Moto News Wrap for May 19, 2015 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Australasian News
Bugga!! Young Joel Evans crashed heavily during qualifying at Murray Bridge and after being stabilised by the Suzuki Racesafe team the MX2 privateer was air lifted to Royal Adelaide Hospital and has since had an operation to stabilise a shattered vertebral disc. At the time of writing Evans is in a stable condition and responding positively to treatment.
NRGTV once gain covered the MX Nationals round live at Murray Bridge and I must admit that the show is getting better and better thanks to host Joe Stevens keeping us informed with the help of Brenden Harrison. There are still a couple of wobbly moments that detract from what is otherwise a professionally presented show, well done to all concerned.
Murray Bridge hosted the Swann Insurance V4 40 Plus Veterans Championship and it was Cam Taylor who took the win from Troy Dorron while Connor Tierney took out the MXD class ahead of Jayden Rykers and Jordan Hill.
Check out Todd Jarratt’s excellent report from the MX Nationals event at Murray Bridge.
Australian Motocross Championships
Murray Bridge SA Sunday 17 May 2015
American News
Aussies Chad Reed, Brett Metcalfe, Jackson Richardson and Hayden Mellross were all on hand for the opening round of the AMA Motocross Championships held at Hangtown last weekend and it was Brett Metcalfe who was the best performer with 7-9 moto finishes for 7th overall in the 450 class while Reed went 12-15 for 15th outright.
Jackson went 23-17 for 23rd outright while Hayden went 26-24 for 27th outright. Let’s hope that Metty keeps the pace up at Glen Helen and that Chad, Jackson and Hayden can find some extra speed.
Once Glen Helen is over Metcalfe will head up to Canada to start final preparation for the opening round of the Canadian Motocross Championships on Sunday, May 31 at Whispering Pines Raceway, Kamloops, British Columbia. Go Metty!!!
Defending AMA 450 Motocross Champion Ken Roczen suffered an injury prior to the opening round of the championship but still managed 19-5 results for 12th overall at Hangtown. “I have a stress fracture in my spine. after laying flat in bed for 6 days straight I didn’t think I was gonna be able to swing a leg over a bike. But I did haha. Tough week/weekend but we managed to get some points. Thanks to all my sponsors for being behind me.”
Chad Reed’s team mate Josh Grant didn’t even make it to the start line at Hangtown. The Discount Tire/TwoTwo Motorsports Kawasaki rider took a big hit in a crash leading up to the opening round that lacerated his tongue and left him beat up and bruised all over. He should be at Glen Helen where he is a real chance for a top five, he loves the place.
Malcolm Stewart will return to the Geico Honda squad next year despite the fact that he won’t be racing the outdoors this year. Originally his deal for this year was only for supercross and, seeing as the team is full, there was no room for him to contest Lucas Oil Pro Motocross but Mookie will ride both Supercross and motocross in 2016.
AutoTrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha announced recently that they have extended Weston Peick’s deal through the 2016 season. Peick, the long-time privateer, is coming off a career year in his first full season with JGR, finishing tenth overall in Monster Energy Supercross, despite missing three rounds.
Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull KTM have signed Mitchell Oldenburg for Lucas Oil Pro Motocross. The deal is only for the first five rounds and the team will re-evaluate Oldenburg’s deal after High Point.
GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle left the second moto of the opening round of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross at Hangtown early Saturday after colliding with Jessy Nelson and crashing off the track. Just a few hours ago Bogle released an update on Twitter stating that he spent Saturday night in the hospital and “luckily only internal stuff was bruised lung and some minor kidney trauma” – Bogle has also had an MRI on his shoulder and is now awaiting the results – he is in doubt for Glen Helen.
Beta’s Nick Burson kicked off the second half of the Kenda/SRT AMA West Hare Scrambles Championship Series by dominating round five of the eight-race series. KTM’s Cory Graffunder still holds the series lead on 122 points while Burson sits on 111 points.
Euro News
Dylan Ferrandis is another rider that will be on the sidelines for the remainder of 2015 after sustaining a knee injury at the Spanish GP. The Frenchman tore some ligaments and damaged his meniscus, so underwent surgery last Thursday.
Following the recent injury of Dylan Ferrandis, team Monster Energy Kawasaki MX2 Racing Team has signed young Bulgarian Petar Petrov for the remaining of the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship.
Yamaha Motor Europe are pleased to announce that Julien Lieber will remain on the YZ250F and as part of the formidable Standing Construct Yamaha Yamalube racing team for the 2016 MX2 FIM Motocross World Championship. The 20 year old (21 in June) is negotiating his fifth season of Grand Prix competition in 2015 and has already set a small milestone by obtaining his first podium finish, secured at the opening round at Qatar.
Shaun Simpson and Jeffrey Herlings have won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively at the annual Wuurstwezel International in Belgium. Going 2-2 and scoring 44pts Simpson beat home Australian rider Dean Ferris who scored 43 points. Ferris won the second moto while local rider Kevin Strijbos won the opening MX1 moto but DNFed the second. Herlings on the other hand beat home fellow KTM factory rider Pauls Jonass and a handful of young MX2 chargers.
Matt Phillips is BACK!! After a couple of rounds that didn’t got to plan the plucky Aussie went 1-1 over the two days of racing in the E3 class at round 3 of the FIM World Enduro Championships held in Portugal last weekend. Phillips’ title defence looks in much better shape after championship leader Mathias Bellino could only manage 2-4 finishes so the Aussie is now only 13 points back in the championship points.
Jessica Gardner and Jemma Wilson were also racing in Portugal for round 2 of the EW class and Gardner managed another solid second place finish behind championship leader Laia Sanz and sits second in the championship while Jemma had a DNF on day one then bounced back with a solid fourth on day 2.
Speaking of speedy female dirt bike riders, Jess Moore had bad news on her FB page this week: ‘Gutted to announce to everyone that I won’t be racing round 3 and 4 of the world gp rounds at matterly basin and in France next weekend and the following. As I was meant to fly out today. My shoulder still isn’t ready to get back on the bike just yet after my reconstruction. We were desperately pushing to try and make it back in time but have made the decision with my sponsors, surgeon and physio to sit it out. I will however fly out as soon as my arm is ready, to race the last two rounds of the world championship and to do some training in Europe and gain some more experience for next year. Thanks to everyone for sticking behind me in these last few weeks and my sponsors’
Race Reports and Results from last Weekend
- – Kenda AMA National Enduro Series – Round 5 – Park Hills, Missouri
- – Australian MX Nationals – Round 4 – Murray Bridge, SA
- – Enduro World Championship – Round 3 – Gouveia, Portugal
- – FIM World Speedway Championships – Round 2 – Tampere
- – AMA Motocross Championships – Round 1 – Hangtown
Kenda AMA National Enduro Series – Round 5 – Park Hills, Missouri
It took a few races, but Kailub Russell finally got his first win in the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series after three-straight runner-up finishes. The FMF/KTM rider’s Victory came at the Lead Belt National Enduro, round five of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series, held in St. Joe State Park south of Park Hills, Missouri.
Although the West Virginia rider is new to the series this year and has been adjusting to the new format, he was fast and sharp on the slippery Missouri single-track.
Russell set himself up nicely by winning the opening test of the day by 19 seconds over N-Fab/Am Pro Yamaha’s Grant Baylor, and then added wins in the second, fourth and fifth tests for good measure. Meanwhile, Baylor kept Russell honest by winning tests three and six.
In the end, Russell, who was riding the new 2015.5 250 SXF Factory Edition, took the overall win by one minute and thirty-seven seconds over Baylor, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Andrew DeLong finishing third, another minute and five seconds back.
“I got off to a good start and won the first test, but I’ve done that at all of the nationals so far and still came up short,” said Russell. “But today was good and the new bike is awesome. I love this bike and it goes a long ways when you’re having fun on the bike.”
Baylor was pleased with his runner-up finish, which kept him solidly in fourth overall in the series standings ahead of DeLong.
Fourth was Steward Baylor on the MotoTech KTM. The 2012 National Enduro champ had an off day, admitting he thought he was just pushing too hard, although he still remains in second overall in the standings, 23 points behind Russell.
The Kenda AMA National Enduro Series resumes on June 14th in Upton, Wyoming.
Results: 1. Kailub Russell (KTM). 2. Grant Baylor (Yam). 3. Andrew DeLong (Hus). 4. Steward Baylor (KTM). 5. Russell Bobbitt (KTM). 6. Ryan Sipes (Hus). 7. Trevor Bollinger (KTM). 8. Craig DeLong (Hus). 9. Evan Smith (KTM). 10. Brad Bakken (Yam).
2015 MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship – Round 4 – Murray Bridge, SA
MX1 Race Report: Dan Reardon was off to a good start in race one and instantly locked in a great three way battle for the lead with team mate Kade Mosig and championship leader, Kirk Gibbs. The trio swapped positions on several occasions with Reardon taking the lead briefly in the opening stages. The race settled down and Gibbs managed to get around Reardon who maintained second for a long period until a late race charge by Mosig relegated him back to third.
In the second moto Gibbs pulled the holeshot from Reardon and Adam Monea and that is the way it stayed for the first part of the moto until Monea strung together a series of blistering laps that saw the Kawasaki rider charge to the lead and take off for his first moto win for 2015 ahead of Gibbs and Reardon.
For the second time in as many years, current MX1 championship leader Kirk Gibbs won his ‘home’ round, using 1-2 scores on the day to extend his championship lead to 39 points, just one round shy of the series halfway point.
Kirk Gibbs – “The day was good, I qualified well, but I hit a marker in SuperPole and my front brake went a bit spongy. I got two ripper starts and just tried to ride smart and safe and kept clicking off clean laps. The boys were pressuring me, but I was good enough to come away with a win in that first moto. I made a couple of silly mistakes and Monea got by me, but I was able to keep him honest. I was happy with my speed today but those couple of little mistakes probably cost me a 1-1. I’m really happy with extending the points lead though, and making a decent gap to keep trying to open up.”
Adam Monea – “I’m stoked. Can’t be happier for the team, we’ve all worked hard and put in a mega offseason so it feels like it’s been a long time coming. It’s a good feeling to get on top and on a race podium. My first podium for the season in the last round was overdue and another 2nd today shows how determined I am to keep climbing up that ladder. Getting the Superpole win was great, first one since I’ve been on the team, really happy with that.”
Dan Reardon – “It’s nice to finally get up here, I have been in a position to get on the podium at most rounds only for it not to happen but today I made sure I got it done and finished both races in a good position without taking huge risks. Although it has taken four rounds, the CDR Yamaha team have stood behind me and been a huge factor in my return to racing. I can’t thank them enough. The YZ450F is awesome and working with these guys makes racing fun.”
MX2 Race Report: KTM Factory Support rider Caleb Ward made his return from knee injury a memorable one with a stunning, two-moto domination over Husqvarna’s Luke Arbon and Takeshi Katsuya. Last year Ward used Murray Bridge as a springboard to attack the back half of the season, and with his taste for sand tracks, it’s an ominous sign for his opponents approaching next round at Coolum.
Luke Arbon used his ‘home-town’ track to motivate himself to a pair of second places behind Ward, Arbon actually led all but the final two laps in the second moto and looks to be back in form for the second part of the season.
Takeshi battled hard all day from the back of thew pack to pick up the final podium position and is now equal 2nd with Jay Wilson on the MX2 championship leader board and only 16 points away from the MX2 class leader Luke Clout who struggled all day after having a monster crash during qualifying.
Caleb Ward – “I couldn’t be happier. I got a good start in the first one and made my move for the lead on lap four, then just sort of rode my own race – stayed smooth and smart and consistent and won that one. In the second I was inside the top 10, but I made four or five passes on the first lap, and got into third behind Luke and then we both passed Riley Graham on probably lap four. Towards the middle I faded a little bit and sort of caught my breath, and then put in a big effort in the last couple of laps to close in the gap and made the pass and got another moto win. Pretty cool. The knee was a little bit tender in the first one, but I didn’t even notice it in the second moto.”
Luke Arbon – “I got two seconds here and it feels so great to be back on the podium. I kind of had a feeling about a week or two ago, I changed up my suspension on the bike and I just clicked with it straight away and had a bit more confidence in myself and my bike. It seemed to work well. I qualified fourth which is like qualifying first for me – I always suck a bit at that. It was good to go out and enjoy the ride and enjoy the day. And finish the day with a smile, too.”
Takshi Katsuya – “Qualifying didn’t go well, but I don’t worry too much about qualifying because when I race, my lap times are up there with the leaders. Got a good start in the first moto, and I lost my rhythm in the second lap so it was hard for me to come back after that. Overall today I had bad starts. I’m here for a reason and I went for it. I used a lot of energy and it wasn’t easy but I got another podium”.
MX1 Overall: 1. Kirk Gibbs 67. 2. Adam Monea 63. 3. Daniel Reardon 60. 4. Kade Mosig 57. 5. Lawson Bopping 51. 6. Luke Styke 50. 7. Jesse Dobson 48. 8. Dylan Long 48. 9. James Booth Elliot 41. 10. Aaron Tanti 50. 11. Nick Murray 36. 12. Tyson Whillas 33. 13. Daniel Banks 33. 14. Ford Dale 32. 15. John Phillips 29. 16. Izak Maule 26. 17. Craig Bolton 26. 18. Daniel McEntee 24. 19. Cody Cooper 24. 20. Sam Martin 22.
MX1 Championship Standings: 1. Kirk Gibbs 274. 2. Luke Styke 235. 3. Adam Monea 227. 4. Kade Mosig 227. 5. Lawson Bopping 213. 6. Dylan Long 192. 7. Jesse Dobson 188. 8. Daniel Reardon 184. 9. Cody Cooper 177. 10. Kale Makeham 152. 11. Aaron Tanti 141. 12. John Phillips 131. 13. Ford Dale 131. 14. Daniel Banks 120. 15. Izak Maule 107. 16. Daniel McEntee 103. 17. Darcy Jones 91. 18. Daniel McCoy 89. 19. Cheyne Boyd 83. 20. Nick Murray 66.
MX2 Overall: 1. Caleb Ward 70. 2. Luke Arbon 64. 3. Takeshi Katsuya 56. 4. Wade Hunter 53. 5. Kyle Webster 52. 6. Jay Wilson 52. 7. Geran Stapleton 47. 8. Dean Porter 44. 9. Nathan Crawford 44. 10. Luke Clout 43. 11. Riley Graham 41. 12. Jack Simpson 40. 13. Alex Morris 33. 14. Hamish Harwood 30. 15. Luke Wilson 29. 16. Joel Wightman 29. 17. Joel Green 25. 18. Mitch Norris 24. 19. Dylan Leary 23. 20. Dylan Wills 23.
MX2 Championship Standings: 1. Luke Clout 243. 2. Takeshi Katsuya 227. 3. Jay Wilson 227. 4. Jed Beaton 202. 5. Wade Hunter 198. 6. Luke Arbon 179. 7. Geran Stapleton 157. 8. Hamish Harwood 156. 9. Riley Graham 154. 10. Nathan Crawford 153. 11. Dylan Wills 152. 12. Dylan Leary 142. 13. Jack Simpson 141. 14. Joel Wightman 135. 15. Kyle Webster 132. 16. Caleb Ward 115. 17. Luke Wilson 107. 18. Dean Porter 106. 19. Rhys Carter 93. 20. Tom Jones 79.
Enduro World Championship – Round 3 – Gouveia, Portugal
The KTM Enduro Factory Team left Round 3 of the Enduro World Championship with a cache of wins from this two-day event at Gouveia. Not only did they sweep the senior classes on Sunday but also had three out of four wins on Saturday.
E1 Report: Christophe Nambotin was certainly the hero of the weekend, according to Team Manager Fabio Farioli. The French rider wrenched his knee in the KTM Super Test on Friday evening but fought through the pain on Saturday to finish second in E1. He then turned up the pressure on his rivals and took the win on Sunday.
Nambotin: “This morning a the start I just wanted to forget about the pain I had on Saturday. So I went on the attack and that paid off because I took the wins in nine of the 11 tests. I had a really good feeling in the Enduro Test and this helped me to widen the gap to the others.” Nambotin paid tribute to the work he had done in the winter with his physical trainer Julien Vimond, and to the support and motivation he had from the team. “Without this I wouldn’t have been able to tackle to such a tough day like this.” The defending E1 champion now has a 10-point lead in the championship after Round 3.
E2 Report: It was also a great weekend for KTM Factory teammate Antoine Meo, who went up a notch on Sunday to finish on the top of the E2 podium to improve on his second place from Saturday. On Saturday Meo had to concede to Alex Salvini by just six tenths of a second. His hard work this weekend allowed him to put some distance between him and his perpetual rivals, defending champion Pela Renet and the Italian Alex Salvini. Meo also leaves Portugal with a tidy 19-point lead in E2.
E3 Report: Australian Matthew Phillips was at the top of his game on both days this weekend and his two wins in E3, on Sunday by 1.6 seconds has trimmed the gap to points leader Mathias Bellino of France down to nine. Teammate Ivan Cervantes, riding injured the weekend still managed come away with a hard fought 10-11 and will now have surgery to repair damaged cross ligaments in his knee. He will be off the bike for several months.
“I’m definitely pleased to get a win under my belt – it feels like it’s been a long time coming,” Phillips said. “We changed a few things on the bike between Spain and here and it made the difference. Hopefully this is the where we get things back on track.”
EW Report: Laia Sanz, the new signing for the KTM Factory Team for the EW class was again in unbeatable form and came away with a double victory in the Women’s Championship. It was Round 2 of the women’s competition and Sanz sent a strong message to her rivals, leaving with a perfect scorecard of 80-points and four consecutive race-day wins to her credit.
Team Manager Fabio Farioli said on Friday he had not expected such a sweep of victories. “Nambotin was really impressive this weekend, Antoine (Meo) was very fast and Phillips won today even though he lost some time in the final three tests. Laia (Sanz) was also very impressive so we leave Portugal very satisfied with the team.”
Riders next meet in Serres, Greece for Round 4 of the championship (June 6-7), where conditions are likely to again be hot and dusty, like the two rounds just held in the Iberian Peninsula.
E1 Results: 1, Christophe Nambotin, FRA, KTM, (2 – 1). 2, Eero Remes, FIN, TM, (1 – 2). 3, Daniel McCanney, GBR, Husqvarna, (5 – 3). 4, Lorenzo Santolino, ESP, Sherco, (3 – 4). 5, Cristobal Guerrero, ESP Yamaha, (DNF – 5).
E1 Standings after Round 3: 1, Nambotin, 114. 2, Remes, 104. 3, D. McCanney, 79. 4, Santolino, 69. 5, Bourgeois, 66.
E2 Results: 1, Antoine Meo, FRA, KTM, (2 – 1). 2, Pierre-Alexandre Renet, FRA, Husqvarna, (3 – 2). 3, Alex Salvini, ITA, Honda, (1 – 3). 4, Jaume Betriu, ESP, Husqvarna, (5 – 4). 5, Loic Larrieu, FRA, Sherco, (6 – 5).
E2 Standings after Round 3: 1, Meo, 117. 2, Renet, 98. 3, Salvini, 97. 4, Aubert, 65. 5, Betriu, 63.
E3 Results: 1, Matthew Phillips, AUS, KTM, (1 – 1). 2, Matti Seistola, FIN, Sherco, (3 – 2). 3, Aigar Leok, EST, TM, (5 – 3). 4, Mathias Bellino, FRA, Husqvarna, (2 – 4). 5, Thomas Oldrati, ITA, Husqvarna, (6 – 5).
E3 Standings after Round 3: 1, Bellino, 103. 2, Seistola, 99. 3, Phillips, 91. 4, Leok, 73. 5, Monni, 62.
EW Results: 1, Laia Sanz, ESP, KTM, (1 – 1). 2, Jessica Gardner, AUS, Sherco, (3 – 2). 3, Jane Daniels, GBR, Husqvarna, (2 – 3). 4, Jemma Wilson, AUS, Yamaha, (DNF – 4). 5, Blandine Dufrene, FRA, KTM, (5 – 5).
EW Standings after Round 2: 1, Sanz, 80. 2, Gardner, 66. 3, Daniels, 62. 4, Dufrene, 43. 5, Jonsson, 41.
FIM World Speedway Championships – Round 2 – Tampere
Triple world champ Nicki Pedersen admitted he was close to tears after toasting an emotional first FIM Speedway Grand Prix win since July 2012 at the Finnish SGP in Tampere on Saturday night.
Pedersen topped the rostrum after an electrifying start helped him triumph in the final ahead of British hero Tai Woffinden, who was second. Swedish star Andreas Jonsson was third and Polish hotshot Jaroslaw Hampel finished fourth.
The great Dane has endured a turbulent week, crashing hard with SGP rival Michael Jepsen Jensen at his Danish club Holsted on Wednesday, sustaining damage to his hip, ankles and neck.
Pedersen was lucky to walk away from that spill without more serious injuries, so he was elated to pick up his first SGP success since he won the Croatian SGP at Gorican on July 28, 2012.
The 38-year-old, who moved second in the World Championship on 19 points, said: “It was many years ago that I last won. That’s why I nearly felt the tears coming up under my eyes when I was about to get on the rostrum.
“It is nice to pick up a win sometimes. I was a little bit sick of hearing that it had been so many years ago.
“Of course, it comes down to how many points you score at the end of the season. I would have been happy with a rostrum today anyway. So to actually win this GP with so many things going on this week was good for me and good for the sponsors.
“Hard work pays off. I haven’t been happy with things for several years. It has been up and down, but tonight I really felt my bikes suited me. When you’ve got yourself and the bikes as one unit, you know it’s possible. But you still need to go out and do it.”
Pedersen is renowned as one of world speedway’s gating gurus. But that doesn’t stop him seeking perfection. Even when he won his semi-final, he felt there was room for improvement to ensure he came out on top.
He said: “I analysed the replays of my start in the semi-final a little bit. I made a mistake and didn’t make as good a start as I should have done. I analysed it and I made it better in the final. It’s nice when you can look at small things and get them working for the next race.
“I’ve changed my gating style a little bit over the last month and the way I work on the bike. That has really made a difference compared to the last couple of years. It works very well and that’s good.”
Pedersen watched as lightening-trapping rival Woffinden picked the inside red gate for the final. But rather than steer clear of him with his selection, the Dane was determined to win the starting struggle and chose blue. He said: “I knew Tai was getting faster and faster towards the end, but when he took gate one, I believed I could make a start on him. If he’d made it, he could have squeezed me out. But I believed I could make it and I did.
“I can’t wait for Prague now. I want to put some more points on the account.”
The SGP stars return to action next Saturday when Prague’s Marketa Stadium stages the Czech FIM Speedway Grand Prix.
Former world champ Woffinden has won the last two rounds staged in the Czech capital. And he goes there as World Championship leader on 22 points after powering through a testing end to the night.
Woffinden partially dislocated his shoulder in heat 18 and was clearly in some discomfort in the meeting’s latter stages. But he refused to let that deny him his second straight Finnish SGP silver medal.
He said: “In my last heat race, I went under Greg and was hanging on around the inside. The bike bucked. The shoulder just popped out a little bit. It did the exact same in the next race.
“I have a bit of a shoulder problem. I have had it for a few years. It hurt a little bit, but no excuses. I felt good for my last race. Nicki just made a great start from gate two. If you make starts, you win races.”
Looking ahead to Prague, Woffy would love to make it three on the bounce. He said: “It’s a track I enjoy. I’ll see if I can do the hat-trick, but I’ll take it one race at a time – that’s how I have always raced in my career. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Third-placed Andreas Jonsson defied his pre-meeting expectations with a bronze medal having spent nearly a month on the sidelines with a knee injury.
He said: “I’m happy with it. The track was really tricky and that was the hard thing when I’d had nearly a month off. I didn’t really expect to do that well. I’m surprised and happy. I’m really glad to be back on a bike and that’s the main thing.”
The next SGP round takes place this Saturday when the Czech Republic FIM Speedway Grand Prix returns to the famous Marketa Stadium in Prague. For ticket and event information, visit www.speedwaygp.com.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Tai Woffinden 22, 2 Nicki Pedersen 19, 3 Jaroslaw Hampel 18, 4 Matej Zagar 15, 5 Andreas Jonsson 15, 6 Jason Doyle 15, 7 Michael Jepsen Jensen 15, 8 Greg Hancock 14, 9 Krzysztof Kasprzak 13, 10 Niels-Kristian Iversen 13, 11 Chris Harris 13, 12 Tomas H Jonasson 8, 13 Chris Holder 7, 14 Troy Batchelor 7, 15 Maciej Janowski 5, 16 Tomasz Gollob 4, 17 Bartosz Zmarzlik 3, 18 Timo Lahti 3, 19 Piotr Pawlicki 1.
FINNISH SGP SCORES: 1 Nicki Pedersen 16, 2 Tai Woffinden 17, 3 Andreas Jonsson 12, 4 Jaroslaw Hampel 11, 5 Jason Doyle 11, 6 Krzysztof Kasprzak 10, 7 Michael Jepsen Jensen 10, 8 Greg Hancock 9, 9 Matej Zagar 7, 10 Troy Batchelor 7, 11 Chris Holder 7, 12 Chris Harris 6, 13 Niels-Kristian Iversen 6, 14 Tomas H Jonasson 4, 15 Timo Lahti 3, 16 Maciej Janowski 2, 17 Nike Lunna 0, 18 Jiri Nieminen 0.
AMA Motocross Championships – Round 1 – Hangtown
450 Race Report: As the gate dropped on Moto 1, Ryan Dungey edged out Eli Tomac for the Motosport.com Holeshot Award, but the Honda rider made a quick pass to move into the lead and set a torrid pace. Only Dungey was able to keep up with Tomac’s speed in the opening laps and the duo opened a considerable margin over the rest of the field. Weston Peick started the moto in third and soon engaged in a battle for the spot with Jason Anderson.
Dungey was able to keep Tomac in his sights throughout the moto, but he was unable to mount a challenge for the lead and as the leaders approached lappers, the gap between first and second slowly extended. Tomac took an easy win by over 20 seconds when the checkered flag flew. Dungey was second with Anderson third, well over a minute behind.
Another strong start by Tomac in Moto 2 allowed him to grab the Motosport.com Holeshot Award and run away from the field almost immediately. Dungey didn’t get quite as good a start, but was able to make some passes on the opening lap to move into second. By that time Tomac already held a multi-second lead that continued to extend through the remainder of the race.
Justin Barcia slotted into third and battled for the spot with defending 450 Class Champion Ken Roczen who was battling a significant back injury and after a 19th-place finish in Moto 1, he appeared considerably more comfortable in Moto 2. Barcia maintained his hold on third and Roczen soon faded into the clutches of Peick, who pushed his way to the front after starting seventh. Peick made the move on Roczen and battled his teammate in the late stages of the moto for third.
Tomac crossed the finish over 90 seconds ahead of Dungey in second, to cap off the best 450 Class race of his career. Peick made the pass on Barcia for third to earn his best moto finish.
Tomac (1-1) and Dungey (2-2) finish first and second overall, while Anderson (3-7) finished on the overall podium in his first 450 Class start. Tomac’s win was the second of his career at the site of his first ever professional victory, which came in his debut back in 2010.
“It’s kind of always a guessing game coming into here [since it’s the opening round]. I started off good in practice and was the top qualifier there. Then I had two great starts,” said Tomac. “I was just connected on the bike and felt great all afternoon. I was at the point today where I was able to ride a comfortable pace and just kept doing my thing. This is normally one of the roughest tracks, but this year it was the best I’ve ever seen it. I actually thought I struggled the last couple years here, so this was a huge jump up.”
Ryan Dungey had this to say to RacerX. “Overall it was pretty good. In practice we made a couple changes, tried to figure a few things out. The track was pretty deep, a lot more moisture in it, and they let it get a lot rougher. I think it’s always good testing. We did a lot of testing coming into the season, or as much as we can for the outdoors, but with what we had I think felt pretty decent. First moto was not bad. I felt like we were right there. Everything was on point and pretty close. As the track started getting rougher I realized the couple changes we made in the second moto didn’t really cut it for us. I had a lot more in me. It wasn’t really even fitness that it came down to in the second moto. We regroup and we get better. Two and two on the day is not bad at all. I’ll take it if that’s our worst day. Overall we’re going to obviously try to get a little better before next weekend at Glen Helen. That’s also a rough and gnarly track, so we’ll try to get a little bit better there. I trust in my team and everything. Everything’s dialled in and be up there battling for the win.”
RacerX also spoke to Jason Anderson. “My day went pretty good. This is my best finish at Hangtown. I always loved the Hangtown track; I just never put two motos together. For me, I had a good first moto. Tomac and Dungey were in another zip code. They were gone. So they kind of just made us look silly. But getting a podium in a moto for me was super-cool first moto. That second moto I put my head down in the beginning, got tired, and I was kind of hanging on a little bit. But to pull off a podium for my first 450 race outdoors is pretty cool. I usually am not like an outdoor guy, I guess you could say, but I’ve been feeling really good on my bike this year. Just looking forward to the rest of the season.”
250 Race Report: The opening moto of the 250 Class saw Justin Bogle race to the Motosport.com Holeshot Award just ahead of Marvin Musquin, Adam Cianciarulo, Cooper Webb and Jeremy Martin. Cianciarulo seized the opportunity to lead his first ever lap of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship competition, passing both Musquin and Bogle to take over the top spot. As Cianciarulo made his move forward, so did Webb, working his way past Bogle and Musquin as well to move into second and set the stage for a head-to-head battle with his longtime amateur rival.
Cianciarulo maintained a small lead over the field, but his hopes for a win ended on Lap 6 when he crashed out of the lead and lost multiple positions. Webb took evasive action in getting around Cianciarulo, allowing Musquin to close in and ultimately make the pass for the lead.
Once out front the Frenchman pulled away, leaving Webb to battle with his teammate Martin, who started sixth and moved into third after a long battle with Joey Savatgy. While Musquin cruised to the moto win, Webb and Martin battled throughout the moto with Martin getting the upper hand with two laps remaining. The three riders would finish in that order.
As Moto 2 got underway, Martin put the No. 1 bike up front early by making an quick pass on Matt Bisceglia, who earned the Motosport.com Holeshot Award, and never looked back. Bisceglia then fell into a battle with Jessy Nelson. Musquin found himself in a hole early after starting eighth and was forced to fight his way through the field in order to keep his hopes of victory intact.
After a fifth-place finish in Moto 1, Chris Alldredge continued his impressive afternoon, starting fifth and moving his way forward. He passed Jordon Smith to take over fourth on Lap 1 and found himself in podium position on Lap 2 after a pass on Bisceglia. His move to the front was accompanied by a charge from Musquin, who passed Alldredge for third and then took over second from Nelson that same lap, passing six riders in just five laps.
Martin continued to pull away out front to take the win, while Musquin followed in second. Alldredge earned the best moto finish of his career in third, holding off a late charge from Alex Martin.
When the overall scores were tallied, Martin (2-1) and Musquin’s (1-2) identical moto scores left them knotted atop the points. By virtue of his second moto win, Martin earned the tiebreaker for the sixth victory of his career.
“I didn’t get the start I wanted in the first moto and just tried to go on a mission and reel everyone in. I was actually surprised to find out I was second when the moto finished. I just felt I was so far back,” explained Martin. “We made a change heading into the second moto and it was a lot better. I got the start as well, which made things a lot easier and allowed me to run my own race.”
Musquin’s runner-up effort was his best at Hangtown in four attempts. Alldredge finished off a career-best day with his first pro podium in third overall (5-3).
Here is what RacerX got out of Musquin. “First of all I expected a lot coming into the first race. But I don’t know where we were speed-wise or whatever. Those guys, they go really good. Everybody’s working so hard, so those guys are really fast. It’s a new championship, so it’s hard to know what you can do. Obviously I expected a lot and then I felt pretty good. I kind of surprised myself with winning the first moto because my first few laps weren’t so good. But I’m happy about myself staying calm and trying to be smart and smooth, trying new lines and working with the bike and the track. I was kind of happy. And then winning the first moto was great. Then the second moto I didn’t get the start I wanted and it was tough. Came back to second place, and that’s the best I could have done today in the second moto. Jeremy [Martin] was into the lead and going really fast. That was the best for me today.”
The 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next Saturday, May 30, with the FMF Glen Helen National in San Bernardino, California.
450 Class (Moto Finish)
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (1-1)
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (2-2)
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (3-7)
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha (8-3)
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki (4-6)
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki (6-8)
- Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Kawasaki (7-9)
- Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna (5-12)
- Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda (10-10)
- Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha (9-14)
450 Class Championship Standings
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 50
- Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 44
- Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna, 34
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha, 33
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki, 33
- Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 28
- Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Kawasaki, 26
- Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna, 25
- Fredrik Noren, Sweden, Honda, 22
- Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha, 19
250 Class (Moto Finish)
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (2-1)
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (1-2)
- Chris Alldredge, Powell Butte, Ore., Kawasaki (5-3)
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (6-4)
- Anthony Rodriguez, Venezuela, Yamaha (7-6)
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (10-8)
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Georgia, Kawasaki (4-15)
- Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (9-11)
- Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda (12-10)
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (3-37)
250 Class Championship Standings
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 47
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 47
- Chris Alldredge, Powell Butte, Ore., Kawasaki, 36
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 33
- Anthony Rodriguez, Venezuela, Yamaha, 29
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha, 24
- Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Georgia, Kawasaki, 24
- Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki, 22
- Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda, 20
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha, 20
