Moto News Wrap for March 8, 2016 by Darren Smart
Proudly brought to you by Dunlop Geomax
Australasian News
Hansen Joins NPE Monster Kawasaki – THE Story of the Year!!
We got the news last week that NPE Monster Kawasaki and their three riders Kade Mosig, Matt Moss and Jake Moss will have the backing of Team Navy for the 2016 season and during the team’s first hit out at the Conondale Cup last weekend their team manager Troy Carroll made the decision to elevate Mick Hansen to factory rider status for the day – read on – this is a cracker of a story!
Who is Mick Hansen I hear you ask? Well, Mick Hansen is a living legend in the Central Queensland motorcycle scene. Mick has won the Mackay Beach Race more times than you can poke a stick at and for the best part of two decades has been one of the fastest riders in the region – and he is a bloody top bloke too.
After doing his usual stretch out in the mines near Moranbah, Mick drove most of the night to arrive at Conondale in the wee hours of Sunday morning and after a few hours kip he rolled his trusty 2015 KXF450 out for the first practice and before you can say ‘bugga’ he had a leaking fork seal on the disc side and one of his radiator repairs had sprung a leak so in desperation Mick asked Troy Carroll (team Kawasaki was parked right beside him) if he could buy a radiator.
Now, TC doesn’t know Mick from a bar of soap – he doesn’t know of his legendary status up North, he thinks he is just another struggling wobbler on a Kawasaki BUT he makes the decision to roll Kade Mosig’s BRAND NEW 2016 factory practice bike out for Mick to ride.
And despite the NPE Monster Kawasaki mechanics busily getting their three Pro riders set-up and ready for the days racing they helped Mick adjust the factory KXF450 to his liking AND Kade Mosig even came over for a chin wag with Mick who at the end of the day didn’t let the team down by coming second in the highly competitive over 45 class behind local speedster Michael Dennis and in front of former factory star Lyndon Heffernan.
Now, friends and family of TC, Mosig, the Moss twins and all of the mechanics already know they are all bloody top blokes but what they did for Mick goes well beyond the call of duty and all of their sponsors should be extremely proud to be involved with this crew.
Motul MX Nationals
Link International and WEM announced this week that Motul Oils will take up the naming rights to the 2016 MX Nationals series, seeing the title re-branded as the ‘Motul MX Nationals’.
Link International’s General Manager Brenden Stoeckert
“I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with Link International for well over 20 years now and in terms of Kevin (Williams) and his series, well we came on board in the very early stages, and here we are now celebrating it’s 20th anniversary this year with Motul as the new title sponsor. It’s amazing really – especially when you think about who has come and gone within the industry during the last 20 years. In the early days, Kevin managed to develop the motocross and really get it off the ground, and we (Link International) were involved from the outset. Motul Oils has been a key part of our MX Nationals program, and to now be able to carry that name with Link’s extended support as title sponsor this year, makes us very proud of what we have all achieved throughout the last 20 years,” said Kevin Williams.
The first round of the Motul MX Nationals will be held in Horsham on April 3, 2016.
SD3 Husqvarna squad and Jacob Wright go separate ways
HQVA has announced that the partnership between SD3 Husqvarna and Jacob Wright for this year’s MX Nationals will not go ahead as originally intended, and that each party will take separate options.
Husqvarna Australia’s Brand Manager Jon Hafey was disappointed that the relationship did not pan out as planned, “Despite everyone’s best attempts to be open and up front from the start,” said Hafey, “unfortunately our expectations and Jacob’s have proven not to be in alignment.
“The best thing is for both parties to pursue separate options. Husqvarna Australia and SD3 are now exploring some new project ideas so watch this space.”
SD3 Team Owner Stephen McKinnon expressed his take on the separation, “Naturally I’m disappointed that SD3 and Jacob Wright will not be continuing our partnership. Jacob is an outstanding talent and the team at SD3 wish him every success in the future.”
Despite its modest logistical stature, Husqvarna Australia’s stocks of young motocross talent are still in good shape with the start of this year’s MX Nationals less than a month away.
Sunshine Coast teenager Jesse Dobson rode a stock Husqvarna FC450 to a pair of top-five MX1 finishes at last weekend’s Conondale Cup, while SD3 Husqvarna’s MX2 ace Luke Arbon is champing at the bit after a month’s preseason training with Brett Metcalfe in America.
The squad also contains the likes of proven competitor Nathan Crawford, exciting new talent Kaleb Barham and MXD riders Zack Small, Connor Tierney and Justin Hart.
Beau Ralston to lead Yamaha E3 Charge
Just a few short years in the off road game and Active8 Yamaha’s Beau Ralston has been selected to represent Yamaha in the E3 division in 2016 on the thundering, purpose built, Yamaha WR480F.
Ralston, from the Hunter Valley region in New South Wales, switched over to off road after years of racing motocross and picked up the tricks of the trade in a very short apprenticeship and will now be Yamaha’s E3 pilot for the coming season.
Under the guidance of former national champion, AJ Roberts, Ralston has progressed quickly in the off road world and really established himself as a major player in 2015 when he won the E2 (450cc) division at the AORC and was a member of the world championship winning Australian ISDE team.
“Things have been going really well since I started doing the off road races and it’s been a continuous climb since day one, but I’m loving it,” Ralston said.
“Each year I face new challenges and set new goals and so far, with the help of the Active8 Yamaha team, I have been able to achieve those and now in 2016, I have the responsibility of racing an all new bike in E3 and trying to secure another national championship for Yamaha.”
Ralston started off his season on a positive note, taking second at the opening round of the Queensland Enduro Series behind team mate, Josh Green. Ralston took the challenge right up to Green during the two day event, winning several of the special times, but just as importantly got valuable seat time on his WR480F in a racing environment.
“It’s always good to get a race under your belt before the first national event of the year just to ensure your testing and training are on the right track. The Queensland round showed things are progressing well and the race bike proved to be very effective in those conditions.
“The new WR450F is a great platform for us to build a 480 and the extra power is noticeable but doesn’t have any major effect on the handling so I have the best of both worlds now with a super powerful bike that can still be agile enough to get around in the tight stuff.
Ralston along with the Active8 Yamaha will finalise their preparations in the coming weeks and get ready to go when the first round of the Australian Off Road Championship kicks off on March 19-20 at Kilkivan in Queensland.
Victorian Motocross Championships
The opening round of the Victorian Motocross Chamionships was held at Blue Rock last weekend and Joel Milesevic took out the Pro Open class ahead of Jay Wilson and Joel Green while Jayden Rykers won the Pro Lites class ahead of the hard charging trio pf Kale Makeham, Joel Green and Tomas Ravenhorst.
Multi Australian motocross champion Cameron Taylor took out the over 40 Vets class ahead of Craig Rutherford and Mike Reefman.
Victorian Enduro Championships
The opening round of the Victoria Enduro Championships was held last weekend and it was Daniel Sanders who took out the overall win ahead of Christopher Davey and young motocross gun Jack Simpson.
NSW Enduro Championships
The opening round of the NSW Enduro Championships was held last weekend and it was Josh Green who took out the overall win ahead of former motocross guns Tye Simmonds and Beau Ralston.
Kearney Injured
Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team Manager Glenn Kearney has fractured his scapula in four places at the New Holland Enduro-X Cup at the Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar race in Adelaide last weekend.
Taupo Hosts Legends at VMX Event
The famous Taupo motocross facility in New Zealand hosted a VMX race last weekend and with the likes of Mark Penny, Damien King, Peter Ploen, Cody Davey and Greg Ngeru on hand it was a cracker of a weekend of racing. Look for Damien King in Australia later in the year at the annual Conondale Classic where he will join his brothers Darryll and Shayne at the biggest single motocross race on Australian soil.
KTM add two new juniors to their squad
KTM Australia’s highly decorated Junior Motocross Racing Team is back bolder than ever for season 2016, with a couple of new faces to replace some departing talent.
Highlighting the success of KTM Australia’s junior development pathway, senior graduate Wade Kirkland has been promoted into the Raceline development squad, while national championship winner Jett Lawrence will move on to bigger things racing in Europe.
Filling their seats will be Sunshine Coast rider Noah Smerdon, who will compete in the 65cc and 85cc categories, as well as Western Australian Regan Duffy.
Eleven-year-old Smerdon is a dual and current Australian 65cc champion, while 13-year-old Duffy is the current Australian 85cc/150cc 12-U14 years class champion and also a national title winner for the last two years.
They’ll join incumbent riders Rhys Budd and Mason Semmens, as well as former World Champion Caleb Grothues, who spectacularly got second in last year’s 125cc U13-15 category after suffering a severe hand injury in a racing accident just a few months earlier.
Each factory junior rider will also receive support from their local KTM Dealer:
- Noah Smerdon – Pro-motorcycles Sunshine Coast
- Regan Duffy and Caleb Grothues – Mandurah City KTM
- Mason Semmens – Ringwood KTM
- Rhys Budd – Dirtbike Factory
Tam Paul – KTM Australia National Brand Manager
“It’s an exciting new year for the team with a couple of new additions whose form over the last two years has been too good to ignore. They’ve really earned their place in the team and we’re looking forward to a really solid year. After consolidating last year I think we are on track to get a big haul of results in 2016. I believe we’ve got championship winning riders in each class.
“Duffy and Smerdon have graduated from the dealer program last year to the factory outfit this year, and Kirkland has graduated up to the new Raceline satellite development team, which shows the validity of KTM’s enhanced rider development formula.
“We’d also like to express our excitement to bring on a new partnership with Dunlop Tyres, while maintaining partnerships with our current key partners, Motorex and Troy Lee Designs, all of which sees us in alignment with the senior factory motocross team.”
American News
Strang and Milner On Top in the States
Last week was a busy for Daniel Milner and Josh Strang with the Aussie duo coming home first and second at round two of the AMA National Enduro Championship and the opening round of the GNCC – both held in Florida.
Milner won the National Enduro event ahead of Strang while Strang won the opening round of GNCC in front of Milner – history in the making for sure and these two Aussie lads are doing us proud. See the full reports and results below.
‘Stewart Is Down!’
The words ‘Stewart is Down’ are three of the most common words used back-to-back by the American commentators of the AMA motocross and Supercross series over the last decade and Daytona was no different – need I say anymore…..I mean REALLY?
There is a rumour going around that Stewart’s mechanic only has a rubber hammer, zip ties, duct tape, tissues and a first aid kit in his toolbox….
Millsaps Injured
Davi Millsaps sustained three broken ribs and a severely bruised and partially collapsed lung in a crash at round nine of Monster Energy Supercross in Daytona. Millsaps, currently ninth in 450SX points and was coming off a season-high fourth in Atlanta.
Mullins Out of GNCC
MF KTM Factory Team rider Charlie Mullins will miss the first two rounds of the GNCC Series due to a foot injury suffered during pre-season.
Mullins injured his foot a few weeks prior to the first AMA National Enduro. Mullins did race the first National Enduro in order to see how his foot would hold up. Although he finished the race, the pain got gradually worse throughout the event which caused him to struggle in the final few tests. After re-evaluation, the doctor recommended Mullins take the necessary time off to make sure his foot begins healing so the injury does not lead to surgery.
Durham Out!
Darryn Durham released a statement on Instagram announcing that he would miss round nine of Monster Energy Supercross at Daytona after bruising his spleen in a crash at the 250SX East Region season opener in Atlanta – Durham said that he’s spent most of the week in the hospital but hope to be back on the bike this week.
Euro News
Townley Gives MXGP Organisers a Spray
Following his qualifying win at the MXGP of Thailand, Ben Townley used the post-race press conference to give the MXGP promoters a spray over the track conditions at Qatar and Thailand AND highlight that a GP in NZ could have been so much better.
MX Vice transcribed his comments from the conference: “Coming to these tracks, they are just not good enough. You’re going to hear honest and open from me, Qatar and here isn’t the pinnacle of our sport. We are the MXGP, the best riders in the world, and these guys can’t sit here and honestly say it is an amazing place to ride a motorcycle. We are in a flat paddock in the middle of nowhere.
“I tried to get a GP in New Zealand and we would have been there this weekend or the following weekend. You guys would have the best event on the entire calendar if you came to New Zealand. That is where the culture shock is for me; to be here and in conditions like this. This, in my opinion, is not good enough for the sport. I’m glad I got the opportunity to say that here today. We get told to not put the sport in disrepute, but this is the best championship in the world. I think that it deserves better.”
Youthstream president Giuseppe Luongo addressed Townley’s comments.
“I am very disappointed. It is not the way for a professional rider to talk in a press conference like this; I never say something when a rider finishes fifteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth or twentieth place, because it is not fast. I cannot say it is sh*t, it is not good and so on.
“The people here make a big effort to make the track. The weather conditions are very hot; in Thailand it is very hot. The riders know it is very hot, they have to come here prepared for this kind of track. If they want to be world champion, they have to show they can be fast everywhere. The people on the track work day and night to make it the best condition and, frankly, the track is much better than last year.
“Also to say that Qatar was sh*t and this was sh*t, when a rider is not fast I do not say they are sh*t. I have to respect their work and they have to respect the work of the organisers if they want to be professional. I am very, very disappointed and I have already spoken to Suzuki about it. If Ben Townley wants a change of work, I will employ him to come and make the track for us.”
British Beachcross Championships
Round two of the British Beachcross Championships was held in Margate last weekend and it was Mitchell Lewis who took the overall win from Richard McKeown and Matt Bayliss.
Ferrandis Injured
Dylan Ferrandis has dislocated his right shoulder during the qualifying race in Thailand and even though the on-track track medical officer put the shoulder back into place Dylan took the decision to fly back to France for further investigations by his specialist in Lyon.
Smarty’s Race Reports and Official Results from last Weekend
AMA Supercross Championship – Round 9 – Daytona
Daytona dished up a track that was less than desirable as far as passing goes but that didn’t stop the action from being fast and furious and this week we saw Eli Tomac take his first win in the 450 class for 2016 while Jeremy Martin came out on top of an enthralling 250 race.
450SX Report
1st: Eli Tomac – Fastest Lap Time – 1:04.922: Eli needed this win. Team Kawasaki needed this win. The SPORT needed this win. Kawasaki hasn’t had a main event win since the good old days of Ryan Villopoto and despite what they are saying in the press they were looking for answers and momentum and Daytona offered both.
Ryan Dungey stormed onto the rear wheel of Tomac twice during the main but Eli held strong.
“The start was super key, just the way that it fell in there through the chicane after the first turn. The day kind of started with qualifying, because that’s how important the start was. It was a good thing for us that we came out on the pole there. That led to a good heat race start and to a good main event start. Going into the race itself, it wasn’t the roughest Daytona track I’ve seen but you still had to pick your lines and jump over some bumps here and there and just stay clean the whole time. But for me and the team, this was huge. Obviously this year we’ve been a little bit down in the dumps. Hopefully this is a little bit of a change of wind for us and we’ll see what we can do the rest of the season.”
2nd – Ryan Dungey – Fastest Lap Time – 1:04.851: On a track that offered very few passing opportunities but plenty of potential crash sites Dungey rode as hard as he needed to keep the heat on Eli and while his closest rival in the points Ken Roczen was wobbling around back in fifth there was no reason to pull the pin and try to attack Tomac for the win. Dungey now has a 39 point lead in the series.
“We got off to a really good start,” Dungey told RacerX. “I had the inside line covered and then Eli kind of snuck around there by the second or third corner and made the pass. Obviously like he said, that start was really key so I tried to focus on it. Early in the day Eli was going good, obviously in the heat race too. I knew he was going to be strong so I tried to obviously get behind and then tow in with him. I let the race kind of settle in a little bit and then tried to just put the pressure on. The track wasn’t the roughest. There were some ruts that developed and they got deeper and choppier and you kind of had to switch your lines up, but when a guy is hitting his lines and hitting his marks and making no mistakes, it’s maybe possible to get up on the inside of him but it was very hard to make a pass or get underneath him. Overall it was a good race and if I have to get second, it was a good battle and it’s not too bad either.”
3rd – Marvin Musquin – Fastest Lap Time – 1:05.230: There was a huge pile up early in the first lap and Marvin managed to avoid that to come out in third and from there the 450 class rookie put all of his former GP motocross skills to good use on a deteriorating track.
“To be able to win the heat race for the first time for me it was nice today,” Musquin told RacerX. “To get second gate pick, obviously I can get a good jump and I was still inside. I was still fourth or third. It was the key to be inside on the start. And then I was obviously trying to follow those guys. They were going pretty fast. Like they said it was not very rough but still it was difficult to push, I felt like. You had to be smooth and hit the lines. It was real easy to make some mistakes and then when got around 15 laps they kept pushing, pushing and I just tried to keep it safe. To be third tonight is big for me.”
4th – Jason Anderson – Fastest Lap Time – 1:05.230: Anderson was knocked down early but remount to blast by Phil Nicoletti for fourth on lap four but couldn’t put a dent into the gap between himself and Musquin so with his jersey flapping out of the back of his nylons Anderson was content to ride this one out and wait for next week.
5th – Ken Roczen – Fastest Lap Time – 1:06.413: K-Roc started outside the top ten and on a track like Daytona that is a disaster and for anyone else a fifth place finish would be considered a great effort – for Roczen it is considered under-performing.
7. Josh Grant – Fastest Lap Time – 1:07.042: Josh Grant’s first ride in the 2016 season was a cracker. The part timer started the main event outside the top ten, blasted up to eighth and then with Millsaps crashing on the last lap was handed a very well deserved seventh place and the sooner Yoshimura Suzuki straightens James Stewart’s bent up RMZ450 and puts Grant on it the better.
12. Chad Reed – Fastest Lap Time – 1:07.572: Chad started almost dead last after the third corner pile up and like it has been stated before, this is not a track to try and blast through the pack – in fact, every rider from 6th placed Trey Canard back to 13th placed Blake Baggett were pulling 1.07 lap times.
Chad tweeted: ‘Please bring back old school Daytona please and thank you!’
450SX Class Results: 1. Eli Tomac. 2. Ryan Dungey. 3. Marvin Musquin. 4. Jason Anderson. 5. Ken Roczen. 6. Trey Canard. 7. Josh Grant. 8. Christophe Pourcel. 9. Justin Brayton. 10. Cole Seely. 12. Chad Reed.
450SX Class Championship Standings: 1. Ryan Dungey, 213 points (5 wins). 2. Ken Roczen, 174 points (2 wins). 3. Jason Anderson, 163 points (1 win). 4. Eli Tomac, 154 (1 win). 5. Cole Seely, 145. 6. Chad Reed, 141. 7. Marvin Musquin, 134. 8. Justin Brayton, 110. 9. Davi Millsaps, 105. 10. Jake Weimer, 81.
250SX Race Report
And then there were four. After just two rounds of the East Regional 250SX series it is clear that there are four riders who are going to give this title a crack and Daytona was the perfect showcase for a battle between early leader Malcolm Stewart, eventual winner Jeremy Martin, the hard charging Justin Hill and championship leader Martin Davalos who passed Stewart on the very last corner for third.
It was a race that had a bit of bar banging but plenty of sensational dirt bike skills on display and you can expect this series to go down to the wire.
“Yeah, it was exciting to be in it,” Martin told RacerX. “It always sweetens the deal when you get the win. I tell you what, the fans were really into it tonight. I heard them cheering but I don’t think I’ve heard them cheer that loud in a long time.”
Hill was..um..stoked. “Yeah, I haven’t had a speed problem as of yet. It’s been start problems and run-in problems and whatever. But tonight was okay. We got up on the box. We made points on a couple guys, lost a couple points on somebody else, but it’s the way the cookie crumbles and we’ve got a lot of rounds left. I’m pretty stoked though on the way the team’s working right now. I’m stoked on the bike. I’m stoked on how I’m riding. I’m ready to go.”
“It was awesome,” Davalos told RacerX. “We were able to run together for the 15 laps. I didn’t get the start I wanted but I put myself in a good position. Unfortunately the guys in front of me were kind of bumping each other, so I was able to watch throughout the whole race. It was hard to gain some time. The track played out to be just one line. [Justin] Hill took a little bit of advantage of a mistake that I did and he was able to pass me. I knew I had some energy at the end so I put a hard charge from lap 12 until lap 15. It was definitely an exciting race. I’m happy because I felt like I rode good. I felt like I should have gotten a little better, but I’ll take third. It was a good night.”
East Regional 250SX Class Results: 1. Jeremy Martin. 2. Justin Hill. 3. Martin Davalos. 4. Malcolm Stewart. 5. Aaron Plessinger. 6. Arnaud Tonus. 7. RJ Hampshire. 8. Jesse Wentland. 9. Tyler Bowers. 10. Shane McElrath.
East Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings: 1. Martin Davalos, 45 (1 win). 2. Jeremy Martin, 43 (1 win). 3. Malcolm Stewart, 40. 4. Justin Hill, 38. 5. Aaron Plessinger, 36. 6. RJ Hampshire, 29. 7. Tyler Bowers, 25. 8. Benny Bloss, 18. 9. Arnaud Tonus, 17. 10. Jimmy Albertson, 16.
Amsoil Arenacross – Omaha
AMSOIL Arenacross kicked off the second half of the 2016 season on Saturday with its debut from the CenturyLink Center and the first Main Event saw Jace Owen grab the holeshot and early lead, but a crash in the rhythm section not only took him out of the top spot, but also the race.
That allowed Faith to lead the first lap before Steven Mages made the pass for the top spot, followed by Ben Lamay in third ahead of Chris Blose and Travis Sewell.
Faith was all over Mages’ rear fender over the next couple laps and was able to complete the pass for the lead on Lap 3. As he chased Faith while running second, Mages crashed in the whoops on Lap 6 and lost several spots. Lamay took over second with Sewell moving into third after passing Blose early.
Faith took another win by just over two seconds ahead of Lamay while Sewell secured third ahead of Blose and Jacob Hayes who overcame a crash on the opening lap and a 15th-place start.
Despite losing his first gate pick, Faith was still able to put his Kawasaki at the front of the field to start the second Main Event with the holeshot and early lead. Hayes chased his teammate in second while Blose completed a Team Babbitt’s 1-2-3 in third. Hayes was able to keep pace with Faith out front, keeping his deficit to less than a second, and even showed a wheel to his teammate on a few occasions.
As the Main Event approached the closing laps Faith was able to find some separation between he and Hayes and took the win over two seconds ahead of his teammate. Blose rode to a solid third-place finish, with Sewell fourth and Lamay fifth.
Faith’s back-to-back 1-1 sweeps gives him the most overall wins in the championship with four, and after finishing second in the Head-2-Head Challenge at the previous round he capped off his most dominant night of the season with wins in all points-paying races.
Scott Zont captured the holeshot to start the 15-lap Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Main Event, but on the opening lap Ben Nelko overtook him in the whoops to take over the lead, bringing VanBuskirk with him into second. Nelko was able to fend off the early pressure from VanBuskirk throughout the first half of the race with just about a second separating the pair.
On Lap 7 VanBuskirk made his move, slipping under Nelko in the first turn after the finish line to seize control of the race. Once in the lead VanBuskirk never looked back and followed up his maiden victory at the championship’s previous stop with another impressive effort. Nelko was second, while Zont rounded out the podium in third. Shawnee Motor Company/Justified Cultures KTM’s Cheyenne Harmon was fourth and ActionExtremeSports/MEPMX KTM’s Jared Lesher was fifth.
The win helped VanBuskirk close to within three points of Nelko, who entered as the points leader, in the Western Regional Championship standings. Harmon moved from fifth to third, 14 points behind Nelko.
The 2016 AMSOIL Arenacross season will continue next Saturday, March 12, for cutoff round for the Race to the Championship from Lafayette, Louisiana.
Arenacross Class Results – Main Event 1
1. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki
2. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
3. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
4. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki
5. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki
6. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
7. Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Husqvarna
8. Jared Lesher, Ball Ground, Ga., KTM
9. Chris Canning, Coventry, Conn., Yamaha
10. Cheyenne Harmon, Colleyville, Texas, KTM
Arenacross Class Results – Main Event 2
1. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki
2. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki
3. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki
4. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
5. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
6. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda
7. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki
8. Jared Lesher, Ball Ground, Ga., KTM
9. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
10. Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Husqvarna
Arenacross Class Overall Results (Main Event Results)
1. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (5-2)
3. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki (4-3)
4. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (3-4)
5. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (2-5)
6. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM (6-9)
7. Jared Lesher, Ball Ground, Ga., KTM (8-8)
8. Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Husqvarna (7-10)
9. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki (14-7)
10. Chris Canning, Coventry, Conn., Yamaha (9-11)
RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge Results (bonus points)
1. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki (2 points)
2. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (1 point)
3. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (1 point)
4. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (1 point)
5. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (1 point)
6. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki (1 point)
7. Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Husqvarna (1 point)
8. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki (1 point)
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results
1. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
2. Ben Nelko, Aliquippa, Pa., KTM
3. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM
4. Cheyenne Harmon, Colleyville, Texas, KTM
5. Jared Lesher, Ball Ground, Ga., KTM
6. Mathew Weakley, Atoka, Tenn., Husqvarna
7. Dillon Cloyed, Papillion, Neb., Honda
8. Josh Struebig, Crown Point, Ind., KTM
9. Brandon Marley, McEwen, Tenn., KTM
10. Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM
Arenacross Class Championship Standings
1. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki – 276 (4 Main Event Wins)
2. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM – 265 (5 Main Event Wins)
3. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki – 262 (8 Main Event Wins)
4. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki – 256 (1 Main Event Win)
5. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda – 185
6. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda – 175
7. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Husqvarna – 171
8. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda – 148
9. Kyle Regal, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Husqvarna – 130
10. Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Husqvarna – 115
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Standings
1. Ben Nelko, Aliquippa, Pa., KTM – 60 (2 Main Event Wins)
2. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM – 57 (1 Main Event Win)
3. Cheyenne Harmon, Colleyville, Texas, KTM – 46
4. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM – 42
5. Carlen Gardner, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM – 40
6. Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM – 37
7. Dave Ginolfi, Midvale, Utah, Husqvarna – 36
8. Jared Lesher, Ball Ground, Ga., KTM – 31
9. Collin Jurin, Monroe, Wash., Kawasaki – 25
10. Brandon Marley, McEwen, Tenn., KTM – 25
FIM Freestyle MX World Championship – Round 5 – Stockholm
Round five of the FIM Freestyle MX World Championship in Stockholm was highlighted by a thrilling duel between Maikel Melero and Libor Podmol during the final.
The reigning World Champion had to bring all of his tricks if he wanted a chance to win. He started things off with the Egg-Roll followed by the California Roll, Double Grab Flip, Tsunami Flip and Nac Flair on the Double-Up.
Podmol countered with the Surfer take-off to Tsunami Flip over the Super Kicker, Cali-Roll, Cliffhanger Flip, Supercan Flip and finishing with the Volt. But without a quarter pipe trick in the run, it was Melero who would end with the win and extend his current winning streak to nine victories in a row.
Results NIGHT of the JUMPs – Final
1. Maikel Melero ESP RFME Yamaha 430 Points
2. Libor Podmol CZE ACCR Yamaha 417 Points
3. Remi Bizouard FRA FFM Kawasaki 407 Points
4. David Rinaldo FRA FFM Yamaha 406 Points
5. Rob Adelberg AUS MA Yamaha 402 Points
6. Petr Pilat CZE ACCR KTM 363 Points
Results Qualification
1. Libor Podmol CZE ACCR Yamaha 363 Points
2. Maikel Melero ESP RFME Yamaha 360 Points
3. Rob Adelberg AUS MA Yamaha 357 Points
4. Remi Bizouard FRA FFM Kawasaki 356 Points
5. David Rinaldo FRA FFM Yamaha 348 Points
6. Petr Pilat CZE ACCR KTM 340 Points
7. Hannes Ackermann GER DMSB KTM 315 Points
8. Jose Miralles ESP RFME KTM 300 Points
9. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 290 Points
10. Luc Ackermann GER DMSB Husqvarna 280 Points
Results LifeProof Best Whip Contest
1. Pat Bowden AUS MA Yamaha
2. Fredrik Berggren SWE SVEMO KTM
Maxxis Highest-Air
1. Massimo Bianconcini ITA PZM KTM 8,00 Meter
2. Jose Miralles ESP RFME KTM 8,00 Meter
3. Luc Ackermann GER DMSB Husqvarna 6,00 Meter
FIM Freestyle MX World Championship Points after after Round 5
1. Maikel Melero ESP RFME Yamaha 100 Points
2. Remi Bizouard FRA FFM Kawasaki 86 Points
3. Rob Adelberg AUS MA Yamaha 74 Points
4. David Rinaldo FRA FFM Yamaha 70 Points
5. Petr Pilat CZE ACCR KTM 58 Points
6. Luc Ackermann GER DMSB Husqvarna 45 Points
7. Jose Miralles ESP RFME KTM 43 Points
8. Pat Bowden AUS MA Yamaha 40 Points
9. Brice Izzo FRA FFM Yamaha 28 Points
10. Hannes Ackermann GER DMSB KTM 21 Points
World Motocross Championships – Round 2 – Thailand
Championship favourites Romain Febvre and Jeffrey Herlings have won the Thailand round of the World Motocross Championships on a track that a local club wouldn’t be proud of – note that none of the riders in the interviews below mention the track.
MXGP Race Report
On a less than ideal track we saw both of last year’s world champions in Romain Febvre and Tim Gajser earn the top two steps of the podium for the second weekend in a row yet with the positions swapped from the opening round with Febvre dominating both motos and Gajser battling though for 3-5 results.
Romain Febvre is back on top. “I’m happy to win the first moto, and the second was easier, because after the second corner I was in the lead, and I could make a good gap, and ride safely to the finish. In the first moto I had a really long battle with Tony Cairoli, and you get the stones and the dust in your face, and here it’s really difficult to pass. I was frustrated because I couldn’t pass him, and even when I did I had to slow down a bit and take a break, because I was really tired. I’m really happy to take the red plate, but you know it’s still a really long season ahead. It’s really nice to have it, but there are still 16 rounds to go.”
Tim Gajser is happy to be leaving Thailand. “I think now the toughest race of the year is behind us and I’m really happy with our weekend. In the second moto I didn’t have the best start because Toni stalled in the corner in front of me and I almost hit his bike, but to come back to finish fifth was still good. I’m really pleased with a second podium and I want to thank all the guys on the team and at HRC because the bike is just amazing, and to my Dad because we worked so hard together over the winter and now all that work is paying off. It’s been a good weekend. Not quite like Qatar, but I was feeling good and happy on the bike. It’s another good result and two races and two podiums is a great way to start the season.”
Jeremy Van Horebeek showed good form to earn 4-5 results to end the day in fourth overall ahead of Evgeny Bobryshev, Antonio Cairoli, Shaun Simpson, Gautier Paulin, Kevin Strijbos, Ben Townley and Tommy Searle.
Townley crashed out of fourth on lap nine in moto one but rode like a man processed to score second place in the second moto.
“Wasn’t the day it could have been, made a costly mistake in moto 1 which completely destroyed my left radiator. Managed to salvage a 2nd in moto two, I had to work hard to get there after a so-so start and the heat got me like a hammer half way through.”
MXGP Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 34:04.313; 2. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), +0:02.775; 3. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:05.871; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:18.040; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:21.958; 6. Tommy Searle (GBR, Kawasaki), +0:33.137; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:36.125; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, Suzuki), +0:47.200; 9. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:51.008; 10. Christophe Charlier (FRA, Husqvarna), +0:59.191.
MXGP Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, Yamaha), 34:41.154; 2. Ben Townley (NZL, Suzuki), +0:06.038; 3. Maximilian Nagl (GER, Husqvarna), +0:07.876; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +0:10.723; 5. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:20.508; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), +0:23.325; 7. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Honda), +0:32.355; 8. Jose Butron (ESP, KTM), +0:36.229; 9. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Honda), +0:38.176; 10. Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha), +0:41.132.
MXGP Overall Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 50 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 36 p.; 3. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 34 p.; 4. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 32 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 31 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 27 p.; 7. Gautier Paulin (FRA, HON), 26 p.; 8. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 23 p.; 9. Ben Townley (NZL, SUZ), 22 p.; 10. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 22 p.
MXGP Championship Top Ten: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, YAM), 92 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 86 p.; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, HON), 74 p.; 4. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, YAM), 68 p.; 5. Antonio Cairoli (ITA, KTM), 64 p.; 6. Shaun Simpson (GBR, KTM), 57 p.; 7. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, SUZ), 48 p.; 8. Tommy Searle (GBR, KAW), 47 p.; 9. Maximilian Nagl (GER, HUS), 44 p.; 10. Ben Townley (NZL, SUZ), 42 p.
MX2 Race Report
Ho-hum, four motos and four wins for Herlings. Sure, the action behind between Jeremy Seewer, Aleksandr Tonkov, Benoit Paturel and Pauls Jonass has some merit but other than almost going over the bars in moto two Herlings is making it look way too easy.
“In previous years I was not good without a start” Herlings said. “I was always too aggressive and now I took my time and felt I could go much faster but then I scrubbed and almost went over the ‘bars, I know it was on TV it was such a sketchy moment and something stupid like that is not allowed to happen again, it was my mistake for the last two years so it seems like I didn’t learn, but I did, so I won’t let it happen again, I will try to be smarter, but overall it was a good weekend.”
Jeremy Seewer is happy with his weekend. “Last year was not my best race here in Thailand! This year we did a lot better and all the work we did paid off. I’m really happy. We need to work on my starts a little bit because we missed out both times here but we have made so many changes to my bike this winter we have made big steps. I think we will make it work. So far it has been great working with Stefan because there is a new spirit in the team. It is helping me and is very positive. I want to keep consistent now, avoid crashing and keep in the top five. I’m not too concerned about the championship yet because we are still so early in the season. It doesn’t matter where you are at the start but more at the end.”
Aleksandr Tonkov score his first podium for 2016. “I’m really proud of this first podium of the year, and I hope it won’t be our last. I had a pretty good start, but then I made a small mistake and flooded my bike. After that I did everything I could to catch up, and I had no idea even what position I was in, I just tried to race all the way to the finish. I don’t really take the heat very well, and it was even hotter today, my head was spinning at the end. But motocross is the same for everybody. I have to thank Wilvo Standing Construct Yamaha team for their great work to help me this weekend, and also my brother who is my training mechanic, and we worked all winter, so it’s nice when hard work pays off.”
MX2 Race 1 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:33.241; 2. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +0:32.233; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:37.283; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:41.235; 5. Thomas Covington (USA, Husqvarna), +0:59.709; 6. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +1:12.586; 7. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +1:26.229; 8. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), +1:34.550; 9. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +1:39.392; 10. Roberts Justs (LAT, KTM), -1 lap(s)
MX2 Race 2 Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:48.194; 2. Max Anstie (GBR, Husqvarna), +0:24.954; 3. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Suzuki), +0:26.854; 4. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, Yamaha), +0:39.636; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), +0:43.934; 6. Benoit Paturel (FRA, Yamaha), +0:50.686; 7. Alvin Östlund (SWE, Yamaha), +1:30.625; 8. Brent Van doninck (BEL, Yamaha), +1:35.213; 9. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, Kawasaki), +1:36.124; 10. Petar Petrov (BUL, Kawasaki), +1:39.906
MX2 Overall Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 50 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 40 p.; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 40 p.; 4. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 33 p.; 5. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 28 p.; 6. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 26 p.; 7. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 26 p.; 8. Alvin Östlund (SWE, YAM), 24 p.; 9. Max Anstie (GBR, HUS), 22 p.; 10. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 22 p.
MX2 Championship Top Ten: 1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 100 points; 2. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, SUZ), 74 p.; 3. Aleksandr Tonkov (RUS, YAM), 70 p.; 4. Pauls Jonass (LAT, KTM), 68 p.; 5. Petar Petrov (BUL, KAW), 56 p.; 6. Samuele Bernardini (ITA, TM), 47 p.; 7. Benoit Paturel (FRA, YAM), 46 p.; 8. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA, KAW), 44 p.; 9. Brent Van doninck (BEL, YAM), 44 p.; 10. Vsevolod Brylyakov (RUS, KAW), 38 p.
Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series – Round 2 – Florida
The second round of the 2016 Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series took place at the home of the Alligator Enduro in Bunnell, Florida and after two days of playing around in the deep sand and bogs, not to mention miles of whoops, N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Daniel Milner came away with the overall win for the second time in a row.
After the first day, the Aussie, Milner, led the field by 11 seconds and extended that to a 15 second overall win after day two with fellow Aussie Josh Strang taking second ahead of Thad DuVall, Russell Bobbitt and Cory Buttrick.
Another Aussie, Mackenzie Tricker, topped the Women’s Pro class over Red Bull’s Tarah Gieger and Ride MPS/Bonzi Racing’s Brooke Cosner.
Overall Results
1. Daniel Milner 1:06:26.731 Yamaha
2. Josh Strang 1:06:41.241 Husqvarna
3. Thad DuVall 1:06:58.663 Husqvarna
4. Russell Bobbitt 1:07:23.929 KTM
5. Cory Buttrick 1:07:46.192 KTM
6. Drew Higgins 1:07:54.027 KTM
7. Evan Smith 1:07:58.605 KTM
8. Garrett Edmisten 1:08:29.856 Yamaha
9. Jordan Ashburn 1:08:31.780 KTM
10. Jason Klammer 1:09:35.576 KTM
GNCC – Round 1 – Rodman Plantation in Palatka, Florida
The 2016 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series kicked off the 42nd Annual Season at the Rodman Planation in Palatka, Florida and for the first time in the series history we had an Aussie 1-2 finish with Josh Strang and Daniel Milner beating the fastest endure riders America has to offer.
Defending XC1 Pro Class champion Kailub Russell crashed early taking down Ryan Sipes and Jordan Ashburn with him leaving Ricky Russell with the holeshot but it wasn’t long before Strang took over the lead ahead of Chris Bach and despite Bach passing Strang mid race the Aussie rebounded to take the lead and eventual win by over 30 seconds.
“The last half of the 2015 season was good to me,” said Strang. “I didn’t spend any time pre-season training in Florida, so I just wanted to come down here and do well and try to win if the opportunity was there. Today I felt like I was riding pretty well and it was good to get a win.”
Russell was able to make up major time over the course of the last couple of laps creating a heated battle for second with Daniel Milner but the plucky Aussie would be able hold off the three-time National Champion and beat him to the line by two thousandths of a second.
After putting up a good fight for the overall, Bach would eventually end up in fourth. Sipes would work his way through the pack to end up with an impressive fifth place finish. Grant Baylor finished sixth, followed by Canadian competitor Tyler Medaglia in seventh, Ashburn following in eighth and Steward Baylor in ninth.
It looked as if things were shaping up for Thad Duvall, but unfortunately he came across a mechanical issue in the first half of the race that prohibited him from finishing. “Sometime during the second lap Thad hit something that messed with the connectors fuel hose and the plastic and it eventually broke the connector off and then the fuel pump stop working,” said Team Manager Fred Andrews.
In the XC2 Pro Lites division it was JCR/Honda’s Trevor Bollinger who took the top spot on the podium after a grueling three hours on one of the most challenging and rough courses that GNCC has to offer. Bollinger was followed by Beta USA’s Tegan Temple and Craig Delong.
“I was able to go out to the JCR headquarters in California and test this winter in addition to coming to Florida,” said Trevor Bollinger. “I’ve never really came south to train and I really think this was an advantage.”
The 2016 AMSOIL GNCC Series resumes next weekend, March 12 and 13, at the brand-new Maxxis Cannonball GNCC in Sparta, Georgia.
Overall National Championship Results and Standings
1. Josh Strang – 30pts
2. Daniel Milner – 25pts
3. Kailub Russell – 21pts
4. Christopher Bach – 18pts
5. Ryan Sipes – 16pts
6. Grant Baylor – 15pts
7. Tyler Medaglia – 14pts
8. Jordan Ashburn – 13pts
9. Trevor Bollinger – 12pts
10. Steward Baylor Jr. – 11pts
11. Ricky Russell – 10pts
12. Tegan Temple – 9pts
13. Craig Delong – 8pts
14. Jesse Groemm – 7pts
15. Zack Hayes – 6pts
XC2 Pro Lites Series Results and Standings:
1. Trevor Bollinger – 30pts
2. Tegan Temple – 25pts
3. Craig Delong – 21pts
4. Jesse Groemm – 18pts
5. Zack Hayes – 16pts
6. Joshua Toth – 15pts
7. Benjamin Kelley – 14pts
8. Mark Heresco Jr. – 13pts
9. Jason Klammer – 12pts
10. Trevor Barrett – 11pts
New Holland Clipsal 500 Enduro-X
Husqvarna mounted Mitch Harper has won the New Holland Clipsal 500 Enduro-X event in front of a star studded line including runner up and hottest rider on the planet right now, Toby Price.
“I’m pretty stoked!” said Harper. “I haven’t done that much racing in the last couple years, so it’s pretty good to win an intense race against those top boys. I love the two-stroke for the races like Wildwood, but the 350 power was perfect for this stuff. Unreal. I was probably the only rider here all weekend with a full stock bike barring the exhaust. I won one on Friday, all three yesterday and one today after Palmer crashed in front of me and his rear guard ended up going through my spokes, so I came from last to about fourth, and then I won that last one. It was a great weekend!”
Lachlan Stanford was happy to come away with third overall. “I made some money which is cool. It was awesome, I didn’t know what to expect coming into it, because I’ve never been the best enduro-X rider and I wasn’t really comfortable with the track on Thursday. But I found some good lines and started jumping and getting the flow. Friday felt really good and I was pretty comfortable from there on, I had my lines and was not making any mistakes at all. The first race wasn’t the best but as the weekend went on I just got better and better. My fitness was awesome the whole way but I just couldn’t get a holeshot. But it was an awesome weekend for our sport.”
Overall Results: 1. Mitch Harper – 75 Pts. 2. Toby Price – 62 Pts. 3. Lachlan Stanford 56 Pts. 4. Peter Boyle – 56 Pts. 5. Jacob Smith – 47 Pts. 6. Ivan Long – 42 Pts. 7. Trevor Campbell – 36 Pts. 8. Skipp Rothe – 26 Pts. 9. Wally Palmer – 15 Pts.
KTM Conondale Cup
Conondale hosted the annual KTM Cup last weekend and it was a star studded line up with most of the top factory star on hand so it was no surprise when CDR Yamaha’s Dean Ferris continued his hot form from New Zealand to win the All-Powers and Feature Race ahead of the Kawasaki pairing of Kad Mosig and Matt Moss while in the 250 class offered some of the closest racing on the day with Wade Hunter just getting the nod over Jake Moss and Caleb Ward.
Feature Race: 1. Dean Ferris. 2. Kade Mosig. 3. Matt Moss. 4. Todd Waters. 5. Kirk Gibbs. 6. Caleb Ward. 7. Jesse Dobson. 8. Wade Hunter. 9. Jordan Hill. 10. Billy Harth.
All Powers: 1. Dean Ferris 2. Kad Mosig. 3. Matt Moss.4. Daniel Reardon. 5. Todd Waters. 6. Jesse Dobson. 7. Kirk Gibbs. 8. Wade Hunter. 9. Jordan Hill. 10. Lochie Latimer.
250 Class: 1. Wade Hunter. 2. Jake Moss. 3. Caleb Ward. 4. Ricky Latimer. 5. Jordan Hill. 6. Zak Small. 7. Lochie Latimer. 8. Billy Harth. 9. Joel Rizzo. 10. Kaleb Barham.
