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Moto News Weekly Wrap
April 16 , 2024

What’s New:

• Mason Semmens tops WORCS Round Five in Blythe, CA
• 2024 NSW Junior Dirt Track Report with Peter Baker
• 2024 Old Gray GNCC Motorcycle Report
• Jed Beaton wins NZMX Final
• Rhys Budd tops East Coast MX opener
• 2024 FIM Speedway of Nations Semi-Finals draw revealed!
• EoI to manage Australia’s ISDE team open
• MA clarify Competition Classes – Hard Enduro
• AMA Supercross Round 14 Track Layout revealed – Nashville
• Sherco Factory Racing support for ISDE 2024 confirmed
• EMX250 and EMX125 Report – MXGP of Trentino
• 2024 MXGP of Trentino – Round Four Rider Quotes
• 2024 AMA Supercross Round 13 Foxborough Rider Quotes
• 2024 FIM EnduroGP Round Two – Valpacos, Portugal
• 2024 Racing Calendars

Mason Semmens tops WORCS Round Five in Blythe, CA

Mason Semmens didn’t allow a lost visor to slow him down at WORCS Round Five, taking the Pro 250 victory ahead of Cole Zeller and Kai Aiello, Jake Alvarez and Sam Pretscherer rounding out the top five. Justin Hoeft was the Pro 450 winner, heading off Dare Demartile and Tyler Lynn.

Mason Semmens

“Decided first lap I didn’t want a visor, pulled it together after that for a win at Blythe WORCS Racing! Cheers!”

2024 NSW Junior Dirt Track Report with Peter Baker

Only one rider managed to win more than one championship class at the first title meeting for 2024 – the New South Wales Junior Dirt Track Championships. The meeting was staged at the Kurri Kurri Junior Motorcycle Club’s Loxford Park track last weekend and it was local rider Braxsen Anderson who left as the only rider to claim two class victories.

Braxsen is the son of former motocross star Danny Anderson continues to impress in the 7 to Under 9s classes but neither of his wins came easy. He had to hold off Cooper Quinn and Tai McNamara, who is the son of former dirt track star Marty McNamara in the 50cc final after he had been top qualifier, and outpointed Cohen McCosker and Kru Tulloch over the five rounds in the 65 cc class.

The meeting marked a return to dirt track racing of a number of riders who are now focusing primarily on speedway , but who obviously have not forgotten how to ride dirt track.
One of those is Cooper Antone from Albury Wodonga who had a win and a second placing in the 9 to Under 13s classes beating Gunnedah rider Hugo Holmes in one final before Holmes got revenge in the other final, with local Kaiden Lantry and Hayden Duggan from Cowra scoring the third placings.

Two of the other class winners stood out winning all of their races.

Lockie Duggan won all his heats in the 85cc4-stroke Modified class and then won the final as Hugo Holmes added another second place ahead of the impressive Lucy Heaton-New who was constantly finishing ahead of many of the boys.

The other rider to score a clean sweep over five rounds was Amelia Kotze in the 4-stroke class for the girls. Holly Hope-Hodgetts was best out of the start in every round before she was overhauled with Matilda Heaton-New third.

The 2-stroke class for the 13 – Under 16s was decided over five rounds with Queenslander Cooper Archibald, showing the benefit of contesting the Casey Stoner Cup two weeks earlier, scoring four wins and a second placing behind eventual runner-up Beau Bailey with Sam Drane third overall.

A bigger field meant two heats per round and then a final in the 4-stroke class and while it was the same trio on the rostrum the order was different. Sam Drane was triumphant in the re-run final ahead of Bailey who passed Archibald during the race.

Both Bailey and Archibald were fortunate to be able to line up in the re-run after both had crashed in to the fallen Jayden Holder in the first attempt to run the race.

Holder was battered and bruised, Bailey was moving with difficulty by presentation time and they joined local Max Earl on the injured list, the latter breaking a wrist on the first afternoon.
Two other classes were not championships but both Matilda Heaton-New and Jed Louis were nevertheless impressive in beating their opposition.

50cc Auto Div.2 7 – U/9

1. Braxsen Anderson (Kurri Kurri)
2. Cooper Quinn (Lismore)
3. Tai McNamara (Gunnedah)

65cc 7 – U/9

1. Braxsen Anderson
2. Cohen McCosker (Hunter)
3. Kru Tulloch (Gold Coast)

65cc 9 – U/13

1. Cooper Antone (Albury-Wodonga)
2. Hugo Holmes (Gunnedah)
3. Kaiden Lantry (Kurri Kurri)

85cc 4-str Modified 7-U/12

1. Lockie Duggan (Cowra)
2. Hugo Holmes
3. Lucy Heaton-New (North Brisbane)

85cc 2str / 150cc 4str 9 – U/13

1. Hugo Holmes
2. Cooper Antone
3. Hayden Duggan (Cowra)

100 – 150CC 2str 13 – U/16

1. Cooper Archibald (North Brisbane)
2. Beau Bailey (Grenfell)
3. Sam Drane (Forbes)

200 – 250cc 4str 13 – U/16

1. Sam Drane
2. Beau Bailey
3. Cooper Archibald

150cc 2str / 250cc 4str 13 – U/16 Girls

1. Amelia Kotze (Central Coast)
2. Holly Hope-Hodgetts (Forbes)
3. Matilda Heaton-New (North Brisbane)

Supports
85cc 2str / 150cc 4str 12 – U/16 Girls

1. Matilda Heaton-New
2. Ruby Wade

85cc 2str / 150cc 4str 12 –U16

1. Jed Louis (Kurri Kurri)
2. Oscar Middlebrook (Gunnedah)
3. Bodie Cardinale (Kurri Kurri)

2024 Old Gray GNCC

The 2024 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series continued over the weekend with the inaugural Dunlop Motorcycle Tires Old Gray GNCC event. Racers and fans from across the world converged in Monterey, Tennessee to witness Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor claim his first win of the 2024 season.

When the green flag waved Michael Witkowski found himself getting a quick jump off the line and earning the $250 Steel City Medical Center Holeshot Award, but it wouldn’t take long for the hometown favourite Jordan Ashburn to transition into the lead as they entered the woods.

Meanwhile, the freight train of racers behind Ashburn continued to push forward towards him to battle for that number one spot. Johnny Girroir and Ricky Russell would come through in second and third on the opening lap, but no one could rule out Steward Baylor as he was just 1.1 seconds behind Russell coming through timing and scoring on lap one.

Ashburn continued to hold the lead as they checked through timing and scoring on the second lap, but a hard-charging Baylor had made his way around Russell and had his sights set on passing Girroir and taking that number one spot from Ashburn.

As the pack of racers came through to complete three laps of racing, Baylor had taken over the lead, but Ashburn did not seem to be going down without a fight as he had a lot of hometown support being from just about 20 minutes away from the track location. Girroir would now sit back in third as Craig Delong started to creep up closer to the front-runners.

As the race wore on, Baylor would continue to lead the way, but a last lap mishap would put Ashburn right on his back wheel as the two came through pro row and then into the woods just before the finish line. Baylor would continue to push all the way to the checkered flag, earning his first win of the 2024 with just a 1.8 second lead over Ashburn who came through to earn second in front his family, friends and a lot of hometown fans.

Girroir would push himself almost to take max as he came through to round out the top three and remain in the points lead after five rounds of racing. Delong would be unable to become a real threat to the top three this round as he fought back to finish fourth on the day. After earning the holeshot award, Witkowski would drop back to sixth fir the first half of the race, but he would be able to make it up to fifth to end his day out.

Grant Baylor had his work cut out of him as he came through tenth on the opening lap. Baylor would continue to push forward and ultimately made his way up to sixth in XC1 Open Pro and eighth overall on the day.

Trevor Bollinger had a good start to his day and came through running inside the top five after the first lap. Bollinger would continue to try and remain consistent on his day, finishing seventh in XC1 and tenth overall. Evan Smith remained eighth in the XC1 class throughout the day, while JS7 Sherco Racing’s Josh Strang and Layne Michael rounded out the top 10 finishers in the XC1 class.

Unfortunately for some other racers they would only be able to complete half the laps as Ryder Lafferty was out after 3 laps, as well as Mitchell Frantz and Ricky Russell who suffered a crash that took him out with a tweaked shoulder. For Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Lyndon Snodgrass he was unfortunately out before completing one lap due to a mechanical issue.

XC1 Pro Event Results

1. Steward Baylor (KAW)
2. Jordan Ashburn (GAS)
3. Jonathan Girroir (KTM)
4. Craig Delong (HQV)
5. Michael Witkowski (HON)
6. Grant Baylor (KAW)
7. Trevor Bollinger (HQV)
8. Evan Smith (HQV)
9. Josh Strang (SHR)
10. Layne Michael (YAM)

*Overall National Championship Standings

1. Jonathan Girroir (131)
2. Steward Baylor (112)
3. Jordan Ashburn (91)
4. Grant Davis (79)
5. Grant Baylor (62)
6. Angus Riordan (61)
7. Josh Toth (50)
8. Craig Delong (49)
9. Dante Oliveira (49)
10. Michael Witkowski (46)

XC2 250 Pro

The XC2 250 Pro class would be an exciting one to watch as Great Britain’s Jack Edmondson returned to racing and grabbed himself the $250 Steel City Medical Center’s Holeshot Award to start his return.

However, it would not take long for Josh Toth and Grant Davis to begin the long three-hour battle back-and-forth for the lead. Toth and Davis would continue to swap the lead multiple times throughout the day, but as the checkered flag came out it was Davis making his way out of the woods first to earn his second class win of the season, moving him into the XC2 class points lead. Toth would hold on to finish second in the class.

A little farther back saw some exciting battles as well as AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper made a last lap pass on Thad Duvall to take over the last podium spot in the XC2 class. Duvall would finish fourth in the class, while Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes made his way up to fifth in the class after coming around in eleventh on the opening lap.

XC2 250 Pro Event Results

1. Grant Davis (KTM)
2. Josh Toth (HON)
3. Liam Draper (YAM)
4. Thad Duvall (KAW)
5. Cody Barnes (HON)
6. Ruy Barbosa (HON)
7. Angus Riordan (KAW)
8. Brody Johnson (BET)
9. Tyler Palmer (HQV)
10. Jason Lipscomb (BET)

XC2 250 Pro Series Standings

1. Grant Davis (131)
2. Angus Riordan (117)
3. Josh Toth (93)
4. Liam Draper (91)
5. Jesse Ansley (67)
6. Ruy Barbosa (67)
7. Cody Barnes (66)
8. Thad Duvall (65)
9. Tyler Palmer (59)
10. Brody Johnson (55)

FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am

As the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class took off it was Sawyer Carratura earning himself the Lojak Cycle Sales Holeshot Award and leading the way into the woods. Carratura would hold the lead for the first three laps of the race, but soon after that Dakoda Devore would begin to apply the pressure and make a pass for the lead.

Devore and Carratura would battle for the next lap, but Devore would be able to begin to place a gap between them on the last two laps of the race. Devore would earn the FMF XC3 class win while Carratura held on for second in the class. Liqui Moly Factory Beta Racing’s Jhak Walker would have a consistent race as he remained in the third place position for the duration of the race.

Earning The Old Gray top amateur honours was 250 A competitor, Jason Tino as he came through to finish 9th overall on the day, while also earning his second class win of the season. Nick DeFeo would be second up on the top amateur podium as he came through to finish 12th overall and second in the 250 A class. Joseph Cunningham rounded out the top amateur podium with an 18th overall finishing position and third in the 250 A class.

As the morning race took off it was Korie Steede getting the jump off the line and earning herself the $100 Kanati Performance Tires WXC Holeshot Award. It would not take the number one machine of Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki’s Rachael Archer to make her way past Steede as she was on a mission to get to the front of the race this weekend.

Archer would move into the lead on the opening lap and not look back. She continued to gain momentum and push herself throughout the two-hour race. Archer came through to earn her second WXC class win of the season, and first overall morning race win of the season. Shelby Turner would continue to battle behind Archer with Korie Steede throughout the duration of the race. Turner would be able to hold off Steede as she came through to earn second overall and in the WXC class. Steede would hold on to round out the top three overall finishers in the morning race and in the WXC class.

As the youth bike race got underway it was Brody Amos leading on the opening lap as they came through timing and scoring. Amos would soon feel the pressure from Caleb Wood and the two would battle for the lead, swapping positions during the last couple of laps. As the checkered flag flew, Amos would be able to hold off Wood and earn his first Youth overall and YXC1 Super Mini Sr. win of the season. Wood came through to earn second overall and in the YXC1 class, while Doc Smith remained at the front of the pack for the duration of the youth racing as he came through third overall and in the YXC1 class.

In the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. class it was Travis Lentz leading the way from start to finish in Tennessee. Lentz remains undefeated in the YXC2 class this season as he earned his fifth-straight win this past weekend. Colby Goodman would work his way up to second in the class after starting his day back in the fourth place position on lap one. Hayden Dupuis rounded out the YXC2 top three as he ran at the front of the pack for the majority of the day.

Taking home the win in the 85 Big Wheel (11-15) class was Colton McQuarrie, Ace Tokar would earn the 85 (12-13) class win, Deegan Caplinger got the win in the 85 (11) class while Ryder White took the 85 (7-10) class win at round five. Hunter Jones would come through in first in the 65 (10-11) class, Tripp Lewis earned himself the 65 (9) class win, and Daxton Mullins would bring home the 65 (7-8) class win. Jayden Shea took home the Girls Super Mini (12-16) class win in Tennessee while Sahara Robinson remains undefeated in the Girls 85 (7-13) class. Vaida Lavergne earned herself the Girls 65 (7-11) win and Brysun Scott would earn the Trail Rider (7-15) class win in the youth bike race.

In the Micro Bike race on Saturday morning, it was Tripp Lewis coming through to take his third overall win this season and his third win in the MXC1 class. Davey Fairfield would battle back to finish second overall and, in his class, while rounding out the overall Micro Bike podium was Ben McDougald, as he came through to earn third in the class as well.

In the MXC2 class it would be Maura Tsakanikas crossing the finish line first in the class, earning her first class win of the season in Tennessee. Kane Morrison would come through to finish second in the MXC2 class while Cade Propst would come through to earn third in the MXC2 class at round five.

Peyton Austin would take home the 50 Sr. 1 (7) class win, while Carson Zink earned the 50 Sr. 2 (6) class win. Paxton Allen would battle back to earn the 50 Jr. 1 (6-7) class, Kolt Morrison took home the 50 Jr. 2 (4-5) class, Ryker Stuter would come through first in the Micro-E (4-7) class, Carson Propst earned his fifth straight win in the Micro Shaft Drive (4-6) class while Jamison Dodson took the Trail Rider (7-9) class win.

The AMSOIL Moto Hero was awarded to Jimmy Wathen of Clinton, Tennessee, who raced in the Masters B (50+) class. Jimmy served as a Sergeant First Class in the seventh enlisted rank in the United States Army. In 2008, Sergeant Wathen received a Bronze Star for overseeing a police platoon in Iraq. During his deployment to Amarah, Iraq, Sergeant Wathen was injured by enemy gunfire on December 30, 2008. Wathen received two gunshot wounds during that time.

Jed Beaton wins in NZ

Jed Beaton won the final battle but finished runner up in the war that was the 2024 New Zealand Motocross Championships. Contesting the MX1 division for the JCR Yamaha team, Beaton entered the final round in Taranaki looking to bridge a significant points gap to championship leader, Hamish Harwood. Beaton needed to win everything and also have Harwood slip up somewhere along the way to claim the number 1 plate.

Things then took another turn when rain hit the area in the days leading up to the event and forced organisers to push the Saturday race back to Sunday to ensure a round was able to be run. The weather then played its part and Sunday dawned fine, the track crew did an amazing job to get the track up to spec and the final round was on.

Beaton won the day with 1-1-2 results in the three motos contested but came up short in the championship chase. He comfortably won the first two motos and then a fall on the opening lap of race three pushed him back to the rear of the field, but he charged his way to second in a strong finish to the championship.

Jed Beaton

“I have had a great time here in New Zealand and can’t thank Josh and his JCR Yamaha crew enough for having me and allowing me to represent them in their national motocross championships. I would love to have won it for the team and the work they have done but the difference came down to some issues I had at one of the earlier rounds and the points I lost was hard to make up with just Hamish and I up the front. Still, I have learned a lot and it’s been awesome working with Josh. I can also say I have had enough of mud races, and I think every round we did was weather affected, but the racing has been good, and it helped me get back into the swing of things after a lay off at the end of 2023.”

Hamish Harwood

“All I needed to do was ride sensibly in Taranaki to take the title. Three third placings would even have been enough,” said the man who has finished no worse than second all season. I didn’t have any doubts in my ability, but I was realistic and knew that motocross can sometimes be a cruel sport. Anything could have happened to ruin it for me … a crash, a flat tyre, something mechanical going wrong. With the track conditions the way they were here (wet and slippery) there was a high chance that something bad could happen. To beat a guy at Jed’s level makes this title win special. He has shown that he’s the best guy in Australia at the moment and so, for me to be able to beat him is a pretty good feeling. It certainly wasn’t a fluke. I won the most races this season (10 race wins out of 15 starts, including his three race wins against Beaton at Woodville). To compete at such a high level and win adds credibility to what I’ve done. It makes me super proud to have achieved this title. My injured hand is not holding me back so much now. It’s more annoying than painful. I’m unsure whether I’ll need to have an operation to get it fixed up. I have no plans for more racing this season. I might tackle something overseas, but I have no plans at the minute.”

James Scott clinched his first senior title with MX2 round and series wins. After qualifying first, Scott withstood intense pressure from the man most likely to snatch away his title hopes – accomplished racer Cody Cooper – throughout the whole 20 minutes of the first moto.

Moto 2 saw Cooper take the win and Scott settle for third. The points gap between them closed so tight that the whole championship boiled down to the final race. Determined not to let the MX2 trophy slip from his grasp, Scott scorched off the start line to take the holeshot and led the race from start to finish for the title. Cooper second, and Caleb Ward third. The same finishing order for the round and the title race.

Taupo-based Wills Harvey won all three races in the 125 class, bumping his points up enough to give him the national title by 2 points over Reuben Smith, Seth Morrow third, mirroring the results of the final round.

NZMX Championship Overall Standings
MX1

1. Hamish Harwood – 285
2. Jed Beaton – 271
3. Jack Treloar – 226

MX2

1. James Scott – 271
2. Cody Cooper – 264
3. Caleb Ward – 253

MX125

1. Wills Harvey – 267
2. Reuben Smith – 265
3. Seth Morrow – 254

Rhys Budd tops East Coast MX opener

Rhys Budd topped the MX1 class at the opening round of the East Coast MX Championship, taking the win on 102-points, just three-points ahead of Jack Mather. Jack Zielinski completed the round podium, with all three on Husqvarnas.  Kayden Minear and Connor Rossandich rounded out the top five.

It was a similar story in the MX2 class, where Rhys Budd again took the victory, nine-points clear of Jack Mather, with Kayden Minear rounding out the podium and Travis Olander and Rory Fairbrother completing the top five.

Jack Mather made it to the top step of the MX Open overall, however, without a race-win to his name, 118 points closing out the round win, ahead of Rhys Budd and Cooper Holroyd.

Barker Issy topped the Senior Women’s class, tied on points with Courtney Rubie, Tasmyn Bendall third.

East Coast MX – MX1 Pro Results

East Coast MX – MX2 Pro Results

East Coast MX – MX1 Open Results

East Coast MX – Pro Women Results

2024 FIM Speedway of Nations Semi-Finals draw

The draw for the 2024 FIM Speedway of Nations Semi-Finals has been revealed with reigning champions Australia meeting Denmark and Poland facing Sweden in Manchester this July.

After a year’s break for the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup, which takes place every three years, the FIM SON roars back on to the calendar for 2024 and 2025. The latest edition comes to Manchester’s National Speedway Stadium from July 9-13.

Australia won the 2022 FIM SON gold medals at iconic Danish venue Vojens, ending a 20-year wait for a world team title, dating back to their 2002 FIM Speedway World Cup win at British track Peterborough. They face 2020 and 2021 bronze medallists Denmark, 2020 and 2022 finalists Czech Republic and 2021 finalists Latvia, with USA, Slovenia and Norway also in action.

Fifteen countries will face off over four epic nights in the ultimate test of team riding in total, with Great Britain seeded straight through to the Final on Saturday, July 13 as host nation. They will bid to repeat Robert Lambert, Dan Bewley, Tai Woffinden and Tom Brennan’s historic 2021 FIM SON gold medal win at the National Speedway Stadium, which ended 32 years without a world team title for the Lions.

The remaining 14 countries were drawn into two Semi-Finals by FIM Track Racing Commission (CCP) director Armando Castagna and SGP/SON race director Phil Morris in Paris during the FIM Speedway promotional event last week.

Poland lines up in Semi-Final 1 on Tuesday, July 9, taking on 2022 bronze medallists Sweden, 2022 finalists Finland, 2021 finalists France, 2018 and 2019 finalists Germany, with Italy and Ukraine completing the line-up.

Each Semi-Final sees the seven countries meet over 21 heats, with the top two joining Great Britain in the Final automatically. The third and fourth-placed teams in each Semi-Final will then meet in a Final Qualifier at the end of the night, with the highest-scoring countries in these races joining the seven-team Final line-up.

2024 FIM SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS SEMI-FINAL DRAW

• SEMI-FINAL 1 (Tuesday, July 9): Poland, Sweden, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ukraine.
• SEMI-FINAL 2 (Wednesday, July 10): Australia, Denmark, USA, Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia, Norway.
• SON2 (Friday, July 12): Great Britain, Poland, Denmark, Latvia, Australia, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden.
• SON FINAL (Saturday, July 13): Great Britain, Winner SF1, Runner-up SF1, Final Qualifier Winner SF1, Winner SF2, Runner-up SF2, Final Qualifier Winner SF2.

EoI to manage Australia’s ISDE team open

Motorcycling Australia is now calling for expressions of interest from suitably qualified candidates to assume the ongoing role of team manager for Australia in the FIM International Six Day Enduro (ISDE), starting at this year’s event in Silleda, Spain from October 14-19. Team Australia fields riders in the World Trophy, Junior World Trophy and Women’s World Trophy at the iconic event, with the team manager to play a pivotal role in bringing together all elements of the campaigns.

TEAM MANAGER EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FORM HERE

Time away from home is approximately 14 days every year. Once the form is completed, please ensure you click ‘DONE’. Applications close Friday, May 30 at 11:59pm (AEST).

MA clarify Competition Classes – Hard Enduro

Motorcycling Australia have released the following statement, to clarify Hard Enduro competition clauses:

“It has been brought to MA’s attention that the wording used to describe the classes for Hard Enduro was creating some confusion on which classes are eligible at Club and State level Competition. It was determined that the reference to Australian Championships be removed from the class tables to make it clearer that the classes listed apply across all Hard Enduro Events including Club, Open, State or National.”

AMA Supercross Round 14 Track Layout revealed – Nashville

Sherco Factory Racing support for ISDE 2024 confirmed

Once again, Sherco is strengthening its commitment to the international enduro race which is one of the most important events of the year. We are offering to all enduro riders two possibilities to be able to participate in the 2024 ISDE in Spain: The rental of a motorcycle from the SHERCO range or Full Factory Assistance and Support.

The motorcycles for rent will be Factory models and can be 2 or 4 stroke.

• The rental price for the 2 stroke will be €3,200.
• The rental price of the 4 stroke will be €3,600.

Included in the rental:

• Transport costs of motorcycles to the ISDE event
• Motorcycle registration and insurance
• Deadline for motorcycle reservations: September 15, 2024.

The number of motorcycles for rent is limited and they will be allocated in order of arrival of the reservations. Register by sending an email to [email protected]

Factory Assistance and Support

• Access to Sherco equipment in the Paddock and checkpoints.
• Technical and mechanical assistance on race days
• Race information
• Storage box for personal effects in the paddock.
• Fuel for the race
• Motul oils and all types of lubricants
• Sherco original spare parts replacement service*
• Use of tools for motorcycle repair
• Catered food (drinks, snacks, fruit, etc.) in the paddock and at checkpoints
• Filters to be changed every day
• Technical assistance with the FIM rules and regulations
• *Important Note: Consumed spare parts are not included in the price of the support service. The price of the spare parts will be that of the list price with a 50% discount.

Price of assistance: €1,700.

Deadline for accessing assistance: September 15, 2024.

Factory Honda clinch MX1, MX2, Women’s SA MX titles

Factory Honda asserted their dominance in South Australia over the weekend, with the team clinching victories across all categories they competed in the South Australian titles. In MX1, MX2, and Women’s races, they left no room for doubt, securing clean sweeps in every event.

This season, the Factory Honda Team has intensified their competition schedule as part of a strategic initiative, aligned with Honda Australia’s commitment to participating in state championships whenever possible. Yarrive Konsky, the team director, emphasised the importance of frequent racing in enhancing their readiness for national championships, sharing “There’s no substitute for actual racing experience. With our national calendar spread across eight months and eight races, it’s imperative that we compete more frequently to elevate our chances in the national championship.”

In MX1, Terrafirma Honda’s Wilson Todd staged a remarkable return, following his struggles in Horsham, securing overall victory with consistent performances of 2, 1, 1, while Boost Mobile’s Kyle Webster, claimed the second spot with finishes of 1, 2, 2.

The MX2 category witnessed intense competition between Factory Honda riders Noah Ferguson and Brodie Connolly. Ferguson, riding the Boost Mobile CRF250R, clinched the top spot with a series of 2, 1, 1 finishes, with his teammate Connolly on the Polyflor Honda securing second overall with finishes of 1, 2, 2.

Additionally, Jake and Charli Cannon showcased their talent in the MX2 class. Charli, who also competed in the Women’s class, demonstrated significant improvement in her fitness levels and finished inside the top 14 overall. Jake excelled as the fastest MX3 rider, claiming a top 5 finish in the final moto.

In the Women’s category, Charli dominated the races on her SCT Logistics Honda and utilised each race for testing purposes, steadily improving her lap times. The team gauged her times against the top 5 male competitors, indicating her positive trajectory.

EMX250 and EMX125 Report
MXGP of Trentino

Taking place at the base of the Garda Mountains, the second round of the EMX250 and EMX125 Presented by FMF Racing unfolded like in Sardegna last week in hot temperatures not that usual for this time of year in Trentino.

Amidst the demanding conditions and on a track that required complete focus on every inch of the hard-pack surface, riders were tasked with maintaining their own performance while contending with stiff competition.

It was an Italian swoop in front of an amazing Italian atmosphere in the EMX as Beddini GASGAS Factory Juniors’s Valerio Lata perfectly won the overall with a 1-1. For Valk, K.Reisulis’ issue meant he went up to finish with an excellent 2-2 and go 2nd on the podium while Garcia also had similar trajectory as he went 3-3 for 3rd overall and his first EMX250 podium.

It was Fantic Factory Racing EMX125’s Simone Mancini who got his first ever overall win. Francesco Bellei went all the way to win his first race to give Italian fans exactly what they came for, as he finished 2nd on the podium. Salvador Perez completed the EMX125 podium.

The Red Plate stays with Zanocz who did much better than in race 1 to finish 2nd and and go 6th overall.

Valerio Lata – EMX250 P1

“What a weekend! Perfect weekend for me with the pole position yesterday and a double win! It’s amazing with all the fans here, it was so much fun here in Trentino. Now we see you in Agueda, Portugal!”

Simone Mancini – EMX125 P1

“I’m very very happy! It was a difficult race but the track was good. It was a good weekend for me as I won Race 1 and got third in race 2. I’m happy with this overall win and see you in Portugal!”

EMX250 Overall – Top 10

1. Valerio Lata (ITA, GAS), 50 points
2. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 44
3. Francisco Garcia (ESP, GAS), 40
4. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 36
5. Saad Soulimani (MOR, YAM), 30
6. Bence Pergel (HUN, KTM), 29
7. Alexis Fueri (FRA, FAN), 26
8. Nico Greutmann (SUI, HUS), 22
9. Ivano Van Erp (NED, YAM), 21
10. Mads Fredsoe (DEN, GAS), 19

EMX250 Championship – Top 10 Classification

1. Valerio Lata (ITA, GAS), 97 points
2. Mathis Valin (FRA, KAW), 81
3. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 64
4. Francisco Garcia (ESP, GAS), 59
5. Ivano Van Erp (NED, YAM), 57
6. Alexis Fueri (FRA, FAN), 49
7. Saad Soulimani (MOR, YAM), 42
8. Janis Martins Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 33
9. Nico Greutmann (SUI, HUS), 33
10. Karlis Alberts Reisulis (LAT, YAM), 30

EMX125 Overall – Top 10 Classification

1. Simone Mancini (ITA, FAN), 45 points
2. Francesco Bellei (ITA, KTM), 41
3. Salvador Perez (ESP, GAS), 37
4. Áron Katona (HUN, KTM), 34
5. Maximilian Ernecker (AUT, GAS), 33
6. Noel Zanocz (HUN, FAN), 30
7. Brando Rispoli (ITA, TM), 27
8. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 26
9. Mano Faure (FRA, YAM), 23
10. Pelle Gundersen (NOR, HUS), 21

EMX125 Championship – Top 10 Classification

1. Noel Zanocz (HUN, FAN), 77 points
2. Gyan Doensen (NED, KTM), 69
3. Salvador Perez (ESP, GAS), 65
4. Mano Faure (FRA, YAM), 58
5. Áron Katona (HUN, KTM), 58
6. Francesco Bellei (ITA, KTM), 56
7. Simone Mancini (ITA, FAN), 49
8. Dani Heitink (NED, YAM), 48
9. Jarne Bervoets (BEL, YAM), 40
10. Maximilian Ernecker (AUT, GAS), 36

2024 MXGP of Trentino
Rider Quotes

A classic venue on the calendar, the Crossodromo “Il Ciclomino” near the town of Arco, hosted the MXGP of Trentino, marking the fourth round of the series, with dramatic RAM Qualifying Races on Saturday throwing up plenty of challenges for both red plate holders.

Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing team leader Jorge Prado had issues on Saturday which left him with zero point from the RAM Qualifying Race. His pursuers smelt blood and struck first as Romain Febvre for the Kawasaki Racing Team and Tim Gajser for Team HRC both overtook the reigning Champ in race one. However, a poor start for the Slovenian and a crash for the Frenchman allowed the Spaniard to win race two, and the overall for the fourth Grand Prix in a row.

In MX2, red plate holder Kay de Wolf took another dominant win in race one for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing, but a first corner crash left him out of the overall picture. His chief Championship rival, Simon Laengenfelder, took the second race win from a clear holeshot for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing, but it was Liam Everts who took the overall Grand Prix with a solid 3-2 scorecard, the first GP win of the year for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

MXGP Overall

So from the difficult start to the weekend, Prado still comes away with the Grand Prix win, the 42nd of his career and his 11th in the MXGP class.

More importantly, no-one else has managed to beat him to the top step all season.  Febvre was the round runner-up on 41-points, Gajser third just a point behind. A point also separated fourth and fifth 37-36, with Calvin Vlaanderen and Jeremy Seewer claiming these places.

Prado now leads the Championship by 13 points on 219, from Gajser (206), with Febvre (174) a further 32 behind, in third. Jeffrey Herlings and Pauls Jonass rounding out the top five on 164 and 142-points respectively.

Jorge Prado – P1

“Starting from P17 in the first moto wasn’t easy, but I have been saying that I’m a good starter – and I think I proved that today! In the first moto I didn’t really have a good flow; I tried but the conditions were sketchy and I felt like the guys were riding a little bit better than I was. In the second moto, we made some very small bike adjustments. I think we just touched the right clicks on the bike and made it work. We had a great start again, and I had a fun battle with Febvre in the first laps – but then he fell. Honestly I’m just really happy to come away with the win from this weekend – things could easily have gone in the wrong direction, but we turned it around. Four in a row – let’s keep going!”

Romain Febvre – P2

“We worked hard on the starts this week to find some good solutions and it paid off with the holeshot yesterday and two second-placed starts today. Once I took the lead in the first moto I just concentrated on riding safe and managed the gap to Tim after he passed into second. The last lap was pretty hectic with the lapped riders but it was to my advantage that it is not easy to pass here even when you get closer. I tried to attack at the beginning of the second race; I knew I was faster and the track was quite slippery so there was a chance to make the difference. I knew I would win the GP in second so I wasn’t taking chances and I was usually careful in that corner because there was quite a lot of water there but somehow I lost the front wheel; my fault. After that I tried to catch Tim again but we both had the same pace so I had to settle for fifth. Of course I am disappointed not to win the GP but there were a lot of positives this weekend and I made good points for the championship.”

Tim Gajser – P3

“I felt my riding was good for the most part, but I didn’t get the best starts, especially in race two and that really made my job difficult. So, two-four for third overall is still a podium but I really wanted to get on the top step for me, the team and for all the fans that supported me this weekend. It was great to see so many people coming out and I missed this race last year so it was really cool to see everyone again. Now we have a couple of weekends to re-group and try to get that victory that I feel like I’m close to achieving.”

Calvin Vlaanderen – P4

“I’m definitely happy with my results this weekend! I was fast all weekend. First in Free Practice, third in Timed Practice, and then again today, I had good speed. I’m really happy with the steps we’ve been making, and it was nice to show the result of all the hard work in Race Two. We’re getting better and better, and I’m motivated for more, but first I’ll get some rest before we line-up again for round five.”

Jeremy Seewer – P5

“It was a very solid weekend. Of course I am used to podiums and wins but it’s coming; I was very consistent and took a step closer in every race with no sketchy moments and always in my comfort zone. My starts were good but the first corner here is always a battle. The overall doesn’t really show what we did but I had a moto podium; all the hard work is starting to pay off and I’m going to get stronger and stronger as the season goes on. Now we have a break in the schedule, then three GPs in a row; I’m looking forward to that as everyone knows I am one of the fittest.”

Jeffrey Herlings – P6

“I clearly had the speed to be on the podium today. I came from P20 to pass many guys and reach P4 in the first moto and in the second I had a really good start but the rear end washed away and it meant another charge back, this time to 7th. It’s pretty devastating because I had the pace to maybe even to go for the win. Two out of three starts this weekend were good and my feeling was really good, especially with my ribs…we just didn’t have the result! Anyway, we go home in one piece and we have sixteen more races to come. I should be fully fit and ready to go in Portugal.”

Roan van de Moosdijk – DNS

“Overnight I made the difficult decision to pull out of the GP. I didn’t have a good qualification race and I know my body and it just wasn’t feeling right, and I knew it was similar to how I was feeling in the pre-season and that wasn’t good for me. Now I have to get it checked out properly and once we get that information, we will make a decision how to proceed. A big thank you to all of Team HRC who have helped me these past couple of weeks and accepted my decision in a supportive way.”

MXGP Round Overall

MXGP Championship Points – Top 20

MX2 Overall

The MX2 round overall went to Everts on 42-points, Benistant second on 40-points, and Langenfelder and de Wolf tied on 38-points, but the final podium spot going to the former. Camden McLellan was a distant fifth on 30-points.

Kay De Wolf retains the championship lead on 213-points, Langenfelder second on 187-points, while Benistant is third on 148, just a point ahead of Lucas Coenen. Andrea Adamo rounding out the top five in the standings on 139-points.

Liam Everts – P1

“This weekend was a step in the right direction. It wasn’t a perfect weekend but we got the job done. It’s nice to be back on top, especially at this iconic venue. I had struggled in Sardinia, so I wanted to do better and get on the podium. I wanted to get that burden off my shoulders, and I hope now I have that sense of freedom to continue. We’ll have a small break now and then work hard towards the next Grand Prix.”

Thibault Benistant – P2

“It wasn’t an easy weekend for me despite being on the box. I rode well, but there is still room for improvement and to show what I am really capable of. I know my speed can be better. Of course, I’m happy to finally be on the podium for the first time this year; it’s a big step in the right direction. But I want more, so we will keep working. It’s still a long season.”

Simon Laengenfelder – P3

“Finally I got a good start, and I know I can win. I know I have everything I need to get these results, and finally I made it happen in the second moto! I just tried to control the race – I knew I was lapping faster than everyone, so it was just a case of bringing it home. Thank you to all my team who are always behind me. Also a special mention to my trainer – who came to see me race for the first time in three years, I’m so happy he made it here. Going home with a trophy -third overall – and now a great feeling before we race in Portugal!”

Kay de Wolf – P4

“It was an OK weekend—I lost three points in the championship, but overall, I am pretty happy with my riding throughout the weekend. In the first moto, I had a really good flow and rhythm, and just did my own thing! It was a fun race. Then, in the second moto, there was a crash in the first turn, which put me back to last, but I managed to fight my way back to eighth. The riding was amazing in the second moto, so I have lots of positives to take from the weekend, and I’m really looking forward to the next race in Portugal.”

Andrea Bonacorsi – P6

“Today I was able to show what I can do with a good start. I know I can run up front in MX2 and I proved that I can in race two. I’m really proud of myself with sixth overall and now we’ll keep working and focus on the next race in Portugal.”

Andrea Adamo – P7

“After yesterday I was confident for today but this is the way it is and we cannot change the result. The speed was there and everything was on-point but I didn’t make the best starts. It was really difficult to pass. I made a mistake in the first moto and I was in the middle of the mess at the start of the second. We’ll recover, relax and work in the next weeks now to reset the motivation for Portugal.”

Rick Elzinga – P9

“I’m not a ‘hard-pack’ rider, but I tend to ride well here. I felt good on the bike all weekend and put in a really good ride in Race One after making a mistake. I really pushed and made it all the way up to fourth. So, I was happy with that. In the second one I had another good start but in turn one a few of us crashed and my bike got tangled with another rider. It took two laps to catch the pack, but I kept pushing and ended up in 13th. My speed is good, and I’m happy with my riding, so we’ll keep working ahead of Portugal.”

Lucas Coenen – P10

“The weekend didn’t go as I had hoped. On Tuesday, I had a crash during training and injured my right shoulder. I came into the weekend still in pain from this injury and really just tried my best. During qualifying, I got off to a good start—I was around P6—but the pain was too intense, and I couldn’t manage to hold on, so I DNF’d. I actually said then that I wouldn’t race on Sunday, but somehow, I managed to motivate myself to push through the pain. The first moto was pretty difficult; my shoulder was bothering me, but we still managed to secure some important points. Then in the second moto, I had a good start but was completely on the outside, which made it difficult. I finished P9 and got P10 overall, so it’s positive, all things considered. Now we have some time to recover before Portugal, and I’m aiming to come back strong!”

Marc-Antoine Rossi – P13

“After a good start in qualifying and a strong performance in the first race, it’s fair to say the weekend had a mix of highs and lows for me. 7th in qualifying was really good, and managing to fight through to 6th in the first moto, especially after some tough battles with Haarup, shows our potential. We had a good rhythm, and I felt good in the conditions. The second moto, however, was a completely different story. The start was crazy with that big crash. I had to grit my teeth because of the pain. Finishing 20th wasn’t what we aimed for, but it’s all part of racing. Overall, taking 13th place is something we’ll learn from. Thanks to everyone for the support, and we’ll be pushing hard to turn things around at the next round!”

Sacha Coenen – P16

“A really good first moto. I led for a while and then got passed by two riders but couldn’t make the finish. It was a technical issue and just bad luck. I really wanted to win the second one but we had the start collision. Disappointing. Last to 11th and not what I wanted but we’ll hope for better In Portugal.”

MX2 Round Overall

MX2 Championship Standings

2024 AMA Supercross Round 13 Foxborough Rider Quotes

For the full results see:
Blow by blow reports from Foxborough 250-450 AMA SX

450 Main

Cooper Webb got off the gates well and took the early lead ahead of Ken Roczen and Shane McElrath.  Jett Lawrence was closed-in on the run towards the opening turn and was well outside the top ten early on. Eli Tomac had a slightly better start, just inside the top ten, but lost the rear late on the opening lap, which saw him go down, but he was still back up and running ahead of Jett.

Jason Anderson made short work of McElrath to move up to third place. Chase Sexton then pushed McElrath further back to fifth.  Meanwhile, up front, Cooper Webb was pulling away from the field, as five minutes into the contest, light rain started falling inside Gillette Stadium.

Webb led Roczen by over two-seconds at just over half-race distance. Sexton had started to challenge Roczen for that second place, but the German managed to sneak away from him again around this mid-stage of the contest. Jason Anderson was fourth ahead of Justin Hill. Hunter Lawrence was running sixth ahead of Shane McElrath, Eli Tomac, Jett Lawrence, and Justin Barcia. With ten-minutes left on the clock, Jett Lawrence was eighth and more than 15-seconds behind his closest challenger for the championship, race leader Cooper Webb.

As they started the second-half of the race, Jett Lawrence began to wind up and make some serious progress. Jett passed his brother, Hunter, then picked off Shane McElrath, then Justin Hill, before sweeping past Eli Tomac, moving up to fifth place with just over eight-minutes on the clock. At this juncture, Jett was 14-seconds behind race leader Cooper Webb.

Chase Sexton managed to get back on terms with Ken Roczen with six minutes left on the clock, but the German made his RM-Z450 as wide as a Mack truck.  Once past though, Sexton left the Suzuki rider in his dust.

By the final lap, Chase Sexton was looking to challenge Cooper Webb for the lead and looked better through certain jump sections, but Webb was putting the power down more smoothly and that made the difference.  If Sexton had managed to get by Roczen earlier, it may have been a different story, but Roczen rode through to a brilliant and well-deserved third place.

Jett Lawrence challenged Jason Anderson for fourth place over the course of the final lap but couldn’t quite manage to get the better of the Kawasaki rider, despite a final turn lunge that would have worked if his CRF450R hadn’t spun up on him heading towards the chequered flag jump. That pair took the flag eight-seconds behind the winner.

Eli Tomac was 14-seconds further back in sixth place, with a handy buffer over Hunter Lawrence and Justin Cooper.

Justin Hill took ninth, while Malcolm Stewart rounded out the top ten ahead of Justin Barcia.

Jett Lawrence and Cooper Webb are now tied on points, 261-points apiece, 15-points ahead of Chase Sexton. Eli Tomac is a further 15-points behind, nine-points ahead of Ken Roczen.

Supercross now heads 1100 miles inland from Foxborough on the east coast, to the capital of the US state of Tennessee, Nashville.

Cooper Webb – P1

“It was a great start to get the holeshot, which was huge, and you know, was able to put some good laps in.  I felt like me and Kenny had a great pace at the beginning, and then, honestly, once the rain came, it got a little bit interesting for me.  Like, you don’t know if you could really trust some of those hard-pack areas and a few of my lines I needed to clean up and be better at, and like I said, I saw Chase catching Kenny, and I had a little bit of a gap and then made that big mistake in the rhythm, and that tightened it right up quickly. Chase made the pass on Kenny, and he was coming; he was riding really well, and I could feel him coming. So I just tried to hit my marks the last few laps trying to, you know, think about where where he was catching me, and where I could pick up time, and that’s what I tried to do. So it felt good. I haven’t led a whole main event now in a long time, actually, so it felt and I felt great, and obviously, to get to the co-points lead is an amazing feeling.”

Chase Sexton – P2

“It was definitely hard to pass on this track tonight… I got by Jason [Anderson] early and then I was behind Kenny [Roczen] for a while. It took a lot to set that pass up, trying to get an angle [to make the move]. After that, you couldn’t be super-aggressive with how the track was, it was really slippery, so you had to be patient. I saw Cooper [Webb] miss the rut toward the end, so I went to rail the turn and maybe set up a pass, but it didn’t come together. I feel like I had good speed tonight, I was decent in the heat and felt like I rode pretty good in the Main Event with how the track was, so we will keep pushing from here into these final races.”

Ken Roczen – P3

“In practice, it’s just been horrendous, honestly; having said that, I have learned to stay cool and wait until the racing time when it really counts. But we got off to a really good start there and stayed right behind Cooper. Every time I jumped, I lost ground. But overall, I’m really happy for myself just to actually get it together and be back on the box.  I had to ride a little bit defensively. Obviously, once Chase got really close, he made the pass, but I didn’t want to just roll over and let these guys battle it out for the lead. I wanted to stay in it. I feel like that would have been lame. So I just tried to do the best that I can all the way to the end. And I’m pretty happy with the podium and, honestly, just staying in striking distance of the lead, because some of these weekends, I’m way off.”

Jason Anderson – P4

“Another weekend down. Since announcing my retirement last week, these last few rounds are really important to me. Despite my ankle injury from St. Louis, I’m determined to finish out this season no matter what. Although the injury is not doing me any favors, I’m just stoked to be out there riding my Kawasaki. Thank you to my team for these last 20 years, let’s finish out these last four rounds strong.”

Jett Lawrence – P5

“This was not the end result we were looking for tonight. The bike felt great, and my riding felt awesome—I just couldn’t link it with a start. I got a good jump, just slipped on a harder spot about 20 feet out. Unfortunately, in this class it’s game over without a good start. That’s a shame because I felt like I could be up front this weekend. We’ll move on to next weekend.”

Hunter Lawrence – P7

“It was a bit of a disappointing race, as I wasn’t the best version of myself—good data logging, though. We logged some laps and got some more experience, so that’s a positive. We have some work to do on our starts to just give ourselves a better shot. On to Nashville!”

Malcolm Stewart – P10

“Foxborough was decent, even though of course the result isn’t where we wanted it to be,” Stewart commented. “The track was definitely pretty gnarly. I went down in the Main Event in the final couple of laps, but at the end of the day, we’ve just gotta keep digging and keep moving forward. I rode hard, made some passes, and there are some positives to take – we’ll get them next weekend! I’ve never raced in Nashville, so I’m excited for that one.”

Adam Cianciarulo – P15

“This weekend was a huge step forward for me. We made some changes on my KX450SR that were very positive, and I felt great all weekend. This was also a special weekend celebrating my daughter’s first birthday, so I had a special gear and helmet for her this weekend that my team surprised me with. Overall it was a good weekend and I’ll keep making progression to be back on the podium.”

450 Main Results

450 Championship Points

250 Main

Seth Hammaker, Haiden Deegan, and Tom Vialle all got great gates and runs through Turn One, but Haiden Deegan quickly forced his way through to the lead and immediately started to pull away from his pursuers.

Championship leader, Cam McAdoo, was up to fourth early on, then up to third after getting the best of team-mate, Seth Hammaker, late on the opening lap.

It took McAdoo a few laps to get the better of Vialle, but once past, he left the KTM man in his wake.  The Kawasaki rider could not find the pace to run Deegan down, though, and had to settle for second.

Deegan was the victor by just over four-seconds.

Tom Vialle rounded out the podium a further nine-seconds behind.

Pierce Brown was fourth, with a healthy buffer over Max Anstie.

Haiden Deegan was 16-points behind Cameron McAdoo, 14-points behind Tom Vialle, and five-points behind Pierce Brown heading into Foxborough.  After his victory tonight, the 18-year-old heads to the East-West showdown next time out at Nashville, 13-points behind McAdoo, and nine-points behind Vialle. There are now three points-scoring rounds left for 250 East competitors before the champion is crowned.

Cameron McAdoo – P2

“It’s been so much fun riding, and I’ve really tried to embrace how lucky I am that I get to do this. The track had a few tricky spots, so I was really focused on hitting my lines and just trying to keep the leader close. I’m thankful we were able to get a few more points over second because these next few weeks are going to be tough with two shootouts in the next three rounds.”

Tom Vialle – P3

“I always try to do my best no matter what and I think that finishing third was the best I could do tonight, so we are happy to be on the podium again. Next weekend will be really important and the coming races, too. There are only three rounds to go – it is going to be a good fight to the end, for sure.”

Pierce Brown – P4

”Foxborough was an alright night! I feel like I struggled throughout the day and then I pulled it together in the Main Event. I had a decent start and then rode consistently in fourth, which was all I had tonight. We’ll go back to work next week and then see you guys in Nashville!”

Max Anstie – P5

“The opening laps this weekend was costly for me. I got caught up with Brown and made a few errors. Initially, I thought he had bike trouble, but it seemed to fix itself. Moving forward, I need to improve my execution in the finals in the opening laps. I’ve missed out on some fantastic results, but the positives are evident: we have the speed, the bike is competitive, and we still have several rounds ahead to show our capabilities. Nothing would be sweeter than standing on the podium or, even better, winning an East vs. West round.”

Chance Hymas – P12

“Tonight was very up-and-down for me. Getting my first heat race win shows that I’m moving in the right direction, but I just didn’t execute in the main. I got bumped around off the start, and when you’re that far back, it’s difficult to make the moves you need to. I’ll take the positives from the day and look for a rebound in Nashville.”

250 Main Results

250 East Championship Points

2024 FIM EnduroGP Round Two – Valpacos, Portugal

Racing kicked off at round two of the EnduroGP World Championship in Valpacos, Portugal, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia the undisputed leader on day one, claiming the EnduroGP overall.

Fantic Racing Team’s Axel Semb eased his way to victory in the GALFER FIM Junior Enduro World Championship, while Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Francesca Nocera secured a debut win in the FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship.

Day two delivered a fierce battle for top honours with Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe taking the win. Going head-to-head with GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona, Holcombe secured the top step of the EnduroGP podium by just one second. Garcia having to settle for third.

Semb made it two wins in Valpacos in the GALFER FIM Junior Enduro World Championship, while RIEJU Factory Team’s Mireia Badia topped the FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship.

Day One – Saturday

After Friday night’s AKRAPOVIC Super Test, competitors welcomed a slightly later start than normal for the opening day of racing at round two of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Valpacos, Portugal. Despite the first riders rolling off the start ramp at 10am, they still faced a lengthy day.

In total, three and a half laps of the 50-kilometre-long course was on the agenda. Factoring in the hot temperatures and 12 special tests (including Friday’s AKRAPOVIC Super Test), meant day one would be a testing affair.

Determined to reel Josep Garcia back in following his Friday night triumph, Steve Holcombe immediately topped the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test by almost three seconds to put himself into the lead. However, Garcia was not about to lie down and won both the MAXXIS Enduro Test and ACERBIS Cross Test to end lap one with a three-second lead over Holcombe in second.

Andrea Verona was just a further seven seconds behind in third, while Brad Freeman had regrouped well following his Super Test penalty to slot into fourth. But with the Fast Eddy Racing pairing of Mikael Persson and Jamie McCanney hot on Freeman’s heels, the fight for a place inside the top five was truly on.

On lap two, while Garcia maintained his lead, Verona took the fight to Holcombe. Setting the fastest time in the POLISPORT Extreme Test and MAXXIS Enduro Test, before placing second to Garcia on the ACERBIS Cross Test, saw him lie just three tenths of a second behind the Brit with only five tests left to run.

As quickly as that battle formed, the following POLISPORT Extreme Test put paid to the Italian’s efforts. A major mistake from the GASGAS rider handed Holcombe some much-needed breathing room.

Meanwhile, Garcia continued to have all bases covered. Consistently staying inside the top three, the Spaniard maintained his advantage to bring his KTM home for the EnduroGP class victory on day one. Unable to make gains on Garcia, Holcombe protected his lead over Verona during the final half lap to take second. Naturally frustrated with his costly mistake, Verona had to settle for third. Expect the Italian to make amends for his errors tomorrow.

Not quite matching the fast pace of the leading trio, Freeman brought his Beta home in a lonely fourth. A reshuffle of the leaderboard in the latter stages of the day saw CH Racing Sherco’s Hamish MacDonald finish strongly for fifth, with McCanney seven seconds behind in sixth.

Top Aussie was Wil Ruprecht, finishing 11th overall on his Sherco.

In Enduro1, Garcia put his KTM on the top step of the podium. Thirteen seconds behind, Holcombe ended his day as runner-up. McCanney could be pleased with his opening day efforts in Valpacos with a strong third place result.

Josep Garcia

“It was a long day and very physical. The pace at the top of EnduroGP is super high. I made a mistake on the second enduro test and really had to push to overcome that. In every test we were fighting, there was nowhere to rest out there!”

Verona was the undisputed winner of Enduro2 with the Italian winning his class by 73 seconds. Crashing hard on the final MAXXIS Enduro Test, Enduro2 points leader Nathan Watson (Beta) saw his day come to an unfortunate end while sitting second. That opened the door for Samuele Bernardini (Honda) to take the position. Persson completed the podium in third.

After his non-finish on day two at round one due to illness, Freeman showed that he’s back on pace by winning the Enduro3 category. The Brit won the first four tests to build an early lead and despite a late charge by MacDonald, Freeman still had enough in hand to seal the deal. MacDonald will need to hit the ground running tomorrow to topple his close rival. Fantic Racing Team’s Albin Norrbin fended off TM Racing’s Matteo Cavallo by nine seconds to place third.

Enduro Women

The FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship saw the third race winner in as many races emerge on day one in Valpacos. Excelling in the high temperatures and physically demanding conditions, Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Francesca Nocera topped the podium.

The Italian was incredibly strong in the final four tests of the day. Topping each one, she worked her way from third overall to an eight-second margin of victory as she exited the final ACERBIS Cross Test of the day.

Francesca Nocera

“To take my first victory in the world championship is an amazing feeling. It was a long, tough day, but I feel like I rode well. I managed to win the final tests and that made the difference. I hope tomorrow I can keep this strong pace and battle again for victory.”

After leading for the majority of the day, RIEJU Factory Team’s Mireia Badia couldn’t hold off the late charge by Nocera and slipped to an eventual second. Fighting for a place on the podium, Team KBS Sherco’s Rachel Gutish saw her day unravel with a mechanical issue on the penultimate special test. With Gutish losing a lot of time to salvage a result of eighth, it opened the door for Rosie Rowett to capitalise and take third. Nieve Holmes was fourth, with Beta mounted Justine Martel rounding out the top five.

Enduro Junior

In the GALFER FIM Junior Enduro World Championship, Fantic Racing Team’s Axel Semb returned to the top step of the podium on day one in Valpacos. After a slow start to his morning in the POLISPORT Extreme Test, the Swede hit his stride during the middle part of the day and built up a lead that wouldn’t be caught.

Axel Semb

“I pushed hard from the start and managed to establish a good lead. That helped me a lot on the final lap to control my advantage and take the win. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

Behind him and things were much tighter as a four-rider battle developed for the remainder of the podium. Reigning Enduro Youth champ Kevin Cristino is showing that he’s already settled in his move up to Enduro Junior. Racing hard with Max Ahlin, Team Beta Oxmoto’s Alix Antoine and Manolo Morettini, the Italian saw off their challenges to make it a Fantic 1-2 on day one.

Despite clocking the fastest time on the final two tests, Ahlin couldn’t overhaul Cristino and will have to try again tomorrow. Alix took fourth. However, only five tenths of a second split him and Morettini in fifth.

Enduro Youth saw Manuel Verzeroli improve on his runner-up result from last Sunday in Fafe to win on Saturday in Valpacos. The Italian only won four of the 12 special tests, but by never faltering outside of the top three, proved that consistency is key to success. Romain Dagna was second, with TM Racing’s Alberto Elgari five seconds behind Dagna in third.

2024 EnduroGP of Portugal (2) Day One Highlights

Day One Results – Top 20

Day Two – Sunday

Day two in the EnduroGP class, saw all eyes on day one winner Josep Garcia, to see if he could put his KTM on the top step of the podium again. However, on the first POLISPORT Extreme Test, Steve Holcombe came out swinging and set the fastest time.

Unlike the previous day, Garcia didn’t answer back straight away. Holcombe won the following MAXXIS Enduro Test to build up a nine-second lead over Beta Factory Racing’s Nathan Watson, with Verona four tenths of a second behind in third.

Lying sixth overall, Garcia had work to do. He finally hit his stride by winning the ACERBIS Cross Test to move up to third overall at the end of lap one of three. But Holcombe was in control with a 10-second lead over Verona in second place.

Throughout lap two, Holcombe continued to hold firm in front as Verona and Garcia shared test wins between them. His advantage had lessened though, and as they began the third and final lap, only 10 seconds separated the top three. Enduro fans were in for a grandstand finish.

Holcombe started out strong by winning the final POLISPORT Extreme Test. Verona had the measure of everyone on the final MAXXIS Enduro Test and topped the time sheets. With back-to-back ACERBIS Cross Tests set to close out the day, Holcombe hoped his six-second lead would hold out.

Fending off attacks from both Verona and Garcia, Holcombe kept his cool, like he had the previous Sunday. Shadowing his rivals in both tests, he did just enough to take victory by only one second after over one hour of timed special test racing. Despite putting everything he had into winning the final test, Verona couldn’t get the better of the Honda rider and had to settle for second.

Admitting to going ‘all-in’ on the final test for the win, Garcia pushed the limit that little bit too far and hit the dirt. With his chance of taking a double victory in Valpacos slipping away, the Spaniard had to be content with third.

After shaking off his crash on day one, Watson put in a strong ride for fourth. The Beta rider was still feeling the effects of yesterday’s tumble and wasn’t able to get into the mix with the top three riders. Continuing to put in solid rides, Fast Eddy Racing’s Jamie McCanney claimed fifth overall. The Manxman rode well on day two, enjoying a big battle with Brad Freeman (Beta) and Samuele Bernardini (Honda) to secure his first EnduroGP top-five of the season.

Wil Ruprecht dropped to 23rd on day two.

Will Ruprecht

“My weekend got off to a good start. Flowing well and riding clinically. I was happy with my day 1 riding but not satisfied with the results. P4 in E2, P11 Overall. Day 2 was far bumpier. My strong point was in mid corner but struggled with corner entry and exit. Otherwise, it was a relatively mistake free day. All in all, it was a physical weekend, it was the first hot race of the season with 30-degree temps and 3.5 laps each day. It is time to get busy trying to improve and be ready to race.”

With his EnduroGP victory in one hand, Steve Holcombe held the Enduro1 class win in the other at the end of day two in Portugal. Garcia, disappointed with his mistakes, finished in second, while McCanney took third in Enduro1 for the third race in a row.

Steve Holcombe

“The fight for the win today was incredible. I love to race like this, but yeah, the pressure coming into that final test was pretty wild. It felt good to keep it together and take the victory. I changed my style up a bit today and tried to stay as smooth as possible. I think that helped throughout the course of the day. I’m tied for the championship lead now, so let’s see how Romania goes next month!”

Josep Garcia

“It’s been a good, solid weekend for me. Winning EnduroGP and Enduro1 on Saturday was perfect really, along with also topping the Super Test on Friday night. I didn’t make too many mistakes on day one and that made the difference. I had some mistakes on Sunday, which cost me a chance of winning, but I still finished on the podium in both classes. Like round one, the pace was incredible this weekend. Everyone is pushing so hard and there’s no room for error. I feel good on the bike and I’m happy with how I’m riding. I just need to keep this level at the next round.”

Although narrowly missing out on the EnduroGP win, Andrea Verona was the clear winner of Enduro2. His double win in Valpacos, while benefiting from Watson’s non-finish on day one, sees him lead the championship by 15 points at the end of round two. Watson placed second, with Bernardini completing the top three.

Andrea Verona

“Overall, it’s been a really good weekend. I won both days in E2 and finished on the EnduroGP podium twice as well. Throughout the entire weekend, things were tight between Josep (Garcia), Steve (Holcombe), and me, often with less than a second separating us in each test. After finishing third in EnduroGP on Saturday, I knew I had to give everything on Sunday, and I pushed as hard as I could right from the start. I have to say that missing out on the overall win by just one second is really frustrating, but that’s racing. I gave 100 percent and I know my speed is good. The plan now is to train more before the next round. We have a few things to work on, so hopefully, we can come back even stronger in Romania next month and take the win. Thanks to the team and everyone who supports me. It’s been an intense couple of weeks here in Portugal, and we’re going full gas into the next one.”

The Enduro3 class saw Brad Freeman top the podium for the second time this weekend. He won by 23 seconds over Matteo Cavallo (TM Racing), with JET Zanardo Husqvarna’s Morgan Lesiardo in third.

There was drama for championship leader, and race leader, Hamish MacDonald, when the CH Racing Sherco rider crashed heavily on the final test. The New Zealander limped home to salvage ninth, but suffering a suspected shoulder injury now puts him in a race to be fit for round three next month in Romania.

Hamish MacDonald

“The weekend started well, I found a good rhythm on the Portuguese stages, I finished 2nd in the E3 category and 5th overall on the first day. On Sunday, I achieved very good times, I was leading the category by more than 20 seconds in the last special, unfortunately I had a big fall in the last jump, 300 m before the finish. I was unconscious for a few seconds, but I was able to get back and finish the round. I was taken to the hospital on arrival and this morning we are awaiting the results, I may have a fracture.”

Enduro Women

The FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship saw Mireia Badia take her second victory of the season for RIEJU Factory Team. Taking the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test win, Badia went on to win another five special tests to top the podium by 32 seconds.

Day one winner Francesca Nocera put up the biggest challenge to Badia, but`wasn’t able to consistently stay on pace with Badia and ultimately took second. Rachel Gutish completed the top three, with Rosie Rowett and Justine Martel rounding out the top five.

Mireia Badia

“I’m super happy with the win today. I didn’t make many mistakes and opened up a nice lead. This win puts me into the championship lead!”

Enduro Junior

In the Junior`s Axel Semb was once again the rider to beat. The Swede raced to his second victory of the weekend. However, today he didn’t have things all his own way. Fellow countryman Max Ahlin applied the pressure all day and didn’t allow Semb to break away. In the end, Semb won by only eight seconds over Ahlin.

As the day progressed, eyes were also fixed on the battle for the third step of the podium. Italians Manolo Morettini and Kevin Cristino were fighting hard. In the end, Morettini took third by just two tenths of a second over Cristino. Albert Fontova completed the top five.

The Enduro Youth class saw Manuel Verzeroli record his second victory of the weekend. In a closely stacked field of riders, the top five were separated by just 32 seconds on day two in Valpacos. TM Racing’s Alberto Elgari placed as runner-up, with Pietro Scardina ensuring an all-Italian podium in third. Romain Dagna and Maxime Clauzier were fourth and fifth, respectively.

After an exciting start to the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Portugal for rounds one and two, the championship heads to Bacau in Romania for round three on May 10-12.

2024 EnduroGP of Portugal (2) Day Two Highlights

Day Two Results – Top 20

EnduroGP Standings

E1 Standings

E2 Standings

E3 Standings

FIM Junior Enduro Standings

FIM Women’s Enduro Standings

2024 Racing schedule

2024 FIM EnduroGP Calendar

2024 MXGP Calendar (Provisional)

2024 FIM Hard Enduro World Championships Provisional Calendar

2024 Monster Energy Supercross & Pro Motocross calendars

2024 FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship calendar