Moto News Wrap for April 7, 2015 by Darren Smart
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Australasian Moto News
Young Dylan Wilson is still battling away in a Melbourne Hospital after crashing hard at the opening round of the MX Nationals, so it is time for you to dip into your pocket to help with the fundraiser set up for the Wilson family and it is as simple as buying a t-shirt through http://teespring.com/wilson10
This is the latest update from Facebook – “Dylan is doing great, he has been waking up and chatting with us. Plenty of funny stories to tell but his progress has been amazing. The Doctors at the Alfred are blown away with how quickly Dee is recovering, they got him up and out of bed this afternoon for a little walk down the hall. Hopefully In the next day or so we will find out what the next move is with rehabilitation to get dee back to were he needs to be.”
After a wild day of racing at the opening round in Horsham, this weekend’s second round of the MX Nationals is bound to throw up more surprises but here are the ten things I am looking to see:
1. Can Matt Moss bounce back to his winning form?
2. Will Dan Reardon throw himself into contention at round two?
3. Can Ford Dale keep off the ground long enough to win a moto or the round?
4. Can Cody Cooper bring his ‘A’ game and dominate the day?
5. Will Caleb Ward shrug off a poor round one and get back on pace in round two?
6. Can Jay Wilson keep the Serco teamsters of Clout and Beaton at bay?
7. If Nathan Crawford gets the holeshot, how far will he win by?
8. Can Kirk Gibbs keep the momentum going?
9. Will Adam Monea get his mojo back?
10. Can Takeshi Katsuya continue to stick it to the young guns?
All these questions and MORE will be answered this weekend at Appin.
Dean Porter (1-3-2) and Robbo Lovett (2-1-3) finished on equal points for the top spot at the opening round of the Western Australian State Motocross Championships held in Esperance last weekend. Connor Tierney and Louis Calvin also finished on equal points to decide the final step of the MX1 podium while defending MX2 champ Jayden Rykers started his year off with three emphatic wins.
The opening round of the Queensland Motocross Championships was held at Rockhampton last weekend and it was young Luke Weaver who took out the Pro Open class ahead of Richie Evans and Joel Evans while Joel Evans took out the MX2 class win ahead of Nathan Crawford and Wade Hunter.
Hunter Lawrence dominated the 125cc and 250cc junior classes while Jett Lawrence took out the 9-11 years 85cc class at Rockhampton.
At the time of writing I am holidaying up in Mackay and just last night caught up with two of the living legends of the area Matt Dumigan and Mick Hansen. For those who haven’t been on touch lately you will be happy to know that Matt is going great and working hard to fully recover from the huge crash that happened at the annual beach race a couple of years ago, while Mick is still one of the fastest vet racers in Central Queensland on his much loved KXF450.
American Moto News
The Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM’s Shane McElrath will transition to the 450 class for round 16 of the AMA Supercross series at East Rutherford on April 25. McElrath is currently fifth in 250SX West Region points and, according to the team, McElrath is flying on the 450.
“Shane is such a smart rider and he’s very strong, so I feel like the 450SX FE is going to suit him really well,” said team manager Tyler Keefe. “I’ve spent a lot of time watching the way he rides and I feel like he’ll excel on a big bike. It’s going to be a fun project.”
This is the first time the team has competed on the East Coast in Monster Energy Supercross.
JGR Yamaha rider Phil Nicoletti has raced 11 AMA Supercross events in 2015 as the fill in rider for Justin Barcia. Nicoletti will now sit out the rest of the supercross season as he starts testing for the AMA Motocross Championships where he will race the full series, not as a fill in rider.
Justin Barcia is expected to return to the AMA Supercross series this weekend a Houston while Ken Roczen has hinted on doing the same but this hasn’t been confirmed 100%. Some say Roczen will sit out the rest of the SX series to concentrate on defending his 450 outdoor title.
Speaking of the AMA Motocross Championships, James Stewart has appealed to the powers-to-be in a bid to be allowed to race the whole series. As it stands right now, JS7 can’t start racing until the second half of the series but he should hear if he can be in contention for the title in the next week or two.
After being injured during the early rounds of the AMA Supercross Championships, Wil Hahn is back on his factory KX450F and plans to be ready for the 450 Nationals. Likewise, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo is gearing up for a return to Lucas Oil Pro Motocross after a shoulder injury in Europe sidelined him for supercross.
Euro Moto News
The fourth round of the FIM Motocross World Championships is set for the Crossodrome circuit in the north of Italy this weekend and from all account the local hotels are sold out and race tickets are being sold in huge numbers as the Italian fans look for Antonio Cairoli to get his first GP victory for 2015.
So far in 2015 we have seen four different race winners in Clement Desalle, Max Nagle, Antonio Cairoli and Ryan Villopto and add Gautier Paulin and Romain Febvre to that list to have landed on the podium this year.
Desalle and Paulin are known to ride hard packed tracks particularly well and I will have to throw the Aussie duo of Dean Ferris and Todd Waters into that category as well having cut their teeth on the hard pack tracks around Australia. I watched Waters defy what you would deem possible and completely blitz a hard packed track this January at Queensland Moto Park so I look to Todd in particular to be at the pointy end and if Dean can get into the first corner with the leading pack he won’t be scared to hold it on.
Ryan Villopoto is also known to ride the hard stuff very well too and Cairoli loves to win in front of ‘his people’ so look out Italy, this is going to be big!!!!
My Top Ten Prediction? Cairoli – Villopto – Desalle – Nagl – Waters – Febvre – Paulin – Bobryshev – Ferris – Van Horebeek. Coldenhoff, Simpson, DeDycker and Guaneri will all be vying for a top ten place as well.
Race Reports and Results from last Weekend
- – Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship – Round 2 – Lyng
- – 2015 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship – Round 1 – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
- – 2015 World Two-Stroke Championships – Glen Helen, CA
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Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship – Round 2 – Lyng
Taking three straight wins each, Max Anstie (Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki) and Shaun Simpson (Hitachi Construction KTM UK) dominated their respective classes in round two of the championship at Lyng in Norfolk today. Both were headed in the opening motos by their main challengers, Adam Sterry (Wilvo Forkrent KTM) in MX2 and Kristian Whatley (Buildbase Honda) in the premier class. Indeed with three quarters of the race distance run in the opening MX1 encounter on the sandy circuit it looked very much as if ex Champion Whatley had done enough as he had built up a comfortable lead, but Simpson kept grinding away and eventually took the lead and the chequered flag.
It was a similar situation for Anstie in the first MX2 race as Sterry looked smooth at the front but a small mistake allowed the Kawasaki rider to the front and he was never headed again. In reality, Anstie, Sterry and Steven Lenoir (Dyer and Butler KTM) were on a different pace to the rest of the field in MX2 and whilst Anstie took the three moto wins, very little separated the two KTM riders – although in different Teams – for the whole day. In the end Sterry’s 2-3-2 result gave him the second step on the podium by virtue of his better last race result as Lenoir scored 3-2-3. Ben Watson (Hitachi Construction KTM) retained the championship leaders red plate with a trio of fourth places to back up his two moto wins three weeks ago.
With Simpson taking the three MX1 moto wins he has already taken the championship red plate with five straight wins, but on the day he had a fight on his hands as Whatley adapted to the rough Cadders Hill circuit well and his smooth style conserved energy whilst scoring 2-3-3 results. In contrast, Tanel Leok (LPE Kawasaki) was on a mission and with exceptional cornering speed took third on the day, despite a small fall with 5-2-2 finishes to keep Whatley and Simpson on their toes. Simpson heads to round three in one month’s time with a comfortable 27 point gap over Leok with Whatley just a further three points adrift.
“Another good day and I thought Lyng was in the best state for racing that I’ve seen in a long time,” said Simpson. “Things cannot be going better at the moment in the British. Tanel kept me honest in the second and third motos but I couldn’t have asked for more in terms of results. Everything is going right at home and now we need to get some proper points on the board in the world championship.”
The championship now takes a four week break with the next round on May 3rd at the Canada Heights circuit in Kent.
MX1 Overall
1. Shaun Simpson 1-1-1
2. Kristian Whatley 2-3-3
3. Tanel Leok 5-2-2
4. Gert Krestinov 4-5-4
5. Martin Barr 7-4-7
6. Brad Anderson 9-6-6
7. Steven Frossard 3-37-5
8. Jake Nicholls 8-8-12
9. Ashley Wilde 10-10-9
10. Jamie Law 12-11-8
MX1 Points Standings
1. Shaun Simpson 125pts
2. Tanel Leok 98pts
3. Kristian Whatley 95pts
4. Gert Krestinov 88pts
5. Martin Barr 81pts
MX2 Overall
1. Max Anstie 1-1-1
2. Adam Sterry 2-3-2
3. Steven Lenoir 3-2-3
4. Ben Watson 4-4-4
5. Bryan Mackenzie 6-5-5
6. Brad Todd 7-8-9
7. Neville Bradshaw 10-9-6
8. Steven Clarke 13-10-7
9. Lewis Trickett 8-11-12
10. Jake Milward 5-7-31
MX2 Points Standings
1. Ben Watson 104pts
2. Steven Lenoir 104pts
3. Adam Sterry 86pts
4. Bryan Mackenzie 83pts
5. Max Anstie 75pts
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2015 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship – Round 1 – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
Due to severe sandstorms currently wreaking havoc throughout the Middle East, the final stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, round one of the 2015 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship, was cancelled. With overall results reverting back to the fourth stage, Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma was crowned the winner.
American rider Ricky Brabec carded fifth overall, and was credited with the Junior division win.
At the close of the fourth stage, Coma led the field by nearly 12 minutes. He emerged victorious ahead of his Red Bull KTM Factory teammate Sam Sunderland and KTM Warsaw Rally Team’s Pablo Quintanilla who finished second and third, respectively. The win marked Coma’s eighth in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
“Today they had to suspend the stage because of the weather,” Coma explained. “This meant that we returned to Abu Dhabi on the road. The truth is that the conditions were bad. I am happy and proud to have achieved this eighth victory in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. It was very important to continue in this way, especially after the win in the Dakar. We have picked up a lot of points for the championship and now it’s time to rest and think about the next round in Qatar.”
Although the rally was shortened by one day, it was still a very tough race. Riders faced temperatures of up to 113° in the dunes, which offered very few navigational cues to racers. The sandstorm on Day 5 reduced visibility enough to where the support helicopters were grounded, thus causing the cancellation of the stage.
Ricky Brabec
Despite the difficulty, AMA National Hare & Hound champion Ricky Brabec put in a solid performance as a guest rider with the Honda’s factory HRC team. Brabec finished fifth and also topped the junior category.
Brabec was also the top finisher of the team, as his Factory HRC teammates Paulo Goncalves and Joan Barreda both struggled with electrical issues. Barreda and Goncalves each took stage wins (second and third, respectively), but suffered in the overall standings due to their time setbacks.
“Here we are at the last day of the rally,” Brabec said. “Unfortunately the storm was really crazy last night so we had to take the highway back. Overall the whole rally was a great experience and I learned a lot. I hope to come back and race a lot more and get better and better. I can’t thank the Team HRC guys enough for letting me come out and ride their Honda CRF450 RALLY.”
The Honda team, in return, was very pleased with the 23-year-old’s performance. “Ricky Brabec has shown here at the rally that he has a promising future,” said Team HRC General Manager Martino Bianchi. “We will try and test him again later this year and see how his preparation is going.”
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2015 Final Results
1. Marc Coma (KTM) 14:49:05
2. Sam Sunderland (KTM) +11:55
3. Pablo Quintanilla (KTM) +20:16
4. Ruben Faria (KTM) +28.01
5. Ricky Brabec (Hon) +34:17
6. Mohammed Albalooshi (KTM) +44:48
7. Juan Carlos Salvatierra (KTM) +1:03:06
8. Matthew Hart (KTM) +1:13:15
9. José Cornejo (Suz) +1:13:31
10. David McBride (KTM) +1:17:35
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2015 World Two-Stroke Championships – Glen Helen, CA
The hills of Glen Helen once again came alive with the ringing of two-strokes at the 2015 LA Sleeve 2-Stroke Motocross Championship and thanks to a generous $7000 purse put up by LA Sleeve, the 250 Pro saw a total of 32 pros line up for a crack at the title and in the end it was KTM’s Mike Sleeter who came away with the win ahead of Colton Haaker and Kellian Rusk.
Sean Collier was on his way to defending his 2-Stroke title before a mechanical issue took him out of the first moto. Collier’s 1996 Kawasaki KX500 lost a shock bolt, but he was able to repair the damage and return for the second moto, which he dominated. In the end, his 32-1 score was only enough for 15th overall.
Lucas Oil/Rockstar Energy Husqvarna racer Colton Haaker took second after recovering from a bad start in the first moto (Haaker attempted to perform a third-gear start). He recovered for a 3-2 finish for second on the day.
In the 125 Pro class, Johnny Jeldera took the overall win with a perfect 1-1 score. Broc Shoemaker took second with a 2-2 over Dirt Rider magazine’s Kris Keefer who rounded out the podium.
LA Sleeve 250 Pro Race Results
1. Mike Sleeter (KTM) 1-3
2. Colton Haaker (Hsq) 3-2
3. Kellian Rusk (Yam) 2-4
4. Sean Lipanovich (Hon) 4-8
5. Tevin Tapia (KTM) 9-6
6. Preston Mull (Yam) 6-9
7. Griffin Dexter (Hon) 5-12
8. Scott Champion (KTM) 13-5
9. Dalton Shirey (Yam) 7-11
10. Colton Udall (Hon) 11-10
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What’s Coming Up Next Weekend
- – AMA Supercross Championships – Round 14 – Houston, TX
- – Amsoil Arenacross Series – Round 12 – Spokane, WA
- – Amsoil GNCC – Round 4 – Union, SC
- – AMA WMX – Round 3 – Glen Helen, CA
- – Belgian Motocross Championships – Round 2 – Mons
- – MX Nationals – Round 2 – Appin, NSW
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