Moto News | Manjimup 15000 | Evans to miss MXGP opener | ISDE is go

Moto News Weekly Wrap
June 8, 2021

What’s New:

• Clout wins 2021 Manjimup 15,000 International MX
• Mitch Evans to miss MXGP opener
• 95th ISDE to go ahead in Italy
• Jeffrey Herlings wins French Elite MX opener
• Yearbury wins NZ Enduro Round 3 at Moonshine Valley
• Daniel Sanders set for Rally Kazakhstan with GasGas
• Lublin added to SGP calendar – Wroclaw becomes SGP double-header
• Ben Grabham returns to the Finke Desert Race
• Lyndon Snograss tops Mason-Dixon GNCC XC2 class
• Big weekend for GYTR YJR in Queensland & WA
• Anderson misses Thunder Valley due to injury
• Ken Roczen sweeps the 2021 Thunder Valley National
• Justin Cooper tops Thunder Valley 250s from Jett Lawrence by one-point
• 2021 Racing Calendars
  • 2021 Provisional MXGP
  • 2021 Yamaha AORC presented by MXStore
  • 2021 Australian Penrite ProMX
  • 2021 Speedway GP
  • 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship
  • 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies
  • 2021 AMA Supercross
  • 2021 GNCC
  • 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross
  • 2021 Progressive American Flat Track
  • 2021 New Zealand Motocross
  • 2021 New Zealand Cross-Country
  • 2021 New Zealand Enduro
  • 2021 Australian Supercross (provisional)
  • And more…

Clout wins 2021 Manjimup 15,000

Manjimup… The venue is steeped in history like few others and winning the Manjimump 15,000 has long been one of the most sought after honours amongst motocross racers. In its heyday, many internationals would travel to the Cosy Creek Circuit, three hours south of Perth, and vie for big prize money while testing themselves against Australia’s best amidst a backdrop of the tall timber that sustains the town of Manjimup itself.

Last weekend’s 2021 Manjimup 15,000 was somewhat of a modern watershed moment for the event with a strong line-up battling it out for the All Stars victories; Brett Metcalfe, Luke Clout, Regan Duffy, Matt Moss, Todd Waters, Jayden Rykers and Aaron Tanti were just some of the big names stoushing it out in the premier MX1 Class.

After four gruelling motos it was Luke Clout that took out top honours, claiming his first-ever victory at the 2021 Berry Sweet Manjimup 15,000 after edging out home-favourite Regan Duffy.

Former Manjimup winner Matt Moss took the early lead in the opening Moto, but was overhauled by Clout who went on to win the opening contest. Duffy did all he could to get around Moss, however ran out of time and finished third behind the multi-time Australian champion.

It was once again Clout and Moss out front in moto two, this time Clout leading early on before running away with the win. Duffy moved by Moss, as did Aaron Tanti, to finish second and third respectively. Moss was fourth for the moto.

Race three proved to be a thriller as Clout and Duffy went toe-to-toe right to the finish line. Duffy wound up half-a-second short of Clout, who again proved too fast for the rest and was now well set for the overall win. The duo finished 26-seconds ahead of third-placed Tanti.

The final outing of the day was once again a Clout and Duffy affair. The Western Australian pounced early, but with the overall pretty much in the bag, Clout settled for second in the fourth moto to comfortably win the overall. Todd Waters scored his best result of the day to claim third.

Overall, it was Clout from Duffy and Tanti. Clout also took out the Allstars Shootout ahead of Waters and Tanti.

Luke Clout – P1

“I always have a great time coming across to WA, the crowd is unreal, and here it reminded me of a mini Motocross of Nations, the vibe is so good. The track is one of my favourites too, such a fast one. I definitely had a solid weekend and I’m stoked to get the win, can’t thank my sponsors enough and a big shout out to my brother / mechanic who worked his ass off over the whole weekend, couldn’t of got the win without him.”

Regan Duffy – P2

“Honestly it was a tough day for me! I just didn’t seem to be flowing with everything in the first two motos. By the time the shootouts came around I felt fast and I finally pulled a hole shot worthy start then my forks had a freak malfunction and blew out going into the first turn! Sadly I couldn’t continue through the rest of the shootout racing. Luckily enough we had a spare set of old forks off a 250 so we chucked them in and had a crack! The third moto I definitely struggled a bit as I hadn’t ridden with the suspension but I kept charging and had an awesome battle with Clout, putting in some crazy fast times. I knew with the last moto being an eight lapper instead of five, like the others, that this was my time to shine. I got a decent start and made my way to the front quite quickly and rode my own race to the end for the win! I was second overall this year to Luke but that last moto felt like I won the thing… the Manjimup crowd is nothing short of insane. Thankyou for the support. Thank you to my dad for working on my bike flat out all day to keep me racing, Nicole for the food, Mathew Maddocks and Liam Atkinson for the goggle and helmet prep. Shout out to Willie Thomson and his crew for running such an awesome event!”

Aaron Tanti – P3

“Had an awesome time racing the Manjimup 15,000 on the weekend. Was my first time doing the event and it definitely lives up to the hype! Was happy to come away with P3 overall and P3 in the shootout against some bad dudes. Thank you to everyone who made it happen and helped out! Can’t wait for next year.”

Evan Browne, Conan Forrester and Revonn Nieuwoudt filld the MX2 podium.

Mitch Evans to miss 2021 MXGP opener

Team HRC’s Mitch Evans will have to sit-out the opening round of the 2021 MXGP season after complications with his wrist injury has deemed him unfit to race in Russia this weekend.

It is a big shame for Evans, who has shown that when he fully fit, he can battle with the top riders in the class, posting numerous top five finishes in what was his rookie MXGP campaign in 2020. Now though, his focus is to try and get 100 per cent healthy so that he can get back to that level and challenge for the podium spots when he returns to racing action.

Mitch Evans

“Obviously, I am really disappointed to have to miss Russia and the start of this season. I have tried my hardest to be ready but we just aren’t in a position where I feel confident I can give it my best shot and perform at the level that I expect from myself. Everyone at Team HRC has shown their support during this difficult time and it is now up to me to make sure that I am back ready to compete in the shortest timeframe possible. A big thanks to my team and all my fans around the world, and hopefully I’ll be able to see you at a racetrack soon.”

Central Coast Cup this weekend at Somersby

The 2021 Honda / The Construction Team Central Coast Cup dirt track motorcycle meeting is on this weekend as a one-day event on Sunday June 13 at the Allen Park track at Somersby.

Since its inception in 2005 the Central Coast Cup meeting has established itself as one of the major non-championships meetings on the dirt track calendar but this year it falls in between an Australian Championship meeting and a New South Wales Championship meeting two weeks either side of it.

Even with entry numbers down on previous years Central Coast Junior Motor Cycle Club President David Smith Snr. said that the club is committed to staging the meeting for the competitors who have supported the event.

Looking down the honour roll of winners in both the senior and junior (13 to Under 16s) classes you quickly realise how significant the Central Coast Cup is.

The senior class has been won by previous, or future, Australian champions and even a future world champion. David Smith will be striving to become the first rider to win the Senior event for a fourth time, but he faces a stern task to do so.

Harrison Ryan will also be out to achieve an unusual double as he is aiming to become the third Junior Cup winner to go on to win the Senior Event. David Smith and his brother Peter are joined by another pair of brothers Angus and Rory Hutchison in the line-up.

Boyd Hollis, who won the Casey Stoner Cup meeting late last year, and the fast-starting Luke Bush are two others expected to serious contenders. There will definitely be a new name on the Junior Cup honour roll, with two contenders standing out as favourites.

Kurri Kurri Junior Club rider Cameron Dunker and host club rider Cody Lewis loom as the stand-out contenders.

The younger age brackets will have to wait to be able to chase Central Coast Cup honours but their racing invariably provides plenty of close, hard-fought racing which augers well for the future of the sport.

Also on the programme to add to the variety will be races for older riders (Over 35s) and older bikes (pre1995). The 8-lap finals of both the Junior and Senior Cup will wrap up the program on Sunday afternoon after action gets underway at 10 am. Entry fee for spectators this weekend will be $10 per vehicle payable at the gate as a tax deductible donation to the St Johns First Aid.

The Allen Park track is situated at Debenham Road North, Somersby. For more information see – http://www.ccjuniormotorcycleclub.org.au.

95th ISDE to go ahead in Italy

With registration now finally closed, after the extension due to the pandemic situation, the 95th edition of the FIM International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE) in Italy now has a full list of entrants. This includes 29 nations and a total of more than 200 teams of which 160 will participate in the Club Team Award plus the entire Italian team of 150 riders.

At the time of writing, the 2021 ISDE has received confirmation that it has been approved as a recognised international event by the Italian authorities, meaning that all participating riders and staff members are exempt from the normal quarantine requirements. Obviously all other COVID protocols and rules will still need to be respected, full details of which will be confirmed in due course.

National teams entered for both the World Trophy and the Junior Trophy include, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States The other federations that will compete solely for the World Trophy are Austria, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Venezuela. The Chilean and Norwegian federations will also be present with their respective Junior teams.

Eight national teams will contest the Women’s World Trophy: France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

In the meantime, the organisation proceeds according to the programme with the definition of the details of the route that will be developed for the first three days, mainly in the province of Pavia going up the Staffora Valley, and the following two days, the fourth and fifth plus a part of the third, in the adjacent Val Curone in the province of Alessandria.

The competition days will offer a single lap for each day with a diversified programme and route for day 1/2 and 3, plus 4/5. There will be six special stages on each race day, three cross tests and three enduro tests.

In the initial two days, the four scheduled time checks will be in Ponte Nizza (twice), in Casanova di Staffora and in Varzi, a total of 192 kilometres will be covered. There will be three time checks on the third day, in Varzi and Ponte Nizza (twice), about 195 kilometeres in total.

The fourth day will be spent in Piedmont with a tour of just under 200 kilometres used as it is also for the last stage: five time checks, in Monleale to and from the start, then Garbagna, Fabbrica Curone and San Sebastiano Curone.

The cross test on the sixth day, 4 September, has been moved as is well known, to the Tazio Nuvolari facility in Cervesina, which is about 20 kilometres from the paddock. A mixed dirt and 10% asphalt track in the internal area of the circuit will be created especially for the Six Days.

Jeffrey Herlings wins French Elite MX opener

The opening round of the French Championship at Ernée attracted a truly world-class entry as many GP teams and riders took the opportunity to complete their final preparations before the 2021 GP premiere.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were active in France over the weekend in national competitions for final ‘warm-up’ outings ahead of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship. Jeffrey Herlings and Tom Vialle won their respective classes at Ernée for the first round of the French Elite series.

It was also the first racing opportunity for the Kawasaki Racing Team since their success at the Italian International Championship more than three months ago.

Herlings, steering his factory KTM 450 SX-F, took his second win in as many weekends (after success in the UK), with a 2-1 scorecard. The Dutchman barreled through from a mediocre start in the first moto but aced his launch in the second outing to beat Romain Febvre to the checkered flag.

Jeffery Herlings

“I was fastest in qualifying by a good margin! I had a bad start in the first moto but came from mid-pack to be on the rear wheel of the winner by the end. I pulled a holeshot in the second and could lead, control and win it. My feeling was alright on the track. The bike was working well but I had a bit of arm-pump. Overall, some good work done for Russia.”

Wheelspin at the gate cost Febvre a top-six start in the first race but he was soon on the charge and, setting the fastest laps of the race, was established in third by lap four and confirmed his speed over a full race distance by closing down the front two in the final minutes. An impressive second-placed start in race two saw the Kawasaki rider, who again set the fastest lap, pressure the leader to the finish as they outdistanced the chasers by no less than thirty-six seconds; his 3-2 moto placing’s secured third overall on the day.

Romain Febvre

“I’m happy with this weekend; we had good weather and a very nice track. That’s why we came here; we knew that the track would be very well prepared! In the first race I spun at the gate, came back sixth, then third, but was still making a few mistakes. However I had good speed racing together with Herlings and came back close to the leader. My second start was much better in second position behind Jeffrey and we were close all race with the gap always between one and two seconds; I was close but I never had the possibility to pass him even if there were many lines on the track. I’m ready for the GP season; I’m not afraid to say that I have never been so well-prepared. It was a long winter but we did a good job with the team; the bike is really good and mentally I feel confident. I showed again today that I have a good speed and a good rhythm.“

Vialle used the KTM 250 SX-F to defeat countryman Thibault Benistant in both motos. The MX2 World Champion claimed a comfortable second race by almost seventeen seconds. Also active in MX2 was Vialle’s teammate Rene Hofer. The Austrian made a lively getaway in the first moto before collecting 4th place by the finish. Hofer would occupy the same slot in the overall classification after a small crash meant 5th position in the second race.

Tom Vialle

“A nice day. The track was good to ride and my results were decent. I was 1st in practice and then passed Rene in the first moto. I had a bit of arm-pump but this is pretty normal as it was my first race in almost six months! In the second I had the holeshot and won with pretty good lap-times. Today was fun and went well. I’m ready for the first GP.”

Ivo Monticelli again showed the advances he has made since joining KRT and was fifth overall on the day.

Ivo Monticelli

“It was good to be back racing; it had been like another winter as it was more than three months since our three races at the start of the year in Italy. Today was almost a mini-GP so it was nice to see where we are and I had two good starts. The first moto I got really bad arm pump at the end after not racing for so long but the speed was already there. I could pass Seewer for third in the second race but I took a stone on the front brake and had to take care during the second half. Romain and Jeffrey are another level, but we could see that I can stay close to the top five; the work we did this winter is already paying off. You never know where you are until you get to race with the others; now I look forward to showing my speed with a good result in Russia next week.”

Mathys Boisrame also finished on the podium for the F&H Kawasaki Racing Team in the MX2 class, taking the chequered flag third in each moto after topping his qualification group during the morning.

Mathys Boisrame

“I had a good feeling on this nice track and I already had a good result in the timed practice period. The first race was not that easy. My start was not so good but I came back to second; then I made a mistake and crashed back to fourth but I finished third with good lap times and good lines. In the second moto I was nearly last at the start but I came back to third again so in the end it was a good result for me.”

French Elite Championship, Rnd1, Ernée
MX1 Overall Result

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Jeremy Seewer (SWI), Yamaha
3. Romain Febvre (FRA), Kawasaki
4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED), Yamaha
5. Ivo Monticelli (ITA), Kawasaki

MX2 Overall Result

1. Tom Vialle (FRA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Thibault Benistant (FRA), Yamaha
3. Mathys Boisrame (FRA), Kawasaki
4. Rene Hofer (AUT), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
5. Tom Guyon (FRA), KTM

Yearbury wins NZ Enduro Round 3 at Moonshine Valley

By Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

After two brutal and unforgiving, back-to-back days of racing, there was just one-second to separate the top two finishers at round three of the 2021 New Zealand Enduro Championships at the weekend.

The third round of five in the Yamaha-sponsored series was held in forestry in the Moonshine Valley, halfway between Porirua and Upper Hutt, over the Queen’s Birthday Weekend, the tricky terrain certainly putting riders to the test and ensuring the margins between success and failure were ever so small.

It was a gruelling double-header event, with riders racing two consecutive days in the Akatarawa Forest, albeit with Sunday’s racing in a few different sectors of the forest than had been raced on the previous day, and it was the cream of New Zealand’s dirt bike racing talent that rose to the top.

Best of the bunch were close friends and fierce rivals Dylan Yearbury and Tommy Buxton, with Oparau’s young enduro racing rookie James Scott, Whanganui’s 2019 national enduro champion Seth Reardon and Taupo’s national junior cross-country champion Wil Yeoman the most impressive.

Thames’ multi-time former New Zealand and international championship winner Chris Birch, Palmerston North’s two-time former United States cross-country champion Paul Whibley, Wainuiomata’s eight-time former New Zealand trials champion Jake Whitaker and Wairoa’s 2021 national cross-country champion Tommy Watts also shone out at the weekend.

Helensville’s Buxton won Saturday’s phase of the action by 13 seconds from Cambridge rider Yearbury.

Yearbury responded by going on the attack on Sunday, the Waikato man wiping out the time deficit and reasserting himself at the top of the standings.

Yearbury won day two by 14 seconds from Buxton and he therefore took the weekend’s overall honours by a solitary second.

Dylan Yearbury

“Well, the weekend went not too bad in the end. I finished 13 seconds behind Tommy on Saturday, but I caught up that time and won Sunday by 14 seconds, so that gave me the overall win. It was extremely close… two days of racing and just one second between us in the end. That’s pretty incredible really. I had a small crash on Saturday and then had an incident when I stalled the bike on Sunday… and it is little mistakes like those that can spell the difference in the end. The course at Moonshine was pretty fast in a lot of places and not too technical, but I was okay with that. With just two rounds to go, I need to minimise my mistakes. A slip-up now could be costly.”

The 19-year-old Scott finished the weekend third overall, 53 seconds behind Buxton, the recently-crowned national motocross championships No.2 (in the 250cc class) showing great versatility to take a 450cc enduro bike and seamlessly transfer his skills from one bike code to the other.

Motorcycling New Zealand enduro commissioner Justin Stevenson said the course at Moonshine was certainly tough, but he was also pleased to report that there were no injuries all weekend.

Justin Stevenson

“That’s a credit to the host club. The course featured a few very steep down-hills, but the club did a wonderful job of marking it well to ensure the safety of riders.”

It could be a winner-takes-all final two days of racing, at separate venues in the Wairarapa Region, next weekend. Round four is set for farmland near Masterton on Saturday, June 12, with the fifth and final round due to be fought near Martinborough the following day.

The 2021 Yamaha NZ Enduro Championships are supported by Mitas tyres Macaulay Metals, Best Build Construction, Silver-bullet and Kiwi Rider magazine.

Daniel Sanders set for Rally Kazakhstan with GasGas

Daniel Sanders is the newest member of the GasGas Rally team and will be competing the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship this year, with Rally Kazakhstan.

Held in the west of the country, and based in the coastal city of Aktau, Rally Kazakhstan will cover a total distance of 2,270 km, of which 1,465 km will be timed special stage with competitors racing through the mixed terrain of the Mangystau region.

June 8 will see the traditional ceremonial start, held on the Caspian Sea shore of Aktau City, that will then be followed by five tough days of racing, including one marathon stage, before the finish on June 13. Both Sunderland and Walkner will be looking to get their world championship campaigns off to a positive start with strong performances in the Kazakhstan dirt.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland and Matthias Walkner are ready to compete at the first round of the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship – Rally Kazakhstan – taking place from June 7-13.

Sam Sunderland

“I am feeling good at the moment. We’ve been doing some really constructive testing with the team in Spain, and it’s been great to get the feel of things back after Dakar. We’ve made some changes to the bike’s settings, mostly with the suspension so it’s good to make some really positive steps there. I’m looking forward to seeing how they work out in a full race situation. The goal for me for this year is to keep the number one on my bike, which I won in 2019. Obviously, with no championship last year I’m still carrying the #1 plate. Hopefully, a strong start to the series in Kazakhstan will lead to another good year.”

Matthias Walkner

“I’m super excited to start the world championship season, it feels great to be back on the rally bike again. The first round is looking really interesting because hardly any of the leading riders have been to Kazakhstan and so the race should be a good test for all of us. I’m really looking forward to racing in a new country and experiencing some different landscapes. My preparation in the off-season has been going well. I’ve really tried to focus on my bike skills – getting back out on the motocross bike and working on my speed. Testing in Spain has gone well, we made some good changes and I’m really happy with how I feel on the bike. The plan now is to do my best at round one of the championship and keep working hard for the rest of the year.”

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides and Skyler Howes are also set for the rally. For Benavides, the race marks the first competitive outing since his injury at the Dakar in January, while for Howes, it will be his first FIM event since signing for the team earlier this year.

Luciano Benavides

“Thankfully I’m feeling really good right now. It’s been three months since I had surgery on my shoulder after Dakar, and so I feel like new again. A lot of the time since then I have been training hard to get back to 100 percent, and more recently I have been in Spain with the team, back on the rally bike and working on my navigation. I really want to come back to competition even more prepared than ever. For me, when I have a crash or an injury it often motivates me to come back even stronger and that is what I have been working on. The changes we have made to the bike seem to be good – I felt more comfortable straight away and that is important for my confidence going into round one of the world championship. My plan for the race is to get a strong finish, I will take it day by day and try not to make any mistakes. I’m really looking forward to starting racing again now!”

Skyler Howes

“Everything has been going really well since joining the team. It’s been a nice, smooth transition from privateer to factory rider and thankfully because of that I’ve had time to not only work on setting up the bike, but also on myself in terms of focus and fitness. I have done a couple of races already in the U.S. and they both went well with me finishing as runner-up twice. Since then, I have come to Spain to do more road book training and get better acquainted with the team. I’m really looking forward to racing my first FIM event for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, but the major goal is to get more time on the bike and try and build my confidence as the year goes on and we get close to Dakar 2022.”

Lublin added to SGP calendar – Wroclaw becomes SGP double-header

The FIM and BSI Speedway have announced that Poland’s Motor Lublin Speedway will replace Warsaw as host venue for round five of the 2021 FIM Speedway Grand Prix series on Saturday, August 7.

The 2021 Warsaw FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland was cancelled earlier this year due to the impacts of and uncertainty surrounding Covid-19.

This will mark the first time Motor Lublin Speedway has staged an FIM Speedway Grand Prix round, having successfully hosted the rescheduled 2020 Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final last year.

The club previously staged Polish Second Division racing until 2017, before back-to-back promotions saw them join the PGE Ekstraliga for the first time in 2019.

The event will be open to fans, and the FIM and BSI Speedway are working with the club and local authorities to ensure the 2021 Lublin FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland is staged in accordance with local health and safety regulations at the time of the event in August. Ticket information will be released in due course.

The FIM and BSI Speedway have also announced that the 2021 Betard Wroclaw FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland will now be a double-header event, taking place on July 30 and 31 at the Olympic Stadium. Each night, riders will compete for the maximum 20 points per SGP round.

The Betard Wroclaw SGP double-header follows the 2021 Anlas Czech Republic FIM Speedway Grand Prix, which starts off the 2021 FIM Speedway Grand Prix season on July 16 and 17, and will also be a double-header event.

Ben Grabham returns to the Finke Desert Race

Aussie off-road racing icon Ben Grabham is a massive eleventh hour addition to an already crackerjack field for the 2021 Finke Desert Race (FDR), which will be held in the Northern Territory on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend (June 12-14). Grabham, who sits equal third in the FDR hall of fame with four victories, has come off the waiting list to gain a last-minute entry.

The triumphant return for the Bathurst (NSW) native will see him on a Sherco 300 SEF Factory two-stroke under the Motul Pirelli Sherco Racing Team umbrella. His mini comeback to open terrain competition will also encompass the Hattah Desert Race from July 2-4 – another event where he is a multiple former champion.

As far as the FDR is concerned, it will only be ‘Grabbo’s’ second appearance in the annual showpiece – a high-speed 460km return journey from Alice Springs to the small township of Finke – since 2014.

Grabham, who now runs a coaching business specialising in one-on-one riding tuition, recently competed in round two of the Australian Hard Enduro Championship for the Motul Pirelli Sherco Racing Team, finishing in a strong fourth position.

Ben Grabham

“I’ve always wanted to ride a two-stroke at Finke and I’ve really loved riding the Sherco in the extreme enduro events, so everything has just fallen into place. It’s something different, too, and it just feels right to be heading into the cauldron of Finke one again.”

Meanwhile, the Mallee Motorcycles-supported Nathan Trigg will be another Sherco hotshot in action at the Finke Desert Race, contesting the heavily subscribed 251-450cc class on his 450 SEF Factory as well as pushing for outright honours. Trigg has three top 10 outright finishes at the FDR with a best result of sixth in 2017 and victory in the 251-450cc four-stroke class in 2018.

Nathan Trigg

“I’m really happy with my lead-up to the event, and I’ve completed a lot of off-bike training to really get myself into shape. I’m just going to ride my own race and have a heap of fun – you ride better when you’re having fun. I know the pace that I can ride at comfortably, so we’ll see what transpires when I cross the finish line.”

The prologue for the 2021 Finke Desert Race will be held on Saturday, June 12, which will determine the starting order for the run to Finke on Sunday. Then it will all happen in reverse on Monday, with the leading riders expected to complete the event in around four hours.

The race record of three hours, 46 minutes and 55 seconds is held by Toby Price at an average speed of nearly 122km/h.

Lyndon Snograss tops Mason-Dixon GNCC XC2 class
XC1

Round 8 of the 2021 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series continued on Sunday in Pennsylvania with the fourth Annual Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon GNCC. Over 1,070 off-road motorcycle racers took to the trails on Sunday, totalling over 1,900 riders throughout the course of the weekend.

As the green flag waved it was Layne Michael jumping off the line to grab the $100 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award. Not long after heading into the woods, Benjamin Kelley would make his move into the lead position.

Kelley would continue to hold the lead position for the first two and a half hours of the race as Steward Baylor Jr. continued to work his way through the pack. Kelley and Baylor would come through the finish line as the white flag waved, indicating one more lap to go, with just 8 seconds separating the two. As the pair made their way out on the last lap, Baylor would be able to make the pass for the lead.

After a grueling three-hour race with temperatures in the 90’s, Kelley would be unable to retaliate. Baylor would make his way to the finish line 14 seconds ahead of Kelley to earn his fifth win of the season. With one more round before the Summer Break, Baylor sits four points behind Kelley in the National Championship standings.

Jordan Ashburn came through to earn his second overall podium finish of the season. Ashburn quickly made his way towards the front of the race, battling between third and fourth place for the duration of the race. As the two-lap board came out Ashburn found himself in fourth and would put his head down and push. As he came back through timing and scoring he was up to third with one more lap to go. Ashburn would come through the finish line with a 10 second gap between himself and fourth place.

Finishing just off the podium was Josh Strang. After earning the win at round 7 Strang was eager to battle at the front once again. However, after a mid-pack start to the day he would have to battle through the XC1 Open Pro competition for the first part of the race. Strang would go back-and-forth with Ashburn for the last couple of laps, but he would be unable to make a pass back for the podium.

After a tough day of battling Josh Toth would come through to finish fifth in Pennsylvania. After starting the day in sixth, Toth would move into fifth and make a charge for the podium late in the race. With the dust and heat throughout the race, Strang would make his way back around Toth on the last lap. Toth would follow him to the finish, coming through just 3 seconds off Strang.

XC2 250 Pro

In the XC2 250 Pro class it was Lyndon Snodgrass coming through to earn his first-ever XC2 win. Snodgrass would get a good jump off the line and make a pass for the lead very early in the opening lap. Snodgrass would continue to lead the way in XC2 throughout the entire three-hour race. Snodgrass came through 13 seconds ahead of his competition.

Another newcomer to the podium in XC2 was Chile’s Ruy Barbosa. After a great start to the race, Barbosa held onto third until he made the pass for second on lap three. Barbosa would continue to hold off the competitors behind him, coming through the finish line 5 seconds ahead of the No. 1 machine.

Craig DeLong had a good start, charging to the first turn a little too hard which would cause him to go down and ultimately head into the woods last in his class. As DeLong found a steady pace, he would continue to pick off the competition and work his way towards the front. As the two-lap board came out DeLong found himself running third in the class. DeLong would be unable to catch the two front-runners, but he would continue to push his way towards the finish line.

Continuing to run inside the top-five throughout the race was Liam Draper. As the green flag waved, Draper would be off to a good starting as he came through fourth on the opening lap. Draper continued to push ahead, but he would have to battle with several XC2 competitors to hold that fourth place position. Draper came through to take the position with 53 seconds to spare.

Johnny Girroir did not have the race he was hoping for after getting tangled up in the first turn with DeLong and then snapping off his shifter right after a fuel stop in the pits. Girroir would continue to charge, having to make another pit stop on the next lap to replace his shifter. With two laps remaining in the race Girroir would make the pass for fifth in the class, and he had set his sights ahead of him. He would ultimately be unable to make up more time as he come through the finish line fifth for the day. Girroir continues to hold the class points lead after eight rounds of racing.

After grabbing the $100 Hot Cams XC2 Holeshot Award, Mike Witkowski would continue to run at the front of the pack trying to put together a good race. However, after five laps of racing Witkowski would return to his pits feeling the effects of the heat and humidity.

FMF XC3 Pro-Am

In the FMF XC3 Pro-Am class it was Ben Parsons earning his second-straight win of the season. Parsons would jump out to the early lead on lap one and continue to push himself ahead. Parsons would lead from start to finish, sitting eight points out of second place in the points standings.

Coming through to earn second was Chase Colville. After a good start to the day Colville battled throughout the race in the third place position with Jake Froman, who grabbed the $100 Lojak Cycle Sales XC3 Holeshot Award. Colville and Froman went back-and-forth with Colville making the pass for second stick on the last lap of the race. Froman would hold onto third, his first podium finish of the season.

The Mason-Dixon Top Amateur honors went to 250 A winner, Kawasaki Team Green’s Joseph Cunningham after a 17th overall finishing position. Second on the amateur podium was another Kawasaki Team Green rider, Grant Davis. David earned the win in the 4-Stroke A Lites class and a 22nd overall finishing position. Tristan Landrum finished second in 250 A and 23rd overall, rounding out the top amateur podium.

WCX

In the 10 a.m. race it was Korie Steede jumping out the WXC early lead after earning the Trail Jesters $100 WXC Holeshot Award. However, after one lap she would be unable to hold off her fellow WXC competitors as they came around on the second lap.

Becca Sheets made her way into the lead spot after one lap and would continue to push throughout the next three laps of racing. Sheets would come through to earn her fifth win of the season and extender her points lead by 14 points.

Mackenzie Tricker made her way back to the WXC podium with a second place finish. Tricker would start out the day in third, but she would push her way into second and battle with AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer for the duration of the two-hour race. Archer would round out the top three WXC finishers at the Mason-Dixon.

Coming through to earn his sixth Youth overall win of the season was Virginia’s Cole Forbes. Nicholas Defeo and Caleb Lane came through to finish second and third overall and in the YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class. Robert Weiss claimed the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. class win with Ryan Amancio and Andrew Segars rounding out the top three in the class. Mason Raynor earned his fifth win of the season in the 85cc (7-11) class, while Ryder Sigety clinched the 85cc (12-13) class win. Nash Peerson and Hunter Hawkinberry earned the 65cc class wins, with Ellie Winland taking the Girls (8-15) win.

The Mason-Dixon AMSOIL Moto Hero recipient was Pennsylvania’s own, Doug Whitmer. Doug served in the Pennsylvania National Guard as a Staff Sargent, and he was an airborne & air assault instructor. Doug was a GNCC Pro ATV racer from 1987 through 1991 and then was the mechanic for 8-time Champion, Barry Hawk.

Doug continues to work in the GNCC Racing community as a mechanic on the Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing Team and has two boys that race in the 250 A (Cole Whitmer) and 250 B (Lane Whitmer) classes. He goes home with a $250 AMSOIL Shopping Spree, Kanati Truck Tires from GBC, a Commemorative American Flag from Columbia Flag & Sign Co. plus a gift certificate for their online store. He also earned a pair of 100% military appreciation goggles and an ARMA Black Edition Box full of supplements and gear.

GNCC Racing will continue on June 26 and 27 at Snowshoe Mountain Resort for the Yamaha Racing Snowshoe GNCC event.

2021 The General GNCC Results

Big weekend for GYTR YJR in Queensland & WA

It was another big weekend for the GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing Teams with high profile events in Queensland and Western Australia and plenty of success at each end of the country.

The WA boys took on junior day at the Manjimup 15000 with Jake Rumens and Deegan Fort taking to the track at the prestigious event. Fort continued his good form in the 2021 season and finished up on the podium in both the 65 and 85cc classes. In fact, he finished second on both bikes and recorded eight straight second place finishes across the four races he contested on each capacity.

Jake Rumens also landed on the podium, finishing second in the 12-15 years 85cc class with 1-2-2-2 results in the four motos raced on the weekend. Rumens continually fired his YZ85 to the front of the pack and battled for the race lead with some spirited riding. Rumens was also able to pull down sixth place on his YZ125 in the 13-15 years division to make it a solid day for the team.

Queensland

The rolling red clay of Echo Valley in Toowoomba hosted the fifth and final round of the Sunshine State Motocross Series and the track was in perfect condition for the weekend. With the series averaging around 400 riders per round, it has again proven extremely popular for riders in South East Queensland and still going strong after 25 years.

The Queensland pairing of Kobe Drew and Jake Cannon were in town to put the finishing touches on an impressive performances so far in the series. Drew had over a 70 point lead in both classes he contested while Cannon had a 25 point gap over his nearest rival on the 85 and was looking to lock down a podium on the 125.

The day started strongly for Drew and he was determined to stamp his authority on the field. Despite not being well in the lead up to the final round, he managed to secure the perfect six race wins from six starts and take both the round and series victory in the 13- 15 years 125cc and the 13-15 years 250cc classes. It was a dominant performance by Drew who claimed 14 race wins out of a possible 15 on his YZ125 and 13 out of 15 on his YZ250F.

Right alongside Drew on the 13-15 years 125cc podium was teammate, Jake Cannon. Cannon has been a big improver on his 125 as the series progressed and to finish the day in second place and and second in the series was a sensational effort. He finished with 2-3-3 results on the day and showed plenty of speed and endurance.

Cannon also claimed the win in the 12-15 years 85cc class. He came into the final round with a 25 point lead but wanted to finish the series on a strong note. He won the opening two motos of the day and was on track for another three from three when he fell in race three and could do no better than third place. Still, his 1-1-3 results were good enough to take round victory and secure another series win for Yamaha.

In the senior divisions, it was a 1-2 Yamaha finish in the Pro MX2 class with Jayce Cosford taking the series win over Levi Rogers. Both had a challenging final round but had enough points in the bank to secure the top two spots. And in the Women’s class, Taylah McCutcheon dominated all series, winning each and every race on her way to a 15 race sweep of the series.

Anderson misses Thunder Valley due to injury

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson missed the Thunder Valley National due to a broken hand suffered while training in New Mexico and is expected to miss six to eight weeks of the 2021 AMA Pro Motocross Championship as a result.

Stephen Westfall – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team Manager

“It’s very unfortunate that Jason had a crash while practicing, resulting in a broken right hand. We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to having him back to the races ASAP.”

Ken Roczen sweeps the 2021 Thunder Valley National
450 Moto 1

The stars of the 450 Class charged up the hill to start the first 450 Class moto and as they exited the first turn it was Adam Cianciarulo who came away with the MotoSport.com Holeshot ahead of Cooper Webb, Dylan Ferrandis, and Ken Roczen.

Cianciarulo asserted himself out front, but it was Roczen who was on a torrid charge forward. The German moved into third, made the pass on Ferrandis for second, and then stormed past Cianciarulo to seize control of the lead before the completion of the opening lap.

After a highly competitive early phase of the moto Roczen, Cianciarulo, and Ferrandis settled into their positions and put a little distance over the rest of the field. Roczen and Cianciarulo exchanged fast laps at the front of the pack, but just past the 10-minute mark of the moto Cianciarulo edged closer and closer to Roczen’s rear fender.

The Kawasaki rider looked for a spot to make a move and pulled the trigger just past the finish line, with a dive under Roczen that resulted in slight contact that pushed Roczen off his line, which allowed Cianciarulo to move into the lead.

The top three were separated by less than three seconds halfway through the moto and as time continued to elapse that gap only tightened. With less than 10 minutes remaining Ferrandis took advantage of an opening to slip by Roczen for second.

The Frenchman continued to push the pace and closed in on Cianciarulo, who left an inside line open for Ferrandis to slide under and capture the lead with six minutes to go.

Cianciarulo responded and got back under Ferrandis, but the point leader fended him off and sprinted away. Roczen then took advantage of this battle and made the pass for second, which dropped Cianciarulo to third.

Ferrandis and Roczen soon pulled away from Cianciarulo, which made it a head-to-head battle for the moto win. The international duo carved through lapped traffic with ease and Roczen found alternate lines to keep the pressure on Ferrandis.

With just over two laps to go, Roczen made a pass attempt that caught Ferrandis off guard and forced the Frenchman into a miscue that took him off track. The German assumed the lead and pushed hard for the final two circuits to prevent another late push by Ferrandis.

Roczen earned his second moto win of the season by 3.7 seconds over Ferrandis, with Cianciarulo third, Chase Sexton fourth, and Aaron Plessinger fifth.

450 Moto 2

The final 450 Class moto began as Webb surged to the MotoSport.com Holeshot over his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Marvin Musquin, but behind them Roczen was heavy on the throttle again. The Honda rider quickly got by Musquin for second and set his sights on Webb.

The rivals briefly battled for the top spot, but Roczen was relentless and fought his way into the lead. Behind this battle, Cianciarulo fell from third place but remounted quickly while Ferrandis was mired deep inside the top 10 off the start.

Back near the front, the jockey for position changed again as Justin Barcia moved into second and Plessinger fought his way into third.

With a wide-open track ahead of him Roczen put the hammer down and built a lead approaching 10 seconds less than 10 minutes into the moto. That left Barcia, Plessinger, and Cianciarulo to duke it out for the remaining spots on the podium.

As Roczen’s lead grew to double digits, Barcia and Plessinger remained in a tense battle for second throughout the moto, often separated by no more than a second. Behind that battle Ferrandis slowly made his march forward as he moved into the top five and then caught and passed Cianciarulo for fourth with just over 10 minutes left in the moto.

As the moto wound down, Ferrandis made quick work of Plessinger and took over fourth. He then looked to close the deficit to Barcia and make a push for second. As the clock ran out on the 30-minute-plus-two-laps moto Ferrandis found himself within striking distance of Barcia.

The Frenchman was patient and with two laps to go he made his move into second. Out front, Roczen was in a class of his own en route to his third straight moto win. He completed his 1-1 outing 8.9 seconds ahead of Ferrandis, followed by Barcia in third.

Roczen’s impressive outing marked his first sweep of the motos since the 2019 Unadilla National. The 19th win of his career has moved the German to within one victory of tying James Stewart for sixth on the all-time 450 Class wins list.

With his runner-up effort, Ferrandis (2-2) has opened his 450 Class career with a victory and a second-place effort. Cianciarulo rounded out the top three (3-6) with his seventh career podium finish.

Ken Roczen – P1-1

“I honestly don’t know what to say. We haven’t had a perfect weekend like this in a long time. The team and I have done some work this week with suspension, but it just isn’t proven until we race, feel comfortable and get some good finishes. I had the pole position today and won both practices to go into the first moto. We had a great, great battle with Adam [Cianciarulo] and Dylan [Ferrandis] in the first moto, and I was able to be aggressive in the end and clinch that win. That was huge for us; I was really happy with that and felt strong in the end. I tried to get as much recovery as possible between the motos, and honestly, it was really nice before the second moto with the cloud cover—perfect conditions. I really liked how they didn’t go too deep with the tilling on the track, because it allowed us to move around and pretty much use the entire track. I had a lot of fun out there. This track just really suits my style and we ended up going 1-1. It was an incredible day. I was bummed that my family couldn’t be here, but so stoked for my team and myself. It’s just what we needed. It seems like we’re hitting our stride right now and it’s also good to go into an off-weekend.”

Dylan Ferrandis – P2-2

“It’s the second race in a row that I’m on the podium, which is great. We rode great in the first moto, probably one of the best motos of my career, but unfortunately had a small issue that cost me the win. I had a bad start in Moto 2 and was mid-pack, but I gave everything I had and came back through the field and finished second again for second overall. We made some changes on the bike for the second moto, and it was really awesome. It was a good weekend. I’m just happy to be on the box again, and we’ll see if I can get the red plate back at the next race.”

Aaron Plessinger – P5-4

“It was a solid weekend for me. We had some good battles and were consistent with a 4-5 finish to get fifth overall. I’m stoked to have a weekend off. We’ll go back and do some homework and come back for High Point ready as ever!”

Adam Cianciarulo – P3-6

“I think for me it’s getting back into the flow of racing, the race intensity, it’s difficult to mimic that in practice. I was not doing a lot of riding in this off-season. Getting back into the race condition, beginning of the moto my speed is good, but at the end I’m just not strong enough. I can go as fast as those guys I just need more laps, more time, more races. So really just more time on the bike.”

Justin Barcia – P7-3

“My start wasn’t great in the first moto but I worked my way up to seventh and unfortunately that’s where I stayed. I had a couple guys in front of me but I just couldn’t make it happen, which is a little bit frustrating but I re-grouped and got off to a better start in Moto 2. All-in-all, I’m really happy with where we’re at with the bike and we just need to work on a few little things to put myself in a good position to capitalize on some podiums and wins.”

Christian Craig – P6-7

“I had high hopes coming into today after last weekend. It started off rough in the first and second practices. In the first moto, I rode okay and finished fourth, but overall didn’t ride to my potential. In the second moto, I actually rode well, but started last again; I made a bonehead move and started in second gear like normal [instead of first for the high elevation]. I had to ride as hard as I could from there on and finished fifth. Overall, it wasn’t the day I wanted, going 4-5, but we’re back in two weeks and I’m looking forward to High Point. I really like that track and I’m excited to go back to the East Coast.”

Cooper Webb – P8-8

“We’re kind of searching again – we made a lot of bike changes today and I actually felt a lot better in the second moto. I felt like we made the bike a lot better and I was feeling like I finally had some speed and could run up front and then I had a little tip over. That spiked my heartrate and I got all flustered and got passed for ninth but I got back into a good flow and was able to catch Marvin with two to go. It’s a little bit of progress. We have a weekend off, so we’ll try to get the bike a little better, get faster and keep on grinding.”

Marvin Musquin – P9-9

“It was difficult for me to have the pace of the leaders and I just couldn’t do anything more than 9-9 today. I’m not happy with this result but I feel like I couldn’t do much more. We will try to push more during the week leading up to High Point – we have a weekend off, so we’ll try to see what we can do better.”

The win allowed Roczen to move atop the 450 Class point standings. He and Ferrandis are separated by just one point, with Plessinger third, 16 points out of the lead.

450 Results

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Justin Cooper tops Thunder Valley 250s from Jett Lawrence by one-point
250 Moto 1

The first 250 Class moto of the afternoon began when co-point leaders Jeremy Martin and Jett Lawrence emerged at the front of the field. However, a red flag came out for a downed rider before the completion of the opening lap, which necessitated a restart.

When the 40-rider field stormed out the start gate a second time it was Cooper who grabbed the MotoSport.com Holeshot over KTM rider Josh Varize and Jeremy Martin.

It quickly became a battle between teammates as Martin moved into second and gave chase to Cooper. Behind them, RJ Hampshire and the Team Honda HRC duo of Jett and Hunter Lawrence battled for third.

The lead group settled into their positions through the first 10 minutes of the moto, with about a second between the top two and another short gap to Hampshire in third.

As the race neared its halfway point Martin picked up the pace and started to apply pressure on Cooper for the lead. Cooper was able to fend off an initial pass attempt, but Martin didn’t let up and took control of the moto with just over 15 minutes remaining.

The clear track allowed Martin to open up a lead of just over two seconds, but both Cooper and Hampshire kept him within reach. As Martin approached heavy lapped traffic in the final 10 minutes of the moto it allowed Cooper to get a run, which helped him pull away from Hampshire in third and close the gap to Martin.

However, the late push from Cooper was short lived and Martin built a comfortable multi-second advantage that he carried through to the finish for his second moto win of the season. He crossed the line three seconds ahead of Cooper, with Hampshire third, Jett Lawrence fourth, and Hunter Lawrence fifth.

250 Moto 2

The second and deciding 250 Class moto saw Cooper sweep the MotoSport.com Holeshots for the day, with Jett Lawrence right behind. The two riders immediately engaged in an exciting battle for the lead and swapped positions several times before Cooper got a firm hold of the top spot.

Behind them, Martin had to battle back from a bad start after he completed the first lap in 17th place. Out front, Cooper and Lawrence were pursued by Hunter Lawrence in third and Hampshire in fourth, but an early crash took the Husqvarna rider out of contention.

While Cooper and Lawrence controlled the pace of the moto out front, Martin continued his climb through the field and sat just outside the top 10 when he crashed and was eventually forced to retire from the race. With the first moto winner out of contention, the focus shifted to Cooper and Lawrence’s battle.

With just under 20 minutes to go Lawrence saw an opening and made his move with a pass that nearly put Cooper on the ground. Once out front, Lawrence put his head down and laid down some fast laps to open a gap of nearly three seconds.

The lead duo checked out on the rest of the field and built an advantage of more than 20 seconds over Hunter Lawrence in third. Jett Lawrence continued to charge ahead and was able to consistently add to his gap over Cooper as the moto continued.

The young Australian was never challenged the rest of the way and carried on to his second moto win of the season, 15.6 seconds ahead of Cooper while Hunter Lawrence completed the top three.

The consistent effort from Cooper meant his two runner-up finishes were enough to secure the third overall win of his career, which narrowly beat out Jett Lawrence (4-1) by a single point.

Hunter Lawrence joined his brother with his first overall podium result of the season, and the third of his career, in third (5-3). The Lawrences became just the second siblings to ever share a Pro Motocross podium, joining Alex and Jeremy Martin, who first accomplished the historic feat at the 2016 Glen Helen National.

Justin Cooper – P2-2

“I had no idea I won. I’m happy, but not happy. Going 2-2 for the win is awesome, but I should have won one (of the motos). Jett (Lawrence) tested me and it took all my strength to keep that battle going (in Moto 2). We’re definitely getting better and I’m getting a little closer, but we’ve still got some work to do. It’s been a good start to the year, but let’s keep it going and try to get some moto wins.”

Lawrence and Martin entered the afternoon tied atop the 250 Class point standings, but by virtue of Martin’s misfortune Lawrence moved into sole possession of the red plate with a lead of 10 points over Cooper, who moved into second. Martin dropped from first to third, 18-points out of the lead.

Jett Lawrence – P4-1

“Colorado was a bit of an up-and-down day. In qualifying, [Justin] Cooper crushed us, going 2’05”. Then in the first moto, I got a really good first start with second behind J-Mart [Jeremy Martin]. We ended up having a red flag and the next start wasn’t so good. I was in fourth, and the boys were just way faster than me in the first moto. I just had to make sure to put my head down in the second moto and give it to them. I got a really good start. Justin was in front of me and we had a really good battle in the first few laps, going back and forth; I had a lot of fun with that. I knew if I could get him and kind of crack him a little bit, he would feel like he was going to make a mistake, but he made it hard for me and it was fun. I had a lot of fun in that race and it was good racing with Justin. Hopefully we can just keep this going in the next few rounds and maybe click off some more overall wins.”

Hunter Lawrence – P5-3

“Not a bad weekend; not really anything to jump up and down about, but pretty happy with the fact that 5-3 moto scores landed us third overall. I was happy with the start in the second moto. That was really good; especially with the altitude it can be tough with the horsepower, so we got a really good start and perfected that. Obviously the crash wasn’t ideal, but we got up and regrouped really well and were able to make a solid push all the way through to the end, staying in third. I’m happy to be leaving unscathed, fit and healthy, and ready to fight at High Point. We know what we have to work on and will just keep grinding away and get where we want to be.”

Colt Nichols – P9-5

“I made my life really difficult today with two bad starts but my riding was much better this weekend so I’m happy about that. I just need a better start and to have more pace at the beginning of the race. We have something to build on during our weekend off and look to keep building going into High Point.”

Jo Shimoda – P6-4

“The track was really challenging and I didn’t make it easy with my starts. I’m really happy to ride well and have it pay off with a fourth place. I think we can do even better if we get our starts worked out. We get a little time off before High Point so plenty of time to work on that part of our program.”

With his DNF in the second moto, Jeremy Martin finished eighth overall (1-40).

Jeremy Martin

“We had a great first moto, but unfortunately I crashed in Moto 2 and was unable to finish. I’m really bummed. I hit a soft spot when I landed off a jump and the front end just knifed on me. I’ve been managing a Scaphoid fracture on my left wrist for months and a bum left shoulder. I still felt like I could be competitive to win races and contend for this outdoor championship. Unfortunately, stuff happens, and it’s time to get healthy!”

Jalek Swoll – P10-6

“I’m content with the day but not stoked. We’re going in the right direction so there are always some positives to take out of it. I think the more we race, the better the bike will get and the better my fitness and all that kind of stuff will get. By these next few rounds, I should be right up there with the top of them. Just having fun and taking it step by step. I kind of feel like this season is my rookie season because I’ve been hurt every outdoors but I’ve been enjoying the grind and we’ll keep taking it step-by-step.”

Austin Forkner – P13-8

“I didn’t have my best race here in Colorado, but each time we hit the track we’re learning valuable info to keep us moving forward. I’m obviously not happy with my ride, and we’ll be working hard during the weekend off to make big gains for High Point.”

RJ Hampshire – P3-19

“I felt great on the bike again today. I was comfortable and I knew we had a pretty good bike going into the motos, I got a good start in Moto 1 and probably did one of the best motos I’ve ever done in my pro career. In Moto 2, we got a good start and made a simple little mistake that cost me big time. It’s a bummer because it definitely doesn’t show how good we were riding and how good of a spot we’re at physically right now. I tried to dig deep there just to get some points because there was a big shake-up in the championship this weekend, so I’m trying to keep myself in this. We’re headed back east and I think we’re going to continue to get better from here.”

The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will enjoy its first off weekend of the 2021 season before returning to action on June 19 with the GEICO Motorcycle High Point National.

250 Results

2021 Racing schedule

2021 Provisional MXGP Calendar

2021 Yamaha AORC presented by MXStore calendar

2021 Australian Penrite ProMX calendar

2021 Speedway GP Calendar

2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship (Provisional)

2021 Australian Speedway events

2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies calendar

2021 GNCC

2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

2021 Progressive American Flat Track calendar

2021 New Zealand Enduro Championship

FIM Bajas World Cup 2021 (Provisional)

2021 Provisional Australian Supercross dates

• 25 September – Further information TBA
• 9 October – Further information TBA
• 16 October – Further information TBA
• 23 October – Further information TBA
• 30 October – Further information TBA
• 6 November – Further information TBA
• 20 November – Further information TBA
• 27 November – Further information TBA

2021 Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE) Cancelled

2021 Enduro Australian Three Day Vintage Enduro (A3VE)
7-9 May – Blackwood, VIC

2021 Finke Desert Race
11-14 June – Northern Territory

2021 Hattah Desert Race
3-4 July – Hattah, Victoria

2021 Motocross Australian Classic Motocross Championship
9-11 July – Nowra, NSW

2021 Motocross Australian Post Classic Motocross
16-18 July – Nowra, NSW

2021 International Six Day Enduro (ISDE)
30 August – 4 September – Italy

U.S. AMA West ISDE Qualifier Series

• March 20-21: Red Mountain, Calif., Desert MC and Prospectors MC, AMA District 37 Sprint Enduro
• April 17-18: Campwood, Ariz., Arizona Trail Riders, AMA AMRA
• May 22-23: Craig, Colo., Enduro Colorado, AMA RMEC

U.S. AMA East ISDE Qualifier Series

• May 1-2: Battle Creek Mich., BCMC, AMA Michigan Sprint Enduro
• May 7-8: Plantersville, Ala., Southern Enduro Riders Association
• May 29-30: Glen Daniel, W. Va., AMA Full Gas Sprint Enduro