Moto News Wrap for July 31, 2018 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
What Went Down Last Weekend?
- Tomac and Plessinger Storm towards AMA Motocross Glory
- Villopoto Wins Washougal 125 All-Star Race
- Milner, Sanders and Styke Head to AORC Glory
- Serco Yamaha Sign Jacob Hayes for Australian SX
- Riley Graham Wins 24Hour Torture Test
- Second Yamaha YZ65 Cup Announced For Coolum
- Wade Young Wins Red Bull Romaniacs
- Kolodziej, Iversen and Lindback Qualify for 2019 SGP
- Bobryshev and Pocock Win British Mudfest
- Entries Open for 2018 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships
Tomac and Plessinger Storm towards AMA Motocross Glory
Eli Tomac swept both motos at the ninth round of the AMA Motocross Championship to extend his championship lead while Aaron Plessinger emerged with his third straight overall win to open a commanding lead in the 250 championship.
450 Class
Despite trailing the Suzuki duo of Justin Bogle and Justin Hill for the first part of the opening moto, Tomac was in a class of his own to take the chequered flag 11.6 seconds over Marvin Musquin, Ken Roczen, Hill and Justin Barcia who overcame a tip over on the opening lap to make a late pass for fifth.
The final 450 Class moto saw Tomac start deep inside the top 10 and despite a small crash mid-moto the championship leader blitzed his way around Barcia, Musquin then Roczen to take the win by 2.2 seconds over Roczen and Musquin.
It was the fifth 1-1 sweep of the season for Tomac and his seventh win of the summer. He now has 16 career wins and has won two of the last three years at Washougal. Roczen finished second overall (3-2) earning the tiebreaker of Musquin (2-3) following their identical moto scores.
“That was unbelievable. After the fall I thought maybe I could get to second, but I didn’t think I’d get the win. To make it happen is kind of crazy,” said Tomac. “Once I got going [after falling] I really had a great pace. I found some lines and just started cranking. The track allowed you to be aggressive, but you still had to toe the line, so it was importance to have that balance. This feels awesome.”
Tomac has moved out to a 15-point lead over Musquin in the 450 Class standings with three rounds remaining. Roczen moved into a tie with Barcia for third on points . They sit 71 points behind Tomac.
Kiwi champ Cody Cooper finished with more than credible 17-11 moto finishes for 13th outright and now sits 11th overall in the points, just 9 points shy of a top ten position.
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1. Eli Tomac, Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Ken Roczen, Honda (3-2)
3. Marvin Musquin, KTM (2-3)
4. Justin Barcia, Yamaha (5-4)
5. Blake Baggett, KTM (6-5)
6. Cooper Webb, Yamaha (8-7)
7. Benny Bloss, KTM (7-10)
8. Weston Peick, Suzuki (12-6)
9. Kyle Cunningham, Suzuki (11-8)
10. Phil Nicoletti, Husqvarna (9-12)
Eli Tomac (1-1)
2. Ken Roczen (3-2)
3. Marvin Musquin (2-3)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Eli Tomac, Kawasaki – 401 Points
2. Marvin Musquin, KTM – 386 Points
3. Ken Roczen, Honda – 330 Points
4. Justin Barcia, Yamaha – 330 Points
5. Blake Baggett, KTM – 301 Points
6. Weston Peick, Suzuki – 247 Points
7. Benny Bloss, KTM – 224 Points
8. Phil Nicoletti, Husqvarna – 217 Points
9. Justin Hill, Suzuki – 132 Points
10. Kyle Cunningham, Suzuki – 130 Points
250 Class
The opening 250 Class moto saw a ding-dong battle between teammates Austin Forkner and Joey Savatgy and it came down to the final lap where a few small bobbles by Forkner gave Savatgy the advantage he needed to race to his first moto win of the season by 1.9 seconds while Jordan Smith was third, with Aaron Plessinger fourth and Chase Sexton fifth.
The deciding 250 moto saw Plessinger emerge with the holeshot over Shane McElrath while Forkner slotted in third but Forkner’s day came to an end on the first lap when he crashed while running third and was forced out of the moto.
McElrath got to the lead and successfully managed a five seconds gap over Plessinger, but the point leader made a costly mistake by going down and dropping a spot to third behind Dylan Ferrandis which gave McElrath a cruisy first moto win of his career, crossing the line 12.7 seconds ahead of Ferrandis, with Plessinger third. First moto winner Savatgy left it all on the track with a ninth-place finish after starting the moto in 25th.
When the overall results were tallied, Plessinger’s 4-3 finishes just clinched his third straight victory by a single point over McElrath (9-1) and Savatgy (1-9), who finished in a tie for second with the tiebreaker going to McElrath by virtue of his better result in the second moto.
Aaron Plessinger (4-3)
2. Shane McElrath (9-1)
3. Joey Savatgy (1-9)
It’s the fifth win of the season for Plessinger and the seventh victory of his career. He’s also the ninth different 250 Class winner in the last nine races at Washougal, dating back to 2009.
“I definitely did not know I won. I had luck on my side in that one,” said Plessinger. “Shane [McElrath] was riding awesome. I got the start, passed me, and pulled away form me. That was that. Then I crashed and got behind Ferrandis and couldn’t get back by. That’s what happens. These guys are riding so good and you can’t afford to make a mistake, but somehow everything worked out for us today.”
The win added 10 points to Plessinger’s lead in the 250 Class standings, which now stands at a comfortable 59 points over Alex Martin, who finished sixth. More than a full race worth of points now sits between the top two with three rounds remaining.
Hayden Mellross finished 20th in the second moto after a poor start but the Aussie had been unable to finish the opening moto after an early fall.
The 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will take its final break of the season before returning to action on Saturday, August 11, with its annual visit to famed Unadilla MX in upstate New York for the Massey Ferguson Unadilla National.
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (4-3)
2. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM (9-1)
3. Joey Savatgy, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki (1-9)
4. Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (11-4)
5. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (10-4)
6. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., KTM (8-6)
7. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (6-8)
8. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM (3-13)
9. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda (5-10)
10. Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Husqvarna (12-7)
250 Class Championship Standings
1. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 371 Points
2. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., KTM – 312 Points
3. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 267 Points
4. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 251 Points
5. Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki – 238 Points
6. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 230 Points
7. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM – 225 Points
8. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 222 Points
9. Joey Savatgy, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki – 214 Points
10. Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha – 204 Points
Villopoto Wins Washougal 125 All-Star Race
The fifth race of the 125 All Star Series took place at Washougal on Saturday and it was no surprise to see Ryan Villopoto take the win over Mike Brown and Wil Hahn.
- Ryan Villopoto – Yam
2. Mike Brown – Hus
3. Wil Hahn – Yam
4. Brad Nauditt – Hus
5. Robbie Wageman – KTM
6. Chris Johnson – KTM
7. Braden O’Neal – Yam
8. Harris Hulzenga – Hus
9. David Pingree – Hus
10. Tyler Ducray – KTM
Milner, Sanders and Styke Head AORC Glory
Daniel Milner and Daniel Sanders have extended their points lead in the E3 and E2 classes respectively after the two rounds of the AORC held at Dungog last weekend while Luke Styke maintained his E1 points lead after swapping wins with arch rival Fraser Higlett.
Milner not only won the E3 class but he also posted the fastest time in both days of competition so the KTM pilot takes plenty of momentum onto Broken Hill for Round 7, for the first Cross-Country of the season.
Round 6 AORC E3 Provisional Results
1. Daniel Milner 51:01.310
2. Lachlan Stanford 53:11.058
3. Scott Keegan 53:41.357
4. Broc Grabham 53:41.461
5. Kane Hall 54:17.525
Round 6 AORC E2 Provisional Results
1. Daniel Sanders 52:43.042
2. Josh Green 52:57.406
3. Lyndon Snodgrass 53:15.452
4. Wil Ruprecht 54:04.930
5. Stefan Granquist 54:09.894
Round 6 AORC E1 Provisional Results
1. Luke Styke 53:20.324
2. Fraser Higlett 53:37.975
3. Jeremy Carpentier 54:14.983
4. Jack Simpson 54:15.008
5. Brad Hardaker 56:21.233
AORC Supports Classes Results from Dungog
The usual combatants were on hand to contest the multiple support classes at the Dungog round of the AORC and here are the results.
Round 6 AORC Women’s Provisional Results
1. Emelie Karlsson 1:01:33.534
2. Jessica Gardiner 1:02:03.029
3. Danielle Foot 1:08:47.578
4. Courtney Rubie 1:09:23.062
Round 6 AORC Veterans Provisional Results
1. Richard Chibnall 59:36.097
2. Jade Gartlan 59:37.186
3. James Burgess 1:00:47.171
4. Peter Rudd 1:03:28.969
5. Paul Chadwick 1:04:47.779
Round 6 AORC Master’s Provisional Results
1. Geoffrey Ballard 1:02:52.272
2. Brett Kenny 1:04:55.777
3. Ian Jenner 1:05:01.245
4. Craig Treasure 1:06:21.354
5. Scott Campbell 1:06:33.161
Round 6 AORC Vintage Pre Evo-86 Provisional Results
1. Ashley Sprenger 1:12:04.340
2. Kevin Cameron 1:39:44.091
3. Andrew Dennett 3:06:34.478
Round 6 AORC EJ Provisional Results
1. Michael Driscoll 1:00:16.208
2. Joshua Brierley 1:01:22.574
3. Corey Hammond 1:03:06.111
4. Mitch Brierley 1:05:12.980
5. Jake McGlashan 1:06:03.164
Round 6 AORC J4 Provisional Results
1. Kyron Bacon 40:56.466
2. Korey McMahon 42:02.563
3. Matthew Pye 44:43.657
4. Raife Dooley 45:40.263
5. Matt Waters 46:11.878
Round 6 AORC J3 Provisional Results
1. Will Riordan 42:46.107
2. Blake Hollis 43:16.971
3. Angus Riordan 44:49.190
4. Benjamin Teed 46:36.065
5. Harrison Foster 47:17.583
Round 6 AORC J2 Provisional Results
1. Kobe Conley 47:46.937
2. Zac Perry 48:15.366
3. Billy Hargy 49:51.978
4. Max Phillips 50:24.511
5. Campbell Hall 50:38.460
Serco Yamaha Sign Jacob Hayes for Australian SX
With Nathan Crawford fighting the clock to be fit for the 2018 Australian Supercross Championships, highly touted 2018 AMA Arenacross Champion Jacob Hayes is heading to Australia to ride for the Serco Yamaha team alongside Wilson Todd.
The 24-year-old, North Carolina based racer has agreed to terms with Serco Yamaha and is excited about the prospect of heading to Australia and racing Supercross on the 2019 Yamaha YZ250F.
Hayes hits Australian shores on September 1 to get familiar with the 2019 Yamaha YZ250F and the Serco Yamaha team. Although he wrapped up the 2018 AMA Arenacross Championship back in May, Hayes has kept busy on the bike and has continued to ride and train over recent months, and competed in a round of the AMA Motocross Nationals on a 450cc machine, where he finished inside the top 15.
The 2018 Australian Supercross Championship gets under way on September 15 at Jimboomba in Queensland.
2018 Australian Supercross Championship Calendar
- Round 1 – September 15 – Jimboomba (QLD)
- Round 2 – October 6 – Coolum (QLD)
- Round 3 – October 13 – Geelong (VIC)
- Round 4 – October 20 – Adelaide (SA)
- Round 5 – Nov 10 – Sydney (NSW)
Riley Graham Wins 24 Hour Torture Test
Riley Graham has led the 2018 24 Hour Trail at Kapunda, South Australia from start to finish on his locally prepped Yamaha WR450F.
Competitors start at 11am from the Kapunda Harness club and return the following day after running through a series of checkpoints and in the past, it has proven to be one of the most difficult events on the dirt bike calendar. Just 72 of the 118 starters made it to the finish line while five of the top 10 bikes across the finish line were Yamaha WR450Fs .
“I was pretty determined to get a win this year after coming so close last year,” begins Graham. “With the conditions as good as they were, it was fun riding and the WR450F was just perfect the whole time. We just bolted on the head lights for the night racing, used a YZ450FX muffler and poured fuel in it all night and it never missed a beat.
“Things get a bit hairy at night and like everyone getting through to that dawn period was tough as your body just wants to sleep but once the sun is up and daylight is good, it gives you a second wind and your focus is back on getting to the finish.
“Thank you to everyone at Yamaha for their support at this event and also the organisers as doing a race like this isn’t easy. I love doing it and it’s a cool race, so I will definitely be back to defend the win in 2019,” Graham ends.
2018 24Hour Results
- Riley Graham
- Todd Barry
- Sean Throup
- Rowan Pumpa
- Brett Haydon
- Zack Tremaine
- Adam Wright
- Chris Shields
- Jamie Banks
- Alex Heidenreich
Second Yamaha YZ65 Cup Announced For Coolum
Developed for the newest bLU cRU members, the first ever YZ65 Cup took place at Ranch MX near Raymond Terrace during Rounds 7 & 8 of the 2018 MX Nationals two weekends ago and due to the incredible response from YZ65 owners and the popularity within the MX Nationals community, Yamaha Motor Australia has announced a second YZ65 Cup event for 2018.
Integrated with the final round of the 2018 MX Nationals, the second YZ65 Cup will take place at Coolum Pines Circuit on 11th – 12th August and run over both days giving a money-can’t-buy experience of racing in front of a national crowd.
The YZ65 Cup’s ethos is simple, provide budding YZ65 riders with a full bLU cRU race experience including;
- Pitting under the bLU cRU truck awning
- Access assistance from Yamaha technicians and bLU cRU ambassadors
- Each rider will receive a bLU cRU goodie bag
- Riders and family members are invited to join factory teams at bLU cRU BBQ
- Yamaha will film and capture high res images of the event which will be made available to all riders and family
- Yamaha will cover entry for the rider as well as general admission for one parent/guardian
Rider numbers are capped, all spots will be allocated on a first in first served bases so please complete the form below to register your interest.
Note that all competitors must have a Junior National Competition Licence to enter.
Wade Young Wins Red Bull Romaniacs
South African Wade Young has claimed victory at the Red Bull Romaniacs which also happened to be the fourth round of the World Enduro Super Series.
Runner-up on the fourth and final off-road day of the world’s toughest Hard Enduro Rallye, Young has etched his name into the history books as the youngest winner of the 15-year running of the race. At the end of an epic week-long battle, he was joined on the podium by Germany’s Manuel Lettenbichler and Brit Jonny Walker in second and third respectively.
“It’s always been my goal to win here and now I’ve managed to tick that box. It’s the toughest race in the world and it feels awesome to have won it,” said Young.
With just four minutes separating Young and Lettenbichler entering the final day of racing at Red Bull Romaniacs, the outcome of round four was too close to call. Young led the field away and pushed hard from the off. But Lettenbichler was making time in the early sections and by the midway point had caught up to Young, but also brought Walker with him.
On a technical climb after the service point Lettenbichler found a way past Young and suddenly it looked like the fight for victory was weighing in the 20-year-old German’s favour. However, the South African had other ideas and after taking a moment to regroup he made his break with about 20 kilometres to go. Pulling clear, he charged his way into the Gusterita finishing arena and despite not winning the day topped the event overall to become the fourth different winner in this year’s WESS championship.
“I can’t believe it, I am over the moon to have won,” Young enthused. “It’s been such a long race and so tough. Manni caught me early on today. He would gap me on the hills and then I would have to charge on the fast sections to reel him back in. It went like that for the whole day right until the last couple of checkpoints where I was able to break away from him before the finish. It’s always been my goal to win here and now I’ve managed to tick that box. It’s the toughest race in the world and it feels awesome to have won it.”
Ending his participation in the 2018 Red Bull Romaniacs in the best possible way with victory on the final day, Lettenbichler also secured his debut Red Bull Romaniacs’ podium result.
“That was so gnarly,” Lettenbichler said at the end of the day. “Wade and myself pushed hard today and rode it like a motocross race – a six-hour motocross! I gave my best to try and keep him behind me, but every time I gapped him, he fought back. My strength this year was on the hills — I think that comes down to training, good bike set up and determination. With a podium result at three rounds of the WESS championship things are starting to look good. Jonny has a bit of an advantage, but the gap is reducing.”
For Jonny Walker, another strong ride saw him cement his position of third overall in the Hard Enduro Rallye. However, with Lettenbichler securing his third top three result this season, he now moves to within 185 points of series leader Walker as they pass the halfway point in the championship.
“Congratulations to Wade and Manni — those guys were really on it for the whole event,” a humble Walker said. “I gave my all today and I’m pleased with the outcome of this race as I had plenty of issues during it. But I kept pushing on and focused on maintaining my lead in WESS. I’m looking forward to the next round — Red Bull 111 Megawatt. I’ve won it three times, so I’ll be pushing for a fourth.”
Behind the top three, Billy Bolt finished fifth on the final day of racing to end his Red Bull Romaniacs in fourth overall. Building pace throughout the week, Spain’s Alfredo Gomez took fourth on Off Road Day 4 to complete the top five in the overall classification.
Just missing out on an overall top five position, Paul Bolton was sixth, while David Cyprian was seventh. South Africa’s Blake Gutzeit was eighth, Mario Roman ninth and Philipp Scholz (KTM – GER) rounded out the top 10.
The World Enduro Super Series continues with round five at Red Bull 111 Megawatt in Poland on September 8-9.
Provisional Final Overall Classification
- Wade Young (Sherco – RSA) 26:03:15
2. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 26:05:30
3. Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) 26:39:22
4. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB) 28:27:36
5. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP) 28:55:17
6. Paul Bolton (KTM – GB) 29:43:36
7. David Cyprian (KTM – CZE) 31:12:43
8. Blake Gutzeit (Yamaha – RSA) 31:44:26
9. Marion Roman (Sherco – ESP) 32:07:30
10. Philipp Scholz (KTM – DEU) 33:53:15
Provisional World Enduro Super Series Standings (after 4 of 8 rounds)
- Jonny Walker (GBR) 2900 points
2. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER) 2715 points
3. Billy Bolt (GBR) 2520 points
4. Wade Young (RSA) 2220 points
5. Paul Bolton (GBR) 1832 points
6. Graham Jarvis (GBR) 1818 points
7. Josep Garcia (ESP) 1750 points
8. Taddy Blazusiak (POL) 1445 points
9. Travis Teasdale (RSA) 1410 points
10. Lars Enockl (AUT) 1351 points
Kolodziej, Iversen and Lindback Qualify for 2019 SGP
Polish racer Janusz Kolodziej admitted “it’s like a dream for me” as he joined Niels-Kristian Iversen and Antonio Lindback in qualifying for the 2019 FIM Speedway Grand Prix series.
Kolodziej, who last served as a full-time SGP star in 2011, topped the podium on 12 points at the GP Challenge in Landshut on Saturday night to end a seven-season absence from the sport’s biggest stage. “At the moment, it’s like a dream for me! Every rider wants to ride in Speedway GP, but now I know I can race in it next year. This is very important for me.
Former world No.3 Iversen is elated to have put a year of shoulder-injury strife behind him by overcoming the Challenge for the fourth time in his career.
Kolodziej, Iversen and Lindback will be joined in SGP 2019 by the top eight riders in this year’s World Championship, plus four permanent wild cards chosen by the SGP Commission.
Aussie Max Fricke had a motor issue to drop out of contention with a sixth place finish while Jack Holder ended the night in 8th place.
GP CHALLENGE SCORES
- Janusz Kolodziej 12
- Niels-Kristian Iversen 11
- Antonio Lindback 10+3
- Craig Cook 10+2
- Robert Lambert 9
- Max Fricke 9
- Martin Smolinski 8
- Jack Holder 8
- Kenneth Bjerre 7
- Vaclav Milik 7
Bobryshev and Pocock Win British Mudfest
Evgeny Bobryshev and Mel Pocock have won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively in the latest round of the British Motocross Championships which was held near the Scottish border on a mud infested layout of the Duns circuit.
Bobryshev won the only MX1 moto of the day after a torrential downpour caused a cancellation of the second MX1 moto so after round five Jake Nicholls still leads the championship, just 12 points up on the Russian.
Pocock got the MX2 overall on the back of 4-3 moto results but more importantly championship leader Conrad Mewse struggled to 6th outright but still holds a 24-point lead in the MX2 championships.
MX1 Overall
1. Evgeny Bobryshev – 25
2. Ivo Monticelli – 22
3. Brad Anderson – 20
4. Jake Nicholls – 18
5. Ryan Houghton – 16
6. Tommy Searle – 15
7. Kristian Whatley – 14
8. Elliott Banks-Browne – 13
MX1 Championship after Round 5 of 8
1. Jake Nicholls (Honda) 194 Points
2. Evgeny Bobryshev (Suzuki) 182 Points
3. Graeme Irwin (KTM) 147 Points
MX2 Overall
1. Mel Pocock – 38
2. Martin Barr – 38
3. Josh Spinks – 38
4. Joshua Gilbert – 36
5. Liam Knight – 31
6. Conrad Mewse – 29
MX2 Championship after Round 5 of 8
1. Conrad Mewse (KTM) 217 Points
2. Joshua Gilbert (Honda) 193 Points
3. Mel Pocock (Husqvarna) 180 Points
Entries Open for 2018 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships
Motorcycling Australia (MA) is pleased to announce that the Supplementary Regulations and Entries for the 2018 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships are now available. The event will take place 8-9 September at Balcary Park Raceway, Gunnedah NSW.
This year’s event will be hosted by the Hunter Motorcycle Club and Entry forms and Supplementary Regulations can be found on www.ma.org.au.
