Moto News Weekly Wrap
October 23, 2018
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
What Went Down Last Weekend?
- Australian Supercross Championships – Round 4 – Port Adelaide
- RED BULL Straight Rhythm – Pomona, CA
- X-Games – Sydney
- Josh Strang Wins AMA Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series
- AMA EnduroCross Series – Denver, CO
- 2018 Weston Beach Race – Bristol, UK
- Yamaha Dominated Huka MX Fest
- What Racing is Left for 2018?
Australian Supercross Championships – Round 4 – Port Adelaide
The SX1 and SX2 class championships are going to be decided at the final round of the Australian Supercross Championships in Sydney’s AUS-X in November after Brett Metcalfe and Hayden Mellross earned the overall victories in their respective classes at Port Adelaide last weekend.
SX1 Report
Brett Metcalfe dominated the Dunlop presented Round 4 of the 2018 Australian Supercross Championship at Gillman Raceway on Saturday, as Luke Clout was controversially penalised to fourth after winning the opening Main Event.
Metcalfe took a 5-1-1 score, earning an eight point win over Justin Brayton who retains his championship lead, now by 6 points, with both riders running Dunlop Geomax tyres while Kawasaki’s Jace Owens took third overall, with Yamaha mounted Dylan Long and Dan Reardon filling out the overall top five.
For Brett Metcalfe it was his first overall win for the season as teammate Brayton took second overall, with Penrite Honda continuing to have a surreal season, finishing first and second in the first four rounds of the 2018 season.
The night’s three races saw Luke Clout penalised in SX1 Main Event 1, relegating him to fourth, and handing the win to Brayton, with Jace Owen and Dan Reardon completing the podium. SX1 Main Event 2 saw Metcalfe claim an early lead and go on to win from Jace Owen and Luke Clout, while Main Event 3 once again saw Metcalfe take command, with Dylan Long and Justin Brayton completing the podium.
Brett Metcalfe
“In the first 3 rounds of the SX I finished 2nd to my teammate Justin Brayton. This round has been a huge step forward for me, I wanted to win and it could not have been at a better time. It’s my first year with the team and with Honda in Australia, so it can take some time to work everything out and we are really finding our feet. Big thanks to everyone on the team, they have worked nonstop and its showing as Justin and I have finished 1st and 2nd at every round. Race 1 was tough, I got an average start and worked my way through. I came together with Reardon in the race which set me back and I had to accept 5th. Race 2 and 3 were dream races, I go great starts and was able to capitalise on them. This is an amazing feeling, this is my home town, my family is here, my kids are here tonight and winning in front of them is unbelievable. Overall, I am happy for the team, each week we have been chipping away at it and its showing. I am excited to keep the championship alive and am happy for everyone involved”
Justin Brayton
“Tonight was tough, there was some close racing and some bar banging. It didn’t help that my starts weren’t great and crashing certainly made things harder. I tried to ride clean but found myself in the thick of things with some of the other riders this evening. Whilst I am bummed I am happy to come away with a decent points lead going into the final round. Overall its been a tough month as I have been fighting pneumonia since round 2 and its taken its toll a little. I will rest up and focus on Sydney. I want to congratulate my teammate, Metty has been consistent and is riding well and I happy for him and the whole Penrite Factory Honda Team.”
Jace Owen (Complete Parts Kawasaki Racing) stormed to third overall, piloting the all-new 2019 Kawasaki KX450, the American displaying strong speed from the get-go, and scoring a direct ticket to the trio of Triple Crown main events after finishing second in his heat race.
Jace Owen
“Today is the best day I’ve had over here in Australia. In the first three rounds I struggled to get going, but finally today I felt like myself all-day long and it feels good with a third overall. I led a lot of laps in the first two mains and ended up second. But in the third main I was coming through and [Luke] Clout went down in front of me and I smacked right into him and I went down as well. It’s unfortunate for me, I knew I could’ve fought for the win tonight, but at the end of the day we’re still up on the podium. I couldn’t be happier with the team and the new KX450.”
SX1 – Final 1
- Justin Brayton 10 Laps
- Jace Owen +2.580
- Daniel Reardon +5.996
- Luke Clout
- Brett Metcalfe +6.452
- Dylan Long +9.327
- Mitch Evans +14.987
- Lawson Bopping +30.005
- Robbie Marshall +34.018
- Gradie Featherstone +42.703
- Joshua Kilvington +46.393
DNF Nick Sutherland
DNF Jono Krusic
SX1 – Final 2
- Brett Metcalfe 10 Laps
- Jace Owen +5.806
- Luke Clout +7.993
- Dylan Long +8.551
- Mitch Evans +12.817
- Lawson Bopping +19.444
- Daniel Reardon +22.209
- Justin Brayton +34.892
- Robbie Marshall +36.961
- Rickie Girdwood +38.970
- Joshua Kilvington +1 lap
…DNS Nick Sutherland
…DNS Jesse Dobson
SX1 – Final 3
- Brett Metcalfe 10 Laps
- Dylan Long +1:39.677
- Justin Brayton +1:39.678
- Daniel Reardon +1:39.679
- Robbie Marshall +2:19.862
- Mitch Evans +2:20.096
- Lawson Bopping +2:20.831
- Jace Owen +2:21.049
- Rickie Girdwood +2:21.440
- Zak Small +2:21.831
- Gradie Featherstone +2:22.018
- Levi McManus +1 lap
- Jamie Harvey +1 lap
- Joshua Kilvington +1 lap
…DNF Luke Clout 1:40.493
…DNS Nick Sutherland
…DNS Jesse Dobson
…DNS Jono Krusic
SX1 – Overall Rd 4
- Brett Metcalfe 66 Points
- Justin Brayton 58 Points
- Jace Owen 57 Points
- Dylan Long 55 Points
- Daniel Reardon 52 Points
- Mitch Evans 45 Points
- Lawson Bopping 42 Points
- Robbie Marshall 40 Points
- Luke Clout 38 Points
- Rickie Girdwood 31 Points
- Joshua Kilvington 27 Points
SX1 Championship Points
- Justin BRAYTON – 97
- Brett METCALFE – 91
- Jace OWEN – 72
- Daniel REARDON – 70
- Dylan LONG – 64
- Luke CLOUT – 58
- Robbie MARSHALL – 47
- Lawson Bopping – 42
- Jesse DOBSON – 41
- Nicholas SUTHERLAND – 39
- Zak SMALL – 36
- Joshua KILVINGTON – 31
SX2 Report
In the SX2 category Dunlop clad machines swept the top two steps of the podium, with Hayden Mellross (DPH Motorsport Factory Husqvarna Racing) charging to wins in the night’s first two finals, then coming home second in the third final, to seal the round victory. Jacob Hayes snared second overall at Gillman, from Joshua Osby, with both finishing the weekend with a score of 56 points for the round.
SX2 Main Event 1 saw Melross claim victory ahead of Hayes and DPH Motorsport teammate Dylan Wills, a standout performance for the #5 this season.
Melross was then able to go back to back as he stormed ahead of Serco Yamaha’s Wilson Todd and American Joshua Osby in SX2 Main Event 2 claiming victory and a tidy lead for the night ahead.
Current red plate holder Jay Wilson fought back in SX2 Main Event 3 taking the victory ahead of Melross and Hayes to keep the championship points lead alive and disrupt what would have been the perfect night for Melross.
Hayden Mellross
“What an incredible and near perfect day. We finally got the overall round win and I couldn’t be any happier. To overcome the setbacks and challenges I have been faced with this season, felt amazing. This truly has been the sweetest and most rewarding win yet. The whole team and I have been working so hard to achieve this result and I couldn’t be prouder to be part of such an amazing team.”
Jacob Hayes
“Overall, it was a positive weekend for me as it’s always good to be standing on the podium at the end of the night. This triple final format keeps everyone on their toes and it’s important to stay calm and focused for all three races as a bad one can cost you or a good one can save you, so you need to be 100% every time you walk to the start line. I’m still yet to win a round yet and I got one chance left at the final round in Sydney. It’s an indoor circuit and suits what I race back in the US, so I’m really looking forward to the AUS-X Open and finishing the season out with a win.”
Bradley Taft crashed heavily in his heat race which resulted in two broken bones in his hand so the American is on his way home to recover.
Bradley Taft
“I am completely shattered. I was looking forward to winning the championship outside of the US but it hasn’t gone my way. I just need to take some time out now to recover and prepare for what comes next.”
SX2 – Final 1
- Hayden Mellross 8 Laps
- Jacob Hayes +1.270
- Dylan Wills +4.829
- Joshua Osby +5.507
- Dakota Alix +11.613
- Wilson Todd +15.766
- Aaron Tanti +16.951
- Jay Wilson +18.050
- Jackson Richardson +19.653
- Tomas Ravenhorst +20.944
SX2 – Final 2
- Hayden Mellross 8 Laps
- Wilson Todd +3.882
- Joshua Osby +10.216
- Aaron Tanti +11.485
- Jackson Richardson +12.080
- Dakota Alix +12.718
- Jacob Hayes +19.637
- Jay Wilson +21.751
- Lorenzo Camporese +22.028
- Hugh McKay +22.314
SX2 – Final 3
- Jay Wilson 8 Laps
- Hayden Mellross +1.811
- Jacob Hayes +2.958
- Joshua Osby +7.184
- Jackson Richardson +8.065
- Dakota Alix +12.295
- Wilson Todd +14.829
- Richie Evans +22.585
- Tomas Ravenhorst +23.630
- Aaron Tanti +23.886
SX2 – Overall Rd 4
- Hayden Mellross 72 Points
- Jacob Hayes 56 Points
- Joshua Osby 56 Points
- Jay Wilson 51 Points
- Wilson Todd 51 Points
- Dakota Alix 46 Points
- Jackson Richardson 44 Points
- Aaron Tanti 43 Points
- Dylan Wills 32 Points
- Lorenzo Camporese 28 Points
SX2 Championship Points
- Jay WILSON – 88
- Hayden MELLROSS – 77
- Wilson TODD – 75
- Jacob HAYES – 75
- Dakota ALIX – 61
- Joshua OSBY – 54
- Jackson RICHARDSON – 52
- Bradley TAFT – 50
- Aaron TANTI – 49
- Dylan WILLS – 42
Junior Lites – Overall
- Alex Larwood 75 Points
- Jai Walker 62 Points
- Denzel Woulfe 56 Points
- Brandon Steel 52 Points
- Jake Cuka 48 Points
- Kai Bonning 45 Points
- Kipp adams 38 Points
Junior Lites – Points
- Denzel WOULFE – 238
- Jake CUKA – 235
- Brandon STEEL – 225
- Jai Walker – 192
- Zackariah WRIGHT – 138
Junior 85/150 Overall
- Ryder Kingsford 72 Points
- Jack Mather 69 Points
- Brad West 58 Points
- Cambell Williams 56 Points
- Zane Mackintosh 47 Points
- Anthony Atanasovski 46 Points
- Will Schuuring 42 Points
Junior 85/150 Points
- Brad WEST – 265
- Jack MATHER – 255
- Cambell WILLIAMS – 220
- Cody KILPATRICK – 154
- Anthony ATANASOVSKI – 151
Yamaha 65cc Cup – Final
- Kayd Kingsford
- Jake Cannon
- Auston Boyd
- Thomas Lambert
- Jacob Pollard
- Kye Little
- Kaleb Winchester
- Xander Fearn
- Justin McHugh
- Bailey Zeestraten
Red Bull Straight Rhythm – Pomona, CA
Despite riding unfamiliar two-stroke machinery, Shane McElrath has won his third Red Bull Straight Rhythm and had to dethrone Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto to do so while Carson Brown won the 125cc class ahead of AJ Catanzaro and Luke Renzland.
It was a day of high tension and high flying action that saw some of the World’s best dirt bike riders take on the course that was taking around 40 seconds to complete but when push came to shove the ‘active’ factory star in McElrath just got the better of the long retired Dungey and Villopoto.
If they can somehow make a class for the longer retired riders like Jeff Emig, Jeremy McGrath and like, this event will finally be a 100 per cent winner.
Shane McElrath
“Racing Ryan (Dungey) was kinda crazy, I didn’t really know what to think about it but I felt I could give him a run. I thought, ‘alright he’s going to be really good, but I have to be better if I’m going to do this. By the third race I knew I had to do something,” said McElrath. “It was do or die. I was wanting to go all the way with it. It was crazy to come across the finish line ahead.”
In a best-of-three duel, it came down to the third race between Dungey and McElrath for the overall.
In the 125 class (allowing up to 150cc), it was Carson Brown who emerged victorious aboard his Jensen-built JMC Husqvarna TC 125, besting AJ Catanzaro in the final bracket for the overall win. Luke Renzland rounded out the podium after beating Chase Marquier.
Carson Brown
“It was craziness, the whole day from start to finish, I got first position on qualifying. I was like, ‘Oh man,’ I wasn’t really expecting that. Kept the momentum rolling through the whole night show and it was just so much fun. 125s, all two-strokes, just pinning ‘em, finding big rhythm with your buddies, I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that!”
Round 1
- Ryan Dungey defeats Mike Brown
- Cedric Soubeyras defeats Ryan Sipes
- Ryan Villopoto defeats Christophe Pourcel
- Josh Grant defeats Kyle Partridge
- Cameron McAdoo defeats Austin Politelli
- Jordon Smith defeats Johnny Jelderda
- Shane McElrath defeats Darryn Durham
- Ryan Morais defeats Gared Steinke
Round 2
- Ryan Dungey defeats Cedric Soubeyras
- Ryan Villopoto defeats Josh Grant
- Jordon Smith defeats Cameron McAdoo
- Shane McElrath defeats Ryan Morais
Semi-finals
- Ryan Dungey defeats Ryan Villopoto
- Shane McElrath defeats Jordon Smith
Third Place Run-Off
- Ryan Villopoto defeats Jordan Smith
2018 Red Bull Straight Rhythm Final
- Shane McElrath defeats Ryan Dungey 2-1
125 Class Results
- Carson Brown (Hus)
- AJ Catanzaro (Kaw)
- Luke Renzland (Yam)
X-Games – Sydney
The X-Games hit Sydney last weekend in Sydney Olympic park and there was a full house that witnesses Tom Pages beating local heroes Josh Sheehan and Rob Adelberg in the Freestyle final before Jared McNeil and Adelberg took victories in the Best Whip and Best Trick finals.
Moto X Freestyle Final
- Tom Pages
- Josh Sheehan
- Rob Adelberg
- Taka Higashino
- Adam Jones
- Pat Bowden
- Ryan Brown
- Libor Podmol
- Kyle Demelo
Moto X Best Whip
- Jarryd McNeil
- Corey Creed
- Axell Hodges
- Josh Sheehan
- Lance Russell
- Steve Mini
Moto X Best Trick
- Rob Adelberg
- Tom Pages
- Josh Sheehan
- Clinton Moore
- Taka Higashino
- Libor Podmol
Josh Strang Wins AMA Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series
The Hidden Valley Golf Course in Glen Daniel, West Virginia hosted the final round of the 2018 Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series Championship and it was Aussie hard charger Josh Strang (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) who earned his first AMA championship.
Steward Baylor came into the find round leading Josh Strang by just two points, but Strang put himself in good shape to win the title by winning on Saturday ahead of Grant Baylor, Layne Michael and Steward Baylor so heading into Sunday Strang held a 10-point lead over Baylor.
Baylor did what he had to do on Sunday and went out and won, but there was nothing he could do about Strang, who took second on the day and the championship win, closing out the season five points ahead of Baylor.
Josh Strang
“It feels great to win the title, especially as good as Stew was riding on Sunday, I did what I had to do on Saturday and the rest took care of itself.”
In the championship, finishing behind Strang and Baylor were Grant Baylor, Layne Michael and Ryan Sipes.
Overall Results – West Virginia
- Steward Baylor (KTM)
- Josh Strang (Hus)
- Layne Michael (Hus)
- Jordan Ashburn
- Liam Draper (Hus)
- Evan Smith (Hus)
- Billy Schlag (KTM)
- Braxton McGee (Hus)
- Jesse Ansley (KTM)
- JR Cook (KTM)
AMA EnduroCross Series – Denver, CO
Denver, Colorado hosted the latest round of the AMA EnduroCross Championship and it was Colton Haaker took his second win in a row which has launched the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider into the points lead in championship.
Defending champion Cody Webb looked strong all night long, including in his heat race, which he won, and was looking good early in the main event when he took the lead away from Haaker, who bobbled in the rock pile after having taken the holeshot. Webb was cruising until lappers started impeding his progress, resulting in a stumble in the rock pile, just like Haaker had earlier in the race.
Haaker saw his chance and pounced, passing Webb for the lead. Haaker rode a perfect race from there on out and took the win over Webb. The Husqvarna rider will now carry a four-point advantage over Webb going into the penultimate round in Everett, Washington.
Third on the night went to Ty Tremaine who found out earlier in the week that he no longer had a motorcycle to race after hearing the news that Alta Motors had suddenly shut down. Luckily, he got a ride with Beta and managed to finish out the night on the podium.
Pro Main
- Colton Haaker (Hus)
- Cody Webb (KTM)
- Ty Tremaine (Beta)
- Noah Kepple (GG)
- Cooper Abbott (KTM)
- Ty Cullins (Beta)
- Kyle Redmond (Hus)
- Geoff Aaron (GG)
- Mason Ottersberg (Beta)
- Dustin McCarthy (Yam)
2018 Weston Beach Race – Bristol, UK
Local-hero Todd Kellett has made history by not only winning the 36th edition of the HydroGarden Weston Beach Race but the Somerset ace also clinched his third consecutive victory ahead of over 1000 competitors.
In front of a record-breaking crowd, Husqvarna star Billy Bolt shared the lead with Kellett and Mel Pocock during the opening laps as a close fight emerged between the leading trio but Kellett, who has endured a tough season with injury, took to the front on lap five and put on a masterful display aboard his KTM machine, stretching out a two-minute lead to take his third victory in Weston-Super-Mare.
Behind him an almighty battle ensued between Bolt, Pocock, Ashley Greedy, and David Knight, who had fought his way back from 10th place on the opening lap. Knight was second for the mid-part of the race, but the 40-year-old suffered with neck pain and eventually finished in sixth position, winning the Over 40’s class.
Greedy and Bolt both rode incredible races, although Greedy’s experience perhaps gave him the upper hand, and the Welshman was pleased to take the runner-up position at the chequered flag, having competed here many times before. 21-year-old Bolt was third and vowed to return next year having enjoyed his beach race debut, especially as he was challenging for the win. Pocock was not far behind in fourth position with Honda’s Josh Gilbert finishing fifth.
Freestyle-legend Robbie Maddison had an eventful race as he crashed with another rider over the very first dune, and was forced to pit-in with a damaged bike. Starting last the 37-year-old James Bond stunt double put in a valiant effort to finish in 91st position.
The HydroGarden Young Gun Award, which was presented in memory of Dan Horton-Tilley, was won by Luke Owen, who finished 73rd overall.
The solo race concluded proceedings for the weekend where an 83,742-strong crowd has seen the thrills and spills associated with the HydroGarden Weston Beach Race Powered by KTM. Next year’s date will be announced shortly.
Todd Kellett – Race Winner
“It feels awesome to win a third straight Weston. More than anything I’m just pleased that I was able to get the job done again. I felt like I was under a little pressure to win, but I knew it was going to be a tough race. In all honesty, I went a little too hard early on. Things started really well, I got a great start, but there was a lot of carnage during the early laps. I fell behind a little but got back into the lead and everything went really well after that. I was a little early for my second fuel stop but apart from that, and rubbing plastics with a few riders out there, it was all good. The track was awesome – more technical in places than last year, but a really good mix of motocross and enduro.”
Ashley Greedy – 2nd Position
“I got a terrible start – I crashed on the first dune, right after the start. That messed things up for the whole race. Then I crashed again on the first dune after the start straight. I got stuck a few times and must have crashed six times before the end of the opening lap. It was a disaster. My gearing was great down the straight but until the dunes eased off a bit I found things tough. I didn’t know where I was until half easy through the race, but once I saw I was in fifth I pushed hard. As I came out of my second pit stop I got ahead of Billy (Bolt) but I didn’t see where I passed him. Finishing in second place is like a win for me, I’m really, really pleased.”
Billy Bolt – 3rd Position
“It’s been good, I’ve really enjoyed it and I’m delighted to finish third. I was sitting in second for quite a while, but I didn’t really know how far from the lead I was, or who was behind me. When Ashley (Greedy) passed me I could see his pace was better than mine, but I wasn’t too worried about that. I followed him for a while but he gapped me a little. I think I was about 20 seconds behind him and just kept plugging away. I did my own thing for most of the race, picked my own lines, and it all went well. I know there’s a lot I can improve with this kind of racing, but I loved it. For my first attempt I’m really happy with the way it’s gone.”
Robbie Maddison – 97th Position
“What an amazing experience again. I had such a good time. Things started really strangely for me – I got in a big pile up at the very first dune and my fuel cap came off. Then I got roosted and a bunch of sand went into my fuel tank. I couldn’t believe it. I went into the pits, filled up with fuel, and was the last guy off the start. I somehow managed to pass 800 riders on the first lap. I just kept chugging away, had a bunch of spills, but my bike was awesome. Things progressed well but my back pain started kicking in so I just put it into self-preservation mode. Each time Knighter, or Billy or Todd came passed me I tried to hang with them, but there was no way. I’m super happy to get to the finish. It’s been an amazing event again – one of the best there is. My family have been with me, and together with all the thousands of spectators here we’ve had a great time. I’m stoked with the result too, it felt even better to get that with passing so many riders than being in the top 50 last time.”
David Knight – 6th Position and Over 40’s winner
“I got away from the start well but got stuck about 200 meters after that, on the very first dune before the start straight. I fell back onto someone’s spinning rear wheel and tore a load of skin off my ass, but I wasn’t too worried. There was a lot of carnage on the second lap so I just let things settle down. I felt like I was riding well during the first hour but after my first fuel stop my neck seized solid. I couldn’t look ahead like I needed to – I couldn’t lift my head up. During the last hour and 20 minutes I was just circulating, I had nothing left. I felt it during the last few laps but I really enjoyed it. The track was spot on, I survived, my bike didn’t miss a beat, so all good.”
Weston Top Ten
- Todd KELLETT
- Ashley GREEDY
- Billy BOLT
- Mel POCOCK
- Josh GILBERT
- David KNIGHT
- Matthew BURROWS
- Daryl BOLTER
- Jamie WAINWRIGHT
- Paul BOLTON
Yamaha Dominates Huka Honda MX Fest
Taupo’s Digger McEwen Motorcycle Park hosted the opening race meeting for the 2018/2019 New Zealand motocross season and it was Yamaha’s Kayne Lamont who emerged victorious in the MX1 class and Maximus Purvis taking home the MX2 trophy at the Huka Honda MX Fest.
The pair capped off their top category results by Lamont (25) repeating his 2017 Nicky Smith Memorial feature win in the afternoon and Purvis (18) finishing the best of the MX2 riders in this shootout-style race format.
Before the weekend, Lamont didn’t know how he would perform, having had minimal time on the bike recently due to recovering from an injured wrist. “The bike [Yamaha YZ450] is awesome. I couldn’t fault it in any way. I wasn’t expecting to win. I was expecting to show some sort of promise.”
Lamont did much more than just hint at success-to-come this season. He qualified first and went on to progressively work his way up the podium over the day with 3-2-1-1 results.
In the first outing, he took the lead but had a moment and Rhys Carter got past him. Coming back onto the track, Lamont hit a tyre and damaged his brakes, leaving him to manage without any stopping power for the final two laps.
The second race he got a good start and was running third behind Carter and Ben Townley. Lamont managed to get past Carter but couldn’t bridge the gap to Townley and settled for second.
Grabbing the holeshot in the third race, Lamont relinquished the lead to Carter and then sat on his tail, passing him with two corners to go.
The Nicky Smith Memorial race saw the top 40 riders for the weekend do three laps, before the field was halved for a further two laps. Then it was down to 10 for a lap, 6 for a lap and then the final 3 for a lap.
Lamont says his strategy of saving his energy for when it counted throughout the shootout paid off and he was stoked to back up his 2017 win in this race.
Purvis, who was riding a Yamaha YZ250F, was on the podium for his first and third race with a mistake in the middle race dropping him down to sixth. The 2-6-1 score card was good enough for the MX2 win, which was the young Mangakino rider’s goal all along. “We had our mistakes and there’s things I need to work on but all and all it was a good day,” Purvis says.
He was proud of his feature race performance, where he made it down to the final six riders – narrowly missing out on the top three – despite being on a less powerful 250cc machine, compared to his rival’s 450cc bikes.
Altherm JCR Yamaha Team Manager Josh Coppins was very pleased with the way this first hit-out meeting went.
Josh Coppins
“It was pretty successful from Altherm JCR Yamaha’s point of view. I was super happy with Kayne because he’s come back a long lay-off from injury and he rode really smart. Max made some mistakes, which was disappointing. When he finished sixth, it was because he was passing for the lead and crashed. It was a rookie move and he’s not a rookie. Despite this, he rode well for the rest of the day,” Coppins says.
The whole Altherm JCR Yamaha team set-up got a good trial run over the weekend and Coppins was “Really happy with the bikes, the team, and the staff. We are off to a good start. We definitely can improve on some things but overall I’m super-happy.”
What Racing is Left for 2018?
OK, we are heading towards some amazing racing over the next few weeks with the highlight being the single biggest dirt bike event in the world, the Gotland Grand National is held on an island off the east coast of Sweden and it can be a harsh place to race motorcycles, as the contenders for the World Enduro Super Series are about to find out.
This is a place where competitors face a flat out three-hour XC race around a 25km course that boasts everything from tight pine forest to bottomless bogs, but there’s 3,000 other riders to think about and the very present threat of rain, snow and ice. Whoever takes the GGN win will undoubtedly earn it the hard way.
Then there’s AUS-X this weekend as well as the final round of the GNCC in America so this weekend will once again be a cracker – see the list of the remaining events for 2018 below:
- Australasia
- Peter “Reggie” Melton Memorial Weekend – Oct. 27/28 – Manjimup
- Australian Supercross Championships – Nov. 11 – AUS-X Open – Sydney
- New Zealand Supercross Championships
- Nov. 24 – SX Open – Auckland
- Dec. 1 – South Waikato
- Dec. 15 – Southland
- Asia
- Japan Supercross – Nov. 3 – Tokyo 2018
- America
- 2018 World Vet Championships – Nov. 3-4 – Glen Helen, CA
- 2018 THOR Mini Olympics – Nov. 19-24 – Gainesville, FL
- 2018 DAY IN THE DIRT – Nov. 24-26 – Glen Helen, CA
- 2018 AMA World Off-Road Championships (WORCS) – Nov. 9-11 – Primm, NV
- 2018 AMA EnduroCross Series
- Oct. 27 – Everett, WA
- Nov. 3 – Boise, ID
- 2018 GNCC – 27 Oct. – 28 Oct – AMSOIL Ironman, Indianapolis
- Canadian Triple Crown Supercross
- Nov. 3 – Quebec
- Nov. 17 – Hamilton
- Europe
- 2018 Paris Supercross – Nov. 17-18 – Paris, France
- World Enduro Super Series (WESS)
- Oct. 26 – Gotland Grand National – Sweden
- Nov. 10 – Red Bull Knock Out Beach Race – The Netherlands
- ISDE – Nov. 12-17 – Chile
