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Moto News Wrap for March 12, 2019 by Darren Smart

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The LATEST News

• Kawasaki tames ‘The Beast’ at Daytona
• Bollinger Draws First Blood at GNCC
• Cooper and Harwood Win NZ MX Champs
• Snodgrass, Milner and Sanders Win Toowoomba AORC
• Simpson Wins Opening Round of British MX Champs
• Toni Bou Wraps Up 2019 X-Trial Championship
• Major Sponsors Announced for MX Nationals
• Honda Switches to Bridgestone Tyres
• Kings and Queens of Canberra This Weekend
• Honda ‘Ride Red’ Program continues in 2019

Kawasaki Tames ‘The Beast’ at Daytona

The famous Daytona Speedway hosted the tenth round of the AMA Supercross Championships last weekend and it was as good a night as it can get for Kawasaki with Eli Tomac earning an important win in the 450 class while Austin Forkner kept his championship win streak alive in the 250 East class.

You can find the full report here:
Tomac & Forkner give Kawasaki the sweep at Daytona SX (link)

The Ricky Carmichael designed layout was nicknamed ‘the beast’ as it had a bit of everything thrown in with a very technical ‘1000 feet’ rhythm lane, two sand sections, a wall jump and a series of off-set small whoops called ‘moguls’.

Despite the deteriorating track conditions Tomac looked untroubled as he went on to win for the third time this season while Webb showed his intestinal fortitude to finish second despite looking far from comfortable in the early laps and once again it was Musquin rounding out the podium in third, this time ahead of Baggett, Joey Savatgy, Zach Osborne, Justin Hill, Roczen, Justin Brayton, Reed, Dean Wilson and Shane McElrath who rode his KTM250SX-F at Daytona.

Eli Tomac

“Earlier in the day Marvin had a lap time that was two and a half seconds faster than me so I was questioning myself so we were playing catch up but then we made some improvements through practice and even in the main, it took some time to get into the groove and I got shuffled back to third but I finally found my lines, was making good time in the whoops and to get this third win at Daytona is pretty special.”

450SX Main Event Results

1. Eli Tomac
2. Cooper Webb
3. Marvin Musquin
4. Blake Baggett
5. Joey Savatgy
6. Zach Osborne
7. Justin Hill
8. Ken Roczen
9. Justin Brayton
10. Chad Reed
11. Dean Wilson
12. Shane McElrath

450SX Points after 10 of 17 Rounds

1. Cooper Webb – 222
2. Eli Tomac – 203
3. Marvin Musquin – 203
4. Ken Roczen – 201
5. Blake Baggett – 161
6. Dean Wilson – 149
7. Chad Reed – 137
8. Justin Brayton – 127
9. Joey Savatgy – 124
10. Aaron Plessinger – 123

250 East Coast Report

Forkner and Sexton have been the fastest riders all day and it wasn’t long before they were 1-2 with Cooper in third and that is the way it stayed until the chequered flag while Mitchell Oldenburg, Alex Martin and Brandon Hartranft all made their way into the top six after poor starts.

Austin Forkner

“The start helped and doing that big rhythm every lap, it was easy to miss-time it and the whoops were tough so the difference for me was to not make any mistakes, I made some small ones but there were only six turns in the track which weren’t a big deal, it was getting the ruts in the rhythm sections and the whoops which were tough.”

250 East Coast Main Event Results

1. Austin Forkner
2. Chase Sexton
3. Justin Cooper
4. Mitchell Oldenburg
5. Alex Martin
6. Brandon Hartranft
7. Kyle Peters
8. Joshua Osby
9. Kyle Cunningham
10. Martin Davalos

250 East Coast Points after 6 of 9 Rounds

1. Austin Forkner – 125
2. Justin Cooper  – 102
3. Chase Sexton – 102
4. Alex Martin – 78
5. Martin Davalos – 71
6. Brandon Hartranft – 71
7. Jordon Smith – 70
8. Mitchell Oldenburg – 69
9. Kyle Cunningham – 65
10. Kyle Peters – 62

Bollinger Draws First Blood at Wildboar GNCC

The deep sand of Palatka, Florida hosted the opening round of the GNCC and it was Steward Baylor Jnr who managed to earn the outright win against his KTM teammate and defending champion Kailub Russell while Josh Strang earned a solid seventh outright and sixth in the XC1 class in his debut for the Kawasaki team.

Ben Kelly scored fourth outright and first in the XC2 class ahead of rising stars Jonathan Girroir and Michael Witowski while Aussie girls Tayla Jones and Mackenzie Tricker were split on the WMX podium by the talented Becca Sheets and it was Jesse Ansley who won the 125cc XC3 class.

The second round will be next weekend in Washington for ‘The General’ GNCC where the inaugural eMTB (Electric Mountain Bike) round will be included in the championship.

Overall Top 10 with Points

1. Steward Baylor Jr – 30
2. Kailub Russell – 25
3. Thaddeus Duvall 3 – 21
4. Benjamin Kelley – 18
5. Trevor Bollinger – 16
6. Joshua Toth – 15
7. Josh Strang – 14
8. Jonathan Girroir – 13
9. Michael Witkowski – 12
10. Andrew Delong – 11

XC2 250 Pro with Points

1. Ben Kelley. 30
2. Jonathan Girroir – 25
3. Michael Witkowski – 21
4. Evan Smith – 18
5. Tegan R Temple – 16
6. Ben Parsons – 15
7. Jonathan T Johnson – 14
8. Philippe Chaine – 13
9. Alex Teagarden – 12
10. Zack Hayes – 11

FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am with Points

1. Jesse Ansley – 30
2. Cody J Barnes – 25
3. Jake H Froman – 21
4. Michael Beeler Jr – 8
5. Nate Smith – 16

WXC with Points

1. Tayla Jones – 30
2. Becca N Sheets – 25
3. Mackenzie Tricker – 21
4. Korie Steede – 18
5. Brooke Cosner – 16

Cooper and Harwood Polish Off NZ MX Champs

Taupo’s iconic Digger McEwen Park hosted the fourth and final round of the New Zealand Motocross Championships and it was veteran Cody Cooper who managed to win his seventh MX1 championship by just six points over defending champion Kirk Gibbs while ironman Hamish Harwood won the MX2 and MX125 championships.

Cooper came into the final round with a slender 3-point lead over Gibbs and he extended that to 6 after winning the opening moto but he then lost the second shortened moto to Gibbs before completely dominating the final race to earn the championship.

Cody Cooper

“It was hard, one of the hardest races I’ve ever done I think, it was kind of good that I got a bad start because I managed to find some good lines that I would not have seen. It was a blessing in disguise really.

Kirk Gibbs

“I wasn’t feeling well actually at the start of the day. I woke up last night feeling cold and hot and I had diarrhoea this morning. I felt like I wanted to be sick. I drank some sugary drinks and that seemed to help. The last race I got out front early but struggled with the track a bit. Cody rode really well and passed me. I made a big mistake and came off the track. I lost a lot of ground and he got away and ended up winning.”

Kayne Lamont finished 3-8-3 after a crash in the red-flagged second race, giving him fourth overall for the weekend and third in the championship.

Kayne Lamont

“I was third in the championship, the same as last year, behind the same two riders – they just swapped places this season. I was a bit frustrated with my pre-season injury but I’m pleased to be healthy coming out of these three rounds. I’ve got a good base to work from for the winter and I’ll prepare better and hope to stay injury-free for next season.”

There was a unique sound that rang out throughout the entire 12 motos that made up the four rounds of the MX1 championship and that was the screaming KTM250SX two-stroke of apprentice electrician Blake Gillard who ended the championship in a more than credible fifth outright.

MX1 – Total Points Round 3

1. Cody Cooper – 72
2. Kirk Gibbs – 69
3. Cohen Chase – 56
4. Kayne Lamont – 53
5. Hadleigh Knight – 47
6. Blake Gillard – 44
7. Cam Negus – 40
8. Sam Guise – 40
9. Roydon White – 35
10. Richard Horne – 29

2019 FOX NZ Motocross Championship – MX1

1. Cody Cooper – 285
2. Kirk Gibbs – 279
3. Kayne Lamont – 233
4. Cohen Chase – 186
5. Blake Gillard – 166
6. Brad Groombridge – 151
7. Hadleigh Knight – 141
8. Roydon White – 139
9. Sam Guise – 130
10. Jacob Steel – 129

Hamish Harwood competed in 24 motos and won most of them to earn the MX2 and MX125 championships ahead of class fields and it even more impressive when you figure in the fact that Hamish is working full time as a house builder between each round.

Wyatt Chase and Max Purvis rounded out the podium in the MX2 class while it was 15-year-old Ben Broad who earned the runner up position in the MX125 class ahead of Joshua Bourke-Palmer.

Hamish Harwood

“This is the first time I’ve won two titles in one season, four in a row for MX2 and now a 125cc title too. I didn’t make it easy for myself in the MX2 class. I had a couple of bad starts, but I only finished outside of the top three on one occasion. I had good points lead at the start of racing at Taupo, so I wasn’t too concerned about winning every MX2 race today.”

MX2 – Total Points Round 3

1. Wyatt Chase – 72
2. Hamish Harwood – 67
3. Mason Semmens – 56
4. Ethan Martens – 49
5. Morgan Fogarty – 44
6. Kyle Hartley – 41
7. Maximus Purvis – 40
8. Broc Martens – 35
9. Sam Cuthbertson – 33
10. Shaun Fogarty – 32

2019 FOX NZ Motocross Championship – MX2

1. Hamish Harwood – 265
2. Wyatt Chase – 214
3. Maximus Purvis – 203
   Morgan Fogarty – 177
4. Brad Groombridge – 108

MX 125 – Total Points Round 3

1. Hamish Harwood – 75
2. Benjamin Broad – 66
3. Tommy Watts – 56
4. Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 56
5. Jack Dunlop – 46
6. Cam Dillon – 44
7. Ethan Waters – 43
8. Zac Jillings – 39
9. Joseph Andrell – 32
10. Charlie Richardson – 25

2019 FOX NZ Motocross Championship – MX 125

1. Hamish Harwood – 300
2. Benjamin Broad – 234
3. Joshua Bourke-Palmer – 221
4. Tommy Watts – 215
5. Jack Dunlop – 172

Snodgrass, Milner and Sanders Win Toowoomba AORC

The Queensland country town of Toowoomba hosted the opening two rounds of the AORC last weekend and it was an action packed weekend in dry and dusty condition but as you would expect the cream always rises to the top and it was Daniel Sanders, Daniel Milner, Lyndon Snodgrass and Luke Styke who managed victories in the major classes.

Sanders was three minutes ahead of Beau Ralston and Andrew Wilksch on the opening day and it was a similar margin back to Wilksch and Ralston on the second day – Jesse Lawton and Matt Murray rounded out the top five on both days.

Daniel Sanders

“I experienced some crashes this weekend but kept my body healthy to recover as quickly as I could. Coming out of this weekend I know how much harder I need to work on my fitness to close those gaps ahead of Dungog next month.”

Yamaha AORC E3 Round 1 Provisional Results

1. Daniel Sanders 58:18.484
2. Beau Ralston 1:02:19.321
3. Andrew Wilksch 1:02:35.440
4. Jesse Lawton 1:06:09.427
5. Matt Murry 1:08:07.233
6. Daniel Welsh 1:10:06.429
7. Timothy Lonsdale 1:10:45.304

AORC E3 Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Daniel Sanders 37:27.786
2. Andrew Wilksch 40:10.830
3. Beau Ralston 40:31.481
4. Jesse Lawton 41:47.381
5. Matt Murry 43:37.824
6. Daniel Welsh 45:26.922
7. Daniel Middleton 45:49.855
8. Timothy Lonsdale 46:42.994
9. Jackson Caldwell 46:48.398
10. Luke Morrison 48:28.428

Milner clocked the fastest day outright both days but in the E2 class he won the opening day by well over two minutes from Joshua Green, Jeremy Carpentier, Broc Grabham and Brad Hardaker and that line-up was repeated on Sunday with Milner’s margin cut to just 90 seconds over Green.

Daniel Milner

“Yesterday I found myself struggling in navigating the track, keeping the ball rolling and knowing what gear to ride. It doesn’t matter how hard we test in the off season, conditions seen today really put you to the test, all in all it was an awesome weekend for me, and I’ve picked up where I left off from last year. Everyone on the field seems to be getting faster, and it really goes to show that us Aussie riders are putting it to the world.”

Yamaha AORC E2 Round 1 Provisional Results

1. Daniel Milner 58:12.545
2. Joshua Green 1:00:36.815
3. Jeremy Carpentier 1:01:43.370
4. Broc Grabham 1:05:06.627
5. Brad Hardaker 1:05:19.209
6. Kristian Sprenger 1:06:58.993
7. Kaleb Treasure 1:07:18.907
8. Brent Dean 1:08:08.480
9. Jack Judge 1:08:24:042
10. Wesley Keeley 1:08:35.773

AORC E2 Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Daniel Milner 37:04.789
2. Joshua Green 38:33.191
3. Jeremy Carpentier 39:03.107
4. Broc Grabham 41:17.709
5. Brad Hardaker 41:57.983
6. Kristian Sprenger 42:34.533
7. Kaleb Treasure 42:56.997
8. Wesley Keeley 43:17.885
9. Brent Dean 43:30.524
10. Jack Judge 43:31.188

Defending champion Styke narrowly got the win on day one over Snodgrass, Michael Driscoll, Fraser Higlett and Matthew Phillips (digest that line-up for a second) but on Sunday Snodgrass got the win by just 4 seconds over Styke, Driscoll and Higlett – unfortunately Phillips retired with an injury.

Lyndon Snodgrass

“Round 2 featured a different track that was more technical than yesterday. Coming into today I made some small changes, studied the new track extensively during yesterday’s walk, and today ended up being a lot better!”

Yamaha AORC E1 Round 1 Provisional Results

1. Luke Styke 1:00:11.804
2. Lyndon Snodgrass 1:00:44.286
3. Michael Driscoll 1:01:12.331
4. Fraser Higlett 1:01:27.354
5. Matthew Phillips 1:03:22.590
6. Jonte Reynders 1:04:10.772
7. Seton Broomhall 1:07:58.887
8. Lachlan Allan 1:09:14.454
9. Kye Malone 1:11:00.681
10. Alexander Ruloff 1:12:36.447

AORC E1 Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Lyndon Snodgrass 38:03.337
2. Luke Styke 38:07.726
3. Michael Driscoll 38:48.957
4. Fraser Higlett 39:09.410
5. Jonte Reynders 40:35.042
6. Seton Broomhall 43:43.988
7. Lachlan Allan 44:30.347
8. Joseph Cole 46:05.772
9. Mackenzie Bowser 46:07.220
10. Jarrad Vanderhor 46:15.756

Matthew Phiilip’s protégé Kyron Bacon lived up to expectations to win the EJ class while Jess Gardner (Womens), Kirk Hutton (Masters), Lee Stephens (Veterens), Adam Giles (2-Stroke Cup), Blake Hollis (J4), Riley McGillivray (J3) and Campbell Hall (J2) all won their respective classes.

Yamaha AORC EJ Round 1 Provisional Results

1. Kyron Bacon 1:03:47.489
2. Joshua Brierley 1:04:06.772
3. Harrison Teed 1:05:20.839
4. William Price 1:06:57.405
5. Korey McMahon 1:07:55.681
6. Cooper Sheidow 1:08:00.325
7. Matt Waters 1:09:45.791
8. Riley Nancarrow 1:10:22.995
9. Nathan Howe 1:11:08.932
10. Jordan Ryan 1:11:24.177

AORC EJ Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Kyron Bacon 40:21.778
2. Joshua Brierley 41:09.418
3. Harrison Teed 41:53.032
4. Korey McMahon 42:38.214
5. William Price 43:05.254
6. Cooper Sheidow 43:38.153
7. Riley Nancarrow 44:00.211
8. Nathan Howe 44:08.461
9. Matthew Pye 44:31.791
10. Matt Waters 44:32.447

AORC Women’s Round 1 Provisional Results

1. Jessica Gardiner 1:13:37.414
2. Emelie Karlsson 1:15:26.672
3. Ebony Nielsen 1:18:10.896
4. Emma Milesevic 1:18:41.568
5. Danielle Foot 1:21:02.977
6. Zoe Boccari 1:35:23.828
7. Charlotte Gamble 1:58:19.594
8. Isabella Hood 2:11:14.505

AORC Women’s Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Jessica Gardiner 44:21.944
2. Emma Milesevic 47:36.299
3. Ebony Nielsen 48:16.332
4. Danielle Foot 48:57.051
5. Emelie Karlsson 49:28.960
6. Zoe Boccari 56:57.933

AORC Masters Round 1 Provisional Results

1. Kirk Hutton 1:10:43.091
2. Timothy Martin 1:15:21.955
3. John Baker 1:17:56.029
4. Ian Jenner 1:18:18.986
5. Craig Treasure 1:18:20.476
6. Peter Rudd 1:18:20.476
7. Adam O’Connor 1:20:46.668
8. Andrew Dennett 1:21:20.530
9. Ian McGillivray 1:21:54.783
10. Kenneth Hicks 1:22:29.499

AORC Masters Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Kirk Hutton 44:12.694
2. Timothy Martin 45:34.107
3. John Baker 47:36.194
4. Ian Jenner 48:11.147
5. Craig Treasure 48:30.065
6. Peter Rudd 49:47.717
7. Ian McGillivray 49:58.049
8. Kenneth Hicks 50:19.411
9. Andrew Dennett 50:29.575
10. Zac Williams 50:40.066

AORC Veterans Round 1 Provisional Results

1. Lee Stephens 1:10:18.984
2. Benjamin D’Arcy 1:12:16.018
3. Matthew Keipert 1:12:23.882
4. Christopher Thomas 1:12:57.099
5. Jason Pearce 1:15:20.680
6. Daniel Sawtell 1:16:22.776
7. Paul Chadwick 1:17:00.579
8. Luke Ablitt 1:20:20.680
9. Phillip Chillemi 1:21:57.526
10. Phil Newman 1:22:35.185

AORC Veterans Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Lee Stephens 43:19.237
2. Matthew Keipert 43:43.326
3. Christopher Thomas 44:30.010
4. Benjamin D’Arcy 45:30.266
5. Jason Pearce 45:55.472
6. Daniel Sawtell 47:39.455
7. Paul Chadwick 47:40.939
8. Luke Ablitt 48:41.890
9. Phil Newman 51:19.834
10. Daniel Wall 51:54.248

AORC 2 Stroke Cup Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Adam Giles 1:10:52.544
2. John Isherwood 1:15:40.846
3. Todd Charlick 1:18:53.919
4. Luke Francis 1:23:35.349

AORC 2 Stroke Cup Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Adam Giles 42:25.605
2. John Isherwood 46:53.488
3. Todd Charlick 48:56.977
4. Luke Francis 50:56.691

AORC J4 Round 1 Provisional Results

1. Blake Hollis 53:02.256
2. Mackenzie Johnson 54:32.036
3. Zac Perry 55:33.284
4. Oscar Collins 55:58.836
5. Charlie Milton 56:14.068
6. Hayden Campbell 59:00.487
7. Cody Chittick 59:22.145
8. Kobe Conley 59.25.085
9. Jay Simister 59:43.729
10. Lochie Stafford 1:01:05.230

AORC J4 Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Blake Hollis 40:11.651
2. Mackenzie Johnson 41:29.590
3. Oscar Collins 41:58.118
4. Charlie Milton 42:04.277
5. Cody Chittick 42:08.592
6. Zac Perry 42:23.625
7. Kobe Conley 43:30.128
8. Jay Simister 45:34.060
9. Hayden Campbell 45:51.944
10. Clay Parsons 46:42.581

AORC J3 Round 1 Provisional Results

1. Campbell O’Donnell 55:19.273
2. Riley McGillivray 55:25.586
3. Kodi Stephens 56:49.768
4. William Dennett 57:20.674
5. Tom Park 58:08.907
6. Jack Bithell 58:58.440
7. Maxwell Liebekner 59:11.116
8. William Cooper 1:00:41.351
9. Kelly Woolston 1:00:53.803
10. Jake Hayes 1:02:32.856

AORC J3 Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Riley McGillivray 40:57.774
2. Campbell O’Donnell 41:25.296
3. William Dennett 43:17.461
4. Kodi Stephens 43:18.250
5. Jack Bithell 44:11.868
6. Maxwell Liebeknech 44:24.802
7. Kelly Woolston 46:47.542
8. Jethro Carriage 46:57.343
9. William Cooper 47:03.253
10. Jake Hayes 47:12.359

AORC J2 Round 1 Provisional Results

1. Billy Hargy 57:11.271
2. Campbell Hall 57:27.053
3. Jett Arnold 58:38.884
4. Max Phillips 59:46.669
5. Luke Chellas 1:04:36.666
6. Kyle Sandstrom 1:05:49.553
7. Jack Shearer 1:06:02.664
8. William Vella 1:06:18.928
9. Jack Hendrickson 1:07:35.950
10. Eli Tripcony 1:08:33.760

AORC J2 Round 2 Provisional Results

1. Jett Arnold 43:59.560
2. Campbell Hall 44:40.490
3. Max Phillips 45:00.793
4. Kyle Sandstrom 47:43.948
5. Luke Chellas 48:30.285
6. Jack Shearer 48:55.449
7. Thomas Vance 50:08.795
8. Jack Hendrickson 51:34.044
9. Max Mensforth 52:32.781
10. Jet Brien 54:46.064

Simpson Wins Opening Round of British MX Champs

Shaun Simpson has put together a 1-2 result to win the opening round of the British MX1 championships ahead of Tommy Searle who was second overall with 3-1 results and third was Lewis Tombs with 5-4 results.

MX1 Moto One

1. Shaun Simpson 31:07.023
2. Harri Kullas 31:49.581
3. Tommy Searle 32:36.734
4. Mel Pocock 32:45.749
5. Lewis Tombs 33:02.766

MX1 Moto Two

1. Tommy Searle 32:15.581
2. Shaun Simpson 32:38.463
3. Jake Millward 32:57.623
4. Lewis Tombs 33:04.516
5. Ryan Houghton 33:06.107

MX1 Overall

1. Shaun Simpson – 47
2. Tommy Searle – 45
3. Lewis Tombs – 34
4. Jake Millward – 29
5. Ryan Houghton – 27

Toni Bou Wraps Up 2019 X-Trial Championship

Marseille, France has hosted the penultimate round of the 2019 FIM X-Trial World Championship and as expected Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou won his 13th X-Trial title to incredibly take his world championship tally to 25.

Bou´s direct rival for victory in Marseille was Gas Gas’ Jeroni Fajardo, who progressed from Heat One in sensational fashion by countback after he and TRRS’ Adam Raga were tied. But Fajardo was unable to complete any of the demanding Grand Final sections, and Bou already had victory on the night sewn up with a clean Section Five – his third completed section of the lap.

Toni Bou

“It´s been as demanding as it has enjoyable. This was my first chance to claim the Championship and I took it, even though it wasn´t easy. The sections meant we had to give our absolute best, and that meant the spectators enjoyed the show. But I was keen to claim the title here and avoid being under pressure in X-Trial Andorra, where there were will already be enough expectation as it is my home race. Now I know that we will be there to celebrate, and I hope to win in front of my fans to finish the season. This thirteenth title has been more complicated than some of the others, since my rivals have really pushed hard all season and I have never been able to relax. But I have gradually been improving and tonight has been the culmination of my hard work.”

Adam Raga, meanwhile, saw his fading Championship hopes extinguished for another year against Bou´s dominance.

Adam Raga

“It was a tough X-Trial right from the start, and I didn´t manage the time very well on the second lap, so ended up short on time and out of the Final. The atmosphere was incredible and the public really pushed us with their encouragement.”

The next date on the X-Trial calendar will see another Champion declared as the riders head on to Vendée for the X-Trial of Nations on 13th April.

Major Sponsors Announced for MX Nationals

Williams Event Management (WEM), promoters of the MX Nationals, have announced that on the back of an ongoing relationship with LINK International, Pirelli has the naming rights to the MX2 class while Motul will be the MXD title sponsor along with brands including Polisports and RK Chains.

GAS Imports via their leading product THOR will be the MX1 title sponsor as well as round six and eight presenting partners, GAS will also be represented by other key products including Neken, EBC Brakes, Akrapovic throughout the series.

Kevin Williams – Series Director

“As I approach my 23rd year of running the Australian MX Nationals, I’m very excited to announce the continued support of LINK International as well as GAS Imports, these brands play an integral part in the motocross industry and it’s great to have their support for the 2019 championship.”

In other MX Nationals news, Yamaha Motor Australia have again renewed their partnership within the national motocross scene, their continued support and commitment to the Pirelli MX Nationals insures a strong 2019 series ahead.

Series promoter Kevin Williams also expressed his thoughts on the long and ongoing partnership with Yamaha Motor Australia.

Kevin Williams

“Yamaha have been an integral part of the motocross landscape for as long as i can remember. The on going support for not only the series but teams and privateers alike, along with the innovative bLU cRU experience engaging and capturing the future talents of the sport. They are a brand I’m proud to be partnered with.”

National Sales and Marketing Manager Matthew Ferry, explained the importance of the long partnership they have with the MX Nationals.

Matthew Ferry

“We have been a long time partner of the MX Nationals. The series provides for a large variety of motocross talent from the professionals all the way down to the bLU cRU 65 cup riders. The series helps create the dreams and aspirations for the up and coming riders and stars.”

The opening round of the 2019 season takes place next weekend (March 17th) at Appin Raceway on the outskirts of Sydney, NSW.

Honda Switches to Bridgestone Tyres

With the full support of their lead rider Brett Metcalfe, Honda’s factory off road/motocross racing team in Australia have partnered with Bridgestone Tyres for the 2019 Australian MX Nationals and Supercross Championships.

Lincoln McFayden – Executive General Manager of McLeod Accessories

“McLeod’s are committed to providing race ready Bridgestone tyres to customers. The new range of Battlecross tyres are the race level spec ‘Made in Japan’ tyres that Bridgestone now sell to the general public as well. This is so important to us, to be able to sell the exact products we race, right here in Australia; it’s something not all tyre manufacturers can claim, it’s the Bridgestone advantage that’s for sure.”

After finishing the year out with a solid 2nd overall in the Australian Supercross Championship, Brett Metcalfe was eager to get some solid testing under his belt before making any changes to his set up.

Brett Metcalfe

“At this level we are always working on ways to improve ourselves and the bike. I have raced with Bridgestone before and I know what they are capable of. We needed to be sure we would stay at that level and I believe we will be at an advantage on many tracks with the new tyres. The predictable drive in certain conditions was incredible. Bridgestone has such a good variety with 4 different terrain options and we will be able to take advantage of them as conditions change throughout the day when racing.”

Metcalfe and the team have made it clear they want to come into the new season with the same competitive momentum they finished with in 2018.

Round 1 of the MX Nationals will be held on 17th March in Appin, NSW.

Kings and Queens of Canberra This Weekend

Fairbairn Park will host the annual Stay Upright Kings & Queens of Canberra dirt track meeting this coming weekend Both the Pro Open and Pro 450 classes have attracted the biggest entry which will necessitate three heats of racing in each round.

Abrum and Bailey Richards lead the locals in those classes taking on a blend of experienced campaigners and some more recent recruits in to the senior ranks.

Victorian Bradley Burns always rides the Canberra track well, and he leads the experienced brigade along with South Coast rider Kale Galeano, former Canberra rider Michael Vecchi, consistent Sydneysider Nathan Smith and Edward Grabham from Forbes.

Racing this weekend will showcase the likes of former Australian Junior champion Kye Andrews from Taree, Melbourne rider Bryce Holmes, Tom Herrick from Temora, Connor Ryan and Jake Farnsworth from the Central Coast.

Albury rider Jesse Davies and South Coast Jake Schneiders will contest the Pro Open class as well as clashing in the small line-up of slider machines.

ACT riders are prominent among the entries for the older age brackets (over 35s and 45s) and the Pre 1985 machines which invariably provide plenty of close racing amid invariably great spirit shown by the competitors. Dirt Track Sidecars are also programmed with entries drawn by various NSW country clubs.

Junior racing continues to impress with all the age divisions produce exciting racing from riders who quickly establish themselves as polished performers.

Taree rider Hayden Nelson has an Australian Junior Dirt Track Championship to his credit and his most recent outing showed his versatility as he contested the Australian Junior Championship round for road racing and supermoto.

The oldest junior class (for 13 to Under 16s) is always a feature with Melbourne rider Max Berry likely to be battling for honours with Central Coast rider Harrison Ryan, Callan Butcher from Temora and Jack Joel from Gunnedah.

Saturday sees practice at 9am followed by the first round of competition, while on Sunday it will be straight in to racing at 9am.

While the finals of all classes of racing will wrap up the meeting on Sunday, an additional feature has been added to the Saturday afternoon schedule when fans will see two Shoot-Outs when senior and junior riders will compete in a series of one-on-one battles to find the winners.

The Fairbairn Park track is situated on Pialligo Avenue, Majura and best of all spectator entry is free.

Honda ‘Ride Red’ Program continues in 2019

In 2018, Honda Racing in Australia launched a new off road racing program, geared around supporting privateer riders working towards a factory seat and becoming future Motocross and Supercross stars.

This year, Honda have extended the program to incorporate three new female riders in a bid to support more of Australia’s up and coming talent in all areas of off road racing.

Emma Milesevic, Tanesha Harnet and Alysha Goullet will spearhead Honda’s female Ride Red campaign, with hopes to inspire other sportswomen to chase their respective dreams.

Glyn Griffiths – Honda’s Brand and Motorsport Manager

“Over 1000 females compete across all disciplines of motorcycle racing each year and when these three talented riders contacted Honda for support we were thrilled to provide them with a RIDE RED contract. Tanesha Harnett is no stranger to the Honda family, having raced as a very successful rider in Honda’s Junior program with Lee Hogan. Supporting female talent is something we are proud of and to offer a pathway for Tanesha to continue to grow her moto career was really important to us, along with the inclusion of 2 other talented riders, it’s going to be a great season.”

Tanesha Harnett will race in the MXD of the MX Nationals and the Women’s Nationals as well as her State Championship.

Tanesha Harnett

“Honda supported me through juniors and their loyalty towards me as I head into seniors is sincerely appreciated. This program is fantastic and to be given the chance to continue my career with Honda is awesome. I look forward to another year of competition and learning.”

Emma Milesevic will race selected Australian Off Road Championship events, including Hattah and the Women’s Nationals.

Emma Milesevic

“Wow, this is an amazing opportunity. I have raced around the world and to come home and get an opportunity like this is a dream come true. My Auntie raced Honda and won many women’s motocross titles and I hope to do the same and make my family, Honda and our sponsors proud.”

Alysha Goullett will race in selected MXD races, the Women’s Nationals and her respective State Championship.

Alysha Goullett

“This is my first real sponsorship and I won’t take it for granted. Sometimes all we need is some encouragement and I will do my best to represent everyone and show all of the girls out there that all you need to do is try and not to give up on your goals.”

Honda’s Ride Red program was developed to encourage senior competition participation by providing support to privateers. Penrite Honda Racing’s team owner Yarrive Konsky worked with Honda to get the program up and running.

Yarrive Konsky

“Growing up racing was difficult. The hardest part, aside from the expense was getting the right information. I didn’t know how to train, eat or set my bike up effectively. RIDE RED provides riders with what they need. Not all riders use our factory suspension and engine providers, but they can. They can also talk to our factory riders and capitalise on their wealth of experience. We have an open door policy.”

Honda Genuine will continue to be the Ride Red team’s title sponsor and the entire 2019 Honda Genuine Ride Red includes:

• Emma Milesevic – CRF250R – MXD, Women’s Nationals and selected Off Road Events
• Tanesha Harnett – CRF250R – MXD and Women’s Nationals
• Alysha Goullet – CRF250R – MXD and Women’s Nationals
• Lachie Davis – CRF450R – MX1 and SX1
• Joel Wightman – CRF450R – MX1 and SX1
• Izak Maule – CRF450R – MX1 and SX1
• Caleb Goullet – CRF250R – MXD and SX2
• Jai Constantinou – CRF250R – MX2 and SX2

For more information on Honda’s MX range, visit: https://motorcycles.honda.com.au/Off_Road_Competition (link)