Smarty’s Moto Wrap for July 29, 2014
I touched on this last week and it was rammed home over the weekend with James Stewart sitting out round nine of the AMA Motocross Championship thanks to dizziness after a crash the week before. The Yoshimura Suzuki team made the decision to go with Stewart as their sole rider three seasons ago and the brand, the team sponsors and their fans have been let down time and time again thanks to the ‘lone rider’ decision.
There are only two major teams in the AMA series that run one rider and that is Yoshimura Suzuki with Bubba and the Discount Tire/Two-Two Motorsport team with team owner and rider Chad Reed at the helm and you would have to say that the companies putting the money behind these teams would benefit greatly from a second rider.
It must be noted that Chad has been trying to get a second rider on his team for quite some time now with Ryan Villopoto and Dean Wilson being the two riders who have been on Reed’s shopping list, while the Yoshimura Suzuki team have stuck with their ‘Bubba only’ plan and it has been nothing short of a disaster.
At the time of writing we are heading into a weekend break for the AMA Motocross Championship with the famous Unadilla circuit hosting round ten of the series on the second weekend of August, and with Stewart looking dodgy and Reed suffering from a back ailment it could well be the case that neither team shows up thanks to not having a second rider.
Ok, that aside, Washougal was a sensational round for KTM with Marvin Musquin finally putting it all together to convincingly win the 250 class while Ryan Dungey closed to within 14-points of teammate and championship leader Ken Roczen after a dominating performance in the 450 class.
Over to the World Motocross Championships, while the World MX2 Motocross Championship leader Jeffrey Herlings sits in a hospital bed his KTM team mate Jordi Tixier is making the most of the situation by winning the Czech Republic round of the series and is potentially closing in on his first world championship.
BUT, and I mean BUT, with three rounds remaining Tixier now has to earn 103 points to take out the title IF Herlings doesn’t score another point, BUT Stefan Everts confirmed on the weekend that Herlings is aiming to return to the series at the final round in Mexico to score whatever points necessary to secure his third straight MX2 title…..if necessary.
So the bottom line is if Tixier scores 53 points or more over the next two rounds Herlings will try and race at the final round just two months after breaking his femur. You want news worthy drama? Well, you got it!!
Team Suzuki’s Clement Desalle is out for the remainder of the MXGP season and may even miss out of representing Belgium at the Motocross of Nations thanks to a broken scaphoid.
Dean Ferris’s overall result at Czech MXGP round doesn’t show the full story. In the opening moto the plucky Aussie was sitting in 7th place for most of the moto while battling with the likes of Gautier Paulin and Shaun Simpson to eventually finish in 9th place while in the second moto Ferris held down fifth place for the first half of the moto before succumbing to the Gautier Paulin, Shaun Simpson and Steven Frossard freight train then with just two laps to go Ferris fell to finish back in 15th place. The Aussie is scheduled for one more appearance on the 350cc Husky at Lommel, Belgium this weekend before returning to the US and finishing the season with the Red Bull KTM team in the 250 Class….now I can’t wait to see that!!
Meghan Rutledge has come up five points short of claiming the 2014 WMX World Motocross Championships after the final round held in the Czech Republic last weekend. Rutledge went 2-2 over the two motos to come agonisingly close to beating the now three time champion Chiara Fontanesi.
Ok, it is that time of the year again so here is what is going around in pit gossip
- – Ken Roczen going to RCH Suzuki
- – Weston Peick and Broc Tickle not signed for 2015
- – Jeremy Martin and Cooper Webb staying put at Star Racing Yamaha
- – Davi Milsaps is on Kawasaki’s shopping list
- – Eli Tomac is off contract and on everyone’s shopping list
- – Ryan Villopoto going to Europe to ride the MXGP class
- – Justin Barcia has signed to go to JGR Yamaha
- – Justin Brayton and Josh Grant are up for grabs
- – Cole Seely to join Trey Canard at the factory Honda team
- – Dean Wilson to replace Ken Roczen at Red Bull KTM
- – Justin Hill to join Marvin Musquin at Red Bull KTM
- – Euro Arnaud Tonus to replace Josh Hill at Pro-Circuit Kawasaki
- – Troy Lee Designs team to switch from Honda to KTM machinery
- – Gautier Paulin to the factory MXGP Honda team
Former AMA Motocross and Supercross Champion Ivan Tedesco announced his immediate retirement last week leaving a spare seat at the RCH Suzuki team. The word is that Ivan has secured a gig at RCH in the logistics side of the team.
This coming weekend we have round 8 of the Australian MX Nationals at Raymond Terrace and all eyes will be on the Moss twins, Matt and Jake. The brothers had a serious coming together at the Conondale round of the series leaving Jake with a trip to hospital so it will be interesting to see what happens if the fastest twins on the planet are in close company at Raymond Terrace.
Moto Wrap for the weekend of July 26/27 includes:
- Round 14 of the FIM World Motocross Championships in the Czech Republic
- Round 9 of the AMA National Championship at Washougal, WA
- Round 7 of the Canadian Motocross Championships at Deschambault
- Round 7 of the Rekluse AMA National Enduro Series at Cross Fork, Pennsylvania.
- Round 4 of the AMA Supermoto Championships at Salt Lake City, UT
- Round 2 of the 2014 Desert Tri-Series (Doorawarrah 500) near Carnarvon, WA
FIM World Motocross Championships – Round 14 – Czech Republic
Yamaha’s Jeremy Van Horebeek has taken a well-earned GP victory at the Czech round while championship leader Antonio Cairoli couldn’t find a rhythm on the slick surface and had to settle for third overall on the day. With three rounds to go and 150 points up for grabs Van Horebeek is 57 points behind Cairoli who is now on 619 points compared to Van Horebeek on 562 points.
Dean Ferris had this to say of his 12th place overall. “I feel I rode well on a track that wasn’t to my liking, the ground was rock hard and it was conditions I haven’t rode in for a while. Saturday’s qualification was great and finishing fifth gave me a good gate pick for Sunday’s races but in race one I spent the first half defending my lines too much and sort of lost touch with the front guys. I got into my groove towards the end, improved my lap times but couldn’t reel them back in. Race two was going great. I passed a bunch of guys and was holding onto eighth until I crashed with two laps to go.”
After scoring 43 points and winning the Czech GP Jordi Tixier now needs 103 points over the final three rounds (Belgium, Brazil and Mexico) of the MX2 championship to capture his first career MX2 World Championship but according to Stefan Everts we could well see the injured Jeffrey Herlings ride the final round of the series in Mexico to try and secure the title.
MXGP Overall: 1. Jeremy Van Horebeek 22-25 Yam. 2. Kevin Strijbos 25-20 Suz. 3. Antonio Cairoli 20-22 KTM. 4. Gautier Paulin 15-15 Kaw. 5. Shaun Simpson 16-13 KTM. 6. Steven Frossard 10-16 Kaw. 7. Dennis Ullrich 5-18 KTM. 8. Max Nagl 18-4 Hon. 9. Tanel Leok 11-10 TM. 10. Matiss Karro 9-11. 11. Milko Potisek 12-6 Hus. 12. Dean Ferris 12-6 Hus. 13. Nathan Watson 8-8 Hus. 14. Tommy Searle 3-12 Kaw. 15. Davide Guarneri 0-14 TM. 16. Clement Desalle 14-0 Suz. 17. Rui Goncalves 2-9 Yam. 18. Graeme Irwin 4-5 Suz. 19. Martin Michek 7-2 KTM. 20. Ken de Dycker 6-0 KTM.
MXGP Points Standings: 1. Antonio Cairoli 619pts KTM. 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek 562pts Yam. 3. Clement Desalle 484pts Suz. 4. Kevin Strijbos 469pts Suz. 5. Steven Frossard 333pts Kaw.
MX2 Overall: 1. Jordi Tixier 25-18 KTM. 2. Valentin Guillod 20-20 KTM. 3. Christophe Charlier 14-25 Yam. 4. Romain Febvre 16-16 KTM. 5. Jose Butron 16-16 KTM. 6. Tim Gajser 18-12 Hon. 7. Aleksandr Tonkov 13-14 Hus. 8. Jeremy Seewer 15-10 Suz. 9. Juilen Lieber 12-11 Suz. 10. Dylan Ferrandis 0-22 Kaw. 11. Max Anstie 7-13 Yam. 12. Maxime Desprey 10-7 Hon. 13. Vsevolod Brylyakov 9-6 Hon. 14. Mel Pocock 6-8 KTM. 15. Pauls Jonass 11-3 KTM. 16. Ivo Monticelli 5-5 KTM. 17. Calvin Vlaanderen 8-2 KTM. 18. Roberts Justs 0-9 Hus. 19. Harri Kullas 4-4 KTM. 20. Kei Yamamoto 3-1 Hon.
MX2 Points Standings: 1. Jeffrey Herlings 594pts KTM. 2. Jordi Tixier 492pts KTM. 3. Romain Febvre 453pts Hus. 4. Dylan Ferrandis 425pts Kaw. 5. Tim Gajser 420pts Hon.
WMX Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), 24:58.926; 2. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:03.650; 3. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:07.808; 4. Stephanie Laier (GER, Suzuki), +0:36.083; 5. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:44.275; 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +0:44.771; 7. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:05.803; 8. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +1:10.252; 9. Julie Dalgaard (DEN, Yamaha), +1:14.825; 10. Genette Vaage (NOR, KTM), +1:25.332.
WMX Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, Kawasaki), 25:12.507; 2. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, Kawasaki), +0:09.602; 3. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, Yamaha), +0:15.727; 4. Stephanie Laier (GER, Suzuki), +0:19.650; 5. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, Yamaha), +0:20.959; 6. Mariana Balbi (BRA, Honda), +0:22.689; 7. Francesca Nocera (ITA, Suzuki), +0:46.877; 8. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, Suzuki), +0:58.879; 9. Julie Dalgaard (DEN, Yamaha), +1:14.277; 10. Anne Borchers (GER, Suzuki), +1:17.307.
WMX Overall Top Ten: 1. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 45 points; 2. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 45 p.; 3. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 44 p.; 4. Stephanie Laier (GER, SUZ), 36 p.; 5. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 32 p.; 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, SUZ), 28 p.; 7. Francesca Nocera (ITA, SUZ), 27 p.; 8. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 25 p.; 9. Mariana Balbi (BRA, HON), 24 p.; 10. Julie Dalgaard (DEN, YAM), 24 p.
WMX Championship Standings Top Ten: 1. Chiara Fontanesi (ITA, YAM), 255 points; 2. Meghan Kat Rutledge (AUS, KAW), 250 p.; 3. Livia Lancelot (FRA, KAW), 232 p.; 4. Stephanie Laier (GER, SUZ), 212 p.; 5. Nancy Van De Ven (NED, YAM), 182 p.; 6. Larissa Papenmeier (GER, SUZ), 172 p.; 7. Natalie Kane (IRL, KTM), 151 p.; 8. Anne Borchers (GER, SUZ), 145 p.; 9. Marianne Veenstra (NED, HUS), 127 p.; 10. Francesca Nocera (ITA, SUZ), 115 p.
AMA National Championship Round 9 – Washougal, WA
Never, ever, ever count Ryan Dungey out of a championship chase. For most of the 2014 AMA 450 Motocross Championship we have seen Ken Roczen holding a reasonably comfortable lead in the series but thanks to a double moto victory at Washougal and Eli Tomac coming home in second place in both motos we now have just 14-points separating Dungey from Roczen with six motos remaining in the championship.
Brett Metcalfe had a cracker round at Washougal with a fourth outright and now sits fourth outright in the points while Chad Reed was forced out of the second moto with a back injury so his future in the series is up in the air.
With a weekend break coming up the word on the street is that Roczen will be able to give an injured thumb some extras attention while preparing for the famous Unadilla round on the 9th of August.
In the 250 class we finally got to see Marvin Musquin at full flight giving KTM a clean sweep of the round while championship leader Jeremy Martin hung in there for third outright at Washougal for a 43 point lead over his team mate Cooper Webb.
More including video highlights here…
Canadian Motocross Championships – Round 7 – Deschambault
Mike Alessi has won the 450 class at the seventh round of the Canadian Motocross Championship held last Sunday but only gained one point on championship leader Colton Facciotti who now has a 27 point lead over the Yank import while another local Kaven Benoit blitzed the 250 class to extend his championship lead to 33 points over Vince Friese.
Rekluse AMA National Enduro Series – Round 7 – Cross Fork, Pennsylvania
Well, he finally did it! Jesse Groemm has won a round of the AMA National Enduro Series so now with just three rounds remaining Husqvarna’s Andrew Delong leads the point’s standings with team mate Nick Fahringer three points back while Groemm moves just five points further back after the win.
Round 7 Results: 1. Jesse Groemm (KTM). 2. Steward Baylor (KTM). 3. Andrew DeLong (Hsq). 4. Mike Lafferty (KTM). 5. Grant Baylor (KTM). 6. Paddy Holloway (KTM). 7. Brad Bakken (Yam). 8. Ryder Lafferty (Hsq). 9. Craig DeLong (Hsq). 10. Nick Fahringer (Hsq).
Round 5 of the AMA Supermoto Championships at Salt Lake City, UT
Round five of the AMA Supermoto Championships was held at Salt Lake City last weekend and the only results I could find was on their Facebook page – in fact, their web site is still showing information about the up-coming round four….hopeless!!!
I have no idea who Timmy V is but that is the info available at the time of writing.
Open Pro: 1st – Gage McAllister. 2nd – Eric Stump. 3rd – Timmy V
Pro Lites: 1st – Sean Butterman. 2nd – Ron Reed. 3rd – Josh Serne
2014 Desert Tri-Series – Round 2 – Doorawarrah 500
Toby Price’s winning streak continues with a solid win at round two of the Desert Tri-Series held near Carnarvon in Western Australia last weekend and thanks to his opening round win is now eligible for the $20,000.00 bonus offered to any rider who can win all three rounds of the series.
It is worth noting that multiple-time WA State Motocross Champion Louis Calvin made the trek north to fill in for Ben Grabham and scored a credible fifth outright.
Overall Results: 1. Toby Price. 2. Ivan Long. 3. Jacob Smith. 4. Todd Smith. 5. Louis Calvin.
Moto Wrap for the weekend of Aug 2/3 will include:
- Round 15 of the FIM World Motocross Championships in Lommel, Belguim
- Round 8 of the Australian MX Nationals at Raymond Terrace, NSW
- Round 8 of the Canadian Motocross Championships at Moncton
- Round 7 of the World Enduro Championships in Lumezzane, Italy
- Round 6 of the All-Japan Motocross Championships in Sugo
- 2014 Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup
- Loretta Lynn National Amateur at Hurricane Mills, TN
- King of the Cross at Richie Kings Memorial Park, Southern Cross in WA
