Moto News Weekly | Cianciarulo tops Monster Energy Cup | Jett Lawrence stars

Moto News Weekly for October 22, 2019

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What happened this week

• Cianciarulo & Lawrence star at 2019 Energy Monster Cup
• Dean Wilson injured in Monster Energy Cup qualifying
• Riders talk Australian Supercross Round 2 at Gillman Speedway
• Middleton & McKinnon reign at 2019 Australian Trial Championships
• Maxime Renaux claims 2019 French Beach Race opener victory
• Nestaan-MX to run Husqvarna MX2 effort in 2020 with Jed Beaton

Cianciarulo & Lawrence star at 2019 Energy Monster Cup

The ninth annual Monster Energy Cup delivered the excitement promised by the biggest purse and most unique race format of any motorcycle race in the world. The event brought some new twists to Sam Boyd Stadium this year with the three Cup Class Main Events held on three different track variations, each requiring the racers one pass through a slower-route Joker Lane.

With a million dollars to any rider who could sweep the three Main Event format, it was Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo who edged out his teammate, two-time and defending Cup Champion Eli Tomac, for the event win and $100,000, proving this 450cc class rookie has the speed and the mental nerve to take on the competitive 450cc Supercross Class racers. All this on the weekend Cianciarulo celebrated his 23rd birthday.

From the first gate drop the excitement of 35,424 fans spiked as Adam Cianciarulo grabbed the holeshot in his class debut and looked fast enough to gap the two racers behind him, Jeremy Martin, and Malcom Stewart, who were both in their first appearances since big injuries in previous seasons.

Vince Friese, visiting three-time World Champion Tim Gajser, and defending Monster Energy Cup champion Eli Tomac, were right behind the top three. In the same stadium where a simple mistake cost him a Western Regional 250SX Class Supercross title just five months before, Cianciarulo made another small mistake; the Kawasaki rider washed out the front end in a corner and dropped back to fifth as Friese grabbed the lead.

Tomac reached second place but then lost his bearings on which track section he was on and drastically mis-timed a triple jump. Tomac recovered and on lap six got into the lead. The top riders waited until the final lap to make their pass through the Joker Lane, a slow section comprised of three steep wall jumps separated by deep, white sand.

Tomac took the win, separating himself as the only rider in the running for the million dollars. His new teammate Cianciarulo crossed the checkered flag close behind in second. On the podium Tomac said about his mid-race mistake saying, “Our normal line right now is double double, [but] I went double triple. I totally brainfarted. That’s the track getting me right now. Gotta get my head straight here, ‘cos that was scary.”

Main Event #2 of the Cup Class proved that anything can happen in racing. Jeremy Martin jumped out with the holeshot with Friese close behind. Tomac was buried closer to tenth place than to first, and his teammate Cianciarulo was outside even the top ten. Tomac went to work fast, at times passing a different rider in two consecutive corners. By lap three he was up to second place, with Friese in sight right ahead.

But then Tomac lowsided while landing off the roller on the track’s high-speed sweeper. He jumped back onto the bike, but the crash put him into tenth place and over eight seconds from the leader. At the midpoint Malcom Stewart passed his teammate Friese to take the lead and bring home the win.

It marked Stewart’s first race in nine months after an injury ended his Supercross season. Stewart was a happy man on the podium, “We’ve got another race to go. Hopefully we’re on the top step, if not, man, we’re already making dreams come true. I’ve already marked things off my checklist. It was just to win a Main Event. I said, ‘Let’s go, now the goal is to win this overall’… …This is what Monster Energy Cup is all about. This is what they wanted, you guys want a… three race battle? Here you go! You got it!”

With Stewart taking the win, Cianciarulo finishing second, and Tomac working his way up to third, those three riders would go into Main Event #3 tied in points for a winner-take-all Vegas finale.

With $100,000 on the line Adam Cianciarulo, in his 450SX Class debut, in the stadium that ruined his Western Regional 250SX Class season just five months before, grabbed the holeshot with Tim Gajser and Eli Tomac close in tow. A few turns in, Cianciarulo got off balance on the edge of the track and had to roll the Finish Line jump, putting all three riders into a single turn at the same time.

No positions were changed then, but when Tomac got around Gajser one turn later, the two Kawasaki riders, competing for the first time and tied in points, started a nine-lap battle for a six-figure payday. Tomac got around at one point on lap six of the ten lap Main Event, but Cianciarulo slipped back into the lead within a few feet.

Tomac turned up the pressure every lap and stayed right on Cianciarulo’s rear tire until lap nine, when he strategically took the Joker Lane in the hopes of turning a faster laptime and taking the lead when Cianciarulo was forced to take the Joker Lane on the final lap. On the final lap, the two riders took their respective lanes and in a nail-biter, Cianciarulo came out less than a bike length ahead. Tomac pressured for the remainder of the lap but Cianciarulo held strong and held on for the win and a $100,000 winner’s check.

Adam Cianciarulo

“My first thought was, ‘What I life I get to live!’ That whole race I knew he was behind me. We had a gap and I knew it was going to come down to the Joker Lane and – just the opportunity to race with Eli. He’s accomplished so much and just to be out there on the track with him. I’m stoked to be out there. Honestly, I always looked up to Eli and so just to be out there racing with him is unreal. And to come out on top of my first race is, I just can’t ask for anything better… It’s a little bit of redemption but to be honest with you I look at Vegas now – after winning the outdoor motocross championship – I look at Vegas as something that helped me get there. I really don’t look back on that race and think, ‘Oh, man.’ I think it’s really helped me grow. And what a better way, to get a Monster Cup win in 450. I always love coming here, even that night, it sucked, obviously, but I love Vegas and I’m just so grateful, can’t say that enough.”

Tomac was disappointed but not down with his second-place finish.

Eli Tomac

“Going into the Joker, I thought I just couldn’t really make the pass anywhere stick, so I was like, ‘Let me get into this thing a lap early and see if I can make the speed up on the track.’ …basically [I] ended up in the same exact spot there, like you said eating a lot of roost. Great battle with Adam there. Coming out in the losing spot is going to get at me a little bit, but overall [it was a] really fun weekend, great weekend for the team, and man, that was a battle.”

Malcolm Stewart finished the Main Event #3, and in the overall standings, in third place. He was elated to be back competing up at the front.

Malcolm Stewart

“Just going out here and having fun and getting some gate drops just kinda sets a little barrier of where we’re going to be for the 2020 season. Just keep our heads down and keep moving forward… It’s been a long road for us. Nine months ago, we weren’t looking so hot, so the fact that I’m standing up here with a third overall means a lot to me. Like I said, getting up here, standing up here feels good and I just want to say congratulations to Adam, [for his] first win, that was awesome. For him to step into the 450SX Class and show us how it’s done that was pretty cool.”

250 Futures & Supermini Futures

In between the Cup Class, two other classes raced for national amateur titles. Racing on 250cc displacement machines, the 250 Futures class dropped the gate twice for amateur riders on the cusp of starting their pro careers.

The standout rider this year was Factory Connection GEICO Honda’s Jett Lawrence. The young Australian took a holeshot in the first race to a clean win. Then got a great start in the second race that put him in position to take the lead on Lap 4 and carry that to the checkers.

Bringing enthusiasm and personality to the podium celebration, Lawrence’s first move after taking the 250 Futures National Title was to bite into a donut. Check out the entertaining Aussie youngster in the post race interviews.

Jett Lawrence

“I always had the old guy with me, so it helped quite a lot: Johnny O’Mara [the former racer and now trainer]… [The race] went really smoothly and yeah, I’ve just got to thank him. I rode my heart out and I rode for this donut, so I’m going to enjoy it.”

Evan Ferry won the first Supermini Futures race from start to finish, pulling a 4.5 second gap by the white flag so he could ride cautiously to the win on the final lap ahead of Gavin Towers. Ferry nearly holeshotted the second Supermini Futures race and was cleanly into the lead two corners in.

He had an unchallenged six laps to take another win, this time ahead of a charging Chance Hymas. On the podium Ferry accepted the National Championship for the Supermini Futures class and was overwhelmed by the achievement.

Dean Wilson injured in Monster Energy Cup qualifying

Dean Wilson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team) missed Saturday night’s Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas after suffering a hard crash during the second qualifying session of the day. Wilson was immediately transported to the local hospital where early reports indicate that he has sustained a dislocated hip.

It was an unfortunate ending to the night for Wilson, who had an impressive showing in the day’s qualifying sessions. He qualified third overall in the first session, finishing only half a second off the leader. His team sent their best wishes to Dean on a speedy recovery as he awaits further evaluation.

Dean Wilson had just had his contract renewed for another year with the team, for the 2020 AMA SuperCross and Pro Motocross Championships.

Wilson, who rode for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing in 2017 and 2018, began the 2019 AMA SuperCross season as a Husqvarna Motorcycles supported rider and joined the team’s factory efforts at round six after defending champion Jason Anderson dropped out of the series with injury.

From there, Wilson put forth a steady string of top-10 finishes in the premier 450SX class including four top-five finishes, one of which was a third-place at the Houston SX. Although his season ended early with an injury, Wilson ultimately finished the year sixth overall in the 450SX-class standings. He rejoined the Pro Motocross Championship just after the halfway point where he continued to secure solid top-10 finishes to close out the season.

Wilson was set to compete the 2019 MEC before his injury, and from there, planned to head abroad to Auckland, New Zealand to compete in the S-X Open and then the AUS-X Open in Melbourne, Australia, although whether this will go ahead due to his injury remains to be seen.

Dean Wilson

“I’m very honoured to be in the position I am now with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team and I am just very thankful and appreciative of this opportunity. I am going to do my best and have fun – looking forward to a good 2020 season!”

Riders talk Australian Supercross Round 2 at Gillman Speedway

See the full report here:
Blow by blow recap from Aussie SX Rnd Two at Gillman

Justin Brayton’s Australian Supercross domination has continued on the Penrite Honda, with the win in Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway leaving the rider on a perfect 50-points. Luke Clout and Dan Reardon closed out the podium over the weekend, mirroring their position in the standings, with both sitting on 42-points.

Justin Brayton – P1

“The night went as planned and although the track got super tricky, I was able to find my grove early. The last two months have been hectic… racing in Canada, training and testing in California and travelling to Australia with the family to defend my title. I am going to enjoy finding some balance over the next few weeks ahead of Round Three. The venue for the third round looks amazing and I look forward to checking out a new city in Wollongong, New South Wales.”

Luke Clout – P2

“Tonight was good and it was a tough track to race. It had some technical sections in it that meant you had to keep your mind on the job 100% of the time as it was so easy to make a mistake and go down. Once I got past Dan, I just tried to keep doing everything every lap and hit my marks which I was able to do. Justin was just a bit of out of reach, but I wanted to keep the pressure on as you never know what might happen and things can get ugly once lappers come into the equation. But, second is good and I felt good on the track. The CDR Yamaha YZ450F was perfect all night and I’m feeling more confident with every round we do.”

Dan Reardon – P3

“The fall in practice rattled me a little and that section had me second guessing it most of the night, I tried to put it behind me, and I saw that nearly every rider was having some issues with it but that’s part of racing supercross. The main event was good without being great. The first few laps, Justin and I went backward and forwards a couple of times, but Justin had a bit of speed on me in the whoops and was able to get by. He is world class at whoops. Still, I will take a third and leave here in a pretty good position. The top three of us are only eight points apart and with each round coming, there are different formats and added US based riders so anything can happen.”

Brett Metcalfe – P4

“The night was anything but fun! I crashed in my heat race whilst leading and I crashed again in the final.  I felt I had the pace to be on the podium, but you can’t make the mistakes I made and expect to be racing up front. I am glad I salvaged fourth.  I only sit six points off second and I will be doing everything I can to get back up there.”

Richie Evans – P5

I’m pretty happy with that, I know I’m not at the speed of the guys in front of me, but I wanted to get good track position early and then continue to do everything every lap and I was able to do that for the majority of the 20 laps. I could see Metty coming in the final but I didn’t want to do anything crazy, so I just kept my flow going and focused on what I was doing. If he got me, he got me! But, all up I’m really happy with fifth and now I’m fifth in the championship. Thanks to the team as the bike was great again tonight. The new Yamaha 450 works so well and I’m really happy with the suspension set up we have at the moment.”

Dylan Long – P10

“It was a bit of a struggle tonight because I didn’t really find a flow, I can’t really take any positives out of this – I got pushed off the track at the start and sprained my bad wrist, so after that I pumped up. We’ll regroup and come back swinging for the next round.”

In the SX2 class it was Mitchell Oldenburg (Penrite Honda) who claimed the win from Joshua Osby and Aaron Tanti (Serco Yamaha), with the consistent Aaron Tanti claiming the standings lead as a result.

Mitchell Oldenburg – P1

“This is my first time in Adelaide and to take my first win in Australia was amazing! I made some mistakes in Brisbane, but we have rebounded well and I feel confident going into the last three rounds.  I have gelled really well with the bikes and the team has been awesome.”

Aaron Tanti – P3

“I’m pretty stoked to be on the box again this weekend and to leave here with the red plate. The track was tough tonight and the game plan was to reduce as many risks as possible but keep the racing intensity up and we were able to do that. It was a track that riding 15 perfect laps on was impossible, so I just knew what I could do, did them as well as I could for the entire race and stayed away from the crashes and fallen riders. The Serco Yamaha team have been awesome, and my bike was good tonight. We have a couple of weekends off now before round three so there is plenty of time to fine tune things and keep getting better as the series goes on.”

Jay Wilson – P4

“Looking back, I just took too long to find my intensity in the afternoon sessions. I need to find my race pace quicker, get the combo’s worked out faster and get up to race pace in the first session on the track. I wasn’t far off by the main in terms of laps times, but if my day started there, then I will give myself a much better chance at winning a final. When five or six riders are on the same second, then every bit counts. We have a couple of weeks off before round three and just pure intensity is what I will work on in the break. I feel a round win isn’t far away and we are still right in the hunt for the championship.”

Chris Blose – P5

“The night was a really trying, however, that’s racing and these things happen. I know the final result is not reflective of my racing… it’s a bitter pill to swallow when incidents like these occur for two rounds in a row. I will take the positives and regroup ahead of Round Three.”

Bradley Taft – P9

“Tonight, honestly, it didn’t go that good. Practice went well, but I struggled to get comfortable with the track in qualifying. In the heat I was seventh, so went direct to the main, but I completely messed up the start. I ended up coming away with a ninth, so not happy at all, and we’ll get back to work.”

Jacob Hayes – DNF

“I was probably a bit impatient, I could see the top five or six riders were all pretty tight and I wanted to get to the front as quickly as I could. Being a 15 lap final, I had more time and should have just picked my way forward. Fortunately, aside from feeling battered and a bit of a headache, I’m doing ok. I will take a couple of days off to rest up and then get stuck back into it. Three rounds and three round wins would be a nice way to finish off the championship.”

Middleton & McKinnon reign at 2019 Australian Trial Championships

With perfect weather the 2019 Australian Trial Championships was held on the unique rocky terrain of Mt Joy in Tasmania last weekend providing a mix of obstacles to test the riders in their respective classes.

29-year-old NSW rider Kyle Middleton once again re-wrote the history books by becoming the first rider to win seven straight Australian Solo Trial Championships, with near perfect scores. After scoring a phenomenally perfect score of zero points on Saturday, the New South Welshman went on to score only five-points on Sunday, which saw him once again winning the Australian Championships finishing with only five-points to his name for the weekend.

33-points off Middleton in second place was Colin Zarczynski with 38-points and Connor Hogan was only one point behind in third. Tasmania’s Chris Bayles finished fourth overall and Timothy Coleman followed closely in fifth.

Kyle Middleton

“To be honest, the weekend went so smoothly that I can’t say there were any low lights and even highlights were hard to find because it was all so good. This is my seventh now, I think they all mean different things. The first was just such a great feeling to finally achieve the goal I’d been striving for. Every year I have something I need to prove to myself and this year was probably just focusing on myself, believing in myself and being calm. I’ve never ridden as calm or focused as I did on the weekend so to be able to achieve my goal just gives me satisfaction that I’m still able to improve and keep pushing my level up.”

In the Women’s class Kristie McKinnon was at the top of her game all weekend and showed the crowd what champions are scoring only one-point on Day 1. She then went into Sunday cruising through every section in spectacular form, scoring a perfect zero. This saw Kristie finishing with a grand total of only one-point and her tenth Australian Championship in the Women’s category.

The Women’s class was very low scoring with championship runner up Lillie Yiatrou on 18-points, Kaitlyn Cummins coming in a close third on 24-points, Sarah Chivers fourth and Nicole Casey rounding up the top five.

Kristie McKinnon

“It’s always a great achievement to win at the Australian Championships and this year was no exception. It was a highlight to be travelling to Tasmania for the Championships, I have ridden a few events down there at the same venue and there is always such a great relaxed atmosphere, the Tasmanian Trials community certainly know how to run events!”

The 2019 Huon Aquaculture Australian Trial Championship saw the following riders crowned Australian Champions for 2019:

2019 Australian Trial Champions

• Trial 1 – Kyle Middleton
• Trial 2 – Luke Anderson
• Trial 3 – Matthew Woodhouse
• Trial 4 – Zak Lunn
• Women – Krisite McKinnon
• Junior 12 – Under 16 – Haydon Barwick
• Junior 9 – Under 13 – Benjamin Walling
• Junior Women 9 – Under 13 – Bridie Sutton
• Veterans 40 – 55 – Don Murray
• Veterans 55 plus – Steve Johnson
• Classic – Leo Nolan

Maxime Renaux claims 2019 French Beach Race opener victory

Round 1 of the French Beach Race championship kicked off over the weekend, with Maxime Renaux claiming the win in the Gold Final from Nathan Watson and Jeffrey Dewulf.

Nathan Watson’s defence of his French Beach Race Championship title began with a strong second-place finish in the deep sand of Berck in northern France, after a come-from-behind ride in the Gold Final.

The Berck Beach Sand Cross saw competitors face two qualification heats before entering the main event final. Different from the traditional three-hour beach race format, the Gold Final was played out over 25 minutes plus one lap. The short course, combined with deep sand and heavy traffic, ensured closely fought racing.

Eager to make a strong start to his title defence, Nathan Watson began his weekend confidently. Immediately feeling at home in the soft sand, he rode his KTM 450 SX-F to a pair of commanding wins in his qualification heats, while also setting the outright fastest time.

Determined to carry that pace into the Gold Final, an over-eager launch at the start saw him touch the starting gate, resulting in the loss of valuable places. But a fast opening lap put Nathan into the lead before a mistake shortly after resulted in a small, but costly crash. On a traffic filled track, the Brit worked hard to regain positions during the short moto and eventually ended his race in second position.

Nathan Watson

“Leading every lap to win both my heat races saw the weekend get off to a perfect start. I felt really comfortable with everything and by setting the fastest lap time I knew my speed was there to win the Gold Final. But I misjudged the start and tipped the starting gate. I lost a few places, but a charge on the opening lap got me into the lead. However, another small crash cost me the lead again and I slipped down the running order. I lost my rhythm and didn’t quite get back to the pace I had in the heats. With the lap being short and the sand so deep, it’s probably the most unforgiving of tracks to make mistakes on. Despite those errors I’m pleased I got back to second and grabbed good points ahead of round two next weekend.”

The Championnat de France des Sables continues with round two in Loon-Plage on October 26-27.

2019 Berck Beach Sand Cross Result – Gold Final

1. Maxime Renaux (FRA), Yamaha, 9 laps 29:18.050
2. Nathan Watson (GBR), KTM, 9 laps 29:30.600 +12.55
3. Jeffrey Dewulf (FRA), KTM, 9 laps 29:50.070 + 32.02
4. Todd Kellett (GBR), Yamaha,9 laps 30:32.400 +1:14.350
5. Milko Potisek (FRA), Yamaha, 9 laps 30:39.640 +1:21.590

Nestaan-MX to run Husqvarna MX2 effort in 2020 with Jed Beaton

Husqvarna have confirmed the signing of a multi-year agreement with Nestaan-MX, who will manage and run the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 team from 2020 onwards. Based in Belgium, the team becomes Husqvarna’s officially supported MX2 representatives in the FIM Motocross World Championship.

Owned by Kay Hennekens, Nestaan-MX have been involved in Motocross World Championship competition for many years and will operate from a new workshop in Lommel, Belgium. Overseeing the operational, sporting and developmental aspects of the team, while actively assisting with the professional development of all team riders, former racer and rider coach Rasmus Jorgensen has been appointed as team manager.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing will field three riders in 2020, racing on FC 250 machinery. Competing in the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship will be Thomas Kjer Olsen and Jed Beaton.

With Kjer Olsen finishing as runner-up in the 2019 MX2 World Championship, the team’s clear goal is to support the Dane in his quest for a maiden world title. Showing impressive speed but unfortunate to have picked up injuries during 2019, Australian Beaton is focused on becoming a regular podium finisher in 2020.

Representing the team in the EMX250 series will be Kay de Wolf, who placed sixth in the 2019 EMX 125 championship. Currently busy with their winter testing programme, the team will make their first official competitive outings in selected pre-season international races early in 2020.

Diego Clement – Motorsport Manager at Husqvarna Motorcycles

“We are extremely proud of our Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teams, which ensure Husqvarna Motorcycles enjoy a strong and successful position within the FIM Motocross World Championship. Partnering with Nestaan-MX, as we do with IceOne Racing in MXGP, gives our MX2 programme an exciting new operational and managerial platform as we move into 2020 and beyond. With experienced people within the team, and a very clear drive to achieve success, we look forward to developing this new relationship with Nestaan-MX. Our goal is clear – to see the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 team continue to enjoy racing success at the highest level.”

Kay Hennekens – Nestaan-MX Team Owner

“It is a huge honour for Nestaan-MX to manage and run Husqvarna Motorcycles’ official MX2 World Championship team. Our absolute goal is to provide the support and structure our riders need to perform at their best, while showcasing Husqvarna Motorcycles and our team partners in a professional, engaging and positive way. We have fantastic staff, all experienced, committed and 100% focused on racing. As team manager Rasmus is young and highly motivated and understands what’s needed to succeed in modern day grand prix motocross. 2020 will be an exciting season for Nestaan-MX and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing.”

Rasmus Jorgensen – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 Team Manager

“Firstly, I want to sincerely thank Robert Jonas, Diego Clement and Kay Hennekens for their belief in me, I am hugely thankful for this opportunity. Continuing to work with and be a part of such a great and experienced motorsport family like Husqvarna Motorcycles is really an honour. Stepping into the official role of team manager is something I am 100% focused on, it’s a new and exciting challenge that I’m really looking forward to. I believe my past experiences and involvement within motocross give me the skills needed to successfully keep Husqvarna at the front in MX2. We have many passionate, hard-working and dedicated people working within the team, all set-up for the 2020 Motocross World Championship. We are fully committed to providing the support Thomas, Jed and Kay need.”