Italian EMX Wins taken by Lesiardo, Haarup & Anderson
Jay Wilson to join Raceline Pirelli KTM in MX2 class
Another Win for Toni Bou in the French TrialGP
Motul MX Nationals to hold Military Appreciation Round on Sunday
WA Senior MX Championship Round 4 to Ulinga
This Week’s Race Reports
Rd 11 – FIM World Motocross Championships (MXGP of Lombardia) – Italy
Rds 9 and 10 – FIM World Enduro Championships – GP of Slovakia (Puchov)
Rd 9 – GNCC – Snowshoe, Snowshoe, WV
Rd 9 – AMA Flat Track – Lima Half-Mile – Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, Ohio
Rd 5 – Kjærgaard Danish FIM Speedway Grand Prix (Horsens)
Rd 5 – AMA Motocross Nationals, Blountville, Tennessee
Rd 4 – Canadian Motocross Nationals – Regina, Saskatchewan
Ferris arrives back in Oz for MX Nationals
After what can only be described as the mid-season break of a lifetime, CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris will head into this weekend’s event with more confidence than ever when the sixth round of the Motul MX Nationals takes place at Nowra on Sunday July 2.
Dean Ferris
Ferris, who utilised the five week break to head over to the United States to compete in a round of their outdoor motocross championship where he achieved an outstanding podium race finish against some of the fastest riders in the world, will now switch his attention back to his Australian Motocross title ambitions, and is planning to attack the championship head on at Nowra.
Dean Ferris
“The plan for me this weekend is the same that it has been for the first five rounds – to win, it’s been working well so far so we’ll stick to it at Nowra too. Last year we were heading to Nowra with a whole lot of pressure – I really needed to get my championship back on track, but we’re not exactly dealing with that this season which is nice. I don’t have that huge points deficit that I need to make up. Last year it was my first time heading to Nowra and I quite enjoyed it – we were pretty successful there, so I’m looking forward to heading back this weekend.”
Dean Ferris
The sixth round of the 2017 Motul MX Nationals will be held at the Nowra Motoplex on Sunday July 2.
Metcalfe Turns Green
Brett Metcalfe has signed up with the MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team and alongside his new teammate Nathan Crawford will take on the second half of the 2017 MX Nationals series on the potent factory Kawasaki KX450F. Metcalfe is 9th place in the MX1 class going into the sixth round.
Brett Metcalfe
“Signing up with the team gives me an opportunity to continue racing in Australia as I planned and to finish the series out with a professional race team. Troy has been running an awesome team for a long time, he knows what it takes so to have the support of Kawasaki, MEGA Bulk Fuels, Monster Energy and the rest of the sponsors is a very good feeling. For me to jump onto this ride when this opportunity came up was a good fit. We were both half way through the season and I needed a ride so it matched up very well!. I raced a Kawasaki from 2013 to 2015 and I also rode for the Monster Energy Pro Circuit team in the U.S. for two years (2007 – 2008), so I’m familiar with the Kawasaki brand and some of the sponsors. I’ve lived in California for the last 14 years, racing AMA then Canada to race in the Nationals and I decided I wanted to push to come down to Australia and potentially ride my remaining years here.”
Brett Metcalfe Joins MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team
Team Manager, Troy Carroll is delighted with the team’s newest acquisition.
Troy Carroll
“It is fantastic to bring a rider like Brett Metcalfe to the team and we are looking forward to securing the results that the MEGA Bulk Fuels Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team deserves. With Brett’s experience and the history he has had with Kawasaki in United States, we are sure he will be achieving big things with us in the last five rounds of the outdoor (motocross) series this year.”
Metcalfe will make his debut for the team this weekend at round six of the MX Nationals to be held in Nowra, NSW.
Van Horebeek OUT of Ottobiano
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Van Horebeek miss last weekend’s eleventh round of the FIM Motocross World Championship following a crash during the MXGP qualifying race in Russia which resulted in a broken finger.
Jeremy Van Horebeek
“It’s a bummer to not be racing in Ottobiano, I really like that track, I have always felt like I am really fast there. It’s going to be difficult for me not to be on the line, but I am more focused on my training now and coming back stronger than before. I will see the doctor on Friday and hopefully have the plaster taken off my hand. They will tape my two fingers together and it shouldn’t be too long after that that I can be back on the bike. I will make a decision based on the strength and pain in my hand next week whether I return in Portugal or Loket.”
Jeremy Van Hoorebeek injured in Russia
Lawrence out of Ottobiano
Suzuki World’s Hunter Lawrence sat out the 11th round of the 2017 Motocross World Championships in Italy last weekend after sustaining an injury at the ADAC Championship in Germany a couple of weekend’s ago.
Hunter Lawrence
“I will be sitting-out the MXGP in Ottobiano as I had a crash when racing the ADAC Championship in Germany. I thought I was ok afterwards and thought I’d be good enough for the weekend but I’ve since found out that I suffered a compressed vertebrae and it’s too serious for me to consider lining up for the MXGP. I didn’t feel like I was anywhere close to my limit when I crashed, it was just one of those unfortunate things. Now I’m just going to concentrate on my recovery so I can be back behind the starting gate as soon as possible.”
Hunter LawrenceDunlop Geomax MX3S
Italian EMX Wins taken by Lesiardo, Haarup & Anderson
The MXGP of Lombardia hosted all three EMX championship classes with Morgan Lesiardo winning the EMX250 class, Mikkel Haarup the EMX125 class and Brad Anderson the EMX300 class.
EMX250 Wrap
EMX 250 Start with Lesiardo in the lead
Lasiardo won the opening moto by four seconds ahead of Nicholas Lapucci, Simone Furlotti, Ruben Fernandez and Jere Haavisto but Furlotti was able to bounce back to win the second moto from Lesiardo, Ruben Fernandez, Ken Bengtson and Roan Van De Moosdijk with Lesiardo getting the overall from Furlotti and extend his championship points lead to 19 points.
Mikkel Haarup won both motos from Gianluca Facchetti, Isak Gifting and championship leader Brian Strubhart to reduce his defecit in the championship to just 17 points.
Mikkel Haarup
EMX125 Race 1 Top Ten
Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Husqvarna), 29:12.600
Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:34.030
Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), +0:41.164
Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), +0:45.520
Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), +0:56.428
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +1:07.786
Raf Meuwissen (NED, KTM), +1:12.754
Matteo Puccinelli (ITA, KTM), +1:17.081
Raivo Dankers (NED, KTM), +1:20.341
Christopher Mills (GBR, Yamaha), +1:22.441.
EMX125 Race 2 Top Ten
Mikkel Haarup (DEN, Husqvarna), 29:55.137
Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, Husqvarna), +0:15.153
Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), +0:23.246
Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), +0:37.709
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), +0:43.323
Emilio Scuteri (ITA, KTM), +0:50.284
Raivo Dankers (NED, KTM), +1:07.052
Paolo Lugana (ITA, TM), +1:15.855
Viking Lindstrom (SWE, KTM), +1:20.206
Meico Vettik (EST, KTM), +1:27.644.
EMX125 Overall Top 10
Mikkel Haarup (DEN, HUS), 50 points
Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, HUS), 44
Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 40
Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), 36
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 31
Raivo Dankers (NED, KTM), 26
Paolo Lugana (ITA, TM), 21
Sergi Notario (ESP, KTM), 17
Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 16
Emilio Scuteri (ITA, KTM), 15
EMX125 Championship Top 10
Brian Strubhart Moreau (FRA, KTM), 164 points
Mikkel Haarup (DEN, HUS), 147
Gianluca Facchetti (ITA, HUS), 144
Kevin Horgmo (NOR, KTM), 134
Sergi Notario (ESP, KTM), 95
Rene Hofer (AUT, KTM), 94
Isak Gifting (SWE, KTM), 85
Paolo Lugana (ITA, TM), 81
Alessandro Manucci (ITA, HUS), 63
Jeremy Sydow (GER, KTM), 58
EMX300 Wrap
The Brit duo of James Dunn and Brad Anderson went one-two in the opening moto well ahead of Mike Kras but in the second moto Anderson was in no mood to hang around his countryman to win the race by 15 seconds ahead of Greg Smets and Dunn but more importantly in the championships Kras came home in a distant 7th place so Anderson now has a 21 point lead over Kras in the championship.
James Dunn
EMX300 Race 1 Top Ten
James Dunn (GBR, KTM), 29:01.039
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), +0:05.243
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:56.208
Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), +1:04.729
Erik Willems (BEL, Husqvarna), +1:12.335
Andero Lusbo (EST, Yamaha), +1:21.353
John Cuppen (NED, KTM), +1:35.144
Mathias Plessers (BEL, KTM), +1:39.695
Robert Holyoake (GBR, Husqvarna), +1:47.338
Valtteri Malin (FIN, KTM), +1:52.853
EMX300 Race 2 Top Ten
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 30:21.440
Greg Smets (BEL, KTM), +0:15.231
James Dunn (GBR, KTM), +0:22.118
Michael Hool (NED, KTM), +0:25.346
Valtteri Malin (FIN, KTM), +0:28.687
Erik Willems (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:33.437
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), +0:35.940
Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), +0:36.847
John Cuppen (NED, KTM), +0:57.740
Mathias Plessers (BEL, KTM), +1:07.068.
EMX300 Overall Top 10
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 47 points
James Dunn (GBR, KTM), 45
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 34
Erik Willems (BEL, HUS), 31
Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), 31
Michael Hool (NED, KTM), 28
Valtteri Malin (FIN, KTM), 27
Greg Smets (BEL, KTM), 26
John Cuppen (NED, KTM), 26
Mathias Plessers (BEL, KTM), 24
EMX300 Championship Top 10
Brad Anderson (GBR, KTM), 144 points
Mike Kras (NED, KTM), 123
Kenny Vandueren (BEL, KTM), 107
Erik Willems (BEL, HUS), 98
Andero Lusbo (EST, YAM), 77
John Cuppen (NED, KTM), 69
James Dunn (GBR, KTM), 67
Manuel Iacopi (ITA, YAM), 60
Valtteri Malin (FIN, KTM), 54
Thomas Marini (SMR, HUS), 51
Jay Wilson to join Raceline Pirelli KTM in MX2 Class
Raceline Pirelli KTM have announced that Jay Wilson will join the team for the five remaining rounds of the MX Nationals as well as the entire Supercross season in the MX2 category.
Following the departure of Wade Kirkland prior to the mid-season break, a seat became available within the KTM backed team, and with the talented Wilson back in Australia after racing the MXGPs in the MX2 category, Raceline Pirelli KTM was seemingly a perfect fit.
Jay Wilson
“I’m really excited that we can finally announce that I’ve signed with Raceline Pirelli KTM for the rest of the Motocross and Supercross. After returning home from Europe I knew that I wanted to continue racing so I was just waiting for the right opportunity to come up – the team is a perfect fit for me, I know the guys really well and I’ve actually raced for them before. I had a lot of success in my junior career with KTM so it’s exciting to have the opportunity to step on the KTM 250 SX-F and see what we can do. I’m loving the bike, and we’re just really happy with how well things have come together so I’m looking forward to finally getting back to racing.”
Jay Wilson
Raceline Pirelli KTM Team Manager Chris Woods explained how the deal with Wilson came about and also shared his excitement in welcoming him back to the KTM effort.
Chris Woods – Raceline Pirelli KTM Team Manager
“A number of years ago we worked with Jay when he was only just out of juniors and we enjoyed a lot of good times together, so when he returned home from overseas and we found out he was on the hunt for a ride we managed to put something together. Having Jay on board is a nice fit for the team, he has obviously had quite a bit of success in the MX2 class but he’s also a mature guy and works hard which is what we’re all about. We have spent the last five weeks working with Jay and getting him comfortable on the KTM and it’s been a very easy transition – he’s adapted well to the new bike, so we’re all excited to get back to racing at Nowra this weekend.”
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Another Win for Toni Bou in the French TrialGP
Toni Bou rode to victory in Lourdes which reinstates the defending champion on the top of the TrialGP podium ahead of Adam Raga and Jaime Busto.
Toni Bou
Toni Bou picked up a couple of fives in the more delicate sections on the first lap, before completing the second round in better conditions, mistake-free, for an accumulated total of twenty-one marks, six of which were for time penalties. Bou lengthens his advantage in the overall standings to thirteen points over nearest second place rival Adam Raga, who finished today behind the champion.
Jaime Busto
Busto replicated his podium finish of last week where he had taken runner-up spot in Andorra. Busto posted third today after a fine display of quality. The score-count on the second lap was far lower than the first time around, with seven marks out of a total of forty-eight.
Toni Bou
“After the Andorra trial, getting the good sensations back was very important for me and I struggled to be comfortable in this trial. Yesterday I got the pole and today I was able to ride well on the bike and managed a zero on lap two. Everything has gone very well and this victory is very important for the championship. I also want to congratulate Jaime for joining me on the podium. He has an incredible level and I knew that these good results would come. It has been a very good weekend and I am very happy about how everything went.”
Toni Bou
Jaime Busto
“I am very happy because it has been a difficult trial for me. I had damaged ribs from the Andorra trial, and they caused me a lot of pain, even so, once in the competition I was able to handle the whole event quite well. The sections, on the first lap were fine, and after drying out it got a bit easier.”
Jaime Busto
The fifth and next round of the TrialGP World Championship takes place on June 9th in Tong, United Kingdom.
TrialGP Podium France – Round 4
Results TrialGP of France 2017
1. Toni BOU – Repsol Honda Team
2. Adam RAGA – TRS Factory Team
3. Jaime BUSTO – Repsol Honda Team
Points Standings
1. Toni BOU – Repsol Honda Team – 95
2. Adam RAGA – TRS Factory Team – 82
3. Jaime BUSTO – Repsol Honda Team – 61
Motul MX Nationals to hold Military Appreciation Round on Sunday
This weekend the Motul MX Nationals heads to back to the South Coast region of New South Wales for Round 6 of this year’s championship, and with the area well known for it’s Royal Australian Navy activity, there couldn’t be a more fitting location for this year’s official Military Appreciation round.
Each year Australia’s National Motocross Championship dedicates an event to those who serve for our country, and this season is no different, with riders and teams set to turn their race machines ‘camo’ on Sunday July 2 to pay tribute to the armed forces.
MX Nationals Round 6 at Nowra is the Military Appreciation Round
Motul MX Nationals Series Promoter Kevin Williams says that this weekend is close to the hearts of all in the Nowra region, and that acknowledging the efforts of our armed forces is an important part of the events at round six.
Kevin Williams – Motul MX Nationals Series Promoter
“This weekend’s round is not only important from a racing point of view, but we’re looking forward to seeing Australia’s fastest riders do their bit in reminding the country of how appreciative we all are of what our armed forces do for Australia. Last year we saw a number of bikes completely decked out in camo, we had involvement from the Royal Australian Navy and our goal is to match or better what we did last season. The venue for this weekend’s Motul MX Nationals event is just a short distance away from the HMAS Albatross which is the largest operational Naval establishment and the Navy’s only Air Station. Nowra is a home for many of Australia’s Navy Officers and we’re very honoured to be able to pay tribute to them at round six on Sunday.”
For more information on Round 6 of the Motul MX Nationals at Nowra in New South Wales, head to the series’ official website, www.mxnationals.com.au
WA Senior MX Championship Round 4 to Ulinga
Ulinga Park in picturesque Beverley is where you need to be for Round 4 of Make Smoking History Senior MX State Championships. After a gruelling day in the sand at AJS, our Senior boys and girls gear up for another fast and furious hard-pack battle at Beverley Motorcycle Club on Sunday July 9th.
Will Jayden Rykers make another appearance at this round and shake things up in the Shannons Insurance MX1 Class? Dean Porter battled hard with Jayden at AJS on his 450cc machine but Ulinga Park track is unknown territory for many so this could be anyone’s day with Chris Ruttico, Michael Mahon, Stevie Heilers, Julian Cutajar or any one of riders from the huge pool of talent within this class. Don’t count anyone out , there will be some epic racing!
2017 WA Motocross Championship – Round 4 heads to Ulinga
The Motul Oils MX2 Class was shaken up at Round 3 with Josh Adams having a DNF and Jayden Rykers dual classing and these races will be very very interesting and exciting to watch – David Birch & Josh Adams will no doubt be banging bars throughout the day. Dylan Sexton is racing hard with some very consistent results and his talent is shining brightly, although youngsters Mitchell Outram and Kurt Oinn are also showing some awesome talent.
Chris Bosnakis is leading the charge with Luke Gaisford currently overseas but Blake Croonen is only 52 points behind in the Make Smoking History Quad Championship with Shaun Woodhead and James Ognenis right behind Blake but do not rule out any of our other 4 wheeled warriors – male or female – in this class.
The Make Smoking History Veterans Championship return also for their next round at Beverley. Will James Craig make another return? Or will Rex Brown continue his victory run? Rex leads the Championship by 8 points from Paul Smithson but this is the home track for some of our Vets and there could be surprises in store!
Round 1 of The Amateur Cup for Clubman Riders will be run at Beverley – the first of a 2 round Mini Series. Hopefully a large field will line up and show their support for this mini series. So Clubman Riders – do you want to be a part of the action?
With rain forecast for during the week leading up to Round 4 and the temps are showing a chilly start for the Ulinga Park circuit – will it be rain or cold and dry? Either way, don’t miss one second of the action and get to the track early, and watch a full day of top class racing of WA’s slickest, faster and very very talented motocross riders.
This is a fast, flowing circuit with lots of twists and turns – great spectator viewing from all sides of the track. Full canteen and bar – no byo. Adults $20 and kids under 16 Free
See you all there – Sunday July 9th. Ulinga Park Circuit, Beverley – home of Beverley Motorcycle Club. For full details see www.wamx.com.au.
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Smarty’s Race Reports
Rd 11 – FIM World Motocross Championships (MXGP of Lombardia) – Italy
Antonio Cairoli and Jeremy Seewer have won the MX1 and MX2 classes at round 11 of the FIM World Motocross Championships held last weekend in Italy where Cairoli swept to two moto wins to extend his championship lead to 67 points while Seewer clawed seven point back on the MX2 championship leader Pauls Jonnas.
Tixier leading the 450MX field at Lombardia
MX1 Overview
Antonio Cairoli has gone 1-1 in his home Grand Prix, to win his 81st GP of his career, but maybe one of his most impressive as the Sicilian went head to head with sand specialist Jeffrey Herlings and came out on top on both occasions.
The 31 year old Cairoli also extended his series points lead over Clement Desalle and Gautier Paulin, as Herlings caught those two in the point’s race. Cairoli has 67 points over Desalle and 70 pts over Paulin. Herlings is 96 points back.
Antonio Cairoli
“Yes, I was feeling great you know. I could push when Jeffrey came back. I am very happy. Thanks to everybody. We know that Jeffrey is a good sand rider we all know this, he was very fast, but the races are 35 and two laps and I am happy with this and the team made an awesome bike this year. I love the crowd here and also the KTM group. We made it again.”
Jeffrey Herlings and Tony Cairoli
Herlings went 2-2 for second overall but the former MX2 World Champion pushed so hard that he was physically sick after the final moto and he couldn’t stand on the podium or make comments after the race.
Max Anstie
“It was awesome (to make the podium). A hot day today and the first race I hit the gate, and came back, then the second one Jeffrey passed me and I was like, wow he is riding fast, but I was able to do ok.”
Max Anstie
Romain Febvre managed to stay out of trouble for once to finish fourth overall ahead of Max Nagl, Gautier Paulin, Clement Desalle, Arnaud Tonus, Glenn Coldenhoff and Tim Gajser who returned from injury.
MXGP Overall
Antonio Cairoli 25-25
Jeffrey Herlings 22-22
Max Anstie 16-20
Romain Febvre 18-15
Max Nagl 14-18
Gautier Paulin 20-11
Clement Desalle 13-14
Arnaud Tonus 12-13
Glenn Coldenhoff 15-8
Tim Gajser 11-10
MXGP – Championship Classification
Cairoli, A. – 431
Paulin, G. – 364
Desalle, C. – 361
Herlings, J. – 335
Gajser, T. – 282
Febvre, R. – 275
Van Horebeek, J. – 261
Nagl, M. – 255
Bobryshev, E. – 245
Tonus, A. – 227
MX2 Overview
Jeremy Seewer had a great first moto to take an easy win but the second moto saw Pauls Jonass take the lead while Seewer and Thomas Covington went bar-to-bar for half of the moto before Seewer was able to brake away for second place and the overall victory with Jonnas second overall and Covington third overall while Benoit Paturel, Bas Baessen, Julien Lieber, Alvin Ostlund, Brian Bogers, homas Kjer Olsen and Brent Van doninck rounded out the top ten.
Jeremy Seewer
The points lead by Jonass over Seewer in the series points is now 38 points heading into Portugal next weekend. Jonass is 111 point ahead of third placed man in the series Thomas Kjer Olsen.
Jeremy Seewer
“It was so tough from beginning to end. I had two crashes that cost a lot of energy. I am so happy for the GP overall, but I am done. I think I had the pace in the start, but I had a tough battle with Thomas (Covington) and Pauls was gone then. The track is so tough, tougher than the first moto. I started feeling empty and tried to get as much water as possible. I was scared something would happen as I had trouble two years ago.”
Jeremy Seewer
Pauls Jonass
“You know the first moto, I didn’t get a good start. It was tough, and hot today. I burnt a lot of energy early and dropped to sixth in the first moto. I wasn’t happy, but we settled down, made some changes to the bike, and already in the early laps I could get my pace. We will keep the hard work going.”
Pauls Jonass
Thomas Covington
“I tried to go for it, but I hit a wall and had to survive after that. The track was brutal and I am happy for my first podium in the sand here. Americans are not usually that good in the sand, and I want that to change.”
Thomas Covington
MX2 Overall
Jeremy Seewer 25-22
Pauls Jonass 15-25
Thomas Covington 18-20
Benoit Paturel 22-14
Bas Baessen 20-11
Julien Lieber 20-11
Alvin Ostlund 13-16
Brian Bogers 16-12
Thomas Kjer Olsen 11-15
Brent Van doninck 12-9
MX2 – Championship Classification
Jonass, P. – 454
Seewer, J. – 416
Olsen, T. – 343
Lieber, J. – 339
Paturel, B. – 330
Covington, T. – 263
Prado Garcia, J. – 233
Bogers, B. – 212
Lawrence, H. – 199
Van doninck, B. – 195
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Rds 9 and 10 – FIM World Enduro Championships – GP of Slovakia (Puchov)
Christophe Nambotin, Josep Garcia and Jamie McCanney have come away with the major points in the Enduro GP and E2 classes at rounds 9 and 10 of the FIM World Enduro Championships held in Slovakia last weekend with the championship points chase hotting up in both classes.
Christophe Nambotin
Nabottin won the EnduroGP class on day one ahead of Steve Holcombe, Loic Larrieu and Matthew Phillips then repeated the dose on day two this time ahead of Nathan Watson, Larrieu, Holcombe, Alex Salvini, Cristobal Guerrero, Jaume Betriu, Giacomo Redondi, Phillips and Mathias Bellino.
Steve Holcombe (Beta) continues to lead the EnduroGP championship standings on 167 points ahead of Loic Larrieu (Yamaha) on 146, Christophe Nambotin (KTM) third on 141 points and Matthew Phillips in fourth on 132 points.
Steve Holcombe
Christophe Nambotin
“I rode well this weekend, I feel much better than I did at the start of the season. I really enjoyed this GP. Honestly, I found the last lap today a little bit difficult. I had to push as hard as I could on every lap to stay ahead of Nathan, and in this heat it wasn’t easy. There are three or four riders riding very well in the EnduroGP class, so it looks like there will be many more close battles. I didn’t have any crashes today, just some small mistakes. It feels great to be back winning, so I hope I can continue in this way.”
Christophe Nambotin and Nathan Watson celebrating
Garcia won the opening day in the E2 class ahead of Eero Remes, McCanney, Davide Guarneri, Pascal Rauchenecker and Daniel Sanders but on day two McCanney took the win ahead of Garcia and Remes while Sanders didn’t fare well to finish back in 11th.
Josep Garcia
Josep Garcia (KTM) remains at the top of the Enduro 2 championship standings on 176 points with Eero Remes (TM) second on 165 points and Jamie McCanney (Yamaha) just one point behind in third while Sanders continues to impress to sit sixth in the series on 101 points.
Jamie McCanney
“Seemingly every event I’ve done this year has come down to the final special test. Today I got the win, so I’m really pleased. I was disappointed that I didn’t win on day one so today I gave it everything I had, and a little more. I’m not sure that pushing so much harder was actually faster, but I got the win. It was a tough event, and today was about not making mistakes yet giving 100% in all the test. I’m made up to have finally got a win.”
Jamie McCanney
The EnduroGP World Championship now heads to Grevena in Greece on July 1-2.
EnduroGP Standings
Steve Holcombe – 167
Loic Larrieu – 146
Christophe Nambotin – 141
Matthew Phillips – 132
Nathan Watson – 117
Giacomo Redondi – 107
Cristobal Guerrero – 96
Antti Hellsten – 84
Christophe Charlier – 77
Jaume Betriu – 77
Enduro2 Standings
Josep Garcia – 176
Eero Remes – 165
Jamie McCanney – 164
Pascal Rauchenecker – 136
Daniel McCanney – 110
Daniel Sanders – 101
Henric Stigell – 101
Thomas Oldrati – 98
Jonathan Barragan – 90
Davide Guarneri – 85
Rd 9 – GNCC – Snowshoe, Snowshoe, WV
Snowshoe Mountain hosted the eighth round of the 2017 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series this past weekend and after three hours of intense racing it was N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell taking home the coveted win – marking his first ever GNCC overall victory.
The unique live engine start modelled after the famed Blackwater 100 race treated Steward Baylor well, where he jumped out to the early lead, with R Russell in tow. As they approached timing and scoring for the first lap, it would be R Russell leading the way through the West Virginia woods.
GNCC Snowshoe – Ricky Russell – Image by Ken Hill
As the pros tackled the western territory of the mountain, R Russell continued to lead ahead of Kailub Russell as Thad Duvall was busy pushing his way through the pack after a sixth-place check-in on the first lap. The lead changed on the third lap when K Russell moved into the front, with Duvall and R Russell behind him so the Russell duo, Duvall and XC2 class leader Josh Toth remained in close proximity for the first half of the race.
The infamous Howard’s Hole played out to be the turning point in the race, where all three front runners took a different line. Unfortunately for K Russell, his selection wasn’t ideal, and both R Russell and Toth got around him leaving R Russell raced his way to his first-ever overall victory atop of Snowshoe Mountain.
Ricky Russell
“I really have no words, I’ve been close, but not like this today. We were going back-and-forth all day and it was a good race. I had one side of the mountain dialled, but the other side, but toward the end I was struggling with the mud. I’m just at a loss for words, it’s awesome.
GNCC Snowshoe – Ricky Russell on the podium – Image by Ken Hill
R Russell’s teammate, Toth, also had his best ever-finish where he crossed the line in second overall. This would mark the XC2 250 Pro rider’s first overall podium. Nearly four minutes behind Toth, was Duvall in third who rounded out the overall podium. K Russell placed fourth overall, and third in class.
Beta USA’s Jordan Ashburn put forth an impressive ride, where he finished just off the XC1 Open Pro podium, and fifth overall, after starting outside of the top-ten. After leading the first lap on adjusted time, JCR Honda’s Trevor Bollinger maintained a steady pace to finish the race in sixth overall.
GNCC Snowshoe XC2 Pro 250 Podium – Image by Ken Hill
With Toth holding the top spot in the XC2 250 Pro class, Craig Delong and Layne Michael, rounded out the class podium with Austin Lee and Jesse Groemm followed in respectable fourth and fifth place finishes.
Jason Thomas, Hunter Neuwirth and David Quilled filled the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class podium while Tayla Jones moved to within seven points of WXC championship leader Becca Sheets with a solid win over Sheets and Brooke Cosner landed on the WXC box in third.
The 2017 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series continues in two weeks, July 8 and 9, with the Wiseco John Penton GNCC at Sunday Creek Raceway in Millfield, Ohio.
XC1 Round Results
Ricky Russell – Yamaha
Thad Duvall – Husqvarna
Kailub Russell – KTM
Jordan Ashburn – Beta
Trevor Bollinger – Honda
Grant Baylor – Husqvarna
Steward Baylor – KTM
Chris Bach – KTM
Ryan Sipes – Husqvarna
Rusell Bobbit – KTM
XC1 Championship Standings
Kailub Russell – 190
Thad DuVall – 167
Steward Baylor – 159
Ricky Russell – 132
Jordan Ashburn – 99
Trevor Bollinger – 96
Grant Baylor – 94
Josh Strange – 83
Russell Bobbitt – 81
Ryan Sipes – 77
XC2 Round Results
Josh Toth – Yamaha
Layne Michael – Husqvarna
Craig Delong – Husqvarna
Austin Lee – Honda
Jesse Groemm – KTM
XC2 Championship Standings
Joshua Toth – 218
Craig Delong – 165
Layne Michael – 156
Micael Witkowski – 143
Jesse Groemm – 125
Austin Lee – 112
Benjamin Kelley – 100
Zack Hayes – 97
Trevor Barrett – 72
Samuel Evans – 69
XC3 Round Results
Jason Thomas – Husqvarna
Hunter Neuwirth – Husqvarna
David Quillen – KTM
Mark Heresco – KTM
Jaryn Williams – Yamaha
XC3 Championship Standings
Jason Thomas – 216
Mark Heresco Jr. – 155
Hunter Neuwirth – 150
Jack Edmondson – 145
Joshua Adkins – 100
GNCC Snowshoe – 10 a.m. Overall Podium including Tayla Jones (left) – Image by Ken Hill
WXC Round Results
Tayla Jones – Husqvarna
Becca Sheets – KTM
Brooke Cosner – Yamaha
Taylor Johnston – KTM
Kendall LaFollette – KTM
WXC Championship Standings
Becca Sheets – 151
Tayla Jones – 144
Mackenzie Tricker – 126
Rachel Gutish – 100
Brooke Cosner – 86
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Rd 9 – AMA Flat Track – Lima Half-Mile – Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, Ohio
The 2017 edition of the Lima Half-Mile hosted round 9 of the American Flat Track Championships and it was Briar Bauman who managed to put his Kawasaki out front in the race to the chequered flag.
Jarred Mees, who came into the event as the AFT Twins championship leader, was given a ten-second penalty for jumping the start not once, but twice, in his Semi. That added time pushed him down from fourth position to 11th – and consequently missing the main event all together.
Briar Bauman ended the Indian domination to take the top spot for the first time
Bauman set the pace from the start of the Main Event. After he had worked up an advantage of more than three seconds, a red flag gave his battered foes a shot at redemption but the Ninja 650 pilot promptly opened a near-identical advantage following the restart, eventually backing down to a 2.793-second margin of victory after tangling with a lapper on the final lap.
The victory was the third of Bauman’s premier-class career and his first taken aboard a fire-breathing twin. The Kawasaki-mounted win also marked the end of Indian’s season-long victory streak while also bringing Harley-Davidson’s 21-race unbeaten streak at the Lima Half-Mile to a halt in the process.
In a touching display of sportsmanship, practically the entire field came by to offer their heartfelt congratulations to the winner.
Briar Bauman
“I can’t even put it in to words… I’m just really proud to get this win. I put a lot into it. I can’t thank the team enough for believing in me, and Dave Zanotti for giving me the opportunity. I kid you not – when I saw five (laps) to go, I never started counting down so slowly in my life. I didn’t want to look back because I was sure they’d be right behind me. I was happy to bring it home and get my first Twins’ Main. This was something you dream of your whole life, and you question if it’s going to happen or not. I’m happy it actually happened.”
Jared Mees
“It was my fault; there’s no one to blame but myself… The rulebook is clear as day, black and white. They added 10 seconds to my time, and that pushed me out of the Main Event. It’s very unfortunate. I definitely wanted to be out there racing. I felt awesome in the Semi, but rules are rules, and that’s the way it is.”
While Bauman was in a class of his own, Brad Baker (No. 6 Indian Scout FTR750) and Jeffrey Carver Jr. (No. 23 Kawasaki Ninja 650) entertained the Allen County Fairgrounds faithful after the restart. The two ran intersecting lines in their fight for the podium, repeatedly trading second and third place. The final position swap fell in Baker’s favour, and he secured the runner-up result over Carver by .127 of a second at the chequered flag.
Brad Baker
“That was a wild Lima Half-Mile for me tonight. We made some changes after the Semi and the Indian was working a lot better. I made a charge up to second, but I have to take my hats off to Briar and Zanotti Racing – they were on it tonight and Briar rode like an animal.”
Brad Baker – American Flat Track
Third-placed Carver said, “Oh man – it brought me back to amateur national days like in ’07. Brad and I have been battling it out since we were on 85s. We were running opposite lines so we were trying to set each other up like a chess match. It was so good. I was getting roosted hard, ripping tear-offs, bucking around, and almost getting into the fence, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Mees wasn’t the only title hopeful to suffer from heartbreak in Ohio. Two-time Lima Half-Mile winner Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Estenson Logistics Yamaha FZ-07) ran in third until the red flag, however, he was unable to make the restart due to a mechanical issue.
In his absence, Davis Fisher (No. 67 Kawasaki Ninja 650) earned fourth – the best result of his AFT Twins’ career. He was followed closely by Henry Wiles (No. 17 Kawasaki Ninja 650) as Kawasaki not only took top honors at the Lima Half-Mile, but garnered four of the spots in the top five.
Bryan Smith (No. 1 Indian FTR750) retook possession of the AFT Twins championship lead, although he was unable to fully capitalize on Mees’ misfortune. Smith finished in sixth, his worst result of 2017, but it was still enough to slide five points back out in front of Mees (182-177).
Rds 8 and 9 – AORC – Renmark, SA
Rounds 8 and 9 of the 2017 AORC took place in Renmark, South Australia last weekend where a change of format was instated from a Cross Country to Super Sprint due to dusty conditions. The seniors were split into 30-second intervals and raced to record the fastest time over the 15km track. The 160 competitors raced for three laps each day to record an overall time.
Once the dust had settled late on Sunday afternoon it was Wil Ruprecht, Daniel Milner, Lyndon Snodgrass and Fraser Higlett who won the E1, E2, E3 and EJ classes respectively with Daniel Milner scoring the overall win for all of the classes combined.
Daniel Milner
“The tracks here were difficult, they got real deep with bulldust, so it made for real difficult conditions and it was a struggle, but I did some pretty clean laps yesterday and got myself a decent lead. Today I went down in the first test and lost a bit of time, then in the next test I backed off too much and then I put my head down and went from then on and ended up getting a lot more time up and getting the win for the day. The bike was unreal – I worked with my mechanic Mick to get it pretty much where we wanted it. At this stage, the championship is looking good, I haven’t lost a round yet, touch wood, so we’ll keep pushing, take every race as it comes, and see how we end up at the end of the season.”
Daniel Milner
Lyndon Snodgrass
“It feels pretty good to bounce back with two second places and two class wins after the last round,” Snodgrass said. “It feels pretty good. I can’t even say the conditions suited me – we’ve just been working hard towards this, it’s the result we’ve been aiming for. So it’s good to see that hard work show, and to finish on the top of the podium. It was a tough battle, that’s for sure. Milner was definitely showing us how it’s done, and it was a hard-fought battle between me and Riley Graham, so it was good to come out on top of that with second outright both days. I think I have a share of the E3 lead.”
Lyndon Snodgrass
Lachlan Stanford
“The dust was pretty tough this weekend. There was no way they could have run a cross-country, so we had a sprint on Saturday and only did three laps on Sunday. I struggled a lot on Saturday, and couldn’t find a groove, but Sunday was a little bit better. It was just really rough and dusty and a pretty techo track. Sunday though I started to find a few more seconds and some flow. The bike was awesome – I just need to get it up front and be battling for that win. Not the best weekend for the E3 championship; taking two seconds to Lyndon was a pain. We’re just going to have to pull the finger out I guess. The next one is at Kyogle so that will give me a bit of a home track advantage, hopefully.”
Lachlan Stanford
Fraser Higlett
“The TE 250 loved the track and it was good just to be able to keep on it all day. I liked the track and I seemed to go well on it. The bike ran perfectly all day. It’s pretty crazy to think I would have won E1. It was good to find out that I’m good on those tracks, so we’ll see how I go at Hattah next. I’m not sure where the championship lies. In the first two rounds, my hands just fell apart, so Michael Driscoll got a few points on me there. He got third today so I would have got a couple of points on him, but we’ll see. We’re going to stay in Mildura now for two weeks before Hattah and do some riding!”
Fraser Higlett
Defending E1 Champion Jack Simpson sat out the round, having not yet recovered from the injuries he suffered in preparation for the Finke Desert Race, and is in doubt for the Hattah Desert Race in a fortnight’s time.
Rounds 9 & 10 of the series will be held at Kyogle, NSW (22-23 July).
E1 Provisional Saturday Results
Scott Keegan – 46.26.686
Wil Ruprecht – 46:28.237
Tom Jones – 47:08.780
Baylee Davies – 47:14.838
Rick Ireland – 47:37.021
Brad Hardaker – 49:16.988
Justin Parker – 49:54.002
William Price – 50:56.466
Toby Lewis – 51:02.246
Jacob Sinclair – 52:07.143
E1 Provisional Sunday Results
Wil Ruprecht – 36:55.387
Scott Keegan – 37:21.656
Tom Jones – 37:51.620
Baylee Davies – 38:02.031
Rick Ireland – 39:20.793
Brad Hardaker – 39:36.941
Toby Lewis – 39:38.184
Justin Parker – 40:44.708
William Price – 41:49.036
Jacob Sinclair – 44:43.599
E1 Championship Standings
Wil RUPRECHT – 139
Scott KEEGAN – 134
Baylee DAVIES – 102
Brad HARDAKER – 100
Jack SIMPSON – 89
E2 Provisional Saturday Results
Daniel Milner – 43:46.913
Riley Graham – 44:27.154
Josh Green – 44:45.104
Stefan Granquist – 46:06.157
Broc Grabham – 46:07.781
Andrew Wilksch – 46:20.696
Ivan Long – 46:31.314
Justin Carafa – 46:49.530
Jayden Pilgrim – 47:16.763
Dale Watson – 47:42.778
E2 Provisional Sunday Results
Daniel Milner – 34:59.550
Riley Graham – 35:14.966
Josh Green – 35:56.460
Andrew Wilksch – 36:43.038
Stefan Granquist – 36:48.594
Broc Grabham – 36:56.171
Ivan Long – 37:00.947
Justin Carafa – 37:19.069
Jesse Lawton – 38:00.203
Jayden Pilgrim 38:22.991
E2 Championship Standings
Daniel MILNER – 150
Josh GREEN – 128
Riley GRAHAM – 119
Stefan GRANQUIST – 104
Broc GRABHAM – 98
E3 Provisional Saturday Results
Lyndon Snodgrass – 44:25.857
Lachlan Stanford – 45:37.715
Jesse Lawton – 46:24.135
Tom Mason – 47:09.588
Lincoln Bird – 49:56.047
Joel James – 52:17.684
Sean Macpherson – 53:02.826
Troy Sheridan – 53:02.826
E3 Provisional Sunday Results
Lyndon Snodgrass – 35:12.698
Lachlan Stanford – 35:45.396
Tom Mason – 37:50.949
Joel James – 43:09.258
Troy Sheridan – 43:24.247
Lincoln Bird – 32:10.379
Transmoto EJ Provisional Results
Fraser Higlett – 45:44.372
Michael Driscoll – 46:03.396
Nic Tomlinson – 46:07.664
Dalton Johnson – 48:54.396
Jack Matthews – 49:12.610
Lauchlan Allan – 49:13.400
Liam Mason – 49:22.039
Jonte Reynders – 49:28.473
Seton Broomhall – 50:17.655
Jacob Peacock – 50:24.347
E3 Championship Standings
Lachlan STANFORD – 141
Lyndon SNODGRASS – 141
Tom MASON – 120
Jesse LAWTON – 63
Beau RALSTON – 36
Transmoto EJ Provisional Sunday Results
Fraser Higlett – 36:45.036
Nic Tomlinson – 36:50.394
Michael Driscoll – 36:59.764
Dalton Johnson – 37:53.400
Jack Matthews – 40:40:05.641
Seton Broomhall – 41:35.429
Jacob Peacock – 41:45.670
Toby Bell – 42:01.389
Lauchlan Allan – 42:02.436
Luke Strauch – 45:00.384
EJ Championship Standings
Fraser HIGLETT – 139
Michael DRISCOLL – 134
Nic TOMLINSON – 102
Johnson DALTON – 100
Jonte REYNDERS – 89
Dunlop Geomax MX3S
Rd 5 – Kjærgaard Danish FIM Speedway Grand Prix (Horsens)
Polish racer Maciej Janowski was elated with “an amazing night” in Horsens as he won the Kjærgaard Danish FIM Speedway Grand Prix for the second straight season, this time ahead of Emil Sayfutdinov, Patryk Dudek and Aussie Jason Doyle who rode through the pain barrier to an extraordinary fourth place to edge ahead of Dudek at the top of the World Championship – just five days after he underwent surgery on a broken foot.
But it was Janowski who got the victory and the Wroclaw-born racer was delighted to push his way into the podium positions, as he went third in the standings on 58 points.
Maciej Janowski
“It was an amazing night, iit doesn’t matter where you are, but this is the second time it has happened in Denmark. This was a really tough night. It’s a very small track and there’s not enough room for everyone. You need to be smart and lucky also. Everything worked well for me today – my team, everything. I am happy. Points are the most important thing. That was a good kick going into the next half of the season.”
Maciej Janowski topped the Speedway GP podium, flanked by Emil Sayfutdinov and Patryk Dudek
Sayfutdinov scored his first SGP podium since he finished third at the 2013 Italian SGP and now sixth in the World Championship on 47 points.
Emil Sayfutdinov
“After my third race, it went really well. I won my last two heats and I was last in the semi, but I passed Lindback and Zagar. I got into the final and I am really happy to be on the podium. I’d just like to say thanks to my team. We have really worked hard. With that hard work, we got to the final. We scored some important points today. I’m going up in the standings and I am really happy.”
Dudek is still level on 65 points with Doyle at the top of the World Championship, with only the Aussie star’s 2016 ranking keeping the Pole out of first place. But he’s not too concerned about the standings at this stage as he bids to keep piling up the points.
Patryk Dudek
“It doesn’t matter for me now. For me, I just want to score points through the whole series. When I have the podiums, it’s great. Sometimes I won’t. What’s most important is my score.” The track here had tight corners and for me, that’s not normal. Tracks in Poland are so big. But that doesn’t matter. I had third place.”
Doyle was forced to race with stitches in his swollen foot and had no choice but to go back to hospital straight after the event.
Jason Doyle
“After last night’s GP the foot was too swollen to race today in Poland. This morning at 11am I went back to Torun hospital and had cast put back on. We will now rest for a few days and get back to full fitness! Thank you for all the support. I guess when you have ‘pain is temporary quitting lasts forever’ tattooed on your arm you gotta suck it up and do what you believe in!”
Jason Doyle
The good news for Doyle is that the SGP series now takes a break for the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup, which launches with Event 1 at King’s Lynn next Saturday, featuring hosts Great Britain, Australia, Czech Republic and the USA. Doyle’s replacement in the Australian team has yet to be announced.
KJÆRGAARD DANISH SGP SCORES
Maciej Janowski 17,
Emil Sayfutdinov 14,
Patryk Dudek 14,
Jason Doyle 15,
Matej Zagar 11,
Tai Woffinden 11,
Antonio Lindback 8,
Fredrik Lindgren 8,
Kenneth Bjerre 7,
Greg Hancock 7,
Bartosz Zmarzlik 7,
Chris Holder 7,
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Jason Doyle 65,
Patryk Dudek 65,
Maciej Janowski 58,
Fredrik Lindgren 51,
Tai Woffinden 48,
Emil Sayfutdinov 47,
Greg Hancock 45,
Martin Vaculik 45,
Piotr Pawlicki 43,
Bartosz Zmarzlik 39,
Matej Zagar 36,
Chris Holder 34
Rd 5 – AMA Motocross Nationals, Blountville, Tennessee
The fifth round of the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship was hosted by the annual Tennessee National in the picturesque valleys of Muddy Creek Raceway and it was Eli Tomac who captured his second 450 Class victory of the season while Aaron Plessinger emerged with his first victory of the season in the 250 class.
450 Race Report
Justin Barcia captured the holeshot ahead of Jason Anderson and Justin Bogle. There was no shortage of action on the opening lap as Barcia and Anderson battled each other aggressively, passing each other several times for the lead.
Jason Anderson – Image by Jeff Kardas
When the field stormed past the finish for the first time it was Anderson, Barcia, Bogle, Weston Peick and Trey Canard, who made his first start of the 2017 season, while Tomac was just inside the top ten and Blake Baggett well outside the top ten.
Anderson was riding flawlessly to build a large cushion on his nearest competitor while behind him Tomac and Baggett were slicing their way to second and third positions and that is the way they would finish well ahead of Peick and Bogle. Marvin Musquin, who entered the race second in points, was buried mid-pack on the opening lap and charged to seventh at the finish.
Bogle powered to the holeshot in moto 2 ahead of Canard, Tomac, Peick and Anderson, while Baggett found himself on the ground at the tail end of the field in 39th. A crash by Bogle on the opening lap cost the early race leader several positions and allowed Tomac to inherit the number one spot.
By the completion of the opening lap, Tomac held a commanding lead over Canard and Anderson but in his haste to get around Canard Anderson made a mistake that saw the opening moto winner temporarily lose places to Bogle and Peick.
Eli Tomac – Image by Jeff Kardas
Anderson was quick to regain his composure and mounted another charge, passing Peick and Bogle to move back into third and just a few corners later, Anderson would muscle his way into second with an incredible pass on Canard. On Lap 5, Bogle hounded Canard and eventually made the pass stick towards the end of the lap for third.
As Tomac continued to pull away from Anderson, Peick pushed by Bogle for third but there was a storm coming with Blake Baggett incredibly sneaking into view in the back ground and there was absolutely nothing his competitors could do to stop the KTM rider from ripping by to claim third place at moto end.
Shen the chequered flag waved, Tomac took the win by more than 30-seconds for his fourth moto win of the season with Anderson earning the runner-up spot while Baggett finished third and salvage invaluable points in the championship. Peick and Bogle rounded out the top five while Martin Davalos had his best ride in the 450 class to finish sixth for eighth outright.
The 2-1 effort for Tomac was enough to clinch his second victory of the season and seventh of his 450 Class career. Anderson (1-2) ended the afternoon tied with Tomac atop the standings, but missed out on his first career 450 Class victory via the second-moto tiebreaker. Baggett (3-3) completed the overall podium in third.
Eli Tomac
“It’s been a long time coming, and it feels really good to get another win today. I had a few off weeks, some struggles, but some days are good and some days are not so good. I went home and tried to fix the bad things and come back better improved into this weekend. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season as I feel some of my best tracks are coming up.”
Eli Tomac
Baggett continues to lead the 450 Class standings, but is now just four points ahead of Tomac, who moved into in second.
Blake Baggett
“It was another tough weekend battling through the field to be up here on the podium. Ideally a holeshot or two would have made our day a lot easier today. The first moto went okay, but these guys [Eli Tomac and Jason Anderson] just out rode me and that’s the bottom line. I got hung up with Cooper [Webb] in the first turn of Moto 2 and just had to put my head down and charge through the pack the entire race in order to salvage some points and get on the podium.”
Anderson’s second place finish moved him to third in the standings, 19-points out of the championship lead while Weston Peick’s 4-4 results was the best for 2017.
Jason Anderon to RacerX
“It was definitely a lot better weekend for me. Going 4-4 after last weekend. The first moto and second moto [last week] I crashed and jammed my wrist and wasn’t able to finish. But I came into this weekend, I’ve been in North Carolina for the last two weeks doing a lot of testing and developing with the bike and stuff. We’ve made huge progress with the motor and suspension. I couldn’t be happier with the team. They did a lot for me this week and it definitely paid off on the starts and on the track as well. Four-four is good.”
Jason Anderson – Image by Simon Cudby
A DNF for Musquin in the final moto resulted in a 14th-place finish (7-34) and caused the Frenchman to drop from second to fourth in the standings, just one week removed from leading the championship.
Marvin Musquin
“I ended up with a DNF in the second moto, which was disappointing, I had a problem because a rock hit the brake. Overall it was a bit better than last week regarding the feeling in my knee, but it’s still difficult. I was able to practice pretty well over the week, so that’s what I’m going to try and do again next week. I’m going to keep working and will try to get better and stronger. It’s tough because I’m losing points in the championship, but it’s mainly about me getting better.”
Marvin Musquin – Image: Simon Cudby
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes)
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (2-1)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (1-2)
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM (3-3)
Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Suzuki (4-4)
Dean Wilson, Glasgow, Scotland, Husqvarna (9-7)
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Suzuki (5-10)
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Suzuki (12-5)
Martin Davalos, Quito, Ecuador, Husqvarna (11-6)
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (9-9)
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki (6-12)
450 Class Championship Standings
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 195
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 191
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna – 176
Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM – 161
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki – 139
Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Suzuki – 137
Dean Wilson, Glasgow, Scotland, Husqvarna – 137
Weston Peick, Menifee, Calif., Suzuki – 112
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 112
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki – 106
250 Race Report
The first 250 Class moto saw Plessinger lead the field around the opening corner to grab the holeshot ahead of Adam Cianciarulo and Austin Forkner and as the trio sprinted at the head of the field, Forkner had a scary moment that saw him pull off a brilliant save as he got sideways off of a jump in an attempt to pass Cianciarulo.
Aaron Plessinger – Image by Jeff Kardas
At the completion of the first lap, it was Plessinger, Cianciarulo, Forkner, Alex Martin and RJ Hampshire in the top five while championship leader Zach Osbourne was blasting his way out of a mediocre start to start making ground on the leading pack and it wasn’t long before Martin and Osbourne were borong down on third placed Forkner.
As the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto began to wind down, Plessinger refused to give an inch as he navigated the tricky conditions and started to put distance between himself and Cianciarulo but behind them the battle for the final podium position started to heat up with Martin and Osborne looking for a way around Forkner.
Plessinger managed to win his first moto of the season, 4.9 seconds ahead of Cianciarulo while the final podium spot went to Forkner, who fended off Martin and Osborne but Jeremy Martin, who entered the race second in points after earning his first win of the season last weekend, suffered from a first-turn crash and was only able to battle his way back to 13th at the finish.
Austin Forkner
Moto two saw Plessinger emerge with his second holeshot of the day this time ahead of Forkner and Sean Cantrell but Osborne was in no mood to wait around and sliced his way through to the lead by lap six
Plessinger and Osborne shadowed each other’s every move, with Osborne finding the quicker lines and searching for a way around. On Lap 6, Plessinger made a couple mistakes that dramatically slowed his momentum and altered his line, ultimately allowing Osborne to get around and take over as the new race leader.
Just like in Moto 1, the final podium position was up for grabs and created an all out war as Forkner rode his heart out to hold off Alex Martin. With the race nearing the 30-minute mark and fitness beginning to play a key factor, Forkner was under heavy pressure from the KTM rider.
Zach Osborne – Image by Jeff Kardas
Osborne held on to a 4.1 second lead and took the checkered flag for his fourth moto win of the season. Plessinger’s strong start helped him finish the moto in the runner-up position, while Forkner managed to maintain his hold of third despite the heavy pressure from Martin.
Plessinger’s (1-2) moto scores were good enough to give him the overall win on the day. Osborne (4-1) used a strong second moto performance to finish second overall, his best result at his home race, while Forkner (3-3) netted two consistent moto finishes for third overall.
The win was Plessinger’s first of the season and ended a 16-race gap since his last victory at the season finale as a rookie in 2015. It was also the first overall win of the season for the Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha team, who has won four consecutive races at Muddy Creek.
Aaron Plessinger
“It was an awesome first moto and such a good feeling to finally grab another win. I grabbed the holeshot and just opened a little gap and rode my own race for the win. The second moto went pretty good as well, but Zach [Osborne] was riding awesome and ended up getting around me. I just kind of brought it home for second and did what I needed to take the overall. I haven’t won a outdoor race besides Indiana and it feels good to get the monkey off my back with another win.”
Osborne retained possession of the red plate as championship leader for another week by extending his lead to 31-points over Alex Martin, who finished fifth (4-4), in the standings. Jeremy Martin’s ninth place finish (13-6) dropped him from second to third in the standings, and he now trails his brother Alex by just five points.
Zach Osborne
“I ran out of tear-offs in Moto 1 and it made it difficult trying to pass my way to the front. Fortunately, I was able to get a better start in the second moto and take the lead pretty early in the race. This four-race stretch that we’re in, I knew that the tracks suit me well, so my plan was to try and score as many points as possible for the championship.”
Zach Osborne
The 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will reach the halfway point of the season next Saturday, July 1, for the sixth round from RedBud MX in Buchanan, Michigan.
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes)
Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (1-2)
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (4-1)
Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (3-3)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (2-5)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki – 147
Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki – 144
Colt Nichols, Muskogee, Okla., Yamaha – 124
Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Yamaha – 118
Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Yamaha – 111
Rd 4 – Canadian Motocross Nationals – Regina, Saskatchewan
Christophe Pourcel and Cole Thompson have climbed back to the top of the MX1 and MX2 standings after round four of the Canadian Motocross Championship held at the famous Regina circuit where Pourcel managed 2-1 results for the overall win while Thompson was devastating with 1-1 results on the day.
Pourcel scored the overall ahead of Mike Alessi who went 3-2 over the two motos while Matt Goerke won the opening moto but a derailed chain while leading saw the American scramble back to sixth in the second moto for third overall and a tie in the points on 212 with Pourcel now leading the championship thanks to more moto wins over Goerke.
Thompson scored maximum points for overall ahead of Josh Osby, Dylan Wright and Ryan Surratt to lead the championship by 33 points over Osby.
Riding and reviewing motorcycles for some time now, Kris writes for MCNews from time to time while also being an awesome all-rounder helping to keep the site content flowing.
