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Moto News Wrap for March 26, 2019 by Darren Smart

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The LATEST News

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

Musquin and Ferrandis win in Seattle SX

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

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

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

Marvin Musquin

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

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

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

450SX Main Event Results

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

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

450SX Points after 12 of 17 Rounds

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

250 West Coast Report

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

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

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

Dylan Ferrandis

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

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

250 West Coast Main Event Results

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

250 West Coast Points after 7 of 11 Rounds

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

250 East Coast Points after 6 of 9 Rounds

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

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

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

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

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

Chad Reed – Instagram

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

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

2019 A4DE postponed – Date TBA

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

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

Motorcycling Australia (MA) Statement

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

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

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


Cairoli and Kjer Olsen storm Matterley Basin MXGP

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

MXGP UK cairoli start
Tony Cairoli in the lead

MXGP Report

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

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

Tony Cairoli

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

MXGP UK antonio cairoli
Tony Cairoli

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

Tim Gajser

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

MXGP Rnd Britain Gajser bavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo

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

Gautier Paulin

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

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

Dean Ferris

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

MXGP UK ferris action
Dean Ferris

MXGP Race 1 Top Ten

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

MXGP Race 2 Top Ten

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

MXGP Overall Top Ten

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

MXGP Championship Top Ten

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

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

MXGP UK thomas olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen

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

Thomas Kjer Olsen

“It was amazing to go 1-1 for the first time and it was even better when I was on the podium and they gave me the red plate because I didn’t realize I would be leading the points. Overall I had a great weekend, I felt really good out on the track, I had great energy and I felt really comfortable, we even made improvements every time I was out so I was really happy with that and how the whole team is working.”

MXGP UK thomas olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen

Jacobi is supported by F&H Kawasaki but it is far from being a factory team.

Henry Jacobi

“I had some special lines that I was seeing and nobody else took. 2nd overall is really good for us, the team, you know we are not a factory team, but we made some really good steps over the winter with F&H Racing.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Jacobi
Henry Jacobi

Australian riders Jed Beaton and Mitch Evans had mixed success with Beaton’s return to racing after an injury kept him out of the opening round earned the Husqvarna rider tenth overall with a 9-13 finishes while Evans finished 15th overall after a DNF in the opening moto and an eighth in moto two.

Jed Beaton

“I had a really good weekend here at Matterley Basin. It was my first GP after many months, and I felt strong on the bike. It was good to get a top-10 in the opening moto. In the second moto I was close to the top-10 again and ended up finishing in 13th place. Getting a top-10 result in the overall is really positive for the rest of the season. There’s still a long way to go in this series. I’m pretty happy with where I am, hopefully I can start building from here.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Jed beaton action
Jed Beaton
Mitchell Evans

“My weekend started well with a fourth in the qualifying race on Saturday, but Sunday I struggled with my starts. After a bad start in the first race I crashed whilst trying to fight my way forward. After a pit stop to fix a damaged clutch, I found myself almost a lap down and unfortunately, due to the track having such a long lap, I was unable to make up any positions. Another bad start in race two left me with a lot of work to do. I was able to fight my way back to eighth. I am happy with my riding and fitness after ten days of sitting on the couch following Argentina, due to an infection in my knee. We will work on my starts this week and be more prepared for next weekend! Thanks to my team and everyone supporting me!”

MXGP UK evans action
Mitch Evans

The next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship is this weekend for the MXGP of The Netherlands in Valkenswaard.

MX2 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 35:01.449
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:04.278
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:16.160
  4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:28.500
  5. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:30.179
  6. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:35.271
  7. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:36.018
  8. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:44.908
  9. Jed Beaton (AUS, Husqvarna), +0:50.189
  10. Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:54.010

MX2 Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 37:10.022
  2. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:09.936
  3. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:16.035
  4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), +0:16.935
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:20.044
  6. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), +0:38.635
  7. Davy Pootjes (NED, Husqvarna), +0:43.577
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:46.268
  9. Michele Cervellin (ITA, Yamaha), +0:54.765
  10. Dylan Walsh (NZL, Husqvarna), +0:59.920
MXGP UK olsen podium
2019 MX2 Podium – Matterley Basin, UK – 1) Kjer Olsen, 2) Henry Jacobi, 3) Tom Vialle

MX2 Overall Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 50 points
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 42 points
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 38 points
  4. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 35 points
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 34 points
  6. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 28 points
  7. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 28 points
  8. Dylan Walsh (NZL, HUS), 22 points
  9. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 20 points
  10. Jed Beaton (AUS, HUS), 20 points

MX2 Championship Top Ten

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, HUS), 94 points
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER, KAW), 78 points
  3. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, HON), 71 points
  4. Tom Vialle (FRA, KTM), 65 points
  5. Ben Watson (GBR, YAM), 63 points
  6. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), 50 points
  7. Davy Pootjes (NED, HUS), 50 points
  8. Mitchell Evans (AUS, HON), 49 points
  9. Jago Geerts (BEL, YAM), 45 points
  10. Michele Cervellin (ITA, YAM), 41 points

Forato and Anderson win EMX in Great Britain

Elberto Forato and Brad Anderson have won the opening rounds of the EMX250 and EMX2T classes respectively at the Matterley Basin round of the FIM World motocross Championships last weekend.

MXGP UK EMX action at Matterley Basin
EMX250 Start – Matterley Basin

EMX250 Report

The EMX250 class is now age limited to 23 years of age and the overall winner was clearly Forato who led every lap on the way to a perfect weekend while Stephan Rubini took second with 3-5 finishes ahead of Roan Van de Moosdijk finished third with 6-3 scores.

Alberto Forato

“For me it was a good weekend, I lead from the first lap of every race, so I was able to focus on myself and I want to do this every weekend. It is a different bike and a different team this year but now I am really comfortable with everyone, the bike, the mechanics, and everything so it is good for me.”

EMX250 Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, Husqvarna), 32:04.381
  2. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, Yamaha), +0:07.871
  3. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:13.441
  4. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:17.624
  5. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, Honda), +0:20.202
  6. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:24.296
  7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:25.668
  8. Karlis Sabulis (LAT, KTM), +0:29.951
  9. Josh Gilbert (GBR, Honda), +0:31.131
  10. Caleb Grothues (AUS, Yamaha), +0:53.522

EMX250 Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, Husqvarna), 32:24.557
  2. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:09.886
  3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, Kawasaki), +0:22.042
  4. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, Honda), +0:23.370
  5. Stephen Rubini (FRA, Honda), +0:26.631
  6. Giuseppe Tropepe (ITA, Yamaha), +1:01.793
  7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +1:06.422
  8. Michael Ivanov (BUL, KTM), +1:10.730
  9. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, Kawasaki), +1:13.653
  10. Josh Gilbert (GBR, Honda), +1:17.062

EMX250 Championship Top Ten

  1. Alberto Forato (ITA, HUS), 50 points
  2. Stephen Rubini (FRA, HON), 36
  3. Roan Van De Moosdijk (NED, KAW), 35
  4. Pierre Goupillon (FRA, HON), 34
  5. Jimmy Clochet (FRA, KAW), 30
  6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, YAM), 29
  7. Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 28
  8. Josh Gilbert (GBR, HON), 23
  9. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 22
  10. Michael Ivanov (BUL, KTM), 22
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EMX2T Report

The EMX2T class is the newest category of EMX racing and with this weekend being the first round of the championship a long list of riders entered for their chance to become the first winner and in the end it was Brit Brad Anderson who earned the overall with 1-1 moto results ahead of Vaclav Kovar’s 3-2 results while Andrea Gorini battled hard to go 6-4 for third overall.

MXGP UK EMXT action
EMX 2T Start – Matterley Basin

EMX2T Race 1 Top Ten

  1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 32:30.711
  2. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:11.823
  3. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:18.398
  4. Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:28.185
  5. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:29.117
  6. Andrea Gorini (SMR, Yamaha), +0:41.229
  7. Jamie Law (GBR, KTM), +0:48.410
  8. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:51.244
  9. Marco Lolli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:53.367
  10. Andrea Vendruscolo (ITA, Yamaha), +0:54.018

EMX2T Race 2 Top Ten

  1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 31:53.709
  2. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, Gas Gas), +0:13.016
  3. Brad Todd (GBR, Yamaha), +0:23.472
  4. Andrea Gorini (SMR, Yamaha), +0:31.933
  5. Ben Putnam (GBR, Yamaha), +0:39.101
  6. Todd Kellett (GBR, Yamaha), +0:41.262
  7. Andero Lusbo (EST, Husqvarna), +0:42.289
  8. Matt Burrows (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:53.431
  9. Marco Lolli (ITA, Yamaha), +0:57.771
  10. Youri van t Ende (NED, KTM), +0:59.480

EMX2T Championship Top Ten

  1. Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 50 points
  2. Vaclav Kovar (CZE, GAS), 42
  3. Andrea Gorini (SMR, YAM), 33
  4. Todd Kellett (GBR, YAM), 33
  5. Andero Lusbo (EST, HUS), 30
  6. Ben Putnam (GBR, YAM), 26
  7. Marco Lolli (ITA, YAM), 24
  8. Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 22
  9. Matt Burrows (GBR, HUS), 21
  10. Emanuele Alberio (ITA, HUS), 21

Prado sits out MXGP of Great Britain

Defending MX2 World Champion Jorge Prado did not take part in the second round of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship last weekend in Great Britain after sustaining a shoulder injury thanks to a crash while practicing three weeks ago.

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

Prado did complain of a sore left shoulder after the crash but the Spaniard continued to prepare for Matterley Basin but felt the condition of the joint deteriorate and become more painful.

Further detailed medical examination with renowned surgeon and specialist Dr Claes in Belgium revealed a haematoma under the left shoulder blade was causing the discomfort so the best course of recovery involves rest, and Prado will return for another check-up on Tuesday 26th for further evaluation ahead of the Grand Prix of the Netherlands at Valkenswaard.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Jorge Prado RA
Jorge Prado – Image by Ray Archer
Claudio De Carli – Red Bull KTM Team Manager

“After such a strong start to the season for the team and Jorge it is disappointing for everyone that he and Jeffrey are now missing Matterley Basin and the first European round of 2019. Unfortunately this is part of the sport but, fortunately, it could be worse and we hope Jorge will be back on the bike very quickly. We’re in good shape and we are confident, and we believe this will not be such a big setback for us in what is a long season.”


Herlings to return to MXGP in May

In the wake of a complex operation on his broken right foot, MXGP World Champion Jeffrey Herlings has stepped-up his physical training program with a view to start riding his Red Bull KTM 450 SX-F in late April and return to competition in the FIM MXGP Motocross World Championship action sometime in May.

MXGP Rnd Italy Jeffrey Herlings RA
Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Ray Archer

The four-times World Champion was already missed the opening two Grands Prix and he will also miss Holland and Italy but will then hopefully be counting the days until he can again be behind a FIM World Championship gate.

Jeffrey Herlings

“Rehab has been going very well and I cannot wait to be back and to throw a leg over the bike again. I want to be back at the GPs as quick as possible but we cannot say which race yet until I get some riding time. I’m also able to step-up my cycling and swimming now. For sure we’ll miss the next three rounds and we also don’t want to rush things and risk a setback.”

MXoN Herlings MX JK MXON
Jeffrey Herlings – Image by Jeff Kardas
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Australia to host MXGP in 2020?

There was some noise made at the British GP last weekend with Australian GP promoter Willie Thomson on hand to hold talks with Youthstream, but it must be noted that nothing is concrete right now and that Thomson has yet to convince the WA government to foot the bill.


Holcombe dominates opening EnduroGP round

EnduroGP Rnd Bikes Town
2019 EnduroGP Round 1

In almost perfect conditions Germany hosted the opening two rounds of the World EnduroGP Championships and it was defending champion Steve Holcombe who dominated both days but it was Aussie Will Ruprecht who etched his name in history to win Friday night’s Super Test against the best in the world before backing that up with a pair of podiums in the Junior class.

EnduroGP Rnd Germany Steve Holcombe FM
Steve Holcombe celebrates the win in Germany – Image by Future7Media

Holcombe won the overall EnduroGP class as well as the E3 class and Brad Freeman dominated the E1 class while it was Loïc Larrieu and Eero Remes who shared victories in the E2 class.

EnduroGP Rnd Loic Larrieu TM
Loïc Larrieu – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Steve Holcombe

“It’s difficult to sum up how much of a surprise it is to win both days. My goal was to podium and claim strong points, so as you can imagine a double victory in EnduroGP and Enduro 3 is a huge result to take. I didn’t have a great Super Test on Friday – I never really do – but I wanted to push hard from the beginning on Saturday to see where I was at. That strategy paid off and I won by 70 seconds. I went with that tactic again on Sunday and made things count on the opening two laps. I ran out of steam a little on the final lap but knew that with the effort I’d put in earlier on, barring any major mistakes, I could win. We’ve a couple of weeks now until round two in Portugal, so the plan remains unchanged – keep working with the goal of getting stronger. I know there’s room to improve. Finally, a huge thanks to Beta and all the team – a result like this is very much a team effort.”

EnduroGP Rnd Holcombe
Steve Holcombe – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Danny McCanney

“I finish third today, I’m a little disappointed, but overall I’m very happy with my weekend. I can’t wait to continue the season and gain some more good results.”

EnduroGP Rnd David Knight TM
Danny McCanney – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Brad Freeman

“I’m happy because today (day 2) I was able to increase my pace to catch up with Danny. I’m still a long way from Steve, but I’m happy to be on this 100 per cent British podium.”

EnduroGP Rnd Freeman
Brad Freeman – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1
Eero Remes

“The first day was very disappointing for me and the team, but I told the team that the season is very long and we are going to catch up. I feel good and this victory in E2 is a first great reward.”

Akrapovic Super Test Award Standings

  1. Wil RUPRECHT 10 points
  2. Benjamin HERRERA 9
  3. Thomas OLDRATI 8
  4. Daniel MCCANNEY 7p
  5. Steve HOLCOMBE 6
  6. Kirian MIRABET 5
  7. Hamish MACDONALD 4
  8. Andrea VERONA 3
  9. Loïc LARRIEU 2
  10. Alex SALVINI 1

EnduroGP Day 1 Top 10

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  3. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  4. Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
  5. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  6. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  7. Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
  8. Christophe CHARLIER – France
  9. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  10. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
EnduroGP Rnd Germany Steve Holcombe Podium FM
Steve Holcombe on the podium

EnduroGP Day 2 Top 10

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  3. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  4. Eero REMES – Finland
  5. Alex SALVINI – Italy
  6. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  7. Davide GUARNERI – Italy
  8. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  9. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  10. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
EnduroGP Rnd Freeman
Brad Freeman – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1

E1 Day 1 Results

  1. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  2. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  3. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  4. Davide GUARNERI – Italy
  5. Rudy MORONI – Italy
EnduroGP Rnd Germany E Day podium
E1 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019

E1 Day 2 Results

  1. Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
  2. Davide GUARNERI – Italy
  3. Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
  4. Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
  5. Rudy MORONI – Italy
EnduroGP Rnd Loic Larrieu TM
Loïc Larrieu – 2019 EnduroGP Round 1

E2 Day 1 Results

  1. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  2. Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
  3. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
  4. Giacomo REDONDI – Italy
  5. Antoine BASSET – France
EnduroGP Rnd Germany E Day podium
E2 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019

E2 Day 2 Results

  1. Eero REMES – Finland
  2. Alex SALVINI – Italy
  3. Loïc LARRIEU – France
  4. Benjamin HERRERA – Chile
  5. Antoine BASSET – France

E3 Day 1 Results

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  3. Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
  4. David ABGRALL – France
  5. Anthony GESLIN – France
EnduroGP Rnd Germany E Day podium
E3 Day 2 Podium – EnduroGP Round 1 Germany, 2019

E3 Day 2 Results

  1. Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
  2. Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
  3. Anthony GESLIN – France
  4. David ABGRALL – France
  5. Dennis SCHROETER – Germany

EnduroGP Juniors

The Junior classes were as hard fought as the senior division and it was Italian Andrea Verona who came away with victory in both days but Ruprecht kept him honest all weekend in the overall Junior class and the J1 class while Jack Edmondson and Enric Francisco shared victories in the J2 class with Kiwi Hamish Macdonald dominating the J3 class.

Andrea Verona

“This might be the most beautiful victory of my career so far. When I lost so much time this morning after the bike stopped in the Cross Test I knew I had the potential to win. My body hurts because I really attacked all day, but I’m super happy.”

EnduroGP Rnd Germany Andrea Verona
Andrea Verona
Wil Ruprecht

“I don’t know what to say to you, I am so disappointed, I cracked under the pressure, I crashed three times on the last test. Andrea was the better man and he deserves it. I can only try to learn and improve after such a defeat.”

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

The next round of the Maxxis FIM EnduroGP World Championship will take place in Portugal in the city of Valpaços from May 3rd to 5th.

Junior – Day 1

  1. Andrea VERONA – Italy
  2. Théophile ESPINASSE – France
  3. Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
  4. Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
  5. Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium

Junior – Day 2

  1. Andrea VERONA Italy
  2. Wil RUPRECHT Australia
  3. Théophile ESPINASSE France
  4. Enric FRANCISCO Spain
  5. Jack EDMONDSON United Kingdom

Junior 1 (J1) – Day 1

  1. Andrea VERONA – Italy
  2. Théophile ESPINASSE – France
  3. Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
  4. Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
  5. Thomas DUBOST – France

Junior 1 (J1) – Day 2

  1. Andrea VERONA – Italy
  2. Wil RUPRECHT – Australia
  3. Théophile ESPINASSE – France
  4. Matthew VAN OEVELEN – Belgium
  5. Thomas DUBOST – France

Junior 2 (J2) – Day 1

  1. Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
  2. Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
  3. Leo LE QUERE – France
  4. Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
  5. Till DE CLERCQ – France

Junior 2 (J2) – Day 2

  1. Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
  2. Jack EDMONDSON – United Kingdom
  3. Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
  4. Ruy BARBOSA – Chile
  5. Jimmy WICKSELL – Sweden

Youth Cup – Day 1

  1. Hamish MACDONALD – New Zealand
  2. Claudio SPANU – Italy
  3. Matteo PAVONI – Italy
  4. Alejandro NAVARRO HUERTAS – Spain
  5. Hugo SVARD – Finland

Youth Cup – Day 2

  1. Hamish MACDONALD – New Zealand
  2. Matteo PAVONI – Italy
  3. Claudio SPANU – Italy
  4. Hugo SVARD – Finland
  5. Nathan BERERD – France
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HRC’s Ricky Brabec wins the Sonora Rally

The Sonora Rally takes place in the border region between Mexico and the United States near the Gulf of California and after five day Monster Energy Honda Team’s American rider Ricky Brabec claimed victory for the second time in the five year history of the event.

Sonora Rally Ricky Brabec imgBoydJaynes
Ricky Brabec – Image by Boyd Jaynes

In conditions that varied from high speed arid tracks to 500km of sand dunes, Brabec set the pace of the race from the start, grabbing victories in the first three stages, which opened a significant margin of more than half an hour over rivals before the American masterfully managed the two final days of rallying, before reaching the final finish-line in the Sonora region capital with a 37’15” gap back to his nearest second place rival.

Ricky Brabec

“This rally was the first of the year for me so I was excited to just be able to ride the big bike again with some navigation. This desert to me is like home and very close from my home town so it makes it easy to show up with a small crew to race and as well to train. The terrain is sandy in spots with great dunes and a little more south is rocky hard pack, there’s a little of everything and for this I believe it’s proven training grounds.  Looking forward to the rest of the year racing and training; hungry for more and to top it off Dakar 2020 will be in a good way, I believe. We must stay strong in the fight.”

Sonora Rally Ricky Brabec imgBoydJaynes
Ricky Brabec – Image by Boyd Jaynes

Ryan brothers shine at Casey Stoner Cup

Kurri Kurri hosted the Casey Stoner Cup last weekend and for the second weekend in a row the Ryan brothers have dominated a major dirt track meeting with Harrison Ryan winning the Junior Cup minutes before older brother Connor led the field home in the eight-lap Senior Cup.

While Harrison scored big winning margins in an unbeaten run over the two days of racing in the 13-16 years age class, Connor was made work much harder.

In the Junior Cup Wade O’Keefe and Jayden Rodgers followed Harrison Ryan home to complete a clean-sweep of placegetters from the host club but in the Senior Cup it was Coffs Harbour rider Bailey Spencer who lead for the opening six laps before one mistake was punished as Connor Ryan and then Boyd Hollis took over the front running.

In other senior classes Connor Ryan also won the Pro 450 final over Hollis and North Queensland rider Harry Maxwell before Taree rider Blake Wilby topped the very competitive Pro 250 class ahead of Brisbane rider Ben Montgomery and Taree’s Kye Andrews, while Anthony Farrell was best in the Over 35s.

All junior classes produced plenty of close battles with Bray Bowden (13-16 years) and Noah Grabham (7-10s) both scoring class victories after winning all five rounds, while Gold Coast rider Viv Muddle amassed nine wins and a second placing to win both of his classes.

There was more success for Taree riders with Cody Wilby and Will Bisley finishing 1-2 in the 80cc class, while Hayden Nelson also scored a class win as did Cameron Dunker and Jayden Holder but perhaps the most stirring win came in the 65cc – 9 to 13 years final when diminutive Forbes rider Beau Bailey led home Jayden Holder and Gold Coast rider Riley Nautam less than hour after Bailey had crashed heavily in an earlier race.

The next major dirt track meeting is the 30th staging of the Trackmasters at the Barleigh Ranch track on the weekend on April 13 / 14.

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Cairoli tops British MXGP | Kjer-Olsen dominates MX2

2019 MXGP of Britain – Round 2

Tony Cairoli goes 1-2 to claim MXGP round win


MXGP Qualifying may have put Tim Gajser at the top of the standings yet when the gate dropped it was Antonio Cairoli who took the early Fox Holeshot and lead, only for that to be soon taken away by none other than Gajser, who then put in a blistering pace to create a gap.

MXGP Rnd Britain SANAYEI GP
MXGP Start – British MXGP

Behind the former World Champions, it was Jeremy Van Horebeek, but he was passed by Gautier Paulin and then made a mistake which allowed Ivo Monticelli and Clement Desalle through.

Behind Van Horebeek it was Arnaud Tonus and now Jeremy Seewer. Three laps into the race Van Horebeek made it back past Monticelli and into the top 5.

MXGP Rnd Britain Desalle
Clement Desalle

Only a lap later Gajser took a violent high-speed crash while leading Cairoli but miraculously sprung back to his feet and rejoined the action on his damaged Honda in third position barely ahead of Desalle.

Surprisingly Gajser wasted no time putting in more fast laps even as his broken front number plate dangled on the bent bars. Gajser instead of stopping or even slowing won over many fans as he pulled away from Desalle and closed in on Paulin.

MXGP Rnd Britain Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin

Max Anstie made a hard charge to move from 12th into seventh, while Cairoli took the race win and Gajser took third behind Paulin.

Race 2 started in similar fashion when Cairoli took the holeshot and Gajser took the lead but this time Gajser’s gap was bigger. Paulin was the third veteran who found himself at the front but the rider in fourth was new Arminas Jasikonis who had Seewer giving chase.

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

Jasikonis’ teammate Jonass was sixth before being passed by Van Horebeek but then held seventh until fading four positions in the last five laps.

The top five never changed positions during the race. Cairoli made a late charge in an attempt to catch Gajser, but it was too late, and the Slovenian claimed the Race 2 win 1.7 seconds ahead of the Sicilian and a massive 54 ahead of Paulin in third.

MXGP Rnd Britain Gajser bavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo

The overall win went to Cairoli for his 87th time and who later revealed a shoulder injury, but Gajser’s ride was remarkable when considering his rebound from the race 1 crash.

Paulin’s 2-3 gave him third overall as Desalle took fourth and Van Horebeek placed fifth leaving the top five riders shuffled but unchanged since Patagonia. The series will now head to Valkenswaard for the MXGP of the Netherlands next weekend.

MXGP Rnd Britain Pauls Jonass
Pauls Jonass
Tony Cairoli

“It was a great weekend and for sure this track is one of my favourites. I had difficulty to push from the beginning because of a problem during the week and I was stiff. It meant I got arm-pump after three-four laps. I had to be careful because on this track if you are tight then you’ll crash because it is tricky and there are a lot of strange ruts and kickers. I was cautious and in the end it paid off. Hopefully I can be better for next week in the sand. For the championship everything is going well and that’s my goal.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Tony Cairoli RA
Tony Cairoli – Image by Ray Archer
Tim Gajser

“We had a great weekend! I was feeling great on the bike and the track both yesterday and today. I’m really happy to finish on the podium on this special day for me. The first race we started well and the beginning was good, but then I made a mistake and I fell down and finished third. The second race was better as I took the same start and worked my way to the front and I’m just so happy to win my first race in more than a year, after all my injury problems so I’m thankful and happy. A huge thanks to all the team because they all put in huge amounts of work and it’s paying off. We will continue working hard and to keep pushing!”

MXGP Rnd Britain Gajser bavo
Tim Gajser – Image by Bavo
Gautier Paulin

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

MXGP Rnd Britain Gautier Paulin
Gautier Paulin
Clément Desalle

“It was not an easy weekend as yesterday I injured my hand in the crash and when I woke up this morning it was still painful so I knew it would be a tough day with so many big jumps on the track. My first start was ok from the fourteenth gate and I scored a fourth position, not so bad in the circumstances. My second start was much better, but at the end of the first downhill, in the same corner where I had crashed in the qualifying race, another rider hit my front wheel and I crashed with several other riders including my teammate. From there I came back from last to seventh to save important points. Now I will take care of my hand and recover during the week as we have another GP next weekend.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Desalle
Clement Desalle

Filling in for Romain Febvre, Dean Ferris’ return to racing did not go to plan. The Australian got faster with every lap completed throughout the weekend, but did not get a chance to prove his potential with a fall at the start of Race 2 cutting his Grand Prix short. Ferris fears a knee injury and will be examined by medical professionals.

Dean Ferris

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

MXGP Rnd Britain Dean Ferris
Dean Ferris

MXGP of Britain Race 1

  1. CAIROLI Antonio ITA 6:37.831
  2. PAULIN Gautier FRA +1.956
  3. GAJSER Tim SLO +4.473
  4. DESALLE Clement BEL +24.293
  5. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy BEL +26.271
  6. TONUS Arnaud SWI +27.618
  7. ANSTIE Max GBR +45.107
  8. SEEWER Jeremy SWI +46.683
  9. JASIKONIS Arminas LTU +49.675
  10. LIEBER Julien BEL +56.271

MXGP of Britain Race 2

  1. GAJSER Tim SLO 36:01.717
  2. CAIROLI Antonio ITA +1.709
  3. PAULIN Gautier FRA +54.204
  4. JASIKONIS Arminas LTU +57.637
  5. SEEWER Jeremy SWI +1:00.564
  6. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy BEL +1:05.984
  7. DESALLE Clement BEL +1:20.385
  8. COLDENHOFF Glenn NDL +1:22.071
  9. SIMPSON Shaun GBR +1:26.697
  10. MONTICELLI Ivo ITA +1:28.257
MXGP Rnd Britain mxgp podium
MXGP 2019 – Round 2 MXGP Podium

Results MXGP Matterley Basin 2019 Top 5

  1. Tony Cairoli (ITA) Red Bull KTM (1-2)
  2. Tim Gajser (SLO) Honda (3-1)
  3. Gautier Paulin (FRA) Yamaha (2-3)
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL) Kawasaki (4-7)
  5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL) Honda (5-6)

MXGP Standings following Round 2

  1. CAIROLI Antonio ITA 97
  2. GAJSER Tim SLO 89
  3. PAULIN Gautier FRA 74
  4. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy BEL 66
  5. DESALLE Clement BEL 65
  6. JASIKONIS Arminas LTU 56
  7. SEEWER Jeremy SWI 50
  8. JONASS Pauls LAT 40
  9. SIMPSON Shaun GBR 39
  10. ANSTIE Max GBR 39
    …23. Dean Ferris AUS 6

MX2

The MX2 class saw battles in both races as the field fought for championship points, with  Race 1 starting with Tom Vialle taking the Fox Holeshot for the second time this season.

MXGP Rnd Britain Tom Vialle RA
Tom Vialle claimed the holeshot – Image by Ray Archer

Vialle led but was under pressure from Thomas Kjer Olsen and Dylan Walsh, while in the thick of the racing was Ben Watson and Henry Jacobi.

Watson made an unfortunate error dropping the bike early in the race dropping him from fourth back to ninth. Watson’s teammate Jago Geerts also suffered from mistakes while running inside the top ten putting the two Kemea Yamaha’s in a difficult position.

MXGP Rnd Britain Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen

By the second lap Olsen took the top spot from Vialle, who then lost out to the moves of Jacobi as well when the German passed him on the outside. Local hero Conrad Mewse moved up to fourth from 11th before a mechanical issue on the last lap.

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

Olsen’s lead started to be chipped at by Jacobi but the title hopeful kept his cool and held the spot through to take the checkered flag and his first race win this season. Mewse’s fourth position was taken by Watson, but Mewse managed to limp his bike across the finish in sixth just behind Michele Cervellin.

Race 2 proved that KTM and Vialle made the right choice as he took his third 4 Fox Holeshots so far in 2019. Vialle again had Walsh just behind along with Olsen, Jacobi, and Calvin Vlaanderen.

MXGP Rnd Britain Jacobi
Henry Jacobi

Olsen took second from Walsh before the first lap was complete, while Mathys Boisrame fought in the top five on his Honda CRF250. A mistake from Jacobi allowed Vlaanderen to get past who then took third from Walsh.

Jacobi recovered and found his form to get past Walsh as well and his speed allowed him to catch the front runners and Vialle who had dropped a spot to Vlaanderen. With less than two laps to go Jacobi flew past Vialle, moving the German into third in the race but second overall.

MXGP Rnd Britain Jed Beaton
Jed Beaton

Olsen’s dominant weekend continued winning Race 2 by 9.9 seconds over Vlaanderen. In the overall it was Olsen’s 1-1 taking first, Jacobi’s 2-3 took second, and Vialle’s 3-4 put the Frenchman on the podium in his second ever MX2 race.

Thomas Kjer-Olsen

“It’s just awesome to go 1-1 here in the UK. My weekend was really good – I won the qualifying moto and then went on the claim the overall in MX2 with two more wins. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It’s been a long time since I got the overall win and I was happy to do it at this cool track. Matterley Basin has always been a track that I enjoy riding and this weekend I did my best to collect as many points as possible for the championship. I felt comfortable all weekend and my best moto was the last one, where the track was at its roughest. I have so much full confidence in my bike, and so much trust in all the members of my team. It was good to pay them back with this win. I also secured the red plate for the first time. Now the goal is to hold onto it and push hard during the upcoming races.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Thomas Kjer Olsen
Thomas Kjer Olsen
Henry Jacobi

“My first race was pretty good. I had some special lines and I saw that nobody else was taking them so I thought that maybe I could win this race. I went for it, but I started my attack a little too late; I came up short in some corners and I just missed my opportunity. I had hoped to time it better in the second race; my start was OK in fourth or fifth, but then I got stuck a little bit during the first ten minutes as I wanted this podium so much; I put myself under a little bit of pressure and rode too tight during the first ten minutes. But then in the last fifteen minutes I found a good rhythm to pass Vialle and secure the second position overall, which is good for me and for the team. We made some really good steps during the winter; the team has only been in the world championship for a few years but everyone is doing a fantastic job and we had a very good winter preparation. I never had such a professional winter training and the Kawasaki suits me really well; I like the control in the corners and our trainer is so clever and give me such good advice. We are here now, second in the points, and we are determined to stay there!”

MXGP Rnd Britain Jacobi
Henry Jacobi
Tom Vialle

“It was a really good weekend: I had ridden well during the week and it fed into the practice sessions and both motos. I’m really happy with my starts because being at the front helps me find my rhythm: it is so important. I think a very good winter has helped with my transition from EMX to MX2. My feeling on the bike is another positive thing. Today has been a big step for me.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Tom Vialle RA
Tom Vialle – Image by Ray Archer
Calvin Vlaanderen

“It wasn’t the greatest weekend, to be honest. I’m happy that I could finish off strong with a second place in the second race, but the whole weekend I actually struggled a lot. This was especially the case in the qualifying race and the first moto today, I didn’t really have a good rhythm and I seemed to be fighting the track a bit too much. I’m happy though that I could rebound for the second race and ride like I know how to ride and get that second place. It is good for my confidence and going into the week ahead, it’s good motivation to keep pushing and make sure I come out swinging next weekend.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Vlaanderen bavo
Calvin Vlaanderen – Image by Bavo
Jed Beaton

“I had a really good weekend here at Matterley Basin. It was my first GP after many months, and I felt strong on the bike. It was good to get a top-10 in the opening moto. In the second moto I was close to the top-10 again and ended up finishing in 13th place. Getting a top-10 result in the overall is really positive for the rest of the season. There’s still a long way to go in this series. I’m pretty happy with where I am, hopefully I can start building from here.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Jed beaton action
Jed Beaton

Unfortunately Team Honda 114 Motorsports rider Mitchell Evans suffered early on in moto one, and while he was running a pace that matched the leaders, he was unable to get himself back in points scoring contention. The second moto was much better though as he finished in eighth place after fighting through the field from outside the top 15.

Mitch Evans

“P34 and P8 moto scores today. Bad starts both motos didn’t do me any favours. After a small crash in Moto 1 I had to make a pit stop to fix my clutch to stop it from slipping which left me almost a lap down. Will continue to work on my starts and we should be sweet. Thanks Honda 114 Motorsports.”

MXGP Rnd Britain Mitch Evans
Mitch Evans

MX2 Race 1

  1. KJER OLSEN Thomas DEN 35:01.449
  2. JACOBI Henry GER +4.278
  3. VIALLE Tom FRA +16.160
  4. WATSON Ben GBR +28.500
  5. CERVELLIN Michele ITA +30.179
  6. MEWSE Conrad GBR +35.271
  7. POOTJES Davy NDL +36.018
  8. VLAANDEREN Calvin NDL +44.908
  9. BEATON Jed AUS +50.189
  10. WALSH Dylan NZL +54.010

MX2 Race 2

  1. KJER OLSEN Thomas DEN 37:10.022
  2. VLAANDEREN Calvin NDL +9.936
  3. JACOBI Henry GER +16.035
  4. VIALLE Tom FRA +16.935
  5. WATSON Ben GBR +20.044
  6. GEERTS Jago BEL +38.635
  7. POOTJES Davy NDL +43.577
  8. EVANS Mitchell AUS +46.268
  9. CERVELLIN Michele ITA +54.765
  10. WALSH Dylan NZL +59.920
  11. BOISRAME Mathys FRA +1:02.388
  12. VAESSEN Bas NDL +1:04.331
  13. BEATON Jed AUS +1:13.298
MXGP Rnd Britain mx olsen podium
MXGP 2019 – Round 2 MX2 Podium

Results MX2 Matterley Basin 2019 Top 5

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN) Husqvarna (1-1)
  2. Henry Jacobi (GER) Kawasaki (2-3)
  3. Tom Vialle (FRA) Red Bull KTM (3-4)
  4. Calvin Vlaanderen (RSA) Honda (8-2)
  5. Ben Watson (GBR) Yamaha (4-5)

MX2 Standings after Round 2

  1. KJER OLSEN Thomas DEN 94
  2. JACOBI Henry GER 78
  3. VLAANDEREN Calvin NDL 71
  4. VIALLE Tom FRA 65
  5. WATSON Ben GBR 63
  6. PRADO GARCIA Jorge SPA 50
  7. POOTJES Davy NDL 50
  8. EVANS Mitchell AUS 49
  9. GEERTS Jago BEL 45
  10. CERVELLIN Michele ITA 41
    …16 BEATON Jed AUS 20

Source: MCNews.com.au

Moto Wrap | Atlanta SX | MXGP | Enduro | AORC

Moto News Wrap
March 5, 2019 – By Darren Smart

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Moto News Latest

  • Webb and Cianciarulo storm Atlanta AMA SX
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  • 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
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Webb and Cianciarulo storm Atlanta AMA SX

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

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

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

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

Cooper Webb

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

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

Blake Baggett

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

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

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

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

450SX Main Event Results

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

    AMA SX Rnd Atlanta Webb Baggett Musquin Podium JK SX Atlanta

    450SX Main Event Results
    Cooper Webb
    Blake Baggett
    Marvin Musquin

 450SX Points after 9 of 17 Rounds

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

250 East-West Shootout Report

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

Adam Cianciarulo

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

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

250SX East/West Shootout Results

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

250 East Coast Report

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

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

250 East Coast Points after 4 of 9 Rounds

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

West Coast Report

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

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

250 West Coast Points after 6 of 10 Rounds

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

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

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

MXGP Race Report

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

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

Antonio Cairoli

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

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

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

Tim Gajser

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

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

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

Jeremy Van Horebeek

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

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

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

MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 1

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

MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Race 2

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

MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Standings

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

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

Jorge Prado

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

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

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

Thomas Kjer Olsen

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

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

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

Mitch Evans

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

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

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

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

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Race 1

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

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Race 2

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

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Standings

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

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

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

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

Mitch Evans

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

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

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


Barcia concussed – misses Atlanta

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

Below is the Monster Energy Yamaha statement:

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

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

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

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Holcomba kicks off 2019 with win in Italy

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

Steve Holcombe imgCristianoMorello
Steve Holcome – Image by Cristiano Morello

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

Steve Holcombe

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

Results – Italian Enduro Championship
Round 1

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

Round 2

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

Price to be honoured at Aussie F1 GP

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

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

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

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

Andrew Westacott – Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO

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

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Dack ready for season 2019

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

Craig Dack

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

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

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

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

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


The stars of the AORC hit Toowoomba this weekend

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

E1

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

Yamaha Active Yamalube Racing AORC Luke
Luke Styke

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

E2

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

Daniel Milner

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

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

 E3

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

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Mentoring role brings Matthew Phillips to AORC

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

Matthew Phillips

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

Matthew Phillips
Matthew Phillips

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


Cosford wins Coolum 2-Stroke Cup

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

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

YMI All Powers Cup

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

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

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

Max Fricke

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

Max Fricke
Max Fricke

 2020 Australian Senior Solo Speedway Championship

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

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


2020 & 2021 Australian Junior and Senior Speedway Sidecar calendar

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

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

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Cairoli goes 1-1 at 2019 MXGP opener | Evans third in MX2

Tony Cairoli dominates MXGP 2019 Round 1

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.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia LIEBER GP ARG PH
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

  1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 24:21.194
  2. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:04.306
  3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Honda), +0:06.536
  4. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:10.377
  5. 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.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Tony Cairoli RA
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.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Gajser shotbybavo
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

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

MXGP 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.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia DESALLE GP ARG PH
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.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Tony Cairoli RA
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.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Gajser shotbybavo
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!”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Tony Cairoli RA
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.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Gajser shotbybavo
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.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia DESALLE GP PH
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

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

MXGP Round 1, 2019 – Standings

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

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.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Jorge Prado RA
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

  1. Thomas Kjer Olsen (DEN, Husqvarna), 24:24.613
  2. Jorge Prado (ESP, KTM), +0:02.267
  3. Henry Jacobi (GER, Kawasaki), +0:03.547
  4. Ben Watson (GBR, Yamaha), +0:18.925
  5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Honda), +0:26.119
  6. Mitchell Evans (AUS, Honda), +0:28.658
  7. Adam Sterry (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:33.941
  8. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Husqvarna), +0:35.687
  9. Conrad Mewse (GBR, KTM), +0:36.072
  10. 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.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Jorge Prado RA
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.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Vlaanderen shotbybavo
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Calvin Vlaanderen – Image by Bavo

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Race 1

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

MX2 Race 2

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.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Jorge Prado RA
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.

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Mitch Evans CreditTeamMotorsportsFacebook
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.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Jorge Prado RA
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.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Thomas Kjer Olsen
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.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Mitch Evans CreditTeamMotorsportsFacebook
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.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia Vlaanderen shotbybavo
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.”

MXGP Rnd Patagonia JACOBI GP ARG PH
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – Henri Jacobi

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Race 2

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

MX2 Round 1, 2019 – Standings

  1. Prado, Jorge ESP KTM 50
  2. Olsen, T. DEN HUS 44
  3. Evans, M. AUS HON 36
  4. Vlaanderen, C. NED HON 36
  5. Jacobi, Henry GER KAW 36
  6. Watson, Ben GBR YAM 29
  7. Vialle, Tom FRA KTM 27
  8. 193 Geerts, Jago BEL YAM 25
  9. Sterry, Adam GBR KAW 25
  10. Pootjes, Davy NED HUS 22
  11. Mewse, Conrad GBR KTM 21
  12. Vaessen, Bas NED KTM 15
  13. Cervellin, M. ITA YAM 13
  14. Östlund, Alvin SWE HUS 13
  15. Walsh, Dylan NZL HUS 11
MXGP Rnd Patagonia RA MX Podium
2019 MXGP Round 1 – Argentina – MX2 Podium – 1) Jorge Prado, 2) Thomas Kjer Olsen, 3) Mitch Evans

Source: MCNews.com.au