107
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 89
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 89
Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 76 …13. Jed Beaton 54
EMX250
EMX250 Race 1 on Saturday started in dramatic fashion as riders piled up in both the first and second turn. Kevin Horgmocame away unscathed and held the lead early but Stephen Rubini moved to the premiere positionin the second lap.
EMX250 Start – Trentino
Rubini led the way while the championship leader, Alberto Forato, was back in around 4th. Forato made passes on both Pierre Goupillon and Horgmo to get into 2nd.
Horgmo fought the Italian back and led the next lap across the finish but then returned to 3rd another lap later. Forato was in pursuit of the lead and Rubini until the Frenchman lost the lead on his own accord.
Forato graciously accepted the gifted lead and never looked back taking the win by 11.6 seconds over Rubini. Horgmo took 3rd while Goupillon and Giuseppe Tropepe rounded out the top 5.
Sunday’s race 2 was led by Rubini after the start but he had Forato making quick passes behind him to apply pressure from 2nd. On the 2nd official lap Rubini was passed down the Pit Lane straight parallel to the start by Forato to the home crowd’s cheers but Forato then fell handing Rubini the lead straight back.
Forato got back up and immediately went back to work seemingly unphased taking the lead role back by the next time across the finish. Goupillon was watching the battle for the lead from slightly further behind in before eventually getting passed by Tropepe for 3rd position.
At the finish Forato carried on his dominant and perfect season with his 4th race win in 4 races and second overall. Rubini finish both second in the race and 2nd overall while Tropepe took the final podium spot.
Alberto Forato
“For sure I feel very good because the home GP is always fun. Here there is a lot of fans and a lot of friends came too. I got 1st and 1st so it couldn’t be any better.”
Alberto Forato
EMX250 Overall Top Ten
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 50 points
Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 44
Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 36
Pierre Goupillon (FRA, HON), 33
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 31
Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 31
Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), 28
Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 28
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 28
Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 18
Alberto Forato topped the EMX250 Overall Podium from Stephen Rubini and Pierre Goupillion
EMX250 Championship Top Ten
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 100 points
Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 80
Pierre Goupillon (FRA, HON), 67
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 63
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 59
Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 57
Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 53
Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, YAM), 51
Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), 50
Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 33
EMX125
EMX125 was clear cut with Mattia Guadagnini leading every single one of the 15 laps. Guillem Farres Plaza was the closest to Guadagnini as he ran in 2nd for the first 7 laps.
EMX125 Start – Trentino
Tom Guyon was the man on a mission however as he came from 7th to take over Plaza’s 2nd position at the halfway point. Kay de Wolf was third until Guyon passed him on the way to 2nd.
When the checkered flag went out Guadagnini was the winner followed by Guyon, Plaza, De Wolf, and Jorgen-Matthias Talviku.
Sunday saw the sound of two strokes brought life to the circuit for race 2 as the first event on track. The earlier winner, Guadagnini was off to another dominant performance, leading the first laps of race 2 ahead of De Wolf and Simon Laengenfelder.
Laengenfelder got up to 2nd position with De Wolf dropping to third ahead of Guyon who went past both the next lap. Just as quickly as the #516 WZ-Racing machine slotted into 2nd it was shuffled back to 4th before returning to 3rd another lap later.
For the final 6 laps each of the rider in the top seven held their positions meaning that Guadagnini scored the overall with 1-1 finishes and he extended his points lead in front of the home fans. Guyon and De Wolf meanwhile rounded out the podium going 2-2 and 3-3 respectively.
Mattia Guadagnini
“It was a perfect weekend, I had two good starts and then took the lead in the first lap. I had a good feeling on the bike and the track plus there are a lot of friends here and to win in Italy is something special, it was so good!”
Mattia Guadagnini
EMX125 Overall Top Ten
Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 50 points
Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 44
Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 36
Guillem Farres Plaza (ESP, KTM), 33
Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 31
Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 27
Alberto Barcella (ITA, KTM), 27
Matias Vesterinen (FIN, KTM), 26
Liam Everts (BEL, KTM), 24
Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 22
Mattia Guadagnini claimed top EMX125 honours in Trentino, from Tom Guyon and Kay de Wolf
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Houston AMA SX Falls to Webb and Ferrandis
Houston hosted the 13th round of the AMA Supercross Championships last weekend and it was Cooper Webb and Dylan Ferrandis who took maximum points in the 450SX and 250SX West respectively in the third and final ‘triple crown’ main event format for the year.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Report
The triple crown program features three x 12 minute main events and Ken Roczen not only pulled the holeshot in the first of the three but the German also went on to win by a staggering 10 seconds. The action behind changed the status within team KTM and this championship after Marvin Musquin and Webb ‘drive bombed’ each other at almost every turn for the first few laps until Musquin got pushed off the track by Webb as they entered ‘the wall jump’ that preceded the sand section.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Oblivious to the drama behind, Roczen took the win ahead of Webb and Wilson and while the second main didn’t see the same ‘bar banging’ action it did see Roczen go down in the first corner before leaving the stadium with what seemed to be a damaged knee or ankle while Webb rallied to score the win over Dean Wilson and Musquin then in the third main Musquin squirted away for the win ahead of Eli Tomac and a cruising Webb who was fully aware that a third would give him the overall ahead of Musquin and Wilson.
Eli Tomac (6-7-2), Cole Seely (4-4-11), Zach Osborne (10-6-4), Justin Bogle (8-5-7), Blake Baggett (9-9-6), Joey Savatgy (7-11-9) and Ken Roczen (1-21-8) rounded out the top ten.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Webb now has a 17-point lead with four rounds remaining and admitted that he got a little frustrated during the opening moto and will learn from the experience while the good news for Roczen fans is that the Honda rider came back out for the final race and finished 8th – news of his injury status will be confirmed in the coming days.
Cooper Webb
“It is intense racing. I got frustrated and let it show, that is not the way to do it for sure because we let Ken (Roczen) get away, I will learn from it and try to contain the emotions a bit better and like Marv said, we are team mates but we are one and two in the championships so it’s a tough line but I will be better moving forward.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin
“Triple crown is always intense with only 12 minute races so everyone is pushing really hard and I made the pass (on Webb) in the first left hander but then got passed in the whoops before making a good pass on Cooper, everyone was pushing hard and Cooper made an aggressive pass on me which pushed me off the track but this is triple crown and you have to be consistent so sometimes it is not the fastest guy who wins the overall.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Dean Wilson
“Getting back on the podium feels great, it’s been over a year but it is a tough class, I put myself in good positions in the first two races with top three off the start which helps so much, overall my riding has been good but it is a mental game for me because I have been bucked off the horse quite a few times so sometimes I don’t believe in myself like I should, I want to thank my support group for getting me through this.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Cole Seely
“Tonight was pretty good. I finally finished in the top five, which is where I feel like I should’ve been all year. The way things have been going so far have been frustrating, and it’s hard to explain; the toll the injury took on me last year was a lot more intense and in-depth than I thought it was. It’s been a long road to get back to here but I feel like I’ve had speed all year, I just haven’t been able to put it all together. The results haven’t been translating into how well I think I really have ridden most of the year. It feels good to finally break into that top five and run up front with those guys in the first two mains, relatively easy, too. I know it’s not a traditional 20-minute main but it felt like it was coming to me pretty easy, so that’s definitely a confidence booster heading into the final rounds. It’s a bummer it’s taken this long to come around, but I’m happy it did and we’re going to keep working forward.”
2019 AMA Supercross – Round 13 – Houston
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb: 2-1-3 = 26pts
Marvin Musquin: 5-3-1 = 23pts
Dean Wilson: 3-2-5= 21pts
Eli Tomac: 6-7-2 = 19pts
Cole Seely: 4-4-11 = 18pts
Zach Osborne: 10-6-4 = 17pts
Justin Bogle: 8-5-7 = 16pts
Blake Baggett: 9-9-6 = 15pts
Joey Savatgy: 7-11-9 = 14pts
Ken Roczen: 1-21-8 = 13pts
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
450SX Points after 13 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 288
Marvin Musquin – 271
Eli Tomac – 262
Ken Roczen – 252
Blake Baggett – 215
Dean Wilson – 201
Joey Savatgy – 173
Cole Seely – 160
Chad Reed – 151
Justin Barcia – 150
250 West Coast Report
It looked like Adam Cianciarulo was set to extend his 15 point lead over Ferrandis in the championship after the Kawasaki rider won the opening main well ahead of Ferrandis and RJ Hampshire. However the second moto turned sour when Adam spewed through the tuff boxes on the exit of the first corner and then as he was coming back through the field he clipped another rider mid-air and crashed his way to a 10th place finish as Ferrandis cruised to a win ahead of Hampshire, Garrett Marchbanks and Nichols.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
The final main saw Nichols out front ahead of Ferrandis while Cianciarulo was once again on the ground but Adam quickly made his way through the pack to end the race in third behind Nichols and his teammate Ferrandis who scored his second overall win in two weeks to be just five points behind championship leader Cianciarulo with two rounds remaining.
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Ferrandis, Hampshire and Nichols got to enjoy the podium accolades while Cianciarulo (1-10-3), James Decotis (6-5-6), Cameron Mcadoo (9-6-5), Justin Starling (12-8-8), Sean Cantrell (11-7-13), Garrett Marchbanks (10-3-19) and Chris Blose (8-19-7) rounded out the top ten.
Dylan Ferrandis
“It is good to be back in the championship, it is exciting for the end of the season, I will not change anything (leading up to the final two rounds), I will keep working with my trainer and do everything I can to challenge AC (Cianciarulo) for this championship.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
RJ Hampshire
“I haven’t cracked to top five in the recent races so we made huge improvements this week with the bike so I had good starts all night that lead into good finishes, I didn’t do anything special all day, I just rode so stocked to be up here in second place.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
Colt Nichols
“I really wanted to race and didn’t want to miss a weekend after last weekend’s DNF so we just dealt with the soreness to manage decent results in the first two mains then win the last which is exactly what I wanted to do, it’s just good to win something again, it’s been a while.”
2019 AMA Supercross Round 13 – Houston – Image by Hoppenworld
The West Coast riders have a break next weekend as the East Coast riders head to Nashville for their 7th round.
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Clout and Todd Top Wonthaggi MX Nationals
Under stormy skies and intermittent rain, the second round of the MX Nationals was held in Wonthaggi last weekend and it was Luke Clout who earned the MX1 overall while defending champion Wilson Todd was in a class of his own on the way to victory in the MX2 class.
2019 MX Nationals Round 2 – Wonthaggi
MX1 Report
With rain soaking the track it was tough going throughout the day but the surprise of the opening moto was Lawson Bopping leading by the field ahead of foreign imports Erki Kahro (Estonia) and Justin Rodbell (USA) while Luke Clout was back in 6th, Hayden Mellross 8th, Brett Metcalfe 12th, Kirk Gibbs 14th and championship leader Todd Waters 28th after opening lap crash that ended up resulting in a DNF.
Luke Clout chases down Waters and Mellross
Bopping was impressive out front but with five laps to go the Kawasaki rider was obviously showing signs of a lack of race fitness so it was Kahro who made his move to take the lead then it wasn’t long before a hard charging Clout also made his way to second place.
With lapped riders causing all sorts of chaos Clout closed in on Kahro and with five corners left Clout sliced his way to the lead and the win but Clout’s celebrations where cut short after he was dropped back to second thanks to a 10 second penalty for exceeding track boundaries.
Kirk Gibbs
In much better conditions Rodbell pulled the holeshot in the second moto ahead of Waters and Karo but Richie Evans, Kirk Gibbs and Brett Metcalfe all went down in the first corner.
18-year-old Rodbell couldn’t hold Waters back for long so the early running saw Waters leading Rodbell, Clout, Karo and Mellross until Karo took a heavy fall and dropped out of contention allowing privateer Charlie Creech to move into the top five.
Todd Waters & Luke Clout
In the second half of the moto Clout received a 20 second race penalty for exceeding track limits again and Mellross high-sided his KTM but was sharp enough to get back and rejoin the race behind Clout so at the chequered flag it was Waters who took the win ahead of Clout who had etched out enough time to earn second ahead of Mellross despite the 20-second penalty while Rodbell and Rykers finished fourth, and fifth – Kahro clawed his way back to sixth.
Hayden Mellross
Despite being penalised in both races Clout’s 2-2 earned the CDR Yamaha rider the overall win ahead of Mellross and Karo and more importantly Mellross has earned the red plate as the points leader ahead of Clout, Gibbs and Waters as they head towards round three of the championship at Broadford, Vic, on April 14th.
Luke Clout
“I don’t know what happened, If I end up getting the win, or I end up getting second I don’t really care, it’s a good ride for me. I was really mature in my riding.”
Luke Clout
Erki Kahro
“It was just a really tough moto, it was a really good track, a really hard track. A proper motocross track.”
Lawson Bopping
“It was a great weekend, and I had a lot of fun with the team, I struggled a little in practice and got arm pump straight up – that was to be expected – I haven’t done a national in three years. I qualified in 12th, which wasn’t real great, but I ripped an awesome start in the first moto and led for maybe 20 minutes – that was awesome! I put the fade on in the last 10 minutes and a few guys got around me. Leading those few laps at the start made my whole weekend and it was a good time! The second moto was pretty miserable, to be honest. I think I went pretty hard in the first race and I was pretty flat for the second one, but overall we’re happy.”
Lawson Bopping
Jesse Dobson
“Today was tough, but overall really positive, I didn’t realise I made Superpole at the time and rode back to my pit and started getting undressed! I had to rush to get back on the track and I ended up with arm-pump. I had a good start in race one and pushed forward to fifth, but I only have the one bike, so when it started to get hot, I pulled over and my mechanic Aiden helped me clear the radiators rather than wreck it with a race to go, before pushing hard again to finish 12th, I was confident lining up for race two but ended up caught in the first turn pile up after the FC450 jumped out of gear at the start and put me behind. I charged hard to 6th, 20-minutes into the race, but in the last few laps the rear wheel bearings collapsed and I had to work hard to stay on track and make sure I got to finish line. I finished 7th on track, but I was penalised 10-seconds for overtaking a lapped rider outside the track markers, when I was working hard to just keep the bike on track and moving forward, I’ve put my case to the officials for review, so we’ll see what happens there.”
Jesse Dobson
Kirk Gibbs
“It wasn’t a great day for me and I leave here pretty frustrated and angry, I was way back in moto one and was moving forward when another rider went down and took me with them and I lost plenty of time there and then in the second one I went down at the start, had to stop into the mechanics area to get the bike straightened out and was a long way behind the field when I re-joined the race. I kept on chipping away and managed to get myself back to seventh and felt I rode alright but seventh isn’t where I belong and makes my determined to bounce back at round three in a couple of weeks’ time.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Report
The Pirelli MX2 class ran three motos on the day starting with two back to back 8-lap motos followed by a traditional 15-minute moto and Wilson Todd was completely dominant in all three to earn the overall ahead of Aaron Tanti and former red plate holder Jye Roberts.
Wilson Todd
Wilson now has a 9-point lead over Roberts who in turn has a 5-point lead over former champion Jay Wilson – thankfully there were no course cutting penalties to report on in the MX2 class.
Wilson Todd
“I felt good coming into this weekend, the FC250 is working unreal for me, and I’m really comfortable being back with DPH, I wanted to really race this weekend after Appin, and I’m super stoked to have first gate pick and then take all three race wins. As the track dried, it got faster, and I was able to put in some really strong, consistent laps and the hard work I’ve been putting in is really starting to show.”
Wilson Todd
Aaron Tanti
“I had race one under control and didn’t really feel much pressure from behind me but as I came down the pit board straight, I felt the front wheel aquaplane in the mud and by the time it grabbed traction again, I was already heading off track. But second was still a good finish, race two was pretty average but I was able to rebound well in the final one and get on the podium. Thanks to everyone in the Serco Yamaha team. The first two rounds have been a nightmare for the mechanics and they have done a good job of keeping the bikes in great shape. Next up is Broadford and I’m looking forward to that and hopefully keep this momentum going.”
Aaron Tanti
Kyle Webster
“The first race in the morning was pretty wet and the mud was tough, but nevertheless I was running top four for most of the moto and was feeling good, until the last lap when my bike stopped due to overheating. With the back-to-back format I had to get back to the start and get straight on my practice bike for the second moto, which meant I didn’t get a chance to prep my gate which in turn meant I got a bad start and it was all I could do to work my way up to fifth by the finish of the moto. That final moto was a much better way to end a day that definitely didn’t start the way I was hoping,”
Kyle Webster
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 1 Top 10
Wilson Todd
Aaron Tanti
Cooper Pozniak
Jay Wilson
Jye Dickson
Nathan Crawford
Jy Roberts
Sam Pelz
Issac Ferguson
Dylan Wills
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 2 Top 10
Wilson Todd
Jy Roberts
Joel Evans
Cooper Pozniak
Kyle Webster
Bailey Malkiewicz
Sam Pelz
Riley Dukes
Aaron Tanti
Jye Dickson
Jay Wilson
Nathan Crawford
Pirelli MX2 – Moto 3 Top 10
Wilson Todd
Kyle Webster
Jay Wilson
Aaron Tanti
Jy Roberts
Dylan Wills
Jye Dickson
Nathan Crawford
Sam Pelz
Issac Ferguson
MX2 Overall Round Podium – 1) Wilson Todd, 2) Aaron Tanti, 3) Jy Roberts
Pirelli MX2 – Top Ten Overall
Wilson Todd – 70
Aaron Tanti – 56
Jy Roberts – 56
Jay Wilson – 54
Cooper Pozniak – 52
Jye Dickson – 49
Sam Pelz – 48
Kyle Webster – 46
Nathan Crawford – 43
Issac Ferguson – 42
MX2 Points after 3 of 10 Rounds
Wilson Todd – 100
Jy Roberts – 91
Jay Wilson – 86
Aaron Tanti – 77
Cooper Pozniak – 76
Issac Ferguson – 70
Nathan Crawford – 68
Jye Dickson – 64
Dylan Wills – 63
Kyle Webster – 62
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MXD Report
Of the young guns of the sport Regan Duffy dominated the MXD class with a pair of wins to take the round overall and more importantly the championship points lead by 4 points ahead of Rhys Buss while former championship leader Max Purvis went 18-2 for 7th on the day and now sits 3rd in the points.
Rhys Budd
Rhys Budd
“Wonthaggi is known as a really tough sand track, and truth be told I am not much of a sand rider but I actually felt really strong at Wonthaggi. Third overall for the round is good and it means I am a solid second in the championship standings after two rounds, which I’m really pleased about, I can’t wait to get back home to Sydney and just keep working hard toward the next round. The MX Nationals is a long series, for sure, but my plan is to keep hitting my targets and to be right there at the end of the championship.”
Rhys Budd
Motul MXD – Moto 1 Top 10
Regan Duffy
Mason Rowe
Rhys Budd
Noah Ferguson
Mason Semmens
Brodie Ellis
Jai Walker
Tye Jones
Jack Kukas
Mackenzie O’Bree
Motul MXD – Moto 2 Top 10
Regan Duffy
Maximus Purvis
Mason Rowe
Rhys Budd
Noah Ferguson
Mason Semmens
Brodie Ellis
Liam Andrews
Jack Kukas
Micheal Murphy
Regan Duffy claimed the overall win and red plate, with Mason Row and Rhys Budd closing out the podium
Motul MXD – Top Ten Overall
Regan Duffy – 70
Mason Rowe – 62
Rhys Budd – 58
Noah Ferguson – 54
Mason Semmens – 51
Brodie Ellis – 49
Maximus Purvis – 45
Jack Kukas – 44
Jai Walker – 39
Mackenzie O’Bree – 37
MXD Championship Points
Regan Duffy – 94
Rhys Budd – 90
Maximus Purvis – 80
Mason Rowe – 78
Noah Ferguson – 69
125cc Gold Cup Report
Cameron Taylor tops the 125 podium at Wonthaggi from Joshua Kilvington and Nicholas Murray
Multi Australian Champion Cameron Taylor put his experience to good use to win both of the 125cc Gold Cup motos in tough conditions at Wonthaggi while Queenslander Josh Kilvington earned second with 2-2 moto results ahead of Nicholas Murray (4-3) and the hard charging Clay Kilvington (3-4), Josh’s younger brother.
Yamaha 125cc Gold Cup – Rd 2 Overall
Cameron Taylor – 70
Joshua Kilvington – 64
Nicholas Murray – 58
Clay Kilvington – 58
Jedidiah Cornthwaite – 51
Lachlan Wilson – 48
Nick Davis – 48
Darcy Cavanagh – 45
Ryan Butler – 44
Baylee Davies – 42
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Cairoli and Prado Blitz Valkenswaard
Round three of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship was held at Valkenswaard in the Netherlands last weekend and it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado who won the MXGP and MX2 classes respectively.
Tony Cairoli takes the holeshot – Image by Ray Archer
MXGP Report
Valkenswaard is one of the toughest tracks on MXGP calendar with the undulating, sand infested layout chopping out into a rut infested torture test but that didn’t stop Cairoli earning two holeshots, two wins and the maximum 50 points.
Clement Desalle
Clement Desalle’s 2-5 scores earned 38 points for second overall and Tim Gajser’s crash in the opening moto saw the Honda pilot end the weekend with 7-2 moto finishes for 36 points and third overall.
Cairoli already has more than a moto up his sleeve in the championship points with the 9-time World Champion storming to his 88th GP win and heads to his home GP in Trentino with a 27-point lead over Gajser.
Antonio Cairoli
“Overall I’m happy going into Trentino next week. Having the first three GP wins this year it’s nice. Of course, it’s not easy, Tim is very fast at the moment and it’s nice to have such a high rhythm in the race for us, for the fans, and for everybody.”
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Clement Desalle
“I’m happy going into Trentino next week. Having the first three GP wins this year it’s nice. Of course, it’s not easy, Tim is very fast at the moment and it’s nice to have such a high rhythm in the race for us, for the fans, and for everybody.”
Clement Desalle
Tim Gajser
“I’m happy to finish on the podium again. But yeah I’m a little bit disappointed. In the first race I had a good start and I was in third place behind Tony and Max, then I make a mistake and I fell so I had to came through the pack. Anyway we’re looking forward to next weekend in Arco, definitely many fans from Slovenia are going to be there and I’m excited.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Report
Prado won the opening moto by seven seconds over Thomas Kjer Olsen, Henry Jacobi, Calvin Vlaanderen and Ben Watson while Jed Beaton finished a solid 10th but fellow Aussie Mitch Evans was storming his way forward from a poor start only to have to retire with a mechanical issue.
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Prado won the second moto by five seconds ahead of Jago Geerts, Kjer Olsen, Vlaanderen and Watson with Evan bouncing back to finish in 10th while Beaton finished in a credible 15th despite still recovering from injury.
Prado earned the overall while Olsen took second to maintain the red plate and a 36 point lead over Prado ahead of next weekend’s MXGP of Trentino.
Jorge Prado
“I had a good feeling both days, It’s still not where I want because we still need to work but I’m going in the right direction. Trentino should be a great weekend hopefully. I have good memories from there and I have good races there every year. Hopefully we can make another good one next week.”
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“I feel pretty good with my performance. I got two good starts in the races, which I was pretty happy about. It made it a little bit easier for me to not have to battle all the way through the field. Prado was riding really good, I didn’t feel like I was riding bad or anything myself, I had a pretty good flow it just wasn’t quite enough.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Jago Geerts
“It was a really good week for me, the first race didn’t go as planned but in the second race I was pretty fired up, in the last lap I got second place and took third on the podium so I was pretty happy with that.”
Jago Geerts
Jed Beaton
“I had an OK GP and felt good on my bike, in the opening moto my pace was good so I managed to secure a top-10 result. Then in the second moto, I pushed a bit more than I needed to early on and ended up getting a little fatigued. Then injury I picked up during the pre-season hasn’t allowed me to spend as much time as I would have liked on a bike. Around a tough track like Valkenswaard it is always important to be on top of your game. At the moment I’m taking one step at a time and I’m trying to get better every time I race.”
Jed Beaton
Mitch Evans
“Tough day in the office riding with a lot of pain from yesterday’s crash. Moto 1 I made my way up to 13th before having to make a pit stop due to a mechanical but happy with my 10th place in moto 2! Thanks to my Honda114 Motorsports Team! Keeping a smile on my face and enjoying every day, good or bad!”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Verstappen Takes WMX First Blood
Valkenswaard hosted the first round of the 2019 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship and despite Kiwi Courtney Duncan being the fastest on the track it was Amandine Verstappen who took the overall win and red plate for the very first time in her career.
Amandine Verstappen
39 women stormed into the first corner of the opening moto and it was all Duncan with the Kawasaki pilot taking the win by 6.6 seconds ahead of Verstappen, Larissa Papenmeier, Nancy Van De Ven and Shana van der Vlist while Aussie Meghan Rutledge managed to get back to 9th after a poor start.
The second moto was looking to be the same outcome but on lap seven Duncan crashed heavily over the rut infested finish line jump but in a crash that would have left mere mortals laying around in pain, Duncan ran back to her bike, remounted and despite it taking ages to get her bike going managed to get back to a credible 7th,
Courtney Duncan
At the finish it was a race win for Van de Ven who had an eight second gap back to Verstappen while Papenmeier, Shana van der Vlist and Line Dam rounded out the top five with Duncan and Rutledge coming home 7th and 8th.
Verstappen’s 2-2 moto results earned her the overall ahead of Van De Ven, Papenmeier, Duncan, van der Vlist, Lynn Valk, Dam and Rutledge as the Women head to the MXGP of Portugal on the 18th and 19th of May in Agueda.
Meghan Rutledge
WMX Overall Top Ten
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 44 points
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 43
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40
Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 39
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 34
Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 29
Line Dam (DEN, HON), 26
Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 25
Virginie Germond (SUI, KTM), 18
WMX Overall Podium – 1) Verstappen, 2) Van De Ven, 3) Papenmeier
WMX Championship Top Ten
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, YAM), 44 points
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 43
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, YAM), 40
Courtney Duncan (NZL, KAW), 39
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), 34
Lynn Valk (NED, YAM), 29
Line Dam (DEN, HON), 26
Meghan Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 25
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, YAM), 25
Virginie Germond (SUI, KTM), 18
Guadagnini starts EMX125 championship on top
Maddii Racing Husqvarna’s Mattia Guadagnini has won the opening round of the EMX125 Championship which was held at the Dutch circuit of Valkenswaard last weekend.
100 riders tried to qualify for the 40 championship gate positions and after a very tough weekend of racing it was Guadagnini’s 1-4 moto results that earned the overall win while Jorgen-Matthias Talviku and second moto winner Tom Guyon rounded out the podium.
EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing ChampionshipTop Ten
Mattia Guadagnini (ITA, HUS), 43 points
Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (EST, HUS), 42
Tom Guyon (FRA, KTM), 39
Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 38
Oriol Oliver (ESP, KTM), 34
Mike Gwerder (SUI, KTM), 26
Max Palsson (SWE, KTM), 21
Simon Laengenfelder (GER, KTM), 20
Joel Rizzi (GBR, KTM), 20
Alessandro Facca (ITA, KTM), 17
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Ferris pulls out of MXGP opportunity
Dean Ferris has pulled out of filling in for Romain Febvre at the Monster Energy Yamaha team and is back in Australia to recuperate from of a minor knee injury he sustained at the MXGP of Great Britain two weekends ago.
Dean Ferris sustained a knee injury in Britain
Ferris was expected to compete in three GPs in Great Britain, The Netherlands and Trentino, but has been forced to withdraw due to complications with his knee and to keep his options open for a ride in America for the AMA Motocross Nationals that kick off in May.
Massimo Raspanti – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team Manager
“It’s a shame that Dean’s opportunity has been cut short. He was improving every time he rode the bike and was a pleasure to have around the team. Luck is a factor in top-level motocross and both Dean and Romain have been unlucky this season. I hope he makes a quick recovery, and I wish him the best for the rest of the year.”
Sunderland leads Abu Dhabi Desert challenge
After just two stages KTM rider Sam Sunderland leads the six stage Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in the back of winning the opening stage then backing that up with a solid fifth on a tough stage two.
Thanks to winning the first stage, Sunderland was the first to enter stage two navigating through the looped timed special that took riders around the Liwa oasis area, Sunderland led the majority of the route, only to be passed late in the day by Jose Ignacio Cornejo, Joan Barreda, Andrew Short and Luciano Benavides.
Sam Sunderland
“Starting first on the route is always going to be a disadvantage obviously, but I’m pleased with how I rode and believe I did a good job of opening the stage. I set a good pace all day and only got caught by Andrew at around kilometre 200, which is really good for leading out here in Abu Dhabi as it’s always quite tricky to navigate and easy to lose time when riding at the front. I am very pleased with how everything is going at the moment – the bike is perfect and the team are doing great. Hopefully the wind eases off a little as it makes everyone’s job a little harder, but it’s the desert and it can be expected. Looking forward to getting going again tomorrow.”
Sam Sunderland – 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
The 434km third stage marks the rally’s halfway point and will feature a 300km special stage.
Provisional Results Stage Two – 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 3:13:21
Joan Barreda (SPA), Honda, 3:15:04 +1:43
Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 3:16:19 +2:58
Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:16:51 +3:30
Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 3:19:16 +5:55
Provisional Overall Standings (after Stage Two)
Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 6:59:57
Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 7:00:48 +0:51
Andrew Short (USA), Husqvarna, 7:04:09 +4:12
Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 7:06:39 +6:42
Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 7:20:17 +20:20
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Thad Duvall wins Steele Creek GNCC
Steele City, Morganton hosted round three of the 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) last weekend it was Thad Duvall who became the third winner of the season at the 20th Annual FMF Steele Creek GNCC.
Kailub Russell grabbed the holeshot – Image by Ken Hill
Defending champion Kailub Russell grabbed the holeshot and led Duvall and Trevor Bollinger into the woods of North Carolina and over the next two plus hours Duvall battled with Russell and Bollinger, going from first to third multiple times but Duvall made his way to the front of the pack on the last lap after Russell became stuck in a rut behind lapped riders.
With the finish line in sight Duvall and Russell engaged in a heated battle, but as the chequered flag flew it was Duvall coming through first, just two seconds ahead of Russell while Bollinger fell of the pace thanks to getting stuck on one of the famous uphills twice but still managed third.
Thad Duvall – Image by Ken Hill
Steward Baylor Jr, Josh Toth, Jordan Ashburn, Josh Strang, Cory Buttrick, Andrew Delong and Layne Michael rounded out the top ten.
After suffering a rare defeat at the second round, Aussie Tayla Jones took out the WXC class ahead of Becca Sheets and fellow Aussie Mackenzie Tricker – Jones now leads the championship by just three points over Sheets.
The 2019 GNCC Series returns in two weeks, April 13-14, with the CST Tires Camp Coker Bullet in Society Hill, South Carolina.
XC1 Pro Event Results
Thad Duvall (HQV)
Kailub Russell (KTM)
Trevor Bollinger (HQV)
Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM)
Josh Toth (KTM)
Jordan Ashburn (KAW)
Josh Strang (KAW)
Cory Buttrick (YAM)
Andrew Delong (HON)
Layne Michael (HQV)
Overall National Championship Standings
Kailub Russell (80)
Thad Duvall (72)
Steward Baylor Jr. (66)
Trevor Bollinger (62)
Ben Kelley (47)
Josh Toth (46)
Josh Strang (43)
Jordan Ashburm (36)
Jonathan Girroir (35)
Michael Witkowski (32)
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Holcombe continues Italian Enduro Championship domination
Beta Factory Racing’s Steve Holcombe has secured his second victory in the Italian Enduro Championship with an overall win at round three. Fresh from his winning ride at last weekend’s Enduro World Championship, the defending Italian Enduro Champion continued his impressive form into the Arma di Taggia event to secure his second win in as many races and extend his lead at the top of the Italian championship series.
Faced with a varied set of special tests – ranging from a cross test on the beach to a rocky and technical extreme test in the mountains – the third stop of the series proved a challenging one from the off. Steve secured the overall victory and with it he extends his lead in the championship standings to 17 points. The Italian Enduro Championship continues with round four in Pontremoli on April 14.
Steve Holcombe
“I’m chuffed to have come away with the win today after making it hard on myself this morning. I’m not really sure what was up, but I just didn’t have a great opening lap and struggled to find my rhythm. I got it together on lap two and three and when I won the second extreme test that motivated me to push hard and close the gap. I think the extreme test is where the race came back to me because I managed to win that test on the final two laps as well, which put me back in contention. All told, I’m delighted to have got another victory – that’s two wins from three starts in the Italian championship, which is cool. We’ve got about two weeks off now until round four, which I’m looking forward too – it’ll give me a chance to recover from what’s been a busy couple of weeks racing and allow me time to work on a few areas I need to improve on, too.”
Steve Holcombe – 2019 Italian Enduro Championship
Championship Standings after Round 3
Steve Holcombe (Beta) 57pts
Alex Salvini (Honda) 40
Danny McCanney (TM) 39
Loic Larrieu (TM) 37
Matteo Cavallo (Sherco) 33pts…
FIM E-XBike World Cup
Youthstream have announced that the first ever FIM E-XBike World Cup will be a feature event at the 2019 MXGP of Italy in Imola this August.
Youthstream President Mr. Giuseppe Luongo stated, “We are very excited to start this new project with the FIM, we thank FIM and in particular their President, Mr. Jorge Viegas, for the trust and for this opportunity to develop this new sport, it will be both challenging and very interesting. Our goal is to develop the FIM E-X Bike World Cup for all customers and riders who want to enjoy racing on an extreme circuit in front of a massive crowd and with a great media coverage.”
FIM E-XBike World Cup
The one race format will include a mass start with combined categories of both male and female riders racing for 30 minutes plus 1 lap but scored separately. The racing will be opened to anyone with an electric bicycle.
The event is being developed with the full support of Youthstream as CEO Mr. David Luongo explains, “Youthstream will put all its TV and Media resources to promote as much as possible this new competition. The first FIM E-XBike World Cup will be broadcasted live on our OTT Platforms, MXGP-TV.com, and our Facebook MXGP Page that has more than 2.5 Million followers.”
Jorge Viegas, the new elected President of the FIM took part in the conference as well during his first MXGP visit and enthusiastically said, “I am very happy that the FIM is starting to provide competitions for electric bikes. The first ever FIM E-XBike World Cup will allow a new generation of riders to take part in these exciting races. Thanks to the support of our promoters Youthstream and Infront, the Italian Federation and the Imola circuit, the FIM will be able to offer the public who come to the MXGP in Italy the opportunity to discover a new type of competition. For the FIM it is a reoccurring story because the first motorcycles were based on a bike frame, with the addition of a motor. In recent years the electric technology has evolved considerably, and we are convinced that the FIM E-X Bike World Cup will offer the manufacturers a great platform for further development. An E-bike round table meeting will also be organized in Belgium at Metet MX circuit the 9thof June in conjunction with another E-Bike / Pedelec race organized under the authority of the FMB.”
Price commits to four-wheels at Finke 2019
Toby Price has made the decision to sit out the bike category at the 2019 Finke Desert Race to concentrate on winning the truck class.
Toby Price
Toby Price
“I’ll be sitting out the bike category at Finke this year, racing only the truck is the safer option to know that I’ll be ready for Dakar 2020! After the injury I’d like to focus on one category, and it’s the one I haven’t won yet.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
2019 FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup to Gillman
An action-packed night is promised at Gillman Speedway, South Australia (SA) this Saturday night (6 April) for the 2019 running of the FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup. The world’s most prestigious Speedway Sidecar event sees 16 crews battle it out for the most prestigious Speedway Sidecar trophy in the world.
Sixteen heats of quick-fire racing action will be sure to keep the crowds entertained all night, and a field full of world-class riders and passengers will ensure the standard of racing is second to none.
For those wanting to get a try-before-you-buy experience of Speedway Sidecar racing, entry to the practice day will be free for spectators. Gates open at 3:00pm with practice to commence at 6:00pm.
For those who can’t get enough Speedway Sidecar action, the weekend continues with the re-running of the 2019 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship taking place the very next night (Sunday 7 April). After being called off due to rain last weekend, the crews will have unfinished business as the slates are wiped clean and the event re-starts from Heat 1.
FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championships scheduled
Rain forced the cancellation of the 2019 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship last Saturday night (30 March) but Motorcycling Australia is pleased to announce that the event has been re-scheduled for next Sunday, 7th of April, to run alongside the FIM Speedway Sidecar World Cup at Gillman Speedway, South Australia.
Gillman to host 2019
The entry list will remain the same as the one planned for the original event, which means that Damien Niesche will not be running due to having withdrawn from the original event, instead Rick Stephens will once again take his place as reserve.
Tickets for the re-run of the 2019 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship (Sunday, 7 April) are available at the gate, with entry available from $15 for adults, $10 for concession, and children under 10 free.
Entry to Practice will be free on the Friday night (5 April), gates to open at 3:00pm and practice will commence at 6:00pm.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Three rounds are now complete in the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship after the MXGP of the Netherlands in Valkenswaard, with Tony Cairoli and Jorge Prado claiming the overall wins in dominant fashion across both the MXGP and MX2 classes – the first KTM sweep of 2019!
MXGP Start
The Netherlands was the perfect setting for the action with challenging race conditions and better than expected weather added to by an enthusiastic crowd.
Australian Jed Beaton took a 10-15 result, with Mitch Evans going 37-10, leaving Evans 10th in the overall standings, with Beaton 13th. The opening round of the WMX also saw New Zealands Courtney Duncan go 1-7 to narrowly miss the overall podium after going down in Race 2, with Meghan Rutledge 9-8 to claim 25 championship points, with eighth position in the standings.
MXGP
As Race 1 kicked off it was Antonio Cairoli who scored the Fox Holeshot, however by the end of the first lap it was Max Anstie in the lead! Running the pace early Anstie’s pass on Cairoli was textbook.
Tony Cairoli takes the holeshot – Image by Ray Archer
Tim Gajser was third with Gautier Paulin and Italian rider Ivo Monticelli not far behind. Clement Desalle was back in eighth after the first official lap but passed his teammate Julien Lieber one lap later. Continuing his way forward the Belgian made it by Jeremy Seewer before catching Monticelli.
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
On the fifth lap a mistake sent Gajser flying out of third promoting Paulin to the spot. Three laps after the mistake from Gajser, who rejoined the race in 12th behind Brian Bogers, Anstie fell while leading and was slow to get back going after snagging his gear on the bike.
The fall of Anstie not only gave Paulin another spot but handed the lead back to the always strong Sicilian Antonio Cairoli. Next to fall victim to a mistake was Anstie’s teammate and Cairoli’s compatriot Monticelli. Taking over the Monticelli’s position was Arminas Jasikonis. Jasikonis started his charge from tenth on lap 1 and progressed all the way up to fourth by lap 12.
Clement Desalle
At the conclusion of the first race Cairoli took the win by over Desalle by 4.2 seconds with Paulin and Jasikonis less than three seconds further back while Jeremy Van Horebeektook was fifth. Gajser recovered to seventh by the finish while Anstie finished 16th ahead of his two teammates in Glenn Coldenhoff and Ivo Monticelli in 17th and 18th.
MXGP Race 2 gave Cairoli his second Fox Holeshot of the weekend and fourth of the season but this time he held the lead for all of the 17 laps. Gajser had his Works Honda in second with the privateer effort of Van Horebeek just behind.
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Jasikonis was off to another midfield start and came across the finish lap in ninth after the first complete lap. Shaun Simpson had a remarkable start inside the top five battling with Desalle for fourth during the first 10 laps. Paulin was on a move up the leaderboard along with Jasikonis for several laps before losing control of his Yamaha and sampling the sand.
Similar to Race 1 Jasikonis continued to progress forward taking fourth from Desalle with only two laps remaining. At the finish it was a second race win for Cairoli with Gajser second, Van Horebeek third, Jasikonis fourth, and Desalle fifth.
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
In the overall classification Cairoli’s double win earned him 50 points while Desalle’s 2-5 scores earned 38 points for second overall. Gajser’s 7-2 tallied 36 points for third overall and his third podium so far this season.
Tony Cairoli – P1
“A very nice weekend. I didn’t really feel great all week. On hard-pack I was OK but this small shoulder problem in the sand made things difficult. Anyway, looking at the bigger picture we took two wins and you cannot get more than fifty points so it was a great weekend. Also no crashes, which was important on this track where we saw a lot of people going down. It will be a busy week now with my home GP but I hope to see a lot of public at Arco and KTM again on top of the podium.”
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Clement Desalle – P2
“I’m really happy as it’s not my favourite track and I was not expecting such a good result as I couldn’t train as I like during the week after my crash in Great Britain; I had pain in my hand and in my neck. Yesterday I just took it step-by-step and did what I needed to do. Today was different; I got good starts, was feeling good and could come back to second position during the first race. But I hurt my knee during this race; between the motos we had to work with the physio and doctor so I was able to get another top five finish which gave me a first podium this season. We are now third in the championship and I’m really confident for the rest of the season after this podium.”
Clement Desalle
Tim Gajser – P3
“I’m quite happy to finish on the podium again. I’m just a little bit disappointed with the first race. I made a mistake and finished seventh, but I’m trying to learn as much as possible from these mistakes so I don’t make them in the future. The second race was good though. My speed was good, my start was good. We were really close to the front and the pace was high so overall I’m quite happy and I’m really looking forward to next weekend in Arco di Trento. A huge thanks to everyone in the team, they did an amazing job with the bike and I felt comfortable on it in both the motos.”
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Arminas Jasikonis – P5
“For me it was a really good weekend here in The Netherlands. I felt on top form and kept improving my pace every time I was on track. If my starts were a little bit better in the final motos, my overall result would have been even better. Not getting the best of starts in either race, I had to fight my way through the pack. Despite not getting great starts I ended up sharing the exact same points as third placed Tim Gajser and that gives me the extra motivation to continue pushing hard. I am really happy with where I’m at right now and I am looking forward to the next GP in Italy.”
Arminas Jasikonis
MXGP Race 1 Top 10 – Valkenswaard 2019
CAIROLI Antonio – ITA – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 34:34.806
DESALLE Clement – BEL – Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing +4.242
PAULIN Gautier – FRA – Wilvo Yamaha MXGP +5.137
JASIKONIS Arminas – LTU – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing +6.759
VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy – BEL – Honda SR Motoblouz +12.427
LIEBER Julien – BEL – Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing +13.786
GAJSER Tim – SLO – Team HRC – MXGP +14.058
SEEWER Jeremy – SWI – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team +20.989
SIMPSON Shaun – GBR – RFX KTM Racing +35.999
TIXIER Jordi – FRA – Team VHR KTM Racing +39.272
MXGP Race 2 Top 10 – Valkenswaard 2019
CAIROLI Antonio – ITA – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 34:13.363
GAJSER Tim – SLO – Team HRC – MXGP +1.461
VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy – BEL – Honda SR Motoblouz +32.822
JASIKONIS Arminas – LTU – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing +42.905
DESALLE Clement – BEL – Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing +48.123
SEEWER Jeremy – SWI – Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team +51.333
LIEBER Julien – BEL – Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing +52.345
SIMPSON Shaun – GBR – RFX KTM Racing +54.021
ANSTIE Max – GBR – Standing Construct KTM +1:00.795
MXGP Overall Podium – 1) Antonio Cairoli, 2) Clement Desalle, 3) Tim Gajser
MXGP Valkenswaard Overall Top Ten
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 50 points
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 38
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 36
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 36
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 36
Julien Lieber (BEL, KAW), 29
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 28
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 28
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 25
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 17
MXGP Standings following Valkenswaard MXGP
CAIROLI Antonio 147
GAJSER Tim 125
DESALLE Clement 103
VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy 102
PAULIN Gautier 102
JASIKONIS Arminas 92
SEEWER Jeremy 78
SIMPSON Shaun 64
LIEBER Julien 62
ANSTIE Max 62 …24 FERRIS Dean 6
MX2
The dominance of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing continued in MX2 this weekend as defending MX2 World Champion Jorge Prado returned from his one-week hiatus. Adding to his impressive collection of Fox Holeshot black plates Prado took the Race 1 lead immediately.
Thomas Kjer Olsen leading the MX2 start
Thomas Kjer Olsen’s red plated Rockstar Energy Husqvarna got him into second early while his newfound antagonist Henry Jacobi ran third. Davy Pootjes was fifth for the first seven laps of the race before Ben Watson flew past at the end of the roller section.
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Watson also passed Tom Vialle but a lap later the Brit crashed making his hard work all for nothing as he lost three spots as a result. Calvin Vlaanderen came from ninth on lap 1 to fourth by the end of lap 12 where he settled in behind Jacobi. Watson meanwhile regrouped from his fall and took fifth away from Pootjes for the second time with two laps to go.
Tom Vialle – Image by Ray Archer
At the finish Prado scored the win seven and a half seconds ahead of Olsen who had a further six seconds on Jacobi and another 16 seconds on Vlaanderen in fourth.
Thomas Kjer Olsen
In Race 2 Prado’s perfection continued with another Fox Holeshot over Olsen, Jacobi, Vialle, and Jago Geerts. Prado’s new KTM teammate, Tom Vialle, crashed out of fourth position during lap three and remounted in 11th.
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Vlaanderen moved into the top five due to Vialle’s crash but more noticeably Geerts took the Frenchman’s prior position and ran with it. A native of the neighboring Belgium, Geerts applied pressure to Jacobi for a consistent seven laps and finally made the move to take over third and two laps later Vlaanderen did the same displacing Jacobi another position backwards.
With just two laps to go Jacobi would lose another position to Watson with Alberto Forato, applying pressure from an impressive ride in seventh. The most important pass of the race for Geerts was also the final one. On the last lap, the last section, and last jump Geerts launched his YZ250F past Olsen to take second and also earn the final spot on the podium.
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
With Prado taking the win it was a perfect KTM sweep of the weekend in both MXGP and MX2 while Olsen took second overall and maintained the red plate ahead of next weekend’s MXGP of Trentino.
Jorge Prado – P1
“It was a great weekend. Four days ago I could not think about riding. I had too much pain and I didn’t really know how my body was reacting. I had to rest these weeks and take it easy. I wasn’t happy at all to miss Matterley Basin. I don’t think we really expected these results here this weekend: the goal had been just to ride and get some points! On Saturday I had some issues and didn’t feel comfortable but today I woke up and I felt better. So to win both motos was great and to get some points back. I took some painkillers today just to be safe but everything that we did for this weekend turned out well. It is a long championship and my rivals are riding well. We just need to keep going, keep focussed, limit the mistakes and keep trying to improve.”
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Thomas Kjer-Olsen – P2
“We picked up some good points here in The Netherlands and that’s what matters the most for me. Knowing the track would be rough, my goal coming into the weekend was to remain safe and do my best to maintain the lead in the championship. In the first moto I had a decent pace and crossed the line in second. Then in the final moto I got passed by Geerts while running second again, just before the chequered flag, so I ended up third for second overall. This season will be very long and my goal is to remain consistent until the end of it.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Jago Geerts – P3
“It was a really good week for me, the first race didn’t go as planned but in the second race I was pretty fired up, in the last lap I got second place and took third on the podium so I was pretty happy with that.”
Jago Geerts
Continuing to build on his speed and stamina following injury, Australia’s Jed Beaton wrapped up the GP of The Netherlands with 10/15 results for 12th overall in the MX2 category.
Jed Beaton
“I had an OK GP and felt good on my bike. In the opening moto my pace was good so I managed to secure a top-10 result. Then in the second moto, I pushed a bit more than I needed to early on and ended up getting a little fatigued. The injury I picked up during the pre-season hasn’t allowed me to spend as much time as I would have liked on a bike. Around a tough track like Valkenswaard it is always important to be on top of your game. At the moment I’m taking one step at a time and I’m trying to get better every time I race.”
MX2 Overall Podium – 1) Jorge Prado, 2) Thomas Kjer Olsen, 3) Jago Geerts
MX2 Valkenswaard Overall Top Ten
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 42
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 36
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 36
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 35
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 32
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 23
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 22
Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 21
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 21 …12. Jed Beaton
MX2 Championship Top Ten after Valkenswaard
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 136 points
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 113
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 107
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 100
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 95
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 86
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 81
Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 65
Adam Sterry (GBR, KAW), 63
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 60
WMX
The first round of the 2019 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship concluded after two days of racing at the Valkenswaard circuit of the Netherlands. It was Amandine Verstappen who took the Valkenswaard victory along with the first overall win and red plate of the new season for the very first time in her career.
WMX Start
A full entry list left 39 of the world’s best Women Motocross racers to line up on the sandy Dutch circuit. Though early in the year the weekend had nearly perfect weather and track conditions which developed to challenge all by the final checkered flag.
Meghan Rutledge
Alongside the qualifying races of MXGP and MX2, plus the first race of EMX125 presented by FMF Racing, the women started their season. The first race and day of the two day, two race format was a showing of speed by newly signed BIKE IT DRT Kawasaki rider Courtney Duncan.
When WMX Race 1 started off Amandine Verstappen took the holeshot ahead of Larissa Papenmeier and the rest of the field. Duncan was third but made quick moves to get by Papenmeier in lap two to then take the lead from Verstappen one lap later.
Meghan Rutledge
Moving forward throughout the 11 laps were Nancy Van de Ven and Shana Van der Vlist. Moving from eighth to fourth was a strong ride for Van de Ven after a bad start but even more impressive was Van der Vlist’s comeback from 12th up to fifth.
Race 1 was won by Duncan 6.6 seconds ahead of Verstappen who had Papenmeier only a tenth of second further behind in third. Van de Ven and Van der Vlist took the final spots among the top five.
Courtney Duncan claimed victory in Race 1
Race 2 was in slightly cooler temperatures and a rougher track but Courtney Duncan was quick to take the Saturday momentum onward and lead from the beginning. A better start from Van de Ven put her in a position to apply pressure to Duncan while Verstappen and Papenmeier gave chase to both.
After 7 laps of the 11 total Duncan made a costly mistake on the lip of the finish jump sending her into a massive endo. Ejected from the bike the Kiwi returned quickly but after struggling to get it started her hope of winning disappeared. The crash left Van de Ven with the lead and a clear track ahead of Verstappen.
Meghan Rutledge
At the finish it was a race win for Van de Ven but Verstappen’s pair of second place finishes was both too strong and too consistent to be beat in the overall result. Duncan recovered to seventh but finished fourth overall behind Verstappen Van de Ven and Papenmeier.
Courtney Duncan – P4
“It’s a little bit frustrating to miss the win and even the podium as I really felt easy on the bike all weekend; I felt good enough to win and honestly I don’t really know what happened before I crashed on this jump. Anyway I didn’t get injured in this crash; I’m healthy and I feel confident before the next round. Now I need to spend time with the team and on the bike, get some fitness back and we’ve now got six weeks to do that before Portugal.”
Courtney Duncan
The women will now prepare for round 2 of the 2019 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship scheduled for the MXGP of Portugal on the 18th and 19th of May in Agueda.
WMX Race 1 Top Ten
Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), 24:47.429
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +0:06.661
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:06.762
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:40.317
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +0:42.462
Sara Andersen (DEN, KTM), +0:45.841
Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +0:54.902
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +0:58.314
Meghan Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:59.382
Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:27.155
WMX Race 2 Top Ten
Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), 25:00.931
Amandine Verstappen (BEL, Yamaha), +0:08.011
Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Yamaha), +0:13.410
Shana van der Vlist (NED, KTM), +0:57.730
Line Dam (DEN, Honda), +1:11.635
Lynn Valk (NED, Yamaha), +1:12.584
Courtney Duncan (NZL, Kawasaki), +1:20.931
Meghan Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +1:22.971
Nicky van Wordragen (NED, Yamaha), +1:24.765
Mathilde Martinez (FRA, KTM), +1:53.374
WMX Overall Podium -1) Amandine Verstappen, 2) Nancy Van De Ven, 3) Larissa Papenmeier
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
The LATEST News
Musquin and Ferrandis win in Seattle SX
Chad Reed OUT of 2019 Season
2019 A4DE postponed – Date TBA
Cairoli and Kjer Olsen storm Matterley Basin MXGP
Forato and Anderson win EMX in Great Britain
Prado sits out MXGP of Great Britain
Herlings to return to MXGP in May
Holcombe dominates EnduroGP
HRC’s Ricky Brabec wins the Sonora Rally
Ryan brothers shine at Casey Stoner Cup
Musquin and Ferrandis win in Seattle SX
Seattle hosted last weekend’s round of the AMA Supercross Championships and it was French riders Marvin Musquin and Dylan Ferrandis who won the 450SX and 250SX West main events respectively after an action-packed and somewhat controversial night of racing.
AMA Supercross Round 12 – Seattle – Image by Hoppenworld
The race was reasonably stagnant right up to the chequered flag with Musquin, Roczen, and Tomac filling the. Musquin took his second consecutive win but as far as the points go he was docked seven points for jumping through a medical flag.
Marvin Musquin
“I know what I did wrong, I have no excuses, I was leading and going for it and I saw the yellows (flags) and I did slow down but I did jump, but this doesn’t take away from my win because after that I slowed down and was looking back and Kenny was right behind me but I put in a solid main, I am really happy with my riding and that doesn’t take anything away (from the win), so I am really happy.”
Marvin Musquin – Image by Hoppenworld
Chad Reed lost traction as the field entered the second jump section at Seattle on the weekend, and sustained a hefty injury list from the clash, with eight broken ribs, a broken scapula and a collapsed lung. But blamed nobody but himself. See below for more details.
450SX Main Event Results
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen
Eli Tomac
Cooper Webb
Joey Savatgy
Dean Wilson
Blake Baggett
Zach Osborne
Cole Seely
Tyler Bowers
450SX Main Event Results – Image by Hoppenworld
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen +02.361
Eli Tomac +07.407
450SX Points after 12 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 262
Marvin Musquin – 248
Eli Tomac – 243
Ken Roczen – 239
Blake Baggett – 200
Dean Wilson – 180
Joey Savatgy – 159
Chad Reed – 151
Justin Barcia – 144
Cole Seely – 142
250 West Coast Report
Cianciarulo made a mistake in the whoops late in the race, handing Ferrandis a handy lead with one lap remaining but Cianciarulo was able to close right back up on Ferrandis and even went for an unlikely block pass on the final turn. He came up short so it was Ferrandis’ first main win in America while Cianciarulo, Decotis, Mosiman and Chris Blose rounded out the top five ahead of RJ Hampshire who came back to sixth after the start straight crash.
AMA SX Round 12 – 250 Start – Image by Hoppenworld
Cianciarulo now holds a 12-point lead over Ferrandis as they head to Houston next weekend while the big losers at Seattle were Shane McElrath and Nichols with the third and fourth placed riders in the points scoring zero on the night thanks to McElrath pulling out after practice with a back injury and the first lap crash of Nichols.
Dylan Ferrandis
“It has taken me three years in America to get my first win, I have suffered a lot of bad starts but tonight I got a good start then my teammate (Nichols) crashed right in front of me so I took the lead and I was leading the main which is new for me so I just tried to ride with no mistakes, Adam was right on my back and it was really challenging for me but I think for the future this is going to help me a lot.”
Dylan Ferrandis – Image by Hoppenworld
250 West Coast Main Event Results
Dylan Ferrandis
Adam Cianciarulo
Jimmy Decotis
Michael Mosiman
Chris Blose
RJ Hampshire
Mitchell Harrison
Cameron McAdoo
Enzo Lopes
Justin Starling
250 West Coast Main Event Results – Image by Hoppenworld
Dylan Ferrandis
Adam Cianciarulo +00.571
Jimmy Decotis +23.247
250 West Coast Points after 7 of 11 Rounds
Adam Cianciarulo – 163
Dylan Ferrandis – 151
Shane McElrath – 123
Colt Nichols – 121
J. Hampshire – 103
Michael Mosiman – 99
Chris Blose – 98
Cameron McAdoo – 94
Jimmy Decotis – 94
Garrett Marchbanks – 85
250 East Coast Points after 6 of 9 Rounds
Austin Forkner – 151
Chase Sexton – 125
Justin Cooper – 123
Alex Martin – 92
Martin Davalos – 89
Mitchell Oldenburg – 88
Brandon Hartranft – 82
Kyle Cunningham – 81
Kyle Peters – 79
Jordon Smith – 70
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Chad Reed OUT of 2019 Season
Superstar Chad Reed has been forced out of the remainder of the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship following injuries received in a multi-rider pile-up at Seattle last weekend.
Reed has a hefty injury list from the clash, with eight broken ribs, a broken scapula and a collapsed lung. – Image by Hoppenworld
Reed was on the inside of Cooper Webb going through the second right hand corner of the main event but his JGR Suzuki spun up as he was trying to launch into the next rhythm section and with the rest of the field flying down to the left his Suzuki spewed directly into the path of a heap of riders bringing Ryan Breece and Justin Brayton down before Kyle Chisolm was left with no choice but to land right on top of Reed.
Via social media the 32-year-old Reed announced that the crash has resulted in the multi supercross champion having to sit out the remaining five rounds.
Chad Reed – Instagram
“Yesterday was fun. Finally a halfway technical track; The whoops were so freaking awesome loved every pass, unfortunately a mistake in the main was costly. Eight broken ribs, broken scapula and a collapsed lung. I’m bummed my year comes to an end with five to go.”
Chad Reed – Image by Hoppenworld
2019 A4DE postponed – Date TBA
Motorcycling Australia (MA) have advise all competitors and teams entered into the 2019 Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE), that the event has been postponed, with a date to be confirmed in due course, find below further details:
A4DE 2018 – Image by Jeff Mawston
Motorcycling Australia (MA) Statement
“Due to government approvals surrounding the environment in which the 2019 A4DE will take place, the date for this prestigious event has been delayed. To ensure that the area spanning the event’s four days are supported and protected to best of the Motorcycling New South Wales Enduro Committee’s and Far South Coast Motorcycle Club’s abilities, this change in date is vital to the success of the A4DE 41st anniversary.
“To ensure the least amount of disruption to riders and teams alike, full refunds due to the date change will be provided, if requested, within 21 days. For a full refund please contact the A4DE secretary via [email protected].
“For further information surrounding the event and how to enter, please head to the A4DE website and Facebook. “MA and A4DE appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter. Further updates regarding the 2019 A4DE official date will be released via MA in due course.”
Cairoli and Kjer Olsen storm Matterley Basin MXGP
Perfect weather and a huge crowd gave Great Britain’s Matterley Basin circuit a boost as it hosted the second round of the FIM World Motocross Championship last weekend and it was Tony Cairoli who clinched his second win of the season while Thomas Kjer Olsen rode the wheels off his Husqvarna in the MX2 class to take his first win of the year.
Tony Cairoli in the lead
MXGP Report
Despite a shoulder injury Cairoli garnered his 87th GP victory with 1-2 moto results but you would have to say ‘the man’ of the GP was Tim Gajser who had a massive high-speed crash while leading the opening moto only to bounce back to finish third THEN get it all together to win the second moto ahead of a determined Cairoli.
Gautier Paulin’s 2-3 gave him third overall ahead of Clement Desalle, Jeremy Van Horebeek, Arnaud Tonus, Max Anstie, Jeremy Seewer, Arminas Jasikonis and Julien Lieber so after two rounds Cairoli leads the championship by just 8 points over Gajser who in turn has a 15-point lead over Paulin.
Tony Cairoli
“It was a great weekend and this track is for sure one of my favourites but, today it was very difficult to push from the beginning. I couldn’t really push because I am stiff on my right shoulder and neck which gave me arm pump right away. Hopefully I can be 100% again for the next race but overall, I’m really happy, of course for the championship everything is going well and this is my goal.”
Tony Cairoli
Tim Gajser is proving to be Cairoli’s main competition so far this season.
Tim Gajser
“Today was a special day for me and I’m really happy to finish on the podium. The first race I had a good start I was behind Tony and managed to pass him quickly but made a little gap then I made a mistake … thankfully I could continue. I was really happy to win the second race and I’m looking forward to next weekend. We can see that we are going to the right direction so we will continue pushing hard with the team and everybody I’m just happy that the pace and everything is finally back.”
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Gautier Paulin’s second round on the Yamaha earned the French star a solid podium.
Gautier Paulin
“Every weekend on the box is a good weekend. I was happy with the first moto. In the second moto I was riding stiff in the beginning, but overall, we had a good weekend and made a big step forward since Argentina. This was always the goal and this is what we are working really hard towards. I am really happy with my team Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP and the work they are putting in.”
Dean Ferris started the opening moto just inside the top 30 but as you would expect our fastest 450 rider made his way to 15th with lap times that were comparable to the like of Max Anstie, Arminas Jasikonis and Glenn Coldenhoff but a fall at the start of the second moto not only put pay to what should have been a great weekend for Ferris and it looks like he has picked up a knee injury.
Dean Ferris
“It was a tough weekend, but I got more comfortable in every session. I thought the last fifteen minutes of the race I found my groove and had some really good lap-times, so I was content with that. In moto two, I went down on the start and I have hurt my knee, so that will need to be assessed.”
Dean Ferris
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 36:37.831
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:01.956
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:04.473
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:24.293
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:26.271
Arnaud Tonus (SUI, Yamaha), +0:27.618
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), +0:45.107
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +0:46.683
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:49.675
Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:56.271
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten
Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), 36:01.717
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:01.709
Gautier Paulin (FRA, Yamaha), +0:54.204
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, Husqvarna), +0:57.637
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Yamaha), +1:00.564
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +1:05.984
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:20.385
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:22.071
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +1:26.697
Ivo Monticelli (ITA, KTM), +1:28.257
2019 MXGP Podium – Matterley Basin, UK – 1) Tony Cairoli, 2) Tim Gajser, 3) Gautier Paulin
MXGP Overall Top Ten
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 47 points
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 45 points
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 42 points
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 32 points
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 31 points
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 30 points
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 29 points
Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 22 points
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 21 points
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 17 points
MXGP Championship Top Ten
Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 97 points
Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 89 points
Gautier Paulin (FRA, YAM), 74 points
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, HON), 66 points
Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 65 points
Arminas Jasikonis (LTU, HUS), 56 points
Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 50 points
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), 39 points
Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 39 points
Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 38 points
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MX2 Report
Olsen’s dominant weekend ended with a perfect 1-1 score to take the overall ahead of the hard charging Henry Jacobi’s 2-3 and Tom Vialle’s 3-4 which put the second-generation French motocross star on the podium in his second ever MX2 GP.
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen’s first win of the season is not only a confidence booster but the Husqvarna rider now has a 16 point lead over second placed Jacobi in the championship and more importantly a 44 point lead over defending champion Jorge Prado who was forced to sit out the GP with a shoulder injury.
Thomas Kjer Olsen
“It was amazing to go 1-1 for the first time and it was even better when I was on the podium and they gave me the red plate because I didn’t realize I would be leading the points. Overall I had a great weekend, I felt really good out on the track, I had great energy and I felt really comfortable, we even made improvements every time I was out so I was really happy with that and how the whole team is working.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Jacobi is supported by F&H Kawasaki but it is far from being a factory team.
Henry Jacobi
“I had some special lines that I was seeing and nobody else took. 2nd overall is really good for us, the team, you know we are not a factory team, but we made some really good steps over the winter with F&H Racing.”
Henry Jacobi
Australian riders Jed Beaton and Mitch Evans had mixed success with Beaton’s return to racing after an injury kept him out of the opening round earned the Husqvarna rider tenth overall with a 9-13 finishes while Evans finished 15th overall after a DNF in the opening moto and an eighth in moto two.
Jed Beaton
“I had a really good weekend here at Matterley Basin. It was my first GP after many months, and I felt strong on the bike. It was good to get a top-10 in the opening moto. In the second moto I was close to the top-10 again and ended up finishing in 13th place. Getting a top-10 result in the overall is really positive for the rest of the season. There’s still a long way to go in this series. I’m pretty happy with where I am, hopefully I can start building from here.”
Jed Beaton
Mitchell Evans
“My weekend started well with a fourth in the qualifying race on Saturday, but Sunday I struggled with my starts. After a bad start in the first race I crashed whilst trying to fight my way forward. After a pit stop to fix a damaged clutch, I found myself almost a lap down and unfortunately, due to the track having such a long lap, I was unable to make up any positions. Another bad start in race two left me with a lot of work to do. I was able to fight my way back to eighth. I am happy with my riding and fitness after ten days of sitting on the couch following Argentina, due to an infection in my knee. We will work on my starts this week and be more prepared for next weekend! Thanks to my team and everyone supporting me!”
Mitch Evans
The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship is this weekend for the MXGP of The Netherlands in Valkenswaard.
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 35:01.449
Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:04.278
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:16.160
Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:28.500
Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:30.179
Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:35.271
Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:36.018
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:44.908
Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:50.189
Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:54.010
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 37:10.022
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:09.936
Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:16.035
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:16.935
Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:20.044
Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:38.635
Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:43.577
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:46.268
Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:54.765
Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:59.920
2019 MX2 Podium – Matterley Basin, UK – 1) Kjer Olsen, 2) Henry Jacobi, 3) Tom Vialle
MX2 Overall Top Ten
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 50 points
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 42 points
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 38 points
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 35 points
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 34 points
Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 28 points
Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 28 points
Dylan Walsh (NZL, HUS), 22 points
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 20 points
Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 20 points
MX2 Championship Top Ten
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 94 points
Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 78 points
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 71 points
Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 65 points
Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 63 points
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 50 points
Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 49 points
Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 45 points
Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 41 points
Forato and Anderson win EMX in Great Britain
Elberto Forato and Brad Anderson have won the opening rounds of the EMX250 and EMX2T classes respectively at the Matterley Basin round of the FIM World motocross Championships last weekend.
EMX250 Start – Matterley Basin
EMX250 Report
The EMX250 class is now age limited to 23 years of age and the overall winner was clearly Forato who led every lap on the way to a perfect weekend while Stephan Rubini took second with 3-5 finishes ahead of Roan Van de Moosdijk finished third with 6-3 scores.
Alberto Forato
“For me it was a good weekend, I lead from the first lap of every race, so I was able to focus on myself and I want to do this every weekend. It is a different bike and a different team this year but now I am really comfortable with everyone, the bike, the mechanics, and everything so it is good for me.”
EMX250 Race 1 Top Ten
Alberto Forato (ITA, Husqvarna), 32:04.381
Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Yamaha), +0:07.871
Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:13.441
Jimmy Clochet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.624
Pierre Goupillon (FRA, Honda), +0:20.202
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:24.296
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:25.668
Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), +0:29.951
Josh Gilbert (GBR, Honda), +0:31.131
Caleb Grothues (AUS, Yamaha), +0:53.522
EMX250 Race 2 Top Ten
Alberto Forato (ITA, Husqvarna), 32:24.557
Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:09.886
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:22.042
Pierre Goupillon (FRA, Honda), +0:23.370
Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:26.631
Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, Yamaha), +1:01.793
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +1:06.422
Michael Ivanov (BUL, KTM), +1:10.730
Jimmy Clochet (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:13.653
Josh Gilbert (GBR, Honda), +1:17.062
EMX250 Championship Top Ten
Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 50 points
Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 36
Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 35
Pierre Goupillon (FRA, HON), 34
Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 30
Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 29
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 28
Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 23
Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 22
Michael Ivanov (BUL, KTM), 22
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
EMX2T Report
The EMX2T class is the newest category of EMX racing and with this weekend being the first round of the championship a long list of riders entered for their chance to become the first winner and in the end it was Brit Brad Anderson who earned the overall with 1-1 moto results ahead of Vaclav Kovar’s 3-2 results while Andrea Gorini battled hard to go 6-4 for third overall.
EMX 2T Start – Matterley Basin
EMX2T Race 1 Top Ten
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 32:30.711
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:11.823
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:18.398
Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:28.185
Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:29.117
Andrea Gorini (SMR, Yamaha), +0:41.229
Jamie Law (GBR, KTM), +0:48.410
Emanuele Alberio (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:51.244
Marco Lolli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:53.367
Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:54.018
EMX2T Race 2 Top Ten
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 31:53.709
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:13.016
Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:23.472
Andrea Gorini (SMR, Yamaha), +0:31.933
Ben Putnam (GBR, Yamaha), +0:39.101
Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:41.262
Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:42.289
Matt Burrows (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:53.431
Marco Lolli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:57.771
Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:59.480
EMX2T Championship Top Ten
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 50 points
Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 42
Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 33
Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 33
Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 30
Ben Putnam (GBR, YAM), 26
Marco Lolli (ITA, YAM), 24
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 22
Matt Burrows (GBR, HUS), 21
Emanuele Alberio (ITA, HUS), 21
Prado sits out MXGP of Great Britain
Defending MX2 World Champion Jorge Prado did not take part in the second round of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship last weekend in Great Britain after sustaining a shoulder injury thanks to a crash while practicing three weeks ago.
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Prado did complain of a sore left shoulder after the crash but the Spaniard continued to prepare for Matterley Basin but felt the condition of the joint deteriorate and become more painful.
Further detailed medical examination with renowned surgeon and specialist Dr Claes in Belgium revealed a haematoma under the left shoulder blade was causing the discomfort so the best course of recovery involves rest, and Prado will return for another check-up on Tuesday 26th for further evaluation ahead of the Grand Prix of the Netherlands at Valkenswaard.
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Claudio De Carli – Red Bull KTM Team Manager
“After such a strong start to the season for the team and Jorge it is disappointing for everyone that he and Jeffrey are now missing Matterley Basin and the first European round of 2019. Unfortunately this is part of the sport but, fortunately, it could be worse and we hope Jorge will be back on the bike very quickly. We’re in good shape and we are confident, and we believe this will not be such a big setback for us in what is a long season.”
Herlings to return to MXGP in May
In the wake of a complex operation on his broken right foot, MXGP World Champion Jeffrey Herlings has stepped-up his physical training program with a view to start riding his Red Bull KTM 450 SX-F in late April and return to competition in the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship action sometime in May.
Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Ray Archer
The four-times World Champion was already missed the opening two Grands Prix and he will also miss Holland and Italy but will then hopefully be counting the days until he can again be behind a FIM World Championship gate.
Jeffrey Herlings
“Rehab has been going very well and I cannot wait to be back and to throw a leg over the bike again. I want to be back at the GPs as quick as possible but we cannot say which race yet until I get some riding time. I’m also able to step-up my cycling and swimming now. For sure we’ll miss the next three rounds and we also don’t want to rush things and risk a setback.”
Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Jeff KardasSmarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Australia to host MXGP in 2020?
There was some noise made at the British GP last weekend with Australian GP promoter Willie Thomson on hand to hold talks with Youthstream, but it must be noted that nothing is concrete right now and that Thomson has yet to convince the WA government to foot the bill.
Holcombe dominates opening EnduroGP round
2019 EnduroGP Round 1
In almost perfect conditions Germany hosted the opening two rounds of the World EnduroGP Championships and it was defending champion Steve Holcombe who dominated both days but it was Aussie Will Ruprecht who etched his name in history to win Friday night’s Super Test against the best in the world before backing that up with a pair of podiums in the Junior class.
Steve Holcombe celebrates the win in Germany – Image by Future7Media
Holcombe won the overall EnduroGP class as well as the E3 class and Brad Freeman dominated the E1 class while it was Loïc Larrieu and Eero Remes who shared victories in the E2 class.
Loïc Larrieu – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Steve Holcombe
“It’s difficult to sum up how much of a surprise it is to win both days. My goal was to podium and claim strong points, so as you can imagine a double victory in EnduroGP and Enduro 3 is a huge result to take. I didn’t have a great Super Test on Friday – I never really do – but I wanted to push hard from the beginning on Saturday to see where I was at. That strategy paid off and I won by 70 seconds. I went with that tactic again on Sunday and made things count on the opening two laps. I ran out of steam a little on the final lap but knew that with the effort I’d put in earlier on, barring any major mistakes, I could win. We’ve a couple of weeks now until round two in Portugal, so the plan remains unchanged – keep working with the goal of getting stronger. I know there’s room to improve. Finally, a huge thanks to Beta and all the team – a result like this is very much a team effort.”
Steve Holcombe – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Danny McCanney
“I finish third today, I’m a little disappointed, but overall I’m very happy with my weekend. I can’t wait to continue the season and gain some more good results.”
Danny McCanney – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Brad Freeman
“I’m happy because today (day 2) I was able to increase my pace to catch up with Danny. I’m still a long way from Steve, but I’m happy to be on this 100 per cent British podium.”
Brad Freeman – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Eero Remes
“The first day was very disappointing for me and the team, but I told the team that the season is very long and we are going to catch up. I feel good and this victory in E2 is a first great reward.”
Akrapovic Super Test Award Standings
Wil RUPRECHT 10 points
Benjamin HERRERA 9
Thomas OLDRATI 8
Daniel MCCANNEY 7p
Steve HOLCOMBE 6
Kirian MIRABET 5
Hamish MACDONALD 4
Andrea VERONA 3
Loïc LARRIEU 2
Alex SALVINI 1
EnduroGP Day 1 Top 10
Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
Loïc LARRIEU – France
Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
Christophe CHARLIER – France
Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
Steve Holcombe on the podium
EnduroGP Day 2 Top 10
Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
Eero REMES – Finland
Alex SALVINI – Italy
Loïc LARRIEU – France
Davide GUARNERI – Italy
Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
Brad Freeman – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
E1 Day 1 Results
Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
Davide GUARNERI – Italy
Rudy MORONI – Italy
E1 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019
E1 Day 2 Results
Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
Davide GUARNERI – Italy
Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
Rudy MORONI – Italy
Loïc Larrieu – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
E2 Day 1 Results
Loïc LARRIEU – France
Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
Giacomo REDONDI – Italy
Antoine BASSET – France
E2 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019
E2 Day 2 Results
Eero REMES – Finland
Alex SALVINI – Italy
Loïc LARRIEU – France
Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
Antoine BASSET – France
E3 Day 1 Results
Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
David ABGRALL – France
Anthony GESLIN – France
E3 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019
E3 Day 2 Results
Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
Anthony GESLIN – France
David ABGRALL – France
Dennis SCHROETER – Germany
EnduroGP Juniors
The Junior classes were as hard fought as the senior division and it was Italian Andrea Verona who came away with victory in both days but Ruprecht kept him honest all weekend in the overall Junior class and the J1 class while Jack Edmondson and Enric Francisco shared victories in the J2 class with Kiwi Hamish Macdonald dominating the J3 class.
Andrea Verona
“This might be the most beautiful victory of my career so far. When I lost so much time this morning after the bike stopped in the Cross Test I knew I had the potential to win. My body hurts because I really attacked all day, but I’m super happy.”
Andrea Verona
Wil Ruprecht
“I don’t know what to say to you, I am so disappointed, I cracked under the pressure, I crashed three times on the last test. Andrea was the better man and he deserves it. I can only try to learn and improve after such a defeat.”
The next round of the Maxxis FIM EnduroGP World Championship will take place in Portugal in the city of Valpaços from May 3rd to 5th.
Junior – Day 1
Andrea VERONA – Italy
Théophile ESPINASSE – France
Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
Junior – Day 2
Andrea VERONA Italy
Wil RUPRECHT Australia
Théophile ESPINASSE France
Enric FRANCISCO Spain
Jack EDMONDSON United Kingdom
Junior 1 (J1) – Day 1
Andrea VERONA – Italy
Théophile ESPINASSE – France
Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
Thomas DUBOST – France
Junior 1 (J1) – Day 2
Andrea VERONA – Italy
Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
Théophile ESPINASSE – France
Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
Thomas DUBOST – France
Junior 2 (J2) – Day 1
Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
Leo LE QUERE – France
Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
Till DE CLERCQ – France
Junior 2 (J2) – Day 2
Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
Ruy BARBOSA – Chile
Jimmy WICKSELL – Sweden
Youth Cup – Day 1
Hamish MACDONALD – New Zealand
Claudio SPANU – Italy
Matteo PAVONI – Italy
Alejandro NAVARRO HUERTAS – Spain
Hugo SVARD – Finland
Youth Cup – Day 2
Hamish MACDONALD – New Zealand
Matteo PAVONI – Italy
Claudio SPANU – Italy
Hugo SVARD – Finland
Nathan BERERD – France
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
HRC’s Ricky Brabec wins the Sonora Rally
The Sonora Rally takes place in the border region between Mexico and the United States near the Gulf of California and after five day Monster Energy Honda Team’s American rider Ricky Brabec claimed victory for the second time in the five year history of the event.
Ricky Brabec – Image by Boyd Jaynes
In conditions that varied from high speed arid tracks to 500km of sand dunes, Brabec set the pace of the race from the start, grabbing victories in the first three stages, which opened a significant margin of more than half an hour over rivals before the American masterfully managed the two final days of rallying, before reaching the final finish-line in the Sonora region capital with a 37’15” gap back to his nearest second place rival.
Ricky Brabec
“This rally was the first of the year for me so I was excited to just be able to ride the big bike again with some navigation. This desert to me is like home and very close from my home town so it makes it easy to show up with a small crew to race and as well to train. The terrain is sandy in spots with great dunes and a little more south is rocky hard pack, there’s a little of everything and for this I believe it’s proven training grounds. Looking forward to the rest of the year racing and training; hungry for more and to top it off Dakar 2020 will be in a good way, I believe. We must stay strong in the fight.”
Ricky Brabec – Image by Boyd Jaynes
Ryan brothers shine at Casey Stoner Cup
Kurri Kurri hosted the Casey Stoner Cup last weekend and for the second weekend in a row the Ryan brothers have dominated a major dirt track meeting with Harrison Ryan winning the Junior Cup minutes before older brother Connor led the field home in the eight-lap Senior Cup.
While Harrison scored big winning margins in an unbeaten run over the two days of racing in the 13-16 years age class, Connor was made work much harder.
In the Junior Cup Wade O’Keefe and Jayden Rodgers followed Harrison Ryan home to complete a clean-sweep of placegetters from the host club but in the Senior Cup it was Coffs Harbour rider Bailey Spencer who lead for the opening six laps before one mistake was punished as Connor Ryan and then Boyd Hollis took over the front running.
In other senior classes Connor Ryan also won the Pro 450 final over Hollis and North Queensland rider Harry Maxwell before Taree rider Blake Wilby topped the very competitive Pro 250 class ahead of Brisbane rider Ben Montgomery and Taree’s Kye Andrews, while Anthony Farrell was best in the Over 35s.
All junior classes produced plenty of close battles with Bray Bowden (13-16 years) and Noah Grabham (7-10s) both scoring class victories after winning all five rounds, while Gold Coast rider Viv Muddle amassed nine wins and a second placing to win both of his classes.
There was more success for Taree riders with Cody Wilby and Will Bisley finishing 1-2 in the 80cc class, while Hayden Nelson also scored a class win as did Cameron Dunker and Jayden Holder but perhaps the most stirring win came in the 65cc – 9 to 13 years final when diminutive Forbes rider Beau Bailey led home Jayden Holder and Gold Coast rider Riley Nautam less than hour after Bailey had crashed heavily in an earlier race.
The next major dirt track meeting is the 30th staging of the Trackmasters at the Barleigh Ranch track on the weekend on April 13 / 14.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
MXGP Qualifying may have put Tim Gajser at the top of the standings yet when the gate dropped it was Antonio Cairoli who took the early Fox Holeshot and lead, only for that to be soon taken away by none other than Gajser, who then put in a blistering pace to create a gap.
MXGP Start – British MXGP
Behind the former World Champions, it was Jeremy Van Horebeek, but he was passed by Gautier Paulin and then made a mistake which allowed Ivo Monticelli and Clement Desalle through.
Behind Van Horebeek it was Arnaud Tonus and now Jeremy Seewer. Three laps into the race Van Horebeek made it back past Monticelli and into the top 5.
Clement Desalle
Only a lap later Gajser took a violent high-speed crash while leading Cairoli but miraculously sprung back to his feet and rejoined the action on his damaged Honda in third position barely ahead of Desalle.
Surprisingly Gajser wasted no time putting in more fast laps even as his broken front number plate dangled on the bent bars. Gajser instead of stopping or even slowing won over many fans as he pulled away from Desalle and closed in on Paulin.
Gautier Paulin
Max Anstie made a hard charge to move from 12th into seventh, while Cairoli took the race win and Gajser took third behind Paulin.
Race 2 started in similar fashion when Cairoli took the holeshot and Gajser took the lead but this time Gajser’s gap was bigger. Paulin was the third veteran who found himself at the front but the rider in fourth was new Arminas Jasikonis who had Seewer giving chase.
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Jasikonis’ teammate Jonass was sixth before being passed by Van Horebeek but then held seventh until fading four positions in the last five laps.
The top five never changed positions during the race. Cairoli made a late charge in an attempt to catch Gajser, but it was too late, and the Slovenian claimed the Race 2 win 1.7 seconds ahead of the Sicilian and a massive 54 ahead of Paulin in third.
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
The overall win went to Cairoli for his 87th time and who later revealed a shoulder injury, but Gajser’s ride was remarkable when considering his rebound from the race 1 crash.
Paulin’s 2-3 gave him third overall as Desalle took fourth and Van Horebeek placed fifth leaving the top five riders shuffled but unchanged since Patagonia. The series will now head to Valkenswaard for the MXGP of the Netherlands next weekend.
Pauls Jonass
Tony Cairoli
“It was a great weekend and for sure this track is one of my favourites. I had difficulty to push from the beginning because of a problem during the week and I was stiff. It meant I got arm-pump after three-four laps. I had to be careful because on this track if you are tight then you’ll crash because it is tricky and there are a lot of strange ruts and kickers. I was cautious and in the end it paid off. Hopefully I can be better for next week in the sand. For the championship everything is going well and that’s my goal.”
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Tim Gajser
“We had a great weekend! I was feeling great on the bike and the track both yesterday and today. I’m really happy to finish on the podium on this special day for me. The first race we started well and the beginning was good, but then I made a mistake and I fell down and finished third. The second race was better as I took the same start and worked my way to the front and I’m just so happy to win my first race in more than a year, after all my injury problems so I’m thankful and happy. A huge thanks to all the team because they all put in huge amounts of work and it’s paying off. We will continue working hard and to keep pushing!”
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Gautier Paulin
“Every weekend on the box is a good weekend. I was happy with the first moto. In the second moto I was riding stiff in the beginning, but overall we had a good weekend and made a big step forward since Argentina. This was always the goal and this is what we are working really hard towards. I am really happy with my team Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP and the work they are putting in.”
Gautier Paulin
Clément Desalle
“It was not an easy weekend as yesterday I injured my hand in the crash and when I woke up this morning it was still painful so I knew it would be a tough day with so many big jumps on the track. My first start was ok from the fourteenth gate and I scored a fourth position, not so bad in the circumstances. My second start was much better, but at the end of the first downhill, in the same corner where I had crashed in the qualifying race, another rider hit my front wheel and I crashed with several other riders including my teammate. From there I came back from last to seventh to save important points. Now I will take care of my hand and recover during the week as we have another GP next weekend.”
Clement Desalle
Filling in for Romain Febvre, Dean Ferris’ return to racing did not go to plan. The Australian got faster with every lap completed throughout the weekend, but did not get a chance to prove his potential with a fall at the start of Race 2 cutting his Grand Prix short. Ferris fears a knee injury and will be examined by medical professionals.
Dean Ferris
“It was a tough weekend, but I got more comfortable in every session. I thought the last fifteen minutes of the race I found my groove and had some really good lap-times, so I was content with that. In moto two, I went down on the start and I have hurt my knee, so that will need to be assessed.”
Dean Ferris
MXGP of Britain Race 1
CAIROLI Antonio ITA 6:37.831
PAULIN Gautier FRA +1.956
GAJSER Tim SLO +4.473
DESALLE Clement BEL +24.293
VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy BEL +26.271
TONUS Arnaud SWI +27.618
ANSTIE Max GBR +45.107
SEEWER Jeremy SWI +46.683
JASIKONIS Arminas LTU +49.675
LIEBER Julien BEL +56.271
MXGP of Britain Race 2
GAJSER Tim SLO 36:01.717
CAIROLI Antonio ITA +1.709
PAULIN Gautier FRA +54.204
JASIKONIS Arminas LTU +57.637
SEEWER Jeremy SWI +1:00.564
VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy BEL +1:05.984
DESALLE Clement BEL +1:20.385
COLDENHOFF Glenn NDL +1:22.071
SIMPSON Shaun GBR +1:26.697
MONTICELLI Ivo ITA +1:28.257
MXGP 2019 – Round 2 MXGP Podium
Results MXGP Matterley Basin 2019 Top 5
Tony Cairoli (ITA) Red Bull KTM (1-2)
Tim Gajser (SLO) Honda (3-1)
Gautier Paulin (FRA) Yamaha (2-3)
Clement Desalle (BEL) Kawasaki (4-7)
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL) Honda (5-6)
MXGP Standings following Round 2
CAIROLI Antonio ITA 97
GAJSER Tim SLO 89
PAULIN Gautier FRA 74
VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy BEL 66
DESALLE Clement BEL 65
JASIKONIS Arminas LTU 56
SEEWER Jeremy SWI 50
JONASS Pauls LAT 40
SIMPSON Shaun GBR 39
ANSTIE Max GBR 39
…23. Dean Ferris AUS 6
MX2
The MX2 class saw battles in both races as the field fought for championship points, with Race 1 starting with Tom Vialle taking the Fox Holeshot for the second time this season.
Tom Vialle claimed the holeshot – Image by Ray Archer
Vialle led but was under pressure from Thomas Kjer Olsen and Dylan Walsh, while in the thick of the racing was Ben Watson and Henry Jacobi.
Watson made an unfortunate error dropping the bike early in the race dropping him from fourth back to ninth. Watson’s teammate Jago Geerts also suffered from mistakes while running inside the top ten putting the two Kemea Yamaha’s in a difficult position.
Thomas Kjer Olsen
By the second lap Olsen took the top spot from Vialle, who then lost out to the moves of Jacobi as well when the German passed him on the outside. Local hero Conrad Mewse moved up to fourth from 11th before a mechanical issue on the last lap.
Tom Vialle – Image by Ray Archer
Olsen’s lead started to be chipped at by Jacobi but the title hopeful kept his cool and held the spot through to take the checkered flag and his first race win this season. Mewse’s fourth position was taken by Watson, but Mewse managed to limp his bike across the finish in sixth just behind Michele Cervellin.
Race 2 proved that KTM and Vialle made the right choice as he took his third 4 Fox Holeshots so far in 2019. Vialle again had Walsh just behind along with Olsen, Jacobi, and Calvin Vlaanderen.
Henry Jacobi
Olsen took second from Walsh before the first lap was complete, while Mathys Boisrame fought in the top five on his Honda CRF250. A mistake from Jacobi allowed Vlaanderen to get past who then took third from Walsh.
Jacobi recovered and found his form to get past Walsh as well and his speed allowed him to catch the front runners and Vialle who had dropped a spot to Vlaanderen. With less than two laps to go Jacobi flew past Vialle, moving the German into third in the race but second overall.
Jed Beaton
Olsen’s dominant weekend continued winning Race 2 by 9.9 seconds over Vlaanderen. In the overall it was Olsen’s 1-1 taking first, Jacobi’s 2-3 took second, and Vialle’s 3-4 put the Frenchman on the podium in his second ever MX2 race.
Thomas Kjer-Olsen
“It’s just awesome to go 1-1 here in the UK. My weekend was really good – I won the qualifying moto and then went on the claim the overall in MX2 with two more wins. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It’s been a long time since I got the overall win and I was happy to do it at this cool track. Matterley Basin has always been a track that I enjoy riding and this weekend I did my best to collect as many points as possible for the championship. I felt comfortable all weekend and my best moto was the last one, where the track was at its roughest. I have so much full confidence in my bike, and so much trust in all the members of my team. It was good to pay them back with this win. I also secured the red plate for the first time. Now the goal is to hold onto it and push hard during the upcoming races.”
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Henry Jacobi
“My first race was pretty good. I had some special lines and I saw that nobody else was taking them so I thought that maybe I could win this race. I went for it, but I started my attack a little too late; I came up short in some corners and I just missed my opportunity. I had hoped to time it better in the second race; my start was OK in fourth or fifth, but then I got stuck a little bit during the first ten minutes as I wanted this podium so much; I put myself under a little bit of pressure and rode too tight during the first ten minutes. But then in the last fifteen minutes I found a good rhythm to pass Vialle and secure the second position overall, which is good for me and for the team. We made some really good steps during the winter; the team has only been in the world championship for a few years but everyone is doing a fantastic job and we had a very good winter preparation. I never had such a professional winter training and the Kawasaki suits me really well; I like the control in the corners and our trainer is so clever and give me such good advice. We are here now, second in the points, and we are determined to stay there!”
Henry Jacobi
Tom Vialle
“It was a really good weekend: I had ridden well during the week and it fed into the practice sessions and both motos. I’m really happy with my starts because being at the front helps me find my rhythm: it is so important. I think a very good winter has helped with my transition from EMX to MX2. My feeling on the bike is another positive thing. Today has been a big step for me.”
Tom Vialle – Image by Ray Archer
Calvin Vlaanderen
“It wasn’t the greatest weekend, to be honest. I’m happy that I could finish off strong with a second place in the second race, but the whole weekend I actually struggled a lot. This was especially the case in the qualifying race and the first moto today, I didn’t really have a good rhythm and I seemed to be fighting the track a bit too much. I’m happy though that I could rebound for the second race and ride like I know how to ride and get that second place. It is good for my confidence and going into the week ahead, it’s good motivation to keep pushing and make sure I come out swinging next weekend.”
Calvin Vlaanderen – Image by Bavo
Jed Beaton
“I had a really good weekend here at Matterley Basin. It was my first GP after many months, and I felt strong on the bike. It was good to get a top-10 in the opening moto. In the second moto I was close to the top-10 again and ended up finishing in 13th place. Getting a top-10 result in the overall is really positive for the rest of the season. There’s still a long way to go in this series. I’m pretty happy with where I am, hopefully I can start building from here.”
Jed Beaton
Unfortunately Team Honda 114 Motorsports rider Mitchell Evans suffered early on in moto one, and while he was running a pace that matched the leaders, he was unable to get himself back in points scoring contention. The second moto was much better though as he finished in eighth place after fighting through the field from outside the top 15.
Mitch Evans
“P34 and P8 moto scores today. Bad starts both motos didn’t do me any favours. After a small crash in Moto 1 I had to make a pit stop to fix my clutch to stop it from slipping which left me almost a lap down. Will continue to work on my starts and we should be sweet. Thanks Honda 114 Motorsports.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
Marvin Musquin – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin
Ken Roczen
Aaron Plessinger
…13. Chad Reed
450SX Main Event Results
Cooper Webb
Blake Baggett
Marvin Musquin
450SX Points after 9 of 17 Rounds
Cooper Webb – 199
Ken Roczen – 186
Marvin Musquin – 182
Eli Tomac – 177
Blake Baggett – 142
Dean Wilson – 137
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.”
Adam Cianciarulo – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
250SX East/West Shootout Results
Adam Cianciarulo
Dylan Ferrandis
Austin Forkner
Chase Sexton
Justin Cooper
Shane McElrath
Colt Nichols
Martin Davalos
Michael Mosiman
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.
Austin Forkner – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
250 East Coast Points after 4 of 9 Rounds
Austin Forkner – 99
Justin Cooper – 81
Chase Sexton – 79
Jordon Smith – 70
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.
Dylan Ferrandis – 2019 AMA SX Round 9 Atlanta – Image by Hoppenworld
250 West Coast Points after 6 of 10 Rounds
Adam Cianciarulo – 140
Dylan Ferrandis – 125
Shane McElrath – 123
Colt Nichols – 120
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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
Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:41.270
Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:06.253
Febvre, Romain FRA Yamaha +0:09.838
Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:11.464
Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:02.566
Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:32.226
Lieber, Julien BEL Kawasaki +0:39.435
Jasikonis, Arminas LMSF Husqvarna +0:49.752
Jonass, Pauls LAT Husqvarna +0:50.285
Seewer, Jeremy SUI Yamaha +0:59.164
MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 2
Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:56.475
Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:02.386
Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:37.829
Anstie, Max GBR KTM +0:42.332
Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:43.070
Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:47.509
Searle, Tommy GBR Kawasaki +0:49.602
Jasikonis, Arminas LTU Husqvarna +0:58.810
Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM +1:01.941
Tonus, Arnaud SUI Yamaha +1:03.513
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – 1) Tony Cairoli, 2) Tim Gajser, 3) Jeremy Van Horebeek
MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Standings
Cairoli, A. ITA KTM 50
Gajser, Tim SLO HON 44
Van Horebeek, J. BEL HON 35
Desalle, C. BEL KAW 33
Paulin, G. FRA YAM 32
Jasikonis, A. LTU HUS 26
Searle, Tommy GBR KAW 22
Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM 22
Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 21
Jonass, Pauls LAT HUS 21
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.
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.”
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.
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.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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 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
Loic Larrieu (TM) 48:18.93
Steve Holcombe (Beta) 48:25.39
Daniel McCanney (TM) 48:29.79
Round 2
Steve Holcombe (Beta) 47:46.11
Loic Larrieu (TM) 48:01.61
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.
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.”
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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.”
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.
Look 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.
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 – 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.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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
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
Jayce Cosford
Jai Walker
Joel Milesevic
Jesse Bishop
Ryan Kenney
Nicholas Kefford
Danny Ham
Wilson Greiner-Daish
Cale Harkin
Kobe Barton
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
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
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.
Smarty’s Weekly Moto News Wrap proudly brought to you by Dunlop
Jorge Prado claims the MX2 win – Mitch Evans third
The 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship kicked off at the MXGP of Patagonia-Argentina over the weekend, marking the fifth running at this location, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing claiming top honours across both MXGP and MX2 classes thanks to the efforts of Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado, who each won both of their races.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina
20-year-old Mitchell Evans from Far North Queensland in Australia also put in an extremely strong showing to the season, claiming third overall in the MX2 class thanks to a fifth place finish in Race 1 and claiming the final podium spot in Race 2. New Zealands Dylan Walsh also claimed a 13-18 result, netting 11 championship points to sit 15th in the standings.
MXGP Qualifying
When the time came to line up for the Qualifying Race Romain Febvre was first on the grid with the top time but when the gate dropped, he found himself in fifth. Meanwhile Tim Gajser was in the early lead followed by Julien Lieber.
When it came to the fnish line, Romain Febvre took an impressive win considering his last MXGP event was the MXGP of Turkey last season. The top five spots where filled out by the three Belgians of Julien Lieber, Jeremy Van Horebeek, and Clement Desalle, along with Brit, Max Anstie.
MXGP of Patagonia – Qualifying Top Ten
Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 24:21.194
Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:04.306
Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:06.536
Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:10.377
Max Anstie (GBR, KTM), +0:13.962
MXGP Race 1
Antonio Cairoli was the favourite for the first MXGP round of 2019 but it wasn’t an easy weekend by any means for the nine-time champion. Saturday’s Qualifying races left the #222 on the far outside gate after not finishing due to a bike issue yesterday.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
When the racing kicked off Cairoli’s KTM was back better than ever, but Julien Lieber took the Fox Holeshot. The lead for Lieber was short-lived as Cairoli took over on the first official lap.
Romain Febvre, who came into the race as the qualifying winner, was into second position by the end of the first lap leaving Lieber to fight for position with his teammate Clement Desalle and Tim Gajser. The pair also dispatched #33 pushing him to fifth.
During the next three laps Lieber dropped two more spots, first to Gautier Paulin and next to fellow Belgian Jeremy Van Horebeek on his Honda.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Tim Gajser was the rider on the move in race one though as he passed Desalle for second then reeled in Febvre and took second. With five laps remaining Cairoli was long gone in the lead but Gajser keep pushing to open a gap over Febvre.
The race win went to Cairoli in a dominating performance with Gajser, Febvre, Desalle, and Paulin rounding out the top five. Arminas Jasikonis and Pauls Jonass battled throughout the late stages of the race after both made it by Jeremy Seewer. Jasikonis eventually came out ahead of Jonass as the pair finished eighth and ninth and Seewer took the final spot in the top ten.
MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 1
Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:41.270
Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:06.253
Febvre, Romain FRA Yamaha +0:09.838
Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:11.464
Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:02.566
Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:32.226
Lieber, Julien BEL Kawasaki +0:39.435
Jasikonis, Arminas LMSF Husqvarna +0:49.752
Jonass, Pauls LAT Husqvarna +0:50.285
Seewer, Jeremy SUI Yamaha +0:59.164
MXGP Race 2
MXGP Race 2 started with another Fox Holeshot from Julien Lieber while Cairoli came out of the first turn around 5th avoiding a crash that involved Paulin, Desalle, and Seewer. Seewer was the first get going coming across the first lap in 15th while Desalle was 16th and Paulin 19th. Lieber lost the advantage earned by his holeshot when he fell on the opening lap as well getting back up in 18th.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Clement Desalle
Febvre took over the lead from Lieber with Gajser giving chase and Cairoli closing in to the fight for the lead. Tommy Searle was in fourth but dropped a spot to Van Horebeek early in the race while Ivo Monticelli took 6th from Shaun Simpson.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Max Anstie took 6th from the Italian on the fifth lap and then sized up fellow Brit Tommy Searle for fifth position. Meanwhile the battle for the lead turned into an all-out but short-lived brawl as Cairoli miraculously passed both Gajser and Febvre in the same section.
With Cairoli taking the spot from Febvre the Slovenian of Gajser found a way past the Frenchman as well. On the 14th lap of 18 Febvre crashed out of the race in the roller section giving Van Horebeek third and moving Anstie and Searle into the top five.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Desalle and Paulin worked forward together throughout the race after the first turn crash with Paulin taking 5th from Searle with three laps to go while Desalle made a pass on the #100 in the last lap.
At the finish it was Cairoli who managed to hold of a consistently fast Gajser for the first MXGP overall victory of 2019 and his 16th consecutive season with a GP victory. Gajser’s pair of second place finishes took him to the podium as well while Van Horebeek surprised many with his 6-3 race finishes to earn third and his first podium since the 2017 season where he finished third at MXGP of Europe in Valkenswaard and second at this same venue prior.
Tony Cairoli – P1
“I’m really happy about this race because we unfortunately had a problem yesterday and on this track the start is really important because there is not much difference between the riders and the lap-times. I did my best to get to the front both times and it worked; I was in the top ten and could manage to work my way through. It was a nice race and nice event. So many fans, it is like being in Italy for me!”
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Tim Gajser – P2
“I’m really happy to start the season strongly with a podium, and to feel really good on the track. In the first race I didn’t get the best of starts and it took me a couple of laps to find a good rhythm and to find the nice lines but once I did that, I passed a lot of the guys in front of me and finished in second. That was a great way to start the season off. Then in second moto, it was even better as I almost took the holeshot and I led for a lap but I was riding tight and not enjoying my riding so Romain (Febvre) and Toni (Cairoli) passed me. After this, I found my rhythm and found the flow around the track and was able to move into second and just start enjoying riding again. Two second places is a good start to the season and I’m really looking forward to the next races. A big thanks to the whole team around me, who help me out and put together this amazing CRF450RW.”
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Jeremy Van Horebeek – P3
“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.”
Clément Desalle – P4
“It was a solid weekend and it was great to be back racing GPs as you can’t find these conditions when you train. We saw that we have a great new bike and Julien proved the performance at the starts. I scored a fourth position in the first moto; the rhythm was really high and I finished not so far from the top three. I’m just disappointed with the second start; I had a good jump off the gate but they ripped the ground in the first corner and I was surprised in a rut and touched handlebars with another rider. I was last but I came back to sixth, which is not so bad as my front brake lever was bent in the crash. It’s good to be going back home fourth in the series; we now have three weeks to work on small details we have learnt at this first GP.”
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Clement Desalle
Gautier Paulin – P5
“The bike was working good today. We have been working hard this winter and we had to put the bike in the crate even with some more things to work on. But today, I just had to put my helmet on and go racing. We know there are things we still need to improve but it is what it is. The bike is working really good. The chasis is awesome on the Yamaha, I really enjoy it, and the engine too. With the little improvements we can make, I am really looking forward to it, and I need to keep working myself also. I feel like I had a good weekend, just had bad luck with another rider hitting me in the first turn. I think his bike hit my bike and I went over the ‘bars big time. But overall I feel strong and fifth place to start the season, close enough to the podium is a good start. I really enjoyed the racing.”
MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 2
Cairoli, Antonio ITA KTM 34:56.475
Gajser, Tim SLO Honda +0:02.386
Van Horebeek, Jeremy BEL Honda +0:37.829
Anstie, Max GBR KTM +0:42.332
Paulin, Gautier FRA Yamaha +0:43.070
Desalle, Clement BEL Kawasaki +0:47.509
Searle, Tommy GBR Kawasaki +0:49.602
Jasikonis, Arminas LTU Husqvarna +0:58.810
Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM +1:01.941
Tonus, Arnaud SUI Yamaha +1:03.513
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Tony Cairoli claimed the overall win from Tim Gajser and Jeremy Van Horebeek
MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Standings
Cairoli, A. ITA KTM 50
Gajser, Tim SLO HON 44
Van Horebeek, J. BEL HON 35
Desalle, C. BEL KAW 33
Paulin, G. FRA YAM 32
Jasikonis, A. LTU HUS 26
Searle, Tommy GBR KAW 22
Simpson, Shaun GBR KTM 22
Seewer, Jeremy SUI YAM 21
Jonass, Pauls LAT HUS 21
MX2 Qualifying
MX2’s qualifying racing was just as exciting as the MXGP, if not more so, with an epic three-way battle for the win. The early practice sessions were dominated by Thomas Kjer Olsen while reigning MX2 World Champion, Jorge Prado had the fifth fastest times in each.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
As the qualifying race came to life with the MX2 field barreling into the first corner it was the 2018 Fox Holeshot winner Jorge Prado leading. Prado was chased by his new teammate Tom Vialle and Henry Jacobi.
Olsen had a front row seat just behind the two leaders and took advantage with a quick pass on Prado as the finish neared, while the Dane continued his charge and got Jacobi with three laps to go. Prado was still in the hunt however and took Jacobi wide on the final lap to finish second. Behind Prado and Jacobi it was Ben Watson and Calvin Vlaanderen.
MX2 of Patagona – Qualifying Top Ten
Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 24:24.613
Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:02.267
Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:03.547
Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:18.925
Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:26.119
Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:28.658
Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:33.941
Alvin Östlund (SWE, Husqvarna), +0:35.687
Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:36.072
Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:38.221
MX2 Race 1
MX2 Championship racing kicked off the day as an early unexpected turn of events happened with Tom Vialle taking the Fox Holeshot in his first ever FIM Motocross World Championship race.
Vialle’s lead quickly went to the defending MX2 World Champion but the young French rider held his own as the race progressed. Henry Jacobi took second during lap 2 and then worked to catch Prado.
Saturday’s Qualifying winner, Thomas Kjer Olsen, spun off the gate and fought his way forward from outside the top five in the early stages of the race. Between Vialle in third and Olsen was Mitch Evans, Calvin Vlaanderen, and Jago Geerts.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
However, in only five laps Olsen moved up four positions to just behind Jacobi who was in second. During this time Prado had done damage to anyone else’s chance of winning by putting in three consecutive fastest laps of the race and growing a massive gap.
It took three laps for Olsen to make a pass on Jacobi stick as the Kawasaki rider didn’t let the spot go easily. Prado’s gap proved to be too big for Olsen to overcome and the Spaniard took the race win, while Jacobi finished third, Vlaanderen fourth, and MX2 rookie Mitch Evans took fifth.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Calvin Vlaanderen – Image by Bavo
Race 2 was another Red Bull KTM holeshot but this time it went to Jorge Prado with Evans running in second and Olsen third. Ben Watson was off to a good start as well, but a handful of mistakes dropped him from fourth to outside the top ten early.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Vlaanderen took over the fourth position vacated by Watson, while Vialle moved to fifth and at the front Prado again pulled a gap. Olsen was able to get by the #43 of Evans and closed slightly on Prado but was still several seconds in arrears.
Adam Sterry and Henry Jacobi were making progress, as Sterry took fifth from Vialle who then dropped another spot to Jacobi. Sterry stayed in fifth for nearly five laps but crashed just before the challenging wave section. The fall gave Jacobi fifth but dropped Sterry to ninth where he would finish.
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Mitch Evans – Image courtesy of Team 114 Motorsports Facebook Page
At the finish line it was Jorge Prado who took the overall win and 50 points allowing him to retain the red plate earned last season. Olsen took second overall matching his 2018 result in Patagonia while Australia’s Mitch Evans took third overall in what was his first ever MX2 race!
Jorge Prado – P1
“It’s great to be back at the GPs and I had a lot of fun. I had two really good starts and that was important for the racing here. The priority was to get this first race done with good points and to be healthy and in the end we managed a win in both motos. I felt very good on the bike today and physically very strong. I couldn’t start the season in a better way. We’ll keep working hard up to the next round in England.”
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Thomas Kjer-Olsen – P2
“I’m quite happy to start this season with a second-place overall result here in Argentina. As a racer I’m always looking for race wins, but it is really good to start the season on the podium. In the first moto I spun out of the gate and gave myself some work to do. I managed to get up to second on lap 10, so I was pleased with that. The second moto went well. I moved from third to second and spent the whole race there. It’s going to be a long year with plenty of racing to be done, so I am happy to head back to Europe second in the championship. The plan now is to get back to work. I want to make the most of this short break in the series and continue working before the next round at Matterley Basin.”
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Thomas Kjer Olsen
Mitch Evans – P3
“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.”
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Mitch Evans – Image courtesy of Team 114 Motorsports Facebook Page
Calvin Vlaanderen
“It was a solid and consistent day today. I’m reasonably happy with how it went and obviously I want to be on the podium at the end of the day but we’ll take fourth overall and it’s a good base for the season. It’s important to come out of the first round healthy and get rid of the nerves and just ease into the season after all the hype that comes with round one. I had two pretty good starts on my CRF250RW and could ride quite comfortably at the speed I was going and although I was a little bit off the speed of the first three guys, I feel like that will come on a different track. Overall I’m happy with how the day went and it’s a good weekend to build from.”
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Calvin Vlaanderen – Image by Bavo
Henry Jacobi
“I think it was a really good weekend for me, especially as you never know where you really are before the first GP. To start the season like this is really good. I’m OK with the result, even if I am a little bit disappointed after the race to miss the podium so narrowly; we were all close in the points but we have still eighteen rounds to get podiums. I’m happy with the entire weekend; I was so close here, even though I don’t particularly like this tricky track. I was just surprised in race two when the gate dropped so fast; usually I count to three when they show the five seconds board and then focus on the gate, but after three the gate was already down. After that I was actually riding better in the second race than in the first one, but I lost too much time at the start.”
Sixteen heats of quick-fire racing action will be sure to keep the crowds entertained all night, and a field full of world-class riders and passengers will ensure the standard of racing is second to none.
Look 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.
