2021 ProMX Championship remains on hold

The ProMX Management Team has advised that all Penrite ProMX Championship presented by AMX Superstores events continue to remain on hold due to the current national landscape around COVID-19 State Border Restrictions.

With all remaining championship events postponed, a final decision on the status of running the remainder of the championship rounds will be announced no later than 15th October 2021.

ProMX is continuing to examine the environment around COVID-19 State Border Restrictions, relying on information from state governments on plans to reopen borders.

Planning for the 2022 ProMX Championship is also underway, with an aim to begin in March 2022 with eight Championship events. Further updates and information will be provided in the coming weeks and months.

ProMX Management is also monitoring the changing landscape of potential vaccine passports which may be required by State and Federal governments for future air travel, entry to venues, and as a condition of inclusion in some situations. Some sporting venues in Australia have already made announcements where proof of double vaccination will be required for entry, whilst other are considering their position on this topic.

ProMX respects the choice of individuals when it comes to the topic of COVID-19 vaccination. However, it is highly likely that proof of vaccination or vaccination passport may be required for entry into some states and venues moving forward. ProMX Management provides this as information only.

2021 Penrite ProMX Championship Calendar

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2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Calendar

The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship is set to expand to nine rounds for 2022. Build on what’s been a successful inaugural season of racing for the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, the series will provisionally expand to nine rounds for 2022, while introducing a host of new events to the calendar.

Further strengthening its grip as a truly international offroad motorcycling world championship, the series will see races in Israel, Serbia and Canada added to an already bustling schedule.

An early start at the beginning of April will see the 2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship season commence in Israel. Venturing to Asia for the Minus 400, the best Hard Enduro riders in the world will showcase their talents in front of enduro fans in the Middle East.

Returning to Europe for round two, Xross is a Hard Enduro Rallye in the Serbian mountains of Zlatibor, Tara and Mokra Gora. A long-established event, Xross has been running since 2014 and prides itself on featuring some of the most remote and technical Hard Enduro terrain in the southeast of Europe.

The return of Red Bull Erzbergrodeo in Austria for 2022 is sure to set fans and competitors hearts racing. On hold for the past two years due to the Covid pandemic, everyone is waiting for the Iron Giant to roar back into life in spectacular fashion next June.

Following its successful debut this year, the Abestone Hard Enduro returns to the championship for 2022. The distinct Tuscany venue has already become a much talked about race. Busily preparing trails for 2022, organiser Michele Bosi is eager to deliver something special next year.

Synonymous with Hard Enduro, it would be impossible not to feature the iconic Red Bull Romaniacs in the 2022 schedule. Now a mecca for Hard Enduro competitors from across the world, organisers are currently working on the 19th edition of this world famous Hard Enduro Rallye.

From Romania, the series will take a trip across the Atlantic to North America for a double header in the USA and Canada. Kicking things off for round six will be Red Bull TKO in Tennessee. The venue produced some spectacular racing and many memorable battles this year and will be eagerly anticipated next August.

Two weeks later, the championship heads north to Canada for the already established Red Bull Outliers in the Badlands of Alberta. The feature race is a multi-lap extreme cross-country event across a rugged wasteland with plenty of near-vertical climbs.

HERO Challenge will play host to the penultimate round in mid-September. A welcomed addition to the 2021 series, its format twist of motocross, superenduro and hard enduro elements pushed competitors to their physical limits. Now, with 12 months to prepare for the next edition, expect organisers to raise the bar even higher.

Seven months after round one in Israel, the championship will draw to an exciting conclusion at Spain’s Hixpania Hard Enduro in Aguilar de Campoo, as a spectacular end to the 2022 season is guaranteed.

Winfried Kerschhaggl – FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Manager

“It’s great to already have the 2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship provisionally in place. I would like to thank all event organizers for their commitment to the championship, and for the energy they have. Being so early with this provisional calendar gives everyone the advantage of being able to market each particular event professionally, as well as giving competitors an early look at the exciting championship we have. Pushing so hard in 2021 earned us a lot of interest from fans, media and potential event organizers all around the world. With Israel, Serbia and Canada added to an already diverse calendar we aim to strengthen our grip as a true offroad motorcycling World Championship.”

2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Provisional Schedule

• Round 1: Minus 400 – Israel, April 5/6/7
• Round 2: Xross – Serbia, May 19/20/21
• Round 3: Red Bull Erzbergrodeo – Austria, June 16/17/18/19
• Round 4: Abestone Hard Enduro – Italy, July 8/9/10
• Round 5: Red Bull Romaniacs – Romania, July 26/27/28/29/30
• Round 6: Red Bull TKO – USA, August (date TBC)
• Round 7: Red Bull Outliers – Canada, August (TBC, two weeks after TKO)
• Round 8: HERO Challenge – Poland, September 10/11 (location TBC)
• Round 9: Hixpania Hard Enduro – Spain, October 7/8/9

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HRC Manager Erik Kehoe retires

Just over a week after Jett Lawrence wrapped up the 2021 AMA Pro Motocross 250MX Championship, Erik Kehoe announced that he will step down from the position of Manager of Team Honda HRC, the manufacturer’s U.S. factory motocross/supercross squad.

Kehoe was a Honda-backed professional racer in the late ’80s and early ’90s before managing the Honda of Troy/Yamaha of Troy race program for seven seasons. He served an earlier stint managing the factory team from the 2002 season through 2012. During Kehoe’s management tenures, Team Honda HRC earned five AMA Pro Motocross National Championships and two AMA Supercross Championships.

Erik Kehoe

“This decision to retire was very difficult, but at the same time, I know it’s time to slow down my pace. I would like to thank American Honda, and [Manager of Sports & Experiential] Brandon Wilson in particular, for giving me the chance to return to the team this last time. I really wanted to help get Honda some positive momentum in supercross and motocross, and this past season, I think the team has enjoyed many successes. I’ve truly enjoyed my time here, but it’s time to focus on some personal projects that I’ve been putting off for some time.”

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Takahisa Fujinami retires from Trial World Championship in Portugal

After 26 seasons in the Trial World Championship, a record number of participations, 168 podiums, 34 victories, 7 runner-up finishes and one world championship title, Repsol Honda Team rider Takahisa Fujinami (Mie, Japan, 13/01/1980) will bring his career to a close this coming Saturday in Portugal.

Since his debut in Navacerrada, Spain in 1996 at the age of 16, he has spent over a quarter of a century fully dedicated to trial competition, collecting several key achievements along the way including the world championship title sealed in 2004.

In addition, the Japanese rider has also broken several records in the specialty, such as the youngest rider to win a world championship event (Talheim, 1997) at the age of 17, as well as the record for the most elderly rider, attained earlier in 2021 with a win in Italy aged 41. Indeed, this kind of longevity has led him to become the rider with the highest number of participations in elite competition, with a tally of 355, including this Saturday’s event in Gouveia.

With 34 victories – always with Montesa-Honda – Takahisa Fujinami is the rider with the fifth highest number of triumphs in world championship trials and is fourth in terms of number of podiums, surpassed only by Adam Raga, Toni Bou and Dougie Lampkin. He has also finished in the world championship top five over 20 consecutive seasons.

Fujigas’ has also been world championship runner-up on seven occasions. The number rises further with the indoor competition tally: one runner-up, one victory and 36 podiums out of 139 trials. In Japan, he also won five national titles between 1995 and 2001. Finally, he took part in 15 Trial du Nations events representing the Japanese team, contributing to five runner-up finishes.

Takahisa Fujinami

“I firmly believe that the time has come to close the curtain on my career as a world trial championship rider after 26 years in the competition. Thanks to everyone’s support, over this period, I have been able to make trial my profession and perform at a more than satisfactory level for over a quarter of a century. Thank you very much. They have been 26 great years. And I have to also thank my family, who supported me from the first moment, my team-mates, the brand, the sponsors and also the fans who have cheered me on throughout. I would like to greet each of my fans one by one, and I hope to do it someday, to thank them for the enormous support they have given throughout this time. Honda Racing and Montesa-Honda gave me a bike to participate in the world championship when I was 16 years old and, since then, I am proud to have battled with this team right through to the very end.

“I still remember the shouts and applause of support at my debut in Japan and also in Spain: ‘Fujigas’ was born there! The first victory in Germany, the tough, complicated years, but also the joy of the world title in 2004. It’s a long time ago, but it’s my particular treasure… I would also like to particularly remember the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, which started in 2000 and has always had such an enthusiastic crowd. Thank you again. As for what I will do from now on… I don’t really know yet. I haven’t made up my mind yet what I will do after retiring from competition, but I hope to stay involved in trials in some way. I’m confident that everything will go well in my new life.”

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Toni Bou wins a 29th Trial World Championship title in Portugal

Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou has been proclaimed the 2021 TrialGP World Champion, also winning the day’s trial in Portugal – taking his GP palmares to 125 triumphs and 15 consecutive TrialGP titles, plus 14 indoor –  29 championship wins for the greatest rider of all time.

The Repsol Honda Team ace set the benchmark from the start in a trial filled with natural yet demanding sections, where the first 12 sections had been made quite slippery by the water which flows through the Portuguese town of Gouveia. Bou made it through to the end of the trial with sufficient advantage to claim a 125th victory in the Trial World Championship for the Montesa Cota 4RT rider. This season saw him victorious in seven 2021 Trial World Championship events to clinch the top TrialGP World Championship honours for a 15th time in a row.

Today was also a very special event for Japanese Repsol Honda Team rider Takahisa Fujinami who brings to an end his career in the Trial World Championship. Fujinami rode a trial that went from strength to strength, improving considerably on the second lap before eventually posting seventh place on the day. “Fujigas” thus wraps up the world championship in sixth place overall.

With this final trial in Portugal, Repsol Honda Team bids farewell to this year’s TrialGP campaign. The next appointment for Toni Bou will be tomorrow, held in the same Portuguese town, where the champion will represent the Spanish national team in the Trial des Nations event.

Toni Bou – P1

“This year has been very special for me because at the beginning things were very complicated with the injury just a month before the start of the championship. In the end there will come a year when I will not be able to win – I’ve won for 15 consecutive years – but the fact that I got injured just before the start of the world championship made it special and I didn’t want to lose a championship in this way. Once again we battled 100%, I tried to get into shape as the championship progressed and the fact that I had a very good work rate before I got injured also helped me to recover faster. I am very happy to be able to win another world championship. Once again, many thanks to the whole team. Today was also a very special day for everyone as it was Fujinami’s last trial. It is very difficult to think of Team HRC without him. I wish him all the best for the future.”

Takahisa Fujinami – P7

“First of all, I want to thank Honda, HRC and the whole Montesa team, including mechanics, minders and all the people who have helped me over these 26 years. Without all of them I could not have been in the world championship for 26 years. Today I wanted to get a good result, in the end I finished seventh, but I’m still happy with the way I rode today. I battled until the end. Today I close this stage, but I am sure that the future will be promising. Today was a really special day, thanks to the whole trial family, all the brands and all the people who were in Portugal today. I am very proud to have shared this day with all of them.”

GasGas’s Laia Sanzs wraps up 2021 TrialGP Women title

After eight years away from the Trial World Championship, Laia Sanz has returned to the top of the podium once again, winning the final round of the 2021 season on her GASGAS TXT GP 300 to become TrialGP Women World Champion for an incredible 14th time.

Laia Sanz

“It’s been an incredible day, to win is amazing. It wasn’t the hardest trial of the championship, but the hard thing for me was to stay 100% focused, so mentally it wasn’t easy at all. Coming back to TrialGP after so many years away, to return and finally be successful and win another world title, it’s amazing. Apart from section three on the first lap, I think I had one of my best days of the championship today. It’s not been an easy year for me, so I am proud that I have been able to do what I hoped I would. Also, I want to thank the team and GASGAS, they have been so, so good to me. It’s the result that we all worked really hard for.”

Proving once again that she’s unquestionably the queen of trial, Laia Sanz did exactly what she needed to do at the all-important final round of the 2021 TrialGP World Championship, winning the day and claiming an incredible 14th trial title.

Coming into the Portuguese event one point behind her closest championship rival Emma Bristow, Laia set her sights on winning from the moment she entered the day’s opening section.

Knowing that there was no room for error, she completed the opening lap having lost just four marks. In doing so she put one hand on the women’s title. Holding her nerve, her best was yet to come as she dropped just two marks on the second lap and delivered her best ride of the season, when it mattered most.

Securing her third win of the championship, in never finishing lower than second this season Laia’s composure and consistency ultimately ensured she won her 14th trial world title.

Source: MCNews.com.au