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Moto News Weekly Wrap
August 10, 2021

What’s New:

• GYTR YJR success continues in Tasmania, WA and Queensland
• Sebastian Bühler wins Hungarian Baja 2021
• Graham Jarvis undergoes successful knee surgery
• Red Bull Romaniacs 2021 Recap
• 2021 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship Wrap
• 2021 SGP of Poland Rounds 5 & 6
• Wildcard Gert Krestinov dominates EMX Open class
• Kevin Horgmo tops EMX250 in Latvia
• Gajser wins 2021 MXGP of Latvia – Round 7
• Beaton P8 after Race 2 crashes in Latvia
• 2021 Racing Calendars
  • 2021 Provisional MXGP
  • 2021 Yamaha AORC presented by MXStore
  • 2021 Australian Penrite ProMX
  • 2021 Speedway GP
  • 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship
  • 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies
  • 2021 AMA Supercross
  • 2021 GNCC
  • 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross
  • 2021 Progressive American Flat Track
  • 2021 New Zealand Motocross
  • 2021 New Zealand Cross-Country
  • 2021 New Zealand Enduro
  • 2021 Australian Supercross (provisional)
  • And more…

GYTR YJR success continues in Tasmania, WA and Queensland

Despite the various state and regional lock downs, racing has continued in some area and when there is a race, you know that the GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing Team will be there flying the Yamaha flag. With New South Wales holed-up at home, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland in snap lock downs, its been left to the Western Australian and Tasmanian riders to head line the team at their recent state championship events.

Tasmania

The Apple Isle has been able to sneak in a couple of state rounds to keep their racing going and have now just one more state title round remaining for the 2021 season. The duo of Angus Pearce and Jay Jennings are in the box seat, leading their respective championships after recent good form.

Pearce is looking good for victory in the 13-16 years Lites class after dominating the last two rounds. Pearce took three from three at Smithton and backed that up with identical results from Cambridge, meaning he has won six races on the trot and has extended his lead out to 41 points over his nearest rival.

Jay Jennings is also in a good position after the Cambridge round and leads both the 10-12 years 65cc class and the 9-11 years 85cc class. Jennings dominated the day at Smithton, winning all his races and cement his position at the top of the championship chase. Any consistent round at Cambridge on the weekend saw him consolidate that position despite not feeling 100%.

Jay now holds down a 35-point lead on his YZ65 and a 36-point lead on his YZ85.

“The last two rounds have been good for both the riders, and we are now really well placed in all classes with just one round to go,” said Team Manager, Brody Jennings. “Each track provided a different challenge for the riders with Smithton being wet and technical while Cambridge was dry and fast. We just need to finish the last round as strongly as we have contested the previous two rounds and we should be able to secure some more state championships for YJR.”

Western Australia

The WA guys have also been in action with plenty of local racing over there to keep the team of Jake Rumens and Deegan Fort motivated. The weekend just gone saw the running of round four of the Western Australian Motocross Championship and the riders again showed good speed and skill on a wet track.

Jake Rumens come out swinging on his YZ85 to take the round victory with 1-1-2 results and close in on the 12-14 years 85cc class lead. Rumens came into the round in second place but needing to win races to claw his way back to the top and he was able to make that happen and now just sits one point from the class lead.

He was also able to put some consistent races together in the 13-15 years 125cc class, finishing fifth in all three races and now moves to fourth in the championship.

Deegan Fort also double up on the weekend contesting both the 10-12 years 65cc and the 9-11 years 85cc class. Across the six races he contested, he finished with five, second place finishes and one fourth, giving him second place in both divisions. But the battle for the state championship is far from over with three riders duking it out for 85 class honours, while Fort sits in second on the 65cc, 24 points from the championship leader.

Peter Strickland

“Another good weekend for both riders and families in cold and damp conditions. It was far from perfect out there, but they battled away and finished up with some good results that has them looking pretty good in the championship. The boys and the team will keep on it for the remainder of the year and make the most of the racing we have in WA as we can see how fast things can change in other states.”

Queensland

The opening round of the Queensland Motocross Championship got underway at the Coolum circuit recently, but no sooner had it started, it was shut down when South East Queensland went into a snap lock down. Practice was completed but no racing held. Mackay is the next round on the schedule while MQ look at a new date for the Coolum round.

But, a round of the Queensland Off Road Championship was able to be ran recently and the young guns of Harley and Drake Hutton contested the event. Harley took the class win in the 85cc J1 category while younger brother, Drake, finished second on his 65. Old man Kirk also took the win in the Masters Over 45 class.

Harley leads the 85cc class by 28 points over his nearest rival while Drake hangs onto a narrow seven-point lead in the 65cc division.

Sebastian Bühler wins Hungarian Baja 2021

The Hungarian Baja was staged in the Lake Balaton region around the small town of Várpalota, with the overall victory falling to Sebastian Bühler (Hero) in the motorcycle category despite two special stages being cancelled. Other standouts were Junior rider Konrad Dabrowski (KTM) who was classified in seventh and, in the female category, Mirjam Pol (Husqvarna) 11th ahead of Margot Lloberat (KTM) the second Junior – and Sarah Khuraibet (KTM).

The first day of the fourth round of the 2021 FIM Bajas World Cup was somewhat epic… just like the second. Event organisers decided to start the motorcycles after the cars and riders duly encountered unusual difficulties over the damaged and rutted terrain, with banners and signs torn off and cars being delayed. They also had the added hazard of overtaking the slowest of the four-wheel entrants in the dust.

Used to getting up at dawn on Saturday morning, riders were able to sleep in because their departure was at 11.45hrs! Torrential rain had fallen in the area the day before the race began, so riders encountered very damaged ground after the passage of the cars. Riders incurred numerous penalties because, despite the road book, they found themselves racing on bad tracks.

The FIM jury decided to cancel the last special on Saturday for safety reasons as cars had become lost in SS5 and the departure of the motorcycles had been delayed with some riders running the risk of not arriving at nightfall.

A similar decision was taken on Sunday to cancel the last stage (SS7) for safety reasons and to avoid cars and motorcycles overtaking in the dust. Victory, therefore, fell to Sebastian Bühler (Hero).

Sebastian Bühler

“This morning, the track was broken after the cars passed twice yesterday. We still had to manage the banners but I managed to stay focused and gain a little time, despite destroying my rear tyre in 86 km. I’m happy with this performance because I was able to improve at each stage.”

Stefan Svitko (KTM) climbed on to the second step of the podium and Joachim Rodrigues (Hero) was third.

Stefan Svitko

“I didn’t feel comfortable attacking on increasingly destroyed ground. So I managed to finish. Our goal was to train and ride the bike for miles for the next rally.”

After entering the Baja at the last minute, Mathieu Doveze (KTM) finished fourth.

Mathieu Doveze

“This is my second Baja. I’m here to learn and store as much information as possible. With the rally bike, it was complicated on this broken ground, you had to stay focused but it was a good exercise.”

Graham Jarvis undergoes successful knee surgery

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Graham Jarvis is recovering well following knee surgery, required after he injured himself on day two at Romaniacs. Breaking the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his left leg, Jarvis travelled to Madrid in Spain where he underwent an ACL reconstruction and is now resting at home awaiting a green light so he can proceed with his rehabilitation.

Topping the first full day of offroad competition in Romania, Jarvis looked set to battle it out for the overall win as he chased an incredible seventh Romaniacs victory. With just 40 minutes of racing to go before the finish of the second day, and having successfully navigated through the toughest part of the course, Graham twisted his knee on a high-speed section, forcing him out of the event and requiring him to undergo the needed surgery.

Graham Jarvis

“I guess there are always positives and negatives with injuries like this, but I’m doing all I can do at this time. I managed to get surgery pretty quickly – in Madrid, Spain, on the Tuesday after Romaniacs – so that’s a real positive. Thankfully, there wasn’t much swelling, so I didn’t have to wait for things to settle down before visiting the surgeon. Now I’m just resting and keeping my leg elevated as much as possible. It’s a little uncomfortable, but as soon as I can I’ll start the rehab. It’s going to be a long time before I’m back racing – but it is what it is. I’ll be doing all I can to make sure when I do return, I’m as strong and fit as I can be. Right now I’m just taking things day-by-day. It goes without saying that I’m hugely disappointed, it was one of those silly little accidents. The support I’ve received has been incredible. From the team, from Husqvarna, and from fans all around the world – it’s been amazing. Thanks to everyone, and I look forward to being back racing as soon as I can.”

Red Bull Romaniacs 2021 Recap

Round four of this year’s FIM Hard Enduro World Championship at Red Bull Romaniacs was one to behold. A full week of pure Hard Enduro action and passion, it will be one to remember for a long time to come. With so much happening in such a relatively short space of time, here is a quick look back at some of the bits you may have missed…

Reading through the results sheet of the Gold class and it’s clear to see the growing number of manufacturers present with KTM, Beta, GASGAS, Sherco, and Husqvarna all in the mix. KTM topped the class thanks to Manuel Lettenbichler’s win, but Sherco were arguably team of the week with both Wade Young and Mario Roman second and third, respectively. A fourth from Jonny Walker was also Beta’s best ever result at Red Bull Romaniacs.

Making it two Gold class finishes in a row, Sandra Gomez (GASGAS) continues to push the limits for women in Hard Enduro. Last October she became the first female competitor to complete Gold at Red Bull Romaniacs, and this time she smashed it. Finishing an incredible 29th overall, she also stayed clean on penalties.

The much-anticipated marathon stage proved a hit during this year’s race. Between Offroad Day 2 and Offroad Day 3, competitors got back to basics by spending a night in the forest at a makeshift campsite. With no outside assistance from their teams and support crews allowed, they had to take care of all mechanical maintenance, while recharging body and mind for the following day.

Another little piece of history was made when Pol Tarres powered his adventure bike to a Bronze class finish. It was captivating, to say the least, watching Pol wrestle his 200kg twin-cylinder Yamaha Tenere 700 through the Carpathian Mountains.

While the top stars of Hard Enduro ultimately filled the top placings, they were pushed all the way by some rising stars of the sport. Bulgaria’s Teodor Kabakchiev (Husqvarna) took it to them throughout the week. Placing second in Tuesday’s Time Trial qualification was a sign of things to come. Never outside of the top 10 all week, third on Offroad Day 3 secured him an eventual eighth overall. With Michael Walkner (GASGAS) and Dominik Olszowy (KTM) ninth and 10th, the young guns are closing in.

One of the week’s most impressive rides came from Canada’s Trystan Hart (KTM). Making his Red Bull Romaniacs debut, he quietly chipped away at things. Settling into the race and adapting to the incredibly long and steep, descents and climbs, Hart placed seventh. As the 2020 winner of Red Bull TKO in the USA, expect him to be a rider to beat when we visit there on August 13-15 for round five.

The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship continues with round five at Red Bull TKO in the USA on August 13-15.

2021 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship Wrap

Images by Ken Hill and Align Media

The first gate drops of the landmark 40th running of the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship commenced last Tuesday from Tennessee’s famed Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. On-track action kicked off at 0730 local time, where the first set of 22 motos set the tone for an exciting and competitive week of racing to crown 36 AMA National Champions.

Highlights of Day 1, were Preston Kilroy winning the 250 Pro Sport moto, while Nick Romano topped the 250 B moto. In the 125cc class Mark Fineis was the frontrunner, with Haiden Deegan the Supermini 1 winner. Topping the Mini SR. 1 category was Landen Gordon, while Tayler Allred won the Women’s moto. Top Junior (25+) was Heath Harrison, while Jeff Emig was fastest Master.

Thomas Wood was an Australian talent also making a name for himself on Day 1, winning the Mini SR. 2 (13-15) moto.

Day 2 saw 23 motos take to the track, ensuring all 36-classes had now completed one moto, with Levi Kitchen topping the 250 Pro Sport moto, while Preston Kilroy won the Open Pro Sport moto. Evan Ferry was top of the Schoolboy 1 class, while the Supermini 2 class was won by Adler Caudle and Mike Brown topped the Seniors.

Day 3 saw classes experiencing their second gate drop of the week, as a critical juncture and halfway mark for the week, with Levi Kitchen topping the Open Pro Sport moto, while Nick Romano was fastest in the 250 B moto. Evan Ferry won the 125 cc moto, while in the Schoolboy 1 Mark Fineis was the top performer, and Keith Johnson won the Masters moto.

Day 4, saw the first champions crowned as some classes completed their third events, with Levi Kitchen won the 250 Pro Sport with a 3-2-1 result, Chance Hymas winning the final moto but settling for second overall with a 7-2-1 result. Preston Kilroy was third, running 1-5-4.

Levi Kitchen

“Man, what a week in Tennessee! I’m very happy to leave Loretta’s with both championships and also get the Horizon Award. I had a few come from behind rides that I was very proud of and I know it will only help me heading into the Pro Motocross National this weekend at Unadilla.”

Evan Ferry topped the 125cc (12-17) B/C class, taking the final moto win, with Collin Allen second overall and Bryce Shelly third. Keith Johnson meanwhile won the Masters class from Jeff Emig.

The fifth and final day of the 40th Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship capped off a memorable week of racing at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. The remaining 17 classes contested their third and final motos, meaning a total of 33 different riders became AMA National Champions at the 2021 event.

In the Open Pro Sport category Levi Kitchen won the final moto of the week and took the championship win with a 3-1-1 result, with Chance Hymas runner up and Preston Kilroy third. Nick Romano won the 250 B class with a clean sweep of all three motos, ahead of Gavin Towers and Gage Linville.

Nick Romano

“It was a great week at Loretta’s. Five moto wins out of six and winning the 250B was pretty awesome. I’m also happy to be named the AMA Amateur Rider of the Year. It’s a great achievement with all of the riders out there.”

Evan Ferry won the Schoolboy 1 class, while Caden Braswell was the Schoolboy 2 class winner. Haiden Deegan swept the Supermini 1 class, with Mike Brown winning all Senior motos for the overall victory.

See the Day 4 and Day 5 results for additional overalls.

2021 SGP of Poland – Round 5

World champion Bartosz Zmarzlik insists he won’t be celebrating for long, despite racing to a third straight FIM Speedway Grand Prix victory at Orlen Lublin SGP of Poland round five on Friday, in a prediction that was soon to be proven true.

The Pole followed up his back-to-back wins at last weekend’s Wroclaw double-header by taking the maximum 20 points again at Stadion Miejski to top the World Championship on 83 points – three points ahead of nearest rival Artem Laguta.

Zmarzlik triumphed in the final ahead of wild card Dominik Kubera, Lublin’s Polish Under-21 champion who delivered an incredible performance on his SGP debut. Sweden’s Fredrik Lindgren took third place ahead of Laguta.

As well as becoming the first-ever winner of a Lublin round, Zmarzlik became only the fourth rider in SGP history to claim a third consecutive victory – joining Tony Rickardsson, who did it in 2005, Jason Crump (2006) and Jason Doyle (2016).

The Gorzow hero is bidding to become only the second rider to win three world titles in a row – a feat New Zealand’s six-time World Final winner Ivan Mauger achieved from 1968 to 1970.

But Zmarzlik knows there is plenty of work ahead and is already focused on Saturday’s Orlen Lublin SGP of Poland round six. Rickardsson is the only rider to have claimed four SGP wins on the spin during his charge to a sixth and final world title in 2005. But Zmarzlik says he won’t be thinking too much about what’s at stake on Saturday.

Bartosz Zmarzlik – P1

“I am very happy because I have won three rounds and for me, these are very good results. But the season is so long. I am always looking to the future. Today is history for me – but good history! Winning three rounds is very nice and I am the first rider to win a GP in Lublin, so that’s great. I am not looking for this – statistics or anything like that. I just want to get good results, be happy and have fun with my racing. For me, that’s so very important because I love riding the bike. I want to say thanks to the fans and my team. See you tomorrow!”

Kubera made an unforgettable SGP World Championship debut and admits he may not get too much sleep ahead of Saturday’s round six after completing a Polish one-two and sending the home fans wild.

Dominik Kubera – P2

“I don’t know what to say because this is unbelievable. I always dreamed of starting in this meeting. I started today and I was second. This is unbelievable! This is a perfect day for me. I can’t stop smiling and I don’t know how I will sleep tonight. There’s no chance of that! It was a really good run for me. I want to race with the best in the world and it felt amazing. My bike worked perfectly today and my team was great. I am so happy.”

Third-placed Lindgren was much happier with his form as he claimed 16 championship points after missing both finals in Wroclaw last weekend.

Fredrik Lindgren – P3

“It felt much better today. I started off well with a second and a heat win. It was nice to get some points on the board early on. It calms everyone down a bit. I thought I rode well all night long. I am happy to make the final. You always want to win, but I am happy with third place.”

2021 SGP of Poland – Round 6

Orlen Lublin FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland round six winner Artem Laguta was elated to overhaul Bartosz Zmarzlik and in doing so move to within a point of the Pole as the SGP World Championship race hots up.

Laguta claimed his second SGP win of 2021, roaring past series leader Zmarzlik to top the podium at Lublin’s Stadion Miejski on Saturday night, a day after Zmarzlik took the Round 5 win.

The Wroclaw and Vastervik rider’s victory denied world champion Zmarzlik what would have been a record-equalling fourth straight SGP win as he was forced to settle for second. Wild card Dominik Kubera claimed a fantastic third spot to crown an incredible SGP debut weekend, which also saw him finish second at Friday night’s Orlen Lublin SGP of Poland round five.

But the night belonged to Laguta who moved on to 100 championship points – just one behind Zmarzlik, who has 101 ahead of the Swedish SGP in Malilla next Saturday.

Laguta’s victory underlined his status as the rider most likely to deny Zmarzlik what would be an historic third consecutive SGP world title this year, and the world No.7 was delighted to seal the win by passing the Pole.

Artem Laguta – P1

“I am very happy about the win. I am so happy about the whole performance tonight, especially beating Bartek, the world champion, from behind. It’s not an easy thing to do, but I did it and this makes me very, very happy. In the race, everything went so fast. Of course I went out there to win. I saw the opportunity to overtake and I did it. That’s the way it is and I used every centimetre of the track. I want to say thank you to my team, my sponsors, my wife and my family. I will see you at the next meeting.”

Zmarzlik admits minor mistakes cost him in his showdown with Laguta, but he was content with second place, a fourth straight final and an astonishing haul of 78 points from a possible 80 in the last four rounds.

Bartosz Zmarzlik – P2

“I am very happy because it’s the second day and my second podium here in Lublin. Today it was second place, but I feel very good. I was in the final again and, for me, this is very important. I’m very happy with the rounds in Lublin. I made a little riding mistake and a mistake with my setup in the final. But I am now looking to the future and I’ll see you all at the next round.”

Third-placed Kubera underlined his incredible potential in the sport by reaching two podiums in his first two SGP appearances.

Dominik Kubera – P3

“This is amazing – it was an amazing weekend for me. I feel really good on the Lublin track. I have a very fast bike and thank you to my guys, my team – they worked perfectly. We were changing things all the time and it always went better. I am really happy with this weekend. Last night I couldn’t sleep. I don’t know how I will sleep tonight! I would like to try racing with the best riders in the world again.”

The meeting was marred by a crash for Slovak star Martin Vaculik, who broke his collarbone in four places in an awkward first-turn fall in heat 12.

2021 SpeedwayGP of Poland Results – Rounds 5 & 6

Kevin Horgmo tops EMX250 in Latvia

In the first EMX250 race it was Maxime Grau of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing who was the leading rider as he headed into the first and second corner. There were a few riders caught up in some crashes during the first two laps, this included Tom Guyon of Team VHR KTM Racing and Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing’s Andrea Bonacorsi.

Grau’s time in the lead didn’t last long as Liam Everts of Liamski KTM jumped into the lead, as Kevin Horgmo of SM Action Racing Team YUASA Battery battled with Federico Tuani of Fantic Factory Team Maddii for second place.

Yago Martinez, the rider of Team VRT Nordpesca Holland got a good start in the race and was running fourth ahead of Rick Elzinga of TBS Conversions Racing Team and Filip Olsson of SIXTYTWO Motorsport Husqvarna Team.

Everts then dropped from the lead down to seventh after crashing, which meant that Horgmo was the new race leader ahead of Elzinga and Lapucci who made their way up the order.

Elzinga looked like he was going to challenge Horgmo for the race win, though after a few laps the Norwegian was able to edge out to secure his first EMX250 victory, with Elzinga securing second position and Lapucci finishing what was a lonely race in third.

In race two, it was Martinez who led Lapucci, Horgmo and Mike Gwerder of WZ Racing Team. While once again a couple of riders came together and it looked like Bonacorsi was involved once again.

Lapucci though took the lead on lap four as Elzinga was making his way through the field after starting the race in around 10th and was up in 5th at that moment. It also didn’t take long for him to get around Gwerder who was trying his best to keep the Dutchman behind him.

Horgmo then also passed Martinez to move into second as Everts was having a tough race after starting down the order and then crashing to drop outside of the points after working hard to get inside the top 20. He eventually finished the race in 28th.

Lapucci then stretched his lead to 3.407 seconds over Horgmo as Martinez lost third place to Elzinga who was keen on picking up some important points for the title chase.

Lapucci then checked out of the race and won with a 9.583 as Horgmo brought it home in second and Elzinga crossing the line in third.

With a race win and a second place today in the races, Kevin Horgmo secured his first ever EMX250 overall victory as he took to the top step of the podium, while Nicholas Lapucci continued his 100% podium record with second overall and Rick Elzinga making his third consecutive podium appearance to finished on the third step.

Lapucci continues to lead the championship with a 27-point advantage over Horgmo and Elzinga who is further behind in third.

Kevin Horgmo

“Actually, it’s one of the first races where I didn’t get too stressed; in both races I did quite good I had really good flow even in the rough sections of the track. I was pushing really hard in the second race because I wanted to get the maximum points for the championship; when I started thinking about the overall I made some mistakes, I got stressed and I saw that Nicholas was riding really good so I tried to calm down and be focused on the overall. The last lap was really hard because I was feeling the pressure. To win the overall has always been my dream and is always nice, I had already other chances in the past but I threw them away because of mistakes so I’m really proud of this result.”

Nicholas Lapucci

“It was a good day because I finish second overall but I’m not 100% satisfied because I didn’t’ win in the first race and my riding style wasn’t on point. In the second race I was super focused, and I really wanted the win. Now my focus is to keep the red plate until the end of the season. Next GP will be different but I’m quite confident because next round will be on hard pack track that is my favourite kind of track and I’ll do my best to win also there.”

Rick Elzinga

“I’m not completely satisfied but I’m happy that I’m being consistent; today I wasn’t feeling super comfortable and then I struggled a lot with the track especially in the first race. For me the second race was better, I had a good start, but some riders crashed in front of me and I hurt my leg so was kind of difficult to keep the flow back. Overall, I’m quite satisfied about the day because I show my potential. After Matterley Basin I changed my approach and I see what I can get race by race and do the best I can.”

Wildcard Gert Krestinov dominates EMX Open class

The first EMX Open race saw Gert Krestinov of KMP Honda Racing and No Fear / BT Jumbo Racing Team’s Micha-Boy De Waal get a flying start as the pair were close into the first corner. Though De Waal quickly dropped to third as Jere Haavisto went through on the Dutchman.

The series leader, Davide De Bortoli started the first race in around fifth position, though by the following lap the Italian got around Dovydas Karka to move into fourth.

De Waal then got Haavisto back to move into second place as De Bortoli was making good progress to edge closer to the leaders. Lithuanian, Karka, was keeping close with De Bortoli but eventually made a mistake and lost some ground on the Italian, which allowed Simone Croci, Tim Koch and Emil Berggren to close in. In the next few laps Karka lost a few positions and eventually finished the race in 12th.

Back at the top end of the field though, Krestinov continued the lead as De Waal was pushing hard to get closer to the Estonian. A lap later De Waal lost his rear brake and went on straight as he entered the corner near the start straight and as a result, he dropped to fourth as Haavisto and De Bortoli made the most of his mistake.

Krestinov then rode his own race as he led by over 12 seconds with Haavisto failing to get any closer to the race leader. Meanwhile De Waal was making a good recovery and with two laps to go had De Bortoli in his sights for third though could not make a big enough impact to gain a position by the chequered flag. Krestinov was the race winner, Haavisto was second and De Bortoli remained third.

In the second heat it was De Bortoli who got a strong start as De Waal and Haavisto were involved in a crash.

Krestinov then took the lead from the championship leader, though made a mistake soon after which put him back to square one. Despite the mistake, the Estonian was able to fight back immediately and get out in front once again.

Karka was having a good start to his race as he was riding in third, before Honda SR Motoblouz rider Nicolas Dercourt was able to pass the Lithuanian to take his position. The pair then went after De Bortoli, though Karka was unable to stick with the two riders ahead of him as he dropped a few positions which allowed Koch and Emil Silander gain a position.

After crashing in the start of the race and having to make his way back from last, De Waal was making good progress as by lap five he was already up in seventh.

Dercourt continued his chase of De Bortoli, with the Frenchman parking the Italian to move himself into second place.

De Waal was pushing hard in the second part of the race as he managed to get around the likes of Silander and Koch, who retired from the race due to what looked like a bike issue. But for De Waal his race had just began as he got himself into fourth and was five seconds down on De Bortoli with three minutes and two laps to go.

In those next seven minutes or so, De Waal put the hammer down to pass both De Bortoli and Dercourt to finish the race in second behind Krestinov who the race winner was. Dercourt placed third in the race.

With two race victories, Gert Krestinov was the overall winner, with Micha-Boy De Waal standing in the second step of the podium, while Davide De Bortoli had a consistent day to finish on the podium once again.

De Bortoli continues to lead the championship just seven points ahead of Dercourt and De Waal who is third. Next up the EMX Open riders will head to Turkey for the final two races of the season where the 2021 championship will be decided.

Gert Krestinov

“It’s always nice to get some wins here. It’s good for me to do the European races and I got two wins. The first race to hold first position was easier, I could get a gap and easily control it whereas the second race was a little tougher and in the last two laps I saw Micha-Boy was coming so I had to wake up again and get going. It’s really good to be back in the MXGP paddock. Of course, I would like to be here all the time, but I need to see what’s best for me. I enjoyed the day, the track was really nice and my fitness was good.”

Micha-Boy De Waal

“The first race was pretty good, the start was good, I was behind Gert. After two laps my rear brake was gone and that’s why I ended up in the fence. I needed to slow down so I finished fourth which I was not too happy about. The second race the start was also good, but I crashed with two other riders and was completely last. In the first ten minutes I had no rhythm and didn’t feel good, but I knew the championship leader was a long way from me, so I needed to go to keep close, so I pushed hard and that’s what I did in the last fifteen minutes and that was pretty okay. I will try. 29 points in two races that will be difficult, but I will give it my all. I just hope to stay on the bike at least, that’s the main goal, I didn’t do that today, but I will go to Turkey to fight with the guys, and I hope we have some good battles.”

Davide De Bortoli

“Another decent day today. For me it was a positive day because last week I had a big crash in training, and I didn’t feel so good during the day but I tried to do my best and I am happy to be on the podium and get some points. I have never seen the track in Turkey but I know it’s hard pack and I’m happy about that but there are two more races and I hope to keep the red plate for the end of the championship.”

Gajser wins 2021 MXGP of Latvia – Round 7

Round 7 of the 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship took place in Kegums, Latvia over the weekend, with Tim Gajser winning the MXGP class with a consistent performance that saw his 2-2 results rewarded with victory, while in MX2 Maxime Renaux won both races, extending his standings lead.

With three consecutive top-five overall results in the MX2 class, Australian Jed Beaton arrived in Latvia aiming to maintain his excellent form. Qualifying fastest in Time Practice, the 23-year-old lined up for moto one on the very inside gate and enjoyed a great start, slotting into second position as the field emerged from the first turn. From there, the FC 250 racer remained up front for the whole moto, going on to end his race less than one second behind Jago Geerts and in a solid fourth place.

Race two, saw Jed confident of another strong result as well as a potential spot on the GP podium. Frustratingly, he clipped a stricken bike on the opening lap, which sent him to the ground. Following another crash later in the race Beaton eventually worked his way up to 13th by the end of the moto. Despite his misfortune, Jed placed eighth overall.

Jed Beaton

“I was certainly hoping for more today, especially after race one. In the second one someone had crashed in front of me and I had nowhere to go so I hit their bike and went down. I was coming through pretty good and then I crashed again. It’s frustrating as I’ve been building momentum during the last few weeks so it’s a little disappointing. I’m looking forward to Turkey and two rounds there on the hardpack, so that should be a good trip.”

Fellow Australian Wilson Todd finished 19-12 to claim 11-points and 15th overall.

MXGP Race 1

In the first MXGP race it was Jeffrey Herlings of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing who grabbed the Fox Holeshot ahead of fellow factory KTM rider Jorge Prado and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Glenn Coldenhoff who was being pushed by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Antonio Cairoli.

Home hero and Standing Construct GasGas Factory Racing rider Pauls Jonass got off to a strong start in the race as he was sitting in sixth place ahead of Romain Febvre of Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team and MRT Racing Team KTM’s Alessandro Lupino. All while Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jeremy Seewer and Ben Watson were buried in the mid-field.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Thomas Kjer Olsen went out of the first race, while his teammate Arminas Jasikonis did not line-up for the races at all, due to a crash in timed practice this morning.

Herlings continued to lead Gajser who was looking to close the gap down, with Prado, Coldenhoff and Cairoli just behind, while Febvre was trying to push #222 for fifth.

Gebben Van Venrooy Yamaha Racing’s Calvin Vlaanderen got off to a fantastic start in the race as he briefly ran in the top five, though did not finish the race as he rode back to the paddock.

Just as it looked like Prado, Coldenhoff, Cairoli and Febvre were starting to settle behind Herlings and Gajser, Cairoli sensed his opportunity to get around the #259 of Coldenhoff to get himself into fourth place.

Cairoli then went after Prado to steal third, while the Spaniard was coming under more pressure from Coldenhoff and Febvre, as well as Jonass who was starting to close in on the group.

Febvre then passed Coldenhoff and set his sights on Prado, with Jonass also making a move on Coldenhoff which the Latvian fans loved.

In the end Gajser could do nothing to close the gap to Herlings who was the race winner, with the Slovenian finishing second and Cairoli placing third.

MXGP Race 2

In race two, it was Febvre who led the rest of the field into the first corner to secure his fifth Fox Holeshot of the season. The Frenchman then led Prado, Herlings, Cairoli and Vlaanderen.

Cairoli then crashed out of fourth and re-joined the race inside the top 10, all while things were looking good for Febvre but just two laps later the Kawasaki rider made a mistake and crashed out of the lead with Prado inheriting P1.

Jonass had a tough start to the second heat after crashing in the first corner. He then chased Watson for 15th, after doing so he caught onto JM Honda Racing’s Henry Jacobi who rode into the side of the Latvian and thus both riders went down. Jonass managed to get back up to 15th by the end of the race with Jacobi ahead in 14th.

Prado continued to lead Herlings, as Gajser was looking to close in on the pair.

Herlings then stepped things up in the closing stages of the second race as he took the gap down from 2.6 seconds to 0.789 – and it was clear that the race win was his focus.

It then looked like Febvre was chasing down Gajser for third with a smoking bike, putting his race in doubt.

The gap between Prado and Herlings remained under a second for the remainder of the race and on the final lap it looked like he was going to make a pass but was dealt another blow this season as he went down. The Bullet managed to pick himself up in fourth, only with Gajser and Febvre going through.

In the end Prado was the race winner, with Gajser second and Febvre third.

With two very solid 2-2 results, Tim Gajser was the overall Grand Prix winner, while Jorge Prado and Jeffrey Herlings were tied on 43 points for second and third.

Today’s overall victory was the perfect comeback for Gajser who struggled in Loket and Lommel as he continues to lead the MXGP World Championship on 270 points, 13 ahead of Romain Febvre who has Jorge Prado breathing down his neck a further two points behind.

Tim Gajser – P1

“That was the goal for today, just to have two solid starts. I was riding well, didn’t make any mistakes, I was consistent and we managed. Of course, we had a little bit of luck with Jeffrey going down on the last lap but super happy about the day. It’s good to go into the summer break with the overall and work hard to improve some things to make sure I am strong in the next GP’s, so I’m really looking forward to coming back to Turkey as I really like the track. In the last couple of weeks, I was just adding too much pressure onto myself, so today I just said to myself, just enjoy it and have fun. I really don’t want to look at the championship as it’s still early in the season, but I just want to focus on each GP. Of course, I will take a rest day and then will train hard to be strong for the second half of the season.”

Jorge Prado – P2

“Today was a great day especially that last race win of the day, it’s a good feeling. I’m definitely feeling stronger and stronger which is very positive. Since Loket I have been improving a lot and now I have some weeks to get even better physically which has been my weakest point so far this season. In the first race, I struggled a lot with the rhythm, these guys were pushing really hard and I just couldn’t find the good lines and made it hard for myself. In the second race, I knew start would be important with the weather. I got behind Romain and tried to attack but I made a small mistake, then a couple of laps later on, he crashed. I knew Jeffrey was behind me and I knew he would push in the last laps, I was waiting for him on my back wheel and those laps were so long in the end but I got the race win and I am happy. It’s good. I’ve never been so close to the championship. Still a long championship and things are getting better and better, and we’ve got tracks coming up in the rest of the season that I really like so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Jeffrey Herlings – P3

“The start of my weekend was perfect. In the first race I really controlled in and took the win, but the second race I started third behind Jorge who had a good pace. Then Romain crashed so it was me and Jorge and it was raining, I didn’t want to get roosted, so I gave Jorge like a three or four second gap. He was riding perfectly; he was riding defence lines which were good, and he didn’t make any mistakes. I was looking to make a pass but with two laps to go I was just thinking to take home the overall and I didn’t want to take any risk. I was really happy but then I jumped into the turn, and I tipped over, got up to go, my bike wouldn’t start which is normal when the bikes get hot and that was the overall gone. 1-4 for third overall and on the other side I should be happy to even race here but now I will re-group, get healthy, train hard and be ready for the second half. We have four weeks now. Time to re-group and get healthy and I know exactly what I need to do as these guys are fast. There’s 43 points in it now but there’s still 11 rounds to go.”

Romain Febvre – P4

“I would say it was a decent GP! The first race was not easy; my start was not very good and I could come back to fifth, close to the other riders in front of me, but I wasn’t able to attack them. The second moto start was perfect with another holeshot, I had a good feeling but once more I slid out in a corner and crashed! I came back to fourth in the race and couldn’t do more. The track was really strange this year and with the rain it was even more complicated; I was lucky that Jeffrey crashed on the last lap and handed me the third position. Now we have a break; we are in a good position in the points and we will work on the details that we need to win this championship!“

Tony Cairoli – P5

“The day began well with a good lap in Timed Practice but my start was not good in the first moto. I was inside in the first corner and made it to the first five-six. I was riding OK and later in the race tried to attack and make my way to 3rd. I was OK with that but it took quite a bit of energy to pass those guys and I felt it for the second moto. I got up to 4th on the second lap but then unfortunately crashed and lost seven or eight positions. It was difficult in the rain and to pass others again. To recover to 6th was not too bad but also not my goal for the weekend. We’ll score this GP a ‘6.5 of out ten’ and move onto Turkey.”

MXGP Results

Beaton P8 after Race 2 crashes in Latvia
MX2 Race 1

As the gate dropped for the opening MX2 race of the day, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Mattia Guadagnini who secured the Fox Holeshot ahead of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jed Beaton and Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jago Geerts. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Rene Hofer got a good start in fourth ahead of Renaux.

Diga Procross GasGas Factory Racing’s Isak Gifting and Simon Längenfelder both had an unlucky start to the race, with the pair both hitting the start gate. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory rider Kay De Wolf and Honda 114 Motorsports’ Ruben Fernandez also struggled with the start as the pair were down at the bottom end of the top 20.

Guadagnini led Beaton, Geerts and Renaux but Renaux was keen on wasting no time, as he quickly got around Geerts for third, before catching onto the back wheel of Beaton to steal his position as well.

Renaux then set the fastest lap of the race as he got within 3.088 seconds of Guadagnini with more than 20 minutes on the clock. From then on it was a charge for the lead by the Yamaha rider who was taking time out of the leader lap by lap.

The battle between the pair was intense, but by lap five we saw a change for the lead as Renaux managed to find a way through. He quickly stretched the gap to just over 3 seconds as Guadagnini was looking to keep close.

Renaux led Guadagnini, Geerts, Beaton and F&H Kawasaki Racing’s Mikkel Haarup who was having a very strong race, fighting at the sharp end of the field in fourth.

De Wolf was making a good recovery as he chased Hofer for eighth place, all while Haarup was starting to come under pressure from Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Thibault Benistant and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle. Both riders managed to get around the Dane over the next few laps.

With two laps to go, Renaux continued his lead with Guadagnini second, while Geerts was coming under pressure from Beaton for third.

In the end it was Renaux who won the race, with Guadagnini finishing 5.989 seconds behind, with Geerts holding on to third.

Jed Beaton missed the podium by under a second, with fellow Australian Wilson Todd finishing 19th.

MX2 Race 2

The second race saw Guadagnini time the start perfectly once again as he led the race early in the heat. Haarup started the race in second just ahead of Renaux who made a quick move on the Dane to get himself in the perfect position behind Guadagnini.

Fernandez got a much better start in the second race as he was running fifth behind Geerts who was quick to get around Haarup for third in the opening lap.

Beaton had a tough start to the heat as he went down on opening lap and was down in 18th place. Things did not get much easier for the Aussie, as he fought his way back to 12th and crashed once again to eventually finish the race in P13.

Much like in the first race, Renaux was not looking to waste any time as he chased down Guadagnini and just like in race one, the Frenchman passed the Italian on lap five!

There was a nice three-way battle between Haarup, Hofer and Vialle for fifth, with Vialle managing to get both riders ahead. Haarup then dropped two positions as Hofer and his F&H Kawasaki Racing teammate Mathys Boisrame both got around him. He eventually finished the race in ninth while Boisrame made a mistake and dropped to 15th.

While Renaux continued to lead, Vialle was looking fast as he caught and passed Fernandez to move into fourth.

In the closing stages of the race, it looked like Guadagnini was going to try to get back up to Renaux but unknowingly came under fire from a hard-charging Geerts who stepped it up a gear in the final laps.

Geerts then set his fastest lap of the race as he closed in on Guadagnini and with just a handful of laps to go, the Belgian made a tough move on the Italian to steal second place.

In the end it was Renaux who won the race and celebrated his first 1-1 result, with Geerts second and Guadagnini third.

With two race wins, Maxime Renaux won the MXGP of Latvia, while Jago Geerts stood on the second spot of the podium and Mattia Guadagnini making a comeback to the podium in third, after a tough GP in Lommel.

A crash stricken race saw Jed Beaton finish 13th, while Wilson Todd improved to 12th.

Renaux now stretches out his championship lead to 34 points over Guadagnini as Geerts sits third just a further two points behind.

Jed Beaton sits sixth in the standings, with Wilson Todd 14th.

Maxime Renaux – P1

“Yeah, actually I got some special motivation for this race. I really wanted to get some good points in championship before the break. Didn’t have the best start in both races but then I could turn really good, try to make my passes as quick as possible and come back. Mattia made two really good starts. I just found my pace and found some spaces to pass him in both races and make a really good gap to be not under pressure, then just cruise to the finish line. So that was really a perfect day. First time for me to have both race wins. I am really happy about it and so happy with how the day turned out. The plan now is for sure to take some rest. Even though it’s not really going to be off for me. Then back to work and try to continue to build for the second half of the season. I really want to make it step by step. I think I am in a good place and don’t want to let anything come in the way. So yeah, keep the focus and keep on going.”

Jago Geerts – P2

“The first race was okay. It could be better. A good start actually. I was third a for a couple of laps. But yeah, I did not have the best pace and I couldn’t catch up Mattia. In the second race, I felt much better and at the end I tried to go for the lead but Maxime was also riding really good. So, I finished second and I am happy with that, second overall as well is good. I’m not thinking of the championship, but I am happy with that and I will just keep building during the break and be ready for the rest of the season.”

Mattia Guadagnini – P3

“I am pretty happy with today. It could be a little bit better, but it is still better than last week. A strong two races with two holeshots, then the two races were pretty similar, Maxime passed me. First race, I led a little bit more, then I was trying to close the gap in the last two laps. But he was also doing good, so I took the second place. Second race, pretty much the same. I took the holeshot then 10 minutes in, he passed me. I tried to stay close to maybe try to pass him but then Jago also came from the back, and he was a bit stronger. So, he passed me, then I just settled for third place. I am pretty happy with the day. Now we will try to push back and be ready for the next race. I was not expecting these results on my first year but I am doing pretty good. So, I am happy with the start of this season. I had some bad races, like in Lommel and lost a lot of points for the championship but it is just the beginning. The championship is still long, so I will try to do my best then we will see.”

Tom Vialle – P4

“The weekend was not too bad overall and I had some really good speed. I’m happy with that but I need to work on Timed Practice because 14th was too far out on the gate and I was around the top ten for the starts. I fought to come back to 6th and 4th so my pace was good. We now have a few weeks off and I need to train hard. My form is coming back and this break will be good for me. I like the track in Turkey and we still have a lot of races and hard-pack tracks to come.”

Thibault Benistant – P5

“The day started really good. I almost got pole position, but I made a small mistake on my fast lap, so even with the mistake, I was still third. I was feeling good and happy with my riding, but I was a little bit unlucky to take a big stone to the collarbone that I broke during the winter. It was quite painful, and in the second moto I struggled with the pain and a bad start.”

MX2 Results

2021 Racing schedule

2021 Provisional MXGP Calendar

2021 Yamaha AORC Championship Calendar

2021 Penrite ProMX Championship Calendar
(As of July 14, 2021)

2021 Speedway GP Calendar

2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship

2021 Australian Speedway events

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2021 GNCC

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2021 Provisional Australian Supercross dates

• 25 September – Further information TBA
• 9 October – Further information TBA
• 16 October – Further information TBA
• 23 October – Further information TBA
• 30 October – Further information TBA
• 6 November – Further information TBA
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2021 International Six Day Enduro (ISDE)
30 August – 4 September – Italy