Moto News Weekly Wrap for Jan 13, 2015 by Darren Smart
Australasian News
BUGGA!! Accomplished dirt bike rider and bloody good bloke Geoff Olholm is lying flat on his back at the Lquique Bivouac with a cracked L1 vertebrae after a monster crash while competing in the car category in the Dakar Rally – the Cairns racer should be stable enough to be flown home within the week.
Yank Superstar Mike Brown has confirmed he will contest the three round InsureMyRide Australian Enduro-X Nationals in 2015. The series starts at the Brisbane Speedway on the 7th of February before heading to Sydney Dragway on the 28th of February then concluding on the 14th of March at Calder Park Raceway in Victoria.
Over in NZ the Patetonga Motocross Club hosted the Source NZ Valley Motocross Championships and it was Euro bound Josiah Natzke who dominated the 125cc and MX2 classes with a perfect score sheet while Ethan Martens took out the MX1 tile ahead of Scott Columb and Darryll King.
American News
Ok, there were mixed results again for the Aussie riders contesting round 2 the AMA Supercross Championships held in Phoenix last Saturday night. Here is how is panned out…..
Matt Moss qualified 31st with a 59.653 second lap before finishing 12th in his heat race, 7th in the Semi-final and 9th in the LCQ for another night watching the final from the spectator stands.
Brett Metcalfe qualified 23rd with a 58.753 second lap before finishing 19th in his heat race, 7th in the Semi-final and 2nd in the LCQ to sneak into the final where he finished a disappointing 16th place.
Chad Reed qualified 7th with a 55.519 second lap (Tomac went 54.402) before finishing with a come from behind 3rd in his heat but once again a poor start in the main saw Chad hovering between 8th and 12th in the main event before finishing in 10th after a ding-dong battle with Justin Barcia over the final three laps.
Jackson Richardson qualified in 21st place with a 59.453 second lap (Cooper Webb was fastest with 56.068) and went straight to the main with a phenomenal 5th place in his heat race but the final sucked with the Cairns rider struggling after a dead-last start to finish 18th out of the 22 riders. If he can get a good start in the main event look for ‘Jatz’ to crack the top ten again this year.
Adam Monea will be in action this weekend at Anaheim 2.
After a sensational ride last Saturday night in Phoenix, Weston Peick announced on Instagram that he broke a bone in his foot when he cased a jump during the main event. Bugga, Peick has a big fan base so there will be plenty of disappointed people if he can’t ride A2.
See the full Report and Results from Phoenix below.
Euro News
Stage 8 of the Dakar Rally has JUST been completed and race leader Joan Barreda has been towed into the stage finish by a team mate and has lost 1.5 hours.
Despite finishing Stage 8 back in 9th place Marc Coma is now leading the rally by over nine minutes so today has been a disaster for Barreda and the Honda team. On the other hand Toby Price is having a cracker of a run at his first ever Dakar Rally sitting a more than credible 4th outright at the completion of Stage 8. The likeable Aussie finished a spectacular 2nd at Stage 6, a 4th at Stages 3 and 8, a 5th at Stages 2 and 7 with his worst result to date being Stage 4 where he finished back 17th place. Cross our fingers for the big fella.
I will have a full report on the event next week but for now check out Trev’s Stage Eight Report.
Race Reports and Results for the Weekend of the 10th and 11th of January
- – ADAC German Supercross Championship – Round 4 – Dortmund
- – Australian Solo Speedway Championships – Rounds 2, 3 and 4
- – Monster Energy Supercross Championships – Round 2 – Pheonix
- – AMSOIL Arenacross Championship Round 1 – Cincinnati
- – Night Of The Jumps – Round 1 – Sofia, Bulgaria
ADAC German Supercross Championship – Round 4 – Dortmund
Australian Supercross Champion Gavin Faith has won the final round of the ADAC German Supercross Championship held in Dortmund last weekend. Faith managed to get the SX1 overall ahead of the hard charging Jace Owen and the new champion Greg Aranda while Aussie Sam Martin came home a more than credible fourth place.
SX1 Overall: 1. Gavin Faith. 2. Jace Owen. 3. Gregory Aranda. 4. Sam Martin. 5. Filip Neugebauer . 6. Loic Rombaut. 7. Steven Clarke. 8. Mickael Musquin. 9. Justin Starling. 10. Thomas Ramette.
Final Championship Standings: 1. Gregory Aranda – 136 Pts. 2. Gavin Faith – 109 Pts. 3. Boris Maillard – 74 Pts. 4. Jace Owen – 66 Pts. 5. Dennis Ullrich – 63 Pts. 6. Ben Lamay – 56 Pts. 7. Jack Brunell – 56 Pts. 8. Jason Clermont – 50 Pts. 9. Filip Neugbauer- 50 Pts. 10. Fabien Izorid – 38 Pts.
Australian Solo Speedway Championships
Australian speedway ace Jason Doyle won the Matt Jones Motorcycles Australian Speedway Championship after winning round four in Kurri Kurri on Saturday night.
Doyle only needed 6-points on his home track, which he successfully completed in his second ride of the night, he went on to accrue 14-points throughout the heat races.
Meeting him in the final was the winner of the penultimate round in Undera Sam Masters, and fellow New South Welshman Rohan Tungate, both finished on 13-points in the heats.
Victorian Dakota North advanced through the semi-final beating out the consistent Justin Sedgmen and Jack Holder.
Rotten luck transpired for Max Fricke who was in contention for a silver medal going into the final round. Suffering mechanical gremlins Fricke didn’t even make it to the tapes in the semi-final, finishing the series on 48-points.
As the rain arrived Doyle and Masters fought it out in an action packed final with Doyle taking the honours, his third round win out of the four. Masters finished second, Tungate tucked into third with North packing up due to mechanical issues.
Masters second place in Kurri Kurri propelled him to second in the overall standings finishing on 52-points for the series. Although Justin Sedgmen and Max Fricke finished equal on 48-points, it was Sedgmen who had the honours of claiming third as he beat his fellow Victorian in three of the four rounds.
After last year losing the title in the final race after a horrific spill, Doyle was elated saying: “I had a restless night’s sleep going through all the different scenarios in my head, after last year losing it in Gillman it’s finally come true, it means a lot to come back to Newcastle and win this, all of my friends and family are here, this one’s for them.”
Doyle’s focus now shifts after some much needed time off, he’ll resume his league racing in Leicester, Torun and Dackarna, as well as making his world championship debut.
Joining him in the Grand Prix series will be former World Champion Chris Holder, who suffered a dislocated wrist in the local titles and fellow Australian Troy Batchelor.
Final Championship Standings After Round 4 of 4: 1. Jason Doyle – 69 Pts. 2. Sam Masters – 52 Pts. 3. Justin Sedgmen – 48 Pts. 4. Max Fricke – 48 Pts. 5. Dakota North – 47 Pts. 6. Rohan Tungate – 46 Pts. 7. Tyson Nelson – 38 Pts. 8. Josh Grajczonek – 37 Pts. 9. Jack Holder – 24 Pts. 10. Chris Holder – 23 Pts. 11. Jake Allen – 18 Pts. 12. Brodie Waters – 17 Pts. 13. Kieran Sproule – 15 Pts. 14. Jack Fallon – 12 Pts. 15. Josh Coyne – 10 Pts. 16. Joe Ringwood – 9 Pts. 17. Jordan Stewart – 4 Pts. 18. Brady Webb – 1 Pt.
2015 Monster Energy Supercross Championships – Round 2 – Pheonix
Supercross Class Report
GEICO Honda’s Tomac bounced back from a shocker at round 1 and was completely committed to getting the win at Chase Field. Eli grabbed the holeshot, Ken Roczen caught him by surprise and took the lead and stretched it just a little but Eli regrouped and once again the Tomac/Roczen show was there for all to see with plenty of passes and creative lines before Tomac took the lead away for good on the eighth lap.
Eli Tomac had this to say of his first 450 win. “Me and Kenny [Roczen] went back and forth multiple times. Honestly, it was just super fun. I don’t know how many laps it lasted, but somewhere around the middle of the race I ended up getting in front, making a little bit of a push there. Got a little bit of a gap and kind of settled in. But after that battle, I kind of think both of us were a little bit tight and a little bit gassed out. Those last five laps I was just kind of putting it on cruise control.”
Ryan Dungey spent most of the race in fourth behind Weston Peick, who looked ready to grab his first career podium but as always Dungey came on strong late and once Peick made a mistake and cased a jump, Dungey got by to take third and now sits second in the points. Dungey needs to find half a second a lap to battle with Eli and Kenny.
Other notables were Jason Anderson who rode from 14th to 6th, Justin Barcia who rode from dead-last to 11th while Trey Canard was 17th on the first lap and finished 8th.
250 West Report
Malcolm Stewart pulled an awesome start to lead the main and even pulled away a bit but Webb eventually caught up and slipped up the inside of Stewart in a right-hand corner to take the lead. Stewart held on for second, a career best. Last week’s winner, Jessy Nelson ran in third for most of the way and he closed up to Stewart at one point but couldn’t get around the Honda rider but third place keeps the Red Plate on Nelson’s KTM going to A2.
The battle behind Nelson came from rookie Aaron Plessinger who recovered from another bad start to move up to fourth behind Nelson but a few late mistakes opened the door for Tyler Bowers who took a solid fourth with Plessinger fifth.
The rest of the 250 top ten featured Red Bull KTM’s Justin Hill, who was suffering from a severe cold and admitted he was down on strength for the main event. Rockstar Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne gutted out the pain of a broken thumb for 7th. Shane McElrath, Zach Bell and Tommy Hahn rounded out the top 10.
Here is the winner Cooper Webb’s overview of the race. “The race was awesome. I was actually second on the start behind Zach Osborne and then Malcolm Stewart passed us in the whoops, and I just went out and Malcolm got a little bit of a lead. But I went out there and just caught him and passed him, just a nice, clean pass. Just kind of rode my own race and pulled away inch by inch. Just a nice solid race for me. To get my first win ever is awesome. Second in points, couldn’t be more stoked.”
Supercross Class – Phoenix Main Event Results: 1. Eli Tomac, Honda – 25 Pts. 2. Ken Roczen, Suzuki – 22 Pts. 3. Ryan Dungey, KTM – 20 Pts. 4. Weston Peick, Yamaha – 18 Pts. 5. Davi Millsaps, Kawasaki – 16 Pts. 6. Jason Anderson, Husqvarna – 15 Pts. 7. Andrew Short, KTM – 14 Pts. 8. Trey Canard, Honda – 13 Pts. 9. Jacob Weimer, Kawasaki – 12 Pts. 10. Chad Reed, Kawasaki – 11 Pts. 11. Justin Barcia, Yamaha – 10 Pts. 12. Broc Tickle, Suzuki – 9 Pts. 13. Blake Baggett, Suzuki – 8 Pts. 14. Cole Seely, Honda – 7 Pts. 15. Justin Brayton, KTM – 6 Pts. 16. Brett Metcalfe, Suzuki – 5 Pts. 17. Dean Wilson, KTM – 4 Pts. 18. Mike Alessi, Suzuki – 3 Pts. 19. Josh Grant, Kawasaki – 2 Pts. 20. Jimmy Albertson, Yamaha – 1 Pts.
Supercross Class Championship Standings After Rounds 2 of 17: 1. Ken Roczen – 47 Pts. 2. Ryan Dungey – 38 Pts. 3. Jason Anderson – 37 Pts. 4. Trey Canard – 33 Pts. 5. Weston Peick – 32 Pts. 6. Andrew Short – 30 Pts. 7. Eli Tomac – 26 Pts. 8. Justin Barcia – 25 Pts. 9. Broc Tickle – 22 Pts. 10. Jacob Weimer – 22 Pts. 11. Chad Reed – 22 Pts. 12. Davi Millsaps – 18 Pts. 13. Blake Baggett – 17 Pts. 14. Mike Alessi – 15 Pts. 15. Justin Brayton – 14 Pts. 16. Cole Seely – 14 Pts. 17. Dean Wilson – 10 Pts. 18. Brett Metcalfe – 9 Pts. 19. Josh Hill – 5 Pts. 20. Josh Grant – 5 Pts.
250 West – Phoenix Main Event Results: 1. Cooper Webb, Yamaha – 25 Pts. 2. Malcolm Stewart, Honda – 22 Pts. 3. Jessy Nelson, KTM – 20 Pts. 4. Tyler Bowers, Kawasaki – 18 Pts. 5. Aaron Plessinger, Yamaha – 16 Pts. 6. Justin Hill, KTM – 15 Pts. 7. Zach Osborne, Husqvarna – 14 Pts. 8. Shane McElrath, KTM – 13 Pts. 9. Zach Bell, Husqvarna – 12 Pts. 10. Tommy Hahn, Honda – 11 Pts. 11. Matt Bisceglia, Honda – 10 Pts. 12. Michael Leib, Honda – 9 Pts. 13. Josh Hansen, Kawasaki – 8 Pts. 14. Cole Martinez, Yamaha – 7 Pts. 15. Chris Alldredge, Kawasaki – 6 Pts. 16. Scott Champion, Yamaha – 5 Pts. 17. Zack Freeberg, Yamaha – 4 Pts. 18. Jackson Richardson, Honda -3 Pts. 19. Landen Powell, KTM -2 Pts. 20. Alex Martin, Yamaha – 1 Pts. 21. Nico Izzi, Yamaha – 1 Pts. 22. Austin Politelli, Yamaha – 1 Pt.
250 West Championship Standings After Rounds 2 of 9: 1. Jessy Nelson – 45 Pts. 2. Cooper Webb – 39 Pts. 3. Tyler Bowers – 38 Pts. 4. Zach Osborne – 36 Pts. 5. Justin Hill – 33 Pts. 6. Aaron Plessinger – 32 Pts. 7. Shane McElrath – 28 Pts. 8. Malcolm Stewart – 23 Pts. 9. Zach Bell – 22 Pts. 10. Josh Hansen – 20 Pts. 11. Michael Leib – 20 Pts. 12. Tommy Hahn – 18 Pts. 13. Matt Bisceglia – 18 Pts. 14. Alex Martin – 14 Pts. 15. Scott Champion – 14 Pts. 16. Cole Martinez – 8 Pts. 17. Trevor Reis – 6 Pts. 18. Chris Alldredge – 6 Pts. 19. Nico Izzi – 6 Pts. 20. Zack Freeberg – 6 Pts. 22. Jackson Richardson, Honda – 3 Pts.
2015 AMSOIL Arenacross Championship Round 1 – Cincinnati
The 2015 AMSOIL Arenacross kicked off on Saturday night from Cincinnati’s U.S. Bank Arena and it was Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chris Blose who emerged victorious in his first career start in full-time AMSOIL Arenacross competition. Blose led the way for a dominant night for the Babbitt’s squad, claiming the top four spots overall. In the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class, Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green rider and Road to Supercross competitor Darian Sanayei broke through for his first win of his professional career.
The night started off with adversity for Team Babbitt’s most experienced riders as both Zach Ames and Jacob Hayes were forced to qualify for the Arenacross Class Main Event via the DC Shoes Defy Convention Last Chance Qualifier. In the first 15-lap Main Event for the premier class, Husqvarna TiLUBE TUF Racing’s Kyle Regal grabbed the holeshot and held on to the early lead with Blose and ThermoTec Yamaha’s Bobby Kiniry close behind. Regal soon encountered trouble and crashed out of the lead, allowing Blose to assume control of the race. The Arizona native went relatively unchallenged the rest of the way, with Kiniry in second and Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Matt Goerke in third.
As the gate dropped on Main Event 2, Slakawear KTM rider Steven Mages came away with the holeshot to the delight of the hometown crowd. Hayes, who finished 10th in the first Main Event, followed in second with Hillview Motorsports Suzuki’s Steve Roman in third. Blose slotted into seventh, with Ames eighth, Kiniry 10th and Goerke 13th. Hayes wasted little time in taking control of the race, passing Mages on Lap 1 for the lead, and was soon followed by Road to Supercross competitor Jordon Smith, who put his GEICO Honda into second one lap later. The rider to watch in the charge to the front was Ames, who passed Blose and then marched his way into podium position on Lap 4 in third. Several laps later, Ames took second away from Smith, bringing Blose with him. The move by Blose to take over third is what assured him the overall victory. Out front Hayes cruised to the Main Event win, with teammates Ames and Blose rounding out the podium.
Blose’s 1-3 finishes were enough to edge out Ames’ 3-2 effort overall. Goerke finished third (2-7) with Hayes completed the Babbitt’s sweep in fourth (10-1). Kiniry rounded out the top five (6-5).
In the RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge, Regal edged out Goerke for the win to earn the extra championship bonus point and a $250 dollar bonus, compliments of RMATV/MC.
Blose carries a slim one-point lead over Ames in the Arenacross Class standings, with Goerke five points behind in third.
In the opening Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Main Event of the season, Sanayei made it look easy, grabbing the top spot off the start and leading all 15 laps. In his second season of AMSOIL Arenacross competition, Sanayei knows he has the speed to win and he made a statement with his performance. Sanayei’s Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green teammate Mitchell Harrison started right behind him in second to start the Main Event, with Mages running third. Mages made the pass for second on the opening lap, but Spinechillers Racing KTM’s Dave Ginolfi was on a charge, starting sixth and eventually taking over second on Lap 10 and finishing in the runner-up spot. A&Y Racing’s Daniel Herrlein rounded out the podium following a pass for third late in the race.
Ginolfi leads the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Championship standings by one point over Herrlein, with Mages in third, just two points out of the lead.
Arenacross Class Results – Overall (Main Event Finishes):
1. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki (1-3)
2. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki (3-2)
3. Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (2-7)
4. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (10-1)
5. Robert Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha (6-5)
6. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda (5-10)
7. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki (9-8)
8. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (8-9)
9. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Honda (14-4)
10. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM (4-16)
Arenacross Championship Standings After Round 1 of 20:
1. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki – 30 Pts
2. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki – 29 Pts
3. Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki – 25 Pts
4. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki – 23 Pts
5. Robert Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha – 23 Pts
6. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda – 19 Pts
7. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki – 17 Pts
8. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM – 17 Pts
9. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Honda – 16 Pts
10. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM – 14 Pts
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results:
1. Darian Sanayei, Orting, Wash., Kawasaki
2. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
3. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda
4. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki
5. Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki
6. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM
7. Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM
8. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
9. Mitchell Harrison, Cairo, Ga., Kawasaki
10. Randy Woodring, Spring Lake, Mich., Kawasaki
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 1 of 10):
1. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM – 15 Pts
2. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda – 14 Pts
3. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasak – 13 Pts
4. Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki – 12 Pts
5. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM – 11 Pts
6. Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM – 10 Pts
7. Randy Woodring, Spring Lake, Mich., Kawasaki – 7 Pts
8. Dave Blanchet, Quebec, Canada, Kawasaki – 3 Pts
9. Josh Cartwright, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha – 2 Pts
10. Tyler McSwain, Shelby, N.C., Kawasaki – 1 Pts
Night Of The Jumps – Round 1 – Sofia, Bulgaria
NIGHT of the JUMPs entered its 15th season this weekend in Sofia (Bulgaria) with a host of the world’s top freestyle riders vying for the win at the season opening event.
The series that has a brand new trophy at stake in 2015 “The Golden Cup.” to coincide with the familiar individual championship, the points of the two best riders from each continent are aggregated to produce a team score.
This first round of 2015 was contested by riders from three continents. The honour of leading off went to Russia’s Nick Ivankov whose run ended in spectacular fashion. In the double-up, he attempted an extravagant Stripper Flip, but under-rotated on the landing, crashed and performed an involuntary double bodyflip. After brief attention from the medics, he was able to hobble out of the arena on his own two feet.
The season got off to a fairly mediocre start for US poster boy James Carter. His run lacked conviction and was deemed worthy only of eighth position. Carter’s continental compatriot Javier Villegas fared somewhat better. Having wrapped up the world title here in Sofia four years ago, the Chilean was determined to return to form after a long lay-off through injury, which he managed to accomplish with good runs including a Suicide Flip and Cordova Superflip combo. Even though his extension fell short of when he was at his peak, the overall display was good enough to take him through to the final in fifth spot.
Going into the event, Steve Sommerfeld was tipped as the ‘one to watch’, and he did indeed make a solid debut on the NIGHT of the JUMPs track. Even though this particular seasoned rider didn’t quite manage the goldie accolade, he at least made it through to the Top Ten.
For David Rinaldo, however, everything fell nicely into place. This was the venue where, in the 2013 season, the role of tragic hero was thrust upon him as he clinched the title but then slammed into the boards on his last trick, crushing his hand and foot.
There was no trace of nervousness in his final run however as the Frenchman pulled off a Doublegrab Indy Flip and California Roll to demote Australian Rob Adelberg and Maikel Melero to second and third positions respectively.
Riders will now travel directly to Linz in Austria on the 16th and 17th of January, where the European Championship is due to commence with the event also playing host to round two of NIGHT of the JUMPs.
Qualifying Results:
1. Rob Adelberg, AUS – 343 Points
2. David Rinaldo, FRA – 342 Points
3. Maikel Melero, ESP – 339 Points
4. Petr Pilat, CZE – 330 Points
5. Javier Villegas, CHL – 317 Points
6. Brice Izzo, FRA – 297 Points
7. Jose Miralles, ESP – 290 Points
8. James Carter, USA – 287 Points
9. Massimo Bianconcini, ITA – 264 Points
10. Steve Sommerfeld, AUS – 252 Points
11. Nick Ivankov, RUS – 188 Points
Final Results:
1. David Rinaldo – 394 Points
2. Rob Adelberg – 384 Points
3. Maikel Melero – 378 Points
4. Petr Pilat – 378 Points
5. Javier Villegas – 362 Points
6. Brice Izzo – 227 Points
Results Lifeproof Best Whip Contest:
1. James Carter, USA
2. Massimo Bianconcini, ITA
Results Maxxis Highest Air :
1. Massimo Bianconcini, ITA – 9M
2. Maikel Melero, ESP – 8.60M
3. Jose Miralles, ESP – 8,00M
