Moto News Wrap for February 19, 2019 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Moto News Latest
- Webb and Faulkner Win Arlington AMA SX
- Gibbs and Todd Win at Rotorua
- Anstie, Geerts and Monticelli Win Hawkstone
- Bou Wins Bilbao X-Trial
- Waters and Wilson Win Sunshine State Opener
- Clout and Roberts Win King of MX Opener
- Yamaha Motor Europe confirm 2019 MXGP team
- Watson & Geerts remain with Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha MX2 in 2019
- Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing launch 2019 effort
- Yamaha Motor New Zealand & Josh Coppins Racing sign Ben & Levi Townley
- KTM Junior MX Racing Team announced for 2019
- Benhamiin Herrera joins 2019 Beta Factory Enduro Team
Webb & Faulkner win Arlington AMA SX
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas hosted the seventh round of the AMA Supercross Championship and it was Cooper Webb who sensationally stole the 450SX main event win from Ken Roczen by just half a wheel while Austin Forkner put together a wire-to-wire win in the 250SX East final.
For the full 450SX & 250SX East Report see –
Cooper Webb wins in Texas and moves into series lead (link)
Cooper Webb – P1
“Tonight was incredible! I just never gave up out there. It was incredible for it to come to the last lap – the last turn even – and to be able to win with such a close finish was absolutely insane. That’s probably the best race ever for me.”
Ken Roczen – P2
“The whoops was one of the spots where I struggled all through the an event which really effected my flow so this is something we learn from, I am using it as fuel for the next race but it was fun, leading the whole race and losing it is not so much fun but we are healthy and still in the championship.”
450SX Main Results
- Cooper Webb – 25 Laps
- Ken Roczen +00.028
- Marvin Musquin +10.784
- Blake Baggett +15.401
- Joey Savatgy +18.360
…11. Chad Reed +45.767
450SX Points Standings after Round 7 of 17
- Cooper Webb – 150
- Ken Roczen – 148
- Marvin Musquin – 144
- Eli Tomac – 134
- Wilson – 110
…9. Chad Reed – 93
250SX East Main Event Results
- Austin Forkner – 19 Laps
- Justin Cooper +04.261
- Chase Sexton +09.964
- Jordon Smith +15.330
- Martin Davalos +16.091
Austin Forkner – 19 Laps
Justin Cooper +04.261
Chase Sexton +09.964
250SX East Points after Round 2
- Austin Forkner – 52
- Justin Cooper – 44
- Jordon Smith – 42
- Chase Sexton – 39
- Alex Martin – 34
Gibbs & Todd win at Rotorua
The undulating circuit at Rotorua hosted the second round of the New Zealand Motocross Championships and it was Kirk Gibbs who came away with the MX1 class overall while fellow Aussie Wilson Todd won the MX2 and Hamish Harwood the MX 125cc class.
MX1
Australian Gibbs and Cody Cooper battled it out at Rotorua last Sunday with Gold Coast-based Gibbs coming out on top this time around after winning two of the three championship motos while Cooper scored two seconds and a win so after six motos and two rounds the two combatants are tied on 141 points.
Kirk Gibbs
“The day was really good. I got a good start in the first moto then had a good gap and rode to the win, so I was really happy. I made it really tough for myself (in the second moto) I was probably back in about 10th or so, then had to make my way back. I got into second but just couldn’t bridge the gap to Coops [Cody Cooper] and finished there.”
The third race went the same way as the first and Gibbs pulled away, maintaining the gap to win the race and take the overall round win. “I put a little peg back in for the championship. Coops beat me by three points at the first round and then I beat him by three points yesterday,” added Gibbs.
Kayne Lamont was once again consistent after qualifying third before finishing third three times in the championship motos, after a pre-season knee injury that kept him off the bike during the key preparation months.
Kayne Lamont
“I had two out of the three holeshots, so my starts were there. I managed to run with the boys for a little bit at the start but kind of ran out of puff and managed to circulate to get third. I had enough pace to hang with them but just not through the whole duration of the race. It was just the lack of pre-training and quality bike time. I will catch up with Josh and test some suspension to see if we can improve a little bit for the last two rounds.”
MX1 Top 7
- Kirk Gibbs – 72
- Cody Cooper – 69
- Kayne Lamont – 60
- Brad Groombridge – 48
- Cohen Chase – 48
- Mason Wilkie – 38
- Blake Gillard – 36
MX1 Points after 2 of 4 Rounds
- Kirk Gibbs – 141
- Cody Cooper – 141
- Kayne Lamont – 120
- Brad Groombridge – 99
- Cohen Chase – 96
- Blake Gillard – 77
MX2
2018 Australian MX2 Champion Wilson Todd got his championship back on track with the overall win at Rotorua with 4-1-1 moto finishes ahead of fellow Aussie Kyle Webster’s 1-3-3 and defending champion Hamish Harwood’s 2-2-4 finishes so Hamish still leads the championship by three points over Todd while Purvis sits in third a further 12 points back.
MX2 Top Five
- Wilson Todd – 68
- Kyle Webster – 65
- Hamish Harwood – 62
- Maximus Purvis – 56
- Morgan Fogarty – 47
MX2 Points after 2 of 4 Rounds
- Hamish Harwood – 131
- Wilson Todd – 128
- Maximus Purvis – 116
- Brad Groombridge – 97
- Morgan Fogarty – 90
MX 125cc
Harwood continues to dominate the MX125 class with three solid moto wins ahead of 15 year old Ben Broad and Tommy Watts – Harwood obviously leads the championship and with two rounds to go he still has to keep his current pace as Broad sits 28 points back.
MX 125 Top 5
- Hamish Harwood – 75
- Benjamin Broad – 62
- Tommy Watts – 58
- Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 57
- Clayton Roeske – 46
MX 125 Points after 2 of 5 Rounds
- Hamish Harwood – 150
- Benjamin Broad – 122
- Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 109
- Tommy Watts – 105
- Clayton Roeske – 87
Anstie, Geerts & Monticelli win Hawkstone
The annual Hawkstone Park International Motocross is one of the key lead-up races to the MXGP season and this year it was veteran Max Anstie who got the overall win in the MXGP class while young Jago Geerts got the win the in the MX2 class before Ivo Monticelli spectacularly won the MX1 and MX2 combined Superfinal.
Max Anstie won the opening MXGP race ahead of Max Nagl and Shaun Simpson but in the second MXGP moto Ivo Monticelli won from Shaun Simpson, Harri Kullas and Anstie so Max earns the overall for with 1-4 motos finishes ahead of Simpson (3-2) and Monticelli (5-1).
Adam Sterry battled hard in the early laps of the opening MX2 moto to pull a wining lead ahead of Geerts, Henry Jacobi, Alvin Ostlund and Thomas-Kjer Olsen while Jed Beaton came home in tenth but in the second MX2 moto and it was New Zealander Dylan Walsh who pulled off a shock win ahead of Mikkel Haarup, Bas Vaessen, Geerts, Roan Van-De-Moosdijk and Adam Sterry with Beaton back 14th.
Geerts’ 2-4 moto results earned him the overall ahead of Sterry (1-6), and Haarop (7-2).
Ivo Monticelli won the Superfinal from Max Nagl and Arminas Jasikonis with MX2 riders Olsen in fourth, Geerts in sixth and Beaton in 15th.
Dylan Walsh
“It’s been a bit of an up and down day to be fair. In the first race I had a good moto going with some good lap times until they red-flagged it and on the restart someone clipped me in the first turn and I went down. In the second moto I got a good start and was pressuring for the lead for most of the race and was in a position to take the win when Adam Sterry went down. The Super Final was also looking good and I got myself into around sixth but I had a coming together with another rider and thought it would be best to call it a day.”
Alvin Östlund
“I feel good. It’s my first race so a lot of nerves are out of the way now. In the last race I had the best feeling because I was looser and didn’t get arm-pump. Overall it’s been a solid day, I’m feeling healthy and I got some good practice.”
Thomas Kjer-Olsen
“It’s been a long winter of training and it felt good to finally do some racing. My speed is good at the moment and this is very positive heading to the World Championship. I had two good motos here in the UK and managed to secure fifth overall in MX2. In the mixed MX2/MX1 Superfinal I pushed hard to secure fourth and also be the highest ranking MX2 class rider. I feel I am where I need to be and I will continue working hard in order to be 100% ready for Argentina.”
Jed Beaton
“This was my first race after eight months and it felt good to be back behind the gate, I had some good moments here in the UK, but overall I feel I need more time to show what I am capable of. I made some small mistakes and had a crash in the opening moto, but as the day went on I was able to control my pace. The season has just started and I have a good feeling on my bike. It’s onward and upwards from here and I’m looking ahead to the races to come.”
MXGP Moto One
- Max Anstie
- Max Nagl
- Shaun Simpson
- Harri Kullas
- Ivo Monticelli
- Evgeny Bobryshev
- Petar Petrov
- Mel Pocock
- Ryan Houghton
- Anton Gole
…18. Arminas Jasikonis
…38. Tommy Searle
MXGP Moto Two
- Ivo Monticelli
- Shaun Simpson
- Harri Kullas
- Max Anstie
- Max Nagl
- Petar Petrov
- Matiss Karro
- Arminas Jasikonis
- Tommy Searle
- Ryan Houghton
- Evgeny Bobryshev
MX2 Moto One
- Adam Sterry
- Jago Geerts
- Henry Jacobi
- Alvin Ostlund
- Thomas-Kjer Olsen
- Conrad Mewse
- Mikkel Haarup
- Davy Pootjes
- Bas Vaessen
- Jed Beaton
MX2 Moto Two
- Dylan Walsh
- Mikkel Haarup
- Bas Vaessen
- Jago Geerts
- Roan Van-De-Moosdijk
- Adam Sterry
- Thomas-Kjer Olsen
- Davy Pootjes
- Conrad Mewse
- Ben Watson
…14. Jed Beaton
SuperFinal
- Ivo Monticelli
- Max Nagl
- Arminas Jasikonis
- Thomas-Kjer Olsen
- Max Anstie
- Jago Geerts
- Harri Kullas
- Evgeny Bobryshev
- Mikkel Haarup
- Roan Van-De-Moosdijk
- Henry Jacobi
- Lars Van-Berkel
- Bas Vaessen
- Alvin Ostlund
- Jed Beaton
Bou wins Bilbao X-Trial
Repsol Montesa Honda rider Toni Bou has restored his 2019 X-Trial Championship lead leaving Bilbao with his 59th career victory over arch rival Adam Raga.
Barcelona winner Raga ensured another close-fought night, topping the standings in round one and matched Bou´s efforts in round two but his rival snatched the early lead in the final, making it through the challenging Section Two with a clean after Raga had recorded a five.
The margin was further extended in Section Four, putting Bou within touching distance of victory, although he then failed in his bid to secure the trophy with a section to spare with a Section Five failure. Still two marks clear, Bou was left to hold his nerve to claim the win and with it the Championship lead.
Toni Bou
“This victory is very important and has been hard-won, since Adam rode well throughout the night. As a result of my fall in Barcelona I haven´t been able to train how I might have liked, so that makes this win even more special. It also means I re-take the lead of the Championship, which is very important when things are so close.”
Despite not being able to make it two in a row Adam Raga was satisfied with second.
Adam Raga
“I’m happy with second place, but especially with my riding, because I beat Toni in Round One, was tied with him in Round Two and only lost in the Final by two marks. I am riding well, and today is more evidence of it. The spectators were exceptional for this first visit to Bilbao.”
Beta’s Benoit Bincaz put in one of the best rides of his career to date, finishing just two marks from a place in the Grand Final but securing a spot on the podium in the Consolation Final over local hero Jaime Busto.
Benoit Bincaz
“I felt strong right from the beginning and kept a high level. It’s my first podium of the season, and the aim is now to repeat it in the coming Rounds. The bike was perfect and I felt comfortable on it. I’m really happy with my performance here and the upward curve in performance I’m enjoying.”
Round Four of the X-Trial FIM World Championship is X-Trial Granada, scheduled for 23rd February.
Results X-Trial Bilbao 2019
- BOU Toni SPA Repsol Honda Team
- RAGA Adam SPA TRRS Factory Team
- BINCAZ Benoit FRA Beta Factory Racing
- BUSTO Jaime SPA Gas Gas Factory Team
- GELABERT Miquel SPA Sherco Factory Team
- FAJARDO Jeroni SPA Gas Gas Factory Team
- MARCELLI Gabriel SPA RG Team
- PETRELLA Luca ITA Beta Factory Racing
- HAGA Sondre NOR TRRS Factory Team
X-Trial Standings after Bilbao 2019
- BOU Toni SPA 55
- RAGA Adam SPA 50
- BUSTO Jaime SPA 30
Waters & Wilson win Sunshine State opener
Coolum MX facility on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hosted the opening round of the Airoh Sunshine State Motocross Championship and it was Todd Waters and Jay Wilson who won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively.
Waters got the win in the MX1 class over Mason Rowe, Kaleb Barham and Joel Rizzo while Wilson won the MX2 class ahead of Aaron Tanti, Ricky Latimer, Joel Evans. Rowe and Barham.
Clout & Roberts win King of MX opener
Appin hosted the opening round of the NSW King of MX series and it was Luke Clout and Jy Roberts who won the star studded MX1 and MX2 classes respectively.
CDR Yamaha’s Clout won the MX1 class ahead of National stars Hayden Mellross, Riley Dukes. Joel Green and Joel Wightman while Roberts worked hard all day to win the MX2 class from Regan Duffy, Rhys Budd, Cooper Pozniak, John Bova and Riley Dukes.
Yamaha Motor Europe confirm 2019 MXGP team
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP will lead the 2019 challenge with Romain Febvre and Jeremy Seewer at the helm of the advanced YZ450FM. Following a two month break at the end of 2018, Febvre has had an incredible off-season and is feeling fit, fast and strong as he enters his fourth consecutive year inside the premier class with the Michele Rinaldi led team.
Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP’s newest recruit, Seewer, made a successful team debut back in October last year with a silver-medal finish at the final round of the All Japan Championship in Sugo. The talented Swiss rider looks forward to entering his second season on the 450cc bike with the support of the Factory team.
Strengthening Yamaha’s 2019 crusade, Monster Energy Wilvo Yamaha MXGP has retained Arnaud Tonus for a third season. In addition, the team has welcomed a familiar name back to the Yamaha Family in the form of Gautier Paulin.
After a solid off-season where both riders have regularly trained together on the bike and off, the dynamic duo have reaped the benefits of working together and are likely to put their YZ450F motorcycles on the podium this season.
Both teams will travel to Argentina at the end of February where the first round of the nineteen round MXGP series will commence on March 2nd and 3rd.
Ben Watson & Jago Geerts remain with Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha MX2 in 2019
Spearheading the effort and set to take Yamaha’s YZ250F to the top of the MX2 Championship, Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha MX2 has retained Ben Watson and Jago Geerts for another season. Inspired by the ‘quality over quantity’ adage, the team has transitioned from a three-rider line-up to two where they will concentrate on the talent they were awakened to during 2018.
Last year, as new recruits to the team both Watson and Geerts exceeded all expectations on what was initially expected to be a ‘learning year’. 21-year-old Watson achieved a career milestone at the MX2 Grand Prix of Russia when he stood on podium for the first time. He also finished inside the top five at 12 Grands Prix and subsequently finished fourth in the final classification after a season-long battle for the MX2 bronze medal.
Equally as impressive, Geerts had a superb rookie season complete with a podium appearance of his own at the MXGP of Latvia. The 18 year-old Belgian was awarded Youthstream’s ‘Jan de Groot award’ as the rookie of the year. He finished eighth overall in the 2018 MX2 World Championship despite missing three rounds due to injury.
Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing launch 2019 effort
Leading national dirt bike racing outfit Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing is all set to fire into the 2019 season, with a two-rider line-up that will contest all major MX Nationals and Australian Supercross Championship events.
Headlining the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team is top gun MX2 championship contender Kyle Webster, who roars into his fourth season with the powerhouse CRF Honda Racing team, which is owned and operated by longtime Honda motocross race team principal Mark Luksich.
Joining Webster in the Penrite Oils and Pirelli tyres sponsored Honda team for 2019 is NSW young gun Rhys Budd, who continues his rise through the Honda ranks and will attack the MXD category this year. Meanwhile Sydney youngster Nick Luksich will enjoy support rider status with the team, as he maintains his push up the ranks of the hotly contested MX2 category.
Kyle Webster
“I’ll be racing selected major NZ events over the next couple of weeks, which will really help me to prepare and be as ready as possible for the start to the Australian season. 2019 is set to be a big year: it will be my fourth season with the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team, and having Craig onboard as my team mechanic will give me added support to chase race wins and championship victories. I want to be as consistent as possible and be there at every race, every weekend, chasing wins all season long.”
New team rider Rhys Budd is one of Australia’s most decorated junior motocross competitors, with a swag of junior championship wins and podiums to his name since he began racing in 2009.
Rhys Budd
“It’s early days yet, but from the very outset the connection with the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team has been really positive and I’m looking forward to the season starting with the MX Nationals at Appin in March. 2019 will be my final year racing in the MXD class, so I want it to be a special one. My goal is always to win and be in the front pack and consistently make the podium, so that’s what I’m aiming for this year.”
Heading into his second year in the MX2 category, 19-year-old Nick Luksich is hopeful of putting the injury woes that dogged his 2018 campaign behind him.
Nick Luksich
“2018 was tough, I suffered a broken wrist at the start of the season and then had more injuries through the year and that really wrecks your confidence and you’re not as fit as you want to be when you finally get to line up. This year is shaping up a lot better and I’ve had a really good pre-season and have been doing a lot of riding and training with Kyle, which is so beneficial when you can ride with someone faster and who is so into training. I can’t wait for the season to start at Appin next month!”
The March 17 MX Nationals series opener will formally kick off the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing team’s 2019 calendar, which will include all ten rounds of the MX Nationals, followed by the Australian Supercross Championship in the second half of the year, along with selected other major race appearances.
Yamaha Motor New Zealand & Josh Coppins Racing sign Ben & Levi Townley
Two former World MXGP rivals will now be firmly on one team, as Yamaha Motor New Zealand, in association with Josh Coppins Racing, are signing up Ben Townley (YZ450) and son Levi Townley (YZ65), who will both be joining bLU cRU effective immediately.
Josh Coppins
“Ben will be a Yamaha ambassador and we will support him across a bunch of racing activities with more to follow and Levi is about supporting the future of the sport. We have decided to re-establish the Yamaha brand in junior racing and off the back of the new YZ65, timing has never been better to look for our new champions.”
He and MX2 World Champion Townley are two of New Zealand’s most successful motocross riders and used to live together for three years in Belgium racing in the World MXGP Championships. In 2005 they finished second and third respectively in the MX1 class to ten-time world champ legend Stefan Everts. At one point Ben and Josh won five
GPs in a row between them over Everts – not bad for a couple of Kiwis!
Despite being fiercely competitive on track, off it they were good mates. So, when it came time for Coppins to move away from investing in international racing, he decided to refocus on a junior programme.
Tauranga-based Townley, who retired professionally in 2016, will not only be coaching young riders he will also be riding in select races around New Zealand, including some enduro events.
Being able to share the workload is vital for Coppins, as he is busy running his own Altherm JCR Yamaha motocross race team – made up of senior riders Kirk Gibbs, Kayne Lamont (both MX1) and Maximus Purvis (MX2) at all the major national events.
Coppins will continue with the team and also take on a more managerial position within Yamaha New Zealand, which allows him to be more involved in fostering the country’s young riders.
Eight-year-old Levi’s first race will be the 2019 Ebbett Pukekohe Auckland Motocross Champs in Tuakau on Saturday 23rd February 2019. The following day he will race in the Yamaha Motor New Zealand YZ65 Cup at Harrisville, Pukekohe, which is part of the third round of the Fox New Zealand Motocross Championships.
KTM Junior MX Racing Team announced for 2019
KTM Australia has confirmed its KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team for the 2019 season, the five-rider line-up to include Blake Fox, Ryan Alexanderson, Jett Burgess-Stevens, Jet Alsop and Kayden Minear this year.
Fox, Burgess-Stevens and Alsop return to the factory team, while Alexanderson and Minear are new to the roster after achieving remarkable results last season. Together, the KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team will be targeting another strong campaign nationwide.
New South Welshman Fox will pilot a KTM 250 SX-F and KTM 125 SX in what will be his last year of junior competition. Incoming KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team recruit Alexanderson, 14, won the Mini Lites BW 12-U14s title at the 2018 Australian Junior Motocross Championship, now stepping up to the KTM 250 SX-F and KTM 125 SX for the year ahead.
Tasmanian talent Burgess-Stevens will return for his second season with the KTM Junior Motocross Racing Team, the 13-year-old riding a KTM 125 SX in addition to the KTM 85 SX BW. Also back for another term, well-credentialed Queenslander Alsop, 12, will focus upon the KTM 85 SX SW this year.
Minear is a current national champion after capturing the 65cc 9-U11s championship last year, earning his place in the factory team to ride a KTM 85 SX SW and KTM 65 SX in 2019.
Benjamin Herrera joins 2019 Beta Factory Enduro Team
Beta has officially signed up Benjamin Herrera to complete the Beta Factory Enduro Team line-up. The 24-year-old Chilean – pictured with Team Manager Fabrizio Dini, next to a Beta production-model – will indeed support EnduroGP World Champion Steve Holcombe.
Herrera will be busy throughout the whole World Enduro Championship and in some stages of the Assoluti d’Italia on the Beta RR 350 4T.
This is an important promotion that sees the young Chilean move from the Beta Importer Team in his country to being the official rider for the 2019 season.
Benjamin Herrera
“I am very pleased I signed this new contract, it’s a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to become an official rider and now it’s amazing. The aim is to achieve good results both in the World Enduro Championship and in the Assoluti d’Italia in the E2 class. I’m well aware of the value of the Beta brand, since last year I raced with this bike, even if not as an official rider, and I really like the RR.”
Riders will be on their bikes very soon – the Assoluti d’Italia will start on 2 March at Gioia dei Marsi, while the first stage of the Enduro World Championship is scheduled for 22 March at Dahlen in Germany.
2019 Assoluti D’Italia Calendar
- 2-3 Mar – Gioia Dei Marsi Aq
- 31 Mar – Arma Di Taggia Im 1
- 4 Mar – Pontremoli Ms
- 1-2 Jun – Sant’angelo In Vado Pu
- 14 Jul – Crespano Del Grappa Tv
- 5-6 Oct – Gaggio Montano Bo
2019 World Enduro Championship Calendar
- 22-24 Mar – Dahlem Germany
- 3-5 May – Valpacos Portugal
- 10-12 May – Santiago De Comp. Spain
- 14-16 Jun – Ajaccio Corsica
- 21-23 Jun – Rovetta Italy
- 13-15 Sep – Uhlirske Janovice Czech Republic
- 27-29 Sep – Ambert France
