Moto News Weekly Wrap
July 10, 2018 – By Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
What Went Down Last Weekend?
- AMA Motocross – RedBud
- FIM World Motocross – MXGP of Asia
- Hattah Desert Race
- Swedish FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Hallstavik
- Queensland Motocross Championship – Rockhampton
- Canadian Rockstar Triple Crown – Sand Del Lee, Ottawa, ON
- 2018 Cherokee National Enduro
- 2018 Weedsport American Flat Track
- Major Sponsor Announced for Australian Supercross
- Big Challenge for Byrne to Managed Australian MXoN Team
- Pastrana Completes Evel Knievel Las Vegas Jumps
- 2018 Post Classic Motocross Championship Cancelled
- Wildwood 2018 Entries Now Open
AMA Motocross – RedBud
The Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Championship continued its famed 4th of July tradition with the Red Bull RedBud National and in the 450 class Marvin Musquin earned his second consecutive overall victory while Aaron Plessinger swept both motos for his third overall win in the 250 class.
Despite crashing in the second corner of the opening moto Marvin Musquin captured his second straight overall victory (2-1) and took possession of the red plate while Ken Roczen (1-3) scored second overall ahead of Justin Barcia’s 4-2 scores but the big news was Eli Tomac who earned the worst finish of his 450 class career in 15th (36-9) on the back of a mechanical failure in moto one and a series of crashes in moto two.
Marvin Musquin
“I certainly didn’t expect to leave RedBud with the points lead. What a crazy day. I couldn’t believe when I saw Eli [Tomac] off of the side of the track in the first moto. Consistency was key today, the track was tough, and I managed to leave here with two good moto results. The fans are insane here and it’s amazing to get the win.”
The 450 Class received a change in the point standings for the first time this season as Musquin’s win lifted him to the top of the championship. Tomac, who entered the day with a 33-point advantage, now trails Musquin by three points while Barcia is third, 40 points out of the lead.
Kiwi hardcase Cody Cooper kept his good form going in tough conditions with 14-12 moto finishes to remain in 9th overall in the championship.
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (2-1)
- Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda (1-3)
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (4-2)
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM (5-5)
- Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Husqvarna (6-6)
- Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Suzuki (10-4)
- Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (7-7)
- Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Texas, Suzuki (11-8)
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki (8-11)
- Jake Nicholls, United Kingdom, Honda (9-13)
…13. Cody Cooper, New Zealand, Honda (14-12)
…15. Eli Tomac, Kawasaki (36-9)
450 Class Championship Standings
- Marvin Musquin, France, KTM – 304
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki – 301
- Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha – 264
- Ken Roczen, Germany, Honda – 246
- Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM – 232
- Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Suzuki – 193
- Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM – 176
- Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Suzuki – 172
- Cody Cooper, New Zealand, Honda – 101
- Kyle Cunningham, Willow Park, Texas, Suzuki – 93
250
The 1-1 moto scores gave Plessinger his third win of the season and the fifth victory of his career while Alex Martin used consistency to secure second overall (4-3), which edged out Ferrandis in third (3-4).
Aaron Plessinger
“The last few races following Muddy Creek have been tough. My confidence took a bit of a hit with some of the issues I had, but the starts are super important and today we proved where we belong when we get starts. I like this track and I’ve never actually been on the podium here before, so this is cool with the Motocross of Nations coming up here in a few months.”
Plessinger’s victory extended his lead in the championship standings, which now sits at 35 points over Martin while Justin Cooper, who finished fifth overall (8-7), moved into third and trails Plessinger by 82 points.
Aussie Hayden Mellross continues to regain fitness and confidence on his way 18-15 moto finishes for 19th outright.
The 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will take a break before returning to action on Saturday, July 21, with its annual visit to Millville, Minnesota, and Spring Creek MX Park.
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (1-1)
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., KTM (4-3)
- Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (3-4)
- Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM (5-9)
- Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (8-7)
- Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda (11-6)
- Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (35-2)
- Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Husqvarna (9-11)
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (2-40)
- Mitchell Harrison, Brighton, Mich., Husqvarna (13-8)
…19. Hayden Mellross, Australia, Yamaha (18-15)
250 Class Championship Standings
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 283
- Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., KTM – 248
- Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 201
- Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM – 198
- Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki – 191
- Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda – 176
- RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda – 176
- Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda – 166
- Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM – 163
- Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha – 149
FIM World Motocross – MXGP of Asia
The MXGP of Asia in Semarang, Indonesia threw up a fast, hard and slick track that saw plenty of thrills and spills but when it was all said and done it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings and Jorge Prado who won the MXGP and MX2 class wins respectively.
MXGP Report
Herlings was pushed around a little in the opening moto by Tim Gajser then in the second moto by Clement Desalle but when the chequered flag dropped for moto two the overall result went to Herlings with 1-1 moto results while Gajser took second with 2-3 and Desalle returned to the podium for the first time since winning the MXGP of Russia with 4-2 for 3rd.
Jeffrey Herlings
“To go home with 97 points from the 2 weekends is absolutely amazing, I didn’t expect that and it has been like a dream come true. Not only didn’t I lose any points but I actually gained some, not many but a few is good so I don’t want to take this for granted. The rest of the guys rode awesome I really had to fight in the first race with Tim and the second with Clement.”
Tim Gajser
“I was feeling good coming here, the track it was just amazing. I was pushing hard to pass Clement in race 2 but had to settle for 3rd to take 2nd overall, it was a good weekend.”
Clement Desalle
“It is good to be back on the podium. It has been a long time since I have been on the podium. I had good races today with two consistent races and two good starts which were really important.”
Championship contender Antonio Cairoli struggled with a hand injury to end the day with 3-4 moto results to drop to a 24 point deficit behind Herlings.
Antonio Cairoli
“I was very worried this week because I had a lot of pain and until Friday I could barely ride around on a scooter! The first moto was good actually; third place and I didn’t expect that I could be top five with this problem. It was a surprise. I had a good start in the second moto but was pushed a little bit wide by Jeffrey on the first corner and we both lost the lead as we were 1-2. I made another mistake on the jump, came short and hurt the thumb again so I dropped back to ninth and I knew I needed to regroup. In the end fourth was good and just one point from the podium. We know we have lost some points for the championship but there are still a lot of GPs to come.”
On the Aussie front Todd Waters ended the opening moto in 12th place, just two positions ahead of Asian based Lewis Stewarts and in the second moto Waters came home in a disappointing 16th with Lewis in 18th.
MXGP Overall Top Ten
- Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points
- Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 42
- Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 40
- Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 38
- Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 28
- Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 27
- Alessandro Lupino (ITA, KAW), 26
- Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 26
- Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 23
- Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), 17
…13. Todd Waters (HON, AUS)
…18. Lewis Stewart (HUS, AUS)
MXGP Championship Top Ten
- Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 583 points
- Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 559
- Clement Desalle (BEL, KAW), 447
- Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 410
- Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 400
- Gautier Paulin (FRA, HUS), 389
- Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), 329
- Jeremy Seewer (SUI, YAM), 295
- Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 280
- Maximilian Nagl (GER, TM), 227
…26. Todd Waters (HON, AUS)
MX2 Report
The MX2 Championship fight is in full force after today’s MXGP of Asia after Prado got the overall by 7 points over Jonass and 9 ahead of Vlaanderen and in fact, Prado’s effort has tied the MX2 Championship standings at 550 points for both himself and Jonass.
Jonass will however maintain the red plate with more race wins as the series heads to Loket for the MXGP of Czech Republic in 2 week time.
Jorge Prado
“It was a great weekend! I had to really fight every lap of the races but I was really happy taking two Fox Holeshots which made everything easier. I am really happy with my performance. Now Pauls and I are the same points so in 2 weeks we go to Loket.”
Pauls Jonass
“Actually the weekend went really good. I was feeling really good just in the second race I had a bad mistake in the first turn. I wanted to end the 2 weeks in Indonesia on a more positive note but we are looking forward to the next GP in Loket and we are going to work hard to gain more points on Jorge.”
Calvin Vlaanderen
“It feels great to be on the podium again and go back to back. I had a good day and overall I’m happy. My mechanic showed me 3 laps to go in race 2 and that’s when I took a deep breath, pushed the last few laps to make a pass and that’s what happened.”
Aussie riders Morgan Forgaty and Jy Roberts made the trek across to Asia for the event and unfortunately Forgarty was injured after crashing out on Saturday while Roberts finished with credible 12-15 moto results.
2018 Hattah Desert Race
Daniel Sanders has taken victory at the 2018 Penrite Hattah Desert Race, leading Saturday’s Top 10 Shootout and then going on to record Husqvarna’s first-ever outright Hattah win on Sunday while Yamaha’s Josh Green finished a little over a minute behind in second with Lyndon Snodgrass taking the final podium spot. Last year’s winner Daniel Milner experienced electrical problems but still rebounded for fourth overall.
Sanders, who had finished runner-up for the past two years running, lodged a flying 2m36.256s lap- time of the Prologue course in qualifying to seal the pole position, which set the scene for what was to come on race-day near Mildura, Victoria.
With a fastest lap of 29m31.044s, Sanders rode his factory Husqvarna FE 501 to an advantage of 1m06.175s at the conclusion of eight laps in a total time of 4h15m22.802s. It was a brilliant performance that enabled him to cruise home on the final lap to the outright and Over 450cc Four- Stroke class victories in dry, dusty conditions that resulted in unrelenting square-edged bumps as the race wore on.
Daniel Sanders
“To qualify quickest was definitely positive and it was a gnarly race, one that was awesome to lead from start to finish for the win. The plan was to throw the hammer down straight away, to try pull a gap and maintain it, which we were able to do in the end. It was really dry and dusty, a hard race, but I just stayed focused and got the job done. I couldn’t thank the guys at the Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team enough for their efforts and it’s been a real team effort that has led to this result, so we’re really happy to get this victory together.”
2018 Hattah Desert Race Top 20
- Daniel SANDERS – 4:15:22.802
- Josh GREEN – 4:16:28.977 +1:06.175
- Lyndon SNODGRASS – 4:19:29.308 +4:06.506
- Daniel MILNER – 4:23:10.579 +7:47.777
- Nathan TRIGG – 4:24:18.387 +8:55.585
- Jack SIMPSON – 4:26:08.436 +10:45.634
- Angus GELLY – 4:26:24.103 +11:01.301
- Fraser HIGLETT – 4:28:39.848 +13:17.046
- Callum NORTON – 4:28:42.814 +13:20.012
- Jacob SMITH – 4:30:06.337 +14:43.535
- Alex BOLTON – 4:30:42.592 +15:19.790
- Ryan SHADBOLT – 4:31:59.262 +16:36.460
- Andrew WILKSCH – 4:33:03.518 +17:40.716
- Luke STYKE – 4:33:47.609 +18:24.807
- Mark GROVE – 4:36:42.452 +21:19.650
- Riley GRAHAM – 4:37:48.773 +22:25.971
- Sam DAVIE – 4:38:13.163 +22:50.361
- Michael DRISCOLL – 4:38:36.327 +23:13.525
- Liam MASON – 4:39:28.984 +24:06.182
- Jesse LAWTON – 4:42:11.736 +26:48.934
Swedish FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Hallstavik
Despite a last place finish in his opening ride, Polish star Maciej Janowski blasted his way to victory at the Swedish FIM Speedway Grand Prix in Hallstavik last Saturday night ahead of Fredrik Lindgren, Bartosz Zmarzlik and World Championship leader Tai Woffinden.
Janowski produced a gating masterclass as he moved up to fourth in the standings.
Maciej Janowski
“The beginning of the meeting was very hard – zero points in the first heat – but we tried not to think about that. We knew our bikes were prepared very well for this meeting. Friday’s practice was very good. So I just focused on my riding and the starts, and we did it. So I’m happy! I’m very proud of my team. We made a few changes – the biggest change was I changed my goggles. In the first heat I got so much spray, so I focused even more on the start because I know how much time it took me to clean my suit for the next heat!”
Lindgren was pleased to have regained top form so quickly after his pre-semi-final exit at the WD-40 Danish SGP last weekend as he powered to 15 points and second spot in his homeland.
Fredrik Lindgren
“I’m very happy with my performance today. My gating wasn’t really where it needed to be to be successful in the GP, but I made some really smart moves on the track – especially on the first laps. I’m happy to have bounced back after Horsens. It was very hard for me after Denmark. Picking myself up took a couple of days and I’m really happy to have performed this well after that – and especially in front of the Swedish fans.”
Third-placed Zmarzlik was glad to hit his SGP stride as he overhauled world champion Jason Doyle for eighth place in the championship.
Bartosz Zmarzlik
“I’m very happy because in the early rounds of the GP this season, I haven’t had luck. But it all came in Hallstavik. Maybe I wasn’t in the top two, but this is a good result and I am very happy because I was third. It was good fun on the track and we will see what happens next. I had a very good feeling today and thank you to my team. They did some very good work.”
Defending champ Jason Doyle continues to struggle to end the night in seventh place on nine points while former World Champ Chris Holder ended the night in 11th place on seven points – hopefully the Aussies will fire at round five where the SGP stars head to Cardiff for one of world speedway’s biggest events – the Adrian Flux British SGP on Saturday, July 21.
Norrbil Swedish SGP Scores
- Maciej Janowski 18
- Fredrik Lindgren 15
- Bartosz Zmarzlik 13
- Tai Woffinden 16
- Emil Sayfutdinov 14
- Greg Hancock 10
- Jason Doyle 9
- Artem Laguta 8
- Matej Zagar 7
- Andreas Jonsson 7
- Chris Holder 7
- World Championship Standings
- Tai Woffinden 65
- Fredrik Lindgren 54
- Emil Sayfutdinov 48
- Maciej Janowski 47
- Greg Hancock 41
- Artem Laguta 41
- Patryk Dudek 36
- Bartosz Zmarzlik 36
- Jason Doyle 35
- Chris Holder 31
Queensland Motocross Championship – Rockhampton
Kaleb Ward and Bailey Malkiewicz have won the MX1 and MX2 classes respectively at the opening round of the Queensland Motocross Championships which was held at the challenging Six-Mile Raceway in Rockhampton last weekend.
Husqvarna’s Caleb Ward was a last-minute entry into the series, but staked an early claim for the Queensland #1 plate with two closely-contested victories over Mitch Evans in the weekend’s two motos while Toowoomba’s reigning Queensland #1 plate holder Kaleb Barham claimed the final podium position.
In the QMX2 championship, Kaleb Barham looked well on track in the defence of his crown after winning the first two motos, but got caught up in a tangle on the start straight in the final race, and was one of three riders to go down.
He salvaged ninth to finish the day a single point behind round winner Bailey Malkiewicz, while Zak Small was third, ahead of Richie and Joel Evans.
QMX1 Championship points after Round 1 of 2
- Caleb WARD 70
- Mitch EVANS 64
- Kaleb BARHAM 56
- Luke WEAVER 56
- Robbie MARSHALL 55
- Mason ROWE 50
- Zak SMALL 49
- Joel RIZZO 45
- Beau DARGEL 43
- David MOLONEY 41
QMX2 Championship points
- Bailey MALKIEWICZ 93
- Kaleb BARHAM 92
- Zak SMALL 90
- Richard EVANS 85
- Joel EVANS 84
- Isaac FERGUSON 74
- Jake WILLIAMS 70
- Luke WEAVER 70
- Jayce COSFORD 67
- Mason ROWE 60
Canadian Rockstar Triple Crown – Sand Del Lee, Ottawa, ON
The fifth round of the Canadian Rockstar Triple Crown was held at the Sand Del Lee circuit in Ottowa last weekend and it was Colton Facciotti who took the 450 class overall ahead of arch rival Tyler Medaglia and defending champion Matt Goerke while Dylan right won the 250 class over Joey Crown and Shawn Maffenbeier.
450 Overall
- Colton Facciotti 2-1
- Tyler Medaglia 4-2
- Matt Goerke 3-3
- Kaven Benoit 1-8
- Cole Thompson 5-4
- Dillan Epstein 6-5
- Ryan Dowd 9-6
250 Overall
- Dylan Wright 2-2
- Joey Crown 1-4
- Shawn Maffenbeier 3-3
- Josh Osby 6-5
- Hayden Halstead 5-7
450 Championship Standings
- Colton Facciotti – 256
- Matt Goerke – 249
- Kaven Benoit – 239
- Cole Thompson – 232
- Tyler Medaglia – 228
- Dillan Epstein – 185
- Keylan Meston – 172
- Mike Alessi – 165
250 Championship Standings
- Shawn Maffenbeier – 256
- Joey Crown – 239
- Jesse Pettis – 231
- Josh Osby – 212
- Marco Cannella – 208
- Dylan Wright – 185
2018 Cherokee National Enduro
Grant Baylor has put in a near-perfect performance at Cherokee National Enduro in Greensboro, Georgia last weekend where the KTM rider swept all seven tests to beat fellow KTM rider Josh Toth and series point’s leader Steward Baylor.
Grant Baylor
“I still had a few mistakes, but overall the performance was a good one and I’m pleased with it. just seemed to click perfectly with the bike today. Wherever I pointed my tires the bike went, and everything just hooked up.”
Toth also had a good day, his runner-up finish equalling his personal best in the series.
Josh Toth
“I didn’t win any tests today but I felt solid all day. Grant was really riding strong, but it was close between the top three riders, which makes it enjoyable. I’m starting to read the trail a bit better and I’m more comfortable going fast on trail that I haven’t seen before. I think all of those factors led to my performance today.”
Steward Baylor, who is currently leading the series point standings, was not pleased with third, and gave up a few points to Toth in the overall standings. Like his brother, Grant, Steward is dealing with a few issues, including a sprained ACL in his knee.
Steward Baylor
“I haven’t been able to train over the last couple of weeks and I think that affected my timing.”
Great news for the Aussie girls with Tayla Jones edging out Mackenzie Tricker by five seconds to win the Women’s Elite class. Jones won four tests, with Tricker winning two.
Tayla Jones
“I started off a bit slow, but then it picked up. Some of the places were a bit sketchy because of the stumps, but overall it was a good day.”
Tricker is relatively new to the national enduro format but she is catching on quickly.
Mackenzie Tricker
“I won a couple of tests and I think I had a pretty solid day. I’m feeling more comfortable with each race and I really felt good today.”
2018 Cherokee National Enduro – OVERALL
- Grant Baylor (KTM)
- Josh Toth (KTM)
- Steward Baylor (KTM)
- Cory Buttrick (Hus)
- Evan Smith (Hus)
- Ryder Lafferty (KTM)
- Russell Bobbitt (KTM)
- Ben Kelley (KTM)
- Jake Froman (Hus)
- Andrew DeLong (GG)
2018 Weedsport American Flat Track
American Flat Track fans turned out in droves last Saturday night for the Harley-Davidson New York Short Track and they were rewarded in a major way with Jared Mees not only completing the flat track Grand Slam – winning a Mile, Half-Mile, Short Track and TT in the same season – but tied the legendary Ricky Graham with his 39th win of his career.
Mees’ Indian Wrecking Crew teammate Brad Baker bolted to an early lead and threatened to escape to his long-awaited maiden Indian-mounted victory, but Mees responded to a poor start and came to life, threading the needle and working his way into contention.
By lap seven it was a two-man race at the front, and on lap 11 Mees slipped past his teammate but Baker refused to give in easily, and their crisscrossing lines saw them trade the lead back and forth a handful of times before Mees clearly established himself at the front. Once he did, Mees poured it on to escape to yet another lopsided triumph.
Jared Mees
“We struggled a little [in] qualifying, and we struggled huge in the heat race. We made some adjustments and did them because we had nothing to lose. We went the right direction – changed shocks with Jimmy Wood and did some engine management stuff with Kenny Tolbert and S&S Cycle. It was just a phenomenal group effort tonight. I wish I could say I deserve all the credit, but the team really pulled me through on this one.”
Baker was ultimately overhauled by yet another legend of the sport before the race was complete after Kenny Coolbeth Jr. aced him on the race’s final lap to steal away the runner-up position by a scant 0.057 seconds. The second-place finish marks the fifth podium of the retiring Coolbeth’s stirring swansong season.
Mees now boasts a commanding 78-point lead over Henry Wiles with seven rounds remaining.
Major Sponsor Announced for Australian Supercross
Troy Bayliss Events have confirmed that KTM, Yamaha and ARB 4X4 will be the major sponsors for rounds 3 and 4 of the 2018 Australian Supercross Championship while Shannons Insurance, Motorex Oils and Lubricants, Honda Motorcycles, Unit Clothing, Husqvarna Motorcycles, Moto Expo Melbourne and Bikesales.com.au have also thrown their support behind the events in Geelong and Adelaide.
Tickets to both events are now on sale via www.TroyBaylissEvents.com (link)
- Round 3 – Geelong, GMHBA Stadium (Kardinia Park) Saturday 13th October
- Round 4 – Port Adelaide, Gillman Speedway Saturday 20th October
Big Challenge for Byrne to Managed Australian MXoN Team
Motorcycling Australia along with Australia’s motocross fraternity is hoping that Michael Byrne can turn our fortunes around as the Australian Team Manager for the upcoming 2018 FIM Motocross of Nations (MXON) held on October 6-7 at Redbud in America.
The former Australian Motocross and Supercross champion and seven-time MXON team member now works as the Assistant Team Manager for the Rock Mountain KTM team in America but when you look at the performance of our teams in the modern era Byrne has a serious challenge ahead of him – see results from 2006 below:
- 2006: 11th on 102 Pts: Brett Metcalfe, Cheyne Boyd, Dan Reardon – (Best Finish: Boyd 18th in Moto 3)
- Podium: 1st – USA 15 Pts. 2nd – Belgium 22 Pts. 3rd – New Zealand – 35 Pts.
- 2007: 20th on 79 Pts: Chad Reed, Michael Byrne, Andrew McFarlane – (Best Finish: Reed 2nd in Moto 1)
- Podium: 1st – USA 8 Pts. 2nd – France 34 Pts. 3rd – Belgium 35 Pts.
- 2008: 6th on 55 Pts: Metcalfe, Reed, Byrne – (Best Finish: Reed/Byrne 8th in Motos 2 & 3)
- Podium: 1st – USA 26 Pts. 2nd – France 31 Pts. 3rd – Belgium 41 Pts.
- 2009: 7th on 73 Pts: Metcalfe, Reed, Byrne – (Best Finish: Reed 2nd in Moto 1)
- Podium: 1st – USA 22 Pts. 2rd – France 30 Pts. 3rd – Belgium 39 Pts.
- 2010: 6th on 54 Pts: Metcalfe, Dean Ferris, Jay Marmont – (Best Finish: Metcalfe 3rd in Moto 1)
- Podium: 1st – USA 23 Pts. 2nd – Belgium 30 Pts. 3rd – Germany 33 Pts.
- 2011: 3rd on 44 Pts: Reed, Metcalfe, Matt Moss – (Best Finish: Reed 1st in Moto 1)
- Podium: 1st – USA 26 Pts. 2nd – France 39 Pts. 3rd – Australia – 44 Pts.
- 2012: 10th on 83 Pts: Todd Waters, Lawson Bopping, Luke Styke – (Best Finish: Waters 8th in Moto 2)
- Podium: 1st – Germany – 25 Pts. 2nd – Belgium – 29 Pts. 3rd – USA 39 Pts.
- 2013: 4th on 40 Pts: Waters, Ferris, Metcalfe – (Best Finish: Ferris 4th in Moto 1)
- Podium: 1st – Belgium 27 Pts. 2nd – USA 30 Pts. 3rd – Italy – 33 Pts.
- 2014: 14th on 108 Pts: Reed, Moss, Luke Clout – (Best Finish: Reed 14th in Moto 1)
- Podium: 1st – France 17 Pts. 2nd – Belgium 27 Pts. 3rd – USA 33 Pts.
- 2015: 7th on 77 Pts: Waters, Ferris, Clout – (Best Finish: Waters 12th in Moto 3)
- Podium: 1st – France 14 Pts. 2nd – USA 16 Pts. 3rd – Belgium 56 Pts.
- 2016: 8th on 76 Pts: Waters, Ferris, Mitchel Evans – (Best Result: Ferris 5th in Moto 2)
- Podium: 1st – France 29 Pts. 2nd – Netherlands 30 Pts. 3rd – USA 33 Pts.
- 2017: 6th on 58 Pts: Hunter Lawrence, Ferris, Kirk Gibbs – (Best Finish: Lawrence 4th in Moto 1)
- Podium: 1st – France 20 Pts. 2nd – Netherland 31 Pts. 3rd – Great Britain – 32 Pts.
So what has Byrne got to work with as far as riders go? Dean Ferris is obviously a must to lead the team, while Jed Beaton is out with injury and Hunter Lawrence is a maybe at best.
The team will more than likely include Wilson Todd on the 250, while Mitchel Evans could well be on the team because he has done it in the past AND he can ride either the 450 or 250 – in the end the rider line-up will depend on the final four rounds of the MX Nationals.
No matter who is on the team, IF ‘the Burner’ can somehow get the team to score below 40 points it will be a step in the right direction.
Pastrana Completes Evel Knievel Las Vegas Jumps
Travis Pastrana has cemented his name alongside the late, legendary Robert “Evel” Knievel by successfully recreating three of the original stuntman/showman’s most iconic jumps, broadcast live on the History channel for an unprecedented three-hour show.
Riding a Roland Sands-modified Indian Scout FTR750 flat tracker, Pastrana started off with a relatively simple 140-foot jump over 52 crushed cars, though each of the following leaps was more difficult and, therefore, dangerous—just how a showman like Knievel would’ve done it.
About an hour later, he sailed over 16 Greyhound buses parked side by side in a back lot of the Planet Hollywood Casino. Then, after riding his bike up Las Vegas Boulevard with a police escort, Pastrana completed the most difficult leap of the afternoon, sailing over the fountain at Caesar’s Palace despite being able to use only about 200 feet or half of the run-up that Knievel utilized when he crashed spectacularly in his 1967 attempt.
Pastrana wanted this event to be a tribute to Knievel so he made the conscious decision to leave his Suzuki RM-Z450 in the shed and ride something closer to the old Harley-Davidson XR750 dirt track bike that Knievel relied on—something with a third of the wheel travel and a good 100 pounds more compared to today’s 450s.
After his last leap, a relieved Pastrana removed his helmet and trotted back to the fountain where he belly-flopped in to the crowd’s delight as well as to cool off in the near 100-degree weather.
2018 Post Classic Motocross Championship Cancelled
Motorcycling Australia (MA) has advised the cancellation of the 2018 Post Classic Motocross Championship that was scheduled to be hosted on July 21-22 at AWABA Motocross Track in New South Wales.
MA alongside Boyd Events has made the decision to cancel the event due to the lack of entrants for the Championship, when entries closed today (July 6). Please be assured that this decision has not been made lightly, but also the decision was made to give people time to adjust their calendars and cancel accommodation etc. with adequate time.
Entrants who have paid their nominations will be reimbursed in full (including PAYPAL Fees) over the next 2-3 weeks as details are collated. Entrants will be emailed during this time of the process for refunds.
MA and Boyd Events shared they understand there is frustration caused by the decision and wish to extend a sincere apologies to all that have made prior arrangements for participating in the 2018 Post Classic Motocross Championship.
Wildwood 2018 Entries Now Open
Australia’s Toughest Extreme Enduro, Wildwood 2018, has now opened entries, which are to be found at the Wildwood webpage (link).
In 2018 a restructure of the classes has been completed to bring the event inline with many other extreme enduro’s. Four Classes will make up the event this year with Gold, Silver, Bronze and a new Silver Plus. The new Silver Plus or otherwise known as the Tin Tank Racers will highlight the 40 years and older riders that have progressed out of the Clubman classes in past events. The event includes a timed prologue at the beginning of the day, it gives riders the best chance of not being stuck in traffic on that first lap and to take out the prize for fastest prologue in their class..
The main event will be over four hours. This will consist of Gold class competing over the four hours while the other three classes will battle against the clock fort hree hours. The doors will be also open for international riders to attend with a large interest from New Zealand and a few big names from South Africa on the cards.
www.wildwoodrockextreme.com (link) holds the entry link that will take riders to Motorcycle Australia Ridernet event manager system for all details.
