Moto Wrap | Silk Way Rally | Beach Racing | MX | TrialGP | Hattah

Moto News Weekly Wrap
July 5, 2021

What’s New:

• Sanders wins Silk Way Rally Stage 4 – P4 Overall
• Damien Koppe wins the 2021 King of the Beach
• Mitch Evans injury update
• James Scott heads to Italy to replace injured Espinasse
• Kyogle AORC postponed due to border restrictions
• Dunlop the official 2021 FIM ISDE sponsor
• Jeremy Seewer extends contract with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP
• Toni Bou wins French TrialGP Round 3 at Charade
• 2021 Hattah Desert Race Wrap
• 2021 Pro Motocross RedBud National Report
• 2021 MXGP of Italy MXGP Report
• Beaton P7  in MX2 at 2021 MXGP of Italy
• 2021 Racing Calendars
  • 2021 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…

Sanders wins Silk Way Rally Stage 4 – P4 Overall

GasGas Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders claimed another impressive stage win at the Silk Way Rally following a cool and calculated ride on day four of the event.

With the penultimate stage, and the punishing marathon stages, now successfully completed, Sanders has advanced to fourth in the overall provisional classification with just one day of racing to go.

Daniel Sanders

“With today’s stage being the same as yesterday there was definitely less focus on navigation, but the same dangers remained so that was the main thing to concentrate on today. Some of the river crossings seemed to be a little deeper today so it wasn’t plain sailing. Again, I felt good on the bike, it’s worked great since the start so it’s good to know we have a good set-up and I can just focus on my riding. The scenery was pretty epic on this stage, so I really enjoyed that part of it and with one day to go, we’re in good shape. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

With the day’s stage a repeat of stage three, Daniel was able to push his pace with a little less focus on navigation while keeping in mind the many dangers that were littered throughout the stage. Riding with confidence aboard his GasGas RC 450F, after taking his second stage win of the event Daniel will now lead out on the final stage with the aim of completing the rally on a positive note.

Daniel Sanders won the stage from Skyler Howes and Matthias Walkner, by over a minute, while Walkner currently leads the standings from Franco Caimi and Howes. Sanders currently sits about nine-minutes behind the leader in the overall standings.

The fifth special of the event will be a re-run of stage two where Daniel claimed his maiden FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship stage win just a few days ago.  Stage two was a 566km leg that leaves Novosibirsk and heads to Gorno-Altaisk. Including a timed special of 132km, the stage challenged competitors with narrow forest paths before opening out into smoother, faster, sandy tracks.

2021 Silk Way Rally Stage 4 – Top 10

2021 Silk Way Rally Standings

Damien Koppe wins the 2021 King of the Beach

Damien Koppe was won the 2021 running of the Grasstree Beach Race, claiming top honours on his Husaberg in the King of the Beach category for the fourth time, while also nabbing the four-stroke 450 win on his KTM.

Koppe won from Mick Carew and Daniel O’Brien in the King of the Beach event, with Jordan Gilmore and Ricky Barney rounding out the top five.

Damien Koppe

“What a weekend at Motorcycle Beach Races at Grasstree Beach. We came away with our fourth win of King of the Beach on our 2004 Husaberg, first in Open class on the Berg and first in the 450cc class on the KTM. It was a hectic few months battling with some new ideas on the Berg and in the end we pieced together a 653cc engine, it worked and was a beast! A massive thanks to Ann Hand and all of her crew for putting on such a huge event and doing a great job at it every year! A special thanks to the mastermind behind it all, my Dad Steve, an absolute legend at what he does, and a big thanks to all of my friends and family for the huge amount of support. The win was for all of these guys who all had a hand in it. Can’t thank them enough.”

In the 301-450 4-Strokes Koppe won on 75-points from Kayden Downing (72) and Ricky Barney (69). In the Up-to 300 4-Strokes Luke Burgess took the win on 70-points, from Jordan Gilmore (67) and Kayden Downing (59).

In the 2-Strokes, Michael Brooks won the Up-to 300s class by a single point from Mick Carew, with Kayden Downing third another point behind. The 301-650cc 2-Strokes Michael Kirkness took top honours winning the three races, ahead of Darren Walker and Michael Hansen.

The Street Bikes 1000cc class saw Michael Kirkness the winner, from Jordan Gilmore and Jack Millburn, while the 451-750cc 4-Strokes was also won by Damien Koppe from Ricky Barney and Justin Muscat.

Ty Soutter topped the Junior Lites from Cooper Andersen and Blayk Hislop, while Lachlan Polson took top 12-U16 Mini Lites honours over Slade Oberhardt and Lincolh Hale. The 9-U12 Mini Lites was won by Stephanie Turnbull, ahead of Darcy Roberton and Addison Simpson. The 10-U12 65cc class was won by Lachlan Ivory over Charley Vella and Liam Porter, with Ky Mitchell winning the 7-U10 category, ahead of Chase Wilkinson and Kyron Trott.

2021 King of the Beach

Senior Dirt Track returns to action September 4-5

The 2021 Australian Senior Dirt Track Championships will fly into action September 4 and 5, at Mick Doohan Raceway, Banyo, Queensland. Originally slated to be held in Canberra, Queensland club North Brisbane Junior MCC will now host the Championships.

The Senior Dirt Track Championships weekend will see Australia’s best dirt trackers fight it out to be crowned Motorcycling Australia’s Senior Dirt Track Champions. Full fields of 10 Championship classes are expected following the success of the recent Track Championships held Tamworth in NSW.

Classes of competition will include:

• Pro 250: 100cc to 150cc 2-stroke & 200cc to 250cc 4-stroke (MX)
• Pro 450: 250cc 2-stroke & 450cc 4-stroke (MX)
• MX Open: 500cc 2-stroke & Over 300cc 4-stroke (MX)
• 250cc Slider: Up to 250cc
• 500cc Slider: Up to 500cc
• Slider Open: Unlimited 460cc and over
• Pro Open: Women Unlimited (MX)
• Sidecar: Up to 1100cc
• ATV Open: Up to 550cc 2-stroke & 700cc 4-stroke
• ATV Open: Women Up to 550cc 2-stroke & 700cc 4-stroke

Mitch Evans injury update

Mitch Evans has given an update on his decision to return to Australia for further surgery to a previously sustained wrist injury, describing ongoing pain and a lack of movement. With that impacting his competitiveness he’s opted to return home to have a radioscapholunate fusion to try and solve the issue.

Mitch Evans

“As many of you know I have made the hard decision of returning to Australia for another surgery on my wrist. Unfortunately the first surgery I had in Milan missed the opportunity to have a great result and I have been dealing with a lot of pain and lack of movement ever since. The pain I was experiencing while riding was not going to allow me to race competitively and therefore the decision was made to have a radioscapholunate fusion by Dr Steven Andrews. Due to Australia’s current Covid restrictions the earliest I can have surgery is middle of July which then I will do everything to get back on the bike as soon as I can!”

James Scott heads to Italy to replace injured Espinasse

New Zealand’s 19-year-old James Scott will head over to compete with the Honda RedMoto World Enduro Team in EnduroGP, after Theo Espinasse crashed in practice facturing his collarbone, leaving him temporarily unable to compete as he recovers.

James Scott

“It’s sort of a last-minute thing. They called up dad and asked if I was available. Gordon (Crockard) knew about me from my previous time in Europe. It’s crazy how things turn out. I’m very excited. My girlfriend, Anika, is coming with me. It’s a long way from Oparau to Italy. I’m a bit nervous, but I’ve done it before. I’m not too worried about the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ll be very careful over there. I hope I can get a quarantine spot to get back into the country when it’s all over.”

Kyogle AORC postponed due to border restrictions

Due to State Government border closures in several states, the Australian Off-Road Championship management team have made the difficult decision to postpone Rounds 3 and 4 of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship, presented by MXstore (AORC).

Rounds 3 and 4 were to be held July 17 and 18 at Kyogle, NSW, however the AORC management team have made the decision for the health and safety of officials, riders, and teams to postpone the rounds.

With border closures, it also makes it impossible for a vast majority of the entrants in the 14 classes as well as partners, officials and volunteers of the premier Australian off-road Championship to attend.

The AORC management team along with the Kyogle Dirt Bike Club, will now look to reschedule the rounds to a later date in the year.

Dunlop the official 2021 FIM ISDE sponsor

After a gap of one year, the ISDE returns with Dunlop sponsorship and a demanding route in the Apennines between Lombardy and Piedmont on August 30 through to September 4. The 95th edition of ISDE will feature 29 competing nations and 200 teams, including eight national teams in the Women’s World Trophy.

The Dunlop sponsorship puts the spotlight on two main focus areas for the 2019 winning tyre brand. Firstly, Dunlop will be supporting the Club level riders by introducing the Dunlop Geomax Challenge. This features separate awards for the amateur and club riders who will battle in the Club Team Award category alongside the professionals in the gruelling competition.

Dunlop will also be looking to support their partner teams and customers in repeating the success of the 2019 event in Portugal, where Team United States used the all-new Dunlop Geomax Enduro EN91 tyre to win by over two minutes.

Luca Davide Andreoni – Dunlop Motorcycle Europe

“No other motorcycle event can boast such a long history as ISDE. Since 1913 it has been the ultimate test of enduro rider, bike and tyre. Dunlop has a strong track record at ISDE and we are proud to offer our support to club and amateur riders with the Dunlop Geomax Challenge. We will be offering the same proven-ISDE winning technology, whether riders are at professional or club level. There’s very few motorsport events that feature such a diverse mix of teams and we are delighted to recognise the commitment of the club riders with the Challenge awards.”

Jeremy Seewer extends contract with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP

After celebrating a maiden MXGP race and Grand Prix win last season, four times FIM Motocross World Championship runner-up Seewer will remain with Yamaha for another two years. The new contract brings extra continuity and strength to both Seewer and the team.

Seewer joined Yamaha back in 2018 and has enjoyed three full seasons with Yamaha inside the premier MXGP class. Since making his 450cc debut, the Swiss star has taken his YZ450FM to 12 podium finishes, three race wins and a Grand Prix victory on his way to finishing second with Yamaha inside the MXGP World Championship twice – in 2019 and 2020.

Impressively, throughout his eight years as a professional racer, he has not missed a single Grand Prix.

Jeremy Seewer

“It’s amazing to stay with Yamaha for another couple of years. I never thought in this amount of time, since 2018, that I would build such an awesome relationship with a brand, and to move so quickly into the Yamaha Factory team where I have been for two-years, and now to extend the contract to 2023. It feels really good to have a brand like Yamaha behind me. I am happy about that. I feel so good in the environment, I have the right people around me. Like this, we can make it through everything, both good and bad, we can take on whatever comes our way, and this gives me extra confidence.”

Toni Bou wins French TrialGP Round 3 at Charade

The third round of the top-flight trial competition proved tough and technical after heavy rain just prior to the TrialGP start. Riders had to contend with muddy, slippery terrain throughout both laps of the full twelve-section course.

Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou gradually improved over the course of the trial, keeping the field in check at all times, before going on to claim the top step of the podium.

With 19 marks on the first lap, Toni was already the leader, a position that he consolidated further, collecting just 5 points on lap two, to deliver a 13th victory on French soil.

With this triumph, Toni Bou takes his tally of wins to 120 in trial world championship competitions and stretches his lead in the general standings of the TrialGP World Championship to a ten-point advantage over the nearest second-place rival.

Toni Bou

“Today I am really happy. After making a mistake on the first lap, the second turned out incredible. I picked up a five in an unusual way, but more importantly than just the points, it was a really great round because I felt some very good sensations. Overall, it has been a super weekend for us, I felt very competitive after the changes to the bike: we adjusted it for the altitude of the trial and it really worked for us. I want to congratulate the whole team for their work. Now we can go on vacation very satisfied with ourselves and recover very well. Andorra is always difficult for me but it gives me that extra motivation.”

Bou’s team-mate, Japanese rider Takahisa Fujinami, also had a positive day and despite several mistakes, managed to pull back on the second lap to post fourth place overall. The result leaves “Fujigas” holding fourth position in the world championship general rankings.

Switching back to trial competition following her recent EnduroGP outing, Laia Sanz had an unfortunate start to the event in Charade as the Spaniard was awarded five marks for forgetting to fit the engine kill safety device to her bike. Putting Laia on the back foot a little, she nevertheless put in a strong opening lap.

The best rider through the 12 sections on lap two, Laia ended the day second overall, just six marks behind winner Emma Bristow. Laia now sits a close second in the class standings.

Laia Sanz

“I’m pleased with the way I rode today, in some sections I felt really, really good in these tricky conditions. But forgetting to fit the security devise to my bike at the start of the day gave Emma a big present, it cost me five marks, which changed things. I wasn’t as relaxed at the start of the day after that. I still rode well, but it was enough to put me on the back foot a little. Anyway, overall, it’s been a good day. Things are still very close in the championship between myself and Emma, so there’s a lot still to fight for.”

Results

2021 Hattah Desert Race

What is widely regarded by many as Australia’s toughest desert race staged at Hattah, just south of Mildura, has been run and won on the weekend with Daniel Milner emerging victorious in what was an all Austrian podium. Milner on KTM, Semmens on GASGAS and Norton on Husqvarna. Positions four and five were also on KTM machinery, Lachlan Terry fourth ahead of Liam Mason.

The Prologue saw Milner take the fastest time from Mason Semmens, with Lachlan Terry third overall. Kale Makeham was fourth and Alex Bolton fifth, with Maximus Purvis, Aaron Mason, Hunter Semmens, RIley Graham and Liam Mason rounding out the top-10.

The Top-10 Shootout would see Milner remain fastest, from Mason Semmens, Kale Makeham, Maximus Purvis and Riley Graham.

When it came to the main event, Milner won his third-career Hattah Desert Race after taking the 2021 honours in commanding fashion, ahead of Semmens and Callum Norton.

Milner, 29, started from first position for Sunday’s four-hour marathon and never looked back, racing aboard his KTM 500 EXC-F, swapping positions for the lead in the opening laps before eventually pulling clear at the front of the field.

Milner recorded a total time of 4h13m17.670s following eight fast-paced laps of the gruelling 37-kilometre course, pitting a total of four times and crossing the finish with a 38.846s advantage.

Daniel Milner – P1

“We were really happy to be back at Hattah, to win the Prologue and go fastest in the Top 10 Shootout was really good. Today was a fun race actually, battling with Mason [Semmens] in those opening laps brought a lot of excitement, and to go on and win my third Hattah was big for me. After the pit stops changed things up we ended up riding by ourselves, but he kept me honest the whole way and that kept the focus going – I had to step it up on that final lap to make sure he didn’t get by me! The KTM 500 EXC-F was perfect for the race, we didn’t have our usual team with us because of the border restrictions, but everybody involved did such a good job to bring it all together. It was a gnarly race, probably one of the roughest we’ve had, so it’s a really good feeling to get the win here today.”

Mason Semmens proved consistent all weekend, topping his 251cc-450cc 4-Stroke class, while also running runner-up across the weekend.

Mason Semmens – P2

“Done for 2021! First in class and second outright. First two laps with Daniel Milner was some of the funnest racing I’ve done, stoked with how today went! Thanks to everyone who makes this possible!”

A gritty third podium went to Husqvarna Racing Team rider Callum Norton, after fighting hard for the result from qualifying outside of the top 20.

Norton clawed his way into the top three with third outright on his Husqvarna FE 501, after it didn’t go to plan for the 20-year-old as he not only missed the Top 10 Shootout in qualifying, but had to settle for 22nd place after being caught out by traffic on the course.

Norton sliced his way through the pack from the outset, overcame issues with his water supply early on and then charged to the third position with a total time of 4h21m57.996s.

Callum Norton – P3

“It was a tough race because I didn’t put in the best of laps yesterday, so we started 22nd and just had to go to work today. Everything went pretty smooth from the beginning, we were up to fifth by the end of lap one and I was able to get into a rhythm, keep ticking away from there. I was still confident that we would be strong today, the Husqvarna Racing Team has put in a huge effort for this race and the FE 501 is as good as it gets, so it was good to rebound for a strong result when it counted. The podium was the aim and that’s where we ended up!”

Behind the top-three, it was Lachlan Terry and Liam Mason rounding out the top-five, while Riley Graham, Alex Bolton, Cooper Sheidow, Samuel Pretscherer and Hunter Semmens completed the top-10.

Mason Semmens won the 251cc-450cc 4-Stroke class from Liam Mason and Riley Graham.

Mason Semmens

“I was loving the MC 450F here this weekend and the race was a good one, for sure. To battle with [Daniel] Milner at the start of the race and have the opportunity to learn from him, there’s nothing like that, and after four hours I was happy with the end result. I’ve raced Hattah a lot, but never the full distance as a senior like we did today and it was definitely tough, so finishing second and winning my class was a great achievement for myself and the GASGAS Racing Team. We just kept pushing right to the end and I’m really happy with how it went!”

Samuel Pretscherer was top Under 19, ahead of Riley McGillivray and Jack Colbart. Blake Hollis was fastest Up-to 250cc 4-Stroke, from Kyron Bacon and William Price.

In the 251cc & Over 2-Stroke Jonte Reynders won from Nathan Lamb and Blake Balls. Lee Stephens won the Veterans class from Warren Carroll and Ben Greenwood.

Jonte Reynders

“My Sherco 300 was flawless; it never missed a beat and the suspension settings thanks to Chad’s Offroad Setups were perfect. Mid-way through the race I didn’t have anyone in front or behind me and it was hard to know if I was gaining or losing time. But my last three laps were solid and I charged to the finish and made a few passes along the way. My aim was to win my class, and I’m satisfied we the job done. A massive thanks to the team for the effort it put in – the result wouldn’t be possible without them.”

In the Ladies 8 Lap it was Emma Milesevic from Madison Brown and Danielle Foot.

Emma Milesevic

“I’m so happy with the result, the hard work paid off and I achieved my main goal of taking the win in the women’s. I also wanted a top 30 outright and I was 31st and I wanted a top 10 in the up-to 450cc class and I was 11th, so I just missed both of those. I will admit I was bummed to miss the top 10 by less than 30 seconds, especially after going so hard for the four hours. Women’s motorsport continues to grow and it’s important to race these races so we can get the recognition we need to grow our sport. Hattah is a fantastic race to challenge yourself against women and men of all ages and classes and I cannot wait for next year.”

Harrison Wooding took the Up-to 250cc 2-Stroke win, from Liam Hildebrand and Alan Graham.

The Masters was won by Brandon Keinhuis from Michael Widdison and Darren Lessio, while in the Ladies 4 Lap Tegan Hall won from Kellie Catanese and Monique Simioni.

Results

2021 Pro Motocross Championship
Round 4 – Twisted Tea RedBud National

Images by Jeff Kardas

Following its second break of the 2021 season the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, returned to action for its Fourth of July tradition with the annual Twisted Tea RedBud National.

The fourth round of the season saw a massive crowd line the fences in their red, white, and blue for America’s Independence Day holiday and were treated to an afternoon of perfect weather.

Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis continued his impressive season by leading the way in the 450 Class for his third victory of the season.

In the 250 Class, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire demonstrated incredible speed all day en route to his third career win.

450 Moto1

As the gate dropped on the opening 450 Class moto, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Aaron Plessinger prevailed with the Motosport.com Holeshot ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb and Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen. A quick pass by Webb in the second turn allowed him to steal the lead from Plessinger who retaliated to retake the lead just turns later. It was Plessinger, Roczen, and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo at the completion of the opening lap. Championship point leader Ferrandis was sixth at the start.

As the moto surpassed the 10-minute mark, Roczen started to close on Plessinger for the lead, eventually making the pass stick as Plessinger slid back to second. As Cianciarulo continued his charge in third, he would soon find himself under pressure from Ferrandis who was turning the fastest lap times of the race.

Ferrandis was relentless in his push to the front and made the move on Cianciarulo just before the halfway point of the moto. The battle for the lead began to tighten up as Plessinger closed in on Roczen while his teammate Ferrandis closed in on them both with 10-minutes remaining. The Star Racing Yamaha teammates pulled alongside each other several times before Ferrandis took possession of second with a pass on Plessinger through the sand rollers.

Ferrandis’ charge to the front could not be stopped as he struck on his championship rival Roczen to take the lead with just three laps remaining. The Frenchman would hold on to claim his second moto win of the season with 2.9 seconds to spare on Roczen. After leading early, Plessinger would finish third.

450 Moto 2

The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off with Plessinger launching out of the gate to sweep the Motosport.com Holeshots by edging out the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo, followed by Roczen and Ferrandis. Cianciarulo would lose the front end coming downhill on the opening lap and be forced to rejoin near the tail end of the field as Plessinger, Tomac, Roczen, and Ferrandis led the way on the opening lap.

The deciding 450 Class moto kicked off 450 Moto 2with Plessinger launching out of the gate to sweep the Motosport.com Holeshots by edging out the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Eli Tomac and Cianciarulo, followed by Roczen and Ferrandis. Cianciarulo would lose the front end coming downhill on the opening lap and be forced to rejoin near the tail end of the field as Plessinger, Tomac, Roczen, and Ferrandis led the way on the opening lap.

The battle immediately intensified up front as Tomac made quick work of Plessinger to take the number one position from Plessinger. Just behind the leaders, Roczen and Ferrandis matched one another’s pace in an effort for valuable championship points and to keep the leaders in sight. Roczen made a costly mistake that saw him go down hard, but he was able to dust himself off and remount in sixth.

Up front, Tomac and Plessinger were separated by no more than two seconds for the majority of the race as they took turns on clocking the better lap times.

With the race winding down, the battle for second began to heat up as Ferrandis closed in on his teammate Plessinger. He would use an excellent drive through the sand rollers to take second and set his sights on the race leader Tomac. As the crowd cheered them on, Tomac held on to take his second moto win of the season by just 1.5 seconds over Ferrandis. A distant third would go to Plessinger, while Roczen recovered for sixth.

It was Ferrandis who’s hard charging and consistency would give him the overall victory (1-2). Tomac earned his second consecutive podium of the season in season (4-1), while Plessinger completed the podium with an impressive 3-3 moto scores on the day. Roczen’s 6-2 was good enough for fourth. A jump during the red cross flag in Moto 1 resulted in Ferrandis being docked a single point and Roczen two points, however, the overall finishes remained the same.

Dylan Ferrandis

“I gave it everything and it was a big fight today, I charged really hard at the end of the motos. I wanted to win the second moto, but Eli [Tomac] was riding really good. I dreamed of winning here at RedBud and thanks to the fans for cheering loud for us all day. It’s been a good start to the season and I’m really looking forward to keep working hard so we can stay up front the rest of the season.”

With the win Ferrandis was able to extend his lead in the championship standings to 14-points over Roczen who lost crucial points in the second moto. Plessinger sits third, 36-points out of the lead.

Ken Roczen

“I was excited coming into RedBud for Fourth of July; it’s always a special race and the fans always go wild. We had a pretty decent couple of qualifying sessions. I ended up going fifth to the gate, which was totally fine; I felt pretty good on the track and was ready for the moto. In the first moto, I think I was third after the start and just kind of worked my way up there into second right away and made a move on [Aaron] Plessinger and was leading most of the race until about two laps to go. I kind of lost my rhythm a little bit. The track is really hard-packed underneath and soft on top, so it was really tricky to ride. It just wasn’t really my best performance, but at the same time I was okay with the second place. I got passed there with a couple of laps to go and tried to hang on behind [Dylan] Ferrandis and tried to make a pass back, but it just wasn’t enough. I was looking forward to the second moto. Moto 2 was kind of like when everything came undone. I was battling really hard to get to the front. I was in third and [Eli] Tomac was leading and Plessinger was second. I made my way past Ferrandis and just sat in third for a while trying to see what the race gave me. I had a bad case on [LaRocco’s] Leap, as Plessinger’s roost slowed me down so much. I hurt my wrist a little bit, but then a couple laps later I fell right after the leap. I tucked the front end, had a pretty big get-off, and my bars were a little bent. I’m glad I was able to finish at least in sixth and minimize the points damage. We’re healthy leaving RedBud and I’m just looking forward to prepping for next weekend’s race.”

250 Moto 1

When the gate dropped for the first 250 Class moto of the day it was Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper who emerged with the Motosport.com holeshot just ahead of the Team Honda HRC duo of Jett and Hunter Lawrence, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Jeremy Martin and Hampshire.

As they crossed the finish on the opening lap, Cooper lost traction going up the face of the finish line and crashed out of the lead. Cooper’s mistake allowed a hard charging Hampshire to inherit the lead over the Lawrence brothers and Martin. Cooper would remount in 10th.

Hampshire pushed the pace out front with Jett Lawrence in tow and the duo began to slowly distance themselves from the train of riders behind them. As Jett Lawrence applied the pressure, Hampshire crashed out of the lead, but was able to restart quickly in second. Hunter Lawrence remained a distant third.

With the race closing in on the halfway point of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto, Hampshire started to inch back onto the rear wheel of Jett Lawrence and searched for a way around. Hampshire would once again lose the front end of his motorcycle and find himself on the ground while contending for the race lead. Hunter Lawrence took full advantage of Hampshire’s mistake to move into second, while Hampshire remounted in third.

As Jett Lawrence continued to control the race out front, Hunter Lawrence and Hampshire started to gain momentum and slowly reduce the gap to the race leader. With three laps to go, Hampshire muscled his way around Hunter Lawrence for second and began to set his sights on the race leader Jett Lawrence but Jett held on to take the checkered flag for his third moto win of the season by 2.2 seconds over Hampshire. Hunter Lawrence finished third, just ahead of Cooper who recovered for fourth.

250 Moto 2

The final 250 Class moto of the afternoon saw Cooper capture his second Motosport.com Holeshot of the day, just ahead of his teammate Martin and first moto runner-up finisher Hampshire. The Lawrence brothers found themselves mired deep in the pack as Hunter was scored 11th and Jett 18th at the completion of the opening lap.

As the lead trio went to work with a clear track out front, Jett Lawrence put his head down in an attempt to do damage control, however, a costly mistake would see him make contact with another rider and go down, losing valuable time as he remounted outside the top-30.

Out front, Hampshire began to find his momentum as he moved Cooper to within striking distance for the race lead, using every inch of the track to find a way past. At the 15-minute mark, Hampshire would get a drive and out drag race Cooper to become the new race leader.

Just as Hampshire looked to have the race under control he would yet again find himself picking himself up off the ground as he surrendered the lead to Cooper in the late stages of the moto. Cooper emerged with his second moto win of the season by 12.9 seconds over Hampshire. Martin finished third in an impressive return from injury, followed by Hunter Lawrence in fourth. An inspiring ride by Jett Lawrence netted him sixth.

By virtue of 2-2 finishes Hampshire prevailed for his first win of the season and won the RedBud National for the second consecutive year. Cooper’s second moto win earned him second overall (4-1) as Jett Lawrence completed the podium in third (1-6), followed by his brother Hunter in fourth (3-4).

RJ Hampshire

“This win just feels so good after everything I’ve gone through lately,” said Hampshire. “As you can hear, I’ve been super sick all week, so to be up here today is a bit emotional. I give it my all everytime I’m on the track, and it would have been great to get those moto wins today, but to win here at RedBud for the second year in a row is an amazing feeling. The speed has been really good lately and I’m looking forward to some of my favorite tracks coming up on the schedule.”

Jett Lawrence maintains his hold of the championship point lead by eight over Cooper who reduced the gap by three on the day. Hunter Lawrence remains third, 44-points out of the championship lead.

Jett Lawrence

“The bike setting in the first moto wasn’t good. I had RJ [Hampshire] charging, and if he got me, I didn’t really have any ammo to fight back. Between motos, my team did a great job making some adjustments that made the bike work better for me, but I just didn’t give myself a very good chance for winning or even getting myself into a good position. I came from 37th to sixth, so I think that’s pretty good. I definitely made a lot of passes, maybe the most passes of the day. I think if you look at the result it sucks because I lost three points, but you have to look at the positives; it was a strong ride, and I felt like there’s not many other people in this class that could do that.”

Hunter Lawrence

“My weekend wasn’t bad; it wasn’t great, but we’ll take it. We went 3-4 moto scores for fourth overall. I missed out on the box by two points. That second moto I was in a ‘do or die’ position to catch J-Mart [Jeremy Martin] and make that pass. I was pushing to make up a lot of ground on him, coming from a pretty bad start, so I was ‘damned if I did, damned if I didn’t’; I had to risk it and push. I ended up laying it down and got back up, managing to finish in a position where I was chasing down fourth. All in all, I’m really happy with how the team worked together to make changes on the bike for the second moto, which benefited us a lot. It maybe wasn’t a moto-score result, but as far as my feeling on the bike, and everything else, we left better than what we started in the first moto, so I’m happy with that. RedBud was awesome. That was my first proper Fourth of July RedBud experience, so it was pretty cool. I also checked something else off my bucket list; I really wanted to scream ‘RedBuuuuud’ into the microphone. I hadn’t been able to do that until today, so that was cool.”

Results

MGXP

Jeffrey Herlings has taken top honours at the 2021 MXGP of Italy, with Round 3 of the championship held at Maggiora. Herlings, Glenn Coldenhoff and Antonio Cairoli were all tied on 40-points, with Herlings the winner thanks to the final race win.

Mattia Guadagnini took the MX2 win, ahead of Maxime Renaux and Jago Geerts, with Australia’s Jed Beaton seventh on the day. Wilson Todd claimed nine-points.

MXGP Race 1

In race one, it was Romain Febvre who grabbed the Fox Holeshot followed by Jorge Prado and Cairoli. Glenn Coldenhoff and Ben Watson got off to a good start and were sitting fourth and fifth, with their teammate Jeremy Seewer inside the top 10 too.

Herlings started the race down in sixth and was pushing through the field until a jammed rock in his back break made things difficult, for which he had to pull over to fix and as a result lost valuable positions and time.

Seewer then went after Watson, for seventh place and a couple of laps later so did Herlings, pushing the Brit down to ninth where he eventually finished the race – this was his best result of the season so far.

Herlings continued his charge as he went after Seewer and then four laps later managed to get Jonass as well, to finish the race sixth, all while Febvre comfortably led the entire race with Prado, Cairoli and Coldenhoff behind him.

At one stage it did look like Gajser would make a move on Coldenhoff, though the Slovenian was unable to do so and the Dutchman could not edge close enough to get Cairoli and Prado either. Febvre took the race win with Prado second and Cairoli third.

MXGP Race 2

In race two, things were very different thanks to the heavy rain that started to fall just before the gate dropped. As the race got going, it was Coldenhoff who grabbed the second Fox Holeshot of the day. He then led Herlings, Henry Jacobi, Prado, Seewer and Cairoli on the opening lap, as Gajser started down in 11th.

Race 1 winner, Febvre started the race in seventh before making several mistakes and eventually finishing the race in 12th position.

Coldenhoff maintained a healthy 3-4 second gap to Herlings, as Jacobi was doing a great job keeping up with the Dutchman, as Cairoli and Prado were both looking to get around the German themselves, but were not able to do so.

By lap 12, Herlings was the new race leader and not long after Cairoli was finally able to get around Jacobi to move up into P3. Jacobi then dropped another position, as Jonass passed him too, with Gajser managing to get back to sixth after a tough race.

Herlings was the race winner, with Coldenhoff second and Cairoli third. The race top three was exactly how they went up to the podium with all three riders tied on points. Though it was Herlings with the Grand Prix victory.

Despite missing the podium, Tim Gajser continues to lead the MXGP championship and sits just six-points ahead of Jeffrey Herlings, with Romain Febvre a further 11-points back.

Jeffrey Herlings – P1

“After the first race I was 7th or 6th behind Tim and got a stone between my rear brake, at one point I didn’t know what it was so I had to stop. I lost many places and about 20 seconds I think and then I had to come back to 6th. I had to make a really late race charge. Before the second race, I was really bummed and wanted to go for the win. Then just before I gave up it was pouring down rain and came a bit unexpected, so I had to make a last-minute decision regarding the tyre, goggle and whatsoever. Second race I came off really good, I was in third, raced to second then I wanted to save my goggle because in a mud race goggles are pretty important. So I always had a gap to Glenn, once I got into the lapped riders, I tried to attack and managed to pass Glenn, I was already counting and then I was like I will have the advantage for the overall and with a few laps to go I was going to win the overall. I lost a lot of the points into the championship, I started unlucky but it’s good heading into Oss in two week time. I think we are just 6 points behind. Still a lot in the championship so I won’t really look at the points because at the past I was counting, counting, counting, and sometimes I was over 150 points up front, I still didn’t win the championship, so I don’t count anymore, I just look race by race. I look at every race individually and try to be the best I can every single weekend. I want to thank the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, they did a great job. The bike was good and especially in the second race with all the mud.”

Glenn Coldenhoff – P2

“Straight from the first lap here in Maggiora, I felt really good. I was really comfortable on the track. First moto I started behind Tony (Cairoli). I was a bit faster, but the track felt really one-lined, which was really difficult to pass, but in the end I spent quite some energy, but still finished fourth. In the second moto I took the holeshot, which was really good. The team has been working so hard and I am very thankful for that. I really owe this one to them. I am really happy to be back on the podium, it’s a really good confidence booster going into Oss in two weeks’ time and I’m really looking forward to my home GP.”

Antonio Cairoli – P3

“I’m really happy about the podium of course but not happy about that second race because I had the speed to ride in front. I started sixth or seventh then managed to pass Jorge Prado and a few other guys and then I arrive at the back of Henry Jacobi but my roll-off’s broke immediately because of a stone. The guys in front pulled away and I couldn’t pass Jacobi, so I really struggled to find a place to pass him but in the end I managed to do so on the last three laps. I’m training a lot on the mud lately and my feeling is good. I’m really looking forward to the sand races now, I’ve not been riding a lot on the sand lately but I love it, it’s my first favourite ground so I’m looking forward to being in Oss in a couple of weeks and hopefully we can continue to build up condition and try to stay in front again.”

Jorge Prado – P4

“Overall P4 and we are not too far away from 1st place in the championship, so from this perspective the GP was quite OK. I was feeling quite good on the track and it was tough with plenty of bumps and ruts. We had a really high rhythm in the first race but the second was just a mudder. I got pushed a bit wide in the second corner. I was riding in 5th for the whole moto but with two laps to go I made a couple of mistakes that cost me two places and I lost the podium like that. I’m really unhappy with my last three laps. I couldn’t get to the point of making the extra step to force a pass. Instead of holding the position I just lost it.”

Romain Febvre – P5

“That was a really good first moto! I got the holeshot, led the entire race, had a good feeling and didn’t make any mistakes. I am so grateful for everything the team and our sponsors have done for me; they have all done a really good job and today I could reward them and show I am the fastest. And I know my wife and our baby were watching me from home and would be equally excited. My second start was not so good but I rode two good laps to come back to seventh; then when I was behind Jonass I got so much mud on my goggles and gloves. I wasn’t comfortable and crashed three times; and after the first crash I got so much mud on my gloves that I could no longer twist the throttle precisely. I was in ‘survival mode’ but I didn’t want to stop as I would have lost too much time. Of course I’m disappointed; it could have been a very good weekend after race one.“

Pauls Jonass – P6

“We had quite a fast track today and I feel like I was just missing that last little bit to be with the top guys. I was still consistent with my lap times and race one was ok, but in the mud in race two things went a little bit better. I stayed tight around the first turn to avoid any collisions and it paid off and I moved into sixth. Unfortunately, I had a small issue with my goggles so I had to take them off. But with around four laps to go I just put in a charge. It was risky with the conditions, but it paid off and I finished fourth. I did take a rock or a lump of dirt to the eye, so I have a black eye now, but it was worth it in the end. Now that we’re done with hardpack tracks to start the season I’m looking forward to the next GP when we’re in the sand and all being well I’ll be running with the top guys again.”

Tim Gajser – P7

“It was a difficult day, with the weather and the results but I’m still leading the championship so I have to look at the positives. In the first moto I had a decent start but I couldn’t work my way through the field so I just had to be happy with a fifth place, although I felt I was faster than those in front. Again, I struggled out of the gate in race two and with the heavy rain that made things hard. Then a rock hit my goggles in the first lap and that was really difficult because it meant I was having to work even harder to make passes but I made my way up to sixth and I still keep hold of the red plate. I am excited to go to Oss though as it’s a new track and I’m enjoying riding sand so it should be fun.”

MXGP Results

MX2 Race 1

In MX2 Mattia Guadagnini secured his first overall GP victory and did so on home soil, in front of his home crowd.

In race one, it was Thibault Benistant who took the Fox Holeshot as he led Guadagnini, Geerts, Kay De Wolf and Jed Beaton. Vialle did go out in the first race but failed finish and did not start race two either.

Beaton was able to get past his teammate to get himself into fourth, while further down the field the Championship leader (at the time) Ruben Fernandez of Honda 114 Motorsports was getting closer to the top five after passing Stephen Rubini of Honda Racing Assomotor for seventh.

Fernandez then started to close in on De Wolf for fifth as Mathys Boisrame was also looking to get involved in the battle. Fernandez was eventually able to pass the Husqvarna rider on lap 11.

Benistant extended his lead to 6.092 seconds at one stage over Guadagnini, as Geerts was coming under fire from a group of riders behind him, including Beaton, Fernandez, De Wolf and Renaux.

Fernandez was eventually able to get Beaton on lap 15 and then just a lap later he also passed Geerts for third. Benistant was the race winner with Guadagnini almost 10 seconds behind in P2 and Fernandez third.

MX2 Race 2

In race two, it was Geerts who led the way as he secured his first Fox Holeshot of the season with Guadagnini and Rene Hofer just behind. Guadagnini wasted no time and by the end of the lap was the new race leader as Renaux slipped into second.

Renaux then made a mistake which lost him valuable time on Guadagnini, who was focused on riding his own race and held healthy lead.

Fernandez was unlucky in the beginning of the second race, as it took him seven laps to get inside of the points.

Both Simon Längenfelder and Isak Gifting had a good start of the race as they were both inside the top 10 at one stage. Längenfelder was able to maintain a good position to finish the race eighth, while Gifting was down in 31st.

Beaton then lost three positions to Hofer and Roan Van De Moosdijk and later Boisrame, as Hofer went after Geerts.

Van De Moosdijk eventually was able to get around Geerts for third as well, with his teammate doing the same as the pair placed third and fourth. Geerts did managed to get Hofer back by the end of the race, all while Guadagnini took his second race win of the season, as Renaux finished second, with Moosdijk third.

Guadagnini was the overall winner with a 2-1 result, with Renaux finishing second on 37 points and Geerts third on 34 points. With Fernandez only scoring 29 points today, Mattia Guadagnini is now the new MX2 Championship leader, with Maxime Renaux just 2 points behind him and Ruben Fernandez dropping to third.

Mattia Guadagnini – P1

“This is crazy. I don’t know what to say. It feels really good. I made two good starts and I didn’t want to take too many risks in the first moto. Staying calm and taking 2nd place was enough, although I did wait to see if I could pass Thibault in the last part of the race but he was too fast. I pushed hard to take the lead on the first lap of the second moto and then just rode my race and had fun. I made a gap and enjoyed the last few laps. It’s amazing to win here in Italy and it was also a surprise to take the red plate. Oss is next and I’m pretty good in the sand, we’ll train and be ready to go again.”

Maxime Renaux – P2

“It was a tough day. I had the fastest lap time in the morning for pole position, and that was really good. I had a bad start in the first race, which made the race really hard for me. I did make some great passes in the beginning of the race, but then I crashed and had to do the job another time. In the second moto, I had a better start and moved into second really quickly. I was second the whole moto, and I decided not to push for the win because I was not feeling that great on the track. I am still happy with the result. Second overall in the GP and second in the championship, so this is good points for the championship, which is the most important.”

Jago Geerts – P3

“I’m pretty happy to be back on the podium. I had two good starts today, and that is positive. I struggled a little bit with arm-pump in the opening race, so (Ruben) Fernandez passed me. But still, I finished third. In the second heat, I felt like my riding was pretty good, but I still miss a little bit of rhythm, so I finished fifth. Now we have two weeks before the next GP, so I want to spend some more time on the bike, and I hope that I have more speed in Oss.”

Mathys Boisrame – P4

“I had a good gate-pick after fourth in Qualifying and I was in a good position in the first corner of race one but I lost some places at the second corner. I tensed up, suffered a little arm pump and couldn’t ride as I usually do so it was a tough moto. I missed a good start in race two but my rhythm was better as we had changed some suspension settings between the motos and I was able to come back behind Roan. it was a good moto on a rough track; not an easy track but I like that. I just woke up too late today! But I’m fourth in the standings and feel confident; we’ll continue to work to prepare for the next GP in Oss.”

Roan van de Moosdijk – P5

“Qualifying was good as always! I had the first time in the beginning of the session but the track became drier and drier so I dropped back to fourth until the last lap when I pushed one more time and I came back to second. I was around twelfth the first lap of race one but I couldn’t find my rhythm and finished ninth. My feeling for the track was good in the second moto; I was soon sixth and I could push the whole moto to pass Beaton, Hofer and Geerts. I battled the whole race and I was happy to finish third in the moto and only two points from the podium.”

Thibault Benistant – P6

“The weekend started quite good with a good lap time, a holeshot and win in the first race. My speed was good and so was my physical condition. In the second race, I started from the back, and one guy jumped on my right arm, so I had a big crash. After I was a bit hurt and in pain, and the bike was a bit damaged. So it was difficult to ride, but I gave everything I could to come back to 14th.”

Jed Beaton – P7

“Finally I had two good starts but I let myself down a little with the end results. The results were pretty decent but having started near the front it would have been nice to have perhaps been on the podium today. The second race was a bit more frustrating as while I was setting up a pass, I then got passed as the line I took was no good. Overall I’m happy. A step in the right direction for sure.”

Wilson Todd of Bike It MTX Kawasaki continues his recovery from serious injury last year and posted an impressive eleventh place during Qualifying but the Australian had no luck at the start in either of the GP motos to complete the first lap twenty-first in race one and even further back as twenty-seventh in race two after a collision on the exit from turn one.

He showed great resolution as usual, advancing with determination to be classified fifteenth in race one and eighteenth in race two. He is now fourteenth in the series points standings.

MX2 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

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

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

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